Back with a bang!

Phew... its good to be back after a long hiatus and to see so many hits on this blog. This is sheer encouragement and just pushes me to re-kindle the minuscule passion of writing in me if there is any remaining. For now let me start my scribbles on world's most sought after emotion - 'LOVE'. Yes, and that too a strong one perhaps the strongest as we look back in history and trace all the happenings till now. We can see that many good and bad decisions taken and the incidents aftermath are due to this single if i may say a chemical imbalance in us. Wars were broken and countries divided...also many wonders were made/built on Earth purely owing to this emotion. Well I can write a ton on this for ages but let me save some for future. Let me confess I am a sucker for love and so are you....c'mon let the shells crack...waves break and let free your egoistic souls for some time at least when you are reading this...love can be towards anything or anyone as long as it is genuine and pure they can be really strong and invincible. For once let me write about an infatuating dream about this girl....yes and i know what you are guessing - why should love always relate to a guy or a girl and their relationship?.....yeah i know and thats why i bailed out earlier saying its a mere infatuating dream and sorry for being so pessimistic on this as lots of people would relate love to only this when it can be related to a lot more...so feeling not so sorry for them ( :-) i too have passed this stage) I'm jotting down this and pardon me for being so poetic.............

A DREAM

Deep in my heart
Lies an image like an art
Can't stop thinking of her
Seems like a souvenir to remember
Morning calm to evening jams
Are just a passe with her charms
Time just flies by with her thoughts
Every nuances of her feels a lot
This is a dream i wish to see
A dream that will eventually set me free
Free from the evil clutches of reality
Oh, I wish this dream was very true
Let the gate of love open and let us through

....Happy blogging

Wounds Of Terror

Mumbai being handicapped by a bunch of fanatics armed with kalashnikovs and enough ammo to take down an army may be thrilling in movies but it's not a pleasant sight in reality. Thats exactly what the world witnessed starting November 26th last year and prolonging for about 60 hours or so. In a bizarre but well planned attack by terrorists who were fed and led by the Pakistani extremist organization LeT and their front outfit JuD, Mumbai was almost brought to its knees.Seems like the curse of the British before independence hasn't worn off yet, as this is not the first time India is been back stabbed by its vicious neighbour.The Mumbai carnage was a long cherished dream for terrorists who were plotting to bring about an attack of such vigour that the entire world took notice of
Pakistan especially its intelligence body ISI's atrocious mindset towards progression of peace talks between the two nations.Their main motive was to cause maximum international casuality and cause a downturn in the Indian economic boom.The others who were killed came as no collateral damage as specific instructions were given to cause maximum damage in the Indian soil and give India and the world a jittery
feeling of how gory the hardcore terrorism would be like.Why else would they attack a crowded place like the CST terminal in those peak hours.Many policemen and commandos died valiantly fighting those terrorists.Walls of Prestigious hotels like Taj and Oberoi where smeared
with blood and the remains of human bodies.

This was the day when all the entities of India including the nasty political clout echoed in a single voice "We will not take this anymore". Until then patriotism which was widely used during the Indian independence and occassionally during cricket matches was vastly evident in the Indian hearts and minds.India which was apparently huffing and puffing towards economic boom and globalisation suddenly got pricked by a thorn in its path. This thorn is no ordinary thorn as it has enough venom to bring down the entire nation in due course of time. Yes, terrorism is a thorn and if not taken care of soon would inflict serious damage to the Indian defense system and its overall stability.The loopholes of Indian defence were projected to the world and actually made us feel insecure than ever before.The serial bomb blasts in many cities prior to the Mumbai massacre where just warning bells which the Indian government didn't heed to in a very efficient way. Otherwise how on earth could the terrorists set up their training camps in Kerala and other parts of India and go unnoticed until our cities were really bombed.For Gods sake why are we paying taxes for? For the political clowns to feed their gluttonised bellys?...these militants where training and roaming around right under our nose, used our terrain which we were never aware of, brainwashed and trained many islamic radicals who were supposed to be Indian citizens and planted bombs in our own cities....all these while the Indian government where just enjoying the show.I must admit that I am a sucker for action and so are most of us...but the big Q is how much more tax do we have to shell out and how many political gunny bags need to be filled before we get a good defence system and an efficient intelligence beaureau to counter these rats! I guess India being such hugely populated and
democratic has it own side effects.

I sincerely hope that our government would wake up by now and act immediately not thinking that last year was just a creepy nightmare. As we welcome the new year with great pomp and happiness, I can hear sobs and feel those warm tears of many brothers and sisters who have lost their loved ones in a helpless battle we fought against terror last year.We have woken up to see a new dawn in 2009. A dawn we beleive would shed the light of peace and happiness throughout the world. I know there's so much more to be spoken about this and so many things to be changed....but there are few things which are good to remain as emotions....which are really abstract to pen down.I guess that explains all. But the fight for our rights to live in a peaceful world doesn't end here...there's so much more to come and so many things to be done.Until then lets work on our new year resolutions.

....and Oh! wish you all a happy New Year!

TO PROPOSE WITH A ROSE

Back with a bang is what I call this but you may say 'Oh yeah big Deal!' . Anyways staying away from Blogs for sometime has taken its toll on me. It feels like a tad of romance in me hasn't faded away after all in this season of global recession like all the money which ditched out those poor banks.The writer in me coerced this poem for those like minded casanova's sniffing around for a tinge of girl power. Enjoy!!!

TO PROPOSE WITH A ROSE

Running down a busy lane

Holding a red rose in heavy rain.

I saw a man who seemed a bit insane

Blackened eye and crouching in pain.

People flocking around him

Questioning each other about the mayhem.

Thats when pat came the reply

Just another day for his flirtatious try.

An audacious try for some love and affection

From a girl he believed is an example of perfection.

His style his looks and ways of proposal

Came as no surprise to her brothers at her disposal.

Black and blue were the colours he saw

Those birds and angels never seemed to withdraw.

But he swore not to deter from his immaculate love

Serving as an example for all his brothers in love.

His heart of gold filled with emotions to unfold

Melting like butter yet pretended to be bold.

And thats when my friends I came to know

This rose in my hand had a story you all should know.

There used to be a time when roses where all white

And love filled the air day and night.

Then came a day when a male heart was broken

By a lady of love whose feelings where outspoken.

A rose was on his left and an obelisk on his right Never did he face a moment of fright

Stuck the obelisk deep into his heart.

His love did pour as oozing blood

And turned the white rose into red.

Thats when god who witenessed this plight

Blessed this rose as lover's knight.

The obelisk was blessed to be thorns around

To prevent evil against love from lurking around.

Thats how this rose became a symbol of love

Aligned the hearts of millions who are in love.

So brothers who read this rise and shine

Go get yourself a valentine.

AN INSIGHT INTO THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

What goes up has to come down is a well known saying amongst the scientific fraternity but little did we know that it also applies to 'Sensex'! Amchi Mumbai saw the
sensitive index which was on a constant rise since 2006, crossed the 20k mark for the first time and reached 21k in Jan 2008. Mumbai also saw its droopy phase
when US faced a rough weather in housing,credit and mortgage related sectors early this year which inturn affected the parasitic markets of the third world.As recently as Sep 17th the investment banking sector got a nasty blow when 'Lehman Brothers' filed for Bankruptcy.The fall of this 158 year old investment banking major which was unshakeable even during the 1931 'Great Depression' left wall street and the entire financial world gaping with awe.Shutter bugs didn't stop flashing as major biz wiz's of LB stormed out 745 seventh avenue in New York which also included our desi IIM grads.News channels were abuzz with the twitterings of their collapse and were running haywire to get hold of financial analysts who could give away the latest market story.

It began getting critical when markets projected a gloomy atmosphere early this year when the housing/real estate,credit and mortgage sector burned a huge hole in investor's pocket.Investors especially Lehman Brothers were a bit late in realizing that they were trying to fill a pot with a hole underneath until they posted a loss of $3.9 billion in the third quarter.Poor chaps! little did they know that this was the beginning of their collapse.Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Chairman and CEO Richard Fuld Jr. who was no rookie to the drastically changing financial conditions failed to judge the intensity of this financial turmoil.Finally world saw the day when LB filed for a chapter 11 protection.Their repeated pleas to the federal officials for emergency fund release so that they could bring about some liquidity in the market turned deaf ear.Inside sources say they also plotted a last minute survival act to isolate their rotten real estate assets from the rest of their divisions so that they could save a part of the company but lady luck frantically sped away from them.People say lightning does not strike at the same place twice but before we could bury the collapse of LB under the history of great downfalls world saw another insurance major AIG (American International group) reaching the brink of bankruptcy.They amazed the financial world with their blunders by plunging deeply into the mortgage sector and coming up with $13.2 billion in losses in the first 6 months if this year.This time federal bulls came to their rescue with a whopping $85 billion bail-out which literally means US goverment would henceforth own 80 percent stake in the company.Adding to this pain the bail-out plan was sanctioned for 11.5% interest rate over a span of 2 years.The spotlight was moved to the Bush administration which sanctioned the loan not looping whitehouse in the deal...hehehe looks like Bush steered another covert operation just like the ones he masterminded in Iraq and Afghanistan but this time in his homeland.Laymen in US saw a betrayer in Bush when they came to know that $85 billion used for the AIG bail out was their hard earned money shelled out as tax.This means the tax levied in the aftermath of the financial crunch would be higher in US and would be rising at least for the next couple of years.This led to a lot of hiccups in the post loan debate wherein the whitehouse crucified Bush and administrative council for this move.Lehman Brother's operations in Europe are now handled by Barclays and APA and middle east operations by Japanese financial giant Nomura.There are other companys which faced a similar downfall like Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae,Meryll Lynch,Wa Mu (Washington Mutual) and latest is predicted to be Wachovia.The story doesn't end here as the aftermaths of this depression is yet to be accounted and would take atleast 2 years to over come.Its tremors were felt even in India as people were quick enough to judge that a global meltdown is on its way.Banks like ICICI faced a massive loss of 375 crore as its UK subsidary had invested 57 million euros in Lehman Brothers.Next day papers carried news of ICICI account holders gathering around all its ATMs waiting to withdraw their money fearing a shutdown.The situation was then soothed by our FM Mr.P Chidambaram holding a press conference assuring the people of India that it wont repeat another US holocaust.Small time Investors now finicky about investing are turning their eyes to other investment options like gold,FD's etc which could reap some profits atleast for a couple of years.This is right time for major investors like Warren Buffet who like a vulture waiting to feed on dead companies as part of his 'value investing' could reap benefits.No points in guessing that this Oracle of Omaha became the worlds richest man by spreading his wings at the right time and at the right place.Analysts suggest that the financial world needs a lot of liquid fundings to ease the situation and bring the market back to track. Taking this into consideration US federal reserve is planning another major bail-out of $700
billion.This again is facing a lot opposition from most of the democratic and the republican party members.Looks like Obama and McCain have a good topic ponder on for their forthcoming electoral debate.India too has reduced its CRR (cash reserve ration) by 0.5% which could bring about Rs.20000 crore worth of liquid fundings which they think would loosen the bottleneck situation in India.

There are also other things which would take a hit because of this recession.Many jobs
might be at stake if the situation worsens especially in the IT/BPO sector.Few set of Analysts say that this might bring in a lot of jobs to India as outsourcing work to countries like India,Phillipines and China might help countries like US save some bucks.Recently many companies like HP (its EDS unit),TCS,Wipro announced their lay off plans to the media which might turn job hunters literally into nomads.Apart from these real estate sector is going to take a hit as the property prices might come down or may be there wont be enough buyers or traders of land as compared to 2006 or early 2007.Contemplating on these now seems to be a complex task as all these seems so interconnected .....sometimes I feel like the world is getting smaller and the 'Butterfly Effect' seems so pragmatic.Until then we as mere
spectators can sit back and watch.

Happy Blogging
Abhicination

The Journey Of Love

Well I am not that kind of whacky literary think-tank but I do write poems when I find some free time. Here is one of the recent ones I have written actually for a competition in my company and guess what.......I was one among the winners and the theme was VALENTINES DAY!........can it get better than this???This one is for all those bleeding hearts who didn't have enough nerves to carry their divine message to their eternal love and finally lost the battle.......In remembrance of those brave soldiers who fought the battle of love and gave up their lives hoping those suffocating hearts and minds would attain freedom one day...Enjoy yourself!!!!

THE JOURNEY OF LOVE

As the valleys pass by beside the roadside

In the midst of spring with rays of sunshine.

Riding a bike was never such a pleasure

Feels like nostalgia which I treasure.

As wind of hope elopes through your ears

Seems like a song of romancing yesteryears.

Those days of charm and infatuating passion

Blemishing the dreary feelings and exhaustion.

The ever enchanting spirit of love and desire

Fuelling youthhood higher and higher.

As those milestones crossed on wheels

Milestones of life and time that heals.

This irony puts to scrutiny

The journey of life and the tryst with destiny.

Far in the valleys behind the mountain

The sun goes down like a sulking emotion.

Fireflies basking the glory of sunset

Like a dancing bride to the tunes of a trumpet.

Thats when I remember those candle light dinners

Serene nights and her eyes that glitters.

The warmth of her smile and her dimple like a circle

Would keep me warm even in artic circle.

Oh! those dates so clandestine

Thats when we cherish the memories of a valentine.

The Big Bang experiment : Boon or a Bane

On Sep 10th 2008 Jura mountains in the France-Swiss border witnessed the worlds largest experiment in physics ever conducted in the history of mankind! A particle accelerator supposed to be largest in the world called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was put to action which eventually is supposed to unravel the greatest mysteries of universe like the 'Big Bang theory', Dark matter (which leads to formation of black holes) etc...This very thought attracted doomsayers into this as they beleive any such enthralling experiments by man to test the powers of the creator would turn catastrophic.Though the experiment is conducted on a small scale basis, such is its powers that it could produce temperatures 1000 times more than the temperatures inside Sun and could give birth to dangerous post-experimental matter and effects which could harm the earth and the living beings in it.No wonder this exeperiment is drawing a cloud of controversies towards it but when you look beneath it what you see is a pure scientific marvel.It required years of dedication by hundreds of physicists and a few billion dollars to produce a machine which everyone believe would take us to the next dimension in science and technology. A dimension who knows could lead us to new information on outer space or within the Earth, betterment of human lives, cure for many cronic diseases etc......but treading these unknown land have their own risks as our doomsayers predict.A failure or mishap with an experiment of such nature and proportion could mean profound influence on the environment not mentioning the damages caused on those expensive machines and years of hard work.I remember seeing those pictures and videos in the paper where gory protests where held outside CERN (European organization for nuclear research) which is responsible for conducting the experiment.People believed that this could trigger minor Earth quakes,volcanoes and even a meteor strike...... I also remember news agencies reporting an Earth quake somewhere in middle east immediately after the experiment was conducted (sounds utterly dumb as on the first day experiments where conducted only to pass particle beams through the tunnel whereas actual collision was scheduled for a later stage.) Many great personalities including our very own missile man and former president of India Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam came forward to assure the people of India and the rest of the world that this its completely safe and all the measures have been taken for a smooth sailing.Hey did I mention that we Indians also have another thing to be proud of ? I am talking about the superconducting magnets used in LHC to accelerate the particle beams.India has highly contributed for its research and development upto specifically manufacturing them for the LHC experiments.Also many Indian scientists are part of conducting these experiments..Kudos to INDIA as this is another feather on our hats! for a great contribution on a world stage like this.

There are lots to blog on a topic like this which could churn out a scientific revolution in itself and we can discuss this for ages right from the technical details which is a big story in itself (you know the tunnel which seats the LHC is 27 miles long and its 170 metres beneath the Earth) upto the experimental data collected which requires a collective contribution of many data centres in the world to store the information retrieved from those experiments conducted(I hope you know how humungous one data center would be)....there may be few misconceptions about this experiment among few of us but what if it could bring about wonders in this world by opening new ideas and unlock the mysteries of this universe which lay hidden right amongst us. People say Risks are shadows of success which lurks behind it but I say if we get to know them better they are just harmless companions which actually shows us the size of our success and the heights we have reached.Few geniuses had discovered this little truth a long way back and thus came their wonderful inventions and discoveries else we would still be rotting in a stone age.So on a concluding note all I'd like to say is that as superior beings of this planet we have the right to know the truth,our origins,the place we live in and perhaps this could be another 'evolution' in calling........as exciting as it sounds, as mysterious as it feels.

For technical details on LHC:

http://www.lhc.ac.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider

Beijing Bonanza

It's great to see Indians getting a true taste of Olympics after a long stint with it.Unfortunately for a long time the greatest sporting event in the world did not catch the eye of many Indians who were mesmerised by the pomp and glory of India's cricketing galore.Thanks to Bindra'a bullseye shots,Sushil's desi khusti numbers and vijendar's knocking prowess, India has proven that it has entered the arena forgetting its brooding past Olympic experiences and with a vengeance to prove. With over a billion people backing up and lady luck in its stride India is beaming a message to its counterparts "Watch Out for us" we are here with a bang! It was an unforgettable experience watching India bag its first individual gold. I remember getting goosebumps that afternoon watching Bindra climb the podium who was still in a state of shock accepting the medal. Finally when the Indian flag rose with the national anthem played in the background the aura in my house was filled with patriotism and i'm sure rest of the Indians watching it would have felt the same.My uncle was literally in tears and could hear his faint sobbing...he actually told me that he never thought he would live to see a moment like this. Imagine Bindra's emotional state as he realized that he is going into the golden pages of the history books.May be couple of years down the line school children in India would be learning a chapter on Olympics with Bindra as the hero who saved the day. Man! I wish I was him for a moment shooting myself to glory.May be this is just a beginning of an era where India might generate the next sporting giants of the world, an India where cutting edge technology helps in toning future athletes,an India where other sports are given equal importance as that of cricket.As of now lets bask in the glory of being a gold winning nation in Olympics, Three cheers to all who won the medal for India! and all the best to all the future athletes.