Mr. Pranab claims timely warning received from Standard & Poor?

Its ridiculous that the finance minister depends on foreign based agencies called S&P to know Indian economic scenario. It’s still unclear, on what ? are the specialized agency of the Finance department are using the funds available with them for market analysis and research, if the finance minster itself has to receive “State of the Nation” from institution abroad.

While Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee wholeheartedly welcomed the negative news from S&P, with no question asked, had the same criticism come from the opposition within the country, the minister would have totally refused it.

While the minister seems to pacify the media assuring that India need not panic, and that the government is committed to economic reforms, now with the inflationary tendency all time high, BBB rating by S&P “meaning the lowest investment grade”,  are there any takers for such argument ?

What seems to be a late realization by the Finance Minister however may have not been a shocker to a ordinary man, who though may not be an economist has been reeling under inflation for couple of years with tooth & nail.
With the faux-pox economic policy, if the Government trusts the rating by same S&P rates to an irrefutable extent, then why does it counter claims that the economic would grow by 7 % when the S&P itself has lowered the economic expectation to 5.3 % for the year 2012-2013.

Merely on the receiving the news, the Indian stock markets slipped negative almost by 200 points that means that people and instituions are withdrawing their investment, while the Nifty index came down by 60 points.

So with the investment being pulled out from the market, does the Finance minister still vouch for the fly-by-night speculation that the economic GDP would grow by 7% for the coming fiscal ?

What about your future ?

As I dare to type these few words, I suddenly realize that it has been a good one long year since I last attempted to use this space for writing or reflecting on something. So many things going on my mind right now as I begin to type, hard to believe but, I am still confused if posting this matter or not.

Not that I claim to be gifted like superman, who was souvenir underwear over his pants, but then at one point I was at peak of writing crap and was proud of it, strangely even my reader appreciated it with comments or sometime rotten tomatoes which I devouringly ate.

Interesting I found that one of my reader, informing on the contents of my blog to my parents, no not the CIA; these days they are busy with AL-MUJRA or something. LOL, I could not help but burst into laughter while my parents took turns
blast at me, my not so tech savvy dad and mom had literally brought some pages of my blog as a proof of my misdeed.

They had actually highlighted few words and were sarcastically reading it all out, I especially loved my dad’ dialogue “is this why we send you…. and this is what you along with your friends do? By the way that night was celebration in our colony, so the orchestra of my house was silenced by the fireworks outside, but again this experience is something that I would narrate to my grandkids.

Anyway as of this moment my profile to you is, I am a post graduate student, not doing much and awaiting for my joining date of employment i.e. on June 14^th. But sometime the very thought of making a decision of life makes me ponder over many thoughts like many of us,……… is this, what I want to do? Do I want to be recognized as so and so for the rest of my life? Will I fit in? Am I taking the right decision? What if I end up doing nothing? The rosy dream that I saw earlier now seems difficult to achieve.

Uff, too much and too many I must say, moreover not that I disrespect my appa and amma, but then they sometime go way overboard about my future. My mom ever since me getting “Zero” in maths for the first time in 3^rd standard, has given-up on me.  Trivia- in my family almost everybody is an engineer and that kind of nut (they might be today working in some field miles irrelevant to engineering) but anyine failing in maths is like Western toilet without tissue paper.

I mean till date, you would find my mom first in a Queue to buy the weekly edition of employment newspaper or first to grab a copy of Government job application for positions such as 2^nd division clerk, attendant, receptionist and so on (not that I have little respect for these positions, in fact I firmly believe that every job has its own crucial contribution). But in my case, I felt I could contribute in some other field, can you believe upon my mom insistence I have signed almost 30 applications of these job openings and almost ended up applying for one after I finished my degree.

My mom doesn’t give a damn to the job profile or salary, as long as it is a government job, she would in fact not mind if I were a terrorist as long as government awards me PF, GF, quarters, pension and some type of section supervisor while nearing my retirement.

My Appa on the other hand cold stare whenever I idol and watch T.V, it seems he is “ab tera kya hoga kalia”. Job..Future..Job.. Future, this is all the talk of the town.

Then there are some YO-YO relatives and brain-dead neighbors, acting paparazzi’s of my life, wanting to know what I am going to for living.

I mean all these things are crazy, when can one live like a human, at every point we find ourselves justifying to others for being who we are (usually we call this situation as pressure)…….HI I am student.. Hi I am a government employee… Hi I am retired bank manager… Hi I am priest… Hi I study in school…Hi I am married… Kind of strongly feel that the world has got some epidemic of role disorder or something.. The moment someone say’s “hey cool..As of now I am not doing anything”, people look as though something is abnormal and they either distance themselves or might even disown such people.

When last time I was at New Delhi doing internship, I found though the place was full of people, it whole society had a nuclear family pattern (staying only with the near and dear one’s) and the entire society in this case was disintegrated within itself.

 In a simple example: In Delhi there was this trend of people irrespective of their age, sex, status unknown to one another were popping a music headphones onto themselves. It looked as though they were entertaining themselves but actually they were shutting themselves within a wall from one another. This was one of the biggest cultural shocks for me it was not easy to fit in here and sincerely committed to myself that at any given point of time that won’t be me.

It might be because of this perhaps that though I was in the place for a s short duration was able to so many friends and who till date keep the occasional contact.

Anyway back to my living room at this moment, I have 2 week unplanned vacation ahead, hope it would be of sum learning value, I have not told my parents about it.. Since they would me make carry all that food, luggage and portable life support ventilator and such others. While I still have time left for my own, hope at least this trip would be a worthwhile.

Have you heard of Jodikatta ???

When someone mentioned that in a village in India some people did not have bath almost three months due to lack of electricity and water, obviously the news was shocking.  As most of the time the media and the government almost convinces us that GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is god and the country is “actually” in the verge of being a “SUPERPOWER” by 2020.

While internationally, India boasts of being the land of villages modeled after the Gandhian principles of Swarajya or little democratic republic, it’s over half a century since a sustainable development has taken place in rural India that has improved the living conditions of its people.

Of several neglected villages in the country, stands this tiny village Jodikatta (Veerapura) in the midst of forest at Mundgod taluk in North Karnataka, housing approximately about 56 to 58 families. Let alone the name of this village appearing in “GOOGLE”, the entire village does not have electricity since September 2010 after a technical breakdown & not most of us knew about it.

The Hubli Electric Supply Company, HESCOM, on the other hand says that the faulty transformer was not repaired by the department as some villagers had outstanding electricity due of Rs. 87000 electricity bill. With an average income ranging from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 3000 per annum these villagers could either support their livelihood or pay the electricity bill.

However it is quite ridiculous action by the HESCOM to penalize the entire village for the payment arrears by the few individual households; the village loomed in darkness with neither a street lights nor water pumps to irrigate the fields.

Interestingly like many other over enthused ministry, the one with the electrical portfolio decided to list   Jodikatta under Bhagya Jyothi scheme in 2008, which guaranteed free electricity to the economically poor to avail public utility service such as street light, low powered water pumps for agriculture irrigation. However for reasons best known to HESCOM, this scheme was withdrawn from this village in 2009. According to Vital Beeru Kolegar “We don’t know why this service is discontinued, though we have repeatedly complained that in the absence of electricity we cannot water our fields, then the crops either fails to yield or gets destroyed.”

Laxman who owns a small tea stall says “there are only two wells to cater to water requirements of the entire village and a single pond to bathe approximately 2000 cattle’s in the village.”

Meanwhile in spite of repeated plea both from the villagers and the civil society in the area, the HESCOM turned deaf ears to the request of sending a maintenance team to rectify the problem in the transformer. Paresh Kumar, a traveler who stayed in this country side says “for months the people said that they did not have bath, can you believe that? I could daily see some 20 odd small school children aged between 10 to 12 pitiably walking a distance of 500 meters to fetch water” he adds “In the absence of electricity almost every day these kids strained their eyes to study for examination under fire lamps.”

The village lacks basic utility services such as public transport, newspaper & media, water taps and the nearest healthcare facility that is approximately 10 kilometers away. While chatting with the villagers it was realized that they lacked general awareness and were either misinformed, clueless of several schemes available to their relief.

Jaanu Beeru Yedige a farmer in Veerapur village says “the government does not seem to pay much heed to any of our owes, earlier we had complained of the elephant herds destroying our crops, but since the ownership title of the land is not transferred by the government in our name, the forest department won’t give us any compensation, though we have been cultivating in this land since 1968” he adds saying “we can’t even borrow credit against these lands to improve produce or to store them, though we have been cultivating the same since 1968”

The office of the section forest range officer at Kathur, Pale maintains that they are helpless to reimburse the losses to the grieved farmers as the government still holds the actual property.

For some of us it may be difficult just to imagine carrying our lives without electricity even for couple of hours let alone three months. But for the invisible village like Jodikatta this is their story of daily survival. A district official was confronted with the facts related to this village for which he callously replied saying “this is a state of affair in very village, why do you want to highlight this particular issue” to make it more political he added “what is your motive?”

Off late in the early December due to the intervention by some civil society organization that appealed the government and HESCOM to stop acting insensitively to people living in villages like Jodikatta and to provide them with immediate relief, the transformer was rectified on December 5^th 2010.

While problems of this small village like Jodikatta, maybe be heard time and again by some of us. These villages are those weakest links of the country that have to be strengthened in order to at least call ourselves a stable nation if be a superpower.

It is also not surprising but sad to see that while the functioning of the government is characterized by a snail phase even the news media has lost its place as the 4^th estate or the watch dog of the society.

The Disturbing Silence….

Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is exactly 2004.89 kilometers from one its remote counterpart city in the south called Mangalore; however September 30, 2010 which some media claim to be a red letter day in the history of the country, this distance perhaps did not matter. The entire city of Mangalore, like the rest of the nation had embraced itself to face the repercussions of a judgment of the honorable lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court over Ayodhya or the Babri masjid dispute.

The moment, Mangalore got up on the early sunlight of 6.45 AM on September 30^th 2010, the change in its lifestyle was evident. One glance from the top of my flat was sufficient to know the true meaning of section 144, children’s remained absent from the bus stop on the streets corner, the fish vendors who usually play DJ with that unpleasant horn honking on their cycle were missing, people took the shortest route to their respective destinations and out, the commuters on the usually busy street had disappeared.

It was interesting to note, how on this particular day, the news channels had clouded the Ayodhya Story on air from rest of the incidents happening in the country. No matter how many times one flipped the channels; the electronic media like the television were flooded with one of their highest ever sponsored programs for their so called news stories, opinion poll, panel discussion and speculative reports on Ayodhya verdict.

Nothing to do, at about 10 o clock in the morning, I decided to break my confinement at home and venture out to the city with my camera to feel its pulse. Approximately 2 kilometer away from my home locality Pandeshwar, there is this busy street junction called Hampankatta, something like what the Newyork times is for the Americans. The scene here was pretty creepy, with almost 75 percent of the regular traffic was off the road, only a single traffic police manned his post. Moreover the vehicles took the liberties of moving on their own since the inflow and outflow of traffic were at its minimal. The shopping and eateries remained either fully closed or partially open for maintainers related work, only few commuters walked cautiously keeping an eye over others shoulder.

As I ventures to the outskirts of the city the scenario was still horrifying, it more looked like a military installation or a defense zone, where apart from the uniformed patrol men only couple of civilians were visible. The movies houses were closed, the inmates of schools and colleges were enjoying holidays; it was like the entire population had evaporated leaving behind only a few.

The entire city was clamped in some kind of confusion as the day progressed, and as it came close to the verdict moment so did the population in the streets decreased, people further grew impatient and further glued to their television, perhaps if television depended on common computer like server, then I bet it would have definitely crashed owing to the number of visitors.

Later in the day after the verdict was passed, I was quite surprised to know one particular ground reality out of so many others, It seems the Lucknow city functioned as usual in its full glory with neither a Bundh or a holiday declared by the state while the rest of the country held its breath due to the verdict. As an ardent Mangalorean I was quite uneasy with this disturbing silence.

Being “Senior citizens” in college!!!.

History repeats itself once again they say!!! Today a little more, as I regrouped with my MCMS classmates, whomI have been away since the beginning of my internship. I ran a full gallop to the 2^nd floor, with the fear of being ousted for punctuality on the first day of reopening. However the gave Head of the Department was kind enough to accommodate me in the class with a disciplinary stare.

They had just finished with the morning prayers, and as an atheist I realized that “didn’t miss much!!!”

Since it is our final year, we perhaps thought that college would be lenient to the mischiefs done by its “Senior citizens” atleast this year. However the HOD again appeared in front of the class, but this time with a mischievous smile, that everybody was familiar with.

And for the next 30 minutes, HOD gloriously started defining our “KARMA” for third and fourth semester i.e. compliance with rules and regulation, assignment, dissertation, projects, surprise tests, activities, seminar’s, involvement, participation etc. Just by definition listening to weight of the work load almost broke our back and we soon realized that the words like “leniency” and “privilege” was just a mirage.

Had a chance to come across some hundred odd friends whom I missed so much for the past two months. But most of

all we missed ours seniors and other batches who stayed next door sharing the same floor. It’s been hard to believe that they were no more; not to be misunderstood; I mean they are employed by some of the top shot companies and are professionals now!!!

Thinking about the good lot seniors cum friends that we had, I really went down a nostalgic memory lane of July 06, 2009, when I was freshly kicked-out by my company after one year’s stint due to recession and had decided to take mass communication last year.

Now as I recollect those bygone friends and memories, it’s a realization that in a year’s time even the current batch

of 2^nd year MCMS will be gone, maybe in a new profession, with new colleagues and friends, some near or some maybe even in different part of the world. But the story of these 12 idiots of MCMS students will stay alive afresh in everybody’s mind.

Make no mistake gentlemen……..

Prologue

You may not be interested in the game of football or any other sport for that matter. However make no mistake ladies and gentleman, but today the world will stand still as the clock strikes 12.00am IST to witness the greatest battle befitting to be witness by “GODS”.

One the one side I give U – Team “Spain”

Which with its incredible “possession football” technique sweeps the victory down to the net, while its opposition remain dazed as their supporters switch sides to Spain as a mark of respect for the quality of game played.The team seemed to grow with a well knit brotherhood of gentlemen who fight together till the end. In the entire series the Spaniards remained focused on their gaming techniques and almost never lost their cool even with the aggressive goliath like Paraguay that was under the supervision of Maradona.  

On the other hand I give U – Team “Germany”

Who, with their quick pace and a mechanically orchestrate team effort are known to be the best counter-attack team in the world. Time and again the German team gave the worlds best speculators a run for their money by timing goals when mere mortals least expected it. The English team by no doubt had the “gut” of a worthy competitor, but they were mowed down like a “grass” by the German Blitzkrieg that scored 4 goals against the English team that was forced to stick to a 0 in the quarter finals. 

If you have been following the World cup 2010 matches closely like some, you will realize that this was no ordinary event. The two have proved that “that yesterday is past and they have moved on, it is only the present that matters”  

Confession 

I am never regular at sport-reporting and I least follow it, moreover due to my internship pressures, I thought of taking a break from blogging till July 15^th.  However a great amount of anticipation was in my mind since I followed almost every match of these teams.  This article of mine may be a pure exaggeration as some would rightly point out, but for the undying “Adrenaline rush” of a football fan in me this will be nothing more than the fight of the “super-humans”.  

Now for the “Conclusion”   

Both the teams have the dream of winning this world cup, for Spaniards this is the 7^th time hovering close to the semi finals in past 60 years, while for Germany this is their 4^th chance to hold the “World Cup” high in the air.  

So again I repeat Ladies and gentleman………….Make no mistake for the team that “Wins” today’s match will be remembered for the “History” and the one that “Looses” will walk with their heads held “High”

Epilogue 

World stands will still stand still at 12.00am IST between the finish of 7^th night and beginning of the 8^th day on of July 2010. As the clock strikes to commence the battle befitting to be witnessed by the “GODS”.

Knowing the pulse of Delhi……

It’s almost 5 days in Delhi, slowly but gradually understanding the pulse ofthe city, it is quite easy to interact with people all over here. All you need to do is “Walk the walk and talk the talk” and then everything will fall in place all by itself. People in Delhi speak on diverse subject like politics; economics, transport and very often conversation begins at one a particular subject and ends in a different issue, but people are very warm and friendly.

No one till date has tagged me “Madrasi” but they often refer me as BABU and they call one another BHAYYIA. I don’t on what context they refer me to as BABU in Kannada sometime affectionately small kids are called as a babu. I hope they are not calling me a kid or a BACHHA.

I guess being a regular commuter of Delhi Transport Corporation or DTC, the daily commuting has acquired me couple of friends more friends whom I don’t know by name but they just come in and dash their conversation and become an acquaintance.

The moment I handed over my statistic paper this semester, thought that it would be my last tribute from me to the world of numbers for sometime. But sometime speaking things too early could turn dangerous, every day I need to remember nearly five to six sets of numbers to travel to and fro from my residence to the office like 534, 717,716,715,534A and some other as a back up.

Wish I had just paid more concentration on my Hindi reading and writing skill as much as I learnt to speak Hindi. Almost every bus that ply have their address board typed in Hindi alphabets, by the time I finish reading the entire word or sometime even half way through and signal the driver to stop, the bus would either have passed already or that would be a wrong bus.  So literally till someone stands by my side as a co-passenger in the bus stop and helps me to identify the bus its almost impossible for me to stop all alone.

The internship is going on fine had a very warm reception from the boss and colleagues. Few hours in the office also helped me to get acquainted with one of the co-intern who almost joined on the same date just like me.

Won’t be able to type much during these days, as I have to constantly work on my internship matters here in the office.

Planning to take a break this weekend either will end up in India gate,

Parliament, Chandni chowk night even take a metro for a ride, that would be a first timer…and then the following weekends may even extend by travel plans on long weekend journeys like Amrithsr, Taj Mahal and other off beat destinations. Moreover I hope to get more pictures on these place so that memories of this visit to Delhi remains concrete.

Accidental Friendship in Delhi !!!

It was a late evening with drizzly shower that welcomed me to Delhi as I was in a final juncture of striking a deal with a PG owner. To satisfy my hunger one of the road side Dhaba’s actually served some awesome tandoor roti for two rupees each with Dal mutter. It was a filling grump at the given price, neither did they ask me to stop eating nor did I shy away from hexagonal helping before calling it a day.

Early morning today I got ready for my office quite early at 6.45AM. As usual of a new employee, I thought of creating a best impression over my employers by reaching office early. So got up at 6.45 am put up my best clothes till finally reaching the downstairs where this girl with confused expression was waiting by the door of my neighbors flat.

I was almost through the gate when thought of giving a courtesy call to my boss ran over my mind. Over the phone I was informed that the company remains closed on Saturday, so I was expected to report to duty only on Monday. The boss ended the brief conversation by lightly ordering me saying “it’s a two day off Harsha go and discover Delhi”. Obviously it was not an assignment but then I was not prepared to take a day off therefore I came back to my room. I always believe in the dictum that goes “Everything happens for ones good”, however I couldn’t figure out what good was store in for me.

On my way back I again saw the glimpse of that same girl br the door who was still waiting for someone outside the door, she constantly pressed the bell time as though  believing some miracle would happen. I was back at my room and planning on my operation “exploring Delhi”.

As I reached downstairs this girl was still on the same spot as before, dressed in a white color salwar with some sort of hope in eyes and yet desperate. As I walked across she asked me if I knew where the residents were. I said that that I was new resident as well and didn’t know anything, with a kind of a desperate but irritated smile she started pouring down her miseries, saying that she was a student of some college abroad and she had come to meet her high school best friend after a long time and she had traveled quite far and was upset by her friends absence.

By the time she finished I was almost immune to my own personal frustration and listened to her patiently standing there as I knew that knowing more problems could not make any difference in the existing one’s. After sometime I guess she felt like she is blurting out too much information to a stranger so she apologized, as usual caught in a confused state I was thinking how to continue. So I smiled and took an excuse from her saying that I was really sorry for not being able to help her with the trouble. She smiled and said thanks anyway for listening, then I walked away.

In Delhi there are two of reacging a spot one is short cut, the other is the obvious – if you plan to take a short cut, then get ready to remember lot of names and numbers. If it’s a long cut then it’s a really a long way with only couple of places to remember e.g.: Short cut direction to my place Vasanth Kunj to a Mehroli bus stop would be: Take straight turn right at andherimode – then go by nali ka kinara- then left of doodhwaligali – from there peepal se right turn – then again 2^nd red light se left – where you will find mehroli market – then finally Mehroli bus stop in front of you. But same thing on a long cut would be 5 kilometer straight and then first left by the signal. So you get the point isn’t it whether you would like to invest your brains or your muscles, the option is upto you.

Most of the people easily respond to a help request. I was quite surprised about the contradiction that people usually opinioned about Delhi that people here loose their cool too fast.

Anyways I managed to catch a bus and proceeded to Greater Kailash in search of internship location so that I oculd reach on time for the joining date. Fortunately or unfortunately the conductor directed me to Greater kailash 1 instead of 2. This I realized almost after going 3 kilometers in a wrong direction.

As I turned back almost half dead a Skoda fabia blocked my way in a screeching james bond fashion and suddenly this girl pops her head out. I felt like screaming on top of my voice like a girl when I looked at that face with unmistakably familiarity; it was the same girl who had come down to PG to meet her friend. Two things were running on my mind about this girl either she was a stalker or I was walking in front of her car all the way for 14 kilometre.

Though pretty nervous I gave this tough look of challenge with a polite smile to which she calmly responded saying “hey what are you doing?”. I had pretty much same stuff to ask her but then I told her my purpose and then asked her to justify her presence. She pointed out a huger house behind against which I was standing in the front with palacial kind of furnished wood type exterior and said “See that is my house”. I thought to myself “my doubts were right she is a rich crazy woman stalking people with her money”.

Before I could again say anything she said “chalo lets go to that place for coffee”. I was still out of cold for the shock she gave me but at the same time pretty tired myself. On my own I would never enter a coffee shop so thought of going ahead with a blank mind.

We went for a coffee and I further explained my story of internship and how she had freaked me out. The tread mill called Greater Kailash had almost made my legs numb, I was not able to sit at the same position even at the coffee shop.

Seems this girl is pursuing her Masters of commerce or something similar abroad and then we chatted some more stuff. She expressed her interest in bollywood movies and her favorite picks from Chinese, Iranian and Italian movies

After this she was kind enough to drive me all the way to my internship location, from there this girls took me around a guided tour to some popular hang out destinations like malls and multiplexes in the city. In any case it was a wonderful experience for me to travel the streets of Delhi by car instead of regular DTC.

It was almost 6 we were nearing our PG, meanwhile the girl had already called some more of her friends who joined us at the same Dhaba were I had the dinner the previous night. It was fun to eat by the road in such a large company of people whom you hardly know by name and yet feel lively. …. It was almost late, some of us exchanged our number promised to keep in touch and then we called it a day……

As for me I still cherish this sweet memory of having some accidental acquaintances at Delhi. Perhaps this restores my faith in the dictum “Everything happens for good”

One thing about Delhi………

As I landed this day at the Delhi airport there was this mixed sense of feeling going on my mind of happiness, excitement, loneliness was creeping in my mind. Stepping out of the Delhi airport terminal I saw some beautiful emotional reception of tears and joy of home comming by a family for their dear one’s. At this junture for the first time I had a feeling of missing home.But I guess this is common when certain things affect us and our life, then it is upon us to avoid such deterrance and move on.

The interesting question that popped up in my mind standing there was “NOW WHAT TO DO”Call it the story of “TWO STATES” or “TALE OF THREE CITIES” for the past 18 hours I have had my breakfast in Karnataka, lunch at Goa and then the dinner at Delhi…..

Interestingly or stupidly somehow I assumed that it was possible to tackle hush-bush of Delhi with two books – “LEARN HINDI IN THIRTY DAYS” and “THE DELHI MAP”. When I told this to one my three point of contact at Delhi over the phone today she could not excuse herself from bursting into laughter on my face at the choice of my survival kit in Delhi.

Infact she was right, a few hours after my arrival, venturing out to the city in the late evening all alone I realized that there was a huge contrast in the small 5 lettered name of this place “DELHI” and its huge structure.

A rough look at the spectacles at Delhi would make one assume this city is a huge museum of architectural wonders, some new and others reminding telling stories of the distant memory lane of our country. Every since my childhood I had always heard or seen this place on my 21inch television and at occasion must have also underestimated it size, but it is only now that I witness its huge and mammoth size that would humble even the mightiest ego.

The roads are broad and straight, every alternative building is like a huge mall, it is interesting to note that while the old heritage buildings magnify their style on the horizontal style of architecture i.e. the building are wide in its breadth or the carpet area is broader corresponding to its height. The modern buildings on the other hand assert their superiority on the basis of vertical height of their structure. This notion can be perceived in two ways either it is the influence of English and American model or the economic dynamics owing to the price of real estate.    

Unlike other metropolitan cities which are glamorous in articulating their developments and wonders. This city has always stayed ahead in progress letting its work speak for itself maintaining its gentlemanly spirit of silence.

If Mumbai is land of dreams, then Delhi is the land for the ambitious

It is my first visit to this city and I already feel absorbed by its virtue of its hospitality. Will be here for another two and a half months and may have more to tell about

This is the story of one city… living its everyday life….. This is the story of Delhi……. THE RAJDHANI !!!

All iz well that ends well !!!

It took me a one whole day to recover from the kind of isolation that I had imposed upon myself to prepare for the Communication research paper which had mathematics and statistics in its menu.  My room had literally turned into an isolated fortress in which I was the only human specie. I had neither called my mom nor replied to the messages of my friends.

My condition was exactly like Chandler in the box when Joey punished him or somewhat similar to that of Sanjay Dutt in the movie Zinda. My roommates probably understood my complication with the subject, so they sacrificed their Sunday movie on their Laptop, stopped playing cards nor did they invite any of their friends to the room for weekend booze. They were on their own like a dead body sleeping sometimes going out of the room.

Straining my eyes, working of stats problem, repeating the formulas again and again, trying to work on my pictographic memory, using loads of rough work sheets just to remember one thing at a time, sleep deprivation, lack of personal hygiene, concoction of bread, jam, rice, chapattis, pickle, yogurt, water, curds burger, tooth paste, dosa, tea ….wait did I just say toothpaste!!! Yeah maybe even that also, thankfully the room came with an attached wash room.

Moreover on one hand there was this hot summer and on the other the electricity departments were playing OONGLICRICKET in their office. The power was just not stable it was going on and off – on and off.

No matter how much ever Shikhari Shambhu I try to be during other time, when it came to facing statistic examination I had reduced to a mere human of flesh and bone. Isolated and all alone I must have probably looked like a crazy scientist trying to clone human from dolphin saliva.

The days passed just like a zap and now it was time to write history, at the examination I must have probably looked like a magician with 2 calculator , 2 pencil, one sharpener, a eraser one for ink and one for pencil, small and large measuring scale and on top of that a bangle to draw pie circle. Oh yeah the bangle was stolen from the gift pack of my room mate who probably brought for his girlfriend and believe me it was more difficult to steal things than buy one.

If I were a camera sensor looking at al the face of all the examinees I would probably flash “FACE NOT DETECTED” message on the display screen. Anyway I was pretty confidant to score a decent grade with the kind of effort I had put in to learn the problem.

You might understand the kind of intensity and anticipation that the student have before they receive their question paper, so I was going through all that. Every minute that acute sense of “AB TERA KYA HOGA KALIA” kind of feeling was going through my mind.

Suddenly the bell goes on, the invigilator swirls like that SHAKTI-MAN/WOMAN distributing question papers at quick  succession to every candidate. I received my paper more confidently than usual but the first look at it turned me pale – Only one sum and rest all were theory. I flipped the other side there were no sum at all!!! I wondered if the attachment paper was missing in my set of dossier, so I looked around only to find mirror like reaction from others faces.

Guys if you recollect this movie MERI JUNG of Anil Kapoor, there is a scene in the opening when his father Kirish karnad is hanged and Nutan receives the news with that expression over her a face where she neither she laughs nor she cries…..Yeah egjactly the same one, I was Nutan for that moment not knowing how to respond, I cannot recollect what I was seeing but I am pretty much sure there was this KUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN sound going on my ear, similar to that of All India Radio when there is no transmission.

Anyways I gathered my bits and pieces once again found some familiar question and then started writing the exam like Mr. Bean reincarnated. Could not believe but as my own AS I said to myself “Gosh I hope there were few from statistics” I dunno wheather I had to be happy or sad. Obviously this was a semester “TEST” in its truest sense. After the exams I could witness some sights and sounds post examination from all quarters, loitered for some time before leaving to PG.

The sacrifice of roommates was in drains and I had no commonsensical explanation and a slight signal of attitude on my part would definitely invite some broken bones. So going by the principles of MIRINDA – Zor ka jatka thing I decided to host them for a dinner and then break the news.

At the dinner they were drunk and I knew the time was right to telltale. I don’t know wheather it was the alcohol or….. they really pretended as though they understood my situation and said it was alright.  After all this it was early morning 1.30 AM when we reached the PG.