When everything comes easy in life, you can never appreciate its value. Its only when its coming in hard that you understand its importance and most importantly your weaknesses.
V.V.VIKRAM- 25 years old- very short of becoming an MBA. I was not really born with a silver spoon, no way as i still have huge outstanding amounts on my credit cards which i used too religiously. But now if i look back at life, I have never really faced dire situations which have made me question my potential. I got into my engineering college easily, i got a job at satyam computer services in the first go. I loved my job...it was just perfect for me and of course i did manage to get a decent enough percentile without really putting in an effort to get into a B-School. I did not face many dejections. But yes, to be honest i was always a little scared of things coming too easy, so at least i did not let it get into my head. I knew that one day, like all things get evened out, my luck would not be as good anymore. Somehow i do feel that 2008 has been the year of realisation for me. Not many great things have happened. In fact the year for me personally did start on a pretty bad note.
The ending too seems similar. I have faced many rejections today. My placement process has started and hahaha and thanks to the crisis, i am not yet placed. I have faced two close rejections on day zero. I did not make it into ICICI and HCL. HCL was really bad as i came too close to getting a job. I felt dejected and i should be but then i also felt good that at least i have seen what it feels like. Now i am sure i will be more positive and less nervous about the negative outcomes of life.
I feel much more confident today. I feel that i will be more of myself in the next interview than projecting someone whos desperate to get a job. I will be more relaxed for sure after this. I know that what happens after this will only be super duper.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
MY POEM ASKS ME
When you put me into words,
Do you end up saying what you wanted to?
When you explain your state of mind through me,
Do you convey what you wanted to?
This is what my poem asked me.
When you paint the world dark through me,
Do you actually go through a lot of pain?
When you blame the world for all that pain,
What do you lose and what is it that you gain?
This is what my poem asked me.
When you show me around to all your friends,
What do they say? do they like me?
What happens to me if i dont come out well,
Do you get rid of me or do you hide me?
This is what my poem asked me.
After years go by and you read me again,
Do you laugh at me or do you cry?
After reading me again do you sit and wonder,
As to why i sounded sad and dry?
This is what my poem asked me.
V.V.Vikram
Do you end up saying what you wanted to?
When you explain your state of mind through me,
Do you convey what you wanted to?
This is what my poem asked me.
When you paint the world dark through me,
Do you actually go through a lot of pain?
When you blame the world for all that pain,
What do you lose and what is it that you gain?
This is what my poem asked me.
When you show me around to all your friends,
What do they say? do they like me?
What happens to me if i dont come out well,
Do you get rid of me or do you hide me?
This is what my poem asked me.
After years go by and you read me again,
Do you laugh at me or do you cry?
After reading me again do you sit and wonder,
As to why i sounded sad and dry?
This is what my poem asked me.
V.V.Vikram
Monday, December 1, 2008
WHO KNOWS
Hmm.....donn dwell too much into why i wrote this one.....some wounds just take a wee bit too long to heal....and thts when you tend to question urself too much....so just read on....
so many things i remember,
so many things i just cannot forget,
all like a picture framed in my mind,
how do i let go off these memories,
how do i appease my heart?
who knows?
so many words unspoken still,
waiting to be heard by you,
will you ever hear them?
who knows?
there are questions unanswered,
i know it and so do you,
why the silence between us then?
who knows?
there is a sadness inside my heart,
a pretension of happiness everytime,
will it ever subside?
who knows?
i regretted every moment i hated you,
i still love you the way i did before,
do you feel the same?
who knows?
so many times i miss you,
so many times i cry,
everytime i try to live,
everytime i die,
will you ever come back?
who knows?
V.V.VIKRAM
so many things i remember,
so many things i just cannot forget,
all like a picture framed in my mind,
how do i let go off these memories,
how do i appease my heart?
who knows?
so many words unspoken still,
waiting to be heard by you,
will you ever hear them?
who knows?
there are questions unanswered,
i know it and so do you,
why the silence between us then?
who knows?
there is a sadness inside my heart,
a pretension of happiness everytime,
will it ever subside?
who knows?
i regretted every moment i hated you,
i still love you the way i did before,
do you feel the same?
who knows?
so many times i miss you,
so many times i cry,
everytime i try to live,
everytime i die,
will you ever come back?
who knows?
V.V.VIKRAM
Friday, November 14, 2008
When Regimes Change: Obama-Mania
Phew!!! the US elections finally got over and the verdict was well in a way preidctable...Obama won. Though he was slated to do so, many of us around the world still remember the all time closely fought Al Gore-Bush Jr. election way back in 2000 and noone really believed in speculation till the news was official.
Anyways, the triumph was more for all the minorities across the world and truly so as Obama has become the first afro-american President of the US of A . Nations across the world watched closely as his arrival would have different implications for them. We watched too, us Indians, who rarely bother to wait and watch the end results of our own elections. Obama in a way is different from Bush. Bush played a very different game. In fact I wonder at times whether he took all the press reports and media speculation too seriously way back in 2000 to prove a point. Bush was always expected to do more for his own country than for the world before he became president. He was an internal guy who dint know much about world affairs (he didnt know who our Prime minister was, when asked in a talk show days before he became president). Yet, today he is responsible for causing havoc in middle eastern countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. I mean who would expect a guy not reacting immediately when told about 9/11 in a pre-school poem recital to have reacted that way. He screwed it up really but then somehow managed to come back to power again.
Was McCain right for India? Well, technically speaking he was as he would have continued to implement policies laid down by the Bush regime and blame dubya for whatever, he did bring India in a big way in the global arena. Trade was never better and our relationship with USA today is all because of the Bush regime. Bush considered India as the only other real democracy after the USA. Yet, what Obama has given to the people of USA, Bush could never give and that was HOPE. Hope to live life better, hope to live life in a peaceful world, hope to live with closed ones forever and with others in harmony. Bush's rhetoric was always about the world outside when it was his own people that needed solace and comfort.
Will Obama live upto his vision, only time will tell but India is a little worried with Obama looking to cut outsourcing and looking to get back strongly on the all-forgotten CTBT. Yet, history has shown that the democrats have been always more calmer and charismatic.
Obama has come in at tough times. The Financial crisis is looking to shake the foundations of the strong economies across the world. Both Afghanistan and Iraq wars have backfired as both civilians and American soldiers have been victims of civil unrest. And of course, most countries have a problem with the superpower, big-nosy-daddy image of the USA. Experts, expect Obama to take some serious decisions which may have negative implications for many countries including India. But they also say that he will be the safest bet in the future run
Anyways, the triumph was more for all the minorities across the world and truly so as Obama has become the first afro-american President of the US of A . Nations across the world watched closely as his arrival would have different implications for them. We watched too, us Indians, who rarely bother to wait and watch the end results of our own elections. Obama in a way is different from Bush. Bush played a very different game. In fact I wonder at times whether he took all the press reports and media speculation too seriously way back in 2000 to prove a point. Bush was always expected to do more for his own country than for the world before he became president. He was an internal guy who dint know much about world affairs (he didnt know who our Prime minister was, when asked in a talk show days before he became president). Yet, today he is responsible for causing havoc in middle eastern countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. I mean who would expect a guy not reacting immediately when told about 9/11 in a pre-school poem recital to have reacted that way. He screwed it up really but then somehow managed to come back to power again.
Was McCain right for India? Well, technically speaking he was as he would have continued to implement policies laid down by the Bush regime and blame dubya for whatever, he did bring India in a big way in the global arena. Trade was never better and our relationship with USA today is all because of the Bush regime. Bush considered India as the only other real democracy after the USA. Yet, what Obama has given to the people of USA, Bush could never give and that was HOPE. Hope to live life better, hope to live life in a peaceful world, hope to live with closed ones forever and with others in harmony. Bush's rhetoric was always about the world outside when it was his own people that needed solace and comfort.
Will Obama live upto his vision, only time will tell but India is a little worried with Obama looking to cut outsourcing and looking to get back strongly on the all-forgotten CTBT. Yet, history has shown that the democrats have been always more calmer and charismatic.
Obama has come in at tough times. The Financial crisis is looking to shake the foundations of the strong economies across the world. Both Afghanistan and Iraq wars have backfired as both civilians and American soldiers have been victims of civil unrest. And of course, most countries have a problem with the superpower, big-nosy-daddy image of the USA. Experts, expect Obama to take some serious decisions which may have negative implications for many countries including India. But they also say that he will be the safest bet in the future run
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Memoirs of the Past
This was not meant to be a poem really....because there are many things that have changed today and yet every time i go back home all grown up i miss these two things about my old house......
My house, how big it was once,
When i was a kid, I would hide and never be caught,
A new hiding place i would find everyday,
A new game everyday i would learn to play.
I would stare at the long coconut trees,
Watering them and imagine them grow an inch longer,
I would giggle as i felt dizzy watch the trees sway,
I would turn around in circles to fall down.
I would wait for the candyman at the gates everyday,
Keenly listening to his deliberately made up cacophony,
The sound of his cycle bell causing a tingle down my spine,
I would wait with my hands holding on the 'aath aana' tightly.
Today the house remains no more,
I live in a matchbox of an apartment,
I yearn to catch a breath of fresh air,
I give up to switch on the air conditioning.
The candyman comes still but is old and unable to shout,
He his become the boogeyman for all the kids around,
He looks up to my balcony recognising me,
And i see on his face a melancholy.
Every small thing felt mine before,
But now i feel otherwise,
In my own house i feel like a prisoner,
The journey of my life is not mine anymore.
V.V.Vikram
My house, how big it was once,
When i was a kid, I would hide and never be caught,
A new hiding place i would find everyday,
A new game everyday i would learn to play.
I would stare at the long coconut trees,
Watering them and imagine them grow an inch longer,
I would giggle as i felt dizzy watch the trees sway,
I would turn around in circles to fall down.
I would wait for the candyman at the gates everyday,
Keenly listening to his deliberately made up cacophony,
The sound of his cycle bell causing a tingle down my spine,
I would wait with my hands holding on the 'aath aana' tightly.
Today the house remains no more,
I live in a matchbox of an apartment,
I yearn to catch a breath of fresh air,
I give up to switch on the air conditioning.
The candyman comes still but is old and unable to shout,
He his become the boogeyman for all the kids around,
He looks up to my balcony recognising me,
And i see on his face a melancholy.
Every small thing felt mine before,
But now i feel otherwise,
In my own house i feel like a prisoner,
The journey of my life is not mine anymore.
V.V.Vikram
Friday, October 17, 2008
Think Beyond Present!!!!
What happens when you dont pursue your dreams? You feel like a loser....not once but many a times. Life sucks even more when u settle for the commonplace careers or those which everyone pursue or for that matter those which never interest you.
I dreamt of a life full of music, a life where i could entertain. Not that i have turned 65 and i cannot do that any longer but somehow everytime i look beyond i see a an obvious pattern my life will follow. A pattern that scares me. Fortunately or unfortunately, the so called 'second generation planning' that the old man talks about is an inherent quality inside individuals. In fact it comes too easy. I say this because the easiest thing for a human is to settle for alternatives. We conveniently percieve the environment to be changing so that we could happily change all the time.
I always wanted to be a DJ....now donn u laff....but its true. I still love mixing tracks and i am letting this out the first time. But i have mixed plenty....not that great but i have tried to in my own way and i do know that i wud hav made a good one....a DJ that is. It was really about me identifying my core competencies, and i know that i have a sense for music. Music turns me on. Listening and jiviing to good music is probably more orgasmic than an orgasm itself.
I still wish that probably 10 ears down the lane i am doiing some thing in the field of music. I dont want name or fame i just want to if possible gloss a piece of the dream with my colors of reality....and even a piece of it wud do.
I dreamt of a life full of music, a life where i could entertain. Not that i have turned 65 and i cannot do that any longer but somehow everytime i look beyond i see a an obvious pattern my life will follow. A pattern that scares me. Fortunately or unfortunately, the so called 'second generation planning' that the old man talks about is an inherent quality inside individuals. In fact it comes too easy. I say this because the easiest thing for a human is to settle for alternatives. We conveniently percieve the environment to be changing so that we could happily change all the time.
I always wanted to be a DJ....now donn u laff....but its true. I still love mixing tracks and i am letting this out the first time. But i have mixed plenty....not that great but i have tried to in my own way and i do know that i wud hav made a good one....a DJ that is. It was really about me identifying my core competencies, and i know that i have a sense for music. Music turns me on. Listening and jiviing to good music is probably more orgasmic than an orgasm itself.
I still wish that probably 10 ears down the lane i am doiing some thing in the field of music. I dont want name or fame i just want to if possible gloss a piece of the dream with my colors of reality....and even a piece of it wud do.
Friday, September 19, 2008
MARKETING: WHATS WRONG WITH THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR
this happened yesterday....after days and days of pondering i finally coaxed myself....i went for a haircut. i went to this saloon opposite to somaiya. "kaise ho bhaiyya, aate hi nahi baal katvaane", said the guy who had cut my hair always at the shop. interestingly, as far as i remember...since i arrived at somaiya i had always gone to him for a haircut and yet somehow he always told me the same thing when he saw me....strange!!. anyways i offered him the head telling him indirectly.." dood its all urs....do whatever u want....but just to see it....that the gals are able to bare me when i am around them..". He smirked and went sik-sik-sak-sik-sak-sak. The best part about good saloons is that there is some good music that plays..and then came apna himesh bhaiyya singing away his nose for some promos of his new movie called karz. He definitely owes something to the whole indian public for singing so awful and extending his monotony of songs all thru....the funniest part of the promo tho was " be a part of the most successful album of the year by the most talented musician of india- Himesh Reshammiya- but cassestes and Cds on bony rmg audio"...what followed was an interesting comment by the guy cutting my hair(i donn like the word barber.....i think it degrades the profession)...he said " kya karte rehte hain yeh log..kuch bhi chicken masala dalke bol dete hain...aur dimaag ka bheja fry kar dete hain...asia kaise ho sakta hai ki is chachundar ka gaana itna hit ho jaaye jabki mujik niklake 20 din bhi nahi
hua".....this set me thinking....how far can a company go to sell its product.
competition really is so fierce today that marketers go any length to woo the customer. is marketing all about gimmicks and lies? can we use the word honest and marketing in the same sentence? if u ask my opinion i would really take a middle stand (thank god for inventing a word neutral...its the safest and easiest word to use). i believe that a marketer is selling happiness to the customer and not the products really. hes just trying to magnify the attributes in front of the eyes of the consumer by telling him/her that dood u will never feel sad with this product. whats wrong in that. donn we pray to god to feel better in bad times despite the fact that we are not sure abt his existence.similarly a marketing campaign is just like that...it creates a feel good factor....but at least it makes u feel good unlike so many things in life...
hua".....this set me thinking....how far can a company go to sell its product.
competition really is so fierce today that marketers go any length to woo the customer. is marketing all about gimmicks and lies? can we use the word honest and marketing in the same sentence? if u ask my opinion i would really take a middle stand (thank god for inventing a word neutral...its the safest and easiest word to use). i believe that a marketer is selling happiness to the customer and not the products really. hes just trying to magnify the attributes in front of the eyes of the consumer by telling him/her that dood u will never feel sad with this product. whats wrong in that. donn we pray to god to feel better in bad times despite the fact that we are not sure abt his existence.similarly a marketing campaign is just like that...it creates a feel good factor....but at least it makes u feel good unlike so many things in life...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Laughter Shows: Tickling the funny bone or rubbing it in too hard????
Lets admit it...Indians by far are the most shy people on this planet....there is notning wrong in it...but the problem is that we euphemistically term the same condition as being humble and down to earth and sadly are proud of it. We rarely speak up for ourselves, we rarely take our decisions ourselves and we rarely are completely confident of what we are doing. I am sorry if i sound harsh....and oh!!....you must be wondering what all this serious stuff has to to with laughter
shows...well the same applies to our sense of humour. We never let ourselves loose, laugh our guts out....we dont laugh at ourselves fo that matter....
When the Laughter shows came in...the revolutionary great indian laughter challenge...it was like a sigh of relief from the ksob ksob...kboohooo serials (u know which ones i am talking about...kat kleast know) .....dads stressed from office work would laff their guts off....children for a while wonder if they had entered the right door when entering home. moms after heavy cooking sessions...smile instead of frown and crib....and of course the mood shows in the taste of the food as well...children wonder whether the food was ordered from a 5 star. Raju shrivastav becomes the hero along with sunil pal, instead of tulsi and parvati (they are the heroes of their serials....and gender doesnt matter). Gajodhar is your moms favourite actor on screen....and not apna paaji...dharmender.
Of course...who can forget Mr. Nav-joke Sidhu...he cud laff off his bowels on a PJ.
happy Happy story....Indians are back...so is their sense of humour...now Mr. Jignesh Bhai goes to his office and shares the jokes with his colleagues everyday....and Mrs. jamuna ben is the best joke cracker at her kitty parties. Ghar pe happy...TRPs are zappy...Channels wale bhi happy. Now what happens next....
Thanks to cable TV...we have about 100 channels today and thanks to technology we have a remote control. So what do we do...Switch..Switch....Switch.....Switch....Switch....next family member.....Switch..Switch....Switch.....Switch....Switch....this goes on. This is ok...manageable. Now the day the first season ended..laughter challenge ka....Bony TV comes up with its version....so does KEE tv...and then the list goes on and on. Now this is a serious point.....News channels have become junk and nothing else...and the Junk leader is Parso Tak...followed by Kee News and Tar news. Can one imagine news channels showing clips of comedy shows in their normal air time. Hum hain Naa. Now Mr. Jignesh watches s comedy show every half an hour....hes gettin bored....the joke cracked is the same that came 2 weeks back (he remembers the episode number too). Mrs. jamuna ben is no longer the best joke cracker...women now think she is a nut cracker. The children get normal food to eat.
Too much of a dose is harmful. Today channels capitalise on success by thinking short term. Short Idea Life Cycles kill a concept. The Indian consumer is wise and does not take shit anymore.
shows...well the same applies to our sense of humour. We never let ourselves loose, laugh our guts out....we dont laugh at ourselves fo that matter....
When the Laughter shows came in...the revolutionary great indian laughter challenge...it was like a sigh of relief from the ksob ksob...kboohooo serials (u know which ones i am talking about...kat kleast know) .....dads stressed from office work would laff their guts off....children for a while wonder if they had entered the right door when entering home. moms after heavy cooking sessions...smile instead of frown and crib....and of course the mood shows in the taste of the food as well...children wonder whether the food was ordered from a 5 star. Raju shrivastav becomes the hero along with sunil pal, instead of tulsi and parvati (they are the heroes of their serials....and gender doesnt matter). Gajodhar is your moms favourite actor on screen....and not apna paaji...dharmender.
Of course...who can forget Mr. Nav-joke Sidhu...he cud laff off his bowels on a PJ.
happy Happy story....Indians are back...so is their sense of humour...now Mr. Jignesh Bhai goes to his office and shares the jokes with his colleagues everyday....and Mrs. jamuna ben is the best joke cracker at her kitty parties. Ghar pe happy...TRPs are zappy...Channels wale bhi happy. Now what happens next....
Thanks to cable TV...we have about 100 channels today and thanks to technology we have a remote control. So what do we do...Switch..Switch....Switch.....Switch....Switch....next family member.....Switch..Switch....Switch.....Switch....Switch....this goes on. This is ok...manageable. Now the day the first season ended..laughter challenge ka....Bony TV comes up with its version....so does KEE tv...and then the list goes on and on. Now this is a serious point.....News channels have become junk and nothing else...and the Junk leader is Parso Tak...followed by Kee News and Tar news. Can one imagine news channels showing clips of comedy shows in their normal air time. Hum hain Naa. Now Mr. Jignesh watches s comedy show every half an hour....hes gettin bored....the joke cracked is the same that came 2 weeks back (he remembers the episode number too). Mrs. jamuna ben is no longer the best joke cracker...women now think she is a nut cracker. The children get normal food to eat.
Too much of a dose is harmful. Today channels capitalise on success by thinking short term. Short Idea Life Cycles kill a concept. The Indian consumer is wise and does not take shit anymore.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Do we live for ourselves today???????
Before i really get to the subject which i guess is a lil serious, i was wondering as to how come every coin has two sides, every subject can be looked at from various perspectives and so many schools of thought for every matter under the sun. Wish things could be looked at with just one view....things wud have been simpler....but then the other school of thought is.....see see...i told u....anyways the main issue...before i start , i wud apologise for the complexity of the below written materiall.....i am not a psycho....i swear..
i believe somehow that all of us today hav become complex humans. We do not think simple...and do not live simple either. i guess this article is an evidence to that. we live very insecurely today. There is a high sense of consciousness when with peers and friends. The way we eat, talk and move around is all calculative. All the time we are worried by the fact that the people around you probably think you are an ass of the highest order. Hence you become conscious and lose your own self. You try and become a different individual, trying to impress others all the time. in this process you tend to look down upon people whom in real you are actually scared off.
My favouritessssttt quote somehow happens to be from a bollywood movie called Bawarchi where rajesh khanna says-" Its so simple to be happy but its so difficult to be simple".
All of us somewhere have become arrogant, lost our humility and lost the need to respect people. All this really comes from the immense pressures we face in our daily lives. The competition with peers, the expectations of elders. but the real individual is that who retains his self in turbulent times. Alas! thats not the case today............we dont live for ourselves anymore.....
i believe somehow that all of us today hav become complex humans. We do not think simple...and do not live simple either. i guess this article is an evidence to that. we live very insecurely today. There is a high sense of consciousness when with peers and friends. The way we eat, talk and move around is all calculative. All the time we are worried by the fact that the people around you probably think you are an ass of the highest order. Hence you become conscious and lose your own self. You try and become a different individual, trying to impress others all the time. in this process you tend to look down upon people whom in real you are actually scared off.
My favouritessssttt quote somehow happens to be from a bollywood movie called Bawarchi where rajesh khanna says-" Its so simple to be happy but its so difficult to be simple".
All of us somewhere have become arrogant, lost our humility and lost the need to respect people. All this really comes from the immense pressures we face in our daily lives. The competition with peers, the expectations of elders. but the real individual is that who retains his self in turbulent times. Alas! thats not the case today............we dont live for ourselves anymore.....
Monday, August 25, 2008
A Day in the Life of Alibaug....and Us
Entry long pending....better late than never and also this blog wud have been incomplete without this entry. Our trip to alibaug on independence day. from goa to mahabaleshwar....and from lonavala to matheran....we planned it all and settled for nothing less than alibaug ;). They say the ferry is the best way to reach alibaug but we defied the ordinary and set out in a qualis....6 pirates of IB and....it took us 5 hours to cover a 2 hour journey(cos we
held the bull by its tail) and believe me it was worth it. The journey till alibaug was ausum....it was pouring....we got stuck up in a huge jam for an hour and reached alibaug when almost all the eateries except one had closed shop. But we sang, we cribbed, we gossiped and bhala, our entertainer remixed every possible song his way. We ate in the best chinese restaurant in alibaug which was on four wheels. Funny it may sound but we had the tastiest noodles and soup that day (evidence: all of us had sound bowels the next day).We found a hotel room....each had his own bed to sleep on .....luckily. We gossiped and did all the bakchodi
and finally managed to sleep. In the morning we checked out and first hit the alibaug beach....had bhutta. We cudnt dive in cos the water had come in due to a high tide. So we set out to the next closest one called Vasai. "Green and clean"...."Made in Heaven"....these tags were probably inspired by such places. We took snaps till eternity, hung on trees like monkeys....and bent a few as u see in the snaps.We then went to Kashiv beach. The sea was beautiful. We lazed around, had maggi and eggs and finally we took the big plunge (hehehe....into the sea). After almost an hour of masti and exposing we gave up and got back into the qualis to visit the Janjira fort.
To our dismay, all ferry services had been on the occasion of independence day. We visually conquered the fort and left to a so called waterfall in the inners of alibaug.
For me the journey to the waterfall was as splendid as the waterfall. My pirate b
uddies would agree to that. All of us were in awe of the place after we reached it walking through jungles. The snaps say it all.We left the place with happy hearts and with the satisfaction that we had covered a lot in a day but there was action to come.
We drove back to Alibaug beach as we were told that the waters wud reced in the evening and that we cud go to the alibaug fort on the khachars(a young horsey).
What caught us by surprise was the level of amount of recession. The water had receded back by almost half a kilometer. And the best part....instead of khachars we actually waded thru the waters ourselves...water knee deep...to reach the fort. We came back feeling proud of ourselves. We had conquered alibaug like noone had....after all we....my friends were the pirates.....OF ALIBAUG
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Innocence Lost
No real deep thoughts into this one except the simple fact that in order to gain something people lose something. People dont think twice before venting out anger and regret it afterwards. Anger never puts things to an end, it just aggravates the pain. However idealistic it sounds...its true. Bhashan over....thank you :)
INNOCENCE LOST
the smoke rises in her eyes,
relentless, unwilling to die down,
the days pass by, life moves on,
and yet the fire rages like it started afresh
she tries not to show it,
alas! shes doesnt know it cant hide,
she wishes the smoke turns to water,
but the fire burns on.
a feeling of quandary,
to let go off the rage in her or not,
the urge to avenge overpowering her humanity,
and she does nothing about it
the rendezvous finally happens,
the wait finally over,
she lets out the fumes of anger,
she tells him what she feels
as she walks back,
she feels free, she feels alive,
somewhere though she still feels sad,
that she reacted like everyone does,
had she defeated the whole purpose?
V.V.VIKRAM
INNOCENCE LOST
the smoke rises in her eyes,
relentless, unwilling to die down,
the days pass by, life moves on,
and yet the fire rages like it started afresh
she tries not to show it,
alas! shes doesnt know it cant hide,
she wishes the smoke turns to water,
but the fire burns on.
a feeling of quandary,
to let go off the rage in her or not,
the urge to avenge overpowering her humanity,
and she does nothing about it
the rendezvous finally happens,
the wait finally over,
she lets out the fumes of anger,
she tells him what she feels
as she walks back,
she feels free, she feels alive,
somewhere though she still feels sad,
that she reacted like everyone does,
had she defeated the whole purpose?
V.V.VIKRAM
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Experiences in a troika: A tribute to the Biharis
When it happened twice i just kept it to myself and pondered but when it happened the third time, i decided to blog. These experiences are worth mentioning as they move you in a way. You feel sad and proud at the same time about that one state of india- Bihar.
I have traveled many times in the great troikas of Mumbai. More amusing than the rides has been the experience chatting with the drivers. Mumbai is full of Biharis. Low levels of income, education and infrastructure has driven many of them to come to mumbai to earn a living....in short to meet the two ends meet, barely.
Everytime i have travelled in the auto, its a Bihari babu who rides me to my destination and its fun talking to them. But then when they go into the details of their lives (which they always do) u think for a moment about how lucky u have been.
Three instances, and its like the same story is being narrated by three different people. Believe it or not, all the auto drivers from Bihar that i have met have been graduates (Hum BA kiya hoon sirji....thats what they say). All of them have been forced to pursue a career which they never ever wanted.
Ask them the reason for doing so....
1. Ab kaa batayen aapko. BA hindi kiya hoon lekin bihar mein kahan job milta hai humko. Meri do badi behen hai. Dono ki shaadi nahi hui. Pichle 4 saal se auto chala ke paise bhejta hoon. Ab jaake ek behen ka dahej de paoonga.
2. Metric paas hoon sirji. Aaap belieb nahin karenge par sach bolte hain hum. Apni iskool ke topper reh chuke hai. 87% aaya hai humko metric mein. Hamare bapu nahi padhne diye humein. aana padha idhar. shaadi kar liye abhi. aur aaga kya padhenge
3. Graduate hoon main sirji. LIC agent tha. Paise hai hi nahi usme. Bihar mein paisa deke job milta hai. Haraam ki kamai hai woh. Hum nahi kar sakte. Usse achha tho auto hai sirji.
I am always taken aback by these comments. I manage to mumble a few words like... aage padhna hai bhaiyya....important hai (not knowing what was the hindi word for important). They smile and nod.
I have always respected every state for what it is. But the saddest part is this: I can understand if a state is short of funds and cannot provide higher education, but i cannot somehow accept a state not respecting a citizens graduate degree by not providing him the encouragement and forcing him to take up a job less that what his calibre can match.
I salute the Bihari of india today who is true in what he does and what he says and believes in dignity of labour. They think beyond themselves and that is true spirit.
I have traveled many times in the great troikas of Mumbai. More amusing than the rides has been the experience chatting with the drivers. Mumbai is full of Biharis. Low levels of income, education and infrastructure has driven many of them to come to mumbai to earn a living....in short to meet the two ends meet, barely.
Everytime i have travelled in the auto, its a Bihari babu who rides me to my destination and its fun talking to them. But then when they go into the details of their lives (which they always do) u think for a moment about how lucky u have been.
Three instances, and its like the same story is being narrated by three different people. Believe it or not, all the auto drivers from Bihar that i have met have been graduates (Hum BA kiya hoon sirji....thats what they say). All of them have been forced to pursue a career which they never ever wanted.
Ask them the reason for doing so....
1. Ab kaa batayen aapko. BA hindi kiya hoon lekin bihar mein kahan job milta hai humko. Meri do badi behen hai. Dono ki shaadi nahi hui. Pichle 4 saal se auto chala ke paise bhejta hoon. Ab jaake ek behen ka dahej de paoonga.
2. Metric paas hoon sirji. Aaap belieb nahin karenge par sach bolte hain hum. Apni iskool ke topper reh chuke hai. 87% aaya hai humko metric mein. Hamare bapu nahi padhne diye humein. aana padha idhar. shaadi kar liye abhi. aur aaga kya padhenge
3. Graduate hoon main sirji. LIC agent tha. Paise hai hi nahi usme. Bihar mein paisa deke job milta hai. Haraam ki kamai hai woh. Hum nahi kar sakte. Usse achha tho auto hai sirji.
I am always taken aback by these comments. I manage to mumble a few words like... aage padhna hai bhaiyya....important hai (not knowing what was the hindi word for important). They smile and nod.
I have always respected every state for what it is. But the saddest part is this: I can understand if a state is short of funds and cannot provide higher education, but i cannot somehow accept a state not respecting a citizens graduate degree by not providing him the encouragement and forcing him to take up a job less that what his calibre can match.
I salute the Bihari of india today who is true in what he does and what he says and believes in dignity of labour. They think beyond themselves and that is true spirit.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Title??? What the heck....read on.....
Life has changed a lot over these years. I have evolved as a person in some ways and yet i feel i havent changed much. From an introvertish journey to opening up has taken time for me. I have learnt a lot about myself in the last 3 years. Some things about me though still scare me.
A failed relationship is definitely one. Believe me when i say this, one cannot talk about things till one actually experiences them. I really thought that i would be a practical guy and handle things pragmatically, but the heart rules and it rules like the king of kings. I made too many mistakes and today i regret. A regret that will remain for life. I have learnt what not to do tomorrow in similar situations and yet i dont find the guts to be in similar ones.
I still miss a relationship. But i have a personal space today. I have my friends back. I have my sense of humour back. Yet sometimes i miss a relationship.
These 3 years have also made me realise that i can work hard and give my best when required. Somewhere though i still feel that i am the same old lazy guy who has to push himself.
An introspective post this. Seriously, even i dont know what it is!!!!!
A failed relationship is definitely one. Believe me when i say this, one cannot talk about things till one actually experiences them. I really thought that i would be a practical guy and handle things pragmatically, but the heart rules and it rules like the king of kings. I made too many mistakes and today i regret. A regret that will remain for life. I have learnt what not to do tomorrow in similar situations and yet i dont find the guts to be in similar ones.
I still miss a relationship. But i have a personal space today. I have my friends back. I have my sense of humour back. Yet sometimes i miss a relationship.
These 3 years have also made me realise that i can work hard and give my best when required. Somewhere though i still feel that i am the same old lazy guy who has to push himself.
An introspective post this. Seriously, even i dont know what it is!!!!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Vodafone Campaign and the Controversy: Was it called for?
Whats common between the pug(the dog made famous by hutch) and the cheer girls these days..well both are definitely cute and adorable, but at the moment both are surrounded by controversies. The only difference is that one controversy has been raked up to protect the cute doggie whereas the other one is against the cheer girls. Well for now lets not talk about the sexy cheergirls made famous by IPL (POB for me for not talking about them) and lets talk about the latest controversy surrounding vodafone over the campaign involving the cute lil' doggie-the
pug.
Firstly let me congratulate O&M for coming up with such a brilliant campaign. For those who havent seen the ad, the campaign has primarily marketed its customer care with the tag line being "Happy to Help". At the moment, 4 ads are being telecasted as part of the campaign. The ads show the pug and a little gal and how the pug being a good friend helps the little girl out with the smallest of the things.
Within a week after the campaign was launched, the animal rights activists have raised protests against the ad blaming the company for showing ill treatment towards dogs by humans. Some activists have gone to the extent to say that the little things that the pug helps out the little girl with are actually a strain and that pugs due to their tiny physical structure are incapable of doing heavy work.
Now the point: Is all this really called for?
The reason why I congratulated O&M is that I felt that it was an outstanding campaign. Being an MBA mind, I tried to analyse the ad and believe it was a pretty simple analysis. I do have a few objections though.Lets talk about the pros first.
Two ads that have been aired as part of the campaign, convey the intended message to the consumer brilliantly. The little girl is getting ready for school, wearing shoes, and is trying to find a single missing sock from the pair (Obviously, the cinematography is excellent and adds to the cuteness of the ad), the little pug friend comes in with the missing sock in its mouth and gives it to the gal. Simple and yet its shows how when we go to the customer care centre of a network provider, we search for the best connection for our phone and the executive there helps us
out. The second is where the little girl is fishing with her hands in a pond and the lil doggie come running from behind with a fishing net. Brilliant campaign. Trying to show that if an executive of the customer care feels that you as a consumer are using the wrong scheme for your phone usage, he tells you to shift to the right one.
The other ads i felt were a little away from the message conveyed. The little girl is sticking stamps and the dog kneels down and sticks out its tongue to provide lubrication (ooopss...donn u go wild...m just talkin about an ad) as gum basically for the stamp. It somehow did portray a demeaning angle, as though the dog or the customer care is at the hands of the customer. The other campaign shows the dog running behind the little girls school bus with a tie in its mouth that the girls forgotten to wear. Is the customer care that desperate ???
Well, to be honest, the campaign itself was so strong that a few small factors like the one I mentioned shouldn't even count. I feel that Vodafone did the best thing by repeating what hutch did with the pug. In fact Hutch was successful in achieving the highest percentage of customer retention amongst mobile service providers after its campaign.
I do believe that the protests by animal right activists was uncalled for as somewhere the protested because they had to without a reason. Why would you protest if the campaign has been shot as per what the campaign has to convey. The animal rights activists saw an animal on the screen in ad and found an opportunity to be heard. I also do feel that the activists are hypocritical when they did nothing over the ORBIT ad which demeaned the buffalo. I found nothing wrong but what about the masses, the rural India, whoa are 70% of the whole population. For them, the buffalo and the cow are holy animals as they earn a living through them. Why did not they protest then? Well, obviously because Vodafone is a bigger company and the leverage effect is higher protesting here.
Anyways, I loved the campaign and so did many people.
pug.
Firstly let me congratulate O&M for coming up with such a brilliant campaign. For those who havent seen the ad, the campaign has primarily marketed its customer care with the tag line being "Happy to Help". At the moment, 4 ads are being telecasted as part of the campaign. The ads show the pug and a little gal and how the pug being a good friend helps the little girl out with the smallest of the things.
Within a week after the campaign was launched, the animal rights activists have raised protests against the ad blaming the company for showing ill treatment towards dogs by humans. Some activists have gone to the extent to say that the little things that the pug helps out the little girl with are actually a strain and that pugs due to their tiny physical structure are incapable of doing heavy work.
Now the point: Is all this really called for?
The reason why I congratulated O&M is that I felt that it was an outstanding campaign. Being an MBA mind, I tried to analyse the ad and believe it was a pretty simple analysis. I do have a few objections though.Lets talk about the pros first.
Two ads that have been aired as part of the campaign, convey the intended message to the consumer brilliantly. The little girl is getting ready for school, wearing shoes, and is trying to find a single missing sock from the pair (Obviously, the cinematography is excellent and adds to the cuteness of the ad), the little pug friend comes in with the missing sock in its mouth and gives it to the gal. Simple and yet its shows how when we go to the customer care centre of a network provider, we search for the best connection for our phone and the executive there helps us
out. The second is where the little girl is fishing with her hands in a pond and the lil doggie come running from behind with a fishing net. Brilliant campaign. Trying to show that if an executive of the customer care feels that you as a consumer are using the wrong scheme for your phone usage, he tells you to shift to the right one.
The other ads i felt were a little away from the message conveyed. The little girl is sticking stamps and the dog kneels down and sticks out its tongue to provide lubrication (ooopss...donn u go wild...m just talkin about an ad) as gum basically for the stamp. It somehow did portray a demeaning angle, as though the dog or the customer care is at the hands of the customer. The other campaign shows the dog running behind the little girls school bus with a tie in its mouth that the girls forgotten to wear. Is the customer care that desperate ???
Well, to be honest, the campaign itself was so strong that a few small factors like the one I mentioned shouldn't even count. I feel that Vodafone did the best thing by repeating what hutch did with the pug. In fact Hutch was successful in achieving the highest percentage of customer retention amongst mobile service providers after its campaign.
I do believe that the protests by animal right activists was uncalled for as somewhere the protested because they had to without a reason. Why would you protest if the campaign has been shot as per what the campaign has to convey. The animal rights activists saw an animal on the screen in ad and found an opportunity to be heard. I also do feel that the activists are hypocritical when they did nothing over the ORBIT ad which demeaned the buffalo. I found nothing wrong but what about the masses, the rural India, whoa are 70% of the whole population. For them, the buffalo and the cow are holy animals as they earn a living through them. Why did not they protest then? Well, obviously because Vodafone is a bigger company and the leverage effect is higher protesting here.
Anyways, I loved the campaign and so did many people.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
THE MATRIMONIAL FARCE
I am back home for my summer interns and what a relief its been. My taste buds have been rejuvenated but the sad part is that people living around are taking a while to recognise me. First its the tonsure that i got done...secondly people think that i have got some kind of eating disorder...cant blame them i hav lost quite a lot of weight since i went to mumbai.
Anyways the buzzword at home is MARRIAGE these days. Dont worry, as all celebrities proclaim and calm the media by sayin they will let the whole world know when it happens, i too will let, if not the whole world, the known know that i am getting married and its not happening for another 4-5 years. Well its just that so many known people are getting married around and so many matches are being searched for that eventually 5 in every 10 discussions are about marriage and since the time i assured my parents that it wud be an arranged marriage for me as well, my mom doesnt need an execuse to rake up the issue.
Its quite crazy though, the frantic search for the right matches, especially for the gals in my family and for that matter in any family. The sad part i feel is that gals are not given enough time to really settle down professionally. 22,23...these are the numbers that trigger the search. Things havent improved much though. A.L.Basham mentions in his book THE WONDER THAT WAS INDIA and i quote him
"The normal religious marriage was and still is arranged by the parents of the couple, after much consultation, and the study of omens, horoscopes and auspicious physical characteristics...while a husband should be at least twenty a girl should be married immediately before puberty"
Whats the difference today? Nothing. Except that in the urban society a girl is allowed to reach puberty or a little more than that(a degree at best) and the rural india still lies within the quotes. Let the parents choose the guy for her, after all parents will always look for a good match for the child, but at least let the child choose the time and age.
And sadly there exists a discrimination between the boy and the girl and to emphasize on what i mean i quote Vrinda Nabar from her book CASTE AS WOMAN
"Discrimination between the sexes in India begins at birth, or even before it. It starts before the child is born, in the mother's womb. None of the conventional blessings showered upon a pregnant woman mentions daughters"
The guy is definitely luckier as he can take his own time, choose a dozen and then select the most ravishing beauty whom he can proudly call his better half (if he is bad looking).
Anyways, all said and done, I too would be a part of this ''great'' process( particular course of action intended to achieve a result) and yet i have a lot of time for the process to start. What the heck, I am a guy man!!!
Anyways the buzzword at home is MARRIAGE these days. Dont worry, as all celebrities proclaim and calm the media by sayin they will let the whole world know when it happens, i too will let, if not the whole world, the known know that i am getting married and its not happening for another 4-5 years. Well its just that so many known people are getting married around and so many matches are being searched for that eventually 5 in every 10 discussions are about marriage and since the time i assured my parents that it wud be an arranged marriage for me as well, my mom doesnt need an execuse to rake up the issue.
Its quite crazy though, the frantic search for the right matches, especially for the gals in my family and for that matter in any family. The sad part i feel is that gals are not given enough time to really settle down professionally. 22,23...these are the numbers that trigger the search. Things havent improved much though. A.L.Basham mentions in his book THE WONDER THAT WAS INDIA and i quote him
"The normal religious marriage was and still is arranged by the parents of the couple, after much consultation, and the study of omens, horoscopes and auspicious physical characteristics...while a husband should be at least twenty a girl should be married immediately before puberty"
Whats the difference today? Nothing. Except that in the urban society a girl is allowed to reach puberty or a little more than that(a degree at best) and the rural india still lies within the quotes. Let the parents choose the guy for her, after all parents will always look for a good match for the child, but at least let the child choose the time and age.
And sadly there exists a discrimination between the boy and the girl and to emphasize on what i mean i quote Vrinda Nabar from her book CASTE AS WOMAN
"Discrimination between the sexes in India begins at birth, or even before it. It starts before the child is born, in the mother's womb. None of the conventional blessings showered upon a pregnant woman mentions daughters"
The guy is definitely luckier as he can take his own time, choose a dozen and then select the most ravishing beauty whom he can proudly call his better half (if he is bad looking).
Anyways, all said and done, I too would be a part of this ''great'' process( particular course of action intended to achieve a result) and yet i have a lot of time for the process to start. What the heck, I am a guy man!!!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
NISHABD
Last week....saw a movie called ANURANAN which starred Rahul Bose, Raima sen and Rajat Gupta. Its a must watch. The story was very moving. The best part i thought was the cinematography which was fabulous and believe me after a loong time (after FIZA was released) has a movie inspired me to write a piece of poetry....i wrote in hindi and its called NISHABD.
निशब्द
निशब्द होता है अनंतकाल के लिए,
शब्दों में क्यूँ रंगून फिर तुम्हे,
जब महसूस कर सकता हूँ तुम्हे हर पल,
हर पल जब देखे बिना ही देख सकता हूँ,
धुंध भरी उन राहों में मीलों चलके,
बर्फ की उन पहाडियों को मैं घंटों बस देखता रहा,
उन खामोशियों को क्यूँ करूं बयान मैं,
जब निशब्द ही मॅन एक कविता पढ़ चूका है
पर आगे नहीं जा सकती यह खामोशी और,
क्यूंकि एक सीमा है हर ख़ुशी की, हर सुन्दरता की,
शहर के शोरों में खुद की आवाज़ ना सुन पाऊँगा,
छोडे जा रहा हूँ तुम्हे यहाँ, वापस ना ले जा पाऊँगा
vikram
निशब्द
निशब्द होता है अनंतकाल के लिए,
शब्दों में क्यूँ रंगून फिर तुम्हे,
जब महसूस कर सकता हूँ तुम्हे हर पल,
हर पल जब देखे बिना ही देख सकता हूँ,
धुंध भरी उन राहों में मीलों चलके,
बर्फ की उन पहाडियों को मैं घंटों बस देखता रहा,
उन खामोशियों को क्यूँ करूं बयान मैं,
जब निशब्द ही मॅन एक कविता पढ़ चूका है
पर आगे नहीं जा सकती यह खामोशी और,
क्यूंकि एक सीमा है हर ख़ुशी की, हर सुन्दरता की,
शहर के शोरों में खुद की आवाज़ ना सुन पाऊँगा,
छोडे जा रहा हूँ तुम्हे यहाँ, वापस ना ले जा पाऊँगा
vikram
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sustained relationships...the corporate view (donn read...its a sheer waste of time)
Are sustained relationships an oxymoron?
well..the question is simple and yet complex....the answer is simple and yet complex.....jeez....whats with relationships man....they look simple and yet they are complex......
this sounds absurd....but bcos its not even been a week since my mba trim exams got over....my RAM still stores the theory on the "red queen effect'' from the strategy classes in mba......it said that a company on the top will eventually come down and lose its sustainable advantage if it doesnt protecet its core competencies weell....(oh my lord that just aint bad for a bad memory...smile smile)....in simple words...lifes a see saw until you manage to keep the saw (or the see....whichever is up....i always thougt it was saw on the top) up there for a longer time....
well...the same applies to a relationship i guess.....cloud number nine stays there as long as you want it to stay....u need to keep it goin....understand,compromise,love and the most important not repeat the same mistakes again. and surprisingly a company does the same.....understand its strengths and that of the competitor, undestand the needs of all its stakeholders, compromises when it comes to its weaknesses...loves whatever it does...its business and always learns from its mistakes......all this to stay at the top
well..the question is simple and yet complex....the answer is simple and yet complex.....jeez....whats with relationships man....they look simple and yet they are complex......
this sounds absurd....but bcos its not even been a week since my mba trim exams got over....my RAM still stores the theory on the "red queen effect'' from the strategy classes in mba......it said that a company on the top will eventually come down and lose its sustainable advantage if it doesnt protecet its core competencies weell....(oh my lord that just aint bad for a bad memory...smile smile)....in simple words...lifes a see saw until you manage to keep the saw (or the see....whichever is up....i always thougt it was saw on the top) up there for a longer time....
well...the same applies to a relationship i guess.....cloud number nine stays there as long as you want it to stay....u need to keep it goin....understand,compromise,love and the most important not repeat the same mistakes again. and surprisingly a company does the same.....understand its strengths and that of the competitor, undestand the needs of all its stakeholders, compromises when it comes to its weaknesses...loves whatever it does...its business and always learns from its mistakes......all this to stay at the top
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
