Rimification

I never thought Rimi, aka Raj to the HCU community during our time, would be there the moment I log on to have my early dose of Times epaper today. In every batch you will find couple of young pretty things like her being talked about for something or the other. Raj was less talked about and more looked up to in that sense. Raj in shorts had made boys crazy visiting the basketball court to have a glimpse of her bare thighs. I shared this with Rimi, the mom, today. She had also a piece of observation that even the goddesses in the south of GOPS (Gopal Shop, the centre of intellectual and not-so-intellectual discussions on HCU) used to bear that "weird" look at her, the reasons of which were best known to them!! I love Rimi for she speaks her mind.
We tried to recall our batchmates. Someone is still going around with somebody's friend. (I don't know for how long people go around during their life span!!) Those who know her would fondly remember that she was the Phenomenon in HCU during that point of time. If I regret onething about my HCU days it would be my detachment of not exploring her at all, or for that matter anybody else at that juncture. But I shared with Rimi how I came to know more about that Phenomenon when I met with a perspective bride, who happens to be the sister-in-law of that Phenomenon, later through a matrimony site.
Rimi was little curious to know the latest gossips from me expecting, for sure, I would be the keeper of all gossips for my entire life, thanks to my natural instincts which got a signature stuff when I was with Times. Then, my colleagues used to come to my cubicle to know the latest, especially about the babes of Hyderabad Times (the Page 3 edition of TOI) , after finishing the edition. Thanks to my sources I had never failed to grab the news of the newsroom. Who among the hotties was surfing the not-so-banned sites (read adult ones in Times parlance) in the office or swapping her weekly-offs sexiplicitly, I had the previlege of knowing them all in a satellite speed.
Rimi was eager to share her experience of being a mom. I too was curious to know more about the marital discourse of a fashionable lady. There was a huge doc-fight over her going cesearian. Meanwhile, Prajas probably started crying and Rimi had no option but to catch the naughty basketball star in making!!

On Being Grateful

I still remember the Essays we had in our Graduation days. "On Books" by Francis Bacon and "On Holiday" http://www.wutravel.com?a_aid=e53e5a5d
by J B Pristley were mindblowing. The essays were just cream that you can apply anywhere and everywhere in your day-to-day life. You can quote them while advising your kid in 2020 or while making some public speaking at the age of sixty.
But I think they had forgot to write a few more essays which could be equally useful for the generations to come and one of them, for sure, is "On Being Grateful". Most self-healing non-fictions that I get to read of today have that particular idea to offer if not anything else.
I too feel that I should convey that feeling of being grateful (to God, to creation, to almighty, to my fellowbeings) in a more vivid manner to the periphery. I regret that I have failed to do that all these days.
When I finished my study from Utkal and was about to join HCU, one of my favourite teachers had this to offer : " Ashutosh, you are lucky enough to skip a significant phase of frustration in the lives of students of your generation." I didn't give much importance to this at that point of time.
Today, on the backdrop of global meltdown, my friends and fellows who were earlier confused on my joining a PSU, have a similar observation to share.
Over and above anything, I am happy that I maintain good health since I left for Hyderabad in 2001. My pre-2001 look (i.e. physical appearance) was probably synonimous with my ideology during that point of time. With time, I grew up to be a better-looking boy, a comprehensive person respecting other's emotions, way of thinking, but more or less aggresive.
The 15th August road accident in 2004 that I faced alone with the help of 2-3 of my mighty friends offered me an occasion to feel grateful and convey gratitude to others for the first time. Today, I love others like I love myself, I would never feel bad to say I Love You to others. Having said this, I feel I would have rediscovered myself a bit earlier to enjoy myself more.
However, I should again be humble for having gotton blessings from so many of my wellwishers, including a series of ladies, a la brides on the matrimony portals, who have helped me develop the art of enjoying their sweet nonsense!!
Today when I am sick of visiting them again, they still offer me a platform to upgrade myself further while feeling a bit smaller. Take a look:
http://www.jeevansathi.com/profile/viewprofile.php?username=suramr&FROM=CONGRATS&TYPE=SIMILAR&stype=CN&NAVIGATOR=CVS%3Asearchid__-1%40j__1%40contact__4345467%40SIM_USERNAME__UUU9104%40stype__%40%2FProfiles+similar+to+UUU9104%3B%3B

Pappu Rocks!!

A very satisfying election result after a long long time. The clear verdict for inclusive politics at Centre gives me the much-needed relief as an Indian. More over, I am happy that people of India have written a political obituary for the Red brigade. They are almost routed in Kerala and Kolkata. Now, Cuba remains their last bastion. Leftists can afford to have a nice sleep till the rise of a Didi in that part of the world !!

Coming to Orissa, nobody had thought Pappu would do a hat-trick, that too clinching 100 plus on his own in the 147-member Assembly. I was all for Naveen when many of my friends were voting for a change. But nobody including the poll analysts and myself had gauged the under-current. I still remember the famous oneliner "Congress kalli kum..bi..ra kanda..na kann..du..chi ( Congress is only shedding crocodile tears)" that Naveen used to say in Oriya in all his election meetings.

Naveen to Orissa is what Sonia is to the politics at Centre. One, a Page 3 person of Toghluk Road, hobnobbing with Who's Who of the national capital since his childhood and now confined in Orissa for a greater cause, leaving his Doon school culture behind him. The other is a dramatic transformation of a middle class Italian girl to a 'bohu' of nation's eternal first family and subsequently making it to the league of the most powerful woman of the world.

In Bihar, RJD has been reduced to 04 and Paswan has failed to even open his account. Now, one thing for sure that the Indian voter has been graduated to applying his brain while casting in this election.

As always, watching election results/analysis on TV was equally satisfying. It was great to see Omar Obdulla literally holding the TV18 mike and answering to Rajdeep's queries. He was looking much like a CNN IBN reporter than the CM of the state. This election gives a thumbs-up to this emerging generation of Indian politicians. Aren't we sick of personalised referendum in election campaign!!

This time, Babalog of the Congress should be given plum posts in the ministry at Centre. LK should graciously pack his bags while giving enough hints for the 2nd-rung of his party to quickly learn a lesson or two. Like Kandhamal, Pilibhiit could have taught a lesson to Varun brand of politics!! But alas, you need a Naveen for that.

Pappu can't 'betray' sala!!!

Stream of Consciousness

I left office around 7.30 pm today, call it once in a blue moon since I joined this PSU jab. I should be grateful to God for letting me to see sunrise and sunset unlike during my previous jobs. I have admitted this while talking to my close buddies. The buttomline of our discussion would be : Quality of life and quality of job can't stay together!! Sounds like lifted from DN's classroom!!
(DN or Dilip Naik, currently a CIEFL professor, was my favourite teacher during Vanivihar days for his memorable oneliners. Talk to DN for 20 minutes and you will have 20 quotable quotes for your next 20 days, that's DN!!)
Anyway, by 7.30 I didn't even realise the time. I remember the days when I used to walk, run, skip breakfast, travel length and breadth of Hyderabad for a byline and work from 11 am till 3 pm and get stuck in the office for another half-an-hour because of a peculiar phenomenon called Pranesh Dey.
Back from office, I was having a chat with a colleague. He was anxious about our new boss who happens to work from 8 am till 11 pm, again quite unusual in a PSU environment. "Where he gets the kick," he was probably asking. And I had enough to smile, believe me from my stomach. The "passion" factor that our current boss boasts of again and again infact had a secret taker in me who has seen RK in the prime of his career. You a need an RK to look up to in your organisation when recession is the buzz all around!!
Tomorrow is counting day. I feel like a great occasion in my family. I am not sure if I would be happy to this extent while getting married!!

Cometh the Moment, Cometh FK

It's a great time of the year...ipl here and ipl there...if it's a day of korbo-lodbo-harbo, i just switch on to CNN-IBN to have a glimpse of Fatima Karan (FK), my current favourite among the news anchors, followed by Sirin Bhan of CNBC TV18. FK gives me what the ipl in SA fails to offer.
I believe news anchoring today is somehow similar to cheerleading in a T20 match. When the African Safari fails to fulfil the promised lot, the 'enlightened' viewer like me has no option but to swiftly grab the glimpse of the cheergirl scanning all the puppies & jhuppies of the other ipl orchestrated on the Indian TV.