A strand of grey

I was looking at myself in the mirror the other day and there it was, a bright looking strand of grey hair, right in the sideburns adjacent to the right ear ... Seems I am getting a bit older now though I still cant figure out the reason why I grew a strand of grey at 25!

This week

This week hasn't been a good one w.r.t my health. I had this suspicious looking swelling in my left eye that was paining like hell all through Monday. Then I started suffering from stomach-ache since the last three days. The boil that resulted from the swelling has finally burst today morning leaving my eyelids heavy. Phew! I was relieved - The mere thought of a doctor using a surgical needle to burst that boil was giving me creeps!! The stomach ailment has left me drained ...

As every dark cloud has a silver lining, This week has been a special one w.r.t work. I finished my training and was assigned a bug-fix. I was able to reproduce the bug on my machine. Now I have to tweak the code a little bit to find the fix to quash that annoying bug.

I still need to do a lot of shopping for my apartment but for the time being the photos of Sandy and Meggy sit prettily on my table at home. I got to keep an appointment with the doctor at 8.45 Saturday morning.

Cost of living on the higher side

When I was moving to Pune I thought that they were paying me well or more than enough. The cost of living here is higher when compared to Hyderabad. For almost all the commodities, Goods and services the prices are higher when compared to Hyderabad. comparing with those prices I can't even imagine buying the same commodity here without thinking twice. I had bad experiences here with commodities like plastics, books, clothing etc; Even the amount which we have shell out as advance for leasing an accomodation seems astronomical when compared with a paltry 6000 that we paid for in Hyderabad. Am the only one feeling the crunch? Or is it because I didnt visit the right parts of Pune city to get better deals?

Learning from kids

I learnt a lot of new things about kids in the last two months. Playing with Sandy and Meggy (my niece, Sandy's elder sis) taught me some things which I would never have come to know of if I hadn't met them. They all look simple but were eye-openers.

I never knew that babies when they drink milk through the bottle tend to sleep off in the middle of the feeding session and totally forget to suck in - in which we need to change the position of the bottle to remind them that the bottle is still in their mouth! I never knew that an 8 month old baby can recognize their name (When I call out his name Sandy turns his head in my direction no matter what he is doing). I never knew that sibling rivalry could be so keen that the eldest would totally refuse sharing the toys with the younger one! I never thought that the elder sibling would start mimicking the younger one's actions to attract the attention of the parents In case he/she feels that the other sibling is getting all their attention! I also observed that crying loudly is the only way that babies can express their hunger. Sandy keeps playing in my lap and suddenly - Boom! He starts crying out loud and one look at the clock and you realize that it is feeding time! I have also observed that Sandy doesn't recognize himself in the mirror! I also came to know that babies don't rest their heads on pillows while sleeping! The most interesting observation was that babies always try to swallow things however large they might be!

I enjoy it the most when he sleeps on my shoulder holding tightly on to me or when flashes that infectious smile of his that spreads happiness around or when he starts inspecting my ears, nose and moustache or when he squeals in delight when I hold him high above me up in the air! Living with them (the kids) was one of my most enriching experiences in life ...

New LPG connection

I finally managed to get an LPG connection from Bharat Gas (Their office is even nearer to my apartment than that of HP). The paper work was processed in a matter of hours and I had a brand new stove with two cylinders ready in my apartment before the evening had started to set in. A thumbs-up for the Bharat Petroleum guys. A big-"BOO" for HP.

An upheaval @ CRR campus, again ...

Surfing through the channels yesterday I was surprised to find the Principal of my alma-mater "vattaloori" Anand Kumar making headlines once again for all the wrong reasons. Yes, he was the same guy who was responsible for turning the fortune's of our batch in CRR college around and yes, the students are all up against him once again. This time they even burnt his effigy ("dishti bomma") near the fountain at the gate. The students and lecturers both seem to be fed with his autocratic rule.

Either ways the cream of the faculty have migrated to other colleges and have been promoted as heads of the department! We don't have the student-friendly yet scholarly and disciplinary types anymore in the college. Perhaps the old-timers have still stuck with the Principal. Yesterday night in TV 9 I saw my "beloved" HOD "Gudumba" Suri on the news cast!! The rest like the very knowledgeable and calm "Bansal" Srnivasa Reddy, The strict but student-friendly "Jai" Jairaj, The grand old man from computer science (the-then HOD), The serious yet good hearted and dedicated Ravindra Reddy (The then ECE HOD) and many more have left the college and not to forget my favorite faculty member - Vidyasagar (the-then "Most eligible bachelor").

All this hullabaloo had started, it seems, on the imposition of a dress code by the Principal on the students. These guys weren't dumb like us anyways and they said no. The management used its most time-tested technique to disburse students: Declared holidays for an indefinite period of time until matters were sorted out.

Principal has to be accessible to the students, which he wasn't. Even parents have to take an appointment from him Incase they want to meet him. He can't deny meeting them - Afterall they are the ones who pay for our college! Then there is always the question of not having "campus placements" in the college! Imagine a college, 17 years old, and yet unable to invite any company! I still remember an idiotic company called "Emconmsys" that came to campus in 2001 and asked the selected students to shell out 25000 bucks Incase they want the offer letter. As a last straw on the camel's back there was my HOD who doubled up as the training and placement coordinator for the college and gave training in breathing techniques!

One more incident that happened a couple of months ago - Remember our the-then V.C "Y C Simhadri" (remember his Japanese-wife) who used to roam around campus with a typist by his side suspending people ala "Oke Okkadu"? Yes, Even he was impeached from his position because he was involved in some funds embezzlement !!

We completed our B.E and came out during one of the best possible years ever at CRR ... When I joined the college I regretted the decision. But after my second year it was like a cake walk and I thought the days at college should never end. CRR was in a quagmire when we entered it and fell back into a mire after we left it - We are supposed to have the last laugh!! :))

Why do we only remember poor customer service?

"Why do we only remember poor customer service?" was one of the questions put to the class in one of the softskills sessions in college. True, good service is always expected and we don't even thank the party for providing us with excellent service. But when it comes to incidents of bad service we always remember them. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth. We never want to get back to them again.

Yesterday I went to apply for an new LPG connection with HP gas and was dumbfounded by their attitude when one of them said it would take me atleast 2 months before I get my connection and might take even longer. Though written in the website that it is not mandatory to take the stove along with the connection they insisted it was compulsory to buy the stove from them. Further more it was even surprising when the guy asked me to apply for a new connection with Bharat Petroleum instead as their service was good and also I can expect the connection in about a week. Asking a prospective customer to go to a competitor was indeed outrageous! Yes, these are the same guys who say "Pure bhi - Poora bhi" and "Promise yehi - weight sahi"

I was disappointed - terribly. I vowed then and there that I would look elsewhere for a new connection and even if Iam to take HP I will not take it from that agency. We remember bad customer service because it does leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Shanivarwada fort

The climb down from Chatushringi hill left us all thirsty. Once the thirst was quenched we were on our way again to explore Pune. This time it was Shanivarwada fort in the middle of the city!Crossing into the older "version" of the city was a surprise in itself. There was a lot of hustle and bustle even on a Sunday! My brother made a few twists and turns with his car through those old "gallis" and we waltzed into the parking lot outside the fort.

The entrance was marked by a huge statue of a Maratha (didn't have the chance to look at his name on the plaque on the statue) on a horseback. The gate of the fort can be described as humongous. But once inside I was disappointed to find an empty courtyard. Yet, even that vast expanse of empty land right in the middle of the city was very beautiful. Later on I came to know that the fort was burnt by a fire. The ruins in the courtyard were only an indication of how magnificent the edifice could have been when it used to stand tall! The only thing that was left was the fort wall that enclosed the courtyard. There were steps to climb up to the top of the wall. The height of each step was large. Asusual the climb to the top was exhausting as is
becoming the case these days because of my accumulating flab. But the effort was worth it. The view of the city from the top was great. Sad thing yet again that I haven't taken my camera along. As is in the case of the Chatushringi temple the one more visit to this old fort is due.

When coming out of the fort we noticed a board just beside the ticket sale counter that said that the fort was built in the 16th century by BajiRao Peshwa, the greatest among the Peshwas as a residence. There was also supposed to be a fountain that had a thousand fountain heads right in the middle of the fort. It also mentioned the fact that in those days the fort was constructed at a princely sum of Rs. 16,400. Imagine how much it would cost now just to erect the fort wall today ...

Chatu shringi

"Chatu shringi" temple located atop a steep hill right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Pune city was quite a surprise for me. Zoomed away on my brother's car yet again to pay a visit to the shrine, sunday afternoon with my parents.

The temple was serene and peaceful. The ambience was "reddish". The climb to the top was nothing short of exhausting reminding me of the fact that I was putting on flab! If I was "breathless" on the way up, the view from the top took my breath away! It was sad that I forgot taking my camera along for a few clicks :(. I shall have to pay one more visit to the shrine to capture the splendor of Pune city perched atop the hill!

"Shop around the corner"

Seen the movie "You've got mail" starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan where a simple "Shop round the corner" is forced out of business by big time bookstore chain "Fox books"? Here is where the "twist" lies. We don't have any "Fox books" in my neighborhood but a little bookstore does exist! I discovered to my amazement a great little "shop around the corner" tucked away in the interiors of Aundh in Pune amidst an array of apartment complexes!

Aptly captioned "Your neighborhood bookstore" and called "twistntales" I discovered it just a couple of weekends ago. There is a play/sitting area outside the shop along with a rack that sold second-hand books. Light shades of green was the signature color on the outside. Once on the inside the personal attention I received was excellent. They were helpful and answered all my queries. They did offer the most important thing in business apart from quality that keeps bringing the customers back - excellent service!

Being a small store, space was at a premium as is expected. They can't stock everything under the sun and so they had to make a choice and yet offered the best and most popular titles of the day. Every rack was neatly named and classified in a no-nonsense manner. Books of almost every genre adorned the racks. There was something for everyone. The most remarkable about the way books were stacked up for display was the shape of the racks themselves. I don't know who came up with the idea but he/she should be congratulated. The run-of-the-mill book stores all feature the regular shelves where we have a chance to look at the top book in the stack only (with only the top book facing the customer). To look at what's next we have to shuffle through. In my neighborhood bookstore the rows were intelligently arranged in a crossed fashion allowing to the customer to have a look at the title on the side of all the books in the stack.

The store was so nice and people were so warm that I made it a point to take my Mom along last Saturday when she came to visit me. She too was impressed. Afterall who wouldn't? People need "Fox books" (to get better deals) but they need "Shop round the corner"s too (for cherishing a warm relationship)! Let us hope that my neighborhood bookstore stays safe from the "fox". It would stay safe ofcourse! Owing to the loyal customers who would not let the "Fox" anywhere even near!

Uttarakshetra

My parents flew down for the weekend. I had to rush to the airport straight from the office to pick them up on Friday night. I thought two days wasn't enough to make the visit worthwhile. To my pleasant surprise something else was in store. All my doubts were dispelled once the rays started trickling in into the hall way in my apartment, Saturday morning.

To my pleasant surprise everybody was up by 6.30 AM, Saturday morning eventhough we were late to bed. Our itenary included a visit to the Balaji temple on the outskirts of Pune. Once up and running we zoomed away on my brother's car - all cylinder's fired braving the disordered rush hour traffic towards the outskirts of the city. Entering into the ghat road was an exhilarating yet anxious experience. Crossing a tunnel was the high point in that stretch of the drive.

Once out of the ghat road and on to the high way the drive was pleasant. The sun was benign enough not to scorch us off with his fiery heat and yet shone off very bright. A few stops along the way asking for directions and before we knew it we were there ... "Uttarakshetra".

Uttarakshetra is a replica of the temple at Tirupathi. I was pleasantly surprised to hear chaste Telugu hymns in the heart of Maharashtra praising he Lord. If the entry by itself was nothing short of fascinating the inside of the temple held even bigger surprises.

The "sevas" being performed to the Lord are exactly inline with those being performed at his majestic abode on the seven hills. Well, this abode of the Lord wasn't a no show either! Wedged in the Sahyadri hills, the view from the temple was nothing short of breath taking!

Once inside the premises the temple all the priests spoke Telugu. The Lord was dressed in all his crowning glory as such the Lord only can be seen on a Saturday! After the darshan and a visit around the four other smaller shrines that were located around the periphery of the temple there was the icing on the cake (For those of you who do not like this idiom - You can put it as a "cashew on the laddu") in the form of a huge free laddu for everyone of the devotees and a very very tasty one at that!

Uttarakshetra was truly worth visiting. For a moment I thought I stepped into one of the temples in Andhra. A remarkable thing about the temple - it is one of the cleanest temples I ever visited. The "Safaai - Karmchaaris" (Janitors) were so dedicated that the moment something spilled on to the ground they were ready to sweep it up!

Can you pass a test fit for an eigth grade kid?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

I accidentally stumbled upon this link while searching on the net for addresses of LPG dealers in Pune. Thought I should give it a try. One more thing - The question paper has a few spelling mistakes.

Anti-Marie ??

Though Kajol looks like a million bucks in the new ad-campaign by Parle, frankly speaking, to me, it really sucks. It looks cheap. Did any of these guys ever taste the original marie made by Brittannia? Iam 25 now and I have been dunking the brittannia marie biscuits in my coffee (in milk when I was a kid) eversince I can remember. I tried other brands of marie too ... like Kwality, Parle etc; but imitations can never match the taste of the original. Can they? There is one thing I noticed - When you dunk the brittannia marie into the coffee it doesnt soften up immediately and fall off into the cup, while the other maries do fall in. Now thats a sign of quality. When it comes to Parle or for that matter any other brand who try to imitate marie they can never beat it because they fall short in the taste department itself let alone the quailty aspect! Now these guys can take the ad off the air and save themselves from certain embarassment.

Burning flab

21\01\2006

I stopped working out since the last two months for obvious reasons ... Had a course to complete, interviews to attend, an unsure future ... Top it all after moving to Pune I was pampered alot by my cousin's family. I can't refuse all that attention, Can I? It was like non-stop eating the result of which is showing across my waist. I gained 3 kilos! For the first time in months I went for a jog early on in the morning. Felt great. Then I did some ab-crunches and Oops! my tummy is now aching - I guess accumulating flab is alot easier then getting rid of it! Let me see if I can burn it off and get back in shape!

5 point someone ...

Just finished reading it last night (or early today morning to be precise). Never has an Indian author's work in English held my attention as this ( Barring of course the extraordinary story of Augustya Sen, "English August" by Upamanyu Chatterjee). It was hard to put it down. The work seems to be autobiographical but I seriously doubt whether any student would indeed have the audacity to do such things in their grad days! The book is refreshing. We get to hear the story through the lips of Hari, one of the four lead characters of the story. Story line is predictable and yet the author's mettle is proved when he brings in a kind of Quentin Tarantino style of story-telling!

Story starts in an ambulance when the author promises himself that he would pen the story of their escapades in case his friend in the ambulance makes it through! The author delivers and he delivers in style! Thus the story begins as a flashback. Once into the story, The other 3 main characters add their own point of view to the story each reiterating the fact that "It is of course Hari's book and he will edit it if we say too much". So much for Quentin Tarantino!

I would never have believed that there would be characters like these 3, least of all in an IIT, had I not seen people like that in a premier institute like BITS. Perhaps the labor and hassles from late high school to get into the top institutes of the country drove them so hard that they just wanted to relax - now that they are in! How true ... Even I did the same when I was into the first year of engineering.

I was doubtful whether or not to buy the book when a line caught my eye: "This is not a book to teach you how to get into IIT or even how to live in college. In fact, it describes how screwed up things can get if you don't think straight." That was it. I bought it and it was worth it!

The story is light hearted except for a few serious moments (even these elicit laughter from the reader because of the sensuous humor interlaced between the lines). The narrative races across their four years. The smile never vanished from my face all through the time I was reading it as it brought back the sweet memories of my college days!

About the author: Chetan Bhagat

Sandy ...

I don't know why, but I never had any special liking towards kids in general. I always thought they looked cute in photos but thought kids to be smelly, messy, crying affairs. I never had a way with kids anyways! The only 2 kids that I ever adored, before moving here, were the daughters of maternal uncle - They were active, cute, intelligent and fast to catch up with things.(I was about 10 when then first of them was born) I used to like them a lot. Now they have grown up. Just like they have grown up I have grown older (not old! :) ) too. There was a long gap. In the last few years I had no chance of getting in touch with any kids in the family. So, no "kidding" around. Moving to Pune was great. But a big surprise has sprung up from the most unexpected quarters and a pleasant one as that! My perspective and out-of-sync ideas about kids were about to be tossed out of the window!

Enter Sandy! My nephew. I was in and out of the city a couple of times last December before finally moving in in January this year. During the whole time he was very playful, cheerful and active. Never seen such kids recently. Incidentally the family had to go on vacation the very next week after I moved in. They were out for a couple of weeks. To my surprise I started to miss Sandy! That "toothless" smile of his, His careless shouts that stem out of his utter happiness, his acrobatics when he tries to stand up (he is till 8 months old) ... I missed all that in those 2 weeks. The apartment seemed terribly boring without those kids. Something changed. My perspective changed. The moment I start playing with him I forget that I am a 25 year-old. All my tensions are gone. He made me discover a part of myself with which I was not familiar with. Suddenly kids don't look messy anymore ... I started to like the little mess they create (no problem - It is not a mess anymore!)