Setting up base....Kolkata

3 months since my last entry. And I am sitting and writing this one in a cybercafe with the guy next to me peeping into what I am writing.What has life come to? I am in a software company and sit on a computetr for the better part of the day but cannot update my blog. Such is the security in TCS. No gmail, no orkut, no yahoo etc.Either that or I have not found out the method to access it yet.

Kolkata.. what can I say, is the complete antethesis of Mumbai. If the latter is the city that never sleeps, then Kolkata sleeps all the time.For a person like me from Mumbai who is used to the rush hour traffic, the crowded streets, the late nights( I mean at home), it is something totally alien.Firstly, sunrise happens at 5am and sunset at 5pm. All shops close at 9pm. Which is funny given that they open at 8am and stay shut in the afternoon.

Apart from the slow life, the food is a big problem here. Vegetarian seems to be rare on a menu. 50 items and 3 of these will be veg. And there seems to be some obsession with Chinese.And their 'chowmin' is something out of this world. Wherever you go you will find roadside shops selling 'chowmin'. Also their spellings are funny. Mutter paneer is 'motor paneer' and pav bhaji is 'pao bhaji' and there is 'dahi bada' etc.Their chaat is not all that good and it is expensive. Mumbai chaat is better. Here they donot have the concept of meetha and teekha chutney. Just jhaal which is teekha masala.2 dishes I liked though, 'jhaal moodhi' and the famous 'puchka'. The sweets are amazing. Certainly living up to the expectations. Cheap too. Mishti doi comes at half the rate that it comes in Sweet Bengal(14/-).I have not had real authentic Bengali fish yet, but plan to soon.

Now, the more important part. Accomodation.We are 9 boys living in a PG bungalow. This may seem to you like it is cramped. But believe me when I say that space is not a problem. We have a Tv, DVD player, refrigerator and negotiations are on for gas and stove.2 attached bathrooms ensure there is no conflict in the morning.So, currently our life consists of going to office and watching TV, studying a bit and playing TT(table tennis). Those lucky to be in a project have training and I am the only one who has some little work. But it may start mounting soon.
Regular reports will keep coming. Keep checking.

One more thing, not all Bengali girls are Bipasha. I believe I make myself clear.

A "Political President"

Pratibha Patil, has claimed that she shall not be a rubber stamp president, but a "Political President". What she does not understand is, that there is a very small difference between the two. While a rubber stamp president does nothing more than affix his signature under a legislation, the "political president" is hampered by his beliefs and his party, since he or she is political she has to belong to a party. Therefore he or she is bound to follow some ideals which may not be ideal for the country. In Patil's case the NDA's manifesto, which is really dependent upon maintaining a majority.

Another one goes

Yesterday my friend Rohit became the first of us to leave India. Over the period of the next 2 weeks, we shall all be going different ways. Some lucky to have old friends' company on the journey ahead. Others not so lucky. We understand only now what it is to actually "be on your own". We have heard this phrase so many times. During our school farewell, followed by the day we left junior college, it only seems to really apply now. Let's see what the future holds in store. Let us hope for the best.

Indian or not?

In todays issue of Times of India, there is an article about 'Indian' brains manning the next NASA mission to Mars. I don't understand why we are so hell-bent on calling these people Indians. They are in the US, working for the US companies, and will aim to settle there get a green card, make sure their children are born in the US so that they get citizenship at birth. And we are the ones who are proud of them. Why??? The article also says that Sunita Williams is from India. I fail to see how, seeing as she was born in Euclid, Ohio. Her parents are from India. But we insist on congratulating ourselves for producing people who go abroad and we call them the Indian diaspora.
The emphasis is on the word Indian. Are they really Indian??

Harry Potter

Well, I feel Rowling has done really well with this book. After reading this, it feels like the last 2 were written only so as to build a platform for this one. Once one reads the last in this series, one realizes how much trouble she took to plan the entire story, because it is either that or she made it up as she wrote, which seems highly unlikely. Each and every character has a purpose, a significant role in themselves. Some people don't like this book, though I don't understand why. People are of the opinion that too much killing, so much so that it stops seeming tragic. Well in a war deaths are not unlikely. The tragedy is in the fact that so many people are dying making it seem almost mundane. It would be stupid to expect only the bad guys dying.
The most refreshing part of this book is that Harry makes his own decisions and uses his own head for a change. Luck plays a smaller part than in the other books. This is for hardcore Potter fans who really want to see some action instead of chance happenings in Potters favor, The detail of the planning done by both sides, and the ultimate confrontation between the Dark Lord and Harry are amazing.
The disappointment in the book is the last chapter, which though written with a purpose to give the note of finality, just acts as a dampener on the events prior to it. Ignore it and it won't do much harm. But read it anyway.

And then there is the movie of the fifth book. Although it lives up to the book in most aspects( ignoring the editing given that it is a huge book), the last part is not fun, the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort is not half as spectacular as one expects. Other than that, the duels between Death Eaters and Aurors are awesome and not to be missed.