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I'm just glad that the package arrived. Date of the letter - 15 March.
Date the package was sent 16 April (second try - got returned on the
first try). Date it arrived here: 15 May.
Friday, May 16, 2008
It's Official
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Off the beaten path...
...I'm Not.
I finally succumb to the great Indian (with a capital I) entertainment extravaganza called the IPL. For the as yet uninitiated, and there shouldn't be many, since even the NY Times is carrying the news on the IPL these days: IPL stands for the Indian Premier League - a cricket league where the franchises, with fantastic names like the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bangalore Royal Challengers, battle it out in the Twenty20 overs version of the cricket. Best part - it's like the English Premier league: there's sick amounts of money (SICK - and the salary cap is coming OFF next year), there's international stars (as usual, the Aussies rock), and an international TV following. Unlike the EPL, there's cheerleaders (which, btw, are probably what people come to watch the matches), every match is studded by Bollywood stars (who are bigger than the sport at these games), and the skill level isn't all that high. Well, that's for snobs (like me?) who think that this "version" of the game highly dilutes the skill quotient. It does. There are none of the orthodox drives, the patience, the timing of the ball etc etc. It is बिंदास गल्ली किरकेट (bindass galli cricket ~ No worries alley cricket).
Which is probably why it touches the heartstrings of so many Indians. Finally, you get to see people being paid your entire life-earnings in 3 hours for doing EXACTLY what you do for free in your own alley. There is no skill involved, बस धन धनाधन देते जाओ (just keep whacking at the ball basically). And you have to admit - it IS entertaining. It's just like baseball (for those uninitiated to cricket itself "gasp, horror"): nobody comes to watch the pitchers pitch well, non? People come for the batting, the runs.
And runs are in ample supply at these games. There's just something exciting about this bite-size version of the game that you'd wanna just eat it up. This recent tendency of gobbling up bite-size anything is probably the reason behind my recently expanding waistline (if you haven't noticed from all the pics yet).
So yah - I go tomorrow with 4 others at GDL to watch this match. A respite from a busy week at GDL (is there any other? Well, this one didn't START busy at least). Between the Rajasthan Royals (go team Rajasthan) and the Delhi Daredevils. In celebration of Radhika's b'day (but, alas, she'll be at home preparing for her GMATs, along with our brand new English trainer and his wife).
And as I sit there in mighty expensive seats (I pay more for that 3 hours of entertainment than my Teaching Assistant gets in half a month), undoubtedly a part of my guilt-ridden mind (uff, how do I get rid of this negativity) will be thinking about the precise subject of this post: how off the beaten track is this?
And does it matter? I mean, isn't intentionally doing something different just an ego boost that says - I'm not like the others, I'm special, Better?!? Or as every smart businessman will tell you, it's the only way to sustain a business - what's your differentiator? Couldn't I be spending this time finding a way to make सांगरी का अचार (sangri pickle - sangri being a famous Rajasthani vegetable that grows on the khejdi tree), as I had planned. Where I'd get this stuff, find some women to make it, market it, and give 'em the money? Or maybe actually paying a visit to Swami uncle to see how he's doing after his fever? Or going to the wake of my Teaching Assistant's grandfather?
No, those are not questions of the beaten track. Those are not even just questions of a busy schedule and/or prioritizing (remind me to write long about that one day). These are simply questions of a guilty and confused mind whose integrity is being called into question. And that question of integrity, of what I believe I am, what I say I am, and how I act, is because of the central theme of my entire life: shifting identities.
I came, I saw, I became Indian. But with two months before I go back to the US, I will now leave, I will now see and re-see, and I do not know what I will become.
I guess you could say I'm just On The Cusp ;-). Welcome to the blogging world my friend.
Good night.
I finally succumb to the great Indian (with a capital I) entertainment extravaganza called the IPL. For the as yet uninitiated, and there shouldn't be many, since even the NY Times is carrying the news on the IPL these days: IPL stands for the Indian Premier League - a cricket league where the franchises, with fantastic names like the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bangalore Royal Challengers, battle it out in the Twenty20 overs version of the cricket. Best part - it's like the English Premier league: there's sick amounts of money (SICK - and the salary cap is coming OFF next year), there's international stars (as usual, the Aussies rock), and an international TV following. Unlike the EPL, there's cheerleaders (which, btw, are probably what people come to watch the matches), every match is studded by Bollywood stars (who are bigger than the sport at these games), and the skill level isn't all that high. Well, that's for snobs (like me?) who think that this "version" of the game highly dilutes the skill quotient. It does. There are none of the orthodox drives, the patience, the timing of the ball etc etc. It is बिंदास गल्ली किरकेट (bindass galli cricket ~ No worries alley cricket).
Which is probably why it touches the heartstrings of so many Indians. Finally, you get to see people being paid your entire life-earnings in 3 hours for doing EXACTLY what you do for free in your own alley. There is no skill involved, बस धन धनाधन देते जाओ (just keep whacking at the ball basically). And you have to admit - it IS entertaining. It's just like baseball (for those uninitiated to cricket itself "gasp, horror"): nobody comes to watch the pitchers pitch well, non? People come for the batting, the runs.
And runs are in ample supply at these games. There's just something exciting about this bite-size version of the game that you'd wanna just eat it up. This recent tendency of gobbling up bite-size anything is probably the reason behind my recently expanding waistline (if you haven't noticed from all the pics yet).
So yah - I go tomorrow with 4 others at GDL to watch this match. A respite from a busy week at GDL (is there any other? Well, this one didn't START busy at least). Between the Rajasthan Royals (go team Rajasthan) and the Delhi Daredevils. In celebration of Radhika's b'day (but, alas, she'll be at home preparing for her GMATs, along with our brand new English trainer and his wife).
And as I sit there in mighty expensive seats (I pay more for that 3 hours of entertainment than my Teaching Assistant gets in half a month), undoubtedly a part of my guilt-ridden mind (uff, how do I get rid of this negativity) will be thinking about the precise subject of this post: how off the beaten track is this?
And does it matter? I mean, isn't intentionally doing something different just an ego boost that says - I'm not like the others, I'm special, Better?!? Or as every smart businessman will tell you, it's the only way to sustain a business - what's your differentiator? Couldn't I be spending this time finding a way to make सांगरी का अचार (sangri pickle - sangri being a famous Rajasthani vegetable that grows on the khejdi tree), as I had planned. Where I'd get this stuff, find some women to make it, market it, and give 'em the money? Or maybe actually paying a visit to Swami uncle to see how he's doing after his fever? Or going to the wake of my Teaching Assistant's grandfather?
No, those are not questions of the beaten track. Those are not even just questions of a busy schedule and/or prioritizing (remind me to write long about that one day). These are simply questions of a guilty and confused mind whose integrity is being called into question. And that question of integrity, of what I believe I am, what I say I am, and how I act, is because of the central theme of my entire life: shifting identities.
I came, I saw, I became Indian. But with two months before I go back to the US, I will now leave, I will now see and re-see, and I do not know what I will become.
I guess you could say I'm just On The Cusp ;-). Welcome to the blogging world my friend.
Good night.
Friday, May 09, 2008
New StatCounter already throws up insights: there might be future for Hindi language content on the web after all
This new StatCounter I added two days ago (right at the bottom of this page), is already throwing up some surprises. Also this blog is still largely surfed by a handful of friends and acquaintances, StatCounter has a cool feature where you can see HOW people are getting to your site. Now, this is nothing really NEW per say, it's been around since the earliest days of web analytics. BUT, it's cool that it's moved from enterprise traffic tracking to free for ye ol' garden variety personal bloggers (like yours truly).
Why is this cool? Because it delivers insight on readership, and content that matters to them. The picture below shows my current a-ha moment:
Yup - There are people searching for share bazar information in Hindi, and stumbling onto my webpage. Which means, there might just be a market for Hindi language stuff, we just have to provide it (Granted, this is based on ONE hit on ONE blog, but, the foolhardy have to hope). In fact, Rachit and I were semi-actively/passively working on a project to identify the best hindi-language content on the net catering to a rural clientele. The objective of the study was to 1) Find this content so we can deliver it through a one-stop-shop-portal and 2) identify where the gaps lie and find ways to convince content providers to deliver their content in Hindi. The example I site: How cool would it be if howstuffworks.com was in Hindi? Mind-blowing. Imagine cheezenkaisekaamkartihain.com. Even better, if ICANN ever gets international domain names going, चीज़ेंकैसेकामकरतीहैं.भारत.
That thing could single-handedly propel the next generation of scientists, adventurers, wanders, Intel Science Competition winners, all from rural India. Now that's a global flattener that even FlatWorlder Thomas L. Friedman could be proud of (incidentally, I just started reading that book).
Why is this cool? Because it delivers insight on readership, and content that matters to them. The picture below shows my current a-ha moment:
Yup - There are people searching for share bazar information in Hindi, and stumbling onto my webpage. Which means, there might just be a market for Hindi language stuff, we just have to provide it (Granted, this is based on ONE hit on ONE blog, but, the foolhardy have to hope). In fact, Rachit and I were semi-actively/passively working on a project to identify the best hindi-language content on the net catering to a rural clientele. The objective of the study was to 1) Find this content so we can deliver it through a one-stop-shop-portal and 2) identify where the gaps lie and find ways to convince content providers to deliver their content in Hindi. The example I site: How cool would it be if howstuffworks.com was in Hindi? Mind-blowing. Imagine cheezenkaisekaamkartihain.com. Even better, if ICANN ever gets international domain names going, चीज़ेंकैसेकामकरतीहैं.भारत.
That thing could single-handedly propel the next generation of scientists, adventurers, wanders, Intel Science Competition winners, all from rural India. Now that's a global flattener that even FlatWorlder Thomas L. Friedman could be proud of (incidentally, I just started reading that book).
Thursday, May 08, 2008
GDL is now hiring!
Interested in finding innovative solutions to
Based in Bagar, Rajasthan, the Grassroots Development Laboratory (GDL), is designed to challenge the most talented people from around the world in solving some of
The following exciting opportunities are now available at GDL:
1. GDL Managing Director
2. GDL Community Leadership Manager
3. GDL Entrepreneurship Manager
Friday, May 02, 2008
Pictures from Bauji's Visit
My grandparents came to visit today. It was especially cool because my नानाजी (Nanaji - mom's father) had come all the way from Bombay. He came along with my grandparents and aunt who are in Delhi. Although it was a short visit, and we didn't have much conversation, it felt good that he had finally visited, and could visualize some of the things when I speak to him. It's also nice to share your life with your family I suppose.
And the memories, of course, are priceless.
And the memories, of course, are priceless.
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Thursday, May 01, 2008
This is going to ruin any hope you had of work
If you have somewhat nostalgic memories of this game...
http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/duckhunt.htm
Plus, updated the blog a little bit, with the Google Ads link on the side (changed colors), and added real links to the top (instead of the generic 'Another Link')
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