This is Mumbai

Ya.. now you know where I went.. You can also guess what I am going to say by looking at the picture.

Anyone who travelled by the urban-rural Red bus will understand what I am talking about. Traffic Jam at Airport is what Mumbai is all about.

One ATR is parked between two Boeings.

Airplanes are waiting in queue for take off. They are wing-to-wing or tail-to-tail. As soon as one airplane takes off another one lands rright behind it on the runway. No problem in this case. As soon as one airplance touches ground, another one is running behind it for take off. That is worrisome. The runway is as bad as traffic jam at road signals at Bangalore. (ya, I am exaggerating as of now. Wait for few more months for reality).

From the continuous announcements in the airport you can never make out details of your plane. No wonder the staff goes around shouting "Jet Airways to Bangalore !!" "Spicejet to Delhi !!" (like they shout "chai chai"). The only reason people put up with all this is that they save on the travel time as compared to railways. If the waiting period extends any longer, railways will be faster and cheaper. To top it they are all 'no-frills' airlines these days. So if u are lucky u can buy water while u are waiting inside the plane. If you are luckier (i mean waiting for more than an hour) they sell chips. In this aspects trains are better - you are are never starved. Those who consider those vendors as pests, please make note.

Infrastructure in India !! I am lost for words !!

Learning

Learning - very profound word.
When I joined IIM I was sure that I'll learn few things that would hold me in good stead in life. I found that I was reading beyond my comprehending capabilities and at one point of time I gave up all effort to even understand what I was reading.
Whatever I learnt (or I think I learnt) is through experiences in the campus, rather than through reading. I am surprised at my own capabilities of going through the academic rigor rather mechanically. I thought that the academic process was a participatory one. There are quite a few myths that were broken (especially about my own capabilities). Life has the habit of teaching you lessons when you least expect them.
I am not going to make a list of things that I learnt here and bore you. But yes surely I would share an important thing that I learnt here:
There are opportunities to learn everywhere if only you can keep your mind open and embrace life fully as it comes. And who knows where and how you will use these invaluable lessons.


PS: Another lesson learnt: don't wait for ideas to write long blogs. That way you lose out on short and useful ones.

Shirdi - thriving economy

Temples are the SEZs in India. They boost the economy in the place they are located. Apart from tirupathi the richest temple another example is Shirdi.

There was a small place called Shirdi with a small Sai Baba temple in the middle, few shops around it and scattered houses. Very few devotees wanted to visit the temple to which there wasnt even a proper road. The nearest railway station is Nagarsol, 40 kms away.

The first time I visited Shirdi, there was a kuchha road from the station to shirdi and there were jeeps for hire. There were small eateries around the temple. Photography was permitted inside - even near the shrine. Very peaceful and empty complex. Few choultries were available for accomodation which charged from 50 to 100 Rs per day.

Next time I visited, few hotels came up. Charged upto 300/- per day. Variety of eateries - north indian and south indian. Queue complex was constructed inside the temple premises.

The latest trip was an eye opener. Four lane high way and a pukka road all the way to shirdi. Apartment complexes, reebok showrooms, five-star hotels all over the place. Queue complex filled to the brim. Restaurants all over - u'll even get a pizza and burger there. Shops upto four streets from the temple. A railway station to come up soon. Trains from all major cities in India to the place. A/c coaches from station to shirdi. Internet cafes. A room in a 'decent' hotel during costs 1500 rs per day. There are engineering and medical colleges in the vicinity. Shirdi trust's corpus exceeds 500 Crores.

All these changes in barely 8 years. Talk about economic growth - India Shines.

The best phrase to capture all this is "Shirdi Economic Zone" coined by Dilip Raote in his article in business world.

Om Sai Ram

Indian Traditions

India was eco-friendly in its festivals and rituals earlier. One of the outcomes of modernization is that such environmental friendly practices vanished.

People ate in banana leaves which decomposed after they were disposed. People drank in earthen ware which was disposed off just by throwing (I remember the tasty tea served by vendors in railway stations in kullads in 1980s. Absolutely unbeatable!!). Water was stored in either earthen pots or copper vessels both of which make drinking water safe and healthy to drink. People carried around cloth bags not leather not plastic. People wore jute or cotton clothes. No smoke spilling textile industries. And many more examples. Can u imagine the amount of plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes we generate these days?
Life was simple even with transport. No polluting, noisy vehicles.

The hindu festivals were seasonal and the delicacies represented the crop of the season. I can definitely speak for festivals in south India. Pongal is made during Sankranthi because rice was harvested during that time. Cow dung is mixed with water and sprinkled in front of the houses to keep ants and other insects away from the harvested grains stored in the houses.

Neem leaves are used for decoration and neem flowers in preparations for Ugadi. It is a time for chicken pox and neem is said to keep it way. The other ingredients used are the crops of the season like tamarind, raw mango, jaggery, etc.

Diwali comes just before the start of winter. Mosquitoes and other insects breed in stagnant rain water and are ready for a bite!! The crackers made earlier were made using the chemicals wrapped in paper. All that’s left was ashes. The light and smoke used to be substitute for all-outs. Just imagine the mess in front of the houses the day after diwali these days. And many other examples.

Sometimes I wonder what have we done in the name of modernization. We lost out on environment, we lost out on human touch (where are the community get-togethers these days?). Having come all the way, we are now searching for ways to save our environment from our harmful practices. Does progression of human race lead to regression of nature?

India

Happy 60th independence day!! Tomorrow is the day we got rid of foreign rulers and became independent. We ruled our own country (??), called it democracy. We tried to become self sufficient through starting industries to manufacture goods for us though we followed our ex-rulers in legal, educational, irrigation, etc.. in so many others ways.
But is India truly independent today, especially after globalization?
Our stock markets respond to those in NY. We dread at the thought of FIIs leaving our stock market (Quit India , indeed!!) Our services industry depends on other countries for clients. Not many of the industries which were started right after independence are still truly Indian. They are importing materials, they have been acquired by foreign companies, most company boards have a non-Indian director. No part of our life is left untouched by the very 'foreigners' our ancestors struggled to get rid of. They burnt foreign goods, while we embrace imports.
And we are proud of our situation now. We are called 'emerging economy'. We are now looking at conquering the foreign shores. Indians are settling abroad, Indian food, clothes,.. are popular abroad, Indian companies are setting up shop abroad and acquiring foreign companies , getting listed on other stock exchanges, etc. The world looks at us while we grow. We have indeed come a long way from 1947 !

Jhanda uncha rahe hamara...

Trip to Tirupathi

I'm back from a trip to tirupathi and no prizes for guessing what this post is about.. but no i'm not going to write about my journey..
The photo is in memory of the helpful bus driver who pointed out picturesque scenery and slowed down the bus so that i can take pictures of the hills. Yet the hairpin bends never fail to push my heartbeat up. Sitting right beside the driver made it all the more worse.

The place is mystic and the journey arduous.. you go all the way up; wait for hours just to get a glimpse of the Lord; brave the crowd and get squeezed;...all aches are forgotten after darshan and you are already planning your next visit.. I don't know what draws me again and again to that place. When I am juggling with my daughter in the crowd and in the queue I vow not to come to this place any time soon and there I go within 6 months.
There is also another thing that people tell me about the darshan. People make a mental note of things that are bothering them and hope to put in an appeal to the Lord. By the time they set their eyes on Lord Balaji everything is forgotten. (standing in queue for hours also helps, I guess).
I've visited the place for umpteen times. Few changes came to my notice.
1. There are many windmills on the surrounding hills and I've heard that lately they have become a major source of power at Tirupati.
2. There are separate dispensing places for organic and inorganic wastes.
3. The place is litter free, no smoking zone and non-alcoholic zone. Many streets are declared 'no footwear' zones as well.
4. There are lot more public toilets and much better maintained than last time.
5. There are rules against any political activity on the sacred hills which are now decalred to be Hindu worship zone.
6. No darshan if u are wearing shorts and poojas only in traditional clothes.

Needless to say that I'm impressed. This is one place whose management never ceases to amaze me. There are lakhs of people visiting the place everyday through out the year. Never has one been turned down free prasadam, free meals, a roof to sleep under, a place to bathe, etc. Now add on free medical and emergency services to that list. If there are any boulders/ accidents on the hill path they are cleared in matter of couple of hours.
Technology is used wherever it can be, though there is scope for improvement. Solar and wind energy is also used. Of course being the richest temple also helps. Most of the hills are protected animal areas.
If all the environment friendly practices are implemented here it'll be a model governing place for all. Probably 'governing' is a wrong word. Will all due respects to Keynes and his theories, not having a government to meddle in your affairs helps sometimes.
Namo venkatesa! Namo tirumalesa!

Rainy evening

AAhhh rainy season and campus.. deadly combination...
Reminds me of whole lot of poets and poetry..
With all due respects to Robert Frost and his 'Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening' ..
(one of the best poems I've read..)

Here goes the poem.. 'Stopping by the woods on a rainy evening' :
(This is in the background of IIM campus)



Whose woods these are I know.
He has not watched these trees grow;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his trees below the rainbow.

My little daughter must think it queer
To stop without any reason near
Between the woods and wet buildings
One of the darkest evening of the year.

She gives my hand she's holding a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and hiss of a snake .

The campus is lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And lots to study before I sleep,
And lots to learn before I sleep.

---------------------------------

Just a few clarifications...
1. The 'HE' in the initial four sentences refer to N.S. Ramaswamy the founder-Director of IIMB.. the one who planted the first trees on campus...
2. There are snakes and there are snakes on campus. Every ten feet on will find a snake's residence..
3. 'lots to learn' is a pun used for poetry.. i'm not sure how much i'm actually learning.. studying .. yes lots..

Gen XYZ

I have been dumbstruck with the way relationships are defined (or being undefined) these days. Friendship, love, companionship, etc nothing seems to be for life. The 'fast food' generation is into 'fast relationships' as well. Everything is happening at a crazy pace.

There was a time when people used to marry young. Now people start earning young. Have independence earlier. Choose partners earlier and separate earlier. And separate they will on the flimsiest cause (oh yeah! I find them flimsy). No one has any patience to give the partner a patient listening. Even friends move apart. All the relationships that used to be for life are now no longer so. Changing times ??? Changing partners has become as easy as changing vehicles/ jobs. Change – change everywhere.

No wonder it is leading to so much stress among all.

Recollect the yellow smiley stress balls. You squeeze it when you are stressed. It gains back its shape, you stress is released. That ball is like your home base where you have solid relationships to fall back on which give you emotional support by squeezing out the stress in you. If that relationship is not rock solid, it’ll break (so will the ball). These days lot many stress balls are breaking. People talk about increasing stress in professionals ..blah..blah.. I say the stress was always there. Just that it no longer has an outlet.

Yoga, gym, vacation etc are all temporary measures to decrease it. It is like taking a brufen for pain without understanding the cause. For those who have a stable circle of well-wishers there is no stress coz for them there always will be a person who will hear their troubles out. Such people are getting rarer.

On this eve of friendship day, I would suggest just one thing. Tie the bonds of friendship tighter. Do not let things like career, attitude, ego, status, money etc come in between. You’ll realize that they are unimportant as compared to the relationship you share with the person. Happy Friendship day!

'Mother'ing

Every parent knows how difficult it is with a four year old. But their troubles are nothing compared to mine. Parents work while the kiddo goes to the school/ day care. We are studying parents.
Morning is a running race which beats Olympics in excitement. Get everything and everyone ready. No one finds anything ranging from hankie to important files. Maid turns up precisely at the wrong moment and you wish you were transported to outer space right that instant.
In the evening, struggle with manager to leave at usual time, struggle in the traffic to find that elusive space for your vehicle, struggle with your household chores while trying to handle your kid who goes ‘waaah’ at every second minute (god knows why they don’t cry at school !!).
Ahaa.. I can see familiar looks on the faces of those who are reading this. Now what different do I have to say? I am a “studying” mother not a working one. Don’t raise eyebrows, I’m not done yet. It is not an ordinary college where u just attend classes and forget what you’ve heard there and be back home on time.
Imagine a campus like IIM where its study-study 24/7. Aah! Now I have your attention. I’ve got to do my homework as well as get my kiddos homework done. Read for my exams as well as follow the LKG test schedule. I end up getting many comments in the school dairy so much so that it actually is a daily conversation between the teacher and me.
Kids these are intelligent. My kid follows my timetable more than hers. She goes cranky the day before I’ve an important submission or test. It has become so much of a routine that when she goes ‘waaah’ I start thinking ‘what’s there for me tomorrow?’
I wonder why the kids forget that they have daddy’s shoulder as well to cry on. Dad’s there just for play or to get those things that are forbidden by mom done. Dad is daughter’s best friend. Ya, ya, but what about mom?

Trip to Kanipakam and Ardhagiri

This time our weekend getaway was to Kanipakam and Ardha giri. We had to go to Chittoor first and then to Kanipakam.

Kanipakam, which is 12 kms from Chittoor, is famous for its Ganesha temple. The idol is in water and it comes up a little bit every year. When it was first sighted only the eyes of Ganesha were to be seen. Many have tried to bring out the idol forcefully, but failed. Now a temple has been built aroung the well in which the idol is there. Right now the idol is seen till its belly. Small place, serene temple.


Ardha giri or Ara konda as it is locally known is another 12 kms from kanipakam. It is said that the hill is a piece of Sanjeevini mountain which was carried by Hanuman. There's an hanuman temple in the middle of the hill. Some 200 steps will take you to small temples of Ganesha, Lord shiva and Parvathi. Another 170 steps will take you to Shanmukha's temple on the top of the hill. The 'koneru' or the spring of water which u can see in the photo is said to be having medicinal values. The water is ever fresh and ready to drink. It is said that consuming the water for 41 or 91 days would cure many a diseases.

The hill and its surroundings are nice trekking spots.

Our Earth

Isnt that a fashionable title for people like us? But it is very important for environmentalists all over the world. It made many people give up lucrative salaries to join hands for a cause. It made many scientists face the wrath of politicians. It made many people more aware of the importance of nature in human life.
Why have I posted this? I saw a video taped lecture of Al-gore, a documentary made to make more people aware of the lurking danger. Though I knew about global warming to the extent that rest of you know, the film is a real eye opener. It told me that in my own way I can conserve the resources on this planet. I've enjoyed the fruits of our ancestors on this planet. I would like to pass them on to the future generation. Are we creating or destroying the valuable resources? stop for a moment and think.
I want my children to breathe the freshest air possible, to drink the cleanest and clearest water, to play in the lap of nature, .... So what can I do about ensuring that the environment is safe and pure for them?

I've made a list of things that we all can do in our daily life to contribute to this noble cause. They are not difficult to do. Here goes the list:

1. Shutdown or keep your systems in a power saving mode when you go for lunch or meeting or when you are away from your workstation for more than a few minutes.

2. Use power saving CFLs instead of bulbs at home. Switch off electical appliances when not needed.

3. Walk or cycle for travelling small distance like your neighborhood stores instead of using petrol or diesel vehicles.

4. Plant trees wherever and whenever you can.

5. Do not take unnecessary printouts and waste paper. If you have the power/authority, use technology for processing rather than paper.

6. Try and use alternate resources of power like solar energy. There is no dearth of household appliances which use solar power.

7. Get leaky taps repaired. Do not waste water.

8. Keep your vehicles in condition and comply with the pollution norms.

9. Try and use public transport or car pooling whenever possible and do your bit to reduce congestion on roads.

10. Refuse to use plastic covers.

Ten simple things that we all can adopt and make conservation a way of life.
I have started doing my bit. Have you?

Drive to Pearl Valley near Bangalore

May, 2007: We went on a drive to pearl valley known as 'Muthyalamaduvu' to the locals. Water droplets supposedly fall like pearls... hence the name.

The place is approximately 50 kms from Bangalore. Most of the road is good. Route taken: Bangalore to hosur highway. It usually takes an hour.

Alas, we got our timing wrong. We went in summer and hence there is not much water. But could trek upto the waterfall.
There are small temples near the waterfall. It would have been lovely with more water. DId you notice the small trickle of water in the photo? (ya.. go on.. strain your eyes). It is a nice picnic spot though. One can trek and laze around for the whole day and come back in the evening to city. There are hills all around and absolute peace.

There's a KSTDC restaurant as well up there for lunch. So are local hawkers. A weekend getaway from the buzz of the city.

Poetry

The Person I Long To Be©
By Victoria A. Mogyorosi

The day light breaks again
Another day has begun.
But still no sleep has come.

My body is weary My mind overworked.
I lie awake thinking.. But what I am unsure.
I need to break free from the cycle I endure.

Everyday is the same and the nights are undistinguished
I feel as though I am being pushed along with the tide
Unable to break free from the everyday flow.

This is not me I need to change, before
time takes over And I am unable to change.

I need to be freed from the grasp of ordinary
And become that person I have always longed for.

Express myself in every way,
and conquer the dreams as I lie awake.

Then I may fall asleep and put my mind to rest.
Make changes in my life and help those in need.

I would like to touch everyone's life in a positive way
And leave my mark on society before I fade away.

Campus

College days? Fun starts during graduation and peaks in PG.. my experience.. especially since I am doing post-graduation 9 years after graduation.
Coming back to college was an awesome experience. Most fun-filled time in my life.
Friends all around, time to chat, time to ponder, learning experience, competition, cooperation, ups and downs, sharing and caring, ... the list is endless and similar for all of us.
The best part of IIM is its campus which nurtures all these feelings. It is a home away from home for the students. We make friends who then become family (one way or the other!!).
What do I miss? bunking classes :-((
What do I gain? gyaan.. very true .. i havent gained much during graduation.

What did i gain personally? confidence that I can do anything in this world if I set my heart to it

Ever dreamt big?

It is said that teenage is the time where dreams fill the sleep.. definitely true for me. I started dreaming about my future. Dont ask how many of them came true. Cant remember most of them now. They kept on changing and getting bigger and bigger as time progressed.
Ever remember what you dreamt about your future - studies, life partner,job, vacation? quite common for all of us.
So what's special? Special dreams are those that you really really want to come true and work towards making them come true.

The major ones in my list
- getting an understanding partner who would share my dreams
- higher education in a premier institute which would polish my potential
- independence which comes with power in career

two out of the three came true. I am working towards making the third one come true.

Message: dont stop dreaming and start working towards making the dream come true