There are 2 gates through which you can enter our campus. The first one is near to where ITD's (ITC Tobacco Division's) marketing cell is housed. The other one is used mostly by ITC Infotech & CLI3L - the Call Center division's employees.
If I use gate no. 1 I always get saluted. If I use gate no. 2 I never get saluted. Rather sometimes my ID is checked and a few questions asked. Not that I care. I dont like people saluting me and spoiling me at this age.
But the 2 gates reflect the dichotomy of a tobacco major running an infotech business.
Pardon me! I have to end the post here. Thats the maximum I can say while still being in the politically correct domain.
Feb 28, 2007
Feb 24, 2007
Surreal
Since Thursday night, life has been surreal. Everything is back to basics. Food, adda, play, fun, leg pull.
A whole platter of kebabs laced with a few shots of drinks and at 4:00 am we were screeching down Devanahalli road on Loki's Swift. We were trying to find out Nandi Hills to catch a glimpse of the rising sun. And lo behold Nandi Hills seems to have vanished. But we did catch a glimpse of the star speckled sky enveloping us. It reminded me of Deolo, of Reyshap, of Digha, of Ooty, of Kodaikanal. It reminded me of how few stars we can see in the Bangalore sky.
We were back to reality at 6:00 am trying to get some sleep. And by 12 were out again sitting at Only Place eating, drinking our hearts out. A game of snooker and then a few more drinks. Finally it was Magadh again and after a wholesome dinner I am the only one standing.
Its 1 am in the night and while I see Shuv snoring beside his kid sister and my wife I cant help marvel at our relationships. We are waiting to go the airport to pick Joy dada, Mun's own brother and she is in for a surprise. Its all surreal and we have another 48 hours to go.
A whole platter of kebabs laced with a few shots of drinks and at 4:00 am we were screeching down Devanahalli road on Loki's Swift. We were trying to find out Nandi Hills to catch a glimpse of the rising sun. And lo behold Nandi Hills seems to have vanished. But we did catch a glimpse of the star speckled sky enveloping us. It reminded me of Deolo, of Reyshap, of Digha, of Ooty, of Kodaikanal. It reminded me of how few stars we can see in the Bangalore sky.
We were back to reality at 6:00 am trying to get some sleep. And by 12 were out again sitting at Only Place eating, drinking our hearts out. A game of snooker and then a few more drinks. Finally it was Magadh again and after a wholesome dinner I am the only one standing.
Its 1 am in the night and while I see Shuv snoring beside his kid sister and my wife I cant help marvel at our relationships. We are waiting to go the airport to pick Joy dada, Mun's own brother and she is in for a surprise. Its all surreal and we have another 48 hours to go.
Feb 17, 2007
Donor 150 & Eklavya
Just as I was about to suggest that my Donor 150 could be the material for an amazing script I saw Eklavya. Vidhu Vinod Chopra has done exactly that.
He has put the concept in an Indian context amidst Rajas & Maharaja story of Rajasthan. It is more interesting because in case of Donor 150 procreation was external & modern. Eklavya's case is more complex as it requires the Maharani & the handsome manly royal gaurd to bed.
Eklavya gave me a funny feeling. I could feel it was a good movie. I marvelled at its awesome canvas. Each frame was like a painting. I was impressed by the performance of all except Vidya Balan. But it made me feel incomplete.
It felt Shakespearean but it had a Bollywoodish happy ending (unlike Omkara). It had an awesome plot and was just 1 hr 45 minutes but it didnt feel tight.
I asked myself if Pather Panchali was made in Hindi and released today in one of these multiplexes. Would the audience has the sensibility to appreciate it. May be yes, may be not. I dont really know. Would I have appreciated seeing it on Friday night in as crass a multiplex as Innovative? May be not.
I guess Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made so much money out of Munna Bhai he is entitled to make a film for himself. But is he happy? I dont think so.
He has put the concept in an Indian context amidst Rajas & Maharaja story of Rajasthan. It is more interesting because in case of Donor 150 procreation was external & modern. Eklavya's case is more complex as it requires the Maharani & the handsome manly royal gaurd to bed.
Eklavya gave me a funny feeling. I could feel it was a good movie. I marvelled at its awesome canvas. Each frame was like a painting. I was impressed by the performance of all except Vidya Balan. But it made me feel incomplete.
It felt Shakespearean but it had a Bollywoodish happy ending (unlike Omkara). It had an awesome plot and was just 1 hr 45 minutes but it didnt feel tight.
I asked myself if Pather Panchali was made in Hindi and released today in one of these multiplexes. Would the audience has the sensibility to appreciate it. May be yes, may be not. I dont really know. Would I have appreciated seeing it on Friday night in as crass a multiplex as Innovative? May be not.
I guess Vidhu Vinod Chopra has made so much money out of Munna Bhai he is entitled to make a film for himself. But is he happy? I dont think so.
Feb 16, 2007
Silly Me
I am the biggest follower of my blog (even my wife has stopped visiting my blog). But who cares. I love reading my posts, patting myself for the emotion they exude.
But most times I chid myself for all the silly grammatical mistakes that I make. Like the silly mistakes that I continue to this day - not only in my writing but in my daily life as well.
Sample this...
Leaving the car keys inside the car and locking it from outside. My father asks me for the house keys so that he can get back the dupliate keys from the house. And I remmember that the house keys are in the dashboard.
Moral of the episode - Never keep house keys in the dashboard and use a central locking system for your car
Forgetting to lock the main door and depositing the keys at the neighbours. My brother comes back from school. He doesnt even flinch at the fact that the main door is not locked. He continues with his life till our neighbour asks him how did he enter the house. My brother's reply "Through the door".
Moral of the episode - Never take responsibility of locking the house
My mother asked me to give the pillow covers for a wash. I obey dilligently. Half an hour later our maid finds the pillow but not the cover in the wash basket. The cover is neatly kept on the bed.
Moral of the episode - Dont change pillow covers. Marry
My hand sweats. So I dont like holding any folders in my hand. So I usually leave it somewhere. When I was in college I once left it on the V of a tree. It contain all my original certificates and marksheets. I realised an hour later that something was missing. When I go back, I find the V is empty. A godly professor in the Hotel Management School next door had kept the folder for safekeep.
Moral of the episode - Ask your girlfriend/wife to hold everything
Saturday morning I have a hunch that I cannot find my passport. As all of my hunch this one comes true as well. After repeated back and forth I go to the police station to lodge an FIR. My mind deep with suspicions of a sabotage. I receive a call from office security "your passport has been found". It slipped out of my pocket and landed near a godown of ITC Foods. I gave the khalasi only 100 bucks.
Moral of my life - Once a fool always a fool
My wify, mom, dad & bro can continue this endless list. I thank them for staying by me. June please be ready.
Feb 15, 2007
Feb 1, 2007
Insomnic 'Antlamo'
I felt agitated when I read a post like this. You must read that post and then read this response of mine...
I am a Bengalee and I feel displaced everyday of my life, like scores that traverse this earth. Even though I am enjoying the fruits of liberalisation in Bangalore. I yearn to go back and live in Kolkata. I never voted the leftist while I was there but I wish I could vote for them now.
Sumit Sarkar's problem is very typical of what I have seen of other "antels" in Bengal.
When i visited Calcutta this time with a little hope I was shocked to see many educated but not so worldly Bengalee minds' are in a state of insomnia.
They want industrialisation but they dont want to give land. And when they want to give land to businessmen they dont want to give the good land. They question the left just because of their past and not their present. They criticise and deconstruct but without any alternative.
How many people know that 30% of cultivalable land in Bengal is the made up of the land dividers? But no Bengalee raises this issue and thinks of about increasing farm productivity.
World over development has been from an agragrian to industrial state. The loss of land has been made up by the increase in productivity.
If Sumit Sarkar claims to have visited Singur I too have claimed to have visited the other prosperous farmlands of Punjab, Uttaranchal, Andhra and Maharashtra. I have also visited tractor & car plants in Noida where a farmers son works as a technician, owns a car and send his daughter to school.
To oppose any change has become ingrained in a Bengalee mind. I am fairly apolitical but I do know what harm Jyoti Basu had done to Bengal. But I can equally see a rabble rouser like Mamata cant be a future of any civilization.
People like Sumit Sarkar are selfish. They do not have the vision to think of the coming generation. Just like Mr. Basu.
Result? Millions of Prabasi Bengalees have to create mini Kolkatas to taste the nostalgia that was once their daily life.This is Bengal's last chance to give politics a backseat. We need to work and move forward. Not to talk and stop and question and debate.
The Sumit Sarkars can have their Utopia in Heavan. I am not against them, every society needs them but not now. We would need them after 20 years in Bengal when rampant industrialisation would need some activism. One cannot build bumpers on the road before building the road.
Give hope a chance howsoever cruel it looks.
I am a Bengalee and I feel displaced everyday of my life, like scores that traverse this earth. Even though I am enjoying the fruits of liberalisation in Bangalore. I yearn to go back and live in Kolkata. I never voted the leftist while I was there but I wish I could vote for them now.
Sumit Sarkar's problem is very typical of what I have seen of other "antels" in Bengal.
When i visited Calcutta this time with a little hope I was shocked to see many educated but not so worldly Bengalee minds' are in a state of insomnia.
They want industrialisation but they dont want to give land. And when they want to give land to businessmen they dont want to give the good land. They question the left just because of their past and not their present. They criticise and deconstruct but without any alternative.
How many people know that 30% of cultivalable land in Bengal is the made up of the land dividers? But no Bengalee raises this issue and thinks of about increasing farm productivity.
World over development has been from an agragrian to industrial state. The loss of land has been made up by the increase in productivity.
If Sumit Sarkar claims to have visited Singur I too have claimed to have visited the other prosperous farmlands of Punjab, Uttaranchal, Andhra and Maharashtra. I have also visited tractor & car plants in Noida where a farmers son works as a technician, owns a car and send his daughter to school.
To oppose any change has become ingrained in a Bengalee mind. I am fairly apolitical but I do know what harm Jyoti Basu had done to Bengal. But I can equally see a rabble rouser like Mamata cant be a future of any civilization.
People like Sumit Sarkar are selfish. They do not have the vision to think of the coming generation. Just like Mr. Basu.
Result? Millions of Prabasi Bengalees have to create mini Kolkatas to taste the nostalgia that was once their daily life.This is Bengal's last chance to give politics a backseat. We need to work and move forward. Not to talk and stop and question and debate.
The Sumit Sarkars can have their Utopia in Heavan. I am not against them, every society needs them but not now. We would need them after 20 years in Bengal when rampant industrialisation would need some activism. One cannot build bumpers on the road before building the road.
Give hope a chance howsoever cruel it looks.