Our school, Mountain Home School (MHS) or Mountain Home High School (MHHS) situated at Coonoor, The Nilgiris, Tamilnadu, India is having a Reunion for all students passed out of MHHS on 08 November 2008 at the school hall. If any students studied in MHHS wish to participate please contact Raquel Brownie @ raquelb.raquel@gmail.com for more details.
I wish I could attend this reunion but I won't be able to make it this time. I do not know how many of you give credit to your school for your present attitude or character but I certainly gained some of my characteristics from MHS. One of important thing that I still manage to do it is Punctuality.... I give my 100% to make it on time every time for all occasions, it can be an interview with employer or a meeting with customer or just a casual meet with a friend. The seed that was sown in MHS bears fruit in my lifetime!
The next one is the schools in the hills (Coonoor, Ooty, Mount Abu, Darjeeling etc) have two things in common... One is sorrounded by nature and as Rabindranath Tagore said A student learns when he/she is with nature..... how true!!!!!! the other is... the school leaves the students to pursue their own interests from the young age. There is no force applied on students to study and get distinction on all subjects.... it is upto the students... the schools let them decide their fate.... if you study hard you will do well in future.... if you are good in sports pursue sports as career. The schools or the teachers don't tell you straight in your face but it is a common culture seen and you will feel it when you pass out of the school.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Jab We Met.
We saw this movie in a bus while traveling from Delhi to Agra on a one day tour during Aug'08. My initial thought was 'not a stupid Hindi movie again' and that too on a morning but surprisingly the movie was good. It is better movie than any other hindi films which has hyped up marketing, promos and make you believe that is not there in the movie. This movie was hilarious right from the start when Kareena joins Shahid Kapoor in a train. The journey thus begins.
The lead pair have acted well and is an example of well crafted screenplay, simple plot and no masala flavour. Why am I writing now.... because we had a chance to see this movie again yesterday, 04 Oct'08 on 9X channel and I wanted to put down my comments on it. You do not get to see good films often in bollywood, I give a thumbs up for this movie.
The lead pair have acted well and is an example of well crafted screenplay, simple plot and no masala flavour. Why am I writing now.... because we had a chance to see this movie again yesterday, 04 Oct'08 on 9X channel and I wanted to put down my comments on it. You do not get to see good films often in bollywood, I give a thumbs up for this movie.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Living in Terror.
Each and every household in the Northern parts of India are discussing about the terror strikes - bomb blasts that has happened in recent months. The latest bomb blast on last Saturday at New Delhi (27 Sep 2008) and yesterday's bomb blasts at Gujarat & Maharashtra has left us (the people) to live in/with terror. Although we are strong enough and contend that it did not happen in our own backyard, there is a sense of fear instilled on everyone's life. My wife is already telling me that she is afraid of going in Mumbai local train. I think this is the case with every household living in this part of the country yet we go to business every day as usual! I do not think its the courage but as said in the movie 'A Wednesday' we are used to it! We definitely get used to everything and anything very soon! The adaptability at its best! Even the terrorists will get tired of their acts because the response from people, administration, politicians remains the same.... Nothing changes!!!!.
As I come from South India I cannot hold to compare this environment with the South Indian environment. South India, particularly Tamilnadu and Kerala are largely peaceful. There can be communal violence seen but not between religions. Why do we see such fanatics of a particular community from North India? I rationalise that this is due to
* Discrimination by the majority community.
* Lack of Education.
* Negligency from the governments state and central.
* Inferiority complex among the minority community.
The environment is better in South India largely due to proper education is available to all.... I will not say there is no discrimination at all but by and large the discrimination is tolerable (I guess). Everyone is treated by their background in education, work and status and not by religion. All have equal opportunities in South India when compared in North India in terms of education or work or business.
Any opinions? Am I correct or gross wrong in my judgement?
As I come from South India I cannot hold to compare this environment with the South Indian environment. South India, particularly Tamilnadu and Kerala are largely peaceful. There can be communal violence seen but not between religions. Why do we see such fanatics of a particular community from North India? I rationalise that this is due to
* Discrimination by the majority community.
* Lack of Education.
* Negligency from the governments state and central.
* Inferiority complex among the minority community.
The environment is better in South India largely due to proper education is available to all.... I will not say there is no discrimination at all but by and large the discrimination is tolerable (I guess). Everyone is treated by their background in education, work and status and not by religion. All have equal opportunities in South India when compared in North India in terms of education or work or business.
Any opinions? Am I correct or gross wrong in my judgement?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Movie Review of Poi Solla Porom - Tamil.
Starring: Karthik Kumar, Preethi, Nedumudi Venu, Mouli, Nazer, Delhi Ganesh
Direction: Vijay
Production: Priyadarshan
This film has great star cast like Nedumudi Venu, Mouli, Nasser and Delhi Ganesh. The movie has some good slapstick comedy throughout the film, some edgy moments and good all round performance. A comedy where you can laugh your heart out...... extraordinary performance from Nasser and Mouli makes the film to stand out. It will be difficult to choose the best actor performance between Nasser and Mouli. I thoroughly enjoyed the film!Nedumudi Venu, as a middle class retired govt., employee buys a piece of land from his savings but later to find out that he is fooled by the real estate agent, Nasser. Nasser company occupies his land and extorts for more money from Nedumudi Venu to vacate the land. When the options run out of hand to solve the issue, Karthik's drama troupe and his travel agent come to rescue. They plan to get the money from Nasser and pay the extortion amount. Mouli is another actor who can take the screen all for himself if he is on the scene. The events that turn out in fooling Nasser has comedy and some edgy moments!.
The other actors whose acting needs mentioning are Delhi Ganesh, Bosky and Ganesh (the anchor). They come as subtle characters and have good roles.
In all the movie is a fun to watch..... go and watch it if you feeling bored.
Movie Review of Subramaniapuram - Tamil
I saw this movie on the weekend. One word to describe the movie....'Brilliant'. The plot, story, script, backdrop, screenplay, casting and music are on par with excellence. Hats off to the director M. Sasikumar for making a movie that can compared with Hollywood movies.
The backdrop the movie is set in 1980's, in a small town at Madurai (my hometown) in down South of India. I was a kid during these days but I remember in the 80's Madurai was referred to as not big to be a city and not too small to be called as village. It was an in-between city and my uncles were in their teenage or just completed during 80's. The 80's era was like you need to be very good in order to survive or else you are left behind. This 'survival of the fittest' applies even today but it was severe during 80's. The youths of 80's were irresponsible and did not knew the consequences of their actions which is aptly shown by the lead characters in the movie.
The events of movie moves step by step in a normal pace. The screenplay never shakes since the director brings the best of everyone involved in the film. The story goes like this - 5 friends who hang around a local politician all day and night jobless.... just to show that they have someone to backup in case of problems. The two lead characters played by Jai and Sasikumar would go into fight for petty issues which lands them at local police station. The brother of local politician comes up everytime to save them from the police. So, when they do a big job for them to show their thanks the rescue never comes. The two then set to take revenge on the politician's family and in between this revenge the 'new status' bring them more trouble leading to blood bath in the particular area, Subramaniyapuram.
There is a love track between Jai and Swathi who comes from the politician's family. The track is beautiful and blends with the main story. Every character is treated as important as the two lead characters. If I retrospect the movie I can see that each and every character had their own traits and used to the fullest.
Jai - has a bad temper, perishes.
Sasikumar - is a close friend of Jai, perishes.
Kanja Karuppu - is greedy and lusts on money, perishes.
Swati - is young and vulnerable. Used by the family.
Handicapped youth - supports Jai and Sasikumar.
Local Politician - Politicians... you know how they can be.
Younger brother of local politician - Betrays Jai and Sasikumar, perishes.
I compare it to Hollywood movies, the reason is - we are not used to such characters. You will find villians in the movies who are meant to do bad on hero & his family but this is completely a different genre. The heroes in this movie are anti-heroes and everyone has a grey side or betrayal side. This makes the movie on par with classic or great movies.
I need to mention on the art work.... every care is taken to get the backdrop right. The temple function, serial lights, the dressing style, the hair style and the crudeness of the youth.
Experience it and you will know what I mean!!!!!!!!!
The backdrop the movie is set in 1980's, in a small town at Madurai (my hometown) in down South of India. I was a kid during these days but I remember in the 80's Madurai was referred to as not big to be a city and not too small to be called as village. It was an in-between city and my uncles were in their teenage or just completed during 80's. The 80's era was like you need to be very good in order to survive or else you are left behind. This 'survival of the fittest' applies even today but it was severe during 80's. The youths of 80's were irresponsible and did not knew the consequences of their actions which is aptly shown by the lead characters in the movie.
The events of movie moves step by step in a normal pace. The screenplay never shakes since the director brings the best of everyone involved in the film. The story goes like this - 5 friends who hang around a local politician all day and night jobless.... just to show that they have someone to backup in case of problems. The two lead characters played by Jai and Sasikumar would go into fight for petty issues which lands them at local police station. The brother of local politician comes up everytime to save them from the police. So, when they do a big job for them to show their thanks the rescue never comes. The two then set to take revenge on the politician's family and in between this revenge the 'new status' bring them more trouble leading to blood bath in the particular area, Subramaniyapuram.
There is a love track between Jai and Swathi who comes from the politician's family. The track is beautiful and blends with the main story. Every character is treated as important as the two lead characters. If I retrospect the movie I can see that each and every character had their own traits and used to the fullest.
Jai - has a bad temper, perishes.
Sasikumar - is a close friend of Jai, perishes.
Kanja Karuppu - is greedy and lusts on money, perishes.
Swati - is young and vulnerable. Used by the family.
Handicapped youth - supports Jai and Sasikumar.
Local Politician - Politicians... you know how they can be.
Younger brother of local politician - Betrays Jai and Sasikumar, perishes.
I compare it to Hollywood movies, the reason is - we are not used to such characters. You will find villians in the movies who are meant to do bad on hero & his family but this is completely a different genre. The heroes in this movie are anti-heroes and everyone has a grey side or betrayal side. This makes the movie on par with classic or great movies.
I need to mention on the art work.... every care is taken to get the backdrop right. The temple function, serial lights, the dressing style, the hair style and the crudeness of the youth.
Experience it and you will know what I mean!!!!!!!!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Exam Results are out............
Hurrrayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.... MBA exam results are published..... cleared all the final semester papers...... A deep sense of relief now prevails........ uhhhhfffffff!!!!
Click to know your results........
Click to know your results........
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Exam Results.
It is frustrating......... we had written our final semester exams in June'08 and the results are out for all the streams except MBA. The results are released on 18th Sep 2008 and MBA results are still pending. I have cleared all the papers so far.... the final hurdle.... hope to see the results within this month end.
Pray to god!!!!!
Pray to god!!!!!
New LPG Connection.
I got a new LPG (Cooking Gas) connection yesterday, 24 Sep 2008 and it was pretty easy in Mumbai. Just registered with HP Gas online, took the print out and went to the dealer with the rental agreement copy, made payment, just like that it was finished. Whereas in Chennai or anywhere in South India most of the LPG dealers follow stringent norms, ask for documents, verify them and when the new connection is approved it will be atleast 7-10 days before the gas cylinder comes to your house.
The only similarity is the complaints with dealers..... It is all the same... Consumers complaining that the cylinder has not arrived even after booking before 10 days back and so on. The dealers are very cool and it's their daily routine to deal with such customers. I cannot imagine sitting at the other side of the desk with the dealer..... every day the phone rings continously for booking and complaints. It's a mad world out over there with the demand and supply not meeting on right terms.
The other hitch in getting the new connection is the purchase of new stove from the dealer. It is written that PURCHASE OF HOT PLATE IS NOT COMPULSORY but as you all would have experienced it IT IS COMPULSORY to purchase the stove or else you are not given immediate connection. I had to pay for the stove although I did not want to. I could have easily fought with HP Gas and avoided the extra payment but still I did not have the courage fearing the future relationship turn sour with the dealer. I believe this is the repeated mistake that we all make in order to keep things smooth and the system take advantage of us.
I think I will fight with HP Gas and find out the root cause. I believe there must be a mafia or group behind this nationwide with the insiders from HP Gas.
The only similarity is the complaints with dealers..... It is all the same... Consumers complaining that the cylinder has not arrived even after booking before 10 days back and so on. The dealers are very cool and it's their daily routine to deal with such customers. I cannot imagine sitting at the other side of the desk with the dealer..... every day the phone rings continously for booking and complaints. It's a mad world out over there with the demand and supply not meeting on right terms.
The other hitch in getting the new connection is the purchase of new stove from the dealer. It is written that PURCHASE OF HOT PLATE IS NOT COMPULSORY but as you all would have experienced it IT IS COMPULSORY to purchase the stove or else you are not given immediate connection. I had to pay for the stove although I did not want to. I could have easily fought with HP Gas and avoided the extra payment but still I did not have the courage fearing the future relationship turn sour with the dealer. I believe this is the repeated mistake that we all make in order to keep things smooth and the system take advantage of us.
I think I will fight with HP Gas and find out the root cause. I believe there must be a mafia or group behind this nationwide with the insiders from HP Gas.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Official Oscar Entry - Taare Zameen Par
Aamir does it again... after Lagaan which went for nominations for Oscar in 2001... his directorial debut of the film Taare Zameen Par has been nominated from India for Best Foreign Film Category for the year 2008.
Here is the story
It is one of the closest film to my heart!. Everything is perfect in this film... the plot, the screenplay, the actors, camera, lighting, flow of the story.... a complete movie. If there is someone who does not get emotional at the end of the film.... he/she must be retard. There are so many criticism for and against this film.... in the end whatever the criticism is it touches your heart.
I saw a part of this movie in my cousin's place at Tuticorin who was raving about the film.... I enjoyed the full movie in Chennai and I cried at the scene where Darsheel sees Aamir painted him on the paper at painting competition. One of true defining moments!
I sincerely hope TZP wins the Oscar which is long due for India.
Here is the story
It is one of the closest film to my heart!. Everything is perfect in this film... the plot, the screenplay, the actors, camera, lighting, flow of the story.... a complete movie. If there is someone who does not get emotional at the end of the film.... he/she must be retard. There are so many criticism for and against this film.... in the end whatever the criticism is it touches your heart.
I saw a part of this movie in my cousin's place at Tuticorin who was raving about the film.... I enjoyed the full movie in Chennai and I cried at the scene where Darsheel sees Aamir painted him on the paper at painting competition. One of true defining moments!
I sincerely hope TZP wins the Oscar which is long due for India.
National Language - Hindi... Continued.
After the break....
Government Sense - In terms of government if Hindi had been the official language then everything is clear. There will not be any dispute in understanding by the sender or receiver between govt officials. Look at the central government forms.... everything is in Hindi/English and prominent is Hindi. There is a fear of misunderstanding among South Indians when it comes to filling up of central govt., forms. For example, PF forms, this is one of the important forms which gets rejected because of incomplete information or incorrect information. We are required to consult a broker for filling up the forms who then charges us a small fee. This situation could be avoided if we all had known Hindi.
The Pros of avoiding Hindi by South Indians....
English - Our English is far better than anyone in the world barring the English themselves. Bangalore has made it to a world class city in a short span of one decade simply because of English speaking talent available.
FDI Foreign Direct Investments - The investment from large MNCs pour in South India whereas it is low in North India. Chennai has become the hub for automobile parts manufacturing and Hyundai is one of the large investor.
People Capital - Due to the knowledge of English and technical education, the South Indians are able to travel all around the corners of the world and are able to adapt to the situation. The North Indians hate 'firangis' and I do not criticize them, after all it was the firangis who ruled us for more than 100 years!
Conclusion:
Weighing the pros and cons, the end result is we have lost a unified India. We loved English (myself included), it was like an obsession to learn the foreign language but we forgot that Hindi is our national language. The main agenda of the protestors of anti-Hindi was we would lose the identity as locals and the local language Tamil. If you look at the North Indians, by learning Hindi in their curriculam they have not lost their state identity. Gujarthis are proud of their language, same way goes for Marathis and the Bengalis. Who likes to lose their identity? No one!!!! Infact, we could have adopted the Hindi imposition and still proud to be called as Tamilians or Telugus or Malayalee or Kannadigas. The self-immolation protests in Tamilnadu against the Hindi imposition put a permanent seal on Central Government not to talk on this issue in future.
It is my dream to see a unified India where language is not a barrier to communication or trade. We should be proud to show our face as Indians not as North Indians or South Indians. India, where people speak one language for the world outside but still plural inside.
If I have left something or missed something let me know.
Government Sense - In terms of government if Hindi had been the official language then everything is clear. There will not be any dispute in understanding by the sender or receiver between govt officials. Look at the central government forms.... everything is in Hindi/English and prominent is Hindi. There is a fear of misunderstanding among South Indians when it comes to filling up of central govt., forms. For example, PF forms, this is one of the important forms which gets rejected because of incomplete information or incorrect information. We are required to consult a broker for filling up the forms who then charges us a small fee. This situation could be avoided if we all had known Hindi.
The Pros of avoiding Hindi by South Indians....
English - Our English is far better than anyone in the world barring the English themselves. Bangalore has made it to a world class city in a short span of one decade simply because of English speaking talent available.
FDI Foreign Direct Investments - The investment from large MNCs pour in South India whereas it is low in North India. Chennai has become the hub for automobile parts manufacturing and Hyundai is one of the large investor.
People Capital - Due to the knowledge of English and technical education, the South Indians are able to travel all around the corners of the world and are able to adapt to the situation. The North Indians hate 'firangis' and I do not criticize them, after all it was the firangis who ruled us for more than 100 years!
Conclusion:
Weighing the pros and cons, the end result is we have lost a unified India. We loved English (myself included), it was like an obsession to learn the foreign language but we forgot that Hindi is our national language. The main agenda of the protestors of anti-Hindi was we would lose the identity as locals and the local language Tamil. If you look at the North Indians, by learning Hindi in their curriculam they have not lost their state identity. Gujarthis are proud of their language, same way goes for Marathis and the Bengalis. Who likes to lose their identity? No one!!!! Infact, we could have adopted the Hindi imposition and still proud to be called as Tamilians or Telugus or Malayalee or Kannadigas. The self-immolation protests in Tamilnadu against the Hindi imposition put a permanent seal on Central Government not to talk on this issue in future.
It is my dream to see a unified India where language is not a barrier to communication or trade. We should be proud to show our face as Indians not as North Indians or South Indians. India, where people speak one language for the world outside but still plural inside.
If I have left something or missed something let me know.
National Language - Hindi.
This thought has been going on for over a 6 months and above. India is seen as North India and South India. South India represents the four states Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala where the majority of citizens do not know Hindi. The rest of India is represented as North India and almost 90% know Hindi ie., read, write and speak. I take 90% since I am not sure of North East states.
In the above comparison you can see that India is basically divided into people who know Hindi and people who do not. Although India constitues 28 states and 7 Union Territories with 21 official languages and with a 1652 dialects the majority speak Hindi. India - Facts
Let us (South Indians) look at what we have lost by opposing to Hindi education when it was made as compulsory language to be taught in schools.
Communication Sense - If the South Indians had opportunity to learn the Hindi language as part of their curriculam from the primary school, I see no communication barrier between a Delhi resident and a Madurai resident, for example. They could have comfortably spoken in Hindi and would have made communication clearer and better. Now, with no Hindi background a South Indian feels deprived that he has no common language between a guy in Mumbai and Chennai. The common language English is used between Indians but that is a foreign language... why should we use a foreign language when Hindi is our own?.
Business Sense - The major major loss is the business or trade. If you look at the textile shops, big as in malls or small as in towns in South India they are owned by North Indians. Why? Simple....The major textile manufacturers are located in Gujarat and other parts of West India. They are primarily Hindi speaking citizens and do not like to work who do not know Hindi. Hence, they come down to South India, setup their own shops in these cities and towns, do brisk business, take profits and invest in their native state.
What happens if our Tamil or Telugu guy had studied Hindi, comfortable with Hindi, communicates well in Hindi the North Indians will not find a place to settle in South India since all the businesses are conducted well by the locals.
Transportation Sense - This can be a subsect of Business sense but I like to discuss in a separate paragraph. Since I am from the transportation industry I can explain a bit. All the truckers in South India except Hyderabad and northern parts of Karnataka will run upto only Bangalore. Bangalore is the main hub for goods that is sent from South India to North India. Why? The same reason... Our drivers are not equipped with a common tool called Hindi. The truck from Punjab or Himachal Pradesh can come upto Bangalore for delivery & pickup of goods but a Kerala or Tamilnadu truck cannot pass Bangalore because lack of Hindi knowledge. South Indian drivers are intimidated or even afraid to go beyond Bangalore.
What if our drivers had some knowledge of Hindi? I am sure drivers would atleast know to read the local language and if they knew some basic Hindi too.... they can go that extra mile. The trucks from South India can criss cross all over India. Does this make sense?
Taking a break for few min...
In the above comparison you can see that India is basically divided into people who know Hindi and people who do not. Although India constitues 28 states and 7 Union Territories with 21 official languages and with a 1652 dialects the majority speak Hindi. India - Facts
Let us (South Indians) look at what we have lost by opposing to Hindi education when it was made as compulsory language to be taught in schools.
Communication Sense - If the South Indians had opportunity to learn the Hindi language as part of their curriculam from the primary school, I see no communication barrier between a Delhi resident and a Madurai resident, for example. They could have comfortably spoken in Hindi and would have made communication clearer and better. Now, with no Hindi background a South Indian feels deprived that he has no common language between a guy in Mumbai and Chennai. The common language English is used between Indians but that is a foreign language... why should we use a foreign language when Hindi is our own?.
Business Sense - The major major loss is the business or trade. If you look at the textile shops, big as in malls or small as in towns in South India they are owned by North Indians. Why? Simple....The major textile manufacturers are located in Gujarat and other parts of West India. They are primarily Hindi speaking citizens and do not like to work who do not know Hindi. Hence, they come down to South India, setup their own shops in these cities and towns, do brisk business, take profits and invest in their native state.
What happens if our Tamil or Telugu guy had studied Hindi, comfortable with Hindi, communicates well in Hindi the North Indians will not find a place to settle in South India since all the businesses are conducted well by the locals.
Transportation Sense - This can be a subsect of Business sense but I like to discuss in a separate paragraph. Since I am from the transportation industry I can explain a bit. All the truckers in South India except Hyderabad and northern parts of Karnataka will run upto only Bangalore. Bangalore is the main hub for goods that is sent from South India to North India. Why? The same reason... Our drivers are not equipped with a common tool called Hindi. The truck from Punjab or Himachal Pradesh can come upto Bangalore for delivery & pickup of goods but a Kerala or Tamilnadu truck cannot pass Bangalore because lack of Hindi knowledge. South Indian drivers are intimidated or even afraid to go beyond Bangalore.
What if our drivers had some knowledge of Hindi? I am sure drivers would atleast know to read the local language and if they knew some basic Hindi too.... they can go that extra mile. The trucks from South India can criss cross all over India. Does this make sense?
Taking a break for few min...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Chanakya Quotes...
Sharing some well inspiring thoughts from Chanakya.....worth reading
| Chanakya's Quotes - Worth reading a million times.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Collapse of investment banks.
On a Monday morning when you are coming to office, you are told that your company has been sold out to someone else or your company has filed bankruptcy...... what will be your reaction? I will be devastated on the news.... I believe this was the feeling that went through the minds of 2000-2500 employees in India working for Lehman Brothers. In the case of Meryll Linch the situation is not so bad with Bank of America taking over Meryll on Monday. Yet on both these situations, the employees future is uncertain and how cruel of the management to leave in mid-air.
At the outset I believe that India and Indians working for Big Multinationals must learn to expect such things in the future. In a globalised economy nothing is certain... a change in US will lead a change in India too... a change in Japan will affect India... although everything is not direct. The economies are so interlinked with the advent of globalization no country is single...
Such kind of shocks are new to us.... but when you need prosperity you will stumble on things with bad taste.... got to swallow it.
I hope the international banking community wakes up and take stock of their own backyard... clean up their own dealings on financial derivatives, real estate and mortgage loans. I believe the Indian banks are more conservative on derivaties and all kinds of loans. They are not lured by the incentives but look at the pitfalls too before committing themselves or on behalf of their customer.
At the outset I believe that India and Indians working for Big Multinationals must learn to expect such things in the future. In a globalised economy nothing is certain... a change in US will lead a change in India too... a change in Japan will affect India... although everything is not direct. The economies are so interlinked with the advent of globalization no country is single...
Such kind of shocks are new to us.... but when you need prosperity you will stumble on things with bad taste.... got to swallow it.
I hope the international banking community wakes up and take stock of their own backyard... clean up their own dealings on financial derivatives, real estate and mortgage loans. I believe the Indian banks are more conservative on derivaties and all kinds of loans. They are not lured by the incentives but look at the pitfalls too before committing themselves or on behalf of their customer.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Movie Review of 'A Wednesday' - Hindi
Last Saturday, 13 Sep 2008 I had been to this movie after reading a series of good reviews.... I must say it did not disappoint!!! The movie is good, excellent screenplay and a plain script with no masala flavour. I also believe the script is original from the director Neeraj Pandey. With so many remakes and copy cats in Bollywood it is good to see an original movie!
The narration of the movie is done by Anupem Kher who has done his role to the 'T' portraying as Maharashtra Police Commissioner... The instructions from the commissioner fly high during the tense hours and he is comfortable doing the role. Nasureedin Shah, another actor who has portrayed the character of 'Aam Aadmi' with elan. He fits into the role and upon his instructions the movie moves forward. The rest of the crew have done their job! Kudos to the team of 'A Wednesday'.
By looking at the way movie went forward and with the pre-conception that I knew what was going to happen to the terrorists the suspense was gone.... I believed that there is no motive for Nasureedin Shah to ask for release of terrorists because he was so simple and the obvious motive was that shown in the movie!. Maybe I watch too many films that I can pre-conceive the ideas or it maybe because of the reviews that I read before watching the movie.
The question raised by the movie is "What if.....". Again, this comes to the subject of the system in India. As in my last review Mumbai Meri Jaan I said it's very difficult to break the system. If we try to break, we break. Nasureedin Shah tries to break the system and as shown in the movie, he succeeds although the way he does may be a question. I am sure this movie will remain as a fantasy for a 'Common man or Aam Aadmi'. I am skeptical if anyone dares to do it... Will anyone in real life take such steps?....
The narration of the movie is done by Anupem Kher who has done his role to the 'T' portraying as Maharashtra Police Commissioner... The instructions from the commissioner fly high during the tense hours and he is comfortable doing the role. Nasureedin Shah, another actor who has portrayed the character of 'Aam Aadmi' with elan. He fits into the role and upon his instructions the movie moves forward. The rest of the crew have done their job! Kudos to the team of 'A Wednesday'.
By looking at the way movie went forward and with the pre-conception that I knew what was going to happen to the terrorists the suspense was gone.... I believed that there is no motive for Nasureedin Shah to ask for release of terrorists because he was so simple and the obvious motive was that shown in the movie!. Maybe I watch too many films that I can pre-conceive the ideas or it maybe because of the reviews that I read before watching the movie.
The question raised by the movie is "What if.....". Again, this comes to the subject of the system in India. As in my last review Mumbai Meri Jaan I said it's very difficult to break the system. If we try to break, we break. Nasureedin Shah tries to break the system and as shown in the movie, he succeeds although the way he does may be a question. I am sure this movie will remain as a fantasy for a 'Common man or Aam Aadmi'. I am skeptical if anyone dares to do it... Will anyone in real life take such steps?....
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
An Interesting Mail..... Management Lessons....
5 - MINUTE MANAGEMENT LESSONS
Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel, "
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time,you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
*********
Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129 It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
*********
Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story
Always let your boss have the first say.
*********
Lesson 4:
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
*********
Lesson 5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey,"but I haven't got the energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story
BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
*********
Lesson 6:
A little bird was flying south for the Winter.It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of this story
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!
Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.
The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel, "
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.
When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time,you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.
*********
Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129 It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
*********
Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story
Always let your boss have the first say.
*********
Lesson 4:
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
*********
Lesson 5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey,"but I haven't got the energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story
BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
*********
Lesson 6:
A little bird was flying south for the Winter.It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of this story
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!
The Necklace of Mumbai.......Marine Drive
And the sunset.......................
We had visited the famous Marine Drive which is also called as The Necklace of Mumbai...... Surprisingly the area is clean.... I guess the hawkers were removed from the pathway.... It's wonderful to sit there and gaze at the sea..... and the other side it's the towerline of Mumbai...
Laptop - Back to Normal...
My laptop got washed and cleaned yesterday, 08 Sep 2008. It's now back to normal.....I guess.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Laptop Crash.........
My laptop crashed today..... 05 sep 2008.
I was browsing yesterday, 04 sep 2008 at home and suddenly there was a virus attack...before i could switch out the wireless modem..... the virus sat on the laptop.
Today I tried to clean up the virus with Antivirus software...... but I think that made thing worse and finally the system will not boot up. It is a rest day for the laptop!!!!!!!!!!! finally....
I was browsing yesterday, 04 sep 2008 at home and suddenly there was a virus attack...before i could switch out the wireless modem..... the virus sat on the laptop.
Today I tried to clean up the virus with Antivirus software...... but I think that made thing worse and finally the system will not boot up. It is a rest day for the laptop!!!!!!!!!!! finally....
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Title of the blog.
Do you think I should change the title of my blog? If yes, can you suggest some blog titles for me.... as far as I know I am scribbling that is coming to my mind.... and thats my title of the blog.....
Do you also think if I change the title I would get more comments?
I love to hear any kind of comments on my blog..... I will be more inspired to write....err... scribble. :)
Do you also think if I change the title I would get more comments?
I love to hear any kind of comments on my blog..... I will be more inspired to write....err... scribble. :)
Magic Box......
It's a magic box... a pandora box.... once you open it you cannot close it... you will get whatever you want.... practically anything... everyone has in their houses.... almost everyone has forgot to socialize or even talk with neighbours... childrens forget there is a playing ground.... that there is a sports world outside... any guesses?
u guessed it right! it's the gr8 Television....T.V. I would say invention of the century.... it ties you up... anyone can easily get addicted to it.... the varities of channels for our view is unlimited.... and the news is a new tamil (regional language) channel is to be on air from monday, 08 september 2008.... cartoons, movies, regional language, travel & living, adventure, sports, religious, fashion and what not!!!... you will get to see everything and anything inside this box..... what a magic box!!!!!!!!!
The motive for writing this came to me because I feel I am addicted to it............... got a holiday on ganesh chathurthi (god with a elephant head) and started to watch TV from morning and was able to switch off only for a few hours in the afternoon.... again started the pandora box around 6.00 pm in the evening and it ran until 11.30 pm......... didn't step outside of the house during that day.... pathetic....... my world has shrunk into a rectangle box....called TV.
I guess most of you are doing the same thing......... how to get rid of this????? any kind of ideas are welcome - bright, funny, silly, confusing ..... all kinds are welcome.
u guessed it right! it's the gr8 Television....T.V. I would say invention of the century.... it ties you up... anyone can easily get addicted to it.... the varities of channels for our view is unlimited.... and the news is a new tamil (regional language) channel is to be on air from monday, 08 september 2008.... cartoons, movies, regional language, travel & living, adventure, sports, religious, fashion and what not!!!... you will get to see everything and anything inside this box..... what a magic box!!!!!!!!!
The motive for writing this came to me because I feel I am addicted to it............... got a holiday on ganesh chathurthi (god with a elephant head) and started to watch TV from morning and was able to switch off only for a few hours in the afternoon.... again started the pandora box around 6.00 pm in the evening and it ran until 11.30 pm......... didn't step outside of the house during that day.... pathetic....... my world has shrunk into a rectangle box....called TV.
I guess most of you are doing the same thing......... how to get rid of this????? any kind of ideas are welcome - bright, funny, silly, confusing ..... all kinds are welcome.
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