What' s Wrong in being a Gay!

It is a historical day in the land of Vatsyan. Homosexuality or Gayism has been tagged off from the brand of ‘achutness’ and 'criminal offences’. Long parades of demonstrations and celebrations of juvenility have been exhibited by the homosexuals in the various parts of India.

Bollywood stars have come in full support with actors like Celina Jaitley standing arms in arms with gays, pictures being displayed in the front covers of all the leading newspapers and magazines.

As the Indian media contingent continues to publicize and broadcast this news everywhere, I found myself with four of my colleagues debating on this issue. One of them started with a scrumptiously disgust look in his face,“now, we will see man-man having sex, it is cheap and so ridiculous.“ This debate continued for a while.

My take is and you are open to debate on it:"God has created both man and woman, and they have been entrusted with the responsibility of choosing the right and wrong, good or bad.

Your actions in this world have nothing to do with what other people think about it. You are and you will be the sole responsible for your actions. Therefore, choosing upon your partner should be your own decision. God has given you the right to choose your partner. Then, how does choosing a male or a female partner matter?

I also agree that God created woman to see that this beautiful world flourishes. He gave women the most beautiful gift- to give birth. She struggles endlessly for nine months to bring that precious thing in this world. However, this organ is missing in man.

Man has and never been able to procreate naturally. It is next to impossible. Now, does this mean a man cannot marry another man? I think it is ridiculous to think so in terms of only physical desires. No body is asking every one of us to be turned into homosexuals.

I fear that in India, parents conceive their kids to act by the way they judge one. You are supposed to obey and marry the same boy or girl your parents select. Pre-marital sex and live-in relationships are still considered by the Indian society as a taboo. But, my question is, whether listening to each of their actions is justified? Actually, people are not looking love here. They have already started looking into its evils and loopholes.

The first thing is SEX. The Supreme Court has banned anal sex between males, and I am not getting into there. However, try to analyze that Homosexuality is just another common way of man leading their lives. Questions have started pouring whether Lesbianism is OK? Yes, so what is wrong here? Both are ways of living their lives. A society will not get spoil for them, for God's sake.

The more these social restrictions are erased, the more people will enjoy their livelihood. The moral tenet of any marriage in every religion is ‘to have a blissful life’. So, why should a person be morally discouraged to marry a woman when he likes a man?

Neither the man nor the woman will be happy in that sense. I think it is time the society grows up and accept Homosexuality as a common thing. There will be polls conducted, debates held and what not in television and online media, but you have to listen to your heart, and not go by the polls. Because, the society doesn not come to help you when you do not have work and are living in damned walls.

If it makes two people of the same sex live in peace and harmony, who are we to crib about it? Let’s broaden our outlook. Lets get our educational institutions teach right and wrong. Let's not shield away from truth.

We have enough problems in our country. Let us use our energy getting them rectified, instead of maligning homosexuals.

I am straight, and I hope that when I get married, my wife and I will have no issues if we have a son that grows up to be a gay. It’s after all an individual choice. Let’s learn to respect it."   Into that Freedom my father! let me country awake.

The Lakes of Kumaon

The shoelaces seem to be tied at wrong places. And, the legs were definitely tired after the prolonged classroom hours. Heads bedazzled by the fiery equations and logarithms of professor Pinto'Advanced Mathematics classes. One could not but for a moment compelled to ask: was Alex destined for all this? Beyond this square feet classroom lay his desire, his ambition and his camera.

The greenery, the valleys of Kumaon were his interest. Alex' dad often travel places and he had bought a Pintex 500 from London. Ah! it had remained such an upheaval interest. All day long Alex would go out in the valleys with his camera and kept on shooting photographs at will. He had this knack of capturing the slightest moment and transforming them into radiant beauties. Perhaps, Joseph Chenni, the principal and art teacher of ST. Peters Catherdal School attributed Alex' taste of photography to his 'delight in loneliness'.

Alex was the single child of his parents,which meant due to any siblings he grew up all alone playing with toys and trying hard to embrace the solace. In comes art in his life. The flush of colors and the crayons struck a magical portrayal, and deep down in his heart Alex knew that he was building a world of his own. At first Alex started with his drawing books. He used to open a chapter and start coloring the objects on the chapter- animals, monuments, statues and so on. Then his father got transferred to Kumaon, a beautiful town in the beat of Uttarakhand, India.

Here unlike Jim Corbett,Alex took out his camera and started clicking pics. First it was a hobby and slowly and gradually Alex started taking more interest in the intricacies of the cameras. The technicalities did not seem to be easy for him but he did not mind. He was so good with it that slowly the school found an official photographer.

Alex wanted to pursue his career in photography but he knew that it was not going to easy for him. The family never approved his decision and soon enough he decided to quit his dreams.

Years later after a broken relationship and enough cash in the bank, Alex got a chance to pick up his camera. He had come down to Ladakh to write his new novel. The tall mountains and chillness of Ladakh forced him to take his camera and start clicking the pics. Though it took him sometime to get to the original form, Alex still fancied an award or so.

As he sat down after a hectic day of shooting, he realized his biggest folly. He understood that he was late in achieving his dreams. That he was always destined to be a photographer and inspite of all the odds that life offered he still had the camera with him today. Perhaps, the strength to face your own father while discussing your dreams or careers comes from within and he did not have it anytime. Alex could understood that he could not blame his father for this delay. It was him all along.The reflection on the water bore seem to get bigger every second but much happier to Alex. Perhaps, it was time to click more pics and get them enlarged.

On the Walk to Brigade Road

Old adages are repeated more often when you visit places or address situations that deliver its worth meaning. I sense this is why the adage 'Old Is Gold' is prominently true when you visit the shops and restaurants of Brigade road in Bangalore. At the outset,let me confide: my intentions were not to write some nice words for Brigade road, but accidentally I found myself in no other choice but to use it.

Today was a day for couple of my bachelor friends, and it made more special for us because of many of our girlfriends were away or let us just say out of station. The plan was to hitchhike, play lots of games, eat at our fav den and maybe just maybe a bit of old flirting game. I was a little tired after been standing in the queue for getting the refunds for the IPL Semis, which never took place in Bangalore.

The gang had already joined in Nava Arya, a Maharastian Restro, which is located at the dead end of Brigade road. The gang had already started feasting themselves, and I did not waste much time in ordering my favorite Chole Bature and Masala Chai. Trust me readers, a chole bature worth of Rs. 30 from this place would take you to seven heavens of taste. The bature is very smooth and devoid of oil and choles absolutely yummy. As we ate, I mentioned this to my friend how this same item cost Rs.50 in the Embassy Golf Links, Bangalore.

After this, we hit upon Bowling Zone, an exclusive Bowling zone unit in Vasanth Nagar. We did some shopping in the old pashmia shops in Brigade road. The shop owners had been prominence from the last century and a visit to these shops makes you realise the reasons. Courteous, knowledgeable and helpful-the shopkeepers make you realise why shopping in India is such an interesting phenomenon. 

First, there will be the customary smile, the interest of exhibiting their products, then the routine apology of inability to show the best products, and finally a no-no to money. It looked as if the entire cycle of marketing is followed here. And, one more thing, the shopkeepers definitely know the purchasing powers of the customers.

Everywhere we went we saw banners related to IPL merchandise and products. While Empire Restaurant of Church Street invited you try their chicken biriyani and try your luck. How? by a mere purchase of biriyani and if your luck favors it you get a chance to meet player of Royal Challengers Bangalore. And, if that was not enough Nyx offers go to a length more by offering 50% discount on

alcoholic drinks during the IPL matches timings.

A visit to the Deccan Herald office in MG Road, and you can still get a chance to see a library inviting readers to browse and read. History cames alive as I scrolled through the newspaper pages of post-independence era.

Back to the present and my eyes could not stop the glimpse of a box, outside the library but right at the center of the reception bay. It read "Drop your visiting card to win an IPL Tickets." Ironically, a few days back a bomb was found in The MG Road area, which made the organisers shift their venues.

It was a day spent in the company of friends in an alley where I spent a lot of college days. But, maybe the tall buildings constructed these days decementing an India Coffee Day and metro work has taken the charm of my old Bangalore. But, the zing is and Brigade Road still beats as I could find the age old Kohinoor restaurant beating with crowds. Guess, the only thing constant is change, but you cannot change good habits for they make wonderful memories.

Whose Line is it Anyway

I have a wide friend circle, boys and girls included, and most of them are working in call center organisations. I meet them quite regularly and have long hours of conversations. It was this Sunday when all of us had assembled to Raj' place. Raj stays at a posh residential colony of Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Infact, he owns the place for along time after his elder brother left for States. His house is right next to Indian ace Cricketer Rahul Dravid, which meant that we got a glimpse of the cricketer once or twice. Dravid is a nice human being with no attitude.

After our lunch got over couple of our friends started talking about the week that went by. One after one each spoke and it was the turn of Jitin now. Jitin, a Malaylee born and bred in Abu Dubai had been working @24 hours for a long time now. He also had a French girlfriend, which made couple of us took more notice to him than others. It also made couple of us jealous but then we dare not say that in front of our girlfriends.

Raj was a senior tech support in XYZ process, and it meant he used to do long hours of sales calls for business purpose. In short, he was the late CK Prahlad, a management guru in his own right. But, this job also had its own stress and pitfalls of it. He had to make this deal. I was sitting with him at the moment and quickly notice the name that he was going to call up. It was Mr.Hickley.

"Mr. Hickley, we have studied your organization and we believe there is a good fit in terms of our capabilities and your needs. Our services cover the range of activities from back office management to payroll."

There was an interrupt from the other side as the voice on the other side of Hickley meant to say something. But, Raj kept on speaking. "Mr.Hickley, we will get all the background work done here in India while you sleep blissfully and it would cost much lesser than what you pay  for your services in USA. What do you think about this idea?"

There was a minute paused and then Mr.Hickley spoke, "Son, I do not whom you wanted to speak to, but I am Lieutenant Hickley and am going for a war in a month or so. I do not think you would like to offer your services to me in a war.".

Raj was speechless for a moment; the phone fell down from his hand and he looked like a ghost. Till this day we could not stop but pulled Raj' legs for the mistaken identity.

Onsite Opportunities!

If there is a logic to justify Akram' obsession for overseas opportunities, you may pronounced it as an entry to the solutions department of Rubik' cube. Yes, it is next to impossible and Akram was short of intelligence, which Aamir Khan' of 3 Idiots fame to successfully solved it.

But, in my distant memory, as much it serves me, he was this large hearted character straight from engineering college to the massive giant of IT company "come on! I am ready for all of you!" "Get me all the java tava, webspheres and circles and I am game."

This kind of passion from engineering grads most of the time, do not go missing. Easily noticed by the project managers, their passion are used and energized in every 365 days. Soon enough, Akram realized it was just work and more work. The performance appraisals never displayed any sort of appreciation, and all he got was a pat on the back and continue learning.


It was his first year in the organisation,and he was expecting something pretty nice on his birthday. Instead he received a fatty bill of Rupees 1500 for the pizzas. All along he thought that things would turn up for better sure. While paying the bill Akram politely directed a remark to his project manager that he expected him to remember this pizzaa treat during Akram' appraisal.

Recession struck and the first thing that every IT company decided to follow the other was reducing the work force or a zero hike. Unfortunately, for Akram he was put in a project that demanded him to work late hours. It got worse as he had a manager who was known to take all the credit.

Senior colleagues of other projects told him to push his manager for onsite assignments. The H-1 B Visa application and subsequent the stamping made him a clear candidate for the upcoming project.

Akram knew that there were lot of contenders, but he decided to have a talk with his manager. It was quite cloudy that evening; the sun had decided to make a quick exist and allow the rain Gods to have a peek-boo.

Akram knocked at the manager' cabin only to receive a morose and dry smile. The manager clearly demonstrated that he meant business and any sort of non-chat working hours was not acceptable, atleast to him. "What is it Akram? no work, huh". Akram stammered a little bit, but quickly replied that he had done with the work for the day and wanted a quick chat.

The manager clearly was not interested to have a chat, but asked, "what is it then?" "I have got my H-1 B visa and wanted you to know that I am interested in travelled", Akram applied. "Oh is that so? so where do you want to travel? The Pyramids, I say. What do you think this company is, a Tourism Agency." The manager did not stop here and continued giving gyaan to Akram.

Akram was speechless and to an extent motionless. He did not expect this kind of response. He came out and went to his work station and sat on his chair. A ten minutes paused followed. But, deep down in his heart he realised one big thing- you do not need to have sex every time. Your company f**** you regularly.

Candid Love!

I love early morning candid conversations and occasionally over a jog. A childhood buddy of mine who had been to the Garden city for a short-time professional assignment accompanied me to these early morning trips. This fine day, when we had finished with our usual round of jogging, both of us sat down on a neat wooden bench.

The park usually at this hour had visitors of all ranges. While some were seen strolling, most of them were engaged in Yogashanas, some found time to sit around a cup of chai and so on. The scene gets a completely different look in the evening when most of the young couples invade the park, and then the mundane routine of laughter is overspread with romance.

Rony wasn't looking in his best spirits today, and I could make it out. He is that out-of-large humorous guy who keeps on spreading love everywhere. Incidentally, he had a breakup sometime back and though he told me about it, I never quizzed him on the serious aspect of it, but I sensed that he was a little disturbed and kept staring at the cell phone for time and again. Unable to resist myself I finally asked, "what is wrong?"

At first Rony was not willing to open up and share the thoughts but after sometime he started talking. It was about his past relationships and how he missed her. This is not something new. I knew Rony was a committed person and spend a great deal of time in adjusting and nurturing his relationships. But, apparently, he did not understand that girls sometime fall in love just to come out of a bad relationship.

And, this was true in his case. His ex had never cared for his emotions, never cared to understand what he had seeked in their relationships and left him all straddle. She came into Rony' life after an immediate break-up in which the guy used her for physical gains. Rony gave her the support she needed in
that emotional relationship, but she used him and left him of a saddle.

It was Rony' birthday and after whatever had happened between them he still thought she would ping her. But she did not. "Fine, we didn’t work out. I’m not gonna talk to her again. Not in a million years. Not even when she sends me a message to say she’s in some trouble. Am I being hard hearted? No I’m not. After whatever happened it’s only logical that I maintain a stony silence. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I’m not a saint .

I can’t behave like one either; forgive/forget and speak to her is not possible any more. If in a relationship one person doesn’t respect the other, calling her/his only in the hour of need then the whole thing stinks- not of friendship, not of lust, but a rotten kind of love. There’s love here. No denying that. But it’s gone bad. And what do you do with something rotten? Throw it away… "

Rony felt relieved now. It was time to leave the place, but this time Rony left with a peace of mind.

That Love for Tintin!

This post is a tribute to my favorite comic hero: Tintin (http://www.tintin.com/).

As a kid growing up in a middle-class family, I used to impatiently wait for my birthdays. It was a very special day for many reasons, but mainly because my maa would prepare payash, baba brought Elish mach and aunty gifted me another edition of Tintin comics. And, the latter was the dearest to me.
Amongst all the gifts that I have received till so far, Tintin always drew more interest than anything in my life. The comics, its characters, design and layout and the content-everything was so special. It was like I was one of those characters of the creator Herge. Tintin was special to me in many sense maybe because I could easily identify me in him.

Like Tintin' miniature figure, I was of an average height, of feeble strength and good at solving crossword puzzles. But what clicked for both of us were our ability to love mysteries.Tintin was a figure in my bed room; my friends presented me a poster of him, which I believe is still hanging in the wall of my room though these are decorated by the scores of telephone numbers today and my matriculation roll no..
I think I first read Tintin at my aunt' place, and if I am not mistaken it was titled The Shooting Star, and I did not get up from the sofa after reading it. I loved the content especially dialogues of Captain Haddock, friend of Tintin notably 'Billions of Blue Blistering Barnacles' and 'Thundering Typhoons', Snowy', Tintin' dog who could possibly found a piece of bone even on the moon.

The murder mysteries and Tintin adventures were something to read and reread. It was an absolute delight! The manner in which he used to do research, put on his thinking caps, dived into dangers and so on were something to fall in love. Even in my days of childhood, when I used to play chor-police, I was always that clever Tintin.

Time passes and today I have the complete edition of Tintin comics-something that I couldn't possibly purchase when I was a boy. I also read somewhere that ace director, Steven Spielberg is going to come up with a movie shortly on the life of Tintin. It will be worth waiting. And, to conclude with a secret: I love Tintin more than my girlfriend.

The Great Bengali Escape of 1971!

The 71’ war of East Bengal, now Bangladesh has left miserable rhymes in the hearts of many. Thousands of Bengali Hindus were stranded homeless and fled to India. The word ‘refugee’ came to haunt again and retold a many stories.

One of them was the great escape of a Bengali family in Sylhet- a father in his sixties with seven sons, five daughters and an ailing wife. The family of Purakayasta ensured that life was simpler and enjoyed their companionship.
Their father, a strict disciplinarian to the children and a dutiful husband to his wife ensured that the family upheld the values and practiced every Hindu custom in an Islamic environment. Bangladesh was not formed then, and though there were a sect of people who were anti-Hindu customs then, it still had a large section of people living at peace with other communities.

The moment had arrived when any longer of their stay in Sylhet would mean a sure 'death' for them. Their Hindu neighbors most of them had escaped to India without even telling them. It was a case of fleeing but where to run?

India was the only county who had kept its arms open to East Bengal. The then Prime Minister of India, 'Iron Lady' Srimati Indira Gandhi had been a strong advocate for the formation of Bangladesh, and she had clearly embraced the refugees coming from East Pakistan.

The family had two daughters married in India; the eldest daughter married to an Accountant in Shillong, Meghalaya and the other married to a Banker settled in Silchar,Assam. Shillong would not be the correct option for them as the route was not that easy. So, they settled for Silchar. Their daughter was wired of it. But now how to flee?

They knew that had to escape during the night hours and without any luggages. But, it was easier said then done. How could the family leave everything and flee all of a sudden? But they had to flee. So, they started digging holes in their backyard and stuffed all their objects- sarees, ornaments and so on. They kept the radio switched on at nights, so that armies knew everything was safe.The family hired two boats to take them from Sylhet to Karmigang in India. It was one of the safest routes for them-via water. The women wore burqas and men were in lungis. As they were sailing, the boats used to often encounters other passengers, who were thrown coconuts for FREE. All this were done to avoid any sort of disturbance.

Anyway, the family arrived safely to Silchar and soon the war also got over. Couple of the daughters also got married, and when they went back to Sylhet they were surprised to see the armies didn't touch their backyards and all.

"And, that is how I met your Baba in Silchar." said Maa. There was a sense of nostalgia that crept a shiver of tension in the spine from a far distant. I went to the nearest window and saw a boat sailing by.

The night had just arrived, and I felt maybe it was one of those nights that the family had escaped from Bangladesh by their sheer wisdom and bravery. Indeed, apple and blackberry were just fruits then.

The Poster Kiddo!

A smirk on his face may be considered by most of the commuters of Sulaiman street of nothing substantial. But, for the barefooted kid wearing rags, a torn pant and a white shirt, enough to cover his lean body, but enough to show his bones, he was the happiest kid in around.

Boys of his age go to the nearby English schools wearing the brightest of uniforms and in fancy cars, but the kid never ever bore an interest. He was contended in his world adoring the walls of Sulaiman street with posters of the Southern film stars. He was provided errands for it, and he loved his job. Everyone used to call him the poster boy, and he loved the name and so the job.Investigative journalists of Kab Tak channel were doing a series of programs on slum kids in Mumbai. It was probably due to the recent success of Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. And, the channel started visiting the slums of Mumbai to collate more information on them. Sulaiman street housed more than 500 slum kids, mostly cobblers and beggars. Some also had taken the notoriety of turning them into the next underworld Don.

Mahesh Bhatt and Madhur Bhandarkar, notable directors were interested to do a movie on those kids. Sometimes international accolades can nurture national interest, but whether it is limited to Box office business, a case to be seen.

The poster kid those days were busy adoring the walls and theaters for the upcoming Rajnikanth movie. Interestingly,he was one of the few slum kids to be interviewed by Kab Tak channels had no emotion to express. The interviewer quizzed him enough, but she found nothing substantial to be announced as BREAKING NEWS.

Finally, tired and sweat pouring incessantly from her brows, she sat down in a chair. There beneath those curious brows, her eyes could see the poster kid getting inside a five feet municipality cemented pipe. She asked the vendor selling bhelpuri about it and was dumbstruck to hear that the kid stayed in that cemented pipe.

Curiosity she stood to get a glimpse of the place and suggested the cameraman to tag along. A foul smell hit her at the first instant as she came near the pipe. The lady could see everywhere dirt and poverty.

A sewage coming from the nearby apartments passed across the pipe. You could see it inhibited by mosquitoes, and amidst this saw a pipe. A pipe in which you have a small stove, some papers lying here and there, and in one of these you see the kid sleeping. She is left stunned to see how this kid manages to smile and sleep in this place? How?

After a few days, in one of her trips to this slum, she could see that same kido putting a poster on the wall. She could see that smile intact. She could not fathom the reason behind it.

Does he never cram to have a family and happiness or has his tears dried, after all he is just a child. She took courage to ask the kiddo one fine day and when she did, pat came the reply, " Aap to Aadat ho gayi hain". (I am used to it!) . Befitting Bollywood reply from a poster kido.

Reverse Ratings!

At some point in every man' life, he tends to use his high school Mathematics for a woman. Needless, to say, a man has already scored a quarter of a century figuring it out. But when the time comes, he is left with a sorry statement and an incident. Guess, I am left to share a piece here with you on this.

It was during our evening coffee break when Vikas and I were found strolling near the main entrance gate of XYZ Multinational company. Circles of smoke was coming out from the Viks chamber quite heavily. The client was very demanding and just an hour
ago, 51 customer requests had come. But, we wanted to keep ourselves away from this, even if it meant for a while.
While we were busy having a little chit chat, in came a cab with a new batch of freshers. The tech support team used to sit in the same floor with the engineering team. If you keep straight and take the first left, you will directly come across the tech support team-the only solace for us in the mundane environment.

The cab had some pretty faces and Vikas threw the bait to me-let's rank them kiddo. The Kiddo word had struck with me for a long time mainly to do with my coyness in demanding situations. I did not mind it though. But, at times, I felt I wish I could have changed it. Maybe, this was the perfect occasion to erase the tag. I said, "I'm on."

In walked couple of them from the cab and we started to rank them. Some had a '6' while very few earned a '9'. While we were about to complete the ranking, they walked in absolute gorgeous. We were about to say something, when we heard them saying, '5'. Yes, they ranked us 5. Jeez! I have stopped standing near the entrance gate after that.

The Proposal Policy of a Call Center!

Dear readers! wishing you all a colorful Holi!

I was in a senior management role when this incident happened. It is one of those incidents that has found a room in my long-term memory aware of the cause that there is always a joke or two life offers you from nowhere. It is upto one to share that smile with others or to be locally confined. I tend to do the former one for this blog is in some way a medium to get united to a family of mine- you and me.
A batch of new entrants to the XYZ process had just arrived. And, being the operations manager of this giant call center organization, I had been entrusted to the setting up and managing of the team involved in the process. In this team of 15, a most noticeable was Shruti. She would be in the age of 20, tall, fair and an extremely noticeable nose. She had fared exceedingly well in her interviews and her angrezi accent, which came from her mother, was just icing on the cake.

From the first day I had taken a likeness for Shruti. She used to sit at a bay, which was not at a far distance from my cubicle. Since, I had been involved with this product and process for a long time,everyone had to seek my opinion/suggestions/help. Shruti did too.

And, I was more than happy to be her friend. As time went, Shruti and I became very close; we were not colleagues only but true bosom friends.

In those days, it was a ritual for call center units to go for trips to a day or two. Shruti and I too went out on a team trip. Amidst all those playfulness and laughter, I discovered that I was in love with her. One night while returning back from a movie, I proposed her, "Shruti, will you be my girlfriend?" There was a stone of silence. But came the prompt response, "No!".

It ended there, and I didn't quiz her the reason. Times went by and I decided to never ask her again for didn't want the friendship to end. But, the damn heart.You can't befool it.

One fine evening, during one of those breaks, I gave her a bouquet of flowers and proposed her again. This time it was a brisk walk leaving me in front of a gang of Hooters who till this date never ceased to amaze me with their retakes on the incident.

The following day I received a mail from the HR. It read, "you have exceeded your attempts of proposing Shruti. The company policy bars anyone from working in the call center organisation if he/she proposal has been rejected twice. You are suspended with immediate effect."

I remained seated in the Nirmala chair for a period of I-do-not-know-how-long only to be awakened by the coarse tone of the security guard,"chaliye sir."

I still laugh over the incident till this day. It was unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to meet Matrimonial Guruji; I hear that he is a master in providing love solutions. Wonder what he would have done at this situation!

Advantage BPO Cab Drivers!!!

"Ek Mard ko apni job Main Kya Chaiye?" What is it that a man looks for in his job? Good perks, decent salary and excellent environment to work. Do you think, you can only get that in a software industry and not somewhere else?

Get out of the box for you will be surprised to know that the cab drivers of today are enjoying the most hospitable profession in India.

And, especially Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) drivers of India. To this fact, I could not easily nod my approval, but for the sake of humanity, I decided to do some research on it.

Figuratively, I was left stunned as couple of my friends still working in call centers told me that not only the BPO drivers get excellent salary and perks, but also most of them are darling of the girls.
After my research, these are the few points which makes a BPO' cab driver' profession such a lucrative one:

1)He is surronded by more women than James Bond.

2)If you are in driving in Delhi (NCR), most of the times you may end up in an air-conditioned cab. Apart from using it for your regular routine, you can use it get your family on-board for hawa pani'.

3) He is more likely to get FREE snacks and lunch and dinner at the company. Also, after repeated requests of bhaiya are approved, the behenas will invite them for birthday parties and weekend booze.

4) He can soon write a detective novel featuring the gossips and scandals related to the BPO workers. The only requirement is that he should be a good eavesdropper and a conversationalist.

5) He will be friendly with most of the shops selling pans and cigarettes. The behenas will persuade him to make a quick buck by getting them nicotine. In some cases, he may also act as a druggist too.

6) He can make extra money on the side by picking up other passengers. Beware! if you get in a cab at ITPL or Electronics City in Bangalore, you are more likely to be drugged and robbbed. Yes, in that way, you can soon get into an international racket.

7) His mobile bills are paid by the company.

8) He can poach employees for other competitor' companies and thus becomes a vendor.

9) He becomes punctual and is aware of the terms like GPS, Tracking and so on.

10)He can call himself the Batman and drive on those roads and lanes at speeds that even Michael Schumacher would even fancy!

The BPO Industry in India currently has a staggering count of 50,000 drivers and its growing daily. So, if you are planning to start up a profession, learn to drive and who knows you may soon find yourself in a Kingfisher party with Vijay Mallya.

Vishal Bhardwaj VS Karan Johar

The next time you call me romantic, you have to bite your nails. I am an incorrect choice. I usually end up scoring disastrous notes in romance, and my girlfriend can just pray that God, make him a little romantic. As a result of which I do not advise and practice watching Karan Johar'candyfloss movies. His movies causes me an acute pain, bit like Sinus.

It starts right from the time I hear and watch Switzerland choreographed songs one after one, and gets on higher as I see Shahrukh Khan running after the heroines, usually 3,trying his level best to mimic Dilip Kumar and breaks done as I see all Mummy-ji.

OOf! writing only makes me sad. And, to add on to that, when I find scores of people purchasing tickets to watch the melodramas and coming out in tears, I just can't take it anymore! You have to be in person to understand the pathos.
And then, when all I felt is over in Bollwood in terms of creativity and originality, in comes Vishal Bharwadaj. His movies- Maqbool, Omkara, Maachis, and most recently Ishqiya are hard-hitting dramas with superb starcast, rich in content and style and most importantly, movies have a language which aap or main can co relate. It makes me sit,watch and concentrate on the theme rather than on the costumes and locations.

It has a message and more often than not, it allows you the option to counterattack the theme with your views. For example: would Irfan Khan'character done different in Maqbool had he not listened to Tabu? Would he have killed Pankaj Kapur? The perspective is upto you, and Vishal leaves it us and make a decision.

Yes, but movies are for entertainment and Karan Johar is here to make money out from his movies. He has his distributors who are vying him to take a super-duper starcast and get viewers in the theatres. His best shot is to make movies with romantic actors and who else is better than his partner, Shahrukh.

Both of them understand each other' limitations and strengths, and encash it on their hits. Karan would never try to experiment with SRK in something that he feels he cannot pull it of. Hence, a SRK has to do occasionally do a SWADES, however convincing he may make it sound, it is never a commerical success. Hence, SRK will have to keep in touch with Karan for Johar knows SRK' quotient lies in romantic shades.

If its only for entertainment, then maybe one should start watching movies like The Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Casino, Forrest Gump and so on. Neither of these movies can be labelled as commerical success, but you will be left spellbound watching these movies. I am a fond of Pankaj Kapur and Naseer Bhai' acting. They take a movie to another level, and seriously it works a great deal.

And then the sponsors of film awards- these guys are to be blamed for the current situation. I do not under what basis they adjudicate but seem utterly rubbish to me. My Name is Khan has already been crowned as the best feature film of 2010. How? did you see it? Nope, but it has to be no because it has SRK and Kajol in it.

How does it make other films like Road to Sangam, Teen Pathi and so on? Even if the content and theme are excellent, you can't do anything, because the verdict has been declared.

I just hope we have directors like Leena Yadav, RGV, Madhur B and Vishal B continue coming up with excellent original scripts and create movies which talk a lot. Else, a guy like me will stop watching movies. And huh! Karan one more thing- I know it's all about loving your parents, but it's also about telling the truth.

What's with the 'Firangi' Bahus!!!

I am penning this piece post-conversation with a friend, who refuses to acknowledge that he would be compatible with Indian girls (hereafter, referred to as 'desis')or girls who are born as Indians. He has been in look out for an 'angrez' or 'European' girl right from the day, he left India for his first onsite trip.

His parents, a scene right from a Bollywood movie, are searching for a bahu, who will bear the mark of sati-savitri. But though he has vehemently denied any request of him getting tied up with a desi bahu, he does not have the balls to raise voices against his parents.

The situation presently is that he has met a single mother from Germany, and is all set to marry her, with yours truly being one of the witnesses.
My friend, who also is one of the domain experts of the Banking product, that I am involved with, is a nice human being. Our friendship blossomed first with work, and then it scaled up with Rock music.

During one of the frequent trips to the Legend of the Rocks, Bangalore when I was hitting on some desis' chicks, I found him to be extremely aloof. Thinking it may be one of his prayer days, I decided to quiz him later.

To my amusement, he sternly responded "mujhe yeh Indian ladkiyas pasand nahin hain". I thought maybe it is a case of the heated moment, but the day he pronounced this directly to another colleague, she was all in red eyes. I then thought "Boy! it is an issue with him."

His logic is simple: I am incompatible with desis, and I do not like the way they think, act and talk. I do not wish to live them and make my life a mess. I have been hearing this for a long time, and I think it is everybody' preference to choose and marry the girl they wish to. Religion or caste should not come as an hindrance. I too like angrez and vidhesi kudiyas, but to demarcate a line and say Indian girls are poor in every sense-I find it extremely hurtful and basically fake.

That he is born of Indian parents- a mother who taught him how to crawl and walk, the first language of his mother tongue. She is even ready to accept a videshi bahu, but she wants to have a talk with her before she does that.

If you have spent some years in Kerala, you will know how orthodox people are there. She also has to stay with the society, and bear the brunt of it. They are even contemplating of selling the property in Kerala and settling down in Ahmedabad.

My ex-gf, a Malaylee told me once that even if she told her parents that she loves me and will not marry anybody except me, her parents will find it difficult to accept. Because:they all have to live in a society, and have to contastly get this nagging. Sometimes, I wonder if we choose the society or the society does.

I feel he is doing the correct thing; there is no point in getting married to a desi, and then getting separated. You are doing a great sin for you have no right to play with a sacred institution like marriage. I think, if he is sure that he will be comfortable with a videshi wife, then let it be.

The big thing is he should not cheat his parents, and should not hide and get married to her. It may come as a shocker to them, but all they want is their son' happiness as does every parents.

As I get prepared to attend another client call, I hear that my friend already has put on an angrezi accent and started talking to the client. Good for him!

Publicity Gimmick and SRK!

In between the switching of television channels, I manage to view and hear the news headlines, and more often than not the BREAKING NEWS catches me up. In recent times, the Pakistan players disclusion from Indian Premier League, and Bollywood actor, Shahrukh' Khan 'preaching of gospels of brotherhood' in tiding with his latest film, My Name Is Khan.

Obviously, popularly tagged as SRK, his preachings were not taken by an elite group of the society, and as I write flashes of his dimple coated picture are set in flames in certain cities of India.

I am not writing this piece to offer my sympathies to any party- SRK, political parties, Pakistan Cricket team or anyone for that matter, but am trying to understand, why do sometime situations and celebrities means everything to a nation? why do they feature everytime before a film?and, why does a Muslim actor speak and his actions are supported by some more Muslim activists?
Shahrukh is a mass communication grad fella.He speaks eloquently, which even the most of us can only pray. So, when he says that the Pakistani players should have been included in this year' IPL, everyone listens. But, people never questioned about his logic.

Instead, they retorted by asking why on the earth he took five Pakistani players in Kolkata KnightRides in the first IPL. And, certain people requested him to leave India and travel to Pakistan. I am sure, SRK is not a fool to do that, because he knows, he is not allowed to do an event in Pakistan, and staying there, that' not possible.

What I would have appreciated if SRK would have asked the govt. of Pakistan to steep up of the process of taking action against those attacked Mumbai last year. That would have done the world of good. I am sure, he is a celebrity, and people would listen.

IPL is an Indian domestic league competition and its run by people with business-oriented objectives in mind. I do not think, if today the Aussies will be considered for a contention in the IPL games, if uncertainly brews across them. Put yourself in the shoes of business folk, who invests around 150 crores in the game? Pakistan were an uncertainty in the game, and they were avoided. Simple!

It has become a nuisance actually that before the release of any movie the actors and actresses find them in a sleazy mess. It happened this time too. SRK, for sure,does not need publicity stunt like this, but it benefits the entire team of My Name is Khan.

In a recent interview, Mr. Bachchan had said that he had shot 15-20 days for Rann, and rest had been busy promoting the movie. Actors today need media and vice versa, and any publicity like this would create some more business for those people who make movies. And, Shahrukh is also a puppet. The day he does not sell himself, he is out of this market!

I am an Indian, how? just because I was born in a hospital in India of Indian parents? Nope, it is not what identifies me as an Indian. I am an Indian because I was born in a country that has had a rich culture and varied heritage, which I have chose to live within me. Tomorrow, I can migrate to any other country, but it won't nullify the reason that I am an Indian.

SRK preaches time and again that he is an Indian, and I am sure, if time permits, he may get a chance to prove it fully, not be his showcase of a Nasa-returned-Indian, but by his words and his actions. He needs to tell us why should we suck Pakistan' legs, when they have been time and again betrayed us? Untill then, take an advice-keep your mouth shut and carry on with your acting business. Do not take us for fools!

Smoking with a Skeleton

For many a days, Afreen has been getting this sudden pain. A pain that arrests her stomach for a while and leaves her in complete agony for the next couple of hours. The pain scaled up with the passage of time, only to find the ignominy of a smoke-
addicted husband, Mubarak. Afreen was not possibly sure of the cause behind this pain, but she took a tablet as and when it occurred, and it subsided.

As time went on, she was expecting her first baby to the arrived in the beautiful Ahmed Inn, a bad news arrived. Her husband, Mubarak had some problems in business, and the tension had arrived in the abode. Day and night Afreen started receiving various tantrums thrown by him. But, what was more disturbing were the countless cigarettes smoked by him.

It never occurred to him that those cigarettes were causing a lot of disturbance to them and their relationship. Afreen started feeling this pain more now. The usual routine of visit to a doctor showed that the baby growing inside her body was finding it to breathe.
The day came of her delivery, and though Mubarak took her to the best hospital and showed her the best doctors, he was unable to save the baby. The baby born suffered a major lung disease and died of respiratory disorder. It did not occur to Mubarak for a once that his habit of smoke killed the baby. He remarried.

This real-life story is one of the instances where smoke or smoking kills a newly developed body and relationship bit by bit. What is worse that inspite of the education and awareness of its pitfalls, people do not understand. What is the cause of Afreen' agony? She tried her level best to comply with her husband' situation, but what does she get in return?

This comes to the important conclusion: does smoking really reduce stress? I do not think so because if it was, then people would have stopped smoking after the stress went away. They do not stop. It is more of one belief that one 'kash' can make them happy.

Once upon a time, my dad used to smoke occasionally, and now he does not. The other day, while he was taking a bettle leaf, I asked him "baba, tumi kene paan kaiyrai?" (why are you taking a pan?), and then he said that it helps him to stay away from cigarettes and so on. I think it makes sense to me now, for I am drawing a comparison now- which is deadlier between my dad' habit smoking or taking paans? I think the latter will be little less deadlier, but a fact is both are harmful and should be restrained to the core.

I do not smoke though I tried once in college but never felt that it would make me a hot shot. After all, if a puff of smoke can make you a hot shot then there would have been nothing to fall to. Anyway, the important thing is strike a balance between what you do and how much you should do? Also, important if this is something that can be harmful to a passive smoker, in this case the unborn baby, I think logically we are killers. You have to decide- kill yourself or kill others!

When you Girlfriend Prepares Chilly Chicken!

The last few days have been quite tension-filled for Prachi. She had never faced this situation earlier, not even during the board exams, but now she has to. Prachi studying in Lady Sreeram College of New Delhi had to cook for Raj.

Interestingly, Raj is a good cook, not in the terms of Sanjeev Kapoor, but well, he knows a few things. Praci’ tension scaled up a few days earlier when she quietly quizzed Raj on the Facebook forum, “What gets you turn on?” Raj, as smartly can told her “your cooking.”

In the deepest corners, Raj knew Prachi would have got the hint. In a few weeks of time, there was not much of activity to be noticed in Prachi’s Facebook forum. Quietly, she had started preparing various menu dishes looking at the various recipes. In times, she invited wrath of friends by cooking various recipes and getting their feedback.
I am not sure if the feedback went fine with her, because there was an attempt to dissuade her from kitchen. Often at times, she used to check her mother’ quotient of recipes, and cook them. Interestingly, her mom was not pretty pleased with her cooking, and told her “tumi raana gharer paase jeo naa” (do not go near the kitchen)! It infuriated her so much that she decided to stay away from kitchen.

But then Raj’ birthday was drawing near; Prachi knew that she had to surprise Raj. That day she woke up early, went to the market and bought some chicken. She decided that she would prepare Chilly Chicken for him.

Fine! so the assignment started- the entire locality had by now known that she was cooking something. The clanking of utensils sounded more than as usual and somehow or the other the dish was prepared. Now, she has to wait for Raj.

Prachi, who has managed to speak 50 sentences hardly, was waiting for Raj to come. Soon, Raj arrived and without exchanging pleasantries or anything, she dashed off to the kitchen and bought the dish, “here, taste it.” Raj, taken aback, by this sudden situation did not know how to react. His facial expressions bore a quizzical look, enough to get Prachi shoot another command, “khao ekhon. (eat now)” Raj for the first time looked at Prachi- the fragile beautiful face showed traits of sweetens and handiwork.

Raj felt it was ugly on his part to turn his sweet little sunshine to a pale cook. He tasted it and told her it was wonderful. “Dhopash! came the sound”…Prachi fell down on the bed. The doctor was summoned and he gave two bottles of salinated water.

After a few days, when Raj saw that Prachi had recovered, he went to her, took her hands in his hands, and told “that was the best chilly chicken, I ever had sweets”. Tears flowed in from her eyes. They collapsed into a hug, only to discover a roasted chicken in the refrigerator to be cooked by Prachi. Guess, it is love!

One Fine Morning with SpiceJet

The last time, I glanced at my watch, it showed me signs of desperation. A desperation to push it further and get connected to the tidings. News that can bring a smile in the face of a traveler, who seldom likes to grin at things. But, today it is different. I have had enough of it.

Each time, I faced this issue, I kept reminding myself that Aamir Khan too faced certain complexities in life in 3 Idiots, yet reminded to say 'Allz is well'. But, this is different. I had enough of this nonsense with the airports and airlines in India. The same make-shift logic of running the best airlines, yet we have to face some nonsense issues.
The flight to Bangalore from capital city New Delhi by SpiceJet is supposed to leave at sharp 6. I have reached the Indira Gandhi Airport from Vasanth Vihar in a span of 20 minutes, half-numb, half-shocked and half-awoken. Numb for I have never experienced such a winter season in my twenty-six years of life, shocked because I am so used to Bangalore traffic that an empty street looks a distant dream to me and awoken for I never awake before 10 on a Sunday morning. Anyway, the driver dropped me to the airport, and then I had to rush for the trolleys.

I entered inside, and a cheerful yet so fake SpiceJet official gave me a shocker "Sorry sir! the flight has been canceled. We cannot put you into next flight. You can only leave on so so date". She posted this news in such a hurry that it would have beat the flurry of movies' releases that Ramgopal Varma has.

I had not yet overcome this jeopardy when she announced that I should get on queue for more details. I was like 'hello!, are you inviting me for KAUN BANEGA RUDE WITH ME"

I just vented out my whole frustration on her, but she answered that with such a fake smile. The airport looked like a mess to me at that time. No queues for boarding passes, everyone standing wherever they possibly could and no helpline. Luckily, I got a flight to Bangalore but that was a flight via Ahmedabad. I had to shell out some more money to travel.

But that is not the point- the callousness and the recklessness of these airlines for the passengers. It is their duties to report to the passengers about a delay of the flight, and take necessary precautions that they help the passengers to board another flight. But why would they? Because, all the carriers are the same in India, be it Jet Airways, Kingfisher and so on. It is about the price tag that all are concerned about. The rest 'passengers' can go to hell!

Musings of an Idiot outside IIMB

For sometime now, comedy in Bollywood has turned itself into a slapstick-vulgar note. We witness comedies where in the name of humor, double-standard languages are used. I am quite tired of it, because maa-behen ki gaalibaazi comedy is not my cup of tea, and I am sure it is not yours too.

So, when a Rajkumar Hirani directs a comedy, you know you will get something nice, which you can enjoy it with family. Like Munnabhai, 3 Idiots conveys a very serious message in terms of our educational system, and does that with some brilliant comedy.

It is good to start the year with laughter because where do we get to smile these days.I am running helter-skelter in paying premium policies and documentation stuffs which I am not sure will be of any help to anyone. But, I have to do it. But, when I get a chance to see a movie like 3 Idiots, I am compelled to tell myself, "Allz is well."

The movie has 3 protagonists and though all of them have been brillant in their respective roles, Mr. Chatur Singh steals the show. This movie is incomplete without this guy's presence.

If you watch Sholay today also, you will marvell at Gabbar Singh. His character is that of a person,who is like most of us, in our colleges, dying to secure good position, then get a million-dollar job, and yet cribble over things. He is not satisfied, and that is so common to us-are we? Right when he starts with his intro "I was born in Uganda, but brought up in Pondy" to "Tu ki hain..teacher abhi", Chatur is a master in acting ship.The story has been nicely told and each of the scenes kept me engrossed. The songs are very situational especially "Doobi Doobi"--well-choreographed. Aaamir, very honestly is someone I have marvelled since Bachchan.

After Dil Chahta Hai, I never thought you will play the role of 22+ college going folk with such wonder. Does he anywhere look like a 45+ guy? His quizzical expressions were so natural- he is intelligent but foolish at time. His voice is dubbed a few times especially when he tells Kareena, "Tum apni Maa ko Bahut Miss Karti Ho naa...".

Madhavan as usual does a niche job. I guess my ex-gf would be happier to see her favorite crush. Sharman is one of the best actors of Bollywood now. Like Saif, he does not mind playing second fiddle at time. I am not sure if he is a guy who can carry a film alone in his shoulder, but he is trying.

Kareena is good or may I say I enjoyed her short role. This movie is based on Chetan Bhagwat' 5 POINT SOMEONE. I enjoyed that book, but it is not something that I can recommend you for any serious think. If you want to read it for fun, you can do it. So, if Rajkumar has taken the characters and made it into a powerful story, I think Chetan should be happy for it.

There were so many places that connected me- for example my parents pushing me for Science course, when I am basically an Arts guy, Running and still running after money and so on.

I liked and enjoyed the movie. I hope you can enjoy this comedy with your family. I think parents need to be advisers and not push their kids with their views. Well, fortunately, everyone is not an Idiot like me at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

From Delhi with Love

I am presently strolling in the beautiful North campus of New Delhi, and I simply cannot have much of it. To my disappointment, I could not get a space near Miranda College to blog my thoughts, so am at this moment 12:44 PM inside ST.Stephen's College. I have somehow manage to invade the security of Stephens courtesy my folks in News X channel.
Beautiful! I love this city-the more I get to see of it, the more I fall in love with it. Be it the kacories of Gopal Dambal house in Kamla Nagar or the monstrous meal of Moti Mahal, Delhi had something to offer everyone. Here's what I explored and wanted to share this with you:

There are 2 kinds of people you get to see in Delhi: foodies and f******. There is a section mostly in the North conservative to the core; they would give scant eyes at the very moment they see you with a girl. While it is totally different when you travel to Southern or Western part of New Delhi.

If you have not experienced cold and want to define winter season, you need to visit and stay in Delhi. I have never experienced chillness like this before, and will like to say I am nursing a frozen shoulder now.

You will never get chance to be bored in Delhi since there are so many things to do and so many places to visit. Every four-steps that you take, you land up yourself in a park. I am of the opinion that Kolkata and Delhi are the only few places left with places of social networking and rest have been camouflaged.