Saturday, February 26, 2005

The Chemistry That Was!

If you are reading this chemistry series for the first time and even otherwise, since it was quite sometime since the last post, do read the previous posts “Chemistry!”, “The Chemistry”, and “The Chemistry That _________!” in that order. :)

Bhaskar
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The Chemistry That Was!

Somehow the entire weekend was going too slow for me.. even though I spent the most of my time with my dear friends in Chennai, still I was very restless. I was cursing myself for not taking her mobile number or atleast some contact number in Chennai. ‘But then, she would have given me if there was one, wouldn’t she?’ ‘I didn’t see any mobile with her’ ‘How can she give her contact number in Chennai to someone who she has just met on the train and even if he is from the same office?’ That’s how my mind was trying to console me…

Finally the appointed time arrived and I had actually reached the Chennai central railway station much earlier.. more than an hour earlier (which was very much against my values and principles of JIT (Just-In-Time), but then there were always exceptions to the rule!) I even bought two tickets on Tatkal (for the funda behind this, pls refer the previous episode ;) and had stocked myself with a 500ml bottle of Sprite and 2 bars of Nut ‘n Treat (her fav as I had found out during the small(!) talk on the fateful Friday).

So, there I am... beside the electronic weighing machine (there was only one those days) close to the main entrance of the railway station. Five mins.. ten mins.. time seemed to be ticking off like on a time bomb, but she was nowhere to be seen. Was she another late lathief*? Well, I was already standing on my toes… it was just another ten mins before the train would depart. And I was getting torn apart… it was like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.. well, not exactly.. but then I didn’t have the time to think of a better one. I had to decide and decide fast.. what if she didn’t turn up.. what if she turned up at the last minute.. what if she turned up JIT and miss me since I would have already moved to the train and she wouldn’t know where to find me.. the money I had spent and which would go waste was the least on my mind that time.

Slowly I was moving towards my train and by the time I reached my berth I was comfortably numb. The disappointment was just too much to take. At the same time, I was worried and concerned about her. ‘what happened to her?’ ‘did she meet with an accident or what?’ those were the little voices at the back of my head…

I lost track of time as I was moving in and out of my sleep. And in that state of semi-consciousness I went about the routine of alighting at the Bangalore City, catching the pre-paid auto, reaching home, sleeping for a couple of hours more, finally getting up and reaching office on the bright Monday morning. And of course, the first thing I did on reaching office was to find out if Deepa was in. I went up to the receptionist and asked for her with the tech support team. And the answer I got had me seeing-stars-in-stark-daylight. There was no person by that name in the team!!

My first perceptible thought was that it should be some mistake but then she confirmed with one of the team members. There was no Deepa in the team and there was only one Deepa in the whole office.. Deepa Nagesh, married, project manager, semiconductors group. Definitely not her….

What kind of a cruel prank could this be?? How can she lie to me and that too get away with that???? I’ve heard of glib liars but that was the first time I met someone in reality... my gawd.. did I have to meet someone like that at all? how did she know certain details about me and my office? Was she actually from my office but with a different real name? My mind was whacking me with questions…

By the end of the day, I had resigned myself to the fate. Still unable to accept the disappointment I put on my crib-shoes and turned to my faithful companion.. the yahoo messenger…randomly cribbing with whoever I could find online.. one of them was my long-time online friend, someone whose pen name was Saki and who had refused to give her real identity. After a couple of mins into the chat, she messaged back to say “Bhaskar, I have a confession to make”, “no, actually many confessions”. I visualized some bulb switching on and glowing somewhere.. “Saki, pls give me some good news” “Ok.. let me put it this way.. Bhaskar, I’m romantically attracted to you!!”

Concluded
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*late lathief – I don’t know how this term originated but then it is used to denote the chronic late comers

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Rock a Doodle Doo :)

welllll... guys.. How are you doin'?

Am settling down in cozy bangalore and my material.. cargo hasnt reached yet. Those GATI guys are taking a longer time than what they promised. Let me sue them...

Heh.. Had an interview with the most profitable PC company (in fact, only two in the whole branded PC world are profitable, it seems) just on the day I landed here and now the next level guy from the US is going to call me for a telephonic interview.. hopefully tonight itself. It'll be nice if this works out... I can stay here itself :)

And then, I heard abt one of our guys being offered the post of Country Manager by Wockhardt. Hmm.. the rocking continues... !!

Chow!
Bhaskar
PS: yes.. yes.. I'll post the concluding part of the 'chemistry'.. soon.. as soon as I'm done with this tele stuff.. :)

Friday, February 18, 2005

I Rocks!!!

Wow!! It feeels really good that everyone of my mates is placed by Day Zero itself!!! Feels good is an understatement.. Man.... IIM Indore Rocks!!!!!!!!

Placement Process wrapped up on Day Zero with many good companies having to return empty-handed. With about 1.8 jobs per person and companies like Deutsche Bank coming first time on campus and fighting it out for our Topper among others definitely bodes well for I!

Kudos to the Placom, you guys are amazing. Now... You only have your own record to beat :)
200% percent placement within Day Zero for a 100% bigger batch. You dare?????!!!!!!

Bhaskar
Covansys Chennai, Here I come ;)

Thursday, February 17, 2005

The Chemistry that ...!

To understand the situation and to recall to mind, read the previous posts “Chemistry!” and “The Chemistry!”, in that order.

Bhaskar

_______________________________________________________
(cont.. )

Gathering my wits and realizing that if not anything, atleast I wouldn’t be facing any chappal slaps, I decided to speak to her. Well, it is not every other day that one gets to meet such a lovely girl and that too under such a circumstance, you see! Though I had absolutely no idea what I was going to talk, her captivating eyes and the dimpled chin gave me a sense of purpose like never before :)

I went to her side and said a simple ‘hi!’. She reciprocated the monosyllable with a grin and sat up thereby making space for me to sit. Easing into position, I asked her:
“why were you staring at me?!”

“staring? may be.. but, dont tell me that you haven’t seen me earlier!!”

I wasn’t sure of that, but then..

“well... i would never say to a girl your age that I haven’t seen you..
just that i dont remember where!” ;)

“oh comon... we work in the same office.”

“Duh! ... “
Oh.. that explains it...
Our group had moved in from Unit 4 to the new campus “Millennia” only that Monday. But then, how could I have missed noticing HER in the office? May be I was a bit too distracted by the settling-down issues and the urgent customer escalation that I had to handle as soon as we got the things working in the new building.

By now the guy in the adjacent berth (who was trying his Romeo antics earlier) was looking at us but we were beyond concern and didn’t bother with such insignificant things ;)

We were talking for quite sometime and during the conversation, found out that her name was Deepa and that she was with the tech support group. She hailed from Indore and she was of the living-with-friends-in-Bangalore-due-to-job kind. She was visiting a relative in Chennai and she was also returning back to Bangalore on the Sunday night but had planned to return by bus as she couldn’t get a reservation in the trains.

I also didn’t have any reservation but then, from my frequent visits, I had cultivated the friendship of some TTEs* and got to know that typically a few Tatkal** tickets are unused and can be purchased about an hour before the train’s departure from the TTE room at the Chennai Central Railway station. Now here was another chance to impress her and how can I miss that ?!! She did seem to be happy to travel by train but tried to give some excuse. Using a bit of my charm and after some convincing, she agreed. Even if we don’t get the train tickets, later we could always board one of the numerous tourist buses starting right in front of the railway station.

By then, it was already 12.30pm. We worked out the details of our rendezvous for the Sunday night, exchanged ‘good night’s and ‘sweet dream’s and parted. What with the excitement of meeting her again on Sunday, it was not until another hour that I could actually sleep.

(To be concluded)
_____________________________________________________
TTE* - Traveling Ticket Examiner

Tatkal** - Special railway reservation available one day prior to the date of travel at some extra cost

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Hey!

Hey!

Have my final placements and stuff going on now and hence, I'm taking some time in posting here. I didnt want to leave the story hanging but then I've ended up doing that. Sorry!
Lemme try and post it tomorrow..

Ba'bye,
Bhaskar

Sunday, February 13, 2005

The Chemistry!

Happy V’Day Dudes and Dudettes!!

If you have just wandered to this page.. I suggest you read the previous post “chemistry!” before reading this.

Have (safe) fun! as always ;)
Bhaskar


__________________________________________

The Chemistry! cont..

I was amazed at my own luck that lovely Friday night. I had gotten this ticket out of the blue. Actually, I was traveling on someone else’s ticket. It was a sudden decision to go to Chennai and I contacted our local travel desk.. Bala.

Bala is my friend working in the same office (yes, the same building.. Millennia.. next to Ulsoor lake) who used to travel almost every weekend to Chennai. And he was also a very friendly and cheerful guy. Thus, he soon became the friendly neighborhood travel agent for our circle of friends and close acquaintances – the weekend traveling bachelors. He had even created a yahoo group for the purpose. Anyone who has a reserved ticket to / from Chennai and is thinking of canceling the ticket would contact him. He, in turn, would inform the others thro’ the yahoo group. And usually, there would be no need to cancel the ticket :) (There would invariably be one or two people traveling by bus and any day, train is preferable)

On Friday morning I decided that I had to go to Chennai that evening itself and contacted Bala. As luck would have it, just then somebody had informed Bala about an unused ticket. That is how I had landed my ticket that fateful Friday night.

And now I’m sitting in the adjacent coupe to this dream-like girl! From experience I knew that once contact has been established, one should appear a bit aloof. It should seem as if we are doing something else quite casually and at the same time we should be vigilant for the opportune time to strike a conversation. It is all about confidence and belief!!

Now that she was talking to some bloke half-heartedly (you can know that, cant you?!), I tried reading a couple of pages from the novel. Soon she ended the chatting and took out a blanket and stuff and also the latest issue of the ‘India Today’ and settled into a comfortable reclining position. As usual, in my attempt at reading, I got thinking about a conversation I had had the previous week with one of my close friends. We were talking about girls and ‘sight seeing’ and how at times they also ogle at you. One thing got to the other and he said that he would wink at any good looking girl who is ogling at him.

This went on for sometime and then, she put her magazine down and was looking directly at me. It seemed as if she was trying to make up her mind on something.. whether to make the first move or not?? I didn’t know. But, that moment I gathered some courage and gave her a *wink*!

Even to this day I don’t know why I did that. Anyway, she stopped whatever that she was thinking and was looking at me. She kinda surveyed the scene and the next moment, she winked back!! Man….I was shocked to say the least :)

I froze that moment and I had absolutely no clue what was to follow… but for that, you will have to wait too ;)

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Chemistry!

It has been a overdose of senti for the past few days.. its time for some light romance.
Its V-day eve folks! What better way to welcome St.Valentine than a love story!!

I’m sure it would resemble your own love story at some point or the other. Cos this is the ultimate love story! Any resemblance is unintentional though very welcome ;)

Love stories come out so well in the first person. That why I’ve chosen to write it in the first person. Let me give the disclaimer here.. This is not my own love story… definitely not in its entirety!


Bhaskar
__________________________________________

Chemistry

It was one lovely Friday night in a strangely not-so-packed Chennai Mail. I donno how I got to think about that day now. Something reminded me of our rendezvous on the train from Bangalore to Chennai.

That’s when I saw her (rather noticed her) for the first time. I noticed this girl who I thought was inadvertently staring at me. She was sitting in the side lower berth in the adjacent coupe. I was just about settling into the lower berth facing her side. I immediately opened my bag and took out my friend, philosopher and guide at such moments - a novel. It didn’t matter which novel, it was comforting none-the-less.

Slowly, I took another look at her. She was now talking to some guy.. must be just another guy, trying his Romeo antics! Little did he know that she was MY Juliet ;)

Something about her caught my gaze. She was very attractive and looked strangely familiar. Poring into my novel I got thinking: ‘Who does she remind me of?’ It was then that I realized that she reminds me of my adolescent Crush, Drew Barrymore! That enlightenment had my heart pumping even faster.

I looked at her again to confirm her resemblance. That very moment she also glanced at me as she paused between her speeches. Our eyes met! It was a little more than a fraction of a second but it was definite. We both acknowledged each other’s gaze. That look was worth a million dollars.

But then, I shouldn’t have winked at her.. more about that soon!

Drew1

Friday, February 11, 2005

Is this the end?

Is it really getting over? Am I going to move out of this hill-top abode in 10 days?
Will I no longer have these blokes for company while I watch movies on my comp? no more sponsored snacks during those intervals? no more late evening (00:30 hrs!) chai sessions?
such parties no more? no more SPAM-SPAM mails? no more waterfights? no more birthday bumps? no more 24 hrs online in yahoo?






Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Catching up..

igqfo9vllkoiqldflvmlwbabaabvklwvmkivsmpy8763m2710dnsdmashre...
long time.. no 'c' !!

Lots of things have been happening here at the campus (the happ hip hep! place). Well.. I can talk about some and I cant talk about some of the stuff 'cos its not the time yet to reveal them.

We had a machao farewell party a couple of days back. It was as much fun as it was nostalgic. The skit woven together with the various unique events and memories of the year attributable primarily to us, the passing-out batch and the typical MBA-ishtyle PowerPoint presentation capturing us and some of those very events in a light photographic vein were the highlights of the show.

And y'day we passed on the strategies and the technical know-how of '101 ways to DO a water-fight' to the ascending batch. No.. we actually gave a practical demo of the same. The list of dedications included chyawanprash, shampoos, shaving creams, hair gels, and what not. Though we have had many such fights earlier, this completed the knowledge transfer process.

And then, of course, our own private movie theatre has been working overnight. Saw 'good will hunting' today.. just finished watching that :) another recent show was 'the butterfly effect' well...both are very good movies.. if you havnt heard of the former, then you prob. aren't a movie material. This movie was nominated for 9 Oscars and finally managed to grab two.

The butterfly effect (2004) is a kind of techy movie but really well-taken. The concept is derived from chaos theory. It says "A butterfly flapping its wings here in your garden can cause a tornado in California." That’s how interrelated the events in real life can be. In the movie, the hero takes a couple of steps which have far-reaching effects. He then goes back in time and tries doing those steps differently so that the end result is to his liking. Engrossing movie.. recommended to be watched in a group.

Till next time,
Bhaskar a.k.a. Joey Tribbs

Thursday, February 03, 2005

S.U.P.W. No. 3

Dear Fans..
This would be the final piece (for now.. atleast till our dear SKK lets loose his creative humour for us again..) of the series Selected Useless Poetic Works by SKK.
Here you are..
______________________________________________
From the poet’s desk.....

This particular poem is quite unlike my other ventures.... it is written as a song to be sung by a group of (specified) people. By singing the poem aloud, one can appreciate and depreciate the very meaning of these lines.
Well...yes...this poem doesn't talk about the socio-economic issues... One can store some water in a water bottle... but just because one can (as well) store alcohol in it doesn't make it an alcohol bottle. Very similarly just because you have done some work, you can't be called a worker...and along the same lines, just because you have cooked some food, you can't be called a cooker. Life is very similar to a pressure cooker..... (Not necessarily a person who cooks under pressure)....
In all, I would like to say this...Thillaalangadi is not just a poem or a song... it is A POEM AND A SONG.....please note the difference. It is a way of life.
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"THILLAALANGADI": emotional outbursts of a 3-year old

How still the bell bottoms in staples.com stand....
Still swollen in one eye...
After last night's fight...
They leap upon their webbed feet....these frogs...
Their age hence is measured in LEAP YEARS.


(Repeat “How still” three times: to be sung strictly by chorus group consisting of two males and three females (age no bar) whose 2 premolar and 2 molar teeth are missing)

Could mortals sip wine....?
The under-developed fright....
Of a delivered kite...

Q would crumble even though light.

(repeat "Could mortals" three times: to be sung by 3 years, 2 months and 11 day- old boys and girls totaling 7 in number (any combination except that there has to be at least one representative from each group) )

Who has not found heaven??? hell no...
Well....well...well...so???
Come on guys...grow...grow....
There you see.... a crow…crow....
Oh...oh....
It is MARTIN CROWE.


(Repeat "Who has not" three times: to be sung by old divorcees who have retired from service from a central government company)

Maxima and minima may come and go....
But optima are there forever to show....
I missed a tiny fly...and...
Even today, this makes me cry.


(Repeat "Maxima and”: to be sung by the tallest boy in the group who has secured 73% or above in his UKG half-yearly exams but failed in SSLC in the first attempt but was state first in the second attempt. In case of more than one eligible candidate, there should be a lottery to decide the winner)
THE WINNER THEN SINGS ALOUD THE ENTIRE POEM...BUT WITH TABLA, BUL-BUL TARA, MOHURSING AND IF POSSIBLE, SARANGI AS ACCOMPANIMENTS.

- GREAT POET SKK
_______________________________________________
Summary (Poet’s version)

Emotional fall-out…..what a word even though this has nothing to do with the present discussion!!! Supremacy over souvenirs can be achieved if and only if idiosyncrasy and inundations are dealt with. Inoculations are not a way of life…rather innovations are.

I missed a tiny fly”….this means that the poet missed a plane sometime in his youth and to this day, he still feels bad about it. Time has flown by…it seems time has leapt in chunks of four years rather than one….hence, the term leap years has been used. The reason frog is used is that frog, being an amphibian (Bufomelano stictus) can live in water and on land… likewise, one should learn to live in sad as well as happy times.

What is the need to take to alcohol just because one has had a failed relationship? Did Einstein think that General or the Special Theory of Relativity has something to do with being related? Blood is thicker than water….but wine is thinner that the blood drawn from a goat whose medulla oblongata is oblong. Hence, one should never ever give in to fright. The letter Q stands for Quiescent…meaning still…..If one is afraid, everything will come to a stand still.

Everybody has found a way to eternal bliss....but due to the vagaries of Nature, Science, Cell and Biochemistry, he/she has lost it. So, one has to have the insatiable quest for excellence. The poet stresses that the socio-economic conditions in South Somalia can never influence the driving test results in North Pondy Bazaar. Hence, always, go for it….never give up.
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Reviews
[we had to restrict (with obvious regret) ourselves to only a few of the well-known critics/poets.. -Bhaskar]

DAILY JALSAA

Stupendous.....marvelous.....this is not a poem...this is a way of life.....in fact, it should be classified as the FIFTH VEDA after AYURVEDA, RIG VEDA, YAJUR VEDA and SAMA VEDA.
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DAILY REEL
We have run out of words trying to describe this work of art.....in fact, we have not started printing tomorrow's edition because we are at a loss for words....
__________________________________________

GAPSAA TIMES
we believe that the poet tried to reinvent the wheel from the point of view of a three year old.....one might think there is no reference to the invention of the wheel.....JUST BECAUSE THIS POEM DOES NOT TALK ABOUT CALCULATOR AND COMPUTER DOESN'T MEAN THAT THESE DON'T EXIST. One has to draw inferences from the obvious and not so obvious hints....
__________________________________________

Let me tell you...I’m not very emotional when it comes to poems...but I had to cry...the poem demanded it.....
- author of the famous book "SEVEN WAYS TO COUNT TILL SEVEN"
__________________________________________

I don't think I’m even qualified to talk about SKK.... from now on, I won't write poems till SKK asks me to..... this is a solemn "promise, colgate, close-up and vicco vajdradanthi".
- William Keats

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Kunguma Poove

"Kunguma Poovay Konjum Puraavay
Kunguma Poovay Konju Puraavay
Thangamay Unnai Kandadhum Inbam Pongudhu Thannalay"

meaning... (kind of.. ;)
"My Kunguma flower.. My Sweetie Pigeon..
My dear Goldie, soon as i see You.. Joy overflows!!"


To get the entire lyrics of the song (tamil in english;), check this..
http://www.mohankumars.com/lyrics/index.php?m=s&lid=798

To listen to the song, click here..
http://www.dhool.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/kungumapoove.rm



I am Happy!

Well.. today was my last class and my last case analysis and presentation.. for times to come..
It was a good finish to my two-year post-graduate pit stop... with the Business2Business marketing class. The visiting prof (Mr. Mohan Kuruvilla) was amazing.. Made us think out of the box and filled the class with a lot of practical insights and his personal experiences in B2B situations. I would not forget the way he changed the landscape of the cases..

Adios!

PS: Will be in indore only for another 15 odd days...
troubling the not-so-lucky mates while they attend their classes

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Suveet !

I'm kinda going slow here.. cos it is one of those times when I have classes all through..
But, I'm still very much here!

This is a sweet poem that I came across..

Fernanda, This is for you:
I´ve written imagining your encounter with a person in India as you are walking down the streets and the person is me :).

You come all the way smiling
I look at you
You wear a saree and sport a Pottu
You have a nose pendant
But you look distinct from a land very distant

Oh the beautiful lady I call in silence
Entranced by the svelte charm in front
The smile that has the warmth of the morning Sun
The grace that teaches the swan its gait
And the eyes that speak thy heart pristine
I forget myself...
As I'm lost in that silent eloquence

Lo! as you speak to me
I hear the unheard melodies of a distant land
Singing the language of this universe
Bringing the love of your country men
That competes with the beauty my eyes see!

And as you smile, speak, brush my hair in surprise and leave
I wonder about the moment that just passed
Is it just the ephemeral lightning that lighted up the night sky?
Is it just a mirage that I cannot grasp?
Is it just the morning dew that waits for the Sun's ray to become one with it?
And thinking about you I go
wondering and wondering...
.."Are there women Indian in a land so distant?..."
And wondering I smile at myself and salute the beauty of this world

This message was sent by Yoganand Saripalli to Fernanda Flaminio.

And I found it on Fernanda's homepage. Obviously, she was floored!!

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Soul 'n Mate

It been quite sometime.. Thought I could start a discussion :)
What better topic than 'soul mates' ?!

Well.. let me get the ball rolling.. by trying to define them..
The idea of 'soul' is about something that is a part of you and me and everyone and which is supposed to be pure and immaculate and at a plane above one's body. This idea kinda goes together with rebirth.

And the idea of 'soulmates' is quite romantic... these are people who are made for each other and the connection is at the highest plane... their souls. This is supposed to connote bliss and celebration!

Well.. I'll tell you my personal opinions on the topic after hearing from you.
-Bhaskar

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

No Title is a Title

Thankfully, the doc ruled out the presence of scissors/blade or any other foreign-body in my leg....! And it is getting better...played a game of cricket today ;)

BTW, Happy Republic Day.. Gantantra diwas ki aap sab ko hardik shubkamnayen!

I'm thinking of writing a love story... it could be yours! but more about that later...

Got news from my friend, SKK (of SUPW fame) that he is writing a script for a comedy drama that, if selected, could be relayed on SUN TV !!!

This what he has to tell you.. all his Khaitan fans..

[ The unit is called Abhinaya Creations and is currently producing the mega-serial called "Aadugiraan Kannan".

My script will act as a buffer between "Aadugiraan Kannan" and the next mega-serial. It will be a 12-15 episodes project (1 episode per week). Hopefully, things should work out fine and very soon, you might start hearing about "Krazy" Kichchaa!!! Honestly, I do not know whether I am even qualified enough to compare myself or compete with"Crazy". I am drawing courage from your reviews and feedbacks over the past few years, reviews from Atlanta Tamil Community, urging me to try my hand at Tamil Drama-Cinema and S.Ve.Shekhar's personal comments.
I will keep you guys posted.

Thanks for your moral ( and maaraala) support. ]

Sunday, January 23, 2005

Whats that?

Last 29 days or so here on the hill-top and we are getting kinda nostalgic already! We had a great party the other night (friday night).. the PGP1 were hosting it for us PGP2 guys...
And for once, the music didnt stop until 6.30 in the morning!! We also succeeded in creating an enthusiastic fan-following for the song "Appadi Podu" from the movie, Gilli... you should've seen the vibes and the tempo.. dancing like crazy.. (hitherto reserved only for some of the punjabi songs here :)

But, Alas! I had to be very selective in dancing.. Playing cricket continuously on the concrete has left my knees in a bit of pain. I finally went to have an XRay done today.

And the report said "There is (a) small well defined radio opaque shadow in the post. joint; loose-body ?? (!!!!)". Oh my gawd, whats that? I didnt have any surgery done anytime... so it cant be a doctor's scissors or blade there... guess i'll have to wait and see what the doc says!


Friday, January 21, 2005

Up the date

Some updates for the day...

Seems there is some disturbance in Bangalore..
Nothing big… a bus burnt in malleswaram area.. and a couple of stone throwing incidents… But looks like the shops are closed…and many companies too.. (A Bandh had been called out earlier for the day in protest against an American evangelist conducting a 3-day session in the city.)

Hmmm... out here.. more movies on the prowl... notably..Kaakka Kaakka & Anbe Sivam.. will update you on them.

About our Marketing Fair.. UtsAha! that I was telling you..
Dainik Bhaskar reported that there were more than 1.25 lakh footfalls over the 2 days… Most stall owners said that this was the first fair (out of 6 fairs) in 6 months that they made a profit from… Chief Circle Officer of Reliance Telecom Ltd was elated by the turnout and said that this will definitely change the face of Smart…

ok then.. Catch ya!

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

S.U.P.W. No. 2

Hello! How was S.U.P.W. No.1? Do let me know your views and onions.. sorry opinions. We welcome any kind of feedback as long as it is positive and enthusiastic ;)

Are you hungry for more? Yeah.. I can understand that. Just make sure you digest this poem thoroughly.

It is time to serve you yet another delicacy from the Selected Useless Poetic Works by SKK.

Poem # 2: Psychological Indigestion

This poem brings out the emotional distress one faces when he/she becomes old. In poem # 1, Lord Labhakdas, the poet revisited his childhood....in this one, he travels into the future. This is called as the flashfront technique just like the flashback technique used in poem #1(readers of the movie mails might recall that this technique was used in one of the movies).

In this work, the poet compares himself with a poem and a monster and draws analogies, synonyms, antonyms, fill in the blanks, reading comprehensions etc between himself and the poem/monster. His thirst for knowledge becomes very obvious as one reads the poem.

He continues to question the society though not like he did in his first work. In any case, this poem binds human nature with animal instincts and serves as a platform for social reforms.

Please note the highly structured form of the poem:

the first line of every stanza addresses an issue, the second line is a question addressing this issue(though not immediately obvious),the third line tries to answer the question (with a tinge of sarcastic comedy attached) and the final line summarizes the whole stanza.

___________________________________________________

Psychological Indigestion


I'm a man of many talents....
But who cares if I don’t have a bank balance????
Oh no dear…. this is not nonchalance….
This, my friend, is a real challenge!!!!

Ulysses went around the world….
Did he fear he would become old????
Oh no dear…. he was so bold….
This, my friend, is a story often told!!!!

On top of the hill….
Do you think you’ll fit the bill????
Oh no dear…. nature will stand still….
This, my friend, is the thrill!!!!

Poems have been written all along….
Are many of them very long????
Oh no dear…. this one is not a song….
This, my friend, is King Kong!!!!

With courage and determination….
Can you reduce the tension????
Oh no dear…. I haven’t got my pension….
This, my friend, is somebody’s intention!!!!

This work can make you sick….
But do you see any risk????
Oh no dear…I’m not thick….
This, my friend, is the trick.

- SKK

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The first stanza brings out the true emotions of the poet.....he emphasizes that if one doesn't have money...he/she is a mere waste. Talent is not given due respect but money is honored and revered. The poet says that if one doesn’t have money, then his/her very existence will be tough.....he says that life will become a big challenge then......

In the second stanze, the poet compares himself with the King Ulysses who went around the world in quest of knowledge. This is the famous flashfront technique...ie the poet goes forward in time and feels how it would be to be like King Ulysses. The poet says that each and every one has to read the story of this great King and try to be like him.

In the third stanza, the poet starts questioning the society just like he did in his first poem....but now, these are no acerbic comments but he merely tries to make the reader think. The inner meaning is as follows....."even if you become a great person and raise above all in society, it doesn’t imply that you are fit to do that job. If you screw up the job, then everything will be temporarily halted...the poet says that even this feeling of uneasiness is a thrill worth experiencing".

The next stanza has a very great inner meaning. Poems have been written all along.......means that for ages and ages, poets have written down poems questioning society and its moral, ethical, political, economic and human values. But no answers have been obtained for these questions. The poet is disturbed by this fact and wants to get all the answers at one go. The second line implies that the list of questions is very long and hence, nobody is ready to answer all of them. The third line drives home the point that even though the poet is lamenting about these unanswered questions, this particular poem is not to be counted along with the other ones....meaning that every question the poet poses...is answered by him at the end of each stanza.

The final line is probably the most moving one......the poet is his desperation to eliminate all wrong-doers decides to change into a giant ape and reform the society. This metamorphosis into an ape can be viewed in two different ways:
1. By becoming an ape, the poet can terrorize those who are at fault and rectify their defects.
2. By becoming an ape, the poet tends to set the human evolution slightly backwards to the primates stage so that we can avoid all the mistakes we have done and also get the answers to all the questions along the way.


The next stanza deals with the frustrations old people have to cope up with. The poet fears that when he grows old, people might start to look upon him as any other poet and avoid answering his questions. He also emphasizes the fact that blood is thicker than water...(can you tell how???).

Finally...the poet writes something very similar to what he did in his first work.....ie clarify that he is not mad or insane but a fully sane man who would like to get some questions answered.

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The Reviews have not been published here for want of space. Having received thousands of rave reviews, we thought we wouldnt do justice by publishing only a few of them here.. !


Scheduled..

I didnt have anything scheduled today. Took the time to go to the city and make some purchases and also had some amazing idlis, vadas and onion uttappams.. (yeah...Saravanaa's :)

Have seen 'Run', 'Kaadal', 'Nanda', 'Friends' & 'Attagaasam' and 'Euro Trip' in the previous 48 hours!! If you ask me, I would say Run is good, Kaadal and Nanda are above ok and the rest ok.

Then again, this is how my schedule for the next 3 days looks like..

Wednesday
9:00 pm A Bank PPT

Thursday
10:00 am A non-software service firm PPT
12 noon A Business Group PPT
2:00 pm A software company PPT
4.00pm CRM class
6:00 pm An ITES Company Lateral Process

Friday
9:00 am Another ITES Lateral Process
12 noon CRM class
2:00 pm An Consumer Durables firm PPT
9:00 pm A Pharma PPT

I'm not applying to the ITES companies. so, guess i'll have some more time for some more movies!?!

Sunday, January 16, 2005

GREAT is the word..

UtsAha! 2005 was great :)
well.. it was only to be expected given that Indoreans dig entertainment on a sunday and that too when it rings-in the name of our Bschool. One of us was saying :
One thing that we missed taking along this time were our old spirals (BTO comes to mind most readily, dunno why), which would have been a great hit, I believe, given the adulation and respect the people have for anything related to IIM Indore. Just imagine giving your child some material that the students at an IIM study... Oh my gawd… This could have triggered stampedes…

You know what.. there were atleast 5 different 'educational institute' stalls at the venue.. learn english, french, and what not..
The games and the key chains and whatever 'free gifts' were a sell-out
Food was great.. as ever..
And the stage shows/antakshari compered by Jatinder were a mega-hit. He'll have to take up a couple more cellphones for sometime!

Would have to wait for sometime for any more updates.. Have a BIG submission and presentation on tuesday and havnt started my work yet.
ok then.. tata!!
-Bhaskar

Friday, January 14, 2005

UtsAha! 2005 - "the Complete Family Mela"

Indore is known for its fairs and melas. Especially at this time of the year, one can find many many food festivals, exhibitions and melas. But, UtsAha! is different.. not only b'cos the organizers are students (participants, as we like to call ourselves) of a top B-school but also due to its nature and the focus on each and every member of the family.

Let me explain this further.. first about the 'complete family' part.
The setup has not just stalls of companies exhibiting their products and services but also live performances by troupes and bands, competitions like Mr. & Ms. Indore, Smart Indorean etc, a food zone, and a game zone for children and a game zone for adults.

But, what does all this have to do with a B-school?

The theme of the games is 'market research'. Each game maps a particular marketing problem. As part of our extra-curricular, we take up 'live' research and marketing projects from companies. Typically, these projects are about understanding the consumer behavior and their process of decision-making.. eg. 'what does the consumer look for before deciding and buying a mobile phone'.

These projects go through the usual life-cycle and we also design games to capture data about the various attributes and aspects of the research problem. And we run these games 'live' during these 2 days and collect actual and relevant data for our research. And then analyze and use that to address the business problem.

The Inaugural edition of UtsAha! was held on the 17th and 18th of January 2004. Though it was our first, our lack of experience did not stop the fair from becoming a phenomenal success with a total footfall of around 1 lakh people in just two days. With the event attracting people with diverse demographic profile, the fair succeeded in it objective of collecting unbiased data for the research projects that we carried out for our clients.

Now, UtsAha! 2005 starts today at 11am on Bal Vinay Mandir grounds, Indore. It will span across two days and promises pure and complete fun.

Be there to catch the action LIVE!!

Else you will have to settle for the visceral experience at my blog :)

[ http://www.iimi-utsaha.com/ ]

Eternal Life!

Javeda Zindagi  I love this song from the movie, Anwar... just melts my heart every time I hear it. (Courtesy: musicmania from ...