Month: April 2008

Congratulations ISRO.

(Pic courtesy: http://www.isro.gov.in/)

Congratulations are due to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for their world record launch of 10 satellites in one go. Wow. The entire world is now in awe. Way to go ISRO. The last record was by the Masters of Rockets – Russia, which had launched 8 satellites in one go. This gives ISRO immeasurable credibility in its capabilities. Now, people will no longer shake their heads in disbelief, when they hear about Chandrayan – the planned moon trip.

Elevator talk on Monday morning

Guy1: Hey, I saw you here on Saturday!

Guy2: Yeah, I was bored at home. I came to play TT.

Guy1: Cool.

Guy2: Guy 3 tells me that he saw you here on Saturday night !!!

Guy1: Yeah, I had no power at home. 🙂

 

Such is the life of migrant bachelor software workers. Wow, I make it sound so miserable. It is not that bad, but life is pretty much centered around office and the perks that the office provides.

Bridging the social divide …

       upahar

Is it even possible? We did read about this in our civics text books long time ago. But ever since I moved to Bangalore a few months ago, I have seen this happen. Where you ask? The numerous dharshinis that dot the Bangalore landscape. Yes, I am talking about the ubiquitous standing-and-eating eateries that are found in every locality. The SLVs, the Krishna Upahars, the Ganesh Dharshans … The names are just different, but the food they give is the same. Brilliant simple and tasty food.

Try going to one of these. At any point in time, you will see the below sampling of people:

  • The auto-wallah: He is here for his naashta, or tiffin, or for just his afternoon cuppa tea/coffee. If his friend is with him, he is having his tea one-by-two.
  • The south Indian IT dude: In jeans, a formal shirt, and his laptop slung on his shoulder is digging into his dosa, with the appetite of a hyena, which has not eaten for 3 days.
  • The north Indian IT dude: In jeans, t-shirt, and ofcourse his laptop slung on his shoulder, is digging into his sambar, occasionally dipping into his dosa or idly.
  • The bank employee: Silently digging into this khara-bath. He will get his fair share of kannadiga cooking, even if he does not get it from home, come what may!
  • The college-chics: Animatedly discussing the latest hindi chic-flick, in kannada/hindi/tamil – digging into whatever they ordered. I do not think, they care what they are eating. They are more into the conversation. (If the gang does not have a kannada member, it is a pleasure to watch the animated confusion that ensues, when they are ordering the food).

Yes, you will find all this and sometimes more in the average dharshini in your neighbourhood. Who-ever said that, bridging the social divide in India is difficult.

Managing men

Now, I am not a male chauvinist, neither am I a feminist (last time I checked, I am still of the masculine species). But this really sent me rolling in laughter. The above snapshot is from the course listing of an executive MBA distance education program offered by the IICT, Lucknow. Is there something special about managing men ? Maybe frustrated wives can also take this course? How about managing women? Is that a specialization subject as well ? I cannot stop imagining all the possibilities ! ROFL.

Indian Election Commission awakens to the tech age

Last week, when I was travelling on the bus to work, I happened to notice the following news items.

  • BJP opens its website. It is a pretty crappily designed site – atleast when viewed in Firefox. Go see for yourself. (www.bjp.org)
  • Election Commission considers placing of e-ads (ads in websites/popups etc) as election propaganda material, and costs towards placing these should be accounted for.
  • There will be a timing restriction on election propaganda SMS’s.

It is heartening to see, that the EC, and some of the parties are waking up to the tech-age … atlast.

Auto sights …

Sights that I noticed around me today when I had to travel in an auto for a short distance. You somehow tend to be more at a grass-roots level, when you travel in an auto, and notice so much more, than when you are in a car or a bus.

What the h*** is a MH auto doing in Karnataka. Well, looks like it is not just the IT folks who look at Bangalore as a city for more opportunities. This enterprising guy seems to have ‘transferred’ too to the IT city.

Brilliant screen printing on the side of a mini-bus – the staff bus of Bosch power tools. It shows a Bosch hammer (not shown in picture) punching holes through out the bus’s sides.