That elite league

I have been thinking about writing a blog for some time but never quite managed to get down to writing one. When I did find the time & inclination to write one, I found myself 35000 ft above sea level on the way to Kolkata. The last 7 years have been somewhat like this – Scaling new heights & finding myself at the threshold of even bigger things. What seemed nearly impossible at one stage seems within the radar now. Sach is life – you build it brick by brick.

I was on top of the world 7 years ago when I cracked the most difficult examination in the world to enter the hallowed portals of IIT Bombay. Life has come a full circle since then. Well, never quite reached the same level of achievement but experienced some truly amazing moments along the way. Looking back, one always wonders,” How did I ever manage to do that?”. I am sure almost everyone must have felt this at some point of time. At IIT, I had a different set of problems to deal with – My own low self-esteem at times coupled with the dream to crack a well-paying job (WPJ) haunted me for a long time. I was unhappy about something, perhaps about the lack of ability to control my life & that of my family. Somewhere, there was this deep desire in me to improve the state of affairs in my family. Nevertheless, I enjoyed IIT, although differently. I was very clear at the outset about what I intended to do at the end of 4 years. I am happy I stuck with that & didn’t allow anything else to distract me. No GRE, No CAT for me. Quite frankly, I knew I needed a WPJ even if it meant I would not be satisfied in the short run. Now, I believe that stage is over & I have newer challenges to look forward to. WPJs no longer make me lose sleep over them. I have developed the firm self-belief that if you are good enough, you will succeed in whatever profession or career you choose. What actually determines your character is the goal you choose & your pursuit of that goal. Yes, I kicked a WPJ in pursuit of my dreams & I can now smile at my choice.

I believe one needs to feel vindicated of one’s efforts or choices in the form of milestones along the path towards one’s dreams. Those milestones are good indicators of how committed you are in your efforts & how much potential you possess. When I joined TECHNIP as a process engineer, I was excited about working in core engineering in the oil & gas sector. However, I always knew that my heart lay in the field of education & sooner or later, I would be returning to it. Anything else would merely be an experience along the way. However, these experiences also tested my mettle in different ways. I was expected to be proficient as an engineer. At the same time, I learnt to interact with friendly & not-so-friendly people. Yeah, even that is a challenge of sorts!! However, the most memorable memories of my job in Abu Dhabi have predominantly been out of office. After what happened to mom during my 3rd year at IIT, I was very conscious about erasing all bad memories of the past & infuse a fresh breath of life into my family. Which is why it is easier for me to forget all the technical reports I prepared for my client but what really stuck is my parents watching me play my favourite sport in an international arena!!! The cricket field remains one of the few places where I have displayed my passion & emotions to the fullest. You don’t expect an engineer to jump up & down in office in front of his boss. I was missing all of that. Travelling in the Gulf remains one of my most fond memories but clearly, the lack of challenge, being away from the people whom I love & my pursuit of my dreams all encouraged me to prepare me for MBA.

If IIT was a peak conquered with great commitment & self-belief, IIM has to be my reward for tremendous focus & desire to move ahead in pursuit of my dreams. The entrance exam doesn’t matter when you live in a desolate place with average thinkers who cannot seem to think much beyond what they earn at the end of each month. To pull yourself out of such a stupor & false satisfaction is really tough. It’s easier to accept a WPJ however drab it may be rather than fight it out for something more meaningful in life. I really never looked at MBA as an end. It was always only a standpoint on my incredible journey. The IIMs just happened to make it a very memorable one!!

IIT taught me the importance of self-discipline & focus. It’s easy to get swayed by what your peers do or don’t do. At times, it’s hard to listen to your own mind but that’s the challenge. Nevertheless, I learnt a lot from all my friends at IIT. All of them have gone on in different directions – some are pursuing their PhDs, some have completed their MBAs & others are climbing up the career ladder in their jobs. My stint at Abu Dhabi was my first lesson in finance management. For a person who didn’t get much pocket money in his school or college days, drawing a 7-figure salary was a huge responsibility in every sense of the term. At the same time, all the money never made me egoistic. They never made think low about my own dreams, no matter how difficult they seemed to be. I always hated people who linked dreams to your bank balance. There are materialistic desires & then, there are DREAMS, which this narrow-minded group of people could never differentiate between.

At IIT, I had the opportunity to study & interact with arguably some of the best students in the country. Not just their technical skills, but their literary skills, sports skills, music skills, acting skills & DREAMS at times amazed me. I felt elevated to a different level. Which is why I always felt that one’s company does matter. IIMs are capable of providing me with the same environment & that’s the reason I look forward to the next two years with great enthusiasm. I knew this opportunity comes to a very small group of people. It’s really huge – to be called an IIT-IIM grad!!

About self-belief, my mom and dreams

I do believe I have turned the tide back in the last two months, thanks to mom's support. I still remember that day in August when my flat-owner literally dropped a bombshell on me when he told me that he had resigned and was leaving the place. This was precisely 5 days before mom was to come over here. I had just returned from India and had fallen sick. Still I was feeling positive thinking about the mom's arrival over here.

Through the sickness, I had to run around looking for a room to live in. Flats are unaffordable in Abu Dhabi unless you have nothing better to do with your money. I was given the option of renting out my owner's flat for 130000 AED per annum. At today's rate, that would translate to 17 lakh rupees per annum!!! On top of this, there is the issue of bachelor's not being allowed so easily to rent out flats. You need a company letter or a marriage certificate or some such stupid document to be eligible to live in a flat peacefully. Even going to agents won't make your pocket feel any better!! Besides, I perfectly know why I am here. Still I had a problem at hand!!

I listed out all accommodations available from my company intranet forum. I was helplessly making calls trying to get a decent accommodation where I can keep my mom as well. I tried one place and it did not work out. My fever was getting to me and I had to go to office as well the next day. Things were only getting more tough. I had planned to bring my mom to help me with my preparation for GMAT. I always considered mom a pretty good hand at such stuff as she has so often done for me in the past. It's better to keep her over here than to waste such a crucial resource cleaning utensils and washing clothes at home!!

I made another call and went, unwillingly, to the place as it was far away from office. However, I found the family pretty good and the room was very spacious. In such turbulent times, I did not bother giving it a second thought and just paid the initial advance. Two days later, mom came to Abu Dhabi and the very next day, I shifted all my stuff to the new place, courtesy two pick-up van trips and a friend's car. I still knew I had an exam to give and my preparation was going nowhere at that point of time. Soon, we adjusted to the new place. Mom was allowed to use the kitchen and the uncle and aunty were extremely good to us.

The next bombshell came when I realised that GMAT dates were not available in Abu Dhabi post Sept 18th. That left me with 3.5 weeks to prepare well and get a good score. I booked my date and requested for a 5-day leave at office. I really didn't believe that I could make things happen but yes, with mom's constant backing and reduced working hours during Ramzan, I put in long hours at "work". Yes, work it was and the results are there now. A good GMAT score has opened up some new options for me. I can even consider an industry and function switch, something which can offer me more challenges that what I am facing now.

We visited Ajman and some new places in Abu Dhabi, watched a few movies and wrote b-school applications in the remaining time. The best part was that mom was there here with me on my birthday and that has happened for two years in a row now. Today, mom left for India. She is on her flight as I write this. However, I am pretty sure she must be thinking about me just as I am sitting and writing about her.

I have realised over the last few years that to make things happen, you need to take the initiative. Those who are afraid of failure shall probably never succeed in the true sense. Also, what differentiates the great from the good is the ability to successfully carry everyone ahead. I know in these tough times, I have not been able to keep in touch with my special friends. However, I still believe these experiences will keep me in good stead for the future. My special friends may leave, thinking of me as some selfish guy who is only interested in his own future. I may not be able to control their emotions and thoughts. However, as mom left today, I felt that I am doing my responsibility as a son. My mom considers me a special son, who is able to love her so much. I feel really proud about it. So what if it means I am having to ignore even some of the closest people for now. A duty is a duty. A dream is a dream.

For long, I have seen too many people compromise with their most prized possessions. Infact, these people don't even know that they possess those things. Humanity is thrown out of the window. The definition of love is only limited to the one that can exist between two strangers who get married. However, I still belong to old school of thought. I am pretty much an innocent guy today as I was 24 years ago. And I still love the person who brought me into this world as much as I loved her before.

Some things can never change. It doesn't mean that I do not value others and disregard their feelings for me. It only means that I am doing what an ideal son can do. Sure, a time will come when other things will begin to hold sway over me. I am prepared to wait for such a time. But if others are not, it's their wish. I do not own anyone nor have I purchased them. My doors shall always remain open for anyone and everyone who wishes to talk to me.

I do not know whether I am happy with life or not. Some people claim that I must be pretty happy - with a handsome job and handsome salary and some pretty sky-high ambitions. I believe happiness is relative. Sometimes, what others think makes you happy isn't quite the thing you are searching for. Yes, that particular thing may lie on your road to happiness but isn't the destination itself. However, it's better not to convince others about their notions. Let them keep those ideas unless they wish to change them.

I only wish God makes me more fearless with every passing day. It doesn't matter how the financial markets are performing or whether I will get another job tom if I leave my job today. It's about believing in the person in you - Self-belief can help you overcome any obstacle in your path. The threads of your life are in your hands no matter how helpless the situation may seem. Coz when you have this self-belief, even God will start believing in you. Remember one thing, God only offers challenges as per the capacity of an individual. He throws the toughest of challenges or choices or decisions to the people whom he thinks have nerves of steel. Indeed, those nerves may quiver for some time but as long as you are able to hold your composure, in the long run, you will find that the doors of life will start opening for you!!

So long....

A R Rahman Live in Concert

The juggernaut rolls on...

Friends, I had the privilege of attending a LIVE musical concert by arguably the best music director in the world on 18th April at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Accompanying the maestro were a number of artists including Hariharan, Chitra, Sadhana Sargam, Blaaze, Javed Ali. It was an absolutely amazing night!!!

I came to know about the concert quite luckily through a friend during the weekend party in office on Thursday (17th April). I spent about one hour in office trying to search for sources for getting the ticket and finally, I did get one. Lunch break was spent having pizza and driving away to Spinneys to buy the ticket. I wanted to watch the show from the gallery as it provided the best view. The event also gave me a good reason to fulfill a long-standing wish of mine to get a pair of binoculars - a NIKON Action Extreme series!!!

The excitement ran through the local cricket game on friday morning until later by afternoon, my friend got his car and we were all set to rock the party!! Driving along, my friend remembered that Sivamani was known to one of his friends and he made a few calls to get Siva's cell no. Siva duly asked him to come after the concert to meet him. In the meanwhile, through one of my friends, Amith Chandran,I got hold of a few ARR fan club members who were attending the show. We all were hopeful that we could get to meet the great man himself though the odds in our favour were 1 in a billion!!!

The entry to the stadium was tough with thousands of people standing outside the gates well in advance of the concert. Somehow, I managed to squeeze my way in and secured a pretty nice seat for myself - 4th row from the top, right in front of the stage and around 50 yards from the spot where Sachin smashed Kasper for a huge six in that memorable cricket match at the Sharjah stadium!!!

The atmosphere at the concert was equally electrifying with giant screens put up - one at the centre and one by the side. There were designated areas for standees on the ground followed by seats for the VIP & VVIP sections. However, the best view was undoubtedly from the stands from where I scourged the stadium with my pair of binocs. In the meanwhile, my friend came along with his sister just in time for the show to begin and for an experience which will truly be cherished by me for years to come.

The anxious wait for Rahman continued a little longer till he came out singing Jaage Hain from Guru, a truly remarkable song for its music and sheer impact!!! He followed it up with Khalbali from RDB which had the crowds tapping their feet, just waiting to burst into a maddening dance. It was only a matter of time before the entire stadium got to its feet and sang at the top of their voices. Rahman & co gave a splendid performance with songs from Guru, RDB, Jodhaa Akbar, Roja, Dil Se, Bombay, Mangal Pandey, Lagaan and some Tamil songs. One of the highlights of the evening was watching Rahman sing Khwaja Mere Khwaja from JA and Pray for me Brother from his album Pray for me Brother.

The show ended with a scintillating rendition of Ma Tujhe Salaam, which can make your hair stand on end especially when Rahman sings it. I feel this song creates the same kind of impact on today's youth which Vande Mataram or Jana Gana Mana created on the youth during India's freedom struggle!!!

After the concert ended at 12 in the night, we tried hard to meet the artists but they all left before we could reach them. I sent an SMS to Sivamani thanking him and conveyed from regards to Rahman through him. I returned back to Abu Dhabi with the ARR fan club members and on the way, we spoke about Rahman, Rahman and only Rahman!!!

A truly memorable day had come to an end - one that I will cherish throughout my life. Hope you enjoy the pics!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/arvindshastry

Videos will be uploaded soon. So keep watching this space for more :-)

Here goes one -



This is simply awesome -

A sad day for India..

Normally, such statements might be reserved for large-scale violence or a terrorist attack involving numerous deaths but the act of 'massacre' carried out at Sydney has dented the optimism and hopes of many Indians and has indeed hurt the pride of the nation.

Cricket has evoked many emotions in me but probably this is the first time it has truly brought me out not just to back the Indian team through and through but to even support the clarion call for abandonment of the tour to uphold the spirit of the gentleman's game. India went into the Sydney test after having suffered utter humiliation at Melbourne and they showed their ability to fight back in the first two sessions at Sydney. Having Australia on the mat at 134/6, the dream cherished by Dravid, Kumble, Sachin, Laxman and Saurav, in what would be their last series down under, of winning a test series in Australia seemed real. This was definitely India's best chance to come back into the series, their best chance to create history by beating the best cricket team in their own backyard. What followed next was not just an umpiring error but also the complete dashing of hopes of a 19 year old youngster!! I remember Bucknor doing the same poor old Murali Kartik at the same venue 4 yrs ago when I bunked all classes to watch India win on the final day - a win which was not to be thanks to Bucknor!! Just imagine what confidence Ishant would have carried forward had he got the prized wicket of Symonds at that crucial juncture!! Australia went on to post a mammoth 463 runs in their first innings in which the umpires had decided not to give any stumping or LBW!! All hopes of an Indian resurgence evaporated then. Still, there was some hope in the Indian batting with the old hands of Laxman, Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly playing stellar roles to take India to a competitive total of 532.

From what I saw on TV, there is no way Harbhajan could have gone on his own will to speak something to Symonds as Harbhajan and Sachin were batting brilliantly with Harbhajan completing his first fifty against Australia in test cricket. Surely, something provocative was said to Harbhajan to make him react in that manner. The end result - Ponting and co have combined to give Harbhajan a 3-test ban. For me, this surely is the greatest testimonial of racism in cricket - where white skinned people get together to hand over punishment to a brown-skinned person!! If that controversy was not sufficient, what followed in the Australian 2nd innings was appalling. Mr. Cricket is given not out when he is on 45. He goes on to score 145 runs and Australia score 401/7 setting India a target of 333 runs in the last innings. Ofcourse, I happen to miss a few plumb LBW appeals where were very conveniently turned down!!

If there was one man on whom I would bet my life to bail India out of trouble, it would be Rahul Sharad Dravid and indeed, he lived up true to the nickname of 'The WALL' which he has earned over the years!! A certain Mr. Benson conveniently forgot to signal no-ball for over-stepping but thanks to Symonds' drop catch, Dravid's innings was not unfortunately truncated. 38 runs, 103 balls and over two and a half hours - Rahul battled on to save the test match - He is the most selfless cricketer I have ever known to have played the game!! And what we got was an absolute shocker from Bucknor to end the most hard-working innings by Rahul. Saurav's glamorous innings was cut short with Ponting giving him out. Some say that even RP Singh was not out but that is very very insignificant for me in the larger context of the game.

The series should have been 1-1 at the end of the Sydney test but it reads in official records as 2-0 in favour of Australia. The series is long gone and there is not even cricketing pride to play for since even that has been snatched away by the umpires. There is only one thing left for Kumble and co - to return back to India. Forget Australia, forget the final frontier!! I know it's hard to forget a dream which one has cherished since a long time!! But surely the dream cannot be pursued in the midst of such a 'massacre'. If Kumble and co play at Perth, they have no shame, no pride in their nation.

Taare Zameen Par...

There are some movies which you go to watch with a lot of expectation and anticipation. And when the movie delivers more than what you expect, you know that it has surpassed everything. Five minutes into this film, I felt that this movie is something completely out of this world!!!

It is indeed pitiful that you need a movie about children to sensitize people towards them. All talks about economic development, alleviation of poverty, decreasing unemployment seem worthless if we are unable to give children their childhood. The days seem long lost when children used to go out, play, draw, keep jumping up and down and running around with lots of excitement. What our society has set out to produce is a bunch of straight-jacketed robots who are armed with the ability to survive the pulls and pressures in this world. It's even sadder that the adults justify what is happening by saying that it is an essential quality needed to succeed in this world. This movie is virtually a slap on the face of the adults in this society - parents, teachers, politicians, policy-makers, businessmen, academicians - everyone. It will shown them their true nature as if they were looking at their own reflections in the mirror.

I am sure that each one of you would identify with atleast portions of Ishaan's character as we all have been through similar experiences in life. The days when we enjoyed jumping in puddles of water without any worry about dirtying our clothes, when we used to play with the dogs in our building compound treating them as our best pals, when we enjoyed playing in the rains, when we simply refused to sit down to do our homework!!! If someone has not experienced some of the above or has forgotten that this is how we used to be, he or she should walk out of the cinema hall as it is a futile attempt to explain to such people. It is Aamir's honest attempt to coax parents and educationists to think about their methods of parenting, teaching and educating children. It's essentially not a movie about a dyslexic child. It's about every child who is born into this beautiful world with its own talents, skills, capabilities, dreams and ambitions.

I really hope that some of the parents and potential parents take something out of this movie. Also there are points to ponder for the educationists regarding the pattern that is currently followed in schools and colleges. The system of elimination is worse than the system of inclusion. What is the point if one day we only have engineers, doctors and managers? India, well and truly, will be destroyed that day and it's time we take some rearguard action to avoid that.

The question still remains as to who would employ such students who love doing those activities which will never find any recognition in this cruel society. Maybe everyone is not born to work as analysts, engineers, scientists or accountants. There are some who need and deserve much more than organizational roles and positions which are assigned all too easily by this world based on your qualifications and work experience. If only those who were capable of cracking interviews and competitive exams were genuinely great people, we would have progressed much ahead than where we are now.

It's unfortunate to see the society not allowing kids to live the life of a child any more. Even the cartoons shown now-a-days on TV are bull-shit as compared to what we were fed in our childhood. Greater number of tests in the form of mid-terms, surprise quizzes, end-terms, orals etc. mean little to the overall development of any individual. What is the point if after cracking all these tests, basic human qualities of honesty, selflessness, true love and altruism cease to exist in individuals?

Taare Zameen Par is a mind-blowing movie and no matter how much I write, it will end up falling short of the true worth of this movie. I just wish that this movie does not remain a must-watch movie alone. It needs to be a must-act movie like Swades. A great effort by Aamir and Amol. I must thank them for putting a story on celluloid, something which was long over-due!!

A lesson called life...

There are some days which you would like to delete from your life forever, days which are absolutely listless, days when you fail to find any purpose or meaning in whatever you think or do. A lot of these days happen to be just some pretty pathetic, awful days - be it in school, college, university or office!!! Often, such days take you down the memory lane to all those instances in life when you experienced such days!!! Even as you look back at all those harsh times in life, you suddenly realise that you have actually survived them all!! And so going by that trend, you will survive this period as well. You learn to smile at yourself, there is a secret confidence which lingers within yourself even when you don't have a single shoulder to rest on!!

Living to earn money is the worst thing one can ever do in one's life and may still be the most important thing that one may end up doing in his or her life!!! The ghosts of the past continue to haunt and prevent us from taking certain decisions which, under normal circumstances, we would not fear to take. At times, it makes us walk on a path where we are ready to sacrifice virtually everything - all our joys, our happiness, our relationships just to ensure that someone somewhere is having a sound sleep!!! Tears well in my eyes when I think about it but I still rate it as the most selfless thing one can ever do!!

Circumstances shape our nature though our inner nature might still continue to be the same. It might be heavily true in the case of some people whom it affects more than others. Still they continue to believe in themselves, compromising with their present but always living in the dream of a truly remarkable and golden future!!! Yes, some would say it's foolishness, utter cowardliness to do so but I know for sure that some of the most "cowardly" things done in life might well end up as the most crucial!!

Still even circumstances can only be as strong and eventually, as always has been the case, tough times don't last long but tough people do!!! Adversities will continue to produce winners in their own right no matter how ridiculous their actions and thoughts may seem!!! Sometimes, only experience and life can teach us what no teacher, no parent, nobody, nobody can teach us. And God has just found a method to keep these experiences different for different people so that they are endowed with the strength and capabilities to keep fighting off these challenges in their own ways!!! Just imagine how one-dimensional the world would be if all were born with the same level of intelligence, will-power and hard-working abilities!!!

Man has lost no opportunity to make this world unidimensional but God still manages to come up with something novel from his bag of tricks!!!

That special something..

A very well-written article for all the cricket afficionados -

http://content-gulf.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/301692.html

I could really feel the words spoken by the principal of St. Joseph. It's a very proud feeling to see one of your own students go on to lead India at the ground which is widely regarded as the home of cricket.