Thanks Dhinakar

Me and my wife Roshni went to Andamans in December 2006 on our honeymoon. I had a hard time selecting the destination as I really wanted to make it special. Andamans came to my mind as I always wanted to go there. That was strange as I hardly knew about the place. I wanted to see the jail but thats not typically the kind of place you go on your honeymoon. All the research I did suggested that Andamans is a peaceful place and lots of elderly people visit the islands. I personally like such places but I was apprehensive as I did not know whether Roshni would like it. I was confused and started considering other options like Lakshadweep and Colombo. Then one day, I gave Roshni the options but told her that I wanted to go to Andamans. She did not say no but she did not say "YESSSS" either. That added to my dilemma. Then the next day, Roshni told me that she has done some research on the place and she would like to go there as even she likes peaceful places. So thats how I got rid of the confusion but there was still a lot to be planned and taken care of.

Andaman is a small place and that too away from the mainland. When you are going for a trip to such a place then you have to be very sure about the arrangements. You can not just reach a place like that and expect to make arrangements over there. I checked for hotels and package tours on the internet but did not find any good one. There is no 5 Star hotel at Andamans and only one 4 star hotel. Through the various sites and blogs, I came to know that there are several good guest houses over there and they are much better than the hotels, at least in terms of location and value of money. Through my dad, I got an accomodation at one of the Ministry of Defence guest house (Believe me, it was a real good one). I got air tickets from Kolkata to Port Blair and back. But still there was lot to be arranged for. Then I recalled Sanjay Upendram (the head of the my team at Deloitte) telling us about his visit to Andamans and a guy who can be a great help in making arrangements over there. I asked sanjay and he gave me the number of Dhinakaran (Extreme left in the pic). I talked to Dhinakar and explained him my requirements. I asked for a trip to a couple of islands and to arrange a bike. Dhinakar told me about Havelock island and made arrangements for a two day trip over there. Before that I had never heard of the place and later I came to know that the beach at Havelock was rated as the best beach in Asia in 2004, by Time Magazine. Dhinakar was very responsive and he assured me that he will make all arrangements. I was still skeptical.

When we reached Port Blair, I was surprised to see Dhinakar in his big car waiting for us on the Airport (that was not the part of the deal)!!! He dropped us to our guest house, told me about the place, dos and donts, places I shall visit etc., and left. The next day he sent a brand new bike for us!!!! On the third day of the trip, when we were leaving for Havelock Island, he picked us up early in the morning and dropped us to the jetty. He had taken tickets for us for the 2 hrs 15 minutes boat ride to Havelock Island. He talked to the captain of the boat and got us the VIP cabin, something one can not book!!!! He had made all the arrangements at Havelock too. We had a booking at a resort and a car with a driver.

On returning back from Havelock, one day we decided to go for a ride. It was pretty late in the night (by Port Blair standards). Port Blair is a very peaceful and clean place and there is hardly any traffic on the road so driving.riding is a very enjoyable experience. We did not have the clue about the directions, yet we were roaming around in the town checking out all the roads. Then, in one lonely part of the town, the tyre of the bike got punctured and we were stranded at least 15 kms away from our guest house at around 11 pm!!!! I was cursing myself for being so adventurous. The nearest place where I could get the tyre repaired was around 7-8 kms away and in all probability, that too would have been closed at that hour. When I could think of nothing else, I gave Dhinakaran a call. In 20 mins, two guys came with a tyre. They replaced the punctured tyre and took it with them. We were surprised and delighted!!!!

Then the next day I came to know that the Dhinakaran, whom I was considering just a tour operator, has a few supermarkets at Port Blair, a travel agency, a cable network, his family owned a restaurant, a hotel and a TVS bike showroom!!!! He is a huge name at Port Blair but more than being a top businessman he is a very nice and helpful person. He helped in making our trip a memorable one. We owe it to you Dhinakar. Thanks a lot!!!!

(I suggest anyone planning a visit to Andamans to contact Dhinakaran (09434281417). He can be of immense help and he does not charge much too.)

US Air Force Pilots vs Maintenance Crews

Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by US Air Force pilots and the replies from the maintenance crews:

Problem: "Left inside main tyre almost needs replacement."
Solution: "Almost replaced left inside main tyre."

Problem: "Test flight OK, except autoland very rough."
Solution: "Autoland not installed on this aircraft."

Problem: "The autopilot doesn't."
Signed off: "IT DOES NOW."

Problem: "Something loose in cockpit."
Solution: "Something tightened in cockpit."

Problem: "Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main landing gear."
Solution: "Evidence removed."

Problem: "DME volume unbelievably loud."
Solution: "Volume set to more believable level."

Problem: "Dead bugs on windshield."
Solution: "Live bugs on order."

Problem: "Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200 fpm descent."
Solution: "Cannot reproduce problem on ground."

Problem: "IFF inoperative."
Solution: "IFF inoperative in OFF mode."

Problem: "Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick."
Solution: "That's what they're there for."

Problem: "Number three engine missing."
Solution: "Engine found on right wing after brief search."

No More Cricket Talks!!!

Okay, It did take some time to digest but now I have accepted it. We are a poor cricketing nation and our team did not deserve to be in the Super 8. Everyone is talking about the future of the senrior cricketers, renewal of the contract, companies removing cricket players from their commercials, who was the culprit....etc etc. But whats the bloody point? We are out of the world cup and next one is four years away. And if the present state of affairs continue, we do not stand a chance in the next one too....and the one after that...and the one after.....

Now, I am moving on with my life and wont be talking about cricket anymore (No promises though!!!).

Fair Comment....I second that opinion.

Ajay Jadeja on NDTV, "You give your best player the slot he wants, and he does the job for you. Sachin was never performing in middle order and when he was not, as you say, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY THERE, you gave him the opening slot and rest is history. He still dislikes middle order and enjoys opening, but just to accomodate all other players you want in the team, you ask your best player to change his batting position.. this is unfair..."

Death of a devotee.

I had never thought that I will ever be writing anything like this. Just to give you a background, I am a big fan of Sachin Tendulkar. I have fought for him each time he was criticised, I have cried for him on several occassions. In India, Cricket is considered a religion and Sachin is the GOD. To me, he was always bigger than the game. But today, I feel let down as there is something bigger than him too and thats...... the nation. Sachin Tendulkar owed me a World Cup win. He is undoubtedly a great cricketer....one of the all time best but still he could not get us the coveted trophy. I totally understand that its a game and players can falter but this time he faltered when it mattered the most.

And now Sachin, what are you waiting for. You may have a few years of cricket still left in you but what will you give back to the nation...may be a series win against Bangladesh...a few more centuries....Is that all we expect from you? I think, its time to hang your boots...at least from the shorter version of the game. You may want to sign off in style but you have just missed that opportunity.

Having said all that, I will still respect you for all that you have done. I will still fight for you as you are the greatest that Indian Cricket has ever seen.

State of my Mind!!!!

(Pic Taken in July 2006 at ICRISAT, Hyderabad with Bond's Canon EOS 340D Digital)

Aaya waapas India!!!!

The Indian challenge in ICC World Cup 2007 is over!!!!! We could not even get past the league phase of the tournament. The league phase, at the most, was designed to give a morale boost to the upcoming cricketing nations and the real WC was supposed to start in the second phase, with the 8 strongest teams. Now the Super 8 will be played sans Pakistan and India!!!! India has no one but themselves to blame. They were uncertain and scared in their match against Bangladesh and they let go a fairly simple opportunity against Srilanka. Indians bowled well to restrict the lankans to 254 though they did let go the leash in the end overs. And then the mighty Indian batting line up put a strong display.....of its weakness. Utthapa played positively but inexperience got the better of him. Ganguly, after playing two innings for regaining his captaincy, played an unnecessary and rash shot. He was among the runs in the two previous matches but he was not playing for the team. Runs never flowed from his bat. All he needed to do was to rotate strike. Tendulkar disappointed by getting bowled by an incoming delivery, a long time problem. Yuvraj Singh, who was in supreme touch in both the previous matches, ran himself out and Dhoni got out in the ugliest of fashion. The match did expose Rahul Dravid. He may be a man for crisis as he clutches on to one end but he is certainly not a match winner in the shorter version of the game. I have always maintained that Rahul Dravid cannot pull off a victory by himself when the asking rate is climbing on top of him. He always needs a stroke player at the other end. In the match, when the asking rate was hovering around 7 runs an over, "The Wall" was busy taking singles and giving strike to Ajit Agarkar!!! Well played Captain!!!

Now, the whole of India....the media...the politicians...ex-cricketers...selectors...BCCI..everyone will start playing a blame game. Greg Chappel will be on top of the hit list. People will talk that the "senior" cricketers should have made for youngsters. But isnt that exactly what Greg Chappel asked for? We never gave the man a freehand. He was always under the scanner and constant media pressure. I do not have any grudges against the man. Its our team who has let us down. Its unbelievably painful. :-(

I am Hungry!!!!

(Pic Taken at Mitra Samaj Restaurant at Udupi. This Dosa is called "Outlook Masala Dosa"

Movie Review: "The Pursuit of Happyness"

When I was going to watch this movie, I was really apprehensive. I could sense that its going to be a good movie as Will Smith was nominated for the Academy Award for the movie. Yet I was apprehensive coz of the setup. It was an official team outing and that too after a whole day of listening boring presentations. In a group, you like to watch a fun-filled movie and not a serious one. I was wrong. It is one of the few movies in which I have seen the audience clap!!!

It is a very inspiring movie about a man's struggle to make the ends meet and make a future for himself. He has a 5 year old son and a job as a salesman of medical bone density scanners(!!!!), a product that has limited demand. He is unable to meet his expenses with his job and then one day, he decides to take a risk....He tries and struggles his way to an internship program in a strockbroking firm. The internship is very competitive and does not pay a dime!!!! With his determination, he finally clears the exam and becomes a stockbroker. Will Smith has given a very intense performance in the role of the man, Chris Gardner (The movie is inspired by a true story). You would laugh and cry with him throughout the movie. It is not at all a sob story. Believe me, you will enjoy the movie and come out with tears of joy and bunch of dreams. A "Must Watch" for everyone.

Warning!!!!

Wud you go to this guy with a flat tyre? I wont!!!! What if it isn't really a spelling mistake!!!!

(Pic was taken on 12 Aug 2005 at Bangalore)

Mayday Mayday....My life has been hijacked!!!!!

Have not clicked a single picture in ages, have not seen a movie with friends/family in last couple of months, have not gone on a long drive since last 4 months........I guess, life is getting too fast for me. Work is overtaking me. I have been slogging but am unable to catch up with loved ones, friends and hobbies. Why do people want a good job with a good salary?....they end up paying a lot more.

I would love to take some time off coz I am feeling burnt out. I would like to go some place far away...away from the daily marathon, which is increasingly becoming physically and mentally draining....may be Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, with my Camera and backpack......where I can live for and with myself, for a while....and ya, sleep peacefully.

Adios Bob

After the disappointing and shameful defeat against Bangladesh in the first match of the ICC World Cup 2007, we Indians got busy deriving joy out of Pakistan's premature exit from the World Cup. After all, we are still in contention but Pakistan is out!!!!! That moment of joy was killed the very next morning with the news of Bob Woolmer's death. Woolmer, who pioneered the use of technology in cricket, died in mysterious circumstances a couple of hours after Pakistan's shocking defeat against Ireland. One can never forget the image of Hansie Cronje with a earphone stuck to his ear with a tape. This was Woolmer's idea and he wanted ICC to allow coaches to give instructions during matches. He loved the game and wanted to be more involved. Woolmer's death is a very unfortunate incident and a great loss to the game of cricket. Bob Woolmer had a lot more to offer to the game. Adios Bob!!!!

World Cup Diary

India has already played two matches in the league phase of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. All those Indian fans, including myself, who were thinking that qualifying for the "Super 8" will be piece of cake are now scratching their heads. India lost the first game against Bangladesh, a game that should have been just a practice match before the real tests in Super 8!!! No body had imagined an Indian defeat but boy, did Bangladesh turn the tables on us!!!! Bangladesh's bowling was absolutely great and they did not give the Indians anything. Moreover, our batters played as if they were facing an all time great bowling attack. Barring Yuvraj Singh, not even a single Indian batsman applied himself and tried to dominate the proceedings. All that was required was somewhat positive approach from the Indians. Had someone attacked the bowling from the start, the result could have been much different. Our batters allowed the Bangladeshi bowlers get into a rythm and dominate. Much has been made out of the innings that Ganguly played. I agree that his innings gave the Indian total some respectability but he is equally to be blamed for the dismal performance of the team. In both the matches, Ganguly has been amongst the runs but still he does not look confident. He is miles away from his flamboyant best. Runs are not flowing from his blade and he is fighting for each run. He is giving an impression that he is trying to build his innings by being cautious and that is not what an opener is supposed to do. An opener is supposed to give a momentum to the innings. To make the matter worse, Ganguly (like always) has been running poorly between the wickets and has been unable to rotate the strike. Runs do matter but those should fit into the overall interest of the team. I personally think that Ganguly played a major role in creating pressure for India in the match against Bangladesh.

The second match was a delight to watch. After the first match, India needed to win both the matches in the league phase and that too with a good net run rate. Well, half the battle has been won. India ripped apart Bermuda's inexperienced bowling attack. It was good to see, Virendra Sehwag back amongst the runs. He played like the old Viru, we all know. Ganguly "walked" to his 89 where as Sehwag, Yuvi and Sachin "galloped"!!! The pain point is the bowling. If we are allowing Bermuda to score 150+ then imagine what can Srilanka, with the likes of Jayasuriya, Sangakara and Jayawardane can do to us. I think that India must play Irfan Pathan in the next match.

Let us all wish our boys all the best and pray for an Indian victory. We have to win the match and win it convincingly to ensure that Bangladesh doesnt catch up on net run rate in the last match of the league, i.e, Bangladesh Vs Bermuda. If somehow Bangladesh wins the match against Srilanka then nothing like it. Now thats called the optimism and wishful thinking of an Indian Cricket Fan!!!!

Horn Please

Honking in hyderabad, and I am sure in many places, has a taxonomy of its own.Its funny that you never realise that you can honk different honks as well.

Honk 1: Bep (a short burst of the horn) almost like a positioning system, saying I am here, usually used when the car in front you is rolling back on you on an incline

Honk 2: Bep Bep Bep A string of short bursts: I am over taking you slowly, so if you have plans to change lanes, chill for a few seconds, till the beps stop

Honk 3: Beeeeeeeep: Get the fuck out of my way. Else, I am going to beep the hell out of you.

Honk 4: Beep Beep Beep Beep: No reason, I just like honking kinda like a preemptive strike

Honk 5: Beep Beep: I know that we are stuck in traffic, let me just release some angst

Honk 6: Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......: Sorry, fell asleep on the steering

Courtesy:Bond...Bala Bond

My answer to the comment on "Mob Censorship: What are we scared of?"

Mr Upadhyay, I cannot agree more to your point that there are not many movies showing the problems of the "majority community" (as you put it). But even if there are no movies to show the problems faced by "Kashmiri Hindu Migrants", it does not give us a right to stop anyone from watching a movie that deals with problems faced by others. And, I do not know why we are deviating from the topic. The focus is not upon the "victim" but the "system". If something is wrong then it is wrong, irrespective of the religion, cast, race etc of the victim. The point that I tried to put across was that we should be OPEN to look at all the viewpoints. If you have a closer look at my original blog, I have talked about the movie "Water" too. Now, that is a movie dealing with the HINDU (Your "majority community") widows. When someone tries to show the problems faced by the Hindus, we try to stop them too. And we do it as we are scared and do not want to change the system, how much so ever rotten it may be. Since we are talking about movies, I will quote a dialogue from the movie "Swades", which I agree with, "Our country is not great but we have the potential to make it great". And for that to happen, we will have to change the system and do away with our myopic vision.

Comment on "Mob Censorship: What are we scared of?"

Mr Amit Upadhyay from Hyderabad has the following comment;

"Rightly said Mr Animesh but dont you feel that these movies show only one side of the whole situation.Now thats what we called 'Secularism' or 'Minority Appeasement'.Whether its indian politics or Media they dont want to show/support any reality related to the atrocities done on the majority community(read HINDU).Whether its godhra/mumbai riots or the situation of Kashmiri Hindu migrants, you hardly find any one raising his/her voice for them.The Kashmiri migrants are staying in slums and there situation is more like a refugee in his own country.You will hardly find any 'Human Rights group' coming in support for them.Human Rights in India means minority rights.If a militant is killed by our armed forces ,they come in support of that militant asking for compensation and inquiry for the killing but if some army jawaans or innocent non muslims are attacked you hardly find any support for them."