Kalam For President ... Again!

With Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's presidential term ending in July, we've seen a lot of names crop up as the next President of the soverign republic of India. With names such as Shivraj Patil, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Pranab Mukherjee in contention for the top spot, the race was expected to have a tight finish. But the entry of Pratibha Patil changed the equation and all the men mentioned above had to step aside and make way for the lady. This has left us with a choice of having either Dr. Kalam or Mrs. Pratibha Patil as our next President.

I think that Dr. Kalam, if given a chance, should take up the second term as the country's president. I think so because here is a man who has a vision and how many of our past president's (or politicans) have had one? Its also a lot easier to implement the vision when you are the President. By this, I do not mean that as a President you can force reforms or bully around to change things for better. But its just that I feel that when you are at the helm of affairs and when every change in the rule book is to be authorised by you, you are always at an advantage to get the big picture. And having this knowledge will always help a person to find a way out when he hits a roadblock. And with Dr. Kalam not affiliated to any political parties, he should not find himself in a dilemma of going against the interests of any political party.

So, go for it Dr. Kalam. A well educated and intelligent candidate with no political alliances is always a better choice then someone who has the support of a group of politicians just because the party bigwigs thought so!

P.S. I don't really know much about Mrs. Pratibha Patil and so I see no reason on why I should comment on her prospects as the President.

Kudos to PMC

Sometime around mid-July last year, there were parallels drawn between Pune's roads and the surface of the moon. There was a lot of noise from not only the rival political parties but also from some citizens' groups. And I think that the administration deserved every bit of this criticism. The condition of roads today suggests that the harsh words have struck the right chord with the people in-charge of maintaining the city's roads.

Driving around the city today, you will come across a lot of places wherein the roads have been repaired or are under various stages of construction. Some of these have been completed under record time. The most encouraging aspect of this has been the quality of the work done. The roads definitely look as if they would be able to bear the onslaught of the monsoon this year. The fact that the contractor concerned is ensuring that the roads are marked out properly shows that he is paying attention to detail. I am also impressed by the efforts taken by the contractor to limit the inconvenience caused (at least on the roads I frequent) to people while the work is underway.

I know that there are still a few areas where the roads are riddled with potholes and also that the construction work has caused inconvenience to some people, but I still think that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken a step in the right direction and they deserve a pat on their back for the efforts put into this project! Keep it up guys!!

A Different Photo Shoot

Skimming through the newspaper, I came across an article that spoke of the latest photo shoot by Spencer Tunick. There were a couple of things that made this photo shoot different from the ones that I've heard of in the past. First of all, it involved an estimated 10,000+ models and second is that they all agreed to pose nude for him. And to the best of my knowledge they did this for free. Now, this surely is something new for me.

I must appreciate the freedom of expression (especially for such events) available in some of the foreign countries. You cannot even dream of doing something similar in a society like our's where nudity in public is still an alien concept. I personally would not be comfortable or interested in posing for such an event and this adds to my surprise at the number of people who managed to be a part of the event.

You can read more about this event here. And in case you are interested in being a part of similar shoots in the future, you need to follow this link and sign up. If you sign up and end up being a part of something similar I must say that you are - different. Also, if possible, do let me know your reasons for the same as I fail to understand why would anyone want to do something like this.

The Entrance Saga

Sitting in the lawns outside the examination centre, waiting for my brother to wrap out his IIT entrance exam, I can't stop wondering how easy life was when I passed out of twelfth standard. With an engineering degree in sight, the only entrance I considered was the JEE. Other than that, I knew that I could get into a good engineering college solely on the basis of performance in Physics, Chemistry and Maths in the borad exams.

Compare this with what my brother is going through. He has been juggling regular college with extra classes (meant for the various engineering college entrances) for six days a week, for some hundred odd weeks now. Sundays are not meant for breaks but for taking tests that judge what he has studied for the last few weeks. And mind you, the Sunday tests cannot be taken lightly as your place in the merit batch as against the regular batch is decided based on your peformance in the Sunday tests. Am sure the uncertainty in the mind of an average Indian cricket team player of making it to the playing eleven is much less than that of my brother retaining his place in the merit batch. Every month end there is mock test, IIT ishtyle, wherein you are tested in all the three subjects at the same time. Almost every two months there is a parents' meet, where the parents have to face the harsh reality in terms of their ward's performance in the innumerable tests (ouch!).

I had plans for my 'post 12th standard vacation' about a month before the board exams started. Almost a month after his board exams, all my brother has planned for is the number and dates of the entrances that he is to take in these couple of months. The saga does not end with the preparation, mock tests and actual tests. There is a lot more to follow in the form of results for each one of them (4 to be precise) followed by the counselling for some if not all.

But if you look around, you find comfort in the fact that he is not the only one going through all this. Cut throat competition is a way of life today and you don't want to concede an inch if you are aware of it. Beating competition is something that my brother's generation has learnt a lot earlier than I did. And, not to forget, given the kinda importance an IITian or someone from a NIT or from BITS enjoys the ordeal mentioned above seems all the more worth it. So, here's hoping that my brother can make it to an engineering college of his choice. Cheers!

A Fresh Start

I have not been working on the tasks listed in the to do list I mentioned earlier. So, here's a fresh start to things with a new blog template and renewed enthusiasm to try and achieve the tasks listed for 2007!

P.S. I think the new blogger template is damn cool and it makes life smooooooooth for someone like me who is not well versed with the basics of html.

Changes

I started a morning walk / jog routine today. I had been planning some sort of early morning physical activity for quite some time but always found reasons not to get going with it. I enjoyed the jog this morning and by the time I got back home, I could not stop myself from wondering. What was it that kept me from starting this earlier?

What was more difficult – to stop being a late riser or to start getting out of the house for a jog? Or was it both? I think it was both. And the fact that both the activities are so closely related but yet unique made the beginning all the more difficult. I think that the two activities are unique as there were instances when I woke up early (by my standards) and yet never stepped out of the house!

Isn’t it strange, how its difficult to start some things where as its equally difficult (even more at times) to end others? I guess its all got to do with changes – they always get some challenges along. Even if the change is a pleasant one, it’s not a certainty that it’s going to be easy adapting to it. To make the situation all the more complex, I’m told, that change is the only thing constant in life!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time leadership mattered, now dealership rules the world.
Once upon a time quality was a craftsman's pride, now it is a departmental mess.
Once upon a time a mouse was a untouchable mammal, now it is a handheld pest.
Once upon a time wisdom was cultivated by wise people, now it is flashed on T-shirts.
Once upon a time teachers taught and students learnt, now teacher trade and students consume.Once upon a time population was a problem, now it is a flourishing mass market.
Once upon a time competition brought out the best in products, now it brings out the worst in people.
Once upon a time there was a golden rule, now if u have gold, u rule.
Once upon a time truth telling was good for ur soul, now it is bad 4 ur promotion.
Once upon a time success meant living by the ideals, now it is about rising above all principles.
Once upon a time beauty was in the eye of the beholder, now it's a booming business

P.S. Got these lines from a forward!

India Poised

If you are an urban Indian aged between 20 and 30*, there's one point that almost all of you will agree to - India's bright future. Keeping in mind that there are many areas that we still need to start improving upon, you can see the winds of change sweeping the minds of the land. There is this buzz around you, telling you about the country's fortune being northbound! And mind you the buzz is no illusion.

The Times group has started this campaign, called India Poised. As a part of this campaign, they intend to highlight not only the best but also the areas that we need to work upon as a Nation to be a true international force to reckon.

The campaign's anthem is beautifully written and does an excellent job of capturing the sentiments of the nation. Mr. Amitabh's Bachchan's voice just adds to the magic of the words. Log onto www.indiapoised.com to hear the anthem and get inspired!!

P.S. You will have to register in order to listen to the Hindi version of the anthem, but its gonna be truly worth it.
*The chosen subset is just the group of Indians I relate to most!

Job Fair Tips

I represented my company at a job fair recently. I was supposed to select candidates for my department. The candidates short listed by me were to be later subjected to a long selection process. So, it can be said that I was the first hurdle for anyone interested in being a part of my company.

This was a first for me in a couple of ways. Firstly, I had never attended a job fair before and secondly, this was my first time on the other side of the table - selecting candidates. Based on my experiences there, here are a few tips that may help you bag that job at the next job fair you walk into.

1. Carry your latest resume. No need for any fancy stationery, plain A4 size paper will take you places if you’ve got the right content on it.
2. Do not hesitate approaching the company’s stall as that beats the very purpose of you going to a job fair. In the worst case you’ll be dinged. But you would never find this out unless you approach him.
3. Avoid approaching the company’s stall in large groups. It only dents your chances as you may not be able to cement your position in the minute or so that you are given for your first shot.
4. In case of a rush, wait for your turn. Do not jump the line or be pushy.
5. Feel free to ask company / job specific questions. A conversation is a best way of showcasing your communication skills.
6. Pay attention to the conversations the representative is having with the other candidates. It would only help you know more about the vacancy / company and you could market yourself better.
7. Be clear about the kind of job you looking for. You could get away without this if you are a fresher, but for someone with experience – you got to know what you getting yourself into.
8. Avoid asking salary related questions at the job fair unless you sure that you’re talking to the HR person OR sure of landing yourself the job.
9. Never be rude to the company person, even if your application is turned down.

10. Don’t force him / her to keep your resume. Because, if he is not interested in the first place, your resume is going to land up in the dustbin anyways. So, why waste a copy of your resume?

Decisions

In my twenty-four years of existence, I’ve been at the crossroads on a number of occasions. Times, when I’ve had to take a decision for myself based on the situation at hand and ready myself for the future. Some of these decisions have been taken with full cognizance of the fallouts, whereas others have been risks. In either case, the decision was made and fallouts accepted.

For me, taking decisions affecting just myself are a lot easier than those that affect not only myself but also the ones I care. Over the years, I have found myself in more and more instances wherein the decisions taken have been of the second type as above. I guess this is what terms like growing up and being responsible are all about. Whatever be the case, the fact remains that its difficult deciding things for oneself and picking options keeping others in mind just makes the process all the more interesting(!).

I am the low risk-taking types when it comes to matters involving people I care for. And over the last few years, this trait of mine has been a major flash point for some of my friends. I’ve been found guilty of not taking the popular approach on a couple of occasions. I’ve even had to pay a price for doing this.

I would like the people concerned to spare a moment and digest the fact that I cannot keep all of them happy all the time. And I need to be true to myself in order to do full justice to their importance in my life. Thus, unless I am convinced about something I will not vote in favor of it. I’m aware of the consequences of such a decision and I’d rather be true to myself than fight myself into playing a role I’m not convinced about.

2007 To Do List

The days around New Year’s Eve can be called as the ‘Resolution Season’. Almost everyone around is talking about resolutions and looking out for things that they want to do in the New Year. I decided to give this a thought and came up with a list of things that I would like to do in 2007. ‘Resolutions’ is too big a word for me, so I’ll call them it as a to do list.

Here’s the list of things that I want to do in 2007:

1. Get back to my habit of reading.
2. Start my MBA prep.
3. Get back to sports – badminton atleast.
4. Maintain atleast 90% attendance at the gym.
5. Read a business magazine regularly.
6. Take formal dance lessons for atleast one dance form

P.S. I once read somewhere that in order to achieve something you plan, the first step is to jot them down and say to yourself that you want to do it. I don’t know how much I believe in this, but I’m going to find out soon.

With The Kids @ NDA

There were two main reasons why I had volunteered for accompanying a few kids from an orphanage to the NDA, the first being that I had been thinking of taking up some sort of a social activity for a long time and secondly due to the fact that till not so long ago, I wanted to be a part of the academy myself. So, even before the visit got underway I knew that I was not going to regret the early morning start I would have to give myself to make it on time for visit.

We were about six colleagues and we were at the pick up point at 0830 hrs sharp. The moment the kids got inside the bus, the excitement amongst the kids brought a smile on our faces. While interacting with the kids, the first thing that hits you, is their street smartness! They sure do know how to find a way for themselves. The kids were surprisingly well mannered. They would thank us every time we gave them biscuits or a soft drink or every time we did something for them. I remember as a kid, my mother would have to remind me in front of strangers to thank them. The kids here had learnt their lessons well and they did not need anyone to remind them of their matters in front of strangers.

Something in common amongst all the kids was their fascination for the camera. My photographer colleague was in high demand with all the requests of 'One photo please!'. Suprisingly quite a few of the kids were very well aware of the latest handsets and the their features. Something that I must admit, is not the case with me.

They were all disciplined. Be it the fear of their care taker around or the efforts to put on a good show in front of the outsiders, I thought the kids were a lot easy to manage than the kids from other schools that were also present there. This being a first of its kind trip for me, I had a lot of fun and I also got to see the lives of the cadets from close quarters and here's to many more such activities in future. Cheers!

Hindi ki Izzat

We recently had a colleague from our US office visiting India. The firang guy had a tough time surviving on the food in our cafeteria everyday. So, we accompanied him out for lunch on a couple of occasions. One fine day, we ended up talking about languages over lunch.

To start off with, he was amazed by the number of languages that we have in our country. The concept of Mumbaiyya hindi, North Indian Hindi and Puneri Hindi was also beyond his limits of comprehension. He was of the opinion that the richness of a language is based on the fact that there are synonyms for words in one language found in other languages. Like, fat in English is the same as mota in hindi. This got us to finding words in English that do not have synonyms in Hindi and vice versa. The very first word proved to be a show stopper.

While finishing up the last few drops of chocolate sauce on his sizzling brownie, he asked us for the hindi equivalent of the word - sizzling! And my colleague and myself had no clue about this. We tried different hindi words but could not get to one hindi word that best explains what sizzle means in English. So, in case you are proud of your marks in hindi in high school, do take some time off and think of the hindi equivalent for sizzle. Yeh hindi ki izzat ka sawaal hain.

P.S. I have another word that I would know the hindi equivalent of - dieting!

Shah Rukh Don

The Badshah of Bollywood has delivered another hit with his latest Don. Inspite of the not-so-good reviews that the movie got at the time of its release, the movie has managed to do good business as per the market reports. And making money is the prime objective of commercial cinema.

It is this money making ability despite all odds is what impresses me the most about SRK. I admire him, not for his work but for his ability to overcome the shortcomings. I mean here is a guy that has average looks, atleast as compared to some of his other better looking colleagues in Bollywood. His acting skills are not something to rave about, considering the over dose of acting that is there in all his performances. He lacks the voice of an industry icon like Mr. Bachchan (who can forget the K - K - Kiran?). His dances are not his USP for sure. He plays the loverboy who gets his girl in almost all his movies - read lack of variety in performances.

Inspite of all this he manages to do well not only for himself but for his producers too! Now that's definitely impressive!! Hats off to you King Khan - for achieving all that you have through hard work and making a mark for yourself inspite of a non filmi background.

Haan Bol

One thing that's definitely changed with the onset of mobile phones, is the way people answer phone calls (atleast with the people I call). Gone are the days when people extended pleasantries to you on answering your call. Phrases like "Hello" or "Hi, how are you?" are a rarity nowadays. Most of the time the response is a rude "Hmnnn" or a "Bol".

I agree that with caller line identification, you no longer have to use the voice recognition mechanism in your brain and so you know who you talking to before you pick the phone. But yaar, how difficult is a courteous response while answering a call? No matter how busy you are a simple "hi" or the age old "hello" is always a better response to get than the ones listed above.

Is this change because of our busy routines or is it just a case of the growing impoliteness around? Whatever be the excuses, I think I deserve a better response when I spend my time and money to call up people. One of the most ridiculous responses that I've got is from this friend of mine. I called him up to wish for Diwali and the dude answered the call by saying "Haan bol, sun raha hoon." Got an apt response for that?

Brangelina in News

Ever since Brangelina landed in Pune, the local newspapers have made them their top priority. Especially the local edition of The Times. The esteemed editors of this paper think that covering the movements of a celebrity couple is more important than any other news in the city. Or is it that they can't find anything more worthwhile to adore their pages.

On one particular day, the entire first page was filled up with details of the couple's visit. I agree that it is not everyday that such famous hollywood actors come to Pune and Brangelina have a huge fan following but still, I don't want to have the local edition's entire front page dedicated to them. To make matters worse the star couple tried their best to give the media a slip and so all the stories appearing in the paper were speculations and details of the couple's stay in the city.

The newpapers even acorded celebrity status to the rickshaw driver in which Brangelina went around town on one particular day. There was a whole article based on the 20 minute ride that he gave to the couple. Another article was based on the couple's future prospects as predicted by an astrologer. They also had a story speculating about the food preferences of the couple. I am not against glamour and have my favourites too, but isn't page 3 meant for all such news? So, to all you journalists out there, stop acting like you've never had a celeb in town before and start looking around for some real news that is worth reporting.

Celebs and Issues

Besides being acclaimed actors, what is common between Amitabh Bachchan, Richard Gere, Amir Khan and Angelina Jolie? Its their support for social issues in various parts of the world. While Angelina and Richard have lent their support to more international causes (human rights and AIDS awareness respectively) AB senior and Aamir lent their voice for polio awareness drive in India and the Narmada Bachao Andolan respectively. But, are these celebs supporting social causes any better than having the average low profile social activist fight it out on the streets?

I think having a celeb involved with a social cause works. As a matter of fact, I think that it works for both the celeb and the cause. It works for the cause as the news hungry media follows the celebs wherever they go, even to places where they would not have gone otherwise. This results in a lot of visibility for the issue at hand. I think that having celebs is the best way for getting the masses involved in social activists. Most people may never spare a thought for street children. But the moment they see pics of Salman Khan at an orphanage, visiting orphanages is something that they wanna do too.

Sanjay Dutt got a whole nation to recognise principles of the Mahatma Gandhi by his latest flick. And all of a sudden every second guy in town is talking about non-violence and Gandhigiri is cool now. How many of us were aware of the details of Narmada Bachao Andolan till Amir Khan came along. Wouldn't you willingly attend a music concert of your favourite stars even if you knew that they would drum in doses of AIDS awareness in between performances? Glamour is an essential part of every celeb and it sells for sure. So why not just use it for a good cause?

Colours

Feeling blue ... Feeling blue ... goes a popular Hindi number from the movie PKSE. For some reason, unlike the song, I don't associate the colour blue with feelings of sadness or unhappiness. I kinda like that colour. This got me thinking about my interpretation of colours. So here it is ... MY take on some of the colours and what they mean to me.

Red - First thing that comes to my mind about red is the feeling of danger associated with it. Be it at a signal or the sign hanging on an electricity pole or the card shown by the referee during a match. Red spells trouble for me. Red is also something that I would associate with the Chinese. I think that's the only country that I would associate with just one colour.

Black - Black is a colour that I would associate with power - superiority. It has the ability to override all colours and its difficult (if not impossible) for any colour to hold on to itself over black. I also associate black with disrepute or shame (moo kale Kara die). Black can be sexy too -- there's little that beats a well toned female body in a well fitted black outfit - Indian or western! ;-)

Blue - My favorite colour. Blue signifies calm to me. Apart from this, I don't think about or associate this colour with much. Just like it plain and simple, especially the darker shades.
Green - Refreshing. Green is refreshing. A lush green grassland just after the first few showers of rain is always a welcome sight! Green is a colour of acceptance. Green is also something that I would associate with prosperity and growth.

White - It signifies purity to me. The colour also has an emptiness or a hollow feeling associated with it. A noteworthy point about the colour from my perspective is its ability to tone down all other colours.

Dandiya Washout

Ever been planning something for a long time with a select group of friends? And ever had such an event cancelled at the last minute after all the planning?? Well, I had something similar lined up for this weekend and it turned out to be a flop show.

A friend of mine and myself have been trying to execute a dandiya outing with our college group for the past four consecutive years. But for one reason or the other the plans never materialize. During these four years we have gone out with our other groups and had a ball at various dandiya parties, always hoping to dance to those very beats with our college friends. But it never seems to work for us as far as dandiya is concerned. Its not that we don't keep in touch or that we don't party together. We do ... and we do it quite often. Its just the dandiya that is jinxed.

The biggest challenge in the past has been of getting everyone to agree to a common date and venue for the gig. This year we even managed to do that - but planning is the farthest that we could go. Though I must say, that 2006, has been the closest we have ever been to a dandiya together. We finalized the venue, chose a date when everyone left of the group in India could make it and also fixed the logistical problems. But the rain gods chose this very weekend to vent their fury on us poor souls. It rained like there would never be a tomorrow and we had to drop all plans of a dandiya!

So here I am, back to square one, hoping to plan and execute Mission 'Dandiya 2007' successfully! Moral of the story: If it isn't supposed to happen ... It isn't gonna happen!

Do you vote ...

... I don't! And I am not talking about the voting that's an integral part of a democracy but of the one associated with contests on television that have left the telecom company bosses grinning from ear to ear. Almost every television channel in the Indian living room has a contest / show that asks the viewers to vote for their favourite contestant. There are also lakhs of people who vote for their favourite contestants.

I watch / enjoy many of these reality shows and would prefer them over the regular, run of the mill rona dhona on television. But somehow I cannot get myself involved with them to an extent that I vote for the contestants. I also fail to understand the people who do. I have my reasons for staying out of this show of solidarity - first of all, the votes cost too much. All messages and calls made to such shows cost a lot more than the message or call that we make on an average. Secondly, how do I know that the results are not rigged by the channel to please a section of the audience and thus better their TRP ratings? Also, this might be an excellent money making venture but I think that by selecting the winner on the basis of public votes its not neccessary that we get the most talented artist. What we get in most cases is the most popular artist with something that's best described by a term being used by everyone - X factor. There have been instances wherein the participant has survivied elimination solely on the basis of the votes recieved from his native place! At times, the participant adjudged as the best by the jury on the show has not been accepted by the masses.

I think that for winning such shows, talent is not the only thing that you need in your arsenal. Marketing is also very important. Though I must add here that just the latter is just going to help you survive the initial rounds. You need a certain amount of talent to actually bag all that there is at stake, which I must add is a LOT. Another thing that is very important is the ability to connect with the audiences, as ultimately they are the ones that decide your fate.

But my main question here is who votes? And why? Some of the contestants recieve lakhs of votes, so this surely means that there are a lot of enthusiasts out there who are willing to spend their time and money on someone who they don't know personally. Could this be a way of them patronizing artisits? Or is it just the glamour that they are attracted towards?? Or worse, is it just a regular trend that they want to be a part of??? Or is it bus aise hi ... ?????