Catastrophe @ Cape Town.....

Now that Indians had escaped with a defeat and NR on 2 of the liveliest pitches gave me some good hope for this match. Things seem to have started off on a good note for the Indian team. First there was the SA selection fiasco with a fuming Graeme Smith. Whosoever witnessed the scene will now know that selections politics are just not restricted to the teams from the sub continent. I was convinced that things were finally changing for India. I thought this was the best chance India had to turn things around.

1. Zaheer’s Initial Burst: It was a mind boggling first over. Smith & Kallis were both priced of by Zaheer within the space of 4 balls. What a start I thought. Zaheer, later in the same spell got the best of Bosman. Finally, I felt that the India bowlers were getting their act together.
   

2. Awful Agarkar: Ajit Agarkar is an apt example of unfulfilled talent, despite having got enough opportunities to come up trumps. When he first hit the international scene, there was a huge hype created around him being the all rounder India was looking for. He has lived up to the billing on handful occasions. It was no different in Cape Town. He was all over the place, either dishing out juicy half volleys or pitching it short. The result was just awful.
   

3. Pathetic Pathan: Irfan Pathan was our reply to Wasim Akram. His swing bowling was a revelation in his first few years on the international scene. When he first burst into the international scene in Australia in 2003, he had both the swing and the pace. He could get the bowl to prodigiously swing back into the right hander batsmen at pace upwards of 140 kmph. He was all aggression and confidence personified. For the last year or so, the swing and the pace have disappeared and so has the confidence too. His performance was just ordinary on the day.

4. Klassy Kumble: For Kumble, it was just another day in the park. His miserly spell of 10 overs for just twenty four runs was just out of the ordinary. Here is a performer, who last played an ODI more than a year back. How badly India missed Kumble in West Indies and Champions Trophy. Test cricket or ODI, a person with a proven track record (mind you, he is India’s highest wicket taker in both forms of the game) as Kumble, should always be in the playing 11, barring an injury or a serious dip in form.

5. Just – In Kemp could have been Just Out: At 72/6, with their innings in total doldrums, Kemp join hands with Pollock to begin with and at a later stage with Hall to maul the Indian bowling. Kemp was dropped by Sachin of his own bowling, when the score card read 108/6. It was a miss that cost India the match and maybe even the series. The Indian team grassed 5 catches. It has left me wondering, whether the fielding drills that the team goes through serves any purpose. By what we saw, it doesn’t. Kemp made an amazing 100 and Hall (whose inclusion against Nel had Smith searing) contributed a precious 50. India’s largesse helped SA pile a winning total of 270 odd runs.

6. India Never In Hunt: Sehwag’s upper cut of Pollock landed straight in the hands of Hall @ third man. Sachin’s pull was snapped by Bosman of Pollock. Kaif came, played well to get into double figures and got bowled of Pollock. Dinesh Karthick was played in this match as a specialist batsman @ #5. He is a wicket keeper who can contribute with the bat. Having him as a specialist batsman just showed how badly Mongia and Raina had accounted for themselves. Karthick fought it out in the middle and tried his best to play the pace bowlers with a degree of composure. He looked good till his inexperience against a bowler like Ntini got the better of him. Mongia & Raina need to learn a few things about batting from Karthick.

7. D Company: Now that India was facing another humiliating defeat it was for the D Company (Dravid – Dhoni combine) to give some respectability. Dravid showed all his detractors (if any) why he is called “The Great Wall Of India”. Dhoni was his usual self. The six he hit of Ntini was a treat to watch. The fact that it was just the fourth ball he faced made it look better. It was Dravid’s determination and Dhoni’s daring display of batsmanship that made the impossible look possible. Just when things were beginning to look up, Dhoni was caught smartly by Bosman of Kallis at the deep square leg boundary. With his dismissal, down went India’s chances of making a match of SA’s total.

What happened next is just not even worth a mention. India again lost by a whopping 100 odd runs.

Indian team has to do some serious rethinking of their strategies now. Munaf is injured and so is Dravid. Dravid is ruled out of the ODI series. His replacement is VVS Laxman. A month ago, our Selection Committee Chairman, Mr. Vengasarkar had opined that Laxman was just not fit enough to play ODI. How Laxman proved otherwise in a month’s time, is surprising.

KP’s Winning Combo:

1. Sehwag to open with Mongia (we don’t have any other batsmen to play with).

2. Kaif @ one down and Sachin to follow.

3. Dinesh Karthick @ 5 followed by Dhoni @ 6.

4. Irfan Pathan @ 7 gives us batting depth. The team may want to tinker with an idea of sending him upfront to just give India a head start.

5. Agarkar to be dropped and Sreesanth included. Harbhajan (despite his lack of form in the 2 matches) to be retained. Kumble and Zaheer to complete the bowling attack.

6. In addition to these, Indian team needs to exhibit some “passion to perform” (DB credit cards could do them some good).

Come India – Dikha Do, SA ko Hila do!!!!!!

PLEASE DON’T BLAME GREG CHAPPELL FOR THESE DEFEATS. HE IS THE BEST COACH OUR SPOILT BRATS COULD HAVE GOT!!!!

LET US WISH THAT THE “TEAM INDIA” GETS ITS ACT TOGETHER IN THE FOURTH ODI…….

Indian Cricketing Woes…………………

The least said the better!!!!! The very same cricketers, who seem to take India to its cricketing zenith in the last season, are contributing significantly to the current woes. They were called the “Youth brigade”, who had suddenly brought a refreshing change to the way India played One Day Cricket. We were treated, what I must admit to some great Indian Run Chases, where our batsmen just about ran down mammoth scores. Such was our proficiency in chasing that once considered taboo had suddenly turned into our strength!!!!!

The form took a serious dip, when India toured West Indies. We were trounced by a resurgent Windies team 4-1. It’s a beating that the Indian team has hardly recovered from. We have slumped to defeats of varying nature in the DLF Cup & Champions Trophy. There has been an odd victory here and there, throwing up hope. Windies, who themselves were till recently considered just pushovers in International Cricket have become our nemesis now. What was of concern to me the most was the facts that we were no longer the kings on home ground forget out of India. This was on display in the Champions Trophy, where we struggled and were eliminated in the group phase itself.

Now that DLF Cup and Champions Trophy were done and dusted, I looked at the series in South Africa with a great deal of optimism. The Indian Team of 2001 under the then skipper “Sourav Da” had given good account of themselves. They had batted with great flair, fielded with tigrish zeal and bowled their hearts out too. The team was able to get a few positive results, but overall they were still not there. I feel this tour began, what I thought was the most memorable of cricket journeys for an Indian cricket fan. It culminated with India reaching the World Cup Finals!!!!!

Those were good old days in South Africa. I was wishing for a repeat of those great performances. I knew it was too much to expect of this team, given their recent run of poor form and lack of acclimatization to the South African Pitches. The biggest test that I thought, would be the time required for the batsmen to adapt themselves quicker and bouncier wickets and for the bowlers to find the right length on these pitches. After Dale Steyn ripped the heart out of the Indian batting in a practice match, I knew our batsmen were in for tougher times. I was just making this conclusion, on what would the collective might of Pollock, Nel, Ntini, Kallis & Langerveldt dish out. Surely, they would not give Indian Team juicy half volleys or width outside the off stump!!!!!

The Johannesburg match was a non starter – courtesy rain god. Rain has been a constant companion of the Indian team in the current season. How I wished rain could have been replaced by wins in matches…..

Durban Disaster: Those who follow cricket would know that Johannesburg and Durban have the liveliest of playing surfaces. Johannesburg off late had flattened out quite nicely. It was demonstrated aptly in the mammoth 434 runs chase that South Africans did against World Champions South Africa. India, given the bashing in the practice match decided to go in with 6 specialist batsmen and 4 specialist bowlers. Despite getting early inroads, we just could not finish it off. We got to see one of Kallis’ masterpiece centuries, as SA put up a competitive score of 248. Indian batsmen fell like nine pins for a paltry score of 91. This was indeed a lackluster show by the much vaunted Indian batsmen. They were just blown away by the SA tornado. At the end of the match, we also had to digest the fact that Munaf Patel (arguably India’s best bowler in the last 8 months) had picked up an injury and would not start in the Cape Town ODI. The lone positive out of the match was Zaheer Khan’s incisive early burst. He showed in patches, that the hunger which he once demonstrated was back.

It was time to move on to the Cape of Good Hope – Cape Town – To be continued

Prijesh’s Wedding @ Kannur – Prelude (Part 2)!!!!!!!

04/06/06 – The day Prijesh got the LLL (Learner’s License – Life)

I was the first to wake up, as decided the previous night. I was maybe in a slumber of sorts, when the alarm set in my mobile started off. Damn it – I said to myself and got up. The agenda was to get up by 0530 hours and finish off with my ablutions by 0615 hours. I then had to wake up SS (Snoring Sachin), who would then get ready by 0700 hours. The last to go to the bathroom would be Arvind (lucky bugger). I got up and watched in envy the two sleeping giants. Damn them – I cursed and walked into the bathroom.

I always judge hotels by the upkeep in the bathrooms. The room maybe could be lavish or decently kept. If the bathroom would not be neatly kept, it would instantly trigger my temper. I found the bathroom to my liking. It was spacious and had great degree of cleanliness attached to it. We stuck to our schedule, and got ready by 0730 hours.

The pals in the other room were getting ready. Nithin was a gracious host. He had insisted the previous day, that we make it to his sister’s house for breakfast. We are not the ones to refuse breakfast / lunch / dinner!!! The thought never crosses our mind to say a “No”, even though it might be just for a formality.

We were greeted with a great Kerala breakfast @ Nithin’s place. We were sure, we are going to make good justice to whatever would be dished out to us. We were in a mood to play a long innings. The breakfast included the following:

1. Puttu with Kadala curry.
2. Some sort of Shemiya (Shavage for kannadigas) with a dish for it too.
3. Bread slices.
4. Egg Omelet for those who loved them.
   

Now this was a deadly combination of Kerala & continental breakfast. I really lost count on the number of bread slices I had or the number of times I served myself with Pottu & Shemiya. There were very few words spoken, as we hogged like never before. To top it all, Shamila (Nithin’s sister) was doing her bit by coaxing us to have more. I don’t think, we needed any amount of coaxing. I remember the dialogue of DCH, when Saif Ali Khan tells Dimple Kapadia “Hum cake kane ke liye kahi bhi aa sakte hai”. In our case it was not cake but food!!!!!

I and Sachin engaged in a game of carom with Nithin’s Nephew & Niece. Anurag & Arvind did themself good with a few comics. Ravi was giving some well know “gyan” on Vastu. Ravi apart from being a temple man is a Vastu Expert too. So, whomsoever, has any problems do get in touch with Ravi. I am sure, his recommendations can only hold you in good stead.

We now realized that we were getting late for “Prijesh’s Engagement”. All this while, we were just freaking around, without actually thinking of the occasion. We hurriedly bid adieu to Nithin’s Sister & her family and thanked them for the sumptuous breakfast. We never forget thanking people who have provided us with good food. That I suppose is a great trait that we possess after the royal munching that we do!!!

We drove down through the narrow alleys and reached our destination. As is our wont, we decided to take the last row, given that the hall was all but full with elders. One thing that stuck me was the clear demarcation between the men folk and the women folk. They were seated separately.

The weather was driving us crazy. It was so pleasant, when we had reached Kannur the previous evening. It had done a total reversal and was hot and sultry. I suppose Kannur being a coastal town has these weather extremes. The sun was beating down and we were all sweating profusely. We just wanted to see some action.

Prijesh was his usual self, smiling and socializing with the guests. We suddenly spotted a girl who was gold laden!!!! We were amazed at the amount of gold on her. We then realized it was “Shajila”. There were a few bets being thrown amongst ourselves as whether the girl we spotted was Shajila or was it somebody else. We finally came to a conclusion that the gold laden girl was indeed Shajila, as none of the other women folk were dressed in the same manner. Given the occasion, we kind of confirmed it amongst ourself.

The ceremony itself was a very simple one. This was the first time I was attending a Mallu Engagement. The men folk wore the traditional White Shirt and White Mundu and the women were in sarees with good display of their golden collection. Now I know, why the men dressed in such a simple manner (most of their hard earned money spent on getting jewels and ornaments to the women). We were all waiting for the action to begin.

We finally saw some action. There was a congregation of family elders, who got together and were speaking a few words on the occasion. Prijesh, who was standing by our side (the last row), was clueless on what was being told. He was just happy to get his LLL. We looked on clueless. Finally the girl and the boy were summoned. Prijesh made a gala entry to all our excitement. Shajila was her smiling self. Prijesh was no lesser. Both were trying to outshine each other with their Colgate/Pepsodent/Close Up smiles. I have always believed that smile/laughter is something very natural. Fake smiles can be easily detected. I found the smiles to be very genuine from both Prijesh and Shajila. It also reflected the fact that, both were very happy to have chosen the other as life partners.

Prijesh was now entering a point of no return. He was going to make maybe the biggest commitment of his life time. He was now turning from a hard core bachelor to a mature man ready to start his own family. I am sure, Prijesh would have had a few butterflies in his stomach, though he did well to hide them. Cometh the hour, cometh our man Prijesh. After the elders rendered their wishes, it was time for the LOI to be released. Prijesh and Shajila were asked to exchange rings, as a part of the LOI. We were smiling ourselves to glory, thinking that this glorification of his equated to the glorification of lamb before the slaughter.

It was official. Prijesh would wed Shajila on a date decided by the elders. We all enquired with Prijesh, but he was clueless on the date. It was time for a few photographs to be taken. We were more than game to have our photographs taken, as is our wont. We also had a brief interaction with the newly engaged ones.

It was getting hotter in the hall. So we decided to cool off our heels by going to the Cannanore Fort. We had heard a lot about the fort and took our vehicle towards the fort. We were now again left @ Nithin’s mercy. We did miss a few roads, but given Nithin’s proficiency in Malayalam, we somehow made it to the fort. I must admit, I enjoyed the walk around the fort. We took some great pictures of the fort. The fort seemed in itself a great monument. The end of the fort facing the sea was the clincher. Waves after waves of water would come and hot the rocks and base of the fort. It was a sight to behold. These are places, one should visit when lonely. You just need to face up to the sea and retrospect. I am sure, clarity in perspective can be gained by a few moments spent in solitude just looking at the sea.

We were feeling hungry again. After running around the fort and posing for a few funny pictures, we decided it was time to visit Prijesh and Shajila again. We did not want to be going too late to the lunch party. We were in no mood whatsoever to miss it. Food is something, the whole of Bangalore Sales team is crazy about. We enjoy good food. Maybe our tummies are an apt indicator of the same!!!!!

We reached the place in the nick of time. Things were being wound up and lunch was being served. We made it to the place, where Prijesh, Shajila and other family members were around. We took our tables opposite to Prijesh, Shajila and their families. This was our first one on one interaction with Shajila. She came across as a very humble person, who just loved to sport a smile. There was a lot of leg pulling that was going around, with jokes flying from one table to another. I am sure, Prijesh after hours of inactivity (in terms of PJs) came back into action with his own brand of PJs. The married folk (Sach, Ravi & Arvind) were at their humorous best. We all had a great laugh riot during the lunch. The laughter would be broken by a periods of absolute silence, where in our Non Veg friends would feast on the Chicken Biryani. I had some plain rice with raitha and a cup of payasam (kheer). I somehow find it quite difficult to be myself (in terms of eating capacities) where non veg is served.

We had our lunch and decided it was time to leave. Prijesh insisted that we visit his house before we left Kannur. We rushed to our hotel, checked out and moved towards Prijesh’s residence. I still do not remember the route we took to get to his house. His house was at an altitude from the main road. We had to go through narrow lanes and a few by lanes to get to his house. We were accorded a very warm welcome by Prijesh and his family. We were introduced to his parents. Now we had our second opportunity to munch in less than 2 hours. We were in Prijesh’s house for the first time. That made it difficult for us. We just could not say “No” to what was served to us. There were a few cookies, cake pieces and some mixture which we devoured on. I then had maybe one of the best lime teas ever. It tasted just perfect and refreshed me to no end. We were all rejuvenated no end. I must admit, most of us were floored with the hospitality we had been accorded and were indebted to Prijesh for having made such elaborate arrangements for us.

We now had to leave Kannur. It was close to 1500 hours and given our estimate, we thought we could reach Bangalore by early midnight. None of us wanted to leave Kannur. We had such loads of fun that we wanted this to continue forever. But alas, we had to leave. We bid adieu to Prijesh and his family and got into the Quallis. Before we could leave, we had another surprise from Prijesh. We were asked to take a gunny bag full of home grown bananas. We again did not refuse.

We hit the road with a sense of purpose. Each one of us was reflecting on the time well spent. We all needed this break badly and this break had revitalized us. We as a team, felt closer to each other. There was a sense of oneness amongst us. Yashu was driving with great zeal and enthusiasm and in no time we had hit the ghat sections. We virtually ripped through the ghat sections and were extremely pleased at the way we were going about covering the distance. In no time, we were done with the ghat section too. We traced the same route, by which we had come to Kannur. We hit Mananthavady and took a detour. We went through the mini ghats again and were amazed by the way Yashu was negotiating the blind curves. There was a sense of contempt and an aura of being supreme, that Yashu exuded.

We were quite happy at the progress we had made, but were a bit concerned. The concern was the route we had taken. We all somehow had an inkling that we were on the wrong route. Suddenly we find a Karnataka Checkpost. We are stunned!!! When we had come via Waynad Forest range, we had 3 checkposts on the Kerala side. We had hit a Karnataka Checkpost, without even encountering a single Kerala Checkpost. This got us intrigued and a bit confused too. We crossed the checkpost to find the Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarhole Forest Range). We knew that very instant we were in trouble. Though this route was a shorter one, but going through the forest range was something that we had not thought off in our wildest imagination.

The road was clumsy. We knew the road would lead us to Mysore, but maybe it would be a while we reached Mysore. We were concerned about what effects the road would have on our vehicle. Yashu was at his best negotiating the bad roads. Reo wanted to hear the sound of the forest!!!! We therefore maintained a few minutes of silence. That was that. We were trying to be normal, despite having a few apprehensions. Whomsoever we asked, on the bad roads, had the same answer “it’s this bad for the next 10 kilometers”. Damn, it felt like it was a stretch of 100 kilometers with real bad roads. We also were apprehensive of the fact of facing off with the wild life, as we were in the thick jungle. On a lighter side, people would pay 2K to come on a safari to this part of the woods. We were doing it almost free of cost. It was as though, we had this as a compliment.

We somehow waded through the jungle terrain. We reached a few checkposts which signaled the end of the Forest terrain. We were pleased to have come unscathed. We immediately hit off on the fast track and were amazed to find the roads to be just great. I had not seen such roads towards Mysore for a long long time. This road was link up between Mysore and Kabini Dam. The roads were just as flat and smooth as they come. It was nearing 1800 hours and we were making great progress. Yashu was at his best, zipping the Quallis at speeds above 100. We just loved this. None of us had ever come over to this part of Mysore and were all praises for the road. Now we knew, Karnataka or some parts of it were making good progress with infrastructure in place.

We were pleased to be making good headway towards Bangalore. At around 1845 hours, as the sun started to set, Yashu gave us all a shock. He told that the lights (inclusive of the dipper and dimmer) were non functional. Now we were caught in dilemma. We did not now, how long it would take us to reach Mysore. We did not know of any shop which would be open on a Sunday en route to Mysore. Yashu tried his best to make up the distance, but we reached a point, where driving would just be risky without lights. For a few kilometers we just followed a bus, but that just was not helping our cause. Now we knew, we were in for a long haul.

We stopped in a nearby village and enquired for a shop. To our good luck, there were a bunch of amateur electricians, who were willing to help us out. They did their levels of R&D on the vehicle, but come what may, the light just would glow up. They requested us to drive the vehicle down to their yard which was close by. Now there were a few more mechanics on the job. We were getting a bit restless, as the time was ticking by. We had plans of reaching Bangalore latest by 11 PM in the night. But that just looked impossible. We just were hoping against hope, so that the lights could get ready. Now they say, where there is a will there is a way. This was amply demonstrated by those amateurs. The lights were all bright now and glowing in full glory. We paid them INR 100 and immediately made way towards Mysore. In a situation that we were in, we would have paid them any amount to have the vehicle ready.

The whole incident had taken a toll on us and it was almost 2030 hours when we hit Mysore. We were so relieved and we still believed that we could be in Bangalore by 2330 hours. We had another surprise in store for us. Our reliable Quallis had a puncture. Now we knew, things were just getting a bit bad. Yashu, the professional that he is, got us going in 15 minutes time. We were all just hoping that things did not get any worse than what it had got in the last few hours. There were two opinions doing rounds in the Quallis. One was” let us skip dinner and reach Bangalore safely first” and the other was “let us have our dinner and things will be fine”. I am sure, you know by now, which opinion would have held its ground.

We stopped at the A-1 Punjabi Dhaba on the outskirts of Mysore, almost near to Srirangapattana. We were all exhausted with what we had gone through the entire day. An early start with lots of activity since morning, with hardly any rest had started to take its toll on us. I suppose, most of us were hungry, but were quite tired to even eat anything. We made our orders with the waiter and asked him to make it fast. We still had some stock of Whisky and Vodka with us. A peg or two revitalized our spirits and also our appetites. We had ordered for rotis and couple of veg and non veg gravies. We feasted on the food, needless to say. We had a great dinner. The food tasted better, as we had been through quite many trials since evening and we were all quite relaxed now.

It was 2130 hours, when we left the Dhaba. Most of us were so tired, that we decided to take a nap. Yashu, I must admit was just the professional driver you could think off. Arvind and Ravi kept him good company as the rest of us just dozed off. Yashu was ripping on the Bangalore – Mysore Expressway, as we just went into deep slumber. It was close to 2345 hours, when we finally reached Sachin’s place. Sachin, Nithin and I got down. Reo got dropped at his place, as Ravi and Arvind then got dropped at theirs.

Nithin and I picked our bikes and drove back to our houses. By the time I reached mine, it was close to 0030 hours. It was a pleasure to drive on the empty roads in Bangalore. The distance during normal hours of a day would take me 45 to 50 minutes to traverse. The air was fresher too. I got a stare from my parents for having driven in such wee hours back home, but I cared none for it. I was in my own Trans and still was in the holiday mood. I was relieved and happy to be back in my house. But the thought of getting back to the office just hit me. It’s when I realized, it was time to hit the bed.

This trip had a lasting impact on us. For those of us, who were seeing Kerala for the first time, we had just fallen for the natural beauty it possessed. We all wanted to go back to the place again and spend some more time. The place had refreshed our minds and body alike. This sojourn had brought us closer as a unit. This was the first time we all had gone out and been with each other for such a length of time. We came to know and appreciate facets of each other that otherwise we would have never known. All in all, we felt a sense of togetherness. This time off from our regular office routine got us bonded as friends forever.

Thanks Prijesh for having helped us make this trip a memorable one!!!!!

Prijesh’s Wedding @ Kannur – Prelude (Part 1)!!!!!!!

Now who the hell is Prijesh and why am I writing about his wedding??

Prijesh Thylekandy (Priju / PJes /Pre & Post Jesh for WebExians) is a colleague of mine in the sales team. A very amicable guy, who has a great sense of humor. His sense of comic timing is just perfect and most of us in the WebEx Sales Team @ Bangalore can vouch for it. I would want to cite here a few examples:

1. May Bash – We had launched a promotional offer for majority of our services in the Month of May. Prijesh’s take on it: “May Bash – It May or May not bash”. It was an instant response from him, which had the team in ruptures.
   

2. Target – We had a meeting with our directors in the beginning of Q3 (JAS). Kiran (MD) was asking us to think big and achieve just not 100% of the target but overachieve by doing 150% of the target. He asked a simple question: “Who amongst you would do 150% of the target” and gave his customary glance at the whole team. Up went Prijesh’s hand. Now at the end of Q3 Prijesh achieved 50% of his stifling target. We started pulling his legs on what happened to the 150% he had committed. Out came his reply “I achieved 1- 50% of the target”. Needless to say, we still pull his legs!!!!
   

We were all pretty pleased the Prijesh found an equally amicable and smiling Shajila as his life partner.

The Engagement (04/06/06) – Our Journey to Kannur (02/06/06 – 03/06/06)

Prijesh invited us to his engagement. He was game to pool in for our travel and had assured us for arranging for our accommodation too. We hired a “Toyota Qualis” to ferry us to Kannur (Prijesh’s home town). I had never visited Kerala before and was keen to see “The Gods Own Country”.

I had missed a chance to visit Kerala for Arvind’s Engagement and had felt a bit low. Arvind, being such a good friend of mine, made the feeling a bit sour for me. I was doubly keen not to miss out on the opportunity this time and have a great time with my colleagues. I must admit, this is the best set of colleagues I have worked with. The reason might be, that most of us fall in the same age group and have similar interests. The whole of Sales Team @ Bangalore is fun loving. We share each other’s sorrows and rejoice in each other’s moments of happiness. To sum it up, we are there for each other at all times, be it for professional or personal reasons. There is a sense of bonding and unity in the team that I am proud of.

We were supposed to leave Bangalore by 1400 hours on 02/06/06, so that we reached Bandipur Forest Reserves sometime in the evening. We had planned to stay the night in Bandipur. As usual, we were late in leaving Bangalore. We left Bangalore around 1630 hours and the climate did not help. It had been cloudy all the while and started pouring down, when we hit the Bangalore – Mysore Express way. This did dampen our spirits only a bit I suppose. We had an expert driver (Yashu) with us, who made it a point to drive down with great zeal and take us to our destination at the earliest. We did stop at the outskirts of Mysore (Opposite to Ganapati Sachidananda Ashrama) for some tea and snacks.

We were running against time to reach Bandipur at the earliest. We finally did reach Bandipur and were looking for the Forest Resorts. Either the resorts were full or were damn expensive. Now this was turning out to be a challenge to most of us. We did a good bargain in one of the resorts and got 2 rooms to camp in. I, Arvind & Sachin got into one. Rejenish, Ravi, Anurag & Nithin got into the other room. We had a sumptuous dinner, with Ravi getting some home made chicken from Bangalore. The food tasted bad, but we were dead hungry. With the Vodkas and Whiskies & Cigarettes that we had got with us, the food started tasting better!!! Now that’s what you can call “Booze Effect”. It was left to me to check the bill for dinner. I was the odd man out – No Booze you see!!!! The dinner was followed with a lengthy discussion which went on till late in the night. That discussion cleared a lot of misconceptions and cleared the air for greater fun to be had in the next few days.

03/06/06 – The day started off pretty early for me. We had plans of vacating the resort at the earliest. This would enable us to visit the Bandipur Forest Reserve on a Safari. We wanted to reach Kannur, before dark. None of us knew the route to Kannur – Now this is what I call adventure. We were dependent on Nithin’s (the lone Mallu and an Ex WebEx Colleague) knowledge of the place. He is also a native of Kannur but settled in Mangalore.

All of us got ready and visited Bandipur Forest Reserve. It was a huge disappointment. Apart from spotting a few dears and a few monkeys and a peacock, we hardly spotted any wildlife. It was as though the whole of wildlife had taken off on weekend, maybe to visit their neighbors & relatives in the adjoining Waynad Forest!!!!

We drove down from Bandipur back towards Gundlupet. On the way I suppose we had a great and sumptuous breakfast. We were all hungry to the limits. Our next stop was “Himvad Gopalaswamy Betta”. How could you miss a temple visit, when you are with Ravi? Ravi an eternal temple man will always make sure, that we visit a minimum of a temple on any journey that we embark on. This temple is special for a specific reason – it is perennially covered with mist and is at altitude that makes your lungs feel so fresh, given the polluted air that we take in day in day out in Bangalore. Our sense of timing could not have been better. We entered, as the abhisheka and pooja were about to begin. We took the front seats, for a change. Swarms of devotees followed us and in no time the temple had was full. I must admit, it is a spiritual delight, sitting there in the temple, singing praises of the lord. There was so much of harmony in the recital that most of us joined in the chorus. I judge the temples that I visit on the levels of sanctity it maintains, the sense of absolute purity and calm that I feel, when I enter the sanctum sanctorum and obviously the prasadam that is disbursed at the end of the pooja. I rate this temple 10/10 and I strongly recommend to people to visit this place. I am sure, you will come out of the place refreshed in mind and body. As is our wont, we took great pictures of the scenic beauty surrounding the place.

After feasting the prasadam, we got going towards Kannur. It was high time we did so. Our route would take us through the Waynad Forest Range. We knew we had to hit Sulthan Bathery en route to Kannur. The road leading to Kerala border was all but fabulous. We again picked up a few snaps, as we made rapid progress towards the Kerala Border. The air just got a bit nippier as we crossed the Kerala Border. The moment we crossed the check post, we saw the poster of now the world famous “Shakila” and film featuring her. This was the first sight of Shakila in her homeland and we all just could not but let out a laughter talking about her. I fell in love with the scenic surroundings at the first sight. I must admit, it had been ages, since I had seen such greenery. Now I knew why, this place was called “The Gods Own Country”. We hit Sulthan Bathery and then sought direction for Mananthavady. We reached Sulthan Bathery somewhere around 12 noon. We were very pleased with the progress we made. Nithin was using his Malayalam to good effect, we thought. How wrong were we, hit us, after we had lunch at a roadside restaurant. We had missed a detour and had to go back 15 kilo meters to get the detour. The lunch that we had, was the spiciest I have had for a few years. I knew for a fact that Keralites love to have their foods spicy, given the fact that I had a few colleagues of mine in Abu Dhabi, who were from Kerala. I would never venture into the kitchen, the day they would take the turn to cook lunch instead of our trusted cook. The food seems to have settled well, as most of us decided to take a drink, before hand. Ravi, seemed to have taken a bit more. He was on a perpetual high, just brandishing the rest of us with rare display of contempt.

We reached Mananthavady and then again enquired for Kannur. We had left the enquiry job again to Nithin, knowing very well his limited knowledge of the terrain, but trusting his Malayalam speaking skills. We made good progress and reached Mananthavady and again took a detour to Kannur. I suppose we were on track, as we hit the lovely Ghat Sections. All along the way, there was one thing that stuck me the most. There were no deserted places. There was human habitation all along the road we had taken. Now Nithin has this great eye for beauty. The moment, he would see women or girls, he would shriek out “Babbyy”. I was surprised, to hear this shriek from Nithin on quite regular basis. I must admit, the natural scenic beauty was well complimented by the beauty of the women folk there.

Yashu, according to me was as professional as they come. Despite, we enticing him to have a peg or two, he bluntly refrained from doing so. He knew, we were banking on his driving skills and experience for a safe journey to Kannur and back to Bangalore. The ghat sections were well negotiated and we reached Kannur, without any further lapses in direction by around 1830 hours in the evening. The ghat sections had great roads, given the nature and frequency of downpour these areas encounter. Apart from a few stretches, where it got bad, we had a fairly comfortable journey. Hats off to the Kerala government for maintaining these roads in supreme condition!!!!

We were to check into a hotel by the name “PalmGrove”. Our accommodation was arranged here. We again had to rely on Nithin’s knowledge on the place. With a few glitches here and there, we reached our destination. We were pleased to have finally reached Kannur. Sachin, Arvind & I checked into the same room. The remaining folks checked into the other rooms that were booked for us.

I and Sachin decided to cool our heels in our rooms. The remainder of the folks decided to do a Kannur Darshan. Prijesh announced his arrival in the traditional Kerala wear (A white Shirt and a Mundu). Mundu is equivalent to Dhoti.

We ordered the dinner from the restaurant just besides PalmGrove. The tables were set in our room and the bottles of Vodka & Whisky along with the supplements arranged well. We had a gala time drinking (apart from me – odd man out again) and savouring the dinner. We were indeed hungry and were munching ourselves to glory. The party got over late in the night and we all decided to hit the sack at the earliest. We needed to get up early in the morning to get ready to attend the engagement.

Now here was a catch for me and Arvind. Sharing room with Sachin is fine till Sachin hits the sack. He is a sound sleeper in every sense of it. True to his reputation he snored himself to glory. The AC was getting colder as we all had settled in to our bed. Chilling AC and a snoring Sachin, made sure that I had a few hours of quality sleep.

04/06/06 – This day in itself was something that we in years will never forget. It needs to be dealt in detail. I am sure, the prelude can go into a Part – 2. I will post it in a day or so.

Birthday - A day of restrospection!!!!

A year goes by and a new one comes by,

With not a clue we just let the time fly.

Not knowing what is in store for us in the future,

We sit and bask in the glory of present lure.

Time waits for none and takes its own course,

We mortals at the end are left with remorse.

Little do we know our potential or purpose,

Doing our life as a human gross injustice.

Little do we know our objective,

Living an entire life which is submissive.

Remorse, repentance and other negative vibes at the finish,

This is a feeling we will never cherish.

Its time we decide with fist of iron,

To lead a life with zest and passion.

Making every second and minute reckon,

Leaving behind a legacy for others to beckon.

Better late than never,

Let us lead a life which is better.

A year goes by and a new one comes by………

Coimbatore Escapade - March'05, when i visite the place where it all started for me as a Sales guy...

Hi,

This was the third weekend of March’05. I had frantically tried the previous weekend to travel to Coimbatore to meet up with Jagadeesan (My Ex Colleague – Festo & Esma) and few others. To my utter despair, I could not get a bus ticket to Coimbatore the previous weekend. The desire to travel to Coimbatore was immense and I made it a point to get my tickets well in advance for the 17^th of March. Being the proud Kannadiga, I decided to patronize KSRTC Volvo (Airavatha) for the journey from Bangalore. The price that KSRTC offers on these routes is amazing and that contributed to my decision too. The journey back was to be in KPN, as KSRTC was running bus full!!!!! I must thank Jagadeesan for having the return ticket arranged. Good friends always help out.

I boarded the KSRTC “Airavatha” on the 17^th of March from the diary circle @ 2130 hours. This was Bangalore – Coimbatore – Ernakulam bus. Good number of mallus to keep me company!!!! Damn, I hate them. My seat number was 42. It was the last row and I knew I was in for a tough time. As the bus moved towards Hosur Road, I had a flashback. My initiation into Sales @ Festo Coimbatore under my mentor (Raghavendra Sir), the initial tough phase getting into the sales, my room in Saravana mansion, my food in Om Darshana, my clients & obviously people who had showered me with loads of love and affection (Jagadeesan’s parents, Mercy, Gunaseelan, Ramesh, Chandrasekhar sir & obviously Raghavendra Sir) in Coimbatore.It was a 30 minute movie that my mind played for me. I firmly believe that one cannot just forget the first job he takes up in his life. I must admit, I still have great memories of my tenure as a Sales Engineer working for Festo. I was fast asleep, as the bus moved on.

It was around 4 AM in the morning. I woke up to find the bus zipping on the Avinashi Road. I must admit, I again had a flashback. Though it was dark, I could still make out the landmarks on the Avinashi Road. I reached Gandhipuram at around half past four. The place had not changed one bit. I actually had a shock of my life, when I came back to Bangalore from Abu Dhabi (7^th of March) last year (2004). Bangalore had changed beyond recognition. Coimbatore, on the contrary, had hardly changed. I felt as though I had come home. I walked down from the Gandhipuram towards the X cut Road. My destination was the Lakshmi Complex, where I had decided to camp. As I walked on the X cut road, my eyes were searching for familiar landmarks (Hotel Aryas to be specific). The reason being, that “Hotel Aryas” was the first hotel I visited for breakfast on the 23^rd November 2002 & Lakshmi Complex was dead opposite to Hotel Aryas.

I checked in and requested for a single room, AC though. I had a good nap and found the room to be clean and cozy. Jagadeesan called me at around half past eight and told me that he will be there by nine. I got ready for the day, for which I had waited for over a year. I was getting a bit anxious and had a few butterflies in my stomach. I really did not know the exact reason and frankly did not want to know either. Waiting for Jaggu is quite a task. It was half past nine, when Jaggu announced his arrival. I was hungry and wanted to have a solid breakfast. We visited the Hotel Annapoorna, beneath the Lodging. If my memory serves me right, I had a Masala Dosa and Roast. Jaggu did with a Masala Dosa too. The coffee there is great and it got me back to my days in Coimbatore, when I and Jaggu would occasionally visit Hotels. You see, we used to earn quite a paltry amount (myself INR 4,800) and could not afford visiting these places regularly. Man, I was happy to be back in Coimbatore.

Our immediate target was “Festo Controls India Private Limited – Coimbatore” in the Mayflower Complex. Its 5 minutes walk from the X Cut Road. The office building has not changed one bit. The very same Photo Copy shop, the same watchman & the same maid, who used to clean our office. The lift had not changed too. It had the same warning message. We landed to find the Sales team giving projections to their Manager. We chatted very briefly with Mercy, Gunaseelan, Ramesh & Vinod. It seemed as though most of them were busy. We decided to come back at around 12 noon. We felt, that’s when we could talk, as most of them would be free then. Mercy had not changed one bit and she greeted the both of us with the customary smile of hers. Gunaseelan was looking better, as I believe his health had improved considerably. Ramesh was the same and so was Vinod (last I saw him a year ago in Abu Dhabi).

We walked down and the next on our radar was “Saravana Mansion”. I knew these roads of Gandhipuram/Tatabad extremely well. My legs were just following my mind, which was giving me directions to go to “Saravana Mansion”. I felt so good, as I did not put a foot wrong. I never had such command on roads in Bangalore. We reached Saravana Mansion and I felt that it had got a facelift to compete with various other bachelor accommodations that were prevalent. There was one just by side, where there was previously a household. There was “Dhobi” who would take your clothes for wash or ironing them there. So something had finally changed in Coimbatore. The Land lord and Land lady had not changed and they recognized me instantly. I was pleased to see them and they expressed their happiness in seeing me too. The Land lord was a disciplinarian to the core. The doors of the mansion would be shut by half past ten in the night and would open only at five in the morning. He was instrumental in keeping the mansion and the rooms neat and clean. You had to pay a premium to stay at his mansion. I bet, it was worth the money he used to demand. They were extremely hospitable and made sure we did not leave without having a bottle of Pepsi. It had been ages, since I had gulped down a cola drink. They thought that, I had come over to invite them for my marriage. I had to clarify that it was not happening as of now and also assured them, that I would personally come over and invite them, if and when it happened.

We then went to the food joint “Om Darshana” that I used to frequent on a daily basis. Pandian, the joint owner of the joint greeted us and immediately apologized, as he could not offer us anything. The breakfast time had just got over and the joint was closed till lunch. We immediately hit upon the years gone by and caught up with what was currently happening. Pandian is a few years elder to me and was more like a friend. There was one more buddy of mine (Thiraviam, Pricol) from Saravana Mansion whom we discussed about. I had not heard from Thiraviam for ages now. His contact numbers still remained elusive. We met his elder brother too. The brothers would serve food to us, with great love and affection and the food prepared was hygienic and tasty. I remember having taken each and every one from Festo to this place for food. Nobody came out dissatisfied. I remember Sengu (Product Manager-Bangalore) coming with me to this place and having food, like never had before. Some sight to behold.

Then we met up with Murugadoss of SKS Systems and spoke with him for quite sometime. He was one of our loyal customers. I must admit, he had great admiration for Jaggu. He showed me the notebook, in which Jaggu had given the Festo part numbers 4 years ago. He still follows the same and just goes to the Festo office and changes the quantities and gets the materials. We also caught up with old times and also on the stringent billing practices prevalent in Festo. It was quite fun, recollecting the old days.

We then moved back to Festo office. It was almost half past twelve. It was decided beforehand that I would be having lunch at Jaggu’s house. There was a small twist in the tale. Mercy insisted that we should go to her place. We then traveled in the local transport to Mercy’s place (Cheran Nagar). It’s been ages since I traveled in the local transport. The roads in Coimbatore seem to be devoid of any traffic. The bus, despite the pathetic maintenance was cruising on the Mettupalyam Road. That road has not changed at all. It’s still full of potholes and bumps. I really fail to comprehend, why this road has been so neglected when compared to the Avinashi road and the Trichy Road. We reached Mercy’s moms house. We met Fiona, Mercy’s sweet kiddo girl. All of 5 years, she was as chirpy and naughty, as one could imagine. We then moved to Mercy’s house and she forced us to have food. With great difficulty, I munched 4 chapathis with Potato curry. I had to have some space in my stomach to do justice to the lunch prepared by Jaggu’s mom. It was turning out to be my day out eating and munching, everything that was offered to me. When I was leaving Festo, Mercy had called me for a dinner at her place. As I had run out of time, I could not make it that time. I did not want to refuse her request this time around. For food, anywhere anytime had become the order of the day.

After finishing off this mini lunch, we then moved to Jaggu’s house. It’s on the very same Mettupalyam Road and is in a place called Thudiyalur. This is around 3 to 4 kilometers from Mercy’s house. We got on to a bus, which took us and dropped at the doorstep of his house. Great levels of customer focus and customization by the local transport. It was great to see uncle and aunty waiting for us expectantly. We were late and I had to render my apologies for having kept them waiting. The plankton leaves were rolled out and we are asked to have the lunch. I just could not believe this. I had just munched on 4 delicious chapathis and here I was, still hungry looking at the feastings on offer. I had a great admiration for the “Poriyal (curry)” that Jaggu’s mom used to prepare. It always was very simple and yet great to taste. I made sure, that I did justice to the lunch being served. It seemed to me that day, that I was one big vessel, which could take in whatever was offered. I spent some quality time with them and revisited the days, when I used to visit their place once in a while for lunch. Uncle and aunty have showered me with great love and affection, whenever I have been there. They have always made me feel very comfortable and one amongst them. It is a special bond that I share with Jaggu and his parents. I hope I can visit Coimbatore time and again and spend some time with them. I just wish them a great health in the years to come. Meanwhile, Jaggu’s sister arrived too with her kid “Kausika”. Kausika did not recognize me initially though. Maybe it was my fault, having put in good number of kilos in the past few years. However after much goading, she wilted and posed for a photograph. I believe that was the turning point. What followed that was a procession of photo sessions, with Kausika being the star attraction. It was quite some fun and I just felt so happy. It was getting late and we had to move on. We left their house at around five in the evening and reached Gandhipuram.

I checked into the hotel again and then decided to freshen up. Jaggu was watching the television and coordinated for me to meet up with 2 other gentlemen, who are very close to me. Mani , was my colleague in Esma and we both shared a very good professional and personal relationship. A simple, down to earth guy, who had great talent. I suppose he is putting his talent to good use in Coimbatore, as he is taking care of a pump manufacturing unit and even doing some Special Purpose Machines. He arrived with his friend and we met up at the lobby of the hotel. After brief discussions on what each one of us was up to, we decided to go in for a cup of coffee. I was tempted by the “Vada Sambhar” that the server was serving. So, after such a hefty meal in the noon, my stomach indicated that it still had some space for it. We had causal discussion over a plate of Vada Sambhar and coffee. I was delighted that Mani could make it to Gandhipuram and meet me, despite his professional commitments. It spoke a lot about this guy’s simplicity and how much he valued the time we spent together in Abu Dhabi. I take great pride in friends like Mani, as they are friends to me by heart.

Enter, Chandrasekhar Sir at around half past seven. It had been close to 4 years now, since we had last met. RCS, as he is known, was a great senior colleague to have during my stay in Festo. He unfortunately has the dubious distinction of having served Festo Coimbatore the longest (close to 15 years) without reaping rewards for his hard work. However, he moved out of Festo last year and has set up his own business. He has taken up the dealership of a few Italian brands and is doing well now. What transpired in the discussion though was the enthusiasm he exhibited in explaining these products to us. I felt that he was happy doing this and just thought that he should have done this a lot earlier. Better late than never. A person of his age and experience, coming down to meet me was a humbling experience. The relationship that I shared with RCS was a brotherly one. He was always there to help me professionally and would stand by me and guide me towards the right path. He also during my initial days in Coimbatore helped me find out good food joints. I, Jaggu & RCS discussed in detail about our current lives. We did not realize that it was close to quarter to nine. We then decided to have our dinner in Hotel Aryas. My stomach was willing to accommodate maybe a few dosas. We had a great dinner and then RCS left wishing me and Jaggu luck in our future endeavors.

I realized that the time was half past nine and my escapade to Coimbatore was about to end in a few minutes. I went back to the hotel with Jaggu and checked out. Jaggu gave me company to the bus stand. He had to leave, as it was already close to ten in the night. I was left alone at the KPN’s office and for a moment I felt as if things had come to a standstill. Here I was standing alone, after having spent a day in Coimbatore with people, who have in a way or the other contributed to my progress today. I just did not want this day to end. But as they say, “all good things need to come to an end”, this was a perfect case to prove it.

It was at around half past ten, that my bus arrived. As I eased into my comfort chairs, I reflected on the day well spent. I met all those, who mattered to me. I spent quality time with them and the interactions left a deep impact on me. What we earn or how we scale the echelons in our professional life actually do not bring in the real happiness. Its got by realizing the amount of love and affection your near and dear ones have for you and how you reciprocate the same to them. Personal relationships/friendships bring in unbounded joy, as they are not built on the bricks of any specific needs. They just happen and you just need to relish them. To sum it up, it was great day with people who matter to me the most in Coimbatore. I will never forget this day in years to come. This day will always be close to my heart and I will savor these moments for my life time.

The city and people of Coimbatore have taught many a lessons to me. The city has great energy in it and this aptly reflected in the number of entrepreneurs, both small and big, that the city boasts of. The people in this city are humble and loving. They have the great ability to make outsiders feel comfortable in their city. The city has great resilience. This was showcased after the serial blasts in Coimbatore. The city within years has risen and the businesses which were affected are back on track. There is a great talent pool in Coimbatore, which awaits tapping. I see this southern city of Tamil Nadu being the next IT hub, with CTS setting a huge hub here.

Jaggu, before I end, you have been a great friend to me. There are no words to describe you as a person. Just be the same and keep in touch.

That brings me to the end. I just wish this never ended.

I have plans of visitng coimbatore again, sometime next year. The nostalgia just does not die away.

I thank you all for your patient reading.

Regards,

KP.

New to blogging!!!!

Hi,

I have had this great desire to write and voice my opinion on various issues. I somehow could not find a medium to do so, until i heard of "blogging".

I owe it to my friend Aditya Nataraja, who introduced me to the world of blogging. I read his blogs on a very regular basis. His blogs have given me the motivation to blog myself. Thanks a ton Adi!!!

I will certainly be posting blogs on a regular basis and will require your feedback on improving on the content of the blog or maybe even exploring new areas of interest.

Cheers,

KP.