Its Classic!!

01 November 2010. Our first anniversary.

Before we knew, we have completed one year of married life! Time has just flown!! Been an amazing, fun and tension filled first year.

Looking forward to all the fantastic years ahead, with a Classical touch ;)

Ambrosia and the CNN Hero of the Year

Ambrosia means food meant for Gods. Everyday we are blessed to choose from so many types of food which would make even the Gods envious.Have we ever thought how many of them outside have no access to hygienic food for even one time a day? Or have we ever thought of how much food we waste in a single day? In the Mumbai branch of the IT company I work for, there is a stats board that shows us how many KILOS of food we waste each day. That always brought back memories of the deeds of person I know in Madurai. He is family friend and an award winning Chef who used to work for a 5 star hotel in Bangalore. He was bound to go to Switzerland when an event changed his entire outlook towards life.

His name is Krishnan. Why would I be talking about Ambrosia, food wastage and Krishnan? It has a connection. Krishnan currently feeds around 400 odd people in and around Madurai every day, with piping hot food. The event that changed him is really a heart rendering story. How many of us will have the guts to drop sophisticated lifestyle and job to just help the poor?

Read about his story here (Source: The Hindu): Krishnan's Story

Now, why would I be reminded of him when I see the food wastage at my office? Well. 7 years ago, 3 of my friends and myself decided to celebrate our birthdays in a different manner. We decided to sponsor a meal by visiting his trust: Akshaya. We never knew that Krishnan would makes us tour with him in his Omni van and make us hand over the food parcel to the needy. It was an experience beyond words. The moment his van drove up to the designated spot, people who take food from him waited patiently for him to hand over the parcel, with an eager expectation.

Many of these people were in a state where they couldnt distinguish the food they were having. And it was his parcel of food that kept them going strong. Many of them were mentally unstable as well. It was a heart warming sight to see them trust a stranger and take the food he offered.His kitchen is impeccable with high standards of hygiene. And he personally oversees the food he prepares.

The palette might not have an impressive menu, but it filled a few 100 stomachs. Since it was our birthday we remember him making a sweet "Kesari". We promised ourselves that we should help him in any way possible when we started earning. Sadly that never happend. And all that wasted food at our office always brought back memories of the effort Krishnan makes to provide a sumptuous meal to the needy.

It made us more careful with the way we ordered food in bulk and have since considerably reduced the wastage after a party. Now, the main reason why I am presenting this story is because Krishnan has been shortlisted for CNN-Heros of the Year award to be held on Nov 25 at Los Angeles.

I request all of you accessing my blog to please vote for him and make him the preferred choice from India.

The prize money is huge, apart from the $25,000 he would get for being shortlisted, if he wins, he would get an additional $100,000. With that he should be able to build is dream home for the needy, the Akshaya Home and also medical service for them.

Please pass this story on to all of them.

Subi: I am depending on you to pass this story to all at St.Xaviers and ask them to vote for him.

My friends in IT: Please pass this on to your near and dear so that Krishnan wins maximum votes! Hope we reduce the food wastage @ our homes and work place.

To vote for him visit: http://heroes.cnn.com/vote.aspx

We need heroes like him.

Arun"Dirty" Roy

Hello Everyone!

I had wanted to write on a lot of things in the past few months, but couldnt gather my thoughts. But, one disturbing aspect that took place in Delhi made me write again. No, not the Common Wrath, ooops, sorry, common wealth games. Its more like the Satyam fraud. Every one knows its a scam but not guilty until proven so...leave that.

Arundhati Roy. She pops up here and there where there is a way to reach media nirvana. Guess she is helped by her cousin, the mighty Prannoy Roy of NDTV. I am sure we all have the freedom to express our views. But she has taken it for granted. It doesn't mean that having a won a Booker Prize you can thrust all your thoughts on an unassuming audience. Here she is voicing her support for a seperate Kashmir and declaring that it was never an integral part of India.

Congress is unpertrubed by this comment and still is mulling over giving a go ahead for her arrest. I would be really surprised if the press community raises their voice if she is arrested. This is tantamount to betraying India and she has to be branded a traitor.

Yes Kashmir is a huge problem with no resolution in sight. That doesn't mean that Kashmir can be given on a platter to any other country. Will this mean that if Darjeeling starts to pelt stones, she will go there and say Darjeeling was never an integral part of India? Is it not enough that China maps Arunachal Pradesh to their territory and Pakistan occupies a part of Kashimr? Do we need Indians to go ahead and say these inappropriate things?

This should be strongly condemned and she should be arrested and all her basic rights revoked unless she publicy apologizes to Indian citizens. Oh no!! Lets not do that.. then she will be hailed as the Suu Kyi of India. Guess the best thing to do is totally ignore her and make sure that she is never covered on primetime news. (Even thats highly unlikely with Prannoy Roy around)

Arundhati has dirtied herself. She is neither a novelist nor a Social servant.. she should have been confined to what she was doing earlier: Teaching Aerobics in Delhi's 5 start hotels.

Shame on you Arundhati!

Basement Al Saud

Asalam-O-Alaiykom!
Kyhal falak? Howdy guys?

I almost forgot that I had blog!!! Finally, I realized that I was missing my scribbles and writing.So here I am ... back to my blog.
Two months have passed in Riyadh and lots of things happening here ... primary being Work.. God! Never thought I could work so hard ;) Guess Medhavi will be happy to know this :D Yeah.. putting in as much time as is required/demanded!


Football fever is catching up in the nation and my client is coming out with new packages for the football crazy citizens in the form of add on packages et al. And oh.. we are gonna watch the Argentina vs Germany match in a Bowling Complex this Saturday.. its good to take off on a working day right? That reminds me.. back in the previous project, we used to crib that we needed a break in the middle of the week.. am getting it here. Yeah.. Thursdays and Fridays are off for us and believe me I am still not getting used to it.. One thing is for sure though.. weeks fly by! So.. Rahul, Aditi and Riyaz.. its not so great having a weekend in the middle of the week guys!!


Okay.. breaking news: I HAVE LOST WEIGHT!!! Promise guys.. I have lost weight.. what the Suburban trains in Mumbai couldnt do has been quite spectacularly achieved by one and only Harini, my wife :D :D :D ( Need to hide the rolling pin today after I go home;) )Well.. not because she cooks bad.. she has transformed into my DIET POLICE! :'( No deep fries, no chips, no sweets and ... well ... the country forbids alcohol..) A bowl of All bran flakes and a constant stare from my wife is enough to lose weight I guess.. Devil!! Get married.. trust me.. this is the best weight loss program ever!!!

Jokes apart, I have lost weight coz finally I am getting to have home made food... more importantly, good food at the right time.. She cooks amazingly well.. a fact coz I invited two unsuspecting bachelors for dinner and they are still alive and kicking ;) Now, am trying to go for a walk in the morning.. I believe all we need to do is 15-20 mins of brisk walking.. and all the fat I so carefully and lovingly accumulated over a period of 4 years will melt in the bright white sun beating down on us. Mercury touched 53 deg C last week and now its hovering between 38-49 Deg C, a Natural Sauna...and if there is a sandstorm, thats a "sand-pack" scrubber thrown in for free!



As I type this, I can hear the imam calling out for the daily prayers.. Allah-ho-Akbar. La ila ha ill-Allah! Have learnt the salah (namaz) calls and rest assured, I have a job when I decide to leave IT for good!

Coming back, the country is HOT. It looks more like an American Colony though.. I love it when I see a Hummer H3, a Maserati, Lincoln Continental, an array of Dodges next to our office Cab.. WOW!! All the fuel guzzlers in the land of petrol.. amazing!! Any car ever produced on earth is available here (Will try to come out with an album sometime later) Only problem.. they drive like crazy!!! Its not unusual to see a dodge or a camry hit and left on the center of the road.. Have to be really careful when crossing the roads..Driving is left hand and the stores here are full of western costumes.. Every aspect of lifestyle is American... looks like being in the Wild Wild West (East?) with better infrastructure and ppl in black and white.. their Attire.

The Costume here is amazing.. the white dress the gents wear is called "Thobe" and they have a head band and red/white checkered head scarf to go with it as well. We have been warned that Saudi's do not like non-locals wearing their traditional costume.. but man.. I want to try it out.. dont be surprised to me in a thobe once back in India ;) The ladies have to wear the Abaya when in public. Thats all I know about them.

The week passes away pretty fast and its the weekends that are a big bore.. what can you do in a city where there is no Cinema, no music in public, no performing arts .. Answer is simple: Be guinea pigs in your wife's experiments with food! First, I seriously wish that someone bump off Sanjeev Kapoor and their likes.. they churn out un-prounouncable recepies and is tested on us!Ladies have access to the net and have become experts in trying out new varieties the chefs show.. the problem is compounded when there are atleast 7 families in the appartment and all of them are equally excited to try out new things!!

One thing is for sure.. East or West.. India is the best. Am seriously starting to miss the occasional vada pavs', the trains over flowing with people.... in short all the Chaos that we call 'Home'! Agreed, the job is exciting, money is good.. but there is that something missing in all of it... as the wife says 'its like the salt missing in sambhar' ;) (Rolling pin defintely needs to be thrown out!!!)

Sorry if this entry sounds a little broken up .. been some time since I wrote :)

Khuda Fiz.
Basement Al Saud {Basement The Saudi}

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hi there. Been very long since I blogged.I was held up in a lot of things.One of the things that was holding me up was this deputation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. My wife and me landed here on 01-May-2010.We are put up at Al-Fahd which is kind of a serviced appartment. I am working for the Saudi Telecom Company project.

Have to tell you that the city is pretty well developed. Malls and flyovers dot the landscape. Or should I say Sandscape??.I have a feeling of homecoming because every other person is a malayalee and they are proving to be of great help!!

Harini has to wear the burqa whenever she comes out of the house, and has to be accompanied by me all the time she is out.She is just getting used to it by the way. To me, it sure is different.Its a welcome change to see my wife open the door after a day's work!Home made food is great!! I hope I dont pile up more kilos!!

Had to tell you this thing. Imagine. you are in the desert kingdom, which is primarily arid.We dont expect it to rain that much right? I too didn't expect. But I was prove wrong and how!! This monday, (03-May-2010), Riyadh saw one of the worst downpours accompanied with hurricane like winds and hailstorm, enough to throw the entire city off track!! The major roads were closed and water everywhere!!

This is the kind of roads we crossed yesterday evening to reach home.It was a nightmare.Hope the situation doesn't reoccur! Now, coming to food... Devil and Bert.. .man, you guys will love the spread here.Its inexpensive, tasty and immensly filling.Heard from teammies here that the non veg here is amazing.. and bert, I will try to fulfill ur wish by bringing home camel meat!!!

Office is huge and work... am just getting started. Will keep updating the blog as and when possible! Ciao.