signifies a usually brief state of excitement and mental confusion often accompanied by hallucinations. It involves sudden and severe mental or neurological changes. All the views expressed here have to be read keeping in view this state of me.
I got a forward today morning that had a urlwhich pointed to website, rather a blog. I was surprised to read through half of the stuff there.
This gentleman did not agree that the things for Global economy are looking up. He was of the opinion that this is a temporary phase and the world economy will relapse into recession mode very soon.
The culprit as per him was too much money in the Global economy. He blamed overprinting of money in the last 20 years. He talked about ‘animal spirits’ in stock market as something that may be linked to the global recession.
He was of the view that the world economy will turn for the better when ‘real expenditure’ will return to the market.
I dunno how much was true as I’m a novice into things too economic. Hope that things turn for the better soon. Amen!
I always look forward to visiting Pune. I love travelling and infact, Pune is one place I love to visit. There are several reasons for the same. One is the amazing drive on expressway (yeah, I don’t own a vehicle and go by company car, still the feel of the car jutting ahead at over 140 km/hr on 8 laned road with plush greenery on both sides of the road is an amazing experience). The other is that you get to see amazingly picturesque surroundings. One crosses two hill stations – Lonavala and Khandala on way to Pune from Mumbai. There are several others, but then they are too personal for me to add here :P.
Just to get you started, I work for a company where Parsi New Year is a holiday. Today I was celebrating the parsi new year (naah not literally, but the holiday was welcome so the celebrations came automatically).
I decided to welcome the parsi new year by not sleeping and enjoying life. I was joined in this crusade of mine by a friend and we watched movies, talkshows, music videos, soaps, and every other thing possible to avoid sleeping. And yes, we managed to not sleep and were awake for more than 36 hours at the last count. We exulted at our naïve feat, but were nevertheless physically and mentally exhausted due to lack of sleep and rest.
Just as I was planning to hit the sack, I got a call from my boss asking me to go to Pune the next day. And I started my preparation for the trip. Just to bring the readers up to speed, I work as a Business Development Manager at an IT company. As a part of my role, I need to meet up with a lot of people. So as a part of my preparation for this trip, I started calling companies based in Pune requesting for a meeting the other day. Although, I was not successful in getting a meeting, I was atleast able to re-energize myself. In the ensuing enthusiasm I received a distress note from a client and had to go to Saki-Naka area.
I had a really really torrid time there. I got stressed out, to the point of freaking out. I was disgruntled, dissatisfied with life in general and began to wonder if I’m in the wrong place. To add to my misery I was supposed to talk and confirm with my company admins about a vehicle that should come at dawn break next day to take me to Pune for the meeting. Just as I was trying to get in touch with the admins at my company, one of the two cellphones that I carry decided to switch off on account of low battery. This appeared as if somebody wanted to add misery to my already complex situation.
When I took the other phone out of my pocket, I checked for the battery and was relived to see that it was flaunting nice strong looking battery bars. I smiled and dialed a number. But, to my utter surprise instead of Tring Tring or the now commonplace caller tunes, I head a lady saying in my year ‘to subscribe to this service please dial *&*’ . I tried a couple of times more and realized that outgoing was blocked due to some strange reason. I was stuck at an alien location and was not reachable and I on the other hand couldnot contact anyone else L.
It is at times like these when I think that Peter Principle seems so true (anything that can go wrong will go wrong).
I was amazed that so many things that have all decided to wrong at the same time. I was cursing everything that I could think of. And to be honest, today was one such day when I felt very sad and wanted to be with myself, primarily to introspect and to mourn also :P.
But, alas it was not to be. I got a call from a friend saying that he wants me to be watch a movie with his gang (remember:my incoming on one phone was working, but no outgoing-no sms,no outbound calls). I did all that I could; to explain that I am not in the right frame of mind for a movie and that at this time I’d want to introspect and just be with myself. But as some people have it, this friend of mine is very persuasive. He had his way and I agreed to reach to watch the cinema hall.
The time now, was around 8:25 pm and I was standing at Saki Naka area (in Mumbai-western suburbs). I was to reach Vashi (Navi Mumbai-some good 35 plus Kilometers from where I was) to watch this movie that was supposed to start at 9:00pm sharp. It was a hopeless cause from the start, but I said that since my friend was so adamant, I better try my level best and see by what best possible time I can reach the theatre. I in my quest to reach early started to wave frantically to every possible ‘autorickshaw’. But, as faith had it, there were only a handful that were empty and the ones that were empty didn’t want to go to Kurla (a station on Central and Harbor line-Mumbai).
I was in a fix. I did not want to disappoint my friend. But, I nevertheless had no clue as to how soon I’d be able to reach Vashi. Just as I was weighing my options, viz. Taxi, Train, Bus, etc., as if by stroke of luck, I spotted a city bus (BEST- as they are called in Mumbai) going to Kurla and ran to get onboard. It was as full as all government buses and I was barely about able to manage to hold on.
Through, this way and that I reached the cinema hall by 9:40 pm. Just as I entered the hall I saw the song playing ‘Pehli baa mohabbat ki hai’ from the movie Kaminey. So I kept my word.
In hindsight now, I feel that my going for this movie was a good idea. It made me forget what I ought to have forgotten. And I secretly (non-verbally) thanked my dear friend for that.
I just saw this amazing short video that highlights how drinking beer can be good for health (of course this is just for fun and if one sees the entire video you'll find that at the fag end it says that drinking beer is derogatory for health).
This weekend that went by was just about as hectic as one can be.
Friday evening went off well. Had a party with colleagues at office and I was headed back by 10. Yeah I know 10:00pm is early. But, our Mr. Taxman had been calling me. I and a friend had to file our tax returns online and the deadline was 11:00pm Friday (how can the government keep 11:00pm deadline on a Friday :-( ). So off I went and landed at my friends place just in time to file the returns, which thankfully we were able to before the deadline. Later the same evening we had a great dinner followed by a discussion on how is one spending his/her weekend and at this note we broke company and I was headed back to my flat. Once back at the flat, I indulged myself in my creative pursuits primarily on the net :P and I wound up the day by watching a movie. So all in all a decent, peaceful Friday evening.
Saturday was like most Saturdays. I woke up very late. Skipped office, skipped breakfast, went for an early morning swim, skipped the gym ( :-( I regret it now). All this seemed like the perfect start to the weekend. But little did I know what was in store for me. As the evening drew closer, i got drawn into things; right, left and center. Then the social obligations came calling making my evening more and more engaging. I made a hasty departure from my social calls and returned to my flat to see that the time reas as 1:45 am. I’m not one to be put off easily. I still had around 7 things in my itinerary that I needed to complete before drifting off to sleep. The last on the list is of course sleep while the chart topper is a movie. So as is almost customary these days, I tried to finish a movie on laptop before calling it a day. I rummaged through my collection and decided to get even with Dragonball Evolution. As soon as I was done with it I decided to revise my ‘Vocab’ list (the secondlast item on my list of seven). The time now was well past 5 am and the birds were already chirping and welcoming Sunday. So with all other chores ticked and marked to completion, I felt content and I hit the bed.
Sunday is Sunday. This day has always occupied a special place in my heart, right from school days. I love to sleep through the first half of the day and then lounge about for the other half. When I was still in my early teens I’d hear my dad repeating this adage on Sundays (well it’s more of a maxim than an adage): ‘how good it is to do nothing and then rest’. And this has stuck to me like bees to honey (so you now know that I’m not exactly lazy, but am almost there ;-) ). This Sunday morning just when I was in the middle of my sweet slumber, I heard the harsh sound of the door bell. Ms. 'house-maid' decided to reach early today morning :-( as if she was part of the greater setting to not allow me a proper sleep. I opened the door, requested her to shut the door on her way out and hit the bed again. But just as i was getting into a deep slumber, i heard the door-bell sounding again. I opened the door and saw Ms. 'house-maid' standing at the door again. I was initially confused, but then being myself, quickly gathered myself and asked her the reason for the second rude intrusion into my sleep within a span of some 30minutes. It so happened that the same Ms. 'house-maid' worked at another flat in the same building and there no one was opening the door even after repeated sounding of the door bell. It so happened that this other flat was owned by a guy who’s my very good friend. So Ms. 'house-maid' with her social equations clear came to me and asked me to call and wake him up. I obliged immediately like an obedient child 'cause I was craving for sleep. With this friend woken up, I hit the bed again, only to be woken up within 15minutes by a friends call asking me to get ready as I was supposed to go and take a 'Mock CAT'. And suddenly I started cursing everything. But my friend had his way (he can be very convincing at times). I got ready and we were on the road at 10:00am.
I did some rough mental calculations to get my brain into a working condition before CAT and realized that i've barely had 3hours of sleep. I wondered in such state how I was going to take Mock CAT.
That and about the CAT prep classes in my next post (ie if I’d remember)
I got a forward with a link saying that this is an ad which features the great Mahatma Gandhi. I clicked on the link and was immediately directed to ‘Youtube’. To my utter surprise, this ad was of an Italian telecom giant (Telecom Italia) and was an award winner when it came out in the year 2004.
This is a 60 second ad and is titled “Sa avesse potuto comunicare così oggi che mondo sarebbe? Telecom Italia. Comunicare e vivere.” The rough translation of the same reads as “What would the world be like if only he could have communicated like this. Telecom Italy. Communicating and Living”.
In the ad film Mahatma Gandhi is shown as saying: ““If you want to give a message it must be a message of ‘Love’, it must be a message of ‘Truth’. I want to capture your hearts. Let your hearts clap in unison with what I’m saying. A friend asked yesterday, ‘Did I believe in one world?’ How can I possibly do otherwise, of course I believe in one world”.
The music used during the Telecom Italia Gandhi TV ad is ‘The Sacrifice”, performed by Lisa Gerrard (formerly lead singer with Dead Can Dance) and instrumentalist Pieter Bourke.
I got this excerpt and loved it. So sharing the same with everyone. It is about Mr. Sam Manskshaw. Three cheers to the old soldier! ------------------------------
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It is common knowledge that India's military campaign in 1971 to liberate Bangladesh was delayed on professional military advice, against the wishes of the political class.
It is delightful to revisit the anecdote in the words of the lead historian of the dramatis personae.. The Field Marshal narrated this incident as a personal example of moral courage, at the inaugural Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture, in October 1995, in Delhi.
There is a very thin line between being dismissed and becoming a Field Marshal. In 1971, when Pakistan cracked down in East Pakistan, hundreds and thousands of refugees started pouring into India, into West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. The Prime Minister held a Cabinet meeting in her office. The External Affairs Minister Sardar Swaran Singh, the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, the Defence Minister, Babu Jagjivan Ram and the Finance Minister, Yashwant Rao Chavan were present. I was then summoned.
A very angry, grim-faced Prime Minister read out the telegrams from the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. She then turned around to me and said, "What are you doing about it?"
And I said, "Nothing, it's got nothing to do with me. You didn't consult me when you allowed the BSF, the CRP and RAW to encourage the Pakistanis to revolt. Now that you are in trouble, you come to me. I have a long nose. I know what's happening."
I then asked her what she wanted me to do. She said, "I want you to enter Pakistan."
And I responded, "That means war!"
She said, "I do not mind if it is war."
"Have you read the Bible?" I said.
The Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh asked, "What has Bible got to do with this?"
I explained, that the first book, the first chapter, the first words, the first sentence God said was, "Let there be light" and there was light. Now you say, "Let there be war" and there will be war, but are you prepared? I am certainly not. This is the end of April; the Himalayan passes are opening and there can be an attack from China if China gives us an ultimatum.
The Foreign Minister asked, "Will China give an ultimatum?" And I said, "You are the Foreign Minister, you tell me".
I then told them that my armoured division and two of my infantry divisions were away. One in the Jhansi/Babina area, the other in Samba and the third one in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu..... I mentioned that I will require all the road space, all the railway wagons, the entire railway system to move these formations to the operational areas and that harvesting was in progress in the Punjab and UP and they would not be able to move the harvest which would rot; and I pointed out to the Agriculture Minister that it wouldn't be my responsibility if there was a famine. Then I said, "My armoured division, which is my big striking force is supposed to have 189 tanks operational. I have got only 11 tanks that are fit to fight."
The Finance Minister, who is a friend of mine asked, "Sam why only 11?"
So I told him, "Because you are the Finance Minister. I have been asking you for money for over a year and you say you haven't got it!"
And finally I turned around to the Prime Minister and said that the rains were about to start in East Pakistan and when it rains there, it pours and when it pours, the whole countryside is flooded. The snows are melting, the rivers would become like oceans. If you stand on one bank, you can't see the other. All my movement would be confined to roads. The Air Force, because of climatic conditions would not be able to support me. Now Prime Minister, give me your orders.
The grim Prime Minister with her teeth clenched said, "The Cabinet will meet again at four o'clock".
The members of the Cabinet started walking out. I being the junior most was the last to go and as I was leaving, she said, "Chief, will you stay back?"
I turned around and said, "Prime Minister, before you open your mouth, may I send you my resignation on grounds of health, mental or physical?"
She said, "Everything you told me is true".
"Yes! It is my job to tell you the truth" I responded, "and it is my job to fight, it is my job to fight to win and I have told you the truth."
She smiled at me and said, "All right Sam, you know what I want?"
I said, "Yes, I know what you want!"
[Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lectures 1995-2000, Lancer Publishers & Distributors, Delhi, 2001]Mak
I recently treated my taste buds to Khakras on my visit to Ahemdabad. They call it the Gujrati bread. And it is a traditional Gujarati snack.
It is nothing but dry baked/cooked traditional Indian bread. Making a Khakra is as simple as making Indian bread/Roti/Chapati. It was made with wheat flour, chilli and turmeric powder.
But, it was not like anything I had earlier. It iscrispy, crunchy and tasty if anything else. It was lip-smacking, finger-licking good.The best part about this snack is that it can be had any time one wants. It can complement morning tea and serve as light breakfast while it can also do for evening snack.
Indians as always known for their ingeniousness have clubbed Khakra with several others to make new recipe. For instance there is the use of Khakra in ‘Chaat’ and the mixture tastes amazing.
Khakras are readily available at most shops. I always get stumped at large no. of variants of Khakras that are available in the market. Some use it as an alternative to Papad. Others use it as a mere snack, while still others make it a part of their main course. To add to this there is an increasing usage of Khakras in fast foods as well.
