India has arrived! I say that with gay abandon without having experienced either the reason for having said this. Or without having seen the snow off the cliffs of Mount Titlis. For the pictures that I have seen convey a lot! It all started with a mail that the office guys were organizing a family day out for us. Knowing their penchant for the extravagant (Renaissance, JW Marriot, InterContinental...), I had my expectations set high. But not even in my dreams did I expect some of this magnitude. Ok! My expectations never are the moon when it comes to things of this sort. So, I was pleasantly surprised. There were talks of the SuperStar Libra, but I would attribute that more to the rumour mill. Either way, managing our strength with accompanying partners (described as a partner, not spouse) would have been no joke.
Eventually, what came out of the entire exercise was AMBY VALLEY! That came as a shock! Considering that all companies are talking about cost cutting, events like these are taking the hardest hit. And in the middle of all that, there is this! I may be making a BIG thing out of this. But, I guess that is so me! Life is all about these small (my HR guys will kill me for calling it small) joys! Looking at the website (a sleek one I must say! Must visit!), I was speechless! One look at it all and you would think that it is someplace like wonderland! The villas, the chalets, the lake view, the water sports and SO many other things! I wonder if we will see even a fraction of what is on offer! I thought that Sahara was on the downslide and was sceptical of the company's forays and their future. After this, Subrata Roy has moved up a few notches up! Any company that some of this sort can't be all that bad! :) I dont know what else to say...I can't wait to get there and have a ball of a time! I can't wait to click snaps by the dozen! This prompts me to say this (sounds overboard..but what the heck!) There are some things money can't buy, the rest is taken care at the workplace! ;)
It was a cool and calm night...the birds chirping sweet nothings in the background. Crickets and frogs making their presence felt. The trees swaying to tune of the gentle breeze. The leaves setting themselves free from the clutches of the trees with a shudder and then peacefully descending down into the open arms of mother earth. It was nothing like the usual. The usual chaos replaced by an uncharacteristic serene tranquility. A unique calm that had descended... CALM??? There was absolutely NOTHING calm about it.
It all started last Friday. Well, actually it started well before that. But we will not discuss the Butterfly effect and how a particular totally unrelated thing that happened in the past few days can have a bearing on the present. Friday evenings these days are getting sad with the advent of the Friday evening video conference in our serene lives. It ensures that you have to be around in office until atleast 2030 IST which essentially means that half the evening is lost. While the night is still young at 2030 IST and could possibly end at 0500 IST, this is not always the case...sadly so! Which essentially means that you end up with one of the three half-baked plans hurried or spontaneous plans sleep-at-your-home-no-plans! And don't even bother to plot a scatter diagram for the distribution of each of these! Last Friday was one such Friday. Option #1 hadn't happened and option #3 didn't sound too appealing. After some frantic calls and meticulously chaotic planning, we were all set to go! A few hiccups later, we were off! Where else but downtown! Even if you were to wake me up at 0300 and ask me whether I want to go downtown, chances are that I'd get dressed without a word being said. We were expecting to take the trains. But we had the fortune(???) of having a car at our disposal. The car in question being a vTec Honda City. Its a beauty! So...off we were! A gal and a guy completing the entourage! Have you ever seen a kid when his/her favorite toy is taken away? The kid invariably goes off its rockers! Well..we had a slightly different scenario at our hands. There was this kid that was given this toy(apologies for drawing an analogy between the City and a toy). And the kid went totally berserk. I was sitting in the adjacent seat. Boy, if I had any experience alighting from the moving local suburban trains in Mumbai, I would have taken the chance and bailed out. But, unfortunately I do not possess the requisite skill for the want of past experience. Hence I quietly buckled up the seat belt.Ever heard the phrase..."Tiger in the office, rabbit outside?" This was something different...This was a case of a lazing-in-the-waterhole-buffalo to a raging-bull-in-ChinaTown! TO BE CONTINUED...IN THE SAME POST!
A lot...and I must say that a LOT of newsprint has been dedicated to the Aishwarya and Abhishek issue. A dear friend has been crying hoarse on how Aishwarya is a manipulative b*tch and is an opportunistic female who has managed to seduce Abhishek.
For les ignorants, Aishwarya Rai is Miss World 1995 (if my history is correct) and often considered to be the female face of Indian cinema. On the other hand, Abhishek Bachchan is from the first family of Indian Cinema. The son of Amitabh Bachchan and the current Brad Pitt of Indian Cinema. Anyone worth his/her salt would know this information. But what is baffling to most minds is that fact that Abhishek and Aishwarya are pairing up. This has been the topic of discussion in most of the print, parties and friendly discussions that I have been party to. It is a well known fact that we Indians (me included here) have an opinion on everything...politics, cricket, religion, macro-economic situation of Russia and Luxembourg, movies...the list goes on. And most of the time, it is a very polarised, focused black-or-white with no grey kind of an opinion. They believe that they have the answer to Saurav's problems with the short ball and to current issue of reservations in the private domain. The same is the case with the Ab-Ash issue. They have an opinion on whether they should get together or not, whether it would be a successful marriage or not, whether she is an opportunistic b*tch or not...the list is endless. Why for gods sake cant we leave them alone? They are adults. Let them take a decision for themselves. One such discussion on the topic veered to the thought that Aish had mesmerised and seduced Abhishek and would end up ruining his life. The contention was that ALL men are the same! They do not think with their brains. My question: whoever contended that they do?The counter-agrument was that if a random survey were to be carried out, 8 out of 10 people would have named Sushmita Sen as far more sexier and seductive than Aishwarya Rai. The girls for some reason begged to differ. They said that while men may pay lip-service to this school of thought, given the chance, they would rather hitch a ride with Aish over Sushmita. The discussion then took an interesting turn. The guys argued that it wasn't merely about the beauty per se, it was also about the person...the personality. At this, there was an audible snicker as the girls claimed that men are nothing but hypocrites! All of them! They will claim to appreciate inner beauty. Merely claim. Or so the girls contended. As a member of the guy-contingent, i feel obliged to reply to this. Any guy who claims to be seeking inner beauty is either insane, out of this world or is simply not straight! Stay on with me here... If there is any inner beauty that he is seeking, it is the one inside her clothes! As hard-hitting as it may sound...it is the truth! It isn't subtle...and it isn't meant to be. Let me explain the same. The first impressions are what count in life. At every step of life. And this is no different. You are obviously attracted to an attractive person.It is human tendency. The same with the guys...the same it is with the girls. But how long will the attraction last? Not for long. The wrapper may be amazing! The advertising may have built an awesome brand image. But if the product is not good enough, the days will obviously be numbered. As with consumer items, the same is with life. The looks and attraction can get you only upto a point. After which, it is what he/she is as a person that matters. Not what he/she wears or what his/her vital statistics are! That is something that is so elementary, and yet missed often. Guys may go for the hottest babe around, but when it comes to settling down in life, there is more to it than merely oomph! Hence, you would hear of two classifications: - The hot babe - The one you take home to mom! Give the guys some credit when it is due! And for girls to claim that a guys thoughts can be skin deep is nothing short of hippocrisy itself! If guys go for the looks and the oomph, the girls fall for power and money (sometimes both!). It is an unfortunate fact! The only difference here is that the guys are open about what they believe! While the girls dont! Is it true love that 58 year old Salman Rushdie offers Padma Lakshmi? While I sure hope so...I guess not! Heard of Hugh Hefner? The septuagenarian owner of adult magazine Playboy has loads of gorgeous women by his side. Guess why? For he provides them with a chance to apprear on the center spread! And we are talking about accomplished ramp models here! I wouldn't know if he has been exceptionally endowed, but it would interesting to know the kind of true love that women seek from him. There are countless such examples and we can go on and on... The essense of all this is that we live in an imperfect world. We are all human beings and have our own fallacies. We need to identify them and live with them. It is easy to hope and try to live in a chimeric world...where decisions are taken on merit. But in the real world, it is merely utopian to aspire for the same to happen. Afterall, we are mere mortals!
PS:I personally do not claim to be a holier than thou individual. Any frayed feelings are purely un-intentional.
I just realised that I have completed a new milestone! Have had over 300 (and still counting) visiters since the inception of the blog on November 29th 2005! Thanks for the amazing response! Hope that the journey continues! I, for one, have had an amazing time throughout. Its has been a wonderful experience. Rgds, Ameet a.k.a Max
Imagine water gushing down at speeds greater than that the adrenaline ever could! Imagine fighting the water in its full fury! Imagine being soaked to the bone! Imagine having a life-jacket between you and hell (don't even dream about heaven, satan!) Imagine the pinnacle of adventure sports! WHITE WATER RAFTING!!!
If you can dare to imagine all of this. If you can dare to dream. If you can dare to conquer your fears, this is for you.
As you have gotten this far, you are obviously interested. Here is the relevant info that you are looking for: Where : Uttaranchal - Nestled in the Himalayas, along the majestic Ganges When : Mid April. Dates are not fixed and depend on response. Cost : Don't know. Don't expect it to be a big hole in the pocket. Hence don't care! Its a once in a life-time opportunity. Make the most of it! Audience : We belive in Equality. The Gorgeous ladies and the guys are invited. The not-so gorgeous ones may come too! ;-) Additional Info : The faster the plan is finalised, the faster and cheaper the mode of transport. Schedule and logistics and other crappy details will be worked out by us. You just have to get your a**e out there are we will do the rest! Duration : We are targeting 6-7 days. If it gets planned during the Easter weekend, we will have an extra day which would mean that we need merely 2 (at max 3 days of leave) for a wonderful opportunity to live a dream! If you are interested, post your replies here! So??? What are you waiting for? Easter? ;-)
This weekend! Lunch at Britannia - Ballard Estate - town! Loved the Chicken Berry Pulav! It was out of this world! So was the Salli chicken! Definitely a place to have lunch in mumbai...word of caution: only lunch. They are open from 1130 to 1600 hrs. Spent quality time with Jolene. Nice to catch up with her after a long time! Bike rides speeding down the highway! Mocha - Sheesha at Mocha was awesome! so was the grub and the ambience! It was blissful heaven! Coffee at CCD - Temptation was true to its name. Irish coffee was great. To top it all was the Hot sizzling chocolate brownie! I need to get onto a diet now! The walk down bandstand! Cake at Hearsch! Tapri food in downtown Mumbai! Home food with Nana-Nani Yatch party at South Mumbai! Kala Ghoda Art festival Rang de Basanti - left speechless and dazed for a while. Last local train out of downtown. Accident in the train - left me shocked! Promised myself NEVER to try stunts in life EVER again! Slept like a log! A lot! Long chats over the phone - catching up Treat from Thakkar! Max Meuller Art gallery Shock that Monica got engaged! Stunts on the bike Gyaan on Macro economic scenario Barbarians at the gate! Wonderful weekend!
Having Met Uncle Sam - Chapter #2 The entry to the den was finally visible over the horizon. As the swinging doors opened, there was a gust of cool air that came as a welcome relief. I guess that it wasn't a prelude to the squall that lay in store. The security check was equally thorough this time around. Only, the person was a bit more friendly. I finally entered inside to see a sea of people. All waiting for their turns. Before I could finish half a glance, I was pushed towards a queue for collecting my papers. I guess that there is no escaping queues anywhere in India. I wonder whether it is the same case in the rest of the world. Or is it the burgeoning Indian population!
As I reached the counter, I was attended to by a petite Indian female. She was probably the only Indian out there who seemed to have her feet firmly planted on the ground. She was very courteous and amicable. She fished out my envelope out of a pile and asked me to proceed to the finger printing section. Here I came across this other Indian female who was in stark contrast of the one I had just interacted with. She was totally pretentious and had a very condescending towards all the visa applicants. As though she was doing us a favour by going about her job! In stark contrast of this was the American female who was at the counter. She was very friendly and jovial. I guess that barring the one Indian female, the other Indians at the embassy needed a serious makeover in terms of attitude. Having received my pink token, I decided to take a seat. Here I met the P & O Nedlloyd person again. He had done all the other processing and was waiting for the final interview. I assessed that it would be a while before I would be called. I hadn't my breakfast and so proceeded towards the counter to grab a bite and a cup of coffee. Barely had I taken a bite of my sandwich when I heard my number being called over the public address system (PAS). I was shocked with the early response. I guess that god was tired of making me wait and wanted to get done with the process. Probably, he couldn't take the prayers anymore! I deposited the grub with the food counter and proceeded towards the counter. There were a few ahead of me in the line and I waited patiently. I kept telling myself to smile! You cant help but be nervous. I guess that one is always apprehensive in a situation like this. I over heard the person in front of me in the line as he put forth his case. The lady at the counter seemed to be grilling him, asking him about the kind of work that he does and the reason that warranted his travel. I shifted my gaze to the people around. More than eighty percent of those present seemed to be Gujratis. I deduced this from the names being called out on the PAS, the general 'loud' attire and the animated discussions that they were having with each other. No wonder that the American government is apprehensive of giving visas to the gujjus! My turn finally came. Smile! Smile! that is what I told myself one last time. The interviewer again was a very sweet American. She asked me a couple of questions on the reasons that I required a visa, the nature of the emergency...Once she had read the name of my employer, she was sufficiently relaxed. I guess that the name wields a lot of importance in the US. Moral: Its all in the name! It was more like a conversation and less of an interview after that. There was no grilling and there were no documents sought. In fact, I did not have to produce even a single document. Even the emergency letters from the company were not sought. The questions now moved to topics like 'Since I would be in NYC, I must have made a lot of plans!' And 'I must be very excited, considering that it is my first trip abroad!'. She than gave me a big broad smile and declared 'Okay Ameet, (she pronounced it perfectly!) your passport will arive in 3 days!'. I couldn't believe my ears! Was that it? I asked her whether it was the end of the process. With a big grin, she replied in the affirmative. She said that I could leave. Thanking her, I moved out. I couldn't believe myself. I knew it wasn't supposed to be a marathon (although it was potrayed to be one), but I didnt expect it to be a walk in Central Park! For, that is exactly what it was! So much for the gyaan that I received. So much for the anxiety. So much for the 3 sets of documents that I had carried, neatly segregated into logical bundles in a chronological order. So much for the formal attire (although I dont know whether it helped or not!). Having completed the process without any hassle, I sat down to complete another important task...breakfast! Something that was interrupted mid-way. As I munched away to glory, I saw the P & O Nedlloyd guy. The look on his face said it all! I guess that the sun had set prematurely on his campaign. I decided to leave him alone. It was no use adding to his misery. Moral: Gyaan doesn't count for much! I thought that I'd had enough action for the day. I came out and headed in the direction of the PCO after inquiring for the same. This time around, I seemed to find it without much of an effort. Suddenly I remembered that there was something that I had to pick up! My secure-id token! I rushed back to the bushes. As I looked for the same, I felt a chill down my spine. The worst had happened. I was shocked to find that the token had gone missing! I began to panic. The wonderful brainwave of tossing the token into the bushes suddenly didn't look all that smart. I cursed loudly, this time at myself for having taken such a grossly irresponsible step. I wondered as to what the repercussions would be! As I stood there, sweat trickling down my neck, I noticed a small kid appear. He asked me "Do you want to store something with me till the end of the interview?" This was the first time that I came in contact with the 'mobile lockers'. More curses followed. Why on earth didn't I meet this person before??? I could have deposited it with him and retrieved the same at a small price! I explained the situation to him! I told him about the fact that I had already tossed my 'stuff' into the bushes and that it had now disappeared! That is when the angelic kid spoke "I think I know what you are talking about". I almost jumped with joy when he said that a friend of his had picked up the token. He went in search of the other kid, me in tow. After a few minutes, the angelic saviour (who had picked up my token) appeared. He asked me what it was that I had tossed away. After sufficient substantiation, he handed it over to me! I didnt know what to say! I offered him money, which he politely refused. Flashing me a smile, he turned back and walked away as I stood there speechless! Moral: Mumbai contines to have a semblance of integrity and honesty left! I left with a feeling of contentment.
PS: I eventually got a 10 years multiple entry visa.
And the clock struck 13...Well, actually it struck 0630! I got up with a start. For a good long time, the head didn't clear...Ever got up in the morning with a heavy head and all the other symptoms of a horrible hang over? Couple with that with the fact that you haven't had a single drop of alcohol? If you have, you know exactly what I am talking about! If you don't, you are one lucky loser! Much like the un-correlated and crazy thoughts that I have right now, I was in a daze in the morning. It took me a while to realise the reason why I was awake. It was Interview time!
A sentence that would make my boss and the HR guys sit up and take notice. Well, it was an interview of a different variety. With all these thoughts in the mind, I forgot the task at hand. I had to look presentable for the US visa interview! Within seconds of brushing my teeth, I heard the bell ring! It was the chauffeur! And I wasn't even ready! Thereafter everything was a splash and dash! Moral #1 - If it weren't for the 11th hour, nothing would get done! Soon we were speeding down the highway...me going over the documents for the last time...yet again! It wasn't nerves and anxiety as much as it was the picture of a sailor-devouring Scylla that the interview was made out to be. There was a lot of inputs from various schools of thought as to how the interview should be 'cracked'! While the information was great and the intentions very noble, it built a certain level of doubt in your mind! It was quite a dampener! Lincoln House, Consulate of the United States of America...The hegemonic super power of the world! I expected something better than the impending edifice. Guess that the city of Mumbai is a great leveler in more ways than one! The car had dropped me at the consulate in no time and I was a bit too early. I decided to scout the area and bide my time in the process. The first thing that struck me was the enterprising attitude of people near the embassy. People seem to make money out of just about anything! There was a guy selling polythene bags at 10 INR a piece...a cool 900% profit! And guess what? people were buying! There were people selling pens as well. Didnt bother calculating the Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) on his earnings. The thing that took the cake by a mile was that of the people standing near the consulate offering to act as human mobile lockers for anyone who had dared to get items which were on the prohibited list. Besides the usual suspects, some of the things included digital watches and car remotes. Sounds like a sound business with lot of growth oppportunities. Moral #2 - Money can be made out of absolutely nothing in a perfectly legal way! It was finally time to stand in the line! With the blazer and the works (on a Emergency business visa, I had to look formal!), I stood in the queue. Things were hotting up! Well, in reality it was the blazer doing its job in the Mumbai heat. I thanked god (and the counsel lady) for having scheduled my interview early in the morning. Struck a conversation with this guy from P & O Nedlloyd. 5 minutes into the casual talk, he was offering me gyaan...on what else? How to crack it! :) I shifted my gaze, attention and then conversation to this lovely lady from TCS (I didnt know that TCS had beautiful females!). Unfortunately, just when things were looking bright (No! The sun had been up long back), the consulate lady called her to enter inside. I cursed the person who came up with this chivalrous rule of allowing single ladies to jump the queue! I resigned myself to reading the letter from the HR for the 78th time. Finding nothing new, I started talking to this other TCS guy(Does anyone in TCS work in India???) who stated proudly that he was from TCS(As though it was comparable to Google!). I thought of bringing his feet back to the ground...but then on second thoughts, decided to let it pass. Stuck between reading the letter for the 79th time and talking to Mr. TCS, I decided to do neither. Thought of observing people instead...read ALL the notices around and looked listless and stoned until Mr. TCS decided to move his attention elsewhere. Within no time, it was time! Time to enter the lion's den! That is the kind of Anjolie Ela Menon painting that was sketched in my mind. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the famed Secret Service and CIA that one hears of. Instead, there were Indian security personnel. The security check was probably a prelude of the level of security that we were to expect in the US. Belts were out! Everything was scrutinised and frisked. Even the papers were not spared! Moral #3 - Shit Happens! I realised that I was carrying my RSA secure-id token. For those unaware, it is a digital device that had a 6-digit display that is provides you a part of the password essential to log onto the office network. Half the size of my middle finger (used figuratvely here), it doubled up as my key chain. To my horror,i realised that I was carrying the house keys and hence the RSA secure-id in my pockets. I pleaded to god that the token be missed by the security guys. The hope was that it would be missed for its lack of conspicuousness. But as luck was to have it, it got noticed. Questions were asked and I feigned ignorance. But all my experience in Drama didn't count for much. I was asked to 'take care' of the same. This meant going out!!! If I had the time, I would have kicked myself for getting into this situation. Moral #4 - If there is anything that can go wrong, it WILL go wrong! I rushed outside, no escape route in sight. The chauffeur was not around and I didn't have my cell-phone to call him up! A PCO couldn't be seen around at all! Moral #5 - When you really want something bad, chances are that it will never be in sight! I looked for a place to stash the token. Suddenly, i remembered a place. Not a long distance away from the consulate, I found a couple of bushes. I tossed it into them, praying that I could retrieve it back. If I tell this to the people in office, there would be a gasp! Followed by an expression made famous by the Miss Universe's of the world. But in the situation that I was in, it seemed like the smartest(???) thing to do! I thought that it was better than giving it in the hands of a stranger. Atleast I had a chance to get it back! Dashed back again. To my horror, I found that I couldn't now re-enter. I had to stand in the queue again! I tried to reason with the security when I realised that it was fruitless. Hurling profanities at him (in my mind of course), I joined the queue. Luckily I got a chance to join the queue just outside. And I didnt have to go at the beginning to the queue. Phew! I lost close to 30 minutes in the whole confusion. More so because I was pushed to the bottom of the stack.... The rest of the story in part #2
As the day dawns tomorrow over the Eastern sky in India, I will be up and ready for yet another challenge in life. As the sun begins to fill the sky, I will be up and ready and probably in a car driving along the Eastern Express towards Downtown Mumbai. The occasion is important and the stakes are high. Its an Interview with the guys from the American Consulate for a chance to visit Uncle Sams country. The stakes are pretty high as I have applied for an Emergency Business Visa which means that I have escaped the queue. However, the onus is now on me to prove it to them. Prove it to them that it is indeed an emergency that warrants my travel at the earliest.
To a large extent, it is an emergency. I have to travel in March...and the interview dates that are available are only in May! By which time, the chocolates would have long been eaten and digested! The problem is that the decision to grant the visa is totally the prerogative of the executive over at the Consulate. More so in this case where the requirement is an out of turn one. It is at times like these that you have the proverbial butterflies in your stomach. You always think that an interview that is an interview is an interview. And yet one cannot ignore the inherent palpable anxiousness that surrounds the entire exercise! An uneasy calm which makes you wonder whether it is the sign of an impending storm. Well...it wouldnt be a storm in my life. But it would definitely be a significant step towards the intoxicating feeling of vertigo. Maybe a small step, but a momentous one nevertheless! In more ways than one, it means something totally different from what it would mean to most of my fellow software brethren. I pray to The One Above to wish me luck! And to ensure that I don't need any of it! Next Stop! US Consulate, Downtown Mumbai!
