Itlu

Trek to Thadiyandamol

2009-12-27T23:36:00.000-08:00

Thadiyandamol or Tadiandamol is the highest peak in Coorg (Karnataka's trekking and naturalist paradise) and second highest in Karnataka at 1,750 meters or 5742 feet above sea level (map coordinates). T name Tadiandamol literally means “highest point”. Located in the Western Ghats region of south west Karnataka the coorgi’s locally call it Thandiyandamol Betta. The Thandiyandamol trek is rated among some of the best in Karnataka and south india. A trekking route from the peak goes straight to Brahmagiri hills. The Brahmagiri hills (1340 mts) can be seen far off towards from the south of Tadiyandamol. You can also reach these hills from Kerala via Thirunelli. (River Kalindi originates from here also home to some thick rain forest like evergreen vegetation).

Trek pictures are posted on my Facebook account.

One liner

2009-08-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Personality influences/reflects-in the way we program

Movie Tagline

2009-07-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

Knowing is stupid - of prophecies, destruction and everything else (EE)

Not a rare sight!

2009-05-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Scumdog Millionaire

2009-02-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

Directed by a non-Indian director - a reason it stood in the oscars.

AR Rahman has done better scores than this one.

Never ever did the real show (Who wants to be a millionaire) made mockery of its participants.

Talk about acting - pathetic - documentaries are better.

Torture - unreal - why didn't someone make a film on the escapades of Guantanamo?!

Songs & dances - there are much class films than this one.

Much to the hype of media, it is to be noted that this is not an Indian film, rather a film on India.

Summary: I hated this film.

Job application at Satyam

2009-01-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

Sir,

I feel qualified for the role of senior manager - corporate affairs at your esteemed organization due to the following reasons:

I come from a family that has utmost ethical values.
I am sincere at work and act as a loyal subordinate to the company.
Skam, skandal, cheeting, froud, forgary, robbory - i don't even know how to spell correctly.
Awards & Honors: I was never dishonored, punished nor taken to task in my entire career.
... above all, I come with decent management skills.

I hope, in this hour of crisis, and with the personal qualities I abide by, I stand a great chance of becoming part of your esteemed organization.

Looking forward for a mutually beneficial association.

Thanking you,
Your's truly,

(Prospective candidate.)

New MasterCard advert

2008-12-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

- Reward for winning silver medal in Olympics - Rs.10,000,000
- Reward for winning cricket match - Rs.1,000,000
- Reward for sacrificing life in terrorist attacks - Rs.500,000
- Kerala CM insulting martyr's family - priceless
- There are somethings money can't buy, for everything else, there are (Indian) politicians.

Grammatically incorrect?!

2008-08-26T10:15:00.000-07:00

Chiranjeevi's party by-line reads: preme dheyam - seve maargam

May be it should have been: seve dheyam - preme maargam

* Telugu knowledge prerequisite

Photo quiz (easy, again)

2007-10-23T02:05:00.000-07:00

Name the person:

Photo quiz (easy)

2007-10-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Identify the two!

Independance? Huh.....!

2007-08-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

If India is celebrating 60 years of independence, I am yet in chains. I would be celebrating few (successful) years for losing independence.

Two nations have invaded my kingdom and declared victory. So brutally that I could only express my failure when they are fast asleep (now 0052 hrs).

My freedom fell flat to Home minister, who is all-powerful and all-pervasive. No more parties without the ministry. No more solo movie shows. No more 9-hours sleep. Welcome to husband-hood.

The commander-in-chief has just crossed an year in existence and yet too powerful to squeeze all my energies. Nothing else takes priority when he is awake, but rather be a humble servant to keep him cheerful. I salute. Welcome to fatherhood.

Freedom? What are we talking about? What is it like?!

Did I spell independance correctly?

Baapu ... please help me too.

Shift happens ... are we prepared?!

2007-07-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Of, By and For N7W

2007-07-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

The buzz is all around. My grand-mom too was asking about it. TV, radio, print media, hoardings, and all possible communication channels. Its about the new 7 wonders of the world. Did you vote your nominations? And if you are an Indian, have you been true to your desh by nominating the Taj Mahal? I did. I voted for Timbuktu. It somehow fascinated me.

So, while Bernard Weber (maybe) was on pot relieving himself, it struck him a great idea that would spin off millions of dollars by hosting a Web 2.0 site and some clever marketing. He made USD $2 for every authentic certificate printed. That's just one revenue channel. Merchandise, donations, you name it. And it did earn him his dreams. In return he promises to spend 50% of revenues for protecting and restoring heritage sites.

First thing first. Does he represent any recognized world consortium like the UNESCO? The answer is an emphatic NO. He represents NewWorldFoudation, which (at least) doesn't claim to be a non-profit organization.

Supposing the results speak against the Taj Mahal; does it lose its value or pride? And if Mr.Weber thought that man advanced the number of heritage sites, then why not rephrase it to 10-wonders of modern world?!

Birla mandir is divine. The Palm Jumeirah is out of this world.

Next year, on 08-08-2008, watch out for 8 new wonders of the world led by Bharad.

Future people

2007-05-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Advaith

2007-05-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Gilly has balls

2007-05-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Did you ever play Gilly-danda? In Hindi, Gilly is similar to a striking ball in cricket, but made of wood.

And, Gilly (read Gilchrist) really has balls. Its absolute rubbish of the Lankans to raise a new controversy of him using a squash ball in the World cup final. They attribute his innings of 149 to the squash ball.

I advocate to use springs in the willow if that would help Sanath clinch the cup. Or Gilly-danda if that would help strike the ball better.

How foolosh! Isn't it the concentration, foot-work and timing that help a batsman score runs? Any arguments here?!

However way you may read; Gilly has balls. Balls of steel.

Gold rush - Revisited

2007-04-18T22:41:00.000-07:00

Akshaya Tritiya. Its not about acquiring gold. Nor riches.

Akshya Tritiya, an auspicious day, happens to be Vaisakha-Sudha-Tadiya according to the traditional Hindu almanac.

Akshaya in Sanskrit means that which never diminishes. Contrary to the belief, it signifies being selfless, helping the needy in any form - such as gifting foor, clothes, etc, and if these were not possible, to draw into one's-self and contemplate God - Bhagavannama smarana; which good deed is believed to bestow grace throughout the year.

Greedy marketers promote this day to make merry business in selling gold and jewellery. Trust me, greed would never double your gold's value.

Gotcha?

P.S. relishing Tere Bina of Guru fame.

The Unit Earning System

2007-04-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

I propose a Unit based earning system for cricketers:

Every run scored: 1 unit
Boundary: 6 units
Sixer: 10 units
Wicket taken: 25 units
Catch taken: 15 units
Successful stumping/runout: 15 units
Match won: +100 units
Match lost: -25 units*
Man-of-the-match: +25 units
...and so on, if i missed something.

Lets quantify the same. Assume 1 unit = Rs.1000/-

Assuming Sachin scores 77; takes 1 wicket; and further assuming if India wins, Sachin would walk away with Rs.102,000/-.

And kindergarten kid wouldn't think twice to calculate if he ducks.

In case the team loses and there is a negative figure on any player; he would take nothing and the same liability carry forwards to the next match.

Then, what happens to the prize money? To be used as a pool to upbring new players.

That's how appraisals work universally, right? Then why spare cricketers?!

Fair enough?

Worldcup is open

2007-02-20T01:08:00.000-08:00

Character, courage, carnage, brutal, substance, class, ...

whatever you may call it. God! The Chappel-Hadlee series between NZ vs AUS was a treat to watch. What an amazing performance by the Kiwis, to have reduced the favourites to ashes.

My favouries this time (in the order of probability):

1. Australia
2. South Africa
3. New Zealand

Off the cuff

2007-02-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Linux - Play with the root and you will kill the tree.
Microsoft - Bugs only enter through open Windows.

One of those days

2007-02-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

I commemorate only the following:

Birthdays
Wedding Anniversary
Taddinam (alias aabdikam viz., Death anniversary of beloved ones)

Rest of the days, such as v-day, love_your_pet's day (and many more) are just institutionalised.

Any takers?

Words of wisdom

2007-02-12T23:26:00.000-08:00

OOPs! I did it again

2007-02-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

Sachin was in news yesterday. Not for his recent century; but for his new endorsement as a business partner for a branded apparel company. Any average cricketer would earn for two generations.

Sonia Gandhi had to resign as the Chairman of NAC. You and I would have signed a 30+ page legal contract with our respective employers that resists us earning bucks elsewhere. Yes, the perspective is Office-of-profit.

I wish there were a law that would enforce such a thing on Indian cricketers.

Whats your IQ?

2006-12-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

Take the test and do post your score.

If Microsoft did iPod packaging...

2006-11-18T02:50:00.000-08:00

Water = What an Err

2006-11-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

I am fond of chemistry, and this advertisement amuses me. They boast to have introduced "healthy" drinking water that has 300% more oxygen. Lets look at this more closely.

As I have known, water is a compound of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen, i.e., H₂O. What makes it drinkable is its purity levels.

Academically, 300% more oxygen should make it H₂O₃ (dihydrogen trioxide), which is a new compound altogether?!

I fail to understand. Manikchand, wakeup!!!

Office Space

2006-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

4 words=Go watch the film

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151804/

Dreamy confessions

2006-10-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

2AM now. The night before Diwali. With no sign of weariness, I blog.

Five dreams that are hard to forget:

Stupidest: picnic to the moon. I bought myself a ticket for the moon. Launch pad was somewhere next to the IMAX theatre. We (I was in a group) landed on the moon in approximately 40 minutes. There was an agent who received us and boarded on a Volvo bus. There were trees, people, and chai ka dukans. Bus halted near a garden. I stepped out in the space suit, recalling "small step for man, giant leap for the mankind". Err! Without the head gear (what ever it is called in the NASA parlance). I got back in the bus, wore the entire suit, ran against its checklist and stepped out with pride. Boy! I was awed. I was jumping high defying gravity. It was humid yet pleasant. Go, get yourself one, IMAX sells them now-a-days. Analogy: This is what happens if you watch Magnificent Desolation and visit Ramoji Film City. Beware.
Nastiest: We lost the battle against cockroaches. Mind you, these are 3-4 feet man-eating pests. They are all over the house. Vacuum cleaners and insecticides proved futile. We all finally succumbed. Analogy: The other day, me and my wife really waged a war against these tiny little creatures and vacuum cleaned innumerable number of them. Of course, we won.
Scariest: That I was writing my post-grad Physics exam, again. Analogy: I was reluctant studying this subject during college days. As destiny would decide, I am now happily married to a Physics lecturer. P.S. I am not scared of my wife :)
Sexist: The dream is censored. Analogy: Doesn't exist. Trust me.
Dearest: That night I was with my father, with my entire family. We had coffee together. We discussed many different things. I still remember the pride of being with my father. It was a lifelike experience. I woke up only to be disappointed. Analogy: I love my father so much that I feel his presence in every moment of life. Yet, I miss my father.

Well done Ganguly

2006-10-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

I am sure Sourav Ganguly has found his soul. I feel he must have read Chicken Soup for the Soul. He is now training cricket to the football crazy Mizos.

In Telugu, there is a saying, "Chettu leni chota avudam chettu minna", which literally translates to, "Where there are no trees, castor trees are great".

May his soul rest in peace.

Proximity breeds

2006-10-09T04:47:00.000-07:00

I like this phrase. It is often said that proximity breeds danger. But it produces intimacies and off-springs too. Though subjective, I can recollect many instances where I developed intimacies, had conflicts and was also contempt.

Why, this, now? I came across this inspiring character from ISB, turned colleague, who has nurtured this "art form" to its best. We shared the same table space for six months and had great fun at work.

Hang on, no lateral breeding happened between us, for, he is a male. And me too.

I recommend reading his blog at Mango Indian.

I may not be the best of expressionists, however, he has vetted my appetite for writing.

PS: Proximity is dangerous and contagious too. Use discretion.

Signature style

2006-10-09T03:14:00.000-07:00

For those non-Telugu readers, wondering what this blog name meant.

Itlu is a valedictory/sign-off phrase.

Experiencing the experience

2006-10-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

My work demands travelling quite a few times in a year. Fortunately, to destinations that I haven't been before; always carrying my passion for photography. During initial trips, I was cocooned in the camera, capturing in it whatever awed me; from tall buildings to gardens; from women to heavily armed cops; from cars to monuments, which contributed to my 1200+ printed photo gallery. My eyes searched for anything that fits my frame and until the rollfilm lasted. It was an experience in itself; capturing while enjoying myself and later sharing experieices with my friends and relatives.

This intro again relates to my experience with Bengali babus at the RFC*. They left no leaf unturned in the 2000-acre park that is not captured in photos. All with pride and glory with Yashica cameras. In fact, many of them had the age old Yashicas.

Even I have come of age. I now take more pleasure in experiencing the experience than capturing it. I look back and laugh.

*RFC - Ramoji Film City

West Bengal is feminine

2006-10-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

It took me 10 years to make my first visit at Ramoji film city. Hang on, not that I missed something extremely wonderful in all these years. Yet, all non-native relatives of mine had seen it before, which leaves me behind.

With Dusserah ended just a week ago, Ramoji was filled with Bengali babus and bahus. They make a community of their own, distinct in style and substance. What is glaringly visible is the way wives dominated their counter parts. Right from selecting a seat in a local bus journey or a public show that hardly lasted 8-minutes. They are not even shy of vocally dwarfing them in public. My verdict - females rule in Bengal.

Postal day

2006-10-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

I don't remember when I had last written to someone. I almost became dormant with this art form. There is one of my relatives, who, to this date loves writing letters. I received one from him a couple of months ago. Rather unusual in this e-age, he is not connected to the Internet, nor to the SMS. Every red postal drop box that I pass by reminds him, however, my lethargy in picking up a paper, pen and writing to him is overshadowing.

Thanks to radio FM, it reminded me that today is Indian Post & Telegraph day. I had decided, come what may, that I would reply my dear relative today. And also recommend him to get hooked on to the internet.