In search of myself...

" All good things do come to an end, To pave the way for a bright new trend. Drawing to a close is December, I had a great year, I now remember. There have been downs, there have been ups, Many a time, there have been hiccups. But all that's happened has made me strong, Forgetting my worries, I now sing a song. Come this January, history we shall make, We'll set an example, the world shall take. Come what may, break we shall never, May bliss be spread, for ever and ever. Let's not forget, the martyrs of the past, For you and me, they breathed their last. Every now and then, I shed a little tear, Remembering them, I drive away my fear. Let's stay human, think of the divine, Acting so, would keep the world fine. My dear terrorists, you've had your fill, It's tough to create and easy to kill. Let us celebrate, without rum or beer, With kith and kin, with near and dear. The message now, is loud and clear, May you have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! "

If everyone in the world started trying to become like another, then, we would be left with the same variety that we have today. So, why change in the first place? Let's be ourselves.

This is what GM has managed to pull off despite one of the steepest declines it has faced. The opening of new headquarters for Powertrain Europe at Turin, Italy. Kudos! I just hope we get one such "own" building for GM Powertrain at India soon.

Here's what happens when one is compelled to pose long for photos.

Italians are over-expressive when they talk. They cannot talk with their hands tied to their body. A minimum movement of the hands within a distance of half a metre from the body in all directions is must. For the first time in life, I saw people play dumb charades after their cars collided. I was at this traffic signal when a mad driver drove into a car standing next to us. Both the drivers came out of their respective cars. And they spoke nothing. Anger and disgust was evident on their faces and they started moving their hands in the air in all directions. One of them shrugged his shoulders and tried to touch his nose with the lower lip. Every possible expression was made. They weren't dumb for sure. I learnt from someone later that one particular expression, something made waving the right hand like we eat food, implies "what the f***" in Italian parlance. Both drivers did this repeatedly. At last one of them spoke, and then, both got into their cars, banged their own ...

That a bachelor should be able to work in office for atleast 14 hours a day seems to be a popular misconception amongst managers. If that is the case, why should they stay back? Aren't they married? Then, are they trying to convey the message that office is better than facing one's wife at home? What is it that people have against bachelors? They aren't given houses on rent, and they are expected to stay back after office hours. So, is marriage the only solution to both these problems? Think I should solve these problems now. ;) If my dad reads this, he will only think that I am giving excuses so that I get married soon. The way people think! Oof...

I watched 'Swades' for the umpteenth time today - the first time outside India. The feeling after watching it, I promise, was very different from how it was when I watched it back home. Homesick asshole!

At Italy, asking for tomato sauce with Pizzas is considered an insult. I heard there have been cases where the restaurant owner has taken it as a personal insult and chucked his customers out when the latter asked for sauce. I tried asking, when I was warned by an Italian customer not to do so. And thanks to the owner's ignorance of English, I was saved from personal enlightenment! Oof! I miss Pizza hut! Saucing the pizza is fun! Lavish fun!

The previous Sunday was longer and more enjoyable than usual. It wasn't the usual chilled out routine that it could have been, thanks to the weeklong ennui. We (Vardhan, Saurabh and I - the Indian trio at Italy) decided to hit the slopes (exaggerated). Saurabh's place is about a kilometre from Porta Nuova (city centre, Torino). We walked from Porta Nuova and knocked at Saurabh's door at 11:00 a.m. We decided to take lunch and head for the hill (Superga). Lunch we had at a place with a name too complicated to be remembered (my memory is quite volatile though). It was the worst lunch I ever had - thanks to my vegetarianism. It was plain pasta with tomato sauce poured on it. But for the whole delicious chocolate truffle with the amazing strawberry after the meal, I would have puked. We then took a tram and I managed to travel the entire day with a ticket whose time had lapsed. Trusting that the European principle of not working on Sundays applied to checkers as well, we made o...

It's been little more than a week since I landed here at Torino. I am with another Anand, in the same apartment, but adjacent houses. We cook together (actually, he cooks!). The apartment is well furnished. The funniest thing I have found here in Italy is the second commode for defecation. I really don't know why it's there. But then, thats the way it is. The city is pretty. It is well connected by public transport. The METRO is just amazing. The best part is that a view from anywhere to the west offers pleasantries to the eye. The beautiful Alps! They stand tall and sturdy, with their snow-capped summits. A lovely sight, I must say. We had been to the city palace (palazzo) last weekend. Again, beautiful architecture. Sculptures are intricately detailed and the paintings make one speechless. Credit should be given to the efforts being put in to preserve them. Sunday was spent at a park called 'Valentino', on the banks of the river 'Po'. I believe 'Po...

There was this beautiful mail that my PL sent me. It was about what to and what not to expect from a job. There was of course, loads of advice associated with it. But the crux is what matters. The bottomline is too simple and offers just two choices: 1. You stay if you like the job. 2. You quit if you don't. But with some people here, I find that satisfaction from the job is lacking and they still hang on and discourage new joinees. Something that I despise. The first day I reached here, a guy asked me - "Why did you come here after studying at IIT?" How do I answer that question. This is something that was put to me the day I joined my previous employer too. I have found this question irritating. A question that shatters all hopes - further, something that also teaches you not to expect anything from the job being done. I also recollect that the day I joined IIT, there was a person who asked me why I was there though I had been employed by a prestigious organization. Com...

As Bangalore plunged into shock on Friday, the 25th of July 2008 after serial blasts, there were some like me who were happy at Chennai - happy for a reason. And it should be obvious from the shot above.

Got such a mail after ages, I believe. Totally refreshing. For a change, something that didn't carry the famous warning of ill luck on not forwarding. Enjoy.

For those who like listening to lectures, there is this great video of Steve Jobs delivering one at the Stanford University on Youtube. I strongly recommend the reader to give it a hearing. I could have given the link, but thats Anand for you - lazy to look for it now. He talks of a concept of using the thought of death as a motivating factor to become a better human being. Sounded good and logical. Anyway, for those who are equally lazy to visit the site, here's a nice quote from his speech: "Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there!" Amazing find. Kudos!

After B.E: 1. A personal desktop computer with no internet facility 2. A cubicle enough to seat three persons 3. Peanuts for wages 4. Major work - pan, zoom, rotate 3D models and drink loads of tea and coffee After M.Tech 1. A DELL Laptop with super speed internet 2. Cubicle enough to fit me in with little clearance 3. Cashewnuts for wages 4. Major work - running behind people to create a login id for myself (till now - its been two weeks) In expectation of better situations and a larger cubicle, Anand

The long wait is finally over. I am joining my job at last on the first of July this year at Bangalore. Hope the experience is better than the one at my previous employer's. Let's see. No more expectations. I have finally learnt that greater expectation leads to greater depression. Right. Am cutting the crap. Bangalore! Here I come!

It was a murky Saturday afternoon and I joblessly ventured into watching a 'great' movie on SUN TV starring the little superstar, "Simbhu". I affectionately prefer calling him "Sombhu" for very obvious reasons. The movie was called "Kaadhal Azhivadhillai"(Love can never be destroyed). That is a misnomer I am sure for one's love for movies does get destroyed on watching this particular reel. Very fortunately, I only happened to watch the movie after the first half. Dialogues were studded with the least poetic sense and each of it was delivered with the same intensity and expression characteristic of a person suffering from sudden onset of profuse watery stool filled with blood and mucus. Each dialogue had a generous helping of the word 'love' and was punctuated with related words like 'heart', ' death', 'life' etc. The rhyme theme was hilarity personified. It was as if someone had made a list of rhyming words and ...

The class of M.Tech '08 (Manufacturing) @ IITM organized a tea party today as a thanksgiving to the professors. Two of the guests turned up late and here is the scene in words. The names of the profs have been withheld in a desperate attempt to add suspicion to the matter. Anyone who knows IITM profs should take no time in naming the culprits. "Anand Kumar (carrying the tea and the snacks into the prof's room where the profs (X and Y) are seated): May I come in, Sir? Y (after accepting the snack, opens the pack and starts sipping the tea) : So, where are you people heading? Anand: Sir, I am joining GM, Satya - Tata Motors, Lakshmikant - M&M, etc. ( finishing the list of placed classmates ) X( sipping his tea and grinning nastily ): Ok. Just try to keep up OUR name. Don't let US down! Anand( grinning even more nastily ): Surely sir. Y( with legs crossed, an arm around the back of his chair and the foot suspended in air vibrating at high frequency ): Sir, these peop...

It's almost time to say adieu to the wonderful pampering life at IIT Madras (I just hope so... the MTP review is still pending). I still remember the day I entered the SAC at IITM for some (dis)orientation, nervous of what was in store for me, feeling low amidst a set of "unearthly" mortals, who I had wrongly thought, would know nothing but cramming day in and day out. I feel I have lived each day that passed, to its maximum. In fact, I feel like going back in time to every single dawn that I slept through, every single dusk that I played through and every single night I stayed up with coffee, just to relive that experience. Mind-blowing indeed! It is tough to digest that life, from its fullest sense, will sooner or later, turn into mere existence. The days ahead would pass off, hereafter, till the grave, in running behind money and other people in life, for someone else's or something else's sake. These golden days, where almost everything (except studies), was d...

Here are some really nice quotes that I happened to stumble upon recently. 1. " The best speaker is not the one who knows when and how to talk, but when exactly to keep shut! " 2. " Fashion designing is that field wherein too many people work on too little clothing with too many ideas on how to cover two little areas! " 3. " A diplomat is one who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to making the trip " 4. " The Indians have grown so strong in the 20-20 format of the game that they have started limiting their innings to only 20 overs even in Tests "

It's been quite a while since I blogged and my visit to the barber's this morning gave me the next topic. I was fourth in queue and trust me, waiting for a haircut is one of the most painful things in life. And Mr. Murphy comes in as promptly as ever, with everyone ahead in queue demanding both a haircut and a shave. Exactly on this day, the second barber doesn't turn up. Drat! What rotten luck! An effective way to kill time at the barber's is to sift through the pages of the boring local magazines filled with cine masala, linking everybody to anybody, punctuated by a few pages of pictures of gods and godmen, as if they are seeking an apology to all the glorious fibbing on the remaining sheets. The other source of pastime is the highly vociferous transistor, tuned to some FM channel. The latter is even more amusing. Between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m, the songs that are played should bring the heavens right before the listener. And immediately after that, only songs relevant to ...

The even semester here sees little cricketing action at the institute level, but for a few inter-collegiate tournaments. One such is the prestigious IIT - Sanmar trophy involving various colleges from the city known for their cricket teams and IIT Madras as the host, besides being a participant. This year, the enthusiasm for even semester cricket was sporadically greater and the first match against D G Vaishnav college was a glorious re-incarnation of the India-Bermuda match of the nationally infamous World Cup 2007, with IITM playing India. The hosts put up a thundering 251 off 30 overs with three batsmen scoring express half-centuries. I was one of them. Otherwise, why would I write this? ;-P Our opener, Amit, gave us a good start as he managed 54 quick runs. It was the flamboyant Ayush next, who got out after a lovely little cameo. And then it was our captain Dharik and myself for the rest of the time. We settled faster than usual and put on a century partnership in no time. I woul...

"Anand, you are playing across." - most common comment when I bat. "You have shuffled across so much that your middle and leg stumps are seen." - a common quote when I try to flick the ball off the pads. "Don't run away from the leg stump." - cricket coach during school days. "When the ball is bowled straight at your middle stump, play it straight back to the stumps at the other end. You are playing it to mid-on." - Coach @ IITM. "Your bat is coming from gully. Get it straight at the ball." - another feather in the cap. With such comments being heard after every batting session, I hereby give myself the title, 'crossbatsman' . Batting across seems to be a congenital defect!

This is the fourth attempt at suicide by a student that I came across after I entered IIT and the third successful one. That makes it roughly one per semester. The reasons ranged from love-failure to low grades to financial crisis. Today was the fourth and it was a student who had an 8 plus grade on a scale of ten and had also won a scholarship. He belonged to the batch of first year students of M.Sc in Mathematics. There is nothing heroic about their deed that makes me write here. Just feelings of pity at their state of mind when they attempt suicide. I am still unable to comprehend what it is precisely that makes them think that death is the only solution to their problems! What makes them leave everyone near and dear at times of need, totally defeating the purpose of having near and dear ones! Most importantly, at the age of twenty five and odd, when people make plans to live, they make plans to die and succeed. How much of life have we seen at this age to decide against it? As Si...

What does it take to become a wicketkeeper? Concentration, fitness, hard work, technique, etc. What does it take to become a wicketkeeper batsman? The aforementioned aspects plus batting skills. What does it take to become an Aussie gloveman? All of these honed to the finest levels. What does it take to become Adam Gilchrist / Gilly / Church? Everything cited earlier plus an ability to display fine sporstsmanship, be it in the appreciation of a good ton by an opponent, or the mammoth honesty to walk back to the pavilion on judging his own dismissal amidst an era of "professional cricketers", even if the Aussie batting line up is in dire straits, or the sheer ability to have appeared in ninety five tests incessantly, or the capacity to guard wickets for fifty long overs and bat through an equal number of overs, demolishing the opposition in the process? Yes, his retirement has indeed marked the end of an era. Wicketkeeping never looked easier and batting for wicketkeepers coul...

I had my pre-employment medical check-up done from the VHS (Voluntary Health Services) hospital here in Chennai. A doctor named Pradeep is one of my close friends there and I had the opportunity, thereby, to visit his division. The latter housed patients who tested positive for HIV. A look at some of them, which I managed to throw with great difficulty, revealed nothing else but eyes calling for someone to donate hope during the last moments of their life. Little children suffering the wrath of a lifetime (if there is any life), for absolutely no fault of theirs! Hitler was no greater dictator than nature probably. A few thoughts came into my mind that I wanted to express. How does it feel when the ultimate fear engulfs the mind? Man and presumably every animal lives today in the hope that there will be a tomorrow. Though death is certain, everyone thinks he or she is immortal, most surprisingly ( Yaksha Prashna, Mahabharatha) . This is exactly the thought that keeps propelling living...

A few instances where I happened to come across words spelt in exactly the way they are pronounced: 1. Seen outside a cycle mechanic's - Mani servis and puncher shop 2. A lodging - Singal and doubal rooms for batchlars... Contact.... 3. An internet cafe - Pandian browzing center.... e-mail, chating, games.... They still seem to convey the message don't they?

Art - this was one of the many periods in school I loathed attending. The teacher, every year, would sketch something on the blackboard and would expect a copy of it in our notebooks. One such sketch was that of a car. I tried my level best to make a reprint, but in vain. I still feel it looked like a house on wheels. Part of art class was colouring/painting practice. My skills with the paintbrush were as deficient as those with wax crayons and I would usually end up with bruised knuckles from sound caning. Every teacher of art has cursed me for my congenital incapacity to make a sketch or colour one. On these lines, I am reminded of one of my escapades with crayons. I was in the first standard and the art teacher had given us an outline and expected us to colour it as homework. The sincere student that I was, I finished it promptly the same evening. My inflated ego, thanks to repeated curses from the teacher, had made me take extra care and time in colouring the sketch. Fully satisfie...