न जाने यह कैसा इंतज़ार है
न कोई मंज़िल है, न कोई राह है |
है तो सिर्फ एक उम्मीद है
क्या कोई और तरकीब भी है?
मेरी दुनिया आज अधूरी है
आगे बड़ी दूरी है |
हाय! यह कैसी मजबूरी है
तू अब भी मुझसे रूठी है ||
अपने वादे से मुकरती हो
क्या दुनिया से इतना डरती हो?
सामने आने से शर्माती हो
ख़्वाबों में चली आती हो ||
न जाने कितने लम्हों का यह संचार है
मिट जाने से पहले, मिलने की चाह है |
कई अरसे बीत गए, ऐसा सच्चा प्यार है
फिर भी तुम न जानो यह कैसा इंतज़ार है ||
- श्याम
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
´You are Book(i)ed!´
Pakistan cricket has never been short of controversies and allegations. Some might not remember allegations of match fixing against the team goes as back as 1979-80. But the loudest of the scams came in 1994 that led to the setting up of the Qayyam commission which indicting the all time greats of Pakistan cricket Salim Malik, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis (who is the coach today) , Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Mustaq Ahmed. The story isnt really complete upto here.
It is not very long since we found the Indian cricketers under a match-fixing scanner (mind you, this is a much more serious allegation. And in the particular case of the Indian subcontinent an offence not any less than treason! ) And like this time, it was directly mapped to the then India captain Md. Azharuddin.
And also, the bookies who are revealed by players around the globe seem to be of South Asian origin- in particular Indian or Pakistani!
It is definitely hard to believe that cricket excluding these two countries is pristine with purity of a gentleman´s game! However there is also much to investigate whether the perpetuators of these activities are actually from the same flock!
Ahmer Naqvi, a former journalist from Pakistan says ´Over the past few years, our screens have been awash with images both gruesome and depressing in equal measures. And they have been punctually followed by television anchors and television politicians blaming India, Israel, CIA, NASA and any other bogeyman you can think of – as long as the perpetrators weren’t one of us.... It’s the unfair pay-cheques, the IPL bans, the lack of education, the War on Terror, the colonial prejudices.´
But one thing is certain, in both these countries we do not hold such punishments to the highest order of ethical blackmarking. Clearly evident from the fact that Md.Azharuddin is a Member of the Indian parliament (elected by the people!), Ajay Jadeja is a sports analyst with India´s leading news channel and appears everyday on screen to face the people and Manoj Prabhakar is the coach for Delhi cricket team. In Pakistan also, the life ban on Ata-ur-Rehman and Salim Malik was overturned.
Is it something that is ingrained in our society. Something that flourishes through our chor bazaars, foreign markets and pirated movies and CDs.? Something to do with the ´there is always more than one way to get it done´ philosophy that we embrace in the subcontinent to overcome our development issues on a daily basis? Something to ponder about I guess...
It is not very long since we found the Indian cricketers under a match-fixing scanner (mind you, this is a much more serious allegation. And in the particular case of the Indian subcontinent an offence not any less than treason! ) And like this time, it was directly mapped to the then India captain Md. Azharuddin.
And also, the bookies who are revealed by players around the globe seem to be of South Asian origin- in particular Indian or Pakistani!
It is definitely hard to believe that cricket excluding these two countries is pristine with purity of a gentleman´s game! However there is also much to investigate whether the perpetuators of these activities are actually from the same flock!
Ahmer Naqvi, a former journalist from Pakistan says ´Over the past few years, our screens have been awash with images both gruesome and depressing in equal measures. And they have been punctually followed by television anchors and television politicians blaming India, Israel, CIA, NASA and any other bogeyman you can think of – as long as the perpetrators weren’t one of us.... It’s the unfair pay-cheques, the IPL bans, the lack of education, the War on Terror, the colonial prejudices.´
But one thing is certain, in both these countries we do not hold such punishments to the highest order of ethical blackmarking. Clearly evident from the fact that Md.Azharuddin is a Member of the Indian parliament (elected by the people!), Ajay Jadeja is a sports analyst with India´s leading news channel and appears everyday on screen to face the people and Manoj Prabhakar is the coach for Delhi cricket team. In Pakistan also, the life ban on Ata-ur-Rehman and Salim Malik was overturned.
Is it something that is ingrained in our society. Something that flourishes through our chor bazaars, foreign markets and pirated movies and CDs.? Something to do with the ´there is always more than one way to get it done´ philosophy that we embrace in the subcontinent to overcome our development issues on a daily basis? Something to ponder about I guess...
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Chennai Callin!
I had lived for seven long years in Bombay, had made a really good set of friends and had started loving the life there when my father got a transfer order to Madras! To be honest, the kind of impression that we were fed with there about Madrasis (and to be occasionally referred to as one! ) was not all that encouraging! So it would not be very correct to say that I was looking forward to my days at Chennai!
But I came to Chennai on 22 Oct 2000. From that day to this, this city has managed to invoke a variety of emotions in me! The city has different faces, different moods and is constantly changing! The Chennai that I live in today is outwardly no where close to the one where I landed in 2000, but inwardly it remains the same that it has been for the last hundreds of years!
So exactly what is it that keeps this city going?
Not one, but many things. Right in the middle of it lies the rich tradition and cultural heritage untampered by any serious war or infiltrations, unlike our Northern cities. This has resulted in an unadulterated evolution over the generations.
Secondly, its the patronage to arts. Historically, patronising arts and developing them was the role of the rulers. Partly because of the cultural inclination of its people and partly because of the non-interference from other kingdom, Madras has always been the centre of excellence for so many art forms. These include music, dance, theatrical art forms and most recently movies! Madras was undoubtedly the centrestage of both Tamil and Malayalam film industry until the recent past. The very fact that most of the Malayalam movie stars and musicians still reside in Chennai bears testimony to this fact. This has definitely contributed to the development and prosperity of Chennai!
Thirdly, it is a kind of learning and knowledge evolution over the last few decades. Chennaites have patronised learning and education as much as arts, and as a result there are so many of its representatives in the Silicon valley and other significant places across the globe as brand ambassadors of Chennai.
Overall, the traditions, culture, arts and learning are the pillars that have held Chennai up over the times and responsible for its growth and prosperity.
Whats unique about Chennaites?
For the last ten years, I have constantly been interacting with Chennaites and there is this one common thing in them that amazes me! The competitive spirit and killing instinct! Here everyone is fed on competition, right from the criss-cross driving commuter stuck on the road in the Anna Salai traffic to the young students at TRS classes aspiring for a seat in IIT!
It is this crave for achievement (and being able envy a few neighbors and cast a ´good impression´ and attain a ´good reputation´ in the society) that drives the people here! However I must clarify here that by no means are they any unfriendly. It is just that these competitive insttincts are ingrained in their DNAs and its the way of life!
Many of my friends from the North say that they find Madrasis not so open and outgoing as their North Indian brethren. I wish to oppose that allegation with an explanation that the definition of ´openness´ and ´outgoing´ is a little tweaked here, probably because of the unadulterated flow of culture that I was mentioning.
Discos and night life are alien to this place (to an extent) because everyone goes home in the night. Its a routine! Not many foreigners frequent here as they do in Goa or Bombay. Not many diplomats or dignitaries visit this place as they do in Delhi! Not many people from outside the state come here in search of jobs as they do in Bombay! So where is there an opportunity for changing the Chennai way of life? And hence it should not be a surprise that Chennaites have different mentality when compared to a person from Bombay or Delhi!
Whats lacking here?
Lack of awareness and illiteracy are two things that are holding back this city from reaching greater heights. While I told about the city´s patronage to learning, I must clearly mention here about the emerging (social-)class struggle in this place.
The affluent middle and upper class that has family links in America, enjoys Carnatic music as much as rock and jazz , and spends an average Rs.1000 on weekends with family in 3 or 4 star restaurants and malls (so many of them coming up in the last few years! ) present a completely different image as that painted by the average and lower class led by auto and taxi drivers who altercate with the upper classes in pucca Chennai Tamizh (copyrighted by the city and its residents, not to be found anywhere else! )for Rs. 50 and 60. These people do not understand IIT, cant differentiate between NIT and NIIT, do not believe India exists beyond Delhi!
The consequence? Hero worship and blind faith! They would burn themselves to death if a political leader of their faith is arrested. They would burn effigies if a hero of their faith is pointed fingers at by someone. They would vote and elect anyone who has shown caliber in show biz to the highest offices in the government because he/she belongs to their faith. In this way, they place their faith in a religion of their own where Rajnikant, Kamal Hasan, Vijaykant, Sachin Tendulkar (not Amitabh Bachchan! ), AR Rahman, SPBalasubramaiam (not Kishore Kumar or Lata Mangeshkar!) etc done the role of Gods!
This has to go! Basic education and exposure to the outside world is utmost necessary for the upliftment of this class. It is required to show them cities like London and Paris, built on similar foundations, and emphasise on the different aspects like cleanliness, civic responsibilites of citizens and embracing outsiders (which Chennai is not particularly known for esp when people concerned are coming beyond Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) to mix with them like the sugar in milk in building the city!
No wonder theres a long way to go and this city that is now my home, has the capability of going that extra two miles! And I dream of the time when Chennai becomes one of the best cities to live in this world!
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADRAS!
(I still prefer Madras over Chennai when it comes to a personal level! )
But I came to Chennai on 22 Oct 2000. From that day to this, this city has managed to invoke a variety of emotions in me! The city has different faces, different moods and is constantly changing! The Chennai that I live in today is outwardly no where close to the one where I landed in 2000, but inwardly it remains the same that it has been for the last hundreds of years!
So exactly what is it that keeps this city going?
Not one, but many things. Right in the middle of it lies the rich tradition and cultural heritage untampered by any serious war or infiltrations, unlike our Northern cities. This has resulted in an unadulterated evolution over the generations.
Secondly, its the patronage to arts. Historically, patronising arts and developing them was the role of the rulers. Partly because of the cultural inclination of its people and partly because of the non-interference from other kingdom, Madras has always been the centre of excellence for so many art forms. These include music, dance, theatrical art forms and most recently movies! Madras was undoubtedly the centrestage of both Tamil and Malayalam film industry until the recent past. The very fact that most of the Malayalam movie stars and musicians still reside in Chennai bears testimony to this fact. This has definitely contributed to the development and prosperity of Chennai!
Thirdly, it is a kind of learning and knowledge evolution over the last few decades. Chennaites have patronised learning and education as much as arts, and as a result there are so many of its representatives in the Silicon valley and other significant places across the globe as brand ambassadors of Chennai.
Overall, the traditions, culture, arts and learning are the pillars that have held Chennai up over the times and responsible for its growth and prosperity.
Whats unique about Chennaites?
For the last ten years, I have constantly been interacting with Chennaites and there is this one common thing in them that amazes me! The competitive spirit and killing instinct! Here everyone is fed on competition, right from the criss-cross driving commuter stuck on the road in the Anna Salai traffic to the young students at TRS classes aspiring for a seat in IIT!
It is this crave for achievement (and being able envy a few neighbors and cast a ´good impression´ and attain a ´good reputation´ in the society) that drives the people here! However I must clarify here that by no means are they any unfriendly. It is just that these competitive insttincts are ingrained in their DNAs and its the way of life!
Many of my friends from the North say that they find Madrasis not so open and outgoing as their North Indian brethren. I wish to oppose that allegation with an explanation that the definition of ´openness´ and ´outgoing´ is a little tweaked here, probably because of the unadulterated flow of culture that I was mentioning.
Discos and night life are alien to this place (to an extent) because everyone goes home in the night. Its a routine! Not many foreigners frequent here as they do in Goa or Bombay. Not many diplomats or dignitaries visit this place as they do in Delhi! Not many people from outside the state come here in search of jobs as they do in Bombay! So where is there an opportunity for changing the Chennai way of life? And hence it should not be a surprise that Chennaites have different mentality when compared to a person from Bombay or Delhi!
Whats lacking here?
Lack of awareness and illiteracy are two things that are holding back this city from reaching greater heights. While I told about the city´s patronage to learning, I must clearly mention here about the emerging (social-)class struggle in this place.
The affluent middle and upper class that has family links in America, enjoys Carnatic music as much as rock and jazz , and spends an average Rs.1000 on weekends with family in 3 or 4 star restaurants and malls (so many of them coming up in the last few years! ) present a completely different image as that painted by the average and lower class led by auto and taxi drivers who altercate with the upper classes in pucca Chennai Tamizh (copyrighted by the city and its residents, not to be found anywhere else! )for Rs. 50 and 60. These people do not understand IIT, cant differentiate between NIT and NIIT, do not believe India exists beyond Delhi!
The consequence? Hero worship and blind faith! They would burn themselves to death if a political leader of their faith is arrested. They would burn effigies if a hero of their faith is pointed fingers at by someone. They would vote and elect anyone who has shown caliber in show biz to the highest offices in the government because he/she belongs to their faith. In this way, they place their faith in a religion of their own where Rajnikant, Kamal Hasan, Vijaykant, Sachin Tendulkar (not Amitabh Bachchan! ), AR Rahman, SPBalasubramaiam (not Kishore Kumar or Lata Mangeshkar!) etc done the role of Gods!
This has to go! Basic education and exposure to the outside world is utmost necessary for the upliftment of this class. It is required to show them cities like London and Paris, built on similar foundations, and emphasise on the different aspects like cleanliness, civic responsibilites of citizens and embracing outsiders (which Chennai is not particularly known for esp when people concerned are coming beyond Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh) to mix with them like the sugar in milk in building the city!
No wonder theres a long way to go and this city that is now my home, has the capability of going that extra two miles! And I dream of the time when Chennai becomes one of the best cities to live in this world!
WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADRAS!
(I still prefer Madras over Chennai when it comes to a personal level! )
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Independence Day 2010!
I wish all fellow Indians a very happy Independence Day!
It is our annual tryst with destiny, to assess our proximity to the dream that our forefathers held high in spirits!
#ID is very much the time when we must script the India we wish to live in, and how we can work towards making it so!
Cheers 2 all Indians! The future belongs to us, and the take over process has already begun!
Jai Hind!
A few ID tweets from twitter:
GabbbarSingh India's 200 run loss to NZ has eroded my patriotism by 200 basis points. #truth
SrBachchan T89 -Happy Independence Day ..!! May India no longer be 'the third world country' or a 'developing nation' but FIRST WORLD and DEVELOPED !!
anandmahindra Happy independence day...independence from the poverty of ideas and solutions...
sachin_rt I wish everyone a Happy Independence day.All of us in our small way should contribute to make our country a better place. Jai Hind
It is our annual tryst with destiny, to assess our proximity to the dream that our forefathers held high in spirits!
#ID is very much the time when we must script the India we wish to live in, and how we can work towards making it so!
Cheers 2 all Indians! The future belongs to us, and the take over process has already begun!
Jai Hind!
A few ID tweets from twitter:
GabbbarSingh India's 200 run loss to NZ has eroded my patriotism by 200 basis points. #truth
SrBachchan T89 -Happy Independence Day ..!! May India no longer be 'the third world country' or a 'developing nation' but FIRST WORLD and DEVELOPED !!
anandmahindra Happy independence day...independence from the poverty of ideas and solutions...
sachin_rt I wish everyone a Happy Independence day.All of us in our small way should contribute to make our country a better place. Jai Hind
Saturday, August 14, 2010
FestemberX
Awesome publicity video made by my friends in NITT for FestemberX.
A must be place for all lovers of music, dance and arts on 24-26 Sept 2010!
Check out www.festember.in
A must be place for all lovers of music, dance and arts on 24-26 Sept 2010!
Check out www.festember.in
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
NITT Global Alumni Meet AND MORE!
The one day I spent with my friends in Bangalore showed me how much I am missing in my life! I had a spectacular weekend in Bangalore which is definitely worth sharing, and my new broadband connection at home is all the more reason for me to blog tonight!
Shanky and Duck have been actively involved in the organisation of GAM, and it is this renewed dedication in them (after Pragyan) that actually drove me to take the pain of going all the way to Bangalore for attending the event! As a matter of fact, it was Shanky who paid for my GAM registration too!
Anyway, I reached Bangalore, early on Saturday morning. One thing with Bangalore that I never learn, despite repeated incidents, is that the place is so damn cold in the mornings! So after another bone chilling taxi ride, I reached the Confident group´s resort which to me seems so far from Banglaore city that its just a stone´s throw away from the Bannarghata National Park.
The place and the atmostphere there brought back to my mind the days of Pragyan and Nittfest that we orgainsed in college! The mornings are filled with anxiety, and fear of any last-minute-goof-ups, while the mind secretly constructs a castle out of every successful moment in the day; each brick in its way trying to reach to that orgasmic satisfaction that one derives at the end of the event!
For the first time, I was a part of the media relations team of any event. It was a wonderful experience, all the more boosted by my friends Vibhu, Siva, Polly and Rohan with whom I worked. I really appreciated the role of media and news channels that day, and the excitement involved in delivering a live incident to audience across the globe as it unfolds!
But when everything goes your way, you know that something is not right. This time it was the rains that spoiled the whole show. All plans were literally ´down the drain!´
In the evening, we set up a video conference with KRSridhar which was possibly the only thing that went right after the rain in the morning.
The next morning, Duck, Shanky, Vibhu and I had breakfast with Arpit, Abhinav and Anurag. It was interesting and exciting to hear about the story behind the origin of Pragyan- something that played a very significant role in our college life, from the same people who were responsible for its start! They spoke to us about their four years in college, and I for one could not help but draw parallels between our batches. We both seem to have had a lot of fun bending and breaking the rules of the college!
Sunday evening was spent in Garuda mall and Leela. I did bowling for the first time in my life! It was great fun!
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, and special thanks to the people who made it special! Looking forward to meeting you all again very soon!
Shanky and Duck have been actively involved in the organisation of GAM, and it is this renewed dedication in them (after Pragyan) that actually drove me to take the pain of going all the way to Bangalore for attending the event! As a matter of fact, it was Shanky who paid for my GAM registration too!
Anyway, I reached Bangalore, early on Saturday morning. One thing with Bangalore that I never learn, despite repeated incidents, is that the place is so damn cold in the mornings! So after another bone chilling taxi ride, I reached the Confident group´s resort which to me seems so far from Banglaore city that its just a stone´s throw away from the Bannarghata National Park.
The place and the atmostphere there brought back to my mind the days of Pragyan and Nittfest that we orgainsed in college! The mornings are filled with anxiety, and fear of any last-minute-goof-ups, while the mind secretly constructs a castle out of every successful moment in the day; each brick in its way trying to reach to that orgasmic satisfaction that one derives at the end of the event!
For the first time, I was a part of the media relations team of any event. It was a wonderful experience, all the more boosted by my friends Vibhu, Siva, Polly and Rohan with whom I worked. I really appreciated the role of media and news channels that day, and the excitement involved in delivering a live incident to audience across the globe as it unfolds!
But when everything goes your way, you know that something is not right. This time it was the rains that spoiled the whole show. All plans were literally ´down the drain!´
In the evening, we set up a video conference with KRSridhar which was possibly the only thing that went right after the rain in the morning.
The next morning, Duck, Shanky, Vibhu and I had breakfast with Arpit, Abhinav and Anurag. It was interesting and exciting to hear about the story behind the origin of Pragyan- something that played a very significant role in our college life, from the same people who were responsible for its start! They spoke to us about their four years in college, and I for one could not help but draw parallels between our batches. We both seem to have had a lot of fun bending and breaking the rules of the college!
Sunday evening was spent in Garuda mall and Leela. I did bowling for the first time in my life! It was great fun!
All in all, it was an amazing weekend, and special thanks to the people who made it special! Looking forward to meeting you all again very soon!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Weekend trip to the Chatsworth house and Heights of Abraham
Hi folks!
I went on a really good weekend trip to Peak District, known to be one of the most beautiful places to be visited in the UK, organised by the Indian YMCA. It was a fantastic tour and we covered the Chatsworth house and Heights of Abraham on Saturday.
Both these places are located in Derbyshire. Chatsworth house is the residence of the Dukes of Devonsire and their families, of whom the most prominent ones are the scientist Henry Cavendish and Deborah Mitford. The family owned a lot of land in the London city including the most famous Portsman Square. The Chatsworth house is as old as sixteenth century but has undergone many modification with changing times. The house is a spectacular display of ornate decorations and has a large collection of artefacts. It also has some of the most beautiful sculptures in addition to the cascade and water fountain. More details about Chatsworth house is available on WIki.
Heights of Abraham is in Mattlock. It is from the Victorian times. There is a cable car service that leads to a beautiful scenic point and to the cavern where miners have mined limestone in the earlier centuries. More information is available on Wiki.
Photos uploaded on Facebook and Picasa. Have a look; these places are simply mind blowing!
Cheers!
I went on a really good weekend trip to Peak District, known to be one of the most beautiful places to be visited in the UK, organised by the Indian YMCA. It was a fantastic tour and we covered the Chatsworth house and Heights of Abraham on Saturday.
Both these places are located in Derbyshire. Chatsworth house is the residence of the Dukes of Devonsire and their families, of whom the most prominent ones are the scientist Henry Cavendish and Deborah Mitford. The family owned a lot of land in the London city including the most famous Portsman Square. The Chatsworth house is as old as sixteenth century but has undergone many modification with changing times. The house is a spectacular display of ornate decorations and has a large collection of artefacts. It also has some of the most beautiful sculptures in addition to the cascade and water fountain. More details about Chatsworth house is available on WIki.
Heights of Abraham is in Mattlock. It is from the Victorian times. There is a cable car service that leads to a beautiful scenic point and to the cavern where miners have mined limestone in the earlier centuries. More information is available on Wiki.
Photos uploaded on Facebook and Picasa. Have a look; these places are simply mind blowing!
Cheers!
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