The Doodle Chronicles

Islamic Terrorism - The double face of the Media

2011-08-06T00:00:00.007+05:30

We all talk about the growing face of "Islamic Terrorism". Though most muslims the world over do not adhere to or support the doctrine of these terrorist groups, yet it is labeled as Islamic terrorism on the pretex that it is born out of an orthodox school of thought from within the muslims and from their flawed understanding of our holy book. I may agree with that, though it does not make sense to me that how because of the actions of minority, all practicioners of Islam are held responsible. But, as I said, I may agree with this.

However, what amazes and astonishes me is when the same yardstick is not used for other - similar - cases. We all read about the Malegaon blasts, the Ajmer Sharif blasts, the Bhopal blasts and the Mecca Masjid blasts. The administration and the police were quick to proclaim the hand of Islamic terrorist groups, SIMI, and Indian Mujahideen. A lot of people from the minority community were rounded up. The media made a huge hue and cry about the cruel face of the Islamic terrorism.

And yet, when it has been discovered that these blasts were the handiwork of a group of people from the majority community who call themself the "Akhand Bharat" group, the same media is quiet. The same administration that was quick to find an Islamic hand is now not giving any statements, not accepting its wrong, not asking for forgiveness from those who were incorrectly improsened and accused of such hineous crime.

Why so? If what Al Qaida and its minnions does is religious terrorism, is this not the same? Just because the perperators belong to the majority community does not entail different yardsticks. But no, this is not the same. Maybe because nothing sells like a Muslim terrorist, real or otherwise. Is this what it has come down to - TRPs and what sells? I always thought that news is all about reporting what is happening at ground zero - an unbiased and unopeniated account. But it seems that is not the case here.

Similarly, after the recent attacks in Norway, the Western media was quick to jump its guns and report an Al Qaida link to the attacks. And yet, when it came out that the attacker was a Christian, it suddenly was the deed of an "aggressor" and a "gunman", never mind his anti-muslim manifesto.

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Maybe muslim whipping is the latest fashionable thing to do, and as soon as we find that another person is accused of a similar wrong we conveniently turn our backs and ignore it. May be this is the official position, and may be that of the media as well, but beware of what you do - for your actions will have consequences you yourself do not fanthom.

The need of the hour is to fight terrorism - in all forms - together. But if you alienate a section of the society by such behaviour, you are yourself giving new ears and hands to those you want to fight. The best way to remove a problem is by preventing it, but sadly the policy makers seem hell bent on turning a blind eye and even fan the fire. And later, the same people will rise up and say that this was expected.

Understand that whatever monsters and demons we have to fight are our own creations. You may kill the monster in the end - but does it not make sense to not create it in the first place? Am not sure about you guys, but it does make sense to me. Think about it.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Under the radar

2011-07-15T21:19:00.005+05:30

We all make decisions. Some at the spur of the moment, while others after pondering over them. And this one has been made after a lot of pondering.

For the past many days I have felt a strange kind of suffocation.... a suffocation of not being able to write my heart out. The only reason I can not do it here is because I am too afraid of being judged.

I am not afraid of being judged as a person, but what I am truly afraid of is that some of my opinions - while being logical (at least according to me), will be judged on the basis of my religion. And while I am ready to have a logical debate, I am not prepared to hear that I feel that way because I am a muslim, and hence a pakistani supporter and not a patriot.

So, I have made a decision to go under the radar and try my hand at anonymous blogging for a while. And this space will gradually shift to a travelogue of my bike journeys.

Till then, this is Hashir, signing off

Over and out.

Think about this

2011-06-24T04:24:00.003+05:30

What is the standard of reporting and journalism in a country where an ex-miss world, no-expression whatsoever actress and bahu of the so called superstar of yesteryears being pregnant is front page news.

Gulbarga - My first long road trip - Part 1

2011-04-02T04:40:00.001+05:30

** A very long post **

Have you ever felt the urge - to take the open road, the uncharted ways, to travel for the sake of travelling, to ride into the sunset, and to test your limits? I had been feeling the same ever since I got my bike (earlier named the Hawk - now has been renamed as the Phoenix). Although I had done a couple of small rides on my new bike, and a few more on Shariq's Electra, I always felt that something was missing. I needed a long ride to call myself a biker, and was waiting for an opportunity (read leaves/free days to arrive).

The opportunity revealed itself to me thanks to a weird policy of my last organization, due to which I was suddenly left jobless for a week. And, instead of sitting at home, I decided to ride out to Gulbarga as I wanted to visit the place since ages.

Completing all the formalities in my old organization took most of Wednesday, and so I planned to ride out early on Thursday. I went to an Enfield spares shop to pickup a spare set of lights, and packed my bag for the next day. Also, decided to swap the stock back view mirrors for those of Classic 500 as they gave better visibility of the traffic behind.

But, as happens with all my "Wake up early" plans, got up royally late and moved out at around 12:30 pm after a cup of ginger tea. Had already decided to take the Bangalore ORR till Hebbal, and take NH 7 from there till Kurnool before diverting to Gulbarga. Met my roommate, Vikas, near his office at Marathalli before proceeding to NH7.

The plan was simple - to take NH7 till after Kurnool, and from there take the state highway to Raichur and then ride to Gulbarga. I did not plan to take any overnight breaks as I only had three days to reach Gulbarga, roam around, and return back to Bangalore. I wanted to return by Saturday so I had Sunday to rest and get the formalities for the new job done.

It took me around 2 hours to cross Bangalore, thanks to the daytime city traffic and the diversions in place because of the Bangalore Air show. Finally, crossed Yelehanka and had only minimal traffic till the BIA. Once crossed the airport, the traffic gradually reduced to a trickle and I had the whole highway to myself. I was cruising at speeds in excess of 85 Kmph, and thanks to the new helmet visor I had gotten, was not feeling the speed at all. The bike was begging to be released, and I did speeds in excess of 100 Kmph in some stretches.

I had taken my clothes and some spare parts (an extra headlight lamp, tools, break wires etc) in a laptop bag which I had hung on my shoulders. As I reached Bagepalli, I realised that this arrangement was causing some discomfort, and so I stopped at a roadside shop to get a drink and to tie the bag to the rear seat. Thankfully I had forseen this and had brought along a rope. The shop next to which I stopped did not have "cold" drinks, so I bought a water bottle to quench my thirst.

Form Bagepalli I proceeded till Penukonda, where I had lunch at a road side hotel. I had asked for a chicken biryani, but got a mutton biryani - so people who do not eat mutton beware. By the time I moved out it was around 4:30 in the evening, and I was around 150 Kms from Bangalore.

Afterwards I realized why it is never advisable to ride on a full stomach. I started feeling sleepy and even dozed off on the saddle. Thankfully the road was empty and so no harm was done. I stopped my bike near a lake and washed my face. Also, clicked some pretty awesome pics of the lake and the bike before moving on. The next stop was Anantpur - where I searched for an ATM and tanked up, before riding on. By this time the sun had started to set, which meant that the insects had started to commit suicide by whamming into my helmet's visor. Since I did not have much time to loose and nothing could be done about the insects, I decided to ride on = hoping and praying to God that the insect attack would stop. Thankfully, it subsided after a while. By this time, I had passed Gooty, and so I decided to take a tea break, clean my helmet's visor, and wash my face before riding on.

Stopped at a Dhaba run by a sardarji and ordered for a soecial kadak chai. Got talking to the attendant of the dhaba, a man named Tony. He asked me where I was coming from, and on being told that I was coming from Bangalore he was surprised. He then started telling me about his trips and about his friends. By this time I had finished two glasses of extremely good tea, and I decided to move on. The owner of the dhaba advised me to stop for the night near Kurnool, where his cousin had another dhaba, as the road from Kurnool to Raichur was a single lane, pothole filled road with lots of trucks coming by. I told him that I will think about it, knowing fully well that I would do no such thing ;). Talked to my friends in Bangalore and Hyderabad, who all told me to stop at Kurnool or Raichur, but I had other plans.

By this time it was getting quite chilly, so I wore a sweat shirt and rode on. It was 8:30 by the time I entered Kurnool, and I decided against having dinner as I still had a long way to go, and could not afford to feel drowsy. Plus, I was still full from the heavy meal I had earlier. Stopped at Kurnool for directions and tea, and was advised to go slow on the track. He also told of where to take the turn from, which I promptly went ahead and missed ;). Realized my mistake after driving ahead for about 1 Km and drove back, and finally took the correct turn.

About a kilometer into the side lane to Raichur, the potholes started. And not just any potholes - one of the biggest I had ever seen (up to that time anyway). It was more like I was riding on potholes, with some road thrown in for fun. The next 90 odd kilometers were straight from bikers hell, with buses and trucks coming from the opposite direction on the single lane road with headlights on high beam - blinding and forcing me to go off road and let them pass. Took a break every 30 odd kilometers to sooth my paining bum and to wash my face and the helmet visor.

Finally crossed the stretch at around midnight, and stopped at the next shop for a welcome cup of hot, steaming tea. Got talking to the owner, who gave me some pointers of the road ahead. Most importantly, he told me to not go through Raichur, but to ride to Devarsugur as the road there was in a better condition and had less traffic. Thanked him and drove on towards Raichur, and stopped near the fort to give a call to my friends and brother to give them updates about my position. Asked for directions to Devsugur and drove towards it.

Now, what the guy had not told me was that I would be driving near the Raichur Thermal Power Plant, which meant that the security would obviously be high. As soon as I crossed the thermal plant, I met a police checkpost manned by 2 khaki wardi walas. I was stopped and questioned about the trip and all - but no problems. After signing the register and showing them my ID proof, I was allowed to go. The junior officer then came to me and advised me about the route to take - turned out he was a resident of Gulbarga, and was more than happy to help a visitor to his home town. I was again stopped before Yadgir, where the lone constable talked to me about my ride and the plan ahead. He basically was bored to death, sitting alone at the checkpost, monitoring the almost non-existing traffic. The next time I was stopped at a police checkpost just after Yadgir, where the Inspector in duty even took my bike for a spin. He then complemented me on daring to ride so far alone, and that too at night. That, however, was not a big deal to me. All I wanted to know was the directions to Gulbarga which he duly provided, and I was off again.

The ride from Yadgir checkpost to Gulbarga was uneventful, save for the extra chill in the air and a lot of dead rabbits and rats I saw on the road. The traffic was minimal, and I zipped across like there was no tomorrow. Finally, reached Gulbarga at around 7 in the morning, checked in to a hotel and hit the sack.

Trip Meter Reading - 713.7 Kms

Total Journey duration (including breaks ) - 18.5 hours

Will be writing about Gulbarga and the return journey in the next post. Till then,

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and out

Some updates

2011-02-13T23:24:00.006+05:30

Hi Folks,

I have decided to update my blog and move towards writing my trips. So, have changed the template of the blog to reflect the touring part. Also, I have decided to remove a few old posts that I think are stupid (like online quiz results and all) from the blog.

Will be writing about my trip to Gulbarga soon. Stay tuned.

This is Hashir, signing off.

Over and out

Lets forget about 26/11

2010-11-29T04:21:00.003+05:30

I know that on reading the topic of this post a lot of people will brand me unpatriotic, heartless, and what not. For these people, the post ends here. I do not give a hoot about what they think and feel, and so if you are one of them, you are not welcome here. But if you are not among those who judge the book by its cover or the post by its title, read on.

We recently "celebrated" the second anniversary of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. The people held candle light vigils which was covered by the media, which spent the whole day deciding where did the responsibility of the attacks lie. The politicians held innumerable shok sabhas, where they gave speeches about how India will never forget about the day and how sad they were for the terrible losses and the lives lost. For a better measure, they even went ahead and abused the neighbouring country for harbouring terrorists and threatened it with dire consequences lest anything like this happens again.

While all this happened, the families of Major Unnikrishnan, Hawaldar Gajendra Singh, SI Tukaram Omble, ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, ACP Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar, and Shashank Shinde and nameless other victims (for a complete list of victims, please visit here) tried to come to terms with their loss. Ajmal Kasab enjoyed another three meals while his appeal lies in the court, people went about their business as usual, and the zealots across the border kept planning on how to break our country down.

And once the date changed, all this was packed - the programs, the speeches, the candles - all went into packing, to be brought out again the next year. 26/11 has now become a "national holiday" in our country, almost like 30th January, 14th November, 5th September etc., where we have forgotten the meaning of why we do it, but we still do the same thing every year.

It is a shame that this red day in the history of our country has come down to this. I mean, haven't we been able to analyse what went srong in the last two years? Do we actually need the politicians, the media, and the candles to remind us of what had happened? If so, then well, there is no point in remembering this day at all. Seems we all have moved on.

And if not, then why do we need all this? In my opinion, one should not try to show the world that s/he is grieveing. It is supposed to be a private emotion. And, if you want to give a warning to somebody, please be ready to back your words with action. Otherwise they are Geedad Bhabhki as they say in Hindi - plain words that have no value what so ever.

But it seems to me that we all are hell bent on creating another holiday out of this date, so it is my humble request to all of you out there to please - forget about 26/11.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

The Power of A Smile Day - 15th June - Blog Hop

2010-06-13T17:33:00.003+05:30

15th June is The Power of A Smile Day. So from today to the 15th June, do use this Blog Hop to post on the Power of a Smile. Tell us your stories, show us your pictures, write us your poems, share your songs........just about anything that will tell us about a smile and bring a smile as well.

Click on the link to enter your blog's URL or the URL of that particular post.

Looking forward to a feast of smiles......

As I stood there.....

2010-06-12T21:11:00.012+05:30

As I stood there in the compound of the Mecca Masjid, I reminisced the last 4 years I have been in Hyderabad.

I still remember clearly stepping out of the Begumpet Airport, filled with dreams and visions of the blaze of glory I will leave behind me in every thing I will do in my professional career.

Once out of the airport, the first words that came out of my mouth were, "This is so like Lucknow, so like Home". I come from a small city called Unnao, and Lucknow being the place where I did my engineering from and where my relatives stay has always been home to me.

Being from a small city I can never get used to the hustle bustle that big cities like Delhi and Mumbai have to offer. But, I never felt out of place in Hyderabad. The markets, the roads, and above all the people always made me feel at home. And nothing comes closer to my heart than the old city.

This part of the metropolis with its old world charm, narrow lanes and narrower bylanes, old time ambiance and with its people always made me feel as if I had stepped back in time to an era long gone and forgotten. Some people say that this part of the city is not safe, and some may never set their feet here or venture out alone, but to me this place denotes what we have forgotten in our race to become a modern, growing economy.

I have visited the old city many times, mostly just on a whim to be here, and have always returned at peace with myself and my surroundings. But today, as I stood there, I was not filled with peace, but with the sadness. I never thought I would feel what I felt then -- the feeling of going away, of leaving home, and of not knowing when (if ever) I will come back.

I know that when I decided to move to Bangalore it was a conscious choice, and I had the option of staying back here. And yet I decided to move out of here for personal and professional reasons. But I also know that when I leave this city, I will leave a part of me behind -- roaming aimlessly in the bylanes of the old city like I do now. I just hope that someday I get a chance to come back and meet him -- and maybe listen to his experiences and tales over a cup of hot, steaming Irani chai and a serving of Hyderabadi Biryani.

This is Hashir, signing off

Hasta la vista -- my beloved city, my home.

P.S. - There is a legend about the stone benches in the compound of the Mecca Masjid which states that anyone who sits on them will always come back to Hyderabad. I never believed in this legend until today, and so I sat there for some time. Lets see if it is true........

Earth Hour brings Dramatic Changes to the Environment

2010-04-21T03:32:00.001+05:30

The earth hour celebrated on the 27th of this month has been successful in cleansing the atmosphere of all toxins, dust, and pollution. This correspondent has seen for himself the great good done by switching off the lights for an hour. The rivers are clean again, the forests have grown back, and a number of endangered species have a dramatic increase in number, all thanks to the switching off of lights for one hour. There are reports coming from all big cities of clean starlit skies - which the citizens have seen for the first time in ages.

Meanwhile a political battle erupted in the capital city with various political parties clamoring to take credit of this positive development. While Bahen Mayawati, the CM of UP, claimed that she should get the credit as UP has been celebrating "Earth half day" for the past many years of her rule, Lalu Prasad Yadav, the ex-CM of Bihar, poo poohed her claim by saying that his contribution was bigger as he did that in his state for close to two decades. He also expressed hope that the people of India would realize how great his contributions are and hoped to form the next government at the center with his allies of the fifth front. He also promised to increase powercuts so that India soon goes back to the time of the Indus Valley civilization.

Mamta Bannerjee was quick to point out that all this happened because she did not allow the Tata Nano plant to come up at Singur. She promised more such protests in future across India, and has vowed to convert India into West Bengal.

There are reports that experts from US and Europe are very excited with the dramatic change that has happened in India and are planning to send a joint committee to analyse the causes that brought about this turnaround. This correspondent wishes them all the luck and hopes that they too can achieve the spectacular results that India has achieved through the Earth Hour.

Why I re-read books and other quirks of mine

2010-01-01T12:17:00.002+05:30

I am a very eccentric person, and have quite a few quirks. Following are a few of them -

1. I re-read all novels that I have. My reading speed is kind of fast, and I tend to skip through lines at times. So, everytime I read a book again, I find something new. Also, did not have a lot of options when I was a kid as I grew up in a small city with no proper library, and the school library did not have a huge collection as well. So, I had to always repeat books. I also usually read the last chapter of a novel first.

2. I hate very clean places. I find them kind of unnatural. Does not mean that I like garbage piles n stuff, but if everything is sparkling clean then I feel as if I do not belong there.

3. I hate wearing sandals. This arises from the fact that my Dad prefers them, and was always telling me to wear them as well. And I have always been a rebel when it comes to obeying him on how to dress, behave, and the likes.

4. I do not like to sleep unless my eyes are drooling and closing with exhaustation.

5. I am a night owl, again because my father wanted me to do the reverse. College only solidified this behaviour pattern.

6. I am very openionated about certain things.

7. I dislike the fact that my face shows what is going through my mind.

8. I do not know what I want from life, but am pretty sure that this is not it. This uncertainity and undeciveness is what is killing me.

9. I believe in first impressions, though I do not judge a person by his/her clothes, manners, or any other “expected” criteria. My judgement of a person is on very vague terms, and I usually try to sense whether the person infront of me is likeable or not. The perspective is always mine, and I can never define what I look for.

10. Usually I prefer to keep to myself, specially when in the company of new people. But once I get to know a person, I am the exact opposite.

11. I used to beat my younger sister and brother a lot when a kid. Then one day, I stopped. I don’t think I can ever hit them again. I love them too much to do so.

12. I always missed the presense of an elder brother in my life, and still do. I just hope my siblings never say the same.

13. I have this habit of fast viewing a movie. I keep forwarding the movie and finish it in 10-15 minutes. Then I sit back and watch it in full.

14. I love history and historical places, specially ruins. Where other people see broken walls, I see the past granduer of the place infront of me. I once the whole day in Lucknow Residency building (which was destroyed during the 1857 war of independence) just reading the tomb stones and imagining the war there.

15. There was a time when I had an immovalbe belief in numerology. But gradually I realized that I was becoming a slave of that knowledge, and so I chose to ignore it.

16. I am an amatuer graphologist, and like to go through handwriting samples and doodles. I miss that in the HiTech world that I live in, though.

17. Off late I have come to realize that though all my life I tried to be as different from my father as I could, we are more alike deep down. There are a lot of his characteristics that I have inherited. Surprisingly enough, it makes me swell with pride. Though I have a difference of openion with him on a lot of things, he is one of the most admirable and genuine person I have ever met

Think this is enough for now.

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and Out.

P.S. – Did you hear that youtube will be allowing download of 3 Idiots 12 weeks after its release. This will ofcourse be for a small price. Think the producers are trying to curb Piracy by this means, though am not sure if it will work. It also marks the entry of Google into the “Pay per View” Video business.

The Vande Matram Controversy and an appeal

2009-12-01T01:13:00.001+05:30

A few weeks ago the papers were filled (again) with the Vande Matram controversy, with the various madarsas claiming that it is against Islam, and the Sangh pariwar (again) questioning the "Indianness" and patriotism of Indian muslims.

I find this to be stupid and irrelevant on both parts. On one side, I can't think how can singing or not singing a song determine your patriotism? And, on the other hand, I find the reaction of the Maulvi's to be a bit too orthodox and bookish. I am no expert in Bengali or Sanskrit, but from what I know and have read, the literal translation of Vande Matram is "I bow to thee, mother!!". Now, bowing in itself can refer to a lot of actions. For example, it can refer to anything from the action one does in front of the audience when he "takes a bow", to the "rukuh" or "sajdah" of Muslims, to the bowing and touching of the feet of elders in Hinduism. I believe it is this diversity of actions and meanings that is the base of the controversy.

For the Muslims, Sajdah is something that is reserved only for God Almighty. We do not perform the sajdah to anyone else, not even to Prophet Mohammed (may peace be upon him). So, to ask us to so Sajdah to the motherland amounts to shirk. (Mind you, in the words of Moulana Mufti Syed Shah Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani, the then president of All India Sunni Ulema Board, "If you bow at the feet of your mother with respect, it is not shirk but only respect."). Thus, the main bone of contention is the actual meaning of the word "Vande" and how a person takes it.

Another reason for the hooplah is the actual poem written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, which depicts the country as Maa DUrga, which obviously does not go well with religions like Islam, Christianity, Sikhs, and others who do not believe in idol worship. However, this is not of much importance as the text taken for the National Song is from the first two stanzas of the whole song - which is an unexceptional evocation of the beauty of motherland.

For most people, Vande Matram just means "Praise to thee, O' Motherland". If you ask me, I have no problem in bowing before my country, but my bow will be similar to how I bow before my Parents, my elders, and those I respect. For me, it is similar to how I refer to Allah when I say Bhagwan or Ishwar, and I know that God Almighty does not go looking into the words or the language in which he was referred to or called. It is for this reason that I do not find myself agreeing to the fatwa against Vande Matram, as long as one refers to the National Song and not the whole text.

Another angle to this nonsense bawaal was added by those who want us Muslims to pay reverence to the idols of the motherland. This is against what I believe. If one wants to depict the motherland in some way, I am fine by it. If someone wants to pray to her - go ahead. But, please, for the sake of God! do not force others to do what you are doing, do not question the patriotism of others who fail to toe the line. Do not throw us out. Do not shun us. And, above all, do not try to tell us how to love our country.

This land belongs as much to us as to you. We both have lived here for centuries, have shared the same sorrow, the same happiness, the same turbulent times, the same low and highs. Please do not forget this. Do not Nazify this country in the name of religion, appearence, states, status, languages, or cultures.

We have enough trouble with our neighbours, one of whom is hellbent on destroying itself in the fire it started to burn us down, and the other who speaks one thing and does the other, to have time to fight within.

Please give it a thought.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Senseless banter

2009-11-09T04:20:00.000+05:30

I am sorry for the senseless banter that is about to follow, but I have to put this down. I know that by the time this is actually posted it will be more than a week since my sister's marriage, but I promise to myself that there will be no changes in the original version. This will be posted as it is being written now.

It feels kind of wierd after your sister's marriage. On one hand, you are happy that she is beginning a new life together with some one she loves, someone who cares about her and will love her for the rest of his life, and on the other hand you are sad to see a part of you leave for ever. I know it is not that she will stop being your sister, but you will obviously never have the kind of time to spend together that you had before, nor will you come first in her life.

The strange thing is, while we all talk about the feeling of the girl's parents, there is little or no thought given to those of her siblings, specially her brothers. It seems that we brothers are assumed to be detatched from our sisters, but believe me, it is not the case.

We may not get a chance to express our anguish or to mourne our loss, but the feeling is still there - may be not for all to see. I know, because I have felt that way twice.

And still, I am happy because my sister is, and because she is stepping into a new dimension with the man she loves. I just hope and pray that their ride is a happy one :).

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

My shifting story

2009-08-11T04:19:00.003+05:30

So, I am back. Have shifted my place, sorted and kept everything properly (That means that each item is in a different jumbled stack), bought or arranged for the necessary items I had to - like a mirror, an iron, water, some stuff for the daily midnight snaks, and so on and so forth. And, most important of all, finally got the internet connection up and running (though I am sure the guy who delivered the modem is still cursing me for making him come all the way to my office to deliver it to me).

The shifting was actually fun, as my friends dropped by and lent a hand in moving all the stuff that i had (which by the way, was neatly packed). And, since it was my friend's birthday that day, we all went out for dinner. The landlord had given me a set of keys for the lock to my place and that of the main gate, but since I replaced his lock with mine, I forgot to take the key of the main gate when I went out. And since we got real late in coming back, I did not come back that day.

The next day I woke up at 2, partly because I had not slept well for the past 3 days. After having a quick cup of tea, my friend dropped me home and I started to unpack my stuff. Now here's the thing - I am a very disorganized person. So, instead of opening one bag at a time and keeping things properly, I emptied all bags and cartons at one place, set up my laptop and newly acquired speakers, loaded my favourite playlist, and went to work.

By the time I was done, it was nearing 7, and I still had a lot of stuff to get. So, i had a bath and picked up my cycle and went for a trip to the near by market. The first time I went, I bought almost all necessary items except for an iron. So, I decided to go out again, get some dinner, and see if I can get an electrician's shop which has a decent steam iron that I wanted. So, I again rode out and found this great joint that serves really great Shawarma (if you are a vegetarian - don't ask about it. If you are a non vegetarian and live in NCR, I'd suggest you go to the community centre in New friend's colony and find out for your self, else you are welcome to drop by here and i will treat you to this great Lebanise dish). I then rode further in search for an electrician's shop (it being Sunday, most of the shops were closed). I rode uptill Tirumalgiri but to no avail, and finally decided to turn back.

While coming back, I spotted a Super store that I had somehow missed, and decided to check it out. And since the space in front of the store was all filled with cars and bikes, i parked my cycle in front of another shop that was still open and locked it woth the padlock. And when I came back after 15 minutes, i found to my utter bewilderement that the shop was closed and someone had stolen my beloved cycle :(.

I hadd no other option but to walk back home, ruing for my loss and angry with myself for loosing my trusted companion. But my bad luck had not left me alone. After reaching home, I hung the quarter length mirror on the wall with the help of one of those stick on wall hooks that you get. Sadly, the weight of the mirror was too much for the poor hook, and it fell down with a crash after 5 minutes. Cursing myself under my breath, i picked up the broken shreds of glass and called it a night.

The rest of the week was spent in mundane office work, and got the guys from the ISP to come on Saturday and draw the cable for internet. However, they did not bring the modem, and since Sunday was closed, got the internet working only tonight. Also, had a whole lot of clothes to wash, so I was kept busy and did not miss the internet that much.

So, this is my shifting story. Hope I did not bore you much. BTW, this is a pic of my place that I took from the webcam of my laptop -

This is Hashir, signing off (and planning to buy a new cycle soon)

Over and out.

A new place to call home

2009-07-29T03:44:00.002+05:30

Because of the fact that me and my roommates finally decided to shift out of the place we currently stay at and the approaching month end looming over my head, I have been forced (for the first time in Hyderabad) to look for a place to stay. And since our offices are in different areas and also because I wanted to stay alone, I decided to look for a single room accomodation for myself.

Since the rents at Sindhi colony (where I stay right now) are sky high and because it is difficult to find a livable single room here, I decided to shift to Karkhana. It is a good locality, about 2 kilometers from my office, kind of laid back (the way I prefer), and has all shops in the near vicinity.

So, spent Saturday looking for a room to stay. The first place I went had a single room on the third floor (pent house they call it) with a big enough roof to satisfy a small city boy like me who misses that and more in the apartments. The only problem was the rent - he quoted 3K while I wanted a place in the range of 2.5K.

The second place had 3 rooms on the top floor with common washroom and toilet. That guy also had like 8-10 dogs who were all locked on the top floor itslef. On top of that, the ceiling was asbestous. Now, anyone who has stayed in Hyderabad knows that the summers are too hot to risk living in such a room. The only saving grace was that the rent he quoted was 2K.

The third and fourth places with a "To Let" board were locked, and the fifth room I checked was too damp and stuffy for my liking. Here too the rent was 2K.

I decided to call up the first guy and ask if he was ready to give the room for 2.5K. Sadly, he refused. I then discussed with a few friends and with my parents and sisters. Their advise was the same - take a room which you like, even if it is a bit expensive. After all - that is why you are earning, right?

So, finally decided to take the first room on rent. Will be shifting on the first of August - which means I will be offline for some time till I get the internet connection transferred. Right now, all I am worried about is how to pack all my stuff in the bags I have. Seems to me that it has grown exponentially - what with all the CDs, DVDs, and books I have bought by the dozen.

Any how, have started packing and all. Will be giving an update on how that went as soon as I get the internet connection transferred. Also, will be writing about my experiences staying alone - as this is going to be the first time. But somehow I feel that this is what I really need - some time alone. Till then,

This is Hashir, signing off (to continue packing)

Over and out

Quarter life crisis : A Guest Post

2009-07-23T04:12:00.004+05:30

As a part of 5th 20SB Blog Swap, me and Daniela have guest written a post on each other's blog. Following is her post.

I have days where I believe that at 22 (going on 23, augh), I am well on my way into a full-blown quarterlife crisis. Other days, I don’t care. And other days I just completely hate the phrase. What does it even mean? Who came up with it? Why is it discussed like it’s some kind of incurable disease? Who decided that by the time that most of us are in our mid-20s, we’ll be having an existential crisis?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned that I hate, it’s my lack of direction. It’s frustrating and annoying and sometimes even depressing. I thought that I had at least a general idea of what I want to do with my life, but one year after graduating college, I’m still as lost as I was the minute they handed me my diploma.

There’s a reason people say the first year after college is the hardest. The majority of us are still settling into this thing everyone calls the real world. June 21st marked the one year anniversary of my college graduation. It’s been a little hard to take that in, because it doesn’t feel like a year. If anything, I still feel as overwhelmed as I did back in August, when I first attempted to become an adult by moving to Austin, Texas.

But what good does it do me to complain yet sit around and do nothing about it? Nothing. I can whine all I want; it isn’t going to change the situation. I have to make the change happen. I guess sometimes I’m at a loss for how to actually make that happen. That’s not to say I’m not trying though.

Life is what you make of it. I can read all the books and articles in the world that go into an in-depth analysis of what a quarterlife crisis may or may not be, but at the end of the day, we are victims of our own apathy and lack of motivation. If I have a quarterlife crisis, it will be because I did nothing to prevent it. I like to think everyone wants to have a purpose, a sense of direction, a general goal in life. So maybe it’s time to pick something and stick with it. Sounds easy enough, right? Probably not, but it’s nice to think it might be.

We don’t have to discover who we are right away, but we should attempt to find out who we can be and what we’re capable of.

Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.

It's up to you to make it happen.

Random ramblings

2009-07-20T00:19:00.003+05:30

Before Alok comes all the way to Hyderabad and flogs me for not fulfilling my promise of writing a post, let me just do it.

As for the post, it is going to be very random, so please do not try to find any connection in the writeups.

As they say, it is not possible for anybody to find friendship over the internet. But, I beg to disagree with all the sceptics. The reasson I say this is because I for one have found really great friends and people, specially in the blogging world.

Take Alok for example - we only know each other through his and his daughter's blogs and through some chats on gtalk, but he has become the missing elder brother to me - someone I always missed in my life. He has been there to guide me when I get stuck, and his suggestions - both personal and professional - have been invaluable.

Or take Corinne - she has helped me rediscover myself in a way. We had a real long chat today - and by the end of it I felt as if all my troubles are too small to be worried about. I am really looking forward to meet them soon :).

Or take my friends from the Satyam blogging world - and now from the Manor. We all have been interacting with each other through our Intranet blogs, and later started on our individual blogs as well. And when the Satyam blog went down for a couple of weeks, we found that we were missing our interactions and friendly banter. To not miss out on all that, we all put our heads together and started our own collaborative blog on the Internet. Though we did meet in person later (although not all of us have met each other yet:(), but we will never forget where our friendship started.

Enough of this yapping. As usual, I failed to fulfill my promise of going to the early morning ride of Hussain Sagar. I dutifully shutdown my laptop at 12 AM yesterday night, but sleep evaded me. After all, it is not easy to change old habits in one night. Finally slept at 6 only to wake up at 8:30, as I had to appear for the SAIL Management Trainee (Tech) exam at 9:30 at Hindu Public School, Sanath Nagar and I did not know where it was or how long it would take to reach there.

My plan was to leave early and cycle to the centre, but because of my laziness and lack of sleep I had to ditch it in favour of reaching the centre on time :D.

As far as the exam itself, I am pretty sure that I am going to make the cutoff (in my mind that is). The sections on verbal, quant, reasoning, and general awareness all wet fine - but the Section on Computer Science went kaput. Out of the 100 questions, the majority were on either probability or Automata. Now, Automata was my favourite subject in engineering, but it has been like 4 years since I actually read the book - let alone design a machine. So, all i had was a deja Vu sensation of knowing the answer and yet not knowing it for sure. And for the sake of negative marking I left those questions alone. Probability is a different story all together. I never understood its concepts - so there was no use of even looking at the questions. So simply put, no scorer for me :P.

Things at the home front are also looking up finally (Thank God for that), so am a bit relieved.

We had a team meeting with our PM on Friday and we asked him why is it that technical guys are not being pushed for onsite roles and what are his expectations from us. And his answer is as follows -

Any person who is 6 months old in the project should

Know all technologies we work on (That includes Oracle SQL, PL/SQL, Forms 6i, Reports 6i, Discoverer reports, Optio reports, Java, Unix, and also server administrations of Zylab and Planet Press);
Know the functionality of each and every module (both standard and customized); and
Know all customizations we have in our project.

Politely speaking, the answer is a big NO ;).

He also issued a veiled threat saying that in the current scenario we should be happy with what we have got. As if....

After the meeting, we were (as usual) making fun of the management approach, and we have figured a way of answering any question by contineously speaking for atleast 15-20 minutes. For example - if someone asks you, "How are you", here is how you should answer if you want to rise - "This is a relative question. It depends upon the individual perspective of the person. For example - the person in front of me may think that I am feeling sleepy, while the truth is that I am perfectly well slept and alert as a bull. So, the correct way to put this across is to include the perspective also......(Keep blabbering on so that next time the person does not dare ask you anything)"

But then, as they always say, "Chalta hai".... n apne bhi din ainge chote, so tension nai lene ka.

Hope I did not bore you so much that you do not visit this space the next time.....

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Am going mad

2009-07-15T01:09:00.002+05:30

Am going mad guys. No work to do, no improvement in the kind of work I have been getting for the last couple of years, no challenges to look forward to, in short - life right now S**KS man.

For the past couple of days have nothing to do. Also, slowly the realization is sinking in that I am kind of loosing my technical skills. My aptitude is still good, and so is QA - but I am somehow getting the feeling that I am forgetting a lot of things I used to know. Seems to me that I am gradually turning into my own worst nightmare.

Things at the home front have been kind of bad for the last couple of weeks or so - and there is not even a silver lining in sight.

Have been quite far from my cheery self - which is troubling my friends here. The worst part is - I can not tell them the real reason behind my disposition. So, all thoughts are going around in my mind and there is no outlet in sight. God! I want to just leave everything behind and run away from all this maddening stuff. But then another part of me tells me to stand up and fight like a man, but am tired of doing so day in and day out. All I need is that silver lining, that hint of sunlight in the fog I am ingulfed in - and I will find my will to fight back - and fight back with a vengance. Am still searching.....

This is Hashir, signning off

Over and out

The more I sweat, the more I shine

2009-07-14T02:13:00.003+05:30

I'm not a star.

There is no halo over my head.

Fate doesn't like the colour of my eyes.

Struggle and srtife are old friends of mine.

Who am I?

I'm survival, I'm guts, I'm pride.

I like odds.

Specially when they are stacked against me.

Because there will come a time when I'll stare them in the eye

And smile the smile of one who's pulled it off.

I'm the guy who'll have deep lines on his face some day

And it'll make me look good when I laugh

Because that is the day I'll have no fear

And taste the sweat that is sweet

And look back for the very first time and say,

I did it my way

The long hard way.

Disclaimer - The above poem was a part of the print campaign for Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber (You can read the first one here). I took permission from them to reproduce this on my blog, and all copyrights belong to them or the poet as the case may be.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Fragmented mind

2009-07-08T04:22:00.001+05:30

A lot of things going through this idiot mind of mine... need some to sort them out. Will be back soon.

Keep visiting in the mean time :)

Congratulations Fedrer

2009-07-06T04:27:00.000+05:30

Why?

2009-07-03T03:13:00.000+05:30

Right now, after the long hiatus, I have a lot of posts going in my mind and screaming at me to let them out and share them here. I planned to start from yesterday itself but unfortunately for me (and fortunately for you) internet was not connecting. So, I start today

This post is a question - a question to all those who are married or committed. Those who have found their soul mates, thier life partners. May be it is great having someone to share everything with, and you want us single people to enjoy the same.

But who gives you the right to interfere in our private affairs, to judge us, to consider us liars when we say that we are happy being single at the moment. May be we have not found the right person yet, maybe we are commitment phobic, or may be we are just plain happy being single.

Who asks you to discuss us with a hint of sympathy in your voice - as if we are faking our happiness and are internally dying to get into a commitment with anybody and everybody? Who allows you to perser us with advise on how to get a girl (or a boy, as the case may be)? Who asks you to count the days for us and tell us that we are getting old and that we need to get into a commitment soon.

And since when this all this start to matter. Since when did having a boyfriend or a girlfriend become a necessity and a social obligation. Call me an idiot and a romantic, but I believe that one should enter a relationship when one feels like, and not because of social or peer pressure.

Am sorry for boring you people, but I have been brimming with anger since a friend of mine called me up and told me that he has been discussing my "SITUATION" with a mutual aquaintence. Mind it - not with a friend, but with an aquaintence.

I have nothing against relationships. I just am plain happy being single at the moment. So all you "pseudo" friends and advisors pay heed, the next time you come to me with unsolicited advise - you are going to get a mouthful and then some more. So, beware.

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and out

I got an award

2009-07-01T04:56:00.004+05:30

May be this is Zeba's attempt to wake me from my slumber and update something here.... but now that she has awarded me, I have to write. So, here it goes.

RULES FIRST :

1. Link the person who tagged you.

2. Copy the image above, the rules and the questionnaire in this post.

3. Post this in one or all of your blogs.

4. Answer the four questions following these Rules.

5. Recruit at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll by sharing this with them.

6. Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.

7. Have Fun!

Questions & Your Answers:

1. The person who tagged you: Zebra Talk

2. His/her site's title and url: http://zebra-talk.blogspot.com/

3. Date when you were tagged: 30th June 2009

4. Persons you tagged: Reveda, Anne, Adarsh, Khushi, Deepak, Swapna, and Karie

A bike.... finally

2009-06-29T04:42:00.004+05:30

I am very happy to announce that my best buddy Shariq has booked a RE Electra for himself. Within the next 15 days he will be the proud owner of a new bike, inshallah :).

We both planned to buy a bike this year - but I have shelved mine because, frankly speaking, with office being only one and a half kilometers from where I stay there was no point in going for it. Also, because of the fact that I am looking for a change in location right now - it does not make sense to book a bike in Hyderabad and then pay for registration again in some other state. (Sounds stupid - well, this is India my friend).

Here is what his bike will look like (am sure the colour will be black n not red though) -

Please join me in congratulating him for his latest posession. Hope it lasts a lifetime :D, and we have a lot of rides together in future - Inshallah.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

I like odds. They help me get even

2009-06-26T03:10:00.003+05:30

Success has no address,

No landmark,

No calling card,

But the path is steep.

And some will take the elevator,

But I will take the stairs,

Some will get there faster,

But I will get there stronger.

And adversity will be my travelling companion

Because when I reach there I can turn to adversity and say, So long,

And heave the bag of taunts and insults I have gathered along the way, and scatter them to the birds.

I will miss them,

But feel lighter,

Yes

That will be the day,

When I stand by a large bay window and unclench my fist

For there will be no more odds to conquer,

Not even in the mind.

Disclaimer - The above poem was a part of the print campaign for Kawasaki Bajaj Caliber. I took permission from them to reproduce this on my blog, and all copyrights belong to them or the poet as the case may be.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

A new collaboration - Manor of the Ardent

2009-06-25T03:40:00.000+05:30

The last week has been an eventful week for Satyam and it's associates. First came the declaration of VPP and the knowledge that many of our friends were part of those who were going on sabbatical. By the end of the week Satyam got a new logo and management changes (with many more in the pipeline) and the news that around 400 associates have been called back from VPP within a week. Talk about a committed management.

In between all this, the Satyam blog site somehow went down. Now, as you all know, we have a group of dedicated bloggers in Satyam, and as happens - many of us have become great friends. The first day was spent discussing about why the blog site is down and how much we all are missing it.

By the end of day two, the discussions shifted to what we can do to find a work around - since blogger is blocked in Satyam network :(. Deepak did some quick RnD and found that wordpress is accessible from the Satyam intranet and we unanimously decided to start a collaborative blog. And so, the Manor of the Ardent was born.

Imagine a space with 14 different writers, each with his or her unique style of writing, with a different persepective of live and happenings around us, and different point of views - and you get the Manor - OUR Manor. It is the perfect melting pot of people who have only one thing in common - that they work for or worked for Satyam and know each other by their blogs. All we share is a mutual respect for each other as a person and as a blogger - and our different view points ensure that the space is never monotonous and always has a discussion going on. Welcome dear friends to the Manor.

The page has proven to be a hit - with 1280 page visits, 37 posts, and 396 comments - all in a weeks span :D.

I, being a proud Ardent, invite you all to visit the space, go through the different posts, and leave your comments. Hope to see you there.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Random Thoughts

2009-06-04T08:25:00.001+05:30

As I sit here with sunlight pouring through my window, all I can think of is how I am going to survive today. You see, the problem is that I have not slept well for the past one week or so. And the crowning glory is that I was unable to sleep even a wink tonight, which means I have been awake for close to 24 hours now. My eyes feel as if they weigh a ton and all I can think of right now is to complete the component I have been developing and run away from office ASAP.

On another note, since my MS is almost complete, I have decided to look for a new job. The only catch is that I want to shift to NCR as am tired of staying so far from home. Lets see what comes up with this :). Pray for me, will ya.

This weekend is going to be special for me as I am going to meet a few blog friends of mine for the first time. We all blog actively on the Satyam blog space - but have somehow never met till now. And now one of my friends is coming from Chennai to meet us here :D. Sounds interesting doesn't it :). The only problem is - as happens with all the programs - we do not have any specific plan except that we are going to meet other bloggers. We planned to catch Angels and Demons at iMax, but could not get the tickets :(.

The thing with blogging is that you tend to forge friendship with people that you have never met or talked to. And since you tend to share a lot about yourself with others (sometimes without realizing this), they know a lot about the real you. So, that initial ackwardness is missing and the conversation really flows.

On the work front, there are plans to shift the location from where my project operates. The new location will be very far from where I stay right now, so am not sure on what I will do when this happens. (The new office will most probably be in a SEZ - far from the city). But am not worried about that as of now - what will happen will happen, there is no point in pondering over it now.

I know this seems like a jumbled post, but the thing is that am suffering from some sort of a writer's block (not that I write well ;)), just like Zeba here. So I decided to write what ever comes to mind - and this is the result.

For now, this is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Some good and some bad news

2009-05-29T04:20:00.000+05:30

Well, the best news first - My friend's mom is out of danger and on the path of total recovery. Although she has a lot of stitches on her face and a dislocated jaw, but hopefully the worst is behind us all.

And the second good news is - I have (finally) cleared the third semester of MSSE with an overall CGPA of 6.24. "What's great about this", you say. Well, for starters, my overall CGPA after 2nd semester was 5.19, and with 5.5 as minimum pass and only one semester to make amends (because in 4th semester we are awarded just a letter grade which does not count in CGPA calculation) meant that I needed minimum 6.19 in this semester to clear the course. (I actually got around 8.1 in this semester) - which goes on to prove that if I just study for some time before the exams, I can pass. (Well, who cares now. This was the last exam I am gonna write in a long long time, now that I have a PG degree from BITS to my name).

Also, after more than one and a half year in the same project, I am finally getting work that I enjoy doing and which is challenging (Hopefully this phase continues). Now if only we were shifted to NCR - and I would be a very happy man.

On the flip side, there are a lot of rumours floating around about Satyam and its surplus employees - again giving jitters to parents and friends alike. Thankfully I have nothing to worry about, and so am planning to stay here unless and until I get an offer from an organization based in NCR. So, lets see what comes of all this. All I can say right now is, don't worry guys. Keep smiling, like Reveda here is doing :).

BTW, keep praying for the speedy recovery af my friend's Mom. I know it helped.

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Pray with me

2009-05-26T04:13:00.003+05:30

For the first time since I started blogging I am not sure about whether or not to write this, and how to express myself.

My friend's parents met with an accident yesterday while returning back from her house. Uncle expired on the spot, and Aunty's situation is critical. The doctors are trying to stop the internal bleeding. Please pray that she recovers.

Am disabling the comments on this post, as all I request from all of you are your prayers.

Will give an update as soon as I get one

Honest Scrap award

2009-05-18T04:56:00.001+05:30

Adarsh has given me the "Honest Scrap" award and has tagged me to say 10 things about myself - with full honesty. So, here goes -

I am addicted to Wikipedia and can spend the whole day reading articles without getting bored.
I just love to watch the sunset. I also love nature, and greenery calms me down.
I love wearing shoes, and practically live in them. Conversly, I absolutely hate wearing sandals.
I am a movie buff, although I rarely go to a movie theatre. I usually get the DVD and watch at home.
I am a certified bookaholic, and can read practically any genre except for most self help books and the Mills and Boons type novels.
I am religious, but not conservative.
I absolutely love programming, and have since my class 10th.
I love to open my computer and reassembel it again (God! when will the warranty of my laptop end?)
I want to do PHd in cryptography, and work in RnD
I hate formal wear, and usually go to office in jeans and shirt.

Whoa, that was tough... now, I would like to pass this to the following deserving bloggers -

Reveda and her Dad

I really wanted to tag more people, but decided not to. Will do so next time, pakka (That is, if I get tagged again ;)). Till then,

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

A saga of nicknames

2009-05-14T00:14:00.000+05:30

We all know about nicknames. Most of us must have one (atleast), ar atleast given some nicknames to their friends or family members.

Somehow, I seemed to have missed the Nickname bus when it passed me by. So, right from school to college and now to job, I never had a nickname - well, actually, a nickname that stuck or was popular enough to make me identify with it.

The first name I remember having (or rather, giving myself), was that of the great Indian comic hero, Super Commando Dhruv (Now I fail to understand what I saw in my skinny little self to do that then, but then that is what being child is all about). This name never went beyond me - and till end of my +2, I never got another nickname. (The only one that came close was "Tu Fail" - a breakup of my surname - but it was only used during result distribution. Strangely, I have never failed in any exam my whole life, not counting the various entrance exams I gave.)

The same thing happened in college. While I was active in giving names to my friends and teachers, somehow never got named (or renamed) myself. It was always the plain old "Hashir" for me.

And now, even in job, never got a real nickname. The one that came close was Hash, which my onsite tech lead called me once or twice. But thats it. Still no nickname for me :(.

So, seems like my search for the elusive nickname continues. Any ideas where I can find one?

This is Hashir (searching for that elusive nickname), signing off

Over and out.

Meeting a fellow Blogger

2009-04-30T00:14:00.005+05:30

How do you react when you meet a fellow blogger. When you see the person you have known and come to admire, for the first time? How does the conversation flow - like it does when we discuss things here on the blogospherse - or like when two strangers meet for the first time?

Am sure each one of us will have their own stories of what happened when they met a fellow blogger for the first time. I too have my share of them :). The first time I met someone from blogosphere for real was when we had a meet last year - with me, Vamsi, Abhinav, and Urvi joining in.

The second time was when I met Maddy. We both operate from the same location (Ohri towers) and the same shifts - but in spite of trying many times we never could meet. Then suddenly one day we met without any plan what so ever - and it was great. Now we keep running into each other, and it is fun to talk to him :D.

The third time it happened was on last Sunday, when I met Abhishek for the first time... and how!! It all started when he bought a bike on Saturday, and in the evening we chatted on phone and decided to go for a ride in the morning. The next morning, I rode from my home to Kakatiya, where he stays - and from there we started our ride, chatting about everything under the sun.

There was no set plan for the ride, and we went where ever our bikes took us. After We finally stopped near Lumbini park and had breakfast and a smoke, all the while talking about blogging, friends, cycling, college days, education system, future aspirations, life, and what not.

Finally we parted at Lumbini Park, with a promise of meeting again in future for more such rides....

If any of you is interested in joining us, he or she is most welcome. We plan to ride on weekend mornings (no specific plans as of now) and gradually increase the distance of the rides. Hope to see you there. Till then,

This is Hashir, signing off....

Over and out

What is happening in our country

2009-04-28T02:35:00.001+05:30

I am really surprised and dejected at the state of education in our country. If knowing the fact that most schools here just aim to make money and provide substandard education was not enough, comes the news that corporal punishment is still much of a norm here.

Most of us would have read about, and already forgotten, the case of Shanno - who was beaten by her teacher so bad that she lost her life. On top of this comes the news of Akkriti, who lost her life because her school could not provide her with required medication for her asthma. If this is the state of schools in our country, then I would rather let my kids study at home rather than go out and put their lives at stake every day.

Many of us will argue that punishment is required, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. But why should punishment mean corporal? Can't we disipline our child in a different way - by making him realize his mistake, and that whenever he does one, he has to pay a price. May be the price is that he has to sit in class while the his peers enjoy a fun activity, or by making him miss something he really enjoys doing. Isn't this a better way of making a child realize that he must pay the price of any wrong he does. Or, do you want to say that we are so cowardly that we can't disipline our children except by beating the hell out of them?

My heart goes out to the two kids mentioned above, and the immunerable others who did not find mention in the newspapers. This post is dedicated to them, andto the hope that such incedents do not happen in future.

This is a pained Hashir, signing off

Over and out

P.S. - I must confess, I too had all but forgotten about these incedents. Thanks to Alok and his daughter, Reveda, for reaching out and bringing me out of my slumber. You can read about what they say about these incedents here and here

P.P.S. - I would like to request all my friends visiting this space to raise their voices against such incedents. We all need to make a stand in our own, small ways, to make a difference.

Blog Reader Appreciation Day

2009-04-16T00:05:00.005+05:30

For the uninformed, today is Blog Reader Appreciation Day. So, I would like to thank all the readers of my blog for dropping by, and for commenting on my posts.

Thanks again for visiting my space, and hope you continue to drop by in future also.

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and out

A confession - and a dilemma

2009-04-15T02:48:00.000+05:30

I have a confession to make - I am a complete, hopeless spendthrift. The only time I have saved money in my life is when I had to purchase something. But, after getting a job even this habit has started to vane thanks to the great EMI offers, Personal Loans, and credit cards. Infact, the only reason why I am not neck deep in debt is that I still do have a somewhat sensitive head, which stops me from following all my heart's whims and fancies (though I don't listen to it that much).

Okay, now that I have confessed, let me come to the next point of discussion - which is the current dilemma I am in. Before talking (or rather, writing) about that, let me give you a bit of a background which has given rise it. The thing is, we are Inshallah going to have a function at my place in October/November (and no, I am neither getting engaged nor married, yet). Obvoiusly, when you have a function at home, there are a lot of expenses involved, and I want to support my Dad to the fullest possible extent. This means that I have to start saving from now - since my present bank balance is zero (thankfully it is not in negative).

Now, coming back to my dilemma - it is about whether or not should I go ahead and purchase a bike? The thing is - with Tech Mahindra having taken over Satyam, I can breath more easy now than before, and also since I have already paid the last semester's fee of my MS, so some of my expenses have reduced. So, I can think of buying a bike. The problem is, the bike I want to purchase costs a little over 1 Lakh INR, since my dream bike is the Thunderbird

I have wanted to have a bullet since I was a kid, and the TBTS is that and more. And, I know that I am short, fat, and that I won't look good on the bike - so all my detractors - you have no points to comment on (evil grin!!).

This is my dilemma. Should I buy it now, or should I wait till say August, see my bank balance, and then decide on whether I can take the risk or not. I am thinking on these lines, and am requesting you to think and suggest. Till then,

This is a confused Hashir, signing off

Over and out

The Rozabal Line - A review

2009-03-22T07:28:00.005+05:30

I happen to be a real bookaholic, but due to increased work pressure over the last few weeks I was unable to get myself to read any new book (although I have quite a few waiting to be read).

Finally, yesterday, decided to get down to reading and finish the backlog, so that I do not feel guilty when purchasing a new one :).

So, checked out my cabinet to find what all novels were not read (am really into fiction), and decided to start with The Rozabal Line. And, after having finished reading it, I am happy that I started with it. Following is my excuse of a book review (I have never done this, although we do discuss books and give our comments, but a book review - never)!

The book actually starts from where The DaVinci Code left. It builds upon the legend of Jesus Christ, and works on the lines that Jesus survived his crusification, travelled to Kashmir in India, and died there - and that his bloodline still survives. Parallel to this runs the story of a fictional spin off of the LeT, an unholy allaince between the 13 and the Crux Decussata Permuta, and the Illumanati which opposes the Church for their own selfish reasons, and ofcourse, the great Feminism.

The book is well paced, and flows smoothly from one age to the other - gripping the reader and taking him for a ride in the myraid world of conspiracies, controvercies, secret, and intregue - till you are ready to beileve in anything. the author then slams the killer punch, and makes you reorganize your perceptions and beliefs.

In short, a must read book. I would give it a 4 out of 5.

Will be back with more reviews. Do give your comments on this review - as this is the first time I am writing one. Till then,

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Thankyou Mr Varun Gandhi

2009-03-21T06:36:00.006+05:30

Well, the latest scion of the famed Nehru-Gandhi family strikes, and how. By shouting that we muslims have dangerous sounding names, that if you see us at night you will get afraid, that he will cut our hands if we (supposedly) strike on our Hindu countrymen, and by suggesting that any muslim who wears a beard looks like Osama.

Thank you Mr Varun Gandhi for expressing your views in the open, and for bringing to light that all the rheotheric of the Sangh pariwar/BJP about Hindu Muslim unity, and about treating muslims as Indians is just that - mere rheotheric.

He made fun of the names we have, he made fun of the appearence we keep, and openly threatened my community members. And why? Just because we are the minority here? Just because it has become fashionable to bash up the minorities for some votes. Or just because it so happens that the so called Jihadis and I share the same religion, and so I deserve to be bashed up in my own country.

What proved to be the icing of the cake was when he said that his cousin sister (a girl aged 7 or 8 years) commented on the appearence of another party's candidate and said that he was Osama bin Laaden. Well mister Gandhi, let me remind you that India is a demotric country and we all have the fundamental right to keep any appearence we desire as long as it is within certain limits. And, I know of no laws which prohibit anyone from keeping a beard.

The little girl may have made an innocent comment, since the images of the Al-Qaida chief are shown so much in the news. But now was the time to instill a sense of tolerence in the lady. It should have been explained to her that just because two people have the same appearence does not mean that they both have the same character, just because some religious fanatics wage a war in the name of religion does not make all followers of that religion bad or terrorists.

But no. Instead of doing something that was good, and right - this man chooses to do something that shows the world how "Indian" he truly is. Being a true Indian does not mean singing the national anthem or Vande Matram, nor do you become a true Indian by shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" the loudest.

A true Indian is one who can practice and preach the concept of tolerance and acceptance - of different cultures, religions, and thoughts. These quaities make our country great. Sadly, the netas do not realize this.

Shame on you Mr. Varun Gandhi, and thanks for showing your true face so early in your political career.

This is a very shocked and pissed Hashir (who also happens to be a Muslim), signing off,

Over and out

Disclaimer - This post is written assuming that the video of speech shown on CNN are correct. If proved otherwise, the author would like to retract from his views about Mr. Varun Gandhi

A bad day in office

2009-03-17T03:57:00.005+05:30

As I sit here, reminiscing the day that has gone by and trying to determine what went wrong, all I can say is that this was one of the worst days in my professional life. I have seen bad days, and I believe that I will see some more (hopefully a small number) in future, but this comes right at the top because of the timing.

Well, it so happened that we were going through the "GO LIVE" phase of the project I am working on. All had gone well, and the just a couple of reports had to be tested before getting the green signal and having all "Well Done" and "Good Work" mails to start pouring in. But, this was not to be.... as in true Bollywood style and following Murphy's Law, the second last report to be tested - failed.

This report was developed by, hold your breath, your's truly. Since I was not a part of the team that was in office, so I was blissfully unaware of this, and remained in my ignorant heaven till Monday afternoon, when I reached office - only to have all volleys turned at me.

What saved me from getting lynched was that the onus was on the functional guy to test the report after it was developed, and thankfully I had a mail from him saying that all was fine. What happened was this - this report calls 4 other programs, and the fourth one failed because I did not pass one mandatory parameter.

I know that the responsibility of the correct development was on me, and I take all blame for this, specially because due to this we lost all ground we had gained during the development, and we also were not praised for a job well done - all because of me and the bl**dy missing parameter.

So, I tried to maintain a sober and serious face throughout the day - which surprised my team mates as they are used to seeing a happy and funny me - but then tough times need tough measures.

So ended my day - which was filled with a lit of shouting, and questions being raised on the way I work (My lead even said that I need to come out of the "second year" mentality.) When I asked him what that was, he said that second year students of engineering behave as if the whole world is theirs - and I need to get a bit serious.

Well, to tell you the truth, will think along these lines. Need to do some introspection. Till then

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and out

I want to vote

2009-03-14T06:03:00.005+05:30

Well, to tell you the truth, I did not believe in voting - simply because I thought that the processs of elections is only to choose who will rob us for the next 5 years. But, lately, I have had a bit of a transformation, and now I want to cast my vote.

The change is in part due to the "jagore" campaign, and also because I finally got my voter's ID card made. And now, I find that I can not cast my vote, because I will not be in my city when the election is held there - I will be in Hyderabad - where I am not registered as a voter.

Makes me think, a lot of us are away from home, and some are also abroad. Shouldn't there be a mechanism for us to cast our vote irrespective of where we are. Maybe we can have an online poll, where you can login using your Voter ID number, and also a security question whose answer is difficult to guess, and then cast our vote on the date of election at home.

Don't really know if there is any option for people away from their home to cast their votes. If anyone knows of anything, please do tell me.

Before signing out, I would like you people to check out the video of "Shutup and Vote", the anthem of the jagore campaign.

This is Hashir, signing off.... (and hoping that everyone who has the chance to vote, does so).

Over and out

A Quick update

2009-03-13T03:18:00.002+05:30

I have won the "Blog of the day award" for 12th March, 09. Here is the link to the announcement - http://blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com/2009/03/doodle-chronicles.html.

Thankyou guys,

Hashir

Thankyou for touching my life

2009-03-08T23:53:00.004+05:30

On the occasion of Women's day, just wanted to reach out and thank all women who have changed my life.

The following deserve a special mention -

My Mom - for giving birth to me (ofcourse), and for teaching me that it is stupid to blindly follow the world, and for understanding when I actually did that. Love you mom!!
My Elder Sister - for accepting nothing but the very best from me.
My Younger Sister, Halima - For accepting me for who I am, for ignoring the innumerable times I put her secondary, and for still loving me always, blindly
My cousin sister, and my bachcha, Faiza - For treating me as the most important person of her life, for being disappointed whenever I was away on her birthday, and for always accepting my feeble promises for being there the next time.
My Aachi - for being the wiff of fresh air in our "serious" household, for always guiding me and emploring me to grow up (I won't - ever), and being the only person in my home to have not scolded me (I am working on that)
My dearest Bhanji, Anzalna, for making me realize what I am missing by being away from home. Forgive me kid
My dearest friend and sister, Ridhi - for always believeing in me and caring for me as if you are my mom, while you are actually younger (Yeah yeah, by a month only. So what, I still am the elder one here (wicked grin))
My friend's, and my sister, Rosy - for bringing me back on earth
For my best friend, Sanju - for being a true lioness and always threatening to kill me. Believe me Kid, you never will be able to.

These are some of the women who have touched and changed my life. To others whom I have not mentioned, forgive me, for I do have a bad case of forgetfullness. And please, don't ever stop touching my life and making it better

This is Hashir, wishing all a very happy Women's day

Over and out

Some great news

2009-03-04T03:13:00.004+05:30

Hi guys,

Well, I have some great news. At around midnight, I became a proud uncle as my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. (Makes me ask, what the hell am I doing in Hyderabad when I should be in Lucknow with my family - celebrating).

As per the latest news I have, both my sis and her daughter are doing fine, although the young one was in the incubator when I last heard. Will be getting more updates in the morning.

My dearest bhanji will have to wait a few more days to meet her mamu, but I believe that I am more eager to be by her side right now.

Will try to upload some pics once I get hold of them....

Need your blessings and good wishes for the newest addition to my family.

This is Hashir, signing off(and jumping with joy)

Over and out

Financial (Un)stability

2009-03-02T00:54:00.009+05:30

Well, seems like I am neck deep in financial trouble. Being a 20 something techie with little or no financial obligations, I fell into this mess of EMIs, credit cards, and personal loans [:(]. All was under control till the Satyam fiasco did not happen, but now for the last two months am in an economic crunch.

The reason is that though we are getting our salary on time, the payments of other components like the variable pay and the shift allowance is still on hole. And, for me, this means that every month I am getting Rs around 7500 less than what I was expecting.

This surely has affected me a lot, and no matter how much I stop myself from spending lavishly, I still have to meet the payments of the various EMIs and rent etc.

So, right now, am facing the heat, and am trying to find a way out. Lets see where this leads me to. Meanwhile,

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

An exam, and disappointment

2009-02-27T05:00:00.001+05:30

Well, I gave the paper for NIC this Sunday. And as expected, it did not go well. There are plenty of reasons for this, and following are the main excuses I have for this -

The paper was setup on B.Tech subjects. I have not opened those books in 2 and a half years, so this was expected.
Was really bogged down with work, and so could not devote time to study.

However, the truth is that I did not open the books even when I had time to do so. Maybe I had made up my mind in that I could not go through the huge course in such a short span of time, and so I did not even try.

Any ways, since I was already expecting a real bad performance, I was not at all disappointed with my bad show. The disappointment I am talking about was in the voice of my younger sister. I told her that I had appeared in the exam, and her first question was - "So now you will come home!!" And when I told her that the paper did not go well, I could literally see her disappointment in me, inspite of her being miles away from me. I really felt sad in breaking her hopes, but then such is life.

Any ways, now I am back to the good old work schedule, deadlines, and mistakes. I am planning to host my own blog site before long, and am trying to learn the basics of CSS and refresh my knowledge of PHP. Once I feel confident enough, will be getting my own space on the internet. Watch space for more information. Till then....

This is Hashir, signing off,

Over and out

Over the weekend

2009-02-18T02:19:00.005+05:30

Well, most you must have (correctly) guessed that this post is all about the happenings over the last weekend. Like all software engineers, I too get these two days to really chill out and get ready for the next week ahead.

However, my idea of chilling out is a bit different from that of most. So, all I do over the weekend is spend more time in front of my laptop (and you thought that after staring the computer screen for 5 days I may ask for a break!!).

Well, Saturday was uneventful - except that I caught up with a lot of old friends on gtalk, and cycled some more. The fun part started on Sunday. I was woken up by my room mate with a cup of hot, good smelling tea. He placed that on the bedpost and asked me to drink it and not fall asleep (which he knew I was about to do).

So, I somehow tried to wake my sleepy senses, and reached out for the tea cup. But since my senses had now woken yet, the cup slipped from my hands and fell on the bed. Now, the only problem is that I usually sleep with my laptop near my pillow - since checking my mails is the last thing I do before going to sleep. And, this day was no different. So, the tea spilled near my laptop.

I was fully awake in a jiffy, with the only thought in my mind was the safety of my laptop, which is a Dell machine without the Complete Care warranty. I pick up my laptop and see that the falling tea had missed it by a whisker, and heaved a sign of relief.

It was only later that I realize that the tea, though sparing my laptop, was not so kind to my mouse, and so now I have a mouse with a real stiff left key and a perfectly working right key.

But, all well that end's well... and so I swore to myself - to never put a cup of tea at my bedpost again (And you thought that I was going to let go of my Laptop huh!!)

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out

Dedication

2009-02-09T03:03:00.002+05:30

This post is dedicated to all posts which died in my head, whose ideas came to me when I was busy with something else, or was in no position to write it down.

I don't know how many of you have gone through this, but it is a fairly regular occurance for me. I would be in office, or strolling around, and I get a great idea about a new post. But, by the time I sit in front of my laptop to write it down, either I have forgotten all about it, or can not express it as well as I want to. So, the post gets dropped.

And then, after a few days have passed, I get the same idea - and the same thing happens :(.

This post is dedicated to all such past and future posts, which died a premature death in my head( sob!!)

This is Hashir, signing off

Over and out.

लगता नहीं है जी मेरा.......

2009-01-29T02:10:00.003+05:30

लगता नहीं है जी मेरा उजड़े दयार में
किसकी बनी है आलमे-ना-पायदार में

बुलबुल को बाग़बां से न सय्याद से गिला
क़िस्मत में क़ैद थी लिखी फ़स्ले-बहार में

कहदो इन हसरतों से कहीं और जा बसें
इतनी जगह कहां है दिले दाग़दार में

एक शाख़े-गुल पे बैठ के बुलबुल है शादमां
कांटे बिछा दिए हैं दिले-लालज़ार में

उम्रे-दराज़ मांग के लाए थे चार दिन
दो आरज़ू में कट गए दो इंतिज़ार में

दिन ज़िंदगी के ख़त्म हुए शाम हो गई
फैला के पांव सोएंगे कुंजे मज़ार में

कितना है बदनसीब ज़फ़र दफ़्न के लिए
दो गज़ ज़मीं भी मिल न सकी कूए-यार में

The epitaph of Bahadur Shah Zafar (written by himself), the last Mughal emperor of India

WTF is this

2009-01-26T23:49:00.007+05:30

WTF is hapening in India? As if the moral policing on Valentine's day and the attacks on Christians in Karnataka was not enough, comes another shocker from the so called "Cultural Police" when they barged into a pub in Mangalore and attack the people there, including the ladies.

Is this what our culture has taught us. Don't these guys know that it is cowardly to hit women, and that India being a democracy - every one has a right to do what he or she wants, as long as it is within the law. And, this action did in no way abode with the law.

The Bajrang Dal and the Ram Sena were quick to claim responsibility of this shameful attack. Infact, a spokesman of the latter elaborated on the reason of the attack - which was that these girls were hindus, and were with muslim men. So, does this mean that now hindus and muslims can not even mix together. Should I be afraid to talk to my friends just because they are hundus, or should they stop socializing with me just because I am a muslim?

When will these people realize that it is this stupid, idiotic, and demeaning thought of theirs that is affecting the unity of our country, and helping our neighbours spread discord and enimity among the youth of India.

I sincerely hope that the guilty are bought to book, and this investigation does not end the way the investigation to Godhra riots ended.

My thoughts and prayers go with the victims of this barbaric attack

This is Hashir, signing off (with tears of anger and frustation in his eyes)

Over and out

P.S. This video has been taken from youtube.com

Thanks IndiBloggers

2009-01-23T02:26:00.004+05:30

A quick update. IndiBloggers have accepted my blog in their listing.

Most probably those guys liked the fact that I had pasted almost all of their badges to my blog, or may be they were sympathitic of the huge effort that I would have to do to remove these badges from my blog, and so they have approved my request :D

This means that all Indian bloggers who are registered with IndiBloggers can see my blog in the listing and may even visit it.

This may result in some new friendships being forged, friendships which hopefully will last a lifetime and will spill out from the virtual world to the real world.

For all those Satyamites out there who are aware of our corporate blog site, which unfortunately non-satyamites can not see, won't it be nice if others could also view and comment on our posts?

I know that there is always the issue of corporate governance and policies, but there is no harm in wishful thinking and day dreaming, is there? so, let me dream

This is Hashir, dreaming off(oops, signing off)

Over and out

Update on changes... and some doodles

2009-01-22T02:24:00.002+05:30

for the (privileged) few of you who are following this blog, here are the updates and changes i have done in the layout -

i was planning to change the theme of my blog. but i did not like the change, so it seems that i am stuck with this layout for the time being. (Waise how would it be if i create my own layout. lets see!!)

Added a whole lot of logos from IndiBlogger. i have also registered my blog there - hope they accept it. (waise i believe that it will be accepted - after all the main criteria is that the blogger should be of Indian origin - which i know i am ;))

I actually planned to add just one or two of the IndiBlogger logos - but i could identify with a lot of them, so i added all of them. hope it is not looking bad. please do give in your comments (another feeble ploy to increase hits and get some comments)

I also added all three pics of SPCH(Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Blogs) - as i liked all of them. lets see when they update their collection.

I added a hit counter from easycounter.com to track the number of hits on my blog - hope it gives me inflated statistics ;)

At last, at the bottom of the page, I added "member of IndiBlogger" logo - again in the hope that they will accept my membership request

Apart from these updates on the changes in the layout, i just wanted to write something because i am feeling down at the moment. the reason being that i am stuck with an issue at work - and can not resolve it till i receive some clarifications from the users. and the good users that they are - they are not responding to my mails. and, as the delivery date comes nearer - the same users will shout at us :(

i am also surprised at the attitude of the leaders when it comes to dealing with the clients. agreed that they are the only reason why we have work - but this does not mean that we should not correct them when they are wrong.

there have been cases where the client has changed the BRD after the development is over, and then raised a defect against our defect. i understand that we can fix it pronto - but we should bring to their notice that the said case is not a defect in the development - on the contrary it is due to an incorrect and incomplete BRD. but no... no one has the guts to say so. and now, when the client is saying that they will not pay for the rework efforts, we are forced to look into the old defects and find such cases. such waste of time and effort.

baki at the work front the news, as you all know, is less grim than last week... now we have a few companies interested in merger or acquisition.... lets see what happens in the future.... hope everything falls into place soon enough

this is Hashir, signing off....

Over and out

Ramblings of an Indian muslim

2009-01-21T00:42:00.001+05:30

I am a Muslim…. And an Indian. As a Muslim, I have certain duties. As an Indian, I have certain responsibilities. Being an Indian, I am angered when someone attacks my country. Being a Muslim, I am pained when people condemn all Muslims just because the attackers claimed to be Muslims.

I feel that this religional divide is more deep rooted than we think. Maybe that is why my Sanskrit teacher praised me when I topped in her paper, saying that I mastered the language inspite of it not being my language. I have met people who are surprised that in an Indo-Pak cricket match, I always support India. I have interacted with people who say that it is strange for me to abuse Pakistan….

What pains me the most is when educated, well to do people harbour such prejudices against Indians of my faith. Just because I am a Muslim does not mean that I am not Indian, or that I do not love my country. But still, even after 60 years of my fellow brethren proving their loyalities, we are asked to do so time and again by raking up issues which are painful. The Babri masjid act, the genocide of Muslims in Godhra, the vande matram controversy and many other actions ask us to prove our loyalities…… but don’t these people realize that they are just dividing the country – specially at a time when there is a need for us to stand united.

On top of all this, we have people who regard Narender Modi as the prime minister in waiting – maybe his economic policies are good – but what about his role in the Gujarat riots and selective killing of Muslims? Are we not citizens of this country? What proof is needed for the majority to realize that we are also Indians, we too are elated when India triumphs, we also weep when something bad happens in India……

I have also met people who think that Muslims do nothing other than plan terrorist attacks and disrupt peace. After the Delhi bomb blasts and subsequent killing of the terrorists by the Delhi police, one of the parents had disowned his son for attacking his country. This act was very brave – and should be recognized. And the comment I hear is – he did this because of social pressure. I mean, come-on guys - give me a break and please give the old man his due – but no. no matter what we do – we are still branded terrorists.

If so, what about the bajrang dal activists who instigated communal violence in Southern India and killed scores of Christians – do their actions make 80% of our population terrorists. Or the Maoist and ULFA make others who follow their religion terrorists?

What about those who refuse tenants just because they are muslims, or make fun of my religion without knowing about it.....I can go on and on….. just wanted to pent out my feelings after hearing some comments by my team member…..

This is an Indian, and a Muslim, signing off

Over and out

** I do not want to offend anybody - just had to clear my mind and write my take on the "All muslims support terrorists and/or Pakistan" impression

Shame on the insensitive media

2009-01-11T22:26:00.000+05:30

Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop screen and trying to analysing the happenings of the last few days and how they are going to affect the lives of people working in Satyam in particular and in the Indian IT outsourcing industry in particular.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the past few days is the insensitive and unprofessional manner in which Indian media has handled the scam done by founder of Satyam computer service limited. By now, you must have guessed that I too am a Software engineer working in Satyam.

Maybe the scam was big, and the media needed to get sound bytes and to get the mind of Indians from the Mumbai terror attacks. But this does not mean that they have the right to spread baseless rumours without thinking about the affect they might have on the families of those who are staying away from home. Me and my colleagues were hounded with calls from concerned friends and relatives trying to confirm news about “No salary for two months”, “Satyam being locked”, and “Satyam fires 15000 associates on bench”. We had a hard time explaining them that all these are baseless rumours and nothing else, and all we want at this critical juncture of our professional life is to be left alone so that we can concentrate on the bigger task on hand, which is to do our job to the best of our abilities.

Apart from these calls from friends and family who had no way of knowing what is happening inside, what irritated me most was some of my fellow associates pinging me and asking me about my future plans. Well, let me answer all their queries in the only way I know – which is point blank and 100% truth – that I am sticking here. I am not being emotional or loyal, I too am concerned and worried about the financial mess I may land up in if I have no job (which actually is inshallah not going to happen), but I really believe that now is the time to work for the company not just in monitory terms by earning moolah from the client, but by being useful in our own small ways…. And for all those who are running away or are planning to run away – all I can say is that my organization does not need cowards like them. It is in times of difficulty that the true character of a man emerges – and I am really sorry to note that many of those whom I held in high regard have fallen from my esteem. I can do nothing, but atleast I am warned!

I am touched by the support that most of my friends and family has shown towards me. They have told me not to worry about anything – and are only concerned that I do not get tense because of what has happened.

Having said all this, I really believe that it is time that Media is taught about ethics and morals. How would they feel if their job was in the firing line, and their parents and family were far away with nothing but the idiot box to tell them what is happening? I think they should stop for a moment and think on these lines. I am really impressed by The Times of India, which atleast has the guts and the thoughtfulness to retract any wrong info they published, and to mention the rumours that are being spread by some insensitive channels and papers looking for a scoop. For the rest of the media, I just have one sentence to say – SHAME ON YOU GUYS!

I will keep updating this space with the latest happenings in Satyam and my thoughts on their affects on our lives.

This is a proud Satyamite, signing off…..

Over and out

The Conscience of a Hacker

2008-12-13T05:47:00.005+05:30

==Phrack Inc.==

Volume One, Issue 7, Phile 3 of 10

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The following was written shortly after my arrest...

\/\The Conscience of a Hacker/\/

+++The Mentor+++

Written on January 8, 1986

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Another one got caught today, it's all over the papers. "Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal", "Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering"...

Damn kids. They're all alike.

But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950's technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him?

I am a hacker, enter my world...

Mine is a world that begins with school... I'm smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me...

I'm in junior high or high school. I've listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. "No, Ms. Smith, I didn't show my work. I did it in my head..."

Damn kid. Probably copied it. They're all alike.

I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it's because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn't like me...

Or feels threatened by me...

Or thinks I'm a smart ass...

Or doesn't like teaching and shouldn't be here...

Damn kid. All he does is play games. They're all alike.

Damn underachiever. They're all alike.

And then it happened... a door opened to a world... rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict's veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought... a board is found.

"This is it... this is where I belong..."

I know everyone here... even if I've never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again... I know you all...

Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They're all alike...

You bet your ass we're all alike... we've been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak... the bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We've been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.

This is our world now... the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn't run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore... and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge... and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals.

You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals.

Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.

I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can't stop us all... after all, we're all alike.

+++The Mentor+++

What is going on?

2008-12-02T00:56:00.003+05:30

we all know what has happened in Mumbai and how our brave soldiers, cops and civilians laid down their lives resisting the terrorist attack. we all stand behind these brave souls and their beraved family in their time of sadness mingled with pride.

all over the country, citizens have found their own ways of showing solidarity. most of the cities have seen candle light vigils that have been organized to pray for these brave sons and saughters of India.

sadly, this grief has not touched our politicians. even in this time of tragedy, they are hell bent on playing the games of onemanship - trying to pull some political gains out of this tragedy. while the leading party is trying to shift the blame, the opposition parties are trying to show how if they were in power, things would have been different. there seems to be a competition in who announces more reward.... the same leaders who till yesterday were claiming that the ATS was corrupt because they had caught a so called sadhvi in connection with the malegaon blast are now in praise of the same ATS.. and had even anounced a huge monetry compensation for its chief, who sadly laid down his life while fighting for the country.

the CM of kerala rushed to bangalore to the house of the brave major Sandeep Unnikrishnan after he came to know that he was originally from kerala..... and was unceremonously thrown out by the bereaved father, who did not want a political drama to unfold in his house or the condolence of someone who does not even feel the pain of loosing a fellow countryman, let alone a son......

and now we have Mr Naqui claiming that the candle light vigils are nothing but following the "Western culture", and has women who have used lipstick and powder..... well Mr Naqui, maybe they were dressed - but atleast they were there to show their solidarity - to assert that we as a country stand united in such troubled times - that we do not care from which state the martyrs belonged or which religion they followed - all we care about is that our motherland has lost a few brave sons while the so called leaders where sitting in their pulsh bunglows - discussing the situation and doing nothing....

if this is the kind of leaders we have then i believe that it is time we take things into our own hands - maybe it is time the citizens of this great country rise above the petty politics, unite - and show these leaders that they exist because of and for us - and not vice versa.

This is an Indian, signing off...

Over and out

A cyclist is reborn.............

2008-11-30T00:54:00.002+05:30

During my school days, I was an avid cyclist - and had many a ride with my friends Alikesh, Prashant, and Raju and explored the outskirts of my hometown, Unnao. The two rides that I remember most vividly are as follows -

Once, I and Prashant rode out to go to a iron factory located around 9 Km from our city (and around 11 from where we stayed) - and all this just to get a certificate saying that we have inspected their factory - to be attached to the project file we had to make as a part of our ICSE board exams, all for a measly 20 marks. Needless to say, the guard at the front door shooed us away (I suspect he must have had a laugh with his co-workers later)

The other time, we were getting bored of sitting at home, and so decided to visit a mutual friend. But when we reached his place, we were told that he had gone to Kanpur. Rather than turn back, we decided to ride on and discovered a centre for training of fire fighters after around 6 Km. (I know I know, but it was a discovery our own private universe)

In those days I used to have a Hero Ranger MTB (which was just launched in the splattered dual colour model). Later, when my Dad got fed up of paying for the repairs of fallen screws and flat tyres, he gave it away while I was away from home – and bought me a Hero Jet plus.

But somewhere down the line, the good old cycle lost its sheen and was replaced with bikes and scooters.... (In those days scooters were still in use and were considered a nice ride). I tried to blackmail my parents into buying me a bike - but they somehow were able to resist all such demands of mine.

Then came the time of coaching for engineering – where I shifted to Lucknow for my classes. Since my coaching was far from home, and because of the erratic timings, my father absolutely forbade me using the cycle as a mode of travel. Also, as I had started to feel ashamed of travelling on a hero jet (as it is the bicycle most associated with the milk mans, who prefer it for its sturdiness), I too did not insist on using a cycle.

After the coaching came the four years of studying for my engineering degree – and since my college was about 9 Km from the city, the preferred mode of travel of mine was the ever present tempo and (later) my Dad’s scooter.

After completing my degree, I was offered a job in a Software company and was transferred to Hyderabad. By now, cycles had again come into prominence – not as a mode of travel – but as a mode of recreation, meeting new people, and remaining fit. But since my office was like 25 Km from my place, and being a notoriously late riser and a very lazy person to boot, I could never get myself to go to a shop and purchase a new bike.

We even had a cycle show in our office, but they displayed the firefox range, and for a guy earning a measly 12000 bucks, even the thought of purchasing a bike for 25000 bucks is like wishing to buy a Ferrari……

And then I got into a project and was transferred to an office which was near to my place. I could have bought a cycle then, but I pacified myself by claiming that my home was not secure to park a cycle (Indeed, we did not even have a parking - and so the cycle had to be parked on the road – and the area was not very good when it comes to security).

And then we shifted to a new house – which is in a gated community and has guards at the gate round the clock. The first thought that came to my mind after coming to the new home was that I can now buy a cycle – but I kept postponing my visit to the showroom…..

And then, last month, one of my friends posted the picture of his cycle on his blog site…. And I fell in love once again. But time was a big constraint – as I was working over the weekend also.

And finally I got a Saturday free last weekend, and the first thing I did after waking up was to go and purchase a cycle for my own. I bought a Hercules Atom with 18 gears – and I have been going to office on my new bike since then. And the reactions of my colleagues and bystanders are fun …. Some of my office mates and one of my roommates has tried to deter me from going to office on a cycle as it is meant for the guards only (what sad thinking!!)… Others smile, and still others have praised me and have promised to purchase a bike of their own…. I have been asked by strangers about the bike, its cost… and today I was praised by an auto driver for doing the right thing.

Such comments make me happy – and make me curse myself for having waited for so long for purchasing the bike…..

The only thing is, I am so out of tune and my fitness level is below zero – so I am still not in top gear. The distances which I used to cover without a curve on my brow now leave me thirsty and a tad tired. Add to that the fact that I had started smoking in my B.Tech – and I am left with burnt out lungs…… but I will get to it. I am gradually increasing the distances I cover every day – and soon I will be in prime shape (hopefully)

Till then, this is a reborn cyclist, signing off….

Over and out.

सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

2008-10-09T02:41:00.001+05:30

सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाज़ू-ए-क़ातिल में है

(ऐ वतन,) करता नहीं क्यूँ दूसरा कुछ बातचीत,
देखता हूँ मैं जिसे वो चुप तेरी महफ़िल में है
ऐ शहीद-ए-मुल्क-ओ-मिल्लत, मैं तेरे ऊपर निसार,
अब तेरी हिम्मत का चरचा ग़ैर की महफ़िल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

वक़्त आने पर बता देंगे तुझे, ए आसमान,
हम अभी से क्या बताएँ क्या हमारे दिल में है
खेँच कर लाई है सब को क़त्ल होने की उमीद,
आशिकों का आज जमघट कूचा-ए-क़ातिल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

है लिए हथियार दुश्मन ताक में बैठा उधर,
और हम तैयार हैं सीना लिए अपना इधर.
ख़ून से खेलेंगे होली गर वतन मुश्क़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हाथ, जिन में है जूनून, कटते नही तलवार से,
सर जो उठ जाते हैं वो झुकते नहीं ललकार से.
और भड़केगा जो शोला सा हमारे दिल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

हम तो घर से ही थे निकले बाँधकर सर पर कफ़न,
जाँ हथेली पर लिए लो बढ चले हैं ये कदम.
ज़िंदगी तो अपनी मॆहमाँ मौत की महफ़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

यूँ खड़ा मक़्तल में क़ातिल कह रहा है बार-बार,
क्या तमन्ना-ए-शहादत भी किसी के दिल में है?
दिल में तूफ़ानों की टोली और नसों में इन्कलाब,
होश दुश्मन के उड़ा देंगे हमें रोको न आज.
दूर रह पाए जो हमसे दम कहाँ मंज़िल में है,
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है

ज़िस्म भी क्या ज़िस्म है जिसमे न हो ख़ून-ए-जुनून
क्या लड़े तूफ़ान से जो कश्ती-ए-साहिल में है
सरफ़रोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है
देखना है ज़ोर कितना बाज़ू-ए-क़ातिल में है

Ram Prasad Bismil

a favourite poem of mine.........

2008-09-25T02:11:00.000+05:30

Forget about the days when u you've been lonely
.....But the don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen

Forget about the days, when it has been cloudy
.....But don't forget your hour in the sun

Forget about the time, when you have been defeated
.....But don't forget the victories you've won

Forget about the misfortunes, you've encountered
.....But dont'forget the times your Luck has turned

Forget about the mistakes, you can't change New
.....But don't forget the Lessons you've Learnt

Forget about the Plans, that didn't seem to work right
.....but don't forget to always have a dream

The Chronicles - chapter 1 - my early days

2008-08-28T00:31:00.000+05:30

i do not remember much about my early days (obviously!!), but my parents tell me that i was a very naughty kid, and was very protective about my younger sister. infact so protective, that when in our later years we used to fight like anything, they used to wonder if we were the same kids......

another highlight of my nappy days was that i used to love to imitate my mom while cooking, so that kitchen was my playground - and i used ti demand for all utensils that i laid my eyes on - so much so that at times mom did not have anything left in which to cook food in.

also, i never slept at night (a habit that continues to this day), so my mom and dad had a hell of a time raisig me - specially my dad, coz he used to come tired from office, and then just as soon as he was dozing off, i began my "waa waa" song (Thnx dad for bearing with me)

then when i started to walk, one day i broke a glass bottle while my mom was in the kitchen and i was in he living room, and by the time she came running, i had cut my feet by walking on the glass shreds. the time till this injury was healed was like living hell for my parents, since i always used to untie the bandages and try to walk

i was a late walker, and the first time i walked, i actually ran from the bedroom to the main gate (it has like 3 rooms and an aangan in between)........ only when i reached the door did i stop (mainly because it was closed). my mom still jokes that had the door not been closed that day, God knows till where i would have ran!!!

that when i was 10 months old, i had a real bad case of jaundice, and the doctors feared for my life. my mom sat on the hospital bench for 3 days and 3 nights straight, till the time i was not declared out of danger. and my elder sis was caught praying in front of the mirror, asking god to take her life n spare mine....... Aapu n Mom - i love you!!!

that i was a big child, and during the pregnancy days the doctors believed that it were to be twins. think of the fun we could have had!!
thses are some of my recollections from my ealry days.....

this is Hashir, signing off

over and out

The chronicles start

2008-08-23T21:15:00.000+05:30

This is the start of Chronicles of the Doodles. for the uninformed, doodles are the drawings you do unintentionally while you are busy with something else......

so, here i am, on a saturday evening, writing away to glory while the world around me is enjoying and having a blast.. Poor man, you would say, but please do not be so fast in drawing conclusions, for according to me weekends are a time to relax..... and for me the best form of relaxation is sitting infront of my laptop and do whatever i feel like doing..... you may say that i am addicted with computers.... and that is true.

i have just turned 25, and the only thing i have been sure of all along is that i need a computer to survive. coding is my life, and is the biggest ego booster for me. believe me, the kick that you get whan you have finally created that tough code can be matched by nothing.

but after two years in the software industry, i feel dejected, distraught and find that all my dreams are shattered. while in college me and my friends believed that to succeed in this industry all you neeed to know is how to code, and innovative solutions are rewarded. but i find that in the service based software companies like the one i am working in, it is not your skills in front of the computer but rather the skills with which you can interact with the client, write mails, and kiss your manager's a** that matters here.

i still am continuing with this organization partly because my bond is still not up, and partly because of some other reasons. but once i am free of these boundations, i will break the shackles and soar in the wind like a free bird.....

hopefully that day will come soon.....

right now this is Hashir, signing off......
Over and out