SAGARedefined.........

Kagaz ki khashti

2011-10-24T23:11:00.002+05:30

अपने अन्दर के कलाकार को जगाकर
कापी के पन्ने से बनायीं मैंने एक नाव,
भावनाओ के बहाव में बहता हुआ
निकल पड़ा में अपने अगले पड़ाव |

अनंत सागर मेरा बिस्तर
तारो से जड़ा अम्बर मेरी चादर,
अंजान हवा मेरी सहेली
मेरी नाव थी मेरी दुनिया अकेली |

तूफानों से झूजकर में बड़ा इठलाया
नए रास्तों पे ढूंडने नई मंजिल,
एक किनारे से दुसरे, बड़ते रहा अल्हड
शौर्य, सुकीर्ति, स्वाभिमान किया हासिल |

जीत की ख़ुशी थी, लेकिन तब भी मन था खोया सा
इस बहाव में ठहराव कहीं था सोया सा,
विचलित मन में खयाल विद्युत् से दौड़ने लगे
लक्ष्यहीन अधूरे सवाल लहरों से उठने लगे |

भटकते हुए एक दिन, किसी टापू के किनारे
एक अर्धनग्न नर दिखा, करता हुए कुछ इशारे,
रमता जोगी सा कह रहा था वह ये -
"जो तेरा आधार है, वोही तेरा संसार है"

असमंजस में फसा मन समझ न पाया
उसके स्वरों की गूँज फिर जवाब ले आया,
अपनी कश्ती के कागज को खोलकर मैंने जब देखा
पन्ने की छोर पर मेरे घर का पता था लिखा |
_______________________________________

"A traveller goes around the world looking for something and comes back home to find it"

India – Expect, Explore, Experience

2010-01-21T19:26:00.001+05:30

As IIM Lucknow gears up to host its annual management fest (incidentally named Manfest) here are my two cents on the theme of the fest: India – Expect, Explore, Experience.

15^th August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation, “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.” Today, with 62 years of freedom behind us, the moment has come yet again when India steps into the future with a lot to expect, explore and experience.

Expect the ‘Sone ki Chidiya’ to fly to greater heights on its way to becoming the next superpower, to grow by leaps and bounds across sectors especially R&D, pharmaceuticals, BFSI, telecom and to go global shopping – far beyond JLR, Corus, Novelis and Betapharm. Expect the services industry to fuel the future growth of the economy as well as generate employment even in rural India. Expect the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid to guild India’s success story.

Explore the hearts and minds of Indians and what you will notice is a pent up energy waiting to explode. Explore ‘Incredible India’ crowned by the Himalayas in the north and the backwaters of God’s own country in the South and you will be amazed how this nation of over a billion dreams and diverse opinions still manages to “get things done”.

Experience the beat of micro-entrepreneurship in every Indian – right from the vegetable vendor with his mobile phone to the NRI with his new software venture based out of Bangalore. Experience the melting pot of diverse cultures, religions and traditions, of the old and the new, of the brain and the brawn, and of kama and karma.

India – Intellect, Intensity and Inquisitiveness!

Serendipity!

2009-08-11T02:57:00.002+05:30

Serendipity! What else can I call this?

Back when I was in school we were a very special batch – the batch of the millennium or the batch of 2000. I miss school, the white uniform, the tie, the all girls’ school next door…every li’l bit of it.

Cut to engineering at IIT Kharagpur, my institute celebrated its golden jubilee. And yes! I was fortunate enough to be studying there when this happened. I miss IIT, Netaji, RK, Biotech and most importantly my friends….they mean the world to me.

Zoom to my job. My two year stint there was spaced with the 25th year celebrations of ZS Associates. Miss my colleagues, my stay at home, Pune…miss all things fun.

Back to the present. As I turn 25 this year, so does IIM Lucknow!

Next is what!?

Woh......

2009-06-12T11:15:00.003+05:30

Mann ke is dwand mein,
Kabhi sab apna sa
Kabhi sab anjaan hai...

lab hi to band hai,
kabhi sehme se kamal
kabhi muskaan hai...

Kaya ki sugandh hai,
Kabhi gajro ki mehek
Kabhi kaliyon ke baagaan hai...

Palakon ka ghamand hai,
Kabhi Diwali ki chamak
kabhi ramzan ka chand hai...

Dil hi to razamand hai,
Kabhi natkhat sa
Kabhi pyaar ka paigam hai...

You Live!

2008-03-05T21:44:00.003+05:30

“Sarvagya Dil Phekh Rangeela” he is and truly so. He wears calmness and composure on his sleeves and carries it off with unbelievable style. O! His moustache is the talk of the town. He sports it with the pride of a King.

Happiness never leaves him and Selfishness dare touch him! For someone whose passion is Mathematics you would wonder why he forgets to count himself in the league of extraordinary geniuses. “Anish yaar tu GOD hai”. “Nahi yaar”, comes the quick reply. I don’t think we are quite wrong in calling him that given that the Gods must now be enjoying his august company.

He loves his friends. Always has and will help them in every possible way. Many thank him for his day-before-the-exam sessions. Many wonder what it takes to hold such a logical and thoughtful head on his shoulders. And as they say “Bhagwan jab deta hai to chappar faad ke deta hai”. So just couple his intelligence with a ton of simplicity, a bagful of forthrightness and a truck load of selflessness.

He thrives on passion. Be it for excellence in academics or dedication at work or just to live life. He has been there and done that. And if you ask me, all this is still passe’. Its that genuineness he radiates which wins the heart, its that smile he flashes that soothes the mind and its that “Mein-hoon-naa” tag that he carries which lightens the mood.

Well Anish, don’t you think we need to learn from you how to truly live life kingsize? For you live - in our memories, in those moments and in our hearts. YOU LIVE!

Malshej ghat - The Kulu Manali of Maharashtra

2007-08-06T10:26:00.000+05:30

One fine monsoon day. Five enthusiasts. One Travera. One destination. Heaven, heaven, heaven!

The lovely weather, the wind with a taste of rain, the floating clouds.... way to go!

Love the green color and Shail's smile too! ;)

Sunny de nakhre sone lag de ! ('Partner's music rox!)

Ajeet- the dude, the seasoned trekker

This pic was clicked for someone special ;) (Yo Chintu Da!)

Loose control!

The water was ice-cold but it just couldnt keep all of us from jumping right in.

The breathtaking waterfalls..the showers of rain.. the water gushing down the road...sublime!

Vehicles parked all along the Ghat, inebriated people dancing in the rain.....a complete mad rush!

One of my fav pics :)

The bedraggled trio all charged up!

So this was the pinnacle of our trip, and literally so! A narrow path led to this precipitous mountain top. And wat we saw from here is ineffable! The grass dancing to the music of the wind, the clouds rising like smoke forming white and black patches to infinity, the strong wind blowing off waterfalls from their downward course...when I closed my eyes, for once it almost felt like being suspended in mid air!

Now, dont you feel like being in this pic?

One of my best pics ever!

Bachaooooooooooooooooooo! Shail always has a different pose for every pic :)

The Man with the vital stats ;) Any guesses, who?

Happy, happy, happy........

Was a special trip too coz Chintan's leaving the following week for the States. Will miss u, "PAL"!

Truly, a day to remember! All that went wrong was that I forgot to set the camera date right :(

yEARN

2007-05-01T18:58:00.000+05:30

I have castles to build,
I have dreams to gild,
Places to go,
And people to know,
To scale my fears,
To fight the jeers,
To undo the done,
To be second to none,
To tame the inside fire,
Be free from the pessimistic quagmire.

Alas! The rest of the world hopes as I do,
But contentment caresses only a chosen few
Foolish it is to say that they were born with luck,
For luck favors the one who stands out in the ruck
To earn,
You need to yearn,
To be loved,
You need to love
To win,
You need to grind
To be free,
You need to first control your mind
It is all about wanting what is due,
'Coz if you didnt get it, you never wanted to!

The Last Prestige!

2007-03-14T03:46:00.000+05:30

As I write this my mind is pretty much in a confused mess. Its almost 5 AM in the morning and my mind is wandering.....

Today was a special day, my last dance performance at Netaji Auditorium. Many a times have a been up there but today a different feeling was gushing through. That stage is something I will never forget. Its been witness to five golden years of my life. It has taught me, sometimes even mocked me! Today, I am happy. I feel at rest now.

This year we thought of a totally different theme for the inter-hall choreography event. We depicted the life of a mentally challenged boy who became a joker in a circus after being shunned by society. The story unfolded with this boy finally being forced to do a dare-devil circus act on being bound by a promise to his mentor and guide who is a joker at the circus. The entire theme revolved around the life behind the mask of a joker- a joker who is born to make people laugh and who eventually dies the death of an unknown man. This is his life. This is the cruel world he lives in - the world where everyone is a joker.

Its amazing how a 15 minute dance requires at least 15 days of immense effort of no less than 50 people. Now when I think of the times that I used to make my juniors practice, I can remember how they used to plead to let them go when it was around 3 in the morning, how I stood there manning the entrance to the common room, how I used to suddenly burst out when even a single person was missing, how I used the combo of sento and tempo to get the best out of them and how they used to respond sometimes with complete silence and other times with utter commotion. They took all of that. I can only but think how they must have been cursing me then. Some of my batchmates even wondered what drove me to be insane enough to slog off for an inter-hall event in my super final year. But somehow I didnt care as much to even think about it. I just dont know what drove me. Its like I just wanted to do it. ANd desperately so. But I can definitely say that the amazing response that I received from my batchmates and my juniors was surely motivating enough. I am sure they are as happy as I am now. A well deserved Silver indeed!

This silver is for all those guys who have spent even a second trying to weave the magic that we envisioned. This Silver moment is for -
Abhinav, what would we have done without him. I always banked on him for all the harder steps :) I'm much better with my happy-happy n classical kinda steps.
Vicksy Da - the theme was his brainchild. It all began as a small idea where he suggested we show the parody in a joker's life where he has to make people laugh but he actually wants to cry for what is happening in his own life. The theme went thru zillions of changes before it was finally changed on the 12th hour just a day before the actual event by the same person who conceptualized it! Vicksy da, its always a pleasure to work with a creative genius like you.
Abhiskek Ghosh, aka Dadu, The drams GOD - the funda man behind most of the scenes, my accomplice for the entire crime. His expressions will actually make you wonder if he even was anything other than what he pretented to be.
Mazoom, the singing sensation and drams stud, played a very active role behind the curtains. He was always there when we had r brainstorming sessions to discuss the scenes.
Ravi, the only 4th year on stage! Kudos to you for putting up with my idiosyncrasies.
Tewari (read gtalk stud) and Chirag, my captains and Prakhar & Prerit, who've really made me feel that I can definitely expect some good news next year. Guys I will be waiting!
Jha for his irreplaceable delivery. The words from his mouth seemed to pour straight into the heart.
All the second yrs who did a marvelous job, who practiced painfully day in and day out to make this possible. I hope this legacy continues.
My sets team, AP, Piyush, Ravi, Kalyan, Ratnadeep, and all the others whose names I dont recollect. You truly deserve a greater applause. Who ever said RK mein sets banane mein load hota hai!
My lights team, Harishwar, Praveen, Tanks and the other guys - awesome job. keep the tempo going.
Finally Susti and Rajshekhar - Thank you for everything.

Thank you everyone for making this day special for me.
This moment is for RK! This moment is what will be with me forever!

As much as this may fall on deaf ears it really bothers me how in the midst of competition we have lost the meaning of art, of creativity and appreciation. Kgp is soon loosing the spirit of competition and I foresee a day when the results of every event is decided much before the actual event takes place. Wat's the point of these events then?

Sento, that I am right now, I can say nothing but "Judges please note the empty stage."

The Worker

2007-02-23T01:12:00.000+05:30

The protagonist of this poem is a normal albeit different worker...a sex worker... who has completely accepted the way her life is!

The silent night stares straight at me,
The stars smirk, the moon full of glee,
The street light is out, the road all free,
I wait, yet again....will go till eternity.

The chuckling satin, the silver and finery,
All bustling with joy to laud my misery,
Oblivious that their mirth will be put to shame
Bereft of my hide they'll be, when that hungry bear plays game.

Those growls I do hear but those paws I don't fear,
Callus I stand, whilst my poacher put to command,
Four big notes of green, that's the going price of my sheen,
Three.. two.. one... and then I am all free!

Those four walls await the feast,
As I relinquish myself to the beast,
Peeling off my last cloth of pity
I lie there while he devours my kitty.

His hungry thorn all piercing about,
His serpent tongue forks me out,
As he gropes me, pushes me.. down.. all around,
Bitten by deathly silence, I feel no pulse.. no sound.

Satiated when he leaves my nest,
I know I wont have time to rest,
A contented man can't hide for long,
Sooner or later the other bears will hear and throng.

My nights are my day's labor,
My lips have almost lost their flavor,
Tired am I? I choose not to answer,
This is my life, this is my cancer.

The sun is sleeping yet again,
The stars and moon simper in vain,
The street light is out, the road all free,
I wait, yet again....will go till eternity.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

2007-02-15T21:19:00.000+05:30

This pic is very close to me! It was taken at Puri. It reminds me of old times...times when each of us barely knew what lay ahead. Its been almost 3 years since. Times have changed...n how! Sid (first from right), who managed several torturous months in the loneliness at Stanford, today became the happiest person alive! It just makes me say "Wen u want smthng really really bad, the whole world will conspire to give it to you". COuld Sid have asked for a better V-day gift, I am wondering. Could we have asked for anything better for him? Well, yes! But I guess that'll happen in due course.

Chintan (second from right) finally won his well deserved prize as well! Today when people messaged me asking "Chintan ka admit aa gaya kya? kahan se?" and when I told them "UCB" and waited for their responses "Mast!", "Phod diya", "Awesome!" it filled me with a sense of pride. Its heartening that this lad got all that he aspired for...and much more!

Amit (third from right) is more than happy with his life. And thts wat I like about him most! Shuffling between BAngy and Mumbai he has found his peace at i2. I wish him all the luck thrust on me....I wish he gets wat he wants...I wish...

There are 2 persons missing here....Here's a pic of them together..this one was taken when we went to CAl at Pizza hut...
Niket (left)! Someone who has always been the epitome of selflessness! At the cost of sounding highfalutin, I would say that when I think of all that he has done and achieved I am forced to accept that there is still hope for honesty, integrity and hard work in this world. Princeton is blessed!
Then there is Rahul (right) aka TApori.....someone who always knew what he wanted to do in life (for most part of it). he found his love for Computers early on. Miss him as he 'codes' his way thru the harsh winters of UAlberta, Canada.

As for the last person in the first pic from the right (ME), I am still the same. A little ambitious. A little bumptious. A little confused. A little impatient. Im waiting....im waiting...im waiting...GOD make it quick!

The Sunderbans

2007-01-29T17:56:00.000+05:30

It was my last Spring Fest, the socio-cultural festival of IIT Kharagpur. Nevertheless, the idea of giving it a ditch was constantly hovering my mind. Thats when it all happened. Eight souls..one mini-launch..the clear sky..the fresh water..the fine breeze ..n one helluva mission!

The ARMY!

The cool "Gidad Bhabki" guy - r very own Mahe Bhaiya!

The culinary delight, the big Bite - The AdicoolDude!

The Treasurer - Godara Rulez!

Baby's Day out- Icarus

The snoaring Bacchanal - The Ponds effect (Rather the Peepee effect)

PandeyJi (L) - Ran(u)dom Al da way!
Chints (R) - Candid Kamera

Thts Me! - captions anybody?

The WAR-boat

SHe was fun to ride on...an open air loo at one end...a luvly bow for that perfect experience... just enough room for sleeping at the bottom floor...great cooking arena on the top... AWESOME!

Our Weapons

Accoutred for any casualties we were all set for the wonderful foodie journey....seriously it was the luvly food which made this trip really enjoyable

The Battlefield

The Sunderbans - Part of the world's largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges,Brahmaputra and Meghna. A network of estuaries, tidal rivers, and creeks intersected by numerous channels, it encloses flat, marshy islands covered with dense forests

The Mission

The first night on the launch- We started from Port Canning - the gateway to the sunderbans ....some excitement..some frustness...lil beer...lil vodka...and finally a "cramped-up" sleep

The following morning

All charged up for the adventure ahead

No, this aint a painting

Close-up smile :D :D

TITanic

The faint line between water and sky

Picture Purrfect!

The croc at Sajnekhali museum and sanctuary

Spotted a Spotted deer

..But where are the tigers ????

Next attempt to spot the Bengal tiger

Gearing up!

Atop the watch tower

But ALAS! Guess we shud be happy with monkeys!

Aha! Some treat to the eyes! Iky andar jao ;) :P

Relaxing 1.0

Relaxing 2.0

Deer at Do-Khali

The only pic with all 8 of us - this was taken at Do-Khali... there was a watch tower from where you could see the deep forest. Two straight lanes were cleared off vegetation so that any animal which crosses this narrow barren part could be spotted from far off...We did turn lucky as we finally saw a creature catwalking down ....

This is what we didnt see .....

Nevertheless, the day was replete with many highs....the weather was awesome, the waters placid, the sunset beautiful (camera batteries ran down), the confluence of five rivers breathtaking and the sleep at night in the boat -priceless!

Woke up the next morning only to be totally fogged!

Cooked maggi with egg Bhurji for breakfast....yummy!

All in all we HAD r share of fun..fights..dance..peace...didnt feel like getting back home that afternoon..

Sunderbans - An ideal place for an idle mind ....Felt like someone hit the refresh button on me!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Words for thought......

2006-03-25T12:12:00.000+05:30

2005. December. Home. Food. Smiles.
New. Year. Train. 985. Miles.
Four. Years. Seven. Semesters. Lame.
Sf. Ennui. Kshitij. Money. Fame.

Choreo. Fifteen. Days. Sleepless. Nights.
Choreo. Fifteen. Minutes. Show. Lights.
Silver. Reticence. Devastation. Darkness. Bite.
Bong. Drams. Gold. RK. Fight.

Treat. Pizza. Hut. Toppings. Cheese.
Ebony. Ivory. Vodka. Breeze.
Riya. Sen. INOX. Movie. RDB.
Dawn. Five. Room. Dreams. Free.

TOEFL. Kolkata. Return. Kharagpur. Train.
Adicooldude. Thoughts. Life. Memory. Lane.
Bad. Things. Importance. Realise. Appreciate. Goodness.
Trust. Faith. Noone. Existence. Oneness.

Start. Happy. Chat. End.
Expectations. None. Move-on. Mend.
Attendance. Present. Project. Onerous.
Why. Thought. Run. Alas. Bogus.

Cram. Sup-dup. Rice. Macaroni.Icecream.
Walk. JCB. C-146. Nostalgia. Dream.
Fresher. Naive. Carefree. Kid.
Today. Anxious. Future. Worried.

Insomnia. Tired. Thoughts. Float.
Dubious. Choices. Nebulous. Emote.
Wake up. Bored. Breaker. Hog.
Reality. Recollect. Tempo. Blog.

What I wont 4get....................

2005-11-02T08:50:00.000+05:30

What I wont 4get is the trembling of my fingers whilst I was lighting the diyas...

What I wont 4get is the 20 feet structure of tables which was down in a minute...

What I wont 4get are those 10 mins when 28,000 diyas were lit...

Wont I wont 4get is the exodus after the judges left...

What I wont 4get is the delirium and euphoria which gripped me after the tempo shout...

What I wont 4get is the anxiety and apprehension written over all faces...

What I wont 4get is that its not just effort which can earn a pot of rasgullas...

What I wont 4get is that there is a next time...

What I wont 4get are two magical words "YO RK!"

Who I love More Than I Express

2005-08-19T01:08:00.000+05:30

I dont find her there,
Im looking eveywhere,
The clouds are few,
No rain, no dew.

The impressions of my heart made out on the sand,
All blown away by the winds command,
Those wailing eyes, those jaded ears
Let me atleast hear those tears.

Those mute words, those reticent feet
The moan,the plead, the mourn, the bleat,
My soul calls out for hers,
What is it that she deplores?

My tired legs cant breathe anymore,
Will I have to I wait for another seasons four?
I know she loves me more than she expresses;
Cant she even give me a chance to caress her tresses?
I know this is a test I can defend
But will she give in before my end?

O ye Death! Stop groping in the dark!
Come get me by my neck; hark!
I can bear even your bestial face
Just for an embrace
With her, who I love more than I express.....

This poem reminisces the thoughts of a demented lover at his soulmates sepulcher. He has been despertely waiting for his own end, for that alone can bring an end to this bereavement.

Back to Chicago....

2005-05-28T06:36:00.000+05:30

ek ka do ek ka do......well yes! I saw 2 movies at the prie of one this sat! luv this theatre here whr thers noone to hk once u enter the row of 12 sreens!!! go wherever u want..thts it! :D "Kicking n Sreamin" was awesome...laughter riot!! the chotu chini guy bon sang was ulti kewl! "Monster in law" was bearable...really reallly found J Lo hot!
Sunday was the museum day at the fields museum of natural history...6 hrs at a museum!!! woho! damn kewl!!
from Africa to China to Tibet to japan to hawaii to pacific islands to egypt ...this was one helluva roller coaster!
catch a glimpse of the hues @ http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/goel_sagar/album?.dir=874e&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos
The most captivating thing were the models explaining the mumification process.first the body organs are removed. The person who cuts the body would be rituallly cursed and chased away. The body then dries for 40 days. Insets and scavengers are to be kept away during this time.After washing and stuffing the body with straw and other materials, it is entirely bandaged including iindividual fingers. The internal parts which are removed are separately wrapped.After 2 months the final rituals are performed and the mummy kept in boxes and buried.
The animal models were breathtakingly realistic...n boy wot a collection!
The most famous possession of this museum is Sue. She is the largest most complete Tyrex in the world.
Having exited the museum we boarded the $10 cruise for a 30 min ride on Lake Michigan. it was simply WOW! The best view of Downtown Chicago can be seen from here.Later in the day we went to Sears tower- the tallest building in Chicago. went upstairs only to find that it would cost us a freakin sum of money we werent ready to part with. So we kataoed it and came bk to r beds.

My Guide's Here!!!!

2005-05-20T07:53:00.000+05:30

After 2 weeks and 2 days of peace thr was a sudden metamorphosis in my chores. Well, my internship advisor who had been holidaying in China for all this time finally arrived here on 18th May. My first meeting with him is something im gonna remember, not just bcoz after endless tries he still cudnt get the pronounciation of my name right, but coz he was so congenial and talked like he was a student himself. Greg, was exactly the way I had conjured in my mind....this really nice guy who takes real good are of his students. During the conversation he revealed that he was real bad at spellings and drawings :P
The day was special for another reason. I got a chance too attend the lecture of Robert BOB Horvitz, the 2002 nobel peace prize winner in Medicine and Physiology. He was jus like Greg (n y not Greg did his Phd under him!)-humorous and inspiring.
He mae the audience burst in their seats with his on-the-spur-of-the-moment snippits. This amazing speaker said whilst tallking about apoptosis( programmed cell death), "Bird feet come in two flavours-one the normal ones like in pigeons n the other webbed feet like in geese" hehehehe...Mo' ovr he seemed to personally know two of the birds whose photos he showed ..intersting.......His lecture just left me in complete awe of this Dr....
Well, life's been hectic since my guide came here...mo n mo work,,,,,well good in a way....workoholic tht i am! :P
N yes!! before i forget...the ABCT (read amerian born confused Taiwanese) in my lab -Victoria Wu, under whose guidance I am working.....fianly wore something othr than Black today!!!! She's so patient with me..Im thankful for tht....n I mean it....some of my frnds can vouch for the fact tht I can get really irritating at times....hehehehehe.....ADIOS!

Wot a WEEEEEEEEEEEk!!

2005-05-16T22:35:00.000+05:30

The last week was pretty hectic......with lotsa work ....majorly repititions of my previous experiements coz of my absence of mind.....damn! i was like in a never ending loop of making silly (read bizzare) mistakes which really got on my nerves.....I hope im not jinxed...
Im still waiting for my guide, Greg. Hopefully he should b here by Thurs 20th.
Saturday was work plus shopping at JEWEL. O ya! we also ate at this THAI restaurant. Man it jus drilled a hole down my pocket and wasnt tht gr8 either! Was a lil happy wen I had a look at Anish's plate....weird stff all over...n something which he said looked like "snake babies"!!:P
Wen I spoke to my folks back home they seemed to b pretty enthu abt wot was goin on with me. "Kaise ho?", "Kaisa lag raha hai","Khana theek se kha rahe ho naa?", "AAche se ghoomna","Eat a lot of fruits, they'r cheap thr"...n so on.....really miss evryone at home...!!
SUNDAY WAS CHILLAXOFREAKOUT day @ Chicago......i was simply spell bound byy what Chicago had to offer!!!!
Really tall (well thts an understatement) skyscrapers...man it was some skyline at downtown Chicago....
the first place we hit was JOHN HANCOCK OBSERVATORY-1,000 feet above the Magnificent Mile, Michigan Av, the heart or rather the most bustling n colorful part of Chicago.This was a 96 storey (!!!!!) building with an observatory at the 94th floor. It is the city's only open-air skywalk. Here you'll see a 360-degree incredible view of Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and other parts of Illinois.The ticket to the observatory cost $12 which really put us down( especially after blowing up $10 each at the crappy Thai pl. we werent in a mood for letting thoz bucks out so easily) .....but then this was a one-time-in-the-life opportunity.We worked a way out :) We took the elevatorin the lobby and went straight up to the 95th floor at the restaurant-cum-bar. Luck favors the brave goes the adage but didnt quite work for us :( The incharge linda shooed us outta thr.Well, thr u r! whr thr is a will thr is a way goes anothr adage. We took to the elevator to the last floor. It was the Lounge of the same restaurant. Things seemed to work peacefully...we waLKED AROUND smitten by the sight below thru the glass walls.....WOW! I had never seen something la tht before...its inexplicable....the Lake Michigan on one side and the Chicago Skyline on the other. The cars on the road seemed like of of those baby toys..the buildings so minuscule that I could squash them down with my feet...No sight of living things (Now i know y they are called lesser mortals)...
Next we jhandoed in pure desi ishtyle..tadoing bandiyan(n real sexy ones:P), feelin the chilly air, rockin wit the music at the virgin store, Feelin a kick at the Nike showroom and Smellin' the fragrance at Boss's. This was the MAGNIFICIENT MILE- a mile long area along the N. Michigan Av...the place ud find any brand label on earth...the shoppin pl. for the world.
Walkin n window shoppin we reached NAVY PIER- originally built in 1916 to serve Lake Michigan freighters and provide transportation to other cities on the Great Lakes, as well as for recreational purposes. In 1941, Navy Pier was converted to military use and used throughout World War II. From 1946 to 1964, it was a college campus. After a lull in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Navy Pier was revitalized and, today, it is a multi-million dollar convention, cultural and recreation center and Chicago’s most visited attraction with food chains, food shacks, Ferris wheel, A nice cute garden,cruises, power boats, lil' ducks in the water and birds flying ovr the shore,a 3D time escpae (dont believe we spent $10 for tht bird-shit) ride whr u were supposed to sit in front of a screen in a dark room with ur 3D glasses on whilst some crap plays on (one distinct thing i remember abt this was the black female among the crew who seemed 2 b luving her job like nobody's business!! Dancing, jumpin', shouting, she was the only good thing abt this Time escape ride).The best site at Navy Pier was the museum of glass paintings...outta the world..never seen so much finesse in glass paintings....
Chillin out (literally, the weather was damn cold and Anish was without his jacket) we hopped over to Millennium Park-undoubtedly the best thing of the day."Millennium Park," says one prominent civic leader, "will be a worthy creation for all time. It will define Chicago to the entire world as America’s greatest city. Located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe Streets, the 24.5-acre park is an unprecedented center for world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design, where you can experience everything from interactive public art and ice skating to al fresco dining and free classical music presentations by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus.The best feature here was the Crown Fountain- two 50-foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers activated with changing video images and lights, and water cascades from the top of each were simply awe-inspiring. This fountain showed the Faces of people on a 50-foot screen with water falling from the top. Wow! I was feelin so good here. Just wen I thot we shud move ahead water fountain emerged from the Mouth of the faces. I luckily managed to capture that on my digi-cam...kewl!
Having done with this, we moved on to catch some museums but all of them seemed to b closed. The road led us to the Buckingham fountain and then to the lake shore whr we relaxed r cryin feet. The sight of the skyscrapers from here was breathtaking!! After some pumping from my side anish finally had some tempo to head towards the Shedd Aquarium but it turned out to b their closing time when we reached thr at 6 in the evening. Tired and half-dead after those miles of walkin arnd in Chicago we head for home by catching the CTA TRAIN FROM THE ROOSEVELT SUBWAY.
The icing on the cake was provided by the toppings on the pizza (which we munched after reachin home) ......I kept thinking "MAN WILL I EVER 4get this day" ...ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

P.S.: ull wanna c my pics @ http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/goel_sagar/album?.dir=d176&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

SUNDAY FUNDAY

2005-05-10T03:50:00.000+05:30

Y'day was fun....
we entered in2 this fusion traffic jam show from the backdoor( without paying the ticket fee tht is ;) )
T'was onme helluva dance show......the best thing was the wave by thoz 5 dames ...n wot a way to do it....get on all fours-all get into one line-put their feet over the shoulders of the person behind-n there goes the wave...TMO!!
Went for 'The Interpreter" at Century theatres dow(illegally offcoz) coz thrs no one to chk.....unfortunately v cudnt do tht coz the othr movies playing at tht part of the corridor were bullcrap.....nywyz will try r luck again sometime...
had dinner at POTBELLIES....nice place must say with the live music arnd,,,,
T'day mornin' we cooked something entirely rselves.....the capsicum turned out to b pretty cool..yummy!!
One weird thing here in the lab is tht thez ppl dont use the laminar hood for the microbial work ...everything is done on the workbench.....guess theyve worked fine with this...only time will tell if i get any contamination in any of my cultures....
i guess ill push off now.....may b hang arnd in the univ or go home.....lets c......

Amerians, Indians, ABCDs n all tht.....

2005-05-08T06:19:00.000+05:30

THrs jus one word to describe americans -"weird?" I dun get wot thez ppl r thinking at the back of their minds...Nywyz..its been a gr8b place- thts the northwestern univ...n Evanston in general...
y'day Anish and myself played cricket with desis here....and boy! is was sooo much fun...cricket surely gets all indians united..b it in india or anywhere! gottu meet some really cool guys here,,,,deepak, robin, manish, zaheer, roopam, piyush n all.....deepak n robin have an amazing sense of humor i must say....At night we were tr8ed by Kunal-"the dude" at clarkes...tho i really didn' have too many things to choose from wot i got finally was so pathetic tht it was for once i felt tht its a curse being a veggie!...nywyz i still like it this way......we jhandoed arnd the univ and good lord......since the weather was kinda warm and pleasant after a long time it was like the whole of evanston was out on the strests....have never seen so many hookers in one single hr than ever b4 in my life!!!!! N wen v reached home thr was some "ation" next door..needless to say americans jus need a reason to .......................
Today was sooo freakin awesome....we went to jewels to buy r groceries with kunal......later we went to Devons street..its lie a mini-INDIA and a mini-PAk...its like as if ur in some indian gully.......thrs such a marked change between this place n the rest of the US.....indian stores selling any stf ud find in india....along with the refuse strewn all over the roads...chaotic traffic....(how can v have india without all tht haan?),,,,we had a luvly sumptuous dinner at one of the places....man it surely rocked for $ 9 !
have been hearing a lot abt thes american born confused desis or ABCDs as they r better knwn...hope to get to know them soon...

Where am I?

2005-05-04T21:08:00.000+05:30

29th april 20:20 hours IST:
I leave my hostel room totally oblivious of what a few days hence would b like. The only thought i had was that the outgoing final years wouldnt be thr wen i came back....it was seriously weird even trying to think about that.

30th April 00:05 hours IST:
I Reach Dum dum airport and wished happy b'day to amit .

30th April 12:30 IST
After a torturous night out at the airport I reach Pune only to run helter skelter and get my bags packed an meet all my relatives.

1st May 21:00 IST
I leave for Mumbai International Airport. I feel for the first time that I am going somewhere far- but where ?

2nd May 06:30 IST
After another night out at the airport I board the plane along with Anish, with whom I'd stay for the next 10 weeks.

2nd May 11:50 Germany ST
We reach Frankfurt and again depart at 2:15
The feeling is that of awe (except for the fact that the flight attendants arent like I expeted to be -Thanx to the cheap tikects of AIR_INDIA. Food isnt all that gr8. I try to shuffle between sleep and food and the intermittent sreenings of movies and soaps.
11.3 km above sea -level! flying thru the snowlike layer of clouds! -35 degrees outside temperatures! man its some experience.

2nd May 04:15 Chicago time:
I am finally thr! feels like wow! all set to rock this summer.
Step outta the airport after all the formailities-the strangest thing is that one an walk out with anyone else's bag!! I mean there is no heck whether u r carrying ur own bag or not! now thts weird!
Shabbir bhai drops us to 1112 Garnett street (r residence for the next 10n weeks) by his car.
Finally it all sinks in......YEAH! I am at the US of A for my summer internship at Northwesternn University, Evanston, IL.......BOY!!! This is gonna be one helluva summer.........lets c what happens,,.......

oxyMORON

2005-04-01T22:04:00.000+05:30

Y the hot gal is cool?
Y r they oddities to a rule?
Y darkness unfolds the mysteries of light?
Y the day hails the way to night?
Y nakedness wears shame?
Y the acquitted are to blame?
Y others barren land is all green?
R u still apathetic or keen?
Jus listen to my advice,
All said n done is true lies.
Don't question my answer....
And stop living with ur cancer
Gain nothing to loose
Forgo ur right to choose
Laugh like u never had the time to cry,
Sell ur worries n joy u buy,
Tomorrow is like yesterday,
Life's free..... age is all u pay!

MIRAGE.......

2005-03-28T21:26:00.000+05:30

Im simply too bored to wrtite anything which makes sense so let me put in some crap over here.
I wanna go home will someone take me thr....
I wanna be alone will everyone be aware....
I wanna smell the air....
I wanna let loose my hair....

To hell with all cares n worry,
All *uckin' crap ill bury
In the deepest realms of the universe,
Whilst u read this verse,
Let me rehearse,
The same ol' curse,
GOD WILL U SAVE MY SOUL ?

Sagar Strikes Back!

2005-02-27T17:52:00.000+05:30

Wen was the last time I sent a post to this blog.......GOD! Its been aeons. Lemme begin with the time wen i became 50% of an engineer. i.e the start of this year. This year started on a gr8 note. The biggest high of my life , second only to my sis's wedding was having bagged a summer internship at Northwestern University, Evanston, Chicago, IL. The kewlest thing is tht the prof has done his Phd under a noble laureate. Most of my time has since then been dedicated to filling up endless forms, scanning, printing, running around n wot not! Jus hope its all worth the effort....nywyz shud keep my trap closed till i get my visa n tickets.
Inter-Hall Choreo brought me some rare raves but mo' than anything taught me quite a lotta things.......Im already looking fwd to it nxt yr. I had played the role of Shiv and Gautam Sharma tht of 'Parvati' on a theme centred around "Mother Nature's metamorphosis" depicted thru Shiv-Parvati's life. The 'Tandav' will always be close to my heart cos tht was 4 once tht i really felt i was able to break apart from my mushy- songs-dancer image. The funny part was tht Gautam got really pissed off with me for refering to him with 'she\her' most of the times :D Boy! Seemed like I had really got in2 the groove of the whole thing.
There's been a succesful SF and Kshitij. TDS simply rocked thru the entire yr n if there r thots othrwise u better ask some of the alumni 4 some snippets of the Alumni day production. Kshitij was such a rise n fall! It saw the four of us- Gol J, Amit, Som n myself win a handsome 5K and myself falling for my nxt 'evanescing' crush -Prachi (VGSOM) .
KK's (oooooops his sis's) wedding at Kolkata was one amazing event. Thronged by KGPians pouncing on luvly FooooD, this one surely hit "Seth"ji hard ;)
Midsem was such a passe' . What surprised me most was tht I managed to watch mo' movies during the midsems then the rest of the yr!!
The TDS trip to Aquatica followed by 'Black' at city centre drove the midsem blues away.
Well, life is all hunky-dory now. Come tomorro n I'll b back to my mundane chores...classes , lab, BTP,....gosh!!! Is there ever any respite???

At length.....

2004-11-07T11:28:00.000+05:30

Its been aeons since my last post. Taking the blame on myself would mean conceding to my dandiest adversary- "LAZINESS". Its all her fault. I have been putting up a strong fight but she seemed adamant. Nevertheless, I am happy to have vanquished her finally.
Post-durga puja holdays life has been a roller coaster ride. From the excrutiating 7 o' clock classes to Kawde's (a super final year of my wing) Job treat, I have had my share of fun n frustration. Kawde's job treat at GIH was a blast, not just because Kawde boozed for the first time in his life but also because of the presence of a lively bunch of pals-- CFM (C first Mid of RK hall) . We sang and danced like nobody's business. From jungle, jungle baat chali hai, potli wala baba, ducktales to Alif Laila- we simply relived our childhood. Sad that Kawde has been diagnosed with Chicken Pox. Hope he gets out of that catacomb ( read BC ROY Hospital ) as soon as possible, though we have informed him that all the junk( especially his prehistoric PC) in his room will be sold once he kicks the bucket. Looking forward to "Jhapoeing" some of the stuff in his room ;-) "AHEM"
Another thing that kept me busy was the reality series "THE APPRENTICE". For all those folks who havent watched it - " What are you waiting for, Christmas?". The most impressive thing about Donald Trump , (the multi-billionaire who is finding an apprentice for one of his companies) is the way he carries himself. Kudos to his persona and charisma- it will surely strike the flame of your confidence.
This post would be grossly incomplete if I didnt talk about my biggest high post-DP. Yes, it was the ILLUMINATION victory (more importantly ,over RP , the next door rival hostel) . I can never forget the moment when the results were to be announced. One of the GYMKHANA G sec SOC n CULT (from RP hall) was all smiles whilst he stood behind the Judge holding the results. LIGHTNING STRUCK! Junta from my hall started receding. I had an altercation with my friend Imran over this issue. He failed to believe what I told him. Then it all happened. Cant say what it was-our prayers, the hard work put in by the illu workoholics or GOD's grace- we heard the announcement," ILLU second prize - RP hall". I cant put in black and white the ecstacy and euphoria that spread like fire. That was our moment-our very own. I ran to FLIMSY (read Imran) and hugged him tight while he held back his tears- Tears of joy, tears of the faith he had in the hall, tears of the wee hours of the morning he spent working his heart out. KUDOS to all the guys who were instrumental in materialising this dream. (You can visit www.kpowerinfinity.blogspot.com ,KK's blog site for illu n rangoli pics as well as for detailed info about the same)
Finally, end-sems arent way off and seems like its time I got back to those books....DAMN! ( for those who dont know, I am a Maggu with a "PATHETIC" paltry CGPA of 9.25 ) hehehehe.....

ELIXIR OF LIFE

2004-10-10T00:23:00.000+05:30

Today was one of those few days of my life which will go down in annals of history as the day when I felt good. No, "good" is an understatement. I felt gr8,elated,exulted and intoxicated. NO, not jus becoz I had Vodka and Gin. Not becoz I ate to my hearts content after a very long time. Not because I was wearing a new set of clothes......... It was the thought that I was eating sumptuous food. It was the rush that I was drinking for the first time.It was the feeling that I am handsome and smart. It was for once that I felt free.It was for once that I did what I wanted to do. It was for once that I didnt care what the person sitting next to me was thinking.I jumped, I sang, I shouted, I acted as though I was having a hang over. This may not mean anything to anybody but it means the world to me............"It is the obvious that we most easily overlook. It is the obvious that gives us HAPPINESS."

"METAL MOUTH"

2004-10-06T11:23:00.000+05:30

It was in class 9 th that I became mo' conscious of my own self.......The mirror was never my prized possesion until then.Not that I really didnt care about dressing up smartly but there was a marked difference in the way I went about it having reached high school.It was then that I noticed them. Those crooked-asymmetrical-unaesthetic li'l white( read tartared-white) thingies were scaring the daylights out of me.At length, I resloved to visit that one direful person whom I never wanted to see. The very thought of HIM sent a chill down my spine.I could conjure all sorts of shuddery images of HIm masked and armed with his uncanny tools.The desire of getting those O-So-Perfect teeth finally vanquished the fright of my horrendous DENTIST.
I had prepared myself mentally and physically for the day of reckoning...THE D-DAY. He seemed to be pretty congenial at first which put me at ease.He began manoeuvring his tools in my open mouth as I endeavoured to keep my cool.After eternity he finally let the cat out of the bag.I could not beleive my ears."No,noo,nooo,noooo,never!", I cried to myself.I had to get braces put on for rectifying my malformed teeth.
After endless visits to his clinic and two whole years(GOSH!)I finally managed to sport my new 15 grand SMILE. Meanwhile,I had even managed to earn the hypocorism of "METAL MOUTH".But now it is all fine.Im jus always waiting to hear those two magical words which make the world smile,"SAY CHEESE"n there i go....flashing all the 28 of them.

My Alter Ego

2004-10-03T01:57:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to my pal, CHINTAN THAKKAR.
Right from the day I first met him to the the time when Im writing this post .......it seems like ages since Ive known him. N how??? Well, both of us speak the same thing at the same time!!!!WORD BY WORD!! without any displacements, deletions or appendages wotsoever. Its not happened jus once ,twice or thrice for it to have gone unnoticed.Its happened umpteenth times.It may sound eldritch to u.Infact the two of us were rselves taken aback wen we first realised this fact.And now, it happens so often that v have given up on even trying to figure it out. Call it telepathy or a figment of r imaginations...it wont make a difference.If this is some SIGN , SiXTH SENSE or a FREAK of NATURE only time will say.Till then i guess we'll jus stay amused.Wot say,chintan? "BINGO!!!"???

The day that was...The night that will be

2004-10-01T20:57:00.000+05:30

Today was a day which brought mixed reactions-the kind that take place in the chemistry lab in the sink.U dont even know wot happened.Its possible a gr8 discovery was gone unnoticed or may b it was just one of those unfruitful ones.Its pretty difficult to actually say.........well, y am i sounding so grumpy or rather cynical? Ive got a dozen reasons.The first six i dont seem to recollect n the next six r too illogical for comprehension by a human with a normal psyche.The truth,though, remains firm as rock.They are out there.Jus waiting for me.Waiting 4 me to open my doors n windows.Im helpless.I cant do anything.They drive me crazy and keep sucking my blood.YES! Im talking about "INSECTS" or rather "TECH INSECTS".They seem to get through every trap I lay for them.
"Put up a net", u'd say. naah! Doesnt work.
"Stupid guy! Use the mosquito annihilator as in the insect n mosquito spray". Thanx 4 the wonderful idea, but tht dusnt seem to deter these li'l green-black-brown-maroon-whot was tht shade-grey thingies , either.
Im nervous......sweating.....quivering......how am i gonna put up at night with mean-spirited creatures.Darwin was totally right when he said "Only the fittest survives" and in this case its but obvious whose going to survive.Before u pay your condolences, I want to take a moment to thank all my friends,family members, well-wishers,foes(if any) n these "luvly" creatures for being with me thru my thick n thin.......GOD SAVE ME.....AMEN....

The City of Joy

2004-09-29T20:13:00.000+05:30

I know its been quite some time since I last wrote a post. Post mid-sem hysteria, the open -IIT English Elocution competition, the crappy lectures n a trip to Kolkatta have kept me busy enough.
Talking about the mid-semester examinations Im reminded of this subject that I have in this semester.The course is Industrial Microbiology and Enzyme technology , better known as IMET ....though id prefer calling it "Inhumane Mass ExTermination". You wudnt believe me when I tell you that Ive been studying about BEER-WINE-ALCOHOL-RUM-WHISKY-VODKA n wot not!!!(.....As if the lectures didn't make us feel drowsy enough)
After the exams ended my friends and me were incessantly bickering over where to go for an outing,for the sole reason of absconding away from this O-So-Lovely place IIT Kharagpur.Despite my earnest endeavors,we had to zero in on Kolkatta.Now that I think of it, it wasnt all that bad - an awesome movie "the Bourne supremacy" at INOX , window shopping at Pantaloons n shoppers' stop and sumptuous pizzas n deserts at Pizza hut.Dont think my eyes n taste buds wudve asked for mo'.Pizza hut reminds me of that Million $$ smile.....I was completely bowled over by this dame working at pizza hut. As if my constant staring n drooling wasnt enough I was even shameless enough to have walked up to her n ask her the route to Park Street ,though I knew the way. Boy! can I ever 4get that aphrodisiacal SMILE which instigated my lecherousness?
Now,that im back from the angel's abode Im busy adapting to my ol' ways - eating, dancing n sleeping.ZZZZZZzzzzz

P.S.: check out this cool link......im sure its one thing u wudnt wanna miss http://www2.memlane.com/jmilner/stairwaybackwards.htm#

Hiiiii....

2004-09-24T21:46:00.000+05:30

Hey! Sagar here.... :)
This is my first post ever....my first foray in2 the realm of BLOGGING...
I first got to know abt blogging wen suddenly a few of my pals had some obscure links as their status messages on Yahoo! messenger. Having read some of their blogs i was indeed tempted to chip in something of my own. This was the inception of "SAGARedefined" - my ruminations, comtemplations n experiences.I hope to keep u posted pretty regularly...do keep a watch out 4 my next post..
au revoir,
Sagar
Have a look at me here.