Finally, a post-graduate

I understand that it's been a long time coming. I guess it's about time I proclaimed it as loudly as I can. Pursuing a post-graduate degree post engineering was a dream I set up what looks like ages now. After the initial roller-coaster I began to realize that it's not as easy as it looks. Added to this, work and related travel all added to my woes. I must accept that lately it had got to the point to ridicule where everybody began questioning if I would ever complete!

All said and done I must agree that all that 'ridicule' from friends and like was meant to push me on to finish. Well, it looks like it's been decades since I set upon a dream of becoming an MBA. Now I can announce that I am one. It's been a challenge taking work and life outside work (yes, I admit work is still a big part of my life) together with all the preparation for my exams - late-nights as usual and clearing subjects actually. It just isn't the same as when you are in college.

I've increasingly found out that the harder I worked the luckier I got. There were times I didn't read well but managed to scrape in a good paper. God wasn't kind on some of those occasions. There were other when put in some sort of hard work reading for a paper but the paper itself wasn't done too well. I observed that I got lucky in a majority of those cases. Writing non-stop for 3 hours was another challenge. Every 3 months I found myself doing this exercise again and again and wondered about my stamina to do so day in and day out as a kid.

Now, that everything is done and dusted, I must admit that there is that sense of achievement. It would have probably easier for me to drop out in between. My life was getting tougher as were my papers (well, that's not relatively speaking). It makes me happy that I chugged along without giving up. Three cheers to myself :)

Well, this is the loudest I can be - letting the whole world know.

The aura that is Sachin

No, Sachin is not why I got interested in cricket. As a child I thought Gavaskar always batted and Kapil bowled. The rest were just nameless faces I wasn't concerned about. I didn't think much about the intricacies of cricket, neither was I bothered. Nor did his being a little kid when he started representing India bowl me over. I must say that it was somewhere during the tour of Australia in 1992. That was the time I was perhaps feeding on a lot of cricket, almost hoping that India would win the World Cup. That was not to be but that was when Sachin caught my eye. Balance on his feet while batting, as if doing a ballet is amazing. In my opinion this is what makes him stand out even today. The faster Aussie pitches didn't seem to bother him at all. He was already one of the most exciting players in the world.

Almost twenty years later, nothing seems to have changed. He is still scoring runs; plays a lot more shots and is still admired the world over. Commemorating twenty years of Sachin as a cricketer there have been plaudits flowing in; some placing him at the highest pedestal and some criticizing that he could have done better. Everybody is entitled to an opinion and each one of them is right in their own way. But aren't such comparisons unfair to the greatest of talents? Doesn't Math teach us that two variables can be compared only when all other dependant variables are the same? I personally have admired other players of this generation as much as Sachin if not more. I don't quite find it rational to compare. I cannot for example subjectively analyze Ponting for example when he is whacking our bowlers all over especially when I want my team to win. There can never be one greatest batsman if I may put it that way.

One young kid set out to play cricket for India one day. He made us smile, we wept when we did, we listened to him when he asked us to support the team, the coach supposedly confided in him when there was fear of a match being fixed, we missed him when we was not around; let us enjoy the sparkle while he is around. If the recent match in Hyderabad against Australia is anything to go by he will light up a few more arenas before he decides to call it a day. Isn't just that thought worth looking forward to?

Another attempt at blogging

The past few months have been a whirlwind, with so many things happening in life. It's a phase in life which is definitely exciting but something that will keep me on my toes!

I can now declare myself a failure at blogging, though I've started of this piece suggesting another stab at it. I counted on myself being a little more regular in November but it wasn't to be. I do countless posts in my head and like it each time. Words just seem to come in a torrent when I am thinking about writing something. They become mirages when I try to put pen on paper. Just akin to waiting for 'that' masterpiece. Even now, I know I could do this piece much better but I give up. I want to give up thoughts of getting an audience, not entice any comments on my blog and generally start writing for the thrill of it. The glamor of being in the public eye, having lots of readers is far too much to ignore. I end up writing posts for comments; nothing else.

I stumbled upon nablomo recently and ended up thinking why not. I have entered myself to participate in the December month contest not eyeing any prizes, but to at least push myself to write a little more.

Relations

I don’t want to sound profane, but families these days tend to get displaced globally; rendering most of the not so close relations insignificant. Gone are the days when one got used to playing cricket, watching movies together with cousins (and their cousins) during summer vacations. We had fights because of the competition but we usually hung out together only to quickly forget each other at the end of every vacation. Those were times devoid of cell phones and the wait for the next meeting promised much more fun. Cut to present, we don’t have the time or inclination to plan vacations together, we rarely if at all talk by accident. In a sense the spirit doesn’t seem to be the same. We all seem to have resigned to the fact that we aren’t kids anymore. Every single act is measured in the realms of adulthood. Families are so protective of what’s happening with their kids that they can go any lengths to dispel anything that goes against this norm. Competition – not just limited to areas of study or work seems to be the driving force. We pride ourselves on family togetherness but those values increasingly seem to be eroded. This piece isn’t being written to connote the death of a tradition but rather to suggest that future generations have to learn to live with it.

Random rants

Times have been hectic; so much that I have been getting the feeling of losing it. I am currently rediscovering how work can creep into all aspects of one’s life. I go to great lengths to make sure my weekends are devoid of work, only to realize that there’s lots of sleep, movies to catch up with. There’s doesn’t seem to be any time left for hobbies, friends et al. I used to feel weird sending emails; short messages to friends in the city when calling them up would have been the way to go. Yes, ‘used to’ because it’s been happening for a while now. I plan and then re-plan trips, meets with friends but only a meager percentage of them work out. I do understand that this is the case with most of us; how much can we cram in? I’ve been trying to read, write and do sport outside of work with limited success. Travel plans are another activity I love planning. Fact is that they always stay in the realm of planned and never proceed. I’ve attempted starting to read again, and I must admit that there is some joy here. If only I could discipline and coax myself a little more it could open doors to other possibilities. For somebody who wants to take to serious writing, reading shouldn’t be a chore. I must make it more of a habit. Looking elsewhere it doesn’t look to be great time for this world. Most of us are just coming off after hearing news about a typhoon, a rapidly spreading epidemic and security concerns all over. Things don’t seem to be too alluring right now. The rain gods haven’t been effervescent this season and we are told that we are already staring at drought. These were my thoughts when I perched myself on my balcony yesterday night. Almost immediately I saw a shower come down. When it continued today morning as well it seemed to suggest that there’s hope after all.

Where have the sparrows gone?

Remember the sparrow? Once ubiquitous, they have come down to barely fleeting appearances these days. Always chirping away it seemed to be one long monologue when they were around. We had them for company in our house while we grew up. We loved feeding them, and though they wouldn’t venture too close to us they were gracious enough to feed of food we used to provide them.

It was a happy co-existence till the time we felt we grew up and decided to look for greener pastures. Bigger cities, even bigger apartments and more people meant that we don’t have a place for them sparrows anymore. They used the crooks and crevices around human habitations to build their nesting places but unfortunately modern cities don’t provide them that luxury anymore. They probably still are around in villages and smaller towns where finding grain and a place to nest aren’t yet difficult. Sadly, nobody seems to miss them at all. Perhaps we haven’t noticed; perhaps we don’t care or perhaps we just don’t know them well. But, I really miss waking up on lazy weekend morning knowing I need not get to school, ambling to my balcony and being greeted by these wonderfully energetic creatures. I dread the time my kids read about them in books, and ask me about them. I wonder where I will find one to show to them. Ah, what are we turning our planet into!

Finally a weekend sojourn - one long overdue

Warning - Unsually long post ahead. Best avoided :)

Finally, finally, as we promised to ourselves a trip plan to Srisailam worked out. We dragged ourselves out of bed at five in the morning on Saturday wanting to start early and avoid the city traffic as the day wore. Sita and I opted to play the good Samaritans by occupying the last row of our vehicle - that it was an Innova probably helped. Our conversations bordered on realistic to wildly insane. Planning regular weekend activities was an interesting topic, one I would classify as meaningful; using this trip to hunt for a place to setup our golf course was perhaps bordering on insanity.

We drove via the airport. I may sound preposterous but this was my first glimpse of Hyderabad city’s new airport. People had warned us that they weren’t too many places to eat along the way and we were advised to carry some food. By the time we had found a pit stop to have breakfast we were terribly hungry and the place didn’t really matter to us. A few dosas later, armed with some help on directions we were on our way to the Mallela Theertham waterfalls.

The drive was fantastic - acres and acres of land; surprisingly devoid of people. There would appear a few villages in between as if to provide an interlude. These were the only places for us to buy some water or a snack. The waterfall needed a diversion from the Srisailam route we were on; a winding mud road through a village which tested our spines. I couldn’t help notice how many of the houses had Sundirect hoisted on their rooftops; not surprising though. Perhaps it was the only way to access television in the town. The waterfall is reached by climbing down a stair of steps. About 350 in all, it all seemed so easy that were wondered why there were benches laid out midway for people to rest. We realized later that it making our way up was a different matter altogether!

The falls itself were exhilarating. Unmindful of the slippery rocks it looked like people were eager to get drenched. It needed a lot of coaxing from everybody for me to take the plunge though. A very bad fall years ago during such a trip has left my mind permanently scarred. However, I do try to overcome this every time though I might need to be pushed to do it. I don’t regret the fact this time though. After a few initial hesitant steps to feel the mood of the water we finally let go and allowed ourselves to be completely drenched – every nerve, each sinew. The water caught us breathless initially but then it all came back to us in a moment of ecstasy. I was enjoying being thoroughly rinsed when I realized that in my moment of haste I had left my cell phone in my pocket. That ended my fun under the waters because I had to take care of my communication equipment. Thankfully all was well. We sat back for over an hour feeling completely refreshed and recharged, suddenly realizing that we were hungry. A quick bite later we were on our way to Srisailam.

The journey was fascinating. Monkeys emerged from the forests on the road perhaps curious of the doings of human life. The ghat road provided breathtaking views of the dam which sadly was devoid of much water. We reached the temple town late in the afternoon. Munching a sumptuous lunch was our first priority after which we decided to catch a couple of hours rest before visiting the temple. It rained uninterrupted for two hours while we slept. Rain never seemed to relent completely but we decided we should make the visit to the temple on the same day. Walking barefoot towards the temple amongst puddles of water turned out to be pure bliss. The soul and the body seemed to connect with the earth and the feeling was enchanting. We never seem to pursue such things anymore though we yearn for them.

We departed for the night promising to one another that we would start early the next day but our tired limbs had other ideas. It was cold and rainy and seemed like any other Sunday but finally hunger pangs made us get out and get ready.

We took the ropeway down the hill and then a motor boat which was going to give a whirlwind trip down to the dam. It wasn’t as thrilling as some of the one’s I had before (the one at Lake Tahoe still tops, and by miles). The boat trip was breezy. Understandably people were excited. Not that the ride was worth it but because there is something about a trip on water which thrills us. Perhaps some inherent human psychology to not remain grounded – we are thrilled to fly or float. I couldn’t help notice though that the water was very unclean and not inviting at all. We could see the river wind down between mountain slopes towards possibly more interesting avenues (caves, existed there somebody said). But, since we were out of time we had to leave that for later.

Going on the safari during our return was planned and we didn’t want to forgo this plan. The thought of spotting a tiger was thrilling although I wasn’t sure if it would be very exciting if one of those species really decided to confront us. We decided to take the call of the wild though – the thought of a viewing point promised with breathtaking views clinched the deal. There was no tiger though, just a few deer and some peacocks. As we went along I became pretty sure that we wouldn’t see any tigers though. The state of the road seemed to suggest that it was pretty regularly used by people and a tiger wouldn’t really be interested to frequent especially considering their aversion to us humans. My want to witness the royal animal outside the realms of restriction stills remain unsatisfied. I wait for my next chance. The end point of the safari was really the icing on the cake. A view point towards the end of a cliff provided breathtaking views of the Nallamala forest range. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds and one could see the sun rays filtering in from amongst the clouds. The huge trees below looked like clusters of wedges of grass and one could see the shadows of the cloud shifting amongst them, perhaps playing a game of chess of their own. Standing there on the cliff we could feel the breeze beating against my face. We soaked this all in spending a heavenly thirty minutes before turning back to continue our journey.

Though we had lots of sleep to catch up over the next day or two, I realized the importance of taking time out from routine, experiencing the thrill of traveling and catching up with friends. It was perhaps a journey well begun with promises of more.

Beautiful while I sleep

I’ve been thinking about this for a while but have been procrastinating. One of the joys for me towards the end of a day has been observing my wife’s elaborate preparations before she goes to bed. She makes it a point to have a nice relaxed bath and always look nattily dressed. It is as if she has to look like an angel in her dreams. It’s an absolute pleasure watching her go through this routine everyday. Although she’s been trying her best to drive in some of these good habits into me it hasn’t actually worked. I am usually catching up with some personal emails, reading a book or watching the idiot box at the end of the day following which the only thing I can think of is to sleep like a log; whatever state I am in. How I wish – I could be beautiful while I sleep.

Things I'd like to change

I state travel, reading as a hobby; something that I always looked forward to. Work has taken me to a few different places – in India and the USA and it’s been an enriching experience. The last couple of years however have been pretty barren - on both fronts. No major travel conquests to report and I’ve almost stopped my reading habit. I count two books I could barely complete in the last year. A couple of failed plans to Pune and Coorg over the past 6 months haven’t helped matters with weekend sojourns. It looks like a sort of inertia has stuck my being.

Inertia really, because though work takes up a big part of my time, I spent another major chunk of it sleeping! Required I know, but I should stop being a lazy bum and devote a little time to reading and writing. Started reading The Devil Wears Prada last week; also have The Hungry Tide lined up. God knows how many years I will take to finish these two. It makes me sad that I hardly devoted any time at all to reading since school. As good as crime in my parlance and it is something that I want to change in my life. Read a lot more and take to writing. Not sure how good I can be at it but I do not want to lose before I get started.

Better news on the travel front though; we have been able to get things moving. Plans for a weekend trip to Mallela Theertham and Srisailam are half-way there. Knowing how good we are at postponing trips I wouldn’t have committed this here but this time around we have done some accommodation reservations – so it is almost a point of no return for us. Here’s hoping things go according to plan and I can opine a travelogue pretty soon.

To 'tip' or not...

The other day we went to a very famous (and very good) vegetarian restaurant in my city and enjoyed a wholesome meal. It isn't a very expensive restaurant, and the ambience is nothing to die for. In fact there is almost always such a very big crowd in there that it becomes difficult to find a place unless of course you are prepared to wait.

The food though is pretty good and that's a reason I usually end up frequenting the place. Being near my home is a good enough push too.

I paid the bill using my card and decided it's put in a part of my tip in the card to get my bill to a nicely rounded number (Rs 200 sounds better than a Rs 191 for me!). My server confronts me while I do this saying that I was not allowed to tip anything less than 10 rupees. That didn't go down well with me. A customer cannot be told a minimum amount to tip. I pay for the service, ambience and 'IF' I am happy. I later looked at my bill and found out that service charge was included as part of my bill. Now, I make it a point to check my bill before paying; always tip in cash; and never tip at a restaurant charging customers for their service.