this website ...is a nice idea...just like facebook allows you to stay in touch with your friends without having to jhelo them face to face... now you can do the same with your neighbours....
interesting that 25 yr old from roorkee are showing up in the young entrepreneur brigade..... the winds of change managed to sweep away some of the cobwebs in the laidback old alma mater it seems...or is this the exception that proves the rule...
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, July 14, 2008
shared stuff on the net
havent been blogging....but have been reading.....
click here.....or here.....or HERE ..... to see my virtual clipboard....where i share the stuff I find interesting...
click here.....or here.....or HERE ..... to see my virtual clipboard....where i share the stuff I find interesting...
Thursday, February 08, 2007
America
Now that three months have passed since my return from America, I find myself able to look back upon visit there with more perspective. So here goes, " A beginners guide to America - The north eastern part "
Disclaimer - I only saw a few cities and towns. Bits of Boston, Manhattan, Baltimore, DC, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I saw a lot of Air Tran and also travelled by Greyhound, Amtrak, Chinese Bus Service, Taxicabs, Cars and on foot. I had never visited this country and my first visit was if not an eyeopener, but definitely a fresh experience.
Ever since my return from the US of A I have been trying to put a finger on what exactly it was that struck me as different. What was the character of the place that I visited. How did it make me feel.
As always when I cant think of a one word answer, I settle for 10. So there goes - 10 words that describe what I felt -
1. Scale - I felt everything was a bit out of scale, or atleast in a different scale than poor old india. The cars were bigger and so were the people. The buildings were bigger and so were the styrofoam cups. It seemed like everything had 10% extra, to make it bigger and better. Coming from a place where a lot of people share less resources and can't really afford to waste anything, the feeling of being in a place of plenty was exhilarating. It however did feel out of place, and not in sync with its users. The scale was not really so firmly linked to the Human Scale and sometimes one felt out of place in some settings, as if we were preparing all of this for some super being who would come and occupy the world we were creating.
2. Rumble - This was the soundtrack of America. The deep rumble of rubber on tarmac. No horns honking, no whistles blowing, no voices arguing, no brakes screeching, no birds twittering. Just the steady sound of rubber purring over the roads. Wherever one went, one was followed by this steady buzz and hiss. The roads were smooth, the cars in good shape. So no creaking sounds, no bumping sounds. Just a smooth steady rumble all day and all night, everyday and everynight, everywhere.
3. Sugar - This was the taste of america. Specially corn based fructose. Sweeteners. Additives. Sweet stuff everywhere. On donuts, in milkshakes, in fizzy drinks, sweets, candy and desserts. Some cold drinks had so much sugar, that if you let them stand for a while and then take a sip you felt like you were drinking syrup.
got tired...will continue later.
back...
4. Alchohol - Alchohol was everywhere. Socializing means drinking alchohol. Having a good time means drinking lots of liquor. Amazing variety of wine, beer, whiskey, rum, vodka, tequila in the stores where one would almost get giddy drunk just browsing through the displays. Favourites- Sam Adams, Guinness, Jim Beam, all varieties of tequila. Put on lots of weight and developed a curious dependency on the divine spirit. Gradually returning to normal and drying out.
5. Sterile and Fertile - These two words kept popping up in my head when i roamed around america. Sometimes it seemed so cut and dried. So antiseptic and so squeaky clean. Sterile means
Not producing or incapable of producing offspring. Not producing or incapable of producing seed, fruit spores, or other reproductive structures. Used of plants or their parts. Producing little or no vegetation; unfruitful: sterile land.
Free from live bacteria or other microorganisms: a sterile operating area; sterile instruments. Lacking imagination, creativity, or vitality. Lacking the power to function; not productive or effective; fruitless: a sterile discussion.
It did seem like the last generation. There didnt seem to be anything new springing up, any new directions, new movements, fresh growths. America seemed stuck in the mould of itself. To grow is to change. To change one must shed some part of the old. Thats where I felt the society was a bit sterile, since to shed some part of the old now might get called Un-American. There was a bit too much predictability in the experiences one had there.
The land was fertile though. Very fertile. Lush turgid rivers, fat green trees, huge overfed squirrels and enormous quantities of food. The human layer which has been laid over the earth layer seemed incongruous, a sterile icing on a rich nutty cake. I kept hoping to find something organic, something that grew out of the earth and grew according to the constraints of nature. Instead of that, one could feel the heavy machinery and the imposing human will that had leveled mountains, flattened hills and build huge boxes of concretes called malls everywhere.
6. Smile - I never saw so many smiles in a day as I did in America. I felt happy thinking that the sight of me was making people light up with a big smile, but later I came to realise that its the default facial expression. Everyone had great white teeth, perfect dental work and the ability to keep smiling for longer than I would have thought physically possible.
7. Color - Black and White and the shades in between - For the first time I was living somewhere where most of the people didnt look like me, not even in the shades of their skin colors. I ended up sharing a house with a pale gentle commercial artist and a stocky grinning tanned engineer. It was nice feeling to see so much variety around. African origins, Asian origins, European origins, Middle eastern origins and the various other types were all mixed up in the malls and in the streets. DC was pretty nicely mixed up and I missed that when I travelled to Boston. Somehow there was less variety there. I saw a west african pub which was filled with the sound of reggae and shook with energy while besides it was a cafe pub with classic rock playing and white folks sitting around conversing. Parallel worlds which met and separated and met and separated again.
8. Sex
Disclaimer - I only saw a few cities and towns. Bits of Boston, Manhattan, Baltimore, DC, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I saw a lot of Air Tran and also travelled by Greyhound, Amtrak, Chinese Bus Service, Taxicabs, Cars and on foot. I had never visited this country and my first visit was if not an eyeopener, but definitely a fresh experience.
Ever since my return from the US of A I have been trying to put a finger on what exactly it was that struck me as different. What was the character of the place that I visited. How did it make me feel.
As always when I cant think of a one word answer, I settle for 10. So there goes - 10 words that describe what I felt -
1. Scale - I felt everything was a bit out of scale, or atleast in a different scale than poor old india. The cars were bigger and so were the people. The buildings were bigger and so were the styrofoam cups. It seemed like everything had 10% extra, to make it bigger and better. Coming from a place where a lot of people share less resources and can't really afford to waste anything, the feeling of being in a place of plenty was exhilarating. It however did feel out of place, and not in sync with its users. The scale was not really so firmly linked to the Human Scale and sometimes one felt out of place in some settings, as if we were preparing all of this for some super being who would come and occupy the world we were creating.
2. Rumble - This was the soundtrack of America. The deep rumble of rubber on tarmac. No horns honking, no whistles blowing, no voices arguing, no brakes screeching, no birds twittering. Just the steady sound of rubber purring over the roads. Wherever one went, one was followed by this steady buzz and hiss. The roads were smooth, the cars in good shape. So no creaking sounds, no bumping sounds. Just a smooth steady rumble all day and all night, everyday and everynight, everywhere.
3. Sugar - This was the taste of america. Specially corn based fructose. Sweeteners. Additives. Sweet stuff everywhere. On donuts, in milkshakes, in fizzy drinks, sweets, candy and desserts. Some cold drinks had so much sugar, that if you let them stand for a while and then take a sip you felt like you were drinking syrup.
got tired...will continue later.
back...
4. Alchohol - Alchohol was everywhere. Socializing means drinking alchohol. Having a good time means drinking lots of liquor. Amazing variety of wine, beer, whiskey, rum, vodka, tequila in the stores where one would almost get giddy drunk just browsing through the displays. Favourites- Sam Adams, Guinness, Jim Beam, all varieties of tequila. Put on lots of weight and developed a curious dependency on the divine spirit. Gradually returning to normal and drying out.
5. Sterile and Fertile - These two words kept popping up in my head when i roamed around america. Sometimes it seemed so cut and dried. So antiseptic and so squeaky clean. Sterile means
Not producing or incapable of producing offspring. Not producing or incapable of producing seed, fruit spores, or other reproductive structures. Used of plants or their parts. Producing little or no vegetation; unfruitful: sterile land.
Free from live bacteria or other microorganisms: a sterile operating area; sterile instruments. Lacking imagination, creativity, or vitality. Lacking the power to function; not productive or effective; fruitless: a sterile discussion.
It did seem like the last generation. There didnt seem to be anything new springing up, any new directions, new movements, fresh growths. America seemed stuck in the mould of itself. To grow is to change. To change one must shed some part of the old. Thats where I felt the society was a bit sterile, since to shed some part of the old now might get called Un-American. There was a bit too much predictability in the experiences one had there.
The land was fertile though. Very fertile. Lush turgid rivers, fat green trees, huge overfed squirrels and enormous quantities of food. The human layer which has been laid over the earth layer seemed incongruous, a sterile icing on a rich nutty cake. I kept hoping to find something organic, something that grew out of the earth and grew according to the constraints of nature. Instead of that, one could feel the heavy machinery and the imposing human will that had leveled mountains, flattened hills and build huge boxes of concretes called malls everywhere.
6. Smile - I never saw so many smiles in a day as I did in America. I felt happy thinking that the sight of me was making people light up with a big smile, but later I came to realise that its the default facial expression. Everyone had great white teeth, perfect dental work and the ability to keep smiling for longer than I would have thought physically possible.
7. Color - Black and White and the shades in between - For the first time I was living somewhere where most of the people didnt look like me, not even in the shades of their skin colors. I ended up sharing a house with a pale gentle commercial artist and a stocky grinning tanned engineer. It was nice feeling to see so much variety around. African origins, Asian origins, European origins, Middle eastern origins and the various other types were all mixed up in the malls and in the streets. DC was pretty nicely mixed up and I missed that when I travelled to Boston. Somehow there was less variety there. I saw a west african pub which was filled with the sound of reggae and shook with energy while besides it was a cafe pub with classic rock playing and white folks sitting around conversing. Parallel worlds which met and separated and met and separated again.
8. Sex
Friday, January 19, 2007
new post #2 of the new year.
2006 was not such a bad year after all. It was also a very interesting year. It marked the peak of the neo-conservative, american imperialist ideology and the latter part of the year saw the climbdown from the lofty peaks of righteous rhetoric.
As Nostradamus predicted, it was a man in a blue turban who rose in the middle east and threw down the newest challenge to the rather confused american war machine. In fact there were many men, and lots of differently coloured turbans which flickered on and off CNN throughout the year. Muqtada Al Sadr managed to become an increasingly important figure, while Nasrullah came from behind to capture the hearts and minds of a fractured middle east like no one had done before.
Sometimes the west forgets that the east is not different. Just like the pioneers in the west preferred to die in glory than live in slavery, so does the Arab. Nasrullah and hezbollah gave some pride back to the Arab world, and the arab world was ready to forgive the destruction of beirut and the loss of homes and infrastructure, just to be able to see someone at least stand up to the war machine. With the kidnapping of a few israeli soldiers, the destruction of an Israeli ship and the grim dogfight to the end with patched together katyusha rockets, Hezbollah at least managed to keep the hope alive in the hearts of ordinary arabs and served as an inspiration for others struggling to assert their independence.
In personal terms it was an interesting year too. I roamed around the country a bit and also started to throw my weight around work and home. After years of living in silence, exile and cunning, the combined effect of a months vacation and two months regular swimming made me sit up and demand more. So off I went to the US of A to see for myself what god and mammon hath wrought. The three months I spent there were very interesting. I didnt see much except the north eastern corner, but what I saw was fascinating. I still havent been able to figure out how to write what I felt and observed about the land of the native american, and maybe I will attempt something in the next post. I saw the summer and fall in the area between washington DC to Boston. I saw halloween weekend in manhattan and drove to the canada border to see the niagara fall. It was a lot of fun, but I couldnt wait to get back home :)
As Nostradamus predicted, it was a man in a blue turban who rose in the middle east and threw down the newest challenge to the rather confused american war machine. In fact there were many men, and lots of differently coloured turbans which flickered on and off CNN throughout the year. Muqtada Al Sadr managed to become an increasingly important figure, while Nasrullah came from behind to capture the hearts and minds of a fractured middle east like no one had done before.
Sometimes the west forgets that the east is not different. Just like the pioneers in the west preferred to die in glory than live in slavery, so does the Arab. Nasrullah and hezbollah gave some pride back to the Arab world, and the arab world was ready to forgive the destruction of beirut and the loss of homes and infrastructure, just to be able to see someone at least stand up to the war machine. With the kidnapping of a few israeli soldiers, the destruction of an Israeli ship and the grim dogfight to the end with patched together katyusha rockets, Hezbollah at least managed to keep the hope alive in the hearts of ordinary arabs and served as an inspiration for others struggling to assert their independence.
In personal terms it was an interesting year too. I roamed around the country a bit and also started to throw my weight around work and home. After years of living in silence, exile and cunning, the combined effect of a months vacation and two months regular swimming made me sit up and demand more. So off I went to the US of A to see for myself what god and mammon hath wrought. The three months I spent there were very interesting. I didnt see much except the north eastern corner, but what I saw was fascinating. I still havent been able to figure out how to write what I felt and observed about the land of the native american, and maybe I will attempt something in the next post. I saw the summer and fall in the area between washington DC to Boston. I saw halloween weekend in manhattan and drove to the canada border to see the niagara fall. It was a lot of fun, but I couldnt wait to get back home :)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
the america diaries
Less than a month left of my american trip. 3 months is probably not adequate to see this country properly. I concentrated this trip on trying to see the north east corner and meet as many people as i could. Somehow never got around to seeing the touristy things. When I realised that the water of the niagara falls is used for electricity generation and is released for a few hours when the tourists visit, I decided not to get into any tourist type activity again. More important for me was to visit as many old friends as I could. After we left college almost a decade ago, everyone scattered all over the globe, and one way or the other ended up in the US of A. Its been nice to catch up with them and revisit the reasons that we became friends those many years ago.
I thought I would sort of group the people I met so I could make sense of it all. So here goes. First let me start with the Indians.
The various categories of Indians are -
1. Old Old friends - This was the main reason that I accepted the assignment to come to US. I missed my friends, and I am glad I got to meet most of them. Arshad, if you are reading this, get your act together, and meet me asap. Mostly they are all the same as I knew them, but have just grown a bit more. They no longer have unkempt hair ( if they have any left), the social skills are more developed, less goofy, more complex, busier and smarter, richer and fatter :) etc etc. Whenever I met someone whom I used to be friends with many years ago, it just took a little while to get through the interference and get a clear signal, and then we were back in sync and happily chutiyaoing along.
2. Work Gang - This is mostly people in my office. All of them have been in the states for a long time and pretty well settled in. All drive Honda's and work on laptops. They gave me a crash course in "how to live here when you get here" and then were always around to help me get settled in. Its amazing how theres no insecurity, office politics, pushing and shoving at all, as compared to any similar setup in India. Its a reflection of the American work ethic perhaps. I have been very impressed with how professional and punctual most american office workers are. Theres a matter-of-fact attitude and a unhurried but efficient way of working thats really fun to see. From a secretary, to a waitress, to an airline pilot, to a senior executive, the pride of "just doing my job" is great to see.
3. The software engineering gang everywhere in the cafes, in the indian store, in the restaurants, in the housing blocks, on the aeroplanes. They are ubiquitous, ( hope i got it right, i think it means - present everywhere ) and are easily spotted. They know their way around america, having spent years here on many trips, on projects in many cities and they know the exchange rate down to the last cent. They know which is the best place to buy anything, the best way to cook indian food in a hotel room, the cheapest option of travelling anywhere. They can live without air or water, but if you shut the wi-fi off, there will be a croaking noise and they start dropping like flies.
4. The waiters, the cooks, the cleaners, the cabbies, the motel workers and the bums - I put that last one in in the hope that there would be one Indian bum in this country. For the future of this race, there must be a few square pegs in round holes, a few misfits, someone who didnt study his ass off and instead grew long hair and became a bum. Havent spotted one yet, maybe the species hasnt arrived yet. Still I am hopeful.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
rambling along
its late at night on thursday...the motel staff are behind bulletproof glass, late night customers drive up in fancy cars with lots of bling. Its been a full working day, part of a busy week and I am tired out.
I had a nice talk with my boss on the way back from work. He was explaining to me how things worked and how important the right environment was. It was a strange situation to be in, because usually I am the one trying to preach this message. I usually talk about thinking big and providing the best possible environment for people to work in and it was nice to be taught a lesson that I thought I knew. Goes to show that one often forgets what one knows.
This set me thinking about events and people that taught me something in this past year and I thought I would list them down...lest i forget.
Rule #1 - This would be the lesson learnt at the new year party. The rule is, if you have a party in the winter, make sure theres lots of firewood. Charu reminded me of this, when he went and sourced a 30 foot long bamboo pole at 2 am from a nearby construction site, which was impossible to cut or chop or burn...still the message was there.
Rule #2 - No matter how pissed off they make you, do not strike back at someone you share a house with. You have to live with it..better to turn the stereo on at full volume and get your message across. Break a few bottles if you have to, but dont break any heads.
Rule #3 - Two dogs are better than one. One dog chews up your trouser legs, two dogs chew each others ears.
Rule #4 - Before attempting any tricky technological undertaking, take a deep breath, read it up on the internet, check out the manuals, talk to someone who knows about it and then sit down with a calm mind and just do it step by step.
Rule #5 - If you have a plan and you realise certain flaws in it and drawbacks to implementing it then do not question the reasons for the plan. This is sometimes tough to remember. Hold on to the original plan and work around the problems. It may be harder than you thought, but you may be stronger than you estimated.
Rule #6 - Give all possible freedom to people, but take a daily report. If you cannot get them to make a report everyday, theres very little chance that you can get them to do anything else. If you dont have the time to read the reports then you probably dont have time to mentor them either.
Rule #7 - If you like someone, dont be afraid to ask them out for dinner. Coffee is fine and beer is nice, but dinner is what counts.
Rule #8 - Its always more lively in a bus than it is in an aeroplane.
I had a nice talk with my boss on the way back from work. He was explaining to me how things worked and how important the right environment was. It was a strange situation to be in, because usually I am the one trying to preach this message. I usually talk about thinking big and providing the best possible environment for people to work in and it was nice to be taught a lesson that I thought I knew. Goes to show that one often forgets what one knows.
This set me thinking about events and people that taught me something in this past year and I thought I would list them down...lest i forget.
Rule #1 - This would be the lesson learnt at the new year party. The rule is, if you have a party in the winter, make sure theres lots of firewood. Charu reminded me of this, when he went and sourced a 30 foot long bamboo pole at 2 am from a nearby construction site, which was impossible to cut or chop or burn...still the message was there.
Rule #2 - No matter how pissed off they make you, do not strike back at someone you share a house with. You have to live with it..better to turn the stereo on at full volume and get your message across. Break a few bottles if you have to, but dont break any heads.
Rule #3 - Two dogs are better than one. One dog chews up your trouser legs, two dogs chew each others ears.
Rule #4 - Before attempting any tricky technological undertaking, take a deep breath, read it up on the internet, check out the manuals, talk to someone who knows about it and then sit down with a calm mind and just do it step by step.
Rule #5 - If you have a plan and you realise certain flaws in it and drawbacks to implementing it then do not question the reasons for the plan. This is sometimes tough to remember. Hold on to the original plan and work around the problems. It may be harder than you thought, but you may be stronger than you estimated.
Rule #6 - Give all possible freedom to people, but take a daily report. If you cannot get them to make a report everyday, theres very little chance that you can get them to do anything else. If you dont have the time to read the reports then you probably dont have time to mentor them either.
Rule #7 - If you like someone, dont be afraid to ask them out for dinner. Coffee is fine and beer is nice, but dinner is what counts.
Rule #8 - Its always more lively in a bus than it is in an aeroplane.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Saturday, August 12, 2006
first friday evening in america
so a week has passed. Spent a full working week here and it was fun. After a long time I was working in the daytime. Since it was the first week, i was treated rather well. Both the bosses took turns to pick me up from the motel on their way to work and drop me back. They also stood me lunch a few times. I visited a place called Panera breads which had some awesome onion soup and sandwiches, a place called Pastablitz which was nice, a subway and an indian buffet which was very satisfying. Had roti and dal after quite a while and just filled myself up.
Workwise the pace was good. Got quite a few things underway and the next week should see some results start to come in. Today I worked from the motel and that was nice too. Went for a lunchtime swim, which is pure sinful luxury on a working day. Cooked me own lunch, which was heating up a matar paneer thing and making some rice. Also some nice bitter chocolate to top it off.
I went to meet a writer with whom I had a correspondence some time ago. She lives in downtown Baltimore near the John Hopkins Uni and that area is very lively and vibrant. I set out at 5:30 and caught a bus down to the city. Bought an all day pass. Once I reached downtown, I took a look around. Had been a little shocked by the neighbourhoods the bus had passed through. They were not like the pretty little white parts of town, but were more grungy and rundown. The disparity is pretty starkly visible. They are nice enough places compared to the ones in india, but compared to the rest of the town, they are just glorified slums.
The inner harbour area is nice with lots of tourist attractions. I got a little lost and walked into an area where there were pretty girls standing around on the street looing bored. A bit further on and the signs saying "hustler" and "you must have a drink at all times" made it pretty clear that this was a place where sex sells more blatantly than usual. I made my way towards the more shiny and bank type of buildings and asked around. I was directed to a bus stop where the #3 bus would take me to John Hopkins Uni where I was to find a cafe called Donnas.
Sitting in the bus, I suddenly spotted Donna's through the window and got down in a hurry. Waited around but couldnt spot my friend. So I asked the bar guy if this was the only Donna's around and I found that it wasnt, the one I wanted was another couple of miles down the road. I walked on, but couldnt find a bus stop, and a few more buses passed me by without stopping. Stopped and asked a policewoman for directions and she said it was another mile or so off. Said not to worry since it was a safe neighbourhood. So I walked on again..
Finally I got tired and stopped and asked an asian looking guy for directions. He told me it was still quite a way off, and I gave a loud sigh. He said that if i waited a couple of minutes, he could give me a lift part of the way. Soon he reappeared and I got into his car. He drove me straight to Donna's and I got off. Thanked him profusely and asked him if he was indian. Nopes he said, Pakistani.
Same thing I said, and he smiled. We exchanged numbers, and I thanked him again.
I believe he just came back to drive me out to Donna's and after that would have driven straight back to his house. Asian hospitality for you, and in its full glory in the US of A.
Met my friend, and we had a nice dinner, then caught the 10 pm bus back to the harbour, then the other bus, which was surprisingly crowded back to my motel.
My first adventure in the wild wicked west and it was quite fun actually. I think I shall buy some more day passes for these buses and see more of the area around this weekend...so far so good...
Workwise the pace was good. Got quite a few things underway and the next week should see some results start to come in. Today I worked from the motel and that was nice too. Went for a lunchtime swim, which is pure sinful luxury on a working day. Cooked me own lunch, which was heating up a matar paneer thing and making some rice. Also some nice bitter chocolate to top it off.
I went to meet a writer with whom I had a correspondence some time ago. She lives in downtown Baltimore near the John Hopkins Uni and that area is very lively and vibrant. I set out at 5:30 and caught a bus down to the city. Bought an all day pass. Once I reached downtown, I took a look around. Had been a little shocked by the neighbourhoods the bus had passed through. They were not like the pretty little white parts of town, but were more grungy and rundown. The disparity is pretty starkly visible. They are nice enough places compared to the ones in india, but compared to the rest of the town, they are just glorified slums.
The inner harbour area is nice with lots of tourist attractions. I got a little lost and walked into an area where there were pretty girls standing around on the street looing bored. A bit further on and the signs saying "hustler" and "you must have a drink at all times" made it pretty clear that this was a place where sex sells more blatantly than usual. I made my way towards the more shiny and bank type of buildings and asked around. I was directed to a bus stop where the #3 bus would take me to John Hopkins Uni where I was to find a cafe called Donnas.
Sitting in the bus, I suddenly spotted Donna's through the window and got down in a hurry. Waited around but couldnt spot my friend. So I asked the bar guy if this was the only Donna's around and I found that it wasnt, the one I wanted was another couple of miles down the road. I walked on, but couldnt find a bus stop, and a few more buses passed me by without stopping. Stopped and asked a policewoman for directions and she said it was another mile or so off. Said not to worry since it was a safe neighbourhood. So I walked on again..
Finally I got tired and stopped and asked an asian looking guy for directions. He told me it was still quite a way off, and I gave a loud sigh. He said that if i waited a couple of minutes, he could give me a lift part of the way. Soon he reappeared and I got into his car. He drove me straight to Donna's and I got off. Thanked him profusely and asked him if he was indian. Nopes he said, Pakistani.
Same thing I said, and he smiled. We exchanged numbers, and I thanked him again.
I believe he just came back to drive me out to Donna's and after that would have driven straight back to his house. Asian hospitality for you, and in its full glory in the US of A.
Met my friend, and we had a nice dinner, then caught the 10 pm bus back to the harbour, then the other bus, which was surprisingly crowded back to my motel.
My first adventure in the wild wicked west and it was quite fun actually. I think I shall buy some more day passes for these buses and see more of the area around this weekend...so far so good...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
tuesday in america
DAY 4
My fourth day in america is about to get over. Its been a busy two days at work. Today I got a cellphone. I also got the advice to use it sparingly and try and call as much from a landline phone as possible. "Ok I have to just pretend its 5 years ago in India" I said. That brought a chuckle from the boss, and he admitted that America is now beginning to catch up to India.
The hot weather has gone away a bit, and there was some rain yesterday. Its nice now not unlike how delhi was when I left it.
I got a new cellphone today... now i am at 917 664 5442 . If I get too many calls selling me magic pills or credit cards then I will have to delete this post. According to the stats, 4 people visited my blog yesterday, so hey...feel free to call...would like to hear from you.
Been eating out a lot, thanks to everyone wanting to make me feel at home. Today went to a mexican place and it was really good. Wonder why everyone feels compelled to pack along packed greasy indian food while coming to america.
Theres nothing much to do in the evenings unfortunately. I dont have a driving licence and so no car. no car means no nothing. stuck .. so i am looking to make friends with someone who has a car... :)
Its a nice time to be in america I think. Theres a lot of greenery and its vacation time..
My fourth day in america is about to get over. Its been a busy two days at work. Today I got a cellphone. I also got the advice to use it sparingly and try and call as much from a landline phone as possible. "Ok I have to just pretend its 5 years ago in India" I said. That brought a chuckle from the boss, and he admitted that America is now beginning to catch up to India.
The hot weather has gone away a bit, and there was some rain yesterday. Its nice now not unlike how delhi was when I left it.
I got a new cellphone today... now i am at 917 664 5442 . If I get too many calls selling me magic pills or credit cards then I will have to delete this post. According to the stats, 4 people visited my blog yesterday, so hey...feel free to call...would like to hear from you.
Been eating out a lot, thanks to everyone wanting to make me feel at home. Today went to a mexican place and it was really good. Wonder why everyone feels compelled to pack along packed greasy indian food while coming to america.
Theres nothing much to do in the evenings unfortunately. I dont have a driving licence and so no car. no car means no nothing. stuck .. so i am looking to make friends with someone who has a car... :)
Its a nice time to be in america I think. Theres a lot of greenery and its vacation time..
Saturday, August 05, 2006
travelling on
My first visit to the US of A. Left friday night from Delhi. It was a close thing... we were stuck in traffic on the way to the airport and it was looking pretty rocky. I had to get out twice to direct traffic and try and get our car through the insane clutter of tractors, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, autorickshaws, cars and jeeps. Reached the airport at 9:15 pm and the flight was to leave at 10:45..but luckily everything went smoothly from then on...had to stand in queues and answer a lot of questions and get searched a few times..but made it on to the flight in time and settled in by the window. It was a 15 hour direct flight and the service was pretty good ( continental airlines). Our plane flew over the cities of samarkand and bukhara and the skies there were cloudless and the cities glowed like jewels in the night. Would love to visit there sometime...looked really pretty.
Slept off intermittently, woke up again when we were flying over norway and then when we passed over the glaciers of Greenland before finally landing in Newark NJ. From the air newark and the area around was just one huge sheet of yellow light...stretching as far as the eye could see. When the roads came more clearly into view, it looked very unlike india. The carlights were evenly spaced and were moving at a constant speed in a straight line...there were no clusters of cars or zigzag patterns....everything was relaxed and in order.
Stood in a few more queues and then had breakfast with a guy from work. Then got onto a plane to Baltimore and got settled in a motel here. The cars are nicer, everyone wears shorts, there are no people on the streets, traffic never stops and all you have to do to eat is to buy food and warm it.
I miss home already :( but am looking forward to work on monday. It seems like a great place to get work done. Theres efficiency in the air :)
Slept off intermittently, woke up again when we were flying over norway and then when we passed over the glaciers of Greenland before finally landing in Newark NJ. From the air newark and the area around was just one huge sheet of yellow light...stretching as far as the eye could see. When the roads came more clearly into view, it looked very unlike india. The carlights were evenly spaced and were moving at a constant speed in a straight line...there were no clusters of cars or zigzag patterns....everything was relaxed and in order.
Stood in a few more queues and then had breakfast with a guy from work. Then got onto a plane to Baltimore and got settled in a motel here. The cars are nicer, everyone wears shorts, there are no people on the streets, traffic never stops and all you have to do to eat is to buy food and warm it.
I miss home already :( but am looking forward to work on monday. It seems like a great place to get work done. Theres efficiency in the air :)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
good safe clean water
We had driven out to Neemrana on sunday. My trusty but non airconditioned can-on-wheels did the two hour drive without complaints. It was great day for the trip, pleasant and cloudy, threatening to rain but dry. On the way back we stopped at a dhaba. Since both my companions were Americans and a bit suspicious of the water, we ordered a bottle of water. I however had a nice drink from a plastic mug. We had a little conversation about how fresh water might actually be better than bottled water, even if bottled water is cleaner. I mean how safe is plastic actually, specially when kept out in the Indian sun.
Today while reading this article I was reminded of that discussion. Makes a lot of sense actually. We sometimes forget that bottled water is to used in an emergency, not as a matter of course. Our value systems change gradually with the advertising and lifestyle changes.
Today while reading this article I was reminded of that discussion. Makes a lot of sense actually. We sometimes forget that bottled water is to used in an emergency, not as a matter of course. Our value systems change gradually with the advertising and lifestyle changes.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
been a long time since i up and wrote
its been quite a busy week..and mostly its been good. I find that sitting on the bottom of the swimming pool for a minute every day is very good for my thought patterns. After a few weeks of this underwater yoga, i am now seeing the world much more clearly. All the little mysteries of life and intrigues that surround us are laid bare and I confidently leap to answer any question that floats up in the air around me.
This leaping-to-answer-questions approach sometimes backfires. Like in a pub when a drunk guy asks aloud, "why is my wife such a bitch". Still I do get a sense of satisfaction on answering these questions and quickly moving on.
Some questions I could satisfactorily answer this week were -
Q : Who is going to win the world cup?
A : France. This because I never find anyone supporting the Les Bleus so it makes sense that they would win, since they seem to not need any support. Every other team has people wearing their shirts, praying and painting wierd stuff all over.
Q : Why did the stockmarket have to crash just now?
A : Because its the middle of the summer, most people go to the beach or mountains with their kids leaving subordinates in charge. These inexperienced people panick and are easily stampeded.
Q : We used to have surplus wheat rotting in warehouses, why is India having to import wheat now?
A : The wheat that was rotting finally rotted away, leaving the warehouses bare. The new crop was bought by the foreign companies, and now they are selling it back to us.
Q: Whats Bill Gates' foundation gonna do with all the money?
A : I refer you to this article - "Gates gives 500 hookers smart cards" . Its just the start, soon they will get blackberry's too, 500 today, tomorrow the world.
Q: When is the monsoon gonna come?
A: Look outside the window. Its raining.
Q: Why is petrol and diesel becoming so expensive?
A: To discourage people from driving so much. The environmentalist maniacs have persuaded governments to take this step.
Q: What will happen when we run out of petrol?
A: We will walk or teleconference.
This leaping-to-answer-questions approach sometimes backfires. Like in a pub when a drunk guy asks aloud, "why is my wife such a bitch". Still I do get a sense of satisfaction on answering these questions and quickly moving on.
Some questions I could satisfactorily answer this week were -
Q : Who is going to win the world cup?
A : France. This because I never find anyone supporting the Les Bleus so it makes sense that they would win, since they seem to not need any support. Every other team has people wearing their shirts, praying and painting wierd stuff all over.
Q : Why did the stockmarket have to crash just now?
A : Because its the middle of the summer, most people go to the beach or mountains with their kids leaving subordinates in charge. These inexperienced people panick and are easily stampeded.
Q : We used to have surplus wheat rotting in warehouses, why is India having to import wheat now?
A : The wheat that was rotting finally rotted away, leaving the warehouses bare. The new crop was bought by the foreign companies, and now they are selling it back to us.
Q: Whats Bill Gates' foundation gonna do with all the money?
A : I refer you to this article - "Gates gives 500 hookers smart cards" . Its just the start, soon they will get blackberry's too, 500 today, tomorrow the world.
Q: When is the monsoon gonna come?
A: Look outside the window. Its raining.
Q: Why is petrol and diesel becoming so expensive?
A: To discourage people from driving so much. The environmentalist maniacs have persuaded governments to take this step.
Q: What will happen when we run out of petrol?
A: We will walk or teleconference.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
travel memories
2 August, 1998 Delhi. I’m waiting to collect my salary. Elsewhere Arshad was doing the same and we were to meet on the Brahmaputra Express. I just made it and soon spotted an outsized grin coming towards me. "Arshad Miya" I yelled and we got settled in. Two young girls, their mother and three tough guys made up our cabin.
At night a hand slithered down over the girl sleeping in the lower bunk. She shriveled into a corner. The train clanged over the moonlit swollen Son River and I saw the scene being repeated with her sister. I walked down and found a railway constable, offered him a cigarette. We had to come back to my cubicle for matches ;)
In the morning they (not the guys) shared breakfast with us and we got off at Alipurduar with a mother’s blessing warm on our foreheads. The trip was on.
At night a hand slithered down over the girl sleeping in the lower bunk. She shriveled into a corner. The train clanged over the moonlit swollen Son River and I saw the scene being repeated with her sister. I walked down and found a railway constable, offered him a cigarette. We had to come back to my cubicle for matches ;)
In the morning they (not the guys) shared breakfast with us and we got off at Alipurduar with a mother’s blessing warm on our foreheads. The trip was on.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
some thoughts
well its a sunny day here in gurgaon...the monsoon seems to have disintegrated and only a few wispy clouds drift across the sky. So many things happening here in india, and mostly its all bad news..lets do a quick round up of what these last few weeks have been like.
1. The great indian reservation saga - this still commands some space in the newspapers. Unfortunately only the top 5% of indians earn more than 500 dollars a year and yet they claim to be the middle class of india. They are visibly agitated because of certain government moves which aim to please the underpriveleged castes in india, by granting them reservations in colleges and jobs. This has raised howls of protest from doctors, engineers and suchlike, and they claim that this move would lead to a lowering of standards in Indian education and industry. Noisy visible protests are being staged and most people after protesting realise that they miss their air conditioning more and beat a hasty retreat. The government wants the votes of the 95% of the population and the money from the 5% of the population and is trying to please everyone and failing spectacularly. The searing heat has stopped all the protests and most people are now indoors conducting discussions and negotiations in the shade of split-unit airconditioning plants.
2. Fuel price hike - Every rupee that an indian pays for petrol, half of it goes to the government in the form of taxes. This is because petrol is considered a luxury item :). Petrol costs 1 dollar per litre here. If you remember from above, 5% of indians earn more than 500 dollars a year. So it definitely is a luxury. In the aftermath of global fuel price hikes, thanks to our new pal, George Bush and his middle east adventure, the prices of petrol and diesel were raised by about 10%. This led to howls of protest from opposition parties, threats of agitations and strikes and might have led to acts of self-immolation ( burning oneself alive - a standard protest form in india ) were it not for the fact that it would be too expensive. The summer heat derailed these protests too, and the concerned parties are holding press conferences in air conditioned meeting rooms.
3. Stock Market Meltdown- This is a painful topic, because yours truly believes in putting all his savings in stock markets, specially in the riskier stocks, which have a habit of diving down like a soccer centre forward when approached by a defender. The markets have been falling and keep on falling, 33% in just over a month down, and there seems to be no end in sight. This bear hug is painful and specially for the less than 1% of indians who own any shares whatsoever. All the incredible india stories now seem jaded, the summer heat, the failing monsoon, the cynical government, the rising cost of oil, the global downturn are the new stories of the day. If this moves your heart, please send a cheque to me .... i am 33% poorer than before.
4. One in every two Indian children is malnourished - 90% of india's rural family spend over 60% of their income on food. Against this backdrop, it is understandable that there was very little rejoicing when the price of wheat was incresed. Parts of india are so poor and backward that people starve to death. In this hot summer there will be countless tragedies that happen in villages and towns. Dead bodies lying by the roadside as the cars whizz by. Mothers starving to death as they try to keep their children alive. Farmers eating rat poison to escape the indignity of life where their children scream all day of hunger. Government schemes will be launched and fat officials will become fatter. The old farmer sitting on a dry piece of earth, looking to the heavens for signs of rain knows that no one will help him, only the gods can do something and he prays that they send him a raincloud or two which softens the earth below his feet, so he can hitch a iron plough to his 100 pound 60 year old body and till the soil and try and raise a few crops which will feed his family.....we all pray for those clouds...but it seems this year the weather patterns are disturbed and the monsoon is not moving forward as it should...and we all wait anxiously. It is in June that we realise that this poor beautiful lonely little country still lives and breathes because of the grace of god and his clouds. All the computers and all the dams and all the government schemes are forgotten and only the clouds matter now.
1. The great indian reservation saga - this still commands some space in the newspapers. Unfortunately only the top 5% of indians earn more than 500 dollars a year and yet they claim to be the middle class of india. They are visibly agitated because of certain government moves which aim to please the underpriveleged castes in india, by granting them reservations in colleges and jobs. This has raised howls of protest from doctors, engineers and suchlike, and they claim that this move would lead to a lowering of standards in Indian education and industry. Noisy visible protests are being staged and most people after protesting realise that they miss their air conditioning more and beat a hasty retreat. The government wants the votes of the 95% of the population and the money from the 5% of the population and is trying to please everyone and failing spectacularly. The searing heat has stopped all the protests and most people are now indoors conducting discussions and negotiations in the shade of split-unit airconditioning plants.
2. Fuel price hike - Every rupee that an indian pays for petrol, half of it goes to the government in the form of taxes. This is because petrol is considered a luxury item :). Petrol costs 1 dollar per litre here. If you remember from above, 5% of indians earn more than 500 dollars a year. So it definitely is a luxury. In the aftermath of global fuel price hikes, thanks to our new pal, George Bush and his middle east adventure, the prices of petrol and diesel were raised by about 10%. This led to howls of protest from opposition parties, threats of agitations and strikes and might have led to acts of self-immolation ( burning oneself alive - a standard protest form in india ) were it not for the fact that it would be too expensive. The summer heat derailed these protests too, and the concerned parties are holding press conferences in air conditioned meeting rooms.
3. Stock Market Meltdown- This is a painful topic, because yours truly believes in putting all his savings in stock markets, specially in the riskier stocks, which have a habit of diving down like a soccer centre forward when approached by a defender. The markets have been falling and keep on falling, 33% in just over a month down, and there seems to be no end in sight. This bear hug is painful and specially for the less than 1% of indians who own any shares whatsoever. All the incredible india stories now seem jaded, the summer heat, the failing monsoon, the cynical government, the rising cost of oil, the global downturn are the new stories of the day. If this moves your heart, please send a cheque to me .... i am 33% poorer than before.
4. One in every two Indian children is malnourished - 90% of india's rural family spend over 60% of their income on food. Against this backdrop, it is understandable that there was very little rejoicing when the price of wheat was incresed. Parts of india are so poor and backward that people starve to death. In this hot summer there will be countless tragedies that happen in villages and towns. Dead bodies lying by the roadside as the cars whizz by. Mothers starving to death as they try to keep their children alive. Farmers eating rat poison to escape the indignity of life where their children scream all day of hunger. Government schemes will be launched and fat officials will become fatter. The old farmer sitting on a dry piece of earth, looking to the heavens for signs of rain knows that no one will help him, only the gods can do something and he prays that they send him a raincloud or two which softens the earth below his feet, so he can hitch a iron plough to his 100 pound 60 year old body and till the soil and try and raise a few crops which will feed his family.....we all pray for those clouds...but it seems this year the weather patterns are disturbed and the monsoon is not moving forward as it should...and we all wait anxiously. It is in June that we realise that this poor beautiful lonely little country still lives and breathes because of the grace of god and his clouds. All the computers and all the dams and all the government schemes are forgotten and only the clouds matter now.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Vacationing and vacating
well i was away...
i was on vacation...
after a year of being a good boy and working my way through corpoland... the old soul was becoming corpulent and needed indulgence....so i moaned on the phone to the big boss..who first thought i was going to quit...so desperate did my pleas sound....then he negotiated me down from 4 weeks to two..and i was handed my ticket to 2 weeks of living like a man on this land...to feel the breeze on my face..the sun in my eyes...the sand in my toes and the chance to live away from my box of concrete, my box of metal and rubber which runs on petrol..and my my box in a box with a box on a desk which is where i see what i type appear.
landed in chennai on friday night....drove all night along the east cost road and reached pondycherry just as dawn was breaking. Found a lovely machan house..or hut on stilts...by the beach and settled in...and the next few days passed by like three years... detoxing...dry cleaning...emptying out.... Moved on and travelled overnight and reached bangalore in the morning.... stayed a few days with my sister and played with my lil niece who at the age of 10 months can scroll down to her favourite ringtone on most cellphones. Then onwards to guwahati in the eastern corner of india... it had been a dream of mine to do this once....10 days in the land of the brahmaputra, where tribes with names like Khasi, Garo, Bodo, Naga live...and where the mountains are carpeted in green and shrouded in wispy white veils, where humans live with respect for nature and life flourishes beautifully.
walked along the mountain trails...bathed in streams, rivulets, lakes, waterfalls and hotel shower cubicles, ate all sorts of things, smoked peace pipes with strangers sitting alone tending to their little meadows on their mountains and it was fun.. saw the bangladesh border ..saw the army camps...saw the tribal dances...saw a society where women dominate, property is inherited from mother to daughter and after marriage the groom goes to live with in his wifes house, where women are not looked at like commodities, where there are no strangers and people help each other and where all of these tribes are engaged in a dance to the death, fighting among each other, trying to jostle into positions of power and influence and theres a new movement everyday....all in all one incredible vibrant mad and merry part of india....but sadly messed up because of guns per capita ratio.
took a few photographs...will post soon.
i was on vacation...
after a year of being a good boy and working my way through corpoland... the old soul was becoming corpulent and needed indulgence....so i moaned on the phone to the big boss..who first thought i was going to quit...so desperate did my pleas sound....then he negotiated me down from 4 weeks to two..and i was handed my ticket to 2 weeks of living like a man on this land...to feel the breeze on my face..the sun in my eyes...the sand in my toes and the chance to live away from my box of concrete, my box of metal and rubber which runs on petrol..and my my box in a box with a box on a desk which is where i see what i type appear.
landed in chennai on friday night....drove all night along the east cost road and reached pondycherry just as dawn was breaking. Found a lovely machan house..or hut on stilts...by the beach and settled in...and the next few days passed by like three years... detoxing...dry cleaning...emptying out.... Moved on and travelled overnight and reached bangalore in the morning.... stayed a few days with my sister and played with my lil niece who at the age of 10 months can scroll down to her favourite ringtone on most cellphones. Then onwards to guwahati in the eastern corner of india... it had been a dream of mine to do this once....10 days in the land of the brahmaputra, where tribes with names like Khasi, Garo, Bodo, Naga live...and where the mountains are carpeted in green and shrouded in wispy white veils, where humans live with respect for nature and life flourishes beautifully.
walked along the mountain trails...bathed in streams, rivulets, lakes, waterfalls and hotel shower cubicles, ate all sorts of things, smoked peace pipes with strangers sitting alone tending to their little meadows on their mountains and it was fun.. saw the bangladesh border ..saw the army camps...saw the tribal dances...saw a society where women dominate, property is inherited from mother to daughter and after marriage the groom goes to live with in his wifes house, where women are not looked at like commodities, where there are no strangers and people help each other and where all of these tribes are engaged in a dance to the death, fighting among each other, trying to jostle into positions of power and influence and theres a new movement everyday....all in all one incredible vibrant mad and merry part of india....but sadly messed up because of guns per capita ratio.
took a few photographs...will post soon.
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