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Friday, 30 May, 2008

PAGE 3. And 4. And 5. And 6. And 7….

Bombay is the home of the Page 3 Culture as we know it. There’s a Page 3 Event or a Page 3 Celebrity or Page 3 Celebrity Wannabe just about everywhere.

Hence while we have one out of the seven-eight pages of HT City and Delhi Times dedicated to the party & celebrity circuit, here in Bombay one whole supplement dedicated to that everyday. And on most days this supplement is thicker than the main newspaper. I am also sure that the number of ‘journalists’ hired to cover the Page 3 Beat must be larger than that of all the others put together in the ‘editorial offices’ of these newspapers.

ALL pages look the IDENTICAL. They are full of dozens of pictures of parties and events with hundreds of (presumably intellectually challenged) people clad in (atrocious) fashionable clothing flying kisses to each other for no apparent reason. Every single day.


The newspaperwallahs could probably number all pages in their publication just 3 from the first to the last and I am damn sure it would go unnoticed.

Wednesday, 28 May, 2008

Commuting in Bombay is so Easy!

Ya Right.

Yesterday, I flagged 32 auto-rickshaws before one finally agreed to take me back from office.

P.S: I actually counted. Normally, I manage to get one in 12-15 attempts.

Monday, 26 May, 2008

The Greatest OS in the World!

This is a screenshot of the fabulous Windows Vista early Monday morning from my laptop.

Full marks for speed and accuracy.

(Click to see a larger view)

P.S: Vista Rocks! ;-)

Tuesday, 13 May, 2008

60 killed, 100 injured in Jaipur blasts

Post removed temporarily as it is eliciting a strong unnecessary reaction from people without a sense of humour.

Saturday, 12 April, 2008

LondON-OFF-ON-OFF-ON…

The saga of my love-hate relationship with London this summer continues.
First, I was slated to go there for my internship, then there were some complications which made it uncertain. Then when those were cleared and I was about to board the flight the project was called off suddenly.


Then again I was to start off in Mumbai coming Monday when out-of-the-blue I was offered another project in London with Tetley just this morning.

And this time I may choose to not take it up and work on another assignment instead.

Lets see what her majesty has in store for me tomorrow.

LondON-OFF-ON-OFF-ON…

Thursday, 10 April, 2008

Bhagti Phirti Thii Duniya Jab Talab Karte The Hum...

I had been pretty excited over the last few days about my upcoming summer assignment. I was allocated a fabulous M&A project in England with the Tata Group and was all set to fly this Saturday to London. I was looking forward to dive into the work quickly with all my visa, tickets, forex, trenchcoats and everything else in place. The excitment of the challenge and force of fresh aspirations had really kept me and everyone around me going over the last few days.

Then all of a sudden things turned around with one phone call last evening saying that some new permit rules have come into effect beginning 1st April 2008 and that the project will not materialise. There was no way to make it work now and I would have to settle for another assignment which didn't sound even half as exciting as this one. To be quite honest, my disappointment is hard to contain now. What seemed like a brilliant opportunity to compensate for some professional disappointments of the past slipped away in a second and I could do nothing about it.

I can't say that this is the first time I've felt this way; about being denied something I worked hard for and really wanted for myself, at the last minute. My professional pursuits more often than not have met with roadblocks like this, most of which I have little control over. But that's a separate story and not of relevance here.

The good thing about such events is that they are usually followed by a period of discussion, despair, anger and disappointment which is when someone comes up to you and shares a thought which tends to stay with you much beyond the disappointment. It could be an anecdote, a poem or anything else, but it usually gets internalised in a way that makes you understand life better and internally become a stronger human being; as someone who is more resilient to the ups and downs that life has to offer; as an individual who is more stable and calm in success and failure alike. It is this that compelled me to write this blog post.

This time it was a sher someone told me this morning, which so beautifully captures the truth about life. It isn't a rhetorical two-liner to cheer oneself up but it very succintly conveys a message that is essentially very deep, an explanation of life as it is, a meaning which even texts like the Bhagvad Gita try to convey. It goes like this -

Bhagti phirti thii duniya jab talab karte the hum
Jab se nafrat ki hai maine bekarar hone ko hai
The world evades you when you chase it, and falls at your feet when you refuse it.
Come back to this couplet when you are in an introspective, philosophical mood and you'd realise how much sense it makes.
Here's wishing everyone - Godspeed.

Sunday, 9 March, 2008

The End is Here. Say your Prayers!


What you see above ladies and gentlemen is our death sentence written in ink. 8 exams in 9 days in what is supposed to be the toughest semester of the course. We need a day at least for our 'last minute' preparation and we don't seem to have it this time.
That's it, its all over.
May we all rest in peace.
P.S: Applications are open for the best spots in the graveyard to be created in the Hindu grounds. Hurry!