B2B Awesome Events !

Had 2 back to back awesome events in my company recently.
One was by Prof. Michael Sandel from Harvard University on March 12 and the other was a rock concert by Agam - the Band on March 14.

The first one was an interactive public lecture organised by Infosys Science Foundation titled -
"Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do"? The lecture started off with case studies with some really deep insights and different perspectives about the dilemmas we face in real life. The lecture definitely stimulated our white cells in the brain and was an experience of its kind. Tough questions on contemporary issues were thrown at us and was discussed from different perspectives. A really wonderful lecture series organised by the foundation.


The other was a rock band concert organised by Infosys Sports and Hobbies track. Agam - The Band performed enthralling the audience with their superb mix of Indian classical music and rock genre performance. We didnt know much of this band and me and my team mate sat at the aisles to make a quick exit if it got boring. But that was not required as the band was too good with an unforgettable performance of the song "Har Har Mahadev" !

Sources : Images by Infosys Science Foundation and Infosys Bangalore DC.

The Hindu : Today's Paper / OPINION : What they don't teach you at Indian B-schools

The Hindu : Today's Paper / OPINION : What they don't teach you at Indian B-schools

Nice article !
And yes what better day than today to read and post this article right ?

HAPPY HOLI !!!

Ah, Valentine's Day!

Thanks to the advertising and marketing industry, Valentine’s Day is a much dreaded day for those who are single and also to those who are committed.

To those who are committed, the hassles they have to face are pretty much less. They just have to follow the below 2 golden rules to have a smooth day.

1. Decide on a gift for your GF/BF/Finace and

2. Spend a lot of money apart form gifts on lunch/dinner/movie/party and you can be assured of having a smooth sail for the day.

It’s we singles who face the brunt of all that marketing blitzkrieg and our woes starts right from morning –

1. First we must choose a dress that doesn’t singularly denote any of the below colors. Better to wear a dress with multiple colors or patterns because, according to some-idiots-definition, the following colours stand for the following reasons –

Pink color dress - Going to propose (you will be thought of as someone desperate)
Orange color dress - Already in love (you will be thought of someone who is too easy to get)
Blue color dress - Applications welcomed (the most dangerous option)
Black color dress - Not interested in love (again a bad option, Trust me)
Yellow color dress - Failure in love (actually looks like a safe option, but beware you might termed as a loser)
Green color dress - Accepted a love (again judged as too easy to get)
Red color dress - Already booked ( booked ? is this some bus ticket ? )
White color dress - Double sided (Ok even I am not sure what this means)

So if you are one of those brave souls who don’t care about the above rules and can handle the winks/teasings from your friends, Hats off!

And to other mortal normal beings like me, we have to continue to step 2.

2. Ok so once you decide on the dress, make sure you don’t wear any new accessories on that day like watch/earrings/ties/perfumes etc. coz your Frenemies ( on feb 14th the Frenemies list includes friends/team-mates/project-mates/batch mates etc.) because they will have a field day ragging you about it.

3. Don’t ever make the mistake of being seen alone with a friend of opposite sex in a public place even though he/she is your best friend.

4. Always be on alert because on this day, will get a lot of false proposals from unknown mobile numbers/mails etc which would in fact be your friends playing pranks on you. So handle it with Élan and charisma and beat them at their own trick!

5. Never EVER say you are busy working when a friend pings or calls you out for a break! This is the most difficult trap to get out of!

6. And never make the mistake of going home late on a Valentine’s Day on account of work! There will be hell to pay for :)

Song I am listening to: Can't get you out of my head *WINKS*

Million Dollar Baby

Saw the movie Million Dollar Baby today and could not stop tears from rolling down my eyes. It definitely makes it the must-see-movies list. The most unforgettable scene is when Clint Eastwood tells Hilary Swank the meaning of the gaelic word Mo cuishle i.e. "My Darling, My Blood".

What a Journey !!!

I have completed 2 years in my professional life. And this journey has taught me a lot of invaluable lessons for life. The most important thing that I have realized is that its the people who make your journey even more special. Being with them, the good times turned even better and I was able to sail past through the bad times. Today we again stand at a point where in we have a lot of paths to choose from ! Lets hope that our bond still continues to be strong when we embark on our journey through these different paths ! I dedicate this song to all you amazing people who have taught me a lot of things right from Day zero of my training days !

Song : Kar Chalna Shuru tu
Movie : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

Music: Amit Trivedi
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singers: Vishal Dadlani , Shilpa Rao



Jo hua hai woh hota hai
Jo hona hai woh hona hai
Jo tere bas mein baatein hain
Unhe khamakha kyun khona hai
Ho jitni bhi hain jitni bhi hain, umeedein leke
Jaayen kahan tak jaayen kahan tak, raaste dekhen
Kar chalna shuru tu
Mud ke na dekh tu
Jaise hain sahin hain
Ek main aur ekk tu

what has happened, happens,
what has to happen, has to happen,
the things that are there in your control
why should you lose them for nothing,
as much as there are, taking (all those) hopes,
how long do we go, the paths see..
you start walking
don't turn and look back,
we are good as we are,
you, and me..

Nazariya dono ka
Mile na mile
Kadar dono ko hai dono ki
Safar tay yeh karen, saath mein bhale hi
Alag hain manzilein dono ki
Tukda tukda dhoop ho
Chaahe chutki bhar ke chhaon bhi
Baraabari se baanTein ho zaroorat jo jis tarah ki

jitni bhi hai jitni bhi hai, koshishein leke
Jaayen kahan tak jaayen kahan tak, raaste dekhen

for both (of us)
whether attitudes match or not,
both value each other..
even if (we) travel on this journey together,
both have different destinations,
there be pieces of sunshine
and we want a pinch of shadow too,
and we divide equitably whatever the need is..

as much as as we can, taking tries,
how long do we go, the paths see..

Kar chalna shuru tu, shuru tu
Mudke naa dekh tu, naa dekh mudke naa dekh tu
Jaise hain sahin hain, sahin hain sahin hain
Ek main aur ekk tu, ek main aur ekk tu

Kar chalna shuru tu
Mud ke naa dekh tu
Jaise hain sahin hain
Ek main aur ekk tu
Ek main aur ekk tu

Jo socha hai kab hota hai
Yehi hamesha ka rona hai
Soche bin mil jaaye jo
Usse khamakha kyun khona hai
Hmm jitni mile jitni mile, raahatein leke
Jaayen kahan tak jaayen kahan tak, raaste dekhen

what we thought, rarely happens,
that's the sorrow always,
if we get something without thinking about it,
why do we have to lose it for no reason..
as much as as we can, taking the relief,
how long do we go, the paths see..

Revolution 2020 - Chetan Bhagat

I neither love nor hate Chetan Bhagat's books. But I certainly like his style of writing with his characteristic simple language and wry sense of humour which arises when he aptly describes situations and emotions which we all Indians go through in our everyday lives.

Revolution 2020 is packaged with all the usual ingredients which makes Chetan Bhagat the most widely read Indian author in Fiction category.

It is about 2 friends who prepare for the entrance exams to study at the IITs, who fall for the same girl, and the results of those competetive exams on their lives and the choices they make later about what they want to do in life.

For me the take away from this book is the admirable way in which the author describes the journey of an average Indian student and the problems plaguing the education system in India, without exagerrating and without becoming hyper-critical.

Verdict : 3.5/5

Read it for the accurate description for problems plaguing the Indian Education System.

What's in a Name ?

What's in a name ? Apparently a lot ! According to numerologists, it even influences your life ;)
Ok coming to the discussion of names, I cringe each time I see my blog's name "MY-FREE-THOUGHTS" in orange and that too bold :(

Way back in 2008, I was looking for something like "Random Thoughts", "Time Pass" etc etc but everything was taken up already and I did not have the patience to come up with new names or experiment with more names :(

So all you people making fun of my "free-thoughts ? are-there-paid-thoughts-as-well ?" blog, please be informed that the blog's name has been henceforth changed (though the url obviously will stick with the old name) and therefore no comments on the oldname will be entertained ;) !