Where is the new hair stylist?

Here she is...sitting and blogging! Ya...it feels good to say that. I have never experimented before, cutting hair, not even my own. This reminds me of the weirdest thing that happened with my hair, years back when a roll comb got stuck to my wet hair, while I tried to make some curls in my hair. And I have blogged about it, describing my experience how I(or rather my hair stylist) struggled removing it.

And yesterday my husband came to me and said, "I am too lazy to go to the saloon, why don't you trim my hair?" An opportunity of the lifetime! Well, I was not an expert in hair cuts, not even a beginner. But this was one of my dreams, to shape some one's hair. I knew no one would give me their head, to do it. But here it was, dream came true!!!

Well, to begin with, I started studying his hair and it took me around 4-5 minutes. Then I decided where to start and how to go about it. The good thing about his hair was, it was an ocean. The density helped me a lot, to start with. I carefully trimmed the back curls first. As a stylist, I would prefer getting feedback then and there, and that helps me correct myself. So I gave him a hand-mirror to keep looking at him on the larger mirror. Believe me, he had a thousand specifications. I simply followed his words. I must say, he was a bit cautious about his front part of the hair. He didn't let me do much of it. But that's OK, there is always the next time.

And wow, here he was; with his hair done! And after that.....

......it was 'hair' everywhere, and we ended up cleaning our toilet floor till night!

TamilNadu - Karnataka

OK, there was this dispute for water for many decades now, between the two states. River Cauvery originates in Karnataka and joins the ocean in Tamil Nadu. History says that the conflict between the 2 states started way back in 1804, during the British rule. TamilNadu was then known as Madras province and Karnataka as Mysore province. Its been more than 2 centuries now and the conflict still goes on strong.

The recent IPL(Indian Premier League) cricket matches within major Indian cities triggered me think about where and how it all started. I was following a forum few days back where I came across an unhealthy debate between the Tamils and Kannadigas. If the Chennai (known as Madras then) cricket team won a match, the Kannadiga forum members would end up saying 'there was a match fixing' or 'Chennai won it by luck'. To this the Tamil forum members would counter attack with wild and annoyed statements. I was very upset to read the thread.

In India, first there is this India-Pakistan dispute for the state of Kashmir. And within India there are a million disputes between states most of them unwanted and selfishly triggered by politicians. And there is this Cauvery water dispute between TamilNadu and Karnataka. And within TamilNadu there are a zillion disputes between castes. The caste separation is like a virus everywhere and more predominant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Where is India heading to.

Sometime back the dispute between the 2 states were so nasty that Tamils in Bangalore were attacked physically. And I am not very sure about the 'vise-verse' happenings. And there was this publicity stunt of the film industry people of both states fasting for the Cauvery issue. I am a big fan of Actor Rajnikanth, who is a superstar in the state of Tamil Nadu, with Karnataka as his birth-state. And during this 'fasting' issue, his name was pulled out more than anyone else unnecessarily.His opponents Actor Sathyaraj and Director BharathiRaja used their chances to the maximum, to let him down. The crux being 'How could a person from Karnataka be framed as a superstar in Tamil Film industry'. The inner crux being, 'How could a non-Tamil person be considered God of Tamil Cinema'.

Next to Kannadigas, Tamils make the maximum percentage of population in Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka. Right from Software Engineers to auto drivers to restaurant owners, most people from Chennai have migrated to Bangalore; for its pleasant weather conditions, trying to beat the heat of Chennai. Being born and brought up in the beautiful city of Chennai, I have experienced every bit of the hot weather there. Summer is long and winter is short in Chennai. That is a known truth. When it comes to growing trees and maintaining them, I must say that the government of Karnataka has taken immense measures.

Hoping to see some greenery and experience fresh air in the city of Chennai.
* In Picture - Marina Beach, Chennai

Where are the toilets!

India has more cell phones than toilets says UN. After having observed and experienced travelling in India and US, mother India is far beyond in development areas like sanitary needs.
'Rest Areas' in the US are pretty well maintained, while the ones in India; between places are not called 'Rest Areas', but 'Dirty as you go' locations; wherein there is neither individual responsibility nor government maintenance. The blame is on both sides. No use targeting the government for each and every negativeness.

Hygienic toilets or restrooms lack a place in most Indian locations. And with the ever growing population and kids no one knows how to manage the entire 'toiletry' system. There should have been a 'minister for toiletry'; only and only if there are rules and norms will people follow it. There should be fines everywhere printed on boards. 'Rs 100 fine if new toilet seat cover not used', 'Rs 50 fine if hands not washed after usage', 'Rs 500 fine if water is spilt on floor'; and to climax it up; '15 days in jail if toilets are not flushed after usage'. And to the women population, I would strictly like to add , 'Rs 1000 fine if sanitary pads not taken care of'.

Again there comes the difference of 'Indian' and 'Western' toilets. Somewhere someone says 'Indian toilet is the one on which the body of the toilet does not touch the body of the person using it'. And 'Western toilet is one on which a person haves the feel of sitting on a chair while passing stool'. And guess what, theories say that Indian toilets are best way of exercise. More precisely on my research, its better known as 'Squat Toilet' than Indian toilet, and looks like poor countries opt this method. India was once poor, not anymore!

What is your name?

What's in a name? Why bother if it has 20 letters or too funky. Everybody has a name! Even a man who does not have a kidney would have a name. But what's in a name?

My name is 'Anuradha', it means, a 'star' says Google. I gave it as 'Anuradha Vasan' in my credentials, having my father's name next to mine, following the traditional rule. Well, its been more than a year since my marriage, and still I have not gone for a surname change. My husband has left the choice to me whether or not to change. Well, that's not the topic here. I am addressed as Ms.Vasan in most places. My father's name 'Vasan' has a history again. His original name was Vasudevan, that of lord Krishna's. Since their were two Vasudevan's with the same initials, he decided to shrink it to Vasan and thats how my surname came up. Now back to myself. Here in the United States, people who are not Indian natives call me Vasaaan; thats Va-sa-aa-an(rhymes well with Nissan of Nissan Altima). I tend to correct them in most places. Now that I have become sick of it.

My husband's surname is Krishnakumar, and again since people in US call by surname, he goes mad spelling his name over phone even for a Pizza delivery. Most times his email ID would be mis-spelt. He is pretty much having a tough time. And his first name is Ramgopal. Most people prefer calling him Ram (that used to be my most favorite name even before I knew I am going to marry a guy called Ram). But here in the US, its addressed as RAM (as in 25MB RAM (memory)). Again he got fed up correcting people, hence he got used to himself calling it RAM. Now he says, RAM as in Dodge RAM. Easy for them to follow.

In India, people say that every body's name is related to god somehow or the other. Modern Indian parents want their kids to have a traditionally-funky name. That's because the most common factor that comes in their mind while naming their child is, the revenge against their own parents. In those days parents named their children only with traditional names not knowing that their child would someday become a CEO of a multinational company. Well, I am not complaining the way they named. But I learnt from few of my friends , how dissatisfied they were with their names. A girl named 'Abhithakuchalambal' would get bullied big time at college. 'Pichai' would find it it very difficult to survive in a Tamil speaking state. And so does 'Gundu Rao'.

How about 'Champakavathi', short form should definitely be Champa. Even short names like 'Dhruthi' doesn't seem to be fluent enough. Friends of 'Godavari' would like to call her 'Goda'? or 'God'? 'Hansanandini' shrinks to 'Hansa', I know a person named Hamsa; I would definitely get confused between the two. How would 'Kamakoti' or 'Kamakshi' be called at home? I don't think either would prefer being called with a short form.

Jothika's name in the movie 'Sillunu oru Kadhal' was 'Kundhavai'. This reminds me of the Vivek's comedy in 'Sivaji' about 'Anga-vai'. I had a friend named 'Mrinalini'. At the same time I knew another girl called 'Mirnalini'. Phew!!! That was a tough time differentiating both names. American Indian, 'Vera Mindy Chockalingam' from the US TV series 'The Office' ,is better known as Mindy Kaling here in the United States. While watching the serial sometime, I heard from one of her dialogues, that her parents named her 'Rajnigandha' and she does not like it.

My very own, most common name, 'Anu' was also bullied at times. People used to say Anu's shirt, Anu's cycle, Anu's ring as Anus ring. A small apstophe would change the enitre meaning and would help my enemies bully me.

Most Indians have remodelled or even completely changed their names according to their wish. Based on numerology or even profession, people prefer others to call them with names they choose for themselves. What about film actors. Name a few who haven't gone for a name change. Rajnikanth is a magical name for Tamils or even Indians across the globe. If he was still Sivaji Rao Geakwad, it would sound like some character artists in 1950s. But that's business. People love calling him Rajni though they know he is Sivaji Rao.

I often used to tell my husband that we must be very careful while naming our child. The name should be crisp and easy to pronounce and definitely not a one which our child would want to change in future. There are parents who name their child after a very close relative of them or one of their mothers or fathers.

I came across an English name 'Cupcake' which I recently saw on TV. And I met a person called April. Another beautiful name called Melissa of a person whom I know; I used to say Melissa romba meleeesa aayita...(which means Melissa has become thin, in Tamil).Well that comes under sarcasm which cannot be helped. But lets not forget the genuine cases.There was a girl in my college whose accent and attitude stunned me. Her name was 'Paapathi'. That was the biggest shock for me. Her name was not at all related to her by any mean. But people called her 'Pops'. Now isn't that funky enough!

*Picture - Savannah, Georgia

Biology-Electronics-Mainframes........Business?

Initially, when I was a kinder-garden kid, people used to ask me; what I would want to become when I grow up. And being a popular girly answer at that time, I would reply - Doctor! Then, during my high school days my goal slightly changed towards my interest in space research. For quite some years, I was sticking onto this profession(I mean dreaming about this profession). Then during my higher secondary, my electives pulled me back into my childhood goal of becoming a doctor (Oh yes, I mean I was in Biology group).

My board exam results made a slight twist. Since my Maths score was more than that of Biology, according to Indian law of Medical Entrance my chances were very weak to become a doctor. Hence, Engineering colleges opened their gates wide enough for me. Here, I jumped into the pool, or rather the ocean. And my choice of specialization was none other than 'Electronics and Communication Engineering'. Well, my father decided during my first year of engineering that I would become an expert 'Electronics Engineer' and join him in BSNL repairing 'Telephonic circuits'.

He in fact was very keen and adamant that I work only for a government concern (the 9 to 5 office, remember?). So he in his own way started spending money on application forms of government office like BSNL, VSNL, BHEL, Railways, to name a few. Trust me, I cant imagine sitting in those old buildings, with a ceiling fan too far from the ceiling supported by a long rod; and which almost comes and hits your head. And not to forget, reaching office at 10.00 AM, lunch at 12.30 AM inside the so called office canteen with uncles and aunties and grandpa's and grandma's. I used to hate these government jobs and wrote these UPSC exams just for the sake of my dad.

Thank God, I narrowly escaped joining them. And what else, fell into another pit called IT; oh ya as a technology person trying to code and talk. And now, do you remember I initially wanted to become a doctor. But guess what, there was a time when doctors were envying software engineers. Not anymore I guess, after this cycle of recession. Oh ya, did I mention; somewhere between my high school and higher secondary I also had another goal - to join the army! Well, that vanished in between my busy schedules.

And now, after about 5+ years of breaking my head in technology; is management my path?

Oh ya, there was a subject called as 'Engineering Drawing' during my first year of Engineering. Only the guys who framed the curriculum would know why on earth they had to include such a subject in the course. Maybe they thought, in future sometime after 10-15 years; that would help me sketch the plan of my house; on my own. And still the device called 'drafter' is hanging down somewhere in my bedroom loft!

She is 60+2 !

She reminds me of a video forward which I recently saw, where a small kid looks at her and says "You are a senior citizen now"; and the camera focuses on her, she still flies in the air briskly showing off her colours.

Another year gone but still feel the same way as felt last year, about the I-day. Another holiday? Wake up late in the morning, hold deep thoughts whether to take bath or not, out of laziness brush the teeth and have a heavy breakfast, keep watching television browsing channels for I-day special movies.

The flag hoisting, the national anthem, the songs, the special plays, the speeches , the tri-color, the excitement etc. which were made mandatory in schools and colleges seem to slowly vanish?

No way! Either celebrating for the gold medal after 2.8 decades; or the sudden disappointment within , looking at the name 'India' going lower in the Olympics medal tally; Patriotism- is still the same!

In the name of Spa

'Arpana' is her name, or rather pseudo name; real being that of Mizorami origin. She has traveled hundreds of miles just for a happy living (or rather living). She is my favorite lady among the other Mizorami girls here. Paying 700 bucks, and sacrificing an hour, you got to experience her work. She is the senior hair stylist in 'Nxxxxxxx Beauty Saloon'. No one has ever taken the liberty of hitting me so hard on my head than Arpana. Hitting I mean is, have you seen a tabla being hit by Zakkhir Hussain? That way! Well, that’s how a massage has to be, so can’t help it.

A month ago my new hair style(reminds me of Maya's curlz experience) was supposed to be new to Chennai. The stylist told me that she had learnt that just the day before I was experimented on. Somewhat similar to testing on a rat before declaring an invention. Well, this hairstyle is supposed to be 'Layers with bounce'. Does it really look like that was what my question. Before starting the 'hair-cut' she promised me that, this hairstyle is going to make a revolution here in Chennai and people will definitely give a look at me for this. And yes, they did. I used to hold my breath till I boarded my bus everyday morning while crossing the stray dogs. Well, the hairstyle isn't that bad to my eyes...

These days their services are not up to the mark. People like me are searching for a good competitor in the industry. 'Customer satisfaction' is their motto for which a lot of adjustments are being made. Customers asked to wait for hours together during power cuts(of course power shutdown are a common in Chennai, and places like hospitals and beauty saloons etc are supposed to have an alternative); someone being sent to purchase fruits in the middle of a fruit facial treatment(it is the duty of the management to look after whether the necessary stuff for a treatment is ready or not before starting it, especially in a renowned saloon); customers asked to shift locations during the middle of a session(I have seen people being helped to walk here and there in the saloon with a face mask on). The beauticians all being from the same native keep chatting with one another while treating customers. Who knows, whether they are scolding the customer for eating away their free time (for me Mizo and Nepali are not as easy as Malayalam or Telugu to decipher). Once a customer became irate and shouted at one of those girls for constantly talking to her colleague in their language.

Beautification and massaging has become a part of well being in today's life, especially for people in metros and of course for those who work in odd hours. Today, there are still men who look for brides 'tall, fair complexioned, with a long hair etc.’ Make a search in matrimonial sites or give a glance to the classifieds and you will know. In fact there are places where the guy's family quotes for more dowries if the girl has any ailments. I have not come across any such news if the case had been the other way round. Fathers of girls - wake up!

Hindi malum hai kya?

Whether Hindi is national language or not is a different question. Why are many people in Tamil Nadu not willing to speak Hindi - because they don't know Hindi, as simple as that! For many people in Chennai Hindi is still "Kuch kuch hota hai", " Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge". According to a NI (North Indians), Chennai is a place last in his list either to get a transfer or even for a short stay because he says "Less people speak Hindi there, how do I communicate even to an auto walla?" Everywhere in India people speak Hindi - be it Bangalore or Jabalpur.

For many Chennai'ites learning Hindi was never a 'must' during one's academics. "Ek Gau mein ek kissan raghu thaatha" - hope raghu's thaatha( grandfather) doesn't mind his profession being changed. But this is a serious issue. Hindi - National or Official language? Lets leave it apart for sometime. We are at one point of time forced to take Hindi as a language during school. Is that useful for our day to day lives now?

During my 9Th class , I remember coming out of Hindi class and joining Tamil class from the very next day just because I dint like my Hindi teacher. But then from my second class I was forced to study Hindi. I still remember "Saanch Barobar Tap nahi, joot barobar paap" - having memorising the Dhoha(like Thirukkural in Tamil) everyday with the fear of getting punishment. Today I research, by anyway is that Dhoha helping me converse with people who know Hindi?

Can the education systems be changed such that children get an exposure of spoken Hindi during school? Well, most of the Tamil parents make their children study Hindi hardly for 3 years. During that time if spoken Hindi is imparted to them, on a long run one more language will get added to their list.

Bridging it - India and China!

China :
Opens longest sea bridge.Descriptions of the bridge follows:

Distance : 32 kms
Construction started: 2003

Construction completed: 2007

Duration taken to complete: 4 years
Purpose: Connects Jiaxing City with Cixi City(2 major cities)

India(Chennai):

Opens Kathipara bridge(near Guindy). Only one phase of the bridge stands completed.Description of the same follows:
Distance: Less than 1/2 km
Construction started:2005

Construction completed:2008

Duration taken to complete: 3 years (one phase)
Purpose: Connects GST road towards Vadapalani(one phase)

Short Story - Bengalooru - The ultimate destination? (Part 2)

Back with Bengalooru series. Here is a true story which happened recently to a person whom I know.

After a long break and relaxation in his hometown, Srikanth is back in Bangalore . He started his career in Bangalore but developed the same in Chennai. Chennai’s dust and sun did not create a bit of dislike for him. But Mr.Kurubaani (his senior manager) wanted Srikanth to enjoy Bangalore for sometime. Their conversation went this way….

Kurubaani: Srikanth, people with your experience are thriving to fly on site. May I know the reason why rejected your turn.
Srikanth: Boss, personal issues.
Kurubaani: (to himself) I can't accept this man.
Srikanth: Sorry about that, could you please give me an alternative.
Kurubaani: You will have to move to Bangalore soon for your next assignment
Srikanth: Sir, but….
Kurubaani: No but’s and if’s please. Next week report there in Bangalore . Good day!
Srikanth: (cries within) Indha aal nadu mandaila nangunu onnu vaikka mudiliye.Why don’t managers understand we have issues. Why is that the company does not help its employees. Am I saying I won’t work. Why don’t they give me a project here. At least for sometime till my issues are resolved.

The following week Srikanth reached Bangalore at around 10.30 in the night on a dull Sunday. He took a pre-paid auto amid lots of call taxi people hounding him to take their vehicle and was travelling to his guest house clutching his luggage. The road was almost empty and desolate and Srikanth was enjoying the breeze though he was sleepy. Srikanth has already had few worst experiences there during his last stay. This time the ‘Tamil Nadu-Karnataka dispute on Hogennakkal’ added fuel to fire.

The auto driver tried to act as if he was a local by talking in the native language of Bangalore even though he knew only a few words. Suddenly Srikanth observed a motorist whizz past the auto at a fairly good speed and suddenly slowed down. A similar incident took place 2 years back while Srikanth was returning home and the auto driver stopped in the middle of a dark lonely road. A speeding auto came behind and Srikanth had to run fearing for his life. He knew both autos were following him, but luckily another auto came and Srikanth took that one to reach his home escaping the thieves.

This time Srikanth was reminded by that incident and wanted to be more cautious as he had 3 bags with him including a trolley suitcase. The motorist who overtook the auto slowed down to run parallel with the auto. He started staring at Srikanth and gave him wild looks. Srikanth wanted to ask the motorist “ What the f*** do you want?” Suddenly he was struck by a thought what if the motorist was the auto driver’s friend.

He was almost reaching his destination while the motorist still kept following the auto. The auto driver now crossed the destination and kept on driving. Srikanth got very suspicious and asked the driver if he knew the route correctly.

The motorist still followed and over took the vehicle. The auto suddenly stopped. Srikanth was going to get down of the auto as his suspicion rose to its peak. Within a fraction of second the motorist drove fast passing the auto almost as if to strike Srikanth down deliberately. Then only Srikanth realized that the motorist was drunk and it had been a holiday in Bangalore . Suddenly a hand touched his shoulders.

Srikanth turned back in a force to hit the person with his hand while he heard a statement “Welcome to Bangalore ”. That was Srikanth’s friend waiting to receive him. Srikanth smiled back and paid the auto driver and left to his room.

Lost 10 kilos...

...is what I always wanted to say. Looks like and feels like I have lost 10 kilos in a day's workout which is supposed to be my first ever proper workout session. Now don't raise your eyebrows saying "Have you never worked out till now? Shame on you!". I never used to go to a fitness center because of mere laziness. I was a trainer myself at home and was convinced with my 5 mins(maximum of 5 mins and minimum of 1 minute) aerobics/dance/workout (I keep changing its name according to my convenience). One person who constantly giggles looking at me workout at home is my mom.

Though my jeans never fit me these days as they used to, I convinced myself thinking my body doesn't need any exercise because I eat a lot and walk a lot which compensates each other. After repeated public demand I forced myself to join a fitness center and kick-started my sessions today successfully.

With lot of precautionary measures I filled my stomach from morning assuming that I would need a lot of energy to workout. Hearing my food itinerary maybe the trainer thought for a minute I need to be given counseling about ‘how to stop eating’. Well I am not a foodaholic though, but ‘Cornucopia’ at Cenotaph Road has made me addicted to ‘Continental cuisine’, while the ‘Dhabbas’ welcome me with a smile. Though the hospitality of ‘Don Pepe’ on Cathedral Road is not that good, the sizzlers they serve are awesome and I mainly go there for ‘Pussy Foot’ and ‘Virgin Mary’ ( names of drinks). ‘Eden’ at ‘Harrisons’ gives mouth-watering ‘Pastitso’, while ‘Sangeetha Desi Mane’ at Citi Center serves ‘Namma ooru Saapadu’ (South Indian meals).

Few people wanted me to stop outside food once for all, while others came up with a slogan ‘eat well, workout well’. I decided to follow the latter. Not too late though :-)

IT Speak - Had a break?

*non-ITians excuse
If I say ‘IT is growing everyday’, nothing new in it. But if I ask ‘where do you stand in the growth?’ are you going to take a thought about it?

If you relax for sometime closing your eyes; by the time you open your eyes the ‘world’ would have gone far away from you. The only possible way you could reach the ‘world’ would be to double your speed. ‘The rabbit and tortoise’ concept is not going to work out here. And I bet if you are not physically and mentally prepared to double your speed; then you are a loser!

Taking a long break from work, especially during your ‘crucial growth period’ is like inviting trouble with a ‘welcome drink’. Certain ‘breaks’ are unavoidable. But again be prepared to double your speed. Don’t imagine yourself as a tortoise, as the rabbits here are not fools to give you way.

The ingredients to reach the ‘world’ (that is to double your speed are); a whole you, with no worries, physically fit, mentally prepared, a good aim at the target, and of course a smile on your face(the last one is my personal suggestion everywhere)! If you feel you have them all then take the plunge – the second time! Else wait!

Struggle more and u will get.......

.......IT back!
Flash news today says "Ahmedabad, has registered a whopping Rs 1.44 crore salary offer, which is the highest in all the IIMs in India".

Heard about increasing 'dowry' for Software engineers(earning less than 10 L/annum) in AP...

The Thread!

//It denotes that one who wear the sacred thread should be pure in his thought, word and deed.//

A person I know replied for this saying, absolutely not necessary; and removed his thread. The explanation he gave for this was, "A person who wears it is not all that great. Why should a thread differentiate me from others? Let the world consider me equally from now on..."

Three cheers for him (for thinking uniquely and rightly) on behalf of me and my blog!!!

Experience with Mrs Manirathnam-fame is not everything!

Money, fame, status, power will definitely change a person's behaviour or will definitely put in some kind of weight-to-the-head is my friend's notion after this incident happened. But i strongly disagreed to his point saying I can prove that there are people who throw away their 'everything' when it comes to maintaining a good 'attitude'. Dr.Abdul Kalam is a very down-to-earth person though he has his own international status; is what i heard and saw. But there are people who are not like that.

This incident happened when I met Suhasini Manirathnam(actor and wife of popular director Manirathnam)this week at a shopping mall when I was shopping with my friend. I initially saw her and shouted 'Hey hey, look. Its Suhasini.' My friend was astonished looking at her thinking, a big shot coming out to public places so comfortably as he said, 'Hey come lets talk to her. I want to tell her that my dad is one of her crazy fans.' I said 'OK, lets take a snap with her', as we ran towards her. She was busy taking a snap with a foreigner after which she started moving. My friend stopped her shouting her name. At least she had some courtesy in responding our call by turning back. Once my friend said what he wanted to, she(Mrs Manirathnam) did not even respond to it, and she left the place with a not-so-interested smile.

The immediate statement i got from my friend was 'We made a mistake talking to her.Good that we did not take a photo with her'. Of course, we understand it is difficult to meet hundreds of fans everyday; but a smile with a 'thank you' is not going to charge her anything is all what we concluded!

'Mom, I'm in love with Saif!'

"It is rumoured Shahid wanted to spend quality time with his girlfriend Kareena." was news on July 31st. In a span of thirty days the media people had to go mad in editing the news and re-delivering info about Miss. Kareena 'Mom, I'm in love with Saif!'

Aaj kal yea bahuth hota hai! Shahid very much expected with a 'devdas' beard in future!

When nature calls....

(Scene at Hum-Tum's Bangalore office)

Tum(guy): Wow what a weather? Shall we go for a movie today?
Hum(girl): Hey look at that building.What do you think is the idea behind this construction?(Tum turns innovative at times)
Tum: I thought I asked you something....
Hum: Oh, now leave that alone. Answer my question. I know you can't think better than me. At least make attempts in clearing my doubts.
Tum: Oh ya? now let me take a plunge...... this building? (he points at that building)
Hum: Yeah that conically-square one.
Tum: Well.....don't you know what this building is for? Dear, this is the new toilet-building at our office.
Hum: Wha........at?

Tum: Yes, see..... this building has 4 floors and one corner of the forth-floor ends as a sharp pointed structure just like a jet aircraft
Hum: Excuse me, you think I am from Venus. I know how it looks like and all. You tell me whats the purpose of this building.
Tum: From now on we got to use this buildings for our 'nature calls'.
Hum: (Imagines)!!!
Tum: Ya.....as we already have some 36 odd buildings here at our office the administration decided to construct a separate building exclusively for toilets.
Hum: But then..........this 'toilet' building has so many floors.....it looks like a modern shopping mall!
Tum: Yeah! this is built by international architects with modern facilities. Separate toilets in all floors.

Hum: Oh! but this one is far off from the first building. How will people manage to run from there and reach here when 'nature is calling them immediately'?
Tum: Good question. I knew there is no one brilliant as you are and only you can ask such tricky questions.
Hum: Yeah! even i know that.
Tum: The admin have to think about it I guess.
Hum: OK, then why does the top most floor has a pointed edge just like a rocket?
Tum: Oh that? that's for the Senior Managers!
Hum: Wha.....at? Senior managers? you mean toiletries are divided as per roles here?
Tum: Yes.First floor for engineers, second floor for senior engineers, third floor for managers, and top most floor for senior managers and dignitaries...
Hum: Oh! partiality man! so we people cant go to the top most floor then?
Tum: We can dear, when water pipelines don't work in first floor toilets we can use the ones at other floors.
Hum: Hmmm, now that's gentleman-ship!

Tum: Now, did you believe all that?
Hum: ?!?!?

Bengalooru 1 - The ultimate destination?

I have decided to write my thoughts and experiences, about the 'Garden City', 'Silicon Valley'. I have planned to pen them up in parts as the package is too huge to be presented in a small storage. As a disclaimer I would like to inform that the write up is highly MY perception about the place and has nothing to do with others belief about the place.

To start with, facts about Bangalore which I feel are the visible 'diamonds' of the 'crown' which this destination has been sworn with,

• Bangalore has highest number of pubs in India.
• Bangalore has highest number of cocaine addicts in India.
• Bangalore has the highest number of software companies in India - 212
• Bangalore has the biggest statue of Shiva & Hanuman in the world.
• Bangalore has only 42% of local population (i.e. Kannadigas). Hence a true cosmopolitan with around 20% Tamilians, 13% Telugites, 10% Keralites, 8% European-origin, 7% from other parts of India.
• Bangalore has produced the maximum number of models from a specific area.
• Bangalore was founded in 2ND Century and still has the same infrastructure drainage & sanitary systems - the oldest in the world.

* courtesy Yatish Shivaprasad

Any well-settled or settling person when asked to chose between places in India or rather south-India would opt for Bangalore as 'The Ultimate Destination'. Starting from weather, growth, accessibility, jobs, real estate, education everything is ready-made here. When facilities comes for free who would willingly opt a knotty decision. Bangalore(I love referring places as Bangalore,Madras,Bombay,Calcutta rather than their current names) has developed immensely when compared to any other place is all acceptable. But should the improvement be considered a boon or bane, as insecurity arises along with development.Ask the IT janta, and they would anytime chose Bangalore as their ultimate destination as its popularly known as the 'IT-hub'.

I am somehow reminded by 'Prathiba Murthy's' ruthless murder in Bangalore at this moment. Of course, it is not safe for a woman to travel alone in a night cab in any place for that matter. Still such a merciless killing happened only here. Technology has improved massively is what we all boast about, but these kind of cruel activities still exist.

If KSRTC(Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) had not given a job for our Shivaji Rao Gaekwad(South-Indian superstar Rajnikanth)we would have missed a legend. I know a person, who was lucky enough to travel in the bus in which Rajni was a bus conductor(bus route- Srinagara to Majestic). I remember traveling in a bus recently in Bangalore when the bus conductor actually refused to help me know where the bus goes(I could not help myself as the name boards in the buses were all written in Kannada). I later found out I was in the wrong bus and was literally begging the driver to open the automatic door of the bus in the bus stand.

To be continued...

That day !

Today when i woke up at around 8.00 a.m enjoying my holiday to its fullest, I thought about a question which used to come in my mind some years back.'Oh, why getting up so early on a holiday?'.

Some years back at around 6.00 a.m I used to wake up and get ready wearing a cleanly pressed uniform and white shoes. I used to go to school riding my cycle with my brother sitting behind. Though he was not a born barrel, the then little guy used to firmly make his back comfortable on the seat, which in turn made me exert more force to make the vehicle move. He was not given a cycle of his own until he came to his seventh class which obviously made me the victim till then.

We normally reach our school in ten minutes. Students were made to stand in many rows in front of the flag pole waiting for the chief guest to arrive. Patriotic songs, a historic play, few speeches used to be the regular agenda. I remember one such I-day celebrations ,when for an historic play I was asked to do the role of Sarojini Naidu. Not much to act though, I was the only lady amidst the guys who played Subash Chandra bose, Mahathma Gandhi etc; dressed up in an off-white saree with a black-framed spectacle. A typical 'Rang De Basanthi' kind. I had severe cold that day still managed to perform my role well. We did win the prize for the best play.

Few more years back from there, when I was still younger there were times when I was waiting for the flag hoisting to get over for those chocolates and paper flags.After a few years the level of patriotism raised to its fullest. The flag hoisting normally gets over in half-an-hour time after which we return home humming the national anthem.

Today, I saw the national flag getting hoisted - virtually, on the television screen by our leads. As time flies by we do miss certain good moments.

Phew.....!!!! not BL-5C

As the television screen was flashing "Nokia cautions users against 'exploding' batteries", not waiting a moment I grabbed my phone out of my bag and took the battery to check if it was under trouble.

During the process, dropped the mobile at least twice on the floor, went into deep thoughts listening to what the lady with the blazers was reading out on the television. Started asking myself,"Which mobile should I now go for? Too many new varieties have come in the market. Flip or slide, or the one with more pixels or the new one which no one has, at office?" As this is an unexpected investment I decided to cut down my shopping expenses this month. Like the Shrek's Donkey my mind kept on yapping within.

One of my friends who is a technology engineer never uses a mobile phone. She says she is fed up by the massive usage of it, these days. I call her the 'Lady Buddha' - sacrificing is not all that easy. After all mobile plays a vital role in every one's life. I still can't sacrifice my chocolate Feast(ice cream) and Ecstasy (dessert) when I am actually in the middle of vigorous dieting!!!