I have Stayed Away on Independence Day!

/**Staying away from Mother and Motherland (Fatherland for Some) is always painful. But then people say "if its so painful who told you to stay away for them?" . Yes, the question is perplexing, yet after thinking over it a lot I don't have any answers....**/

15 August in India is no less than any religious festival. Many things are marked with regular Clichés
like screening of 2-3 patriotic movies, Flag hoisting, playing patriotic songs, Sweets... etc.

School days: As with most of the non-nerdy kids I hated going to school. 15 Aug for me was a happy day, even if it meant going to school at 7am, cause the thought of not having classes was simply mesmerizing for me. We were made to stand in the queues according to our "Houses" (Red, Green,Blue and Yellow). The prefects, monitors and teachers would get busy maintaining the discipline. All the patriotic old Hindi songs would go on  in the background. This was different since my school was a Catholic English School and Hindi was supposed to be a strict NO-NO (Except in Hindi Class). Songs would start from 6am on loudspeakers. Few of the songs are really classics.

"Aao baccho tumhe dikhayen....Vande Mataram!"
"Hum Layen hai Tufan se kashti......"
"De di Azadi hamen bina...."
"Chodo Kal ki Baatein.....Hum Hindustani"
"Mere Desh ki dharti...."
"Apni azadi ko hum...."

My personal favorite was or rather is "Aye mere pyaare Watan..." From the 1966 Black and White film KABULIWALA. Sometimes it does bring me to tears.

Coming back to school, The Father (Principal) of the school would give a short speech on the importance of the day and finally hoisting of the Flag by him. The flag hoisting would  go along with the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" which we would repeat even without understanding its real meaning in Bengali. And just after the flag hoisting all would shout "Bharat Mata ki....Jai.....Bharat Mata ki....Jai" ..."Vande Mataram...Vande mataram ". All of us by now would be desperate to get the packet of balloons and sweets distributed by the school. Then we would go to some of my classmates house or would walk back home carefree. Childhood living is indeed easy to do.
My Father was at that time in government service. He held head positions for many institutions.It was weird for me to see him dressed in white uniform with "Gandhi Cap". He used to hoist flag at his institution. At that time only government institutions had a right to hoist flags.

Independence Day afternoons used to be filled with Patriotic movies. Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, A film made by non-Indian with Indian actors, is the most common movie. Congress party that has ruled India for almost 50 years owns the state media Doordarshan (DD).It uses this movie for their own propaganda. Indian freedom struggle is sadly attributed to a single person - Gandhi. This is visible in our daily lives, on our currency. The extremist movement was and is always suppressed.

Many other movies like the crazy Manoj Kumar movies like Purab aur Paschim , Clerk used to also be regularly played. Bearing this torture is what makes us real Indians. Added to these movies attack of the ultimate B-grade movie which is strangely popular was : Tiranga. Nana Patekar along with old Rajkumar is what made this movie so lethal. Rajkumar's green velvet shirt still haunts me. Who can forget the great villain - "Pralaynath Genda swami".

Recent  gems like those starring Sunny Paaji  are also sometimes shown!


Away From Home: Being away from home in far away countries makes one 52% more patriotic than usual! This day reminds me of my school days, when times were simpler, wants were lesser! Being in US in the IT field (mostly dominated by Indians) makes me feel home sometimes but "Home is home". I am daily hooked to news papers like  The Times of India to stay in touch with what is happening in India! I observe many things. I see how our journalistic standards are falling day by day. All I see is some sort of rightist propaganda! Things that are happening now makes my blood boil ! The British rule has come to India again! We need to rise! And Rise we will! 

LDI : Last Day in Infosys....

That was the day, weirdly I did not feel weird! I was not angry on Infosys, unlike many of my colleagues, but I wasn't even happy. This was the place where I came almost 5 years back. It was my life for 5 years! Traveling 31Kms (1 hr to come and 2 hrs to go..) daily from my home to Hinjewadi. Spending minimum 9.15 hours was mandatory now.  So I used to spend my about 12 hours of the day in my service to the company! But spending time is not difficult is it?

I had a group of friends, many of them still are my best friends! Spending time with them in Food courts was a bliss! Standing in long queues for everything was a daily routine for an Infocion, like me.Yet none, except one was there to bid me goodbye. All had either left Infosys or gone onsite! Writing my last day mail was painful experience. I was separating form Infosys. this was the last mail for #56129 :

From: Adinath Vishwanath Yemul
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 1:44 PM
To: Infy_Rockers
Subject: Adieu et Merci!

It happened so fast yet so slow…..
I am so happy and yet so sad…..well, these are clichés from my side….but these are my true feelings..
I was taking things as if nothing is happening but as soon as I got my E-separation approved my heat started beating faster…
Now I know I have finished a part of my journey of 4 years, 6 months ,21 days, 4 hrs…. .It was a long one at some instances and short one at others .
And soon I will start a new journey into this cold world again. Far from “comfort” of Infy , Far from friends , some more than friends , some colleagues…..

My journey started from Mysore…..I really have fond memories of it…
Slogging in nights, Perception, Arun Nair, hostels , gazebo , Loyal world , Compri ( fortunately no re-compri)…

I got the desperately wanted  Pune DC phase -2 with just 4 buildings in May 2006 ( SDB1-2-4 and FC1 )
I joined WellPoint  in FPA, working for almost 18 hours a day even on weekends .I made few friends who still are with me…The FPA night shift of 3 days I can never forget ( everyone slept including the PMs for last 2 of the 3 days). It was a fun time with equal hard  amount work.

In 2008 I went to Denver it was a cold and a pleasant experience. I will miss that place the most.
Blues café, Starbucks, 83L, Le Central, 7-11, 11th floor, conf room 11-11 , P3 parking, Chipotley, Jeff Capilitz and most importantly the people…..it was all very great
I will soon meet them anyways…

I had a brief time in Aetna… it was insignificant but a learning experience.

I am a normal infocion not too good neither too bad! I had my share of ups and downs…and I hold no grudges..
I will really miss BB, Infy_rockers , Queues for spoons , DARTs, queues in FCs, Heat of FC2 in summers, the far MLPL, 9.15 hours rule, WellPoint, coffee group,
Sparsh  ahh…. And the list goes on.

I know its time for me to go…As they say in INFOSYS…Best of luck to you , for your future endeavors.
I hope our paths cross soon.
I always thought that Friday was supposed to be my last day!! But it seems it’s not :)


You can get to me at  *@*.com

Tadaaa!!!
~Adii

...an year gone by.

Last year, at the end of 2009, I was writing a similar blog...Fake introspection. I don't believe that by introspecting, you can improve anything....I wont stop spending on things that I don't need,will I? Introspection is for weak people who are not willing to accept what they are and want to make themselves better in the eyes of the society which doesn't  care for them! Anyways my year 2010 was full of roller-coaster rides in the truest sense (I went to SFO at that time with my pals). After a pathetic new year in an Airport what else do you expect? ( don't even get me started on pathetic new years!!). My year started with being surrounded by the opposite gender. Office work of manner which would the suit laziest bum in the world...which is me. There was time for lonely coffee breaks, non-lonely coffee breaks, heart breaks, chats,  phone calls, swearing, jealousies, twists, anger, pain but no time for work! I had a car now that too a working one! What else could a man desire for?? (ahem!! woman!). Life was going on smoothly for me with frequent calls to my mom. I had become a master-chef in adi-dal, adi-chana and now adi-chicken. People used to get hysterical at the sights and smells of adi-dal. Suddenly things started twisting...I got calls from two "GOOD" universities and I time had come to leave this beautiful life. I had two exits "EXIT-MAY", a costly and good exit and "EXIT-AUG", a costly and $#%$% exit. I chose exit-aug for reasons better kept secret.

February was a lovely month of spending valentines day alone amongst friends in PF Chang's but I discovered the best thing ever ( by US standards ) "DYNAMITE SHRIMP". The dynamite shrimp was my valentine. 

March was as usual.....nothing happens in march!! 

April 1st was kind of joke on me but I think I had the last laugh. That month changed all the equations.... friends turned into foes and foes remained foes and tension prevailed...on my dreaded floor. I still tried to remain calm. I know I cannot take back bitching by my "friends" and I didn't . One should remember what goes around comes back around and it did. What a month it was....    

May as usual was hotter in Denver. Temperatures soaring with rage ....as I used to roam around everywhere. It made my superiors hotter. On my freeway, which started in 2005, exit was nearing. I did not care to slowdown. 

June came with unexpected rains and one more fake landmark of birthday. For most of them it meant a sad day, a day closer to old age for me it means pure cake cutting and getting ass-kicked by a broken guy. It was an emotional months with  rains...but my heart beat faster as I landed  amongst known strangers.

July was a month of relative restlessness. Few new steps had been taken. One wrong move would change my life but I did not falter. I juggled few things. I remained quiet and lonely and rejoiced on getting my visa changed. Last day in infy was never what I imagined. I never got a farewell but somewhere that farewell had already begun...

Aug was a month of total change. Bidding bye to my family and rains had become like daily chores. When I landed in Denver I was different man. I had my moments which I enjoyed. But things had changed...Driving alone to unknown was an experience.

Sept - Life changed , things faded...competition had set in. expectations failed. rush began for assistantship. race ....pure rat race. But I was still better off. I had more things that what I had before. I was burnt in heat...Tucson was hot and lonely....all you could see was cactus, skimpily dressed girls who make you feel lonelier.

Oct/Nov - These months I don't remember a thing. Were like a hangover.

Dec - My december..was filled with anger,anguish, inferiority, victory and relief. how would you feel if you know more than your professor...I felt same way. But I still let it go.Breaking a heart is the hardest thing ever... trust me. Freedom is the worst thing if u r idle!

31 st Dec 2010 - 11:59 pm - The Vessel Club - San Francisco . I am standing alone in a club with my friends trying hard to hookup with girls. Each wants desperately to touch a busty girl but is miles away from even talking. Few couples have started to fiddle around in the darkness. Few Indians dressed in their best are trying to mingle with firang gals.  DJ is playing a song which no body understands ...well who cares when you are drunk....I am cursing myself for this unwanted situation but still I know NEW YEAR'S are supposed to be pathetic.

and VOILA....12 am.... 01/01/2011...balloons burst... DJ shouts...drunk girls kiss....and my old year ends.....Alone.....

Lets see what this new year brings for me...its an important year for me...TRUST ME.....   

You Know when You Are In Pune......

Ahh I was about to write about this since long...but recent times I have been "Super Busy".

You know when you are in pune when........
1. When the uniformed beggars at the signals compete with non-uniformed ones
2. When no matter what hotel you start, what ever you serve, what ever you quote, there will be people    thronging to eat...
3. When you will be ashamed to speak the local language ( mai marathi ) in malls....
4. When you know you wont be punished what ever you do if you are driving a car..
5. When people will sell you flats at whatever price they feel...and you will be in a queue to buy it...
6. When you know suddenly that the road you are driving on is one way in opposite direction..but dont worry...you know why...
7. when the city bus (PMT) driver has a right to kill people... there are too many people anyways...

Pune Blast - Economics of Terror

I have been giving it a lot of thought about the episode where the end was tragic! With 11 people having "officially"  died in a supposedly quiet town 200 Kms to the east of Mumbai .....PUNE! Why would anyone plant a bomb in a town that has barely 10% population of Mumbai, where shops remain closed from 1 to 4 pm so that the vendors can enjoy their afternoon siesta?

Answer lies in "development". Pune though small is quite a rich place! It stands for all the good things a Marathi person* can offer...Good educational institutions, peace , health care , eat outs , culture..... .Obviously there are bad aspects as well the uncontrolled growth in the name of development. The big so-called IT companies hiring people like herds of sheep, rising prices, the nexus between politicians and multinational corporations...what not. This makes pune important. Still relatively virgin compared to Mumbai, it remains a soft target for millitants. Few years back it was unimaginable that there could be a blast in Pune...even terrorists would not have thought of that! But money changes all.

The specific spot was chosen ..A Bakery that was popular hangout for many foreign tourists. Indians are often minority there. Caucasians , Mongoloids, Black all races could be seen assimilated there. They would come here often for spiritual quest in the form of marijuana, sex and meditation. The Osho ashram, where it takes Rs 500 ($10..not too much by American standards but it could be a weeks salary for many Indians) just to meditate, is very popular amongst foreign tourists. The German Bakery is a target! Why?? We need to come to terms with admitting that a white life costs more than a black life or a brown life.Is an American or a German killed equivalent to 10 or more Indians killed? We may deny this with all our heart but it is a fact! This is the economics of terror.

This is the Terror which makes us realize this difference. Why didn't the terrorists plant a bomb in much richer areas like J.M. road, F.C. road or even Camp ? Answer..lack of Caucasians. The psyche is simple . How can we cause maximum damage with minimum investment? I am sure our so called Hindi or English media would not have covered the incident if there would have been a blast in Wadia college or Rasta Peth and 20 Indians would have died! It would have been printed on 2nd or third page even in Maharashtra Times or Lokmat.  The terrorists got maximum coverage by killing 2-3 foreigners!



Aftermath of Blast: Pune is still insecure as ever. No amount of security can stop the terrorists. Terrorists are like mosquitoes. You cant go after individual mosquito but a mosquito net keeps them away. Our government should invest in border security like US.
Life will be a hell for pune residents and it will still go on as usual which is NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF! Terrorists will surely strike again while political parties like SS will threaten jesters like SRK and karan Johar who dole out crap in the name of movies. The already overburdened corrupt police will provide security to the malls to wardoff goons while terrorists make a good use of it!
While the biggest criminals in this drama THE MEDIA ( including journalists like Sardesai ) will have a gala time with their TRPs!

*Marathi Person : Person who understands marathi.

Wats Playin on My iPod!

Ahh I am actually disgusted with the crap that comes out these days in the name of music. Its all about style and less about music it self. And I am sure  half of us must be crying..." Take me to those 70's days"

where the ROCK ruled..It was all about music and the style came from whatever you do rather that what is being dictated by the media! These artists still rock! They are of a different class altogether. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Paige, Robert Plant ,Carlos Santana....These people represent class! But there are still few new artists who are trying hard to carve out a niche. I really salute them! Artists range from genres like blues , Indie Pop, RnB to what not! John Mayer, Coldplay, Death Cab for the cutie are few of them. Few their songs just stick to your head! 

Here is a list of songs I am listening:

1. Broken Hearted - Eric Clapton and John Mayer 

Genre - Blues

A calm blues song. Clapton is really a God. His voice is different ( thats what they call you when you have a bad quality of voice ) and he is THE Blues guitarist! Can you believe some one can survive for 4 decades! Well his greatness does not overshadow lesser artists like John . They blend along well in this song. Do checkout the lyrics.They are great! An Awesome song!

2. New York (Empire State of Mind) - Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

    Genre - RnB

 

I had liked this song the first time I heard it on some radio channel. Very few songs are like that. I couldn't catch the lyrics and so the name of the song for long time. It came from an extremely unexpected source! A nice song. Captures the spirit of the city. Alicia Keys plays piano jumping up and down. 

3. 21 Guns - Green Day

Genre - Punk Rock.

Its an old song but it took me some time to like this song! An awesomee song with awesome message. "...Do you know whats worth fighting for?....when its not worth dying for? ..." Its anti-war rhetoric!

4. Please read the letter - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Genre - Love Ballad/Country

I was first shocked to see Robert Plant singing love songs! Many fans are disgusted! The man with the greatest vocal power is singing love songs with some country girl! Well, its appreciable to see him doing something daring! Yes , He is the same guy who sang The Lemon song, Kashmir and Stairway to Heaven! This song brings great calm. Alison Krauss is a beautiful gal with deep calm voice. They go to gether well!

5. Fireflies - Owl City.

Genre - synthpop

A weird song but a good one. This song is very catchy and thats why it climbed the charts quickly! This is my first owlcity song!

6. Tik Tok - Ke$ha 

Genre - Dance

Its a catchy song :( .Yes it is.I am guilty of liking this song!

7. Cold Desert - Kings of Leon

Genre - Alternative rock

A nice song. Too calm to be true. Its my SFO song...but no one let me play! :(

My Favourite Hindi Chord!

I used to think Hindi is not exactly a Guitar language but its not true..
I am not an avid follower of Hindi music but I feel it was just as good as western music.
Recently I went to see '3 IDIOTS'. It was an OK movie but it made me realize Amir, he really is a good actor.

Amir Khan's 1st movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak had awesome songs in its list.
Papa Kehte hai is an anthem of sorts in every college or school just like Another brick in the wall. All the boys ( not girls!) who can strum a bit come on stage and give it a try while other boy/girls become weeping audiances! Last day of school/college! Same happened in my college VIT!

This song is a simple song but it really touches some chord in you! It reminds me those times of my childhood when I went for a vacation in Lonavala at Shamiyana Lodge. Mats were spread on the floor and we had that brown portable radio from PHILIPS. This song was played many times but I was too young to understand its lyrics even though they are not as complicated as Dylan's!

It follows a very simple chord pattern of Cmaj, Amin, Fmaj, Gmaj. Its a beginners chords....Novice

Here it goes....

[C]Papa[Am] kehte hain [F] bada naam [G] karega 
[C]Beta hamara[Am] aisa kaam karega [F] 
[G] Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan

Papa kehte hain bada naam karega 
Beta hamara aisa kaam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan
Papa kehte hain bada naam karega

Baithe hain milke sab yaar apne
Sabke dilon mein armaan yeh hai
Baithe hain milke sab yaar apne
Sabke dilon mein armaan yeh hai
Wo zindagi mein kal kya banega
Har ek nazar ka sapna yeh hai
Koi engineer ka kaam karega
Business mein koi apna naam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan
Papa kehte hain bada naam karega

Mera to sapna hai ek chehra
Dekhe jo usko jhoome bahar
Mera to sapna hai ek chehra
Dekhe jo usko jhoome bahar
Gaalon mein khilti kaliyon ka mausam
Aankhon mein jaadu honthon mein pyaar
Banda ye khoobsurat kaam karega
Dil ki duniya mein apna naam karega
Meri nazar se dekho to yaaron
Ki meri manzil hai kahan
Papa kehte hain bada naam karega