DelusionsOfPetrification

TimeSpace...!!!

2011-05-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Time. A piece of moment. A placid effect. Sometimes an illusion. Sometimes stark reality.

Time flies. We can't. And that's a reality.

Sometimes I think. Yes right. Sometimes. That there’s no stopping an idea whose time has come. Maybe that’s the reason for my restless soul these days. A lot of my time, these days, is spent revising my thoughts and trying to what I would term as- Reclaiming My Life! There’s a burning desire to do something new, to grab that illusive Golden Fleece that sadly remains just out of reach.

Maybe a new place. Maybe a new opportunity. May be a new start.Or May be an Old wine in a New bottle. A better kick this time.

I’ve been walking non-stop for a time I can't even remember. Without a sense of direction and knowing where to go next. But it’s not without purpose.

I am probably feeling like the protagonist of the motion picture 'Forrest Gump' at this moment. Except that 'He Ran'! Eventually though, it seems both of us were looking for answers that had no questions.

I take to the skies, a little wiser, a little surer about what I want from life. The entire picture is still quite hazy but at least there’s a ray of light shining through that to mark a new beginning. And for that, I’ll always be grateful to this time, space and matter.

Till I find the perfect coordinates....It's still Time!

Suddenly...!!!

2011-02-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

"Suddenly. Percursor to unannounced events. A Clout. A Myst. A Random Day. Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a split second can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that when they do, those few seconds, like the salvaged remains of a burned house-the charred clock, the signed photograph, the scorched furniture– must be resurrected from the ruins and examined. Preserved. Accounted for. Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Imbued with new meaning. Suddenly they become the bleached bones of a story....Suddenly!!!"

Management(al)-The MBA-GSD Theory

2010-06-05T02:11:00.000-07:00

"Management in all business areas and organizational activities are the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.”
- Definition by Wiki

Scene 1: Act 1:

Location: A desolated flat in Powai!

Actors: 4 Musketeers and a Ranter!

Play:

There are always Two Kinds in all aspects:

Here I am speaking of the most talked about category of Alcoholics & the often forgotten category of Workaholics…...

Well I belong to the Dividing Border!

And I was under influence……No…Not Alcohol….But Work….YES…gives you the same high…if you consider to take constant shots…just too much of it can spoil the brain…If it hasn’t been already!

So I was under the influence…when the so-called discussion started…..

‘Boss ye MBA kisi use ka nahi hai’

‘Haan yaar….pehle hi sahi tha apna…..

Btw....You know….I got to know some facts….

Like????

Ye sun…....And the sleepy musketeer started murmuring from a website he had opened…along with others which were remotely related to any management work!

* Two-thirds of world’s CEOs do not have MBA degrees

* Of the remaining one-third with MBA degrees, no more than half of them did anything great that they could not have done without the MBA!

* Of the several hundred MBAs that many of India’s best B-Schools churn out each year, no more than a third or half of them make it to the top slots (CEO and CXO jobs).

* A third of MBAs passing out of the premier B-Schools never crossed the middle management jobs

* A third of these MBAs found non-corporate jobs more exciting like teaching and research.

Ab Bol……Is it Worth??????? (Like I was the Flag bearer for the Indian MBA Education)

But then….This was My Moment!

To give a speech. To Influence. To Rant!!!!

I woke up. Stood behind the desk as a lecturer prepares for his last session after a tiring day of correcting numerous papers….

So I was standing….and I started…..

And then I Stopped….I couldn’t decide if I was in favor or against….

But What’da heck!!!

I started….

MBA…I paused….is an Optional degree….

GSD….is Mandatory…if you want to become what you want to be-come!

GSD….Abbey ye kya hai?? ( WTF is this GSD?)

Getting Stuff Done….Yes…Now that’s what I call Order-of-the-Day.

How do you do that then??? A rusky voice compelled me to look in the other direction…

My audience was listening! Good signs!

Well…as for starters You can ponder over these thoughts which some thinkers have been suggesting….

Firstly, Management as a practice has to blend a good deal of craft (experience) with a certain amount of art (insight) and some science (analysis).

Secondly, using a classroom to help develop people already practicing management is a fine idea, but pretending to create managers out of people who have never managed is a sham! (Executive MBAs, can take some solace!)

It comes through certain trends: MBAs without management experience have encouraged two dysfunctional styles in practice: calculating (overly analytical) and heroic (pretend art).

And a Great Man once quoted: Successful managing is not about one’s own success but about fostering success in others!

Ye tune bola tha kya??? And the musketeers burst into laughter!!!!!!!!

But I continued…there was More…And I was not finished…..
There is this context that MBA programs are great and helpful, but not sufficient to be successful. One has to demonstrate certain attributes and credentials to be able to make a difference.

Most of the aspirants sign up for these courses because they believe they can augment their career growth either with their current employers or possibly by changing their employer. It is some kind of hope to be CEO-ing sometime in the future with these degrees and diplomas! Nothing is wrong with the ambitions. In fact, without ambition, no progress will ever be made.
But the catch is….that ambitions will lead to success when accompanied by a right measure of two companions, viz., ability and engagement.

Pursuing an MBA is one of the wiser ways of spending time, if you did not have a job to stick on. So, registrations increase manifold. Also, many aspiring first line and middle managers going strong in their organizations also pursue executive MBAs as they perceive this as a career-expanding investment. In many progressive organizations, there are policies to encourage, nominate and reimburse for these programs as well. Long live the MBAs!

While MBA programs do serve as a “ladder to be a leader” – (Whoa that can surely be a Tagline)…my view is that it is not enough to find a ladder to be a leader, but it is important to find ladder to become a ‘result-oriented’ leader.

We can create models, cite SWOT analysis and projections, suggest strategies….and what Not!

But when it comes to the Results..MBA’s are found gasping for breath!!!

So, what exactly should We do??

Ohh No…that is not my Forte..I can Yak….But Can’t Preach….

There is no gainsaying the fact that MBAs have their role to play in accomplishing career success for their aspirants and corporate success for their employers and the multiple stakeholders. But in the absence of certain critical competencies and attributes that need to be built over time and demonstrated at work, these MBA will not help.

So Take your call….After All MBA’s are a Confused Lot! So Am I!

“Management is the Art of Getting Stuff Done”
- Definition by a Self-Professed Ranter!

An Ode to An Ol' Abode...!!!

2010-05-11T08:24:00.001-07:00

A Town asleep...
Wakes up in the misty morning...
Residents are laidback..
The wheel starts turning...
The weather...ahhh..it unfolds.
With the roads brimming with energy.
The water flows around the rocks..
The sound of temple bells..

The business is busy.
The buildings are repainted.
The signals are redone.
A smell of culture transcends...
A city is coming to Life...!!!

I proud myself in being a Weird. My hometown...even more weird.

Ranchi is a weird city. Unlike most cities in India where usually a political figure of past days occupies pristine town estate, this one has a martyr soldier of the Indian Army who has his statue in the main town plaza. Lance Naik Albert Ekka died fighting in 1971 and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. He stands tall in the heart of the town holding his rifle and in a ‘charge forward’ posture. You ought to see the statue to feel the awe.

But that is not all what makes Ranchi earn the title of ‘weird’ in an altogether different sense. The city is a highly multi-religious and multi-cultural. If the marwaris from Rajasthan run the wholesale business, the best restaurants in town are owned by Punjabis. The tribal culture is all around. Then there are folks from Bihar and Bengal who are living here for ages.

Arguably, the best Durga Puja celebrations outside Calcutta happen in Ranchi. The best part is, it is possible to get a flavour of each and every culture in this city. That, one can say is the Ranchi culture. The sense you get there is of an extremely proud and confident city.

Ranchi- where the small town laziness meets the uber culture dreams!

where the roads and the hearts get as Indian as it gets!

Proud and confident, Thats what Ranchi is...Thats what I AM!!!

Silver...!!!

2010-05-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

I believe in Silver.

This surreal color, that strikes imagination at the depths of the ocean floor.

I believe in Spaceships. I believe in Time Machines.
I am an admirer of simple moments. I am a sucker for Complex life.

I believe that thinking is the best calorie burner. I believe in dreaming - dreaming a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.

I believe that weird people are the smartest people. I believe that sometimes a cup of coffee is the answer to all my problems.

I believe that there is No tomorrow. I believe in Nirvana. I believe in miracles. I just don't depend on them!

I believe that my destiny is like a Blank paper. I write the Story!

I believe that ice-cream really did melt over my tee when I was a kid.

I believe in a God who doesn't ask me to pray.

I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies.

I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.

In spite of everything, I still believe.

I have realized that I understand life lyrically, with a certain background score.

I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me.

I let go of anything I can not transform into something marvelous. Reality doesn't impress me.

I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.

I believe in Silver. The shine in it.

And I Want that, Let the light kiss me. Let the rain beat upon my head with silver liquid drops. Let the wind sing me a lullaby. Let me live..For I believe!!!

An Alarming Thought...!!!

2010-05-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have been Alarmed!!!

Well not exactly in the sense of urgency...But rather technically....The annoying noise you hear at the wee hours of morning...no matter how much lighter and melodius of an alarm tune you put up!

I jumped out of the cozy bed....but waaait a minute....cozy????...ohh btw Did i tell you that I was visiting Home!?

So I was sayin'...

I was Alarmed...Yes....I had a Writer's Block uptil now..And then the Alarm rang!

In a sudden flash of realization words which made absolutely no sense popped around in my head like jelly beans wingle on a touch; that words, whether written, read or spoken are a form of solace for any and everyone!

Words are important when you are writing or others to read....Words are important if you are trying to express yourself...And Words are important.To keep your Blog ALIVE!!!

Words come from anywhere...

For some its reading their favourite psalm from the bible, for some its a verse from their favourite poem or a letter from their sweetheart. For a few its the comfort of spewing their emotions on paper or for that matter web space. And yet others feel better when they talk about what they are going through or maybe even talk about anything at all. Most commonly people would need to hear words of comfort.

Its so strange...the power of mere words. Although they affect the actual situation in no way. It is pleasant to drown in the relief that they provide and let them ease away all that's troubling us. But I wonder whether they are just another form of escape from actually facing the situation or do they act as medicine for the lacerations when handling life. Then again I remember... Sometimes its these very words that can leave you scarred for life!

For me..it was just another way to quickly put them down on the screen before they vanish and the escapade leaves me wondering..What Shall I Write??

Till another jolt...till another urge...till another thought...And more importantly..Till Another Alarm...Words will flow..Yet Again!

So Long....!!!

Yours truly!
-V!K$

Alas! The Last Day...!!!

2010-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Vik$. *A Philosopher awakens*

"If Today Was Your last day!"

Whether you like Nickelback or not, the lyrics to the above song are quite profound. As I was stuck till this moment, I allowed my ipod to play for a bit and stumbled upon this song. For a few minutes I stopped what I was doing and simply listened. When it was done I sighed softly as a whirlwind of thoughts invaded my mind.

How many times have you heard people around you say things such as, “I’ll organize my life tomorrow,” or “I’m not in the mood today, I’ll fix the stuff in the morning,” or “This just isn’t the right time for me, maybe tomorrow,” or even “Tomorrow I’ll tell him/her just how much they mean to me and how much I love them. Tomorrow will be our day.” And just how many of you have said similar things as well?

What if today was our last day...??? Yeah The Very Last ONE!!!

Would we feel as though we’ve accomplished what we set out to do?

Have we told those closest to us just how much we really do love and appreciate them?

Do our parents know that, despite our often rebellious natures, they did teach us well and we truly were listening? What about our spouses? Do they know we’ve never stopped loving them, and instead have fallen further in love with each passing day? That we’ve fought to live each day to the fullest, that we love them more than life itself, and that they are the greatest thing to ever grace our respective lives?

If the answer is “No” to any of those questions, we should be asking ourselves why that is. Each and every day is a blessing. But, tomorrow is not a given. All our days are numbered; therefore we should strive to live each one of them to the fullest. It goes without saying though, that life often throws curve balls our way, and that some days it’s all you can do to survive without bashing the heads in of those who invariably make us want to rant, rave and scream. But, we can at least let those we love know they are loved, and that our lives are richer because of them. We can put a smile on the face of another, be it a stranger, a friend or a family member, whether we are feeling cheery or not. Who knows? We may find ourselves in a better mood because of such actions.

Tomorrow is always an unknown. For better or worse, we never know what it may bring. Instead of putting things off we know should be done right away, why not take care of them the moment they come to mind? Organizing our lives, fixing that stuff, or taking yourself out may not be a big deal to most, but that’s hardly the point. If we so easily put off the little things, the big things will then never get done. Don’t you think your parents, your siblings, your friends, your children, and your spouses would love to know just how much they mean to you? What if you continued to put off all the things you have always wanted them to know, waiting for the perfect moment, only to wake one morning and find they are no longer with you? How then would you feel?

Well Too Cheesy on my part to rant on philosophy but Hell Yeah..its Ok in a while for me to go down the thought lane! Ponder!!!! :)

-Vik$. *The Philosopher slips into Coma*

Beer-Vana

2009-11-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

“When nothing else from the past subsists, after people are dead, after the destruction of things, smell and taste alone remain, like souls bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the vast edifice of memory.”

These poignant words appear at the beginning of In search of Lost Time, the eternal if not interminable biographical novel by Marcel Proust.Here the narrator remarks how scents possess such a strong power, unique amongst the senses, to transport you to a time in your past, often formerly forgotten episodes in childhood.
Now why am i quoting this here....may be because i am feeling a bit 'nostalgic'....naaah!!!

Ohh then may be i felt like writing on the 'five human senses'...wot crap???

Then why the heck i am writing...well the reason was simple...I have been guzzling the fluid-thy fraternity calls Beer!!!

So this is a blog after you got drunk?? You may ask....

No sir....I am well in my senses...though the writing may not give the indication...but still I am writing sane!!

Well so where to start...Ahh...there was I...I can see now...
Sitting with friends....with bottles in sight....music thumping my already weak heart....deserted mind....dry soul...
Weekend has arrived...we need to break free...
Okay i am drifting a bit....yeah...a bit.
But then..is this is what i am doing..you are in...they are in..
The music is loud....the soul's cry is lost between the drum beats...
The feets are tapping....when someone inside seems sleeping like a dead...
I raise the mug...Cheers...the folks say...
I take another sip....then another...
Ahh the moment is wonderful...I am blabbering...
You remember those days...and then those...we did that...we used to...
Hey bring some more...
Waiter could You play this request...??
Ahh the feets start again...the mind is lost in false dreams...
I know i am getting drunk...I am not!!
Its the last stages....I wonder what time it is...
Heck..its weekend yaar...forget it!!
I try to look around...hazy eyes...dim lights...flashing...deserted souls...in the corner...
where am i?? lost myself...the guy on weekdays...
This is but ME...the Real one(???)
May be its time...
Adios....goodbyes...the last drop is there somwhere in there...left alone!!
May be i ll leave now...everyone seems finished...no not him...
You done..i ask...Okay??
Yeah...am fine he says in a childish stammer...
I accompany him...hands over shoulder....
Hick...Hick...someone just rememberd you...he says!!
I laugh aloof....lets go Home ....
I just want to sleep....but was this already a dream...
I thought i was living some moments....and I just did!!!
***************************************************
On a lighter note:
"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."~ Dave Barry

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm.
Here's how it went:
"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

WARNING: The consumption of alcohol may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
So for all my friends out there....agree wid thy state or not...Cheers!!:)

P.S: Heyy did I type that much stuff...really...wen?????

********************************************************

India...Rock...and You!

2009-11-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Many cities and regions have produced collections of bands large enough to be classified as a scene within Indian rock.

One of the most notable rock music scenes in the Indian subcontinent, Kolkata delivers a diverse range folk-, metal-, jazz-oriented music. The scene culture is known to have a significant impact on the youth all over West Bengal, who have been known for their revolutionary thinking and rebellious and questioning attitude dating back to the Bengal Renaissance. A key figure of the raga rock movement, sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar himself is from West Bengal.

A major aspect of the Kolkata scene is bringing forth the variety of folk music to younger audiences in new light. However, with the exception of the band Bhoomi, metal and hard rock still dominate the scene with bands like Fossils, Cactus, Lakkhichara and Insomnia. The other significant scene in West Bengal is Darjeeling, best known for its Nepali rock.

Bands like Cassini's Division,Mantra, Grungy Morphines, Pralaya and Reincarnation have shown their talent and zest for music by winning numerous beat contests including IIT-Delhi,IIT-Kharagpur fests.Mantra- a nu metal band was selected to perform at the GIR 06.

Darjeeling has been a hub of western music and culture, mostly credited to British colonization and western influences. Jazz King of India,Louis Banks hails from the foothills of Darjeeling. A special mention of the renowned pub, Someplace Else has to be made as it is the mecca of rock music in the region.

An annual concert at the DI is called the Kolkata Jazz Festival organized by Congo Square and is said to be host to one of the most educated jazz crowds in Asia.
Delhi's music circuit has seen its share of ups and downs, but has held on largely due to the local presence of Rock Street Journal (aka RSJ). Delhi being the operational home of the Allahabad-based magazine, local bands have benefitted by the proximity to India's first magazine that (supposedly) was only about rock and metal. The Great Indian Rock festival is mostly held in Delhi, with occasional forays into Bombay, and has exposed the upcoming musicians of Delhi to a wider variety of musicians.

Of late active participation by other organisers such as Prospect A&M, Riff, and Onstage, have propelled the scene even further. Multiple gigs happen every week, with strong attendance.

Delhi's most famous products are probably Parikrama, Indian Ocean and Orange Street. Other famous bands to come out of Delhi are menwhopause,Them Clones, Killer Tomatoes, The Superfuzz, Joint Family, Prestorika, Half Step Down, Level 9, Acrid Semblance , Undying Inc.,Septic, Decibel, Feedback, Oritus, Levitikus, Cyanide, Who's Jim? and HFT. Off late, Delhi has seen a rise in bands incorporating much more contemporary western influences such as the White Stripes, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Genres like Jazz, Grunge and Nu Metal have found a strong following, bolstered by the growth of pub gigs around the city.

The past few years have seen Delhi rise as the capital of Rock music in the country. All three Campus Rock Idol tours (the biggest amateur rock competition in the country) have been swept by Delhi bands.

Prestorika in 2004, Superfuzz in 2005, and FTN in 2006-07. While Prestorika was a support act for The Rasmus' tour of India, FTN would open for Iron Maiden.
The Indian Rock scene in Bangalore brewed in its own quiet corner, coming of age gradually. Largely independent of what was happening around in the rest of the country, Bangalore bands have been quietly innovating and experimenting with various forms of music and, their achievements have been commendable so far. Home to legends like Konarak Reddy, Millennium (the band), Amit Heri, Roberto Narain & Vasundara Das, Bruce Lee Mani, Nolan Lewis, Trinity D'Souza,etc. Bangalore has been a rich breeding ground for many a young gun waiting to make a mark in the Indian music arena.

Bangalore based bands, in brief: Thermal And A Quarter is considered one of India’s most popular, talented and innovative bands. With their own signature band of invention, they create music that challenges any form of classification. Kryptos, the straight-laced, virtuoso thrash /speed metal band, became hugely popular after they came out with their brilliant debut album titled Spiral Ascent – with a music company contract, and an extensive international tour they are all set to take the word about Indian Rock to the world.

Two events Freedom Jam conducted every year on the 14th of August every year in honour of the Indian Independence Day & Sunday Jam conducted on the first Sunday of every month, both conducted by Guruskool of Music, have become the Mecca for bands waiting for a break. Both events not only provide musicians with an unbiased platform to showcase their talents but also acts as a jump-board to help them jump-start their career. Also the annual rock festival Strawberry Fields organised by the National Law School is one of the most prominent rock festivals of the country attracting a large number of bands from across the country.

The Mumbai scene is sporadic. There are gigs almost every week or two, either at Juhu's Razz or at Velocity. Razz is a great venue for gigs but the sound isn't always so great. Since shows aren't priced over Rs. 200, there always seems to be a smallish crowd of people who never fail to show up.

In the Indian subcontinent, other countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have all produced rock bands. Bangladeshi death metal bands like Severe Dementia, Barzak, Voodoo Economix, Annex, Necropolis and Dripping Gore, as well as other Bangla bands like Rockstrata, Warfaze, In Dhaka, Ashes have gained some following. Pakistan also contains many rock bands, some of which have not only gained fame in the sub-continent but globally as well.

Some of the internationally acclaimed Pakistani bands are; Entity Paradigm, Noori, Junoon, Call, Mauj, Rung etc. Being the oldest pop-rock scene, Pakistani bands and musicians lead the pop orientated rock of the Indian sub-continent.Dusk & Kainaath were the first metal bands from the country, since then Pakistani underground has seen many metal bands. The Nepali rock scene originated in the influence of westerners visiting the Nepali and Indian hippy trail. Band like Septic is a great example of friendship between Bangladesh and India. The band has members from both the countries and making a new way to think about life.

Several Indians living abroad have become famous names in rock music. The first and most famous of PIO rock stars was perhaps the late Freddie Mercury of Queen. Other examples include Kim Thayil of the group Soundgarden, Tony Kanal of No Doubt and Dave Baksh of Brown Brigade (formerly a part of Sum 41). Generally, wherever there is a significant Indian comminity, Indian origin musicians have emerged. This is both a testament to the number and size widespread overseas Indian communities, and India's strong musical traditions. The most notable band composed exclusively of PIOs is Singapore's Rudra.

Other rock musicians of Indian origin, with varying degrees of success, are:
* Tjinder Singh: Cornershop (vocals, dholaki)
* Sushil K. Dade: Soup Dragons (bass)
* Jason Singh: Taxiride (vocals)
* Jas Mann: Babylon Zoo
* Roy Venkataraman: The Wailers (guitar)
* Tanuja Desai Hidier: San Transisto (vocals)
* Kaustubh Pandav: Lucky Boys Confusion (vocals)
* Giti Khalsa: Seven Mary Three (drums)
* Miki Singh: Dragonfly (vocals)
* Ra: QED (vocals, guitars)
* Ian D'Sa: Billy Talent (guitar)
* Sameer Bhattacharya: Flyleaf (guitar)
* Roc
* Sheila Chandra

BANDS
* Joint family
* Atmosfear
* Avial
* Aurko
* Bhoomi
* Brute Force
* Bhayanak Maut
* Cassini's Division
* Chandrabindu
* Cyanide
* Colossus
* Demonic Resurrection
* Devoid
* Exodus
* Fossils
* Half Step Down
* History Makers
* Indian Ocean
* Indus Creed
* Infinite Dreams
* Insomnia
* Junkyard Groove
* Kryptos
* Legacy
* Motherjane
* menwhopause
* Moksha
* Neolithic Silence
* Parikrama
* Pentagram
* Pin Drop Violence
* Prakalp
* Psychomotor
* Rudra
* Sceptre
* Souled Out
* The LBG
* Zero
* Vayu
* Tripwire
* Turn
* Ichor
* Dry State
* IIIrd Sovereign
* Lakkhichhara
* Cactus
To sum up...i wud quote the following:
Rock music. . . is the expression of elemental passions, and at rock festivals it assumes a cultic character, a form of worship, in fact, in opposition to Christian worship. People are, so to speak, released from themselves by the experience of being part of a crowd and by the emotional shock of rhythm, noise, and special lighting effects. However, in the ecstasy of having all their defenses torn down, the participants sink, as it were, beneath the elemental force of the universe.”
Pope Benedict XVI quotes.

(Excerpts from artkerala.com)

Repetition!!

2009-11-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

A special something…..broken words yet woven thro'.....

I smell....I sniff...
the fragrance of cosmic happinesss....
a dust of haziness...
in the quicksands of time....
Some things that that made me;
and things that didn’t ...
Abstracts which attract me;
tangibles that strangulate...

Garrotted souls and scothed whispers...
a shining armour with a silver casper...

When two halves doesn’t make one ;
and no one at the horizon...
When the waiting is in the eyes…
and the sky in my hands...

When music soothes my veins,
and times when they burn...
My world in black and white,
and then the blurred colors...

When the reflection is the opposite of me,
imagination shifts...
Light years into some place else...
However, repetitions are never the same..
....repetitions will never be the same....!!!

----Vik$

2009-10-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Others Exist.

Just like I exist, and you exist. Others exist. Deal with it.

Others want to be free, to follow their own will, to create, to enjoy, to live.

There are finite things in the world. You’ll need to deal with that too. Finite space. Finite food. Finite lovers. Finite resources. Finite things.

If I was a supreme being, a God, who was stronger and smarter and everything-err, than perhaps I’d be able to live my life with complete and utter disregard for others. I’d just do with the world and others as I saw fit. I’d take everything for myself, and only share to a select few who I saw fit.

As you may know though, I am not a God. No one is a God. The whole idea of Godliness is a human invention. In reality, we are imperfect beings. We have capabilities and many incapacities. For every tall man there is the reciprocal. Same for the fat, fast, strong, smart, and healthy man. You get the point( doesn't matter if you don't....fundas alwayz shoot overhead).

Thus, even if I wanted the entire world to be mine, I couldn’t have it all. I’m telling you now, I am selfish, and want to the whole world as my own, but I cannot have it. Not because of my compassion for others, but simply because I am an imperfect being. I cannot do everything I can conceive of.

Instead of failing miserably in my attempt to hoard the world’s finite things, I decide to share. I divide. I let others have theirs, so long as I get mine. I discuss with others the best way to split things. I debate the best ways to do so. I make sure I get a fair deal, but recognize that you want your way. We eventually come to decisions. We create solutions.

There are other options than being able to have everything and sharing evenly. We could have fought it out, perhaps to the death. But for me at least, this is impractical. Most likely I’d have lost, been injured, killed.

The decision to consult with others and share the world is a choice. It is neither a deed nor a duty.

There are no duties. Life is duty-free.

Everything that we do and believe in, we do so because it is our choice.

We believe in god or gods because we want to believe in god, just as we believe in gravity because we want to.

Mainly we believe in things because these beliefs are useful to us. Useful for our individual and collective needs.

This is why I believe in sharing my thoughts by posting. Not because sharing is a duty, or some eternal truth, or a gift from god, but because sharing is useful to me and people as a whole. A sense of belonging.......very sense of BLOGGING!!!

Cheers people...Keep Sharing...!!!

-V!k$

Disclaimer: These words were written out of utter necessity to keep own's mind off from the extensive chaos happening around the writer....undertaking his marathon journey thro the country side....Shared was the space...Shared was the Transport..And Shared is this Blog!!

The Sweet Surrender...!!!

2009-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well this is not exactly what I thot of postn...coz it was rather a reply to one of my friends...but the way it turned out I thot...better paste it here too...for jus beating the ol' habit of writing!!

So here I Go..Yet Again!

The sole of wit…

Prologue:

Once upon a time - when the sun was jus setting in the west, the evening was late, and, as usual, everyone was quite fine and complex - something was unusual about it: someone was SWEET (whatever that means!). ME! 'Jusht imayjin'… I'm sweet, eh! Yeah, the repeated compliment of the kind, you see. Sweet me, I was flattered, as always. Yeah, ecstasy floated in the air, this heart was jumping around, and these fingers – well, they were relentlessly tapping on the keyboard…

Monologue:

Action (3 words) -> "You are sweet," the person said.
Contemplation (145 words) ->

OK, OK, I know that I don't know what that means but I do know that it means something good, something positive, and it's a compliment, eh!

Heard of Newton's third law? It's commonly quoted as "To every action there's an equal and opposite reaction".
This blogger is postulating another law that applies to human affairs: to every action the reaction is in direct proportion to the eccentricity of the object of action.
We are all eccentric, to different degrees though. That's why you find different people reacting differently to the same action. So, considering the eccentricity of this blogger, you might well forget about guessing the reaction.

Brevity is the soul of wit (and that's the tragedy of it…), they say. Verbosity then is the sole of wit, I guess. But you got the soul (or sole?) of it. Didn't you? (You better do!)

Here goes the reaction...My reaction (And I had exactly Two mins)

Reaction---(115 words)-->

I am a sweet fellow, I am. Of comedy or tragedy, I cannot say, come which may for I am HAPPY, that is, in either case – comedy or tragedy. Don't misconstrue me dear caller, misconstrue me not, for I am but a straightforward being and "straight" enough I am.

All the world's a beehive and I am the honey...though sometimes I am described as a Bee..which is altogether a different matter out of scope of this particular blog. (courtesy, I am Fakespeare – the Bard A1).
Hey caller, be not bugged by me for the idiotic "sweetness bug" has bit me (Spiderman 3 -> Sweetman 1, ehh?) and its bite is… well, sweet. I don't want any antivirus softwares for this VIRUS for my Vital Idiotic Resources are Under my Siege, perfectly( this acronym I chanced upon somewhere)

Epilogue:

Yeah caller, listen to the sound of 'shweetness':
Not often do we meet (people who are sweet…)/ People that we do meet
Not often do we hear / Good words…/ Good words about us/ Words that lighten the heart (so much so that it jumps around)/ That nourish the soul (so that it isn't one that terrorizes you in horror movies)/ That activate the dead (Dracula…hmm…?)/ Infuse life into them/ And get them out of their complacent bed/

What we do hear/ Are things that burden the heart/ That impoverish the soul/ That deactivate the live/ Diffuse life out of them/ And get them into their complacent bed/

Out of that bed I am/ Out of complacency I am/

And I know you'd know/ SWEET, I am. :)

To Quote someone: "What's wrong with sweetness and light? It's been around quite a while.”

-Vik$

The Lunatic Wakes Up!

2009-09-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

So I am back again.....after a self imposed break....i am back to this space....

Not many would have noticed...Not many would even notice....
Being back always feels good...but back in my mind..seems i have become more lunatic by the day....

LuNaTiC....???? is that wot i said....(Who prefers to read a post by a Lunatic after all...!!!)

Lets get clear on taht...moving along the subject.....

The dimensions of insanity are always virtuous! Is it tough to believe? Thought so…but what you will make out of it i.e., this piece which might appear very fancy but at its core, it will be hollow…and barren… (Hello..!!! Which it is not!)
But nevertheless, there is a chance of one getting impressed with abstract! The first sign of insanity?! Then please define me sanity!

Firstly, I won’t be convinced.
Secondly, even if you manage to make an almost negligible mark.

Then, Sorry, I don’t remember having such a useless thing like sanity, in the first place.

Hold on, hold on, Please don’t speak… it would spoil the illusion I have that makes you intelligent! After all, you all are perceived intelligent in the worldly view, whereas I am just trapped in the cage!
Because, the so called sane people say, I have been put into the right place!
But then, why am I blabbering.......???

Simple…look at me! I crave attention!
Indeed, I am insane…and indeed they are right!
They say, I go through the bouts of hallucination. Thinking about the things, which don’t exist?

But then, I can claim, I am creative, because, only people without imagination escape into reality!
“I just had a mischievous grin on my face.”

Another thought which striked me, If I start caring what people thought I’d never let go of my space…though, now that I am thinking to think about it, it’s a very nice option. Isn’t it?

Should I attempt caring? Let me give it a try from tomorrow!
I’m a freak in my own mind. Hehe....

That sentence is so catchy. If my doctor reads it, he will do two things- will enroll me at Oxford and publish this line in his own name.

You try an abnormal stuff...deviating a bit from the norms and lo!!...u r doomed...No one ever told me the exact reason, of why am I here!? They may say, I have lost my mental balance. I was becoming more of social menace!

I used to believe in the things, which people found unreasonable and impractical! Look, I can so clearly talk about the things which were said about me and still they say, I am insane! The fact is, I am talking all these after trying out pretty weird stuff! Am I still insane?

Oh, wait…two tear drops came out of my empty sockets! Let me rub my eyes! Oops, it’s looking so blurred…totally hazy…twinkling and dim! Giggles! :))..Yeah, that sign is good. It conveys my giggle very accurately....(though normal people wud say.....u have got COLD ..u freak!!!)

Some people also tell me that people no longer identify with my feelings, my thought process!
But, what befalls the flawless?
Why should I mould myself in other’s desired shape?
Isn’t it said that, wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are?

They, themselves did not believe it! I have a LIFE! You moron, it is in capital letter. Don’t you get it? LIFE. I did just one different thing, whenever life gave me lemons; I squeezed them in people’s eyes and ran.!(thiugh i make lemonade at times)

Was it a crime? In fact, they should have thanked me for showing them a wonderful use of lemons. But no, I am put behind this bird’s size cage. Filthy freaks!

They think, they are very smart(???)
All of them are negative. Sadist. Why don’t they understand, if they are going to be negative, they should keep it to themselves! Go, Wallow in your self pity in the freaking closet, where no one can see and no one will provide you a fake sympathy!

I cry, you also cry and that way, we both will achieve a sense of gratification. Oh, crap! My eyes and nose are running again...competing....! Where is my tissue paper!....BLOWWW...

yeah now am allrite..continue...type type type....

For me, hell’s a party and I’m on the list. The numero uno invitee. GRIN. :)). I am living my own life, for I will die my own death. By the way, why do people have to die? What purpose this inevitability serves? Oh, yes…To make life important. Tell me, how an officially declared insane person can come up with such answers! I guess, my higher education(??) paid it off.

I want to make people understand, I am insane because, otherwise I won’t survive in the outer world. This is not a matter of chance, but, rather choice.

It’s a long struggle to pick up the forgotten pieces of my existence. I don’t get the solitude in this asylum called world, when my mind used to feel like going to all those confusing roads! I miss those moments!

I tend to become homicidal when people try to reason with me!

I am going to sleep with my eyes open and a lovely heart but forever spoiled mood! They say, moods have no loyalty but still it should be heard! But they won’t! I know!

But Well in the end ...its just a page from a so called insane’s personal belongings, found dead and buried in this space!
----Vik$

12'O Clock Musings...!!!

2009-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Questions...questions...and more questions...!!! And they died Slowly!

Sometimes I feel like a 8 year old kid whose quite amused by the world around him.
Just that with time the questions have become more philosophical..or rather more weird...!!!

Let me start with the usual perception we have of the world we live in...
Are we living in a grey world? Does the conflict of black and white only exist in books, fairytales and movies? Do we really live in a world where everyone is grey?

But I wouldn't have it any other way.....

I like books and movies that reach conclusions... not necessarily happy endings... Things have a way of settling down.... however, entropy is always increasing.... chaos in the mind is ever inreasing.........

None of us are saints..... heck.... even the Gods have their eccentricities...the myths and stories are full of them..

That's why we have multidimensional personalities.... don't strive to sort yourself all the time... get with the chaos!!! Strive to be complex... strive to have it all... strive to do it all... strive to LIVE.......!! Strive to do the best... not necessarily be "good"!!

I hate the question, "Can you describe yourself in one word?".... What the hell does that mean? No Sir.. I can't describe myself in one word..... Complexities are what make us interesting... intriguing!!
Stagnating is for wimps!!!

Alright.... this is such a random trail of thoughts....... kind of apt for the point this post is trying to make!!

Ohh btw... I'm working on campus stuff ... So am gonna put a BIG Do NOt Disturb Tag n Doze off safely!

P.S: I am supposedly stuck in work....so hope to update this space as frequently as possible like before..till then take a short commercial break..Hast la Vista!!! :)

Life on Autopilot!

2009-09-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos!!
"I am Back"...as in the Terminator....Well...umm..not the exact way but yess....this time with a whole new Spanish accent(the pasta has rolled in)!!

Ok so, its usually customary that if you do not post anything for a while you outta' come back and offer an apology to all your readers who were waiting with bated breaths. But I dont have any such misconceptions, I know none of my blog readerswere waiting for my post....though I still hope some would remember this bloke!!:)

Before i start with the usual blah blah.....

DISCLAIMER: This may be a work of Fiction. Any resemblance to your life may be intentional but definitely isn't with any malice ... :)

I've always felt there are just two kinds of people in the world. Those who talk too much ... and those who aren't able to talk too much, as the first category (yappers) won't let them!

Seriously! ... I've come across many people who seem to be in love with the sound of their own voice ... and they'll ramble on and on ... and I feel like screaming -"Dude, if you love talking so much, at least say something interesting! ... or talk to someone who has similar interests!!! ... Don't persecute me just coz' I wandered into ur line of sight!"

Don't get me wrong here ... I love listening to people ... and given a choice between talking or listening, I'd rather listen(fingers crossed) ... But I'd rather give my time to friends and family and not to just about anyone ... But so many of these people just can't take a hint (or they choose to ignore the hints) ...

So I may yawn, program my cell-phone to self-destruct, tear my hair (I have lotsa them to run out) out in frustration, or just drop down unconscious ... they'll keep yapping away ... so long as I am physically present, anywhere near them ...At one point I thought I'd just ask the yappers to shut up and leave me alone ... but then I realized that I was actually benefitting from interaction with these fellas ...

1. If Patience is a muscle, I'm now a world-champion body-builder!

2. The ones who were spared of the torture coz' of me, treat with me with respect/pity/compassion ... and I don't mind it one bit! ... hehe :)

3. If I ever want to avoid someone, I quickly approach the first yapper in sight ... and he/she immediately strike up a not-so rivetting conversation ... and no one dares approach me!

4. I find that I can actually do quite a bit of work while 'listening' ... they don't really care if you are really paying attention ... they just want you to nod your head once in a while, mumble something like "yes" or "hmmm" or "I understand completely" ... So I've programmed myself such that every few minutes I nod and say one of those key-words ... they are happy and I'm none the worse for it ...

5. On account of the constant practice of nodding and saying "yes" without knowing what's happening, I think I'm perfecting the art that's practiced by all great husbands world-wide ... ;)

(No offence gals ... that's what most guys will end up doing anyways... always saying "Yes, Dear" )-------------------------------------------------

Till then..m on AutoPilot....Zoom! :)

Split Fast Musings!

2009-09-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

I’m writing this in a quick moment stolen between other things I have to do, but I wanted to share two “deep” or at least provocative thoughts with you.

They’re not my thoughts; they are ones I heard from others. So here they are:

• Life is messy. If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong. (from a book.)

• If you’re doing everything perfect, and it’s going right, it’s not crab fishing. (paraphrased from “The Deadliest Catch” a show about Alaskan crab fishers, on the Discovery Channel publication i went thro in the library.”)

So why has the Universe decided to give me this message - twice - today? Where am I playing tidy? How am I valuing neatness over exploration, passion and discovery?

Questions to ponder ....things to come....way to go...alas!!!

---Vik$

Death Can Wait...Yes Sir!

2009-09-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yes I am dreaming again....

Geez sir...offcourse...I don't know whether its in the realms of reality or in limits of my delusions of petrified thoughts.

Still I am dreaming.....Yes sir...I am consciously looking at a film that is frame by frame breezing past my sleepy eyeballs...even though the lids are closed....and then i feel it...the treacherous wind howl at me and make me shrink with fear.
I try to stand,hope all sapped; I go numb as the icy raindrops do nothing else but sneer.

I moan and moan but the demons within do not relinquish their hold.The crisp lightening strucks the sky; a moment I was a shadow, another moment a piece of gold.

A chaos erupted, for there is no greater sin than defeating thy own purpose
and then in horror, I realised that all over again I had died . . .

The dark skies echoed my feeling, or was it the void that I emoted when I sighed
The bitter aftertaste of self-deceit told me that once again I had died . . .

A crippled body could do no harm but an unbearable agony of a crippled soul had me tied...

I realised that a lifeless existence was not my way, it was better that I had died . . .The remorse of being Dead....

A sadistic pleasure acquired in the ultimate moments of truth....

I wish I had died long back.....for living without a purpose is like rolling along with your veins filled with wicked serum!!!

They say....u live so long.... “As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.”

And I know I am not yet satisfied........

"Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned."
---Emily Dickinson

Life Was Never So Good..Or was it!!

2009-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

I dont know why i feel like an international guru giving out gyaan to people most of the times...guess this is a tag i will have to do with....:)

so here i go again sharing some of my random thoughts....

I have found that just because negative seeming events occur to me, I needn’t feel negative about them. In fact, it is these events which have most often propelled me forward in life, and broken me out of old patterns I needed to walk away from. For many years I have held the philosophy that all negatives will turn around and profit me, regardless of what they are.

For example, I have been through a long series of mental obstacles, and still suffering from compulsive creativity disorder...if dats not worth..hehe.
What opportunities these brought me!

I learned to think n think n think... to adapt... to appreciate my surroundings...
though i sound like a moaning frustrated lot often to many...still i learn to hold onto my optimism...!!!

Now I have so much more to offer others! Every event without exception holds within it an opportunity for riches. I am not speaking of physical riches, though I suppose those could also be a possibility.

There is no event in our life that we can not learn from or profit from in some way. When we begin to see our life from this perspective, there is no longer any burden to carry, and we are free to be happy. When someone says something insulting to me, I know that in some way they feel intimidated by me, hurt, or personally discontent.

Why should I let what these people are going through effect me? It is almost never personal, people just react according to what is going on inside of them, not to what is really happening. So, because of this, I never worry or have fear in my communications with others. I know that if I am coming from my center, and I am being me, then their insults will fall away without effect. Life is good for me, because I don’t take everything that happens personally.

Well but thats not exactly the point i want to put across....so i change it a bit to bring my friends who really care to take pains to read this far....
Its getting better day by day,,,even though the changes may seem too miniscule.....even thogh u may drip down scuffling to find them...even though nothing seems to be going right...

I fondly remember the saying--
"If everything is coming your way...You are on the Wrong Track"

I learned a long time ago, that we often forget where we are going, and lose our way with the bustle of every day life. Maybe we started out on a journey to accomplish a dream, and on the way we met someone, and fell in love. Months or years go by, and we forget where we were headed, and what we were doing. Life can be a very meandering path that does not always lead us where we wanted to go. Sometimes it leads us to where we wanted, but we discover we don’t want to be there anymore.

Dreams can change as we change, paths no longer resemble where we walked a year prior…everything changes. This used to be cause for upset with me, I felt like life was a rollercoaster, and I could never get off. Later I came to understand it was all about surfing, and the roller coaster was really a surfboard. I learned to ride the waves, and now even the monster waves I can enjoy. Life is good, it is a sport in which I have learned flow.

Life can be so busy at times! It seems as if there will never be an end to all the things there are to do…and it’s true! How relieved I am that I will never be bored! There is no moment that is mundane, as all things are ripe with experience. There is a song playing in every instant, the frequency of the event…electromagnetic waves oscillating in rhythm and harmony to the moment I am experiencing. The song travels down the length of my body, and into my feet, and I begin to dance, even as I surf the net, type like a machine on my laptop, sit like a zombie in a chair for hours, or run down to carry on my weird tasks.

The hum of life in motion is all around me, and I can dance to the beat that resonates between it, and my own rhythm. Life is good; life is excellent. Life is real....!!!
----Vik$

I and Some Words!

2009-08-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

So i am relieved...why the people say?? Its good to be relieved...even better to be relaxed....thats when you find what you are actually writing...

So do i...when i put my fingers across the typepad out here...words...introspect...and me!!

I am thinking about...
Myself :)

I said...
what I meant!!

I want to...
fill my lungs my fresh air and listen to the sea...to run away!!

I wish...
Never to wish and pine for anything beyond here and now. This moment.

I hear…God whispering!!

I wonder...
How you and me are so close right now that you could read my thoughts and yet I would never know that you even came and stayed for a while. Took the time and smiled. Would never call after you as you dissolve in the crowd. I wonder what I am missing. I wonder if you wonder too.

I regret...
Letting them go; every single one of them...the thoughts stay one by one!!

I am...
An impressionist...yearning to be a perfectionist!!

I dance...
when nobody's watching and crying in the rain!!

I sing...
when I am romantically challenged (a way of mine to term love)

I cry...
and wait in vain for the lump in my throat to dissolve into tears

I am not always...
your dream come true (with all due modesty :-)

I make with my hands...
ink bubbles of life that float aimlessly on paper skies!!

I write...
and therefore I am!!

I confuse...
and hence was employed!!

I am...And therefore I Blog!!

I need...
Sleep. An uncrowded corner in my head.

-Vik$

Am I Audible???

2009-08-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

There's so much noise inside me.....actually Silence!!

Yeah Silence...I am perturbed!!!

The brain's getting a lot of signals and trying to tell me something...!!!

The eyes...they follow a different direction noiselessly....!!!

The ears are picking up every conversation in the vicinity...everyone's audible!

The tongue remembers the delicacies and the assortment of edibles that went into it.

The sense of smell and touch dont leave anything unsaid and add to the commotion.

The mind tries to shout out its orders above all this...

In such a time, why am I so silent...???

Maybe coz i ahve forgotten How to speak...
....to express...to rejuvenate...to rejoice and to re-live my moments....

There's a hailstorm of action within but calm reigns supreme outside. Today, we suppress our thoughts and maintain silence....

What about tommorrow when it would be possible to read or hear what eveyone's thinking?

Will I be so silent then...I can just wonder!!!

Life...Less Explained!!!

2009-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Life... a placard...slogans imprinted on a paper....raised high...the hands hold.....the person mourns....Deep in the heart... a desperate fight to win...to oppose the failure....robustness!
Often lost. always lonely. sleeps to dream. or dreams of sleep. in which prince of another world. happy in another time. star to another planet. but now. faded pictures. fairytales are stories. forgotten dreams. scarred memory. yesterday's shadow on today. no tomorrow. cannot see one today. the sun rises over an ordinary world. alas.

He often puts his hand in his pocket feeling the smoothness of the pebble. His pebble. His lucky pebble. And then out of his pocket it fell. There were many pebbles around just like it. Hurry, mother said, tugging his hand. Mom, where's my pebble. Just pick up any stone, they're all the same.
Life...mother....pebbles are all around!!!

Att-I-tude...!!!

2009-07-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a temple... a home...a shopping mall. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
---Vik$

Third Degree Life...!!!

2009-06-01T00:56:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!! Yepp..i am alive..and Noo....my keyboard has been workin' absolutely fine....(Cud have been a respite for many if it didn't)....so lemme roll my fingers again....

It's been almost one n' a half year since I started working in a corporate, and I sometimes wonder whether this is all i wanted for myself ten years ago, if I could ask myself, from all the experience that has happened.

I was somehow pushed into engineering....the 1st degree...a B.E.

Well not that i repent, i exceptionally managed well to frame myself as a scholar and spent some beautiful years moulding or rather unwinding myself.

Then soon, somewhere down the line I found myself standing here amidst the mad rush for another degree thrown in the market....the 2nd degree...the lucrative MBA!!

Not that i don't want to have that too rolled up my sleeve as every other average indian would like to....(Talk to me for a sec and I wud flash an impression as of a Wharton Graduate....but lets not talk about delusion here)

One of the things that I'd love to tell anybody who's willing to hear is that 'management' is unnecessarily overhyped. Considering how much of the work is done by managers and how much is done by the team, I'm still amazed by how much of a halo 'management' has. Sometimes, it feels like this huge illusion that has been created by management schools and managers themselves to make it feel so ultra important. It might be important, but the huge amount of bad managers belies this.

I was trying to Google for 'Egoless programming', and surprisingly there's a huge amount of material out there on this. In fact, it is a term to be used and watched out for! Wow! But when I try for egoless management, there's hardly anything! The second link talks about Michael Dell, which comes as no surprise. From the article -

"But most amazing of all to his peers is Dell's near egoless management. From the start, he has sought out gray-haired mentors to help show him the way."

Like programming, there are two tenets of management -

1. You own your own words
2. Assume good intent

Assume Good Intent also means a lot of trust. What happens in reality is so counterintuitive that it could only result from severe brainwashing! The same person who when (s)he was part of the team doing good, suddenly starts suspecting the team when they start managing! Wierd, eh? This particular point sometimes gets obliterated under huge manifestos and the many, many rules of doing management well, like the Six Thinking Hats by De Bono.

In my experience, the best managers have always used inclusive terms, like us and we, when referring to the whole team. The worst managers have always used exclusive terms, like you when talking to the team. If that's not alienation, I don't know what is!

All these thoughts about creativity, time management, and all the other jargon associated with good management, should come after these first two tenets.

Of course, there will be slackers, but the goal of management should not be to treat everyone as slackers. Rather it should be to think of everyone as trying to do their own bests.

I get the feeling that mostly managers feel that 'management' is synonymous with 'control'. Well, then they would be called 'Controllers', wouldn't they?

Recently I read an absolutely fantastic blog-post by Paul Graham called What Business Can Learn from Open Source -

Companies ensure quality through rules to prevent employees from screwing up. But you don't need that when the audience can communicate with one another. People just produce whatever they want; the good stuff spreads, and the bad gets ignored. And in both cases, feedback from the audience improves the best work.

I think the same could be said about a lot, of management!

Management should be there to guide, not control. Management should be there to listen, not talk. Management should be about seeing the bigger picture, not the nitty gritties. I think the first thing that managers should realise that if it weren't for the team, they wouldn't be there!

So much for the conventional education.....let some fresh degrees be invented that really pull us above all the bookish and rulebook shit....Till then i rather be looking for that ubiquitious 3rd degree....and i guess i found one!!

Amen!!:)

Holyy..Shhh...COW!!!

2009-05-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Just got time to update...well cudn't resist this unsolicited piece of crap...read it...quiet hilarious...:):)

HE IS THE COW. "The cow is a successful animal. Also he is 4 footed, And because he is female, he give milks, [ but will do so when he is got child.] He is same like-God, sacred to Hindus and useful to man. But he has got four legs together. Two are forward and two are afterwards. His whole body can be utilised for use. More so the milk. Milk comes from 4 taps attached to his basement. [ horses dont have any such attachment]

What can it do? Various ghee, butter, cream, curd, why and the condensed milk and so forth. Also he is useful to cobbler, watermans and mankind generally. His motion is slow only because he is of lazy species, Also his other motion.. gober] is much useful to trees, plants as well as for making flat cakes[like Pizza] , in hand and drying in the sun.

Cow is the only animal that extricates his feeding after eating. Then afterwards she chew with his teeth whom are situated in the inside of the mouth. He is incessantly in the meadows in the grass. His only attacking and defending organ is the horns, specially so when he is got child. This is done by knowing his head whereby he causes the weapons to be paralleled to the ground of the earth and instantly proceed with great velocity forwards. He has got tails also, situated in the backyard, but not like similar animals. It has hairs on the other end of the other side. This is done to frighten away the flies which alight on his cohesive body hereupon he gives hit with it.

The palms of his feet are soft unto the touch. So the grasses head is not crushed. At night time have poses by looking down on the ground and he shouts . His eyes and nose are like his other relatives. This is the cow.......!!

What's ur take???:)

Enter the Entrepreneur!!

2009-05-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

You can ask me...who I am....and I will just nod my head.

A wannabe?? I guess, lot many among you will nod with me in agreement...well few may nudge the notion....So lets discuss the word that has smitten me of late...Enter…Entrepreneurship!!

Entrepreneurship is not just a means to innovation, envisioning the impossible, or discovering new methods of productivity. It is, perhaps more importantly, also a fundamental force for change in the world. Year after year, millions of lives are improved as a result of new innovations in information communication technologies (ICTs), the education system, and the world of commerce and politics, to mention a few fields.

Entrepreneurship is a process where one identifies opportunities, gathers resources, and exploits these opportunities through action. Not only is entrepreneurship a response to the changing economic/employment landscape, it is a means for young people to learn necessary social and transferable skills that future employers seek. A young “risk-taker” learns organizational, time management, leadership development, and interpersonal skills through the development and implementation of their ideas.

Moreover, entrepreneurship by young people positive impact on the high youth (17-24) employment rate by creating a “domino effect” where, innovation creates jobs, youth entrepreneurs hire youth, increase of competition by these fledgling companies have a positive effect on the market, young entrepreneurs may be more responsive and receptive to new opportunities and trends, seeing their ideas turning into a product/service leads to great self-satisfaction, worth and confidence.

With all of the above advantages to youth entrepreneurship, one would obviously ask why there exist few young entrepreneurs with exciting “start up” companies? The answer often thrown across is --lack of capital. They say, the lack of capital is the largest constrain on the young entrepreneur. Few financial institutions are willing to loan money to a young person armed with an exceptional idea and a copious amount talent alone. Note that this does not mean that private and public institutions should hand out money to any person who wants to start their own business. A more soft policy may have positive effect such as allowing private donations (that are tax deductible) to be channeled through a not-for-profit institutions who’s objective is to advocate youth entrepreneurship.

On a personal note, I feel that its not just the Lack of capital that holds the GenNext back, rather the lack of proper temperament and ideology is what culminates into that refrained mindset of ours.

I have closely watched people shooting themselves into the risky yet enthralling new world of self reliance, a whole new world of functioning.

So someday we will really see it well formulated career path along the lines of the so called existing ones….the hope remains!!!

To end it on a relevant….or rather not so relevant note…I would quote Mr. Anonymous on this who said:

“Entrepreneurship is the last refuge of the trouble making individual.”

P.S: The author had taken a long sabbatical from blogging due to very weird reasons and is happy to be back on the "Ever Lively Space"....May Lord bestow some peace of mind on the readers now;)

The Great Indian Working Class...!!!

2009-05-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here goes an article published by Harward Business Review....worth a glance!!

When given the choice of whom to work with, people will pick one person over another for any number of reasons: the prestige of being associated with a star performer, for example, or the hope that spending time with a strategically placed superior will further their careers. But in most cases, people choose their work partners according to two criteria. One is competence at the job (Does Joe know what he's doing?). The other is likability (Is Joe enjoyable to work with?). Obviously, both things matter. Less obvious is how much they matter—and exactly how they matter.

To gain some insight into these questions, we studied four organizations selected to reflect a wide range of attributes—for-profit and nonprofit, large and small, North American and European. We asked people to indicate how often they had work-related interactions with every other person in the organization. We then asked them to rate all the other people in the company in terms of how much they personally liked each one and how well each did his or her job.

These two criteria—competence and likability—combine to produce four archetypes: the competent jerk, who knows a lot but is unpleasant to deal with; the lovable fool, who doesn't know much but is a delight to have around; the lovable star, who's both smart and likable; and the incompetent jerk, who…well, that's self-explanatory. These archetypes are caricatures, of course: Organizations usually—well, much of the time—weed out both the hopelessly incompetent and the socially clueless. Still, people in an organization can be roughly classified using a simple matrix.

Our research showed (not surprisingly) that, no matter what kind of organization we studied, everybody wanted to work with the lovable star, and nobody wanted to work with the incompetent jerk. Things got a lot more interesting, though, when people faced the choice between competent jerks and lovable fools.

Ask managers about this choice—and we've asked many of them, both as part of our research and in executive education programs we teach—and you'll often hear them say that when it comes to getting a job done, of course competence trumps likability. "I can defuse my antipathy toward the jerk if he's competent, but I can't train someone who's incompetent," says the CIO at a large engineering company. Or, in the words of a knowledge management executive in the IT department of a professional services firm: "I really care about the skills and expertise you bring to the table. If you're a nice person on top of that, that's simply a bonus."

But despite what such people might say about their preferences, the reverse turned out to be true in practice in the organizations we analyzed. Personal feelings played a more important role in forming work relationships—not friendships at work but job-oriented relationships—than is commonly acknowledged. They were even more important than evaluations of competence. In fact, feelings worked as a gating factor: We found that if someone is strongly disliked, it's almost irrelevant whether or not she is competent; people won't want to work with her anyway. By contrast, if someone is liked, his colleagues will seek out every little bit of competence he has to offer. And this tendency didn't exist only in extreme cases; it was true across the board. Generally speaking, a little extra likability goes a longer way than a little extra competence in making someone desirable to work with. [...]

Yet is such a choice unprofessional? Is it a mistake to steer clear of the competent jerk when we have a job to do? Sometimes, yes. We may forgo the opportunity to tap a competent jerk's knowledge and skills because we don't want to deal with his patronizing, brusque, or otherwise unpleasant attitude—which is arguably a modest price to pay for the valuable assistance he can provide. We may even shun the jerk simply to deny him the satisfaction of lording his knowledge over us.

Everybody wants to work with the lovable star, and nobody wants to work with the incompetent jerk.

But there are justifiable reasons to avoid the jerk. Sometimes it can be difficult to pry the needed information from him simply because he is a jerk. And knowledge often requires explanation to be useful—you might, for instance, want to brainstorm with someone or ask follow-up questions—and this kind of interaction may be difficult with a competent jerk. Furthermore, in order to learn, you often have to reveal your vulnerabilities, which also may be difficult with the competent jerk—especially if you are afraid of how this might affect your reputation in his eyes or in the eyes of others to whom he may reveal your limitations. By contrast, the lovable fool may be more likely to freely share whatever (albeit modest) information or skills he has and, without any intention of gaining an advantage, help others put them to use.
The likability bias: Pros and cons

Some people are liked pretty much universally. In other cases, likability is relative: One person's friend may be another one's jerk. This is because our positive feelings can result from people's inherent attributes or from the situations we find ourselves in with them. This distinction is important to keep in mind as we try to manage this tendency of people to favor likability over competence in their choice of work partners.

Social psychologists have long known that we like people who are similar to us; people we are familiar with; people who have reciprocal positive feelings about us; and people who are inherently attractive, either in their appearance or their personality—that is, they are considerate, cheerful, generous, and so on. Each of these sources of personal likability can contribute, for better or worse, to the formation of an informal network.

For Better. That we like people who are similar to us—for example, in their background, their beliefs, their interests, their personal style—is one of the most solidly documented findings in the social sciences. After all, these people make us feel good because they reaffirm the validity of our own characteristics and attitudes. But there's a business, as well as a psychological, benefit when similar people choose to work together: Their similar values, ways of thinking, and communication styles help projects flow smoothly and quickly.

Benefits also result when we work with people who aren't necessarily similar, but are familiar, to us. When you launch into a task with those you already know, you don't waste a lot of time figuring out what to expect from them or explaining what you mean every time you say something. In addition, because you are usually relatively comfortable with individuals you know, you're likely to be more accepting of their differences.

We also like to work with people who seem to like us. This can produce a virtuous circle in which everyone is more open to new ideas, more willing to help, and more trusting than would typically be the case. A similarly positive environment can be created if you work with someone who has an attractive personality—someone who is empathetic, for example, or generous. You know that you'll have liberal access to her intellectual resources, however abundant or modest they may be, and are likely to reciprocate by freely sharing your own knowledge.

And a person who is physically attractive? Well, in such a case, the job you do together can be, in some indefinable way, simply a bit more enjoyable than usual.

For Worse. One of the greatest drawbacks of choosing to work with similar people is the limited range of perspectives that a homogeneous group often brings to bear on a problem. A diverse collection of colleagues—whatever the tensions and misunderstandings that arise because of their differences—provides an array of perspectives that can lead to truly innovative approaches to accomplishing a task.

Even groups composed not of similar souls but merely of people who are very familiar with one another miss the chance to integrate the fresh perspective that new players bring to a project. Working with the same old colleagues can also dampen debate: People may hesitate to challenge or reject a bad idea put forward by someone they know and like.

A diverse collection of colleagues provides an array of perspectives that can lead to truly innovative approaches.

There is also an obvious downside when we gravitate toward people because they like us or because they are pleasant to work with. These individuals, however terrific they may be, aren't necessarily the ones most suited to tackling the task at hand. The required expertise or knowledge may lie elsewhere, in someone who in fact doesn't like us that much or isn't attractive.

One other danger of people working primarily with those they like: They may simply have a good time and get nothing done. An experienced venture capitalist recalls the case of a very capable manager who hired individuals based on his personal affinity with them. "His team had a great time going out for a beer, but the quality of their work was seriously compromised," says the dismayed investor. "If you keep hiring only people you like, you can kill a company."

The objective, therefore, is to leverage the power of liking while avoiding the negative consequences of people's "affect-based choice"—to use the psychological term—of work partners. Keep in mind that we're not talking here about formal work relationships: You work with your boss and your direct counterparts in other divisions whether you like them or not. We're talking only about people's choices of informal, though work-related, interactions. Even so, that doesn't preclude executives from doing some things that will positively affect those interactions and the often task-crucial informal networks that grow out of them.

Mr. Immortal……It’s ur lAsT dAy!!!

2009-05-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream.

So here I go again typing at my weirdest best……thoughts which just pop out of my brain now and then…this time the very core of self induced boredom despite the day job!!

Was wondering what all humans tend to grow up believing.

We think we're immortal, don't we?

I mean, how many times has it been when you've gotten up in the morning and said to yourself - "Today's the last day of my life". Have you? Ever? (Please don't suggest I use Prozac. This is an intellectual conversation, not a humorous one!) Say you know for sure, today's going to be your last day. What would you do different?

Different…I said!!

Would you still hit that snooze button? Would you still plan your day ahead from the moment your eyes open? Would your brain keep goading you to get up while running down things to do for the day even before you opened your eyes? Would you?

Would you be always 30 minutes ahead inside your head until you reached your office desk? And then heave a sigh and switch on your computer and check your mail? Would you then get totally immersed in trying to resolve issues cropping up? Until about 10 in the morning when your brain says, "C'mon, let's take a coffee break"?

And then go through meetings acting knowledgeable when you knew they were a sheer waste of time? Would you then go through lunch talking about inconsequential things while fulfilling the most basic of human needs?

And then when it's late afternoon, would you start planning for the evening? What are the errands to run? What are the groceries to buy? Why not catch up on that movie you've been wanting to see? Would you go home and browse some more and switch on the TV?

And then, finally, when your head touches the pillow, what do you think? A good day? A bad day? What are the things to be done tomorrow?

Is this life?

Living, as it were, in the future, all the time? An automaton? Well worse. At least an automaton doesn't get frustrated!

So, my question is, if today is the last day of your life. What are you going to do different?

Smell the flowers? Feel the breeze? Tune in that rusty guitar?? Okay, okay, we've all done that, haven't we? Sometimes it's a birthday, sometimes it's the New Year's Day. Sometimes, the first day of a well deserved holiday. But these don't qualify.

How would you do the same things that you would do otherwise differently?

Would you wake in the morning and sleep for another half an hour without feeling guilty? Would you get to work late and say honestly, "I was having such a wonderful early morning, peaceful nap that I didn't want to give it up". Would you enjoy the first coffee of the day slowly and leisurely so that the feeling lasts the whole day? Would you eat lunch not just for filling your stomach but to cherish each morsel you put in your mouth? Would you walk out of office in the evening and look up and think "What a wonderful day I've had". Would you have an evening of love and laughter and no technology?

And when you put your head on your pillow, would you smile and say to yourself "I've had a great life. I can die peacefully now".

If today was my last day, I would do things differently, wouldn't I?

Wouldn't I?

To end up with the usual style of quoting some great thoughts....I wud add...

“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”

11 takes on Truth...!!!

2009-05-20T16:18:00.001-07:00

Truth...and Nothing but the truth!!!

And here is what i came across...diferent perspectives of TRUTH...Read On...

Abraham Lincoln: How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.

Rabindranath Tagore: We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.

Noam Chomsky: It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies.

Friedrich Nietzsche: And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.

Max Planck: It is not the possession of truth, but the success which attends the seeking after it, that enriches the seeker and brings happiness to him.

Mark Twain: Always tell the truth. That way, you don't have to remember what you said.

George Bernard Shaw: New opinions often appear first as jokes and fancies, then as blasphemies and treason, then as questions open to discussion, and finally as established truths.

Isaac Asimov: [W]hen people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.

Marcus Aurelius: If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.

Galileo: All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.

Buddha: Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. [paraphrased]

But then i overheard someone...." Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.”..and i cudn't stop wonderin'...!!!

The Case of a Missed Call that was Never made!!!

2009-05-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well Shifts....shifts and more shifts...!!!
With me dwindling between the various time zones, keeping track of things is getting more and more difficult!!

Something unthinkable happened today - jus once.I missed out on pocketing my cellphone while stepping out of my home to catch the cab to office in the wee hours of morning.

Now don't get me wrong - I am not a mobile fanatic. Nor do I hate it the way some people seem to do. I find it an extremely useful tool (especially when you are locked out of your house and your flatmate is at his office and you don't have his mobile number in YOUR memory but only in the phone memory), though it might become an irritant at times. But there again the fault lies with the users, not the instrument or the service, isn't it?

Anyway, the crux of the matter is that I was without my phone for about an hour in the morning, and no one missed me! No missed calls, no sms'es waiting for a reply. I am still to fathom out its impact on my ego. It does seem that the world can go about its business for substantial length of time without missing me. Taking a detached view of it, it does seem that one of the sources of self-esteem can be the number of people who call you on your mobile. Coming from my measurement oriented world, I wonder whether I can design a dashboard on self-esteem through mobile usage. We can divide the calls in three categories - personal, professional, and third-party (credit cards etc.). The calls you make or the calls that are being returned won't count. The number of points for each type of call will vary by the time of the day - during office hours, personal calls will get a higher weightage than professional calls, and vice versa. Professional calls during dinner, weekends and holidays will be absolute chartbusters. Calls from bankers and stockbrokers will rate higher than calls from the grocery store (asking for payment). Calls from a dentist will bring in more points than from, say, a gastroenterologist. And calls from spouses will be more precious than those from lovers (unless of course, its a call from a lover AFTER your marriage). And number of years of marriage should definitely be a factor - a call from a year-old wife is not quite the same as that from a 5-year old one, isn't it?

So at the end of it all, we can have a score published for every mobile user - some index similar to, say, wealth or popularity. Wotsay! Of course, from my unpredictable experience today, I doubt I will be anywhere in the table at all.....need to start thinking of how to rig the system.

In the meanwhile...Did you folks checked upon ur cellphone all this while???:)

Art...Thou Shall Love It!!!

2009-05-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

"There is no art without intoxication. But I mean a mad intoxication! Let reason teeter! Delirium! The highest degree of deliriumm! Plunged in burning dementia! Art is the most enrapturing orgy within man's reach.. Art must make you laugh a little and make you a little afraid. Anything as long as it doesn't bore."
Jean Dubuffet

Art---Defined in many possible ways...perceived and performed in numerous styles...themes....but the essence remains the same....
To write music with words,
To capture words with light,
To paint philosophy with the brush of your mind..
Art is a medium branched out to many more mediums which expresses the single medium.
Some of us use words, some of us use light, all to the same effect, to break through barriers to reach the single medium, to become one with art.
But the challenge is to trascend mediums and combine the unlikely, using Art to achieve Art.
Perhaps we could have a photo with a painted version of it, and a poem to go with it, with music at the background, and philosophy to explain it all.
Sounds powerful ain’t it? That’s Art.

Well captured is the essence of it in this quote--
"Art should astonish, transmute, transfix. One must work at the tissue between truth and paranoia." Brett Whiteley

delusionsofpetrification

2008-11-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

The Bihari Paradox!!!

2008-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00
This is no story. No poetry. No rhetoric. No literature. What follows is a thought...an aftermath of what's happening with the so called Biharis (okkay generically speaking the "uttar bharatiyas") leading to a retrospect of my own self. Just that. Think about it. Well I did a lot!!

I am a non-believer of nationality or for that matter sub-nationalism. Patriotism for me seems to be a vague term invented to validate the lines drawn on this piece of planet we dwell in.A work of art of a very narrow minded person who failed to see the bigger picture!! But thats another philosophy of mine. Let's leave that apart!

Okkay so lets bring in some patriotism inside...jus' for the sake of writing this post...Yes I feel it now...I am an Indian...first and foremost ( though I would rather prefer a sense of belonging to this universe as a whole).

Well that wudn't make an interesting post...So lets start it with the tag..I am a BIHARI!!!....Well I was born one...that is one of the cornerstones of my existence. Though I really flip the bird and moon at it!

So where could this Bihari could have headed 6 years ago, given the current scenario....I was simply thinking!

---stayed on in Bihar...shot dead by one of the extremist groups on caste basis??

---Migrated to Gujarat as a Poor Muslim..Butchered??

---Killed in Assam insurgency??

---Kashmir..now cumm'on...that can't even support its native folks!!!

---or an illiterate immigrant labour trying to meet his ends in Maharashtra....thrashed within inches of his life for doing that!!

Luckily I am here..shut down emotinally and mentally in a cubicle...after a descent technical education and a job to suffice my current needs.I agree....an engineer has no such sub-nationalism...an IT engineer..even more so...after all we all are slaves of Uncle SAM n company and he doesn't differentiate a Bihari from a Marathi Manoos a But the question still remains..what iff!!

A common misconception about Bihari students has been that: He is good for only two things. He can be a good student, religiously toiling away, burning midnight oil and whatnot, score high and ultimately steal white collar jobs from the local population of the city he decides to settle in OR He can be a bloody gunda, eve-teasing, politicizing, intimidating and bullying, rambunctious as hell, the root of all evil.

But there is also a third kind, like Me...decent law abiding, harmless creatures...who do not spit, do not study ; do not eve-tease, do not pray at the drop of a hat; do not create ruckus, do not fade away in silence!!

The munificent compliments that I receive on account of my being fairly fluent in the English language (*With excerpts from mine as well as my friends' experiences that has also been blogged before) , or due to the absence of the accent which every Bihari is supposedly born with, or (and this is the best of all) my uncanny un-bihari looks ( what the hell is a bihari supposed to look like ? Dark, emaciated, hair dripping with mustard oil, or what? I mean WTF! ) :-

1. You don’t look like to you are from Bihar – Me: I underwent plastic surgery OR Why is that? Do Biharis have horns on their heads? OR I am a Punjabi who was born in Mumbai; my parents were averse to the rich cosmopolitan culture of that great city, so they relocated.

2. Your English is too good for a Bihari – Well, is that so?? I am sorry; my parents forced me to go an English medium school, which unfortunately had decent teachers.

3. You don’t sound like a Bihari, you don’t speak with an accent - Me: Speech therapy? Larynx transplant? Accent training? My answer depends on the dumbness of the questioner .

4. The way you cuss and swear, it is not very Bihari - Ohh boy...You shud hear me out..I curse, in my best Bihari.

5. Sir, aap Bihar se hain, lagta nahi hai (Sir, It doesn’t seem that you are from Bihar). This one came from a junior who was in my college to I : Me- An expression of incredulity and bewilderedness on my contorted face, mentally hurling abuses at him , and a really big WTF , when I was alone .

6. Man, you should be the Brand Ambassador of Bihar, given that you are so different from the average bumpkin: Hell Yeah. Why not? Moron!

7.Offshoot of # 2 -A Lady, in a train journey, to me – I am an English professor, have heard a lot of Biharis making a mince out of the Queen’s language, but not you - Me: When I was young my mother burned a Webster, a Wren n Martin and a few of the Classics, dissolved the ashes in the holy water from Thames and made me drink it. This is a tried and tested technique; it has worked for my sister as well. (Do not attempt this at home!)

8.Another Offshoot of # 2 - Do they have English schools in Bihar? ( An interviewer to my friend, apparently surprised at his command of the English language ) - Me(Had I been there) : No, I went to Eton for my schooling, and then I came back to India to complete my education , you JACK*** !

Maybe I should blush coyly and express my gratitude the next time somebody says something like the aforementioned. The Bihari Paradox is still unanswered!!!

With these words...the BIHARI in me has vented out his feelings....Control back to Mr. Vik$..the familiar weirdo!!!:)

---A Bihari has signed off!!!!!!

Life on AutoPilot...!!!

2008-10-18T23:22:00.000-07:00
Hola Amigos!!
"I am Back"...as in the Terminator....Well...umm..not the exact way but yess....this time with a whole new Spanish accent(the pasta has rolled in)!!

Ok so, its usually customary that if you do not post anything for a while you outta' come back and offer an apology to all your readers who were waiting with bated breaths. But I dont have any such misconceptions, I know none of my blog readerswere waiting for my post....though I still hope some would remember this bloke!!:)

Before i start with the usual blah blah.....

DISCLAIMER: This may be a work of Fiction. Any resemblance to your life may be intentional but definitely isn't with any malice ... :)

I've always felt there are just two kinds of people in the world. Those who talk too much ... and those who aren't able to talk too much, as the first category (yappers) won't let them!

Seriously! ... I've come across many people who seem to be in love with the sound of their own voice ... and they'll ramble on and on ... and I feel like screaming -"Dude, if you love talking so much, at least say something interesting! ... or talk to someone who has similar interests!!! ... Don't persecute me just coz' I wandered into ur line of sight!"

Don't get me wrong here ... I love listening to people ... and given a choice between talking or listening, I'd rather listen(fingers crossed) ... But I'd rather give my time to friends and family and not to just about anyone ... But so many of these people just can't take a hint (or they choose to ignore the hints) ...

So I may yawn, program my cell-phone to self-destruct, tear my hair (I have lotsa them to run out) out in frustration, or just drop down unconscious ... they'll keep yapping away ... so long as I am physically present, anywhere near them ...At one point I thought I'd just ask the yappers to shut up and leave me alone ... but then I realized that I was actually benefitting from interaction with these fellas ...

1. If Patience is a muscle, I'm now a world-champion body-builder!
2. The ones who were spared of the torture coz' of me, treat with me with respect/pity/compassion ... and I don't mind it one bit! ... hehe :)
3. If I ever want to avoid someone, I quickly approach the first yapper in sight ... and he/she immediately strike up a not-so rivetting conversation ... and no one dares approach me!
4. I find that I can actually do quite a bit of work while 'listening' ... they don't really care if you are really paying attention ... they just want you to nod your head once in a while, mumble something like "yes" or "hmmm" or "i understand completely" ... So I've programmed myself such that every few minutes I nod and say one of those key-words ... they are happy and I'm none the worse for it ...
5. On account of the constant practice of nodding and saying "yes" without knowing what's happening, I think I'm perfecting the art that's practiced by all great husbands world-wide ... ;)
(no offence gals ... that's what most guys will end up doing anyways... always saying "Yes, Dear" )-------------------------------------------------

Till then..m on AutoPilot....Zoom! :)

The Divine Cup...!!!

2008-10-14T12:44:00.000-07:00
So they have come up with a ban on smoking at “Public places”……not that I regret…..I have always been a non-smoker…a hard core one…..not like the ones who occasionally have one or two sticks popped in at the vehement request of their best friends for the company!!

So how did I react to the recently imposed law?? Naturally…I welcomed it to the core of my “healthy heart”…….but then it made me have a good look at the self contradictions and analogy of an addiction I had with the “Nicotine” addiction the Smoker Community folks were having.
Yes. I am addicted too…”addicted to Caffeine”……..too close to be a teetotaler.

The smoker fraternity would as well like to call it the Divine Stick (well I dread if this post will someday be read by Mr. Ramadoss)……..I have my Divine Cup!!!!
I wasn’t always a coffee snob. When I started drinking coffee in college, I did so for purely utilitarian reasons. It was part of a desperate plan to improve my plummeting academic grades. I figured that staying awake during class would be a key step in this effort. It didn’t help–either with nap-prevention or with my grades. But thank GOD my gray cells were quite developed to sustain me in the acads…..whew!!

One important thing I did learn during that semester was that there are few beverages more repulsive than hazelnut/caramel-flavored instant coffee. To this day, whenever I get a whiff of hazelnut flavoring I’m hit with a sudden wave of nausea, followed by an odd compulsion to pen down the very intricate chunks of Horatian Ode.

After my amateur years of Coffee Companionship college years, I began my journey toward a full-fledged caffeine habit, taking tentative steps toward the grown-up world of real coffee consumption.

Now I was really into the metamorphosis of becoming a connoisseur of this divine beverage.
I sometimes wonder..."Had I been allowed to gulp so many gallons by now if I would have belonged to the fairer sex...considering the taboo it brings along, in an Indian set up...Girls are seldom advised.....or shall I say....allowed....to take such huge proportions of a beverage that doesn't seem to go well with their toned complexion!!:)

Well I had no such restrictions...So I carried on the journey of fulfillment of my senses...
The random spots of my trysts with Coffee soon become a full time job. I started wondering whether I was drifting away too much ……..the day started, continued and ended with the cup in hand!

Well you can’t compare nicotine and caffeine in the same sense……just bcoz the terms phonetically rhyme!!!

The National Coffee Asociation reports that I am in good company----a major populace of Indians drink coffee. And in this respect, we are decidedly global, international, and cosmopolitan---we help consume the 400 billion cups of coffee that are consumed each year worldwide.

For those of us who depend on coffee to stoke our productivity and fuel our creativity, coffee drinking is serious business. Coffee is a liquid prism through which we view the events of our lives—drop by drop, cup by cup, and pound by pound. It’s important to be awake for the critical moments in life---and even seemingly mundane moments can be critical when each moment builds towards something better. Coffee is the drink of optimism. Drink coffee, be happy.

Because life happens when you're awake…!!!

"For I have known them all already, know them all -- have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”- T.S. Eliot

*This post was typed in utter boredome arising out of an extended waiting period at one of the so many CCD's mushroomed across the city...while I was waiting for my friend who finally turned up to comment on the same*

- Vik$ (off to a coffee break)

"AND"

2008-07-22T12:11:00.000-07:00
"And"
Paragraph three starts with a conjunction, "and." You should never start a sentence with a conjunction.- Sure you can.- No, It's a firm rule.No. It was a firm rule. Sometimes using a conjunction at the start of a sentence makes it stand out. And that may be what the writer's trying to do.And what is the risk?Doing it too much. It's a distraction and could give your piece a run-on feeling.But the rule on using "and" or "but" at the start of a sentence is pretty shaky. Even though it's still taught by too many professors.Some of the best writers have ignored that rule for years, including you.Well, you've taken something which was mine......and made it yours. Quite an accomplishment.
Thank you.
-- Sean Connery/Rob Brown in the movie "Finding Forrester

The GreaT IndiaN WorkinG ClasS...!!!

2008-04-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

Here goes an article published by Harward Business Review....worth a glance!!

When given the choice of whom to work with, people will pick one person over another for any number of reasons: the prestige of being associated with a star performer, for example, or the hope that spending time with a strategically placed superior will further their careers. But in most cases, people choose their work partners according to two criteria. One is competence at the job (Does Joe know what he's doing?). The other is likability (Is Joe enjoyable to work with?). Obviously, both things matter. Less obvious is how much they matter—and exactly how they matter.

To gain some insight into these questions, we studied four organizations selected to reflect a wide range of attributes—for-profit and nonprofit, large and small, North American and European. We asked people to indicate how often they had work-related interactions with every other person in the organization. We then asked them to rate all the other people in the company in terms of how much they personally liked each one and how well each did his or her job.

These two criteria—competence and likability—combine to produce four archetypes: the competent jerk, who knows a lot but is unpleasant to deal with; the lovable fool, who doesn't know much but is a delight to have around; the lovable star, who's both smart and likable; and the incompetent jerk, who…well, that's self-explanatory. These archetypes are caricatures, of course: Organizations usually—well, much of the time—weed out both the hopelessly incompetent and the socially clueless. Still, people in an organization can be roughly classified using a simple matrix.

A research showed (not surprisingly) that, no matter what kind of organization we studied, everybody wanted to work with the lovable star, and nobody wanted to work with the incompetent jerk. Things got a lot more interesting, though, when people faced the choice between competent jerks and lovable fools.

Ask managers about this choice—and we've asked many of them, both as part of our research and in executive education programs we teach—and you'll often hear them say that when it comes to getting a job done, of course competence trumps likability. "I can defuse my antipathy toward the jerk if he's competent, but I can't train someone who's incompetent," says the CIO at a large engineering company. Or, in the words of a knowledge management executive in the IT department of a professional services firm: "I really care about the skills and expertise you bring to the table. If you're a nice person on top of that, that's simply a bonus."

But despite what such people might say about their preferences, the reverse turned out to be true in practice in the organizations we analyzed. Personal feelings played a more important role in forming work relationships—not friendships at work but job-oriented relationships—than is commonly acknowledged. They were even more important than evaluations of competence. In fact, feelings worked as a gating factor: We found that if someone is strongly disliked, it's almost irrelevant whether or not she is competent; people won't want to work with her anyway. By contrast, if someone is liked, his colleagues will seek out every little bit of competence he has to offer. And this tendency didn't exist only in extreme cases; it was true across the board. Generally speaking, a little extra likability goes a longer way than a little extra competence in making someone desirable to work with. [...]

Yet is such a choice unprofessional? Is it a mistake to steer clear of the competent jerk when we have a job to do? Sometimes, yes. We may forgo the opportunity to tap a competent jerk's knowledge and skills because we don't want to deal with his patronizing, brusque, or otherwise unpleasant attitude—which is arguably a modest price to pay for the valuable assistance he can provide. We may even shun the jerk simply to deny him the satisfaction of lording his knowledge over us.

Everybody wants to work with the lovable star, and nobody wants to work with the incompetent jerk.But there are justifiable reasons to avoid the jerk. Sometimes it can be difficult to pry the needed information from him simply because he is a jerk. And knowledge often requires explanation to be useful—you might, for instance, want to brainstorm with someone or ask follow-up questions—and this kind of interaction may be difficult with a competent jerk. Furthermore, in order to learn, you often have to reveal your vulnerabilities, which also may be difficult with the competent jerk—especially if you are afraid of how this might affect your reputation in his eyes or in the eyes of others to whom he may reveal your limitations. By contrast, the lovable fool may be more likely to freely share whatever (albeit modest) information or skills he has and, without any intention of gaining an advantage, help others put them to use.

The likability bias: Pros and cons
Some people are liked pretty much universally. In other cases, likability is relative: One person's friend may be another one's jerk. This is because our positive feelings can result from people's inherent attributes or from the situations we find ourselves in with them. This distinction is important to keep in mind as we try to manage this tendency of people to favor likability over competence in their choice of work partners.

Social psychologists have long known that we like people who are similar to us; people we are familiar with; people who have reciprocal positive feelings about us; and people who are inherently attractive, either in their appearance or their personality—that is, they are considerate, cheerful, generous, and so on. Each of these sources of personal likability can contribute, for better or worse, to the formation of an informal network.

For Better. That we like people who are similar to us—for example, in their background, their beliefs, their interests, their personal style—is one of the most solidly documented findings in the social sciences. After all, these people make us feel good because they reaffirm the validity of our own characteristics and attitudes. But there's a business, as well as a psychological, benefit when similar people choose to work together: Their similar values, ways of thinking, and communication styles help projects flow smoothly and quickly.

Benefits also result when we work with people who aren't necessarily similar, but are familiar, to us. When you launch into a task with those you already know, you don't waste a lot of time figuring out what to expect from them or explaining what you mean every time you say something. In addition, because you are usually relatively comfortable with individuals you know, you're likely to be more accepting of their differences.

We also like to work with people who seem to like us. This can produce a virtuous circle in which everyone is more open to new ideas, more willing to help, and more trusting than would typically be the case. A similarly positive environment can be created if you work with someone who has an attractive personality—someone who is empathetic, for example, or generous. You know that you'll have liberal access to her intellectual resources, however abundant or modest they may be, and are likely to reciprocate by freely sharing your own knowledge.

And a person who is physically attractive? Well, in such a case, the job you do together can be, in some indefinable way, simply a bit more enjoyable than usual.

For Worse. One of the greatest drawbacks of choosing to work with similar people is the limited range of perspectives that a homogeneous group often brings to bear on a problem. A diverse collection of colleagues—whatever the tensions and misunderstandings that arise because of their differences—provides an array of perspectives that can lead to truly innovative approaches to accomplishing a task.

Even groups composed not of similar souls but merely of people who are very familiar with one another miss the chance to integrate the fresh perspective that new players bring to a project. Working with the same old colleagues can also dampen debate: People may hesitate to challenge or reject a bad idea put forward by someone they know and like.

A diverse collection of colleagues provides an array of perspectives that can lead to truly innovative approaches.

There is also an obvious downside when we gravitate toward people because they like us or because they are pleasant to work with. These individuals, however terrific they may be, aren't necessarily the ones most suited to tackling the task at hand. The required expertise or knowledge may lie elsewhere, in someone who in fact doesn't like us that much or isn't attractive.

One other danger of people working primarily with those they like: They may simply have a good time and get nothing done. An experienced venture capitalist recalls the case of a very capable manager who hired individuals based on his personal affinity with them. "His team had a great time going out for a beer, but the quality of their work was seriously compromised," says the dismayed investor. "If you keep hiring only people you like, you can kill a company."
The objective, therefore, is to leverage the power of liking while avoiding the negative consequences of people's "affect-based choice"—to use the psychological term—of work partners. Keep in mind that we're not talking here about formal work relationships: You work with your boss and your direct counterparts in other divisions whether you like them or not. We're talking only about people's choices of informal, though work-related, interactions. Even so, that doesn't preclude executives from doing some things that will positively affect those interactions and the often task-crucial informal networks that grow out of them.

The DreamGod Guitarist...!!!

2008-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Prologue(The Dream):

The lights dimmed; the crowd began to hush. As He walked onto the stage, He saw that the club was packed with people. The butterflies in His stomach awoke and began fluttering about, and He felt the urge to turn and run off.
In a dreamlike trance, He picked up my bass guitar and strapped it around His neck. A spotlight cut through the darkness and focused upon the stage, blinding Him momentarily. He heard the drummer begin a four count. Suddenly the club came alive, and resounding music filled the Whisky-A-Go-Go, where twenty-five years earlier, The Doors had begun their musical career. An exhilarating sense of humility and wonder came over Him as He thought, "How did I get here?"

Epilogue(The Life):

Till yesterday,
He was another face in the crowd
Another body grinding in the surging mass of humanity
Today,
He remains the same
Separated, yet a part of the populace
Respected, yet often misunderstood
Loved, yet often loathed
Adored, yet left alone in a sea of millions
Fulfilled, yet heartbroken
Practical, yet daydreaming
He tries to write, and knows that his words mean much more now and so does his music..the strings...
For he doesn't know the difference between a 'guitar' and a 'pen'....
He starts writing, and he knows that life isn't the same anymore
He continues writing, and realises that he is happy to be a normal person, yet, some shackles stop him from doing as he wishes
He concludes writing, and rues the fact that in spite of his love for writing, his work keeps him away from it, for months together
He knows that he will write again. Love has a way of bringing things around...
He plays His guitar again.....That was a dream....But It will materialize...Soon....yeah soon....
Till tomorrow comes...!!!

P.S: This post has basically been written with rather no motif.....mostly to apprehend the sabatical taken from this space by the blogger....and it shall be understood in the same way..that is..in case...if any soul chances across these words..:)

Me...God and Communicator!!!

2007-11-19T00:06:00.000-08:00
*Another fine day @ Office. Me at my desk(Now My Desk is certainly a misnomer here..??).And wot I do next is I Log in the communicator.

And lo…. God Just Signed in*

God says: Heyy dude…
Vik$ says: hey there…
God says: lol
Vik$ says: ???
God says: u know who i am?
Vik$ says: sure. you’re the big guru.
God says: lmao, got that right!!!
Vik$ says: So what’s up?
God says: nothing much. Wot abt u?
Vik$ says: Ahh jus d same.
God says: …so, got any questions for me…I jus thot u wanted to talk to me?
Vik$ says: i guess… is that why you’re talking to me?
God says: sure. Lolz!!
Vik$ says: ok. well, i guess the biggest one right now would be: why are you talking to me?
God says: why not?
Vik$ says: seems kind of random. i mean, i don’t even believe in you. usually you appear to people who already preach about you 24/7….
God says: yeah… i’m kind of tired of those guys. they’re mostly psychics and spin doctors, so i figured i’d try something different today
Vik$ says: is that why you’re using Communicator, instead of the preferred “visions” methods?
God says: how do you know this isn’t just a vision?
Vik$ says: …touche, God.
God says: lolz!!
Vik$ says: but seriously, why me: an atheist…and dat too a Satyamite? why not a Monk or Buddhist or Hindu or a Googler 4 example(they are almost next to you)?
God says: y would i appear before them? i’m looking for a change here. they already believe in me.
Vik$ says: They believe in you?? even the Google guyz??? since wen??

and how so?
God says: at the core, all spiritual beliefs are the same. they’re about knowing deep down that there is something more out there, some sort of presence, and framework, guiding a universe that feels too complex to be random….
Vik$ says: i see, but they all believe different things…
God says: the core is the same, and that core is me. to some, i am more than one being. to others, i have more eyes or limbs. some even believe that i have no physically recognizable form. the interpretations may vary, but my existence is constant….
Vik$ says: ok, but if this is true, why all the fighting in hatred done in your name? it’s kind of pointless if they’re all fighting for the same side…Look at the recent Bomb blasts….hyderabad, ajmer and chandigarh…now wots next??
God says: lol, don’t go pinning that on me. and yes, it’s completely pointless. the fact that they commit these atrocities in my name pisses me off to no end…
Vik$ says: then why don’t you stop it?
God says: because that’s not how i roll. i’m not the babysitter of earth, or any of the other planets. the reason i gave u guys free will was so that i wouldn’t have to hold ur hand all the time. i have a life too, y’know
Vik$ says: ok, makes sense.
Vik$ says: wait… other planets? do those planets have life?
God says: of course! lmao y wouldn’t i put life on other planets? u guys aren’t my 1 special little project. and i must say, u aren’t the best of the bunch, either. not the worst, but…
Vik$ says: hehe, i bet…
God says: anyway, like i was saying, i don’t enjoy being attached to the causes of everyone who craves comfort, power, validation, etc, but i can’t really blame them. false security is the warmest blanket there is. i do hate it when i’m held responsible for nature’s stuff though. that shit is on autopilot. it just works with what it’s given
Vik$ says: so all of this stuff that happens, everything done in your name, it’s all bullshit?
God says: well, i’ll be honest: no. i do enjoy screwing around with the brown-nosers a bit to see where they’ll take it. like, i’ll appear for some believer all important-sounding with a quest that really has no meaning, and sit back while the drama unfolds. it’s pretty funny
Vik$ says: that’s a little petty for the almighty, no?
God says: hey, i get bored too. u guys r my tv. lol
God says: if u think that’s bad, u should see what i’ve done to other places…
Vik$ says: i don’t think i want to know
God says: lol
Vik$ says: one thing i would like to know, though, is what happens when we die
God says: u die.
Vik$ says: …and?
God says: that’s it
Vik$ says: oh
God says: lol, don’t worry, reality is a tricky thing. u still technically live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew u, so u’re not completely gone, if u catch my drift
Vik$ says: i think i do… sort of
God says: lol
God says: i g2g
Vik$ says: ok, cool, but just so you know: i still don’t believe in you
God says: oh? why not?
Vik$ says: because our conversation here proves you exist, yet you refused to ever do that, because “proof denies faith, and without faith, i am nothing.”
God says: oh, right… lol.

*God has signed off*

P.S: Vik$, after the chat is over, keeps wonderin’ if he actually spoke to HIM. The cellphone rings one more time and he jumps out of the bed, only to find his Modem blinking furiously……Normalcy they say lies with the awake….and Vik$ leaves for office!!!:)

Impromptu Words....Broken!!!

2007-11-18T01:40:00.000-08:00
A special something…..broken words yet woven thro'.....

I smell....I sniff the fragrance of cosmic happinesss....
a dust of haziness...in the quicksands of time....
Some things that that made me; and things that didn’t ...
Abstracts which attract me; tangibles that strangulate...

Garrotted souls and scothed whispers...
a shining armour with a silver casper...

When two halves doesn’t make one ; and no one at the horizon...
When the waiting is in the eyes… and the sky in my hands...

When music soothes my veins, and times when they burn...
My world in black and white, and then the blurred colors...

When the reflection is the opposite of me, imagination shifts...
Light years into some place else...
However, repetitions are never the same..
....repetitions will never be the same....!!!

----Vik$

Jus' startin' off...!!!

2007-11-18T01:32:00.000-08:00

Hey there, it's me again.

Been too long since I said hello.

Trying to hold on to passing thoughts

that just seem to fade and slip away.

Wanting to get word to you is an easy want,

but actually getting through to you,

is the part I find difficult.

And it's that thought that I hold on to,

to get through to youwith word that hits home,

cuts to the bone,or triggers a thought or feeling in you,

even to just secretly say,

"What shall i write??."
---Vik$