Sunrise in Montreal !!

Some clicks from our Montreal office early in the morning... YENJOY !!!

Mount St Bruno - My First Ski !!!

And the weekend travails continue...

Skiing has never been on my to-do list and hence came across as a really pleasant experience.

Saturday, 12th Dec 09


We tried to reserve our place on friday, but unfortunately there was only french lessons available for saturday. But we decided to give it a try - just in
case we might find somebody who is able to coach us in english.

We start off.. Two changes of metro line, then a bus for forty mins and followed by taxi for about ten mins - We reach Mount St Bruno. The temperature is sub zero. We are informed what we had heard the other day - no coach available in english. So we decided to go around the place and click some snaps. All the while, i have been mentioning "We" - it stands for me and a colleague Prasad.



Now came the decision that taught us something really important.

<-- We decided to walk our back to the bus stop. -->

There are always assumptions behind every decision that you take in life and this one too had some - "We could walk this distance in 15-20 mins if it took
ten mins for the taxi", "It is not as chilly as the thermometer may show", "The frequency of buses would be just like what we have in Montreal" etc.
Unfortunately for us, none of them held true. The weather was more chilly than what was shown, walking in such a weather for an hour (YES, that is not a
typo) is certainly NOT easy, bus frequency may not be as good in remote areas (what a silly assumption we had earlier...).

So, we walked for an hour and waited for 45mins for the bus that would take us back to where we came from - all this in temperatures below freezing
temperature of water.



Finally, the bus arrives - after the long arduous wait - and brings with it enormous amount of relief to our chilled-out souls(YES, the chill had penetrated IN). We could not believe how a bus, that would have been negelected under normal circumstances can bring this much relief.

At that very moment, i remembered something that is taught in all B-Schools - "IT DEPENDS" - Every experience depends on the circumstances and a whole bunch of variables that define the time that we call "present".

Finally, we reach home - tired and exhausted but looking forward to the next day which would give be one of those "firsts" - We always remember the first
experience of all kinds for a long time in our lives and this excitement was in anticipation of the experience that we were to have the next day...


Sunday 13th Dec 09

The D-day arrives and we plan it better this time. Right from clothing to bus timings to taxi timings to lunch. Everything was meticulously listed down and
we left with a feeling that nothing could go wrong.

Things were going exactly as per plan. We took the metro and then the bus and then the taxi and reached just on time at the resort. We were welcomed a 17yr
old Birtish accented kid who was our coach. It was a pleasant surprise as it is first of all difficult find somebody who is fluently speaking in english,
getting a British accented guy was a bonus..


We start our lessons and realy enjoy being on snow. This is something we had only seen in Bollywood movies earlier.



We enjoyed each of those moments we spent skiing (and also those when we fell). Suddenly, we see snow fall and we got to ski in snow fall too.. We could not have asked for more. And just as Paulo Coelho says in 'The Alchemist' - "When you want something, the whole universe conspires to make it happen".



It was a lovey trip and one of those 'firsts' which you would like to keep in your memories for a long long time...

Les Choristes

And here comes one more for dreamers !!!

Lovely movie on how the battle is never lost. ' It is never too late to start...'
Very inspiring movie to push you back to where your passion is...

Fond De L'Etang (Bottom of the well) is a rehab centre for minors and is full of tough kids. Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot) takes the role of a supervisor in this school which has become a nightmare for the kids due to the actions of its principal.
Clement uses Music to bring order into this disorderly school thereby prvoing a point for himself too as a musician. One of his students ends being a lead of a chorus group after going to a music school.

Clement's "Never say Never" attitude stands up all across the movie and is bound to inspire anybody watching this masterpiece...

Great music, inspiring theme and an admirable film !!!!

DREAM ON !!! Chase your passion !!!

Amelie

A French classic for dreamers...

Amelie (Audrey Tautou) lives her own world of dreams right from her childhood.. She grows up and works as a waitress at one of the restaurants. She continues the same way until some events happen that change her life forever. These events change her outlook towards life and she decides to help people around her. Some beautiful twists and turns that follow make the movie really lively..

The movie brings out an important theme of how circumstances & people around you can change your attitude altogether. Gets me back to my previous short article on how circumstances can induce unimaginable power in normal beings...
http://athmagyaan.blogspot.com/2009/02/time-is-ripe-when-you-feel-it-is_27.html

A Must watch for dreamers of all kinds!!!

"Plus tard tu comprendras"

'Plus tard tu comprendras'(French) translates to 'One day you will understand'..

A movie on discrimination on ethnic grounds and substantiates my previous article on racial discrimination - 'Brownie Sizzles ???'
http://athmagyaan.blogspot.com/2009/09/brownie-sizzles.html

A French Movie directed by Amos Gitai. It is an intense film based on the Genocide of jews by Germany during world war II. It is a true story based on autobiography of Jerome Clement.

Rivka (Jeane Moreau)'s jewish parents are forced to abandon all their belongings in Paris to save themselves from getting killed in a concentration camp. They hide somewhere in France for some time but soon their traces are not found anywhere.

Rivka, after having experienced all this, lives a quiet life in Paris. Her son, Victor, tries to investigate the death of his grandparents and tries many times to get details from his mother - Only to be disappointed. Rivka would love talking about everything other than her past. The discussions between Rivka and Victor are really well presented - Victor trying to extract details from his mother and Rivka changing the topic whenever he gets there...

Jeane Moreau has done a splendid job as Rivka with her expressionless reactions and
a real hoarse voice to give the impact of those intense dialgoues..

The only time she speaks about her past is a day before her death when she reveals everything to her grandchildren (Victor's children). It is as if she knew that she would be dying the very next day...

Victor finally suceeds in his attempt at unravelling the past. But, in the process, learns why his mother had been silent all the while.

No frills, intense movie which is more like a documentary rather than a commercial film.

Recommended for intense-movie/Documentary lovers only !!!

My First SkyDive !!!!

And the weekend travails continue... Jumping from 10,500 feet is no joke and i realised just that this weekend.



Thrilling, breathtaking, exhilarating, adrenaline gushing experience.

The day begins with a 100 dollar bill to the taxi to reach the venue - all just because of some careless useless planning by me. Just when i think that this is going to be a bad day, the sun gods appear from nowhere and change the mood altogether. The rains in the past few days could have spoilt everything. So, the platform was being set for a perfect beginning to skydiving.

I reach the venue on time and am told to fill up a form that is only two pages long but is full disclaimers. Felt no point in reading it as i had to sign in any case if i had to take the jump. Now it was clear, whatever happens - plane crash, parachute not opened, heart attack, or any other remotely related medical illness - I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MYSELF!!! That makes it easy... Well, not really.

Now that the form is signed (with initials at every second line), i am introduced my guide Donald who is going to be taking care of my life for the next twenty mins or so. I think i should be able to find his name somewhere in my Kundali (horoscope) as he has every possible chance of changing my future altogether. Well, he is twenty years into the job and the probability of him screwing this up was very remote. That makes me comfortable.

The moment arrives.. I am all dressed up for the occasion and am told to get into the flight that would take us to 10,500 feet and come back with no-one in it (except the pilot of course)




We start the ascend and somewhere around 4000 feet i try to re-confirm my postures with Donald and he ignores it saying that we would have a briefing just before we get out..

We ascend some more - the maple trees look beautiful with colours spilled over them. The view gets hazier and you are hardly able to see anything now. Just as i realise that, Donald tightens my hook with his hook and starts giving me instructions.

Fold your hands across your chest when you leave the plane and open them when i tap twice. Just before we open the parachute, ill tap again and you have to fold your hands again.
And just as i try to visualise the scenarios, he tells me to kneel down at the gate. We are the first to go !!!! No time to fear !! Only later did i realise that this is actually a great strategy to minimise fear - Give very little time to think.

Ten seconds from then, we are at the gate and i am facing down from 10,500 feet. This moment defines the whole experience.. There is no greater moment than this...

You are standing at the gate of an aircraft at 10,500 feet - about to take a free fall that is going to last for a minute. You would be going down at 200KM PH during this time.. That sums up the entire experience.



Just as i look down and try to convince myself that i can do it, Donald tells me to pose for a photo. I feel like telling him, "Boss, this probably is not the best moment to pose for a photograph.." He turns my neck around so that i can give the cameraman (Andrew) a reason for him being there with me all through the jump.

Donald gives a call.. JUMP!!! I get the courage from somewhere and i jump (of course with a push from Donald)... The first 5 seconds make you numb as you are somersaulting at 200KMPH.. Just as you stabilise, you realise that this is going to be an enjoyable ride with the air gushing in at your face real fast at single digit temperatures...







We pose for some photos (the camera man follows you) and now it is time for opening the parachute. Donald signals the cameraman and suddenly you feel a jerk at all the places where the rope was tied on to you.

I insist on taking control of the parachute. Donald agrees as we were still quite long from landing. Controlling the parachute is a great feeling in itself. You feel as if you are flying and you take turns and increase speed etc..

One more minute passes by and Donald realises that he needs to get back controls now if we are to land safely. I agree instantly and Donald makes sure we reach safely...



This experience is something which may not have its impact with words.. You really need to experience it to feel it.. Dont miss it if you do have an opportunity !!!

Complete video at http://www.parachutemontreal.ca/en/Videos/Voir-Mon-Saut.aspx
(Search for 'Athmanathan Ramamirdam')

Mont Tremblant accomplished !!!

My tradition of weekend trips continues !!! It was Mont Tremblant's turn this weekend. Mont Tremblant is a picnic spot/Mini trek about 120 miles from Montreal. This place is especially beautiful during fall due to the colour of Maple trees (yes, it is the same tree's leaves that are present on Canada's flag)

It has this cable car ride that takes you to the top.. the other alternative is to climb the whole thing up.. Being very charged up, we decide to climb.. It has been a long time since i have done some trekking and i could realise that when i ran out of steam half way through !!! (My legs are still aching as i write this piece - it has been three full days since the trek)

Back to maple leaves, they are pretty famous here in this part of the world and people from far off come to this place just to see them.





Nothing else there other than that.. of course, there are some rides which you can enjoy.. But, we were content with the trek and were back just on time for our trip back to Montreal.

No need to mention, we were again travelling by 'Wonder Travels'.. !!!

Let me see what i can plan for the coming weekend !!!

One thousand islands-Toronto-Niagara (Part II)

It was Toronto where we were supposed to stay for the night. It was quite some time since i saw crowded streets and traffic jams and Toronto made me recollect just that. Very metropolitan and loads of people. It was a Saturday and our timing couldn't have been better to see people..
The only place we visited was the CN Tower (http://www.cntower.ca/) - Supposedly the world's tallest tower when it was built. The view from the top is awesome...



Went to our comfortable rooms at Hilton to for the night and were awaiting the next day when we would be at Niagara..
Early in the morning, we start towards Niagara - about an hour from Toronto. And, finally we reached. One more tower at Niagara - this one is called the Skylon tower (on the Canada side) - which gives a breathtaking view of Niagara. I have heard that Niagara looks better from the Canadian side and that was probably true because the view just extraordinary..





Now, it was the turn to take "Maid of the mist" to reach the base of the falls.. We are given a thin raincoat so as to save ourselves from the mist that is created by this gigantic waterfall..

Finally, the last stop of the trip was Marineland - an aquatic museum which has trained whales, dolphins etc. It also has an underwater view which is quite good for a first timer like me..




It was time to head back to Montreal after a hectic but lovely two day trip..

More photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12017496@N04

Mont Tremblant follows in the next blog..

One thousand islands-Toronto-Niagara (Part I)

Just returned from a two day trip to one thousand islands, toronto and Niagara falls... As you might have guessed by now, Niagara was easily the best among the three.

Wonder travels
(http://www.wondertravel.net/) is like the official travel company for our organisation - i have not yet heard of anybody who has travelled by something else.
So, following company tradition, we (me and a colleague) went to 'wonder' (Travels) to show us some wonders in Canada..

One thousand islands is nothing but a bunch of tiny islands put together. Nothing so great about it - You may compare it with any decently sized lake anywhere in the world...
Of course, honeymooners may have a drastically different view on this place.




The only thing good about this part of the trip is that we don't have to deviate much from our path to cover this. It is on the way from Montreal to Toronto and hence is as good as any other brief stopover.


Well, it is well past 1 AM and i need to catch up with some sleep if i have to report at work tomorrow..

TO BE CONTINUED in Part II.

Ana and Otto...

Otto is a dreamer and falls in love with Ana at first sight.. The series of events which follow make you glued to your seat until completion of the movie.

You will meet with surprises at every key moment of the movie and most of them are really pleasant. Otto's father and Ana's mother end up being in a realtionship thereby allowing the kids to spend more time together.

Otto leaves his mother for Ana but later tries to commit suicide after the sudden death of his mother. Otto's guilt gets into you as you watch him suffer in guilt assuming himself responsible for his mother's death.

He recovers after a long time - only to realise that Ana is no longer with him. Becomes a pilot just beacause of the fact that he was named after a pilot (there is a story there too). Some beautiful co-incidences follow towards the end of the movie and make it a worthwhile watch...

Though at times you may feel irritated with repetitive scenes but you would appreciate all of it once you reach the climax. It is as if you join the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - You dont appreciate it until you are finished...

-- A French classic
-- Unimaginable co-incidences
-- A lovely & lively story on childhood love

Dont miss it if you get a chance to watch it !!!
(Of course with Subtitles!!!)

By the way, if you have not realised it as yet - Both names are palindromes and that too is one of the co-incidences.

Directed by: Ernst Gossner
Original Language: French

The Brownie Sizzles ???

If you are expecting an ice cream recipe, you would be terribly disappointed !!
But you would not be very unhappy if you appreciate what is called the "Sizzling Brownie"...

It all starts with an era when there were only two colours - Black and White. Time passed by and some more time passed by. A new colour emerged - Brown. This could not relate to any of the categories and hence created a niche of its own. As a result of this, a new culture came to the surface - 'The Brown Culture'.

Passengers are being screened at the Munich Airport and suddenly one of them is taken to a corner for further questioning. Some more passengers pass by and one more is sidelined. Some more passengers pass by and again somebody is sidelined. There is one common factor among all these sidelined characters - their skin colour- 'Brown'

A "Brownie" goes to an Indian restaurant in one of the coolest(Cool, either ways!!) cities in Canada. There are some empty seats upstairs, so he wants to be seated upstairs. He is politely refused as it is booked for a private party. Having no other option, he sits on the ground floor in one of the seats where he is not so comfortable but somehow adjusts. A "Ice cream" colored guy enters the scene, is granted a seat upstairs. "Brownie" thinks he might be part of the private party. One more goes upstairs.. and some more pass by. There is no private party...

Well, these are some isolated events and may not imply anything serious in a larger context. However, when an individual goes through even one of these, he/she feels terribly upset for being discriminated for no reason. Color does matter in some cases...

We live in a world where each culture has severe dependency on other cultures for its trade,economy and so on.. We talk a lot about globalisation and about a flat world. There are loads and loads of articles on interdependency between economies and globalisation etc - Are they meant only for theory??? We need to answer some questions...

Each one of us, at some or the other time in our lives, is faced with a situation where we have an interface with cultures which are drastically different than ours..

These are actually very enriching experiences which make you learn some really important things in life. Some of these experiences are really pleasant like the one where
- You keep nodding for a "Yes" at the coffee shop and the other guy takes it as "No".. And you keep nodding and the guy in front keeps waiting for you to leave. And both keep wondering what went wrong !!!

And...

There are some unpleasant ones like the ones mentioned above.

All they do to you is expand your level of thinking to an altogether different sphere. A sphere where everything is determined by merit and talent an individual possesses... And then all of a sudden, you feel proud of being part of this mix of cultures.

Even now, as i type this article, and i look at the keyboard, i am using a keyboard with black coloured keys with white imprints. It cannot be complete without either.

Now back to our "Sizzling brownie"...

A sizzling brownie contains 'white' ice cream, 'almost black' chocolate, a hot pan and is called a Brownie.. And it can never sizzle without even one of the components..

Today's world is very much like the sizzling brownie and none of the cultures can exist without the other.

Is the Brownie sizzling????

It is for each one of us to answer !!!

Food for thought:
“No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” - Mahatma Gandhi

NOTE: "Brownie" has been used interchangeably between the 'Brown Culture' and the 'Globalised world' - "Brown culture" cannot exist without its diversity and neither can this 'globalised world' exist without its mix of cultures...

Whale watching in the Arctic...

Been a long time since i wrote.. I am back and hopefully for a continuous stretch of writing..

My first blog since my visit to Montreal..

Lovely, Vibrant City... Montreal !!! There would be detailed listing on the culture of Montreal once i figure out the nitty gritties of this wonderful city.

This one is dedicated to the whales in arctic ocean near the East coast of Canada..

Though I could not get a complete glimpse of the 'Bowhead whale',i could still get a clear view of Belugas (baby whales).. The bowhead whale made its presence felt once when its huge fin splashed on the surface of the Ocean.. We were not allowed to get close it as a team of observers (probably Discovery or Nat Geo) were following it in smaller boats.

The journey begins at a Chinki travel company near Place d' Armes metro station, Montreal. Four hour drive and we reach 'Riviere du loup', the base station for our Voyage into the arctic ocean.




In my usual ignorance, i forget to take warm clothes with me. Of course, i realised it - When we were into 3 degree celsius arctic waters. The only savior was my hand kerchief which found its best use.


We were nearing the spot where whales are usually spotted.. Everybody on their guard.. No sighting as yet. All we got to see was a group of seals.. :-) The whales were still eluding us.




And then suddenly to 2 O' Clock (that is the nomenclature used by our captain - the front end of the boat is twelve O' Clock), we get to see 'Belugas' or Mini whales. Engines are switched off.. The belugas come towards the boat fearlessly and we are told they can be as playful as the dolphins.. Paisa Vasool.. :-)



The photos have not come out as great and hence the need for a better camera next time... Have to do some research..





















Then comes the grand finale.. We were on our way back and then suddenly, the huge Bowhead whale splashed its fin at a distance. Soon, the observing teams begin chasing it and it vanishes into the vast arctic..

In any sighting of this sort, luck plays a very important role.. Might be back again to try my luck for a better view of the larger whale next summer..

Until then, back to business Ooops work !!!

Time is ripe when YOU feel IT IS...

A.

It is one of those rare friday nights when i am watching a movie. I could not resist myself from writing this piece after watching the Tamil Movie 'Naayakan'. For those who are not aware of it, it is a masterpiece by Mani Rathnam (was made way back in 1987 and featured in the list of 'All time Top 100 movies' in Time Magazine. ) and stars Kamal Haasan.

A ten year old boy loses his father to a police encounter in front of his eyes, attempts to kill the policeman and flees to Mumbai. Not knowing where to go, he lands in Dharavi just like the thousands who end up @ Dharavi everyday even today. What follows this is a host of intense events like 'Baba' (almost like a father to Kamal in the film) being killed in the poilice station or the one where he meets a 10 Std girl in a brothel who asks him to leave her early so that she could study. These extreme circumstances redefine 'Velu Nayakan' aka Kamal in the film.

B.
I was returning from one of my regular weekend trips to Pune. It was about 15 mins since I had left Swargate (bus terminal in Pune) and we were going past a road which is one of the most busiest roads in Pune. Calamity strikes in the form of a puncture. With great difficulty, driver gets the bus to left side of the road, which was already shortened due to the ever-continuing, eternal road repairs.

I was just casually observing the conductor when i rediscovered something that has always been there in front of us. There was a problem (that was not my discovery..).

Problem : The only replacement tyre is on top of the bus and has to be taken down without disrupting traffic.

Solution 1: Get it down with the help of a rope or some other instrument.

Solution 2: Just allow it to fall freely under gravitational force (to test Newton's Laws) and then replace the punctured tyre.

Solution 1 was not feasible in the absence of a rope or anything that closely resembles the features of a rope. Realising this, the conductor comes to the center of the road and manouvers the traffic with such ease as if he has been doing that all throughout his life. Would have given a complex to almost every traffic policeman. The tyre is changed and now, it is business as usual..


Now comes the real message -

Be it Velu Nayakan in 'Nayakan' or the conductor of Asiad bus, what brings them on the same platform is the exposure to circumstances which pull out tremendous power from within them. This, in normal course of life, would have been very difficult to happen.

The point that i have been pondering over is "why do we have to wait for these events to change the course of our life???".

Why don't we chase our dreams with the same energy and power that we would have experienced in circumstances like the ones mentioned above or in other numerous other similar events.

Time is ripe when you feel it is...

So, start 'feeling' and just experience the change in perspectives..

The New Age 'Shop Floor'...

One of the most dreaded places on earth is a place called 'Shop Floor'. Mechanical engineers would agree in totality. During my transition from an engineering setup to an IT company and then to telecom has made me think "Are we witnessing the emergence of a new shop floor???"

Well, typically a shop floor would be defined as:

Workers + Machines + Supervisors = Production

Over the years, the young Indian graduating out of any school has seen a drastic change in this equation. It has now become:

(Workers=Machines) + Bosses/Supervisors = Deliverables

At the core level, there has not been any significant change. It is still the same old story. Reach office at nine (Or whatever flexible time you feel like coming). Do the same work you did yesterday (or day before or the day before day before..) and leave office once you are done. There have certainly been some minor changes here and there:

• Shifts have been replaced by 'Flexi timings'.. Though you still work nine hours a day.
• 'Machines' are more jazzed up. They are sleek and dont occupy as much space. No oiling required but frequent restarts required (thanks to 'Windows').. But, there is one thing that has not changed - They are still black and don't listen to what you say...
• The worker is replaced by a smart (i am not sure if that is the right word) B-School grad who earns much better than the worker by doing nothing.
• No more overtime. Thats because you dont even contribute for what you are paid for... is contribution inversely proportional to salary drawn or is it vice versa?? or is it a straight line passing through the origin where contribution is on the X-Axis and compensation is on Y-Axis. (Now, this is called an engineer's language..)

The discussion would go on and on and on... But, the point is :

If you are one of those who look forward to Mondays (Provided that Monday is not a weekly off) then you are certainly NOT working on the 'Shop Floor'.. This is the question each one of us needs to ask ourselves - "Are we working on the 'Shop Floor'???"

Is this new emerging 'Shop floor' going to be as dreaded as the older one?? Only time can answer...

NOTE: There is no intention to spoil the beauty of a manufacturing setup, it is just being used as a metaphor...

No GAME @ FAME !!!!

I am just back from the preview show of 'Chandni Chowk to China' @ Fame, Ghatkopar. Here is what i have gone through in the last three hours or so;

1. Book a ticket for Rs 190 (Was it too costly for this movie???) for the preview show.
2. I take my seat, totally unaware of the emotional turmoil that is to follow.
3. There are these employees (or waiters) of Fame who keep roaming around with sandwiches and pop corns. It gives you a feel of being at Juhu chowpatty or at any of the busiest markets in the city. Not too sure if that is the 'experience' people pay for at Fame (or any other multiplex). All those who have passed out from a B-School would be able to link to the 'Starbucks' case study when you hear this.
4. The movie begins and i enjoy ONLY those RARE moments of Akshay Kumar's charisma and glimpses of Deepika in the movie. Now comes a twist in the story.
5. I go to get a hot coffee for myself. Nobody at the coffee shop. i ask the corn shop employee sitting next about the whereabouts of the coffee fellow. He takes my order and tells me coffee would be delivered at my seat.
6. Coffee arrives. I pay Rs 100 and the waiter tells me he would come back with the change.
7. The wait for the waiter continues till the end of the movie.
8. I go to the coffee shop after the movie. Ask for the balance. I am told i gave him a Rs 50 note. I am not sure if this is an intentional tactic or not.. Whatever it may be, it certainly is not a great thing to do to your customers. It is not about the money but about how an already disastrous experience is being stretched even more.

Is this what we pay for @ Multiplexes?? I dont think so...

The customer is certainly NOT the king always and neither is Akshay Kumar... (Remember Singggh is kinggg!!!)

I am not going to talk anymore about the movie.. Watch it to find out.

From Masakalli to Corporate Strategy

The teaser of Delhi 6 is lovely. Saw it on one of the television channels. Probably rehman is the only music director in India who dares to experiment. This one, i must say, is starkingly different.

The song Masakalli, which features in the teaser, is a treasure to listen. Also, the visualisation of the song by Rakeyyysh Omprakashhh Mehra (Still dont know if i got the name right) is too good. I am not sure how the movie (and other songs) are going to turn out to be. But, this one certainly has struck the chords with the audience.

All these are a result of Bollywood directors/music composers starting to innovate in all aspects of film making.

Well, that reminds me of the article by CK Prahlad in Economic times today. He talks about how innovation would drive growth in emerging economies and that dominant logic (Implicit logic followed by conventional thinkers) is on its way out. He talks about how innovation would flow from emerging economies to developed nations.

There are some more good articles from so called Strategy Gurus. There is a lot of Strategic gyaan (or Gas as you may call) in the edition. Dedicated to those who dwell on strategy..

Have a read...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articlelist/121385957.cms

It happens only with females !!!

Before your mind starts wondering if this one is a blog on human anatomy, let me clear the air. This certainly is not one of those, but you may certainly classify it under human psychology.

One question has haunted me for a long time. And it surfaced again today during one of the discussions with a female colleague at work...
Have you ever wondered why females have so many quarrels/ego clashes while their better halves (Read 'Men') have hardly any.. (Probably, women may not agree to the fact of men being 'Better halves').

Dictionary.com defines EGO as follows:
–noun, plural e⋅gos.

1.	the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.

It also states an example to prove the case under discussion:
"Her ego becomes more unbearable each day. "Looks like the dictionary guys have enough empirical evidence to have 'Her' rather than 'His' in this example.

But then, what differentiates the misunderstandings amongst men and those amongst women are the following facts (I would like to call them facts rather than myths..)

1. Women never forget. Men never remember. That makes the problem much more simpler. Women don't forget even the tiniest of fights and carry them all throughout their lives.
2. Women are insecure; they are always on the lookout for security. Though women may not agree to this fact but i certainly feel that there is always an underlying sense of insecurity in every woman.
3. When a woman passes by, men look at her top to bottom to analyse her whereas females scan through every inch of her.. All this just to find out if the lady in front is better looking than her or has better accessories. Remember "Hiii... Lovely earrings... Where did u get them from" or "hey.. your sandals are a good match to your dress" and others alike...

But when i try to convince myself with a psychological and a scientific explanation to the question, i am not too comfortable with these arguments stated above...

Just as we say, most of the things in life are not Black n white but rather in gray, this one too may be one of them..

To put it in other words -> You can't answer something -> Blame it on gray.

All the views/facts mentioned above are my interpretations based on whatever little interaction i have had with the 'Other' sex. Feel free to comment if you don't agree with any of those so called 'facts'. By the way, you can even comment otherwise.

The Afghan girl

Came across this masterpiece about life in afghanistan. It talks about how afghanistan has faced invasions over the past 25 years which have caused millions to become refugees in their own homeland..

"It is the ongoing tragedy of Afghanistan. Invasion. Resistance. Invasion. Will it ever end? "

The article tries to answer this question...

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text/1

'Babus' Zindabad - A Live Story (Part II)

I am back after being foot-balled from one 'Babu' to another. All these visits seem so normal these days. Probably, i am getting used to all this. But getting used to this is like accepting defeat at the hands of these corrupt 'Babus'.

But then, i start thinking about a solution and i go blank. There must be something that can be done to improve the situation and provide relief to the class of people called 'entrepreneurs'. There is an urgent need for a change in attitude amongst these 'Babus'. A renewed sense of accountability and responsibility is what is required. That doesnt seem to be coming.

Looks like these 'Babus' draw heavy inspiration from the sensational song 'Babuji zara dheere chalo' featuring Yana gupta.

I would love to see that day when a budding entrepreneur doesn't even think of regulatory hassles while thinking of any business plan. I am hopeful it would come. The earlier the better..

BABUJI ZARA JALDI CHALO !!!

'Babus' Zindabad - A live story (Part I)

Before you start thinking whether i am referring to Telegu surname 'Babu' or anything else which sounds similar, let me clear the air..

I am sitting at one of the government offices as i am writing this piece (Luckily had the laptop with me)... One of those endless waits at government offices for getting a licence for a commercial establishment. These long 'lunch breaks' (or chai breaks) and so called 'field visits' make me wonder when is it that we are going to come out of this illusion.

These 'Babus' (As they are fondly called.. Though not often fond of ordinary citizens) live in their own world of isolation. Just like there are exceptions everywhere, here too there are a few (actually quite a few). They are people called 'Agents' who have exclusive access to the lives of these almost alien individuals working for the people.

Looks like the lunch break is over.. Ill complete this one in the Chai break. (I am dead sure i am going to wait till then)

The fort Called 'PEB' (Part II)

So, five of us (Amol, Sachin, Pravin, Milind and Me) start the trek towards PEB.. Pravin, the researcher, had brought some printouts which were the only source of information for us. None of us had been to the place before and that made it all the more interesting.. (He is the one busy looking at printouts even while he was photographed)

With directions from Pravin's printouts we embark on a journey that proved to be one of the best treks we have ever had.. Here is how it looked when we started:






Here are some more of them on the way:



There is an advantage of lagging behind in treks, you get captured in a lot of photographs. Going by this logic, Milind benefitted the most just like in this one:



There are some beautiful rock patches on the way to top. Though they are not all that risky, they are certainly a delight for trekkers. Here is an example: (And milind gets captured again...)



Me and Pravin at one of the climbs..















After about three and a half hours of intense trekking we reach the top just to be surrounded with images like this one:



There is a temple of Lord Shiva and also a math (Read in Hindi/Marathi) of Swami Samarth at the top.


























We then finished our breakfast at what you might term as lightning speed and proceeded towards our final frontier. The fort is in shambles and you have to explore quite a bit to reach the topmost point (though there might be nothing worth seeing available there). Amol at the stairs leading to the final climb.















After roaming around for some time at the top, it was time for the descent. We were certainly exhausted after all the incidents in the past 12 hours or so. But we decided to get back immediately. The rock patches which seemed simple while climbing up were seeming to be really risky ones. But then, that is the fun of trekking.















Helping each other maneuver one of those 'risky' rock patches on the way down:















At last, we are through... and what a trek it was. A wonderful one which was enjoyed by each one of us thoroughly.. Though not advisable for beginners. Not because of the risky nature of the trek, but because of the exertion involved.