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Monday, December 22, 2008

Death of Beauty

To be in the world
Beauty Dies
And it becomes 
A skeleton of lies

A silent adjustment
A nod of the head
Leaving the past behind
Keeps walking ahead

It closes the eyes
Makes a compromise
A tormented soul
Hoping it dies

It sees ahead
An empty space
And in shame
Buries its face

What can it do?
But rationalize
From these ashes
No phoenix can rise

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Lateral Thinking

Me and my friend Ashoke went to Arcus, our college food joint. Ashoke ordered for 2 plain paranthas. While the order was being executed, we sat down to have some conversation. 

A cat passed by in her own gracefully inconspicuous style, avoiding any attention.

Ashoke: "Why doesn't the cat learn from Dog that we are not to be afraid of? "
Me: "Humm, the Lion is not afraid of us, it has learnt that without learning from Dog"

Ashoke: "Ok... let us create a Lateral Thinking Puzzle"
Me: "Ok.."

A few minutes of intense deliberation

Me:"A man orders for 2 plain paranthas, sees a cat pass by and asks to make a lateral thinking puzzle?"Why?

Ashoke:"A man is driving a bike, suddenly he leaves both his hands, turns around and sits the other way round and wobbles his posterior to make his bike go in circles." Why?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Happy Incident

I was happy.

Slowly, I went to Sector 14 to buy some cookies to satisfy the deep craving to eat sweet stuff. The bakery store there was full of delicacies.

"Cookies", I managed to say to the man behind the counter (MBTC).

MBTC :"Which one?"

I stared at the counter with my eyes wide open.

On top shelf there was "Wheat Cookies" and below it was "Wheat Cookies Sugar Free"

I pointed to the lower shelf and said 250 grams of this. MBTC took out hot cookies and packed them. I gave the amount to cashier and waited for MBTC to pack my cookies.

MBTC:"Here you go"(handing over the pack)

Me: :"Don't bullshit me, you scoundrel. Where is my free sugar?!"

I was beautiful


Monday, November 03, 2008

The Great Indian Rock Show

Magical lights, Smoke, Screeching music, Huge speakers,  Head banging, Dope, Madness, Passion... Put all these together with some more lights, screams,beats, bass,and wilder head banging -you have a rock show.

"You have to come to The Great Indian rock show"-my friend urged me. "I have been waiting to attend GIR for 6 years!".

Now, i am music illiterate plus tone deaf and i don't have one iota of music running in my viens. I am as oblivious to rock as i am to pop or any other kind of music. The closest i ever got to rock was hearing Limp Bizkit's Mission Impossible track as it was my ring tone on a monophonic mobile handset. And people who know rock even remotely would agree thats as close as Bush got to catch Osama.

But considering the next option would be attending a class, I chose to experience another world.
And another world it was.

As we entered Prgati Maidan in New Delhi i saw a queue as long as Sonali's legs. I have never seen so many guys dressed in black, with Levi's jeans, long hair, sporting a goatee, speaking accented english with fuck after every alternate word, at one place. There were 2000 or more such guys and gals wearing Zaplin, Clapton, Nirvana T shirts looking part of some cult. 

I, wearing a full sleeves shirt and a modest John Players Jeans, clean shaven with neatly cropped hair was looking like a freak show!

"Are these guys for real?"- I asked my friend. But he was already making conversation with one of the guys in front of us

"They are tuning their Bass guitar now"
"Yeah! The noise is fucking crazy man, i feel like i will fuckin attained nirvana tonight. "
"The voice is coming from sub woofers, they haven't even plugged in the main speakers"
"Fuck! That is so awesome man"

I listened to this conversation with interest and asked naive questions about Lead guitar, Bass guitar, drums, vocalists and audio equipment which my friend was happy to tell. I also enquired about Death metal, Heavy metal and other bare essentials to satisfy my curiosity.

ACT 1

The show started with a performance from Level 9, an Indian rock band with a female vocalist. An unusual combination to start with and some music which i didn't really like. Some people were enjoying it but rest were horrified and made statements like

"Get off the stage, you bitch!!"

I felt happy that, what i was not liking was not liked by many. Their performance was marked by occassional brilliance of their drummer who made the crowd go wild with his beats. In the end the group perfomed a song by U2, where the vocalist tried to invlove the crowd as well.

Vocalist: "So you guys like U2??"
Crowd was stunned as if she had insulted their mothers, sisters and grannies in one go.

Vocalist: "I can't see you guys, because i have the spotlight on me, but i hope you guys are having a good time!!!". I thought she was really cute to make a statement like that.

ACT 2

After the act was over the next band that performed was "Undying Inc". A heavily bicepped man walked up to stage and started screaming so loudly that i fell a few steps back. The vocalist was holding his chest and screaming so violently that i feared his guts and pancreas would spill out on the crowd. But no body else cared about his pancreas and seemed pleased that they were getting the real rock now.
 
The crowd was with him and soon joined him in a community head banging ceremony. After one of his performances, the vocalist asked

"Fucking Delhi!You know what the fuck is coming to fuck you now" (Yeah, he had a liberal tongue)
Every one nodded intelligently and screamed Oh YES!!!!
I was like okay, let's see.

He screamed with even higher intensity and crowd banged their heads with matching spine crushing gyrations while their heads spinning in elliptical motions.

I tried to copy that but my neck pain got the better of me. But it was intoxicating and after some time i got the trick. You have to bend your knees, thurst your pelvic and take your head up and down to the maximum you can.

I saw some guys in the crowd going wild and pushing each other. They were throwing themselves on each other and running away. I thought crowd has gotten out of control and a stampede is inevitable. I asked my friends to step away but they said its ok and normal. They even have a name for such logic defying behaviour. Its called a mosh pit.

Act 3 and Act 4 followed.

What i really liked was Them Clones performance of Zephyretta. It was a breath of fresh air amidst all the metal. What i realised that i like music only when the words make sense to me. For me the lyrics are more important than the music. Well it took me rock concert to realise this.

What followed was the ultimate performance, more like what you associate with a rock concert. The last band to perform was Satyricon a norwegian band. I mean just check out their web site they are the real deal, the mean look, the long hairs, the attitude.

They took quite some time to check the sounds and the lights, which got annoying and boring after such ear drum squashing music. Mean while:

Me: "Do i smell hash all over the place?"
My friend: "Oh Yea! The perfume is all around..."
Me: "Well, some one is having a happy time"

But when the band began the public went out of their minds. I have never seen so much wildness. I began to head bang as professionaly as if i was born listening to rock. The passion was all engulfing.

The scene on the stage was out of this world. Three guitarists with long hairs had there knees bent. There upper body was pushed back at an angle of 30 degrees. Yet they managed to hold their guitars, and twist and turn their heads with all hair in front with such ferocious rpm that wind mills would be ashamed. 

I being some what detached and dispassionate  human being saved my neck from permanent damage but i am pretty sure most guys would be having neck-bandages for at least a week. 

As we moved out a guy commented "Tonight, my life is complete!"
Well, i didnt really satisfy my self actualization needs but nevertheless

Rock On! 
Depicted usually by folding your middle and ring finger and placing your thumb over them.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Imagine

Imagination
The way to travel 
Lighter and Faster
Than air or Light

You leave behind the matter
Into the pattern of choice
You can't stay there
Bonds have been created
Guilt, Acceptance, Acknowledgment

Freedom is lost, But
Existence is achieved
One part rejoices,
Other Mourns
Matter and Bliss

Ignorance

Ignorance
Pretension of Knowledge
Asserting , imposing a mask
Half empty , Shallow
Confusing Deliberately
To save the charring of Ego
whose nature is to manifest

Ignorant listens
Choices are limited
He is under a spell now
His desire is to imitate
Vicious circle spirals
Ignorance Smiles
Ego is its slave
Truth its enemy

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Lead MDI

There are two kinds of MDI.

When one MDI is fighting hard to study for next class, managing their projects/academics the other MDI is drinking beer on the dome.

When one MDI is stepping towards the library to learn the other MDI just scoffs and moves towards pub to get on with life.

When one MDI is spending 2 hours analyzing and reading the case the other MDI is gossiping, because it knows whatever the case they will faff their way through the case. Moreover they feel appalled and carp about the instructor if there point of view is not accepted.

When one MDI respects the instructor and wants to learn from him, the other MDI wants to brand the instructor as useless and good for nothing. They want to point his shortcomings, his problems, his incompetence more than anything.

When one MDI wants to sleep on time the other MDI is playing loud music and shouting because they know they will catch up with sleep in class.

When one MDI gives an idea or has an expertise the other MDI just wants to manipulate and use the idea and take credit for it.

When one MDI wants to give an opinion the other MDI spams as it has assumed the sole ownership to opine on any subject any topic or any happening.

When one MDI wants to speak something logical the other MDI is amused, it retaliates by erupting volumes of no brainer statements that cloud any logic left.

When one MDI wants to stand up and make a mark, the other MDI conspires to bring it down.

When one MDI learns a subject the other MDI will crowd him to teach the same.

When one MDI is working hard for the quiz/exam the other MDI is worrying about the seating arrangement and examination instructor, calling it smart work.

When one MDI gets 8 CG , its ghissu . When other MDI gets 6 CG its stud.

Only one thing, one MDI is 70% , the other MDI is just 30%.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Class Apart!

So, after a nice summer holiday, classes have started to find their way back in my life. Its good to be in air conditioning with all your friends.

A typical class of Strategic Management goes like this for me:

Characters involved
Me, Teacher, Anup(sitting besides me)

Teacher: Globalisation is dead or Globalisation is a reality - that is the deabte.
Me: Firangee ladkiyo kee quality so-so hee hai abkee baar.
Anup: Angrezo bharta chhodo! Simon go back...

Me: Achha bata Simon comission ka opposition kerte hue kaun mara gaya tha?
Anup: Koi aadmi

Teacher: International Business Strategy has to adapt to local environment... What do you guys think about it?
Some enlightened soul: Sir, companies have to customize their business model according to local environment. Otherwise it could be a failure. I call it 'glocal strategy'
Me: Yaar! kahi bahut dur bhaag jaane ka dil ker raha hai...
Anup: Haa... Attendance ke baad chalte hai.

Anup: Yaar! tu koi kahaani suna.. tune itnee books padhee hai.


Teacher: Has some one read the book " The world is flat"
Anup: tuune padhee hai.
Me: Of Course!
Anup: to haath khada kerna...
Me: Paagal hai kya?

The teacher goes on to describe how Thomas Friedman has identified the forces that have made the world a global village.

Anup: Bhai ek joke sunnata hu
Sardarji: Mai tere kaan mai daalonga!
Sardarni: Paagal ho gaye ho tussi... Mai behari ho jaaongi!
Sardarji: Kyu jab maine moo main diya tha tub goongi ho gayee thee kya... !

he he he! some giggles under the table.

Me: Yaar koi logic nahi re gaya hai... class seems boring
Anup: What is logic?
Me: ?
Anup: The way you connect things. For eg: We love a prof.. Prof loves his daughter... So we love his daughter.

Teacher: Can i have your attention please!

Me: bhai kitna time bachha hai?
Anup: Ek aur joke sunaao?
Me: Naa i would get some sleep

Teacher: Now let us look at some examples where companies have failed because they didn't adapt to local environment...

Time flies


Anup: Bhai... tera roll number aane waala hai.. Uth saale attendance miss ho jaaegi.
Teacher: Roll number 91
Me: Present Sir!

PS: This is a dramatised version. Please don't tax your brain to correlate this with the academic rigour prevelant in MDI.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

The way things work

After almost one year at MDI, i can say the following things for sure
1. True friendship is hard to find in a b school. The reason for this maybe the age of the students. People have work ex, they are matureand have seen life. They have wizened enough to make the distinction between friends and contacts. Is it childish to make a friend without keeping a account of favours done and favours that can be drawn on.

2. People who opt for finance are naturally more intelligent than marketing or any other stream. Doing an IT specialization is like passing B com with a supplimentary. What are you interestd in? Is a question people seldom ask.

3. Why MBA? A question that remains unanswered for maximum.

4. Making a issue of trivialities and then mailing the whole batch is the favorite pass time of people. Moreover people who give the most vehement opinion and are efficient with juggling words and expression are respected and congratulated.

5. Summers are when true character is revealed. People do whatever to cut each other's way to a company.

6. Summer training is useless. Too much character is lost to get a summer which makes litlle or no difference.

7. CV is the king. Do whatever it takes to get another line in your CV. It can be club membership or prize in XYZ college.

8. Reading cases is good but then you have to read the case. But still this doesnt stop people from giving the most profound insights.

9. Some people just dont get it....

10 Some people just stay the same...