Lance Amstrong.. one of the most popular sporting icons in history...

why am I so late in saying three cheers to Lance Amstrong, the winner of Le Tour De France, his seventh title in a row... he sure is one of the most famous icons in the history of sports.. could not help posting couple of his pics..:-)

Lance... a cool pic!

Lance... Seventh straight title @Tour De France!

Terrorism in the new world!!

i am amazed at the increasing no. of terrorist activities the world over, almost all culminating in casualties and endless sufferings, leaving behind a plethora of questions unanswered.. after 9/11, it was 7/7 and going by the irrational deeds of terrorist outfits, we would be left without any choice of euphemistic names for such incidence in the near future..

it doesn't really require an academician's clear cut thought process to see that bomb blasts, explosions, shootings, kidnappings for ransom and hostage dramas are no means for a just solution to the cause they are fighting for.. they merely help to add to the list of victims! and the surprising fact is that, most of the suicide bombers, or those who are carriers in any other way, do not really understand why they do it in the first place..

unless people the world over learn to love each other with compassion, empathy and a deep respect for human rights, it is yet another name calling..

so long
roy

Parting blues!!!!

i have started counting the days with a cant-express-in-words attitude.. come next saturday, my wife would have left trivandrum to join State Bank of India at Bangalore.. she is flying to Lucknow on the 2nd to attend the month long training at SBI Staff college.. back again to bangalore, this time with a definite locale for posting.. it feels really good when you think about the damn good career she has landed up on.. it is tough 9 years after college, with a family to care for.. you really need enormous amount of energy, patience and a never-say-die attitude to hit big at this stage.. it is painful when you leave your 2 year old in the visiting room and the elder one left alone in the bed room to complete that piece of find-the-way for mickey mouse game.. it hurts to part the little one when you leave for class at 9:00AM in the morning.. and you are not going to be back until after 4:00PM.. it took about a year to fulfil her career dreams...

looking at the brighter side of life, her getting employed is exciting.. it's a dream come true... papa is proud indeed..and so are the little ones:-)

on the not-so-brighter side, it's tough for papa and the kids to leave without their mom, albeit for a few moths (Hopefully..so..).. i know, i would miss her more than anything else in this world..i was always late from work.. missed the house-hold commitments quite often, of course due to occupational hazards... had to say not-at-the-moment to her numerous requests for dining out or for taking the kids out to the beach... and there was those small fights, and our share of arguments...:-).. but then, the mere feeling that she was there for me, everytime, was enough to get me going...

it was a powerful hand wielding the wheel..you just sit back and relax, taking everything else for granted.. never bothering about those background chores happening!! doing laundry, washing dishes, sending the elder one to school, without ever missing the school bus, reminding about dwindling stock of vegetables, fish and grocery... hope papa would survive the challenging tasks ahead!!

on a concluding note... life sure rocks.. after all, parting is such a sweet sorrow, especially when it is for a good cause...

so long
roy

Celebacy! Not out of choice.....

i was quite amazed at this news snippet in the morning newspaper.. china's ever increasing gender disparity is a grave concern for the people and for the policy makers alike.. increasing number of males looking for female partners!!! i have heard of people choosing a celebate's life out of choice.. but this is beyond my imagination.. you gonna choose a single's life style just because there are not enough girls... LoL...

this has been atributed to a penchant for the boy child... i would imagine, in any a patriarchal society, girl child is treated with disdain... unless people change their attitudes & beleives in the age old ethos, nothing is gonna change... all you see would be celebates ruling the state..?

BTW, what would you call such a government? any takers...?

so long
roy

Induction programmes and the like..

the week just passed has been hectic in more ways than one... we had a bunch of youngsters joined our team on the 11th of july... never did see such a 'huge' recruitment drive in the past.. the guys and gals are awesome though... i am amazed at their enthu to learn new stuff.. looks quite natural when you are just outa college and all excited to conquer the corporate world.. i could not help recollecting the days when me too was a novice in a totally new environment..fresh out of college... new people, new rules, and an altogether new agenda for life.. LoL... looking back, all i see is the beauty of those days, when i joined as a graduate engineer trainee with one of the leading govt. of india r&d organization in the city.. amazingly friendly people... amazing work culture.. and it was with a sense of pride and joy that i left the place five+ years later.. my first love.. it sure did rock!!

three cheers there!!

so long
roy

Random notes again..

it has been a while i blogged anything.. was literally out of touch with fellow bloggers.. i saw myself back in action this morning.. visited all the blogs in my roll.. simba, atta girl, dave, suhas, zarine, anil, future mba girl, the list is endless.. and am back to mine to give u an update as to whats happening with me..

i had posted elsewhere about deepthy's selection in State Bank of India as an Officer.. the posting order has come and i see that she has been assigned to Bangalore circle.. me, with my little ones, waiting for those four years of 'away from family all alone' period.. i would imagine her spending about 4 years in Bangalore itself before the slimmest chance of heading for a posting in the home turf.. it is painful to be away, especially for her.. i would be around with the kids, barring the times when i spend at office.. for her it would be tough.. tough office hours, hectic schedules, and to boot, all alone at a never-been-there city...

on the brighter side, getting into SBI as an officer is an achievement in itself, for her and for the family.. it adds a secure feeling to life per se...

looking ahead, i would see papa and kids heading to bangalore in every three days' off.. i need to get a crash course on managing two-to-four year olds in a train, all alone!!! tough times ahead.. am sure it brings in more joy and excitement than the parting.. in the end, it is the feeling of well being that counts..

so long
roy

MNCs-Sponsoring-Indian-Acads...

couple of days ago, i came across yet another MNCs-Sponsoring-Indian-Acads stuff... P&G is 'investing heavily' in the department of chemical engineering at IISc Bangalore.. dubbed corporate sponsorship, i would like to peel of the euphemism and address the facts.. thinking along the funding lines, this is something to brag about.. on the other side, it is saddening to see indian brains developing emerging tech for MNCs right inside Indian Institues of repute... and the MNCs sell out their products in the indian market itself, reaping huge profits..

what if our institutions of higher education and research do work with local industries, developing technologies and taking up research work for them? this calls for only a slight change in attitude at either ends, academia and industry... moi waiting to see something hapening on this lines...

so long
roy

Street kids show the way...

early this morning, i was on my way back from my regular work out session at palayam.. the steet was kinda deserted due to the hartal declared by a political party.. the pavements opposite the church was abuzz with activities.. grownups squatting on the naked floor, brushing aside the rigors of the bygone day... old men and women still dozing off under the comfort of those worn out rags.. kids dotting all over the place playing a game of push-n-pull...

i could not ignore a little boy of about 8 years crossing the road with a small vadai in one hand and a glass of piping hot tea in the other.. a litte girl, she should be around 4 i guess, was running frantically towards the boy, apparently to get a bite from the vadai.. the boy took a quick small bite and handed over the rest to the little girl.. she grabbed the peice and was about to run back to her mother.. a small piece of rock blocked her way and was thrown off-foot..her face hit the ground, her little hands were buried in a pool of dirt.. the boy threw away the glass of tea and ran to his litlle sister.. he grabbed her up in his arms and kissed her cheeks left and right.. the little girl was no more crying.. instead, i could see her smiles amid tears rolling down her cheeks, still holding the piece of vadai in one hand and her drooping skirt in the other...

it was an amazing and sweet scene of love and affection.. of caring and intimacy...the selfless brother sacrificed his morning meal, i am sure it was going to be his sole meal for the day, for his little sister.. a street smart example of love and caring unlimited....

back home i told this anecdote to my daughter.. and she just ran to her little brother and kissed his cheeks.. papa likes to cherish those ephemeral moments of joy for ever!!

tell this anecdote to all the kids you come across and am sure they will learn the value of love and caring.. and their world will definitely be a better place than ours!!

so long
roy

Life is beautiful..

more of a personal note, i have been thinking about writing a few lines about my wife's long standing desire, enthusiasm and assiduous struggle to get into State Bank of India (SBI), the largest public sector bank in India and the World's largest employer in the banking segment... i would cherish the news that she made it into the final list of candidates selected for the prestigious position of Probationary Officer.. she is all excited- and so are me and the little ones-and the euphoria still hangs in the air... all around our little kingdom..

couple of months would see her taking up a career in banking- am not sure where.. it doesnt really matter either.. what matters most is the culmination of all her efforts and hardwork into a dream career.. it was tough for a housewife, with two kids and a software pro husband, to prepare constantly for one of the toughest competitive examinations in india and emerge victorious.... all i see is her tenacity and never-say-die attitude in achieving what she wanted and what she had been dreaming of since graduation... and am sure the kids have played their own roles in sharing this victory... spending times with their toys while mom struggled with those basic high school maths... early to bed listening to papa's bed time stories while mom browsed through the day's newspaper, without missing a single news item...

yes, this indeed is a victory well deserved.. but not without the blessings of the omni-potent powers up the heavens...

blessed are the kids, excited is their papa...euphoric is their mom...

so long
roy

The tagging game..

came across this interesting game from fellow bloggers.. especially simba and attagirl..

the crux is to write about your recent reads, five or so, and then tag five of your fellow bloggers.. they are supposed to write about their recent reads and tag five others.. the game triggers a chain reaction..

i am interested because:

1. it gives you an idea as to what others are reading...
2. you kinda figure out what books you aughta read, from others' reviews..
3. again, you could avoid no nos outright...
4. and yes, it helps to keep your blog rolling..

nobody has tagged me as yet, so i would be writing as an untagged blogger... LoL..
of late, am trying to revive my once thriving reading habbit...i wouldn't reach the figure five, but you could excuse me for that..

currently, i am enjoying Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies.. an amazing collection of short stories.. i would definitely recommend this book, if you are the kinda reader looking for short stories with a difference..

and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller would make a wonderful reading am sure.. sujatha has already given an articulate review on her blog..let me go finish the book...

so long..
roy

Of driving and dreams.....

one of my fellow bloggers wrote about the increasing no. of road accidents these days...i don't want to delve into those statistical details... but would love to drive home
the point that it hurts.. and it leaves behind unfathomable pain and trauma to the loved ones..

a mother, who is under-educated, is all left to fend for her now orphaned family..kids who are forced to fend for themselves or dependent upon the unconcerned relatives..
and a father who stares into the darkness having lost his wife and children..i know, going by this, you would come across numerous such tragic facets of road accidents..

there is no point cursing the govt for the lack of well lit and 'pit free' roads... there is absolutely no point blaming the PWD or DoT for digging up the walk ways and leaving them as open as a bare sky.. if you are a driver, you are responsible for hundreds of lives on the roads.. you and your fellow roadies.. and there is no point cribbing about factors totally out of your control..

the moment you are behind the wheel, think about your famiy, and with equal importance, think about the families of your fellow drivers on the roads... and of those pedestrians on the walk ways.. your loved ones are looking forward to meeting you back home... your wife waiting to share the trivia happened at her work place that day.. your little ones anxiously waiting for a pack of chocolates... your mom waiting for that placebo which would cure all her ailments...

and keep your eyes wide open, you would see countless faces, sharing the same feelings, all around!!

if you are reading this, take care while driving.. obey the traffic rules...
you are dear to many...dont fail to see the beauty of their dreams..drive carefully; you should spend those joyous moments with your family all day, every day...

cheers...
roy

IIM B or XLRI??

well.. been thinking about this for a while.. i am on my way to an MBA from a leading B School in India, without quitting my job.. XLRI was a good option, considering its standing in the B School rankings, its strong alumni base, wonderful faculty and best of all, the campus component.. i was excited and was packing up my bags to chennai to attend their interview.. but the moment i noticed IIM B's announcement of their general Management Programme, there was no second thought.. B is going to be the place where I do my MBA... a dream degree from a dream school... phew!!! am not hiding myself from the academic rigor and grind... it would be tough to survive the B School game..

but.. dont you think it becomes a lot easier, when all you see ahead is the beauty of your dream and nothing else?? wouldn't it be a lot easier when you think about those wonderful days you gonna spend at B campus??? at the start of the programme and while summing up...??

wouldn't it be a lot easier when you think about the very strong alumni base of B and the wonderful fraternity you are going to be associated with?? affirmative indeed... so, it is gonna be B, unless destiny brings me something else..... and July would come with the final list of candidates selected for the programme.... till then, i keep counting the days, keep my fingers crossed....

wish me good luck pals...

so long
roy

Random notes..

at times, i just sit back and contemplate.. it is fascinating to visualize your short life in such short frames, which give it an animated fervour!

about my education, my career, my loved ones.. the last, sans everything else, make my life complete and sweet!

looking back, i wonder why would i ever want to pursue a techie's career?? and that too in the clique circle of the so called nerds?? why didn't i say a frank yes to a career with the print media, which seemed lucrative and promising?

may be because i was intimidated by the sheer load of responsibilities in the press? where everything you think, speak, and write go noticed the world over? and you get rated by what you write rather than your integrity and morals?

well, for an ardent student, who loved poetry, loved to read everything from PG Wodehouse to Sidney Sheldon to Neruda, a career with the print media should have been a natural choice.. but life is so unpredictable that you, at times, end up in the wrong street...and there you see the compromise between your passion and the bread winner... hehe..

beleive me, am not that cribbin' type you come across in everyday life...

yesterday, i was lying on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.. trying to spot the happiest moments in my life.. and within moments, i said voila....

it is the time when i read out those enid blyton bed time stories to my little bundles of joy, who keep clamouring for more until they are fast asleep...

it is the time when i sip a hot cup of cofee with my wife, discussing all those trivias in our life...

it is the time when i drive my daughter to school, listening to her non-stop conversations, about her friends at school, her class teacher who gifted a small red crayon to her, her new boy friend who said a cheery hello, her new found passion for free hand sketching, and all about those numerous cartoon characters that she watch on CN...

it is the time when i call my mom and say sorry for not being able to call her so often...

it is the time when i say my prayers to God, thanking him for His numerous blessings that make my life full!

so long
roy

Packers and Movers...

yup..u guessed it right...we just moved outta our old office.. it was kinda getting stagnant in terms of space, in terms of coziness and in terms of look n feel... the building was in a low profile residential area.. sans the silence and homely ambience, it was kinda lacking professionalism, failing to accommodate an increasing head count.. and that led us to this setup, a three storied building beside a main street.. i would not say i was thrown offback by the look of it.. but would vouch for the cool ambience, spacious work spaces, reception, office and cool cofee hangouts.. we occupy the first floor..while writing this, i am looking out to the thick coconut grooves,dancing to the tunes of evening breeze... all the way up.. all the way down... and thats the new office..

ye.. i missed it.. our parking lot rocks!!!

so long
roy

XLRI Interview..

my XLRI interview for PGCBM is just 15 days ahead.. looks like i gotta brush up from the ground up.. having spent 10 yrs in the IT industry, i am looking forward to an interview centered around my experiences so far, about the companies i worked for, my accomplishments in the work place, the challenges i faced etc... as mundane as it sound.. i also need to work on my eco. and fin basics.. stocks, shares and the functioning of stock markests.. have planned to browse through a few back issues of ET.. reading through the past six months' Yojana would be another idea..

and i have written something called a SoP, my Statement of Purpose, which explained in lucid terms why i would ever need a MBA at this point of my career..i dont think it was bombastic, rather i was being truthful to myself in putting my thoughts on paper.. !

am excited to be at Bangalore after a pretty long time, albeit to face an interview board consisting of eminent faculty from XLRI.. and taking an interview now is cool, bcos i have a job at hand.. if i get through, it is a dream happening.. i know i will do well in the course, however hard the grind is going to be.. it would be a helluva lotta opportunity to leverage on my strong organizational, inter-personal and excellent language (u read it right.. hehe) skills while working with my fellow students coming from diverse educational and professional backgrounds, and the faculty who are experts in their chosen areas..

okay, it is time to wish me good luck... i will write about my interview experiences soon after it happens.. till then, let me have random musings here..

so long
roy

The new pontiff..

and yes, in less than three weeks’ time, the new pontiff has sworn in… Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, from Germany has been elected the new pontiff.. the 78 yr old, a close associate of Pope John Paul II, is touted to be a very good administrator…

I was watching those exciting moments on BBC worldwide.. the white smoke emerging through the chimney signifying the success of the conclave of cardinals in electing the new pontiff.. the red curtains, parted in the middle.. thousands thronging St. Peters’ Basilica, waiting to get a first glimpse of the new pope.. his very first address in Italian… indeed, they were moments of great joy for the 1 billion Catholics the world over and to all those who see the papacy as something very special..

am really looking forward to see Pope Benedict XVI leading the Catholic Church and the world population into the new era.. an era of universal brotherhood, compassion and love…

The pack of those 50 elites...

the United Kingdom has just announced the top 5o international BSchools, whose students get that automatic edge over others, while applying for work permits/higher studies in UK. i am not at all surprised to see all the biggies in the list.. HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Cornell, INSEAD, Duke Fuqua, MIT Sloan, MBS UK, Said UK etc..never thought Boston University’s Management Programme to be that great to find a spot in this coveted list.. the thought that simply beats me to the ground is the fact that none of the premier indian Bschools find a place in this list.. not even IIM A!!!

it is time to sit down and brood over the whole bunch of criteria that define the rank of a Bschool.. it is highly subjective and might vary from one rating agency to another, though in a miniscule proportion…but that doesn’t mean a thing for the IIM A (or for that matter any of the Six), one of the best Bschools in the APC region…

so long
roy

Beauty marries professionalism??

i think am falling in love with the new look of my favourite newspaper.. indeed, i was a bit nostalgic on the very day when the revamped daily hit my verandah..maybe because i have been reading this daily for more than 10 years... maybe because the content management did suit well to my taste.. maybe because i loved the monday, friday specials and saturday's young world for their traditional attire, mild colors, orthodox type settings with the marketing eye taking a back seat...? well, i dun quite know.. one thing am sure about, i started liking the new look much earlier than i had thought.. nostalgia sinks in slowly.. paving way for creativity, professionalism and innovations...

thanks to mario garcia of garcia media.. the world's most popular newspaper architect..three cheers there!!

so long
roy

Tests, interviews and more...

oye.. it's time to write something about my wife's test and interview experiences for the past six, seven months... to cut the story short, she has been trying to get into a career in banking, especially with one of the public sector biggies in india..and so far, the future looks rosy, more tests, more expectations.. and yeah.. more travel for her..

if my memory doesn't decieve me (i am not good at keeping a tag on anything..) she is through with about 10 written tests for the posts of agricultural officers and the more glamarous probationary officers.. bank of baroda and oriental bank of commerce were the first of the bunch to come up with their short list for interviews.. and i could see the very first smile on her face, signifying a sense of relief, a sense of accomplishment.. all those burned mid-night candles were suddenly abuzz with lightings.. and i guess, her interviews went well with BoB and Oriental Bank.. she had a tough time with the BoB panel, especially with their psychologist..

well.. i was planning to talk about her experiences with State Bank of India, the largest bank employer in the world and the one which offers the most sought after banking career in india.. after a nerve wracking written test, she managed to barge into phase ii, a GD, wherein you get to lock horns with a bunch of studs and a personal interview, where you face the professors from IIM Lucknow..

her GD went well, she was in a cool group i guess... the topic on WTO carried them well over 15 mins of healthy debates, without ever getting into a fish market ambience.. and the interview went well too, though she had to convince the pros. of her career aspirations at this stage, when the husband is supposedly well placed and the kids are not yet through with their KGs.. i know, it is her dream career, ever since she started preparations for Bank Officers' exam.. for the moment, let the family, papa and the kids, keep their fingers crossed..

i want to see her successful..because i see the beauty of her dreams.. a career which offers her financial freedom, embracing the challenges that come with it..
and the kids would love to see the same too..

PS: she is not yet back after the GD and Interview at IIM Lucknow.. the train is running late and i will see her at about 10:00 pm tonight..

so long
roy

Grim statistics...

world health report 2005 is just out.. as usual, india retains its position in key categories.. child mortality rate, for children below the age of five, is stated to be around 10.6 million world wide, out of which 25% are in india.. again, if you drill down, deaths due to inadequate nutrition accounts for about 50% in india.. the report has shed light on lack of healthcare facilities for pregnant women and associated still birhts, infant mortality rates etc..

i have said this before and will continue to raise my voice on this over and again.. unless our govt. takes note and address the fundmental issues like poverty, lack of drinking water, lack of proper healthcare facilities, child labour, illiteracy etc., we would not make it anywhere..even with the never seen before growth rate in the IT and related sectors and technological breakthroughs happening elsewhere..

the progress you see is not for real unless you are a snob!!

imagine india with a growth rate of 8% with the disturbing statstics on child mortality rates and poverty related issues...
do i make sense??

so long
roy