Rapture

Guess the sweetness of Nevember was so overwhelming that I could not come out of the hangover for over 6 months !!

YES thats about how long it has been since I have posted a blog ....... Whew ..... Am I Lazy !!!

Guess there are so amny events that I dont think it would be possible to recount all of them at one go, but I do not want to not re-collect them as well ..... Guess I'll go on a fgast and furious summary mission concentrating on width than deapth of information

"Living Dangerously", thats what I have been doing for the last two months ....

First things first, I have "Cast Away" my solemate after an intimate 2 week bonding.
Yes..... I took out the cast in two weeks much to the concern of many wellwishers and envy of some "men-in-cast" club members. Having taken rest for a good one week , I had begun experimenting with mobility in the second week, the pinnacle of which was a TT match with CK where I realized that it's about time "mein apne pairon pe khada ho jaoo" ... and Presto !!
My advice to anyone who has a ligament injury .... get yourself into a "Hard-Cast" for a couple of weeks immediately, dont experiment with a crepe bandage ... Period.
And if the pain gets too much, you can find solace in Smirnoffomisin.

Some insightful comments on my plast include ...
"Don't fall for the trick" - from a person who knows better
"Start Running, kiRUN"
"Get out of SV1"
"You suck Lame Duck"
and the toned down ... Get well soon ...

The ISB authorities awere helpful enough to order in a new "Manual" wheelchair about 10 days into my injury as we had run into a wheelchair contention .... following 3 simultaneous "Langde Tyagi's" on campus ..... But thanks to Jaggan's wonderful nature we were able to circulate it pretty well.

But I should commend my friends for the wonderful support they gave me throughout the ordeal, right from helping with food supplies, to the "shoulders to lean on", to the "eventful drives" all dripping with genuine concern for my well-being !!! And all this while I had kept my folks at home in the dark, to lessen their concern and Kall-frequency !!!!

When I finally broke the news at home after my cast came off ... my dad was in one of his silent fits of rage at my apparent indifference ..... But I belive in sharing Joy ... not misery !!! Sorry ... but thats me !!!

The past two months have also seen me explore the deapths and heights of several emotions which I never knew existed inside me ....... All for the good, and I'm just happy for myself !!!
Irrespective of what life has in store for me in the future..... I am happy for just having gone down that road !!!

The third "dangerous" thing I am into right now is penning one more of my blogs, when the Branding exam is looming large on everybody's pitutary glands !!
Nighmares of millions of "Chikeeta Bananas" raining on Hyderabad and tonnes of "Ola-Ola-Onions" creeping up from the underworld , consume our existence for the moment.

Even as we ransack our creative inwards to erupt with a WOW-WOW answer to the marketing questions, our prof unleashes on us, the one thought which rings to me is --- Buddhe ne ye sab kab padaya tha ? FAF-Guruji ki Jai .....FAF-Guruji ki Jai .....FAF-Guruji ki Jai ..... !!!

Key Takeaway : Chem ko patana mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai !!

Enter the 5th Term at ISB and life has changed for everybody !!!

The certainity element present for the past 4 terms has been bartered for a multitude of courses/timings/section mates/classrooms/friends !!!
I decided to indulge in a heavy dose of Mktg courses with a lone shot at Finance in the form of MicroFinance. While the workload has been on the lower side for my combination I know a lot of folks whose sleep'o'meter is running on very-very low fuel (lesser than 5 hrs/day).

We had a long 8 day break after our 4th term and in my true-trademark style I ensured that I got hold of a few friends and hit out for a trip. After a frantic search and heated debate over various options, we decide to hit the coastal town of Vizag which was a good 10hrs from Hyd.
Courtesy the infectious enthusisam of 6 wonderful friends - Neha, Deepthi,Rachana,CK,Bankim, Deepak; the 2 day affair shall remain etched in memory for a very long time to come.

Another highlight of this term has been a "TulleeHo" bartending session hosted by Smirnoff on campus which seemed like a very good excuse for everready bevdas like yours truly !!

And finally the news I have been wanting to break to all of you for some time now !!!
There has been a new addition to my personality .......................................... A cast !

Yup, for my valiant efforts on the vollyball field, I was awarded the "MIC" award Men-In-Casts for gallantary !! With a torn ligament and ankle sprain I strutted along to the now infamous Dr. KJ Reddy at Apollo who has a fancy for "Casting" people up. Even as I lay on the "Casting-Couch" and my life was apparently flashing past my eyes, I had no idea how horrible my life is going to be with a Synthetic appendage around my leg.

Now having endured it for 2 days I must say all the attention that comes with it does seem good for a while, but is definitely not worth missing on simple things in life like a mid-night walk or a late-night TT adventure.

As of now it's another 13 odd days to go before I get it off me, but untill then I won't be alone in bed.

This piece of literature is penned by my buddy Sir. Dillo of KP fame

"Yesterday's race was special and only helped cast my belief in concrete that Schumi is a true race driver...an all round racer I will not get drawn into a debate whether he is the sport's greatest ever.
We all have our opinions and one way or the other it is not going to change the numbers that are associated with schumi Starting 10th on the grid, picking up a tyre puncture, ending up at the back of the grid (18th), almost being lapped by his teammate, losing acceleration a few times bcos of a mechanical problem he still managed to finish 4th on the grid 5s behind Alonso in 2nd and abt 30s behind Massa at the top of the charts.. his two overtaking manouvers on fischella and kimi were awesome...he made fisi look like a bunny

Yday's race amply demonstrated that incredible trait of Schumi "Never give up ". To me this drive ranks next only to his 1998 Belgian GP (ironically schumi never finished that race) in my list Two races he never won but yet the quality of the drive stands out having won 2 world championships with the benetton team, he moved to ferrari in 1996 a team which was legendary for its infamous 3 tyre pitstops and parts falling of from the car From 1996 - 1999 he laboured and came close...the 1999 British GP accident blew his chances

When he returned tht season, he had to help Eddie irvine to fight for the championship.. Eddie [according to me was too overrated a driver] couldn't bear the pressure from Mika hakkinen Schumi stamped his class in the new track of the year - malaysian gp A certain damon hill. jack villeneuve and the flying finn mika hakkinen lapped up the honours in that 4 year period Couple of incidents with damon hill [1996] and jack villeneuve [1997] during the final races brought about the belief that schumi was willing to do anything to win a race.. guess they were regrettable incidents in his career Of the three drivers, Hakkinen was a class apart. He knew only one way to drive and that was to drive fast Not sure if it was the canadian / belgian gp where ricardo zonta was sandwiched b/w mika and schumi on a straight stretch mika came out in frnt at the end of the straight and into the chicane...it was truly awesome..F1 @ its best Kimi is in the same mould ...a certain tommi makkinen set the World rally championship on fire a few years back guess thts the ways finns drive !

From 2000-2004 schumi was the undisputed numero uno, for schumi, ferrari and bridgestone 2005 was a watershed year...it was a real eye sore watching him scraping through, fighting with the back end of the field, winning a 6 car race. Lots of people enjoyed the state schumi was in. Never once during that year, did Schumi point a finger against anybody in the team he kept repeating that they had to improve.. sign of an ultimate team player.. Infact he cut short his vacation and returned to the track for testing.. he had the highest test mileage amongst all the race drivers...For somebody who gets paid $30Mn+ just to drive over the wknds, his act of volunteering for testing showed how focussed he was to get back to his winning ways....guess tht is wht winners do at the other end, our very own big mouth Narain karthikeyan [pun unintended] blamed everybody from the team, the car and the track for his forgettable performance people stayed away from F1 bcos schumi was winning every other gp.. rumoured that FIA went to the extent of coming up with changes to negate the schumi-ferrari advantage and woo the crowds back end of the day they seem to have succeeded.. 2006 was an amazing season...ironical tht the ferrari reliability [last time they had an engine problm was in 2000] played a part in the japanese gp..being 26 points down, schumi had levelled the scores the final race was all about the constructor's ...schumi himself admitted tht the driver's championship was over... But not for once on the track did he ever make us believe tht By his own admission,..he is just a normal human being with an ability to drive fast would beg to differ It was truly inspiring watching this man drive an F1 car all these years Ill surely miss watching schumi drive miss hearing that cliched statement from steve slater on star sports.. "Michael magic" "
Jollygood I wud say ....

"When will you use your Quality process to inculcate some driving sense into Indian roads ???"
This was a question posed to us by one of the senior executives of a multinational company visiting India on a tour to evaluate business opportunities in India.

Today we received a delegation of executives from 4 companies looking to setup shop in India and engaged them in a presentation and discussion on challenges of working in India. The meet went off pretty well and the guests definitely got their times worth from the students. Whether this will yield any fruits in the recruitment season, only time will tell.

The India Marketing apart, the one question which stuck with me was the one innocently asked by a lady on the pathetic state of affairs with regard to traffic,roads and infrastructure.
Any other day I might have just brushed aside the comment as a feeble attempt by a "sophesticated-white" to poke holes into the India success story !!

But today the innocence in her voice made me realize how indifferent WE have become to the whole situation and have immunized ourselves to many unnecessary inconveniences !!

They tell me our mind is not a data analyzing machine but a data rejection filter !
We don't need a better example to illustrate the point. I never imagined that the "Solpa Adjust madi" credo, hardwired into the soul of the middle-class indian would have a negative aspect in-built to it.
Alas, the Indian Youth grows up under the ingrained belief that it's OK to compromise ! It's OK to have an accomodative nature !! It's OK to not Fight first !!!!

Even though the corporate jungle does challenge some of our natural instincts, I guess habits die hard. But the most heartening thing for me is to see a defiant young kid speak out his mind and boldly challenge our boundaries at an age when I was oblivious to all enternalities ...

I want to be in a position to challenge other countries on their tardiness in development. I want to be in a position to teach other cities how to grow into a Bangalore. I want to be able to twist back all finger pointed towards Bangalore and towards India !!!

And that ain't happening with being an orthodox,shy,acomodative,defensive,goody-goody South Indian !!!

"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff" - JC

I actually found it hard to hold back tears even as the News Channels beamed the emotional scenes of a Golaith of my Tennis world Bow out of his Theatre !!!
The new song of "Bas ek pal" aptly echoes the thoughts on everyones mind ..."Tere Bin kaise jiye, Kaise Jiye Tere Bin" !!!!

One of the many dreams my dad had cherished for my career was to see me persue Tennis at a professional level .... Though I will have to move heaven and earth to fulfill that dream of his, what it has done is develop a deep sense of respect and love for the game !! Tennis is one of the very few games I love to watch more than I love to Play it !!!

And as all tennis enthusiasts of my generation I love Becker for the memory of his outstretched mid-air volley signifying the triumph of mind over matter! Even while my dad adores Lendl for his consistency and poise, Becker to my mind represents the ephimeral spark of perfection which leaves the world craving for more !

The biggest challenge for every genius lies in combating "Lonliness at the Top" !!! Both Sampras and Federer have that devine touch to their game which leaves the audiance mesmerised and opponents praying for a quick death !! They seem to almost hover around the "Supernatural" ...

But does that satiate the public ??

If they wish to witness divinity, people would go to a temple !! As portrayed in the movie "Gladiator", the audiance want to see a game which is human, something they can "Enjoy" .. On the Tennis court everyone wishes to see a character they can identify with, who looks vulnerable to defeat, who seems up against the odds all the time, who seems to be tiring faster than the opponent, who seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the pressure ... BUT YET FIGHTS ON ... BELIEVES IN HIMSELF.... FIGHTS TO WIN !!!
ANDRE AGASSI was the Answer !

With Agassi in the game, even 2 sets down and 4 games to love, 0-40 down you could still afford to dream of an agassi revival and he would make your dreams come true !!
I believe it is this aspect of his personality which endeared him to the people, to me and to "Dear Steffi" too ... not necessarily in that order

Watching him take his final bow does have a sentimental overture for me as he in someways represented a part of my childhood memories along with ppl like Mats Wilander, Stefan Edburg, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl,Becker, Micheal Stitch, Thomas Muster ... the very last of their kind

The one fact that Agassi was able to bounce back to the top circuit after so many debacles and tough opponents and speeding age-factor shall remain inspirational to me ....

Even as we combat with a failure of sorts in bagging an ELP project we pitched for at ISB, the learning I carry with me is to fight harder for the next point and next time "Fight to Win" !!

"His life was gentle and the elements So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man!" - Mark Anthony (Julius Caesar)

It is not everyday that I fall in love with an oxymoron like "Constructive Ambiguity" ! It seems to perfectly paint the state of mind that most ISB'ians are trancending through after 4 months of eventful-co-existence in the suburbs of Hyderabad.

As many questions ebb with each passing day, we silently convince ourself that our destiny lies somewhere within the mist of new subjects/amazing lectures/high absorbtion-low retention rate/Panel discussion/inspirational rhetorics and CP.

Term 3 has redefined the word "Great" in my vocab. Term 1, I thought Mark Finn and Bob Stine scaled Mt Everest of my expectations in terms of Class-Presence ! Then came along Rakesh Vohra to extend a new new dimension to the concept of Intuitional Teaching ... this dude was able to keep the class enthralled on Game theory for 10 hours with a single page of printed material ... Yes no ppt no associated material and you came out in a dizzy each time ....

This term saw the Bhagwan descend into our eco-system, making Corporate finance seem like a Mario Puzo novel in the graveyard shift from 2-4 PM requires genius par comapre. With the trademark "My wife Swathi" analogies to explain complex concepts of Call options and risk assesment will be remembered for a long time ....

Prof. Venkatraman has redefined Entrepreneurship to us. Looking at this puny man manoever the mind of the class compares to the way Gavaskar and Vishwanath might have tamed the mighty West Indies despite the mammoth height differetial.

Even as the party scene is growing far apart, along came todays party for our section guys which was absolutely memorable in more ways than one !!! I must say I've got an amazing section of Dudes and Dudettes .... Hats of to the Sec-C spirit !

It really does not matter that despite his best efforts Prof. Bhagwan Choudary has convinced me that I am not built for Finance but what matters to me is the fact that I am now able to convince myself what I like to do and play to my strengths !!

" Hindsight has a certaininty that prescription does'nt "

One is the Epitome of the gentlemen's game and the other might well be the Epitaph of the most popular game on this planet.

Today saw the world riveted to the TV forsaking all other worldly pleasures in anticipation of the ultimate displays of sportsman spirit.

The much awaited clash of the Clay-court Matador - NADAL with the on-the- precipice
-of-greatness FEDERER in a Wimbledon finale closely followed by the Italy-France Football Final. If ever you wanted to witness the multitude of human emotions, today was the day !!!!

By the time I latched on to the TV setting aside my Walmart Case, the scoreline read 6-0, 1-2 - Fed-ex leading proceedings. But the fist-clenching and air pumping Nadal was motivating himself with emanated the lust for Grass that he was developing. Running on my gut I had a bet with my friend that Federer is not running away unscathed from this final and so it was to be .... The final score rang 6-0,7-6,6-7,6-3 .... The first and only set that Fed had lost in the entire tourney !! Besides treating everyone to a symphony of sorts, the duo also showed their competitiveness through nerve-wrenching 23-24 shot rallys at the end of which you were left applauding only the game, the winner of the rally was not even registered.
If not for Nadal, I guess most Federer victories look hollow like the ones against Hewitt and Roddick where the opponents are left with statements like "I could use a beer now" and "The only way I can beat his is if I literally beat him". Nadal game sure promises of great times to come and having felled the Great Agassi on his road to the final could have only been fitting.

Yes AGASSI Bids Adieu to Wimbledon ... we are all going to miss Steffi in the Stands !

Now comes the sad part of the day .... Both headers from Zidane were astounding, the latter for all the wrong reasons. If the man cannot keep his temper under control he has no claims to greatness !!!! Period .

The only reason I would have wanted France to win this match is cos I wanted Zizu to walk away into the dusk....Contented !! But after such a beautiful start to the second half this blaring show of brashness is far from pardonable.

To my eyes he just did a Ben Johnson .... Skill aside, potential by the roadside, captaincy to the gutters he faltered when his team needed him the most -Penalty Shoot-out ! This is where the Dravids, Tendulkars and Steve Waughs of the World stand out to be counted.

Having said so, the Italian goalee - Buffon deservedly saw his team through not so much for his contribution during the Shoot-out but for his spectacular keeping throughput !!!! The night definitely belonged to him !!!

Sad to say but tis True ... Zizuuu the Sissy !

It's been one term since I have opened this Blog !!!

It was exactly a few day before my previus mid-term that I entered this world of this private-life-news-world !!! Here I am absolutely immune to another oncoming test of strength.

Term 2 has been an re-awakening of ME in many ways !

My study group team is gelling fantastically (touch wood) !!!
Subjects are looking much more appealing, though 2 profs leave a lot to be desired, the other 2 seem to make up for this folly.
Parties have become fewer and far apart.

I am beginning to care less for the world around me and more for things that matter to me !!!

I have kept up my promise of being out of action for a long time and the complete credit goes to the insanity of Term 2 ISB.

Starting from where I left off ... The exams went of decently or so I thought coming out of the exam hall each day. On a couple of occassions I knew that a little more focussed/early preperation would have helped me leaps and bounds and a couple of them I knew that either you know it or you dont ... there gonna be no middle path !!

But at the end of it all you are left applauding yourself at the amount of material you have successfully perused (grasped a little too) in the miniscule period of time you are exposed to it and somehow it does not seem to be as volatile as the numerous Engg. subjects we have withstood.

Eventually the silver lining of returning to Bangalore made the exams almost bearable.

In life we tend to take a lot of things for granted and the Immortality of the KOOLPOOL spirit was one such entity. It has endured many onsite visits by all members (Vizag,Belgaum, Vijayawada, Chennai, China, Germany, Canada and of course USA).... But the one fact that you always have a Friday-night-out to go back to was just ...Assumed !

Not that anything was drastically different this friday night , Harry promised to come by the Late-night-Show-time but accentuating conditions at office conspired against him, Dillo and his Dimple arrived on time as usual (with Gowda in tow),Chicko uncharacteristically bluffed his way out of the meet, Vikky The-always-raring-to-go was missing his "Bacardi-Brother" as well as this OM-Partner, Bala was in the US, Anahosur ditto, Jackie ... Koolpool last known memory of this dude was "Maldives nalli yello hodita biddirtane" .... Pinto in cruise-control mode of marriage, other NRIs.. always on our mind !!!

It was a good koolpool meet for all practical purposes but the rumblings we had been feeling for some time now was sounding like a roar to me ....

The writing was on the wall ... Life Moves On !

I can't complain if Harry cant make it to a meet, office issues are priority as we move up the ladder, willing him to be in Taverns for a football match when his ass is on fire at office is selfishness on my part cos I know he really wants to be there but could not !!!

I can't complain if Chicko is tired after a long day in office and driving to Yelahanka, somehow we always just asked him to come over to MGs as if it was a "pakkada mane" and on many occassions he used to do just that ! Shuttling between South/North Bangalore now needs an incentive like a "Fiancee" and rightly so too ....

I cant complain if Vikky creates a fuss to drop us in his car to Jayanagar at 1 in the night and it takes a few senti stuff to convince him why we won't take an auto ... we never gave him an opportunity to do that even once in the past 6 years !

I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT ANYTHING !

But at this juncture of life when Dindu is engaged, Chickoo is engaged, strong>Shumi/Murla/Pinto/Giri/Jacks/Anahosur are married, Harry is in the market for a scotch-serving-damsel, Suauve ladies are awaiting Dillo's hint of an interest in marriage, Bala is waiting for the numerogically-perfect day to announce the news to the group, Vikky is beginning a new era in US (via frankfurt of course) .... and symbolically Tom & Jerry is closed , the Winds of Change are blowing for sure ......

Merci.