Coke Voke and Gana Vana

After much speculation, Coke Studio is officially coming to MTV with Leslie Lewis and as anyone else who listens to Saari Raat at least once a week like its my duty, I am super excited at the least! Leo Burnett has been hired for its promotion, so we should expect some eye catching initiatives. Plus, Coke is soon going to launch Coke Studio promotional half litre bottles. So that takes care of the millions of Indians in every corner of the country. Marketing shall be heavy for this once a week show for 8 weeks. All this from an article in Business Standard.

MTV I believe has plenty of slots on its schedule to allot an hour to this. Infact, it'll be a splendid replacement to one senseless reality show that would have otherwise caused someone to vomit on their Christie's Persian Rug. Watch the sneakpeak of the 1st episode with Shafqat Amanat Ali (Tum Mile and Bin Tere fame) and Shruti Pathak (Tujhe Bhula Diya fame). The stage looks more impressive than the one in Pakistan. Strangely, I didnt know about Coke Studio starting out in Brazil initially after moving to Pakistan.

And as a stupid and curious kid living in Ranchi, I am encouraged to doubt everything that comes my way. I reserve my doubts about India appreciating CS(Coke Studio is too long to type). I, till now, couldn't recognise Shafqat Amanat Ali nor Shruti Pathak. Are we ready to look at the singers singing for 1 hour without any auditions, judging, controversy, prizes, SMS votes or contests in the commercial break? Are we ready to watch artists who perform well, not necessary look good or make us laugh? CS is a big break from regular television in the country at the moment and I wonder how we'll react to it. Downloading the episodes from the internet and watching it is different from watching it on Tata Sky. There won't be any bollywood guests on the show to promote their latest movie, not even cricketers from the IPL. Just music for one hour.

And that too, fusion music. Not the desi beats with Hard Kaur and Alyssa Mendosa to bollywood songs. Are we ready to listen to fusion music again after Colonial Cousins, Sagarika, Asha Bhonsle, Raghav Sachar etc. all failed to make us do it in the 1990's and early 2000's? Or is it about time we see a revival in the genre?

I for one am very excited about it. It'll be exciting to see SEL jamming with the other masters of music. I wish Anoushka Shankar, Karsh Kale, Raghav Sachar, Rahul Sharma among others also feature in the coming seasons. MTV should do well to revive its falling image of becoming RTV (Reality TV) instead of its actual full form. As much as MTV needs CS, India needs it too. To wake up and realise music beyond polyphonic ringtones of item songs, beyond the confines of local folk music with the same instruments and same beats, to open up to a world of unknown artists who never would've made it to the mainstream otherwise.

I await Coke Studio India with bated breath.

Home and all that

After watching Kung Fu Panda thrice, Madagascar and Ratatouille for a bit and even Igor for quite some time, I reached home exhausted and deserving for some nice bhindi(ladyfinger!). I spent a night in Jamshedpur, which I absolutely loved in the morning. The auto drove through Beldih Church across all the government bungalows and carefully tended gardens. JSR seemed to be pleasant with an air of stability.

So much time I have now at my hands, I sat down to write something after so long. College takes up so much of nonsense time even when you're not that busy that I found myself unable to write anything there.

I woke up today in the drawing room where I always sleep with the sound of the knife cutting through cabbage and my dad getting agitated. There was no newspaper today and believe me, its tragic news on a Sunday. I had an early lunch and sat down rummaging through old newspapers. The Bombay Times here is as thick as the complete newspaper that comes in college. I found the one I was looking for, dated 3rd May. I wanted to read TOI's articles on Osama's death and found them to be quite good.

After reading all of it, I realised the dilemma which US and Pakistan are in. I wondered on 2nd May, before my last exam, how US was allowed to go to Pakistan and kill him and bury him at sea. Which country's citizen was Osama at the time of his death? None? If he was never caught, how can anyone declare that he should be dead, without a court proceeding? Taking the blame himself doesn't finish the story does it? Questions go on and on for people like me on these topics.

On a happier note, Dada got a summer internship with Pune Warriors and he'll open tonight! I am indifferent to IPL at the moment. We were [Read: had to] watching Star Parivaar awards and mom was spotting people from TV shows she probably watches daily. It hit me: I AM HOME! The land of nonsense TV and good food!

I start interning with Polaris on Monday and I leave for a trip to Europe on 25th May which should be fun. After a promise to bring back soil from Switzerland, the birthplace of Federer, I am still open to requests for souvenirs from there, though I am sure most of you have already been there. So, that takes the thunder off most of it.

Some of you must know my recent attempts to extract Wikipedia and I report with sadness, I still haven't been able to complete the job. More space is needed! While watching the progress bar on the WinRAR window, I think is it even worth it? Then, I realise I can't really justify it. Who cares anyway.

I leave now to watch House Season 7 and later listen to Anoushka Shankar but I leave you with this C&H strip as always. Enjoy Mother's Day!

I am a paranoid dolphin

Dude, I need a break of sorts. I need to stop everything. Like that CBSE poem telling us to stop walking, talking, breathing, breaking and building. I am paranoid. I get irritated too easily. I lose it too soon. I forget there is time, so much time left for so many things. I dont need to overload myself. It has to come one at a time. Everything has to just pause for some time, lets say a week. I should take a break and go jump in the ocean.

I want to float in water and just keep on wondering about buoyancy. More like a dolphin, I want to keep going in the water. As the water level rises while I slowly immerse myself into the pool, I want to feel that tingle that runs through your chest making you shiver. And then the slow walk from the iron step to the center of the pool while your head remains dry and then waiting for the moment. Looking up at the sky almost like waiting for that eagle to fly across the blue expanse, you let go of yourself and fall into the water. In a mad rush of temperature and touch, the water runs through your hair and inside your ear and in an instant, you feel lighter. Suspension is probably even better than sleep. You come up again and wipe your hair off your face and through the back of your ear. You're ready now. Now waiting for the planets to align and then synchronous with the sudden spring of a cheetah you're picturing, you kick hard on the back wall and launch yourself forward. Tearing through the water surface, you wonder how long this surge will last. 6 tiles, 7 tiles, 10 tiles...you're slowing down. Just a couple more, 16 tiles...17...and you swing your arms up into the air and splash down cracking the velvet. Dolphins get to do this everyday...

A post about everything

This post is literally about everything that I have bottlled up inside me till internet came back. Like I always say, its like Army Camp out here. Every day, a new challenge comes up, be it water, electricity, food, internet, or just people acting weirdly, which happens more often than you think.

So, first up I'll take the case of a couple of movies I have watched...some which have left a mark. NOKJ failed miserably, maybe because I expected too much. And also because I saw the Sea Link in a scene set in 2006. So...blah to that!
127 Hours was impressive! OST was as brilliant as Rahman could ever get, and for some reason, I liked it more than Slumdog's OST. But, sadly Sigur Ros stole the show with Festival, the 9 minute, 26 second long masterpiece playing when Aron cuts his hand, gets out and runs to a helicopter. Hair raising scenes those were, but they make you wish Rahman had composed it. Danny is bloody brilliant with his attention to detail. While watching, do notice the lips of James Franco as they dry up due to lack of water and turn pale and crack. Superb!
Megamind Despicable Me have started this villain-centric animations and I am in love with them!

Next is my account balance which is going down like talktime while making an ISD call! I just dont get it. Where is the money going? Am I dropping notes while I walk? Does someone owe me a lot of cash? Whoever it is, I need it back! Every time I walk past UCO, I feel I need a job, real soon. This GRE, CAT thing is not for me. I should get a job and start earning if I have to sustain all this. Then, next moment, I buy a 20rs Lays and kill myself.

Winter is finally retreating but I don't want it to go completely. This weather is just perfect, not too warm and cold enough to keep the fans off. I hate fans.

This year is turning out to be a year of learning. Learning to deal with people, their moronic ideas and acts and deciding "This is the last time I am doing this!"
Tagging along stupid decisions is as bad as making them. So, I dont blame anyone. But then I do.

A:"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

B:"What?"

A:"Thats a stupid idea!"

B:"No its not, Lets go!"

A:"Fine...."

And we all end up where we never wanted to be.

A: "I never wanted to go."
B: "Everyone was going so I went along."
C: "He's an idiot! I am never going with him!"

And the circle of life completes.

Quizzing toh chal raha hai. There is so much to write but I will leave the topic for now. I leave for Allahabad on Friday for a quiz. Wish me luck...

Internships? Who me?
Neah...didnt get any yet. All I got was a consent from 3 professors from Brazil but I couldnt apply. "BIT is not centrally funded" but BIT is as poor as NIT Patna!

Hot Chocolate and Maggi Soup keeps me up and running in this cold. Till next time I find time to sit and write while listening to Halo 2's OST [Listen to Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix], I hope you are ok.

After this stupid post, maybe this C&H strip will cheer you up.

Tomorrow’s what I’m waiting for

Its that time of the year again! When you hope you were a christian [if you're already one, you should still read this], when you wish you had a christian girlfriend, when you wish you stayed in Bandra, knew more about the Bible and not just skewed facts from Da Vinci Codes, always thought why didn't Hindus have hymns like Silent Night which somehow sound better than the ones we have, how you have always wanted that christian name was Arthur or Stella or Scarlett, or how much we like the anglicized names of the roads, Park Street, Connaught Place and Brabourne, when we think how did people buy virgin/Virgin birth or how cooler it is  to give out cake instead of laddoos, when we think of Christmas sms's but then don't really care but still send it because we have those unlimited schemes, how much we prefer the customs of candles instead of crackers but still feel the burn from the latter on the fingertips and how Christmas has and always will be special to us.

After studying in a particular Clifton School for three years and having sang hymns every morning, Hallelujah and Hark the Herald makes me pleasantly nostalgic. Silent Night just reminds me of Cartoon Network.

Remember this?

Silent Night, Smelly Night,

All is raw, All is rice...

*Smiles and high fives*

As always, Bill Watterson captures exactly what I think and imagine. Here is one for today, perfect, poignant and warm.

And keeping in tune with 2010 and Time Man of the Year, here is a video of Christmas, 2010-ishtyle!

I love Christmas. We all do. But, frankly, there is nothing in particular I like about it. Apart from the morning of I think 25th Dec, 2004 when I woke up to find a US Army soldiers and fighter jet figures beneath my pillow. For an entire day, I sincerely believed nothing wrong can happen in this world, as long as my parents are sleeping in the next room. That, Santa can gift you even if you don't have a chimney. Or, lets make that last statement figurative. I hope everyone has a chimney in their life!

Prudence is imperative

I don't need to elaborate on the news. Just the point I need to make before you. As much as we like reading about the world reacting to the arrest, the release of the documents and memos and the subsequent comments from leaders all over, I need to bring to your attention something very important. Pointed out by a dear friend from the States itself, this entire story could spell disaster for you.
A recent memo from US agencies clearly spell out this in layman terms :
The release of the documents does not change its status as classified. So, viewing, downloading or sharing the documents still counts as breaking the law.

So, you risk losing your job because of a silly distraction at work or home or wherever you find a free wi-fi connection!
Infact, this doesnt apply only to Wikileaks. The case is of one Juan Williams who was fired from NPR because he apparently felt nervous when around Muslims. Numerous companies are now pouring into the new recruits' Facebook and Myspace profiles to dig out dirt - Profanity, nudity, alcohol use and the likes.
Existing employees also stand losing their jobs over a silly hat with a pornstar stitched on top or even a status update criticizing work policies.

I picked up the following points to keep in mind all the time, from flockpost.com. I suggest you should memorize them :

1. Don’t add your bosses in your facebook network
2. Don’t add colleagues who is not so good with you
3. Don’t post anything good or bad about your job, company, boss or any colleague.
4. Don’t post pictures which are consider to be very private.
5. Don’t write about your past, if it was bad. We all have bad pasts.
6. Use facebook privacy settings always.
7. Don’t write anything, just anything.
8. If you are a student today, tomorrow you will be on job, facebook will prove your character and HRs love Facebook.
9. Avoid comments containing, nudity, abuse, controversies, religious remarks, insults or bashing with F**** languages.
10. Respect your company’s policies and save your job.

 Prudence really is imperative. You sure don't want to be headlining the news tomorrow morning, over a silly photo upload from tonight's slosh party you don't even remember tomorrow morning. Get a hold of yourself and don't discuss sensitive issues.

Playing hard to get

Harsh playfully pointed out a very important thing we all have to remember. After getting rejected in the first round of interviews in Microsoft as well as Goldman Sachs, I feel weird. A bit irritated and dejected to be frank. But philosophical at the same time. So, I will discuss this with you.

Big or small, famous or infamous, rich or poor, all companies look for what they do. Its pointless to think you have X talent, which will be your ticket to glory. It aint gonna work. No one cares what you have or know. They look for what they want.
So, the midnight call from TnP or the morning knock from some other batch-mate only makes your heart skip a beat and you start to shiver. You feel : Oh dear god! This is the moment! I am better than that PQR moron who beat me at long jump. And you get ready for the interview in almost 3 .5 minutes. No bath. Almost tooth-brushed.
TnP is the coldest place on earth. You want to pee every 10 minutes but you dare not get up and leave, or else Anshuman'll see you! Slowly, the company-wale come and make their way to the various rooms (MR-2 is the worst). Once inside, I dont know what they discuss but it always sounds pretty serious. You wonder what the MBA and Abacus magazines are doing in the corner. Why on earth would someone come here and read Competition Success inside the "Training and Placements" Cell?
Once you're in, you feel the HR guy could've looked better. Why does he get to wear jeans and Adidas shoes and I have to wear a vest and put on my dad's tie? He asks you "Tell me about yourself" and you recollect your prepared statement "I am an extremely determined creative enthusiast yada yada yada I am impressed by your company's profile ...gilachimocojojo... a hard working perfectionist like me" BAMMMM
You're out.

Next company comes and you learn squat. You still think you can make better of this HR guy coz he's bong. Well, hate to break it to you but he's a hotshot C++ "enthusiast" as you call it, and he ain't intersted in what you say. He wants you to code for determining the most suitable move for a knight on a chess board. Mind you - CODE. The last code you wrote was for union of a set in MATLAB!

And, that's how I got rejected. Twice in a row...Best of luck!