The Chemical Locha in my brain...

Of the New Year and the New Year resolutions...

2011-12-31T18:35:00.002+05:30

Here comes yet another New Year eve and you just get a feeling that there is nothing new about it. You have lived this day every year for decades now. The janta around you keeps bugging “31^st ka kya plan hai? Party sharty kaha hai?” You see hoardings of “New Year bash, unlimited food and drinks” everywhere. But those don’t excite you anymore. You wonder and worry if the alcohol consumption on this day is more than the water consumption. You are probably searching for a less noisy, less crowded place where you can celebrate the evening with your dear ones, spending quality time with them.

Well, if this is happening to you, it’s a sure sign that you are growing Old!!

You always decide upon a few New Year resolutions every year. And you do stick to them wholeheartedly on the 1^st Jan... Sometimes, you hold on to them for more than few days, may be even a week. Then you give up and wait for the year to end. On 31^st Dec, you make a new New Year resolution. Once again. This time, with a stronger will and a fresh vigour. And the cycle continues. Year after year…

Well, if this is your story, you have what they call “A never say die” attitude. Keep it up!!

I was browsing a typical Job Description on a job portal. It had several points listed down. 3-5 years of experience with exposure to blah blah blah. Knowledge of blah blah would be an added advantage and so on. The last point read “Should have a lot of FIB”. I wondered what FIB meant and there it was - explained in the line below in brackets “(Fire in the Belly)”. I had a good laugh.

Today when I think of it, I feel FIB is missing in our lives. FIB is missing if you do not feel excited about anything in life or if you feel you are growing old. FIB is missing if you are unable to keep up your New Year resolution or any resolution for that matter. FIB is certainly missing if you feel there is no purpose in life.

So this new year, I wish everyone gets more of FIB to set their lives right. To fulfil their dreams and do what they always wanted to. People who love me keep asking me to reduce my Belly (The B in the FIB). But to do that also I need more FIB!!

P. S. – I am writing after a long long time. I want to keep writing more of such crap regularly in this coming New Year. Hope I get enough FIB to do that! J Wish you all a very happy new year!

Udaan

2010-07-19T12:15:00.003+05:30

turns out to be a refreshing breather amongst the numerous awful Hindi movies released this year. A must watch for anyone and everyone who has ever dared to dream… The movie brings on the plate a variety of emotions like love, hatred, disappointment, hope and rage in a delicate yet powerful way!

Udaan begins with Rohan and this three friends getting caught watching a b-grade film at a local theatre in Shimla. They end up being expelled from the boarding school. The movie then traces Rohan’s life as he suffocates and struggles but finally breaks free from his brutal and autocratic father.

Rohan’s father, who owns a small factory in Jamshedpur, wants Rohan to study engineering and work in the factory. He has his own set of rules and ideologies. He bullies Rohan to follow them. Rohan in contrast is a creative teenager, who aspires to be a writer. Other major characters include Rohan’s cute little step brother Arjun, his empathetic uncle and his friends at Shimla and Jamshedpur.

The story is simple, at times a bit slow and repetitive. So is the cinematography. Yet, Udaan never loses its charm!

The cast has delivered a stellar performance and one can easily relate to at least a few of the characters or scenes in the movie. Scenes like the one where Rohan’s father burns his writings are stirring and disturbing. Then there are other dramatic scenes, like the last one, where Rohan rebels and successfully frees himself and his younger brother from his father. Apt and Subtle humor is effectively used throughout the movie. The music is fresh and soothing with fine lyrics.

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Et cetera…

Although the intensity of the movie had not yet sunk into the intellect, we all couldn’t help but burst out laughing even as we desperately searched for a loo at the City Centre, Chennai. Fighting with odds like long queues, renovation work and shop closing times, we managed to get into a restroom after almost 20 mins and relieved ourselves. This was followed by a satisfying meal. Then, a few rounds of singing old hindi songs loudly in the auto-rickshaw and the campus. “Super!” exclaimed the auto driver anna. Indeed, it was a super evening.. One that I will remember for many good reasons :)

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Movies have immensely helped me kill time in these past few lazy weeks, or rather months. I’ll always be indebted to them. Here’s how I rate the movies I’ve seen this summer..

The Good: Toy Story 3, How to train your dragon, Harishchandrachi Factory(Marathi), Udaan

The not so Bad: Date night, A-Team, Knight and Day, The City of Gold, Remember me, Prince of Persia

The Bad: Kites, Ravan, Rajneeti, Haapus (Marathi), Badmaash Company, Houseful, I hate luv storys

The Ugly: Paathshaala

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Next movie: Inception

Khana and Khazana...

2010-05-19T15:52:00.011+05:30

The Bombay Stock Exchange, 28th floor, 12:30 pm:

It’s been more than an hour that I have been on my desk and there is so much to do! My to-do list includes:

Checking the IFMR chain mails…

Following the volatile status message wars…

Watching NDTV profit and trying to lip read what the anchor has to say…

And of course pretending to work…

The markets are trading at the day’s low due to weak global cues and concerns over the Greek debt crisis. It’s not only gloomy on the dalal street but also inside BSE. The mentors are worried that the interns are good for nothing, the interns are in turn worried about their stipends and the folks in the adjoining cubicle are worried that their lunch order is not yet delivered. Among all these global and local worries strikes the big question of the day. Where do we go for lunch?

Respecting our whims n fancies and the mood for the day, we decide on what cuisine we want to eat. Then we burrp for the restaurants which can satiate our wish list and hopefully our taste buds too. After saying “chalooo” for half a dozen times to each other, we finally lift our bums from our seats and land on the dalal street. It’s usually the four of us: me, Chaitanya, Priyanka aka chirkut and Pawan.

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Dalal Street and fort area, 1:00 pm:

The markets crash further after the opening of the European markets. Global and local worries continue to haunt us! While heading for lunch, Chaitanya and Priyanka are worried about getting tanned in the sun and its future consequences. Pawan is worried about the distance left to be covered. I am wondering if we are walking in the right direction or the opposite one. Finally we find our place, get in and start browsing the menu card.

Hmm… Well, my silly internship project is to do a comparative study of algo trading strategies across exchanges. It is certainly not to do a comparative study of food quality across restaurants. But the sincere, hard-working, dedicated guy I am, I always go an extra mile and push myself to deliver more than expected. So here you go… few quick reviews of eat outs near fort!!

Mahesh Lunch Home ****

Excellent sea food, says Chaitanya. Good hyderabadi chicken biryani as well. Not bad for veggies too (although nothing is good for them). I’ve tried veg pulav and biryani. The quantity is decent. Ambience is ok. They play instrumental music, usually old hindi songs. Check out the restroom on the 1st floor :) . And also check out the drinks menu, even if you can’t have them.

Welcome Restaurant (Since 1924) ***

Tried Chinese (choupsey) and Pav Bhaji. It’s the typical udipi style restaurant with a loyal customer base.

Fort Central (Since 1942) **

The aamras was ok but puri and batura sucked. It was pretty crowded and one uncle actually threatened Chaitanya to finish her mango shake and vacate the seat. That’s probably the only time I have seen fright on her face.

Nandus paratha’s *****
Among the finest and the heaviest parathas I’ve seen. They offer a good diversity in paratha stuffings like chocolate, wadapav, pavbhaji, cheese chilly mili, pizza topping etc etc. A very small and cramped place to sit, but the food compensates for the discomfort.

Jimmy Boy *Forget it, boy! Tried dhansak, a raspberry drink and few other parsi dishes. It does nothing other than sucking your dhan. The food was bland and expensive.

5 Spice *****

It’s known for its Chinese food. The quantity is really good and the taste is even better (or maybe we were just too hungry). You may also try brownies and pastries like ‘death by chocolate’. We did not have the appetite to die for it.

Army Restaurant (Since “Rock on”) ***

Decent pav bhaji and kheema pav. It’s the same restaurant where Arjun rampal, Farhaan Akhtar and gang met often in ‘rock on’. The Khurshid chacha in the movie still manages the counter. It’s a noisy place, but worth going once if you are a rock on fan. Food is average.

Fountain Plaza ****
Awesome kerela style food. Their chicken biryani is world famous in the fort area. Little choice for veggies though. Nevertheless, it is value for money. Biryani is just about 60 bucks. Good range of sea food as well – all mallu style.

Lalit Restaurant **
Gujrathi and Marathi thalis on offer. I did not think it was authentic Marathi food. Misal pav was below-average. Some weird music is played here.

BSE Canteen **
The food is okiesh but there’s almost no variety. Mysore masala dosa, utthappa, lunch, dal rice and couple of more dishes – that’s what the menu looks like.

Yazdani Bakery (Since ages) *****

A heritage bakery which takes you in the past. The wall clocks, the posters, the tables and chairs, the roof, the machine that makes bread slices, even the waiters. All of them make a good pre-historic ambience. The cakes and desserts are nice. They taste like homemade cakes as they are prepared on wooden ovens. Some of the items I can remember are golden sponge cake, chocolate cake, apple pie, carrot cake, mava samosa etc. Also try brun maska with chai on a relaxed evening.

Chaotic Juice shop ***

This juice shop in front of the ICICI bank near dalal street is chaotic and the operators just multiply the chaos. But they do have a good choice of juices, milkshakes and combination drinks.

Food Inn, Colaba ***

It’s a run of the mill Punjabi veg restaurant. Don’t go by the hype and the ratings on burrp.

Peshawar ****

Visit this place if you get a craving for aloo parathas. The parathas were indeed good but a bit expensive. Not recommended for students or interns who are yet to get their stipends.

New Anand Bhavan ***

Not really new. This place reminds me of the taste in Chennai. It gets a loyal tamil customer base.

Anna Leela Modern Café **

A small place with a good variety in the menu but the food is just average. Entry restricted on the 1st floor if your height is 5 feet 8 inches or more.

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The Bombay Stock Exchange, 28th floor, 2:30 pm:

We are all satisfied and at peace, no matter where we had our lunch. Meanwhile, the markets have recovered from the day’s lows and are now trading in green. Priyanka has changed her status from “I am hungry” to “I am sooo full”. I am feeling very sleepy as I continue to pretend to work and wait for 5 pm.

It is... Amchi Mumbai!

2010-05-03T18:09:00.007+05:30

I’ve finally got the opportunity to have a closer look at Mumbai.. The town area of it... And I’m loving it! The grand Brit architectures housing several banks, corporate headquarters and government departments, the numerous food-joints (from road side stalls to five-stars), the no nonsense taxi-wallahs and the busy looking, brisk walking janata in formal wear… This place does look like the financial capital of India. It’s in the air, as they say.

I am also travelling by the local train daily from Vashi to CST. Something I haven’t done before, unlike thousands of Mumbaikars. I think, I have moved on from the beginner to the intermediate level, learning the rules and strategies of travelling by trains in Mumbai. Here are some free tips!

If you ever get three wishes from the almighty or find an Alladin’s chirag somewhere, make sure you ask for a window seat. Believe me, this is one thing you just can’t get… For everything else, there’s master card!
Be alert, attentive and maintain lane discipline at all times in the train! If you don’t do that, you might either land on the wrong station or miss the right station even before you realize.
Train is probably the best place to meditate. Because there are not many other things, you can do.
If you feel like doing something good for the world, just shout loudly “andar chalooo” along with the crowd that pours in at every station.
The Train is among the best hangout places in Mumbai. Just that you need to be qualified at the expert level to hang out of a local train.
You need just three words to kickoff a skirmish in a Mumbai local – “Dhakka mat maro.”

Mumbai is one city which has seen more disasters and pain than any other city in the world. Many of those have been of such high magnitude that could tear apart and destroy a city completely. The blasts, the riots, the floods, the regional politics, and the never ending terrorist attacks. But, it’s incredible to witness how quickly Mumbai gets back to its feet every time and eventually emerges being stronger than before! I think mak doesn’t make it possible; it’s the beautiful people of Mumbai, the mumbaikars who do!

There’s no doubt that the series of tragedies have changed Mumbai, over the years. Vehicles are not allowed on the dalal street. Entry inside the gateway of India is prohibited. You’ll often see a policeman standing by a gunpoint at the CST. But there are some things that have not changed… and for good!

Mumbai is still, the only real cosmopolitan city in the country. You’ll find people from all states, regions, religions and castes mingle with each other like long lost friends. You can easily make friends with a complete stranger and discuss philosophy over a train ride. It’s in Mumbai that you truly get the opportunity to identify, understand and appreciate different cultures, customs, festivals, languages, cuisines and more! Its this variety (or unity in diversity... blah blah) that makes mumbai so different, colourful, vibrant and energetic!
The nightlife is thankfully still upbeat and unaffected. Mumbai never sleeps! Indeed, it’s a place where “raat ke bara baje, din nikalta hai”.
I think women in Mumbai are much more independent and confident as compared to other cities of India.

Of course, there are always two sides of a coin… and maybe I don’t like to talk about the other side. But I have always loved Mumbai for the above reasons and for what it is. I have found myself happier whenever I am at home and for me, Mumbai is among the best places in the world!

(Pics courtesy of Chaitanya)

Change is inevitable. Change is constant.

2010-02-14T18:13:00.009+05:30

This is how life has changed for me in the recent times.

From Software Developer to Student
From Infosys to IFMR
From Salary to Pocket Money
From Selaiyur to Nungambakkam
From Bunking Office to Bunking College
From Tech/Domain tests to end term exams
From Allen Solly to Peter England
From Killer to Trigger
From Lifestyle to Sarvana stores
From Spending Power to Cost CuttingPower
From Woodland to Bata
From Reebok to Action
From Apsa Kitchen to Bakya Fast Food
From Residency buffet to Dhaba Express buffet
From Bikes & Barrels to Apna Terrace
From Aila Plane to Bhartiya Rail
From Personal Loan to Educational Loan
From Inox to Ega

Thank God, some things like good food, sound sleep, peace of mind and love of family & friends have not changed!

Lewis and Tide presents - Dirteen!

2010-02-12T20:12:00.010+05:30

Team "Old Monks" (Erwin Dmello, Anil PR and Sourabh Magdum) entry for Addendum,a SPJIMR event.

Its a challenge to link two of the given brands and come up with a new product. Also prepare a print Ad and a 450 word writeup explaining the product!

Here is what we did -

Let’s relive your worst nightmare!! An important date...You take the pains to wake up early … take out your favorite Tee, take a shower , and just when you thought nothing could go wrong , You find your favorite jeans , all cleaned up lying spic and span , thanks to your mom!!

Your whole world turns upside down; disappointment sinks within…..Just one of those days when cleanliness ruined the day….

Some things don’t mix!! like Jeans and cleanliness never go together…and you now sit there in despair wondering how on earth mom would ever understand that!!!.......but not anymore!!!

And just in case you are one of those people who are of the belief that

Clean looks are charming ….Clean looks are elegant …..Clean looks are graceful……

THINK AGAIN!!!

Isn’t cleanliness overrated!! Think of it…if there were no dirt, there wouldn’t be anything to clean! We at LEVIS the leaders in comfort fabric and TIDE , the pioneers in detergents come together as we look to reconnoiter that positive that dirt is, give it the space that it truly deserves and acknowledge it for the charity it has done to the world of fashion!!

Introducing, the revolutionary new age solvent that will make you love the dirty look…

The new age dernier, the evolution from the ordinary call it the dawn of the dirty… Levis and Tide proudly present DIRTEEN, a solvent for the youth!! A novel and unique solvent that adds to your clothes that ubercool look that you have always dreamt of!!

In a few simple steps, oust the simplicity from your clean jeans and give it the stature it deserves. Add a sachet of DIRTEEN to a mug of water, and sprinkle it on those areas of your jeans where you would love to have the dirty look. Once that’s done, then hot it up by ironing the particular area. Watch in amazement as the magic of DIRTEEN takes over and the snazzy makeover it gives to your fabric. Before you know, your jeans is back to its former glory, whatever look it might have been, rusty , bad boy , mechanic, greasy or painter white ,we have it all.

We at LEVIS and TIDE understand the likes of our customer, especially those they never talk of, like the cool look that the dirt on their jeans gives, and nothing gives us more pleasure than to assure them that they can now take their cool looks for granted!!

Dirt is here to stay... it’s for the brave, for the bold, for the ones who have the guts to reveal their imperfections, so go ahead and embrace it, GO HIGHLIGHT THE DIRT IN YOU!!

From Chennai to Dalhousie via Delhi!

2010-01-26T11:31:00.008+05:30

I had been visiting the Youth Hostel website and the Dalhousie winter trek brochure since quite a few days. I badly needed a break and was wondering if I could somehow make it to the trek amidst my college schedule. I was delighted to see the holiday notification email and began planning and thinking of the trip while people around me were studying hard for the exams. I invited all my friends; Krishna a.k.a. Pabba and Abhishek a.k.a. Abs decided to join me. We did all the bookings (including the trek booking) in tatkal or just in time.

Krishna and I departed from Chennai on the New Year’s Eve just in time for the tamilnadu express. While Krishna survived the train journey eating bread jam, I tried different unhygienic stuff on most of the railway stations! The fog played spoil sport and our train got delayed by 7 hrs. It was moving like a road-roller after Mathura, stopping at every other station where tens and hundreds and thousands of people poured in. Even a 24/7 sleeping kumbhakarna like Krishna couldn’t sleep in the commotion and chaos.

We reached Delhi on 2nd Jan afternoon, where abs was waiting for us. In Delhi, we could never figure out what time of the day it was. It was foggy all over and seemed to be 6 am while it was actually 2 pm. We quickly headed to the Interstate bus terminus and booked our tickets to Dalhousie. Then, we did some woolen-wear shopping from a Tibetan monastery market nearby where I and abs taught Krishna the art of bargaining. Krishna tried his level best but was tricked by the cute little chinki lady salesperson. He also had his dream come true as we satiated our taste buds with a few rounds of Aloo-tikki and chat near the Kashmiri Gate bus terminus before getting into the bus. It was not among the best chats in Delhi, but we had to manage…

My observation about Delhi: It’s the best city in the country when you sit in the underground metro. It is the dirtiest city when you come out of the metro!

True to our reputation, we reached Dalhousie late. Although I had put on all the warm clothing I had, I was shivering like never before. We searched for a while and found the Youth Hostel Building at last.

The first thing we did here was to rush to the restrooms to relieve the pressure accumulated during the overnight bus journey. We missed the early morning warm-up session which I was anyway not interested in. The lady who was our campus leader yelled at Krishna for inadvertently kicking a box full of coal in the tent and dirtying the whole place. Krishna had no regrets as he felt she was very sweet. I and Abs couldn’t agree more!

It was a bit disappointing to see a lot of good looking females in the previous group but none in ours. It was not new to me though. I have always had such experiences. Nevertheless, ours was a diverse and fun-loving group of 42 from different states of India including Maharashtra, Andhra, Karnataka, Delhi, Jammu, Gujarat etc.

At around 9 am, we started our acclimatization walk in the hills. It was up, down and again up with stunning landscapes, gigantic mountains, dense forests and cunning monkeys.

We took a chai and Maggie halt at Panchpula (meaning five bridges). A monument/Samadhi was built in the memory of freedom fighter and rebel Sardar Ajit Singh, who breathed his last on the Independence Day and in Panchpula. It was quite a long walk for the first day and reached the hostel exactly at lunch time.

What I saw after lunch was something I had never seen.. I'll update about it very soon! Stay tuned...

But then its fair enough...

2009-12-09T08:16:00.000+05:30

I woke up early today, after so many days. I guess the last time I woke up early was on the diwali day, after a lot of nagging by my mom. So I went to the terrace of the hostel and sat there for a while, looking at the spectacular sunrise over sarvana stores :) I agree it would have been more beautiful without the sarvana store, but then it’s fair enough. God has his own ways to remind you where you are, even amidst nature’s stunning creations!

I came to my room to get the cam and went back to the terrace. By this time the sun was hiding behind the clouds… I waited and waited but he simply refused to show up… But it’s fair enough; even I am showing up on an early morning after so many days…

Then there was a flock of birds tweeting (although they don’t have a twitter account), chirping and flying in all directions. They seemed to be quite busy. As if they had to catch the 6:45 fast local train to CST and rush to work, lol. I know that doesn’t go well, it’s quite unromantic. But then it’s fair enough… I am neither a writer nor a poet :)

Then there was this revolting crow, who kept bugging me for quite some time. He was later joined by his friends.

By the way, there’s an animal kingdom here at the mambalam hostel. And she is one of our most recent guests.

But then its fair enough.. There are another 50 odd unusual creatures, staying here since the commencement of PGDM Batch 10 at IFMR:)

Lakshmi Bal Mahotsava – A one of its kind event!

2009-12-03T23:10:00.000+05:30

Have you ever imagined a kid’s carnival or mela at your institute?

A Hundred and seventy innocent kids involved in interesting activities, events and competitions?

A colorful noisy campus with a lot of dynamism, energy and excitement?

That’s exactly what it was at the Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai as it celebrated the 2^nd edition of Lakshmi Bal Mahotsava (LBM) on Sunday, 29^th November 2009. For starters, Lakshmi Bal Mahotsava was launched an year ago in memory of Lakshmi Iyer Appu, a beloved student of IFMR’s Batch of 2010. The event is organized by Samarthan, the social service club of IFMR and aims at providing a day of fun and learning for underprivileged kids. This year, the event saw participation from 171 children representing 4 different NGO’s Exnora, Sevalaya, SRS Sarvodaya Girls Hostel and Nesakaram (Seeds).

The little guests at IFMR had a blast as they indulged in activities like painting, balloon blasting and quizzing. They also played unusual games like coin trajectory, maths relay race, potato hunt and hoopla among others. They won instant prizes in the form of toys and chocolates in these games. Then there was the Merry-Go-Round and a Juice stall for their refreshment.

The afternoon session saw a puppet show, a pot making contest and ended with a sizzling dance performances by the kids on hindi and tamil desi beatsJ. It was pleasing to see all the kids intermingle with students, volunteers, guests and kids from other NGO’s. The kids spread their contagious enthusiasm and delight throughout the campus and eventually one could see smiling faces all around!

Samarthan would like to thank its friends and partners- Business Standard, Radio One, makemytrip.com, WPC, Adayar Ananda Bhavan, Arun Ice-creams, IFMR trust, IFMR Research centers for their unconditional support, which made the event a grand success.

(L) Drawing & (R) Singing competition

(L) Merry-Go-Round; (R) Balloon bursting event

(L) Aiming bulls eye; (R) Quiz event

Do you wanna change the world?

2009-12-02T01:23:00.000+05:30

As an electronics engineering graduate and having worked at India’s second largest software technology firm, I strongly believe that technological inventions can drive social change in a huge way.

During my graduation, I developed innovative electronic gadgets for the visually impaired, exhibited them at national level competitions and also won some accolades for the same. After graduating, I designed a model for carpooling for the corporate world, which was shortlisted in Asia’s largest business plan contest among the final few. I always regret that I could not get the prototypes in to production. Nevertheless, it is pleasing to see that several individuals and companies are able to do it today – use technology to design, implement and market products that solve various intricate global problems!

Amitabha Sadangi of Delhi-based International Development Enterprise (IDE) has leveraged technology to invent simple and affordable gadgets for the farmers. For example, he has developed a treadle pump that can draw water from depths up to 25 feet and costs just $10 (Rs. 500). This foot-operated pump is a boon to the farmers in a country like India, which ranks 133rd in the world in terms of water availability. IDE also manufactures low cost drip irrigation kits which are priced at $100 (Rs 5000), one tenth of traditional systems. These irrigation kits have eventually raised the income of its small-scale farming customers by an average of $400/year.

Similarly, Five B-School grads took up the challenge to design highly cost-effective LED lamps that have eliminated darkness from thousands of Indian households. About 18000 remote Indian villages (more than 50% of Indian households) today, have no access to electricity. DLight Design’s LED lams are certainly making an impact as an economical and ecological alternative to kerosene and oil based lamps. In the last 2 years, DLight has sold 200,000 units and expects to sell 20 million by 2020.

Rajeev Kher has started Shramik Sanitation System using his engineering excellence and product design skills. Shramik System leases and sells cost effective portable toilets. India is ranked as the 2nd worst country for sanitation by WaterAid and 55% of her population i.e. 660 million people defecate in the open. Thus, low-cost and well designed portable toilets are a need more than a want. Today Rajiv sells over 1000 toilets and expects to sell over 5000 in the next 3 years, thus making an impact in a country where thousands die of diarrhea everyday!

In another remarkable venture, Sulax Shah manufactures only one of its kind microprocessor to weighing scale and fat-testing machines which have revolutionized milk industry in south Gujarat, India.

In Mumbai, Anurag Gupta of A Little World uses mobile networks to enable banks, financial institutions and governments to conduct financial transactions with over 3.5 million people spread across 8,300 gram panchayats in 22 states. Apart from the little world, there are several other players like Fino and Ekgaon technologies which exploit technology for cost effective micro-finance transactions.

There are hundreds of other social entrepreneurs around the globe who are making an impact and eventually changing the world! Having said that, there are still ample opportunities for applying technology to solve everyday problems. Every techie needs to observe the world around him and use his creativity and skills to develop innovative solutions to combat the several global challenges. While technology has drastically improved lives of the wealthiest 14% of the world population, there is a lot to be done to make an impact in the lives of the remaining 86%, 4 Billion strong base of the pyramid!

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Ashoka: Innovators for the Public are hosting Tech 4 Society, a conference exploring technology, invention and social change, in Hyderabad, India, in February 2010. Find out more about the conference here. This blog post is an entry in their competition to find the official blogger to travel to and cover the event.

Stay Hungry Stay Foolish - The book

2008-12-10T01:44:00.003+05:30

I am not sure if I can call this a book review, because I haven’t yet completed reading the book. But this book is already a “paisa vasool” for me! All I can say is Thanks Rashmi, for such a beautiful book – a must read for every aspiring entrepreneur. As you probably know, the book is the story of 25 IIM-A grads who chose to become entrepreneurs.

So why am I taking so long to read? Apart from being a slow reader, I also want this book to inspire me for a longer time. I want to truly enjoy this book. So I have decided to read just one story every time I pick up this book. That makes 25 sittings to complete the book :).

Ever since my childhood, I have been in two minds about entrepreneurship. My heart said - “Yes, I want to be my own boss, I want to do what I love, I want to make it big”. And my mind said - “Chod na, tere bas ki baat nahi hai”. More often than not, I have paid attention to my mind. But after reading a few inspiring stories in this book, I have started listening to my heart! Each of the stories in the book is inspiring because you can actually see yourself in the entrepreneurs. The book tells you that the entrepreneurs are human beings like you and me. The only difference is that they followed their dreams passionately, you and I did not.

Further, the stories have a lot of variety in them. These are entrepreneurs from different sectors and walks of life. Apart from the usual software and internet guys, the book features people from sectors like education, advertizing, retail, hotel, pharma, social work etc. Rashmi has divided the stories into 3 parts. First – the determined, self motivated and go-getters: The Believers. Second – making most of the opportunity: The Opportunists. Third – social entrepreneurs and change agents – The Alternate Vision.

Two stories in the book truly touched my heart. The first one is that of Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Naukri.com). Sanjeev’s journey from producing salary reports to being the owner of the first dotcom listed on Indian stock exchange is an awe-inspiring one. This story shows that being an entrepreneur is not effortless. It took sanjeev almost two decades to be what he is today. This also included working without a salary for 6 years and taking up a second job to support the family. It is a story of great vision and persistence.

The other story that I loved was that of Venkat Krishnan (GiveIndia.org). I have often wondered why the big shots in the Indian business world (like Ambanis), bollywood (like Bachchans) or cricket (like Tendulkar), who have earned enormous success and wealth do not contribute significantly towards social causes. Venkat explains that in the US - ‘giving’ in all forms – formed 1.8% of GDP or $ 180 billion in 99-00. The corresponding number in India was less than 0.1% or 0.2%. Hence, Venkat started GiveIndia to promote the culture of giving back. GiveIndia showcases NGOs doing good work and enables those who wish to ‘give’ a platform to connect with the NGOs. I was so inspired by GiveIndia and Venkat Krishnan that I dream to work with GiveIndia as an employee, volunteer or a donor as soon as possible.

The best good bye ever!

2008-12-04T22:57:00.001+05:30

It’s probably too late to write a review for Dasvidaniya. I don’t know if it is still running in the movie halls because thought provoking movies in India rarely hang on for more than 2 weeks. I really liked every bit of this movie and the review was long planned and pending. This is also my debut at writing a movie review.

It’s not that I was waiting for a long time for this one. In fact, I came to know about it minutes before I reached the theatre. On my mom’s nagging, I had reluctantly logged on to book tickets for either dostana or fashion. But on seeing Vinay Pathak on the Dasvidaniya poster, I quickly booked Dasvidaniya and then convinced my mom for the change in plan. I already knew that it would at least be more Paisa Wasool than the other two.

Eshtory batau kya re baba?
Dasvidaniya - they say is Russian word for good bye, although I couldn’t find it on google translator :( . The movie portrays a mixed bag of emotions and overall it can be categorized as a situational comedy. Our hero Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak) is a 37 year old, unmarried, shy, typical middleclass Indian, working in a pharmaceutical company. His boring life includes a “things to do list” which consists of tasks like repairing geyser, getting vegetables etc. In short, there is no SPICE in his life.

One fine day, Amar gets the shock of his life when his routine checkup reveals that he has stomach cancer. He learns that he has just 3 months to live. A ‘cool-dude’ (Ranvir Shorey) and his own atler-ego motivate him to live life king size. This is when he converts his boring daily “things to do” into a wishlist of a lifetime! He then starts his roller coaster ride and eventually ends up doing things which he would have never done in his usual life. These include buying a car, catching up with a old friend, proposing his girl, learning guitar etc. He fulfills all his dreams and departs as a happy, contented man. The movie shows his death in a very subtle way unlike the painful death seen in other similar movies like ‘Anand’ or ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’. The movie doesn’t preach anything but still touches your heart.

Kya acting kiyelay Baap!
It was Vinay Pathak all over and at his best! Vinay’s expressions and body language were outstanding. There were several scenes where he communicates effectively without a dialogue. There are very few genuine actors who can make you laugh and cry in the same scene. Vinay is one of them! Every character apart from Neha dhupia comes out very naturally. Neha Dhupia was probably a bit glamorous to be Vinay’s first love. There is Rajat Kapoor who does well as a calm, composed and mature childhood friend. Sarita Joshi plays an unforced role as his ever-nagging mother. Then we have Joy Fernandes (Guitar teacher) with his punches, the separated yet beloved brother Gaurav Gera, the Russian love twist Manoylo Svitlana, the obese and gluttonous boss Saurabh Shukla among others.

The music again is dazzling. The songs 'Mumma' and 'Alvida' by kailash kher are a brilliant portrayal of love and emotion and I’ll not be surprised if people cry while listening to Mumma. Some claim that the movie is copied from its hollywood counterpart “the bucket list”. All I would say is its worth watching Dasvidaniya even if you have seen the bucket list.

The good thing is that offbeat movies like Dasvidaniya are making a mark on the Indian cinema more frequently than ever. They need a pat on their back from you guys who understand quality cinematography.

Safety... ahaaa!

2008-12-04T22:55:00.009+05:30

By magdum | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Beggar's Woes!

2008-12-04T22:13:00.016+05:30

By magdum | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Gambhir's Elbow - The real story

2008-12-04T22:11:00.013+05:30

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Indian Cracker League – Diwali Edition

2008-12-04T22:06:00.001+05:30

Mumb-aai Nagaria, Today’s date, Current Time: BeSeeSeeEye Fireworks International Ltd., the world leader in fire cracker production has introduced new and exciting range of crackers this diwali. In the recently held press conference, Mr. She Red Power, CEO of BeSeeSeeEye announced the launch of Indian Cracker League. He also clarified that the marketing and sales rights of the new range of crackers have been offered to different corporate entities through a formal bidding process. Further, he added that 5 iconic flagship products were not a part of the bidding process and would be priced at 125% of the costliest product in the category. Let’s have a quick look at the different crackers available this festive season:

1. The Dhun-e multishot: The Dhun-e multishot bomb has become a hot favorite among children in the recent years. This extremely loud bomb bursts multiple times almost regularly. It has been exceedingly advertized in the recent days and its igniter has become shorter recently. The exclusive rights for the popular Dhun-e Bomb were purchased by a Chinnai firm for a whopping 1.5 million dollars.

2. The Ten-doll-ar Bomb (aka Master Cracker): The Ten-doll-ar bomb is one of the 5 flagship products of the BeSeeSeeEye. This legendary bomb has been proving its superiority over other popular crackers of the world since the last 17 years. The Ten-doll-ar bomb belongs to a Reliant firm from Mum-bhaiya err… Mumb-aai Nagaria.

3. The Gameguly Rocket (aka Dada Rocket): The Gameguly rocket, another flagship product belongs to the city of Joy. BeSeeSeeEye has declared that this could be the last year of production for GameGuly rocket. This popular rocket has seen ups and down over several years. It was out of manufacturing for sometime due to allegations of lack of quality, but bounced back as a successful rocket soon. The proud owner of Gameguly rocket is none other than the king Can of Bollywood.

4. The Dravinci Snapper (aka wall snapper): This flagship product is known for its reliability and consistency. It is not loud but it lasts for a long time once it is triggered. This snapper has gained reputation for its perfection when in action. People who love peace and want to spread the light of diwali for a long time should go for this one. Dravinci is owned by a liquor barron from Bingo-lur

5. The Prince-raj six shot: The prince-raj six shot as the name suggests bursts loudly six times when ignited. It is a strong and loud cracker but not a very reliable one. The owner of prince-raj six shot is a pretty woman from candy-god.

6. The Say-wag Missile (aka veer missile): The veer missile is capable of loud and long lasting blasts. However, the quality of this missile has degraded and sometimes it functions as a smoke ball. It is recommended that your start your celebrations with this missile. This opener cracker, a flagship product again belongs to the capital of India.

7. The Every-bajan Parachute (aka turn-a-tor): The turn-a-tor is a unique cracker which moves in any direction once ignited. It is an exciting cracker but its production was stopped for sometime as this cracker hurt another cracker (Sri-saint). The Reliant Mumb-aai firm has bought the turn-a-tor.

8. The Sri-saint sparkler: Last but not the least, the Sri-saint sparkler is among the most jubilant crackers. If it bursts successfully, it moves around for some time as if it were dancing. The Sri-saint also belongs to the pretty woman from Candy-god.

With these and several other crackers available in the market this year, Indians are ready for a Blast this Diwali!

Happy Diwali!

After effects of the Big Arrest!

2008-12-04T22:02:00.005+05:30

This was my first attempt at cartooning. I had done this cartoon after the Raj Thackeray arrest episode in Mumbai.

Unfortunately I didn't have any advanced picture editing tools like photoshop... So I had to make this cartoon using MS Paint alone :(

Beer in the Bear market!

2008-10-21T22:00:00.005+05:30

Here's a cool new email forward ...

If you purchased Rs1,00,000 of Delta Airlines stock 1 year ago, you would have Rs 4,900 today.

If you purchased Rs1,00,000 of AIG stock 1 year ago, you would have Rs 3,300 today.

If you purchased Rs1,00,000of Lehman Brothers stock 1 year ago, you would have Rs 0.0 today.

But, if you purchased Rs1,00,000 worth of beer 1 year ago, drank all the beer, returned the aluminum cans for a recycling refund, you would have Rs21,400!!!

Jai Hind Or Jai Maharashtra...

2008-10-20T02:18:00.002+05:30

I am disturbed and furious to see that there is no significant reaction to his deeds. It’s reasonable that the politicians (govt), the police and the law haven’t reacted. But why don’t the people show some protest? And why is the bigmouthed media tight-lipped currently? Of course the media shows live news about the actions of his followers (read party workers), but it has kept mum in exposing the true motive behind these actions. Is it apprehensive about the consequences? Has the press lost its freedom to these hooligans?

Are we living in a perfect world to create unwarranted problems for ourselves? Aren’t we already struggling to exist? How can we combat larger issues like terrorism if we have differences among ourselves? How can we unite if we fight for petty issues of regionalism and language? In fact, I won’t even consider them as issues.

Where is the issue? Over the last 6 months, there has not been a significant change in the way Mumbaikars are leading their lives. Then why has one man suddenly started finding faults in Mumbai in the past 6 months? Why is he using violence, beating up people, destroying public property and disturbing law and order? Who is he to decide about the authentic inhabitants of Mumbai? Who is he to ask someone to apologize for speaking the national language in the free, secular, democratic India? Why isn’t he jailed for distinguishing among Indians?

Well, here is the simple answer which many of us know: He is making hype out of nothing just to capitalize on the Marathi vote bank. Now, there are 2 sub-questions to this statement. Does the Marathi vote bank realize this political intent? If so, do they approve it?

Ideally, they should be aware of the policy because it’s an old trick used in the past by another party to gain popularity. And if they understand it, logically they should not approve it. But it doesn’t seem to happen! I have spoken to educated people who support this man for several reasons. I know people who support him because they are unemployed and feel that this man could help them get a job. There are others who support him just because he is aggressive and influential. There are still others who support him because they feel that the local trains are too crowded and his actions could help generate some free space in the trains. There are several other reasons like these, which have helped him gain immense fan following among youth in all parts of Maharashtra and some parts of India. Have you observed his followers when they are in action (beating up some innocent guy or destroying public property) and aired on TV? Most of them look like criminals, drunkards or mentally unstable people.

Do you think that Mumbai would have been what it is without the cosmopolitan population in it? Don’t you think that Mumbai is known for its fast paced life because it has the most efficient people doing the right jobs? Why cities like Kolhapur, Nagpur, Aurangabad and even Pune are considered sluggish? Why other major cities in India with less cosmopolitan population are considered slow-moving as compared Mumbai? Will Mumbai be able to survive without outsiders? Is it right to label these people who have been staying in Mumbai for decades as Outsiders?

We all know about the way developed countries have reacted to outsourcing. While the citizens of the developed countries protest about their lost jobs, We Indians argue that it’s a flat world. We talk about equal opportunity and merit. Just like the developed countries of the world, Mumbai is a leading city of India. We have literally outsourced our jobs to the cheapest and the most efficient labor in the country. It’s outsourcing that has enabled the developed countries gain a competitive edge. So it is in case of Mumbai. Without outsourcing, it is not possible to get the best service in shops. Shopkeepers in Mumbai, unlike any other place treat the customer as God. Without outsourcing, it is not possible to get your clothes ironed, at your doorstep for a charge of Rs. 2. Without outsourcing it is not possible to get the most efficient Rickshaw or taxi service which charge as per the meter reading (which doesn’t happen in many Indian cities).

In the words of Mumbai based filmmaker Nitin Chandra, “For Biharis, migration is a need. For politicians it is a threat of their political space being swamped by others. I am sorry to say it, but the fact is that the hungry farmers in Maharashtra commit suicide while the equally deprived farmers in Bihar, instead of killing themselves, slum it in cities like Mumbai."

It is high time for the Marathi vote bank, the common man to unite against the greedy politics. It’s time for every Mumbaikar to realize that regional conflicts will not benefit Mumbai or Maharashtra in any way. It will instead hamper its growth in a huge way.

- A Mumbaikar who salutes the spirit of Mumbai

My experiments with the sensex!

2008-10-18T00:19:00.000+05:30

An eventful day today! – I thought as I switched on the TV in the afternoon. Most news channels were buzzing about the two big records made today. Oops… forgot to mention, I was watching the Business news channels. Not the humorous, entertaining likes of India TV or aajtak. Because two records are too little for the entertainment news channels… they broadcast hundreds of records broken by bhutiya’s, baba’s or reality show celebrities everyday!

Back to the topic, one of the records was broken by… guess who?? Come on... there is just one guy busy breaking all records. It’s none other than the master blaster, Sachin Tendulkar. Huh… can’t remember when he last blasted some useful runs for team India. Anyway, the reality is that he finally surpassed Brian Lara’s 11,953 runs to become the highest run getter in the tests.

The second record was broken by the ever unexpected, uncertain, volatile (more adjectives to be added) Indian stock market. The sensex crashed below the psychological 10k mark to settle at 9975.35 for the first time since July 2006. That reminded me of my adventures with the stock market and I went into flashback…

October 2006, Chennai
Baj (my dear friend) – Jaadu, did u hear about ICICI bank offering free DMAT accounts for corporate employees?
Me – Is it?? It is used to sell and buy shares right?
Baj (with an expression saying “you dumbo”) – Yeah! Lets get our own DMAT account.. Its free, you just have to give them a 1 rupee cheque.
Me – Yaar, All I know about shares is that they have a share in the economy but I don’t know how. I also know that they rise and fall like a bouncing cricket ball. By the way, has ICICI gone nuts? Why the hell are they charging a rupee? Processing that cheque would cost them more!
Baj (again with the same expression) – I donno, there must be some rule that asks them to charge for a DMAT account… and you can learn trading in a couple of days buddy… It’s all about money, honey! And it’s very exiting.
Me – Yeah Yeah… (and we moved to the ICICI bank)

May 2007, Chennai (this was the recession/bench time at my workplace… no projects, no work!)
Mrao (another dear friend pings on messenger) – Hi, Just wanted to inform you that Murali (my boss) is ready to teach us the basics of online trading. Come to his cubicle.
Me (replied to his message) – Oh great! So you finally managed to get something useful out of him!
Me (multiple pings to everyone, copy pasting Mrao’s message) – Hi, Just.. ..cubicle.
Wow! Soon people poured into the cubicle with contented looks. Finally we got some work and a way to earn a bonus for not working, they must have thought. I have never seen so many people pouring in even for a meeting.

Jan 2008, Pune
One fine morning I got a mail from ICICI securities. It was a Rs. 500 bill for DMAT services. I quickly forwarded this to Baj… and added a line “Dhokebaj baj, you told me that it’s free :(”. He replied that it was free for the first year and the charges were for the second year. He also advised me to start investing as he had made good profits.

Well I must start investing now, at least to make a profit of Rs 500, I said to myself. I was on my favorite bench (no work period) again and I thought it was the best time to research and invest. But what about the money? I had hardly saved anything in the past 2 years and my parents always groaned for not having saved anything. I decided to take a loan to invest in the market.

I googled day in and day out and decided to start with the over hyped reliance power IPO. It was the second last day for buying the IPO, so I tried to log on to ICICIdirect. Damn, I had forgotten my password. I had logged on more than 6 months back and there was no way I could remember my password. I requested for a password and got a reply that it would be sent to me in 2 weeks. Thus, my first IPO hopes went for a toss. But when the IPO opened at a very low price, I really thanked myself for forgetting the password.

March 2008, Pune
I was all set to trade. The markets were trading exceptionally low. I was inspired by the stock market guru, Warren Buffett’s Quote, "Try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful". Its time to be greedy, I said to myself. I checked out the loan options that my company offered. A 50k loan with a 4% interest and 20k loan without any interest… I decided to be more greedy and take both the loans… after all I wanted to be the next Warren Buffet! I checked out the market gainers and invested in a Reliance stock. I had observed that reliance stocks are highly volatile and thus give good returns in a short period. I never realized that they could be also volatile, the other way - downwards! I booked a profit of 3k on the first day itself. I was excited. Why I need to do this boring job if I can earn 3k everyday, I thought.

Today (October 17, 2008)
The markets kept on falling and the 3k profit was the only profit I have made so far. All my investment is in red and I am still repaying the loans. In short, my journey with the market was like marriage...The first day was honeymoon and the remaining days have been a nightmare! I have decided not to look at stocks for another year or two… or at least till I get professional education in trading. I am still better off than most of my friends as I invested when markets were not at their peak. And I realize that trading is not for everyone…

Some of the lines that my friends said when I asked them about their share in the shares:
Baj(dejected expression) : Arre yaar, kuch aur baat karte hai… (Let’s talk about something else)
MRao(starts crying) : Whenever I invest yaar, the markets go down…
AAdi (Yet another friend): Once upon a time, I was making a profit of 50k, now it’s a loss of 75k.. I am just waiting for a no-profit no-loss situation to come. I will withdraw all my money and never trade again!

Jaago re!

2008-10-09T00:22:00.000+05:30

I remember learning a chapter named “Unity in diversity” during my school days. I guess it was an introductory chapter of a history textbook. One specific paragraph of the lesson was about the qualities that we Indians possess which are distinct and unique. One of the qualities mentioned was “Tolerance”.

I was too immature to understand the meaning of word ‘tolerance’, so I asked my dad what it really meant. My father explained the meaning with beautiful examples. I remember him saying that we Indians can tolerate almost anything with a smile on our face! That is so true, even today. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why we allowed so many foreign powers to rule us. Apart from the British, other powers who ruled India or a part of it include Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danish and even Japanese.

Has this quality of a typical Indian (read common man) changed? Not at all… We got rid of the foreign powers 61 years back just to be tortured by host of local powers- which are rather worse than their foreign counterparts. These include the greedy politicians, the corrupt bureaucrats, the crazy terrorists, the blindfolded law, the dishonest police, the entire system… Every single person who has power, and uses it in the wrong way, rules over the common man.(Am I sounding like the old kamal hasan in hindustani?)

Yesterday I had parked my bike on the roadside, beside a number of cars. I wanted to post a courier and I was back within 5 minutes. The bike was towed by the traffic cell in this short duration. I went to the place where they keep all the towed vehicles. There, I saw several people pleading to the officer in charge. I told him that I had parked my bike beside several cars and there was no “No Parking” signboard. He informed that it was some ambulance parking space and it was marked in yellow on the road. I didn’t remember seeing any yellow line on the road. I had studied the place after I realized that my bike was towed. I told him confidently that there was no yellow line on the road. This was the second time my bike was towed. I remember, I was too submissive the first time this happened and it was my mistake then. But this time, It wasn't my mistake and I was ready to take on the traffic officer. I asked him to prove that I was wrong and told him that traveling by bike had become costlier than using a cab. He realized that I was prepared to nag for a long time. He took me away from the crowd and informed me that the official charge for parking at a wrong place were Rs. 200. I knew that as I had paid it last time. He asked me if I want to pay that. I refused. He then asked me to pay 100 bucks as labor charges. He shouted to the watchman,”Labor charge gheun sod yala” (Take the labor charges and leave this guy) and left the place in the towing van to find some more bakras. I was tired of arguing and I knew it was useless. So I gave the watchman 100 bucks and got my bike. Yes, hundred bucks without a receipt- 100 bucks which will go in the officer's pocket. Come to think of it, it hardly makes any difference. Even if you pay the government, they aren’t going to use it in a better way.

I really felt bad that I gave up and paid 100 bucks for no reason at all. But I didn’t have any other option. If I would have persisted, I would have ended up paying double the amount or perhaps more than that. He could have troubled me by asking for the documents of the bike like the RC book, the insurance, the PUC etc and I didn’t have some of them. I was sure he would have discovered some reason to fine me. So I guess took the best possible way.

As I drove back, I realized that this is a common story in the life of a common man in India and 99.99% people would do exactly what I did. They are habituated to paying bribes and they no more feel the pinch. Their blood doesn’t boil anymore. They have lost the faith in the government and the system. All they can do is switch governments after every 5 years only to realize that every government is the same. They are helpless. Wait… Are they really helpless or they are just so tolerant?
As I drove back, I reached the same parking slot… I could see a very light yellow line and guess my bike was outside that line. As I was wondering, I saw the towing van come and tow some more bikes from the same spot.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_India

The Great Indian political story...

2008-09-10T13:38:00.000+05:30

Are you sick of reading the same headlines in the newspaper concerning Politics, ego and corruption? Well, there seems to be no alternative to it, at least in the near future! Consider Raj Thackeray for example. This man, the little master of politics in Maharashtra, should be given a life time achievement award for creativity and innovation in his publicity stunts. He successfully reigns over the sentiments of the people. Then it may be attacking the Bhaiyas and Biharis, the shopkeepers or the Bachchans on the name of Marathi and Maharashtra, He leaves no stone unturned. And within a few months of its inception, his party, MNS has emerged among the dominant political parties in Maharashtra with thousands of supporters across the nation.

What his mantra for this overnight hype and support? Well, it’s not a new formula. He is playing a game which is tried and tested by his uncle and Shiv sena supremo, Bal Thackeray (The Big T, if I can call him with due respect). The big T used the same regionalism and language bias strategy many years ago to gain attention and power. The poor people of India, and Maharashtra in particular are too naïve and innocent to understand the deliberate tactics of these self-centered politicians. The common man, who is annoyed, frustrated and fights several battles for existence daily, finds relief in the provoking speeches delivered by these egocentrics. Every person is able to relate his life and struggle with the words of these men and finds hope in them, without realizing a bit that they themselves are hopeless. The unemployed Marathi finds hope for a job, the poor farmer finds an alternative to suicide and the working man looks forward to a better pay after listening to strong and convincing words of these fanatics. That’s chiefly the reason for the immense support that these thunder politicians gain.

The power of words and influence is gigantic and everlasting. It is the ultimate power which sways some of the well educated men into acts of faith, superstition, stupidity or sometimes even terrorism. If someone has successfully influenced you and convinced you, then neither your education nor your logical reasoning works for you. It’s just the belief and the insanity that conquers you.

Although Raj Thakeray’s example is sighted here, other politicians are no different. Perhaps, there isn’t a single politician in the country who is truly concerned about its growth and prosperity. Right from local corporators to the MP’s, we have all highly corrupt, selfish and gluttonous men around. From school admissions to death certificates, they have creative ways to earn money. Of course, there are hundreds of allied government departments which obey and replicate the acts of our political heroes which help in smooth functioning of all systems, and the common man, now has no complaints as he is habituated to go the rough way for the smooth systems to work.

Some one has truly said, “It’s all about Money, Honey” and our men in white are proving it right.