"Badi Mushkil" at HP

Last weekend was a memorable one in my life. We had a party at office for giving rewards to the top performers in the first half year. We won the trophy for being the “Best Team”. This was truly a moment of elate for our team. However there was something else that brought a sense of personal satisfaction.


After leaving engineering college I had not danced on a stage. I remember the last event being dancing for the farewell partied and ECE club activities. After that I have never danced for a crowd. Not that I haven’t wanted to, because I love dancing any time, any place..just that opportunities in office life are less. I do shake a leg once in a while on the dance floor when the DJ plays but that doesn’t count for a proper performance.


Last week, a colleague of mine and me, danced to “Badi mushkil” from Lajja and had a great time. When everyone in the audience cheered and clapped I was on top of the world. It gave me a kind of high that I had forgotten since a long time. I slept that night in that happiness!!

"Big Brother"

Sometimes I do think that blogging publicly does expose onself to the outside world a lot. Then at times I think who the hell cares. Lately I was reading about this so called software called "Big Brother" (Yeah!Yeah! I don't blame you if you think of Shilpa Shetty) developed for tracking personalities of employees by scanning through their emails and sites visited.

The softwares checks for words drink, love, depressed, lonely, break-up, divorce, suicide, kill, penniless, or phrases like "workplace sucks". Hmm.. I wonder if ever my manager reads through my blog or even my Emails (not that I write out many personal ones) , how would he create my emotional profile??? Sounds creepy! But seems a little funny too. He would classify me as absolutely crazy, pendulum of emotions and what not!

I know that there are millions of people out there who blog. Sometimes I seriously wonder if we really have the time to connect to people across the world when we find so little time to connect to people around us. As for emotional profiling it's a great idea but aren't there people who don't let their personal life interfere in their professional life. Let me speak for myself; I am one. So how could I be judged by scanning my emails? And the case of someone spying you and tracking your activities is a real put off too! I don't know for others but I kind of erform best when I'm let go! So "Big B" could you just drop me off ;)

Article written for Women's Day@ HP

Date : March 8, 2008
Venue : A flat in the middle of Bangalore City
Time : 9 am
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It’s just another Saturday morning at the Koshi residence. Grandma is sitting at the dining table with her favourite rosary in hand. Margaret (Maggie) is applying the final touches to her overdone makeup while her daughter Simi lay lazily on the sofa watching Channel V.

Grandma : Simi, why don’t you at least brush your teeth and wash your face as soon as you wake up. Hasn’t your mom taught you anything at all?? Why are these kids like this, God? Why don’t you tell her something Margaret?

(Simi raises the volume of the TV and turns the other way unconcerned)

Maggie : Ma, How many times have I asked you not to interfere in what Simi does? Let her be. It’s Saturday and no school today. And how many times have I told you not to call me Margaret? Not that I mind you calling me that when alone but you use the same in front of my friends too! What a boring name!

Grandma : I regret the day we came to live with Philip in this wretched city. Margaret turns Maggie, “Ammachi” became Ma, all I hear is vehicles honking through the day and night and no one has any time. I miss my small village in Kuttanaad.

(She pauses remembering Kuttanad)

Maggie : Ma, Bangalore is the reason for what we are today. We would be still looking after Dad’s poultry farm if back in Kuttanaad. I work for a reputed MNC. I earn along with my husband. I am financially independent and we manage a good education for Simi too.

Grandma : Education?? What is it you call education? Look at her watching all those scantily dressed men and women moving their legs and hands on TV , in front of her elders with no shame. She speaks loudly in front of her father and wears all these short clothes too.

Maggie : She wears what she finds comfortable and suits this weather. You don’t expect her to wear a saree when she goes to meet her friends in this heat.

Grandma : True, I don’t expect her to do that because her mother herself has shifted to wearing salwar kameez from saree. Like mother, like daughter. By the way, where are you going wearing so much powder so early?

Maggie : Didn’t I tell you I have to attend the Kitty Party at Lata’s house? I would be staying back for lunch. All your food is in the refrigerator. All you have to do is cook some rice. I’ll be home by tea.

Grandma : Oh no! Are we eating yesterday’s food again? When will I eat some fresh food in this house? Do you even remember the time you cooked last?

Maggie : Stop complaining, ma! How do you expect me to cook daily when I have to go to work? I get home late as well due to all this traffic. Moreover both Philip and Simi are “ok” with this setup, why can’t you adjust?

Grandma : They are fine with this because they have no other option. Your dad would never eat the previous day’s food neither would I let him to. That’s why we were healthy always. I looked after him when he was alive and don’t behave like you and Philip who compromise on everything, like friends. Look at the food you eat! Burgers, Pizza, all good for nothing! See how fat Simi is getting eating all this. How will you get her married if she grows like this?

Maggie : This is something I agree with. Simi, dear, it’s time you have a check on what you eat!

(Simi sprang up with a growl on her face)

Simi : Mom, Will you ask Veliyammachi to stop talking? Firstly both of you keep blabbing and don’t allow me to watch TV and now she’s talking about me growing fat! Chill people, give me my space. I’m out of here. Mom, I’m going to Ravi’s place to watch TV in peace. I’m not staying in here with Veliyammachi alone! (She fumes out throwing the remote)

Grandma : What! She’s going to some guy’s house! And you are not saying anything? What will become of this world? Oh God!

Maggie : Ma, it’s ok! They are our family friends since years. Don’t worry! I’m also leaving. Don’t forget the food in the refrigerator. (She picks up her handbag to leave)

Grandma settles on the sofa and switches to Asianet. There appears a young girl wishing all the women a “Happy Women’s Day”! Grandma sighs as she ponders through all the phases of womanhood she had been through and what she saw today before her eyes through her daughter and grand daughter. She thinks aloud, “What’s so ‘Happy’ about all this? Sigh!!”

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Note : Women’s Rights and Women’s Freedom is something very individualistic and varies through generations too. The women of today don’t share the same ideologies that the previous generation believed in. We may have different views on why and how to celebrate Women’s Day. I wouldn’t debate on any view proposed. Let’s just celebrate “Womanhood” today !

Happy Diwali!!

Today is Diwali. Thanks to all my Singaporean and Malaysian customers I have an off day today. But alas! What to do with a single day in between and hundreds of collegues applying for that Friday off?? Here I am at office. Now what would I have done if I was not at office is the big question!!

I could have watched a movie...but PVR is going to be worse than city market today. But yes, a grand city market all decked up with lights.

I could have gone shopping....but I have nothing to buy after all the shopping I did at Singapore and Malaysia (yeah, yeah..I can't stop talking about it!)

I could have gone out with friends...but most of them have gone home and the others are celebrating Diwali at home.

I could have spent time sleeping at home...but what to do too many crackers and cracker bombs going "Boom" every minute. I should have some intoxicant to sleep in that noise.

I could watch TV at hostel...but again the volume of the TV can't beat the volume of these "patake".

So here I am at office, watching movies, hanging out with all the jobless at hostel friends (just like me!!), going out to eat for lunch and falling asleep occassionally. In other words office is the place I get to do all of it and have a gala time too..

A new door opens

And now I am back and settled. Now that a week has gone past after the trip I feel settled. the excitement of the trip never died down till this weekend. Narrating stories of the place, laughing over the stupidness we did, just couldn't get over it. Now I feel my legs back on the ground!!

It feels great however. A new sense of belonging that I feel towards the company. I mean.... I was shocked the first time I was told I was chosen. It's not even a year i have been here. I hardly know all the people here very well...and I got chosen to go. I accept it is based on performance etc etc but still the feeling that "Yes they chose me!!" took a long time to sink in.

I know it seems like beating the drums here but the sense of belonging I mentioned has taken me up fully. There is a new dimension in which I look at my team, the issues that come up everyday. I just feel some responsibility towards the entire setup. This feels like taking me into some new dimension. I just hope this is a new beginning!!

Rang De Basanti........

That's Holy at HP....

It’s a jungle out here….

Oh my god!!! After all the 2 months (almost..) there is a huge commotion in office. All thanks to our new “Talk the talk” program. Well nothing much… all you have to do is talk only in English. Sounds pretty simple but the noise it’s making on the floor here is hilarious. Each person who speaks in any regional language has to shell out money into the box (generously contributed by someone on the floor). The money too is Rs. 10, 20 and 30 depending on hierarchy.
The major contributor is our manager, Mr. Biju Pillai. Poor guy is so used to speaking all the slangs possible in Hindi even though he hails from Kerala, god’s own country. Now that… I really wonder why???? But whatever…. he seems to be screaming that half my salary is going to go like this. I think that probably going to happen too. Deep condolences from my heart to him. Due to all that now he seems to be going around picking on others talking in regional language and sometimes even making them talk to!! He he…some people can get desperate to get more people in the gang.
Not only him, looks like each one is picking on the other here. The funniest was when someone said, “Maa Kasam!! I didn’t speak in Hindi.” Shell out the money again dear!! By the way looks like all our cool talks and chit chatting is soon going to be done away with. As one of my team members, Shashi points out, “Is this some way of getting us to just do our job and nothing else??” Well……I really don’t know!!

Love at HP

Since my Valentine got a computer,
My love life has taken a hit.
Nothing I say is important,
Unless it’s a byte or a bit.

Before she got her new laptop,
Everything was just fine;
Now she says we can’t talk
Unless we both go online.

"But honey," I said, "I’m attached to you;
Love is what I feel."
"That keyword isn’t relevant,
"She said, with eyes of steel.

She clicked the keyboard furiously;
The screen was all she could see,
And then to my horror and shame,
She started describing me:

"Your motherboard needs upgrading;
Your OS needs help, too.
And you definitely need a big heatsink
To cool your CPU."

"Don’t blame me, my sweet," I pleaded.
"Not on Valentine’s Day."
"Fix the bugs, and I’ll see," she said,
While looking at me with dismay.

"What ever you want, my darling;
Whatever you need; you call it.
I’ll upload or download anything,
And then I’ll go install it."

(Her hostile CD keeps replaying,
And though I don’t want to fight her,
Is this what I want for a Valentine?
I’ve been burned; can I rewrite her?)

"Are you all hard drive now," I asked;
"Is there no software in you?
Don’t you remember the good times?
Let our memories see us through."

"Please, honey, we can save it,"
I said."Our love means more than that."
"That’s not in my cache;
we’re going to crash,"She said, as she turned me down flat.

"Aw, honey, don’t talk like that," I said.
"Can’t we just plug and play?
I hereby accept default,
And I’m yours, my love, come what may.

"If you want to get into my favorites," she said,
And you want to get past my encryption,
If you want to get through my firewall,
Here is my only prescription.

"First, put up your own Web site,
And e-mail me when it’s done.
I’ll check your page rank with Google,
And tell you if you’re the one."

My life has become quite a trial,
Since my Valentine got a computer
If I want her to care about me again,
I guess I’ll have to reboot her.