Last night, a discussion about "Ways to converse" in Corporate circles popped up as I was chatting with My roomies and believe me, It was such an intense argument that each of us shared our frustration about the Medium of communication in corporate circles. I didn't have much to say on this because I was totally alien to the the kind of experiences that My roomies were sharing last night.
The discussion kicked off when We discussing about the prospects of one other Guy joining us in our house. That he was a malyali, made one of my roomies feel that he might feel alienated in a house where all of us speak Tamil. I raised a counter argument suggesting that it might not be a problem as all of us were courteous enough to converse in English if at all we have someone who does not understand the language amongst us.
This immediately prompted one of roomies to go blah blah over his experiences off late with a few of his team guys who were just not sensible enough to converse in English when he was amongst them.
[None apart from me knows Hindi in my House]
He was so emotionally conveying how much he had come to detest this senseless approach of a few guys around him. That they had conversed in Hindi even in team meetings was the height of ignorance. It was then that my other roomies also started echoing their views on this. I for some reason had never had a problem while conversing with my team guys. I feel Hindi has allowed me to get more close with the guys around, but it's fine until it's inside those demarcations that make a cube, provided every1 in the cube understands the language. I was shocked to hear from one other roomie that he was time and again being spoken to in Hindi, by people onsite in his team, irrespective of his conveying that he did not follow the language.
I was prompted to think that Hindi was being used as a cover up by people, who had started finding solace in Hindi, to hide their shortcomings in conversing in English. For all the emphasis and trumpet blowing that software companies do about the significance of English speaking skills, they were not managing to achieve that at all. These incidents are standing examples for this.
There have also been incidents where people get so used to conversing just in Hindi that they end up using one too many Hindi words while talking to the Client. That indeed sends a bad signal about the individual, the company and the future of that project's continuation in the company is at stake . It might seem a silly issue, but I guess it is of extreme significance in a world where one slip can cause a huge pit fall.
So much fuss is made about Interpersonal skills, cross cultural skills and wat not during the entire course of one's stint in a software company. All for nothing?? I guess not many have learnt their lessons !!!!!!!!!! It's high time that companies had a serious rethink over this issue and bring about certain measures that will curb people from being unofficial in official circles :-)
Monday, September 26, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
Tourists of the Home land !!!!!!!
Such was the awe with which We were gazing at the beauty of our own campus today.
Infosys campus here is one of those biggest campuses around and it would never be required for one to travel from corner to other. Being in the same building that had ATM'S, Travels, Accounts, Finance and Food court next to the building, there has hardly been a necessity to go down to the other end of the campus, where a lot of developments were happening of late.
Today, I for some reason felt like going over to a new Food court at the other side that was started just a few months back and My colleagues accepted it momentarily.
Thus, We strolled towards the new food court there. On our way, My tech lead talked of seeing a stall in open space in that area, some time back, where people were having coffee. One of us had replied It was the CCD. My lead very shockingly replied "What has the CCD(Computer communication department of Infy) got to do with coffee." Well, Didn't his reply trigger a spontaneous outburst of Laughter, that took a while to stop. The reason was that CCD that we referred was "Cafe Coffee day". Yeah, That's the way we call it here....
A small deviation in here. I must say about my coffee drinking habit here. For a person who never touched Coffee for 20 yrs since birth, Coffee is now a part of day to day life. Yeah, Thanks to My team guys, I changed myself(still not sure whether for the Gud or Bad). Invariably,on most days, the lunch ends with a cup of Cappuccino( at the CCD stall closer to our building). We had even become such distinguished customers there that the sales Guy there used to provide me Cappuccino with Honey at no extra cost. I for sure was having a nice time.
Back to the topic on which this article is centered, We had reached the new food court. The variety of dishes in the thali was nothing different from what most of the other food courts serve. But, the quality of the dishes remained to be seen. The restaurant had a very unique architecture and semblance and I was told that it was a revolving Restaurant. Meaning, the roof can actually revolve. There were a series of steel girders and pillars erected from the ground to support the roof. It was not functional atleast for now. I am not sure if they are surely gonna make it a reality in the future. If that be the case, it will be yet another feather on the cap of Infosys, the tourist destination. It already is a place that's becoming a must see for all those visiting Bangalore. Surprisingly, The Development centre in Mysore is even better. It surely is a living heaven. Just wondering, if this is any trick for Employee retention, thereby lessening the Attrition :-) (Attrition is quite a strong word in corporate circles. There is a school of thought that firmly believes that the Quality of a company is not made up it's client base or quality of products, but by the Attrition ratio that prevails there.)
The Food fortunately was tastier and We found it much better than what we have been consuming for months now. At the back of our mind, We certainly knew that this was just an ephemeral delectation. Its such a common phenomenon when staying away from home. No food satiates our taste/Requirements in the longer run :-). The biryani was just too gud. My liking for Papads is so much that some 100 guys like me can actually empty the papads for the day in all the food courts. Though, I would initially bring that many papads, it will not even remain for a few seconds on my plate after I take it to the table. My colleagues will feed on most of them, leaving very few for me. That they don't even care to take papads, hoping that I will bring as many, is enuf evidence to how big a papad crisis I would be creating for all those hapless ones having late lunch :-):-). The sweet was "semiya payasam" and a few raised eyebrows over calling everything payasam down south and called that vermicelli. I was quick to add that it was "Payasam made of vermicelli". I had to convince them that Payasam was just a generic term and there are a variety of dimensions to the same dish based on it's ingredients. What prompted this question from one of my colleagues was that a sweet in liquid form was served yesterday as Onam special dish and was termed "Payasam". That today's vermicelli sweet(as he called it) was more of a semi solid paste caused aspersions over what is the true form of Payasam. Hmm, Now, I am confused too. what should be the true form?? To me whatever be it, it's just fine until it tastes good.
But, What we liked most about this Restaurant was that it was not one of those congested food courts of Infy. It was a food court devoid of queues and space constraint. And it had far more sophisticated tables and chairs, resembling the ones at posh Restaurants in heart of the city. We left the food court after having food, quite satisfied with the overall experience. Then, our attention diverted towards the basement of the same building. From outside, it looked like as though it was a sophisticated version of a tunnel, probably leading to Infy's BPO office 10kms away :-). We decided to explore it further. After all, We knew it would take months for us to come through that side anytime again :-). The Basement had a series of shop like demarcations. Airtel office, ICICI bank, Hair n beauty care saloon, all being part of it. The Beauty saloon is one of the latest additions to Infosys havens. The parlor was open and none in there except for a house keeping staff. We just peeped in to see what was all in there, in the parlor. Just as we were gazing at the interiors and equipments there, the house keeping lady told us, the parlor was a ladies one . Gawddd, Thank God nobody noticed us there. The parlor actually did have a board stating it was for Women, which we had overlooked. We were still having a college like experience in corporate :-).
After we got out of that, a huge Pyramid shaped building attracted our attention. It was the Infosys media centre. It had a small waterbed on both sides of the pathway leading to the entrance of the building. Water was seeping through small pores on the walls of the water bed to a gutter below, giving a feel of walking through a small time cascade on both sides. The Media centre was again empty except for a security Guy. The way we were gazing at it was such that the security guy came and told us that outsiders were not supposed to enter into the building :-). A strange question to a group of guys, among whom none was less than 2 yrs old in the company. But, that s the way we went about our exploration :-).
Our next destination was the CCD that I talked off in the beginning. Just like any other day, this day cannot end without a cup of coffee. It was just that it was a different CCD centre inside the campus. The seating arrangement here again was quite similar to the CCD's anywhere in blr city. The place was also a free smoking zone and it was just the right place for people who smoked. We could also spot a lot of chinkees there. A few new Foreign beauties just for a change, as compared to those that We get to see every other day ;) .
Thereafter, We proceeded towards our building to continue with the days' work and had realized that the walk worked out to be a gud work out in the end.
Thus came to an end, a lunch break that lasted close to 2 hours, and one that could cost Infy a few dollars in it's billing amount, ofcourse if we were to record it in our status reports. After all, there is a provision for it :-)
Infosys campus here is one of those biggest campuses around and it would never be required for one to travel from corner to other. Being in the same building that had ATM'S, Travels, Accounts, Finance and Food court next to the building, there has hardly been a necessity to go down to the other end of the campus, where a lot of developments were happening of late.
Today, I for some reason felt like going over to a new Food court at the other side that was started just a few months back and My colleagues accepted it momentarily.
Thus, We strolled towards the new food court there. On our way, My tech lead talked of seeing a stall in open space in that area, some time back, where people were having coffee. One of us had replied It was the CCD. My lead very shockingly replied "What has the CCD(Computer communication department of Infy) got to do with coffee." Well, Didn't his reply trigger a spontaneous outburst of Laughter, that took a while to stop. The reason was that CCD that we referred was "Cafe Coffee day". Yeah, That's the way we call it here....
A small deviation in here. I must say about my coffee drinking habit here. For a person who never touched Coffee for 20 yrs since birth, Coffee is now a part of day to day life. Yeah, Thanks to My team guys, I changed myself(still not sure whether for the Gud or Bad). Invariably,on most days, the lunch ends with a cup of Cappuccino( at the CCD stall closer to our building). We had even become such distinguished customers there that the sales Guy there used to provide me Cappuccino with Honey at no extra cost. I for sure was having a nice time.
Back to the topic on which this article is centered, We had reached the new food court. The variety of dishes in the thali was nothing different from what most of the other food courts serve. But, the quality of the dishes remained to be seen. The restaurant had a very unique architecture and semblance and I was told that it was a revolving Restaurant. Meaning, the roof can actually revolve. There were a series of steel girders and pillars erected from the ground to support the roof. It was not functional atleast for now. I am not sure if they are surely gonna make it a reality in the future. If that be the case, it will be yet another feather on the cap of Infosys, the tourist destination. It already is a place that's becoming a must see for all those visiting Bangalore. Surprisingly, The Development centre in Mysore is even better. It surely is a living heaven. Just wondering, if this is any trick for Employee retention, thereby lessening the Attrition :-) (Attrition is quite a strong word in corporate circles. There is a school of thought that firmly believes that the Quality of a company is not made up it's client base or quality of products, but by the Attrition ratio that prevails there.)
The Food fortunately was tastier and We found it much better than what we have been consuming for months now. At the back of our mind, We certainly knew that this was just an ephemeral delectation. Its such a common phenomenon when staying away from home. No food satiates our taste/Requirements in the longer run :-). The biryani was just too gud. My liking for Papads is so much that some 100 guys like me can actually empty the papads for the day in all the food courts. Though, I would initially bring that many papads, it will not even remain for a few seconds on my plate after I take it to the table. My colleagues will feed on most of them, leaving very few for me. That they don't even care to take papads, hoping that I will bring as many, is enuf evidence to how big a papad crisis I would be creating for all those hapless ones having late lunch :-):-). The sweet was "semiya payasam" and a few raised eyebrows over calling everything payasam down south and called that vermicelli. I was quick to add that it was "Payasam made of vermicelli". I had to convince them that Payasam was just a generic term and there are a variety of dimensions to the same dish based on it's ingredients. What prompted this question from one of my colleagues was that a sweet in liquid form was served yesterday as Onam special dish and was termed "Payasam". That today's vermicelli sweet(as he called it) was more of a semi solid paste caused aspersions over what is the true form of Payasam. Hmm, Now, I am confused too. what should be the true form?? To me whatever be it, it's just fine until it tastes good.
But, What we liked most about this Restaurant was that it was not one of those congested food courts of Infy. It was a food court devoid of queues and space constraint. And it had far more sophisticated tables and chairs, resembling the ones at posh Restaurants in heart of the city. We left the food court after having food, quite satisfied with the overall experience. Then, our attention diverted towards the basement of the same building. From outside, it looked like as though it was a sophisticated version of a tunnel, probably leading to Infy's BPO office 10kms away :-). We decided to explore it further. After all, We knew it would take months for us to come through that side anytime again :-). The Basement had a series of shop like demarcations. Airtel office, ICICI bank, Hair n beauty care saloon, all being part of it. The Beauty saloon is one of the latest additions to Infosys havens. The parlor was open and none in there except for a house keeping staff. We just peeped in to see what was all in there, in the parlor. Just as we were gazing at the interiors and equipments there, the house keeping lady told us, the parlor was a ladies one . Gawddd, Thank God nobody noticed us there. The parlor actually did have a board stating it was for Women, which we had overlooked. We were still having a college like experience in corporate :-).
After we got out of that, a huge Pyramid shaped building attracted our attention. It was the Infosys media centre. It had a small waterbed on both sides of the pathway leading to the entrance of the building. Water was seeping through small pores on the walls of the water bed to a gutter below, giving a feel of walking through a small time cascade on both sides. The Media centre was again empty except for a security Guy. The way we were gazing at it was such that the security guy came and told us that outsiders were not supposed to enter into the building :-). A strange question to a group of guys, among whom none was less than 2 yrs old in the company. But, that s the way we went about our exploration :-).
Our next destination was the CCD that I talked off in the beginning. Just like any other day, this day cannot end without a cup of coffee. It was just that it was a different CCD centre inside the campus. The seating arrangement here again was quite similar to the CCD's anywhere in blr city. The place was also a free smoking zone and it was just the right place for people who smoked. We could also spot a lot of chinkees there. A few new Foreign beauties just for a change, as compared to those that We get to see every other day ;) .
Thereafter, We proceeded towards our building to continue with the days' work and had realized that the walk worked out to be a gud work out in the end.
Thus came to an end, a lunch break that lasted close to 2 hours, and one that could cost Infy a few dollars in it's billing amount, ofcourse if we were to record it in our status reports. After all, there is a provision for it :-)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Unlike me !!!!!!
Tired of being an Extrovert:
I am growing tired of having been an extrovert for years. Had spent years with a reputation/criticism(from a few) for being as much loquacious as I have been.
I have begun to suspect my own abilities to sound serious when It requires me to be serious. Over these past few years I ve only been finding myself get serious for wrong reasons and ridiculous squabbles over trivial issues. But, this is not the seriousness that I enjoy. I wish to possess the kind of seriousness that would command respect from the rest of the crowd that moves along with me. I can understand, I might not find people mingling with me as much in this avatar, if it were to happen. But, I really see myself to enjoy it.
By doing this, I am only gonna give time for myself. Friends, fun and masti will just be part of life, but will not be a compulsion, as the case has been over the past few years.
This wish comes out of a desire to see people around me relate me to those serious,sincere and dedicated characters. The way things are going now, I will always be one to have fun with or crack jokes with. But, I ll never sound or seem an intellect that I wish to become. I need silence and a "live for oneself" attitude to see myself conquering the heights of intellectuality in whatever I speak,do or write.
I wanna start listening to people's views, for which I had hardly given time with my urge to keep talking and the exceptionally fast language.
I want to extract wisdom from the rest of the crowd.
I want my observation sense to be sharpened. Silence will help it in no lesser way.
I want to give a break to people who have found difficulties in conversing or rather listening to a monologue from me.
I wanna spread humour and not originate it.
I wanna spend time reading/writing and not talking. I ve done enough of the latter that I have started to realize the true essence of the former.
I want shock the people I know with my new found obsession for silence and an introvert behavior.
I want people to take my views with as much seriousness as it shud be rather than being laughed off as being just another hilarious comment.
I wanna be a less taxing influence on people whom/whose views I wish to get changed.
I wish to accept people as they are and allow them to mould me, rather than being an influential force in causing transformations in them.
The above is just a wishlist !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WISH I COULD ACHIEVE THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I decide to pen down the last line for this strange wishlist, It seems all too hypothetical and impossible to me. I guess I will only keep wishing all this to happen throughout my life. I really don't see myself getting there :-):-)
As I decide to pen down the last line for this strange wishlist, It seems all too hypothetical and impossible to me. I guess I will only keep wishing all this to happen throughout my life. I really don't see myself getting there :-):-)
Monday, September 05, 2005
Bandipur part - II
Just outside Bangalore, the Tempo stopped for fuelling the tank. Just as that was happening, We noticed a two wheeler's tyre getting burst, while pumping air into the tyres. The boy who pumped the air went pale. But, to his shock and to a greater extent our's too, the owner of the vehicle spoke not a word to the boy and silently pushed off considering the incident as just another accident. I am not sure how many of us would have done that. Atleast, I would have unleashed my anger on that boy and torn him into pieces. But, the damage had been done. No use in cribbing about it. The repair had to be done. The Two wheeler rider's attitude surprised me. But, I thought he was only giving himself enuf time to get the tyre changed. An argument with the bunk guys would have only caused further delay !!!!!!!! Even a person passing by on the road can teach us a lesson or two :-)
More funny was the desription given by one of my team members when he went on to categorize the boy as an "Amateur air filler". Sounds really funny. aint it??:-)
The tempo Moved on. Swades movie songs were playing. Until then, We never realised that We had not consumed anything for Break fast. We slowly started to feel the pinch though. The only thing that we could feed on was the biscuit packet that was kept for the child. It would sound strange and clumsy. But, We knew we'll soon come across a gud restaurant and we can get as many biscuit packets from there. But, for the moment we had to satiate our Hunger with biscuits. We wanted to have food at a lovely restaurant on Blr-Mys highway called "Kamat Lokurchi". This place is just after the famous "Ramghad" village of sholay fame. That was the place were a major part of the film was shot.
Some 1 hour later, We reached the restaurant. It was a lovely place to be in. The costumes worn by the waiters, The ambience of the restaurant and the type of dishes served..... We could feel the nativity that is truly characteristic of this part of the country, in all of them.
2 hours later, We had just gone past Mysore. Mysore is a place that will remain very close to my heart, for, that was the place where I spent the first four months of my career as a software professional. I can't resist sayin "Those were days........." whenever I am reminded of this wonderful city. But thats not the topic here. So, am moving on.
Just as we came closer to Bandipur, We found a subtle change in the climate and it was getting cloudy and the threat of rain was looming large. That would be the worst thing to happen when one goes for a wildlife safari. But, the climate was as pleasant as it gets. The resort we had booked was another 3 kms from the entry point for the sanctuary. Lots and lots of deers on the way .....and the serene location was a photographer's delight. The restaurant in the resort was kept open just for us. So, soon after check in, We proceeded towards the Restaurant. The food was simple and delicious too ..Not surprising this, After all We were paying a huge sum for our stay :-)
The next thing that caught our attention was the Swimming pool. Due to time constraint, We decided to suspend our decision to swim for the time being. After a quick walk around the picturesque resort, We moved on for the Jungle Safari. The type of vehicle chosen was the kind of vehicle that would allow us to move around inside the vehicle and give enuf room for videos and photography.
Just as we entered the forest, I could smell the unique fragrance/smell of a variety of rare flora that could hardly be seen outside. Most often, the focus in any Jungle safari is so much biased towards fauna that We tend to overlook the rich flora that we come across. The climate was really pleasant and cold and that made me enjoy the flora all the more. I might not be the right guy to be commenting on the kind of flora that I came across, but I am quite sure that I did come across a rare breed of them, that I ve never seen before in my life. The safari had lasted for 2 hours. It was a bumpy ride throughout that took us quite deep inside the forest and back out of it. Wild buffaloes, Deers, sambars, Wild squirrels, Kingfishers, peacocks were all over the place.But, the worry that we could not meet an Elephant or a Tiger loomed large in our minds. Considering the fact that the sanctuary boasts of 8500 Elephants, We sure must have been the hapless ones to have not seen an Elephant during the safari. But, overall the safari was a thoroughly enjoyable one. It was all the more enjoyable as I was visiting a forest as dense as that for the very first time.
The moment we were back, We set out to swim. It did seem a li'll crazy to us to be swimmming at 6.30 pm in that cold weather. We kept swimming for close to an hour and Gawd !!!!! Wasn't it getting reallly cold as time passed. It got cold enuf for us to decide against swimming further at 7.30 Pm. We changed over and followed it up with a display of our TT skills. TT needs some special mention here. For a person who had hardly touched TT bats before, I had come a long way in playing tt after joining Infy.
I can't forget my first time experience with TT during my 10th std, when I claimed to be knowing to play TT to my house captain(despite the fact that I had never touched it before :-) ) . Wat followed was a disastrous loss in my first doubles match to an average team. Wat was more disastrous was that We failed to score a point. That my house captain, who partnered me was a champion player, made me the sole culprit for the loss (which I was). My house captain was my big bro's classmate and forgave me for his sake . It s always a nice thing to have a few of u'r folks among the seniors in any institution :-)
But, post Infosys, My TT has got really better. I see myself as an aka Sania Mirza with TT. My winners will be as gud as it gets , but my unforced errors are a disgrace to even a person who plays against :-)
Just as TT started to tire us out, We proceeded for the camp fire. can't ask for more in a cold climate like that. We had a variety of cameras ranging from the lower end ones to the most sophisticated ones. So, it was time for every1 to put their cameras to test, as they tried capturing photographs of the camp fire.
Next to us was another group of foreigners seated, enjoying their campfire. As if to disprove one of my team member's comment "Bandipur mein bandhi hee nahee hai", We did have a few lovely looking grls in that group :-)
The campfire proceeded with lots of jokes and pranks among ourselves. It was time for dinner. We had taken our food items outside and started to have food around the campfire itself. Just as that was happening, Myself and Akash(One other team member) put forth our intentions of waking up early in the morning at 4 o clock and travel down the ooty main road, in tempo, in search of the wild elephants. After all, wat s a wildlife experience without a wild risk :-). People were supportive of the idea, but at the same time were also circumspect about it.
We enquired the Resort Manager and he sounded quite comfortable with the idea and lastly added in a very casual way(as if it was no isssue) that "Please dont press horn and shout inside the tempo or ride past the elephants if u come across any on the highway". I asked him why???? His reply left us pale " Well it's just that the elephants dont like that and might chase u down" Gawd, I was shocked and so were the rest of the guys in the team. He has told such a big thing with absolutely no signs of warning at all. After all, He is no stranger to this part of the country and for him, it is nothing adventurous. But for us, It surely was an adventure that We had never tried before. The next question that popped out from us was what was the likelihood of coming across elephants. He replied in a typically Malyali accent "Elephants are happy now(HeHeHe, I suppose u got the underlying meaning of this very polished statement) . They sure will come down to the highway. "
I was prepared to bite the bullet and made sure that every1 else was ready too. I had put a word to our Tempo driver also about it. Just as decided to bid Gud night for each other, in came another suggestion from the Resort manager asking why were we planning for 4 o clock in the morning. Late night would also be just as much the right time as early morning. Suddenly, People started thinking of going for it that night itself, that would atleast give us a break from waking up early on the next day morning. We immediately fixed our plan and decided to go out that night. Before that, My Pm wanted me to be doubly sure about the Driver's confidence level. When I approached our Driver, he, with a cigar in his mouth, replied in a slightly offhand and superiorly confident manner "Haan haan patha hai, haathi aathi hai, tho kyaaaaaaa???" That was a confident enuf answer for us. So, thus we set out for our wildest experience on the trip yet......But, U guys keep waiting for more updates :-)
More funny was the desription given by one of my team members when he went on to categorize the boy as an "Amateur air filler". Sounds really funny. aint it??:-)
The tempo Moved on. Swades movie songs were playing. Until then, We never realised that We had not consumed anything for Break fast. We slowly started to feel the pinch though. The only thing that we could feed on was the biscuit packet that was kept for the child. It would sound strange and clumsy. But, We knew we'll soon come across a gud restaurant and we can get as many biscuit packets from there. But, for the moment we had to satiate our Hunger with biscuits. We wanted to have food at a lovely restaurant on Blr-Mys highway called "Kamat Lokurchi". This place is just after the famous "Ramghad" village of sholay fame. That was the place were a major part of the film was shot.
Some 1 hour later, We reached the restaurant. It was a lovely place to be in. The costumes worn by the waiters, The ambience of the restaurant and the type of dishes served..... We could feel the nativity that is truly characteristic of this part of the country, in all of them.
2 hours later, We had just gone past Mysore. Mysore is a place that will remain very close to my heart, for, that was the place where I spent the first four months of my career as a software professional. I can't resist sayin "Those were days........." whenever I am reminded of this wonderful city. But thats not the topic here. So, am moving on.
Just as we came closer to Bandipur, We found a subtle change in the climate and it was getting cloudy and the threat of rain was looming large. That would be the worst thing to happen when one goes for a wildlife safari. But, the climate was as pleasant as it gets. The resort we had booked was another 3 kms from the entry point for the sanctuary. Lots and lots of deers on the way .....and the serene location was a photographer's delight. The restaurant in the resort was kept open just for us. So, soon after check in, We proceeded towards the Restaurant. The food was simple and delicious too ..Not surprising this, After all We were paying a huge sum for our stay :-)
The next thing that caught our attention was the Swimming pool. Due to time constraint, We decided to suspend our decision to swim for the time being. After a quick walk around the picturesque resort, We moved on for the Jungle Safari. The type of vehicle chosen was the kind of vehicle that would allow us to move around inside the vehicle and give enuf room for videos and photography.
Just as we entered the forest, I could smell the unique fragrance/smell of a variety of rare flora that could hardly be seen outside. Most often, the focus in any Jungle safari is so much biased towards fauna that We tend to overlook the rich flora that we come across. The climate was really pleasant and cold and that made me enjoy the flora all the more. I might not be the right guy to be commenting on the kind of flora that I came across, but I am quite sure that I did come across a rare breed of them, that I ve never seen before in my life. The safari had lasted for 2 hours. It was a bumpy ride throughout that took us quite deep inside the forest and back out of it. Wild buffaloes, Deers, sambars, Wild squirrels, Kingfishers, peacocks were all over the place.But, the worry that we could not meet an Elephant or a Tiger loomed large in our minds. Considering the fact that the sanctuary boasts of 8500 Elephants, We sure must have been the hapless ones to have not seen an Elephant during the safari. But, overall the safari was a thoroughly enjoyable one. It was all the more enjoyable as I was visiting a forest as dense as that for the very first time.
The moment we were back, We set out to swim. It did seem a li'll crazy to us to be swimmming at 6.30 pm in that cold weather. We kept swimming for close to an hour and Gawd !!!!! Wasn't it getting reallly cold as time passed. It got cold enuf for us to decide against swimming further at 7.30 Pm. We changed over and followed it up with a display of our TT skills. TT needs some special mention here. For a person who had hardly touched TT bats before, I had come a long way in playing tt after joining Infy.
I can't forget my first time experience with TT during my 10th std, when I claimed to be knowing to play TT to my house captain(despite the fact that I had never touched it before :-) ) . Wat followed was a disastrous loss in my first doubles match to an average team. Wat was more disastrous was that We failed to score a point. That my house captain, who partnered me was a champion player, made me the sole culprit for the loss (which I was). My house captain was my big bro's classmate and forgave me for his sake . It s always a nice thing to have a few of u'r folks among the seniors in any institution :-)
But, post Infosys, My TT has got really better. I see myself as an aka Sania Mirza with TT. My winners will be as gud as it gets , but my unforced errors are a disgrace to even a person who plays against :-)
Just as TT started to tire us out, We proceeded for the camp fire. can't ask for more in a cold climate like that. We had a variety of cameras ranging from the lower end ones to the most sophisticated ones. So, it was time for every1 to put their cameras to test, as they tried capturing photographs of the camp fire.
Next to us was another group of foreigners seated, enjoying their campfire. As if to disprove one of my team member's comment "Bandipur mein bandhi hee nahee hai", We did have a few lovely looking grls in that group :-)
The campfire proceeded with lots of jokes and pranks among ourselves. It was time for dinner. We had taken our food items outside and started to have food around the campfire itself. Just as that was happening, Myself and Akash(One other team member) put forth our intentions of waking up early in the morning at 4 o clock and travel down the ooty main road, in tempo, in search of the wild elephants. After all, wat s a wildlife experience without a wild risk :-). People were supportive of the idea, but at the same time were also circumspect about it.
We enquired the Resort Manager and he sounded quite comfortable with the idea and lastly added in a very casual way(as if it was no isssue) that "Please dont press horn and shout inside the tempo or ride past the elephants if u come across any on the highway". I asked him why???? His reply left us pale " Well it's just that the elephants dont like that and might chase u down" Gawd, I was shocked and so were the rest of the guys in the team. He has told such a big thing with absolutely no signs of warning at all. After all, He is no stranger to this part of the country and for him, it is nothing adventurous. But for us, It surely was an adventure that We had never tried before. The next question that popped out from us was what was the likelihood of coming across elephants. He replied in a typically Malyali accent "Elephants are happy now(HeHeHe, I suppose u got the underlying meaning of this very polished statement) . They sure will come down to the highway. "
I was prepared to bite the bullet and made sure that every1 else was ready too. I had put a word to our Tempo driver also about it. Just as decided to bid Gud night for each other, in came another suggestion from the Resort manager asking why were we planning for 4 o clock in the morning. Late night would also be just as much the right time as early morning. Suddenly, People started thinking of going for it that night itself, that would atleast give us a break from waking up early on the next day morning. We immediately fixed our plan and decided to go out that night. Before that, My Pm wanted me to be doubly sure about the Driver's confidence level. When I approached our Driver, he, with a cigar in his mouth, replied in a slightly offhand and superiorly confident manner "Haan haan patha hai, haathi aathi hai, tho kyaaaaaaa???" That was a confident enuf answer for us. So, thus we set out for our wildest experience on the trip yet......But, U guys keep waiting for more updates :-)
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
A Weekend to Cherish !!!!!!!!!!
I was just back from what's probably the first time, I had gone for an outing(not a party. Parties have been many though) with my Project members. Courtesy a very generous client :-). For long, We had been lamenting over the fact that We could never utilize the amount that our client kept sanctioning for project
parties. Off late, the worry was even more!!!!!!The client had recently approved of 2 project parties/outing per quarter. Though, our initial reaction to this was joyful, the very next moment, what struck us was how We were gonna make it. Because, every time We planned a trip, one of us would always have some engagements and will not be complying with the date suggested.
The responsibility of fixing up dates had always been entrusted on me by my team. Just as I was planning for a Dinner at Le Meridien, I was suggested by my PM that an outing would be a better option. We had spent enuf project parties in Restaurants having food. Why not something special this time. The idea was pretty much welcome. But, wat about the dates?? I had my own suspicions on whether an outing for a Weekend was feasible. But, I was to be wrong this time around. We did manage to fix up a weekend for that. The first time ever that it happened, since the day I got into this project. Andddd, the date was 27-28 of August. The place we chose was BANDIPUR.
There were 3 weeks left for that weekend when we unanimously decided on that Weekend. That gave us time to plan the trip well. I got in touch with a few Resorts and browsed quite a few sites assessing the pros and cons of each of these. That being a long weekend(Friday,26th aug being a holiday for a lot of people), the rush was huge. But, We did manage to get a few rooms booked in a resort called "Tusker trails". A tempo traveler had also been arranged for the same. The best part of this trip was that 3 out of the 9 members, part of the project were joining with their wives, with one of them having a kid, who's just over a year old.
It was a day before the journey(i.e 26th August), the travel plan had been conveyed to everyone. The Cab was supposed to leave from one of my team member's place at 6.30 AM. All of us had got back and were up early in the morning at 5-5.30, hoping to leave by 6.30.
But, that was not to be the case. We were waiting anxiously at our respective residences for the Cab. It was 6.50 and there were no signs of the Cab. I got in touch with the person who was supposed to board first, only to be informed that the Cab had not started from his place itself. Soon after, one other team member had called from Mysore junction to inform his arrival there. He was supposed to board the Cab from there. I pitied him, for the simple fact that, I knew that he would have to wait for atleast 30 more mins, even if I was to assume that I ll be taking the Cab in 5 minutes. But, what I didnt know then was that, the person who had to board first by himself would have to wait for an hour to board it. I was at the height of desperation. All my attempts at calling the travels went in vain as the travels guy was not picking up the call. Finally he did, and gave over the contact number of the driver. Just as I was beginning to get relieved, much to my distress, I found that the driver's mobile was switched off. That was like adding salt to the wound called frustration. After 10 mins, the Driver's mobile was ringing and I was given the information that He would reach the pick up spot in 10 more mins. At 7.30, the Cab started from the first pick up spot. It was 7.35 when I boarded it. By then, My PM had also boarded the Cab. Along with him was his wife and the person who boarded the Cab first.
Our next stop was at a posh Apartments in Jp Nagar. The first thing that one will get to see in that area is the number of Apartments there. There is a whole cloud of Apartments around that place. But, the road leading to that Apartment had one too many pothole to feel comfortable. After a bumpy ride for 5 mins, We reached the Apartments. Two team members with their families and one other colleague were supposed to board there. Just as We were supposed to leave from that place,I suddenly realised that We had forgotten to pick up one other person from a place just before mine. So, that meant travelling back for another 5 kms. All this while, I kept receiving messages and calls from the Guy who was waiting at a place 30 minutes away, at Mysore Road Junction. This time though, He was giving a gud news that one other team member has joined him. We were happy that atleast he is having some company to keep him engaged. Watching the traffic pass through, for hours will be highly agonising.
After picking up the one person We missed, The Cab headed towards Bandipur. On our way We picked up the two guys at the Mysore Road junction. It was around 9.00 Am when that happened. When one of those two said that they were in for some interrogation from a few cops who saw them standing at one place for a long time, We could not help control our laughter. The two guys were spirited enuf to take them with a light heart.
Thus started, our Journey towards Breathtaking Bandipur, A forest dense enuf to help a Brigand rule the forest for close to 20 years :-)...................
No doubt, We were heading towards Bandipur as frustrated souls. It had to be seen if the trip has enuf in store to make us forget the awful morning. Believe me, It did have all the ingredients that would make any trip a lovable,cherishable and enjoyable one.
Keep Visiting http://whizkid81.blogspot.com/ for the remaining and the most interesting part of the story........... Our stay at Bandipur
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