Anger Management

I have been told today that I am unable to keep my cool and generally my facial expressions say it all. I am not surprised at this as I know that I am very emotional and it is hard for me to hide my feelings. I also have a drawback that I lose my temper very easily. But I was wondering if I am actually this bad a person that people think that I should hide my emotions and pretend to be cool.

I have to do this and take this suggestion but I am still not satisfied and could not find a reason when a person has to hide his emotions and put up a foul display and pretend to be cool. I accept the fact that I should keep my anger in check as sometimes it works against me. I am very emotional and anyone who is close to me can judge just by my facial expression what mood I am in. The question that I want myself to answer is will I be able to keep my emotions in check and do I really need to do this ?.

I will try to mould myself as a 'society material' as this is the demand or the price that I have to pay in order to march ahead in life. Having said that I am still not going to part away with my emotional self, instead I would become more circumspect and follow when in Rome do as the Romans do. Some time life drags you to such a point form where you don't have any easy roads towards your goal.

This step that I have to take will make me more flexible and I will able to accept new challenges. I will have to control my anger which is good thing, I have been trying to get rid of my short temper and this step might just help me achieve this goal. Frankly speaking I am just doing this because I have to otherwise I don't feel any one should curb his instincts and let the basic behaviour be eclipsed.

This Too Shall Pass

There are phases in each person's life that he/she does not want to remember and forget it as a bad dream. That was just the case with me today, I got a big jolt today, something happened today that has completely shattered my confidence. I am unable to decide my future course of action. I cannot do anything about it, the best way that I see is to just ignore it and get over it. I want to be normal, tried to be normal but somehow tears forced themselves out. I am feeling very depressed and alone. I have no one with whom I can discuss my current state of mind.

It has always been the case with me, I always regret not having a good and healthy friend circle. I live away from my home and parents and today I need them badly. I wish they were here so I can just sit by their side and tell them all that I have got stored in my heart and then may be I will cool down.

But I have been through this and other tougher times and every time I have faced it bravely and come out with flying colours. I always remember the four words that my Chacha ji used to say 'This Too Shall Pass'. It has actually helped me believe that everything passes out and fades with time and I am hoping that this things gets out of my mind as soon as possible. I wish I could have avoided such situations, but I was not at all aware of it. It has come as a surprise and I was caught unprepared for it. I don't know what I am going to do and how I am going to get things back in shape, but it is a promise that I will rectify the things so that I don't get caught in similar situations now onwards.

Take this as an advice from me, always expect the unexpected and be prepared to get shocked. Some things in life just happen and when it does it brings a lot of pain with it. So be prepared for the worst and give your best. If even after this you are shocked accept it as a curse and try to live with it till you get it. I have been hurt and my confidence has been dented, it has been a extremely bad end to a good day in my life. I will have to work hard to forget what I have been through.

I apologise to all of you for posting such a demoralizing and personal blog. It was just my way of cooling down, and trying to reconstruct my composure. I have not presented the actual problem due to some personal reasons and also for the fact that it cannot be discussed in public. I was shocked to say the least, and this post has been used to get things out from within me. I apologise once again.

Is Fame and Money over and above Everything ?

There is a show running on Star Plus these days named 'Sach Ka Saamna'. The format of the game is that Prior to appearing on the actual show, contestants are asked 50 questions while being hooked up to a polygraph machine. The biological indicators of the contestant, such as pulse rate, blood pressure, etc. are measured and used by the polygraph to decide whether the answer is true or not. The contestant is not aware of the results of the polygraph for his or her answers. During the actual show, the contestant is asked 21 of the same questions again. If the contestant answers honestly, he or she moves on to the next question; however, should a contestant lie in his or her answer, or simply refuse to answer a question after it has been asked, the game ends and the contestant loses all their prize money. The total prize money is 1 crore.

I have witnessed a couple of episodes and I was shocked at the questions that they were putting up and also the answers that came in response. These people call up celebrities in the show and make them reveal the so called facts of their lives. In my opinion it is not good for the society and the generations to follow. Lets take 'Yusuf Hussain' for an instance, he is a 62 year old actor and was called to the show. I was shocked to know that he was accompanied to the show by his present girl friend and his 3rd ex-wife. This would not be conveying a good message to all his followers, moreover he was pretty happy admitting that he didn't make any effort to save any of his 3 marriages and that he is still waiting for the dream girl. I would like to put a question, what can be said about the character of a person who is 62+ years of age, has been married 3 times, has a girl friend and is still searching for his dream girl. I firmly be live that this is a kick on the face of society and action should be taken against it.

I am totally shattered to note that just for the sake of money or fame people are putting their relations on line, disclosing very personal and sensitive things in public and then feel proud that they have spoken the truth. I actually heard a woman confess that even after marriage she felt the urge for sexual pleasure and thought about cheating on her husband. What effect will this statement have on her husband is any body's guess. I cannot understand what is going. Even if this is all made up, I must say this is a very bad concept and this will have a negative impact on the Indian society.

It is my humble request to the Entertainment Agencies to revisit their thoughts and try to develop a healthy entertaining programs and not to depend upon such useless, baseless and 'just for marketing' strategies. I accept that the TRP will grow as people would go and watch just out of curiosity, it may even be a big hit, but is this working in favour of the society ? and how will it affect our society still remains to be seen. It is evident that there has been a great fall in the quality of programs that are being transmitted on the idiot box.

Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC]

I have been to KFC a number of times and each time I go there I seem to enjoy the food more and more. The nearest KFC store from my place was in Rajouri Garden about 15kms from my place, so I could not go there on a regular basis. KFC opened a branch in Dwarka couple of months back and now it is easier to reach, it also accepts Sudexo Meal Passes which makes it even better. I have tried out several dishes and combos and liked all of them though the fried crispy chicken remains the favourite. On my last visit I tried the new Toasted Twister Meal and loved it. It was priced at 129 plus taxes. The combo contained a Toasted Twister, 3 pieces of Chicken Wings and a Regular Pepsi and was sufficient to feed one adult. I would recommend the same to all of you Chicken freaks, it is a must have. The toasted twister is a really wonderful recipie that KFC guys have dished out. It is also an advice that, if possible, don't get things parcelled to your place, it is more delicious when consumed hot, packaging destroys the originality.

The basic difference between Chicken preparation at KFC and other outlets is the Crispy wrapper that they put on the Chicken. It tastes superb but it is a very heavy dose and is full of oil and fats. Talking about facts, KFC primarily sells chicken in form of pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts. For the vegetarians in India, KFC also has great tasting vegetarian offerings that include the Veggie Burger, Veggie Snacker and Veg Rice meals.

They have several weird and funny slogans that I seem to like 'Discouraging Table Manners Since 1930', 'Way back in 1930 Colonel Harland Sanders Got Some Distinguished KENTUCKY FOLK LICKING Their Finger, It's Been A Fashion Since' to quote a few. They also have some slogans in the store like 'We use 100% chicken as 99.9% s not as good as 100%', 'We use separate utensils and oil for cooking vegetarian food as Chicken and Matar don't go together'. These tits and bits make the environment there bit humorous. In India, KFC is growing rapidly and today has presence in 11 cities with close to 50 restaurants. I promote the Chicken revolution carried by KFC and accept that I am a big follower.

Building a Positive Attitude

This is a motivational post that would help all of us survive in this period of recession, when things are not good. There is sense of insecurity and uncertainty. We have been surrounded by things like slow down, lay off and to fight this situation we need to just keep faith and not lose hope. One should do his best and leave the rest on God, a person should never feel that the end of the road is near. This is the only thing that can keep you away from foul thoughts and help you to give your best and boost your confidence.

I would like to point you to Shiv Khera's words Winners don't do different things. They do things Differently. This in itself says that the way you do a thing is important. There is this motivational poem by some author titled as Don't Quit, it is a beautiful inspirational poem that tellz us that we should not feel depressed and keep trying. We should make the most of every situation i.e. When life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade. We should not try and run away from the situation at hand. Few Inspirational quotes to support my statement:
Mary Kay Ash: For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.
Theodore Roosevelt: Have you got a problem? Do what you can where you are with what you've got.

I would like to conclude with the following words:
Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
Make all your friends feel there is something in them.
Look at the sunny side of everything.
Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.
Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
Give everyone a smile.
Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.
Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

I have tried to put in the steps that I have tried and has worked wonders for me. It has always helped me come out victorious from bad situations and depressions. It is not a sure shot way but definitely it helps. I have been lucky that I have not faced too may bad things but still I use these steps as a way to keep myself motivated. Hope it is helpful for you folks as well.

How I started reading Novels.

Of late I have developed a new habit of reading novels apart from writing Blogs. These days I am more into Blogs and Novels have taken a back seat but they are always on my mind and I always carry one along with me so that I can read them as and when I get time. I have always wondered how can people read novels, what pleasure do they get in reading them. I thought it is the worst hobby and is so boring. So I tried to give it a shot, I decided that I would try to read a novel and see, the basic human tendency to try things. But I didn't just pick up any novel, I applied a bit of sense and went about my job in a clinical manner. I searched the Internet for some novels that I can try. I was looking for the following characteristics:

1. It should be short enough so that I am confident that I can finish it.
2. The Subject shall be pretty simple and must relate to our day to day activities so that I can imagine the things which will help me understand.
3. The next thing was that the story should be such so it can keep me interested and glued to it.
4. I also wanted to start with some Indian writer so I don't have problem understanding the writing styles.
5. The novel should not be very expensive so if I could not read it I don't end up wasting much money.
6. I am also very fussy when it comes to reading old books, I just don't like it. I always feel good when the pages are new and smell good. This might sound idiotic but this is how things are with me.

With these points in mind I found Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat as the best candidate. I started reading it, found it interesting and to my surprise loved it and got attached to it emotionally. I also liked the way Chetan presented things. I was moved and decided to search for other books written by him. After I finished the other books written by him I almost faced the end of road once again. The problem of choosing the novel stood tall, at this point of time my Brother-in-Law helped me and introduced me to two beautiful authors viz. Erich Segal and Paulo Coelho. I started with Love Story by Erich Segal, the emotions and passion made me his fan and I was so attached that I had to read Oliver's Story as well. After this I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and since then the journey has never stopped. I have now read several books by different authors, some famous and others not so famous.

Now I love to read and it has become one of my favourite time pass or should I say I have developed a hobby of Reading. I had never thought that I would be reading novels so passionately. I must say that it is an awesome experience reading books. I have also been through some boring books like 'Stay Hungry Stay Foolish' but the overall experience has been great. So it my advice to all those who want to develop the habbit of reading to first search for the subject that interests them the most and may be follow the steps that I did. I hope more and more people will start reading, it is a good habbit and enhances your personality. Start Reading...

Transformed, we took shelter in YO! China

Today the Engineering team decided to go out for a movie and lunch. We decided on Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. We had Terminator Salvation as a choice but on majority vote and going by the first version of Transformer we went for Transformers 2. So with this plan in place Kushagra, Rohit, Ankush, Nilendu, Ahmad, Jitender, Yogesh, Deepak, Navneet, Gaurav Chauhan and I decided we shall go to PVR Cinemas Metropolitan[MGF] Mall in Gurgaon and have lunch there after the movie. We missed Ritesh and Gaurav Khera, Ritesh was on leave today and Khera had few people to take care of [pun intended].

We left the office at about 12:15pm, the movie was scheduled to start at 12:55. We enquired and found that the seats were easily available plus there was a offer running on Visa Debit card that said you get a small Pepsi and popcorn free for every 2 tickets, so we decided to collect tickets from the ticket counter itself. The ticket was priced at 75/- as the show began before 1:00pm. We were fascinated to note that we shall be getting the tickets along with Pepsi and popcorn at this price.

We decided to carry the Pepsi and Popcorn at the start of the movie itself. So we took the free stuff and purchased other stuff to have enough snacks for each of us. The movie started showing some sort of Gas leakage in China, moved through The U.S.A. and finally ended in Egypt. This was probably the best thing in the movie as we got to see different cities of the World. Rest of the movie was basically a display of animation in which we saw almost each and every type of a car, jeep or truck getting transformed into killing machines. Even the electronic gadgets of the kitchen were often at war with each other. The movie, in my opinion, was made keeping in mind the interest of various cars of the world.

But we still had the guts to stand up after 150 minutes of Transformation and discussed the better side of things. We were pleased to note that in 75 bucks we got two and a half hours of comfortable seat in a pleasantly air cooled room plus the fact that we even got Pepsi and Popcorn. The best part was that we had a good time together and were away from the hectic and tiring schedule of the office. Dejected with the movie, we moved to Yo! China to have food.

All the frustration that had crept in by the movie was taken out on some yummy food in Yo! China. We made chicken, lamb and prawn all suffer. We ate loads of things and trust me the food really tasted good. I could see few reasons for the food tasting so good. Firstly it was almost 3:00 and we were pretty hungry, secondly we enjoy Chinese food and lastly we were so bored by the movie that everything else seemed too good. Overall it was good outing and we enjoyed ourselves, the movie played spoil sport but still we enjoyed it. It is worth mentioning here that Jitender paid for the movie tickets for Me and Deepak.

I would like to quote some comments that people gave after the movie was over.

@Kushagra: the earth is safe now as all the machine monsters were finally destroyed.
@Yogesh: beekar movie
@Jitender: need to read the script to understand what was happening in the movie.
@Pratyush: don't keep too many electronic gadgets in your kitchen as they may start fighting and shooting each other.
@Chauhan: the hottest girl in the movie had a tail ;)
@Navneet: the movie was for cars not humans.

Delhi NCR saw its first Rainbow Today

Thank God, finally it rained here in Delhi and Gurgaon. It was just yesterday when I was discussing the fact that Mumbai is getting flooded with water and we are facing a drought. Today it rained to everybody's relief and the merury level fell. I saw a rainbow on my way back from Office in Gurgaon and it was a very nice feeling.

The Rain was good in several sense but it also exposed the possible loop holes. The road under the Dwarka Underpass was already shattered. There was water logging in many parts of Gurgaon. Actually the rain was not as hard as the above scenes make it feel like. It was a good shower for about 90 minutes but nothing more than that. The best part is that the temperatures fall considerably and things looks bright. The trees appear to be fresh and greener as all the dust that had settled on them were washed out.

The big question is can we say that finally the monsoon is here or was this just a passing shower that came in to ignite us temporarily. It would be hell if it was a passing shower and the sun comes out in full bloom tomorrow, the heat that would come out of the ground and extreme rise in the humidity level would make us all sweat and prospire. Lets hope for the best and be optimistic. Having said that I am still keeping my fingers crossed.

Unique Type Of Family Problem !!!

There is joke by Khushwant Singh realted to family problems. Read this article for the actual joke. What I have done is to translate this joke in Hindi and present it with a bit of 'Mirch and Masala'. I had written this few years back when I was in College, thought to share it with all of you. Please try to read and understand the lines as if you are reading a Hindi passage written in English. Please read the actual joke before reading my version for better understanding. Hope you will enjoy it.

Civil Lines (place in Allahabad) ko gaye ghoomne,
Mahila sundar padi dikhayi,
Dil mein kuch kuch hookh uthi,
Aage maine baat badhayi.

Baatein ki aur gappe haanki,
Dil ki baat ko bata diya,
Ek jawan kanya ki amma se,
kuch divas baad vivah kiya.

Hum dono ki patri baith gayi,
Par ladki ne chali anokhi chaal,
Mere hi baap ko phaas liya,
Aur daal diya unko jaimal.

Tha sandesh mann ka karte rahiye,
Jamana kuch na karega aapka,
Ab meri hi sun lijiye,
Ban baitha tha sasur apne baap ka.

Mera baap bana mera daamad,
Rishte mei hui maara maari,
Meri sauteli beti hi thi,
Maa meri sauteli pyaari.

Baapu they kuch tej adhik,
Amma ke pau hue bhaari,
Naya mahmaan tha aane waala,
Nayi musibat ki taiyaari.

Beebi ki beti ka beta tha,
Maatha nochun peetun chati,
Main sautele bhai ka nana,
Sautela bhai mera naati.

Ab biwi ne janam diya balak ko,
Hui bawal ki aur munadi,
Meri biwi ban baithi thi,
Khud apne sasur ki daadi.

Rishte ki dor ulajhti jaati,
koi lagta kisi ka koi,
baba ji bhi ban baithe hain,
apne pote ke baihnoi.

Rishte mein bilkul ulajh gaya hoon,
Nahi sulajhta hai ye loop,
Ab to bilkul hadd ho gayi,
Apne Nana swaim Pratyush.

Javagal Srinath, arguably India's Best Fast Bowler

When I say Javagal Srinath, the first thing that comes to mind is Cricket and his heroics with the ball. But he was more than just a fast bowler for India. He was a Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation Technology from Mysore. He made his Test Debut against Australia in 1991/92 tour, One Day International Debut in 1992. He decided to call it in the year 2003 after the World Cup Final. In his career of over a decade he won himself Arjuna Award along with many other honours

He has had an illustrious career, he was the spearhead of the Indian fast bowling. He was overburdened due to the lack of good fast bowlers, his workload is believed to be one of the reason of his injuries. At the peak of his carer his bowling speed was in 150km/hr with his fastest delivery being bowled at 156km/hr. He was a wonderful ambassador to the game of cricket has been rewarded by the ICC by selecting him as the Match Referee.

In my opinion he has been the best fast bowler that India has ever produced. His statistics may not seem to support my statement but we should not forget the fact that he was the sole fighter for India in terms of fast bowling and didn't actually have a good support bowler by his side. We should also take into consideration that Srinath's average and strike rate suffered as a result of bowling on the predominantly dry and spin-friendly wickets in India; however, his average at home was in fact superior to his average away from India. Srinath was a good exponent of reverse swing. He was also no mug with the bat. His match winning innings of 30 runs off 23 balls against Australia in the 8th match of Titan cup series (1996) in Bangalore was as good as any. He is the only other bowler than Kapil Dev to take 200 wickets.

He is one of my favourite cricketers and he has been a great servant to the game of Cricket. India was lucky to have him as a part of its cricketing artillery. I would love to see him play again but I guess this is too big a wish for it to come true. I salute you sir for your contribution to the game of Cricket .

Do I want to be famous?

Do I want to be famous ? is a question that I have been put through a lot of time and whose answer I don't know right away. I have so may things to ponder upon before I could actually answer this question. Let me try to answer it, I will try to be honest and keep it simple and realistic. I have a opinion that says not every successful man is famous and I am very clear that I want to be successful. But if I get a chance to get famous I would accept it rather strive for it. If I have to answer in a YES or NO, my answer definitely would be YES. Who would not want to become famous.

But when I analyse myself, I don't find myself extraordinary or different from the rest. Even professionally I am not into something glamorous. I am in a private sector and it takes a genius to earn a name in this sector. I am no genius, I am a simple common man. So how could I be famous, it would be asking too much if I decide to get famous. So what is it that I actually want. The answer is I want to be successful. I want people to feel proud when they hear my name or discuss me. I want to leave a good impression on the people who I work with.

When I chose to be a Software Engineer, I knew that this is not a glamorous job and that I would have to work really hard to even survive in this competitive world. Day by day you have to work harder and as your role and experience grows, so does your responsibilities. I have a clear cut focus on my job and want to be successful at it. I want to be an achiever. I want to earn respect, love and above all the trust of my parents, my family, friends and all other people who know me. I want to be the man they can look up to. I have my own future and I want it to be glorious rather than glamorous. So my answer to the question is YES I want to be famous but that is after I am Successful. Only Fame is not my piece of cake, I have so many more priorities in life to take care before I could even thing about being Famous. Having said that I am also a human being with feelings and desire and it is my desire to get Famous.
But as Robert Frost says :
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Similarly I have so many things to achieve and accomplish before I could even think about getting Famous. It is my dream and I will dream it till it comes true.

A song that means a lot to me

There is this song 'Dil ka Aalam' from Aashiqui which is my personal favourite. The lyrics of this song is awesome and has hit the bottom of my heart. Whenever I listen to this song I feel relaxed, my eyes get closed automatically and I slip into dreams. I try to imagine the beautiful picture that this song portrays. The words dil ka aalam main kya bataaun tujhe, ek chehre ne bahut pyar se dekha mujhe are so true and feel so real that I could imagine a beautiful person sitting in front of me and looking at me with that innocent look and imagining this my heart goes for a swing.

There are 2 beautiful paragraphs in the song. The first one goes like this woh mere saamne baithi hai magar, usse kuchh baat na ho paayi hai, main ishaara bhi agar karta huun, ismein hum donon ki ruswaai hai Just read these lines in my words. There is this beautiful person sitting right in front of me to whom I am so attracted but I don't have the courage to speak a single word. This might be due to the fact that I am reluctant to talk considering that she would think badly about me or the condition is such that I am unable to express my feelings. The only thing that I can afford is a few eye contacts here and there.
I could imagine so many times in my life when I have actually faced such situations. So this is like a rewind of my life and I love it.

The second para is even beautiful, it says woh toh hothon se kuchh bhi kehti nahi, uske aankhon mein ek kahani hai, uss kahani mein naam hai mera, mujh pe kudrat ki meharbaani hai. Now try to analyse it, she is unable to say anything but her eyes tell a long story i.e. we are talking just by looking each other into the eyes, it goes to show the close and intimate relation that the 2 of us share that we don't even need words to communicate, eyes and expressions say it all. The person is so happy that he is even part of the thought that is going through the girl's mind and thanks God for that. This shows the love that the person holds for that girl that he is not interested in getting her, rather he is content that she thinks about him in her dreams. This is true love according to me where people live in each other's heart.

This song has moved me every time I have heard it and the feelings grow deeper each time I listen to it. The lyrics have inspired me and it has had a never ending impact on me. Whenever I feel alone or lonely, I always take shelter of this song and it has never let me down and always picks me up. I have been listening to this song for years now and it is now a very priced possession of mine. I really love it and rate it as one of the best songs that I have ever heard. It is full of feelings and emotions and i just love it.
Click on the link to view this song on You Tube.

Is it too difficult to speak the Truth ???

Is speaking Truth such a big challenge that people always tell lies. I read some where that Truth is the Hardest thing to Do on the Planet! Even Adam said,"It wasn't Me!". I just want to put a open question why do people refrain from speaking the truth ? Is speaking truth such a big think or people are just casual and don't bother about it.

My father used to tell me that no matter what happens and how big it is you should have the guts to accept it. I have been told to be honest but i am very surprised at the amount of manipulation that people do. I am really puzzled and just want write my heart out, maybe this is the only way by which I can feel relieved. I also believe that every person has his own perception and thinks accordingly, so what is good for one may not be good for others. But having said that I still cannot justify myself that not speaking the truth is good for anyone. I have also learnt that if a lie can save a life then it is not bad, but if people tell a lie on very small and insignificant things which could have been easily avoided I just don't understand it.

I maintain that It is always better to err on the safer side so if you are not sure what exactly you need to do you should tell the truth. If you tell one lie, you will have to tell another 1000 to keep the fisrt one in place. Remember that sequence from DDLJ when Farida Jalal asks ShahRukh and Kajol to run away and ShahRukh says something like "Meri Maa kahti hai beta jeevan mein hamesha tumko 2 raaste milenge ek sahi aur ek galat. Galat raasta bahut hi aasan hoga aur tumhe apni taraf kheechega, aur sahi raasta utna hi mushkil". Similarly it is always very easy to tell a lie and very difficult to tell the truth. But the problem is when the lie is exposed it destroys everything. No relation can ever survive if it is not based on truth and trust.

I would request all of you to refrain from telling a lie and have the guts to speak the truth. If you are doing something that you cannot tell someone it simply means that you are doing something wrong. So by speaking the truth you are also maintaining that you are doing good things. So let us pledge to speak the truth as much as possible and to resort to other means when we have no other option left. I would like to make reference to an advertisement that played some time back (ye meri seat thi.... tumhe jaldi chalna chahiye tha) which ended with something like 'janwar banna aasan hai par kya insaan bane rahe itna mushkil'. I want to put a question to you all "Jhooth bolna aasan hai par kya sach bolna itna mushkil hai ....". Think over it and take your decision.

25th June 2007 to 10th July 2009

I joined FirstRain on the 20th of June 2007 and Yashpal did on the 25th of June 2007. So both us came in at the same time. We went through our induction program together, we got the training session together, started working on the same module and finally were part of the same team. It is very clear that this post is dedicated to Yashpal Singh Bhandari or Bhandari as we call him. This one is for you mate.

I still remember the early days in FirstRain when we used to be together almost all of the time. We used to spend long hours discussing the training modules, various technologies that we don't know and were being used by the Company, discussing modules like XML and XSL, trying to figure out the code flow and the system flow. Lately we used to play Table Tennis together as well.

We have been together for more than 2 years now but it all came to an end last Friday, 10th of July 2009, when Yashpal left the FirstRain premises for once and for all. We have had a great time together and i will be the one who will miss him the most. Bhandari has been like a younger brother to me and we have shared good and bad times together. We were there to support each other whenever the situation demands. As he decided to move on, I was very happy him and with the fact that he is moving ahead in life but at the same time the thought that the distance between us may increase and that we might not be in touch.

Having said so I truly believe that the friendship that we share is very intense and it would continue irrespective of the distance that might come between us. I firmly believe and wish that he gets whatever he wants and all his dreams come true. Some of his wishes have already been granted, he is happily married to the love of his life, he is also a proud owner of new maruti alto. So he is on course and God is on his side. He has had some hiccups in his life but i think he has recovered nicely and is over it now. He is very cool, calm and collected and always knows what he is doing. He is very clear regarding his aim in life and is working towards it. I strongly believe that all his dreams would definitely come true one day.

All said and done, I have a hard luck when it comes to maintaining friends. Bhandari was one of the person who has come very close to me in the space of 2 years and is one of my dearest friend. I wish him luck and all the best for his future endorsements. May God fulfill all his dreams. Take care mate and enjoy you life.

Yashpal's Farewell from FirstRain

In one of my blogs earlier I had discussed this topic without taking any names. Well Yashpal had resigned a few days back and his last day at FirstRain was 10th of July. We have a practice of giving a farewell lunch to any person in our team. We fixed Yashpal's Farewell Lunch on the 8th July for few reasons. First on the last day there are lots of formalities that need to be taken care of and 9th was Thursday so many people in the office won't eat Non Veg Food. To add to the occasion Yaspal's birthday was also on the 10th of July. So we decided to give him a Formal Lunch on the 8th July and then we will have our very own 'Drink and Dine' party on the 10th itself.

We went to Barbeque Nation, Sushant Lok, for the formal lunch on the 8th of July and had a good time. But as mentioned it was a formal lunch so things were pretty formal. But the main event was the 'Drink and Dine' party which was held after office hours at my residence in Dwarka. We have 2 rules regarding the so called 'Drink and Dine' party. First rule says nobody leaves until all the liquor and drink is finished and the Second Rules says if you did not understand the first rule, read it again. This simply means that nobody can sit without a glass full of his drink. Well just to make sure that the amount of liquor is good enough let me walk you through our bar for the day. We had 2 full (750ml) of Teachers (you better know what this is or you are reading the wrong blog), 12 beers and 10 litres of aerated drinks and 2.5 litres of Slice(Aamsutra). We were 12 in all with 5 contenders for Teachers [Ritesh, Kushagra, Gaurav, Deepak, Gurmeet], 4 for Beer[Ankush, Nilendu, Ajay, Vikas] and 3 for Soft Drinks[Yogesh, Yashpal and Yours Truly]. The two names missing that should have been there are Rohit and Ahmad.

We were all prepared and set for the Dhamaka, things started at around 6:30. We had ordered a lovely Black Forest Cake for Yashpal's Birthday (I got three candles along with it from the shop. I am still confused what they meant anyways...). We had a special card with some prints from my heart and it got better when everyone chipped in with some comments or the other. We enjoyed each any every moment, it is such a great feeling to be celebrating together. The atmosphere was electric, glasses all around, plates filled with snacks, the clouds of smoke formed by cigarettes, a song playing for may be the 910th time as no body was listening to it. My living room for the first time saw these many people together.

To make things better one of the person who came to deliver the food offered to contribute to the occasion by singing two beautiful songs. The song that he chose was fit for the occasion. Remember that song from Nazaayaj.. Barsaat ke mausam main, tanhai ke aalam main, main ghar sey nikal aaya, botal bhi utha laaya, abhi zinda hoon to jee leney jee leney do, bhari barsaat main pee leney do.. We had a great time together and enjoyed each and every moment.

The celebrations ended at around 1:00 am. My living room is still unsettled and by the looks of it I can say that its been great fun. As time was passing my heart was pumping and saying friend one of the members who walked with you lived with you is leaving and we are celebrating his farewell. This is the last time Yashpal and all the office colleagues are together, from now on there would be parties but not together with Yashpal and Office friends. I will discuss this in later posts, i don't want to spoil the party mood as of now. In the end I, on the behalf of all others wish Yashpal a bright future and a great life ahead. May God Bless him.

Swami Ramdev and Homosexuality

The decision of the High Court to decriminalize homosexuality has faced many challenges, the latest coming from Swami Ramdevji. Swamiji has decided to challenge this decision of the High Court in the Supreme Court. A petition was to be filed by Wednesday, the 8th of July. This moves comes as a surprise and reinforces my question Does this have a negative impact on the society ?. Why is swami ji against this decision and what exactly does he want and what are the reasons behind this step. According to swami ji homosexual activities are not only against public morality, public health and healthy environment but also against the interest of the society. Homosexual activities are unnatural and there is high risk of exposure of a large chunk of population to dangerous sexually transmitted disease including HIV/AIDS. With this as the petition Swami ji has decided to go to the Supreme Court of India.

Swami ji believes that "the decision of the High Court will have catastrophic effects on the moral fabric of society and will jeopardise the institution of marriage itself. This offends the structure of Indian value system, Indian culture and traditions, as derived from religious scriptures". He believes that homosexuality is also a disease and it can be treated like any other disease through yoga, pranayam and other medication techniques. He also believes that this decision may bring the growth of Indian population to a hault.

If we go by his views he is absolutely correct, he is not only boosting the ill effects of the decision but also is ready to try and cure it. His belief that he can cure them may not be as easy to achieve as said but still he is willing to do it. Its been a good step taken by swami ji and we should all support it. Some of the points in the petition are worth noticing. The institution of marriage and the very purpose of marriage shall be defeated. The population may actually come to a stand still. If the high court wants to use this decision as a means to check the growing population then its ok otherwise i cannot see any sense behind this decision.

In my previous blog post i said i was confused, but now i am very clear that the decision of the high court is not in favour of the Indian society and culture and should be overruled. I now stand along with Swami ji and the many other people who were against this ruling. Even if i don't buy the idea that he can cure them, i cannot move away from the other points put in the petition. This is very good step that he has taken and we need to support it. It is for our own cause and its only the society that would benefit from it.

A Journey called Life...

Life is a very simple but complicated word, everyone knows the meaning of it but it is very difficult to describe it. There are various theories doing the rounds regarding life, but all have their own definition and none point to a similar definition. So during the course of this article i will try to put in my interpretation of the word 'Life'.

Life may be attributed to human existence and one's personal life. It is a gift given to us by the almighty, it is a beautiful thing that comes our way only in a very long period of time. It is a honour and is a prize for the good deeds that we have done at any point of time. Life is a reality imposed upon us by the Nature. It is often understood as the cycle of birth-growth-death, but in reality it is much much more. Life can be defined as a characteristic state or mode of living; "social life"; "city life"; "real life". . Earth is the only planet in the universe that has life and there are various theories regarding the origin and evolution of life on Earth. But Life as per my understanding could be described as the journey that every person in this world has to undergo, it is a phased activity that takes place throughout the life of an individual.

Life to me is the entire path that a person follows from the day of his birth till the day he bids adieu to this beautiful world. When a person is born he starts his life, then his deeds decide his fate and the activities that he performs constitutes to the journey which has been aptly christened as 'Life'. Each and every step that a person takes no matter how big or small it is constitutes his life. We are the architect of our own lives, we have the power to live life as we want to. We are the one who make it good or bad, it is totally our decision. Society and surroundings do also play their part in defining a man's lie but their say is limited. They just act as a catalyst and their role is pretty defined. I agree with Paulo Coelho 'Maktub....its written' in The Alchemist but i also believe that if we just sit and try to face what is written, the writing seems to be dirty. If we make a bit of effort and try to add to what is already written we can definitely have a good life.

So Life is a gift of God, it is the most beautiful thing in this world. It is an template or a prototype on top of which we need to provide the definitions as per our requirement and understanding. Every body is same in the eyes of the Almighty, so he who makes the most effort, gets the most out of life and understands and enjoys the true life. In order to have a good life, it is compulsory to be very clear in your mind as to what exactly to need to do. Life is a journey, enjoy it and make the most of it, you never when this journey comes to an end. Let us make our lives so beautiful that even after we are gone people remember us and we live in their hearts. It is not an easy task to get into the heart of people, but with a little effort it doesn't seem too difficult as well.

Advertisements, My Favourite T.V. Show

Which is your favourite TV serial is a very common question. My answer to this question is 'Advertisement'. Well you must be surprised, but the reason is that we actually get to see the commercials more than the programs themselves.
The creativity that goes into creating these advertisement is unbelievable. It is not an easy task to come up with ideas that not only convey your message in the best possible way but also make it short, sweet and simple.

The advertisement that has moved me lately is the Happy dent White Chewing Gum. I was really moved by this advertisement, i was imagining the creativity of the person who came up with such a brilliant idea. Another advertisement that comes to mind straight away is the Fevicol advertisement. There are a number of Fevicol advertisements my personal best being the one in which the kid keeps running away till his mother places him on a empty box of fevicol.

There are several other advertisements that are so suttle and that convey their meaning in such a way that attracts several people. The competition among the various brands has increased the creativity level and each one is trying to come out with an idea that beats the other and is also creative in its own way. A good example of a suttle advertisement that conveys its message is the Feviquick advertisement, remember a person is fishing in isolation and another person uses feviquick and catches fish for the entire family.

Another way of getting into people's mind is by using famous personalities as brand ambassadors. They range from a politician, actors, actresses, cricketers or any famous and popular person. But these things are not as big a factor as they were sometimes back. The people are now more mature and need something good to get motivated. A concept that is very common in advertisements is a girl advertising a shaving cream or an underwear due to the direct impact that they have on the boys and men out there.

We see these advertisements numerous time each day, but we very rarely think about the creativity that goes into creating them. So next time when you see a advertisement don't just treat them as fillers but take a note of the fact that some one actually thought about it and finally made it. They require a lot of hard work and dedication. They are the work of genius. Indian advertisement industry has now matured enough and could easily challenge the best in the world.

This was my attempt to salute and congratulate the Indian Advertisement Industry for coming up with such meaningful and creative advertisements. I have several ideas in my mind which i would love to share with guys within this industry, but that is a different subject and i shall discuss it some other time.

Friendship....

Friendship is the only relation that a person makes all by himself, all other relations in world are forced upon us. Some come by inheritance and some by birth. So this pious relation is a very delicate relation and needs utmost care and understanding to survive. We have several famous friendship examples, Krishna and Sudama being the oldest and most famous known friends. Even movies these days boost friendship and show how friends can do anything and everything for each other. Just for reference we have the famous Jai and Veeru from Sholay.

Friendship could be defined as a co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more people. But in the actual sense it more than just supportive behaviour. In my opinion a friend is such a person with whom you feel very comfortable with and share all the secrets and feelings. A friend is one person who is always there when you need and on whom you can have blind faith.

There are so many things that we cannot share with our parents but we can easily let our secrets out on friends. Friends are basically like brother and sister born of different mother. In words of Aristotle Friendship is A single soul dwelling in two bodies. I totally agree and i am sure you will also agree with me on this. I can remember several instances when i have been in a fix and my friends have bailed me out of it. I am presently living from away from my parents with my friends and i am very content and satisfied. I have never had the feeling that i am living with friends, we live like a family and share each and everything.

There are and will always be conflicts between friends, but true friends never keep anything in their hearts and try to resolve the misunderstanding that have lead to the conflict. They never grumble over small things and understand each others mental state and help them in their tough times. Another important thing in friendship that we know the actual person, so if i make a friend it would mean i am ready to accept the person with all his qualities, good and bad, as it is without any change.

Friendship is a relation that demands too much from a person. It demands love, affection and understanding. These are the ingredients that indeed make good friends. It is not necessary for friends to be physically available, the important thing is that they live in each other's heart. I have some really good friends with whom i talk once in 3 months or so and have not met for months but we share a unparalleled friendship which demands no explanation. Sometimes i need not even say things, friends close to you are able to understand what is going inside you without anyone telling them about your mental state at any point of time.

We share and spend a large part of our life with our friends. For people like me who live away from their home and parents are more dependent upon friends. To quote Walter Winchell: A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. So all in all a friend in need is a friend indeed. Friendship is one of the best and wonderful relation in this world. It is a beautiful feeling and i must say that a friend is the only other person from our parents and relatives with whom we share all the important things of our life.

I thank all my frinds for being there for me and helping me out each and every time and supporting me throughout my life. I would like to conclude with Robert Alan's words:
"The rain may be falling hard outside, But your smile makes it all alright.
I'm so glad that you're my friend. I know our friendship will never end."

Delhi Gurgaon Toll Plaza and Smart Tags

Delhi Gurgaon Express way has a total of three Toll Plazas and the largest toll plaza has a total of 32 + 4 reversible toll lanes. The Project has a total of 24 Electronic Toll Collection(ETC) with some of them mixed type with cash and smart card facility ; the remaining being cash and smart Card type. All lanes are equipped with Automatic vehicle classification systems . All the three plazas are interconnected through a WAN.

I am a resident of Sector 5 Dwarka and my office is in Sector 39 Gurgaon so i have to cross this Toll Plaza twice daily. I also hold a Smart Tag. The fact that the Toll Plaza has 32 lanes is the indicator of the heavy traffic that crosses it daily. The peak traffic could be found between 8:30 to 10 in the morning and after 5:30 to 8:00 in the evening. My office timings are such that i have to cross this toll during the peak hours itself. I have had a good experience of this toll plaza but for the fact that i have to pay 18 rupees daily.
I have found the workers at the toll gate very energetic and enthusiastic. They are very dedicated and perform exceptionally well to handle the amount of passengers they do everyday.

But there are a few flaws in the system that should have been rectified by now, it has been a long time since the plaza has been made operational. The sensors at the toll plaza are not up to the mark. I should also accept that the drivers are also at fault as they do not maintain the minimum required distance between the two vehicles. Another problem being that the cash payers enter the tag lines and that causes slow moving traffic even in the tag lines. There are defined penalties for this breach of conduct but i have not yet seen any person being punished for entering the tag line without having a tag.

But for the flaws as mentioned above, things are very helpful and the chaos that it created at the time of its opening have been done away with in a very professional manner. It has really soothed the passage between Delhi and Gurgaon. I have also read people complaining about the Smart Tags and the problem they face with regards to recharging the smart tags. I would like to say that i never ever had a problem in getting my smart tag recharged. I have paid by Credit Card and Cash and it was a very good experience. Though i except the fact that the only way to get it recharged as of now is through their office at the plaza itself. I request you to keep patience, i am sure they will come up with some easier way to recharge it. They have already introduced a MCheck facility using SMS but i am not completely aware of it.

All in all its been a good change and has been managed superbly. A few patches here and there would make it even better. Hoping that things would improve with time. I wish the concerned people all the best and even take this opportunity to thank them for coming up with such a good idea.

Delhi High Court Decriminalized Homosexuality

In an historic decision and to every body's surprise Delhi High Court has decriminalized Homosexuality. So section 377 of the Indian Penal Code has been written off. Section 377, a law from the British Raj era, says homosexuality and "unnatural sex" is a criminal act. A bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice S Muralidhar said that if not amended, section 377 of the IPC would violate Article 21 of the Indian constitution, which states that every citizen has equal opportunity of life and is equal before law. This made them take this decision.


This decision comes as a surprise to me. But i am confused, is this a move ahead where we except homosexuality as a part of our society or are we just trying to act modern ?. I could not find one reason that supports this decision. But still i would say if a decision has been taken by the High Court, we should respect it. Well it is still not the end of the road for the people who are against this decision, they can go to the Supreme Court against the decision.

I find my views divided on the decision. On one side i think it is brutal to snatch away a man's right to share his feelings with someone he loves while on the other i think what impact will this have on our society and will it hamper the Indian culture and society ?

Maybe Konkona Sen Sharma will be relieved now, she was the one who kept running into homosexual people [remember Page 3]. How would the general public react to this and how much impact this decision has still remains to be seen. Also how would Supreme Court react, to this decision of the High Court, if asked for shall be interesting. Linking the decision to Artile 21 of the Indian Constitution has made the decision strong and if the Supreme Court has to defy it, it really needs to come up with some solid reasons and negative impacts that the decision would have.

Even the Congress is not sure about supporting the decision. It is evident by the statement of Chidambaram who says that the government is open to rethink on the issue. They also claim that it is a decision between the court and the government and that the party has nothing to do with it. This just goes to prove the point that nobody is sure if this decision is a good one and would be welcomed or is this a wrong decision that will be shunned by people.

Petrol and Diesel Prices Increased

Effective Midnight today (1st of July '09), the cost of Petrol and Diesel have been increased. Petrol is costlier by 4Rs while diesel goes up by 2Rs. So Petrol will now cost 44.62 in Delhi and it would not be wrong to say that travelling just got costlier. The increase in cost of CNG few days back had already sparked the Auto drivers to increase the rates and they have yet another reason why they would charge us more money than what the meter shows.

With Recession continuing, this rise in prices have not made life easy. Many people like me who commute to and from office on their own vehicles will now have to pay more. I have a run of approximately 60 Kms to and from my office so this increase the daily commutation cost considerably.

The big question that still remains unanswered is if this is it or are the prices going to rise even more? Lets hope that the prices remain here for a while. I know as time passes by we will get used to things and finally live with it. But the initial jolt is big enough to have its impact directly. These things directly drive our lives and play a very important role in or day to day activities. So an increase would definitely dent the other prospects that could have been possible otherwise.

The best we can do now is just live with it.

Happy Driving !!!!