Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

download Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

of 25

Transcript of Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    1/25

    HI I finally saved enough money to buy my own piece of real estate - onthe web. It took a while. Royalty payments are slow to take off. So it has

    taken me a few years to mop up the coins that paid for my new websitehttp://abhijitbhaduri.com

    Moving is a pain. Spring cleaning is a pain. Following a routine is a pain.

    Among the many painful things in the world, they don't even stack up to thepain of virtual moving. I am having to mop up pieces of my writing from

    various parts of cyber space and collect them in to one spot. But then that's

    part of the deal. The website is still getting its final touches and if you want

    to see more stuff there, just let me know what is it you are missing and I

    will try to serve it there. You can mail me at [email protected]

    The party venue has been changed but the party continuesAbhijit BhaduriLabels: Married But Available, Mediocre But Arrogant

    Thursday, April 24, 2008

    Of Balladeers and Dreamers

    Music does these strange things. It cuts across boundaries. While words tend to have wallsaround them when you mix music and turn words into lyrics, they suddenly get wings. Theyreach out and tug at heart strings. The MTV office at Time in New York is a favorite destination

    for musicians to strut their stuff hoping some talent scout from the office would listen and give

    them their big break. i am not aware of anyone actually getting their break like that. But heck,

    New York is the city where dreams are bought and sold everyday. I have stood by

    mesmerized by the sound of a bunch of musicians from Andes playing their folk tunes on panpipes accompanied by an electric guitar powered by a makeshift car battery and a set of drums. I

    have seen an African American drummer play the drums on a set of plastic paint barrels. Iremember missing my train to watch a group of teenagers from Harlem show the world what

    break dancing was all about. And of course who can forget the Naked Cowboy stand in themiddle of Time Square in his underwear and have a bunch of screaming hysterical teenagers line

    up to photograph themselves with him.

    Last evening I went to see Sushmit Bose perform. He calls himself an urban folk musician.

    Sometimes I see him being referred to as an urban folk balladeer. It is difficult to imagine thisperson once sported shoulder length hair and wrote protest songs. Well he still writes songs and I

    guess he still protests against a range of issues. He briefly mentioned Tibet and then also sang asong protesting against the inhuman treatment given to stray dogs in Kerala. He sings about

    urbanization and the loss of soul etc. His songs are set to simple chords and will inevitablyremind listeners of the sounds of Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. The only tragedy was that when he

    finally sang Blowing In The Wind, he mixed up the lyrics. This is where his guitarist and banjoplayer Deepak Castelino stepped up to the mike and sang along with the crowd.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    2/25

    Sushmit was accompanied by Deepak Castelino - one of the finest guitarists I have heard. Manyyears back when Deepak was still in college, I watched him on TV singing Me and Bobby

    McGhee. His flawless strumming and deep baritone voice has only matured over the years.Deepak worked for fifteen years in the corporate sector and left it in disgust to pursue music. He

    composes and teaches music to children. I loved his composition called Corporation (which hecalls meaning Make Miserable) May his tribe increase. Maybe someday I willget a chance to learn from Deepaknot just how to play the guitar but how to chase my dreams.

    Monday, March 31, 2008

    Sleepless in Seattle

    I am a nervous traveller. Before I travel, I would ideally like to be at peace. Here is what I want itto be like. I should be able pack my suitcase comfortably, arrange my shirts in a certainsequence, add my shaving kit on the side - the stuff for meetings all laid out in sequence... Then I

    ought to sit back listen to some music and flip through my tickets - everything is in order, I tellmyself as I leave home.

    Reality is cruel. Reality is different. I have just rushed back home from office. The neighbor's

    dog is bringing down the house with his howl. I think he is sick - not the dog, I meant the owner.The dog is probably trying to send us a distress signal. I have no time time for all that. I

    rummage through my clothes and throw a few of them into the suitcase. They crumple up evenbefore I have worn them. I lock the suitcase in a jiffy and open it back again. Rush to pack in my

    shaving kit. The last time I had left behind the toothpaste tube. The keys of my suitcase!! I hadalmost left them behind. But no, I have a sharp memory and I just caught myself in the nick of

    time from making yet another fatal error. The taxi is honking and competing with the neighbors'dog. I rush out of the house and then run back -the ticket. I collapse in a heap in the cab. The

    airport is a mess. There are people jumping queues, students listening to iPods and shaking theirheads in approval and the cops eyeing all with suspicion.

    "Who packed your bags, Mr Bhaduri?", she asks me.

    "Since no one helps me at home, I have to do it myself." I answer.

    "Have you accepted any gifts or packages from anyone to carry with you on this trip?'Shequizzes me.

    "Heck, I don't even get presents on my birthday. Who would buy me a gift simply for travellingon work? The answer therefore is a no.".

    After a string of people have quizzed me, I get my boarding pass. I settle down into the seat.Aw

    heck! It is the middle seat again.I attract screaming kids on a plane like a vacuum cleaner

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    3/25

    attracts dust. Sure enough, this trip is no exception. I have a mother holding a wailing infant onone side and a glum faced senior citizen on the other. The flight takes off to the howling of the

    baby. Look I like babies especially when they don't cry or need a diaper change. This one missedmy affection on both counts. I try not to puke as the lady changes diapers and constantly tries to

    talk in what she thinks is a tone that is building the kid's self image. The gentleman on my left is

    sleeping with his mouth open as if in wonder (what IS he dreaming about?) and he is snoringloudly. The snore sounds like a squeaky wheelbarrow being dragged back and forth on a cobbledstreet. I try to read. There is nothing decent around to read either - except for the in-flight

    magazine which is usually a by the juveniles and for the juveniles affair. I might as well use thewashroom. I am on the horns of a dilemma. Who should I wake up to go to the washroom? The

    snorer? Or the infant who has just fallen asleep and has a steady stream of drool flowing asproof? I like proof except that it is going to start flowing towards me. I keep a few tissues handy.

    The snorer has changed pitch. It now sounds very close to the aircraft's engine. I vote in favor ofthe snorer. I try to jump over the old man and get to the aisle and miss. OUCH!! The man's loud

    protest wakes up everyone. I am the culprit. I pay the price for it. The baby starts howling againand wakes up the whole planeload of irritated passengers. I rush to the loo and wait there for a

    good five minutes before I return back to my seat. The world is at peace. Snorer is in dreamland.The baby is quiet and the mother is sleeping. I need to get back to my middle seat without

    disturbing the equilibrium of the earth. I have learnt my lesson the last time. I avoid hassling thegrumpy old man. I try to get into my seat and land up waking the baby instead. "OH GOD!!

    CAN YOU LEAVE THE BABY ALONE??", someone shouts at me. I apologize to the world atlarge as I hide in my seat under the smelly blanket and pray for the baby to stop howling. It is

    going to be a long night.Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 3:47 AM

    Sunday, March 02, 2008

    Sarod Less Travelled

    Indiais a rare country with two equally well developed traditions ofClassical Music -Hindustani (from Northern India) and Carnatic (from South India). This post is about Hindustani

    Classical music.You have vocalists and instrumentalists to choose from in each category. The classical set of

    instruments that played solo were traditionally Sitar, Sarod, Bansuri (bamboo flute), Shehnaiaccompanied by the drone of a Tanpura to keep scale and Sarangi and to the beats of a Tabla.

    Over the years other instruments have been brought in to add variety. The Sarangi has moved up

    centrestage from being just a sidekick. Some instruments likeEsraj (more popular in the EasternStates of India especially West Bengal) have faded away even though in some traditions(Vishnupur) or gharanas it played a prominent role. "Over the years many western musical

    instruments like violin, harmonium, mandolin, archtop guitar and electric guitar have come to beaccepted in Indian classical music." Brij Bhushan Kabra and later Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

    popularized the Guitar as an instrument that can play Hindustani Classical. Just as Shiv KumarSharma has brought the Santoor(meaning a hundred stringed lute) to the mainstream of classical

    music.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    4/25

    Indian Classical Music has been developed over several generations with knowledge and skillsbeing passed down from father to son (most of the instrumentalists are males in Hindustani

    Classical Music - is that the same in Carnatic Classical too?) or from teacher to disciple knownas theguru-shishya tradition in India. The guru or the maestro would have the title ofUstaad(in

    case the teacher was Muslim) orPandit(for the Hindu).

    My parents were both Hindustani Classical music addicts. My mother played Ragas on theAcoustic Hawaiian Lap Guitar (known simply as the Hawaiian Steel Guitar in India). My fathernever played an instrument or sang but made sure he taught himself ragas by reading, meeting

    musicians and attending concerts whenever possible. The concerts, the vinyl LP records and

    the ubiquitious radio with the All India Radio Sangeet Sammelan or the classical music hour atnight were a part of my universe. Just as I was beginning to get excited about The Beatles,

    Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, Pat Boone and all, thanks to the efforts ofSPICMACAY (anacronym for Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Among Youth) my

    love for Indian Classical music co-existed with my love for every other sound that I got familiarwith over the years. SPICMACAY used to organize Lecture Demonstrations (LecDems for

    short) to bring the best of the best Indian Classical Music maestros to explain the basics elementsof the classical musical vocabulary and grammar and made it "cool" to listen to. The very first

    one I attended had Ustad Amjad Ali Khanxplaining the basics of Raga Yaman by playing ragabased popular Bollywood hits on the sarod. Accompanied by the long haired Ustad Zakir

    Hussainon the tabla (who taught a semester at Princeton University in 2006) , they mesmerizedthe college crowd. Last fortnight I bumped into Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at Mumbai's swank new

    airport terminal. Here is a photo capturing that moment.Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 8:11 AM

    Monday, February 25, 2008

    Love Letters

    Gurgaon has over the last few years begun to be known for many things - malls, Call Centersand BPOs and lack of infrastructure. Going to see a play, art exhibition or a music concert meantthat one had to go to the cultural hub of Delhi. That could mean anything from an hours drive or

    more depending on the time of day when you hit the road. But that was then. We now haveEpicentre (Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon) - a complex that boasts of a lovely auditorium

    (it possibly has 300+ seats??), an art gallery, an amphitheatre, a restaurant, conference & banquetrooms and a 45000 sq ft exhibition hall. If you want to be on their mailing list, just write to

    [email protected] month for instance had the Puppet Theatre putting up Almost Twelfth Night. Smita Bharati

    put up two plays there - As The Sun Sets and 45-35-55. Feisal Alkazi's A Matter of Life and

    Death.

    Yesterday I went to the Epicentre to Rahul Da Cunha's version of Love Letters . The

    Pulitzer award winning play written by AR Gurney, describes the romantic and poignantrelationship between childhood friends Melissa Gardner (Shernaz Patel) and Andrew Makepeace

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    5/25

    Ladd III (Rajit Kapur) over fifty years. The story unfolds through the letters the two charactershave written to one another. The play was first performed in 1988. Shernaz Patel is just so

    amazing in the way she brings the impetuous Melissa. Rajit Kapur is a versatile actor for but lastevening's performance seemed just a tad short of expectations.

    Inspired by Love Letters, Feroz Khanhas directed Tumhari Amrita adapted by Javed Siddqui and had Farooque Shaikh who plays the politician SyedZulfiquar Haiderand Shabana Azmi playing the painterAmrita Nigam. In 1996 I saw them

    perform at Darpan Academy in Ahmedabad. It was was perhaps in one of the most powerfulperformances I have seen in theatre. By the time the play ends, there was no dry eye in the

    audience and Shabana Azmi was so deeply entrenched in the character that she just sobbed longafter the play was over.

    There is also the sequel Aapki Soniya ( ), directed by Salim Arif, starts fromwhere Tumhari Amrita ends. It has been years since painter Amrita Nigam, whose relationship

    with politician Syed Zulfiquar Haider had spawned a series of letters and Tumhari Amrita, hasdied. If you have seen it, let me what you thought of it.

    Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at

    Sunday, February 03, 2008

    World Book Fair, New Delhi 2-10 February 2008

    This year should see a spate of Indian books. From graphic novels to cookbooks. From ScienceFiction to Short Stories, the publishers are ready to pull out their trump cards. With a growing

    confidence in everything Indian, the Indian reader is also ready to give Indian writers a chance toshare stories that are desi and in a language that feels real. There is no need to add a glossary of

    Indian words or phrases used like they did before. I agree that it is an insult to the reader's

    intelligence if you do that.DNA newspaper had recently listed the books we will see being launched in 2008. It is a veryrich list.

    "Even as Chetan Bhagats book (Rupa), Abhijit Bhaduris Married But Available and KaranBajajs Keep Off The Grass (HarperCollins) are being touted as bestsellers in the making, other

    books are vying for the top spot. Penguin India has biggies like Sea Of Poppies by AmitavGhosh, Bombay Tiger by Kamala Markandaya and Lost Flamingoes Of Bombay by Siddharth

    Dhanvant Shanghvi lined up. Penguin imports, Age Of Shiva by Manil Suri, Something To TellYouby Hanif Kureishi, and The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam are also all set to rock readers.

    Picador lists... blockbusters in 2008 as The Palace OfIllusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni,An Atlas OfImpossible Longing by Anuradha Roy and Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan."

    The World Book Fair started off yesterday at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This one promises tobe even bigger and better than the one they did in 2006 which was spread over 38,000 sq metres

    of display with around 1300 publishers . In 1972, with 200 participants to visit the modestdisplay at Windsor Place, New Delhi the World Book Fair made a beginning. Expect to see

    celebrity authors cutting deals with publishers or literary agents trying to woo the next bigliterary phenomenon. I am going to see if any one of the books mentioned above are available at

    the WBF.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    6/25

    I will be around at the HarperCollins stall possibly over the weekend. HarperCollins titles will beat Stall nos. 677-692, Hall no. 2. from 10 am (don't expect to see me there!!) to 8 pm (more

    likely to see me).

    Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 9:04 AM2 commentsLinks to this post

    Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, HarperCollins, Indian Fiction, Married But Available

    Sunday, January 20, 2008

    India Finally Achieves Perth Control

    This is my 100th blog entry. My hundredth run in the world of blogging.So it is about a topic I have never written about - cricket. I may not know anything about cricket

    or ... for that matter I know nothing about sports. I suspect I was born without a sporting gene.Yet while I was using the remote control of the TV to flick aside channel after channel like an

    expert batsman, I could not but help take a peek into the world of cricket.

    If you, like a billion Indians (make that billion minus 1) watch cricket more than you watch yourown receding hairline, then you are probably celebrating. Australia was sixteen going on

    seventeen test victories in a row. Indian cricketers played spoilsport and broke the magic spell.Now Aussies will need to start working on that record creating spree all over again. The last time

    Aussies were halted was at Eden Gardens in 2001. Then it was Steve who had to say WaughBhai Waugh to the winning Indian team!!

    Umpiring decision related controversies ruined the spirit of the Sydney test. Well there were

    umpiring gaffes in Perth too - but this time in favor of India. The odds are that bad and gooddecisions even out in life.

    More photos at IndiatimesPosted by Abhijit Bhaduri at

    Sunday, December 30, 2007

    This One is for the Birds

    1938 - A shooting party headed by the then Viceroy of India shot a maximum of 4,273 birdson 12th November.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    7/25

    1965 - The last leopard was shot with a gun

    1967 - Keoladeo Ghana declared a reserved forest

    1981 - Keoladeo upgraded to the status of a National Park

    Situated 176 Kms away from Delhi, KEOLADEO GHANA NATIONAL PARK has about 400species of birds. If you have never seen the ever dwindling species of birds called the Siberian

    Crane, then you must know that this is one of the two places in the world where this bird can beseen. the other one is in Iran.

    Purshottam has been plying his rickshaw since he was 21 years old. His father was a guide at theBharatpur bird sanctuary as well. Affectionately called Purshotti by everyone around, he keeps

    pointing out the various species of birds as we go. He knows their names in Bengali as well hetells me. "I have learnt the names of at least 30 birds in German and French languages. After all

    it is the tourists I have to depend on." He amazes me with his knowledge of birds and his abilityto spot them. He loves chatting and keeps me engrossed with trivia and bird facts. I try to ask

    him about the brightly colored Kingfisher that is flitting around the marshy patch to my right.Purshotti silences me midway. He gets off from his rickshaw and looks up at what seems like a

    Palm Tree. I follow my teacher. He shows me a brown owl sitting snugly and blinking at theearly rays of the morning Sun. Purshotti has tiptoed to the next tree and is gesticulating wildly to

    me to show me another owl. "They always move in pairs."

    I rub my hands together to keep myself warm. The quaint little tea-shop in the sanctuary is

    brewing some tea. The clientele is building up. That includes a curiousNeelgai who is keen tojoin us for breakfast. The visitors to the park have been feeding this Neelgai human food for so

    long that this particular animal no longer enjoys grass like the rest of them. Purshotti clicks hishead in disapproval at the visitors trying to feed the animal some sandwiches.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    8/25

    When will we ever learn??

    Bharatpuris hop step and jump from the Taj Mahal and the beautiful city of Fatehpur Sikri. The

    next time you are in the vicinty stop by to look at an amazing collection of birds and a few

    animals. If you meet Purshotti, say Hi to him.

    Friday, December 28, 2007

    2008 - The Year of the Bookworm?

    The Chinese calendar has dubbed 2008 as the Year of the Rat - actually it is the Chinese BrownEarth (Soil) Rat Year. So one would imagine that Mickey Mouse (known as Topolino in Italy)would thrive. Rat trap sales will decline. I was just about going down that path when someone

    decided to give the lowly bookworm its pride of place in the zodiac.

    The Hindustan Times of 21st December 2007 did a story on the next year being the Year of the

    Bookworm. Girija Duggal predicts the rise of graphic novels and fiction being the dominantflavor of the next year.

    The article talks about the retail boom driving the expansion of chains like Landmark and

    Crosswords across cities in India that in turn is making it easy for booklovers to buy books.Fictions seems to have been the big success story this year. What with Advaita Kala'sAlmost

    Single (7,000 copies sold and counting) being the success of the year.

    To quote Girija Duggal, "So, in 2008, get ready forKeep off the Grass by Karan Bajaj,

    Married But Available by Abhijit Bhaduri, You Are Here by popular blogger Meenakshi

    Reddy Madhavan and The Other Half of Me by Swati Kaushal.

    Indian fiction has been growing in popularity. When I go into the bookstores, I see increasingamount of shelf space being given to the desi writers. Publishers are bringing out more of fiction.

    Graphic novels are inching their way into the bookshelves at home. We have got publishinghouses who are willing to promote unknown authors, authors who are willing to find their own

    voice. What is missing is the matchmaker to put writers in touch with the publishers. So themarket is ripe for literary agents. That is the missing link. A literary fest is often the space that

    does just that. It gets the reader, the author, the publisher and agent into one forum. And possibly

    the translators. There is a rich market of readers waiting out there.

    I recently met Mita Kapur, a literary consultant and literary agent who is based out of Jaipurand runs Siyahi. She has been running the literary fest at Jaipur for the past three years. The

    conference, Translating Bharat: Language, Globalization and the Right to be Read(20th -22nd January, 2008) is an effort by Siyahi to provide an interactive space for creating synergies

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    9/25

    to help writers, translators and publishers to understand core issues and work towards creatingbonds which will help them benefit from each other's experiences and understanding.

    I loved being there in Mumbai for the Kitabfest in Feb '07. Let me see if I can make it to Jaipur

    for the lit fest having just got back after a fab vacation in Jaipur, Bharatpur and Fatehpur Sikri.More of that soon.

    Sunday, December 16, 2007

    Hai Koi MICA Lal?

    Once upon a time I used to live in Ahmedabad. And I used to work for the ad agency calledMudra Communications. Those were heady days for advertising agencies. The founder of MudraAG Krishnamurthy (AGK) ran the place. The Ahmedabad office of Mudra used to be decorated

    from the floor to ceiling with photos from the various shoots of Vimal. Remember the "OnlyVimal" campaign starring the oh-so-gorgeous Mehr Jessia? Deepak Parashar, Deepak Malhotra,

    Bikram Saluja and Himanshu Malik were the male models who were the brand ambassadorsof Vimal suitings.

    The creative duo Freddy Birdy and Naved Akhtar were the stars at Mudra those days. Their

    campaign for Nestle Polo "Mint with a hole" was the rage. I still have prints of their publicservice campaign "All You Have to Spend On the Elderly is Your Time" at home.

    Mudra had set up the Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad, known as MICA amongstudents. MICA was one of the first schools of communication and advertising in India. Tucked

    away in the village of Shela near Ahmedabad, the campus was still being built as the first batchof people from MICA graduated. I have not been to MICA since then but from what I hear

    MICA is not only doing well but thriving.

    It was great to know that it is not just students but Professors who read the book Mediocre

    But Arrogant and liked it. Here is a mail from Deval Kartik - a Professor at MICA. Deval Kartik

    ([email protected]) is an Adjunct Professor at MICA. I had to be cautious while spelling thatword. It is not "Ad Junked Professor", stupid. Here is her mail to me:

    "Hey Abhijit

    Thanks for writing such a 'straight from the heart' book. Really enjoyed reading it. And nowwaiting for the sequel.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    10/25

    I loved the book at two levels. One, it is set in the time I can identify with. I graduated to be

    'Mediocre But Arrogant' in 1990. Not too far away for your period, though from a completelydifferent part of the country. Yet, there are several characters one can identify with clearly...some

    profs and some batch mates!

    And now, I am on the other side of the game and can almost sense my students callingme...well...I hope not Kaamini!!! Hehehehe.. But more than that I can really see where all

    assignments come from, why someone is ever so bright for a 6pm PPT and lot more.

    The best I could do was gift the book to MICA library and just tell a few of them about it!

    The good word spreads ever so quickly!

    Cheers and keep writing!

    Deval KartikMICA"

    Sunday, November 18, 2007

    AR Rahman - Yeh Dil Maange More

    What would you need to do if you wanted to listen to AR Rahman, Hariharan,Chitra, Kailash Kher and Rapper Blaze in Delhi. You had to go to the mega concert thatwas held last evening in Delhi. I was there rubbing shoulders withthe 25,000 fans who

    ranged from six year olds to their grandparents - children below five years old were notallowed in. I don't know why since the adults around were making enough racketanyway.

    The show raises the basic question as to why one should go to see a live concert whenyou could listen to the same tracks in the quiet confines of your home on the stereo.Why jostle through crowds and listen to the same stuff. Just so that you see the showlive. So the shows need to be lively to make it worth the fans time and money. It israther difficult to have quality acoustics in an open air stadium to match what you canhear in your own living room's music system.

    I used to always have this question when I used to see Lata Mangeshkar perform onstage. She is a great singer but a terrible entertainer. AR Rahman came across as animmensely talented composer who has yet to make the transition to being a hugeentertainer. He is an artiste who just focuses on creating great music and leaves theflash and glitz to others. I love the way he has transformed the face of Bollywood musicby bringing in new sounds and singers with each venture.

    When the concert started with Rahman singing the operatic overture from the film Guru

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    11/25

    "Jage hain der tak hamein kuchh der soney doThodi si raat aur hai subah to hone do.

    Adhe adhure khwab jo pure na ho sakeEk bar phir se neend mein woh khwab boney do".

    Translated that would mean"I have been up till late, let me sleep till the morning

    Let me start dream again and complete those incomplete plans"

    As Rahman's voice joined Chitra's in singing this overture, I got goosebumps at thethought of hearing the maestro sing. Rahman's music draws inspiration from worldmusic. While this song draws on Italian Opera, when you hear another compositionMaiyya Maiyya from the same film, the influence ofTurkish music seep through like theunmistakable notes of rich Turkish Coffee.

    For me the highlight was to see the legendary Sivamani perform. Anandan

    Sivamani (born 1959) - the percussionist was wearing his trademark bandana. Hecreated magic with the solo performance where he drummed without missing a beateven as he twirled his drumsticks and threw them in the air as the double bass drumthumped away. He has in the past, used even the humble wok used to make biriyani, tocreate music!! He has a musical group called Shraddha where he makes music withHariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, and Mandolin Srinivas. According his official website

    "Siva was adept with his drumsticks even at the tender age of 7 and went on to give hisfirst stage performance at the age of 12. "

    He led a troupe of twenty dhols to give us a glimpse of a track from the yet unreleasedBollywood film Jodha Akbar.

    Allah Rakha Rahman was born AS Dilip Kumar on 6th January 1967 and has playedkeyboards for Ilaiyaraja. He has a degree in Western Classical Music from the TrinityCollege of Music at Oxford University. Last evening he played his hits from Hindi, Tamiland even English compositions. We got glimpses of Rahman playing the synthesizerand even a grand piano. The only thing that jarred was the sound system that was trulyawful. The system did not do justice to the master of music. We go to see a concert tobe entertained and not to hear what we already have heard through a CD. Stageperformances are about entertainment. That's an opportunity for the fans to see theartiste as a larger than life figure. It is all about playing to the gallery. Rahman lets hismusic do the talking and the only time he stepped up to admonish someone trying tosurreptitiously record the show, he showed his human face. The entertainer to watchout for is Naresh Iyerwho sang "I am a Rebel" and showed that he will leave a markeven while sharing the stage with Rahman.

    Saturday, November 10, 2007

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    12/25

    Promo No Mo

    For the last couple of years (well, it almost seems like forever) I have been subjected to this

    endless stream of promos of two films - Om Shanti Om and Saawariya. The beautiful peoplewere all over the television channels. Heck... who paid for the promo budgets of these films? Bill

    Gates and Mukesh Ambani ? Two rich dudes promoting two film promos. Me thinks that is verylikely.

    It all began few years back by a grand announcement. We were told that this year on Friday 9thNovember 2007, two new stars are going to be born. It is not as if we are running two humans

    short on this planet. Yet we have to all make place for Sonam and Ranbir Kapoor. After all theyare both pedigreed stars the media told us. He is Rishi Kapoor's son - no mention of Neetu Singh.

    Ranbir Kapoor looks to be more of the Neetu Singh clan than Raj Kapoor. Cut to the music. Wehave all been hearing the title song a million times a day so much that even I can sing the first

    fifteen seconds of that song "Saawariyah ah ah ahh... Saawariya ah aa a Saawariya". Myneighbor's precocious twelve year old showed me how I had to do some shadow boxing while I

    sang this song. "Ranbir is cute... I think... my sister likes him, but Shah Rukh has more fans. Allmy sisters friends and their moms loves Shah Rukh. So more people will see OSO." Here is a

    budding critic's summary of market research.

    I admit I am not much into creepy crawlies. Every now and then while I surf the channels I willcome across a promo of Saawariya that ends with creepy crawlies emerging out of the artwork.

    Some channels have these creepy crawlies hanging discreetly behind the channel logo. IS OSObetter than S'a? Is Deepika cuter than Sonam?? Is SRK's six pack for real or is it courtesy

    Photoshop? The nation is truly grappling with serious issues like these.

    OK these promos have been successful in building awareness but guys gimme a break. I can't

    watch the news channel without running into some blatant infomercial. All news bulletins endwith the two film's revenues being discussed in the same breath as the nation's GDP. Promo - nomo.

    Sunday, October 14, 2007

    You Made Us Proud

    On the flight from Frankfurt to Amsterdam's Schipol airport, I am seated next to MrB Muthuraman, the Managing Director ofTata Steel. It is a company he has worked

    with since 1966 after completing his B Tech from IIT-Madras.I lean across the aisle andintroduce myself then tell him that the deal involving Corus Steel's takeover by TataSteel has made every Indian proud. The diminutive Muthu smiles in acknowledgmentbefore disappearing into the crowded Schipol airport. He has ambitious plans forTataSteel. He was recently quoted in Business Week magazine as saying that he is "aiming tobe a 20 million-ton company by 2010 and 35 million-ton company by 2015."Tata Steelcurrently makes 7 tons of steel a year, and this includes Singapore's NatSteel and itsChina plant. By [2015], they'll be among the top five steel companies in the world in

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    13/25

    size. Good luck to people like Muthu who make us walk with a swagger. Schipol Airporthas a casino, a museum (the Rijksmuseum) that gave me a glimpse of Van Gogh'ssketches of the lion. The airport has its own mortuary - so that you can fly throughSchipol dead or alive and has of late been in the news for being a place where couples

    are getting getting married. No question of missing the flight to the honeymoondestination - just get the pilot as the best man at the wedding.

    In Amsterdam you are more likely to be run over by speeding cyclists than with a one of

    those fancy bikes. Public transport is a plenty but if you are not a gawking touristyou want to have at least one bicycle of your own. The canals garland the city like agiant windshield wiper swishing from side to side. It is hip to have your own houseboatin the canal though the stench sometimes is truly overpowering. On weekends - IF theweather is good, you can see loads of cyclists doing a leisurely trip along the canal witha loaf of bread, some cheese and a bottle of wine stuck prominently in a basket tagged

    in front of the bike.

    The Dutch are fairly liberal people when it comes to things adult. The cafes servecannabis in small quantities for all those who have the appetite for it. The tourists areequally stunned to see the openness with which the red light district rubs shoulders withthe rest of the commercial district. The Anne Frank Museum attracts visitors in largenumbers as do the painters - Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Bol.

    What did I like most about this city? Hmmm... I loved the cobbled streets and the lushgreen parks - my favorite was the Vondel Park. You see families coming there jogging,on bikes, pets in tow and children dutifully following their parents. The leaves were justfalling off in preparation for the winter months. What did I not like about Amsterdam?The weather. It was cold and damp for the better part of the week. The Sun made aguest appearance like a Bollywood star in an art movie - brief but impactful and left uswanting more.

    Thursday, October 04, 2007

    HarperCollins to Print MARRIED BUT AVAILABLE

    It is official. I am going with HarperCollins. The publishing giant HarperCollins, one of the

    largest English-language publishers in the world, is a subsidiary ofNews Corporation (NYSE:NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has

    publishing groups around the world. In India they have been in business since 2002 as a jointventure with the India Today group.

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    14/25

    I had to make a choice. After weeks of nail biting suspense, I voted in favour of HarperCollins to

    publish my novel MARRIED BUT AVAILABLE. After all they paid me the half a milliondollar advance. Ok... now it is time for truth. Heck no it was nothing like that. In this cruel world

    it is the publishers who decide whther to take on your manuscript or not. So I am really excited

    that I am going with the biggest name one could have.

    I will be working with Karthika their Publisher and Chief Editor. Quite a star in her own right in

    the publishing world, she has been responsible for launching many an author and novel. I amreally excited about working with her. The editor plays a major role in what the novel finally

    looks and sounds like. So if you like what the book is all about, it was all because of me.Whatever you don't like is because of Karthika.

    Posted by Abhijit Bhaduri at 6:24 AM9 commentsLinks to this postLabels: Abhijit Bhaduri, HarperCollins, Married But Available, MBA

    Saturday, September 22, 2007

    The Royalty and Other Fictional Characters

    Who on earth thought of this cruel term called royalty? There is nothing royal about it. It is

    bloody unfair to term the few coins we authors make (when someone buys our book) as royalty.It just creates false impressions. Just makes it hard to be an author.

    Does anyone here know JK Rowling? She is the one who added being a wizard as a career

    choice for many an unsuspecting kid. She has done something similar for other Muggles too. She

    has inspired many people to take up writing as a profession. So what are her own credentials?Impressive. Her personal wealth of545 million, gets her to rank as thirteenth richest woman inBritain. In 2006, Forbes named Rowling the second-richest female entertainer in the world.

    One of these newspapers that I was reading told me that not very long ago, her lifestyle was like

    mine. In those days neither of us was a billionaire. I still kept my part of the promise. She wentahead and became rich. Authors are never rich. So what's the secret?

    Whenever I tell someone that I have written a book, they always look at me and turn green. What

    do you do with all that royalty, they ask. I have to keep up the pretense. It is all about the imageof being a billionaire author (I mean, JK Rowling is one). I guess I can't blame these guys. If

    people know that you get paid in the form of "ROYALTY", it is logical that your readers expectyou to have a lifestyle of the rich and famous. It is too much pressure.

    My friends need to know this. I get royalty when someone BUYS my book. Yet each of those

    fellows will come up and ask me for a free copy. What is this about insisting on a free copy ofmy book? My boss wants one, my colleague wants one. I go to a party and the host introduces

    me as an author and then all the bloody guests want a free copy. So if you want to know how mybook made it to thebestseller lists, I bought most of them to gift to my friends, relatives and

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    15/25

    colleagues. I have to sneak in to my neighborhood book store and buy a few copies at a time sothat when someone asks for a copy - oh yeah... another one of those misers who will not support

    a struggling author - I have to gift him or her one of those copies.

    My colleagues are cruel. Last week when everyone was being given out their annual increment

    letters, some jealous guy went and told my boss that I did not need the pay rise. My boss too justshook hands with me and said pretty sheepishly, "You are a rich author. You get paid in royalty.I know this salary is just your pocket money Abbey. So... no... I won't embarrass myself by

    giving you a raise." It is hard being an author.

    Friday, September 14, 2007

    Letter from Kaushik Roy - the Director of Apna Asmaan

    Hey Abhijit, great reading your bit about Apna Asmaan in your blog. Wanted to post this

    there but realised that this to long. May be you have a way of doing it.

    The sad truth is that after having got 80% to 100% over the weekend the film is almost outstarting next Friday. Almost because it will continue in some obscure morning and afternoon

    shows. Why? Because people who love different kind of films actually don't get off their butt tosee the films that they want through the week. They then say "Oh no... it's gone? How sad... We

    will watch it on DVD ... chalo DVD dekh lenge ( )"Now here'sthe catch... DVDs are not like books - at least not yet. You can't market a DVD till it has hit the

    theatres and has qualified to be called cinema. So we are the biggest enemies of goodcinema because we are not like the die hard fans of commercial cinema. Those guys queue up to

    create what is called an OPENING WEEKEND. But we have have our cocktails and dinners todo over the weekend... and may be a bit of Golf? But then what the hell...there are DVDs right?

    So all those who wanted to see India's next Omar Shariff - Abhijit Bhaduri in Apna Asmaan,

    have a choice: they can prove it that you love different / non Bollywoody films and go to seeApna Asmaan in large numbers for those early morning shows. Or be the cocktail circuit

    supporter and pick up a DVD. If not me, Saregama will make money!

    Abhijit, you have been a great support. There's a 1.20pm (thank God not am)

    show at Gurgaon PVR. Why don't you do a little viral across your HR

    community in Gurgaon to get them to see AA during lunch? It's just a2 hr outing that will make everybody feel nicer when they get back to

    work. Good HR policy - believe me!

    Cheers -

    kaushik

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    16/25

    PS: Nabomita sends me this great link on Kaushik's art collection. Click Here

    Saturday, September 08, 2007

    Apna Asmaan - Now In Theatres Near You

    Sometime back I have blogged here about my acting in a movie. The movie has now gotreleased under the name Apna Asmaan Yesterday was the premier of thefilm at PVR Saket, New Delhi. The film also has Rajat Kapoor (remember the pedophile

    character in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding) and Anupam Kher in some interesting scenes.

    This is a film is directed by my ex-colleague from Mudra Communication, Kaushik Roy.Kaushik belongs to a family of film makers (he is the nephew of the legendary Bimal Roy - of

    Madhumati fame. (The director of Do Bigha Zameen, Madhumati, Devdas etc) That by the wayis a photo of Kaushik trying to throttle me on the sets. Irrfan and Shobna (My God, she has pretty

    eyes) have played the lead roles. In one of the scenes, Irrfan is taunting his young colleague thathe is "an M-B-A ... Mediocre But Arrogant, as in the novel".

    Times ofIndiasays, "This one is a must for all parents who push their kids too

    hard." Check out this photo from the shoot. Never published before on any site.

    More about this film on other posts. Will try and get an interview with Kaushik for the

    blog. So watch the space for more.The story of Apna Asmaan was inspired by Kaushik'syounger son Orko, who is mildly autistic and has just recently completed his firstexhibition of paintings. Orko is a fabulous artist and you will see many of his paintings inthe film. In fact the film opens with a shot of Orko drawing animals. He loves to drawbuffalos.

    Left to right: Kaushik Roy, Harsh Kulkarni, Abhijit Bhaduri, Irrfan (green kurta), Mini (who is the chief cameraperson Barun-da's daughter) and Abhishek.

    Tuesday, August 28, 2007

    Hindi Translation of Mediocre But Arrogant

    I have often been asked if there is a Hindi Translation of Mediocre But Arrogant around the

    corner. I am looking for someone who can translate the story into Hindi or other Indianlanguages. Google has this cool feature of transliteration. A little painful at times, but certainly

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    17/25

    workable. Here is my attempt at translating the first two paras of the book. Tell me what youthink of it.

    , (

    ), , Human Resources Development , ... ,

    , Industrial Relations

    !!!

    , " ,

    HR

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    18/25

    HR

    Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, Hindi Translation, Mediocre But Arrogant

    Wednesday, August 15, 2007

    The RDB Generation Celebrates 60 Years ofIndependent India

    Today is 15th August 2007. Since morning my phone has been beeping. Each time someone

    sends me an sms I am given a gentle electronic nudge. The first sms tells me "31 states (well,actually we have 28 states and 7 Union Territories), 1618 languages (there are 22 officially

    recognized languages when we last counted), 6400 castes (that could well be unless someonepoints me to a reliable source. Not to mention Varna and Jati distinctions), 6

    major religions (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain - hey what about Parsis, Jews,B'ahais and may others I don't know of), 6 ethnic groups (Dravidian... Aryan? Is that what you

    are referring to?), 29 major festivals (well there is a site that lists 90 of them in alphabeticalorder) and 1 country. Proud to be an Indian. Happy Independence Day."

    The newspapers are flashing statistics that tell us that per capita income has risen from Rs 255 in1947 to being Rs29,382 (in 2007), Population has risen from being 300 million in 1947 to being1.16 billion in 2007, Per capita power consumption has increased from 15.5 kwh in '47 to being

    606kwh in '07 according to the Times of India. I can believe the last bit. Someone in myapartment complex has 38 light bulbs in the living room that turn up the temperature a notch

    above the 42 degrees celsius - approximately 107 Farenheit, in case you went into a tizzy tryingto do that conversion. Not counting the electricity the ugly lava lamp is consuming that proves to

    be a humongous distraction while my host excuses himself to switch on the airconditioner for his

    two dogs that are panting to cope with the heat and humidity of Gurgaon.

    That's pretty impressive. I am told that it is no longer a "Developing" country but a"transforming" one. That's like peeking while I am trying to change into a new pair of pants in

    the shop. You have to wait. So while you keep yourself busy and distracted with all the newsclips of fat people worrying about obesity and debating fiercely whether the South Beach Diethelps you lose weight faster than the Atkins plan, there are scores of kids who remain

    malnourished.

    Okay, we are a land of contradictions (see cell phone toting sadhu pic) and we are now a major

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    19/25

    power to reckon with. We have the power of Bollywood with us - the single largest source thatcan unite the country to speak one language better than what any political party has ever

    achieved. It has made Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan popular in the non Hindispeaking belt and takes the credit for getting Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth to the Hindi speaking

    audience. Rahman along with Bharat Bala made it cool to be patriotic when they sang

    Ma Tujhe Salaam. Bollywood appeals to us all. With a range of directors andactors who can talk to the youth and the Yahoo (Young At Heart, Old Otherwise) in the samebreath, we need to leverage this medium to get the people involved and to take ownership of the

    changes that they wish to see in the country. Bollywood needs to make it cool for everyone tomake a difference to the country.

    It is the ability of the powers that be to ignite the youth power that will help us build momentum.

    Tech savvy, impatient and ready to support the cause that appeals to them, the Rang De Basantior RDB generation is ready to play their part in escorting the country to the centre stage of the

    world. They took to the streets and brought the Jessica Lall murder case to be reopened after thecourts had declared it to be closed and settled - leaving the guilty to go scot free. The RDB Gen

    has the power and their time is now. They now need to take the other RDB Generation (forwhom RDB stands for RD Burman) and take India through the next decades so that we all live to

    see the Incredible India of our dreams.

    Sunday, August 12, 2007

    Brilliant Idea for Software Developers

    If you ever wrote a Job Description for an author or an aspiring writer, one criteria should be

    spelt out in bold letters - the ability to handle rejection slips. It is a death blow to one's ego.Handling that without seeking professional help in carrying out psychological repairs is not easy.

    When I was sending out my manuscript to various publishers, I had initially taken a cautious

    approach. I would mail my stuff with a polite covering note and add a silent prayer while lickingthe stamp. You can't fault me for praying. I would send off the manuscript with the same

    fondness with which a parent sees off their child to college. Nobody expects them to dropout.

    Then came the next bit - waiting for the mailman to bring in the response. I would bunk workjust so that I could be there in person to receive the million dollar advance that the publisher

    might be sending me. Heck that's not how the real world works. I would get a prompt responseback from the publisher. Yeah how long does it take to say "NO" - which part of the "NO" are

    you having difficulty comprehending, my friend would ask in a helpful manner.

    Priya mentioned that these days the editors send electronic rejection slips. That's taking the art ofinsulting to new heights. Can't you take a couple of minutes to write a few lines to the person

    whose dreams you are stubbing out.

    The only way of coping with this impersonal rejection slip system is to seek tech support. Maybesomeone will figure out a technology that lets all aspiring authors to send one copy of the

    manuscript to every publisher in the world simultaneously and then stay pasted on the screen

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    20/25

    until he/ she goes through the darn story syllable by syllable. Thereafter, there would be anannoying pop up that asks the publisher, "Have you sent the million bucks yet?"

    The accompanying piece of software the authors will need to install will allow all rejection slips

    to be filtered out so that it is only the acceptance letters that flow through to the in-box. Any

    takers?---------------------------------------

    This blog entry was inspired by the comment Priya left on my blog. She talked about the auto-rejection slips sent bypublishing houses.Labels: Abhijit Bhaduri, How to get your novel published, How to Write a Novel

    Saturday, August 04, 2007

    How to Get Your Novel Published?

    And You Thought Writing the Novel Was the Hard Part?

    You have the novel ready. And you are now ready to count the steady flow of royalty. You havepractised the odd moment of living it up like a rich person. So why is the publisher not grabbingyour manuscript.

    Heck - that's the reality check. Your publisher needs to feel that your manuscript is going to be

    the next Harry Potter or whatever last made a few good millions - for the publisher. Yes... youread that right. The publisher is really trying to gauge the readership of your novel. So in a very

    simplistic manner, they are not really trying to figure out if your plotline was intriguing or not.

    They need to know how many people are likely to BUY your novel.

    How do you find a publisher?

    Option 1: Get yourself invited to a dinner party where publishers are hanging out. Then try and

    strike up a conversation with one of 'em. NOT RECOMMENDED.

    Option 2: Go to a literary festival or a writers' workshop. Helps to get you in the queue to pick upa few visiting cards of publishers and employees of publishing houses. Try and listen in to the

    panel discussions. That always helps. Listen to other writers and editors and publishers.

    Option 3: Find yourself an agent. In US they have a book called the Writers Market. You canbuy it off Amazon.com or a bookstore. That lists basically, which publisher is publishing the

    genre of novels that yours fits in. They list names of agents who will represent you to thepublishers. Here is an interview with Eric Simonoff- the agent who represented Jhumpa Lahiri.

    Some of the agents want a "Reading Fee" - a hefty sum of money to read your manuscript withno obligations. Heck, it is a tough world.

    Option 4: Keep sending the manuscript to the publishers directly. Most websites have addresses

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    21/25

    where you can mail the manuscript. Some want electronic version, some want the hardcopy,some want a pink bulldog to go with it. Whatever they want and in whatever format they want it

    - you increase the probability of someone reading it if you follow instructions.

    And I don't know if I should say this to you, but... well... be prepared for the famous "Rejection

    Slip". I was told by an engineer that the number of rejection slips will always be one less than thenumber of manuscripts you have mailed, since one of them will be the acceptance slip. Inmathematical terms the rejection slips will be n-1 if n is the number of manuscripts mailed. Well

    - he was wrong. I got more rejection slips than manuscripts mailed (one publisher sent me two ofthose pre-printed ones).

    See sample Rejection Slip below

    Dear

    Your writing has a refreshing style and the plotline was really

    gripping and fabulous.

    However... - this where it gets creative -

    a) we have just stopped publishing this genre/ category of

    novels/ poems

    b) we are understaffed and will not be able to pay attention to

    the manuscript for the next five years/ sixty months - whichever

    is later!

    c) you have just missed the submission deadline for the next

    five years.

    Yours sincerely (ifTHAT is sinecerely, I wonder what is not)

    Sunday, July 29, 2007

    Meeting the Dalai Lama

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    22/25

    Om Mani Padme Hum

    Nestled in the Dhauladhar Mountain is McLeodganj one of the most sought after destinations inHimachal Pradesh. The place known as Little Lhasa has a curious mixture of people. What starts

    off looking like a typical hill station until you begin to spot the Tibetan monks of all agesscurrying through the streets. Sometimes sipping tea and sometimes just walking down the

    narrow lanes.

    The Church of St John : In the Wilderness was built in 1852. It is a Neo-Gothic stone church

    is on the way to the main market square of Mcleodganj. There is a small graveyard by the

    church. The gravestones are neglected. The flowers that grow wild are all that the graves getthese days. The odd traveler comes from some remote pocket of the globe in search of the grave

    stone of an ancestor or in search of one's roots.

    People seem to go to Mcleodganj when they seek a high. The number of people seeking spiritual

    heights seemed to be larger than the those seeking salvation through grass. The shops thatsell beads and scarves are the largest in number. These are designed to cater to tourists. So

    bargain away if you are looking to buy the cool junk jewellery and beads, Tibetan PrayerWheels, Little charms and even Tibetan medicine. Here is the shopkeeper who sold me a CD of

    Buddhist Chants. I protested and told him that the CD cover clearly says 'Lounge Music from theBuddha Bar'. The guy shrugged his shoulders and asked if I would prefer music for meditation

    instead.

    "Where is the Temple of the Dalai Lama?" I ask some monks going by. They do not speak

    English or Hindi. But they understand the magic words "Dalai Lama". They refer to it asTsuglagkhang (The Temple of the Dalai Lama). The entrance to the temple looks surprisingly

    desolate. It is lunch time. I can smell food as I walk up the flight of stairs.

    I am mentally not prepared for the sight that greets me. There are literally hundreds of monks inthe maroonish-red clothing that I will always associate with McLeodganj. They all sit patiently

    in groups. How can I meet the Dalai Lama I ask everyone that I meet? "You have to be verylucky.", says one monk.

    I try and spin the series of prayer wheels in the courtyard. The large brass cylinders. Someone

    points me to an office building. "Take an appointment. Maybe His Holiness meet you Monday.",says the person at the counter. Come at 12 noon on Monday I am told.

    Every Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the Compassionate form of the Bodhisattva or Buddha.

    The present Dalai Lama is the 14th Dalai Lama. Born to a peasant family on 6th July 1935,

    Lhamo Dhondrub as he was called at birth was recognized as the reincarnation at age two. He

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    23/25

    has been in India since 1959 when he fled Tibet. The Dalai Lama has many names. Afterbecoming Dalai Lama, he was renamed Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin

    Gyatso - Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom.Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yeshe Norbu, the Wishfulfilling Gem or simply

    Kundun - The Presence.

    I spent the whole night charging the batteries of my camera so that I could take pictures of His

    Holiness. As I walked into the heavily guarded palace and passed through a series of friskingstations and metal detectors that would have done an airport proud, I was asked to hand over my

    camera. I was reassured that His Holiness had a photographer who would be happy to take apicture if HE asked him to.

    Finally the big moment happened. The Nobel Peace prize winner came up to shake hands. I

    knew no one would believe me if I said that I stood right next to him and that the Dalai Lama puta white silk scarf around my neck and wrote out a small prayer for me. So I have put the proof

    here for you to see.

    If anyone can read and tell me what the prayer is all about I would be much obliged.

    Saturday, July 07, 2007

    The Write Time for a Vacation

    Memories of Sojha

    The evening before I left apple country Thanedhar, I made a quick stop at the sole church at

    Thanedhar ie the St Mary's Church. The church was built in 1872. Loved the stained glass workin the church. That always looks really quaint.

    If the Beas River was a treat to watch on the way to Thanedhar, the Sutlej was even The

    road girdles along the banks of the river. It gave me a feeling of holding hands with the river asshe walked me home. I drove on to reach the sleepy village of Sojha and passed through miles

    and miles of fields ofBlue Iris. Did you know that the Blue Iris is like the cousin of Gladiolitwice removed. So if you see references to the Gladioli flower in my second novel Married But

    Available, you know which part of my vacation inspired it !!

    The Retreat where I stayed at Sojha smells of fresh cedar wood. We met Preetam Reddy and his

    wife Pallavi who were volunteering their time at Sojha. Preetam and Pallavi are bothprogrammers. Preetam most recently worked for iGate in Japan and was in Infosys for a while

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    24/25

  • 8/8/2019 Mba-mediocre Nut Arrogant

    25/25

    Himachal must be the "Fruit Bowl of India". Right through the journey I saw apples, pears andthe occasional cherry orchards. The place I stayed in was bang in the middle of an apple orchard.

    If I had known that I would saved myself the trouble of clicking every apple tree that saw alongthe way.

    A vacation really recharges the soul and this place was just the right place. I am not the

    trekking kind. I know I will offend those of you who go to a place like Thanedhar and get up at

    the crack of dawn (whats that?) and wear your sneakers and put on your backpacks. To you I say,thats just the right thing to do... but no thank you I won't join you. I will just sit on the balcony

    and sip the nth cup of tea (from the Kangra Valley) and stare at the beautiful sight ahead. Pleasenote the apple trees in the foreground and the mountain ranges in various shades of blue fading

    away into the horizon.

    I just parked myself on the balcony of my room and stared at the valley and pecked away onmy laptop. It was such a liberating feeling to not be bothered by phones and emails and to just

    stay with the characters of my novel... getting to know them better!

    And now for a collage of the beautiful flowers of Thanedhar including the Blue Iris.

    And if you thought this was pretty... then wait for the next post about Sojha, or is it Shoja? .