A day in the life of LIFE

With the increasing reach of the internet by the day, logs of a lot of people have popped up all over the web, and these web logs are called “blogs”, was the definition I read on Sir Google (yes, I have decided to honor Google with knighthood for its immense contribution to society) about 2 years ago.

Something interesting! I thought to myself, even as I was looking for a hassle free way of maintaining my pieces of writing, experiences etc. And what better than have a group of friends read, review and critique your work, without requiring the all passive e mail exchange.

The past two years have been a great eye opener for me and the blog world never stops to amaze me with the plethora of opportunities that it presents.

Incidentally, I received a group e mail at the work place that normally most colleagues redirect to the “junk” folder even without reading the same. The topic of the post caught my attention – “B.L.O.G” workshop, it read. I’ve always found that the vastness of the internet is infinite (think about it – it’s true) and thought I’d pick up a few tips for myself.

We assembled at quarter to 3 in a seminar hall that resembled that of “Shaakal” in one of the “I-saw-it-when-I-was-a-kid” movies, dimly lit except for the few Charlie’s angels (read the ladies from HR) who lined the periphery.

Then all of a sudden, we had Amit Verma walking in to deliver a talk on the Blogger’s workshop. Nope! I suddenly realized that I had dozed off and hence hallucinated that it was Amit Verma speaking to me. I had a rude shock when I found our very own JM to whom I could put a face after a long time. ( He's not that bad! :))

A jolly good fellow! -is what Bugs Bhargava (the English teacher in Taare Zameen Par) would have commented had he seen JM. The frail JM sporting his employee ID on a steel necklace around his neck (rather than the customary colored tags) made his way to the dais, as we prepared ourselves for DBPP (Death by Powerpoint).

The light hearted dude that he is, JM used Calvin and Hobbes across the entire presentation, thus giving all we intellectually challenged IT junta, a reason to smile. The smart comments from Calvin, who found expression through JM, the inquisitive audience and the dungeoned conference room, presented a perfect setting for discussion over a cup of steaming coffee.

Gyan flowed like alcohol as it did in the campaign phase of the Karnataka elections, and the audience was soon found grappling with terminologies like – twitter, micro blogging, tag, crawler, css , blogspot and the like.

120 minutes of back to back gyan soon gave way to some interesting anecdotes that both the participants and the speaker had to share, and even as the hard talk continued, I had to excuse myself to attend the all important French language class that was to begin in a while.

All in all a great session for those who wanted to get into blogging, and it also presented lots of information even for the veterans at the art.

A detailed slide share of the presentation can be had at JM’s site.

Whatever said and done, the theme that is revolutionizing the world of “web 2.0” is “Yeh hai Blogistan, Meri Jaan”…..

Well, after months of political musical chairs that unfolded both within the Vidhana Soudha and outside of it, the electorate of Karnataka has finally chosen the BJP to lead them for the next 5 years.

The reality show that unfolded on Indian television was sensational. With cartels and counter cartels plotting strategies of their own, they were giving the MTV Roadies a run for their money.

Alliances of convenience ruled the roost and each passing day provided Ekta Kapoor with fresh ideas for her new soap. The feigned estrangement between Deve Gowda and his son was one of the best pieces of eye wash I’ve ever seen. The sting operations by the sensationalizing media only added some tadka to the dal fry.

The scene in the BJP camp was not so colorful when their blissful marriage of 7 days with the JD(S) ended in a bitter divorce, thus inviting Madamme President to rule the IT state.

On the flip side, not having an elected assembly saved the state exchequer the salary and maintenance expenses on the illustrious legislators.

But the sympathy wave and the anti incumbency did help the cause of the BJP in thwarting the others in the elections.

Being three short of absolute majority, and with speculations about JD and Congress tie up, the scene resembled a rain affected IPL match involving the Duckworth Louis rule. The drama was so close that it would have had even Ravi Shastri forecasting a "bowl out" to decide on the final winner.

With good sense taking the better of opportunism, this situation was averted. With the BJP managing to woo 5 (not just the magical number of 3 required) MLAs, the banks in the city had some major deposits to accept and were kept busy.

All’s well, that ends well is what the BJP would be saying to themselves, even as they prepare themselves to lead the state independently.

Current mood in the BJP camp : Yeddi, Steady, Go

Title of the post is courtesy: rediff - another detailed post on the Karnataka politics can be had here

Image below: A Jubiliant CM to be...

It’s been some time since I’ve blogged, and there’s good reason behind that .With my work load reaching an all time high akin to the stock market in recent times,I had little time to focus.

The past two months or so had also been well invested in tackling the next sequel of Mission Impossible, and at the end of it all, the result has been pleasant.

After years of toil and effort that were targeted to achieve a single goal,I finally find myself knocking at the doorstep of my milestone – the Indian Institute of Management.

India, a land of superfluous population has a billion people aspiring for a common pool of resources, that are as few in number as the rain drops in the Sahara Desert. And one of these resources is the coveted IIM that appeals to the aspirations of many,like you and me.

My aunt made a good statement the other day. She said, “People are best at telling others what to do, what they themselves actually are poor at”. It did make me think. The BCCI selectors, the politicians of India, bosses in general - the list is endless.

Off late, even as “kya aap paanchvi paas se tez hai” had me stumped on many questions, I began to wonder if my IQ had indeed been erased like Nirupa Roy’s eyesight in the movie “Amar, Akbar, Anthony”. But some solace arrived with the news that the watchman at the IIM gate finally decided to let me in, having found me waiting for long.

I actually have mixed feelings right now. I am not jumping around like a Kangaroo high on Foster beer, but yes, it feels good, that the tide has finally turned in my favor - better late than never. I also realize that the night outs with friends, the movies at Satyam, Center Stage and Forum that I missed out on, did not go in vain.

One thing I’ve discovered is that the world is not run by the IITians and the IIMites. But yes, it is rare to find an IITian or an IIMite who had not made the world run. And I feel blessed to be bestowed with the opportunity to have been the 750 odd people (50% of the 1500 odd seats across 7 IIMs belonging to the General category) to have made it to the finish line, out of the applicant pool of over 2.5 lakh.

But as they say, even if you end up victorious in a rat race, you still end up being a rat. What I am trying to do is to be a little different among rats akin to “Pinky and the brain” who decide new ways on taking over the world, every night.

This is a new beginning and this is just the beginning. And I am up to the challenge. My confidence is high and my optimism is at its peak. The fragrance of success smells sweet.

But as Asha Bhosle put it very nicely after one of her performances, “Shohorat ki Bulandi bhi Ek pal ka tamasha hai, jis dal par baithe ho, who kabhi bhi toot sakta hai” – The Pinnacle of success is just a passing moment, for, the branch you are sitting on, can break any time.

So, I am pretty much the same guy - who loves humor, who enjoys long rides on his bike and some good music after a long day at work and one who believes that life should never be lived seriously, for it would never be worth living in that case. And I will continue being so.

I will be moving to IIM Shillong, and yes it’s official now. I will get to explore one of the most blessed regions of the Indian Sub continent, the North East. The next two years in the lap of Nature are going to be breathtakingly adventurous. And at the end of the 2 year “Discovery of India” I will also end up with a degree in Management from the IIM, and so, the add-on of the vacation is quite appealing.

I promise to post more on my experiences in the "Scotland of the East", once I get there.

Till then, I find inspiration in the words of Robert Bruce who said "Try, Try till you succeed" and that of Robert Frost who said, “I have miles to go before I sleep”.....