DIWALI

 

 

                                           HAPPY DIWALI 2008

 

May the festival of lights bring joy, light, hope, and prosperity in all our lives.

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Diwali:) 

Musings

Musings

 

Cheating death......

 

I almost got killed on my way to work tonight.

 

The bus that I boarded, took a different route, I questioned the conductor and he said that the bus shall go via another route. He whistled but the driver did not stop. I had one leg on the road and another on the footboard of the bus. The rain was pounding and I was dragged for close to 15 metres before the blasted driver stopped the bus. Thankfully I was uninjured and the only damage done was to my trousers that were splattered with mud.

 

Once again a close call; to think of a horrible end, so early, when I have so much more to do... I keep wondering what does God intend me to do. This is the eighth time that I have come so close to death in this lifespan.

 

I thank God for his grace.

 

Life goes on.....

Musings

 

Lines

When you were far away from me, I knew that I held a place in her heart.

Today when you are close to me, I am no longer sure if I have a place in your heart.

 

This restless life, continues in its monotony,

Ambling to work

Returning home,

Finishing the daily chores,

Returning back to work the next day.

 

Is this all that is there to life.

No time to love.

No time to enjoy life.

Chase a butterfly,

Or smell a fragrant rose.

 

This endless pursuit of perfection,

In work, in earning money-]

For a better tomorrow, continues…..

Will there ever be a time-

When you will be mine?

Movie Review

 

A Wednesday starring Anupam Kher, Nasiruddin Shah, and Jimmy Shergill, is another venture from UTV Motion Pictures that has become a sleeper hit. The Mumbai train blasts, how the blasts change the perceptions of a common man, and how he avenges the cause of "the stupid common man."

Anupam Kher plays the role of the police commissioner who on the eve of his retirement recounts the toughest case of his career. Nasir plays a man who walks into a police station to file a complaint regarding his walllet getting stolen. Then he walks to the restroom and leaves a bag full of explosives and walks out of the station. He calls the commissioner's office and says he has planted four bombs across the city and unless four terrorists are relesed by 5 pm and brought to a private airport the bombs would explode triggering bloodshed and mayhem.

 

Two inspectors Jimmy Shergill and another TV artiste Aamir Bashir are the investigating officers and escort the terrorists to the airport.

Who is Nasir? What is his aim? Do the bombs explode?

 

Watch the movie for answers.

 

A taut thriller by debutant director Neeraj Pandey;great acting by all, watch it.

 

My rating-*** out of 5.

 

Movie Review

 

A Wednesday starring Anupam Kher, Nasiruddin Shah, and Jimmy Shergill, is another venture from UTV Motion Pictures that has become a sleeper hit. The Mumbai train blasts, how the blasts change the perceptions of a common man, and how he avenges the cause of "the stupid common man."

Anupam Kher plays the role of the police commissioner who on the eve of his retirement recounts the toughest case of his career. Nasir plays a man who walks into a police station to file a complaint regarding his walllet getting stolen. Then he walks to the restroom and leaves a bag full of explosives and walks out of the station. He calls the commissioner's office and says he has planted four bombs across the city and unless four terrorists are relesed by 5 pm and brought to a private airport the bombs would explode triggering bloodshed and mayhem.

 

Two inspectors Jimmy Shergill and another TV artiste Aamir Bashir are the investigating officers and escort the terrorists to the airport.

Who is Nasir? What is his aim? Do the bombs explode?

 

Watch the movie for answers.

 

A taut thriller by debutant director Neeraj Pandey;great acting by all, watch it.

 

My rating-*** out of 5.

 

007 is back!

 

The superspy is back! Daniel Craig rocked the screen with his portrayal of Bond, James Bond in Casino Royale. The new movie-Quantum of Solace-is set to hit theatres worldwide in October-November.

 

The trailer looks awesome and the story starts right where it ended in Casino Royale.

 

Check out the trailer and the featurettes @ www.screenrush.co.uk

 

There are spies and then there is Bond!

 

Everything else is secondary.

 

Catch you folks at the theatre when they screen Quantum of Solace.

The Game is Afoot....

 

Prologue

 

In college, I never thought I would be working in a corporate sector. I had always planned to become a lecturer and then gravitate into writing and theatre. March 2005 saw me as well all our batch preparing in full gusto for the final year exams. I think it was the third week of March, when a notice was stuck on the English Department Notice Board, it announced the arrival of a major IT firm who were on a campus recruitment drive. I just wrote the selection test along with 750 other students. I remember the anxious looks on the faces of the students. Many of them especially the students from the Commerce and Economics departments had come prepared with printed resumes and me just another lazy fellow had just managed to scribble my details on a sheet of paper that I had torn out from my Linguistics notebook.

 

As the afternoon meandered and the students became impatient and many of them left for the playground to indulge in our favourite pastime of cricket and football. At 3:30 pm there was an announcement and two students were asked to meet the recruiters. I was one of the two students. A long conversation with a group of four people and then a round of talks with the senior HR Manager; at 5 pm I had an offer that I could not refuse and I was placed.

 

It is 3 and a half years since I entered the big, bad, mysterious, and unpredictable corporate world and on the verge of leaving my third job; I

will be honest-it has not always been fun, there have been tough projects, boring monotonous stretches of mundane work, and some really brilliant, challenging, and intellectually satisfying projects.

 

I am back in the hunt for another job, I posted my profile on naukri.com and guess what my inbox is flooded with e-mails from companies and recruiters. Most of the stuff does not match my profile, but there have been a couple of good interesting offers. I have been to a couple of places and written tests, got some offers too, I am biding my time, I know I deserve better, and I am sure there is something out there that will satisfy me both intellectually and monetarily.

 

There is a sense of tension and nervous excitement as I attend these interviews and prepare for forthcoming ones. The element of risk, the sense of

a challenge, the frustration of being offered a salary way below my current pay! It is a learning experience.

 

Epilogue

 

So folks the game is afoot! The quest for the perfect job continues.

Another Day

 

It was just an ordinary day,

A day like any other day,

Children going to school,

Men and women going to work.

Everyone busy with their lives.

 

Suddenly there was a boom,

The serenity and monotony of everyday life-

Shattered with a ball of fire.

There was anger and chaos.

Blood and mayhem, everywhere.

 

Why were they targeted?

What was their crime?

No answers-just anger and a sense of hopelessness.

Governments may come and governments may go-

But terror continues-

As innocent lives continue to be lost.

 

Will there ever be an end to this mindless violence?

Or is it just going to be endless violence?

 

© Mahesh Ramani 2008

 

On Naukri..

 

Thanks to Tata Indicom's superfast Plug n' Play modem-230.4 kbps I spent 30 minutes to open my gmail inbox. Then I realized the speed was too slow so I switched to the HTML mode and thankfully Mozilla made the inbox open quicker. Then I created a profile for myself on naukri.com. Let me see if someone wants to hire-"A postgraduate in English Literature with 3+ years experience in Instructional Design and Copy editing."(That is my headline).

 

Let us see what happens seven weeks to go before I receive my relieving letter, hopefully will find something by then.

 

Hope, that is the pillar on which our lives rest.:)

The Letter

 

So after three months of contemplating, weighing options, and postponing my decision, I took the plunge and tendered my resignation yesterday. Will be serving a notice period of two months. After that.., I do not know, am going to sit jobless in my house for two months and study like the devil for my IAS Prelims 2009. Perhaps find a simple 9 to 5 job. Guys and girls any openings in your companies:)

 

This time I will have to score much higher than the cut-off to ensure that I do not get caught in the caste quota thing.

 

Some interesting conversations with people from HR. I guess I have made up my mind. So people wish me luck.

Job hunting

Job hunting on a serious front, nothing seems to click, everywhere it is the same response-"Sir, you are already being grossly overpaid for what you are doing?"
If things go on at this rate, I might once again go back to writing stuff like-"At the end of this course the learner will...."

Let us see what happens...

Delhi Blasts

 

SIMI and the Indian Mujahideen struck Delhi yesterday as five blasts ripped different places in Delhi, thankfully a sixth bomb was defused near Regal cinema, or the number of dead would have been more.

 

Atleast 30 people are dead and around 120 people are injured.

 

So while the politicians are breaking their heads over a nuclear agreement, terrorists are striking at will in different parts of the country.

 

Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Surat and now Delhi, so which city is going to be targetted next.

 

Is Shivraj Patil-honourable home minister planning to use the same reports that were issued after the Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts?

 

It is time that POTA or a similar act is brought once again into place.

 

National morale is at an all time low and fear looms large in the mind of the common man.

 

No one knows when the  next terror attack will happen?

 

May the souls of the victims who died in the blasts rest in peace.

SNIPPETS ....

 

Manager: Hello there take a seat. Sorry to keep you waiting.

 

Max-(With a fake smile, bloody fellow kept me waiting for more than an hour)-No problem.

 

Manager-So you are working with SS Earnley, why do you want to quit your job?

 

Max-Well there are lots of reasons, two important ones are the tiring night shifts and a lack of proper vertical growth.

 

Manager-(Looks at Max's CV) Oh! you worked as an ID with XXX, tell me something about ID.

 

Max compresses the core of ID principles in a nutshell and gives a lecture for 5 minutes, the Manager is impressed but totally lost.

 

Manager-(Stares at Max for a while) Good you gave a good explanation(Max is sure that the manager did not understand head or tail.)

 

Manager-OK you can meet the HR Manager, I am through, best of luck.

 

Max is made to wait for another half an hour before he meets the HR Manager.

 

HR Manager-So what do you know about our company?

 

Max-Recollects and recounts the data he had carefully gathered from google the previous night.

 

HR Manager-I am impressed by your knowledge. So what is your current CTC?

 

Max-Mentions the amount.

 

HR Manager-So what is your expected CTC?

 

Max-30% more than my current CTC.

 

HR Manager-See you have to understand we are not a BPO, you get such high salaries because of night shifts, no night shifts here, alternate Saturdays holidays, gift vouchers on your birthday, and a defined growth plan.

 

Max-(Obviously getting frustrated by the HR Manager's monologue) So what salary can you offer me?

 

HR Manager-Rs 5000/- less than your current CTC. Think it over and send me an e-mail.

 

Max-Thank you.

 

End of conversation and interview.

TYAGU-ORU MANITHANIN KADHAI


I have always cursed myself for never managing to learn to read or write Tamil. Circumstances always prevented me from learning Tamil. I always wanted to read the masterpieces of Kalki, Jayakanthan, Sujatha and many others, but I had to console myself with the condensed summaries written in various blogs and book reviews.

Yesterday I found a gem from a bookshop in Moore Market, Tyagu-Oru Manithanin Kadhai, by Sivasankari, translated in English by Uma Narayanan.

It is the story of a brilliant young boy, who grows up and becomes an alcoholic.
The story starts with a grown up Tyagu ruminating on his life as his father’s dead body lies before him and he is waiting for his step-mother to come so that he can perform the last rites for his father. He goes to the bathroom takes a swig from his whiskey bottle, which he has artfully hidden in the cistern in his western toilet. He drinks the entire bottle and is so disoriented that he is not able to perform the last rites of his father.

We learn that Tyagu’s father was a hypocrite, a learned man-a Sanskrit pandit who terrorised his wife and children. His insatiable craving for sex, is a recurring theme, Tyagu adored his mother a beautiful woman-compared to a Ravi Varma painting.

The events of his life flash by, his young sister Vasu meeting an accident, falling into a coma, and eventually dying. Then his mother too died. To his utter shock his father remarried and brought an ugly woman home. Tyagu could never recover from the shock. No one could take his beloved mother’s place.

He completes his M.Com and hunts for a job for over a year bearing the taunts of his stepmother and father. In utter desperation and disgust with himself he is frustrated beyond redemption, he meets a friend who invites him home and offers him a drink of whiskey. For the first time in his life he tastes alcohol and thus starts the journey of Tyagu. Finally he gets a decent job in Madras and later transferred to Calcutta, he is relieved to leave the confines of his father and stepmother.

Then he gets married to Ganga a girl of his father’s choice. They are a complete mismatch. They have a boy named Kannan. Tyagu by now has become a manager drawing a salary of Rs 3000. His dependence on alcohol keeps increasing.

His wife leaves him and goes to Maduranthakam to stay with her parents. A chance encounter with Nana-Narayanan a childhood friend, sets the story in motion. Nana was a wastrel as a young boy and passed his S.S.L.C. in his second attempt. He has passed his MBA and now works in a high post in an international company. The two meet at the club and slowly Tyagu realizes what a failure he has turned out to be and how Nana an irresponsible young boy had reached such great heights of success.

Tyagu breaks down into tears and Nana take sit upon himself to save Tyagu, as many years ago it was Nana who had tempted Tyagu with the first cigarette. Nana and his wife Vidya help Tyagu and get him admitted to an alcohol de-addiction center. A psychiatrist Dr. Reddy treats Tyagu and slowly Tyagu comes out of his shell and during the course of the treatment Tyagu reveals his fear and deep hatred for his father, his extreme love and admiration for his dead mother, the sorrow of not having been able to help save Vasu’s life, and the intense dislike for his stepmother. In about 15 days Tyagu is cured of his craving for alcohol and prescribed a medicine called disulfural.

There is a brilliantly written section of the novel where Tyagu is given a glass of whiskey, he drinks it and within a couple of minutes the dilsulfural pill starts acting and Tyagu suffers severe chest pain and palpitation, he is quickly administered oxygen and returns to normal, Dr. Reddy warns Tyagu-“We saved you now, but if you drink whiskey again you will die. You should never ever discontinue the medicine that I have prescribed.”

Meanwhile Nana and his wife Vidya persuade Ganga-Tyagu’s wife to return to Chennai and start a new life with Tyagu. Things slowly return to normal and Ganga's scepticism is replaced by love for her husband. Her intense craving for a daughter, and Tyagu's inability to satisfy his wife's sexual needs once again creates rifts between the two. Meanwhile Nana gets a promotion and transfer and leaves for Manila. The intense friendship between the two is portrayed in the scene where Nana breaks the news of his transfer to Tyagu.Then Tyagu discontinues the tablets for about 20 days and starts drinking whiskey again. One night he returns emboldened by the alcohol within him and has sex with Ganga, and finally he satisfies her desire.

The conjugal success boosts his desire for alcohol and he once again becomes an alcoholic. Ganga becomes pregnant and everything looks fine. Then Tyagu loses his job for drinking in office and once again there is a domestic fight of epic proportions as Seshan-Ganga's father comes curses Tyagu-"You will end up an outcast on the road and not a sigle soul will come to help you."
He takes his pregnant daughter, pays Tyagu's debts leaves him on the road and goes to Madurantakam.


Tyagu is offered shelter by his drinking mate Aravindan, for a glass of whiskey Tyagu stoops down to the level of barking and howling like a dog. In a fit of anger he punches Aravindan and is promptly kicked out of the house. Tyagu realises that Seshan's curse has come true. He stays in a mansion and spends all his money on drinking even refusing to eat.
Nana returns from Manila and is shocked to learn about Tyagu's failures.
At one point he ends up drinking hooch to satisfy his quest for alcohol. He vomits blood and realizes the end is near. He looks out of the window and sees a dog that gets stuck in tar, he wants to help it but he is too weak to leave his room. Eventually the dog dies.


Tyagu decides to commit suicide and tries to buy sleeping pills, when he is unable to buy them, he settles for rat poison. A man suddenly appears and says-"You want to commit suicide?"


The man takesTyagu to his house promising him a drink and lunch. He finds out the details of Tyagu's life and then says he is a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.


Eventually he and his friends tie up Tyagu and inject him with a sedative. He wakes up to find himself looking at Dr. Reddy and Nana.



The good Samaritan had contacted Dr. Reddy found Nana and transported Tyagu to the de-addiction center.


Tyagu' eyes filled with tears as he saw his friend Nana again. Nana informs him that Ganga had given birth to a daughter-Vasu. Tyagu feels happy.


God had given Tyagu another chance to live, as the sun rose and the first rays of the dawn filtered through the window Tyagu thanked God, he decided he would become a reformed man and be a good husband and father.


The story ends on this positive note.

Mumbai Drama

 

The strange case of partisan vote mongering and media hype continues as the saga of Raj Thackerays "Hate North Indian" campaign continues. At the audio launch of "Drona" Jaya Bachhan said that she would prefer to speak in Hindi. The Sena construed it as an insult to the Marathi manoos.

So what happens hoardings of Abhishek and Amitabh are torn down, the premiere show of "The Last Lear" gets cancelled and Amitabh and Jaya are forced to make an "apology."

 

So does that mean it is a crime to speak in the national language. Thirty years ago Bal Thackeray successfully launched an anti-South Indian campaign. My father still narrates incidents of surprise unprovoked attacks and how he used to wear the white topee and go to work.

 

It is the TRP rating starved media that is making Raj Thackeray a hero; ignore him and his non stop bickerings. We do not want more communal problems in Mumbai.

 

The government is shameless as it refuses to take action against the instigator.

Let us see what happens....

9/11

 

Another year has gone by, Osama continues to evade the greatest nation in the world, atrocities continue in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world.

 

A silent prayer for the ones who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks.

 

 

A BUSY THURSDAY

Thursday evening as I am returning home after work, I get a phone call, and I am informed that my aunt is hospitalized. A distant aunt(do not ask me the exact relation), she is still my aunt. I visit her at the hospital, her blood sugar had increased and she had complained of chest pain and nausea. The doctors conducted their usual round of paisa-vasooling tests and advised her to be admitted at the hospital for three days.

I was dog-tired and with one more visit to the hospital on Friday, I had to take a day’s leave at the office.

All is fine now, aunt has returned home and everything is fine with the world.

Google Chrome Rocks

Chrome the new web browser from google rocks.

Brilliant in its simplicity, Microsoft has one more problem from google now, and looking at the number of people downloading Chrome, I guess the quest for an OPEN SOURCE computing world is soon going to become a reality.

ONAM

Happy Onam everybody.

Onam has started may King Mahabali bring joy, wealth, good health, and prosperity to all of us.

MEGA PROBLEMS FOR THE NANO PROJECT

It started as a dream, which became a challenge, which was met with skill, and overcome, when the Nano was unveiled at an automobile expo. The world stood up on its feet and congratulated Ratan Tata and his team of engineers for his remarkable feat. A car that would cost just Rs 100000/-.

West Bengal welcomed the Tatas with open arms and land was procured to set up the automobile plant. There were protests, shootouts, mob violence, killings, political mud slinging, and other hundred problems; but we were sure that sanity would prevail and the Nano would roll out of Singur.

Mamata Bannerjee and her Trinamool Congress ensured that the Tatas would leave Singur. The factory has not opened for the past three days. The foreign technicians working on the project have returned to their respective countries.

Who wins?

No one. West Bengal has lost its credibility to woo any potential investor. Many local youth who had secured jobs at the Nano plant are uncertain of their future.

Tata will roll out a limited number of Nano cars from its Patnagar plant in Uttaranchal, which currently manufactures the ACE brand of commercial carrier vehicles.

The future looks bleak and the West Bengal government is going to end up paying a high price for this unfortunate turn of events.