December 30, 2007

Maharashtra – A Pilgrimage

Visit to Shirdi, Shani Shinganapur and Nashik.

It was first of sorts in several respects. I, Sridharan and Desi traveling for the first time together. We drove down to Shirdi starting at about 9.45 pm and arriving at Shirdi by about 4 am the next day (30th December 2007).


At Shirdi had a good darshan of Baba. I’ve fulfilled the vow of giving away Rs.2.00 that I made during my previous visit to Shirdi in 2005.


From there we proceeded to Shani Shinganapur by afternoon. Do not miss the sugar cane juice on the way – the best that you can get, the freshest – the sugarcane is cut from the fields in front of you and the ox crushes them to give you the fresh juice.


The last stop was Nashik. We hired an auto to go around. The Kala Ram, The Gora Ram, Sita Gufa, The Triveni sangam (Aruna, Varuna and Godavari meet here). This place is known as Panchavati.


From there, we drove back to Mumbai. I drove part of the way – I felt it was a bit risky in the sense that I hadn’t slept the entire last night. I drove for about three hours from midnight to 3 am. First time in a highway in night. First time in a highway at night in ghat sections. First time in a highway in ghat section in a diesel car. First time in a highway in ghat section in a diesel car with extreme heavy truck traffic. But then all of us arrived safely.


September 09, 2007

Christmas Celebrations


Christmas - Celebrations - Birth of Christ.
Baby Christ in Barn, Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, The big Gift, the Star(sic) and 'Jingle Bells' note and the bell.
Saujas, Nephew, Age 6, 09th September 2007,

My Dream


Today I dreamed of a girl sleeping in a thuli (hammock).

Swati, Daughter, 09th September 2007

September 08, 2007

Yo Yo Academy

I have started a Yo Yo Academy. Here is the application form you need to fill up. It will cost you Rs.500/- to participate in the competition.

I am going on 15th September to London to start the Academy and conduct the competition by December. I will return after that. Please get me the ticket and find a room for me to stay there.

- Saujas, Age 6, 8th September 2007

Rat and the Mouse

I am Saujas, the Rat and Swati is the mouse. One day, a dinosaur came into our house and scratched our faces. Then we died. An ambulance came and took us to the hospital. The doctor said there is no need for injections – only a few stitches in the face and neck. We returned home after two days.

A few days later, the same dinosaur came again. This time I shot him with a bullet gun. One more came and I shot it too. One more came and I shot that one. One more came and I shot it. I kicked each one of them high in the air and they vanished.

Story by Saujas, Age 6 – 08th September , 2007

June 24, 2007

Lord Rama from Gulbarga




This man is from Gulbarga. A professional village dramatist/performer who normally dons the role of Rama. The profession of rural drama is now going to dogs and he has come to Bangalore to make a living using the only thing he knows – as a performer. And begging. :-( I gave him Rs.10/-.

October 09, 2006

My Profile

In my office, as a way of introduction to rest of the teams, was expected
to give an introduction in the language if my favourite author.

I chose P G Wodehouse and here is the write-up:

Govind – my man, you know – is really a most extraordinary chap. A man of extremely uncertain intelligence, and his general tendency was to think that whatever step he took in any direction on his own account, was just another proof of his innate idiocy. Once or twice, he showed an almost human intelligence. But to reach that stratum, mind you, he needed dynamite. Not quite the run of the mill BAs who are cadaverous looking people with pale melancholy eyes. Not in ANZ. No, Sire.

His principal source of preparing use cases, however, was derived from a principle he learnt when he was a banker – look backwards and go forwards. He’s a bit foggy as to what that means, but it's apparently something the populace is pretty keen on, for he had made quite a decent impression on those who are ‘down under’.

He is tolerably full of beans and manages to come up with a use case once in a while. Full of zeal, shimmering into meeting rooms, the chappie is rummy to a degree and invites people for reviews. When he spoke he showed about fifty-seven front teeth but they never convinced anyone.

He moves from alternative to alternative with as little uproar as a jellyfish.

The reviewers do not absolutely effervesce with joy, if you know what I mean. His nerves stick a yard out of his body during those blistering sessions. Especially when a certain devilishly efficient person draws in three lites of oxygen in one breath and when his brows rise two feet above his head like a rocketing pheasant.

Not to be out done, this lady interjects "Something about it makes my aesthetic taste kick like a mule," and settles down to some Petrafaction.

With the use cases shredded to smithereens and pen dripping blood he sidles towards his seat, thinking that reviewers do it out of pure cussedness. It is a grave situation for the blighty Govind chap - silence screaming like Big-Chief-Who-Can-Hear-A-Fly
-Clear-Its-Throat.

With renewed vigour he shows he is a man of few thousand words – most of them written. All great people are like that – Greg, Narell, Nisha, Petra, Sridhar, Raja, Steve, Janine, and myself. But what are words? Action is the thing. That is the cry. Action (Request). If that is Godfrey’s or Trevor’s forte, so much the better, for I fancy that action rather than words is what we may be needing in the space of about a quarter of a minute – until his documents are set right.

He’s bitten his tongue freely ever so often and dashed if he uses extends ever again, but when the business signs off it is occasion for the beaming smile and the joyous whoop.

"Cheers, mate!" he whispers faintly.

Due apologies to the blighter of a chappie – PG Wodehouse