Friday, November 14, 2008
Weird Things…
1)
One particular weekend all my engineering mates arranged for a get together. So we reached Kakinada as planned. Then we went on an excellent drive to Yanam, thanks to Rahulji for his bike. Paddy fields and coconut trees were all along the way and ofcourse not to forget you can see streams and canals cross all the way (u will feel the presence of Godavari I promise). I still remember the moon light’s beautiful reflection on the river and the temple lights glowing in the near by island. Well if I start writing about the journey I will lose string; so not to meander much. All I want to say is that we had some very good time on the banks of Godavari. It was late by the time we reached back to the room. We need to pack off the following day.
Then I got this call at six in the morning. It was a bit weird and awful; I don’t expect a call from anyone on a Sunday at 6am.
Me: Hello
Anil: Maama ; its me Anil ( this guy was with us till yesterday ; he should to attend a function at home in his village nearby; so he left early)
Me: Anil; Why you didn’t wake me up when u you are leaving?
Anil: That’s okay ; I didn’t want to disturb your sleep; But come to station now. I need some change.
Me: Find some ATM nearby man.
Anil; That’s not about hundred’s I want some change;
Me: What? (May be I am still sleepy I thought)
Anil: I want 2 rupees change; Ticket is 15 rupees and I am having 13 only; remaining all hundreds and none has any change here.
(Damn my luck)
Me: Okay; I am coming there; I am starting
Anil: we have 40 more mins; take your time!!
Me: okay.
I noticed that my cell was not charged; so I woke my friend and told him the situation. I asked him for his cell.
He woke up; and gave me his cell )
So I reached Station with some change (again on Rahulji’s bike); and my luck!! The cell I bought dint have network in Kakinada!! But luckily I found Anil before the station.
And I found Anil in his worst of his moods. ”The Clerk out there is an Ass maama; he is having change but he didn’t give me” Anil continued “ and he started questioning ; why don’t you guys get change when you start from home; when Railways is doing so much for you!! If some one asks me for any change today I am going to hit them. That’s it!” he stopped.
Thanks to Indian Railways!!
2) Working in IBM for more than year is awesome; Learnt a lot professionally.. haha!!
I am done with a project (actually sacked ; ofcourse they used the term ‘cost cutting’)
And I am into a new project now!!
I used to have a project manger (He is in US) a 50 % Project manager ( he takes care of project details in India) and a people’s manager ( he guides me for my career) and a location manager ( In charge for the location ) and a team lead….
Looking at this u may wonder I am forced to work a lot!! Don’t even think of it...
My project manager is the coolest stuff ever seen; we used to have some weekly meetings; all I need to do is say a ‘Hi Babu’ and relax till the end and say a ‘ Bye Babu’ at the end. One fine I attended from my room; I said a ‘Hi’ I slept ; and roomies were wondering what’s happening on my cell phone; when I am sleeping.
50% PM is a tough stuff; I always maintained the distance; one unlucky day ; he caught me online as I didn’t send any report for many days.
Me : Okay Raj; I will send the report when I am back; I am on leave this Friday and Monday.
( he Immediately called me)
Raj: You didn’t ask me for the leave.
Me: I took the permission of project manager and my team lead.
Raj: but I told you guys not take any leave!!
( come on man ; that’s why I didn’t ask you)
Me: Sorry Raj; this was a sudden plan; My uncle came from US suddenly and he is arranging this party. I must attend.
Raj: You are telling me ; your uncle came suddenly!!
Me: yes raj.
Raj: So what about project.
( I couldn’t control myself)
Me: There is no work for me as of now Raj.
( there is a long silence ; I was shouting ‘ hello’ hello ‘ repeatedly)
Me: Hello Raj
Raj: Yes Srikanth; I don’t know what to say!!
Me: Shall I go then!!
Raj: okay
Haha!!
My team lead heard my conversation and called aside;
Team Lead: If you don’t have any work; just don’t say it like that; Just say “ I DON’T HAVE ANY EMERGENCY DESPATCH”
My first corporate lesson guys.
My location Manager is a lady; though we are in good terms; I pretty well know she is irked that I watch movies in Office , though she never told me this directly she kept asking me whether I have any work at all; till the end. And finally on the day I am being released she came to me and said: “ Srikanth; you should work hard”
I cant resist playing with her; I too looked at her seriously;
Me: Ma’am; I always work hard!!
( then came the real one)
Lady: Atleast stop watching movies in Office.
( I couldn’t hide my laugh; but I managed saying; ‘ I will try Ma’am’.
And my peoples manager is the best stuff all; he thinks I can do something technically; and even suggested me to write a paper on my work;
That the height of comedy; But he always bought his Car to take us to play ground to play Cricket!! So I forgive him for everything.
3) My First Bike Accident:-
I am a pretty careful driver basically; so didn’t have any accident till now;
But the wonderful event did take place recently.
Sitting at home isn’t my (and my father’s) style of spending a holiday; So we decided to go to ‘Bhairava kona’ a place some 140 KM from our home.
Started nicely; and reached there; but Swimming there and the beautiful temple of lord shiva carved from a hill took me to a high.
So I was not the same when returning; and I entered “sine wave curve“ roads ; After two ups and downs; I was climbing at my full speed and only when reached the top I understood that the road isn’t straight and it is turning towards right!!
But the feeling you know!! I know I am going to fall down!!
I am shouting ‘Dad’ ‘Dad’
Even my father understood the situation;
He was saying ‘Okay; Go on’
And finally we fell.. Really lucky fellows we are; escaped with some minor injuries.!!
And lessons were learnt.
4) I saved the best for the end!!
I watch very few movies; and I didn’t watch any Telugu movie for a long; for I prefer to stay silent than to irk my brain;
Here I go to get my passport photo; they took my photograph and asked me to wait for 15 mins; I could have gone for a walk ; but there is some problem with business people; if ur not there they will abandon the work; and they will start only when ur back; As this is very urgent I decided to stay. And only amusement there was the TV. And almost everyone was watching this movie.
As I don’t know Tamil; I cant give its name and true dialogues; I am giving u what exactly happened!!
Scene 1:
Our hero came drunk to a meeting (7/g fame) and starts disturbing the meeting
Heroine ( negative role; tamanna) was anchoring; So our tamanna invites him for a speech ; ( Clever tactic!!) this guy ( I saw his leg was hurt ( bandage n stuff)) starts speaking some rubbish on the stage. When some asks him to address the crowd he happily narrates his local address in Chennai. So finally he was thrown out of stage. Tamanna rejoices. But then I saw none other than Ileana very much worried about him ( second heroine who obviously loves him a lot)
Scene 2:
Our hero playing billiards with friends; and Ileana enters; I pretty well know we are going some big class;
And really she did speak a lot (what I understood is; Ileana recognized that our hero lost concentration; and is acting like a freak; and he needs to concentrate to reach his goals)
And our Hero bluntly rejects this;
So Ileana challenged to take drop a red ball in the hole; then she will accept that he didn’t loose his concentration;
This ass instead drops the white ball in hole ( striker ).
Ileana triumphantly looks at him;
I had enough by that time; I wanted to escape
Me: My photos sir;
Owner: 5 mins sir ( he is agitated that I disturbed him from a serious movie; and I looked around and everyone are looking at the screen involved!!)
Any idiot would have accepted that he lost his concentration by this time; but out hero still fights against; Damn him.
Tell you what; she took him to balloon shooting this guys!! And our hero misses three times. Then Ileana walks to him seriously; takes the gun and shoots the balloon. Full marks for her. Followed by a big class ( this is what we call concentration n all) and finally a close shot of hero n Ileana (Ileana encouraging hero and hero concentrating at the balloon) and finally this happened!! Hero shot the balloon and Ileana gets a teddy from the owner.
I had enough; but when saw around; I saw young girls n boys loving it; come on guys; I can understand why we need GF/BF; but this is too much;
Me: sir; my photos??
Owner: wait sir;
And then I recognized our hero is basically a kick boxing champion ; and a training song started with our hero; our hero getting hurt while training; and Ileana helping him;
Finally he did win the competition; though there was some foul play;
I Got my photos; But my brain is damaged!!
Kudos to the story writer!!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
My Experiments with IT industry-1
As this journey can’t be described in a single blog; I will deal with it in several episodes.
My placements:- Almost everyone aspiring to get into software engineering would be seen solving puzzle’s ( remember that shakuntala devi book!!) . I have no specific love for any company; I needed to show at home that I got a job and I would be free for a year (unquestioned) and I was eagerly waiting for it!!
TCS came first for mass recruiting; Well, words travel first; we came to know that TCS has some fixed questions and we already got them. But of course if you giving out the least package you can’t question more right? Well the PPT was cool; I mean everyone out there was eyeing a girl (one of the presenters) and then the written test was easily cleared (last years question paper was shuffled)
Then came the interview’s; and we were made to fill some form’s before the interview!!
What do you expect from yourself in the next 5 years?? ( I remembered as idiots suggestion then!! Be frank in your interview.. and I wrote “ to reach a position that satisfies me”.
Well my interview started
Hr: I give you 5 ‘2’s’ can you make 7.
( Be frank dude ; be frank)
Me: I already solved this puzzle.
Hr: okay; I give you 5 ‘5’s’ can you make 31.
Me: Its same as before!!
Hr: I see that in 5 years you want to reach a position that satisfies you; can I know what is that?
Me: Well, that can be money or rank; how can I say it now sir!!
( Plainly I was rejected; well A company that took 800 out of 1000 guys rejected me.. it’s a pleasure!!)
Then came Kanbay; PPT was going seriously; and me along with my gang are busily engaged joking and this girl looks at me as if she is going to kick me!! Now she expected us to get serious and to pay attention to PPT. One and the same, we started laughing at her; so finally she changed her place. Till the end whenever I saw her in campus; I couldn’t control myself from laughing!!
Well finally the exam started!! and the paper was damn tough. They just gave 90 questions to answer to answer in 90 minutes!! With negative marking; the first question was a problem from HC Verma which takes at least 15 mins to solve and they expected us to solve in a single minute.. Out 120 guys 1 guy passed the cut off.. I just wondered what that PPT girl was doing then!!
Then came Infosys; I didn’t want to miss this chance; I was getting restless.
Exam started; I was so eager to clear it ASAP and I took the question carrying the heighest marks; struggled on it for more than half an hour ending up with nothing. My never-say-die attitude made me take the next highest scoring problem (unlucky; I couldn’t solve this problem too; so scoring a zero I was out of the interview league)
I thought there was some kind of jinx… Actually I am clever at planning!! I make sure I don’t learn more than necessary while preparing exams; and I make sure I forget everything I read after exams. Now I was so careful; that I sometimes didn’t know the full form of the subject and so I copied the subject name in my answer sheet from the question paper.
Being such a planner; I decided I shouldn’t loose one more interview; I arranged a meeting with Rahulji (a genius in this kind of situations) I planned everything this time.
CTS interview: Can you tell me about yourself?
ME: I am honest; hard working ; creative at the same time I am ambitious .(what a planned reply)
HR: so you are creative;
Me: yes.
HR: You say you are creative, can you solve this puzzle..
Me: (I tried for 10 mins and couldn’t solve it!!)
HR: You say you are hard working I see you have got 6 suppli’s ( arrears) why?
Me: Its coz I am more interested in computers!!
HR: then you should have done some good work in CAD
ME: yes sir (damn.. I somehow managed to pass it)
HR: What’s the full form of CAD?
ME: ( I really tried hard to remember; but I just couldn’t remember it) I don’t remember it
**Rejected**.. And I am sure I am not going to get a job in Software industry.
Well then; here comes IBM; easy written test; I am qualified for interview!!
Hr: how are you
Me: Not good sir; been suffering from viral fever for a week.
Hr: (entering into technical questions) Do you know C well?
Me: No sir. It was in our 1st semester; I forgot everything.
Hr: Can you tell me main parts of a computer?
Me: CPU, MONITOR and KEYBOARD
HR: no, I am asking main parts
Me: yes sir CPU, MONITOR and KEYBOARD.
HR: Okay what is CPU..
Me: (one more full form; I struggled hard to remember; but I couldn’t) Sorry sir; I don’t remember it..
( I think he understood my range)
HR: Do you use Linux or windows on your lab?
Me: Windows.
Hr: How many computers are there in your lab? ( well this a good question)
Me: 32
Finally he gave me a puzzle to solve which I already knew; but my good sense made me to solve it again and answer him!!
Here I am in IBM working for a year!! This experience definitely deserves another blog!!
I called home; I told my father everything; My father, with his limited knowledge in computers, said “CPU.. are you speaking about Central Processing Unit..” I felt like a running train just hit me!! Well of course pride is the enemy of men; we need to shed it!!
So here I am!!
Yours Srikanth
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Oh ISM My ISM..
I MISS YOU!! Seriously I felt it very few times; I still remember how I missed my parents in 6th standard when I was in hostel; Next to it I should say it’s ISM..
I never had any attendance problems; but I made sure I didn’t attend more classes than necessary; I never worked hard to learn any subject from any professor, but made sure I didn’t irk them for any reason.
They say, ‘with freedom comes lots of responsibilities’, but in ISM we got freedom with absolutely no responsibilities ( well of course you need to take some precautions )
Make sure your parents don’t know anything that happens here;
Make sure no professor recognizes you!!
That’s it you are the King dude!!
Ask me the best of ISM:
I will pick my walk in those ‘Tar’ roads ( Distinctly colourful milieu with green grass and red buildings. Really majestic!!!) Especially at nights. And if it rains it’s a double bonus. I can still feel it; walking in the main entrance road with neon lighting… absolutely deserted (you might occasionally find some more insomniac’s like me there) or sitting on the small cement bench before main building (thinking of stories !! I owe my best ideas to that place) or with friends ( Koti and me singing songs or listening to Rahuljis thesis on mankind. Anil (my roommate) occasionally joined the walk) and of course cycling all the campus and sitting near the Bon-fire along with guards were also awesome!!!
Exams were very special. They teach you the art of survival. Mugging up a 6 month course in a day isn’t that easy; Well of course friends are always there to help you. I simply owe my degree to them. And these are the only days you see me drinking Chai.
I did lots of experiments on my exams too;
( Bunked my computer exam and did lots of running around the DEAN and arranged a Medical certificate to escape year back. There were days when I expect a Suppli (Arrear) in MOS instead I will get a Suppli in Maths!! But I oew that particular Suppli to Rahul Dravid; He played an awesome knock that day; We can never miss an artist at work.
One more case; I forgot everything I read the previous day; so couldn’t write much !! And I went to the professor and personally asked him to give me a Suppli and not to pass me for I needed a 7 in order to increase my OGPA to 6.5 and qualify for the IBM requirements.
Movies !! (though I was very choosy and I watched very few); dance shows; songs;
Spic -Macay ( I saw some awesome performances there;)
One performance in Basant 2005 was spell binding; for the next year I was here one hour before the show; got a front seat; and the new band sucked!!
Holi , janmashtami celebrations!!
Srijan was always special; I met Nishesh (my future producer for Anecdote here) worked with him for three years !!
I loved the Strikes and mass bunk’s.. they rock!!
Being in a college we deal with all kinds of people; and that’s the best part of it; I felt my college life would be the absolute pilot work for my future!! Indeed it is.
I still remember Rana sir and me planning to make anecdote; and ofcourse abandoning it in between; All the same I understood things can’t be done if I handle everything; and I taught myself to make the things happen.To distribute the work properly and to select the right person for each work.
Kartavya (my Doc on street children) and Odyssey (a 10 min short film) taught me this thing. And when I got a chance to make Anecdote; I grabbed it. Thanks to all, that was a great learning experience; though we didn’t get the expected output.
Wait wait! One more issue; ISM taught me survival but didn’t teach me socializing; I am weird by nature; I laugh loud for small jokes and sometimes I don’t talk for a long time!! My friends understood it, but when talking with girls this makes a hell of a problem. I stammer and repeat the same sentence again and again; I think ‘Anecdote’ solved this problem. But if I try to flirt the worst things happen, remember THE MASK, Jim carrey and his love; even I cant stop laughing at myself, forget about the others, but at least I did learn to talk.
And I got an awesome Adieu from ISM; it rained before I was about to leave; can I say they were tears !! God knows what but that one hell of an unforgettable romantic farewell.
I took a leisurely walk around the campus saying bye—bye to all.
All ends well though they don’t start well..
What more can I expect from it; It taught me to love my life, induced some aesthetic sense and made me an artist. The place I will always love and will be missed all my life!! My ISM!! I MISS you.
Yours Srikanth.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Mr. ‘ RAY ‘ and Making of Pather Panchali .
Courtesy: www.satyajitray.org ; ‘The Inner Eye‘ - Book on Satyajit Ray ; and Youtube.
1950’s.. these are days where Film directors are busy making card board ‘Moon’s’ and making actors and actresses sing below it; Then there came a man; who thought of shooting outdoors and tried hard to get that real Indian culture milieu in the movies.
Satyajit Ray, maker of the ‘Apu ‘ triology and Charulatha, came from a family of writers. From childhood he had a great love for movies and western music. He thought of becoming a commercial artist at the age of 19. But his Mom insisted on his education; With initial reluctance he joined in Shantiniketan.
He discovered Oriental art - Indian sculpture and miniature painting, Japanese woodcuts and Chinese landscapes is Shantiniketan... Till then, his exposure to art had been limited to only the western masters. He used to travel with three of his peers.
But he quit Shantiniketan in two years; for he was unable to watch movies and he was also in love with his cousin Bijoya (his future wife).
He joined a British run advertising agency and spent the next ten years there and produced many innovative campaigns. Ray started writing screenplays for his own pleasure. He would take a story or a novel for which a film had been announced, and would write the screenplay. He would then compare his screenplay with the finished film. Some times, he would even write a second version after seeing the film.
And then he got the idea of making a movie from a novel written by Bibhuti Bhushan Banerjee.
In 1950 at the age of 30 with absolutely no experience in movie-making; He started collecting a group of young men as technicians.He said " I felt It was now or it will never happen in my life "
To explain his concept for the film to the potential producers, Ray had a small note-book, filled with sketches, dialogue and the treatment. This script along with another sketchbook that illustrated the key dramatic moments of the film was greeted with curiosity by producers. While many of them were impressed, none came forward to produce the film.
Many advised against shooting in outdoor locations as most films were shot in studios at that time. He was told that rain sequences could not be shot in the actual rains but required a well equipped studio. At the earliest opportunity, Ray rushed out with a 16 mm camera to test-shoot monsoon rains.
About two years were spent in vain to find a producer. Meanwhile, undeterred Ray had begun assembling the cast and looking for locations.
He thought of making some sequences in the film and by using them he thought of getting some financial back-up. So he borrowed some money against his insurance policy and from his friends and started shooting in 1952.
On
He said "One day's work with camera and actors taught me more than all the dozen books" after his first day work.
The following Sunday when they returned to shoot, to their horror they discovered that the Kaash flowers had been feasted upon by a herd of cattle. He had to wait for the next season of flowers to complete the scene.
( check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGaIAWn2PJo for this scene; one of the best scenes ever made in film history.. and he shot it in his first movie!!! Watch the video and continue with blog)
( APU) (DURGA)
The cast was a mix of professional actors and a few with no prior experience in acting. And he dared to cast an 80 year old to play Indir Thakrun.
He had to discover for himself, "how to catch the hushed stillness of dusk in a Bengali village when the wind drops and turns the ponds into sheets of glass, dappled by the leaves of Saluki and Shale, and the smoke from the ovens settles in wispy trails over the landscape and the plaintive blows on conch shells from homes far and near are joined by the chorus of crickets which rises as the light falls, until all one sees are the stars in the sky, and the stars that blink and swirl in the thickets."
Finally in 1953; he found a producer and they started shooting in the village. Ray took one month's leave without pay to shoot a few more sequences. Ray say's “that was a great learning experience and the film was shaping up well”. Pather Panchali was to be shot in sequence, but the funds soon ran out. The producer's latest film had been a box-office disaster so he was unable to provide any more finances. But they continued shooting for some more days. (Mr. Ray pawned his wife’s jewelry)
The Then Prime Minister of
He says “What Indian cinema needs today is not more gloss (unlike
It requires great courage to take a path unknown; you absolutely did it and you did it with grace. Your making of Pather panchali is itself a great story , Sir. This is what I say is a heroic act.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Story Of This Old Lady
Her name is Nagamma; she makes maize roti’s in a small room in
Ask her, how she survives? . She says “ I believe in being good and doing good; that protects me”. Firm belief !!
She gave birth to 8 children after her marriage; and her husband never cared for any of them; ‘Drinking’ is the curse many families face till now. Her father used to help her regularly. But then nothing is permanent in this world. She started farming her land and and started stitching clothes.
She shifted to
One of her daughters died of chicken pox in her home town and all the family shifted to
And her son keeps repeating that she need not work anymore.
Who wouldn’t be glad to meet her personally.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Intro
Inspired Souls..
What is life? I know many guys tried to define this.
I would like to define it as an Odyssey of Beautiful Anecdotes.
For life is all about the moments we really Lived!! completely conscious of our presence. May be the small walk when it rained ; or the light moments we shared with our dear ones; and all the moments we were ourselves forgetting everything else but mainly the moments we 'THOUGHT', to contemplate this life.
If you agree with this we can get along together. We can continue.
At the end what really matters is whether we enjoyed living this life or not?
For all those guys; who stopped reading Newspapers and watching TV’s for they its full of violence and gossip’s and who love watching stars and the flight of birds.
Don’t worry ; let them be raw; I am here to edit them.
yours
Srikanth