Solitary Reaper

Yoga Vashistha on Sexual Attraction..

2011-10-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yoga Vashistha is certainly an extremely powerful philosophy. It challenges some of the apparent flaws in modern Hinduism. I had its Hindi version which I read while in college. Recently, a friend of mine, read out a few very powerful lines from this great book. Sharing it for you.

Rama continued:
In his youth, man is a slave of sexual attraction.
In the body which is no more than the aggregate of flesh, blood, bone, hair and skin, he perceives beauty and charm.
Even if this 'beauty' is permanent, there is some justification to the imagination; but, alas, it does not last very long.
On the contrary, very soon the very flesh that contributed to the attractiveness, the charm and the beauty of the beloved is transformed first into the shrivelled ugliness of old age,and later consumed by fire, or by worms, or by vultures.
Yet, while it lasts this sexual attraction consumes the heart and the wisdom of the man.
By this is the creation maintained; when this attraction ceases, this samsara (birth-death cycle) also ceases.
When the child is dissatisfied with its childhood, youth takes over;
when youth is plagued by dissatisfaction and frustration, old age overpowers it - how cruel is life.
Even as wind tosses a dew-drop from a leaf, old age destroys the body.
Even as a drop of poison when it enters the system soon pervades it, senility soon pervades the entire body and breaks it down, and makes it the laughing stock of other people.
Though the old man is unable to satisfy his desires physically, the desires themselves flourish and grow.
He begins to ask himself, "Who am I? What should I do?" etc., when it is too late for him to change his life's course, alter his life-style, or make his life more meaningful.

Mandela and Gandhi

2011-05-01T02:41:00.000-07:00

Its been more than half a year since my last post, my longest absence from blogosphere and I blame none other than myself for the state of things. There were a lot of moments\events during the aforesaid time that I etched to voice my opinion, but facebook\twitter came to my rescue and I was content with my one-liners.

These days, I am growing increasingly fond of autobiographies specially by political personalities. L.K.Advani's 'My Country My life' was in my 'to read' list for a long time and hence when I subscribed to a library nearby, this book was my first choice.
However, these are the two other books, which I read after Mr. Advani's that I am going to write about today. These are Nelson Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom' and Gadhiji's 'My Experiments with Truth'.

Though, being an Indian, I was quite familiar with Gandhiji's philosophy,but about Nelson Mandela, I knew very little except that he was a great freedom fighter from South Africa who was awarded Nobel Piece Prize. It was with the intention to know the man better that I started reading his autobiography and I found myself glued to it till the very end. The last time, I remember reading a book so keenly was The Da Vinci Code. The story of Nelson Mandela, if made into a movie, has the potential to be one of the most inspirational movies of all time. The man was in prison for three decades and still, the very day he came out, he championed the same cause for which he was jailed. How many of us would have done that after 27 years in jail ?
In that aspect, the story of Mandela is more humane than that of Gandhiji and hence more interesting. Gandhiji has had an aura around him and everyone who came near him was charmed by it, be it Indians or brits. Mandela had none, for he was a black. He won over his proponents and opponents by his hard skills.

Both were from well to do families in their respective communities. While Mandela belonged to family of tribal chief and was groomed to be a counsellor of the chief from his childhood, Gandhiji's father was the Deewan (Prime Minister) of Porabandar. Consequently, both of them had excellent education. Gandhiji went to England at the age of 21 to pursue his Law study while Mandela became one of the first black lawyers in his country (this was before his active involvement into African National Congress).

The similarities between the two end here as they took entirely different paths in different timelines of history.

While Gandhiji, propagated non-violence as a principle and an instrument of the brave people, Nelson Mandela used non-violence as a strategy and took arms when non-violence didn't seem to yield results. Gandhiji's strategy was simple and always the same, Truth and Non-violence.
Also, while Gandhiji believed in mastering the senses to achieve spiritual growth and had made the pursuit of truth his life-mission, Mr. Mandela's mission was Freedom from Apartheid and for that, he was ready to embrace any means. For example, when in Jail, he stole newspapers, told lie to authorities many a times and acted surreptitiously. Gandhiji, on the other hand was an open book throughout his life.
Mandela was more fond of sensual pleasures (he married thrice), whereas Gandhiji, took a vow of celibacy in 1906 and remained a celibate life-long since then.

Both these personalities inspire you in different way. Gandhiji gives you a better philosophical grinding which can safely take you through the darkest of hours, while Mandela inspires you by his deeds. Great souls do not come in a particular mould and hence its foolish to compare the two (which is precisely what I did :) ). Forgive me, for I was merely blabbering my thoughts.

CWG,10: A Test of Character for the Largest Democracy

2010-09-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you want to kill a tree, don’t cut it, just curse it! The same seems to be happening with CWG.

Friends, successful completion of CWG is a must for INDIA’s image….there has been so much negative publicity about it….let’s support the games now, and for sure it doesn’t mean that we support the corruption involved with it!!!!

Exclusive Gifts for Solitary Reaper Readers!!!

2010-09-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

Happy News for Solitary Reaper readers who also happen to be interested in pursuing their MBA.

Based on some of the articles on this blog, Stacy Blackman Consulting has decided to award two of my readers free copies of their book Branding Guide .
Worth USD 30, this book is a very useful resource on how to position yourself before the adcom. It includes some of the exercises that SBC go through with its admissions consulting clients when it begins working with them. I personally find it very useful on how to put forward your unique Brand before the Adcom.
So, if you are really interested in pursuing your MBA in near future and believe this book can help you, do leave your comments in not more than hundred words as to why do you think, this book can assist you in this process. Please do it before Wednesday so that I can get your copies ready by Thursday :)

Happy Reading!!

अमौसा का मेला

2010-07-30T03:22:00.000-07:00

आज कुछ हिंदी ब्लोग्स पढ़ते पढ़ते हमारी नजर इस कविता पर पड़ी (http://ek-shaam-mere-naam.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post_12.html) जिसने हमारे बचपन की मकर संक्रांति वाले मेले की याद ताजा कर दी ...

अमौसा का मेला : सुनिए एक मेले की कहानी स्व. कवि कैलाश गौतम की जुबानी !

भारत की ग्रामीण और कस्बाई संस्कृति में मेलों का एक प्रमुख स्थान है। और अगर वो मेला कुंभ जैसे मेले सा वृहद हो तो फिर उसका महत्त्व और भी बढ़ जाता है।
इस रचना की भाषा यूँ तो भोजपुरी है पर ये वो भोजपुरी नहीं जो भोजपुर इलाके (आरा बलिया छपरा के सटे इलाके) में बोली जाती है। दरअसल बनारस से इलाहाबाद की ओर बढ़ने से भोजपुरी बोलने के तरीके और कुछ शब्दों में बदलाव आ जाता है पर जो भोजपुरी की मिठास है वो वैसे ही बनी रहती है। तो आइए इस मिठास को महसूस करें कैलाश जी की आवाज़ में इस हँसाती गुदगुदाती कविता में

कि भक्ति के रंग में रंगल गाँव देखा
धरम में करम में सनल गाँव देखा
अगल में बगल में सगल गाँव देखा
अमौसा नहाये चलल गाँव देखा

एहू हाथे झोरा, ओहू हाथे झोरा
अ कान्ही पे बोरी, कपारे पे बोरा
अ कमरी में केहू, रजाई में केहू
अ कथरी में केहू, दुलाई में केहू
कि आजी रंगावत हईं गोड़ देखा
हँसत ह‍उवैं बब्बा तनी जोड़ देखा
घुँघुटवै से पूछै पतोहिया कि अ‍इया
गठरिया में अब का रखाई बत‍इहा
एहर ह‍उवै लुग्गा ओहर ह‍उवै पूड़ी
रमायन के लग्गे हौ मड़ुआ के ढूँढ़ी
ऊ चाउर अ चिउरा किनारे के ओरी
अ नयका चपलवा अचारे के ओरी

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

मचल ह‍उवै हल्ला चढ़ावा उतारा
खचाखच भरल रेलगाड़ी निहारा
एहर गुर्री-गुर्रा ओहर लोली-लोला
अ बिच्चे में ह‍उवै सराफत से बोला
चपायल है केहू, दबायल है केहू
अ घंटन से उप्पर टँगायल है केहू
केहू हक्का-बक्का केहू लाल-पीयर
केहू फनफनात ह‍उवै कीरा के नीयर
अ बप्पा रे बप्पा, अ द‍इया रे द‍इया
तनी हम्मैं आगे बढ़ै दे त भ‍इया
मगर केहू दर से टसकले न टसकै
टसकले न टसकै, मसकले न मसकै
छिड़ल हौ हिताई नताई के चरचा
पढ़ाई लिखाई कमाई के चरचा
दरोगा के बदली करावत हौ केहू
अ लग्गी से पानी पियावत हौ केहू

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

जेहर देखा ओहरैं बढ़त ह‍उवै मेला
अ सरगे के सीढ़ी चढ़त ह‍उवै मेला
बड़ी ह‍उवै साँसत न कहले कहाला
मूड़ैमूड़ सगरों न गिनले गिनाला
एही भीड़ में संत गिरहस्त देखा
सबै अपने अपने में हौ ब्यस्त देखा
अ टाई में केहू, टोपी में केहू
अ झूँसी में केहू, अलोपी में केहू
अखाड़न के संगत अ रंगत ई देखा
बिछल हौ हजारन के पंगत ई देखा
कहीं रासलीला कहीं परबचन हौ
कहीं गोष्ठी हौ कहीं पर भजन हौ
केहू बुढ़िया माई के कोरा उठावै
अ तिरबेनी म‍इया में गोता लगावै
कलपबास में घर क चिन्ता लगल हौ
कटल धान खरिहाने व‍इसै परल हौ

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

गुलब्बन के दुलहिन चलैं धीरे-धीरे
भरल नाव ज‍इसे नदी तीरे-तीरे
सजल देह ज‍इसे हो गौने का डोली
हँसी हौ बताशा शहद ह‍उवै बोली
अ देखेलीं ठोकर बचावैलीं धक्का
मनै मन छोहारा मनै मन मुनक्का
फुटेहरा नियर मुस्किया-मुस्किया के
निहारे लैं मेला सिहा के चिहा के
सबै देवी देवता मनावत चलैंलीं
अ नरियर पे नरियर चढ़ावत चलैलीं
किनारे से देखैं इशारे से बोलैं
कहीं गांठ जोड़ैं कहीं गांठ खोलैं
बड़े मन से मन्दिर में दरसन करैलीं
अ दूधे से शिवजी क अरघा भरैलीं
चढ़ावैं चढ़ावा अ गोठैं शिवाला
छुवल चाहे पिन्डी लटक नाहीं जाला

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

एही में चम्पा चमेली भेट‍इलीं
अ बचपन के दूनो सहेली भेंट‍इलीं
ई आपन सुनावैं ऊ आपन सुनावैं
दूनों आपन गहना गदेला गिनावैं
असो का बनवलू असो का गढ़वलू
तू जीजा के फोटो न अब तक पठवलू
न ई उन्हैं रोकैं न ऊ इन्हैं टोकैं
दूनौ अपने दुलहा क तारीफ झोकैं
हमैं अपनी सासू के पुतरी तू जान्या
अ हम्मैं ससुर जी के पगरी तू जान्या
शहरियों में पक्की देहतियो में पक्की
चलत ह‍उवै टेम्पो चलत ह‍उवै चक्की
मनैमन जरै अ गड़ै लगलीं दूनों
भयल तू-तू मैं-मैं लड़ै लगली दूनों
अ साधू छोड़ावैं सिपाही छोड़ावै
अ हलुवाई ज‍इसे कराही छोड़ावैं

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

कलौता के माई का झोरा हेरायल
अ बुद्धू का बड़का कटोरा हेरायल
टिकुलिया को माई टिकुलिया के जो है
बिजुलिया को माई बिजुलिया के जो है
मचल ह‍उवै मेला में सगरो ढुंढाई
चमेला का बाबू चमेला का माई
गुलबिया सभत्तर निहारत चलैले
मुरहुवा मुरहुवा पुकारत चलैले
अ छोटकी बिटिउवा के मारत चलैले
बिटिउवै पर गुस्सा उतारत चलैले

गोबरधन के सरहज किनारे भेंट‍इलीं
गोबरधन के संगे प‍उँड़ के नह‍इलीं
घरे चल ता पाहुन दही-गुड़ खियाइत
भतीजा भयल हौ भतीजा देखाइत
उहैं फेंक गठरी पर‍इलैं गोबरधन
न फिर-फिर देख‍इलैं धर‍इलैं गोबरधन

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

केहू शाल सुइटर दुशाला मोलावै
केहू बस अटैची के ताला मोलावै
केहू चायदानी पियाला मोलावै
सोठ‍उरा के केहू मसाला मोलावै
नुमाइस में जातैं बदल ग‍इलीं भ‍उजी
अ भ‍इया से आगे निकल ग‍इलीं भ‍उजी
आयल हिंडोला मचल ग‍इलीं भ‍उजी
अ देखतै डरामा उछल ग‍इलीं भ‍उजी
अ भ‍इया बेचारू जोड़त ह‍उवैं खरचा
भुल‍इले न भूलै पकौड़ी के मरचा
बिहाने कचहरी कचहरी के चिन्ता
बहिनिया का गौना मसहरी का चिन्ता
फटल ह‍उवै कुरता फटल ह‍उवै जूता
खलित्ता में खाली केराया के बूता
तबौ पीछे-पीछे चलत जात ह‍उवन
गदेरी में सुरती मलत जात ह‍उवन

अमौसा का मेला अमौसा का मेला...

। आज फ़िर से उनकी याद आई है ।

2010-05-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Was browsing through my old files from college and then stumbled upon this poem of mine. Somehow, it went unnoticed without torturing you on this blog :) . So here it is :

आज फ़िर से उनकी याद आई है,
हृदय सरोवर के शांत जल में
पुनः कुछ हिलोरें उठ आईं हैं,
ये अंधेरा ये एकांत,
दोस्त से थे हो चले,
सहसा फिर से किसी ने
एक चिनगारी सी जलायी है
आज फ़िर से उनकी याद आई है ।

वो बातें उनकी,वो हँसी प्यारी
वो मीठी मुस्कान,वो नैन मतवारी
ज्युँ तपते जेठ के बाद फिर
सावन की बदरी छायी है,
आज फ़िर से उनकी याद आई है ।

यादों के बादल हैं और आँसुओं की बारिश
क्यों आ रहे फिर याद वो
क्यों धडकने फिर तेज हैं
साँसें फिर क्यों गरमाईं हैं
टुटे सपनों के इस बियावान में
साथी तो बस एक रुस्वाइ है
आज फ़िर से उनकी याद आई है ।

In the Hebrew Land

2010-05-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Shalom..Boker Tov..

Scene 1 (At Mumbai International Airport,while being grilled by security personnels,hereby referred to as SP)
SP : Who packed the stuffs for your trip
Me : Myself(Cant you see my marital status, I am single!!)
SP: When did you kept your luggage after packing?
Me : In the Room
SP : Was it left unattended?
Me : (Haan bolenge to chaar sawal aur,better tell no) No.
SP : How did u arrive to mumbai?
Me : In company cab
SP: Did you stop in between for tea\snacks?
Me : Yeah, we did
SP : Ok..so then the bag was left unattended?
Me : (ghuma fira ke ek hi sawaal) No the driver was there
SP : Was the driver aware that you are travelling to Israel?
Me : No, not at all
and many more...

Scene 2 :(While returning back to India at Ben Gurion International Airport)
To begin with same questions as above(Guess they have a list of questions to ask). Then :
SP : How do you pronounce your name?
Me : Its Ashutosh Dubey
SP : Whats your parents name?
Me : (Passpoort nahi dekha kya sab likha hai..)
SP : Okk..tell me one thing, whats the origin of your last name?
Me : (Now how do I explain the Dubey\dwivedis and the two vedas theory :P) It indicates ancient indian priest class.
SP : And the origin of your first name?
Me : (saala,hamara naam pe hi kyun?) It is the name of one of Indian Gods.
and many more blah blah..

Such arduous is the security process while moving in\out of Israel. The good thing is , I never had to open my check in luggage at the immigration. Perhpas they have the latest x-ray equipments, something which can reduce the queue size at Indian airports too.Humor apart, Israel has been a fun trip for me. while I am still at the airport waiting for the boarding, I can clearly recollect a few memories from the trip.

Office & Colleagues : It was great to see the faces of colleagues whom we talked on phone for past one year or so. The testing team for my development assignment stays mostly at Israel. So, for most of the time,we are on confrontational path. But it was pleasant to see their happy faces when we met.:)

Scooba Diving at Eilat : Wow, undoubtedly the best 30 minutes at Israel. This is one such experience, I wud like to have again and again. Watching the colouful marine life of red sea, colourful fishes,star fish and many other creatures in their natural set up was an excellent exp. We went about 7 meters deep into the sea and I saw things which till now I had seen on discovery only. Swimming with all the diving gears is such a easy thing and almost everyone can do it.

Jerusalem and Dead sea : Wow dead sea..you cant sink here, no matter how hard you try to. And moreover,the mud of dead sea is considered very good for skin so I was like rubbing those muds again and again on my body in the hope of getting a good\bright skin :). Also visiting Jerusalem for me was like visiting an ancient historical site. They have tried to keep the city in the same look as it was 2000 years ago. The market is Jerusalem was similar to what we find in say like Varanasi,Dwarka etc. The city holds a special international importance for being home to three important religions of the world. At the 'wailing wall' which is an important monumnet for Jews and is one of the boundaries of Al aqsa mosque, I found an foriegner and a Rabbi(Jewish Priests) arguing about religions. Felt like jumping into their discussion but had to drop the idea as my friends were waiting for me.

There are many more and it wont be possible to recount all of them..Overall, I am finishing this middle east trip on a plesant note(As well as the blog, because its time to board the flight..).
take care..wish me a happy flight..

Sachin,Cricket & IPL..

2010-04-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sachin : A Human God !!

I dont like it when we 'dehumanise' a person as human as Sachin. I have been a sachin fan from the time I started following cricket. I was his supporter when there were many dissenting voice against the master specially when he was going through a bad captaincy phase.There were times when World Tel was considering to back out from endorsement agreement involving sachin . Now I can hear almost everyone praising Sachin and comparing him to god. Please, the real beauty lies in appreciating Sachin's achievements from a human angle.Because, that is when he inspires you,me and all others. Lets consider Sachin a human and then you will realise how much hard work and dedication he has put into to reach where he is now. Hail Sachin, the legend, the champion and above all a great HUMAN!!!

IPL : Interested Parties

Modi : I believe, he is involved deeply into the money making from IPL. His behaviour is more or less on expected lines.nothing interesting to mention here.

Sharad Pawar : He knows that this controversy somewhere rubs his collars too. Thats why his statements so far have been very calculated. I believe , he'll save Modi for his own sake.

Shashank Manohar : He dislike for Modi is not a well kept secret.

SRK, Preity Zinta, Mallya & Shilpa Setty : Modi was making a good amount of money for them too.He was giving them enough screen space to enhance their personal\professional brands. They know that once he is out, they'll have to work it out all over again. Money makes the best friends, a proven fact :).

Congress : They had to sacrifice a well respected International diplomat due to this controversy. The government will go all guns blazing against Modi and everyone else. All of the government machinery is in action and will definitely give the party and the government an edge on any negotiation table, be it with the alliance partners or the oppostion.

BJP : Vasundhara Raje's association with Modi is well known. Thats why BJP has not been as vocal on this as it would have been otherwise.

Tharoor : I believe in his innocence. But he is still inexperienced in the murky world of Indian Politics. This episode should be a good learning for him

Lalu : He is opposing IPL only because his son could not get a birth from Delhi Daredevils team

Naxal Menace

2010-04-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some of my earliest memories while growing up are those of my villagers carrying rifles on their back and preparing for their imminent fight against the naxals. Our village was one of the first targets of the Naxals in the region. It was way back in 92-93 and these were still the early days of Naxal terror.
I remember two fierce encounters between Naxals and my villagers and that includes my family members too. So, I can't keep myself from expressing views on the current war that PC has launched against them.
One of the encounters is still afresh in my mind, I used to study in 4th std at the village school and with 100 odd strength of the school, all students knew each other quite well. One day, I saw one of my classmates (who belonged to basti where mostly labour class families lived) holding a pamphlet and on reading, I cud see the name of my great grand father on it. Probably, the naxals came to that basti last night and distributed these pamphlets. Dadaji was asked to handover a large part of his land holdings to this naxal group or face dire consequences. In the lunch, I took this pamphlet to him, reading the contents to him. He was 90 year old then and I was amazed why they would target such an old guy. Later, on growing up, I realized dadaji was merely symbolizing those who holded bigger plots of land and hence was the choosen one :) .

After sometime, I dont really remember how much, it was the harvest season of paddy crops and I was playing in the khalihan alongwith my friends when we heard some gun shots. The sounds were coming from across the canal flowing by, it was at this place that most of our harvested paddy was kept. Naxals had declared a war on us, they came in huge numbers and planned to take away the harvest. Man, what a moment it was, I could see the whole village up in arms against them. I never saw such a unity in my village apart from those times.A long encounter, probably for 6-7 hours followed, resulting in the death of one of the Naxals. There were a dozen policemen too,but they happened to be mute spectators as they neither had the will nor the fire power to take on the might of Naxalites. Finally, the naxalites backed off, gradually they dispersed in the night after the death of one of their colleagues.

The positive outcome of this encounter was that during the dreadful era of 96-97 when almost whole of Bihar (at that time Jharkhand too was a part of Bihar) was burning under the terror of Maoists,PWG and Ranvir Sena, our village and neighbouring areas enjoyed total peace. Atleast there were no killings on this account.

For the government, I believe , they should have acted much before. Its been here for two decades and could have been stopped by exercising a proper mix of force and developmental activities. I dont totally buy the lack of development theory as is being propagated by some of the Maoist empathisers. Its true that poor people are found in large numbers in such groups, but its because they get easily influenced. They are exposed a perfectly oiled machinery of maoist brain wash with audio,video and literature.
Those who are sympathising with Maoists (read Arundhati Roy and co) are doing no service to the nation. Nepal is already paying the price of not taking these insurgents seriously and it should be a lesson enough for us.

In ISM for a Day

2010-04-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

During last week, I was back to my alma mater, ISM.I was unable to visit ISM during convocation, so it was long overdue. It was a nostalgic moment, starting with the train itself (GD), I was back in time to the days when I used to be a ISM student.

Moving on the rickshaw into the ISM campus, I could identify some familiar faces, a few teachers (though as usual I tried not to be recognised ), a couple of research assistants who helped me during practical exams(I wish to say thanx to them :), but just waved my hands ) and obviously quite a many juniors.

Though, it was a bit hectic , I enjoyed every bit of it. With familiar juniors around, hours were flowing by like seconds. On top of this, add the party on Sapphire roof top and I was truly reliving my student days.

Then, it was great to see FFI growing into such a robust organisation. Starting from a single room and a single computer, the organisation has came a long way. To mention a few of the achievements, we have caterred to more than 350 blood request in the last year, conuselling is underway for a massive 10,000 students of government schools, approximately 50 students have benefitted from the IT literacy project in this semester only. This number is supplemented by inmates of Dhanbad prison who have received IT education from FFI. The youngest of all FFI initiatives,Escape is doing a great service to kids by helping them with communication skills. I saw a few videos of Escape and was awestuck by the presentations of Escape students.However, the thing which makes FFI truly unique is besides benefitting the community, it exposes volunteers to a host of leadership and organisational challenges very early in their career, even before their formal career starts. Such volunteers can be an asset for any organization in the professional arena.

On interaction with volunteers, I realised how closely they are aware of the problems of the society, be it the blood bank situation in dhanbad or the issues they faced while interacting with the school kids. The credit of all the success must go to the ground volunteers who are putting in their extremely valuable time and efforts for the benefit of community. Some are working tirelessly infront of the computers trying to make their students understand MS-Office and Internet Explorer, some are braving the heat & dust to reach the students of government schools and help them take a informed decision about their career and some are saving the lives of poor patients by fecilitating easy blood supply to them free of cost. Infact its the dedication of volunteers which inspires me to keep working for FFI.

Overall, with 100 plus volunteer strength of FFI, the organisation is looking positively into the future. Now we are in the process of executing our expansion plans which include a new centre in Jamshedpur under the leadership of some equally dedicated individuals whom I met during ISM trip. The other cities where our expansion plans are in conceptual stage include Patna, Pune and Noida. With the experience and expertise of three years to back us, we are confident of our success in future endeavours.

Too Hard to Resist..

2010-02-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

Some things are highly tempting and addictive, but none more than gambling and you just have to visit a Casino to believe me. I went to one,called Crown Entertainment Plaza,quite a big one. To be honest,such a thing you only get to watch in Bond movies until you come to places like these.

It was huge,it takes almost 30 minutes to walk from one extreme to another.Open 24*7,one can find every type of human species gambling over here , black, white, asian, african, adolescent, old aged, hot ones and some others not so hot.I guess, its not for making money that people come here, they just come here because they have to.Its an addiction, more tempting than say alcohol or even a hot chick. Senile people seemed glued to television like gambling machines,holding dollar coins in a plastic cup shaped container on one hand and a sparkling wine on the other,it seemed a perfect pass time for them. The figures on the screens read like credit (means the dollar coins those screens have eatem away) 300.20 and Win $52.20 . They say a lot :).

But the more thrilling and tempting form of gambling was taking place on those tables with traditional card games and fortune wheels.It really was incredible,the gamblers came with girls, orderred a wine, took out a few hundred dollars,bought chips with those bills and the game begins.

The temptation was too hard for us to resist ,and ultimately we gave in. We analysed a particular game (or tried to) which has big wheels moving and eventually the wheel will stop with the pointer pointing to some number on the wheel. The one who has placed his on that number will get multiples of his money while others placing bets on other number will loose.Suppose,you placed a bet on 11, if fortunately,the pointer points to 11, you get 11 times of the money you bet upon.The higher number meant higher multiples but lesser occurences and hence higher risk.After a really long observation and analysis,we concluded that placing bets on 5 and 3 for at least 4 times is almost sure to bring profits. The probability theory I read for CAT did helped :).
So we placed bets :), the attendent signalled 'No More Bets' and wheels (of fortune) moved.It was 5,hurray we won..in the first,second and so on..I guess, this is what they call it beginners luck.So say after 6 bets, we were already in 100% profit. But gambling had already started playing on our minds and one of my friend placing the bets decided to take some risks. We deviated from our agreed principle of sticking to 5 and 3 only,and he placed bet on 23, We lost, then we placed on 11 and again we lost. The beginners luck seemed to have deserted us so soon :) .Very soon we were back to square one,with no profit ,no loss we decided to stop placing the bets. We did, but as I say,its highly tempting
and one of the friends agains decided to play :). This time he sticked to 5 and 3 principle and he was in profits. Seemed we had found a secret.After a comfortable profit,he decided to skip the game. It was already 3 in the morning and we decided to move to our hotel.Though, I wasn't gambling(for some very very different reasons) and was merely being part of the team of my friends who were gambling, I must say that many a times the temptation to give it a try was too impulsive to resist.I can just imagine about those regular to the place,how hard it must be for them to walk away from the place.

Before,completing this piece, I would like to leave you with some lines which were everywhere in the casino warning gamblers not to overdo things..

In the End,the Machines will win..

The only thing you can controle in this game is yourself..

Dont chase your losses,walk away..

Set yourself a limit and stick to it...

At Last Some Sense..

2010-02-03T02:57:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, I am very happy the way RSS and Rahul Gandhi have criticised the anti North-Indian campaign being run in Maharashtra.
In India, at the moment only the two power blocs remain, one is Congress running the government and the other is RSS who can script a regime change in the largest opposition party without even a murmur.
The fact that both these blocs have came out openly on this issue is evident of the fact that the political system of India is very strong. Long Live democracy!!!
I believe it was more important for RSS to come out considering that their headquarter is based in Nagpur,Maharashtra and BJP-sena have a political alliance in the state.
If it would have been any other organisation, I am 200% sure that sena-mns would have
made it difficult for the organisation to function in Maharashtra.But this time they too know that RSS is not an ordinary organisation. The commitment of RSS workers is undoubted and the organisation is based on very very strong principles.
To put it simply, I am happy.
Back in Melbourne, I am enjoying my stay fully :). No updates for this weekend because I was in office this weekend :) . A few more friends have arrived from India and we might plan for some outing this weekend. The biggest hurdle we are facing is the lack of a car driver among us who also has a Driving Licence. :(.
Hopefully we'll find one..

The Australian Summer..

2010-01-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's been almost two weeks over here in Melbourne and I feel more relaxed now as compared to the first few days when I was adjusting my biological clocks according to the new timings. 5:30 hours ahead of India,which meant I had to sleep early and wake early.
On weekdays,its mostly the office and then when in the room,its the time to catch up with friends online and phone calls.On weekends,I have been trying to move out and explore melbourne more.
First weekend, began in style.On friday, I catched up with an online friend of mine who was interested in astrology. A drive to melborune suburbs,thai dinner and then some high speed driving across the formula one track :),thats how the the day winded.

saturday : I heard that the Indian Tennis Player Somdev Dev varman was having his qualifying match at Melbourne Park. I went there,all alone. Why? Because I knew no one would give a damn to a qualifying match and hence I decided to go alone and support my fellow country man. However,he lost :(. neways, I made two new friends in Venkatesh and Sandeep (both from AP) who were a big tennis Fan :).

Next day, I came to know that Federer was organising a Exhibition match for Haiti Quake victims.I thought it was a golden chance to have a glimpse of all the tennis bigwigs. I asked a few more friends(I knew they would be interested) and we headed to Rod Laver Arena. Man, I must tell you it was a awesome event. 100% dollar vasool :).All the top players, Federer,Nadal,Hewitt,Serena williams,Andy Roddick etc were there and entertaining the crowd.

This weekend, I met another online friend, a buddhist from Siberia,very much interested in Indian Culture and arts. The whole day passed strolling on melbourne streets,visiting museums,gardens and galleries with this friend.Finally spent the evening at a Suraj sir's place(Mech,2k4) . I played some games there and since it was my first encounter with motion sensor games, I was completely bowled over by the experience. May be I'll purchase something like this back in India. I mean, if you are playing a tennis game,your hands should move as if you are holding a racket :). Its a good exercise too.

Planning for a beach visit tomorrow morning. The weather is expected to be HOT tomorrow and I too am expecting a similar crowd ;) .Keep watching this space for more.Till then take care, bbye..

CAT 2009: A Tasty Dish gone Stale

2009-12-05T02:35:00.000-08:00

A lot has been made of the technical glitches in the CAT,2009, of the students who could not appear for the test on a given day.I however, think that there is more to CAT,2009 than just the technical glitches.
I believe that IIMs will ensure that everyone eligible appears for the test though on a different date. And some technical issues were to be expected. Afterall, it was first such exercise, where such a large number of candidates appeared for a test on a given day. Not even the best of test taking agencies could have guaranteed a hassle free CAT.
So lets bear with it, the technical aspect. Hopefully, next year onwards it will be much more smoother than this. My concern lies somewhere else, on the test pattern,their contents and the motives behind them.

When IIMs announced a reduction in number of questions with no such cut in the time allotted, everyone expected the questions to be of a quality atleast at par with a level similar to previous years.Cometh the 27th November, and the mysterious CAT surprises everyone with its turns.The questions turned out to be much easier than expected and add to that the repeated questions from previous years,it was even more.I have heard many candidates attempting even all the 60.Though there have been such instances where questions were much tougher,but they can be discounted as exceptions only. On a broad level,everyone agrees that questions were easier and the percentage of attempted questions has been much higher than previous years.What does that mean for students and for IIMs?

For students it means that many more students are going to clear the sectional and overall cutoffs and even if someone clears all the cutoffs they cant be sure of calls.For IIMs, it means that they have a much larger pool of qualified candidates to choose from for the calls.Probably, here comes in the picture,additional factors which all of a sudden have assumed disproportionately high importance because written exam is no more the distinguishing criteria among applicants. These factors are your work-ex, 10th-12th Marks, and Undergrad Academics. This changed scenario also serves a dual purpose for IIMs which are :

1. They are no more going to be answerable as to why someone who has cleared all the cutoffs and blah blah was not given a call. They can hand pick candidates for the calls with whatever criteria they think is favorable to them. Even RTI can't come to the rescue of students this time.

2. As is known since time immemorial, such institutions as IITs and IIMs have openly expressed their dislike of coaching institutes who prepare students for the competitive exams. With easier questions,they are reducing the dependency of students on coaching institutes. The questions are easy(10th-12th standard at best) and time is ample,what do you need coaching for? Even if someone finishes the paper in 1.5 hrs with the help of a coaching institute,he wont get better marks than someone who finishes the paper in 135 minutes without a coaching.

Once the attention from IT aspects of CAT subsidies , these questions are bound to erupt which are much more important for candidates and the IIMs.Some of my friends feel, its not the same exam that used to invoke a sense of excitement and anxiety.
CAT 2009 is stale and boring compared to the previous versions which were famous for their unexpected behaviour.They feel with such questions,the dignity of this prestigious exam has been compromised.There were days, when IIMs could challenge the government on even small interferences and people supported them.Now, almost daily, you can read headlines with someone, somewhere criticsing IIMs and Prometric. A time to introspect for everyone and yeah may be for them too, the so called hallowed institutes of Management.

||सत्यम शिवम् सुन्दरम ||

2009-11-28T01:05:00.000-08:00

आज विचार हुआ कि हम हिंदी में लिखें. फिर सोचता हूँ क्या लिखूं ? सप्ताहांत पे ही थोडा समय मिलता है कुछ लिखने का , परन्तु दफ्तर की व्यस्तता के कारण आजकल समय थोडा कम मिलता है |
पिछले सप्ताहांत मैं उज्जैन गया हुआ था और महाकाल के दर्शन किये | महाकाल शिवलिंग कि विशेषता ये है कि यहाँ प्रातः काल ब्रह्म मुहुर्त में भगवान की भस्म आरती कि जाती है |ये भस्म एक जलती चिता से चंडाल द्वारा लाया जाता है | कहा जाता है कि जब आप किसी ऐसे इंसान से मिलें या फिर ऐसी घटना का हिस्सा हों जहाँ आप खुद को असहज महसूस
करें , तो जान लीजिये कि ये आपके मानसिक सीमाओं का विस्तार है | महाकाल कि भस्म आरती भी हमारे लिए एक ऐसा ही मौका था |

हमारे समाज में लाश और चिता अत्यंत अपवित्र माने जाते हैं | किसी के मरने के बाद ११ दिन का कर्मकांड होता है पुनः पवित्र होने के लिए| लेकिन यहाँ हिन्दू धर्मं के सबसे बड़े देवता (यहाँ में राम और शिव के बीच कोई तुलना नहीं कर रहा ,मैं दोनों को ही बड़ा मानता हूँ ) शिव ,जिनके नाम का शाब्दिक मतलब भी कल्याण होता है (और कहा भी गया है 'सत्यम शिवम् सुन्दरम ') को चिता भस्म का श्रृंगार किया जाता है | विडम्बना ये रही की भगवान के दरबार में भी जाने के लिए हमें रिश्वत का सहारा लेना पड़ा | बात ये थी की भस्म आरती में बहुत भीड़ होने के कारण सरकार एक दिन पहले ही पास देती है , और सिर्फ पास वाले लोग ही भस्म आरती देख सकते हैं | चूँकि हम उज्जैन शाम को पहुंचे ,हमें ये पास एक दुसरे आदमी से खरीदना पड़ा और इस निःशुल्क पास के लिए हमने दिए ५०० रूपये |अंतत: हम खुश ही थे की इतनी दूर से आने के बाद , भस्म आरती देख पाएंगे. भस्म आरती सुबह ४ बजे प्रारंभ होती है , शिवलिंग पे जल चढाने के बाद हम मंदिर के गर्भगृह के बाहर प्रांगन में बैठे जहाँ बाकि पासधारी बैठे हुए थे |अभी भी मेरे मन में या उत्कंठा बनी हुई थी की भस्म चढ़ने के बाद भी शिवलिंग क्या उतना ही पवित्र माना जायेगा या फिर से उसे नहलाया जायेगा पवित्र करने के लिए. क्या भस्म राजित शिवलिंग को छूने के बाद मैं खुद अपवित्र नही हो जाऊंगा, क्या मुझे भस्म प्रसाद ग्रहण करना चाहिए ?

इस उधेड़बुन के बीच आरती प्रारंभ हुई , शिवलिंग का अभिषेक होने लगा , और मंत्रोच्चार के बीच थोड़ी देर में एक अधनंगा ,काला कलूटा इंसान जिसकी हालत ऐसी थी मनो अभी होली खेल के लौटा हो और होली भी कीचड वाली | पहचानते देर न लगी की ये शमशान से भस्म लेकर आया हुआ चंडाल है | और उसे सीधा मंदिर के गर्भगृह में प्रवेश मिला, जो जगह अत्यंत पवित्र मानी जाती है ,वहां २४ पहर श्मशान में बिताने वाले एक चंडाल को प्रवेश !!! खैर, ये भोले बाबा की ख़ास बात है वहां तो भुत पिशाच ,देव,दानव सबको जगह मिलती है , सब एक सामान | शिवलिंग के श्रृंगार के बाद , एक पुजारी ने सारी महिलाओं को अपने चेहरे ढँक लेने को बोला क्यूंकि अब भस्म चढ़ने वाली थी और महिलाओं को ये दृश्य देखने को माना किया जाता है | क्यों? ये मुझे नहीं पता, शायद इसलिए की महिलाएं कोमल ह्रदय की होती हैं, उन्हें शमशान पे जाने से मना किया जाता है , इसलिए चिता भस्म चढ़ते देखने से भी माना किया जाता है | और अब वो कार्यक्रम प्रारंभ हुआ जिसके लिए हम इतनी दूर से आये थे, भस्म श्रृंगार | ये दृश्य कई मायनो में जीवन और मृत्यु को एक साथ दर्शाता है | जीवन की क्षणभंगुरता को दर्शाता है और मृत्यु के सौदर्य को भी इंगित करता है | शिव के कई रूप हैं , अर्धनारीश्वर , पंचमुखी इत्यादि लेकिन इस महाकाल रूप की विशेषता है की इसमें मृत्यु रूपी एकमात्र सत्य को प्रदर्शित किया गया है | मंत्रोच्चार के बीच ,शिवलिंग पे पड़ता भस्म ये एक ऐसा दृश्य है , जो कोई भी जल्दी नहीं भूल सकता | पुरे गर्भगृह में बस भस्म ही भस्म , मनो स्वयं यमराज नृत्य कर रहे हो महाकाल को रिझाने के लिए | थोड़ी देर में ही वो शिवलिंग पे पद रही राख उड़ कर हमारे तक भी पहुँच गयी , समझ में नहीं रहा था की चिता की राख के संसर्ग में आने के बाद , क्या हम भी अपवित्र हो गए ? फिर खुद में ही ये विचार आया की पवित्रता, अपवित्रता तो शिव से ही निकली हैं , न हम शिव को मानते न खुद की पवित्रता या अपवित्रता का ख्याल मन में आता | और जब ये राख स्वयं शिव से ही निकली है तो फिर क्या सोचना , क्यूंकि शिव से जुडी हर चीज को हम पवित्र ही मानते हैं |

यूँ थोड़ी देर के अन्तः द्वन्द के बाद मन के अन्दर की एक दुर्बलता दूर हुई | पवित्रता या अपवित्रता तो हमारे विचारों की होती है ,निर्जीव पदार्थों की नहीं | वैसे भी हमारे ग्रंथों ने इस सत्य को बार बार कहा है की , हमारा शारीर पंच तत्वों का बना हुआ है और मृत्यु के बाद ये उन्ही पंच तत्वों में विलीन हो जाता है |
उज्जैन यात्रा के बाद मैंने इस कथन को सच पाया की जहाँ आप खुद को असहज पाते हैं , वहां आपके मानसिक विस्तार की तयारी है ऐसा मानिये |

Amidst the Nature and Closer with God

2009-11-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

This weekend I undertook a trip to a few beautiful places around pune. These places assume additional significance for me as they provided an ideal blend of spirituality with nature. The places I am talking about are Triambakeshwar and Bheemashankar . These two belong to the most revered dwadash jyotirlinga(the 12 most auspicious Shivlings on the planet).

Here are a few pics that I took at these spots. However, I must add that these pics fall way short of depicting the woooooowwww effect when one sees the picturesque valleys at these places.

------A Beautiful Confluence of Mountains,water and Greenery-------

--------------------------Isn't It Beautiful--------------------

------ Triambakeshwar : Adya(The First) Jyotirlinga------

-------------------- I am in love with this place------------------

-------- Bheemashankar Temple : Amidst a wildlife Sactuary---------

GMAT Prep (Remaining Part..)

2009-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am not sure from where to start this. But let's try to breakup the details into individual sections. I would focus on Verbal mostly because this is the bleeding area for many of us.

Sentence Correction :
This is an ideal section to start your preparations with because Critical Reasoning(CR) and Reading Comprehension(RC) require a slightly higher level of abstraction. An added advantage of starting the prep with SC is that with so many rules and Idioms of the section ,the transition to preparation mode is made easier.You instantly get a feel that you are learning something while in CR and RC ,it may not be so.Keeping the structure of GMAT verbal section in mind,this is the section you can improve the most in a given time. Speed and accuracy in SC will help you save time for RC and CR.For my preparations,I devoted more than 50% of time on SC. A major difference between CAT(for IIMs) and GMAT is that the SC section of GMAT is quite organised and you'll have concrete reasons while eliminating a particular option.

The Manhattan SC Guide has got all the things organised extremely well and you should not hesitate reading and re-reading it many a times. One should remember all the rules given in this book on his fingertips. Regarding Idioms, the new version has a huge list of Idioms and I got hold of this version only 10 days before the G-day. Hence,I had to skip that part.But its always helpful to remember the Idioms especially for us i.e. non-native english speakers.After you are done with Manhattan SC guide once,go through the sentence correction of Kaplan GMAT 800 book, look into the explanation thoroughly, even for those question you have answered correctly.

A regular reading habit comes very handy when it comes to Idioms.Initially focus on accuracy in verbal and speed will come automatically later on. In SC, by the time you reach the peak of your prep,you should take approx 75 seconds per question as you need to save time for RC and CR section.

Critical Reasoning :

The powerscore Critical Reasoning Bible is a very good guide for CR preparation. However,Manhattan CR guide is a good alternative if the former is not available.
Go through the book once very thoroughly and then when needed at any later time you can refer to review section of each chapter in the book.When done with the book, its time to attack the Official Guide questions of CR. As mentioned earlier,look for the explanations very deeply. However,for sitter questions,you may like to skip the explanations. Once done with OG, you can go ahead with Kaplan GMAT 800.

Reading Comprehension :

This is the section abt which I was not sure as to how to approach till the very last day. Kaplan and Manhattan both stress on the importance of jotting down the gist of paragraph while reading the passage. Manhattan advises a little different strategy than Kaplan,however ,the underlying theme is same which is Keep noting down the theme of each paragraph of the passage as you read.
Most of us tend to loose track of the flow of passage when reading it.In GMAT this is more important than memorizing the specific details in the paragraph. I would say,its not at all necessary to remember the specific details mentioned in the passage.you can always come back to the passage to look for those details if needed for a particular question.Just keep track of the flow of the passage. Jotting down the main points of the individual paragraph helps you do this.
Initially, I also did it almost religiously. Later in the preparation,I realised that jotting down took me 1-2 minutes for a single passage. In GMAT ,there are four passages,so straightway the time taken is anything between 5-6 minutes. That means four additonal questions considering you spend 90 seconds on each question. That was too much for me because initially in the mocks,I always found myself short of time and hence was looking to save time on a few things.
So my advice about this section is, initially you can jot down ,but later on with practice, you can avoid loosing track of the passage even without noting down.

Quantitative :

I underestimated the section right from the begining and later paid the price in the actual GMAT scoring just 49 (which is 87 percentile..shame, I call myself an engineer!!!). I didnt even care to look at the OG questions. For my entire preparation ,I devoted not more than four hours on Maths,which was a big mistake.
Dont do this ,no matter how strong your quant section is. Atleast ,finish the OG completely(remember,it should be your bible).
Six CATs of manhattan have very good maths questions, and those were the ones who saved me from further humiliation(though I could take only three CATs due to lack of time)

Miscellaneous :

Keep taking practice tests in between your praparation . You can start with one diagnostic test given in the OG to start with.Normally you can take one practice test each week irrespective of where you are in your preparation. The torrent I have shared in the previous post has got ample of practice tests,so dont worry about lack of them.
As mentioned earlier,two CATs of GMAT prep and six of Manhattan are good ones and hence us them judicously.The analysis of each test, I maintained in a notebook ,which was very helpful.Also,while solving OG questions,maintain a track of which one you got right and which one wrong. Try attempting the wrong questions in the final stages of your preparation.

Regarding the scores you get in the mock,dont worry..really. My scores would give you an idea of what I am talking about :

(1) GMAT Prep 1 - 680
(2) Manhattan CAT(free online) - 590(a true disaster)
(3)Kaplan 1 -640(Kaplans are notorious for low scores)
(4) Kaplan 2-630
(5)Manhattan CAT 1 - 740(Many repeated questions hence a bloated score)
(6)Princeton 1- 690
(7) manhattan CAT 2-690 (Quant was proving to be a achilles heel)
(8) Manhattan CAT 3-690 (2 week before G-day)
(9) GMAT Prep 2-730 (was a big relief :),One week before the G-day )

The message,I want to convey is, even if you dont get much scores in the mocks,dont loose heart. Just look for what mistakes you did and then work on them. You need to have faith in yourself.

And finally, start cooling down a week before the G-day. I started meditation( neways,I loved meditation :) GMAT was a good excuse to begin it again ).
Though its easy to say,but very hard not be anxious on the evening before G-day.
I could sleep just for 4.5 hours.My normal sleeping hours in that week were 7-8 hours and hence you can gauge the anxiety level.In the morning ,I clearly was not feeling fresh enough.Tried to meditate and it helped.Do whatever that makes you feel good on that day and you'll nail the GMAT.

Some Resources for GMAT Prep

2009-10-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I appeared on GMAT and scored a decent 760(q 49, V 44).As suggested by some of my friends,in the below paragraphs, I would be sharing my experiences and the materials I used for preparation.

I would try to breakup this article into some frequently asked questions.

How Much Time do One need for GMAT preparation :

Though it depends on person to person,an average person who has got decent reading habits(if you love spending time amidst this information jungle called Internet,I am talking about you only :)) needs anything between one and half months to three months depending upon how much time one can take out from his daily schedule.Normally 2-3 hrs a day for 2 Months should be enough. This much time I spent on my preparations.

Best way to assess the time required for GMAT prep is to get yourself involved into it. one week into this and you'll get an idea of the time required. Now is the time you should book a GMAT date based on your assessment. Yeah,you heard it right,book a date first,it helps you avoid procrastination. If you dont book a date,then you are not serious about the preparations.

Which materials should one have in his kitty before embarking on this journey :

Well,on internet you'll find too many resources and most of the time its very confusing as to which one to use. Based on my experiences,these should be enough :

Books :

(1) GMAT Official Guide -12th Edition:
This should be your Geeta,Ramayan,kuran or Bible, whatever you would like to call it.
Most authentic source of retired GMAT questions with the explanations by none other
than the writers of the test.Can be purchased with any book store. I bought it only on the landmark website .

(2) GMAT official Verbal Review :
When you fall short of practice questions,additional questions can be found in
this book.However,if you are pressed for time,you may like to skip this.

(3) Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Guide :
The quintessential GMAT sc guide. Can't overstress its importance. Go get it,that's all I have to say. For an older version of the book click here. However,for newer improved version you can always order it on the ManhattanGmat official website. On the purchase of this book you get 6 CAT(Computer Adaptive Tests) which will prove to be an invaluable tool in this journey. They have added some advanced chapters in the new edition which I found very useful. Plus the new edition is in synch with the 12th edition of OG (Official Guide) whereas the older one refers to the 10th Edition OG.

(4) Powerscore GMAT critical reasoning bible :
One of the few good books available in the market on critical reasoning. Though
critical reasoning questions are based on common sense but when you ascend higher levels of difficulty in the CR preparation,you need additional resources and then this books comes into picture. A little voluminous than its competitors (eg Manhattan CR guide) its worth its length. The book may seem boring and stressing on very trivial things initially but in later chapters one realises the importance
of this triviality.Be patient with this book.Can be downloaded from here .

(5) Kaplan GMAT 800 :
A very good book for those aspiring higher percentiles. But a word of caution,dont jump into the book at the start of preparation.This book is more helpful when you are aware of the structure and nuances of the GMAT questions. I did the mistake of starting my prep with this book only and hence had to reread it later.The verbal part of this book can be downloaded here.However,you can always purchase the full book from any book store on online.

GMAT CAT softwares :

Its very important to keep judging your preparation from time to time with the help of various tests. These are the ones I found useful -

(1) Official GMAT prep Software :
By none other than the GMAC,the owners of GMAT. This contains two free tests available for free download from mba.com. These are the two best tests in the market and hence use them judiciously. Dont waste them just for diagnostic purposes.

(2) Manhattan CATs :
On the purchase of any book from Manhattan these tests are available for free. Closer to the real GMAT than any other CATs available in the market.

(3) Kaplan Tests :
Whenever,you feel you have got you preparation under controle,just take one of them and you'll soon hit the ground :) . Best tool available to keep you on your toes. But stop taking them atleast 15 days before the actual GMAT as its notorious low scores can hamper your confidence badly.

(4) Some GMAT practice Sets :
I got them from a friend of mine.Since these are not adaptive sets,better take them as sprint tests when you need to assess individual verbal sections,. Can be downloaded from here.

(5) princeton and 800 Score tests : If you need further testing material,use these .

The above all tests can be downloaded from the torrent I have shared in this esnips folder.Its a bulky thing (4.4 gb),so download only the ones you think is necessary.

When armed with these ,you are all set and prepared for a battle called GMAT :). In the next part I shall try to enlist how I approached the preparation. But as I believe,everyone is unique in his abilities and hence the strategies adopted may be different from person to person. So if you wish to,you can start your preparation with this much only.
(To be Contd..)

CAT 2009-The Starry Days

2009-09-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

I dont know how to put it, but I cant resist it . Astrology has always been close to my heart and I love doing a bit of experimentation with it . This is another of my attempts at the same .

As I already mentioned in a previous post of mine, the 10 day window for CAT,2009 does allow stars to play a part and ppl like me who are believers in astrology,if given a chance would pick an astrologically ausipicious day for the exam.

Below is an attempt to provide you with the most favourable day according to your moon signs for the purpose of CAT in the given duration i.e. 27th November - 07th December. The principles, I have applied all correspond to vedic astrology and signs\rashis mentioned here are Moon Signs . In case you dont know what your moon sign is,you can enter your birth details here and find out your rashi(It has nothing to do with Priyanka chopra's upcoming muvi,'what's your rashi'[:)]).
Now let's quickly get down to the business :

Aries\Mesha : Any of the sundays i.e 29th November or 06th december will be good for you. However,if given a chance choose the later one.

Taurus\Vrishabha : Auspicious days are : 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th december. The one on 2nd december will suit you the most .

Gemini\Mithun : Stars want you to face the opening deliveries :). Choose anyone from 27th or 28th November.

Cancer\Karka : Auspicious days are : 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th december. The morning session of 7th will suit you the best.

Leo\Simha : The majestic of all signs. Choose any date starting from 29th november uptil 2nd december and fortune will favour you. However,best one is 2nd December.

Virgo\Kanya : Choose any one from 1st, 2nd 6th or 7th december . The one on 2nd december is best for you.

Libra\Tula : Three days full of fortune all equally blessed, 4th, 6th or 7th december.

Scorpio\Vrischik : Of all the signs,you people are particularly blessed in the given 10 day window. Opt anyone from 27th nov, 28th nov ,1st dec or 2nd dec . 1st december ,tuesday will be good for you. However,avoid the afternoon session on 1st december.

Sagittarius\Dhanu : Just two days, but power packed ones: 29th and 30 th november. 29th is preferable .

Capricorn\Makar : 29th November to 2nd december,choose from among them. second day of december should be preferred if given a chance

Aquarius\Kumbh : Similar to capricorn .

Pisces\Meena : Stars have given you more options to choose from in November 27th and 28th and in December, 1st,2nd,6th or 7th. Choose anyone from these. Howver, 6th december and morning session of 1st should be preferred over others.

The above is just a broad picture for the twelve zodiacs. Individual charts are likely to give a better result. However, in case you dont want to go into complicacies of individual charts(yeah,it is complex),above dates are good pointers.

30 Minutes with Anshoo Gaur

2009-09-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

What would you say about a man who happens to be in the industry just for 14 years and is the India head of a company widely known as the market leader in its domain(OSS & BSS),add the fact that the india centre of the company is the largest world over.
I had a chance to meet this person one-on-one in his office and with the silly,sometimes childish questions which I shooted on him ,he showed a remarkable patience.

Back in december,2008 when i first attended a townhall by Anshoo Gaur, Head Amdocs India, i could hardly resist myself from getting impressed by the flair and charm of this person. I must add that two most impressive personalities I know at amdocs are Anshoo gaur and suresh menon,another director at amdocs, . FYI, suresh is part of my network at linkedin and I have already met Anshoo(haha,just to impress you :) ).

The meeting was scheduled at 1300 hrs and his secretary reminded me two times in the day in case I had forgot.How could I? I was looking forward to the meeting and a few of my colleagues too ,whom I had told abt it. Reached his office 5 minutes earlier,was told to wait in the lounge and I had already started feeling the aura around a CEO. On the table were two nasscom magazines costing a few dollars(I have this habit of looking at the price of anything I come across) and I could barely look into it when the secretary told me to go inside .

Went inside,shaked hands and it began,Anshoo looked out for my performace report in his database,cudn't find it so he had to rely on whatever I told him about me.After a few formal questions which are meant to be confidential for a company and hence I wont go into their details, I started with my barrage of questions.

To start with, I asked him that Amdocs should keep visiting ISM,Dhanbad for the school was a good one and was looking to forge a long term relationship with Amdocs. Anshoo then dwelt upon the quality of campuses they visit and how low they had recruited from campuses this year. However, he noted my point and promised he'd talk to the Recruiting Head,HR.

Moving on, I asked him about his stellar success he had in the industry in just 14 years and from here onwards I took control of the discussion though,he was the one talking for most of the time(hehe).

The first word that came out of him was hard work,he said that he was not ashamed in being called a workaholic. According to him, if you work hard, most certainly you'll get lucky. For him luck means being in the right place at the right time and hard work was the key to it. Then he stressed on the importance of doing a valuable work and not just any work . Though most of the things he said sound cliched,but when the words come from a person who has applied those cliched principles in life, they assume significance and penetrate deeper.

The discussion also gave me an insight into how amdocs wok. For eg. when he said that in his earlier days at sabre during requirement gathering sessions,he used to promise his client more than 15% productivity without even looking at the difficulty of project, I could easily relate it to my life at amdocs. Most of my colleagues at the company would agree to the fact that probably that's how the sales team of amdocs works. Being a nascent developer,I have often bore the brunt of fulfilling a particularly hard requirement that was promised by the site team .

Going forward,he talked about the future plans of amdocs india and how they plan to cut on costs by recruting more and more freshers. Although, freshers require an investment in terms of training ,but once ready they are productive as well as cost effective. When we were done and the clock was showing that we were approaching the end time,anshoo said "I want you to leave with the note that coming year is going to be very exciting for India development centre and there will be ample oppurtunities for the personal growth of employees as well as the for the growth of amdocs india".I could sense genuine optimism in his words as only a few days back, amdocs had managed to win a major client.

I have often wondered,how he managed to climb the top echelons of amdocs management in just 2 years of his stay in the company? After the meeting I was clear,how he has managed to do this. The answer was still the same old cliched word 'HARD WORK'.

Swine Wala Flue..

2009-08-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Being in Pune is thrilling these days,thanx to 'Swine Wala Flue'. Every morning, newspapers comeup with a news item that presents a picture grimmer than yesterday.
All of a sudden the pandemic is so near. Just heard the news that 3 'Swine Flue Suspects' have been detained(read quarrantined) in the nearby building.
The good news is,it is totally curable.The bad news,it is highly contagious and spreads like anything.
Below is a bit of do's and dont's to avoid this pandemic :

Dos

 Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, tissue in the trash after you use it. Use disposable masks in airports, crowded markets.
 Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
 Use alcohol based hand cleaners (e.g: Germ Free).
 Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
 Always maintain high levels of personal hygiene, especially before and after food preparation and in & out of toilets.
 If you are sick, PLEASE stay at home and limit contact with others as much as possible.
 While in an affected region, seek immediate medical attention if you develop influenza ike symptoms. (High Fever, body pain, coughing and red nose)
 Get plenty of sleep, rest and take plenty of liquids
 Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food

Don’ts

× Touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way
× Visits live animal markets, poultry and pig farms in affected countries
× Shake hands or hug in greeting.
× Spit in public.
× Take medicines without consulting a physician
× Forget to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
× Neglect yourself and seek medical advice if needed

It's The Climb..

2009-08-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

People like me have a habit of poking into any topic evenif they dont know ABC of it,but there are some people who speak words of wisdom,written by experience on the slate called life.I oftem chit-chat with this colleague cum friend of mine while returning from office to home.Today also seemed no different and then the talks moved on to a altogether different plane. Suddenly we were talking about meanings of life and success. Unlike my nature,this time I preferred to listen, for the words smelled the wisdom of experience.

I won't reveal the identity of the person,but the tale I would, definitely.Its not a script full of cinematic climax,just a plain story of three friends,two among them inebriated, biking at some 100 kph,a headon collision with a fast moving Bus and my friend reached that grey area between life and death,where they play tug of war between them, with you as the trophy. Life won in the end but left behind some lessons which I think he is not going to forget for the rest of his life.

The lessons :

Think about what consequence your next action is going to have on your life.In his case the accident changed the course of their life. The consequences of that unfortunate moment,he and his family are still facing today.
He says "If you think about 10 positive outcomes before doing anything,think atleast about 20 negative outcomes and be prepared for them". The statement seemed negative to me,which I thought were arising out of deep impact of an unfortunate incident.But he clarified,you got to have a fallback plan in place.Move on the path you dreamed of, but be sure to calculate after you walk a certain distance whether this is the path you dreamed of,whther the grass that seemed greener from the distance is really so.He meant to say that you always need to keep gauging and correcting your path,if needed.

Though I like the phrase 'A spectacular failure is better than a mediocre success',his words made me think and hence this blog.
Moving onto a different note, in recent days,I have collected a few good video songs
which can pull you out from deep agony and frustation.

This one,i rate best of the lot. Watch it for these lines :

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to loose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about whats waiting on the other side
It's the Climb ,yeah!!!It's the Climb

This one is also an awesome video..'Eye of the Tiger'.Watch this video for these lines
So many times, it happens too fast
You change your passion for glory
Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive

Enjoy..

stanford,white tiger and lonavala...

2009-07-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the days when I am writing not because I have something very interesting to share to,but becuase I feel upbeat and need to express it.What better a medium than blog.

So what do I write?I was going through this years Essay questions for Stanford GSB and one thing they were stressing again and again is be yourself.Write as if you are talking to yourself,as if exploring yourself.This really is important,isn't it?According to a dean of a prominent business school,the biggest mistake applicants make is try to impress the admission committee.Dont do it.

Moving to a different track altogether,I finished 'The White Tiger' by Arvind Adiga.I find the style of writing pitty good,but contentwise it gave me a picture of someone who has done his best research about rural india and poverty without ever visiting the place he intends to write about.The booker thing about the book had already raised my expectations sky high and obviously it wasn't at par.The book is about a servant\driver who kills his master,takes his bag full of notes to a different place(banagalore),starts a new business,makes a fortune and establishes a new identity among the ellites of the society.
And,I must add that I have heard of such a person who followed almost the same route except that he opted for politics instead of a business and is a prominent name in the regional politics.May be,Adiga has taken his story from there.I dont know,just a guess work.

I am planning to make a visit to nearby locations around pune,my friends are saying it really gets very beautiful in Lonavala,khandala these days.one of my wishes include to blog from a mountain peak :).Let's hope I am able to realise it this monsoon.

OZ Attacks : Deja-Vu??

2009-06-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a little harsh on us.Bear with me..

MNS must be a very happy outfit these days.I guess so,because they have found some unsolicited support in the form of those unknown aussie junkies who have happened to script quite a few headlines in India as well as OZ.Thakreys' support base is increasing,from a tiny belt of maharashtra,it has extended well into the unchartered territories of Australia.

I wonder how strikingly similar, the attacks in Australia are to the attacks on North Indians a few months back in maharashtra.I shall better enumerate them :

(1)Indian students went to Australia in search of better oppurtunities and good life,in the same manner as people from UP & Bihar landed in Maharashtra.Both bear the burnt of some local rowdies for eating up into their share of development.Both end up getting thrashed. :)

(2)I dont have any matrix but if there was any,then I would propose a equation like this :

Development(AUS):Development(IND) :: Development(Maha):Development (North India)

In words,The way we Indians see Australia as a developed nation and hence a land of oppurtunities,in the same manner Mumbai\Pune is perceived by people of North India wrt to their own states.

(3)The way we Indians consider ourselves more intelligent,smart than our aussie fellow,quite similarly, people from Bihar and UP think about themselves on comparison to the ones from western India.

(4) Inspite of our Indian diaspora being everywhere around the globe and considered hardworking and Intelligent,we have been unable to pull India out of poverty.Perhaps in a similar manner,North Indians, despite of making it in largest chunks to IITs\IIMs every year,topping Civil Services and having spread almost everywhere in the Nation, could not lift their respective states out of the clutch of backwardness.

(5)None of the culprits were booked in Mumbai that time and none have been caught this time too in Melbourne.

So remember,you reap only what you sow. Dont cry your heart out on watching those footage of an Injured shravan Kumar in Melbourne or a nephew of harbhajan been killed,it was same scene in Patna on watching Rahul Raj being murderred live in Mumbai.But then many of you choose to remain inside the comforts of your AC room,sipping a nescafe and watching news on your TV set.
Dont stage a demonstration now,for you didn't do any then.We are calling the recent attacks racist,were the similar attacks on North Indians not of same nature? How can you accuse Australian people of being racist,when you yourself don't have the courage of standing against racism in your own backyard?

Someone said 'Charity begins at home',I would like to add 'Racism too'.

Mandate 2009: A Move Towards Maturity

2009-05-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

After the elections were over,a few of my friends asked me to write a piece about the mandate and its consequence on Indian polity.Many of us were surprised the way congress gained a clear majority,but i believe there were enough indications of it already.Deep inside,I had expected that either BJP or Congress will emerge too stronger to be dictated terms by their allies in the day to day functioning of the government.I had expressed the same views two months back in a blog post and I am happy that I have been vindicated by the Results.(The Link is http://ashutoshdubey.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-our-multi-party-character-at-its.html)

Now coming back to the Election results.The way I see it:

The election has proved beyond doubt that Indian Masses want national parties to call the shots at North Block.Its not that regional parties will loose their importance,they will be important, but only in case of Assembly elections.From here onwards,we can see a clear trend of Regional parties getting comprehensive victory in assembly elections only to be kept out of picture in general elections.Yeah,Indian democracy is showing its first signs of maturity and moving towards a state of federal equilibrium.

One very important outcome of this mandate has been that all the hitherto immensely powerful regional satraps have been left either bruised with defeat or severely dented in their capacity to arm-twist the government.Even if they have respectable numbers as DMK,Trinamool,Sp,BSP,NCP, they are in no position to negotiate with congress and will have to be content with whatever compassion Singh & Sonia show on them.Those outside the UPA as Nitish,Naveen Patnaik will also find themselves totally out of the scene from the national politics.Others like Lalu,Bal thakrey,Ramvilas Paswan find themselves in the most vulnerable of situations in their entire political career.(More on these later)

The rise of Gandhis is one phenomenon that has been blown out of the proportion by the Media.Remember,the Trio (Rahul,Priyanka and Sonia) has been fully concentrating in the UP for more than 5 years, yet they manage to get only 1/3rd of total seats and we call it a victory.The fact is,it has more to do with the distraction of people from regional politics at National level.The real strength of Congress in UP will be seen at the time of assembly elections.

Bihar,never in last two decades,Lalu was so vulnerable and I am happy he is.Lalu trying to snatch a moment so that he can shake hands with Priyanka is a story that tells it all.Any other day,he would not have even cared for where even Sonia is,but as someone said 'Time is a great Leveller'.Leaders like Lalu Yadav,Mayavati,Bal Thakrey thrive on power & power only to maintain nd increase their support base.A few years out of power and their magic wanes.Nitish in all these years has made some severe dent in the support base of Lalu and the maverick politician will have to come up with something fresh to counter the Person who in political circles is often called as 'Chanakya'.

Overall,this is a government which looks committed to deliver.Somewhere,I get a feeling that they will deliver too.As of now,there are so many hot items waiting on the platter for the government, turmoil in Pakistan,tamil crisis in Sri lanka and political crisis in Nepal to name a few.

CAT,Jyotish and Timing

2009-04-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

So the ever elluding Billi has taken a giant leap and goes cyber.I'm happy..really..not because I'm very comfortable with computer based tests,I have appeared for none so far.The thing that makes this nerd happy is now I have a little flexibility with which I can choose a date based based upon planetary combinations.
I know what you are thinking,that one who's to depend upon his stars for CAT is hardly worth it.Point taken,but here is my take...

Timing being the common thread between CAT and Astrology,the 10 day window is bound to give astrologers a hectic schedule.And I believe,just as we see during marriage season,a particular day being more auspicious and hence traffic busier.In the same way,stars in the sky will decide to a large extent, how many geeks bang their head infront of the monitor on a particular day.

CAT has always been associated with a high quotient of luck factor.Those 2:30 Hrs..I can't overstress the important role your luck plays into it.one question incorrect,you are 5 marks down and your percentile drops below cutoff.

Confidence is the another key thing besides luck which draws the line between who made it and who could not.Add to this,going into the exam with the belief that your stars are there to help you can be a great confidence boosters for believers.
Anyways,choosing a particular day from the 10 days window is going to involve different parameters for different set of people.
Students may choose it on weekdays,given they have the flexibility to bunk a few classes.Professionals would go for Sunday as this wud give them some time to relax on saturday and a few like me would add an extra parameter of planetary combinations.

I have already started looking my hora software....Why leave any stone unturned?

Tits & Bits

2009-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Starting on a lighter note...That Astrologers had some say in deciding at what exact hour India would get Independence did had a positive impact when we see Pakistan in tatters today which deliberately choose to have a different Hour for Independence than that of India.

Last week I watched two documentaries,One 'Dispatches' (By a pakistani Female Journalist) on Pakistani Taliban and Other one 'Story of India' by BBC.

It was evident from 'Dispatches' that the threat of Terrorism has assumed new proportions with almost a whole generation of pakistani kids aspiring to be a Suicide Bomber. Partly due to extreme hopelessness for future and partly due to wrong policies of United States.Specially for India,some overhaul in policies pertaining to pakistan seems a must.Use of brute force has its limitations, more so when you have the whole generation of a nation as larger as pakistan aspiring to fight against you.India needs to engage civilians of pakistan on a much more broader scale and specially should help build the democratic institutions as media and judiciary.

The neighbouring Island Nation is facing a grave humanitarian crisis and it's time everyone including the governments and the opponent organisations realise the Importance of human lives.I had some disturbing pics of the atrocities committed by Sri Lankan Army on innocent civilians including kids and women,but those pics were so horrible,that I refrained from posting it here.
There are times in history when being silent can cost you being labelled as 'callous' by coming generations.Anyone who doesnot raise his\her voice against the Sri Lankan Government today faces that risk.
As a government, the first and foremost task should be to ensure the safety of its civilians irrespective of their ethnicity.On the contrary,Sri Lankan government today is engaged in ethnnic cleansing of tamil population in the disguise of eradicating the menace called LTTE.I am not a supporter of LTTE,it's not that i don't sympathise with their cause,but killing of innocent civilians cannot be justified no matter how great the cause may be.If LTTE was at the wrong side of humanity in all these years,the Sri Lankan government is walking that extra mile today to cover up and I would not be wrong if I say, has managed to surpass LTTE.

Election Trivia

2009-04-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting bit of election trivia. The Valsad Lok Sabha seat is unique. The party that wins this seat has invariably been forming the government at the Centre since Independence. Until 1997, the Congress won this seat and formed the Government. In 1977, the Janata Dal candidate won and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Again in 1980 and 1984,the Congress won this seat, and formed the Government. When the BJP (NDA) came to power twice, the BJP candidate won the Valsad seat. And then in the last General Elections, the Congress candidate won the Valsad seat. Needless to say, the UPA formed the government. This may be just political coincidence, but both the BJP and Congress candidates are telling voters to elect them, so that their party can form the Union government.

Modi enters UP and colour of his Shirt changes from White to Saffron,that's the kind of psychological trick he plays.Though,he has not used his famous Hindutva dictionary in his speeches so far,but the colour does have an impact.Message is still the same,just he is displaying it and not speaking.Model code of conduct??

Shivraj Singh Chauhan : A refreshing break from the hate preachers, corrupt, inefficient, communal or secular politicos. Shivraj Mama, as he is fondly called by his people,is one politician to look for.Combines Integrity,Honesty,efficiency with
the astuteness of a politician and that makes him a robust leader.In for a long run.

Dear Prime Minister Sir

2009-04-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

11th April,2009

The Prime Minister,
Republic of India

Ram Ram,

(I know this salutation will make you a little uncomfortable,but as u know,this is how our rural folks use to greet each other).Today in newspapers, I read your statement about yourself,so I assume you must be telling truth as you are known for your Integrity.Quoting you, "I am not a good speaker, but I take decisions.I believe that the proof of the pudding is in the eating." Unquote.

Dear Sir,in a democracy as large and diverse as India, being a good communicator is the first requirement for anyone vying for the top post.Army officials all over the world are known for their decisiveness or for that matter our corporate honchos are second to none,do we make them our prime-minister?

If you mentionn any great ruler\leader in any democracy,you'll almost always find that one thing that sets them apart is their ability to communicate.In Indian Context,whether be it Mahatma Gandhi,Jawahar Lal Nehru,Indira Gandhi or Atal Bihari
Vajpayee ,all of them have been known for their distinctive style of communication.Even in international arena,great leaders have always been a cut above the rest in the art of public speaking.

A prime Minister is supposed to be the representative of the whole nation.He needs to be aware of peoples' aspirations and feelings in order to take policy decisions.He is expected to communicate to the whole nation his policies and views through mediums as parliament(which are a forum of public speaking).I believe, your self admitted 'poor public communication skills' makes you critically dependent upon
your advisors for a pulse of the nation.

Dear sir,sorry to say but we expect our Prime Minister to be aware of what we think.we expect him to have his own independent views on matters of public policy and not that of a borrowed one from his advisors.If decisiveness and academic
skills would have been the sole criterion then Union Public Service Commission would have been the ideal body to select our Prime Ministers.Rather,We would be having a national level aptitude Test on skills as decision making or other such inter-personal skills in the place of General Elections.

But sir,our constitution makers instead decided to elect our Prime Minister through elections,one who would represent people.One who can communicate to the whole nation and eventually to the larger world what a particular group of people think,however small they may be.

Sir,I would like to wish you all the Best for your 2nd prime Ministerial pursuit.But please do give a thought to joining a crash course on public communication before taking oath.

Regards,

Ek Voter

A Trip to Ayodhya

2009-04-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ramnavami(The day Lord Rama took incarnation on Earth),and I just learnt it in the night while talking to my Mother on phone that it was Ramnavami today.For the first time since I can remember it's been so that I didn't offer my prayers on the ocasion and I feel a little upset about it.Blame it on office works or anything else,It shouldn't have happened.

A few months back,I was to Ayodhya on the ocasion of Chhath,It was my 3rd trip to the sacred city(not so scared politically though).In Ayodhya,as my dad keep saying,Lord Ram rules every part of life and everyone,without making any discrimination.
The politics encircling the Ayodhya seems to have left untouched the residents there and around.
It was an Ocasion AkshayNavami then and I could see a large number of villagers from around Ayodhya flocking it to the city.It's difficult to guess for what they'd been praying to the lord,Moksha(Freedom from Death & Birth Cycles) or Material desires.But one thing was for sure Ram ruled their Heart.Probably,the political wave that marred Ayodhya for a while has downgraded and Lord is back to his usual business i.e. blessing his devotees.

In the evening,I went to 'Kanak Bhavan',the most revered temple of Ayodhya.One thing which amazed me was that inspite of all the halla-hooplah around Ram Janm Bhoomi Temple,people of Ayodhya pay highest regards to 'Kanak Bhavan' and treat it above the Janm Bhoomi Temple.'Shayan Arti'(The Arti before the Lord goes to sleep) at Kanak Bhavan is one event where one can find a large number of local residents,bussinesmen coming to have a Darshan after their daily works.The logic as someone explained to me latter was a little funny but still it showed the place which Lord Ram occupies in their Heart.It was..
"Let the lord remain free for other piligrims for the whole day as we are his people, his nagarwasi(persons belonging to same place) so we'll get a special treatment if we go to see him when the lord is most relaxed i.e. the sleeping time.[:)]"
The arti sung at this time is also a different one and reflects this atitude of the locals there.
Can't really say,whether the Locals are getting a special treatment from their lord but they seem contented with their Lord.They seem to be making no complaints...

A Mock Election for Real

2009-03-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Venue : Village School,Khairadeep,Aurangabad,Bihar
Date : A Month of April Probably,Year 1993
Time:Classes Resuming after Lunch Break

HeadMaster : We shall study the The Chapter of Bal Sabha today.
(Bal Sabha is a concept that was introduced by Bihar State text Book Corporation to make primary students familiar with election process in a playful manner.)

As was the custom,students read one paragraph each followed by Master Saab explaining
the paragraph.The concept of bal sabha was thrilling enough for these 4th standard Kids who were not even in there teens.Mohan,a student of the class was feeling restless to say something.He was the topper of his class and a favourite of Master saab.

Mohan : Master saab,can we organise Bal Sabha in our School?

That's how it began,the kids were about to have their first tryst with something called election.Excitement was in the air.Hurriedly,whole of the school was summoned inside
the only hall or room in the school.Kids were happy to have got relieved from studies for the remaining day.The process was explained to everyone,everybody had to write the names of the candidates they wished to endorse.

Master saab asked for candidates to come forward.Mohan being the one who proposed was the obvious choice,a girl surabhi also came forward and the process kicked off with 100 odd voters and two candidates for the post of Prime-minister of Bal Sabha.
Counting was done by master saab himself and mohan emerged winner.

HeadMaster:Boy's a prime-minister is helped by his cabinate in carrying out his duty.We'll have our cabinate too.

Some posts were created by Master saab for the cabinate and he himself handpicked the post-holders too.The posts were :
Bagwani Mantri
Safai Mantri
Prarthna Mantri etc.

Surabhi was Made Bagwani Mantri and Bal Sabha started funcioning from next day onwards.Surabhi,being the bagwani mantri ensured that she collected all the varieties of flowers available in the small village and get them planted inside the school premises.Safai Mantri took care that school campus was properly groomed every morning and ensured the participation of each student.He also proposed "Leepai" every thursday for the campus(Leepai is done with a mix of cow-dung and water on the bare soily surfaces,considered auspicious).This was the most popular move,as every student
involved in leepa got a official permission from master saab to have a dip in canal flowing by so that the students could get themselved cleaned of cow-dung on their bodies.Swimming in canal was always a popular activity among those school kids.

With flowers blooming and the campus cleaner,the mood in school was festive.The kids found their first encounter with the democratic process called election more than good.However,they were told by Master Saab that it was a mock election and they should see the real ones too.

A few months later,assembly elections took place in Bihar and the same school was choosen as polling booth for a couple of neighbouring villages.The kids having grown a little older were eager to watch this 'real election' with the memories of the
'mock election' still fresh in their mind.

A few gun shots,hooliganism and extremely tense faces,this is how the real election marked their first impression on kids.As they grew older further,more of such 'real elections' were held. The memory of Bal Sabbha\Mock elections gradually got replaced by that of Real Elections.

After some 16 years later,on the eve of another real election,one of the kids
remembers his first encounter with election(though a mock one) and wishes
"If my first impression could have been the last too".

P.S. : Mohan ---> The Author

Inbetween Life & Death

2009-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

24th March,2009:: Tuesday:: 00:19 Hrs

First few pages into Randy Pausch's,The Last Lecture and out of nowhere a wish came,a wish to have pancreatic cancer,just as Randy had,with some months or a year left into my life,So that,I wud have an excuse to unburden myself of my expectations and do my own Dasvidaniya.

No,it's not being pessimist,rather an Extreme Optimist.The optimism that this one year wud be far more satisfying than the 40 or 50 years I'd live under normal circumstances.It's like an intense desire to experience the state where I have a few months of my life left and then test myself.How would I behave,what great a height or low a depth I will achieve?

Perhaps,I could do it without a pancreatic cancer too,but then it'd be difficult to justify it to me myself and then probably I will never do it.

That's all for now ,let me dive deep into the book...

Ashutosh

Is Our Multi-Party Character at its Peak?

2009-03-21T11:25:00.000-07:00

Never has it been that we have so many wannabe PM's going into election all at a time.This election is probably the Local Maxima of India's Multi-Party Democracy and I sincerely think that 2014 will see a much more consolidated fight between two projected PM candidates.
From 1989 onwards multi party democracy has seen a steep rise of influence with many regional satraps playing a major role in deciding who occupies the coveted chair at North Block.We have seen many maya,mamta or jaylalitas causing tremors across delhi with just a sneeze.But now I believe that this all will end,not immediately but over a course of time and we'll see the trend catching up in 2014 elections.Well 2014 is 5 years away and I'm not predicting this on the basis of planetary postitions either,I have some reasons to say so....

(1) The two national parties over the past few years have worked on their Second Generation Leaders and probably it's the last time that Advani will decide who's who at BJP or Sonia Gandhi will play Rajmata.In all probability,Rahul Gandhi will take on the baton from her mother and Narendra Modi from Mr. Advani.Both of them have mass national appeals and them participating against each other will see a strong polarisation of votes.

(2) Don't you think,it's too much of uncertainity over who will be our next leader?
The public after having been perplexed by so many choices will finally zero on to two or three(The Rule of Three :)).This I see as a gradual evolution of Indian Democracy into a matured one.Indian Public after having been disappointed by National Leadership looked on to Regional Leaders and as is clear,the aspirations are still unfulfilled barring a few exceptions(eg Uttaranchal) so once again the mandate will move to national leadership.

(3) Unlike National Parties,state based parties are still nascent ones and rely heavily on Individuals for their existence.Once the Magic of Bal Thakrey or Lalu Yadav wanes,their votes are likely to be up for Grabs and with national parties gearing up so well,I think they'll have this chunk.

(4)The betrayals at Bhuvaneshwar and Patna is a lesson enough for both BJP and Congress that alliances can't be a long term solution and already we can hear talks that going alone this time in some states will prepare them well for future elections.
Though a bit shocked,BJP in Orissa and Congress in Bihar & UP is relieved to go alone and test the waters.

(5)A likely fractured mandate this time will see further distraction of public from regional politics and I rely heavily on the our Democratic Intellect when I say that 2014 will see a reversal of fortunes for regional parties.

With Thakreys fighting a battle for survial and Lalu being in the most vulnerable state this time,we can see the signs of future to come.
We'll have to wait till 2014 to know whether I have been correct or not,but for Now we have a very interesting contest going on and let us savour it as India has never seen an election as chaotic as this one...

General Elections and Prospects for India

2009-03-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Taking a leaf out of my last post,I thought about an array of leaders whom I can mention as 'better than the lot',alash!!none could I find.
Someone had shown immense capabilities as a statesman taking his state on a path of prosperity,but his sheer disrespect for Human Lives has made me nauseating to say the least,the other has a nice little chocolaty, dimple wala face,but has shown no capabilities as a politician so far, other than using his surname.So on and so forth,I could find none whom I could admire from my heart,except the one I mentioned in my previous post.
Probably yes,our politics has stooped to such a low level that we hardly have any National Icon from among our politicians.The irony being,inspite of all this,you'll find many living iconic figures hanging from the walls of secretariat and ministries.

Make no mistake,coming time is going to test our character as a nation and we need a strong government to steer us through this chaos.

All of our neighbours are facing major national crisis.

Pakistan: The state is imploding and the very idea of pakistan is in danger.Politicians are fighting among themselves,army is being a mute spectator watching talibani mullahs dictating the way of lives to general public,and a large part of the nation in under the effective controle of fundamentalists.

Bangladesh : Already having seen a revolt by Bangladesh Rifles,the nation is slowly moving to disintegration.The Goevernment being so weak as to take the help of a foreign agency for probing their home grown mutiny.That tells the whole story.

SriLanka : Though at the moment facing a civil war.But I think we have light at the end of tunnel.We may well see the end of 20 year long civil war in the Island Nation.However,we may also see a large number of tamil refugess flocking our southern coasts and this may augur further problems to us.

Nepal : Though peaceful for sometime now,the goverment has clearly shown its inclination towards china.this doesnot bode well for India.

With economic recession deepening further,going by the indications of world bank and IMF,we need more economic stimulus and this requires some strong decisions politically.

All thess make a strong case for a Stable and Decisive government at the centre.We don't want the situation of 97-98 where PM's were changed sooner than cloths.

Having said that,recent political developments refuse to provide any such signal,rather the opposite.NDA is in tatters,UPA is still not in a position to form a government,third front is rising from its ashes only to make the scene more chaotic.
A fractured mandate by us will see horse trading at centre.Ministries as Railway,Home,Finance,Defence will be distributed to placate many wannable PM's and we shall have a goevernment with the only aim to spend as much time in the office as possible.

Let's hope some miracle happens and we have a stable government at the centre.otherwise...Pray for India..

The great Indian Festival..general Elections 2009

2009-03-07T04:37:00.001-08:00

With general elections so near,I can't resist my political views and will be putting some blogs related to politics.
The one about Narendra Modi and Taliban is already for you to see..
Today I shall be discussing about some politicians who I think are better than the lot.

The first Person coming into my list is Omar Abdullah,The CM of J&K and the political scion of Abdullah family.Though coming from a political dynasty,he has shown extra-ordinary maturity the way he has handled the Affairs of state So far.And it's this quality that puts him far ahead of many babalog(read Rahul Gandhi,Jyotiraditya schindhia) of his time.Probably it's his defeat from Gandarbal Constituency in 2004 that made him more sensible and practical politically.At least he does not look for a safe nest unlike others.He contested from the same constituency from where he had tasted defeat and went on to become the CM of his state.
Finally the terror torned J&K had its Bout of Luck in the form of Omar Abdullah becoming the Chief Minister.Probably,destiny decided that for a state like J&K which is always under the glare of International attention and ravaged from terror, none other than a Omar would do .Good Luck to Omar and J&K.

will keep adding to this list as and when I get time...

Ramblings...

2009-03-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

(1)Spent Last weekend at Goa sponsored by Company.It was an awesome experience..specially the two nights spent at Beaches..In the night the sea level rises and waves were almost touching our couch.Beneath the open sky,waves touching your couch,fog getting denser by every hour and some russian couples playing it out a few meters away(We came to know abt their identity as they took some time off their hectic activity and came to us asking for cigarrette for more than one time),It was an unforettable experience. So my suggestion to all goa goers,go with your friends and spend a full night on beaches.

(2) As one of my friend puts it..Daru Bechne wala Buys Gnadhi's Vision(He called his specs his vision once)..Kalyug hai..

(3) I was just wondering ,how hit a movie Based on Kunwar Singh's life would be?
For those who don't know abt kunwar singh,he was a legendary freedom fighter from Arrah in Bihar.He gave Britishers a hell of a fight during 1857 revolt and finally when he was shot in the Arm,he himself cut the ailing part and threw it in the Ganges flowing by.That shud be pitty normal for we have heard of so many such brave deeds,but what would you say if the man in question was 80 years old?Yes,he was 80 years Old.Now doesn't that make a perfect script and ideal role for someone like Amitabh Bacchan? Probably I shud write this idea as a comment on Amitabh's Blog.Who knows he might like it and the...

(4) That the attack was planned on Lankan Cricketers and Not on Pakistani Cricketers Does show that talibanis have something for pakistani cricketers..do they love cricket or pakistani cricketers? i do think so...though they may never admit...

Bring in the Man..

2009-02-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

Among the current generation of Veteran Leaders,I like Lal Krishna Advani the Most..Among the likely probables of PM ,we don't have a better choice than him.

But i feel,BJP this time is loosing a big oppurtunity by not bringing in the Man whole of India is waiting for i.e. Narendra Modi.Though of late,BJP has started a aggressive campaign reaching out to ppl, specially youth .But all in vain,being a youth myself I can testify to this.Instead,given a choice youth of India will choose Narendra Modi by a massive margin.
Having been heaped on tons of praise by the corporate leaders,he is the one leader our younger population can look forward to for a better and secure future.

However,there is something else that has prompted me to go for this piece.Thinking from the BJP's point of view,the current happenings in pakistan may have a massive impact on Indian General Elections than anticipated.Provided,the leader in question rises to the ocassion.
If he can make a daemon of 'Miyan Musharraf' out of literally nothing and use it to his advantage,he can use the current takeover of swat valley by Talibanis in a way that'll leave other parties handcuffed.This time we have a real and a far more dangerous threat looming around in our neighbour in the form of taliban.This makes an ideal setting for leaders like narendra modi who in the past have effectively used the fear wave to further their politicial ambitions.Pakistan in the hands of taliban is making indian public apprehensive and this makes for an ideal batting pitch for narendra modi.Public in such a time is looking for a strong leader who can gaurantee them safety as well development.

With economic crisis deepening further,unemployment & economic development is going to be a major issue in the forthcoming elections and again the one leader that comes to my mind is none other than Narendra Modi.

So.in my view with Narendra Modi as the Prime-ministerial(which is highly unlikely) candidate and Terror & Unemployment as major election issues BJP is going to make it.

The Rule of Three and Indian Telecom Industry..

2009-02-09T04:14:00.000-08:00

Below is a piece written by Anshu Gaur,Chief,Amdocs,India.
The article carries out an In-depth analysis of Indian Telecom Market in a vey lucid manner.Though Long,but it's worth your time,if you happen to have a stake in India Telecom Scene.Thought,it would be useful to you...Enjoy..In Anshu's Words:

The Rule of Three and Indian Telecom Industry

Before I begin this blog, I would like to touch upon the essence of my previous blog “Speaking Hebrew in Hindi”. It was interesting to hear different thoughts/comments associated with the content. The intent was to get us to work more effectively across cultures and leverage cultural diversity to deliver enhanced value to our customers.
In reference to one of my earlier blogs (“India IT industry…”) would be interesting to see how Satyam saga impacts the India IT industry, even though the recent moves being made by stakeholders are very positive. Also, one of the comments was a request to discuss the impact of the economic slowdown on the India Telecom industry; so here goes…..my views on how this sector could evolve over the next few years….
Rule of 3 (Ro3)
Before we begin let us review the” Rule of three”; the contention in this rule is that in a mature market where competitive forces are allowed to thrive, free of government interference or other special circumstances, the market driven result will be the situation where three companies and only three will dominate any given market. Whether it's U.S. fast food restaurants (McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's) or South Korean chipmakers (Goldstar, Hyundai and Samsung), or US car manufacturers (Ford, GM, and Chrysler), each industry has its "big three" dominant players. The current challenges in the US with the auto industry could be attributed to this rule playing out….where the Japanese makers, especially Toyota, and Honda have become “domestic” manufacturers and the space clearly is now crowded…resulting in competitive pressures on the “auto big three”, where it is unlikely that all of them will continue to exist in their current form (it is simplistic to blame employee pension costs for the problems that the US auto big three face). The CSP industry in the US has AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
Many of you will think “So why not two or four?” The proponents of this rule explain that consumers value a manageable choice between three suppliers, but that further choice just creates `clutter', and confusion in the market. Finally, the dilution of market share with four major players can also lead to instabilities, driving the weakest into the ditch. Industry consolidation is the key force playing a major role in the application of the theory, and this trend gathers steam whenever growth slows.

Indian Telecom industry

The Indian Telecom industry is shining belying slowdown blues. It’s the fastest growing telecom market globally with subscriber base of 384 million (please do not quote these numbers….they may have changed already!!!) and expected to go up to 500 million by 2010 and 750 million by 2012. Financial projections also indicate that the revenue generated from this sector will grow from current $ 20 bn to $ 35 bn in 2010.
It’s been a long journey (albeit rapid) for an industry that started with just one government player, i.e. BSNL, catering to the communication needs of the entire country. Till not very long ago, BSNL operated with antiquated switching equipment and cumbersome manual exchanges. Today, there are multiple players – domestic and international catering to the ever increasing demands of Indian consumers. With startup spectrum provided to 6 new operators and 3G spectrum auction round the corner, Indian telecom industry is surely changing rapidly.
The India telecom market is in rapid growth stage where incumbents and new entrants are vying for “market space” (adding new mobile phone users both in rural and urban India). Interestingly, profitability of successful India service providers continues to improve, despite the fact that there is continued investment in network coverage expansion, and declining ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User, typically expressed in $ revenue/user/month). One of the ways service providers are able to achieve improved performance is by rapid product, service, and business model innovation, examples include; a) Reliance’s leverage of the CDM IT and Network Infrastructure for GSM launch, Bharti’s revenue/usage sharing models for IT and Network.
As I mentioned earlier, Ro3 is relevant when growth has slowed and competition is for “market share”. My view is that in 5 years (by 2014) the competition will be for “market space”. With penetration levels reaching ~65% of the population, with network coverage exceeding 95% of the population…and with the government allowing market forces to dominate, we should see the Ro3 playing out. The leading effects of Ro3 forces should start shaping the market by 2013.

The Players

1. The Clear Incumbents: Airtel and Reliance—there are two largest players in the market today and there should be no doubt that these 2 providers are the clear Ro3 incumbents
2. The Contenders: Vodafone, Tata Teleservices (TTSL), Idea, Aircel
3. The Start-ups: Unitech Wireless, Shyam Telelink, Swan Telecom, Datacom, Loop Telecom, and Stel.
4. Propped up Navratna Players: MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd—services the Delhi and Mumbai metros), and BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd—services the rest of the country) are promoted by the government
Of the above, only Reliance, BSNL and Airtel are triple play operators providing voice (wireless and wireline), data (high speed), and/or DTH (Direct to Home) satellite services. Vodafone, Idea and Tata Teleservices are limited to providing voice and data. The others focus on voice.

Ro3 Influencers

The way I see it the following factors could play a role in influencing the outcome when the Ro3 plays out:
1. Government: Regulatory direction on Mobile Number Portability (MNP), the minimum holding period before M&A can occur, 3G/Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum allocation guidelines, and divesting ownership in BSNL/MTNL (if and when)
2. Foreign operators’ interest in expanding their brand into India: Vodafone is a successful example, the DoCoMo stake in TTSL, and others like Telenor, Telecom Italia, Sistema and Eilisat have taken stake in the start-ups
3. Spectrum availability and congestion: Currently all GSM and CDMA operators have crossed the DoT criteria for spectrum congestion and hence some of the small operators (possibly the start-ups) could get acquired for the spectrum that larger operators need (essentially they could “spectrum” plays)
4. Corporate Governance: It is hard not to add this as a determining factor on who survives and thrives because of corporate governance concerns in a post-Satyam India

Ro3 Crystal ball:

As I share my view on the possible end state, want to be state that getting to the “Three” is a process, and in a free market this process will inevitably take time to play out….a lot of water will flow down the Ganges, and a lot of money will be made between now and then.

Clear Incumbents:

Airtel is the leading provider, has demonstrated brilliant market strategy, is innovative in products and services, has a great brand, and is a well run organization. Airtel has continued to one-up the completion and has increased their market lead despite fierce competition. Finally, the chances of acquisition by a foreign player are remote….the other way around is more likely. Airtel is here to stay.

Reliance with its deep pockets, ability to compete on price, strong dealer network, brand recognition, and successful launch of GSM services, and BIG entertainment vision will inevitably be a very strong force here and abroad and it’s fierce completion with Airtel will imply that there are no marriages there, and hence it will certainly be the other one to be around.

Finally, Reliance and Airtel both being fiercely nationalistic it is hard to see them sell out to foreign operators (Vodafone had expressed an interest in Airtel before it settled for Hutch Essar).

Reliance and Airtel thus get my first 2 votes of the future Mega carriers.

Contenders:

I see the impact on the contenders as follows:

1. Idea and Aircel strengths are very complimentary. Aircel has strong presence in the enterprise market and is a Wimax player. Idea is primarily focused on the consumer segment. I can see a merger here. The other possible option is for a foreign operator to acquire stake in one or both of them, they are better candidates than the start-ups. Either way, I see that eventually either the combined entity, or acquired entity(s) will consolidate with the Mega Carriers above or the one below

2. Vodafone has made impressive gains since the acquisition of Hutch Essar, and is well positioned with the global Vodafone brand and deep pockets. It is likely Vodafone will use 3G to survive and thrive. This would be the 3rd Mega Carrier in my view and gets my final vote

3. TTSL: Will leverage the benefits that come from being a part of the Tata empire and will take the longest to give up or go away, it is hard to see how it could survive even with the strength coming from group companies and sister company Tata communications. The only way I see that TTSL could be a player is if corporate governance issues impact any one of the Mega carriers. The staying power and Tata group’s reputed corporate governance will allow TTSL to capitalize on that opportunity and join the big league

Start-ups:

The start-up operator story has been interesting, in most cases it is a story of successful business houses, with reasonable liquidity (at the time when they initiated moves) who felt that they could partake in the rapid growth of the telecom market and probably make money (at some time in the process) by selling out. I believe that all the companies involved have smart business people and they know that their ability to be a Top 3 player is between remote and non-existent.

My initial thought was that one or more of these start-ups would come to the market with disruptive strategies like; pursuing the most profitable segment of the population (Top 9% of the current subscribers contribute to 29% of the revenues, and 45% of the margins across all providers) and getting them to switch. Further, being a subscriber myself (and I am sure many of you will agree with me), I know that with the poor quality of service….I am yearning for THE ONE who can promise better quality of service. Instead, in listening to industry insiders and analysts, it appears that the start-ups are gearing up to capture customers in the low income category, and in the rural masses, this segment across all operators comprises 71% of the subscriber base, 27% of the revenue, and 15% of the margins. Servicing this population incurs a higher network operating cost (driven by unavailability of electricity, logistics issues etc.), and hence the task for these folks is really uphill. All combined, it is hard to see how the start-ups will capture more of that mid-single digit market share over the next 3 years (the government mandated lock-in period).

What the foreign operators see in the start-ups to me is questionable, it could be the desire to participate in the growth story or maybe do a “Vodafone”—this in my view is not possible anymore and not certainly with the start-ups. The current market environment and the inevitable risk-averse future will raise questions about these moves…and I believe some will look for a way out, or simply back out.

Net-net, I do not see a single one of these operators being around in their current shape…and none of them of them will be a contender when the Ro3 plays out. In the most likely scenario, I see them end up (following different paths) as spectrum plays for the Mega carriers.

Navratna (translates as nine gems, term used for successful public sector enterprises majority owned by the government) players: One has to give credit to BSNL/MTNL for adoption of competitive business practices; aggressive pricing, good branding and advertising etc. and become relevant in the current cut-throat marketplace. BWA offering launched recently at compelling prices is another great move…..however, it rides on preferential treatment they get from the government giving them the first mover advantage. BSNL/MTNL assets are significant….and I see them of great value to anyone who can acquire them. The question of the government divesting stake in BSNL/MTNL or letting them be acquired in my view is a matter of “when” not “if”….the decision boils down to electoral politics. The journey BSNL/MTNL take will not impact the Ro3 outcome, unless TTSL gets hold of them (as was the case of VSNL being acquired by the Tata group…current called Tata Communications Limited). I do not believe the Mega carriers will allow this to happen, but I did want to rule out that possibility.

So the Mega carriers of the future in my view are:

1. Airtel

2. Reliance

3. Vodafone

Back-up: Tata Teleservices. NOTE: Used only if corporate governance issues, or other unforeseen events (like selling of BSNL/MTNL to TTSL etc.) impede the growth and success of one of the Mega carriers above. The one of the three that drops out in such a scenario is difficult to predict…this would depend on the nature of the events.

The Inevitable comparison

It is hard to write an article about the Telecom growth and possible evolution in India and not talk about what could play out in China. So here goes….
There are some key differences in the business environment in the two countries.…a basic one is that in India, entrepreneurship and competition in the Telecom space is vibrant, service providers are making significant EBIT, most India providers (one can argue) are successful in-spite of the government red tape etc. Market forces will play out and we will see the unfolding of the Ro3, along the way the process will give rise to interesting opportunities for big, small, domestic, and international players alike.
In China, the government is the entrepreneur, and a good one at that. So, in China we see that the government has fast-tracked the process to generate the outcome. I see that China is taking the Ro3 seriously and has virtually folded the major Telco’s into China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom…the new kings in China’s $100 billion-plus telecom kingdom with 625 million mobile phone users. What is interesting is that the government has even done the Technology selection/allocation for the operators.
It is hard to not fall into the trap and question; which is the better approach?, my view and suggestion is that rather than falling into that trap, let us understand the journey that these two economies are taking are inherently different and are governed by culture and values of each system….one should read/listen to Tarun Khanna (HBS professor) who argues compellingly that both cultures are powerful and are very complementary.
In summary, a constant and updated understanding of the Ro3 and how it could shape the world’s growth markets allows products and service providers to strategically position themselves for long-term growth and success. Long-term growth is important to deliver enhanced value to a company’s shareholders.

Some Pics From Pune...

2009-02-08T05:17:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Here are some pics from pune,In and around :...
!
!
!
!

-----------------------------@About to reach Top------------------------------

-----------------------------@Trekking with Frnds---------------------------------

-------------------------------@Udhar ki Topi..-------------------------------------

-------------------------------@Free ki Boating :)------------------------------

--------------------------------@Panchset Dam---------------------------------

-------------------------@First Hand Trekking Experience :)-------------------------

-------------------------------@Karla caves-----------------------------------

--------------------------------@Karla Caves----------------------------

---------------------------------@Karla Caves------------------------------

----------------------------------@Karla Caves-----------------------------

----------------------------------@Karla Caves----------------------------

----------------------------------@Karla Caves------------------------------

-------@Lonawala..The Magnificent Sahyadri Shivling,as they call this peak-------

--------------------@Lonawala..The Sahyadri Mountain Ranges---------------------

-----------------------@Lonawala..The Scenic Beauty-----------------------

Cheers,
Ashutosh

The Hope Quotient that gets you going..

2009-01-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Thanx for bearing with me..But still,I would suggest you to keep crocin as a precautionary measure before delving into this piece....

This is about life.One of the few observations during my brief stint with life has been that a certain amount of hope quotient is necessary for us to lead our lives in a jovial and progressive manner.By Hope quotient,I mean something which you look forward to.
I'll explain,suppose you are planning for your marriage and in a typical indian family the process can stretch anywhere from 2 months to a year involving looking out for a suitable bride\groom,meeting with his\her family,engagement,marriage and blah blah.In this case,it's the marriage which keep your life ticking.

Similary,in your professional life you may look forward to your promotion as something which keeps you motivated to work.you may want to get admitted into a good MBA college and then this is what fuels you to strive for.

What I mean to say is,when you have something which you want to achieve either in short term or long term,you are progressing,evolving and deep inside you love the life.
Increase the resolution,and you'll find that this is similar to somethig called purpose of life.But here lies the difference,you maynot know what is the purpose of your life ,but you may be sure of what you want to get out of the next 6 months into your life.
So I would say evenif you don't know what you want from life in totality,keep that minimum threshold of hope quotient which keeps life ticking.
cling on to any hope.It's not necessary that you'll achieve what you hope for but even then it'll add up to your experiences and keep your life ticking.....
Keep Hoping..

Cheers,
Ashutosh

The CAT Story..

2009-01-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

It was 09:15 AM,dated 9th January,Friday.I was just into the office and logged into the site where they has said CAT results would be published.
Entering....
CAT tr. no:7230475, application no.-******(earlier,it had the exact no. but I changed it after reading abt information security threats :)) and the bang happens...

Quant :50 98.98%ile
DI :33 91.84%ile
Verbal:66 98.78%ile

Overall :149 99.61%ile

Hey, I am expecting something more..there must be some more info as to which IIMs I have got calls from.Is there a mistake? Must be.It's Unbelievable ,there must be a couple of calls.But there wasn't any.Neither at that moment nor in the days to come.

I am still clueless as to what might have gone wrong.One thing was clear, I was a little short in DI,but still it was enough to clear the cutoffs of B,C(PGDCM),L and I(Not to Mention Shillong).
I am trying to look for ways by which I can find out what went wrong.RTI seems one option and am thinking about it.

@Pune

2008-12-22T21:30:00.001-08:00

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?

2008-11-28T00:58:00.000-08:00

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..

2008-10-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

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..

2008-10-15T01:19:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

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..

2008-09-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-09-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-08T03:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-06-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

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..

2008-06-16T01:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-01-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

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.

Hollywood Bollywood

2007-11-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I have just watched the movie JUST LIKE HEAVEN and I find my fingers are already moving anticipating a new blog[:)]
This certainly is not about love or such feelings what I am going to write about is Movies..yeah, more precisely romantic movies.

After watching scores of bollywood movies and a few of Hollywood's ,I feel that movies made in india lack the kind of intensity or creativity that hollywood boasts of.
Talking about Romantic ones,Hollywood movies like Serendipity,If only,Little Manhanttan,50 First Dates,Just like Heaven,Love Actually and many more(List goes very long) take you to a very high level and you keep thinking about the characters,the theme long after the movie.This kind of effect is found missing in hindi Movies ,Even if you name the best ones like Devdas,Heer-Ranjha they stand nowhere against the names mentioned a few line above.
Hollywood movies of all type have one thing in common,they are intense,even if it's comedy it's an intense one,you get the best of the kind you are watching.In Romantic movies, they are very rich in content whether be it emotional or physical which probably our hindi directors probably never cared to provide or in other words they never went that extra step forward to defy the conventional limits.They never innovated enough .Even if you watch other type of movies like The troy,Alexander,Kingdom of Heaven,Star wars,Lord of the Rings you are left your breath gasping by the magnanimous scale of
men and materials involved.

Globalistion is the hue and cry these days and it's the time our film industry also goes global,which can only come when you respect creativity and keep Innovating.

by amrita pritam

2007-10-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

“तुम मुझे भले िकतनी ही बार छोड़ कर चले जाओ, पर िजतनी बार जाओ, उस से एक बार ज़्यादा लौटना.. अगर िबछड़ना पचास बार तो िमलना इक्यावन बार. ये िवयोग अपनी बारी से आता रहा और साथ में िमलन भी. अन्त में िमलन जीतेगा.. एक नम्बर के फ़र्क से… “
“तुम्हारा विश्वास नहीं टूटता?”
“टूटता है, पर िफर बन्ध जाता है. विश्वास भले ही पचास बार टूटे, पर उसे इक्यवन बार बन्धना चािहये. एक बार ज़्यादा, बस एक बार…”

My New Poem..Rah Ke Pathik...

2007-09-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well..this is exam time here and my poetry is at its best as usual[hehe]..

Rah Ke Pathik...

O Rah ke pathik,Badhta Ja,
manji dur hai,raste visham,
bhavon ki umadti nadiya hai to,
gahraya hai moh ka bhi tam,
vikaT aise kaal mein,
tu deep dharya ke jalata ja.O Rah ke....

Nit-Nirantar suni hoti in rahon pe,
sathi chhutenge,sangi bichhdenge,
Mat ro,tu jivan path ka rahi hai,
rah rokte is jaal ko,
tu swayam hi suljhata ja.O Rah ke....

Ja puchh himgiri ke us utang shikhar se,
ya puch sagar ki us anchhui gahri kokh se,
kitne akele hain ye,
vishalta ka mulya kya hai,
jante hain ye,
O lakshya ke diwane,
rukna nai,mudna nai,
path ki in suni awajon ko,
manjil se aata soch,chalta ja.O Rah ke....

Love and Marriage...

2007-09-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Haha..My second consecutive post on "LOVE"..to clear my stand,
I am writing only on the topics on which I feel I have an
opinion that i need to share with you people..

I think most of us wish to fall in love and majoirity of us do
wanna get married once they are settled. A few of us are
already in love (Few?am I wrong?) and most of them would want
to marry their loved ones (anyone who falls outside these
categories? Plz..I want to Interact with you)..

My take is very clear, marriage and love are two eternally
different things and any attempt to join them is as futile as
extrpolating two parallel lines in the hope that they meet
somewhere..if you wish to join them you have to break one of
the lines..in the same way,you have to compromise with
either love or marriage in your life..luckiest is the person
who don't have to compromise on any of these..reasons:-

* Love is an absoulutely personal Feeling between two persons,
while marriage is a social institution from its very concept in
all the societies globally.

* Love as they say, knows no age,religion,boundaries etc..on the
contrary in marriage, details much more finer than age,religion,
borders are taken into account and people try to find the most
compatible match possible[:) most of the times this is also futile]

Does that mean you shudn't marry the person you love or
only love the one whom you marry??..

The question is wide open for you to ponder over and share your
thoughts..I am very flexible on the above thoughts and given a
proper logic I am willing to change..

Contemplating Love!!

2007-06-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking on a while whether one can love more than one person with equal vigour and passion to all of them.(if in case you have more than one :) I have none,hence all this thought and blogs :))

Well, I think ,it's very much possible. Just that we don't realise it or we do not want to.
Can you differentiate between your love for two of your brothers,don't you love them equally?
yes you do..I bet you do. sometimes,you love someone on an equivalent level as of your parents,for example your spiritual guru,or someone elder.All of this are very much real phenomena occuring in our life.

Now what is it that makes us think,we can't love two sweethearts/lifepartners equally. Though it may be a wild concept for some,but I am sure it happens and it's perfectly natural.

If it can't be so,then I must say there exists two types of love,one that is bestowed on life-partner and the other one being for rest of the family & friends,including mother,father and brothers etc. However,all of us know love is same everywhere and for all,whether it's for spouse or for family. what makes the love for life-partner somewhat appear different is the blend of sex and love.

Hence, I think it's perfectly natural if one is in love with more than one person at a time.
Moreover, our ancient texts have some very good examples of such kind, Draupadi with pandavas and Lord Krishna with his eight patranis. Just we need to think over it rationally and you'll get my point.

Disclaimer:- It's only a thought..please don't try it out..you may loose even the existing ones..[:)]

Sutta Song

2007-06-14T11:11:00.001-07:00

I remember girls deserting the arena when the band Pentagram started chanting " B*C*
Sutta" along with us at ISM during srijan2k6. However, I had a completely different experience at IIT KGP.

Recently I attended a party by Nettech(an organisation which gives summer training in network management). Since some of my friends were a part of the training, I was also invited.Approximately 300 guys and gals in almost equal proportion were dancing to the tunes and adding to the beauty of the evening.

Someone played the song "sutta" and I cud hear all the girls crying and whistling passionately.It was as if this song had the effect of a Booster on their souls.
when the song was changed I heard some girls shouting "sir,B*C* Sutta fir se"(aaila!! bharosa nai hua kya)..

Guys became almost electrified on this response of girls..some of the guys went further and the famous XLRI song("danda" ) was on the decks now..To add to my amazement the gals were still tapping their legs..

After the party, at my room I was wondering ,what was it that made the ISM girls leave the arena then back in 2k6. Has india changed so much in last one year??
By the way, here at KGP I also heard the female version of "sutta" by the gals of NIT,K.. (Mail me, If you need this song)

Well, after all this I am forced to change my perceptions about gals..I would suggest you should too,if you haven't.

Swapna sundari ...continued..

2007-04-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

This part of swapnsundari is composed by
Ms. Tabassum Shakeel..(she insisted on continuing this poem)

"main bhramar nahi tu pushp nahi
par jeevan upavan lagtab hai
he priytama ye roop tera mujhe
anupam aur ujjaval lagta hai
man pathik mera tu manzil si
ye jeevan raah sa lagta hai
ik swapn si sunder kyun hai tu?
tujhe paana jeevan lagta hai ..."

This had added to the beauty of the poem immensly

VISA TRIP

2007-04-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Haha...my Visa trip..though this might have turned out to be a US trip .
thanx to US onsulate,it cudn't

It was interesting to know how they delayed(better say denied my visa)..
After crossing 2 security checks and 2 counters where they check for
your papers..It turned out to be my photograph was not according to
their specifications..and the pretty lady needed my hostel phone no.
too..(plz don't assume any other reason except VISA )..I had to move
out getting a photograph according to their specifications and
crossing all those counters and checks again..

In b/w I cud see some pretty young ladies waiting for their Interview
with me..along with two old couples,one student aspiring for MS,
one wipro Business Executive alongwith his family and one journalism student(probably)..
Tension as usual..they were preparing for the Interview the way we
prepare for Our exams..asking questions among themselves viz.

"the executive to his wife-what do you do mam?
wife - I am a teacher
exec. -How long you have been teaching
wife - ****
exec - Why do you want to move to USA?
wife - *** "

I cud see a tension prevelant on all the faces except mine.Reason,
I thought I was genuine and had nothing to hide..no need to prepare
for these simple questions (I was wrong..hehe)

However I took the chance to talk with one of the girl sitting
beside me. She was a Wipro employee,was tense.I queried for wht papers
she has brought etc...

Inbetween, I cud see 3 ppl being denied their VISA outrightly and the
Journalism student was allowed.They were two ppl taking interviews.
One a young US guy (say Mr. x),the other being a Lady on two separate
counters.

The moment arrives,my name is called..went to the counter,It was Mr. x
waiting for me(pahla kela...socha tha wo lady legi Interview)--

Mr. x- gudafternoon sir
me- (with a forced smile) gud afternoon
Mr. x- How are you sir?(jaise abhi chai,coffee ke liye puchhega)
me- fine and you?
Mr. x- fine sir, please scan your fingers on the red scanner
Me- ok(karna pada )
Mr. x- (going thru my papers, I was feeling the tension now)
where r u going sir?
me- decatur,georgia near Atlanta(again with a forced smile)
Mr. X- what is the purpose?
me- (m**** application me likhe to the sab kuchh)summer Internship
Mr. x- Why did u choose this internship?
me- (thinking for a while,US ghumna tha aur kya)-The Internship Involves
microcontroller programming which is my area of Interest besides,
this being a foreign Internship adds much value in india.
(koka....microprocessor me C+ aya tha:))
Mr. X- I think you may need a J1 visa
Me- I had a talk with a fellow who had done his Undergard Intern
In US and he told a B1 visa would do.
Mr. x- Ok,lemme confirm ..don't go any where(went inside a room,increasing my
tension further,comes back talks to a person besides him )
Mr. x- Mr. Dubey,this is not a problem for us(does some work on desktop )..
we have a different issue(awaz more soft and frndly...I cud sense
something wrong,nahi to Itne pyar se baat karne ki koi jarurat nahi thi)
Mr. x- (smiling) someone with your name has done something in US and we'll
require an additional clearance from washington(bomb dropped!!aailaaa)
Me- so get it.how much time it's gonna take?
Mr. x- It may take months sir(ho gaya)..(sensing my disappointment) however in
some case It cases I have seen it coming it within a month also
(consolation complete...)

Me- (giving a shatterred look) what about my internship sir
(man to kar raha tha galiyane ka)
Mr. x- but this check will be necessary when u go for your higher degrees ,
Job or for an eventual Internship Next year(matlab..s*** Internship
to bhul hi jao aagey fir kabhi jana hai to meri baat mano)
Me- I see..but can't you ask for a fast processing of things.
Mr. x- sorry sir,we can't do anything in this regard...

*********(kuchh aur baatein)

This way My visa trip comes to an end............................................
Kahani se sikh-Never go for an US Internship..East or West India is The Best

My Tryst With Astrology

2007-03-30T11:55:00.002-07:00

I have been interested into astrology after my 10th when i had lots of leisure time between board exams and their declaration.May be my this interest is due to Banaras,the holy city being my place of birth,and this city continues to fascinate me more than any other place.

Initially i myself was not sure whether how much accurate the predictions are or whether they are connected to one's destiny at all.However,i followed my this hobby as i had ample time then.Gradually i came across various classic texts and enriched my knoweledge.

The real launch took place when i entered at ISM,with astrology being my only saviour during the dreaded ragging period.With a little heasitation i started mentioning astrology as my hobby during the mandatory 'intro' ,it was an instant hit and i was popular within days as the "first year jo kundali dekhta hai",with some final year seniors being on my fan list(that's quite
an achievement during ragging period).

one day a senior called me and said that whatever i had said about him was true to every word and it was a pleasant surprise for me,as i myself had not tested my predictions till then and here i had someone testifying for 100% accuracy.Gradually, the number of such persons increased and i was known more for my astro skills rahter than anything else.Though there were many students with palmistry as their hobby but none in horoscopes,which sounded more scientific and credible to the general Junta.

At times,it became difficult to manage as this phenomenon continued during exam time too,and i had really some hard time avoiding some persons solely to save some time for study.

Being an astrologer gives you many benefits..
the first being instant interaction..
the moment one knows you know astrology(doesn't matter how right or wrong),9 out of 10 times,he'll ask for your services,this way you can move into his personal domain instantly.

gals!!..Yeah it definitely works for Indian girls,(haven't tried on foreigners,may be i'll try some this summer)

Social Magnet..quoting Mr. Amitabh Gir,Manager,Admissions,ISB.."I want to learn astrolgy purely with a strategic point of view,coz people with some astro skills are social magnets".This is what he told me once during a dinner,and he was not wrong for sure.

I don't know how much help it would be once i move into the industry,but at ISM, it's been very effective. Whether it was being tagged the "1st guy" to clinch a party from the most sought after gal at ISM(guess!!!shudn't be difficult,she is in final year :-) ), a midnight call from Chicago or some unknown friend requests at Orkut(guys and gals alike),astrology has been something that has made me cultivate my second hobby i.e. to Interact with people and this surely is going to help me in industry if not astrology.

My Poem..Meri SwapnSundari....

2007-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

हे स्वप्न सुंदरी तेरी तलाश में कहाँ खो गया हूँ मैं।
इस संसार के उपवन में हजार तितलियाँ, हजारों भ्रमर
पर उस तितली को देखकर क्यों मचल गया हूँ मैं,
कोइ पूछे विधाता की उस सुंदरतम रचना से,
जेठ की इस भरी दुपहरी में ठंढी आह क्यों भर रहा हूँ मैं।
पतझड़ में सावन,दिवाली में होली और दिन में रात
के गीत क्यों गा रहा हूँ मैं। हे स्वप्न सुंदरी……

अचानक से मेरा मन-मयूर मचल उठा है क्यों,
ऐ हसीना तेरे इन लहराते बालों पे,
चलते तो सब लोग हैं,पर क्यों जी करता है,
मर जाने को तेरी इन मतवाली चालों पे।
क्यों तेरी इस मादक खुशबू से
खुद को मतवाला बना रहा हूँ मैं। हे स्वप्न सुंदरी……

फ़कीर था पहले अब तेरा दिवाना हो गया हूँ,
जो कभी ना बुझे उस शमाँ का परवाना हो गया हूँ,
तुमसे मिला नही कभी पर तेरी याद में
पागल सा हो रहा हूँ, कवि नहीं हूँ,
पर कविता लिख रहा हूँ मैं।हे स्वप्न सुंदरी……

Semester Vows!!

2007-03-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

Starting from the 1st Mid-Semester Exam way back in 1st semester,i along with my dear friend vow to study hard next time only to degrade our performance in next exam.We don't seem to find a solution to it,the bigger the vow,poorer the performance. our GPA trends keep showing a negative slope, while aspirations behaving just the opposite.

When i came at ISM, i heard someone saying "in 1st year,you start with Next Bill Gates,gradually realising that it takes a hell lot of guts,skill and luck to be even his employee"!!!.

Me and my friend are exceptions,with each passing day we are getting more elated and ivigorated, without any reasons. more importantly it frustates some of our batchmates who work harder with a Better performance under their belt..

Donnknow where it'll take us...i am just hoping for a day where we crash down to ground realities......