Vineet's Blog

Cricket at 5A, Panchadri Society

2010-11-27T19:56:00.005+05:30

First of all for those who are having trouble understanding what is "5A, Panchadri Society", it's the first line of my residential address. It's the place where I have been living for the past 24 and a half years and the place I believe to be one of the best locations you can find in Pune. And since I also believe that Pune is one of the best cities in the world, that makes it one of the best locations in the world!

The reason why Panchadri Society is so great is because it's situated on one of the busiest roads in Pune - Law College road but it's almost half a kilometer away from all the traffic, pollution, Barista, CCD etc. Panchadri also has abundant greenery, enough to rival that of some parks. Along with that it also has ample open spaces which is a feature not seen at all these days in housing societies. This ample free space is the perfect setting for playing all kinds of sports right from Dabba eyes-spies, football, basketball and most importantly Cricket!

Playing Cricket at 5A Panchadri has been a regular feature till 3 years ago (One of the many side effects of entering work life). Ever since I was 5-6 years old we have been playing cricket in our society almost every evening. In the vacations we used to play in the morning too. And in one summer vacation we actually put up a halogen lamp in a balcony which enabled us to play way into the night. Of course there were many hindrances which are common place in almost all societies namely breaking of windows, outsiders should not be allowed to play, no playing between 2 to 4 in the afternoon, no playing after 8 in the night etc. Though they did not deter us from playing we made a lot of adjustments like changing our rules drastically to discourage stroke making, cleaning bathrooms and replacing broken windows immediately and actually refraining from playing till EXACTLY 4 in the afternoon.

Till the year 2002 we used to play in a narrow area between 2 buildings. However the turning point came in the same year when the extremely rough driveway in our society was relaid and an extremely smooth driveway was made. Apart from increasing the lives of car tires this relaying of the road gave us an awesome pitch for playing cricket!

Courtesy a brilliant piece of welded metallic stumps from Australia we started playing on the tar road by bowling up the slope. The slope has quite a steep gradient but bowling on it felt great. Bowlers got nice bounce and batsmen felt the ball "coming on to the" bat as Ravi Shastri would say it. It also opened up a previously closed range of shots for us like the cover drive and straight drive. This time the windows were very far so the chances of breakage were minimum. Even so that did not prevent the odd breakage courtesy some adventurous and average batsmanship.

However it was hard to play competitively and though we loved the full pitch bowling and batting, the real fun began when we started to play "1 tip 1 hand" half pitch under arm matches. The competitive matches full of sledging and controversies were so addictive that we used to play right to the point where the ball was not visible at all due to the dark. Coincidently we played the most when it was the time of PL or "Preparatory Leave" during our Engineering days.

Due to the slope on the pitch we had christened it as "Lords". The memories at Lords are legendary and often relived with great enjoyment when the lucky ones to be a part of it meet after a long time.

Cricket at Panchadri is not just about playing. The "watching" part is just as memorable if not more. I have been lucky to be born in a cricket loving family. Right since I was a kid it's been the standard norm in our house that whenever India is playing there is nothing else allowed to be seen on TV. I also remember an incident when on a vacation in Simla we made the whole touring party wait as it was the ending stages of a cricket match. Consequently the tour left without us which in my view was the best thing to happen since we could at least watch the match in peace!

Over the years we have watched a lot of matches at my house. Each of them has been special which has made my house "lucky" for the Indian team. We have also watched football but of course it does not has the same effect of watching India play. Man United matches are great but the joy in watching Sachin pulling Caddick for a six is simply something else. I have tried to list some of the memorable matches watched at "5A Panchadri" in chronological order. Here they are along with some video links if you're interested in reliving the great moments:-

India vs Pakistan, 1998 Independence Cup Final - This match was one of the most exciting ones I have watched and I still remember the moment when our very own Punekar Hrishikesh Kanitkar hit Saqlain Mushtaq for a 4 to complete the highest ever chase at that time.
India vs England, 2002 Natwest Series Final - I remember this match well since it happened on my father's birthday, 13th July. Unlike Mohammed Kaif's parents we did not leave the house at 164/5 and were able to witness one of India's greatest wins ever. Also the highest chase at that time.
India vs Australia, 2003 World Cup Final - Now this should never count as a memorable match for any Indian BUT the atmosphere in my house when Sehwag was batting is something to go down in folklore. We knew that if anyone can achieve the impossible it is Virendra Sehwag. And when he was hitting the Aussie bowlers every shot was celebrated with the sound of about 25 plastic bottles which were demolished on that day.
India vs England, 2007 T20 World Cup - This match was made memorable by 1 man - Yuvraj Singh. The 6 sixes which he hit against Stuart Broad also introduced the "huddle" in my house which later became a common feature throughout the World Cup.
India vs Pakistan, 2007 T20 World Cup Final - Needless to say anything about this match and the atmosphere in my house as well as FC Road later on ...

I may have missed out on a lot of matches but I do hope I get to add to this list during the World Cup 2011 in India!

Only Veg

2010-05-07T23:29:00.002+05:30

Hello! It's time for another post on food (made obvious by the title) as I'm not really keen on writing about Cricket after watching India's disappointing performance against Australia in the T20 World Cup Super 8 match :(

"Only Veg" - Normally such a phrase just below any restaurant's name would be a complete turn off for me and the restaurant would be deemed unfit to go at that moment and some times forever. The pure love for chicken, fish, mutton, pepperoni (or almost anything which walks) and maybe the fact that non-veg food is not prepared at home compels me to eat only non-veg food outside as much as possible. BUT there are very few hand picked eating joints which are an exception to this. The ones coming straight to mind are Vaishali, Bedekar, Sweekar(Kothrud) .... thats it. Still I wouldn't call them dinner places as its not applicable to Bedekar, Sweekar and the waiting period for Vaishali is too much for my stomach to bear.

The only "Only Veg" restaurant where I would happily go forgoing non-veg is Darshan!!!

Darshan has been one of my favorite eating places ever since I was a small boy when eating out was an occasion and not a run of the mill activity as it is now a days. However I have definitely started appreciating Darshan more after I had the self realization that it ranks very high in my list of favorite restaurants despite it not serving non-veg. It's also become a favorite lunch place for my team in office and among my friends there's a sense of nostalgia associated with it. A new "couple" is normally introduced to everyone at Darshan and any person who is returning abroad and wants to do a customary "meet-everyone-before-I-go" visit is taken to Darshan :)

Coming to the main point - FOOD - Darshan is synonymous with Cheese. If you love cheese (and who doesn't) then a visit to Darshan would be like visiting the kingdom of cheese. All the baked dishes in Darshan along with each and every other item which has cheese in it is simply awesome. Starting with Cheese Balls and Cheese Onion Capsicum Grilled Sandwich to Baked Veg and Macaroni and Baked Beans on Toast, it's the cheese which steals the show completely. If you're in a bad minority and don't like cheese at all you don't need to fret. The Chhole Bhature are the best in the world. And to top it off, no meal at Darshan is complete without taking at least one of Traffic Jam, Sizzling Brownie, Chocolate Soufflé or Jelly with Cream. There're also some juices and milk shakes but I never seem to go for them :P. I present my huge list of favorite items at Darshan -

Must Haves:-

Cheese Balls
Mushroom Fetters in Mustard Sauce
Baked Veg and Macaroni
Traffic Jam

These are some of my most frequently ordered items in Darshan and each and every one of them is a winner. If at all you want to substitute something then it can be the Baked Veg. Others are quite untouchable :P

Other equally great ones:-

Baked Beans on Toast
Open Cheese Chilli Toast
Cheese, Onion, Capsicum grilled sandwich
Vegetable Au Gratin
Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
Chhole Bhature
Chikoo Milkshake
Jelly with cream

There's nothing much to not like in Darshan's menu but I don't like the Darshan Snack Dish that much and there's a "Chinese" section which I haven't tried ever! If at all I am missing something really good please put it in your comment :)

Good Luck!!

2010-04-29T22:50:00.002+05:30

Hello! I am writing a post after such a long time that even classifying this as a writer's block will be a gross understatement! I thought it will be good idea to write a post before a whole year gets completed since the time the last one was written. Since I wanted a comfortable topic to resume after a long hiatus it had to be either food or cricket. Cricket would have also been a good topic since there's very less written about it apart from the IPLgate. But food gets precedence :)

For those of you who haven't yet figured out the connection between the title of the post and "food", I am referring to one of the best restaurants in the world - Cafe Good Luck. For those who still haven't got the chance to go to Good Luck I sympathize with you but whenever you come to Pune please go to Cafe Good Luck situated at Good Luck Chowk :P

I got "introduced" to Good Luck quite late actually. I remember it was about 5 years ago when I was in my Second Year in Engineering that I went with a couple of my friends for breakfast in Good Luck after Basketball practice. However since then Good Luck has always been synonymous with "breakfast". But its not limited only to breakfast.

Good Luck is one place where you can go for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, snacks, dinner or whatever reason or meal you can come up with. Whatever be the time or meal you'll always end up feeling full in the stomach and not much lighter in the pocket. Good Luck's waiters are the best in the world. Apart from being extremely friendly they also have the gift of getting the right order every time. One might think what's so great in getting the right order but when you have a group of people who chop and change the entire order in less than a minute it requires great skill to get the correct one. That too without getting it verified! However the waiters in the interior part are not as efficient. Its a standing joke among my friends that the waiters in the interior part are "interns" who graduate outside after training :)

Good Luck according to me is the restaurant which ranks #1 purely in terms of Return On Investment. There're are very few places in Pune now where you can have a complete meal of starters, main course and dessert and still end up paying less than Rs.100 per head. Of course I am talking of non-veg food here with no veg. dish apart from dessert being ordered.

Without further ado I present my list of favorite items in Good Luck. Please note they are not at all in order of preference. There are some things in the world which you cannot compare like "Sachin vs Bradman".

Tea and Bun Maska (Butter) - Good Luck's tea is the best in the world and it's made complete by having Bun Maska along with it
Cheese Masala Omlette
French Toast
Cream Chicken Dry - Better than KFC
Boneless Chicken Biryani
Goodluck Special Boneless - Best dish to have with Roomail Roti
Mutton Kheema
Fruit Funny - One of the best desserts you can have

They have also added some new items on their menu like Butter Chicken and Sukha Chicken but they're pending a second review which should mostly happen on the next Saturday or Sunday going by past record of going to Good Luck on every weekend come what may.

I have never ordered anything vegetarian in Good Luck apart from Bun Maska, Toast, Bread, Roti and desserts. If you are vegetarian then I would suggest you to go to Darshan which is the best only Veg. restaurant and deserves a separate post altogether. But if I have to suggest something for my only veg. friends it would be Cheese Tomato Grilled Sandwich.

I'm sure there're many delicious food items which have been missed by me in spite of being a regular at Good Luck since the last 5 years. The reason for this is one commonly used in cricket of "not wanting to disturb a winning combination" so please mention your favorite ones in your comment.

Thank God it's Friday!

2009-07-18T10:55:00.003+05:30

Hello All! After a really long hiatus even by my standards I am back with a new post. Actually I read somewhere that there is a name for people like me. I mean the people who don't write a new post every other day and have these short and long breaks in between 2 posts. I think the name is Slow Bloggers :) I personally know some of these people so it feels nice that I am not alone :) But I do admire the folks who take out time and publish a new post every other day. It's really creditable that they have such enthusiasm to write something new whatever it maybe on such a regular basis and I follow some of these blogs regularly.

Coming to the current post I guess the title says it all :) 'Thank God it's Friday' is a thought which comes to every working person who has a holiday on Saturday. For some unlucky people who work six days a week it is the same thought but instead of Friday it will be Saturday and for some mechanical companies it will be Wednesday :) Whatever the day may be the feeling of relief, happiness, excitement and anticipation of the approaching holiday is the same.

I have touched upon this phenomenon many times in my previous sporadic posts. I observed it way back in early 2008 when I used to go to my current office as a Project Trainee. For me back then the 'day' was immaterial. Whatever day it maybe, a Friday, Monday or Wednesday I didn't care. The only important days were submission day(s), exam days and most of all Result Day!! But I used to observe on a weekly basis that everyone in office used to be really in good spirits (pun not intended) on each and every Friday. In the few weeks that I went for work as a Project Trainee this was my most striking observation of corporate life :D

Now that I have completed a year in the Corporate world with work and pressure increasing in a linear manner with respect to time, I have absolutely no doubt in saying that I behave completely in the same way. And I am sure that more than 90% of the people who work must be behaving in the same way. I have listed out some of my observations of behavioral patterns displayed by employees on Friday :)

Overall mood - There is a distinct difference in everyone's mood on Friday. Everyone is happier, jovial and high on morale.

Eagerness to leave early - Though nobody likes to stay back late in office on any day, on Friday everyone is over eager to leave much earlier than the standard time. Since the standard times differ I won't give a specific time :)

Refraining from scheduling late meetings - Unless absolutely necessary everyone avoids keeping Customer calls, meetings etc on Friday evening / night. Also it helps if the Customer is from Europe or Asia so he/she is also eager to leave early

Tea and TT breaks - Extended Tea breaks are taken by teams along with some breaks for TT or carrom too.

Non work related mails - Though these mails go around many times the frequency of such "Low Importance" mails increases on Friday and these mails are enjoyed even more as compared to other days

All said and done Friday is quite a fun day in office most of the times. But if you are in a situation like I was on some Friday evenings where you have to stay in late on Friday (to avoid coming on Saturday) for finishing something important, the Office can be an extremely lonely place to be in ....

P.S. Please contruibute to any other behavorial patterns which you might have observed in Office on a Friday by mentioning it in the comments :)

IS Voting == Responsible Citizen ??

2009-04-23T09:55:00.003+05:30

I am writing this post on the day of Phase II of the General Elections in the largest democracy in the world. I have just come home after Voting for the first time in my life and there is a sense of achievement which I am feeling right now :)

The voting process for me I would say was not at all smooth. To be frank I am not an avid follower of politics. I try my best to keep abreast of all the happenings through print media, NDTV 24x7 and other knowledgeable people but if I do get an option I choose Sports over politics. But I am aware of the importance of voting and hence was keen to cast my first vote. I was awaken from my slumber by my friend on a day which was supposedly the last day for registration (though there were many like this !!) We took our documents, attested photo copies and registered ourselves. But that unfortunately was just the beginning. The EC people came to our house on a Sunday with a list but only my name from my family was absent from it.

After that I went through a host of search engines but my name was never found. I also went through a manual list where I found my parent's names but mine wasn't there. I resigned to the fact that maybe I won't be able to vote this time until my friend confirmed that my name is present. On voting day I went in with my parents but as expected my name was not in the list. However a different list of ALL the parts which was thankfully arranged alphabetically and in English :) was available where in I found my name. Though it was spelled as "Vinit" the rest of the details were correct. Also the name in devnagri was correctly spelled. I went inside, pressed the button on the EVM and came out feeling extremely happy. The only damper was that this time there was not black dot on my finger as expected but a blue line :)

In all this voting process which started with campaigns by jaagore.com, Aamir Khan's advertisements, different groups urging everyone to vote one thing which I always heard was "If you are a responsible citizen you should vote". I am completely in agreement with all this. I believe that every citizen eligible for voting should vote and excuses like "What's the use", "I don't know how to register", "Everyone is the same" are not at all valid. Especially in a city like Pune where everything is smooth and we don't face any violence as seen in other places it's a crime to give excuses. When people can vote in sensitive areas like Kashmir where their lives are in danger then we have NO right to stay at home on Election day.

However I feel that just casting your vote does not at all make one a responsible citizen. According to me there are many other duties or responsibilities or qualities which one must have and perform to be a responsible citizen. To name a few I would say following traffic rules, not throwing garbage on the streets, not spreading rumors during tense situations, cooperating with law enforcement officials, not indulging in bribing and even maintaining the secular nature of our country are some of the qualities which I see in a responsible citizen of India. If you do all this or at least try your level best for it then you have a right to admonish others for not being a responsible citizen. But if you are breaking rules and throwing garbage and thinking that pressing a button on a machine is making you a responsible citizen then think again. It will be of no use if we vote for the right person but we as an individual and a nation don't do anything to maintain the law, cleanliness and order in the country.

Now that so many people are being made aware of their duty to vote I hope that this awareness drive continues to other aspects as well. When we are telling people who are going to turn 18 or anyone else about casting vote it's important we don't neglect the other things which constitute a responsible citizen. Voting is just one of the many things. After all the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts !!

Audi alteram partem

2008-12-22T00:07:00.006+05:30

Hi All ..I am writing this post after a VERY long time. I think I will now stop recollecting when I wrote my last post and making excuses for the delay because its getting to be a regular feature now.

This post of mine is related to the horrible terror attacks in Mumbai. The ordeal which dragged on for more than 2 days has really shaken us up and left everyone feeling very angry and vengeful. The feeling of anger and that of vengeance are completely vindicated. However I do feel that this anger needs to be channelized. There were some suggestions by celebrities like we should not vote or we should carpet bomb Pakistan etc. The first one is really stupid and the other I feel is not realistic under the circumstances. But the main debate raging right now and the one on which I want to talk about is the legal defense of the lone captured terrorist Kasab.

There are two opinions on this story. The first one which is in majority and which is mostly due to the anger generated by the attack is that Kasab should not be given the option of a defense lawyer. This opinion is based on the fact that Kasab's involvement in the terrorist act was seen on TV by everyone. After that he has also gone on record by confessing to the act and giving many details about the planning of this attack. As the current scenario goes Kasab indeed does not have any lawyer and the Bombay Metropolitan Magistrate Court Bar Association has also passed a resolution forbidding its members to represent him. Also the Shiv Sena resorted to violent action towards the lawyer who showed interest in representing him.

The other opinion which is in stark minority says that Kasab should be provided with a defense lawyer and be given the chance of a fair trial. Also according to article 22(1) of our constitution - no arrested person detained in custody “shall be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice.” The only exception which can be made in this case is when we are formally at war with another country. Hence there is a small group of people which includes he chairman of the Bar Council of India S N P Sinha, who believe that Kasab should be given his rights and we should have a fair and proper trial.

I for one also feel that Kasab should be given the chance to be defended. This is not due to the fact that I am sympathetic to him. It is also not the case that I am less angry and vengeful as everyone else. But I feel that we should follow our legal system which we have been following since the past so many years. This concept in which a person is innocent until proven guilty is the cornerstone of our legal system. The title of this post "Audi alteram partem" is a Latin phrase meaning "hear the other side". Given the current circumstances I am sure no one including me wants to hear Kasab's side in the court. He is beyond a shadow of a doubt guilty and needs to be given the harshest punishment possible.

However by not giving him a fair trial I am concerned about what precedent we are going to set. Are we going to be one of those countries in which a person can be caught and punished without a trial. I agree that Kasab's act deserves this but think about other cases like this. Right now we are very angry and we want vengeance by punishing Kasab and hence we feel that this is the right stance. But suppose there is a serial killer on the loose who has killed many innocent people. When that person is caught and we have conclusive evidence are we again going to say that he should not be represented and sent to death without a trial? I am sure there have been people like this caught. Leave alone a serial killer. Suppose a man who has brutally killed just 1 victim is caught. Even at that point the victim's relatives and close friends are bound to be angry just like just we are right now and will feel that a trial is not needed. Are we going to follow a similar practice at that time too ???

So what I am saying is that if we do have a system which we know is a very good one we should follow it. We should be careful about what precedent we set for the future. Suggestions like a public hanging or public stoning will make us no different than the Taliban. I do understand the difficult circumstances which is making people think like this but we need to control our anger. Not forget or let go but channelize it. I agree it is not easy. If I was a lawyer myself I would never defend Kasab so I can see how everyone in the BAR is feeling. But if the government appoints someone we should be sane enough to realize that the lawyer is being professional and in no way is he less Indian for doing his job which he is instructed to do. Plus another thing is if the trial starts early I am sure it will get over quickly and Kasab will be justifiably punished.

Please do let me know your views on this by commenting on this post or emailing me. I understand it is a controversial issue and people will have varied thoughts but I would love to hear them :)

Change is Permanent !!

2008-09-14T23:46:00.008+05:30

Hi All,

I am finally back with a new post .. I think I am increasing the duration between posts more and more but let me assure you that its not on purpose .. To put it bluntly I am getting a feel of Corporate life and pressures, so the past few weekends haven't been all hunky dory .. I've been working on most of the weekends and on the ones which I haven't I didn't feel like writing much .. But its been a learning experience and I guess it will help me to better understand the pressures of Working life .. This weekend has been much better and hence I decided to write a new post ..

This post is actually linked to the afore mentioned reasons of not writing since many days .. No, I'm not going to talk about Work life and pressures etc but I want to share some of the changes which I have experienced in my life till now .. Predictably as my Work Life or "Professional Life" has just started right now I will definitely elaborate a bit on the changes which I have experienced right now ..

For me at least my life can be divided in 3 stages .. School, College and Work ... School is from 1st to 10th i.e. till the age of about 16 .. I am not dividing College into Senior and Junior cause I don't think there was much difference .. So that phase is from 16-22 ... The next phase which is going on right now is from 22 onwards ... I don't know right now if I will go through another changing phase .. I mean I will obviously as "Change is Permanent" but I don't know what that phase will be ..

So let me start .. As there are 3 phases there are 2 transitions .. The first transition is from School life to College life .. Now in the CBSE pattern and in some cities other than Pune school life goes on till 12th standard .. In the US I guess its High School .. But in Pune we have a concept called as "Junior College" which starts after we give the 10th standard SSC Board exam .. The 10th standard Board exam is considered to be one of the most important exams as it decides which college you go to ..Personally I feel it is highly overrated and students (and more importantly their parents) should stop being so hyper about it .. Fortunately I have very supportive parents and an elder brother who never put any pressure of exams on me so I was lucky .. But that's another topic completely so will definitely talk about it, not now ..

In the 10th due to God's grace and some amount of hard work I got decent marks in the board exams and got the opportunity to go to a nice college with the subjects of my choice .. Actually I went to the junior college started by my school itself .. Hence I didn't get a chance to bunk much, which according to most people is 90% of the fun in college life .. But let me tell you I had the best time of my life in Junior college owing to some great company.. I got the chance to enjoy inside the classroom and also outside it ..

The main change in life during college was I feel 2 factors which weren't present during school life and they are:-

1) Conveyance

2) Money

Conveyance was the most important part .. In school I used to drive a cycle so my travel was very limited .. Not that I didn't go far on my cycle .. I did meet school friends but it wasn't on a regular basis .. All visits had to be planned and involved everyone gathering at 1 place .. Hence they weren't very frequent as compared to college life .. In college due to the advent of automatic geared bikes distances were reduced drastically ... No distance seemed long enough .. As the experience of bikes were new I didn't have any problem in going anywhere on it .. Hanging out with friends didn't have to be planned (which actually led to problems many times as any unplanned venture does) .. And hence the hanging out and doing time pass became a very frequent affair and made the time extremely enjoyable ... Just one big disadvantage was there which wasn't foreseen .. The demise of the cycle and advent of the bike led to massive progressive weight gain which unfortunately isn't that easy to lose as it is to gain :)

The other big change was the money which was a direct consequence of the conveyance part !! .. As I started visiting friends more often, doing time pass and hanging out I obviously needed money ... Not that I didn't want money in school but there was nothing on which I could spend it on apart from the samosa-pav or dosa in school canteen ... But now in college due to the habit of going to some or the other restaurant etc money was a necessity .. also for petrol :) .. So I took money from home .. First I was on actuals and later on pocket money as for some reason my mother thought I was spending too much (which I still deny vehemently) .. But come to think of it pocket money is really good as you get a sense of managing your finances .. The biggest change which I can relate to in terms of money is related to Soft Drinks ... I love Soft Drinks especially Colas .. For obvious reasons I wasn't allowed to drink them regularly in School days .. So I used to be thrilled when we used to go out or have guests at home as I could have a Soft Drink officially ... But in college as I had money I could have a Soft drink whenever I wanted to !!!! ... Which just like conveyance also leads to weight gain !!! ... I guess there is a pattern here :)

After Junior College it was Senior College of Graduation (or in the US Under Grad) .. I guess I don't think there was much of a difference .. Except that I started thinking in terms of Semesters, PLs and Results .. Now a days whenever I have to reflect back or have to remember a date or event its like "That time we were in S.E. First Sem" or "I remember that day as I was studying for backlog" !! ..

The most important and difficult transition period if from College Life to Work life ... I have to admit that I completely under estimated statements like "College life is the best time" .. I used to hear this from many people but thought "What's so great in it" .. not that I wasn't enjoying but I guess I didn't realize its value at all ..

I mentioned that bunking is over rated .. But at Work I have realized its value cause you CANNOT bunk work !!! ... Whatever happens you have to be there ... I feel it most during 2 moments :-

1) The most important .. Its an India vs Australia test match and India is batting !!!! ... Sehwag is in full form and Sachin is due for batting anytime ... Had it been college days then going to college was an option which wasn't even considered ... The only question considered was "Whose place are we watching the match and what are we eating for lunch?" ... By the way this applies to all matches of India ...

2) After going to play in the morning and having a nice session of basketball/cricket I used to love to just sit in the chair, drink something like Coffee/Limbu Sarbat and read the paper or watch TV for an hour or so .. But now I have to get up in 15 minutes and start getting ready for work ..

Also I have to mention Weekends .. Never before have I valued weekends so much .. :)

I guess these are little things but these are what make me aware that my life has now changed .. Having said that I am very lucky in the fact that I am really enjoying my work and the challenges faced in it .. Plus the fact that I have great colleagues and I get to play cricket is the icing on the cake ! .. The 1 very good change is that I have understood the value of money .. I know its a really old cliché but it really changes your perspective when you start earning ...

I guess that things are not going to stop changing ever and you just have to live with it .. And if you can do it with a smile then that'll make it even easier .. One more change which I forgot to mention is that now India will be without its Fab Four !! .. With Dada announcing his retirement and others (Except Sachin who should play till 80) soon to follow it is going to feel very odd to watch matches .. With all the talks these days being about when these players should retire I just feel that the decision should be left to them .. Who are we to ask them to retire .. People say that this person should retire on a high note etc .. But if he is enjoying playing the game and feels that he can go even higher how can you ask him to stop ?? Let the selectors take the decision based on what they feel is the best for the country .. Age should not be a criteria .. I am sure Robin Singh at the age of 36 was the fittest player in the Indian team ... Would you like it if you were told by people at a time when you are performing and enjoying work that "OK now you should retire when things are going good" !! .. Cricket is like work to these players and considering that they have served India for 13-20 years I feel we should leave the decision to them !!! ..

Bon Appétit !!

2008-08-31T10:59:00.004+05:30

Hi All,

Another weekend has arrived and as my work, late nights, Saturday half day working etc. has increased so has my appreciation for weekend and care free time away from normal routine .. in greater proportions I may add .. But anyways as of now I am really enjoying my work so it doesn't feel much of a load .. Plus with some amount of distraction like a lunch break, Tea break(s) and a little bit of Table Tennis at the recreation center work is quite fun !!

Anyways after writing 2 posts which were quite serious and technical I was always thinking of writing something fun or something which will do for some light reading. I couldn't really pinpoint on what to write in that genre. So eventually I had decided to write about the aftermath of our Olympic success (I guess winning multiple medals in individual events does qualify as a success relatively) ... But during online conversation with a very good friend I was suggested that I should write about Food !! ..

This suggestion was the result of me telling another one of my dinner experiences in which the I loved the food so much that I overate a LOTT without the slightest feeling of repent :) .. As you all know and must have heard I am quite the foodie .. I really love eating anything and everything .. This has led to many jokes and banter on my account, the famous ones being that I know all the Restaurant menu cards by heart :) and that I am a garbage disposal who will eat any dish which another person is not able to finish ..

The first joke is very valid .. I have due to numerous experiences of eating out, reading everything on the menu, helping people on what they should order and many times ordering for all, gained knowledge of the contents of many a menu cards .. This is not done by rote learning :) ... The second joke about "garbage disposal" is the result of having a large appetite and discipline enforced by my parents from a very early age of finishing whatever is given to you on your plate .. My brother and I were never ever allowed to waste food no matter how much we dislike the taste of it ..

I remember a very funny incident which happened at my aunt's wedding .. After the ceremony it was time for a traditional lunch and we were in the first "pangat" .. The meal was very nice and each and everyone of the guests were complimenting the meal and saying things like "jevan masta aahe" .. But after some time I noticed that one by one everyone was vacating their seat and leaving their plate .. They hadn't eaten even half of what was given to them which was surprising because they were whole-heartedly complimenting the food :) .. Soon it was only my brother and I who were left at the lunching area while all the other people had left to make room for the next "pangat" .. The next thing I knew we were almost forced to leave our meal unfinished as others wanted to sit for lunch ..

That's the reason that every time anyone is full and is about to leave their plate unfinished I step in and finish it .. But I seriously believe that every one should finish what they have taken .. We are fortunate to eat such good food whilst millions cannot afford 2 square meals a day .. That's why I like the buffet system as it lets people take whatever and how much ever they want .. But the really annoying thing is that people waste food there also .. I see people wasting food in my office all the time and its really bad ...

Anyways on a much lighter note I would like tell you about 5 of my favorite restaurants in Pune .. I was going to go for 10 but my good friend and best critic about my blog told me that I should make things brief :) So I'll definitely write about the remaining 5 in a future post .. So without further delay here are some of my favorite joints in Pune .. Please note there is no ranking :)

1) Cafe Good Luck

Good Luck is my favorite option for breakfast due to my affinity for egg :) ..

Favorite Dishes: Fried Egg, Cheese Omlette and Bun 'Maska' .. Also the tea in Good Luck is one of the best which I get outside of home ..

2) Kalinga

I cannot really qualify Kalinga as outside food as I am ordering stuff from Kalinga at home since the last 5 years or so .. I have only once gone inside the restaurant ..

Favorite dishes : Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup and Fish Tikka .. Caramel Custard also gets a mention ..

3) Darshan

For me outside food = Non. Veg .. For the simple reason that we don't make Chicken at home .. We order in non. veg food often but there are no home preparations .. But if I have to eat only Veg. outside then my best choice is Darshan ..

Favorite dishes: Baked Veg. with Macroni, Mushroom Fretters in Mustard Sauce, Open Spring Cheese Chilli Toast and Traffic Jam ... On some occasions even Channa Bhatora ..

4) Geroge

I went to George yesterday after many days and have vowed to come back there often .. For some reason it always escapes the mind when deciding the place to eat out .. But whenever I have gone there I've had a great meal .. I think its the best for Biryani in Pune

Favorite Dishes: Mutton Chops, Chicken Biryani and Mutton Biryani ..

5) Flags

The first disclaimer for Flags is that please go there if you are not paying :) .. I qualify places like Flags, Mahesh Lunch home and others as "places to go with your parents" for the very obvious reason that I don't have to pay and can order without looking at the right most column of the menu card .. Flags has such a vast menu that its impossible to learn it by heart :) ..

Favorite Dishes: Fondue and All the desserts esp. Cheese Cakes .. I don't remember what I have ordered for main course there but even if you go only for Fondue and Desserts its worth it ..

So these are some of my favorite restaurants in Pune .. I apologize to all my other favorite ones for not making it on this post but I will definitely put them in the future ..

I would really love to hear some of your favorite ones in Pune along with your regular orders there .. That would really increase my options when the next time (which will be very soon) I decide to eat out ...

The Sequel ...

2008-08-16T19:58:00.002+05:30

Hi All ! .. After 3 weeks I have decided to add a new post .. I had actually planned to add a new post every weekend but couldn't manage it.. I've now understood the value of weekends .. Actually I used to love them during school days too but not this much .. College was the best time because which "day" didn't matter at all ... The only important thing were the exam dates ... But now weekends are really something to look forward to and a long weekend is even better .. The best thing is you can actually feel the excitement and the jubilation in the Office atmosphere once Friday is beginning to come to an end .. After 4:30 or so everyone is in a happy mood and all less important tasks are cast aside and the planning for the weekend begins .. So much so that if there are no important tasks on Friday then it becomes a four and a half day week instead of 5 days ..

So much for my work life .. As always I will write on something specific .. Before starting I would like to thank everyone for the response given to me for my first blog .. I really appreciate your comments and hope for more this time also .. I've titled this one as "The Sequel" .. Let me warn you first that Sequels are very rarely as good as the prequel .. I think only Terminator II - Judgment Day was the movie which really outdid its predecessor .. In Bollywood I guess I can think of only Lage Raho Munnabhai which was atleast as good as the first one if not better .. So if this blog is not as good then I can atleast blame history for it :)

This time around I plan to write about the "Indian Education System" ... I would like to give a disclaimer before I begin this post .. My views on our education system are based on my experiences, from what I have read from people around me and what I have read in the papers etc. I normally don't like to generalize opinions and views but I feel that there is a need for a change in the system .. Ofcourse I would love to hear and discuss any counter-view on this so please comment :)

The first and the most important point which I feel is wrong in our Education System is the importance that is placed on "Rote Learning" .. Commonly called in my lingo as "ratta" or "pathantar" .. I am sure that it is an important skill to have .. I mean a good memory is a very useful tool to have and plus there are some cases in which you don't have an option ..e.g. A history paper which involves writing dates of revolutions or locations etc .. But the problem is that the same technique is used and preferred by many people even in subjects like Science and even Maths (ya sounds impossible doesn't it ? ) ... So basically what happens is that the importance of the 'concept' is really undervalued .. The papers which we give and which are graded are really no benchmark to see if a student has really understood what he has written or has just blindly written whatever he has mugged up .. The worst part is that this continues even in Junior college where we have 3 core disciplines Physics, Chemistry and Maths which should really be understood well to create a good base for future education .. But even there a student who has got 90% or more may have the same understanding of concepts as that of a student who has got 50% .. The WORST part is that this continues even in Engineering college .. Even in such a technical course students resort to the same rote learning method and in the course devalue the whole point of the course ...

Now I'm not pretending to be a person who knows all the concepts very clearly and never resorted to the rote learning method .. Fact of the matter is that I never even cared about the concept and everything until at least half of my engineering was over .. Very rarely would I care if I had understood or not .. The primary concern was whether or not I will be able to reproduce it in the exam or not ..

So why does this happen ? Why do highly reputed schools, colleges and even premier institutions do not stress more on concepts ? A research showed that students at the primary schooling level from top schools in India fared really poorly in comparison with schools from other countries when it came to understanding and application of basic concepts .. This even when Indians are considered to be the smartest of all ... So what is the problem ? Are we not smart enough ? Ofcourse we are .. I have no doubt that we as a country are really smart, intelligent and coupled with our ability to work hard and endure hardships we can be at the top of the world .. The problem is that our education system does not grade us on the level of understanding of the subject .. We really have no system and no benchmark to judge a student on this basis .. All we have is half-yearly exams and unit tests and class tests which show us nothing .. All that these exams do is that they create stress among students and make them part of a rat race which does no good to them .. Even in Junior college its the same thing .. This time the pressure is more because of very very limited seats available in the Open category (thats another issue worth talking about) ... So the students stick to the tried and tested method which they learned in school and apply it here also .. They cycle continues even in Engineering college because now the rat race is for getting a good percentage in order to be eligible for placements ..

So basically what happens is that ultimately your technical or any other education amounts to nothing .. If you don't understand what you have done and why you are doing it then there is no way that you will be able to apply it in your work which is what you eventually have to do ..

So what are the solutions to this ? If we do know the problem and its implications then we should also try and come up with a solution to it .. Now that I've covered my views on the what are the problems and why does it happen I'll try to focus on the probable solution(s) ...

I feel that the importance of the "concepts" and their application should be taught in school itself .. Its very important to cultivate the importance of understanding things in students at a very early stage .. This hopefully will be carried by them in their latter stages of education where in they generally feel that "I know best what is for me" and they don't listen to their teacher and parents .. Just explaining the importance won't do .. We have to have a grading system and some defined processes which underline the importance of understanding things .. eg.: there can be Oral exams conducted periodically in which teachers can try to find out if the students know what they are studying .. If there are many students who have not understood a topic then maybe the teacher will know that she is not able to explain properly and should try it again .. In college maybe we could have multiple choice questions where it is needed to apply your knowledge so that students will try to understand things .. I gave many theory papers of a very subjective type where in it was completely possible to not know anything and still write a lot (using techniques of writing the same point in various ways) ..

So this was the way in which the system will have to change in order to improve understanding and the attitude of the students .. But why do we have to blame the system always ? If we know what is wrong with it and we know what are we doing wrongly then isn't it our responsibility to rectify that ? I believe that it is up to us whether we exploit the system or not .. We should by ourselves recognize the value of understanding concepts and try to achieve that because that is what is going to be useful for us in the long run .. Just doing things for the sake of doing it will be all right for passing the exam or even getting good marks .. but it will really be of no use when we try and apply what we have learned in our future life ..

Thats all that I want to say about the "Indian Education System" as of now (there are countless things that can be discussed) .. I've been out of school since almost 6 years so I don't know if things have changed or not .. I hope that they have and hope that they will go on improving ..

Lastly I want congratulate the Indian Olympic contingent for getting us 3 medals (as of now) for I guess the first time ever .. They've really done India proud .. I was really shocked to hear from people around me that Abhinav Bindra was very impassive on the podium when received the medal and that he didn't show any emotion etc. .. What we have to realize is that not everyone is a Roger Federer to cry after every victory or a Saurav Ganguly to take off their shirt after a victory .. People are different and have their own ways of expression ..

I had gone to my college for the Flag Hoisting on the morning of 15th August ... I always try and make it a point to go on 26th Jan and 15th August .. Thats because it feels really great to look at the flag and say our National Anthem .. In school we used to say it each day and it was more of a routine .. Now as we say it only 1-2 times a year it feels really nice and I always get goosebumps while saying it .. What I am trying to say is imagine the goosebumps you feel when you hear the anthem or when India pulls off a great victory in cricket and our captain lifts the trophy in front of a packed crowd .. Now if you just multiply those goosebumps by about 1,00,000 then I guess you will come close to how Abhinav Bindra must be feeling when he was given the medal and the anthem was played around the magnificent Bird's Nest ....

The First 1 !!

2008-08-02T23:09:00.001+05:30

Hello All !!! Welcome to my blog .. Thought about writing a blog many times before but never actually got down to it .. Which happens many times .. We decide to do sooo many things but we never actually do them .. So hopefully this will be the start of a new approach in which there will be less of planning and procrastinating and more of implementing ...

Anyways let me start by actually writing something specific instead of typing whatever comes to my head .. Those of you who know me or who have seen my profile on the net will know that I'm an avid Cricket fan .. Though I like to play and watch many other Sports, Cricket always comes first ... So I thought that it would be fitting if I start my blogging career by writing something about the Gentleman's Game (is it still called that ?? )

So lets get to the biggest talking point right now in Cricket .. Apart from Ajantha Mendis' carrom ball I think it definitely its the Review System which is on trial in the India-Sri Lanka test series going on right now .. Already we have many controversies over it .. Many bouquets and brickbats already thrown at it .. So I'll try to analyze it from my point of view and I expect many bouquets and brickbats from everyone about it .. the former will be preferred :)

The Review System !! Finally some initiative shown by the ICC .. I think the last change they tried in the game was the induction of power plays and Super Sub .. And before that I guess it was the Field Restrictions in ODIs which was in the early 90s .. So I guess they've improved considering they didn't take a decade this time to try something new ..

Using TV replays for decision is not new .. It was first tried out by the ICC during India's tour of South Africa in 1992/93 and Sachin Tendulkar was the first person to be given out by the Third Umpire .. I guess he can't resist creating history .. At that time TV replays were only asked for line decisions like run outs and stumpings .. Then it started with checking a boundary or a catch .. Now in this India-Sri Lanka series it is being tried out for all decisions .. Both the sides will get 3 referrals per innings and only incorrect ones will be counted .. Just like tennis .. One test is already over and India has been shamed by the Lankans .. Coincidently India didn't get a single review in their favor while the Lankans got most of them ...

So now to get to the point finally .. Do I think that its a good system and should be continued ? Well I will have to say NO !! Atleast at this point .. There are many reasons for this which I will definitely elaborate .. The first and foremost being this .. Earlier I mentioned a similarity of this system to the one used in Tennis .. Well the most important dissimilarity is that unlike Tennis in which the Electronic -Eye is Fool-Proof and shows even the slightest of touches with the line, the system used in cricket i.e the Hawk-Eye is not at all foolproof ...

The Hawk Eye which is used for resolving LBW decisions is not accepted as the be all and end all in the cricketing community .. It most of the times shows the ball to hit the stumps and has come under severe criticism by many ex-cricketers most notable Navjot Siddhu and Geoffery Boycott .. Now I am not saying that I listen to everything Siddhu says which is not possible for anyone in the world .. But I do agree with him that Hawk Eye cannot be relied on to give the correct decision every time ..

The MAT which is used to show the line of the stumps is quite a nice tool .. However the problem arises when we see that half the ball is in the mat while the other half is outside .. In this case how is the umpire supposed to make a decision .. Another thing about Hawk Eye .. Many times it shows the ball to have clipped the bail or a fraction of the leg stump .. Now in this case is the Third Umpire supposed to give the batsman out ?? Since about 131 years the laws of cricket have always given the benefit of doubt to the batsman .. If batsman are sent back to the pavilion because a slight part of the ball was touching the slight part of the bail then I guess it is time to change the laws ..

Going on to another mode of dismissal .. The Caught behind .. For this I think we use the Snicko-meter which most of the times gives the correct output but fails to catch faint edges and catches many other noises .. Can it be relied on ?? I'm not too sure .. One technique which seems pretty good is the Hot-Spot used by Channel 9 .. It uses infra red imaging to identify the heat generated by the bat hitting the ball .. Haven't seen much of it but sounds awesome ..

The biggest problem is when the TV replays are used to judge on a dubious catch .. Due to the cameras and their angle the ball ALWAYS looks to have bounced before the fielder gets his hands on it .. This is a major shortcoming and should be seriously reviewed (pun not intended) .. Unfortunately due to reputation of Ponting, Clarke etc we cannot rely on the fielder anymore ..

So all in all these seem pretty grave doubts to me and hence I think before finalizing the review system they should be considered and certain guidelines need to be set .. e.g. The guideline for the fraction of the ball pitching inline with the stumps or hitting the stumps .. Or to whom are we giving the benefit of the doubt etc .. The worst part is when teams will feel hard done by even in the face of the review system which will devalue the whole concept of the system ..

So in this way I now end my first blog .. Hope you enjoy reading it and please post your comments .. I would really like that ...

Finally a special note for all my friends who are embarking on their journey to pursue their MS in various streams .. Others forgive me for using the public domain for this message ... "All the very best and may you be successful in whatever you do !!! "