Of Cabbages and Kings

Mother's Day.. Should be everyday

2009-05-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Motherhood, the strongest bond and relationship that a human being can experience… Something that was in being ever since man roamed the planet and was the very foundation of our existence as a race..However, it was not until 1912, when Anna Jarvis trademarked the second Sunday of May as “Mother’s Day” that we started celebrating the bond.."She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honor their mother, not a plural possessive commemorating all mothers in the world”
Hence it is spelt as Mother’s Day and not as Mothers’ Day
Different countries celebrate Mother’s Day on different days but the most common following is of the second Sunday of May..
In Nepal, Mata Tirtha Aunshi falls in the month of Baishak dark fortnight (April). This festival falls in the time of dark moon’s time which is why this called "Mata Tirtha Aunshi" derived from words: “Mata” meaning mother; “Tirtha” meaning pilgrimage. This festival is observed in the commemoration and respect of the mother which is celebrated by worshipping and gifting living mother or remembering mothers who have become immortal and are resting in peace. Going to Mata Tirtha Pilgrimage located towards the Kathmandu valley’s eastern side at Mata Tirtha Village development committee’s periphery is another tradition common in Nepal.
In Japan, Mother's Day was initially commemorated during the Showa Period as the birthday of Empress Kojun (mother of Emperor Akihito). Nowadays it is a marketed holiday, and people typically give flowers such as carnations and roses as gifts.
In China, Mother's Day is becoming more popular, and carnations are a very popular gift and the most sold type of flower.In 1997 it was set as the day to help poor mothers, especially to remind people of the poor mothers on rural areas such as China's west. In the People's Daily, the Communist Party of China's journal, an article explained that "despite originating in the United States, people in China take the holiday with no hesitance because it goes in line with the country's traditional ethics -- respect to the elderly and filial piety to parents."
In Greece, Mother's Day in Greece corresponds to the Eastern Orthodox feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Since the Theotokas (The Mother of God) appears prominently in this feast as the one who brought Christ to the Temple at Jerusalem, this feast is associated with mothers.

In UK and Ireland, In the Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday (March 22 in 2009). It is believed to have originated from the 16th Christian practice of visiting one's mother's church annually, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day

The United States and Canada celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.

Mother's Day in Vietnam is called Lễ Vu-lan and celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the Lunar calendar . People with living mothers would be thankful, while people with dead mothers would pray for their souls.

CommercializationNine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become and spent all her inheritance and the rest of her life fighting what she saw as an abuse of the celebration.
Later commercial and other exploitations of the use of Mother's Day infuriated Anna and she made her criticisms explicitly known throughout her time. She criticized the practice of purchasing greeting cards, which she saw as a sign of being too lazy to write a personal letter. She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother's Day, and she finally said that she "wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of control
So much about history.. But as a person, who has lost his mother, I remember her as the only person in this whole world, who would have stood by me even if I was wrong. The only person, who would love me without expecting anything in return.

The importance of the relation is more felt when the person is gone.. I would urge all of you who still have their mothers around.. To spend quality time with them (just a gift or a dinner on Mother’s day does not mean you have fulfilled your side of the obligation)..The relationship is of the highest level one could think of.. Everyday should be celebrated as a Mother’s day..

Source of data – Wikipedia.

Me .. in short

2009-05-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

Things that I love doing..

Reading - everything from Khalil Gibran to C Rajgopalachari to Jeffrey Archer...
Watching English Serials - Favourites are 24, Prison Break, Criminal Minds, Boston Legal, CSI, Bones..
Watching Quiz Shows - Kaun Banega Crorepati to Weakest Link
Trading the markets - my first love..
Drawing, Sketching, Painting
Doing basic housework - basic plumbing, fixing lights etc on weekends
Cooking - Find it really relaxing - think I am fairly good..
Computer Games - again one of my first loves - I play more than my kids..
Eating Out - very experimental with food - love to try different cuisines.
Long Drives - I love driving - usually drive to Goa -2-3 times a year and many more times to nearby places like Pune
Gadgets - Ipods, blackberrys, cameras, computers, lap tops, LCDs, hometheaters, Wii, Playstation - list goes on...
Going on vacations..
Things that I do not like...
Bottles without the cap fixed - Wife tends to leave them open and this is the biggest reason for domestic arguments !!
Untidy beds / dirty loos..
White lies - small lies that do not really matter - Wonder why people lie !!
Unorganised people - people who forget dates / appointments etc
Dancing - I am very bad.. and wife is very good.. another duty that I have to perform as a good husband !
People who cannot make up their mind
People who are always unhappy with themselves and are full of self pity

For the people who know me well - Is there anything else that you can add about me ?

Death.. and after that..

2008-10-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

In the last few years have seen so much death around me.. Maybe its a function of growing old.. As one starts edging into his/her forties, the elders get even older and some of them leave for the heavenly abode..

Most religions seem to believe in a after-life.. It maybe in the form of rebirth or some sort of reward system for your acts on earth - some form of heaven or hell..So except for the atheists - we all believe that there is life after death..But what is “life after death” ? is there a physical form ? or is it just what we call the soul.. a body-less subconscious form…

I often wonder when I read the religious scriptures that maybe our thoughts remain in this world itself in some unseen form.Many years after the death of their writers, we still remember verses from the holy scriptures.. Could this be the life after death for the writers?

We also remember the great deeds done by the conquerors, scientists and also the notorious criminal minds of the world… They still live through their deeds and the seeds that they have sown.. Is this life after death for them?

How would you like to be remembered? What if you could look down on yourself from somewhere up above and see people thinking of the things you have done while you were alive.. Would you like to be remembered as a good “soul” or a bad one ?

We all can pull the world apart .. or push it together.. This cannot be done in a day ..but needs a life-time.. Whats important is Which way did you push today?

Things that change as we move up....

2007-10-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

As you move up the corporate ladder, a lot of changes take place...
1. Your day-to-day responsibilities go down but your year-to-year go up
Your targets get longer. You are looked up upon to provide a long term direction to the business and not get involved in day-to-day stuff. You start thinking long term strategy.
2. You become less "responsible" but more "accountable"
Because, you are not into day to day stuff, you are not responsible for the everyday business but you are accountable for your team.. and the cumulative business
3. You versus the team
You start realising that one person (Till now.. you) can take a product to a certain level.. But a whole team can take it much further.. So you start working on motivating the team rather than doing everything yourself. Your key job becomes "Managing and building a team"
4. Your physical stress decreases while mental stress increases
A fall out of the accountability syndrome. You get more time to sit back and Think.. But thinking adds to mental stress..
5. You also start thinking of competition..
As you move out of the "me" shell, you start looking and thinking of the world around you and how others are doing their business.

There could be many more such changes..
Some of these are not as easy as they look on a blog.. To change ones way of thinking and looking at work.. especially if you have been doing a line function for years .. is very difficult and to switch to a managerial role.. sit back and think !! ..it has to be a conscious effort for most of us..

Have any of you noticed the changes in yourselves as you have moved up the corporate ladder ??

Dogs and their owners

2007-08-19T02:28:00.002-07:00

I walk for 1 hour everyday at a place called Worli Seaface in Mumbai.. There are many dog-owners who come there with their pets..
I got this strong feeling that dog tend to look like their owners in a strange way..
I searched the net and found the pictures below

Types of people..

2007-08-19T02:28:00.001-07:00

I had not traveled in a train for over 10 years. Maybe because I either drove down to nearby places (for convenience) or flew down to where I wanted to go (for lack of time).
Just a few weeks ago, I took the morning train to Pune to meet an interior decorator who was going to design the new house that I had purchased in Pune. Just out of boredom for driving down, I took the morning train.
The journey through the Western Ghats (Hills) is extremely picturesque and very pleasant. One can read a book, look out of the window or grab a quick nap.
The Nap is slightly difficult with the numerous cell phones ringing all the time..
What struck me is that different types of people have different ring-tones.
Over the 3 hours in the train, I could almost picture the person based on the ring-one of his phone..
There was this priest who had a religious song for his ring-tone, while a person in mid thirties who has a Shakira song, and a younger college going teen had Coldplay.

This got me thinking.. Can we actually classify people based on ring-tones ?What are the other common ways of classifying people.. Clothes ? Type of pets ? Type of food ? Language spoken ? ..Can you think of any other non-obvious ways to classify people ??

Punjabi Food for a dime....

2007-04-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

When I was studying for my MBA at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, the girls in my class who were non Mumbai-ites , used to stay at the Girls hostel at Marine drive.
These girls had discovered a nice homely food place called Crystal. This small “hole-in-the-wall” joint is situated next to Wilson college.
See the pictures below:

The old owner sitting below the staircase that leads to the upper mezzanine floor

External Facade with the Icecream counter :

The lower seating area :

The upper seating area :

Located next the GANT showroom, behind a well stocked coconut seller !!, Crsytal signifies the “old-meets-new” theory.The restaurant does not boast of ambience or décor but speaks only through the delicious food. The food is vegetarian and based on the North-Indian cuisine
The décor (one cannot really call it décor) consists of plastic chairs, small tables and antique fans.
The mezzanine floor is for families and has table fans.
While passing Marine drive yesterday, my wife and I just felt like trying it out after many years..Though the rates have gone up a little but not so much as to get our finance mister worried about inflation, (Baingan Bharta at Rs. 22 against Rs. 15 around 15 yrs ago), the quality of food remains the same.

Menu Below : is short and crisp, around 30 dishes.. Max price Rs 35.

Forgetting my diet for a day, we ordered Baingan Bharta (mashed brinjal), Rajma (kidney beans), Alu-Gobi (Potato-Cauliflower), Phulkas (puffed Indian bread) and then Kheer (yummy-milk and rice based dessert) and some chaas (butter milk) and bottled water..And the bill was just Rs 130. (USD 2.5) .. Cheaper than what it may have cost to cook at home..

Over the years I have seen many such food places who serve great tasty food at rock bottom prices being sold to make way for bank ATMs, apparel showrooms etc.. Hope Crystal survives the onslaught of the global brands into India..

The Paradox of Exercise

2007-02-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

The new target in my life is to lose weight and get to my “ideal weight” levels.
I realized that the biggest hindrance to that is the comfort levels that we live with.
What I mean is.. I travel to work in a car, go to my office in an elevator, at the airports we use escalators and travelators.. the list goes on.. right to the level where we have remote controls to adjust TVs, fans and lights..
Over the years, man has designed these machines / gadgets to make himself lazy.. and now that he has started feeling unhealthy (read as fat in my case), he tends to find other machines like the treadmill, cross country trainer etc to get back in shape..
I think there is some sense in doing what our ancestors did.. use the natural ways to exercise.
Its much healthier to walk on the road (may be on a beach) rather than on a treadmill.
What say ?

Celebrations or Hindrance

2007-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

I met a new dietitian (and my experiments with various diets would warrant a separate blog) who asked me to get a few blood tests done before she could prescribe a diet for me.
So off I was on Sunday morning to Hinduja hospital. As I left my house, I realized that today was the day of the Mumbai marathon and the whole city was on the roads. Most of the roads were blocked and I took a good hour to reach the hospital, which was 5 minutes away. I should have run along with the athletes.. That would have been faster.
On the way back after the tests, I could not reach home.. Had to park my car around a km away and walk back.
I saw hoards of people on the roads .. Some cheering but most of them shouting and screaming at the police who were not allowing even pedestrians on the roads.
There was a man who kept screaming that he had to reach some hospital and another trying to cross the road with his small kids.

The question I ask is should we have such events in the heart of a metropolis.. and cause traffic panic ? What if there was a fire, what if someone was dying of a heart attack.

This happens during every festival or celebration. Whether its Ganesh emersion, or the Urs at the Mahim Darga or Mount Mary fair at Bandra or the Marathon.

Should one’s celebration be a hindrance to others at large ?

No more Iranis

2006-12-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

My wife and I often go out early mornings on Sunday to this small “Irani” restaurant at Shivaji Park called “Cadel Corner”. Its been there ever since I remember and maybe from much before I was born.
For those who do not know, it is hard to describe exactly what an Irani restaurant is. It was obviously an eating house but with a distinct culture of its own. Its clientele is a mixed bag of office workers, shopkeepers, students, itinerant salesmen, the unemployed, the dead-beats, the great unwashed and may young college going couples.

Yet it is not really downbeat and to go to an Irani restaurant is not considered slumming. The dicor is usually simplicity itself. Armless, bentwood chairs, and tables sometimes with a cheap marble top. There is usually no tablecloth, nor any napkins. You wipe your hands as best as you could or use a stained washbasin near the kitchen. There was no printed menu. The waiter, if one could describe him as such, rattles off what was available as if he was reciting a mantra and it all comes out as one word, 'keemabahajiacutlasskorma'. (Kheema, Bhajia, Cutlets and Korma)
You need to think hard and pay attention to decipher it. All business transacted is oral. Your order is taken and it is bellowed to the kitchen and thus the entire restaurant knew that one has asked for 'aek adha keema, aek paon roti'. Or it could simply be 'aek adhi cha, aek slice sadha (no butter)'. When it came time to pay, the amount owing too was bellowed out and each customer is usually identified, viz. 'Khaki pant wallah, lal kamiz wallah, topi wallah sabib, ainak wallah.'

The cashier is the Irani himself seated on a high chair behind a counter (gulla) near the exit like a sinister godfather or a king cobra guarding a treasure. Nothing that happens in the restaurant escapes him. He was constantly on the lookout for those who might sneak out without paying or members of his own staff who may try and short change him.
His credit policy is “No credit”.

We used to frequent this small Irani restaurant atleast once a fortnight for “breakfast”.
The breakfast used to be egg omelets with pav “(Indian puffy uncut bread) and tea followed with “bun-muska” (a sweet bun with butter) and more chai (tea).

Last Sunday, when I went there, I saw that the shop had closed down and a sign board said “Yes Bank – Opening soon”.
I felt as if a part of my daily (or fortnightly) life had suddenly been taken away from me.
Over the past few years, I have seen a numerous Irani Restaurants giving way to Banks, Consumer Showrooms, offices etc.
I guess its more lucrative for the owners to get a montly rental from these new shops rather than try to make living on small bills (the maximum my wife and I could potentially spend in the restaurant would be Rs 100).

I often wonder, if after many years, when there are no authentic Irani restaurants around, would one be able to get a premium to start one ? Would you pay Rs 1000 to go and have an omelet-pav for “old-times-sake ?

Should I have helped her ? or was I too late.. ?

2006-11-30T00:02:00.000-08:00

Whenever I leave from work early, I used to see this old lady near my office at the traffic light selling agarbattis (Incense sticks).. This is at the Cathedral and John Cannon School Traffic light at Fort in Mumbai.
She is around 65 years of age, wrinkled face, wears a saree, and overall seems to be from a decent family based on her appearance.
Recently, I saw her begging at the car windows from people who stop at the light…and felt that I should help her in some way..
I dediced that I would talk to her and try to find out more about her background and if there is anyway that I could help her ..Maybe get her into an old age home..
But, I have not seen her at the light in the last week or so.. I hope she is fine..
Was I too late in deciding to help her ??
I hope not..

Back After a Sabbatical

2006-11-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

This is inspired by a blog by Keshi ,,my blog pal
When I drive through the crowded streets of Mumbai and see people and vehicles moving around like ants ..I often wonder how are their lives different from mine..
Yesterday, I was driving home and saw this lady at the traffic light waiting to cross the road and move towards the railway station.
The following thoughts came to my mind
Where must she be working ? - may be as a secretary in some private firm
What must she be earning ? Rs 5000-10000 a month ?
What would she do after she got home ? – Make dinner for the family ? Help her kids with their homework ?
Is she happy with what she is doing in life ?
Would age just zoom past her while she is living this prosaic life ?There are so many of us who live our life like this.. Like clock work.. no change..
Is this the right way to live ?
Should we be “living our lives” rather than life happening!!

What do you hate doing !!

2006-09-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

We all have our list of things that we hate doing.. My top 5 are :

1. Driving back home from work in peak hours - takes 40 mins for 13 kms
2. Waking up in the morning
3. Talking to "painful" people (some of whom I have to tolerate because my job demands it)
4. Working on my taxation papers.. Which are usually a mess around the Tax-paying time..!!
5. Trying to get help in fixing broken things.. eg. Telephones, tap leaks etc

What's your list of hate jobs..

Don’t Die With The Music Still In You

2006-09-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

I feel that all of us are born with a purpose.. We come to this planet with a specific reason and a goal. We are all born so “mouldable”, but, tend to get “conditioned” as we grow.. We get conditioned based on our race, religion, sex, size, parent’s beliefs etc.
We are “trained” to believe that certain things are right and others are wrong.. In going through life, we often tend to do things “because we are supposed to do them”
For example, we become doctors because that is the “right thing” to do.. But do not enjoy going to the hospital every day and may have preferred being a painter instead !!

How do we know what we are here to do.. ? I feel that there is a certain voice inside us that tells us what is right and what is wrong from our “heart’s point of view”
In the above example, from the brain’s point of view, the doctor’s profession may be the right thing.. because it pays for the expenses and gives us the prestige in the society…
But something inside us will keep sitting on our shoulder and pushing us .. telling us that this is not our music !! That is the heart’s point of view

How do we balance? I think we should spare a little part of the day to do what we like the best... It could be stringing a guitar (like one of my blog friends) or painting (like my daughter) or anything else like writing, singing etc

These talents should not die with you.. They have to find an outlet..
One of the great speakers has said...”Don’t Die With The Music Still In You”

That is exactly what I mean..
What’s it that you like to do? What’s your music?

Thoughts of the past ...

2006-08-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by a blog I read on Ekta's blog site ( http://ektam.blogspot.com/2006/08/those-left-behind_23.html )
on how people come and go in our life and how the memories linger on...
There is a hindi song "Zindagi ke Safar me gujar jyate hai jo makam..." I used to love that song..

Thought I should write a couple of line on the same note...

My heart is down and there are tears in my eye
When I think of the days gone by
Nostalgic memories numb my brain
as I pass through the gone-by lane
People who were so close to me..
I wish they could with me be..
Oh Time... If you rob me off my past
Please tell me.. How long will my sorrows last !!

What do you bring to the desk ?

2006-08-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Do the things that you collect on your work desk describe your personality ? I wonder....?

Why is it that we all have "small toys" on our desk ?

On my desk in office, apart from the office computers and stuff, I have the following

~4 idols of lord Ganesh
~1 photgraph of Lord Ganesh
~1 Statue of mother Mary
~1 Statue of the laughing Buddha
~ 3 miniature Diwali lanterns hanging from the corners of my computer screen
~1 horse shoe !!
~1 7 inch miniature black and white TV
~My blackberry craddle
~My Palm Pilot craddle (which I do not use any more)
~A few family photographs on the pin-up board behind the computer

..phew !!.. quite a crowded desk !!

.. Does this signify that I am superstitious (horse shoe), Religious (all the idols / pictures),
Sentmental (lanterns - given to me by friends from my operations team) or a family man (photographs)... ?

What do you have on your desk ? and what does it signify ?

Why ?

2006-08-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we have life insurance.. When after we are dead we are no longer related to our family !! So why leave money for them ?
Why do we have fixed time for meals.. and do not eat when we are hungry ?
Why do we sleep at night ..and not when we are sleepy ?
Why do we train our kids (in school) like animals.. rather than giving them freedom to be creative?
Why do girls grow their hair longer then boys (usually) ? When in nature the males always have more hair !! (see the Lion.. or even Humans – Men have more body hair)

There are so many such questions that have no answers.. What say ?
I am not saying that these are wrong things to do.. But over conditioning onself tends to make one lose creativity !!

Madhur Bhandarkar Rocks..

2006-08-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

Saw the movie “Corporate” on the weekend,, I liked it.. Bipasha Basu has done a pretty good job.. The movie is quite realistic though slightly exaggerated. The men are all shown as rogues in Madhur Bhandarkar movies.. In Corporate ..all men seem to be having extra-maritial affairs or seem to be letching at every girl around!!

The Story

In his latest film ‘Corporate’, Bhandarkar takes a dig at the corporate world and exposes the depravity that has become an intrinsic part of the business culture in the times of cutthroat competition.

Through a simplistically told story of rivalry between two business houses, Bhandarkar brings to light the covert business tactics and the underhand ploys that are played in the game of one-upmanship between two industrialists. In the thick of this corporate tussle, Bhandarkar places the central character of his story – a smart and ambitious executive, played by Bipasha Basu.

The first half of ‘Corporate’ is a bit of a drag, with all the business parlance and corporate lingo. But it is in this half Bhandarkar lays the foundation for the drama that unfolds in the second half. The movie picks tempo after the interval and the story sort of reaches a crescendo with a moral lesson that perhaps one shouldn’t get involved in one’s job too seriously.
The strange thing about Madhur Bhandarkar films is that what he shows in the film tends to happens in real life!!
First it was Satta – many political Scandals came out after the movie
Then Chandni Bar – all the dance bars in Mumbai were closedThen it was Page 3 – lot of page 3 scandals came in the open, And page 3 as a concept took off (for those who are unaware – page 3 is the gossip page for celebrities in the news papers)Now its Corporate – and the “pesticide in cold drinks” issue has been raked up again. A couple of states have banned the Colas.He some how seems to know the key issues that are going to be in the news soon..His next movie is going to be “at the signal” on street children working at the signals..I guess this would hit the market around the time when the ban on child labour would be enforced in India (around early October 2006)

Well done Madhur..

Independence day Thoughts

2006-08-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Someone just sent me a text message that read
H_ndu
Musl_m
S_kh
Chr_st_an
S_ndh_
Pars_

..If we lose out Un_ty.. we will stop being "I"ND"I"AN

The only thing I would add here is "Is an Indian a minority in India"

What do you think ? Are we really independent ??

How well do you know your city ?

2006-08-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

How well do you know your city… No cheating.. Just 5 questions..

1. What’s the population of the city you live in ?

2. How did the city get it’s name ?

3. Who is the current Mayor/Sheriff of your city ?

4. Which is the tallest building in your city ?

5. How many cabs are there in your city ?

What do your colleagues think of you

2006-08-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

What type of a colleague are you ?
Do people respect you ? Are you considered to be the "painful guy/girl" behind your back ?
Do people like you ? Are you the "nice guy" in office..
Have you ever wondered what your colleagues think of you ?
Do you care ?
I often wonder....
I wonder if I am a good colleague ..
I wonder if I am a good subordinate
I wonder if I am a good boss

I think I am average in all 3 categories.. Only people who have worked with me can comment !!

3 cheers to Richard Branson !

2006-08-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I fly to London often on business. Mostly to meet my clients. I usually take the night flight from Mumbai to London the British Airways BA139 (leaves Mumbai at 2.20 am and arrives at Heathrow at 7.30 am) and the day flight back the BA138 (leaving London in the mornings arriving at Mumbai at midnight).
I was extremely trilled when BA started the second flight through and fro from Mumbai to London.. Leaving Mumbai in the mornings and leaving London in the evenings..
I could now do day trips to London.
This May I went to London on a holiday with my family on a holiday. And just because the business class was cheaper on Virgin Atlantic by around Rs. 30,000 per ticket, I flew Virgin.. and was I surprised.. What a pleasant change..!!1. The Virgin flat bed in the business class is huge.. It’s as big as the BA first class
2. The food is much-much better.. With so many options in vegetarian and non-vegetarian
3. There is a masseur on board who gives you a neck or a hand massage
4. You can eat when you want !! No fixed time for serving food
5. The attitude of the airhostesses is much better and they are much younger than the usual 45+ BA ladies.
6. The lounge at Heathrow is unbelievable.. It has a full massage section, a beauty parlor, a Japanese sushi bar, a dessert section (at least 20 different desserts), they serve hot meals ala-carte (I loved the shepherd-pie that I had) and they also have a shoe polisher !!

The biggest difference are the seats..
Virgin Seats -

The Virgin business class seat (see above left) is 22 inches wide (wider than the BA first class seat). The ottoman doubles as a seat for your companion if you want to have dinner together (unlike BA, where the ottoman/foot rest cannot take the weight of a person)
The Virgin business class seat converts into a flat bed (see above right) which is the biggest fully flat bed of any airline in business class and bigger than even the BA first class bed.

BA Seats

The BA Business class seat is sort of clumsy (see above).. it comes in pairs.. There is someone sleeping right next to you !! Secondly, they are much narrower.. extremely difficult to turn in your sleep !!

Competition is intense ..

Historically, there has been huge competition between the two airlines. The competition was so hot that when BA tried to build the London Eye (which is a huge giant wheel – picture above) in London, they could not succeed at first because it was too heavy for the supports to hold.

Virgin had then come up with an ad saying “BA can’t get it up”

Post that holiday in May, I have decided that I will fly Virgin whenever possible. Unfortunately, they do not have a night flight out of India and the onward connections to New York are bad.. So I guess will have to wait till they sort that out.

Till then 3 cheers to Richard Branson and his airline !!

"Feel Good" Expenses

2006-08-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we buy things just because they make you “feel good”
For me .. I buy gadgets without actually needing them.. And then, tend to get so dependent on them that I rationalize my decision to have been correct when I bought them.
A good example is my new cell phone. The Nokia N80. It’s a ccol gadget. Its 3G, has a 3 megapixle camera, supports MS office etc. But frankly, who needs all that. I have never used any (read as most) of that.
Just yesterday I ordered a 19 inch LCD for my computer at home and upgraded my speaker systems to a 5.1 surround system (with a sub woofer) for my home PC.. Just to make me feel good while playing games (I love playing PC games).. Not really required.. but had a “feel good” feeling to it.
The list goes on..My cars, my PS2, my black berry.. etcI have always been a gadget freak.. And spend a good amount of “unnecessary” green stuff just to “feel good”.
Every one has a different soft corner.. I think with girls it could be jewellery, dresses and shoes !!
With boys could be clothes, cars, gadgets..
What’s your “feel good” expense…??

PS – the picture is not my computer – That is one of the most expensive laptops in the world.. Its called the Tulip – worth US$ 355,000

Michael Douglas grows old

2006-08-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Though I had decided to sleep on the flight from Mumbai to London, and I was really sleepy before I boarded the flight.. I was suddenly wide awake as soon as I sat down in my seat ! This happend to me often.. So with a diet coke in hand, I started to surf the movies on the British Airways' entertainment system..
What caught my eye was the new Michael Doughlas movie- The Sentinel.
To summarise the movie in one word... "SAD".
Michael Doughlas looks very old (sorry Catherine Zeta Jones) and so does Kim Basinger .
Even the love scenes are cut short (very unlike Mike Douglas movie)
His performance (in the film in general and also in the love scenes) is nowhere close to Basic Instinct and Wallstreet (one of my all time favourite films)

On the movie in general.. Very sad storyline..Based on the lines of Miami-blues. Good cop, bad cop story with a plot to assasinate the US president.
Despite the solid cast, a lack of storyline kills the film.

Absolute avoid.. especially on long flights.. Its better to grab some sleep!! Plan to see MI3 on the way back.. That was a quick review from London

Inventing versus Re-designing

2006-08-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

If you look through the past 100 years, Man has had no major breakthrough in medicine, the last big discovery was Penicillin in the early 1900s. We have only devised better antibiotics but no major breakthrough drug.
In transportation, we have not had any major vehicle designed since the airplane in early 1900s. We have designed better planes but no new mode of transport
This analogy can be extended across various fields.
The question to ask is..Have we become better re-designers than inventors.. ?

Trust !

2006-07-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

Man is a “trusting” animal.. That is such a large statement !Most of our problems start because we trust.. But if we did not trust one and other, would society, marriage, and friendship exist ?What I mean by trust will be highlighted in the following examples

When you take a cab to work.. You fully trust the driver that he will not cause an accident
When you go to a doctor, you trust his judgment that he will rid you off your pain
When you are driving and people are trying to cross the road ahead of your car (happens often in India) by jay-walking, you are trusting their judgment that they would cross before your car passes them

There are many such examples, where without knowing it we trust people that we barely know.
However, if we did not .. Would it not be tough to live in this hazardous world ?

Omkara - A Review

2006-07-30T23:22:00.001-07:00

Shakespeare seems to be in demand in Bollywood.. As seems to be Vishal Bharwaj’s favourite. He, first adapted Maqbool from Macbeth and now Omkara from Othello.
Maqbool was a medium level success in monetary terms but was rated as a good film by the critics. I think it would be the same story with Omkara.

The Movie -

Bhardwaj makes his hero in his second Shakespearean outing a gang leader with political connections. Omkara (Ajay Devgan) names Kesu (Viveik Oberoi) his chief lieutenant. Seething with fury, the other pretender to the post, Langda Tyagi (Saif Ali Khan), hatches a conspiracy to systematically destroy Omkara and everybody he loves. He has two allies: His wife, Indu (Konkona Sensharma), who helps him unwittingly and Raju, his crony.
In love with Dolly (Kareena Kapoor), Omkara falls into Tyagi's trap as he poisons his chief's mind with tales of her supposed love affair with Kesu. Tyagi engineers a tragedy that sucks everyone into its vortex and ends with Omkara realising, only too late, his tragic error of judgement. Indu also discovers how she had played into her husband's hands
Bhardwaj opens the film with Omkara's gang stopping a wedding procession (Dolly's father is marrying her off) and 'rescuing' her so that she can marry the chief. The action of the film tragically ends on the night of her wedding with Omkara.
Bhardwaj is ably aided by his star cast, all of whom seem comfortable in an interesting mix of Hindi and Bhojpuri. Devgan puts in a restrained performance, while the crude and crafty Tyagi is perhaps Saif Ali Khan's best portrayal ever. Oberoi looks like he is all set for a resounding comeback. Konkona and Kareena and lend credence to their roles.

Saw it on the weekend.. The things that catch your mind are –

1. The intensity of love between Ajay Devgan and Kareena is not portrayed will enough
I think the whole story of Othello revolved around the intensity of his love.. The movie lets the audience assume this part. – First Negative

2. The Language
There is an extensive use of filthy Hindi slang to give it a “realistic” feel.. I think it is over done

3. Speed
The movie is slow and quite a few scenes (and songs) could have been avoided,

4. Acting
I feel is above average.. Especially Saif Ali Khan, Konkana Sen and Vivek Oberoi.
Saif seems to be maturing well with age. Bipasha is a waste in the film.

5. To Summarise
Despite all the above, I kinda liked the film.. Well directed except for the point no.1 above and watchable.. (That’s quite a positive from me.. who usually cannot sit in a theater for more than 1 hour)

Being Creative v/s Being Perfect

2006-07-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

I have always been a perfectionist and dear ones and friends get upset with me for being one..I get upset if someone leaves the door ajar, if the toothpaste cap is not screwed on correctly, if someone is wearing torn socks, or their laces have come off..
Not that these things matter to me or hurt me.. Just that they irritate me.. Irritate me to the extent that I tend to tell the person (even if I do not know him / her).. “Please tie your laces” etc.
I read somewhere that people who are creative are not perfectionists.. But is the other way true too? By being a person who likes being perfect.. Do I not have even a little bit of creativity in me?
Frankly, I am not perfect too... But like to be perfect and strive to be..Just yesterday, I had given a job to my colleague who missed doing it.. and came back saying “Oops.. I did all of it.. But forgot this small bit”.. And I lashed back very caustically to him..”The difference between being perfect and mediocrity are these small bits”… I think I was harsh on him.. But that is me.. I really get irritated with small / silly mistakes.. I guess I need to cool down a little..

Say no to Terrorism

2006-07-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Mumbai blasts have stunned a lot of us.. Its scary to see people dying by such a “silly” cause !! The thought of losing someone close to such an unforeseen reason is very scary.
It is so pathetic that we are living in the 21st Century and are still fighting against each other like people from the Stone Age.
In a scenario where we are battling life-threatening diseases like AIDS, Cancer, Tuberculosis etc, we seem to be finding new ways to kill each other.
Many people have condemned the blasts in Mumbai.. But does just talking about it help
I feel that to curb terrorism, we should have strict measures.. Like a death sentence for someone found with unauthorized arms / explosives.

Heading the wrong way

2006-07-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

This has been a world cup of disgraces.. So many of the superstars who came in with so many expectations have disappointed. The list is topped by Ronaldinho, Henry, Beckham, Rooney, Figo, Ronaldo… the list is endless..To top it all was the disgraceful exit of Zidane .. I do not understand how a player of his stature could stoop so low to commit an act which was so disgraceful..What a way to exit professional soccer..The sad thing is that we may not see these greats again in the next world cup ..Figo, Pauletta, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raoul, Beckham, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Del Piero, Roberto Carlos…

Of Shoes and Men

2006-07-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have seen numerous women who love shopping for shoes.. For some its about finding the perfect fit (I thought the perfect fit was limited to the perfect man).. to others it’s a way to relieve stress (shoes relieve stress.. “these women are crazy” – like Obelix would say)
Someone just told me the following
“Girls are always looking for a perfect pair of shoes.. somewhat like looking for Mr. Perfect.. However, what seems like a perfect fit may not be perfect a few months later.. so they look again”
The other day I went to a shoe shop that was three storeys in size.. around 30000 square feet “(larger than my office).. Its called the Loft .. at Lokhandwala in Andheri.. I am sure it’s a paradise for these women to land up in places like this..
Do men really look at a lady’s shoes ? Legs yes.. But shoes ?? Does the line of vision go that low ? Wink !!
Anyways…Not a nice feeling to be compared to shoes..

The most beautiful women in the world

2006-07-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me who are the most pretty women in the world and I was trying to think about what are my types.. I quite like the petite women.. The ones that come to mind are Ashley Judd, Meg Ryan, Gwen Palthrow etc..
I went to the website www.askmen.com and their list says that the top 10 beautiful women are :
10. Cindy Crawford
09. Liz Hurley
08. Maria Grazia Cucinotta
07. Angie Everhart
06. Elsa Benitez
05. Catherine Zeta Jones
04. Heidi Klum
03. Elle MacPherson
02. Pamela Anderson
01. Laetitia Casta

I do not even know who half these women are .. I guess I am growing old !!
and maybe the criteria for chosing beautiful women is getting more objective !! than Subjective

So much for all the beautiful women in the world..

Little Johnny Wants to play

2006-07-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Another day of outlash of the rain in Mumbai.. And the Mumbaikars managed to survive and life was on as usual.
Many are singing the nursery rhyme.. "Rain-Rain go away.. Lil Johnny wants to play"
The less adventurous ones stayed home and watched TV channels and patted themselves for not having left home, while the ones with the true Mumbai spirit were on the streets again.
Despite the rains washing two people to their death in the sea at Worli Seaface, there were still a thousand people by the parapet wall aagain today..
The TV channels seem to have overplayed the rains by flashing pictures of a few stray areas of flooding and making it look like a city wide chaos..
I really admire the spirit of the city and hope we stick together through the wet and the dry of life..
Here are some pictures I took from the car while driving back last evening and driving to work today..

Raindrops on Roses...

2006-07-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

With the rains hitting Mumbai all of last two days, the city is really living it up..

Whether it is someone going for Omelets and Waffles at Bandstand or someone getting sprayed in the waves at Worli Seaface and hogging Vada Pavs after that.. Everyone seems to be enjoying the weather in their own ways..

I went for a drive last evening and saw atleast 2000 people at Worli Seaface. And another 1000 playing soccer at Shivaji Park.

The heavy rains today, caused visibility to be low in the morning on the way to work and I thought that attendance may be low due to the trains being paralysed.. I was pleasantly surprised to see my entire department at work today.. That's the spirit of the city..

Rain to me is a mix of many feelings and memories .... To start with ..freedom, the pleasant smell of the mud, warm pakodas with cutting chai, Misal Pav, double seat rides on the bike, playing soccer in the mud, schools closed, waddling though the water in shorts to go and see a movie at the nearby theater, playing rummy with friends, riding bicycles..Andd many more things..

I could sing all these things on the lines of "Raindrops on roses." From the Sound of Music..
Rains would certainly feature in the list of my favourite things...

Perfect 10

2006-06-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

Lot of you have mentioned that I wrote mostly about my son and rarely about my daughter.. Well here goes..
Eesha, my daughter, turned 10 last weekend.. And boy !! has she matured..
Actually, at times, she still behaves like a kid.. trying to be extra nice to me when she wants a gift.. And acting very sad when her grades are not upto the mark.. But at other times, she is very responsible.. She looks after her younger brother when they go out for birthday parties alone, she participates in family debates across the dining table..and is quite caring as a person.
I was debating as to what I should be buying her as a birthday gift.. Finally settled for a bicycle, one with 18 gears.. She was overjoyed..
Because it was a landmark birthday (her 10th), we celebrated it in style.. With a party for all her friends.. another 6-7 years and she would not want to celebrate her birthdays with us .. and would rather spend the day with her friends..
Last month, when we were at Switzerland, Eesha and I were walking down the Chapel Bridge at Lucern and I asked her if she will remember this day when after 20 years she may be walking down this very bridge with her husband instead !!
She got pretty sentimental !! That's my gal !!

of Leaves and Vacations

2006-04-12T00:51:00.000-07:00

Last 5 days or so that I have been home due to my wife's surgery have been an eyeopener in terms of my "relationship" with my family.Due to her illness, we could not go out .. Even for a dinner.. Which meant 24 hours at home.. Except in the evenings when I religiously took my kids out to either crossroads, crosswords or some park.. Over the past few days, my kids (especially my daughter) has opened up so much to me.. Even my aunt who lives with us spoke to me on issues that she usually does not discuss..Moral of story.. Once in a while .. Take a leave but do not go on a vacation !!!Spend more time at home..

Mumbai - did you know this ?

2006-02-02T23:36:00.000-08:00

I was helping someone who was organising a quiz on Mumbai and I came across a lot of Trivia that was new to me .. Hope you find it interesting too

Here goes

This historical monument was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay. – Gateway of India

This museum, which was also designed by George Witter, was formerly known as Prince of Wales Museum – Chatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangralay

These caves dating back to 600 A.D. are located on Gharapuri Island in Mumbai’s harbour. – Elephanta Caves

This two-storied building is the former residence of Mahatma Gandhi. – Mani Bhawan

These gardens occupy 48 acres in the heart of the city and also house a zoo. – Jijamata Udyan

This heritage building was formerly the town hall. _ Asiatic Library

This station was christened to commemorate Victoria Jubilee Day in 1887 and was formerly known as Victoria Terminus. – Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus

This beautiful and imposing mosque is located in the middle of the sea. – Haji Ali

Name the place in Central Mumbai where you can watch rows of traditional laundry men at work. – Dhobi Ghat

This simple distribution chain has become famous for their efficiency with Forbes business magazine giving it a Six Sigma rating. – Dabbawallas

Which year did motorized Taxis appear in Mumbai – 1911

Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 2.2 billion passengers every year. Incidentally, the world's population is 6 billion.

Bombay University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874.

The city's first church - the St Thomas Cathedral - was built at Horniman Circle in 1718.

The first post office in Bombay was opened in 1832 at the residence of the junior magistrate of police at Byculla.

The Stearns & Kittredge company was given permission in 1874 to start Bombay's first tram service with a fleet of 900 horses.

The East India Company appointed Sir George Oxenden the first governor of Bombay in 1668.

Until 1864, the city's highest ranking police officer was called Police Chief. Post 1864, the title was changed to Police Commissioner.

Mumbai's first Indian police commissioner was J S Bharucha who took over from A E Caffin on August 15, 1947.

Mumbai's first policemen employed by the British were called the Bhandari Militia. They were set up in 1669.

Gateway of India was designed by George Wittet and was constructed at a cost of Rs 21 lakh.

The Flora Fountain was built in 1864 by the Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India from a donation by Cursetjee Fardoonjee Parekh.

The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water.

Bombay's population in 1891 was 8.21 lakh. By 1901, it had reduced to 7.76 lakh due to a massive plague epidemic.

The first English newspaper in Bombay was printed by Rustomji Keshaspathi in 1777.

Bombay's first regional language newspaper was Mumbai Samachar, published in Gujarati in 1822 by Fardoonjee Marzban.

The first trams in Bombay started in 1874, between Parel and Colaba, and were drawn by teams of six to eight horses.

The first inter-city railway was built between Bombay and Surat, and was completed in 1864.

The Great Indian Peninsular Railway laid the first rail tracks in India between Thane and Bombay.

It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845.

Bombay's highest population growth rate was between 1661 and 1675 when it rose six times from 10,000 to 60,000.

The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.

When a person travel towards Mumbai,one can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is Mumbai Zero Kms, it is at Flora Fountain

The railway tracks of the Churchgate Station originally extended beyond Azad Maidan in the direction of Afghan Church, which was later changed to a tar road.

Former English cricket captain Douglas Jardine of Bodyline fame was born in Malabar Hill, Mumbai, in 1900.

India’s first cricket club, Orient, was founded in Bombay in 1848.

Mumbai orginally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman’s Island.

Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling who wrote Kim and The Jungle Book was born in Mumbai.

There are 14 platforms inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus.

The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.

The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel in 1896.

Lord Elphinstone performed the opening ceremony after railway tracks were laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853.

The railway line from Mumbai to Pune through Bhor Ghat was built by a woman named Alice Tredwell in 1863

The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhiji in Mumbai in 1942 from Gowalia Tank. It is now called August Kranti Maidan.

The Taj Mahal Hotel was built in 1903 on the ‘pleasure basin’ of the Yacht Club. – it was the first commercial building to be electrified in 1907

Mumbai industrialist Jamshetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car.

Making an impression

2006-01-14T23:17:00.002-08:00

Its all about making an impression..
Whether its kids trying to impress the teacher by prompt answers, whether its an employee trying to impress the boss by taking credit for work done or if its a anybody trying to impress the opposite sex by better attire or wit.. We all strive for attention.
Human beings are hungry for love and attention.. They tend to even get very selfish to get the desired attention.
There are times when I have seen my colleagues tread on each and other trying to get the boss's attention. In school, I have seen boys doing crazy things to catch a eye of the pretty girl.
The question to ask is .. Is this behaviour our weakness or our strength ?.. Does it give us a reason to live in our daily mundane life or does it make animals out of us. ? Fighting with each other to get ahead..?

Mumbai.. the new HK ?

2006-01-14T23:17:00.001-08:00

Its been 12 years since I have been coming to Asia for business. The region seems to be changing a lot over the last 12 years. In Hong Kong the change started around the handover of the region to China by UK. The country is now very Chinese-ised (if I may use the word). The only expatriate foreigners in the city seem to be from the financial industry. The amount of non-chinese that you see on the streets is also decreasing. Its becoming a very local town.
Singapore too seems to be peaking out in terms of prosperity. Could it be cultural reasons ? The compulsory military training seems to take 2-3 fruitful and productive years out of the Singaporean male's life. The women seem to move head in academics and life in general.. leading them to marry out of the local community.. The strong antiseptic atmosphere created by the government seem to cause an outflow of talent.
I think cities like Mumbai, Shanghai and Dubai seem to be slowly emerging as financial cities and seem to be slowly replacing HK and Singapore . If these cities manage to get their infrastructure in place, I would see them replacing HK and Singapore as financial hubs of Asia.

My boss quits .. after 10 years together..

2006-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

It took me a good 10 years and my boss to quit to realise what my firm had given me.. Imense confidence and the ability to believe in myself.
I had joined the firm when it was like a small startup and with great effort we have taken it to the mamoth that it is today.. Many team members deserted us on the way.. May it be foir better prospects, due to internal pressures or for an educational indulgence ! A few of us continued relentlessly.. Holding up the firm likr pillars of strength.. But it was too good to last.. Last week, one of the pillars fell and the building seemed to tilt a little.. But.. I feel the pain is temporary.. The firm remains larger than people.. It dawned to me that we all do not matter.. In 50 years we will be well forgotten.. Will we be remembered 10 years hence.. ? I doubt that too.. So its all a question of time.. We are just pages of a book being blown around by the winds of time.. What remains is the firm we built !

Eesha .. My Daughter.. My Strength..

2006-01-06T04:47:00.000-08:00

I have written many blogs about my son but have rarely mentioned my daughter.. She is growing up into a very beautiful woman..

My daughter, Eesha, has started using words like “yuks” and “cool” since she has moved up the classes in her school (She is now in Class 4)

I guess there is a reason why the standards in school are called classes.. One learns more jargon as one moves up the “classes”

There is also a marked attitude change.. As she approaches her 10^th year of age, she has started taking better care of herself. She is more conscious of brushing her teeth after food, wearing matching clothes and brushing her hair before stepping out of the house.

Since my son, Neel, was born, Eesha has suddenly grown up. She is now the “elder” sister. She likes to boss around with young Neel (though he is as aggressive and difficult to boss around with).

However, I feel that being a girl, by default makes her more sensitive (she cries even at a small shout – While even a whack on the backside has no effect on my son), She understands more that parents need some time of their own and is more caring as a person.

She is also more creative and is pretty good at dancing (I was surprised to see her dance at this New Years Ball) .. While Neel (like me) has two left feet !!

Well most important of all .. She is my strength.. I often tell her that .. and she often tells me that she loves me twice as much as I love her…

Principles of my life

2006-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

I have lived my life based on the following simple principles..
1. Do not hurt someone as far as possible
2. Make friends who add to yourself. The addition can be in knowledge, companionship, love, direction etc
3. Read atleast one book a month and try to remember one key ?take-away? from every book.
4. Every thing that you do (however boring) has a positive side. Think of the positives when doing boring jobs
5. Look after your health. I learnt this late in life.
6. Spend quality time with the people you love. You only get what you give.
7. Have a aim / ambition in life and believe the saying ?it does not matter where you are. What matters is where you are going?.
8. Do a little charity every year
9. If you cannot be a part of the progress (this applies to the country's progress, the organisation's progress or your family's progress) then atleast do not be a hinderence to the progress. 10. Be honest to your employer.
11.Do not take work home.
12. Eat right .. In quality and quantity
13. Do not smoke (learnt it late in life)
14. Listen
15. Listen more to experience.
16. Speak only if required and after thinking.
17. Speak rather than write.. Don't speak rather than speak.
18. Make a few but good friends..
19. You need to go down to a person's intellectual level for him/her to understand what you are saying.
20. God did not designate human beings. So do not use your designation unless necessary.. All colleagues are human beings first.

Man to man with my son....

2006-01-03T23:16:00.000-08:00

NEEL

I was walking down the road the other day with Neel (my 3 year old son) after a very tense day at work.. and we had a very interesting conversation.
There is this area near my house that had just been acquired by a famous construction house in Mumbai. They are planning to build a top-of-the-line exclusive apartment complex there. The entire area was fenced and there were security guards sitting at the entrance. Looking at the security guards, my son said:

Neel: Why are police guarding this place
Me: They are not police. They are guards
Neel: But, why are they guarding the place
Me: Because there is a big building coming up here and they do not want unauthorosed people to enter the premises (I explained this in easier to understand language)
Neel: will we be staying in this new building ?
Me: No
Neel: Why
Me: Because its expensive and daddy does not have that much money
Neel: Can I work with you ? both of us together can get more money ..

That felt so good.. Its been a good 15 years since I have been the only sensible bread-earner in the family and my son (though just 3 years old) offering to help out felt so good.

Kids, (I strongly feel so), can sense the soft corners of their parents and often say things (sometimes subconsciously) that release a lot of tensions…

All that glitters...

2006-01-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

Gold has been one of the best performing assets in the last 5 years. Though Equities (selectively) may have outperformed, Gold remains a much safer asset class.

Did you know that there is $200 billion gold in homes? The value of gold held by Indian households is more than double the market value of the equity stock they own. At $ 200 billion, it is almost a third of India’s GDP.

Gold holdings among Indian households at current market value is about 2.5 times the current equity stock holding of $80 billion.

While the share of gold in household savings declined during 2000-2002 to 5 per cent, it has been on the rise once again in the last two years.

It was 8-10 per cent during the quarter ended March 2005. If instead of investing its annual sayings in gold, India were to invest this in productive business assets, its annual GDP growth would be higher by about 0.3-0.4 per cent.

As per World Gold Council (WGC) estimates, Indian households own about 15,000 tonnes of gold accounting for about 10% of the world-wide stock. At current market values, gold accounts for about 10-15% of the Indian household balance sheet.However, I feel with the new Indian youth aspiring to consume more (buy cars, mobile phones, computers etc), it is quite likely that the Gold locked in Indian households may come into the market.

What a year in India for the Stock Markets !!

2005-12-30T04:37:00.000-08:00

~Sensex +42%

~Nifty +37%

~CNX Midcap +35%

~BSE Smallcap +73%

~BSE Capital Goods Index +91% was the highest sectoral gainer

~No of days mkt made all time highs : 59

~No of WEEKS mkt closed positive : 14

~No of days mkt closed up : 142

~No of days mkt closed down : 107

~53 IPOs hit the mkt - 46 gave positive returns

~774 stocks advanced - 197 declined in the mkt

~Foreigners pumped in $10.67 bn into Indian Stock markets

~Top Index Gainers - L&T +88%, BHEL +80%, Satyam +80%

~Worst Index Performers - Ranbaxy -42%, TISCO -1%, Grasim +5%

*******HOPE THAT 2006 IS EVEN BETTER*******

Life Insurance...or "post" life insurance

2005-12-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

I have been toying with the thought .. "should I have a large insurance on myself".. I felt I was under-insured..
The minute I spread the word, I had 50 insurance agents from various companies hounding me..
I thought to myself.. Life Insurance is such a paradox..
By taking a policy, you are not “insuring” your life. The policy comes into play only after you life has gone away.
Why do we insure? Most people insure so that their family and kins who are left behind have a good life. My question is .. After you are dead, the “family” is no longer your family..(all relationships being valid only while you are alive).. Then why insure ?
The only reason one should insure is for disability..
Even if you think otherwise and feel insurance is important.. Then the counter I have is .. is it not better to leave investments for your family that will earn long term returns ? A mix of risk and risk-free investments ?
My debate continues..... your thoughts are welcome...

Mumbai to Goa - One of the best drives in India

2005-12-29T02:36:00.000-08:00

The best long drive I have taken in India is the Mumbai – Goa road.
Its full of greenery and this road has IT ALL!!! Corners, Ghats, long straight open roads, small villages on the way where one has to slow down a bit.
Everything is there, name it and you have it. The 12 odd hours of continuous driving make this route a challenge cum adventure.
If you are a seafood fan.. food never gets better than on the konkan coast of Maharashtra.I have done this trip many times ..may be around 15 times.. and still find new things to enjoy everytime I drive down to Goa

Some things you need to remember :

Smooth roads mean that you just need to get a routine service done before your drive to Goa.
Key areas to check are:-

Brakes: The Mumbai-Goa road has its fair share of twisty corners and ghats, so you’ll be relying on that middle pedal a lot. See to it that your brakes are effective and reliable.-

Tyres: Stick to the recommended amount of air depending on the load. Check the pressure of the spare wheel too and also make sure you have the tools to change a wheel.-

Engine: Check liquid levels — oil, brake fluid, windscreen washer, radiator coolant and battery water.- Electricals Lights, indicators, horn and cabin lights.- Rattles and squeaks:

In the city they might not irritate much, but on a 500km-plus journey they will get on your nerves. So get them eliminated.-

Protection for your car Goa means beaches and sand which, coupled with salt water, are not good for the flooring of your car. Get rubber matting installed so the amount of sand and dampness reaching the carpet is reduced.

Packing luggage in the car- Pack your car so that luggage space is utilised to the maximum.

Avoid loading luggage on a roof rack. It ruins the areodynamics and reduces speed and fuel efficiency. - Pack stuff that you will not need during the journey first, so the things you do need are easily accessible. -

Never pack luggage in a way that it obstructs the line of sight of the rearview mirror. - In a hatchback, pack objects up to the level of the rear seat backrest, or during hard braking the luggage could injure rear passengers.

- Pack objects so that they don’t rattle or move about.- Never store bottles or objects near the gearstick and handbrake. They might hinder the driver.

- Do not stuff bottles under the driver’s seat. They may roll out and interfere with the foot pedals. - Carry cassettes in a bag or a case. Leaving them on the dashboard damages them and makes them slide all over

The DriveThe 500km-plus drive from Mumbai to Panaji is a pleasure thanks to the superb roads. The flyovers between Mumbai and Panvel give a signal-less drive to Panvel.Once you turn after Panvel onto NH17 for Goa, the road becomes a two-lane highway, which is well maintained but with its fair shares of fast corners.

NH17 passes through forested roads, Karnala Bird Sanctuary and Pen where the road splits in two. While NH17 carries on towards Nagothane, a state highway goes on to the seaside town of Alibaug. Fishing Boats at Baga creek take passengers for a joyride. The entire run from Pen to Mahad runs south in an almost straight line and right turns at road junctions invariably lead to coastal towns like Murud, Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar.

After Poladpur, NH17 changes districts as it crossesover from Raigadh to Ratnagiri.The first major town in Ratnagiri district is Chiplun. The drive on the ghat thereafter affords splendid views of the marshlands formed by the river Vashishti. Soon after Ratnagiri junction you may come upon mango sellers where you can pick up the famed juicy Ratnagiri alphonso mangoes for a bargain price.

Talera is the last town NH17 passes through in the Ratnagiri district as it crosses over to Sindhudurg district, Savantwadi, and then into the state of GoaRoute TipsHere are some pointers on the road from Mumbai to Panaji in Goa.- Wear your seatbelt And insist that the passengers wear theirs too!

Start early By starting at 5.30am, you avoid the worst of the traffic and get to the Thane Creek bridge in a few minutes. The new flyovers make it possible to reach Panvel within an hour. Early morning traffic in Panvel is light but be careful in the city where people have a habit of suddenly jumping out of slow-moving buses.

The Panvel bypass is 1.8km longer and is a good option if you hit Panvel after 7am. - NH17 is a two-laner Exercise caution while overtaking. On the ghat sections use your horn merrily around the corners.

Don’t fight fatigue. Take refreshment stops when you feel drained.Do you want to try this drive… here is a detail route

Route Map

MapDriving distance 579.1km, King Circle (Mumbai) to Mandovi Bridge (Panaji).
Approximate driving time (excluding stops): 11.5 hours..
With practice, you could do it in 8-9 hours

Getting out of Mumbai :
0.0 to 42.2: King’s Circle (Maheshwari Udyan) to Goa right turn after Panvel. Driving time (approx): 40min
1.7 Flyover across Sion circle. Continue straight until you pass under a railway bridge.
4.4 Road junction signal. Take angular right towards Chembur. Continue straight past six signals, the fifth being a pedestrian crossing signal.
5.3 24-hour HP petrol pump on your right at the first signal. Continue straight.
9.1 Road junction. Turn left. Road ahead goes to Trombay.
13.3 Thane Creek Bridge. Caution! There are broken-down trucks parked awkwardly here sometimes.
16.6 Caution! Huge, unmarked speedbreaker.
17.3 Toll Naka (Rs 15).
34.6 Road junction under flyover. Continue right to go via Panvel city. Road on extreme right bypasses Panvel city but is 1.8km longer. Road on left goes to Thane.
38.3 Panvel city. (Petrol Pump — PP) Continue straight.
42.2 Road junction. Turn right for Panaji (Goa). Road ahead goes to Pune.
42.5 to 74.9: Goa right turn to Vadkhal Naka (NH17) Driving time (approx): 45min
42.5 Crossroads. Turn left for Panaji (Goa). Road ahead comes from Panvel bypass. Road on right goes to Panvel city. Caution! The road is now a two- laner with plenty of sharp corners so practise caution while overtaking.
57.8 Toll Naka (Rs 10). Carry on along NH17 to Pen
70.1 Road junction (Pen). Turn right for Panaji (Goa). Road on left goes to Pen town and Khapoli (40km). Caution! Road is fraught with cyclists, school children and mad Tempo Trax drivers.
74.9 Vadkhal Naka (PP). Turn left for Panaji (Goa).

74.9 to 183.3 — Vadkhal Naka to Mahableshwar turn-off Driving time (approx): 2hrs 15min - Traffic Drops

90.3 Deceptive speedbreaker on corner after bridge over Nidi River.
94.9 Nagothane (PP). At the road junction take the gradual left and continue on NH17 for Panaji (Goa).
124.5 Indapur. Caution! Heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Speed breakers at entrance and exit of town.
134.9 Mangaon (PP). Caution! Crowded road through the town. "Open Umbrella" is a good place to have breakfast.
183.3 Road junction with statue in the centre (PP). Continue straight on NH17. Road on left goes to Mahableshwar (41.6km).
183.3 to 254.1: Mahableshwar turn-off to Chiplun Driving time (approx): 1hr 20min
192.3 Caution! Kashedi Ghat (7.2km). Steep gradients and blind corners.
220.5 Caution! Speedbreaker on corner before bridge over Jagbudi River.
221.1 Caution! Baste Ghat begins (4km).
242.3 Caution! Parshram Ghat begins (6km).Note: The entire stretch between Baste Ghat and Parshram Ghat is winding with sharp and blind corners.
254.1 Chiplun. Crossroad. Continue straight. Road on right goes to Chiplun town. Road on left goes to Karad.

254.1 to 579: Chiplun to Panaji. Driving time (approx): 6hr 15min - Traffic ? What Traffic ?
262.5 Caution! Ghat section (5.2km).
274.5 Caution! Ghat section (7.6km).
300.9 Sangameshwar (PP).
322.3 Caution! Nivli Ghat (2.4km).
334.9 Hathkhambe. Continue straight on NH17. Road on right goes to Ratnagiri (13km).
344.9 Pali. Continue on the right fork. Road ahead goes to Kolhapur (83km).
371.1 Caution! Vanked Ghat (2.2km).
377.5 Caution! Vatul Ghat (6.4km)
429.3 Talera. Road on right goes to Vaghotan (30.2km). Road on left goes to Kasarda.
486.7 Kudal.
501.1 Akeri Road junction. Bear left. Road bearing left goes to Panaji via Savantvadi. Distance 78km. Road on right goes to Panaji via Vengurla and Pernem. Distance 91km.
505.9 Take the right fork for Panaji via Savantvadi. Left fork goes to Belgaum (88km).
509.1 Savantvadi (PP).
512.2 Caution! Insuli Ghat begins (1.6km).
520.6 Banda. Note: Drive with caution here as the roads are very narrow and twisty with children and livestock running about.
547.4 Maharashtra-Goa state border. Police check post.
555.8 Road junction. Take the road on right for Mapusa and PanajiRoad on left goes to Bicholim (6.4km) and Ponda.
566.1 Road junction. Take road on left for Panaji. Road on right goes to Covali and Pernem.
569.0 Mapusa city (PP). Continue on NH17 for Panjim.
577.8 Bridge across Mandovi river to Panaji.
579.1 Panaji Circle. Road on right goes to Panaji city. Road ahead goes to Margao (34km).

Some 24-hour petrol pumps along the route
1.5 - Chhagan Mitha, 90/91, Sion Circle. Ph: 022 4072980
33.5 - Vijay Automobiles, Kalamboli, Mumbai-Pune Rd, Panvel.Ph: 022 7452525/2925, HP. Facilities: Lubes, snacks, coffee vending machine, music cassettes and clean toilets.
72.4 - Dharamkar Motor Store, Vadkhal Naka. Ph: 02143 9008, BP. Facilities: Puncture repair shop
163.0 - Doshi Automobiles, Mumbai-Goa Highway, Mahad. Ph: 02145 22387 BP. Facilities: First-aid, lubes, adjoining restaurant and clean toilets.
214.0 - HP Highway Services, Bharna Naka, Khed Taluka, Ratnagiri district. HP. Facilities: General store, STD booth, reasonably clean toilets.
249.9 - G B Mehta and Sons, Chiplun. Ph: 02355 56060. Facilities: Lubes and puncture repair shop.
291 - M/s Yashodhara Services, Mumbai-Goa Road, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri Dist. Indian Oil. Facilities: Lubes, adjoining restaurant.
382.1 - Mangal Agencies, Bombay — Goa Road, Rajapur. Ph: 02353 22074. Indian Oil. Facilities: First-aid, toilets, ambulance available, adjoining hotel (veg).
417.0 - M/s WY Pokhale, Kasarde. Ph: 02367 32634. Facilities: Clean locked toilets with key on demand for customers only.
451.2 - S B & V B Samant, Kankauli. Ph: 02367 32028. Facilities: Puncture repair shop and clean toilets.
554.4 - Janardhan Zarapkar, Panjim Road. Facilities: Lubes, puncture repair shop.

Refreshment Stops
42.0 - Misal Corner, Goa turn-off after Panvel. Awesome misal pav and strong tea, just what you need to prepare you for your drive ahead.
130.0 - Hotel Open Umbrella Mangaon, Ph: 01240 63879Indian, South Indian and Konkani food. Konkani thali costs Rs 30.
156.3 - Hotel Ruchi Garden, Outskirts of Mahad, Splendid views of the Savitri river.
165.3 - Motel Visawa, Mahad, popular stopping point with a general store and all kind of snacks.
240.0 - Taj Gateway Chiplun, excellent food but at a price. - No longer managed by Taj
301.2 - Hotel Swad Sangameshwar, excellent Maharashtrian food and non-veg thali.
436.4 - Neelams Countryside, 24-hour coffee shop with continental snacks and rooms for an overnight halt

Caution!
Slow-moving rickshaws and bullock carts are aplenty near villages and towns.
Watch out for them. Keep loose change for toll handy.
There are numerous Accident Spot signs on the road. Take them seriously.
Bridges over rivers have speedbreakers before and after them — watch out for oncoming traffic braking hard for the speedbreakers.

The ghats (hilly terrain) you will cross are:

Kashedi Ghat between Poladpur and Kashedi,
Baste Ghat after Khed,
Parshram Ghat between Khed and Chiplun,
Nivli Ghat between Sangameshwar and Nivli,
Vanked Ghat between Lanja and Rajapur, and
Insuli Ghat between Savantvadi and Banda.

Toll Tickets

Thane Creek Bridge Rs 15
Mahad Rs 5
Kharpada Rs 10
Total Toll Rs 30

Smile..

2005-12-28T00:22:00.000-08:00

Something that had a lot of relevance to my life many years ago and is apt even today..
Like a pebble dropped in water that sends ripples beyond sight
a smile you gave someone keeps going warm and bright
from one person to another
and before the day is through
Who knows when you need it
it may return to you

Keep smiling...

Child is the father of man

2005-12-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

I often compare the relationship that I had with my father with the one that my son has with me.
I used to really respect my father- Partly even fear him. I would rarely question his decisions.. Would never argue with him and really look up to him. For me, he was the real “father figure”
My son, on the other hand, considers me more of a friend, chats openly with me on any topic.. To him, I am more of a friend than a father.
As a child, I spent hours reading and playing physical games like soccer and cricket. My son plays more on the computer and watches a lot of TV.
Due to more (not to be necessarily read as better) media exposure, he is much better informed and mature then I was at his age.
I often wonder if I lost a lot of my life studying things that I did not like or is my son really living up his life watching TV programs that he does not understand!!
Was my relation better with my father or my son?
Am I a good father? One can teach one’s kids to chose between the right and wrong but cannot make the choice for them.
Is the father-son relationship (like I had with my dad) better than the friendly-father relationship (that my son has with me) to help in imparting in your kids the ability to make the right decisions?
There are a lot of things that I learn from my son about how the generations are changing. Did my dad learn similar things from me ?
I wonder…

My Religious side

2005-12-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

My dad used to believe that one cannot get knowledge without having a"Guru".
With this in his mind, he took me to a small place called Gondivale in Satara district in Maharashtra. I was 5 years old and was given "Guru Mantra" there ..
My Guru, Bramha Chaitanya Maharaj has built a Temple in the village of Gondavale. His samadhi is also located in the same village (He passed away in the early 1900s)
He had created a trust in those days from which, anyone coming to the village is given free food and accomodation.
At that age, I did not understand what i was getting into.. But kept going to this place every two years (if not every year) to pray.
When I was in school, and we could not afford better modes of transport, we used to take the train to Koregaoin station.. Reaching there at 3 am and wait for the State Transport bus till 6 am.
That has now changed to the luxury of airconditioned cars.
In the earlier days, we used to stay at the shrine (in the ashram) and eat there too.
Now, we stay at Panchgani in a resort and do a day trip to Gondavale..
Why do I still go there ?
Well, it gives a strange peace of mind
and I feel that life has been kind to me.. And this is a way to thank god for all that he has given me.
Surprisingly, though there is not much to do in Gondivale, my kids enjoy going there too..

Below is a cut-paste from a site that gives more information on Gondavale

Ravji Inamdar, a great pious man lived in Gondavale (Gondavale is a small town with a population of about 6,000, in Satara District in Maharashtra, about 64 kilometres from Satara, on Satara-Pandharpur road.) with his wife Gitabai. They were affluent with ancestral house, farms etc. In spite of this, the couple of devoted to God and engaged in donations. People considered the couple Godlike. A son was born to the couple on Wednesday (Hindu Magha month, Shuddha Dwadashi) in 1845. The child was chubby, fair and very beautiful. They named the child as Ganapati, but called him with the nickname as Ganoba. Ganoba was endowed with enormous intelligence. He would learn the Sanskrit slokas by reciting only once. He learnt reading and writing at the age of four. They used to conduct Bhajans every evening and Ganoba would not sleep without participating in the Bhajans. Soon, his Upanayanam was completed. He learnt Sandhyvandanam, worshipping the God. He used to meditate upon the God for hours at stretch. Once at night Ganoba went to a cave near the graveyard and sat there meditating. He was admitted to the school, but he could not concentrate on studies. He used to write "Shri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram" on the slate. He used to sing bhajans with other children. Sometimes he used to take children far away and worship a stone, as Shri Ram and sing bhajans.Once a Ramdasi (those who follow the path laid down by Samarth Ramdas Swami of Sajjanagad, Maharashtra) had come to Gondavale. He had worn ochre coloured robe. Ganoba asked him why he had worn ochre coloured robe and what he was looking for. Ramdasi told him that he was wandering in search of a Sadguru, who would enable him to meet the God. Ganoba was impressed and then decided to leave his home and go in search of his Sadguru. He met a pious lady, Radhabai at Haripur, a great devotee Annabua at Miraj, Dev-mamledar at Nasik, Samarth Swami of Akkalkot, Shri Manikprabhu at Humnabad, a yogi from Abu hill, many Tapaswis (those who practice penance) from Naimisharanya, Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa in Bengal near Calcutta, and finally to Tukaramchaitanya at Yehalegaon near Nanded in Maharashtra. Tukaramchaitanya became Ganoba's spiritual master (Sadguru), whom he served with utmost devotion, sincerity and faith. Tukaramchaitanya tasted Ganoba in many ways, but Ganoba never failed his master. After nine months of intense training in the spiritual field, once Tukaramchaitanya took Ganoba in a dense forest on the auspious day of Ramnavmi. Both of them took bath. Tukaramchaitanya said, " My child, I have troubled you really, but you served me wholeheartedly. I have realized that you are truly desirous of meeting the God. I would give all my knowledge of Self to you". Tukaramchaitanya placed his hand on Ganoba's head and instantly Ganoba went into a trance (Samadhi). Tukaramchaitanya named Ganoba as Brahmachaitanya and gave him the 13 lettered gurumantra, "Shri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram" and entrusted the welfare of the people to him. Since then Ganoba became famous as Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj.Reformation of Tribals: Once, when Maharaj was walking thro' the jungle of Abu, he was held captive by the tribals (Bhils) and taken to their hutments. Tribals were thieves who started to beat Maharaj, but he was not affected. One of them, an old man told others not to beat Maharaj and thought that the latter had some great mystic power (Mantrashakti) with him, which they could gain. Others started to take food there, but Maharaj told he drank only milk. One of the tribals brought a cow that did yield any milk and was not tamed, and asked Maharaj to get milk from it. Maharaj went to the cow, patted it with affection and said,"O mother, I am very hungry. Give me milk to satisfy my hunger." And lo! The cow started to yield a lot of milk, which Maharaj drank. When the tribals realized their folly and asked for his forgiveness. Not only Maharaj forgave them but also advised them to renounce the path of thievery and advised them to chant the Ramnam. All of them were completely reformed.After completing pilgrimage Maharaj settled in Gondavale, where he constructed a temple for Shri Ram and hermitages for the pilgrims. At the very old and ripe age, he took his mother, Gitabai to Varanasi (Kashi) for pilgrimage. Before leaving for Kashi, Maharaj gave away everything from his home as charity to the poor and needy. He took his mother to Kashi and stayed there for one month. At Ayodhya, his mother became unwell. She stopped taking food and medicines and started to chant Ramnam continuously. She bathed in Sharayu river and gave a lot of money in charity. She was surprised that there was an unending source of money below the mattress over which she was made to sit. On the following day, Gitabai left her mortal coil while chanting the Ramnam in her son's lap. After her demise Maharaj said, "Now Shri Ram is my sole refuge".In Indore, he was fed with laddus (sweetmeats) prepared from chili powder, which he happily ate. Later he was fed with red burning embers, which he gladly consumed like sweets. The lady, Jijibai, who did this, repented for her action and asked for his forgiveness.Once, Maharaj was constructing a Ram temple at Gondavale. Many of his disciples brought bricks, stones, cement, timber, and money as an act of devotion to Maharaj. On one Thursday, Maharaj did not have any money to offer to the construction labourers. The labourers were really disappointed, but Maharaj told them not to get disheartened and offered them food. Later he asked them to chant Ramnam. In the evening, one of the disciples of Maharaj came from Mhasavad and offered Rs. 105 to him. Maharaj told the labourers that Ram was always concerned about their problems and distributed the money among them. Though, the temple was being constructed, there was no sign of the idols of Shri Ram, Shri Lakshman and Shri Sitamai. When people asked Maharaj about the idols, he said, " It is Shri Ram's temple, so He would take care of the idols Himself." Surprisingly, in a nearby village, Talavadegaon, a rich moneylender had brought beautiful idols of Shri Ram, Shri Lakshman and Shri Sitamai for a temple that he wanted to construct. Around this time, his house caught fire and at night, Shri Ram appeared in the dream of the moneylender and asked him to send all the idols to Gondavale to Brahmachaitanya Maharaj. On a Sunday, the moneylender brought the idols to Maharaj when he was singing bhajans of Shri Ram. As soon as he saw the idol, tears of joy started to flow from his eyes. On an auspious day, Maharaj consecrated the idols after the completion of the temple. Thousands of people were offered food on that day.Maharaj loved all the animals equally. He had constructed many Goshalas (cow sheds) at Gondavale. He used to rescue many barren cows that were sold to butchers and bring them and look after them.Now Maharaj became 68 years old. His body was tired and there was swelling over his feet. Maharaj called his disciples and said," My dear children, please do not forget my Shri Ram. Please take care of yourself. Wherever name of Shri Ram will be chanted, I would be there. Now I am going to leave." Disciples realized that time had come for Maharaj to shed his mortal coil. Thousands of people came from far and wide, offered their salutations to Maharaj and cried. On the Sunday night, Maharaj started to do Bhajan, there were tears in the eyes of all people. Bhajan and Arti were over. Maharaj said, "O Shri Ramchandra, this is my last service to you, please take care of my devotees." Many people offered their obeisance to Maharaj, but Maharaj only touched the heads of his disciples without speaking a word. Maharaj came back to his room. It was 2 a.m. He sat and chanted," Sri Ram, Sri Ram" and closed his eyes, never to open again. The day was December 22, 1913. Many of his disciples had requested him to write a book that could guide them. But Maharaj said, " I have already written 'DasBodh'." Since Dasbodh is written by Samartha Ramdas Swami in 17th century, it is obvious that Brahmachaitanya Maharaj was a reincarnation of the former.

Of cabbages and kings

2005-12-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

I was just looking back on the past 10 years that I have worked in the Investment banking industry. It has its goods and the not so goods..
The 3 main goods are :
1.The opportunity to interact with people who are much smarter/more intellectual than you
2. The green stuff which very few industries can pay in these proportions
3. The international travel opportunities..
While the 3 main "not so goods" are
1. High burn-out due to the stress.. I have seen people collapsing due to the stress
2. Lots of baggage holding ..
3. No career path. You grow in designations but not in the job.. You keep doing the same thing in larger proportions.. Post the first 5 years, there is no intrinsic value addition

This often makes me think of the Lewis Carroll lines.. which I have modified a little

"The time has come the Walrus said,
To think of other things ."

But then.. The green stuff hold you back.. and you keep telling yourself..
Just 3-4 years more and I will retire..
The 3-4 years are a moving target as responsibilities keep growing...

Thinking back, the best years of my life were at the B-School..
Lots of intellectual thinking (atleast that's what I believed it to be), no cares and lots of fun..

On the "fun-scale" its been downhill from there..

Depending on where you are on the career curve.. decide what you want to have 10 years down the line.. and stick to your plan