An habit revived...

Taking my bike out for a ride on the streets. Just to watch the "life moving". An habit backed up by nightouts. It had been a regular feature during my semester exam days when I went to get an early morning smoke.

Today's was my first feat in Hyderabad to catch the "life moving". A cool and quiet morning beckoned me after a long time. It was great to watch roads with speedy yet less traffic. People trying to reach their destination before the maddening traffic ruins the urgency. Others running/jogging before the "fats" and their sedentary life style catches on, rendering them useless with ailments. Small stalls surrounded with people waiting for their morning cuppa tea. Parade ground swarming with morning walkers and aspiring cricket stars. Some tired jogger pausing to catch some breath by the roadside. Restaurants being prepared for the breakfast to be served. Hawkers getting ready with their wares. Buses going relatively empty.

Then I came across a car crashed on to the Patni flyover. With the driver side completely crushed. May be an late night drunken crash. Or an early morning crash where the driver got a bit sleepy. Who knows ! Who wants to know? Life's moving. I too move.

One thing that strikes me, everytime I see early morning joggers/walkers, is a statement made by a teacher of my brother, "They are running to save their life."

Hilarious? Nopes, someday everyone will !

technorati tags: hyderabad life

A day well spent

A day when your whole surrounding becomes laidback. Roads are emptier. Sheds filled with vehicles till late afternoon. Kids out of their home to play early. Some cars going packed for some outing. Multiplexes, malls and eateries filled teeming with crowd. Bus stops with people not dressed in their work cloths/uniforms. Balconies generally remaining empty on weekdays, stuffed with cloths to dry, telling residents are work people. My idle sunday. Psyched out by the sheer delirium of the week, a day long peace is welcomed with such fervour that trading it with any outdoor activity is out of question. Waking up late in the morning, having a sumptuous lunch, deep siesta and a long quiet evening. A day spent exclusively with oneself. Next: Monday Coming !! technorati tag: life

What has reason got to do with it...

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a river. The scorpion asks the frog to carry him across. The frog refuses and asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too." The frog satisfied with the proposition, agrees to give the scorpion the ride. In the midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. Paralysed by the sting frog starts to sink. Before drowning frog gasps, "Why?" Replies the scorpion: "Its my nature..."

When the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box.

Phulbani Nov 2005

Pics from my November 2005 Phulbani trip have been uploaded. technorati tags: travelling trekking orissa india

Overheard at a cafe

"Why something important occurs when we are absent?" This happens. 101 out of 100 times. Its like a giant cosmic phenomena since the Big Bang that happens in our everyday life. And I was absent on that day even. May be I was ridden badly with loose motions after having an Andhra meal. I have experienced this at every stage of life, till now. In school, college or at workplace. After a long monotonicity of a mechanical schedule, you decide to take a day off. Or forced to after eating that spice loaded lunch. The very next day, when you arrive the first thing that rings your ear, that something great happened yesterday. The person who informs you has temporarily filled in for Gabriel. And he/she never forgets to add the most irritating line, "Dude you missed it !". And ensures that you feel like an imbecile for remaining absent on that eventful day. Coming back to the "phenomena", the important question is why does this happen at all? It seems like there is a huge "stack" of exciting things waiting to happen. And the moment you choose to be absent from the scene. Thud ! One "exciting thing" falls in that void. As if you were obstructing its space with your pathetically long existence. The exciting things can be anything from a day-long outdoor trip or a class photo taken or a long awaited jam session of your college band or somebody kicking your Boss hard in the balls which renders him bed ridden for the next week. Now that means your Boss is going to miss a week long fun that you and your colleagues going to have. Whatever it is, it teaches us one important thing. No matter how boring your schedule becomes or how spicy your food is or how tempting the movie/match is, never let the giant "stack" dump anything to fill in your meaningless existence. Even if you get kicked in your balls, shift your bed precise enough not to let anything take your place. technorati tag: life

The Rubaiyat

After I came across an recent post at Melancholetta on Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, I remembered some of my favourite quatrains from it. On Life: Of threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise! One thing at least is certain--This Life flies; One thing is certain and the rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies. On Wine: Why, be this Juice the growth of God, who dare Blaspheme the twisted tendril as a Snare? A Blessing, we should use it, should we not? And if a Curse--why, then, Who set it there? A quatrain that says it all: Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, Before we too into the Dust descend; Dust into Dust, and under Dust to lie, Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, and--sans End! Omar Khayyam was a Persian mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. His poems were based on wine, women and song. technorati tags: poetry philosophy

Ongoing week...

After working meaningfully for a week, I have been dumped back again to my old office on a prestigious business wait, Sorry! Business Wait. Utilising my time has never been better. Reaching office minimum 3 hours late and leaving 2 hours early, since last four days as a silent protest. Tomorrow is a work day and I am going to come too. Well another reason for it is, I won a cafeteria quiz. May be I will get something useful as a prize. A cup with the company logo which I can use as an ashtray or a penstand with the same "logo" to dump my change... Hyderabad is growing hotter by the day. And with my room on the top floor, my bottles serve me with water, hot enough to make coffee when I get back from office. How thoughtful of the weather ! Its good that two movies have been released. 'Being Cyrus' and 'V for Vendetta'. With some great reviews backing them, I may catch atleast one of them before the week ends. Very soon I will upload some more pics of my Phulbani trip in November 2005. They are lying on my PC waiting to be re-edited since then.

I am listening to...

Song: Teri Deewani Singer: Kailash Kher Album: Kailasa My Rating: 4 out of 5 technorati tag: music

In past life...

You Were a Horse

You can't be fenced in - you long to run free. You are good at overcoming obstacles and realizing your potential.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

The Debate...

From Melancholetta The Suicide's Argument Ere the birth of my life, if I wished it or no No question was asked me--it could not be so ! If the life was the question, a thing sent to try And to live on be YES; what can NO be ? to die. Nature's Answer Is't returned, as 'twas sent ? Is't no worse for the wear ? Think first, what you ARE ! Call to mind what you WERE ! I gave you innocence, I gave you hope, Gave health, and genius, and an ample scope, Return you me guilt, lethargy, despair ? Make out the invent'ry ; inspect, compare ! Then die--if die you dare ! - Samuel Taylor Coleridge technorati tag: Poetry

Why...

... I work? Why I read? Why I roam? Why I wake? Why I crib? Why I doodle? Why I hate? Why I thrive? Why I listen? Why I eat? Why I jump? Why I talk? Why I see? Why I procastinate? Why I smirk? Why I dream? Why I fight? Why I lose? Why I buy? Why I whistle? Why I pause? Why I love? Why I get happy? Why I judge? Why I think? Why Iexplain? Why I hope? Why I breathe? Why I trade? Why I lie? Why... technorati tags: life

Entertainment Unlimited

Well it had been long due in Hyderabad that I was yet to get settled in terms of technology. Finally, I made it. TV with cable connection. And broadband connection for my desktop. So I am back on the Information Superhighway... My download manager have to work hard now and make up for all the idle time it enjoyed. Muhahaha... technorati tags: Technology Hyderabad

Obscure factoids about the Greatest Brain

Ten Obscure Factoids Concerning Albert Einstein Got the link through Madman.

Anomalies of a system called India

Watching the recent events and inspired by the phrase "Anomalies of Indian Monsoon" which was a prominent CBSE question for my Class Xth exam. Jessica Lal case verdict has raised nation wide debate on the ineffectiveness of the Indian Judiciary. And its a recurrent phenomenon, when a big fish escapes the net. With witnesses turning hostile or lack of evidences or delayed justice, the so called "judiciary" denies the justice eventually. Even though questions are raised, everyone knows its the "perfect act of manipulation" that comes into play. No matter how many debates are organised on the news channels or how lengthy articles are written in the weekly magazines, in the end these events serve to provide the contents only. Another recent and ongoing event is the hit and run case and the black buck shooting case for Salman. Even though the cases have been running since a long time, every time some developments occur, we are made aware of it in details. With TV cameras showing the actor going through a crowded alley or trying hard to get past the reporters we are made sure that he should look guilty. No escape for him is what said by some social activists. Does it show the system being really competent in the actor's case? Is the actor less efficient than the Sharma's to manipulate the system? Is Mumbai police really more honest than their Delhi counterparts? Are the witnesses more safe in Mumbai than they are in Delhi? Does it show that the judicial and legislative capital has more powers than the financial capital? What's in a name, Wrong by any other name would harm the same. Manu Sharma and Salman Khan are both guilty. So also were many others who have escaped or were punished by the system. Just the size of the holes in the net have to be defined, so that persons wanting to escape "the long arms of law" be safe. So that the common man should know how to become uncommon. technorati tag: India

The cafe that is Odyssey....

Good cafes have been my weakness. Say India Coffee House in Kolkata or Cafe Coffee Day(CCD) outlet near XIM,Bhubaneswar. No comparision drawn. The first one is awesome with its ambience and humming sound. I have never missed to spend an hour or two, every time I had gone to Kolkata. Second one is good because of the cool windy Bhubaneswar evenings I have spent alone or with friends sipping Caffeine Kicks. When I came here, I was dissappointed with CCD's service. On weekends some CCD outlets force you to have their specials menu. And they never come under 100 bucks. Situated in Punjagutta, near the Central, Odyssey is a book store and cafe. Its a part of the Deccan Chronicle group. Its store has got a good collection of books, gifts, magazines etc. But what draws me here is its cafe downstairs. Quiet, never too crowded, great service, good food and strong Americano. And smoking is allowed over here. The waiters are not over friendly. Nice collection of music. No specific time to go there. If I feel like having a nice dose of caffeine and have some time to kill, I head towards Odyssey. After 2200 hrs is a nice time for me though. Now after shifting, my travel time is down to five minutes. If you happen to be in Hyderabad Central or PVR, you can check the place. Nearby is Frankfurt. An old book store, not the city. Actually, its from Frankfurt, how I got to the cafe. Odyssey's Americano = CCD's Caffeine Kick = A shot of espresso diluted in hot water = Layman's Black Coffee. technorati tags: Travelling Hyderabad India

The day that was Holi...

...I spent the pleasant/unpleasant morning in the office. Isolated from the outer world in a fluorescent lit office, staring at the monitor and typing on the keyboard. Went out late in the afternoon and had lunch at Kamat. The feel of Holi was not much on the roads by then. Saw a couple of coloured faces on my way back, whizzing past me. May be they were shocked to see themshelves coloured. Later got to know that its not much of a serious festival around here. May be thats why people were quite present in the office. Who cares anyway? During school days, exams overlapped Holi. During college days, quite have played Holi a lot. May be now professional life catching on. Sounds same like old age catching on. Gosh ! What a depressing narration... Ohh I forgot, the setup is same as yesterday's. A fluorescent lit office, staring at the monitor and typing on the keyboard. Isolated from the outer world. technorati tags: Life Hyderabad

Tomorrow's a HOLIday...

When you search in the morning for a pair of old jeans and a shirt to wear for the rest of the day.

When walking on the street, you get drenched by a bucket of coloured water and you dont say anything to the grinning children on the balcony and continue walking.

When you have taken bath for an hour, not because you want to relax but its that hard to stop that red colour flowing from your scalp.

When you are getting ready for your siesta and somebody knocks at your door to paint you like a rainbow.

When you go around the city to smoke your friends out of their holes (thanks to Bush for the statement) to give them a spray of a lifetime.

When you watch little multicoloured monkeys with colour sprayers in their hands and not bothered to go to school the very next day with their red palms and faces for the next of the week.

When the whole day is spent devouring lovely delicacies and sweets at the home of your victims and still you dont get tired of eating.

When you hear that your college hostel taps are running with coloured water as somebody has creeped successfully to feed the tank with a fine dose of colour.

When you greet people packed behind the carriage of an autorickshaw whom you dont recognise and dont even wonder who is behind the black, pink and red painted faces.

When you go out of your home pre determined that your shirt/tshirt is not going to survive the mob of your friends and you are going to return only with your body painted.

When Doordarshan telecasts a blockbuster and all the family members flock infront of the TV ensuring a memorable get to gather in the process.

When you drink a glass or two of bhang and come home insanely hungry and sleepy and still your parents dont say a word.

History made, then remade...

Needless to say I am talking of cricket. Yesterday no doubt the world of cricket witnessed making and breaking of records in such quick succession that it has left many of its worshipper speechless. I was busy yesterday with Baddy shifting to our new place till the evening. So busy I lost the track for the first race of F1 this season. When got free, was dissappointed with the results a bit. Alonso Schumacher Raikonnen. Only consolation was atleast this time Ferrari isnt going to let its fans down. The prancing horse is back... Still hoping to catch some bits and pieces of F1, me and Baddy went to Odyssey. Its a cafe at Punjagutta. Later about Odyssey. We reached around at 1930 hrs there with South Africa at 120/1 in 15 overs. Normal score expected from any good team in such a situation. Then we went into a trance and kept staring at the television screen. Glued would be an understatement. What striked before was the behemoth total raised by Australia in the first innings. Odds were stacked against South Africa like a moutain. We watched the rest of the innings drowning ourselves with hot coffees and iced teas. The perseverance paid. We the fans of the game finally emerged victorius after innumerable trips to the loo. Thanks to the vital element called caffeine. No doubt the reeboks gave the kangaroos a befitting reply. Records are made to be broken. And this time in very quick succession. I am no great expert on the game so discussing the stroke plays and ball deliveries are never my cup of coffee. What I can say is that I watched a match which cannot be replayed or re-telecasted as LIVE. Where the deserving team won. Where the game was no doubt pushed to new frontiers. So also our coffee drinking and draining abilities.

The weekend that was, The week its going to be...

Again an amaazziing weekend. With booze, goose (chickens infact) and lot of snooze. Got afternoon shift for the rest of the week. 1400-2300 hrs. Restricted net access. Lesser blogging and more working.

Wake Up, Stand Up

Over years I wanted to have a digital alarm clock which I could plug in to the power supply and forget till it blares me out of my sleep, deep sleep to be precise. Till now, innumerable number of them have retired with a minimal chance of success to wake me up once I have retired to sleep. Added to that, unaccounted number of turns for the mechanical ones with a blaring trrinnnggg sound and enough cells to keep the Big Ben running for a decade. The best "alarm clock" that I had during exam days was my mother whose success rate was around 99.99%. She had every functionality and preciseness of a digital clock like accurate wake up call, snooze functions ranging from 5 minutes to 1 hour(max), day-light saving (well her clock always ran 30 minutes ahead of mine) plus some early morning rebukes about my laziness. Believe me, it worked every time ! Now a days, my cellphone takes up the job to wake me up with minimum five reminders and one main alarm. Now I dont remember why I started writing this. Yeah, well I came across this on Slate. Have a look... I liked the RCA RP3720. Technorati tags: technology

"Don't talk to me. Don't speak to me. Stay with me"

Found the link to an interesting article on introverts by Jonathan Rauch. This article was written in 2003 and still doing rounds. Also read an recent interview with Rauch. Found the link through India Uncut.

Teri Duniya Mein Jeene Se

I heard this song yesterday night for the first time, even though I got the CD longtime back. A brilliant 3 minute retrospection... Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ki mar jaaye Wohi aansoo wohi aahe wohi gam hain jidhar jaaye Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ki mar jaaye Koi to aisa ghar hota jahaan se pyaar mil jaata -2 Wohi begaane chehre hai jahaan pahonche jidhar jaaye Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ki mar jaaye Arrey o aasmaan waale bata ismein bura kya hai, arrey o aasmaan waale Arrey o aasmaan waale bata ismein bura kya hai Khushi ke chaar jhoke gar idhar se bhi guzar jaaye Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ki mar jaaye Link to the lyrics Technorati tags: movies music life

Its not only me. Even its creator hates it...

It has been years and I have hated the rampant CUBICLISM. As I have always said,"Crammed into a 4x4". Well its like the greatest trap ever made to make you believe that its the "best place to be". And now I sound like a rotten hypocrite. As I am working in a software firm and typing these valuable insights from a "4x4" Now this story says that even its creator hated it. technorati tags: business, technology

My favourite verse from Bhagwad Gita

nainam chindanti sastrani, nainam dahati pavakam, na cainam kledayntyapo, na sosayati marutam. The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can it be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind. (Bhagavad-gita 2.23)

Why people feel so devoted to godmen?

A near manifestation of imagination. People have never seen anything like god, its just a image they have created. A belief and a faith unquestioned. And undaunted group of followers to back this idea. So when a godman comes, he/she gives the people a real life form to their belief and and above all feeds their imagination. This way he/she directs them to place himself/herself by the side of god. So now people can connect with this godman. They can touch, listen, see and pray to him/her and start believing that he/she is very near to what they have imagined. Now this person becomes the penultimate step to their destination. Destination being realising god. Thanks to the pompous environment these godmen create around them which lures people to submit to this man made creation. Its like guessing the taste of real strawberry from the strawberry ice-cream.

Promised long back...

I promised to publish the photographs from my Phulbani trip in the year 2004. I had some posted in my yahoo albums. Giving the link for that. Descriptions could not be completed as there was problem with the office PC. Will do it later on. Phulbani Trip Oct-2004

Nice Story I came across.

I came across this beautifully written story through some link posted in a blog. Cant recall now which one. I met a hermit on the run Parikshit Sahni Thursday, January 19, 2006 22:26 IST Two things were on my mind when I went to Devigarh for the shooting of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's movie recently - the condition of my health and the condition of my finances. My cholesterol had hit the 400 mark and, being an inveterate hypochondriac, I thought the end was near. And the Income Tax office had slapped a huge fine on me for not paying my dues twenty years ago so I was sure bankruptcy was just round the corner. I was happy to be a part of Chopra's wonderful unit but I was worried sick. Devigarh is 27 kilometers from Udaipur - an ancient castle that has been converted into a hotel. It is spectacular. I thought the Rajasthani countryside would be parched and arid. Instead, it was green and verdant. It had been raining incessantly in the region for the past month, something that had not happened here for as long as people could remember. The surroundings were beautiful. But I had no eyes for the landscape or the balmy weather. My thoughts were gloomy, my mood sombre, my soul depressed. I decided to go for a jog early in the morning in order to get the cholesterol levels down and be fit for the shooting. The doctor had recommended that. I ran at a leisurely pace for half a mile through the countryside and then, finding myself out of breath, switched to a walk. I had barely taken a few steps when I saw an old man, grey haired, lean, barefoot, running towards me from the opposite direction at breakneck speed. He was carrying a long staff on one shoulder and had a bundle of clothes slung on the other. He gave me a toothless smile as he passed me by. Intrigued, I started running alongside him. "Take it easy! What's the hurry, Grandpa?" I said to him, barely able to speak. "I am off to Dwarka!" he grinned. "You are going to run all the way?" "Yes!" "And where have you come from?" "Kathiawar!" That, I calculated, was a distance of not less than four or five hundred kilometres. Noticing that I was pooped he slowed down to a walk. He wasn't even out of breath. "Why are you doing this?" I asked him, astonished. "It is a pilgrimage. It's something that has to be done. Ancient tradition. Peace of mind. After Dwarka I will go to Hardwar." "On foot?" "Of course." I was stumped. Running barefoot from Kathiawar to Dwarka was astonishing enough, but then to run from there to Hardwar was unbelievable. "Where do you eat? Where do you sleep at night?" "People feed me on the way. There are good souls everywhere. No problem," he smiled. I had never seen such a carefree man in my life. "How much money are you carrying with you?" "Nothing. What do I need money for? The less baggage one carries in life the better, Sahib. Gives one peace of mind," he laughed, baring a lone canine. “How old are you, Sir?” He laughed out loud again. "God knows! But three of my grandchildren are married and have children of their own! So I must be pretty old." "Won't this wear you out?" "I will be worn out if I don't run, sahib! One has to have a goal, a target, and a destination in life. As long as I have a destination, I will not be worn out." Saying this he laughed again and resumed his run. I stopped in my tracks and looked at him disappear down the road. It was then, for the first time since my arrival, that I noticed the beautiful countryside, the dew on the grass, the wild flowers, the verdant, heavenly landscape. I was not worried anymore. The toothless, uneducated, grey haired, barefooted old man had taught me the greatest lesson of my life.

Finally...

After three days of tiring effort, my AMD Sempron 2600 and Asus K8V-MX motherboard has sprung back to life. Initially it had problems with the sound output. The vendor after testing yesterday, acknowledged that it was a faulty motherboard and got it exchanged. This job was finished by evening. Relieved now. Thanks to Vinay and Kartavya to carry the CPU. Hyderabad's weather has developed a pattern since last four days. Sunny and hot in the morning. But it is raining in the evening. Atleast the nights are cooler now. Today Brand Equity Quiz is there at Taj. Have to rush from office early.

Last weekend...

Well last Saturday I made move to my new place over here. Will be sharing it with my senior and college quiz buddy Baddy. Got this place after a tiring search which took a whole precious Sunday previously. Fifth floor, two bedrooms, big hall and a nice locality. Upgraded my system but have to change my motherboard as some problem persists. Hope I get my broadband soon. One more thing, went to Hyderabad's swankiest joint and had a good Chicken steak sizzler, Waldorf salad and a panaromic view of the city. Folks if you are here, its highly recommended. The place: Palace Heights.