@Pune

During last one month or so,life has been fast paced and hence my absence from the blogosphere.I apologise to my readers specially rohit,who's always looking for some new entries here.For your info,I have been relocated to pune by my comapny.

BTW,pune was a refreshing break from the chilling cold of gurgaon.Most of my friends being at Pune meant, it was a distant cry from the monotonous life of Gurgaon which was more or less limited to books,newspapers and movies(on weekends).
This weekend six of us Daruka,Chidi,dangi,anuj ,jhandu and me made a trip to lonawala,khandal and karla caves(More on this in coming blog [:)]).
A brief interaction with my manager here indicated that my honeymoon with the company is over and it's time form some serious action meaning,Unlike Gurgaon,I don't have the luxury of long leisures with small refreshing(yeah, refrshing) tasks in between.Now it's the opposite way around.
Let's hope I enjoy this life too..
Will be back with another post shortly..

Mumbai Under Siege..Test of Character for Indian Democracy?

Without doubt, we have witnessed one of the most gory incidents of terrorism in India.Some prefer to call it India's 9\11 which is likely to prove a turning point in india's atitude towards terrorism and its foreign policy.I believe such an incident is also a time to introspect and cut down the local "resources" terrorists are using to carry out such acts.Let's not forget that terrorists couldn't have carried out such a meticulously planned attack without the help of locals and the first step towards meeting the challenges thrown by terrorism should be to cut down this local supply of "resources".

Indian establishment must ensure that our own population remains out of the ever encompassing ,mammoth reach of radicalism, be it hindu or muslim.Though late,Indian authorities do agree that domestic fuel to terrorism is increasing and this poses a threat that's very difficult for security agencies alone to counter.We need a cordinated effort from everyone concerned, political parties,army,intelligence,police and aam public to counter this menace.

Perhaps our major political parties have been unable to feel the pulse of a large chunk of the population be it BJP or Congress.The solution lies in formulating a policy which takes into account the grievances of that part of the population as well as a strong anti-terrorist law.

First of all we need strong support of the public to be able to weed out terrorism.
This can't be done with the help of a strong law only,we need to know what people want.Fiery speeches against a particular section would only work in favour of terrorists.

State elections are going on and General Election is round the corner, at this time,it's very natural for political parties to pick up the issue of terrorism and start a never-ending blame game.I believe that our political class has to be more mature and should be ready to sacrifice their narrow political gains in favour of the larger interest of the nation.It remains to be seen how mature our 61 year old democracy is,and perhaps no better time than now to test that.

An Era Of Legends..

These were truly the golden days of Indian Cricket.
Rarely,one sees such a galaxy of legends playing all at a time.We have.
All of them proven match-winners,all of them have some legendary tales scripted around them,each of them a true champion,true legends that Indian Cricket will miss for a long long time.

One a true genious,arguably the greatest cricketer that mother earth has happened to produce.Highest Run getter in Both Test and One-day cricket,well matched with highest number of Centuries again in both and innumerable other records under his belt tell you very little about this ever humble,Icon of India.





Other being a champion bowler, third highest wicket taker the world over & only the second in the tradition of cricket to have notched 10-wickets in a single inning.




Another being one who'll long be remembered as a transformal captain who changed the face of Indian Cricket for good and metaphorically as "god on off-side" for his classy off-drives.






The honour having been awarded by none other than another of the legends who himself plays so godly that even god find him hard to beat.His picture perfect batting seduces you so much that you can walk miles just to watch one cover drive of his.


The Last among them,who forced the 11 champions of Steve Waugh to kneel down in broad day light at a packed Eden Gardens with power strokes emanating from his bat.

Man, he was unbeatable that day,they say so.
The blogoscope will fall short of space,if we start counting their tales.
This series will be the last time we all will see them together.
Let's pay a fitting tribute to them.

Spill Overs...Talking with Myself..

A parameter to Judge Oneself...
Try moving inwards in your circle of aquaintances and try looking urself from their perspective.The more closer you are to the centre,better picture you'll have about urself.How your friends perceive you, will give you a better picture than someone you 'just know'.Your family members' even better.Your soulmate's perspective far greater than anyone else.It all boils down to how a person who is more informed about you judges you.
However,remember that the most sincere and informed views about you is there with the one at the centre and he is none other than you yourself.
Talk to him and you'll no longer need other mirrors.

नवनि नीच कै अति दुखदाई...

So all the hush bush of Nuclear Deal is almost over now.India has got the waiver and the government,experts,diplomats and the aam public seem to be very happy. The deal in some sections of media is being touted as a recognition of a growing stature of India.STOP.

The deal wouldn't have been possible without the relentless arm-twisting by US.The fact is, NSG is a creation of US and if the deal couldn't have got the waiver ,it would have meant a loss of reputation for US.

But the central question of the piece is not what the deal symbolises but the fact that deal is too sweetened for India.Comeon..We as a nation have not attained a status that would have got a deal that has stuck at the heart of international nuclear non-proliferation(atleast by western standards).India is the only country in the 40-odd membered nuclear supplier group that has obtained a waiver without having signed CTBT/NPT.Isn't it too great a status for a nation which faces opposition from the smallest of its neighbours including Pakistan,nepal,bangladesh.The nations who don't heasitate starting shelling across the border at their fantasy.Nations which keep infiltrating illegal citizen,goods and arms across the border inspite of the strongest of evidences against them.Nations who don't mind bombing our commercial and political hubs inspite of international criticism.
True,we have been a rising power and I would love to see India as a central player in global arena.But the fact is,portraying the deal as the rising status of India is simply a overstatement.

But why would US support India to such an extent,out of the box way?The news is,even the mandatory rule of 30-day period for which the US congress has to be in session for the deal to make through, is being relaxed.US has been too friendly to believe in recent days.At this point of time I can't help but recall a doha(poem) from Ramcharitmanas which goes like this..

नवनि नीच कै अति दुखदाई। जिमि अंकुस धनु उरग बिलाई।।
भयदायक खल कै प्रिय बानी। जिमि अकाल के कुसुम भवानी।।

I think ,a little explaination of above would certainly help.It says,when a bow bends-it releases arrow,goad has to go back in order to hit,when a cat retreats it's a certain sign of an upcoming attack and a snake first goes a step back in order to inject its poison in your veins.In the same way when a mean creature becomes too meek for you,be cautious something may be in surprise for you.ALso when flowers blossom out of season it signals famine ,in the same way unexpected friendliness of a villain has to be treaded cautiously.

US is being too close to india and anyone having a little glance over newspapers of 90's would certainly awe,given the villifying campaign of those days that US headed against India while it supported Pakistan unconditionally.It's time when diplomats have to take steps thoughtfully and when politicians should speak judiciously.US would definitely ask a price for the deal and in a way it has started already,asking for its companies to be preferred while awarding contracts related to Nuclear Power Plants. These are business demands,diplomatic and political ones would follow pursuit soon.
When friendship goes beyond a certain threshold of intimacy ,you stand a constant chance of spoiling the relation unless the two are very clear about each other and they share a cohesive chemistry.US and India are far from reaching that level of understanding and it'll always help if we can restrain ourself from smooching each other so soon.The deal radiates to a domain that engulfs not only nuclear arena but political and economic too..

The potential prices that we may have to pay include:-
(1) US wants India to stand against the massive chineese economic and diplomatic clout and thus balancing the power in the subcontinent.Agreed..It helps to keep a neighbour in check for growing out of control and but it also helps to have cordial relations with it..We have to follow our own judgement..before going on a collision path with beijing.

(2) Iran...this is where any na-nukur would almost certainly lead to frowned eye-brows of Uncle Sam.Iran has traditionally been a friendly nation to India and perhaps a progressive Islamist State.It's in our interest that Iran progresses economically,technologically so that Islamic world has role-models like Iran and not Pakistan.This issue is going to test Indian Diplomacy to the core and let's see how our seasoned diplomats handle this.

There may be many more for example on trade WTO meets,UN sessions and Cases like Georgia too.We have to ensure that we don't just end up being another Tony Blair for George Bush/Obama/Mccain.

As an adage says,"Nothing is permanent in Politics,neither friends nor foes".US seems to know this principle more than anyone else.Initially it was Pakistan against a friendly nation to erstwhile USSR i.e. India.Now it's India pitted against a communist China which threatens the Gold of US be it at olympics or Economics...

Joining The Dots..

Here are a few news items,which happened in recent weeks\months..The aim here is not to keep you abreast of current events but to indicate something...please use your own logic to interpret these and try to join the dots..
(1)Nepal,the only official Hindu Nation in world found itself in the clutches of
communism.The same people that killed the army & people of Nepal were now a part of the ruling combination and all this in the name of democracy!!!!!

(2)Cabinet Minister visits the family of a alleged SIMI terrorist and demands for his immediate release and also to revoke the ban on SIMI.The Irony being,it was the central government(of which the minister is a part of) only which has sought a ban on SIMI in the wake of strong proofs of the outfit being involved in recent bomb blasts in the country.

Add to this,The same minister asks for legitmising the Illegal Bangladeshi Occupants which are creating law and order problems in many districts of Bihar bordering Nepal..

(3) The governor of Jammu & Kashmir takes back a decision which sought to provide a piece of land aimed at creating suitable amenities for lakhs of Amarnath pilgrims.
Why would a secular Indian government take back such a noble decision..only under the pressure of separatists of hurriyat??..Think Aloud..there is more to it..

(4)A Mahant known for his charitable institutions and for helping underpriviledged among the tribes of orissa, brutally killed along with his four associates.Wait... this is not supposed to be a news item in a 'Secular India' so this is not.Who'll speak even a single line against this killing and risk himself being labelled "Communal" and belonging to RSS,VHP.The mahant must have done something bad to have invited his killings..

Join the dots...


And Finally..here is a link to a very thought provoking article by Tarun Vijay,the editor of "Panchjanya"...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/Tarun_Vijay/The_Right_View/The_Totalitarians/articleshow/msid-3455424,curpg-1.cms

Aao Billi-Billi khelein..(CAT-2008)

HeHe...time for some serious stuff..
These days I too have became a aspirant for IIM's (courtsey: fatchecks my friends in petroleum industry and mining industry are drawing from their employers)
So here goes a useful article for all such aspirants on how to analyse the mock tests that we undertake so releigiously every sunday morning...

If you hope to attend an IIM, you’ll need to ace each section of CAT 2008. Being exceptionally good in two of the three, while still weak in the other, won’t earn you the much coveted seat you desire.


Analysis of mock CATs

You should obviously take several mock CATs as part of your preparation. You should take them at regular intervals instead of bunching them together in the last fortnight or one month before the exam. Ideally, you should take two mock CATs per week in the last two months. Of course, one of them should be the AIMCAT (All India mock CAT) on a Sunday. This will give you your relative ranking compared to aspirants across the country. The second one could be in the middle of the week, which will allow you to measure yourself against a more intimate group of test-takers.

Taking mock CATs is only one small part of your preparation. After taking any practice test — particularly comprehensive tests like mock CATs — you should spend enough time analysing the results so that you get the maximum value out of the experience. If you spend two and a half hours on the exam, you should spend at least four to five hours on analysis and review. Otherwise, you’ll only get partial value and won’t learn your relative weaknesses and strengths.

After you’ve finished a test and its analysis, you’re still not done. Attempt the questions which you gave a miss the first time through. This should be done without looking at the answer key to check your marks. Set a time limit to do this; it may require two to three hours depending on how many questions you left blank on your first attempt.

Now is the time to check how many of your attempts are right by using the answer key. At this stage, do not look at the solutions with explanations, if they are available in your mock CAT.

Re-attempt all those questions which you answered incorrectly, still without looking at the solutions, to see if you can correctly answer the same now. You will find that you are now able to get a few more questions correct even without looking at the solutions. This is the way to improve your learning. You do not need to set any time limit for this stage. At the end of this stage, there may still be some qusetions that you answer incorrectly.

Also, there is the possibility that you run across a type of question that you just do not know how to solve. For these questions, look at the solutions and review the fundamentals and theory. In the following weeks, be sure to spend time on that area separately.

When your mock CAT results are available to you from your institute (if you are taking coaching), check your section-wise results as well as area-wise results. Focus on your percentile position as well as your All-India rank in each section and in the entire paper as a whole. Discover whether or not you have crossed the cut-off marks in each section — this is important because the IIMs require that you perform well in all the sections.

Also, check for additional marks required in various sections to reach a desired level of All-India rank. Then, fix a target for the next mock CAT that you are going to take.

A planned approach to preparation is a must for the best results. Remember, a systematic approach to exam-taking will ensure that you scale the heights required to get the institute of your choice.

The Argumentative Me...

I am going throught the famous book "The Argumentative Indian" by Amartya Sen,the noble prize winner.The book talks about the eternal argumentative culture of india starting from the vedic ages,which in the timeline has been refined and nurtured by intermixing of various cultures and civilizations as Islam,buddhism,jainism,zorastrianism and many more..(India is home to almost all the religions of the world..)..
The book did its bit to stir this Argumentative Indian and forced to ponder over some issues:
(1) On such an important issue when the author believes that Inquisitive habit & heterodoxy has been a part of Indian psyche since time eternal,he finds Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore the Only person worth devoting a full long Chapter.
I have very high regards for Rabindranath Tagore,but only him when we easily have such a long list of Indians who are arguably equal to Tagore if not above him in embracing cultural openness !!!.
Why most of the talks about Indians being argumentative ends with Gurudev as example?

(2) The satyajit Ray being another great personality who comes second to none other than Tagore in Amartya Sen's list of intellectual personalities??

(3) Though being very diplomatic in comparing Gandhi and Tagore,the author clearly shows his inclination towards Tagore as 'The More Argumentative Indian' and Shantiniketan perhaps the only Institution worth a mention which produces "Argumentative Indians".

(4) I don't know whether it's my mindblock making me unbale to read the open thoughts of Amartya Sen or I have been correct in my views,but a better title of this book would have been "The Argumentative Bengal" atleast the readers would have an idea then as what to expect from the book and not to be fooled by the word "Indian".

A more detailed account about India or Indians I would say has been given in the book "India Unbound" by Gurcharan Das.Those who have read the both would be able to comment more on this.

From a renowned economist,a noble laureate and a global personality I expected
something better..more national..more global..Perhaps it's better that we should seek only his economic advices and leave the rest for other experts...

Breathing in Corporate World @Amdocs

So finally after 16 years of academics(sounds too much na...mujhe bhi yahi lagta hai..) I had my first breath in the corporate world..
I joined Amdocs,Gurgaon on 23rd june..That's why I cudn't continue on "FastForward India:2 years Hence" column..I'll be continuing with next piece of that series very soon...
btw life is taking a new turn..from a student to a professional and from dhanbad to Gurgaon...I'm just hoping the excitement goes on..I have been put into the testing team over here and consequently I have all the time of the world in my kitty at office..(haha)..

Real Estate prices at gurgaon are soaring by each passing hour and hence I somehow managed to have a rented room in a locality near by the office..
but for those who can manage,delhi seems to be a better idea for staying as the life there is more happening(it's been 2 weeks only of my stay,follow at ur own risk :))and u can still make it to gurgaon for office as most of the companies provide you with cab facilities for commuting between delhi and gurgaon..
Finally,the best thing at Amdocs, food at the cafetaria...ummm...it's mouth-watering..so all joining amdocs,get ur apetites tuned in for some extra bites coz your digestive system will have to work overtime for those extra ones [:)]

FastForward India : 2 Years Hence(Part 2)

It was a new experience for me as all of us(me and 4 mentors)
were located at different places(continents rather.. 2 of themwere in USA,one in Canada and one in Bangalore with me in Dhanbad) and we used to exploit conference feature of yahoo messenger fully[:)].
Initials discussions focussed mainly on the social issues to start and work with,suggestions were asked from all and we recieved almost a dozen.(The full details can be had from the link http://ff-india.blogspot.com)After a lot of Brainstorming sessions we zeroed on to pursue 3 of themas pilot projects which meant that these were to be run as beta version and after a fixed time frame the projects were to be evaluated and their feasibility and sustainability analysed.This experience was to be used in implementation of the tested projects at National Level(we planned really well :)).
In the meantime ,FFI was growing in numbers at ISM thanx to the equally dedicated efforts of Mohit Ranjan.We used to brief volunteers about FFI ,its vision and plans,the initial response was very enthusiastic and it all seemed too easy to work with(I was wrong big time)

Winter Trip

Then someone came with the idea of a trip to various NGO's to give volunteers a first hand idea of how organisations function and see the society we were going to work with more closely.
After a lot of discussions and modifications in plan we finalised on three venues Kolkata,Jamshedpur and Bodhgaya.
About 15 volunteers with me and mohit set on to a journey to understand the better of Under-priviledged India. Be it one of the poorest regions in Nation,the 24 parganas in west bengal,the remotest jungles of Jharkhand or the selfless devotion of Monks of Bodhgaya ,it was an Inspirational Journey for me atleast.
During the course of trip,we met Deputy Commissioner of Jamshedpur Mr. Nitin kulkarni who was very kind in offering us to use his sumo for a tour of Jamshedpur(such a behaviour was highly appreciated by us specially in India where bureaucrats are know for their High-handedness). Another inspiring personna we met was Mr. kabir who was leading the famous Maitreya Foundation at Bodhgaya, born in London and an Oxford graduate,he decided to devote his life to the service of humanity and Budhism.

Though,I found the Trip immensely enriching but looking from a different angle as to the amount of Money spent on trip(Fully Sponsored by FFI) and the productivity Gained henceforth in terms of volunteers' motivation, I would wish for a better Value for My money.Probably there were many other factors playing their role which we realised later on.

The trip was refreshing and had prepared us in some way for the larger battle that lied ahead..the actual implementation of projects which was to start in the new semester commencing just after the trip...

(To Be Continued...)

FastForward India : 2 years hence..

The piece which I am going to type down below is a tale of
one of the most valued learning experiences of mine so far
in this short span of life.Infact one of the best things
to have happened to me in the four years of ISM life.
Yes,the title says it all..I'm talking about fastforward India.

The brainchild of some young ISM passouts based in USA/Canada,
FFI was still in thought process and evolving when I was called
to take on the lead,organise the volunteers and start the ground
operations of the organisation.

It was to be a philanthropic organisation aimed to make the
society a better place to be by analysing various social problems
and coming up with innovative solutions.Things I had in plenty
were funds(I thought so),inspiration and guidance from my mentors
(Namely Durga Prasad Pandey,Jitendra Mohan Jha,Shulabh Gupta and
Priyank Nandan).But it still was a herculean task,I was about to
move into pre-final years of my B.Tech degree and never had any
chance to see the working of such a fully functional Organisation.
Though one such initiative Kartavya was in full blooms at that time in
ISM,but I was not associated with it,not even remotely.
However, on top of all this ,I was eager to accept the
challenge,the reasons:-

(a) Before the starting of placement season,I was desperately
looking to add something 'special' to my resume which otherwise
looked so ordinary at that time with my Average GPA and usual
stuffs like projects,training and blah blah

(b) Deep Inside ,I always had it in me that I can be good team
player/leader and the oppurtunity gave me a chance to test my
skills and hone them.

Thus,the journey Began,a journey which was so enriching in
learning and satisfying to soul that now,when I have passed out
from ISM(where the organisation is functioning currently) I wish
to extend it to wherever I go..not for the abovementioned
reasons but for the sheer satisfaction that comes from within
when you feel that you are adding value to the society around
you,you are contributing your bit in the great Vision 2020 of our
former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalamand that you too can
proudly say,I am not just living for me or my family..I am
contributing to a larger cause....

(To Be Continued...)

A Walk Into The Woods

It's so hot over here,
I am a restless soul
peace seems out of the scene
and life is loosing its hold
it's time to take a walk
into something serene,
something comfortably cold

Let's take this break
from this rush of the world
the lust of power and gold
let's take a walk
a walk in to the woods
exploring all that is good.
Leave everything behind
just walk alone
a walk into the time
a walk in to the nature pristine

Let's take this walk
for they speak with the voice of god
for its my ultimate abode
for its my final fantasy
Oh Come on,can't you even see
the world there is so illusory
So Volatile,SO temporary

Let's walk away
from all these lies
a walk that satisfies
Let's take this walk
the walk into the woods.

Celebrations of Nature

अजीब सा जादु है,
सुखे पत्तों कि खडखडाह्ट में,
सुबह कि किरणों में,
अंधेरे की आहट में,
घुमडते-गरजते-बरसते मेघों में,
मदमस्त से नाचते वन मयुरों में,
नवयुवान इन कलियों में,
बच्चों कि अठखेलियों में
अजीब सा जादु है ।

बारिश की बुँदों में,
वन विचरते मृग-वृंदों में,
सौंधी माटी की महक में,
पक्षियों के नयनाभिराम चहक में,
हिमगिरी के धवल शिखरों में,
सागर के शांत कोलाहल में,
गंग की तरंग में,
बसंत की उमंग में,
अजीब सा जादु है ।

पुरब के संदल पवन में,
सितारों से आच्छादित,
चाँद से आलोकित
पुर्णिमा के इस गगन में,
कार्तिक के शीतल भोर में,
फ़ागुन कि मस्ती में,
गाँव की उस बस्ती में,
अजीब सा जादु है ।



पंकदल में पडे जल-मोतियों में,
गहरे समंदर में पलते सीपियों में,
नवयौवन की अंगडाइयाँ लेती युवतीयों में,
पराग ढुंढती इन तितलियों में,
ग़ोधुली की उस साँझ में,
अरुणशिखा की बाँग में,
कोयल की आवाज में,
नदियों के कलकल नाद में,
मांझी के गीत में,
सवेरे की उस सीत में,
अजीब सा जादु है ।

जादु है,सौंदर्य है,एक नशा है प्रकृति
आत्मिक सुख है,अतुल्य शांति है प्रकृति
रुग्णों की औषध,जीने की शक्ति है प्रकृति
निराशों कि आशा,एक सच्ची अनुभूति है प्रकृति ।

The poem is meant to celebrate the eternal beauty of nature...

Fact or Fiction?

I don't know whether u believe in spirits or not. I am someone who lies in between. I have been always doubtful regarding the authenticity of any story or phenomena related to ghosts/spirits. Simultaneously,i never deny their existence.

The story I am going to tell you today will probably help clear the air to some extent.
Way back in 2k4,me and some friends were having a discussion on planechit(the so called process by which spirits are called upon and made to answer questions in symbolic way ). As we came to know,during the process,all the interested ppl sit in a circle and concentrate on a metallic coin and invite the spirits onto the coin toanswer their queries. As always,some of us were not convinced with the theory,we decided to prove it wrong,not to convince others but to ourselves.
I had a different explanation to the whole process,My take was,if the coin moves at all,it's solely due to concentration and not because of any ghost moving it. So we four decided to go for it and check whether our assumption was right or not.

Cometh the hour,we all four assembled into a quiet room,put a circle around the coin so that if it moves,it will be noticeable.It was decided that everybody would concentrate in a common direction for the coin to move,so that we have substantial force to make it happen.Wwith the index finger of all four(mohit,bhanu,bibhuti and me) placed lightly on the coin, we started. Seconds passed trying to concentrate,a few minutes passed and we all were concentrating hard enough. It seemed the whole world around me has vanished and the only thing that remains is coin.
After approximately 15 minutes,the unthinkable happened,THE COIN MOVED..yes and that too by a clear few inches,it seemed some force was pulling the coin in the direction we concentrated. Then someone from us said stop and we all stopped.
It was unbelievable,we all were glaring each other in complete disbelief as if asking whether you forcely pulled the coin. But, a mere glimpse in the eyes of rest three was sufficient for me and others to believe what we have witnessed. We all sweared to each other not to have done it forcibly. It was still hard to believe,a coin moving by force of concentration!!!! Till now,I had read such things only in books,today I saw it. We all knew no one would believe it, and we didn't even tried to convince others. But inside all of us we knew the truth and that was sufficient without anyone else endorsing our views.

After the experiment,no one took the 2 rupee coin,for some fear was still there that there may be spirits coming uninvited(none wanted to take risk). However, I took it(hehe...bhuton ke dar se 2 rupya kyun chhodein)..

And even today, this piece of writing is for believers only. None-believers may try it out themselves and share there experiences with me. I would be quite happy to hear from them.