Babel is a saga with a single incident connecting different individuals in different parts of the world. Its like bringing to life the characters of a good storybook. The movie is intense; bundled with moments of pain, anxiety, fear, desire and happiness. There is an amazing sense of ‘connect’ between the chain of events throughout. I liked the way events are mapped to their respective timezones.
Just to give you a feel of what is this timezone stuff am talking of, the landscapes include the Moroccan desert, the Mexican – American border and the buzzing streets of Tokyo.
The background score is too good; you will love the base guitar snippets.
Brad Pitt has proved his merit again. Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal and
Koji Yakusho have all acted wonderfully.
I never give away the story in my reviews as I feel it spoils all the fun, will follow suit here too :) But believe me, ‘Babel’ will keep you engrossed from start to finish!!
My rating: * * * *
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kabul Express - take a ride!
Decided to watch this despite many friends telling me that this film isn’t worth a silver screen ticket. Well, I liked ‘Kabul Express’. It is a short and straight movie without the usual running around trees stuff and conveys a subtle sensation of the life of an abandoned soldier in a god-forsaken, war-plundered place. In a way, it depicts the softer side of the harshly branded ‘talib’.
John, Arshad, Linda Arsenio (Jessica – a US war reporter), Hanif Hum Ghum ( Khyber – an Afghan) and Salman Shahid (Imran Khan Afridi – an abandoned Pak Talib) have done their bit to make the movie interesting. I personally liked Salman Shahid….wonder where was this chap all these years?
The background score is neat and the dialogues are good. However, the landscapes tend to repeat and the scenes seem to be amiss now and then, but still its worth taking a ride on the Kabul Express!
My rating: * * *
John, Arshad, Linda Arsenio (Jessica – a US war reporter), Hanif Hum Ghum ( Khyber – an Afghan) and Salman Shahid (Imran Khan Afridi – an abandoned Pak Talib) have done their bit to make the movie interesting. I personally liked Salman Shahid….wonder where was this chap all these years?
The background score is neat and the dialogues are good. However, the landscapes tend to repeat and the scenes seem to be amiss now and then, but still its worth taking a ride on the Kabul Express!
My rating: * * *
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Bhagam Bhag – a quick review
If you want to beat the blues, laugh your lungs out and still bite your nails, then Bhagam Bhag is a film etched for you. For the first time, I watched a Hindi movie that’s got a good story churning out rib tickling comedy amidst high drama with some twists and turns (Munnabhai ofcourse had a story line too).
It was fun to see good old ‘Chi Chi’ aka Govinda do what he is best at (although, I didn’t see a high pitched role for him). Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal have mastered the act of making people laugh over the years ever since ‘Hera Pheri’. Lara Dutta, Asrani, Rajpal, Jackie Shroff, Shakthi Kapoor and others too add sweeteners to the already sweet ‘laughter cake’!
My rating: * * * *
It was fun to see good old ‘Chi Chi’ aka Govinda do what he is best at (although, I didn’t see a high pitched role for him). Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal have mastered the act of making people laugh over the years ever since ‘Hera Pheri’. Lara Dutta, Asrani, Rajpal, Jackie Shroff, Shakthi Kapoor and others too add sweeteners to the already sweet ‘laughter cake’!
My rating: * * * *
Friday, December 22, 2006
Who says there's no night-life in Bangalore?
Just back from a short trip to Bangalore :) Met some of my close friends and relatives. Went out with friends on Wednesday night.'13th Floor' in Barton Center kept us ‘high’ upto the Zero hour. Then, we walked all along MG Road and Brigade Road in the middle of the cold winter night. It was good fun – we found some ‘chai’ and ‘chaat’ stalls on the pavements. There were quite a few motorists standing by; smoking and chatting. Brigade road too had some couples roaming. After the long walk, we were very hungry. But where could we find a place to eat at 1.30 am in Bangalore? - We went to the KSRTC Bus Station and had lemon rice (chitranna) at some fast-food restaurant! We were still hungry and could not find anything good to eat at that place. So we hit the Railway Station. We had some roti+mixed veg+dal makhani at a restaurant called 'ComeSun' there. By the time we were done, it was 3 am! Then I dropped my friends and reached home around 3.45 am. Never have I loafed around Bangalore so late in the night. It was a good experience, but no way close to Mumbai’s night buzz. However, now I (and you)know how to manage a bit of night-life even in Bangalore :)
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Some cool pix
The black and beautiful Cannon:)
Elephanta Caves and the Taj!
Vinaya and I had been on a trip to Elephanta Caves on Thursday, the 14th of Dec. We took one of those fast trains from Andheri to Churchgate and then a taxi to Gateway of India. From there, we had to take a ferry to Elephanta Caves. The ferry journey was really good. I met a friendly retired German sailor on board who told me a lot of things about tankers, containers, their tonnage, power, etc. In about an hour, we reached the Elephanta Caves. These caves look like they are man-made and have some great carvings, but almost every second carving has been plundered.
We still had about 2 hours left before the return journey. So we decided to trek up the Cannon Hill. We never knew what we would find up there, but we wanted to explore.
In about 15minutes, we could see a wall with holes in between….yes, you are right – these holes were of the size of the mouth of a cannon. We quickly went up and found that from the other side of this wall, we could directly see the foothills of the Elephanta Caves. In just about 100 metres from this wall, we found a black beauty; yuppie –an old cannon! It really felt good that the decision to trek the unknown route showed us something fantastic. The cannon was locked onto a metal shaft and routed to the ground below. There were steps next to this cannon that went underground. We went down and found two rooms, one of which had some old rusty machinery. It looked like these rooms were used to store ammunition. There was a passage that led straight out to the far end outside – something like an underground escape route! All this was beautifully camouflaged by land and grass. The experience was like flipping through an adventure novel!
Later, on ferrying back to Gateway of India, we were very hungry. So we decided to dine at the Taj! We freshened up and decided to go for the buffet. The food was excellent – we tried out almost everything that looked new and inviting. We just enjoyed every bite, every gulp, every slurp! I really am not sure if I can call it an 8-course meal as I lost count of the number of desserts I had. The ambience was also classy!
All in All, a fabulous weekend!
We still had about 2 hours left before the return journey. So we decided to trek up the Cannon Hill. We never knew what we would find up there, but we wanted to explore.
In about 15minutes, we could see a wall with holes in between….yes, you are right – these holes were of the size of the mouth of a cannon. We quickly went up and found that from the other side of this wall, we could directly see the foothills of the Elephanta Caves. In just about 100 metres from this wall, we found a black beauty; yuppie –an old cannon! It really felt good that the decision to trek the unknown route showed us something fantastic. The cannon was locked onto a metal shaft and routed to the ground below. There were steps next to this cannon that went underground. We went down and found two rooms, one of which had some old rusty machinery. It looked like these rooms were used to store ammunition. There was a passage that led straight out to the far end outside – something like an underground escape route! All this was beautifully camouflaged by land and grass. The experience was like flipping through an adventure novel!
Later, on ferrying back to Gateway of India, we were very hungry. So we decided to dine at the Taj! We freshened up and decided to go for the buffet. The food was excellent – we tried out almost everything that looked new and inviting. We just enjoyed every bite, every gulp, every slurp! I really am not sure if I can call it an 8-course meal as I lost count of the number of desserts I had. The ambience was also classy!
All in All, a fabulous weekend!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Celebrations Galore
After the stunning placements here; Vinaya, Vatsa and I feasted at the JW Marriott – We were in Marriott between 00.30 am and 3.30 am on Friday, the 8th of Dec. JWM is a place where you can find all the rich and famous people of Mumbai. It really felt good to see ‘namma bengaluru boy’ Nikhil Chinappa in about 2 metres distance :). The food was great and the ambience – just world-class!
The next morning, the PGDM class of 2007 felicitated everybody who helped us in our placements. Vatsa, Vinaya and I went to the Gold Class show of Baabul (a social film with a strong and meaningful message) at Cinemax, Infiniti Mall. The best part was that we watched the movie on a full and comfy recliner – all for just Rs 150/- Later in the night, some 8 of us went to Shirdi and came back on Sunday night. We had a good darshan of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba.
The weather is great here and some of us are planning to go on a short trip to the Elephanta Caves tomorrow (Thursday – our weekend)
Hey, the classes of the last term before internship have also started in full swing from Monday, so we are not done yet!
The next morning, the PGDM class of 2007 felicitated everybody who helped us in our placements. Vatsa, Vinaya and I went to the Gold Class show of Baabul (a social film with a strong and meaningful message) at Cinemax, Infiniti Mall. The best part was that we watched the movie on a full and comfy recliner – all for just Rs 150/- Later in the night, some 8 of us went to Shirdi and came back on Sunday night. We had a good darshan of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba.
The weather is great here and some of us are planning to go on a short trip to the Elephanta Caves tomorrow (Thursday – our weekend)
Hey, the classes of the last term before internship have also started in full swing from Monday, so we are not done yet!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ways and Means to FUN around SPJIMR
Spread over 40 acres, our institute is located in Andheri (W) which happens to be one of the most happening suburbs in Mumbai. There are quite a few places to hang-out around the college.
Shopping: You can go shopping for daily stuff @ Apna Bazaar, you can shop till you drop @ Lokhandwala or Infiniti Mall (2.5km) or InOrbit Mall (the biggest mall in Mumbai - 8km),
Food and Party: You can have healthy South-Indian food @ Navaratna or Sri Krishna Bhavan, you can try some great Mexican and Lebanese food @ Bombay Blues (Shoppers Stop building – 2.5km), you can throw a party @ JW Marriott (4km) , you can hit the dance floor @ Club Escape (2.5km),
Movie: You can catch a movie @ Cinemax (Infiniti), Fame Adlabs or Fun Republic (all 1.5km)
Sports: You can indulge in sports like Badminton, Tennis, Squash, TT, Swimming, etc @ Andheri Sports Complex (stone’s throw from Boys Hostel), you can go bowling @ Fun Republic (1.5km)
Nature: You can laze around on the Juhu beach (4km), you can even trek up the 65million year old Gilbert Hill (1km).
Transport: Autos ply all over Andheri. The local station is just about 1.5km and the airport is around 8km.
If you are a connoisseur of food, you should check out these: Sasuraal, Poush, Yoko, SreeJees, Chawlas, Mc Donalds’, Rajdhani, Moti Mahal, Radhakrishna, Balle Balle, Some Place Else, Patio, Woodlands, Utsav, Tian…..can remember only these many at the moment :) Let me know incase you need directions for any of these restaurants.
Forgive my spelling errors if any in this post :)
Shopping: You can go shopping for daily stuff @ Apna Bazaar, you can shop till you drop @ Lokhandwala or Infiniti Mall (2.5km) or InOrbit Mall (the biggest mall in Mumbai - 8km),
Food and Party: You can have healthy South-Indian food @ Navaratna or Sri Krishna Bhavan, you can try some great Mexican and Lebanese food @ Bombay Blues (Shoppers Stop building – 2.5km), you can throw a party @ JW Marriott (4km) , you can hit the dance floor @ Club Escape (2.5km),
Movie: You can catch a movie @ Cinemax (Infiniti), Fame Adlabs or Fun Republic (all 1.5km)
Sports: You can indulge in sports like Badminton, Tennis, Squash, TT, Swimming, etc @ Andheri Sports Complex (stone’s throw from Boys Hostel), you can go bowling @ Fun Republic (1.5km)
Nature: You can laze around on the Juhu beach (4km), you can even trek up the 65million year old Gilbert Hill (1km).
Transport: Autos ply all over Andheri. The local station is just about 1.5km and the airport is around 8km.
If you are a connoisseur of food, you should check out these: Sasuraal, Poush, Yoko, SreeJees, Chawlas, Mc Donalds’, Rajdhani, Moti Mahal, Radhakrishna, Balle Balle, Some Place Else, Patio, Woodlands, Utsav, Tian…..can remember only these many at the moment :) Let me know incase you need directions for any of these restaurants.
Forgive my spelling errors if any in this post :)
Friday, December 08, 2006
SPJIMR - 1 Year PGDM ROCKS--OFFERS DELUGE BABY:))
PLACEMENTS – PGDM CLASS OF 2007
(One Year Full Time MBA)
December 9th, 2006
The one year PGDM program of the SP Jain Institute of Management & Research scripted a fantastic success story with placements touching dizzying heights for the Class of 2007. The placement for the participants was conducted from 6th – 8th Dec 2006 and has been a resounding success with 33 companies giving a total of 151 offers to 57 participants.
The highlight of the placements was the first offer of the first day being the highest salary offer of Rs 24.35 Lakhs. The booming and the fast growing economy saw an unprecedented number of companies vying to recruit the experienced professionals of the one year program.
The Class of 2007 has 58 students, of which 57 participated in the Placements Process. 55 companies showed initial interest in participating in the placement process and finally 41 companies participated in the placement process with 33 companies making a total of 151 offers. The average salary offered to the participants was INR 11.35 Lakhs. A significant number of the participants saw phenomenal rise in their salaries from their previous professional portfolios. The average increase in salaries for the participants was 70%, which translates into an average salary increase of Rs 5.15 Lakhs, a little less than the program fee of Rs 5.53 Lakhs. The four women participants of the program also saw a roaring success with more than 15 confirmed offers to choose from.
Several of the blue chip companies like Infosys, Satyam, Reliance Retail, Mphasis, ICICI and Covansys offered more than 10 offers each to the participants. Some of the conglomerates participating in the placement process were IBM, McKinsey KC, SAP, Cognizant Technologies, L & T and TCS.
The participant with the highest salary offer and more than a decade of experience in the process industry had this to say, “After having worked in the industry for so many years, I had a feeling that my career was progressing at a slower pace than I would have liked to and this drove me to join SPJIMR. My one year at the institute has been one of intense academic rigour and I am specially impressed by the innovative program architecture and the structured approach of SPJIMR to the One Year PGDM program. I am especially enthralled by the fact that my decision to join SPJIMR over other foreign B Schools has been proved so correct. I am excited about the forthcoming challenge and the responsibility and looking forward to use my learning.”
The participant with the highest quantum jump in salary package of 342% over the last package, says, “Working for a leading industrial house in the field of Manufacturing was a pleasant experience, but I strongly felt the need for a Business Management education for an accelerated growth of my professional track. Today I am thrilled & excited to have received an offer from one of the leading global consultancy firms, where I would be able to leverage my previous experience and contribute effectively on a global platform.”
Professor Sunil Rai, Chairperson of the PGDM program, had this to say, “A number of participants had chosen to join SPJIMR’s PGDM program looking for value addition at a critical juncture of their professional careers. The PGDM program architecture was designed on the SPJIMR ethos of value based and dynamically innovative pedagogy. This is the only one year program in the country to offer specialisations in Information Management and Operations & Manufacturing. This makes the SPJIMR PGDM program a sought after program to help professionals to explore advancements and career shifts successfully. Some of the dramatic career shifts made by participants of the program include: A lady participant from the Merchant Navy joining one of the retail giant”.
The lady participant from the Merchant Navy, Sonika Joshi, the first woman Officer Cadet from India, had this to say, “I feel that this dramatic career shift from the Merchant Navy to high growing Retail Business area would not had been possible without the extremely valuable inputs and training I received at SP Jain. I feel that my people and project management skills from my professional experience and the business knowledge from SPJIMR will propel me to great heights.”
Prof. Abbasali Gabula, Chairperson, External Relations and Placements said, “SPJIMR plans to drive the one year program to a greater milieu of professionals by adding diverse but relevant courses as elective from Jan 2008. The institute strongly feels that the huge growth of economy and the rapid industrialisation will need an unprecedented number of managers empowered with the learning of a management education and endeavours to meet a significant number of these requirements of the industry.”
The PGDM program at SPJIMR has received the appreciation of the industry and has lived up to its promise of providing the corporate with highly experienced and focused mid-level managers with modern outlook.
(One Year Full Time MBA)
December 9th, 2006
The one year PGDM program of the SP Jain Institute of Management & Research scripted a fantastic success story with placements touching dizzying heights for the Class of 2007. The placement for the participants was conducted from 6th – 8th Dec 2006 and has been a resounding success with 33 companies giving a total of 151 offers to 57 participants.
The highlight of the placements was the first offer of the first day being the highest salary offer of Rs 24.35 Lakhs. The booming and the fast growing economy saw an unprecedented number of companies vying to recruit the experienced professionals of the one year program.
The Class of 2007 has 58 students, of which 57 participated in the Placements Process. 55 companies showed initial interest in participating in the placement process and finally 41 companies participated in the placement process with 33 companies making a total of 151 offers. The average salary offered to the participants was INR 11.35 Lakhs. A significant number of the participants saw phenomenal rise in their salaries from their previous professional portfolios. The average increase in salaries for the participants was 70%, which translates into an average salary increase of Rs 5.15 Lakhs, a little less than the program fee of Rs 5.53 Lakhs. The four women participants of the program also saw a roaring success with more than 15 confirmed offers to choose from.
Several of the blue chip companies like Infosys, Satyam, Reliance Retail, Mphasis, ICICI and Covansys offered more than 10 offers each to the participants. Some of the conglomerates participating in the placement process were IBM, McKinsey KC, SAP, Cognizant Technologies, L & T and TCS.
The participant with the highest salary offer and more than a decade of experience in the process industry had this to say, “After having worked in the industry for so many years, I had a feeling that my career was progressing at a slower pace than I would have liked to and this drove me to join SPJIMR. My one year at the institute has been one of intense academic rigour and I am specially impressed by the innovative program architecture and the structured approach of SPJIMR to the One Year PGDM program. I am especially enthralled by the fact that my decision to join SPJIMR over other foreign B Schools has been proved so correct. I am excited about the forthcoming challenge and the responsibility and looking forward to use my learning.”
The participant with the highest quantum jump in salary package of 342% over the last package, says, “Working for a leading industrial house in the field of Manufacturing was a pleasant experience, but I strongly felt the need for a Business Management education for an accelerated growth of my professional track. Today I am thrilled & excited to have received an offer from one of the leading global consultancy firms, where I would be able to leverage my previous experience and contribute effectively on a global platform.”
Professor Sunil Rai, Chairperson of the PGDM program, had this to say, “A number of participants had chosen to join SPJIMR’s PGDM program looking for value addition at a critical juncture of their professional careers. The PGDM program architecture was designed on the SPJIMR ethos of value based and dynamically innovative pedagogy. This is the only one year program in the country to offer specialisations in Information Management and Operations & Manufacturing. This makes the SPJIMR PGDM program a sought after program to help professionals to explore advancements and career shifts successfully. Some of the dramatic career shifts made by participants of the program include: A lady participant from the Merchant Navy joining one of the retail giant”.
The lady participant from the Merchant Navy, Sonika Joshi, the first woman Officer Cadet from India, had this to say, “I feel that this dramatic career shift from the Merchant Navy to high growing Retail Business area would not had been possible without the extremely valuable inputs and training I received at SP Jain. I feel that my people and project management skills from my professional experience and the business knowledge from SPJIMR will propel me to great heights.”
Prof. Abbasali Gabula, Chairperson, External Relations and Placements said, “SPJIMR plans to drive the one year program to a greater milieu of professionals by adding diverse but relevant courses as elective from Jan 2008. The institute strongly feels that the huge growth of economy and the rapid industrialisation will need an unprecedented number of managers empowered with the learning of a management education and endeavours to meet a significant number of these requirements of the industry.”
The PGDM program at SPJIMR has received the appreciation of the industry and has lived up to its promise of providing the corporate with highly experienced and focused mid-level managers with modern outlook.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Wisdom from the Wise
Over the last 8 months @ SPJIMR, I have had many opportunities to listen to people who have been transformational in their field of work. Some of the distinguished speakers so far:
Ajay Piramal (Chairman – Piramal Enterprises), Mahesh Murthy (Venture Capitalist and also a CEO), Rashmi Bansal (JAM Editor), Pascal Alan Nazareth (Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust)
All of them told us the way they have excelled in life and in whatever they did. They also shared with us their ups and downs. I sense two common attributes in all of them:
They all are deeply passionate about whatever they are doing.
They all have taken risks with a strong conviction.
We have also had guest lectures from many of the Industry experts which has been a good part of our learning.
I wish management graduates and laterals are recruited for roles that not only suit business requirements, but also ignite our passion.
Ajay Piramal (Chairman – Piramal Enterprises), Mahesh Murthy (Venture Capitalist and also a CEO), Rashmi Bansal (JAM Editor), Pascal Alan Nazareth (Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust)
All of them told us the way they have excelled in life and in whatever they did. They also shared with us their ups and downs. I sense two common attributes in all of them:
They all have taken risks with a strong conviction.
We have also had guest lectures from many of the Industry experts which has been a good part of our learning.
I wish management graduates and laterals are recruited for roles that not only suit business requirements, but also ignite our passion.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
ITA Awards - Nov 25th 2006
I managed to get an entry to the ITA Awards 2006 event that took place in our college grounds on Nov 25th. I did get to see a number of soap stars, Asha Parekh, Jeetendra, Rakesh Roshan, Smriti Irani and Shilpa Shetty. Also saw Mr Vineet Jain ( MD, Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd)take the prize for the 'Times Now' channel.
FYI, the stage set-up started exactly two weeks before the event.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
View of SP Jain from Gilbert Hill
The light brown color building right in the middle of this pic is SP Jain Institute of Management & Research. My hostel is seen right opposite SPJIMR and is of the same color. SPJIMR is in a 40-acre Bhavan's Campus right in the heart of Andheri West!! Amazing locale I say:)
Gilbert Hill
Gilbert Hill - The 65million year old monolithic rock right in the heart of Andheri Suburb, Mumbai. Its been declared 'protected' and the Govt has promised(at last) to keep it from perishing due to the heavy construction around this rock(TOI dated 27th Nov ’06). U can see a tall apartment building hiding next to this brown beauty.
(photography - Vinaya)
(photography - Vinaya)
Monday, November 27, 2006
Even if you dont like the party, U shud wear the make-up!
I just happened to say this(without realising it could be a quote:)) to my wife abt a week back when she said she wasnt too interested in filling up some official form. I think this quote applies to every instance when someone doesnt personally prefer doing something, but they do it just to avoid fingers pointing at them or being left out.As far as i see it,almost all dipomats live by this. In the much larger scheme of things, all people who do not like the system they are in, but live by it just 'coz they do not want the 'rebel' tag come under the message this quote implies!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
DHOOM - 2 Review
Dhoom-2 is a super-duper style show! This time round, the famous cop-thief story continues with scintillating stunts coupled with sizzling hot babes like Bipasha and Aishwarya Rai. However, Dhoom-2 lacks the smooth sequence and seems way too unbelievable at times. Its definitely a thin-miss from the standards of Dhoom-1 which looked believable inspite of all the amazing stunts. All the stars have delivered their best, but i still cant find a good reason for the role Bips played. There's not too much to talk abt her role in the film. Abhishek and Hrithik just ROCK! Uday has all the reason to keep smiling :). For the rest of the action, catch Dhoom-2 LIVE on the big screen!
My rating: ***
My rating: ***
Sunrise in November
This is the view of the beautiful 'November Sunrise' from my room @ SPJIMR hostel
Friday, November 24, 2006
What was my first take-home?
I was just pondering over something and I thought of blogging this – I have acted in a DoorDarshan Public Awareness Ad! Yes, this was in my 3rd standard, hehe. My dialogue was ‘Amma Hasivu’ ( meaning ‘Mama, am hungry’).
The Ad scene was like this: I had to tell my mom (screen mom) that am hungry. Immediately my mom would heat some milk and pour it into a cup to give it to me. Almost around the same time, my sis (screen sis) would come and say that she is hungry too. But unfortunately, my mom would discriminate between us and go on to explain my sis that as a boy, I needed more energy and better physique as I would later have to work harder. So my sis would have to starve. At the end, some kind soul would come and explain my parents that both a girl and a boy needed to be taken care well and neither should be neglected.
Sadly, even to this day in some parts of our country, we still find people neglecting the girl child; we still find several cases of female feticides. Hope all of us realize that afterall where would all of us be without our mothers?
Hey, by the way, I got a payment of Rs 75/- for about an hour of the acting effort :)
The Ad scene was like this: I had to tell my mom (screen mom) that am hungry. Immediately my mom would heat some milk and pour it into a cup to give it to me. Almost around the same time, my sis (screen sis) would come and say that she is hungry too. But unfortunately, my mom would discriminate between us and go on to explain my sis that as a boy, I needed more energy and better physique as I would later have to work harder. So my sis would have to starve. At the end, some kind soul would come and explain my parents that both a girl and a boy needed to be taken care well and neither should be neglected.
Sadly, even to this day in some parts of our country, we still find people neglecting the girl child; we still find several cases of female feticides. Hope all of us realize that afterall where would all of us be without our mothers?
Hey, by the way, I got a payment of Rs 75/- for about an hour of the acting effort :)
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Some of my gyan for the MBA aspirants
This is not a gospel to get a B-school admit. I just realized that the CAT is belled and hence thought of putting down some of my gyan here.
If any of you are considering joining a B-school, essays form an integral part of the selection process. Without being a cliché, let me just tell you what is it that the admission committees look at in your essays.
The folks in the Admission Committee (we call it AdCOM @ SPJIMR) normally design questions to know you as a person, as a professional and as a student. The questions will address your reason for getting into an MBA programme, your career goals, your experience, the challenges/adversities you faced and how you overcame those, your most satisfying achievements, your strengths and weakness, et al.
In general, the AdCOM wants to know whether you have done a good bit of soul-searching as to your present self, your future goals and how do you think an MBA can help you reach your goals. This brings us to my golden rule for essays – All your essays need to be in sync with 3 basic aspects:
This is what I call a ‘connect’!
So guys n gals, men n women; please think, introspect and retrospect as to why do u want to be an MBA? This is the most important question. The answer to this will solve half the problems right from whether or not to pursue an MBA programme to choosing the B-school and more importantly the specific programme you want to enroll for. Some of you might want to enroll for the 2 year fulltime MBA programme, some for the 1 year fulltime MBA programme and yet some more for the Distance Learning or Executive MBA programme.
Lets address the next topic – 2 yr MBA or 1 yr MBA?
To tell you the truth, there’s no thumb rule to this. I will highlight only abt the 1 year programme here as most people would know better than me abt the 2 yr programme.
The advantages of the 1 year programme are:
** For the right gyan, you need to join the right B-school**
So what’s the flip side?
Hey, are you game for the 1 year programme? Well, believe me, it isn’t all that scary. The 8 months that I have already spent here at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai have been enriching. The significant take-away for me has been ‘time management’. I really adore my mom for this – when I think back, I realize how difficult it might have been for her to manage her time between hectic work and home, but she never complained and was always on time to work and did most of the work at home.
For the moment, I just have to say this – Think well before you leap into an MBA programme. Don’t just follow the herd!
All The Best!
If any of you are considering joining a B-school, essays form an integral part of the selection process. Without being a cliché, let me just tell you what is it that the admission committees look at in your essays.
The folks in the Admission Committee (we call it AdCOM @ SPJIMR) normally design questions to know you as a person, as a professional and as a student. The questions will address your reason for getting into an MBA programme, your career goals, your experience, the challenges/adversities you faced and how you overcame those, your most satisfying achievements, your strengths and weakness, et al.
In general, the AdCOM wants to know whether you have done a good bit of soul-searching as to your present self, your future goals and how do you think an MBA can help you reach your goals. This brings us to my golden rule for essays – All your essays need to be in sync with 3 basic aspects:
- What are you?
- What you want to be/do?
- How do you think the MBA can help you enroute the “answer to the 2nd aspect”?
This is what I call a ‘connect’!
So guys n gals, men n women; please think, introspect and retrospect as to why do u want to be an MBA? This is the most important question. The answer to this will solve half the problems right from whether or not to pursue an MBA programme to choosing the B-school and more importantly the specific programme you want to enroll for. Some of you might want to enroll for the 2 year fulltime MBA programme, some for the 1 year fulltime MBA programme and yet some more for the Distance Learning or Executive MBA programme.
Lets address the next topic – 2 yr MBA or 1 yr MBA?
To tell you the truth, there’s no thumb rule to this. I will highlight only abt the 1 year programme here as most people would know better than me abt the 2 yr programme.
The advantages of the 1 year programme are:
- You are not too long away from the industry(your work I mean)
- You are not too long away from your family (to be away for a year itself is difficult I know)
- You get to interact and network with people with diverse experience and skills
- You get to resonate better with the concepts under discussion due to your own experience (1 year MBA programmes are NOT for the ‘uninitiated’. I would deem any 1 year programme that defies this as only a ‘money-swindler’)
- You will most definitely be able to switch roles laterally across business functions at the end of the programme
- You get almost the same amount of gyan or even more than the 2 year programme in double quick time!
** For the right gyan, you need to join the right B-school**
So what’s the flip side?
- You will have to face a very hectic, rigorous schedule
- You will find it very difficult to make time to participate in B-school contests
- You will find it indefinitely impossible to pursue your interests and hobbies
- You will have to face/hear a disgruntled wife/gf /child most of the time
- You will realize that falling ill is a crime
- You will have to miss your weekend parties (you can work around this sometimes with ‘smart’ work though, hehe)
Hey, are you game for the 1 year programme? Well, believe me, it isn’t all that scary. The 8 months that I have already spent here at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai have been enriching. The significant take-away for me has been ‘time management’. I really adore my mom for this – when I think back, I realize how difficult it might have been for her to manage her time between hectic work and home, but she never complained and was always on time to work and did most of the work at home.
For the moment, I just have to say this – Think well before you leap into an MBA programme. Don’t just follow the herd!
All The Best!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Mumbai gets cooler – yeaaaaah!
Since the last one week, the weather God seems to have shown mercy. YES, ITS BECOME COOLER HERE:). The evenings are pleasant, there’s cool breeze during the nite and the morning sun shines bright only after about 8. However the afternoons are still humid. Nevertheless, it’s such a relief from the pinching heat that we faced before.
My room faces the East and I can clearly make out the shift in the Earth’s axis. From the time I came here (April) till November, the early Sun’s rays used to grace Anand’s (my roomy) bed first. I remember how he would hurriedly pull the curtains as he is used to feel uncomfortable while studying early in the morning. These days, the Sun’s rays have changed direction and help me wake up! – Amazing Nature, isn’t it? I remember my mother telling me stories from the Mahabharata (ancient Hindu epic) and one of the instances in which Bhishma (Ganga’s son and Uncle of the Pandavas) waited for the right time to breathe his last on a bed of arrows for the Uttarayana Punya Kala (starts in March-April) when the Sun’s rays change their direction (or should I say the Earth shifts in its axis?)
So what’s the forecast like? At 9.45AM today, the forecast was a High of 35 Deg C and a low of 21 Deg C (source: ndtv.com), very unlike of the usually Hot, Hotter, Hottest Mumbai right?
My room faces the East and I can clearly make out the shift in the Earth’s axis. From the time I came here (April) till November, the early Sun’s rays used to grace Anand’s (my roomy) bed first. I remember how he would hurriedly pull the curtains as he is used to feel uncomfortable while studying early in the morning. These days, the Sun’s rays have changed direction and help me wake up! – Amazing Nature, isn’t it? I remember my mother telling me stories from the Mahabharata (ancient Hindu epic) and one of the instances in which Bhishma (Ganga’s son and Uncle of the Pandavas) waited for the right time to breathe his last on a bed of arrows for the Uttarayana Punya Kala (starts in March-April) when the Sun’s rays change their direction (or should I say the Earth shifts in its axis?)
So what’s the forecast like? At 9.45AM today, the forecast was a High of 35 Deg C and a low of 21 Deg C (source: ndtv.com), very unlike of the usually Hot, Hotter, Hottest Mumbai right?
Friday, November 17, 2006
Casino Royale – the New Bond has arrived!
Hi folks,
Had been to the Premier show of Casino Royale – the new 007 movie y’day nite <16-Nov-06, 10.45 pm show @ Fun Republic, Andheri>. It is the first premier that I have ever watched and I am really pleased to say that Casino Royale is worth every penny. The new agent 007 – Daniel Craig seems to have delivered his best, but lacks the Brosnan or Connery charisma. Although the title track ‘You know my name’ isn’t all that appealing, right from the thrilling opening scene, the script is fast paced, races with your pulse and grips you to the core! There are a lot of trips, twists and stunts from the Bond, James Bond. But unlike the usual Bond movies, Casino Royale doesn’t have the rush of concupiscence. All in all, another truly classic James Bond flick – U will love it!
Cheers
Had been to the Premier show of Casino Royale – the new 007 movie y’day nite <16-Nov-06, 10.45 pm show @ Fun Republic, Andheri>. It is the first premier that I have ever watched and I am really pleased to say that Casino Royale is worth every penny. The new agent 007 – Daniel Craig seems to have delivered his best, but lacks the Brosnan or Connery charisma. Although the title track ‘You know my name’ isn’t all that appealing, right from the thrilling opening scene, the script is fast paced, races with your pulse and grips you to the core! There are a lot of trips, twists and stunts from the Bond, James Bond. But unlike the usual Bond movies, Casino Royale doesn’t have the rush of concupiscence
Cheers
Saturday, November 04, 2006
High Performance Entrepreneur
Hey folks,
Returned in the middle of sunday nite [29th Oct]. Was pleased to meet a gud friend from PESIT at the Blore airport. I guess am having a home-hangover mode still - not been able to start serious studies yet. Have been reading a book "High Performance Entrepreneur" by Subroto Bagchi, COO MindTree Consulting [the company i worked with before SAP Labs]. The book is absolutely amazing. Its all about entrepreneurship - choosing ur start-up team, knowing when u r ready to start a business n all the nuances of business plan, raising money, growing the company, so on and so forth. The details are explained with the experience of the MindTree start-up team. Subroto, as usual, pours his heart out in this book. I would say its a must-read for all those interested in entrepreneurship.
Cheers!
Returned in the middle of sunday nite [29th Oct]. Was pleased to meet a gud friend from PESIT at the Blore airport. I guess am having a home-hangover mode still - not been able to start serious studies yet. Have been reading a book "High Performance Entrepreneur" by Subroto Bagchi, COO MindTree Consulting [the company i worked with before SAP Labs]. The book is absolutely amazing. Its all about entrepreneurship - choosing ur start-up team, knowing when u r ready to start a business n all the nuances of business plan, raising money, growing the company, so on and so forth. The details are explained with the experience of the MindTree start-up team. Subroto, as usual, pours his heart out in this book. I would say its a must-read for all those interested in entrepreneurship.
Cheers!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Home in 2 days :) - Deepavali Greetings
Our Deepavali vacation just around the corner – yes folks, SPJIMR is gonna be quiet without the usual hustle - bustle of students between 15th and 29th October. I will be off to my hometown ‘Namma Bengaluru’ – the best city known to me in India :) Hoping to spend quality time with family, meet a lot of friends, spread the awareness of PGDM programme to atleast some people who matter ;), celebrate Deepavali in grandiose and have home-cooked meals almost everyday!:)
BTW, am not really sure if I will be able to blog while in Bangalore, so you will mostly see/hear more from me in November. So wish u all a very Happy & Safe Deepavali :)
BTW, am not really sure if I will be able to blog while in Bangalore, so you will mostly see/hear more from me in November. So wish u all a very Happy & Safe Deepavali :)
Woodlands Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai
Y’day, Vinaya, Darshan n I decided to dine out after a heavy day. We thought of going to Utsav on Juhu road. The autowala just stopped abt 100m further away from where we asked him to stop. As soon as we got out, I was pleasantly surprised to read ‘Woodlands’ infront of me. I wondered if this belonged to the famous south-indian Woodlands chain. We decided to check out and were sure that it belonged to the same chain as we found a typical ‘south-indian brahmin’ drawing near the reception!
We had south-indian economical thali – 3 big pooris < or chapathis> two sabjis, a cup of hot thili saaru, sambar, plain rice, curd rice, hapla and gulab jamun!
It was yummmmy although it didn’t exactly taste like that you will find in the Woodlands, Bangalore. It was definitely a welcome-break from the usual north-indian style of food that we get to eat here.
For those who want to check this place out – it’s a lil further ahead from ‘On Toes’ pub towards the petrol bunk on the same side of Juhu road.
We had south-indian economical thali – 3 big pooris < or chapathis> two sabjis, a cup of hot thili saaru
It was yummmmy although it didn’t exactly taste like that you will find in the Woodlands, Bangalore. It was definitely a welcome-break from the usual north-indian style of food that we get to eat here.
For those who want to check this place out – it’s a lil further ahead from ‘On Toes’ pub towards the petrol bunk on the same side of Juhu road.
WWW and Flavors!
Over the last few days, have watched ‘What Women Want’(WWW) and ‘Flavors’ on my lappy. Am sure most ppl wd have watched ‘What Women Want’. It’s a funny movie in which a guy can read women’s thoughts/mind n what he gains by it – obviously a quick fling with a hot chick, entry into a woman’s heart, his daughter starts liking him and he even rescues a loner gal.
‘Flavors’ is all about desis abroad – their behavior, typical pink-slip woes, few trying to ‘patao’ someone, etc all rolled into a hilarious comedy. I watched it in the middle of the nite <2 am – 3.30 am>, alone on my lappy n still found myself somewhat amused laughing aloud! This one's a must-watch.
‘Flavors’ is all about desis abroad – their behavior, typical pink-slip woes, few trying to ‘patao’ someone, etc all rolled into a hilarious comedy. I watched it in the middle of the nite <2 am – 3.30 am>, alone on my lappy n still found myself somewhat amused laughing aloud! This one's a must-watch.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Geeta Shibir - enriching eh?:)
Writing after a long time…..life has been very hectic, caught up between project works, assignment submissions, end term and the dreaded comprehensive exam nicknamed ‘compre’! Its such a relief to be done with all this and now we are in the middle of the ‘specialisation’ module.
Have watched quite a few movies since the last time I blogged – Naksha < timepass, remake of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’>, Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Shiva .
We had been to something called ‘Geeta Shibir’ for a couple of days n returned y’day morning. Sadly, it was not a good experience. Leave alone the unkept guest rooms, toilets, the ghee-some food, and only-dhokla breakfast, the sessions were unimpressive too. After attending a couple of sessions, Vinaya n I were happy to stay off and instead relax – we slept n slept n slept for abt 9 hrs extra over the two days, something that was a luxury with our hectic schedules!
Some swamy gyan:
The swamy < I wd have used a capital S if I really appreciated him> spoke a lot abt ‘happiness, unhappiness’, ‘all of us are selfish’, ‘realistic n unrealistic expectations’,‘the tea was drinking the swamy, so he left drinking it’..< the gist of the tea stuff -> the swamy never used to drink tea in his childhood. When he started working, he fell into the habit of drinking tea 4 or 5 times a day. Once, while working on a weekend, he did not drink tea at the usual time…so he developed a bad headache, nausea, stomach ache n even vomited – u get that???? So after becoming a swamy, by chance he did not have tea at the usual time due to a logistics problem and it seems he did not get the much-awaited headache….so he realized that he had won over his habitual tea-drinking sickness! Lol> and some supposed joke of counting 1 thru 10!
It seems that the swamy doesn’t like the life in East – he said that its only here that we find a servile environment, In the West, ppl are independent. But I guess he forgets to correct this when his staff hold an umbrella everytime he walks out, show him the way by holding a torch at nite and even fan him while he happily lunches! The swamy doesn’t seem to understand animals too. He said that animals act on their basic instinct alone and never think….At another instance, when some of our folks were thoroughly bugged and were whispering something, the swamy lost his cool and told them not to ‘chit-chat’ atleast when he could see them….hmmmm, I agree that the boyz should not have done the supposed chit-chat, but the so-called swamy could have been calmer or maybe the ‘anger is still drinking him’. Reportedly < I was absent> at another instance, while explaining abt ‘satisfaction, dissatisfaction n related anger’, the swamy visibly was unimpressed with his diminishing audience and cleverly put the blame on the profs by saying ‘many chairs are empty, but I should not be dissatisfied. It was the duty of the faculty to take care of this’ Our profs would have felt bad for sure, but I hope they realize the reason for the diminishing audience.
I remember that the swamy said that we should tell the truth in a pleasing manner, sadly I cant be diplomatic. Maybe there were a few good things the swamy talked of too like women should more economically independent. If anyone else has anything to share, plz feel free to comment. Geeta Shibir – wat an enriching experience:)
Have watched quite a few movies since the last time I blogged – Naksha < timepass, remake of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’>, Pyaar Ke Side Effects
We had been to something called ‘Geeta Shibir’ for a couple of days n returned y’day morning. Sadly, it was not a good experience. Leave alone the unkept guest rooms, toilets, the ghee-some food, and only-dhokla breakfast, the sessions were unimpressive too. After attending a couple of sessions, Vinaya n I were happy to stay off and instead relax – we slept n slept n slept for abt 9 hrs extra over the two days, something that was a luxury with our hectic schedules!
Some swamy gyan:
The swamy < I wd have used a capital S if I really appreciated him> spoke a lot abt ‘happiness, unhappiness’, ‘all of us are selfish’, ‘realistic n unrealistic expectations’,‘the tea was drinking the swamy, so he left drinking it’..< the gist of the tea stuff -> the swamy never used to drink tea in his childhood. When he started working, he fell into the habit of drinking tea 4 or 5 times a day. Once, while working on a weekend, he did not drink tea at the usual time…so he developed a bad headache, nausea, stomach ache n even vomited – u get that???? So after becoming a swamy, by chance he did not have tea at the usual time due to a logistics problem and it seems he did not get the much-awaited headache….so he realized that he had won over his habitual tea-drinking sickness! Lol> and some supposed joke of counting 1 thru 10!
It seems that the swamy doesn’t like the life in East – he said that its only here that we find a servile environment, In the West, ppl are independent. But I guess he forgets to correct this when his staff hold an umbrella everytime he walks out, show him the way by holding a torch at nite and even fan him while he happily lunches! The swamy doesn’t seem to understand animals too. He said that animals act on their basic instinct alone and never think….At another instance, when some of our folks were thoroughly bugged and were whispering something, the swamy lost his cool and told them not to ‘chit-chat’ atleast when he could see them….hmmmm, I agree that the boyz should not have done the supposed chit-chat, but the so-called swamy could have been calmer or maybe the ‘anger is still drinking him’. Reportedly < I was absent> at another instance, while explaining abt ‘satisfaction, dissatisfaction n related anger’, the swamy visibly was unimpressed with his diminishing audience and cleverly put the blame on the profs by saying ‘many chairs are empty, but I should not be dissatisfied. It was the duty of the faculty to take care of this’ Our profs would have felt bad for sure
I remember that the swamy said that we should tell the truth in a pleasing manner, sadly I cant be diplomatic. Maybe there were a few good things the swamy talked of too like women should more economically independent. If anyone else has anything to share, plz feel free to comment. Geeta Shibir – wat an enriching experience:)
Friday, August 25, 2006
Another gud weekend;) ---read also my thoughts on KANK
Had a gud weekend - ya i know its midweek for most. But we at SP Jain, have a holiday only on thursdays. Watched Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna at Cinemax, Infinity Mall on wednesday nite. Well, have heard most ppl saying its one bakwaas movie. But I somehow feel its a movie that conveys deep messages! < Infact, i believe u can learn something from every movie...directors, actors, writers arent stupid...there's gotto be a lotta thought b4 they come up with their creation> Although i do not appreciate the values that the film portrays, i think there are quite a few take-aways:
1) Relationships are built over time and with trust, transparency n care.
2) Treat your partner the way u wd like him/her to treat u.
3) When a relationship isnt working, its just not one person's fault. Both the ppl involved need to address the same. Never fight over who's fault it is....Understand the situation....Patch up...try making things work!
4) Listen, wait, think n then talk....instead of pouring out in a 'Verbal Diarrhea' kinda fashion! < I was short tempered before....can confidently say i have calmed down a lot over the last couple of years :)..it does take effort>
5) last, but not the least --- "Live Life to the FULL", enjoy every moment...u never know wats gonna happen next. < I always try to follow this one thing very strongly>.
Must say, am Blessed to have a Wonderful, Caring, Sweet Wife...very few ppl get to marry their gf :)
Well, i guess that was enuf of philosophy. I loved the acting talent of the BIG B, the smart, younger B, SRK, the ever lovely Preity, n the wide eyed Rani!! :) Its damn tuff displaying all those emotions. Although, some dialogues n situations < the balle scenes...aweful i say> are crazy, its worth a watch!
Last, but not the least, I loved the NY streets....i definitely wanna visit NY sometime b4 am too old.
My rating for KANK: ***
On thursday, 25th Aug, went with vinaya, vatsa n darshan to lokhandwala....we had the authentic Mc Donalds' Burger Combo Meal, then strolled around the Lokhandwala complex streets ogling < come on, am not a saint:)>, having fun, joking. The next pit stop was 'Maama Mia' ...had amazing gelato < Italian 96% fat free cone-icecream>. Next halt was at the Barista just around the corner...Had a nice hot cuppa Latte < the ever refreshing barista's hot cuppa>. Back to hostel arnd 11.30pm. Overall, two more gr8 evenings in my extended bachelorhood..hehe!
Cheers n Gnite...its 26th Aug, 1AM right now! Lemme hit-the-sack now:) Gnite n sweetdreamz to me...:)
~Vinayak
1) Relationships are built over time and with trust, transparency n care.
2) Treat your partner
3) When a relationship isnt working, its just not one person's fault. Both the ppl involved need to address the same. Never fight over who's fault it is....Understand the situation....Patch up...try making things work!
4) Listen, wait, think n then talk....instead of pouring out in a 'Verbal Diarrhea' kinda fashion! < I was short tempered before....can confidently say i have calmed down a lot over the last couple of years :)..it does take effort>
5) last, but not the least --- "Live Life to the FULL", enjoy every moment...u never know wats gonna happen next. < I always try to follow this one thing very strongly>.
Must say, am Blessed to have a Wonderful, Caring, Sweet Wife...very few ppl get to marry their gf :)
Well, i guess that was enuf of philosophy. I loved the acting talent of the BIG B, the smart, younger B, SRK, the ever lovely Preity, n the wide eyed Rani!! :) Its damn tuff displaying all those emotions. Although, some dialogues n situations < the balle scenes...aweful i say> are crazy, its worth a watch!
Last, but not the least, I loved the NY streets....i definitely wanna visit NY sometime b4 am too old.
My rating for KANK: ***
On thursday, 25th Aug, went with vinaya, vatsa n darshan to lokhandwala....we had the authentic Mc Donalds' Burger Combo Meal, then strolled around the Lokhandwala complex streets ogling < come on, am not a saint:)>, having fun, joking. The next pit stop was 'Maama Mia' ...had amazing gelato < Italian 96% fat free cone-icecream>. Next halt was at the Barista just around the corner...Had a nice hot cuppa Latte < the ever refreshing barista's hot cuppa>. Back to hostel arnd 11.30pm. Overall, two more gr8 evenings in my extended bachelorhood..hehe!
Cheers n Gnite...its 26th Aug, 1AM right now! Lemme hit-the-sack now:) Gnite n sweetdreamz to me...:)
~Vinayak
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Photo session pic - Kannada speaking folks in class
left to right, back to front: ramesh, keshav, sanjay, vinayak, vishwanath, marutheesh, sachin, vidyadhar,bharat,vinaya
Monday, July 31, 2006
My Birthday:) - will cherish forever!!
Offlate, a new tradition has taken off to celebrate birthdays - the whole PGDM batch gets together at the strike of midnight and give bumps to the birthday boy, pour water on him and also break an egg on his head!
My earnest roomy, Anand, didn't want me to get hurt and made a plan. He asked me to hide under the cot, while he would tell people that i was at my relative's place!:)
I thought it was a gud idea and hid under the cot. It was fun watching/hearing so many friends come enthusiastically to beat me up only to find me missing. I was chuckling from under the cot..haha!
Meanwhile my parents called n wished. Then my wife, Shilpa called n when i told her abt what was happening, she burst into laughter n i just cudnt control my chuckling. At the same time, my friend Prashanth was enquiring my roomy abt me and he heard me laugh! He knelt down n saw me giggling under the cot. He informed all that jantha n locked me from outside. The jantha arrived, pulled me out of my room and literally held me captive against a pillar and started the bashing n bumping.....ooooh, Sachin invited some ppl from another batch to bash me...shhucks, there's one guy in that batch that all of us dread n he too joined the team to bash me:(( I went through the ordeal, which was indeed painfull than ever as ppl were irked by waiting for me.
Next was the waterfall treatment...3 buckets of water were poured from the top floor, although i dodged 2 of them, hehe:)
Ppl told me that the 'unda fodna' was given up from then on, so i was so happy. We went to the night canteen and sat for a hot cuppa n suddenly 'TUPP'...some hand lands on my already bald head:( ...yes, its an egg n it was such a messy affair as the yolk came trickling down <> That's how my birthday started - I turned 26 on 26th:)
Later in the day, i cut a vanilla cake in Bistro, our college cafeteria and as expected it was the usual smearing:) After the classes, some of us went to 'chawlas', a punjabi dhaba cum restaurant in Oshiwara(w). We tried hukka, had a few drinks, n had authentic punjabi food. The crowd was good, so it was fun watching them too:) We returned to the hostel around 11.30 pm n danced till abt 1am. Finally, i went to bed at around 1.30am, 27th july:)
This is one birthday, i will always cherish:)...thanks to all classmates, friends n family< n ofcourse GOD> for such a wonderful day!!
My earnest roomy, Anand, didn't want me to get hurt and made a plan. He asked me to hide under the cot, while he would tell people that i was at my relative's place!:)
I thought it was a gud idea and hid under the cot. It was fun watching/hearing so many friends come enthusiastically to beat me up only to find me missing. I was chuckling from under the cot..haha!
Meanwhile my parents called n wished. Then my wife, Shilpa called n when i told her abt what was happening, she burst into laughter n i just cudnt control my chuckling. At the same time, my friend Prashanth was enquiring my roomy abt me and he heard me laugh! He knelt down n saw me giggling under the cot. He informed all that jantha n locked me from outside. The jantha arrived, pulled me out of my room and literally held me captive against a pillar and started the bashing n bumping.....ooooh, Sachin
Next was the waterfall treatment...3 buckets of water were poured from the top floor, although i dodged 2 of them, hehe:)
Ppl told me that the 'unda fodna' was given up from then on, so i was so happy. We went to the night canteen and sat for a hot cuppa n suddenly 'TUPP'...some hand lands on my already bald head:( ...yes, its an egg n it was such a messy affair as the yolk came trickling down <
Later in the day, i cut a vanilla cake in Bistro, our college cafeteria and as expected it was the usual smearing:) After the classes, some of us went to 'chawlas', a punjabi dhaba cum restaurant in Oshiwara(w). We tried hukka
This is one birthday, i will always cherish:)...thanks to all classmates, friends n family< n ofcourse GOD> for such a wonderful day!!
Omkara - a review
Hey ppl,
Nice to get back to blogging after a brief break, thanks to the ban.
Y'day Vinaya n I decided to watch Omkara although we knew that there were meek chances of getting a ticket as it was a Sunday. We were lucky that there were exactly 2 ppl who hadnt turned up after booking n we got those seats!:)
Omkara, it seems is an adaptation of Shakesphere's 'Othello'. The story is all about Love, Mistrust, Hate and all the emotions that are associated with these. A lil of stereotype 'gang'ism is put forth too. To give u a trailer, Ajay Devgan, Saif n
Vive(i)k are all part of a gang n work as per orders from Naseeruddin Shah. Kareena Kapoor falls in love with Ajay Devgan and walks away with him against her dad's wishes. The real story begins now! I do not want to be cursed by telling the story as i know a lot of my friends wanna watch it.
I didn't like the script much, although Saif n Ajay Devgan's acting is impeccable! The scenic settings are good too. Kareena, Viveik and Bips dont really have much of a role.
My Rating: * *
Nice to get back to blogging after a brief break, thanks to the ban.
Y'day Vinaya
Omkara, it seems is an adaptation of Shakesphere's 'Othello'. The story is all about Love, Mistrust, Hate and all the emotions that are associated with these. A lil of stereotype 'gang'ism is put forth too. To give u a trailer, Ajay Devgan, Saif n
Vive(i)k are all part of a gang n work as per orders from Naseeruddin Shah. Kareena Kapoor falls in love with Ajay Devgan and walks away with him against her dad's wishes. The real story begins now! I do not want to be cursed by telling the story as i know a lot of my friends wanna watch it.
I didn't like the script much, although Saif n Ajay Devgan's acting is impeccable! The scenic settings are good too. Kareena, Viveik and Bips dont really have much of a role.
My Rating: * *
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Order Dubbas ONLINE
Mumbai Dabbawalas, as most of us know run the best managed supply-chain business without any major tech help. They make just one error in every 1.6 crore transactions. That gives them a Six Sigma performance tag of 99.999999 %. Now, they have gone 2 steps ahead with technology. U can order your dabba ONLINE on the Dabbawala website.
U can even book your Dabba through your cell phone by sending an SMS to 3636. This is how it is done: Send your name and home and office addresses to the short-code number. Suppose you are Satish and you live in Bandra, you can send message like this to 3636: “Dabba Satish Meghdoot 504 Linking Road Bandra Atlanta 2nd floor Nariman Point.”
Ain't this cool?? Wish the dabbawala association gives me a share of their profit for this publicity...LOL.
2 months of solid grind
Hey ppl, I completed 2 months at SP Jain Institute of Management & Research y'day[:)] Its been a roller-coaster ride so far. Its been a lot of learning, fun and loafing. The faculty are very committed to make us learn and ensure that we get innumerable assignments, tests, quizzes, and exams apart from the high rated gyan in class. Sometimes, feel that so many tests are indeed not necessary...anyways thats the system here(guess in most Indian B-schools), so just need to live with it. There's no mobile signal in the college campus. This compounds the seriousness of the management to make us focus on our studies.
All of us wait for a Thursday - our only day off! Believe me, all of us think we have never been so busy in life ever. Sometimes we dont even realise what day it is.
Have the midterm exams scheduled this week for term 1(Functional Module - Financial Mgmt, Marketing Mgmt, Operations Mgmt, People & Performance and IT in Business)..THE GRIND CONTINUES...
All of us wait for a Thursday - our only day off! Believe me, all of us think we have never been so busy in life ever. Sometimes we dont even realise what day it is.
Have the midterm exams scheduled this week for term 1(Functional Module - Financial Mgmt, Marketing Mgmt, Operations Mgmt, People & Performance and IT in Business)..THE GRIND CONTINUES...
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Learnings from the Foundation module
What did i learn during the foundation module ?
I learnt to read and comprehend financial statements, balance sheets and Profit & Loss statements of a company, some statistics stuff and a lot of Economics ( Micro Economics - pricing, costing, productivity, monopoly, oligopoly, perfect competition, consumer behavior, etc. Macro Economics - govt’s role in controlling money markets, sensex, forex, economic crisis in Japan, South-East Asia, current Chinese economy, etc)
I am comfortable in comprehending as to why the sensex sheds points because of FII pullout and the relationship between FII pullout in India due to a Federal rate hike in the US, y Americans don’t save, y is China a gr8 exporter and how is it that manufacturing sector so damn cheap in China, how does the value of a currency fluctuate, whats inflation, from where does money come from when Govt is in need…..all these are so very interesting!!
I learnt to read and comprehend financial statements, balance sheets and Profit & Loss statements of a company, some statistics stuff and a lot of Economics ( Micro Economics - pricing, costing, productivity, monopoly, oligopoly, perfect competition, consumer behavior, etc. Macro Economics - govt’s role in controlling money markets, sensex, forex, economic crisis in Japan, South-East Asia, current Chinese economy, etc)
I am comfortable in comprehending as to why the sensex sheds points because of FII pullout and the relationship between FII pullout in India due to a Federal rate hike in the US, y Americans don’t save, y is China a gr8 exporter and how is it that manufacturing sector so damn cheap in China, how does the value of a currency fluctuate, whats inflation, from where does money come from when Govt is in need…..all these are so very interesting!!
Monday, June 12, 2006
RFID
IT in Business - a subject that emphasises the role and scope of IT in all kinds of businesses. Each group in class had to prepare a presentation on one of the technologies and its application in business and the approach towards implementation of these technologies. We had to concentrate more on the 'what' part than the 'how' part of the technology--the rationale is that as managers and thought leaders, its necessary to know the lingo of business and technology more than the implementation of the technology.
My group had to make a presentation on RFID - 'Radio Frequency Identification Device' which can play a great role in the Supply Chain. The benefits of RFID are cost reduction, easy tracking of items, inventory management, etc. RFID definitely is the next BIG thing in the Retail Sector. Take a look at the Presentation for more information.
My takeaways - Vatsa and I had worked majorly on this topic. Our hardwork paid off when we were applauded by one of the IBM General Managers who was judging us. We felt jittery to face a mature audience(58 classmates and 1 GM from IBM). Anyways we did a good show as we had the right content. Due credit to my senior Ranjan Rao who helped us with some very good material. Content and Ability to Handle Questions are the two most important things while making a presentation apart from Connecting to the Audience and Voice Modulation.
My group had to make a presentation on RFID - 'Radio Frequency Identification Device' which can play a great role in the Supply Chain. The benefits of RFID are cost reduction, easy tracking of items, inventory management, etc. RFID definitely is the next BIG thing in the Retail Sector. Take a look at the Presentation for more information.
My takeaways - Vatsa and I had worked majorly on this topic. Our hardwork paid off when we were applauded by one of the IBM General Managers who was judging us. We felt jittery to face a mature audience(58 classmates and 1 GM from IBM). Anyways we did a good show as we had the right content. Due credit to my senior Ranjan Rao who helped us with some very good material. Content and Ability to Handle Questions are the two most important things while making a presentation apart from Connecting to the Audience and Voice Modulation.
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| RFID Overview.ppt |
| Hosted by eSnips |
Friday, June 09, 2006
Regression Analysis
We had to give a presentation today on Regression Analysis of real-world data. Regression is all about comparing the relation between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. The higher the number of independent variables, the better is the correlation. There will be a Standard Error that will be factored in to reduce the impact of non-related variables on the correlation.( i hope i have understood these things correctly, lol:-) )
All the groups did well. Our group gave a presentation on the major factors that influence the B-school rankings. We pooled in data from Business World's cosmode rankings and Outlook's rankings for the year 2005. We found that Placements, Admissions and Networking were the 3 major factors that influenced the rankings upto about 83%!!
One of the groups gave a presentation on Google Adsense which could be useful to many of the bloggers.
Another group came up with a presentation on what makes people choose a particular brand of BEER in KERALA:-)...interesting eh? 'Availability' of the brand easily was the major factor that influenced the people who responded it seems. The top 3 brands were:
KingFisher - USP (Advertising, Availability, Price)
Fosters - USP (Brand Image, Stylish, Taste)
Haywards - USP (Alcohol Content)
But midst all these, the presenter wooed all of us by this extempore sher:
Well, thats some gyan i guess. U see, people have fun at B-schools too, Cheers :-)
All the groups did well. Our group gave a presentation on the major factors that influence the B-school rankings. We pooled in data from Business World's cosmode rankings and Outlook's rankings for the year 2005. We found that Placements, Admissions and Networking were the 3 major factors that influenced the rankings upto about 83%!!
One of the groups gave a presentation on Google Adsense which could be useful to many of the bloggers.
Another group came up with a presentation on what makes people choose a particular brand of BEER in KERALA:-)...interesting eh? 'Availability' of the brand easily was the major factor that influenced the people who responded it seems. The top 3 brands were:
KingFisher - USP (Advertising, Availability, Price)
Fosters - USP (Brand Image, Stylish, Taste)
Haywards - USP (Alcohol Content)
But midst all these, the presenter wooed all of us by this extempore sher:
Woh gulab bhi kaisa gulab jo mehektha nahi,
Woh sharab bhi kaisa sharab jo behektha nahi!!
Well, thats some gyan i guess. U see, people have fun at B-schools too, Cheers :-)
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Was Tipu a Freemason?
The Code of Tipu Sultan
Was King Of Srirangapatna A Freemason?
Source: TOI, 7th June '06
By T S Sreenivasa Raghavan/TNN
The lights at the movie theatre dim and eventually die. The sole projector-generated image flickering on screen is a black-and-white disclaimer, looking out of place in a Hollywood production. It says the story about to unfold before the packed house is absolutely untrue. Without this disclaimer, the powerful forces of Christianity would not allow The Da Vinci Code, based on thriller-writer Dan Brown’s eponymous bestseller, to be released. After all, Brown spoke with authority on Jesus Christ’s bloodline. The Da Vinci Code was also littered with references to a highly secretive society other than Opus Dei. The society of Freemasons. His upcoming book, in fact, deals only with their world — a secretive fraternal order. Not a religious or a political organisation, it is an invitations-only society. Closer home and much closer in time than the beginnings of Christianity, Tipu Sultan, ruler of Srirangapatna of the 1700s, was rumoured to have been one. A Freemason. This, according to Robert Freke Gould, in his book Military Lodges: The Apron And The Sword Of Freemasonry Under Arms, published in the late 1890s. Freke himself was the founding member of London’s Quatuor Coronati Lodge and a lieutenant in the 31st Regiment of the English army. He is an early proponent of the authentic school of Masonic research and has written a three-volume book called the History Of Freemasonry. A Masonic lodge is the basic organisation of Freemasonry. Shrouded in secrecy, the beliefs, rituals and meetings of Freemasons are not widely known. It is thought this secret sect had their start as a group of male skilled professionals, highly experienced in architecture and masonry. To ensure that this knowledge remained among themselves, it is theorised, the secrecy began. There are secret handshakes, secret meetings and secret levels within freemasonry. Though formed on the basis of solidarity, the French Freemasons were not unified with the British Freemasons. In his fight against the British imperialism, Tipu Sultan found a natural ally in the French Freemasons. He was inspired by the French Revolution, rumoured to have been prepared at the lodges of Freemasons. Louis the 16th, though, had refused to enter into a military pact with Tipu, despite his repeated requests. However, at a later stage, it appears, Tipu’s Freemason status helped him win a staunch ally in Napoleon Bonaparte, who too is supposed to have dabbled with Freemasonry. While accepting the club membership, Tipu is said to have told France: Behold my acknowledgement of the standard of your country which is dear to me, and to which I am allied; it shall always be supported in my country as it has been in the Republic, my sister. The primary objective of the British Freemasons in Mysore to revive the Masonic lodges though was to initiate Tipu’s enemies into the fraternity; to enlist their political support in their efforts to overthrow Tipu. The contradiction doesn’t end there. The mystery deepens further when one learns Freemasons have always made a strange mix. For instance, eminent Indian freedom fighters, including Pandit Motilal Nehru, C Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad and S Radhakrishnan were said to be Freemasons. Added to this list is Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer, who propagated the theory of secession. These episodes might tempt one to believe that if Tipu indeed was a Freemason, he would have treated British Freemasons better during wartime. But the Anglo-Mysore wars resulted in the decline of Freemasonry in India, because many British army personnel, who were the fraternity’s pillars, became Tipu’s war prisoners. Here, we have a curious episode culled out from history. In 1782, a battalion under Captain (Sir David) Baird had gone to assist Col Baillie, who was in danger of being surrounded by the army led by Hyder Ali and Tipu. But the whole English force was cut to pieces by Hyder Ali and Tipu. Freke writes: Baird was severely wounded and left for dead, but managed to find his way into the French camp, from which however he soon passed with his companions into the power of Hyder Ali, who treated the captives with oriental brutality. After his death, when Lady Baird laid the foundation stone for erecting a monument in memory of her departed husband with Masonic honours in 1832, she consciously chose May 4 for the occasion. For, it was on that day Baird took Srirangapatna by storm and killed Tipu. But can Freemasons ever gang up against their own brethren? That is if one is to consider Tipu a Freemason. Going by the French handing over of Baird knowing fully well he was a Freemason to Hyder Ali, they certainly can. Freke says: Gen Horne had also been a prisoner of war, though his captivity was unattended by any similar hardships and indeed left very pleasing recollections behind it, as he experienced the most fraternal kindness from French lodges at Bourbon and the Isle of France, which is gracefully referred to at the close of a letter addressed by him to the officers of Grand Lodge of England on Jan 16, 1785. This statement is not without substance, considering that Marquis de Lafayette the man who played an important role in the French Revolutionary cause was actually initiated into Freemasonry by George Washington. In fact, it was the Freemasons who founded Jacobin Club that became the radical nucleus of French Revolution. The Jacobian Club in France, born out of an inspiration for liberty and republicanism, had its reverberations in the distant land of Mysore, too, where it came into existence with Tipu’s active blessings.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Banks at sea over credit card tax-implications on GEFC?
Banks at sea over credit card tax
Service tax on the card transaction chain creates confusion
Source: Economic Times, 5th June '06
George Smith Alexander MUMBAI
THE date for payment of the first installment of service tax on card payments on Monday was marked by confusion among banks.
The confusion arose on account of the fees levied by banks on merchants or establishments where the electronic data capture (EDC) terminals are deployed by banks. Currently, banks which deploy these terminals, called acquiring banks in industry parlance, charge close to 1.5% to the merchants. Of this, around 1.1% goes to the issuing bank, or the bank that has issued the credit or debit card, a small sum is credited to card issuers such as Visa or MasterCard, while the rest is retained by the acquiring bank.
Service tax has been levied on these back-end card transactions with effect from May 1, '06. Generally, the invoice is the basis of service tax assessment, and the date of payment to the service vendor is crucial to determine the due date for tax payment. However, banks are wary as unlike other business deals, no invoice is issued to another person in the card payment chain.
Banks have other worries, too. The date of receipt of consideration for each person is different. Against this backdrop, banks feel that it would be better if
certain crucial aspects of this levy are clarified upfront to avoid litigation in future. This is because the amounts involved are huge. The first due date for tax payment was June 5.
Says Prasad Paranjape, director, RSM Advisory Services, "The government needs to intervene and issue clarifications after talks with industry players as to who the service provider is - the issuing bank, the acquiring bank or
both put together. Does a taxable event occurs when the merchant establishment is charged or an acquiring bank is paid by the issuing bank or when a issuing bank is paid by the card holder needs to be clarified." According to bankers, there is confusion on the transaction chain at which the service tax has to be charged. They feel that the service tax has to be paid on 1.5%, ie on the acquiring fees. However, the way the Finance Act has been worded, the issuing bank would also have to pay on the 1.5% and also again on 1.1%. This would amount to double taxation on the same fees, say bankers and tax experts. Banks have now decided that they would pay fees only on the whole 1.5%. Using this approach, the acquiring bank would pay tax on the 0.2%, while the issuing bank would pay for 1.1%.
Over the past few years, the merchant fees of banks have come down drastically from close to 2.5% to around 1.2-1.3%. Bigger retailers, hotels and others which record heavy transactions, pay lower fees, while smaller retailers and hoteliers pay higher fees of around 1.5-2%. The charges are also marginally higher in the non-metros. Though banks may not charge the service tax on bigger retailers, the impact of this move on smaller merchants remains to be seen.
Assignment - Need to superimpose the above economic dev's implications on to the GEFC cycle..working on it. Meanwhile if any1 hits upon this and has any thought on this, plz post it:-)
Well, I came up with the following:
Implications on GEFC:
The confusion regarding who is the service vendor - issuing bank, the acquiring bank or both put together should be cleared by the Govt.
Also, which is the taxable event - when the merchant establishment is charged or an acquiring bank is paid by the issuing bank or when a issuing bank is paid by the card holder?
Financial Intermediaries:
Given that the service tax is imposed on the banks, whether the issuing bank pays or the acquiring bank pays, there will be an implication on the GEFC. The banks will try to squeeze in this outflow by increasing the service charge to the merchants. Here, the financial intermediaries are affecting the production sector.
Household Sector:
Since the merchant has to pay a higher service charge to the banks, he will try to squeeze in this amount from the customer. Thus, the customer will have to cough up more for the same product which he would have bought at a lower price earlier.
Production Sector:
As the banks will increase the service charge/fee that the merchant has to pay, the merchant’s profits will go down. To maintain the previous level of profit, the merchant will tend to charge more from the customer. Since the merchant charges more from the customer, if the product is a commodity product, there will be no change in its demand/sales. But if the product is a life-style/luxury product, then its demand may go down. Thus, the company or the production sector is affected.
Government:
The Government in any case will benefit as it will get the extra income from the newly imposed service tax. The Government gains from the tax that the vendor pays for the sales done and from the new tax that the banks will now have to pay (for the same transactions that has been already taxed). This, in a way is double taxation benefit to the Government.
Forex:
This sector remains unaffected.
Service tax on the card transaction chain creates confusion
Source: Economic Times, 5th June '06
George Smith Alexander MUMBAI
THE date for payment of the first installment of service tax on card payments on Monday was marked by confusion among banks.
The confusion arose on account of the fees levied by banks on merchants or establishments where the electronic data capture (EDC) terminals are deployed by banks. Currently, banks which deploy these terminals, called acquiring banks in industry parlance, charge close to 1.5% to the merchants. Of this, around 1.1% goes to the issuing bank, or the bank that has issued the credit or debit card, a small sum is credited to card issuers such as Visa or MasterCard, while the rest is retained by the acquiring bank.
Service tax has been levied on these back-end card transactions with effect from May 1, '06. Generally, the invoice is the basis of service tax assessment, and the date of payment to the service vendor is crucial to determine the due date for tax payment. However, banks are wary as unlike other business deals, no invoice is issued to another person in the card payment chain.
Banks have other worries, too. The date of receipt of consideration for each person is different. Against this backdrop, banks feel that it would be better if
certain crucial aspects of this levy are clarified upfront to avoid litigation in future. This is because the amounts involved are huge. The first due date for tax payment was June 5.
Says Prasad Paranjape, director, RSM Advisory Services, "The government needs to intervene and issue clarifications after talks with industry players as to who the service provider is - the issuing bank, the acquiring bank or
both put together. Does a taxable event occurs when the merchant establishment is charged or an acquiring bank is paid by the issuing bank or when a issuing bank is paid by the card holder needs to be clarified." According to bankers, there is confusion on the transaction chain at which the service tax has to be charged. They feel that the service tax has to be paid on 1.5%, ie on the acquiring fees. However, the way the Finance Act has been worded, the issuing bank would also have to pay on the 1.5% and also again on 1.1%. This would amount to double taxation on the same fees, say bankers and tax experts. Banks have now decided that they would pay fees only on the whole 1.5%. Using this approach, the acquiring bank would pay tax on the 0.2%, while the issuing bank would pay for 1.1%.
Over the past few years, the merchant fees of banks have come down drastically from close to 2.5% to around 1.2-1.3%. Bigger retailers, hotels and others which record heavy transactions, pay lower fees, while smaller retailers and hoteliers pay higher fees of around 1.5-2%. The charges are also marginally higher in the non-metros. Though banks may not charge the service tax on bigger retailers, the impact of this move on smaller merchants remains to be seen.
Assignment - Need to superimpose the above economic dev's implications on to the GEFC cycle..working on it. Meanwhile if any1 hits upon this and has any thought on this, plz post it:-)
Well, I came up with the following:
Implications on GEFC:
The confusion regarding who is the service vendor - issuing bank, the acquiring bank or both put together should be cleared by the Govt.
Also, which is the taxable event - when the merchant establishment is charged or an acquiring bank is paid by the issuing bank or when a issuing bank is paid by the card holder?
Financial Intermediaries:
Given that the service tax is imposed on the banks, whether the issuing bank pays or the acquiring bank pays, there will be an implication on the GEFC. The banks will try to squeeze in this outflow by increasing the service charge to the merchants. Here, the financial intermediaries are affecting the production sector.
Household Sector:
Since the merchant has to pay a higher service charge to the banks, he will try to squeeze in this amount from the customer. Thus, the customer will have to cough up more for the same product which he would have bought at a lower price earlier.
Production Sector:
As the banks will increase the service charge/fee that the merchant has to pay, the merchant’s profits will go down. To maintain the previous level of profit, the merchant will tend to charge more from the customer. Since the merchant charges more from the customer, if the product is a commodity product, there will be no change in its demand/sales. But if the product is a life-style/luxury product, then its demand may go down. Thus, the company or the production sector is affected.
Government:
The Government in any case will benefit as it will get the extra income from the newly imposed service tax. The Government gains from the tax that the vendor pays for the sales done and from the new tax that the banks will now have to pay (for the same transactions that has been already taxed). This, in a way is double taxation benefit to the Government.
Forex:
This sector remains unaffected.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Fanaa - My review
Movie: Fanaa
Rating: **
Tere dil mein mere saason ko panah miljaye,
Tere ishq mein meri jaan fanaa hojaye!!
Have watched Fanaa twice now-first time with family and second time with friends. Trust me, its not worth watching this movie more than once. The pace is slow, and the script isn’t appealing either. The story starts off with Kajol setting out to find her soulmate in the country’s capital – She’s part of a Kashmiri team that has to perform at the Rastrapathi Bhavan. Aamir gives a shaayari entry as a tour guide and charms everyone. Suddenly, there’s a flood of sher-shayari and for once, I felt good listening to shayari---all credits to Aamir, Kajol and the lyricist on this one. Then the usual story of boy-gal running around trees begins. All is well until a blast at the Rastrapathi Bhavan brings in the news of Aamir’s death. The story takes a wild turn from there on.
The cinematography is awesome (which reminded me of my honeymoon at manaliJ) and the background music is crisp. I liked only two songs though – Chand Sifarish and Mere haathon mein tera haath!
It’s a welcome comeback by Kajol who’s looks stunning (although am a die-hard Preity Zinta fan). She’s at her best and her expressions are amazing. Aamir as usual has given his more than 100% and sports three hairstyles in a span of 2.5 hrs. The movie would have been a disaster if not for these two great stars!
Rating: **
Tere dil mein mere saason ko panah miljaye,
Tere ishq mein meri jaan fanaa hojaye!!
Have watched Fanaa twice now-first time with family and second time with friends. Trust me, its not worth watching this movie more than once. The pace is slow, and the script isn’t appealing either. The story starts off with Kajol setting out to find her soulmate in the country’s capital – She’s part of a Kashmiri team that has to perform at the Rastrapathi Bhavan. Aamir gives a shaayari entry as a tour guide and charms everyone. Suddenly, there’s a flood of sher-shayari and for once, I felt good listening to shayari---all credits to Aamir, Kajol and the lyricist on this one. Then the usual story of boy-gal running around trees begins. All is well until a blast at the Rastrapathi Bhavan brings in the news of Aamir’s death. The story takes a wild turn from there on.
The cinematography is awesome (which reminded me of my honeymoon at manaliJ) and the background music is crisp. I liked only two songs though – Chand Sifarish and Mere haathon mein tera haath!
It’s a welcome comeback by Kajol who’s looks stunning (although am a die-hard Preity Zinta fan). She’s at her best and her expressions are amazing. Aamir as usual has given his more than 100% and sports three hairstyles in a span of 2.5 hrs. The movie would have been a disaster if not for these two great stars!
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