Its me !!!

2011-10-02T07:55:00.003+05:30

Trying to edit my blog after a long time.Yesterday I had been to attend a lecture on XBRL.I went there with a lot of expectations.Unfortunately,the lecture was not upto the expectations !

2009-03-12T06:00:00.001+05:30

Getting ready for Work

The 1st week in Singapore

2008-06-25T06:41:00.001+05:30

I landed in Singapur on the 21st at around 7:20 pm..The flight from India(Singapore airlines) was on time and the landing at the Changi airport was also on time.

I had no issues with immigration either in India or Singapore.I found the Singapore immigration very eficient and friendly.The lady at the imigration counter in Singapore infact offered me a candy(chocolate).That was the first positive imopression of Singapore I had on this visit.

After immigration I collected my luggage and proceeded towards the Exit.Chandran from Emerio had just arrived there and was holding a placard of my name.

I got into his taxi,chatted with him on the way and reached the Francis Guest house.There was no recepton at the guest house but Chandran guided me on how to reach the room.

I managed to get to the room where I met a Chinese guy called Leo(I am currently sharing a room with Leo).

I told Leo that I had to make an International call and hence wanted some help.He readily offered me the card given to him by Emerio.I could call up home and inform my folks about my arrival in Singapore.

I had not taken the number of my friend Ratan and was wondering how to contact him.Just then he called me up at the Guest house after learning from my wife(He did not know when I was coming and so called up my wife in India) that I was to fly on Saturday at 11:45 am India time.

I asked Ratan to come to the guest house.In the meantime I took a shower and got ready.

Ratan came to the guesthouse in a few minutes and with him I then went to Little India,had samosas and wandered around curiously finding about the prices of various items of my interest.

We then went to his place at Tiong Bahru,had food ,chatted with his roomies and went to sleep.

The next day we again went to Little India(Ratan had some work there),then to the Suntec City,Fountain of wealth, came back to Ratan's place,had special khichadi,made by Ratan.

In the evening we went to the forest walk recently innaugarated by the PM of Singapore.It was a very unique and wonderful experience.I wished we had something similar back in India.

After the walk,we returned home.I had some food and then got back to the guest house and prepared for the next day - my first day at CITI.

I had called up Bijil,the Emerio HR on Sunday afternoon and he had told me that he would pick me and another guy-Suresh who would join CITI on the same day,from the guest house.

On Monday,I got ready by 8:30 am.Bijil did come to pick me up and he took us to the Millenia tower.He made us fill in some forms and sign a few.He took the passort and the EP document to be submitted to the Ministry of Manpower(MOM).

Later,he took us to the office we would work in and handed us over to the CITI admin.

The CITI Admin rep,Stephanie completed the onbaord facilities and introduced us to the PM and the colleagues.

Everything seemed well planned and friendly.

I met a guy - Rahul Ner who hailed from Nampur,Nasik in the office.Later in the day I went to lunch(at Pangat) with him and another colleague-Krupa.

The rest of the day passed going through some mandatory web trainings.

I was still anxious as I had still not got an idea about my work and role.But I remained positive.

The next day the PM-Priya did explain to us about the team and the work.That assured me.

Today it is my third day at office.I seem to have gained some acquaintance of the place.Thanks to my previous visit to Singapore in 2003,I quickly learned to move around Singapore, using the MRT and the buses.The public transport system in Singapore is one of the most efficient in the world...far better and friendly than in the US.Singapore scores a huge point over the US here.

Today I managed to get to office all by myself.That was a big achievement given the maze of tall buildings around the Suntec area.

I am still reading about the Project through documents provided to us by the PM.We have still not been involved in the regular work.

That may happen soon.

There is no internet access in the Office.So I have to go to Ratan's place to access the internet.I now feel that I would be able to spend an year here and so have parallely started searching for a flat.

From Ratan's place using his phone and the website given to me by Gayatri(Gumtree),I called up a few agents yesterday.One of the flats,mentioned by the agent Rani looks promising.

Today she may call me in the evening and I may go to see the flat with Ratan.

I am missing my family and India.However I see many Indians here and Singaporeans are friendly people.

I can also get Indian food easily and have met many old friends here.

That has helped me get over the homesickness.

I am positive about the things here and plan to bring my wife and son here soon.

Only then life would start again..Currently I am in a Buffer state, not living actually..just making arrangements and preparations.

GOD has been kind and has been guiding me in the right direction.I am being patient and waiting for the day when my family would be here with me.

2008-06-13T06:45:00.000+05:30

During our South India trip we came to Thiruvananthapuram at about 4 pm.We had a train from Thiruvananthapuram at 11pm.

We decided to visit the famous Padmanabhswami temple.

Through our visits to various temples and tourist locations so far,we had realised that people try to loot the tourists.

We were really fed up and frustrated with the experiece...The Padmanabh swami temple topped it all and I had a fight with the pandas in the temple.

The details:
Before entering the temple..all of us...2 men,2 women and 1 child were forced to wear a special kind of a wrap around..the rent was rs.15 per piece...This is something unique to the temple..Nowehere in Maharashtra I have come across this forced custom of having to wear a particular dress while entering the temple.

So the rent was Rs.75.Then for the cameras we had to pay extra.The total was over Rs.100..Before entering the temple we had the feeling that we were taken for a ride and this temple was more a business centre than a place of the Almighty.

At the entrance of the temple we saw a Russian couple who was prohibited from entering the temple..probabely for the reason that they were non-Hindus and ate cow meat.

I think everyone should be allowed inside the temple.How do you ensure that a Hindu has not indulged in immoral activities?Without any means of verification,Hindus can easily enter the temple and non-Hindus are prohibited.This again was something differnt from my earlier experience in Maharashtrian temples.

After we entered the temple,a guy carrying some plates of oil followed us,handed that over to us and asked us to pour the oil in some place.After doing what he asked us to do,he demanded Rs.20.I said I had money outside the temple(I actually did not want to give him the money as I had not asked for the service..He had thrusted it on us).

He then asked me to go out and get the money.This sparked me off.I blasted the guy left and right and abused him.I told him that it was because of guys like him that Hinduism was getting a bad name.Cheating devotees, doing business in the name of GOD is quite prevalelent in the Indian temples...My father and I have now decided not to visit a single temple during our next tour.

GOD is everywhere and we need not seek him in a confined location and in the process get looted.

To all the temples that we went to (Srichandur,Trivandrum,ISKCON temple Bangalore) we
saw business being done in the name of GOD.The ways are different but the purpose is the same.

Business...Business.

We were fed up with that.

The best experience was at Kanyakumari..at the rock memorial.I think that is the real temple.It is not driven by business motives.Rather it inspires young Indian minds to work for a strong India.

The Vivekanandapuram Project is a not-to-miss place.I plan to stay there for atleast a week and knowing more about the activities of the Vivekanadapuram on my next visit.

A nation of corrupt and cowards has no future

2008-05-26T08:43:00.000+05:30

I was told by my travel agent that to get my passport renewed under the 'Tatkal' scheme,I would have to get a verification

certificate.This certificate could be got from one of the several officers authorized by the Government.

The certificate had just 5 things to state

1.That my name is XYZ

2.My father's name is XYXABX

3.My place of birth is XYZ

4.I have been staying at 'abc' and

5.That I am of a good moral character.

I already had an old passport which certified items 1 to 3.For item 4 I had the relevant proofs and for item 5,I had no case

pending against me.I have served in reputed MNCs in the last 10 years and have held important positions.

I tried to approach one of our acquaintances who himself is a First class officer.However he did not fall in the list of

officers stated by the passport office..So I asked him if he could refer me to any such officer.

From what he told me,I was shocked.

Getting a simple certification like the above has become a very tough task in India.I think that is a symptom of the

illness,India suffers from.

We hear many stories how people have committed suicide because they could not gather the necessary documents for claiming

the pension that they aptly deserve.

On the other hand many anti-social elements,using their political nexus,get any kind of certificate.One member of the

parliament had even produced a certificate for a dead person.

A nation where the common law abiding citizens have to run from one officer to the other for getting basic certifications

and where anti-social elements manage to get any certificate without much hassle can never become a super-power.

It is doomed...I am sad that my own country is doomed.

Then what category do I fall under..after all I too am an Indian...I think I am a part of that dormant-disunited-law abiding citizens who are vastly outnumbered by the corrupt and cowards.

A day will come,I am hopeful when this section would demonish the cowards and corrupts and restore India to its past glory.

Till then I wait.. and pray that God give me the strength to get rid of these locusts.

Soft skills

2008-05-15T19:49:00.000+05:30

My passport was due for renewal and so I contacted Girikand travels- a name I trust for my travel requirements.

While I was filling in the forms and talking to the representative,there was a man sitted next to me who was collecting the tickets for his travel the same day..He collected the tickets and left.

After he had gone,I realised that he had accidently dropped something on the chair.I checked it up and realised that he had left back his credit card.

I immediately brought this to the notice of the representative who then contacted the man on his cellphone.

After a few minutes the man did come back to collect his card and left without thanking.The representative commented on him after he left.

I realised that the man was not good at soft skills.He was the CEO of a wine company.But he did not have the basic courtesy of expressing gratitude.Would that affect his work? Most certainly.Being the CEO of a company,he must be handling a lot of people on a daily basis.

Must he be doing the same with his people..i.e not expressing gratitude for the good things they do?

How much does lack of soft skills cost an individual.I guess a lot.

Thank You,Sorry,Excuse me are small words but have a huge impact on life.

These skills should be taught from childhood so that they become second nature.I think I was fortunate that I was taught these things in school.

Changing the address made easy

2008-05-15T06:56:00.000+05:30

Earlier to change the address on the bank records used to be a very tough and time consuming experience.

One would have to get an address proof,write an application and then submit it to the bank to get the address changed on their records.

However,lately I had a good experience with ICICI for getting my address changed.

I called up the Customer care and they did it over phone.No document was required.Of course,I was banking with them for more than 5 years.

It saved me a lot of trouble and time.I thinks things are changing for the better.

But other banks like Kotak still need a written application.Shouldn't all banks follow the same procedures for such basic customer needs and add to customer satisfaction?

Once again,thanks ICICI.

A good experience with ICICI Home loans

2008-05-15T06:50:00.000+05:30

I sold and transferred my flat on the 9th april.However as the EMI date was 8th of each month,the EWMI for April was drawn from my bank account.

I wanted to get a refund for this.In the Ramchandra Sabhagruha office Iwas told that I would have to come to the bank,fill in a form and then a cheque would be sent to me.

I really did not want to take all that trouble.It is a pain coming to the Shivajinagar branch through the congested FC road and then struggle to get a parking slot.

Hence,I called up the customer care number and they told me that the whole thing could be done on phone.I was delighted to hear that but still was not sure if it was true.

To my surprise and pleasure,the refund did come directly to my bank account without me goin anywhere.Thanks ICICI.

Out of all the different experiences I have had and keep having with ICICI,I should say this one was the best.

Hope everything could be done over the phone.We would save so much of time and fuel.

Barbaad-e-Gulistaan karne ko to...

2008-05-14T06:46:00.002+05:30

There is a sher in Urdu which goes like this

Barbad-e-gulistaan karne ko to ek hi ullu kaafi tha
Yaha..har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai anjam-e-gulistan kya hoga

For destroying the wonderful garden,even one owl is sufficient
Here there is an owl on each branch,wonder what would happen to the garden

In my last assignment I worked on a Project which was the best example of mismanagement.

The sales guys had sold something to the client which the Technical guys could not stand by.

The company had no expeience in the technology and yet it was made out as if they had experts.

The estimates given were absurd.To top it the managers managing the show were pathetic.They had no people skills at all.

Technology can be learnt and mastered,but ultimately it is the people on the Project who decide the success or failure.

Sadly,I did not come across a single manager who understood this.They took the team members to be granted.Instead of motivating,they resorted to instilling fear about the appraisals.The Tech Lead did not entertain the ideas of the developers,forced his own thoughts on members and frequently changed priorities creating confusion many a time.

The onsite co-ordinator was selfish to the core and instead of standing up against him,the offshore managers fell in line.

The message that it was not a fair play was clear to one and all.People then lost interest in the good of the Project and were only interested in how they could make the best of their presence in the team and move out.

Not surprisingly,resignations started pouring in.I was the second to resign and there were two that followed me.There could be more.

I remember an instance when one of the members had shifted partially to another project and the Tech Lead was pleading/bargaining for her time on the current Project..almost on a minute by minute basis.How did he not understand that she had lost interest and was only physically present.We were not in a factory producing goods mechanically.It was mental work.

A manager should have the basic skills of keeping the team members interested in the Project.The actions of all the managers were contrary to this principle.They ensured how people lost their devotion and interest in the Project.

I remember a thought:
You could buy the physical presence of a person for a certain number of hours at a certain place
But you would not be able to buy the devotion of his heart,you have to earn it

And the higher management still does not seem to be in a mood to learn from the mistakes.

I feel sad for the company with which I started my career.

Barbad-e-gulistaan karne ko to ek hi ullu kaafi tha
Yaha..har shaakh pe ullu baitha hai anjam-e-gulistan kya hoga

Adieu to TechMahindra

2008-05-13T16:57:00.002+05:30

In July this year I would have completed 10 years in Job.However,I quit a bit early...3 months early to be precise.

My second stint at TechMahindra(previously Mahindra British Telecom) was not giving me the satisfaction I needed and so I decided to quit in February.One of the reasons that hastened the decision was my son's admission.

I did not want to end up paying hefty sum of non-refundable deposit in some school in Pune only to move back to Nasik in an year or two.Hence,I sough admission for Raghav(my son) in a school in Nasik and then quit.

I learnt a lot over the past 10 years and also earned some money which has made me financially stable.Now I feel I need some time for myself and family.Instead of running a rat race,I think I need to pause and see where life is taking me.Can anything be changed for better? Can I choose some other field and learn some new things and also make some money in the process?

Would I have added value to myself had I continued in IT? These are some of the questions which I would try to face and answer over the next few months.

I may have continued to make good regular money in IT.But is that the sole aim of life?How much money is really needed?

Can I try out something else and discover new things about myself?

I am relying on the knowledge and experience I have gained over the years in job,on the advice and suggestions of friends and of course the blessings and well wishes of friends and family.

I may be able to get some good answers for some of the questions..that's the hope that I have made this change...a change which is very bold for many.But life is all about explring..ain't it.

2008-04-14T06:21:00.001+05:30

In my early twenties,out of the many good and bad things that happened in life,there were some very good things that happened.

Back in 2001-2002,I had purchased two flats around the Bharti Vidyapeeth area.The flats had not cost much then.

In the years that passed by,property rates in Pune climbed to astronomical heights.

When I took the decision to move back to Nasik for some time,I wanted to be free from the worries of the loan EMIs and the monthly instalments for the investments I had started off for a secure financial future.

So I needed some money which would take care of all this.I decided to sell off one of my flats.

I started advertising through friends and acquaintances and also used the company ad board.Many people contacted me but nothing was coming through.I had started growing a little nervous.

However,in December 2007,I was contacted by one Mr.Litake who took interest in one of my flats.He seemed to be genuinely interested.

It took almost 3 months to collect all the documents required for making the deal.Finally on 8th April,2008,I tranasferred the flat on Mr.Litake's name.

C-11 remained in my possesion for 6 years and I got a handsome return on the investment :)

Bruised and hurt but not beaten

2007-12-21T20:06:00.000+05:30

The return journey from the US was a nightmare.

I lost the company laptop at the Denver International airport and went into a shock as I had never lost a penny during travel.

This was the first time I had lost anything and that too a laptop.Along with the laptop had also gone my hard disk which I had used only for a day.I had backed up all my data downloaded during the US visit on that disk.

As if this was not enough,I had accidenntly put the kitchen knife in my hand baggage and so had to go through a special security check up.

I lost my coupon for the further journey somewhere in these checks.

The flight from Denver to Newark was late by 2 hours and the one from Newark to Mumbai was on time.

When we reached Newark,the counters of Air India were about to close.

I rushed to the counter but the coupon was not there.I was in for yet another shock.

I was told that I would not be able to travel.

I argued,but in vain.It was clear that I would not be able to travel on that day.My colleague went ahead.

I ran for help at the United airlines counter but even they could not help.I already had a bad experience with the phones in the US(They do not work !!!!!)

I was saved by a Gujrati Samaritan who allowed me to call my sister.he took me home and assured to help.

The next day I was accompanied by the relative of this Samaritan who guided me through the maze of New York.

I booked a new ticket at the Air India office spending money from my own pocket.

Fortunately,on the return journey I met some interesting people.

When I reached India I thanked GOD for saving me.

I vowed never to go to the US again and also to never travel by AIR INDIA.

A rail journey in the US

2007-12-11T03:36:00.000+05:30

I am on a short business trip to the US(Denver,CO).

My sister stays in Omaha,Nebraska which is a 8.5 hour drive from Denver.

She invited me to her daughter's first birthday.I too wanted to go but was not sure how I would make it.

Because of work I was not sure whether I would be able to spare time at all.Hence I did not want to book an air ticket.

Time passed by in indecision and the air tickets rose to an unaffordable price.

The only option I was now left with was the rail.I decided to give it a try.I love train journeys and I had never travelled by rail before in the US.

Also,I knew the location of the rail station and also knew how to get there.

Thus,I booked the tickets on the train for the week end.The Denver Union station was an antique place and it should be turned into a museum(like they did in Omaha).

The train must have been built for a bigger capacity when people frequently travelled by train.I guess people here mostly travel by road or air and so rail is not a popular option.

For me it was a good experience though.The train was a double decker and the boarding procedure was similar to boarding an aeroplane.

Because there were not many co-passengers almost everyone got a vacant adjacent seat.

I reached Omaha early morning and my brother in law had come to receive me.Omaha was unbearabely cold.I spent most of the time indoors.

Destination India

2007-12-07T05:50:00.000+05:30

I am fascinated by Slideshare.com and came across some real good presentations there.

I saw a feature on that site which allows to embed the presentations on that site in websites.

Trying out one of those

| View | Upload your own

The time to get back ges nearer

2007-12-07T04:58:00.000+05:30

I was emotionally troubled while leaving family behind and come so far to the US.though it was only for a month,it still mattered a lot to me.

From the past few months,ever since I left my previtous job and came to Pune,it has been hide and seek with the family.

I spent the first few months finding a place in Pune and so got to see the family only on the week ends.

Then after getting the flat,it had not been even a week's stay together.We came back home to Nasik for Diwali and I had to leave for the US in the next two weeks.

Here I am now in Denver waiting for the next Sunday i.e the 16th..when I would catch my flight back home.

Missing my family and especially my dear son Raghav,I am waiting eagerly for the 16th.

Its almost there.Just a few days to pass and I would be home :) Home sweet home

Denver snowfall during our US visit

2007-11-27T23:01:00.000+05:30

I am here in the US and the weather here is very different from what we are used to in India.

It snowed when we reached here and the temperatures here have been sub zero.

Coming from Nasik,I am used to temperatures around 5 degrees,but for my friend Para,hailing from Mumbai,this is intolerable.

Even before the work started,he showed signs of cold and fever.Somehow he managed to get to work on Monday,but the exposure to the outside cold
made his ondition worse.

He is now at home taking rest.Fortunately he had got along with him some tablets from India.He is planning to visit the local pharmacy here today.

Poor Parag..I just hope I remain healthy during this stay..coz there is no one here from the family to take care.

Another long and tiring journey

2007-11-24T21:53:00.001+05:30

For work I had to travel again to the US,this time to Denver.

I was not in a great physical condition but nevertheless had to make the journey.

I had called a cab from Nasik to the mumbai airport.the cab came at 9:15 pm India time and reached the airport by 1:30.

My check in time was 3:45 and I had enough time to catch up on some sleep.Fortunately,I had carried my
sleeping bag with me.

I set an alarm and lay down in my sleeping bag in one corner of the airport without worrying about what the passers by
would say.

I got up at about 3:15 pm and my friend came along in a few minutes.He had the tickets.

We checked in and waited for our boarding.In the meantime we checked if there was wi-fi and to our surprise we did get one from airtel
and that too free.The speed was good and I was really happy that the CSI airport had evolved.

Our itenerary was Mumbai to London,London to Chicago and Chicago to Denver.

The flights got delayed right from Mumbai and when we reached Chicago,we had missed our connecting flight to Denver.

So we had to rebook ourselves on another airline-American airlines and wait for another 4 hours.It was a pain.

Finally we reached Denver at around 1 am in the morning.We had difficulty finding a taxi,but were fortunate enough to
get a shuttle.we reached the hotel at 2 am,logged in and informed our folks that we had reached safely.

Thus it had been 42 hours since I had started from home.It was a long and tiring journey.

The phones in the US sucked as usual.India is far more advanced than the US when it comes to basic telephone access.

You could make a call to anywhere in the world from any airport in India.There are people to guide you and there are the STD/ISD booths.

in the US there are those useless payphones which can be used to make only local calls.You need some calling card to call numbers outside
adn no one at the airport sells those cards..ridiculous.

The international credit cards dont work in the US(US is out of this planet???)

Also we could not connect to the internet for free at the Chicago O'Hare airport,unlike we did in Mumbai.

I was so happy that atleast in these respects,I felt India was better than the US.

It has been 3 days here and because of the cold and the thanksgiving week end,we have been mostly staying inside the hotel.

The TV here sucks.Had it not been the internet we would have gone insane.

I am already bored and am waiting for the 16th dec when we would start our journey back home.

Aye mere pyare watan,aye mere bichhade chaman,tuz pe dil qurbaan

Firecracker nuisance

2007-11-12T17:58:00.000+05:30

I was apprehensive of spending Diwali in Nasik even before it began.

I was anticipating the cracker nuisance from past experience and so wanted to celebrate a meaningful Diwali rather than the usual "tamaaasha" that people normall call Diwali nowadays..I perceive the current way of celebrating Diwali as perversion and self-destruction.

True to my fears laxmi Poojan turned out to be a perverse show of firecrackers.there was chaos everywhere.Sound and noise pollution ensured that there would be no sanity around.I closed the doors of my house and was trying to take my son as away from the din as possible.

I have now decided to celebrate the next Diwali in some remote place where I do not see the perverts.

The next day,I took the family out to Kawnai in search of some solace.

Kawnai is 58 kms from Nasik and till 1770,Kumbhmela used to take place here and not in Trimbak or Nasik.

To settle a rift between Shaivites and Vaishnavites,Shreemant Madhavrao Peshwe stopped the Kumbh celebrations at Kawnai and ordered it to be celebrated at trimbak(Shaivites) and nasik(
Vaishnavites0
instead.

Kawnai is also famous for the bells that were donated to the temple by teh chinese traveller Hieun Tsang.

Saints like Dyaneshwar,Samartha Ranmdas Swami and Shree Gajanan Maharaj had also visited this place.

It is quite a scenic place and free from the urban din and pollution.A must visit for nature lovers.

Nirmano ke paaawan yug mein

2007-11-07T17:34:00.001+05:30

Nirmano ke paaawan yug mein hum charitra nirman ba bhule
Swartha saadhana ki andhi me vasudha ka kalian na bhule

These are 2 lines from a poem which I had heard a long time back and had liked very much.

In English they mean:

In this age of construction let us not forget to construct/build character

In the storm of selfishness, let us not forget the well being of the mother earth

Today as I live and move around in Pune, I am constantly reminded of these lines.

There is construction “Nirmaan” going around everywhere.. at a mind boggling rate…but is Charitra nirman(character building) being taken care of?

I don’t think so…I don’t see any activities any events being undertaken to take care of Charitra nirmaan…presently I guess it is only the schools which have been assigned the role of Charitra nirmaaan(character building)..but what about those who have moved out of school or do not attend school.

And even those who attend schools, how seriously is this topic undertaken.

I see people compartmentalized in their dwellings, quite ignorant and indifferent to what is happening outside their walls.

In such a selfish environment is anyone concerned about the earth’s wellbeing.

Any sane person would say a BIG NO !!!

The politicians are busy making their buck, trying to grab as much land as possible and then selling the same to greedy builders who in turn want to cut down all greenery on these plots and then build huge, concrete jungles on them and then sell parts of these to people like you and me who have come to this city for survival and need a shelter.

Thus knowingly/unknowingly you and me are a part of this vicious circle.

Mukti

2007-11-06T17:01:00.000+05:30

Hindu scriptures are filled with the word Mukti-salvatiion.

From times galore Indians have been obsessed with Mukti-breaking away from the cycle of life and death.

I am too spiritually naïve to understand this concept.I don’t know what would happen if one breaks away from that cycle.

If one does really succeed in doing that,then what happens to then soul…Does it enter some other cycle.

I really cant grasp that and truly speaking am not interested in it at this point of time.

However there is one multi which I really yearn for..The freedom from the cycle of the job.

I have been in service for almost 10 years now and I cannot say that I really like doing what I am doing now.

There are many other interesting things that I would like doing(eg.travelling,music etc).

But because I am stuck in this cycle of job,I do not get any time for the activities that interest me.

I have thought of various ways of breaking free and am still trying.

Waiting for the day when I could really say..I am “Mukta” – free..free to spend my time the way I want and not get directed by people.

Back Pain and sleepless nights

2007-11-01T17:12:00.000+05:30

Some two weeks back I had to take leave from work for 2 days on account of back pain.

Those days had been terrible.I was so happy to get well and move around normally.

Just when I was thinking that I was over with the pain,it came back again to haunt me and it was more severe this time.

At one stage,I was not able to stand and breathe properly..Every breath I inhaled or exhaled sent pain waves across the body.

I felt like in hell.

Fortunately,Dr.Bhagali( a leading orthopedic) in Pune lived just next door.My aunt/uncle took me to him in the night and he gave me some painkillers after some initial examination.

He also gave me an appointment at 11:30 the enxt day.

The pain killers did not help me at all…The pain continued and I could not lay down that night..I was standing for quite a while.

This was the second day that I had not slept.I was wondering what would happen if I could not sleep at all.

Sleep seemed like a luxury to me.

The next day I went to the clinic as advised and got the X-rays done.By GOD’s grace,my structure was perfectly normal.

The doubts that the doctor had were proved false.He then have me a dose of tablets.

The pain still showed no signs of dying down.

In the evening I tried a ayurvedic plaster “Dukh-Dabav lep”.I think the recovery started at that point.

I could sleep that night and the next.My parents and wife came to Pune the next day and we shifted to our new rented place.

I have been OK after that…but the memories of the pain still haunt me..I don’t know when the pain could be back and give me sleepless nights

Last day at Dahanukar's

2007-10-30T10:12:00.000+05:30

I returned back to Pune for my job and joined TechMahindra on the 16th Aug.

For the 1st week I stayed at the guesthouse.Things were not clear yet(I was told that i would have to go to the US for some time).

Hence I decided to stay with my brother in law for sometime till things got clear.

The place was the Gandharva nagari,Dahanukar's colony,Kothrud.

From office this place was some 4-5kms and well connected.Also there were good food joints around and hence it was an ideal place for bachelors.

Staying there,I looked for places to rent,but did not get much success.After a considerable effort I managed to get a place on rent in the Sinhagad road area.

The new place is to become available from Nov 1.

This week as I came back from Nasik,I spent the day at office and returned back to Dahanukar in the evening.To my surprise there was no one home.The roomies had already vacated the place and had most probably got possession of their new flat.

I too decided to move out the next day and in the morning packed my things and locked the room for the last time.

Before leaving I prayed before the Ganesha photo and thanked the room for providing me shelter for the 2 months I have been in Pune.

Though the place was not well maintained(Typical bachelor traits),it nevertheless provided some very memorable moments with Santosh and Gaurav Chandratre and of course my brother in law,Saurabh Dixit.

We want no money-Just take the tomatoes

2007-10-29T15:16:00.000+05:30

This Sunday we had been to a place called Matori-some 10 kms from Nasik.

My father had heard about this place from his friend and there was also a news item in the Maharashtra times a day back..So we chose this place for our Sunday excursion.

Matori is near Makhmalabad and is easily approachable from Nasik..there are intermittent bad patches on the route and one has to be very careful while driving.

We started off at around 3:15 and reached there by around 4:30.

On our way back we decided to purchase some fresh tomatoes from the local farms..To our surprise the farmers refused to take any money.

That was a pleasant shock for all of us..everywhere we saw people running after money and here were some farmers who were ready to part with their produce just like that.

We insisted that the farmers took some money but they just refused to do so..

Finally we returned back home with some free fresh tomatoes 

Uncontrolled construction in Pune

2007-10-26T19:43:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I had been to meet one of my ailing friends.

He had told me the address as Koregaon park so I requested my roomie to drop me there on his way to office.

After I got down at blue diamond,I purchased a bouquet for my friend and then proceeded to find Ganga orchard.

Some young guys told me that it was just near by..but later it turned to be some 2 kms away.

I had come to that area for the first time.I also had some time ..so i decided to explore the area.

I was shocked by the uncontrolled development that was going on in that area.

For eg.the approach road to Ganga orchard(where my friend lives) is worse than the roads in villages..Still many people live there..and there is construction going on everywhere.

I don't know when all of that is going to stop..it needs to be..the rate at which the infrastructure is growing is far less than the rate at which the construction is going on..and so we already have so many problems..like the traffic jams.

On my way back,i could see the vast difference in the lifestyles of the privileged few and the unfortunate many(living in slums).

I thought that area was one of the worst areas i had seen in Pune.I was in a state of shock for around 3-4 hours after I returned back.

Certainly,this cant be termeed development,it is uncontrolled construction serving the greedy builder lobby.

The month of July 2007

2007-10-24T15:05:00.001+05:30

July 2007 was a very happening month in my life.

In the end of June I had been to the US for an onsite assignment.Things did not turn out to be as expected and I returned back home on 3rd July.

When I left the US,I had made up my mind to resign.There seemed to be no other option at that time.

I did not have any job offer in hand.But still,I took a risk and resigned on the 13th of July.

The whole of July went in calculating how to deal with monetary obligations and parallely searching for a job.

Fortunately,the Peoplesoft market was still hot and I posted my resume on monster,jobsahead and naukri.com.

I had started getting calls from the very first day I got back in india.But till the job offer came I was really nervous.I had never been through such a phase before.

Finally on 26th July I did get an offer from IBM.Some other offers followed and I was comfortable again.

But the time,though short was filled with anxiety and nervousness.I would think of how I would deal with the obligations and take care of my family.

By GOD's grace everything went on well and today as I write this post,it has been 2.5 months in the new job.

I dont know how long this would continue,but atleast I am not worried at the moment.

Thank You GOD !!

Aping the west

2007-10-17T18:42:00.000+05:30

It was October and the heat was making itself felt

I was on my return journey to Pune.Everyone in the bus was affected by the heat.Many like me were busy blowing air using the local newspapers.

Just then,near Narayangaon I spotted a few students dressed in dark blazers rushing to scool/college.

I was shocked that they were wearing that formal attire in such intense heat.

Obviously the protocol seemed to be more important than comfort.

I fail to understand why we merely ape the west.Wearing dark clothes in such heat really did not make sense and that was bad management.But still the college did not seem to care about it.They just wanted their students to look like the westerners :)

Foolishly aping the west.

Back Pain

2007-10-17T18:34:00.000+05:30

I am back in Office today.Yesterday was hell.

On sunday,in Nasik, while on my way back home,I hit a very uneven bumper kind of a speed breaker.I did not realise the impact then.My wife had just commented then that she had felt a jolt.

That evening my back started paining on the left side..I applied some gels but that did not help.

It got worse in the morning.At one time I thought of taking a day off but then thought about how people at office would think about it..They would think that I was taking a long week end.

hence I decided to come back to Pune.It was terrible at the office.The pain showed no signs of dying down.I also had to do some important work on Monday.Had to see a flat for rent and so travel in an autorickshaw.Everytime the auto went over an uneven patch,I mourned with pain.

I decided to take a leave on Tuesday and rest.The whole day I lay flat on the bed.There were still no signs of the pain dying down.Never in my life before had I gone through such physical pain.

I prayed and prayed.

By night,I had a feeling that the pain may start dying down and it really did so.By morning i was able to walk well and could also think of attending office.

I am quite normal now.But I would never forget that pain when I admired all those who walked and breathed normally.

I wasn't even able to cough,sneeze freely.

had it not been the Volini gel and my friends who helped me during this time,I would have been in a very bad situation today.

Caught in the rut !

2007-10-12T10:01:00.000+05:30

India is becoming the country with the
widest wealth gap and I can see that so in Pune.

The rent for the houses are going beyond the reach of the IT folks too.
What should the non-IT people do?Where do they live if they dont have a house of their own?

I have been trying to rent a decent place in Pune from the past 2
months and I have got nothing.

The rent for a 1 BHK house is equal to what I paid for a 3 BHK house
in Hyderabad.

Add to that the shortage of flats.There is no planning by the IT
companies when they hire people.Where are the people supposed to
stay??on the roads??? So, many like me have to keep families behind in
their home towns and live in bachelor accommodations.

There is no question of buying a new flat here.Only those in the black
market can afford to do so.

The IT guys take huge loans from banks for a term of 20 years and then
buy a flat.

With competition from countries like China,Phillipines,I am not sure
if IT would be as prosperous as today for the next 20 years.The rupee
is rising against the dollar and the profit margins in IT are going
down.Wipro has made Saturday a working day and there are rumours that
salaries would come down across the industry.

I had bought 2 flats in Pune some years back.But those are too far
from my office.I don't want to travel so long,especially in the Pune
traffic.It is worse than in Hyderabad.

The oxygen levels in Pune are 18pc,2 pc less that the minimal
requirement.In Mumbai the level is 19 pc.Pune has the most number of
two wheelers in the country.The traffic situation was already bad when
I worked in 10 yers back.It has not got any better.

Here the job is good.But as soon as you leave the office you have to face
stress from everywhere.The traffic,frustrated people and the rising
costs of everything.

I want to move out of this place and settle down peacefully where there is some
meaning to life..

What is happening is foolishness.But instead of realising it and doing
something to change it,most of the people are being a part of it.Ever
since I joined ,I have seen a young soul die every
week..Some have died of heart attack,some of asthama attack and most
of road accidents.

The stress is working on the nerves.And no one seems to be wanting to
change that.we just pay homage to the departed and forget that it
could be us some day if we don't try to change our lifestyle.

I will have to take some bold decisions.My parents and relatives think
that life is wonderful inside the IT companies.AC offices and all.They
feel I am just cribbing.

But before it is too late,I will try to bring about a change.

Free Icecream

2007-10-11T18:11:00.000+05:30

I have been put into the afternoon shift for sometime.

Yesterday there was a meeting which started at 7:30 pm and ended at 10:40 pm.

I rushed home after the meeting.I was anxious whether I would get to eat anything at all.

Fortunately I got a Pav Bhaji stall open and ate there.Very near to that stall was a 'Desi Icecream' stall.

The guy provides interesting flavors of Desi ice cream in saucers.I ordered for one and started chatting with the Ice cream wallah.

I was curious to know about his daily income.My guess was anything between 15k to 20K.

But the ice cream wallah explained how the profits(dukaan dari) had gone down because people either did not pay or paid less.

as he did not have any license to put up a stall there,there were many who took advantage of him not being a local.

thus he had to provide free ice cream to many.I myself witnessed two guys coming to his stall and asking him if everything was well.

They pretended to be taking care of him and asked him if he wanted any cigarettes,gutkha from the nearby Pan Tapari.

After they went away,he told me how they would bring something of Rs.2 or 3 for him and then eat ice cream worth 20/40 rupees.

Poor guy.he had no option.He wasn't a local after all.

I felt bad for him.These people come to Maharashtra for earning some money with which they can help their families back in their home state.But they have to bribe the local goons to survive.

The locals take advantage of these outsiders and extort them.I have seen many hardworking UP Biharis come all the way to Maharshtra and make a living here.They work hard and do good work at cheaper rates.

And we Maharashtrians complain that our jobs are being taken away by the 'Bhaiyyas'.

We have to improve our quality of service and also reduce costs if we have to stay in the competition.Or else one day the forces of globalization would have their way and we would be left with no jobs...Our jobs would be banaglored...errr..UP/Biharred.

Parasite

2007-10-10T20:50:00.000+05:30

I lived as a parasite for 2 years during my engineering days.I slipped on my marks in the second year and after that was never able to make it to the list who
got a hostel.

My family could not afford a rented room at that time and I did not want to add to the burden of my father.He was paying my fees and that was all I could
expect from him at that time.

So,i used my friends network and managed to stay as a parasite with them.

Like the dictionary meaning of parasite,a hostel parasite is one who lives illegally in the hostel without paying the actual fees.

Though it was illegal,I had no other option at that time.

One such friend who had allowed me to stay in his room was Rajkumar Bansode.I met him after many years online and came to know that he had met with an accident onboard and had undergone plastic surgery.

I immediately called him up and spoke to him after many years.

Old memories flashed back to my mind and I remembered those days when I was at the mercy of those benevolent friends.Many thanks to them.

Back in Pune,I am still looking for a place to stay.The only difference now being that I can now afford to pay a decent amount as rent.

But would I meet someone who can help me as these friends did some years ago ??

A visit to Tulshibaug

2007-10-04T18:31:00.000+05:30

2nd October was a holiday.I chose this day to shop for a few things I wanted from a long time.

Also it would give me a chance to visit the places in pune which Pune was earlier known for –like Tulshibag.

I was accompanied by my cousin for the shopping.

We took a bus from City Pride(Satara road) to Shanipar.I had to withdraw some money from the Maharashtra bank ATM before I could commence the shopping.

I basically wanted to buy a hover sack for multiple purposes.I tavel to Nasik over the week ends and wanted a bag which would be handy to put the various things I need to carry back and forth.

Also I needed something to carry for my treks.

My existing bags and served their lifetime and I needed a new bag.

I had taken the contact details of one such shop from my cousin in Nasik.With great difficulty we could manage to locate the shop.

But we were lucky enough to get to the right shop.

I told the shopkeeper my requirement and he ordered one of his men to bring some sacks from the godown.

He brought back some 3 to 4 bags from which I selected one.When I asked about the price,I was really surprised.

The price was unbelievably low.It was further reduced when I told the shopkeeper about my cousin from Nasik.

Thus I got a very good bag for a mere 250.

Apart from the great deal ,moving around in Tulshibag brought back some nostalgic memories.

Also I could spend some time away from the regular din and hurry which has become a part and parcel of life.

It was truly a wonderful experience shopping in Tulshibaug.

BSNL Broadband

2007-09-22T15:10:00.000+05:30

During the weekend I had been to the local BSNL office to apply for a landline and a BSNL connection.

It was almost 4 pm(the office closes at 4 pm) and so the clerk was reluctant to take my application.But I insisted and he obliged.

An affair which should not have taken more than 10 minutes took almost 45 minutes.

First the clerk entered the application into some computer system and that took him some good 15 minutes.He was obviously not so comfortable with using computers.

I feel he could have done the job faster if he wouldn’t have used a computer.

After he had entered all the data,there popped some error on his screen and the transaction had to be done again.Another 15 minutes wasted.

In the meantime there was a Ganapati Arti session and another 15 minutes were wasted.

Finally the clerk managed to enter the application.I had to go through all that patiently. Though I was frustrated and wondered when the BSNL employees would realize that they were being much slower than what people expected of them.But there was no choice.

People say that there is no better broadband provider than BSNL.It is cheap(Home plans start at 250) and it is also good.The waiting time they say is 3 months.

Finally I got a receipt and taking that as a trophy I returned back home.It was another achievement of the day.

Finally got a place

2007-09-21T12:45:00.000+05:30

There has been a lot of instability in life since June.

Till June it was as if life was in the 5th gear gliding on a smooth road.I was just waiting for another year to go and then I would have made enough money to go back directly to Nasik and settle there permanently.

However,that was not to be so.

I quit my job in July 1st week and returned back to India.Found a job with my old company and started searching for a house.

Life got back in the 1st gear.I am to get it back again in the top gear.There have been many hurdles.I have maybe crossed the 1st one..

Got a roof to stay under.

I don't know how this goes from here..Hoping for the best.

The day that changed our fortunes-20 sep 1997

2007-09-20T15:33:00.000+05:30

It has been 10 years now and I still can’t forget that day…20th sep 1997.

I was in the first semester of my BE course and it had been some one and half months since the campus interviews had started in my college.

Many of my friends had already got a job with MNCs and I was anxiously waiting for my chance to get in..I badly needed a job.

I had not done very well in my previous semesters and my results had followed a sine wave.also a job in a MNC would really change the fortunes of my middle class family.

These two reasons had made me really desperate for getting a job.

Finally the day arrived on the 20th of Sep 1997..It was a Saturday and the previous night I had been to stay in the Tilak ayurved hostel.

I hurriedly returned on foot,borrowed a pen from my friends for the written exam.

When I reached college the presentation was on.We all were really interested in the salaries that would be offered.

After the written exam I returned back to the hostel and was planning to leave for my mama’s place.I was not so optimistic about the results of the written exam.

However,one of my friends informed me that I had managed through the written interview and to appear for the in peson interview at around 5.I was overjoyed.I had cleared the first hurdle.

I did not have a formal dress for the interview.once again I had to borrow.So the trouser and shoes were mine.The shirt,the belt and the socks were someone else’s.

I was interviewed by two people-one of them I vividle remember as Nitin Mehendale..he asked me questions on Fluid mechanics..Fortunately I had studied something on that and that helped me.

But the answer that really got me in was the one on where I had studied about databases..In the TE vacation,my father had purchased a PC for me and I had learnt DB2 from some books..My answer that I had learnt that by myself through self study must have impressed the interviewers.

I had cleared that interview and there was going to be a final interview at around 7 pm.I optimistically waited for the final round.

My final round lasted just 5 minutes and then I waited for the results outside.

One of my friends,Deepak Sakharkar could see the final list as the names were being declared..he signaled to me that I was one of those chosen..I was happy but still did not react until my name was formally announced…Alas it was.

After that declaration,I just ran out of the college to find a STD booth..I wanted to inform my parents that I had finally got a job.

I remember I could get one booth free at the Shivajinagar Bus stand…

It was only my sister home. My parents had gone to our village for the mahalaxmi festival.

It has been 10 years since that day and I still remember that day vividly..

How could I forget that day which changed the fortunes of our family.

We were not so well-off then..we could just manage our needs then.

Fortunately now,with GODs grace,times have changed..The job has helped me build some wealth and we are now in a much better position..financially 

A final Goodbye to Mr.Gaidhani

2007-09-14T06:20:00.000+05:30

Our family priest Mr.Lakshmanrao Gaidhani passed away in September.I remember many of our family funtions for which he was the priest.

By his jovial nature he used to create atmosphere of fun during some monotonous rituals.

He suffered from a heart aillemt which ultimately lead to his demise.

When we learnt the news,we(me and my father) went to his home.As his body was taken outside, his children could not control themselves.Thoughts ran amock in my mind too.One day it would be me in place of those children.No one stays back here in this material world.That thought made me sad and nervous.

We followed the procession to the cremation grounds.After the cremation,people took turns to speak about Mr.Gaidhani.

I wondered what people would have to say after me.

Back to Pune and MBT/TechMahindra

2007-09-10T13:30:00.000+05:30

I started my career with MBT in July 1998 and spent about 5 years in the first job.

I quit MBT in Apr 2003 and had decided to be away from Pune for some time.

I had done my engineering from Pune and thus had been associated with Pune for 9 years at a stretch.

There were many reasons why I wanted to be away from Pune.

The first was that I wanted a better pay.Though I had some offers from Pune,Mumbai,I decided to go farther to Bangalore
and try out a new city,new state and new people.

I did not know how long would I be able to stand by that decision of mine.

Another reason why I wanted to be away from Pune was the city itself.It had become bad in terms of traffic and pollution.

Bangalore provided the much needed change and I spent a good 6 months there.I enjoyed my stay there and made many friends.

Because of job compulsions I had to change my job again and then took up a job in Singapore.But that did not suit me well and so I came back to India,this time in Hyderabad.

I did quite well in Hyderabad for 3.5 years.I met many warm and lovely people in Hyderabad and that provided a great foundation for my married life(which I started in Hyderabad).

However as the saying goes 'The only permanent thing in life is change'.

The stay in Hyderabad suddenly came to an end in June 2007.I had to leave many friends behind and depart.

Initially the plan was to be in the US for an year or two.But things did not go as per the plan and I came back to India,quit job and found a new job..this time again with TechMahindra,Pune.

I was back with the old people.

Pune had changed for the worse after I had left it in 2003.The property prices had skyrocketed and the traffic and pollution problems had worsened.

Pune had crossed Mumbai in the number of vehicles on road and it was also declared the 3rd city in India with the highest number of slum dwellers.

I could see frustration all around,in buses,on roads everywhere.

Pune as I see today is a place dwelled by frustrated people.I feel more than 90 percent of the people here are frustrated..frustrated with life,themselves,the government and almost everything.

The great Indian politicians have been majorly responsible for the situation.Their never ending greed has led to newer problems every year.

Pune has become a dangerous place and I am trying to make my way out of all this.

Plan to stay here for some time and then get back to Nasik..permanently.

That is the plan right now..but plans dont always work out...but that does not and should not prevent us from making them in the first place :)

I quit the job ! Life returns to the neutral gear

2007-07-05T13:06:00.000+05:30

In may Shraddha and Raghav had been to Nasik to stay there for a month.During that time I had been trip to Tyada with my colleagues and also attended an interview for a US client.

The interviewer's questions had made it amply clear that we did not suit his requirements and so we had assumed that the feedback would be negative.

But to my surprise,when I returned back from Nasik with my wife and son,I was given the news by my Delivery manager that I was chosen for the US assignment.

I was not so keen personally,but I thought that this was the best chance to make some money quickly and also show my wife a foreign shore.

So I accepted the assignment.

The client had clearly told our management that I be trained on Functional Payroll and had given a list of around 10 things to be mastered in 10 days.

The management did this in its own way..they gave me some books to read but no live environment in which I could play and learn.

I was also told that the role would be of a Onsite co-ordinator where I would take requirements from the users and get the work done from Offshore.

I spent the next 15-20 days in doing a lot of things parallely.

One one hand I was preparing myself for the new role,studying about NA payroll as much as possible and at the same time arranging to vacate our house in Hyderabad.A lot of things needed to be done on that front.

Firstly,breaking the news to our dear landowners who were sure to be shocked by the thought of us leaving that wonderful stay with them.

Secondly,I had to arrange for our goods to be transferred to Nasik.There were also a lot of acocunts which needed to be closed and settled.

I went on with doing these things to the best of my ability.

I had to spend a lot of time to ensure that I was booked on a proper airline and my accommodation was taken care of(I would not forget my first trip to the US when I was almost forced to spend my first night in the open).

Finally the day came when I had to pack my bags and leave for the US.

It was a very painful parting affair.I cried while taking leave from Dadaji/Dadiji.I did not know when I would see them again.
(According to the plan,I was not going to come back to Hyderabad again.After the US trip I would get back directly to Nasik)

It was a rainy evening and my father,wife and son had come to the airport to bid me a god bye.

we faced a lot of problems on the airport.The auto wasn't allowed inside and we had to walk a lot of distance in the rain carrying heavy baggage.

When I left my family behind,it was almost unbearable.My little son wondered why I had left him back and not taken him along.he tried to reach his hand for me...but I had to proceed.

It was traumatic after that.Within one week I realized that what the client wanted was not possible to give..Neither me or anyone from my company could satisfy him.I tried to convince my management,but they had no one to replace me with.They wanted me to keep trying and suffer.

The package provided to me was too less for me to survive decently in California.

I decided to quit.It was a bold decision but I had to make it.

I returned back to India,paying for the return journey myself.

Life had come to a stand still...in the neutral gear

Tyda-Jungle bells

2007-05-19T15:36:00.000+05:30

In May 2006,my wife and son had been to Nasik to stay away from the Hyderabad heat.

This was a chance for me to plan a trip/trek with my colleagues/friends.

this time we decided to go to hill station/forest and Tyda was the natural choice.

Situated in the Araku valley,near Vizag I had heard a lot about Tyda from many people.

Thus,we finalized on Tyda and started making preparations.

The day we were to leave Hyderabad,there were blasts in the Mecca mosque.It was a tense situation.
We took stock of the situation and decided to go ahead with our trip.

Our train was at 4 pm.

Our journey to Vizag was good except the hot patch at Rajmundhry.It was unbearable there.

we reached Vizag around 5 am and looked out for some breakfast joint.After searching for a while we finally got one 'Ambica Flavors' on the platform.we had some Idli and tea there and then waited for our train 'Kirandul passenger' which was to leave at 7:45 am.

It was a Sunday and there was a lot of rush.Fortunately we had our tickets booked and so got seats to sit.

At around 9:30 am we reached Tyda,had tea at a local join there and proceeded to the Jungle bells.A local guide whom we called Jungle Rajah and who could speak nothing but Telugu helped us on our way.we gave him 10 rupees but he was not satisfied with that money..He wanted more..Somehow we managed to get rid of him.

We were hungry by the time we reached the Jungle bells and so did some breakfast at the restaurant there.There was a very mysterious looking,eccentric waiter at the hotel.

Visit to Dhagewadi

2006-12-23T15:12:00.000+05:30

Dhagewadi
I had been wanting to make use of the energy related knowledge I had gathered in hyderabad in my home town Nasik.

In one of my visits to a relative friend,he had mentioned that the Vanwasi Kalyan Ashram could make use of such knowledge.

I was obviously eager to visit the office of the VKA,Maharashtra.

I did so sometime in June 2006 and learnt about a Project in Dhagewadi near Akola,Sangamner.

Dhagewadi I was told was in a very bad situation some 20 years back.The villagers had almost abandoned the village as they could not grow anything there because of water problems.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the villagers(led by Bhaskar Pardhi) and the VKA,the village was transformed in a few years.

It was a succestory for the VKA and I was very eager to see it for myself.

Luckily,I got a vacation of 2 weeks in Dec 2006 and I decided to make use of one of the days to visit Dhagewadi.

I took the necessary information from the VKA office in Nasik and on one fine morning took a State transport bus to Sangamner.

From Sangamner,I boarded another bus to Akola and from Akola boarded a jeep to Dhagewadi.

I had to walk uphill for some time before I came met up with Mr.Pardhi on the way.

Mr.Pardhi and his cousin(who was the manager of the Ketchup factory) were returning to their village.

I sat in their jeep and we reached Dhagewadi- a village in the clouds.

Mr.Pardhi's team showed me around and explained what they had done to transform the village.It was a very interesting story.

I wanted to know from them about their power problems--especially the lighting issues and explained to them how the Mechanically driven dynamo based unit could help them solve their problems.

After spending a few hours in Dhagewadi I started my return journey.I promised to return back and stay for a longer time with the villagers.

Here are some pics from Dhagewadi

The North Korean blasts and the US Hypocrisy

2006-10-10T16:51:00.000+05:30

North Korea did finally become Nuke Korea.

The response was typical from countries like the China and the USA.

What was funny was the response of the USA.I mean how do these guys feel they can hold bakc anyone from such tests.

Looking at the bloody past of the USA,what it should be doing is rendering a public apology to a number of nations/groups.

Starting from the Red Indians who they butchered some centuries ago to the 1945 Hiroshima/Nagasaki victims.

Instead of doing that the USA still tries to play a moral police.What hypocrisy !!!!

The fun of anticipation

2006-10-10T16:40:00.000+05:30

In India knowing the sex of the child before its birth is banned by law.

As per nature's order too,one doesnt know whether the child is a girl or a boy before it is born.

Thus the Indian laws enforce the natural law.There are exceptions to these however.In states like Punjab and Haryana the issue of
feamale foeticide is quite severe.In order to save the dowry given in the girl's marriage,many families get rid of the girl child before she is born.

This has led to a unbalanced sex ration in these states.

In the US however,one can know of the child's sex before it is born and there are no known cases of female foeticide.

However,when the parents come to know of the child's sex before it is born,they lose the fun of anticipation.

I think the law enforcement by the Indian agencies has to an extent guranteed this fun to Indian parents who abide by the law.

Strange security - Ram Bharose

2006-08-09T10:49:00.000+05:30

I have always found the security in IT companies very strange.

We had Photo ID badges which we have to wear all the time we are in the company premises.

When we enter in the company in the morning,the security guards normally used to have a look whether we have any badge worn.Now I wondered how that gurateed that the right person was allowed in.Coz,these guys used to have only a cursory look at what was worn around the neck.It could be photo copied card or a card belonging to a different company.Infact a person who has left the company could also sneak inside if he has managed to keep the card with himself.

Also a person bearing the card of another employee could also sneak in.

Today I was surprised though when I was made to stop at the Gate.The Security guy had a look at my badge and then looking at my pic in the badge confirmed that it was indeed me,an employee of the company who was entering the premises.

Though this should be how the check should happen,I found it quite funny and actually laughed on the face of the Security guy..not because what I found the check stupid,but because the smae guys had kept silent all these years.

Seems suddenly someone has become serious about the company's security.

I am sure this would continue only for some days.The current method is also not full proof.I was not asked to remove the helmet,the Security just looked at me through my helmet for confirmation.

In a few days,things wud return back to normal and we wud again be left to the mercy of GOD..as they call it Ram Bharose

First day at the Kanbay Campus

2006-05-15T04:52:00.000+05:30

May 15,2006.After a lot of confusion on the dates for shifting to the new campus,we finally moved to the new campus on May 16.

2 years back,I was here for the ground breaking ceremony.A lot has changed since then.

It took a while to reach the campus.Specifically its 9 km from the Cyber towers.

Also as the construction activities are on in and around,this place is abound with a lot of heavy vehicles and we need to be careful of these.

The new campus is quite spacious and the facilities seem to be better than the JVP.

Well its the first few days..so the excitement is there..but dont know how the same place wud seem after a few days from now.Lets hope for the best.

Raghav

2006-04-28T16:58:00.000+05:30

raghav 019
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Dadaji got a new camera from Singapore.It was a Canon 7 MP.

He took some closeups of Raghav and this is one which I liked.Raghav was in his 5 month then.

Raghav with Shraddha

2006-02-16T17:10:00.000+05:30

Raghav with Shraddha
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

After having milk Raghav needs to be held in the upright position so that the milk gets digested.

On one such occasion,I captured this pic.

Raghav with Aai and Aaji

2006-02-14T16:14:00.000+05:30

Raghav with Aai and Aaji
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav playing with AAI and AAJI on one morning.

Raghav with Aai and Aaji

2006-02-14T16:11:00.000+05:30

Raghav with Aai and Aaji
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Its early morning and seen in the pic is my mother-AAI feeding her grandson-Raghav.

Shraddha-my wife is also seen in the background.

Pacifying Raghav at night

2006-02-14T16:09:00.000+05:30

Pacifying Raghav at night
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav wakes up twice every night for food.

After he has his food,he likes to play for some time.

We have to try a lot to get him to sleep again.

One such night when we were all awake at the odd hour,Shraddha captured this pic of mine trying to pacify Raghav and get him to sleep.

Raghav having a hearty Laugh

2006-02-14T16:05:00.000+05:30

Raghav having a hearty Laugh
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav has become almost 3 months old and he occasionaly bursts into a hearty laugh.

One morning when Aai wa in Hyderabad,he was in a very good mood and was laughing a lot.

Decided to capture the moment and here it is !!!

Raghav having a hearty Laugh

2006-02-14T16:01:00.000+05:30

Raghav having a hearty Laugh
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

At the Sanklecha Hospital

2006-01-25T11:42:00.000+05:30

It was November 22,the 3rd day after Raghav was born.My mother's friends from the RD Agent group had come down to the Sanklecha Hpspital to see Shraddha and the new baby-Raghav.

With Raghav

2006-01-23T18:18:00.000+05:30

Picture 006
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Myself with Raghav on the lap-At teh Simant Pujan ceremony of Ajey's wedding.

Dixit Aai Baba with Raghav

2006-01-23T18:15:00.001+05:30

Dixit Aai Baba with Raghav
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Dixit Aai Baba with Raghav-fondly enjoying the responsibility of looking after Raghav.

Shraddha with Raghav

2006-01-23T18:15:00.000+05:30

Shraddha with Raghav
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Shraddha with Raghav-At Ajey's wedding.

Myself,Shraddha and Dixit Aai Baba were taking on the responsibility of looking after Raghav,one after the other.

Aboli Kshatriya with Raghav

2006-01-23T18:13:00.001+05:30

Aboli Kshatriya with Raghav
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

At Ajeys wedding,Aboli befriended all the kids.She played with Raghav as well.

Shraddha

2006-01-23T18:13:00.000+05:30

Shraddha
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Shraddha-my wife dressed for the programme-Ajey's wedding.

Dixit Aai withb 2 grandsons

2006-01-23T18:09:00.000+05:30

Dixit Aai withb 2 grandsons
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

At Ajey's wedding,Dixit Aai with her two grand sons.As soon as she took Arush on her lap,Raghav peed on him :))

Mandar,Sampada and Siddartha

2006-01-17T15:35:00.000+05:30

Mandar,Sampada and Siddartha
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Mandar,Sampada and Sidartha.

New friends made in GOA.

Sidartha,Me,Kartik and Sampada

2006-01-17T15:31:00.000+05:30

Sidartha,Me,Kartik and Sampada
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

On Saturday the 13th,the sessions were to commece from 7:30 am.

We reached the venue at around 6:30 am and moved around to see the sunrise.

Had made some new acquaintances during this time.

Clicked a pic with them.

Seen from Left to Right are Siddartha(a graphic designer in Mumbai),myself,Kartik Mohri(a student in Hyderabad) and Sampada(an old friend)

Tapobhumi

2006-01-17T15:22:00.000+05:30

Tapobhumi
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The Tapobhumi,GOA.This is where the session of Swaroopyog took place.

I learnt that it was due to the activities of this centre that many Hindus who would have likely fallen prey to Christian missionary activities have been retained back in Hinduism.

A waterfall

2006-01-17T14:31:00.000+05:30

A waterfall
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The route to GOA through Karnataka was quite picteresque.

Though it was not monsoon.one could see some small waterfalls on the way.

In the pic,is one such waterfall.

Rangoli

2006-01-17T14:28:00.000+05:30

Rangoli
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The Tapobhumi surroundings were decorated with beautiful Rangoli.

This was a pic clicked in the early morning just before the session started.

Anant and Vamsi

2006-01-17T14:25:00.000+05:30

Anant and Vamsi
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

I was fortunate that my wait listed ticket got confirmed on the return journey from Goa to Hyderabad.In the train,I met these 2 naughty brothers(i guess they were twins).Anant and Vamsi.

Were making quite a few funny gestures to get my attention.I was dressed in a military type of a trouser and these guys thought I was a police or something.

They tried to talk to me in Telugu which I could not comprehend and I talked back to them in Hindi(do not know whether they got what I said).

Nevertheless,had some nice time with these small chaps.

Having Lunch

2006-01-17T14:24:00.000+05:30

Having Lunch
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Had been to attend the 'Swaroopyog' meditation camp at Tapobhumi,Kundai,GOA.

Made some new contacts there.See in the picture are some attendants from Hyderabad having lunch between sessions.

Family Pic Sepia

2006-01-04T19:43:00.000+05:30

Family Pic Sepia
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

This pic was clicked with Shraddha family.

I gave it a Sepia effect for it to look special.

Raghukul

2006-01-04T19:24:00.000+05:30

Raghukul
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav has been named after Lord Rama.

There was a tradition of naming a male child after Lord Shree Rama in our family.

The tradition was broken with my father and me.

But I decided to reinstate the same again and so named my son as Raghav.

Seen in the pic is Lord Rama as a child with his family.

Shraddha's friends

2006-01-04T19:20:00.000+05:30

Shraddha's friends
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Shraddha friends from the Shree Raj society.

From L to R,Nupur,Kiran and Durva.

They were quite reluctant in the beginnning,but finally agreed for a snap.

Family friends

2006-01-04T19:18:00.001+05:30

Family friends
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Family friends gathered at the occasion.

Seen in the pic are my mother's friends of the Post RD agents group.

Raghav in the cradle

2006-01-04T19:18:00.000+05:30

Raghav in the cradle
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Shraddha placing Raghav in the cradle.

Normally babies cry a lot on their naming ceremony.

but dear Raghav behaved like a very decent baby and slept all through the occasion and did not cry at all.

That was a big relief to all of us !!!!

Presentation formalities

2006-01-04T19:17:00.000+05:30

Presentation formalities
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The regular presentation formalities in a family occasion.

Seen in the pic is my mother presenting a saree to Shraddha mother.

Dixit Baba presenting a gift to Raghav

2006-01-04T19:16:00.000+05:30

Dixit Baba presenting a gift to Raghav
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

On the occasion of Raghav's Barsa(naming ceremony),Dixit Baba presented Raghav with a Kisan Vikas patra.

Poem on Raghav -composed by Baba

2006-01-04T19:11:00.000+05:30

Poem on Raghav -composed by Baba
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Baba had composed a lot of poems when he was young.

However,because of family responsibilities he stopped composing.

He started composing again when Raghav was to be born.

The poem in the adjoiining pciture was cokmposed by him on the occasion of Raghav's naming ceremony.

My Team

2005-12-21T19:26:00.000+05:30

Picture 011
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

We had been to a Team lunch at the newly launched Gur Nihal Dhaba in Madhapur.

Had a wonderful lunch there.After the lunch,we asked Sardarji to click our pic.

In the pic,standing from left to Right are
Sagar Chandratrey,Atanu Saha,Deepu Varghese,Ashish Goyal,Ratan Kumar,Sumantra Bose,Vivek Poulose

Sitting from Left to Right are Sayantan Sen,Dishant Tomar

Raghav-My little angel

2005-12-08T20:18:00.000+05:30

Raghav-My little angel
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav was born on 19th Nov.I was with him for the entire week after that.

I spent a lot of time with him.Took a lot of videos.

I had to return back to work in the next week.I have been missing him a lot since then.

I look at his videos whenever I think of him.I thought of capturing this pic from one of the videos.

He is my little angel !Love him !!

Sagar

2005-12-07T14:22:00.000+05:30

Sagar
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

One of the pics clicked at Office.

I hate wearing a Tie.On one wednesday,I realised that I had forgotten all my neck ties in Nasik,my native place.

I went to the 4th floor to borrow a tie.Wore it there and then the Alok clicked this snap with Ramit6's camera.

The Relax Inn

2005-12-07T12:02:00.000+05:30

The Relax Inn
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The Relax Inn where I was put in in my US stay was a long chawl kind of an accomodation.Doesnt look very great from outside but the interiors are quite good.

The most imp thing was that it had a kitchen.The rates are alsos quite reasonable.Below 40 dollars a day.

It has facilities like fast internet as well.

Room No 201

2005-12-07T12:00:00.000+05:30

Room No 201
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

The front view of Room no 201.Relax Inn,Tonawanda.

The 201 kitchen

2005-12-07T11:34:00.000+05:30

The 201 kitchen
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

In my US trip,I was quite concerned abt the food that I wud get to eat.

I am a vegeterian and my past experience regarding food in the West has not been particularly good.

So I insisted on staying at a Inn where I cud cook my own food.

As seen in the pic,the room that i stayed in did have a kitchenette.

I ensured that i ate food cooked by myself atleast once in 2 days.

Inside Room no 201,Relax Inn

2005-12-07T11:24:00.000+05:30

Inside Room no 201,Relax Inn
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

This was the room where I stayed in Relax Inn.

The ebd was quite soft and the room was equipped with a kitchenette.

Spent some nice time here.

The Home depot

2005-12-07T09:54:00.000+05:30

The Home depot
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

When I moved into Relax Inn, a local resident Prakash Bhai showed us the various super markets around the Inn.

I decided to visit them one by one in my short trip.

This was the first one.

I was amazed to see the kind of things this store stocks.

In India we have several small Hardware shops run by Bohris.

This is one of the kind..but a far bigger one.

Stocked almost everything needed to set up a home. from electricals to furniture.

At the Bus Stop - Bus no 34 A

2005-12-07T09:51:00.000+05:30

At the Bus Stop - Bus no 34 A
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

On my trip to the, US, I had requested for a Inn where I could cook my own vegeterian food.

I stayed at Relax Inn,Tonawanda, a little far from the Buffalo downtown where the HSBC office was located.

I had to take a bus from the Inn to the University station and then board a metro from there to the Office.

As seen in the picture,the Bus-stop of the bus no 34A.

The Stop was Greenhaven Terr

The Erie lake - a view from the Office

2005-12-07T09:48:00.000+05:30

The Erie lake - a view from the Office
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

This pic was clicked from the Office.

In the far background you could see the Erie lake.The road on the right leads to Niagara falls and Canada.

The Subway

2005-12-07T09:47:00.000+05:30

The Subway
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

During my US trip,I used to eat frequently at the Sub-way near Relax,Inn Tonawanda.

This was the first time I ate at a Sub-way and the Veggie delight Sub was a new thing for me.It saved me from hunger.

The Buffalo in Buffalo

2005-12-07T09:45:00.000+05:30

The Buffalo in Buffalo
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

During my trip to the Buffalo town,New York US,I wondered why the city was called a 'Buffalo'.

Couldnt find a reason but managed to click the pic of a Buffalo statue in the downtown.

Raghav - 2nd day

2005-11-29T14:10:00.000+05:30

Raghav - 2nd day
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Raghav,my son was born on 19th Nov..one month ahead of my birthday and a day ahead of my our anniversary.

Thus,he is already one step ahead in some things.:)

This pic was clicked on the 2nd day of his birth.

Myself and my mother had been to visit Shraddha,my wife, and Raghav in the maternity home.

At Dhananjay Sapre home

2005-11-18T17:27:00.000+05:30

At Dhananjay Sapre home
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

Ipswich,UK.Sometime in December 2000.

Most of us were bachelors or spinsters.Dhananjay Sapre,one of our TLs who was the only married person in the group had invited us for dinner.

Italygroup

2005-11-18T17:26:00.000+05:30

Italygroup
Originally uploaded by Sagar Chandratrey.

We had been to Venice,Italy in November 2000.

This is a group photo.You can see me seated in the leftmost position in the pic.I am wearing a black band on my forehead.

Sunset from space

2005-11-11T10:18:00.000+05:30

Sunset from space
Originally uploaded by sagarchandratrey.

After you look at the picture -- scroll to the bottom to read the description and then back to the picture. Really beautiful sight for anyone to see.

-----THIS PHOTO IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. BE SURE TO READ THE TEXT BELOW TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU ARE VIEWING. IT IS HISTORIC TOO AS THIS IS THE LAST MISSION FOR COLUMBIA.

The photograph attached was taken by the crew on board the Columbia during its last mission, on a cloudless day.

The picture is of Europe and Africa when the sun is setting. Half of the picture is in night. The bright dots you see are
the cities lights.

The top part of Africa is the Sahara Desert.
Note that the lights are already on in Holland, Paris, and Barcelona, and that's it's still daylight in Dublin, London, Lisbon,
and Madrid.

The sun is still shining on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean Sea is already in darkness.
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean you can see the Azores Islands; below them to the right are the Madeira Islands; a bit
below are the Canary Islands; and further south, close to the farthest western point of Africa, are the Cape Verde Islands.

Note that the Sahara is huge and can be seen clearly both during Daytime and night time.

To the left, on top, is Greenland, totally frozen.

Akshardham 1

2005-11-10T18:45:00.000+05:30

Akshardham 1
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

The new Akshardham temple that has come up in New delhi is making quite a lot of headlines.

Thought of putting a pic of the same on my blog.

Looks like this one is going to become a hot tourism spot.

With Amit Singh-The Client engagement manager

2005-11-10T18:38:00.000+05:30

With Amit Singh-The Client engagement manager
Originally uploaded by sagarchandratrey.

After a lot of alcohol and dance,people decided to cool down a bit.So they sat outside the bar with Amit Singh,the CEM.

Having a fag

2005-11-10T18:37:00.000+05:30

Having a fag
Originally uploaded by sagarchandratrey.

Guys had a lot of alcohol and had reached the "high" state.

Enjoying that state with a cigarrette and some jokes.

Bishnu Da and the Oriya Team

2005-11-10T18:36:00.000+05:30

Bishnu Da and the Oriya Team
Originally uploaded by sagarchandratrey.

Surprisingly,I did not know while clicking the picture that all in the pic were Oriyas.

From Left to right - Asit Pradhan,Bishnu Panda,Debasis Patra and Vivek Ranjan Sahoo

Fred and Jay archie having a great time

2005-11-10T18:32:00.000+05:30

Fred and Jay archie having a great time
Originally uploaded by sagarchandratrey.

The client had come over to our India office in October.

We had a party at Taj Banjara.We invited Fred and Jay to join us on the dance floor and were succesful in doing so.

Later,they had a great time on the dance floor.

Investments in Life

2005-11-10T18:07:00.000+05:30

Lead a Balanced and Happy Life

The normal perception of investment is making monetary investments.buying a piece of property,investing in stocks,mutual funds etc.But over a period of time,I have realized that monetary investments are not the only types to lead a balanced and happy life.

I pondered and from my experiences and observations,I came out with 5 types of investments that one may make to lead a Balanced and a Happy life.The same are explained below.

Types of Investments

There are five types of investments necessary to lead a happy and balanced life:

It is suggested that an annual review be done to check how one stands on each of these.

The 5 types of investments are briefly described below:

1.Knowledge :

Knowledge covers academic as well as vocational knowledge.

One should acquire new language skills and gain knowledge of varied subjects.

Examples could be:
1.Learning of a foreign Language
2.Learning some domestic activities..like plumbing,carpentery,electrician jobs.

These services are becoming dearer day by day and its difficult to find good, honest and skilled professionals in these areas. Self help is the best option and one should try to acquire these skills.

Reading various books and knowing various subjects not only increases one's understanding of worldly affairs but also makes
one worthy of respect in the society.

Hence, one should always be in pursuit of such activities.

2.People :

Man needs people around him for an emotional balance as well as for building knowledge. By meeting various kinds of
people from different backgrounds, one comes to know of various things that happen in society and according to interest, the background of people can be used for gaining more knowledge. Also, each person has his/her own network of people. By connecting to one person, one should also try to connect to the network of people that the person has. This has a miraculous effect on one's knowledge and general growth. Also, in times of need, it is the people that we have around us that come to help. Hence, investment in people is one of the most important investments.

One could invest in people by listening to them sincerely, helping them and spending quality time with them.

3.Direct economic returns: Money is needed for almost everything.Though, its not the end, but a means to the end, money still
plays a very important role in life. Realizing the importance of money, one should wisely devise methods of earning money and
at the same time save money for the future. One should be able to make a distinction between wants and needs and spend money
only on needs. Of course, money should also be spent on some wants..but it should be spent with great care and thought.

Having a lot of money can spoil a person's mind and he may not be able to decide what are his wants and needs. This may ruin the person. Money brings with it a lot of bad things and therefore, one must be very careful about money.

One should spend money to cater to one's needs of food, clothing and shelter plus some small and genuine wants and save the rest. Also, a part of the money earned should be returned back to the society in the form of help to the poor, financing various social initiatives in
education, preservation of environment, preservation of one's culture and heritage.

4.Deeds:Doing good deeds raises the positive energy in the mind and makes one feel good about himself/herself. This helps
maintain good health and at the same time creates a goodwill in the society.

One must do good deeds on a regular basis. These
deeds do not have an age limit and as soon as one grows up to an age when one starts understanding worldly matters, one should
start doing good deeds and continue to do so till the end of life.

5.Health:All happiness is related to good health. If one is healthy, one can enjoy the materialistic pleasures. Otherwise, no amount of money or deeds or company of people would be able to make a person happy. For doing all the above mentioned things, one should maintain good health.

Hence, one should invest time in maintaining good health. Eating fruits,dry fruits,drinking juices,exercising go a long way in maintaining good health.

Brahma Madhya

2005-11-09T14:30:00.000+05:30

Brahma Madhya
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

The opening for Light to come in into the passage.

Dewghar

2005-11-09T14:28:00.000+05:30

Dewghar
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

The Dewghar-Place of GOD

The Hall

2005-11-09T14:13:00.000+05:30

The Hall
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

The Living room.

Earlier this space was allocated for one living room and a bed room.

I decided to club these two into one as we had just 2 people living in the bungalow for the next few years and had enough rooms for them.

Finally,we for a huge living room..something like 25 ft by 18 ft.

Shraddha with the cake

2005-11-09T14:09:00.000+05:30

Shraddha with the cake
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

Shraddha with the cake.She makes good cakes and this was the first time I ate one made by her.Was really tasty.

My mother wishing Shraddha and Saurabh

2005-11-09T14:05:00.002+05:30

My mother wishing Shraddha and Saurabh
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

My mother wishing Shraddha and Saurabh

The Red Rose

2005-11-09T14:05:00.001+05:30

The Red Rose
Originally uploaded by shraddhe_cha_sagar.

The Red Rose in Shraddha's garden