Slumdog All The Way... Jai Ho!

So here I sit down again to write another blog, this one's the first in the year 2009. So where was I? Well, a little bit busy I guess - work load never gave me a chance to sit down and write another blog.

So what's special today? Firstly, it's a holiday today, and secondly, can't keep away from the Oscar glories that India touches thanks to the Brit director Danny Boyle's Mumbai-based 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The film has bagged 8 Oscars (Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Picture, Best Music (Song - Jai Ho), Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay, Best Musical Score) which was really amazing. Frankly, I did not feel that the film would go on to put such a good show at the Oscars though, but was confident that A.R. Rehman would win one.

The whole thing about Slumdog winning was great; the feeling was amazing, just like an Indian film has won an Oscar. Though not an Indian film, it was a film about India, a film about Mumbai, and it's people.

All I can do right now is thank Mr. Danny Boyle for his wonderful adaptation, it was indeed wonderful and a very proud moment for every Indian. And of course not to forget our very own A. R. Rehman for his magical musical score in the film.

On one last note all I wanna say is ... Jai Ho!

Wonder What's Coming Next?

Things were just going their own separate ways; lives were on their regular trail when suddenly something struck. Tragedy! It was going to be like an everlasting nightmare to hard to be true, yet true and right in front of you. Terrorists! do not know how many entered via the seas to cause chaos in Mumbai affecting a thousand lives across the streets, at CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus), in the Taj (The Taj Mahal Hotel), the Trident, and at the Nariman House.

The nightmare that continued for almost 60 hours was the worst Terrorist attacks on India. There were plans to blow up the Taj Hotel again and also the Trident, but what was unclear was the attack on the Nariman House (were the Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch Group targeted here?).

In all these attacks only the common man suffered, while the politicians wrote speeches pointing out at oppositions for the lack of security at the ports. Really who is to be blamed for all of this, people who were ignorant or the ones who conducted these attacks? The attackers obviously came with an aim to cause more destruction and chaos; they were well planned and ready for a long fight (60 hours and there were still enough weapons to go on for another few more hours).

Our Police, Commandos & Naval Officers did their best to end it and they were successful in it too. But in all of it there was a heavy price to be paid, that of innocent lives and destruction of property.

I won't go on about it because it hurts to even think about it, the destruction, the chaos and the amount of lives lost. One can only hope to come out of it as fast as possible, but to come back to normalcy from such a big shock will take time. In that mean time let's pray for all the lives lost and the lives affected in these 60 hours of terror.

Now no one can even imagine what's coming in next for them - hope that everything will just be alright.

Trouble Times Ahead?

So here I sit to write again with so many thoughts in my mind, don't know what to say, what to write with all that is happening all around the country. Communal violence, terrorist strikes, political wars, caste differences, and so many other disturbances have taken place in the country all this month, and not to forget the stock market that's making people go crazy.

Firstly the attack on Christians in parts of Orissa, Bangalore, Mangalore, and many other places only targeted innocent people who just wanted to live their life as a simple Human Being, took up a religion for a change but the consequences were as seen and heard (well they say a true Christian has to face their own crosses - that's very true). But this has been happening now for years and there's no one to really stop it. There are brothers killing their own brothers just in the name of religion.

And there has also been a huge political dram between the North Indians and the Maharashtrans or the Marathi Manus. All this is leading to nowhere, but this all is just adding fuel to the fire that's being repeatedly burning on and on and on. In all this drama only innocent people were affected, the others either stayed far away or took part in ruining normal, everyday life all around.

To be more in the darker side, it's festive season in India and there have been a lot of problems this year, not only the political clashes but also the Indian Economy is going in for a swing... (Although these problems are faced throughout the globe, here in India, due to the festive season it makes it a lot worse, as the festive season id indirectly hit.)

To end it here and not make this stuff to lengthy, I hope this all changes as the time moves on, after all we are Human Beings in the end, we will have to forgive and forget (at-least try to) and again live together in peace and harmony, and also do hope that the market makes a steady comeback...

But in all of this mess, we find a brighter side, HEY - the Indian Cricket Team is Winning! And that too verses the (so called) Mighty Aussies...

Introduction & Swagat

8th September to 13th September 2008:

"Introduction & Swgat" it's a training session conducted by HDFC Bank for all it's newly joinees. It was conducted at Hotel Kohinoor Park, Prabhadevi (opposite Siddhivanayak Temple at Dadar West). Day one was a great experience; we were made familiar with the working of the Bank and most importantly we got to know how it really started - out of nothing to what it is today. This training was basically conducted in order to introduce us to the bank and not really introduce ourselves to the bank.

Our trainer for the event was Siddeshwar Natu who was a lot fun to go on with. So from the day two onwards it was pure learning about the bank and the ways it had to handle it's various processes. On Friday, we got a new trainer as Siddeshwar was to go to Delhi for some work purpose. He was replaced by Shalu Mathur who carried on with the programme and talked about the various types cards and the various types of accounts available at HDFC.

A week went by and so the training program over, we were wished our very best for the rest of our tenure at HDFC.

Signboards (Billboards) In Marathi Please!

Well off lately there's a lot of fuss going on in the entire Mumbai about "Who's the real Marathi" issue. This has taken a complete wrong turn now and is really disrupting normal livelihood of many people here. The MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) is forcing every shop to also put on Marathi signboards (billboards), why force them; just ask them, it should have been mediatory in the first place. I see no offence in that but I'd say, "It should not be imposed but implemented". Forcing on to something will not do any good. There should be a compulsion on to it rather than activists just going around and creating a huge fuss about it. Things do not work if they are forced upon.

Go to countries like China or Japan, they have got signboards in their own languages. Even down south of India, you see signboards in the regional languages, so why not Maharashtra? Why not make Marathi signboards mandatory? You can also have it in English at the same time. One only needs to understand that simple fact. But forcing and ransacking of property is just something unacceptable as it does not spread any goodwill.