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.