Happy New Year

"You said once that celebrations should be only for those who have something to celebrate." A line taken from Atlas Shrugged.

May be the only good thing about 2009 was that I was able to write more than 100 posts , the satisfaction that at least there were good number of days to write about.

Last year saw the transition , an entire new life after graduating. Good part is that I am still in Chennai and many of my friends are still here but that freedom of that life  is gone for ever.

Lost two of my close ones in quick succession, probably something which is still very hard to cope up with but these are life's truth and nothing can be done about it.

No resolutions for the new year because I think I am not that strong to fulfill a resolution.

Wish : I am seeing these Royal Enfield's night and day in my dreams, probably I would buy one in 2010.

"And a new day will dawn for those who stand long."

Wish you all a Happy new year.

Cycling to Mahabs

""Peace is when time doesn't matter as it passes by."

My first outing with the CTC(Chennai Trekking Club) was just a beginning of many more trips to come. I had convinced my flat mate that I am going this trip to meet new people and of course a new experience. The people I met were awesome and the whole 90km of cycling was so much fun.

The trip started off with a punctured Tyre but  thanks to (moli and doodh) for arranging a new cycle just on time.The onwards journey started from Tiruvanmiyur and was very much comfortable.Basically fresh legs and cooler temperature made riding a fun. But the journey back home was the one I enjoyed the most. It was against the wind, sun and uphill riding.The breaks we had in between and the chats there were awesome.

Overall hearty thanks to CTC for organizing such a great trip. Looking forward to some cycling to Pondi :)

Merry X mas

She went out to look for a Christmas tree, a very special one.

There was a buzz all around the place still she could not find one

Slowly she went from shop to shop to find that coveted tree

I was just waiting to offer her for free.

Then  she came to my shop asking,"Do I sell a Christmas tree?"

Though my shop may be a small one but I have one for thee!!

This is a Christmas wish tree which will grant you all wishes

I wish you a merry Christmas and this "Christmas wish tree."

What's your choice?

The childhood question still haunts me,"What do you want to do when you grow up?"
What's your answer?

1. Stupidest question that was asked  when you were  a kid

2. A relevant question which helped you attain what you wanted.

3. Stopped thinking about it.

4.Still there but seems unachievable.

5.Working on it.

6.Has been changing over time and still you are undecided

7.It was never your own thought and you did  something which someone else wanted you to do.

8.Immaterial because you are happy with what you do.

Dance

“Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heaven is on earth.”

Book Review

Name:Tuesdays with Morrie

Author:Mitch Albom

I liked the book a lot. It is so beautifully written, discussing the basic questions of life.A non-fiction story of a professor and a student .The professor is suffering from ALS(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and  is soon  going to die. But he enjoys  his death and tries to be motivated as much as he can. They  talk about  world, feeling sorry for oneself,regrets,death,family,emotion,the  fear of aging,money,marriage,culture and forgiveness.The answers to each of these questions  is very thought  provoking.

I have written down the questions and  will give it  a thought from time to time. But one thing is clear  every one in  his life comes across a  Morrie  who  shows you the  way and leaves it to you to make a choice.

Some lines from the book were really wonderful and so i quote a few of them here

"Dying is only thing to be sad over ,Mitch.living unhappily is something else.So many of the people who come to visit me are unhappy"

"' But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then can you say, 'All right.' I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment."

"Have  you ever really had a teacher ?One who saw you as a raw but precious thing,a jewel that, with wisdom,could be polished to a proud shine? if you are lucky enough to find your way to such teacher ,you will always find  your way back.Sometimes it is only in your head .Sometimes it is right  along their beds."

Book Review

Book Name :Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.

Author:Robert M Pirsig.

This was one book which was difficult to understand. The title seems like it will talk much about biking but it is predominantly philosophy.

It is an unforgettable narration of  a summer motorcycle trip across America's North West(Idaho,Montana,Dakota,Minnesota) undertaken by a father and his young son.

In the book the author talks about quality, defines it , explains it , reasons it and ultimately sticks to a definition and tries to explain it. His say on quality was,"quality is the continuing stimulus which causes us to create the world we live in. All of it. Every last bit of it."

He talks about two basic approaches in life. First is the romantic approach where he gives the example of his friend who never takes much interest in understanding the parts of the bike and always prefers to go to a mechanic for getting the bike repaired. The approach is the classical approach where  you  know everything about your bike and  you try to maintain it every time .In the same context he talks about quality where he classifies  quality into Romantic and  Classic. He further subdivides the classic into Subjective(Mind) and Objective(Matter).

It will be better to quote some of the best lines :

"To live only for some future goal is shallow.It's the side of the mountain which sustain life,not the top.Here's where the things grow.But of course without the top  you  can't have nay sides.It's the top that defines the sides."

"What is good,Phaderus ,and what is not good-need we ask anyone to tell us these things."

"Coastal people never really means to the landlocked inland people -what a great distant dream it,is present but unseen in the deepest level of subconsciousness, and when they arrive at the ocean and the conscious images are compared with the subconscious  dream  there is a sense  of defeat  at  having  come  so far  to be stopped by a mystery  that can never be fathomed.The source  of  it all.

Party

The meaning of a party when i was a kid was always that Samosa chat I used to have with my brother. Probably that rs. 5 dish was so meaningful then. On any arbit evening we would have an eye contact and so the plan was on. We did not have to say that we are going for the snacks, it was obvious. I never knew from where he used to get that money and he will also never know from where i managed mine.

I will make sure that we go for the party again this time, sit on the table and desperately wait for that chat with the mouth getting wet.

Thanks

Whenever I sit and think about the last 4 years, it seems a dream.For the first time i started enjoying life. I did the things that I never had done in the other life.May be the right time to thank few people who introduced me to things which soon became my passion.

1. The first english song was,"comfortably numb" and i had heard it in Bl's room and ever since the list has just grown bigger.

2. Now every Saturday i wait for the EPL something which will always be there for the time to come. Thanks to Dedh for introducing it to me in the second year.

3.Always had wanted to read books but never had enough money to buy , probably it started with the Ganga hostel library and Middle.

4. Had never touched a computer before and I still remember Hypo teaching me to rename a folder. Probably that was something which triggered the  need to learn the basics.

 5.Topa for his carefree nature had always inspired me.

Country Roads

Every now and then I think of the trip to Arunachal. I must say as far as traveling is concerned it was the most exciting. I realized this a month ago when I was headed for Yercaud. No doubt the roads were good but the excitement was lacking. Every time  , every 5 km you would see a milestone which would make you feel that you are closer to the destination. I found them very distracting because though heading on the right road was necessary but the destination was never the purpose. The straight road lacked the adventure we had at every turn in the Arunachal roads. 

There are many ways of seeing this, some people may feel more real more, comfortable traveling on the straight road because there is always that security, that peacefulness about that road. But dancing roads are wonderful. You may call people who constantly change their paths as psycho but you will never understand their quest for the new. When every turn is different, uncertain, when every tree is of different color and on the same road the sun shines differently at different places you are forced to exult with joy. 

May be this is something to do with quality, because it is something which cannot be unified. To some degree two different people may agree upon the definition of quality but they can not agree on all aspects of it. Stability,  composure, goal, destination are the quality of the rational but changing paths time after time can never be irrational. After all these are terms which the society has coined to mold people into a way which they think is real and has quality.But quality is something left to you, for you to define and for you to follow.

Journey man

The date and the occasion has been engraved on the Wine cork and the cork is now resting in the collection box.

Another territory explored, though "The do list " is still infinite.

Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'

Gleams that untraveled world,whose margin fades

for ever and for ever when i move.

- From Ulysses by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Chatter

Me: Hi God u there ?
Me: Come on you are there just now you changed your status message to,"Engineers don't ping"
Me: U always prefer babes haan, come on be a man I want to ask you something.

God: Hi Abhinav after a long time whats happening ?
Me: He he I knew you will talk, you desperately need us there. But to be frank,  no one will join you because life really sucks at your place man.
God:U again started!!

Me: Listen last time I told you about what my Father says, may be i will remind you again,"You can't become an engineer, if you don't drink."
Me: But you went offline seeing this. I just wanted to help you out.  Open some good pubs at your place I am sure your problem will be solved.

God:I am leaving ....

Me: Are.. wait i wanted to talk about  something else. Send me an offline message antime you want to discuss on this topic.

God:Say fast I gotta go.

Me: Again Rakhi pinged, haan, come on she is doing wierd things these days , I don't know what suggestions you are giving her.
Me: See I am bugged by this Buddha fellow, what do you feel about him.

God:He is one of the few people I like.

Me: Ya and you also like Monica Belluci and dislike our race.
Me: Was reading this quote by him,"Live your life in happiness, even though those around you lead lives which are unhealthy, and wish to spread their illness to you. Be Happiness itself."

God:Be specific , I gotta go !!!

Me:Ok is drinking beer unhealthy by any chance ?
Me:Can you connect me to him so that we may have a group chat?
ME:Hey please  tell Diana also to join, her views will be great.
Me:Oh you again go offline ........See Rakhi is spoiling you , next time think of an answer and come and ya remember my proposal.

Book Review

Book name:Angela's Ashes(Winner of the Pulitzer prize)

Author: Frank McCourt

The book is about Mccourt's childhood.The place is Limerick,Ireland where it constantly rains and it is hard to keep dry. 20 years of pain and suffering.His father was a alcoholic and drank away whatever money he had. 3 of his 7 siblings died of hunger and malnutrition.He himself escaped death when he was lucky to fight back from a terrible Typhoid. Then he had a terrible Conjunctivitis as a outcome of picking so much of coal.

He lived in a house infested with rats and pests. The lavatory of the street was near the entrance of his home and any normal man would have long died of the stench.For many years they  managed from the money they got from the Christian societies.Having tea and bread for years and a Pigs head for Christmas dinner was a shame.He liked his father in the morning when he would tell him stories but hated him when he made them sing patriotic songs in the night after getting drunk.

Slowly he grew older and at the age of 15 he got a job as a telegram delivery boy. Then he did a couple of other jobs but the purpose was to save money for New York. The book ends with him leaving for New York where he begins a new life.

Law of Attraction

Saw this documentary on Thursday and had heard about it from Anna some months before. I remember that something good happened to him next day(he got his passport). But I had never thought this would happen to me too.

When I returned back from office I never had thought that this night is going to become one of the memorable nights of my life.

Friends

Ya i am free , I am happy and I want to sing , "Yeh Dosti..............."

Road Trip

"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey"

Our(Fk and me ) trip to Hogenakkal, Yercaud and Pondi was more about biking and the destinations were just a resting point.



When we hit the NH 46 in the morning we realized that we had forgot the trip- map in our flat.The highway(The Blue one in the map) was too good and nothing could have been better place for biking.So we kept on riding upto Hongenakkal without taking breaks.


Hogenakkal: Rightly called,"The Niagra of India" was beautiful and many movies have been shot here including Roja.As soon as you get down you will be followed by boatmen to take a boat ride. But it is better to roam about the place a bit and may be at the last take the boat ride. There is water everywhere and many rocks to sit on flowing water.You can choose a rock and, "Chill out."There are many fishes in the water and you can catch one with your hands.There is a spot for bathing and the cool bath was worth it.



Yercaud: The road from Salem to Yercaud is awesome especially with 20 hairpin turns and the temperature dropping by each turn.Yercaud is just like any other hill station (But Kodai was better) with named spots and the same view.It was diwali night but the place looked the same as any other day. There were a lot of perfume factories in and around the place.We just wanted the cool breeze and biking so we did that for 2-3 hours and then started the journey back to Chennai.


Pondi: The highway(The red one in the map) that we took while coming back was not that good but the attraction was that Pondi had good beer and French babes.The Tea and sandwiches near the Rock beach were awesome. We took the ECR to Chennai and biking was a real pleasure.The Photo below was taken by a French babe.


Here are our trip Statistics.(Thanks Fk.)

Love

Once upon a time there was a guy X . He was in love . He was in such a love that he did not sleep for weeks, sacrificed everything he had in life. Then one day something happened.Since then it has been 5 years and he still thinks someone will come back and he will again fall in love.

Me

Took this Facebook quiz and it seems that the results very true so i put it here , yes I am most of these,"Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people's mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Thinking generous. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves sports, leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic"

One Night at the Petrol Pump

"Life is an uncharted territory.It reveals it's story one moment at a time."

At 12 in the night when we (moli, mamme, doodh and me) set out for a ride to Mahabs, our plan was to return by an hour and a half. We had set of all of a sudden in shorts and slippers, only one driving license and 100 bucks.

The journey up to the petrol pump near Mahabs was awesome, cool breeze, clear roads and great friends.But when we reached this sole petrol pump between Chennai and Mahabs , we realized that the trip was going to be eventful. There was no petrol in the station and the nearest one was quite far.

So we decided let's see mahabs, I also affirmed that it had been quite sometime we had bathed in the sea and so let's do it. Sleeping one night in the open looked inviting and Moli was all excited to share his ball stories. Thanks to Doodh for arranging our newspaper beds and cardboard pillows.Time rolled by discussing stories, revision of PJ's,pulling each others leg , trying to sleep and Moli's update on facebook Soon the day's tiredness took over and when we woke up it was time to go.

If we had not done this we would have never seen the beautiful sunrise, the cool sea water wash and the rain while returning back to Chennai.

P.S.: Whenever Moli and me have gone for a bike ride, it has always rained.

Stories

Every time I read a book it seems that a part of the Book's story is my own story.

Between I am reading,"Angela's Ashes" now.

Book Review:Into the Wild

Book Name :Into the wild
Author:Jon Krakauer

Many people may call him foolish, many will say him unprepared and many will quote it as a preposterous act.But Chris McCandless was a hero to all whom he met on his trip to Alaska.Even some of is friends at college were a fan of him.It is rare that a young boy just leaves his comfortable life and walks out alone into the wilderness.

I enjoyed reading the book especially the texts quoted by the author from various sources.All I suggest is that everyone should read this book once.

Though there are many a quotable text in the book but I quote here a few:

"The joy of life comes from our encounter with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

"You are wrong if you think that joy emanates only from human relationships. God has placed it all around us.It is in everything and anything we might experience.We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional things."

"I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness . A quite secluded life in the country with a possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them, then work which one hopes may be of some use;then rest ,nature books,music,love for one's neighbor-such is my idea of happiness."

Smoking Advice

"Jo bhi karo Dum laga kar karo."

The Bike Ride

Life is all about finding happiness in small things.There is no right way to happiness, it is always your way to happiness. If singing aloud makes you happy , sing if dancing in the rain makes sense to you, dance. People often ask the question, "Are you happy ?" I say,"Make yourself happy."
The Saturday bike ride was one of those happy moments.The gentle rain and cool breeze was all that one wanted.We(Moli and me) set out for the ride. The topic of discussion was how we have changed from what we were in our school days.The happy days remembered on a joyous ride.
That night on returning with FK from a long walk it started raining heavily , but who cares we ran the 2 and half Km of the distance and the hot maggy after that tasted awesome.

Lunch

Pink Floyd and Haywards

Man Vs Beast

Foxes are considered as one of the most intelligent animals. One interesting way is to see how they hunt. A group of foxes will spread all around the prey over a large area. Now one of them will chase the prey at full speed. Once this fox gets tired another fox will join the sequence and so on until the prey gets tired . A great example of team work for achieving a goal.

On the contrary, we the superior ones can never do a thing without prejudice.The question is,"Who is the beast?"

Habits

Some habits that people develop due to excess repetition of work:

A IT guy,"Shit I missed the semicolon in the sms."A tendency for
looking out for ENTER buttons at weird places.

A guy who is in a habit of looking in the rear view mirror while biking tends to do the
same while walking.

Company guys using a lot of swap cars to enter through glass doors generally try opening their room windows
in the same way.

A call center guy to his Girlfriend, "Hi Madam this is X calling from Company Y, how may I help you ?"

Someone in a habit of automated taps forgets that one has to open and close a tap.

A Auto driver will sit in the same angled way in a chair in his room as the seat in his auto.

You can see the guys into cricket, practicing imaginary shots.

Someone into lot of chatting on writing an essay in school "Kinda stk up , brb." Another one is pinging his mother and asking,"Hi asl?"

A bartender pouring water in a glass in the same fashion as beer.

Early in the morning a traffic officer put the whistle in his mouth instead of the tooth brush.

Mini Library

Always wanted to have a big library for myself, made a good start.
The books you can find, but not borrow :

The Magician's Assistant- Ann Patchett
The undercover Economist-Tim Harford
By the river Pidera I sat down and wept-Paul Coelho
The Broker-John Grisham
Emma-Jane Austen
Pride And Prejudice-Jane Austen
Lord of the Rings-J.R.R. Tolken
How to talk to anyone-Lowndes
New testament
The Almighty-Irving Wallace
Brida-Paul Coelho
My experiments with truth-M.K. Gandhi
The Company of woman-Khushwant Singh
A brief history of time -Stephen Hawking
The testament -John Grisham
Angela's Ashes-Frank Mc Court
Lovely Bones-Alice Seebod
Next-Michael Chricton
Learn to live Vol. 1 and 2
The appeal-John Grisham
Digital Fortress-Dan Brown
Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand
The garden of forking path and other stories
The innocent man-John Grisham
Papillon-Henri Charriere
Jeeves Ominibus-P.G. Woodhouse
The Fourth Estate-John Irving
The Power of positive thinking-Norman Vincet
The day of the jackal-Fredrick Frosyth
The inheritance of loss- Kiran Desai
Sunstroke-Jessie Kellerman
Hanibal rising-Thomas Harris
The Godfather-Mario Puzo
The chamber of secrets-J.K.rowling

Bike

Me : Aaj mere pass degree hai , naukri ahi aur bike bhi hai, tere paas kya hai ?

X: Mere paas Bandi hai.

Me :!!!

Friends

First of all I am not high, and I confess I have developed an utter disregard for beer, it always leaves me more sober.

It has not been a month yet since convocation ans still my luggage is lying in the insti, good that something is still there apart from the name on the hostel room list.

Life has changed, and I am left with no one to pain. Truly you can pain the people you love the most.

Currently I am doing coding which I had never thought of in life. The air outside sinks and it is a relief to be with you all.

Human Mind

Someone reporting his ability to recall GRE words in a fashionable manner ,

"Human mind is complex; it kind of registers everything. In my wakeful, conscious thinking, I assume many things has forgotten, but in actuality if I travel a few layers beneath, things pop out to amaze me."

Book Review

Book : The company of woman
Author: Khushwant Singh

Hard to imagine that such a erotic book was written by octogenarian. I liked the book, not because of the porn content but much because of his writing. The story talks about the sexual fantasies of Mohan , but for sure Mohan symbolizes the genre.

Overall a Sunday well spent.

Independence holiday

At the stroke of the midnight , with our bellies stuffed we must give it a thought , "Are we celebrating our Independence day or an Independence holiday."

NA05B001

Some days you will never forget in life, this was one of those days. I owe this day to my parents and my beloved friends.

Thought that everything is over for insti now but was happy to still find my name on Ganga Room list:)

Book Review

Book: Brida
Author:Paul Coelho

This was the fifth Paul Coelho book that I read and like the others I liked it a lot.
The book is about a girl's quest for knowledge. It talks about the tradition of the Sun and the Moon.
It talks about love and finding your true soul mate.Life teaches everyone a lesson and sometimes all one needs is a good teacher and the passion for it. A tale of love where a teacher who loves his student can not speak his heart out because he knows that is not his destiny.
Over all a book you may read sometime though it may not be that inspirational.
"I will always remember you, and you will remember me, just as we will remember the evening, the rain on the windows, and all the things we'll always have because we cannot pocess them.

Dreams

Last time I went there we were 32 of the family. The evening aarti was awesome , that scene always seems so real happening right in front of my eyes. The stairs where we had the family photo, the tired eyes , thousands of people united and the endless flow of the Ganges.

Today I was there all alone meditating , in a temple close by. Everything was so quite , I felt so clean.

I am getting 10 days holiday for diwali, I will be having some money then and I have already planned my trip. Though going to Rishikesh may not happen this time but it is always on the cards.

There are many places we travel and hope one more time I should be there. This is some place I want to go again.

Shine on you crazy diamond

When ever I feel depressed I listen to this song of Pink Floyd.
The first two lines really inspire me so I quote them here
" Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond."

Book review

Name : Rising Sun
Author:Michael Chricton

A Chricton bestseller , well researched book and was fun to read. Especially the economics involved in a death mystery was astonishing.

Cooking

The food you cook tastes the best though your roommates may not agree and by chance your mother tastes it she will give up.

More cooking tips soon on this column.
Here is Hot soup ready to be served :)

Book Review

Name: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak

"People observe the colors of the day only at
its beginning and ends,but to me its quite
clear that a day merges through a multitude
of shades and intonations, with each passing
moment. A single hour can consist of
thousands of different colors.Waxy yellow,
cloud spat blues. Murky darknesses.In my line
of work I make it a point to note them."

Who else other than death can narrate another story , another book written in the world war -2. The interesting story about a girl is mind blowing. Her journey from one book theft to the other covers phases of her life which is hard to imagine. A very touching and at many instances highly philosophical.
Overall I will rate this as a great book and a must read.

Freedom

And one day he realized it. That was the day, he removed his watch and threw it in the river.This was freedom for him and no dictionary meaning could have better explained him the word than the act.

He could have been a biker, a watchman or may be you and me.

Mecon vs DPS

Back home, the life has not changed here much except for the roads and some stupid traffic rules. The team here stands tall and an early morning football match marked the beginning of another season of football. However it was different feeling to play against DPS but somehow had to because I belong there no more. A 6-5 victory in the extra time was more than we could have asked for.

Another place another set of friends , bike , car , home food, relatives , television, tea in the night , AC , parents , brother and so many other small things which seem boring after sometime but all this makes up, “Home Sweet Home.”

Book Review

Book Name: Oliver Twist

Author: Charles dickens

The book was published in 1837-8 and no doubt it is read even today. A simple story presented in a shrewd manner by the author. The story is about a parish boy who is very ill treated in his childhood. The description of his childhood fills one with grief and hatred towards the guardians of Oliver. Then circumstances make Oliver land in a band of robbers. Then a series of events turns his fate and luckily he comes in good company.

Though there are not many twists and turns in the book but it makes you realize that there is an Oliver in everybody. Circumstances may sometimes make one do the wrong but again integrity of character is something which never fails one in life.

P.S.: Thanks Galib for gifting the book.

The saint and the train journey

“ I can’t see you going bacchi I am leaving yaar.”

“Ok yaar”

I understood the feeling because I also do the same when parting with a loved one. Well this time it was the other way round when Ranvah was speaking these words to me. This is something a realization to me of how much we love each other. 4 years spent doing all the bad and good things together. True partners of crime I admit. Then one day everything comes to an end in a moment, a good bye, tears , laughs and you start living once again knowing the fact that things would never be the same.

The train journey from Chennai was pleasant because nothing can be hotter than Chennai. It was cloudy when the train was running through Andhra. It started raining in Orissa and in spite of the inconvenience of the fellow passengers I did not close the window and let the water drops fall.

On reaching Kharagpur had a dinner at one of the Dhabas at IIT with one of my close friend. Another hours journey was to be done to reach Tatanagar and that too in general compartment. Somehow got into the compartment and then began one of the most exciting journey’s of life. I sat on the foothold along with a saint (probably going to Mathura). Then started a long lecture on life , God, love , sex and me being the listener. From somewhere popped up a beedi which he was able to light up in such a strong breeze. Wait !!! dude this is not beedi this smells of something else. On asking him what was that , I got the expected answer. So I shared the light with the saadhu in a jam packed compartment amidst some discourse on life , clean fresh morning air and the external greenery and also the internal one.

Funeral

Finally the long time fight over the BTP ends and it rests in peace after a grand funeral.

Between the last evening here and I am on Pink Floyd again.

The beach

Brother and sister standing together on the shore, hands in hands. The unsaid love between siblings is less spoken of but you can feel it none the less.

Two girls trying not to get wet and still feel the sea, a sudden high wave , shouts of joy and the fear of getting wet goes away.

There are other bunch of youngsters who are a bit rowdy and are chasing each other in water. Another feeling of freedom when you think of nothing else.

A small kid pleading his grandfather to take him near the sea and eventually the grandfather turns young.

Amidst all this a "Hawa Mithayi " wala has already made 10 rounds since I sat and probably the only one who is sweating.

And sitting there all alone I am missing my friends and family.

P.S. "Have to prepare a ppt and as usual I feel like blogging amidst work."

GoodBye Blue Sky

It all started with the slight drizzle in the morning at around 4, couldn't help my self to walk out and see the downpour. Though it did not last long but nonetheless there was some cooling effect. Sat on the terrace waiting for the sunrise. And when the sun came out the clouds were golden , exceptionally golden and the white birds seemed to radiate.

Today is one of the clearest sky in Chennai, a clear blue sky. Reminds me of PINK FLOYD's song Good Bye Blue Sky. Though the context when the song was written was different but the philosophy turns out to be the same. Here goes the lyrics of the beautiful song

"Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky"

Oooooooo ooo ooo ooo ooooh(x 2)
Did-did-did-did-you see the frightened ones?
Did-did-did-did-you hear the falling bombs?
Did-did-did-did-you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter
When the promise of a brave new world
Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?

Oooooooo ooo ooo ooo ooooh (x 2)
Did-did-did-did-you see the frightened ones?
Did-did-did-did-you hear the falling bombs?
The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on.

Goodbye, blue sky
Goodbye, blue sky.
Goodbye.(x 2)


"The 11:15 from Newcastle is now approaching"
"The 11:18 arrival...."

The scene is of world war 2 . Ideally on a clear day everything seems so wonderful and one wants to sit out and enjoy. But the boy here hears the sound of plane up in the blue sky which would drop bombs and so people run for shelter.

The scene here in Chennai is that it is too hot and one has to run for shelter.

Analysis Made Simple

One of the best computational knowledge engine I have seen. Just visit it , its awesome.

http://www.wolframalpha.com/

10 Minutes

Last month was something which i had lost it in last four years but somehow got it back in the last few days . That urge to rub your ass off has come back . Seems that it is the best time to take some positive steps(except love life) . Have two job interviews scheduled in this month apart from the fact that I have to join my job from July.

A phase in life is about to end and I am keen to end it as soon as possible . Once again I am back on those crossroads where there are opportunities but I don't know what I have to make of these. Things like music , photography , traveling seems great but is it what i want to do? Or the other part CAT , GMAT , IAS ( with I.A.S. have an obligation , have to at least give it sometime being a Bihari :))Then other questions as well what job , core , consultancy , finance or the current one, where to I fit in ? All depends on what I want to do , I am not sure and so are you.

Discussing with Moli today about Love life also raised many questions. Another frontier which needs thinking . In DPS there was a time when I was surrounded by so many hot females but ambitions made me less ambitious . Not to blame IIT for it because after DPS it could have never happend here .

Tommorrow is a very important day as it decides the fate of my BTP .

So many questions need to think 10 minutes about life :)

29

A lazy Sunday spent washing clothes , cleaning room , 8 hours of 29 with hula, fkd , tattu , s9 , baba , shruti , bhaiya . People cooked fish in evening , played footer and Baba's treat at Rice bowl. Coming back to insti lots of talk about girls.

Now that is a super Sunday .

Goodbyes

Parting from relatives , friends and especially mom has always been emotional for me. Whenever I come back from home you must see her eyes , any moment and they will give in.

I deliberately avoided meeting Moli and Mamme while they were going for summer holidays. I know I can't stand it. But there was another assurance in the fact that they will be here for another year.But today I had to be there when bhale and bhondu were leaving.Lots of teasing and laughing to relive the tension. But once they sat on the car my eyes gave in. It hurts so much especially if one by one everyone leaves.

They were really one of the best friends in my life. So many times I made bhale drink to his high and then enjoyed his half closed eyes and laughs. Shouting at him to stop singing was a part of daily routine which I enjoyed the most . May be he cares a lot about the Bhopal lake and teasing him on that was also some fun.Some of his pics will always make me laugh. Will him miss him for the fags we had together.



The summer we spent together in Delhi was something which brought us so close .Slow eating , slow running was a trade mark of him.May be the only one in the wing whom I may say a dude . The underweight dude with a paunch makes me laugh. Forgot to mention that also a slow reader , remember Helen Of Troy which he completed in 3 months and was never able to complete The Book Thief. He plans to read Harry Potter in summer .


You can't imagine how painful it is to see your rooms closed and the paper on Bhondu's room still reads, "Wake me up at 8."

WTF?

A Vodafone message reads ,"Do you know how many times will you fall in love before you find your true love ?"
And then it says to sms to some no. to know it. :)

Just For Fun

"Dude you will not get a nice pasta here."
"Sir Kahaan se aya aaplog?"
"Chennai"
"It will be much better than Chennai here."
Seeing the confidence we ordered and it was really awesome.The dinner I had yesterady night was damn good .
Walking out of the lab in payjamas and bathroom slippers to board a bus to pondi was some fun.

IITM Site Hacked

Just one night

If you can enjoy yourself in a place smelling of puke, shit, piss and alcohol , you call it FIKARNOT.

BTP

Harry finished his schooling and me the college :)
We both had a great time.
But, wait I still have to work some more days and at least to get my degree.

After a long days of work what can a person think of while staring at the stars?
I saw the stars as points in a workspace and wondering whether I will get a smooth curve joining a set of stars using cubic spline.

"Need to think 10 minutes over my BTP."

Quotable Quotes

Laundry people announcing on the mic,"Laundi pick up and delivery" :)

ON DDP,"I did the experiments using 4 KG weights , Simulation using 7 Kg and in thesis i have written it as 9 KG's"

Hum Spencers kyoun ja rahe hain Moli bhai . Reply' "Ice cream khane ."

Done

What will be the stroke for a piston type wave maker ?

So that was it the last question i answered of the B-Tech Curriculum.

Inspiration

Inspiration is not something you control, you get it from ANYTHING, random that just some how applies to your life. Again everyone's different and won't get inspiration from the same things you would... get it?

One Last time

• Spread your arms wide and feel the fresh air.
• Run after the next deer you see.
• Dance with friends as much you can.
• Laugh at someone and get also get teased .
• Scare the monkeys to hell.
• Lock someone in his room.
• Shout at your full voice.
• Walk to main gate in night.
• A puff at tarams and a puff at Gurunath.
• Give bumps or get bumps whatever.
• Screw a paper.
• Have ..... on GRT.
• One goal in the quadrangle , a run in the stadium , a swim in the pool.
• Put fundaes to someone forcibly.
• Make freshies dance.

Every April at this moment I died to go home and today I don't want to go but will have to go. The life here was great , done so many things and will cherish the memories for ever. But changes take place , but this place has connected us.

I always told my friends and thought that,"I don't deserve to be in this place." but somehow today it feels that maybe the place deserved me.

Remix

One of the very few evenings when i was in the wing and not playing in the quadrangle .Was fun talking with friends. Doodh singing the song , "Tujhme rab dikhta hai" mixed with so many different music coming from other rooms .A faint , "Jo meri Ruh ko Chain de Pyaar de " mingled with metallica beats from another room when suddenly Mamme's video is played with the dance no. , "Kyoun ki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi".

It was great that there was no Moli today otherwise his ,"Soniyo" Song would have dominated all the other numbers.

So this is the musical life of the wing.

Releif

Finally cleared the viva of a course and i am really feeling great.

Ganga Hostel Night -2

Ganga Hostel Night -1

A small part of life but a big one for time to come. It's time to turn the page but still the memories in this video will always be with me.

Emotions

Was my hostel night yesterday. Had put a lot of fight for making the videos and RG's. All preparations done and the day was set to rock. Mood was jolly ,when a phone call comes bringing a very sad news. I lost my "Chachaji " yesterday , a sudden cardiac arrest. My parents had met him just a day before and the news was unbelievable. I cried for sometime but did not say to anyone of my mates.Controlled my emotions and decided to be as much happy as possible for the day .

Life has always been a teacher and this was another learning experience.
The familiy is in grief and may god bless the departed soul.

Drift

I became a bird again today after a long long time,
Yes, again I became the Bird of the night.
And prayed for the night to stay.
White clouds like smoke rings,
Stars like sparks in the sky .

Oh! but the wind carries a crazy sound today,
Despair and agony in the air,
The Air whipped a stench some of you will know,
It was the reek of the death.

Anguished and terrified I flied higher
Higher and higher to a new ground
I stood under the stars as a man,
and sang a requiem for the boy I had been.

Next time I would become a sailor,
Or may be a watch man ,
But never again will I be a bird ,
If I go Green again.

Book Review : The Room on the Roof

Book: The room on the roof\Vagrants in the valley

Liked this book a lot firstly because it was Ruskin Bond . Secondly the places described in the book are very familiar. The book centers around the life of a lonely boy for whom events change so fast . Love , tragedy , humor , friendship all in the same book. The feel of Dehradun , haridwar and rishikesh , the valley , river , rain , etc was great. Overall a book which is fun to read and can be read in one go.

This song is dedicated to....

"Abe Nichoda ab teri bari hai "
Me: "Chal koi song dedicate kar de apni Girl Friend Ke Liye"
N: Hmm......
"Jaldi Kar"
N: "Kahaan Chali Gayi hai Sali Khushi."


Mamme also sang a romantic no. for his set of GF's but I forgot the song.

Hyd Trip Day 2

Had made up my mind to walk a bit in the city and on the Necklace Road (Surrounding the Hussain Sagar Lake .) So woke up at 5 and walked around the neighborhood for two hours. The whole feeling is of a new place somewhere in Pakistan. The no of mosques outnumber the No of trees in the locality . The buses , streets and malls are flooded with Females in Burkhas.Every other shop is a Bakery or a butcher shop . The Architecture of this place is very simple, every building be it a hospital, court , station looks like a mosque.


HIGH COURT


OSMANIA HOSPITAL

After a heavy breakfast went out to see The Charminar. The monument was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 as a promise made to god to end the plague. The Masjid became famous due to the four huge minarets and so goes the name Charminar. The view of the city from here is great and also of the Mecca masjid near by .

The Charminar

The Golconda Fort was built by the Qutub king Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali. The guide with me did not bulb much and much of his explanations were true the architecture. The most fascinationg thing about the place is that it proves the supermacy of our ancestors in architecture and engineering.The security of the King was full proof . It was so hot but the enthu of the guide made me cover the whole area.I advice if any one is visiting this place to go in the evening , as it will be more pleasure to watch .

GOLCONDA FORT

Graffiti

Really disgusting to see all these scribblings at all the historical Monuments , Toilets , Buses , Parks etc. " So and so was here " So what dude , if I come to your home should i write on the Wall. Here is one I found at Charminar in Hyderabad.

Hyd Trip Day 1

The journey from Chennai to Hyd was not very eventful. You get to see so many varied people on The Indian Rails. 3 ladies are traveling and the accomplice has already wished them bye and luck five times and I really want the train to start now because all of are leaning on my side of the window . There is a business man who is pissed off over some check and two others are already in deep sleep. The person sitting in front of me in the side berth looks like a dumb version of a Gult hero. So I am left to Ruskin Bond and I-Pod.

I ordered Tea and suddenly my mind went back to the college. It's almost a month left with friends and at that time I would be playing footer in the quadrangle. Evening tea at Ganga is a ritual I am following just to be with friends, most of the time Doodh , Dedh and S9.I have already started missing them.

I had to wait for sometime at the Secundrabad station because Father's train was to come in another two hours. It was not very hot outside and so I went out for a walk as it gives you the feel of the city . The tea I ordered was too sweet and a cuple of more teas over the next two days proved that people here take a lot of sugar in their tea. Region near to the station looks like an old city just rising up to the morning . Streets are conjusted and everything is blackish brown with no tall buildings around. Finally met Dad and wished mom could be here too. "Siddharta hotel " is in the Abids road and the service was really fine . With a Bar attached things looked great.

It was getting hot outside so the best thing to do was sit in the A.C. room. The whole day I spent talking to father with regular helpings of tea, pakodas and biryanis in the room.

In the evening went to Lumbini Garden and witnessed the wonderful laser show . The garden is built on the sides of The Hussain Sagar lake . I had expected lots of flowers but it was more of grass . There were a lots of boating facility around the garden and we made the full use of it , first going in the fast motor boat follwed by The Twin Deck Cruise " Khair-Un- Nissa "



BOATING AROUND THE LAKE



KHAIR - UNN-NISSA



BUDDHA STATUE



DAD AND ME

Hyderabad is also called "The Pearl City " , as the pearl market was very close to our place we went to some shops to see their stuff , though it was too costly to buy.
The Day ended in the pub with some very light drinks and food.

Responsibilities

Eateries Committee:
Job Description : Ensuring that every one gets hygienic and edible food.
My Work :That is something impossible and so I set an example by not going to basera in my tenure . My analogy is that why eat in the campus when so many restaurants are nearby . Pizza Hut and Dominos serve much better food and Ascendas will run out of business if we stop going there. Overall it was a successful tenure marked by the fact that I did not get a single complaint and I did not attend any meetings either.

C-Tides : Great work here because being a marketing manager I had to come up with strategies to publicize our events . Really the marketing course was so helpful and most of the semster I spent on applying what I had learnt .Deciding on the 4 P's was a great mental exercise. By the time strategy was planned the damage was done and suddenly I realized that I forgot to do the SWOT analysis and so I had to start all over again. Things moved on smoothly even if I was not present in the events or the meetings . A full proof marketing strategy is ready now which is applicable for any event in the world so I am planning to put it as a business plan.

I don't want to write about IndiKhelo here because currenlty I am wearing their T- Shirt.

Job Talk

Me:First few months of job , no savings yaar .
Arpan: Oba
Ankit : Have you been to dance bars at Pondi , there are some three in no.
Arpan: Hunnnn....!!
Me:How much does it cost ?
Ankit:8K to 10K
Me:Plan mein change , First two months we have to save a lot.
Arpan : Agreed :)

Trip

You Don't need to go to Himalayas for a trip , Pink Floyd music is the best ingridient for a trip. Asking some people who are regular trippers reveals the fact that they trip to trip.For them the trip matters more than the destination. The B. T. dept is the most coveted place of all but water tanks on hostel roofs and the oxidation pond are some wonderful places.

"A true artist is one who can roll in a packed audience and a successful trip is one if you had a wonderful trip."

The King Of Good Times

If you are in your final semster , the craving for the hydroxy group on any arbit day is natural. So I had one of these cravings and was pleased to find others who also thought the same . As usual I had to do the honors of getting the poison that too in a single bag. ( Exploited every inch of the Nett App bag).

So here was it a perfect set up for a rocking night.As the thirst started getting quenched, memories started engulfing the hot night. Though the last four years were short in time but we made it big in a lifetime. The ritual of watching the wing videos one after the other started . There is one which I have named as "Moli Stud Dance" but I felt yesterday that its name should be changed to, "Mamme Stud Dance".Followed by all the good times we had,be it , the placement season, Delhi Nights, Gurgaon roof , Arunachal Trip and what not. A realization that such gem moments were impossible without such great friends around.

Nights like these will be very few and i am happy we made it a night today.