Day 61 - All in a Week

So, here I am.  Still in Mumbai, the travel, thankfully, postponed and cut short by a week!  I did not have to travel this week, which was a very very last minute decision.  I left it so late that even the company cab had arrived to pick me up and I went down as a 'no show' in his records.  I depart for NY tomorrow night.

But what a week it has been!  The 'on-now; off-now' Indo-Pak talks, the Bongla Budgets and to top it all, the Master's unbeaten knock of 200 in the second ODI against South Africa!

I know, enough has been spoken and written about the man and his feats, including the latest one.  But, Sachin Tendulkar, being one of my role models, this was a special day for me.  I am indeed privileged to have witnessed the Master's entire career, right from his first steps into international cricket on the tour of Pakistan, where one Mr.Abdul Qadir got a resounding reply to his taunts, till date, where, he is now close to scoring a century of centuries.  Go for it, Sachin!  I know you can do it.  Nothing is impossible, especially for you!.  And then there is the small matter of winning the next World Cup as well.  Who has seen Bradman bat?  Not me.  Seeing is believing.  I can only narrate Sachin Tendulkar's exploits to my grand children, not Bradman's.

The Bongla Budgets (The Railway Budget & the General Budget) were presented by two ministers from West Bengal who can be categorised in two completely different buckets as politicians.  One, a street figher never afraid to make noise; the other, a perfect example of the Bhadralok.  No price hikes in rail tickets!  Great news.  Will plan all my next trips to Ahmedabad as overnight train journeys.  Cheaper than the low cost carriers.  I hear that I will also be paying less tax.  But dole out more for feeding myself, my family and of course, my car!  Kya Pranabda, ek haath le, ek haath de?

Last but not the least, the Indo-Pak talks.  Same result again.  Which is, no result.  In fact I understand the relations have become even more tense after Ms.Rao & Co. met Mr.Bashir & Co.  This is so frustrating.  I dream of one strong country including the territories of Pakistan, India & Bangladesh!  But that is an utopian dream which I will reserve for elaboration in another post, some other time.  By the way, the last laugh may well be Ms.Rao's as India was leading Pakistan 4 - 1 in the World Cup Hockey encounter, as I was posting this!  Amen!

Take care.

Day 54 - Tiger on my mind

No.  Not the one who used to prowl the eighteen holes.  And was innovative and creative enough to include a nineteenth one in the course. 

I am referring to our national animal.  Our national animal is fighting for its life.  At last count, only 1411 are left, from 40000 at the beginning of this century. 

I think there are two key reasons for this state of affairs. 

1) Poaching

2) Depletion of the natural habitat of this wonderful creature. 

Poaching is driven by greed.  And greed cannot be eliminated enmasse from society because it is driven by individual circumstances, wants, needs and background of each person.  So poaching cannot be stopped.  It can only be prevented.  It can be prevented by ensuring that the habitats of these tigers are protected in a water tight manner.  The authorities (politicians and the bureacracy) should be accountable for this.

Depletion of the natural habitat of the tiger is a key reason for them to venture into areas inhabited by man, resulting in man - animal conflict.  We need to preserve our forests.  We can do that by avoiding unnecessary usage of forests-derived products like paper and wood.

What can you do to save our tigers?  Please find some time to visit: http://www.saveourtigers.com/ to know how you can contribute to this initiative.  I, for one, want to be able to show my sons what a tiger looks like, in real.  Not the one with a club in his hand, though.

Meanwhile, the last week (and the weekend) was very hectic.  I spent a considerable amount of time planning my itinerary for the next two weeks.  Later tonight I embark on a two week journey for a key project, which will take me to Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York and London, in that order.  It is going to be hectic and very tiring.

Manish was in Mumbai this weekend to conduct a seminar on IFRS.  The weekend was spent in chauffering him to the venue / airport and back.  Good to see that he is being accorded such a lot of respect by his peers for his prowess on IFRS.  Kudos to him for sticking to his guns and focussing on it, from the time that the world had not even heard about IFRS.  He is another tiger that I know of!

I am not sure if I will be able to post anything in the next two weeks.  If that is the case, will do so once I am back.  Take care.

Save Our Tigers.

Day 46 - All over the place

The response, both, online and offline, that I have got after my last post has been phenomenal.  Everyone has been very supportive and encouraging.  My heartfelt thanks to all of them, as this support will only increase my resolve.

I was in dull and depressing London again last week.  The hotel made it even worse.  Bad service can make the best of brands seem the worst.  

However, there were a lot of bright spots during the week.  I was in London to be part of some workshops which were very successful, including the team drinks on Thursday!  The session with Arshan, Mayank & Pratik on Wednesday was good as well.  Went to Browns at Shoreditch.  We got out of the place before Mayank's eyes could pop out of their sockets.  The best evening out was on Friday, when I caught up with Grant for a drink and then had dinner with Navin.  To top it all off, I was upgraded to First by BA on my way back!

Landed in Mumbai on Sunday early morning, where confusion reigned as usual at the airport.  This time the cause was confusion amongst immigration and airline officials on which version of the landing cards to fill!  So, after spending time filling out multiple versions of it, I finally made my way home.

Drove to Pune via the expressway in the afternoon on Sunday inspite of the jet lag.  Wonderful drive!  Was back at home after dropping in-laws at Pune in a grand total of 7 hours; door-door-door!

By the end of it all, couldn't wait to doze off.....take care.

Day 37 - I Quit...You Can Too!

As I had forseen in my last blog, this week was extremely busy, culminating in drinks & dinner last night at ITC Grand Maratha.  Yes, Peshawari again!

But this week, I am going to write about something which I am really proud of.  After 17 years, I have finally kicked the butt, for good!  I can proclaim this so confidently because it is now 37 days since I lit up.

I am proud of this because it takes courage to put down that last cigarette and quit smoking.  Believe me, it does.  I have tried this before...many times, but haven't been successful.  I think, the reason I have been successful (so far, atleast!) this time is that I have adopted a different approach.  I have basically challenged myself and my willpower to be able to do this.  After all, I smoked my first cigarette when somebody challenged me to smoke one.  Peer pressure is a huge reason for a lot of people to start smoking.

So, what is the impact, after I have quit?  Nothing much, actually.  True, at times, I am a bit edgy and have tended to blow my fuse a little earlier than usual.  But apart from that, it has been very good so far.  On thing is for sure, my appetite has really opened up.  I feel that my ability to smell and taste has improved.  So, over the next few weeks and months, please expect me to put on some weight!  But I have been able to control the urge to binge by drinking lots of warm water.  Also, will need to go to the gym regularly to ensure that I do not gain too much weight due to this. 

Years of smoking had taught me to react literally to everything by lighting a cigarette.  When I was happy, I would celebrate by lighting up.  When I got angry, smoking would calm me down, or so I thought.  Tired?  Smoke a cigarette to stay awake.  Hungry?  Feed myself a smoke.  This list goes on.  Nicotine makes you a slave and chains you to the habit with links of steel.  Breaking these chains is not easy.  And I think, the key is to have the determination to do so.  And a very good reason to quit.

My reason is:  I owe it to my family.

I have heard people say, quitting tobacco is a process.  It doesn't happen overnight, but in my case it has not been like that.  I decided to quit on New Year's eve.  Smoked my last cigarette on the 31st of December and then quit.  I am determined to keep it that way.  And I have a great reason for it.

I quit.  You can too.  Take care.