Caught this amazing piece of news on the BBC site. Apparently Air
Slovakia , a carrier from the Central European state of Slovakia has
been bought over by a UK based businessman of Punjabi Origin.
Unlike the Mittal-Arcelor deal, this one seems to have got lost in the
backyards of newsreel!!
According to the new owner he wants
to transform the 60-employee Air Slovakia into a "Punjabi experience".
That means using crew, food and in-flight entertainment from the
northern Indian state of Punjab and using regional headquarters based
in the Punjabi city of Jalandhar. There will be "dedicated" planes
flying into Punjab too, he said.
That would be interesting.. a lassi for welcome drink and juicy Tandoori Chicken on offer for meal service!!
Chk it out @ the BBC site..
Friday, October 13, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Driving in Bangalore for Dummies
Considering the amount of time I am forced to spend on the roads daily,
I decided to come up with a ready reckoner for tackling the roads of
Bangalore!!
Hopefully these tips help you survive the traffic in the Garden City of Bangalore!! Happy Driving!!
p.s. Bangalore would have one of the lowest accident fatality rates in
the world!! After all its difficult to mow down a person when you r
driving below 5kmph!!
I decided to come up with a ready reckoner for tackling the roads of
Bangalore!!
- Distances in KM/miles etc do not matter in Bangalore. Always
measure it using the number of potential traffic jams you are
bound to face on the way.
- The white spaced/solid lines drawn on the road is a joke!! Its just one of the things that we ape from the west!!
- Any lane is the right lane!! You are free to use any lane of the
road, no matter what type of vehicle you are driving, what speed u r
driving or where you wanna go. - If you wish to take a right or U turn, occupy the left most lane,
try turning right and block traffic on all the lanes. Feel no shame or
guilt. - Under no circumstances whatsoever, should the indicator be used!!
Its a waste on your batteries. After all the person behind you would be
breathing down your neck and would not be in a position to see your
tail lamps!!
- Vehicular traffic in Bangalore is fluid. If one opening on the
road is blocked, it immediately moves to the next available opening on
or off the road. You have to be a novice or an alien to stick to
your own lane!! If your side of the road is totally blocked simply use
the other one. Dont worry about oncoming traffic. A constant flickering
of your head-lights would do the trick!! :) - Two wheeler traffic is more fluid than ones with more number of wheels.
- If the gap between two vehicles ahead is atleast equal to the width
of your vehicle (excluding the side view mirrors and the other unwanted
frills!!) , go ahead and squeeze in. Otherwise prepare for a honk-fest
from the vehicles behind you. - If you happen to be at a red-light at nite, ignore it!! India is a
free country. Zoom ahead. Else you get the same treatment as above. - Pedestrians can and will cross the road anywhere and at anytime.
You touch them, you pay. After all we are a democratic country!! - The most used parts of your vehicle - The Brake, The Horn, The
Clutch, The Gear - in that order. Its a good idea to drive around in
circles in a ground once in a while, so that the gas pedal and the
speedometer get a work out!! It will also help you overcome panic and
helplessness when you are suddenly faced with a clear stretch of road!!
:)
- The entire stretch of the road is considered one long bus stop,
except for the designated stops!! More so if it is a private bus!! - Beware of this species of drivers - they usual swarm out of
certain areas like e-City, ITPL, BG Roads ar pre-designated
times. Drive Indica, Tata Sumo, Safari,Qualis or Tavera. Often have a
sticker behind them which contains a 9/8 digit mobile number which you
could call up to inform abt "rash-driving". They no know fear, They
know no rules!! They would go to any extent (literally off the road!!)
to transport their "precious cargo". - There are slow trucks and then there are slower trucks. The two
of them are in a constant race to outdo each other , occupying the
entire width of the road. If you are stuck behind it, simply njoi
maadi!!
- If your vehicle bumps into your "next-road-neighbour". Stop the
car wherever it is, get out and pick up a quarrel (if you like some
variety u can get physical too!!). Dont worry abt the traffic you are
holding up!! Everybody loves a little fight on the street!! - Any part of Bangalore can be considered a parking lot, as long as your vehicle can successfully stay stand still on it.
- If you are looking for entertainment , simply switch on to the
plethora of identity-confused FM channels on air rt now. Most of them
are in the midst of an identity crisis - trying to position itself as
English-Kannada speaking - Hindi song playing channels!! Entertainment
enough!!
Hopefully these tips help you survive the traffic in the Garden City of Bangalore!! Happy Driving!!
p.s. Bangalore would have one of the lowest accident fatality rates in
the world!! After all its difficult to mow down a person when you r
driving below 5kmph!!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Back...
Back from a month long onsite trip to the Netherlands. Love tht
country... its against the law to make you work on a weekend !! :) Got
to roam around the country n a few of its neighbours.. uploaded the
snap to picasaweb
[Warning : Too many pics n Infy n/w sucks]
P.S. Picasaweb is an amazing offering from Google. You can use it along
with Picasa to upload entire albums in one go.. no more selecting pics
n uploading!!
country... its against the law to make you work on a weekend !! :) Got
to roam around the country n a few of its neighbours.. uploaded the
snap to picasaweb
[Warning : Too many pics n Infy n/w sucks]
P.S. Picasaweb is an amazing offering from Google. You can use it along
with Picasa to upload entire albums in one go.. no more selecting pics
n uploading!!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Growing Up!!
My first memory of the football world cup was some fleeting moments during the 86 one @ Mexico. However the first one that I followed thoroughly was Italia 90 way back as a 10 year old!! As luck would have it, I was recovering from a surgery to my foot and had the entire month off from school!! :)
So there I was watching soccer matches at the dead of night, with my red-eyed parents popping in every now n then to remind me of the unearthly time. Watching Lothar Matthaeus, Maradona, Scilacci n the rest create magic with their feet, I dreamt of being a football star!! ;) ok smirks n grins accepted.. i was just a 10 year old who still had hope growing up.. Hope of doing almost everything when I grow up!! From a football star to playing in the Wimbledon to starring in Hollywood/Bollywood to being the UN Secy General to Winning the Nobel and what not!!
Fast Forward 16 years.. Done with school n college n hv been earning for abt 5 years now!! As I watch World Cup 2006, I realize tht 99% of the stuff that I wanted to do as a kid might just never happen.. If I am lucky i cud end up with atleast 1%!! But hey all is not lost .. I cud potentially still be the UN Secy General or might even notch up a Nobel.. As they say.. Umeed pe Duniya Kayam Hain!! :)
So there I was watching soccer matches at the dead of night, with my red-eyed parents popping in every now n then to remind me of the unearthly time. Watching Lothar Matthaeus, Maradona, Scilacci n the rest create magic with their feet, I dreamt of being a football star!! ;) ok smirks n grins accepted.. i was just a 10 year old who still had hope growing up.. Hope of doing almost everything when I grow up!! From a football star to playing in the Wimbledon to starring in Hollywood/Bollywood to being the UN Secy General to Winning the Nobel and what not!!
Fast Forward 16 years.. Done with school n college n hv been earning for abt 5 years now!! As I watch World Cup 2006, I realize tht 99% of the stuff that I wanted to do as a kid might just never happen.. If I am lucky i cud end up with atleast 1%!! But hey all is not lost .. I cud potentially still be the UN Secy General or might even notch up a Nobel.. As they say.. Umeed pe Duniya Kayam Hain!! :)
Free Visa Entry into Singapore For Indian Citizens
On my way back from Melbourne, I planned to stop over at Singapore for a coupla days to meet up with a very close friend of mine. So called up the Singaporean High Commission in Canberra to enquire on the process of applying for a tourist visa. To my pleasant surprise, the lady at the other end informed me that I did not require a visa to enter Singapore as I held a valid Aussie work permit!! That entitled me to a "Visa Free Transit facility" for 96 hours.
Whoa.. thts music to ur ears.. I re-confirmed with the lady and just to be sure shot off a mail to the High Commission for clarification. Copying the reply tht i recvd back.
To cut a long story short, landed in SGP , cleared immigration with ease (keep ur onward confirmed tkt in hand for inspection) and spent two gr8 days in Singapore.
Here's the mail from the High Commission:
96-hour Visa Free Transit Facilities (VFTF) for PRC and Indian nationals
For a limited period starting from 1 October 2005, 96-hour visa free transit facilities (VFTF) will be available to PRC and Indian nationals without the need of letters of guarantee by airlines if they are in possession of a valid onward air ticket departing within the next 96-hours and satisfy the following criteria:
Possess a valid visa/long term pass (validity of at least 1 month) issued by any of the following countries*:
a. Australia
b. Canada
c. Japan
d. New Zealand
e. United Kingdom
f. United States of America
g. Germany
h. Switzerland
The 96-hour VFTF is eligible to PRC and Indian nationals who are in transit to or from any third country. However, transit passengers who satisfy the above criteria are not guaranteed entry but are still subjected to Singapore's prevailing entry requirements.
Transit passengers who satisfy all the above requirements and allowed entry will be granted a stay of up to 96-hours (4 days) in Singapore. Extension of stay for transit passengers under this VFTF scheme is strictly not allowed.
* More countries may be added. Please check with the Singapore Visitors Centres at Changi Airport for more information.
Whoa.. thts music to ur ears.. I re-confirmed with the lady and just to be sure shot off a mail to the High Commission for clarification. Copying the reply tht i recvd back.
To cut a long story short, landed in SGP , cleared immigration with ease (keep ur onward confirmed tkt in hand for inspection) and spent two gr8 days in Singapore.
Here's the mail from the High Commission:
96-hour Visa Free Transit Facilities (VFTF) for PRC and Indian nationals
For a limited period starting from 1 October 2005, 96-hour visa free transit facilities (VFTF) will be available to PRC and Indian nationals without the need of letters of guarantee by airlines if they are in possession of a valid onward air ticket departing within the next 96-hours and satisfy the following criteria:
Possess a valid visa/long term pass (validity of at least 1 month) issued by any of the following countries*:
a. Australia
b. Canada
c. Japan
d. New Zealand
e. United Kingdom
f. United States of America
g. Germany
h. Switzerland
The 96-hour VFTF is eligible to PRC and Indian nationals who are in transit to or from any third country. However, transit passengers who satisfy the above criteria are not guaranteed entry but are still subjected to Singapore's prevailing entry requirements.
Transit passengers who satisfy all the above requirements and allowed entry will be granted a stay of up to 96-hours (4 days) in Singapore. Extension of stay for transit passengers under this VFTF scheme is strictly not allowed.
* More countries may be added. Please check with the Singapore Visitors Centres at Changi Airport for more information.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
God's Own Country
The tourism department of the Kerala Government has successfully managed to convert this ad-phrase to stand for what Kerala truly is - God's Own Country (well considering that it my country too.. its true in more ways than one!!) .. last week had a gr8 opportunity on driving down from Cochin (which is pretty much bang in the middle of Kerala) to down South Trivandrum. Have done this trip lotsa times, but what made this one special was a detour to Chengannur to meet some family friends.
And boy.. this is a detour nebody would luv.. right through the middle of the famous backwaters of Alleppy!! .. Kuttannad is not a name that would roll out of ones tongue easily, neither is it as famous as its neighbour - Kumarakom. But this is the heart of Kerala's backwaters and like most of Netherlands is below sea level!! If you want to see people lead a normal life surrounded by water all around, just drive down from Alleppy to Changanassery!! It truly is an amazing drive. The road is good for most parts, barring a few stretches where work is on.
This road has water on either sides. You suddenly get a feel how Lord Rama n his Vanara Sena wud hv felt while crossing over to Lanka!! :) Before the road was built, the only way to got to these places were using boats. People still use boats here and there is a thriving KSWTC (Kerala State Waterways Transport Corp.) service across the region.
On either side of the road, u wud find locals selling freshly caught fish n live ducks!! Its a sight to be seen. This region is criss-crossed by a huge network of canals. You cud also hv a trip down these canals on rented boats.
Once u hv reached Changanaserry, u drive through winding roads to Chengannur. It is amazing how in a course of a few miles, the entire terrain has changed. From the lazy backwaters, we are now in the middle of the ups n downs of western ghats. But nobody's complaining!! :)
After a heavy lunch at Chengannur, we were back on the roads trying to get back to the NH on our way to Trivandrum. I must say the roads in Kerala hv improved tremendously (either that or I hv been conditioned to roads here in Bangalore :) !!) All new roads that are being laid are rubber based ones, which hv longer lifespan and a better finish!! Its a pleasure to drive down these babies!!
On our way back, we again had to take a detour (a detour within a detour!!) due to sm repair works. now this was kinda scary. It was a narrow road with no signs and I just kept going. There was this scorpio ahead of us and I just kept following that!! Abt 2 kms uphill asked a few locals the direction n they said its just round the corner, keep gng str8!! isnt it amazing how its always round the corner when u ask smone for directions!! :) Neways kept gng and the road became narrower and muddier and darker!! Smthings wrong, but atleast there was one more guy making the same mistake .. what a comfort!! All of a sudden one of the most beautiful things that I hv ever seen .. the road opens out into a wide green valley.. and this narrow road thru the middle of it.. and green fields on either sides!! A treat to sore eyes..
Soon we had our first sign that we were on our right track, n in abt an hr we were back on NH-47 zipping down to our final destination- Trivandrum.
As I was driving, I wondered if as Keralites, we tend to ignore the natural wonder tht Kerala is!! Do we take for granted what nature has gifted us or is it a case of "Muttathe Mullakku Manamilla" , which is Malayalam for "the flowers in one's own garden dont smell that good"?!!.. Well I guess I just hv to keep taking more such detours to njoi God's Own Country!!
And boy.. this is a detour nebody would luv.. right through the middle of the famous backwaters of Alleppy!! .. Kuttannad is not a name that would roll out of ones tongue easily, neither is it as famous as its neighbour - Kumarakom. But this is the heart of Kerala's backwaters and like most of Netherlands is below sea level!! If you want to see people lead a normal life surrounded by water all around, just drive down from Alleppy to Changanassery!! It truly is an amazing drive. The road is good for most parts, barring a few stretches where work is on.
This road has water on either sides. You suddenly get a feel how Lord Rama n his Vanara Sena wud hv felt while crossing over to Lanka!! :) Before the road was built, the only way to got to these places were using boats. People still use boats here and there is a thriving KSWTC (Kerala State Waterways Transport Corp.) service across the region.
On either side of the road, u wud find locals selling freshly caught fish n live ducks!! Its a sight to be seen. This region is criss-crossed by a huge network of canals. You cud also hv a trip down these canals on rented boats.
Once u hv reached Changanaserry, u drive through winding roads to Chengannur. It is amazing how in a course of a few miles, the entire terrain has changed. From the lazy backwaters, we are now in the middle of the ups n downs of western ghats. But nobody's complaining!! :)
After a heavy lunch at Chengannur, we were back on the roads trying to get back to the NH on our way to Trivandrum. I must say the roads in Kerala hv improved tremendously (either that or I hv been conditioned to roads here in Bangalore :) !!) All new roads that are being laid are rubber based ones, which hv longer lifespan and a better finish!! Its a pleasure to drive down these babies!!
On our way back, we again had to take a detour (a detour within a detour!!) due to sm repair works. now this was kinda scary. It was a narrow road with no signs and I just kept going. There was this scorpio ahead of us and I just kept following that!! Abt 2 kms uphill asked a few locals the direction n they said its just round the corner, keep gng str8!! isnt it amazing how its always round the corner when u ask smone for directions!! :) Neways kept gng and the road became narrower and muddier and darker!! Smthings wrong, but atleast there was one more guy making the same mistake .. what a comfort!! All of a sudden one of the most beautiful things that I hv ever seen .. the road opens out into a wide green valley.. and this narrow road thru the middle of it.. and green fields on either sides!! A treat to sore eyes..
Soon we had our first sign that we were on our right track, n in abt an hr we were back on NH-47 zipping down to our final destination- Trivandrum.
As I was driving, I wondered if as Keralites, we tend to ignore the natural wonder tht Kerala is!! Do we take for granted what nature has gifted us or is it a case of "Muttathe Mullakku Manamilla" , which is Malayalam for "the flowers in one's own garden dont smell that good"?!!.. Well I guess I just hv to keep taking more such detours to njoi God's Own Country!!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Tale of Two Project Parties...
The other day we went out to a gr8 North Indian joint near our place for Dinner. Thanx to the Avian flu scare in India, ordered some totally "chicken free" fare. Sigh!! Longing to dig my teeth into a juicy leg of Tandoori Chicken !! :(
During this time, we noticed two groups of people in the restaurant. Now this once again is a very common sight in South Bangalore. Project parties.. every once in a while techies who work in the same project are taken out to some good restauarant for dinner/lunch, often at the company's (read client's) expense. This is often preceded by a game of bowling or go -karting or even a movie.
Now here we had two teams on separate project parties at the same venue!! But guess food was the only thing that was common about the two teams.. the stark differences were glaring for everyone to see..
Team A has guys n gals clad in sweatshirts, nike/reebok, sporting cool shades and almost all of them with the latest n slimmest models of digi cams n cell phones.. infact the constant flicker of the flash soon became an irritant. This team was all enthu n gung-ho about the whole affair!!
Team B on the other hand, was a lot more down to earth. No flashy jackets or Ts. Some of them were in plain ol' chappals. No digi cams flashing around. Pretty aam junta models of mobile phones!! Very obviously working for a smaller company or on a "no-onsite" project!!
My friend n me gave each other a very knowing smile.. We used to be Team B some years back.. almost no onsite, clients majorly in India n of all the places Africa!! Our colleagues in other units of our company roamed around US/Europe/Japan/Australia, we merely dreamt about those places!!
But today... things hv changed we have slowly turned into Team A .. yep digicams, flashy mobiles, nike, reebok, cars, flats et al thx in no small measure to overseas jaunts!! Hope the Team B we met at the restaurant, one day emerges out as Team A!! :)
During this time, we noticed two groups of people in the restaurant. Now this once again is a very common sight in South Bangalore. Project parties.. every once in a while techies who work in the same project are taken out to some good restauarant for dinner/lunch, often at the company's (read client's) expense. This is often preceded by a game of bowling or go -karting or even a movie.
Now here we had two teams on separate project parties at the same venue!! But guess food was the only thing that was common about the two teams.. the stark differences were glaring for everyone to see..
Team A has guys n gals clad in sweatshirts, nike/reebok, sporting cool shades and almost all of them with the latest n slimmest models of digi cams n cell phones.. infact the constant flicker of the flash soon became an irritant. This team was all enthu n gung-ho about the whole affair!!
Team B on the other hand, was a lot more down to earth. No flashy jackets or Ts. Some of them were in plain ol' chappals. No digi cams flashing around. Pretty aam junta models of mobile phones!! Very obviously working for a smaller company or on a "no-onsite" project!!
My friend n me gave each other a very knowing smile.. We used to be Team B some years back.. almost no onsite, clients majorly in India n of all the places Africa!! Our colleagues in other units of our company roamed around US/Europe/Japan/Australia, we merely dreamt about those places!!
But today... things hv changed we have slowly turned into Team A .. yep digicams, flashy mobiles, nike, reebok, cars, flats et al thx in no small measure to overseas jaunts!! Hope the Team B we met at the restaurant, one day emerges out as Team A!! :)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Athithi Devo Bhava
Aththi Devo Bhava - Sanskrit for "Guest is God".
Something that we have been taught to believe in since we were kids. Accepted, its a good tradition.. very Indian, very cultured. But is this a blanket rule that we follow?!
Unfortunately no!! Well it depends on the guest.. if the guest is indeed god, then yes, other wise maybe.. could be.. or a str8 NO!!
What brought me to think abt this topic?!.. the impending visit of George W Bush, President of the US of A to India!! Leaving aside all patriotic jingoism and socialist preachings, the fact of the matter is that the world today is dominated by one country . The US of A!! Every other country in the world either has to accept this fact or is forced to accept this fact. It is a cycle in history that at some point of time some country is on top of the world. Like the Greeks during Alexander's time , the Romans later, the Arabs n Mongols in the medievial
Today the world is ruled by American policies. Like a famous Dubya statement - "You are either with us or against us"
Now that would make Mr.Dubya, the most powerful person on Earth and ergo the God!!
And when God himself is our Guest, we bend over backwards to please him. Entire roads in Delhi and Hyderabad are being spruced up. An entire hotel has been taken over by US Security Personnel. IGI International Airport will be shut down for 1 whole hour every time Air Force One lands or takes off.
The same would happen, when lesser Gods like Tony Blair or the Saudi King become our guests. the last time the main road @ Madiwala in Bangalore saw a coat of tar, was when Tony Blair visited the infy campus in 2002!!
Would we do the same thing if the President of Ivory Coast or Papua New Guinea were to visit India? Can we expect the same treatment from US/UK when our President or PM visits them?!! .. It wud be interesting to see Heathrow Airport being shut down for an hour coz the Indian President is arriving!!
If you are way down the international pecking order, there is not much that you can do!! But it wud be gr8 if for once we could stop acting servile to the west and show some pride in being Indian.
Something that we have been taught to believe in since we were kids. Accepted, its a good tradition.. very Indian, very cultured. But is this a blanket rule that we follow?!
Unfortunately no!! Well it depends on the guest.. if the guest is indeed god, then yes, other wise maybe.. could be.. or a str8 NO!!
What brought me to think abt this topic?!.. the impending visit of George W Bush, President of the US of A to India!! Leaving aside all patriotic jingoism and socialist preachings, the fact of the matter is that the world today is dominated by one country . The US of A!! Every other country in the world either has to accept this fact or is forced to accept this fact. It is a cycle in history that at some point of time some country is on top of the world. Like the Greeks during Alexander's time , the Romans later, the Arabs n Mongols in the medievial
Today the world is ruled by American policies. Like a famous Dubya statement - "You are either with us or against us"
Now that would make Mr.Dubya, the most powerful person on Earth and ergo the God!!
And when God himself is our Guest, we bend over backwards to please him. Entire roads in Delhi and Hyderabad are being spruced up. An entire hotel has been taken over by US Security Personnel. IGI International Airport will be shut down for 1 whole hour every time Air Force One lands or takes off.
The same would happen, when lesser Gods like Tony Blair or the Saudi King become our guests. the last time the main road @ Madiwala in Bangalore saw a coat of tar, was when Tony Blair visited the infy campus in 2002!!
Would we do the same thing if the President of Ivory Coast or Papua New Guinea were to visit India? Can we expect the same treatment from US/UK when our President or PM visits them?!! .. It wud be interesting to see Heathrow Airport being shut down for an hour coz the Indian President is arriving!!
If you are way down the international pecking order, there is not much that you can do!! But it wud be gr8 if for once we could stop acting servile to the west and show some pride in being Indian.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Colour Me Yellow!!
Since I signed of my last post with a quote from the movie Rang De Basanti.. thot that it might be appropriate to blog abt the movie itself.. n more so considering the fact that I have already seen the movie about half a dozen times now!! (n dont mind watching it some more!!)
RDB is definitely not your average Bollywood fare. Its one of those movies that come out once in a while, that puts you to thought. The movie succeeds in places where Swades and Mangal Pandey failed. It gets across its message loud and clear without ever being preachy. This is exactly how our education system shud be.. exciting n enlightening!! In other words , a masti ki paathshaala!!
Experts and not-so experts have reviewed the movie endlessly in all forums, so am not getting into that here. Simply listing down what I liked best abt the movie..
This n tons more... it truly wud become a cult film of our generation.. a la Dil Chahta Hain!! Expecting more movies of the same calibre from Bollywood (just hoping!!)
p.s.
BTW also caught Chingari over the weekend.. Walked out half way thru!! Pathetic movie, which is being hyped by the "Artie" types!! Pains having to pay 150 @ PVR and not getting your money's worth!!
RDB is definitely not your average Bollywood fare. Its one of those movies that come out once in a while, that puts you to thought. The movie succeeds in places where Swades and Mangal Pandey failed. It gets across its message loud and clear without ever being preachy. This is exactly how our education system shud be.. exciting n enlightening!! In other words , a masti ki paathshaala!!
Experts and not-so experts have reviewed the movie endlessly in all forums, so am not getting into that here. Simply listing down what I liked best abt the movie..
- Probably the first Indian movie that puts Indian History in a totally different light (& sound!!) .. check out the background score during the bike-chase with Aamir Khan as Azaad.
- Focuses and brings to the fore contibution of freedom fighters apart from Gandhi n Nehru, to a generation that has almost forgotten all that
- The music... Amazing is an understatement!! A R Rahman truly is God!! From the masti filled Paathshaala to the peppy title track to the mushy Tu Bin Bataye to the tear jerking Lukka Chuppi and the inspirational Khoon Chala .. boy this is one complete album!! Havent removed it from the player in my car for the past 3 weeks!!
- Lata Mangeshkar finally singing for somebody her own age after a long long time!! Its really painful to watch sm 16 year old like Sneha Ullal lip syncing to Lata!!
- Naresh Iyer ... AR Rahman's discovery from a talent hunt show!! Check out Roobaroo n other songs for his amazing vocals!!
- The cast.. each of the characters well defined and wonderfully executed
- The fact that Aamir Khan the super star does not eclipse any of the new comers!! Kudos to that.. every single person in the lead cast gets ample importance
- Kiron Kher .. amazing performance .. a truly accomplished performer. You wud be excused if u thot she was a born Punjabi!!
- No "in your face" fundas!! Thats were Swades and Mangal Pandey faltered big time!!
- The bike and jeep ride in the beginning.
- Alicia Patten.. just perfect for the role!!
- The ending the way it is!! Any other way wud not hv had so much impact..
This n tons more... it truly wud become a cult film of our generation.. a la Dil Chahta Hain!! Expecting more movies of the same calibre from Bollywood (just hoping!!)
p.s.
BTW also caught Chingari over the weekend.. Walked out half way thru!! Pathetic movie, which is being hyped by the "Artie" types!! Pains having to pay 150 @ PVR and not getting your money's worth!!
Back to My Alma Mater
VRCE/VNIT Adm. BlockAlma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for the mother goddess, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary.It also was the motto of the oldest university in the west, the University of Bologna in Italy and today has come to stand for the college/school that one attended.
So there I was back @ my Alma Mater.. VRCE, Nagpur . oops sorry its called VNIT,Nagpur.. a place where i spent four of the best years of my life.
It has been almost 5 years since I graduated and had been to VRCE only once after that.. that was 3 years back.. when there were folks whom I knew still in college.. but 5 years is like a whole generation in any Engg college.. there was not a soul that I knew in the college.. the places that were once so familiar now look so alien and strange..
Well time was not the only factor to blame.. the entire campus looks all spruced up.. the roads r wider n neater.. gardens n lawns all over the place .. new buildings n hostels..
Luckily the weekend I was there also happened to be the college fest, Aarohi Finale, attended the Dancing n Singing finals.. the whole event was a lot watered down from what used to happen in our times (Never thot i wud be using this phrase so early in my life!!).. but the spirit still the same.. and oh yeah the barrier separate the ladies n guys .. still very much there!!
There are lotsa things abt the college that have changed over the last few years..
the spirit among the students..
the life in hostels..
the food in the mess ..
n that feeling of being a collegian .. the King of the World!!
Pretty much like what Aamir Khan says in Rang De basanti ..
- The name itself.. its called VNIT now.. not VRCE
- Its a deemed university .. yipee freedom from Nagpur University!!
- You no longer have a Principal.. the post is called Director now.. a case of Old Wine in New Bottle!!
- All degrees and mark sheets awarded by VNIT.. no more Kochade signed mark lists!!
- Results out in less than a week!! .. no more rumour mongering and late nite trips to newspaper offices!!
- Near 100% attendance in classes!! .. Wonder how I wud hv survived this!!
- The most amazing and incredible change of them all... final years studying for smthing called a "class test"!!! Most of us hardly studied for even sessionals n just abt managed the uni. exams!!
- Every guy n girl in campus owns a cell phone.. the hostel common phones r sadly lying there all covered in layers of dust.. In fact free sim cards n mobile connections were being distributed as prizes during Aarohi..
- Students with comps n laptops in almost every room in the hostel..
- removal of NU quota in VNIT.. REC/NITs have a 50% quota for the home state, but VRCE had this strange rule where 95% of the Maharshtra seats were reserved for guys from the Nagpur Uni. area .. this led to almost 50% of the students being day scholars during our times (there I go again!!) .. but now with this system removed, most of the seats in Maharashtra get filled by students frm Mumbai n Pune..
- The above has led to hostels being jam packed and the number of day-schis coming down!!
- New and longer menu @ the canteen..
- Hospital beds in our Ol' Dispensary
- ATM @ the SBI Branch
- Kerala quota reduced from 7 to 3!! :(
the spirit among the students..
the life in hostels..
the food in the mess ..
n that feeling of being a collegian .. the King of the World!!
Pretty much like what Aamir Khan says in Rang De basanti ..
"College ke gate ke is paar hum life ko nachate hain.. aur us paar life humko nachati hain"!!
Well have to get back to dancing to lifes tunes now!!
Well have to get back to dancing to lifes tunes now!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
My Hidden Talent
| Your Hidden Talent |
 You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think! |
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Missing : My Bangalore
The first time I landed in Bangalore, I was a precocious five year old, holding on to my mom's hand tightly!! It was the first time I flew and that in itself was a nerve-wracking experience for me. And to top it, my uncle scared me to death, telling me that people in Bangalore "did not hv noses"!! : P There I was waiting for the moment when I would come face-to-face with a "nose less" Bangalorean... but alas that encounter never happened!!
Newayz as a five year old, I was amazed at the journey from the Airport to Mission road.. wide, clean roads.. massive , shady trees with flowers the shade of a flaming red, the cool clime, a welcome change from sweaty humid Cochin and above it all the calm n peace even in the middle of the city!! Those were the days when even Brigade Road used to be two-ways (w/o a traffic jam that too!!). For a year, I stayed @ Midford Gardens, just off MG Road. That’s even before the Big Kids Kemp opened there.. n then later shifted to the suburbs of Malleshwaram, where my school was. It was an amazing experience growing up in Bangalore.. the cosmopolitan culture is unrivalled.. it was not as big, bad and dirty as the "big metros". Bangalore of those days still managed to retain the small town charm. Traveling was a breeze and as a kid we always looked forward to the long drive to the outskirts (a.k.a Koramangala!!).. This was well before IT happened.
But today, as a 25 year old, I watch as my Bangalore is slowly being devoured by unplanned urbanization, denuded by land sharks n realtors, left to rot by narrow minded politics and bled to death by us the people!! The city that i once considered the "best in India", as late as five years back, today can easily be the worst!! Just getting on the streets on Bangalore is a night-mare.. driving through the maze of traffic would feel like a trip to hell and back!!
In the past 20 years, I have changed a lot, some of it for for the good, sm otherwise. During the same period, my Bangalore has been replaced by this imposter city, which I hardly recognize!! I hope someday, somewhere I would find back, the city I grew up in.. My Bangalore!!
Newayz as a five year old, I was amazed at the journey from the Airport to Mission road.. wide, clean roads.. massive , shady trees with flowers the shade of a flaming red, the cool clime, a welcome change from sweaty humid Cochin and above it all the calm n peace even in the middle of the city!! Those were the days when even Brigade Road used to be two-ways (w/o a traffic jam that too!!). For a year, I stayed @ Midford Gardens, just off MG Road. That’s even before the Big Kids Kemp opened there.. n then later shifted to the suburbs of Malleshwaram, where my school was. It was an amazing experience growing up in Bangalore.. the cosmopolitan culture is unrivalled.. it was not as big, bad and dirty as the "big metros". Bangalore of those days still managed to retain the small town charm. Traveling was a breeze and as a kid we always looked forward to the long drive to the outskirts (a.k.a Koramangala!!).. This was well before IT happened.
But today, as a 25 year old, I watch as my Bangalore is slowly being devoured by unplanned urbanization, denuded by land sharks n realtors, left to rot by narrow minded politics and bled to death by us the people!! The city that i once considered the "best in India", as late as five years back, today can easily be the worst!! Just getting on the streets on Bangalore is a night-mare.. driving through the maze of traffic would feel like a trip to hell and back!!
In the past 20 years, I have changed a lot, some of it for for the good, sm otherwise. During the same period, my Bangalore has been replaced by this imposter city, which I hardly recognize!! I hope someday, somewhere I would find back, the city I grew up in.. My Bangalore!!
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