The Big Boss Dilemma!

If there is something that is really considered derogatory in terms of your choice of TV viewings, it is surely watching Big Boss. Although, the connoisseurs of classic test match Cricket also find following IPL derogatory but in relative terms watching Big Boss is considered to be a bigger sin. It’s almost akin to the fact that you don’t have any real class if you watch these supposedly tailored/scripted chunks of entertainment doses. So it’s hardly surprising when you find a strange sense of reluctance in some ones admittance to the fact that he/she does follow Big Boss. More often than not you end up gazing which way the wind is blowing before deciding upon the level of your involvement in that discussion J.

But the most interesting thing a midst all this is the popularity of the show despite its predictability every after year. So every year when the season begins there is a general rant that the contestants this time around aren't that good and are boring compared to the last year. Then right from the very beginning lots of new relationships are formed, ranging from brother-sister, father-daughter, sister-sister and so on. And as the show moves on there are those characteristic high decibel fights, violence led short term evictions, brewing romance, late night dim light mushy tamasha, in the loo romance, through the season cat fights, periodic doses of wild card entries and the ever so similar streak of no-brainers.

And not so interestingly even the kind of contestants that take part in the show every year are pretty much the same, so there is for sure a petulant character that stays in the show till the last week, to single handedly take care of the TRPs (read Imam, Dolly, Sambhavana et al), there is an estranged couple to keep up a parallel track going (read Rajeev Delnaz, Dimpy Rahul et al), there is invariably a couple madly in love with each other (read Anupama Aryan, Kushal Gauhar, Upen Karishma et al), there is a drama queen from the TV sops to keep up the drama quotient intact (read Urvashi, Pratyusha, Shweta, Deepshikha et al), there is a bevy of gorgeous models/unsuccessful TV actresses (read Tanisha, Minisha, Mehak, Diandra et al), a representative from the transgender community, a self-proclaimed saint cum agony aunty (read Puneet Issar, Navjot Singh Sidhu et al)and a lot many peculiar type casts. And you can pretty much predict who will do what and what will happen next to the absolute precision. But you are still never quite sure as to who was right and who was not during the week till Salman comes up and opens his card on the weekend. His charisma, his charm and his madness definitely does wonder to the entertainment quotient but in the hindsight its hilarious how the entire nation awaits his verdict on right or wrong during the week with a bated breathJ.

I for that matter brazenly follow the show with the same interest level and invite a lot of wrath for it both at home and among my friends as well. But interestingly the people who detest me for following this piece of crap are also the ones who watch it as diligently as me J. My wife for instance, hates me for supposedly hijacking the remote from 9-10 every night and curses me for my cheap taste and lack of class. But somehow that doesn't stop her from watching the show as religiously as I do and even have strong views on her favorite and not so favorite contestants J. When I counter argue as to why do you watch it when it so cheap and low class, pat comes the reply ‘do I have a choice’, the ever so obedient and accommodating Indian wife J. And the funny thing is all the anti-Big Boss lamenting usually happens either during the commercial break or when the show is not on J. Similarly, one of my close friend who is out of the country for work is so busy these days that he couldn't even call his wife back home every day nevertheless he still manages to catch every episode of the show as if it’s a part of his Job Description. Another close friend of mine laments her tale saying that even his husband is super annoyed with her mania for watching Big Boss and keeps on cursing her on all forums for this irritating choice of hers but then he is the one who sits in front of the TV set bang on time at 9 every night and tunes into Colors J.

So it won’t be wrong to say that people who crib and curse it the most are the most avid followers of the show. If you don’t watch it, its fine, there is no discussion at all. But if you watch it and still cry over it, saying its crap, cheap, class less etc. it’s the most two faced thing possible. Understandably, it’s all scripted, predictable and beyond sanity but then it’s all tailored to keep the masses involved, engaged and captivated. After all, who doesn't like watching a beautiful couple getting cosy and comfortable at prime time at the confines of your living room or for that matter two people shouting at each other at the top of their voices and throwing fists at each other. Can it get any more entertaining? If not, you always have the remote in your hand to switch over and watch something more sensible, sane and classy, as they call it J.

And as the popular adage goes, you may love it, you may hate it but you can certainly not ignore it!

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kin…

Gabbu Singh Diaries 1 | An unforgettable week with my sweetheart…

By the time our annual vacation was coming to an end, everyone in the group was sad for different reasons. One common reason was an end to one of the most exotic holidays we all have ever had during our week’s stay in Spain and the other prominent reason being the start of the same monotony at office all over again. My wife was a little more worried as she was resuming her work after a 5 month break, worried not just about with the anxiety pangs of her new job but more so with the fact that how will his beloved son do without her in the day time or for that matter how will she do without her darling son during the day. She was also concerned about the fact that in the first week of her job her not-so efficient albeit carefree hubby will be donning the hat of being a full time care taker of her son. So when others were trying to come to terms with work related challenges ahead for the new year, I was bracing myself for an altogether new and a unique challenge of being the sole full time care taker of my 18 months old son, Avyaan.

So as the eventful Monday neared, her anxiety rose exponentially and her questions to me started becoming all the more irritating. ‘ Will you be able to properly drop and pick him up from his nursery’ (No, I will book a cab for the toddler and let him manage on his own). ‘Will you be able to feed him his meals properly?’ (No, I will eat his cereals and baby food and keep him starving). ‘Will you be able to sing all his lullabies and make him sleep properly’ (No, I will give him some sedative and let the dose do the needful). I so wished to reinstate the fact that he is my son too but I refrained from getting into any such vicious discussion and curtly kept on replying with a ‘polite yes’. But expectedly she was not so convinced with my answers and kept on feeling that I am not too concerned or geared up for the challenge ahead. To be honest, I was not at all thinking about the week ahead, I was just trying to keep myself as blank as possible with a mind-set to tackle things as they come. As this how I have dealt with most of the key events of my life.

Not only was she worried about the week ahead, Delhi (read in laws )was in a state of numbness, Chhattisgarh (read parents) was breathing heavily too. As if their darling son/grandson is all of a sudden going to get into some not so safe custody. So for me to perform and survive in such a not so comfortable, hostile and discouraging environment wasn't an easy task. But then I was more concerned about managing my darling bwoy well, then fretting this unanimous lack of confidence in my abilities J.

So the day finally arrived and the day started a bit early too, as Mrs had to leave early for her first day at office. She left early but not before shedding a bucket full of tears, probably double of what she would have shed on her ‘bidai’ night, so much for the pain of going away from her son for the first time for this long. I too got ready by the time she left with an intent to keep my entire focus on the man of the hour. So the task ahead included feeding him a bowl of milk/cereal, getting him ready by putting on 6 layers of clothing as prescribed by her mother, getting his baby bag all decked up for his nursery and leave at least 20 minutes in advance so as to reach his nursery well in time. To make matters a bit more interesting Avyaan chose to lighten himself up minutes before leaving the house, so I had to do the 6 level undressing, cleaning up the mess and changing his nappies and dressing him up all over again. So if feeding, dressing and other stuff weren't some task in themselves, this was probably an added twister of the morning. Anyways, we eventually left for his nursery and he had no clue as to where was he heading to. Her mom kept on texting incessantly that ‘when you leave him there stay back for some time, he might cry and would want to come back, don’t just leave him there and rush back…’, I choose to ignore all of it and replied to none of those messages. After all, I was the boss now!

We reached there on time and when we entered the nursery Avyaan got visibly disturbed and started crying inconsolably. It was a tough moment, all the more tough when you have to leave him there crying and being all by himself. The staff there advised me to leave immediately and not to worry at all. I abide d and came out with a heavy heart, it wasn't a good feeling. But by the time I came out, I had 6 missed calls and 8 new messages on my cell, no points for guessing whose no. was it. I called her up and she did all the  talking for next 10 minutes, ‘So did he cry’ – Yes | ‘Did he cry a lot’ – Yes | ‘ You came out immediately’ – Yes | ‘ Can you hear him crying now too’ – Yes | ‘Can you peep in and see if he is fine’ – No | and so on…. I decided to stay outside and stroll around for the entire duration of his nearly 2 hour session and her texts kept on coming all this while. I went in by the end of 2 hours to see Avyaan standing at the door still crying hard and probably waiting for his dad or mom to come and take him home. And this was all the more gut wrenching. I asked the care taker how was his day today, to which she said, he kept on crying for the most part but that’s normal, things should improve in days to come and he will be alright. He jumped on to me and hugged me hard, probably as he has never done before, I could imagine how uncomfortable and disturbed he was with this sudden change in his life. We came back home and he was normal pretty soon. In between there were calls from Avyaan’s mom to know about everything that happened in these 2 hours and probably a lot more too. There were calls from Delhi too, to know about the grandson’s well being. And not to forget, in between I attended some official meetings too, over the phone wandering on the desolated streets of London, outside my son’s nursery, after all I was not on leave J.

Back home, act II - It was the time to cook, cook for Avyaan, cook for myself. So I cooked for both of us,  patiently invested 50 odd minutes to feed him his bowl of vegetable khichdi and then sang him his lullaby clinging him on to my chest and making him fall asleep in about 20 odd minutes. So where cooking for him and feeding him were quite an important milestones achieved, making him asleep was probably the icing on the cake J. He slept well for over two hours and that helped me to complete lot of my office work and answer lot of calls from around the world, giving minute by minute updates about the monster’s day so far. He woke up fresh, full of energy and engaged himself in his own world thereafter, I once again held fort and successfully fed him his portion of rice pudding to complete my last important task of the day J. The mommy dear arrived soon and reunited with Avyaan as if they were meeting after ages. I was told to once again narrate the entire day as it happened ( probably the innumerable calls and the texts during the day were all about discussing PM Modi’s plans for a cleaner India). I repeated the entire string of events as it happened, with a hope of getting some accolade for my supposedly brilliant job during the day, but that was not to be.

The rest of the week continued in the same vein, Avyaan’s crying in the nursery gradually decreased and he settled through as the week ended. The two and half  hours stroll around his nursery and office meetings on the roads of London continued. The cooking, feeding and sleeping efforts went on as diligently as did Mrs’ frequent calls and texts. I kept on expecting some token of appreciation from some corner or the other but Delhi and Chhattisgarh attributed this seamless and rather successful week to Avyaan’s character and him being such a hassle free child and his mommy dear brushed aside any such demand by saying  ‘you have not done anything extraordinary, this was expected out of you being his dad’ and ‘this is what I have been doing for months, have you ever applauded me for the same’. I neither had an answer for this backlash nor had the energy to indulge in an argument to rightfully claim my piece of appreciation. All I had after this eventful week was a great sense of joy, contentment and pride in the way we (dad son duo) have both collectively dealt through this rather challenging week. And for me this excitement and thrill was probably the same as it was when he was born on a sunny Sunday morning J. This indeed was an unforgettable week for me which not only brought me a tad more closer to him but even taught me a lot of things.

And for all the greed for some applause, I would say the confidence that all my friends bestowed on me by pinging me over the office communicator or over the phone throughout the week and asking ‘ How is Avyaan  doing’ or ‘What is there for lunch today’ or ‘ Has he slept’ and so on has been the real dose of encouragement and praise to get me going so well J.

A week seemed to be a long time but salute to Avyaan’s mom who has been doing this for months, my mom who has been doing it for years and all the moms in the world who have been doing this for ages!. You all rock. Thank You J

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kin…

The 2015 Resolution Bustle!

Its new years’ time, time to enjoy, celebrate, have new hopes and look forward to  some new and exciting things ahead. It’s also the time to make some resolutions or break some of them by now or make fun of those who make such resolutions J. And fortunately enough I am not perfect, so I have this habit of making some resolutions and getting mocked off by a lot of my friends for indulging in something as nonsensical as this, but then that has hardly ever been a deterrent. I took some last year and will be taking a few this year too, that keeps me going and excited for the entire year and when your friends know about them you rather try harder to meet your resolutions to a greater extent to avoid some kick-ass banter J. So before I jump on to this year’s list, it’s important to assess last year’s progress J

So the list last year was a rather interesting one and here’s my honest report card on the same –

·         2014 Resolution 1: To write at least 2 blogs every month – I penned down 23 for the year, which I believe would be acceptable by any standards J

·         2014 Resolution 2: To explore the world of sea food – O, I made a killing on this one throughout the year and passed out with flying colors J

·         2014 Resolution 3: To not indulge into any unnecessary arguments or wittily mocking anyone – It’s actually a bit tricky to evaluate or quantify this one and I won’t say I didn't do this at all but I had it at the back of my mind throughout the year and I tried my best to stay away from such indulgences.  So I can safely assume that this was as well not a total failure

·         2014 Resolution 4: To read at least 12 good books this year – And I failed miserably on this one, I could read just 6 books for the year. Mainly because of the relocation and related instability at London but having said that I did fail to achieve this one by a big margin

·         2014 Resolution 5: To gift something really good to my wife – Hmmm…another tough one to quantify and qualify. I did my best to accomplish this one, gifted her and shopped for her throughout the year so that should let me pass through this one as well. But then my wife is yet to approve this so probably this might also go into the ‘hold’ category for now

In a nutshell, I couldn't achieve all my targets but then it wasn't a miserable show as well. And but for the relocation bit I would have rather fared much better on most of the unsuccessful ones as well. Naturally, the show last year does inspires me to do better this year round and be upbeat for the new resolutions. So after a lot of contemplation, the list for this year is as stated below –

·         2015 Resolution 1: To write at least 2 blogs every month- This one remains as is and I hope to achieve this in totality this year, probably a bare minimum expectation for the my love of writing

·         2015 Resolution 2: To read at least 6 good books in the year – I wish I could have resolved for a bigger number, but given the work and parenting schedule I will have for this year, I would rather aim low and try to achieve higher

·         2015 Resolution 3: To gift lot of goodies to my near and dear ones – The happiness and joy this brings in is certainly unparalleled. I did quite a bit of it last year as well but I have that greed of greater joy and hence putting this as well in the resolution bucket. However, more than anything else my wifey is already curios to know who all fall or will fall under this ‘near and dear ones’ category J

·         2015 Resolution 4: To work out for at least 150 days in the year – The least I could do to satiate my fitness pallets and since this in a way translates into thrice a week workout, it shouldn't be an arduous task. And I would really love to be disciplined on this one to the extent possible

·         2015 Resolution 5: Commit myself to do at least one instance of charity -  This resolution is to not only do some good to those in need but also experience that sense of satisfaction by indulging in a good social cause

There could be a few more things that I would like to certainly do in 2015 like being a movie buff, watch a lot of good movies, which I couldn't do a lot last year. As always, to commit myself for at least two good holidays in the year, though I am sure I might exceed this one for sure in 2015 J. Spend some more time with my close friends, as any time spent with them is unarguably just not enough. Be a little more kind and polite in the way I conduct myself and to an extent do away with my carefree and blunt self. If not anyone else, the success of this last bit would certainly keep my wife in high spirits J.

So the clock for the year has started ticking and the pressure to accomplish these rather big mouthed but achievable goals will only increase with every passing day. I hope I accomplish each of these by the end of this year, if not better all of them. As the gratification after achieving anything that you have aimed for is much more than making fun of those who make such resolutions J.

Happy New Year 2015!

Be Resolute J

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kin…

London Diaries 4 | The Festive Frenzy!

The festive season in India starts around August and continues to spread its fervour and joyous spirit up till November when it reaches its zenith with Diwali. So while we have ‘Id’, ‘Janamashtami – Dahi Handi’, ‘Ganpati Pooja’ in Aug/Sep, we immerse in the ‘Navratri/Durga Pooja fever in Oct and cap it off with Diwali celebrations in Oct/Nov. There is one festival after the other that keeps the festive spirit high. Though, after school it has been tough to be at home for all these festivals but Diwali celebrations have always been reminiscent with lots of exciting pre-Diwali preparations and much sought after celebrations. So to think of a Diwali without being at home has been a rather not thought about scenario.

But if you aren’t in India you hardly get a hang of this festive euphoria. London, however is a bit different in this sense due to its cosmopolitan nature and a large Indian diaspora in the metropolis. So although, Janamashtami, Dahi Handi and Ganpati Pooja might not be as widely celebrated but during Navratri and Diwali, places like Wembley and Southall hardly give you a feel that you are not in India. The pre-festive chaos in  the markets, the spread of rangoli colours, a variety of diyas, decoration lights, bevy of interesting crackers, sumptuous sweets and snacks clearly reinstate the fact that Diwali has arrived, pretty much like any Indian local market, days before Diwali. So in this sense you don’t quite miss all the Diwali fervour and the associated build up but there is a lot more to it which actually keeps you longing for your home back in India.

Most importantly you miss your parents, your friends and the very idea of being with the family at this time. You miss those sumptuous delicacies that your mom cooks specially for Diwali, you miss your close friends and acquaintances coming home to meet and greet for Diwali. You miss the symphony of that noisy cracker lit Diwali night, you miss those messy roads on the next morning. And you miss that sorry feeling that you got to wait for 1 more year for Diwali to come back again and engross you in its magic.

But on one hand where you experience this festive void being away from India, you do also have this amazing opportunity to cherish and experience something totally extraordinary being here in London. The Christmas & New Year frenzy out here is simply unparalleled and out of this world. So while we prepare for days and weeks for Diwali out there in India, people out here plan and prep for Christmas for months in advance. Right from October end the festive lights start coming up, the market and the houses alike are all decked up and readied for the festival season ahead, the festive spirit keeps on rising exponentially and you can feel a sense of joy and excitement in the air. There are sales and discounts everywhere and people come out and shop in such proportions, as if there is no tomorrow. By the time Christmas arrives the entire city basks in the same glory as a newlywed bride does on her special day. And interestingly where all this while we have been watching and experiencing the festival time frenzy of the west through Hollywood movies but in reality it’s much more than that. In fact, it’s a phenomenal atmosphere and an experience worth living at least once in our life time.

It would be unfair to compare the Diwali frenzy back home with the festivities at west. But I always feel Diwali has a unique smell and a peculiar feel good zing attached to it that we all experience days and weeks before its arrival and I could easily figure out that people out here also feel the same excitement for December festivities. It probably has to do with the biggest festival of the year everywhere. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic state to be in and how we wish we can be in the festive mode year round and feel the same happiness all around.

Though, given a chance and choice I would prefer being soaked in the Diwali fervour back home despite a near equal euphoria out here during Christmas. After all heart is where is home isJ.

Happy Holidays!

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kin… 

..those were just children!!!

How do you feel when you see a kid falling down and getting his elbow and knees bruised while playing with his friends? You skip a heartbeat, you feel concerned, you feel sorry, you instantly empathize and feel like taking that suffering from him immediately. Kids are undoubtedly god’s most beautiful creation and they make this world a much better place to live with their innocence and infectious energy. So to imagine somebody causing slightest of harm to such innocent souls is unbelievable. And further to this, if somebody intentionally targets and harms these beautiful creation of god, it’s an inhuman task of unpardonable degree.

So what happened in Peshawar when a gang of psychotic idiots barged into a school and brutally killed over 130 odd innocent souls brought the entire world in state of shock. Not even the barbarians of mediaeval era would have done something this heinous , this scary and this shameful. Supposedly, the Taliban cadre to which those barbarians belonged claimed that this act was executed with an intent to teach a lesson to the masses (specifically state army) to understand the pain they themselves were going through due to army’s activities against them. Really? So to teach a lesson you kill school children? Children who probably don’t even know what a terrorist is or what a gun is or for that matter what jihad is. To kill them as brutally as they have done is unpardonable, no act of remorse or punishment can justify the sin they have committed. Any kind of genocide is unacceptable and abhorred universally but a genocide of this proportion has left one and all gasping for life.

Spare a thought for the parents of the kids who lost their lives in this massacre. That morning they would have sent them to the school, the holiest of all places in the world, with a sense of safety and security in their hearts and a belief that they would come back home having learnt something new. But what transpired that morning was actually the worst thing that could have happened to them and their families that day. I doubt any amount of healing or reprieve would help them overcome this tragedy ever in their lives. It was a indeed a black day for the entire mankind irrespective of the boundaries of the nations and supposed veils of different religions. Anyone who has a heart and a sane conscience would have cried as much as those bereaved parents. Surprisingly, the mastermind behind this brutal act is himself a father of 3. I wonder what on earth gave him the audacity and strength to execute this gut wrenching act.

But then a large reason behind this unfortunate incident is Pakistan’s own inability to do something concrete to fight this terror menace. They just don’t know what to do and which path to traverse for the larger good of their nation. They continue talking about good terror and bad terror, good Taliban and bad Taliban but is there anything like good sin or bad sin? Its sheer stupidity and as Hillary Clinton once rightly said, ‘you can't keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard’. Hence, unless they themselves  get their act together, which seems highly improbable, they can’t expect these tragic incidents to stop haunting them.

For god’s sake those were just children, too innocent, too delicate and too naïve to face such brutality.  To see such a miserable event take place is a collective loss of the entire mankind. It’s not just the death of the of those 130 odd innocent souls but it’s a death of the humanity. I pity their philosophy of committing such brutal acts by the name of religion, I wonder if even Hell would give them a place when they leave their mortal avatar.

The heart bleeds and the soul cries... 

RIP those innocent souls. RIP Humanity.

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kin…

The Appraisal Razzmatazz!

The appraisal time razzmatazz in any salaried setup is the most buzzing event of the year. Not so much in the government/public sector scenario perhaps, as those setups are being driven primarily by the pay commission concepts but in a typical corporate/private sector setup it’s no less than an action packed, high voltage TV drama.

So like with any good, popular and a successful drama series the appraisal drama also has a few protagonists in the form of ‘ Suddenly invisible but loaded with some unbelievably irritating facts, Manager aka Villain’ , ‘Highly hopeful and self-proclaimed best performer, Employee aka Hero’ and a ‘ I know you well, stop faking, friend/colleague aka Joker’. And then with such a startling star cast there ought to be some good plots as well to complement the former. So we also have some interesting plots as well in the form of – ‘Plan as never before and shut the yuck out of the manager, plot’, ‘Manager goes missing, plot’, ‘Promote me and who else, plot’, ‘Double digit hike is a minimum, plot’, ‘ You decline, I resign plot’ and if it’s an IT setup we have an added attraction in the form of  ‘Now, at least send me to onsite, plot’. So  let’s breeze through each of these plots and how these protagonists fare in these plots.

‘Plan as never before and shut the yuck out of the manager, plot’. The main protagonist of this plot is ‘Highly hopeful and self-proclaimed best performer, Employee aka Hero’. So although there is still about 3-4 months to the appraisal process kick off, the hero plans hard well in advance. He collates all kinds of appreciations from his key stakeholders, he tries and goes beyond the normal call of the duty and makes his presence felt everywhere, he for sure picks those pieces of work that everyone else in the team hates to work, he even stretches his back to work late hours and on weekends, all with a plan to nail it down in the final showdown. So much so that he even rehearses and equips well for all the what if scenarios that the villain might come up with in the final combat. All this while the Joker keeps on motivating the hero to continue with his approach and when not around he also laughs out loud on his hyper active cynicismsJ.

‘Manager goes missing, plot’. So all this while when the hero is planning, plotting and getting ready for the final showdown through all kinds of attention seeking gimmicks, the villain all of a sudden disappears, not literally though, but in the most funny ways. When our hero proactively participates and drives lot of initiatives to catch Manager’s eye, the villain turns a blind eye to it, as if he has hardly noticed this much anticipated pro activity. And while the hero has been busy planning perfectly, the villain is on his own is taking note of all the weird things that would go on to haunt the villain in the final showdown. Expectedly so the Joker keeps giving some false hopes to the hero by comforting him with those hypothetical acknowledgments from the villain that he has actually never ever given J.

‘Promote me and who else, plot’. So finally comes the D day, the day of final showdown. The hero enters, all well prepared, well equipped with a strong script in mind covering all the good and oh so good things he has done throughout the year which will eventually win him all the cash cows of the year. The manager aka villain on other hand comes equally prepared (much to the dismay of the hero), having done a crash course on company policy and being well briefed on the company’s financial guidance for the year, all this without an amicable expression on his face, at times even with a disgusted one. So when the hero starts his well-rehearsed winning narrative to take it to the zenith and claim for the ‘Promotion’ reward, the villain seems disinterested, almost to the point of being inattentive. And when the hero starts getting a bit restless, the villain throws up his ‘lack of quota card’ this year due to relatively challenging year for the company. This not only stumps the hero big time, even takes him off guard for a while. Joker however, who has already faced it all in his previous encounters, enjoys this anti-climax to the hilt.

‘Double digit hike is a minimum, plot’. Bruised, but not lost, the hero resorts to his Plan B and asks for a double digit hike for all the good things he has done throughout the year. And almost as if he is obliging the villain by taking the bitter pill of not getting promoted this year demands for a fat double digit hike that he is pretty much worthy of. The villain now comes to the front foot, diplomatically acknowledging hero’s efforts, hailing him as a senior member of the team and then smartly bracketing all these exceptional efforts under the minimum expectation bucket. After all a senior member of the team is expected to do much moreJ. So the double digit demand also goes for a toss, though in turn the wicked villain tries obliging the hero by comforting him saying, despite nothing exceptional from your end I will still and push our case with the higher management, just as a personal favour.

‘ You decline, I resign plot’. By now, the hero has already had enough. All these months where he was harping the hopes of getting promoted and grabbing a fat hike through his well-planned efforts, the villain has put all his plans in disarray. With a sense of frustration he throws up his trump card and threatens to resign for being not rewarded for his best in class performances and unparalleled efforts in the team. The villain being a seasoned campaigner tries to cool him down and advices him to not act hastily and rather think again. And promises him that any which way he will still try and do something for the hero. Joker finds this moment of rage and false assurance ever so familiar and fittingly hilariousJ.

‘Now, at least send me to onsite, plot’. The hero by now has lost it, he is dejected, shattered and broken. All his well-planned dreams have been broken by an experienced game player who is a pro at this. However, being in the IT setup there is also an additional carrot that serves equally good as a good hike or grade promotion and that is onsite. So the hero throws his last dice and negotiates with the villain for a quick fix onsite movement as a probable alternative and a supposed reward for his self-proclaimed beyond best in class performance throughout the year. Manager aka villain being an seasoned player instantly agrees to it and asks him to be assured of his onsite movement sooner than later. The Hero comes out with some sense of accomplishment, the villain feels good about his ever so well executed ways and Joker being a joker in the pack just laughs out loud J.

It’s a different matter though that by the time the hero eventually gets travel ready, the next appraisal cycle is on his head and he has to forego his next promotion/double digit hike as well as a trade-off for his last years promised onsite travel J. So more often than not the villain has the last laugh, unless of course if the hero in consideration is lucky, licky or just way too good to be ignored and maneuvered J.

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kin…

63 Not Out Forever, RIP Phil!

Penning down an obituary isn’t an easy task, not just because of the emotions involved with the beloved passed by but more so due to ones inability to rightly express the sickening pain that this demise has brought in. And to do so for somebody whom you don’t know personally, haven’t met ever at all and neither were marvelling about ever in your life, does emphatically conveys the inconsolable grief that this event has caused. None of us would be able to see Phil Hughes bat again because of that fateful Tuesday afternoon. But to imagine that he lost his life playing a game he loved is something unbelievable. This can’t be real, this is grossly unfair, it’s a shame!

He wasn’t representing his country in a war nor was he out on a dangerous space mission, he was just playing the game he has loved all his life. But what has happened has not only moved his team mates but have affected the people across the globe irrespective of their love and interest in the game of Cricket. And anyone who has ever held a bat or bowled couple of bouncers would probably take a long time to overcome this tragedy. His family and friends are obviously going through the toughest time of their lives, coping up with this indescribable tragedy but spare a thought for his team mates and his opponents with whom Phil has played some part of his Cricket. And spare a thought for Sean Abott, will he ever be able to pick up a Cricket ball again and play this game like he has always done? He would be a really strong man to do so and would need as much support from his friends, team mates and family to overcome this grief that might haunt him for the rest of his life, as Phil’s family would need.

It’s not a time to talk about how good a cricketer Phil was, what feats he has achieved in his short career and what more he could have done as a Cricketer, it’s a time to lament, grieve and condole this tragedy. We should in fact pray to the almighty that no one ever comes across this again and may Phil’s soul rest in peace for ever. It has well and truly shaken the Cricket fraternity and its quite evident from the down pour of tributes and emotions in the last couple of days. it’s also truly heartening to see the gestures, support and concern that cricketers and officials irrespective of their nationalities are conveying for Phil. There are talks about the looming threat of 1^st Ind - Aus test being called off due to the mental trauma that this tragedy has caused to the players. And although Phil himself would have loved the game to go on but it should be better left to the players to take a final call on this, as this now is beyond the logics of commercials and entertainment.

It surely has been a sorry week and no words can express the deep infliction caused by this tragedy. This will stay in our memory for long and Phil will always be remembered. The call of the hour though is to show our support and care for the Hughes family and equally so for Sean Abott who should come out of this as a stronger person and not as guilt struck broken man.

Perhaps, the almighty felt that Phil was way too good to bat for the Australian team and play with the mortals out here, so he called him up to be the opening batsman for his own line up.

RIP Phil, you ll be missed!

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Clean India - Dream India!

I was interacting with one of my friend sometime back and was ruing the fact that we don’t have a super long weekend, as it is India due to Gandhi Jayanti & Dussera on consecutive days. But I was taken aback by her reaction, she said if I was to vote today, I will vote this Modi guy out of power. I asked her the reason for her anguish and was bemused by her reply, she said it’s a pain now to be a government employee, we don’t even have a holiday on the October 2nd ! All for Mr Modi’s visionary agenda of ensuring all the Indians, including the government employees take a pledge for a Clean India on Bapu’s birthdayJ.

So what’s new about Mr PM’s new initiative. To keep it short, it’s simple but a brilliant initiative, a much needed one that should have been in effect much earlier. No wonder its garnering support and involvement from all corners of the society, surprisingly from the opposition parties as well. And that pretty much sums up what Mr Modi said about this initiative, it’s not a political one but is rather borne out of his patriotism and love for India.

Cynics however fear this to be another photo op moment for the netas and bureaucrats which will eventually fade away like so many other initiatives. And this fear is quite genuine as well, today you see CMs, District Collectors, MPs, MLAs and every other individual posing in front of the camera with a broom in their hand. To make matters worse, in most of these places a bevy of sweepers and cleaning guys work for hours to make that specific area suitably clean for these so-called dignitaries to come and pose for a photograph. Can’t they for god’s sake not understand that it is all symbolic, you don’t have to hold a broom and get clicked to prove that you have taken the cleanliness oath, instead one has to inculcate that sense of ownership and cleanliness in the very way he/she leads his/her civic life.

Mr PM envisions a clean India by 2019, which will also mark the 150^th anniversary of our beloved father of the nation, and per him this will be our token of love for Bapu. But for this to happen people from all walks of life will have to understand the importance of such a simple yet essential thing. And it needn’t just be the people from the lesser privileged sections of the society, whom we normally accuse for all the filth and nuisance around us. The more privileged ones like us are also equally responsible, in fact a bit more since we don’t have the excuse of illiteracy and lack of right to education to shield us. And personally I feel we are the ones who contribute to this mess a lot more. How often have you seen one of your friend in the many  tapris outside our offices, throwing off the empty chai cups, cigarette buds and mint wrappers blatantly on the road? Are we not educated enough to throw them in the bins instead. Forget about the other bigger forms of mess we create day in day out.

To be honest neither there is anything new about this initiative nor the expectation from all of us is too demanding. Only if we can just mind ourselves and ensure that ‘I won’t create any mess in my surroundings and would try my best to keep my nation clean’, it will suffice. So all we need to do is to just mind ourselves! And even if half of us can manage to do so, Bapu’s dream of a clean India would certainly come true.

Though, brooms alone might not be sufficient to clean up the age old filth and mess of this vast country but more than the mode, intent of every Indian towards this noble cause would be the key determinant.

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MARvellous, Indeed!

O what a feeling it is when you reach office and your English colleague greets you for the success of India’s Mars Mission, MOM. Though, this greeting also comes in with a pinch of sarcasm of ‘Welcome to the league’ but then it’s all the more fun to correct the ever so boastful  Englishman with some real facts like -  we did it in one go and at one tenth of the priceJ. To which the Englishmen replied, though I find the ‘doing it in one go’ part as really surprising one but I am least surprised with the pricing part. You guys are ever so economical, be it IT, be it your lifestyle or then be it your space ventures. Rightly so indeedJ!

This feat is truly a remarkable one and easily the most memorable one of the year. It stands way ahead of the historic mandate that people of this nation gave through the recently concluded general assembly polls, much more significant than India’s Cricket World Cup win few years back and surely far more relevant than other individual feats that we have achieved in the recent past. What makes this mission standout is the fact that it showcases the length and breadth of our service spectrum, on one end we are working hand in hand with other developing nations on elementary issues like education, sanitation and building basic infrastructure for the masses and on the other hand we are clocking new research based milestones in the league of the most developed nations, in fact in this case in a much better fashion.

And the most staggering aspect of this success story is the cost at which we have successfully accomplished it, just about $70 million. One tenth of what US took to do it, much lesser than the Hollywood sci-fi flick ‘Gravity’, a fraction of what we invested in building the 1^st metro track in Mumbai and loads of similar analogies to emphasis on this unimaginable feat. It’s truly unbelievable how our scientists at ISRO have managed to strike a unique combination of a best in class, cost effective and an efficient space program.

But then the credentials of our scientists were never in doubt. Although, the celebratory images of the saree clad scientists at ISRO can be a bit misleading but then it just speaks volumes of our strong ethos, diversity and massive talent base. We have been the pioneers of many space related launches and missions in the last few decades and our prowess in this field is recognized globally. A lot of it goes to the strong technical education framework we have in India. Kudos to our great technical institutes (not just the IITs and the NITs) but even to our rich base of faculties who have contributed immensely towards India’s bright fortunes in this space.

 Undoubtedly, it’s a moment to rejoice and celebrate this exemplary display of technical prowess by our esteemed scientists at ISRO. Though, any amount of praise would be insufficient to do justice to this tremendous feat. May be we can just take some inspiration out of this MARvellous achievement, feel proud about it and celebrate it as we do for any cricketing or Bollywood moment of joy.

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Mahabharat and the 830 PM Void!

There aren’t many daily sops on Indian television that you can rely upon for a real good engrossing watch, unless of course you have a strong appetite for those overtly dramatic saas - bahu no brainers. There are a few like ‘KBC’,’ Satyamev Jayate’ and ‘24’ that one can watch with family for a gripping and a clean watch but despite that there aren’t many that can easily fall in this category. And this is all the more strange when we compare it with the ‘Nukkads’, ‘Buniyaads’, ‘Flop Shows’, ‘Ramanayanas’ , ‘Mahabharatas’, ‘Surabhis’ and ‘Chanakayas’ of the Doordarshan era, where every other show that was telecasted was a pure gem and a must watch.  

 

Strangely in today’s context, we have innumerable channels vis-à-vis 1 during the late 80s but still the quality of televised content is by and large poor and monotonous. And this doesn’t hold good just for the vulgarity aspect of it but even the safe bets in terms of mythological shows that have been televised in the last decade or so have been poor in terms of the overall quality. No wonder the ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’ of the late 80s are still etched deep in our memories for the impact they still have on us. But as a pleasant surprise we do have some good mythological shows in The New Mahabharata and Devon ke Dev Mahadev, being telecasted off late and been received very well by the audiences, mainly due to its very good content quality and superb visual appeal.

The New Mahabharata, of course being the more popular one for its age old rich story line and its familiarity among the masses due to its telecast on Doordarshan in the early 90s. Though, when the new series started a majority of the viewers disapproved it stating that the muscular male leads with flowing tresses and jewellery laden female leads don’t appeal and rather seem unreal , the dialect isn’t as pure and impactful as the earlier version and so on. Naturally, the comparison with the former didn’t help in the beginning but the detail with which the entire story progressed was truly laudable. So much so that within few weeks it topped the TRP ratings and people across all generations got glued to the great epic, yet again. And very soon the enigma and mischiefs of Krishna, flamboyance of Arjuna, valore of Karna, arrogance of Duryodhana, viciousness of Shakuni and brutality of Bheema became the talk of every household once again.

The tone among the masses gradually shifted from comparative to enthusiastic. People once again started to seem a bit more interested in this magnificent epic, I for that matter ended up reading half a dozen related books on the epic. Although, the ones who have read some or the other interpretation of the epic might rightfully agree that this recently televised version of Mahabharata was a bit too Pandava centric and divulged on many occasions from the more popular narratives. But that was understandable if one takes into account the warranted masala quotient in the televised content these days. However, such aberrations apart, the series easily managed to capture the imagination of its detractors and supporters alike for almost a year.

Throughout the year, while the series was on air, the biggest enthusiasm was to know about what will be showcased tomorrow and the biggest fear remained that the series shouldn’t end pretty soon. The missed episodes were sooner than later covered over the YouTube, as if it’s on the school syllabus or  has been prescribed by the doctor. The 8:30 PM slot every day was easily the most anticipated one, however just the 20 odd minutes episodes didn’t do justice to the long wait. There was hope that this rich and enchanting storyline will continue beyond the 18 day war as well but eventually when the news came in that it will end immediately after the war, it was a heartbreak. There was already a strong connect with the characters, an eagerness to know more about the greatest Indian epic and a desire to hear a bit more from our beloved and divine Lord Krishna. But someday it had to end. It may not be just to compare it with the yesteryear series in terms of the quality and the authenticity but one can safely say that the manner in which this televised version of the epic captured our imagination around 2 decades back, the new series has also managed to keep the present generation captivated in the same capacity. Such is the greatness and richness of this age old epic.

But this 8:30 PM void will surely haunt us for a while!

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