A year old !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exactly a year ago I started an unsure journey as a blogger. One year on, I look back at what I ve been writing and what I’ve got out of this activity. My posts have been a mixture of personal incidents and general issues and of course, Formula One. I have deliberately not given a definite shape to this blog. I guess this somewhat reflects my personality. I am a bit of everything. Sometimes shy, sometimes bold. Sometimes naughty, sometimes serious. Sometimes proactive, sometimes inactive! Since I myself seem to be a confused soul, you can expect something similar from my blog too. Moving forward, you can expect to find an assortment of articles relating to whatever comes to my convoluted mind.

Looking at what I’ve gained from blogging, the least I’ve gained is that my writing has improved. Just as it is important to keep reading and speaking to improve one’s language, I’ve realised that writing something from time to time can also be a big help (especially since the only other writing I seem to do is once every three months during my exams). When I read through some of the old posts, I realised that I was storing my thoughts and my ideas though this blog. Now of course I am not an Einstein or a Gandhi whose ideas are of relevance to anyone. But somehow, I feel good when I look back at my thoughts. It is almost like travelling through time and revisiting certain moments. One more thing that I derive out of blogging is of course the gratification derived from the knowledge that what I write is being read by quite a few people. But this was not the reason I gave myself for starting a blog, not is this the reason I give myself to continue blogging.

At this milestone I have some resolutions. I hope to be more regular in my postings from now on. I take this opportunity to thank all those poor souls who were unlucky enough to visit this blog and senseless enough to go through my posts!! And if any of these poor souls intend to return, then I assure them that I will try and keep improving my writing and will try and make their reading a little more fun.

The Verdict

Sanjay Dutt was charge-sheeted by the CBI for possession of weapons which included three AK 56 rifles, hand grenades and ammunition. These weapons were allegedly meant to be used in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. Last week a special TADA court gave its final verdict in which Dutt was convicted under the Arms act and not under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.

The full verdict of the case is not yet available to the public. But I must say that I am bewildered and disappointed with the verdict. Dutt’s argument had been that he had the weapons for self defence and that he was not a terrorist. Hence he should not be convicted under the TADA. Now, the judge has said in his verdict that Dutt did possess weapons illegally. But he also said that he buys Dutt’s contention that the weapons could have been for self defence. He also said that there was not enough evidence to prove that Dutt was a terrorist. But apparently there was enough evidence to prove that Dutt was in illegal possession of weapons and hence the conviction under the Arms act. Now, can any sensible person justify the possession of AK 56 rifles and grenades for self defence? Isn’t that ridiculous?

Among the co accused in the case were those who allegedly delivered the Arms to Dutt and those who tried to destroy the evidence by melting the rifles. Both of these men were convicted under TADA. But Dutt was seemingly just an innocent person caught in the middle guilty of simply possessing illegal weapons!!

I am sure that money, power and politics had their role to play in this case, as is common in such cases in this country. The fact that his sister is a MP of the ruling congress party and Dutt himself is a Bollywood celebrity should have been indication enough that one couldn’t expect a fair verdict. I have tried to gauge people’s opinion on the verdict. The responses ranged from disappointment to indifference. And then there were some whose thinking was something on these lines:

‘C’mon, he may have stored the weapons for some reason or pressure or whatever… but for sure, this guy is not a terrorist! He is a good actor. He may have been misguided in the past but now he is a reformed man trying to live a decent life. Whatever happened in the past is past. He is now trying to live a peaceful life. Why do you want to punish him now?’

Now what can I say about this. It is true that the objective of punishment is to reform a person. But there is another very important objective. The act of punishing a guilty man serves as an example to the society and shows that the laws of the land are functioning. This deters potential criminals from indulging in such activities. If the punished is a celebrity or an important person, the example is that much stronger. In the end it is the society which is benefited.

Sanjay Dutt, his family and his fans are happy that he escaped the TADA conviction. Of course they believe that this guy is a transformed man. Maybe they are true. But this verdict is one more nail in the coffin in which lies the nation’s legal system.

Children's Day Special

This children’s day I went to a special place. The Social Responsibility Forum (SRF) of our institute had organised a function for children in an orphanage run by a NGO called ‘SUPPORT’. I went there hoping to be of some help in organising and conducting the event. As it turned out, the number of volunteers was far more than what was required. I guess the students were all excited about contributing something to the society. As you know, too many cooks spoil the broth. So I decided to stay on the sidelines and instead just looked around the place and observed things. I also talked to a few kids. This was my first time in an orphanage and I was just getting a feel of things.

I am not a great observer of things (even though I am a finance major!!! ) but I observed a few things. Most kids were going through a lot of suffering and hardship before coming to that place. The place that they are living right now is not really that good. A bit too cramped for space. What we did for the kids that day- conducting games, movie, snacks, etc- was not much. But the kids were really thankful for what they got. Of course they would’ve been told to behave in such a way by the NGO. But in the eyes of the children I could see real gratitude. When the kids were served snacks, all of them closed their eyes and prayed before eating. Each and every single kid prayed sincerely and loudly. Even in such hunger and at such a young age, many of the kids kept offering us the snacks as they saw that we were not eating anything. It was really touching. The kids were extremely disciplined. All this makes one want to go to the place again and again and give something to the kids.

In the eyes of the kids I saw so many bright young minds. Potential waiting to get unlocked. These are smart kids, these are the country’s future. These are good times for the country’s economy. If only these kids are shaped properly and given a chance, they will definitely grab the opportunity. I hope that all the kids I saw that day go on to work for an Infosys, a Maruti, a HDFC bank, or do MBA from a NMIMS or maybe start some entrepreneurship some day. Believe me, all these kids are capable of doing this. They are smart, hard working and have the fire in their belly.

I am convinced that if I do not do substantial contributions to such efforts as what is being done by SUPPORT, then my career and my life is a waste. It felt good to see so many volunteers that day. Especially the kids from MBA Tech. Younger minds are more easily impressionable. This kind of an experience should have served the 17 something students of the MBA tech course well.

We keep hearing about the economic growth of our country. What’s more important is inclusive growth. I hope citizens of this country keep this in mind. Our country is supposed to be full of ‘highly intellectual’ and intelligent men and women. If that is the case then we must realise that distribution of wealth, inclusive growth and social justice are more important than 10% GDP growth, FII and trillion dollar forex reserves. Let us all play our role in making India a great nation and not just a great economy. Let us all give these kids a shot at life.

My First Trek!

Last Sunday I went on an ‘adventure trip’. Some of my friends had been planning to go on a trek with some members from a club called Nature Knights. At the last moment all my Sunday classes got cancelled and I planned to join my friends.

I got up at 5 am. I think that is the earliest I have woken since coming to Mumbai. Four of us left from the hostel in the early hours. At the bus stop we met the other four people from our institute. Three of them were French nationals who have come to our institute as part of a student exchange program. We also met the other people who were to come with us on the trip. There were a total of 23 members in the group. We left on a minibus from Andheri bus stand.

We went to a place called Tung near Lonavala. We reached the trek site at around 10.40 am. The mountain we were supposed to climb was ‘kathingad’. At first site the mountain/hill looked like a short but steep climb. The experienced members in the group seemed to think that this is gonna be an easy climb. I was not very sure though, since this was my first such excursion. We started the climb at around 11 am. The climb to the top took us 2 hours but with plenty of breaks. An experienced climber could probably have done it in an hour. But all the breaks were worth it. We stopped often to take in the breathtaking scenery. We also took some photographs. As we reached the top, it was time for lunch. We ate the food we had. Another group actually did some cooking there and had a nice time.

As everyone was simply lazing around, we took the opportunity to interact with the French students whom most of us were meeting for the first time. Thanks to the trek I got the opportunity to meet these wonderful people. Nicolas, Audrey and Joanna were nice company and I am glad I got to know them. It was interesting talking to them and learn about their country and their people.

We also did some rappelling while on top of the mountain. That was fun to do. I also very much enjoyed the serenity I found at the top. If you don’t know what rappelling means, well it is a way of climbing down the mountain using a rope. The quietness and the sound of the wind and the scenery below were very pleasant.

The climb down was much more difficult. It needed more balancing. We needed around 40 mins to climb down. We spent some time chatting at the bottom. Some people played cricket with the village boys. Even Nicolas tried his hand at batting and managed to make contact with the ball many times!

We started our trip back at around 6. we stopped at lonavala to have dinner. We reached the hostel at around 9. After looking at beautiful scenes through the day, the city looked ugly. But then this is where people make money, make a living. I guess that’s how life is. There are always two sides to a coin.

Anyway, the trek was an awesome experience. More so because this was my first trek. And I am eager to go on such treks more often.

Another competition, another experience

Last weekend I had gone to a b school in Mumbai, NITIE for their annual inter b school event, Prerana My team was shortlisted for an event called B Sultans. Since B Sultans constituted of many sub events spanning 3 days, we had gone there prepared to stay there for the three days.

The NITIE campus was really amazing and beautiful. It had lots of greenery and was surrounded by 2 lakes. The students of NITIE are indeed lucky. The event itself was very exhausting with lots of games involved. One of the games required us to go to the streets of Mumbai and sell toys worth 2500 rupees. It was a real challenge. The final event was a presentation of a paper we had written on offshore outsourcing. We learnt a lot while preparing for the paper. The events as a whole were interesting. Although we did not win any prizes, I think we all gained something from it.

This is the second competition I ve been part of. The first one being IIM Indore. It will be unfair to compare the two institutions. But both my exoeriences have been pleasant. I was unable to watch Euphoria when they performed in Indore, but as luck would have it, the same group performed in NITIE during Prerana. So I had the opportunity to watch this famous group's performance.


Thanks to my roommate Arjun's initiative I participated in this competition. It was definitely three days well spent. Lot of good food, fresh air and indeed good learnings.

A welcome break

I recently returned to Mumbai after a trip home for Diwali. I am feeling very rejuvenated since I came back. Its really surprising how such short breaks with one’s family can do wonders to one’s mental frame. It is times like these when I feel lucky to have a home, my own folks, relatives, and of course friends. The 10 days in Chennai really flew- like they always do. I met so many friends and relatives after a long time- and still there were so many that I could not meet. And the time I spent with my sis, mom and dad was as usual, wonderful. Its definitely Home sweet home!

I didn’t burst any crackers for Diwali this time, having lost interest in such things. For a change I did not go to any movie this time (not that I did not try). And I was bloody shocked when I saw the rates at some of the cinema halls in the city. At this rate Chennai will be as bad as Mumbai in another 2 years.

The city is changing rapidly. Lots of new hangouts have sprung up. And having lived in Mumbai, the costs seem really reasonable. One bad thing about the city is of course is the CAS system. Now am just waiting for the DTH system to mature and stabilise before deciding whether to opt for it.

I saw a special person in this trip to Chennai. She’s got the softest cheeks and feet I ve ever seen. And the cutest smile. Her name is Dhrithi.She is the most beautiful baby I ve seen!
She is my cousin’s daughter. And she is barely a month old now! It was a wonderful experience to hold her in my arms and spend time with her- although its quite another matter that she was asleep most of the time and quite oblivious of my presence!

Yet another friend of mine, Vivek will be going abroad shortly on a job assignment. I really wonder if any of my old friends will remain in India by the time I complete my course! Hopefully Prasanna will be back in India soon, and I hope to meet him.

All in all, the holidays was a welcome break (don’t ask me from what! ). And Fernando Alonso winning the world championship for the second time was the icing on the cake, even though I was unable to watch the final race thanks to the CAS system.

Back here in Mumbai I feel fresh and raring to go. My team has made it to the final round of a competition called 'B Sultans' in NITIE. So, right now busy writing a 'thesis paper'. Lets see how it goes..

Trip to Pune

My 4th trimester exams got over last week. Went to pune after that to meet some old friends. Both of them- Rahul and Kunal- were my school mates whom I hadn’t seen in years. Had a nice time with them. As expected both of them are engineers working in a software company. Now isn’t that - engineers working in a software company- getting seriously clichéd?

I enjoyed the weather in Pune except of course the rain on the last day. The open spaces with lot of green was a relief to the eyes after being in Mumbai for so long. If only the roads are improved and the traffic pollution reduced, Pune would be a great place to live in. The cost of living though is another pain in the back. In many cases Pune is almost as expensive as Mumbai. Inflation is going through the roof. This really is a city that is booming big time.

I was very happy to meet Kunal and Rahul, both of whom were close buddies in school. I am really happy to get back in touch with 2 great firends...

The last evening was a bit of an adventure. I had to ride a ramshackle old motorbike in proper rain without any protection for more than an hour. And with the clock ticking we reached the railway station just in time- literally. All the usual drama was thrown in on the way to the station. We had traffic jams, red signals… even the bike ran out of petrol. We had to run like mad, and were thankful that the train was late by 5 minutes.

All in all, it was a nice experience. And I am really happy to get back in touch with two old buddies.