I was never a much of a books guy. When I look back and think as to why I never read many books when I was a child it was simply because I hated sitting at one place. That’s why I was never good at Ludo, Carrom, Monopoly, Chess and reading books. We had enough of books at school; I mean really enough of them and with every year in school passing by, the pile on my study table used to get wider and heavier. So I did not read. I used to be on the streets playing Cricket whenever I was free. Or I used to do a Bradman knocking a tennis ball at the backyard of my home leaving stains on the wall which I am sure used to give more than just sleepless nights to our landlord. Those days the only books I read were Tinkle, Tintin, Super Commando Dhruv , Phantom and Mandrake.
But I knew reading must be good in someway or the other. Infact as I grew up I found myself surrounded by more and more people rattling off reading as a hobby when asked about their favorite pastime. I joined college and one fine day I thought I should start preparing for CAT. So I joined Career Launcher and then I got to know reading books might just help. It did not come naturally to me so I had to push myself hard, really hard to start serious reading. I used to think people who mentioned reading as a hobby had to be sissies. It’s a beautiful world out there under the sun. Loads of people to meet, things to talk about and places to go to. Why would anyone trade off all these things and read and only read inside the four walls of a house?
It used to darn painful for me to pick up a book and acknowledge that for a few hours I am going to give up so many things in my life. Most things in my life begin with Cricket, (most of my English essays in school did) so I thought I should begin reading books on Cricket and Cricketers. It would be less painful that way and the British Library in Trivandrum had a good collection. I told myself that the poison of reading I was about to unleash in my life would be slow and it would be easier for me to pick up this evil habit this way. I began with a few autobiographies. Allan Lamb’s took about a week. Jonathan Agnew’s less than that. Botham’s not more than 3 days. Sobers’ took 2 days. And then I picked up Sunny Days and then Idols and then Not Quite Cricket and then The Record Breaking Sunil Gavaskar and then Azhar by Harsha Bhogle and then Sachin by Gulu Ezekiel (he stars with Sachin in a recent MRF Ad). It was not so bad after all. The Cricket angle was helping it. I also congratulated myself in being smart enough to tide over this crucial decision in my life in a fairly elegant manner. And in between I came across Sir Neville Cardus. I still stop in between reading his essays and gasp for breath and resume reading. They are brilliant! Then I read a book called A Soldier’s Diary by Harinder Baweja, a first hand account of the Kargil war and that was something! We meet people who change our lives, we see movies that have an impact on the way we perceive things and we read books that change the equation of reading.
A Soldier’s Diary did it for me.
I started clinging onto fiction now. And since it was the CAT phase and you are not acknowledged well read in the management community unless you read it, I read the Fountainhead. I vividly remember sweating it out. It was terribly long. It took me a good four months to finish it. Never had I inflicted so much duress in finishing one book. Dominique Francon, Peter Keating , Guy something, Howard Roark and that verbose Ellsworth Toohey. One never meets people who can talk like Mr. Toohey in real life. It was fiction at its best in terms of language. But in terms of plot and the storyline it was only mediocre. The only fiction that I was really enjoying was Wodehouse and Conan Doyle’s. So I went back to autobiographies. Atleast, I thought I will get to know about something that truly existed. What fun in reading stories when you can watch them in movies? But the more and more I read about successful people I realized that all of them, I repeat all of them were voracious readers. All the impressive people I met were well read. And here I was still in college and still being such a whimsical reader. So I pushed myself harder to read more and it evolved into a love-hate relationship with reading. I loved it when I was not reading.
Everyone knows being vegetarian is good and smoking is bad. Yet the world has millions of smokers and non vegetarians. To me, reading posed a similar dilemma. I knew it was good but I had problems adopting it. And then one day I went to Higginbothams on M.G. Road at Bangalore and I spent almost an hour with Sandy that day flipping pages. I suddenly felt like buying some of the books. Part of the stimulus was the fact that the store had a cricket magazine worth 585 bucks. I began visiting it more often. And I started picking pirated copies off the streets in Bangalore and then I visited Blossoms a super duper book store again in Bangalore. It got me the one book called Spin and Other Turns I was looking for ages. I made friends with the owner and thus reading began.
I still am not a voracious reader but I guess I have come to the stage where I believe I am not missing out on much in the world when I am reading. I go to stores like Crosswords when I have not much to do nowadays and I almost wish Crosswords existed when I was a child. They have put up good sprawling stores all over the country and I think they are really doing our nation a favor by atleast getting some of the children and teenagers today off the internet, the video games, the saas bahu stuff and the absolutely crappy movies that Bollywood is dishing out. No Entry , Bunty Aur Babli ,Dhoom , Veer Zaara and Waqt were only box-office hits .Period.
If you think of it seriously as we are getting more and more advanced our means of entertainment are getting more and more gibberish. It’s a pity that a movie like No Entry grossed 40 Crores in India alone. If you look at the pie of a 16-25 year old’s spend on books in real terms today and five years back it would not be a surprise that the spend was higher 5 years back. I recently interviewed atleast 50 people in that age group from the cities of Chennai and Mumbai. 3 of them said reading was a top hobby. When I was in my college almost everyone said reading was a top hobby. It could be a small-town big-city comparison funda too yet I don’t think that is a statistic to be proud of. I think it was Francis Bacon who once said that reading maketh a complete man. I think the author was right. That credit should not go to Raymond Suitings.
I would not change many things in my life. It’s spanned out pretty well till now but if I were asked to go back in time and change one thing about myself, I think I would ask for a better appetite for reading. I think it’s beautiful. I would have also wished for more and more Crosswords. Nothing like reading a crisp new bestseller off the shelf for FREE! :)
Thursday, December 8, 2005
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Lately
Just happy that Brian Lara has got in right against Australia after 9 innings Down Under. Undoubtedly the best batsman of our generation, miles ahead of most contemporary batsman and a shade better than Sachin.
And wasting a lot of time at :
And wasting a lot of time at :
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
No, we dont allow
“We don’t allow this”, the assistant to the principal said.
“Oh Okie... Can I speak to her?” I asked.
“But she won’t allow. We don’t allow this”
“That’s fine. All I need is just to get to speak to the principal”
“I will ask her but as I told you we don’t allow this”. And she went into the Principal’s cabin.
This lady was getting on my nerves.
It was the all too familiar tone of negation and disapproval. I was outside the door of the principal of one of the more prominent schools in the city. And I needed permission to interview 3-4 students from this school as a part of my project. I had already conducted about 80 odd interviews by now. Consumers in the age group of 14-40 years were my target respondents and I had also interviewed 12 students from 3 different schools in the city of Chennai .With this school, I would have finished my quota of school interviews in Chennai.
The assistant went in with my college ID and my bonafide certificate and I saw her speaking to the principal from outside. She came out after a minute or two and said “You can go in”.
Okie, I said to myself. Here’s my chance to do it in style and rebut that assistant. Come on baby, let’s roll on, let me get my familiar pitch in place, get the approval of the principal ,get the students, make them laugh and smile at my questions and lets be done with these interviews in no time.
Sometimes I am too optimistic.
Surprisingly it always pays off. Well… almost.
“Yes, please come in”
“Thank you Ma’m. My name is Issac and I am from the …”
I generally take about 50-60 seconds to get the entire story in place; this was no different and I pause after that.
Pause.
“I see but we never allow this”.
Now this was different. I had been to 3 schools already and no principal gave me this. Not even an All-Girls school’s principal. This was a goddamn co-ed. I made an alteration to my pitch.
“This is for an academic project Ma’m and I have already been to other schools and...”
“We don’t allow such things. I am sorry”
Such things?!?
Her tone suggested that she was taking me to be a 22 year old assassin with a pen and a writing pad in hand.
“Yeah, we don’t allow any interviews with students”
“Ma’m, I would not take more than 15-20 minutes and I need only 3 students”
“We don’t allow. I am sorry”
I don’t know where exactly I picked up the habit but I love having fun while the situation is serious at times and this seemed to be a good setting.
“Well Ma’m, can you give me one good reason why you don’t allow such things?”
I loved that look that she gave me next. Priceless.
More so because I am sure she was not expecting a question like that. And now that I was rejected anyway, I was having my share of fun.
She gave me just what I expected as a reply, “No, we do not allow our students. That’s it. Other schools may do that, we don’t”
I really needed a reason though as to why I would not be allowed to interview the students. At times like these I wish the Right to Information Act be applicable to private institutions also.
It was not a surprise that I would not be allowed to interview the students. I too understand. They have their own right to reject but I was getting irked by that “we-don’t-allow” drone.
I came out, took a bus to another school and got my 4 interviews of school students completed. No harm done.
What happened though is, I think the symptom of a larger malaise (and unlike in other cities probably the only one) in Chennai.
We don’t allow.
We don’t allow to kiss .We will arrest you for vulgarity.
We don’t allow dancing in pubs. We are closing down the pubs.
We don’t allow screening plays like Vagina Monologues. We will burn the theater.
We don’t allow people to talk sex and virginity. We will take Khushboo to court.
We don’t allow newspaper editorials that hurt us .We will take N. Ram under custody.
Liberalism is a way of living not a fad. And it hurts far fewer people than the devils allow one to imagine. Forget the 21st century modern India talk and think about it.
Would you rather get summoned by a court for talking about virginity in a free nation that practices freedom of speech and expression as a fundamental right or would you rather remain silent and not talk about things that you think might be true. So if kissing, dancing, screening plays is not allowed let’s know why they are not allowed. And let’s also know why they can be allowed. Let’s talk about things and respect people who talk. Differ, Contest, Argue but respect people who talk and don’t slam a PIL for God’s sake because when you do you stifle the next voice who wants to talk.
We have always been a shy nation like our cricket team until Mr. Ganguly came out on the Lords Balcony in the summer of 2001 and took off his shirt. I think that day he also took off that shyness from every modern Indian cricketer. But everyday life is not like cricket and as a nation we need to talk more, we need to get ourselves heard, we need to shout. I love the fact that more and more news channels are sprouting up for these are mediums through which we can be heard and I love every time a sting operation is conducted. Someone is telling us that things are not right and the more we know things are not right we get a chance to correct them.
My friend Anish once came up with a gem in one of our everyday conversations. He said “I think there’s something screwed up with our value system; sex is a taboo for us and yet every single day we as a nation produce more humans than anyone else in the world”.
With things like these we confuse the world what we stand for. Thankfully we are still a fairly young nation and I think we really need to allow ourselves to talk to get rid of such contradictions.
“Oh Okie... Can I speak to her?” I asked.
“But she won’t allow. We don’t allow this”
“That’s fine. All I need is just to get to speak to the principal”
“I will ask her but as I told you we don’t allow this”. And she went into the Principal’s cabin.
This lady was getting on my nerves.
It was the all too familiar tone of negation and disapproval. I was outside the door of the principal of one of the more prominent schools in the city. And I needed permission to interview 3-4 students from this school as a part of my project. I had already conducted about 80 odd interviews by now. Consumers in the age group of 14-40 years were my target respondents and I had also interviewed 12 students from 3 different schools in the city of Chennai .With this school, I would have finished my quota of school interviews in Chennai.
The assistant went in with my college ID and my bonafide certificate and I saw her speaking to the principal from outside. She came out after a minute or two and said “You can go in”.
Okie, I said to myself. Here’s my chance to do it in style and rebut that assistant. Come on baby, let’s roll on, let me get my familiar pitch in place, get the approval of the principal ,get the students, make them laugh and smile at my questions and lets be done with these interviews in no time.
Sometimes I am too optimistic.
Surprisingly it always pays off. Well… almost.
“Yes, please come in”
“Thank you Ma’m. My name is Issac and I am from the …”
I generally take about 50-60 seconds to get the entire story in place; this was no different and I pause after that.
Pause.
“I see but we never allow this”.
Now this was different. I had been to 3 schools already and no principal gave me this. Not even an All-Girls school’s principal. This was a goddamn co-ed. I made an alteration to my pitch.
“This is for an academic project Ma’m and I have already been to other schools and...”
“We don’t allow such things. I am sorry”
Such things?!?
Her tone suggested that she was taking me to be a 22 year old assassin with a pen and a writing pad in hand.
“Yeah, we don’t allow any interviews with students”
“Ma’m, I would not take more than 15-20 minutes and I need only 3 students”
“We don’t allow. I am sorry”
I don’t know where exactly I picked up the habit but I love having fun while the situation is serious at times and this seemed to be a good setting.
“Well Ma’m, can you give me one good reason why you don’t allow such things?”
I loved that look that she gave me next. Priceless.
More so because I am sure she was not expecting a question like that. And now that I was rejected anyway, I was having my share of fun.
She gave me just what I expected as a reply, “No, we do not allow our students. That’s it. Other schools may do that, we don’t”
I really needed a reason though as to why I would not be allowed to interview the students. At times like these I wish the Right to Information Act be applicable to private institutions also.
It was not a surprise that I would not be allowed to interview the students. I too understand. They have their own right to reject but I was getting irked by that “we-don’t-allow” drone.
I came out, took a bus to another school and got my 4 interviews of school students completed. No harm done.
What happened though is, I think the symptom of a larger malaise (and unlike in other cities probably the only one) in Chennai.
We don’t allow.
We don’t allow to kiss .We will arrest you for vulgarity.
We don’t allow dancing in pubs. We are closing down the pubs.
We don’t allow screening plays like Vagina Monologues. We will burn the theater.
We don’t allow people to talk sex and virginity. We will take Khushboo to court.
We don’t allow newspaper editorials that hurt us .We will take N. Ram under custody.
Liberalism is a way of living not a fad. And it hurts far fewer people than the devils allow one to imagine. Forget the 21st century modern India talk and think about it.
Would you rather get summoned by a court for talking about virginity in a free nation that practices freedom of speech and expression as a fundamental right or would you rather remain silent and not talk about things that you think might be true. So if kissing, dancing, screening plays is not allowed let’s know why they are not allowed. And let’s also know why they can be allowed. Let’s talk about things and respect people who talk. Differ, Contest, Argue but respect people who talk and don’t slam a PIL for God’s sake because when you do you stifle the next voice who wants to talk.
We have always been a shy nation like our cricket team until Mr. Ganguly came out on the Lords Balcony in the summer of 2001 and took off his shirt. I think that day he also took off that shyness from every modern Indian cricketer. But everyday life is not like cricket and as a nation we need to talk more, we need to get ourselves heard, we need to shout. I love the fact that more and more news channels are sprouting up for these are mediums through which we can be heard and I love every time a sting operation is conducted. Someone is telling us that things are not right and the more we know things are not right we get a chance to correct them.
My friend Anish once came up with a gem in one of our everyday conversations. He said “I think there’s something screwed up with our value system; sex is a taboo for us and yet every single day we as a nation produce more humans than anyone else in the world”.
With things like these we confuse the world what we stand for. Thankfully we are still a fairly young nation and I think we really need to allow ourselves to talk to get rid of such contradictions.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
A Few Good Jobs
The following post coming three weeks into my project could get you a lil worried about my state of mind in my incumbent company. To soothe the fears of my well-wishers let me at the very outset say that the following post bears no resemblance to any real life situation I am facing now. Any inference to such resemblance hence is purely coincidental.
I have tended to believe that for a job to be well done or for a relationship to prosper there is a spark that needs to be present. A job could pay you the best in the country but if that spark is absent it’s just another job. It could very well have been the filling of the petrol tanks of ongoing vehicles at a gas station at the same level of wages.
You could be out with Salma Hayek on a moonlit night but if her speech and manner makes you yawn you could very well have been out with a hag on the same moonlit night.
Not all of us are lucky enough to get a job with that spark and it’s not too unnatural for us to crib about it. Employee turnover (or attrition for the need to stay in vogue with the latest HR nomenclatures) is a reality every organization faces. And this is because of this spark that some people do not derive from their jobs. They get bored, fed up, disappointed, irritated and look for greener pastures elsewhere.
But if one does have that spark factor in his/her job it is unlikely that he/she will ever leave that job. Nothing else could explain M.F.Hussain still painting his canvasses, Dev Anand still directing movies and R.K. Laxman still drawing caricatures. Or Brian Johnston holding his mike for 48 years, or Sean Connery still acting or Madonna still singing.
Why even, Mr. Buffet still investing, Mr. Gates still thinking and Ms Paris Hilton still laundering. Okie, pardon the last one.
I have also tended to believe that whatever life offers you, there is atleast one soul who’s got a better deal and atleast one soul who’s got a worse deal than you in this world. So if you think you have got one helluva boring job, I thought it would be nice to know what could be the most boring jobs in India and presented below is my list in no particular order.
The Coast Guard: It’s in everyone’s best interests that he does not come into action. He spends his time gazing on the beach and watching hordes of travelers come and go by. Usually he has an umbrella to himself and every once in a while a kid waves him a Hi. I once observed him at one of the beaches in Trivandrum; he dint have a thing to do for the three hours we spent there.
The guy distributing pamphlets on the roads: This chap is handed a bunch of catalogues or pamphlets early morning by his employer for a day and he keeps handing it over to people walking by. Most people don’t even look him in the eye, worse - some do and take a copy and throw it on the road without a peek.
Mechanics who fill tires: I bet it should be interesting should he overfill any of those tires with loud consequences but these chaps are too efficient for that. It’s amazing how he never ever makes that mistake; another of those unnoticed operations that run at greater than Six Sigma. (Why dont we study them as a case study but will sure take notice should Prince Harry come and extol their capabilities is something I shall take up at a later date.)
Guy stamping envelopes with the P.O Seal at the Post Office: Seriously, one after the other, how can you keep doing that an entire day and for an entire week and then week after week!!!
The table cleaner in a restaurant: A dirty towel, his customary weapon along with a plastic or aluminum tray. Wipes in different styles, leftovers of different shape and sizes but that’s all his job description allows him to accomplish.
The doorkeeper at corporate offices: His job is to open the door every time someone comes or threatens to come his way. Since the door is a modern marvel he doesn’t have to push it back. The door automatically shuts in poetic motion and our man starts waiting for the next man to come his way.
The ticket checker at Multiplexes: This is an offspring of the increased spending of the modern Indian Consumer on watching movies in Multiplexes. With so many screens around no one ever knows which the right screen is .So we have an assistant in uniform whose job is to utter any of the following sentences over and over again."Go straight Sir, first screen on left”, “The Screen on your right Ma’m, once you reach the end of the alley” or “It’s the one on the left, besides the popcorn stall over there.”
The Driver: His skill in dealing with all the other vehicles on the road is matchless. But once he leaves his Saab in the morning at the office , he has to spend and entire day waiting for his boss to come out of the office. Worse still, Murphy’s Law tends to wreak havoc with him at times. His boss often comes out or summons for him at the only moment when he decides to go out for fag.
The HT ‘Let there be Light’ teaser campaign: This was in March in Delhi when I saw a chap on the bridge near the Sarai Kale Khan Bus standing blindfolded on a footpath holding a placard that read “ Let there be Light” . This was in the morning at around 9 a.m. on my way to the office.
On my way back at 5:30 p.m., I saw the guy rooted to the spot.
Thank God, you have got a great job and now get back to work! : )
I have tended to believe that for a job to be well done or for a relationship to prosper there is a spark that needs to be present. A job could pay you the best in the country but if that spark is absent it’s just another job. It could very well have been the filling of the petrol tanks of ongoing vehicles at a gas station at the same level of wages.
You could be out with Salma Hayek on a moonlit night but if her speech and manner makes you yawn you could very well have been out with a hag on the same moonlit night.
Not all of us are lucky enough to get a job with that spark and it’s not too unnatural for us to crib about it. Employee turnover (or attrition for the need to stay in vogue with the latest HR nomenclatures) is a reality every organization faces. And this is because of this spark that some people do not derive from their jobs. They get bored, fed up, disappointed, irritated and look for greener pastures elsewhere.
But if one does have that spark factor in his/her job it is unlikely that he/she will ever leave that job. Nothing else could explain M.F.Hussain still painting his canvasses, Dev Anand still directing movies and R.K. Laxman still drawing caricatures. Or Brian Johnston holding his mike for 48 years, or Sean Connery still acting or Madonna still singing.
Why even, Mr. Buffet still investing, Mr. Gates still thinking and Ms Paris Hilton still laundering. Okie, pardon the last one.
I have also tended to believe that whatever life offers you, there is atleast one soul who’s got a better deal and atleast one soul who’s got a worse deal than you in this world. So if you think you have got one helluva boring job, I thought it would be nice to know what could be the most boring jobs in India and presented below is my list in no particular order.
The Coast Guard: It’s in everyone’s best interests that he does not come into action. He spends his time gazing on the beach and watching hordes of travelers come and go by. Usually he has an umbrella to himself and every once in a while a kid waves him a Hi. I once observed him at one of the beaches in Trivandrum; he dint have a thing to do for the three hours we spent there.
The guy distributing pamphlets on the roads: This chap is handed a bunch of catalogues or pamphlets early morning by his employer for a day and he keeps handing it over to people walking by. Most people don’t even look him in the eye, worse - some do and take a copy and throw it on the road without a peek.
Mechanics who fill tires: I bet it should be interesting should he overfill any of those tires with loud consequences but these chaps are too efficient for that. It’s amazing how he never ever makes that mistake; another of those unnoticed operations that run at greater than Six Sigma. (Why dont we study them as a case study but will sure take notice should Prince Harry come and extol their capabilities is something I shall take up at a later date.)
Guy stamping envelopes with the P.O Seal at the Post Office: Seriously, one after the other, how can you keep doing that an entire day and for an entire week and then week after week!!!
The table cleaner in a restaurant: A dirty towel, his customary weapon along with a plastic or aluminum tray. Wipes in different styles, leftovers of different shape and sizes but that’s all his job description allows him to accomplish.
The doorkeeper at corporate offices: His job is to open the door every time someone comes or threatens to come his way. Since the door is a modern marvel he doesn’t have to push it back. The door automatically shuts in poetic motion and our man starts waiting for the next man to come his way.
The ticket checker at Multiplexes: This is an offspring of the increased spending of the modern Indian Consumer on watching movies in Multiplexes. With so many screens around no one ever knows which the right screen is .So we have an assistant in uniform whose job is to utter any of the following sentences over and over again."Go straight Sir, first screen on left”, “The Screen on your right Ma’m, once you reach the end of the alley” or “It’s the one on the left, besides the popcorn stall over there.”
The Driver: His skill in dealing with all the other vehicles on the road is matchless. But once he leaves his Saab in the morning at the office , he has to spend and entire day waiting for his boss to come out of the office. Worse still, Murphy’s Law tends to wreak havoc with him at times. His boss often comes out or summons for him at the only moment when he decides to go out for fag.
The HT ‘Let there be Light’ teaser campaign: This was in March in Delhi when I saw a chap on the bridge near the Sarai Kale Khan Bus standing blindfolded on a footpath holding a placard that read “ Let there be Light” . This was in the morning at around 9 a.m. on my way to the office.
On my way back at 5:30 p.m., I saw the guy rooted to the spot.
Thank God, you have got a great job and now get back to work! : )
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
Home again!
Am kicked about this break after a breakneck last four months . :)
And am feeling bad about leaving SP again for even 3 days!
And rrreeaallyyyy looking forward to watching the Second One Dayer of RoW Vs Australia with my ol' opening partner Jubin at home.
And Sis is not going to be home...
And Dad isnt the greatest cook in the world. : )
And am feeling bad about leaving SP again for even 3 days!
And rrreeaallyyyy looking forward to watching the Second One Dayer of RoW Vs Australia with my ol' opening partner Jubin at home.
And Sis is not going to be home...
And Dad isnt the greatest cook in the world. : )
Saturday, September 24, 2005
A First!
Interviewed Subroto Bagchi in Room #223 , Hotel Leela ,Mumbai
My first big interview , caught on camera.
Lasted 10 minutes.
The kick of having done it still lingers. :))
My first big interview , caught on camera.
Lasted 10 minutes.
The kick of having done it still lingers. :))
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Gosh ! The World!
The world.. the world ...Ever thought about it?
It's so truly Goddamn funny!
Things that start and stop on their own, things you cant help and things you cant decide...
Funny, plain funny!
It's so truly Goddamn funny!
Things that start and stop on their own, things you cant help and things you cant decide...
Funny, plain funny!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
On Cricket- I
Starting with this post, a new series of my views on the game of cricket, on some players, on some of the issues the game's facing and the never ending controversies. This is something I used to regularly do in college but got cut off for a while . Back on air now. : )
On Gilchrist:
Gilly has a style of his own. He would'nt kill you but just hit you.And for some of us that's a pleasure. Cuts,sweeps,pulls,straight drives and more cuts,sweeps,pulls and straight drives. Before you would even acknowledge his presence on crease, he would be on 20 odd and by the time you have a plan he's crossed 50. And by the time you figure the plan's not working he's making the common man on the ground outside the stadium find the red cherry he's just dispatched over square leg. A tremendous asset to any side with a lightning batspeed and an even faster walk to the crease and back when it comes to that.
He is acknowledged as one of the top batsmen today but contrary to what some seem to believe I dont subscribe to the view that he's the best around. Contemporary cricket does have atleast 4 batsmen who would rank ahead of Gilly in my book. I am a huge fan of his batting style but not his batting. For he can still be more menacing than he currently is.
He is mercilessly destructive for a bowler's morale and I said it elsewhere that where Gilly fails to make it to the top league in my book is because the bowler is always in with a chance with him unlike a Lara or a Sachin or a Dravid or Vaughan who once in for some time would make you toil for their wicket.
The recent Ashes Series was the first one where he failed throughout. And this was a quality attack he was up against. It would be interesting to see how Gilchrist deals with this failure at an age when many others think about quitting the game. Importantly , it would be interesting to know how the Aussie Selectors intend to deal with him, with Brad Haddin waiting to take off should the flight of Gilly be cut short by the selectors. This is pretty much a deja vu for me for not so long back I prayed that Healy make runs so that Gilly would'nt come and take his place. I dont think it is that stage yet when anyone needs to pray for Gilly but yes for the first time in his career Gilly will have to give 'hitting the ball' a thought , something he is not used to and something he should'nt do.
Gilly's batting has been, for the millions of his viewers, all about unadulterated joy, uncomplicated hitting and uncensored flamboyance. And I hope I dont have to start offering my prayers for him anytime soon. Over the years he has cracked some stunning centuries and here's my pick of the lot:
The one in Mumbai ,against India in the 2003 season shud stand out cos of the sheer devilry of heaving Bhajji over and over again against the spin on a dusty track.
The one in Hobart, against Pakistan because it came against a top class attack and because he was batting in the fourth innings and contributed to one of the highestrun chases in history
The one in Durban ,against SA for effortlessness.(fastest double in tests). I remembering him heaving one off Boje over midwicket, a wild sweep and then he stood up to push the ball suggestively in the air so that it could hit one of the billboards that could have earned him some rands.
Easily the most destructive in World Cricket, destructive to a bowler's pride, to a team's morale and injurious to the very health of a bowling team supporter
On Gilchrist:
Gilly has a style of his own. He would'nt kill you but just hit you.And for some of us that's a pleasure. Cuts,sweeps,pulls,straight drives and more cuts,sweeps,pulls and straight drives. Before you would even acknowledge his presence on crease, he would be on 20 odd and by the time you have a plan he's crossed 50. And by the time you figure the plan's not working he's making the common man on the ground outside the stadium find the red cherry he's just dispatched over square leg. A tremendous asset to any side with a lightning batspeed and an even faster walk to the crease and back when it comes to that.
He is acknowledged as one of the top batsmen today but contrary to what some seem to believe I dont subscribe to the view that he's the best around. Contemporary cricket does have atleast 4 batsmen who would rank ahead of Gilly in my book. I am a huge fan of his batting style but not his batting. For he can still be more menacing than he currently is.
He is mercilessly destructive for a bowler's morale and I said it elsewhere that where Gilly fails to make it to the top league in my book is because the bowler is always in with a chance with him unlike a Lara or a Sachin or a Dravid or Vaughan who once in for some time would make you toil for their wicket.
The recent Ashes Series was the first one where he failed throughout. And this was a quality attack he was up against. It would be interesting to see how Gilchrist deals with this failure at an age when many others think about quitting the game. Importantly , it would be interesting to know how the Aussie Selectors intend to deal with him, with Brad Haddin waiting to take off should the flight of Gilly be cut short by the selectors. This is pretty much a deja vu for me for not so long back I prayed that Healy make runs so that Gilly would'nt come and take his place. I dont think it is that stage yet when anyone needs to pray for Gilly but yes for the first time in his career Gilly will have to give 'hitting the ball' a thought , something he is not used to and something he should'nt do.
Gilly's batting has been, for the millions of his viewers, all about unadulterated joy, uncomplicated hitting and uncensored flamboyance. And I hope I dont have to start offering my prayers for him anytime soon. Over the years he has cracked some stunning centuries and here's my pick of the lot:
The one in Mumbai ,against India in the 2003 season shud stand out cos of the sheer devilry of heaving Bhajji over and over again against the spin on a dusty track.
The one in Hobart, against Pakistan because it came against a top class attack and because he was batting in the fourth innings and contributed to one of the highestrun chases in history
The one in Durban ,against SA for effortlessness.(fastest double in tests). I remembering him heaving one off Boje over midwicket, a wild sweep and then he stood up to push the ball suggestively in the air so that it could hit one of the billboards that could have earned him some rands.
Easily the most destructive in World Cricket, destructive to a bowler's pride, to a team's morale and injurious to the very health of a bowling team supporter
Friday, September 9, 2005
The Comeback of the First Ones
Everything in SP is coming right back at me.
It started off with AKB, then Freshers, then Teacher's Day celebs, then the Football Match, GASP and everything else. This isnt much of an exception, it is a way of the world.
In Evam's Indrajit, the recurring theme is that of how the world goes round and round and round and how people fit in patterns in their lives and go on to live happy with it. Some of them want to jump out of the pattern and form a pattern on their own but often it never works out. One tries jumping out of the pattern but its far too encompassing and comforting. Its tempting to stay in the pattern and dangerous to move out.And so life moves on , round and round and round
When you draw a circle there is a starting point and it meets that very point to complete it.Thereafter if you try using the compass to go all over it again ,it is'nt half as interesting as it was to draw and go through all the points the first time. For there's something about the first time...
The first rain of a season, the first century, the first kiss... everything about the first time is well... special! So when it comes all over again does it feel as special?
Probably yes is one view.
After all how can you explain people like me who still love it when it rains in Mumbai irrespective of the many first times, how can you explain Sachin (not until recently) still being as pumped whenever he scored a century and how can you explain Emraan Hashmi's kissing spree (pun intended) ?
Nope, the first time is the best one and diminishing utility thereafter is another view. How else can you expain breakups in marriages, how can you explain people sending their parents to an old-age home after a certain point of time and how can you explain Paes and Bhupathi parting ways after having won 4 grand slams. If for them, the subsequent ones would have been as special as their first one, they should'nt have split.
So which side am I on? Actually both of 'em...
The smell of my first salary's crackling notes that emerged out of the ATM when I put that rectangular card in the machine for the first time was unbeatable.No other subsequent withdrawal had that jazz to it.
The first four that I hit in every innings of mine on the ground in whatever level of cricket I play gives me that punch that the subsequent ones can probably match but not surpass.
The first pair of branded shoes I bought are still kept at home, they dont qualify by definition to be called a "a pair of shoes" yet they always stay near my bunch of CD's and Books.
If now I am asked what is that one thing that I would do over and over again and yet get the same spark, I dont have an answer. Infact I would'nt know until I go over it again and again.
But I assume there are some people with whom I can spend a lifetime and want to spend another,
I assume talking about cricket would be another vocation that I would want to be in over and over again.
Hence should'nt the ultimate purpose of our existence be to direct all our energies towards these assumptions that each of us has? If we are'nt, its probably because the pattern is indeed far too encompassing and comforting. Its tempting to stay in the pattern and dangerous to move out.And so life moves on , round and round and round.
It started off with AKB, then Freshers, then Teacher's Day celebs, then the Football Match, GASP and everything else. This isnt much of an exception, it is a way of the world.
In Evam's Indrajit, the recurring theme is that of how the world goes round and round and round and how people fit in patterns in their lives and go on to live happy with it. Some of them want to jump out of the pattern and form a pattern on their own but often it never works out. One tries jumping out of the pattern but its far too encompassing and comforting. Its tempting to stay in the pattern and dangerous to move out.And so life moves on , round and round and round
When you draw a circle there is a starting point and it meets that very point to complete it.Thereafter if you try using the compass to go all over it again ,it is'nt half as interesting as it was to draw and go through all the points the first time. For there's something about the first time...
The first rain of a season, the first century, the first kiss... everything about the first time is well... special! So when it comes all over again does it feel as special?
Probably yes is one view.
After all how can you explain people like me who still love it when it rains in Mumbai irrespective of the many first times, how can you explain Sachin (not until recently) still being as pumped whenever he scored a century and how can you explain Emraan Hashmi's kissing spree (pun intended) ?
Nope, the first time is the best one and diminishing utility thereafter is another view. How else can you expain breakups in marriages, how can you explain people sending their parents to an old-age home after a certain point of time and how can you explain Paes and Bhupathi parting ways after having won 4 grand slams. If for them, the subsequent ones would have been as special as their first one, they should'nt have split.
So which side am I on? Actually both of 'em...
The smell of my first salary's crackling notes that emerged out of the ATM when I put that rectangular card in the machine for the first time was unbeatable.No other subsequent withdrawal had that jazz to it.
The first four that I hit in every innings of mine on the ground in whatever level of cricket I play gives me that punch that the subsequent ones can probably match but not surpass.
The first pair of branded shoes I bought are still kept at home, they dont qualify by definition to be called a "a pair of shoes" yet they always stay near my bunch of CD's and Books.
If now I am asked what is that one thing that I would do over and over again and yet get the same spark, I dont have an answer. Infact I would'nt know until I go over it again and again.
But I assume there are some people with whom I can spend a lifetime and want to spend another,
I assume talking about cricket would be another vocation that I would want to be in over and over again.
Hence should'nt the ultimate purpose of our existence be to direct all our energies towards these assumptions that each of us has? If we are'nt, its probably because the pattern is indeed far too encompassing and comforting. Its tempting to stay in the pattern and dangerous to move out.And so life moves on , round and round and round.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Untitled
Introspection about people and things around me.
Whats changed and whats not?
One of those days when I am just happy to be alone.. : )
Whats changed and whats not?
One of those days when I am just happy to be alone.. : )
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Placed
We hit it big today!
Kaushal, if I write about you I could take a long time and I am sleepy. Should suffice to say that you are the best negotiator that India has right now.
Marketing Placom : I wrote you a mail.
The Batch : Thanks guys!
Abha: So you did admit that I am the best Company Co-ordinator. ; )
Cadburys: Here I come...
Kaushal, if I write about you I could take a long time and I am sleepy. Should suffice to say that you are the best negotiator that India has right now.
Marketing Placom : I wrote you a mail.
The Batch : Thanks guys!
Abha: So you did admit that I am the best Company Co-ordinator. ; )
Cadburys: Here I come...
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Moments
"Life boils down to a few moments and this is one of 'em"
Bud Fox in the the movie Wall Street
And today, there were four of 'em in one of the most amazing days of my life...
16th August ,2005
#1 : Megha and me at the Vivekananda Square at around 11 a.m. .. a tear or two on my suit and a tear or two on her shirt. Two sighs of relief.. and two chocolates down the drain
#2 : "Amitesh , HLL spot" . That was a kick!
#3 : Aparna,Aparna,Aparna... I think I got one of my best lines in with her today..
"So now whenever I look at you, I have a reason to celebrate... "
Seriously , I am kinda proud of my creation.. I should use this line more often ... : )
#4 : The Walk for Marlboro Lights.
Bud Fox in the the movie Wall Street
And today, there were four of 'em in one of the most amazing days of my life...
16th August ,2005
#1 : Megha and me at the Vivekananda Square at around 11 a.m. .. a tear or two on my suit and a tear or two on her shirt. Two sighs of relief.. and two chocolates down the drain
#2 : "Amitesh , HLL spot" . That was a kick!
#3 : Aparna,Aparna,Aparna... I think I got one of my best lines in with her today..
"So now whenever I look at you, I have a reason to celebrate... "
Seriously , I am kinda proud of my creation.. I should use this line more often ... : )
#4 : The Walk for Marlboro Lights.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Epitaph
It could be :
Issac,
Ex-Placom,SPJIMR.. :D
I am on a reaaaaallll high today!
I think about it and talk about it too but I think for the record:
I love my batch...
Moi reeeallllly on a moon tonight!
Issac,
Ex-Placom,SPJIMR.. :D
I am on a reaaaaallll high today!
I think about it and talk about it too but I think for the record:
I love my batch...
Moi reeeallllly on a moon tonight!
Thursday, August 4, 2005
Monday, August 1, 2005
Etched - II
Simply put : Stuck. Cornered. Grounded. Stranded. Can’t do a thing.
There was consensus though that man has been known to survive without food and water for 30 hours and with that in mind most of us retired to our beds. Those interested joined watching one of the two movies running on the first and third floor. Taking Lives and Sarkar they were I think. (In hindsight there seems to be brand fit between the situation then and the name Taking Lives)
I can bet my head on the fact that no one would have even imagined to grab a morsel that night. With waters neck deep high surrounding us who could even think of venturing outside?
Good Night Everyone!
12:30 a.m. 27th July,2005,301-A,SP Jain BH:
Knock Knock.
"We have Chapattis on First Floor. Go down and eat something."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah…"
12:32 a.m. 27th July,2005,First Floor SP Jain BH :
One table surrounded by 80 odd guys.
3 guys distributing something.
2 cellphones for candles.
160 odd folded hands.
1 Chapatti in each pair of hands, stuffed with rice.
The Mood: Sombre and Silent.
Need for Food: Right up there!
The Image: Etched Forever!
Sameer ,Vishnu and Sriram .. we can never thank you evermore.
We love you for putting us ahead of yourselves.
10:30 a.m. 27th July,2005,SP Jain BH.
A drizzle outside. The rains seemed to have stopped.
Water:Waist high.Manageable.Finally a trip to the mess again.
“ Dean and 6 other profs stuck at the insti still…”
“So what?”
Some things never change.
8:30 p.m. 27th July,2005,SP Jain Mess.
Our choice of music for the first time in the mess. Sounds splendid.
Ankur playing requests.
Dance for the first time in the mess. Feels splendid
The Mood: Festive, We survived. Partha lives on to tell the story.
Need for companionship: Right up there!
An unbelievable ride , an unbelievable batch in an unbelievable city.
P.S. - Mumbai- Rains,ONGC,Flights,Rumours and More Rains- you still dont crib and you get on with your work. I was on FM for 4 hours on the afternoon of 27th July and now I know why people say this city is special.
Quote of the day on 27th July,2005: On an FM Channel : A couple stranded in the car for 38 hours before making it to their home when asked to describe their ordeal had this to say:
"Faith ,Hope and Love gets you everywhere..."
Song for the moment: Who'll stop the Rain-CCR
Excerpt: Long as I remember The rain been coming down.
Clouds of myst'ry pouring Confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, Trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, Still I wonder,
Who'll stop the rain.
There was consensus though that man has been known to survive without food and water for 30 hours and with that in mind most of us retired to our beds. Those interested joined watching one of the two movies running on the first and third floor. Taking Lives and Sarkar they were I think. (In hindsight there seems to be brand fit between the situation then and the name Taking Lives)
I can bet my head on the fact that no one would have even imagined to grab a morsel that night. With waters neck deep high surrounding us who could even think of venturing outside?
Good Night Everyone!
12:30 a.m. 27th July,2005,301-A,SP Jain BH:
Knock Knock.
"We have Chapattis on First Floor. Go down and eat something."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah…"
12:32 a.m. 27th July,2005,First Floor SP Jain BH :
One table surrounded by 80 odd guys.
3 guys distributing something.
2 cellphones for candles.
160 odd folded hands.
1 Chapatti in each pair of hands, stuffed with rice.
The Mood: Sombre and Silent.
Need for Food: Right up there!
The Image: Etched Forever!
Sameer ,Vishnu and Sriram .. we can never thank you evermore.
We love you for putting us ahead of yourselves.
10:30 a.m. 27th July,2005,SP Jain BH.
A drizzle outside. The rains seemed to have stopped.
Water:Waist high.Manageable.Finally a trip to the mess again.
“ Dean and 6 other profs stuck at the insti still…”
“So what?”
Some things never change.
8:30 p.m. 27th July,2005,SP Jain Mess.
Our choice of music for the first time in the mess. Sounds splendid.
Ankur playing requests.
Dance for the first time in the mess. Feels splendid
The Mood: Festive, We survived. Partha lives on to tell the story.
Need for companionship: Right up there!
An unbelievable ride , an unbelievable batch in an unbelievable city.
P.S. - Mumbai- Rains,ONGC,Flights,Rumours and More Rains- you still dont crib and you get on with your work. I was on FM for 4 hours on the afternoon of 27th July and now I know why people say this city is special.
Quote of the day on 27th July,2005: On an FM Channel : A couple stranded in the car for 38 hours before making it to their home when asked to describe their ordeal had this to say:
"Faith ,Hope and Love gets you everywhere..."
Song for the moment: Who'll stop the Rain-CCR
Excerpt: Long as I remember The rain been coming down.
Clouds of myst'ry pouring Confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, Trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, Still I wonder,
Who'll stop the rain.
Etched- I
P&P was a funny subject for us in First Year.
No one worth his salt needs to apply those vague principles one learns in P&P for application in his/her corporate life. If anyone really does need to apply the principles and theories laid in those 3 text books and 11 handouts we went through for the subect in his/her professional stint, it would , IMHO ,be due to an acute scarcity of horse sense.
However , an oft used and abused theory from the subject is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Triangle. It is man's intention to move towards the peak of that triangle , so we are told. Or that the human self tries to eclipse the previous four blocks of needs to reach the "Need for Self Actualization "level. The whole thing does make some sense.
It made tremendous sense for us on the night of 26th July,2005 at the Boys Hostel at SPJIMR. India's heaviest rainfall in the shortest possible time flung us up and down that blocked triangle I just described. We were hurled around those five levels of the triangle , dealt with by nature like maggots and for once we thought we would be lucky to survive the rain!
It began like any other rainy afternoon.
And I was with RB catching up after a long time.
The lights went off in some time .. just like any other rainy afternoon.
In the course of our conversation we happened to see the tubelights kept on the GW Rooms floor floating effortlessly on the water that had gushed in. Well.. at this point of time we told each other maybe.. just maybe this isnt like any other rainy afternoon.
So we went around the campus and heard that the CRM presentations had been cancelled. We saw water in our domes till knee height and we went to the Bistro to splash water with Ronaldesque kicks .And on last count me and Morpheus were tied at 1-1.
At around 4 :30 p.m. while me and RB were at the entrance of our college wondering how to get back to the hostel , we were confronted with this sight of one of our classmates with slippers in hand striving to get some attention from this guy. While our man was in the Jeetendra mould- of all charm and poise the lady reflected all that I really cannot put in words now.
Nevertheless ,we started walking towards the hostel at around 5:30 and it wasnt as much of a walk as much of a float-and-wade that we employed. The ploy proved successful and once we were in the hostel we also ventured into the lawn with chest deep water in there for a fairly competitive game of Water Polo. We also mixed some volleyball and rugby rules and our Social Need for companionship was being met with some unexpected speed and success.
And then someone popped a question: What next?
Err.... cant go out , cant call anyone, cant be on the LAN, cant see the TV, cant heat the water for a bath, cant connect the lappies, damn cant even see anyone in this darkness in the hostel!
What next really?
"How about something to eat? "
"Who's got the stuff? "
"Jayaram's not here either?"
"Damn.. What /how/when /where do we EAT??? "
"Sleep man.. just forget about it. Things will be better tumro."
"Excuse me I was on FM .This rains not stopping in the next 48 hours! "
"Partha .. actually if this is true.. you will be the first in line to get butchered.. so do something"
No one worth his salt needs to apply those vague principles one learns in P&P for application in his/her corporate life. If anyone really does need to apply the principles and theories laid in those 3 text books and 11 handouts we went through for the subect in his/her professional stint, it would , IMHO ,be due to an acute scarcity of horse sense.
However , an oft used and abused theory from the subject is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Triangle. It is man's intention to move towards the peak of that triangle , so we are told. Or that the human self tries to eclipse the previous four blocks of needs to reach the "Need for Self Actualization "level. The whole thing does make some sense.
It made tremendous sense for us on the night of 26th July,2005 at the Boys Hostel at SPJIMR. India's heaviest rainfall in the shortest possible time flung us up and down that blocked triangle I just described. We were hurled around those five levels of the triangle , dealt with by nature like maggots and for once we thought we would be lucky to survive the rain!
It began like any other rainy afternoon.
And I was with RB catching up after a long time.
The lights went off in some time .. just like any other rainy afternoon.
In the course of our conversation we happened to see the tubelights kept on the GW Rooms floor floating effortlessly on the water that had gushed in. Well.. at this point of time we told each other maybe.. just maybe this isnt like any other rainy afternoon.
So we went around the campus and heard that the CRM presentations had been cancelled. We saw water in our domes till knee height and we went to the Bistro to splash water with Ronaldesque kicks .And on last count me and Morpheus were tied at 1-1.
At around 4 :30 p.m. while me and RB were at the entrance of our college wondering how to get back to the hostel , we were confronted with this sight of one of our classmates with slippers in hand striving to get some attention from this guy. While our man was in the Jeetendra mould- of all charm and poise the lady reflected all that I really cannot put in words now.
Nevertheless ,we started walking towards the hostel at around 5:30 and it wasnt as much of a walk as much of a float-and-wade that we employed. The ploy proved successful and once we were in the hostel we also ventured into the lawn with chest deep water in there for a fairly competitive game of Water Polo. We also mixed some volleyball and rugby rules and our Social Need for companionship was being met with some unexpected speed and success.
And then someone popped a question: What next?
Err.... cant go out , cant call anyone, cant be on the LAN, cant see the TV, cant heat the water for a bath, cant connect the lappies, damn cant even see anyone in this darkness in the hostel!
What next really?
"How about something to eat? "
"Who's got the stuff? "
"Jayaram's not here either?"
"Damn.. What /how/when /where do we EAT??? "
"Sleep man.. just forget about it. Things will be better tumro."
"Excuse me I was on FM .This rains not stopping in the next 48 hours! "
"Partha .. actually if this is true.. you will be the first in line to get butchered.. so do something"
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Of Missed Dates
Background : A very dear friend of mine recently could'nt digest a change in our academic schedule. The schedule had to be changed in view of the autumns placements coming up and the idea was to squeeze everything so that students have more time at hand to prepare for their interviews. There were 4 of us who were involved in bringing about the change and advancing a few exams so that we could finish everything well before companies start hitting the campus.
Of course, in doing so the four of us made a simple assumption , the assumption being : Students are unlikely to prefer going to an interview ( one that can potentially could define the shape of their careers) just a day or two after having written their 4th Trimester exams.
The Storyline : This dear friend of mine , who is one of the most soft spoken, nicest and innocent of all my friends was supposed to meet her boyfriend in a couple of days time and everything was well planned out. This gentleman had his leave approved from the top brass of his company after a fair bit of negotiations and this lady had planned everything from studies to friends so as to accomodate some time for themselves. Everything was in place for exams and dates.
The Twist : The schedule was staring at the four of us and was begging to be changed.
To give you an idea - The India divisions of two multi-billion dollar MNC's were slotted on the same day that the exams were supposed to end. So when faced with a difficult choice of asking the companies to come later or changing the academic schedule we chose the latter.
Everything was in place for placements.
The Climax : When plans go haywire especially the ones made you have with your special ones , you are likely to go slightly ballistic. And since I was in close proximity to this friend the first throttle was unleashed at me.
Perfectly understandable.
I did all I could to comfort her. Evidently , it wasn't working then.There was a five minute slight altercation after which both of us got back together .
Some movies leave a lot to open for interpretation by the audience so here's my take on the entire script.
#1: People seldom accept that they cant have the best of everything. They want the best of deals on roads, with people, with grades and with dates. I dont have a problem that they do.
I have a problem when they cant and and have to blame someone/something for it .
#2: Expect,expect ,expect and you have had it! The degree of unrest in one's life is proportionate to what one expects out of it. We attribute some of our failures to chicanery,unfairness in public life and misfortune. My question is why shudn't there be any of these. In life there are no rules for good . Things are meant to be unpredictable and it is better if they are unpredictable . Imagine knowing everything about tumro and a year down the line and planning accordingly.Would be such a mundane thing to know whats coming next.
The element of chance that has made so many lives is what makes many look forward to life everyday.
#3: How much is enough? Its been proved beyond doubt that there is a concept of Diminishing Utility in all that we use and consume. If I take "Time spent with Loved Ones" as a utility realistically speaking .. how much is enough really?
I cant take the argument that its unlimited cos at some point one HAS to get bored of the other.
And sometimes people say to this that "You don't know about it.Its different in our case " .
The fact of the matter is that they cant accept the fact that they are no different.
Having invested so much of time,money and energy in a relationship how can anyone acknowledge that its led to boredom? : D
Of course, in doing so the four of us made a simple assumption , the assumption being : Students are unlikely to prefer going to an interview ( one that can potentially could define the shape of their careers) just a day or two after having written their 4th Trimester exams.
The Storyline : This dear friend of mine , who is one of the most soft spoken, nicest and innocent of all my friends was supposed to meet her boyfriend in a couple of days time and everything was well planned out. This gentleman had his leave approved from the top brass of his company after a fair bit of negotiations and this lady had planned everything from studies to friends so as to accomodate some time for themselves. Everything was in place for exams and dates.
The Twist : The schedule was staring at the four of us and was begging to be changed.
To give you an idea - The India divisions of two multi-billion dollar MNC's were slotted on the same day that the exams were supposed to end. So when faced with a difficult choice of asking the companies to come later or changing the academic schedule we chose the latter.
Everything was in place for placements.
The Climax : When plans go haywire especially the ones made you have with your special ones , you are likely to go slightly ballistic. And since I was in close proximity to this friend the first throttle was unleashed at me.
Perfectly understandable.
I did all I could to comfort her. Evidently , it wasn't working then.There was a five minute slight altercation after which both of us got back together .
Some movies leave a lot to open for interpretation by the audience so here's my take on the entire script.
#1: People seldom accept that they cant have the best of everything. They want the best of deals on roads, with people, with grades and with dates. I dont have a problem that they do.
I have a problem when they cant and and have to blame someone/something for it .
#2: Expect,expect ,expect and you have had it! The degree of unrest in one's life is proportionate to what one expects out of it. We attribute some of our failures to chicanery,unfairness in public life and misfortune. My question is why shudn't there be any of these. In life there are no rules for good . Things are meant to be unpredictable and it is better if they are unpredictable . Imagine knowing everything about tumro and a year down the line and planning accordingly.Would be such a mundane thing to know whats coming next.
The element of chance that has made so many lives is what makes many look forward to life everyday.
#3: How much is enough? Its been proved beyond doubt that there is a concept of Diminishing Utility in all that we use and consume. If I take "Time spent with Loved Ones" as a utility realistically speaking .. how much is enough really?
I cant take the argument that its unlimited cos at some point one HAS to get bored of the other.
And sometimes people say to this that "You don't know about it.Its different in our case " .
The fact of the matter is that they cant accept the fact that they are no different.
Having invested so much of time,money and energy in a relationship how can anyone acknowledge that its led to boredom? : D
Monday, July 11, 2005
I am alive!
And my blog works.
Schedule . Its a burden when one has to stick to it. And the Marketing Schedule has been a stinker in the last couple of weeks. And it continues for people who have taken Fin Minor. They have a Mid Term tumro.
Thanks Shweta, for talking.
Will be back soon with a topic to write. : ))
Schedule . Its a burden when one has to stick to it. And the Marketing Schedule has been a stinker in the last couple of weeks. And it continues for people who have taken Fin Minor. They have a Mid Term tumro.
Thanks Shweta, for talking.
Will be back soon with a topic to write. : ))
