Life is Beautiful

No joke.

2009-08-04T07:09:00.000-07:00

To all my collegues at MphasiS (who joined on the same day as me - 03 Jul 2009).
It’s time to celebrate guys. Big-time.

All of us need to be felicitated for:

1) Patience shown when we were ‘benched’: We cribbed but we sustained the emptiness
2) Handling people like ‘Hinanjali’ who tend to form a cartel against the new joinees
3) Working in projects which returned ‘NULL’ in terms of value addition
4) Delivering on time ‘things’ which mattered the least in our lives
5) Adhering ourselves to ‘processes’ which nobody in the company was aware of (we are still confused….arent we?)
6) Keeping ourselves motivated through times when we get a ‘shi*ty salary’ topped with a 'shi*ty' rating
7) Persistently letting people know (again and again !!) we belong to MphasiS and not Infosys

And all of this was possible because we were not alone (and ofcourse coz the market conditions are not conducive) . Let us celebrate to the fact that we joined together in MphasiS – An EDS Company exactly 365 days back.

Can I overpower Love?

2008-11-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

Thoughts put into words which pop into mind only after midnight. It’s a virtual dialect among abstract entities which incidentally happen to determine the human virtues.

Oh yes, surely I can. I am tired of answering this again & again to each one of you people. But then, I love this part of life when you stupid creatures fight with yourselves and think of winning, knowing well enough that it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to loose, something at least. Just in case you are thinking of loosing me, allow me to make you realize my importance to you:

You say you cherish love. But I have taught you how to cherish things. I am the first thought you cherished.

You say you can die for your love. Have you ever thought who you live for? Its me darling. You have lived each moment of your life to fulfill me.

You say your love is the single most important thing that happened to you in your entire life. Tell me, isn’t your being in love is just a miniscule subset of me. I, as a whole, am much more important than your stupid love & things like that.

You say you have grown so much accustomed to your love that it has turned out to be a habit for you. Think about me dear. I have been controlling your thoughts since you started thinking. Its me and only me you are accustomed to.

You can you spend all your nights dreaming about your love. Yes, that’s what I wanted to emphasize on. Love needs me. You need me.

Who am I? I am your DREAM and I do what I want. I control you and will continue to do so. Ain’t I powerful?

I am a sink … aren’t I?

2008-11-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

It was a fine evening, 4th of May 1990 and I was about to leave for the playground, quite close to my house. Playing sport has always been my greatest interest I ever had in my life. I got dressed, fully and professionally in the football jersey and spikes given by our club. After all, I was a treasured player there and I could not afford to miss a single day of my contribution to the team. All of a sudden, I heard my mom calling. She was exceptionally polite to me and I somehow knew she must be asking for some compromise on my end. Anyways, she proceeded to state that my father got something else to do, which was ofcourse more important than my match and hence am expected to be take up his responsibilities for some time. Its only a matter of an hour or so before my father takes over and then I will be free to play as much as I wished. I looked blindly into her eyes, kind of avoiding the direct contact so that she doesn't get to know about my already bubbling eyes.

Of course, it was only a matter of an hour but by then I would have lost many a things, which were more important to me than anything. I would have lost the time, the match would have started, someone else will take up my place, my credibility in the team diminishes. I spoke nothing. I could not speak a word but wonder, how could she ask me such a thing? I wanted to shout and scream. I wanted to get heard.

But I didn't complain. Went straight to my playground. I knew a place where I could hide with no one in direct sight of me. I had discovered that while playing hide and seek with the same set of friends. I went there and cried. I cried till my eyes were sore red and there were no more watery lakes flowing down my cheeks. And then I went to perform the duty I was asked, with all the dignity of a martyr.

That was the day when I started learning how not to complain, how not to get heard and how to listen to others. I learned how to mould my life to other's needs and try to solve their problems. I learned to compromise things which mattered the most to me. Time flew by, and I got so accustomed to it that I started enjoying it. I started loving the pain which erupted in my heart whenever I was not listened to. I cherished the moments when I sacrificed something to earn a small happiness to somebody else.

World doesn't allow you to live peacefully, no matter how hard you try. Now it asks me to open up, to share things and let others know about my feelings. I ask you .... Why now? Believe me, change is not at all easy. Habits may change, but what about characteristics? That is the way I have spent all my life, and if you want me to be what you demand, you got to invest time. You got to make me comfortable and let me know that "Its ok to share feelings".

Independence: A Mirage

2008-10-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Independence in Life is similar to Mirage in a Desert. We keep on moving to reach a state of independence, and we rarely succeed.

Flashback

Scene 1: It was a tradition in the society that the school-going kids would celebrate Saraswati Puja and ask the Goddess of Knowledge for more wisdom every year, year after year. Not sure whether SHE listened to us, we followed it religiously. We got the biggest idol that our miniscule budget permitted us to and tried to re-arrange it at the centre of the stage. Unable to do so all by ourselves, I called on my father who was deeply engulfed (deeper than I thought) in the post-analysis of the Babri Masjid massacre. He didn't move; neither was I able to make any of them move (father or the Goddess). I didn't realize it then, but I was Physically Dependent.

Scene 2: I inquired my mom if I could throw a party to all my friends on my next birthday. I was made to wait for an affirmation for days & months thereafter, till the D-Day arrived. Yes, I was stupid enough to ask it half an year in advance. Ultimately, as it turned out, reasons like money constraints were tossed to me. A couple of years smarter, I demystified it this time: I was Financially Dependent.

Scene 3: Our team had lost the football match and it was largely because of me. I had the burden on my shoulders of letting my team down. Yes, I was stupid enough to think that it was the most important thing I had lost in life, but as I look back, it was important to me at that point of time. Of course, I have had lost many a things since then, but coming back to the day: Absorbing the tears that cringed in my eyes, I went home and saw my elder sister engrossed in a social science project from her school. I asked her if she could spend some time with me. You guessed it right. I was Emotionally Dependent.

Present

In the quest to be a complete man, I made a conscious effort to eliminate all these dependencies. I wanted to be independent. Independence, as I defined it to myself, was like a perfect system, capable of surviving on its own. It doesn't need an ecosystem; it doesn't need external inputs to breathe. I don't know after all these years whether I should claim myself to be successful or not, but the matter of fact is that the dependencies are still there, they have only changed faces.

And now with all this self-claimed wisdom I acquired from the prayers since childhood, I can see through the simplest thought of GOD behind making humans dependent on each other. HE wanted to make the world a relatively harmonious place to live in, lest the humans become invincible and self-sustaining. At least, HE blessed each one of us with independent thinking.

Let's celebrate OUR Independence!!

My Pune experience :))

2008-10-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Prologue: Went to Pune some time back.

It was so very refreshing. Every thing, every object, living & non-living, that could be green, was Green. And the water droplets fell on the Mumbai-pune expressway as if they are enjoying their leisurely fall from heaven onto the greens of earth. They seemed to have a mission; lessening the burdens from the shoulders of humanity and alleviating their thoughts. I gaped at the lush green beauty, as the water droplets washed the glasses of the Tavera and tried to seep in from the window panes at times.

It made me feel elated and enthusiastic while relishing the hundreds of river-born waterfalls, small yet cute pink colored houses surrounded by fences and the cows grazing here and there. Thanks to the terrific works from the likes of William Wordsworth and John Keats, I think every Indian student grows up with exactly that kind of a farm-house picture in his mind: tiled, brown, tiny & insignificant dwelling, surrounded by a fence and a single cow tied to a rope grazing at some end.

At times, the green hurt the eyes. It seemed like the nature was struck with a pestilential disease of green. It occupied every possible space, spread across acres and acres. Except some of the steel rods, railway tracks, a few newly built houses and the sky; the vines and the green algae seemed to have conspired not to leave anything untouched. And they succeeded exceptionally well.

Involuntarily, I was thrown back into a flash of the sweetest memoirs I ever had in my life. And my heart knew next time the same crate opens up in my mind, the reminiscence of this journey would be there.

What is not a prison ....

2007-10-18T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well, yeah .... it got me thinking for the past couple of days and am yet to get one positive answer. Lets define what a prison is:

Its a place of confinement or involuntary restraint. A place which you cannot leave at your wish and you are supposed to follow certain things (call it rules, or discipline). Its a place where you got limits, you cannot strecth yourself beyond it.

With this kinda definition of a prison, lets examine what maybe is not a prison ....

The office is a prison
The cubicle is a prison
The home you live in is a prison
The balcony you spend your evenings is a prison
The society is a prison

Your friends are a prison
Your parents are a prison
Your wife is a prison
Your family is a prison

The deo you use is in prison
The water you drink is in prison
The air you breathe is in prison
The vocabulary you use is in prison

The books you read, your thinking is in prison
The club you visit is a prison
The reastaurant you are in, is a prison
All beautiful places are in prison

The sea is in prison, and so is an ocean
The ship floating on it is in prison
The wine you enjoy is in prison
The ciggaratte you smoke is in prison

A spaceship is in prison
Days and Night are in prison
The sun is in prison
The earth itself is in prison

The World is a prison for all
yeah, your body is a prison for your soul.

Nobody, rather nothing is free in this world. And yet, some people think they hold the right to give others freedom.

mosquito repellent !!

2007-10-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

Thats very essential. Mosquitoes are everywhere and they bite. They carry infectious disease which may turn fatal anytime. Its highly recommended that you stay away from them as much as possible.

Sometimes we get so accostomed to mosquito bites that we kinda start missing them when they are not around. Our room-partners asks us "Whats the matter? Why aren't the pests here today" and you have got no good reason to answer back. How in the world are you supposed to know why mosquitoes arent there today .... and even if you know and you realise, how are you supposed to explain things?? Damad !! How can you possibly look at your own Certificate of Foolishness and read it aloud to people.

So, its better that you take care of your health and keep all your doors shut. Did I mention windows? Ofcourse, mosquitoes are a pretty smart species -- they are pretty and they are smart. They can sneak in from the smallest possible gap you provide. So, take care of all the inlets that lead the way to your blood and hence your soul; plug each one of them properly.

Its a different issue that in the process you may keep out the few butterflies that are around and want to beautify your home for a while. But its a good deal in the end: getting bitten by a lot of mosquitoes is not worth having butterflies in your life. ..... afterall, everything is so fragile in this world and ofcourse, butterflies are scarcely found.

And for god's sake .... if you have got used to the buzzing sound of mosquitoes, immediately go and watch a high-adrenalin porn on high volume. Trust on me .... it helps. Mosquitoes are allergic to ultrasonic sounds.

Lastly, dont trust. Its the mosquito instinct to bite. And it solely depends on you to use your software algorithms for distincting a mosquito from a butterfly. If you fail... blame yourself for letting the mosquito in the sacred temple you call as your home.

For the uninitiated, only female mosquitoes suck blood from the human body. It helps them to keep thier body warm and replicate.

Self-Actualization ... or is it .... i dnt knw

2007-10-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

Am back .... Sorry baby for leaving you all this while. For the time being I was under the impression that I need not write to make my life beautiful.

I was wrong ... I know that. Now, please dont get furious over me. At least, you can allow me a mistake or two ...

Life is beautiful, but thats only on pen and paper, or maybe on HTML pages for that matter. I realised that I need you ... I need you to make my life beautiful. I need your ears... please listen to me. Be as you are, be with me ... and be as you always have been.. giving your shoulder whenever I wanted to cry.

Note: This blog henceforth is not meant for anyone else other than the owner. Kindly refrain from tresspassing. Thanks.

err ....

2007-10-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

ok yes... its a mistake.

I know its a mistake but there are certain things in life u knw its a mistake but u dont really knw its a mistake bcoz the only way to really knw its a mistake is to make the mistake and then look back and say "yeah, that was a mistake"

So really, the biggger mistake wud be to not make the mistake bcoz then u go ur whole life not knowing whether its a mistake or not ..

and damad !! I have made no mistakes. I have done all of this ... my life, my career, my family and my friends mistake-free.

There r certain mistakes i had to make...

Now here I am ... when I didnt make mistakes and wen I did.

I believe thats how it was supposed to be... and yeah, watever it is, it sucks.

Tale of two "Topi"es

2007-07-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

It so happens that we tend to develop likings towards persons with whom we have something in common. This 'something' seems to have the widest possible range u can imagine. And there's nuthing wrong in it till u can justify ur choice, at least to urself. As the well-known proverb (birds of a feather ....) reinforces the above given fact, I wud put stress on the word "liking", especially when it involves person belonging to the same sex.

What wud be ur reaction, if I say:

1) I like this person coz he wears a "Topi" (and that is the hindi-equivalent of a CAP) everytime just as I do ...
2) He can sing as awfully as I can ....

Weird !! isnt it ??
These happen to be precisely the reasons why VG yelled (yeah yeah, he can do so !!) at RPS when he shouted at the top of his voice (past midnite) "I Love Himesh..."

Well, its said that when u r drunk, ur innermost feelings come out unhindered and u find urself spurting out whatever lies in the graveyards of ur heart. And if that is the case, then .... :D

I feel proud for at least playing Himesh-songs for my lost-friend...

RPS Quotes on the legendary Himesh (which unfortunately myself n Mahesh had to bear):

U can love him, u can hate him, but u cant ignore him
Main fan ho gaya hun uska yaar ....
Wo saare rickshaw wala and thele walon ka hero hai
He has got hit-songs continuously for the past 2 years
Uske gaanon me alag jadoo hai
and of course "I love Himesh" ... ;)

The "BIG" predicament ....

2007-07-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

The idea of uniquesness has always fascinated me. Something which gets noticed about me, which makes me feel different from the crowd. A very trivial but essential support to this cause has been my name: Vishal. The 2 reasons coming to my mind right away are:

1) Not a common name among the bengalis, I used to find myself as the only guy called by that sound.
2) The letter "V" gets the credit for positioning me as the last guy in the class, at least alphabetically. Being last in a way was easier than being .... u knw wat

I used to cherish this feeling for a long long time, till I came to VGSoM. The first day at the B-School, and I get to know that there are 3 more Vishal's out here (fortunately, one of whom didn't join). And hence, my grey cells started ticking. I need that feeling, the differtiating factor desperately (I was so used to it). Well, I didn't disappoint myself when I came up with the brilliant idea of marketing myself with my initials, VG, which coincidentally matched with the those of the prestigious B-school.

I must appreciate my branding skills (yeah, yeah, I m bragging) in this matter [at least] and henceforth the dilemma of calling a Vishal in VGSoM 2008 was solved as Vishal (Vishal Mittal), Khashu (Vishal Khashu) and VG (Vishal Gupta) came into being. What I hadn't dreamt in my wildest dreams was that I may have to do this exercise again so early....

And this time in the third semester of the course when it so happened that VG and Khashu had to be room partners in Gurgaon, though working for different firms (summers u knw). The Landlady devised her own methods for differentiating us (one of those which made me laugh for no less than 30 mins, though Khashu wasn't heppy at all).

It all goes when Khashu decided to call the Landlady on a 'dreadful' evening that he won't be having his dinner when the respected mademoiselle confirms "tum chote wale Vishal bol rahe ho naa? "

and there's the irony of life: Chote wale Vishal.
or shall I call it an Oxymoron ... !!

what I yearn for ....

2007-05-31T23:41:00.000-07:00

I want to speak
I want to scream
I want to be heard
I want to be understood
I want to be listened
I want to be valued
I want to be cherished
I want to be respected
I want to be trusted
I want to be praised
I want to be encouraged
I want to be believed
I want to feel safe
I want to be supported
I want to be comforted

Why?? Is this asking for too much!!

I want to CRY
And I want to cry now ....

Can we ........no, we wont allow you !!!

2007-04-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Can we be friends ???? please .......

NO .... U CAN'T. We wont allow this stupid thing to exist anywhere. And specially when it revolves around different sexes ... there's no question about it !!

Phase 1: Well, in my childhood I heard a saying "A boy and a girl can never be friends". I believed it then and thus thought that all the girls whom I interact to are my girl-friends. What a silly chap I was !!

Phase 2: As time passed by and I matured, I realised the myth. Boys and girls can surely be friends, who can "and" how would people stop them..... what bullshit !!

Phase 3: I solved the mystery. It feels so good when U untangle the truths of humanity. World doesn't approve friends to be friends, given the opposite sex constraints. They make U so concious of your "intimate" friendship and leave U to ponder with the choices:

i) Embrace the person in a loving relationship.
ii) Desert the friendship.

Can I have some more choices please ......

And yet again, the same sentence keeps on reverberating " NO, U CAN'T. We wont allow you"

Test Successful !!!

2007-04-09T00:24:00.000-07:00

Here you have it ...........Ladies and Gentlemen,

We let misunderstandings guide our path so easily and so heavily. And we then resort to the best thing we can do .....

1) Why dont we take a minute off and reflect back upon our actions?
2) Why dont we think before we speak out ?
3) Why dont we refrain from blaming people, without having any sort of base?
4) Why dont we suppress ourselves for a moment and LIE " I m sorry"? Now would you be kind enough to tell me what went wrong ?
5) Why do we never miss a chance to hit others right across thier face?
6) Why do we think that we are all perfect and it must be the other person's fault?
7) Why dont we take into consideration that there may be a different perspective to a case?
8) Why dont we believe that people are never born criminals and essentially all are good at heart?

Nor a request nor a suggesstion, this time its outta "my right" :

Let me be myself !!! Understanding someone takes a lifetime and pains which words cant define. Dont rush for conclusions ....

Note: The time now is 1:11 PM in India, Kharagpur and the date being 9th April, 2007.

Conundrums of the IT world .....

2007-04-09T00:20:00.000-07:00

Just testing ......

For those who dont understand why I have posted this, please dont ask me.
All those who understand .... need not ask anyways !!!

Its now 12:51 pm in India .... 9th day of April, 2007.

Note: By the time I publish this, the time maybe somewhere around 12:53 or 12:54

Jus luv

2007-04-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

The beginning of love is to let those we love be themselves, and not twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves in them....

Thomas Merton

Good Morning Kharagpur .....

2007-03-22T02:44:00.000-07:00

It is not because of the alarm clock which has been ringing for the past quarter of an hour, but the heat and the sunlight falling directly on my face, that I wake up, finally, at 9:45 am. Class begins at 10:30 am today.
And as if in a trance, almost unknowingly, I walk towards Chiro's room. (Its just unfair that he can enjoy his dreams when I am not). Interestingly, he is also in the same trance. So we collide in front of the bathroom and exchange a why-do-we-have-classes look.
Now, this is a typical morning in IIT-Kharagpur for me and my loomie. I ensure you of another 3 mins of fun and that is if you have the patience of going thru this till the end :

Me: We are going ...right ?? [Its always that none of us wanna go to classes, but, somehow reluctant to admit it first]
Chiro: Yup, baby ..... get ready soon. And make it fast. My stomach is upset and need to go to the bathroom twice. [Well, out of the total time we spend in the bathroom, he contributes at least 66.66% .... though a rough estimate]

So we start off. After the first rounds of getting ready we take a break (got tierd, you know). Its just 10, we still have close to 30 mins .... We check our very important mails on the hottest debate going around in the college right now: Dogs are friend or foe ??

The break ends very soon and this time I suppress my egos---
Me: Should we must go? Its a 2 hr class !!! [The best part about us is that if anyone doesn't feels like listening to lectures, the other considers it a responsibility to give company.... afterall, we are friends, and I do give him a fair share of the bathroom without any objections]

So, me continuing ......
Me: and we hadnt have our breakfast as well !!!
Chiro: Ohh .... Its the ECO class, we must go. Prof is very strict about the attendance [seems he is talking some sense, at least he is right !!]
Me: Can't we sneak in the after an hour or so? We have been attending lectures like goodies for a hell many days ...
Chiro: ok ..... done. [See, we dont argue in these matters and I think he may have changed his plans of bathroom visits from 2 to 3]

The discussion ends. Happy ending kinda. Everyone has been justified. Me, Chiro, Prof, Subject and the Breakfast. We get ready very soon, before 10:30 [skipped the bath with proper plans when and how to have it later]
So, we leave our rooms by 10:25 and go directly to Bhaskis, our official breakfast shop where we need not place orders--the guy is smart enuf to understand our needs.

It is not that this being written today implies this is the first hand experience. This is a typical morning for me and Chiro. Yet what made me realise [and ofcourse, write this blog] this time around is whatever activities started taking place in the class when we "sneaked in":

When half a dozen people look at you with giggling, smirking and questioning faces -- you always tend to look at your clothes first, especially the trouser zip and yet when everything is fine, you reciprocate the same looks. Lot many of them had actually noticed us leaving the hostel on time for the classes and the fact that we were late, made them think ...... whatever, no guesses this time !!!

Express urself !!

2007-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

We all have our own ways of expressing ourselves. No one in the world can live without conveying his/her thoughts to the outside world. And we all do it in different ways. Probably, it is as unique as fingerprints or the retina.

At VGSoM, I got back a long lost friend. Brushes and Colors to be specific. The whole evening I spent painting on T-Shirts which will be sold during the Tech-fest (Khsitij) and the proceedings of which will be forwarded to Disha-Seema (A school for the deprived). Am feeling happy, not only coz I did some social work, but coz I felt as if I am still the same kid who used to stuff his bag every alternate evening for the 'drawing class' and play around with colors. For the moment I forgot all the cases and the assignments due.

Pray to HIM that all our lives be filled with moments similar to this, whereby we "Express Ourselves" without hesitation and escalations.

Entrepreneurship !!

2007-01-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

Thats the buzzword for India. Lots and lots of oppurtunities. Entrepreneurship has always been a niche area of expertise simply because of the risk involved. And as we know, humans are reluctant to take risks. Play it safe, thats what Mr. Dravid would suggest his boys at the start of a fresh innings. So, the whole thing boils down to risk taking capability of the individual. It is said that "If you are in a new setup, you need to take hundreds of decision, and each one has to be right. You make a single mistake and there's no return point."

Thank god people dont apply the above mentioned concept to Life. Lets hope however modern and civilised we get, we keep life as a flowing river and not an enclosed lake.

Faith is good; but how much ?????

2006-12-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

Caution n Warning: Strictly for those who can understand Hindi written in English alphabets.

I went to one of my Tai Ji's and Tau Ji's house who live nearby. They are very old and the age reflects on thier body well enuf. Both of them are almost bed-ridden coz of illness and diseases which come as a parcel with old age. A small part of the discussion I had there:

Tai: ab bhagwan inko kitna kasht dega. Hamari halat bahut kharab hai beta.
Tau: beta (addressing me, that is).. ek park hai. usme 10 bacche khel rahe hai. sab bahut khus hai. Tum sabko jakar chocolate de sakte ho, toffee de sakte ho ... koi rokega ?
Me: nahi tau ji ... (still trying to guess what may come)
Tau: ab tum chanta (slapping i.e.) kisko maar sakte ho?
Me: jo apna ghar ka ho ... jaise agar mera bhai ya beta ho tab ...
Tau: haan, paas wale ghar ke ladke ko nahi naa maroge. Bhagwan mujhe apne ghar ka samajhte hai, isliye to chanta maar rahe hai. Isme ghabrane ki kya baat hai .... Hare Krishna.

and I started brooding ... Faith is good ... but where does it end ???????

Tradition of Joote Lo Paise Do: Redefined

2006-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

Here's Pooja. My younger sister. The sweetest creature possible (only puppies are better, I guess). What she did on her (and mine) elder sisters's marriage was the best anyone can think of. So, here's a summarised version of what "Nautanki" she did on my elder sister's marriage:

The custom in question (you must have guesses it by now) is the "Joote Lo Paise Do" which takes place in almost every marriage in India. My didi and Jiju came to our house after the marriage and we were having a nice time-pass when she along with one of my cousins entered the room, excited like anything, and declared that they have hid the shoes and now, jiju must pay them to get the pair of shoes back. Jijaji agreed, reluctantly. Negotiation started. Pooja started off at 1 lakh (what a thinking !!! ) and jiju at Re1. The deal ended after an hour or so, when both of them stopped at Rs 1000. She got the money and went away ..... happy as never before.

But forgot to return the shoes. Now, the next day when jiju was leaving (along with my sister, ofcourse) he took his shoes and went away. And nobody noticed (no one was in a mood to do so, afterall, my didi was leaving) that he has wearing his own shoes which was not supposed to be there. Pooja was yet to take them out from her "top secret" place.

After they left, and we tried to return to normal moods, Pooja regained the Light of Truth. She tried to contact me and said (very sweetly, you know) " Bhaiya, I think the shoes I hid were yours and not Jijaji's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

And she was right this time.... :D

A new file or just a rename ???

2006-12-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

Is it a 'create new file' or 'rename' command. I m unsure. Kavita Gupta ceases to exist anymore. For the unintiated, she got married the day before yesterday. Henceforth, she will be spelled as 'Kavita Mitra' and pronounced as "Kobita Mitro".

The moment must be very special for both of them. OOPS !! I haven't yet described Kobita's Hubby (and my Jijaji). He is named as Subhadip Mitra. A great person to talk to. Knowledgeable and polished. Fat. Logical and Understanding. Yeah, all these adjectives are ture yet few, and thats the sole reason why my parents were ready for this inter-caste marriage (first in the family, so u can definitely imagine the kind of resistance they had to face). Right...coming back where we left, the moment is very special to them. And to many others as well (the wellwishers, ofcourse). And I avail of this oppurtunity to wish them ALL THE HAPPINESS OF LIFE.....

Didi, We all are missing u and I am not crying .... Saccccchi !!!!!!

Kolkata Unleashed !!!

2006-12-10T09:12:00.000-08:00

phew !!! after 3 days of relentess shopping, I got some time to spend an evening with my lappie. Not because I m done, but because today is a Sunday. and most of the places (where I intend to go) are close today. Now, you must be thinking: what kind of shopping centre is this which remains closed on Sundays ??

Well, I myself never knew such places existed in Kolkata ... but now that I have been there, I m quite sure and am determined to give u the detailed (somewhat) description of whatever I saw in these 3 days.

A point to be noted is that I learnt a lot of things during these "expeditions" (I choose to call these expeditions, and u wud agree with me once u go thru the text :D )

So here it begins (the 'events' are spread over all 3 days):

1) We have a sofa set which was not in a very good condition. The sponge was coming out at places. Needed repairing. Went to Chandi Market (This is the famous place in Kolkata for electronics goods). I have been there a lot many times but today the search criteria was competely different. So, I started seeking "Ganjee Foam" (thats what the covering foam of a sofa called). The passages were narrow and filthy, shopowners too rough (they havent read the customer satisfaction chapter in Kotler). I learnt that BHOR is the best company which produced Ganjee Foam but now its in locks. So, the next best is NATIONAL and thus I bought 2.2 m of the same.

2) got to buy some cosmetics. Papa told me to visit Kajaria Market in Dalhousie. Initially I had some inhibition: Why go that far for buying cosmetics ?? About the market: a highly congested building with small shops (around some 300 ft each). Just enuf space for a person to somehow paas between two opposite shops (yeah, they were that close). Still, each person there is talking in lakhs and crores. Thats the biggest cosmetic market around here which supply materials to the whole city. They dont entertain a single piece customer like me. "Managed" to get some of the best cosmetics, at prices I cud never imagine in my dreams (wholesale prices, you know).

3) Next in line is the Bhikamchand Market where Steel / aluminium items is the core competency. Again in Dalhousie, the market is probably the oldest building I have seen (at least, the outlook suggests so). The shop where I went to have my 7.5 ltr Prestige Pressure Cooker is owned by a person called Mr. Amarnath Kundu, who seemed to a very nice guy. He gave me some discounts (am good in PR :D ) and even showed me the way to Thirhatty Market.

4) On the way to Thirhatty Market. Lots and lots of shops, all selling electrical items: bulbs, lights, tubes etc etc. It seems that all markets in Dalhousie try to develop monopolies by mutual agreement (We studied this in Economics, and as expected, I am unable to remember the exact term right now !! )

5) hmm... straight off to Baghri Market (Dalhousie, yet again). The product which I was wanted to buy was a shaving brush. The speciality was that the hairs were not normal, I mean, common. The hairs used in the brush were taken from a Horse's tail. Priced around 6 times that of a normal Gillette Shaving brush. Believe me, I dont know what it feels like but the price suggests it must be good. Only time I failed to find a product. Returned empty-handed to the pavilion.

5) My last place of adventure (again in Dalhousie) is a market which I dont know by name. I started asking ppl: where is the market where I get Locks and Keys?? and they were smart enuf to understand that I am a new to the place and they must help me out. So I enter another building, shops selling locks of all possible sizes. Got thoroughly confused. Absolutely no idea how to judge a Lock by its outlook. Decided to go by the weight and number of levers. Well, bought whatever my list (made by my mom n dad) asked me to.

6) On the way back... till now, the experience has aroused enuf curiosity in me to explore more. Went about roaming and saw a place which seemed like a slaughter house, though not exactly. was a lot bigger, not in a house but spread across a huge area.

Tried to learn more about the place (Dalhousie and burra-bazaar) and got the following info:

There is a "Gali" where u get only balloons... wow, what an idea...isnt it !! and another gali where u get only hangers ... do the people manage to earn a living thr ?? god knows ....

The places out there in Dalhousie are of those times when Kolkata was the capital city in India under the Brtish rule. No doubt, these must be the posh places then but ofcourse, they dont fit our style of living today. Nevertheless, the places are something to be seen (at least for once). Not only because of the historical value and the best buys u can have, but because you will see how busy a person and how narrow a road can get. U will see people always rushing, no one bothers for anyone else, people using slangs at will and throwing the leftovers of Pan-masala wherever n whenever they feel like.

Well, I now firmly believe that I am far away yet closer (than what I was) to Unleash Kolkata.

The night before POM ....

2006-11-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

Stage: 3 o'clock in the morning. Me with Chiro in his room... my loomie (in VGSoM, we have a concept of loomies ... better recognised word will be a Bathroom-mate, though only literally i.e. we never use it together :D). Exam is at 9.00 in the morning.

Me: The day was awful ... reading thru all this SHIT. and now continuing this late. uuufff !!! The night before POM (Productions and Operations Management) is turning out and always is, so pathetic ....

The sentence was unfinished when Chiro jumped up....
Chiro: POM ???????????????????????

and it set my grey cells to the active mode. It was not before some 30 secs that I "reconciled" it was not POM but the most celebrated subjects among the B-school grads: FINANCE, which I was studying and studying and studying ....

Just an incident to illustrate the kind of phobia I was in before the FIN exam. 14 chaps in a single day+night .... it was quite expected .....wasn't it !!!!!!

Back to Nazism, albeit with a difference.

2006-11-15T12:28:00.001-08:00

Well, not exactly but somewhat. The similarity lies in the fact that Nazis smacked, whipped and killed Jews just bcoz of the fact that they were born JEWS. And here, we follow the Nazi policy (minus killing process) with the person just bcoz he/she was born.

Yeah, thats a bit exaggerated but nevertheless, it gives an approximate idea with whatever I had to face just a couple of hours back. I'll try to give a comprehensive summary of the same in the sequence of events which followed:

(All actions henceforth, if not mentioned otherwise, are directed at me)

1. Kicked in the A** like anything by god-knows-how-many people.
2. Smacked again, ruthlessly this time, despite the sincere efforts of our beloved POM Prof.
3. Soaked in hot-water (thanks for that, I mean, the "hot" water).
4. Soaked again, this time it was something like Tea or coffee. Not sure.
5. The only time I did something: Sliced the cake and tried to distribute it as much as I can with everyone enchanting the musical "HBTY" song.
6. Smeared with the cake all over my face, neck and ears.
7. Coated with the yuuummmmy Butter Scotch Ice-cream. A suuden shift from the hot-water and hot-tea trend.
7. Rolled on the ground. Well, the ground was not clean, nor was I, but thankfully, it was smooth enuf.
8. Finally, as a topping, an egg landed on my head.

The best part was getting the wishes of soooooo many people at a time. And that proved to be a good enuf incentive for me to get thru a bath in the cold nights of november.

Sincerely thanking all my batchmates@VGSoM for making my 25th bday "THE BEST ONE".

A pic of mine on the D-Day ..... :D
Life is Beautiful ..... isn't it !!!!

morons

2006-11-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

OOPS!! Sorry for the misleading topic. There is nothing related to morons here, but nevertheless....w'll add some 60% letters to the word moron.
Confused !! well, the topic for today is Oxymoron. I came across this word during my MBA preps and since then, the word has ever intrigued me. Lemme start off with a conventional definition and a couple of examples for the word "oxymoron":

A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverb-adjective ("inertly strong") relationship, and is used for effect, to emphasize contrasts, incongruities, hypocrisy, or simply the complex nature of reality. Examples: wise fool, ignorantly learned, laughing sadness, pious hate.

I m not going to revolt against the use of the word or its definition here. I, rather, happen to like it a lot. What came in my small "8086 processor" was to have some oxymorons for the much-hyped-modern-era fast-life-loving-people. So, here we go ....

1. Playful Childhood
2. Fresh Air
3. Healthy Love
4. Peaceful Life
5. True Friends
6. Lax Deadlines
7. Free Weekends
8. Nice Sleep
9. Sweet Dreams

Will add more as and when they 'knock' me .......
comments invited for addition / deletion / modification of the list!!

cho chweeeet .....

2006-11-11T01:51:00.000-08:00

"Kitna piyoge ??? Subah se pi rahe ho......"

and I was drinking WATER !!
have u ever heard a comment sweeter than this .... :)

I m smarter now ....

2006-11-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

History repeats itself ... well, everyone knows that and you must be wondering what has that got to do with mine being smarter. Allow me to explain this:

History will repeat itself and catch u in the following 4 situations:
i) U have read about the experiences and learnt from it (theoretical knowledge types)
ii) U have read about the experiences and and then forgot(dumb)
iii) U have faced the situations and learnt from it (practical knowledge types)
iv) U have faced the situations and still do not realise (dumber)
v) Dumbest ... no idea what is going on !!!

Well, mine is the case number iii (lucky enuf, isn't it) and thus I claim to be an experienced person having practical knowledge (since I have faced) along with theoretical knowledge (since I think). So, let history repeat itself but I m smarter now !!

y not the Gennext !!!!

2006-11-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

"Human behaviour can change, but not the principles nor the pyschology".
This was the reply to "Sir, why do MBA's of 2006 do cases from the 1954 era ?"

Prof. KC, IGBO Class, E-201, 6.20 pm.

had a break...... kit-kat !!

2006-11-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

We won the Volley tournament. Well, accepted that it was an intra-VGSoM tournament but still competition was high. Six teams participated and played thier hearts out in the awesome milieu created by the spectators. They deserve a huge round of applause for cheering and shouting for the players and motivating them for giving thier best.

So, this is what we did for the last 4 nights. Matches started after dinner and continued late night. Its not that cases and assignments were not in place. Its only that we somehow managed. True managers we are. . . . . :)

Bottomline: Scorpions beat Assasins in three straight sets. Party time team mates ....

wanna win ??

2006-10-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

"know your opponent and know yourself,
in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."

Quote: Sun Tzu's Art of War

IIT ka tempo .....

2006-10-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Some snapshots (in words) for illu and rangoli@kgp:

1) thousands of diyas used per hall ..... (biggies litting up some 50,000!!)
2) rangoli: if u see a snap, in all probability one wud think its printed .... awesome
3) The moment judges enter the hall premises, 800+ guys vanish in jiffy (to clear the place for presentation)
4) After they leave, all heads shout in unison : MMM ka tempo high hai ....
5) Topping it all, fireworks ..... too good
6) visitors flooding the place like anything .... if u get a chance in life to be in kgp (or anywhere near kgp) during diwali, DONT MISS IT.

All in all, diwali is something to be seen here.
IIT KA TEMPO HIGH HAI .... kafi high hai.

A different life ..... ;)

2006-10-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

its 5.22 am. ppl will say thats normal in a B-School.
ofcourse it is. but it feels really gr8 when u spent a night decorating the hostel for events like ILLU and Rangoli instead of the "stupid" assignments and cases. Now, these are the biggest inter-hall events at kgp. students give huge effort, bunking classes, missing meals and sleep as well as large money for this 15 min event in kgp.

each hall arranges for some thousands of diyas and make figures/theme out of those (in vertical plane!!) for the Illumination. For rangoli, at least a fortnight is spent by the selected few who have good handicraft skills. The spirit among hosteliers is awesome and the synergy to be watched. And it adds more fun when u see ur wardens and profs supervising till 4.

It is a huge fun time for us. No words will suffice here.

cud not control myself from writing this b4 going to sleep.... :)

fcuk the nation !!

2006-10-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

ET headlines on Fri-20th Oct

The central goverment is considering the proposal from dalit commision to make it mandatory for all the goverment companies to buy 30% of thier materials from dalit entrepreneurs only. This will ensure thier financial stability and they will have a level playing field with the "advanced" castes.

:Here comes another feather in the cap for the dalit commision. Another law for mouth-feeding the dalits so that they are NOT exploited. One more step to ensure that they dont fight thier way up and be dalits all thru thier life. A huge leap from the indian perspective for removing the caste biases in the country. N d most important, another weapon in the armour of our beloved politicians.

Suggesstion: fcuk the nation. will take lesser efforts for both the participants in the process.

Catch me if u can .........

2006-10-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tragedy ....thats the word we use when something unexpected n negative happens.
Selfishness.......thats what we are n which causes tragedy for someone else.
Psychology.... a study which is absurd in the sense that mind is trying to define itself with mind.

what happens when u ask someone a question as simple as: "did u like it ??" BANG !! comes the reply which makes u go over it 10 times trying to figure out whatever is meant.
alas, u fail ..... but when you fail someone else sud be winning. So who is the winner. definitely not the other person in this case. The winning smile can be clearly seen on the devilish faces of:
TRAGEDY, SELFISHNESS and PSYCHOLOGY.

they are challenging: Catch me if u can..... n we all r horses, rather "dark horses".

am an IITian !!!

2006-10-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

latest rankings from Times Group places IIT as:

The 57th univesity worldwide
The 3rd best global tech-institute.

doesn't that sounds gr8 .... from an Indian perspective
more so when u r a part of the institution ....

Proud to be an IITian.

Marriage =/= Sex

2006-10-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Should one always marry the person whom he/she loves ..... or marriage is independent of the emotional intimacies ??
well, in the previous era Rabindranath Tagore said something like this " Dont marry the person you love, coz once u marry love vanishes ". He was read, recognised and criticised equally for that.
Years later, the concept has resurfaced, this time by Esther Perel (by virtue of a book titled Mating in Captivity). She announces " Love needs closeness and intimacy and familiarity to flourish, desire does not. Desire needs distance, insecurity, novelty and surprise. Desire needs tension, breaches, repairs......desire needs fights"

Management is What ?????????

2006-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

well, Management is an Art.
And Art is a four-lettered word where the 'F' is silent.

Thats Life@MBA

2006-10-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

After 10 days of holidaying was thinking of going back to college tomorrow with fresh minds when just a couple of mins back .....

A girl pinged me up and asked the dreaded question "whats the status of the software assignment?". Now, what was that. Shell shocked. "Oh Shit!! How cud I ? Sud not have done so ?" No use blaming. It was me who forgot and it was me again who is going to have a night out (this time at home) for assignments.

Thats the MBA life. THE MBA LIFE.

written at 12.20 am the night before leaving for KGP.

gone are the exam times

2006-09-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

aha ... at last its over. nopes, its not the cyclone which recently hit the east coast I am talking about, its our exams. yeah, exams are the most tortorous time for a student and more so when u get a max of 2-3 hrs of sleep on an average. well, no use of talking abt the exam time .... the best thing is "No more for the next couple of months".

so how does one celebrate dis in a MBA insti ... ?? dance party, daru and jamming ...
yup, we did it all and addition to that ... cheddis.
donno abt cheddis !! Its the most celebrated hang-out space@IIT-Kgp. A small chai-shop where u get a cuppa tea at any time of the year u wish... :)

Simply speaking, yesterday was the best day at Kharagpur. Memoirs for life.

First post

2006-09-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Let me introduce myself first.
Acads: first year MBA student at Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT-Kharagpur. Have been given a Computer Science Engineering Degree and have hands-on experience with Tata Consultancy Services for a couple of years.
Interests: philately, kinesics, playing games, puzzling.
Location: Origin in Rajasthan, born n bought up in West Bengal, Currently in Kharagpur.

check out my profile at: http://www.orkut.com/Home.aspx?xid=16645253365389126066

will update the page with some interesting stuff very soon. ......

cheers