Chaos continues

I am amidst the biggest Chaos of all time. Sonu Nigam (don't know how he spells his name at this moment) rocked the show last night. At least that is what people say. While he was at it, I was peacefully sleeping in my room. :) :( Lucky Ali ka ek gana mujhe aaj yaad aa raha hai.. 'jab sara jag ye sota nahi.. neend hame kyun aati hai?' Or was it the other way? Well who cares. I was sleeping and that is the truth. I was tired like a dog. And my sleep is the dearest thing to me in such situation.

Earlier in the day also I had a wonderful sleep of few minutes. Really comforting and refreshing. The workshop with RJ Devaki was wonderful experience. Though I regret that the turnout was not great. Her enthusiasm and passion was really remarkable.There is something in her personality that made me her fan today.And I am pretty sure that it is not her beauty that did this magic.

This year, my Chaos has been very limited and I am really missing the fun I had last time. All the four days, my camera and me had seen and captured each and every moment of the fest. This time my camera is silent. However the excitement of getting things in place is something different altogether. Workshops have been a mix of an experience so far. I have had my learnings from this experience. Will share them sometime. For now, it's time to go to mess to have breakfast (which in all probability my only meal of the day) and then set the stage rolling for Tango workshop. I had hoped to attend this workshop with her. Alas, she is not here and thus I give it a skip too. :(

Chaos in my life

Hold your breath...
Chaos is here...

Tonight Nomadic Band NOW with artists from Rajasthan, Haryana and Egypt kicks off the 4 day long cultural fest. Pt. Vishva Mohan Bhatt's performance will be the attraction of this Classical Night. Lot more exciting things lined up for next 3 days. Keep watching this space for more update (that is if you are not coming to Chaos). If you happen to see this post and arrive at Chaos, do give me a buzz/sms.

Ishqiya is just around the corner and that is one movie I would love to watch first day first show. Tab tak I will keep listening to 'dil to bacha hai jee'...

Watched 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' finally. Lovely movie. I would want to read more about it, hoping to get time for that soon.

Time to go now. See you at Chaos...

Social Media and Me

This blog gets an average of 25 page visits a day. For a quite long time, Technorati refused to rank this blog in its list. The comment count on this blog is even more low currently standing somewhere close to 1.12 comments per post. This blog is not the only crib I have. My facebook status update is no bigger success either. How much ever wannabe title/status I put, it just fails to attract any comments. Forget comments, people don't even bother to click on the 'like' button. I don't blame it on lethargy. They are just too quality conscience now a days. I am sure if there was a 'dislike' button, things would have been quite different.

I really need help from some social media expert. :D

Dance workshops @ Chaos 2010

Why you should be coming to Chaos 2010?
Here are reason number 2 and 3:

Salsa Workshop
The most popular among the Latin ballroom dances and a rage that keeps growing in India: Salsa. Let loose your inhibitions and set up a date for the one thing you’ve been planning to do for a while: master the basics of Salsa at the workshop on Sunday, 30^th January. Tease your flexibility with the “123..5678” routine and more. Spice up your dancing skills!

Date: 30th Jan. Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Tango Workshop
Fascinated by those sweeping movements that you saw in “Chicago”? Confused by the words “caminada”, “arrastre” and “enrosque”? Dying to learn but don’t know where? Or just love to dance and are up for trying anything new? Rush to the “Tango” workshop at Chaos 2010. Saturday, 10 am.  A two hour workshop where you get to learn the basics so that you can show off at the next party!

Date: 31st Jan. Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Man in the Mirror

It's that time of the year when you want to be in IIMA. Why? Here is one reason:

Chaos 2010 presents -
Man in the Mirror 
A Performing Art Workshop by RJ Devaki
 
A 4 hour intensive and entertaining workshop designed to discover the performer within you. Get set for a series of techniques, games and exercises that will sculpt you into a better performer. The workshop is open to everyone and it is a must for those who want to be an actor, RJ, model, singer or a public speaker.

Date: 30 Jan. Time: (2 pm - 6 pm)

To book your seats or for more information
Contact:
Pritesh Jain - 9726646191 (8priteshj@iimahd.ernet.in)

EuroTrip memories...

Finally I got time to some work. To preserve my memories.
Here is a glimpse:

Why I want to become Sarkar

I have had one full dose of Sarkar duology (if there is any such word) and one third of Godfather trilogy in last couple of days. Best of the two worlds - I must say. I have been a big fan of RGV and really liked some of his earlier work and still look forward to see him come back to form. Sarkar, to me, is his best work. It inspired me to become Sarkar (in a similar way Godfather by Mario Puzo inspired me to become Godfather). It's a world filled with power and responsibilities. Spiderman had a superb line in this context - with great power comes great responsibilities.

Here is some of the reasons why I love the movie Sarkar.
1. Sarkar has just one lesson - power is not given, it's taken and it stays with you as long as you use it to join others and not break.

2. It does not lack emotions. In fact there are all the emotions - faith, trust, love, lust, anguish, guilt, pride. However, the characters are very much in control of their emotions. To an extent it is an ideal world. Shankar kills his brother, goes to father and tells him that 'meine bhaiya ko mar diya hai'. But nobody reacts as you would have expected them too. Take a different example and this is my favorite - scene where Rasheed dies. There is no guilt, no fear in his eyes. He keeps looking in Shankar's eyes and then vanishes.

 3. Rasheed's character somehow has been a very not-so-bollywood type for me. He is a respectable villain unlike most others (in fact most other villains in even Sarkar are very mediocre). From his entry to his death - he comes out as a strong character who knows what he is really upto.

4. Love is an inseparable element of bollywood cinema. But this movie has been able to not let notions of love distract the main storyline. I am not a fan of Katrina's acting but I can tell you she did a marvelous job in whatever small role she was given in this movie. Tanisha on the other hand is done a remarkable role. Rukhsar as Amrita has done a superb job too. Their role are so well woven in the story and characters given so much emphasis that I really feel they are part of the soul of the movie.

5. The camera moves very slowly and is very much focused on faces. Their expressions actually talk. I really loved seeing Amitabh's expressions throughout the movie. He is just out of the world.

6. I don't recall seeing such a good camera work in any other movie. Lighting is peculiar and shadows have been given a good screen presence. To add to that silence rules and gives so much scope to actually think about what the characters might be thinking.

And last but not the least... 
7. There is chai all over. Sarkar loves chai, so does Chote Sarkar. And now even the lady Sarkar too. I just love it.

ps: Time for chai. :)
raambhai me aa raha hoon....

MC2 Class presentations

Here is a list of topics that were taken up in my class for a 4 minute presentation in the course called Managerial Communication.

1. Working for the Pharma Industry
2. Cross Cultural Communication
3. The Indian Yes
4. Brands
5. Business Ethics
6. Haiti
7. Value Investing
8. Alcohol Prohibition in India
9. Citi Recruitment
10. My Favorite Basketball Players
11. Art of Movie Making
12. DHMO (dual hydrogen mono-oxide aka h2o)
13. Live India Traveling
14. My Favorite Movies
15. Viral Marketing
16. Pee Dee Cee (Phoenix Dating Club)
17. Game of Ultimate Frisbee
18. Recruitment Presentation by Al Queda
19. Dreams
20. 4 Most abused words in IIMA lingo
21. Why to go on Student Exchange
22. Birthday Celebrations in WIMWI
23. Global Warming
24. Media Stereotyping
25. Spaghetti Monster
26. Most Difficult Job in the World
27. MC2 - learnings
28. Swearing in Modern Communication
29. Arrange Marriage as placement process
30. 6 Important tips for success in an organization
    

And this is just the list from my class. An equally interesting list from the other section too. We at IIMA can be creative and funny too. Ossum work everyone. :D

A free soul

There is a comforting silence in my mind now. There are no cross-talks, no long conversation with self, no extreme emotions. It's one of those feelings that says you are going to have a day filled with no worries. A free soul. "Our problem is that most of our efforts go into getting a normal life," one gyani told me last night. I totally agree. Some days I feel that I just want to live a day as normal as it can be. Give me some sunshine give me some air... Maslow's baaki sab level to bhad me gaye.

I don't recall any dream from last night. I might not have seen or may be they were too insignificant. Yesterday was a hectic day filled with loads of worries. In one night - things changed automatically. I do not even know what made it this way. Oops! I just missed discovering the magic potion, I guess.

It's a lovely morning. A littly chilly yet with warmth of a lukewarm morning sun. I wish I had time to go and fly some kites. It's Uttarayan. Not that I have done that all my life. Just that some days you want to do somethings. For no reason.

I am listening to "Dil to baccha hai jee" from Ishqiya right now. Fits the mood well I guess. :D

Hoping for a great day ahead.
Amen !!

ps: Google for coke studio and watch it. It's just out of the world. Superb music delivered in the most beautiful way. Youtube it or here is the link to official website.

1 TB of Memories

I am all set to take away 1TB of IIMA memories with me. Movies, music, photos, videos and lots more. I don't even know if I will ever get time to browse them, but I am carrying them nonetheless. It's a feel good experience. I am feeling assured that I have at least saved some of those unforgettable moments for future.

Calvin has stolen my brain again. I guess it is better to be like this than wasting my tiny little brain analyzing those hundreds of random thoughts that make a living in mind of jobless guy.

I am still not done with sorting EuroTrip photos. I guess this is the toughest part of having a camera. Sorting and labeling photos takes literally a lifetime. Every time I promise myself to be a little considerate before clicking a photo, but it just does not work. Imagine, I have got more than 400 photos from Diu trip. The photos from Shwetank's camera are not yet counted here. It took me more than 2 hours to choose some of the best shots and put titles on them. You can check out the album here.

In Bruges is a beautiful movie, probably as beautiful as the town of Bruges itself. No wonder it ranks high in my "Best Places for Honeymoon" list. We should have spent more time in Bruges, it really has a lot to offer than what we had seen.

ps: Suggestions/recommendation are welcome for movies/songs/artists etc that I should collect from the network here in IIMA.

Let the CHAOS begin

Dil to baccha hai jee

Simply superb. It proves what magic can good lyrics do to a song. This song is so much hummable despite the poetic feel. Hats off the team behind it.

ps: Even other songs from the movie including the remixes are very good. Do give them a shot.

Winter Chill

Winter has set in. Unlike the European winter, this one is little more friendly and lively. I am happy that I came back from Europe well before the extreme winter. I wouldn't have enjoyed it that much. For me the formula is a little chill in air and lot of warmth inside. I am pretty much getting best of both here in Ahmedabad now. It;s been long time since I have spent some quality time with my loved ones. I guess this could have been that ideal time for that. Damn, I just cannot do something for it now.

Classes are on full swing. With 4 classes per day schedule, it is difficult to imagine any free time for yourself. However, the magic of this last term in my course is that I still get a lot of free time. What do I do with it is a big question. I am pretty sure about one thing that I am enjoying my classes better than ever. May be it has to do something with the realization that these are my last few chances to 'learn' in such an environment. I have had dreams of my first year classes after coming to second year and while in Paris. I missed them a lot. Each one of them was a memorable moment (I wish I could preserve them somehow) and I know I am living some more such moments today.

On personal front, I am undergoing a major transformation. I have to take some of the most critical decisions of my life now and I certainly need to recollect all my senses for that. It's a time of self-reflection too as pretty soon I will be asked to answer questions like "What’s my purpose of life?" In short, it is time for placement and I need to buckle up quickly. I have not yet felt the urgency. I hope I get that feeling soon.

I have cut down on blogging, I don't know why. May be the pace of life is not giving me a lot of time to think. I hope to do overcome this now. Time to make some rules for myself. That should help gaining more control. See you soon.

Jahapanah... Tussi Great Ho...

By now a hundred thousand blog/articles would have been written in praise of the movie 3 idiots. A couple hundreds would also have taken the pain to find minor glitches to criticize the movie. It is my turn to take a shot at this movie. I am too late I know. But still. Der aaye par durust aaye.

3 idiots is a must watch for all the parents in this country like Baghban is for every son. I won't call it a must watch for every student though. It's a mix of dejavu and dreams. All of us would not have gone to a college of the stature of the one shown in the movie, still we would have seen at least some part of our student life in that movie. And if not that, we would atleast would have dreamt by now to have a life like that. Dil Chahta Hai was also a story of friendship and love. But its story started only after the friends had left the college. It redefined certain notions of friendship though. Rang De Basanti was a closer match in that sense. Here friendship and college life were mixed in a better proportion and the movie also dealt with some issues beyond the college life. I really can not forget the scene where DJ tells Su about his fear of leaving the college ... college ke gate ke iss paar ham duniya ko nachate hai... tim lak lak... te tim lak lak... It could not have been said better.

While 3 idiots touched lots of issues from the surface level, it did get across certain strong messages. Why I recommend to every parents is the message that is so nicely conveyed in the movie. Karo vahi jo dil chahe... In Lakshya, Rhithik takes this lesson in the start of movie - kaam jo bhi karo dil laga ke karo... chahe vo ghas katna hi kyun na ho... 3 idiots picked up where Lakshya had left it.

There are lots of issues that were just touched at trivial levels still I won't let this be a reason to undermine this movie. It's a great entertainer and one should really go and watch it with whole family.

ps: Had started writing this post on 30th dec. Finally completed it. My god... I wonder what I am doing these days. :D