tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226480702024-03-13T18:49:15.614+05:30ConcoctionPrakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-52903641831974352762010-11-28T22:41:00.001+05:302010-11-28T22:41:49.500+05:30NYTimes: A Bully Finds a Pulpit on the Web<div class='posterous_autopost'>From The New York Times: <p /> A Bully Finds a Pulpit on the Web <p /> Vitaly Borker welcomes customer complaints, saying they vault his business higher in Internet search results. <p /> <a href="http://nyti.ms/hKLDUo">http://nyti.ms/hKLDUo</a> <p /> Get The New York Times on your iPhone for free by visiting <a href="http://itunes.com/apps/nytimes">http://itunes.com/apps/nytimes</a> <p /> <br />Thanks, <br />Prakhar</div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-23888282905726370912010-11-28T15:52:00.001+05:302010-11-28T15:52:32.158+05:30whoa..programming at 9!<div class='posterous_autopost'><a href="http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/mik/2008/01/20/teaching-my-daughter-to-code/">http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/mik/2008/01/20/teaching-my-daughter-to-code/</a> <br />I envy these kids :) (for all their exposure)</div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-14816929925014743832010-11-28T09:11:00.001+05:302010-11-28T09:11:48.894+05:30great post on deficiencies of social networks<div class='posterous_autopost'>Why current generation of social networks are lame: <br /><a href="http://blog.koehntopp.de/archives/2978-Die-unertraegliche-Lameness-des-Web-2.0.html#en">http://blog.koehntopp.de/archives/2978-Die-unertraegliche-Lameness-des-Web-2....</a></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-86178861983244675202010-05-28T10:19:00.001+05:302010-05-28T10:34:11.763+05:30technology that have changed your life (using the term technology quite narrowly)List the technology/products that have caused a real change in your life. Here goes my list: -<br /><br />(1) computer<br />(2) operating systems<br />(3) programming languages (after all I earn my living by coding)<br />(4) internet + www<br />(5) email<br />(6) IM<br />(7) mobile phone<br />(8) search engines<br />(9) online mapping services<br />(10) finding free stuff instantly online :) anything; news, books, movies, music, ...<br />(11) flash memory<br />(12) broadband internet<br /><br />What's yours?Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-40906711750544960932009-11-06T04:14:00.002+05:302009-11-06T04:14:49.173+05:30<span style="font-size:100%;">The recent Madhu Koda scandal raises once again the question (as I believe that I am no novel thinker) :<br />"Should corrupt politicians be charged with deliberate murder ?? Why??<br />because they swindle astronomical quantities of public money that could have been used to prevent children from dying off hunger, from getting malnutrition ed, could have prevented suicides of farmers. Aren't these two issues deeply coupled?? Atleast one constitutional machinery (legislature, executive, & judiciary) has to start taking the lives of citizens very-very seriously. As these corruption scandals hold (relatively) less incentives for judiciary so it appears they are the natural choice for the above task. Its time, judiciary makes an example out of these moochers. A precedent has to be set which acts as a very effective deterrent. Nothing less than life sentence for Koda, death penalty even better"<br /><br /></span>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-82814424039668591632009-05-22T21:51:00.007+05:302009-05-22T22:12:19.443+05:30Negi.............Shailendra Negi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/ShbSaBTsHbI/AAAAAAAAB7A/u0REY7muEwI/s1600-h/negi%27sMasterpiece.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/ShbSaBTsHbI/AAAAAAAAB7A/u0REY7muEwI/s400/negi%27sMasterpiece.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338685752763751858" border="0" /></a><br />This is like the most imaginative, creative, impulsive pic I have ever encountered. I am pretty sure, quite a few members of the fairer sex will be feeling nervous seeing this pic. But, for Negi this sort of reaction is very normal, and what can he do? Cutting out the crap, presenting to you (if you play 007 music in the background it will totally go by this pic)<br /><br />Negi<br /><br />Shailendra Negi<span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span></span> (can anything other than a full stop come after Negi?)<br /><br />If you don't know, he likes it (Martini you perverts) shaken, not stirred.<br /><br />This is the legend who warded off a very serious heart-attack threat by drinking water and walking in feverish pace around the hostel corridors.<br /><br />He could have been touring the world with the Indian Cricket team, he could have been playing for Manchester United, or even he could have been the Tarzan scaling the trees in Uttarakhand, but, he was grateful enough to grace lesser mortals like us with his presence amongst us.<br /><br />Cheers to The man, the legend!Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-69611859573548135892009-05-20T23:18:00.004+05:302009-05-20T23:28:41.288+05:30What is the meaning?of life? of all this chasing and running? when all that you are running for can be over in a split second. What is the use then? Isn't it better that we live each moment of whatever we have got? What we have to lose? May be it won't get over for us so quickly as for some of our unfortunate friends and then we might end up cursing ourselves -- why didn't we run more? why did we give up the chase? But, is the chase/run ever over? has anybody seen the full stop? you always run out of road. There is never an end. So, I have started to believe that live life as it is going to be your last day, don't take anything that you have, any people who care about you for granted, because you really don't know if it might be the last time you are seeing them and you might never get a chance a make up.<br /><br />May their soul rest in peacePrakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-16427787574030118922008-10-22T20:35:00.003+05:302008-10-23T10:40:12.795+05:30Backlash in Bihar - train torchedI guess that Mr. Raj Thackeray would be breathing a sigh of relief and accomplishment as with all his activities it appears this is what he intended. People like Raj Thackeray are more dangerous than your Laskar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and what not, because, atleast those outfits are banned. But, people like Thackeray live among us, spread sedition and hatred everyday. So, what is the solution? the government cannot take a step as radical as banning MNS for ever, naming it as a terrorist organization, putting Mr Tackeray in jail (not to let him go out on bail the next day). Why? Why can't this be done? because, if they do this, what happens to uncle Bal? why is he free? why has he been free for so long? what happens to Narendra Modi? what happens to RSS? why are those f**kers free even after assassinating Mahatma Gandhi? what happens to Bajrang dal? what happens to many of the dravidian parties who use the linguistic card?<br /><br />So, what are we left with? what is the solution? May be its what Lala Har Dyal (founder of Gadar party) pointed out many many years before: -<br /><em>"our object is not to reform government, but to reform it away, leaving, if necessary only nominal traces of its existence."</em><br />You may term that an anarchist's point of view? but, what good, both you and me are for? other than talking!Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-76351579417325996462008-10-21T17:34:00.002+05:302008-10-21T17:43:28.401+05:30"Raj arrested" - making of Mahatmayeah!, why? because, the next thing you know everytime a crooked politician is arrested (I never said that The Gandhi was crooked), he comes out way too quickly on bail, and then there is a huge crowd of paid-to-be-there/good-for-nothing people waiting outside the police station for him, shouting slogans, throwing garlands. Meanwhile, what is Mr. Crooked Politician doing? Both his hands are joined and has a very cliche'd smile on his lips - and why not? he has become Mahatma Gandhi. Every time a politician goes to jail in India, he/she thinks that he has got a bit of the noble man inside him. What the...... But, like many things this "What the...." is easier said then done, because, these kind of gimmicks seem to work good for the vote bank of our Mr. Crooked Politician.Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-22039989864435806742008-08-27T11:28:00.003+05:302008-08-27T11:40:25.836+05:30and you thought that they do good journalism at ForbesExcerpt from a recent news item at Forbes website, dated 27thAug'2008 (<a href="http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/27/ap5361476.html">http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/08/27/ap5361476.html</a>) : -<br /><br />"<span style="text-transform: uppercase; float: left; font-style: italic;">JAMMU, India - </span><span id="lingo_span" class="lingo_region"> <p><span style="font-style: italic;">Police traded fire Wednesday with militants allegedly holding six people hostage, including four children, in a building in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Indian-administered Kashmir</span></span>."</p><p>I've emboldened the part that is objectionable to me. Last time I checked, Kashmir was still a part of India, and it is Pakistan and China who're administering some parts of Kashmir. Time for the Forbes guys to give their editors a class in history. Atleast till the time Kashmir issue is resolved Kashmir will stay a part of India, or, forbes is projecting itself as a mouthpiece of Kashmiri people ? (that's unlikely). This snippet from their report is infact a reflection of the American arrogance, their complete disregard to the political stands of other sovereign countries. I don't give a damn to what they think, but, they should atleast keep their facts politically and diplomatically correct.<br /></p></span>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-88057081812162923742008-05-08T01:59:00.004+05:302008-05-08T02:24:13.804+05:30What is it with....the movies, no not all the movies, but with the romantic comedies. They seem to make fun and mockery out of normal lives. Oh come on! I'm not getting frustrated once more, this is fact man. Let me ask you how many times have you travelled in a train? I bet many a times (most of you) and how many times have you met a nice-looking, sexy, and yet a gregarious girl? I bet the number will be tending to zero. In my case it is ZERO! I'm telling you it happens only in <span style="font-style: italic;">'Jab we Met'</span>. Now lately I've been revising some of the good movies in this genre, namely Notting Hill, Serendipity, When Harry met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and my belief is strengthened. These movies are made just to make a mockery out of your life if you're single, and in case you're seeing somebody then they're made so as to force you into questioning your relationship. Questions like "Is he/she the ONE"?. Give me a break, cut the crap man! what is that supposed to mean?. I'll tell you. It means - go ahead, be brave, break-up, get upset, come back home, watch that movie again, lament, may be even cry, and then after you've watched that movie many a times realize how that movie makes you feel like a complete arse and then BINGO! moment of enlightement! you've been foxed.<br /><br />If you don't concur, look around yourselves analytically, I'm sure you'll find quite a number of people who live in a very filmy-filmy dunia and you either find them talking nonsense most of the times or depresses. Well, yes, either ways they are talking nonsense!<br /><br />So moral of the story -- "It happens only in the Movies".<br />(sorry for the cliche but it summarizes quite effectively!, and sorry for another abruptly ending post, but again who reads this blog anyways? :-) )Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-79447747904352598372008-05-02T00:26:00.004+05:302008-05-02T18:46:51.744+05:30Movie of the Month: CINEMA PARADISOWelcome to the new section on this blog: "Movie of the Month", our place to discuss the best of the best!<br /><br />The Movie of April is: -<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">CINEMA PARADISO</span><br />you have to watch this 1988 Italian masterpiece to believe it! I'm pretty sure this movie is amongst all time favorites of all the people who have seen it. What it is about?. It's indescribable, the storyline, the dialogs, the performances, the direction, in short, it falls into that rare category where every thing seems to be just perfect! Somebody has correctly said - "Beauty lies in simplicity". Go and do yourself a favor - watch Cinema Paradiso and then leave a "thank you" comment!Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-22526308237939715242008-05-01T23:55:00.003+05:302008-05-02T00:01:17.051+05:30Atlast an engineer!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/SBoMZDqRXAI/AAAAAAAABAo/_GUDDYe3QQ8/s1600-h/IMG_4549.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/SBoMZDqRXAI/AAAAAAAABAo/_GUDDYe3QQ8/s400/IMG_4549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195478744744156162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/SBoLyDqRW_I/AAAAAAAABAg/abeJiYu1RGA/s1600-h/IMG_4549.JPG"><br /></a>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-37454594421713347942008-05-01T23:46:00.003+05:302008-05-02T00:03:48.343+05:30Latest Perigrinations-II: (Goa, March'2008)<div style="text-align: justify;">Well I was in B'lore courtesy my new job, and it was a weekend, and I'd never been to Goa. So, I teamed up with Pegu, who in turn roped in some of his pals from TechMahindra and off we were to Goa. We went ny road and took the following route and went via Belgaun. I was there just for 2 days and covered Baga, Calangute, Anjuna, Mandren beaches and chapora (aka DCH) fort!<br />Picasa link to pics from this trip: -<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/prakhar.sharma/Goa">http://picasaweb.google.co.in/prakhar.sharma/Goa</a><br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-7844222938438819242008-05-01T19:50:00.004+05:302008-05-01T23:46:09.960+05:30Latest Perigrinations-I: (Udaipur, Mount Abu) Feb'2008<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi! long time no see...as if anybody reads it!<br />What have I been upto all this time?? hmm....travelled around a bit, watched movies (some real classics...well a new section on movies is on its way..stay tuned!), catching on my reading and guess what killed time!<br /><br />Went to Udaipur-Mount Abu in Feb'2008 alongwith Kalia, Tushar and Satnam. Well that's another matter that we left delhi to attend Ajit's brothers' marriage in Chittorgarh and never showed up there. I won't apologize to Ajit for this..why? for starter..he never gave us the address and his phone was not reachable all the time..thanx to the seamless connectivity offered by Tata Indciom!! jaasthi talktime, jaasthi SMS..but where the hell is the network man [:-P]...secondly, Udaipur and Mount Abu are nearby and appeared way more interesting!<br /><br />Took the Mewar Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin station to Udaipur. Let me tell you one think upfront: don't have the misconception that all of rajasthan is desert, Udaipur is on a height surrounded by Aravallis. We all freezed to near death in the sleeper class of MewarExp..(we didn't took blankets)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Udaipur</span> is good in day and great by night..man you have to go to the city palace in dark and enjoy food and drinks at the lake side restaurant inside the premises of the palace.<br />Places to see: City Palace, Pichola lake, there is another one, Sajjangarh. Sajjangarh is a hill top palace, used to serve as monsoon retreat for the maharajas (but we all concurred that the place was made to serve very earthly desires and cravings of the privileged class!!) You can <span style="font-weight: bold;">trek</span> to Sajjangarh through the reserved forest. The terrain is not that difficult to negotiate but, the thorny bushes all around make it exciting. Just to tell you, trekking through the reserved forest is illegal!<br /><br />Getting to Mount Abu from Udaipur is a major pain. Why? there is tribal area on the way and apparently these tribals are not that friendly and they express their dissent by looting any vehicles passing after sunset..so there is no road transport available after 4PM from either Udaipur or Mount Abu. We left for Mount Abu early next morning (around 4AM). The road is also not that great. Mount Abu is good, but, nothing much to do around, the place is infested with gujju tourists and gujju honeymoon couples. <span style="font-weight: bold;">You can trek to Guru Shikhar, the highest point of the Arvalli range</span>. FYI, Aravallis are arguably the oldest system of mountains in the world and it runs from delhi in east to somehwere in gujarat in the west. We rented bikes in Mount Abu, had a good gujarati meal, and were off to guru shikhar. The trek is not that great, but you get a good feeling once on top..well why not, I can atleast say that I've conquered one mountain range in world! Jokes apart, view from the top is great. Nearby there is a observatory, one might ask why an observatory in Mount Abu, because sky remains mostly clear in this part of the world. All in all it was a good trip (total 3 days). We'll made up our mids to return to Udaipur with our better halves, if and when we have them [:-(], no doubt the place is very, very romantic. Mount Abu is also good, more so if you meet a follow like Maangi laal, who is a proper frustoo and bakchod person! will tell you about this chap some other time guy. chlao c'ya, bfn.....<br /><br />Picasa link to some pics from this trip: -<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/prakhar.sharma/UdaipurMountAbuTrip">http://picasaweb.google.co.in/prakhar.sharma/UdaipurMountAbuTrip</a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/satnam17/UdaipurTrip?authkey=R-7Vk4k4IZU">http://picasaweb.google.co.in/satnam17/UdaipurTrip?authkey=R-7Vk4k4IZU</a><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.co.in/tagrawal/UdaipurMountAbuTrip">http://picasaweb.google.co.in/tagrawal/UdaipurMountAbuTrip</a><br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-1618138512399611932008-02-13T16:25:00.007+05:302008-02-13T17:16:31.086+05:30Bigots and Impotencyfuck raj thackeray<br /><br />fuck the impotent government who lacks the balls to put assholes like RT behind the bars<br /><br />fuck the fundamentalists (hindus, muslims, sikhs, all of them) for fucking with other people's fundamental rights<br /><br />fuck all the politicians for not condemning actions of people like RT, for all those fuckers have used this regional/religion card at some point or the other to fucking boost their votefuckingbank<br /><br />fuck all the good for nothing people who don't have a fucking iota of brain, and do the dirty work for these motherfucking pigs<br /><br />fuck all the good for nothing bigots who are so fucking jealous of other people's accomplishments that they start issuing fatwas, or whatever its hindu counterpart is called<br /><br />fuck the judicial system to assist these sick politician fucks in their dirty games and let them get away with it<br /><br />no...fuck yourself for sitting right there and let these fuckers rape and molest your country, to fuck with the basic principles on which our country is based<br /><br />fuck yourself for being such a sucker, reaping benefits of this country's free atmosphere, getting a fat paycheck at the end of month, eating fucking popkorns while watching your TV or reading somebody else's blog and criticizing and making fucking suggestions like a pussy<br /><br />FUCK THE POLITICIANS, FUCK THE SYSTEM, FUCK YOU, FUCK MEPrakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-45267768138459323092007-12-01T11:18:00.000+05:302008-01-21T16:27:10.603+05:30Pluralism and DemocracyThe whole world seems to be having credentials enough on passing judgments on Taslima Nasreen, M.F. Hussain and the Indian government these days, so also I thought of joining the party!!!<br />I was seeing this debate on "we the people" on NDTV24x7 on "putting curbs on artistic freedom".....something like that.What I'd like to ask is what is artistic freedom? who defines it? for me its nothing but a politician's word, a word that has been coined for the sole purpose of getting your way out of embarrassing situations (something like what Ms Nasreen and Hussain sahab have encountered). Then in a most ridiculous way some bonehead lady (say this expletive can be artistic freedom!) on the show says that our Indian civilization is not ready for such openness and rationality, that our people are still under-educated. Are we Indians really fond of self-pity? of finding faults in our ways? and adulating about what our contemporaries in west are doing?Its not a question of being educated or not? A believer'd have been offended seeing those nude impersonations (on canvas) of Hindu goddesses, notwithstanding his educational qualification.<br />Its simply a point of crossing the line. The west exploded over those danish cartoons. In a plural society like ours there are a lot of lines, and being an influential person one should have a sense of responsibility to respect and defer all those lines.<br />The most pathetic party to all these fiasco s are politician's elected by us. See what BJP is doing, it is advocating Nasreen's case and it hounded Hussain like a mad dog, despite there being glaring similarities between the two cases. And who elects these politicians, its we....shouldn't we be ashamed of ourselves.<br />Why does CPI-M gets elected again and again in West Bengal, why do we elect proven criminals as our representatives? why hasn't a single politician been imprisoned?May be after all it is a question of people being educated....................Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-74273562283207177402007-11-05T12:00:00.000+05:302007-11-05T12:25:02.428+05:30A Day in the Life of a Frustoo TechieThe Frustoo techie wakes up........<br /><br />Oh no its already 11..........What the hell<br />Somehow he gets dressed lousily for work<br /><br />Driving to work he spots several good looking chiks........What the hell<br />They are all with their bfs...........What the hell<br /><br />Reaches off, the pretty looking receptionist is chatting with well built guys...........What the hell<br />Same old look in manager's eyes, suggesting "how lazy are you"...........What the hell<br />Checks mail, there are dozen of Good Morning mails, all having pretty faces...........What the hell<br />There are some <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> mails too, but due to the close mindedness of the society he can't check them in office...........What the hell<br />Same old cliche'd work...........What the hell<br />Waits for evening, plays TT, foosball, or watever is avaiable...this time no What the hell<br /><br />Goes home, switches on MTV, there is Katrina Kaif all over...........What the hell<br />Enough is enough<br />Our protagonist is losing patience here<br />He has the <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> number in his cell phone<br />But he is the good boy, he can't do that<br />he knows its the time to sleep<br />But seriously..................WHAT THE HELLPrakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-83000034427771023332007-10-31T22:08:00.000+05:302007-11-01T18:46:33.067+05:30The Messiahlast some days have been hard.<br />he feels suffocated<br />and just when he feels, that this is it<br />there is a teasing flow of air from somewhere<br />"why?? why??"<br />why is nobody noticing him shouting?<br />"why?? why??"<br />again no response<br />..................<br />.................<br />not yet<br />"i shouted, right...??"<br />"or didn't i??"<br />"have i gone nuts"<br />"NO"<br />"NO"<br />"then why do ppl don't notice me??"<br />for the past so many years, he had thought himself to be an anomaly<br />but an anomaly gets noticed<br />"that means i am like all others"<br />"NO, NO, NO"<br />"so are all others going through the same amount of pain??"<br />"same agony??"<br />first time in so many years he felt sympathetic for his fellow beings<br />"so, then why does nobody gives it a shit??"<br />"are all of them chickens?"<br />"just afraid of doing nething, thinking it might worsen their plight"<br />"or are all of them too dumb to notice?"<br />the first option felt relatively plausible<br />but he ain't one to sit back and bear all this<br />"something has to be done"<br />"somebody will have to do it"<br />he felt like the chosen one<br />this seemed to be the chance he had been waiting<br />he ain't gonna miss it<br />for the first time in so many years he felt his eyes<br />his ears<br />his hands<br />the air around him<br />not only the pain inside<br />but also that all outside<br />he could see it everywhere<br />the more he realized, the more determined he grew<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />he was standing in a pool of blood<br />with a rod in his hand<br />"why are you doing this"<br />"One more blow and it would end"<br />"You will feel relaxed"<br />"See how relaxed are all others"<br />he had already obliged 6 other co-workers<br />a heavy blow on the skull, did the trick for the 7th one<br />.<br />.<br />But the world never treated a messiah properly<br />Satan draped in khaki shot him<br />another shot<br />and the messiah dropped<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />only to rise again somewhere elsePrakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-80329750339678561502007-10-01T11:54:00.000+05:302007-10-01T11:59:35.538+05:30long time.........no see<div style="text-align: justify;">Yes I know it has been a long time since my last post.<br />Even I'm wondering what has happened to me, why am I doing this?? have I started MIS-using office internet [:-)]<br /><br />The second part of the story "Black and White" is due, then EPL is in full flow and the season is unfolding very excitingly, lots of things to catch up, lots of gyaan to spread, lots of venom to spit out!!<br /><br />Oh no, please don't so that, don't lose your heart out there [:-)], I'll be back soon, gotta MIS-use the office internet now [:-(]<br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-113360126383600872007-08-18T13:02:00.000+05:302007-08-18T13:56:20.966+05:30Review- New Apache RTR 160<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RsarcHEQplI/AAAAAAAAAqE/Iz0L_CXave4/s1600-h/wallpaper8-800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RsarcHEQplI/AAAAAAAAAqE/Iz0L_CXave4/s320/wallpaper8-800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099952127465268818" border="0" /></a> The hottest new baby(the RTR 160) from the stable of TVS-Racing, looks like a winner much like its predecessor!. I test rode this baby today and was totally overwhelmed by it! What is this RTR??. It can be anything from <span style="font-style: italic;">Ready-to-Race</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Ready-to-Rule</span>, but for me it is <span style="font-style: italic;">Race-to-Rule</span>. Lets talk about looks first:-<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"> In a nutshell killer looks!, the roto-petal disc brake, the split grab-rails, racing stripes, all black body parts, the overall racing ergonomics takes this baby on a all together different level from its contemporaries. The body works people at TVS have given Baja and Hero Honda a lot to think about.<br /> Ok the looks are deadly and all, but what about the real bike. RTR 160 scores high on pick-up. Apache already had the highest power-to-weight ratio in its category, with the more powerful 160cc engine Apache has become a biker's delight! The earlier version had 13.5bhp and the RTR has 15.2 bhp. A wider wheel base will quieten the critics of earlier version who claimed that a smaller wheel base made it relatively unstable(though it was minimally smaller than its contemporaries).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RsasC3EQpmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/PwB2UZ4W-Q4/s1600-h/wallpaper4-800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RsasC3EQpmI/AAAAAAAAAqM/PwB2UZ4W-Q4/s200/wallpaper4-800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099952793185199714" border="0" /></a> The bike seems very pro-racing in its looks and driving. The driver seat is more sports bike oriented, and the pillion seat has been made to bring the sexy-cute thing behind you a bit more closer!!<br /> One thing where the older version scores is the single peg gear changer(though it is a cosmetic difference, you only take 1 day to get yourself accustomed to the new design).<br /><br /> So summing up much like its predecessor TVS has a winner on its hand(the Apache made history by grabbing the highest number of biking-awards in a single calendar year), the RTR seems very likely to leverage the position of TVS motor in the minds of masses. Only hindrance that the sales can face(or will face) is the mentalblock in people's mind who are hunged on to Bajaj Pulsar, but with successive good products TVS auto looks determined to break the mentalblock.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/Rsas33EQpnI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Pz9R2fvofso/s1600-h/wallpaper9-800.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/Rsas33EQpnI/AAAAAAAAAqU/Pz9R2fvofso/s200/wallpaper9-800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099953703718266482" border="0" /></a> One good thing that the marketing guys at TVS have done since the inception of Apache is that they have their target audience very clear in mind, and with appealing advertisements the sales are sure to improve and take Bajaj Auto full on!!<br /><br />For more info on the bike:- <a href="http://www.tvsapache.com/">http://www.tvsapache.com</a><br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-92088574920202753382007-08-15T23:59:00.000+05:302007-08-16T00:05:07.870+05:30SARFAROSHI KE TAMANNA AB HAMARE DIL MEIN HAI....I just wanted to have a record of this beautiful peace of patiotic-art by RAM PRASAD 'BISMIL', one of the revolutionaries prosecuted by the British under the Kakori train Robbery case. 'Bismil' was a great poet, his most celebrated writing is being presented here:-<br /><p style="font-style: italic;">Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.<br />Dekhna hai zor kitna baazuay qaatil mein hai</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Karta nahin kyun doosra kuch baat cheet,<br />Dekhta hun main jise voh chup teri mehfil mein hai<br />Ay shaheed-e-mulk-o-millat main tere oopar nisaar,<br />Ab teri himmat ka charcha ghair ki mehfil mein hai<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Waqt aanay dey bata denge tujhe ay aasman,<br />Hum abhi se kya batayen kya hamare dil mein hai<br />Khainch kar layee hai sab ko qatl hone ki ummeed,<br />Aashiqon ka aaj jamghat koocha-e-qaatil mein hai<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Hai liye hathiyaar dushman taak mein baitha udhar,<br />Aur hum taiyyaar hain seena liye apna idhar.<br />Khoon se khelenge holi gar vatan muskhil mein hai,<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Haath jin mein ho junoon katt te nahi talvaar se,<br />Sar jo uth jaate hain voh jhukte nahi lalkaar se.<br />Aur bhadkega jo shola-sa humaare dil mein hai,<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Hum to ghar se nikle hi the baandhkar sar pe qafan,<br />Chaahatein liin bhar liye lo bhar chale hain ye qadam.<br />Zindagi to apni mehmaan maut ki mehfil mein hai,<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Dil mein tuufaanon ki toli aur nason mein inquilaab,<br />Hosh dushman ke udaa denge humein roko na aaj.<br />Duur reh paaye jo humse dam kahaan manzil mein hai,<br />Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamaare dil mein hai.<br />Dekhna hai zor kitna baazuay qaatil mein hai.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Yoon khara maqtal mein qatil keh raha hai baar-baar,<br />Kya tamanna-e-shahaadat bhi kisi ke dil mein hai.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"></p><br />The original(Urdu) and the English version can be found at:- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarfaroshi_ki_Tamanna">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarfaroshi_ki_Tamanna</a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-27132077508465198142007-06-24T14:55:00.000+05:302007-06-26T14:04:03.203+05:30Black and White - Part I<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"Saale chutie firangi, kya samjhte hain apne aap ko, saala bahinchudh"</span>, Tomar shouts into the microphone, but of-course it is on mute. He pulls his hair to release the frustration(it doesn't helps, he feels as if nothing helps), turns on the mic and<br /> "Sorry sir, there was some disturbance in line, how may I help you??"<br />This is a common scene in the Gurgaon based Indeo call centre where Ajay Tomar (son of the Gen. Vijay Tomar, retired, Indian Army) works. These intermediate fits of rage, slamming of desks, pulling of hair (one guy actually got bald, serioulsy man, not joking, it happened right there in front of Tomar's eyes, day by day this chap was losing hair until…) are mudane. The not so ocassional rebuke from the floor manager doesn't upsets them (Tomar and his co-workers) anymore.<br /> “I’m afraid, that’s not in our capacity to say sir”<br />Some one's frustration at the politics of becoming floor manager, then a bigger asshole(a.k.a manager), and then a much bigger one is met by strange looks of co-workers as if suggesting <span style="font-style: italic;">"kya nautanki kar raha hai saale, roj kee kahani hai yeh toh"</span>. The thing that excites them is the fight for the latest bomb-shell who joined a week back. In Tomar's words they all are comfortably numb. What gets his blood rushing(he longs for complete numbness) are the reports in the media applauding India's economic surge, reports selling the dream of India's bright future with more than 60% of its population still young.<br /> “It’s nothing to do with race, nationality or getting personal sir, as I said earlier its not in our capacity to say sir”<br />He asks how can India be booming when so many guys like him are stuck in the peanut-sized paycheck jobs (like his) of the the so called Knowledge economy?? May be it was much tougher for mediocre (yes he knows he is damn toooo average) guys like him earlier, to hell with it. He's living now, and it has not been easy for him.<br /> "Thank you for calling Indeo, we deeply regret the inconvenience caused, you're talking to Marc, have a nice day"<br />Tomar slams the receiver and heads for a break, smokes out his frustration along with his lungs, comes back to his seat in 5 mins, the phone is ringing, recalls his fake American accent and<br /> "Thank you for calling Indeo, you are speaking with Marc, how may I assist you?"....................<br /><br />Passenger(P): <span style="font-style: italic;">"are Ismael bhai abhi tak!! ek ticket dena Rajiv Chowk kee"</span><br />Ismael(I): <span style="font-style: italic;">"are miyaan majraa kya hai, har din last Metro??"</span><br />P: <span style="font-style: italic;">"are bhai aap bhi toh roj double shift maarte ho. baat yeh hai kee ghisani toh padtee hee hai roti ke lie"</span><br />I: <span style="font-style: italic;">"ha ha, sahi baat, lekin bahut hui ghisai, bibi bachchoon ko lekar ja raha hoon nainital"</span><br />P: <span style="font-style: italic;">"are wah, chalo phir, gud nite"</span><br />I: <span style="font-style: italic;">"shabakhair"</span><br />Soon after giving the last ticket he rushes home. It’s already 22:30 and tomorrow is going to be a big day for him. Kicks his Splendor to life and off he goes. It’s too damn cold, and commuting 30 kms in this freezing Januray cold is difficult. But life has never been easy for him and its not as if he has any regrets. He thanks his Allah everyday for bestowing him with the ‘fighter spirit’. Most of his colleagues have cars (of-course on EMI’s ), but he can’t afford that luxury. He has his <span style="font-style: italic;">farz</span> to fulfill. He has high dreams for his 6 yr old angel – Aasha, and 3 yr old Rishi.<br />He dreams of Aasha and Rishi going to college, visualizes his 2BHK apartment in delhi, he even dares to dream a silver colored Getz. He smiles and recalls Mirza Ghalib :-<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Hazaaron khwaishein aisi ki har khwaish pe dum nikle,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bahut nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle"</span><br /><br />He is aware of the dangers associated with being over-ambitious. But, he knows that this not being over-ambitious, he knows that this is damn realistic. He knows that he can make it happen. What if he is only B.A.?? What if he had to shuttle from one office to another, hearing the <span style="font-style: italic;">babus</span> cursing him for over a month before he got his job at DMRC’s Rithala Metro station?? What if he makes only 15K a month?? But he has made all this happen even after being a witness (as a 15 yr old kid) to the gory incidents of that Oct’89 nightmare in his village of Logain. He has made all this happen even after he saw all of his family charred to death at the hands of religious fanatics that night. He made all this happen even after he was treated like dirt in his uncle’s home at North Delhi for all his youth. What’s this in comparison to all that?? It’s a piece of cake. He knows that he will turn his <span style="font-style: italic;">"Hazaaron khwaishein”</span> into reality.<br /><br />He’s parking his bike when Aasha comes running out to him. He lifts her up, looks at her angel like smile, hugs her. With his spirits lightened, mind freshened, and his strength restored, he enters his rented hole like one room apartment............................<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(To be continued)</span><br /><span style="font-family:webdings;"></span></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-13815263061692656352007-06-21T11:55:00.000+05:302007-12-10T10:54:28.234+05:30Trek info: Tadiyandamool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnpjqiLH86I/AAAAAAAAAoE/TdKXyI9nPBk/s1600-h/td1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnpjqiLH86I/AAAAAAAAAoE/TdKXyI9nPBk/s320/td1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078481112192775074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</span> TADIYANDAMOOL TREK<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trivia:</span> Tadiyandamool is the tallest peak in the Coorg district, 2nd tallest in Karnataka, the tallest being Mulayangiri in Chikmaglur distt. Both Coorg and Chikmaglur are famous for their Coffee.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location:</span> Coorg district of Karnataka, nearest town is Madikeri<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to reach:</span> Buses till Madikeri are available from Majestic. KSRTC has good service on this route, with a good number of deluxe(Rajahamsa-volvos) and semi-deluxe serving this route (atleast at night). If you are an economy trekker like me then you'll have to rely on private buses Madikeri onwards. From Madikeri catch a bus till Napoklu, from there catch another bus and get down at Kakkabbe (Kakabe'). There is another route , i.e. B'lore-Virajpet-Napoklu.<br /><br />At the Kakabe' bus stop you will find some signs directing you towards Nalknaad palace. Follow these directions. One you are at the palace, you will find several boards of different home-stays (during tourist season people provide their houses as cottages to tourists). You can chose one of these as per your pocket, if you intend to stay at night. I and Santosh stayed in one of the economical place. Like all the hilly areas people are very cordial and helpful.<br /><br />Ask the locals for the route up to the peak. They will be more than happy to help. Specifically helpful is one Mr. Prasad who owns a coffee plantation and the best and most expensive home-stay (by the name of Palace Estate) in this area. A cool, helpful chap with a very beautiful wife!! . He drew a very descriptive map (to the peak) for us and also served us upma for breakfast.<br /><br />The climb is of medium difficulty. Terrain varies from easy-medium-tough. It took two of us nearly 3-4 hours to reach the top. But if your group is bigger then of course it would take you longer. On the way up you come across one huge stone, from there a bylane takes you to a stream (this is the last source of water on the way up) The water here is very sweet and refreshing. But it was a pity to see polybags, packets of Lays, Good Day and other snacks littered all over. It filled me with contempt for the human race for sometime.<br /><br />Some say that if you visit Coorg at the time when coffee fruits are still ripening then the whole air is filled with fragrance. But quite unluckily we visited when the fruits were already ripe [:-(]<br /><br />Surely you get a lot tired by the time you reach the top, but the juice is surely worth the squeeze!!. The view from the top is exhilarating, and you are filled with respect and love for nature seeing the beautiful scenery all around. Some people pitch in their tents near the top, and spend the night there, it must be cool.<br /><br />On the whole a rewarding trek, and a B.E.A.utiful place. Surely worth going and trekking!<br /><br />The next day we visited a nearby waterfall by the name of Madan-abbi (abbi means fall in Coorgi language). Aaaah, what should I say about it, absolute Shnagri-La. Amazing place. Totally untouched. You have to walk nearly 3-4 kms from the cottages/home-stays to reach this place. Neither did we find a single person on the way, nor at the water fall. Both of us enjoyed a lot in the water-fall, we braved the slippery rocks and climbed up. The water was chilling, but the experience was priceless.<br />I'm really scared about mentioning this place here, as may be it gets popular, hence commercialized, and hence dirty. If you ever visit this place, then Please don't do the thing we humans are best at, messing up with nature.<br /><br />Here is a link to the trek album :-<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/prakhar.sharma/Tadiyandamool">http://picasaweb.google.com/prakhar.sharma/Tadiyandamool</a><br /><br />I've still have the map drawn by Mr. Prasad of Palace Estate, may be I'll upload it sometime (if I don't, feel free to ask for it, if needed). Here are some numbers that might be helpful in planning your trip/trek:-<br /><br />Mr Prasad (Palace Estate) :- 09880447702<br />Mr. Ashok (Twins Cottage, the place where we stayed) :- 08272-238361, 09880908091<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">As requested I've uploaded the maps at my public gallery on Picasa, here is the link:-</span><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/prakhar.sharma/TadiyandamoolMaps">http://picasaweb.google.com/prakhar.sharma/TadiyandamoolMaps</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">happy trekking!!</span><br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22648070.post-7074213589043481792007-06-19T13:12:00.000+05:302007-06-20T15:39:31.862+05:30Trek info : Savandurga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnerPCLH81I/AAAAAAAAAnc/nsvX27TzXNI/s1600-h/savan1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnerPCLH81I/AAAAAAAAAnc/nsvX27TzXNI/s320/savan1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077715379653440338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">It has been quite a long while since I last posted, so, I'm starting with small posts to get back into tempo of blogging. So, I thought about spreading <span style="font-style: italic;">gyaan</span> and info about some treks that I've done. So, here comes the first one:-<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Name</span>: SAVANDURGA TREK<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trivia</span>: Savandurga is the biggest monolith in Asia.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Location</span>: somewhat 60-70 kms from B'lore, nearest town is Magadi<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to reach</span>: Buses are available from the KR market bus stand. The condition of the buses is bad, so if you want a leisure trip then take a private vehicle, but you are going on a trek dude, who wants leisure ?? [:-)]. From Magadi catch a local auto till the starting of trek, just say savandurga to the <span style="font-style: italic;">auto-wallah</span>, he will take you to your destination.<br /><br />Many things make Savandurga a good place to start trekking. Firstly, its proximity to B'lore is a big point in its favor, then it is a short trek. But on the same hand the climb is not a cake-walk by any means. The climb to the top varies from easy to quite steep at some places. One differentiating factor from other treks is that being a monolith(stone structure), there is no soft grassy ground beneath your feet, so one gets exhausted easily. One thing I really wondered about is that what were those dogs on the top doing?? May be they were also nature enthusiasts, trekker dogs!!, sounds cool na?? [:-)]<br /><br />Other than trekking Savandurga also serves as a destination for rock climbing and Mountain Biking enthusiasts.<br /><br />On the whole a nice trek, you return home by the evening, have a nice sleep and wake up to the realization that you have been bitten by the <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">'wanderlust-bug'</span>!!.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnesJCLH85I/AAAAAAAAAn8/KmGbOdWcMqo/s1600-h/savan2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lMqWipa1NCk/RnesJCLH85I/AAAAAAAAAn8/KmGbOdWcMqo/s320/savan2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077716376085853074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div>Prakharhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00605970372512010823noreply@blogger.com2