just in case...

Just in case you are planning to get married... let me tell you...

• Your playlist will be named crap and you will have to listen to random senti mushy songs day in and day out.
• You will be asked to select between various options of Tata Sky which have Colors, Imagine, MTV etc etc amongst the only one possible option in name of chosing DTH for home.
• You will be asked a hundred times "breakfast me kya khaoge?" at a time when you are about to die of hunger.
• You will be tortured to taste half-cooked experimental new recipes (directly off the internet, or from call) in name of please check 'namak theek hai naa?'
• You will shop every weekend - for curtains, decorative items and a hundred other things whose only contribution to your life is a reduced bank balance and big credit card bill.
• You will be shouted at if you don't show interest in selection of Samsung's 21L microwave oven. Never mind if microwave oven is the last thing in this world you should have an expert comment on.
• You are bound to reply all calls, messages, tweets, blah blahs, no matter whatever time they arrive.

more to follow...

Updates

Bangalore rocks. It still does. And it does it big time.

I am in love with this city. Every time I come here, I spent some of the best moments of my life.
It's my friends circle here, that makes it the way it is.

3rd May is a very important day. Some of the most brilliant person on this world are born on this day. Here is wishing them a very Happy Birthday.

I am so happy that I don't have words to describe it. Just take it from me, that I am the happiest person in this world right now.

There are some incomplete tasks, some of them awaiting me in Chennai. So today is the day to get geared up for them. Looking forward to hit the road in full enthu now. :D

My First Weekend in Mumbai

Friday:
First local train journey of this summer
Movie Fast & Furious 4 in Andheri Cinemax

Saturday:
Lunch at Shiv Sagar on the Juhu Beach [Try south Indian stuff there, it's nice. Don't miss the Strawberry with Cream (no ice-cream, just cream). It's 'orgasmic' as one put it]
Haji Ali Dargah
Faluda or Fruits with Cream or Fruit Juice at Haji Ali Juice Center just outside the dargah
Mahalaxmi Temple
Heera Panna Mall [Just for a break. It's more like a Singapore/Burma market type]
Mahalaxmi Race Course - Saw a glimpse of Indian Derby practice session. There is public entry from Mahalaxmi station side if anyone is interested.
The Dark Knight in IMAX 3d Dome in Wadala [This place is now called as Big Cinemas, but IMAX is still the popular]. It's very far from normal Mumbai hassle so finding a cab for this place is little pain. Still the experience of watching a movie in 3d is simply amazing. So the pain is worth it.
Dinner at Mini Punjab in Bandra [Nice north Indian food, non-veg lovers will love this place. Veg food is not bad either]
IceCream at Hokey Pokey in Bandra

Sunday:
Churchgate [one of the four gates that were part of fort ages ago. Well known now for the station by the same name]
Flora Fountain [Situated at Hutatma Chowk, a beautiful piece of architecture. Gothic style, looks brilliant in night]
St. Thomas Cathedral [Beautiful marble work on the walls, do spend some time reading those tablets on the walls. They are nice and give a sneak view of Mumbai history]
Banker's street [I am not sure if the street is called by that name, but trust me if it is, Banker's street is right name for the street. Old historical buildings house the offices of some of the biggest banks in this country on this street. A nice view of old and new architecture, with lots of Parsi influence]
Horniman Circle Garden [A meeting place for many, it overlooks the banks Asiatic Society and other milestones in this area]
Asiatic Society [Majestic building. For all you movie buffs, this is the same library where Munna Bhai first meets Mahatma]
High Court, Mumbai University [Walk down the road and you can see the beautiful buildings that host some of the most important offices in this town]
Fashion Street [It doesn't need any introduction. Super cool stuff and even cooler price. Be prepared to bargain hard. From what I heard is that the trick is to start from 1/4th to 1/3rd of what is quoted]
Marine Drive [Shown in umpteen number of movies, this place is a must visit if you come to Mumbai. Evenings at Marine drive are simply superb. Walk down the road, or enjoy a nice cup of tea watching the waves, a nice champi maalish or just observe people enjoy their life - you can spend hours sitting here. There are some nice eating options around here.]
Natural IceCream [Nice flavours, try the seasonal specials. I heard the ice-cream with coconut flavour is the best. Alas, it was not available when we went]
Chowpatty [No introduction needed for this place]
Bachelor's IceCream [An ice cream cum snacks cum chat place, serving the foodies since 1940. It's opposite to Chowpatti, next to the walkover bridge. Try their Green Chilly IceCream. Most innovative ice-cream flavor I have tried so far in my life. Falooda is good too.]

ps: I guess I have listed out almost everything that I did over this weekend. It was a superb weekend. Met so many friends, spent nice time with old buddies. And ate like anything.
Looking forward to more such weekends. :D

Hokey Pokey

Predefined menu serving you 100s of option are the norm these days. You are served what the person on other side believed is the most popular choice. And this is exactly where ‘Experience’ goes for a toss. I remember reading about Starbucks in a number of case-studies in our first year classes. They strive on making the perfect cup of coffee for each individual. Teach those customers so that they know what exactly their taste is. I have never been to Starbucks but yesterday Hokey Pokey gave me a feeling that I imagine is very close to ‘the Starbucks experience’.

And it gave me a chance to be kid again. Enter the shop and you see kids of age 5 to 55. All lavishing ice-creams, which they themselves have designed. Yes, 'design' is the word. Mix and Match. And the best part of it is that you see your ice-cream getting prepared. It’s an art not a science – if I can define the way they were preparing the ice-cream combos.

Creativity is the soul of this place. From the design of on-the-wall menu to look and feel of store. Their website gives you a glimpse of the same. Great show guys.

What to try there? Go and try anything. For some of your lazy asses, there are some predefined combos too. Spend some time at the counter and see them making those combo and you will get a hint of what might come your way in your flavour.

They are present in 6 locations in Mumbai, check out their website for more info.

PritS’s Final Say: Highly Recommended. Just go for it.

Rajwadu - the royal treat

And I got lucky again. After the hectic schedule of last week, this week seems a chiller. Last few days of first years were turning out to be uneventful. Luckily today was a little different. We went to Rajwadu for lunch. Abhinav has been mentioning about this place for some time now. We made plans but could never actually go there. Today finally 6 of us (Me, Saafi, Fochu, Tichki, Hottiii & Bajao Singh) jumped into two autos and headed to treat ourselves to a royal lunch.

Rajwadu is a theme restaurant specialized in serving traditional Rajasthani and Gujarati food. We visited it for it's Daal Baati platter. Daal Baati in student mess is just the namesake of what is actually served in rest of the world. We really needed to train our taste buds back to the real taste of Daal Baati. And Rajwadu did that for us. Nice and soft Baatis served with spicy Daal & garlic chutney. Churme ka laddu to go with it. We ordered some starters to, just for trying some new dishes. Patra is essentially a saag kind of preparation (for uninitiated, it is like spring rolls) made out of Arabi leafs. There were some Muthias (something like cutlets) too made from Methi and Palak. And ofcourse, variety of sweets to end your meal. We ordered Mal Puva, and trust me all of us will vouch for it.

Try anything here but do ask what it is before ordering. Else you will end up having a Kadbuj (watermelon) juice with salt and masala added to it. :D

One warning - Daal Baati is heavy stuff on your stomach. The thaali is more than sufficient to fit one's appetite. So do not order lots of starters before the thaali. There is no fun in eating Daal Baati on half-filled stomach.

And the best part, this place is cheap. For 99 rs, the thaali is value for money. Add to it, the ambiance and service - the place is worth it. In evening the place is lit with Kandils and there are arrangments for puppet show and pottery wheel. Do go there when you want to treat yourself royally.

I recommend.

ps: Location and directions - link

Sunday -the 15th March

Masala dosa in the student mess
Tea at the kitlee in front of the college gate
Narial Paani in the fruit market
Grapes in the fruit market
White imlee near fruit market
Kesar kaaju lassi at Girish juice shop
Amchoor and sweet amla
Gatagat and other mouth freshners
Tea at The House of Mangaldas
Choco bar at Wadilal (the oldest shop, the starting of a brand called Wadilal)
Samosa Chat in student mess
Expresso coffee in Shambu's cafe
Cold coffee in Danny's coffee bar
Regular dinner with icecream

That was sunday -the 15th March for me. :)

100% Fresh Fruit Icecream

Tried it in Internation Kite Festival 2009. Amazing taste as well as the method of preparation.
I have their contact number, if anybody needs it, let me know.

ethics survey...

Calling all the loyal readers (and others) to help Nams by filling up this survey -
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p7hmTlQtfMV2igOhX9hU7dQ

Thanks in Advance...

Did we miss it???

Am not sure, but this has been making some news for last few days (or is it weeks). :)
Check out new logo for pepsi.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31870561@N07/

I guess this is official photos from Pepsi on flickr. Are we seeing a new trend in marketing???

Be Born Everyday

Chapter 1:
I had this particular exercise as a part of an application form. I really enjoyed doing it, thought will share it with you.
a. We see lots of "How to" books around today. People want to share their experience and make life easier for other. If you were to write your own "How to" book, what will be its title?
b. Readers generally buy a book after reading about its theme on the back cover. What would you say your book is about on the back cover of your book?

Chapter 2:
Have you seen the new advertisement for Titan? One with Aamir and the new punch line "Be Born Everyday" One of the shortest motivational speech you can ever get. Brilliant use of visual medium, backed with an even better script. And to top that Aamir. Just go for it...

It's the time

I guess the time has come. 24 hours from now, I will be rushing to Railway Station to load my belongings. 7:30 pm there will be a signal, and it is good bye Bangalore (in 2008). The "(in 2008)" part is there because I know I would want to come back to this place. The place that has helped me become what I am today.

RVCE, Riverstone, Lucent, Alcatel-Lucent, Juniper, Rotaract Club, Rangashankara, Forum, CCD, Pure n Natural, Samarkand, Mysore Road, Avenue Road, Chitrakala Parishad, Nandi Hills, Bungee, Palace Ground, DreamADream, Jaynagar, Ananya, Alliance, Airlines hotel, Prism Bookshop, Majestic, SP Road, 4th Block, 1st Block, IIMB, Brigade Road - memories are unlimited. I am going to cherish them all.

Moving On - it's very difficult thing. Especially when you know that you are leaving behind a really important part of life. But I guess there is no other way. Something you gotta do.

The-Hangar - my home and my family for last three years. Aditya, Chandu, Ravi, Nikhil, Joyesh, Saurabh, Arpit : guys, I know I have not always been there with you, but trust me, I know what I have missed coz of that. I owe a lot to you. You have helped me reach this stage. You simply rock. Needless to say, it's not yet over. We are a family. And We will remain one.

I am going to miss you all. You have been part of my life for so long and I will cherish each moment I spent with you.

Bbye Bangalore.

ps: I am leaving for home by Karnataka Express on 14th May. I want to make it a memorable night tonight. You all are welcome home, please drop by if you are free.

I will be away from internet for some time. You can contact me on 9986006563 in case of any need.

Fruitshop at Greams Road

This is the service I was talking about. I just love the passion with which the owners are running this place. I know the mail I got may be a auto-reply. But the fact that they have kept such a personalized message, makes me a big fan of this place.

Hi,

Thank you so much for your sun-shine mail ! We are delighted that you enjoyed your visit to our shop at Greams Road.Banglore has been on our mind over the last few years and God willing,we hope to have an outlet open there soon.

Thank you once again for your custom.We do hope you will continue to enjoy our juices as much as we love making them for you !

Warm regards,

Salim & Harris

On 4/27/08, Feedback - Pritesh <the_pritesh@yahoo.co.in> wrote:

Message from: Pritesh


Branch: Greams Road
Quality of Juices & Flavour: Excellent
Cleanliness: Excellent
Service: Excellent
Ambience: Excellent

Note: It was my first visit to Chennai and my host mentioned that the visit can not be complete without a visit at "Fruitshop at Greams Road." I said "Why not, lets go to the place where it all started." And we visited the main outlet on Greams Road. It was a fun-filled experience. I truelly enriching experience. Nice decor and amazing taste. Please keep the good work up. And please come to Bangalore soon.

I pledge for Shashank. Do you?

Here is a mail from Shashank. My personal request to go through it. If you are interested to pledge for him or want more info, feel free to contact him at given mail id. Or else you can always contact me at jain.pritesh@gmail.com

Heylo! J

I am back with my Marathon running! :)

Short personal update:

For those of you who are interested in knowing where I have been all this while as far as Marathon running and pledge raising is concerned, here is what has been happening:

Mumbai Marathon, Jan '07, where I participated in the Full Marathon (42.195 km) I got injured. Although, I completed it but I nearly gave up running after that. Recently after some medical help, I have been training for the upcoming Mumbai Marathon, Jan '08, in the Half Marathon Category ( 21.097 km).
The good news has been that it has been going on well! :)

What am I doing:

Off I go to Mumbai to participate in Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon ( http://scmm.indiatimes.com/) in Half Marathon category on 20^th January '08.

Why I am doing so:

Apart from my personal passion to run, I dedicate my run this time for Ananya children.

Ananya management needs funds for construction of hostels for children thereby attempting to reach out to more children in the society.

What you can do:

1) Just call/write/say to me that you support me! J

2) Pledge for me, i.e. donate money to Ananya!

3) Forward this note of mine to as many people as you can. Ask them to pledge for me.

Your pledges will not only reach to a really passionate NGO but will also encourage me in effort! J

How can you donate:

· Visit the page that I have created at the GIVE India Site.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/ShashankGupta

The website helps you out with how you can proceed.

· In case, you have any problems or don't wish to donate via website, write a mail to me at:

Shashank Gupta amitabh.bachchan.bigb@gmail.com

I will be eager to help you out!

After you donate:

You will get receipts from GIVE INDIA. Ananya can accept money in INR/UK Pounds/USD. So, feel free to contribute from wherever you are! J

Final word from me:

Sometimes my well wishers have felt apprehensive thinking that I may not appreciate a small amount pledge considering the fact that my target is in 6 digits. Please rest aside such inhibitions and support me with however you can! For me the spirit is more important!

Thanks a lot for your taking time to read this mail of mine. I will be back with more updates!

Best regards,
Shashank Gupta.

About Ananya: ( http://ananyatrust.blogspot.com/).

Ananya is an NGO working with underprivileged children providing them with food, shelter and education. Education in this school is 'non-formal'. They do not follow classroom, standard system and the education is customized based on the capacity of a child. Respecting the uniqueness of a kid is one of the core values Ananya has been practicing and preaching for close to 10 years now.

About Marathons:

Marathons are often seen as fund raising events for charities. A lot of people run in Marathons dedicating their run as 'Run for Cause'. They run to convey a message to the world about their passion and belief about some cause of their thereby generating awareness and seeking support.

Broken Mirror

Just came to know about this production from my friends.
Sharing the link to their website. I am looking forward to watching their work. Will update as soon as possible.

http://www.brokenmirror.co.in/

Go Shira and Sumojee... You rock...

Rangashankara Sept-07

Here is the schedule for Sept 07.
Interestingly not many English plays this month too.

Click on the image to enlarge and save.

I am a kid again

I always wondered why do we adults get attracted to animation movies like Ice-Age and Cars? Why we sit and watch "Tom And Jerry" cartoons, even though they are mostly repeat telecasts? Why Malgudi Days still makes a lot of sense to us and we can read it again and again?

There is a kid inside each one of us and it is this kid that makes us what we are.

Yesterday I found the child within me to unleash once more. "The Ungrateful Man" by BLT group which is showcasing over this week (and weekend) clearly brought the kind inside me out. I laughed and enjoyed each moment of it. It was a laugh riot throughout. For the first time I saw a play for kids and trust me they seem to enjoy like anything. And of course I had my share of fun too.

Brilliant acting and narration. The production is up to the mark. Just perfect.

This is one play I would recommend to each one of you. If you have kids at your home or whom you can take to this play, please go asap. They are going to enjoy it like anything.

Not to forget this play is staged in aid of DreamADream, an NGO working for kids from underprivileged backgrounds. All the more reason to watch this play.
The play is happening at Rangashankara, show timings: 7:30pm [sharp]
There are noon show also on weekend [3:30 pm]
More info can be found at this link.

The Ungrateful Man

This is a must watch play. JUST GO FOR IT.

Coverage for the same in Hindu

Rangashankara Aug Schedule

[Click on photo to enlarge]
Schedule for Aug-2007

What you did not see...

Remember "Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2007" ?
If you are well aware about the happenings in state, you would recall the proposed ban on woman working in night shift. This was one of the most important clause of this act. But then there is something more to it. By chance I got to read about it in Bangalore Mirror some days back. Here is what I could gather about it from google -

Chairman of Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Siddalingiah has said that the Government will initiate legal measures against all those shops and business establishments, including hospitals, cinemas and organisations and persons responsible for public and private hoardings, that have not displayed Kannada signboards prominently, within 45 days from the day the recently adopted Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2007 becomes an Act across the State. Dr. Siddalingaiah told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Government was forced to bring in amendments to the Act. The existing Act had authorised the KDA to book cases against those who failed to display the signboard in Kannada, through the Department of Labour. It had also recommended a maximum penalty of Rs. 250 by the court concerned. It was noticed that a majority of the "offenders" were only willing to pay the penalty. Either the Government or the KDA was not against displaying signboards in any scheduled language of the country. But they were keen on displaying name boards in Kannada prominently, he clarified.

The proposed Act enables the KDA to collect an on-the-spot minimum fine of Rs. 1,000 to a maximum of Rs. 3,000.

It has also given powers to the KDA and the Department of Labour to register cases against offenders. Under the proposed Act the court concerned could now impose a fine of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 and three to six months sentence in case of first-time offenders. Second-time offenders would attract a flat penalty of Rs. 20,000 and six months to one-year jail term.

The KDA would launch a signboard jatha all over the State after the proposed Act got notified in the gazette, Dr. Siddalingaiah explained.
Story from Hindu

History is repeating itself.

When I read this news, the first thing that came to my mind was my recent reading about the experiences of common man in the similar kind of movement in Maharashta [I dont recall which one but one of the books by Rohinton Mistry deals with it in detail]. If they can do it why cannot we? And now KDA getting the authority for booking the cases and handling, you can be rest assured that they are doing exactly the same as what ShivSena did in Mumbai.

Its time to welcome Bengaluru.

remember the titans

Thanks to Aditya, Remember the Titans has made such a long lasting mark in my memories that any moment of triumph over odds just reminds me of one thing - Remember the Titans.
I watched this movie n number of times in my hostel days, and still have its CD with me. For those days when "the goals seem farther than they actually are, when odds are against me and I am expected to play the game."

This Saturday was one such moment when I had the same experience. No no, I did not watch the movie as the life is going as smooth as silk. I watched a hockey match between DAD (Dream A Dream) team and FAPS (Frank Anthony Public School) for St Joseph's inter school hockey tournament. I happen to work with these kids from DaD for some time now but somehow could never see any of them in action with hockey sticks on a turf of KSHA stadium in Shanthinagar. This time as I heard of the match on Saturday, I made sure that I had my calender free for that time. I had to be there; to see it.

And I knew it was a time worth spent as soon as I reached there. All the kids welcomed me to their karmabhumi as if I was their most awaited guest. Somehow these kids always make you feel so special with their affection and love. This was the payback time for me. I had to cheer them for their important game against the team of giants [FAPS had many 5ft height players].

All the strategies made, warm up rounds done and then words of wisdom from Shashank. I am sure he must have said only one thing "You have to play with your heart as usual. We are going to win easily." So here comes the titans.
One hand is the team of DaD, with kids from Ananya and all the partner NGOs. They have learnt Hockey under guidance of Mr. Shanmugha for last few years. They travel at 5am in public bus from their school ~15km from city to reach the hockey stadium for practice three days a week. They have learnt to control their aggression and have started utilizing it in positive ways. They have learnt to trust the guy standing next coz they know its the only thing we all can do.
And they have learnt to be a team. A team that plays together.

Against them was the team from FAPS. From first look it seemed a touch opponent with a tough mantle. Coach looked fierce and team super enthu about their low profile opponents. It is so easy to get misguided by the outer appearance of a person or team. And here it looked more so obvious. They would have never thought that the match will turn out to be a nightmarish experience for them.

Two 30m halfs with a 5m break between. 11 players against 11 players. And hopes and dreams of many more.
First few minutes, FAPS tried to attack. And DAD replied befittingly. But sooner it was turning into a one sided affair. While FAPS used long and fast shot strategy, DAD continued with their pass and short shots game. The coordination between players made all the difference between the two teams. The giants of FAPS tried hard with their flashy fast shots with a swinging arm. But every time they ended up giving the ball to one of the opponent player. DaD players on the other hand did their best to send the ball to forward line players, who in turn showed better of dribbling skills and coordination to take a shot at goal.
First half, luck deluded DaD but it was not long wait for them in second half. Within a few minutes the score reached from 0-0 t0 3-0 with two of the goals scored by the DaD captain Arun. The score does not say much about the efforts though. Consider this fact: while FAPS had more than 6 substitutions in first half [more than 15 overall], DAD has their first sub entering the field in second half only. DAD had around 10 shots at goal while FAPS could manage to do so only 2 in the whole match.

Overall a triumph. Win or lose is not the ultimate truth, its the game which is important. And surely DAD played the game well. Its the team which played there on turf and not the 11 different people. Considering that all of these kids have seen so many difficulties in life, this win just seem a befitting reply from them to life.
They kicked it right in the face with a smile on their face.

Here comes to blue...