Here goes the last string, Bye Chetz !

I would be lying if I say I am not feeling low at the moment and I would by lying if I tell I am not feeling vulnerable. Its Saturday night and finally got some time to write about Praveen Muralidharan aka Cheta aka Chetz. Reason: It's Cheta's time to say farewell.

Cheta was a senior in my previous company but I haven't worked with him once, Cheta and me did not have the common set of friends, at least not initially and I have very rarely spoken to him while I was working in India. In spite of this he is the very very very few people who I admire and respect and it is my staunch belief that the admiration and respect is for life. I can visualise Cheta contradicting everything when he reads this post and getting embrassed to the core, but again that is Cheta for you !

Hmm..the experience to be shared are many, the chicken and mutton night outs, London trip with Cheta's unusual requests for the "tap to stop", "Indian Chinese", "Polish ......" etc etc, our tryouts of various delicacies that most human population would not even think of and obviously the Germany trip was the icing on the cake.


Some wise guy told that "the only constant thing is change" and many stupid guys like us follow it religiously. The best of friends in India will be hi-bye pals here and a dork who didn't know any idea would re-incarnate as a genius at onsite. But again that is the beauty of IT it is full of dorks to dukes story. Cheta is one person who hasn't changed a bit professionally as well as personally and remains as honest and frank all these years.

There would be some who are more than friends, they become your soul mates. People you just want to speak to though you might not have one thing to say, people you just want to be with all the time, it's the wonderful spark you have in between, just like
the set of strings of a musical instrument. I have lost most of my precious strings and with Chetz goes my final string :-(

I don't want to say a farewell, coz hope remains.
I can't tell you don't change, coz I know you can't.

So some lines, just for you...

How much of a friend you were to me,
Word of words, can say never.
All I wish is, for us to be,
The way we are, for now and ever.

The Unknown Face !!

"I LOVE YOU" is probably the most misused words in the history of human civilization. New manifestations of Love are emerging day by day physical love, ageless love, timeless love, logical love, practical love, nameless love, divine love etc etc. So I wondered how would I explain my love. I am too practical to use flattering words, too straight to utter lies and too blunt to pretend something that I am not.

So this is from me to YOU..If only I knew who the "YOU" was :-)

I do not love you, with my magical words,
Shortlived are they, with no meaning meant,
But I love you just as flowers do the birds,
In endless sacrifice, their years are spent.

I do not love you, with my worldly gold,
For what is wealth ? Nothing but a bane,
But I love you just as thoughts do the old,
Ageless and timeless their romance remain.

I do not love you, for what you will be,
For what is future? An impossible mystery,
But I love you just as the mirror does me,
However I am, there is infinite symmetry.

I do not love you, for your youthful years,
For it has an end, with the passage of time,
But I love you just as the eyes do the tears,
In happiness and sorrow, their passion rhyme.

I do not love you, dearer than myself,
For I have an end, with darkness of death,
But I love you like a shadow of one's self,
Lingering on with you, after my last breath.

A RENDEZVOUS WITH GOD !!

It was probably late in the night and I was awakened by the sound of thunder seering through my ears. As I sat alone on my bed I could see flashes of light before me as if all the moon light was in my room. I had this very positive feeling inside me, a kind of warmth had spread and it was eternal bliss. Then to my astonishment I saw a very bright figure standing right before my eyes. I am so
shocked even thinking of it now, so let me put it in straight words, I saw GOD in front of me. I wanted to talk, but was not sure what to ? You could ask a zillion questions but still not be satisfied after all he is the Omnipresent you see, so here is what we spoke on that memorable night.

ME: Father, I will ask you questions but only on one condition.

HE: YES, MAY I KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

ME: Your answer should be specific and you should be honest with yourselves.

HE: YOUR ARE DOUBTING ME, THE CREATOR OF UNIVERSE AND ALL THAT EXISTS HERE.

ME: You may be the Creator, but I am still a human you see.

HE: OK. I PROMISE I WILL BE HONEST WITH MYSELF AND WILL BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE.

ME: What is your favourite Flower?

HE: I LIKE ALL MY CREATION AND IT WOULD BE UNFAIR....

ME: There, There...I told you to be specific.

HE: HMM..THOUGH ALL ARE MY FAVOURITES, I PRIDE MYSELF FOR CREATING THE LOTUS.

ME: The lotus !! The flower that grows amidst stagnant and dirty water.

HE: YES, YES. THAT'S EASILY WHY I LIKE IT THE MOST. IT SYMBOLISES PURITY. WHEN YOU SEE A LOTUS AND ADMIRE ITS BEAUTY YOU ARE FORGETTING THE STAGNANT AND DIRTY WATER FOR A MINUTE, THEREBY MAKING IT THE TRUE SYMBOL OF PURITY. ANY PERSON OR THING CAN BE CALLED PURE NOT JUST BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS PURE BUT THEIR PURITY SHADOWS THE SHORTCOMINGS OF ALL THINGS AROUND THEM.

ME: Then does the stagnant and dirty water have shortcomings.

HE: EVERY ENTITY IN THE WORLD HAS SOME FORM OF SHORTCOMING OR THE OTHER. THE LOTUS AND THE DIRTY WATER LIVE IN PERFECT HARMONY.

ME: Can you please clarify

HE: THE LOTUS IS SO SPECIAL BECAUSE IT GROWS AMIDST THESE WATERS, AND THE STAGNANT AND DIRTY WATER INDIRECTLY HELP THE LOTUS TO FEEL THAT IT IS SPECIAL. IT IS WHAT I CALL A PERFECT HARMONY.

ME: You told that every entity has some shortcomings, I am sure you do not have any shortcoming.

HE: I INDEED HAVE MANY SHORTCOMINGS (smiling...)

ME: Can you tell me any one of them.

HE: I THINK I LACK FORESIGHT.

ME: Why do you say that ?

HE: I CREATED RELIGION TO HELP AND GUIDE HUMANITY TOWARDS THE PATH OF ETERNAL PEACE AND INFINITE KNOWLEDGE. BUT SEE WHATS HAPPENING TO THE WORLD.

ME: So you say that you regret creating religion.

HE: NO I DONT REGRET IT ONE BIT.

ME: But there are people slaying each other because of religion.

HE: THERE ARE PEOPLE CAUSING EACH OTHER HARM IN THE NAME OF RELIGION AND NOT BECAUSE OF RELIGION. ITS HOW EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERCEIVES. AND ITS VERY SAD THAT MANY OF THEM HAVE A TOTALLY WRONG PERCEPTION.

ME: We all see so many people do so many bad things be it theft, robbery, bribe, dowry the list is so many. If you claim that we all are your creation then how can you let us into such a bad world and made us so vulnerable.

HE: I MADE YOU AND THE WORLD. I THOUGHT EVERY CREATION SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN INDEPENDENCE IN CHOOSING HIS DESTINY AND SHOULD BE RESPONISBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS. BUT AGAIN THEY MADE MY WORLD INTO A BAD WORLD DUE TO THEIR ACTIONS ALONE AND I DONT THINK ANYONE IS VULNERABLE.

ME: But being the almighthy God, why don't you stop them.

HE: I INDEED STOP ANYONE WHO INDULGES IN ANYTHING THAT IS BAD.

ME: Oh this is news to me.

HE: WHENEVER A PERSON TRIES TO DO SOMETHING HARMFUL OR SINFUL, THERE IS ALWAYS A CALL FROM THE HEART, A FAINT CALL THAT REMINDS HIM OF HIS WRONG DOING. I AM SURE THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD THAT CALL. HAVE YOU NEVER FELT SOMETHING INSIDE YOU ALBEIT VERY WEAK CALLING AND TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WRONG.

ME: Ya sometimes I have felt it.

HE: EVERYONE WOULD HAVE FELT IT.

ME: The world is turning ugly day by day. Why don't you come and change it ?

HE: I HAVE COME DOWN ON THIS EARTH WHENEVER I FELT THINGS GO OUT OF HAND.

ME: Then where were you when there were masaccares in the name of ideology and religion, where were you when there were attrocities created on people just because they were blacks, where were you when people where ignored because they were poor and unhealthy.

HE: I HAVE INFACT SHOWN MY PRESENCE IN ALL OF THE TIMES... THERE WAS A MAHATMA WHOSE SINGLE WORD SILENCED MILLIONS OF AGITATING PEOPLE AND THERE WAS NELSON MANDELA WHOSE SACRIFICE ALONE BROUGHT IN EQUALITY TO BOTH WHITES AND BLACK, AND THERE WAS MOTHER TERESA WHOSE GENTLE HANDS PROVIDED INFINITE LOVE TO ALL PEOPLE WHO WERE IGNORED AND DOWNTRODDEN.

ME: So you say that you were Gandhi, Mandela and Teresa.

HE: THEY ARE INDEED A PART OF ME. THEY ARE MY CREATION AND THEIR EXISTENCE IS MY EXISTENCE.

ME: But they are not relevant today.

HE: THEY INDEED ARE VERY MUCH RELEVANT TODAY. HOW MANY FIGHTS AND TURBULANCES HAVE BEEN SOLVED WITH VIOLENCE : NOT MANY. BUT SEE THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS BEING SOLVED BY PEACEFUL DIALOGUES, THEY ARE INNUMERABLE. THE MESSAGE OF PEACE, TRUTH AND NON-VIOLENCE IS IN FACT MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN AT OTHER TIMES. SEE THE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS HAPPENING IN AFRICA JUST BECAUSE OF PERSONS INFLUENCED BY MANDELA. AND THE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED BEING SERVED AND HELPED BY YOUNG MINDS INFLUENCED BY TERESA.

ME: So you say the world is in safe hands.

HE: AS LONG AS PEOPLE HEAR THE CALL OF THEIR HEART AND ACT ACCORDING TO CONSCIENCE, THE WORLD IS IN SAFE HANDS.

ME: I can go on and on, but this will be my last question, but I want an answer, a definite one.
HE: PLEASE GO ON...

ME: Will Humanity survive, will we ever walk on the face of the earth for a long time to come, will we survive the catastrophes we have created in the past, present and the future

All of a sudden I woke up and I could feel my face drenched with sweat. I badly wanted an answer and as I was cursing myself for the missed oppurtunity my eyes fell upon the mirror across my room. As I watched myself over the mirror I just got my answer ! As long as there is a rightful spirit in us, we shall have the will to survive and we shall have the spirit until we can see ourselves in the mirror and be content with the image it shows....

I wondered whether it was a dream or God in fact had apperared in front of me. My heart told me I spoke to God and my mind told me it was a dream. I chose to go with my heart this time.

As usual, signing off with a little verse I had written when I was in my high school..


Oh dear God show me the path,
Free from any of the blood bath.
A Place filled with love,
With People sweet as dove.
A Place with emotions,
And no room for confrontations.
A Place free of religion,
A place free of rebellion,
A Place filled with trust,
And friendship is a must.
A Place free of any fear,
A place Free of any anger,
A place with beautiful showers,
Shower of enchanting flowers.
At last to you I ask my Lord,
With all your grace,
Give me a place,
A place free of demons,
And very few humans……

Cya Later Lohith !!

Hmm this is that time of the year again, when someone close to you heads back home and you are left high and dry. So this is Lohith's turn now. As I write this one hez busy finishing off some last minute packing and an awesome dinner awaits him....
I hate farewells coz I have never been good with emotions with the exception of my temper of course :-( So instead of full senti stuff I would like to remember all the good times that we had together and of course Lohith was at the forefront of it all !!
I didn't know Lohith that well and the past 6 months has been a dramatic turn for both of us (I guess I can take some liberty and speak for him as well) I was fortunate to have him as a house mate and every moment spent was absolute bliss ! We have had so many memories of 9 Boston, would be quite difficult to imagine the house without him...





He used to be the first one to be up and dutifully wake each one of us, I would have never come out of the realms of my bedroom if it were not for him. Not to forget the very many movie sessions we had (most of them late late nights) I have never heard him saying "NO" to any plans, it is a big compliment here since most of us have "no" on our lips before even the plan unfolds :-)Our local cricket matches were fun and being in the same team did not make matters worse at all :-)
But of all the one thing amazing about Lohith is he is an amazing human being very caring for his friends irrespective of whether they are a "HE" or a "SHE".. I emphasise this as the helping criterion out here is directly proportional to the sex
and appeal of an individual. (I will have so many fans now !)
Just want to tell you this my friend, you are "one of a kind" and be as you are. And remember I have never forgone the hope of watching "Andaaz Apna Apna" once again with you in the 9 Boston Theater :-)
Singing off in my style..A short little verse, just for you....
Distance is not what I fear,
This bond transcends all miles,
I know I will be able to hear.
The voices of your success and smiles !

For you my friend !

I am a lucky guy ! I am blessed with some wonderful friends who actually prove everyday that "life is beautiful" :-) In spite of a large dose of bollywood movies that make an earnest attempt to confuse between "love me", "like me" and "we are friends", most of us like to hang around with our pals and can clearly distinguish between the three probably coz autumn leaves never fly around when we are with our friends nor there is any background score :-) So after a long time, I managed to write a poem and I think it is come out pretty decently.

"The only difference in love and friendship is how much you can hurt each other".

Personally I think the latter hurts more ! Ta..

You are my friend O dear one,

Bliss be showered upon you every day,

Dreams of you will always be mine,

How much you mean, that words cannot say.

A heart that took a hundred blows,

Is mild and weak to see your sorrows,

Curse I none, for leaving you here,

None but me, for letting you there.

Questions a million invade my mind,

I hope you get whatever you ask,

For such a person so gentle and kind,

I want Infinite joy for you to bask.

That day, I thought would come one day,

But never did I think it was today,

That I, to let go your hand,

A hand I promised never to let go.

Never have I, ever so felt,

For all the care, I know I had,

Part will I, with one little guilt,

Words of my heart are indeed sad.

Its not a hope, but a belief,

That all you get will be the best,

No better words of relief,

When you feel luckier than the rest.

Its not the told that hurts my heart,

Its the truth that was never told,

Want do I, for you to know,

If ever, you wanted me ever again,

Don't call out for me, as I was never far,

Just think of me,

Leap will I, over mountains of sand,

Just to be there and hold your hand.

Another depressing day !

Its a long time now, have been held up with lot of stuffs from the past few days. I am now sitting at home and writing some designs for an upcoming project ! I sometimes wonder when did I discover the software guy in me, as I am pretty sure I never wanted to do this kind of work. I was more into journalism and accounts ! Its not that I am whining or something but probably that time of the day when you want the sun to come down fast and the weekend to bless you with three nights of infinite bliss !

I always had this thing with quotes from famous personality. I am not sure if it was the quote or the person which prompts me from reading them, but whatever the case, it ushers in something good and a free advise if not heeded to, at least could be heard !

"It's Weird...You know the end of something great is coming, but you want to hold on, just for one more second..Just so that it can hurt a little more"

Just amazing, the choice of words and more importantly the meaning !!

Libera me de me ipse!

Just before you get too curious the title is in Latin. You can open up a browser and find out the meaning or patiently read through to find out the answer. As I always tell “Thy choice is for Thy”

The trajectory of human development never ceases to amaze. But what is amazement anyways? Nothing but a natural reaction triggered when we see or feel the unexpected, regardless of the nature of the “unexpectedness”.

I don’t indulge in commonly acceptable social behaviours that befit a guy of my age and end up spending a lot of time reading huge chunks of literature that most of the time seem so insignificant to myself, but again there are some things you can’t change isn’t it ?

So this day some random thoughts surged through my mind probably due to an overdose of long reading hours and wiki sessions I was taken aback as I sat there awestruck by the magnitude of the “amazement” that I felt for my own species. Really look at us; from a group of nomadic people we have evolved into the most sophisticated piece of machinery that ever walked on this planet (the choice of “machinery” is intentional). We have proudly proclaimed “The only constant thing is change” and transformed everything on our way to achieve what we want, without ever realising what that “want” is.

“Wants” that is what it is all about! We want more and more regardless of the price that has to be paid. Want itself is a pretty elementary driving force to any living beings and we are no exception, but the thing that I find amazing is that we go after things without even knowing whether we really want them and it gets uglier day by day.

Pretensions are the order of the day. From dusk to dawn life is a theatre being played out there! Be it family, work place, society, all we want is to “belong” and be “accepted”. Do we care to let someone know how bad they are at work or care to tell a friend what you really think about him or just cut off an unbearable egotist? Somewhere down the line we have lost our individuality and we have created and wish to live in a place that is passively true and not driven by truth and righteousness. So when are we our actual own self?

During Birth? Can’t be as we have not yet attained the capacity to think.

During teenage? Can’t be as we are influenced by way too many things.

During the Middle Ages? Can’t be as we bend and play willingly to the fancies of the social setup.

In spite of thinking it over many a times, there is only an infinitesimally small duration in one’s life where “he is just himself”. It’s that painful instance where he finds himself one step away from death. The moment of venturing into the untold and unfelt. Generations and centuries have passed, we have defied predictions and predicaments, but in spite of all the accolades we are still losing the game of righteousness.

The world is in difficult times right now. So who should we save ourselves from? The racists, the sexists, the terrorists, difficult to believe that one species can be driven by so many insane ideologies. Every morning the only prayer I have is “Save me from myself” (which incidentally happens to be the title of the post)

Another Old One !!

I was on a summer trip to one of my friend's house and was returning back by bus. It was a pretty cold night with cool breeze embracing your ears every now and then. I prefer the window seat and was happy that I got one.

For most part of the journey I just couldn't sleep. Its one of those things which you cant see reason and my mind seemed to be in oblivion with lot of random thoughts which made no meaning. I gazed through the window and could see a faint white light running in parallel to the bus. It was the reflection of the small lights within the bus that took the form of a white haze and it was as if it wanted to take me somewhere.

It was kind of an odd feeling as I knew that I was totally conscious and I hadn’t slept but yet I could not help my mind to dwell into realms of uncertainty and into that wonderful thing they call "Dream". So this is what I wrote on that cold windy night:
I know not much, about that day,
When all my dreams were kept at bay,
I show to the world the smiling face,
Hiding all pains without a trace………
Bright faces, I see down street,
Rainbows atop… a visual treat,
Just as my mind was bringing a smile,
My heart did remind the past,
And my tears did embrace my cheek…
Mirror I heard, shows yourself,
I too, did walk up to it,
It showed to me, My Dream, My Life,
Realize did I, a secret fact,
Mind Stops to dream, but not the heart…..

DO ANGELS EXIST?

This is one of my previous posts ....Just thought it wise to have it here as well, as it is one of those precious ones which you never seem to forget !!

Am I an atheist or an antogonist?
Am I a fierce believer in God?I am not quite sure if I can consider myself both. I am pretty radical in my thoughts and habituated myself to challenge any beliefs which do not seem right and at times do not follow them either. However, having been part of a country that is embedded with cultural heritage and having been bought up in an orthodox family I have grown up thinking that there is a superficial force protecting all of us. I am yet to be convinced on either point of views so naturally I am a bit of both.

It was just another Friday evening with all of us planning out our weekends and the usual choices like multiplexes eat joints thrown in. But I got a call from one of my friend telling that she wanted to take me to a place that would be different. The next day I set out on my bike to what was to become a thought provoking experience.
My stop was the “Missionaries of Charity” located near the outskirts of Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is called now a days. It’s a destitute home where old people mainly women who were deserted by their near and dear ones are being taken care by the tender hands of the nuns running this special place. As I slowly started to interact with many of the people here I realized how unfortunate they were or to put it in other words how fortunate we are to be living such a pleasant and carefree life. There were all kinds of people with nowhere to go and only hope and their daily prayers to give them company.
There was this girl who had lost both her hands and legs, can't see properly and can't speak. She was lying on a bed and by her face I could make out she was old however her physical features told otherwise. She was just a old girl in a kids body. With feelings that have no name I wondered. Lot of questions showed itself deep inside my mind... I wondered why God created people like her? He is supposed to be the master how can He bear the sight of his children suffering? I thought that the evolution and subsequent existence of man should be Scientific and the radical part of my mind was taking over.

We were to serve lunch to everyone that day. I took a plate of rice (a traditional South Indian Dish) and fed lunch to the girl in my own hands. A kind of warmth spread over my body, a good feeling, it was that feeling which is pure and too good to be true. For that brief moment I was lost, I think I could say that, lost for words, lost for any desires out of life, lost for any wordly pleasures. I was just thinking about someone else's welfare and the feeling was so warm and good.

As this feeling started to encompass the whole of myself I began to realize that these people were the special kinds; they are the people who help us feel the good within each one of us and to realize the responsibility we have as fellow human beings. It's just doing simple things, they just want to be heard, someone patiently listening to all the little stories they tell.
As it was time to leave the place I saw angels at work, they wore jeans and T-Shirts, they come every Saturday and share their time with these people, bring light to these eyes who have never seen any, sing and dance for them, bringing a smile to their face and are trying their best to make this world a better place to live in. All these angels were young and enthusiastic, people determined to change the world, determined to bring joy of music to ears that have heard the cries of their past, determined to wipe out the wounds that have haunted them for years, angels from different religion bringing their own message of peace in their own little way.
At the end of it all I walked off with a firm belief that Angels are not invisible they do exist right in front of us and I was convinced God exists too, its a matter of who you call God....

Notice not, Do I, the ocean,
It's a sight, I see often.
Horizon is where I want to be seen,
Aware of sharks lying between.
All my fears come to haunt,
But my heart sang, to me my dream.
Almighty took my hand,
My feet led me to destiny.

Karthik

I don't believe that "Like minds can be the best of friends".. Karthik and me keep proving it wrong..

He's patient and forbearing and patience has never been my virtue...

He's soft and doesn't speak much and I speak out my mind...

He doesn't get angry and temper is kind of inborn with me...

But yet both of us will vouch that we are most comfortable with each other. Karthik is a Londoner in the sense he doesn't stay in Bristol and in a way has been unlucky to miss out on some of the fun we have out here. But again being the people we are, we manage to drag him along for most of the things we do out here whether he likes it or not :-)

I try to be as candid as I can so my posts might not embrace the positives (always) but this one is an exception, after all this is about Karthik !!

Hmm..There are three things why people envy him:

1. He is an awesome singer (just check out the videos to your right)

2. He is a geek in the purest sense..

3. Hez our friend :-))

He's smart, handsome and he's got tons of intelligence and its surprising to see that he's still part of the lonely hearts club. That is why he is often quoted as a primary example on how girls are bad at selection :-) Now for the serious part, he is so genuine in his thoughts and actions that there is none who can think bad of/for him.

His place in London has become our guest house and we have had a couple of amazing parties out there and Karthik has been a pleasant host. I must admit that the "pleasantness" might be involuntary ;-) I don't want to write too much as I would be adding fuel to fire..(guys who can understand, will :-) )

This is a sneek peek of our weekly conversation:

Friday, Around 5 : Sridhar calls Karthik...

Karthik picks up the Call...

Sridhar: Hey Dude..Wazzup..Are you coming to Bristol...

Karthik: Yes man

Friday, Around 6 : Sridhar calls Karthik...

Karthik picks up the Call...

Sridhar: Where are you ? When you planning to leave ?

Karthik: Hey, I have got some work, will try to come today or else tomorrow for sure...

Friday, Around 7 : Sridhar calls Karthik...

Karthik picks up the Call...

Sridhar: What is happening ?

Karthik: Lot of work will come tomorrow...

Friday, Around 9 : Karthik calls Sridhar...

Sridhar picks up the Call...

Sridhar: Yes tell me

Karthik: (Busy day at work/I am really tired/Have some work/etc etc )..Will come next week

Sridhar: K..your wish

The "next week"

Hey Karthik, its time, pack your bags and come to Bristol :-)

Laxians

No part of my Bristol story would be complete if I don't mention about the people staying at Laxey. Yes they are my neighbours and probably the only other house I hang around within Bristol.

Laxey has kind of been a boys hostel, never in the history a girl staying there, so naturally is the epicenter of all the "only boys" talk, party, etc etc. If Bostonians are the kings of hospitality, Laxians are the kings of fun and excitement. There is not a day which will pass through without fun and laughter and obviously I am kind of lucky to be part of it too...

Traditionally it has had many people but let me introduce you all to the current Laxians..

Prashant

Vineet

Ashok

Amogh

Again I shall definitely write about all of em some time later, but as of now again just assume they are wonderful people.

Laxey is the place where all our delicious non-vegeterian dishes are cooked and Mr Vineet is the master chef. But Laxey thy name means Prashant. Hes the senior most amongst us but the good thing is that he doesnt have the air of a senior and is so sociable sometimes you wonder there are still some decent people around..For Prashant Laxey is in his breath, so when he speaks everyone knows that hes from 5 Laxey :-) And ya he takes care of the house bills and is the mass entertainer for all of us..Thus his nick name Mama (there are other reasons, but tatz too personal to print :-))

Then Ashok, hez a dude, I am yet to come across a more patient guy like this one but really really fun to be with. Very good at sports particularly cricket and never the one to be a spoil sport and I must admit he is a very very very very optimistic person good to have these days aint it ? And he always says "THIS YEAR ATLEAST..Liverpool will win"..Yes a hardcore liverpool fan and is telling this from the past 10 years..

Then comes Amogh, hes the new entry to Laxey and is an amazing cook (vegeterian only please) and a game freak, has turned much of the living room to a gaming parlour..good singer, god fearing man who does his prayers everyday, so kind of ideal you see..Yes yes..we do have good people amongst us ;-)

Then comes Mr Vineet...My most trusted and close fren...he has many nick names that personify many of his qualities..but the two names that everyone can recognise is Billa and Fundooo...Billa coz hez the chota Don...and Fundoo..coz of his philosophical dialogues to everyone...I can keep writing here coz I have had some wonderful time with him..but as for now think I shall keep it short...

But then there is the Omnipresent Junaith...He was part of Laxey before he had to move back to India...I still look forward to the day when he shall be back and we will have that old magic once again. Hes multitalented...guitarist...rock star..lyricist...not sure why he chose the IT field...his biriyani is still numero uno in Bristol...the times we had were just unbelievable...again as I usually say.."I just got lucky"

Laxians will always be special..the food festivals....12 to 13 hour on the trot carrom sessions....backyard cricket....diwali celebrations...theres so much of memory for a lifetime here....

Thank you Guys ! And you Rock !

Bostonians

So once you land in any foreign country the most difficult part is to find accomodation. So this is what happened a couple of years ago.

As soon as the excitement of onsite died down I was faced with a daunting task of managing my accomodation and it was a litmus test. Getting the right house mates is quite important as they are the ones who will be your family out here and as far as my case goes, this is what happened:

1. I Got Lucky

2. I Got really Lucky

Yes sounds odd..aint it ?

There were four of us looking out for a house at the same time and thankfully landed up taking a house together. Once we selected our respective rooms and got the things we need, we were ready to ROCK ON!!!

It's sometimes so difficult for even people who know each other for ages to click..but we...we just clicked..the bonding was perfect and we took off from day one..no hassles..no problems..it was one hell of a time...We were called Bostonians and our house is known for its hospitality and delicious dishes :-) except me all three were expert chefs...

So here go the Bostonians:

1. Pooja

2. Sowmya

3. Rakesh

4. Me

Then came Suresh after Rakesh had to move to a different place...

Half a year later, Suresh and Sowmya had to move back to India so Lohith and Sangeetha joined in...

I shall write about them in detail but as of now...here is a brief summary...

Pooja is that rare breed of people you come across..very soft and well mannered..not the kind who speaks ill about others, etc etc all the good qualities you see. At the beginning I did not know her at all, but the past couple of years we have grown up to be trusted friends...And ya her favourite food is yogurt :-) and she claims that she can make around 10 dishes in it...

Rakesh..He was like a big brother to all of us. Amazing cook, I am yet to taste such north Indian dishes again..The kachoris..cutlets...my mouth waters even now...Again was lucky to befriend him...

Suresh..I have probably never come across a more hardworking and dedicated person and probably the only guy who actually went to the gym regularly..An amazing cook and I am happy to see him grow the way he has...Absolute pleasure to be with..

Lohith..I knew him before he came to our house and have known him to be a great sport...sports and dancing are his passion and is pretty good at it...great guy to be at home..full entertainment and no hassles...

Sangeetha..I have seen her career grow right in front of me..an amazingly talented individual who knows how to handle things professionally and more so personally too ;-) Again an awesome cook and shes good at chess...and mighty good at it..I still remember she beat me in 9 to 10 steps the first time we played and I am still recovering...

Sowmya...My very dear fren..who shall be etched in memory for a long long time...She was my constant company when I first came and we just bonded...yes there were small fights...silly arguments..but most of the it ..for the fun of it all..has been an influence in me kind of "letting go" of things ...I think itz best to say..I was lucky again

About Us !!

This one is going to be difficult as there is lots to write but at the same time don't want to bore you guys as well. So my plan is to give a brief intro about me, my friends what we do and don't do....

Well I am part of an overwhelming group of people who hail from the IT community. For newbees IT means Information Technology. Most of you would have now almost charted my career profile correctly. For those who are not intelligent enuf this is our career summary:

1. An Engineering graduate from India

2. A nice job in an IT company

3. The rest as they say is painful history

We pride in calling ourselves the tech coolies (coolie is an Indian word for people involved in manually labour) and are very cheap to get now a days. After initial adventures and misadventures most of us generally get to travel outside of India to work for a foreign client some time or the other.

So here I am working in the UK and have a good number of ex-colleagues turned friends. If you haven't guessed it already - obviously I switched to another job here, that is an interesting story and would be injustice if I dont write a seperate post.

But this blog is all about us..what we do...why we do..all the crazy and notorious things...so here I come...

Starting off !!!

Hmm..Lemme start with a confession. I am pretty decent at writing and I generally fair well with whatever I write and its kind of been my strength and weakness..Strength because it gives me the creative independence to think out aloud and weakness is that writing is generally considered for the "boring" ones and so my chances of impressing the opposite sex is slightly slim.

I am going to write about all things that happen around me..most of them good, again it depends...You might find it interesting at times and obnoxious most of the time, but its my space and none can intervene :-)