The purpose was to attend two days training on code optimisation and tuning and the venue was the Noida office of the same company I started my career with 7 years back.
As soon as I entered the office I could smell the same fragrance in the air, exactly the same steel mirrored wall behind the reception, almost similar grandiose interiors, jubilant freshers chuckling, giggling and pairing in every corner, office boys trying to shine up every inch of anything that was glossy. It was hard to belive that once again I was not in Sharda Center or for that matter in it's sister building.
Part of the visit that made me most nostalgic was the training itself and the hall in which the classes were held. Boy! it was unbelievably the same room although smaller in size. same classy furniture, cozy environment, life size screens, machines in latest configurations, yes, in place of bulky CRTs there were LCDs but the point is it was a perfect place to feel being pampered as was once MISEM. Best part is yet to come.
Despite of the place being similar, the objective of being at that place being similar, the feeling being similar, I was thinking at least I would observe a training event different than that experienced in yesteryears since the times have changed. But How wrong was I. First half of the first day saw every one putting their best foot forward in order to justify their presence. By second half 3 from class of 25 disappeared, rest still trying hard to not to get distracted by SMSs and mails. The real fun began on the second day as by then every one had realised that the instructor cares a damn what each one is upto (sounds familiar?). One could see the class unfolding into a perfect class of 2000, MISEM by each passing hour. Few in the front rows still trying to get the hang of what was being thrown to them, Most of the fairer sex deep buried in their cells or outlook inbox, rest digging the hard disk for some goddies as access to internet was blocked (missed Ashwini over there). To prove that randomness is the natures' law - also there were few who were sincerely doing assignments and interacting with the instructor.
I also thought of taking a peek into the folders and voila! a folder full of those blessed tiny Dos games - Prince, Dave, Xonix, Hangman, Tetris, Road Rash et al. In an instant a whole year filled with merriment and awe came alive in my mind and it became hard to resist few rounds of my all time favorite Dave although I still could not get pass the 7th level!
No comments on the purposeful of the training but these two days took me back to a world foregone and i was pressed hard to think that how few things don't ever change. One thing i missed most I guess was the age! (Patil Arcade, AOE haan?)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
तुम्हारे साथ पूरा एक दिन
I was googling for this lovely piece from Gulzar since long but the internet doesn't seem to have it. I knew since begining that I have it with me somewhere in written form but was afraid to open the Pandora's box. But I had to have this here so uncovered the dreadful chest. With that came back the beautiful memories of the era when mails, chats, cellphones did not exist and expression of love, if you were situated 1500 KMs apart, took place through hand written long letters, greeting cards (self crafted), costly long distance calls and sending cassettes through courier.
Nostalgia apart I hope this poem is worth posting it here (may be some one else is also looking for it meaningfully).
मुझे खर्ची मॆं पूरा एक दिन मिलता है
मगर हर रोज कोई छीन लेता है, झपट लेता है अंटी से!
कभी खीसे से गिर पड़ता है तो कभी गिरने की आहत भी नही होती,
खरे दिन को भी मैं खोटा समझ के भूल जाता हूँ।
गिरेबान से पकड़ कर मांगने वाले भी मिलते हैं!
"तेरी गुजरी हुई पुश्तोँ का कर्जा है,
तुझे किस्तें चुकानी हैं ..."
जबरजस्ती भी कोई गिरवी रख लेता, ये कह कर
"अभी दो चार लम्हे खर्च करने के लिए रख ले,
बकाया उम्र के खाते मॆं लिख देते हैं, जब होगा तब हिसाब होगा"
बड़ी हसरत है - पूरा एक दिन एक बार अपने लिए रख लूं !
सिर्फ तुम्हारे साथ पूरा एक दिन खर्च करने की तमन्ना है!
Nostalgia apart I hope this poem is worth posting it here (may be some one else is also looking for it meaningfully).
मुझे खर्ची मॆं पूरा एक दिन मिलता है
मगर हर रोज कोई छीन लेता है, झपट लेता है अंटी से!
कभी खीसे से गिर पड़ता है तो कभी गिरने की आहत भी नही होती,
खरे दिन को भी मैं खोटा समझ के भूल जाता हूँ।
गिरेबान से पकड़ कर मांगने वाले भी मिलते हैं!
"तेरी गुजरी हुई पुश्तोँ का कर्जा है,
तुझे किस्तें चुकानी हैं ..."
जबरजस्ती भी कोई गिरवी रख लेता, ये कह कर
"अभी दो चार लम्हे खर्च करने के लिए रख ले,
बकाया उम्र के खाते मॆं लिख देते हैं, जब होगा तब हिसाब होगा"
बड़ी हसरत है - पूरा एक दिन एक बार अपने लिए रख लूं !
सिर्फ तुम्हारे साथ पूरा एक दिन खर्च करने की तमन्ना है!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Thriller in a new avatar
Johnny Gaddar ...
Wow! thats what comes to mind after watching Johnny Gaddar - even Bollywood can produce such noirs!
Indian cinema for sure is coming of age, genre based experimentation is in full swing. "it's different" now is no more a meaningless phrase dropped by everyone. After Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Metro, Manorama, Chak De and Dil Dosti Etc Johnny Daddar is another flick saying it loud with lots of meaning. They clearly demonstrate that heavy duty cast, melodramatic stories, romantic sequences, chart topping songs, underworld realities or 4 friends slapstick comedies are not required to make a movie that gives worth of your money.
Kudos to Sriram Raghavan for creating such an uptight thriller that gives butterflies in your stomach - a feeling straight out of James Headley Chase or Surendra Mohan Pathak novels. No mysteries, no suspense just a pure pulse racing, intelligently crafted thriller.
Those who could never bear Dharmendra other than in Sholey should see a very genuine and pleasant performance by him. Vinay Pathak doesn't need any comments, he is simply too perfect for them. Zakir Hussain also lives upto being discovered by RGV. Debutant Neil Nitin Mukesh is a dark horse and has fairly handled his character.
A very gripping storyline with a coherent script keeps the audience glued. Soundtracks don't pop up as out of place irritating songs but have been blended as very short pieces of background music. Smart thing to do. Nevertheless one should listen to Move Your Body separately to appreciate S.E.L. score.
Another interesting thing to note is the symbols used in movie as a tribute to Vijay Anand. In intro shot Rimi is shown reading the Narayan's novel The Guide, Neil chooses his fake name in Pune hotel from Johny Mera Naam running on the reception TV et all.
Best movie of this year and best hindi thriller seen so far.
Wow! thats what comes to mind after watching Johnny Gaddar - even Bollywood can produce such noirs!
Indian cinema for sure is coming of age, genre based experimentation is in full swing. "it's different" now is no more a meaningless phrase dropped by everyone. After Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Metro, Manorama, Chak De and Dil Dosti Etc Johnny Daddar is another flick saying it loud with lots of meaning. They clearly demonstrate that heavy duty cast, melodramatic stories, romantic sequences, chart topping songs, underworld realities or 4 friends slapstick comedies are not required to make a movie that gives worth of your money.
Kudos to Sriram Raghavan for creating such an uptight thriller that gives butterflies in your stomach - a feeling straight out of James Headley Chase or Surendra Mohan Pathak novels. No mysteries, no suspense just a pure pulse racing, intelligently crafted thriller.
Those who could never bear Dharmendra other than in Sholey should see a very genuine and pleasant performance by him. Vinay Pathak doesn't need any comments, he is simply too perfect for them. Zakir Hussain also lives upto being discovered by RGV. Debutant Neil Nitin Mukesh is a dark horse and has fairly handled his character.
A very gripping storyline with a coherent script keeps the audience glued. Soundtracks don't pop up as out of place irritating songs but have been blended as very short pieces of background music. Smart thing to do. Nevertheless one should listen to Move Your Body separately to appreciate S.E.L. score.
Another interesting thing to note is the symbols used in movie as a tribute to Vijay Anand. In intro shot Rimi is shown reading the Narayan's novel The Guide, Neil chooses his fake name in Pune hotel from Johny Mera Naam running on the reception TV et all.
Best movie of this year and best hindi thriller seen so far.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Whats after FPS?
Dil Dosti Etc ...
The movie all is about Apurva the character and Imaad Shah the actor. As an actor he is fabulously flawless but the one of his USP that outperforms rest of his talents is his voice. Its depth along with his elocution perfectly matches his elusive persona. He narrates the movie in a voice that has delicate Urdu ascent along with a Colonial British clarity. One should hear when he says "aalam ye tha ki mere liye college aur kothe main farak karna mushkil ho gaya tha".
As a character Apurva believes that quest for life is endless and that why he leads an aimless, unplanned life and tries to find meaning of life in dissolute ways but is also very polished, elite and intelligent to impress people around him. He refuses offer from Yale and rather settles for a drift in a delhi college. He reads Kuerishi and craves to know the lesser known aspects of life. People who know Sahil Patel would immediately be able to identify this character!
I could talk incessantly about Imaad Shah and his character but lets talk about the movie now. If you have had an eventful college life in a conservative atmosphere then go for it for a a deja vu, if not then see what did you miss. The story line is more contemporary showing how the youth today is choosing their own way to live. "the possibilities are endless", thats what even the tagline also says. The male bonding between Apurva and Sanjay symbolises the thin line between perversion and idealism for todays generation. Their lives are full of ambiguities and vices but they but don't care about it. Sanjay is a confident and focused student who comfortably leads students around him but fails to lead his own ego. Prerna is uber cool babe who is thrilled by steadfast nature of Sanjay but finds herself in a confused state when he asserts his middle class values. Kintu is shown as an impish school girl who dares to experiment at her own terms.
On the acting front every one is upto the mark. As a script writer and director Manish Tiwary has done a pretty reasonable debut specially in capturing nuances of college life in north Indian region - the lingo used by the students, the election politics, underlying aggression, frustration and desperation. The script contains dark humor and has a very niche appeal, unlikely to move "Dil Chahta Hai" loving audience.
Its only Imaad Shah and Apurva that makes this movie a worth dekho apart from voyeuristic nature of the movie.
The movie all is about Apurva the character and Imaad Shah the actor. As an actor he is fabulously flawless but the one of his USP that outperforms rest of his talents is his voice. Its depth along with his elocution perfectly matches his elusive persona. He narrates the movie in a voice that has delicate Urdu ascent along with a Colonial British clarity. One should hear when he says "aalam ye tha ki mere liye college aur kothe main farak karna mushkil ho gaya tha".
As a character Apurva believes that quest for life is endless and that why he leads an aimless, unplanned life and tries to find meaning of life in dissolute ways but is also very polished, elite and intelligent to impress people around him. He refuses offer from Yale and rather settles for a drift in a delhi college. He reads Kuerishi and craves to know the lesser known aspects of life. People who know Sahil Patel would immediately be able to identify this character!
I could talk incessantly about Imaad Shah and his character but lets talk about the movie now. If you have had an eventful college life in a conservative atmosphere then go for it for a a deja vu, if not then see what did you miss. The story line is more contemporary showing how the youth today is choosing their own way to live. "the possibilities are endless", thats what even the tagline also says. The male bonding between Apurva and Sanjay symbolises the thin line between perversion and idealism for todays generation. Their lives are full of ambiguities and vices but they but don't care about it. Sanjay is a confident and focused student who comfortably leads students around him but fails to lead his own ego. Prerna is uber cool babe who is thrilled by steadfast nature of Sanjay but finds herself in a confused state when he asserts his middle class values. Kintu is shown as an impish school girl who dares to experiment at her own terms.
On the acting front every one is upto the mark. As a script writer and director Manish Tiwary has done a pretty reasonable debut specially in capturing nuances of college life in north Indian region - the lingo used by the students, the election politics, underlying aggression, frustration and desperation. The script contains dark humor and has a very niche appeal, unlikely to move "Dil Chahta Hai" loving audience.
Its only Imaad Shah and Apurva that makes this movie a worth dekho apart from voyeuristic nature of the movie.
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