Days of my life!!

It was a fine Monday evening. I reached home early from office under the assumption that I would complete the rest of my tasks by logging in from home. I had also made up my mind to have a 'lite' dinner, to combat my recent weight gain that I had been made aware off, on multiple occasions by my near and dear ones'. Nishat walked in at around 7:45pm. He has been sharing the 'lite dinner' idea ever since I've known him. Infact, he is one step ahead and often practices the 'NO dinner' idea!! So the two of us sat down in front of the tele and started surfing through some channels. After some 115 clicks, my fingers finally stopped, for some unexplainable and mysterious reason, at the ' NDTV Good Times ' channel, on which the program " Highway on my Plate " happened to be running. This show follows two huge looking guys, as they roam around on India's intricate network of State and National Highways'. On their way, they stop over at a...

" Ladies and Gentlemen, the Open-Silicon shuttle to Clark's Exotica is now ready for departure. Passengers are requested to proceed for boarding through the main gate. Seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis and hence we encourag e you not to delay too much ." Give me the controls to the P.A system of a company and 'a conventinal' announcement is the last thing that you will get out of me!!.......and that's how the half-yearly employee outing of Open-Silicon was kicked off. The organizing committee, headed by Anoop and Victor and comprising of Manjula, Kiran, Kalyan, Pinkesh and me, had worked overtime to prepare for this event for a little over one week. A weekday was choosen to maximize the attendance. Four of us even spent half a day (to the scourn of our managers') to go select a suitable resort to host this function that occurs once every six months. Invitations were sent out to all employees a few days before-hand and two buses were arranged to ...

The shortest and most famous version of India's favorite game came to town in the form of the ' Airtel Champions League T20 '. The opening match between the ' Royal Challengers of Bangalore ' and the South African domestic champions ' Cape Cobras ' was slated to be held at the ' yumM Chinnaswamy Stadium ' on the 8th of October and like good cricket fans, we decided not to miss this oppurtunity. We underestimated the Bengaluru residents craze to follow cricket and like a bunch of good old lazy pals, didn't bother to book our tickets till the morning of the game. The fact that the 'Opening ceremony' was to be held earlier that evening somehow didn't cross our mind and by the time we had realized it, we were caught up in a crazy maze of cars and bikes on Cubbon road and only managed to enter the stadium half way through the opening ceremony!! The intial plan was to get some good tickets so that we could get as close to our cricketing her...

Around three weeks back, I spent an interesting weekend with six of my colleagues at Wayanad in Kerala. Last week, I uploaded some 100 pics on ' Picasa ' and a some 30 odd on ' Facebook '. This action of mine, I am sure, prompted many readers to visit this site and check on my latest blog on my visit......but as of this morning, I hadn't even started. So I decided to spend some time and write something down. After all it's been a long time since I wrote anything and am almost certain to miss my target of 50 blogs in 2009. I wondered what to write about. I possibly couldn't describe my entire visit in detail or else it would lumber on and on, and hence I have just decided to jot down all the places we visited in two days there: 1. Banasura Sagar Dam - with a speedboat ride on the artificial lake formed there. Here I must say that the rain made the ride all the more enjoyable. 2. Pookot Lake - which can be best be described as 'yet another paddling exper...

Approximately six months back, I brought home a small Tulsi sapling. Today that little sapling has grown into a nice blooming plant. I took a lot of care to make sure it does not die and I have to thank the Bengaluru weather for sending in cycles of rain and sun to make sure the plant gets all the ingredients neccessary for it to grow. I must also thank my land lady for planting a couple of 'Aloe Vera' in the pot. But most of all, I have realized something that I never even imagined off when I got the tulsi into my home....a " sense of Responsibility "!!! I had to water it everyday and move it around when the weather gets bad. Ocassionally I even had to scrape the top portion of the soil in the pot and make sure that the water seeps through to the roots. I had to research a lot, online, for ways to help my plant grow to its full potential. As a bachelor, there are many ocassions when I have skipped breakfast in the morning, in a rush to get to office or for cricket p...

" Change is refreshing " says the new Videocon commercial, and change is one thing I always see when I travel to Mumbai. I go there once every three months and almost always I have the feeling that " This wasn't there the last time around "...or " Things were different last time around. " Since this change is so inevitable, why should our favourite Lord Ganesha be left behind.....so the Ganpati in the Shanbhag household in 2009, evolved and we decided it was time to "Go Green!!" Before I get into the 'Green' concept, it is important for us to understand what the Ganesha idol is made up off. I am no expert in chemistry, but my basic knowledge tells me that the materials like clay and plaster-of-paris are moulded together and carved out to what we see as an elegant idol. This idol is then decorated with paints which can simply be described as an enamel and synthetic mixture. Now imagine all of these things going into a water body like a...

I was watching the movie 'Jurassic Park' yesterday at dinner time and came across this interesting dailogue between the actor jeff Goldblum and the actress in the movie: Actor : "The Circle of Life is intersting... GOD makes DINOSAURS.. GOD destroys DINOSAURS.. GOD makes MAN... MAN destroys GOD... MAN makes DINOSAURS..." On hearing this, the actress exclaims: Actress : "DINOSAURS eat MEN........WOMEN rule the world!!!" About a decade ago, people thought that this was the only way Women could go on to rule the world. But as we all know now, the tide has changed. Look around and you see women dominating the world, ruling the roost and calling the shots...in all fields from politics to business. Some common names that come to mind are Sonia Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, Indira Nooyi, Kiran Muzumdar Shaw and Chanda Kochhar. Though a lot of guys will disagree with me, I somehow feel that it is the Women, who will lead us into the next generation. So, on...

It is very important for each and every one of us to enjoy the little pleasures of life.......and I had one such small, but memorable moment this morning. Last September, I had the unique pleasure of purchasing my first ever vehicle - A brand new metallic midnight blue Honda Activa. I can proudly say today that it has been a very good investment. I have kinda got attached to it, as this 100cc wonder has given me the independence to go about in Bengaluru without worrying about the meddlesome rickshawalas, or the bus timings and even to a large extent the horrendous traffic that we see almost daily in the city. This morning, however, was a little special. As I left for office at the usual time and drove my way through the magnificent landmark in my area, known commonly as the "BEML Gate", the "KM" reading on my bike flipped up the five right most digits to read "5000"...... I got off the road when I saw this and clicked this photo.....I somehow had to seize ...

It was the 4th of July, I was in Mumbai looking forward to what was probably the most important day of my life. It was also the day that the Rain gods showered the might of the rains, on this island city. Little did they know that the rains were the last thing to stop me from meeting the most important girl I had ever known and to express my feelings for her. It had been raining all morning and I had kept my fingers crossed that it would eventually stop. I delayed my departure from my home for an hour in that hope, but at 11am I simply put on my jacket and left. I told her that I would be reaching at around 12:30pm, considering all the delays in the train……and it was real heartening to see her concern for me, as she made sure that I call her multiple times during my train journey from Tilaknagar to Vile-Parle . It took me well over an hour to reach my destination. I know, I know…I choose train station to meet my loved one. Most unromantic…...that too considering that I was half soaked...

It had been a long-time since we had planned a weekend getaway from Bengaluru and hence, last sunday, Pinkesh and Aashish (along with their wives) and me, decided to drive down to a spot called " Mekedatu ", situated about 90kms on the outskirts of the city. A little online research about the place revealed that the place is a little-known, local tourists spot. Mekedatu is the location where the might Cauvery river passes through a narrow gorge, after its confluence with another river called Akruthi . According to some legend, the gorge was so narrow that Goats could leap across and hence the name Mekedatu (Meke=Goat and Datu=cross) . But over the years, the constant erosion of the rocks had opened up a wide enough gap and had become a tourist attraction. How wide the gorge had become....I only realized once we reached there!! The preparation for this trip began much earlier than the actual drive. Infact, it started a day before on Saturday. Pinkesh had been to the place a ...

“ Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome aboard Indigo Airlines. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet, traveling at an approximate speed of 590 Kms/Hr. At the current rate, we are expected to touch down in Mumbai some 12 minutes past 2pm, subject to traffic over Mumbai airport. I hope our wonderful in-flight attendants are treating you well. On behalf of the entire Indigo family, I wish to Thank You again for choosing Indigo and hope to see you more often. ” These were the words of Captain Behl, which I heard on board the Indigo Flight 6E-414 , enroute from Bengaluru to Mumbai. This was probably my 5th or 6th journey with this airline and I must that I have enjoyed almost every moment of each journey. Indigo has not only offered me the most economical tickets on multiple occasions, but also maintained a 90% arrival accuracy whenever I have traveled with them. What more could a middle class, low-cost traveler ask for. The white and blue stripes of the airline and a similar dre...

The recent spate of 'Racist Attacks' in Australia, has prompted many people to ask me about my experience during my stay down under. Obviously, after spending a year and half in Oz, everyone expects me to have a view of the happenings over the last month. Well, like everyone else around, these attacks have amazed me. I must say that I enjoyed almost every moment of my stay in Melbourne and never once, did I even sniff a hint of racist outpouring against me or those around me. Considering the fact that the country is made up of a large Immigrant population, such discriminations are highly likely to occur, but fortunately, unheard off, especially in comparison to the racist attacks that happen in UK or USA. But all that changed last month...... In order to get a first hand look at the ground reality, I recently spoke to my very good friend who is still residing in Melbourne and asked him what was going on. A long chat with him revealed the following: The media, as expected, has ...

This is a story about how two typical GSB lads spent a fine Sunday, in the city of Bengaluru. One of them (i.e 'Me'), titled ' Bachelor ' (henceforth referred to as B) and the other, owing to the fact that his wife is back home in Mumbai, titled ' Forced Bachelor ' (henceforth referred to as FB). The situation was constrained by the condition that the FB's two cousin sisters', who were also in Bengaluru, had to be dropped to their maushi's place in Banashankari on Sunday morning. FB asked B to accompany him to Banashankari, mainly because his geographic skills at finding any place are world-class and by that I mean, to go from place A to place B, FB would end up roaming the entire world!! Thus, the plan was that FB and B would drop FB's sisters' off and and on the way back stop at B's former fish-eating joint in JP Nagar and 'hog' (I mean it literally) some delicious sea-food for a change. The operation was code-named " Mis...

It was one fine weekday afternoon. We had just finished our lunch and ' the sutta gang ' were ready to stroll out for a small walk. On our way out, we saw the Maritsa gang at the entrance of our building. They were just done with their tape-out and were waiting for KV to come. As we passed them, some members of the sutta gan g stopped and joked around with their plan to have an afternoon drink. As I smiled at one of the jokes, I happened to notice something which lie on the other side of the gaint glass wall that acted as the entrance of our office premises. This magnificent eight-legged wonder, larger than normal who had built himself a large web between two plants. I hadn't seen anything like this before.... So, inspired by National Geographic and likes, I took out my amazing camera phone, with it's meagre 1.2 Mega pixel, "zero" zoom facility I went as close as I could and clicked this snap..... My first attempt at wildlife photography....Not bad eh?? Don...

I still remember the days in Mumbai, when we were caught by the traffic hawaldars of Mumbai on breaking a signal or cutting lanes. What follows is a lengthy discussion (or should I say quarrel) with the policeman in Marathi, where you try to convince him to accept a smaller bribe and get away. Fortunately for me, such incidents in Bengaluru have been far and few. Only once or twice have I had to deal with the Traffic Kapus of Bengaluru, (never since I got my new bike). But that was all set to change this morning!! My bike was due for servicing and I had to make sure that I reach the service station before 9:30am. I made up my mind to wake up early today and even hired a good friend to make sure that I woke up by 8am atleast. However, thanks to my laziness and that amazing invention we call "TV", I was only able to leave my home at 9:10am!! Enroute to the Honda Service station, I had to cross only one traffic signal near the Domlur flyover and in the adrenaline rush I decide...

There are some places on this planet that one must visit, not for their inherent natural beauty, but for their historical importance. One such place which I would love to visit is a few hundred kilometres South East of Bengaluru, called Danuskodi . Situated on the coast of Tamil Nadu, is this little island which was made famous by the ' Ram Setu' controversy. According to Hindu mythology, this was the spot from where Lord Rama, built his famous stone bridge and why not, just 30 kms away from this spot lies the beautiful and unexplored island country we know now as - SRI LANKA. This little piece of land surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and the Palk Strait, has been in the news over the last few months, thanks to the raging civil war within the country. I am sure all of you have seen the headlines, but I am not sure how many actually took the pain of reading the entire article and understanding the gravity of the situation. I don't blame you, I too belong to that majority t...

Owning a plot of land in Bengaluru is like owning a prized posession. The owners shell out a significant amount of money to build a nice house for their families and obviously want everyone to notice their new home and comment on it. How do they do it?? One way is to host a big pooja or function in the home and invite the entire neighbourhood and more to join in the celebration. But this type of attention is limited to a day or a week at most. If the owners are really interested in grabbing the attention of the passer-by they need to come up with a different techniques. Here in Bengaluru, owners have resorted to the following: - Painting the exterior of their homes with the weirdest colour thinkable!!!! Dark Purple, Orange, Green or (as shown below) flourescent yellow!!! No doubt then that this home has to stand out amongst the rest on the street leading to my home. I am sure Mr. Benetton hadn't thought of this when he came up with the caption "United Colours of Benetton"...

My Friend 'A' calls me today and asks me to help him select a nice gift for his wife. It's her birthday tomorrow. He decides that he wants to buy her a diamond ring, and to help him out, (out of a million people in the city of Bengaluru) he finds me!! The invitation was actually well disguised and tempting: A : "Prasan, chal we'll go to Spar. I need to buy a diamond ring, a kung-fu panda soft toy and then we'll have the non-veg bowl in Fire Wok " Me : "Ohhh... Fire Wok ....chal, I am coming!!" Now, before I proceed, I must list down my immense knowledge about ' The Diamond '...... Hmmm...what do I know about Diamonds??....hmmm.......aha......no....hmmm.... Well, thanks to the movie ' Blood Diamond ', I know that there was a war being fought in Seirra Leonne from where pure diamonds are illegally smuggled out to Antwerp in Belgium and then on to the sorting tables in Surat, where they are mixed with the ordinary stones and made to ...

I know, the title of this blog may mislead you to believe that I am about to write a nice little comprehension or poem!!......Don't worry, it's none of the above. I simply wanted to mark the day in 2009, when I brought my first sapling home. Yes, I love plants and greenery. During my college days, back in Mumbai, I used to regularly water the Tulsi and 'Money' plant that my mother had planted. The plant had grown to be real nice and big. I even remember my mom had to changed the pot since they had overgrown the smaller ones in which they were first placed. All those plants, however, ever washed away during the July 26th floods in Mumbai. Three days of continuous rain had ruined the plants beyond recovery. Last year, when I rented my own place, I had expressed a keen desire to have a few plants at home. That desire had to wait almost 8 months, until last Sunday. I was walking home from the local grocery shop 'Magic Mart' when I saw a guy selling small plants on h...

India goes to the polls again this month. As usual, I was caught up in the usual myth that I will not be able to vote this time around as well, thanks to the fact that I stay in Bengaluru, which happens to be 1000 kms away from my home constituency of Mumbai (North). However, a few weeks back, this popular myth took a firm beating as I indulged in a conversation on politics, with a few of my colleagues from Tamil Nadu. They spoke about how votes in TN sold for a few 100 bucks and some biryani. They talked about the level of corruption in the state and openly told me who the winner would be this time around. They laughed at the fact that in TN, every strong politician has his own cable TV channel which is used as a propaganda network against the opposition party. Yet, each one of them was very keen in casting their vote, as a matter of self-conscience more than anything else. Almost all of them had planned a visit to their home towns on election day. At this point, I expressed my grief ...

We had an interesting game of tennis today. Amongst the players, two of us were playing the game for the first time and the other two for the second. Yet, even before we got on the court, our confidence was sky high. As we stepped on the court, we could feel the Rafa Nadal or Roger Federrer within us raring to go. But soon we discovered that we were far away from those superstars.....so far, that we would have to climb great mountains and the seven oceans before we reach the 'M' of Mahesh Bhupathi ............ Our first seven or eight shots all ended at the nets. Finally a few shots crossed....and after some 15 minutes we actually understood how much power we needed to get the ball correctly across, to the other side. After a while, we decided to have a rally. One easy shot was followed, from the other end, by a great one..Whooosshhhh...... "Good shot macha.....but we are playing tennis, not cricket. In cricket this shot would have been a six for sure!!!.......Nonnn-sens...

Day 1 ended with the decision to have our Saturday lunch at the Barbeque Nation restaurant in Thane. The suggestion was given by Roshni and after much delibration and discussion, I called the restaurant at 8pm on Friday and made a booking at 1pm, the next day for 15 people. The Shanbhag brothers' were to depart from Ghatkopar. The Parabs' and Mehtas' were to be picked up from Mulund, while the Bhatt brothers' and Tanvi were being dropped by Mihir mama to Mulund. We had arranged for two cars to be driven from Ghatkopar, but Vasant kaka managed to arrange for a Sumo which could accomodate us all. At around 12pm, we decided to leave from Ghatkopar. Vasant kaka told us that the Sumo could only take 10 -12 and asked us to take a car which could accomodate all. However, Nitin and me cleverly insisted that we would manage everything. I guess both of us must get used to use our brilliant heads and amazing ideas, less often.....cause as it turned out.....not all of us could fi...