Tobacco-Free Campus - The Greener Way !

Last week, in my company iGATE Global Solutions Ltd, a new rule was brought with immediate effect that the whole campus will be smoke free and there will not be any smoking zones inside the campus. Instead there will be smoking zone put outside the office premises. This is one of the initiatives taken by the management to bring a greener environment inside the campus.

Its a very bold decision made. My view is that this may also bring down the count of the number of cigarettes a person smokes per day by at least one. The reason is many people may feel lazy to walk out of the premises, which may be approximately 150 metres from a person’s desk. Well being a non-smoker, I don’t have any regrets to this. Definitely it will be a little bit hard for my smoking pals. But it also has a positive side. The whole point of iGATE is not only to keep the environment smoke-free but also a gut feeling that it may tend to bring down the cigarette consumption of its employees.

Let’s say no to tobacco ! Cheers !

Kangal Irandaal - A song to fall in love with itself !

Kangal Irandaal, Un Kangal Irandaal
Ennai Katti Izhuthaai, Izhuthaai podhadhena
Chinna chirippil, oru kalla chiripil
Ennai thalli vittu, thalli vittu moodi maraithaai !

The first stanza of a song from Subramaniapuram goes like this. This song is haunting me since morning. A gentle romantic song visualized very well. Wow, a lovely song with neat facial expressions especially the hero’s romantic smile and the heroine’s cute smile. Simply superb!

Yet to watch this movie as it did not get released in Bangalore. Will have to watch it, probably next week.

If I had fallen in love with somebody now, this song would be in my background for sure :)

Of course this is my current caller tune as well !

Is that what I wanted to cherish ?

I am in Bangalore and it’s almost two and a half years. Still I fuss over the food here. And this is especially making sense for the non-cooking-bachelor who comes from the southern part of Tamilnadu. There are a quite few restaurants that offer food of our style but yet we can’t afford it always. At times when I don’t like the food here, I’ll say to myself… “This time when I go home, I should go to either Konar Mess or Kumar Mess.”

The moment I go home, I never eat out and always prefer eating my mom’s food. Of course nothing in the world is tastier than mom’s food. Kumar Mess and Konar mess never come in my mind. There were days during my childhood when I make a fuss about having milk in the night served at my desk. I should only drink it and that’s the only thing I should do. And Today?

I would not have realised this elixir if I had not stayed away from my mom, dad and of course my Madurai.

Dasavatharam - My scribbles about it !

This is not really a review and more over you would not need it as it’s almost a month since the movie got released. When I read reviews in Orkut or in other blogs, I feel every other person gives their own views on each and every sequel of the movie. One thing is clear from this is that Kamal has left it to the viewer to take the message from the movie on their own.

I feel the whole concept of narrating a four day incident in three hours is itself new to Tamil cinema. Well only people who know this language will understand the movie better.

I enjoyed this movie the most, when I watched it for the second time. Most of us would have enjoyed Balram Naidu’s character in the movie. Another humour character whose attention was grabbed other than Kamal is M.S.Baskar. I enjoyed this character only when I saw it for the second time as I could pay more attention to his Tamil-to-English translation dialogues. There must be Crazy Mohan’s contribution to these two characters I guess. Without him those dialogues will definitely lack the essential sense of humour. Yes I noticed his name when the credits were screened at the end of the movie. I should also bring light to Late Sujatha’s contribution to other notable dialogues in the movie. Though the dialogues were written by Kamal himself, these two persons contribution added more flavour.

Some characters of Kamal were made to feel unnecessary in this racy script. But it was inevitable because that is the main selling strategy of the movie and he has mostly managed to relate them.

Many people give multiple views on the movie that it’s about Theism or Atheism or Science or Environment and again this is also left to the viewer to decide. I personally feel in this movie he has tried to show Agnosticism*, basically trying to express both spiritual and non spiritual aspects of life and nature. Whatever the view may be, one thing everybody who watched this movie must agree - it’s definitely an entertainer for all people.

Dasavatharam – Kamal’s show case of ten avatars with various makeup ingredients including Chaos Theory, Butterfly Effect, Atheism, Global Warming, Bio-Threat, Environmental pollution, Terrorism and the list goes on.

*Agnosticism - It is the position of believing that knowledge of the existence or non-existence of God is impossible. It is often put forth as a middle ground between theism and atheism.

Gulkhand – Tastes Healthier !

I had throat pain, which I never realised till I felt my tongue and inner part of mouth burning whenever I had food or tea. For the first couple of days, whatever food, I ate; I felt it was too spicy. As I was staying away from my parents, there was no one to guide me with proper food habits in this situation. While talking to my mom over the phone, I was just saying about this throat pain. She said to take one or two spoons of Gulkhand everyday. I was wondering, if that would set it right. I just thought it is just used as a key ingredient in Sweet Beedas.

I bought one small pack of Gulkhand. I had two spoons daily (morning and nights) for one week and it really worked well. I am not sure that I am cured completely or not but I don’t feel my tongue or mouth burning now. I then realised that Gulkhand is more than what I thought it to be. From the web I found that Gulkhand has a medicinal value, though I am not sure if it is universally approved.

The main ingredients of Gulkhand are rose petals and honey. It is believed that it keeps your body cool and we should not prefer taking it in cold nights or in winter. Apart from being a mouth freshener, it also helps to keep away acidity. Since it tastes sweeter, one doesn’t need to fuss about having it. It is easily available in all super markets at a considerable price.

How is 2008 so far?

It’s been a little long I had visited my own blog. I thought it would be ideal if I pour in some thoughts how this 2008 went so far. Like everybody, with the global markets blooming, I was also expecting a fabulous 2008.
It was only a three weeks of the year that passed and the first blow came. Yes it’s one of the biggest downfall of the Sensex. Being a fresher (IT Terminology) in Stock Market, I was not much affected as I hadn’t had a firm portfolio that time.

I was much occupied with my work mostly these days, as it was the Coding phase of my development project. A little sign of relief came from the Finance minister Chidambaram’s financial budget. The individual tax slabs were raised from 1,10,000 INR to 1,50,000 INR for the current year. I dreamt that I could save some money. My dreams never came real as Inflation rose to historical highs, Basic commodity prices increased. The worst thing is Crude Oil also hit historical highs.

The increased salary after appraisal and the tax slab relaxation seems to just meet the increased petrol expenses and food expenses. So far 2008 has not been a promising year, may be for me!

Thanks!

Wanna naturally pump your Adrenaline ???

“Its already 12.30pm, Saturday!!?”

“So?”

“Isn’t it boring for you, wasting the whole day sitting idle ?”

“Yeah, man, Saturday sucks!! All movies watched…and also bored off with the Forum, Garuda etc..?”

“Phew...Weekend and No entertainment make Jack a dull boy.”

"Then How about an outing?”

“Yeah an adventurous one.”

“Trekking!!?”

“Hmm why not water rafting?”

“Near Bangalore?”

“Yeah, Bheemeshwari. An ideal place for water rafting”


We six guys decided to head to Bheemeshwari this time for a new adventure. We have heard of this place but hardly knew about its ins and outs. Its approximately 100 kms from Bangalore via Kanakpura. We had no other option other than booking a resort as rafting is provided by them with all the safety and guidance. Its good idea to book in advance as it is in demand. The resort is open only on Weekends and other National holidays.


We started from Bangalore around 7 am. We had to reach the place before 9.30 as the rafting time would start around 10am. We managed to reach the place in time though the road was very narrow and not good after Kanakpura. The resort was not very attractive in the front. The gate was closed. Yes, entry is open only to those who had booked in prior. No spot bookings.The place was close to the river. It had tent houses, volleyball court, hammocks here n there. Well the resort looked okay inside. Hmm...We were interested only on rafting. We did not care all about that.





We were all given life jackets to wear on. For each raft, there was a trained guide. He gave us all the instructions, on how to row forward or backward etc. Each raft would carry six to seven people excluding the guide. We dragged/ carried the raft till we reached the river and then sat on the raft. Our mission started.


At the beginning the water was running normal and the travel was not very thrilling and I thought...oh is it for this we came for? But soon we got our adrenaline high. Yes, as we proceeded the water was running very fast and ferocious. It had twists, turns, ups, downs. In between there were rocks. Actually I do not have the right words to express the scenario. Wow it was a beautiful place and was really adventurous.

The whole experience took approximately one and a half hours. They had arranged a jeep by which we returned back to the resort after rafting. A normal lunch was provided and after that, we returned Bangalore by evening.


This is a must visit place and ideal for people who wish to go for a one day outing near Bangalore and return early.


Warm Regards!


PS : The snaps were not taken by us. Its preferrable not to take cameras during rafting for the reason they will get wet.

Gone are the days of schooling – A Nostalgic Feeling

How many of you are missing your school life though you would not have had this feeling at the time of schooling? Well most of us would have felt this now because life seemed to be less complex those days than present. We usually do not realize or enjoy things when we actually experience it and ofcourse, that is human tendency. I just wanted to remind you of your school days as I travel back to those childhood days. I studied in the same school right from my kindergarten till my higher secondary.

Primary Level was something I don’t remember most of the things. We used to come to school, recite our anthem…Johnny Johnny, Twinkle Twinkle, Jack n Jill etc…In the afternoons we all used to sleep over a large spread blanket. While we kids lie down, we do not know what religion is all about, we do not care if the next person is a boy or girl. Puppet shows were the only movies we watch with great excitement. We had also been great actors on stage. Yes, I remember being a “Tomato” in the Vegetable show on our then Annual Day Celebrations.

Middle Level was our next entry. It was the period, when we actually start to realize things but not fully. Our excitement start in a random fashion here. Fighting for pencils, stealing rubbers, eating snacks, playing together was fun. I remember my games teacher shouting “Fire in the mountain…Run Run Run” during our games period.We used to desperately wait for Break time as the school would provide us with a Marie Biscuit and Lime Juice. Are not those unforgettable moments? My school also took us to a movie “God must be crazy”. It was a very different experience going to theatres with my school pals with teachers as bodyguards. Doesn’t that sound funny? It was a custom in our school to celebrate "Break-up Party" on the last day of each class. We guys used to decorate our class room with colour papers and balloons. Each individual would bring eating stuffs such as snacks, cake etc whatever they could afford. The class teacher would collect all the snacks and would club it as a whole and then would distribute to each and every student. Well this was a great concept followed in my school. No ego, No Religion, No barriers...all were treated equal, all were taught to give and take and this was the theme of this "Break up Party".

Well, things started to become a little complex as we entered the high school level. Ofcourse, new subjects emerged our way. What we studied science earlier became physics, chemistry and biology now. As our class increased year by year, so was our bag weight. Though we had moved from middle to high level, our plays and mishchievous tricks had retained forever. It is funny to think of the class monitor, whose job is to write the talkative names in the corner of the board. We were so active, that we polish our shoes using paper, only when we notice our games master cross checking each and every one's shoes during the prayer time. :) We were taken to field trips to nearby places, which were full of fun. We used to participate in all inter school competitions for the reason not to win, but to gain one day of loitering here and there in a new place. Ofcourse, participation was important rather than winning. :) Normally we hated sports day as we were involved for the march past and sports drill and we loved annual day as we got more chance to bunk classes in the name of practise and rehearsals.

The higher secondary level were the most enjoyable though crucial. Well we were on the peak of our adoloscent period. We used to enjoyed a lot during these days. The school took us to movies like Mummy, Matrix, Deep Blue Sea. We also went to an excursion to Mumbai, Goa and Cochin during our 1st Term Vacation of XIth Std. Well, it was my first experience touring out with my school friends. We used to celebrate Diwali, by bursting crackers in school on the previous day with our school friends. Well all these entertainments were authorized in our school and was all done under supervision only. It would be full of fun. Our fun and frolic had come to an end when we entered class XII. Starting from the teachers to family to relatives, everybody started to force a little bit. It became a custom, in general to join tuition centres to score good marks. Practically speaking they were just to show the rest of the world that we were occupied with our studies full time. Nothing other than that! :)

I felt, my school was the place where there sprouted a gentle friendly relationship between our teachers and us. There were one or two teachers who beared all our mischeives and motivated or moulded us to do better in our examinations. My class had a very less strength and it was one of the reason that we school mates are still in touch, even now. My school had given equal importance to both fun and academics. And that is one of the reasons, I am proud of my school.

Well guys, guess you had been cherishing your own old school anecdotes as you traverse through my own compilation. Sweet Memories!

Thanks !

Shall it be named “The Imbalance Factor” ?

This piece may be boring, informative, funny, and stupid or whatever it is. But since it was boring for me, I thought of recording my thoughts here at this moment.

I had to find time to sleep, find time to relax, find time to just chill out. Those were the crucial days of my project. My swipe history had an average of 15 hours for six months. I desperately waited for my project to come to an end, as the next day I would be moved to bench.
Finally the day had come, I was on cloud nine, felt like have achieved something extra-ordinary. After all I was moved to bench!
I was so excited to be paid jobless at the moment. As other bench mates, I passed my time by reading useless forwards, orkutting etc. Days passed slowly, and it had been a month since I was moved to bench. This was the point at which, life started boring. Yes, how long do I read forwards, how long do I orkut, how long do I sit idle? I felt those crucial days were better than these idle days.

Soon after two months of bench, again I was assigned to a new project. Again work started pouring in my side; I had to extend my stay in office than normal. My swipe history graph rose gradually. Now I wished the bench life back!

Well, this each and every software professional might have come across in his/her day to day schedule. Is it the mind’s imbalance or it’s the work imbalance? The answer may differ for; each and every person perceives things in their own way.

Weekend Gateway - Wayanad

I would like to share some of the moments we had spent during the Wayanad Trip on August 4th and 5th.

It was a very cold Friday night. Though the whole Bangalore city was silent after the late night pubs, we guys (8 in number) stayed awake, to head towards the God’s Own Country, Kerala’s Green Paradise, Wayanad district. It was 1.15 am, when we started the journey on a hired Qualis. We took the Mysore Road. The road was very clear and was a very comfortable drive for we reached Mysore in just 2 hours. By then all our eyes started to roll in and we were all disturbed again when our vehicle stopped. It was 5 am, when we reached Gundlurpet. Our driver was fully exhausted, so he had stopped for tea. We all took tea and started our journey again. All guys were awake by now and we all witnessed some deer on the jungle roads which led to Kerala. There had been very frequent showers as we entered Kerala. As time rolls, we were able to see the natural beauty of the greeneries with the mist playing an apt role. We reached Kalpetta around 6.45 am, the place where we intended to stay. This place is 270 kms away from Bangalore. We booked three rooms in a lodge, where in we refreshed ourselves.

Day 1

We were all ready for the excitement, by 8.30 itself. We decided to hire a guide from the Department of Tourism, so that life would not be complex on the roads less traveled by us. We had our breakfast and were waiting patiently for the guide, who is expected to arrive office around 10 am (Government job naa !!!). The charges for the guide is 350/- per day. When the guide came and introduced himself, we were surprised to see him, as he was very formally dressed and looked like a techie with a French beard. I was mislead by the way the guides in Tamil Nadu look.

We had a seat vacant in our qualis, as if we had anticipated the guide in advance. We all took our seats and we started our day trip. The first place, our guide insisted to visit was Edakkal Caves. This place was approximately 25 kms from Kalpetta. We reached the scenic point in another 40 minutes. We had to go to the trekking point through a government aided jeep service. It was 50/- for eight persons for upward journey. We all got to the jeep and in another 10 minutes, we reached the place. From this point, we had to trek on the hill. It was an amazing trekking experience. It is advisable not to take kids or old people as the path is so steep. When we reached the top of the hill, the guide directed towards the cave. Man, it was an amazing scene inside the cave. Edakkal in its own words means a rock which is in between two mountains. The local guide says this place had been formed due to the earthquake, some thousand years ago. He also says there had been inhabitants living here. And all those were parts of history. We were also able to witness some of the carvings on the rock. The toughest part of the trip was to get down the hill. God, it was a tough task as the rocks were slippery due to the frequent showers. We had our refreshments when we returned down and we were all more excited as our next place is a waterfall. The guide directed the driver towards Soochipara Waterfalls, which was approximately 28 kms from Edakkal Caves.

It was a rainy day throughout and whatever we looked all appeared green and that is indeed Kerala! There were tea plantations all way, as we headed towards Soochipara.
We reached the place around 1 pm. We had to walk around 1 km flat and another 1 km down the hill to reach the falls. It was again a trekking adventure. The paths were very slippery and it was mist all over. We could here the sound of the falls as we head towards it. No words to describe the falls, it was breath-taking. The waterfall was so forceful that one could hardly take a bath. One should be very careful while walking, as there are leeches all around this place. It was heavily raining when we returned back. This was really a tougher one as we had to climb up the hill to reach our way back. In spite of the heavy rain, cool climate, all of us were drenched in sweat. That was indeed a good exercise for us!!

It was 2.30 pm and all of us were very hungry. We stopped in a town to have our lunch. It was already 4 pm after our lunch and we headed to Pookot Lake, which is another 15 km from that place. We had to rush because the boating tickets are given only till 5pm. We managed to reach the place by 4.45 pm and got our tickets. The Lake was a small one surrounded by mountains. It is indeed a must visit location. We went for a rowing boat as all of us were very tired by now. The boating time was around 20 minutes, after which we decided to comeback to our lodge.

We had dropped the guide on the way, where he intended to get down and reached Kalpetta by 6.30 pm and our one day excitement had come to an end.

Day 2

We decided to return to Bangalore as early as possible, as we had our friends from Chennai, who had to catch the Chennai Mail. We had to check out the lodges early by 7.30 am to avoid the rent to be paid for the second day too. Life cannot be that easy. Yes, one of the vehicle tyres had a puncture and it took an hour to get ready. We were all waiting outside the lodge. It was raining on this day too. After everything is set, we headed towards Karapuzha Dam, which is approximately 15 kms from Kalpetta.

This dam is an earthen dam, which is an ideal picnic spot. After spending some time there, we decided to return back to Bangalore.
Karapuzha Dam

On the way back to Bangalore, it was after Gundlurpet and before Mysore, we could see those sunflowers and other flowers along the sides of the road. It was a perfect landscape.

In Mysore, we made a visit to the palace. We had our lunch in Mysore and we went to Sangam, SriRangapatna. There we spent the afternoon playing in the river bank. After an hour of bath n fun in the river, we rode our way back to Bangalore. It was around 7pm in the evening we reached Bangalore. Thanks to NICE Road, as we could avoid the heavy traffic on the Mysore Road.

Two days of fun n excitement had come to an end, but those memories remain in our heart forever which can be cherished always.