Stars and Sparrows

Yes. just as I type this piece, only my fingers know what they are doing. I am seeing stars and sparrows right now and it is just 4:40 PM. I thought of having a quick nap in the office but my friend spoit my plans by forwarding this article.

Well, what happenned to me was that I slept only at 5.30 AM this morning. I had to then get up at 8AM to get back to office.

The reason being, I was reading a book called "Engaging India" by Strobe Talbott.

It was an amazing book and the most interesting part of the book is when he describes the situation when Nawaz Sharif begs Clinton to save his A$$ from the Indian army during the Kargil war.

I could have read the book slowly and over a period of many days but a guy called Vamsee here in office challenged me to finish the book in one straight night.

Hey Vamsee, I did it !! :-))

P.S. More about this vamsee guy in the next post....special attraction being his photo ....Dont miss it :-))

SOX, Here I come !!

Heard of Sarbanes Oxley 404 ???

Me neither!!

Well, Iam being trained on this.

Dont know being an electronic engineer and after being trained in PeopleSoft, what value i can add in this field.

Iam slowly becoming a Jack of all, but master of none :-((

P.S. : Sarbanes oxley is a law enacted in US after the corporate scandals of ENRON, WorldCom etc. According to a section in this law, any "gol-maal" in the financial reporting of the company's balance sheet, will result in its CEO being arrested.

I wonder whether such a law will ever work in India :-))

Yeh Mera India

Not many times it is, that you read an article and wonder about the intellectual capacity of some person.

I happened to read a blog of one, Prof.Madhukar Shukla, Prof at XLRI-Jamshedpur.

And believe me it just blew me away. Just wondering if i wud have the fortune to do an MBA under him :-))

Click here for the article (It's a lil' long, but believe me, it's worth your time !!)

Samachar Update !!

1. Well, all my exams for my MBA aspirations are over . Now begins the excruciating wait for the results. Iam tense :-(

2. Iam put into the semi-GraveYard shift in the office :-( My office timings have changed from 2Pm to 11PM . Atleast, Iam better. There r couple of guys who are doing the "Full Time Graveyard Shifts" ( from 6 Pm to 3 AM). Well, who carez as long as Iam getting paid for it :-)

3. After Karthik told me his sad and tragic tales about his training experiences in Satyam Computers, Iam thanking my lucky stars for not getting selected there :-)
It sounds like the good ol' school days there ; Sample this: no cell phones in office, Everyday shaving, black shoes, light shade shirts and dark trousers with tie every tuesday.
Probably the only saving grace for the employees is that their Nails are not checked everyday :-))

How Ridiculous !!

4. My brother has finished his German course and he is adamant that he will speak only in German with me, even though i dont know a single word of that language :-(((

I have a plan to counter him. I will finish my French course in a month's time and soon take my REVENGE on my lil' Bro !! :-))

Next update from " THE GRAVEYARD" :-)

Currently listening to : Bulla ki Jana by Rabbi Shergill ---Really great song, but I dont understand a single word in that song. But I guess, Who carez !! :-))

Bulla ki Jaana Mein kaun ...........

P.S. : Was i the only one who was offended after hearing to this song for the first time :-))

Mogambo is no more

Amrish "Mogambo" Puri is no more :-(

Driving in Hyderabad ! Read this !!

Inspiration for this post came from two places. One was a needless accident of a DC cab with a motorcycle (Thankfully no one died !! ). Second was a post on a similar topic by prad of FMS.

People who have been in Hyderabad know about what I am going to write. For others who are about to come to Hyderabad in the near future, this would be a good refresher course.

So Lets begin with the precautions u need to take b4 u step onto your bike or car.

1.Make sure you have a really good helmet or seat belt. This could finally make all the difference.
2.Always carry your identity card in your pocket. Make sure it contains your office/ home phone number and your residential address.
3.A small prayer wouldn’t harm :-)

Once you are ready, step onto your vehicle.

The next question is, Right side or Left side of the Road??

The answer is “Both”.Let me explain.

You basically start from the left, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed.

My Tip: Don't drive, but just aim your vehicles in the generally intended direction and trust your instincts. Usually that is sufficient :-)

Stopping at Pedestrian Crossings: Do it at your risk. My advice will be, don't stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back :-))

Pedestrians in Hyderabad have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town.

Blowing horn: In most places blowing the vehicle’s horn is considered as a sign of protest, but not in Hyderabad. In fact, blowing horn in Hyderabad is considered a way of expressing your joy and happiness. So the more happy you are, the more you should be blowing your horn :-))

Indian James Bond: This title is unanimously awarded to the RTC Bus drivers of Hyderabad. Yes, they really have “a license to kill”. Always maintain a distance of 1 car between the bus ahead. Don’t assume that the buses would stop only on the left side of the road. The road is theirs; they will stop any where they like. So be prepared.

Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem. There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity. Always, steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.

Competing with Buses: Your competitive spirit may want you to compete and overtake the buses, but don’t even think of it. Buses already have stiff competitions from the auto-rickshaws and mopeds. Both these vehicles are nothing more than a small piece of tin fixed with wheels, but they have one thing in common. Both have big EGOS. So better don’t mess with them :-)

One-way Street: When you encounter this signboard, don’t worry. What this board means in Hyderabad is that you can’t move in both the directions at the same instant. You can move in any but only one direction :-)

Night Driving: Night Driving must be undertaken at your own risk. Avoid it as much as possible. While driving at night you have to have the utmost concentration. If a vehicle is coming in the opposite direction in the next lane, any assumptions that it would continue in the same lane could prove fatal :-))

Tight Situation : While you are driving in Hyderabad, you will encounter many situations when a BUS tries to overtake you from the left and a Auto Rickshaw tries to beat you from the right. When you are in this situation, it is in your best interest to continue in your own path without slowing down. The Bus and the rickshaw have the requisite experience and they will find their own way out :-))

Finally, Understand this: Hyderabad’s roads broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company (Provided you are insured--highly recomended if you have to drive in Hyderabad).

FootNote : I have been living in Hyderabad for over 8 years now and I am yet to see a car without a dent :-).

Miracle at Tiruchendur

For those of you who do not know, Tiruchendur is a place of divine worship in TamilNadu. I happen to visit the temple once every two years and Iam really amazed at this miracle.

Temple of lord Murugan at Tiruchendur which is very close to the sea shore

Tiruchendur Lord Murugan Temple is on the sea shore - within 100 metres of the waves.

The Temple is a cave with the entrance at the sea level and the cave inside, slides down to the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Lord Subramaniam ( Murugan ) .

When we stand in front of the deity, the sea water level outside is higher than our heads. So, there is every likely hood that tidal waves and tsunamis can rush in and fill the cave Temple with sea water. According to the history of the Temple, it is mentioned that the Water God ( Lord Varuna ) has promised Lord Murugan that he will not cross the boundary of the Temple.

On TSUNAMI day

It seems the Water God has kept his promise. While the tsunami on 26/12/04 lashed the eastern coast of India and inundated all places near the coast deeply, the sea water did not enter the Temple. At 10.00 Hrs on the ill-fated day ( 26/12/04), the sea near the temple receded by a Kilometre - people could see a big crater there with many rocks visible - gradually the sea came back to its original level. But sea water entered Jeeva Nager located opposite Tiruchendur Bus stand at 12.30 Hrs.

All other coastal areas near Tiruchendur were affected by the lashing of tsunami. But, the Temple area is unaffected as the sea receded there as though to keep the promise given.

JAI MURUGA !!

Boils and pains

Yes that's right. My body is paining like hell,my feet are full of boils and i can hardly walk. No, I was not involved in any brawl or things like that, but all this is self-inflicted.

Yes, that's right.All this is because of my new year resolution.

Finally i have decided to do it. I have decided to reduce some weight :-) Yes that's my new year resolution. I think iam overweight by 12 kgs . So i have decided to shed the xtra flab. Hopefully i can follow up on my promise. I have already made plans for it and started working on it from today.

I got up at 4.30 AM, got on those reeboks and started from home. Jogged for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When i returned home, all hell broke loose (in my body,that is). I was barely able to walk and thoughts of bunking office today crossed my mind. Better sense prevailed and now iam in office writing this stuff with my body aching like hell. Ok , now my fingers are also aching. Cant type more. Thats all for todays blogging i guess :-(

Go Sultans Go !!

Come Jan 13th and the first Indian Premier Hockey league gets underway here in Hyderabad. Its on the lines of Club football in Europe and the NBA in the US with teams representing clubs and not their regions or states. Also most of these teams will also feature international players.One more unique thing about this is the fancy names these clubs have.

Sample this :

Bangalore Hi-Fliers, Maratha Warriors, Chennai Veerans, Sher-e-Jallandhar, Hyderabad Sultans, Bengal Tigers, Lucknow Nawabs, Delhi Dazzlers, Chandigarh Dynamos, Imphal Rangers.

I think all this is welcome development and will provide much needed relief from tho heavy dosage of cricket. Iam planning to go to some of these matches and cheer for my team (unless of course ESPN STAR change their mind and start beaming their channel in Hyderabad :-) ).
This league will also allow Indian people to associate with their favourite teams and cheer for them which they have never done so far.

Me being a Tam in Gonguraland, Iam in a strange fix. Dunno whom to support, the Chennai Veerans or the Hyderabad Sultans.

In this situation, i would go with the team which is more likely to win ;-). In this case, Hyderabad Sultans have the Indian hockey captain Diliip Tirkey, and can you believe it the Pakistan Hockey wizard , Sohail Abbas. Sultans also have the best defence in the league and are naturally one of the favourites.

Go Sultans Go !!

My typical day in office

I think this picture sums up all i have 2 say.

Do you know why Tsunami hit India ??

The Indian commies (ya those bunch of bufoons!!) are at it again.

This time, The Communist Party of India, CPM, in the latest editorial of its magazine has found out the reason for Tsunami striking India.

I dont want reproduce that ridiculous article here, but those folks who are "interested" in knowing the "reasons", click here

No wonder the communists are increasingly becoming an endangered species in world 2day :))

Thankoo DJay

After the Tsunami tragedy, my new year started in a sombre mood today. Add to that IIFT exam tommorow. I was really psyched out 2day when I got this SMS from Jayavardhan. This made my day... :-))

Apun wishes u a wonderful, superduper,zabardast, xtra badiya, ekdam mast n dhinchak, boletho ek dum jhakas HAPPY NEW YEAR

Apun also wishes all of you the same :-))