Is Didi going to be a modern day David?

Does anyone remember what did David do after killing Goliath?  Or does anyone care? That is the problem with the giant-killers; once they have killed the giant, pretty much everything else they do is not as exciting as the kill and remains in the background as something of an anti-climax. Whether this becomes the fate of the recently crowned queen of West Bengal, remains to be seen.

Ms. Banerjee has been touted as the change that would push the stalled growth of the state in past few decades towards better days. Having been hailed as the much-awaited ‘green’ light after a lifetime of ‘red’ light, she is almost the last hope people of the state have. Naturally, the expectations are huge and people will be satisfied with nothing short of a complete turnaround of the state of affairs. 

Bengal badly needs progress. It reportedly has a crushing debt of some R 1.92 lakh crore. The state is hardly in a position to pay its employees, leave alone undertaking any life-reforming projects for the people of the state. How is Bengal to be revived? That is a million dollar question, one to which there is no direct answer. Ms. Banerjee and her government not only face a huge challenge in terms of how to revive the state but also how to begin the revival. The people have been so disillusioned with the outgoing government that it was more of an anti-Left stir that caused the government to topple rather than a ‘pro-Mamata’ wave. 

Having said that, I take nothing away from her mass appeal and the poetic promise behind her slogan “Maa, maati, maanush!” She is an iron woman and has reached where she has through sheer grit, without any political support to boast of. However, while this may make up a perfect story for a newspaper item or even a novel, it hardly lessens her responsibility towards the state she is now in command of. So now that the hoopla and celebrations around her path-breaking, landslide victory have come down to a normal level, she has a job to do. And she has to be hell clinical about that. The higher the hopes have been raised, the deeper can be the disappointment when these hopes are not swiftly realised.

She has surely started in the right direction, sometimes being clinical; at other times bordering on the lines of what some may call absolute eccentricity. But she has five years with her, to script her own success story and to be fair to her, her methods or the consequences should not be questioned at least at such an early state. May she indeed turn out to be the ‘green’ light of growth Bengal so needs and justify the colour she has chosen to represent her ideologies.

M.F.Husain, a man of many shades!

95 year old painting stalwart M.F. Husain passed away yesterday in a London hospital.  According to reports, Husain was being treated for fluids in his lungs. However, the exact cause of his death is yet to be known.

Husain was in a self-imposed exile since 2006 after some of his paintings of Hindu deities led to life threats and attacks. Husain eventually adopted the citizenship of Qatar. More than his paintings, he was a man of many shades, which unfortunately very few could see.

Husain was called the ‘Picasso of India’, for valid reasons. He started working in the late 1940s and throughout the years, his paintings were known for standing out, depicting the objectivity towards the subject matter. But more than that, Husain was also an enthusiastic film-maker with a penchant for poetry. His poetry, often lucid in its nature found many a fan following ever since Gajagamini days. He did not write much, a loss to all the poetry enthusiasts but his expression through his movies was always out of ordinary and made a mark.

Husain often found himself amidst controversies and it is sad that an Indian had to spend his last few days in a state like his. However, his contribution towards putting India on the global map through his paintings, towards the poetic cinema shall always be remembered by the purists and fans alike.

Rest in Peace, Husain saab!

The futility of certain things

            How many times have we thought about the futility of certain things? Like spending an entire day over an assignment or worrying over an incident that probably won’t bother you one year down the line. Is it really worth the time and effort we spend on it?

            I have nothing against the toiling community. In fact, I quite respect them, for they have an ability I probably do not have (or at least not the one I want to live by). However, with all due respect, I feel there are larger things to live for.

            When was the last time you actually sat under the sun, perfectly nonchalantly, doing absolutely nothing but lazing like a pig? When was the last time you took a shivering walk down that isolated road round the corner on a cold, winter night, the last time you sat and thought about all the good things and not worry about what lay ahead? Life is not just about planning ahead, or worrying about a few vital elements of your life. Live, primarily, is about living. Living each day as it comes, each moment. Do we not spoil the magic and essence of the present by worrying too much about the future? I agree it is unavoidable and probably prudent too but too much of seriousness kills the simplicity which is the charm of the thing called life.

            Fall in love, most importantly, with yourself. Find someone to talk to before you sleep every night. Find time to enjoy a cup of coffee over a cold December twilight. Read a book on a Sunday rather than being online. Switch off yourself from the world and enjoy a holiday every once in a while. Studies and career are very vital indeed but it is far more important to be at peace with oneself. What is the point of earning a million per year if you cannot sleep peacefully every night? It is far more important to be sincere than serious, to be innovative than perfect. Great things happen when you least expect them to.

            Life is beautiful because of all the simplistic yet charming aspects of it. Learn to enjoy the trivialities as much as the big things. It makes a big difference to the person we are, to the level of contentment in our lives. 

A Time for Revival

                  The monsoons are here, bringing in the rains and a time to indulge in some revelry. We shall go out on bikes with friends, get soaked in the rain, enjoy a hot cuppa of tea and snacks like’ kaanda bhajji’. A time for merry-making indeed! During this time, we love going to places like Khadakwasla to enjoy the rains. A few years back, we used to go to Pashan Lake as well. Today, that is hardly a case.
Pashan lake is a manmade lake, built by bunding a small rivulet. The rivulet originates from Bavdhan and flows via Pashan, Sutarwadi, Baner to Someshwarwadi before flowing into the main Mula river.  The lake served as a source of water to old Pashan village, for growing crops all the year round and to nearby Governor's house. The lake and its surrounding area used to attract many migratory birds and had been a popular spot for bird-watchers over the years.
In recent years, deforestation on nearby hills has caused heavy silt formation resulting in decrease in the depth of the lake.  Ipomoea weed is also cited as a major cause of lake's deterioration as it prohibits the growth of other plants. The washing of trucks in the area contributed further to the pollution, by adding oil and petrol to the sewage. The water quality deteriorated fast as the quantity of sewage water and other effluents mixing in the water kept rising. PMC worked towards improving the filtration plant but water quality remained poor. In 1998, Pune Municipal Corporation discontinued providing drinking water from the lake.
Owing to ever so increasing level of pollution, the number of migratory birds dropped from 32 to merely 3 over a period of just ten years. The lake also suffered owing to the ignorance and apathy of the citizens, who would see and lament the condition but would not do anything concrete for its resurrection. We, in fact, contributed our share towards polluting this lake, by dumping in our garbage. Sad indeed!
However, it isn’t too late yet. A couple of years back, the Pune Municipal Corporation has undertaken a project to revive the lake, in order to be able to supply drinking water from it again. Various organizations and volunteer groups have been carrying out awareness and eco-drives to encourage more and more people to come to its rescue. Dumping of garbage and cleaning of trucks has been banned. Some of us belong to the corporate world, some have the necessary influence and reach within the concerned authorities, some have the moolah whilst other have the zeal. Together, we need to combine all these resources, combine and synergize it into a single, functional force and revive this lake. Increase the awareness, be the one to take the initiative and do not just pass on the baton. Together, we can and we will make a difference.
                 Save Pashan Lake, Save Environment, Save Earth!

That unputdownable moment!

            How often do we manage to bring ourselves to applaud someone’s success whole-heartedly and sans any malice? How frequently do we come across people who appreciate others’ achievements without any envy? The odds are very low, if not negligible and when you do come across such a situation, believe me, you have reasons to celebrate.

            I believe someone who receives such adulation is a blessed person, for he is loved in the purest of all forms. Envy, I believe is the worst of all cardinal sins, for it reflects the shallow you and yet, I find myself privy to this emotion very frequently. Lamenting the lack of something which the other person has and wishing you would rather be the one who had it, comes very naturally and easily to most of us. It is not totally our fault but that of our endless insecurities and so we end up taking the easier of the two routes.

            It is easier to hate than love, easier to loathe than appreciate. You can count yourself lucky if you have that one person in your life whom you can wish all the delights sans any hidden agendas, whom you can love without any reasons, whom you can appreciate without needing a motivation and whose success and achievements would matter to you more than your own. The realization of this feeling, the dawning of this delight is the purest and the most ecstatic of all forms of happiness, as pure as a child’s laughter and as unadulterated as the first rain drops.

            A few days back, my dear friend, your success brought me this delight and allowed the lesser mortal in me to experience this unputdownable joy and be immortalized for that one moment of time. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and cheers to you!

Anguish of an ardent fan

Make no mistake, I am an ardent Mani Ratnam fan. And I am not even a critic. But the fact that one of the most intelligent film-makers made this movie, or shall I say, sheer torture, saddens me to no ends. For someone who has made Bombay, Roja, Mouna Raagam, Nayakan, Kannathil Muthamittal and numerous other cult movies, Raavan comes, perhaps as an indicator that Mr. Ratnam's directorial career is heading towards an unceremonius,fag end. How can someone who made Naayakan, give us Raavan? Raavan, is neither a love-hate story nor a movie depicting the reason why naxalites are what they are. Some may call it a delapitated version of modern Ramayana. I will call it as Mr. Ratnam's biggest mistake. I have a serious advice for him, please watch all the movies you had directed till now and then go about your next movie, for you shall know, better than any of your viewers, that your ardent and most loyal fans like me, did not deserve this.
I shall not delve into the storyline per say but there are a few aspects that everyone reading this should know. For those who have seen Rajnikant's hit Tamil movie 'Chandramukhi', Abhishek Bachhan seems to have watched countless re-runs of the dog scene of its hit song 'Ra Ra'..(the tamil version of Bhul Bhulaiya's Mere Dholna, nothing as exquisite as the Vidya Balan song)..his acting is not even a topic worth discussing and I don't believe myself when I write that Abhishek's acting isn't the worst part about this movie. There is no storyline. I had read somewhere ages back that Mr. Ratnam had shot four climax scenes for this movie because he was unable to decide which one to go with. Perhaps till the end, he did not know which storyline to go by. One minute you are shown a gross-looking Govinda as a caricature of Hanuman and the other minute you are made to believe that the naxalites are like that because of the atrocities of the police. This ever so topsy-turvy storyline(if you may call it that) is too much for someone who had expected another classic like Kannathil Muthamittal(albeit with subtitles) from this genius. Mani Sir, I still revere you, and come what may, I will still watch all your movies despite you holding on to the plastic-demon couple but giving us Raavan and expecting the same adulation as Naayakan and Roja fetched you, is like asking us to support Pakistan in an India-Pakistan cricket match. 
Perhaps the genius did realise that this venture shall not be well received and won't create the same magic as his previous blockbusters. For those who heard and saw it, recently there were rumours of Mrs. Plastic Bachhan and Mr. Stone Bachhan expecting their first kid. That might have been a ploy to create some much-needed publicity for this movie. Nevertheless, even if trade pundits go on to declare that Raavan is the biggest hit of all times, everyone who has watched this movie and everyone who is reading this and will still watch the movie, will know it within his heart, that it is difficult to choose the better movie out of the two, Kites and Raavan. 
I will not stop you from watching this movie but do watch that show which costs you the least. Perhaps then, you shall not face the anguish which I am facing right now.

Symbiotically, apathetically Sproutified!!!

This post is dedicated to all the students who fell a prey to the contaminated sprouts. May God never suject you to such an excruciating experience ever.

Disclaimer-All views in this post are based on real-life incidents, yet merely reflect the opinion of the writer. Any facts or figure presented in the write-up are open to debate and discussion and shall in no way be binding on the writer.


The unfortunate set of students must never have fathomed that eating healthy will lead them to probably the most horrible and excruciating experience of their lives. I am talking about the recent food poisoning (read: sprout poisoning) case in a very reputed educational institute and the mere reminder of it disgusts me to no end.

About 200 people who had sprouts that fateful tuesday for lunch would never have imagined what was in store for them. People started showing symptoms of acute food poisoning around midnight and were soon being whisked away to the nearest hospital. As the numbers grew and people began to be sent to six different hospitals, different theories crept about the cause of this pandemic which was soon identified to be sprouts. It did not require rocket science to determine that contaminated mess food was the culprit and soon media and police cordoned off the campus.

It was difficult to find out who was admitted where; such was the pandemonium at campus. I wish the campus administration had acted more promptly and had done something to restore the normality at campus. Baring a faculty or two, in my four and a half day stay at Aditya Birla, I saw nobody visiting the ailing patients from the management side. You add irresponsible, provocating and absolutely infuriating comments like “The students had partied outside and so they might have got infected due to eating contaminated food there” to that and it is enough to boil anyone’s blood. Five days have passed since that fateful lunch and yet no concrete action has come to the notice. The authorities continue to be apathetic. A day after people began to be hospitalized; students were served bread that was infected with fungus. The indifference of the management hardly surprises anymore for what is the cost of human lives in front of a million dollar contract. In a land where people sell their kin for a mere hundred rupees and where murder comes cheaper than a brand new pair of Levi’s jeans, this is hardly a thought provoking concept anymore.

So what do we do now? Surely, none of us still believe in the system, do we? I expect each one of you reading this to rise up to the occasion. It is time when we stop being mules and led by a stick, it is time to speak out and stop being indifferent to what is happening to us and to those around us. It is time to voice our concerns for ourselves, to get things done rather than sitting and expecting them to happen on their own. For those who have no clue how and what to do, just remember that together each one of us can make a lot of difference. You might not know what to contribute and how to but if and when somebody takes an initiative, be a part of it. It is not a question of the safety and well-being of a few students; it is a fight for everyone. Think over it and do what needs to be done for your well-being is solely your responsibility.

Dilemma of a 3 pointer

What I intend to talk about in this post might throw some of you out of your comfortable cushions so I would like to begin this post with a disclaimer.


“All characters in this post are neither fictional nor based on anyone’s figment of imagination. The author intends to harm nobody’s feelings, only intends to bring out a few relevant points to the notice of all and sundry. Any resemblance to the characters and plot in this post is an event that has taken place somewhere in the past and is not co-incidental.”

When our generation was younger, our parents faced tremendous societal pressure in terms of what their kids were going to do in their lives. If your son did not get through IIT entrance, the entire clan was looked down upon. If your daughter was not a medical student, she had wasted her life. Despite such a hostile environment, some lesser mortals like yours truly dared to dream different, carve out a different career path for themselves, not just because they were rebellious and against any set pattern in and around them but probably also because they were aware of their abilities and inabilities, their limitations and most significantly, their aspirations. Sometimes, even I cannot help but rue the destiny of millions of those who faced the brunt of such pressure day in, day out without so much of a whimper.

Nonetheless, treading the path destiny had in store for them, each one of us has reached to my favorite stage in the world, my college. God! Do I love my college or not, for where else will you find a more realistic, yet absolutely theatrical atmosphere than this, where else will you come across actors as veteran and as versatile as here and for where else will you face plots thicker than that of Sherlock Holmes’ novels and spicier than all the soap operas you might have watched in your lifetime. The stage is a connoisseur’s delight.

I have already cribbed about the CGPA system, and even when I am not at the receiving end, I cannot help noticing its flaws and the excruciating treatment it metes out to some of my fellow-men. If success were proportional to the amount of hard work you put in, earth would be heaven and people would be saints. Sadly, that is not the case and so many poor souls bear the brunt who are arguably much, more hard-working but just a tad unluckier. My heart goes out to them.

However, I do find the reactions of people quite amusing. Undoubtedly, if you do not get accolades for your efforts, you are bound to be disheartened but to limit your horizon to marks alone is probably the biggest injustice you can do to yourself. Marks in CGPA system are like Justin Timberlake’s famous song- ‘what goes around comes right back’. I know a score of people who are more talented than any I have ever come across and yet they do not get their due in terms of grades but people always hold such men in high regards. Even without getting philosophical, one can easily deduce that to be admired among your fellow-men is surely a coveted feeling if not enviable.

The education system is out there to ruin you. It will turn you into a poacher if you are not careful. Getting good grades is very important but is it worth losing your peace, your friends and your sleep over? A 2.9 is hardly that different from a 3.1 GPA. In the end, you might be a tad better off in terms of marks but you will lose out on a lot of good things in life, a bargain I do not consider worth even giving a thought to.

It is very important to have fun in your life, to go out with friends, to do things like getting drunk before a term paper and to watch out movies back to back before your exams. This is our time, if not now then when? Be sincere in life, not serious. You only get one life and what a waste it would be, if not lived fully!

Moral ReArmament Camp

Strange as it may sound, I dedicate this piece to the sun, the clouds, the trees, the hills and foremost to the sunshine in my life.


Moral Rearmament Camp. Sounds as far from me as a star would be from the earth. Honestly, given a choice, I would have never gone for such a camp. I am not much of a believer of switching off from the world in order to go on a journey of self-exploration. For me, self-actualization comes in any form, in any way, anytime you are ready for it. The minute I am making a deliberate attempt to shut down my brains from a particular thing, I can be assured that I shall not be successful in my endeavor. However, my college authorities never agreed with my intellectual insights and so I set for Panchgani on a cold, Saturday morning, thoroughly deprived off sleep and cribbing about it at length.

Panchgani is located at roughly four and a half thousand metres above the sea level in the rain shadow area of the Krishna valley. Without any exaggeration, the valley is amongst the most beautiful places I have ever set my eyes upon, second only to Patratu valley of Jharkhand. It is quiet, serene, laidback and despite being used to a much faster and hectic lifestyle, I could not but appreciate what it stood for.

The place is quiet, almost eerie in night. You will find just a few buildings in more than 60 acres of space in the Asia Plateau and big jungles elsewhere. Small pathways meander through different landscapes, some on plains while other over heights and all of them are enriched with various species of flora and fauna. When it comes down to it, it gets very dangerous and I still cannot forget the sight of that baby snake I spotted on the first afternoon of my four-day trip. The icing on the cake, however, is the sight of the table-land guarding the Asia Plateau. It is the second largest table-land in Asia and the sight up there is one to behold.

Coming back to the purpose of the trip, which by the way was not merely sight-seeing, we had various sessions on moral-building, teamwork, effective leadership etc. but there are two I specially want to mention, ones that actually touched my soul. The first one was a session taken by Mr. Deepak Mullick, a successful corporate by all means. His story, one where he overcame medical and moral obstacles of his life, is one that effortlessly inspires you. It is not possible to pen down every bit of his one hour long session but I would like to share a lyrical piece with you all that was written to Mr. Mullick by a Baramati farmer friend of his when he was almost down and out. It goes as follows:

Look beyond


Until you feel better


Be patient and wait


For patience is truly


A wonderful trait


For most of life’s battles


Are won beyond the field


Fight it out, don’t turn away


Problems are fickle, you will find a way


When the sun comes out


And the clouds float away

Simple, beautiful lines which say a lot even when they apparently say nothing at all. The second session was even better, one on human relationships. In our race towards the oasis of success and achievement, we forget that our life is enriched by the people who are a part of us and not by the amount of wealth we accumulate or the fan following we manage to acquire. Our relationships take a backseat giving a way to our ambitions. Sadly, by the time we realize where we went wrong, it is too late to go back. I am not going to be philosophical but in all sincerity, I would urge each one of you to get a hold of your personal life before it is too late. It is never too late to do the right thing.

I learnt a valuable lesson, one which I should have learnt ages back. For me, the USP of the camp was the session on human relationships and with it, the purpose of the camp was justified. I stood corrected at the end of the camp; it was not futile after all! I only wish I had realized it back then what I did after this camp.

Convocation..and the road ahead

“To those who are present and those who have been permitted to remain absent, I now confer upon you, this degree of Bachelor of Computer Applications.”


These words will remain in my memory etched permanently. It was my Convocation day yesterday, a day when I finally graduated, a day when I crossed a barrier but also one when I acquired new responsibilities. Graduation is merely a stopover because there are so many heights that still remain to be scaled. However, the euphoric feeling of being a graduate, of wearing the Italian gown and flinging the hat up in the air, of rising from your seat as your degree is conferred upon you; ah! It is unparallel!

Youth is no more about being rashly independent or devoid of responsibilities. Youth is about independence, youth is about innate power and potential. With independence comes responsibilities, towards one’s nation, towards one’s family and friends but most significantly, towards oneself. The greatest injustice you can do to yourself is probably to mar your capabilities and end up as an under-achiever. This, when it comes from one of the most lethargic, complacent and under-achievers you shall ever know, is to make you take a pause. Take that pause and think. Forget your country, parents, everything; for it is a moment just meant for self-analysis. There are so many scientists, warriors, sportsmen; who have achieved fame, wealth, adulation, everything. Am I asking you to tread the path they have had? No. These things may matter for some and hold no meaning for others. Your contentment and peace of mind matters most to you and rightly so. My question to you is, will you be at peace if you remain where you are? Youth needs to be impatient, for humanity respects that impatience. Youth has to crave for more, scale new heights, make their own goals and achieve them. Gone are the days when a mere 9 to 5 job and a lucrative salary meant end of your desires. These things still do matter but self-actualization has taken the front seat.

We live in an age, in an era where probably the most significant thing for us is ourselves. We love challenges, we love bets, we are audacious enough to hope and bet against the odds. That is what makes us different from our forefathers for we have the bottom-to-top approach, unlike our ancestors. We believe in shaping our lives first and trust me, that is the right way to go. Unless you have built the smallest unit right, the entire machine will never work properly. Unless your smallest pipe isn’t clog-free, water shall not flow out even from the largest of your canals. What I am hinting here is to make sure that we are hungry, we are passionate, we go all out to achieve goals for ourselves; for only after then can we do some service to our country. Our country is made up of us, we are its future. Let us put one piece on its place at a time.

As Dr. Shashi Tharoor said yesterday-“the impatience of youth needs to be respected, for there lies the key to the progress of a growing nation.” The thing is, we need to be impatient first. With these thoughts and the euphoria of having graduated, I now set upon, first to celebrate my graduation and then to higher destinations.

From the eyes of a beholder..

It was a warm Tuesday morning, like any other in that part of the city. The railway station being one of the busiest in the country, it was no surprise that at any given moment, thousands of travelers thronged in and out of the various platforms. A normal morning and an even more normal sight. Yet, for one particular passenger coming out of platform no.16, that morning was special, for how often do the people on streets welcome you before the first rays from the sun hit the streets? That passenger was me, coming out of Howrah station and I was in Calcutta, at long, last!


To be honest, I had gone to Calcutta with a set of prejudices, those being the exploding population and the smuttiness on the roads. However, one hour in the city and I was ready to look at it with an unbiased point of view, not because I fell head over heels in love with the city but courtesy a simple rationale. A city whose inhabitants have had the senses to maintain their heritage right from the Victorian era have to be given the credit due to them and this is precisely why it wasn’t a surprise to find out the little but important things about the city I eventually did.

Probably one of the best things about Calcutta is that the minute you step out of the railway station, the Howrah Bridge welcomes you. It feels like a homecoming of sorts, what with arguably the city’s most important construction greeting you. One may stand beneath it and admire it at bay. For someone like me with an intensive love for architectural marvels, this and the Victoria Memorial present a very pleasing sight for I can spend a lifetime there and you have to experience looking at the Ganges from atop the bridge to know what I am talking about.

Calcutta is any tourists’ delight. You have a variety of places to visit and you can pick and choose them depending on your tastes. You have Howrah Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu, Victoria Memorial, High Court, the Indian Museum, Queen’s Mansion etc. for the heritage buffs, Science city for the geeks, Belur Math, Dakshineshwar temple and Kalighat etc. for the spirituals and the Eden Gardens for the cricket lovers. I was lucky enough to be able to go in and it was more than a pilgrimage of sorts. Having said that, the real Calcutta doesn’t lie in places I have mentioned for you cannot know what the city has in store for you by merely visiting these places. The real Calcutta lies in places like Babughat or Gariahat for these have the spirit of joy we know Calcutta for. People may have little or more than what they need, yet you will find the sense of contentment in both the cases.

At best, I can define Calcutta as a city of paradoxes. There is a strange sense of calm even in the loudest of clutter. There is beauty on every nook and corner despite the filth on the streets. The life is slow but the buses are fast enough to scare the living delights out of you. There is variety even in the most mundane of activities. There is spice in the sweetest of things. You are alone in the most crowded of places and even when you are alone, you are in sync with what is around you. You sit with a thousand others inside Belur Math and yet you are alone with your God. You go with a select few to watch a movie at Menoka and yet the entire theatre watches it together, echoing the same comments, same sentiments. People maybe divided between Mamta Banerjee and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee but are united as one when inside the Eden Gardens.

Calcutta is an eclectic mix of present and past, good and bad, slow and fast. It becomes very difficult for me to talk about this city, to rate it or worse still, to echo what I feel for this city; for how do you explain something that is best understood when experienced, best felt when you are a part of it and best seen yourself and not through someone else’s eyes? Calcutta is an experience, a beauty to behold and a memory to treasure. It is ‘madlee bangaliii’ as they say and therefore it isn’t a wonder that it is the ‘city of joy’.

101 Things to do in Pune

                There are some things which you cannot explain. Love is one of those. No matter how much I crib, I love Pune to the core. This is a city that accepted me some three and a half years ago when I had no clue about my life (not that I have today either), a city where I found love, life and laughter (quite in that order too!), a place where I found friends for lifetime, joy in little things. Pune has been the crux of my life and aptly so. So when I’m given a chance, I can’t stop raving about Pune and as a tribute to this city, here I am with a list of 101 things you must do, when you stay here. Give Pune a chance. It made my life better, may the luck shine on you as well!


1) Find yourself friends like I did. Pune is no fun without your friends.

2) Take as many auto-rides as you can. You’ll crib about the rates, the attitude of the drivers but it’s worth every penny and more! It’s simply magical.

3) Sing Indian classical film songs loudly and hoarsely during the auto-rides, especially when passing by busy streets.

4) Play cards on Law College Road Barista.

5) Smoke at ‘the Wall’.

6) Sleep at 6 in the morning; wake up when you feel like.

7) Spend countless hours at a coffee shop of your choice (I recommend Barista), studying, spending time with your companions or doing nothing.

8) Watch the sun rise in Khadakwasla dam.

9) Watch Durga Pooja celebration at Congress Bhawan and Koregaon Park, lane no.7.

10) Pass by Prabhat Road after ten in night and smell the fragrance in the air.

11) Travel to places like Lonavla by train, walk miles from the station to drink a cup of tea from a particular tapri and back, and catch the next local back to Pune.

12) Trek up Singhgad Fort.

13) Shut yourself away from the world, stock up food/booze/fag and spend a day doing abstract things like reading Fyodor Doestovski’s White Nights from cover to cover or watching vernacular movies at length.

14) Walk down to places like High Spirits, Hard Rock Café, not drink and walk back.

15) Walk miles with friends, yet hire an auto for a 2 minute distance.

16) Go to crossword/landmark and spend an entire day reading.

17) Convert into a fabOHOLIC! (For those who didn’t get it, be a fab India patron).

18) Have Coffee Stop’s cold coffee at midnight (they close down by 11 30 now!).

19) Live in a space of your own, like a flat or a row-house.

20) Bike-ride on the Mumbai-Bangalore Expressway over a 100 km/hr.

21) Fight with the auto-drivers over the fare.

22) Watch every movie seated first row from the screen.

23) Travel to Mumbai by road.

24) Book a cab to Kashid, spend a leisurely day away from the world.

25) Cad B ice-cream at Kamla Nehru Park.

26) Walk on law college road at 4 in the morning.

27) Sit at om super market.

28) U have the toughest paper the next day,yet dnt study the entire nyt.

29) Spend lazy afternoons in kamla Nehru park.

30) Go mall hopping.

31) Watch people play cricket in law college cricket ground.

32) Take a train from pune to any place where you pass by the chambal ghati. It’s a journey worth every penny.

33) Go jogging early morning, in the busiest of streets like S.B. Road, law college road, bhandarkar n F.C. Rod.

34) Travel by the PMPML buses.

35) Force the auto guy to take wrong routes, get caught by the traffic police and pay the fine.

36) Stand in the long, seemingly unending and absolutely irritating queues outside the ATMs.

37) Go to far off places like Camp and Koregaon to eat the food of your choice.

38) Walk when there is an auto strike but don’t pay excess fare.

39) Visit the temples, the gurudwaras, the churches and the mosques.

40) Discover new routes to same destination.

41) Play in the Mulla river water.

42) Experience the fun of Water sports at Panshet.

43) Have the audacity to live the last week of month with last 100 Rs in pocket and no balance in the cell.

44) Stand up for yourself and the city during a disturbance like Feb,08 and the more recent swine flu.

45) Watch horror movies all night and get scary dreams.

46) Install a T.V. and the cable at home just to watch IPL.

47) Night outs!

48) Eat at Veer da Dhaba at midnight.

49) Walk a couple of miles at midnight to fetch coke from e-square and in order to eat anda-bhurji opposite jaayka in S.B. Road.

50) For a class of 8 30, reach at 9 30, get the attendance and rush back home to catch up on the sleep you had to forego.

51) Have the ‘Chaat’ at Canal Road and Manmeet.

52) Be a regular at places like Subway, Foodiez etc.etc.

53) Survive solely on junk food.

54) Never, ever make your own notes but be smart enough to get the best ones photocopied well in advance.

55) Stay in Pune for a festival or two. The city is at its best.

56) Enjoy the craze of Ganpati Festival.

57) Watch the moon from your balcony and while the entire night just like that.

58) Get wet in the Pune rains.

59) Join the best and the most expensive gym, only to end up watching TV all the time.

60) Go shopping at Tulsibaug.

61) Dream big, join IMS and CareerForum etc. only to never go there.

62) Surprise the people who mean the most to you and see the glimmer in their eyes.

63) Go to Pune station 2 have anda bhurji, chaai etc. at the oddest of hours.

64) Walk someone home.

65) Take odd trips alone!

66) Listen to the same song in loop at home when you are down.

67) Go to Essel World/Water Kingdom.

68) Trek up Hanuman Tekri.

69) Be an Airtel customer. It’s a lot cheaper to connect through this and comes in handy during the ‘recession’ week of the month.

70) Play chess at Barista.

71) Own a bike, car anything(preferably a bike).

72) If and when you have to buy books, buy from Appa Balwant Chauk. They have the cheapest rates.

73) Go to the most expensive of hospitals even when you have a trivial cough.

74) Eat road-side food, fall sick, crib, and vow never to eat there again, recover, only to eat there again.

75) Play street cricket.

76) If you drink, visit places like Apache.

77) Watch football matches at Toons.

78) Visit wonder funkey.

79) An evening at 3D destination.

80) If you are into clubbing, visit all the clubs on the nights when couple entry is free. Don’t worry about a partner, you will find many at the entrance looking for one.

81) Work or get an internship. Pune is a fab place to work.

82) Take frequent bike trips to places like Lonavla at 3 in the night(this one is specially for guys).

83) Experience random and abstract photography.

84) Navigate the city during Sant Gyaneshwar’s Paduka festival.

85) Sway to the beats of the Nashik Dhol.

86) Visit ABC Farms.

87) Sit on the footpaths and have a cup of tea/coffee. It’s a student’s prerogative here.

88) Specially wake up in the morning to have breakfast at places like Goodluck or in Karve Road.

89) Wander around the city. There’s so much to see.

90) If you are a history buff, visit places like Aga Khan Palace and Shanivarwaada.

91) Frequently visit DagruSheth Halwai Ganpati in Laxmi Road.

92) Go for evening walks in Range Hills.

93) Find out places/areas where you can get the cheapest and most durable stuff.

94) Discover the romantic in you. 

95) Learn to live without electricity. Pune faces acute power crunch at times.

96) Live near a hyper-market. Half the times you will remember to buy a thing only exactly when you need it.

97) Shop! Splurge! If not here, then where?

98) Learn to play pool.

99) Live everyday here to the fullest. You won’t get the same life elsewhere.

100) Discover the innate potential you have.

101) Find that perfect companion to do all this with! 

Mutual Benefits Agreement

A hallmark day! We finally finished with our internal evaluations. it was a time when ideally, I should have gone out partying but one when I actually sat down thinking. With no impending assignments, this was a day i had been eagerly waiting for because I needed a much-needed break from studying. This, coming from me is quite rich. So I sat in my room which overlooks the Sahyadri Mountains with Yesudas crooning to some of the sweetest of tunes and thought at bay.

My life has turned upside down over the past few months, least for good. This has been perhaps one of the toughest and most challenging periods of my life wherein I seem to have matured dramatically fast. I see more logic than before and even though this era has not been high in terms of contentment, it is so in terms of learning.

One of the most different things I have learnt over a couple of months is the concept of Mutual Benefits Agreement (read: MBA). Not that I was earlier totally unaware of it, but seeing it here and living right in the middle of it is altogether a different ball-game. It’s very complex in implementation and yet so very simplistic in its approach. Allow me to enlighten the ignorant lot, if any. According to this concept, two or people mutually agree to be in each other’s company because:

i. They have no other company because of whatever is the reason.

ii. They each see some benefit in being with each other. This could be platonic, romantic, academic or simply because they like being with each other.

iii. They need a climber (know what I mean?)

iv. They are comfortable with each other because somewhere their thought is at the same plane and their thinking matches.

It can be easily assumed that almost everyone adopts this concept, more so in a B-school. This might easily be prevalent elsewhere also but because I am in one, I can see and relate to it better. This is not friendship as some of you might want to argue, this is merely a way to survive the two year imprisonment each one of us has granted ourselves willingly.

You are very lucky if you find a true friend in a B-school. It happens to very few. Most of the people I live around go by the philosophy of selective interaction. They talk to each other if and only if they need a job done, an errand run or if they are in the same assignment/presentation group. They’ll have a plastic smile fixed on their face, almost as irritating as the stewardesses of Jet Airways. They’ll strategize and put any politician to shame, screw people left and right; without so much of even batting an eyelid. You have got to see the finesse. You have to admire the thinking, the devotion given to planning and the smooth, sleek execution of a perfectly crafted plan. What is perhaps the disturbing fact here is the fact that many innocent people fall a prey to this and do not come out of the Utopian world, till the very end. Anyways, I am no social worker, so all I can realistically do, is to empathize with their plight, for they know not, what doom actually beckons them.

There are two ways of surviving these two years. First and the simpler way is to be what people want you to be and the second one is to be what you actually are. Till date I fail to understand the aura, the magic behind acting as something or someone you actually are not. I mean, how difficult is to be your real self? Each one of us is born special, different from the rest and better than the best. Still people crave to be what they actually are not and I have not been able to find any rhyme to that. This is a decision each one takes for himself and I have no qualms about it. But I do wonder whether it actually is worth the efforts.

You have got to be smart enough to know and realize what is right and what is wrong, you have to have the courage of not running behind the mirage. You have to be bold enough to be what you are and face the world. And if you can’t then I fail to see the purpose behind your degree, your education. Yes, you might land up with a great job, a great salary but what about your peace of mind? It may sound downright philosophical and straight out of an Ayn Rand novel but it’s a question each one of us faces at some point of time. Is a pretentious life what you came here for? Are you made for running behind elusive and absolutely worthless baubles? Is this your quest, your ultimate goal?

It’s easy to fall a prey to circumstances and hurdles that come your way but as Rabindranath Tagore said, the mind should be led forward by ever-widening thought and action. It is difficult, not to trod along a path that has already been traversed by millions but if you cannot dare to be different, if you cannot stand up to your own beliefs, if you do not have a philosophy for you life, what a waste of a great life!

In the end, the decision is ours, to be what others want us to or to be what we are. Education is not supposed to ruin us. It is supposed to give us a clarity of thought and to enable us to determine what is wrong and what is right. At the end, you should be able to stand up for your own self, for your own beliefs, for your own principles. What is right for me, may not be right for you. Find out what is right for you. Education is an endless pursuit, an ongoing quest to know yourself and your horizons.

So, I end the day, sipping a coke with the select few people whose thought matches mine, instead of painting the town red. That’s because I have found that it’s right for me and I have a quest for life. And as I walk back towards my room, Tagore’s words come floating by again.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free ;( and not according to MBA)

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father,

Let my fellow-men awake.

Cheers!

Masters of Baniyagiri Administration

as i sit in my room while some of my colleagues are struggling with the recruiters from Goldman Sachs in a building just few steps away..i cannot help wonder that what is it that makes you join the rat race.MBA today is just not enough.you need to have a degree from a reputed college and in order to make your CV attractive,a good internship is a must.That is why when names like this visit the campus,its total pandemonium.People do not talk to another because each one is busy preparing for the interview secretly.the crowd in the mess thins down,so does the one that otherwise keeps loitering in and around the campus.people are locked in their rooms either strategizing or slogging and toiling(really???or mugging up formulae for the aptitude test?)it is a sight to behold,at best from an arm's length because the minute you are a part of this mud-slinging,nerve-wrecking rat race,you will,at some point or the other,curse your decision to join this.the amount of strategy that goes into each day,each minor 10-mark test can put any politician to shame,can give any john buchanan, any gary kirsten a run for his money.who says indians cannot be good coaches.please try the crowd here first.i'm sure the lot shall not disappoint you.

what is perhaps even more amusing to an extent of being disturbing is the CGPA system.we all have our own views for and against the system and i am strictly against the system.yes,the system does save us when we all(the entire class)fares badly in a subject. the drawback here is that it leaves ur future in the hand of others.so gone are the days when giving your best shot at something was considered the mantra for success.now your future is in my hand and vice versa.you cannot be good enough.you have to be as good as the next person and the next and the next.it leaves a large chunk of your fate on luck factor where you fare as well as your class of 40 permits you to be.the marks system in my opinion was much better where they tested you what percentage of the questions asked were known by you.the same pattern is followed here,only with an added spice of comparative scoring(read:CGPA). i have no clue when the educationists shall be able to come up with a full-proof system,if at all..but this one is not a very well-though solution.you get 90% marks only to be given a C-grade because of the CGPA system.does that necessarily mean you ARE a C-grade student??i shall leave the answer open to debate.

so while i sip a cup of coffee and rebuke myself at having scalded my tongue for the umpteenth time..n wait for a set of recruiters who think that 3-year graduation courses can yield personnel who are eligible for their company..i also leave you with a question.."where shall this rat race take our generation?"..n do not,for one second presume that i am not a part of it;for where else shall you get insights like these?

please vote,if you are eligible.that is one initiative which each one of you should take.

Cheers!

dis one is for yu!!

jaagte mein bhi soti hai

kuch aankhein aisi hoti hai

bemausam kaliyon ki maanoos

kisi lamha haule haule khilti hai

humne bhi ek roz dekhi thi

aisi gahri mashaal aankhein

duniya ki iis bheed me jaise

sangeen akele wo aankhein thi

yun to ab tak jitni guzri thi

bade hi khushfahmiyo me guzri thi

par wo aankhein

aye gahre sagar, aye uche aasmaan

yu laga ki meri ruuh me raasta bana jayengi

ek us saanjh ke saaye tale

baithe rahey hum der tak

dil se to ki baatein bahut

muh se kaha kuch bhi nahi

maanga khuda se raat din

tere siwa kuch bhi nahi

socha kabhi kuch bhi nahi

achha bura kuch bhi nahi

maanga khuda se raat din

tere siwa kuch bhi nahi

0.09 seconds v/s 2 hrs.!!!

we all are aware of the SRK fiasco..it is simply unbelievable..but wat is harder 2 fathom is the ruckus that has been created around dis incident..too much of mud-slinging...ppl who have no business with this jumping in uninvitedly and giving their expert but uncalled comments...it was an entire circus show...without any ticket of course...i m all for security and taking all the reqd.steps 2 ensure that..but finding n establishing SRK's identity took 2 hrs??i m sorry amigoes!!!u need 2 speed up ur system then...u have computers..u hav all the database...everything...it takes less than 0.1 seconds(0.09 to be precise) to find out on google(guess americans should know how to use google!!!its their baby after all!!) who SRK is and what does he look like...u hav already issued him a visa..he has a valid passport..still if u need a re-check..2 hrs???time is money,my friends..dis is american philosophy..nt mine..n u most certainly don't ask a person 2 step aside for questioning if u hav lost his luggage...u 'apologize'..u r courteous 2 him..n u make sure that u leave no stone unturned as far as hospitality is concerned..so dis "luggage-lost" theory is hard 2 believe...
y just SRK was asked 2 step aside..if u r doing dis for security..i m sure there were other passengers who were foreigners..n who wre NOT questioned...n if it was done cuz he is KHAN..well..i l refrain frm commenting..u can't typecast people..much less someone who is adored by 1/6th of the world's population..those who say even bob dylan was questioned..allow me 2 inform u that mr.dylan was nt carrying ny identity proof whereas SRK had a legal n valid passport with a visa stamped..issued by USA embassy of course..
another section of people say that even the-then defence minister george fernandes was frisked at moscow airport,our beloved ex-president dr.kalam was searched..then why such hue and cry abt SRK being questioned...my point is...ask SRK 2 pass thru all the detectors..frisk him..he is such a gentleman that he will never object...scan him..make him go thru all types of x-rays n y-rays...but 2 humiliate someone for 2 full hours who has every document required..is uncalled for..no matter who he is..whether SRK,dr.kalam or a common person like me..do u question every passenger for 2 hrs?if u dnt,then y single out him?
cuz SRk is a star..n cuz it happened 2 him..we hav got an opportunity 2 know abt the loopholes wid their system..if it wud hav hpnd 2 a common man..it wudnt hav cm 2 our notice..so i m glad it hpnd 2 him..at least nw ppl knw wat happens..hw ppl are segregated and targeted..n wat r d loopholes wid der system..guys stand up!!i dnt hear victoria beckham being questioned...i dnt hear jude law being questioned..y an indian then?do they question jackie chan?michelle yoh?n SRK is a common man after all..he felt humiliated..has a right 2 bring it 2 every1's notice..did dat exactly..if he is fortunate enuf..or has that aura that the media dances around even if he sneezes..then i m glad he brought dis 2 every1's notice..if a common man rises 2 a level..faces injustice n makes it a public knowledge..i dnt see where is d pblm afterall..make me understand if u feel otherwise..to tolerate injustice is a bigger crime..salman khan wnt object 2 it cuz..lets face it..half the time his passport will be confiscated n locked safely in the police department..on other occasions his shootings(however much he has nowadays) will be indoors...i wish we needed 2 have a visa if we were to travel 2 one state frm another..then i wud luv 2 see the no.of times he wud be detained in rajasthan for questioning(for the security of black-bucks of crse!!) n the level of tolerance he wud show..all for security,aren't u mr.salman khan?wat abt security of those poor animals whu dnt hav a voice??whu r helpless against ur mighty gun?wat abt those poor ppl whu sleep on the footpath n ur car just happens 2 take the footpath route n kill them?they dnt need 2 be secure?is safety of a human being no concern in ur otherwise very "MATURE" mind??mend ur own ways first..b4 taking a go at someone who is way better a human being than you..maybe u need 2 assault another girl friend of yours or threaten another colleague b4 u get some sense..dnt try plz..u might be held for questioning on SECURITY CONCERNS!!!
dis unfortunate incident happened 2 a common man..who happens 2 be well knwn..n luckily the media covers him well..dis man thot of bringing the loophole of a system 2 every1's notice..cuz he is noticed..result??hunting hounds pounce upon him..a whole lot of mud-slinging starts..n every tom,dick and harry throws in his expert comment..u forget the pblm..join in the mud-bath..n forget..that it could hav easily been you..if it were you,then i would simply ask-"HOW U DOIN'?"maybe then i would find u smiling,co-operating,n saying that its all ffor security n nt cuz u r being segregated n detained..find the answer within urselves..