Pradeep Parthasarathy (Devil on the run!!!)

Get Ready Folks!!!

2010-09-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

The space shuttle program director commanded in a stern voice - "Prepare the launch sequence". The computer started ticking. The million segment LED powered screen started to blip. The countdown began. Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Zero. The 363 feet tall and 6,699,000 pounds heavy Saturn V rocket, the powerful rocket ever known to man, which was decommissioned on December 6 1972, thrusted skywards from Kennedy Space Center, Florida precisely at 5:37 AM on September 30, 2007. In the last 35 years, there were millions of cries and hordes of lobbies to recommission the Saturn V rocket for various reasons ranging from search for extra terrestrial to accurately predicting and mapping the impact of global climatic change. Hundreds of meetings, hitherto unknown to world citizens, were convened surreptitiously by various world leaders to debate the possibility of recommissioning Saturn V. But, all were in vain. As it is said in mythology, good things cannot be kept hidden for ever. Now it is time for Saturn V to make one final attempt to unearth mankind's greatest mystery. Saturn V started it's 3 year long journey into space. Over the course of next 3 years, the on board computer, powered by 100000000000 Zeta Flops Ultra Zap-Zack processor, will perform googols of calculations to arrive at one great finding - "What in the world causes millions of people to go crazy over Rajnikanth and his films." :)

Superstar or Thailava, as he his fondly called by his fans, defies logic. His movies appear crass to many people. His spoken Tamil is pathetic and his spoken English tickles bones even during one's gravest of times. His theatrical skills are a parody. He is 61 years old but still performs romantic scenes with heroines who are the age of his daughters. Many people find this ultra ugly and may be, rightly so. He talks rubbish during political election period. He gets lost in the remote wilderness of Himalayas in the name of tapas. He walks barefoot in his house. He sports an ordinary cotton attire for the greatest of the greatest extravaganzas. Last, but not the least, he is bald.

Ideally,Logically,Basically, Normally (and think of all the other llys that you could) this guy should not have even survived a year in the film industry. But, today, he is the thespian of the Indian Film Industry. He commands the highest pay in Asia, only next to Jackie Chan. His snap of the finger can change the government. The richest and the most powerful visit him, quite frequently. Amitabh Bachchan calls him 'A Legend'.Mukesh Ambani rubs shoulders with him. Honorable Indian Home Minister Mr.P.Chidambaram arrives late for work, because he was busy catching the trailor of Rajni's latest blockbuster - 'Endhiran'. Millions of fans go wild during his film release. Thousands of 'em bunk work to catch a glimpse of him during the first day of his movie release.

In an effort to understand this madness, many reporters,over the past 3 years, have questioned his fans - "What makes Rajnikanth a Rajnikanth?". Interestingly, following were some of the responses.

"Ummmmm......Uhhh...He is great", says a 20 year old IIT Chennai grad student
"Ooooooooooooooooooh, Rajneeeeekaaaaaaaaaaanth", exclaims a 22 year old female
"I like Rajni uncle. yay!", says merrily a 10 year old kid
"Avar enga thalaivarunga!", stomps feet and exclaims uncouthly a 35 year old Senior Manager of a MNC
"Because, he is Rajnikanth, Yeah!", says a 59 year old Doctor
"Therila, but enakku Rajnikanth'a romba pudikkum. Rajni padam pakkum bodhu, naan ennoda husband'uku sappadu podardha kooda marandhuduven", giggles a 52 year old Home Maker
"I have no clue. Am not just fan, but am a fanatic!", says a 27 year old Consultant

Of the sampling, about 80% of the responses were like that of above - without any logical cognizance, 18% pointed his charisma, style and mannerisms, and the rest 2% said "Well, who knows. May be he is charlatan or a thug. Uff!!".

But today, the wait is over. The Saturn V is returning back to earth. The Googols and Googols of data that it has unearthed in space will help in unraveling the greatest mystery ever known to mankind, next only to the Jesus's divinity. It is only fitting that it has to coincide with the release of Rajni's yet another blockbuster - "Endhiran", the costliest movie ever made in India. World news channels are telecasting the finding live. Mr. President, feeds the data into the computer. World over, hundreds of scientists wait in eager anticipation for the answer. Millions of Rajni's fans party happily on the streets. The display screen starts flickering. Random alphabets start streaming on the screen - C,D,A,E,N,N,N,I,M,O,R,T,E,B,E,E,D,T. Gush of silence ran through the air.

Yes. It's an anagram. Mr. President dials a number with the area code 617. Oh yes. It's Boston-Cambridge area. The phone rings. A 45 year old Harvard Professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, answers the call - "Robert here". The president exclaims "Prof. Robert, We have a supersonic Mach 100 Jet waiting for you in Harvard Yard. It will transport you to Kennedy Space Center in 5 minutes. We need you. It's a matter of grave urgency". Prof. Robert shrugs and says "Not again. These Illuminatists. Gosh!". Ten minutes later, Robert finds himself staring at the anagram on the super powered LED display. Suddenly a spark flashes in his mind. He exclaims - "It can't be this.It can't be this", unaware of the fact that it is being broadcast live all over the world. Seeing Prof.Robert's exclamation, the honorable Prime Minister of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh questions - "Prof. Robert. Have you solved the anagram? We are eagerly waiting for the answer." The professor responds "Yes, I have.In a moment, the answer will appear in the screen".

Exactly 23 seconds later, the anagram magically rearranged itself to form a coherent phrase. Americans fainted. Brits bitched. Arabs fired guns into the sky. Chinese shrugged and went back to do what they know the best - increase the population. Rajni fans smirked and said to themselves "We knew this long before. You guys should have listened to us". The screen flashed - "cannot be determined".

I want those days back!!!

2010-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

• I want those days back when I sipped milk from the pink tumbler, oblivious to the hustle-bustle of the world, in the cozy comfort of mom's lap. (Alrite folks, this happened when I was 1 year old. Don't associate anything with respect to color - pink)

• I want those days back when dad bought me two balloons - every single day, mornings and evenings.

• I want those days back when I had my first lessons of Vishnu Sahasranaamam that dad taught me in his Lambretta scooter, on our way back home from the sunday outing.

• I want those days back when me and mom used to enact the 'I am a Complan Boy and I am a Complan Mummy' ad.

• I want those days back when I used to savor the Special Plain Dosai in Saravana Bhavan, TNagar and Bhel Puri in Canopy, Mylapore.

• I want those days back when I used to stand next to my dad in eagerness as I saw him fixing the pendulum styled clock.

• I want those days back when I used to get the stomach pain, only on Monday Mornings, so that I can't go to school.

• I want those days back when mom gave me a severe nimindambazham and cried the whole afternoon - 'achichooooo kozhandhaya killittene'.

• I want those days back when I used to watch Mahabharata in the anticipation that Arjuna will fight in every single episode.

• I want those days back when I really hated Lord Krishna as he went on narrating Geetha Upadesam, rather than allowing the fight between Pandavas and Kauravas to begin.(The wait was for ten 1 hour episodes or so. Folks, that's how long the geetha upadesam is)

• I want those days back when I used to go to Sai Baba slogam class, not to learn slogams, but to eat the kalkandu and to chime the jaalra.

• I want those days back when I used to go to the carnatic music class, not to learn music, but to make fun of the teacher - (Late)Shree Needamangalam Shaastrigal.

• I want those days back when I used to wake up early on sunday mornings to watch Didi's comedy show, Mogli and his friends in Jungle Book and Mickey and Donald Duck Cartoon shows in a hazy and streaky 'Hometech' color TV.

• I want those days back when mom shouted at me 'Pradeeeeeeeeep, vilayadinadhu porum.....ulla vara poriya illayaaaaaaa' as I was busy scoring my winning runs next door with my childhood buddy Jayakamal.

• I want those days back when I used to play G.I.Joe.

• I want those days back when I used to take part in the 'Horse Speed Race'.

• I want those days back when I picked the telephone directory and dialed some random numbers.

• I want those days back when I used to spend my summer vacations in Bombay with my ammaanjees and ammaangaas, playing Scotland Yard, Trade, Pictionary and learning few hindi words along the way.

• I want those days back when I was a BIG BIG BIG cry baby.

• I want those days back when I feared the terror men - Anthony Sami, Prince
School peon and Vasudevan Sir, Prince School Headmaster.

• I want those days back when I regularly used to score poorly in school exams, but still mom and dad said - "Paravailla, adutha vaati nalla pannu".

• I want those days back when dad beat me, once and only once in my entire life, as I did not step out to buy milk.

• I want those days back when I used to do 'Mandi Slogam' with dad, during his sabari malai viradham period.

• I want those days back when I used to wear the fake manikandan mani malai, and go to school, hoping that I can escape the reprimand from the teachers for not having finished my home work.

• I want those days back when I used to play WWF trump card game in school.

• I want those days back when I used to sneak in home after school, to the flowing effervescence of Bhel Puri that mom cooked for me, only for me.

• I want those days back when I used to binge on paruppu saadham and urulai kizhangu chips, day-in and day-out.

• I want those days back when I was caught copying in school exam for the first ever(and only)time but put the blame on another guy, later getting caught in the lie.

• I want those days back when I used to repeatedly hear dad's sermon - "Enakku first rank mukkiyam illa, discipline dhaan mukkiyam".(Folks, trust me. I was not all that bad in behavior. I still don't know why he kept on ranting those sermons)

• I want those days back when for the first ever time I broke into top-3 in class, and for the first ever time I realized I can do good in studies.

• I want those days back when for the first ever time I scored a centum in school math exam, and realized I do have some math skills.

• I want those days back when I used to argue with dad supporting sachin, even though I knew that he played one hell of a horrendous shot to get out.

• I want those days back when I hated talking to girls.

• I want those days back when I felt over the moon for an hour before I realized that I made a stooopid and horrendous silly mistake that cost me a centum in 12th grade math final exam.

• I want those days back when I waited impatiently for the Dial-Up Internet connection to load southindia.com website, where I saw my 12th grade results.

• I want those days back when I floated in seventh heaven for a nano-second, thinking that I had scored 1172/1200 before realizing that the score that I saw was that of my Hindi paper's, in which I got a 172.(Folks, this is a perfect example of scotoma)

• I want those days back when I was dejected seeing my TNPCEE rank of 3875, after having thought that 82.78% in the entrance exam would surely fetch me an admission into Anna University.

• I want those days back when I stepped into college hoping that I can score a chick.

• I want those days back when dad warned me on the first day of college - "No Fathima or No Mary. Iyengar, Iyengar and only Iyengar".(Folks, I studied in a muslim minority college. How in the world could I expect a cute little Iyengar gal there. And the ones that where there....OMG!!! Dont even talk abt it)

• I want those days back when I saw the love of my life for the first time, in MTC bus numbered - PP18.

• I want those days back when I dreaded approaching her.

• I want those days back when I was elated after having got her phone number.

• I want those days back when I used to diligently send SMS, day-in and day-out, surreptitiously.

• I want those days back when I took her for a movie in my splendor for the first time.

• I want those days back when I woke up one fine morning, only to realize that the above 5 events were just a dream.

• I want those days back when I really hoped that one day(in my college life) the above 5 events would become a reality.(Folks, yea I know you are smirking now. It never happened)

• I want those days back when I felt elated to see my first job offer.

• I want those days back when I studied diligently for CAT exam, although I failed it every single time.

• I want those days back when I ...

Yea folks, I want all those days back!!!

Experiencing the Scholarly Sanctum!!!

2009-10-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

If you ask any Chicagoan for the direction to Soldier Field, then the chances that you will end up at a stadium where the Chicago Bears, a NFL team, play are 10 on 10. Such is the passion that these Chicagoans have for their NFL team. But if you ask the same Chicagoan for the direction to Soldiers Field Road, the chances that you will end up in Boston, MA are 10 on 10, too. Such is the aura and charisma of one of the world famous establishments - Harvard University - this road has nurtured for over a century.

Nestling on the bank of Charles River, Harvard Business School, one of the faculties of Harvard University, has been a dream for thousands and a reality for few hundreds. Each year, tens of thousands, from across the world, aspire to make 60 Harvard Way their official address.But only few succeed in doing so.

I too dreamt of the eerie reality of studying in Harvard. But it was just a day dream. Never in my life did i think that i will be walking on the very lawn on which some of the best business minds in the world, including George Walker Bush and Palaniappan Chidambaram, had previously walked. I parked my car 2 miles away from HBS on Memorial Drive and decided to walk towards HBS. As i walked along the bank of Charles River, I could only but wonder at the diversity of people - Chinese to Japanese, Indians to Africans, Scandinavians to East Europeans and last but not the least, Americans - that i came across. Some were reading a book, some were romancing the day out, some were ambling aimlessly, just like me, some were biking, and some were jogging.

Just as i started to wonder whether i lost my way, I saw a girl walking past me from the left side in a crimson colored sweat shirt, on which were printed the words HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL. Yes, Crimson is the official color of Harvard University. I am not sure who recommended this color, but whoever did so, did the right thing.Crimson - the color of blood, the color of virility, the color of aggression, the color of boldness. I guessed that HBS had to be in the direction from which the girl walked past me.Banking on my intellect, i took a left on N Harvard Street and walked across the Charles River. Two minutes later, much to my bewilderment, i was standing in front of a name plate, approx 10 feet long by 3 feet wide, that had the following words printed - HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL.

Yes, I was bewildered, may be, rightly so.Such a big school, yet so humble in its expressiveness. Vanity is, certainly, not this school's favourite sin. I stepped inside and the first thing that i saw was two guys, may be scholars, may be future heads of state of a nation, may be future heads of a company, may be future entrepreneurs of a billion dollar conglomerate, playing Tennis. Good god, HBS students are not all that studious. They do have some life, I thought.

As i kept walking along the breadths and lengths of HBS, i could feel the scholarly sanctum that this school's environment provided. Lush green lawns, Red brick walled buildings and the breath of fresh air seem to fit in perfectly for one true conducive environment;an environment that nurtures and nourishes tomorrow's best business minds.

Lost in thought, I kept walking and finally arrived in front of the Baker Library.The magnificent facade spoke for HBS's might. Inside the library, one can find some of the best case studies that kindle the thought process of tomorrow's business minds. I took a stroll inside the library.As i was perusing the exhibits(Publications), i came across one, which was titled - BORN LOSERS. I smiled and reflected upon self.I stepped outside the library, ambling across the Harvard Yard, sat on a small wall in front on the magnificent Gothic structure. I asked my inner self - "Did you lose your chance of getting into HBS". My inner self answered -"Yes". I guilt fully acknowledged and decided to get back to my car,which was parked 2 miles away from HBS.

Just as i was about to take my final step out from HBS contour, i turned back, looked at Baker Library, took a deep breath and told my inner self - "Nah, May be not"!!!

Nobel is, after all, not that Noble!!!

2009-10-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Emminent Members of the Nobel Committe,

I was recently informed that Mr.Barrack Obama, the 44th President of United States, was conferred the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009.

My ignorant mind has a few questions and I earnestly hope that you will clarify them.

Nobel Prize, as you might be aware, was instituted to honor the will of Alfred Nobel, the swedish chemist and inventor, who invented Dynamite.Below, I am copying an excerpt of Alfred Nobel's will.I have also highlighted certain key words/phrases in the same.

"The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way:
The capital shall be invested by my executors in safe securities and shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency; and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.
The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences; that for physiological or medical works by Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm; that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm; and that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting. It is my expressed wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, so that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not."

Also, please find below the statement that you issued while announcing this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" - (Source - www.nobelprize.org)

Also, curious to know what the word 'effort' meant, i searched for its meaning in the internet and this is what i found.

Effort - an earnest or strenuous attempt (Source - www.dictionary.com)

As such, as far as i understood, the word effort meant an extraordinary attempt and not an achievement.

Kindly let me know, whether the the true intent of the Nobel Prize has changed - i.e going forward can/will it be conferred to people/organization who have/has envisioned/attempted and not achieved something in their respective fields.

Yours Sincerely,
Pradeep Parthasarathy

Pair-Words

2008-09-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

Pair-words have always amazed me.Who defines the sequence?What constitutes the priority?How is the order determined?

Yesterday, I was watching the U.S Presedential debate between Obama and McCain (or should i say McCain and Obama).The advertisement plaque on the dias said "McCain-Obama".Now, what reason fortifies the decision to have the display 'McCain' first followed by 'Obama'.Why not 'Obama' first followed by 'McCain'.

Not just the above example, but what about this.We often hear people say "Sun and Moon" and not "Moon and Sun".Is it because of the heliocentric theory?

Lets touchdown to earth.The first thing that flashes our mind, when we talk about earth, is human beings.Here again we see some intersting nomenclatures.We say "Brothers and Sisters" and not "Sisters and Brothers", "Father and Mother" and not "Mother and Father", "Son and Daughter" and not "Daughter and Son".Is it because of the foolish male dominance, which we have been following ever since god sowed the male-female(oops!!! why didn't i call female-male) seeds in the mother earth's womb?

Why is it "Tom and Jerry" and not "Jerry and Tom"?

Why is it "Rajni and Kamal" and not "Kamal and Rajni"?

Why is it "MGR and Sivaji" and not "Sivaji and MGR"?

Why is it "Laksmikanth and Pyarelal" and not "Pyarelal and Lakshmikanth"?

Why is it "Laurel and Hardy" and not "Hardy and Laurel"?

Why?

Most Talented Kids of The Family

2008-09-15T16:45:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, there thrived a beautiful family, much to the envy of others.Fun, wealth, prosperity, happiness were the key traits of this family.This family was different in more than one ways from the others.First, they borrowed money from others for their spending.Second, they were the dominant of all the families.Third, they were hungry for more.Fourth, to satisfy their hunger, they raided other's houses.Irrespecive of all these, the family had so much aura and charisma that seldom did people hate.The wealth and prosperity drove the family to build an extravagant 'Street'.The street was flaunted with richness.Media and glamour soon became kith and kin of this street.The street was filled with so much talent that richness began to multiply.Out of all the talents that the street housed, five of its most talented kids (MTKs) became the cynosure of everyones eyes.These kids were talented and hardworking.Each of the kids specialized in the same field.This not only encouraged much wanted competition within the family, but also generated a lot of bloody heat and rivalry, an act little did they realize will threaten not only their career in short run,but also their existence in the long run.

The wheel of time started to roll.Days became months, months became years and years became decades and decades became a century.Yes, the eldest of the 5 MTKs is now more than 150 years old and the youngest is little over 70 years.But this age by no means is considered old for any of this street's dwellers, for, the street has the dubious distinction of having nourished a 224 year old kid.So,the eldest of the MTKs has completed just about half of his lifetime,if the above stat is anything to go by.

Though the kids were talented, as luck would have it, soon they began to pay the price for the sins committed by their family.The brashness in the way by which the family treated other families, the selfishness in the way by which the family conducted itself attracted enemies.The family, headed by a Not-So-Able member(s), resorted to violence to thwart the enemies out.Little did they realize that this violence would mark the start of their downward spiral.The violence grew to such proportions that the family was running out of lifeblood to continue to support its members.The MTK's were called in for help.They started infusing much needed lifeblood into the family.But it was not sufficient.They borrowed lifeblood from other familes and gave it to their own members.But the final bell had already been struck.The community collapsed.Environment failed.Now, the MTKs faced the wrath of the lenders.Most of the MTKs lost their own lifeblood.They ran to the family for help.But the family could not afford to help them all.Few of the MTKs ran to the other members in the street for help.But no avail.The MTKs are bleeding to death.

In March, 2008 the second youngest MTK was orphaned by the family.He was later adopted by a generous billionaire named Mr.Chase(Though he was also in debt).But the situation of the street got much more worse.Media hounded the street has it had done before, but glamour ran away.September, 15, 2008 was the day, that both the family and the street will mourn for ever.While their third eldest MTK was orphaned, who later found a foster parent named Bk.O.F.Sam (AKA Bk.O.F.Uncle Sam), their eldest MTK was put to death.Many tried, some even desperately, to revive the dying 'Big Brother'.But his heart pounded for one last time at 1:30 AM, Monday, September 15, 2008. He was 158 years old.

With only two MTKs surviving, and with troubling enemies lurching in the dark, the future of the family looks bleak.Will there be a silver lining in the cloud?.Only time will tell.

'God Bless The Family'

The Family Song -

Family: Here I lie
In a lost and lonely part of town
Held in time
In a world of tears
I slowly drown
Goinhome
I just cant take it all alone
I really should be holding you
Holding you
Loving you
loving you......

MTKs: Tragedy
When the feelings gone and you cant go on, Its tragedy
When the morning cries and you dont know why
Its hard to bear
With no-one to love you
youre Goin nowhere
Tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul
Its tragedy

Family: Night and day
Theres a burning down inside of me
Burning love, With a yearning that wont let me be
Down I go And I just cant take it all alone
I really should be holding you,
Holding you,
Loving you
loving you ...

MTKs: Tragedy
When the feelings gone and you cant go on
Its tragedy
When the morning cries and you dont know why
Its hard to bear
With no-one to love you
youre Goin nowhere
Tragedy
When you lose control and you got no soul
Its tragedy
When the morning cries and you dont know why
Its hard to bear
With no-one to love you
youre Goin nowhere..Goin nowhere...Goin nowhere...Goin nowhere...

Lessons i learnt in INautix

2007-11-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

"GoodLuck.We will let you know".This is what i heard as i finished my technical interview in inautix.As i walked down the steps,i was pretty confident that i would get through and true it was.Over the next few months i dreamed big,really big ,about my corporate career and whether those dreams were fulfilled or not ,only time will tell :-))

August 2nd 2004,the day i officially stepped into the corporate jungle.Few would say"It's a jungle out there,only the best will survive".True.I felt like i was stepping into the jungle at night.Neither could i see anything nor could i predict any thing.The fear of falling prey to the worst carnivores and the cruel scavengers were lingering in my mind.But as nature would have it,the jungle had some wise and generous creatures and it was these creatures that illuminated the torch for me and guided through the jungle maze.

Training days were truly awesome.I learnt my first lesson during that time.The lesson was "Never try to be too smart".My training collegues will know what it means. :-))

My second lesson was not too far.It was during the end of the training period.Three people were supposed to work in DSCM(Configuration Management...For all the non technical people..DSCM means Job without work) and people said that one could gain excellent domain/business knowledge working in DSCM.As i was preparing for CAT and bent on doing my MBA,i thought this would be an excellent exposure.So,I went directly and met the head of Configuration Management.It was only after that meeting did i consult with "few good men" regarding this.The best part was, those "few good men" recommended me against working in Configuration Management.I then flatly refused to work in DSCM.I got a huge verbal thrashing from my training head.Never in my wildest dreams did i expect this.Hence the second lesson. "Never deal with a person of authority unless you have a sound reason to do so".

Soon after the training was finished i was deputed to work in a team called 'NetxOffice'.This is when i started to feel the real pulse of corporate world and software industry in particular.The team handled projects in Java,and i was a literal illiterate in Java then(that doesn't mean that i am an expert now :-)).The bay in which i was seated housed people with wealth of experience.Every one was talking about Java,Servlet,EJB,Inautilus,Containers,logs bla bla bla.I could not understand a single word.I was a silent observer.Soon i was given a project to work.As luck would have it,I was the only person to work on it.My first project - "Replicate Accounts for Identical Client Level Data".Sounds highly fundoo...right?In layman terms,it meant "Copy-Paste".Hence my third Lesson."Appearances are often deceptive".

The project went into production successfully.I slowly started to feel comfortable with my team members.It was September 2005 and it was appraisal time.First time in my entire life,i had someone evaluating me.The very thought of it, sent cold shivers down my spine.But eventually i learnt that this kind of evaluation is going to stay with me for my lifetime.I went inside the conference room,had a discussion,heard some sweet words from my appraiser ,came out.I felt happy,really happy with my rating.I discussed it with my peers,i learnt that my rating was only just as good as any others.Hence the fourth lesson."Never jump to conclusion,until you have personally seen and verified it yourslef".

2005 came and went.One more year of my flopped performance in CAT.2006 came.I made it this time.A new record for me.Fourth consecutive flopped performance in CAT. I felt depressed.More so the monotony of my current job eventually got to me.Three years of IT industry experience.Good technical knowledge,Good domain knowledge were added advantage.I felt the time was right to go beyond.To learn new things,to explore new boundaries,to venture new territories.It's a jungle out there.True.Animals bread in captive cannot survive in the jungle.Hence the fifth and final lesson."Change is the only constant".

Sivaji - The Boss

2007-06-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

"Machan innikki night abirami theatre la special show 8 manikku sivaji ticket irukku,variya".This is what my friend said at around 2 PM today.I uttered just two words."kandippan varen".After slogging like a dog for more than a week i was rewarded.All of a sudden Thalaivar's punch dialogue seemed to be true."Nallavangala aandavan sodhippan,aana kai uda maattan".All the afternoon my mind was occupied with 'Sivaji' the film and whether shankar and Thalaivar combo would have actually delivered the goods.Off i packed my bags at 6:30 PM and scrambled to Abirami Theatre.

For the first time i hated Chennai roads.Horrible traffic jam and honking of horns made me sick.At one point in time i actually wondered if i would ever reach the theatre on time.If there had been a cctv on chennai roads and had my driving been captured on them,and lets say the cops here charge Rs 100 for violating traffic rules then probably i would have been bankrupt by now.Thats how i drove to the theatre (On hindsight very bad driving,never to be repeated again).Dot 7:53 i reached the theatre and scrambled to the parking lot only to be told that the movie will be screened at 9 PM(much to my relief).I quickly packed my tummy with fried rice and off we entered the theatre.

Normally i used to gape at the wonderful models on Prince Jewelery ad.It seemed nonsense to me today.9:07 PM and the screen flashed the CFBC certificate titled 'Sivaji'.The theatre rocked.Clamorous atmosphere deafened my ears.There it was.Finally,the long wait was over.

The first thing that any thalaivar's fan would lookout for is thalaivar's entry.Hats off to shankar.He has given a tremendous entry for thalaivar.(I never expected,neither i think any one would ve expected).The film took off from there.The first half is packed with thalaivar's love interest and the efforts he takes to achieve his personal ambition.Vivek has donned major role here as thalaivar's 'right hand'.Thalaivar has done extremely well in his dance this time around.His performance in 'Balellaikka' song is too good.But the real entertainer is yet to come.You ll see the actual Rajinikanth after 1Hr 38 minutes.The Interval scene is where the film gets its momentum.

1 Hr 38 minutes before interval.Phew...i sighed.But i believe its worth the wait,coz the next 2 Hrs(Yeah..the film runs for 3 and a half hours) is 'electrically awesome'(i cudn't find a single adjective to describe it).All the stories about 'Sivaji' that were flashed in the internet were wrong.You will witness the explosive peak of the film in the last 20 minutes.Boy o Boy hasn't he proved his mettle.Take note ,all you Rajini blasphemists,thalaivar could act too.And after witnessing the last 20 minutes even the greatest of the great actors will admit that he has done an explosive role.After all we are talking about our 'Superstar'.

This film equals all his previous films(in terms of power packed action and story).People were talking about Baasha and Padayappa as his benchmarks.But boy,this film would set the benchmark for tamil film industry.Everyone in the industry,if they are honest,should accede to the fact that this is the best film ever to be made in Tamil Film industry.(Shankar to get the credit)

Excellent story line(Never told before),explosive music,stellar action sequence(the last 20 mins) makes this movies a sooper dooper bumper hit.Chandramukhi was screened for 500 days.I wouldnt be surprised if this film breaks that record.

Rajinikath is truly 'The Boss'.

Tribute to 'The Taj'

2007-06-08T21:10:00.001-07:00

When the fifth mogul emperor of India , Shah Jahan, ordered the commencement of an architectural marvel in 1632 AD,it ushered india into architectural spotlight.Nearly 25000 craftsmen worked on this project and over 50 architects supervised this engineering marvel over a span of 16 years.Legend has it that,this masterpiece was built by the emperor as an ode to his late wife Tage Mehale(few know her as Mumtaz).It is believed that the emperor was so affectionate,passionate(use whatever adjective you want) that he could not see a life worth living without her.Hence the decision to commission(sounds rhyming right..cool) a marvel,which alone could rival her beauty.Maybe it did too.It was not a surprise when this masterpiece was declared as one of the [then] modern 7 wonders and later UNESCO World heritage site in 1983.

Time and Tide waits for none.Now the time has come for electing the new 7 wonders of the modern world.With less than a month to go for the deadline,people all over the globe are punching their ballot cards expressing their choice of modern 7 wonders.It is a fact that 'Our Taj',the nation's pride, is lagging behind by quite a margin in this race to 'pride and honour'.The time has come for us to reaffirm India's presence in the global map [once again].We did that in 1947 by gaining independence without firing a bullet.We did that in the 1970's by placing a man on space.We did that in 1997 by testing Nuclear war head[when no one believed we were capable].We can do it once again.

We are humans.We have sixth sense.We all love.We have passion.We appreciate beauty.We care for others.We are Indians and we are patriotic.

"Getting to the top is great but staying at the top is greater".We got 'Taj' to the top once before.Now we need to do it again.

I earnestly urge you to go and vote for 'Taj' and make India proud once again.

Mumbai Marathon - Day 2

2007-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

Pradeep ezhudhuru…mani 5 aiduthu…ellarum vandhuduva…

There it was, my nightmare of getting up in the early morning was well underway. With great difficulties I managed to get myself out of the bed (thanks to switching off fan by god only knows who and mosquitoes).Soon the morning chores began to happen in a more routine fashion (which included me banging my head against the ceiling of the bathroom. yet another place).Soon the place was flocked with folks from vrs parivar (makkal/gumbal).Some time later, the ohmam was underway in grand style. First Danvandri ohmam then it was sudhrashana ohmam.The ohmam was accompanied by people reading naalaayira divya prabhandam in the next room.Appa was also made to read prabhandam(Thanks to chechu mama).He left Chennai with great hopes. Now his face was telling all the stories. Its today that one could find the different abhinayanams.One was having stern face, another laughing like h*ll,yet another studiously looking at the paper with sudharshana ohmam mandhiram,yet another was having his face hidden behind the camera, and the list went on.Ding..Ding...Ding…the clock bell rang and it was time to have my lunch.

After a sumptuous meal everyone scampered to different places to find a nice cozy place to slouch. I got mine somewhere in between two bheeros.Soon the routine vetti mokkai started. It ended only after every one went into their hibernation mode. A couple of hours later slowly every one was rebooted back to their safe mode (after all I am working with computers).Later that evening I was offered an outing. I was taken to a place what most people call the best mall that mulund houses. The mall was ok, but the huge crowd presence was making me sick. Anywhere I turned, it was people people people all around. Mumbai these days is bitten by the mall bug and the bug is well on its way to Chennai. The presence of Sachin’s Restaurant came as a succor for me. First I saw the word ‘Genius’, then I saw ‘MRF’.Ah there it was, the Willow which made Shane Warne wet his pants ,the willow which spoiled Kasprowicz’s career, the willow which had a date with the sharjah sand storm, the willow which denied Australia the Coca Cola Trophy. I felt great pride in narrating the sight of the great willow to people back home.(but not sure what they felt…should have been something very funny…defly)

There it was the day 2 of Mumbai Marathon about to end in grand style. Again I was given clear and stern orders.”Kaarthaala seekiram ezhundhukkanum”.

We were going to Shirdi the next day…the day I would have been in chepauk had I not been traveling…the day when India met WI…the day when we parked our dikkis most of the time in the car…ouch…its still paining.

Mumbai Marathon - Day 1

2007-01-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

After much deliberation and pondering over the decision to fly spice jet, the D Day arrived. We left for the airport at about 11:00 AM on the 25 th January and arrived at the Chennai airport by 11:30.Baggage screening and the preliminary checks were over and done by 11:45.We had all the time at our disposal for the 1:55 flight. Unaware of what to do, we strolled across the length and breadth of the airport lounges till we finally decided to have a seat. Unusually the flight was on time and one has to say that it was extremely pleasant afternoon for us. The Cabin crew made the onboard experience even more enjoyable.3:30 PM it was, as we landed at the Chatrapati Intl Terminal, Mumbai.After collecting our baggage (unfortunately which was last to arrive at the conveyor belt), we set our steps towards the exit. There it was. Mumbai at our sight. Arghhh! Also chechu mama at our sight. As usual with a madaya greeting in which he alone in this whole cosmos could specialize, ushered us towards the cab and lead us into the city. As the driver sat in his seat, chechu mama uttered three words to him… R.A.Kidwai Road, Wadala.

There it was. Our first stop on the journey. One could hear the pants and phews of amma as she managed to climb the two floors of Bhaweshwar Dham (After all old age does take its toll. She is 48 years old but never admits that).Not surprisingly reminiscence of childhood blossomed in her mind. One could hear her cry loud “Inga than naan, meera, chitra ellarum odi, aadi, velaiyaaduvom”.”Inga than naanga ellaroda veettu calling bellaium adippom”. (I thought “ungala yaaru adippa”).As we set our foot on the final step of the second floor, Papa Perimma and athimber were there to receive us. After cramping my leg for nearly two hours, at last I felt myself at home. (Wonder why all the flights are built with very poor leg room space!).Soft Rava Idlis and Sweet Bolis welcomed us too. One could not really control the appetite. (After all we traveled in a low cost airline).After spending nearly two hours at wadala, we decided to leave for our next destination. As we sat inside the lovely sedan (Maruthi Esteem), chechu mama uttered three words to the driver…Garodia Nagar, GhatKhopar.

There we were. It was around 8:00 PM and we arrived at GhatKhopar.Radha, Srinath, Srihari were also present at Balaji that time. After completing the formal enga–irukkel, eppadi–irukkel greetings, chit chatting started and continued for some while, till the time our stomachs started crying. Oblivious to the fact that I was hunger personified, srihari continued to torment me with his batman, he-man, racing car and srinath stories. But as it went, he was brilliant in his narration. One has to admire his way of speaking (those slanting head with eyes pointed slantingly upwards).I certainly enjoyed it.Srinath was his usual self. Calmness personified, Listening to Worldspace and teaching me how to operate it. Both these fellows made me forget that it was 9:30 PM and my stomach was ringing bells for the past one hour. After having the dinner and arranging the place for next days function (apart from playing a 100 meter sprint race with Mr.Mooshik), we decided to call it a day and resigned our self to the bed. Before I went to sleep I was given a stern order by amma.”Kaarthaala seekaram ezhundukkanum, nyabagam vechukko”.I asked her “eththana manikku” to which she replied “anchu (5) manikku”.

There I went to my sleep with the harrowing thought of waking up at 5 AM.I could not really remember when I did that before. Probably 10^th standard. Probably 12^th standard.

To be continued…

Sneak Preview of Day 2, Mumbai marathon:

Getting up for the function

Breakfast and meeting with fellow VRS ians

The Function Itself

Lunch

Afternoon Powernap

Trip to what most people call the best mall housed by prince of suburbs (mulund)

Dinner

Pan da va vinci code

2006-03-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

My thoughts wandered a lot before I sat to write this blog.I have to say that this would be my best blog if I happen to complete
it successfully.

I am right back from watching a good Tamil picture in Raj Tv(What Crap!!!You might be wondering.A software engineer,working
for a billion dollar conglomerate watching Tamil film!!!That too,in Raj TV...oops...whew...).But hang on.This is not as bad
as you think.The Name of the movie is "Karnan".The film had the cast of the great'Sivaji'Ganesan,who was donning the lead
role.But i am not going to talk about the 'thespian' of tamil filmdom.
The movie also had a character 'Lord'Krishna,donned by Veteran Telugu Filmstar N T RamaRao.No i am not going to talk about
the veteran either.Then about whom am i going to talk?
I have eliminated the two film stars.I am neither knowledgeable enough to talk about the character 'karna' nor 'Krishna'.
But hey!I might not be knowledgeable enough to talk about those characters,but wise enough to pick the essence of their
characters.

First,a spotlight on karna.The man himself ,born to kunti and suryadeva has been known for his righteousness and his good deeds.
The only mistake (probably from others perspective) was that he stood by duryodhana(man who is known for his atrocities).
Thats all i know about him.You cannot blame me :-))coz,thats whats they showed on Yash Chopra's Mahabharatha.But they did
portray a lot on the character Krishna.Rest of my blog is going to be about the Witty Lord Krishna.

Here comes the cool and cozy man who was the lead director of the pandava Army.Everything from 'strategy' to 'capacity planning'
was done under his consultation.If the Epic today dictates Pandavas as the victorious heroes of Mahabharata,then it was
because of this man.Let me quote a couple of instances of how he decoded the entire kaurava strategies and encoded them back in favour of
the pandavas(Ugh!!!Afterall i am software engineer).

Firstly,he identified the potential strength of kaurava army.Although it boasted of some of the greats like Bhishma,Dronacharya,
kripachariya,karna,Duryodhana,the very presence of 'Vidhura'(Pandu and Dridarashtra's half brother)and his sacred 'Bow'
would have rendered a catastrophic blow to the pandava army.

Plan 1:The mythical magician ignites a bitter feud (Yes,Similar to that between Greg and Saurav) between Duryodhana and
Vidhura in the royal court of kauravas.The feud sparks of to such an extent that vidhura breaks his sacred 'Bow' and refrains
from fighting for Kaurava Army.

Result:
Strong link broken.Army could be penetrated easily.

Next as a true strategist,he discovered Arjuna as the greatest strength of the Pandava army.So his prime objective was
to shield arjuna from the rivals,more importantly from 'karna'.

Again something about karna(Excuse me please!!!).Karna,becasue of his good deeds,has the dubious distinction of owning the
'Naga Astra'(Powerful weapon of yester yuga...Analogical to the now Atomic Bomb,SARS,Bird Flu,Anthrax).

Plan 2:Herecomes the masterful director.He persuades Kunti Devi(Mother of Pandavas) to use her motherly love towards karna
and persuade him from not using the 'astra' towards arjuna.

Result:
Rivals strength diminished.Relatively,helping in improving the pandava's
strength.

Although,there were many other strategies and plans formulated and implemented by krishna,the above two should teach all of
us a lesson or two.

1.Identify your strength and make the most use of it.
2.Identify opponents strength and do not play into his hands.

Well!Not sure whether i completed it successfully,dozing of already.

Haaaaaaaaau(Yawning!!!)

Mera Sachin

2006-01-23T08:30:00.001-08:00

There are times when we feel like over the moon. We keep giving 100% effort and we keep reaping 100% benefit. But then there are times when we keep failing. No matter how hard we try, we keep failing. Before proceeding any further let us first define what “fail”means.To most of us “fail” means shortcoming, weakness, not happening at all.True.Absolutely true.
Now how can we relate this to Sachin Tendulkar (oops…I started all over again. I sweared I will not talk about cricket….But hang on! Am I really going to talk about cricket….ugh…I don’t know….I might eventually…).

Enough is enough with all the crap going around sachin.Yesterday I saw the front page of a very famous newspaper carrying the headlines “Tendulkar or Endulkar”.Good marketing strategy. Get some hot news on the top of the headlines and your circulation increases. But hang on! If sachin’s poor form had been a serious issue, then definitely more papers would have carried a similar column and pocketed some quick bucks. This hasn’t happened. (15/0 to Tendulkar….I like Tennis).

Secondly, people talk about his woeful short of runs and failing at crunch situations. Really? Let us remind our self that this guy has the ownership of more than 25000 runs in all forms of cricket.whew! That’s quite some runs to boast of. So it would be a crime to claim such a statement. Woefully short of runs in recent past? Yes I would agree. (15/15).
Failing at crunch situations.Hmm! .This really tickles my brain. But hang on. To most of us, crunch situations refer to final or the last test match of a series. If true, then the above claim applies to all the players who play cricket. Nobody in my memory has produced a consistent record in all the finals they have played. This is a fact. I swear Nobody. (30/15 to tendulkar).

Enough with Tendulkar as the Batsman. What about Sachin Tendulkar as the player? Most capped player? Yes.Now what does that hold for Team India. Let me quote a small analogy here. Why do many corporate pitches for experience people It’s because they believe that experience would do wonders for the company. Exactly the same way, sachin with all his experience under his belt “might” (we really don’t know. Do we?) pitch in with his thoughts during demanding situations. Also being such a blitzkrieging human during his yester years, his enthusiastic and motivational spirit cannot be doubted even to the slightest extent. These qualities have positively affected many of today’s rising stars (likes of sewag and Pathan).Can we give this point to sachin? No matter what’s your view, its 40/15 to tendulkar.

Finally as a player, this demi-god has a good 5 or 6 years to go before he hangs his boot. With all that is going around, I firmly believe that, it would kindle the blitzkreiging nature of the “chota” (not “chota” rajan or “chota” shakeel…it’s our very own 5 footer) and would come back to regain his lost throne (Yes I agree, he has lost his throne).Remember, It’s not too far before we say,” The King has Returned”.

Game, Set, Match ….Tendulkar!

Poaching the Bengal Tiger

2006-01-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just as i sit to write on this most cliched topic,I should accept that this would be the last time i would ever give a subtle thought to it.Over and over again i have been arguing with my friends in support of sourav.Yes! you heard it right,in support of saurav.

Before we could come anything close to concluding about the fate of this endangered species,we need to take into account some pragmatic facts and also little morality into account.Afterall we ve been taught right from our school days to behave morally.Remember the bedtime stories that your granny used to say?Ok no more beating around the bush.Lets get a move along.

With due permission from all you readers i take you down a small memory lane back to 1996.Saurav Chandidas Ganguly was making his test debut in LORDS(Mecca of Cricket).If ever any one claims that he is not aware of that historic day,then he should potentially quit (with due respect to the reader)reading further as he is not going to be aware of any of saurav's heroics.He did not stop there ,but went on to make another ton in the next match.Whew...back to back ton for a debutant at such a highest level.Surely saurav had arrived in the world cricket scene with a bang.

A man who was determined to prove his critics wrong after his misdemeanour in Australia back in 1991,he scripted a great epic in the TORONTO CUP against Pakistan in 1997.The tiger roared like a lion this time around.Of the five matches played,he got scores of 50+ four times.Remember it was a tough seeming wicket.As that did not satisfy his appetite he went on to take 18 wickets with two back to back 5 wicket hauls.He was declard Man of the Match four times and was also awarded the Man of the series.Whew...he could not ask for more.

As and when he started to mature at the highest level,he began to provide some gems in the abridged version of the game.He boasts a commanding average of 40+ in one day cricket.Who could ever forget his innings against pakistan in dhaka when india was chasing a world record score of 314.His blitzkreig against srilanka in taunton during 1999 world cup still gives me sleepless nights.

Then came the most important part of his cricketing career.Indian cricket was at its inflection point,and it desperately needed a new charismatic figure who could march them to greater heights.Who else than saurav could they bank on after sachin decided to call it a day as captain.His heroic deeds in the very first tournament as a captain in the ICC tournament in 2000 surely took every one by storm .That was when the NEW INDIAN CRICKET was born.He was the first captain in my memory to address young blood in the team.If you people are chanting the hymns of yuvraj,zaheer,harbhajan today,then please take note,it was saurav who blooded them in this team.Time and again when these guys were underperforming it was saurav who kept instilling confidence and backed every bit of their move.Now this is what you call it as a true leadership.

Many greats had played this game including the likes of gavaskar,kapil dev and azharuddin,but no one could ever come close to this man's leadership abilities.He owns the credit to most number of overseas victories as a captain,commands a higher win percentage than any other player who had captained INDIA.Lets be pragmatic in this situation and give it to him.Let us all accept that fact that he is the most successful captain.Some of his critics might argue that saurav has been blessed with such a talented team.True.But let me also remind you that it is even more difficult to lead a star studded team.Real Madrid FC is a case in point.Look at Real's performance for the past 3 years.Not even a single championship to boast.

Yes i agree,saurav has been woefully short of runs not just in the recent past but for a good 2 to 3 years.If i am asked to tell one of his best innings in his recent past then my memory goes back all the way back to 2003 during the INDIA DOWNUNDER series in Brisbane.But hang on,the aussie attack on that day were devoid of the "spin doctor" Warne and the "pigeon" Mcgrath.So what,who cares,that innings surely and definitely set the tone for india's greatest ever foriegn tour if i could say so(after all this is a democratic country).As a captain he took the mantle on his own and routed the aussie attack as katrina,wilma,dennis (Ahh...how could i forget BAAZ and MALA that ravaged chennai).

It could be inferred that the whole saurav episode is due to a bitter political clout between two factions and i belive every one would agree to this.Let the new team management under the leadership of rahul and greg take into account some of saurav's heroics and give him a chance.No one could ever agree that saurav has been dealt the right treatment. %$^& leave out "right" atleast a moral treatment.He was never given a proper chance to redeem himself after being stripped of his captaincy.In the one off test that india played against SL he made a decent contribution and was involved in two match winning partnerships only to see that he would be dropped for the next tour.

It seems like both the board and the team management is playing hide and seek with saurav.Lets treat our most successful captain with some amount of dignity and respect and give him a fair trail.

OK wake up.Go back to work.I am done.