3 killed, 60 hurt in protests across Maharashta

Yes.. 3 people died today in Maharashtra. Why?? Because of some alleged desecration of B R Ambedkar's statue in Kanpur. People can do weird things at times. An agitation in Maharashtra because of some alleged desecration in a place which is like miles and miles away. Why do not people show such unity and brotherhood when it comes to doing something constructive, something beneficial?
I await the day when people, thousands of miles away, join their brothers in doing something good for mankind.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

I got nothing much to do over here during weekends. I sit up watching movies all day. Today, I watched the much-spoken-about "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna". The movie made no sense to me. I could just not relate myself to the movie. Lemme tell you why..

Here's the plot: The story revolves around 2 unsuccessful marriages between SRK-Priety and AB Jr-Rani. SRK-Priety have been married for 5 years now and they have a kid. SRK, a former footballer, is now a small-time football coach. Priety is out working at a high position in a big company. Rani is getting married to AB Jr today and she meets a stranger in SRK on her wedding day. Rani and SRK talk to each other about why she should get married to AB Jr when she does not "love" him. She questions him of what if she marries him now and she meet the love of her life after marriage. SRK convinces her that after marriage, if you don't look for love, you will not find love. (All this chat with a complete stranger on her wedding day. Wow!!). 4 years later, SRK is having problems with keeping up to his very successful wife. Rani is married to AB Jr but is not in love with him. And then, bollywood style, Rani and SRK meet again in this huge city of New York. (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, remember). They try to get help from each other to save their breaking marriages. Ultimately, they end up falling in love with each other. Priety and AB Jr come to know the truth and decide to end the marriage. SRK and Rani have ended their relation and decided to keep mum about their divorce. 3 years later, AB Jr is getting married. Rani is his best man. Priety turns up for the wedding. Rani realizes SRK's marriage is also broken and she goes, gets him and they live happily ever after.

As I said, this made no sense to me. Why?? Because of the usual bollywood melodrama involved?? No.. Ok.. here's why.. I strongly believe that 2 people should get married only when they are sure that they can live with each other for the rest of their lives. They should be ready to accept the good and bad qualities of their partners. I belive sacrifice is a part of every marriage. And if a couple is ready to do this, I don't see a reason why should there be this concept of a divorce. I belive there is no such thing as perfect love. I believe if a couple really love each other, they do not need the help of a third person to solve their problems. If they cannot solve a problem themslves, they have made a mistake of assuming they are in love. No.. I don't know what love is.. and, I don't think I will ever know.. All I know is that you don't have to be in "love" to have a successful relationship. All you need is a little bit of caring, sharing, time, understanding, sacrifice etc etc.. I think these are the ingredients of any successful relationship. Maybe, this is what they call "love".. a mixture of all of these..

Oh man!! I can't belive I could write such a huge post on a bollywood movie...
Moral of the story: When in the US, make sure you have a vehicle to get around else you will end up watching crappy movies, analyzing them, and then blogging about them on weekends..

"A walk to remember"

I have watched this movie twice in 2 days and I can watch it all over again. Its a beautiful movie that portrays the love between 2 different individuals, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan, wonderfully played by Shane West and Mandy Moore.

The first part of the story is pretty normal when Jamie changes the spoilt brat Landon's life. She teaches him to believe in himself, makes him have a goal, gets him to work towards it. Everything was going fine for Landon and he believed that Jamie was the girl for him when the story takes a twist. Jamie reveals she is a Leukemia patient and the world falls apart for Landon. I am really touched by the final few moments of the movie.

I remember this scene after Jamie's death: Landon has secured admission into a medical school and he comes to share the news with Jamie's dad.
Landon: "I'm sorry she never got her miracle. "
Reverend Sullivan (Jamie's Dad): "She did. It was you. "

Awesome movie. You get a chance to watch it, do not miss it. Also, check out the song "Only hope" by Mandy Moore herself.. I love this song.

The blog evolution

I have been blogging for more than a year now. At first when I heard about people blogging, I did not know what it was or what it meant. Then with the help of a friend, Denzil and I started a blog. It felt great. We had an online diary where we could scrap out our minds and the world could read. It was a medium for us to communicate our thoughts to the world.

When I was a kid, I read people used to maintain personal diaries. These diaries were "personal" in the true sense. Nobody was allowed or supposed to read these diaries. Then came the Web log, popularly known as the blog.

Blogging is considered to be a diary on the Web, similar to the personal diaries that people maintained. But the diary is no longer personal. People can now read through other’s blog and even comment on them. People now have a medium to speak their minds and let the world know about their thoughts. I consider a blog as a medium to being social. Blogs have helped so many people connect, thoughts have been exchanged, ideas are born, discussions take place, and friends are made. Like-minded people often form a blogging community where people exchanges ideas and thoughts. I love the concept of a blog.

Now the latest buzz is a video log or a vlog as the net-savvy people would call it. People have started sharing video clips of their lives with the world. I am strongly against vlogs. Why would people want the world to see what’s going on in their world. We as it is have plenty of reality shows on TV. Reality shows where personal lives of people are broadcasted to the world. Why would anyone be interested in the personal lives of strangers? I like my privacy and cherish my personal life. People, who need to know about it, know about it. The rest of the world can and should please stay out of it.

What’s next? Live logs? Where the lives of strangers are streamed live on the net?? People are going to miss their private lives. It reminds me of the new HP marketing campaign, “The computer is personal again.” I wonder how.. "Life is no longer personal"

2nd Anniversary

11th October 2004, I first joined Lionbridge Technologies as a Writer.

Today, 11th October 2006, I forgot I completed 2 years here. Thanks to Nicholas for reminding me. After 2 long and wonderful years, I am still enjoying my tenure here. It was here that I met some of the most wonderful people, people whom I will remember for years to come. I have made some real good friends here, cherished times with old friends. It has been amazing.

I hope to continue and enjoy my association with Lionbridge for a long time. :)

2 years since college.

Yeah, it’s been 2 years and about 2 months since we completed 4 long years in that engineering college of ours. And today, life is different. I could never imagine life would be so different within a span of just 2 years.

It feels like yesterday that I cribbed about getting up early in the morning, the long bus lines, the crowd in the bus, long horrible bus rides. I remember waiting on platform number 5 for the 9:42 Titwala local which was the official train for all Jondhaleites. The train travel was fun. I remember friends completing assignments, reading up notes, pulling Ali’s leg. It was fun. Then those long rickshaw queues to get to college and then the walk to college from the pharmaceutical college. Nothing will be worse that that 5 min walk. I remember spending hours in the canteen, playing volleyball, planning for movies almost every week. It was fun.

2 years and 2 months later, life is so different. I no longer need to get up at 6:30. can go to office at whatever time I want to. I always thought it will be fun not to get up early for college. But now, I kinda miss it. It was exciting getting up early and rushing to the bus stand by 8:15. In college, I had no money but I enjoyed. Today, I have money but no time to enjoy. In college, the entire group was together and we freaked out. Today, we all have the money to freak out but no time to meet up. If ever we meet up on weekends, it’s never the entire group. Somebody or the other is busy with work. And, most of the time we meet, what do we talk about? Job opportunities, salary packages, work at office. Its sad.

2 years and 2 months later, I am reminded of this scene from “Dil Chahata Hai”. Akash, Sam, and Sid are sitting on the walls of Aguada fort in Goa and staring at the open sea and the ships sailing. They talk about how they were together and freaking out now but some years down the line they may not even have the time to meet each other. Back then, it was just another movie scene. But, when I think about it now, I realize its not just a scene from the movies. It’s the story of every college kid. Every college kid has a wonderful group he enjoys being with. In college, he thinks his friends will be with him all through life having fun. But life has something else in store. Though everybody wants to be together, they cannot. After passing out, every person goes out into this world chasing a dream.

That’s exactly whats happened to our group. Thakur is in NY with Kandu doing their MS. Sardar is in UK for higher studies. Jhurani is in New Zealand. Denzil is busy with his work in Accenture. Now that he has been absorbed by Accenture, responsibilities have increased, work hours have increased. Shirish is busy with his own job looking for better opportunities. Prashant is off to get trained as a Major in the Army. Atul has his own business and it has kept him busy. Naveen works in the same office as I do but we rarely meet. Amit is off to Pune working. I heard he does come to Mumbai on weekends. Rehan just left for Scotland. Sanjit is busy looking for a gal to marry; now that he is settled in HP. Ali is climbing the ladder of the mobile antennas pretty fast. Great going, Ali. It’s been ages since I spoke to Parag. Gala is lost in the streets of Ahmadabad. And I do not know where I am. Sometimes in Mumbai, sometimes here. When I am in Mumbai i spend half my time in office. :(

Hmm.. Its been a long post… you must have realized by now.. Yes, I have no work as of now.. Just wish everybody is successful in fulfilling their dreams, come what may. All the very best for your future, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Crocodile Hunter

Its been days since Steve Irwin's tragic death. But, it looks like the world has still not forgotten this great animal lover.
I haven't been his greatest follower but I did know what he was and what he did. Its sometime weird, you never know who a person is until he is no more around to be recognised. I only knew him for his show on Animal Planet, "Crocodile Hunter". But after watching all the shows in tribute to this man, I realize who and what he actually was. Sad, I could not appreciate the work this person did while he was alive.
My deepest sympathies with Terri Irwin and her 2 little kids. Hope his family can carry forward his wonderful legacy.

The Labor day weekend

Its 1 in the night now and I am writing this post. You know wat inspired me to write at this time?? I was reading the first few posts from Denzil' blog about Animal Kingdom, our Goa trip etc.. Man, it was soo much fun... It kept me up till now.. It will be so much fun to read this stuff say 10 yrs from now.. Thanks to this wonderful concept of blogging, we will be able to relive our good ol' college memories.. :)

Its a long weekend here.. And guess what I did on the first day of the weekend.. I managed to get lost in the streets of San Diego.. :) What started out as a simple evening walk turned out to be some of the moments I will remember for a long time to come..

At 5 in the evening, I decided its time to get out of the room and take a stroll.. Today, I decided to venture into streets I had never been to before.. It was fun.. just walked through the beautifully paved footpaths.. nice greenery on either side of the pathway.. I was enjoying the walk.. clicking pics of views from the pathway.. It was very silent and lonely.. I was the only one walking on these pathways.. There were shrubs of oranges on my left.. Mountains far away on my right.. It was nice to be walking all alone on these pathways enjoying nature...

It was 7 and I decided to head for the hotel.. but u know what I lost my way.. I hd thought of following the old joke where u tell a person to take a left, then a left again, and then again a left and u get back to the same place.. So, I took a left, then a left and again a left thinking I would get back to my hotel.. but unfortunately, I was wrong.. I reached a place called Poway, whih is about 3 miles from where I like... man.. did I walk that far?? Lucky for me, I had a cell phone this time around and I called the hotel for directions.. They were surprised to hear I walked that far.. The directions they gave me got me nowhere.. so I decided to go back the same way as I got here.. so I took the same pathway to get back home..

I could just not imagine what I saw... the pathway which seemed so nice and quite about half an hr back was so different now.. It was eerie.. It was creepy... The nice orange shrubs on the side was scary and the crickets were not making it any easy for me.. The local people always talk about coyotes.. they say its common for coyotes to walk out off this greenery after dark.. and I was scared.. Imagine a guy who is scared of dogs meets a coyote.. I would have been soo dead.. But, I gathered courage and walked thru listening to music on my iPod.. Finally, I reached the hotel at 8:25.. Man, wat an experience..

Now that I managed to walk back safely, I feel it was funny.. But then, I admit, I was shit scared... Lucky for me.. I did not have to exchange pleasantries with the coyotes.. :)