Gup-shup Dukaan

Does anyone care about our fundamental rights??

2010-02-04T22:45:00.000+05:30

I have not written in a while and I thought what better time to write than now, especially about a topic that I feel very strongly for.

I think in one of my previous blog entries I had written about how the logic of states being divided based on the language that they speak is so flawed; And how Mumbai is now being ruled by two political parties striving to make political ground - one is an ailing horse and the other is a new party floated by the estranged brother.

This entire row over Shahrukh’s remarks that he would have liked Pakistani players in his team has got Shiv sena to go bonkers. What is the big deal in the statement I say! He owns a cricket team and he is well within his rights to say what he said. Suddenly he is being termed a Pakistani and threats are being issued that either he apologise or they (shiv sena) will not let his movie release in Mumbai. So much melodrama over what?? This is insane. And this is against the very basic rights guaranteed to us in our constitution. The freedom of speech and expression is our fundamental right. And what sena is doing is hooliganism. For want of better issues, they are picking on everything that they can. And I haven’t heard even one govt. official saying that they will ensure that Shahrukh’s movie releases peacefully and people are able to watch it. This is not about shahrukh. It is about you and me. Our fundamental right. If the state doesn’t protect us, who will?

Today, more than ever, we need a politician who will stand up. Who will say that he will uphold our basic fundamental right and come what may, he will not let Shiv Sena or the Mental sena (MNS) to crush our most basics of rights. Today India is looked upon across the world as a country which is progressing by leaps and bounds. And this situation in Mumbai is so regressive!! Why are we giving in to the threats by these guys. Who are they? There are a handful of them and all it will take is one good lesson to get them to shut up.

But I fear after all, politics will rule. And no one will stand up for our fundamental right. Because frankly they don’t care. All they care about is alliances and vote banks. And as long as they get that, let the fundamental rights be dammed. I eagerly await tomorrow, and I hope I am proved wrong.

Maoist insurgency and the apathy of the government

2009-10-28T12:06:00.004+05:30

Yesterday some Maoists had taken a Delhi-bound train hostage. The full train!! They took only the drivers as hostages and demanded that one of their top leaders be released. However, as it turns out, they let go the drivers unhurt after sometime.

Going by the current policy that the UPA has been advocating that in case of a hostage situation, they will not meet the demands of the terrorists/maoists etc., the future for a lot of citizens look bleak. UPA criticized what the Vajpayye govt did at Kandahar. Released dreaded criminals in lieu of the passengers. My point here is, if you have a policy like that, what are you doing about the safety of your citizens? You will not release terrorists or meet the demands of their captors, even if they kill people. And you have done absolutely nothing to do to protect those citizens. So basically the value of the citizen's life is zero in the eyes of the government. No, I am not advocating that prisoners should be let free or their inane demands be met. However, it is the responsibility of the state to look after its citizens. To put together a machinery so that nothing untowardly happens. If the state fails so miserably, who does the citizen go to?

That is precisely the reason why we have these 'goondas' becoming so powerful. They settle disputes which the state takes ages to. Thats why we have these tribals turning into foot soldiers/maoists because they had no taste of the development that the country is experiencing elsewhere. Its very easy to get people to get on the wrong side of the law when they are gullible. I do not believe that it is so difficult to weed out these maoists. Given our military strength, and intelligence support, they are a very small problem. But I do not see an approach from the government that would directly address this problem and aim to solve it, whatever decisions need to be taken notwithstanding. And if this problem lurks long, I see that more such groups will crop up. So its time the government takes a firm decision and makes a plan as to how they plan to end this maoist menace. Otherwise, who knows, next time you or I are traveling, we are the hostages!

Calcutta Chronicles

2009-10-28T12:04:00.000+05:30

Thank God. And thank Chetan Bhagat. In the last three years, I have traveled quite a bit and fair bit involving air travel. And I have never had so many air-hostesses talk to me so much before, in one single journey. But today was different, thanks to Chetan Bhagat.

I was carrying a copy of “2 States”, Bhagat’s latest offering. As soon as I stepped inside the aircraft, the lady welcoming me said “That’s a nice book” and that was the start of it. She kept walking past me, nudging me and telling, “oh you are so engrossed”, “I hope you are enjoying it” and such. The head of the herd, the one who makes all the announcements, was the attention seeking types, with tonnes of make up on her face. While announcing the name of the captains, instead of saying anil gupta and rahul kapoor, she said Anil Kapoor and believe me, she made such a huge fuss about it that every passenger noticed her. She hung up the phone mid-way, acted very embarrassed, walked out to the stairs leading up, walked in, covered her face, went inside the cockpit (wonder why they call it cockpit), went to the other hostess, and what not. Then finally when she did start her announcement again, she hung up once again as if to convey her embarrassment from the previous misfortune. Anyways, like I said, she was the attention seeking types. So when she walked past me, she chatted me up. Once again, thanks to the book. And it was a long conversation by any standards. Seems she doesn’t like to read Chetan Bhagat, his English is not great. Ahem. Miss Bagchi, my English teacher in school would have been proud of her reason I must say!

Anyways, so then the flight started its descent and I saw the city of Calcutta. It is so strikingly different from any other city that I have seen. There are old buildings and older buildings. Many of them look like ruins from some architectural times. And this time when I came outside the airport, I saw what I have never seen in Calcutta before. A special AC bus service from the airport. Man, I tell you. That was some sight. Something other than the old yellow and black ambassadors, or those rickety buses. And the sight inside the bus was so Calcutta! The songs, the people clicking pictures, the conversations and all of that. It was so much fun. I love this city.

Advertising Pundits

2009-10-16T17:33:00.002+05:30

Advertising seems to be a lucrative business. That is why we probably have tons of sundry agencies opening up everyday each promising to re-energize/restructure/rejuvenate the brand that they go pitching for. And that is why we have companies with taglines like "electronics and more", "luxury/fine dining/fun/enetrtainement/etc redefined", "the blah/blah/blah/ people" and so on. I wonder when they would stop doing it!!! Feel free to add to this list of overused taglines.

Next is what?

2009-10-16T17:16:00.003+05:30

I read a story in TOI today which said Anil Kumble has been appointed Vice-chairman of the Karnataka state wildlife board with minister of state rank. Which means kumble will be entitled to a car, salary, assistants, office and residence. Apparently, he is crazy about wildlife and ventures into a forest whenever he can. So do half the tribal population of the jungle. To defecate.

I have two issues with this kind of ad-hoc decisions made by any government, be it local or national. One, on what basis has he been selected the VC of the board? Just because he is a celebrity and he supposedly loves wildlife. Isn't there a qualification, an understanding of the functioning of the board required to become such an integral part of it? Second, do these celebrities even have time to perform their duties as VC's of the numerous boards that they are serving? If there argument for it is that there is not so much work attached to it then I want to understand why are there so many perks attached to it. And if there is work to be done, when do these guys find the time? Look at kumble itself. He is now a commentator, a player in IPL, a player in the Champions league and a would be indian bowling/mental strength/spin/gow-knows-what coach. Plus he has his brands that he endorses. And he might have a business or something to take care of... So amidst all these, he is also a VC now.

This is sheer wastage of public resources. This is similar to actors still very much pursuing their careers also being in active politics. Some of these actors have the lowest attendance in the parliament. Govinda for one has hardly attended the parliament. So why are these guys even there in the ministry. Eye-candy?

Next is what? SRK for PM?

scary flyovers

2009-10-01T14:45:00.002+05:30

Is it just me or has anyone else also experienced that whenever you stop atop any of the flyovers in Bangalore, the car keeps shaking. Haven't noticed? Next time you are on a flyover, specially the richmond road flyover, make sure you notice. Bizarre. I feel as if someone is slowly pushing the car. Anyone has a clue why does this happen?

Wtf!

2009-08-12T17:18:00.002+05:30

I wonder what our judicial system is doing. How is this guy still at large. And how come he has the audacity to say something like this in public! I am talking about Raj Thackrey, today comparing north indians to swine flu, and how they keep spreading. Watch it. here -

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_magazine&opt=section&sectionid=86&ptype=video&secid=42&videoid=56271

What a shame!

The effect of advertisements

2009-08-11T13:42:00.004+05:30

Have you all seen the Pepsi my-can advertisements? When they had first launched that thin pepsi can, they had Shahrukh and John abraham with some random guy calling them uncle and John smirking on shahrukh and so on... Then there was this Ranbir and deepika ads also. If you notice, the ads show a different way of holding these thin cans. You can check out that ad here

http://www.afaqs.com/perl/advertising/creative_showcase/index.html?id=13845&media=TV

Actually I did not like any of those ads. Specially the Ranbir Kapoor one. And I had thought that the style of holding the can was not just strange but also inconvenient. However, from what I saw couple of days back, I stand corrected.

I was traveling on a private bus and we had stopped for a quick Chai. I decided to grab an ice-cream. The Orange candy! Sadly, they did not have orange candy in stock so I picked up a choco bar. And after I picked up the ice cream, a lot of people did. I saw the bus driver also come that side and pick up an ice cream. And after that I saw him taking out a pepsi can from the fridge. I haven't seen bus drivers drinking pepsi cans so my eyes followed what he was doing. And then I saw him open the can and then hold the can in exactly the same fashion as those pepsi my-can ads. I was amazed.

The point of advertising is to create a certain wow-factor around the brand and then get customers to try it. One of the basic tenets of advertising is to create a want where none exists. And if its a very homogenous product category then create the distinction between various brands. When I saw the bus driver holding the can the way he did, I thought the pepsi my-can ad had achieved its purpose. If I were the brand manager and if I had seen this, I would be proud of my effort! :)

the 5 km run

2009-07-18T13:18:00.003+05:30

Its not often that I get up early in the morning. I think I get the best sleep early in the morning. And being an ardent follower of the 5-minute syndrome (let me sleep for just 5 more minutes and I will be up) which stretches to half an hour or more, its all the more difficult for me to wake up early. I wasn't always like this. I used to be an early riser, used to be fit and used to exercise. Those were the days!

Now I think I am so unfit that I cant run for 500 metres without panting as if I have got a cricket ball stuck in my throat! And over the years, thanks to some good home food off late, I have accumulated so much fat that if I donated half of my body fat, most BPL families in Bangalore would survive on it for a month!

So I decided it is high time. I must do something. So I decided to try the latest fad. Running! Yeah, I can still run. It may be from the car to the office or from the car to the house door or from the car to the theatre entrance... So I decided I will stretch it a little and go for a run. So I tagged along with this enthusiastic group which runs 4 times in a week. Today being saturday, they had identified a running trail somewhere in the outskirts of the city, reaching where was a treasure hunt in itself. So I get up at 5:45 in the morning. Can I write that again? I got up at 5:45 in the morning! Wow, it feels so nice writing it, you can imagine how I would have felt getting up. And I drive to this location and meet fellow enthusiasts, if I can call myself one! I was told by my friend that we would run for about 2 kms, which will include walking and jogging. Turned out, today they were running for 5 km and you were on your own if you don't catch up with the group. I had an immediate enthusiasm to run. Run towards home! But then I decided what the heck, its all about the attitude. I can do it.

So I started. And so I completed too. Thanks to the surreal Bangalore weather. It was breezy, slightly drizzling and not sunny at all. I have attached a picture that I took when I was just about to finish the run. It was beautiful. Anyways, finished the run and to my pleasure I wasn't too far behind the guys who had already reached. Did some stretching exercises and then got back home. All the while I kept thinking, wow! I ran 5 kms and I don't feel anything. I guess somewhere the body said - Yeah right!

Came back home and sat for a while to relax and when I stretched my hand to get the glass of milk, the hand would straighten only! You know what, the legs are still used to walking but the hands were not used to being in the running position for so long!!! Gosh. Bro said you cant walk a mile and you went and ran 5 kms. On the first day! Now suffer. I felt like running again. This time towards him and then ram straight into him like a big oil cantor. Anyways, massaged my left hand with the right and then vice versa and then vowed to teach the body a lesson. I will not be held hostage to this mass of lump. I am getting back into shape. Very soon!!

Lights, camera, action!

2009-05-13T18:01:00.002+05:30

Some actors never fail to amaze. Uday Chopra is one such actor, if I can actually call him that. I think he got stuck in the evolution cycle at the neanderthal human being stage. Really. Only god knows why he is in this field and who offers him movies. Actually if you look at it, no one does. He only gets to "act" in his dad's movies. Thank god! And now I read that he has written a film - supposedly named Pyaar impossible. To be directed by Jugal Hansraj. Impossible, I tell you!! Yeah time to hide somewhere. As if Uday Chopra's acting wasn't torture enough, he has got into writing. And look who he has found to direct the movie - Jugal Hansraj. I don't even remember the last time I heard of a worse combination than this! I think the last good film produced under this banner was.. ummm... mmm.... ummm.. Never mind!!

Ignorance is bliss

2009-05-09T16:58:00.002+05:30

India lives in villages. Or at least it used to. Life in villages is actually quite peaceful. For my part, I have stayed in a few small towns and I have seen a life which is far different from the urban metropolis. The best part in a small-town life is that it is uncomplicated. There are no jams, no big malls, no multiplexes, no show-offs and best of all, no traffic rules. Its so much fun.

However, there is a sudden and rapid growth in lot of small towns. And sometimes when small towns grow very fast, the original residents don't know how to cope with the change. Our depot manager, Mr Murthy is one such person. Most of his life he has stayed in Bangalore. Before the software revolution happened and The Forum mall happened, Bangalore used to be a quiet place. Peaceful, laid-back and pretty much like a small town. The best part was, there were no traffic rules like now. This is what hurts Murthy most. The damn traffic rules. Thank god its not one person who makes these or he would have got a piece of mind from Murthy.

Yeah, so Mr Murthy still rides a bajaj scooter. For the ones who think it used to be in a different era, it is there. Very much there. And he rides it as if he still lives in the times when he bought it. The other day I was riding pillion on his Bajaj chetak. I think he takes the name "chetak" too seriously. He rides like that. Actually he flies. So every time I sit with him, I hold my breath and get ready for the joyride. Coming back to the point, I was riding pillion and we were going office hunting. So we reach this place which has cars parked in the official parking spot and no parking on either side of the road. I am wondering where would he park his 'chetak' and suddenly I see our man go and park it right in the portico of the next house. For a moment I was zapped and then I did not know where to hide. I was looking at him walking towards me with a smile and I asked how did you park there, and he just said "parwah nahin"! Amazing, isn't it? This was quite a while back but it left a lasting impression on me.

Today we went out on his chopper once again. We reached our destination and I was expecting some more parking heroics from him, considering there was not much parking space. Expectedly, he stopped right in front of a no-parking board. I was about to jump off and claim that I don't know him when he stopped and asked the small 'chai' shop fellow just across the street "when did this no parking board come here".. I was wondering if Mr Murthy will break that no parking signage. Thankfully, he just parked his chopper couple of feet away from the no-parking sign. Thats his ode to the new city culture. Ride on!!

Birthday bumble

2009-05-07T14:38:00.002+05:30

I am really good at making a poo-poo of myself. Not once, twice I have done this!! Earlier, I had forgotten one of my closest friends birthdays. No its not just that. She had come over from another city, met me in Bangalore on her birthday and even then I forgot it. We dined together, we went out together and I still did not remember. Aray I did not remember it even after she left! And he husband was party to all of this. He never told me. He was there. He could have told me. But no, he din. Yeah I know, next i will blame global warming for my memory slip. Ok, I own it. I forgot. And I apologised. And since then, I have remember it. like they say, if you want to remember a women's birthday, forget it once!

However, today I forgot another one. Now this case is even more peculiar. Till yesterday I remembered that I have to wish her. Today when I met her, I straight started off with some work that I had. I launched right into my monologue... This, that and all of that.. Not even a mention of her birthday. And then she politely said, harish, can you please wish me first. If I were in calcutta, the next thing that I would have done is jump into the ganges. I felt like Sita maiya, wanting the dharti mata to open up so that I can peacefully dive inside. I swear I even offered to go jump in chullu bhar paani. But the sweetheart that she is, she said I forgive you. Phew! The world doesn't know that it came so close to losing a genius!

Thankfully, at least in this case, I can say there is always a next time.

Third front or third-class front!

2009-03-17T13:37:00.004+05:30

A motley bunch of fools - a woman so obsessed with money that she would sell the Taj Mahal if she could, a man who can sleep while standing and who slept through most of the parliament sessions, a bunch of jokers who think US is our enemy and China is our chaddi-buddy and a woman who has more shoes in her closet than she has attended parliament sessions. Thats the rough composition of the so called third-front floated last week with much pomp and show in Karnataka. Look at the tragedy of our times when the choice that we have for the people who claim that they can run a country is such!

Yesterday I read that India has the highest amount of deposits in the swiss banks, larger than 4 other countries put together. No prizes for guessing whose money lies there unaccounted.

I am all for the campaign Jaago Re. Let us make a choice this time and show these fools that we can think, that we can judge right and wrong and that we will not vote for these idiots, come what may. I shudder when I think of Mayawati as the Prime Minister of India!! God help us if this ever comes true.

small problem big headache

2009-03-14T16:48:00.002+05:30

The other day I needed to send a document out, so I gave a print command and called out for my office boy to get me the print. He said the print has not come out well, please give another one. I gave another print command, he came back with the copy of the print and said sir this time too, there is a problem with the print. The centre portion of the page is blurred. Just then, another employee walked in with her set of prints saying, mine didn't come out well either and she showed me the prints that she had taken the same morning... Blurred. The office manager saw the prints and declared, cartridge over! So we decided to order new cartridge. Calls were made, order placed and we decided for the cartridge guy to come and fix it.

While this was happening, I thought why not check out if there was something else amiss. Most prints were blurred in the centre and the other areas were just fine. So I started to dismantle the printer - something which the printer guys had shown me. First stage, everything was alright. Second stage, everything seemed ok. The moment I took the cartridge panel out, I discover a cockroach resting right in the centre of the cartridge panel. Summer's here and he had found his cool location! The moment I tried getting him out, our man ran in some corner and became invisible. Till here, it was technical. So everyone around me was quiet. The moment they realized the cockroach was the problem, every one jumped in. "Sir, you leave it, we will take care of this". "yes, I am sure you would". And they did. I was handed the cartridge panel back and the printer came back to life once again. An hour of nonsensical hassle and the reason - ek cockroach!!

2009-03-12T13:05:00.001+05:30

Before

After

Holi hai!!!!

2009-03-11T19:32:00.001+05:30

What a holi this was!! I have never played colors like this. Complete riot. From an initial gang of 15, it grew up to a gang of 30 and each new comer went through the induction process ;) Even while in calcutta, I had stopped playing holi because my skin is allergic to colors. So to celebrate holi in this fashion specially in Bangalore, was an awesome experience. The colors, the mithai, the food, the people, the pool that we created by blocking the water outlet, the bhaaaang and the music! Total masti. I will probably post a before and after pic very soon. Happy Holi to all of you :)

the 30's syndrome

2009-01-13T23:38:00.002+05:30

Its that time of the year again when we wish all and sundry Happy New year. So hey, Happy New year! I hope you have made your resolutions and have broken them too :) I have!

Well, its been an eventful year so far. I will spare you the details. But I must admit there is one thing about this year thats bothering me. I will turn 29 this year! Its just a year lesser than 30. 30!! I have always been very wary of that number. I have never wanted to turn 30. I mean I have always teased my friends who are 30 or above. In a year, they would be able to tease me too. I am already hating it. I would be soon on the other-side of 30's. Sounds appalling actually. You know, just today I was having a conversation with a friend who I have recently come to know and she thought I was 25. I took it as a compliment. Fact remains though that I am not 25. And 30 sounds old. Really old. At least to a 28 year old. I have always told myself I can experiment with everything because I am not 30 yet. Guess I won't be able to say that to myself,in about a year. Worse still, I am no more "young and rising". Old and rising sounds horrible!!! I wonder how it is to be in your 30's. What changes in one's life. A few things that I can think of - may be the calendar would show more visits to a doc, growing belly?, even lesser sports, worry to settle down sooner, you can now safely tell the college kid - dude I have been there and I have done that and lastly you cant use the word dude anymore.

Anyways, the upside is, I am NOT turning 30. I still have a year to do all the things that I can't supposedly do in my 30's (eeeeks). So I just have one thing to say - I am turning 29. So what!! I say bring it on boy!!

New years eve

2008-12-30T13:56:00.003+05:30

The New years eve is approaching and like always I don't have a plan. Will it be a party or will it be a visit to some NGO or will it be a drive out of town, I am still not sure. However, this time I am sure that I will usher in the new year with something more constructive than last year. Last year I spent it at home watching TV! Like the last year, I have drawn up my list of resolutions which I hope I will follow. Looking back at the resolutions taken last year, I haven't followed just one. I had actually made two resolutions. I know, thats a bad average!

So much so for the new year. A few days back I was talking (online) to a friend who stays abroad and had recently visited India. I noticed her profile picture on the networking site. The picture had her posing with 4 street kids and everybody doing a namaste. Somehow most of the time, I see that people visiting India put up pictures like these. This is the image that they carry back, them with street kids, them doing a namaste or them standing next to a famished lady and similar stuff. Wonder if they lack in finding something more enduring or its just the "in" thing!

Go watch Ghajini

2008-12-26T14:10:00.002+05:30

I don't remember enjoying a good hindi action thriller in a long time before I watched Ghajini yesterday. Its a top notch, fast paced thriller from one of the finest actors that we have in the industry. The way Aamir is able to bring out the pain of having lost someone you love and then not remembering a thing about who killed her and how, it is really commendable. At so many places, he let his eyes do the talking. The story is about a millionaire guy pretending to be a regular struggling ad film actor falling in love with another struggling actor and then both of them getting smacked by the same villain. Finally the hero who survived the attack, loses his memory, tattoos the clues on his body and then goes out and takes revenge for his loss. Although the story is not too novel, the execution is fast paced and thats what makes the movie so enjoyable. The music is good, the acting is good and the cinematography is awesome. Aamir has put in a stellar performance and if not anything else, the movie is worth watching only for him. Go watch Ghajini!

Mumbai under siege

2008-11-27T13:15:00.003+05:30

As I write this blog, Mumbai is under siege. The unofficial count on the number of dead is almost 150 and more than 350 injured. God knows what is in store for the people still held hostage in Taj Hotel. I feel like going back to my blog written in September where I had said no place is safe and terrorists can come and bomb any location at will.

The locations under attack in Mumbai last night are not nondescript places. They are spots frequented by the mumbaikars and visitors alike. These are places in the heart of the city. And yet terrorists were able to walk in with bags full of explosives! This says a lot about the might of our intelligence system.

I think its just a matter of will. How much are we willing to lose before we start a drive to weed out these terrorists. Look at the Americans, there might be larger motives working behind bombing iraq, but at least Bush came out very very strongly against the twin tower attacks. We don't get to hear harsh words against the terrorists at all. The will to eliminate them is not visible, leave alone an effort. This Mumbai bombing and terror attack is a national calamity and its time we react accordingly.

So near yet so far!

2008-11-03T00:26:00.002+05:30

What a race it was. The final grand prix this year. Before the race started, you wouldn't have put your monies on Ferrari ending 1st and 3rd and yet Felipe Massa losing out on the world championship. Massa won the race but you could see him almost at the verge of crying on the podium... I have never seen anyone so upset even after winning the race. The winner yet the loser. What irony!

The last 30 seconds of this race have to be the most riveting. First it was Kubica hanging on to the tail of Hamilton and then the breathtaking overtake of hamilton by vettel!!! For a moment it seemed Kubica had handed over the championship to Massa by overtaking Hamilton (even though he was a lap down. what was he thinking!!!). And then finally Glock letting Lewis overtake him (by slowing down) at the final second. So so so unfair. You could see the Massa family celebrating thinking that Massa was the new world champion and then they realised what had just happened. Hamilton was 5th instead of 6th and according to the points he was the new world champion. All in all, a truly nail biting finish.

Anyways, the consolation is that Ferrari won the Team Championship and they would still lead the pit lane. Go ferrari!!

Who am I?

2008-10-23T16:18:00.003+05:30

I hail from Rajasthan, I have stayed in small towns of West Bengal for most part of life and then I did my secondary schooling in Bihar. My college and higher secondary in Kolkata (which I feel closest to) and finally my Masters in Bangalore, Karnataka. Nope, this post is not about my nomadic past. I am just wondering, what do I call myself. A Bihari, A rajasthani, a bengali or a kannadiga. Because, without one of these tags, I wonder if I would soon be allowed/disallowed entry into the respective states.

I am writing this post in response to what I see happening in Maharastra and now Punjab. Raj Thakarey has taken ownership of Marathi manoos and is spewing venom about 'outsiders' in Maharastra. As if the divisions based on caste and religion was not enough that we now have another division to live with. And this one shakes the very foundation of a unite, sovereign state.

The state barriers, just like the caste system is ingrained in our psyche and it keeps cropping every now and then. I still feel that Bangalore, in spite of being so cosmopolitan, has reservations against people coming from other states. I have been in Chennai for a while, and the hatred there is visible. Shiv Sena had come to power in Maharastra with this whole politics of hatred but it had died down in the last decade. Raj Thakarey, for the lack of genuine issues, has again touched upon this sensitive issue and in a way that other states are championing the cause too. See how Punjab also gave a thumbs-up to what Mr Thakarey is doing. Pathetic.

The government, both at the central and state level is sleeping because it has to keep the Marathi Manoos happy if it needs to come to power in the next general election. And thats why we have fools like R.T who go on rampage and disrupt railway examinations, beat up outsiders and make provocative speeches. In response, students in bihar torched a railway station and several railway coaches. Its the tax payers money which went down the drain!

This is the worst kind of politics that could be. Its what British practiced - Divide and rule. I condemn the attacks on Biharis in Maharastra and I wish this cause is taken up more seriously.

Otherwise, the preamble of India will need another amendment and this time it will be on the unity of the states. I hope I don't ever have to write "We, the Rajasthanis". The strength lies in "We, The People of INDIA".

What's the big deal!!!

2008-09-14T22:25:00.002+05:30

Yaar, koi mujhe ye nuclear deal samjha do. I have read edits on this, have heard hordes of news channels talking about it, heard the politicians speak on it and heard it argued by the so-called experts. But all it has managed to do is further confuse me!

Mota-moti what I have understood is that the 123 agreement, Hyde Act and the NSG waiver are three separate entities. Post the 1st nuclear test conducted under Indira Gandhi, the US and other NPT countries had imposed sanctions on India and we could not import nuclear fuel nor technology. Now with the NSG waiver, we have ended that sanctions and that we are free to import nuclear fuel and technology from 20 something nuclear states. With this waiver in place, the US will now pass theN-deal from the US congress which will enable India to also trade nuclear fuel and technology with the US as well.

Thats my understanding. Will anyone now tell me what is the entire debate about and whether my understanding of it is on the right path?

Give me my country back!

2008-09-14T01:49:00.002+05:30

I feel like a hostage. In my own country. I feel a sense of chill every time I am in a Mall on a weekend. Why? Because these days, I feel, I am not safe anywhere. Nope, its not because I have a threat on my life but because terrorists are bombing places on will, the major metros of the country. Today they bombed the national capital (once again) and there is very little that Police, Intelligence and our government can do.

I watched a movie called "A Wednesday" last week and I thought I could relate to it so much. The movie is about a common man (naseeruddin shah) who plants two bombs in Mumbai and then gets the Police to release four dreaded terrorists against the bomb threat. However, the twist is, he gets them released only to kill them. He does that because these guys are responsible for Mumbai/Gujrat bombing and no one is taking them to task. I think the time has come that we all stand up and do something about what's happening around us. We need to stop being not-bothered because its happening to someone else.

Imagine, some outsiders are coming in our land, staying here and bombing Indian metros and then running away scot free! Even if they are caught, it takes decades to bring them to task. Today it has happened to someone else, tomorrow it might happen to us. Our government needs to stop minority appeasement and stand up to a fact that terror has now seeped inside the very roots of our country. And if we do not deal with them ruthlessly, we would all become hostages in our own land. Whoever they are - Hindu, Muslims or whatever, they need to be punished. They need to be executed. Annihilated. We as a country need to show them that they cannot target us like sitting ducks. We will retaliate, we will catch them and bring them to task. The government really needs to get its act together and either get POTA back or pass some even more stringent bill. Get some more agencies like the Mumbai ATS set up in different metros of the country and then hunt these terrorists down and execute them. Unless, we as a country stand up and resolve that we will throw this weed out of country, they will just keep on multiplying.

I wish these blasts have woken someone up. Or it might just be too late.

good cop bad cop

2008-09-09T00:58:00.002+05:30

I noticed a hilarious incident yesterday. I was driving through commercial street and suddenly just as I was passing by the Police Station I saw a guy running out with his pants on fire!! Full zoom only. He passed from right in front of my car. For a fraction of a second, I thought I will just open my car door and that guy would have rammed right into it! And after two minutes came a constable looking for him. He came outside the station door, saw left and right, smiled and then went back in. It was as if he had asked him to run. Imagine!!

Cut to another incident, I saw a crowd at the head of my lane. Saw a brand new Bajaj Pulsar and a few young fellows standing there. Then I saw two traffic inspectors. These guys were having an altercation. The cops apparently chased these college kids because they were not wearing helmet and then fined them 2000 bucks!

So now my point is, when it suits them they chase. When it doesn't suit them, they smile and let go. The constable at the station knew he wasn't going to make any money out of that local goon. Moreover, he was completely unfit to chase him down. His belly would have revolted!! I think its time VLCC designs a package specially designed for City Cops!

August Slip!

2008-09-02T19:03:00.002+05:30

I guess August was a dull month... Thats why i gave it a slip ;)

But September looks promising. At least the start of the month is nice. I have so many things to talk about... But i will start with one of my favourite topic - Women drivers.

In one of my previous posts I had mentioned what a delight it is to watch women driving. Today I almost laughed my heart out while I was driving to office. A brand new Maruti swift was dancing away on the road. I could vaguely see that the driver had the seatbelt on. Zipping through the traffic as if its pants were on fire. And the most funny thing about it was its rear wiper was on, just wiping the dust off the boot I guess... By now I had put my bets. I was so sure this had to be a women. And voila! when I overtook the car, I noticed it a women driving the car, with its wipers on, seatbelt on (who wears seatbelt in B'lore?) and the tentative husband on the side. oh what a sight!

Well another thing that I wanted to speak about how uninformed our kids are these days. The country is facing major troubles in two states - J&K and Bihar. I guess most of my readers would know that. However, I was at a friends place last week and he had his nephew and his friends over for a birthday party. This guy must be 18 or something. After the cake was cut, the discussions were the usual. Music videos, cars, games etc. I just happened to ask one of them if they have heard anything on how devastated the populace of Bihar is and he pleaded ignorance. Then I realised none, absolutely none of his friends knew about it. Its sad, you know. I am appalled at this trend - these guys know their cars and funky games. They just don't know what's going on elsewhere in their country. Thats because they don't care. I guess the more urban a society, the more it is cut off from the rest of the country.

I see our country's future in these guys and it doesn't look too bright!

2008-07-25T14:36:00.002+05:30

I hear there have been 8 blasts in Bangalore. 3 people dead (as of now). God bless their souls.

I like what a friend said - the ninth one did not go off. I asked him where was it planted. What he mentioned, I cant write here but it roughly translates to "Behind deve gowda!" Lol. way to go Tarun :)

Papa I bought one too!

2008-07-19T14:43:00.002+05:30

Yup, thats what adolescents will soon tell their parents. Papa, I bought one too. With our politico on sale I guess anyone can buy one. Move over fancy cars, posh bungalows, expensive watches and feature rich high-on-snob-value cell phones. The latest fad would soon be owning ones own neta!!

I can see a time coming when the kids of the neo-rich would cry to own their personalized netas. Papa, I want the petroleum minister. My car guzzles too much fuel, I want the fuel cost reduced. Son of gangster would say "papa I want the convict MP. I have the other gang getting on my nerves. I want them eliminated." Like the recent land prices, the price of neta then will be decided by what he can deliver, how much tenure he has left in the parliament, will he win again or not and so on and so forth! We will have the value-for-money netas and we will have the high-on-snob-value netas. Because we would own the lawmakers, we would then become lawmakers too. The conversations that go "Hey, thats a cool phone. when did you buy that?" or "Hey thats a sexy car, where did you get it supped up?" would then change to "hey, you won that politician! Man I like the way he throws the bench in the parliament" or "I also want that one, he is too good with making shitty policies"

I had spoken about Politicians being bought and sold some time back too. But this is a completely new perspective. Futuristic, if I may add. Cynic, yes. Impossible, no. So which one are you going to buy??

Enough reality. Really!

2008-07-18T23:06:00.002+05:30

I have my TV channels formatted well. First there is music, then movies and then the regular programmes like star plus etc and finally the news channels. However, these days I don't know what to watch. Right from music channels to the general entertainment ones, every one has got nothing but reality shows on!

MTV has this splitsville & ibibo superstar, V has get gorgeous and that apart every entertainment channel has some reality show or the other. I am fed up of them. Not one of them has anything worth watching. Some of them in fact are so irritating, you feel like plucking your hair out. I was flicking channels when I saw rakhi sawant interviewing Aamir khan. Believe me, I have never seen a worse chat show. She was not even able to properly read out from the flash cards. As it is, Aamir is not a personality who can carry a chat show on his shoulder. The two probably had the worst chemistry ever on silver screen!

The best is the singing competitions. Toddlers, adolescents, adolescent folk, toddler folk, pop, all and sundry. Wonder why they left out the oldies. Here is another idea! Is someone listening.

And then there are the dance shows. Boogie Woogie is giving Mahabharat a run for its money in terms of the duration. I think Javed Jafferey will get old and then eventually die as judge on the sets. Then there are the new ones. Celebrity dance shows, celebrity couples, husband & wives, celebrity boys vs the girls. Don't they get bored? And then the anchors and the judges. If you want to laugh your heart out, just see what these anchors and the judges wear. Its hilarious!! Sit in front of your TV screen around 9 and start flicking channels. You will know what I mean. Now I know why they say 'Reality Bites'. It really does!

I got blessed!

2008-07-17T18:24:00.002+05:30

I got blessed today. In fact, if I consider my car an extension of myself, then I get blessed almost everyday, multiple times in multiple colors with different levels of impact. Get the drift?

One of those flying creatures dropped its POOP right in the middle of my head. I almost felt it had chosen the location, trying to mock at me - at the farthest point of the top of your head, where you have lesser hair because of my hair parting. And judging by the amount of the poop, I think the poor creature had really stuffed itself well in the last meal! This when I was on my way to a client visit. Messy, smelly and hassled. It couldn't have been worse. And this, they say is being blessed!

Why do we do this to ourselves? I don't see anything remotely blessed about this situation.

The worse sufferer is my car. Where I park it, there is an electrical wire running on top. Plus there is a tree whose branches seem to reach out to wherever I park. So invariably, every morning I find my car blessed at multiple locations in different colors. I sometimes wish I had bought a white car instead of a black one. At least my blessings will not be for public viewing!!

But worry not, with the number of poopy doos on my car, it almost looks white only.

Hmmmm... did I hear someone say "No big deal." Well in that case, may god.. err.. no. may the bird bless you too :)

Totally Hooked!

2008-07-14T16:32:00.002+05:30

The other day I came across a very interesting brand name. Before I tell you, I would like you to do a small exercise.

If I were to ask you what's the whackiest name that you can suggest to me for a real estate agent's company, what would that be? And if I allow a sexual innuendo, would that change what you just thought? Well, how about L.J.Hooker? Ya, thats the name that I noticed a real estate firm has! I wonder what went into their head. In a way it makes perfect sense though. After all, thats their business. To hook one person up with another for a deal. Or may be they named it because the guy who started it was called that. But if thats the argument, then I would be compelled to discuss the family tree of that person and what went into his forefathers head when they decided on this surname!

Anyways, now that I have told you about the whackiest real estate agent name, tell me, if these guys had a baseline, what would that be? For the uninitiated, 'baseline' or brand line is that short line which brands often write along with their brand name. Like Nike is Just do it, or RBK is I am what I am and so on and so forth. It basically defines either their business or its philosophy. Haan so coming back to the baseline for L.J.Hooker, can you think of an appropriate baseline?

Well, if you can't, those guys certainly did. Their baseline is "Nobody does it better". You bet! And no, I am not joking here. I would love to know more of these fabulous names and baselines if you have come across one! But I am sure, nobody's would be better!!

Are you sure?

2008-06-30T11:41:00.002+05:30

These days I get more calls from banks/clubs/resorts/mutual funds than I get from my acquaintances. I wonder if there is a sign there. May be I will stop leaving my name at all these fancy lucky dips and feedback forms. Most of these phone calls, I politely say no to and then disconnect. However, sometimes curiosity gets the better of me and I start probing.

Something similar happened the other day. I got a call from a resort in Goa and the lady on the other side asked me if I remembered that resort. I told her with so many resorts coming up everyday, its difficult to remember yours. She sounded disappointed. I think she would have hung up that minute had it not been for the "call-of-duty". She dutifully started asking me the regular questions after dangling the carrot that your name has come out in a lucky draw. If these resorts had their way, most of the population would win this "lucky-draw"!

Coming back to her questions, the best moment in the conversation came after she had gone through the customary name (yeah they call you and ask you your name,imagine!), address, marital status etc. Then she asked me my age. I said 28. After a moment of silence (where she wondered why did I waste my time on this fool), she said this lucky draw is valid for people above 32. I said Oh!I think i missed the opportunity of my life. She then asked me a question which many people have asked me before but in different contexts. "Sir are you sure you are 28 and not 32?"

So here I was being questioned on my age once again. Aray do people have a problem if I am young? Do I need to be 32 just because I need to look old in a business meeting or just because I have to win a 'lucky draw' of some resort! I protest. I am 28. And I am sure.

From bad to strange

2008-06-09T02:04:00.003+05:30

Call it the effect of my blog (too optimistic I know) or better sense, Deccan Chronicle has a different set of designs on the hoardings now. If you haven't read my older post, they had a hardly-clad lady with newsprint on her body all over the town.

However, they now have some strange messaging on the billboards. I really want to find out who their advertising agency is! Wish they came up with something better.

One newspaper that I want to try out for a few days is The New Indian Express. May be I would, in the next few days. Till then, I shall stick to the semi tabloid – TOI.

Vicious circle

2008-06-07T15:41:00.002+05:30

The first time that I had come across the words 'Vicious Circle' was when I had read the Ogden Nash poem in my 8th or 9th standard. This is how it goes...

"And this, O Fate, is I think the most vicious circle that thou ever sentest,
That Man has to go continually to the dentist to keep his teeth in good condition
when the chief reason he wants his teeth in good condition
is so that he won’t have to go to the dentist."

Several years later, the best place that I think this word fits is in the politics of politics. I will explain what I mean with the example of the state which I stay in - Karnataka. Half a decade back, Bangalore was seen as the fastest growing IT city in the country. People were talking about it as the next big metro and the place to be in if you want to make it big.

However, in the last five years, the state has been in the news for mostly wrong reasons. The infrastructure has crumbled, there have been fancier taxes introduced, crime has increased and overall the city and the state have lost the initial sheen. The primary reason for this I feel is the state government.

The state was already going downhill when HD Kumaraswamy took over as the CM. However, he and his ministers just accelerated the whole process. They had a clear agenda, fleece the state with whatever money it has made and get out. Illegal contracts were signed, big deals were struck, dubious companies were given out contracts and in the process the state of the state and the city were completely ignored. Put together every problem in any of the state across the country and you will witness the unison of all of them in Karnataka. So how is it a vicious circle you may ask. This is how.

Politics these days is one of the best professions to be in. It offers instant riches (if you win the elections that is). However, like most businesses it demands initial investment also. So you have the parties pumping several thousand crores, the seasoned politicians putting in several hundred crores and the new ones putting in a couple of crores (that figure has started sounding alarmingly small!!). Where does this money go? In canvassing, buying illicit liquor/gifts, transporting man power and muscle power, offering huge bribes and so on. So this is about investment, where is the income I hear you ask!

The income is when you have won the election. Then you have the state at your mercy. You slowly start taking the money out of the system. Every deal gets you the share, every big project sanctioned fills up the coffer. Development of the state as promised takes a back seat, development of the personal fund account becomes priority. We ask why do you do this? You say, can't help it, we invested so much, somewhere we have to make the money, right.

Imagine the money floating around when you have 50 crores and a ministerial berth being offered to some independent MLA so that he can give the required numbers to make it to the state government. Imagine the state of affairs when the election commission has to declare dry day a day before the voting, hoping the parties don't promise liquor and get bogus votes!

This is not just happening here. Its what happening everywhere. The politicians are thinking of innovative things to sell and make money. And I fear, the day is not far when they will run out of things to sell. Only to then sell even the houses that we stay in! Ya ok, that was too cynical. But believe me, its coming.

The vicious circe of going back to the dentist could be stopped. May be by being careful about your dentures. But the vicious circle of politics, I am afraid my friend, will probably never stop. Unless there is another Gandhi sitting out there!

A Masterwork and then a disaster

2008-06-06T22:47:00.002+05:30

The only time that I have written a movie review was when I had watched Sarkaar. I was so much in love with the movie that after I watched it, I straight went to a review site and wrote how much I loved the movie and that RGV has finally arrived.

I went to watch Sarkaar Raj with similar expectations. More so after a friend had watched a special screening a few days back and told me that this movie will RGV come back to his class. However, I was terribly disappointed. Its just old whine in a new 'family' bottle. Hackneyed plot, same extreme close-ups, now-irritating dim lighting and strange unfit dialogues. These don't make a film. In fact, there were times when I felt so bored, I was looking around if someone was walking out. Don't we all wait for someone else to walk out before we can also run to the exit! The reason why I am telling you this is because in case you haven't yet watched SR yet, think about your decision to watch it. And if you already have, let me know if you agree with what I felt.

Speed thrills

2008-06-04T15:45:00.002+05:30

I have always admired the way most women drive. Whatever they drive, its as if they are being chased by a scum. So its usually full throttle. If its a two wheeler, the sight to watch is how their legs come down as soon as they hit the brakes. Obviously, the only time they are in full control of their vehicle is when they are belting the accelerator.

I have usually not had too many experiences when I have sat behind or sat beside a lady driver. However, yesterday was a case study in itself. And all that I have come to believe over the years has come true. I was sitting beside a very good friend of mine with my father in the back seat. Its important that I mention that my father is one of those old-timers who has been driving from the days when the speedometer probably did not have numbers beyond 90. So his safe speed on a highway is 70 and within the city... well lets just leave it at that.

Coming back, so with my dad sitting behind even I don't drive beyond 80-90. And here we were with the lady driving us towards the International Airport with the roads recently tarred, going full throttle. Completely oblivious to the heart beat of my dad which was probably much faster than the car speed. Throughout the way, the car was driven in 4th gear. Believe me, at one point when I mentioned to her that you must shift to the 5th gear, she said she did not have one. These days I guess even Muruti 800 comes with a 5th gear. I said I think you do. She looked at the gear, saw 5th written there and said, oh yes, I do. And do I need to mention what my dad went through while she was looking down trying to figure if there is actually a 5th gear. So much so for women driving.

The point that I am trying to make here is, Speed Thrills. But lady drivers, they just Kill. Hence Proved.

fit itna mast, karo thoda adjust!

2008-05-30T22:24:00.002+05:30

These days I have started stopping on traffic signals right next to the footpath. You know why?Otherwise you have the two-wheeler riders trying to get past even with hardly space on either side! I wonder how do they even spot that space. I wonder if I would even want to walk between that kind of space, and here they are riding their bikes in that as if its an open field! I am sure you would have noticed how they wriggle, shake and squeeze between two cars standing at a traffic signal. They almost seem to get a hidden pleasure in getting ahead by that 3 ft from where they were standing earlier. And spare some thought for the car owners... poor guys secretly pray and hope that these motorists don't leave any scratches on the car. Most often you have your side mirror knocked and all you get is that cheesy smile and the most abused word in english dictionary - Sorry!

the trivialising of news

2008-05-30T21:52:00.002+05:30

If you stay in Bangalore and if you remotely follow what's on and what's not on the city billboards, you would have noticed a semi-clad (is there is anything lesser than that?) model with newsprint on her body. Most of her is without clothes. There is just one word on the hoarding - Addictive. And then the product logo. Now if you don't stay in Bangalore and I tell you to take a guess what product is she selling, you probably will not it right. Let me tell you. Its an ad for a newspaper. Surprise surprise. And now guess which one. Did I hear you say a tabloid? Nope. Its not a tabloid. Its Deccan Chronicle.

I am not just surprised at this campaign but am also deeply pained. Is this what Advertising has come to? I have a lot of issues with this kind of advertising. One, its a newspaper that's making an entry into a new region and all it can offer its readers is Sleaze? There are no issues, no USP's and no claim of better journalism! Two, the agency couldn't come up with anything other than skin show to sell a 'newspaper'? Is this what advertising has come to? You replace that logo and you can well be advertising a porn website!

And finally, if the agency has recommended this to the client and the client has accepted this route, I am sure they would think that this campaign would work. Which means that they consider the local population to be so desperately wanting of sex and sleaze that they would just trample each other to get their hands on editions of this newspaper. Which brings me to the most important aspect of this post. Is this what our society has come to? Would we buy anything which would have skin to show in it? Is the media so bereft of issues that it has to rely on sleaze to sell itself? I think this is serious underestimation of the intelligence of the audience. And it is about time somebody takes stock of what goes out in the public space. Two reasons why I say that - one, we have a lot of young kids still wanting to read the newspaper for news and for making their 'language' stronger. And second, I don't want motorists to stop in the middle of the road just to gaze at a hardly-clad women throwing the traffic behind them completely out of order!

The price for freedom

2008-05-30T12:20:00.002+05:30

Have you ever thought how much would you be willing to risk for your freedom? We take our freedom for granted. What if it wasn't. Its a very discomforting thought... My be you would like to think about it sometime and then appreciate that. Watch a movie Papillon. Rather read the book. Its far better!

Happiness Inside

2008-05-26T02:27:00.002+05:30

Its 2 in the morning! I just finished watching a movie. Its called "into the wild". Its about a boy who leaves home and goes in search of his being. He starts to travel, on the way he meets a lot of people who grow to like him but then he leaves them and continues his journey. Somewhere he has decided that he will go to Alaska. He does reach there and then eventually dies there. But in the end, he does discover what he set out to unearth.

Its a touching movie. I associated myself with parts of it. Too often we look for happiness outside when it is within us. Happiness is not a function of what happens to us. Its what we chose to make out of all that happens to us. Its a choice, so its upon us to exercise it whenever and however we want it... So everything that we come in contact of is capable of making us happy. I have taken comfort in a lot of times. I feel happiness in some strange things. A good movie, a walk, drizzle, a drive, a smile, a look, a nod, order of things, nature, wind, shower and many more. Thats because I chose to be happy. And then the pain hurts a lot less.

You know what he discovered at the end? Happiness has meaning when shared with others. Like now :)

Goodnight!

The shop opens :)

2008-05-12T19:10:00.000+05:30

So today the shop opens! Its been a while since I have been wanting to start writing. What's with a Bollywood angry not-so-young man also having a blog now. How cool is that! But unlike him, I have never managed to sit down and pen my thoughts down. Probably thats why - because you can't "pen" down your thoughts any more. You have to key them in. (Is there a phrase like that?)

Ok, so I don't know what to write on... May be I will write about the crazy monday that it has been. No its the Monday blues. I don't believe in that. I think all days days are equally blue or bright. Whatever. Its just that it has been a strange beginning for what I see as a fun filled week.

I have a sales representative who has come to Bangalore for the first time. He doesn't understand Kannada and my sales boys don't understand Hindi and I am supposed to get him trained with my local sales boys. As if my own language problems weren't enough that I have to deal with this now! He is at the bus stand and cant understand the address to my office. The guy at the STD booth doesn't know hindi so that option of explaining him and he in turn explaining to the salesrep is also gone. I think I will have to hire translators on full time duty.

Somewhere in another part of Karnataka, I have an agent who, I have recently discovered, has been engaging in trade malpractices (thats as mildly as I could put it). The guy who I sent to enquire about the malpractice, has been conveniently 'khilaoed-pilaoed' by the agent and now he has given a green signal to these guys. How wonderful!

I have my trade partners telling me that I am not replying to their mails. I patiently told them that I have no personal problem with them and that I have not received any mails from them. They insist they have sent it. I insisted further that they haven't. Thats when a good soul called me and said the mail that he sent has bounced back because the inbox is full. I wonder with a 120 GB hard disk, what has someone sent that its full! I was about to call Apple helpline when I figured why not check with the ISP guys once. They tell me that the settings on the mail delivery has been changed to such that after every 30 MB i have to delete all mails from server. How interesting. Wonder why no one told me about the change in my mail box settings!!

The best or may be worst is my mobile network. The name of which is spice and which has really added some spice into my daily conversations. People tell me that if they get through my number in the first dial, they consider it their lucky day and bet on Bangalore Royal Chalengers winning the match! I joke with them saying that my network filters calls and keep unwanted people at bay.

But thats not it. I have had more cross connections than I have had decent conversations. If it cross connects me, I am okay. It connects the incoming calls to people talking in strange languages. By the time the poor guys figure its not me playing the prank, the damage is done. Once they do get through to me, the call drops just when I am about to say goodbye. They think I hung up without saying BYE! Hey bhagwan. I wish I could pluck the hair out of someone in Spice.

But other networks are no less. Imagine you are in the middle of something important, the airtel landline rings, you pick up only to hear "Wrong answer! Wrong answer! You have given the wrong answer. But you still win..." If I wouldn't have disconnected, my ear drums would have burst with the woman's shrill voice shouting from the other end.

Last but definitely the most quirkiest was when I found most of the bathrooms in the office occupied. I had just spotted a good cover story on the latest Tehelka issue and could not stop the urge to read it and what better place to read than the pot. So unable to wait I slipped inside the toilet in my Director's chamber. It only after I had read the article and given it due thought that I realised that there is no soap for hand wash! I am too embarrassed to put down the later details.

Add to all this the comment that a friend had to make when I shared with her what I had gone through in half the day - "really very cute".

Its been a nice beginning to the week. And may be a good end to my first post. :)