Khaitan...Bas Naam Hi Kaafi Hai

(From L to R: Khaitan, Anutosh, Me, Bhaskar, Nisheeth, Vikash, Dilip)

"Best Friend" is a loosely used term. Technically, there should be only person that you can refer as best friend. However, when asked about their best friend, almost everyone comes up with more than one name. Anyways, I am not here to discuss the technicalities. I have written all that gyaan as even I have more than one best friend :P

Let me introduce you to Mr. Vikas Khaitan. This guy is one of his kind. He is gem of a person. And he is quite a character. We are good friends even though we are poles apart. Probably thats what makes our friendship so interesting. In the last 8 years, we have had several great moments together. I thought it will be a good idea to jot down some of those moments and record them in my blog. The post will remind me of the great time Khaitan and I have spent together. My readers (if any) can also get to know this interesting character. Here are are the some of the interesting moments we have shared.

Jab We Met

Khaitan and me were in the same section in the MBA institute. But we did not hit off immediately. It was a class of around 60-70 students. I have always been an introvert and it takes time for me to mix up with new people. It was only at the end of the first semester when I first talked to Khaitan. I can clearly remember the day as it was the day on which the first semester CGPAs were going to be announced. I had to score at least 7 CGPA to save my scholarship. I was pretty nervous as I had not done too well (like always). A class was going on and suddenly someone shouted that the CGPAs are out!!! Everyone ran out to find out their result....I did not. I was too nervous to move from my chair. I must have been sitting over there for 4-5 minutes when I noticed that there is someone else in the class as well!!! So, there was someone else who was not too excited to know the result!!! It was Khaitan. His body language was suggesting that he is equally nervous. I went to him and asked him if he has nervous and he said yes. I sat with him. We spent the next few minutes comparing our scores in various subjects (individual subject results were already out and we were waiting for the final CGPA for the semester). After comparing the scores, I started feeling slightly better as my scores were much better!!! I wont disclose the CGPAs but this moment introduced us to each other and brought us closer (strictly in an unromantic manner). In a class, where most were academically superior, we had found our match!!!

Freshers Party

I am not much of a party animal; I feel out of place in parties. And....Khaitan loves to party. We used to...and still have so many arguments over this issue. No points for guessing that the incident that I want to share involves a party. It was the freshers party that my batch had organized for the juniors. Like every party, Khaitan was all gung-ho and .....I did not want to go!! Till the day of the party, I had not told him that I wont be coming as that would have caused the world war III. On the day of the party, Khaitan called me in the morning and told me that he will be coming to pick me up in the evening. I did not want to give him a last minute surprise so I broke the news to him. As expected, he got furious and asked me the reason. I could not think of anything else so I told him that I do not have anything to wear (which was not entirely incorrect). He just said "okay" and put down the phone.

In the evening, all my flatmates got ready and left for the party. I was alone at our flat and was getting bored. Then Khaitan arrived with three shirts and couple of trousers!!! I was surprised...and overwhelmed. I was thinking that why does it matter to him so much; Why do I matter to him so much? Thats Khaitan. I went to the party...but in my own clothes.

Cheating in Class Test

I have mentioned earlier that me and Khaitan were not too great in studies. I used to study only for the mid-semester and end-semester exams....and I cannot comment about Khaitan (as he would kill me). To make our lives miserable, we used to have a class test every other day.

Once there was a class test and Khaitan and I were totally depending on Khaitan's room mate, Vikram Tiwary. In the test, Vikram sat in one corner, next to him was Khaitan and then me. I was not too comfortable with this seating arrangement as I had to depend on Khaitan's writing speed!!! Anyways, the test started. Vikram raced away from his pole position. I was anxiously looking at Khaitan....and there he was......drawing "borders" on his answer sheet. I was shocked!!! Then finally he started writing. He wrote one line....and then stopped. Then he reached out to his bag. Took out a "pink highlighter"!!!! He highlighted the only sentence he had written so far and then looked towards Vikram's paper. By then Vikram had finished one page and was looking at Khaitan with frustration. So was I. But thats the way the entire test went. I learnt an important lesson that day. Dont think I started studying for class tests!! Its just that from the next test onwards, I used to sit next to a studious guy!!

Hawai-Chappal

It was World Cup 2003. I was watching a match at my flat. I was wearing a trouser and a round neck t-shirt. I had written a few slogans on the t-shirt and painted a tricolor on it (please pay attention as this information is important). Suddenly I heard someone honking from the parking on the ground floor.....continously. I looked from the window and it was Khaitan. Well...who else? I told him that I will be down there in a few seconds. I started looking for my shoes but was unable to find it. He kept honking so I wore my bathroom slippers and rushed for the parking. Now, let me tell you that I never step out of the house in my bathroom slippers...something which is pretty common for others. Since I was just going to the ground floor and Khaitan was continously honking....I wore the slippers.

In the parking, Khaitan and I started talking. There was no particular discussion topic and we were discussing anything and everything. He was sitting on his bike and I was standing. We must have talked for around 45 minutes when I started feeling tired. So I went and sat behind him on his bike. Thats when he struck; he pounced on his prey!!! As soon as I sat on the bike, Khaitan pressed the electric start and off we went!!! I kept asking, shouting, begging him to stop but he did not. He took me to the house of one of our batchmates. Thats where I came to know that Khaitan was taking the other guy and his girl friend for a dinner!!! Everyone was dressed-up for the dinner. And there I was, standing in a funny looking t-shirt, a faded trouser and bathroom slippers!!! I told them that that I wont go but nobody listened to me. In any case, I was standing in the middle of a posh residential area without my wallet so I had no choice. I went to the restaurant with them.

In the restaurant, I tried to make a quiet entry. I was walking quietly to our table, hoping that nobody notices me. Suddenly Khaitan, who was walking infront me, turned back.....pointed towards my feet and SHOUTED....."arre, tu chappal pahan kar aaya hai!!!". Everyone started looking at me, my slippers and my tshirt. I felt like I should dig a hole in the floor and bury myself.

Snacks & Treats

Back in MBA days, I used to have very little money with me. I used to ask for only a little sum (something that I changed in the last two semesters and I still feel ashamed of that) from my father. But I had many expenses. It takes a lot of fuel to keep this large engine running. But I do not think that I ever paid any food bill when Khaitan was around. I do not know why he used to do that but he never let me pay any food bill. I owe him for all the emotional as well as financial support that he has provided over the years.

One night on the streets of Howrah

During my summer internship, I took a leave and went to Kolkata. My father was posted near Kolkata and there were other attractions as well. That time, Khaitan was also in Kolkata (Howrah, to be precise) as he was doing his internship with HLL, Kolkata. One night before I was supposed to start back for Hyderabad, me and my parents came to Khaitan's place. There, I decided that I will spend the night over there and catch the train in the morning from the Howrah Station (Like many decisions in my life, I regret that decision as I hurt my parents a lot. They wanted to spend time with me. I wish I could change all that). The primary driver behind that decision was that there was no phone in the army guest house in which we were staying. And I needed a phone for the entire night. Not that Khaitan's flat had a phone but I could have atleast gone to a phone booth.

My parents left after dinner. But then I realised that all the phone booths had closed down for the night!!! Seeing that I am desperate, Khaitan got into action. We went to a nearby STD shop. It was closed. There was someone sleeping outside it. Khaitan woke the poor guy up and asked where does the owner of the STD booth stay. The poor guy did not know about the owner but he told us that one of the staffs stays in the nearby muslim colony.

It was about 1:30 am. We went to the muslim colony and woke up several annoyed people to find out the house of "Salim". People in the colony were thinking that we have come to rough-up Salim and a lot of them started following us. It was damn scary. My presence over there can still be justified but why Mr. Khaitan was there.......is inexplicable!!! We finally found the messiah sleeping on the second floor of an under-construction building. The guy was shocked to hear the reason behind our visit...quite naturally so. We wanted him to open up the booth, put a phone in Khaitan's flat and connect it with the line in the booth....all that at around 2:30 am!!! You think thats surprising? It is but wait for more!!! Whats more surprising is that Salim agreed!!! He came with us, opened his booth and tried all he could......but some technicalities failed us!!! After that, we thanked Salim for his kindness and left for Howrah station...assuming that the station will definitely have a booth. Forget about the booth, the entire station was locked!!! But we found a booth in one of the zillion bylanes around the station. I spent the remaining part of the night on the phone.....Khaitan spent the remaining part of the night in trying to sleep on an uncomfortable chair!!! I cannot think of any other person who could have been with me in that madness.

Finance Courses

Before elaboraing this, let me give some background. Khaitan's family has a "distribution empire" in Asansol (West Bengal) . They have the distributorship of Hindustan Lever, Airtel, Piaggio, Phillips....a chemical business, a detergent factory, an ice factory etc etc. He could have chosen to run his family business but he chose to do MBA and prove himself (did he succeed in doing that? That will be a different blog post). He went against his father, ran away from home and came to Hyderabad to do MBA. He wanted to learn as much as he can and as many different things as possible before returning back to his hometown and family business!!! (the outcome of this endeavour will also be discussed in the same "different" blog post that was mentioned a short while back).

Both of us had opted for hardcore marketing specialization. But some smartass suggested that he should also take-up a few finance courses. Now Khaitan is a guy, who gets easily convinced by people he "admires". I tried to convince him a lot but he had made up his mind (I was not a guy that he admired!!!) He opted for two finance papers in the last semester. His logic was that the knowledge would help him in his family business. Yeah right.....the day his father starts dealing in derivatives, he would look towards Khaitan to run the show!!!

Anyways, finally the mid-semester exams arrived. On the day of the exam of one of the finance courses that Khaitan had taken up, I called him in the morning. I told him that he would anyways fail so its better to skip the exam and watch a movie instead. He refused saying that he has prepared well. I wished him luck and put down the phone. 40 minutes after the scheduled start of the test (first 30 minutes for objective type questions and the remaining for the main test), I got a call. It was Khaitan!!! I do not remember whether we went for the movie or not but we did hang-out somewhere. Thanks to relative grading and Vikas Khaitan, a lot of people got high grades even after scoring low!!!

Relative's Marriage

For the exams in the fourth semester, Khaitan asked me to come and stay at his place. I do not like group studies or combined studies so I initially refused. But then it is difficult to convince Khaitan. So I agreed, packed my bag and moved to his place. On the very evening that I moved over there, Khaitan told me that there is a marriage of one of his distant relatives in the city and we have to go to attend it. For that, I put my foot down and said no. Exams are the only times when I used to get serious about studies. So he went to attend the marriage along with 4-5 other guys from the institute, who did not want to miss lavish and more importantly, free dinner.

Now let me tell you about Marwari marriages. I have been told by Khaitan that a marwari marriage is usually a 4-5 days affair. Everyday there is a dinner. And in the end, they serve hot milk as the dessert!!! Khaitan was invited for the entire ceremony and that means great and free dinner for 4-5 consecutive days!!!

On the first day, Khaitan returned at around 2 am. I opened the door for him and went back to sleep. At around 3 am, strange noises in the room woke me up. I looked around and saw Khaitan rolling on the floor!!! He was holding his tummy and was violently rolling on the floor!!! When asked, he told me that he had way too much food at the party!!! It seems that he and his friend hogged like crazy at the dinner. And just when they thought that now they cannot have absolutely anything more, a good-looking girl came and offered sweets. They somehow managed to fit the sweets in their system....and then each of them had a glass of hot milk!!!! No wonder he was rolling on the floor like that. But Khaitan was not worried about the pain at all. Between all the rolling and shouting in pain, he asked me how will he manage to go for the dinner on the next day!!!!

They went for dinner on all 4-5 days, I studied alone at his place.

ERP

I do not exactly remember the semester but we had a course on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in one of the semesters. Its not that I mastered all other courses in MBA, but this was one subject which was absolutely latin and greek to me....and most others. As most people were clueless about this subject throughout the semester, it was decided that in the exam people will be allowed to sit infront of a computer. All that students had to do was to search the right answer in the ERP library and write that in the answer sheet!!! Wait.....it was not as easy at it sounds. Since most people did not understand the question, identifying the right answer was pretty difficult. However, I somehow managed to get pretty good score in the mid-semester as well as class tests/assignments. Now, all I had to do was to score decent marks in the finals to get an A. For some reason, Khaitan was not liking this at all. He used to tell me that in the finals he will score more than me.

In the final exams, there was a shortage of computers and so it was decided that two people will share each computer. I was sitting with Abhishek Mehta, one of the most studious guys in my class. On next computer, Khaitan was sitting with Pooja Wadhera (when it comes to academics, Pooja is also in the same league as me and Khaitan). I was totally relying on Mehta's ability to search the answers. I must tell you...it was a mistake. All through the exam, Mehta kept getting confused again and again....and again. And all this while, Khaitan and Pooja were giggling and shouting "mil gaya hamein...mil gaya hamein"!!! By the time they finished one answer sheet, I had not even finished a single page!!! And their answers were full of colorful diagrams and all. When only 40-45 minutes were left, I requested them to give their sheet to me to copy. They refused. I told them that now not much time is left so I will be able to write only the text and they will score more as they have also made all those diagrams. That sounded logical to them. They gave the sheets to me. I copied their answers word by word. After the exam, Khaitan and Pooja were dancing in the parking lot and teasing me that now they will score more as they have the advantage of the "diagrams"

Few days later, the scores were out. Khaitan and Pooja, who had identical answer sheets, got 60 out of 100. I got 84 out of 100!!!! One has to understand the diagrams and draw them at the correct places!!!

IQ Test

Though there are several interesting incidents, but for now this is the last incident that I will be sharing. Once Khaitan and I were sitting in the IT lab of our institute. We were checking mails, chatting and all. Suddenly Khaitan became very excited and told me that he has received a link of an IQ test. One had to answer a few questions and the website would give the IQ score. Khaitan suggested that we give the test at the same time but on different computers. I do not like such tests and I was occupied with something else. So I refused. Like Khaitan always does in such situations, he challenged me and commented that I am scared of losing. I agreed to give the test and we started. Khaitan finished a few seconds before me and he submitted his test. He got a score of 139. Now, I am not sure how the IQ scores work and whether 139 is a good score or not but the result mentioned that 95% people score 140 or less. Then I submitted my test. And I got a score of 141!!! Till this date I tease him that he is part of the "masses" and I am among the select few!!!

Those are some of the interesting moments that Khaitan and I have shared together. As the incidents suggest, Khaitan is a great friend and a great companion to hang-out with. But for me, he is more than that. He has always been there for me and I owe him a lot.

Can I use the loo?

Thanks to the amount of travel I do and a phobia that I have, I have used public toilets at every airport I have been to. Let me tell you that in most cases, it has been an ordeal. There is nothing more repulsive than a dirty loo. I am glad that the government has privatized several airports in the country. Now some of the airports (especially Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi) have 5-star toilets!!! Mumbai has been a mixed bag. And Ahmedabad is at the bottom of the pyramid*.

Mr. Narendra Modi, I really liked your city. But please clean your loo. Either have more efficient staff in your loos or privatize the airport. For Heaven's Sake!!!

(*Please note that I haven't been to all the airports in India. There could be others which are worse)

Gurgaon, as a place to live

In my profession, there are not places in India where one can move to. The choices are pretty limited. Mumbai, Bangalore, NCR, Hyderabad and Chennai. People rotate around in these cities only. For me, the choice are even less since I did not like Bangalore....and Mumbai is too fast for me. NCR used to always attract me because of the proximity of several tourist places. You can plan so many things for the weekends.....Jaipur, Corbett, Dehradun, Vaishno Devi, Shimla...the choices are unlimited.

I spent the last 4 days at Gurgaon. Was there for an official visit. There, I got the flavor of the real Gurgaon. Let me share what I liked about the place and what I did not.

Things I liked (first impression);

• The city looked pretty spread-out. Though the city has more sky scrapers than most Indian cities, it does not look crowded
• Road infrastructure. Gurgaon has one of the best road infrastructure in the country
• Plenty of malls and shopping complexes
• Several multiplexes
• No dearth of "eye-candies"
• Great food joints

Things I did not like (first impression);

• People. Even the rickshaw wallah thinks he is the Prime Minister. More often than not, you will bumb into a rude and money-minded person
• Public Conveyance. Not everyone likes a ride in a six-seater auto or a cycle rickshaw!!! After a meeting, I spent more than an hour looking for a taxi. Residents agree that public conveyance is a huge pain point. If you do not have your own vehicle, you are in trouble
• Electricity. Not that I faced huge problems, however residents told me that power-cuts are regular phenomenon
• Weather. Too hot in summers, too cold in winters
• Costly

Overall, Gurgaon did not excite me a lot. It is not that I have been totally discouraged and wont consider it as an option. But I will definitely think twice.

A day at the airports

Date: 26 Aug 2009

Time: 1939 hrs

It has been a crazy day. Almost entire day has been spent on the airports. Yawn

0300 hrs: Got up in the morning

0415 hrs: Took the cab for the Shamshabad Airport (Hyderabad)

0500 hrs: Reached the airport

0500-0600 hrs: Sat on the airport, waiting for the flight

0600 hrs: Took the Indigo flight for Mumbai

0715 hrs: Reached Mumbai airport

0715 - 1050 hrs: Sat on the Mumbai airport, waiting for the Jet flight for Ahmedabad

1050 hrs: Took the Jet flight to Ahmedabad

1200 hrs: Reached Ahmedabad airport

1200-1430 hrs: Sat on the Ahmedabad Airport as my meeting was at 1630 hrs

1730 hrs-Now: Waiting for my Indigo flight for Delhi. The flight is at 2050 hrs

I will reach Delhi at 2240 hrs (if the flight is on time, indigo usually is on time).

I am feeling like Tom Hanks in the movie, "Terminal". Yawn

Vinod Kambli on 'Sach Ka Saamna'

Recently watched Vinod Kambli on the show "Sach Ka Saamna". The particular episode was already making buzz due to the news that Kambli has said something against his best friend and the god of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Well, I am not here to talk about that. Though I would say that I am relieved that the truth is out and now everyone knows that Kambli had not said anything bad about Sachin.

I just want to congratulate Vinod Kambli. There was a time when Kambli was my favorite cricketer. There used to be a wall in my room at Ranchi which was covered with paper cuttings about Kambli. I have fought with so many people while arguing that Kambli is better than most and is not getting his due. Now, he does not play anymore. His bank balance is nothing great....as revealed by him on the show. Kambli answered the questions with honesty, showed that he is truthful to his wife....and after winning 10 lakh rupees, he quit the show!!! Thats probably the first time that he demonstrated self-control!!!

I still love you Kambli. All the best!!!

Sach Ka Saamna: Lets Face It!!!

Just can't believe all the fuss about the show "Sach Ka Saamna". I agree that it is pretty bold. I had watched a few episodes of the american version (Moment of Truth) before the Indian version started. When I came to know that the Indian version is starting, I thought that the Indian audience may not be prepared for it. I thought that people wont participate. But to my surprise, people are not only participating, they are actually answering a lot of "awkward' questions. And, it is not the participants who are protesting. Its the "moral police" or the "guardians of Indian culture).....our politicians who are protesting. But why??

I personally do not have an issue with the show. Following are some of my reasons;

• If the participants are okay about answering the questions, who are we to stop them
• Participants are adults and they know what they are getting into. They are asked all these questions earlier and so they do get a flavor of things to follow. They still come and answer the questions. Its their call, isnt it?
• I don't think that the show will have a bad effect on the youngsters as the show comes at 10:30 pm. All kids should be in bed by that hour
• TRP is increasing. That means people are watching it, enjoying it but are pretending that they are not accepting it!!!
• If one finds the show offensive, vulgar etc......please do not watch. Change the channel. That's what the remotes are for
• There are several other shows and soaps which cause far more serious dent on our society. Why isn't anyone questioning them?
• I like the show. Its enjoyment at the cost of someone else. (What a cheapo I am??!!??) I personally would never participate in such a show as I have way too many secrets. And I would like to take the secrets with me to my cell in hell. Its just good to see that I wont be alone in hell!!!

The Gods Must Be Crazy!!!

I am a big time foodie (just look at me once and you will able to make that out yourself). I love having different kind of food. And I must admit that the kind of food I love won’t feature in any dietician’s recommended list. However, as I am facing zillions of health complications, I have been trying to find healthier alternatives. During this search, I have uncovered a huge flaw in god’s system!!!

God made this world. But why did he/she have to make a few things so complicated? Why is it that the kind of food one likes to have is always unhealthy? Burgers and pizzas are unhealthy but having raw garlic is good for health!!! God certainly has a sad sense of humour!!!

If you are confused whether a dish is good for your health or not, just rely on your taste buds. If you do not like the food......in all probability, it is good for you. (Note: Please do not have something like cow dung to prove my theory wrong). There are few things (the list is certainly not too long) which taste good and are also good for health. For example, corn flakes. But one cannot have corn flakes 3 times a day and 365 days a year!!!

You can imagine my frustration as I actually sat down and created a 2*2 metric (see below). One side has the “taste meter” and the other has “health meter”. As it goes with most metrics, the “place to be” is the extreme “north-east” corner. In other words, the items in the extreme NE are the best to have as they are yummy as well as healthy. But whats that!!! There is nothing in the extreme NE corner!!! That is the flaw in god’s system!!!

Open Letter to the Indian Army Chief

Good Evening General,

How are you Sir?

I am writing this letter to you as I have a request. Before jumping to the request, let me give you some background.

My cousin brother recently left the Indian Army and did an MBA “crash course” from a prestigious institute. He never was too keen to join the army at the first place and certainly did not have the initention to serve the army for his whole life. He is not alone. Not that I need to tell you but each year, several officers leave the Indian Army and join a course in IIMs or XLRI to pursue a fat pay package in the corporate world. It is not that I look down upon them. Everyone has her/his priorities. And it’s good that the Indian Army is giving such options to its officers, who realize that they can make a better career outside.

Similarly, cannot we device a mechanism for a “reverse crossover”? What if there is a 29 year old sitting in a cubicle (read: me) in a private office who would like to leave everything and join the Indian Army? He may have a better pay package than army officers of the same age but he still wants to “swap” jobs. He may not be really physically fit to be in the army NOW but can’t he be considered? After all, it’s not that all your officers in the IIMs today are fit to be in the IIMs!!! And he promises to be fit for the army if given an opportunity.

Presently, when you are facing manpower shortage in the army, I would say that you should consider this "reverse crossover" mechanism. Nowadays, some people are joining the Indian Army as they want to serve for a while and then leave for a more glamorous career. Then there are some, who do not have much options. My feeling is that there are not many people who are joining the army as they are really motivated to wear that olive uniform and serve the army for their life. There is at least one such guy (the same 29 year old that I talked about earlier), who has that motivation. He would prefer being at Siachin than sitting in an AC office. Please consider him as he can truly be a role model.

Thanks and Regards,

The 29 year old

Fly Indigo

I am not a frequent flyer (however I might soon become one...thanks to my new job!!!) but I have done good amount of air travel. I have flown with most carriers and my experiences have never been too bad. Touchwood!!! In fact, I have seldom had very bad experience with Air Deccan (now Kingfisher Red) as well. So you would agree that I have been lucky.

However, till a month back, I had never taken an Indigo Airlines flight. I had heard a lot of stories regarding this airline, especially when it was newly launched. Stories about bad air hostesses (“the” most important criteria for selecting a carrier) and how they serve water in cheapest quality of disposable cups etc. So I used to always avoid this carrier. I had this impression that it the cheapest low cost carrier.

My present job requires me to frequently fly to Mumbai from Hyderabad and as a company policy, I “have” to pick low cost carriers only. On one such trip, I tried Indigo since there was no other carrier that fit my schedule. I must say that I was highly impressed. In fact, I reached the destination before schedule!!! There is nothing fancy about the airlines. They do not have entertainment facilities, no magazine or newspaper, no free food. But they ensure that people reach their destination on time.....more often than not. I think that is what the “day travellers” look for the most. Now I prefer taking Indigo only!!! Great going guys!!!

Beauty on the Road!!!

A few days back, my friend Amit and I were driving around on Hyderabad roads. On a traffic signal, we saw this amazing vehicle right infront of us. It was black and it was two-seater. Thats the two thing that I noticed first. Then I noticed the logo.....It was "Bentley"!!! I was amazed but at the same time, I was thinking that someone has probably spent some money on "modifying" his vehicle and has got a fake logo. Indian mentality!!!

When the lights became green....everyone started crawling. We decided that we will chase the vehicle for a while....just to have a better look!!! This actually continued for around 8-10 minutes. The "fake" Bentley was struggling in the traffic and this was giving us time for our "expert" analysis on the vehicle. Then "the" Bentley saw an opening........and it ROARED!!! Vhhhhhhrrrooooooooooooooom...it vanished.

Later, I came to know that it was a Bentley Continental GT Speed....a 7000cc monster. It was slightly busy traffic otherwise my Santro would have caught the vehicle. Had I met the owner, I would have asked the same two questions that Chris Gardener asks the Ferrari owner in the movie..."Pursuit of Happyness"....."What do you do.....and How do you do it?"

Uncle Tom

Let me try my hand at some fiction (yeah right!!!)

Once upon a time.....(Dude, this beginning sucks!!!). Okay, I will try again. There is this guy called "Tom Uncle". Not from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and not even the Tom from the "Tom, Dick, Harry" trio. Ok, let me get serious as this is a serious story.

Tom Uncle was younger than most among his circle of friends and relatives and thus was always treated as a kid. He was especially popular among kids. I liked him a lot (I decided to cast myself in this story. After all, it is my story. Do you have a problem with that?) and considered him more a friend than an "uncle".

Uncle Tom used to always sport a smile on his face. He had a miserable personal life but nobody cared to go beyond the smile on his face. Tom Uncle always ensured that everyone had fun. Everyone was happy and satisfied with that.

Tom Uncle always wanted to keep people around him happy. He used to go out of his way to help others. From time to time, he supported everyone in his circle emotionally and more importantly, financially. He gave money for the education of the kids of his friends/relatives, he once organized a grand party on the 25th anniversary of one his friends as the friend was, financially, not doing too well. He helped my father financially on multiple occasions as well. (If you have not noticed, I have included my father in my story!!! That’s the fun of writing a story). These are some of the examples of his good deeds. Overall, Uncle Tom came across as a great guy. Nobody knew what he is really going through in his personal life. Probably no one cared as everyone was happy partying with Tom Uncle.

People tend to take such characters for granted. Similar thing happened with Tom Uncle as well. Due to some incidents, Tom Uncle has become distant from some of his friends/relatives. He has become not-so-popular among the kids as well. His relation with the friend, whom he had helped the most, has become particularly estranged. He does not get along with that friend’s kids as well. Uncle Tom had supported the education of some of these kids!!! He had helped this friend on so many occasions. His friend is doing well now and the kids are well-settled as well. But now when Uncle Tom needs them, everyone is only “upset” with Uncle Tom. Everyone must have their reasons. Uncle Tom could have done something extremely bad, who knows!!!

Even I am not as close to Uncle Tom as I used to be. I have my reasons as well. As I have mentioned that I used to consider Uncle Tom more a friend than anything else, I used to share my feelings/problems with him. Once, I discovered that my feelings were being relayed to others. May be Uncle Tom did that to help me out. But I did not like it as I am not the kind of person who likes to be discussed by others over evening tea. Moreover, as my feelings/problems became public knowledge, it created more trouble for me. So I have my reasons.

Few days back, Uncle Tom sent me a message. His message read “you may be having many grievances with me but I have just one grievance.....”. He mentioned a past incident in which he had asked for my support. Not financial support. He had just asked me to be there with him but I had left him. I was 13 or 14 year old back then. I am not trying to trivialize the incident or his grievance by trying to suggest that I was only a kid. I would like to tell Uncle Tom that I still feel bad about the incident. I would like to also admit that I had not felt bad back then as I had not understood the situation. In any case, I was not in a situation to make that decision myself.

I do have my set of grievances with Uncle Tom. But I owe a lot to Uncle Tom. I can never forget that he has helped my father on so many occasions. Though we no longer share the same friendship, I owe a lot to you, Uncle Tom. My father means the most to me and I can never fortget a person who has helped my father. I will never turn my back on you.

That brings us to the end of this work of fiction. Resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. I know that this story sucks.....but so does life!!!

Blogging is strange

Cannot really comment on the blogging behaviour of other people but here is what I find strange about my blogging

1. Though I do not want others to read what I write, I still choose to write on a “free-for-all-to-read” kind of forum!!!
2. I write as I want to express my true feelings but I refrain from doing that and end up writing things that people would not mind reading. It is not that I lie in my blogs to make people happy. I, sometimes, don’t write a few things that I think will make people go crazy!!!

GF9: Blast from the Past

From left to right: Navneet (Sardar), Anutosh (Anu or Banku), Me (Handsome Hunk), Vikash (Dedh Futiya), Sanjay Bhaiya, Shailesh, Amit and Shailesh's Legs

When Anutosh (Anu or Banku) and I came up with this plan over a couple of drinks, it sounded more like wishful thinking. After all, calling 5 working people from across the country in a room at a short notice was always going to difficult. Then Anu and his deep pockets stepped in!!! Anu offered to sponsor the travel!!! That was very generous of him. Then we started making calls and asked people to come to Hyderabad after 6 days. We planned a reunion of the “GF9” flat mates. Those of you who do not follow the lives of the rich and famous….GF9 was the name/number of our flat when we were doing MBA….ok…PGDBA. There were 8 of us staying together in the three bedroom flat. 3 of them are at Hyderabad (including me), 3 at Mumbai, 1 at Meerut and 1 at Ranchi. For the locals (Hyderabad gang), it was not difficult as we just had to come to GF9 (Anu owns the flat now). Others had to manage their calendars as well as “WAGs” and travel to Hyderabad. To our surprise, everyone agreed at once. This shows that everyone wanted to meet but no one was making a plan!!!

The six day wait seemed like six years. Okk, that was pretty filmy line….but that’s true. We spent the six days making plans for the weekend as well as in planning the logistics.

On 3rd July, we met. Bhaskar could not come as he had to attend some stupid training. Navneet (Sardar) could not reach on 3rd….thanks to Vijay Mallya. No, don’t think that Sardar had too many beers and he missed his flight. Kingfisher flight got delayed and he missed his connecting flight. So he came on 4th morning. He managed his busy schedule and life-threatening gas problems to be here with us. We appreciate that Sardar!!!

The meeting took us to 2001-03 days. We travelled back in time. Everyone was nostalgic…some of us (including me) were getting emotional…and some of us (Read: Amit Kumar Upadhyay) were really high (thanks to the bartender…that’s me). Friday night was submerged in Old Monk, Royal Challenge, Blender’s Pride, Kingfisher Strong and Smirnoff. We had loads of snacks and old memories to give us company. We also went and sat on the Ameerpet Chaurasta. We used to do that all the time.

Saturday morning, we got up early (thanks to the early bird….me again) and decided that we will go and pick Sardar from the Airport. 5 of us went to the airport in Anu’s car…wearing shorts…..pretty interesting ones too!!!! We reached early so we spent the time roaming around Shamshabad Airport. There, we came to know about Anu’s childhood dream of sitting/lying on the road. He did that!!! Shailesh did not miss a chance of getting pregnant…..he puked again….and again. The reunion could not have been complete without this historic event.

After picking up Sardar, we went back to GF9 and had breakfast. First idly, sambar and chutney (real spicy one), to bring everyone to Hyderabad in true sense. It was followed by Jalebi and Samosa. Afterwards, we got ready and went to the newly opened “GVK One” mall. We went to “Scary House” over there. 7 grown-ups (some of them…over-grown-ups) almost shitting in their pants was quite a sight. From there, we went to Hussain Sagar to relive a day from the past. Once, during our “PGDBA” days, we had gone to Hussain Sagar wearing Kurta-Pyjama. We had planned to do the same thing in this reunion. However, some of us did not have Kurta-Pyjama. Anyways, the point is that we did go there again….all of us (ya, Bhaskar was not there) and that’s what matters.

Overall, it was a very exciting and emotional reunion. All of us were under the same roof…probably for the last time. People will get busier and priorities will change. I am glad that everyone managed to come for the reunion. Thanks a lot guys!!! It was truly special.

I am sorry Sports God!!!

I must have done something to irritate the "sports god". These days, whomsoever I want to win, loses. And the people, whom I want to fail, are doing well!!! Here is the list;

1. Nadal lost at Roland Garros
2. Federer won his first French Open title
3. India was knocked-out from the T-20 WC
4. Nadal pulled out from Wimbledon
5. Roddick lost, Federer won the Wimbledon title
6. Paes lost in the finals of the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles
7. Ricky Ponting scored a century and came closer to Tendulkar's record

I hope the list does not get bigger.

There should be a ban on naming public projects, places etc on the name of a person of any political party. There should also be a ban on putting statues of political leaders. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi is okay as he is a legend and known across the globe. But statues of Rajiv Gandhi, NT Rama Rao, Mayawati (for heaven's sake!!!) etc should not be encouraged.

Local politicians use such antics to please their bosses in Delhi. When a state government comes up with a scheme or project, they name it in such a manner that people can attach a party name to the project. For example, Rajiv Arogyasri Scheme in Andhra Pradesh. It is a pretty good scheme that provides health insurance coverage to people in rural areas. As the name is "Rajiv" Arogyasri, anyone can make out that the congress led state government in AP has initiated the scheme. Now, if a new party takes over in the next election, they may either change the name of the scheme or they might not promote it at all. So, even though the scheme is good, it might get into troubled waters in future. The solution to such problems is that no projects, schemes, places etc should be named after politicians/political parties. We have other "true" legends to look up to. If at all we have to name projects on individuals, why not Bhagat Singh, Mother Teresa, Jhansi ki Rani, Vikram Batra, Arun Khetarpal, Sam Maneckshaw etc.

Trip to Bidar

As I have mentioned/complained a zillion times in my blog, there are not many places worth visiting around Hyderabad. Weekends can get really boring. Among the handful of places around Hyderabad where one can go do, Bidar is one place. I have been staying at Hyderabad since last 7 years but I had never been to Bidar. Thanks to the mixed reviews. Some people say that the old fort is amazing and so is the drive but many others suggest that the place is not worth going!!! As I was out of options anyways, I made up my mind that I will go over there…as soon as the weather gods permit. Around two weeks back, I woke up on a Saturday morning to a cloudy day outside. We were immediately on the road.

Bidar is a small town close to Hyderabad. Though it is just 150 kms away from Hyderabad, it falls in Karnataka. The drive was great…the roads are not too bad and there is not much traffic. The weather was good that day. There are plenty of road side dhabas on the way, if one wants to stop for a tea or kaapi. However, don’t expect anything too great or a neat and clean dhaba. They are what they are….road-side dhabas.

The fort is big but there is nothing much to do over there. For the shutterbugs like me, the walls and the huge doors present good opportunities to click a picture or two but again….there is not much. There is a small museum there as well…..but its SMALL

Apart from the fort, there is a famous Gurudwara. We had a hard time locating the place. When we reached there, we did not know what to do. Me and my wife had never been to a Gurudwara before and were confused. So we left quickly.

There is another temple in Bidar. I guess it is in a cave and for reaching the place, one has to cross a “underground pond” (that’s how it was explained to me), which is filled with cockroaches. Moreover, there are bats in the cave!!! Bats…..I don’t like bats. So we gave the temple a miss. In any case, swimming through a pond filled with cockroaches was not too exciting as well.

On the way back, we stopped at an AP Tourism restaurant… “Haritha”. It was pretty decent.

We went to Bidar and came back in 6 hours. Not a bad option at all on a rainy/cloudy day.

Numbered!!!

I never knew what "Tag" means and how does it work. Then suddenly my sister Bompy "tagged" me and asked me to fill my responses. She asked me to write the significance of the numbers 0-10 in my life. It could also be any memory that the numbers bring to the mind. Believe me, it was not easy. I took me a few months to complete it....hummmph!!! Here are my responses;

Zero is what I got in my first accountancy unit test in class 11th. And in second one too!!
One. The number of chance that I want from God to relive my life and to change a few mistakes

Two. The number of cell phone that I carry

Three. The number of digital cameras that I have; soon I will add one more

Four. The number of companies that I have worked in, so far

Five. That’s how much I scored out of 25 in my first English test in class 3. It was my first day in that class (I had joined late) and they took a test!!! I remember the teacher had locked me and a few other low scorers in the class and had threatened that she won’t let us go home!!! After school, I did not know what to do with the test paper. So I hid it in my school bag…..out of all the places. I could have thrown it but I chose to hide it in my school bag. The same school bag that my grandmother used to organize every evening!!! You do not want to know what happened afterwards. Actually I do not want to revisit that memory lane!!!

Six is the present age of my career

Seven is the highest number of pizzas (pan pizzas) I have had at one go (It was a bet!!!)

Eight. I was in class 8 when I committed the biggest mistake of my life

Nine. The number of shooters that I had in my bachelor’s party

Ten ten ten ten ten ten ten ten…..chhutti!!! Finally!!!

What is the ICC upto?

Heard that ICC is thinking about reducing test matches to 4-days affair!!! Twenty-20 has already affected the popularity of one-day cricket and now it seems, that the best form of cricket would also get "corrupted". Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket as it is the real test of the skills of the players. It tests the cricketing skills as well as the physical and mental strength of the players. The crowd in the stadiums will always be low as people cannot watch matches in the stadiums on weekdays. Moreover, women typically do not follow test cricket so that segment is also not there. But people follow it on TV or at least keep a check on live scores on various web sites. ICC and the various country associations should find ways to market the "product" effectively and to make it more interesting. Night test matches is an interesting idea that is being proposed. But reducing the duration will take away the real fun of test matches. I understand that reduction in the duration will make the game faster...more shots will be played...more risks will be taken and there would be more results. But cricket is not all about going "slam-bang". In any case, one gets to see a lot of that in Twenty-20 and ODIs. A scenario where a team has to bat for one and half days on a turning track to save a test match is also interesting. Isn't it?

Test cricket is like parallel cinema....or "art" film as we call it in India. One dayers are like normal commercial movies and Twenty-20 is like item songs. It seems that more people are liking the item songs and they want to have only item songs. Think about people like me, who still like parallel cinema.

First Clean Your Own Mess, Mate!!!

The attacks on Indians in Australia are shameful and my heart goes out to those who have suffered the violence. The news of the various incidents is there on every news channel and the Indian government is pressurizing the Australian government to take quick and prompt action. In the past month, I must have watched at least 100 debates on multiple news channels about how we treat our guests with respect and how the happenings in Australia are shameful. India is creating a buzz across the globe regarding the incidents. But do we really have the right to point fingers at the Australians? Am not saying that what is happening to Indians in Australia is justified and normal. As I said in the very beginning, the incidents are indeed shameful and unfortunate. But at the same time, I also feel that we do not really have the right to point fingers at anybody.

The Aussies are pissed as we are encroaching into their country. Every year hundreds and thousands of students get into Australian universities. I am not really sure how the system works over there but my guess is that some Australians will be missing out on seats in good colleges…as now Indians are taking them. Same goes for employment opportunities. I have two friends who have moved to Australia. Like them, there would be several others. This scenario must be affecting the employment opportunities of the locals. So they are pissed….anyone would be. But does that make their actions justified? Not at all. I will again emphasize that I am not trying to justify the actions of those Australians who are behind the violent incidents in Australia. I am just saying that we do not really have a right to point fingers. And that’s because we are culprits as well.

Don’t we know about the violence in Maharashtra against North Indians (especially against people from Bihar and UP)? Don’t we know about the growing hostility towards “outsiders” in Bangalore? Don’t we know about the attacks on Bihari laborers in Assam? Don’t we know about the divide between Bengali porters and Bihari porters in Kolkata? When people in India travel to another place within India for better employment opportunities, the “locals” get hostile towards the “outsiders”. There is nothing that can be more shameful. After all, everyone has a right to look for better opportunities. What do people in states like Bihar have? The state has high population, highest poverty, highest corruption…and lowest employment opportunities. Now, if a poor Bihari goes to Maharashtra to drive a taxi or to clean the toilets, he has a right to do that. But “locals” get angry. They beat the poor Bihari and burn his taxi. Is that fair? Not at all. But we let that happen in our own country. So when a poor Indian goes to Australia to drive a taxi or to clean the toilets and gets beaten up……we should not be questioning that.

Jab kisi se koi gila rakhna,
Saamne apne aaina rakhna.

Thanks to the dispute between bollywood producers and multiplexes, there were not many movies that are releasing. Though the IPL is on (and I am a big time cricket buff), it cannot substitute an enjoyment of watching a good movie in the theatre. So when this new movie "99" released, we jumped at the opportunity. It is a movie with "Tier 2" (if not tier 3) star cast and such movies are usually risky. But since we did not have much options, we bought the tickets. And post the movie, we did not regret the decision one bit.

99 is a good movie with a really interesting story. The story did not require stars or the bigger names and that worked well. It is a complete fun movie. Even the violent scenes will make you smile or laugh. Finally Kunal Khemu has picked a decent movie. I am sure there are more people like me who are bored of sitting at home on the weekends and so this movie should work. Go watch it!!!

!!!!

Whats this news?!!? Federer beat Nadal!!! on clay!!!!!! Federer is a great player indeed and he is also a three time finalist at Roland Garros...but still!!! C'mon Rafa, French is round the corner. You cannot let the swiss cowboy get such a morale boost. Get ready and thrash the world at French. All the best!!!

India is the biggest supporter of terrorists

What goes in the mind of a terrorist right before he does something insane and inhuman? What was Kasab and his fellow terrorists thinking right before they opened firing? Dont they think about the outcomes of their actions? Dont they worry about the future of themselves and that of their family members? What do their masters across the border tell them that makes these terrorists forget about the outcome?

I think the primary motivator is the fact that nothing much can go wrong. If they die, they will be called martyrs in their land and their families will get some money. But if they get caught, they can enjoy life in the laps of mother India.

Can someone please explain to me why are we feeding that %$#@...... pardon my language...that mother$%#@&# Kasab? Have we adopted him or what? I understand that terrorists need to be caught so that we extract information from them. But what more information are we looking from him....his sperm count? Why are we even trying to take him to the court of law? What is the message that we are trying to give to the terrorists? "If you bomb us, we will catch you and provide you free food and shelter for the rest of your life". This seems to be the message that we are trying to give.

For heavens sake, put that bastard in a tiger's cage!!! Or hand him to me.

Not that I am a big supporter of Varun Gandhi or believe in his "ideologies" but I want to know how come he is wrong and Pramod Muthalik and Raj Thackeray are not? Somebody told me that Varun Gandhi is in trouble as at the time of elections, such speeches are against the law!!! Not sure whether this is factually correct or not. But if it is then its nothing but a big joke. How come such speeches are illegal at times of elections and okay at all other time!!!! Funny!!!

IPL 2 is back!!!

After so much confusion, finally IPL 2 is actually happening. Cant wait for the matches to start. This time around, Mumbai Indians are looking pretty strong as they have a balanced line-up. But you never know in 20-20 matches. I hope it is as or more exciting than the first edition. Go Tendulkar Go!!!!

Pondicherry: A Laid-Back Holiday Destination

Since last 4 years, I had been making plans to visit Pondicherry. During my a year and half stay at Bangalore, I must have made a plan for each weekend but it never happened. Finally, last year in October, I managed a trip to Pondicherry.

I had heard a lot about the place. A clean and planned town thats pretty "laid-back". People used to tell me that there is not much to do at Pondicherry and its for those who enjoy looking at the sea for hours and walking on the beach. So my expectations were well set. I did not land over there to have a happening vacation.......I found it simply great!!! And I went over there again in December last year.

Pondicherry is three hours drive away from Chennai. The drive itself is pretty enjoyable, given one is taking the East Coast Road. From Chennai till Pondicherry, the road runs parallel to the sea. I wish I had driven the vehicle. The road is great and one can easily drive at 100+ speed. An AC cab from Chennai to Pondicherry costs between 1,600 to 2,200 Rs.

Its a place tailor made for tourists. It presents zillions of options for everything. Be it the food that you want to have or the kind of place you want to stay in or the budget that you have...Pondicherry has a perfect option for you.

The first time we went to Pondi, we stayed at Ashok Beach Resort. It is a hotel with government backing. The tarriff is not low but the standard is. 4K for a room a day wont seem too much but wait till you have a look at the room. The facilities are pretty basic. The rooms do not even have a locker or a cupboard that you can lock on your own. The restaurant is sad as well. BUT....the resort has a private beach!!! Now, one limitation that Pondicherry has is that it has hardly any beaches. Ashok is probably the only resort/hotel that has a private beach. And thats a major plus. The place is outside Pondi (11 kms outside). Stay over there for the private beach and if you have arranged for a vehicle.

In the second trip, we stayed at Ginger Hotel. It was December. We went over there on Christmas Eve. So, we did not have much options left. Ginger was one of the few options and it was coming out to be pretty inexpensive. But Ginger truly surprised us. It was our first stay at Ginger. The rooms are pretty nice and clean. They are small but they have most of the things that you would require. Moreover, they do not charge you a fortune. I have this funda that any place you go, you should spend the least on accomodation. Then use all the money to explore the place, buy things, eat and............of course drink. I found Ginger pretty impressive and I recommend it to everyone.

Whenever we go to any tourist place in India that far away from our home, we have to depend on city tour operators/hired cabs to explore the city. Thats never a pretty good idea as one misses out on the true flavor of the place. Pondicherry is one of the very few places in India where you can hire a two-wheeler (bike, scooter, bicycle). A personal vehicle provides the required mobility. In both the trips, we did exactly that. The better bikes are reserved for the firangs as they pay better. So, in the first trip I got a Honda Activa!!!! (poor machine). But in the second trip, I managed to get a Pulsar. That was the best thing that could happen. It made the trip pretty enjoyable and we could visit a lot more places.

Another plus point of Pondicherry is its diverse culture. It is a former French colony and that provides a different flavor. Moreover, the Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry attracts tourists from all parts of the globe. And several of those tourists come and stay at Pondicherry for long periods. One area where this diverse culture has had extremely positive impact is the food!!! You will find some great bakeries, some french restaurants, fast food places, breakfast places....everything. And we tried most of them. If you are at Pondicherry, I suggest you start your day early. Do not have the breakfast in your hotel, even if it is complimentary. Try some of the great breakfast places that they have. Do not expect any lavish stuff....remember "Pondicherry" and "laid-back". There is one place right on the turning for Auroville. (Its right there on the main road and is next to the turning). Then on the Auroville approach road, you will find some small but great places. These are more like shacks. The waiter will also be the cook. the microwave might be right next to your table. Nothing fancy but they give the true flavor of Pondicherry. And one must try the "Bakery Boulangerie". They offer some great pasteries and breads.

There are not many places to see. One should go to Auroville but apart from that there is nothing much. The best place to spend some time is the beach road. Between certain hours, the traffic cops block the entry of vehicles on the beach road. And then hundreds of people come out and walk over there. Even if you are not much of a "Johnnie Walker" (I admit, thats a bad joke), you will still enjoy walking on the beach road. The atmosphere, the sound of waves hitting rocks, everything is simply great. Even driving/riding on the beach road in the late night is awesome. At this point, I will once again emphasise that it is a good place for those people who want to have a laid-back (this adjective keeps popping up and quite naturally so) holiday. It is not for people who want to have a happening vacation.

I dont have much more to write but I am not content. I liked the place so much that I am getting this feeling that I am not doing proper justice in describing the place. But then, I cannot paint that amazing picture with plain words. Go over there to experience the place.

Pic at Suryalanka Beach Resort

Suryalanka Beach Resort

Where to eat and what to eat

The idea behind this blog is not to suggest restaurants. Usually, I pick a restaurant based on what I am feeling like having. The following list has the details of the places that I regularly visit (Hyderabad) as well as what I like to have over there (you are free to take a cue);

• Fusion 9. I love the lamb lasagna over there. It is a great restaurant with pretty good ambience. The food is slightly on the costlier side but good things never come cheap. Good place for an evening dinner. Not so quiet though.
• Shanbagh. I like the "Tomato Bath" over there. I am talking about the Shanbagh (old one) on Panjagutta circle (between Hyderabad Central and Bajaj Electronics). It is a typical "tiffins" or "meals' place. Great place to have breakfast, given you like south indian dishes. The ambience is pretty basic though. They do have an AC restaurant. Crowd is decent and so one can go with family.
• Paradise. Obviously the chicken biryani.
• Green Park. I go over there for the "Midnight Biryani". I am not crazy about their biryani but its the chicken haleem thats great. I must admit that I have never tasted haleem at an authentic haleem place. I have always tried it at star hotels. Green Park is my favorite
• Tiwary Brothers. I go over there for kachauri, jalebi and...........a dose of bhojpuri!!! It is not a restaurant but just a sweet shop (pretty big one at that) on the Khairatabad junction. You must try the Kachauris and jalebis over there. The staff is from eastern UP or Bihar. Their talks take me back to my hometown. Kabhi Bihar U.P aakar dekho, mehmaan ko hum bhagwaan ki tarah maante hain!!!
• Anji's. Poori-Bhaaji. Don't pull out your hair trying to locate this place. It is just a stall run by a guy named Anji. The place is right on top of Nagarjuna Hills. The stall is right infront of the old building of ICFAI Business School (the place I did my MBA from). I had breakfast/lunch on the stall daily, for almost two years!!! It has an emotional connect as well. Do not know whether it is still there or not. I last went there two years back.
• Suprabhata. Gobi Rice is a must have. Another one of those lesser known "meals" places. Its right there on the Punjagutta junction. Its Gobi Rice is popular even outside Hyderabad. But it is a pretty small place. Suitable only for bachelors. Otherwise get it packed and take it home. Ya, they provide veg curry with gobi-rice. Ask for sambar instead.
• Bombay Blues. I must have had their "Cheesy Chicken Pasta" with beer a zillion times. Their "Sizzling Chilly Chicken" is great as well. Nice restaurant with good ambience. Its in Hyderabad Central.
• Ohri's Gufaa. Talwaar Kabab is simply awesome.

There are several other places that I like and frequent(Tabla, Barbecue Nation, Utsav, Zafraan, Chhatees.....) but there is no particular dish that has appealed to me. I will keep trying!!!

And ya, there is another place that is pretty good for "Chilly Paneer", "Chicken Biryani", "Rajma Chawal", "Chocolate Cake" and several other things. Its my place. (paani mein rahna hai to magar (read: my wife) se bair nahi rakhunga). You are most welcome.

Trip to Car Museum (Hyderabad)

Couple of months back, on a lazy weekend afternoon, me and my wife decided that we should go out somewhere. Enough of sitting at home and having the same routine weekend. But where to go? Hyderabad does not serve many options. Then I remembered reading about a car museum somewhere in Hyderabad. We searched for the address on the net and within half an hour, we were on the road.

The place is called "Sudha Cars" (The name of the owner and the person who builds those cars is Sudhakar). It has theme cars, bikes & cycles. To give an example, it has a "kick-start" Rolls Royce with Bajaj scooter's engine!!! The place has pretty interesting stuff. But it is poorly maintained. The trip was not enjoyable at all. It is a small place and one can see all the stuff in half an hour. Not worth the one hour drive (one way). Moreover, there is not much you can do over there. There is a small shop selling refreshments but it does not offer much. The shop does sell miniature models of the models in the museum. But the quality of those toys is extremely poor (quite an understatement). I hate to admit but I am really fond of toys. Stuff like toy cars really appeal to me. But none of the stuff on sale over there appealed to me.


So Mr. Sudhakar, first of all, let me tell you that you have an exceptional talent. Some of the stuff at your place is very interesting. But you must do something to enhance the overall experience of the visitors. You should try to make the place worth a visit. I agree that people do visit your place. But that is coz there is a dearth of options in Hyderabad and also because the people you take the city tours "have to" come to your place. For starters, make your place clean. It is not very dirty but it is not clean either. Then there should be a bigger refreshment stall, with more options. Improve the quality of miniature models that you sell. Stuff that is sold on traffic signals has a better quality. If it gets better, it will find more buyers (I will definitely be one of them). You can start some rides where people can pay and ride/drive some of your work of art. You can also take orders and make/sell some products. All this will generate good revenue which can be invested in giving the place a facelift, in making new stuff or for simply buying a real car!!!


One last suggestion. Do not ever give up this hobby/passion. You are pretty good at it. Moreover, Hyderabad needs such places.

From the two trips to Pondicherry (Trip diary will follow)

Are we too liberal?

Recently, I watched the movie "Shaurya". It is inspired by the hollywood flick "A Few Good Men" but is not in any manner a loose adaptation. The plot may be similar but the issue is pretty different. The movie shows a Brigadier in the Indian Army who, due to some unfortunate incidents in his life, has developed extreme hatred towards muslims. He is a devoted soldier, a patriot but he wants to kill all muslims. His ways and actions are way too extreme and like most Hindi movies, the truth triumphs in the end, and the Brigadier goes to jail. I am not here to discuss the movie. But the issue that I am concerned about has a close link.

Except those of us who are part of any Hindu extremist party or group, everyone else must have agreed to and liked the end of the movie. Forget about others, I liked the end. There is no place for such radical ideologies in an organization like the Indian Army....or for that matter, anywhere. No matter what had happened to the character in personal life, nothing can justify such actions. In real life, any such actions should be severely punished.

There have been several terrorist attacks on India. Most of those are conducted by muslims. Being a very patriotic person, I feel bad whenever such an incident takes place. But I have nothing against the muslims. I do not generalize. I do not have extremist ideologies and I certainly do not want all the muslims to killed. I feel that they are as much a part of my country as I am. But I do think that we are very liberal towards some of them.

Coming to the point that I want to make, there was an incident that took place in Srinagar on 15th August 2008. In the morning, Indian Tricolor was hoisted in an area (I think it was called Lal Chowk). By the evening, hundreds of people gathered in that area, they ripped the Indian flag and burnt it. They put the flag of Jamaat-e-Islami (which looks like the Pakistani flag). They were shouting the pro-pakistan slogans like, "Jiyo, jiyo Pakistan, hum hain Pakistani" (Long Live Pakistan, we are Pakistanis). I truly wish the Brigadier from the movie was there. Any act of disrespect towards India and Indian flag should not be tolerated. The army/police/CRPF should have opened fire on those bastards and killed each one of them. I agree that each one of them might have a story to tell or a scar to show but nothing....NOTHING AT ALL can justify such actions. Anyone should try burning a Pakistani flag in Pakistan. People will burn the person alive. But, for some inexplicable reason, we are way too liberal.

I do not think I need to state this, but for the record, I have nothing against the muslims or any other community. But, I want all those people who show or have shown disrespect towards my country to burn in HELL. Period.

Wanted to write this since last several months. Feeling slightly relieved but not happy.