An intensely engaging, yet sad, read about a brilliant mind...
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/11/080811fa_fact_grann?currentPage=all
PS - Suggest you read it completely in one go
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Tirupati Tirumala Deivasthanam (TTD)
I had ideas of other posts in mind, but this was one I had to write before anything else!
I was in Tirupati on Tuesday nd planned a trip to Tirumala early next morning with a colleague. Tirumala is what Tirupati is actually famous for.. it has the Lord Venkateshwara temple, which is supposed to be the world's most visited religious site - at an average of 60,000 pilgrims a day! (Tirupati is the city.. Tirumala is a hill a few kms from the city)
I prefer to visit a temple if its nice and quiet and peaceful. So I was a bit skeptical about going to this temple. There was going to be one helluva rush, no matter what time we went.
So we woke up at around 3 am, ready for our 'adventure'! By 3.45, we were off in a tiny Indica up the hill. The ride was interesting. At this time of the day (err night), you really don't expect too many vehicles on any road.. But there were buses upon buses, full of people, screaming up the slope! There was a jeep rammed into the side of the road, an eager driver turning too fast for his own good. It got chillier as we climbed but I was still quite comfortable in my t-shirt and jeans. It must've been like 21-22 degrees C.
4:35 am - We reached the top, had to leave our cellphones and chappals in the car.. and headed straight for the serpentine queue which had already started forming!
The queue moved quite slow. The point where we joined the queue, we really didn't know we were entering a temple. In front of us was a huge building that seemed to be full of halls, and the queue was heading right for it. As we got in, the queue split into two.. one going up a flight of stairs and another going down... Both eventually of course leading to the same destination.
As the queue moved forth, I could get glimpses of the humongous complex inside. It was a large space, prolly the size of two football fields, and on one side was the temple.
The queue then emptied out into a seating hall of sorts and the door at the far end was closed. We waited there for around 30 minutes. Without much notice, the door was pulled open and pilgrims spilled out towards another entry, again falling back into a queue. This queue finally led up to the temple, just before which, it merged with the other queue.
There were just so many people around. But there was very little noise. Occasionally someone would cry out "Govinda", and everyone would follow the 'chant', saying "Govinda' twice or thrice.
As I neared the idol, there was quite a mad rush of pilgrims as the entrance to the temple was a bit wider than the queue. The entrance to the temple is from its left side. One has to go straight towards the centre and then turn left to get a glimpse of the idol. As I moved forward, being shoved from all directions, I thought to myself.. well what's really there to it!?
But as I turned left, I had a clear view of the idol - Lord Venkateshwara.
Now, I don't really know how to explain it, but I was transfixed. There was some energy holding me at that point. My mind was clear, still, motionless, at peace. And as I reached the closest point to the idol and turned left away from it, I felt a sense of deep contentment. I walked out amongst a crowd of smiling, happy, people. Perhaps, I was smiling too...
--
It had been a great experience, and a most unexpected one at that. The cherry on the icing on the cake was the sweet laddu packet at the end, which I had, and shared gleefully with my team the next day!
I was in Tirupati on Tuesday nd planned a trip to Tirumala early next morning with a colleague. Tirumala is what Tirupati is actually famous for.. it has the Lord Venkateshwara temple, which is supposed to be the world's most visited religious site - at an average of 60,000 pilgrims a day! (Tirupati is the city.. Tirumala is a hill a few kms from the city)
I prefer to visit a temple if its nice and quiet and peaceful. So I was a bit skeptical about going to this temple. There was going to be one helluva rush, no matter what time we went.
So we woke up at around 3 am, ready for our 'adventure'! By 3.45, we were off in a tiny Indica up the hill. The ride was interesting. At this time of the day (err night), you really don't expect too many vehicles on any road.. But there were buses upon buses, full of people, screaming up the slope! There was a jeep rammed into the side of the road, an eager driver turning too fast for his own good. It got chillier as we climbed but I was still quite comfortable in my t-shirt and jeans. It must've been like 21-22 degrees C.
4:35 am - We reached the top, had to leave our cellphones and chappals in the car.. and headed straight for the serpentine queue which had already started forming!
The queue moved quite slow. The point where we joined the queue, we really didn't know we were entering a temple. In front of us was a huge building that seemed to be full of halls, and the queue was heading right for it. As we got in, the queue split into two.. one going up a flight of stairs and another going down... Both eventually of course leading to the same destination.
As the queue moved forth, I could get glimpses of the humongous complex inside. It was a large space, prolly the size of two football fields, and on one side was the temple.
The queue then emptied out into a seating hall of sorts and the door at the far end was closed. We waited there for around 30 minutes. Without much notice, the door was pulled open and pilgrims spilled out towards another entry, again falling back into a queue. This queue finally led up to the temple, just before which, it merged with the other queue.
There were just so many people around. But there was very little noise. Occasionally someone would cry out "Govinda", and everyone would follow the 'chant', saying "Govinda' twice or thrice.
As I neared the idol, there was quite a mad rush of pilgrims as the entrance to the temple was a bit wider than the queue. The entrance to the temple is from its left side. One has to go straight towards the centre and then turn left to get a glimpse of the idol. As I moved forward, being shoved from all directions, I thought to myself.. well what's really there to it!?
But as I turned left, I had a clear view of the idol - Lord Venkateshwara.
Now, I don't really know how to explain it, but I was transfixed. There was some energy holding me at that point. My mind was clear, still, motionless, at peace. And as I reached the closest point to the idol and turned left away from it, I felt a sense of deep contentment. I walked out amongst a crowd of smiling, happy, people. Perhaps, I was smiling too...
--
It had been a great experience, and a most unexpected one at that. The cherry on the icing on the cake was the sweet laddu packet at the end, which I had, and shared gleefully with my team the next day!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Wine & dine in Chennai...
Chennai had been quite a gracious host for the two weeks that I spent there. Apart from the fairly good weather though, something that really struck me was the awesome food joints sprinkled all over the city. I've really only now found the time to write a bit about em all, and hopefully my memory's still holding those experiences in near totality.
So here goes...
1. Taj Coromandel
Ambience - Fairly well lit. Well decored interiors. Live Indian music (ie flute, violin n the like) playing. Nice, comfortable seats. High ceilings. In short NIIICE..
Food - Only South Indian (various states), but thoroughly enjoyable. Do try the fried fish starters. The soups can be given a miss though. The prices are ok though.. about 800-1000 per head (without drinks)
Service - A bit on the slower side, but what the heck, its a 5 Star.. enjoy it while it lasts :-P
Company - Generally small corporate groups or families. I spotted Narain Karthikeyan as well. Good place to spend some time with the family or a quiet evening with close friends.
--
2. Bella Ciao
Ambience - Rooftop. Perfect for a breezy evening. Setup with largeish tables with mosaic kinda tiles, sposedly to give an Italian feel. Well, thanks to the Italian waitress, everything even remotely Italian, looks Italian :-P
Food - Excellent. Reminded me of Little Italy (which is there in several cities in India). Authentic Italian. Loved every bittuv it.
Service - Can get really slow when its crowded as only one person takes the orders for about a total of 10-12 tables.
Company - Young crowd mostly. Couples. Groups of friends. And a few foreigners.
--
3. Mainland China
Ambience - Fairly run-of-the-mill. Dullish. They do also keep candles on the table, but that really doesn't lighten up the atmosphere. Some really cliched music playing in the background.
Food - GOOD QUANTITY. :-) Taste's ok to good. But seriously value for money.
Service - Quick n efficient.
Company - Families. Bored couples wanting to get even more bored.
--
4. Sparks (Pub)
Ambience - Low light, with those twinkling stars in the ceiling Good music, DJ et al :-P Perfect to settle down with your drink. PS - The couches are goood.
Food - Complementary popcorns go well with beer. Rest's usual. Some really good mocktails for the teetotallers.
Service - Fairly good. No complaints as such.
Company - For some reason, this place was almost completely empty on a Saturday night, whereas its a pretty darn good pub.
--
5. 601 - The Park
Ambience - Nothing special. Well lit. Gives a feeling of being outside, whereas its really well inside.
Food - The buffet's ok. I'd have it just for the desserts though. :-P A la carte's expensive and not all that good.
Service - Shabby. Waiters seem strangely under-trained.
Company - Mostly foreigners. Oldies. CxO ish people, reading books while they eat!
--
6. Minar (Savera's rooftop)
Ambience - Again, rooftop. But very dark and the chairs are not quite comfortable.
Food - Good north Indian food. Good quantity but a touch expensive for the kind of place.
Service - Ok. Nothing to write home about.
Company - Pretty much all kindsa people.
--
7. Malgudi
Ambience - Similar to the Taj Coromandel, but of course without much the grandeur. A magician walks around showing magic tricks. Interiors seem like a room of a palace that wasn't really done up as much as a room in a palace should be done up.
Food - Pukka South Indian, but again can't resist a comparison with the Taj.. its pretty ordinary.
Service - On the slower side.
Company - Big families. Small families. Not really a place to go n hang out with friends, unless ALL of you are crazy bout South Indian food.
---
And that's 'bout it.. went to a few others like Northern Spicey, Opal Inn & Tangerine.. all of which were ok ok. Tangerine has a live band though that played some good music.
So Chennai sprang quite a surprise on me by treating me to some excellent lunches & dinners. But I must not forget the "Meals" & "Mini-Meals" available in most restaurants round the corner. They are the closest that I can get to home food, and to me, still the best food available anywhere outsida home.. :-)
So here goes...
1. Taj Coromandel
Ambience - Fairly well lit. Well decored interiors. Live Indian music (ie flute, violin n the like) playing. Nice, comfortable seats. High ceilings. In short NIIICE..
Food - Only South Indian (various states), but thoroughly enjoyable. Do try the fried fish starters. The soups can be given a miss though. The prices are ok though.. about 800-1000 per head (without drinks)
Service - A bit on the slower side, but what the heck, its a 5 Star.. enjoy it while it lasts :-P
Company - Generally small corporate groups or families. I spotted Narain Karthikeyan as well. Good place to spend some time with the family or a quiet evening with close friends.
--
2. Bella Ciao
Ambience - Rooftop. Perfect for a breezy evening. Setup with largeish tables with mosaic kinda tiles, sposedly to give an Italian feel. Well, thanks to the Italian waitress, everything even remotely Italian, looks Italian :-P
Food - Excellent. Reminded me of Little Italy (which is there in several cities in India). Authentic Italian. Loved every bittuv it.
Service - Can get really slow when its crowded as only one person takes the orders for about a total of 10-12 tables.
Company - Young crowd mostly. Couples. Groups of friends. And a few foreigners.
--
3. Mainland China
Ambience - Fairly run-of-the-mill. Dullish. They do also keep candles on the table, but that really doesn't lighten up the atmosphere. Some really cliched music playing in the background.
Food - GOOD QUANTITY. :-) Taste's ok to good. But seriously value for money.
Service - Quick n efficient.
Company - Families. Bored couples wanting to get even more bored.
--
4. Sparks (Pub)
Ambience - Low light, with those twinkling stars in the ceiling Good music, DJ et al :-P Perfect to settle down with your drink. PS - The couches are goood.
Food - Complementary popcorns go well with beer. Rest's usual. Some really good mocktails for the teetotallers.
Service - Fairly good. No complaints as such.
Company - For some reason, this place was almost completely empty on a Saturday night, whereas its a pretty darn good pub.
--
5. 601 - The Park
Ambience - Nothing special. Well lit. Gives a feeling of being outside, whereas its really well inside.
Food - The buffet's ok. I'd have it just for the desserts though. :-P A la carte's expensive and not all that good.
Service - Shabby. Waiters seem strangely under-trained.
Company - Mostly foreigners. Oldies. CxO ish people, reading books while they eat!
--
6. Minar (Savera's rooftop)
Ambience - Again, rooftop. But very dark and the chairs are not quite comfortable.
Food - Good north Indian food. Good quantity but a touch expensive for the kind of place.
Service - Ok. Nothing to write home about.
Company - Pretty much all kindsa people.
--
7. Malgudi
Ambience - Similar to the Taj Coromandel, but of course without much the grandeur. A magician walks around showing magic tricks. Interiors seem like a room of a palace that wasn't really done up as much as a room in a palace should be done up.
Food - Pukka South Indian, but again can't resist a comparison with the Taj.. its pretty ordinary.
Service - On the slower side.
Company - Big families. Small families. Not really a place to go n hang out with friends, unless ALL of you are crazy bout South Indian food.
---
And that's 'bout it.. went to a few others like Northern Spicey, Opal Inn & Tangerine.. all of which were ok ok. Tangerine has a live band though that played some good music.
So Chennai sprang quite a surprise on me by treating me to some excellent lunches & dinners. But I must not forget the "Meals" & "Mini-Meals" available in most restaurants round the corner. They are the closest that I can get to home food, and to me, still the best food available anywhere outsida home.. :-)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The case of the unread case
And he fell to the ground with a big thud!
Whoa! What a crazy dream it had been... enough to throw him off the bed by the end of it. As he woke up, groggy, dis-oriented, he wondered whether he was back to reality or if he was still dreaming. His room seemed alright, everything was just as he'd left it last night, and, as usual, he was just in time for class. 3 minutes to go..RUSHHH!! ... Yep, definitely he was back to reality.
He dashed to the bathroom, a frantic brush, splasha water on the face, back to the room, change clothes, spray some..phishh phishh.. 2 minutes... RUN!
Run...
Breeze up the stairs...
Run...
In class.. finally.. the prof's just walkin in.. Just in time.. As always :) And the last row, last bench seat was empty, as always, waiting for its rightful owner to arrive. Ahhh...
He could feel the blood pumping in his legs, each artery and vein and capillary, throbbing. The sound of his heart in his head was louder than the prof's good-mornings and usual jokes. Phoooooo... A few deep breaths... Yes.. that's better.. now he could hear the spectacled guy talk.. not that he wanted to.. but he could hear him nevertheless.
As the rant continued, he found himself looking at the other students in class. Some were excitable, raising their hands to give answers, some lost in conversation with their neighbours, some quietly and diligently taking notes, and still some others completely out of the equation - sleeping, soundly.
Suddenly, there was a power outage. The ACs hissed to a quick death (albeit short-lived). The projector rumbled on. The room was left lit just with the light from the prof's presentation on screen. It was a plain slide with four bullet points. But before he could really read what was written in them, the prof switched the slide and a new slide came up "Thank you...?".
The class had ended so soon? Not possible. He listened a little intently to the prof now... "and that's the question we need to answer. Would you like to start Venkat..?" The prof was looking right at him. Yep, he'd just asked him a question!
Venkat fumbled. "Ahem.. Sir, if we look at the facts of the case".. in saying so, he snatched the caselet from his diligent neighbour's grasp, "when we see the .." and read out the heading ".. the.. Growth of Thames Corporation..." .. and just as he said that, the power came back on, blaring lights, loud ACs whirring back to life. The class erupted into a murmur as relative darkness gave way to light. It was the ideal opportunity Venkat needed to go through some more of the case...
"The growth of Thames Corp was essentially inorganic in nature... which helped it sustain a healthy growth rate in a competitive market"
Silence.
Venkat looked around. Had he said something wrong?? The prof was looking right into his eyes, breathing fire, it seemed. Venkat looked to his row-mates for some prompting, some help, anything. He just felt like kicking himself for not having read the case the previous day, and an extra kick for not listening to the prof in class. Damn!
The prof started walking towards the last row. Towards Venkat's seat. Venkat was frantically flipping through the pages of the case, trying to make some sense out of the chaos. The prof neared. Venkat stopped his search, tried to look calm and composed, and smiled at the prof as he came. He reached his desk, removed his spectacles, and without folding them, kept it on the caselet, which was now lying between Venkat and his neighbour.
The prof smiled. Venkat smiled back, with all the courage he could muster. Mr. Prof then checked his watch, and then looked back at Venkat. This was getting decidedly uncomfortable.
And then, out of nowhere, the prof raised both his hands, straight above his head, and gave out the nastiest laugh that Venkat would ever hear. In a flash, his arms came down and pushed Venkat back, off his chair, and onto the ground.
Thud!
Ouch, that sure hurt... Venkat checked his watch. A whole 23 minutes to class. Perfect... He could, for once, read the case and then go...
Whoa! What a crazy dream it had been... enough to throw him off the bed by the end of it. As he woke up, groggy, dis-oriented, he wondered whether he was back to reality or if he was still dreaming. His room seemed alright, everything was just as he'd left it last night, and, as usual, he was just in time for class. 3 minutes to go..RUSHHH!! ... Yep, definitely he was back to reality.
He dashed to the bathroom, a frantic brush, splasha water on the face, back to the room, change clothes, spray some..phishh phishh.. 2 minutes... RUN!
Run...
Breeze up the stairs...
Run...
In class.. finally.. the prof's just walkin in.. Just in time.. As always :) And the last row, last bench seat was empty, as always, waiting for its rightful owner to arrive. Ahhh...
He could feel the blood pumping in his legs, each artery and vein and capillary, throbbing. The sound of his heart in his head was louder than the prof's good-mornings and usual jokes. Phoooooo... A few deep breaths... Yes.. that's better.. now he could hear the spectacled guy talk.. not that he wanted to.. but he could hear him nevertheless.
As the rant continued, he found himself looking at the other students in class. Some were excitable, raising their hands to give answers, some lost in conversation with their neighbours, some quietly and diligently taking notes, and still some others completely out of the equation - sleeping, soundly.
Suddenly, there was a power outage. The ACs hissed to a quick death (albeit short-lived). The projector rumbled on. The room was left lit just with the light from the prof's presentation on screen. It was a plain slide with four bullet points. But before he could really read what was written in them, the prof switched the slide and a new slide came up "Thank you...?".
The class had ended so soon? Not possible. He listened a little intently to the prof now... "and that's the question we need to answer. Would you like to start Venkat..?" The prof was looking right at him. Yep, he'd just asked him a question!
Venkat fumbled. "Ahem.. Sir, if we look at the facts of the case".. in saying so, he snatched the caselet from his diligent neighbour's grasp, "when we see the .." and read out the heading ".. the.. Growth of Thames Corporation..." .. and just as he said that, the power came back on, blaring lights, loud ACs whirring back to life. The class erupted into a murmur as relative darkness gave way to light. It was the ideal opportunity Venkat needed to go through some more of the case...
"The growth of Thames Corp was essentially inorganic in nature... which helped it sustain a healthy growth rate in a competitive market"
Silence.
Venkat looked around. Had he said something wrong?? The prof was looking right into his eyes, breathing fire, it seemed. Venkat looked to his row-mates for some prompting, some help, anything. He just felt like kicking himself for not having read the case the previous day, and an extra kick for not listening to the prof in class. Damn!
The prof started walking towards the last row. Towards Venkat's seat. Venkat was frantically flipping through the pages of the case, trying to make some sense out of the chaos. The prof neared. Venkat stopped his search, tried to look calm and composed, and smiled at the prof as he came. He reached his desk, removed his spectacles, and without folding them, kept it on the caselet, which was now lying between Venkat and his neighbour.
The prof smiled. Venkat smiled back, with all the courage he could muster. Mr. Prof then checked his watch, and then looked back at Venkat. This was getting decidedly uncomfortable.
And then, out of nowhere, the prof raised both his hands, straight above his head, and gave out the nastiest laugh that Venkat would ever hear. In a flash, his arms came down and pushed Venkat back, off his chair, and onto the ground.
Thud!
Ouch, that sure hurt... Venkat checked his watch. A whole 23 minutes to class. Perfect... He could, for once, read the case and then go...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Aamby, Chennai & parties
Life in the last 1 1/2 months has just flown by with P&G. Flying around from city to city, attending trainings, presentations, cocktails, dinners, parties interspersed with some skin-tanning, back-breaking market work!
The mother of all parties though was at Aamby valley last week (Thu & Fri). Now this place, between Bombay & Pune is just unbelievable in the monsoons. You might remember going to some places and seeing clouds floating around what would seem like just a few meters above you... and then there are times, in the plane for example, where you get to see clouds below you.. but then you'd wonder, hey where do I actually get to be 'amongst' these clouds... For the first time in my life, I can say, I was quite literally among them at Aamby Valley. The clouds were there, just there floating around, and you could go touch!
The two days spent there were terrific. Sporting activities like a military training ground, shooting range, remote controlled race-car driving.. I loved it all... And then the party at night... where we danced, and we danced and we danced. It reminded me of the parties we used to have in college. I'd thought I'd never get such parties again. But Aamby... was good.
From the chilly hill-tops of Aamby, I've now moved to the (currently) breezy and hot coast of Chennai. This city, as well known for its lack of hot women (or any women for that matter) as for its delectable lunch meals, has been quite a good host to me so far. The weather's been ok, not too hot, nice breeze blowing throughout the day, much like Bombay, though I'd love to have a shower here and there once in a while. The hotel (hotel Savera) is decent. The people in office are cool and fun to be with. All in all, looks well set up for the next two weeks.
xx
The mother of all parties though was at Aamby valley last week (Thu & Fri). Now this place, between Bombay & Pune is just unbelievable in the monsoons. You might remember going to some places and seeing clouds floating around what would seem like just a few meters above you... and then there are times, in the plane for example, where you get to see clouds below you.. but then you'd wonder, hey where do I actually get to be 'amongst' these clouds... For the first time in my life, I can say, I was quite literally among them at Aamby Valley. The clouds were there, just there floating around, and you could go touch!
The two days spent there were terrific. Sporting activities like a military training ground, shooting range, remote controlled race-car driving.. I loved it all... And then the party at night... where we danced, and we danced and we danced. It reminded me of the parties we used to have in college. I'd thought I'd never get such parties again. But Aamby... was good.
From the chilly hill-tops of Aamby, I've now moved to the (currently) breezy and hot coast of Chennai. This city, as well known for its lack of hot women (or any women for that matter) as for its delectable lunch meals, has been quite a good host to me so far. The weather's been ok, not too hot, nice breeze blowing throughout the day, much like Bombay, though I'd love to have a shower here and there once in a while. The hotel (hotel Savera) is decent. The people in office are cool and fun to be with. All in all, looks well set up for the next two weeks.
xx
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Internet & Myshkin
This is too cool.. I'm on a bus to Thane from Andheri (number 425 :P) and I'm blogging on my Dell Latitude D430 with a Tata Indicom Data card.. although the connection is patchy, this is like a dream.. All those hours wasted travelling can now actually be put to good use!
Also as we say often in speeches :P "I would like to take this opportunity to WISH MY DEAR FRIEND MYSHKIN A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE WITH SHIVA". All the best to you two, you make a fabulous couple!
Oh n btw.. am on my way to Myshkin's place for the (wedding) dinner! :)
xx
Also as we say often in speeches :P "I would like to take this opportunity to WISH MY DEAR FRIEND MYSHKIN A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE WITH SHIVA". All the best to you two, you make a fabulous couple!
Oh n btw.. am on my way to Myshkin's place for the (wedding) dinner! :)
xx
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Hide-a-da-baad
After an amazing 3 weeks in Kolkata, the action's shifted to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad!! This place is huuge.. spread over 1800 acres (and growing..!) it has film sets of airports, railway stations, hospitals, London, waterfalls, innumerable gardens, etc. etc. We're here for a national level meet, and the good weather seems to be following me around.
The hotel (Hotel Sitara) is fairly comfy but overtly decorated - so much so, I'd risk calling it gaudy. But one gets used to it in a while. I really loved the sports facilities, played some squash and basketball.. and if I'd have had some time, would've tried out tennis as well :-P
Ramoji also has a small entertainment/theme park kinda thing inside which was good time-pass on the first day when we had some time in the afternoon.
xx- Friday, 4th July - on way to airport
I rued the fact that I didn't get to visit Hyderabad city again. Wanted to catch up with many friends, but our schedule was quite tightly packed, plus Hyd is like 2 hrs from the place, so no chance. Nevertheless, the holy city of Tirupati has called me for my final posting and frequent trips to Hyd will be on the anvil for sure.
xx - Sat early morn, 5th July
The hotel (Hotel Sitara) is fairly comfy but overtly decorated - so much so, I'd risk calling it gaudy. But one gets used to it in a while. I really loved the sports facilities, played some squash and basketball.. and if I'd have had some time, would've tried out tennis as well :-P
Ramoji also has a small entertainment/theme park kinda thing inside which was good time-pass on the first day when we had some time in the afternoon.
xx- Friday, 4th July - on way to airport
I rued the fact that I didn't get to visit Hyderabad city again. Wanted to catch up with many friends, but our schedule was quite tightly packed, plus Hyd is like 2 hrs from the place, so no chance. Nevertheless, the holy city of Tirupati has called me for my final posting and frequent trips to Hyd will be on the anvil for sure.
xx - Sat early morn, 5th July
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Goodbye (?) Kolkata!
All good things must come to an end, they say... and so must this trip to Cal. But in many ways, this is not the end, it is a beginning, of exploration, of new places, of new people and experiences. Kolkata has been a kind host in my stay for the past 3 weeks with beautiful weather, no traffic jams (on my route at least :) ) and not the least of all, a wonderful bunch of people whom I worked with.
The last week has been hectic with last minute preparations for my test (on Thursday). On Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, I had 'revisions' in different kinds of markets to get ready for the test, which could be in any market, on Thursday. As it happened, the test went off well and I even got a day off on Friday as 2 days were reserved for the test :) That, of course, allowed me to peacefully witness Spain's 3-0 thrashing of Russia, without the thought of waking up early next morning.
On Sunday last, I had a chance to visit the Victoria Memorial (again), but this time with a colleague. By the time we reached, the museum (which I had already seen last week with Mooky baby et al) was closed. So we had to contend with walking around the gardens. But I must admit, they are absolutely splendid and I had conveniently missed them in the previous visit.
Then I refreshed my school physics-chemistry, and rediscovered my love for dinosaurs by visiting the Science City. All the little experiments and projects that we'd made in school were all on display, and I was an inquisitive child all over again.
There's much more I wanted to see in this city, with Dakshineshwar topping the list.. Maybe sometime soon...
xx - Saturday morning 8am
As I sit now to complete this post at 2am on Sunday morning, I feel a twinge of sadness and happiness at the same time... Cal's been fun.. Au revoir!
The last week has been hectic with last minute preparations for my test (on Thursday). On Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, I had 'revisions' in different kinds of markets to get ready for the test, which could be in any market, on Thursday. As it happened, the test went off well and I even got a day off on Friday as 2 days were reserved for the test :) That, of course, allowed me to peacefully witness Spain's 3-0 thrashing of Russia, without the thought of waking up early next morning.
On Sunday last, I had a chance to visit the Victoria Memorial (again), but this time with a colleague. By the time we reached, the museum (which I had already seen last week with Mooky baby et al) was closed. So we had to contend with walking around the gardens. But I must admit, they are absolutely splendid and I had conveniently missed them in the previous visit.
Then I refreshed my school physics-chemistry, and rediscovered my love for dinosaurs by visiting the Science City. All the little experiments and projects that we'd made in school were all on display, and I was an inquisitive child all over again.
There's much more I wanted to see in this city, with Dakshineshwar topping the list.. Maybe sometime soon...
xx - Saturday morning 8am
As I sit now to complete this post at 2am on Sunday morning, I feel a twinge of sadness and happiness at the same time... Cal's been fun.. Au revoir!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Ooh la la!
After all the rain in the past few days, Kolkata is treating us to some cool, calm and pleasant weather the last couple of days... With a gentle breeze blowing through the day, no rain, and spurts of sunshine, its a fairly dreamy place to be right now. If it weren't for the crowded and (still!) waterlogged streets, it would indeed be a dream come true!
After the great Belur Math & boat experience the previous day, my colleague and I detoured to the Botanical Gardens, a few mins from Howrah, right after our market visit (and before returning to office). I remember having visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens and this place is just as good, if not better. And it is huge. It took us a good 40 minutes to walk right across. Vehicles are not allowed inside, so it actually feels like you're in a jungle with all the foliage and birds.
The highlight of the 'garden' though, is undoubtedly, the Great Banyan Tree. All the ideas I had in my head about how a banyan tree looks came to nothing when I saw this one... Its just unbelievable! From far off, it looks like you're entering a small forest full of trees, but as you start walking inside this 'forest' you realize its all part of one humongous tree!!
All in all, a beautiful place, a welcome relief especially from the super-crowded markets that we visit all day!! If you happen to come down to Calcutta some time, do make it a point to visit this garden, you'll not be disappointed, especially if you're with your gf / bf / spouse! A small problem though is the lack of a good eating place inside, so I suggest you carry some fruits and water.
xx
After the great Belur Math & boat experience the previous day, my colleague and I detoured to the Botanical Gardens, a few mins from Howrah, right after our market visit (and before returning to office). I remember having visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens and this place is just as good, if not better. And it is huge. It took us a good 40 minutes to walk right across. Vehicles are not allowed inside, so it actually feels like you're in a jungle with all the foliage and birds.
The highlight of the 'garden' though, is undoubtedly, the Great Banyan Tree. All the ideas I had in my head about how a banyan tree looks came to nothing when I saw this one... Its just unbelievable! From far off, it looks like you're entering a small forest full of trees, but as you start walking inside this 'forest' you realize its all part of one humongous tree!!
All in all, a beautiful place, a welcome relief especially from the super-crowded markets that we visit all day!! If you happen to come down to Calcutta some time, do make it a point to visit this garden, you'll not be disappointed, especially if you're with your gf / bf / spouse! A small problem though is the lack of a good eating place inside, so I suggest you carry some fruits and water.
xx
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Rain, gain, pain!!
They finally arrived. The famed Kolkata rains & floods! As my colleague & I made our way to office in our relatively high yellow cabs, we saw people seemingly going about their usual business in knee deep water! It was almost as if the water wasn't really there at all. Our salespersons went about on their rounds selling diapers and shampoo! It was just krazy, krazy Kolkata!
By the time we hit the market, the rains had ceded and we expertly chose to do our rounds in the non-flooded routes :-P
But the real fun part of the day was the evening when we visited the magnificent Belur Math. With calm and serene surroundings, the fabulously crafted & maintained buildings and perfect weather with a slight misty breeze, it made for a highly satisfying visit. We followed that up with a boat ride across the Hoogli and back to the hotel. Turns out we saved a 100 bucks on our taxi fare also in the process! We wanted to go to Dakshineswar as well, but it was too late in the evening, and we couldn't get a boat to go there. My friend tells me its a place where one gets truly lost... and finds himself all over again! Hmm.. Over the weekend perhaps..
Talking about getting lost, I lost my lovely little phone on Sunday evening (on a trip to the Victoria Memorial - more on that in another post perhaps). Slipped outta my pocket in the cab. I walked out, paid the driver, and walked about 15 steps when I realized it. I ran back to the road only to be confronted by a sea of cabs. I immediately called my number from another cell and the damn thing rang.. only to go off after a few rings! Aarghh... I didn't have any hope of getting it back, but my roomie tells me that the police gave a friend got his phone back after 7 MONTHS..! So...
Anywayz, luckily, I had bot along another handset & connection from home so I had a ready backup. Now starts the arduous task of rebuilding my address book! Funnily enough, as I woke up on Sunday morning, I had had this strong feeling that I should backup my database.. lest I lose my phone.. I ignored it outta laziness.. et voila.. by evening I had lost the phone and with it all my contacts. Baah..! So that's 2 phones lost on 2 Sundays for the Cal P&G folk..! Wonder whose turn it'll be next Sunday :)
We have 10 or so more days left in Kolkata and I must say I've enjoyed every moment so far (except prolly the moment when I lost the phone :-P ).. Here's to Kolkata!! May we have more rain and more fun in the markets!! :-D
xx
By the time we hit the market, the rains had ceded and we expertly chose to do our rounds in the non-flooded routes :-P
But the real fun part of the day was the evening when we visited the magnificent Belur Math. With calm and serene surroundings, the fabulously crafted & maintained buildings and perfect weather with a slight misty breeze, it made for a highly satisfying visit. We followed that up with a boat ride across the Hoogli and back to the hotel. Turns out we saved a 100 bucks on our taxi fare also in the process! We wanted to go to Dakshineswar as well, but it was too late in the evening, and we couldn't get a boat to go there. My friend tells me its a place where one gets truly lost... and finds himself all over again! Hmm.. Over the weekend perhaps..
Talking about getting lost, I lost my lovely little phone on Sunday evening (on a trip to the Victoria Memorial - more on that in another post perhaps). Slipped outta my pocket in the cab. I walked out, paid the driver, and walked about 15 steps when I realized it. I ran back to the road only to be confronted by a sea of cabs. I immediately called my number from another cell and the damn thing rang.. only to go off after a few rings! Aarghh... I didn't have any hope of getting it back, but my roomie tells me that the police gave a friend got his phone back after 7 MONTHS..! So...
Anywayz, luckily, I had bot along another handset & connection from home so I had a ready backup. Now starts the arduous task of rebuilding my address book! Funnily enough, as I woke up on Sunday morning, I had had this strong feeling that I should backup my database.. lest I lose my phone.. I ignored it outta laziness.. et voila.. by evening I had lost the phone and with it all my contacts. Baah..! So that's 2 phones lost on 2 Sundays for the Cal P&G folk..! Wonder whose turn it'll be next Sunday :)
We have 10 or so more days left in Kolkata and I must say I've enjoyed every moment so far (except prolly the moment when I lost the phone :-P ).. Here's to Kolkata!! May we have more rain and more fun in the markets!! :-D
xx
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Weekend!! Nightlife, sport et al
After a week's frantic activity, it was finally time to unwind & relax in the weekend. Saturday morning's breakfast at the Hyatt was a fuller one than usual :-)
My menu - Poha, upma, idli, sambhar, grilled tomatoes, fruits - watermelon, papaya, chickoo, smoked salmon(!!), walnuts, kismis, almonds, dates, sauteed mushrooms, aloo mutter... mmm.. :-)
A late-lunch at a nearby McDonald's was the logical choice after such a heavy meal.
I've heard a lot about Kolkata's night-life, and Park Street was the place to be. Luckily I bumped into Mookah, Shreyasss & Andy and we quite literally went pub-hopping. Bar-B-Q, Some Place Else & Dublin, all were explored within the space of a few hours.
It felt great - havin a beer, watchin the game :-) and sayin wassssaap to people streaming in :-P The Villa goal was exhilirating, and it just seems that much more special after a coupla beers :)
By campus standards though, the night was a short one as I was back in my room by 1.30am. And, as luck would have it, I have already woken up at 6.30!
Tiger Woods has always been great to watch and I credit my interest in Golf solely to him. And its been just awesome to see him power a birdie & an eagle at the last two holes to lift the US Open this morning. For sure, it'll make headlines in tomorrow's papers as he fought an extremely painful knee and a determined Westwood to clinch the title.
Hats off Tiger!!
My menu - Poha, upma, idli, sambhar, grilled tomatoes, fruits - watermelon, papaya, chickoo, smoked salmon(!!), walnuts, kismis, almonds, dates, sauteed mushrooms, aloo mutter... mmm.. :-)
A late-lunch at a nearby McDonald's was the logical choice after such a heavy meal.
I've heard a lot about Kolkata's night-life, and Park Street was the place to be. Luckily I bumped into Mookah, Shreyasss & Andy and we quite literally went pub-hopping. Bar-B-Q, Some Place Else & Dublin, all were explored within the space of a few hours.
It felt great - havin a beer, watchin the game :-) and sayin wassssaap to people streaming in :-P The Villa goal was exhilirating, and it just seems that much more special after a coupla beers :)
By campus standards though, the night was a short one as I was back in my room by 1.30am. And, as luck would have it, I have already woken up at 6.30!
Tiger Woods has always been great to watch and I credit my interest in Golf solely to him. And its been just awesome to see him power a birdie & an eagle at the last two holes to lift the US Open this morning. For sure, it'll make headlines in tomorrow's papers as he fought an extremely painful knee and a determined Westwood to clinch the title.
Hats off Tiger!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Market!
My first visit to the market along with a salesperson was fun! It was an overcast day, humid, but not all that hot. One thing I've noticed the last couple of days is the amazing amount of the use of the colour yellow in Kolkata... Its everywhere, cabs, buses, shutters of stores, walls, names of stores, everything! As we boarded the yellow cab in the morning, I wondered how it'd be to go around the market trying to sell stuff for a change. The sales guy knew his work well and was well prepared for every retailer that we visited. Hats off to P&Gs simple yet elaborate systems.
Howrah!
It was great travelling in the little cycle-rickshaws from one market to the next. The rain, meanwhile, kept coming and going but it wasn't much of a bother. Kolkata's timing's are weird. Most stores open at 8 am! And shut shop at 12.30-1 pm.. only to reopen at 4-5 pm. This makes life a little difficult for the sales people as they're left selling pretty much all day as there are still some stores which remain open in the afternoons.
After a longish evening at the office spending time with the various teams, I headed back to an okay dinner at the Hyatt. Tomorrow morning will be an early one again, so time to catch up on that one thing that I've been waiting for ever since I woke up this morning, SLEEP :-)
Oh n btw.. awesome Netherlands & Spain!! They were my favs for the competition n I'm glad they've started off well!!
Howrah!
It was great travelling in the little cycle-rickshaws from one market to the next. The rain, meanwhile, kept coming and going but it wasn't much of a bother. Kolkata's timing's are weird. Most stores open at 8 am! And shut shop at 12.30-1 pm.. only to reopen at 4-5 pm. This makes life a little difficult for the sales people as they're left selling pretty much all day as there are still some stores which remain open in the afternoons.
After a longish evening at the office spending time with the various teams, I headed back to an okay dinner at the Hyatt. Tomorrow morning will be an early one again, so time to catch up on that one thing that I've been waiting for ever since I woke up this morning, SLEEP :-)
Oh n btw.. awesome Netherlands & Spain!! They were my favs for the competition n I'm glad they've started off well!!
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