The Wait...

waitin..

waitin for the tide to turn, to enjoy the summer sun;

waitin for that perfect weekend evening, where hours pass with loud happy singing;

waitin for that rainy bike ride, where I let my spirits go wild;

waitin for the wheels to race, and groove to the tunes of craze;

waitin for the creative heart, and the celebrations to start!


waitin for my life, waitin to reclaim my life, as it was!

.

MBAs we are !

The world outside awaits…….

Freshly out of a top tier B School, raring to go, equipped with analytical tools and the latest power point templates, lot of strategic work to be done, best of the best is what is at test, competition, jargons, Kotler & forces of Porter and a fat paycheck job; that is a typical mindset of a passing out/aspiring MBA. Aint it?

But as much as an MBA is raring to go and prove himself, so is the corporate world waiting to embrace him and cloud him in the shadows of unexpectedness. Well, not quite as scary as it sounds; but for most of them, it’s a job that is completely against expectations or decorated & conveyed JDs or textbook models. Some days of waiting for work, other days of trying to get your work done through a bureaucratic lot which would make u understand government functioning even better. And alas! final profile given against your choices and against your liking after a training where you think this is the last of it. U sulk, u dislike, u think “Ah! Wish there was a dislike button on my boss’ forehead like facebook”. “Is this the job for me”, ”is this why I did my MBA?”, “Is this how all organizations work?” , “all others have got a better profile”, “am sure there is a better job elsewhere!”. While these thoughts keep pinging your head every other day, u gradually come to terms with ground realities and realize that the bed of roses has ended, and the path is sure to lead to pinnacle, but is rocky. However, It is paved with roses.

What I am trying to convey is that the life in high paying roles post B Schools is not as fancy as it sounds for most of them. It applies to eighty percent of the lot and it has multiple effects; wherein you either take a couple of years to figure out what you actually like or you get acquainted to the constraints and make your way through it. Either ways, glory is sure to touch your feet. It’s just about managing your personal expectations vis-à-vis professional demands, strike a balance somewhere and then taking the status quo forward to achieve what you would define as SUCCESS. And yes, suddenly success becomes a relative term. A simple thumb rule with management jobs is ‘higher the job risk and work pressure, fatter will be your wallet!’ It is the decision to strike that balance that charts out your path. U can walk on the rocks, or tread near the rosy pavement or choose to take other route; either ways you will make it big.

MBAs we are!! True, the world awaits; but, Caution!!

The Girl on Bike !! :)

wrooom... wrooom... there she goes...


a wink here, nd u are sure to fall,

a smile there, nd u are in love so sure;

are you followin her, u better not be near,

are you eyein her love, u got to be a level above;

an unruly mistake, nd she z on the brakes,

an upshift raise nd she z gone in a blaze;


wroom... wroom... nd there she goes...

..the girl on the bike ! :)
..

M There :)

listen to me...

forgive the silence..
who knows not the pain it can shower...

dont worry about the hooters...
they know not what all they offer...

forgive the worries..
they know not that u have the keys to happiness...

dont worry about failures..
coz they know not tat they r knocking the wrong door...

forgive the miseries...
they know not that you have someone to drive em off...

dont worry about something...
just coz u know not that u have me...

so just, listen to me... M there !!!

Kaash !

zindagi ki khushiyan manate hue,
zindagi ki khushiyan manate hue,

pyaar ka kalma hum padh chuke janab;


par woh pal bhi aaj, kya pal ho gaye,
par woh pal bhi aaj, kya pal ho gaye,

haste khelte zingadi jee lete hum kaash.

Bangalore or should i say Bengaluru... Take 5

take ur pick before u read the post whether u want to call it Bangalore or Bengaluru !!... i wouldnt want to call it either nd will tread the diplomatic line :)..

My third visit to this place.. the first one was when i was a child with my parents at my uncle z place, the second one when i was visiting some industries while i was finishing my engineering !... and both the memories of this place are distinct and distant !.. so cant really recollect much except IISC, Papdiwala Burgers, BHEL campus, MG Rd, Brigade Rd, etc..

this time around seems different... i have a training prog from Monday and i decided to come for the weekend to see two of my very close friends at MBA... It was after a long time that i caught up with them and needless to say the fun has just begun !...

Take 5 was the place where we went to hang out for Saturday Night and it did not disappoint at all !... awesome place, awesome ambiance, great drinks and great food (especially the cheese balls) and great crowd... couldnt have asked more for a reunion of sorts with old friends !...

the sad part about banglore pubs is that they close at 11.30 pm max... ! now dats strange considering that you ve hit this place after being at Mumbai :) !!..

hopefully an equally great sunday ahead tommorrow !... Cheers !...

Murugan Idli nd Besant Nagar Beach :) !

The scene : u sleep at 2 am , the previous night and wake up to a beautiful morning in Chennai (which is vry rare considering the weather here) and lazily go to the besant nagar beach which is stormy and cool in the morning !... nd u take a walk through the breeze nd return to eat hot steaming idlis at 'Murugan Idli' followed by a dosa with 5 different types of 'chutneys' nd sambhar placed on the banana leaf itself !!... And.. a hot cup of filter caffee :) (coffee i mean)...

This is the scene of one good thing that you can enjoy in this land before you hit the road to your office on the polluted, traffic laden, hot and humid air !!!...

So as far as mornings are concerned, my times are rocking... hopefully the evenings will start shaping better too !!.. cant say that about my work though !... :) .. more to be updated soon !...

on my way to Banglore for a 4 day business cum pleasure trip ...

Chennai : Vadakkam !!

'Vadakkam' - This is a greeting that I am going to use for the next few months that I stay in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu !!!

My second trip to Chennai and though apprehensive at the first go to leave Mumbai, I must admit it was quite a welcoming experience till now... Thanks to my college friend who already stays here...

The refurbished airport definitely bore a different look this time around and I wasnt able to relate it to my trip the last time I came here... This was topped by a major delay in the check-in luggage tray operations ... OOPS !.. Air India goofed up this time.. .. The journey was tiring and got delayed by about 30 minutes... The seat was bad and lacked some basic cushioning !... Needless to say that Air India lost some brownie points they gained the last time I traveled by an IC !

Straight to the prepaid taxi which was guided in Tamil by my friend to his place !.. Wonder how would I have managed if he was not there !... Times will tell :) ...

Some catching up and off to bed at 2 am to wake up to a beautiful day next... Murugan Idli !!! Ye Ye ... dats where we had our breakfast.. (Murugan Idli is not a type of Idli, it is the name of the shop here, and they have loads of branches all over... )i could not stop eating the lovely dosas there... and the filter kaffee :) ... went to the stormy sea beach and enjoyed the strong breeze over a walk... back home and off to the zonal office for some work !!.. .. Traffic and Tamil directions !.. superb combo !... one TamBrahm (Tamilian Brahmin) said put it very nicely and it sums it up all too ... "Chennai is a Metro only on Paper !! " ...

Just had lunch... tomato rice, curd rice, sambhar rice, and more rice... .. Rice Rice Rice !! ..
Keep rocking Chennai... some super places identified to visit... more to come on the blog as and when i visit them !!...

Heading towards HELL

This one came to me as I thought about the past, present and the future that is in store for me and you... ... my rural experiences, sights, meeting different people, nostalgia dives and also doing the activity called SALES ... makes me write this.... nd I call it 'Heading towards HELL!'

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Gone are the magic days of fun,

When the innocent tops had spun.

With parents , teachers and elders around;

the world never ever made a bad sound.

The heat , cold and the rain around

were always always cherished aloud.

With all the friends and no foes to say,

we paved our way to today’s day.

Gone are those days in the memory lane,

we live our life in a hall of fame.

But is this fame a real fair game ?

Killing and hurting ; others to blame.

Love is no longer a gift of life ;

It comes and departs at a petty price.

With all the foes and a few friends to say,

we pave our way to the HELL I say………

Punjab !!!!

assi finally ithe aa hi gaye !!... koi gal nahi... aa gaye toh roti shoti khaa ke jaayege....
instant love for this land of India.... PUNJAB !! ........
i loved their food, i loved their culture, i loved their language and i loved the beautiful fields all around !... it was harvest season and i could actually see the proverbial golden flowing fields ready for harvest shining in their glory helped by the Sun ...
Day 1,2,3,4 : Jalandhar @ Hotel Maya
4 days spent in a grand hotel and covering the lovely outskirts and rurals of Jalandhar ... awesome fields again, some mandis selling fresh produce, talabdevi temple were the highlights of this trip here... I learnt speaking quite a lot of punjabi from my driver and the people there... though needed some assist on understanding certain words and phrases...
A sunday well spent, catching up with an old college friend and talking about MBA days...
Monday morning, i depart for Ludhiana - another beautiful land of Punjab... for two days there !... The same warm welcome and an amazing bus ride with punjabi music playing full volume....
Day 6 : Patiala !! ... the rich farming belt of Punjab, and a great place to eat awesome food... i asked my driver to take me straight to the best sweet shop (which one of my friends had suggested as she z from Patiala)... and had yummy chole-bhature there.... nd packed some sweets to take back home....
Travels outskirts included certain farmlands and brick making units....
on my way back on the outskirts of Ludhiana, we went to the fort where certain parts of the movie 'Rang De Basanti' were shot. It was a delight to see a grand sunset from the fort.... A satisfying return and sleep were to follow...
Early morning Shatabdi to Delhi and then a flight which was delayed by 1 hour to Mumbai !!... that finished my awesome and memorable trip to Punjab..
chak de phatte !
Date of Travel: 21st to 28th Oct 2009

she z not there ...

and there she is...

i see her smile, and i smile back..

i see her walk, and i run upto her...

i see her cry, and i too let my eyes cry....

i see her lonely, and i cheer her up...

i see her happy, and i join the party...

but

i frown, and i know she is not there to make me smile...

i walk away, and i know i wont get a call to stop...

i cry, and i know nobody hears...

i am lonely, and i know i have nobody to talk to...

i am unhappy, and i know she wont be there...

and she is not there...

Expectations, Friendship, etc...

Post Removed... ! Needs Revisit though ! Someday...

The taste of achievement is definitely sweet ...

no big achievement to boast about... but a small one to take a note of to describe the state of mind that I currently am in.. :)

its been almost a month and a half of hard work, slogging it out in the Sun, some humiliating experiences and a determination & belief that something will surely happen that finally led to some important customer conversions for me... which was one of my targets at the sales stint am doing in rural India...

I was so happy when i got a call from the dealer that the customer I had been pursuing since a month now and last met on Saturday had finally bought a deal we offered... ..

and the last week had some more good news like this.... so all in all i believe now that persistence and constant efforts do bring in results...

and the feeling is unbeatable... am yet to celebrate it.. coz there is nobody to celebrate ! .. but in my own ways.. listening to some foot stomping music over my iPod and watching the India-SriLanka Final match as I type this post.. and India too seems to be winning away in style..

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Now playing : "lets have some ronak shonak.. lets have some party now.. lets have some rola rappa... lets have some dhol dhamaka, lets call some dholi now.. lets have some matti-tappa... " (Movie: Love Aaj Kal)

Pick a Car, nd the choices are...

a topic very close to my heart - CARS ! and it digs right into my heart when its about coupes and roadsters !!

it so happened that I had a talk with a very good friend of mine currently in the US of A.. and we discussed that we both were planning to buy cars...

i came out with my options of an SX4, Verna, Swift, Desire, in that order.... and we finally debated and settled for the SX4... :).. no debate actually, i had my option quite sorted out since long !...

he had his own list to consider... and the super list was : A BMW Z4 Roadster, Infinity G37, a chevy camaro, a ford mustang, Nissan 370Z roadster...

that is hell of a dream list to pick one from... we debated this one for sure and I suggested to go for a chevy camaro or a ford mustang.. 2010 versions.. .. he definitely wants a Z4 i guess since long...

it tells a lot about ur personality when u pick up from a list of cars like this... :).. and there is an association u make with a car... .. chck out the Transformers special edition ford mustang and you will know what I am talking about... These beauties make a statement, dont they ??

and i definitely want to do street racing in one of those monsters custom fitted with K&N filters and exhausts, alloys, attractive decals, sexy spoilers, hoods, tinted glasses, blue lights beneath the skirts, damped sounds and nitrous power !.. ready to hit that NOX button !! with hotties flaggin off the race and the 360 degree at the end when you win !... :)... i can feel the adrenaline and i can smell the burning tyres... whoooooopieee...

but what a drive its going to be in either of these mean machines... guess I will have to go to the USA and buy one there .. not possible here in India as of now :) :)

but what choices and what cars... i can get sleepless nights if i had to choose from one of these !...

hopefully a ride in his car when I first visit there would suffice for now ...

so , whats ur pick ? ??... spoilt for choices ? I bet !

My Pick : Chevy Camaro or Chevy Corvette

someday !

Manavadar, Visavadar : Traditions still live !

once again passing through the green patches of land and tree clad highways from Junagadh to a village about 70 kms from Junagadh...

Manavadar is a small village and we had to really pass through one of the smallest streets I have ever seen in my life .. a car could barely pass... The dealer we were supposed to meet asked us to have tea in a saucer.. me and my cousins always made fun of the saucers by pouring milk/tea in it and blowing air before drinking it.. it was for fun then... and later in corporate world a saucer was a formality... but here it was more of a compulsion and guess what.. the cup was not there at all... !! .. only a steel saucer... ! i somehow managed to drink it without dropping it... :) .. the warm greet of a customer we met and the small village confines were somehow very welcoming.. it reminded me of my ancestral village 'Rajpipla' which I used to go during summer holidays at school and the countless hours spent by the riverside throwing stones, taking a dip and walking back home to eat 'bajra rotlas' cooked on a 'chulha' and earthern pan alongwith ghee and jaggery !!... nights spent playing cards and sleeping on open terraces counting the stars till eyes gave up !.. Nostalgia surely returned...

then way back to Junagadh for lunch and then for the next destination that was a village called Visavadar.. we have a smalltime dealer here.. this guy is a typical villager, he welcomed us very warmly and ordered Thums-Up .. called his father and brother also to meet us... had proudly put up the merchandise given by my company in his shop..... I just could not stop being amazed by the simplicity of these people and the very humble nature... My driver had some stomach issues and was having a bad pain, the dealer's father took him to the local 'vaidh' who cured him with some herbs and a massage... i was amazed.. wish we had some village preparation instead of the cola... economy thrives in such places too !.. and this just added to the nostalgia i was already going through !!.. the way back was very pleasant and so were my thoughts...

Traditions still live, lets not loose them.. lets not forget our peaceful childhoods in the race to lay tarmac everywhere we can...

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Total ODO = 260 kms
Date of Travel : 10th Sep09

Kodinar : The Cement Land !

The name had some religious bearing on my mind due to presence of a KulDevi temple here.. ..

but the place is famous for Gujarat Ambuja Cements' flagship cement plant and mines thereof.

One of the largest cement plants in India and obviously the largest cement manufacturing group in India (not very sure on that..).. This plant was a delight to visit... The entire plant is completely out of textbook in terms of operations.. Very clean, trying to be green, organized, safety first priority, helmets compulsory, well laid out pathways for travels, awesome security....

and this was my second visits here ... corporate meets and institutional sales too up my sleeve for a brief period !... a good change from the rural sales that I am doing !... queues of huge trucks full of cement loads passing by our car, and others operating in the deep mines... no wonder they are a good destination for us to sell tyres !! :)

I also visited Ultratech Cements' facility at Rajula sometime back... Aditya Birla's flagship cement company !.. that was a site to cherish too...

a click from my cellphone to end the description !!

and I was on my way back to Junagadh via Veraval...

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Total ODO = 250kms
Date of Travel : 27th Aug and 9th Sep09

Una (minus) the hot water springs....

nothing much to write about this small town... except the fact that its situated v close to the therapeutical hot water springs... which obviously i did not visit ! :).....

for me its some work here and there and the proximity to Diu that makes it of strategic importance, nothing else really ! :) but needs a mention since it is a place i frequent now...

Veraval : The fishy land :)

One place i always wanted to visit as a kid because of its rare attraction (in Gujarat) - The Beach !!

Finally went to this coastal part of India.. It was a four hour journey in an ST Bus from Junagadh. The first thing I noticed on entering Veraval was coconuts. what else !!

This place was a major seaport for the pilgrims of Mecca till the route through Surat came to the scene. It boasts of a continuous coast line which is majorly uninterrupted and non-commercialized. Lot of virgin coasts to explore. The sea here is absolutely stormy and the entire coastline rocky. The entire area is on a high alert and venturing into the seas for leisure is prohibited. I have only seen such ferocious nature of the seas when I went to Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram down South.... but atleast the coastlines there are smooth nd not rocky....

Veraval houses the Indian Rayon Plant of Aditya Birla Group (now known as Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.)... and the main industry here is fishery. There are hundreds of fishing boats lined up at the jetty which can be seen as one enters the city... flags flying high like the ones in Pirates of Carribean.. most of them being the flags of India to avoid being identified as trespassers by border security of India or neighbours...

A special note must go to the fact that the local fishing boats or trawlers are still made by tradition using only a measure tape and not any other instruments ! Strange !!

now i was caught unawares in this small coastal city. I had to return Junagadh by the night but got a call and had to visit Kodinar the next day.. so here I was without an extra pair of clothes, laptop, etc. etc... So I bought everything from this place to make me go one more day !.. including a mobile charger for my rare phone ! :)... Koutons to the rescue and 80 % Sale on Garments is all I wanted... :)
and was all set to leave for Una and then to Diu for the night stay (;))..... one more strange experience on this travel.. the bus was stuffed with villagers and i landed up on a seat between a strange smelling fat guy and a typical village lady who was probably taller than me and looked stronger too !.. .. the lady asked me whether the bus would stop at some village.. i could only say that I am going to Una and the rest I dont know, its better to ask the bus conductor. She looked at me as if I was a dumb person parcelled into the bus against my wishes! .. the person infront of me started smoking a bidi... could it get better ! n he was a chain smoker.. .. I just decided to take out my iPod... and as ssoon as i did that.. ppl around me looked at me like I was some alien.. the fatso next to me couldnt take his eyes off.. for a moment I thought I was going to get robbed., but gave in to the status quo !... Did I have options ! ? NO !.. Finally reached Una with my cellphone all discharged.. used the STD booth and contacted the person with whom I was supposed to go to Diu.. finally in the cozy confines of the ever so familiar Indigo LS...

finally after a good round of starters , here i am in Diu, Four down :) at 2.00 am !! .. .. Cheers ! ..
Long day tommorrow ahead.. got to get up at 7.00 am... :(:(

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Total ODO = 280 kms
Date of Travel: 27th Aug

Mangrol : Skirting the coasts again !

finally.. after a long time.. skirting coastlines again... this time in Gujarat ! ... n a welcome change. From the concrete coastline of Mumbai to coconut clad soothing line of sight, Mangrol comes a long way in one of the most beautiful places i traveled recently ! a small town situated on the South West Gujarat coastline... Covered with a lot of coconut trees all across the way and a very soothing breeze blowing through my hair, i fell in love with the place almost instantly... the entire road was flanked by huge banyan trees... and provided a splendid view at many locations... this place is a major fishing point... and the fishermen here are famous for venturing into deep seas and getting caught by our neighbours for trespassing !

the market place was crowded, narrow and typical of any small town you can imagine.... where we had to meet some dealers ..

though my affair with the place was limited... it does leave a lasting impression on my mind... i have more towns to visit on this coastal belt of Gujarat in the coming days... and am looking forward to it... about it later as and when i visit 'em..

its been a long day today.. with Junagadh - Keshod - Mangrol - Veraval travelled..... now in a hotel on the highway... crashing into the bed was never better...

afterall it pays to get a sound sleep after a fulfilling and tiring day ! :)

Total ODO = 200kms

Junagadh, Girnar : Second Look - And m here to stay :)

well, i got posted at Junagadh from Rajkot... coz my company wanted me to taste more of rural sales !! get my hands dirty, speak dirty and get dirty :)

the same beautiful mountains (Girnar Range) greeted me, the same lush greenery around and the same old walls covered with algae...

on the second day, i just took a detour from the normal road on my sales associate's bike... he was surprised but didnt complain... i just asked him to drive towards the greens... and it started getting lovely...

i could not resist and took the bike from him and drove ... feeling the fresh wind and pure air... finally, i saw the old fort i had mentioned about earlier after which Junagadh is named... ('Juna' means Old and 'Gadh' means Fort )!! it stood at a distance in all its majesty having survived almost 16 sieges.. and as old as about 2300 years .. .. covered in algae and walls almost black-green...

we asked the local ppl around the way to the fort and reached the entrance. Surprizingly, bikes allowed inside fort ! for Rs. 5 ... and whattta ride...

entire junagadh could be visible from the top... cannons displayed... winding paths... covered with dark green plants and trees on both sides... bike ride couldnt get better.... A spot where we saw a peacock dancing !! and another from where the Girnar Peak could be seen.... There he stood in all its majesty covered in clouds neck deep.. seemed as if he was trying to bow down and try to have a peek at the residents and tourists below. !

it was time-up as the fort closes at 6.30pm, so i decided to come again, with my camera and in the company of early morning Sun ...

Also, visited the footsteps of Girnar mountain where people come in huge numbers to climb the 10,000 odd steps to reach the peak and worship there... Girnar is a collection of mountains here.. and the highest peak in Gujarat (about 3600 feet).

my stay in Junagadh is definitely going to keep me busy... and i hope to find a trekking expedition group too here ! ...

All r invited... All expenses paid... Sponsored by me ! :)... here z a look from the fort !



M here to stay !