tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103607592011-08-18T08:25:32.661-07:00Its abt the trials n travails of living in this increasingly complex world!!joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-53632803633975612282010-11-20T07:32:00.000-08:002010-11-20T10:46:03.654-08:00Is there really? - hv been reflecting lately - am I the person that I thought/dreamt/wanted to be when I was a child. When i was a kid i had my share of childhood dreams as they say - u know like grow up to become a smart & charming guy who has his way with people - just for the record: i used to be extremely shy & people phobic (there i have admitted it in public) - and now when i do a reality check i think people will agree that i am far from being a dashing/people charmer kind - so there goes dream # 1. Heres another one - I wanted to have enough money that i could generously give them away to all my near and dear ones so that they would be able to come out of their 'situation' - but to till date I havent been able to - I mean i did off n on but not in the way i had wanted to. There are many more - some were in the nature of aspiration (n not dream). Like when i was getting into engg. college i aspired to be a good technology proffessional - but somewhere down the line the plot got muddled and i found myself in a B-school - not that it was a bad thing - but it wasnt what i saw myself doing at that point of time - and the list goes on - am sure every one will have their own list <br /><br />So the point is, things usually does not go the way u plan/aspire it to be - and may be thats the way it is meant to be - so may be there isnt really a plan - may be thats what its all about - uncertainty, unpredictibiltiy, not having control (but still acting that we do)- may be we should just focus on one step at a time - I guess the course of ones life will take tomorrow is shaped by the learning that ones acquires today (like in my case when i was getting into engg college i didnt know a thing abt MBA & B-Schools , during the course of it i learnt abt those and by the end of it I had decided that i would want to do an MBA) - so I guess planning/thinking too much further ahead probably does not work and hence is not required - anyways to end this going-no-where peice, heres a thought that Rashmi Bansal mentions in her book 'Connect the Dots'. She thinks that the events that happen in our life are dots that seemingly appear adhoc when they happen - but the same events will eventually make sense when you look backwards - and so to speak u will be able to connect these dots then - really ?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-5363280363397561228?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-40193598718751959442010-08-29T07:49:00.000-07:002010-08-29T08:57:20.280-07:00I am updating this blog after a gap of more than 2 years. For reasons unknown I have not been inclined to write all this time. Its not that I did not try. But everytime I dropped out in the middle of a post. Anywayz, let bygones be bygones. I have felt the urge to write after a long time. So will just let it roll today... <br /><br />Lot of things have happened in the past couple of years, both on proffessional and personal front. When I last updated this blog I was with mChek. Today mChek is history. No not the company. I mean my association with it. It was not a voluntary exit. But in retrospect, I guess it wasn't so bad. My stint in mChek has put me on to the product management track and has helped me learn the early ropes of PM function. I got to work with some very talented people there and the experience has definitely enriched my proffessional repertoire. Post MBA, I have always wanted to work in a Product based company (I guess my stint at motorola had got something to do with it) and with mChek I got that kick-start in my post-MBA career. So mChek, with all its foibles, will always be dear to me. Another aspect to it has been my continous association with the world of mobile applications. Post MBA, I had made a conscious decision to join TechM (over other offers like CTS, WIPRO) for the same reason. Mobile as a channel to engage consumers has always fasicnated me. Its another story though that consumers do not find it engaging enuf to adopt it and bring moolah to many of these so called mobile app vendors. More on that later.<br /><br />To summarize, the last 2 years of my life has been eventful in many respect and has set the path for my future. Lets see how things unfold from here. Hope to keep the developments posted going forward.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-4019359871875195944?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-31866750193608434862008-05-27T06:54:00.001-07:002008-05-27T06:55:37.081-07:00Love happens<br />When two minds harmonize despite the odds …<br /><br />Friendship happens <br />When you stand by each other despite not looking eye to eye …<br /><br />Success happens<br />When you put your heart & try despite the failures …<br /><br />Peace happens<br />When you smile unfazed despite all provocation …<br /><br />Happiness happens <br />When you enjoy little things with laughter despite the troubles …<br /><br />Forgiveness happens<br />When you embrace the sinner despite the sins …<br /><br />Life happens<br />When Love, Friendship, Success, Peace, Happiness & Forgiveness happens …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-3186675019360843486?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-84395029603292190282008-05-27T03:16:00.000-07:002008-05-27T03:27:24.203-07:00He is singing … singing lullabies to himself … coz he wants to sleep … rid himself of the fatigue … of living … of having brought himself thus far … and now he has slumped … he doesn’t want to move … not now … not ever …<br /><br />He is cursing … sometimes his stars … sometimes others … but mostly himself … it helps … cursing … temporarily … but certainly … it’s not fair … to curse … he knows … but then so is life …<br /><br />He is smiling … the serene smile … as memories flashes before his eyes … of freedom … of warmth … of harmony ... of laughter … its fleeting … the smile ... but lightens him while its there …<br /><br />He is crying … tears of joy … of sorrow … of blood … of love … it doesn’t come easy … tears I mean … but when it does … it oozes freely & simply … clearing in its course … some blemishes … <br /><br />He is searching … for answers … to questions … known & unknown … directionless … but still searching … like an wanderlust … from here to there … and back … but it eludes him … the answers … <br /><br />He is living … life … each day … each moment … lost at times … contemplating too … and alwayz wondering … Why ? … but not knowing …. How ? … <br /><br />He is waiting … waiting for the time wheel to move … move and take him away … away from the present … to a time in the future ... where there is no present … none of it … just the future …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-8439502960329219028?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-43049754777841720542008-05-21T08:18:00.000-07:002008-05-21T08:28:59.024-07:00<em>Here’s a short story. A sweet one too. A story -- </em><br /><br />… Of misty mornings & good morning kisses … <br /><br />… Of rickshaw rides & ‘my heart will go on’ …<br /><br />… Of shopping stroll & fatigue thereon …<br /><br />… Of valentines shopping & candle-lit dinner …<br /><br />… Of red wines & carefree dancing …<br /><br />… Of mall cafes & bookstores …<br /><br />… Of red roses exchanged …<br /><br />… Of sweet talks & bitter fights …<br /><br />… Of misunderstandings & near-breakups …<br /><br />… Of revelations & coping with them …<br /><br />… Of troubled times & agonized battles …<br /><br />… Of resolves to see till the end …<br /><br />… Of poetries & itineraries …<br /><br />… Of blooming love growing every moment … <br /><br />… Of promises & dreams …<br /><br />… Of companionships – forever …<br /><br /><em>“They don’t make angels like her anymore”.</em> Really.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-4304975477784172054?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-78932107330453832012008-05-20T08:28:00.001-07:002008-05-21T06:10:04.870-07:00Everything is the same … really everything …<br />Well, everything, but me …<br /><br />Something has changed … something …<br />Yeah, things are not the same …<br /><br />But what is it? … What? <br />What is it after all?<br /><br />No, I am not fine … not at all …<br />Definitely, not in the way I should be …<br /><br />Why this dilemma? ... This listlessness? <br />This ennui? ... This void? … <br /><br />Yes, there is a problem. But whr does it stem from?<br />Social? Material? Spiritual? Or is it Emotional?<br /><br />Nothing seems to be working …<br />Not Love … Not Passion … Not Money …<br /><br />Is it a phase? Will it pass?<br />What if it doesn’t? Never?<br /><br />Everybody else seems to be fine. Or, atleast appear to be.<br />So is it jus me then?. It has to be me ...<br /><br />It was all working … Not perfect, but still working?<br />So, where did it go wrong? And when?<br /><br />What should I do? Where should I look?<br />Who should I turn to? Who?<br /><br />It’s not easy … to go on like this<br />To live when there seems to be no life …<br /><br />Is time the only recourse, then? Time – the best healer?<br />Will it heal? Can it be healed?<br /><br /><em> ‘Something’s missing … I don’t know how to fix it …<br />Something’s missing … I don’t know what it is …’</em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-7893210733045383201?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-61386630172705706892008-04-05T20:35:00.000-07:002008-04-07T00:18:47.616-07:00A feeling of pleasure bundled with pain …<br /><br />A sense of companionship bundled with loneliness …<br /> <br />A sense of madness bundled with passion …<br /><br />A dash of poison that tastes so sweet …<br /><br />A sense of paranoia finding expression in possessiveness …<br /><br />A desire to be exclusive bundled with belongingness …<br /><br />Some hard truths told behind the mask of honesty …<br /><br />Some shades of grey painted in black & white …<br /><br />Of questions asked .. and answered …<br /><br />Some emotional baggage shed to lighten the future …<br /><br />Moments of self-flagellation to save those of bitterness …<br /><br />Of mistakes committed and forgiven …<br /><br />Of dreams dreamt & castles built together …<br /><br />A name etched in red … a face imprinted in mind forever …<br /><br />A feeling that dots my moments … and runs through my veins …<br /><br />A feeling I have embraced … <br /><br />A feeling I enjoy …<br /><br />A feeling I want to live with …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-6138663017270570689?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-78259496599158118152007-05-18T22:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T09:39:23.471-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KbQbkr-6bm4/Rk6JTgHGj7I/AAAAAAAAAAU/FRuWn8CCjrA/s1600-h/joy.JPG"></a><div><div>Thnx Harsha 4 putting up tht link in your blog ... its kool ... for the uninitiated folks ...the site is a cool way to find out hw rare is ur personality ... its a short & simple bi-choice questionnaire ... but the the analysis is rather bizzare n interesting ... so i suggest u tk it ... jus 4 fun ... he he ... heres the results 4 me ... followed by the link ... do try it out !! </div><br /><br /><table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"><center><img src="http://images.blogthings.com/howrareisyourpersonalityquiz/personality.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"><br />Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant.<br /><br />Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men<br />You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><div></div><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/howrareisyourpersonalityquiz/">How Rare Is Your Personality?</a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-7825949659915811815?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-4387076701731587132007-05-10T22:50:00.000-07:002007-12-20T09:25:53.335-08:00<em>What follows is some randomly thrown in words … resulting in a garbage associated with some part of my (& I hope littl bit of everyone’s) <em>have-been </em>& <em>on-going </em>existence … so what r u waiting 4 … dig in & find out …</em><br /><br /><br />Feverish temple … sweet dreams … scotch flavor … glistening sweat in moon light … the guitar strum … that gentle kiss … the warm hug … the cherry on black-forest … Corner house’s ‘Rum-ice-roy’ … chardonnay … sparkling wine ... warm bed … soft-pillow … Shreya Ghosal’s voice … Kailash’s magic … Rehman’s touch … Sivamani’s beat … Latas melody …. King Edward choclate-flavored … lemon chicken … reshmi kebab … Segal’s love-story … Tharoor’s musing … Arundhati’s diatribe … Forrest Gump … Helen Hunts red polka-dotted frock … Everything Google … Rashmi’s youth-curry … Nickolson as Schmidt … morning chill … revved-up Fiero … Federer’s sweep … Steffi’s locks … Pete’s romp … Anne Hathaway’s innocence … Sis & bro … mom & dad … cousins & close friends … forgotten crushes … tennis strokes with my racquet … scribbling for my blog … Orkut-Y!-Gtalk … blogosphere … swanky malls … ambient eating-joints … Lufthansa’s Biz-class … ‘adda’ in Regent … seamless mobility … i-pod dream … the mobile-space ... telecom world … Moto experience … abroad trips … XLRI ... Jug & Bachi in Sunday editorial … Khuswant’s crude humor … obituaries & valedictory ‘notes’ … film & book reviews … techie@heart … good Samaritan … grooving to beats on wet-nites …making ppts … Rands ‘Ron Howard’ … ‘To Sir With Love’ … search for an angel … walking the talk … Purani-jeans aur guitar … bodhi tree compositions … Tukkis rendition of ‘Kandisa’ … Abs that I never had … ‘Curves’ ;) … Hussain’s brush-strokes … the feminine ‘form’ … nude-art … nose rings ... Tasleema Nasreens candid works … science & spirituality … giving back to society … Michael Jacksons ‘make this world a better place’ … comfortable shoes … dressing in suit & tie … living-space with minimalist décor … higher education … education over degree … making the grades … pipe-dreams viz. M.S. in computer science , IIT & IIM tag , that romantic affair I never had :( … Outlooks ‘glitterati’ … India Today’s ‘society & arts page’ … Calvin $ Hobbes ... Tom $ Jerry ... Sandipan Deb & <em>Great-Bong </em> on anything …<br /><br />Sigh … sometimes I feel that there are not enough words!!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-438707670173158713?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-10826933432576291242007-05-06T08:10:00.000-07:002007-12-20T09:29:09.123-08:00<strong>6:00 IST</strong><br /><br />The neighborhood cock is in the final few laps of its sleep-a-thon. So no cock-a-doodle-do yet. But I am up. No, the alarm clock didn’t go off either. I didn’t set it. I didn’t have to. It’s funny what a nagging guilt of not spending enough time with your ageing parents can do to you. Like, for instance, cultivating the habit of practicing ‘Pranayam’ in the wee hours of pre-dawn so that you can spend some time with your dad. Well err … Pranayam??? Yes, deep-breathing exercises, the kind championed by orange-attired, cola-bashing, belly-churning baba. Ten days into my post-mba bliss and I was already a pro. Hail Ramdev!!!<br /><br /><strong>7:00 IST</strong><br /><br />The breathing exercises have left me exhausted. On top of that my bed is still warm & inviting. Which means its time to catch up on that lost sleep. And so I lie down. There are times when you are not quite asleep. Definitely not awake. Some state in between. A blissful one though. Especially when you have two soft round pillows to cuddle, the Bangalore morning chill & a light pull-over to filter it, to provide the effect. Life can indeed be beautiful. Thank you Ramdev!!!<br /><br /><strong>8:00 IST</strong><br /><br />Okay now its time to actually wake up. Some lazy brush strokes & few water splashes later you are fresh. Fresh as in ‘ready for tea’ . Whoever thought that some leaves thrown in a concoction of water, sugar & some milk could be so uplifting. More so when its prepared by your doting elder-sis. So there you are sipping tea and browsing through the tad of pages displaying news of all kinds: a wedding bash here, a thrashing victory there, some M&A’s announced, one re-surrected, politicians convicted on one side , sport-stars derided on the other, students harassed by some ‘fool-Singh’, all served up with pics, anecdotes & some humor. Come to think of it, the more things change the more they remain the same. What a crazy world we live in! I prefer Ramdev !!!<br /><br /><strong>10:00 IST</strong><br /><br />Time to put some solid-morsels in that belly, tired after the early morning churning (Ramdev remember !!!). We like to call it brunch. Though its more breakfast then lunch. Well what else can a egg bulls-eye & two slices of milk-bread be. But who cares as long as it fills you up. Thanks bro !!<br /><br /> <br /><strong>10:45 IST</strong><br /><br />Surfing time folks !!! Dry surfing I mean !! Didn’t get it yet?? Internet surfing, you moron. Two years in a b-school can inculcate a lot of new habits, some good mostly bad. Surfing is one such bad habit. I mean after being online for 24X7 for 2 yrs one cannot fathom a life off-line. So there I was logged-in. On Orkut. On Y! messenger. On gtalk. On skype. Waiting for some one to buzz. If the wait seems too long then pick some one randomly from the online list and buzz him/her. The guy on the other end who is himself waiting for a buzz is only happy. So spending an hour & half trying out all smileys & audibles, scrapping & checking out others albums you get bored. So then you know that its time to leave. So much for being 24x7 online. Some things are good only in college !!!<br /><br /><strong>12:30 IST</strong><br /><br />Morsel time again !!!. After a soapy-bath & other hygiene ‘activities’ I am all set to savor some white rice & sambhar. Yes sambhar. See I eat lunch outside. I mean having a doting sis & bro is fine. But there are limits to everything. Moreover, spending all my savings splurging in b-school ensured that I have only so much money that I can afford nothing more than a mallu-meal for lunch. Mallu because that’s the only edible-kind in our locality. But no complaints. I have been trained in the art of filling myself up with rice-sambhar-chilly-achad-curd-<em>mour</em>-pappadam meal. Thanks to 4 years of my engineering in a remote locality in Kozhikode (Calicut, if you prefer portugese names). Burp !!!<br /><br /><strong>14:00 IST</strong><br /><br />Switch on the Telly. Flip !! Yawn !! Some booty shaking !! Yawn !! Flip …. And I am in the land of Alice’s wonder. So move silently to the next para you moron. I am having my siesta. Do Not Disturb!! Burp again !!<br /><br /><strong>16:30 IST</strong><br /><br />Two & half hours of sleep??? And you still call it a siesta ??? Well it’s the diary of an idler, you moron. Okay I m wake. But feeling lost ?? May be some introspection will do the trick !!! .. Not working ?? … okay, I pick up that book I bought recently from a road-side vendor (yes its pirated, I cant afford hard-bound ones ). Few pages later I am lost again… Yes it’s better to stick to old-habits. So I venture out for the neighborhood net-café. This time its more than buzzes & scraps. Time to do something productive !!! So I log on to that matrimony site (actually four at last count!!) where I have posted my profile. As expected no one has accepted my ‘Interest’ yet. So I look into the latest matches and express interest randomly (well not purely random, coz that profile pic does play a role). Ah that done, now the count of pile of pending ‘Intersets’ crosses 100. Never thought the marriage market would be so biased towards people with looks, height & skin color. So much for brains over brawns talk !!! I think I am gonna follow the foot steps of Ramdev (he is a bachelor duh !!!)<br /><br /><strong>18:30 IST (Weekday!!!)</strong><br /> <br />Bro is ready with another cuppa. After paying my tributes to the same guy I did in the morning I sip on. But if the weather is too hot for tea, then its replaced by soda-with-lemon-chicken (my latest discovery in this part of Bangy !!!). Along with idle gossip & laughter with bro & his friend it marks the good start to this half of the day. Now I pick that book again. Only this time I find it engrossing. I flip the cover page just to make sure it’s the same book. It is... :-S ... Soon. m done with my share of reading for the day. So I turn to the good-old-telly. An hour with MTV/CNN-IBN/StarOne/Sony-Pix/NDTV-Profit & I have covered everything that interests me namely: music- news-comedy-movies-biz news. Yaawn !!! Exhausted !! <br /><br /><strong>20:30 IST</strong><br /><br />Sis is back from work !!! Bro finds this as the perfect excuse to take a break. So what follows is quality-family-time. Some friendly leg-pulling, good natured teasing & family gossip and you realize that there are other ways of having a good time. And that it need not necessarily involve friends, music, liquor & smoke in that order. <br /><br /><strong>21:30 IST</strong><br /><br />That squeaking noise it turns out is not the hideous-rat but my belly trying to signal dinner time!!! The plates been laid. Dishes served. And yes I lent a hand this time (Sigh, guilt can be a bad thing!!) A sumptuous meal forces me to re-consider my be-lief that all southie cooks are obnoxious. Some cook well too, I corrected myself.<br /><br /> <br /><strong>Some time late in the night: IST</strong><br /><br />No, I am not asleep yet. Funny, how the quietness at nite at times can make one feel a little un-comforting within. A little weak. A little lonely. The events of the day flashes before your eyes. The past also re-hearses itself in the mind, with its baggage. Little worries of the future brings sweat to your brow. You scrutize yourself. Are you delivering all your responsibilities?? Are you making the right use of your time?? You wonder why time is slipping so fast. You want to stop the sands-clock go back and rectify certain wrongs. But then again may be they weren’t wrong if first place. I know I am gibberish. I know I am not making sense at all. I say a little prayer to HIM. And before soon I am asleep. But the smile in my lips is inescapable. Good Nite!!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-1082693343257629124?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1176363814678641012007-04-12T13:22:00.000-07:002007-04-12T00:43:34.686-07:00Few personal habits to lead a contented (read less-boring) life in this monotonous & perennially-busy world<br /><br />1. Wake up early & Practice yoga/meditation for an hour in the morning.<br />2. Read a few pages of a non-business spiritual/philosophical/dealing with life book every day (either in the morning or at night).<br />3. Partake in few hours of community work every week either as a part of corporate social service group or private group memberships.<br />4. Restrict social drinking/smoking to once a week affair at the most<br />5. Practice public speaking or speaking out in group meetings. <br />6. Make a few social calls (relatives/friends/acquaintances) or social visit (once in 15 days).<br />7. Eat healthy (fruits, juices, green vegetables, meat in moderated quantity, eggs, and lots of water).<br />8. Have a family/friends day out : watch a sunshine movie, eat in that favorite restaurant, go bowling, browse the book/CD store, groove together to dance-beats (at least twice in a month).<br />9. Spend private time with your spouse: Engage in heart-2-heart talk (about anything under-sun), cook a new recipe, read novels to each other, watch star-soaps: D, share an ice-cream, go trekking in the wild or choose your own activity.<br />10. Have sex regularly (preferably with your spouse!!).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-117636381467864101?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1175837176179675432007-04-05T22:23:00.000-07:002007-04-05T22:46:03.026-07:00<em>note: this post is a bit personal in nature, so ppl who reached here accidently may want to avoid reading this</em><br /><br />Yes, the curtains have come to my 2-yr PGDBM program at XLRI. Now there are many for whom this journey has been life-altering and all that. Or at least they claim to be so. The other day one of my friend asked me a question on similar lines i.e. to sum up the entire experience in a word. In my attempt to be spontaneous I also blurted out the same two words ‘life-altering’. But later on while ruminating over that episode I thought: was it really? To answer this question objectively I will have to do a before-after analysis i.e. see if there in any ‘delta’ addition to my being (other than the diploma of course). Also such kind of question and attempts to answer them tend to have philosophical undertones. So you have to pardon if this post meanders into that territory.<br /><br />To begin why does one go in pursuit of MBA at all?? The reasons could be many and varied depending on the background one comes from, career goals & to a considerable extent on ones personality, yes personality. There are some oft quoted reasons which you will get if you quiz any by wannabe MBA. They have been bandied around by umpteen sites dedicated to the whole MBA process that most of them have been tagged clichés by now. Don’t believe me?? Well then sample this , ‘MBA imparts one with generic skills not specific to any industry or sector’, ‘MBA gives a boost to your career growth rate’, ‘MBA helps you look at the big picture, holistically and thereby have and alternate perspective of things’ and not to mention ‘MBA jumpstarts your salary package’. Well, I would be lying if I claimed that my reasons for doing an MBA had nothing to any of the reasons mentioned above. It did. I too wanted a career boost, salary boost and also to have that elusive perspective that somehow the MBAs are believed to have. But in addition to that I also had a few of my personal reasons which for whatever reasons I felt that doing MBA would help me achieve. Some of them were (err … honestly I dun even remember all of em!!) * Improve my emotional Quotient * Improve my presentation skills. * Appreciate the market & economy * Explore my non-technical or rather creative side (if any) * Have fun :D. Now to many it may sound absurd. Leaving a job to pursue an expensive full-time MBA program to improve ones EQ?? Weird, I know. But that’s truth (which we all know is stranger than fiction).<br /><br />Having set the objectives beforehand lets asses how much of those I have been able to achieve. So that would complete the after-analysis. Then we can let out a verdict. First the cliché part:<br /><br /><strong>Generic skills:</strong> hmm lemme see … if making presentation out of any arbit topic within a few hours counts yes … if piling up loads of information googling on unheard of topic counts yes … if filling xl spreadsheet with dollops of data (not information) and then trying to force a pattern only to top it up with colorful charts, yes … well as you see it is all abt where u come from (or paradigm as steven covey would like to call it) … if u r the one who thinks that yes not everyone can make a 20-slide ppt on seemingly obscure topic and more so present it convincingly to a class full of fellas waiting to tear apart your theories … then MBA is for u …<br /><br /><strong>Career Boost:</strong> Boost or no boost … MBA puts on a lane which will be totally different from where you came from … so whether to call that a boost or not will be determined by time … because u start as a novice there too and performance (& networking as many would like to believe) solely will determine your career trajectory … as u can see its no different without MBA … so its your call …<br /><br /><strong>Salary boost:</strong> Well this may sound myth to many... but yes it does hikes your pre-tax (please note !!) or CTC … (in my case it nearly doubled !!) … so this is true … especially those coming to B-schools from our home grown IT MNCs (read Infy, TCS et all) … but those leaving heavy weight MNCs (e.g. Cisco, Philips, Moto !!) … a rethink may be in order … well my peers in Moto after two hikes draws almost equal CTC as mine and believe me their take-home would be much higher . how ?? well that’s subject for another post <br /><br /><strong>Perspective: </strong> Well its debatable as many would say … but yes it does opens your mind to certain aspects which u mite not consider unless of course u r a born business-savvy (as many of my maru friends are) … to be more precise it exposes u to a structure framework in which to approach things … nw again there are multiple schools of thought abt the efficacy of frameworks … some counter it by saying it stifles your creativity …. May be .. but I m certainly a framework guy .. cant think without em … <br /><br />Okay now coming to my softer goals …. Did these two years @ XL make ne difference to them …. <br /><br /><strong>EQ:</strong> Yes … I was always this rigid & stiff guy … really felt difficult (& no need!!) to connect with others at emotional level … but I do find some signs of change in me … although its only a beginning but being @ XL has brought me in touch with this aspect of human beings …<br /><br /><strong>Presentation skills:</strong> As some one very aptly said ‘Excellence is a habit’ … this MBA course gives you enough opportunity (1 in every course n there are 41 courses) to hone your presentation (& ppt making) skills …. Not to mention those competitions … So its up to individual students to use em or not … I did have my fair share of ppts … developed cold feet in the initial few ones … but gradually realized tht with little practice & preparation its really not that difficult … that realization itself is a gain 4 me … <br /><br /><strong>Exploring ones creative side: </strong>Well in this respect a B-school is no different from any …. Ppl with talents will surface and get a platform … while others like me who doesn’t have a creative side (btw that was again a realization which was firmed during MBA) … things r no different ... the spotlight is something which has n will elude us … <br /><br /><strong>Appreciate market & economy:</strong> Yes it does … MBA course does impart u some technical skills to appreciate some moves of corporate, be it their latest ad-campaign or their latest merger … some financial performance indicators … so yes there is indeed some positive delta here …<br /><br /><strong>Fun:</strong> He he .. this is my favorite … as one of my classmates aptly put it … “MBA is one big party” … well in XL atleast ;-) … weekend parties … late-nite binges … dj nites .. regional culinary nites … fun & games nite ;) … it seems XL never sleeps … life cudnt me more merrier … as 4 me … frm a reserved party-phobic types … to … being tagged as a big partying & drinking guy … by the end of XL stint … the transformation cudnt hv been more pronounced … <br /><br />And then there are the intangibles …. Those endless gossiping … those eating-out sessions … private late-nite binges …. Bdday celebs …. The summer experience … the alumni meets … the life-long friendships with some (partners for a fortunate few!!) … lunch/tea/dinner table discussions … nite-outs 2 make that so grade make/break presentation …. Endless manipulations of data ;)… detailed planning to conduct survey … finally ending up faking the responses … watching yet-to-be release movies … marathon viewing of episodes after episodes of ur favorite sitcom/TV series … these 2 yrs colored some moments of my life …. Will cherish em 4 ever … Thank u guyz .. Thank u XL … <br /><br />So folks …MBA is an experience worth looking forward too … Is it expensive ?? Yes … but worth every penny (Well almost !! there are down-sides too … but abt tht some other day ) … so folks those still in dilemma … n hv age/experience on their side (this is important !!) … go for it !! … u will nt regret it .. amen …<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-117583717617967543?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1150379833607953042006-06-15T06:56:00.000-07:002006-06-15T07:00:32.810-07:00This summer experience was truly something worth writing. Normally summer or winter it does not make any difference to my being. Life goes on as usual, mundane most of the time with occasional streak of jovialness. What made it special this time is was the stint with Wipro. I was with Wipro as a summer trainee. This is a ritual in all B-schools in India, well almost all. These eight weeks of internship was something which every student want to treasure for reasons official (read work related) or un-official (read outside work). For me it was the latter. Rarely, do you come across people with whom you can get along so easily from day one. May be because we thought what the heck it’s only for 8 weeks so why bother much about compatibility issues. And so we mingled. We talked. We laughed. We joked. It was all for fun. Tea-breaks, Lunch-breaks, Forced tea-breaks, Bored-lets-have-a-break tea-breaks - we had breaks of all nature. And as if office breaks were not enough we even had out-of-office breaks (a movie outing & a beer-outing) if we can call it that. We spoke about movies, books, various college affairs, exchanged thoughts & ideas on them, and more than all about summer projects. Crazy ideas, Practical ideas, Useless ideas and Valuable ideas they were all there. It came from all quarters. Sample some - call up other summer trainees as the CEO of so & so company and asks for their reports or how about hacking the database of companies for previous summer reports, the list of weird ideas goes on. In between all these we slogged. Although no one of us accepted it was understood. The 8 summer weeks just flitted past us. But we did manage to color some moments of those and will treasure it forever. Atleast I will. Thanks folks...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-115037983360795304?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1150379217271263772006-06-15T06:45:00.000-07:002006-06-15T06:46:57.286-07:00On a dry and dull summer evening he stepped out of his hostel room in consternation. Of late he has found himself getting restless during solitary moments. He could not reason out exactly why so. Nevertheless he ventured out to feel the fresh breeze outside and the pre-dusk calm of nature. As he strolled along the cobbled pathways of the nearby park, he came across many smiling faces, some known some unknown. He smiled back equally warmly at them. However despite being in a relatively open environment, he was not entirely successful in clearing his mind. What is it that clouded his mind and kept bothering him? He let his mind to do flashback exercise. A year and half ago he was going through a turmoil. I mean he was a successful engineer with a competitive salary. On top of that there were abroad assignments which were like icing on cake. He led a fairly busy life juggling time between office, friends and family. In short, he was leading a perfectly normal life by any standards. But there was a problem. He was not happy. Or should I say not satisfied? He did not quite know why. He thought may be the monotony of work life had something to do with it. But a trip back home and spending some quality time with parents did not help much in relieving himself of the feeling of emptiness. He felt himself cut off from the society. Well he was not much of a social person if one were to go by conventional standard. But he was ok with it. He had come to believe that not all human beings are same and there are shades of eccentricity in each one of them. But now the same situation unnerved him. His mind was under constant siege by these foggy ideas that deluded his mind. He felt the urge to reach out to the society, the people around him. He wanted to make his share of contribution for the benefit of the needy. He was in the 24th year of his existence and the fact that he has till now lived only for himself never let his mind relax. He knew he had to do something. But he could not figure out how and what. He of course did not have those grandiose plans of renouncing everything to dedicate himself to serving the poor and diseased. He had not reached that stage yet! He wanted to be instrumental in some developmental groups and contribute more towards idea generation and process improvements. But his job would not let him do so. After a grueling 12-hr-a-day work week he was totally drained of all energy or enthusiasm to pursue anything. Moreover he was not quite sure of how others would take to his ideas as they were raw. He knew he had to structure them and give them a more implement able shape. But he did not have the requisite training for that. His knowledge of the practical matters of life was a bit ‘lacking’. He had to admit he had mostly been a ‘theory’ and ‘bookish’ student with very little exposure to lead or handle projects and people. He was an expert in technical matters but a naïve in dealing with people. He wanted to improve this situation and was constantly tossing options in his mind. It was during one of these self-brainstorming sessions that the idea of acquiring a management degree occurred to him. He started researching on the avenues available to him for the same and also see how aligned it would be to his future career goals. I mean till then he had no intention of sacrificing his career whatsoever. His information hunt was rather fruitful. He was convinced that an MBA degree would bridge the gap between what he was and what he wanted to do. He relied on the media-bytes to gather information on the B-Schools providing management education. Although he spoke to few of his friends and acquaintances who had earlier been through such schools, his research was mostly net-literature based. He took them to be reliable as he had faith in that institution as source of information. He came to believe that management education would provide him the necessary knowledge and experience to achieve his goal of a more meaningful life both career-wise and other-wise. And so began his voyage. Now thinking of doing an MBA is different and actually getting admitted into one is different. And given his penchant for the best he would not settle for any institute which does not figure in the top-10. But that meant solid preparation which in turn meant time. His job schedule almost made him give up on the idea. And then one day lady luck smiled. He was admitted into an institute which was considered to be one among the top-5. He was ecstatic. He thought this was it, an opportunity to change his life. He knew he had to make the best use of it.<br /><br />That was then. And this is now. He is half way through his so called management education. He did not know how close he is to what he had wanted to become. He is not very sure of what knowledge or experience he had acquired. Things did not really progress in the way he had conceived it would. He did not know what went wrong or when it did. Past one year has been a roller coaster ride for him. He hasn’t had much time to reflect on where life was taking him. He had given up an easy life and a plum job in quest for a meaningful life. And now he finds himself lost, not only amidst people but in his thoughts, his ideas and his beliefs. Life can be so harsh. At times it throws open paths for you and when you tread on them, the surprises unfold and catch you off-guard more often than not. At least that is what happened with him. But he is not the one to let go so easily. If anything the events of the last year has taught him how to take life by the scruff of the neck. Yes he had learnt a lesson or two on dealing with people. If not anything, he at least learnt not to rely on them, certainly not all of them. And now he is determined to stage a come back in his own life. He can sure make an attempt at doing so. He is ready to take things as it comes and lead life on his own terms. The accepted norms of success and credibility no longer bother him. His eyes are fixed on his goals and he is ready to flout norms to achieve them if those pose as hindrances. <br /><br />A sudden burst of lightning followed by a thunderous sound jolted him back from his reverie. He looked up and saw an overcast sky. Soon the first drops of monsoon shower fell upon him. He smiled. Normally he did not believe in omen. But for once he could not help but consider it to be one. <br /><br /><em>Note: This is purely a work of fiction. Please do not make and attempt to draw any parallels.</em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-115037921727126377?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1141570943474246692006-03-05T05:35:00.000-08:002006-03-05T07:02:25.626-08:00Never before had middle-age love 'looked' so enticing. Yes, the movie actually made me wistful to grow middle-aged. But its not only about love. It is about dreams. Dreams, some of which remain just that and some realized. It is about having the courage to break free against all norms and bondages of society. It is about being lonely in a crowded world. And most importantly it is about being yourself. A photographer for National Geographic is what the male lead is (I cannot think a profession more exotic!!!). On a trip to Madison County to profile a set of ageing bridges he comes across this stranger. Stranger?? Well, till they actually talk to each other. And then chemistry strikes. The portrayal of romance is initially muffled but then it outbursts. The man looks through her and finds a different person. A person whose dreams were crushed under the family chores. A person who once was carefree and wild like a swaying flower beside the rail tracks. His peering eyes and levitating talk lifted her and transported her to the world she always wanted to be. She could not resist him and what resulted were days of passion and romance. And then came time to part. Worldly responsibilities and motherly love kept her grounded and she decided to stay back at Madison. It was painful decision that had to be taken. The movie moves at a languorous yet lyrical pace. The locales are exotic and refreshing. Clint Eastwood is a great director. He knows what appeals to the heart. The narrative is spell- binding. Over all, a top class movie.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-114157094347424669?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1139646547126638872006-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:002006-02-11T00:32:59.263-08:00<em>"Always so unhappy<br />Taking shelter where he can<br />Here I am<br />Come meet a lonely, lonely man"</em><br /><br />So goes the lyrics of a Presley song. As I read the lyrics of this song it suddenly occured to me, isnt it true?? Aren't we all so lonely ? Many will concur. I mean on the face of it people might appear so active and surrounded by people. He might appear to have no time for 'being lonely'. But corner him any day and probe him and there is a chance that he might concur too. Yes, each one of us is lonely, in heart. So what causes this feeling of loneliness? I do not know. Is this feeling natural? I do not know. How does one alleviate this ? Again I do not have an answer. Is it related to emotions? or is it physical ? Despite having all relationships why does this world seem so void at times ? So void that every moment appears like a burden. <br />And then you recover. The feeling goes away & the warmth of company enlivens you. And the burden is lifted. Only to re-appear. How long will this continue ?? Again, I do not know.<br /><br />Some more lines from the song:<br /><br /><em><br />"It’s a lonely man<br />Who travels all alone<br />When he has no one<br />That he can call his own<br /><br />Here I am<br />Come meet a lonely, lonely man"</em><br /><br />Read the full lyrics here.<br /> http://www.poemhunter.com/lyrics/songs/lyric.asp?artist=2773&song=20148<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-113964654712663887?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1136828604567388852006-01-09T09:42:00.000-08:002007-05-08T23:02:20.476-07:00Love. I first heard of it as a pre-teen during one of those lunch sharing sessions in school on a dusty & sunny summer afternoon. I did not understand it then as much as I fail to do now. A few zealous classmates of mine were all agog to experiment this ‘chemical thing’ on one of the fair-angels strolling around the playground in bevies, high on the attention showered on them. Some actually came out successful in their experiments and managed to woo a few of those bevies. However, I never got to know how they did it or how the fair-angels reacted to whatever they did. But I have to admit they made me feel ‘wanting’ now that they had the privileged company of the fair-angels and I did not. Not only that. They also seemed to be accomplished in life. ‘Already’, I asked? ‘Yes’, they replied, ‘Because we have found love’. Well good for them, I thought. But my mind could never find an answer as to how one should find love or for that matter why. <br /><br />I continued to remain inadequate throughout my school days spanning the teenage years, even as many of my classmates found, lost and found love again each time with a different ‘angel’. But that did not make me any better. Because heart-breaks and mends seemed to be a part and parcel of this process and one cannot claim to have experienced love entirely without these ‘breaks’. My inadequacy in the earlier years had made me diffident in my approach towards the ‘fair-angels’ so much so that I shuddered at the thought of extending the hand of friendship towards them, forget love. This only made me more inadequate until it became a vicious cycle of inadequacy and deprivation. I sunk deeper and deeper into this vortex. The fair-angles continued to remain an enigma to me and the pleasure of their company eluded me. Not knowing what to do or whom to turn to, I took recourse in books and studies. I buried myself in them in the hope that the disturbing thoughts could never find me. I do not know how far I succeeded but it did boost my academic performance. Thus, unlike many of my classmates, the ‘academic’ love had taken precedence in my life over the love spawned by ‘fair-angels’. It is not that I did not seek or crave for them. But with me it just did not happen. I never had a choice. On top of that my less-than-appealing features, look-wise, color-wise & figure-wise, almost closed the doors for me on that front. Nevertheless I continued to further the only ‘love’ of my life. I landed in the best college in my state known not only for brains but also beauty-with-brains. ‘A killer combo’, I was warned. I could only believe them having no knowledge of my own in this regard. I started daydreaming in the hope that my grade sheet would more than make up for my physical features or the lack of it. Boy, I was sadly mistaken. The killer combos almost had me. No, it was neither their beauty nor their brains but their sheer vanity which did it. Whoever said ‘frailty thy name is woman’ could not have been more correct. Every day I dressed, what I believed, was to the occasion of you-know-what. I made myself visible in all those spots where the ‘combos’ thronged. I even wore the I-am-available look and smile as advised by some of my ‘successful’ mates. But attention was the last thing I received. The ‘combos’ were surrounded by an air of vanity & pride and ah yes a coterie of ‘angel-worshippers’. Whatever charm or attitude I exuded could never penetrate the layers. The result was that I stepped into adulthood without tasting what they claimed to be the ‘nectar of life’ (no physical allusion here). Meanwhile my academic pursuits continued to gain more and more importance in my life taking me places literally. <br /><br /> My next stop was an engineering college of repute somewhere in the southern part of India. Before I make public any of my misadventures there it is necessary to lay some myths here, myths which were obviously busted. <br /><br />Myth # 1 – Engineering College fair-angels are mature. Inner beauty and not physical beauty is what they look for. <br /><br />Myth # 2 – Engineering College is the place where you are most likely to find your ‘better half’ because it is the place where interplay of impressionable minds happen. <br /><br />Myth # 3 – Engineering College is your last chance to get yourself a partner. <br /><br />Well here are the busters that I figured out after my four years of fruitless efforts in the light of the ‘sermons’. <br /><br />Buster # 1 – Engineering College bevies are the most insecure lot. The immaturity and caprices they demonstrate in their behavior would put a kindergarten kid to shame. So to expect them to be a judge of inner beauty is a gross foolishness on your part. <br /><br />Buster # 2 – Impressionable? my foot. ‘Mills & Boons’ & ‘Sydney Seldons’ only thickens the mucus of irrational thought in their mind which guides their behavior. <br /><br />Myth # 3 – It does not need a buster, because it is not a myth at all. <br /><br />Ok in this myth and reality exercise I forgot to mention one thing. That my plight of deprivation of the company of fair-angels continued unabated. Needless to mention that, years of continued deprivation had left me vulnerable and un-toothed. Vulnerable because any member of the species of fair-angels could make me go weak on my knees and my dealings with them invariably became a one-sided affair. I could not bring myself to have any sort of conversation with them. Un-toothed because there was no fire left within me to carry on any act of courtship; which is paramount in any such romantic ventures. Honestly, I had lost my guts. But that is not to say that I had lost the romance in life. Books continued to excite me, music continued to enrapture my mind. And of course movies, my second love (the first being books) continued to provide me vicarious pleasures.<br /><br />I am a grown up man now. The days of high schools and colleges have become a thing of the past. All the images then are no longer in my mind. They have been relegated to the folds of photo albums in some dusty corners of a steel almirah. But I am still in search of an angel, an angel who would lend purpose to my existence, an angel who would be a part of my being as much as I, an angel with whom I can be myself. Yes I am frustrated and a little tired. But I will continue my search. I am not going to commit myself to any societal norms no matter how much the pressure is. I am not sure of success in my pursuit. I will continue my search to the grave. And then my epitaph will read ‘He just didn’t get lucky’.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-113682860456738885?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1136828490762072352006-01-09T09:40:00.000-08:002006-01-09T09:41:30.763-08:00The sound of raindrops on window sill. The sound of dew drops tipping over leaves. The sound of waves kissing the shore. And of course the sound of all those ‘sound’ instruments. Yes I am talking about ‘Music’. Music that produces smile in the gloomiest of person. Music that makes a child roll over in joy. Music which is the source of unknown happiness that overflows in everyone’s mind. Music that prompts lovers to rest in each other arms and swing away to eternity. When life is engraved in darkness and all roads appear closed music soothes the mind and opens a window to happiness. Talk to a person who starts his day with a doze of ‘healing’ music and you will know the source of his spiritedness. There is music for every mood that the mind knows be it sad, despair, loss, anxiety, agony, dull, ennui, dark, gloomy, ecstasy, joy, cheerfulness, jovialness, frivolous, naughty, prankish, bliss, frustrated, lost, blues and what not. Whatever the mood is play the right music and the mind will meander back to the state of being gay. As human we can relate to music with all the senses, consciously and unconsciously. Music has a direct connection to the soul or else how can you explain the fact that a hearing impaired person is touched equally by the sound of music as a normal person. The notes that emanate from a source of music pierce the corporeal being to find the incorporeal within. It is divine. To me it’s a singular way to experience the ‘calm’ of paradise. The hypnotic quality of music captures the mind and levitates it to heights of divinity till it becomes one with it. Nothing can break one out of this rapturous union. People have made different classification of music. But the mind does not understand the basis of this classification. To the mind they are all notes in varied harmony which strums the strings within. Immerse yourself in this swarming ocean, taste its vigor and emerge smitten.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-113682849076207235?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1136828382330009722006-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:002006-01-09T09:39:42.346-08:00Everybody goes through it one time or the other. Some keep falling ‘in’ and ‘out’ of it so often that they lose count but definitely not the spirit. It can happen at any time of ones life: 16 or 60. Yes, I am talking about developing a ‘crush’. It is a feeling which is so familiar yet every time it comes with a novelty. So how does one define Crush? Let me offer one. It is a temporary phase of attachment that one develops towards anything ‘living’: the source of this attachment is infatuation rather than love. Having defined it now let me tell you that ‘crush’ can be of different kinds. There is this crush that you develop for a celebrity, be it a sportsperson or a cine star or the guy/girl that appeared in an ad/movie the other day. Then again there are instances of people developing crush towards ones teacher, a distant relative or even a neighborhood ‘kirana’ stores owner. And finally the most lethal crush, the ones that you develop for your peers or seniors in schools, colleges or any such institution that you happen to attend together. Although I have categorized Crushes here, it is important to put the rider that the object of ones crush can be ‘any living being’ and any categorization is merely ‘academic’ in nature. The only restriction that I have put here is that the object has to be a breathing creature. Nothing more. There is another very fundamental aspect of Crush. It is that there is no rationale behind the reason for developing a crush. It purely rests on impulse and is beyond the realm of logic. There are many interesting things that this Crush can do to a person. Ok before I delve into the various facets of ‘Crush’-ism let me also tell you more often than not the Crush is developed for a person of opposite gender/sex. This again is not a rule but is often observed in reality. People who are going through a Crush phase have some common characteristics. Some normally observed ones are: absolute craziness of attributing all good/bad things happening to him/her to the Crush effect, talking ceaselessly about the object of ones Crush irrespective of whether the listener is interested or not, bursting &amp; bubbling with energy every time your object of crush appears in sight, demonstrating insane possessiveness towards the object of ones Crush, and some utterly childish ones like ‘muttering his/her name in sleep, or etching his/her name in every damn thing that you can lay hands on, etc. These characteristics again have no theoretical backing and have been determined by empirical observation. Crushes can occur during any time of ones existence. They are the highpoints of ones life. Those months, days or even moments make life seem such a wonderful journey. And if one is lucky what starts as ‘Crush’ may eventually lead to a life long association. Even I write this I am nurturing not one but three parallel Crushes. I don’t know if any of these will ever lead to anything. I do not care either. All I know is that I am enjoying the experience more than anything else. So as long as it exists just indulge and immerse yourself into this ‘pool’ of ruptures.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-113682838233000972?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1133097131242729852005-11-27T04:44:00.000-08:002005-11-27T05:12:11.256-08:00Life goes on. Sometimes 'high' on spirit sometimes low on 'depression'. Nevertheless time moves. You move with it. You do the daily chores, meet people, talk to them, laugh with them, frown at some, be alone sometimes try to know the 'stranger' within, try to maintain relationship (some of which u never wanted in first place!!!), forge now ones, sulk when you fail to do so, bathe in the 'balmy' morning sun, enjoy a misty morning strol or a chilly twilight walk, catch up with folks from ur past, pine for the days gone-by, look foward to a promising future and always look out for a cause to go on with your present. This in short defines your existence.<br /><br />Then their are the 'good' things ...<br /><br /> Things which make you want to live. No matter how dull your 'today' is or how bleak your 'tomorrow' looks. Like the 'face' whose sight makes you 'freeze' , the 'song' which sets u into raptures and make everything else 'invisible', the 'snapshots' of nature that reminds you of a place they call 'heaven', the 'movie' which you watch for the umpteenth time and it evokes the same feeling that it did the first time, the 'book' you read and re-read and then read it again bcoz you feel that it defines some part of you, the 'solitary' time you spend in a corner of this earth and wonder why those moment had to end, the light afternoon nap in your familiar and cozy bed, a hot 'cuppa' after you wake up to bring you back from your 'alices' wonderland, the sight of a mail in your mailbox from an old pal, the 'hot' shower on a cold night.......<br /><br />These are moments which brings 'ecstasy' to your soul even if it is for a fraction of seconds. It breathes 'life' into your body, makes you a being from a zombie that you are otherwise, makes you want to live just to experience another such moment.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-113309713124272985?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1125208751434255142005-08-27T22:42:00.000-07:002005-08-27T23:43:21.160-07:00It may be a bit early to be talking of death by me, all of 25. But on second thoughts is it really ? No one knows what tomorrow holds for me. Anyways what got me into this post is the book 'Death at my doorstep'- Khushwant Singh. I have not finished reading it yet, but the initial chapters on death & its ubiqiuty got me thinking. In the book he mentions the views of the wise &amp; saintly on the subject of death and re-incarnation thereafter. While there is a quite a bit of debate on what really happens after a person dies and whether the concept of re-incarnation holds any ground, there seems to be a unanimity in the sancity of death. Death is inevitable and a great leveller. Everbody wants to believe that he is gonna live for ever knowing very well that its just an illusion. The departure of near & dear ones brings one face to face with the reality of death for a while. But then the belief takes over very soon. Its indeed sad and depressing to think that a decade or may be two very few of our older folks will be there. Its difficult to fathom life without them. Their wisdom &amp; guidance will no longer to lead us. Nor the umbrella of their love & affection to protect us. What will remain are the memories of the days gone by. The days spent in their warm company. The days of love &amp; laughter. I know the thougt is heart-wrenching enough to bring a lump in our throat. But all of us know that its a truth of life. Because that is what death is supposed to be. The ultimate truth of life. Ironical! Death and its philosphy is shrouded with mystery & blind faith. Religion or Science has failed to explain it. Ultimately it depends on ones own faith &amp; belief. Or may be it does not matter. Whether I believe in the 'physical' death or or the perpetuity of soul is of no consquence . Because after death no one is there to tell the tale. To put it in Khushwant Singhs word ' To me the its the final full stop'. Here are a few lines from the book which stayed with me ...<br /><br /><em>'Lead me from unreality to reality</em><br /><em>Lead me from darkness to light</em><br /><em>Lead me from death to immortality'</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>'Life Came to me,</em><br /><em> Death now stands at my door,</em><br /><em> I came not of my pleasure,</em><br /><em> I got not at my leisure'</em><br /><em></em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112520875143425514?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1124167246742178572005-08-15T21:35:00.000-07:002005-08-15T21:40:46.743-07:00Every engineer (with a bachelors degree) worth his salt confronts this dilemma while making career decisions. And as many would agree , this is indeed a tough choice. On cursory thougts it might seem a very trivial matter of choice since MBA & MS are two very different degrees. One leads you the world of business &amp; the other deep into the realms of technical theories. So ideally the choice should be very obvious for individuals. But believe me it is not.<br /><br />... to be continued<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112416724674217857?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1123694263106716782005-08-10T10:02:00.000-07:002005-08-22T09:02:33.130-07:00Yeah I know its an old debate. Probably as old as the education system. But the reason I talk abt this is that I have been caught in this dichotomy oflate. I have been a student of its-grade-that-matters school of thought till the time I completed my engineering. The fact that I was ranked second in the class with more than 80% of marks will vouch for my claim made earlier. Not that I did not have knowledge. And then I joined the industry , so did most of my batch mates many whom did not have so called 'good grades' in their kitty. But they found a place in the industry never-the-less. The day I joined the industry n till the day I left to become a student again, not a single soul enquired of me abt my performance &amp; rank in college. They didnt care. It didnt matter either. The grades I got in the college was of no use unless it has bearing on my productivity in tasks undertaken by me. Meanwhile, I recieved news of some of my lesser-known classmates getting placed in good companies , bagging abroad assignments, drawing hefty salary, in shortdoing good in the industry. This brings me to some questions. Does good grades imply deep knowledge ? Is knowledge the only determinant of a person succes in this world whichever industry he is in ? Is there any thing called 'situational factors' which play a role ? This are important questions. Unfortunately there are no definitive answers to this questions. Every individual during his course in life finds the answers to these questions, albeit in a hard way. Thats how life goes. Accept it and move ahead.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112369426310671678?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1123692814453277192005-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:002005-08-10T09:54:12.016-07:00It was a pleasant summer afternoon. The sun had been over its peak and was westward bound. I tossed abt in my hostel bed trying to formulate answers for the questions that boggles each one of us. As usual I gave up and looked outside through the window. The street below looked as if its straight out of a fairy tale or a poem. The waning sun had caused the trees , that lined the sides of the street, to cast shadow cutting across its breadth. I couldnt resist the temptation and decided to take a stroll so that I could be closer to this 'oasis'. As I set foot on the road the sweet n gentle breeze kissed my face. I soaked in the moment for a while. As I looked ahead I could see the street covered in dry leaves & flowers. The breeze occasionally sweep a bunch of these leaves only to be covered again by a fresh set. As I moved ahead, I found my mind travelling back to a very similar scane from the past. Ofcourse I was a child then. And the place was none other then my home town. Summer afternoon during those days were a time for gathering n gossip. A time to walk under the shade of the leafy branches of trees lining the pathway. A time to bite on 'jolpoi' smeared with salt. A time to chat innocently with cousins or just be silent. A time that we all so enjoyed. A time that will never come again. I was soon brought back to reality by the high decibel boisterous laughter. A group of guyz &amp; gals were on there way back to the hostel. They were walking carelessly on the same road without waiting for a moment to absorb the eternal moment of that sunday afternoon. I cast a casual glance at them and went abt my stroll trying to make the most of tht blissful time which I knew would soon be over....... Ok this is a work of fiction. So what ?? As long as as it makes you wistful................<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112369281445327719?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1123248285398011282005-08-05T06:07:00.000-07:002005-08-05T22:20:51.700-07:00The concept of silence is alien in a B-school settings. Every body wants to talk. Ones personality is judged by the amount of sound bytes that he/she can produce. Managers are expected to be gregarious. So why not start now, that seems to be the popular belief. So in every nook n corner of the campus u find guys & galz engazed in small (&amp; big !!) talks. The old rule " Silence is Golden" has been relegated to trash. I always I wonder what they talk abt all the time. The same set of people who meet day in day out have so much to talk abt. Do they talk abt their mundane day to day happenings without bothering to find out if anybody is interested in them ?? Or do they simply indulge in gossip ?? Or do they talk abt the problems facing the world today ?? You know poverty, disease, terrorism, economic disparity, unipolarism, erosion of values, modern day imperialism, marital discord, illeteracy & ignorance, peace, increase dissonance in the minds of human etc. Or the philosphical aspects like the bigger purpose of life, destiny, why ppl do they things they do, time, infinity etc . Brainstorming and trying to throw an insight which has eluded human beings for ages. I do not have an iota of clue as to what the topic of conversation is. But the few of those 'addas' that I attended I found tht what essentially happened was tht each n every one indulging in self glorification trying hard to push their case and simply trying to impress. Impress ?? Whom ? Why ?? I dont know. I never could be part of such 'chat' groups. I always found my contribution to such 'chattering' minimal. I sometimes feel myself that the fifteen year child in 'The story of murder of dog in the night time' who talks only when required. May be I m insane n unfit to be accepted in this 'gregarious' world. May be I should just shut up !!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112324828539801128?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1122482307173044542005-07-27T09:27:00.000-07:002005-08-05T06:04:39.883-07:00'Before Sunrise" is a movie that I watched recently on my roomies laptop. To simply say that I enjoyed the movie would be an understatement. This is one of those movies which will stay with me for a long time to come. I do not know why but I have increasingly found myself inclined towards movies which relies heavily on dialogues. In this case the theme of the movie itself is a conversation between the two protagonists. Theres nothing else. The moment I read abt this in a blog, I knew I had to watch this.I will breifly outline how the story progresses. The guy n the gal r both travelling in train which is going to Paris. He is an American heading for Vienna n shes a French going to Paris. They bump into each other and instantly strike a rapport. Both seem to have some thing in common. Internal angst n a constant strife to come to terms with the reality. When the train stops at Vienna the he accosts her to join him in Vienna to spend the day together and leave the next morning. Although the idea appears crazy to her initially she gives in, unable to resist the force that is bonding them. And so they walk the streets of Vienna sharing their views on life, religion, sex, relationships, beauty,music etc. The more they find abt each other the more they discover the commonality they have. They even hold antagonistic views regarding some topics like the role played by each in a male-female relationship. However they appreciate the differences and reconciles. So we bear witness to the growing closeness between them. At one point they engage in a passionate kiss with the setting sun as back drop. The air of romantisicm is subtle yet vivid. The scene in restaurant where each one pretend to call his/her friend back home and mentions abt how he/she met n what they like & dislike abt each other is simply endearing. As night falls , they spend the night in a park gazing at the star lit sky and then later in each other arms (no they dont make love !!!!). The next morning they part with the lady boarding the train after frenzied kissing and promising to meet at the same place after six months. In the last frame the camera focusses on those places they had visited and which appears so desolate now as if the soul is missing. The melancholiness in the air is touching.<br /><br />The narration in the movie is near flawless. The way the camera follows the couple as they serenade the streets of Vienna is techincally correct. So are the dialogues. As I mentioned before the movie rests on the dialogues. The way the conversation flows as they switch from on topic to another is seamless. The male protagonist (played by Ethan Hawke) appears flirty at times. I feel there was no need to add this dimension to his character. The female character is the gem of the movie. She will strike a chord or two in your heart. The background score is also apt as is required in movie with such theme. In short the movie is a example of deft cinematic work. Not to be missed.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112248230717304454?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1121454415538808722005-07-15T11:51:00.000-07:002005-07-27T09:23:56.113-07:00'Decisiveness' is an important quality that a manager should have. As a B-School student you hear this being repeated time & again by ur profs, peers &amp; seniors. So, if u do not have it yet , acquire it. Or else be doomed, so they say. All 'successful' ppl apparently had taken a certain decision in their life which defined their success. Well I think to a considerable extent it may be true. Coz, life often bring u @ such crucial junctures, wherein u have to take certain decision which ultimately determines ur future course of action. You take a wrong decision and ur r doomed. But what if one is 'indecisive' by nature? Does he stand a chance to 'succeed' ? Or is his destiny predetermined. Can he hope to acquire this quality ? If yes, how ? Or more fundentally can it be acquired ? Is it something which is innate ?? Does he really have control over it ? To even attempt to answer any of these questions one should first understand what it really takes to choose one option over other when exposed to a plethora of options ?? Especially so when the options r the paths that one is abt to tread in life. I do not have an answer to any of these quesstions nor shall I try to answer. I will just reflect on some of my observations. Since ones birth human beings find himself surrounded a group of ppl. Initially the grp comprises of his/her parents only but as one grows up the grp becomes larger & more diverge. The events of the society around him shapes his character, his thoughts, his opinions & even his choices. Very soon all decisions he takes in life becomes a function of the variables determined by the society. He does not get any opportunity to excercise his will. Sometimes his mind wantst to break free but the pressure of the society is so much that he wilts. So he starts to tread a path which the people around him decided was best for him. The same story is repeated over n over again , every time which is a definining time in his life. It does not stop at that. This habit of taking decisions to satisfy others becomes so strong that he stops listening to the voice within him. He even tries to stifle the voice of the others. This completes his becoming a part of those who shaped his decisions. Well this is the story for most. But there r some whose mind does not allow him to rest. The voice which he suppressed once tries to find an outlet all the time. He wants to listen to that voice. He wants to witness the moment when the sun rises, or the moment when the rains fall & washes the leaves , the moments which seems like eternity. But he is afraid of retracing back the path he has been made to tread. He is afraid of being not accepted by others. And also the fact that he has not listened to the voice for so long makes him a coward. He does not know where to draw courage from. A battle rages in his mind. Then he makes a mistake again. He lets destiny to decide for him. And dedstiny more often then not leads him into the same old path again. Is destiny one with them ?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-112145441553880872?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1117536551708334342005-05-31T03:23:00.000-07:002005-05-31T03:49:11.713-07:00Today was my last day in Motorola, the company I was working for the past 3 years. The way things have progressed over the last few months and given the fact that I was myself looking for a change, I was actually looiing forward to this day. That is before I had actually put down papers. It has been over a month now since I have put down papers. And today is the final day. For the intial few days I have to admit I was ecstatic, having finally getting rid of the 'juggernaut' that our team is. But the ecstacy was ephemereal. As days passed I started feeling restless. The endless browsing & mailing sessions began to get into my nerves. Finally I realized. Office is a place to work. So unless u r doing that u cannot be comfortable for long. And then as days progressed a feeling of nostalgia overcame me. I think it was partially because a sort of disassociation team members started to creep in. Now many people may have reasons to think that I was not that involved with the team. But as far as I am concerned I always had my heart in the team. I related well with the folks here especially my peers & juniors. There was a camaraderie and bonhomie which I shared. I started to miss those times. I always put up a face showing that I am a happy person now that I was out of the 'grill'. Others actually started believing so. But that wasnt meant to be. Two years is a long time to develop a sort of bonding unconsciously. You do not realize it as long as u r a part of that. But once u step out u begin to realize it. Human mind cannot accept change graciosly. Even if the change is percepted to be for good. There are strings which tend to pull u back , questions that come to your mind, thougts which bog u down. I think thats only human. An having realized that we put up a brave face go through the 'passing phase' like a 'spirit' shutting ur mind off from the 'present' and gaze only at the future. We start believing in the 'cliche' which says ' whatever happens is for good'. Although the present state of things does not allow ur mind to prepare for the change tht future holds for u, u just become a mute spectator. U neither protest not make n effort to undo the change that is gonna happen. You just let it happen and pray sincerely that the change is for the best of all of us.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-111753655170833434?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1117114099335563722005-05-26T02:28:00.000-07:002005-05-27T00:34:37.260-07:00An information to start with. I have written and failed to clear CAT for three consecutive years. But I did manage to get admission into XLRI. I believe that should be reason enough for u to read ahead further. What is it abt MBA Entrance Exams in India that I want to talk abt ?? Especially so when it has been discussed and debated in numerous MBA forums & Blogs ? (to understand what I am talking abt visit <a href="http://www.pagalguy.com">www.pagalguy.com</a>!!). Well nothing new. I just want to narrate my experience and take on this whole thing. Going by the reactions of people who have failed as well as cleared to scale it, I can say with much conviction that it continues to remain a mystery. I mean what does it take to bell the CAT( or XAT or MAT as the case may be !!) ? Is it only abt hard work ? Is it abt brains ?? Is is abt luck? Is it abt really having managerial potential which gets reflected in the entrance results ? Just to shed some more light on the 'brains' thing. There are always some nerd who comes up with a score which is more than the average number of questions attempts in any mock/non-mock CAT/XAT exams. So for them the puzzle is not a puzzle at all. But I address the average junta who also writes, struggles in and hopes to clear such exams.<br /><br />Is it only abt HardWork ? -<br />First things first. We cannot qualify 'hard' in hard work with a proper metrics. Consider this. A working profession who spends 10hrs a day slogging in office, even able to put in 2hrs of unadulterated effort for preparation is hard work. Wheres for a final year college grad or some one sitting out after graduation being able to put even 8hrs of daily effort is plausible ? Since people from both backgrounds find the exams equally tough &amp; intriguing explains that its not simlpy abt effort ones put in. Some might argue abt 'qaulity' effort. But 'quality of effort' again is a subjective term and so I wont deliberate much on this.<br /><br />Is it abt brains ? -<br />I know many people do not think so. But I personally think to some extent it is. Anybody who has seen the Quant or Logic questions would agree when I say that a guy who has topics like algebra,probability/p&c/geometry in their finger tips &amp; has a knack for solving logical question will sail thrugh easily pratise or no practise. But then generally not the case. Some people are comfortable with some topics some not. So for them it boils down to practise to get familiar with the patter of questions that r normally asked (and popularised by coaching insti) and if possible master some quick calculation techniques (it might come handy u never know they retort when asked).<br /><br />Is it abt practise ONLY ?? -<br /> This is most popular belief amond wannabe MBAs. Practise and only practise can see u through. Forget brains & funda, if u can attempt a paper a day along with analysis &amp; re-analysis then u r almost there. But then as most of us aware, that every year the entrance paper throws in fresh 'pattern' thereby rendering all ur expertise gained by practise obsolete. Even the RC nd English sections also can bewilder u with their variety & ingenuity. That is probabaly the reason that students find it so difficult to maintain their ranks in the series mock exams (the variations r as wide as the 'black hole' !!). Some surprsingly are consistent n they r the ones who really make it ultimately. Now who r those and how do they manage to be consistent continues to befuddle both them n us.<br /><br />So then is it only abt luck/destiny ?<br /> Now that we have seen that neither decent brains or rigorous practise can guarantee ur success in the MBA entrances, does it mean that destiny or luck has got to play a role. Many does. Statments like 'I-was-destined-to-do-MBA-n-hence-got-thru' r not uncommon amongst those who finally manages to clear the exams. There are others who attribute it to luck for more 'technical' reason. They say since its abt identifying the right questions and answering it rightly. Now identifying the 'right question' is not as easy as it sounds. Not when there are 150+ questions to choose from and 2hrs clock ticking down. Thus some peple let out expressions of sighs on overlooking a series of seater questions while others r elated for being on the other side. But both invariably attribute it to luck. None on their ingenuity or mastery acquired thru practise.<br /><br /><br />So the mystery is still on. I have tried many times to come with a solution which is actually a combination of all the above factors. But till now I have not been able to convince myself with it.The day I do that I will publish it. Till then let the enigma entwine u &amp; me.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-111711409933556372?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1116850782969819242005-05-23T03:40:00.000-07:002005-05-23T05:19:42.976-07:00A recent study by a well-known national weekly magazine shows that more & more Indians are splurging on food. Indians seems to be on a eating spree! This luxury of eating out is not the preserver of the upwardly mobile any longer. The great Indian middle class has taken to this habit. And boy they have taken to it real big. This is no doubt a healthy sign for Indian economy coz it reflects the increased spending power of the Indian middle class consumer. But the economic implications of the gourmet habits of people are the last thing I want to discuss here. Instead I will try to analyze the 'philosophy' (for want of a better word) behind this habit. Well I mean satisfying ones hunger is of course there!! But I am sure hunger pangs r not the only driving force behind this increase urge in people to throng restaurants & eating joints. There are other 'add-ons' that people derive out of this culinary-venture. To understand this lets look at what r the ‘paraphernalia’ associated with this habit. First and foremost according to me is a place with right the ambience. For some this has taken precedence over the other primary requirement of ‘good food’. Believe me, the neighborhood auntie’s dhaba serving homely food is not the place u want to eat out. That is not the type of eating out I am talking here. ‘Ambience’ encompasses whole lots of things. The place has to have the right kind of seating arrangements. The interiors must be aesthetically done. People are more are more inclined towards a ‘minimalist’ and ‘simplistic’ décor. A ‘traditional’ type of setting also is quite a hit with people nowadays. Next is good music. I understand that different people have different music palate making the task of selecting music for restaurants a tricky one.<br />So, one has to walk on the edge while making such selections. I suggest settling for something which may not be “universally liked” but should not be universally disliked”. Like the instrumental versions of sweet romantic music (of Bryan Adams kind) or the instrumental specialist like Kenny G. The same goes for hindi music. Soft and romantic ghazals (the ones that Jagjit Singh and Pankaj Udhas specialize in) should serve the purpose well. And if the setting is of traditional chic then nothing like golden oldies to go with it. The idea that should be kept in mind is that people will want to relax and chill. So the music should not be jarring. It should be lyrical and melodious. Also the music should be played with right decibel label. People will more often then not engage themselves in passionate conversations during such eating sessions. So they should not be found shouting to each other. Now coming to ‘conversation’, this is a very significant aspect of the whole eating out exercise. To me nothing can be more stimulating than a passionate conversation with like minded individuals. The topic can be anything (preferable non-technical!!!!) music & musicians, books &amp;, authors, magazines & articles, arts, cinema, business, fashion, television, gossip (filmi & non-filmi !!), work place tit-bits, special personal experience, food &amp; drinks etc. The conversation is more fruitful and enjoyable if the people you are talking to can relate to what u are talking about.<br />As I said to have a good conversation you need good company. A coterie of people with whom you click. A group who understands what you stand for. I am not saying that you should not have arguments during conversation. A healthy and friendly argument is what conversation is all about. But argument should not degrade into personal skirmishes or difference of opinion ‘fights’. It will than throw blanket on the whole atmosphere and take the fun out of discussions.<br />I believe conversation and eating out is entwined. I mean what can be more boring than eating food silently especially when u r with someone. A good conversation to go with good food in right settings is a heavenly experience. The world does not seem as cruel a place momentarily. It makes life worth living. Truly. And this exactly is the reason why weekend lunch trip is so common among people who lead busy , mechanical & at time monotonic work life. Since most such people are not so socially active (associated with a club or NGO or a local administrative body kind)!! This weekend or occasional gourmet adventure comes like a breath of fresh air. It acts like a balm & eggs people to carry on with their dreary existence.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-111685078296981924?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1116590795080580302005-05-20T03:10:00.000-07:002005-05-23T03:39:12.810-07:00I have to admit something first. I do not write this article with a purpose. It’s just that I am so passionate about Cinema that I had to write abt it. Btw did u notice something? I have been using the word 'Cinema' & not ‘Movie’ all the while . Did that strike u? If not then at the risk sounding rude, I would not encourage u to read further!!! . Now why do I stress on this.? The reason is that the term 'Movie' has come to be associated with the numerous commercial flicks that r being mass-produced these days without much rhyme n reason. Please note that I am not here to deride those movies. Honestly speaking I do enjoy many of those flicks. In fact some of those may actually fall into the category of 'Cinema' as I define here. I use the word 'Cinema' as the all encompassing term for the cinematic work which has been the product of a genuine effort to tell a story. The story can be of any genre fiction/non-fiction, comedy/horror, biography etc. That is not important. What is important is the manner in which the story is told. How deftly the characters have been sketched? How beautifully the era in which the story is set is brought out through the sights &amp; sounds that appear in the work? And last and most importantly how relevant are the dialogues? The dialogues should not only be situational as it normally is. The dialogues should play a greater role in bringing out the ‘character traits’ of each and every character. Their faiths/beliefs/interests/likes/dislike etc. It should also be relevant to the times in which the story is set and hence should also throw light on the influence of the social, political & economic environment of individuals of that time. The dialogues should also help in portraying the essence of the relationship shared by the characters in the story. Now having laid a basic framework of what constitutes cinema according to my definition lets take some recent cinematic works as example and corroborate this fact. In this process I think we shall be etching out the difference between ‘movie’ &amp; ‘cinema’ as intended, better.<br /><br />Let’s start with the popular work ‘Mr. & Mrs. Iyer’. See although the work is more inclined towards being ‘commercial’ &amp; ‘mainstream’ it still falls into category of ‘Cinema’ . The reason as I mention now is obvious. First of all see how ‘distinctly’ n ‘honestly’ the characters have been sketched. Both the main protagonists are straight out from the real society. They do not have any pretence. Also the narration is simple and free flowing. So are the dialogues. Their conversation is lyrical in nature and captures the ethos of the turbulent times that the story is set in. There were flaws also. It is bound to be there. But the work was a genuine effort in story-telling and a fairly successful one at that.<br /><br />Another popular work of mainstream cinema of recent times, which wasn’t a huge commercial success but was nevertheless a product of deft cinematic mind, is ‘Finding Neverland ’ The work was not received as warmly as it should have been is because of more ‘imagination’ then required. But then we do have to give credit to it for being able to effortlessly drill into the audience the relationship between the male protagonist and the child characters. The situations used for this were at time spontaneous but the end effort was laudable coz it served its purpose. The air of romance between the lead characters was felt by the audience without a word being shared by them. That’s what brilliant direction is all about.<br /><br />I think through the above two work as example I have to a certain extent made it clear what constitutes good cinema according to me. I have taken one Bollywood and one Hollywood cinema to avoid any verticals. As a student of sincere movie-making it is very important to me. Other movies which I could have discussed here are ‘The Forrest Gump’, ‘The English Patient’, ‘As Good as it Gets’, ‘Jane Eyre’ , ‘Hazaron Kwhaise Aisi’, ‘Chokher Bali’ , ‘Page 3’ etc. Another point which needs to be made clear here is that when I say serious cinema I do not necessarily mean the work of art houses. However, if we see the current trends of movie making the lines between art and commercial cinema is totally blurred. I do not want to discuss the works of Ray or Kurosawa here (although I would have loved to !!). Because I do not think I am ‘qualified’ enough to do that. It would be like biting more than one can chew’. I speak here based on my limited knowledge that I have gathered as a follower of well-acknowledged good cinematic works. Experiencing the work which is the product of genuine cinematic effort gives me pleasure. It is the same pleasure that I derive when I read a well-written book. It is something to express which I do not have words in my vocabulary. As I mentioned in the beginning this piece is without any purpose and since its going no where I better stop.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-111659079508058030?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1116578007010978992005-05-20T00:45:00.000-07:002005-05-20T02:08:53.693-07:00The term 'techie' is quite in vogue now. Its the galmourized and more socially accepted version of the species they call 'geek'. Pick the ET any day n u will find space devoted to techies. From their 'soaring pay-package' to 'who-could-be-their-brides' everything is dissected & discussed. I have spent close to three years in the software(please note I use the general term 'software' rather than specific ones liks 'IT' or 'telecom' to avoid any stereotyping!! ) industry and have seen the various roles engineers play in the software industry. So the question often pops into my mind as to who is the 'techie' that the media is talking abt. I look @ myself, my colleagues n other co-workers who share the same bulding, my friends in other cos. But in none of them can I find the 'characteristics' that r normally associated with a techie ( neither do I see their salaries soaring as they r hyped to be nor r they concerned abt thier brides-to-be) So I throw open this question ?? Who is a 'techie' ?? Is there anyone who lives the life of a 'techie' ? Or is it just the figment of the medias weird imagination ? I have listed out some of the 'figures' of the industry. Do they fall into the 'techie' breed ?<br /><br />1. Are all Engineers (no matter what they do !!) techies ?<br />2. Or only engineers who r involved in 'core technical' (if I am allowed to use this term) work eg coding/designing/debugging qualify to be a techie ?<br />3. What abt engineers involved in test & integration actvities ? Are they techies too ??<br />4. And also the technical support &amp; administration guys ?? Should we call them a techie ?<br />5. How abt project leads & managers ? They r engineers no doubt but their work is anything but technical. Does the term 'techie' apply to them ??<br />6. Or is it anyone (engineer/non-engineer) who works in the software industry ?<br />7. How abt system engineers working in other( non-software !!) industries ??<br /><br />Some may just shrugg their shoulders saying who gives a damn as to 'Who is a techie ??' . May be they r right. But then when I see 'techies' being loved/idolised/applauded/revered/looked-at-with-awe/somtimes hated I always tend to think should I consider my self a techie and bask in the limelight ? Even if I think my work is most mundane nd as far from technical as it can be ? Even if I am always in the look out for a job which I feel will be more technical ? A job which requires me to understand technical theories rather than understand thousands of lines of buggy code which surprisingly works ? Even if the trend of engineers moving onto do MBA for reasons they do not know ?? These r questions which need to be asked. We may not find answers to any/all of these. But in the process the world will get to know that the 'techies' that they know r not insulated from the day-to-day spasms that inflict human mind. That they too go through 'end-of-the-month-zero-bank-balance' threat like others. After we live in real world and not the media created world.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-111657800701097899?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10360759.post-1106928077605045552005-01-28T06:41:00.000-08:002005-05-20T02:10:15.356-07:00Blogging is great !!! Every individual holds views on matters which interests him. He wants to share those with other like minded individuals. It gives the mind an immense pleasure to know that people listen to what one says. But he finds no ear to listen to him. Reason : Ego. Peoples ego prevents him from knowing from others things he do not know. He thinks its belittling and shuts anyone off. I am sure there are exceptions. But I write from my experience.<br /><br />Blogs & Expressions:<br />--------------------<br /><br />But then thats not what B'logs r all abt. Today B'logs have become the order of the day for those who seeks to learn n share. Its a window to let out human emotions &amp; feelings. Picture this: You read a book. you like it so much that u started living the character for sometime. Mentally & emotionally. What do u do ? U create a B'log post. Another Sample: You r a cinema buff ( lets say: of the Pather Panchali by Ray kind!!! ) . Some films enthuses &amp; inspires u. The dialogues from the movie haunts u. So does the sights nd sounds. What do u do. Create another B'log post.<br />I have just taken books & cinema as instance bcoz so that most people relate to them. But it could be anything from a stimulating conversation u had the other day or n idea that ignited in ur mind while ur mind was wandering in unknown territories.<br /><br />Blogs &amp; Techies<br />----------------<br /><br />Theres another interesting angle to Blogs. It has emerged as another media for tech buffs to share stuff. And believe me they have taken to it seriously. I have come across Blogs which dwells on the emerging technologies on mobile platforms, on why some killer mobile applications is not a fad amongs junkies. Some even went to the extent of evangelizing tech trends. (Note: since I come from mobile phone backrounds so I have mostly read Blogs on those. Please bear). But the topic does not matter. The point is that Blogs serve as a platform for sharing ideas. And that’s a good trend. Its catching on. Lets see how far it goes.<br /><br />Blogs & Business<br />----------------<br /><br />This was inevitable. Where theres crowd theres business. It did not take long for the ‘agents’ of business to leverage the reach of Blogs. Results. You have employees of companies using Blogs to propagate their products &amp; services. Some companies even have floated Blogs portals solely for this purpose. (Grapevines have it that the employee appraisals are related to Blogs in those cos !!!! ). Well its just the tip of n iceberg. Creating nd maintaing Blogs may not figure in the marketing budgets yet but its not very far either. Till then just Blog.<br /><br />And Finally Blogs & Bschools<br />-----------------------------<br />I had to talk abt this. As I write this I am on the threshold of being a B-Schoolite. The Blogs bug has bitten the B-Schoolite hard. There are Blogs maintained by the student &amp; the faculty. Those Blogs are a good forum to discuss the technical aspects of the business of education. Apart from the individual Blogs there are Blogs maintained some arm of the institute. Those Blogs gives prospective students a sneak-peek into the activities of the B-school concerned. My take on this- it’s indeed helpful. I have garnered lots of tit-bits abt not only the institutes but also the various aspects of MBA education, from the numerous such blogs. As they say its always beneficial to know things from horses-mouth. But sometimes how honestly the Blogs are written also matter. But I guess that’s a topic of another Blog !!!.<br /><br />So folks through this post I tried to capture the diverge fields in which Blogging is active. Its definitely not all-encompassing. But it certainly taps the relevant domains. I admit that these Blog is not comprehensive on individual domains. Its a Snippet. You r welcome to comment.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/10360759-110692807760504555?l=joydeep4u.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>joy4udahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432396770493840613noreply@blogger.com0