Homecoming

After 7 long boring and uneventful months, it’s finally time to go home. But more than my project manager who approved my 2 week vacation, I need to thank those Wall Street financial honchos who created such mayhem in the global markets, forcing us to take up our leaves before the year ends. As a result, I am now in a position to step in to the new year with my friends and family after 4 long years.

In a Border style dialogue, “20 December ko, subah ka nashta Bangalore mein karenge, beech ka time pass hawa mein aur dopahar ka khaana Indore mein.” Those 3 hours in the sky would carry me from a world of deadlines, tasks, updates, reports and meetings to one of my parent’s smiles and the simplistic life in Dewas. So people, pray that a girl sits next to me on the flight and ask god to make her pretty, single and "Telephone-number-exchanging" kind of a girl.

Going home for holidays has always been exciting for countless reasons. I love the expression on my mom’s face when she sees my 3 week unshaved face with irritation. Surprisingly, every time I go home, mom feels that I have lost some weight despite the fact that I have bloated exponentially over the years because of obvious reasons. I think that is the pure love of a mother. Dad is happy too but is also worried about his car which I always borrow from him and return with a scratch. (Not that I am a bad driver, but again, obvious reasons)

I think that the people who are happiest to see me in Indore/ Dewas are the owners of various small eateries, restaurants etc. because during my vacations, their sales almost surpass the combined GDP of Botswana and Mozambique. And there is nothing new in it. I’ve been following this rigorous routine for quite some time now. This may sound a little geeky but I have a dedicated MS Excel file on my system with a list of all such eating joints which I am supposed to cover and a check box in front of each (Multiple check boxes in special cases). Given the fact that I am a huge foodie, a great admirer of street food, more than happy to relish those delicacies even on my deathbed, that Excel is completely justified.

Once again, I will meet my hip-hop-hyper active extended family which has a gamut of people from different age groups and most importantly everyone is ready for a party, a get together 24x7. Special mention to the one and only Mr. X, with whom I have not only planned visits to the exotic pubs in Indore (Refer ‘The Boozer’s Diary’ for Mr. X) but a lot more.

And all the fun I am going to have with my dost log is something that has always been unprecedented and this time too……will be the same.

Mai aa raha hu MAA

Shaken and Awaken

After 3 busy and hectic weeks, I finally have some time to breathe and come up with another post. But so much has happened in the last 3 weeks that now I am all confused about what to write. I know that a lot has already been written about the Mumbai attacks but I am left with no choice.

Until 26th November 2008, India had more or less seen a typical pattern of terror attacks throughout the country. Bombs placed in bikes and then remotely detonated. But seeing gangs of armed Jihadis with grenades, Ak47s taking the police head on, killing off the senior officials, breaching two of India’s flagship hotels (one being a World Heritage), causing carnage at one of the biggest train station of the country and taking hostages is something that was totally new for us. It could have been accomplished only through an unprecedented level of planning, coordination and training complemented and most importantly a certain level of confidence in their ability to be successful.

Usually an attack of such a magnitude in India is usually given about 30 seconds of TV time on channels like CNN and BBC. But this time, our Jihadi friends have explicitly targeted “Western” people thus signaling their intention to be “heard” at the top of the hour. And so this time, the US stations were full of it leading with a headline of “Terrorists control Mumbai” which seemed quite apt too. It’s really sad because it reflects the general cluelessness of the West in understanding the geopolitics of the situation. One of my colleagues from Germany when heard about this heinous act did 2 things. First, condemned the terrorist attack and then wondered why Indian government is so adamant on having Kashmir as a part of India. “Why don’t you just give them Kashmir and put an end to all this”. From her point of view, she may be right because she lives in a country which has seen the WORST wars in human history and it is now imbibed in their blood that any war is bad. Unfortunately what she doesn’t know is that the terrorist attacks in India are rarely related to Kashmir any more as was admitted by the lone surviving terrorist himself.

Anyway, coming back to India, I must say that I have never ever seen such a sorry state of politicians in our country. (May be HD Devegowda, ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ qualifies here). A highly uninspiring Prime Minister, a pathetic President and I am not even bothering to discuss the others. When I heard the statements made by many such high profile politicos, I was nothing but embarrassed. Also, seeing the politicians resign after the event is not something that attracts my attention. Say one day, I go and kill my company’s CEO and the next day say “I take moral responsibility for my actions hence from tomorrow, I will no longer work in the company”. This is pretty much what has happened here. Though not directly involved, I feel that the government and political apathy towards previous such incidents virtually makes them as big a terrorist as any other.

One other visual which startled me was that during the early hours of encounter the police personnel were trying to confront the terrorists with 303 rifles (For those who are not aware, 303 rifle was developed in England in 1880!) Another embarrassment! I sincerely hope that the Indian government thinks about it and provides our armed forces, the police included with some respectable arms.

Some visuals and statements that really moved me during the ordeal came from some of the NSG commandos. What I felt on seeing the commandos coming out of the Taj, after a 60 hour long ordeal and boarding a BEST bus (Government cannot even provide them a personal vehicle) is something I cannot describe in words. Tired bodies, unshaved faces and smiling while eating biscuits from a pack handed over by a reporter. Goosebumpy! Some statements: “Hamaare liye kuch mushkil nahi hai ji”, “Array sir, ye smile hi to hai jo kuch bhi hai. Aisi problem to aati rehti hai, morale down nahi hona chahiye bas”. Really simple words, great thoughts.

Finally, the only positive thing I saw coming out of this, is the way our country has responded. Never have I seen the entire country in one voice. Unfortunately it happens only at the times of such national crisis and is short lived. I just hope that not only this feeling continues, but we create a safe atmosphere for us and everyone else around.

Proud to be an Indian!

The cat roared again

2.76 lakh applicants, 2.4 lakh aspirants, 1800 seats, 23 centers, 7 IIM’s, 2.5 hours, 1 question paper. I can’t drill it down any further because what happens next is completely between the aspirant and his own mind. I have been following this ruthless yet magnificent exam for last 6 years now. CAT is known for surprises just as the family. Something changes every time. Yet the one thing that has remained same over the years is the immense craze for this particular exam. Each year the number of applicants for CAT just keeps on increasing and at a very healthy rate too. In 2005, when I first appeared for CAT, 1.47 lakh applicants; which has almost doubled in 4 years. Reason? I don’t know. It can be different for different people. A perfect career choice, a topic of discussion, business, a way of life, a routine… who knows.

Personally, I think of it as a front where I have to prove my worth at least once. I do not have to admit this because everyone who has seen me over the years will also agree that I have never belonged to the elite brainy class at school level, the GATE group at college level and the Microsoft, Google at the professional level yet somehow I have managed to find my way out; maybe not that convincingly. I don’t need a MBA degree for what I do for a living. I also don’t need it for what I wish to do. But the reason why I strive to fare well in this exam is to prove that it’s not luck alone that has carried me over the years. This is my Everest.

I’ve been advised to look for simpler options. Compromise with life and move on. Someone told me once, “IIM? Good! Aim for the stars, at least you will reach the tree top.” Why? Is it not possible to aim for the stars and reach there too? I can’t think of any reason why not. After all they are normal humans who appear for CAT, crack it, reach the IIM’s and fulfill their personal aim. If thousands can do it every year; so can I. More so, I have freed myself from the shackles of time and I don’t care how long it goes on. As long as I have the zeal, the energy to fight it, I will. So let the CAT meow each year, at least once, it would be me who will roar.

The Boozer's Diary

My first day in Bangalore and what do I hear from my company HR? “Bangalore is known for 3 things. The software industry, the gardens and the pubs”. He could not have been more correct on this. Of the many reasons why I love to hate Bangalore and the few why I hate to love this Indian Silicon Valley, the pubs here top the list. I could not think of any other topic for my 1st post. During my on and off association with Bangalore for the last 2 years, I’ve visited quite few of them. Some were amazing, some nice and some that I don’t remember. Just a chronological memoir of few such visits.

The Pub World: This decent pub situated on the Residency Road is the first in the list and I must confess that this was not only my first pub in Bangalore but my first pub in my life that too with my uncle (who can bring the best of the friends to shame when it comes to enjoying and having fun) some 2 years back. Have here for a couple of more times. This pub plays nice retro music consisting of bands like Bee Gees, ABBA, Boney M and the likes. A pitcher along with ‘World chicken platter’ is a must here. (FYI: I admire each and every type of alcohol, but given a choice, I’d always settle for beer.)

NASA: I liked this off-brigade road pub initially till it was revealed that this is a gay pub and you might see guys advancing you. I’ve been there just once and do not plan to visit again for obvious reasons (!). Leaving that aside, this pub offers a unique interior with a very techno kind of music.

Firangi Paani: The name itself is so tempting that I had to be there on the first chance I got. Unfortunately, I was going through a dry spell when I visited FP and quenched the thirst with countless breezers. Plan to cover this classy pub again soon and relish the ‘Paani’ it has to offer.

Enigma: I personally feel that Enigma is rather a good bar than a pub. The music is the worst part. You can listen to the same CD again and again if you stretch your stay there. Beer is average, munching is average and so is everything else. The only good thing about Enigma is that it’s a bit considerate on your pocket. That is an important aspect given the frequency of visits and the amount of alcohol I consume.

B11: This is the first pub I visited that belonged to the hard rock music genre. Though the seating arrangement is crappy, the beer is good and so is the music. Though it can be a bit TOO loud given the limited seating space. Overall, a nice place to go if you enjoy good rock music.

Purple Haze: The name of this pub is derived from the famous Jimi Hendrix song and that itself explains the theme of this pub. I have visited PH countless times (also because it has 3 branches here, so I end up in 1 branch or the other) and have enjoyed my visit to the fullest. The beer is good, munching is nice (Non veg platter recommended), ambience is nice and music is the best. Bands like Pink Floyd, Rammstein, LP, Led Zepplin, Metallica, Iron Maiden, GnR, U2 etc. are the favourites here. Cherry on the top is the free promotional stuff one gets on Fridays.

Le Rock: I’d say that le Rock is just the younger brother of Purple Haze. Same music (played at a lower volume – spoils the fun), almost same interiors, and the same kind of beer minus the free stuff.

H2O: The lesser I say about this place, the better it is. I had heard a lot about H2O. Things like they have an amazing interior, an aquatic theme etc. etc. but the place was just ordinary. The interior was innovative but not maintained properly. Nothing special (other than the filthy ‘Innovative’ interiors).

Geoffery’s and Ruby Tuesday: I have nothing to say about these places. These pubs are same in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Indore. Nothing new.

TGI Friday: Now this was the pub I was looking forward to visit for a long time and I got a chance recently. All things apart, a must have here is the Long Island Iced Tea. It is piquant but totally worth it. More so, during the happy hours, you order 1 – another 1 is on the houseJ. There is also a waiter here who performs AMAZING Zippo tricks. I’m visiting TGIF again – soon.

Sports Bar Xpress: I tried this place as it is very close to my office. I’ve also been to the SBX in Indore and was not impressed by their efforts to combine the themes of a bar and sports. Coz personally I like ‘watching’ many sports rather than playing them; that too once I am drunk, forget it. The feeling was the same in Bangalore.

Scottish Pub: This is my latest crush. In the last 3 weeks I don’t know how many times I’ve been there. Also known as ‘The Noon Wines’, this in-house wine producing pub located on the St. Mark’s Road is the place to be. Though they also serve beer, but I don’t know how it is as my favourite here is the Red Wine which has scintillating effects on my mindJ. To add to it, one can find nice crowd here on all days. Their pineapple-cheese-cherry sidekick goes smoothly with the wine and most importantly it goes easy on the pocket.

I end my list here. But pretty soon I will be coming with the part 2 of this post. The next names on my list: Styx, Pecos, Guzzler’s Inn, 13th Floor, Hard Rock Café.