Pranay Rao's (Im)personal Diary

A little bit of sporting magic

2010-10-16T13:40:00.001+05:30

My generation and specifically my friends have a severe lack of enthusiasm which can be really painful. Their sense of fun is drinking booze with loud music in the background and hogging on the most unhealthy food conceived by man while cribbing about all that is affecting their work and life. Adventure for them is a planned vacation to some exotic location which has good bragging potential. So when multiple groups of friends dillydallied about going to the CWG since at that point it was not braggable enough I was quite bugged but I had decided that I was going even if I had to go on my own. This is when Andy 'PJ' Venkateshan intervened with tickets for the ---------- wait for it------------------ India Pak hockey match. The funny part is we got these tickets from a guy who had come from Mumbai to see the CWG.

Courtesy a full parking lot at HUDA city centre metro station and a 10 min metro delay we entered the venue just as India had taken the lead. The seating system had gone for a toss we were seated near our original centreline seats with a great view of the stadium. What ensued was magic. India with the totally partisan crowd behind them attacked continuously. As at every venue, one of the people had taken the role of the official cheerleader with jingoism at its peak. People were running around with Indian flags making the most deafening sound with Dhols, trumpets and even the odd vuvuzella. Some magical field goals by India and the audience was on their feet. Hockey knowledge was at a premium with people jumping up when a shot from outside the dee went into the goal, but then it didn't matter.

The 2nd half started with Pakistan fighting back. However the Delhizens having re-energized themselves with the zillion litres of coke shoke and burger wurger intimidated the opposition with their vocal prowess. The amount of food consumed in 70 minutes was a good yardstick of the future obesity of this city. Anyway we were soon 6 - 2 and by then the audience was bored. The jeetega be jeetega slogan shifted to jeetgaya be jeetgaya. The odd family started to walk out to avoid the rush and then the final hooter. 7 - 4 it was and the score didnt do enough justice to India's dominance.

The closing ceremony 4K VIP seats were quite a bonus courtesy my boss and Vipul. So Andy and Mayank in tow, we reached the venue for the most awesome spectacle I have seen. The stadium looked most beautiful, with the super expensive aerostat looking nice in the sky. The ceremony started off well with even the most silent spectator taking extra pleasure in booing Kalmadi. The poor rich guy tried his best to gain brownie points by mentioning the 101 medals repeatedly as if he had run himself. The 101 medals though were quite the cherry on the cake. The fact that India was 2nd beating bigger sporting countries felt really great. Sheila Dixit was as usual the rockstar of the show with the maximum cheers whenever she came on screen. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi were a close second. Though the most chuckles came when the Glasgow representative thanked Mees Deegshit. The Army band was predictably good and the martial artists were really good though they were not a patch on the effect of the last act when seen from a seat in the stadium. The formations were magical and the dance was beautifully synchronized with a laser man who incidentally had been part of a GSK event recently. The music was popular and contemporary and could give any Delhi disc a run for their money. The powerhouse singers captured the new Indian sound and other than Shiamak Dawar singing last generation english numbers, the performance was amazing. The Glasgow guys too put up a good show with their Sydney Opera look alike building called the armadillo. Didn't get the Loch Ness part though till I saw it in the news the next day. A large group of scotts who were sitting next to us got most excited and were waving flags and banners during this part of the show.

The CWG was quite the showcase for the new India. Aggression on the field and a showcase closing ceremony with martial arts and army bands was a show of pure power. Loved it. This is the new India, bold, loud and in your face.Indian sports take a bow.

Now lets catch the corrupt bastards and get my tax money back :)

- Pranay

Operation Delhi marathon

2010-09-26T11:55:00.000+05:30

After dodging dengue, malaria and swine flu in Delhi, my invincibility was broken by a sore throat in Mumbai. However sore throat is far better than any of the above. Also it feels great to have someone get you salt water for gargling. Also had a bullseye/half fry egg after ages. My Gurgaon house came without a gas and have managed quite easily with a microwave especially since I heard about them being a healthier form of cooking. However microwaves can't be used to make a half fry. Funny how you miss such things. Used last night to put together my papers for tax filing. Shifting companies and houses at the end of a financial year means a financial nightmare in terms of settlements.

Anyway the objective of this post was to explain operation Delhi marathon (21st Nov 2010). If you remember my things to do before I turn 30, a marathon was in the list. The bare minimum to be run in a marathon is a dream run (7 kms) which is still 4 kms more than I have ever run on a treadmill. Even when I was an active sportsperson, my strength was sprints, never exceeding 200m :). I firmly believe your running strength is based on your genetics which explains the Kenyans winning marathons and the Jamaicans the sprints. Indians were genetically designed to write software code not run and we have sports associations which ensure we will continue to do that.

Operation marathon in typical MBA style starts with a plan and a timeline. Road running is nothing like running on a field or a track. I've seen quite a few friends screw up their knees because they started a bout of jogging on the road. Roads don't cushion your steps which is why you need to have special footwear. So I decided to get myself a pair of Adidas running shoes, which if left to themselves would cross the finishing line in the first place. However there is also the small issue of them carrying me across with them. Which is why over the next few weeks I would be training with those shoes on. Running on the road means loads of sweating, which is why I've also got myself a carton of lucozade courtesy Manu.

Next week is mild jogging for 25 mins everyday ending with a sprint (wishful thinking). If that works out then I keep upping my time and speed as per the plan for the next few weeks till November 21st 2010.

Running out of excuses to get fit,

- Pranay

Fill it, Burp it, Forget it

2010-09-12T14:52:00.000+05:30

Pranay's elder sibling theory aka PEST states that 'the first child's generally an anomaly (matrix talk). The parents are surprised (read shocked) to see this weird looking thing in their hands but still they keep it(no gender bias). Also they hardly know what's to be done with the kid. So they read a few books, listen to a lot of advice and apply it to the kid. And as with all experiments, the subject ends up all weird while the scientists (parents) learn a lot. And thanx to the learnings, the second child is brought up all normal.' Please check http://www.pranayrao.com/2004/12/new-year-konnect-other-bloggers-pest.html for proof of the theory.

My younger nephew quite proves the PEST theory with his generally amused and sometimes bemused expression while observing his older brother. Case in point the 'nice' picture my mother wanted me to take of the two brats. The younger one was quite surprised at his shrieking elder brother which reminded me of how I used to observe my elder sister as a kid.

Anyway the break last weekend really helped me relax. Spent some time at home after 6 months. The 2 kids in the house really is good fun. The elder one has started talking coherently though he gets his grammar from his mother while the younger one just gurgles away in delight when someone is close enough for him to observe. He is quite uncomplicated and cries only when hungry. Reminds me of the Hero Honda ad Fill it, shut it, forget it. In this case it is Fill it, burp it, forget it :D.

I used the break to hog away all around Mumbai. Met quite a few friends in between sampling Mumbai's delicacies. Went to Juhu beach and Mount Mary church which is an annual affair for the family just around the fair. As kids we used to visit the fair with parents but nowadays it's impossible to visit it. Mumbai over the last few years seems to have grown exponentially in population and traffic. The local trains are so crowded that more and more people are moving to taking their vehicle to office which means choked highways and roads. Wonder when the metro is going to come through. The only place left to grow now is the sea.

The sea is what makes Mumbai special. It's the only place you can't see people, though nowadays at bandstand couples seem to pop out from behind rocks which are almost within the sea. I remember as a teenager visiting Juhu beach with friends watching the waves breaking on the seashore with the sea breeze snatching away the noise of the city and giving us Mumbaikars those few moments of total calm.

Anyway the break also meant a break in my gym routine and my guitar class. My most patient guitar teacher has been trying to teach me chords so that I can finally in my life claim to carry a tune. There is still quite a lot of discord in my chords and he is quite tired having to explain the reason behind a certain system of music and why a chord is so but it is fun. I may not become a santana (Don't bet against it) but it satisfies the need to learn something new. The language classes haven't happened yet and I don't even have a lack of mobility to blame, though I still am not comfortable driving. Dad and my friends tell me that practice will help perfect my driving which is what my guitar teacher tells me about my strumming. So if you see a guy practicing chords on his invisible guitar while driving a car, it could be me multi - tasking ;).

- Pranay

The adventures of Pranay and his sports car

2010-08-23T22:54:00.001+05:30

In Gurgaon, it is forbidden for people to pee on the road. Not because of civic sense which is really a concept alien to Haryana, but because it just might lead to a flood. Whoever built this city forgot one key fundamental concept - drainage. Anyway living across the office, I have this nice life where the absence of drainage doesn't affect me except on Sundays and then too the only place I go to is a few kilometres away. So for all those pictures of water in people's living rooms and people pushing cars on the road, I have the deepest sympathy but frankly it doesn't affect my life. But today was different.

Living alone and in the absence of sensible adult supervision, I sometimes come up with great ideas like taking my car out to our office in sector 31 which is situated in a low lying area. So I set out to this office with Vipul 'Main hoon na' Gupta to supervise my newly acquired driving skills in a car which really is too powerful for a learner driver. My counter point being that german children learn driving on a Mercedes, so there.

Anyway we set out to this office with the minimum of fuss and reached there mostly incident free except for one point where the car stopped and didn't start on the first turn of the key. Reached this office and parked the car outside to avoid the rains. 2 hours of rain and we looked down into a compound full of water and realized that it was time to get out before we were underwater.

So we left for office in 2 cars. One driven by Badri who was already there with able navigator Vipul who ditched me for the more experienced driver and me in the second. With such heavy rains I decided I was going to follow Badri's car, the only problem was that I had no idea what I was getting into.

Within 2 hours, the medium rainfall had resulted in knee deep water. I'm 5 feet 10 inches tall so knee deep for me means the water was at the level of my indicators. When the jolly Haryanvi driving instructor of Bharat motor driving school taught me driving he forgot to mention how fast should you drive when your headlights are close to the water line. The Palio is a really heavy car and yet I could feel the car veering off course a bit as waves from a passing car hit the body. I probably would not have had the guts to get into the water but for the knowledge that this very car had gotten dad home during the Mumbai floods. But dad's an experienced driver and this was me who just last week had mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.

Reading is not always a good thing especially when you have read stories about cars falling into ditches which develop in the middle of the road and reader's digest versions of people getting drowned or asphyxiated in their cars during a flood. I gulped and followed Badri passing by a couple of cars which had stalled and they were being pushed and that really didn't help. Which is also the point when Vipul called me and told me that I was not to allow the engine to stall at any cost. I was so speechless that I think I nodded on the phone. We drove (actually waded) through the water to reach a junction where we had to climb onto a road half a foot above the one we were.

Imagine a car in water trying to get onto a road w/o water. Most people would move their car aside and allow you into the lane. But no, an idiot in a Matiz decided that he was in a super hurry which meant I was halfway on one road with the back in water. I swear if the engine had stopped at that moment I would have gotten down and beaten him up (which would have been a stupid idea considering this is Gurgaon and he would probably have pulled a gun on me). To make matters worse, a Maybach was right behind me. Imagine a situation where making a mistake could have you paying up for the repair work on a 50 lakh car. Finally the idiot in the Matiz moved his vehicle and I pulled my car out and followed Badri to DLF plaza.

I parked my car and engaged the gear lock (std Gudgaon accessory) and got out. You know that shaky feeling in your legs you get after getting out off a really awesome roller coaster ride. I had that same feeling. I was like this real bad Bond Martini - both shaken and stirred.Would've kissed the ground If it wasn't all muddy.

Later at night had another incident with a Honda City trying to cut across me. Braked just in time and then crossed the road with my car. Parked the car and patted the steering wheel of my sports car, which had quite literally got two Raos out of water. But for the remainder of this rainy season, this Rao is going to trust the best mode of transport which god had meant for us to use, my feet.

Still Shaken though a little less stirred,

- Pranay

Redefining independence - stop existing, start demanding

2010-08-15T03:43:00.000+05:30

It's Independence day punctuated by super saver offers from all the retail chains in India started by the grand master of Indian retail - Kishore Biyani. Have been racking my brain about any other association I can make with the Independence day and there's nothing. Independence day has become just another day when they play jingoistic movies on different channels and thats that.

This year I decided I must usher in independence day watching Peepli live after hearing so much about it. So with my new found confidence in my own driving I headed out to DT Mega mall to watch Peepli live. Peepli live is this nice movie full of dark humour. It takes the very real issue of farmers being forced out of agriculture and presents it most beautifully. The media part is funny. Reminds me of a story - The Wait -II I had written ages back.

Peepli made me remember this statistical model being created on economic spending in India which had good rains as a very important variable. Good rains means good farming which means a good economy. On one side we have the worlds heaviest rainfall (Cherapunji) and on the other side we are still dependent on the rains as a source of irrigation. One of the biggest ironies of life was my house in Mumbai facing water shortages just 10 months after Mumbai was flooded.

We have the capability to create the world's best supersonic missile - Brahmos, have a space program that many developed nations don't, have the ability to create a 35$ touch based computing device and the world's cheapest reliable motor car and yet every June/July we look to the skies. And believe me it's not just the farmers. Every bank, every mobile company, every fmcg co looks to the skies and keeps their fingers crossed praying for good rains. Good rains are like that first tile in a huge domino pattern. Unless that falls nothing else can happen. Companies in India change their strategy basis rainfall. Amazingly even after 63 years of attaining independence, we are a nation running on prayers only. And this from a race which is celebrated for being among the first users of irrigation evident at Mohenjadaro and Harappa.

Coming back to Peepli, it's strange how two movies from the same production house show an agricultural India dependent on the rainfall. The first one Lagaan was based in 1893, the latest one Peepli live based in 2010. We very happily cheered when the farmers beat the foreign invaders responsible for the sorry state of affairs in a game of cricket, wishing that we could've been part of that team and whacked the englishmen for a six. In Peepli live we sympathise with the farmers knowing fully well how bureacracy has required us to wait for a passport, a PAN card, even a gas connection. You know nothing can be done. It's India, run by Indians. Who do we whack for a six now? Who is the enemy?Where is the foreign hand we can blame??

My grandfather's generation left school/college in 1942 to join the quit India movement. Millions of Indians like him won us our Independence. For his generation, politics was everything. They voted because they knew what it had taken to get the right to vote and they wanted to choose the right people. Our parents learned from them. As of my generation, we find it a nice holiday. Granpa's generation would fight for their rights. Remember how Grandpa took a station master to task because he took a complaint about overcharging on his platform lightly. Recently when I had a problem with service on a couple of things, I did exactly what he did and it worked. Independence is not about Indian bureaucrats replacing the english ones. Independence is about knowing your rights and making sure no one violates them. We Indians fought for independence for our own rights and now when our countrymen make a mockery of it, we take the crap, crib like hell and continue existing.

Independence is not just your right to choose, it's your right to demand. I choose who runs my country. I choose what I watch on TV. I choose what to drink and what to eat. I decide what happens when people I gave the power to help make my life better screw up. Stop blaming the government for your woes and demand accountability. The Indian government doesn't decide what happens to you because it's you who decide what happens to them. Remember Aamir Khan's famous Rangeela dialogue:"Apun public hai public, jisme apna paisa vasool nahin, uska dabba gul". Independence is exactly that. It's a right to a better life because you deserve it. When you get a raw deal in India, you don't take it on the chin because that would be insulting all those people who lost their lives, their education to give you freedom. India is more than a Gujrati lawyer's dream. It was the dream of a million Indians speaking a 100 languages and dialects, worshipping a few lakh gods of a life where we Indians could lead a better life through the power of choice, the power to demand.

Honour their sacrifices. Stop existing, start demanding. India is what we make of it.

Luv,

PHR

Luv is in the air

2010-08-01T21:57:00.001+05:30

Luv is in the air, originally uploaded by Pranay Rao.

There is this view from my balcony, where I can see the metro between two buildings. So yesterday being Saturday, I decided that I need to get a picture of the metro. So I took out my camera and was busy adjusting the controls when I heard a rustling below my balcony and looked down to see this pair of pigeons on the AC duct of the house below me.

It is a hastily taken shot with an overcast sky which really doesn't do justice to the potential of my camera but I just had to take it before the two flew away. I had initially named it Cooo which is quite lame, but renamed it 'luv is in the air' because think about it. With two pigeons in love, love is quite literally in the air.

Luv,

Pranay (which also means luv :D)

Coooo

2010-07-26T22:13:00.001+05:30

July 072, originally uploaded by Pranay Rao.

If I had a penny for every time this guy ate the buds on the flowering plant I've bought, I'd probably make enough to buy a proper plant. Initially he would fly off when I tried to go to the balcony, which then progressed to flying off when I was a foot away to now posing when I get my camera out. He seemed unfazed even when I clicked him with my flash on. He just looked back at me with a semi annoyed look.

On second thoughts it could be a female pigeon. She preens in front of the camera. Acts indifferent and yet poses and flutters her wings cooing away to glory while eating away the buds on my plant while acting coy. Classical female behaviour this. Any ornithologist in my group of friends who can determine his/her gender.

No jokes on the camera angle :D

- Pranay

Those moments that make up life

2010-07-18T22:36:00.000+05:30

My poor little cycle seems to have traveled more distance in a truck than on a road.My plan of cycling to the gym every morning will never take off so every Sunday I take my cycle out for a spin. Today being a Sunday I first took the cycle to Sikanderpur market. The cycle post its journey from Bangalore to Gurgaon is a little shaken like me. The poor guy's got this complex seeing all these firefoxes zip by. To make matters worse, the gear's been getting stuck.

Anyway my return from Sikanderpur was against this strong breeze which made cycling really laborious (which is when you shift to a lower gear). I then took a long circuit around the Silver Oaks complex which had the breeze behind my back and then magically, the 4th gear which was giving me trouble meshed perfectly and we were flying - man and machine over speed bumps and potholes. On the 2nd round I even overtook a vehicle which had to slow down for the speedbreaker.

For those 15 - 20 mins I wished that I could do this forever. However common sense and stamina intervened and I returned back home breathless, sweaty and yet totally fresh.

Come evening and it suddenly started raining. I literally ran to the window which gives this awesome view of the sky and stood there for a moment just enjoying the perfectly coloured sky with the right hues of crimson and blue. Turned back to notice a neighbour standing in her balcony too. It was one of those sights which have to be experienced. It's not just the view which can be replayed with the help of a camera, it's the moment which is amazing.

There is a reason such moments are rare because if they weren't you wouldn't enjoy it. You'd start taking it for granted. Treasure these moments because these are the real milestones in life.

philosophically :)

- Pranay

The power of endorsement and its evolution

2010-07-18T01:06:00.002+05:30

"Nice". The guy/girl next to you comments about the girl/guy who just passed by. You look and evaluate. Suddenly the person starts looking better and much more attractive than if you had seen her/him without the 'endorsement'. Endorsement is just that. Someone telling you that what you are evaluating is good/bad.

One of the best examples of endorsement was this certain lady in my college. This nice looking lady had a very normal life till one day one of the more visible guys discovered that he had a thing for her and hence she was cute. Suddenly this lady became the centre of affection of many a male. Funnily the guy who started this moved on within a week but the attention continued. Conversely I know this good friend of mine who never got around to openly admitting this thing she had for a guy because her friends did not find him that cool. This was all endorsement at a very unconscious level.

Peer pressure is probably the best form of endorsement. Remember that gadget/accessory/clothes/computer game you bought just because your group of friends believe it's awesome. Peer pressure is endorsement by exclusion, a form of collective endorsement. Hush puppies (yes, read the tipping point), Ipods, Tazos, etc all became successes courtesy collective endorsement aka peer pressure.

Most people actually take endorsement to be just celeb endorsement or expert endorsement. Once upon a time when celebs did much lesser endorsement, people actually went and bought a lux believing that it was the soap of the stars. They bought the product because of the celeb endorsing it. Today most celebs work best as a clutter breaker. Yes a trustworthy celeb lends an aura to the product provided people believe that he/she uses it. Expert endorsement too has its limitations unless it's done really well.

In fact endorsement is best leveraged when done subtly. A celeb/expert pushing it down your throat might be (quite literally) tough to swallow. However that same endorsement done by a friend works. This is the most potent form of endorsement which we marketeers call word of mouth (WOM). Getting high WOM on a product is what most brand managers dream of. Imagine multiple believable endorsers. Conversely bad WOM can cause the product to tank. Many movies have been the victims of bad WOM. Some never got the chance.

Which is why the future of endorsement is in social networking, user generated content and subtle product placements. Twitter, Youtube and FB will decide the world of tomorrow. The consumer is empowered. The marketeer of today needs to have a concept which can work through these media. In the future GRPs won't be measured, communication would be measured through WOM.

So the next time you see a beautiful lady at the mall and feel like commenting to your friend or a movie on the first day which you like/dislike strongly and want to tweet about or any product experience which you put on your status message. Pause and take in the moment because that one action of yours in todays networked world could decide the future of the entity under observation. Endorsement is a power and with great power comes great responsibility.

BTW heard Udaan is a great movie :D.

Luv,

PR.

Gudgaon w/o a gaddi going dig chick dig chick - the culture shock

2010-07-11T12:25:00.002+05:30

If you come to Gurgaon/Delhi now, you'll see the elevated metro lines with slick shiny looking trains moving around and they stick out of the surroundings. They look too classy and subtle for this part of town. An ideal metro for Delhi should have been painted in red and even if it were silver, it would have body stickers and tinted windows and the biggest omission fog lamps which have to be kept switched on irrespective of there being fog or not.

Calling Delhi loud is an understatement. The women in Delhi probably spend the maximum per capita on make up then anywhere else in the world. I generally land up at my local grocery shop in old Jerseys/tracks to find women dressed up wearing a thick layer of make up and red lipstick buying groceries with Chunnu Munnu who are equally dolled up. Coming from Mumbai where the grunge look can be passed off at most parties, it is quite the revelation.

My apartment block is quite the middle to upper middle class complex. If you ever stepped into our garage, you'd probably wonder why our GDP isn't any higher. The average family owns a Honda City, the richer ones fully loaded Civics and Corollas. i10s and santros are at a premium here.

Even the kids who are always dressed up have discussions around cellphones and the like. Recently while getting my ass kicked by a 4 feeter in pool at the club house, I was introduced to the kiddie life in this part of town. It starts early. These kids move around in firefoxes and wear the nicest sports watches. So much so that my nice 6 speed sturdy Hercules which in Kolkata was quite the expensive cycle, looks like a much poorer cousin.

Even more interesting is the eating out scene here. Last night I was at Swagat with friends from K, where we couldn't hear ourselves think courtesy all the shrieking kids. Swagat is a family restaurant but I've been at Extreme sports bar, Barique and Blue O all clearly targetted at adults and seen huge families with a zillion kids loudly chattering away.

It's not all bad though. My flight to Delhi when I came to join GSK had me next to an elderly Punjoo woman, who by the end of the flight had discussed my entire family tree and fed me chips and information on Gurgaon. In fact despite not having a a car in Gurgaon (which is culturally frowned upon) I've been quite mobile courtesy Easycab, Tashi, Vipul, Tina and Anubhav. I've promised all these guys that I'll make it up when I get my car.

I'm too much of a Mumbaikar to start overdressing in loud clothes and talk loudly at a sportsbar but being a human and we humans having the ability to culturally adapt I've started my transition. I've shifted from Corona/Wine to scotch on the rocks Punjoo style (though I still can't manage a Patiala). I've re-adjusted to the Paneer-being-the-only-veg-option at parties (remember I trained for a year in proper Punjab/HP) and my biggest weapon in this transition - my dad's and soon to be mine sports car.

This sleek machine (a Palio Sports) is formula red in colour with leather upholstery. It is still not big enough to be Punjabi sized, but courtesy the bright colour and the awesome fog lamps (which my father never used) and the fact that it can outrace most big gaddis, it gives me my first step into the loud world of Dilli. And if this still doesnt make me Punjoo enough, I'll fit in one of those huge music systems, where the woofer fills up the entire luggage space and Bhangra my way into Gurgaon (hope my dad doesnt read this).

So in a couple of years if you see a guy standing next to a female( who would have five layers of make up ) talking loudly on a huge cellphone with body stickers on his red car which has it's fog lamps on with the car vibrating to dig chick dig chick (that's actually how it sounds) Punjabi music, please don't laugh, stare or point rudely because it just might be me :D.

Would be a good idea not to laugh at said person at any time because I forgot to mention that the individual would also have a loaded firearm.

Dig chick, dig chick,

Pranay Rao

Soccer and home

2010-06-27T23:13:00.000+05:30

I'm watching Wake up Sid which I believe has some of the most awesome music of recent times. The best part though is how it shows life in Mumbai. There's this picture of the hero clicking pictures on the beach. I swear every morning when I meditate, I close my eyes and still hear the waves breaking on the sands. With the World Cup season in full swing, those days on the beach come to mind even more. We will definitely re-do our football thing soon. Come to think of it, will be tough to get the guys back together. Avi, is in Germany. Pari in the US, Amar, Shirude and Choti are there too. Kau is in Mumbai but currently recuperating. Sudhu in Chennai and me in Gurgaon. No idea where Choo is. But I am guessing it will be cheaper to finance a Mumbai football team then get the guys together.

Speaking of Mumbai football, I remember going for Mahindra Utd matches to the Cooperage which is this dilapitated structure in the centre of Churchgate. There's this model of the modern Cooperage stadium planned before I was born. The last time I saw it even that structure was crumbling. Still remember taking the train to Churchgate and the cab to Cooperage where we entered through this small little gate where I proudly used to take my dad's name and get free attendance.

Mumbai soccer is not a patch on soccer in Goa, Kolkata or Kerala but when we were kids, it was quite big. The big teams were the Tatas, Orkay RCF and then later Air India along with Mahindras. The Harwood is one of the world's oldest soccer tournaments along with the Durand and the IFA shield all of which have come to my house courtesy dad as a captain and coach.

I still remember the once that I mistakenly sat on the Air India side of the stands for a Mahindra Air India match. The abuses showered on my Manager/Coach dad were unnerving to say the least. Thankfully I was dressed in a red T shirt which is a common team colour. The game is not the fast paced soccer you see on EPL and the commentary leaves a lot to be desired. What you do get is real football with the smell of fresh grass and the most colorful language with loads of die hard fans. You could do one better and go for a East Bengal/Mohun Bagan Vs Mahindra match and get some colourful Bengali added to the mix.

Cooperage is also famous for it's awesome Kanda (onion) Bhajiya which is awesomely tasty. Remember one match where I was seated behind one of Mahindra's big bosses and the same bhajiyas packed in a newspaper were laid on nice China and served to him and he simply loved them :).

Well the Mahindras have finally shut shop but Cooperage is still very much as it was in the 1980s. Nothing will ever change there courtesy the wonderful administration which have all but killed Mumbai soccer. Watching soccer with friends and beer is good but still not a patch on those awesome soccer related discussions we had. In Mumbai, I was surrounded with guys who had at some level played soccer. Delhi surprisingly for its sports culture, seems to have no one. No heated discussions on who will make it to the next round.

Missing the Kanda bhajiya and the hot lemon tea :(

- PR

Don Kay - the tale of 2 brothers

2010-06-27T15:13:00.000+05:30

Ansh, the bigger of my two nephews is quire unaffected by the new little addition to his little family. The only time he gets really affected when the little character is being massaged which generally ends up with the little guy crying. So standing at a distance with the most considerate eyes he says 'don kay' (don't cry).

The little baby unlike his elder brother is generally quite peaceful and is still in that delicate state in which I refuse to hold a baby. So me and Ansh observed him at a distance. Ansh was most excited that I allowed him to use my camera. He did click some nice pictures. He's recently being trained to kick a football around by dad, who's quite excited that he's got 2 potential soccer stars.

Ansh has adjusted to my unique position in the family where I fly in for a few days and then fly out. Ask him where I am and he says quite nonchalantly 'Flight....' :). Lately inspite of my having to babysit him when he's awake, I miss him more each time I come back.

I'm waiting eagerly for the smaller one to grow older when I do believe they are going to combine and make the house one madhouse. Will be great fun then.

- Pranay

Modern duelling courtesy Playstation

2010-06-26T14:51:00.001+05:30

I woke up this morning with a smile courtesy finally getting 8 hours of shuteye and more happy cause I reached the next stage on my NFS game. Gaming really reflects what mood you are in. Last night, being right in the zone I dominated (NFS talk for breaking the track records) the entire stage in one blitz. Earning record points and unlocking loads of cars. And the funny part was I did it on my PSPs handheld mode which is tougher than when connected to my TV.

Gaming has it's origin in the cavemen battling with clubs, sometimes for food, sometimes to impress the hot chick in fig leaves. It progressed to the tourneys where men displayed their feats of strength in Ivanhoe style to the pistol wielding duels to boxing, etc. Civilized man suddenly needs an outlet for all those competitive abilities. Cometh the Playstation (or xbox or wii). This is modern man's tool to kick some butt. Remember the fun we used to have at K playing that tank game and NFS on multiplayer. You get an amazing satisfaction when you zip around at 300 kmph with the world around you just one blur. It's all about instincts. Split second reactions decide between winning and losing. It's the ultimate escape and gives the most awesome adrenaline rush.

So while my PSP is recharging, I'm busy looking for some new game to add to my collection ranging from soccer, racing, chess and MPGs to the traditional Mortal Kombat.

Gaming is the most awesome fun. It is that feeling at the end of the day when you set aside everything. Focus on the screen, sit on your game chair and rev those engines hearing every little roar amplified through 5 speakers and press that button which launches you into the most awesome heart pumping action that man could ever build.

What are you waiting for? get your console and join me today :)

Luv,

PR

Life in the middle

2010-06-05T21:12:00.000+05:30

India is like a pregnant woman. All her attention is focused on her tummy AKA the middle class. These are those hard working white collared people who strive each day for their dreams. Life starts with dreams to own a TV, a fridge, a vehicle which is then upgraded as prosperity increases. They are the drivers of consumption, the taxpayers who power the country. The guys who crib about the government but hardly vote. India would be one country where the Rich decide policies, the poor decide politicians and the middle class pays for everyones mistakes.

The middle class is growing. Their prosperity is increasing. They have two tools to moving up the social ladder, hard work and education. The IITs, IIMs of the country are full of people from the middle class. Most of them come with a dream backed by expectations from a family who see their success as a reward.

The middle class is all about control, about inhibition. It is a collective. Think about it, the lower class revels in its identity, it's loud colours, it's individualism then they move up to the middle class where they are straight jacketed by society. Sober colours, a guideline to do anything and everything. As soon as these same people move upwards, the same individualism comes back. It is celebrated. In fact the small village fairs and the high society dos are quite similar in their sheer expression of joy.

As a marketeer, I've been trying for ages to find the right way to target the middle class. Forget target them, it's equally difficult to segment India. The power of education obvious from education being such an important part of the socio economic classification on which most media decisions are taken. Obviously the system was devised by people who rose from the middle class.

Life in the middle has been quite nice. It gives you parents who strive to give you that extra edge in your life. I firmly believe my parents were more excited at my convocation than I was. Education is not always means to an end. In India, sometimes it is the end in itself. A ticket to success. In the 11 years since gaining adulthood, I've voted once and that too for Govinda which explains me not voting again :). Though adherence hasnt really been my strong point.

So wake up tomorrow and be happy to be the engines of growth for India. Smile when you get anxious about that unironed collar. If you do get honked at by a larger car, put your head out and tell the guy that the road he drives on was paid by you (unless of course you are in Gurgaon, where the guy might just pull out a gun and shoot you) and walk out confidently shoulder to shoulder with the millions of similarly dressed people who just like you are India's finest - the middle class.

Luv,

PR

Things to do before I turn 30

2010-05-23T20:36:00.000+05:30

I'm watching that part of Kill Bill where Lucy Liu and Uma Thurman are fighting. I really have no taste for gory movies. But then this is part of all those things I've planned to do in the things to do before I turn 30 list.

Learn a musical instrument - Guitar classes lined up from next weekend
Learn a martial art - My extra fit company doc has promised an intro to a Taekwondo academy which will replace gymming in June.
Watch IMDBs top 100 - thats where the video library subscription comes in and hence Kill Bill.
Lose 10 kilos in 6 months - 6 kilos to go in 4 months
Learn a foreign language - Need to decide French/Spanish/Mandarin.
Visit Ladakh/Leh and a foreign country - Ladakh needs to be done pre - winter. Thinking of visiting Jerusalem in December.
Drive a car to Dharamsala - My gas guzzler arrives next month.
Attend an international sports event - CWG arrives in the nick of time
Run a marathon - Whens the next Mumbai Marathon?
Win a national prize - Quizzing/branding/blogging/poetry/photography, anything............

10 months to go and 10 things on my list. 23rd March 2011 is the day I want to have ticked off all of these.

- Pranay Rao

P.S.: Feel free to suggest something I might have missed.

I will raise my head without fear

2010-05-07T00:29:00.000+05:30

Kasab was destined to die, the moment he decided to enter this country. Nothing could stop the inevitable and yet there is happiness, joy to see him get the death sentence. In a country where there are politicians who have caused the death of many more people still living free, we are all happy. Frankly I see no sense in him dying but then he has no right to live once he killed innocent people in an act which was not war or a fight for any cause but just cold blooded murder.

Lately I'm sick of a life where a cursory check is done each time I enter a mall/ airport or any public place. Why is it that I must feel insecure because of some bastards sitting hundreds of kilometers away who are living quite comfortably planning newer and newer ways to terrorize the country. I remember when I was in Jammu, how weird it felt to have my bags checked each time I entered the railway station. There was always this fear that something could happen. Lately it's happening everywhere. Every place has metal detectors which beep and nothing is done about it. Random checks by security guards who very seriously poke a bag with a probe which beeps loudly and they let you through.

It's not about the fear of the consequence, it never is. I probably have a greater chance of being knocked off by a car on the Gurgaon Faridabad highway or being mugged. It's about the feeling of our space being violated. It's about the piece of mind being taken away. It's what Naseerudin Shah says in his monologue in Wednesday. It's disgust anger and helplessness all rolled up into one.

A stranger killed of someone's mother,

A child watched his father die.

They never believed that this could happen,

and they never knew the reason why.

Why is it that somebody can just walk in,

with a gun, a bomb and just kill anyone.

And all I can do is watch, listen and hope,

that the person who died is an unknown someone.

I have been taught to look around while travelling,

Ensure that someone doesn't get me that day.

After all it's my duty to be scared and tense,

My fees to be part of a Delhi or a Mumbai.

I dream of a day not too far,

A day when you and I will still be here.

A day when we will look up and smile,

And raise our heads without fear.

Till then I watch the news dispassionately.

It's no longer whether. Its when,where and how many.

Somewhere someone is playing a little game with me,

And I wonder whether he must find it funny.

That safely from a million miles away,

with a few rupees of explosives and firearms,

He makes a billion people shake in fear.

Little voodoo dolls are we in the grasp of his palms.

He threatens and a million quake in fear,

Mothers worry, children are scared.

Coming home everyday is a celebration.

to celebrate what they have braved.

But one day these billion people will rise,

and realise that they have had enough.

And that day my dear friend, I assure you.

It will be we who will have the last laugh.

Sooner rather than later

- Pranay

Discovering the priorities in life

2010-04-27T00:57:00.000+05:30

Dad's 60th birthday meant this stay at an Anglo-Indian farmhouse/resort, which was quite the simple place. My 0 alcohol policy meant that we toasted dads birthday with non - alcoholic bubbly (Gift from some friend). The guys at the resort messed up our room booking which had me quite agitated as compared to dad who seemed quite unaffected. The room was clean and nice but very basic compared to what we had booked. Years back I'd not have batted an eyelid at such a room but now I believed we deserved more. At the end realized that It's good to have high standards, but it's bad to be too nit-picky. There's too many good things happening in life to be thankful about, frankly nothing to crib about. Enjoyed the stay better then.

Meanwhile have solved my car problem by doing a car swap with dad. I'm buying him a new car in exchange for his Palio, which I really love. Dad again surprised me by looking for the simpler things in life. He's happy going for a mid size car cause as he says parking in Mumbai is a problem and the car is of course for transport. A refreshing change from the discussions I've had on what to buy with my friends. A car transports people not their large egos :).

As a part of the deal, dad promised to sit beside me while I try my hand at his car in exchange for me coaching his little kids as a sub coach till the actual coach (my uncle) comes in. All of dad's side of the family have at some level played and mostly excelled at football. Remember this match where all of us uncles and cousins represented some village team. It was a 8-1 whitewash of the opposition. If anything our generation really never lived up to the family reputation. It could be just lack of ability but I suspect we were too busy trying to make money, which is the difference with our dad's generation. My father, winning coach of most of India's premier tournaments finds time in his hectic work schedule to coach little kids who probably have no idea of the pedigree of their coach. He calls it giving back to the game.

So today morning in football gear borrowed from dad, I stood and tried to recollect what years back had been taught to me by my dad and other coaches. My footballing life lately has been limited to a nice little CV point and some facebook updates on Chelsea. It took some time to remember, it took a little more time to communicate but at the end of that hour and a half on the ground it felt great to pass on something which hopefully these kids will make much better use of.

Felt a little warm inside and it was not just because of the hot sun.

- Pranay

Appreciation for Good service - Kingfisher

2010-04-13T23:38:00.001+05:30

My last post (or was it the mail I sent) resulted in some prompt action from LG and ladies and gentlemen I am getting my ac installed on saturday cos I am on tour now. I got calls from LG (the next day) and Big Bazar (today) apologizing though the LG guy tried hard to prove that there was a mysterious service person who landed up at my house and that he was not a LG guy. The gist is that blogging/mailing about service works. Anyway realizing that I probably was taking good service for granted and not mentioning anything, I decided to post about this awesome service I saw today.

The Kingfisher service has never given me anything to complain about but today on a Kingfisher Red flight from Mumbai to Hyd IT3163, the cabin crew showed awesome service in handling a passenger who was not responding to them. This guy sitting on the adjacent aisle seat was not responding when the head of the cabin crew whose name I believe was Delnez sat next to him and kept talking to him and doing everything possible to make sure he was feeling alright. She showed real concern for the guy and that was quite awesome. Have made a mental note to mail Kingfisher this weekend.

BTW in the same breath, The Go Air flight to Mumbai from Delhi day boarding at 2240 had us standing on the tarmac for a good 20 mins while they ferried the first bunch of people to the terminal and came back. My mother coming from the good old full service airline times was aghast :).

- Pranay Rao

Life is not Good - LG service sucks

2010-04-11T12:26:00.001+05:30

Gurgaon is going through a heat wave and me in all my sagacity decided I'll buy a new AC instead of hiring one looking at it as a prudent investment, not knowing what I was to get myself into. The first AC we bought in Mumbai was an LG AC. It is still working well. So have all the LG appliances my parents and sis bought and so is my LG microwave.

So I went to Big Bazar which I always believe gives value for money and bought a nice little LG window ac and then the nightmare began. Every day I have been calling the LG customer centre who promise me that the installation will happen. Two days they make me come back in the middle of my office because sorry thats the only time they can install the AC and I really don't have an option having bought the machine and certainly needing it in a place where the mercury is climbing each day. The first day no one came at 4 PM and I called the customer centre to get a new complaint number and the second day a guy dressed in dirty street clothes tells me he is the LG engineer but unfortunately he can install only split ACs so sorry. Getting through to Big Bazar has been equally difficult, not that there is something they can do for me.

Finally today I mailed their service desk asking them to please refund me for the AC. I'd rather buy it from some other company who knows something about service.

My advice to people residing in Gurgaon, never ever buy an LG AC, they probably have the worst service here. My sis says the service in Mumbai is good and even I had a good experience in Bangalore. Yet to see a modern company telling you that they can come only at a time comfortable to them.

If you do know someone who works for LG, please ask them for advice in getting my money back.

Disgusted,

Pranay

Dark Knight to LSD - the week that was

2010-03-21T00:29:00.003+05:30

I am very finicky about starting a week well. Hence I always plan a proper 8 hrs of sleep. In fact post my Engg days, I have always made it a point to try and get a proper 8 hrs sleep thanks to the mental food angle. Unfortunately this was the Sunday I decided to hog on Nirula's hot chocolate fudge (HCF) sundae, which meant a walk after dinner and sleep a little later. All this was after returning from a visit to Kolkata to check out my brand.

It was around 2330 when I got a call from Gurtashika my friend and colleague at GSK who lives in the same building as my guesthouse. Gurtashika is like this Punjabi reincarnation of fearless Nadia, so it was quite a surprise to hear her voice all scared and hassled at the other end of the call sounding all apolegetic saying that she was really sorry but she needed her help because there was a bat in her house on the 16th floor and she needed me to get the watchman up to her house.

The rushing off to the watchman and getting him to the 16th flr was quite uneventful. But then we reached the 16th floor with a very worried Tashi standing outside her house looking in through the door into a house all bright and lit up. Which is when I suddenly realized that I had no idea what we were going to do there.

See the first thing about being courageous is knowing what to do in a situation. I have seen bats in batman movies and at a distance in the dark hovering around trees, but never one on one and had no idea what to do to get it out. So there we were standing outside the door. The watchman being probably the only guy who knew what to do walked in most cautiously and we stood outside with Gurtashika standing behind me, which made me realize that I really didn't have any where to hide. Hiding behind Tashi not being an option considering my rather healthy form.

The watchman spent 5 uneventful mins inside which gave me the courage to walk in too, stepping most gingerly expecting some creepy bat to jump out from behind a sofa. A few minutes of investigation and I decided that the bat just went out the same way he came in and suddenly got my courage back. You know that nervous laughter which comes out when a potentially scary scene in a movie turns out to be something harmless came out and I even suggested to the petrified lady that she was probably halucinating which got me a stare back in return.

The watchman then checked all the rooms and proclaimed that there was no bat which seemed quite obvious when just as a check he looked into the 2nd bathroom which had the door slightly open, turned to me and said 'Saheb, yahan hain'. My life in MR has revealed to me that what people dislike most is information which makes life unpleasant for them. 2 mins back I was at my cockiest best planning to go back to my house and shut out of my life all unpleasant thoughts for a wonderful 8 hrs and here was information which had to be acted upon.

I suggested he close the door, which he did and then he suggested that he would have to kill it off, which seemed most unnecessary to both of us F types, so we registered our protest in the most feeble parliamentary (which nowadays isn't all that parliamentary) manner. The gentleman then proceeded to dispose of the animal which anyway had stopped flying.

Knowing the bat was gone, I then proceeded to quite bravely check every room knowing fully well that the probability of finding 2 bats was near impossible. God forbid, if even a lizard/cockroach had jumped on me at that time, I'd probably have died of a heart attack.

The outcome of my hand in getting the bat killed was a very bad stomach infection on Monday which probably was a result of over eating at Nirula's though the doctor attributed it to some water borne infection.. The week did go off uneventfully, other than for some bad tummy cramps.

Anyway decided this saturday was the day to recuperate with a movie + lunch plan with Tina and Tashi. Tina is an ex - colleague who is an ex-colleague of Tashi who is now my colleague and we are all friends working in Gurgaon. We watched this movie called LSD, which was short and hard hitting and which in an hour and 45 minutes said more than 5 hr movies do.

The movie was raw, very realistic, with a most interesting concept picturised through the camera lense. It is hard hitting, at some points a little gruesome but really shakes you. Each character, probably because you have never seen before seem perfectly casted. The movies is full of dark humor and is quite cynical but definitely worth a watch.

Post some shopping and gym evaluating (I plan to get back to my flat tummy days :D)Came back home and was watching this Angelina Jolie movie Changeling set in the 1930's which was really awesome. Suprisingly never heard about it before. This too was quite stark, but softer than LSD.

Eventful week this which started with a desire to get 8 hrs of sleep.

Never a dull moment,

- Pranay

Ki hollo

2010-03-13T13:57:00.000+05:30

Kolkata is the lockmakers city what with all the keys and Key hollos. Kolkata always is this place teeming with human bodies. The number of people/sq feet must be amongst the highest in the world. I have stayed in Kolkata for 2 years and yet the huge difference between Gurgaon and Kolkata really hits you. Gurgaon is this symmetric city full of glass and concrete and planned roads while Kolkata.. Kolkata is just Kolkata, unorganised, noisy, dirty and yet strangely beautiful, a city with a heart.

BTW watched KKR Vs DC last night. The last time I saw the 2 teams playing was in Kol at the Eden which was the first and the last cricket match I've watched (prefer soccer anyday) and had all the drama you can imagine. Details in my post Day and Night T20 at Eden Gardens. BTW I must be the lucky mascot. Cause they won when I am in Kol again.

Watching DCH. The movie which everyone watched and loved. All of us had a favourite character in the movie which we identified with. For me it was Aakash. Must be because I am an ENTP. Actually in the words of the counsellor I am an ENFP who has learnt T skills. For the uninitiated, it is the result of the MBTI test which is most interesting and quite accurate. Though how it helps anyone is debateable. We had a field time discussing each other's profiles and dismissing differing traits which really was not the aim of the exercise :).

BTW just watching the scene where Samir is practising to propose to Pooja. Vintage Saif this. The movie is still one of my all time favourites provided the Akshaye Khanna part is fast forwarded. Subodh (remember the timebound boyfriend) has just entered and in Saif's words 'Lagta hain iska bathroom jaane ka time huaa hain' :). Awesome movie this.. Let me watch the movie and enjoy.

Till next time.

Luv,

Pranay

The heinous crime aka The hand that rocks the ladle - II

2010-03-07T21:18:00.001+05:30

He never knew what was going to happen to him as he lay in absolute peace confident about his status as the king when out of nowhere he was tortured on a flame stripped down and massacred.

It started with the menu of the guesthouse where I am currently put up. The cook I believe must be one of Inzamamam -ul-haq's (inzie) biggest fans. Why? Because he is totally in love with Alu. The only thing on the menu is Alu. There's Alu Gobi, Alu mutter, Alu Jeera. My previous experience with Alu dishes happened in the Hastings guesthouse where Mr Kailash (Remember 'The hand that rocks the Ladle - I') used to cook Alu only to increase his ROI (Alu being a relatively - with due respect to inflation cheap vegetable). So I told the gentleman to cook Baingan ka Bharta.

Baingan Bharta for people who like brinjals is this preparation of Brinjal which is quite tasty though not the easiest thing to manufacture. Baingan Bharta in fact had this quite long stint in Hindi movies where the mother tells his son that she has made him his favourite Baingan ka Bharta which probably affected my impressionable mind. Anyway the cook with absolute (Haryanvi) confidence convinced me ki ho jaayega. The reason I say Haryanvi confidence is because of the absolute confidence which the people in Gurgaon have on getting anything and everything done.

The poor Baingan meanwhile never knew what was coming to him. The Baingan Bharta involves this very braveheart style torture of the Baingan. In fact it would be probably the cruelest veg dish made. The poor Baingan is literally burnt alive till he gives out this awesome smokey taste which is then enhanced with some seasoning and yes most importantly the pinch of salt.

Discrediting a cook's culinary skills is like saying Jack and Jill knew nothing about rolling down the hill. So with a heavy heart I must say that the guy literally raped the Brinjal. There was enough salt in the dish to give the dead sea a complex. Though however he was kind enough to give me dal with Zero salt (must be all those healthy ads on TV).

Having been taught as a child never to waste food I found an easy way to make the entire lot palatable by mixing the dal with the bharta. I did after the dinner however mention to him quite apologetically that he had messed up feeling quite guilty because after all it was my idea.

I am yet to see anyone get so worked up about constructive criticism, He felt most annoyed that the salt dish did not appeal to me and then quite sarcastically asked me how come I had had the entire bowl to which I equally sarcastically replied that I mixed the dal to match the salt levels.

Anyway post some muttering and alu muttering and gnashing of teeth, he settled down and then told me that alu was back on the menu to which I readily agreed believing the alu would at least take the edge of the excess salt and we settled down to some peace and another discussion on hockey of which he has become quite an expert courtesy yours truly.

In memory of the happless brinjal.

Luv,

Pranay

The first flight

2010-03-07T15:43:00.002+05:30

It seemed just yesterday that he had broken his shell,
And now he stood at the branch, ready to soar.
His mother steeled her heart and nudged him.
For her little hatchling, she wanted more.

He looked back and smiled impishly,
For his nervousness, she could never know.
The sun had just risen, the sky was lighting up,
To see his first flight had come the morning glow.

He held his breath and spread out his wings,
Stood up on his little feet and jumped into the blue.
His mother let out a gasp, as her son headed to the ground.
She wondered whether it really mattered if he ever flew.

Her maternal instincts battling with her maternal dreams,
She reached the edge of the branch and looked below.
She saw his little body flapping his wings with all his might,
His movements were shaky, his reactions were slow.

And just as she was about to fly down to his rescue,
His little body straightened as he began to actually fly.
He chirped in delight, A chirp of exhiliration and sheer joy.
No longer was he a little bird, but the king of the sky.

The sun smiled as he saw this unfold before his eyes,
Even though he had seen this happen a million times.
The drama of the moment still got to his old heart,
And he cheered when he saw that the little bird was fine.

He saw that the little hatchling was now a magnificient bird,
Each time he saw it, it remained the most wonderful sight.
The element of drama, he knew was Mother Nature's little touch,
To enhance the experience of the once in a life first flight.

- Pranay Rao

Life in Arcturus

2010-03-02T23:17:00.000+05:30

Arcturus is a star which receives mention in the Star Trek series as a planet which is on the borders of the Klingon, Romulan and Federation which serves as a black market for all 3. Arcturus is actually a desert with dwellings. Each dwelling is self sufficient and protected by a force field which protects the inhabitants. However leaving the forcefields is fraught with danger due to the sudden storms.

I believe it was the shock of realizing that my first vehicle would have a Haryana number which probably numbed my senses. Otherwise I wouldve realized sooner that I would be residing in earth's very own Arcturus. Just think about it. Gurgaon is this dusty place which has climate that alters between 2 and 52 deg celcius. People mostly live in complexea and each complex has it's own power back up and loads of security guards. The odd chance you walk out for a stroll you could be frozen/burnt or robbed or maybe all three :D.

Anyway Gurgaon has been kinda nice to me courtesy the time of joining which happened to be right between summer and winter. My weekend plan for Gurgaon was to head out to Shimla/Dehradun having friends in both places. So I was naturally elated to be in Mussourie for this group building exercise in GSK my new organisation. I didn't click too many pics but made some new friends and really enjoyed the natural beauty.

BTW the best reaction of my transfer came from my aunt who really couldn't understand the big deal about me going to Goregaon(which she thought was Gurgaon) :D.

Life here is going to be interesting.

Luv,

Pranay

Why my nephew would be great at farmville

2010-02-20T01:00:00.000+05:30

Being totally jobless after 4 years has its plus points and its minus points. The plus point is total peace of mind courtesy the very minimum no. of phone calls but the minus point is sheer boredom. So I decided to observe my equally jobless and obviously pregnant older sister playing farmville.

Farmville is supposed to be one of the most popular games in the cyber world which is weird because I am really not a part of it and I do consider myself quite the early trend spotter. You do not get an id like pranay@gmail if you are a laggard. In my defence I did join farmville ages back, but slow net speeds in rural Karnataka stymied my initial enthusiasm for a game which I considered to be a poor cousin of the hugely popular original Simcity which I loved as a teenager.

Anyway I decided to observe the game being played by my sister and realized why my nephew would excel at the game. For starters it has a few plots of land where you begin growing some crop with some seed which you buy with your initial seed (unintended pun) capital. The interface has big pictures of all these vegetable seeds which would really appeal to a toddler. All the farming is make believe and that is where my nephew excels. And every time I see a message on my facebook page about some friend having found a lost sheep/horse/hippo I think about the little guy who seems to find (and lose) car keys, toys, imaginary articles etc etc quite easily.

The clincher though is the part where every farmer fertilises his neighbours farm. This is where I firmly believe my nephew would be the best. His attempts at potty training not withstanding, he could (if left diaper less in a farm) fertilise and irrigate the entire place in next to no time and would also probably win a ribbon for the same.

Farmville is the digital manifestation of the mind of a 2.5 yr old toddler who is excited about all the wonderful things he believes he has done which probably is the reason why so many people love to play it. The community is like this big playschool where a lot of kids come together and live a fantasy together which is what makes it so addictive.

So go forth and fertilise,

with a fertile imagination,

PR