What Happened at Mohali Today ?

A cricket newbie’s guide to understanding why a cricket match at Mohali is making major news waves today

Picture this, 45000 people including heads of two nations and dignitaries galore, painted either in all green or saffron white and green screaming their guts out at Mohali even as over 1 billion more tune in using their smartphone video apps or a radio broadcast at a local paan and tea shop. Overnight, Google starts suggesting ‘rain’ as a topic to search when users type in Mohali. What is it about two players wielding bats in a field with 11 players that makes movie stars, politicians and commoners alike jump up & down like kids ? What it is it about that leather ball hitting the three stumps that make non-believers believe and look up in faith ? What is happening in Mohali that makes crowded streets of Kolkata sport a deserted look even as schools and office across India close early ?

If all of that sounds alien, I empathise with you. I was born Indian but somewhere I missed that ubiquitous gene found in abundance in people from Indian subcontinent and that is love & passion..no wait..fanaticism for cricket. Back in India, religion, politics, IT, personal issues and everything else takes a backseat when a cricket match is on. I got used to it as I grew up in India but when I came to US for studies in 2008, I thought in vain that I would be able to live a life free of cricket. For three years, I lived in this illusion but come 2011 and the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) shattered it completely. In the game of cricket, the buck stops here. Held every four years between all Test playing nations, there is no event bigger than a Cricket World Cup and even amongst its matches, there is no bigger rivalry than the one between Pakistan & India. Make no mistake, the match has nothing to do with religion or with political differences between these countries. It might as well be a friendly match played for charity but an India vs Pakistan clash would draw maximum efforts out of both teams. Now imagine the same rivalry playing out at the semi finals of CWC 2011 and you have got a potent combination.

As I type, the results are out and India would be advancing to the finals against Sri Lanka at Mumbai and Pakistan would be watching it from home. India is the favourite to win the Cup in a final that looks all set to be an exciting match,  but for most Indian cricket lovers, India has already won the match that mattered the most.

understanding the purpose

Blog XXX of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

One of the reasons for starting this whole blogging exercise of writing thirty blogs in thirty days was to be able to understand the purpose of this blog.

So now that thirty blogs are in past, one thing that you can expect for sure is that I would keep blogging in future, although with a short break in between to upgrade my website structure. My frequency of blogging would also probably come down to an average of 1-2 blogs per week. I would like to try out lots of things that I had thought for this experiment but could not implement, I would like to diversify more into different topics. I would try to keep a balance between diary-like posts and news-like posts since this blog is as much about learning as much about sharing and personal expression. And as a way to put action into words, I would like you to fill in the form below to help me understand the right mix.

To bid adieu to this series, I would like to thank the following:

• handful enthusiasts for telling me that I am doing a good job and commenting on my blogs.
• bunch of non-enthusiasts for telling me that I need to do a better job.
• few friends who gave their kind permission to be mentioned and linked in these blogs.
• caffeine & music for keeping me up during those drowsy moments before clicking the Publish button.
• Windows Live Writer for providing that Publish button.

$P

The Final Countdown

Blog XXIX of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

As I approach climax of my thirty days – thirty blogs series, I cannot help but marvel at the amount of blogs I have written over past two fortnights. While I had been regularly blogging on my technical blog as part of a course I had took in my final semester, back then I had a paper to blog about every time. Blogging about something new and making it interesting day after day was a challenge. And it was for this very reason that I took up this experiment because I wanted to kick-start my blogging in a serious fashion.

It was emotionally very demanding, while many of these blogs were conceived over a long period of time, with points jotted down in free moments, sewing a functional blog post out of them was nevertheless a daunting task. I tried hard not to get repetitive (unless that was the intention like in the case of How did I almost end up being series), avoid any offensive statements and diversify as much as possible. During this experiment, I wrote about politics, religion, personal moments, career suggestions, travel and even a sorry attempt at a P=NP joke. The number of my Buzz followers over this period dropped from 80 to 79 which I am hoping was not a direct consequence of my blogging ! There were some interesting ideas which did not materialise and hopefully I would write them in future.

How did I do is open to interpretation. Right now I am feeling happy at the very fact that I did do thirty blogs over thirty days without taking any shortcuts by writing very short posts (which probably have their own good reasons to exist on other blogs). Frankly this would not have been possible had I started to think about a new topic every day. For any going-to-be-bloggers, I would suggest the same thing. Jot down points for a potential topic and keep on adding points until you feel reasonably confident that you can stitch a post out of them. In response to some of my blogs, I got some very enthusiastic response which is a good sign even though most of my blogs went unnoticed. I WAS noticed however by a spam bot which left me my first spam comment. I am not sure though if I should feel encouraged ! However what is certainly encouraging to see is an increase in traffic on my website. Since I have not done any major changes on other sections of my website, it is safe to assume that those red dots springing up across the globe are readers of this blog. I hope I have been able to do some value addition to your time.

Having said all, I would be more than glad to hear your suggestions, comments and criticism. Anything that does not kill me will help me grow and that is what I want to do. Please feel free to leave comments below or use the form here.

51 Indicators of a graduate student back in professional life

Blog XXVII of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

About two years ago, I put together a list of 51 indicators of a person in graduate studies. Having moved into professional world again, it is time to pay tribute to that list by coming up with another list of indicators that you are back in professional life from graduate studies. Admittedly most of the points are updates to points from the previous list.

1. wear a set of goggles and proceed to the nearest cool destination to get a profile photo to announce it to the world that you are employed.
2. you start using premium wipes  (think morning).
3. you don't think twice about splurging on chic T-shirts and trendy wear.
4. you lug around an IBM ThinkPad or an Apple Mac Book.
5. your conversation starters can vary widely from photography to entrepreneurship to in-house growth opportunities to cheapest way to remit money to India.
6. your adopt exotic hobbies like skydiving.
7. phrase "Friday nights" elicits an image of an early break from office and visit to a nearby pub (I don’t drink, mind you).
8. in your nightmare you tape-out your chip only to catch a bug in your part of the design using a late regression.
9. your mall trips are triggered by an idle Sunday afternoon with nothing better to do.
10. eating out is no big deal.
11. you train your ears to pick up office rumours.
12. you train your eyes to spot bugs in simulation waveforms and boss approaching from his cubicle.
13. you have your meals largely in your cubicle, often while attending an online meeting as  a passive participant.
14. you no longer care about sharing your expense with all your roommates.
15. you specially go in front of your manager’s cubicle early morning but sneak from behind when leaving early.
16. you ditch your basic phone for a smartphone.
17. you have more grocery and dishes than your refrigerator/kitchen cabinet could ever hold.
18. while going through grocery items, you focus on taste.
19. you pay frequent visits to nearby recreation centre to play TT.
20. you claim to be a racquetball champion even though i has been ages since you last played it.
21. 50% of your emails in Inbox are junk emails from that distribution list you decided to subscribe to.
22. other 50% are training enrolment/service request confirmations.
23. after-office talk goes like "So who is cooking tonight ?".
24. you browse social media networks and comment on your friend’s updates as if you were paid full time to do that.
25. learn virtues of eating/sleeping on a couch.
26. bedbugs figure nowhere near the top of the list of things to worry about.
27. you take an insurance because your landlord expects you to.
28. path to Wal-Mart goes through your office’s free shuttle stop.
29. your arguments with roommate are STILL over which flavour of ice cream to purchase.
30. you learn different ways of sneaking that 'grocery trolley' as near to your home as possible.
31. you take upon an expensive gym membership only to end up not using it.
32. you have to convince your manager that despite being an HDL engineer, you need to take a training on “Advanced HDL Design Techniques” or something similar to that.
33. you realise that there do exist non-Asians who can pronounce Asian names perfectly well.
34. you send a brief write up about your professional career to be included in a speech/email/write up to other team members.
35. you open a bank a/c for the investment options that it has for offer.
36. you have forgotten that apart from having ATMs, banks have branches too.
37. you agree to work overtime just because it pays more.
38. you always appear Available on GTalk.
39. you still read PhD Comics but with a sense of nostalgia than a poignant feeling of déjà vu.
40. you start breathing datasheets and juggling project work.
41. have chicken tandoori rolls for lunch at company cafeteria when not eating out.
42. you stare at other Indians as competition for that next promotion.
43. 99% of mails in your post-box are regarding benefits options or new credit card offers.
44. you count no. of vacations to your India visit.
45. you have long forgotten about metric measurement system.
46. the last time you flashed your passport was for submitting an H1B petition request.
47. you realise that not all desi stores are so expensive after all.
48. the only time you cannot wake up early in morning is on weekends and holidays.
49. you brainstorm for days over which car to buy.
50. you go for a trendy hair style with/without coupon because 'you think ‘you can afford it’.
51. you decide to write thirty blogs in thirty days.

DISCLAIMER: Above points are based on self experience as well as perceptions from external agents. Not all the points are followed by people in general. Also please read the disclaimer in original article about skew towards international population.

11 things that I love about USA

Blog XXIV of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

Lest you should think I am hating my stay in USA based on my past few blogs, here is another list although this time about things that I love about USA. While I was leaving ST to come here, one my colleagues told me that USA has both good and bad things, try to absorb the good ones and learn from bad ones. So here are some of the good ones to be absorbed:

• Travelling in Amtrak: Not many people in my surroundings had been on Amtrak or even heard of it when I, inspired from my experience with Indian Railways, decided to use it for travelling from Boston to Chicago. While Amtrak is not as widespread as IR is, it definitely beats its Asian counterpart when it comes to services offered. Specifically the route that I took had Hogwart-ish feeling to it.
• Staying in hostels: you know that I am a cheapskate, so I was apprehensive when as a graduate student we had to stay somewhere but hostels came to our rescue. Basically hostels are poorer cousins of hotels, you still get the beds and sometime rooms but you stay in a more intimate and homely environment and the prices make you feel much more homely as well !
• Unusual sights: I was looking forward to the contrast in Indian and American sights. Having spent most of my life in a landlocked city, my beach-starved soul attained bliss on seeing the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Amusement parks like Six Flags tickled my adventure bone real hard. And when everything else fails, you always have the concrete jungle to rely upon.
• Grocery shopping: I would have never thought that this would figure in my list of things I love USA for but that’s the magic of industry here that they can make a mundane task like grocery shopping to be immensely enjoyable. What’s that ? No just because I enjoy it, I can’t do it for you, no not even for 5 $.
• Infrastructure: As mentioned before, USA has huge huge infrastructure, you see it in the skyscraper malls, immensely rich libraries, always on utilities and yes, even in warehouse-ish grocery shops.
• Interaction: Imagine having a Jewish & a Chinese professor, an American roommate, Korean classmate, bunch of Indian friends from all corners of India, Greek manager and a Russian neighbour. Suffice it to say then, the interaction and exposure levels are much higher here than probably anywhere else in world.
• Great liberty: USA is a land of liberty, so they say, and you see it in action everyday when you notice that even in rigid professional circles, one’s free to choose his/her fashion, style statement without being judged on it. GLBTs openly fight for their rights
• Treatment to veterans and differently-abled: USA does not afford privileges to certain needy sections like its seniors but it should be lauded for treating its veterans and differently-abled people with so much respect and concern. Each agency involved makes special arrangements to respect war veterans and provides adequate arrangements for differently-abled people to allow them work to their full potential.
• Work culture: While even working in an MNC in India gives you a taste of this culture, in USA you get to have a firsthand experience of that. People are highly professional and clear cut in their dealings. Many people are actively looking to startup their own business and many more are aiming to rise through the ranks as fast as possible.
• Great sights: Who would not agree that if India is land of Taj Mahal, Himalayas & Ganga, then USA is the land of Grand Canyon, NYC, Hollywood and Disneyland.

• Cuisine: Let’s admit it, USA does not really have much cuisine to call its own except for different kinds of delicious pies and Mexican cuisine customised as Tex-Mex food. But whatever little it has, it tastes great.

Please leave your comments below if you think I have missed an obvious item or included a dud in this list.

21 things I miss about India

Blog XXIII of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

Here is a quick list of twenty one things that I miss about India. They are presented in no particular order (although missing Indian food was the trigger event for starting this post) and I have intentionally desisted from listing names unless necessary.

• Going on short trips to places adjoining NCR every month.
• Eating home cooked food and chaat/street food.
• Meeting all of my friends and relatives and not having to wait for a long vacation.
• Spending hours on planning trips using Indian Railways and IRCTC website.
• Having a 5-10 Rs party with Amit every so often.
• Going with elder brother to the nearby bookstore to catch hold of a comic book or to the nearby music store (Madhurvani) to record a new CD.
• Watching elder sister & her family on webcam every week or so (sure we are in same country now and talk more often, but get to see less).
• Meeting my two lovely nieces every holidays.
• Reading books at my Mantha’s place on the sixth floor of a high-rise in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), reading Enid Blyton & Arthur Conan Doyle and humming an idiotic tune all day long.
• Petting the two dogs at Mysore Pacchi's place.
• Feeding cats and meeting my cousin brother & sister at Mangalore.
• Going to visit my late grandmother and to return every time with a nenderbal banana, get astrological opinion from bappa.
• Travelling on Konkan railways, views of which almost barely beat the thrill of a 3 day journey to Mangalore through its previous route via Vishakapatnam.
• Going with father on long walks and to feed moturam leftover bones.
• Countless DC (District Centre) & later CP (Connaught Place) sessions with friends over pastries, cakes and sandwiches.
• Discussing anything under the sun over lunch time with Khana Khazana friends.
• Celebrating Indian holidays like Deepawali, Holi, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Rakhi et al.
• Indulging in a Babel of languages and yet feeling oneness with others.
• Attending Indian DJ sessions at marriages and colleges.
• Attending World Book Fair at Pragati Maidan and coming back with arms load of books to be read till the next book fair.
• Attending religious ceremonies, eating kachodi at Kalkaji, taking bath in hot springs of Kadri temple and visiting other mysterious South Indian temples.

Sirji, what an idea !

Blog XXII of Thirty Days – Thirty Blogs series

“Sir, Can you please tell me…” is how typically emails from my NSIT juniors start. Like many other colleges, juniors refer to their seniors in NSIT as Sir or Madam (not both, please make note of that) and that habit sticks on, often for their complete lifetime.

Why call seniors Sir/Madam, well for one they like it. It is probably a vestigial remains of the once rampant ragging and introduction campaigns (as a junior myself, I had to enact fire in a mock marriage since I was wearing yellow) where seniors would get the thrills out of making their juniors conform to a certain code of conduct. Some juniors claim that it is out of respect although that seems to be more of an afterthought than the real reason. Another reason is that perhaps it is a good starting point to ensure that no tempers are frayed in case the other person was expecting a Sir/Madam.

Having done part of my education in US and worked in two MNCs, I got accustomed to the culture of calling your seniors by their first names or their titles (Dr., Prof.) which in my view builds a better work environment. It somewhere encourages the notion that despite seniority, one should be humble enough to have a conversation with his juniors without requiring use of titles. It also fosters an informal environment.

What do you think about this ? Please leave comments below.