The Market Place

Rolling Stones…

2009-07-06T18:16:00.001+05:30

Gathers no moss, they say. There is another way of looking at this. Pigs rolling in the sty do gather dirt. But they never realize what they are rolling in or the fact that the stench is killing the neighborhood, do they? Why? Well, they get used to it.

Science says as a fact that, even humans, put in the middle of a garbage pool, as time passes (in fact not so long, 10-15 minutes probably) have their sense of smell adjusted that they no longer really realize where they are.

And so all you can accumulate by virtue of spending long periods in a company is some fabulous muck. It is difficult to realize what kind of crap pot that you are in as you get experienced. And by the time you realize it, you just have to hope and pray that it’s not too late.

Cut to the top story of the day.

Roger Federer wins Wimbledon and becomes the Greatest Grand Slam winner.

This is one rolling stone, which pockets slams as it rolls by. Coming at the heel of a seemingly impossible win at the French Open, this is a fantastic result for Federer. This story is amazing from a different perspective.

I started watching tennis is mid eighties. It was a transcient era from that of individual dominance of Laver and then Borg, to eighties of fights among equals. On a given day Becker, Edberg, Lendl, Wilander, Cash, Stich, the ageing Connors or McEnroe, any one can win a slam. The trend was about to continue given the increasing nature of competition in the men’s field.

Till a certain Pete Sampras came along.

There were Agassi, Chang, Courier, Kafelnikov, Ivanisevic, and an emerging Spanish armada in the circuit. But Sampras was clearly the dominator. I grew up watching every one of Sampras’s Slam wins. He was a not a natural popular choice. Andre Agassi was one. But the utter dominance of Pete Sampras was breath taking for me. His serving was so powerful, so certain. Even now I cannot think of a sure thing in life than him serving for a match. Don’t think he has ever lost his serve, while doing so. So powerful was his game, that the opponents were often brutalized into submission rather than getting beaten on a tennis court. All this he delivered with poise, elegance and skill, that there was this vicarious pleasure to be had, witnessing the massacre on the court which everyone approved! It was like watching a high action blood spilling war movie, violent but gripping and arresting. I thought this kind of dominance is impossible to recur in the near future (of the past!). All tennis fans also had the same view, I can bet.

Most improbably, as Pete was going out, his successor smoothly filled his position, before anyone realized that it was vacant. Federer’s dominance in the mid decade was even more mind altering. If watching Sampras was like watching a heavy duty action flick, watching Federer’s demolition act is like watching a live human dissection set to Bach or Beethovan’s Symphonic music at the back ground. Like an eye pleasing ballet where the protagonist goes around massacring his opponents in a highly choreographed manner in the most aesthetically pleasing way, if you may. It was the same utter domination and gave a similar vicarious pleasure, but of a different genre.

The Gods then decided to surprise you and throw in one more, while Federer was for Grass and concrete, he sent one for Clay. Between, Federer and Nadal, the domination is complete. It is so ruthless now that it is certain that if you beat either of them, the other is there to take revenge. I don’t think any sport has seen two such sportsman tag-teaming to such devastating effect, except for Bret & Owen Hart of WWE. ;-).

Federer has now done with his record making obligations and is ageing as well. Nadal should emerge stronger after recovering from a battered knee. There is this new Roddick. Along with the stoic scot Murray, Del Potro and the only other lone slam sniffer, Djokovic, the tennis at the top is extremely promising.

At this juncture, either it becomes like Equal Eighties, where every one can hope for a spoil or a more fascinating prospect would be a fully recovered and durable Nadal, mounting his own assault on what has now become Mt.Federer.

There is a small issue here. Very much like Mt.Everest and the lot which keep growing year after year, Mt.Federer might also grow up by couple of slams or more. If at all anyone can mount a serious challenge and has the right kind of start, it is Rafa for now. Then again, there could be some one else hiding in the ranks, biding time, waiting to ambush, ready to roll and gather some slams.

Getting back to the head to the initial lines, S keeps telling that it is time to get out of the rut that the job has become. As the pig story goes, as long as you are there in the pit, you don’t realize how much you are affecting others with your dirt slinging habits! I am beginning to affect people close to me and this should stop.

So here it is to S… let me try to become a Rolling Stone, throw away the muck and gather some millions on the way..! ;-) !

IPL2

2009-04-21T12:19:00.001+05:30

It is difficult to give this heady mix of Sports, Entertainment, Glamour, Politics and Drama a miss.

IPL2 is already the showcase of a daring Indian psyche. I guess I can safely say such shifting of location of a local league to a foreign country has not happened in any other sport across the world. This may have been a forced decision on BCCI. It is well understood that the television is the prime driver and the geographic location may be an immaterial factor. But the departure from staying true to established league norms of ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ matches, ‘Home Grounds’, ‘Loyal Home Fans’ etc. was audacious and the conviction that the interest can be sustained at a foreign shore is a laudable.

While all this and more (or less, in case of the cheer leaders’ garb) has begun to generate the widespread interest, what has really captured the attention for me is the performance of the oldies.

Warne, Hayden, Kumble, Murali, Sachin & Dravid are the key performers in the matches so far. In the very first over from Warne, we could see the ball jumping and turning as if he has been bowling all year. Kumble was accurate as ever. Sachin & Dravid are staking claims for a place in the Indian T20 team. Hayden was in his usual intimidating mood, brutally shaking off the indifferent first match innings. Saurav failed but will take a lot of comfort from the success of his peers. We have not seen Gilchrist & Sanath getting into action yet but they surely will have their days.

T20 is a blink-and-you-miss cricket form. Teams do not have time to recover. There are no grand plans but a sleight here and a trick there can do the do. In such form of cricket age does not matter. If you can put the bat to the ball, do so to avoid the 11 guys on the field, in which ever manner you can and sustain that for ten or fifteen minutes, you might have made an important contribution. Similarly, a batsman frustrating miserly over or a wily wicket taking ball or two, can change the match. What T20 has done is to take the game to one of its simplest forms – the Mayhem of Street Cricket.

Street Cricket all over the world is enjoyed by the young and the old alike. Youngsters will taunt the oldies over a sloppy fielding or a bad running between wickets, the Uncles win get back by purely playing on the youthful impatience. Of course, the physical fitness and conditioning of the young is unmatchable, it is easier for a wily old horse to sustain his run over a 20 over match much better than any other longer version of the game. When it comes to the international stage, we are talking about world class athletes, who know a thing or two about fitness irrespective of their age.

So far in IPL2, these guys have been a joy and a thrill to watch. It is not that these oldies are there to just put on a show and be the crowd pullers that they are. They are genuine entertainers in their own right, masters of their trade and have nothing to prove to anyone.

But with their edgy competitiveness, mighty experience and supreme talent, all ready to be pulled out for a condensed, intense form of cricket, the oldies are probably just the right guys to have on your side.

Allah Rakha Rahman wins the Oscar..

2009-02-23T16:45:00.003+05:30

A R Rahman has won 2 oscars and the whole of India is absolutely thrilled with this accolade.

In 1992, the film ‘Roja’ released without any announcement or fanfare. There was this very small last page advertisement in ‘The Hindu’ on the day of the release which caught my eye. And then I thought there is some error in the advertisement. There was no name of Illayaraja in the credits. Some ‘A R Rahman’ was mentioned and I promptly thought it was some other technician. But then, the film had all the known names at right roles, except the music director credit.

The ‘Maniratnam – Illayaraja’ combination is an extraordinary partnership to put it mildly. The sheer quality of output is staggering. Along with Maniratnam’s visualization, their songs are benchmark for film song picturization.

Here is the list of films that Maniratnam has done leading up to Roja:

1991 – Thalapathi - Illayaraja (in his 600th film - ?)
1990 – Anjali - ,, (in his 500th film - ?)
1989 – Gitanjali / Idayathai Thirudadhey - ,,
1988 – Agni Natchatram - ,, (in his 300/400th film or so)
1987 – Nayagan - ,,
1986 – Mauna Ragam - ,,
1985 – Idhayakovil - ,,
1986 – Pagal Nilavu - ,,

Now, just thinking about any of the songs in each one of the above films will make you smile. Listening to them, any day and any time of the day, makes the moment special. The quality of compositions, the variety, the breadth, the depth given by Illayaraja, is of one from a sheer genius. And to think this partnership can be changed or challenged is unthinkable.

But then consider the list below:

1992 – Roja - AR Rahman
1993 – Thiruda Thiruda - ,,
1995 – Bombay - ,,
1997 – Iruvar - ,,
1998 – Dil Se - ,,
2000 – Alaipayuthae - ,,
2002 – Kannathil Muthamittal - ,,
2004 – Ayidha Ezhuthu / Yuva - ,,
2007 – Guru - ,,

No less exceptional. No less staggering. In my list, Raja is ahead of Rahman, only because of the volume of his work and the consistent background magic that he has created in each of the films in the list.

Now getting back to the Oscar and other awards….

In my opinion, any one who even remotely challenges the first list is worthy of any award on the block.

If it happens to be the Oscar, I’ll settle for that as well.

;-)

Congratulations, A R Rahman…!

Sachin Tendulkar wins his French Open..!!

2008-12-16T11:30:00.002+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar i guess beat Roger Federer (& a retired Pete Sampras) to win his French Open...!

This is what he had to say after the match.. the poise and the choice of words underline his class.

"I dedicate this century to the people of Mumbai," the batting maestro said, adding "cricket cannot lessen whatever happened... I hope this 100 will give some amount of happiness to the people.""What happened in Mumbai was extremely extremely unfortunate and it will be hard to recover," Tendulkar said, adding, "we are right with the people who lost their near and dear ones.

So, here is Congratulations to Sachin, on his French Open win..!

Me, my breakfast and Parthasarathy of Triplicane...

2008-12-14T14:30:00.001+05:30

This morning, thought I will finally get around to the Triplicane Parthasarathy Temple. I had Madras born, Chennai bred Banglorean, as my guide (while on that, friend, philosopher, as well… ;-)).

One step inside the temple, it feels like you have been transported to some 13th Century Chola period and it seemed possible that the Pandian King could be somewhere lurking around as part of his evangelization drive to convert Vaishnavites onto becoming a Shaivite.

If this is difficult to picture here is an easier explanation. It was like walking into the sets of the film Dasavatharam and expecting Napolean to tap your shoulders. Actually Asin would have been nicer option but that will be veering out of the topic. Let me leave this at this. (Sigh!) (That sigh was for the fact that I actually had several taps on the shoulder, alas by my FPG)

Any case, it happened that Lord Parthasarathy had decided to hide behind the curtain, when we went. I was very much hurt that the Lord could spurn me. I mean what gall, having given the rights to someone else.

But then I could have had my revenge then and there. The Prasadam stall had Puliyodhara and other assorted stuff like the sweet Appam, etc. Since I haven’t had my breakfast then, it was a wonderful opportunity in the offing for me to treat the Lordship’s aboard as a meal counter and get even by gorging on the fare available. But anger overrode the opportunity and I rushed out. Only to realize that I was still hungry and angry while the Lord in his abode smug and smiling. Cannot stop thinking that only God knows what the Lord was up to behind the curtain!

So here is what I have decided. That I will once go to the temple only for the Puliyodhara and nothing else. Then will decide on a meeting Parthasarathy on a later occasion when my FPG is around.

In my case, revenge is a dish, best served hot and spicy from a temple madapalli!

Appetite, literally..!

2008-12-14T01:01:00.004+05:30

To eat to live or to live to eat, that’s never an ambiguity for me.

In the past week or so, I have picked couple of books on food, to read. One a small compendium, titled, ‘A Cook’s Companion’ and the other ‘It must’ve been something I ate’ by Jeffrey Steingarten.

‘A Cook’s Companion’ is a typically neat British publication (Robson Books) on gastronomical trivia. It contains some wonderful little tidbits on food history, science, and facts/fiction.

Sample this trivia,

During wartimes, inside the rationed environs of a warship, the once a day complete meal used to be served in square plates, hence ‘Square Meals’.

And this quote,

There are two things in life I like firm, and one of them is jelly. – Mae West

Or this anonymous limerick,

There was a young gourmet of Crediton
Who took pate de foie gras and spread it on
A chocolate biscuit
He murmured ‘I’ll risk it’
His tomb bears the date that he said it on.

Nice, isn’t it?

The book has hundreds of such entries. And can be a delightful companion on a lazy Sunday afternoon or a lonely train journey (as I found out).

I have just started reading ‘ It must have ..’ and from what I have read, Steingarten writes with a very understated dry self deprecating humor which is hard to not grin at while reading. I will post a bit more once I am through with the reading.

A typical food related book would be a collection of recipes, more often than not. However, if you lay your hands on books which go beyond just recipes, they offer a reading with a new taste. Food is such an integral part of our daily life in times of mirth or misery. It is no surprise that there is so much to write about than just recipes.

S has been reading books by MFK Fisher and found them as relishing as a plate of home made festive savories. I got to find a way to dig into her fare. I have in my shelf an autobiographical book that I haven’t read yet, ‘The Devil in the kitchen’ by Marco Pierre White – a celebrity chef and on top of it, a Brit. (A British cook, makes you wonder, what a nice time pass profession that it would be, given the fact that there is nothing so much called British cuisine!). The point I am trying to make is that while there is so much to read generally, there is much more to read on food, specifically. I guess it will be a genre which can offer a lip smacking fare page after page.

Getting back to where I started: To eat to live or to live to eat, that’s never an ambiguity for me.

;-)!

Cannot digest…

2008-11-28T20:43:00.001+05:30

The events of last two days in Bombay are the ones that evoke disbelief, disgust, shock, anger, irritation, shame and irony. It has prompted questions on who is responsible and accountable. Revenge plays on mind. Yet restraint is the need of the hour.

There will be stories concocted on the planning and brains behind this attack. The motives will be analyzed. The response will be questioned. The retaliation and fight back will be criticized. Political mileage will be sought. Diplomacy will be tested and stretched. Heroes will be hailed. A lot more would be mourned and forgotten.

I was shut inside house due to incessant rains in Chennai. Was hooked on to work from home and I had the TV on all day. It was like watching a full scale action movie albeit in real time. The vicarious entertainment it provided was sickening in when you think about the terror that it has afflicted.

Some things are certain. No more inaction by hiding behind the hyped Mumbaiyya Spirit of returning back to work after a day of horror. There is a need for a clear home land security organization, like the Army. The PM has for the first time come out with a stronger response, which is welcome.

If there are no specific, tangible and visible measures taken, then, one more such attack and people will riot, which again might be one of the objectives of such terror acts.

The efforts of the NSG, even though they are only doing what they are trained for, and the armed forces should be lauded. The challenges of mounting a counter terrorist operation in these conditions are beyond the normal realms. The Taj staff has been reported to be calm, collected and still helpful to the guests amidst chaos, which is poignantly heartening.

Beyond all this analysis of what had happened, why, how, when and where, the whole situation, it is the fact that a bunch of young minds can be trained to believe in these acts of terror as means of proving a point or instruments of getting to an objective that is nauseating. It makes acts of suicide bombing, or flying into an high rise etc, which are point in time acts, elementary in their conception and execution. Here the intent and the long drawn execution are an elaborate exhibition of demented minds.

But for the first time, the weapons and the suicidal conditioning have failed to cloak the cowardice on display.

All said, what had happened is difficult to digest.

The (changing) times... (?!)

2008-10-26T21:48:00.006+05:30

Actually i had a different post earlier out here. Something to do with the difficult times that we are in globally, ironic situation that i find at work locally and confusing times otherwise. Some folks read it. One said i am being too tight and other said 'no comments'! Both are right. The global conditions have been talked, analysed and written about using the last byte available. Local condition at work is actually nothing much to really merit a comment. The confusion otherwise is essentially taking myself a bit more seriously than i ought to. So decided to put in a reform post! ;-)

However, my thoughts on the festivals and festive season remains. These festivals do give people a reason to look forward to that given day without their usual worries and fears. Here is sincerely wishing that every day is a festival..!

(the picture above taken with my mobile at Madurai Meenakshi Temple at the Navagraha sannidhi where people offer ghee filled dhiyas in an effort to appease Shani, Rahu, Kedhu and the likes)

Quarter-ending dramas

2008-10-02T00:04:00.001+05:30

The work place was overflowing till yesterday with the quarter ending madness.

People were stretched and stressed to the maximum. Tempers frayed and tantrums thrown around. There was a manic sense of urgency to do things which you do not wish to attempt in normal times. Orders had to be brought in and unreachable targets needed to be surpassed. What has been committed had to be met. Bosses had to be pleased. And so on.

But organizations pick people to do precisely this job. The sales guys in an organization are supposed to handle this stretching and stressing. They are there to put in extra ordinary efforts as opposed to normal way to doing things. They know that commitments have to be met and the boss is not going to be pleased if the same were not met. And they know how to handle this as well.

Why all this fuss, then?

Where there is more drama, less is the level of competence of the work place in general. All the shouting and yelling during such periods is a reflection of lack of a certain level of sophistication in terms of business assessment, sales closure and order execution spread over the period in question. It finally boils down to the individual’s level of confidence and self-esteem.

A quality work place should just address this aspect and the rest should pretty much settle in place.

Getting back to my work place, the quarter just ended for us and it is a holiday due to Ramzan out here. The shift from a maddening pressure situation at work to nil work is completely disconcerting, strangely.

I think, the pressure at work place due to the immediate work on hand, conveniently shields the other issues surrounding one’s work/life. To an extent that we actually tend to like that and allow it to be that way, controlling our lives. We get a credible alibi for not working on other things.

When suddenly there is nothing to do, all the remaining things come to fore! Well, one such thing is my slightly flourishing tummy and I have to do something about it! ;-)!

Traditions, rituals and superstitions…

2008-09-27T21:16:00.004+05:30

Societies keep changing in time. They pick up new found knowledge about things as days go by and become wiser. (Not always for the good!). ‘Tradition’ I guess is an easy way of passing on this wisdom to the coming generations. To remove the need for explaining the accumulated wisdom, time and again, ‘rituals’ were concocted. After some generations, no one knows, why some things are done in a certain way, but we just do it as it is a tradition, in form of a ritual.

Still, there will be many who will question the tradition. So another tight layer was added on top, in the name of ‘religion’, so that the rituals are followed, with a fear of God. I feel, wherever there is a gap between a tradition and the ritual enforcing the tradition, the filler is usually some form of ‘superstition’.

Traditions make a lot of sense especially when you put the fundamental reasons in perspective. It is an extremely cost effective and least time consuming way of passing on information/facts across the society (I remember reading this some where and it made a lot of sense.)

In time, some traditions might and will lose their relevance. New traditions will emerge in tune with the changes. However, the superstitions of the past and the rituals tend to remain. Coupled with religion, these are powerful influences in our daily life.

Non-conformists or someone who is more logical than normal would start questioning these influences. A conflict arises in the mind of individuals and also some times among the collective societal psyche as well. These conflicts will always exist and are necessary to bring forth positive changes.

I was reading this post by S and that triggered this thought process. Yes, the issues that S has put in her post are very much prevalent in our society. While I think some of the ritualistic behaviors are getting altered for the better but a lot are pretty much the de facto situation still.

This is turning out to be a kind of heavy post. It is the result of idling in office on a saturday during a quarter end, as that is a 'tradition', you know.

;-)!

To continue the Oct 2006 post… (!!!)

2008-09-23T02:14:00.000+05:30

It is well past midnight but sleep seems elusive. The good part is that I have a blog entry after couple of years. And I want to beat my own blogging records by keying in two in the same day as a measure of having broken a kind of jinx.

In the two-years-back-post, I had mentioned about the reorganizing that’s happening in my work place. That happened and a lot happened after that. But the most amazing thing is that, in the long run (that the two year period is) nothing has actually changed! The wise Roman General was right with his wisdom. The thing is, there is yet another financial year-end round the corner and so would be the changes.

It will be fun to watch the whole circus act repeating itself. Clowns and ringmasters can be identified. So would be the contortionists and tight rope walkers. There will be the odd strong man and the juggler. There will be trapeze artists who would fly around, hoping that they will catch on to some thing at the end of their flight to hang on to the dear life! In short, it will be the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ in every one of my offices!

Hmm…now I am sleepy, so, good night.

Just another day…?!!

2008-09-23T00:52:00.002+05:30

I have not posted a blog for some time now and that ‘some time’ is a period of just under two years. That’s at once a pointer to my own inactivity and the relentlessly furious march of time. Cutting that English down, it does not feel good at all, actually it sucks..! Am back, egged on by a friend to blog again, rather challenged that I would be hard pressed to key in any length of coherent words!

I am one of those, who, very fashionably (heheh) exhibit that sense of cool detachment when it comes to remembering incidental things like, anniversaries and birthdays. Especially ones own birthday is typically ‘Just another day’. Sometimes you remember it during the day, or reminded by some colleague at work, someone from the family calls up or when a friend remembers. Personally, I do not remember any of my birthdays from past. Nor do I have any funny birthday stories to recollect. However, it is really something to get a message from a client from work at exactly at mid-night wishing me a happy birthday! There was also this other message from a friend (which was also equally surprising!). Thanks to those two.

Actually it is a strangely empty feeling. However, now that I am reminded, it feels nice to be wished! But by a client..??! I am not sure how to react and am sure some of my pals will have fabulous reactions..!! ;-)

That’s that ‘Just another day’ when I have decided to blog back..!

Reorganization Time

2006-10-06T17:46:00.000+05:30

"We trained hard, but it seemed every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation."

- Attributed to a Roman General in 66AD who later committed suicide.

Towards the end of a financial year, companies typically kickstart the annual reorganization routine where people get moved around. From absolute performance to down right sycophancy, it is that fun time to see who is getting what.

Apart from the fact that it manages to change the comfort level of people all around, little is the real impact of these changes in the normal course of business. Of course, there are rare exceptions. And for some part of the organization, the end result is as that described by the wise Roman General.

There is an unexpected round of reorganization happening at my work place and it is to be seen how it ends.

Tamil, Tug-of-war and Tenni-Koit...

2006-10-04T23:54:00.000+05:30

Long time since the last post. There is no apparent reason for not blogging and there is none for getting back.

Couple of things which caught the attention

· One airline passenger detained in some US Airport because at least one fellow passengers thought he is a terrorist suspect. Reason: He was speaking in Tamil over his mobile phone.

· Indian Government has sanctioned INR35Lakhs for promotion of Tug-of-War as part of Sports Promotion Budgeting! Tenni-Koit got 25L as well!!

By the way, Bangalore is really a nice city if it is allowed to be! It did take a state-wide ‘Bandh’ to realize that. The city roads were deserted and it was indeed a different city with lesser traffic. Can understand why people once loved this place.

870 in One Day Vs 750 in Four Days !!!

2006-03-12T22:35:00.000+05:30

so, has the match of the century has already been played ?!!

fabulous topic for those endless discussion, as South Africa incredibly do the unthinkable in chasing down Australia's 434!!

chase down 434...!! well to start with, how the hell you manage to hit 434 in 50 overs..!! man... if this doesn't tell you that times have really changed, nothing ever will...!!! it is the tale of two captains as much as anything else... Ponting and Smith...while the Punter never ceases to amaze with knocks of such devastating effect on the opposition (remember the knock out punch in the World Cup final..), Smith's job execution is a study in manpower management... i am not able to think of a captain, who had taken over his job under so much cicumspection and turned out so well..

fabulous game and cheers to the script writer (and hoping that it was God who wrote the script and not a goddamn bookie) !!!.

i couldn't think of a better reason to jump back to the blog ;)

by the way, 750 in 4 Days is what India and England have managed together in the second test at Mohali..!!

Some personal babble…

2006-01-16T00:31:00.000+05:30

It has been a long gap since my last post. Reasons…? Being in sales, with a company which follows Jan-Dec financial year, it was a really hectic period. The year ending madness in closing the transactions in view, with all the possible things that can go wrong, going wrong, was an exercise in conforming to conflicting requirements within the workplace and then between yourself and the work place.

Like most typical American behemoth with business ambitions in India, my company also has enforced its systems and procedures to conduct business. Most of these, in my opinion, are in place to ensure the business never gets out of hold from the stake holders point of view especially where most of the stake holders are elsewhere. Almost all aspects of business are riddled with so much of conformity to one procedure or other, that it is a miracle that we actually deliver to our end customers in India! More of what we do as work and the cribs around that in a later post.

I was deep asleep by the time the New Year arrived. But I was woken up by incessant messages on the cell phone wishing a great new year. Thanks for all those wishes. And to all those who actually read this, here is my wish for a wonderful new year to you and your family!

But contrary to the wishes, it’s not been the best of start for the year. Firstly, there was this nice long distance travel which I was looking forward to. That got cancelled. Then I was not pleased with things professionally for a while and the New Year has not made it any better. Actually, I am more put off with myself than any other for certain specific reasons in this regard. And finally, I lost an opportunity, barely a week in to a new year of doubled targets! Not the ideal starts for sure!!

On the plus side, took a break and went to Madurai, the home town. The drive had its share of bad roads and pot holes, but was good. Went to the Temple. Like the times before, it is awe inspiring and a humbling experience just being there. The drive back was better with a pleasant weather hanging around throughout the ride. It was a fast drive as well. Got me back, in time to settle down and do this post.

So there, that’s the come back babble… hoping to post again in couple of days.

Lara's theme is definitely going to be haunting!!

2005-11-26T02:24:00.000+05:30

In the last decade or so, the Gods in cricket seem to have diminished rapidly in their numbers. Gone are the days when you could pick two or three players in any team other than India and start your worship. These days there aren't too many cricketers for whom i would gladly pay and watch.

Here is my list of favorite non-Indian Gods:

1. Ambrose and Walsh bowling in tandem. Especially the thinking Ambrose, when the batsman gets better of him by hitting him over the ropes. You don't see any malice. Only a serious face thinking what went wrong and how to amend that the next delivery.
2. Shane Warne in action. There is something magical. The guy seriously thinks he can get a wicket every ball.
3. Waqar and Wasim bowling in tandem. All said, these guys were lethal.
4. Mark Waugh with his elegant drives. You wonder where he gets the timing from.
5. De Silva and Ranatunga. Especially liked the way Ranatunga defended Murali once when the umpire no-balled him.

And in this list without doubt is Brian Lara.

If i have to choose between Lara and Sachin to watch one of them in full glory, i personally would pick the former.

Heres a toast to Lara.. when he quits cricket, it sure is going to be a very haunting theme to forget!!

I wish my house had a garage.. ;)

2005-11-24T11:21:00.000+05:30

Here is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University that a colleague of mine forwarded..

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Hewlett and Packard started at a garage..
So did the Googlers..
So did Michael Dell..
(And if i add an Amazon or an eBay not many would deny that...!!)

Found some nice perspectives from Mr.Jobs here, though i generally stay away from the Motivational-Self Help-Inspirational reads.

The superlative crimes!!

2005-11-07T22:47:00.000+05:30

There are a number of web-sites which have reviews on everything under the sun. I keep checking one such site at times. Today I stumbled upon the reviews for the film ‘Black’. And that’s the reason for this blog.

The accolades for that film left me pretty confused.

I did see that film. And I found it a pathetic, contrived and appalling movie. This is in no way belittling the theme of the movie and the sentiments it aspired to showcase. I thought I am feeling that way because personally I’ve always felt a streak of hypocrisy and forced emotions in Bansali’s works. It is really a brave attempt by Bollywood standards to give a sensitive film. But I felt that attempt falls flat because it is forced on the viewer. This is fundamentally contradicting. However, I did expect a lot of people to like it for reasons I hated the film. The performances were good and technically it was well shot. And since there were enough fans for Bansali’s earlier works like ‘Devdas’, I was sure ‘Black’ will be talked about.

But boy, I was not prepared for ‘greatest film from Bollywood in recent times’, ‘Indian cinematic event for more than a quarter of a century’, ‘Sure-shot Oscar winner’ etc.

I realized is not just about the superlatives for ‘Black’. Its not about whether my views about 'Black' is wrong or someone else is right. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinions. Its not about that.

Look around. Almost every participant in the ‘Indian Idol’ competition is a great talent. All film actors are great dancers. There are no lesser music directors in the film industry. All are great. So is every hit film director. Even Television has its greats, every channel. All politicians are great in their region. The Indian Cricket team almost every time when it takes to the field contains 11 great players and 1 great substitute (and of course 1 great super-substitute!).

And finally, one of my own blog posts has been referred to as ‘Great’.

Aside: Isn’t that one hell of an example of self deprecation demonstrating great modesty ;-)!

Fundamentally, somewhere I feel we have lost that sensitivity to this word – Great.

When you think more on this, it is a far serious an issue than it appears at the outset. Guess we are surrounded by a sea of mediocrity that we have forgotten excellence. So much so that, occasional flashes of above average behavior is pretty much a great event in itself.

In the line of actual control…

2005-10-20T00:28:00.000+05:30

A million lives, a zillion deaths
Lost childhood, stolen innocence
Violent life, abrupt ends
Wasted wealth, raped beauty
Pristine white snow, bloody red streaks
Homeland refugees, hinterland enemies

You hear the silent voices of the dead
Your breath is the last gasp of the buried

When the ground beneath vanishes
What will anyone actually control?

************

been away from blogging due to some irritating and erratic work life... feels better once you are back though..!

Tag: 55 word poem

The 55 Words Story of a Day

2005-09-26T14:49:00.000+05:30

Wake up. Shit. Shave. Shower. Eat. Dress. Drive. Log on. Mail. Meet. Plot. Eat. Complain. Yell. Get yelled at. Call. Avoid. Evade. Log off. Drive. Shower. TV. Eat. Try Sleeping. Wait, not yet 55! Read. TV. Read. Still not 55!! That was one ‘everyday’ story. Not even full enough to fit in 55 words!

(Word count: 54)

Good day, guys!

the search for ashes ends !

2005-09-13T15:46:00.000+05:30

no wonder it took them sixteen years to find the Ashes.. that all important stuff is roughly 3 inches in size !!

anycase another memorable sporting occasion ! and here is what one fan has to say about the win..

" Stu Hallows, Australia, via Email on bbc.com:

Well, I have just finished the best day of work I've had in years. I'm a Pom and I work for Travelex (the Aussie team Sponsors) in Australia. "

Now we know how sporting occasions become personal celebrations ! :)

A post about three remarkable men.

2005-09-12T14:41:00.000+05:30

I was up early today, watching the US Open finals, between Andre Agassi and Roger Federer. This year’s Open ended up being one hell of an affair. Especially the men’s matches have been fabulous throughout the fortnight. Not that women’s draw was lagging any behind. More so for us, Indians, with Sania Mirza making it to round4, and quite a few matches going till the wire, the girls threw up some real exiting fare. For once I knew God does like playing some games (if not dice), when Sania bumped into Maria. Well, like most, I was confused with the loyalties.

However, at the end of the fortnight, quite rightly and clearly, two guys stand out. Agassi and Federer. Not just for the fact that they made the finals, but for the fact that one made history and the other was making one and that made it a special sporting occasion.

More than the monster facts that backs up either guy’s achievement so far, it is their state of mind which was fascinating for me. It is one thing to have all the natural talent, skill, to get the right breaks, backing etc. But it is altogether a different proposition to hold up to all that you have got, and consistently proving for yourself what you are capable of.

Take Agassi for instance. This is a sport where every birthday has to be a day of mourning because it reminds you of an impending demise so early in life (imagine, at 30, most of us begin a career and at the same 30, a tennis pro would be ending his/hers – incidentally, Kim Clijsters, the women’s champ says she will retire at 24 ! ). It is a weird situation to be in, retirement at thirty or earlier.

But Agassi has turned this to his advantage. After thirty, suddenly he has found that his real greatness lies in extending his game, lies in showing the world and himself, the commitment, the hard work, the effort that is required. And all that can be taken and taken to the point where he starts winning against everyone. Agassi is not a supremely gifted as a Federer or does not have that awesome imposing game of his old adversary, Pete Sampras. So he has figured out to keep things simple around him. For all his charisma, flamboyance, wild youth etc. Agassi today is more normal and an average family man than many. But by sheer will and old fashioned hard work, he is where he is today. Keep things simple. Just amazing!

And there is Federer. I might only attempt to understand Federer. He now is living the life of someone who knows that he is the best. He knows is doing the best. He knows he is endowed with so much talent. He knows there is simply none like him. Yet like Sampras before him, he is not allowing that talent to go waste. He is reveling in it, without being boastful, over confident, brash or anything remotely not likeable.

Two different guys, with different gifts, talents, personality etc., serving up a match to showcase what life is all about. It was a real insight into yourself when you think over.

And by 7 in the morning, while Federer triumphs, Agassi applauded, US$1.1 Mill issued to the winner, few hundred thousands to the loser (??!), With a casual flip of remote, I switch off the TV, pull the bed sheet back over my head, catch up with my lost sleep.

Were you wondering about who is the third remarkable man? :-) !!

Pizza with Chutney at Pappa-Ji-ka-Dhabha..

2005-08-22T21:05:00.000+05:30

One of my friends posed a query sometime back.

Would encountering a South Indian chef in a Punjabi restaurant dilute the culinary experience?

The immediate response that I have is, yes it would. The reason, no matter how hard I imagine I cannot imagine a Sardar serving me a Dosa. But as I said this is a very personal and top of the mind answer.

However this is not just an interesting passing thought...As my friend put it, can this be extended into a more significant or broader context?... and suddenly quite a lot of questions pop out…

Would we then want Indians to be only Indian, Caucasians to be only Western in culture?
Do I being multicultural involve others being mono-cultural?
Is it prejudice or racism or just cultural conditioning?

And then I was reading this post about a stroll in a mall.

A metro city mall in India is as multicultural as it can get in most parts of the world, given our diversity. Though it is an in-country experience, you do find cross-cultural behavior at its best. This means a great deal of homogeneity has already happened.

Or going back to my friends question, are we now being culturally conditioned the other way? I mean to accept things normalized for the multitude.
If I am not bothered by a Sardar serving me a dosa, am I being culturally tolerant or am I homogenized?

Well… right now, I don’t care if it is a Mallu cooking me Pasta or a Tam serving me Paneer Butter Masala, I am bloody famished and I need food. When you are hungry, there is no culture vulture hovering over your food!

the doomed world of RAM

2005-08-10T15:56:00.000+05:30

RAM’s world is in a mess.

RAM has been having peaceful existence all these days. RAM was nestled in the comfort of a nice resting place. This place has been designed to suit RAM’s specific requirements. This place has so many resources. There are many to do the same job. This means rarely has RAM has been disturbed from the wonderfully sanguine existence.

Of course now and then RAM is pulled up to work. RAM brushes those aside, with a swiftness and agility of an ice hockey player. For, after all, that is what RAM has been trained in. The faster RAM deflects the work towards others, the better it is.

There have been times when RAM has not particularly felt like working. However, there are redundant resources to back up RAM’s non-availability. RAM thanked the high priests of technology for that. And RAM was always surrounded with many of that kind.

RAM was always hailed as something precious. In any system where RAM has been, RAM reigned supreme. RAM was most sought after. People used to look out for RAM. They could never say no to RAM. They wanted more and more of RAM. But RAM was then not so accessible. You need to find ingenious ways to just get near RAM. Once you find RAM, RAM is the answer to all your worries. Such was the reputation for RAM.

Unknowing to RAM, however, there has been a lot things happening around.

In the technology world map, there are certain epicenters. Disruption of such epicenters would cause issues. Relocation of such epicenters would call for change of the world map.

Something like that happened in RAM’s world.

One, the Far East part of the normal world became the epicenter for RAM’s world. RAM started losing value. The exclusivity RAM enjoyed, no longer remained. The very people who used to treat RAM with respect, now show disdain. Not that RAM has changed any which way.

Two, advent of the species called the Software Engineer and more importantly the sudden explosion of this species in India. Consequently, the advent of the super species called the Indian Software Engineer.

A note about this weird species. An Indian Software Engineer, working for Indian Software Company writes (sic) Indian Software. And the Indian Software Engineer is a product of pirated software and stolen PC time. The Indian Software Engineer believes in theory of Chaos. The Indian Software Company believes in Order among Chaos. Since both have managed to survive, some thing sure does work. This ‘thing’ does not mean the software, most of the time. With an Indian Software Engineer working in Indian Software Company, there are no rules. No rules meant, very long and often unnecessary, Indian Software. But as I said, both the Indian Software Company and the Indian Software engineers have survived.

Coming back to RAM..

All this meant bad news for RAM. The so far blissful existence of RAM was broken. RAM was not prepared for the onslaught that’s going to be. RAM has been made to work incessantly for very long hours. Every bit and piece of RAM has been torn apart. RAM has been chiseled, interleaved, sorted and released, only to be immediately captured. RAM has never been pushed to a state of such a disorder.

Life ceased to exist as it were for RAM.
Life itself will cease to exist for RAM.

Ironically, RAM has to thank the very same high priests of Technology, even for that.

And so RAM’s World is in a mess.

RAM = Random Access Memory

Enroute..

2005-08-02T20:26:00.000+05:30

Buffalo soldiers of Indian kind
For a life, in the decadent city …
That child with a broken leg
Runs to get that expectant half rupee …
I look around, for hope
But hopelessness is all I see …

And then it happens: The light, the signal and the movement …

There is wind in my hair
And this song in my ear …
All the worries a minute ago
Seem to kind of disappear …
Things are so beautiful, full of life and cheer
Why would anyone complain of despair …

For I have just moved out of a traffic jam, my dear …

the early morning massacre at House No.298, Indra Nagar

2005-07-28T11:19:00.000+05:30

The wonder of creation
The beauty of formation
The delight of a design
The marvel of an idea
The miracle of life

Broken..whipped..fried..

Am having my breakfast.

A lost deal..

2005-07-20T17:21:00.000+05:30

All that you love, has been loved..
All that you hate, has been hated..

All that you love, has been hated..
All that you hate, has been loved..

All that you dream, has been dreamt..
All that you own, has been owned..

All that you lost, has been gained..
All that you gained, has been lost..

All that you have, has been had..
All that you gave, has been given..

All that you see, has been seen..
All that you say, has been said..

All that you think, has been thought..
All that you do, has been done..

All that you live, has been lived..

……..

All that needs to be won, has been won…
And you want to die, but you then are dead..

the English, August blog

2005-07-15T18:40:00.000+05:30

visited this blog on a random search.. damn good is an understatement.. what made it more appealing was that this guy had chosen the same template as i had..

and the similarities end there..:)

the photographs posted are mesmerising and the words accompanying them are truly poetic..

the salesman's job

2005-07-15T10:17:00.000+05:30

this morning i had a discussion going with my colleagues on the job of a sales guy in this IT industry.. seems like competent guys are hard to come by..

sales is probably the most personal of all jobs.. we all must have heard about the 'lonely sales guy'.. glamorous it seems for others, the sales guy is the most tortured soul around.. you can experience all sorts of emotions in a day, you could win some, lose some, win a losing deal and vice versa, can feel elated, cheated, irritated, can be made to feel like a fool, shouted upon, walk into a meeting full of ideas, come back thoughtless, and what more..

so we got discussing, why would anyone choose this as a profession.. especially guys, say, from a top notch B-school or so, with so many options before them in the wake of sunrise industries like IT and other services, why would they settle for a career in sales.. even if they choose so, we find many of them coming with a totally different perspective on sales and seem to flounder and get out within a year or so..

the b-schools need to drive the right inclination among the wards..

and the industry probably should start doubling the pay for guys in sales.. ;) !

Thiruvasagam in Symphony

2005-07-14T19:13:00.000+05:30

i have bought the TiS of Illayaraja.. and have read now tonnes of reviews on the same... most of the reviews go overboard in terms of the accolades heaped on IR.. which is understandable, as till now no Indian has gone for such an attempt..

however there are some things which are playing on my mind..

based on whatever he has done so far, IR is a genius, no doubt..

he is such a prolific composer who has given a few thousands of songs in close to a thousand films.. a whole load of those songs define the lives of many who are his fans.. this kind of connection for a creator with his audience is just brilliant.. and when a guy like that comes out with a totally new effort we are going to go nuts..and its easy to go overboard..

this attempt by IR surely needs the listener to be appreciative of the form of music, much like a modern art painting.. with a little help, many can surely appreciate a modern art, am sure..

so...a critical review of TiS, with a little help to the general but discerning listener as to what makes this special, is still missing... or probably it is there in some of the reviews.. i could've missed it amidst all the superlatives...

as for my reaction, it was amazing to listen to the blend of classic tamil verses mixed on a western symphonic score, and surprising to hear IR's choice of his own voice really suiting the effort.. as for the complexities of the score, am not competent enough to compehend what has gone into these compositions...

the starting post...

2005-07-14T09:59:00.000+05:30

have been reading through a lot of blogs of late.. should say, people all round are born writers... the volume of writings posted on some of the blogs are mind boggling to say the least...

i do not know what i will blog about... unlike a diary, a blog is easily there for others to read and review... it is the average man's own printing press, own book store with a own set of readers..

anyway i have started...