tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71932069554433967152011-08-02T17:25:11.102+05:30The rumblings, mumblings and grumblings of a vagrant and yet (I hope) vibrant mind. My takes on the places, people, movies, books and events which moved me.Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-83049048441124535272009-06-27T18:18:00.001+05:302009-06-27T18:23:59.200+05:30

Long long ago I was tagged by Maradhi Manni to share the music I like. I thought that the best way to return to the blogosphere was to compile a list of my favourites from English Music from the days gone by.I would start with “Imagine” by John Lennon which delivers a timeless message in the typical Lennon Style. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tOgRD4EqYJohn Denver had a unique way of delivering

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-41739451614454153202009-04-16T19:22:00.002+05:302009-04-16T19:25:33.120+05:30

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, " Big John doesn't pay!" and sat

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-559259919445913452009-03-23T18:28:00.005+05:302009-04-16T19:27:55.504+05:30

Hello everyone!A small story that tells you what happens when you hurt someone else.All of us do it knowingly or unknowingly.Let us stop hurting others.Here is your monday morning story for the week.When I confronted my friend after she hurt a colleague, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better.I told

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-46429984499380125302009-03-20T19:47:00.002+05:302009-03-23T09:08:33.906+05:30

I had to make a quick trip abroad last week and travelled Air India on one of their long range flights. I have travelled with them before and was quite apprehensive about the service and courtesy of the crew. My expectations were rock bottom and as usual they did not disappoint.However, this time around I understood why their service and attitudes are below par. It has a lot to do with the

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-37258085238281178142009-03-09T09:24:00.000+05:302009-03-09T09:25:20.740+05:30

Back in Mumbai after a long gap and if things work out the way I have planned. Hopefully I should be here for 3 -4 months and this will give me time for a lot of long pending catch up work…Within days of returning, I was treated to a really harsh dose of “Reality Check”. I was driving listening to ‘JAI HO” with the RJ on going about AR Rahman and how much Slum Dog was doing to focus on the lives

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-69679881309685236172009-02-19T12:08:00.010+05:302009-02-19T12:40:53.981+05:30

Friendship between Indians and PakistanisMyth , Pipe-Dream or a Distant RealityWhile watching CNN last night I saw a commercial for Mobilink which is the advertisement they run in Pakistan. Take 3 minutes to watch it and I am sure you will be struck as I was that this commercial would strike the same chords in any part of India. I also loved the song "hum Bolen Mohabat ki Zubaan" and I hope you

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-25856014749161756012009-02-14T15:32:00.007+05:302009-02-15T14:54:15.506+05:30

One of my favourite quotes used to be that in the "Rat Race" of life even if you come first, remember that you are still a rat, albiet the fastest one. This piece which came to me in the mail is a wonderful riposte to the concept that Life is a rat race. It is one only if we make it so. The choice as always is within.This is a remarkably beautiful poem which implores us to enjoy each moment of

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-2381414648953288572009-02-08T17:15:00.003+05:302009-02-15T14:53:59.193+05:30

My history teacher used to tell fascinating tales of the Chinese travelers to India from the court of the Great Kublai Khan and his ilk. I grew up in an era where journeys were well planned with tickets bought well in advance, accommodation booked and the internet scanned for places to see and safety tips for international travelers. The idea of intrepid explorers travelling the silk route in

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-40246382425786777692009-02-05T16:24:00.002+05:302009-02-15T14:39:30.701+05:30

The best credit crunch jokes to have you laughing all the way to the bankHow do you define optimism?A banker who irons five shirts on a Sunday.What's the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza? The pizza can still feed a family of four.As a surprise, a chief exec's wife pops by his office. She finds him in an unorthodox position, with his secretary sitting in his lap. Without

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-62298608059744074692009-02-04T14:46:00.005+05:302009-02-15T14:53:36.886+05:30

Here is an amazing collection of facts I received in the mail. I found them very interesting. I hope you do too.In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb".Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-9940385578945527282009-01-31T17:53:00.004+05:302009-02-15T14:45:58.994+05:30

My father’s youngest sister moved on to another life a couple of weeks ago. She was about 80.With her passing all the immediate brothers and sisters on my father’s side have moved on. My mother perhaps is the most severely affected but I too feel the pain of the realization that an entire generation on my father’s side is no longer with us.My Athai as we used to call her was very close to my

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-46247000632374072922009-01-25T22:16:00.007+05:302009-02-15T14:52:33.433+05:30

Since the Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev is the chief guest at the Indian Republic Day celebrations I thought it would be a great time to introduce you to the place since for once I am in the right place at the right time.Atyrau where I work is a small town in Kazakhstan which was one of the states of the erstwhile USSR before it got independence in 1991. It has very cold winters and

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-5256381284171677262009-01-25T21:59:00.005+05:302009-02-15T14:51:45.002+05:30

It is now time to tell you a bit about where I am. Atyrau is a small town in Kazakhstan which was one of the states of the erstwhile USSR before it got independence in 1991. It has very cold winters and very hot summers. The coldest I have seen on this visit is MINUS 33 degrees centigrade.I am a Madrasi whose definition of Cold used to be anything below PLUS 20 degrees centigrade. Now a minus 8

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-58431049331437262352009-01-21T20:40:00.002+05:302009-02-15T14:45:11.317+05:30

It is now time for an update on the progress of my New Year resolutions. I have tried hard to follow but the report card is just about satisfactory. Let me start with the plusesI have been working out for about 30 minutes a day nothing very great , a 2 km walk and some stretches…But it is a start for a lazy bones who has usually not even moved for early morning coffee when at home or in a hotel..

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-72909881013361016672009-01-16T10:39:00.001+05:302009-02-15T14:43:41.548+05:30

Discussions on this blog have made me hungry. I am going back to a rhyme I wrote myself a long ago after the travails I suffered as an international veggie traveler through the continents including Africa. Most meals around these places are bread, salad and soup. For a pukka veggie foodie like me it is the ultimate sacrifice hence the repeated lapses into fantasy.The rhyme is a caricature of a

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-85192919460226442172009-01-11T17:01:00.001+05:302009-02-15T14:44:58.383+05:30

The sun sets on one year and prepares to rise on another… Always a time for introspection, self evaluation and resolution… This year I have decided to take this a little further. Since I have crossed the halfway mark of my mortal life, it is a good time to see where I am and where I wanted to be!Well I am on a software project in Kazakhstan where the high temperatures are minus 10 degrees

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7193206955443396715.post-71179570248997252572008-12-22T13:12:00.002+05:302009-02-15T14:51:25.151+05:30

Recently I had the opportunity to reconnect with a lot of my old school friends with whom I had lost touch for years. It was wonderful to learn how well they were doing as well as to share the academic progress their children were making. One of the things which however stuck me was how the careers chosen by some of my classmates was so different from the memories I had of them. The past and the

Soul Searcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12332722802993607254noreply@blogger.com4