Okay so this is frivolous, hilarious and also interesting!
It so began...I was looking at the statistics for my blogsite to understand who was gracing my blog with their presence. Amongst the referrer path links I found a couple for BlogShares. Obviously, I went to checkout this website..Lo and behold what do I find! Its a site for fictional trading of blogs....
Herz what their website says about them:
"BlogShares is a simulated, fantasy stock market for weblogs where players invest fictional money to buy stocks and bonds in an artificial economy where attention is the commodity and weblogs are the companies. Weblogs, or blogs for short, are valued by their incoming links from other known blogs. In effect, links become the business deals in the simulation and players speculate on the fortunes of thousands of blogs by buying and selling shares. A whole host of options exist for advanced play including gifting shares, leveraged buy-outs, stock splits, additional share issues, market and player bonds. Anyone can play BlogShares for free, and ownership of a blog is not a requirement to participate."
Its a damn good idea! Again based on the tenets of the now very common Page-Rank algorithm first developed by Larry Page of Google fame. So pretty much my blog is going to be a low value stock forever I guess; as the number of incoming links to my blog are negligible. I will need to get hooked into this fictional blog trading business for a bit just to get a flavor..hmm..Time is a constraint..Will surely come back to BlogShares later this summer to try my luck as a very talented equity analyst...ha ha...Very interesting though...
Where do people get these ideas ? (light bulb) Me thinks need to get good sleep and great ideas will visit me in my dreams!
The Americans are coming to India!
Hurray..India is really pacing fast on the economic treadmill..After China, India is one country where a lot of money is being invested these days by the Western World...Big names like GE, Dell, Google, Intel, etc. are all trying to utilize India's cheap and skilled human resources to their advantage..Nothing wrong with that..This is driving a whole new breed of millions of graduating seniors at Indian educational institutions towards professional excellence at the international level...
The positive growth of the IT sector has given the Indian workforce a springboard to make up for the lost years when the Government was very conservative towards foreign investment. Hopefully development in India will soon turn into an unending cycle of events that will not only attract more and more investment but will also drive human potential to India and their excellence in turn will result in further development. If such a vicious chain of growth were to set in, India can also hope for a lesser impact of the brain-drain effect. Every year close to 100,000 students leave India for graduate level education at various universities at USA, UK and Australia and then settle in with dollar paying jobs outside India. Many argue that they settle abroad not because of the money but for better career opportunities and global exposure which they would have been unable to obtain back in India. Now with a new shop setup everyday by a Fortune 1000 company in India, times are changing......
Global brand names are hiring by 100s in India and offering high paying jobs with cutting edge research opportunities...Google, Yahoo, Ebay and many of the top guns of the internet space are investing in the Indian workforce..The outsourcing revolution in India however had started with the BPO sector which is still prospering but how much can be gained in the long term from these companies remains to be seen..Its true that the BPO companies have become a haven for freshly graduating arts and humanities majors but the fact is that these low IP jobs will in no way help India rise in the world as a tech czar. A higher level of long term growth, development, recognition and business can be drawn to India only by Innovation not Cost.
After 57 years of freedom and democracy, India despite its variety and diversity of national problems has come back on the business world map as a booming and upcoming powerhouse of talent and work-horse...Lets see where we reach in the next 10 years?
Now that the world is recognizing the direction of technological development we are seeing more and more foreign nationals coming from the West to the East in search of exciting opportunities. Good or bad, I am pretty sure that India will definitely be an interesting experience in the lives of these early adopters. While India's infrastruture is still plagued with problems, gone are the days when someone asked me if cows keep roaming on all the Indian streets, now I have non-Indian friends asking me about best places to visit in India. One daring friend of mine from Stanford, boldly went to India for a summer internship with a hi-tech company this summer. So far she has seen more of India especially remote India in the last 3 months than I have seen in the 22 years that I lived in India.
While trying to keep myself updated about the world and India, I came across this interesting blog by Cecilia from USA who is currently in Bangalore. Its definitely worth a read and seems to have caught quite a bit of attention in the Indian press recently. The posting about her getting sick and a tremendous and speedy recovery is amazingly funny and reminds me of good 'ol India every time I fall sick here in the US and the doctors won't just give me any antibiotics no matter how miserable I am.
You can see Cecilia's blog at http://cvillalon.blogspot.com/
You can checkout the Times of India article at At 57, India stands tall
The positive growth of the IT sector has given the Indian workforce a springboard to make up for the lost years when the Government was very conservative towards foreign investment. Hopefully development in India will soon turn into an unending cycle of events that will not only attract more and more investment but will also drive human potential to India and their excellence in turn will result in further development. If such a vicious chain of growth were to set in, India can also hope for a lesser impact of the brain-drain effect. Every year close to 100,000 students leave India for graduate level education at various universities at USA, UK and Australia and then settle in with dollar paying jobs outside India. Many argue that they settle abroad not because of the money but for better career opportunities and global exposure which they would have been unable to obtain back in India. Now with a new shop setup everyday by a Fortune 1000 company in India, times are changing......
Global brand names are hiring by 100s in India and offering high paying jobs with cutting edge research opportunities...Google, Yahoo, Ebay and many of the top guns of the internet space are investing in the Indian workforce..The outsourcing revolution in India however had started with the BPO sector which is still prospering but how much can be gained in the long term from these companies remains to be seen..Its true that the BPO companies have become a haven for freshly graduating arts and humanities majors but the fact is that these low IP jobs will in no way help India rise in the world as a tech czar. A higher level of long term growth, development, recognition and business can be drawn to India only by Innovation not Cost.
After 57 years of freedom and democracy, India despite its variety and diversity of national problems has come back on the business world map as a booming and upcoming powerhouse of talent and work-horse...Lets see where we reach in the next 10 years?
Now that the world is recognizing the direction of technological development we are seeing more and more foreign nationals coming from the West to the East in search of exciting opportunities. Good or bad, I am pretty sure that India will definitely be an interesting experience in the lives of these early adopters. While India's infrastruture is still plagued with problems, gone are the days when someone asked me if cows keep roaming on all the Indian streets, now I have non-Indian friends asking me about best places to visit in India. One daring friend of mine from Stanford, boldly went to India for a summer internship with a hi-tech company this summer. So far she has seen more of India especially remote India in the last 3 months than I have seen in the 22 years that I lived in India.
While trying to keep myself updated about the world and India, I came across this interesting blog by Cecilia from USA who is currently in Bangalore. Its definitely worth a read and seems to have caught quite a bit of attention in the Indian press recently. The posting about her getting sick and a tremendous and speedy recovery is amazingly funny and reminds me of good 'ol India every time I fall sick here in the US and the doctors won't just give me any antibiotics no matter how miserable I am.
You can see Cecilia's blog at http://cvillalon.blogspot.com/
You can checkout the Times of India article at At 57, India stands tall
On Friends & Joey
The one with the game for the apartment (Copyright NBC)
How u doin'
Ha ha.. So last night I saw this promo for "Joey" a new comedy series starting next month with Matt Le Blanc from Friends playing Joey sans all his 'friends'...
This reminded me of Friends, the evergreen jolly good TV show that I immensely enjoyed. Till a few months back, my daily routine included watching a Friends rerun either on TV or DVD while having dinner. I have seen most of the episodes at least 3-5 times and yet never do I miss cracking on the jokes...Unlike most people, I never had a favorite on Friends...I loved all the characters at various stages in the decade long show - Joey for his dumb act, Chandler for his quirks, Ross for being weird at times, Monica for her compulsiveness, Rachel for being a spoilt brat turned responsible girl and Phoebe for being an active promoter of "Normal is boring".....
Together all of them gave a lot of people a reason to laugh and have a fun time..Not only were the 30 minutes full of gags but I guess a lot of situations allowed people to relate to the characters or events in the story with their real lives...
Several episodes are all time favorites and are highly recommended to watch if you haven't already..Like the one where Joey breaks his fridge and trys to get all his friends pay for him or the one where Joey finds Rachel's book and teases her in all ways possible about the sexy instances in the book or the one where Rachel moves on and starts dating Mark while Ross is glued to the peep-hole of Chandler's apartment in order to watch her moves or the one where the friends bet their apartment for a game or the one with the chick and the duck or the one with the cheese cake...This list can be endless..
Despite other shows of the decade which were equally good in all respects such as The 70s Show, X-Files, The Practice, Sex and the city...Friends has and always will have a very different place in the hearts of Friends lovers...I am one such fanatic and find no harm in saying so...Throughout the time span when the show was running we saw many events happen that could have dismantled such a well written and directed show yet luck and sense prevailed and the glorious and funniest show went on and on...
Many critics lashed out on the producers and directors for making the last 2 seasons very melodramatic and not as candid and funny as the previous seasons. However, while it was on, it was the highest rated show on primetime television.
What should one expect of Joey, the show is uncertain..I am a great fan of Matt Le Blanc but will he be able to live up to the expectations of the masses without the pure chemistry he shared with his co-stars on Friends ? This remains to be seen...Lets hope for the best...
For the uninitiated fans of Friends here a few things you should checkout:
The original Friends site
The Warner Bros Site
The NBC Friends site
The Friends DVD collection
The very popular Theme song 'I'll be there for you'
Story on CNN
Tons of other Friends sites
Classic friends lines
As Chandler would have said "Could it be...(pause)... any better?"
Important Site Changes !
Howdy people!
Okay so I have moved the the blog from its
earlier space on the web http://upasu.blogspot.com/ to its
new place http://upasana.blogspot.com/
I have also started a new blog in Hindi (the national language of India) in order to revive my writing skills in Hindi. This blog can be found at http://hindi-bhashi.blogspot.com/
Thats all for now !
Okay so I have moved the the blog from its
earlier space on the web http://upasu.blogspot.com/ to its
new place http://upasana.blogspot.com/
I have also started a new blog in Hindi (the national language of India) in order to revive my writing skills in Hindi. This blog can be found at http://hindi-bhashi.blogspot.com/
Thats all for now !
CROSSING THE LINES: KASHMIR, PAKISTAN, INDIA
Jammu &Kashmir Map (Copyright MSNBC)
Ironically, Kashmir was once called the Crown of India. As you can see the Crown is no more, on the right side China took a bite and on the left Pakistan took a share..And now the fight continues as Pakistan is vying for the India controlled Kashmir...
Last Saturday evening, I went to watch the screening of this documentary on Kashmir -CROSSING THE LINES: KASHMIR, PAKISTAN, INDIA at Stanford. The movie is made by a Pakistani physicist and tries to potray the story from both sides: India and Pakistan.
Before the film was screened some people gave talks on the Kashmir situation including an international security analyst who shared his ideas on why the West had easily ignored the Kashmir issue for years and how nuclear proliferation in South Asia had increased violence in the valley and led to the Kargil war. Then there was this Muslim female from Kashmir now settled in the US who talked about her first hand horrendous experiences during terrorism. I completely sympathized with her when she talked about the uncertain life and the Indian Army's acts against human rights. However, I found it hard to maintain objectivity when she said that the then J&K Governor Jagmohan had on purpose shipped out all Kashmiri Hindus (aka Pandits) out of the Kashmir Valley to Jammu so that the Army could backlash on the Muslims.
Here again I must state I might be wrong and might be losing my sense of objectivity as this is a topic that cuts straight to my heart. As a Kashmiri Hindu who never permanently lived in Kashmir I try not to make claims of first hand experience. Yet I am often reminded of personal losses on the same account and it is difficult to digest others' claims when facts are strangled conveniently.
To modestly say that militancy broke out and the very next day we saw all our Hindu friends and teachers at school were gone..they had fled from Kashmir and then in the same vein to say that this was done to ease the Army's lashing on the Muslims---is a gross mistake. One who is pained by experiencing violence must also realize that to leave one'e luxurious home, friends, relatives, businesses and fleeing away in a single night with only 1 pair of clothes and to start living from the next day in a shady camp with no access to bank accounts/money, food, clothing as well as basic amenities such as bathrooms, electricity is by no means a joke and 50,000+ Kashmiri Hindus would not accept this kind of fate if they had any other option. Most Kashmiri Pandits (henceforth KPs) fled Kashmir during a span of 1 week in trucks that left Srinagar at night and reached Jammu by morning and they did so because they had seen enough of their family and friends die and the then Indian Government was doing a pretty good job of neglecting their plight.
Anyways, coming back to the movie...The documentary had a lot of footage on the Pakistani side arguably, it was more accessible..The views portayed in the movie went from fundamentalist to moderate to liberal depending on the people interviewed....Various chronological events that brought us to Kashmir today were brought up....
A little debate can be facilitated on this issue yet, opening a Pandora's box is not a sound thing to do...The movie explained especially to the viewers of non South-Asian origin or otherwise ignorant that the Kashmir conflicted started because once Kashmir was incorporated as an Indian State the more educated KPs who also had higher economic stature dominated the state and oppressed the Muslims. This is in fact considered to be a major cause of the resentment borne by Kashmiri Muslims that later took on stronger names such as Jihadis and Revolutionaries. This in it self can be questioned ?? Starting with 1970s, there were widespread reservation policies setup for facilitating the education and employment of the Muslims in Kashmir. By this time although Muslims were protected by these reservation policies for a so called minority, the Muslims were in fact the majority in the region....Why these policies did not help? Because Kashmir due to its geography offered more business opportunities in the area of tourism and horticulture and far less academic and other jobs...While the KPs historically more inclined towards education (even the word Pandit means "one who is scholarly") fairly migrated to other parts of India for education and jobs the Muslims preferred to stay back in the Valley and pursue businesses....Many of the Muslims still were in the lower economic bracket as they continued to strive away from the Goverment's family planning initiatives and had larger families to support...Yet there wasn't much terrorism in the Valley then.....Most of the pro-Paksitani sentiment and the resentment feelings were inculcated in the Muslims in the late 1980s by the so called political activists turned terrorists who in the name of "Allah" started a bitter cycle of violence targeted towards the KPs...
In my mind again the movie does a poor job of explaining how Jihadis turned up in such large numbers all of a sudden...The ISI backed activities are considered a thing of the past..It is an important fact of the history of Kashmir that initially many Muslim youth were forced to become terrorists once they were kidnapped and taken across the border to traning camps in Pakistan....
Despite the bi-partisan view that the movie tries to present it was hard for me not to cry on watching the gut wrenching footage..At the same time I was disgusted by the taste of the people watching the movie who clapped at various instances at the mass blood bath footage shown..Appreciating a director is something but how people can laugh and clap at real people dying is beyond me..
At the end there was a long Q&A session which I sat through completely...As well known and insightful Mr. Hoodbhoy maybe his answers were less than satisfactory in many cases...For instance, a US based Pakistani gentleman asked him why when suggesting resolutions to the Kashmir problem everybody looked at it from a religious point of view..Why not a nationalistic point view, implying that if India were to grant Kashmir independence as a country India would be faced by similar circumstances in Assam, Punjab and ....Mr. Hoodbhoy answered that living in Kashmir it was impossible not to be religious minded- you had to take a side in order to exist..and saying that religion should not be a part of the equation would be unrealistic..while that maybe true it is also a fact that if India were to make an exception and give up Kashmir the entire political system in India would collapse....As incorrigible and incompetent our Government might be, its no simple feat to manage a country this diverse in religion, culture, language, what not...
While as an ex-Kashmiri inhabitant I wish that peace would prevail and normalcy were to come back in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, in the near future that does not seem to be happenning...
I still miss Srinagar, Dal Lake, Habbakadal, Gulmarg, Pahelgam, Patnitop and pray that my Dad's wish of retiring back in the solace of his home in Srinagar comes true. Sometimes I wonder at what cost ?? Just in terms of human life so much has been lost in Kashmir and that includes civilians, Jihadis and the Indian Army...Then there is also billions of money burnt on the defence action forces in the Valley since the last 15 years and after all this what is left...A blood stained region, with the economy worth zero, the natural treasures destroyed and nobody wanting to live there....
To the common Indian, Pakistani or world citizen Kashmir is a forgotten story! To some its a daily keyword in the Indian newspapers with the just the number of deaths changing everyday....To some its the World...Hopefully the glory of Maij (Kashmiri for 'Mother') Kashmir will be restored someday...God Bless the people of Kashmir!
Background on the film & director:
http://www.ektaonline.org/~friendso/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4201688/
Some Other Reviews:
http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/archives/archives2004/kashmir20040511b.html
http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/000312.html
Some sites with information and insights on the Kashmir issue:
Disclaimer: I have not read all the articles on these sites and do not endorse any/all of the information published.
http://ikashmir.org/Refugees/index.html
http://www.panunkashmir.org/index.html http://www.zackvision.com/weblog/archives/kashmir/index.html
http://www.indianet.nl/indpak51.html
http://www.mindspring.com/~akhila_raman/
Immigration Laws :: A Pain in the Ass
Alright so this one is going to be downright venting of my frustrations hence please don't read unless you are really bored.
Till morning I was blessed and happy that in a week's time I would be home enjoying a vacation with Mom & Dad in our super cool old house in India. This would not only give me a chance to live with them for 2-3 weeks after 2 years but I will also get to meet my friends, relatives, Grandmother. All in all I was planning to have a blast of a time before coming back and starting to work here in the US of A.
All was well yesterday when I had booked a ticket, talked to the foreign student officer and made lists of what all gifts I should purchase. There was this bit of a doubt instilled in me last night by a friend to the effect that I shouldn't leave the country while I am switching visas; I might not be allowed back into US.
So I was a woman on a mission today....I talked in length with all the foreign student officers, opened the exact code regulation on the US Homeland Security website and gained an accurate understanding of all possible circumstances that I could face. To my chagrin, despite the fact that the law was on my side and that I would have all the necessary legal documents to re-enter the country, it was ultimately at the discretion of the immigration officer who would interview me once I landed in the US to decide whether of not to let me enter......Isn't it strange..
On one hand I have all the papers necessary to enter the country but on the flip side I may still be deported back from the US. This is by the way true for all non-US citizens on any kind of visa. Anytime you can be asked to leave the US with/without any specific cited reasons. Moreover, you cannot legally challenge the decision of an immigration officer....
While as an objective person I realize that for a country of the stature of US it must be difficult to manage foreign citizens in the country especially since the 9/11 episode and that every precaution must be taken so as not to allow unlawful entry of people or lawful entry of criminals...I still find the immigration laws strange..Why???
If it were the case that a terrorist was trying to enter the US and an immigration officer would realise something is fishy and/or even recognize him, would he in such a case deport him? No I am pretty sure the US would let him enter, charge him, keep him here and try him in a court of law. But for others who have mainatained a clean history in the country and are here for educational/business purposes clearly indicated by legal paperwork they would much rather deport a person at the slightest hint of suspicion/doubt/whim....
Still not convinced about this anomaly in the immigration department's workings, I talked to 4 different immigration lawyers..What they told me was even more shocking...They said that I had a 25% chance of not being allowed back into the country at the whim/discretion/mood/background of the immigration officer..More so they advised me that if it was an emergency for which I needed to go to India, I should go ahead but if not, I should take the safe route and stay here...They also asked me questions about my religion, ethnic origin, etc..because in case I was Muslim/Sikh or a male with a turban I was 100% at risk of not being allowed back into the US.....
At the end of the day I felt angry, mad and sad because I won't be able to see my parents..They will advise me not to risk my career goals etc. for a 15 day visit to India and tell me to go vacationing in the US itself, but I know inside their hearts will be broken ...More so because now I won't be able to meet them till sometime next year when post my work permit the processing of my next visa H1 will start, which will again take a few months.....
A dialogue from a popular comedy Hindi flick came to mind when I tried to console myself -
In Gujarati language:
"Carom ramvanu, juice pivanu..Majja ni life!!"
Translated to English:
"Play carom (a board game) and drink juice...Life is fun!!"
While my freinds go and enjoy in India and I get bored here, my motto for the remaining summer will be -
In Gujarati language:
"Blog karvanu, swim karvanu, desi jamvanu..Majja ni life!!"
Translated to English:
"Blog, swim and eat Indian food...Life is fun!!"
Till morning I was blessed and happy that in a week's time I would be home enjoying a vacation with Mom & Dad in our super cool old house in India. This would not only give me a chance to live with them for 2-3 weeks after 2 years but I will also get to meet my friends, relatives, Grandmother. All in all I was planning to have a blast of a time before coming back and starting to work here in the US of A.
All was well yesterday when I had booked a ticket, talked to the foreign student officer and made lists of what all gifts I should purchase. There was this bit of a doubt instilled in me last night by a friend to the effect that I shouldn't leave the country while I am switching visas; I might not be allowed back into US.
So I was a woman on a mission today....I talked in length with all the foreign student officers, opened the exact code regulation on the US Homeland Security website and gained an accurate understanding of all possible circumstances that I could face. To my chagrin, despite the fact that the law was on my side and that I would have all the necessary legal documents to re-enter the country, it was ultimately at the discretion of the immigration officer who would interview me once I landed in the US to decide whether of not to let me enter......Isn't it strange..
On one hand I have all the papers necessary to enter the country but on the flip side I may still be deported back from the US. This is by the way true for all non-US citizens on any kind of visa. Anytime you can be asked to leave the US with/without any specific cited reasons. Moreover, you cannot legally challenge the decision of an immigration officer....
While as an objective person I realize that for a country of the stature of US it must be difficult to manage foreign citizens in the country especially since the 9/11 episode and that every precaution must be taken so as not to allow unlawful entry of people or lawful entry of criminals...I still find the immigration laws strange..Why???
If it were the case that a terrorist was trying to enter the US and an immigration officer would realise something is fishy and/or even recognize him, would he in such a case deport him? No I am pretty sure the US would let him enter, charge him, keep him here and try him in a court of law. But for others who have mainatained a clean history in the country and are here for educational/business purposes clearly indicated by legal paperwork they would much rather deport a person at the slightest hint of suspicion/doubt/whim....
Still not convinced about this anomaly in the immigration department's workings, I talked to 4 different immigration lawyers..What they told me was even more shocking...They said that I had a 25% chance of not being allowed back into the country at the whim/discretion/mood/background of the immigration officer..More so they advised me that if it was an emergency for which I needed to go to India, I should go ahead but if not, I should take the safe route and stay here...They also asked me questions about my religion, ethnic origin, etc..because in case I was Muslim/Sikh or a male with a turban I was 100% at risk of not being allowed back into the US.....
At the end of the day I felt angry, mad and sad because I won't be able to see my parents..They will advise me not to risk my career goals etc. for a 15 day visit to India and tell me to go vacationing in the US itself, but I know inside their hearts will be broken ...More so because now I won't be able to meet them till sometime next year when post my work permit the processing of my next visa H1 will start, which will again take a few months.....
A dialogue from a popular comedy Hindi flick came to mind when I tried to console myself -
In Gujarati language:
"Carom ramvanu, juice pivanu..Majja ni life!!"
Translated to English:
"Play carom (a board game) and drink juice...Life is fun!!"
While my freinds go and enjoy in India and I get bored here, my motto for the remaining summer will be -
In Gujarati language:
"Blog karvanu, swim karvanu, desi jamvanu..Majja ni life!!"
Translated to English:
"Blog, swim and eat Indian food...Life is fun!!"
Site features down!
Uhmm..
Not good at all. Just when I thought the blog site is all setup and will run fine for a few weeks..!!?
Anyways, so the sidebar on my blogspot is loading after a lag time, and this is because the Unky Moods server is down and is in turn causing things to load slowly w/o my mood on the sidebar.
I guess there is nothing wrong in the code so it makes sense to just wait it out for the time being..Hopefully Unky will be back soon and the site will flourish in its original form..
-UT
Not good at all. Just when I thought the blog site is all setup and will run fine for a few weeks..!!?
Anyways, so the sidebar on my blogspot is loading after a lag time, and this is because the Unky Moods server is down and is in turn causing things to load slowly w/o my mood on the sidebar.
I guess there is nothing wrong in the code so it makes sense to just wait it out for the time being..Hopefully Unky will be back soon and the site will flourish in its original form..
-UT
Of baby birds & Journeys back home
If sky was the limit indeed,
With daring first strokes of its petite wings
Off would fly the little bird
Scared at first, couragesous thereafter.
Learning to leapfrog with time and travel
It would travel to far off lands;
Lands unkown to all in the baby bird's flock
For this one was that lame sheep
Who was left behind when newly flying baby birds
Together practiced their strokes and felt the high
Of moving so fast so high from the ground.
Who was to know that same bird
Would one day fly off to a land far away
Where it would see and enjoy the sights of a world unknown hitherto
A world very different from the bird's nested little house
On that homely tree that protected it from all the sun
Lost now in this matrix of attractive sights
Confused and tired was the baby bird
Fending off stormy winds and birds of this new habitat
Where love, caring and sharing were values too much to have
It was then that the bird did the two first things
Its mommy had taught it
It prayed to God and then thought about its family
Oh! how nice it would be to go to them
To chirp, laugh and cry with them
To go back to that land of love where the baby learnt its first strokes
And then with proud baby steps it took off again
On that long journey back home
Where love abounded in abundance
And even foes were as good as friends
Love, God and Courage carried the baby bird
Through rough weather and wrong lanes
It found its way slowly back
And there was everybody
Out in the open sky looking far and out for the baby bird
That lame last one who had outflown all !
With daring first strokes of its petite wings
Off would fly the little bird
Scared at first, couragesous thereafter.
Learning to leapfrog with time and travel
It would travel to far off lands;
Lands unkown to all in the baby bird's flock
For this one was that lame sheep
Who was left behind when newly flying baby birds
Together practiced their strokes and felt the high
Of moving so fast so high from the ground.
Who was to know that same bird
Would one day fly off to a land far away
Where it would see and enjoy the sights of a world unknown hitherto
A world very different from the bird's nested little house
On that homely tree that protected it from all the sun
Lost now in this matrix of attractive sights
Confused and tired was the baby bird
Fending off stormy winds and birds of this new habitat
Where love, caring and sharing were values too much to have
It was then that the bird did the two first things
Its mommy had taught it
It prayed to God and then thought about its family
Oh! how nice it would be to go to them
To chirp, laugh and cry with them
To go back to that land of love where the baby learnt its first strokes
And then with proud baby steps it took off again
On that long journey back home
Where love abounded in abundance
And even foes were as good as friends
Love, God and Courage carried the baby bird
Through rough weather and wrong lanes
It found its way slowly back
And there was everybody
Out in the open sky looking far and out for the baby bird
That lame last one who had outflown all !
Does MBA really bring value?
"In today's prestigious business schools, students have to demonstrate competence to get in, but not to get out." - J. S. Armstrong
This is the longest I must've pondered about a posting. I started this one on 5th Aug when I had recently read a truly eye-opening article by Professor Pfeffer (from our very own Stanford GSB) on the value of business education. The reason I say eye-opening is because personally as a fresh graduate from Stanford, I had this in some corner of my brain that someday I might come back to school for a MBA degree. This being after taking couple of classes at the Stanford Business School (open to Stanford engineering grads), understanding certain aspects about B-school i.e. the hogwash element and also most importantly deciphering the value ascribed to a business degree by the industry in terms of job responsibilities, salary, perks, repute what not.
As is rampant in the consumerist economy, the stamp of a MBA degree from a reputed school goes a long way in one's career, i.e. on one's resume for career progression or as proof of a person's academic/scholastic abilities (read Bush's MBA degree :)). Hence, in terms of valuation and cost benefit analysis, an MBA degree is a sound investment, the payback period is very short and the returns easily outrun the huge dollars worth of tuition spent. However, whether the education really imparts any intrinsic value in terms of knowledge gain and a person's ability to successfully manage a business is questionable!!
Many experienced and knowledgeable academicians have come forward and themselves pointed out the flaws in the business/management education system presently, mocking to say that its much more a billion dollar industry in itself rather than a scholarly department in a university.
Recent numbers published suggest there is a downward trend in number of students applying to B-schools, number of GMAT test takers as well as (much more close to home-base) the number of Indians and Chinese trying to get MBA degrees..Whether this is an after effect of the bouncing back economy or the understanding that MBAs are overrated: I don't know....I am very interested in this issue and will actively update this posting with any new insights that I read of.
Please be sure to voice your opinion here or check back later for new info added in this regard. Enjoy the interesting articles linked below:
The End of Business Schools?Less Success Than Meets the Eye By Jeffrey Pfeffer and Christina T. Fong
MBA program numbers down
This is the longest I must've pondered about a posting. I started this one on 5th Aug when I had recently read a truly eye-opening article by Professor Pfeffer (from our very own Stanford GSB) on the value of business education. The reason I say eye-opening is because personally as a fresh graduate from Stanford, I had this in some corner of my brain that someday I might come back to school for a MBA degree. This being after taking couple of classes at the Stanford Business School (open to Stanford engineering grads), understanding certain aspects about B-school i.e. the hogwash element and also most importantly deciphering the value ascribed to a business degree by the industry in terms of job responsibilities, salary, perks, repute what not.
As is rampant in the consumerist economy, the stamp of a MBA degree from a reputed school goes a long way in one's career, i.e. on one's resume for career progression or as proof of a person's academic/scholastic abilities (read Bush's MBA degree :)). Hence, in terms of valuation and cost benefit analysis, an MBA degree is a sound investment, the payback period is very short and the returns easily outrun the huge dollars worth of tuition spent. However, whether the education really imparts any intrinsic value in terms of knowledge gain and a person's ability to successfully manage a business is questionable!!
Many experienced and knowledgeable academicians have come forward and themselves pointed out the flaws in the business/management education system presently, mocking to say that its much more a billion dollar industry in itself rather than a scholarly department in a university.
Recent numbers published suggest there is a downward trend in number of students applying to B-schools, number of GMAT test takers as well as (much more close to home-base) the number of Indians and Chinese trying to get MBA degrees..Whether this is an after effect of the bouncing back economy or the understanding that MBAs are overrated: I don't know....I am very interested in this issue and will actively update this posting with any new insights that I read of.
Please be sure to voice your opinion here or check back later for new info added in this regard. Enjoy the interesting articles linked below:
The End of Business Schools?Less Success Than Meets the Eye By Jeffrey Pfeffer and Christina T. Fong
MBA program numbers down
Harold & Kumar go to White Castle!!
Well, I had to write about this one..Friday night it was 9 pm and I was very tired and in a sore mood from the events of the week..I was in no mood to go out and do anything..Some friends called and talked about seeing the movie "Harold & Kumar go to White Castle"..I had read about the movie and knew it was a comedy..So I took a shot..And man was it worth it...
It certainly was..After a lot of dramas about where to buy to-go dinner, how to get to Shoreline in 10 minutes, and then finally how to buy tickets without cash...we finally made it in time and gladly our gang seated ourselves in the first row of seats (no other seats were left :) ) ....Once the movie started there was no talking, no sore moods, no sleeping, no food...only laughter erupting in the entire movie theatre...All around people were cracking at the jokes on screen...This movie is an out and out entertainer and is full of great cameo performances as well as great acts from both the lead actors Kal Penn and John Cho....
U will be treated to jokes on the road, in an operation theatre, on a cheetah, what not...Underlying all the comedy are serious undertones depicted in real life situations inclduing work place exploitation and racism faced by most American residents of Asian ethnicity....
After seeing the movie all of us wanted to go to White Castle...Only if real life were that adventurous...And we all will watch this movie again thats something I'm pretty sure of....
My serious recommedation..Please go and watch this movie..U'll Love it..Worth every buck!!
After American Desi and National Lampoons Van Wilder this is by far the best performance by Kal Penn or Kalpen whatever u prefer....Here is a link to this upcoming star's website and his latest interview on rediff....
http://www.kalpennonline.com/
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2004/jul/19kal.htm
It certainly was..After a lot of dramas about where to buy to-go dinner, how to get to Shoreline in 10 minutes, and then finally how to buy tickets without cash...we finally made it in time and gladly our gang seated ourselves in the first row of seats (no other seats were left :) ) ....Once the movie started there was no talking, no sore moods, no sleeping, no food...only laughter erupting in the entire movie theatre...All around people were cracking at the jokes on screen...This movie is an out and out entertainer and is full of great cameo performances as well as great acts from both the lead actors Kal Penn and John Cho....
U will be treated to jokes on the road, in an operation theatre, on a cheetah, what not...Underlying all the comedy are serious undertones depicted in real life situations inclduing work place exploitation and racism faced by most American residents of Asian ethnicity....
After seeing the movie all of us wanted to go to White Castle...Only if real life were that adventurous...And we all will watch this movie again thats something I'm pretty sure of....
My serious recommedation..Please go and watch this movie..U'll Love it..Worth every buck!!
After American Desi and National Lampoons Van Wilder this is by far the best performance by Kal Penn or Kalpen whatever u prefer....Here is a link to this upcoming star's website and his latest interview on rediff....
http://www.kalpennonline.com/
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2004/jul/19kal.htm
The Truth about Kerry!
Alright, who is John Kerry ? I did not know much about the man except that he was running for the most powerful job in the world, the President of USA; till I saw the Democratic National Convention...While the build up to his speech was good what with Biden, Edwards and Obama talking reassuringly and Kerry's family doing the emotional drama part, Kerry himself gave a very bland and non-opinionated speech....And it is a candidate's opinions that one wants to hear, not tales about his Purple Hearts (from his 4 month old stint 40 years ago at Viet Nam) from a Band of Brothers......
While I am no political or speech analyst, one thing was surely obvious to the common man, that Clinton was and still is one of the most well rounded, charismatic and brightest strategist in the history of America as well as the Democratic party....His speech made much more sense than Kerry's at least...
I am no Republican; but I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that Kerry is a good leader for USA given his past acts inlcuding his much doubted war stories, his highly selfish political growth plan starting with his publicity stint coming back from Viet Nam, then his self serving work in public office to his weird divorce and annulment of marriage after 18 years of being married....Please checkout the video AD promoted by the SWIFT Vets and try to glance through excerpts of the book "UNFIT TO COMMAND"...
http://www.swiftvets.com/
http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_video_wmv.html
Who is better and will win the election ? To my mind and of most of my friends neither Bush nor Kerry are deserving candidates and yet one of them will govern the strongest democracy of the World...Isn't it strange how thousands of educated people in every part of the World don't just vote as they don't find any candidate worthy...Its the swing voters who will help a candidate win and it is for their sake that both Republicans and Democrats will run millions of dollars worth of TV ads and other campaigns...
To get some interesting insights about what people think of the nation's political future checkout the following sites:
http://www.i-lin.com/
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/
http://www.instapundit.com/
While I am no political or speech analyst, one thing was surely obvious to the common man, that Clinton was and still is one of the most well rounded, charismatic and brightest strategist in the history of America as well as the Democratic party....His speech made much more sense than Kerry's at least...
I am no Republican; but I find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that Kerry is a good leader for USA given his past acts inlcuding his much doubted war stories, his highly selfish political growth plan starting with his publicity stint coming back from Viet Nam, then his self serving work in public office to his weird divorce and annulment of marriage after 18 years of being married....Please checkout the video AD promoted by the SWIFT Vets and try to glance through excerpts of the book "UNFIT TO COMMAND"...
http://www.swiftvets.com/
http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_video_wmv.html
Who is better and will win the election ? To my mind and of most of my friends neither Bush nor Kerry are deserving candidates and yet one of them will govern the strongest democracy of the World...Isn't it strange how thousands of educated people in every part of the World don't just vote as they don't find any candidate worthy...Its the swing voters who will help a candidate win and it is for their sake that both Republicans and Democrats will run millions of dollars worth of TV ads and other campaigns...
To get some interesting insights about what people think of the nation's political future checkout the following sites:
http://www.i-lin.com/
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/
http://www.instapundit.com/
American Valour in Iraq !!??
This is an interesting piece I came across on a popular Indian portal..I don't know what to think of it but the article talks about real experiences of Indian workers in Iraq...These workers recently on returning to India tell tales of American soldiers lacking "courage under fire"....I don't endorse their opinion as it would be shameful to blame the entire US Armed Forces for the certain shameful acts of a few Ameircan soldiers..But yet time and again we have heard horror stories from Viet Nam and now Iraq....A recent example is Lynndie England and others perpetrating atrocities in Abu Ghraib....
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/aug/02iraq2.htm
Copyright © 2004 rediff.com India Limited
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/08/05/lynndie.england.hearing/
Follow Lyndie England case on CNN
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/aug/02iraq2.htm
Copyright © 2004 rediff.com India Limited
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/08/05/lynndie.england.hearing/
Follow Lyndie England case on CNN
Kashmir :: Will it ever be the same again ??
This is a question my Dad and I ponder a lot..Albeit most Kashmiri Pandits (the Indian community that had to relocate from Kashmir completely in wake of terrorism) I guess will ask themselves this question several times in this lifetime....
To me definitely there is hope....maybe a minute possibility that one day Kashmir will be restored to the peaceful beautiful land it once was... It was described in all my geography and history books as the "Heaven on Earth" or the "Crown of India"...I remember everytime I read that I would feel so proud that I belonged to that enchanting part of India...Kashmir Valley so serene, so clean and so naturally beautiful....the lakes, mountains, the apple orchards....It really was Heaven and I absolutely loved every part of Kashmir.....
This is the Kashmir that I have lost in life and in memories...Today I try to avoid thinking about Kashmir because when I do it doesn't bring back these sweet childhood memories but it brings with it the horrror, the evil scent of blood that has been constantly flowing in Kashmir since the lates 1980s....One single day hasn't passed in the last 15 years when at least 15 people did not die in Kashmir either civilians and/or army men or terrorists...Who dies doesn't really matter...Its everyday last line news on the frontpage of every published newspaper...Who cares ?? Do people in India care ?? Do people in the world care ?? I don't know !
I find it hard to believe that its been 15 years since the last time our family was in Srinagar, the city where my parents were born and lived half their lives.....I still remember it was October 1989 and we were just getting off a bus at the Srinagar bus stand..While we were still unloading our luggage my cousin brother who was there to greet us was ready with a cab and was hurriedly trying to get us out of the main bus stand area...While our taxi was whizzing out into the narrow streets close to the bus stand, we heard a 'boom a whoom' sound...Lo and behold it was a bomb blast..It was the 3rd in one single day and more than half the city was under curfew......While we reached home safely my cousin gave us the latest run down on the militancy situation et al...My Dad has a large family and all of his brothers and sisters and cousins and their families had gathered at our ancestral house that week for my cousin sister's marriage..It was a happy occasion and amidst all the curfews and bomb blasts and the hail storm it was the last most eventful real Kashmiri wedding in our family..In typical Kashmiri fashion it lasted 7 complete days and we all had a blast...It was fun man..the good food, the great music...awesome....
Anyways, after digression let me get back to the topic in question :: what now happens of Kashmir:: Well the practical mind says nothing much can happen...Most of Kashmir is now inhabited by Muslims who per se want to be a part of Pakistan; and hence, there is no real reason to hold on to Kashmir and the resulting blood loss by the day 'coz Hindus who fled due to terrorism have after repeated attempts of return and subsequent massacares lost any desire to relocate back....But yes once we give up Kashmir we could have Assam, Punjab, Tamil Nadu all wishing to be their own country...Hence, India cannot give up Kashmir..Well I say if we can't give up why not completely take it over...This can be done and everybody knows this..Yet diplomacy, red tape, nuclear proewss of both countries and political mind games have led to proxy wars (read Kargil) and 15 years of raging terrorism sometimes more sometime less controlled by the Indian Army.....
In the present circumstances, it could be an eternity or some sort of a revolutionary step that would lead Kashmir back to the track...India's leading tourism industry, a land of natural beauty and peace..as nature evolves so will Kashmir by God's grace....Hopefully, some day my Dad will be able to spend his leisure time as a retired person idlying in the ambience of a house in Srinagar or a picnic villa in Pahelgam.....
To end my piece on a positive tone, the first good thing coming out of Kahsmir that I have heard of in many years is this----a startup, an outsourcing tech company that has started in Kashmir....To be able to do this with limited internet access, no cell phone usage, minimal infrastucrure is a feat in itself....Hurray to the courageous businessmen/women and JAI HIND !
To me definitely there is hope....maybe a minute possibility that one day Kashmir will be restored to the peaceful beautiful land it once was... It was described in all my geography and history books as the "Heaven on Earth" or the "Crown of India"...I remember everytime I read that I would feel so proud that I belonged to that enchanting part of India...Kashmir Valley so serene, so clean and so naturally beautiful....the lakes, mountains, the apple orchards....It really was Heaven and I absolutely loved every part of Kashmir.....
This is the Kashmir that I have lost in life and in memories...Today I try to avoid thinking about Kashmir because when I do it doesn't bring back these sweet childhood memories but it brings with it the horrror, the evil scent of blood that has been constantly flowing in Kashmir since the lates 1980s....One single day hasn't passed in the last 15 years when at least 15 people did not die in Kashmir either civilians and/or army men or terrorists...Who dies doesn't really matter...Its everyday last line news on the frontpage of every published newspaper...Who cares ?? Do people in India care ?? Do people in the world care ?? I don't know !
I find it hard to believe that its been 15 years since the last time our family was in Srinagar, the city where my parents were born and lived half their lives.....I still remember it was October 1989 and we were just getting off a bus at the Srinagar bus stand..While we were still unloading our luggage my cousin brother who was there to greet us was ready with a cab and was hurriedly trying to get us out of the main bus stand area...While our taxi was whizzing out into the narrow streets close to the bus stand, we heard a 'boom a whoom' sound...Lo and behold it was a bomb blast..It was the 3rd in one single day and more than half the city was under curfew......While we reached home safely my cousin gave us the latest run down on the militancy situation et al...My Dad has a large family and all of his brothers and sisters and cousins and their families had gathered at our ancestral house that week for my cousin sister's marriage..It was a happy occasion and amidst all the curfews and bomb blasts and the hail storm it was the last most eventful real Kashmiri wedding in our family..In typical Kashmiri fashion it lasted 7 complete days and we all had a blast...It was fun man..the good food, the great music...awesome....
Anyways, after digression let me get back to the topic in question :: what now happens of Kashmir:: Well the practical mind says nothing much can happen...Most of Kashmir is now inhabited by Muslims who per se want to be a part of Pakistan; and hence, there is no real reason to hold on to Kashmir and the resulting blood loss by the day 'coz Hindus who fled due to terrorism have after repeated attempts of return and subsequent massacares lost any desire to relocate back....But yes once we give up Kashmir we could have Assam, Punjab, Tamil Nadu all wishing to be their own country...Hence, India cannot give up Kashmir..Well I say if we can't give up why not completely take it over...This can be done and everybody knows this..Yet diplomacy, red tape, nuclear proewss of both countries and political mind games have led to proxy wars (read Kargil) and 15 years of raging terrorism sometimes more sometime less controlled by the Indian Army.....
In the present circumstances, it could be an eternity or some sort of a revolutionary step that would lead Kashmir back to the track...India's leading tourism industry, a land of natural beauty and peace..as nature evolves so will Kashmir by God's grace....Hopefully, some day my Dad will be able to spend his leisure time as a retired person idlying in the ambience of a house in Srinagar or a picnic villa in Pahelgam.....
To end my piece on a positive tone, the first good thing coming out of Kahsmir that I have heard of in many years is this----a startup, an outsourcing tech company that has started in Kashmir....To be able to do this with limited internet access, no cell phone usage, minimal infrastucrure is a feat in itself....Hurray to the courageous businessmen/women and JAI HIND !
Breathe girl breathe !!
This is what my swimming instructor tells me constantly...These days I'm trying to enjoy the sun while reviving my long forgotten swimming skills..To my utter disappointment, I can do everything a beginner swimmer should be able to do -- bob, freestyle, backstroke, all the drills, everything but BREATHE....and this is driving me nuts...I am the best floater in the class and can float forever on my chest or back, my strokes are elegant but I can't swim more than 3/4 th of the pool..Why ? because I don't breathe well..It sucks...I try so hard yet, eventually each time I turn my head to get air I take in gulps of chlorinated water.....Zora tried everything maybe my head is too high, maybe too low, maybe I dont turn but lift my head, maybe I don't exhale before trying to breathe in.....Nothing is helping me, no amounts of practice nothing....
This is very disappointing for me....My aim when taking this class was to learn to swim decently and at least take 1 lap at a time..But lo and behold this bloody breathing business is nasty....Not only am I completely drained of oxygen and energy when I get out of the pool but I am also heavily filled with a gallon of chlorinated water....That results in a lot of sneezing and of course a rushed visit to the restroom :).......Well there are 4 classes left in the quarter..Who knows maybe by the last class there will be a miracle and I will learn how to breathe and thus swim my first lap across the length of the pool....We already saw a miracle today in Arnie, one of the oldest guys who had never swum ever before joining this class..Today he did it on his own...He went to the deep end and came back to the shallow end of the pool and he did this more than once...We all clapped for him...It must've been very difficult for him to overcome his fear for water and do this !
Talking of sports, did ya'll know that 37 former or current Stanford students are a part of the US Olympics team 2004. ..Good luck to the Kirk sisters, who are the first pair of sisters to be in the Olympics representing the same team, the US swimming team...GO CARDINAL!
This is very disappointing for me....My aim when taking this class was to learn to swim decently and at least take 1 lap at a time..But lo and behold this bloody breathing business is nasty....Not only am I completely drained of oxygen and energy when I get out of the pool but I am also heavily filled with a gallon of chlorinated water....That results in a lot of sneezing and of course a rushed visit to the restroom :).......Well there are 4 classes left in the quarter..Who knows maybe by the last class there will be a miracle and I will learn how to breathe and thus swim my first lap across the length of the pool....We already saw a miracle today in Arnie, one of the oldest guys who had never swum ever before joining this class..Today he did it on his own...He went to the deep end and came back to the shallow end of the pool and he did this more than once...We all clapped for him...It must've been very difficult for him to overcome his fear for water and do this !
Talking of sports, did ya'll know that 37 former or current Stanford students are a part of the US Olympics team 2004. ..Good luck to the Kirk sisters, who are the first pair of sisters to be in the Olympics representing the same team, the US swimming team...GO CARDINAL!
Where is the Life Good :: India vs. USA
Today I was feeling very gloomy since morning...No particular reason, just one of those days were you just don't feel good about yourself...Anyways, life doesn't really give u a choice so I went around my busy day doing things putting my mood on a backburner...Came home at 6:30, had a cup of coffee and did some domestic chores that were pending since a longtime....A friend called, I asked him to call later, in no mood to talk apparently....
Finally, I went to check mail at my mailbox outside my building and there in the courtyard I saw a friend's hammock tied between 2 trees....I sat, then tried to relax rocking myself gently in the hammock with cool breeze filling my heavy lungs with loads of air...all of sudden I started singing Hindi songs and that's when I realised what was bothering me since morning.....It was HOME..my country India, that which I miss all the time..I am not much of a crier, yet I was nostalgic and all of a sudden all kinds of songs came to my mind..Some reminding me about Mummy & Daddy, some about school and college friends, some just about India and my life there....
You might think there is something terribly wrong with my life in the US for me to feel so depressed..Nope there is nothing wrong..Life couldn't have been better..I just graduated from Stanford, a great school with a wealth of opportunities..I was looking for a job, I have more than one to choose from, I am healthy, hearty....all's well with my family and friends....There is basically no need for me to be unhappy...Yet I didn't feel good the whole day today...WHY, I OFTEN ASK MYSELF THIS QUESTION ?!
Then I think maybe it was the long 40 minute phone conversation with Mom & Dad last night that's on my mind and is emancipating in different forms today..But no this is not a one time occurrence..It keeps happening, sometimes once a week, once a month or........Yet the yearning never leaves my heart...That yearning to go back to India.....
These days I often think about life ahead and this what I always decide: "I'll work with a great hi-tech company in the US (or the World for that matter) for 3 years, gain good business exposure, then maybe go to B-school (if I think its worth it at that time!) and then go back and work in INDIA either for a global company or preferably start my own venture..."
Seems like a good plan.. Huh! Will it work out..Life is never perfect and I have heard stories of many people who wanted to do the same thing but then got stuck in the rat race here and never could go back...Maybe these are people who always wanted to settle in the States....I never wanted...I was and am too much in love with that corrupted, full of problems developing nation of mine ! I came to the US because this was the kind of education I wanted after finishing my Bachelors in Engineering from India...My undergrad studies had left me disillusioned and highly confused with what I wanted to do with my life...Masters at Stanford in MS&E has given me just the education I wanted - graduate coursework closer to the industry focused on real business problems rather than theoretical stuff which is what the education system in India teaches one...
So ya, here are the PROS for which I came here: for the opportunities to study, explore and work in areas which haven't started blossoming in India as career professions as yet! The same is the main reason why 1/4th of the Silicon Valley is filled with Indians staying in the US...Plus there are other small factors like a comfortable life- a cool sports car, house, the fun stuff about traveling and exploring this whole wide country called the US of A.. Also hey I forgot there is the other good reason the $$$$$ - the money..C'mon who doesn't need the money plus you could or hey your family could lead an awesome life in India given what you earn here gets converted to 50 times in the Indian currency.....
All this and people are happy....Really my own dear friends and relatives want to live in the US all their life and are in the painful process of their Green Card applications...Nothing wrong with their choice hey.....
But ME I don't know the way my mood swings everytime I remember "Chitti Ayyi Hai Watan se Chitti Aiyi Hai" - a Hindi song which means a letter has come from your motherland, I get a big lump in my throat and I want to run back to India....What attracts me to India..Well India has its PROS too -- be closer to parents and take care of them in their old age, those parents who came from a modest background and gave me and my sister a great life, education, independence, strength, exposure and the guts to Dream Big & Live your Dreams....Then there is also the feel good thing -- eating Gol Guppe and Pav Bhaji with friends on the beach, fighting in the regional language with the maid, postman and what not...! I just love it....And then who knows maybe 10 years from now Bangalore will be the next Silicon Valley (I mean real Bigtime!)..That would be great the Indian lifestyle, the career opportunity that knows no bounds..Sure the money will be less but that's okay - I never wanted and will never want a King's life....I should have just enough to pursue all my passions....
Hey guys that was my take on life in India vs. USA..my perspective, my bull-headed opinion,,,I now realize a very haphazard and going all over the place kinda discussion.. thats enough to bore people for know...Ha :)
Finally, I went to check mail at my mailbox outside my building and there in the courtyard I saw a friend's hammock tied between 2 trees....I sat, then tried to relax rocking myself gently in the hammock with cool breeze filling my heavy lungs with loads of air...all of sudden I started singing Hindi songs and that's when I realised what was bothering me since morning.....It was HOME..my country India, that which I miss all the time..I am not much of a crier, yet I was nostalgic and all of a sudden all kinds of songs came to my mind..Some reminding me about Mummy & Daddy, some about school and college friends, some just about India and my life there....
You might think there is something terribly wrong with my life in the US for me to feel so depressed..Nope there is nothing wrong..Life couldn't have been better..I just graduated from Stanford, a great school with a wealth of opportunities..I was looking for a job, I have more than one to choose from, I am healthy, hearty....all's well with my family and friends....There is basically no need for me to be unhappy...Yet I didn't feel good the whole day today...WHY, I OFTEN ASK MYSELF THIS QUESTION ?!
Then I think maybe it was the long 40 minute phone conversation with Mom & Dad last night that's on my mind and is emancipating in different forms today..But no this is not a one time occurrence..It keeps happening, sometimes once a week, once a month or........Yet the yearning never leaves my heart...That yearning to go back to India.....
These days I often think about life ahead and this what I always decide: "I'll work with a great hi-tech company in the US (or the World for that matter) for 3 years, gain good business exposure, then maybe go to B-school (if I think its worth it at that time!) and then go back and work in INDIA either for a global company or preferably start my own venture..."
Seems like a good plan.. Huh! Will it work out..Life is never perfect and I have heard stories of many people who wanted to do the same thing but then got stuck in the rat race here and never could go back...Maybe these are people who always wanted to settle in the States....I never wanted...I was and am too much in love with that corrupted, full of problems developing nation of mine ! I came to the US because this was the kind of education I wanted after finishing my Bachelors in Engineering from India...My undergrad studies had left me disillusioned and highly confused with what I wanted to do with my life...Masters at Stanford in MS&E has given me just the education I wanted - graduate coursework closer to the industry focused on real business problems rather than theoretical stuff which is what the education system in India teaches one...
So ya, here are the PROS for which I came here: for the opportunities to study, explore and work in areas which haven't started blossoming in India as career professions as yet! The same is the main reason why 1/4th of the Silicon Valley is filled with Indians staying in the US...Plus there are other small factors like a comfortable life- a cool sports car, house, the fun stuff about traveling and exploring this whole wide country called the US of A.. Also hey I forgot there is the other good reason the $$$$$ - the money..C'mon who doesn't need the money plus you could or hey your family could lead an awesome life in India given what you earn here gets converted to 50 times in the Indian currency.....
All this and people are happy....Really my own dear friends and relatives want to live in the US all their life and are in the painful process of their Green Card applications...Nothing wrong with their choice hey.....
But ME I don't know the way my mood swings everytime I remember "Chitti Ayyi Hai Watan se Chitti Aiyi Hai" - a Hindi song which means a letter has come from your motherland, I get a big lump in my throat and I want to run back to India....What attracts me to India..Well India has its PROS too -- be closer to parents and take care of them in their old age, those parents who came from a modest background and gave me and my sister a great life, education, independence, strength, exposure and the guts to Dream Big & Live your Dreams....Then there is also the feel good thing -- eating Gol Guppe and Pav Bhaji with friends on the beach, fighting in the regional language with the maid, postman and what not...! I just love it....And then who knows maybe 10 years from now Bangalore will be the next Silicon Valley (I mean real Bigtime!)..That would be great the Indian lifestyle, the career opportunity that knows no bounds..Sure the money will be less but that's okay - I never wanted and will never want a King's life....I should have just enough to pursue all my passions....
Hey guys that was my take on life in India vs. USA..my perspective, my bull-headed opinion,,,I now realize a very haphazard and going all over the place kinda discussion.. thats enough to bore people for know...Ha :)
What A Crickety Night!
last night was something..i was up all night following that ever so exciting game of cricket between arch rivals: India & Pakistan on the fair grounds of Sri Lanka's Premdasa stadium....as the American population is not so aware about cricket (think something more complicated than baseball) therz always this problem of how to watch the cricket match....it is always covered by some random cable channel that is highly oversubscribed and unavailable to lesser mortals like me.....
for those curious to understand something about cricket checkout:
http://www.cricinfo.com/
http://us.rediff.com/cricket/index.html
anyways, i was trying to keep up with the game online...it cud've been a great game had the Indian team given the Pakis a run for their money...however, that was not to be.....after a swashbuckling performance by Shoaib Malik, the Pakis were great guns with 300 runs posted....India alas, with 7 batsmen cud not match up the standards and lost out...if only one player wud had stood by Sachin, India JEET hi jata...Pakistan won a well deserved match but it cud/wud have been so much fun if the Indies had at least lost neck to neck.....
enough of cricket though....staying up last nite also gave me that oh so not available time to redesign my humble abode on the internet..that was 1 cool thing accomplished over the weekend....i try to forget that i slept thru most of Sunday-the day and hence skipped swim/gym/shopping and what not....lazy me....
nocturnal me it seems will be up tonite as well-- i m now hooked to the blog biz and all so excited about re-starting my childhood habit of writing loads of snippets every week....back then it was more stories and/or poems provoked by mood swings....hope my new blogspot will give me a new channel to express my thoughts on the latest happennings in the world and my life...
for those curious to understand something about cricket checkout:
http://www.cricinfo.com/
http://us.rediff.com/cricket/index.html
anyways, i was trying to keep up with the game online...it cud've been a great game had the Indian team given the Pakis a run for their money...however, that was not to be.....after a swashbuckling performance by Shoaib Malik, the Pakis were great guns with 300 runs posted....India alas, with 7 batsmen cud not match up the standards and lost out...if only one player wud had stood by Sachin, India JEET hi jata...Pakistan won a well deserved match but it cud/wud have been so much fun if the Indies had at least lost neck to neck.....
enough of cricket though....staying up last nite also gave me that oh so not available time to redesign my humble abode on the internet..that was 1 cool thing accomplished over the weekend....i try to forget that i slept thru most of Sunday-the day and hence skipped swim/gym/shopping and what not....lazy me....
nocturnal me it seems will be up tonite as well-- i m now hooked to the blog biz and all so excited about re-starting my childhood habit of writing loads of snippets every week....back then it was more stories and/or poems provoked by mood swings....hope my new blogspot will give me a new channel to express my thoughts on the latest happennings in the world and my life...
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