nocturnal animals glued to tv sets

It had been long since I watched a Live match on TV at odd hours(1:30 to be accurate),just coz an Indian was slugging it out. Have watched a lot of Ronaldos and Federers,giving inherent owls and larks a run for their money. Alas,stopped doing so for Indians. Last time I was intrepid enough to do so was when Indian cricket team was visiting West Indies. Indians lost while chasing a score which was begging to be chased.
Indians truly showcasing glorious uncertainties of cricket refused to budge and succumbed to ignominious defeat. Then came the horrific betting and fixing scandal and I discontinued my nocturnal misadventures. What else could have I done, India meant cricket and cricket meant India (literal take on India meant Indira and Indira meant India ,some chanting by sycophant congressmen.).Chess was never in good books of TV(I sorely missed watching few vanguard moves by Vishy and Rajyavardhan did it all of a sudden on a breezy evening at Athens).So once in a while switched on a TV to see night matches ‘coz wanted to see nimble footed Brazilians and ooh that wizardry of Federer which dumbfounded his opponents . So Sunday night was a wee bit different for me when I glued to TV set to watch fluctuating fortunes of certain Sania Mirza.
Well she started in great style and I felt proud of Hyderabadi.But then she flattered to deceive and went down to the Siberian beauty Miss Maria Saharapova .

Never mind the same, she reeled off some great winners and her cross court shots would envy certain Miss Henin . She is bound to hit back and will continue to rock tennis world.
Well she would continue to give Indian sport freaks some sleepless nights and avid fans like me would hardly nurse a grudge for the same. Way to go Sania….

Here comes my languid elegance to the fore.

I am a lazy person. Inherently lazy. I prefer it calling languid elegance. Guess I was a big fan of Azhar(Until Hansie Cronje broke down and spilled the beans) and his effortless game.
Lazy people aren’t successful generally unless they get everything on platter, but there is something what stands out. Lazy(or languid as I prefer ‘em calling) are generally not too much interested in worldly affairs and most of turmoils have nothing to do with ‘em. Creating furor isn’t their cup of tea or you may say it’ not the sector where they like to chart out. Lazy people won’t budge whatever you do, laziness runs in your genes or so feel. Sorry for unveiling your family traits my lazy brethren, but can’t help it.
I find these fanatics (be it Laden or Bush making a distinction is tough) the real workaholic, seems they are the ones with some real job at hand and worse they have to finish it in a squeezed time frame.
Sorry for deviating from already aah pretty long trudged (u may not agree) path.
Laziness and unrealized talent generally work in tandem (sadly hardly they work).
I find it futile to go on, just to strengthen some brawny points.
Just wanted to reveal something, this one almost took 25 days to write this much.
This lazy man was burdened with some grinding job…
Nice men will inherit the earth, so says the bible. Will they have this languid streak in them is something I would yearn to know. Leisurely pace that I have embraced won’t let me go further, another uncharacteristic denouement to one another subject, I sauntered to broach.

What makes you smile at the fag end..

UNIX is truly amazing. I am still coming to grips with this powerful Operating System (As we so called geeks prefer to call it). Yesterday I learnt few tricks of trade (I trade in UNIX commands u know). I had this nasty habit of exhibiting nonchalance towards people earning their bread (alas our company doesn’t provide any butter scurry over for a new company if you yearn for liberal spreads of butter my dear). But yesterday as I learnt few things after such a long time, I felt humbled. There is a lot to learn. I would be brutally frank; I always feel there isn’t much scope for learning in my project.
Candid revelations damage you a lot and I am ready to suffer…
But as they say no job is good or bad, it’s the one who does it. So it’s me or you who do a job atrociously or handsomely (tempted to put gorgeously)…
Well no I won’t uncover all cushions in a bare all manner, no I won’t curse people, I won’t damn the surroundings nor would I‘ll stamp pooh pooh remark against my annadatas(read company).Still as I said I had a nasty habit here I go, it’s truly amazing how software companies (big Indian players) still manage to attract budding talents with so little to offer(in terms of monetary gains and challenges). Something which leaves me stumped, no I’m not one to go for self praise, and writing eulogies never come easily to me. Of course people who are in up there in hierarchy are mind blowing. Most of them have great expertise in their field and are what it takes to be winner in your field...

So back to UNIX. If I can spend a day learning something which can make me happy at the end of the day. Before I go back to those dreamy worlds in night,I would take a note of the day and at fag end of the day that little knowledge imparted my senior may keep in good stead. That sums up the day. But how many days do I spend in this manner.
Hardly 2 or 3 in a month or two month. It’s annoying but I’m looking to those sparse days in thick layer of months which can make my day before the moment I embrace dreamworld.

scorch it out

Every life remains unfulfilled in one way or other. Disappointments and defeats can be overcome but feeling of fulfillment comes from within. It’s something which you have to embrace. You may be a champion in your field (I’m monarch of all I survey), still you may be left feeling of being a dwarf in some other field, a field where thousands will score over you. It hardly matters that in your own field even vanquishing them won’t require any effort on your part. A Sampras doesn’t need to break into sweat on Wimbledon grass, but mere mortals may get better of him at Rolland Garros. Same is the case with Lendl, Wilander, McEnroe or whoever is dabbling around.

So it’s perfectly fine to accept your limitations and let others savor their victory over you(they richly deserve that). But then an Achilles shouldn’t only be aware of his heels. He should acknowledge the tremendous power vested in him by none other than almighty.


A persistent feeling of being weak in a field robs you off the pleasure you and others can have if only you rather than whining about your shortcomings and excel where you belong. Life is short and a specialist is always better than a jack (except in mad world of payjama cricket). Knowing where you belong is half the battle won and remain can be won by sheer talent and flair you possess.

So battles are there to be won. Greater laurels are beseeching us to be galloped. What we all need is enlightment Alas there is no bodhivriksha for the same. Peers are the best judges of what we do. It’s time to unshackle ourselves. So time to identify inner self and stop cribbing about imperfections and demanding conditions(Kissinger would have made a better president than Bush only if…..)

Tale of two cities

When I first landed up at Bangalore ,I knew something was missing.
As a young man in engineering college I had 4 fun filled years at Warangal,kingdom of Kaktiyas. I was destined to draw my first salary at Hyderabad, capital of AP.
So AP became home away from home. But ah I forgot what was first thing which I missed out here at Bangalore.It was Queen bee of Hyderabad (Katrina Kaif for those not prospered in typical HYD air) sheepishly peeking at you through those huge billboards..lady was missing at Bangalore . I reached here in the morning ,there was slight chill in the air, but autowallahs of Bangalore found my pocket hot enough , they took full advantage of me and first time in last few months I felt lighter ( my wallet was anorexic you see).
Next few hours flew off assessing –reassessing Bangalore and missing my lovely Hyderabad. I don’t know telugu but managed to pick entera,ra,wokti,rendu,nalgu chepandi etc. just to show off my lil’ telugu gyan. Kannada got me stumped. I asked my friend kannada equivalent to telugu radu. Most important uttering in an alien place.
First few days were torrid(no reference to weather though..). never had landed in such a messy traffic earlier. Once I was in horrendous traffic jam which kept me edgy for 3 desperate hours(1/12th of Bogart’s famous desperate hours & a take on 36 ghante )
Now I‘ve to taken a liking for Karnataka and Kannadigas (as they call themselves).
Of course it’s more crowded here; ahem I know traffic hardly let you take a
breather Crime rate is growing exponentially and last but not the least no
gorgeous lady peeking at me from gigantic billboards, but still charm of Bangalore keep growing.
Weather is nice, people are more or less very friendly (I can name wonderful friends I made here….list will be very long then).

So cheers for Bangalore and accolades for Hyderabad. They are what is expected from them. No Bubblore no Hyperabad…(as labeled by rival groups) . it’s a great sojourn (so far ) from HYD to BANG.

Ruffling right feathers.. Rafa

Here comes another teen sensation. One with flashy t-shirts and age old knee hugging shorts. A perfect harmony of modernity and a throwback on beautiful old times.
A fledgling yet stout personality who loves venting his emotions out. One who has enthusiasm of a child and has shown tremendous maturity to let bigger pundits marvel at him. That’s Rafael Nadal in nutshell for you.
I was just going through yesterday’s newspaper and saw an article on young Nadal.
Well I am not a great fan of Nadal(the player). But Nadal the persona has amused me a lot. Young man has stormed into tennis world like few before him have done and still remains down to earth. He symbolizes those old virtues as humility, family values which are as rare as Borg’s wooden racket these days.
Of course he fails to delight tennis purists. He doesn’t have silken touch of Federer or grace of Sampras nor does he boast of picturesque offerings of a leaping fully stretched Becker returning a forehand, still he gives a feeling that he is here to stay.
He forced Federer to bite clay, but now he has to prove he doen’t have feet of clay while encountering masters of serve and volleys . Spanish players in past have derided Wimbledon(Grass is for cows) but the truth is it still remains the most prestigious major, a fact that rankles likes of Lendl and Wilander the most .
Will young man be there long enough to create new records and force Pete Sampras to be a Roy Emerson (second best as far as no. of majors are concerned) is something which only future will reveal. Till then let’s hold the breath and savor the brute manner in which he frolics with his hapless challengers.. But right now he deserves every bit of plaudits that are showered upon him.
So young man soak up the sun and let we tennis aficionados prepare for one more tennis rivalry (Fed vs Rafa)..

Dubious distinctions of a Geek

Getting frustrated is vogue these days. My friends who had heartily embraced this hanky panky world of software keep whining these days. Some feel they are working day in day out and still not getting returns which they richly deserve. I can’t blame ‘em, as such feelings come most naturally to software geeks. Now Indian software engineers are always spoken in glowing terms, they are made to fell to be the best breed around.
Every now and then a foreign dignitary would visit a premier software workstation (companies are immaterial) and will say how India is ruling the roost in aah so intellectual world of software engineers. Companies keep laughing all the way to the bank and such foreign dignitaries are raking in moolah. And noble breed of software engineers are made to feel proud (Pride what is it anyway??). Well an Indian software engineer(one who resides in India, don’t count Khoslas,Bhatias and Guptas for heaven’s sake, we have this bad habit for long e.g. including both Khurana and Chandrasekhar as Indians among Nobel laureates ) is hardly an engineer in first place. Writing few lines of oft repeated codes and fixing ol’ bugs hardly helps you in qualifying as a real software geek. To put it bluntly, it’s more of a clerical job, but then who is complaining.
People are working on jotted lines and getting paid handsomely too (by Indian standards).Government is minting some hard earned dollars, so where is the need to sport a frown on your face. Let me (and my entire breed) soak up the sun as long as it shines.
Let Indian software giants make a killing and my dear buddies keep getting pats on your backs. After all you all are doing a nice job innocuously strengthening Indo-US relationship by putting hard hours behind. And any way keep getting frustrated (with a lil’ bit of pride as your bosses want to sense it) that’s the trend with trendiest (read haughtiest) celebrities screaming at the top of the world, how gloomy world affairs are and how much scorn they have for the meaningless world.
So felt Jimmy Hendrix, so did Jim Morrison, so thought Kurt Cobain. Guess what.. they all committed suicide. Long live my software brethrens, someone is flying to India to appease(swindle) you .

Political musings

This is regarding article in The Hindu (Merits of Martyrdom dated 22-05-2005). A credit should be given where it’s deserved. Nehru deserves fair bit of it as far as modernization of India was concerned. Whether it was establishing of much esteemed IIT’s ,nuclear program or unequivocal support extended to prominent industrialists such as JRD,all were is sync with aspirations of a young fledgling country .But blemishes refuse to die. China invasion and subsequent failure on India’s part in dealing with it was a big blot on Nehru’s otherwise acclaimed political career.
Political observers have always found Nehru highly opinionated. He had his set of people and he used to fall back on them, sometimes it defied rational thinking, but Nehru always got away with his ways. V.K Menon is one good example of the same. The brilliant and eloquent speaker had an irresistible charm and Nehru more often than not fell prey to it. VKM was squarely blamed for China fiasco and perhaps fairly too.

Of course we Indians are emotional people and great fans of tragedies. Bradman’s popularity would have never been the same if he had correctly read that fatal googlie
of Hollies. Nehru wasn’t a martyr, but same holds true for Patels and Azads . Patel was always considered a prime ministerial candidate, but for Gandhi’s overtures he could have well ended at Nehru’s place. We would never know what would have been the denouement of this great opera ‘India in 60’s’. But speculations can always be made and that adds charm to the beauty of History.
Sincerely yours…
Ruchir

Hunt for a nanny for men in blue

This debate is raging for a long time now. Who should take over as the coach of Indian Cricket team? Should rein be given to kangaroos (Greg or Tom) or we should repose faith in home grown dronacharyas (Jimmy). By now even street urchins are well versed in credentials of these honorable people. Manmohan Singh or L.K. Advani may never be such a hot topic for debate. Was Singh ever in LSE? Who knows but you ask of Moody, and a young boy clad in shorts would reel off facts and figures how Tom Moody has helped in reinventing Worcestershire cricket etiquettes. So the hunt for the man (whose popularity is always ephemeral) continues. The post has few bouquets and more brickbats. Want a right opinion of the same, ask Wright. The Kent coach was lured to India and did a painstaking effort in streamlining the different aspects of Indian cricketers. Won accolades for bringing out good performances on a regularly basis from temperamental Indians. But he got many brickbats as well. His last outing with Indians ended in fiasco with a tumultuous Delhi crowd throwing courtesy to winds and ensuring India lost match as well as grace (whatever they had). Wright took over when Indian cricket was in doldrums. Allegation and counter allegations over match fixing looming large over popularity of cricket as a gentlemen’s game. Wright had a good bunch of players and he earnestly tried to mould them into world beaters. Alas that didn’t happen, but then aussies were too hot to handle. Did I digress from the main topic. Chalta hai,even happens with the Indian team . Sooner than later cricket coaches will be as powerful as soccer coaches. La Ferguson a coach will be dictating terms in the middle.
Pretty alarming scene for a cricket aficionado like me. Cricket has this as beauty, skipper
Should marshal his resources well and plot opposition’s downfall. With a cricket coach donning the mantle of a soccer coach, cricket will never be the same. Jardines,Bradmans,Armstrongs and Brearlies would not have appreciated that.
But then everything is transitory, raise a toast to ever growing breed of coaches

Political-apolitical

Few days ago while going through orkut profiles of my friends, I discovered something.
Well we all knew that average Indian youth isn’t enthused by any hint of polity.
But such apathy was uncalled for. If young citizens are showing so much aversion to the very structure which helps in regulating and leading India ,democracy is going to find it self in troubled waters. A youth must have his/her opinion about such issues.
Is it vogue these days to flaunt your being apolitical? I‘ve no clues ‘bout that.
Indifference is what hurts the most. A reaction must come out from within. You can bash it, you can adore (if u want) it, but you can’t ignore it(reminds me of an old ad of Star Dust)
Just think of it 10 years down the line when such youth are almost dispensed with the wonderful gift of youth that was bestowed upon them by god, they would find themselves seated in plush couches and whimpering about polity and disgusted do they feel the way Indian polity conducts itself.

Why to wait for so long and feel helpless. No no no way all of us are suppose to resort to canvassing or no we don’t even need to take a procession to prove our lot being politically aware. We have to be aware, need to form opinions about issues under the sun. I ‘ll give a very basic example. Parliamentary proceedings are hijacked by opposition parties(BJP),what do you feel about it? Such a sham, well that’s my humble opinion. You feel otherwise, you are most welcome. If Chinese youth can be aware and think strongly about political issues (remember Tiananmen Square), why not Indians?