Trip to Ooty

Last June, my wife and I went on a trip to Ooty. This trip was planned at the last minute as we were not sure whether we will be able to make the trip or not. I was waiting for a project to end and any delay would have made this trip impossible as my wife was about to enter a new, long-term project. Thankfully, things fell in place and we decided to have a 4 day trip to Ooty.

Through my research about Ooty, I found out that it is a fairly commercialized place and hotels for any kind of budget are available. Trouble was that it was a weekend and lots of people from Bangalore and Coimbatore were expected. We tried to book a hotel but found out that most “recommended” places were sold out for the weekend. Though cheaper options were available, we decided to stay at Taj Savoy Resort on the first day of our trip. We decided that we will stay at three different hotels during our four day trip at Ooty. The idea was to know more about the kind of hotels that are there in Ooty and also enjoy different view each day!!! Here is how the trip went;

Getting There

From Hyderabad, the best option for reaching Ooty is by air, especially if it is not a long trip. Train or road journey would have been much cheaper but they would have been time consuming. Moreover, they would have left the body tired which is not good for a short trip. In any case, there are no direct trains for Ooty from Hyderabad. So, we took a flight to Coimbatore. We took a morning flight on Saturday, June 19. It was a Spice Jet flight and though we made the booking at the last minute, we got a fairly good rate.

Before starting our journey, I arranged for a cab to take us from Coimbatore to Ooty. I made the booking through a travel agency called Rich Tours and Travels. The driver, Manoj was waiting for us at the Coimbatore airport. I do not really remember how much I paid for the trip from Coimbatore to Ooty but it was in the range of INR 1,500. The information is available on the website of Rich Tours and Travels. From Coimbatore, it takes around 3 hours to reach Ooty.

It is a nice journey from Coimbatore to Ooty. We went in June, which is not really the peak season, but the weather was pretty pleasant. The weather was hot at Coimbatore but as soon as we came out of the town and started the journey towards Ooty, the weather became extremely pleasant. The roads are not too wide, which is typical of roads in the hills. Driving on these roads is certainly not for the weak-hearted. However, we were in the experienced hands of Manoj, who is a resident of Ooty and has made this trip a zillion times. Manoj was pretty polite and was fairly talkative (but not cocky). Throughout the journey, he gave valuable suggestions of what to do at Ooty, Dos and Donts etc. At first, I was under the impression that he is only trying to get more business but later found out that it was not the case. He was just being helpful. The journey is especially great for the shutterbugs as the mountains, clouds, tea gardens and the monkeys give enough opportunities to click some great pictures. We stopped several times during our journey to do exactly that.

Day 1: Saturday, 19 June to Sunday, 20th June 2010

We reached Taj Savoy at around 11:30 in the morning. Though it was not a peak season, there was rush at the resort and all the rooms were booked. We had made prior bookings and had got a room at INR 9,500 (inclusive of three meals as well as taxes). It is not inexpensive but they charge much more in the peak season. In any case, we did not have much of an option as Taj Savoy was the only decent option left…thanks to the weekend rush.

Taj Savoy is a pretty nice property. The rooms are clean and comfortable, something you expect from Taj and for that matter any hotel/resort where you are shelling out 9,500 for a day’s stay!!! The rooms have a fireplace and the staff sets up the fire when asked. It has a good restaurant and pretty decent bar. Infact, Taj Savoy is the only option in Ooty for having good hard drinks. Most of the hotels/resorts in Ooty do not have a liquor license!!! (shameful!!!) Moreover, there are not many liquor shops in Ooty. In any case, the liquor shops in Ooty do not sell most branded liquor. In one shop, when I asked for Vodka the shopkeeper gave me a look as if I am asking about UFOs. So, if you are planning a trip to Ooty, please carry your liquor.

Coming back to the Taj Savoy resort, it has a lot of options for recreation. It has nice lawns, options of indoor games like table tennis, carrom, chess, outdoor games like cricket, football, volleyball, cycling etc. One can take a horse-ride as well.

Overall, one gets pretty nice service at the Taj Savoy resort but I will recommend this resort to only those people who are not planning to do much of sightseeing. If you are going just to relax, the resort is a great option. However, if you are planning to stay out for most of the time then what is the use of paying so much money? Another drawback that the resort has is that it does not have a great view. In fact, it does not have a view at all!!! From the rooms, you can only see the lawns of the resort, not any valley.

We spent most part of our stay at Taj Resort in the resort only. I had asked Manoj to arrange a bike during our stay at Ooty. He had discouraged the idea saying that rains are round the corner and the bike may not be used much. However, it is always better to have some sort of mobility and so I got the bike. In the evening, we did venture out for a while. It was mainly to find another hotel/resort for the next day's stay. While roaming around on the bike, I realized that Ooty is an extremely small place. The center of the town is fairly commercialized and the market area remains pretty crowded. While coming from Coimbatore, we had noticed a resort which was on the slope of a hill. The location was amazing and the view would have been great. After roaming around for a while, we managed to locate the resort. It is called “Sagar Resort”. The best part of the resort, as I have mentioned earlier, is the view. And the room tariffs are pretty low as well. I think it is in the range of around 2.5k per day. Ideally, we were looking for a hotel with low tariff as we were planning to spend the next 2-3 days roaming around places in and around Ooty. Before finalizing Sagar Resort, we decided to check the food in its restaurant. The ambience of the restaurant was average and the food was below average. Hence, we dumped the idea. There is another resort next to Sagar Resort and it is called Hill Country. In fact, Manoj had recommended the place. We checked out the rooms as well as the view from the room and quite liked it. The room charges are INR 4,500 per day….costlier than we had planned but what the heck……you do not come out for a vacation everyday and one has to pay something extra for the convenience. So we finalized and booked the room for the next day.

Taj Savoy: Scorecard

1. Positives

a. Clean and Comfortable

b. Good food

c. Best beverages in town as other don’t offer alcoholic drinks

d. Lots of options for recreation

e. Great staff

f. Amitabh Bachchan stays here!!!

2. Negatives

a. No view

b. Low value for money

c. Not worth paying so much for the room if one is planning to spend a lot of time outside

Day 2: Sunday, 20th June 2010 to Monday 21st June 2010

I could not get good sleep in the night. I usually do not get good sleep at new places. Then the “extra comfortable” hotel mattresses are not for me. On top of that, there was no AC or fan in the room at Taj Savoy!!! After paying 9,500, I was feeling royally cheated. (I think I was the only one feeling hot. It was fairly cold outside, thanks to the rain. So noone really cared about fan or AC. But unlike me, they had not downed a beer and a few pegs of whiskey!!!) On top of that, my wife asked the staff to set up the fire in the fireplace!!! In the night, I had no option but to ask the housekeeping to bring a pedestal fan!!! Thanks to all this, I woke up pretty early on the Sunday morning. I used the time to get ready and try out the functionalities of my SLR camera.

We had a sumptuous breakfast at the Taj Savoy Resort. After that, we played table tennis for a while and then clicked some pictures to prove to the world that we stayed at Taj. I had asked Manoj to send across a vehicle around 12 pm to pick our stuff and take it to Hill Country Resort. We followed on the bike.

Hill Country is located on the slopes of a hill. You can have the view of the valley below and it becomes absolutely beautiful when its gets a little cloudy. Then you can have cloud right outside your window!!!!

After checking-in Hill Country, we relaxed for a while and then decided to hit the road (much to the agony of my lazy companion). Before starting from Hill Country, we booked a place called “Willow Hill” for our third day’s stay at Ooty. For lunch, we went to a resort called “Sherlock Holmes”. After reaching the place, we felt sorry for booking Willow Hill!!! Sherlock Holmes resort has the theme of Sherlock Holmes. It has lots of stuff related to Sherlock Holmes, which makes the resort fascinating. The food at Sherlock Holmes was splendid!!! We requested the staff to show us the rooms and found them to be pretty amazing. They are not too costly as well….INR 3,500 per day. They have a nice lawn with beautiful flowers. Since the resort is located on top of a hill, the view is pretty nice. The only trouble is that it is too far from the town and getting a transport (if you do not have one) will be an issue. Otherwise, it’s a great option for stay at Ooty.

Post lunch, we went to Ooty lake for boat riding. On the way, it started to rain and we took shelter in the restaurant of a resort near Ooty Lake. As a matter of fact, before starting from Hyderabad, we had considered this resort for staying at Ooty. The pics that have been posted on their site as well as some travel sites are truly misleading. I am glad that we did not stay over there.

Ooty lake is pretty calm and serene. I am sure a lot of movie songs have been shot over there. A motor boat ride costs around INR 350. Just when we finished boating, it started to rain pretty heavily but we decided that we will enjoy the ride in the rain. That was not really a very wise decision as soon we started to feel pretty cold. On our way back, I tried looking for some alcohol as that’s the best way to get rid of the cold (and every other problem in life!!!). It was only after trying several shops and riding for 45 minutes in heavy rain that I could find a branded drink…..Bagpiper!!! Not my kind of drink but anything is better than nothing, isn’t it?

We returned to the resort and had snacks and dinner in the room only. The staff helped us in drying the cloths and shoes. They put them in a dryer and arranged a room heater for the room. On our way back, we had bought a bottle of locally made eucalyptus oil. Due to the cold weather and the adventure of riding in the rain, my sinus had started to trouble me. But the oil acted as magic!!! I became absolutely fine in 30-45 minutes. If you have sinus, cold….apply Ooty-made eucalyptus oil…ting tong. Few pegs of Bagpiper helped too!!!

The next day, we checked out around 11:15. Willow Hill guys arranged an auto (they had promised a cab) to pick us from the Hill Country resort.

Hill Country: Scorecard

1. Positives

a. Amazing view

2. Negatives

a. Limited facilities for recreation

b. Rooms are pretty average

c. Room service not up to the mark

d. Overall, low value for money

e. They do not serve liquor

Sherlock Holmes: Scorecard

1. Positives

a. Great view

b. Great food – taste, variety…everything great

c. Great ambience

2. Negatives

a. Little too far. Approach road is pretty bad. Reaching there in the night would be a nightmare!!!

b. They do not serve liquor

Day 3: Monday 21st June 2010 to Tuesday 22nd June 2010

I must admit that I was not too eager to go to Willow Hill. We had booked the hotel as I had read nice comments about the hotel. I had read that it has the looks of English cabins and “Inns”. That is what had fascinated me. However, after having been to Sherlock Holmes, I was more interested in Sherlock Homes. Moreover, when Willow Hill sent an auto instead of a cab, I became even more disappointed. But I was in for a pleasant surprise!!!

Roshni and I at Willow Hill Resort, Ooty

Willow Hill is far from the city and is located on a hill, which has several hotels/resorts. It is a small resort with around 10-15 rooms. Several types of rooms are available but they are not too different from one another. The costliest room is on the ground floor and boasts of a small private garden. As it was raining and ground floor can invite reptiles, we opted for a room on the 2nd Floor. The room charge was 1800 per day!!! A comfortable room with TV, big bed, clean bathroom….what more can you ask for in 1,800. The food was decent. The staff was extremely responsive. The TV in our room was not working and they promptly changed our room. Overall, total value for money.

After checking-in, we went to King’s Cliff resort for lunch. The resort is right infront of the Willow Hill Resort. The place was recommended by Manoj as well as the Manager at Sherlock Holmes Resort. King’s Cliff is part of the same group as Sherlock Holmes resort. The resort is pretty nice and big. It has great ambience, beautiful lawn and grrrrreat food!!! I would definitely recommend the resort to anyone who is planning a trip to Ooty.

After lunch, we decided to visit the Pykara Lake. It is around 30 kms from Ooty. The ride is good; mountain roads are always a pleasure. However, Pykara Lake is nothing great. It is not worth the effort and I won’t recommend it to anyone. After returning from Pykara Lake, we went to the market and did some shopping. We bought some local specialties like oil, home-made chocolates, tea etc. My wife bought…..artificial jewellery!!! Not that Ooty is famous for that but do women need any excuse for buying such stuff?!!?

We had dinner at Willow Hill resort. The dinner was pretty okay but next morning, the breakfast disappointed me. Soon after breakfast, we started our journey back. From Ooty to Coonoor, we went in the toy train. Manoj dropped us at Ooty station and picked us from Coonoor station. Then we did some sightseeing in Coonoor, which included SIMS Park, Lambs Rock, some tea estates etc. After that, Manoj dropped us at Coimbatore airport. Then...we were back to the everyday grind :(

Willow Hill: Scorecard

1. Positives

a. Decent room

b. Great staff

c. Decent view

d. Total value for money

2. Negatives

a. Okay okay food

b. They do not serve liquor

Kings Cliff Resort: Scorecard

1. Positives

a. Great food – taste, variety…everything great

b. Great ambience

2. Negatives

a. They do not serve liquor

If anyone is planning a trip to Ooty, you can get in touch with Manoj (+91 978 627 9297) or Mahar (+91 984 305 2696)

Another long weekend, another dilemma. Cannot sit at home for 3 days, so I will have to plan something. However, there is hardly any option...especially since I do not want to make it a costly affair.

Trains are not available. Everyone seems to have suddenly fallen in love with "Bhartiya Rail". Else I could have planned a trip to Vizag, Bangalore, Chennai etc. But that option has been ruled out now!!!!

Driving (Road Trip) is also not really an option!!! Every place is actually too far. Only option left is Nagarjuna Sagar, but we have already been there and there is not much to do!!!

I need to quickly identify a place to go to. Else I would be compelled to spend the weekend amidst Roshni's house-cleaning activities and other "things to do" that she has prepared.

Ideas, anyone????

Sent from a mobile device

@ Coonoor

An Old Forward......But Its Bang On!!!

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PURE BREED FAUJI KID IF:

1. You were born in a Military Hospital
2. Half your toddler years were spent being looked after by Bhaiyas ( no xplanation here) 
3. You went to school either on Bhaiya's cycle or in a Shaktiman 
4. You know what a shaktiman is. ( No! it isn’t the TV serial about half man and half machine starring AB lookalike) 
5. Jeeps & Jongas dont excite you - they were your regular mode of transport! 
6. The only alternative to the Central School was the Army School
7. You always called Kendriya Vidyalaya Central School. Gosh even today that sounds better! 
8. Your entire family could survive in one room temporary quarters with 25 trunks, wooden crates, the dog, the bedroll and two bhaiyas flitting around
9. The smell of Brasso & shoe polish was regular staple
10. Mess was not what you created in your room, it was where you went every Friday for the free "english" movie
11. The "English Movie" was very often a western and you couldnt follow a word! Sometimes you just went for the samosas and the local drink that they insisted was Cola
12. At the end of the month your dad had to pay for many pink slips showing how many samosas and local drinks that they insisted was Cola you had consumed. They never missed any!!!
13. You attended many May Queen Balls before you knew what Miss India was
14. Your mother regularly got dressed, perfumed and dissappeared for the Ladies Club
15. You knew towns like Mhow, Wellington, Deolali and Bhuj
16. You werent a millionaire but hey you had Swimming, Horse Riding, Squash, Tennis and Golf!!
17. You thought the main reason to have a Golf Course was to have a Holi Bash
18. You can still take one quick look at the epaulets and figure out the rank
19. You discussed wednesday's Chitrahaar in the Shaktiman
20. You can still recall the special & particular smell of the CSD canteen! A special prize for the correct concoction - mine is - it was a mix of Hamam Soap, Ponds Dreamflower Talc & Surf I think. In some corners it had overtures of Brooke Bond red Label as well
21. Your vacations were a package deal consisting of D-forms, Sharma Uncle Ka jonga and Arty Mess ka kamra

Why cannot parents listen....at least sometimes? Or is it the case only with my father!!! My father was recently taken to a hospital as he was complaining of chest pain. He was taken to a civil hospital to get the BP and ECG checked. As he is a hypertensive, doctors advised him to be under observation for 8 hours. As that may have costed him 8-10k, he decided to go to the Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi, which serves personnel of the armed forces. The only reason driving this decision was that my father was trying to avoid the "unnecessary" cost!!!

What did he get in bargain? I spent around 12k to fly down and be with my father. Good amount of money was spent on boarding, travel, food etc. But that is okay and am not complaining as it needed to be done. The things that are annoying me are dirty loos, rooms full of rubbish, food which has cockroach crawling in it...overall a totally unhealthy environment. To add to the woes, admitted patients are made to wait in queues for hours before they undergo any test. The reason is that there is no management. Can you believe that in this hospital a person cannot get discharged on a holiday!!! Then next day, he/she will have to wait for couple of hours before the duty clerk, who as expected is not efficient with computers types the records of all patients getting discharged on that day!!! After the agonizing wait, one finds that the Brigadier saab, who seems to be the sole authority to discharge patients is missing from his office. Everyone waits for him to return, which can take an hour or more!!! When all the papers are signed and are in place, the patient is asked to return to the ward and wait for the discharge slip to come to him/her. This is taking ages (This is the current status and me and my dad are waiting for the discharge slip to arrive). So a person who was recommended for discharge at around 10 am yesterday is still waiting for his discharge at 3pm today!!!

But nobody can blame the hospital. an officer cannot complain as he may be court martialed!!! In any case, the hospital is meant to (a) provide free of cost treatment to defence personnel (b) punish them for getting sick/injured (c) make them feel sorry for joining the armed forces. You want something better, go to a pay-for-service facility. Fair enough.

That brings us back to the issue that my father does not listen. I am not suggesting that he does not listen to others at all. But when it comes to such matters where he has to pick between comfort for himself at a cost and zero comfort for himself at zero cost, he always picks the later. Whats the use?? After that he sends his blood pressure soaring over all the bad points about the facility he chose for himself!!! Moreover, he will pick the best for me and my sister...wont worry about the cost at all. I just want to tell him that papa, we can afford it and.....nothing matters more than you. So going forward, please listen to me.

Ranchi: Whats New...Whats Not

During my last trip to Ranchi in August 2010, I noticed that the city has changed a lot. I left Ranchi in the year 2001. Though I have visited the city 4-5 times since 2001, Ranchi looked very different this time around. Following are some of the changes I noticed;

Positive Changes

1. Late Night Movie Show: This was unthinkable in 2001
2. Multiplexes: To the best of my knowledge, there is one already operational and a few more are in line
3. Nice Restaurants, Pubs and Coffee Shops: Now the foodies have the option of italian, mexican, thai food in Ranchi!!! On top of that there are several other places (pubs, coffee shops) to hang-out. I wish all these places were there back in 2001
4. Great Hotels: I have not been to all but I have been to Capital Hill and Chanakya BNR. Both of them are great hotels. Chanakya BNR has a great value for money. Can you imagine a double bedroom with facilities like any 4 star hotel at a rate of 1700 per day!!!

Negative Changes

1. Traffic: It has become pathetic. The number of vehicles on the road has increased but roads have not become any wider. Hence, total chaos
2. Old shops have disappeared: Some old shops with nostaligic value have disappeared and have given way to big complexes
3. No longer a laid-back small town: The relaxed charm of the city has disappeared

What has not changed....and may never change

1. Dharnas, protest marches and bandhs
2. Electricity problem
3. Pollution

Today is the last day of the vacation. Am just back from a trip to my hometown, Ranchi. On the last day of every vacation and before joining office, I start feeling jittery. Its the unknown.....the potential "bombs" in the outlook mailbox, that make me nervous. I remain on verge of a massive heart attack during the time that outlook takes for updating the mailbox!!! Today....for a change I am not too nervous. I will be lying if I say that I am not thinking about the "bombs". But today, there is another emotion that is overpowering the usual nervousness. I am missing my parents like crazy. I can feel the rock of gibraltar right on my chest and I want to cry my heart out (yes macho men, I cry like a baby and I am not ashamed). I am not feeling motivated to go to the office at all. Why do we work? What is all this for? What are the priorities? My parents are on top of my priority list (it should be the case with everyone's priority list, isnt it?). When I was leaving for the security check at Ranchi airport, my papa had this look in his eyes....I cant describe the look but it made me curse myself for not being with my parents, not helping them with everyday stuff...not being there. I am feeling very helpless. But I want my ma-papa to know that I am not feeling this way just because today I am homesick. I feel this way each day of my life. I love you papa-ma and I am missing you like anything.

Pics taken at Ooty and Coonoor

The spelling of "Monday" should be changed to "Mournday". High time!!!

Good Bye Buddy!!!

Last Monday (10th May) was pretty eventful. In the morning, I started for office with a long "Things to Do" list in mind. I dropped Roshni at Infosys and then went straight to the office. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I noticed that the cell phone (my 2.5 months old Nokia E72) is not there!!! I did not have an immediate heart attack as I thought that the phone is probably with Roshni. But later, after talking to her from my desk phone, I realised that the phone is missing!!! Frantic search followed. After searching the car thoroughly....three times.....it finally sunk in. The phone was gone. Most part of the remaining day was spent in Airtel office, 2 Police Stations and an eSeva office. Lost the phone, lost all contacts, lost the day, lost a leave and the remainder of the week became even more hectic.

That day, I realised how life has become totally dependable on such gadgets. I bought my first cell phone at the age of 23. Before that, life was not particularly miserable sans a cell phone. But last Monday, I felt absolutely paralyzed!!! I realised that I do not even remember the phone number of my parents!!! I am sure this will be the case with most people. People store so much information on their mobiles that losing a mobile phone is worse than having amnesia!!!

The day ended on a happy note though. I bought another Nokia E72 :) This happiness had a big price tag.....18K!!! Though I am happy, I will always miss the old one. Good bye buddy, I hope the lucky son-of-a-bitch treats you well.

Everything else is secondary

Short while back, I was standing in a queue in a mall to get my new trousers altered. Since the mall is running several offers, there was a huge crowd. I was waiting for my turn in the queue when I heard the guy in front me pleading with the guy on the counter to alter and return his trouser before 7pm. He tried everything. He tried the "not from Hyderabad and have to reach somewhere" reason (usually works)...."have to attend my cousin's engagement"...etc etc. The counter guy did not budge. However, after 5-7 minutes, counter guy showed some generosity and changed the delivery time from 7 pm to 6:30 pm. The shopper agreed and left the queue with an unsatisfied look.

Then came my turn. After taking all the details the counter guy, without looking at me, loudly announced...."7 PM". I just said "match miss karwaogey" (you will make me miss the match). He looked at me....smiled....and changed the time to 5 PM!!! India plays West Indies in the T-20 Cricket World Cup today and the match starts at 7 pm IST. Cricket is supreme and nothing else matters!!!

Madam President, Please Consider Me!!!

Just read a news article that there are only two hangmen in India. One of them, a 65-year old fellow, has expressed his desire to hang Kasab. Thats touching. I also read that a Zilla Panchayat member from Uttar Pradesh has written a letter to the President requesting that he be allowed to execute Kasab. Hey, wait a second!!! I did not know that such a process is there and such requests can be entertained. In that case, I would like to appeal to the President too. In fact, I should get a priority as I had expressed the desire through a blog post way back in April 2009. Madam President, please consider me for the job. Believe me, I wont let you and the nation down. I will only let him "down", if you know what I mean.

Just watched a movie......"Dear John". A friend told me that its a famous movie but he does not want to watch it as it is "kind of emotional" one. Thats exactly the reason why I watched the movie.

Its a beautiful movie. It evoked various emotions. But at the same time, it brought back some old memories and opened some old wounds. It made me look back towards the past....at a particular phase of my life that ended with some unanswered questions. Now, I do not seek answers to those questions. I just wish that the phase had never come in my life.

This is my first blog from my new Nokia E72. Great phone with great looks and great features. Not a good day though. Lost the bet on Punjab. The buggers can't even defeat Rajasthan!!!

Change in Career

"Lets do something else", "For how long will we do this work", "Lets start something of our own", "I want to do something that really excites me". Those are the typical topics of discussion when I hang out with my friends (usually, I am the one who triggers such topics). And such discussions become all the more interesting after a couple of pegs!!! Apart from the drinking sessions, this topic always pops up on Monday mornings!!! Understandably so.

Everyone seems to be bored of his/her job but "cannot" think of a way out!!! Some people cannot take the risk, some have capital constraints.....the list is endless.

In my case, there are multiple reasons. There is no capital; there is a huge risk involved etc etc. But the biggest problem is that I cannot make my mind regarding which "new career" to pick. There are several things that excite me. I decided to list some of them;

1. Photography. I would love to leave my job and turn into a professional photographer. I admit that I hardly know about cameras (people think I do but when I talk to professionals, I come back with a long face). But I have the enthusiasm to learn.




2. Restaurant. I would love to start a restaurant. I have made plans to open a restaurant a zillion times with multiple friends (read: prospective business partners). But each time it has hit a roadblock with a sign called "No Capital". I think a better option will be to start a catering business first. Its comparatively low risk as it requires lesser capital and one can gain good knowledge to take bigger risks




3. Travelogue: I am not sure about the business potential of this particular option. I want to do it as I love travelling, clicking pictures and writing about the trips.




4. NGO. Sometimes I feel like leaving everything and working for a cause. Not that I have reached the "Self-Actualisation" stage in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Its just that I feel that it will give me immense satisfaction. I would like to work for the elderly but I am afraid to do that as it makes me too emotional. I want to be part of "Project Tiger" or "WWF".

Those are some of the many things in my mind. I am confused....I am afraid of taking the risk....and sometimes I stop by telling myself that probably I am trying to find an easy way out. The bottom line is that I am not doing what I want to do. But ya, I am sure I am not an endangered species as there millions like me!!!

Recently, we bought a new TV. Our first LCD TV!!! Though it is the second TV in the house, the decision was totally "need-based". IPL-3 is round the corner and I was given an "ultimatum" by my wife that there "has to be" another TV for her in the house before the matches start!!! We decided that we will buy a small LCD TV for the bed room.

The timing was perfect. Due to the festival season, most of the shops/brands were offering discounts. One saturday morning, we landed in an electronics showroom....only to get confused!!!

What these electronics showroom do (source: a salesman in a well-known organized electronics retail showrooom) is that they put normal cable in the TVs they do not want to sell. They play DVDs in the little costlier ones. They play blue-ray discs in the ones they actually want to sell. And they play "hi-definition" videos in the "not-for-middle class" ones. We went to the showroom with an intention of buying a small LCD TV but, quite naturally, we got attracted by the bigger ones (32 inches and more). We called up a friend and proud-owner of a 26 inch Samsung LCD TV. He told us that the clarity is better in the bigger ones (more than 26 inches). That solved the problem....only to an extent. We decided that we will buy a 32 inch one but then there were so many options!!!

Sony Bravia was costly and did not have many features so it was ruled out. Samsung looked pretty good. We liked the model LA32B530, which is a 32 inch TV. The clarity was amazing. The MRP was around 44k. They were offering the TV for 38k with a digital camera. I already have a camera shop at home so I asked them to provide a quote for just the TV. 34k was their quote. Perfect!!! Just when I was about to finalize the purchase, I noticed a LG TV. Clarity was pretty good. But it had something else....something that is bound to attract guys. "10 speakers with 700 watt sound output"!!! Obviously I was fascinated by that. But the TV was costly. The MRP was 43k and they were ready to offer it for 40k. Though it was costlier by only 6 thousand but we had stepped in the showroom thinking that we will buy something which is around 20-25k. From that angle, it was a huge jump. I decided to buy the Samsung TV but 700 watts and 10 speakers pulled me back in their camp. My wife, as usual, played the spoilsport and indicated that we do not need a 700 watt TV as we already have a 3300 watt music system. Women!!! They will never understand such things. They are just so.....practical and sensible (psssch). It made be even more confused. After spending around 6 hours in multiple showrooms, we came back home......without a TV.

The next day, my cousin sister solved the problem. She knew someone in LG!!! Its so good to know people who have good network!!! Thanks to my cousin and her contact, I finally got the LG TV (32LH60YR) at a much cheaper price. (I wont share the price as I want you to buy the TV at a higher price so that I derive sadistic pleasure. Hu ha ha ha!!!! And I do not want you to know the price as that might give you a chance to derive sadistic pleasure!!!).

The TV is great. The clarity is amazing. The sound is todu. And the best feature is that I can directly play movies from a pen drive or external hard disk!!! Thats the best part. No other brand has that feature. Its definitely worth the investment!!! Cannot wait for the IPL to start. Feel free to drop at my place for a free demo.

On 1st January 2010, I turned 30. I was not excited about this birthday at all. It is not that I wait for my birthdays and feel special or different on that day. However, this time around I was not too happy as I was turning "30". Most tennis players retire at the age of 30!!! Not that I have secret ambitions of winning a Grand Slam...in fact I have never played tennis in my life. Yet, 30 sounded pretty old. So I was wondering what would life be like after 30.

This new year and birthday could not have been any worse. On 31st night, I went to bed around 11 pm with high fever. On 1st morning, I was admitted in a hospital where I stayed for the next 3 days!!! I hope it was not the trailer of the life to follow.

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?"