thoughts unleashed

My Half Marathon

2009-12-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

I can finally say. Been there done that. That's because I ran the 21.01 kms, the Hyderabad Half Marathon on 22nd November 2009. It was a long uphill journey all the way.

It all started with the cycling conditioning camp on campus. I ran a couple of 5 km runs and cried and cribbed out of pain for a week. I felt ashamed as a lot of other guys had timed better than me and I was finally kicked out. It was a wakeup call for my tobacco stained lungs.

My chull to be never left behind motivated me to get my act together. I began running with the uber cool bihari and bangaali- sam and soham. We cut down on the sticks and made a pact . All of us cheated our rule, sometimes together sometimes in secrecy. Nights like these were more common than ever before. After all those were our last months together.

We struggled through the next 2 months with our routine evening runs. The idea of looking like Brad Pitt on the convocation day motivated us as well.

By the time I left Kanpur we could run 6 kms like a breeze. It seems like such a small milestone in hindsight but believe me it wasn't. With all the shit we did in the four years 6 kms was more like 60.

At home a month later, I was jobless in the true sense of the word. Out of boredom I started running again. Upon finding the cool group of people at Hyderabad Runners and running with them I decided that I was going to do the next marathon.

I got up at 5 in the morning and went for 10 km runs. It was boring as I'd run alone and the people on the roads would stare at me like I was from another planet. The group usually ran on weekends and I could never get up because of the late night hangouts. With just my ipod, running was a boring task (just like this post) and I just managed to do it about 4 times.

So all in all I had made a complete mess of my training schedule which ideally should have looked like this. I did not do even 5% of this.

The maximum I ran upto the marathon week was 11 kms. But I told myself and that come what may I am going to run and I am going to finish the marathon.

I told my co runners and other friends in Hyd who knew about my running habit that I was going to run the marathon. I did this just to build pressure on myself so that I would not back out. I was leaving for US on the 25th and really wanted to do this one thing before leaving.

I'd also promised myself to cut on the sticks till I ran through and then get back to old ways. Fortunately I haven't done that. So all these wonderfully stupid things served as the motivation and finally I put myself through the inhuman experience of running on this course:

The worst part of the run was that I was running all alone throughout which cut down my pace and the best part was going around the beautiful charminar at the half way mark:

At the end of it all:

Take that bitches:

It was one of the biggest achievements of my life. It was eventful all the way and left me with huge blisters on my little fingers. But it was all worth it.

Next stop: the Half Iron Man

I me myself

2009-11-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ruffled hair with few grey streaks

Unshaven beard and a night dress

An unkempt appearance

Off the sticks for a couple of months

Bored.... 3 mins of smoky bliss

Yet another failed attempt

Two movies a day

Reading novels and working out

to fill the gaps in the day

An enviable routine. Not

Friday nights spell Floyd and Led Zep

The glass smells Kingfisher/Smirnoff

A painful reminiscence of IITK

Visa authorities are condescending

Oil barons have their heads in their ass

Leaves me unemployed

Caught unaware in a web

Rebuked by the lord

Rejected by employers

But...Remembered by friends

Await the dawn

Of a fresh start

Of a bright yet calm sun

Of a new job

But I refuse to give up

I am the second of the mice

That fell into the cream

Sensationalist journalism

2009-10-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Indian news channels' idea of good journalism seems to be getting blurred by the day. I have been constantly observing the decline of their standards, in particular the award winning 9 O' clock news on the most watched English news channel, CNN IBN. The show is hosted by award winning news reader Rajdeep Sardesai.

The nature of news items that are covered and the quality of their reporting has been dwindling over the past few years. They seem to be on road to becoming the Aaj Tak of English news. In particular, the top story on this show often covers stories which according to me deserve no space on national news. I have been particularly disturbed by the one telecast today: Killer IIT student

I am very disturbed to see such a news item being telecast as the top story on the most watched English news program in the country. And the accused's IIT student status being exploited for sensationalism is equally disturbing. It is obvious that the news channel is stooping to such levels as it is helping its TRPs but what is disturbing is the fact this is actually working for them.

The top story of the day has come to mean the story which will get maximum viewership and not the one which has maximum relevance to the nation.

The people running the channel should be blamed for not doing their duties as a responsible media house but even they can be only accused morally. It is indeed a sorry state for the entire country where Aaj Tak with its 24x7 bullshit is the most watched Hindi channel and now even the english channels are following suit.

I am unable to comprehend why anybody would want to spend 15 mins watching a story of how a spurned love begrudgingly killed a girl. The channel does its best to sensationalise it using the IIT angle and then interviews the mother of the victim, humiliating her by asking questions which were both stupid and racist.

I remember a speech by President Kalam where he mentioned how the newspapers in Israel have inspiring stories on their front page and not just a list of bomb blasts. And on the other hand our newspapers are full of blasts and accidents, rapes and murders. Do we read the paper or watch the news to know how many people died where, how and why? Of course I pray that all the criminals/terrorists be punished but I take no particular interest in knowing the gory details.

For a large number of people reading the papers is the first chore of the day and watching the news is the first thing after work. Thus what they read in the papers influences their first thoughts and feelings of the day and develops a sense of frustration/negativity which continues throughout the day. Same is the case with the 9 O' clock news. I wish for the day when reading the newspaper is a happy experience and leaves me charged up rather than bogged down with images of all the bombings and killings around the world. I'm not saying that I want to close myself to all that is happening around me and live in a utopia unto myself. I want to know about the atrocities but I also want to know about the good stuff happening. Where on the one hand there are terrorists and criminals creating havoc, I am sure there are more people doing good and inspiring work. The media should maintain a balance in what they present and make constructive use of their power of influencing the mindsets of people.

Is the Govt becoming a puppet

2009-07-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

The union budget delivered by our babu moshai Pranab da has created quite a flutter in the past week. The budget had a lot to ooomph for the aam aadmi like sops to farmers on power, seeds and fertilizers, increase in NREGA pay and the unvelievable 2 rs a kg rice. But inspite of eliminating the FBT, huge increase in infrastructure spending, a few minor changes in the tax structure and the larger idea of increasing the purchasing power of the people, it failed to appease the industrywallahs and their impulsive disapproval was evident in the ensuing market crash.
One major reason which came to light was the fact that the minister did not visibly ride on the disinvestment wagon, something promised in the 100 day agenda read by the president. This triggered heated debates on news channels with the oppostition calling the budget a complete failure and the govt a bunch of cheats. Although the FM later clarified on various forums that the budget speech was just a introduction of what was to follow during the year and that the govt was committed to controlled disinvestment, it was of no avail.
Disinvestment was cited as the only option to reduce the fiscal deficit of the nation. Though it is important, I believe strengthening the economy and exports as such can also help our cause.

Following the release of the entire budget document, which mentioned the govt planned to reduce deficit by 1 and 1.5% in the next couple of yearsthrough disinvestment, there were charges as to why this was not mentioned in the speech. The belief was that its mention could have boosted the markets.
In the subsequent days the markets behaved indecisively. Finally today, the FM was forced to lay out a plan of placing several PSUs under the hammer very soon and this saw the markets rally by 450 points.
The larger issue here is: are the govt policies being governed by bullies like the FIIs and the CII. Is the govt a puppet in their hands. Over the past year's recession we have seen that they do bear a significant clout on Dalal Street and with the day to day swings of the sensex being seen as the sole barometer of the economy, is the govt being forced to bow down to their wishes. The FIIs seem to be bullying the govt with their landslide sellling and huge buying which follows declarations propitious and adverse to their interests respectively.
Disinvestment is no doubt a huge boom. But should it be forced upon us in this manner. Should the govt be coerced into selling stake in even the most profitable of PSUs to foreign companies? We are hearing of stake being sold in NTPC and some others whose have values of 25K per share. I hope the domestic drivers of the economy and the markets take notice and make themselves a little more inert to pecuniary intersts of the foreign lands.

Vagaries of a confused nation

2009-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

The country off late seems to be bitterly divided on almost every issue and lack of any clear consensus seems to be holding us back, not allowing any changes in our old and rusted system of beliefs and practices. The country is ruled by a set of political parties who are not are not strong enough to take a stand on a sensitive issue and thenbe able to defend themselves. Everyone wants to play safe and flow along with the public majority so as to not risk their vote banks. We expect our politicians to take a firm decision on what they think is good for the country and then be able to convince the public of that decision. Instead what is happening here is that the ministers give in a small hint of what they intend to do and this itself triggers a series of attacks from the opposition and various other jobless religious and activist groups all over the country. Result: the issue is mired in controversy even before it gets tabled in parliament and the minister starts shitting in his pants as he is scared of loosing his kursi.

This sort of behavior can be seen in how the UPA II has been dealing with the rural development schemes, disinvestment, Class X boards issue, Section 377 and many others. The bare mention of some changes in either the manifesto or the 100 day action plan or some press note has led to such an uproar that we only see the issues being debated on talk shows day in day out and from the look of it, it doesn't look like they will make it to the floor of the house.

The NDA has lost the elections just because they grossly misunderstood the sensibility of the common man. It is time they understand that the people are bothered about what the govt is doing to provide them employement and not about how soon the foundation of the temple in Ayodhya will be laid. The politicians should realize that public sentiment should be moved by them and not by religious and extremist groups. I don't think I am asking for a utopian system by saying this. You see elsewhere, say in the US where both Bush ( funny but true) and now Obama managed to take the people along with them in every decision that they took/take. They consult the relevant experts on every issue and then stick to their decisions. Even in France, Sarkozy has talked about the ban of the burkha but before doing that he already had the head of the largest mosque in Paris in his pocket and thus avoided much hue and cry.

Owing to our multi party political system, the various important stake holders and their multitude of opinons consensus building is not that easy in India. Take for instance the reactions to the Delhi HC's judgement against Section 377. The only party openly supporting them were the communists, probably aiming to get some hold on their urban/liberal vote banks. UPA ministers, Veerappa Moily and PC, who were talking in support of it till the previous day suddenly changed their stances to one of being non committal. The BJP and others were were playing for so that they could formulate their response in accordance with the larger public view. Religious groups came out strongly against it, terming it as sacreligeous. Baba Ramdev has joined the bandwagon by calling homosexuality as a disease which he claims is curable. (I am all ears to listen to his ideas and yogic exercises for the same :P) Now with such a range of opinions held by the different leaders of the, how can we hope to come to a consensus.

The public wants to move ahead but the country is trapped in the web woven by these leaders, who by the way, are the only ones to gain from these controversies. In a nation where the majority is slowly breaking free from the bondage of meaningless customs and is open to free thinking, a nation which vehemently opposes the actions of Pramod Muthalik and those of policemen against couples in parks, which supports Pride marches in large numbers, rallies in support of Savita Bhabhi, deems unnecessary the conduct of Class X boards and rejoices as one ( well almost ) the judgement against Section 377, should the path of reforms be such a bed of thorns.

We deserve better but what else can we expect from our politicians, the same people who managed to delay the report of an open and shut case like the Babri Masjid for 17 years, hoping the nation would forget their evil acts. What we need today is a set of ambitious and sincere leaders who are committed to the cause of the nation. We need a govt which can take firm steps towards development and not get bogged down by the comments of a few misinformed critics. I feel Pranab Mukherjee and Kapil Sibal have set a good examples of the same with the new budget and the 100 plan of the HRD ministry and hope the other misfits take a cue from this and get their act straight.

The Playboy triggered cataclysm. Can Savita Bhabhi do it for us?

2009-06-25T00:17:00.000-07:00

Almost every teenager in India(including myself) is pissed of with the govt for not legalizing porn, drugs and paid sex. We look upto U S of A as a matured nation that is more sensible and has legalized atleast two of these in a controlled manner. But not many would know that the Americans weren't always this kool with their Spearmint Rhinos and Naughty Americans. I saw this program on Fox History yesterday with these revelations of the US till the 60's

1) Any explicit or implicit description of the act of lau was illegal. Imagine that and then literotica now. Books of European authors were edited and the concerned passages deleted before being sold in USA. Several books and authors were banned for the same.

2) Premarital and extramarital sex was a big societal taboo.

3) Live in relationships were illegal. Students who lived outside the univs with the opposite sex were expelled.

4) Any reference to sex in stand up comedy was illegal and a few comedians were arrested for the same.

5) Sex was meant for reproduction alone and indulging in it for pleasure was considered immoral

6) Use of birth control was illegal and sacrilegious.

7) There could be no intimate scenes in movies. Skin show was censored.

8) We all know about the homosexual story.

9) A woman was supposed to have an orgasm only through intercourse. Anything else :P was sacrilegious

There were many more similar beliefs, laws, restrictions.... So the society was not that free after all. There were lot of protests against many of the above but it took long continuous struggles before the conservative church gave in. The publishing of PLAYBOY was a revolution. For the first time it brought nudity to the bedrooms, drawing rooms and coffee tables of people. It met stiff protests but I guess majority of the sex deprived junta grabbed it and shagged all over it so it could not be stopped. It triggered the whole movement of the 70's where literotica and the double and triple X's were born. People were open to promiscuity and led to spread of AIDS :P
Jim Morrison had his part to play when he grabbed his crotch on stage in his usual inebriated state. Since then they have come a long way ( what with the 6 and 7 X's)

India as it stands now is much better and thus we need not lose hope. What with BJP losing again, RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena and co rubbed into insignificance, the Savita Bhabhis and Desi Papas strip clubs might soon see the light of the day in Mumbai or Goa.

Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope Rahul Gandhi wakes up one day realizing he has something imp between his legs and legalizes everything.

guilty........

2006-12-11T08:06:00.000-08:00

Being an IITian has been a big achievement.This place has taught me a lot in the time i've spent here.But there's one more thing it has done, it has separated me fom my parents. Of course the physical separation is there but I feel it has now penetrated emotionally as well.

My parents dont call to find out how i'm doing academcally or what i'm upto. Not that they used to, they never did right from my childhood.Perhaps thats one reason I am here today and I am what I am, since i've always controlled and decided the course of my life. I have never been questioned or stopped from doing anything. My mom's just signed the report cards apart from taking care of my nutrition and dad has taken care of the financial needs.

But all along they would know when I was happy, when I was tense or worried or when I needed to be talked to or cajoled or pampered.But no more........
I am largely responsible for it as I never share anything with them. Even at home they would come to know as I would be right in front of their eyes but not anymore and hence they have no idea of the funtimes or tough ones.
They do not ask about my performance in the exams as I have made them believe we're given marks just at the end of every semester and not during it.

I've never in the last 2 yrs let them know if I was ill or hurt or sad,never.......and at times even the joyous occasions go unreported.
Sometimes this makes me brave and independent.
Sometimes I'm ashamed of myself.
Its hardly been a dozen times I've called home to talk to them myself.
I mostly call when I am in need of cash.

Nowadays they dont even know when I'm having my exams. This time my dad called the day before the end sems began to ask me how had my endsems gone and when was I coming home.
Then I told him they were staring the next day and would go on for five days.
I expected them to say a few words of caution and wisdom and give me their blessings or wish me good luck. But none of that happened,infact I had no calls for the next four days.

This I found really surprising considering they know how stressful the exams here are. I get a call each time there is a suicide due to academic reasons but none during the exams.

I feel an emotional divide has come up between me and them. I've never shared my fears and problems with them but now at time I dont share my joy as well.
Even during my pre JEE days they never had a hint of what I was going through or how heart-broken and depressed I would be if something went wrong.I had to wake my father up on the exam day to seek his blessings, something that makes me laugh even today.

But now things are different and I really feel detached from them.
I dont think being an IITian is going to be worth it if it takes me away from my parents.In the days and years to follow I am hardly going to spend time with them and I fear things getting worse.

I am totally responsible for this mess and am not putting up with the job of being a good son.They love me more than anything else in the world. I do the same but I dont express it in my behaviour or actions.I should behave much more responsibly. Living in my small family of friends here I have almost forgot the one back home.
I'll try my best to improve things in the week I spend home this month.

the transition

2006-12-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

Another attempt to resume blogging, hope it isnt a valiant one this time

Its been almost a week since the exams have ended.Though this time the period following their end it wasnt all fun and frolic. The exams itself were a real pain, something they always are butthis time I admit it was the most gruelling fortnight I've been through. Not that I pushed myself by studying for 12 hrs a day, thats not in my capcacity. But psychologically it was really challenging as I had gone into the exams with very poor preparation.

Anyways as soon as I got over with them another hurdle was in front of me, waiting to test my ability and judgement. I was yet again confronted with the question of wether I wanted to change my stream or not.

I was inclined to make the change since the last couse I had done in EE had tested my resilience like none before. For the very first time an exam had brought me to tears and I admit I cried a couple of times in the couple of days leading to it as I really feared my grade in the course. This was partly beacuse of my lack of preparation and rest was due to the relative grading.The 'maggus', people whose sole purpose of existence here is getting the best grades had skewed the distribution in the midsems and were bound to repeat it yet again.
I have nothing against them, maybe thats what they enjoy doing.I do not want to shy away from the competiton but I am finding it difficult as our academic system is catering to the needs and style of the maggus like never before.The exams are a real mockery or triviality I should say.Questions are handpicked from the assignments and the prescribed textbooks.This is not expected of the best technological institute in the country. I believe they should devise better methods to put to test the best brains in the nation.

In almost all the courses I have done here I have observed success was proportional to the number of hours you put in rather than your understanding, now this puts me on a serious disadvantage.

After a few hours of discussions I came to the conclusion that I should opt for it as the system in place in the EE dept caters to the maggus much more than the one in the CSE dept and the courses in CSE are more enjoyable and interesting.
As I had no special liking or interest in EE I went ahead and just hope god helps me get across this time around.

But I sinscerely regret leaving my friends, almost all of whom are in EE. Guys I'm sorry and I will always miss sharing the classroom with you, together testing the patience of the instructor, the JOEY dance, the ai-hai's and everything else...........

awaiting the inevitable

2006-09-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided to resume my affair with the blogging world on the eve of my nneteenth birthday.i hope this stint lasts for long . i am truly inspired by my pal PG's efforts on his blog and his sheer ability to gather a bunch of so called veterans and have them dance on his numbers.
just an hour left before i turn over another page of my life......... hasnt it been eventful , u bet it has a bit too much to digest at times. i had thought this post wud be a reminiscence of the past year but the thought of wat is going to be the fate of my poor ass half an hour hence stops me from doing that.
ur right the thought of the inevitable GPL is keeping me preoccupied. elaborate plans have been made by my pyaare wingies so that they leave no muscle or tendon or any bit of flesh shielding my innocent bottom unattended.
i can picture my poor soul floating in the hands of those four batstards (who remind me of yamraj) and due to the force of the boots raining on my but. guess i wud prefer being on their four shoulders than this.
the flying kicks and footy kicks and those NCC boots and chappals seem to floating around in my memory like never before.
deka has invited people from ever nook and corner of hall 2 to be a part of the baraat of meri pyaari bund........how i wish that the almighty gives me the strength to go through the torcher.
though i have made an attempt myself by putting on four pieces of clothing under my jeans, just hope that helps.

though i am cursing the practice of GPL now that i am under the hammer, i have to admit that it is a lot of fun being a part of the booty men and mercilessly spanking away.
this has been a custom at IITK for dunno how long.for those who r unaware this is our method to greet somebody into another year of his life at IITK , a token of appreciation for many, for others its another method of venting out their frustration
yahaan to har kaamyabi ya naye mukaam ya kaam ka shree ganesh isi ke saath hota hain.

how i hope that for some time something so weird takes place that the nervous sytem ends up with a fault, a temporary and minor one at that. what if their feet stop responding as their brain wants them to and the kicks which may seem very brutal to them actually end up being soft and soothing on my arse.

escaping fantasy land i just hope i am left physically capable of walking on my own feet with no need of a pir of crutches and i do not have to sleep on my front for the next week

my eventful journey to campus

2006-07-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

i've been in campus for 10 days now,have spent some of the most boring and frustrating days on campus.
to get an idea of the quality of time i've been spending i'm being subjected to biplab deka's sinical comments on the world around, all day long coupled with kunal singal's fantasy rides and stories where he is the cassanova.................

work on the project is taking no proper direction as prof harish seems to be taking an ever dwindling interest in the work and i'm being forced to pester him to give some attention and guidance.a large part of the day is spent simulating the various structures i happen to make for the antenna we have to build.
life is back to the same sullen days as of now where everything apart from work seems like an inefficent use of time.

i would like to tell u about the eventful journey while returning to the campus
forstly the nite before i was supposed to leave home found to my utter dismay that the travel agent had goofed up with my tickets and booked them for 2nd june instead of 2nd july.i felt like chopping off his balls and feeding them to his wife as this was the third time the s.o.b was doin this to me.
as it was already 11:30 at nite i booked my tickets for the air deccan flight from delhi to kanpur, little did i know tht i had sealed my fate for a grt ride.

the next day at delhi was a lot of fun though it was very tiring thanks to my dear friend abhiraj. firstly we picked up johnny at the india gate. from a distance he looked like a russian with his face red in the sun and his long curly hair gleefully rushing towards us.
we headed off to the national arts gallery and spent our time attempting to appreaciate the famous works of many artists.it was a good learning experience.

later we went to the zoo, then connaught place and the naval club, more importantly i spent the day with my friends after a long time.

the next day the drama started unfolding from the time i reached the IGI airport.generally whenever i go home i have more luggage than is permitted on board the aircraft but considering me as a student either the fine is completely waived or halved, it was waived on my way to hyd and back. i had my credit card to avoid any unpleasant experience.
i had reached 45 mins before scheduled departure.my baggage was weighed to be 21 kgs in excess. i requested the lady behind the desk to consider some of it and i would pay for the rest. the server was down and processing of the boarding pass was very slow. she entered my details and told me 15 mins later that she cannot adjust anything and asked me to pay 2200.
i told her that i had just 1500 rs on me in cash so i will have to use my credit card instead. i was told that i will have to pay in cash only. i was referred to some lady official who turned out to be a total bitch. she demanded that if i wanted to board the flight i will have to pay the whole amount in cash and not a penny less. till then it was 12:10 and i impressed upon herthat it was not possible to arrange for more cash as the carrier was to leave in 20 mins. but the bitch was undettered and was hell bent on her words. i was amazed at her inability to understand my difficult and the bluntness with which she was telling me that i was late and could no longer board the craft.
i pleaded her to help me and told her that i would pay her thrice the balance amount after reaching kanpur and what not but to no use. that look on her face prompted me to give her a strong punch on her nose so that she could take her merciless gaze off me, my mind was now racing through what i could do and i could see no way out of this mess. it did not make any sense to me why these people were being so insensitive to me when it was totally within their power to waive off a few hundred rupees. that slut's face still gets me fuming even now.
seeing no other way out i asked a man who was travelling with his family if he could lend me 500 rs promising to return them to him as soon as we reached kanpur to which both he and wife refused blurting that they were not my relatives or friends. i felt like saying that its not that they werent but they couldnt have been. i didnt know that even such bastards occupy the same land as i do. i always believed the people of india were caring and helpful but no longer am i under that misconception.i am sure if my parents had been in their place i am sure they would have helped a kid in difficulty and paid the whole amount for him without beig asked for and my dad would have filed a complaint against the unethical behaviour of the officials.
then somehow i convinced that lady to allow me to shift some stuff from my airbag to another carry bag so that they were within the permissible limits of a hand baggage and was let off with a fine of 700 rs and 20 kg weight on my shoulders.

but this is only the beginning . as i was the last to reach the taxiway i was ferried alone aboard the bus to the craft which was an ATR. as i boarded i realised that the AC wasnt yet switched on. as it was time to take off and the door wasnt yet closed one of the passengers shouted out to the air hostess,"kyon madam! abhi aur sawaari aani baaki hain kya?" and i got a taste of the people with whom i was travelling. on looking around i saw that most of them were stout traders and typical UP ke bhaiya.
then as the air hostess moved into the cabin for some work another shouted"arre madam! aap kahaan chali ac main ham sabko yahin chhod ke" and the rest started laughing. i felt like i was travelling in a local bus on the streets of kanpur.then some einstein boldly suggested that that it was just a few mins before we took off and then we could open our windows as the temp outside would be pleasant and he was very serious about it. by then i was totally wet and it felt like i had been standing out in heavy rain for 10 mins. little did i know that i will have to stay in the same state for the next four hours.
a short time later the pilot informed that we did not have ATC clearance and will have to wait for 20 mins.to this some people commented that it was an engine problem and volunteered to get down and give a hand and pushing it to start,little did they differentiate between a maruti 800 and an ATR.
a little while later the mob fought with the hostess and made their way down and onto the runway.it took the pilot to come and force them on board after a highly energetic arguement.we stayed put for another hour in the same state without being served a drop of water. by the time it took off the craft was so suffocating i feared i would suffer an asthma attack as it had become very difficult to breathe.
five mins after take off the airhostess herself fainted on board. while a couple of people were trying to revive her by sprinkling water and stuff some of our intellectuals on board had other ideas, they wanted her to be brought out in the middle and made to lie down in the passage, you can keep guessing what would come up next. it took them 20 mins beforeshe became conscious again.she spent the rest of the flight sleeping.
the journey was a total 2 hours hopping through lucknow and i was dying of thirst but dint have a drop to put down my parched throat.kanpur seemed to be much worse than i expected it to be. mine was the lone civilian craft which landed there and i thank them for that as only about 20 people are put to the torcher of coming to the Chakeri airport.even the luggage was brought out manually and kept in row for you to pick up from and leave.
on finding no means to go back i decided to walk 2 kms with my 35 kgs luggage to the nearest main road.after walking down a few hundred metres i was already gasping for breath under the scorching sun when i met my messiah. this guy, a co-passenger had come from ohio and offered to give me a lift till GT road and i was indebted to him.

this day has cast serious doubts on my view that people choose to travel on an aircraft as it is more convenient and comfortable and luxurious, boy this one was worse than perhaps the district buses of UP.

fresh and rejuvenated

2006-06-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

finally i did end up going for a vacation with my family.

the day my father cancelled the earlier programme as he was busy i got really angry with him and as a result he gave in and we had planned to go to goa on the 24th.
but out of the blue he gave me a call on 20th evening sayng that we're supposed to leave the next day itself.
as on such a short notice we dint get bookings in goa or on coorg(thts a beautiful place near banagalore) we decided to go to kodaikanal.
we flew to bang aboard kingfisher airlines-man its a truly awesome service.at the airport they have bell boys to take ur luggage frm ur car and thru screening and stuff.thts not all,u can savour ur eyes for the rest of the trip-right from the lady who gives u the boarding pass to all the airport staff to the flight attendants to air hostesses they are all babes, seems like they just walked out of the kingfisher swimsuit calendar.
the gourmet lunch too was amazing especially the mousse chocolate fudge sundae yummmieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
the whole day was spent in the onward car journey frm bang to kodai.
the hill country resort at kodai was amazing,the view from the cottage itslef from my bedside window was breathtaking,u cud see three peaks of the nilgiris and the beautiful step farming on them.
day one was spent going to the few tourist spots in kodai and in the evening i went on the kodai lake on a shikara with my sis and i tell u it was no less than the dal lake lest the floating markets.

on day 2 we went on a tour of the reserve forests there and to an inhabited lake in the middle of it which was something i hadnt seen before .
in the evening i went horse riding near the kodai lake and it revived my memories of the days when i used to go riding on the calcutta race course.horse riding has always been one of my passions.
later i went around on the twin cycle with my mon and half way thr i realised tht she dint know how to ride a cycle,even when i applied the brakes and brought it to a top she wudnt put her foot down to stop it an i wud have to balance for the both of us.

day 3 we went for a good morning trek and although my mom and sis stopped midway i went with the guide to the top as we followed a farmer thru his step farms as we went up the narrow and steep paths he had managed for the journey.
though every good view of the valley in kodai was spoilt due to the omnipresent dense fog at kodai we had a lot of fum there and most importantly i spent quality time with my loved ones.
the same day we left for ooty which is abt 7 hrs frm kodaiand reached thr at night.

the weather at ooty played a spoilsport and it was raining all thru the night and next morn when we decided it was of used getting holed up in the hotel as the skies showed no signs of clearing up,so instead of spendind the day indoors we left for bangalore at noon via mysore.
on the way we had an excellent view of the valley and we also saw many sunflower fields and huge windmills,my god these new ones are exremely huge ,much bigger than they seem to be frm far and we went thru the bandipur forest reserve but out of luck and just spotted a couple of elephants as it was pouring here as well.

at mysore i visited the palace,then the fort of tipu sultan and an old jail where tipu used to imprison british soldiers.

the next day at bang was fun,it was my sister's birthday.all my cousins had got togethere and had a lot of fun,we also went to the ITPL,an international tech park built in collaboration with the govt of singapore and i am not exaggerating when i say i felt i was in new york.
it truly is that damn impressive,all the structures,a huge building houses around 200 mid cap IT companies and is abt 16 floors .to give u an ides of its capacity it has an eight floor parking lot for its employees,can u believe tht.

after a masti bhara afty we left for hyd in the evening.

over all the trip was good though not as action packed and adventurous as i wud hv liked and it wud hv been tht way had we gone to goa or coorg,but nonetheless it was all made up for the fact that i had apent five full days with my family coz bak in hyd my father doesnt even have the time to spend five hrs with me in an entire fortnight.
as of now no complains...........

am leaving home in a couple of days and the very thought makes me gloomy but well i got work to finish,so IITK here i come
well i am planning to spend a day in delhi with abhiraj and johnny ,really looking forward to their company after a very long break.

journey begins

2006-06-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

this was supposed to be posted two weeks ago but i just dint happen to do so

its been two weeks since i've been at home.
life's been cool at home
been keeping myself busy most of the time, basically chilling out

spend the mornings at the club swimming or in the jacuzi and later work out for some time,later go to a class for c,c++ for about 2 hrs .afternoons are spent watching movies on the home theatre and in the evenings i play drums for some time(check-make an attempt at playing them) and play cricket with frnds .
casual outings with frnds happen nce in 3 days as my mother wants me to spend most of my time in front of her eyes.Been catching up with old frnds from ramaiah who are in different IITs now,we spend time bowling or playing 9ball and stuff .i wish we had a pool table at IIT to which we had access,we should if the current sports secy stays by his words.

But dunno why I dont feel like contacting my school frnds,even the very close ones,been avoiding them for some time now though they've tried contacting me, a couple of them.
I think all of us(me and my close group of frnds)have got into alienating ourselves from society,i no longer enjoy myself in large group, with relatives and old friends.
this has been a problem for quite some time now,guess we've been liiving our lives much too differently than normal 18 yr olds, we've got a lot more stress, a lot more work hours, a hell lot of more things bothering us constantly and demanding our immediate attention.
i guess we ppl think too much about our future and what we want to be doing and how, abt how we wannna lead lives and ,dos and donts of a successful life and career, abt the various fields and options we have, critically analysing our avenues........................what and what not.
guys right now i strongly feel that perhaps we live a lot in the past or in the future, some more in the former and some more in the latter.
this reminds me of aamir khan in RDB saying "hamara ek pair bhoot main hain aur doosra bhavishya main, tabhi to hum aaj par moot rahe hain".
guess its high time we start living in the present, enjoy it to the fullest and try to be cheerful , this would go a long way in improving the quality of life we live and we'd be much more happy than most of us presently are.

today morning i went to the inaugral function of the wing for children in a nursing home, constructed and donated to the community by my uncle.
the chief guest was the state finance minister who gave an hour's speech and that too in telegu, i felt like crushing his testicles so as to make him stop, then there were those morons,the Members of Parliament and other dignitaries basking in the glory of the boquets and felicitations they were receiving.

today i'm extrememly frust with my parents as its the third time we are cancellling our plan of going on a much needed holiday for a week.

went out with cousins to coffee day ,there i ordered for a black current frappe and what i got was our very own cough syrup right from its colour to taste, guess these ppl (CCD and Barista) have mastered the art of unsuccessfully copying the flavours from outside the country and making a true mockery of them.

i have observed something in the movies i've seen of late and come to think of it in a lot of other movies as well, in novels etc puts a serious doubt on my understanding of women.

most of them have girls who have two guys in their life.it beats me how a woman can love two men at the same time. the female in the plot seems to be sharing an intimate relationship with both the men and is totally unclear abt who she truly loves.
among the two one happens to be the bad boy but that doesnt deter her or make her think twice before wrking towards her motives, i fail to understand why.
its like she always knows that what she is doing is wrong but she always fails to control her emotions when she confronts either of them.
both are married men and she knows that she is ruining their marriages but that doesnt hinder her,she is ditched by one but she meets him on a business trip after 8yrs and both make love the same very night.
the other had ruined her career even before it began but when she ends up meeting him after avoiding him for long they head to bed.

i understand these are american stories and have little relevance to our lives but its like i am a bit confused as to wether is it so difficult to decide or pick between two ppl that u keep both in the dark and have both options open for urselves
and that if ur a bad person and have done something really harmful to sum1 else for ur selfish motive then doesnt it rule u out of his/her good books and list of loved ones forever no matter how physically attractive u r.
its different if ur totally admissive abt ur deed and wanna start it all afresh but here the concerned characters have the potential of destroying the woman yet again,their liking is just to satisfy their physical and other professional needs and to benifit from her role and position in society.
dont woman have the sixth sense or should i say common sense to see through such false images of ppl, i guess they do but now i'm in serious doubt.

recently i read namesake by jhumpa lahiri and the main character there falls in love thrice with diff women,another thing i find inconceivable.
come on how can u be intimately close with more than one woman
i guess if i ever happen to fall in the so called " true love " then perhaps it will be the one and only time.
how can u totally put someone whom u've loved out of ur mind and start going out with sum1 else.i do not understand.and this i have read abt and seen time and again-
ppl love sum1 else and voluntarily go ahead with marrying and spending their entire life with sum1 else for reasons more than one,either it is family or peer pressure or the notion of financial status and needs, and the betrayal is mostly on the woman's front.
on this i would suggest you to read the blog of my friend abhiraj bhal where in he has opined on the fact that woman need men just for their reassurance and on certain aspects of tht i totally agree with him and i am sure even u will,we've had a good talk on this together and the breed of woman is certainly tht way,i am not frust even though i may be sounding so but this we believe is the bittter fact of the way of thinking of the fairer sex.
well i'll add more to this later but for now lets halt my first publication.

mundane thoughts

2006-02-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

wot the .........