SG OwnBlog

Life sure is tough. Chennai is not a bad place. The people are good enough. Problem is the weather. And my work. Also the company I am required to keep. The colleagues of mine are good. But wait – let me go into some details. I have come on a deputation from Bangalore to Chennai. I come to see a team that is practically 100 percent Andhra. Well, except for me that is. I am not against Andhra guys. But the problem is that when there is such an overwhelming proportion of one ethnic group, their native tongue will naturally be the lingua franca of practically every conversation. That is where my problem comes in. Nobody likes to come from Bangalore to Chennai to work, not even for four weeks. Add to that the communication problem and you get a desire to just get the fcuk out of the place to where you wish to. After a hectic day of work and other misc tasks, I came to my room and had a shower. This was when I felt kinda okay – for the first time in the day! I don't have a ve

চেন্নাই তে বসে আমার প্রথম সপ্তাহ চেন্নাই তে কেটে গেলো। এই অফিস তা আমার একদমি পছন্দ হয়নি। আমি এর মধ্যেই বলে রেখেছি যে আমি বেঙ্গালুরুতে ফিরে যাব তিন সপ্তাহ পরে। এর বেশি থাকা আমার পক্ষে সত্তি সম্বভ হবে না।  মাঝে মাঝে আমি অবাক  হয়ে যাই এই দেখে যে মানুষ কত সহজে নিজেকে সইয়ে নিতে পারে।  যখন চেন্নাই তে যাওয়ার কথা জেনেছিলাম মনে হয়েছিল ২ দিন থাকতে পারব না। কিন্তু ঠিক ৭টা দিন কেমন সুন্দর কাটিয়ে ফেললাম।  আচ্ছা বেশ, সুখে আছি ইটা বলা ভুল হয়ে যাবে, তবে কাটিয়ে তো দিচ্ছি।  এভাবে ঈশ্বরের কৃপায় যদি আর তিনটে সপ্তাহ কেটে যায় তবে রক্ষে। তারপর আমি বান্গালোরেতে গিয়ে ভগবানকে ধন্যবাদ জনাব। বেঙ্গালুরুতে আমি যে কত ভালো আছি সেটা আমি চেন্নাইতে এসে বুঝলাম।

In India trains are a cheap and very efficient mode of transport. It is the largest railway network in the entire world. More number of people travel by train in India in a day than most other countries combined. Though they have a retro look, railways are fully functional and other than Wifi you get pretty much anything you usually get anywhere in the world. Of course, this depends on the class you travel in. If you are travelling in India for the first time, it would be best if you go for the 1st AC or the 2nd AC class. If you have travelled before you can go ahead and try 3rd AC or even the non AC Sleeper class. Beware of crowding in the sleeper class though. The cost of each class can be understood from the names. Irrespective of which class you are travelling in there are some things that you absolutely must carry with yourself. Wear Comfortable Casuals – This holds true for any part of the world and especially so for the hot and tropical weather of Ind

The man made pyre Once upon a time in the dark days of February..... The evening mist has just settled. A middle aged man wrapped in a grey shawl waits in the station. Beside him is a cup of tea, long since cold. On his right is a Gujarati newspapers loosely folded. On the paper is a big Motorola cellphone. Just about a hundred meters away a couple of house are filled with strangers. Numbering about 30, they remain in silence waiting for a call from a Motorola wireless transmitter. A couple of days ago, news came in that women and children were coming in from kar seva. On route to home, they would have to pass through a small station in rural Gujarat. The group were to take part in a small 'welcoming'. As the middle aged man looked at his watch, the station signboard glistened at the passing lights of some nearby car. It read - Godhra. Substantial preparations were already made for the party. The photographers among them were highly trained and equipped w

Coming home is always a special affair and rightly so. Everytime I come home, I feel great. This time I chose a slightly different route than the one that I usually take. Actually it was my Dad's idea. He said that instead of spending a lot on moving from Bangalore to Kolkata directly by air, I can move to Chennai by train and take a flight from there. It actually saved me around Rs. 6000! After somehow doing my work at office I left for the railway station - the Bangalore City Junction. After a sleepy ride to the station in a crowded AC bus I reached the Majectic Bus Stand. From there I got some help from a fellow passenger to identify the road to the railway station. The station was great. Though initially I was scared that I might not make it in time, I was relieved to find out that I was about a couple of hours before time! So I had a sandwich that sucked. Then after sometime I went to a eatery and had Veg Biriyani. They served it on a banana leaf! That was great. Rest

Our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has faced a lot of flak in his tenure. What is worse is that he always deserved more. But in any case, in the recent times the entire political scenario in India is changing in strange ways. For example the PM's decision is rubbished by Rahul Gandhi - the powerhouse of the same party that our PM belongs to! Political compulsions can be understood. But this aggressive turn of events had pitched Rahul Gandhi face to face with Mr. Singh. One represents the party, while the other represents ...well - God knows what. The situation is tricky because the decision to allow criminals to run for politics was taken by the party. The same party that Rahul (practically) leads. Following the lines the Government decided to act. The Supreme Court play spoilsport by declaring it unconstitutional. But Congress was determined to let criminals be political masters. So they decided to go for the temporary but valid Ordinance route. PM Singh and his Cabinet sh

Today is 6th September. In 1965 Indian tanks halted on the Ichogil Canal of Lahore, just short of the main city. The ceasefire came into effect in a couple of days. This 'brilliant feat' of defense by Pakistan Army is considered a matter of pride for them. It is for them and also for many Indians that I am posting some pictures. Pakistani Patton Tanks in Patton Nagar Sherman - Pakistan Army - Ichogil, Outskirts of Lahore Gorkha Regiment celebrating Sialkot Sector - Captured Pakistani Tanks Pakistan's 1st Armored Division in Indian hands Pakistan Patton Tank in ditch Pak Chafee Tanks in wheat field, Punjab Pak M24 Chafee Tank taken to cantonments as war trophee M24 Chafee stuck Indian PM Lal Bahadur Shastri posing over captured Pakistani Patton Tank Indian Officers pose in front of captured Pakistani Sherman - Chawinda Pak Tanks Captured - Chawinda Patton Tank loaded into