A Saucerful of Secrets

Darwin errr ....Melbourne

2011-01-29T01:27:00.000-08:00

If an unheard Javanese volcano had not decided to erupt, we'd be driving now from Darwin to Kakadu

As fate would love to have it, we are now in RodLaver Arena, watching the Australian Open Ladies Final!
And up next is Paes Bhupati in the doubles final ... In their what could be their last shot at this Grand Slam..

Today in history

2009-05-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

This story starts not so many years ago.. Perhaps a few decades only. Ofcourse this is not the story of a civilization. To write the story of a civilization, in my flawed opinion, takes much less words.. less banal and much lesser time.

In a land far far away from my current residence, there was a big factory. It had seen all stages of growth, so to say in academic terms, enjoyed economics of scale. The factory was employer to quite a many employees. Don’t ask me how many but I've heard my grandfather say, there were so many workers that ... I will come back to this anecdote some other time.

Though there was development, there was money, what was lacking was happiness. Independence and freedom was no one had heard of. The tyrannical owner of the factory did not allow a single soul to exercise free will. Quite depressing, aint it?

Well the human race has been blessed with dreams and desires. It’s a curse at the same time, but in our story, right here, this feature appears to be a blessing.

The dream and desire to be free, to cut this story short, lead to a revolt against the authoritarian rule of the factory management. There were quite a few those who lead the worker's union. In the end the workers tasted success and became the owners of the factory.

When I say workers became owners, imagine... many many workers. Imagine a whole city becoming the owner of a factory ... or even a whole nation.. small nation, big nation becoming the owner of factory.

Quite obviously the factory needed vision and mission and goal and all sort of corporate features. I was unanimously decided that the leaders of the workers union who had dedicated their lives, since youth or since old age will form the management of the factory.

The first management of the factory was formed. A token of respect, a token of appreciation to those union leaders who had spent the full or half lives to the cause of their own unions. One generation passed by...

The General Manager of our factory was the apple of the eyes of the union. He was a poster boy, loved by all... and he deserved to head the management the way he was doing. What he did not deserve was to die the way he did. I am not quite sure how he died, but some say, that he did not die a good death.

The factory under our observation was a headless chicken. What lead it to this head less state was the death of its head. But this was quite surprising. In the older days of the rebellion, the management had decided to appoint this one gentleman as the leader, but no had had been pathetically depended on him. This was the case now. With the general manager gone, people who went crazy looking for the next boss. Why?

Because right after the workers union appoint the management, the new managers found themselves equipped with positions of power. Once wild oppressed, who would not abuse this power? Right under the nose of our now dead general manager, they started abusing power. They started accepting bribes to recruit new members of management, they started taking bribes to protect those who thought they were above the writ of law...

Our long dead president, may he find his underserved place in heaven, was quite aware of this. He was also aware of the fact that the very people who were close to him were sycophants...

Sycophants... were one of the first words the son of our now dead GM had learnt. And it was one of the very first factors that worked towards him ... These very insecure sycophants, without a leader, appointed the son of our long dead GM as their next leader.

And so our story starts. A story of sons and demons.. A story where sons become the next leader of a publicly held factory.

There came a time when a sub union was formed. This sub union utilized the weakness of a faction of the workers union to find their voice rise to prominence. Their voice was heard. They promised no corruption; they promised new leadership, they promised change.

However, the marketing and external communications department... and all the departments of the factory were virtually controlled by the sons of sons. Sunnnovason as you might call them.

So, the Sunnovasons tried their very best to curtail the anti corrupt group of the union. If this group came to power, the very existence of the factory 'owners' would be at stake. And this was truly in sync with what the departments wanted ...

Look at the HR department of our factory.. If the new trade unions came into picture, they would stop all the bribing that was a practice to recruit more members to the management! More corrupt members!... More money!

The marketing department also made sure, that no one, no one with anti corruption as agenda becomes the head of the management. So they started the practice of libelling the new group, as ...well what can they think of at this very moment... yeah, anti peace! So they started labelling or libelling them as anti peace.

This practise continued year after year, when the AGM was being held.. Annual general meeting. To elect the new management.

It turned out that year after year, the Sunnovasons got selected to the management, and kept up the tradition of sucking the worker of their money, ripping off the money from the already poor to stash if up their own lockers..

All the other departments, all machinery of the factory tried their best to keep the new group of radicals out of power by labelling them anti peace and anti what not. This worked in their interest and this worked very well in the interest of everyone but the workers of the factory.

This is what happened today.

This story starts not so many years ago.. Perhaps a few decades only. Ofcourse this is not the story of a civilization. To write the story of a civilization, in my flawed opinion, takes much less words.. less banal and much lesser time.

In a land far far away from my current residence, there was a big factory. It had seen all stages of growth, so to say in academic terms, enjoyed economics of scale. The factory was employer to quite a many employees. Don’t ask me how many but I've heard my grandfather say, there were so many workers that ... I will come back to this anecdote some other time.

Though there was development, there was money, what was lacking was happiness. Independence and freedom was no one had heard of. The tyrannical owner of the factory did not allow a single soul to exercise free will. Quite depressing, aint it?

Well the human race has been blessed with dreams and desires. It’s a curse at the same time, but in our story, right here, this feature appears to be a blessing.

The dream and desire to be free, to cut this story short, lead to a revolt against the authoritarian rule of the factory management. There were quite a few those who lead the worker's union. In the end the workers tasted success and became the owners of the factory.

When I say workers became owners, imagine... many many workers. Imagine a whole city becoming the owner of a factory ... or even a whole nation.. small nation, big nation becoming the owner of factory.

Quite obviously the factory needed vision and mission and goal and all sort of corporate features. I was unanimously decided that the leaders of the workers union who had dedicated their lives, since youth or since old age will form the management of the factory.

The first management of the factory was formed. A token of respect, a token of appreciation to those union leaders who had spent the full or half lives to the cause of their own unions. One generation passed by...

The General Manager of our factory was the apple of the eyes of the union. He was a poster boy, loved by all... and he deserved to head the management the way he was doing. What he did not deserve was to die the way he did. I am not quite sure how he died, but some say, that he did not die a good death.

The factory under our observation was a headless chicken. What lead it to this head less state was the death of its head. But this was quite surprising. In the older days of the rebellion, the management had decided to appoint this one gentleman as the leader, but no had had been pathetically depended on him. This was the case now. With the general manager gone, people who went crazy looking for the next boss. Why?

Because right after the workers union appoint the management, the new managers found themselves equipped with positions of power. Once wild oppressed, who would not abuse this power? Right under the nose of our now dead general manager, they started abusing power. They started accepting bribes to recruit new members of management, they started taking bribes to protect those who thought they were above the writ of law...

Our long dead president, may he find his underserved place in heaven, was quite aware of this. He was also aware of the fact that the very people who were close to him were sycophants...

Sycophants... were one of the first words the son of our now dead GM had learnt. And it was one of the very first factors that worked towards him ... These very insecure sycophants, without a leader, appointed the son of our long dead GM as their next leader.

And so our story starts. A story of sons and demons.. A story where sons become the next leader of a publicly held factory.

There came a time when a sub union was formed. This sub union utilized the weakness of a faction of the workers union to find their voice rise to prominence. Their voice was heard. They promised no corruption; they promised new leadership, they promised change.

However, the marketing and external communications department... and all the departments of the factory were virtually controlled by the sons of sons. Sunnnovason as you might call them.

So, the Sunnovasons tried their very best to curtail the anti corrupt group of the union. If this group came to power, the very existence of the factory 'owners' would be at stake. And this was truly in sync with what the departments wanted ...

Look at the HR department of our factory.. If the new trade unions came into picture, they would stop all the bribing that was a practice to recruit more members to the management! More corrupt members!... More money!

The marketing department also made sure, that no one, no one with anti corruption as agenda becomes the head of the management. So they started the practice of libelling the new group, as ...well what can they think of at this very moment... yeah, anti peace! So they started labelling or libelling them as anti peace.

This practise continued year after year, when the AGM was being held.. Annual general meeting. To elect the new management.

It turned out that year after year, the Sunnovasons got selected to the management, and kept up the tradition of sucking the worker of their money, ripping off the money from the already poor to stash if up their own lockers..

All the other departments, all machinery of the factory tried their best to keep the new group of radicals out of power by labelling them anti peace and anti what not. This worked in their interest and this worked very well in the interest of everyone but the workers of the factory.

This is what happened today.

Goddess Mariamman - Firewalk Festival 2008 Singapore

2008-10-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

Just as I was getting bored in my room, pondering what the heck, nothing happening around, I was invited by my landlord to attend the Firewalk Festival in our locality.

Hundreds of Hindu devotees were gathered to present their offerings to Goddess Mariamman. The statue of the Goddess was on a chariot decorated with flowers and lights. The ladies carried their offerings in thalis in a long queue. The queue ends at the chariot where the pujaris take up the and offer the thali and offer the prasad to the Goddess.

This is the first time I had heard about the festival, and of course the first time seen it.. In a nation outside of India, it was quite and experience to see the rituals being carried out in such a good manner.

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

2007-07-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

This post might shock a few - From Floyd to Ghalib...

Contains a simple translation pepped up with some interpretation of the Gazal Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi by Galib.

It would be unethical if I don't thank Chitra for her inputs. As well for the compilation the discussion which I am pasting as is...

hazaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale

Dare kyuu.N meraa qaatil kyaa rahegaa usakii gardan par
vo Khuu.N jo chashm-e-tar se umr bhar yuu.N dam-ba-dam nikale

who will be blamed for my death (not death of life)

that blood - which comes out from my eyes as tears...

and dam-ba-dam

is like sobbing intensely slowly

so overall

i will sob endlessly all my life and you wont be blamed for it

nikalanaa Khuld se aadam kaa sunate aaye hai.n lekin
bahut be-aabaruu hokar tere kuuche se ham nikale

a man has been known to come out of the vagina ...

but today - i came out of ur place - shameless

bharam khul jaaye zaalim tere qaamat kii daraazii kaa
agar is turraa-e-purapech-o-Kham kaa pech-o-Kham nikale

hey you zaalim ;) ... be clear of the confusion

those who think too high of themselves

so your self illusion about self glory

will be gone

when my hair fall down from my turban

(remember that stuff pathan ppl used to wear in hindi movies

that turban)

magar likhavaaye koii usako Khat to hamase likhavaaye
huii subah aur ghar se kaan par rakkhar qalam nikale

still galib hopes to write to that misssus

that babe or lady or whatever

and thats why he always carries a pen with him

huii is daur me.n ma.nsuub mujhase baadaa-ashaamii
phir aayaa vo zamaanaa jo jahaa.N se jaam-e-jam nikale

it was this era

daur is of course era

mansoob is

acquaintance

so in this era i got aquanted to

baada-aashmi - means typical boozing

and then aaya woh zamaana ... jab peg pe peg nikale ...

huii jinase tavaqqo Khastagii kii daad paane kii
vo hamase bhii ziyaadaa Khastaa-e-teG-e-sitam nikale

from whom i expected to gain sympathy (first line)

that person turned out to be more ailed / hurt than I

muhabbat me.n nahii.n hai farq jiine aur marane kaa
usii ko dekh kar jiite hai.n jis kaafir pe dam nikale

there is a thin line between living and dying in love

coz I live by that very infidel, by whose deeds i die.

zara kar jor siine par ki tiir-e-pursitam nikale
jo vo nikle to dil nikale jo dil nikale to dam nikale

teer is arrow

so try hard on your chest

so that the arrow which has hit you comes out

but ...

if the arrow comes out,

the heart too wil come out

and if the heart comes out

life will come out ..

...

on this one

what i think is - this galib is addreessing to himself

to remove that pain from his heart

but then he says that the pain is soo soo in built

that if it comes out

if will come out only with the heart

Khudaa ke vaaste pardaa na kaabe se uThaa zaalim
Kahii.n aisaa na ho yaa.N bhii vahii kaafir sanam nikale

for gods sake

dont remov that veil from ur face

coz i am afraid that u too would turn out to be that bastard - that infidel lover

kaafir is infidel

Kahaa.N maiKhaane ka daravaazaa 'Ghalib' aur kahaa.N vaaiz
par itanaa jaanate hai.n kal vo jaataa thaa ke ham nikale

it means dont compare

a bar's entrance

to a mere 'preacher'

but all i know is

when i was leavig the bar

she was entering it

may be it means that the bar is a precher to some and just a bar to some

he gets something else from the bar than other people get

hazaaro.n Khvaahishe.n aisii ki har Khvaaish pe dam nikale
bahut nikale mere armaa.N lekin phir bhii kam nikale

I think as the days pass by and as she visits me less often, I am getting more and more fascinated with Ghalib...

Thank God my Son is safe!!!

2007-01-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks Goodness!

For?

I am feeling a lot grateful, of lately. To be working. In a company. At some position.

I am currently working with software MNC. At the rate I am going, I would, hopefully become a good manager in the same company, or other. On a conservative estimate, I see this happening by the time I reach 40.

I am currently located at New Delhi, and my office is in Noida.

I love Delhi, and don’t intend to leave it soon.

Wow! What an amazing probability of me surviving in NCR by the time I am 40! I am so excited...

I mean, just look at the advantages : I don’t have to worry if my son gets abducted. I can anytime go to the police, and tell them I am a big shot manager at this MNC or that, and they will lodge a complaint for me. They will try their best to find me daughter if she elopes with a drug addict. After all, I am a respected Manager in an MNC. My daughter can't be delinquent, can she?

Thanks Goodness I am not poor, derelict. Why, if my son gets abducted, who will lodge a complaint? How will I be able to pay the money to the police to get a complaint lodged? And what proof I have that my son, in early teens, is not a gay to the extent of being a sex manic? I am poor... and my son can be anything...

Another advantage - If my wife gets robbed, I can again go to the police...

Looking at the current state of affairs, I thank God, I am not poor. Or any attack on my wife would be termed as my wife being debauched... She would be examined 'closely' - by the policemen - for any suspicious traits...

Thanks God!

Didn't get it?

Ok - take this.

Totally unrelated.

A young man - in his college. Molests women, wearing a Spiderman mask. Or let’s say a batman mask. Everyone knows women are being molested. No one knows who is behind all this. Now the girls - after the 1st incident report to the principal/ dean and he completely ignores them. The second incident gets reported, conveniently ignored again. So on till the 30^th incident.

31st victim commits suicide.

Who is responsible? Our masked superhero, off course! And what about the principal/dean? To what extent should he be deemed responsible, directly/indirectly?

Mere suspending him would do? Would it do justice to all and more than all, the deceased?

Still didn't get it?

In simple language, I favor capitol punishment for the Policemen who ignored the poor of Nithari, Noida. After the first few incidents got reported, their incompetence (or shall I put it as impotency?) must have given further boost to the confidence of the psychos that they can get around the law. And if they are indeed incompetent, how did they listened to it all when the son of a top manager of an MNC was abducted. Why was there a frenzy, till the time the money was recovered?

If a country like UK can launch a massive case to protect their prostitutes, can’t we take care of our sons and daughters?

There is no safety in numbers...

2007-01-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

Who knows, this year might be different from the one's we've had till now.
Dont wait for luck or new year wishes...

Take on what lies ahead, be it 07 or 08, cause there is no safety in numbers...

Good luck mate, for whatever is left of life.

Abhishek.

High (on) Dopes...

2006-08-22T00:19:00.000-07:00

Beyond the horizon, of the place we doped when we were young
In a world of fears and demons
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary,
Smoking of the purple chilam had begun
Along the Ring Road and down the Bus Addey
Do they still dope there by the Cut?
There was a cigarette brand that was followed by our steps
Emptied before time took our dope away.
Leaving us myriad small creatures trying to dope in the rocks
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was stronger
The dope was higher
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of joints glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how high it was on the other side
Steps got tumbled and we started sleepwalking again
Dragged by the force of a higher high
At a higher altitude with still some dope unburnt
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world
Our weary eyes still stray to the chilum,
Though knock out by it, we've been some many times

The grass was stronger
The dope was higher
The smell was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The purple haze glowing
The smoke flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever...

Devil's Day Out!

2006-06-06T05:39:00.000-07:00

666 is the date...

For me, this Devil's Date seems to be of some other significance... I complete my 10 years in Delhi.

And feels good. A decade of growing up, learning, crying, laughing...

And yes,
In the end, it doesn't even matters ...

A Fib

2006-04-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Fibs are fast spreading the net, why should I refrain from plunging in.

But wanted to write a wierd, psycho one... he he ... so here it is :

You.

Yes You.

Yes You Youngster.

Yes You Youngster Yawning Yearly

Yes You Youngster Yawning Yearly Yet Yearning Yang.

And its making me wonder...

Why is the text pink?
Why does everything start with Y??
What the heck does it mean ???

Anyways, for starters, fibs are poems written in fibonacci series. The series is obtained by starting from 0 and 1, and subsequent number is obatained by adding the previous two. Like we have here -
0
1
1
2
3
5
8

And apart from zero, thats the number of words in each line of the fib.

Came to know from this : Fibonacci Poems Multiply on the Web After Blog's Invitation

Tags : Fibs, Fibonacci

We don't need no Reservation...

2006-04-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

Its sad to see the state of affairs further degrading ... Not to speak much again, time to act.
Rolled out the petition seeking reconsideration of decision of hike in reservation quota in IIMs.

Please read and sign the petition if you think it makes sense.

http://petitiononline.com/reservat/petition.html

We don't need no Reservation
we don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone.
Hey teacher, leave them kids alone.
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Tags : IIM Reservations

Another Bribe in the Wall

2006-04-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

In the impermeable wall of red tapism, here comes another bribe...

After losing my wallet in Noida, I asked a nearest cop, which chowki to file the complaint. I was directed to the sector 14 police station, where I was told that I have come to the wrong place and I would have to go to the Sec 2 golchakkar chowki. There a nice and polite incharge redirected me to the Sec 20 Police Station. At the station :

Sir, I want to file a report for lost wallet.

Write it on two plain sheets and give it to me.

Sir, I dont have any paper with me.

What do you do with those specs of your if you dont read and write? Cant you carry your own paper?

Sir, I dont have 'em, please provide.

Ok go to the other room.

After standing there in the other room.

Sir, can I please have two sheets of plain paper?

NO.

Sir...

NO.

Back to the other room...

Sir, paper is not available there...

Looks up to me - So, what can I do? Talk to that other guy.

Other guy.

Sir ... Can I please have two sheets of plain paper?

No.

The very same moment, a lady sitting on the floor tells the man ... "Kyon pareshaan kar rahe ho... de do paper..." (Dont bug him, give him the paper.)

This coming from the lady, he have me one A4 sheet, folded it in two, tucked a carbon paper and said - Write on it. How will you write? Hindi aati hai? ya angregi mein likhega?

Obligated, I jotted down the details, contents of the wallet were important to mention. When I went back there was another man standing behind me... Same case, lost his Driving License, filing a report.

He was asked Rs. 120/- for the FIR (or whatever it was). On denail, the police man threw back his report, saying go get an affidavit made on your own. He said sir, please ... On realizing that he will have to pour in some money, he gave Rs. 50/-. This angered the police man. But some futile pleading made him realize he will have to shell out more. Another Rs.. 20 satiated the police man's hunger.

My turn! He looks up to me : Haan, tumhara kya karna hai (Yes, what should I do with your case?)

Sir, please accept it, I have lost my wallet, no cash available.

Then I cant help you. Come in the evening.

Sir, please...

I check into my wallet - found Rs. 50 in three tens and a twenty. I offered him the three tens.

Sir...

What do you think of us? Are we beggers?

Sir, this is all I have, and I have to go back to my office, God forbid if I need this money...

No, you come in the eve.

Silently I offered him the twenty.

Aaj kal ke ladke bhi... Bike chalate hain, julfien udate hain, ******* ko taad te hain and walled ghoma dete hain. Pareshaan kise hona padta hai? Humein...

(Lads these days drive bikes recklessly, watching the babes on the road, and all this builds up trouble for us...)

The trouble : One stamp on my copy of the report. And one lousy signature.

Kurt Cobain

2006-04-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

Why write more on him when there is gigs of material on him on the net. I did rather say what he means to me.

Kurt Cobain. No closer to God, a mortal can get. How do I thank thee for the amazing trips I had while listening to the all those countless songs?

One thing I personally adore is his being left handed...

5th April 2006 marks the 12th yr he left the grunge world high and dry... I dont mourn, but yes, I feel that he could have contributed more...

Where were you ...

2006-03-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, this one's a bit contextual.

I read a comment on Mayabhushan's blog for me ... And wanted to reply there. But then I thought why make Ardh-Satya a place to vent out my whims... So here it is :

http://ardh-satya.blogspot.com/2006/03/quatrain-lv-12-karat.html

I do want to get at all of 'em...

But then how?

...

I went to my college to collect and ol' degree. Met my fav prof (he never taught me ... rather... he never taught me subjects). The prof : "So how far are you from your goals - they are still roaming around, lurking for every oppurtunity ..."

Me : "What goals... ?"

Then tears.

...

2 years of corporate life...
Sucks your dreams. Sucks big time.

Varanasi...

2006-03-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

They got my state*
They got my temple**
They got my institutes***
They got my capital at my festival****
They got my holy city *****
Eunuchs, what else are you waiting for ******

* Kashmir, India
** Akshardham, Gujrat
*** IISc, Banglore
**** Delhi, Diwali Time
***** Now, Varanasi
******Authorities who can fight terrorism, but dont do so, cause they want the votes.

I can see it... Even though its raining in Delhi, and its dark and hazy, I can see it...

March 06 : Blasts in Varanasi
April 06 : Communal Tension
May 06 : Nation quiet
June 06 : Parliament unrest
Jan 07 : Pseudo Secularists accuse Right Wing of causing the blasts... Why ? They want votes.
March 07 : Committee Formed to probe into the blasts
July 07 : Parliament unrest, again. This time new committee demanded.

...
Its an never ending attack
...
Not of the terrorism, I am talking
...
You will get the votes, but for what?
To rule a charred nation?

The ashes in Varanasi are still smouldering... I dont feel like blogging about the unfortunate news. Still I blog this, waiting for another eventuality.

Tags : Terrorism, Varanasi Blasts

My Jim Corbett Trip

2006-03-02T03:40:00.000-08:00

8 strangers start off for an unknown destination...

Off to the never never land

The journey started with all 8 getting together at the Old Delhi Station. The 'vehicle' chosen was Ranikhet express... the train departed at almost the right time 10:45. Perhaps Laloo's presenting the rail budget had something to do with it.
The train was full of ppl wanting to have a good night’s sleep. Destiny had something else in store for them. The great 8 started off on the right note with Monica threatening to bash everyone for every arbit reason on the earth. And she actually did it!

Booze flowed, and under the security of a lawyer (read Sanjukta), the scrutiny of the law was taken for granted. Monica went on with her crazy frenzy of clicking people and bashing 'em and then clicking pics again.

Crazy talk went on till 2 am...

Amit joined me on my seat, and we shared a phag in the dark of the train compartment... it was one amazing moment to share...

The phag took me to philosophical lands... the past week flashed by… And perhaps for everyone, the trip was an escape route from the weird presentations and sicko meetings of the office.

Good Morning

I woke up early in the morning to the chaos, only to find out Monica was again at her bashing frenzy, this time the poor chap was Amit. well to be precise, Amit Gupta 1.

It was chill in the morning. Actually. For folks already getting sick of the already hot weather of Delhi, this was chill enough. We were not carrying any blankets and for those planning a trip, a blanket is a must to Jim Corbett at this time of year.

I was wishing for a starry sky, the one you can never get in any metro. The sky was amazing at 5 am, with a chhota sa sexy sa moon.

Vibhor.

Vibhor had gone out of the way in executing the responsibility for making the conveyance and lodging. His uncle and cousin came to pick us up, and we were ferried in two cars to the uncle's home. Nice home, sweet welcome.

On the terrace, was a rising sun, with an amazing skyline, perhaps the first time in months I got up early. It was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.

We all got freshened up by 730.

Tea, warm water for bath, breakfast... many a thanks to Vibhor.

Breakfast...

First came the hottie hottie hot pakoras, followed by lobia daal and moong daal. the moong daal was very light, made in an Uttaranchal style. Then came the jalebi, and to top it off an amazing khasta kachori, with aloo dahi.

A good, filling breakfast to start the day, and the trip!

Wow!!! There is not end to this forest!

We boarded jeeps from Ramnagar, and the caravan goes into the forest... The camping site was at Dhikala, only 30 kms from Ramnagar, but the trip took 2.5 hours. The vehicles are supposed to move slowly in the forest, in wake of animal protection.

On the way into the forest, we saw Martin, a rare wildlife sighting, one herd of elephants, Tiger pug marks… But the most scintillating of all was the sight, or the lack of sight of busy cemented roads, the lack of red lights, the absence of carbon di oxide, the lack of buildings...

To be with nature was just amazing.

We reached the camp at 12 pm. after getting the bookings and the other arrangements done, we moved on to see where we would be staying. We were under the impression that we are going the stay in something kind of a dorm, with beds/cots, having around 10 beds or so... It came as a surprise, that what we were to accommodate in was a military types bunker with beds like you've got in a railway coach. Three beds in a column, four such columns. First looks were shady.

Had lunch and after resting a lil bit, and after a peg each, we went out for our first safari, not exactly, since the ride into the forest resort was also no less than a safari.

Safari...

Off we go in search of the Tiger... caught a guide, who was all the time informing us of what ever flora/fauna we crossed. We saw tiger marks on trees, a territorial sign.
It was green all around... and the road flowed in midst of greenness... the sky was blue and then green ... and then blue again.. .green with the trees above...as the jeep moved into the flowing road, I saw green ...I saw peace, I saw soothing visions of a painless world, everyone floating on the green earth, with out the fear of earning clothing and checking mails.

Ramit woke me up. We were still on the safari. The sun was setting... again …

The scene was ... Go watch it for yourself!

It was actually amazing... with vestigial remains in my mind, all i can talk about it is that’s what animals are for, to watch the sun rise and to watch the sun set. And apart from the gore animalistic instincts we have, we also have this instinct which makes us leave the techno freaky world and go back to nature.

On booze

We came back from the safari, time for some snacks. Then post snacks rest and then a good dinner. Dinner was good!

And then booze time! Lots of it... we had opened a mini bar over there! And then I realized that the bunker I was cursing was actually a great thing, we had our beds against the wall and lots place to sit on the ground and enjoy. Booze, we started off with good good white wine, one glass each. Then applying the communist booze manifesto, (to each according to his taste, to each according to his capacity) we had vodka, gin, whiskey, rum...

There was music, thanks a million to Ramit for his lapi. And even sans lapi, we could have been singing as were actually were.

The morning after.

Over night we had arranged for an elephant ride. It could accommodate only 4 ppl. So on Yogesh's idea, we distributed one (playing)card each and then the ones getting the highest values would go for the ride. I was disappointed when I saw mine, I had got a nine (did it rhyme?). But then, every one except one had lesser than mine. So I was in for an elephant ride!!!

Well...The morning after.

Terrible pain in the back. No hangover... and late for the ride. Sanjukta, Vibhor, Amit, Snigdha and Tarun (Vibhor's cousin) had already left.
Monica and Yogesh and I had breakfast and then spent the morning watching the forest waking up. Ramit got up late and then we all went for another safari, to compensate for the elephant ride.

The gang left the resort at 10:30 or so ... for some temple.
On the way out of the forest we saw crocodiles and few birds, I don’t remember any names except dear old kingfisher... the ride out of forest was all the more soothing… And I was getting sick at the thought of leaving the calm and serenity.
At the temple. It was Mahashivratri. and there was long queue so we didn’t visit the temple but had more than our quota of fun by walking against the flow in a brook.

Then we went to danger falls which are now called the Corbett falls. Amit, Ramit and Yogesh took a bath there, and Vibhor and I washed our hands and feet. It was fun, but not that much exciting as the name falls would bring out ...

Then opposite the falls site, was a small resort where we had our lunch cum dinner... food was ok. It was the sheer surroundings which added to the experience. we were sitting in open in midst of fields. And the orange sun sinking into the green fields was a sight I will recall for long. And I presume that it would be the same for every one on the trip.

The journey back to Ramnagar was phenomenonal. The road was dark, and there were zillion stars above, much much more than you ever get to see in Delhi, or for that matter, any other city. To add to it, we were all singing our favs, and I do recall singing "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair..."

We reached Ramnagar, and in spite of fact we could have gotten late, we did make it a point to visit Vibhor's aunt’s home and say a word of thanks for all the generous welcome we had the day before.

Back to hell

It all tended to end well, with all of us boarding in the train in time. Long talks and discussions and arguments followed. Though everyone was tired, still I could make out the happiness and glow that the trip had brought to all of us. And the new found relations, new promises (like all will get back at Amit’s place on the next sat)...

It was just amazing.

The train stopped at Moradabad... and I had what was to be my last phag...

We all slumped wherever we could, still wouldn’t let go of talking ...

And somehow we slept around 2-3.
We all reached Delhi at 4:30, after that all departed to all of ours homes.

The end?

It was the end of what was to be the trip, but I took it as the end of a beginning. A beginning for which would take us places... which would bring us together, a trip that would induces a desire for another trip and make us say ... Lets Go!!!

Jessica Lall

2006-02-28T00:18:00.000-08:00

Enough has been said in the media, and enough on blogs.

Again, I wont say much. Just express a lil bit...

This is what I wrote for Mayabhushan

700 courts in 4 metros get computers*.
I wonder, will they still support the looters?
The goons have become the police's pal,
Justice once again murdered Jessica Lall

*Link : http://www.indlawnews.com/7AA41C66AF5C91E0797A58C1879E04CB

Tags : Jessica Lall

Edit : This is the link for signing the petition seeking retrial in the Jessica Lall case.

http://www.petitiononline.com/retrial/petition.html

First Cut : IE 7

2006-02-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

Just intalled IE 7 Beta 2.0

On the first go, the tag concept, as was being predicted, has been incorporated in IE7. Also there is a feed reader. This is how it looked for A Saucerful Of Secrets :

So we have tags, we have a feed reader and what else ?

Noticed a small button at the right hand bottom of the window, there is a zoom tool. This is something which was much lacking in the browsers available. This is really useful for fonts which need you to been an inch away from the screen, at the same time for big fonts and images.

The classic menu of "File Edit View Favourites Tools Help" has been made optional. This is a good move, but alas, we are dead addicted to it. I also noticed that our dear old shortcuts like "Ctrl - F" and "V" and "C" make the classic menu come alive and it is hidden again once you are through. This means more browsing space!

A Star button at the top left corner lets you organize feeds and favs. The interface here is good, as the good ol' "History" button has been done off.

A new option is available for Quick Tabs, enabling to view many tabs on a single screen. This is great! Good Work here, IE Team

The last open tab has a quick link on its left, very very conviniently placed to quickly open new tabs, and very close to it is the stragetically placed Home Page button. Nice work there, for lazy bums like me.

The concept of flocking all the print options in a single print button is cool, removes extra buttons and options.

The search bar is same as of Firefox. Nothing new in there. Yeah there is something old, of course, the MSN search option.

Edit: And it seems a bit more faster!

A free developer friendly browser, and a less of monopoly. Can't really say its better than FireFox, but still, its good!

Overall 7/10.

PayPal's got a new Pal

2006-02-08T01:52:00.000-08:00

According to Wall Street Journal, Google is building its own internet payment service...

Seems PayPal's got a new Pal...

Link

Winds of Change

2006-01-31T01:22:00.000-08:00

Is this the end? Is it the beginning... Or the end of the beginning ?

Well for whatever it is, the word's spreading now. Five IITians, join hands to form a political party. But wait, they are not just IITians... Post Grads from the best universities too...

What it takes is not money and the zeal to rob the mob, what it takes is the craving to serve the nation and a sense of vengeance for all the looting that has been done so far... to go and take the family run business head on !

Complete Story

And hopes :

And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

Abhishek.

House Full : Rang de Basanti.

2006-01-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

An oppurtunity was well utilized by releasing Rang De Basanti on the Republic Day.
There were house-full shows and the queues... people bursting out on a relatively warm afternoon to watch the movie. Even I tried to get my hands on the tickets, but the sole reply I got was that of housefull !

Six shows between 4 pm to 10 pm ... all housefull... missed the movie.

Have added it to my weekend POA.

Another first from Google

2006-01-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

Another first from Google ...

Google Talk spurns off another revolutionary move in the VoIP wars. Yesterday Google announced on their Official Blog that Google Talk will support 'Open Federation'.

This to the uninitiated means that using Google Talk, one can talk to any other IM using the XMPP services. Its just like you can dial from your Mobile Service Provider another user with a different MSP.

Google has once again lived up to their reputation of being the best innovators. No wonder if AIM, MSN and Y! feel the heat.

Kudos Google Talk Team.

Now showing - Batman and I ...

2006-01-16T01:14:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Batman

Batman		85%
Hulk		85%
Green Lantern		80%
Wonder Woman		70%
The Flash		70%
Spider-Man		65%
Robin		63%
Supergirl		55%
Superman		50%
Iron Man		50%
Catwoman		20%

You are dark, love gadgets
and have vowed to help the innocent
not suffer the pain you have endured.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

The things that shouldn't have been...

2006-01-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

The things that shouldn't have been...

The Annual Update...

Yes, 2005 has passed by, and most of the media houses have come up with their updates of how year was and what the year was. The year, that was. Lets sum up.

Jan 2005 : Hic. Hic. Heck. Hectic.
Feb 2005 : Des - paration. Des - ires. Des - tiny.
Mar 2005 : Pink. Pink Floyd. Floyd.
Apr 2005 : Coming back to life.
May 2005 : Encumbered by ambition
Jun 2005 : Rise again. Joined race for CAT.
Jul 2005 : Vagabond in me. Change of base.
Aug 2005 : Autumn. Yellow. Leaves. Wind.
Sep 2005 : 23 Years.
Oct 2005 : Accident. Injury to buddy.
Nov 2005 : CAT. and dogs and rats.
Dec 2005 : Wait for results. No work. Aimless.

And now so that the results have come and I have not made it, yet again.
Another year ahead. And another targert. And this time, I am furious with the hunger for success...

So there were things that shouldnt have been but happened. And then there were things that shoulnd have been that didnt happen. And then there were things that shouldnt have been and didnt happen. And there were things that should have had happen. And they did happen. Isn't it the great ball dance which we call life?

That's life (that's life), that's what all the people say
You're ridin' high in April, shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top, back on top in June

I said that's life (that's life), and as funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks stompin' on a dream
But I don't let it, let it get me down
'cause this fine old world, it keeps spinnin' around

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life (that's life), I tell you I can't deny it
I thought of quitting, baby, but my heart just ain't gonna buy it
And if I didn't think it was worth one single try
I'd jump right on a big bird and then I'd fly

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out and I know one thing
Each time I find myself layin' flat on my face
I just pick myself up and get back in the race

That's life (that's life), that's life and I can't deny it
Many times I thought of cuttin' out but my heart won't buy it
But if there's nothin' shakin' come this here July
I'm gonna roll myself up in a big ball a-and die

And yes, I god-damn mean it... Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race.

Laughing it off...

2006-01-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd go back home.

It was locked, my sweet god damned flat mate had locked the backdoor entry, and went for a vacation...

I tried to sleep outside, wasn't very cold. Heck! Mosquitoes.

Tried waking up landlords, but I fear his 0.22 calibre.

Thought I'd go back to office.

And voila, big drops of rain, intensifying every passing second started to pour down of the sky which was clear a few minutes ago.

Guess there ain't no sleep for me...

First failure of 2006

2006-01-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

Sleepless since the past 54 hours. And chances are that I might not be sleeping very easy. Its foggy, and the fog seems to have hindered my vision into the future. I can't see through much... Just that there lies ahead in the road an obstacle.

Failed to get calls from IIM-C.

A lot to plan ahead, the new year is just the symbollic excuse to do so.

Feels like I'm knocking on heaven's door. 2006. Ahhh...