Cocktails n Gossips

Ready 1 2 3 smile please

2011-03-09T10:50:00.000-08:00

Ready 1 2 3 smile please.
This no longer persist .Thanks to the digital supremacy. If the smile is not in one snap, it’s there in another. It gives us all the privilege to select and get the perfect one. If you don’t get the right emotion, right feel or the right frame, you’re always on the luxury to go for another one and get the best one out of it. That’s the way photography has advanced. For me photography is about capturing the moments and people important in life. Sceneries, wildlife, and all such things, you just have to Google it. It’s all there for you.
Photography is widespread passions which I can see in many grow and evolve. They talk about cameras, make, pixels, aperture, FPS, exposure etc. The common man is aware about pixels .If digital camera, first question, how many pixels? Pixels just allow you to grow on the snap. It was a dream of mine to be on a flux somewhere in the city. Not in underwear. Not coz am ashamed of it but I don’t have a six pack to flaunt.
“Time passes by as the evening sky floats into the night and awaits the sunrise” as said by someone but man didn’t want that to happen. He wanted every moment to be captured. He wanted the legends to be remembered. He invoked his creative side for this and came up with the most remarkable paintings .Only the blessed ones were able to paint rest were left to admire. This led to the invention of photography. Black and white pics were meant to project family values and status. Ready 1 2 3 gave the time for the entire family to show the pride on their face and give the best pose in the snap. The black and white pic would be nailed all around the family house. Oh! what a way to show the gen X about their roots.
Kids ,awww they just rock in snaps. They simply live up to the invention. The emotions they radiate are evident in the portraits. They are so innocent, that they don’t even know to fake emotions. Fake emotions come only when they are forced to give the smile they are not supposed to. Beta smile, oh! de poor cranky kid will be forced to give a smile. But if a parent is able to capture the entire naughtiness of a childhood, it will be a lifetime treasure.
Adulthood is where the entire invention is a flaw. I always wished the emotion quotient would be something in the spec of a camera which people would look forward to. The EQ level will turn out to be an important feature. College days is a glorified childhood .The snaps are simply memorable and they talk sense. Smiles, arms upon shoulders, kicks, kisses, everything is real. Spontanious reactions of the youth are best captured in a snap and simply roll out to the generation next. The photographer just needs to click, he gets the best moment he ever witnessed.
But when man advances in life, it gets tougher for the photographer. He needs to add something in the background to make the pic, the way it’s meant to be. Everything will have a different meaning. It makes everything feel better but reality sucks. Anything and everything for them in a snap makes a statement. A smiling family in a snap doesn’t mean that everything is perfect within them. A bunch of friends, arms upon shoulders, smiling all the way to glory doesn’t mean that they are the perfect friends in the world. The self is lost and they just have to fake, to be the best out there. This is where technology fails and human reign hails.
So to all the adults (word has lot of ambiguity) out there, flip through the Alma meter and see yourself .Nothing has changed, you can be the same. Let loose, EGO level zero and smile away to glory to give the best shot ever.
So it’s Ready 1 2 3 smile eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee(scratch ur ass if possible)
Click.

Coffee

2010-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Things that come into our life and the ones which are short lived, always leave an imprint that lasts for ever.The feeling to get to something which you love is always unex-plainable.If a man has a woman to love and a dog that is loyal and imparts unconditional love,his life is said to be complete. The completion was half way through in my life when I got “Coffee” months back.Coffee was given into my arms and it appeared like a sweet chocolate served in a basket.A basket full of love.If rain is considered to be a good omen,it was raining when I got him in my hand.Me and my friend had to run into the car to give him the best shade possible. He was driven from this shade to his shelter--my home.He liked each and every corner of it.He was running around in excitement.The only pain he couldn’t bare was the pain of hunger.Once his tummy was full he was all set for masti again.If one year of a dog is equivalent to 10 years of human,then I should say he found friends of his age when my nephews arrived. There was always confusion at home as the hungry brat always thrived for food. Me being a visitor at home, his growth was very much evident to me.Could see his tail getting longer, his arms and legs getting stronger and was getting more cosy for me to cuddle with him.He used to love digging his head into my lap.Could notice his mischief as mom started rasing the height of all objects which was tend to be destructed. The guy was all set to grow handsome and the most adorable dog that ever lived.
If a day marks the birth of a person and if that day comes after 27 years, then its gotta be special. It was my birthday and it was special to me. It was special as I would be home .It’s the day of expectations.You expect calls,sms,emails,scraps and to the wildest of the imagination you even expect a long lost love to give a ring. Thats the height of expectations on that day.You expect a pinch of success on anything and everything you do that day.The previous day I was travelling and finally got home early morning.Felt good to see my mom and was expecting the little wonder to come running on to me .But it didn’t happen.Sat with my mom for a while and enquired about coffee.She said that he had some indigestion problem and puked all night.A sense of negativity started building up.Every day is a fight between the lord of good and bad things.In my day ,the lord of bad things won the first battle.Coffee seemed to be exhausted but still kept wagging his ever growing tail.He came running and as usual was digging his head into my lap. There was no second thought but to call the doctor.Vets are considered to be the most blessed ones in the field of medicine.They can heal the pain of the ones that don’t know to express it.Eventhough he prescribed a medicine ,his condition was getting worse and I had to take him to the hospital.His condition was so worse that I had to carry him and put him inside the vehicle .His head was on my lap and I patted him with full confidence saying that hez gonna be alright as it’s my day.So finally I landed in a place known as Dog’s hospital .Keeping in mind the condition of Govt hospital for humans,its better not to explain the scene I saw there.Dogs were dogs at that place. Nothing more than that.The owners were considered to be helpers to Docs.I even heard a senior doctor saying to his junior that she should not touch a dog.No touch no pat no love.Its just consulting and prescribing medicines.My guy was too tired and he was made to lie down.To my luck the doc came and examined but no one was ready to talk with me.Thought myself as a bloody illiterate .The communication happend only when they wanted some medicine .Finally the junior doc came and as per the instruction from the senior she was not supposed to touch the dog.So she asked me to hold the dog tight.What can a 5 months old dog which cant even raise its head to rest on my lap do?He was given glucose through vein.Once the glucose was removed,he raised his head.The lord of good things won the next battle. Immediately after that I was asked to take him back home.They give him some antibiotics too.There was no discussion about his state, why it happend, what is to be done..nothing.The only thing they told me was that he will recover and I need to bring him again the next day.The positive signs given by them gave me a sense of victory by the lord of good things again.But he was not able to walk.I had to carry him.On the way back got the first sign of recovery ,when I saw him raise his hand and pat on mine and he had that wicked smile on his face.Felt so happy and thought that it was my day.After all its my birthday.When I reached home thought that he would jump out of the vehicle.But he didn’t.I made him stand on the floor,but he didn’t.The lord of bad things had his upper hand on me.He was made to lie down and I sat with him for a while. There was nothing much I could do but wait.It was 7 in the night and I had to call the doctor again.The doc was cool enough to say that the dog will recover.After dinner I again went and sat with him.There was not even a cry of pain from him.I could see him struggling to get some sleep.I could sense that the time has come for me to witness another loss in my life.The fear of losing creeped up in me.The B’day wishes kept coming and the last one arrived.The wish even said that this will be the last one and preferred to be it.The wishes kept me alive and gave me hope that its gonna be my day.The moment when we are about to lose something is painful .It is at this moment we curse our self for not spending much time with the loved ones.There were times when he used to wag his tail and showed at most love to come near me.Me being the busy brat ignored him and would always take him for granted. I gave him a pat on his head and went to bed.I knew that hez not gonna make it.The night was cool and raining again.Rains always gave me the feeling of goodness but this time it was just water being poured from the sky.I got him when it was raining and now am gonna lose him with the same omen.Good or bad ,don’t know.With all these thoughts in mind something struck me and I came to senses .It was early morning and it was time for me to go and check whether he made it. Just washed my face and opened the door to see him.His eyes were closed arms and legs stretched ,everything still.I lost him. A doctor was not required to confirm his death.He didn’t wag his tail ,he didn’t pat my hand with his,he was lifeless.The love was so unconditional ,as the pain still stays.I don’t believe in rebirth but this time I just felt like coffee is gonna be reborn and will live life king size.And it is this feeling which helps me deal with his loss. Love you coffee and wish you were still there with me.

My Love

2010-03-21T02:48:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to my love. It’s all about her.
Even to write this blog I need her. Everything starts with her. I remember the day when I first met her. She was all nervous. A symbol of purity and virginity. Her replies to my questions were vague and were generic. She had nothing to ask .She didn’t make any statements. She didn’t even look into my eyes. All that she did was listen .It was a moment were all the talking was done by me. There after we were in touch but not very often. To get in touch with her was difficult .In my early days I didn’t have the monetary back up for the means of communications. So I kept my feelings for her within and adjusted with what I had. But when months passed by, everything changed. Our meetings became often .There wasn’t a single day without her .I could see the improvement in our relation. The monologues which we used to have were converted into dialogues. Her attitude towards me changed .She felt that, this is it and this is the man I got to impress. Her dressing attire changed. Everything about her changed.
More than flirting, what people usually do when they start dating, we used to support each other in our career by sharing valuable information. She was the key to success in my life. She was the answer to all the questions in my life.
In today’s world people fall in love and they hardly find time for each other. Our story is different. We keep in touch even when I am in office. That is the beauty of our relation. She knows exactly what I want in this moment and gives me whatever is best for me.
Just like all humans I had many complicated situations in life to face, where she stood by me and helped me get over it.
Even at the epitome of boredom, I just got to give her a topic or a word and she just makes things perfect and wonderful and also provides a wide variety of options to gaze on.
Above all this she has got a wonderful family which I think is important to mention. All are very supportive and they get along with me very easily. I know all the members in her family and even the newborns. All of them, just like her are supportive and caring.
When it comes to my girl, I don’t think i can stop praising her and can keep on writing about her. But I got to stop here else the beauty of our relation will get spoiled.
Yes of course my love is having a name. A name with 100 flowers in it .A name which can make you go crazy .A name which you can never forget .A name which can make your day.
And the name is “Google”. :). Muaaaaah
Once in my organization, in my soft skill training session I along with a friend, were asked to give a presentation on the topic “Google”. We decided to be creative and made the presentation in the above way, stating Google as my girl friend.
But the lighter moment happened when the last slide came up. It was written in the slide that my girlfriend had more than a million users.
Suddenly my virgin girl friend became a whore. The whole presentation was criticised by the feminist around me. Luckily I escaped from the after effects of it.
Whatever it be and who ever criticizes me, my love for my girl won’t change and it’s eternal.

The knot

2010-01-23T01:49:00.000-08:00

Emotional black mail is the biggest weapon a parent takes against their kids. To go out with her son to a social gathering is the right and pride of a mother and to be in a social gathering as a complete a stranger is the fate of a son. So the victim of the emotional blackmail had no choice, but to be in the gathering. Either you be the first one to reach or make sure you arrive after the function, else you gotta withstand the stares from hundreds. Being a stranger, you gotta struggle and create a comfort zone for yourself. Now a days the first thing people do when they reach a public place, is to take a mobile from their pocket and there after the show business is on .They will check for messages, start dialing unknown numbers, search for mobile range, play some games which they haven’t touched for years and finally they make sure that all the attention is away from them .Nothing to be blamed. This is to get accustomed with the new place .Once your alien avatar is transformed into an inhabitant, you become comfortable with the new place and people tend to switch on to the observation mode. The crowd was a complete surprise with changes that have come to their dressing attire and attitude. There was this kid dressed up in a cute mini and a funky sleeveless top. Usually it’s expected for a mallu function where these kids never dress like kids, instead go for churidars with long shawls and even half sarees. Boys either will be in a suit or a full sleeve shirt. But this time, the scene was different. The young guns were dressed up to make a statement that they no longer belong to the decent brand, but are ready to wear the tag of a spoilt brat. The teens were no were left behind. Guys were in skinny jeans, converse and full sleeve shirts with sleeves well rolled above their elbow. Nothing much changed about girls, as they still fear, that the experiment they do with their attires may bring disgrace to their family. A mallu in a different state or country other than kerala is highly experimenting and can come up with new trends that are beyond imagination.
But the change in girls, who came for the function, was only seen in the colors. Lot of experiments was done with the colors. Some experiments have shown justice while others were a complete disaster. But the attempt was good and appreciated. Women in saree, can’t even think of a change (The mallu in me) in this segment as this is the best attire for a woman in any social gathering. The guy next, was wearing a well stitched Dolce and gabbana shirt which will make any man run for their money. Wonder where these shirts are hidden, when out for shopping. Even the fragrance of Davidoff and Hugo boss was all around. Just like saree is the best attire for women, a silk mundu and shirt is the best attire for a 50+ man. Nothing can substitute this. People becoming brand conscious and experimenting new things were a big surprise, especially in a state like kerala where people find it hard to accept changes.
Even the custom of engagement has been changed .Lot of add ons have come to make it more eventful and interactive. If a religion can relax on these customs its better it is given to an Event Management Company to make things organized. All the custom followed in any religion is customizable. Rich people go for more rituals, where as the poor of the same religion and caste will restrain it to minimal. If birth, way of living, marriage and death preached in different religious book can be customized and brought into a single prototype, this prototype will help us stay united and anyone can marry the one he or she loves. Very simple to say, but the fact is that, this new prototype will become a new religion and the person who preached it will become a religious leader. This can lead to a further discrimination in the society.
The software giants think in the same way. They try to make generic products with a vision that these products can be reused. But the fact is that, when this product reaches the customer and when he starts using it, he modifies it to suffice his needs. Finally a new product is born with new functionalities and the look and feel no longer the same. In this way the generic products are there in different versions with different customers with the core, unchanged.
Same thing happens with a religion. There existed a common religion, which man customized and made it into the way he wanted and consequently resulted in a new religion with a fresh outlook. The people who made these changes became the leaders of the new religion. Apart from the conflicts we had, based on these religions, the good thing about it is that, we were able to experiment and see many beautiful and innovative rituals. This wouldn’t have happen if we had followed the same religion.
So instead of going into a new prototype its better we enjoy and respect the rituals of the existing religions and never ever take it as a tool to discriminate.
Even if the thought process to bring a new prototype is on,lets all free our mind to accept this new one and be ready to witness the new way of living.
Coming back to the engagement the only person in Levis jeans (buy one get one free pantaloon), a srilankan tshirt and a local made chappal was none other than, MR Lakshman Ganapathy. Wonder when this guy is gonna change. Bloody hypocrite!

2009-09-29T00:16:00.001-07:00

City of Temples
This is the welcome board which is placed at the exit of the airport. The roads were good,wide and well maintained. There was nothing much which ignites the mind of a youngster on both sides of the road.So its better to enjoy the music in the car rather than sights outside.The doors of the guest house were wide open with two guys on both the sides all set to welcome the guest.The view outside the balcony of the guest house was good and green but not as green as God’s own country.The change in appetite is always a challenge but to have a sound sleep in a new place is more of a challenge.The more you know your job, the more exciting it becomes.A group of people are waiting at office to enter into your life either as a villain or as a hero. To have these feelings early in the morning gives you the real high and brings a smile on one's face. As expected the villains and heroes were casted and an eventful 3 days passed by.Weekend in a place away from hometown is always exciting.At a place which is christened as city of temples the option left for the weekend is a temple visit.To live up to the name, one of the famous temple was selected.On the way, was broad and straight roads which gives the feel of a metro.But soon it gained the religious touch with people in the religious attire and cows all around.This is seen even in metro alike areas.“Cows cows everywhere but not a piece for them to eat”. Thats the way cows are treated in that state and is worshiped. Cows should definitely get a nationalised channel which speaks for them. This might help all the cows in various states of the country to gather here and save their souls. Hope they won’t form groups and split the channel into various sub channels to support their group. Pushing aside the cows, the beautiful entrance of the temple was seen. As the rate for the auto was fixed there was no bargaining on it but soon the sound of 100s and 500s were all around from the mouth of the so called guides. Lot of packages were offered but it was damn expensive for a s/w professional at the time of recession . So pushing aside the guides, mobile phones and slippers were to be given to a 'seconds' shop. The word seconds shop was used because the rate for taking care of these belongings is somewhat equivalent to seconds price of it but with the difference that they will be returned.To see the temple from front is a real beauty, with architecture at its best. The door of the main deity was closed for some pooja and the time to explore the sacred place was there. The temple was so beautiful that we even forget to pray and the path ways were so complicated which make us think about the importance of a guide. But if the feeling of getting lost is not there, its interesting to explore the beauty. The main deity is still a suspense and yet to be explored. The mantras they enchant at each deity enrich and refresh our mind. To get the view of the main deity is always a challenge in any temple. So such feelings started to creep up. Some advices were taken from the people around and a step towards the deity was made.“This is the temple which a person who follows the way of Hinduism should visit”. These was the statements which started framing up in the subconscious mind. There was a huge chant of mantras which began to give the real feel of spirituality. The presence of God was felt everywhere and the mantras were strong enough to channelize the thoughts of a complex human mind onto that single huge door .Even a small sound will give us the feel that the door was about to open. The best thing to do at this time is to close your eyes and hear the mantras and wait for that sound of the door. Finally it happened, the huge door opened. “Shambo Mahadeva” is what that came from the son of God’s own country, with eyes wide open and in search of the deity. Where is the deity? Where is God? Is it the wrong door? The sight was shocking.10 Humans standing in front and conducting auction for Prasad.“Dus rupaya dus rupaya,Prasad dus rupaya”.Now whats this? What went wrong? Was it the wrong door?lack of guidance?Nothing ,the much awaited deity was there sitting behind the 10 people ,in a state, neither he can see his disciples nor his disciples can see him.The statements which formed in the subconscious mind vanished, mind was clear and blank and speechless.Even the motionless will be pushed out of the place as more and more disciples rushed in, to see the deity. The way to exit was clear and to reach the exit was the only thought in mind.The things which were sold at the seconds shop had to be retrieved and without a bargain the rate for auto was fixed and back to the broad roads heading towards home.Hinduism is never a religion, its a way of living and if the temples shows that this is the way to live ,the faith in this great philosophy will be lost. No city can be named as city of temples or churches or mosques or whatever man-made structures, as the real city of temples is within yourself where God actually exists.

Billu Barber

2009-08-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

”Lakshman please come to my cabin”. As usual was chatting, solving issues, enjoying with friends at the pantry and was thinking about the evening plans when I heard those words.PM called me and asked me to go to Orissa. If it was said to a robot,it would obey without any second thought. But the human in me, initiated the thinking process. First thought was about my family. My sister and family were there at home. They had come down for vacation and would return in August. My sister’s kids, it’s very hard to part with them. I had seen them from the day they were born and was there in my house till the age of 4.Am gonna miss them. That’s for sure. Even though these thoughts went through my mind, nothing much I could do about it.Situations made me nod my head like a robot. So the coming tuesday was fixed for me to reach Orissa.It was Wednesday. A plan was under progress by my family to visit Cochin, Vegaland and finally hit a family resort. As the vacation plan couldn’t be rescheduled to any other day, everything was fixed at a fast pace. Tickets were booked for me and my family. It was one of the most wonderful journeys I ever had to Cochin via train. We didn’t even see the boards of the stations which passed by .Two days I enjoyed to the core and then on Sunday we packed our bags and headed towards the resort. We fell in love with the resort. It was love at first sight. We had a walk along the beautiful pathways and to add up to our excitement we came to know that some shooting was going on. Everyone got excited and couldn’t believe our eyes. The star which my sister and her sister in law wanted to meet was there. He was handsome and to add up he was my school mate. One year senior to me. Even though I didn’t know him personally, my role as billu barber was casted by my family. My family felt that this was the golden opportunity to meet him,as he was my,' the Billuz' schoolmate. Shooting was progressing and as he was really busy we went to our room and got fresh. The tension in me was growing and I was sure that this billu story will have a different climax. But as lakshman ban gaya billu there was no option left other than to go and meet him. With God’s grace when we came back from our cottage we came to know that the shooting got packed up and the stars had already left. Wow, I felt great. The day was mind-blowing, we had our dinner and continued our chit chat for a while along the pool side. It was the most beautiful pool I have ever seen in a resort. In fact, the longest pool. It a real treat for the eyes to see the beauty of the resort in the night.
Day 2 at resort. Start camera action. This is what I heard early morning. Was like get up billu, your time is up. After having breakfast we headed towards the place of shooting. They were shooting the last sequence of a song. Stars were almost relaxed and we saw them resting at a place. My bro in law told that this is it. Now is the time to go and speak with him. My time is up. The billu in me should come out. We headed towards the star. The beautiful pool was there on our way but I couldn’t see it.I was completely tensed. I was completely blank.billu billu billu.Yes there he sits, with all his makeup and waiting for his next shot. But for me it was start camera action.
Me:Hi
Star:Hi
Me:I was junior in school.
Star:Is it?
Me :Yeah
Star:ok(head away and expected the next step to be a autograph or photo session)
Me:Oh this is my bro in law
Star:oh hi
Bro in law:We are a great fan of you
Star: smile
Me :Fine nice meeting you bye.
Star :bye
Pack up was what I said to myself.
My scene was over. My family thought I will become a billu barber but my role was destined to be different. I don’t blame the star as he knew me very little at school. As an actor he had nothing to loose but if the way you behave and the words you say can influence millions then take it as an opportunity to bring a change. The change, to make things better. That makes a person the real hero.
Frustrations apart, I had a very memorable journey along with my family..Billu smiles :).

HERO AND VILLAIN

2009-07-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

A hero without a villain won’t exist. The existence of a hero is well defined by the villain. Just like in movies there are villains and heroes in every aspect of life. Unlike movies the heroes and villains keep changing their roles. I would say a more life like a movie would be the one where we can see the hero of the movie turn out to be the villain towards the end. Nothing is defined. A person who seems to be a villain today can turn out to be a hero tomorrow and vice versa. A dad, who was the hero of a girl during her childhood, turns out to be a villain in her life when she starts making her own choice. A boy friend who was a hero for a girl can turn out to be the villain when she finds a better one. One day, the person you disliked most might turn out to be the real hero in your life. Even the perspective of a person with which he or she looks at another person makes him a hero or villain. Nothing remains the same in life. An honest person will become dishonest one day. Evil becomes good. God becomes Satan. Even the character of a person doesn’t remain the same. If he remains the same he has never lived. A chair can remain at the same place for ever without any change. This is not the same with humans. A person with the same character through out his life is equivalent to the chair just mentioned. The entire life is not a drama, whereas every single moment in life is a drama. Like great actors we don’t have to wait for chances to come, to sign up for movies but just have to wait for a moment in life to come. Characters and roles are decided at the very moment. Make up is natural. Lights camera, action. There is no retake. Some will take the role of supporting actors some as silent characters and then comes the hero and villain. The hero and villain as said here has no gender. The hero of one movie will become the villain or some other characters in the next. In this way the villain of one moment becomes a hero in the very next. Its better you always don’t try to be a hero, as your role will destine to be something else. To show that you’re the real hero, your goodness is well projected by the badness or the villainous act of the bad one. It’s the villain who brings out the entire heroic act in you. No super hero movie would have survived without an equally powerful villain. The reactions and actions of a person is not decided by the way he is brought up or the way he was educated but a series of events or skits or dramas or movies which have happened few days before in his life. That’s why it’s often said, humans can’t be the same. They keep on changing. So if you think that you have become a villain in one person’s life, just wait, wait for the moment where your role is destined to become a hero.

Secret

2009-04-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Secret is a wonderful object to hold in life.The object is possessed by each and every living and non living thing on earth.Even the people who claim to be the biggest open books and who says that they spit what ever that come to their mind, has a secret to hold or share.A secret always exist between two things.For a living thing it will either be with its heart or with another living thing.Where as for a non living it share only with its heart. A non living thing may have a lot of secrets to share but it simply keeps it within.A secret has got a life.It starts with two entities.Later when ages pass by the number of entities increases and the secret gradually dies.This is not true for non living things.For them a secret is an eternal thing. The word secret has many shades.It varies with individuals.For me there are only 3 shades .Black,Grey and White. For every relation I made in life I have a secret to share.If some of my friends who reads this article think that they don’t have a secret to share with me,my reply would be you or your existence itself is a secret that many others who know me wont know.The moment a secret has taken birth either within or with an individual its color will be black. It is the heart which decides upon whether the secret should stay black or to pass it onto other shades.When a secret is between two individuals its just like a new born baby.When the shade changes to grey, it is during this time when the secret gets shared with more number of entities, the secret will be like a teenager with full of life and it turns out to be an eagerness or thrive to share the secret. As it gets passed onto many, old age of secret arrives. That is when for me, the secret turns white. And gradually it dies.My shades of secrets helps me to rejuvenate the relations I hold. There are many black secrets which I hold with my heart which I would like to make it grey and pass it on to my younger generation for them to laugh upon and also to think upon.I would prefer to have atleast one black secret in all my relations which never changes its color and will be shared only between the two.This one will be the life in all my relations and when the day comes, when I turn into ashes,the secret still exist and will stay eternal.

A friend of mine

2008-12-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

Year 2001, he got into a reputed institute to fulfill his dreams of being an engineer. Fate was in favor of him and he did it successfully. Not a year more, he was out as an engineer in 2005 with a job offer from the dream company of thousands. What else could he ask for in life? He was on top of the world and he felt all the good things in this world were happening to him. But he never knew that it was the calm before the storm, the storm that changed the direction of his life. He had to wait for six months for six months to get the call regarding the joining date from his dream company.

Finally came the date to join. The freshness from his college was there with him. The enthusiasm and his dreams made him perform well for the training. The training was awesome and he thought he was trained to be the best. The technical classes, the language classes, the dining etiquette classes, everything made him feel that he was going to fly to the US the very next day after his training. He was trained on the hottest technology which made him feel updated and confident. He was ready to do any project in his career. Then came the man allocation day of the company. It was time to say good bye to everyone and relocate to the base office. He was relocated to the city that never sleeps “Mumbai”.
For him, being allocated to Mumbai was a surprise as most of his friends got allocated to Bangalore and Chennai. This was the first shock he received in his life but he was yet to realize that “The storm has begun“. There was no other option for him except to fly to Mumbai.

He reached Mumbai along with 5 of his friends. They went to the hotel which was already reserved for them. After being fresh they went to the base office. They were asked to be seated in the conference hall. Three of them including my friend got allocated to a project. The rest of the group considered them to be lucky to get a project on the very first day. The smile which had faded on the being allocated to Mumbai returned. In evening they returned to the hotel with dreams of his new project. Next day my friend was supposed to go to the client’s office. He had no idea about it but had lot of hopes. He got up early morning, took extra care with his dressing. Generously applied his expensive deo as he wanted to leave an impression. He took a brand new shirt and pant from his bag and to add up he wore a tie to make him look professional. He started to recollect the etiquettes and didn’t want to make any sort of mistakes in his dressing on the very first day. He gave a final look I the mirror and felt perfect. The smile was there. His travel to his new office was by train -Mumbai local train. Where else can he get the real feel of Mumbai? His freshness and fragrance must have been a relief to the people around him but the stench of others took away his smile. He just closed his eyes and saw the most luxurious office in the world which he was about to enter. He got down at the station .The building he was supposed to go was nearby .The first look of the building made him feel better. But that was it ,the moment he entered the building his dreams ended and for him that was another turning point in his life.

The office looked like an old Legal court in Trivandrum with wooden chairs and steel cupboards and giant pedestal fans placed all over. The air conditioned dreams ended. The giant fan started blowing his dreams. The first thing he did when he sat on chair, was had some water and loosened up his tie. Then the HR came asked him to fill some forms. He had to take training for 10 days. After the training my friend realized what his job profile was, which worried him as he couldn’t apply any of the hottest technology in which he was trained during the initial training session. The only thing which brought hope to his life was he can travel around India.

The first assignment for him was in Mumbai itself. As he was supposed to go to a new office, my friend again took his expensive deo and another new shirt. It was 5pm in the evening on a Sunday when my friend was asked to report to the new office. He saw the office and was impressed. At last his air-conditioned dreams have returned. Soon he was called and asked to go to the underground of the office. He was a little surprised, but thought that they might want him to see each and every corner of the office. He was just looking in the basement when a guy came to him and said ,”kya re bai ?kya sapna dek rehe ho? utavo boss! ye computer utavo” This was the sound of a storm .The storm in the form of those words hit him hard. My dear friend was asked to lift the computer and place it for the users as next day was go live day. Dreams were shattered and his mind was frozen. He couldn’t do anything but to lift it up. He lifted up another 30 systems and finally the work was over by 130 am and he returned home. The next day he had to come early morning to help the users use the new product, which his dream company has implemented for them. Days went by, my friend became a very useful resource to them. Soon he was send to other places in India and did nothing much but to teach the users to click here and there. He no more had to lift the systems but he never found satisfaction in the job he was doing. He was disturbed with the fact he had no base in his career .He wanted to be an engineer creating new waves in the new technology but here all what he did was teach people where to click to get their job done.
A year was completed in the organization and my friend wanted a change. A year in an organization is nothing big, but still my friend decided to change. But a change was not possible because they found him very efficient in his current profile. The only option left with my friend was to change the organization .This was the firm which he dreamed of being in for years and to serve to his very best. The storm in his life changed everything and gave new experiences. He learned to starve, survive and fight for existence. When he had got the job he had thought that everything in his life was settled and no more struggle was required .But his experiences taught him that the struggle will continue through out his life .The desires and priorities of a man keeps on changing until the very end. Man never ever settles.

My friend now works in a company in his hometown with minimum expectations with an attitude to struggle and survive. He carries a smile always now.

You must be wondering if my friend doesn’t have a name. If you consider your self to be your best friend in life, then I would say this friend is my self.
Lakshman Ganapathy

Event in my company

2008-12-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

Life consisted mainly of issues, implementation, additional developments and product enhancement. But it was sports fest held by collabera which brought back the spark in our lives. The Sports fest was a true reflection of the spirit of Collabera. It brought out the competitive best of all the Collaberians involved. The spirit of the fest was shown first by the previous captains who decided to give others the chance to take the reign.This led way for 4 new captains. Can you expect this in Indian cricket or anywhere in the world, where a captain hands over his captaincy to other members so than the other person can gain experience. But it happened in Collabera and thats just one specialty of collabera where people are always given opportunity to try out new skills. The sports committee was effective throughout the fest and their first task was splitting the employees into four team.It was done in a fair manner, based on the previous year’s performance. Now the army for all the captains was ready. Then came the team's name. It was a pleasure to see the Collaberians actively participating in the race for suggesting the name for their team. Finally came up the fantastic four- Spartans, The Royal Challengers, Dragons and Desperados. There were team meetings all around, conference halls were booked. Collabera was buzzing with activity. Work and sports had to go hand in hand. All the teams took it seriously to sort out their plans and strategies. Work and responsibilities was delegated to various persons. With this it was clear that the participation of employees was cent percent.
The first event, Chess was announced. When the captain asked his team for a list of five he was overwhelmed by the response. Everyone was ready for the fight. The teams had to conduct an internal mock competition to get the final 5. All 20 were ready and the great fest was inaugurated by our respected GM MR. Sunil Gupta by playing the first move on the chess board. This made it clear that the fest was beyond the boundaries of a senior and junior in the organization. Each and every move of the chess competition was cheered by the crowd, just as if they were watching a football match. If the Spartans made a clean sweep in Chess, the Dragons came first in caroms. With Caroms and Sudoku the indoor games came to an end and all the teams stood close in their point level. This made them more aggressive and the anger was canalized on to the field. The teams were all set to shed some sweat for their team on the battle ground. Badminton, cricket and football were the outdoor events which were to be held on weekends. Sundays never seemed more busier. The final event was football and the finals were a close match. A close match in the sense, the Spartans had to fight to level the points with dragon. Almost all the Collaberians were on the field to support the two teams in this crucial match. In true Hellenic tradition the Spartans emerged victorious and the points were leveled with Dragons. Now the points are same, who was to be declared winner? Spartans or Dragons? Or a joint winner ? Members of the sports committee began to scratch their head. Such a situation was not anticipated by them. Meetings were held between the captains, everyone wanted a single winner. There were brain storming all around, finally the sports committee showed their decision making capability by declaring the Spartans who won the maximum number of first places as winners. The competition was intense with none of the teams in a mood to relent or to part with an inch of their territory. Though a single team was declared winner of the tournament but in reality every team had won. It was the victory of integrity and sportsmanship which not only brought us all together but led to a mutual respect for each other. The Sports has ended but the feeling of working together as a team and achieving goals has stayed with us. There is enthusiasm now among the individuals, which is giving better results in work and personally too. Now we truly represent Technopark's motto “Harmony at work “.

The beautiful 90/10 Principle by Stephen Covey

2008-04-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

This article by stephen covey has inspired me a lot.
Author: Stephen Covey
Discover the 90/10 Principle.
It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).
What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.
What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.
We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic.
We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.
How? ……….By your reaction.
You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.
Let's use an example.
You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened.
What happens next will be determined by how you react.
You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.
Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.
After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.
When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.
Why? …. Because of how you reacted in the morning.
Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?
The answer is "D".
You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.
Here is what could have and should have happened.
Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.
Notice the difference?
Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.
Why?
Because of how you REACTED.
You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.
Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you!
React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.
How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them?
WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?
Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.
You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.
The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on.
Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.
Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.
The result?
Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.
It CAN change your life!!!
Enjoy….

Welcome to the world of cocktails and gossips

2008-03-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

Hey all... Didnt want to categorize my blogs into a specific genre.so thought of goin for a wide variety of gossips ,pics, techie stuffs n all updates around the world..The gen X never prefer to be the same always.they keep changing.people of today's world , are never to read the same kind of book or hear the same kind of music or want to do the same kind of work throughout their life .so they desire for a change always.
So I hope my cocktails n gossips will do justice to all these.