Chikmaglur - the road less traveled

Going back to school after a tiring stint of corporate monotony is always refreshing. But this was no ordinary school; the future trajectory was based on the success of its launch. As potential future leaders we were expected to be ruthlessly sharp and focused. The beginning of the course was excruciating for most of the students. Term-1, although ended after a brief period of 6 weeks, was nothing less than equal to the semester of a sophomoric life. Needless to say it was extremely exciting as it pumped out the real passion resting inside us for so long. But the sudden death of term-1 created a huge vacuum in our all-time-occupied life, as if the busyness had become the new business of our life. The term gap was hardly a gap but it successfully started eating into our emptiness as the planned trip of our group got canceled. I had very little option then to choose from and fill the void. The only resort was to get along with other moving groups. Luckily, I found a group that was going to "Chikmaglur". And so just like that another exciting journey began.

The journey from Hyderabad to Chikmaglur was long but we chose the option of 4 wheelers to make it an everlasting memorable journey. The journey started at night. Six of us are sitting inside the car and it looks like I am the only one who is not well introduced to others. Naturally the initial hour went introducing each other and knowing each other more closely which was then followed by some useless and funny chitchats and gossips, thanks to the three ladies who kept the whole car journey very lively.

The next morning added to the adventure as we lost our way. And we were quite late to realize that. We had to check the navigation tool- our very own google maps to locate us and the destination.The choice was between two route- one crossing the Bangalore city and the other known to none of us. The Bangalore path was not so encouraging as we could imagine the magnanimity of the traffic that can potentially delay our trip. The obvious choice was the other route. Thankfully it turned out to be the right decision in the end, although we were still late by some margin.

The next 3 days were full of peppy mastikhori. Some exciting games that I had never heard of before. The most exciting part was of course the pool attached with the room. Initially there was no plan to enter the pool as I believe but once it was attacked there was no looking back. This was complemented by awesome mimicry of the professors by one of the dudes and game-chats full of non-sense. There was an opportunity to explore the coffee fields as well.

In summary this was a trip to be remembered for sure. I wish I could share everything from the trip but the best things are better to be kept a secret. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Return of Childhood

''How would you define an ideal Sunday". 'Watching Disney cartoon in the early morning while eating sandwiches - followed by a cricket match against the rival team in the early evening?'. I don't think this definition is applicable today. The definition is long lost - as I see the kids stuck to their smart devices. The playgrounds look almost deserted. It is disappointing to be a witness to such a displeasing display of sheer indifference towards outdoor games. Children don't fight for batting anymore. There is no stack of bricks as a replacement for the triplets. There is no taped willow hitting tennis balls out of the ground. The complain was different in our times. We also used to skip outdoor games for TV video games but the craze for playing a cricket match was always there. The situation is totally different today.

But today's morning was different. Today is Republic day which pushed me to the good old days of my school. The navigation to my childhood brought so many good memories to the front.

The air is filled with melodious Bengali music. The sunshine is just enough to cancel the cold breeze. The playground has got back its old mates. A stage has been set for a speech from the local politician. The ground has been embraced by cyclists too. Two kids (most likely siblings) are trying to learn cycling. Their father is helping them with the balance. It looks like the boy has already laid down few attempts earlier and doesn't need much help while the girl is looking a bit uncomfortable. Other cyclists are just taking a round down the ground. A group of six friends are chuckling at the corner. The bench is good for three but the group knows how to adjust around. That pair in their 40s are enjoying the holiday as well. The smile on their faces is hinting at good times. A perfect reminiscent from the past. I couldn't help but led myself to cherish that feeling for some more time.

It has been more than 15 years but I can still remember the way we used to plan a cricket match a day before. The first step was ofcourse to confirm who all will be coming to the ground. Since the only meeting place to discuss was our school we used to do it just after the last period was over in the school playground itself. The next discussion was on how many bats, balls and wickets do we have among those who have said yes for the next day's match. Plan for extra bats and balls was a necessity in case somebody decides to opt out at the last moment. The biggest problem in the planning and the execution was to wake up everyone at 5 am to come to the playground. Few were disciplined enough to come to the ground on their own. Few required push from the others. Going to the playground while the cold breeze is still playing with the grasses was such a nice feeling. I miss those times. But I wish I dont have to navigate to my childhood to enjoy that feeling. I wish I could gather all my friends to plan another cricket match. I wish.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

End of 'Comedy Nights with Kapil' -- really?

"It's cheap comedy, it's physical comedy, its mindless comedy. You should not watch it". The comment made me angry but I had nothing much to say as it came from a very elderly person. Apparently for him a comedy should include some deep intellectual element. But he missed the fact that the level of wittiness in that show cannot be easily matched. Exactly what percentage of CNWK is physical comedy doesn't need any debate. To come up with that kind of package is an achievement in itself. And kudos to Kapil Sharma for persuading away from the boredom of saas-bahu soaps. His jokes may be silly at times but it made us all laugh. He did make fun of a few from the audience but I hope it was not grossly offensive. I would love to believe when the celebrities said that the show is regularly followed at their home. And the fact that celebrities come to the show even when they have nothing to promote. Promotion is just an excuse to watch the love show.

But has it really come to an end - a show which I thought would continue for years? The concept of this show is such that even if the humor quotient is less some day, it shall continue to entertain the general populace. I am really not sure why Kapil decided to end this show. There must be something new and exciting in his mind. To me he is beyond formats. From Laughter challenge to CNWK he has only evolved. And I am sure he will construct new pillars of success whatever he is up to.

But all good things ultimately come to end. Lets accept that there will be no Kapil to make us laugh to the end of our weekends. But the thing that is bothering me is the way it is coming to an end. In my opinion, if this was suppose to end, the brand shouldn't have been taken by someone else. No point in destroying the brand. Else if it was supposed to continue it should have been taken by Kapil himself in the form of a new season. Not only that it was initially reported that Colors would not air the last episode. There is definitely something fishy. Something must not be well between the production and the executive team. Only time will tell.

And why just Kapil. There are excellent actors who were part of that team: Ali Asgar, Kikoo Sharda and not to mention Sunil Grover. I don't think I can ever forget his performance when Salman came to promote his movie Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo. And that 'rang de tu mohe gerua' performance was hysterical.

So what next? What can be expect from Kapil now? He made a movie but he is not exactly a movie material. That form of art doesn't allow you to be spontaneous and witty whereas these are his strengths.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Life of an Introvert

There is no fun in being an introvert especially if you are not so smart not so cool type of introvert. An introvert just keeps hopping through different struggles. What to say, what to wear, who to approach, who to avoid. The best he can do to avoid these struggles is to avoid everything- the surrounding, the neighbors, the people, the human interaction. Ultimately it results into a vicious cycle- a cycle that just sucks that individual into the deeper self. This is the point where the true creativity of an introvert emerges. But the struggle remains. How to share that creativity with the world? 

The struggle never ends for that person. It's not like that person hates people's companies. But most of the times he doesn't have much to say. And when he speaks it's not that he turns out to be very impressive. Lets think mathematically: I speak 10 times out of which 7 are plain and monotonous, twice I make awesome remarks and once I really dumb myself down. On the other hand if an introvert speaks just 3 times out of which once he is plain, once he makes good comment and once he dumb himself down. So the chances that he shatters his good impression is 33.33% whereas an extrovert has just 10% chance. Of course this is a very hypothetical situation but very similar happens to a lot of people.

And the struggle just continues. Of the one hour he interacted with the social world, 10 hour he would waste to recreate the same situations and speak what would make him look cool in that situation. And he will keep on recreating the same situation again and again till he has perfected himself into it. The idea is to be perfect when he faces the same situation again which of course never happens. 

And there are so many things that have happened in their past that they fail to let it go. They keep on practicing to make themselves look perfect or just to feel plain embarrassment. I would give full marks to the extroverts who move so easily over the past. Nobody cares about your past. It's just your inner conscience that makes you aware of your insecurities.

It would be interesting to conduct a survey to understand if the introverts are happy the way they are. Do they enjoy their own company or it's just another form of compulsive behavior? The same survey would be irrelevant for the extroverts. 

Sometimes I really feel that there should be a platform which could help the introverts get over their insecurities. The kind of creativity that an introvert can bring to the world is limitless. If we can unleash that potential, just think about the end possibilities and exciting innovations that can be brought into existence. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Music is Life

I am sad and depressed
- When lyrics become more pronounced than the music

I am happy and joyous
- When lyrics with the deepest theme isn't making sense to me. Just enjoy the tune

I am relaxed- neither happy nor sad
- The soothing music is just adding to the mood

I am enthusiastic and determined
- 'haaan yahi rasta hai.. ter..... ' oops! The beats are matching my heartbeats

I am travelling
- Why the hell didn't I create 'my playlist'

I am indifferent
- What was that song that I played on loop?

I got a new song
- I am gonna play it 200 times and ignore the mood of the surroundings

Shotgun
- Shut your music. The music system is mine and I am gonna play my music. (after 5 mins). Ok last song.. This one is going to be better.

I am in a mood to dance
- Please don't play baby-doll.

I am in a romantic mood
- %$*@)#^Q(#

I am in nostalgic mood
- Aryans, Bombay vikings, Euphoria

So much music in my life that I sometimes feel 'main bajj raha hun ya music'. What would the life be like if there were no music. Few days back I was watching Bajirao Mastani that made me think. How people used to enjoy music when there was no way to record it. It was the luxury of the kings and their ministers. Life must have been monotonous without music. We are so privileged that we are in a generation where the music database is so rich and wide. We can associate almost all our emotions with them.

It would be wrong to say that yesteryear's music was better and today's music is crap. I almost had a fight with an Uncle who said that you don't listen to A R Rahman's music more than once but the music of RD Burman is timeless. I agree with what he remarked about RD Burman's music but he can't say so about the former. Each of the musicians have their own position in the music world. And not saying that Rahman is the best musician we have. I like Amit Trivedi. I like Shankar Ehsaan Loy. I think they are nothing less than genius in their craft. The opinions may be divided on Honey Singh's music but one cannot deny that he does produce peppy songs. 

The dimensions of music are endless. When they say music can exploit emotions that are sometimes very hard to explain. Isn't it interesting how we associate a particular song with a person or with an event. Like I used to play a song on repeat mode while playing GTA. Now whenever I hear that song the image of GTA flashes in. Favourite song of your first relationship, favourite song of your first crush - they do make you remember the old days.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Funding Dilemma

"My plan is to start a startup that is going to revolutionize the way people avail that particular service"- a very common line among the young generation entrepreneurs. If we look at the startups of the last 5 years we would only find internet based startups. It may be that the service aggregators are the logical answer to the already fragmented Indian market but can they survive without pimping into the already established ground businesses. It may be that few have emerged very strongly in their respective industry but was it possible just by bringing a brick and mortar model into the ecommerce world or was there something more?

Lets talk about the unicorn startups which have started reporting profits. Oops! I think we aren't at that stage now. But how long can the companies continue reaping for more and more customer base. With such ease in funding rivals will keep on coming and create a price war. The players will keep on fighting for the market share until few of them ultimately give up. Lets take few examples. Uber began with an idea to acquire as many customers. They offered free rides generously. I would say they did succeed in acquiring a good customer base but then came the rival Lyft and now Uber is struggling to maintain the same price chart for its rides. It hasn't earned a single penny of profit and now it will only get worse unless they do something really different with their operations or have a price understanding with its rivals. Lets take the case of Paytm. Certainly the most popular e-wallet in the market but then the competitors with their more generous Cash back offers are only going to make it difficult. Lets not talk about the plain ecommerce portals. I clearly don't see any model for earning profit. Amazon has been in the business for more than 15 years now and still no profit from its core business. Flipkart too is expanding the revenue only with an idea of making it a profitable venture down the line. The question remains- For how Long? There can be a 2008 like situation when the funds will stop flowing. How would these companies survive if such a scenario occurs. Till then the whole startup industry is a zero sum game for the investor pool. The fear is if the current situation be not like another dotcom boom. However there is optimism as well.  What happens to the traditional businesses where the opportunity to differentiate with their service/product is more likely than the current e-commerce setting. For example there are so many players in the cellphone industry but every player is bringing something different on the table. Why can't we have a new clothing brand or a new tech device - something innovative as well as commercial.

We can only choose one side of the debate but we can never be sure. Only time will tell where this whole industry is leaning towards. Till then wait, watch and enjoy. :)

The story of a fantastico city- the diamond city

It astonishes me to see how this city has escaped the limelight of so many industries. The cities like Bangalore and Pune have embraced young population with their full heart but its astonishing to see the young population of Surat who are so complete in themselves are yet to create a roar. After spending time at almost all of these IT cities I am still wondering why do one feel more young in a city like Surat which is probably half the size of Bangalore.

The city may be known as the Diamond city for the existence of diamond business but in my opinion it does have a soul that sparks shiner than a diamond. It entails the perfect combination of a happening town and a lavishing city. What does one expect from a city? Good food? Good People? Good Conveyance? A healthy living standard? Clean environment? Land of opportunities? Surat has it all. 

Food- As far as food is concerned, I think it's a paradise for vegetarians. I literally yearn for the Khaman of this City. I tried Locho which was tasty as well. Then there is variety in frankies, golas, Paans and what not. Who would have thought there can exist something like Ice Paan? And those ice-golas are just lip smacking. 

Location- It's six in the morning and I thought the city would still be sleeping. But heyyy... the U-Turn is on roll. Can you imagine the youth of the whole city has stepped out on the roads to rock n roll with a crackling band? And just 10 kms outside the city is the Dumas beach. Although not the best of the beaches but decent enough to pull out crowds. 

Infrastructure- The city boasts of more than 100 flyovers. I am not sure if there are so many flyovers even in cities like Kolkata, lets not talk about Chennai. I literally traveled over flyovers when I had to reach the station. And the maintenance is so good that you sometimes don't feel that the city is being administered by an Indian Municipal body.

Living Standard- A major chunk of the city has migrated to the new part of the town which boasts of lavish societies with exclusive clubbing and related facilities within. And I literally got the shock that such apartments are available at a rate of as low as Rs. 2500/sq ft. What else would one want?

Land of opportunities- Being a city of Gujrat, it is needless to say that setting up a business is very smooth in here. Although it remains untouched by the industry that rules the country but it still offers numerous opportunities to make the best out of everything.

In the end all I would recommend is to give this city a visit. I would request the government to identify the potential of this city and bring it to the likes of Bangalore and Pune.

Khel Kabbaddi

Bangalore is new to me and so are the people who have become my flatmates. A body-builder sport freak guy from north working for an IT company, a normal average looking person too much engrossed into himself, a bunch of youngsters who have just completed their engineering and are enjoying their freedom out of their home town. You meet so many new characters when you stay at different places which so become a part of your memory. You stay connected to some while some meet you by accident at some random place and you fail to recognize them. These new interactions always add a new perspective to your world. Their interests and opinions make you think why the way they are. 

One such guy is a hatta-katta Punjabi munda who is hot-headed but still cool by nature. Never thought that there exists such sport enthusiast in the north. All my life I believed that only people from the East are into the hobby of following sports. He was a surprise to me. On the other hand I had never been such a sport enthusiast and hence understanding that guy was a little difficult at times. But one day he introduced me to the game 'Khel Kabbaddi'. My instant reaction was, 'Who in the world thought of commercializing such a sport. This would never work and they are only wasting their time and money'. I never could imagine that Kabaddi can be an interesting game to watch. Playing can be but certainly not watching men fighting for that few points. I started watching and to my surprise - it was intense. It was fast paced. It was quick. It was engrossing. Simply put- it was fantastico. Soon that Punjabi munda started presenting the reality to me. I realized that this sport is being hugely followed in the north. I may not be wrong about country-wide following but the aggressive following in the northern and central states of India was enough to pull it through. And it was damn interesting to watch.

Soon I had my favourite team and a favourite player. We started playing bets on which team would win which of course I lost most of the times.  

This certainly made me realize if there lies such a potential in sports other than Cricket then why are we still holding back. I am not asking to nationalize all the sports but there are clearly many sports in addition to Kabaddi that can be made cool by proper packaging. I am sure the sponsors will show interest to such new sports. And anyways cricket doesn't attract the same craze as it used to be. People are happy checking out scores on cricinfo or cricbuzz rather than watching full 50 over match, although t20 is going to stay in my opinion.

With the rise of our Desi Sports all I can cheer now is 'Khel Kabaddi'. I hope the new season will be as interesting as the last one.

The media of political discourse

The political discourse has changed. It should have evolved with rising social connectivity but unfortunately it hasn't. However the impact can still be observed in the numerous political discussions that happen on social media. The impact is however on the quantity and not the quality. This makes me think if the media is actually playing its role or it is simply a hoax and doesn't have any impact.

It is not denying that each of us has made up in our mind that a particular person or a particular party is the one that is going to bring the change we are looking for. Some of us are so leaned towards an extreme that no matter what we always stay with the political ideology of our choice. While some still try to judge everything from an objective point of view. I get worried when I see arguments that go beyond my logical understanding. Of course it would be wrong to say that my political understanding is correct but there is always a manner in which political discourses should be lead. I am worried about that. 

Recently I asked an acquaintance a question, "Isn't it wrong to follow news solely on the social media? It is biased as we always choose to follow pages that suit our political understanding". The reply made me think for a while, "what if I want to stay biased". So all the hullabaloo about the rise of information age and ignoring the press media isn't that white. Can we ignore the traditional media after all? No we can't and we shouldn't but then the onus lies on these traditional media that they should not try to bias with their own bias. It's better to bias oneself my one's own bias than to fall under the bias of what some people call 'selective journalism'.

Under the pretext of these biased news media has online Facebook pages like the Logical Indian, The Frustrated Indian, The Viewspaper or the Firstpost have emerged so strongly. Now who protects the sanctity of these platforms. They are equally vulnerable to biases - a bias which is leaned either left or right.

It is said that if a lie is told thousand times it becomes the Truth. I see something very similar happening in our political atmosphere today. If we take one incident and repeat that incident thousand times even an intellectual will think that the country is going in totally wrong direction. The problem in such scenarios is that the real problems remain untouched and the issues which are non-issues get the maximum attention. Maximum attention means that all resources are diverted towards solving a problem which wasn't a problem at all.

I remember an interview of the star reporter of Times Now - Arnab Goswami. He was asked a very simple question that within the realm of journalism it is often dictated that the presenter of news should never bring his/her opinions in the discussion. That's the most fundamental rule of journalism. But he was totally against this idea. According to him if you have an opinion let it be. Have a strong counter argument if some street-smart Politician is manipulating the viewer with his cryptic words. And then let the listener decide what is wrong or what is right. Many may disagree to his viewpoint but that doesn't stray them away from making the Newshour show one of the most popular show in the country.

"Wish I were born in the current generation"

"Wish I were born in the current generation", sighed Sanjay Mama, while he was watching a bunch of teenagers funneling around. His expression depicted a sense of jealousy. Now exactly which behavior prompted him to remark in such a manner is not exactly known to me but it would be wrong to shove off that comment without giving its due importance. The impact of the y-generation's behavior over the x-generation's behavior is surprising when the fact is that all our lives we have heard lines like, "In our times, we were much better than the current generation."

Yes the current age is full of opportunities and glad that we are able to pluck the fruits of better lifestyle as far as living standard is concerned. But what about the freedom to lead a social life of one's own choice. It is the current generation and the next generation that are going to cherish the freedom. Remember when we used to hear from our older generation how hard it was for them to pass a message of love to a girl/boy they liked. Rather remember how tough it used to be to ask for a girl's number when we were in our teenage. It would sound funny almost hysterical today if getting a girl's number is considered to be a stepping stone. The current generation has grown up to remove all such redundancies. They are bold and direct. It seems like wastage of time to wait to express one's feelings. And the feelings are fresh as much as prone to the side-effects of a relationship. In other words there is an unstated commitment but still there is no commitment.

In the last 6 months I have interacted with a lot of teenagers (and those who are in early 20s) and observed their behavior. In a gap of just 5-6 years I see a remarkable difference in the thinking pattern. The heart-breaks have become more common as almost everyone had 2 exes on an average. And if they are not in a relationship it is always interesting to follow their Whatsapp DPs or facebook shares because its foolish to keep your feelings within. Damn those cheesy lines they pick up as their statuses which are more revealing than hiding. Damn those emotional quotes that make you feeling like stabbing your own heart.  But it's not a part of a drama but it is the drama itself. You are a loser if you hold back your feelings and a left out if you are not a part of that drama.

So what exactly led to this current generation the way it is. Clearly the two factors that come to the top of mind are:

• Ease of use of technology and social connectivity
• Remarks like 'Wish I were from this generation' which indirectly indicates a sense of approval and freedom to the way it is,

Now it leaves me wondering whats gonna be the teenager of the next generation be like. Whatever it may be, I'd say it will be for the good. Yes there were things better in the times of our older generation too but looking at the bigger picture I think, 'let it be'.