News'n'Views

Happy Birthday Mommy

2009-05-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mom turn another page in the book of life.
Dad, Sups & I were around to help her celebrate.
Loved the concept of BRATWURST & SAUSAGE sizzlers.... with unlimited beer!!

Kasauli Bliss!!!

2009-04-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 2nd marriage anniversary in Kasauli....4 days of sheer bliss!!
All I can say is that (for both of us) we didn't wanna come back...!!!

Here's to years of bliss... ahead!

More pics available on my FB album here

SIgnal your Status!!

2009-04-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

Date : 4th April
Venue: Bansal Palace, Jangpura, New Delhi
HOST: Rachita
REASON: coming out party for the beau!

That's Rachita and Sudhanshu.... (shoe-damn-shoe as Sups puts it)

The View from her place... It's right across some railway tracks that I have edited out for reasons!!

Rachita and her Interns (from Kolkata).

My Wife... also from KOLKATA

Sudhanshu asks for the ALMS of LOVE!!

2 Supriyas...1 TOOK-E (like WALL-E) and 2 lucky guys!!

The party's theme was that off the traffic signal.

RED - If you're taken

GREEN - if available

YELLOW - fence sitter

I almost wore green till Supriya put her foot down.

The hostess incidentally wore green while the object of her desire was in RED!!

The only red she had was on the feet..... now I wonder why...?????

2009-03-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is Holi.... The festival of colors and coloring up others!

It was out first holi as a couple that we celebrated. Hence it seemed apt to call over friends and share in the happiness!!

MOM & DAD were around to help coordinate as we busied ourselves in a a crazy fun filled party.

(L-R) Neela Sarvottam, Koustav Muherjee, Supriya Mahajan & Mom!

FLOWER POWER is BACK

That's Pankaj & the ladies.... with wife Sandhya and friends Sandhya & Kavita. Sups completes the picture!

Koustav gets to drink some beer - straight from the bottle as Arjun & Divya oblige. Sudhanshu looks on!!

HAPPY HOLI FOLKS!!

Working in Lonavala!

2009-02-05T23:06:00.000-08:00

Staying at Fariyas

All set!!!

The First party!

2009-01-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

I had my first party of the year!
It was a guys thingy - the old gang from my days in Kopetown.
We spent 4 great years there... well... they were great for a few of us at least.
So here we are again... meetingup at BUZZ....cos' Manoj dropped in from the US of A!

Ashutosh, Arul & Kapil (room mates for a long time)

Manoj & Jen - make a nice couple

Jen and Monika... that's Manoj's younger sibling

Yours truly & Arul - at moets.., waiting for dinner

Kapil is always busy !!

The final word....

PS: I'm gonna bump into Manoj again - during my Dubai trip... this should be fun

A family weekend!!

2008-12-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

This has been a good Holiday weekend with lots of coming together... and family warmth!!!

Ma, Sups, Maasi, Me & Arpita at our place - 27th Dec 08

With the ladies of the house - Ma, maasi and badi Mami

At Bade Mamas place - 26th Dec 08

Mun Mun strikes a pose!!

Both da sistahs strike it up!!

Mesho sits in a pensive mood!!

Ladies in the Kitchen... Mami & Maasi!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T03:10:00.000-08:00

We had a nice lil family Christmas.

Ma came down from Kolkata

Mesho came down from Mumbai.

... and then we all got together at KASBAH in GK-1

..Merlott, pasti, and lots of pollo!!

..desserts to complete!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!

The Mahajan Family Newsletter - Oct 08

2008-10-31T02:33:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Karva Chauth!!

2008-10-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

TECHNICALLY DEFn
A married woman celebrates Karva Chauth by observing a fast for the long life of her husband. And above all is the 'Shringar' that includes applying henna and adorning the bridal makeup.

A fast that ensures the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands, the festival of Karwa Chauth provides an opportunity for all married women to get close to their in-laws. Possessing a tremendous social and cultural significance, this festival is celebrated by keeping fast, applying henna and exchange of gifts.

MODERN REALITY
It's like a quid pro quo.
Since marriage is an equal opportunity /responsibility relationship - it's only fair that both parties keep a fast for one another.
So we did.... Darn.. it ain't easy staying without food and water.... for 1 day!!

THE PICS

Sups and Mom.. ready their plates.. this must be done before sunset

The lit up diyas... and the LORD in the middle!

3 generations of MAHAJAN women!

The traditional GIFTING rites

Dad does the cooking (all Vegetarian)

I try some BODY ART!!

The masterpiece with my muse

Waiting for the moon!!

Her fastest 1 floor climb!!

Beer-in-waiting

She appeases the moon

I appease my throat!!

The Mahajan Family Newsletter - Sep 08

2008-09-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Celebrating with Mom and Dad

2008-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Tina and my Bday with mom-Dad at Chinese and Thai cafe.
Lots of starters... bacardi.. beer and of course - B52 shots!!!

Getting started on the shots!!

And down they go!!!

Afterwards!!

Charlies Angels come together

2008-09-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

The only missing answer.. who's Charlie???

Suuuu....Pallll.. Kass......!!!

Pallavi gets to Cut her cake..

Feed it to the husband!!!

.. and eat some herself

CHOCALISCIOUS!!

Chilled out evening...me the cameraman also gets a pose in!!

Hard Working girls... breakfast time!!

The Gossip Video!

Just Engaged - Aman & Dilpreet!!

2008-09-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

7th September 08!!
Aman finally gets the ring, the rock and the man.... ok so she has to wait a bit for the man!!!

Aman looks quite the princess!!

He gets the PHOOLs!!

It's been a long time since we met... old times at NIIT revisited!
Interestingly enough - Supriya and I reached on time... dot on the hour.. 12:20.. given the fact that Aman had been stressing on reaching there at 12 NOON!!

These girls know how to rock it!!

He waiting for da food!!

Bye Bye Priyanka!!

2008-09-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

Dats Priyanka.... off to Bangalore.... leaving the lush green city of Delhi for the smoke filled confines of Bangalore...
SO we had a fun filled evening.. where we treated her to "good" (cooked by me) food, booze and a final sleep off on the floor - courtesy the Power outage and a conked out inverter!

Sayonara!!

The Newsletter Archives - Part 2

2008-09-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

MARCH 08

The Newsletter Archives - Part 1

2008-09-02T02:46:00.000-07:00

I started the newsletter in Dec 2007 as an attempt at keeping the family updated on each others activities and making sure we remembered all the birthdays and anniversaries.

What started out as an attempt in design has now become something i take a lot of effort to make and disseminate.
I'm putting up the early editions on this BLOG.
August -08 onwards will be updated on my normal blog

Miss my sis!!

2008-08-18T02:05:00.000-07:00

I miss my sister.... Tina!!
I wish she were here to tie me my rakhi...!!
Why does she have to be in LA???

Tina wasn't here so my buaji tied me my rakhis.
:-(

Lots of Bald men, two meetings, a temple and the rain!

2008-08-12T22:34:00.000-07:00

Arjun stood bald headed at the airport. He felt right at home. His uniqueness was no longer there. There were bald heads all around. Here, it was a mark of belonging. The sign of those whose wishes had been granted and they had sacrificed the foliage that abounds up north!

They reached the hotel and the meetings started. The same monotonous nature where he searches for something or someone to distinguish one event from another. The meeting panders on with the same slides being run year on year The message being communicated has not altered for the last 2 years that he’s been around. MORE SALES!!
Now he’s bored

The second meeting on the second day ushers in a ray of hope as one manager singles him out and then the duel begins! A restraining hand calms him when he begins to rise. Dang - this was just getting to be fun.

The party continues till the wee hours. He is the last one out. As always.

Dreaming happily he is playing golf when a wakeup shakeup is given. It’s time o visit the lord. Lord Balaji awaits and Arjun and co., well they have VVIP passes! The drive up the hill past the gun-toting checkpoints culminated at an empty road where all electronic accessories and footwear was abandoned. It was half past 4 and normal humanity slept.
His first pilgrimage and it went off rather smoothly. The mind was blank when he came to the abode of the lord. People made wishes, asked for something or the other. He just bowed down, said thanks for the times that had gone and continued walking.

He returned to the hotel and hit the sack. The flight back was uneventful - the girl across the aisle paid no attention to the bald man. She preferred to sleep. He continues typing looking out of the window. It’s time for some rain...I wish I could open the window....

Lil Arjun rocks!!

2008-08-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Rocking with his grandma
He likes his money....
Arjun & supriya cuddle up!!
Arjun & Arjun...... ok so he has more hair than me!
With his Mom and Grand-daddy
Arjun and Abhishek! (mom is also there)
Amrita and the milk bottle!
Arjun and dad!!

The family video!!

Ayesha & Supriya!!

2008-07-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Supriya.... the light shines on her!

Dr.Jekyll and Me!

A moment in the spotlight for Ayesha!

Roll the camera!!
.. and action!!!

Well it was 2 full days of non-stop fun and games.... with very little sleep.. as Ayesha came over.... after a year of inviting her...
T'was memorable - to say the least..!!

A final repartee in progress

Saturday nite live!!

2008-07-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

A nice end to a hectic week.... at a birthday / housewarming party ... courtesy Ms.Bansal! Lotsa lawyers... and some non-lawyers too! We even had a canine guest of one of the guests - though I didn't have the camera around at that time!
The Birthday Girl herself!

She cuts her cake along with Tia.... another birthday girl...!!
Most are filling up on food...
... or catching up on old times!!
That's not all those who came... most had left before the clock struck 12... cinderellas all!! We were around for a bit after that too!

Off to Lucknow!!

2008-06-24T00:53:00.000-07:00

Yes I'm visiting the land of Pehle aap...(Lucknow)
I'll be traveling by train - haven't done that in a while.

Will spend some quality time with the team and the customers there. Should enhance my info on the area.

I've received requests for CHIKAN suits and spices.... hmmm.. now lets see if we can do something about that!!

Any recommendations for places to stay would be helpful....

Will be back - Saturday!!

Gaurav & Co.. letting it go!!

2008-06-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

The Crazy Guy Dance

The Adarsh Patni

2008-06-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

Niharika does the Adarsh patni role touching his feet (first and last time - I presume)

Sups ka Birdday!!

2008-06-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is the BIRTHDAY bash at CHINA CLUB!!
SHe wasn't expecting the cake....!!

Happy Couple.. doing what they do best... TIME PASS!!

I give that look when absolutely great liquor is wasted as it falls on my lap!!

Captain Morgan would not be pleased!!!

It's time!!

2008-06-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Supriya can finally accompany me to a PUB in Delhi NCR and be served a drink!!
So we had a lil pre-birthday celebration on Sunday night... (cos she has decided to work hard on monday and give me very very lil time)

That's 2 out of 5 shots downed in 12 seconds....!
Not a big achievement - considering what I used to do at one point in time!!

These folks also had some interesting words to say.. about their drinks!!

It was a small gathering - just the KRAZZY 4!!

One candle!!
Opening her gifts!!
More to come as have 1 full day of celebration ahead!!

At the Amber fort!!!

2008-04-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

The Amber fort

Elephant ride - here we go!!

on board the pachyderm

smile for the camera

awesome twosome

waiting in the suhaag mandir

long shot in the forecourt

Another Arjun!!

2008-04-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

The clock continues its ticking and the circle of life winds its way like a soap opera!!

Its a lil ironic....supriyas cousin Arijit and his wife have been blessed with a son.... And they named him Arjun!!

Now lil Arjuns mother is pet named as Nitu.

Interestingly - this big Arjuns wife is also pet named as Nitu.

Nitu-Arjun have their wedding anniversary on 19th April and lil Arjun has his happy Birthday on 20th April.

I like lifes lil ironies!!

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Back to my roots!!

2008-04-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

On a routine visit to Chandigarh.... the city of my birth!

The Morning sunrise.. bidding adieu to Delhi..

Moving in the right direction

Heavy traffic enroute..

You'll love the PARATHAS at this Dhaba....

This is my field of Duty - KURUKSHETRA

Seeking the lordships blessings....as we head towards Karnal!

The setting sun.... on our return leg

Dubai - Day 3

2008-02-15T22:55:00.002-08:00

Monday, Feb 11 – getting around
08:45Am
We have learned from the experiences of our 2 days here. It’s time to leave the hotel early after a quick breakfast. The wait ain’t so bad today.
09:30 AM
Get started by uploading the activities of Day 1 on the internet to my blog. I’ve discarded the Formal suit routine to go in for a normal formal dressing. My goatee has also vanished. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. JM continues to rib me over the last nights sleep disaster. All I can say is that I had one beer too many and coupled with a tiring day - resulted in a system crash. The good part being that I slept on my bed and not in somebody elses, Just kidding.
I look around - and evaluate the other stalls around us. Oh - there’s one petite Korean babe bang opposite, there’s another one diagonally away and of course - we do have an Indian in the adjoining booth. 3 cute women - and me - the married man - quite off the market for sometime now!
Ironically - i never wear my wedding band when I’m in Delhi. Supriya is always joshing me about it. But here - I haven’t taken it off - even slept with it last night.
01:00PM
Lunchtime. Well I’ve been exploring the cafe here. We’re bang in the middle of 2 of them. They charge 5 star rates and the food quality is just about average. I stick to stuff that i will not get in
India - the juicy beef burger. Yeah yeah - i’m a hindu - and it’s a poor cow and all that. But I have learned the benefits of being omnivorous - one never goes hungry or abegging for choice. So it’s a beef burger for me and a chicken one for JM. Add to that a couple of cokes. This is the staple diet for the duration of the exhibition.
06:00 PM
The exhibition ends and we exit - trying to find a cab. This is the beginning of the nightmare on Dubai streets. There are cabs - but you cannot see them, call them, hail them , stop them. The
only alternative is to walk to a distant parking lot “F” and stand in a queue for one. We see the daunting length of the queue and like true Indians - shy away. The queue ahead of us is a minimum of 100 taxi commuters long.
We start walking at about 6:25 and are doing so till half past 7. No taxi in sight. We head in the general direction of the hotel and hope to mind solace in the way. The formal shoes are killing me. JM has also slowed down. Our heavy working bags on the shoulder - this salesman style walking isn’t doing much good. Finally - I’m in the middle of an intersection - when JM calls ,
stops me - I turn around and there is an empty cab coming our way. This guy is toast - we literally step into the middle of the road ad block his way. He stops and relents. We get in without saying another word - close the door and THEN tell him to take us to our destination . he ain’t too happy about ie - but what the heck!!
08:45PM
We change into comfy keds and jeans and make our way out. Yes - we’re tired - but there’s still some spark left. So we ask the Gateman - if he can direct us to a good eating joint. He give us directions to a local KFC. We look at each other - a lil disturbed - he is a SARDAR after all!
We trudge down to the general location and eat a fairly disappointing meal - it’s not filling and the price ain’t worth it. Another long trek, a lil extra to a taxi driver and we find ourselves at the City Centre Mall in Deira. Now - this is a mall!!
My eyes are all around - it’s the DUBAI that we’ve heard about since childhood. Shops and shoppers galore. We’re not in the shopping mood - so we go in to watch a film.
We get the 10PM tickets for CLOVERFIELD. One kewl film - I’ll catch it again when and IF it gets to India. One thing I can say is that INDIAN cinema seats are quite better and comfy as compared to the ones in Dubai.
That said - I kinda like the trust that people have here. Yes - maybe the CCTV is on and someone is always monitoring it. Maybe the threat of chopped hands keeps people from shoplifting. But it’s nice to be able to walk into any shop and walk out without being gazed at in a suspicious manner.
11:40PM
We’re done with the film ad enter into the queue for the TAXI. This is a much faster queues - even though it’s longer. We head back to the hotel and I drop JM off to the room before proceeding for a whiff of Dubai Nightlife.
12:15 AM
Technically this is Day 4 - but we’ll stay on Day 3 for a while. So I head down to the Indian Nightclub on the ground floor - it’s called Mehfil. Reminds me the Mumbai Dance bars - cos that’s exactly the atmosphere they have here. Here’s the scene - 6 girls sitting on a stage, they start dancing to a number as their name is called out. They’re all Indian with names like Priya, Sunita, Mahek, Maahi but they’re wearing clothes which are sexy but fully covered. There’s a hint of cleavage in a few places - but nothing beyond that. You can’ touche them, call them, talk to them.... just watch them. It’s the height of hypocris where you take pleasure from watching a woman dance and want to exploit her - but its all in the mind. They would sit with their legs covered as if a skin display would offend ones morals. The men who wished to spend some money would call the local manager and he would give them to the girl in question.
I sipped my Heineken and watched things unfold :-)
yes - that’s all I did
I exited after a couple of beers and went to an Afro Night club thereafter. This was more like it.
But only Blacks - no white, no browns! They were givin me weird kinda looks so i didn’t overstay the welcome.
I finally landed up in Bed at 3 in the morning having made the most use of Day 3 to cheer myself
in Dubai

Dubai - Day 2

2008-02-11T22:25:00.001-08:00

Sunday, Feb 10 – Arab Lab 08
06:45 AM
I awake. Jatin has been up for a while. This is it - this is what we
came here for (apart from the shopping and the nightlife). A quick
breakfast later, we're waiting for a TAXI.
09:20 AM
Taxis are scarce. The wait has extended to over 30 mins and no sign of
relief. Suddenly the car comes up and voila - we're en-route.
Interstingly - for all the glam about the city - it suffers from crazy
traffc jams. The route which is essentially 15 minutes - drags on for a
good 30 minutes before we are dropped at our destination - 15 dirhams
lighter.
10:00 AM
The exhibition starts. No visitors. Well actually - Diagnostics is in
short attendance. The main participants are from the Lab Analytics
segment and Instrumentation. Many countries have their own pavilions.
the Koreans are touting " PREMIUM KOREA" , while the Germans simply say
"MADE IN GERMANY". The Brits, Spaniards and Chinese have their separate
sections too. It's the Indians who are scattered far and wide - most not
wanting to show any link with each other or the country. We've got a a
Punjabi manufacturer from Ambala on the left and a Forensics company on
the right. The koreans stare us in the face. AT least they have a few
pretty faces to keep motivation levels up.
We go thru the entire cycle of meeting customers, distributors ,
competitors till the end of day. its quite an eye opener for me - since
this is my first!!
06:00 PM
Time to disco & khisko from the stall. Well they have an exhibitors
party planned and off we go - standing in this big queue to board the
shuttle to the Grand Hyatt for the party. Standing in line for
everything is one of the hallmarks of this trip. At lest they stand in
an orderly manner without attempting to jump queue all the time.
The shuttle journey drops us at the Grand Hyatt and we're in a long
queue to enter and deposit our bags at the concierge. Given the fact
that there are over 1000 guests, the line is long - uncomfortably so!
The party beings with some nice jazz music and we look around to see our
table partners - 3 aussies and a few germans. They have their own groups
- so not very friendly types. I trymy bit and making a conversation
happen. A few beers and wines down - the serving lady responds quite
enthusiastically to the 10 dirham note and an acknowledgement of her
name. The interesting part - the appetizers are paneer tikkas and
chicken tikkas - and the staff - call them by their real name - not an
anglicized "cottage cheese" version. The buffet is sumptuous - the fish
is like totally awesome. The only point of discussion - IS ANDREW
SYMONDS A MONKEY??
08:45 PM
Time to stand in line for a taxi again. We head back - to the hotel where I prepare to go and paint the town red. I change into comfortable clothing, and decide to take a short nap - before going down to the afro night club in the hotel. The short nap extends for quite a few hours as
I wake up at a quarter past two. I had popped off in my keds and clothes as is. The spectacles would have been on too - if Jatin hadn't taken them off. So the first nights "beach party" came a cropper as it remained consigned to the dreamworld!!
I will make up for it on Day 3.

Dubai 2008 - Day 1

2008-02-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

Dubai 2008
Arab Lab -the exhibition, and thereafter!!!
Saturday, Feb 9 – Arrival
06:00 AM (IST)
Jatin and I arrive at the IGI airport amidst some thick fog. We proceed thru the customs and security check without much haste. I am a little apprehensive, understandably so - since this is my first visit abroad and the customs officer might presume he has a “bakra” in his hands. I am briefed well by my brother and we breeze through with the customs official giving a customary glance at my goatee... wondering if the fellow in the Passport (from 1999) is the same fellow in front of him.
Security check takes about an hour.. cos’ we’re in the longest line and there is a change of guard at the security section.
I am hungry - so we settle down to devour some hot dogs (eesh at 7:30 AM). They even have a VEGETARIAN hot dog on offer these days!.
08:15AM (IST)
The airplane is firmly parked on the tarmac. Hey - what about the timely departure syndrome. We lift off at 08:45 and FYI - the Indian Airlines hostess is quite pretty - was expecting an old hag!! We’re still hungry - so a double helping of breakfast helps to quell the revolt of the rumbling tummy rats.
11:00 AM (DST)
The plane lands. I’m expecting drums and whistles. Nothing happens. Jatin is watching my excitement with a twinkle in his eye. He has gone through most of this in his years of international travel and has that “been there - done that” look.
It’s a long walk to the luggage collection area and my bag takes its own sweet time to round the bend. I was wondering if they forgot it in Delhi or sent in on a connecting flight to someplace else. No funny questions at the immigration check and we’re outside in the sun. Yep - it’s hot!! So off come the sweaters and we’re into a DUBAI TAXI. These are high end cars by Indian Road standards and it is heartening to hear HINDI music, even if the driver is Pakistani. He cracks a few jokes at Indias expense but we’re not in the mood to reply. He has been here for umpteen years and proceeds to give us a breakup of how life has worsened, prices have escalated and maybe things would have been different, had India not given up control of Dubai in 1963.
That last one was a bouncer and had us stumped. Both, Jatin and I looked at each others faces - perplexed and then just nodded in agreement. yes - things could have been different in Dubai
12:30 PM (DST)
The hotel - PALM BEACH - a 3 star establishment - reminds one of home. Mostly South asians here. There is the Punjabi family of 6 heckling with the guy at the travel desk for a good tour deal and there’s the bar christened - TODDY SHOP!! Our rooms are not yet ready - so we put the stuff with the concierge and attempt to get to the convention centre. We’re here on work after all!!
Try hailing down a Taxi here. They just don’t stop. And I don’t think that there are enough of them anyways!!
02:00 PM (DST)
We get to our destination after a bit of huffing and puffing. A few bureaucratic procedural minutes later - we arrive at our stall - 625 in hall 7! Our stuff is yet to come....
It arrives after some consternation and we take an hour to set things up. Most of the women are of chinese, korean or filipino origin The exception being the one who travelled with us from Delhi and the Gujju behn in the adjacent stall!
We finish our work and head back t the hotel. The room is still not ready. She offers a king size double bed ... but we’d rather wait and give them time to setup the twin beds!
05:30PM (DST)
A taxi is hailed and we set off to do some mall hopping in Dubai. The first stop is at the Mall of the Emirates. It is also the last stop of the day. This is HUGGEE.. and I mean like in a superlative of the term. It’s the one with an indoor snow park and has like - wow - tons of avenues to spend money. The only purchase today is my iWORK 08 software for my MACbook - cos that as necessary and it ain’t available in India. That purchase is the reason I was able to compose this blog post
We finish off with a Turkish meal at the restaurant - called PASHA. The kebabs were really filling and since neither of us had had lunch - we ran thru the portions served to us.
08:30PM (DST)
It must be something about the color of my skin. From the waiter in the restaurant who served us a bowl of bread short or the fact that the concierge is extra sweet with the FIRANGs. Yes - i understand that Indians are commonplace here - but it’s just that sometime you want to feel like a guest I’ve gotten better treatment in hotels in India with a lower Star rating. So both the brothers are bushed. We head back to the hotel and crash for the day! I sit up another 30 mins - putting thoughts to screen!

Tomorrow is another day....

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2008-01-24T20:40:00.000-08:00

Time for Birthday Number 58!!
The gift being handed over to him by Supriya Mahajan, her royal highness!!

The official chef for the evening was Moses John Wesley!
The biryani was simply awesome!! It was polished off in no time!

The wedding Reception!!

2008-01-04T01:35:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Tina and Gautams wedding reception!!

Kolkata Chronicles - Day 2

2007-10-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

19th October

We started the day a tad late. That's cos' yours truly was well and truly tired after Day 1. SO Mom and sups did the needful as I caught on to some well deserved beauty sleep.
The pretty woman all decked up!
So then we headed out to the BB Block pandal to offer pushpanjali. We were the last ones (11AM) and the crowds had already departed. So we got exclusive visitation rights and it was a one on one communion!

Then it was time to come and relax before heading out to do PANDAL VISITS and PICKLE TASTING
With Ma at Maddox Square!
It was a long'n'hectic day - ending up at Pallavi & Arjyos place....

With pallavi... this one will go on Page 3 in the Times of India!
We headed home after that.. picking up a bottle of wine on the way!!
It was our 6 month anniversary after all....
papa takes a glass of wine... from Sups!
Family of 4 finally finished a bottle of nice red wine!

Kolkata Chronicles - Day 1

2007-10-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

18th October

It wasn't easy getting to Kolkata. I didn't sleep all nite...so we wouldn't miss the flight!
We did reach the airport and made the flight - but it was a touch 'n' go affair!
A smooth flight later - we touched base at home in Kolkata at 0730 hrs!

Time for ma to do a lil welcome home puja for the kidz!

Spent the ifrst few hours recuperating - before we decided to do some pandal visits.
The rain gods decided otherwise.. and sent us a belter...it started pouring cats'n'dogs!
We got home and it was time for Sups to help Ma with the Puja preparation!
The panditji arrives and starts strutting his stuff!!
The kidzzzz arrive - well, not all of them are kids!
it's not my fault!!! Kaki and Pishi - having a few words!!
cosyying up!!
Family power snack in progress
This was followed up by a visit to CITY CENTRE - the neighborhood mall and then some pandal hopping!!
Point of note - there were hhour long queues to enter the hogwarts pandal...my wife walks right in.. as if she owns the place.... and nobody stops us!!
We just followed in the wake!! That was fun!

I got to eat candy floss after ages - i still love it - though it is difficult to clean the lil - lil bits that tend to stick to my developing beard!
The Hogwarts Pandal was nice.. from the outside - quite garish from the inside!!

The kids finally got home by nine.. and it was time for everyone to leave....since most distances in Kolkata are measured in hours... at least at Puja time!!
So we all gang up near papa for one last pic....!!
Then it was time for my prawn dinner...... and no - I was not in the sharing mood.... i'd been looking forward to it since July ....and it wsa worth the wait.. one recipe that I definitely have to master!!

No pics here... cos' i was too busy eating!!

Bye Bye Avi!!

2007-09-07T04:21:00.000-07:00

the last mile!!
snakes in the monkeys shadow......
nice'n'warm
ayyyy ganpatttt - chal darooo la!
smilin pretty!!
So Avi (the bald fella) is off to Scotland to do his MBA.......
thought we'd celebrate and wish him bon voyage!!
...at our regular adda!!

Bantu weds Sumi - Part 2

2007-09-02T23:28:00.000-07:00

With dad! I'm holding on for dear life... to my mundu.... hoping it stays on and doesn't do a Janet jackson on me!
The wedding luncheon!
Family of 4 - after the lunch
NDA coursemates gather together!
With Sumis friends from Delhi.
(L-R) Trina,Sid,Sups,Bantu,Sumi,Arjun,Varun & Sanjana

Bantu weds Sumi

2007-09-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

I really couldn't think up anything more apt as a title for this post.
After all - it is about their wedding and the fun we had there.

The setting was enormous - with a stage, flowers, lighting - basically the WORKS!!
It was as traditional as Kerala weddings come...

Wishing them a life filled with happiness and success in the years ahead

Kochi Nites

2007-09-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

We reached Kochi & the party started!
There's not been a dull moment, excepting the hour long drive. That too, was full of the scenic beaty that abounds here.
The lunch was fantastic - no pics though - cos we were busy catching up.
Then we went shopping for my traditional clothes and SUpriyas shoes!
Get together at Bantus(aka Lalith)place - a nite before the wedding!
Rocking Couple!!
The evergreen couple - Mom & Dad
Pretty ladies - Sanjana, Rosemary aunty and Sups

off to Kochi

2007-08-31T22:29:00.001-07:00

Well it was all kind of sudden. We'd been hoping we could make it for Bantus wedding. Somehiw the pieces weren't fitting in and so we were consigned to a weekend in delhi.

One phone call changed everything... Dad requested.... Supriyas boss consented....tickets were booked... And here we are... In a boeing 737-800 on the tarmac at Bangalore waiting for passengers to fill up.

The gentry travelling from del to bangalore was very very different from the gang boarding it now. Phew!!!

More later...

The Kuruvila family!! We're staying with the for the duration!
Interestingly - Sanjana and I are from the same batch from Symbiosis - SCMHRD & SIIB respectively... we have common friends but we never knew each other then!!

Reviewing the Fleet

2007-07-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

This one's from way back in Feb 2000!!
Vishal and me got to attend the international fleet review on board CGS Sangram.
CGS - Coast Guard Ship!!
Dats me - with my Dad's ship in the background - the No.42 is CGS Samar. Those were some of the best days - when it felt like you could do anything you wanted and practically get away with it.
Alas - things are a lil different now!
But I never stop trying!

In fact I cut out my face from one of the pics above and put in on my orkut profile.
I got a couple of calls indicating that someone had taken over my profile.... i love my friends who did that...they really really care for me.

Happy Birthday Sups

2007-06-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's her 1st birdddayyyy!!
So we cut a cake.....
Then we give her a gift!!
And some confetti to spice things up!
Yeahhhh rrrright!!!

The Bachelor Party

2007-04-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

I had always wanted a bachelor party to celebrate my sending off party
from bachelorhood. The visions for this party had varied from scantily
clad members of the opposite gender taking care of me, to me – taking
care of them.

This was something else however. I'd kind of resigned myself to not
having this party when we left the Premises of the engagement
ceremony. It was past Eleven PM in the city of Kolkata – we had
absolutely close to NO clue of where the party scene was.
Then a surprise phone call from Diya – my sister's friend put us on
the right track. The group of 5 landed up at SHEESHA at a lil past
midnight! The group comprised Vishal, Asha, Gautam, Tina and yours
truly!

We started off with a couple of rounds of Tequila shots. The ladies were feeling a lil apprehensive since they were dressed in Salwaar
–Kameez as compared to the other ladies there. We got the hookah on
the table and started puffing away. The music was good – but I missed
Supriya. I knew there was just this last space of 24 hours betwixt us.
Yet – it felt like a complete lifetime.

The four of them headed to the dance floor as Roy Oribsons signature
number was played. Me – I just hung around on the couch. A few minutes
later – I was being pulled on to the dance floor and pushed into a
group of 4 – FOUR GIRLS!!

They had drinks in their hand, a cigarette in a couple. Apparently Tina and Vishal had told them of my impending marital knot tying
session – so they'd decided to be Nice to me!!
I was like – WOW! But then something at the back of my mind & the
bottom of my heart kicked in. I exchanged pleasantries with them, a
lil small talk and headed back to my seat. Jeez – this was the new me.
I never thought I'd have walked off from an invitation like the one!

My friends and sister were flabbergasted at first – but then I guess,
they understood! It way a great party – we even had a round of drinks
with the young ladies.

All in all a masti time. Wish you all were
there.

Game On

2007-03-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

So I got myself an XBOX 360!!
Yep it's quite the show stealer at a GUY only get together.
We celebrated HOLI nite - with an action packed Football competition.. this lasted till the morning of the next day

Then of course - we slept out the Sunday!

That's Avinash and Koustav at each others throats

Conferential Pics

2007-02-28T02:21:00.000-08:00

Welcoming the dealers!!
Sudhir readies the LUCKY DRAW - wonder whom the gods are shining on tonight?
Raju - managing the gifts & awards
That's me with my uncle - the MD
Bhai gives a wide smile - things must be on track
The Big Ticket winners ... on the eve of the oscar awards.. they didn't have much to say though - except where's the booze??
Time to party!!!

To the land of the maple leaf

2007-02-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

It's about being Punjabi and going to Canada... there must be some fascination with that land!!!
One brother is already there... another one left last night.....
TATA Rohit bhai!!!!
Best of Luck!

Warming the house

2007-02-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

Yippe - Asha has bought a house... plans are on to make it a home.. she graciously invited us over to warm up tyhe place... and so we came .. from all corners of the capital city!!
4 girls and the ME!!

With Ash, Rajiv and his better half!
Cleaning up!!!
That's the terrace that she plans to divide by four - to claim her rightful share!

At the Bachelors place!

2007-02-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

That's the sextet that formed the party for this friday nite. There's Sid, Shitij, Avinash, Koustav, Me & Sumit.... all pals from NIIT.
We met at Koustavs place since Mrs.M is out of the country for awhile!

So the BACHELOR is making the most of it!!

I need a drink dude!!
The Carrom competition is on.....The final scores
Koustav - Shitij (11)
Arjun - Avinash (3)
Sumit - Siddharth (forfeited for eternity - cos' they decided to sleep)
Oh - I can cross-stitch too!!!
Good night folks!!

4 years old

2007-01-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

That's how old they are - together!!
My bro and bhabhi - Jatin and Shivy.... today their relationship is 4 years old!!

4 years of holy matrimony.. wow... we still have 85 days to go before our innings begins....
I like the cake too!!!

007 – The year of the BOND!!!

2007-01-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

So it looks like this is gonna be the year for bonding….!!!
There’s a marriage in April… and then one more in December…. Hmmm… lotsa bonding!!

For the first time in 17 years – I stayed home on a New Years Eve…. I was tired of partying.. and thought it’d be a good idea to catch up on some “brownie” points @ home!!

So I got a fire started .. right there!

Started some music and got Tina and Gautam to shake a leg too..

Dad out on his apron and kept the Kebabs and small eats going strong…

But mostly it was about being with the family….
Then at the stroke of the midnight hour…. We heralded in a New Year as also papas birthday!!

That was fun… loads of it :-)

Another Wicket falls...

2006-12-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's time for one more friend to move on.
Asha leaves NIIT today...
We had a small farewell lunch yesterday - that's thursday at KK - Khana Khazaana....
a treasure trove of food..(or so the name says)
That's her..Asha(ma)!!
The Party Organizer - Anku!!
Sword dangling on his head - but he'll pay the bill - Narendra...
Aayush looks to the heavens (for help) ...as we wait for the food!!
The Party people - (l-r) Harsh, Rajiv, Common man, Asha,Anku, Narendra, Vani, Prachi, Aayush & Deepti.
Prasoon gets into the frame as well!!
The final pose!!!

Life's BUZZing at CLIMAX

2006-12-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

This was one rockin' weekend...!!
My fiance - Supriya - Sups was in town.

That called for a royal celebration.
So the 3 of us - Tina, Sups and Me headed out on Sturday nite... to paint the town red...

We rocked at BUZZ and CLIMAX...till the wee wee hours....!!!
hmm... it's getting warm in here
..with my sis - Tina
Look at 'em go!!

TC time again!!

2006-11-26T22:03:00.000-08:00

We hadn't met up in a coons age. What with everyone busy and Shamit abandoning Gurgaon in favor of Gwalior(he only comes here for parties now).
Anyhow - he was in town this weekend and we caught up at Turquoise cottage in Delhi... partying away till the wee..hours of Sunday morning.
Baishali was due for the party - but she chose to spend some more time in Kolkata. :-(

Hm haath pe haath dhare nahin baithenge....
umm.. the girls and me!!
Palpable silence - Gurgaon ki laila and Gwalior ka chailla!!
One of 'em is definitely gonna kick me for dis.
Famous Five - dunno why we're famous though!!

Friday nite at TCs...

2006-11-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

We were at the TC establishment in Gurgaon - this friday nite...
It brought back memories of days gone by... hence the sepia tone... for the post!!

We also celebrated Koustav & Reshams wedding anniversary.... with an extra round of drinks :-)

I shot the sheriff!!
3 women on a roll!!!
(L-R)Resham, Neela and Parul!!

1..2..3...go!!
(R-L)Koustav, Avinash and me!!
Time to get the BOTTOMS up....
Cigarettes for Sale!!!
3 men and a Cigarette stand

Old times - renewed!!

2006-11-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

19th Nov'06 - Barbeque Nation,Bandra...
The first college function/ get together I attended after passing out from Symbi in '03.
Just been so caught up in my own world that i just missed out on some great times.

(L-R) Sonit, Neha, Ranjini, Hemendra, Nitin, Arjun, Atul, Harsh, Jayant, Parth, Prateem and Prateek.

A nice dinner and drinks' session

The 11 who came...

Family Luncheon

2006-11-20T01:48:00.001-08:00

Well - to be honest - I was a lil tense when I got in.... but then - as we started to converse... the walls came down. We ended spending more time than we'd anticipated.
All in all a great time.....!!!
Popping the bubbly... and it did come off with a pop
With Mausa, Mausi and Arpita didi
The youngsters!!
Mausi is a great chef... I ate and I ate... till I could eat no more!!
Didi and me.....

NIIT-Sholay

2006-11-20T01:15:00.000-08:00

This is a new version of shot from Sholay When Jay (Amitabh Bachchan)goes to Mausi ( Leela Mausi ) with the marriage Proposal of Veeru (Dharamendra ) with Basanti ( Hema Malini ).

Amitabh : Mausi, ladka NIIT main kaam karta hai.. ID hai...

Mausi : Hai ram..!!! Off-campus try kar raha hai kya??

Amitabh : kahan mausi 2 saal NIIT me rahne ke baad koi Company leti kahan hai...

Mausi : Hi Raam to kya 2 saal se NIIT me hi hai..

Amitabh : haan socha tha 2 saal me salary hike hogi hi.Aajkal to salary bhi jyada NAHI mil rahi hai use..

Mausi : To kya salary BHI KAM milti HAI..?

Amitabh : Ab apraisal bhi to asaani se kahaan hota hai mausi..

Mausi : Hai hai ...!! To kya apraisal bhi nahi hota uska..?

Amitabh : Senior se ladai karne ke baad apraisal mein achhirating to nahin na milti hai... mausi..

Mausi : To kya ladta bhi hai..?Amitabh : Ab der raat tak ghar jaane ko na mile to ho jaatihai kabhi kabhi anban..

Mausi : To kya der raat tak ghar bhi nahin jataa..???

Amitabh : Ab designers ki kismat mein to yehi likha hai mausi..

Mausi : kya kaha ladka Designer hai..!!!

Mausi : Kaunse college se padai-likhai kiya..?

Amitabh : Uska pataa lagte hi hum aapko khabar kar denge!!

Amitabh : To main rishta pakka samjhuna mausi???

Mausi : Beta, thik kan khol kar sun le... Bhale hi hamaariBasanti Call Center wale se shaadi kar le par NIIT ke ID se katainahin karegi.......

Cake..cake.. and some whiskey

2006-11-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

Let's not forget the pizzas which went to waste.. cos' the guys decide to eat Tandoori chicken at the last minute.

oh - before I forget - dearly beloved - we were gathered at Avinashs house to celebrate the day he was downloaded into this world. Of course - perforce of habit - we were 2 days late :-)
STEP 1: Cutting the cake...
STEP 2: Applying it evenly...
STEP 3: Aah.. the smile!!
Avinash had his cake and ate it too

Happy Diwali 2K6

2006-10-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

This year was a low-key diwali....
NO CRACKERS...
NO NOISY DRUNKEN CELEBRATIONS....

But I had loads of fun...
It a full family oriented celebration. It feels all warm inside to be with the ones who love you most. The only one missing was my sweetheart - who'd gone home to Kolkata for this festival. No worries - she'll be here in the next edition of the festival.

That's my Anila bua and Jatin Bhai, as we sit down for the pooja
Jatin - setting things alight!!

I srike a serious pose!!!

A tryst with the DON

2006-10-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Yep - I saw it...
First day - second show!!!

This is one stylish film. It's well made - kept the storyline intact - except for a few cosmetic changes - and done fultoo justice!!
The songs are the same and apart from the post-millenium techno feel - they're more or less intact. I do like the older versions of the songs though.

What really takes you by surprise -the whole look and feel. With films like this , Bollywood is definitely coming of age as the technical gap between east & west declines.

Shahrukh excels in the role of DON, while Boman is his usual great self. That guy can fit into so many roles that it ain't funny. The l;adies are there - Kareena in her brief role, is mesmerizing. Priyaka does her bit & Isha is only good for saying "Yes Darling". Arjun Rampal tries to put in the energy that he has - but it doesn't do wonders - so methinks it's going someplace else!!!

No story quips from me - go see it for yourself!!

Another night out

2006-09-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Avinash, Neela, Parul and me!!
That's a fare thee well from my friends who sit with me ....in my bay!!
We're all horns here!!! Some a couple, a few quadruple!!!

Arrivederci Vandana!!

2006-09-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

Ranit,Anku,Asha,Vandana & Aman.

That's Vandana, ever smiling, as she bids good bye to NIIT after a stint exceeding 5 years.
We will miss this free spirit...

So another milestone comes to pass...
Till we meet again.

My Aunt gets younger another year

2006-09-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yes it's true.
Each year - she gets younger by a year!!!
That's her in the middle with Tina(L) and Shivy(R).
Tina is my sis and Shivy is my bhabhi.

My bro poses with the stilt walker in the background!!
The cake awaits a slicing... as she makes time for a smile with Aanchal.
Husband and Wife... sharing the camera space

Thursday lunching!!!

2006-08-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

The page 3 types arrive.... paparazzi clickin.. oh - but we're a lil media shy...
I have horns on my head :-)
The ladies in waiting - as Johann lies back!!
Food..finally it arrives
To eat or not to eat - that is the question... Actually with Aman - it's how not to eat, that's the bigger question.
Shan and DJ..all smiles...we know where they're off tom next
That was heavy - now for some system downtime.
Play it again Shan

A surprise Party

2006-08-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

Gaurav turning 25... Niharika doing the planning..the sultry atmosphere at Aqua..the exclusive few..... flowing booze.. swimming in the pool..!!
Ok - no swimming - but we could have....!!
Gaurav gets to cut his cake. H e got to eat it too.
Sitting easy - Gaurav in the background... Thats Niharika, Tina, Piyal and me in the foreground.

The original party gang...Rika is missing this pic.

Another Farewell

2006-07-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

This seems to be my month for bidding adieu to those who're close to me.

Two people taught me what i know of International business, today.
That's Abhilash and Gogi. Now Abhilash is off to Zambia with his wife Sangu.
That's them below... as we gathered to say our goodbyes.

We got together at Gogis place. That's him below.

The times we had at LG truly made life great!!!

Gaurav & Rika - off to Canada

2006-07-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

So we bid adieu ro this lovely couple as they take strides across the oceans.
He's on to his MBA and she to do the rest :-)

Woman Power - Piyal, Rika and Tina

That's Gaurav Rika, Tina , Shamit... and me.

We hung out this one last time(for sometime at least) at TGIF.

Preparing for the review

2006-07-26T03:42:00.000-07:00

That's the calm before the storm....
Vandana, Dinesh & Vivek.. (and me behind the camera) .. preparing for a management review.

Still waiting for the rest of the world to join in!!

My last award

2006-06-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since my last award.
Dug up the pic for old times sake - actually to raise my spirts - at what was and what now is!!

That's me receiving the Cummins trophy in 2003 for the best class presentation of my MBA batch at SIIB. It came like a bolt from the blue - and added to the novelty of the whole occassion. I always knew I loved to talk.
Sometimes it must be making sense too
:-)

Friday madness - the last lot

2006-05-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ok - these are some not so MAD pics....
Just the gangs of NIIT as they formed and freaked out!!

The Musoorie foursome are back...we get together after more than a month.

Asha at the forefront. Ably supported by Anku, Ila & Karan

A sample of the members from our NIIT Publishing Studio

Navin, Allen & me... last ones off the dance floor - or so we'd like you to believe

The Madness continues.. to the dance floor

2006-05-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

This time the madness focusses on what we are the maddest at....

DANCING... i mean you have to shake it .... and shake it well to figure in this Hall of fame.....

Let's start with the Dude.... true mover'n'shaker..goes by the name of Navin

Hands of light for Anku & Divya.. the others keep movin' it

Now ... where have I seen you before??? Asha and Divya trying the one-liner!!!

We want you!! That's me in the middle with Shan & Girish.

Time for some spotlight - Divya& Ranit...

Sharan, Allen, Ila & Anku... awesome 4some

The party is on!!

The fun never stops... at least not until the booze is there!!

friday MADness - 1

2006-05-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Fridays are always supposed to be mad...
some more so than the others!!!

19th May was one such mad-hatter friday....we had a MAD bash at NIIT
that's short for Music Art & Dance

(L-R) Anku, Ila, Asha, Karan

(L-R) Allen, Asha, Vani, Meee & Atul - doing the scoring as one of the judges

The Sound of Music... and their voices...!!!!

Ranit starts the event on BREAKING NEWS... we actually broke it :-)
Rajiv, Manoj & Ranit.... stars they are!!!

Missing cellphone...

2006-05-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

The time : 2345hrs
Day : Sunday
Planned activity : deep sleep - worrisome monday ahead.
Twist in tale : SMS arrives.

Sender : Arjun (that's me)
Recepients : Mallik, Jolein, Tina, Vandana, Deepika, Karan, Asha.

SMS Text
*******
Hey Can u please, please, give me a missed call? Just one ring Pls. Actually i kept my mobile somewhere & searching for it......

Responses
1. Mallik said "This is a good one hw many called bk"
2. Tina called...
3. Deepika called.....
4. Vandana tried calling... Number was busy - cos I was explaining to deepika how my cellular phone misses me, starts crying & sending out Emergency messages. So vandana sent me an sms stating my phone was busy.
5. Jolein called, phone still busy- then smsed -Hey, how did u send me a msg if u've misplaced ur cell?
6. Asha is smart, she smsed - achcha.,ab cel mila kya?:-)
7. Karan is the smartest - he played safe and didn't reply.

Hence proved, men smarter.
Wot say ladies??

Working Diner(S)

2006-05-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

An interesting and fun-filled evening. This was something we really needed to break the monotony of life @ work

Gurtej wondering - What to do???

I know these pics are kinda dark... but that's all we could come up with at the last moment in the confines of the restaurant.

Saturday nite at Decibel

2006-04-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

This was fun...
Lotsa youngsters around - more oriental than Indian actually.
Then there were the 6 of us...Sunny, me, Surabhi,Shamit, Niharika & Gaurav!!

Great Thai dinner folowed by lotsa of visible thighs... interesting, ahem!!!

Mountain Tales - The final chapter

2006-04-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

The final sitting… the only pic of all of us together
(L-R) Avantika, Rashmi, Prachi, Asha, Arjun & Narendra
The Fun Train.. Never stops anywhere!!!
Amazing toffees & chocolates from Elloras, in Dehradun
Sahasradhara, 15kms from Dehradun.
A mighty confluence, leading to a single river.
A birds’ eye view.
We really like it in here.
Come join us!!!
The road less traveled.
Clementown – the MOMO destination in Dehradun
Apparently it’s one buck per momo. We really didn’t have the time to verify this one.
OK - that's it no more pics....Give it to me now.......the camera !!!!

Mountain Tales Part 2

2006-04-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

A warm saturday dawns...
Lazy eyes open up and - well - do I have to move out of bed???

At least these three are fresh'n'raring to go......
Ahaa – someone likes flowers – wait till the bees get a hint of this!!!
The apple orchards of Dhanaulti – 25kms from Mussoorie
The Triad rulzzzz!!!
Busy bee..droning away on the phone.. in touch with nature...
Awesome 4some..swingin away!!!
Kempty Falls….15kms from Mussoorie
The water temperature leaves you numb. I thought I was goin into shock.
Time to dry out – we’re still shivering!!!

Dinner time is here – nocturnal awakening!!!
Actually time to sleep... that's when we had the Halloween nite party!!!

Mountain Tales - Part 1

2006-04-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

(Actually that's Day 1)
We spent this last Easter weekend at Mussoorie, a not so quiet lil hillstation in Northern India. This is 6000 ft in the mountains and - trust me - it's breathtaking!!

Getting started – Asha putting up her feet the weekend ahead.
Prachi being as accomodating as possible.
Yes – I had a fever in the morning
Now I’m on vacation… & that works like a tonic
Overloaded Narendra
Settling down – we refuse to work like this.
Even the PM can’t get them out of bed.
Uphill to Gun Hill
3 Musketeers & the photographer (of course you can’t see me)
An interesting pose...
But why are they off the road??
On the way up… Rashmi takes a breather!!
At the top...but not going over it - as yet!!!
I though Gunhill was uphill!!!
Nothing beats, being given directions in the RIGHT direction

Oyster Weekend

2006-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Water is the best coolant - even better than Beer actually.
Nothing beats a full day in the cool zone to beat the summer heat.

So – it was this gang of five who showed up as decided. Asha, Ranit, Rashmi, Ankur and yours truly. The rest wished they were there – since the electricity went out at their homes as soon as we got into the pool.

(L-R) Ranit, Rashmi, Asha & Ankur
Oh – before I forget – the venue was the Oysters water park at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This may not be the WATER KINGDOM that Mumbaikars are used to – but it’ll do for now. We landed up a full 30 minutes before the place opened up – so enthusiastic we were. We were also the first ones into the park.
Ankur choosing his color & size.

Time for the girls to pick’n’choose too.
R for Rashmi and R for Red.
But what is Asha trying to do….!!!

Apart from the time spent idling n the water – Ankur was ever the Instructional Designer as he deftly guided Asha and Rashmi through the nuance of swimming in 6ft of water. He did try to teach Ranit too – but not quite as effectively!!!

Getting in was easy – getting out was tough. The only motivator here was the Pizza Lunch (at 5 in the evening) that we’d promised ourselves at Pizza Hut. It was a special treat for four in addition to the pasta that Ankur consumed
The hair clip in Ankurs hair was quite the revelation of the day – especially since they aren’t quite that long!!!
Ranit thought this was the promo for the next Bond flick…. I told him Pierce Brosnan has more hair!!!

This is obviously the one picture that we looked forward to. That’s (L-R) Ranit, Rashmi, Ankur, Asha and me.

Why do we have to go home???? Anyways - we have the next week to look forward to.

Weekend Bug Bash

2006-03-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

The last party for this financial year....
.. and yep - a blast it was!!!

The early birds....after the worm(Vandana and Karan)

... "like i was saying!!"

receiving pearls of wisdom

Karan - " I need a drink"

Arjun - takes a fall - needs liquid refreshment

and the ICE PACK for the BUMP

.. and some more liquid!!! That feels better.

Talk to the HAND...oops -- leg!!
Shrutis FOOTwear on display

Arm Candy for Gaurav - Niharika & Tina

Don't shoot please - we're indians!!! Shamit & Surabhi

Interesting Discussions!

Our Man - ALLEN!!!

Abhay - Finally made it from NOIDA

The lady with the BOWL!!

My wisdom tooth is coming.... Vandana, Rashim & Vivek!

A Final GOOD-morning!!!

Happy Holi

2006-03-16T01:18:00.000-08:00

(L-R) Karan, Shamit, Gaurav & me

(L-R)Vaishali, Piyal, Niharika and Tina

Gaurav exhibiting tendencies. The after effects of watching Broke back mountain.

Crashed out - Niharika

The party is rockin!!!

Niharika and Gaurav. Shamit looks on!!

Shamit : today is my day !!!

The aftermath... wine drinkers all!!

Sunny weds Surabhi

2006-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

7 years - the courtship period(give or take a few months).

Tina and I met them in december 05 and we've become good friends since.
We were not gonna miss their BIG day - 2nd March.

Sunny was playing cool cat - totally unfazed by the situation around him. Surabhi was looking great - and totally in her element as the bride.

We - the friends, were having a great time.

Here are some pics from their BIG day

the holy fire burns....
almost done now!!

posing with the bride... Standing(L-R) Shamit, Niharika, Gaurav, Tina and Me.

A weekend by myself

2006-02-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

This one is for me. At least this weekend turned out that way.
It wasn't designed to be that way.

But these last 2 days - I have been in solitude!
Not that I have gotten tired of socializing - meeting family & friends. But here, I - want to be by myself.

Silence was the keyword for the last 48 hours. It's done me a world of good. Though, for those who know me - it must seem queer behavior. I talk so much that I feel exhausted sometimes. Yet - I go on, endlessly. I did try and sort out the feelings and trains that kept frittering across the station inside me.

The only phone conversations that happened were for work - cos' Ranit called from the US of A and Rajiv to tell me about his review on the prototype. I did some office work too - but spent most of the time staring at the ceiling, at my computer screen or in the balcony.

Am I feeling refreshed and charged up for the grueling week ahead? A little!
Me knows this week is going to be a crucial one - what with all the changes @ work. Life is also taking me to the cross-roads. Yes - I can feel their approach.

I hate cross-roads. They're the ones involving decisions - and big ones at that. Every time I get there, issues get forced. To be or not to be - to do or not to do - to commit or not to commit.

Everyone has expectations. Me too! I start off well - then lose momentum somewhere in the middle of the race. The Hare syndrome at it's demonstrable best.

I have deep feelings for her - but get lost - somewhere in the middle of telling her and showing her. I have big plans for work - but they get lost in the middle of the transactions. The sunset is taking on a new dimension for me. I wondered why the blood red sun augurs the start & end of the day. Simple physics states - refraction light. Yet - the fluidity of life itself is wonderful and frightening.

O Calcutta!!

2006-02-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

Sultry weather , seductive women, meeting old friends. Even attending a marriage .Makings of an interesting weekend.

First things first - the flight - Air deccan. They don't call themselves low cost carriers for nothing. A 15 minute line to enter the airport - only for air deccan passengers. Then chaos at the check-in counter. Finally - the flight got delayed - and they didn't announce till the scheduled time of departure had come & gone. Their planes are good - pity- that's all there is to it. The air hostesses were plainly not recruited for their communication skills. Even the simple announcements were highly cryptic.... so I slept.

Reached the wedding venue JIT (Just in time) to see the formalities through to completion. John was already there - standing at the gate. We had a great time at the wedding and I ate my fill of FISH.. and tried unsuccessfully to catch the eye of the women there. Ironically, the appealing women had a red streak in their head - symbolizing their marital status - BOOKINGS CLOSED

Here are some pics from our nocturnal trip to "Someplace Else" at the Park Hotel. Parikrama playing and we got a good education in Hard rock.
There's always something special about a Live performance. We were there till late past midnight - making the most of our Stag Status.

I had an early morning return flight - whic necessitated my arrival at the airport by 10AM. Realization dawned as the flight departed at 1PM. I hate air deccan!!! They're CHEAP in the literal sense of the word.

The Party

2006-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

This party was overdue. It's been in the offing for a while now.
It wasn't easy getting everyone there - but 28th Januray seemed a good day to put on the party cap.

The Venue : My place

The Time : 8PM to 4:42AM

Tina & Surabhi - chilling out as Surabhi plays around with the Ipod.

(L-R) Renu, Parul, Allen, Sunny & Surabhi

Deep Discussions - Dad & Gautam / Vishal & Karan
Chetan, Gunjan & Tina - 3's company
Mom - giving company to Renu & Parul
SIze does matter!!!
Giving Gyaan - sharing & caring!!
Gautam & Me.
Let's dance to the FINGER
Yes - Men can dance!!!
Tina can dance too...

John W - does it again !!

2006-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

21st january - almost 3 decades ago - a baby wailed.
... so they called him John W.

This year - 21st January - he commemorated that wailing with us.

Where's my cake??

You want me to cut with this puny knife..???

Now that's more my style

Happy Birthday Johnny Boy!!!

A Family Wedding

2006-01-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Weekend Action for the 14th & 15th Jan'06

This time around - it's a family wedding. The most eligible young lady in the family ties the knot. My cousin Pooja wed Gaurav.

It was a simple yet - extremely sophisticated affair, which was quite well arranged - considering the fact that the entire family is resident abroad - in the Carribbean - to be precise.

So here we go....

The Lucky twosome!!

Tina engaging in some rituals with the bride.. she was tying those lil things on her hand. I really can't remember what we call'em

Mom-Dad-Tina on the way to the wedding!!

All Smiles - (L-R) Anila Bua (my dad's sis), Jatin bhai, Shivy bhabhi & Me

Anila bua, Aanchal & Nitin bhai

The Family Mahajan
(L-R) Tina, Anila Bua, Shivy, Grandma,Mom, Grandpa, Dad & Lalit fufaji.
Jatin bhai & me are missing from this snap

Finding Mumtaz (Part 2) - at the Taj

2006-01-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

Waah Taj!!!
Reflections of greatness...
The Band 0f 3
The trio again!!

Lone Ranger!!

In search of Mumtaz (Part 1)

2006-01-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

She inspired thousands to create the ultimate tribute to woman.
Her inspiration started after bearing the man - 14 children in a span of 18 years.
It took 22 years to complete and is over 243ft tall.
It is a masterpiece of symmetry & style - except where the man lies - in peace - next to his wife.
So we decided to go in search of Mumtaz!!!

Part 1 - On the road - Delhi to Agra

Vishal , Tina & me undertook this quest.
For the uninitiated - Tina is my sister and Vishal is one of my buddies from kindergarden!!

That's Vishal & Tina

Oh - that's Vishal & yours truly!!

The road was calm, the travelling smooth, the air chilly as we left Delhi. Our first stop - the Gas station. Second Stop - highway dhaba for a heavy brunch. We covered the 200kms + distance in about 5 hours to land at the eastern gate of the Taj at 3 PM...

The last 2 kms we, covered by rickshaw!!!

In Esteemed Company - HBS 2K6

2006-01-04T23:52:00.000-08:00

The first big party of 2006.

Funny - it couldn't wait till the Saturday - so Wednesday was it.

The venue(s) - Multiple - Dublin at the Maurya -> Laid Back Waters at Qutub - Climax till AM
The crowd - 100 students of the Harvard Biz school batch of 2K6 and us (Tina & Me)
How we got there - My buddy Vishal is part of that esteemed group. Their group is on a India Visit and last nite was when they did Delhi

Those guys'n'gals really know their party moves and light up a place as they hit it.
Quite a mixed bag of tricks - Americans , Chinese, Indians , ABCDs you name it - they were all there!!
Dublin was the warm-up area and after they saw themselves on CNBC giving views and getting some from our FM - they were charged.
Laid back waters was a lounge that they seemed to really dig before the finale at Climax. The clubs didn't disappoint our visitors and they headed home quite pooped ready for the next step of their pilgrimage- agra - jaipur etc.

The Indian guys amongst them (a few) were on their WIFING missions - nope this is not the computer connectivity - more like the ethereal types (Man-woman thing) !!!
Dunno if any of 'em got lucky :-)

I do believe this year is going to rock!!

The New Years Bash - 2005

2005-12-31T15:20:00.000-08:00

There should have been a big bash - in the scenic locales of GOA.
Life - however takes its own set of turns and twists. So I ended up in Delhi!!

But it was fun.. :-) and I mean real fun.

As a prelude to the last nite - we went partying on the 30th as well. I played bare chested (lmost) and then laded up in bed all day on the 31st as the cold weather had hit me hard. I wasn't sure I was going anyplace tonite. Mom-dad got me thru the day and we ended up at Gaurav & Niharikas place to bid adieu to 2005.
This has been an eventful year - no doubt on that!!!
This was a small get together for the 6 of us and we made the most of it. I couldn;t get enough of the Biryani, booze & Butter chicken (not necessarily in that order)

That's Tina'n'me gettin ready to go...

Gaurav & Rika - the lovely couple who had us over for Dinner
Surabhi & Tina on the phone.

The real funny thing was that at midnight - everybody went for their phones and the dang network was jammed up as hell...
What is this world coming to?
Sunny was the only one who actually managed to get through on the clogged networks. The only hitch was that nobody was picking up the phone at the other end!!! LOL

Merry Xmas

2005-12-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

Yes - This Xmas might just be X-Rated!!!! (X here means FUN - not what you were thinkin )

We (Tina & me) spent it with friends - Niharika, Gaurav, Sunny Surabhi and Shamit.
It was a blast!! and I mean a real blast @ shamits place..

We were meeting Sunny , Surabhi and Shamit (3s') for the very forst time. At the end of it - it didn't feel that way. We got there at half past 10 and continued laughing our guts out till half past 3 in the morning. They actualy thought Tina and me were not Brother and sister - till we told'em and cleared the air.

This was way past the hour when the chimes struck in the clock tower at Bethlehem and heralded the beginning of a new era.

Gaurav & Niharika (GnR)- chillin!!

Sunny and Surabhi - sunny doing his thing!!

Shamit -Sunny - Gaurav. What a Trio!!!

Is that a Bottle in Sunnys hand down there or what!!!

Another Foggy Bottom Day

2005-12-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

This time around the entire city was affected.
Layer upon layer of the Fog descended from the heavens above - kinda like that hymn we sang at School: "Showers of Blessings"

I still remember the lyrics to a certain extent. Let me put them down as a reprise.

There shall be showers of blessing
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead

Still a few days to go for Christmas - yet the season has begun.
So what if we can't have Snow. The fog will do for awhile. :-)

And gues what - I seem to get into a sneezing fit every hour or so. This is a collection of 3-8 sneezes at a go akin to a mail train. Then my colleague from the bay sends me her "god bless you"s.

God knows - I need them.

Foghorn ahoy!!!

2005-12-21T23:17:00.000-08:00

Bring out the Foghorns!!!
The Titanic is going to sink.. well actually collide first.

22nd December '05- Ugly Kid Fog rears his head early in the Morning in Gurgaon. All I see are the clouds on the ground. And guess what it only affected Gurgaon - no impact on Delhi!!

It gives me impetus to get home on time :-)

Dats me... walking in the clouds :-)

Creativity Lost!!

2005-12-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

John is very creative.
He put his creative thoughts online.
That was extremely tough - given the fact that he is not used to a lot of hard work. He is more of the guy who gives intelligence (consultant) than actually type it out....

Now the guys at www.launchpad.com shut his shop and ran away with all that Creativity.
He is left wondering how to recover his thoughts – which I must admit had me asking for more.

Anyone who can help him - please do so...

ELEVATE with DJ Sasha (17 Dec)

2005-12-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

This was supposed to be a pretty happening event.
Saturday Nite - Cool place- hot music - even hotter women and the like.

It started off with a good dinner at the Kasbah in GK-1 where I got to meet the members of Tina's (my sis) gang. Very nice and friendly people - all of them!!!

The challenge started when we entered CLub Elevate. They'd hyped up this event of DJ SASHA playing at their club to such an extent that they proved right the old saying - EXPECTATIONS REDUCE JOY.

The music - totally club and trance is great for sometime, OK for a while and then it starts to jangle the nerves. Add to that the fact that you pay a 1500 entry charge - which is NOT a cover. The place is big but it was jam-packed and the floor was only for keeping your feet there - not for dancing. Again - since it was sponsored by SMIRNOFF - Vodka was the only liquid appetizer on offer.

Everybody was pushing everybody else around and picking up an argument wasn't all that tough. We also picked it up with 2 SURDS(the turbanned variety) - unluckily - calmer heads prevailed. At least that ways - we'd have gotten some action.... just kidding - they'd probably have beaten the crap out of us :-)

We dance a bit - till abuot 2AM and then headed home - totally out of synch.

The highlight of the evening/ night was the double scoop of Baskin Robbin chocolate ice cream that I picked up on the way out of the plaza.

Ahhh- to be able to sin !!!!

Reasons to drink ( water & alcohol)

2005-12-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Everybody has theirs - I have mine!!!

When I need to be healthy
When I need to flush the toxins....
When I'm happy!:-)
When I'm sad!:-(
When I'm heart-broken!!! :-((
When a friend is heart-broken (with the friend of course)
When I need to recover from last night!
Because I don't drive
When I need to forget
To un-depress myself. Somehow this never works.
It brings out the raw emotions
When I need to be social.
The world is hazy...
To get to the beat of the music.
I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
And God said, "Let there be vodka!" And He saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let there be light!" And then He said, "Whoa - too much light!"
Because it's a good replacement for ass-kissing!
Because I want to
Because it has less calories per pint than typical healthy drinks
Beacuse beauty is only a few drinks away
Because I like the thought of indulging in a bit of epicurean debauchery every once in a while.
Cos' I need to get high... cheaply!
It reduces stress
Increases job satisfaction because if you have a bad job you don't care.

These do not reflect my state of mind. All of them have come into play at one time or another.

I'd love it if you could add some more...

PS : Never write about drinking when you're drinking and upset.
It upsets the hell out of your life - even more!!

The Neal'n'Nikki Thingie

2005-12-10T01:21:00.000-08:00

I was really there to see Nikki.
Tanisha is definietely HOT.
Uday looks like a jumped up wimp - with lipstick - his red lips kinda like stand out the whole film!!!

Well - actually Dad managed first day pics for the film and there was no reason not to go.This movie has been made for fanatics.
I mean - at least 60% of it is dedicated to exploring the female anatomy. It would be a little gross - but - the director (his name is Arjun Sablok - does no justice to the name) jhas gone overboard on his focus on - breasts , getting laid & poorly executed lip-locks. The lead duo have no chemistry when they do it - at least not something that's evident.
Reminiscing about Madhuri (Dayavaan ) & Karishma (Raja Hindustaani) - they had spunk put into those moments. These scenes in NNN were pathetically American and that too without the emotions.

The movie was a treat for the male eyes - nothin beyond that.
Oh - I did like the climax though!!!