Why to decide the pitch???

Before you think about moving away thinking it's a cricket post....well, you are in for a surprise. Let us peep into the intricacies of the match and the economics of it.

For a die-hard cricket fan, rankings matter and are perceived to be a barometer of success. Now, don't ask me if they really are, but they are perceived to be. But, a small matter that goes under the radar is the money that comes with the number 1 status. A country that ends the year as numero uno gets an insignificant 175,000 USD.

Excuse me!!!!!! This puts everything into picture. Since we are playing at home, we also have an advantage of preparing pitches (aah, so they say, but what happened to Kanpur, Kotla 'pitches'???) then why not grab the money too! If I were in the BCCI, I would ring up the curator of Eden and plead him to prepare a rank turner. May be throw some incentives too!

How about a system like this:

India win - BCCI gets 175,000 USD - CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) gets 20,000 INR

(Yes INR!!!!! Sorry for being mean but that is what they really are!!!)

India win by an Innings - CAB gets 50,000 INR (Yes INR!!!!)

India lose - bye bye CAB, get a cab

I came, I struggled and I'm struggling ;)

I still remember the day when I set my foot in IIM with all those aspirations. I wanted to be big, I wanted to be that someone who no one has seen, I wanted to shape the vision of the world...

CUT....okay, not everything in this is true. Yes, I remember my first day but I don't know if I harboured any big ambitions. I just wanted to maximize my learning. A lazy guy as I'm doesn't always plan for things I guess...any takers ;)

Anyways..where am I? Yeah...the planning. I didn't plan anything. I would be lying I have planned my management study and everything fell in place. Though it didn't happen out of the blue, it wasn't anything lesser.

It was all hunky dory till it all started to fall apart in the recession. Now, basic questions (is it really hunky dory? are you sure it's recession? will it fall ?blah blah blah) apart, it did send shivers down my spine. Is it my fault to pass out in this time when companies are looking to take people who will stay long time and not the ones who can maximize their revenue? Phew...long statements just like the long lines outside the placement office.

It's a learning in itself. The days that gone by have added a feather each in my repository of learning. No one can take away from me the learning of my life. No one can deny that I've had the best phase of my life which has been enshrined with some exemplary events. Thanks to recession, I've come to know the best quality in me - the irritatingly calming calm...

Bekal Trip - part 2 (Concluding)

I don’t know (didn’t bother to ask either) how long it took for Vroom to wake me and the others up. The time Anas (our driver) took in refreshing has been utilised by Valli and me in watching Aussies struggle against Proteas while Yoki slept like a log. First up on the journey was Bekal Fort…

There wasn’t anything great in the fort but Vroom made sure that we stopped at every joint and clicked the rest of us. Yoki kept teaching the angles (pun intended) in photography but Vroom suggested otherwise. Valli looked a man on mission – he of course had a train to catch in the evening from Kozhikode.

Aaaa dishummmmmm

A brief halt at the old fort was followed by the trip to the beach. It brought the sweet memories of childhood back. Vroom became John Abraham instantly showcasing his 3-4 packs. Rest of us could not dare to bare because of the lesser packs (rest all had only 1 pack). We settled for a more conservative approach.

The tripsters

The next three hours went past like minutes. Vroom and I were pitted against the might of Yoki and Valli in water catching. Probably Yoki underestimated the younger lot! Vroom and I set the beach on fire with our diving efforts. Yoki couldn’t take any more and retired prematurely!

But what followed was something no one expected. Two cute girls who were following us intently settled at a bench opposite us once we came out. Every one of us was pretty sure that they are glancing at him! It just took a cursory glance at their eyes to find out the cynosure of their eyes – Vroom! It seems they have become instant fans of Vroom – the John of Kozhikode. Last seen they were fighting for a photo with Vroom. They even proposed to Vroom that he accompany them to their place but he could not leave us.

And the journey back hostel was stupendous to say the least. The singers in Yoki, Vroom (and surprisingly me) came out to torture Valli with the choicest and oldest Hindi songs. Not that the era mattered for Valli; as long as it’s Hindi, its alien for him. More than Yoki, I surprised myself with the breadth of songs that I could boast! Lunch was followed by Yoki’s surrender – he could no longer occupy the front seat because of the impending sleep. I volunteered on one condition – Prodigal Daughter.

What started as a fun trip proved to be much more than that! It’s hard to compare trips but this one probably ranks above the one we took to Wayanad because of the sheer enjoyment we had; and of course Vroom’s girls. The only blots were that Vroom did not allow me to talk to the girls and that Valli missed the train.

Trip to Bekal - Part 1

Yoki:  We should be going somewhere.

Vroom: Yes. We ought to be out there in the Sun enjoying!

Sid: Yo! Let’s go!

When the initial euphoria died down, it was left to decide the place. Our eternal favourite Wayanad was ruled out right away. After all, we wanted to check out new locations. Silent valley, Mahe featured in our discussions but consensus was on Bekal fort. Butcher’s at home which meant fo(u)rt has to be scaled by the four of us!

The journey which was supposed to start very early in the morning (okay, 11 isn’t morning for most of you; but it is for all of us) got postponed till lunch because of the festive season. Christmas clause reminds everyone of Santa Claus but he did not give us any cabs. After innumerable calls conferencing the cab owners, drivers and our facilitator who is vacationing in Guruvayoor, we settled for an Indica. And the journey started at 3.

I planned for the journey in a big way making sure that Jeffrey Archer and his Prodigal Daughter accompany me. But, a serious threat to its existence from the tall guy made me dump it deep in the bag. Yoki became the DJ, with a difference. DJs normally play the songs people like; but Yoki played only those he liked. Anything close to Himesh or Emraan is dumped at the very first instance. Remixes aren’t on top of his list either which meant he spent more time fast forwarding the clips.

Fists of fury - Yoki feels the heat of Placements' season

The fort (co-called) in Mahe was the first place we stopped at. What would have happened if they did not tell us that it’s a fort? We would have thought it to be an old building; nothing more. Next up was a visit to the drive-in beach to look at the retreating Sun; it wasn’t on the agenda but Vroom was quick enough to spot the chance. Off we went to the beach looking at the setting Sun and enjoying the parachuting skills of the NCC cadets. We had an option of staying over night at the resort at Mahe but chose to go as close to the destination as possible.

Am off for a break sons!

Mahe to Bekal was the best part of our journey because Vroom, Valley and I had an uninterrupted sleep. Poor Yoki had nothing to do except monitor the traffic and count the vehicles. Being a perfectionist as he is, he promised to send us a report of the same once we are back on campus.

The clock was striking 9 when we found a hotel to stay. It was more than decent and the food was also good (much better than the mess we have back at school). The rest of the night was spent in the company of Queens, kings and the jacks. Valley could not beat the tag team of Vroom, Yoki and Sid. But it left us wondering how difficult it is to beat a man who has the lady luck smiling (all the time) on him!

(Next – The trip to the fort and Vroom’s girls at the beach)

Who's YOU want to be?

We all would like to be someone popular…someone powerful…someone whom we adore. We sometimes want to be that someone who has all our qualities…

 

How I wish I were a cricketer!

How I wish I were that hero!

How I wish I had good writing skills!

 

It’s probably human tendency to overlook what we have to crave for what we do not have. I remember my childhood when my brother always used to swap our shares of goodies till they are finalised. The shares were absolutely the same…chocolates, biscuits, crackers…what difference do you have between them? But, he always used to juggle till he reached a decision. I did not realise his predicament until I was a little older than what he was at that time.

 

I always wanted to be a cricketer…during the cricket season. I wanted to be a Sachin Tendulkar when he hit a match winning century. I wanted to be a Vishwanathan Anand when he played Gary Kasparov (not when he lost, though). I always wanted to be someone else. I always wanted that something which is not mine. I always looked at others’ palette before deciding my colours!

 

What is the age that really made you think that given a chance, I want to be me again…not any Tom, Dick or Harry?  To be frank I still think about others…

 

Sigh! Why can’t I be like him; he wins almost all the competitions!

God!!! Why can I be like him? He gets to talk to the hottest girls!

I hate him man! He takes away all the girls I eye (and don’t talk, of course)

 

I will be lying if I say I don’t think all these. But, at the same time, I do think that all this is not what I’m meant to be. I know that I’m what I’m and not what am not…I can write only like me, I can sing only like me…I can’t be an Emraan Hashmi and get to kiss all the girls; I can’t be the AXE ad model who gets to run away to an island with poorly clad models…No, I can never be one of them. And yes, I stopped thinking of others.

Is that Gul Panag in the movie Hello? Wish I was that hero!!!

Next???

I wake up in the morning and come out of my room. All the hostel rooms in my floor are locked. It's absolutely silent. I don't sense anything foul and proceed to the loo. I wash my face and come back to my room. Strangely, there's not even one person in the floor who's in his room!

I just wondered what could have happened...and go into my room. My laptop is blank strangely...it doesn't work and I can’t do a thing about it. I pump my fists in anger "Damn it! ...What's happening to the network these days?" I then think of utilising the time by having my breakfast.

I move out of my room. In an action out of sheer curiosity, I check for the people on my floor. It's still empty. I just smile to myself and move to the mess.

I meet no one on the way to the mess too. Though the mess area is just a 1 min walk from my hostel, it's quite unusual not to meet anyone. I just brushed it away and enter the mess.

Lo and behold! The mess area is empty too! I just wondered if it's too early. I look at my wrist. "Damn it!"....I forgot my watch. I frantically search for my cell phone....it's not in my pocket...Something must be really weird. I looked up at the wall clock and shit....it's not there....what's happening to this place, I wondered.

I proceeded from the eating area to the serving area. And to my surprise there's no one there as well....What the hell is this; where on earth did they go to?

I thought of venturing into the kitchen. I couldn't hear a bit, which is quite unusual for our kitchen area which always bristles with activity. I moved deep into the kitchen but I could see none, hear none and sense no one!

"Any body here", I gave a small cry....there's no response....I was getting sick by the silence. Someone rightly said, Silence is a killer punch.

"Helloooooooo"....I yelled at the top of my voice.....I could hear the echo...of my own yell, but could hear no one else....this is getting to me now....

Thang.....I hear a sound from a room to my left and in front....I slowly walked to that room....I was little sceptic too since this lonely place is looking scary now and also the fact that I never ventured this deep into our kitchen area...

"Anybody there?"

No reply

"Helloooooooooo"

That was more of a shout than a cry....and it had a response...

Thang...thang...thang....the sounds were a refreshing change from the silence. But they increased the anxiety.

I entered the room and was shocked to see…a tumbling glass; in fact glasses.

Though there is a nice pack of glasses on the table, three of them are on the floor. That probably explained the clattering sound. But who made this pile? Who made this sound??? It's getting stranger and little scarier.

I decided to run out of the room when there was a small sound. Creeeeeekkkkkkk....the sound came from my right side. I could sense my heart which is now beating doubly fast. The sweat beads on my forehead are keeping me cool but there is scare written all over my face!

Creeeekkkk....creekkk....the sound was dying down but not the scare! I was getting nervous. Should I or shouldn't I? This is getting mysterious. Slow steps did take me closer to the sound but deep down I wanted to leave. I was an arm length away from the door when....

Thuddddddd.....the door banged at a very fast rate. I was shell shocked. "Any body there?"...it was more a whisper. I wanted to run away but somehow my legs pulled me closer to the door. 

I slowly opened the door. This room looked old...very old. There were some huge utensils at a corner of the room and some old furniture. But what fascinated me is a revolving chair at the centre of the room. I took small steps towards the chair. "Hello...." this is surely meant to be heard by whoever is sitting in the chair. It evoked no response. "He...." I was about to speak out when I heard…

"Any body there?".... Is that someone yelling to him...."Anyone in....hellooooooo" this time they shouted.

I wanted to run back in that direction. I left the room and was walking back. Casually I glanced back; the revolving chair is now not there. Or am I imagining things? It must have been not visible from this angle. But, I didn't move any acute angle. It was just a straight path.

I now got back into the eating area. Wonder! There's no one...then who yelled? I tried looking at all sides...even in the little area just outside the mess...to my surprise there's no one. Then who yelled? Am I imagining all this? It looked baffling!

I went back to the kitchen. I decided to unravel the mystery of the chair. Didn't it move? It certainly did...and I saw it. A glance to my right side and there was a big white wall! The room I went in a couple of minutes back was not to be seen!

I was shell shocked....I moved closer to the wall inching with smaller steps and touched the wall...it's as solid as ever.

Thuddddd......my hand went inside the wall....and I was sucked into it....

The room I entered is full of skeletons...tens...may be hundreds of them piled in all directions.

I could see only one living being around; sitting on a chair at some distance. I started moving towards him.

My second or third step was on a skeleton which made me shriek. The voice made the person turn over.

"Oh....here you are! Time for me to go....hihihihihihihihihihihihi"....the wicked smile was too much to take. It was psyching me out.

All of a sudden, his head fell on the ground and the body (without the head) slowly moved through the opposite wall. The beheaded head became the fresh skeleton.

Will I be the next skeleton? 

Go Pink in October!

Pink is for women! Is it?

No more...get a pink badge to support the Breast cancer campaign for the month of October. And to make matters clear, breast cancer is as prominent among men as is among women. So feign no ignaorance, it can happen to any one of us. More over, flashing a badge isn't something out of our reach. Or is it? 

Visit the site http://pinkforoctober.org and you could find out lots of info on this. If you like to be part of the campaign - write it in your blog, out out a pink color, do anything you want to. If you didn't like it - so be it. Life moves on :)

Mad and his girls

Mad: (With his hand on his left cheek) I got slapped by a girl!

Sad: What happened?

Mad: You remember Meenakshi?

Sad: That good looking fair and short height girl? Yes, I do!

Mad: We met in the library. She collected some books and was leaving for her hostel.  I asked if I can drop her and she slapped me.

Sad: What exactly did you say?

Mad: I said, “Meenakshi… main tumhe hostel mein chod du?”

Sad: Hmm…she really must be allergic to her hostel.

______________________________________________________________

Mad: Sadddddd…. Guess what?

Sad: You got a new room?

Mad: No… I just got a date proposal from Milano

Sad: Is that a girl?

Mad: (Shouting) Yessss…the Italian girl with long and curly hair, who came on an exchange. She asked me out tonight. And I said yes…

Sad: How does she look like?

Mad: Tall, fair, quite muscular for a girl. She was quite serious about the date and said that she hates people who turn their backs after agreeing for a date.

Sad: Hmm…good for you

Mad: She apparently broke the nose of a guy who did this to her last week. But, why on earth would someone reject her proposal.

Sad: (Laughing uncontrollably) Best of luck mad…the data base says there’s only one person who’s come on an exchange from Italy and it’s a guy!

_____________________________________________________________

 

Mad: Guess what? At last Meenakshi agreed.

Sad: Wow. That’s great. Where are you going?

Mad: To her hostel.

Sad: What?

Mad: She agreed to me accompanying her to the hostel from the library

Sad: Huh…at last!

 

Oh my friend, it hurts!

The day we chose to be friends and I spoke my heart out

You chose to fill in the spaces and speak your way out

Oh my friend, it hurts!

 

The day you asked me to speak nothing but fact

I chose to follow and you made it no more than an act

Oh my friend, it hurts!

 

The day you proclaimed friends for life

I didn’t know it was a well-disguised knife

Oh my friend, it hurts!

 

The day you told me it’s all fabrication

And you wished to use this confession as an act of salvation  

Oh my friend, it hurts!

 

The precious moments we spent is a thing of the past

Etched in my memory are the days of blast

Oh my friend, it hurts to forget things!

Sad and Mad

Sad and Mad are two friends busy planning their one-week holiday next week

Mad: Why don’t we go to Kashmir?

Sad: Are you Mad?

Mad: Yes, of course….

Sad: No, not that mad…I mean, the real mad, screwed up in the upper storey.

Mad: Oh c’mon…it’s a cool place and I’ve never been there

Sad: It is…but if you go there, you would never be to any other place.

Mad: Why not? If you are worried about that VISA thing, I have my uncle working in customs, he can smuggle us.

Sad: Are you mad? I mean, screwed up mad? We don’t need a VISA to visit Kashmir.

Mad: Oh is that…when did they change that?

Sad: Just before you turned Mad.

Mad: Forget it...That leaves us with Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

Sad: Dude…you really are psyching me out. You want me to be taken hostage by some Chinese or ULFAs? I don’t want to venture into that unknown North-East.

Mad: Then how about Gujarat?

Sad: You are a goner…don’t you want to live peacefully, at least trip peacefully.

Mad: If you are worried about the communal violence, my uncle is in the police. He would help us out.

Sad: Err…isn’t he in the customs a few minutes back.

Mad: This one’s that custom guy’s brother.

Sad: Whatever…would you call that a pleasure trip or a pressure trip? How about “Summer camp with the police force”

Mad: Wowww….sounds great

(Sad gives a totally weird look which gets Mad back on track)

Mad: Ok…I was just kidding. Then what are we left with?

Sad: Why not a trip to Tirupati? The most happening place in the whole of South India

Mad: (mocking) Oh yeah…and get your head tonsured and visit those lovely temples in and around that place

Sad: Stop it Mad…that’s Lord Balaji….ok fine… how about Kanchi?

Mad: Excuse me…

Sad: Ok…How about Poori, Mahabaleswar…

Mad: Oh my God!!! You were never sad!

Sad: What do you mean? I was always sad…by birth

Mad: Oh yeah…in a way you are true.

Sad: Whatever…so where are we heading to now?

Mad: We will go to Kerala. So many places to hang out; Munnar, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Allepey…and the Kerala babes…ooohhh…Rock on!

Sad: That’s great …and it’s a gay state…right?

Mad: Dude….I never knew that you were gay…Oh My God! And we were like….staying together.

Sad: Excuse me… am not mad, neither am I gay…. Okay, is Kerala on now?

Mad: I guess so….unless you bring up something better!

Sad: Thinking of it, what about a trip to Hyderabad? Charminar, old city, pearls….oooo..isn’t it wonderful?

Mad: You know what… you are sad

Sad: I know that; since birth!

Mad: Oh my God...you are freaking sad

(They ended up going nowhere!)

When in doubt...look into the eyes

My friend once gave me a suggestion... When you are in doubt look into the eyes. They would never lie. I don't know what he was thinking when he said this, but I started implementing it in my daily life. I thought my 'strike rate' (if you don't understand what this means, well, keep reading :D) might improve with this technique. It proved...otherwise

I was in my college then. I was never sure what Ms. M thought about me. Then came the thought of 'eye-test'. I took her out and kept looking at her eyes all the time. She felt a lil awkward.

What are you gazing at?

It looked a little awkward for me too... looking at eyes (and not something else :P) for a change. I kept looking. She couldnot hide her discomfort.

Why are you looking that way?

I'm trying to understand what your lovely eyes tell me.

She blushed - And what did they say?

That you are squint-eyed.

The hot tomato soup ordered made its way on to the neatly dyed suit of mine!

It was no different for the next couple of years. I was going around looking into the eyes of everyone I go around...there were rumours in my locality that I've gone from bad to worse; from insane to completely dangerous and many more. But I was hell bent on testing this strategy. After all, it was from a casanova!

This journey took me through all sets of eyes... blue,black,green,blue,sleepy,kinky...what not, the palette was always full. Some eyes which had sympathy for me (probably they believed that I'm insane), eyes which had disgust, eyes which had lust and eyes which had nothing!

One day, a pair of eyes looked so beautiful... I was flat for those eyes and desperately wanted to take those eyes (err...along with the person who owns them) out. I made the move and asked her out. There was a yell and a cry...a cry that had the power to propel me into outer universe. I came to my senses and looked at her. She's my principal's daughter! 

I didn't know till that day that my principal has 'fists of fury' and is trained with the shaolins. I decided to dump my 'eyes-theory' that day.

Next day, I saw an article in the news paper... 'Gazing at women's b**** improves your eye sight'... Time to test a new theory ;)

I don't drink...

I don’t drink…

My friend says drinking helps him forget the past
I don’t want to forget my past that fast
I don’t drink…

My friend says drinking helps get the child inside him out
I can call the child inside me anytime without doubt
I don’t drink…

My friend says a peg of drink eases him in any party
I can be comfortable all by myself in any state or country
I don’t drink…

My friend says it helps him lose his inhibitions
It’s those inhibitions that make my ambitions
I still don’t drink…

Kolkata shirt raisers

Team name: Kolkata Shirt raisers (named after their favourite son you-know-who’s famous act at ‘Lords’-know-where)

Owner: SRK
Slogan: Jeetna mushkil hi nahin, naa munkin hain
(And it turned out to be true!)

Team Management:
Dada - Captain cum shirt riser err…fund riser

Coach: Steve Waugh (SRK wanted him in spite of Dada’s request to hire John Wright. SRK found that Udayan (a charity organisation run by Steve) children have voted Aamir Khan as the best actor. So he wanted to market himself through Steve).

Batting Coach: Greg Chappell (Again, SRK rules - dada said that Kolkata crowd will be volatile against Greg to which SRK said – Main hoon na.)

Bio mechanist and Assistant Batting Coach: Ian Frazer (Because Greg Chappell always comes in a package with this guy. It is rumoured that Greg can stay away from his wife for months but not from this guy!)

Sledging Coach: Javed Miandad (SRK believes that his team needs a sledging coach and identified Miandad as the potential candidate. Dada, to oppose SRK, proposed Venkatesh Prasad as his nominee!!!)

Fielding Coach: Farah Khan (Fielding is about moving your hands and legs –SRK. Dada wanted Geoffrey Boycott but SRK said he wanted a ‘genuine fielder’ to be his fielding coach)

Media Manager: Inzamam-Ul-Haq( SRK nominee. Dada wanted Aamir Sohail but SRK jumped when he heard ‘Aamir’. SRK vetoed Dada saying Taare Zameen par nahin mere poster par hote hain)

Casting Coa(u)ch (Shakti Kapoor: SRK wanted help from Shakti Kapoor to cast players for his team. Shakti immediately said yes when he heard ‘casting’. He did not hear that he had to select men!!!)

Bowling Coach: Geoffrey Boycott (This was the last vacancy left and Dada told SRK that Geoffrey was a legendary ‘bowler’ for England who took a wicket whenever he was asked to bowl. SRK was not told how many times Geoffrey was asked to bowl)

SRK recruited Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Andrew Flintoff (Dada wanted none of them as all of them had altercations with dada at some point but SRK ko manana mushkil hain) beside a host of local and national talent. They organised a 3 day camp for the players before the start of the tournament.

After the camp, the media meets with the media manager.

Media Meeting: Inzamam is with the reporters to explain the day’s practice.

Reporter: How was the practice session inzy?
Inzy: Bismillah…. Sabse pahle allah ka shukr hain. The boys played well. They catch the balls, hit the balls of Geoffrey and dance the legs of Farah. Boys practiced really hard.

Rep: How is it working with stars like Dada, Warne, Ponting, Graeme Smith and of course SRK.

Inzy: They all are below the earth. No attitude showings. Boys practiced really hard

Rep: Why do you have so many coaches when other teams have only one or two?

Inzy: We have so many boys from different countries. All play together for Kolkata. Boys practiced really hard. We have no problems.

Rep: (Little frustrated that his question has not been answered) we wanted to know as to why you have these many coaches.

Inzy: Inshallah we will win the trophy. When the balls are there our batsmen will hit. When we field, our bowlers will bowl all balls line and length. All boys practiced really hard.

Rep: We heard that you have a casting coach as well? Why do you think such a coach is required and of all people why Shakti Kapoor?

Inzy: We believe in experience. More experience more knowledge…more knowledge more experience. Shakti is experienced in Casting for movies. Here it’s not different. Boys selected will be practicing hard.

Rep: Why did you select Geoffrey as your bowling coach?

Inzy: Geoffrey is old and experienced. We believe this gets our bowlers gets the balls in the right areas. Good batsmen know what bowlers do and Geoffrey is a good batsmen.

Rep: Will you be the one coming after every match for the media meeting, Inzy?

Inzy: Cricket is a team game. All 11 play cricket and team wins. But, I’m responsible for talking to media. I talk and you hear till the tournament ends. Boys practiced really hard.

There were no more questions since none of the reporters stayed after this!!!

Mission Statements only for companies? Think again...

I was having a discussion with one of my friends on the mission statements of companies. It was all substance (pun intended) but made me think…think about life. What if we need to write a mission statement for our life? Will it be the nearest thing we can ever come to finding the need for our existence? May be…

To become a good human being and uphold all human values – hmm…too heavy a statement to describe anyone. How would it be if every one of us comes up with his/her vision statement? Then our interviews, job as well as educational, will have some questions on our vision statements also. How do you think that you are going to uphold human values? What are human values? Why only human values why not animal values?

Then there would be coaching institutes:
T.I.M.S (Triumphant Institute of Mission statements)
“90% of the students admitted in IIMs and IITs have their mission statements prepared by us. – validated by KPMG” (pun intended!!!)

Group tasks will be based on vision statements – group of 10 needs to come up with one statement that signifies their group. There would be offers from FMCG companies – come up with a good vision statement for our CEO and you will win a trip for two to Washington to meet the U.S. president. There would be cases filed in courts saying that the mission statement of one Mr. X has been copied by Copy Malik (great grand son of music composer ‘Copy all’ Malik)

If you are still reading this, don’t worry about me – I’m still not Krazzy

Kozhikode to Gurgaon....

Any sane person would love to camp in Ooty, Kodaikanal or some hill station in the summers and I chose GURGAON. The beautiful hot city of the north which boils to the max in summer and gives a chance to do a 'Salman Khan'. This, believe me, is something which I could not prevent! Given a chance I would camp in an Ooty or a Nainital but I'm left with no other choice. American Express doesn't have an office there!

Yeah...AmEx is my destination for the summers. My two months of summer internship where I'm supposed to learn about the industry practices and understand how practical are the theoritical principles we mug in our MBA courses. Two months is always very short to do something substantial but still...

Believe me, my joining date was April 1. I didn't have enough time to fly back home which meant I will have two days before I join AmEx. The flight from Kozhi-Mumbai-Delhi had Sangini and KB (Kaustubh) giving company to me. Ofcourse, we had Shahrukh and Shaan accompanying us at different stages!

Wayanad trip photos

The Waterfalls


We couldnot get enough of it. It was awesome...

Wayanad is full of these!!!

There's only one color around there...yeah, green

Wayanad Trip - II

After our ‘head(light)-less’ journey heroics, we embarked on our search for a shelter. Wayanad is a place which doesn’t boast of too many hotels. Middlemen make money by doubling some guest houses as hotels. The middleman we settled with took us through many locations. One was a shabby small hotel; another was a scary lonely building (I couldn’t stop from thinking of its similarity with the building in a Telugu film Mantra including an unused car in front of the house!!!) and many more. Finally we settled with two double rooms in a decent looking hotel.

We planned to visit the waterfalls, lake and the peak the next day. However, considering Langda tyagi (read Varun)’s situation, we dropped the visit to the peak. A light breakfast started our day and we are off to the waterfalls.

Believe me, the place is a visual delight. There’s greenery everywhere and after every 100 metres we were stopping to click some photos. It was no wonder, this state is called God’s Own country. There was so much natural beauty on view and we couldn’t take our eyes off it.

Talking to hardcore mallus in English, Hindi and Tamil (Valli) we somehow made our way to the waterfalls. We had to park our bikes some 2 km before the steep route to the falls began.

We had to take a call now on Langda Tyagi and he decided not to risk his limbs. This meant it was left to the three of us, Yoki, Valli and me to continue the journey. The sight of the waterfalls brought a huge grin even on the face of Yoki (he uses it very very very sparingly). The next one hour was real fun. Water was cold and the flow was electrifying but the experience was enthralling. Even a minute spent directly under the flowing water was like a hot massage.



An hour in the water looked like a minute and all of us wanted more but Tyagi alone. So, we had to start again!

Next stop for us is the lake. The ride in the lake was pretty awesome; and tiresome too! Valli and I took the duty of peddling the boat and were enjoying it though can’t say the same about our legs. The scenic beauty had all of us spell bound. We started on our journey back to Kozhikode right after.

It was a weekend spent well. Though we missed Butcher (aka the usual suspect – Vimal) in the whole trip and Varun in some parts, it was memorable for many reasons- the bike ride, the waterfalls, lake trip, the visit to the scary guesthouse…everything was as memorable as the other. Tired bodies were carried back to the hostel with echoing words Yeh Dil maange more!!!

Trip to wayanad - thrill, masti, fun...we had it all (PART I)

Journey through a ghat section is always tricky, especially if it is in the night. Add to that an aged bike which has no headlights as the transport medium and you have a recipe for a movie thriller. My trip to Wayanad the last week was exactly this.

End of a gruelling mid term (bouncers…bouncers…and more bouncers…Lee has a competition from my examination blues) brought the best of smiles on our faces. A rare weekend of no deadlines meant we have two full days to enjoy. It took no time in deciding the destination – Wayanad. Long over due, this trip is something we were looking forward to.

After the dropout of ‘the usual suspect’, four of us – Valli, Yoki, Varun and I, started on our journey at around 5 P.M. from the campus. Varun braved a ‘major’ leg injury to join us on the trip. None of us know the route but we have affable mallus helping us out. Half an hour into the journey and Yoki dropped a bomb shell - Yaar my bike doesn’t have a head light. Holy Jesus!!! We are embarking on a ghat trip, in the night and we have a bike without head lights! A quick stock of the situation and we decided to go on with the journey. But how? Valli would be on our side functioning as our beacon. It was very thrilling. We haven’t yet started on the ghat and Yoki was circling the turns, literally.

Enter the ghat...well it wasn’t the first time that I’m travelling on a bike at night but definitely the first time on a head (light) less bike. It was very funny because whenever the beacon (read Valli’s bike) was away from us, we were riding blind. Whenever we used to encounter a bus or a truck going in the same direction, Yoki would say that we need to stay behind and relax. But the pace of that vehicle used to be the deterrent and we used to move on.

Not even scary turns or steeply curves deterred us. And in some of the turns we even got the better of our beacons. The ghat section was very enthralling and we really enjoyed the 40 odd minute trip. Then we were on the normal road. But still, we do not have a head light which meant it’s still a handicap. To make matters worse, it started raining. Then, we just missed a snake which was lazing on the road; and we never knew that at that time.By the time we reached Wayanad and checked into our rooms it was around 10 in the night. It was an eventful journey and I enjoyed every bit of it though I can’t say the same of Yoki.

Yoki was a little scared and he was scared to hell when we saw the ghat the next morning. He was left speechless.

A picture is worth a thousand words. But, am not sure if the above pic gave you an impression of what the ghat actually is! It was a sort of journey (on a lightless bike) which I wouldn’t subscribe to any of you, but I should admit one thing….I loved it

Not Just another SMS (Concluding part)

Did I miss anyone? I wish I did! Because the last thing I want to hear at this point is that a 50 year old ‘girl’ is the one who’s making me do all these rounds. Her smile brought me back to senses. It’s not the ticket clerk. Her voice was naughtier than normal. I will be in Hyderabad in the same college as Nikki has come to. So, you can catch me there in the fest. Off went the phone.

Now everything is in place. Nikki isn’t leaving the college. She went for the annual fest of that college with which we have mutual agreement. And Radha and Nikki wanted to check if I like her or not. Now, my chances lie in reaching Hyderabad for the summit. There’s only one option left and that’s Mohan. I need to catch up with him and get his approval to be a last minute entrant. Believe me, I had shell a big party to catch the last available seat on the trip.

The next day was spent convincing my parents that I’m actually going on a ‘study’ tour. The journey was never boring. I was actually in a different compartment to the others, because of the last minute entry. They were all tired and went to sleep as soon as they got into the train. I was left alone in the company of a grim looking young man, probably couple of years elder to me. It took a lot of talking from me to find out that he actually is coming to the same fest in Hyderabad to meet his sister.

We became friends after that and went to the college together in Hyderabad. He, on a different mission and I on a different one. He was talking something but I could not concentrate a bit on him. Suddenly he exclaimed - There goes my sister! Let me call her. You can meet. I turned to find a good looking girl turning up. She was talking something to her brother but I didn’t heed to all that. I was only worried about Soumya. I took my cell out to call her up. The guy wanted to introduce me to his sister this is...The ring of my phone stopped him. It’s Soumya. I thanked God ‘cos I wanted a reason to move out. Welcome to Hyderabad…So hows the journey with that guy been? It’s almost as if she has a tracking device! Now you have to catch me up in the next two hours ad my program ends in the next couple of hours. All the best! God!!! What is my option now? How do I track her?

The train guy caught me again. Hey you didn’t meet my sister. Let’s go to her program which is happening now in the auditorium. To hell with you and your sister, I want to search for Soumya. I took a lame excuse that I would join him again and went off.

It’s my first time in this college and it looked really good. There is so much activity going on with the fest coming into its own. I made up my mind that the next year will have me as a participant. But first I need to catch Soumya. A pat on the back and I turned back to se Nikki! So you came to the college at last…my friends are true that guys go any length and distance to meet girls. I couldn’t say no. C’mon we have our college drama team in the auditorium performing in the finals. Let’s watch it. The drama was pathetic but my company wasn’t. Nikki looked every inch an angel! How I wish she were Soumya! Wait a minute…she could as well be! Soumya...I called her. She did not even give a cursory glance. My joy was short lived. The next couple of hours were over in a jiffy. Nikki is too good with her company. Only concern was that I missed Soumya out here.

I got a call from Soumya at around 5 in the evening when I was alone with Nikki. Keep enjoying with her dude. You are not for me! She banged the phone. I thought this was bound to happen as she was jealous of Nikki. Anyways…I’ve Nikki for myself. Nikki was talking to a guy of approximately my age a little animatedly. For the first time, I felt jealous. So, I knew who I really love…its Nikki and not Soumya. We started to the station.

Nikki and I were in the same compartment and started enjoying the train ride. We were oblivious to the entire surroundings. Then the same guy turned up again. I could see a big smile flashing on her face and they both went somewhere. The fifteen minutes she spent away from me looked as if it were days! Finally when she turned up, I asked her rather sheepishly about him. He’s my fiancé. He was your super senior in the college and a family friend of mine. He’s working in….Nothing went into my ears. Not even her beautiful words. For the first time in the day, I wanted to stay away from her. I missed Soumya for the first time. And Soumya isn’t lifting my call. Am I the perfect case of “One in hand is worth two in a bush”It was mechanical after that till I reached home. Mom told me that Radha called a couple of times. I took my time out to refresh and then called her. It was the usual leg pulling…I asked her not to link me to Nikki any more as she’s engaged. Radha burst out laughing…She isn’t engaged. She was just playing a prank. It must be her brother. Again, the world looked beautiful. I wanted to call Nikki; to say to her immediately that I’m in love with her. I decided that it’s Nikki that I’m in this world for. I reached for my cell when it started ringing…SOUMYA…calling!!!!

P.S: This finishes the story and brings the protagonist back to square one...dilemma where he needs to decide betweenn the two girsl. This fictitious story is written for fun and any resemblacne is unintentional.

Not Just another SMS (Part 3)

(My apologies for not being prompt enough with the posts. )

I still don’t remember how I came back home. But the moment I stepped into my room, the mobile ring brought me back to senses. It’s Soumya!!! Well…I’m in for a treat. This is the first time she’s calling me. This must be something special. I was surprised when she brought in the topic of Nikita. She was furious (or jealous?) that I talked to her. I couldn’t convince her that it was she who came to talk to me. Bang went the line.

Hey!!! How did she know this? This means she’s in the party. I called her back but the mobile is off. I was really impatient. I tried to look at the different possibilities. She could be Radha’s classmate. Yes…she is Radha’s classmate. Now I need to know from Radha who enquired about me. It’s too late in the night to call her. And the night seemed long!

It wasn’t even 7 in the morning when I called Radha up. She tried recollecting all the people who enquired about the two of us (Nikita and me). There were so many guys from her class (obvious) and some relatives. She said that none of the girls asked about me. And there’s no one by the name Soumya. Phew! This one’s also gone. And the mobile looks switched off to glory. What can I do? Radha started teasing me again on Nikki. What’s up bhayya? You seem to be after my friend. Help chahiye kya. She doesn’t even know that Nikki is just the bait.

I was about to cut the line when Radha said Nikki is leaving to Hyderabad. She’s joining a college there on a mutual transfer. Shock after shock! I do not know if not finding Soumya is painful or this one is. I inadvertently said I want to meet her…again. Radha burst out laughing. I know…but the train leaves in another 30 min. So, better hurry. Oops…destiny has conspired against me, again.

Never before did I crave for someone like this. I was off to the station on my bike. I need to get her something. I wasn’t sure. Flowers, chocolates??? I zeroed on Expressions. Thanks to the companies that come up with innovations. Half the job is done by them ;)

I was at the station and I could her see her smile from a distance. It looked so radiant and vibrant. Will she remember me? I should have asked Radha to inform her of my arrival. I was surprised to see her give me a big smile when she looked at me. Hi Siddhu…so you have been tracking me. I couldn’t say a bit. I wish the Expressions conveyed everything to her. I wished the time stops there with everyone except the two of us stationary. It didn’t :(

Thoughts of our meeting yesterday swept my mind. How I wished we met earlier? It’s Soumya again that brought me back to senses. I know you would never find me; even if you see me. I know you are smitten by that girl but I’m no less beautiful. But, where on Earth are you! I talked to you right now right here…just before you left to greet Nikki. Oh my God!! I spoke to the ticket clerk just before greeting Nikki. And she’s a 50 year old!!!