New Blog on Tumblr

Hi

I've shifted to Tumblr for good. So, for future blogs, find me on tumblr at Musings of a Red Devils fan

Adios,
Nilesh

Yo! Is it the sign of digital addiction or the next big thing?

By now most of you will have heard of an app called Yo. Its description on the iOS app store says it is "the simplest & most efficient communication tool in the world." Basically, it is a single tap zero character communication tool. All it does is send a 'Yo' to your friends, who use the app, by using a single tap. Now, why would you need an app like this when you could just text, whatsapp, or ping on any other messenger? Is it because we are addicted to digital media? Most likely. I mean why else would would it have about a million users?

However, it also signifies another major trend. A new wave of apps is coming which focuses on minimalist, fast and direct conversation. We already have Snapchat and Slingshot which have single tap and self erasing messaging features. And as per Or Arbel, the founder of Yo, Yo for business may be on its way. A Yo can signify, “check this out” or a notification or a reminder. For example, you could get a Yo from a cab company signifying that the cab has arrived or say, a Yo signifying that the guy is waiting with your food downstairs or from an airlines to remind you that it is boarding time or from a brand to tell you to check out its latest products.

So is Yo the result of our digital addiction or is it the future of the app industry? Have your say in the comments below.

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.

Why I'm looking forward to the end of FIFA World Cup '14?

It's that time again. People will be rooting for their favorite football team and then switching to the next one when the favorite team is out of the tournament. But here I'm - perhaps one of the few - who is more eager for this tournament to end. Why?

I'm a die-hard Manchester United fan since 1997. And if you follow the Barclays Premier League even via news channels, you must be aware that my team performed miserably in 2013-14 and so we sacked the manager before the season could even end. The manager, a certain Mr. David Moyes, converted the Champions of England into a mid-table team with such effectiveness that we started losing faith faster than Chelsea loses faith in its managers every now and then. All said and done, we finished 7th which meant no European football (Champions League/Europa League) for 2014-15. Sanity prevailed and the board appointed Louis Van Gaal (LVG), the current Netherlands manager, as manager for the coming season. LVG was formerly manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ and Bayern Munich and so started the transfer rumors. MUFC has been linked with almost all the players in the world, especially with players from the Dutch team and the Bayern Munich team.

Coming to the point, it has been disappointing, frustrating and irritating to get up every morning and reading about a new rumor online. So, I just want this World Cup to end which would mean LVG would take charge of things and quell the rumors once and for all with real signings and reinforce the hope which has built up in each United fan since he was appointed the manager - come 2014-15, Manchester United will be back with a bang.

P.S. India anyways doesn't qualify for the World Cup nor is it going to in the near future and I do not have an adopted country to root for as much as I root for Manchester United.

Vir Das' ALIEN CHUTNEY - SAY NAH

This song has jokes. Comedy is supposed to be ok. Elections are supposed to be fun. All leaders are meant to be parodied. Say Nah to seriousness, Say Nah to political hatred, Chill the f$%k out, and Say hello to Alien Chutney's new song - Say Nah. 

Brilliant composition by Vir Das. Check the original video here.

Is the Manchester Derby debacle the final nail in the coffin for David Moyes?

From Champions last season to a lowly 7th place in the table now, Manchester United are rotting from within. Manchester City did not beat United, they taught those on the pitch and on the bench, a lesson in 'how to play football'. The very fact that City did so without their star strikers Aguero and Negredo speaks volumes of our degradation under David Moyes. 

Let's face it, Moyes had no plan, as has been the case through the season against the Top four. I mean why else would he station Cleverley on the right wing. If at all he wanted to play 4-3-3 with wide men, why not start with Valencia and Januzaj but alas! Januzaj was not even on the bench. Why not just stick to the winning combination from the last game against West Ham? Why start Rio against the pace and slick passing of City? There are so many tactical blunders that I have run out of patience now. 

Every time I think things can't get worse, Moyes finds a way. First he declared Liverpool as favorites at Old Trafford and yesterday he went one step worse - he said 'City are playing at the sort of level we’re aspiring to'. The embarrassment of hearing a Manchester United manager say that is nonpareil. We can't continue to rot from within. The man did not have a clue after we were two goals down and continued sulking in his seat rather than barking orders from the touchline. I hope it's the final nail in his managerial coffin because the fans don't deserve to see more of this disaster. 

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.

The last time Olympiakos beat Manchester United was in 2014 BC. What went wrong?

Considering the way this season has been for United, an upset was never out of the question but this was not even Milan or Zenit, this was Olympiakos and the last time Olympiakos beat MUFC was in 2014 BC. Exactly. Never.

So we are here to analyze what went wrong.

1. Team Selection: We played our best football of 2014 against Palace (I know that's not an achievement but nonetheless) and should have ideally stuck to the same squad. Instead, Moyes chose to bench Fellaini, not even pick Januzaj and played Young, Valencia and Cleverley, who, you will agree, are not fit for the United jersey, if you have seen them play this season.

2. Defensive lapses: Rio Ferdinand played worse than our U-19 defenders would have played in this situation and Chris Smalling kept slipping on the field. On top of that Patrice Evra was so busy going forward that at one point of time Rooney had to track all the way back to make a tackle. Due to them, an average looking Olympiakos attack (without striker Javier Saviola) was made to look menacing around the penalty area.

3. Wayne Rooney: He just failed to combine with RVP (who himself had a game to forget after missing that sitter), mustered just one shot in the game, had to drop alongside Carrick to pull the strings after Kagawa replaced Cleverley but all this to no avail. It just was not his night and it did not help that his teammates decided not to turn up for the match.

4. Why not make a 3rd substitution?: As in earlier games we lost this season, Moyes decided not to use all his substitutions and the two he did make were not entirely correct. He replaced Cleverley with Kagawa and Valencia with Welbeck which definitely added pace to the right wing as Welbeck made some great runs but it also meant that Rooney had to play DM which just did not work out. Here is what he could have done - he could have made 3 instead of 2 substitutions and replaced Cleverley with Fellaini, who had an excellent game against Palace, and Rooney with Kagawa, considering Rooney was way off his game.

All in all, a forgettable performance and I have only this to tell Moyes: get some courage and start taking some risk. You don't park the bus at Olympiakos as if they are Munich or Barca and definitely not leave out the most promising player this season (Januzaj). We don't sack managers after just one season, so you will survive the summer to build your own team but from whatever we have seen, we are disappointed with your tactics.

Have your say in the comments below.

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.

"The most romantic club in the history of world football and that will never change"

I tripped and injured my right hand badly while coming back from the badminton court on Sunday night and then watched the 20 times champions Manchester United draw a match against the bottom placed Fulham 2-2 and I still don't know what hurt more - the injury or the match.

A team, which were champions last season, are playing worse than mid-table teams played last year. Top class defenders like Vidic and Evra are making amateurish mistakes, wingers like Valencia and Nani have lost their mojo, and even the super sub Chicharito has lost his killer instinct. Half the fans have called for the manager's head while the rest of the lot are divided between abusing (yet giving him a chance) and standing by the new manager (as Sir Alex had asked the fans).

But what hurt the most was the tactical blunder by Moyes in replacing Rafael (RB) with Valencia on the wings and then after getting the lead, deciding to park the bus with a 3-man defense out of which Vidic and Smalling were so off their game all night. And this was not the first time this type of blunder had been committed. Even in the match against Stoke, he had got on Hernandez instead of RVP instead of getting the in-form Januzaj for the out of form Young (who starts match after match despite doing little or nothing at all).

So what do I think? I'm still skeptical of the choice of Moyes as a manager (since he has never won anything ever in his career) but I believe in SAF and we have all seen the work Moyes did with Everton without funds/great players. You can always contradict by pointing at Everton's style of play this season under Martinez but then if United had managed to retain the lead against Cardiff, Southampton, and Fulham, they would have been at 47 points, same as Spurs and just 3 points off the 4th place. Anyways, let's not talk about ifs and buts; the fact is more than the midfield, we have lacked depth in defense and Moyes should have invested in a CB and a LB during the January window but still he got that marquee signing of Juan Mata who should be a key player in the years to come considering he is just 25.

So, let bygones be bygones and lets hope that Mata, RVP, Rooney, De Gea and Januzaj can help us finish top 6 because frankly 4th seems distant now especially with the way Liverpool have been playing. And when the summer comes, I expect Moyes to build 'his' squad by replacing the likes of Evra, Vidic, Rio, Cleverley, Nani, Young, Anderson and promoting Zaha, Powell, Lingard, Keane to the 1st team like he has done this season with Januzaj.

For the time being though, with away games to Arsenal, Liverpool and City before the end of March, I just hope that Fulham was the beginning of a new Manchester United (81 crosses, 79% possession) and we will add more finesse to the crossing and shooting with each new game and restore pride to the most romantic club in the history of world football (and that will never change).

Have your say in the comments below.

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing

Juan Mata - where would he fit in at Manchester United?

Since my last post "Manchester United - who to buy in the January window?", Manchester United has ignored everyone and bid £37 million for the Chelsea play-maker Juan Mata. He has flown to Carrington and is expected to join MUFC following a medical on Friday.

So, the question is where would he fit in? Does Moyes need another creative attacking midfielder who may struggle to adapt to the side when they already have one? Kagawa has already struggled to make a place for himself because when Wayne Rooney and RVP are fit, MUFC don't need a no. 10. Mata though, is a player way better than Kagawa and he had adapted to the rigours of the Premier League immediately on arrival at Chelsea. Mata can excel in a 4-3-3 as he proved under AVB as well as a 4-2-3-1 formation and considering United's current 4-4-2 formation has produced mostly defeats in 2014, a little freshness and variety won't be harmful for the rest of the season. Mata has been Player of the Year for the last two seasons at Chelsea and will be a more than welcome addition to United's depleted XI since the injuries to RVP and Rooney.

So, what are the options?
1. Mata could play on the right with Rooney playing in the no. 10 role and he could be given the license to drift in and link up with both Wazza and RVP. The Spaniard is perfectly two-footed, so he can come in and shoot on his left, or deliver crosses with his right foot.

2. In Rooney's absence or in the case Rooney leaves in the summer, Mata would be the perfect natural replacement for the creative no. 10 role. He can slice open defences with intricate passing, can shoot to score goals and dictate the attacking play of the team.

With Mata's arrival, a United midfield trio of Mata, Rooney and Janujaz with RVP upfront would be devastating and it would be just the spark required to turn around the season.

Have your say in the comments below.

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.

Manchester United - who to buy in the January window?

Fellow Red Devils, lets be honest to ourselves. We're in dire straits. Out of the FA Cup; 1-2 behind in the Capital One Cup semi-finals with the second leg at home, where we have lost to minnows like WBA and Swansea; languishing at 7th place in the EPL table; injured squad on low morale; with a new manager who at the moment definitely doesn't know how to turn things around. We're in need of new blood and here are some realistic options for the January transfer window:

Left-back
Fabio Coentrao: The Portugese defender has made just 4 appearances this season and wants a way out to get more game time ahead of the World Cup. And with Baines or Luke Shaw most likely not available in January, Coentrao is the best available option.

Centre-back
Thomas Vermaelen: The Arsenal captain has made only 12 appearances across tournaments with an injury early in the season leading to Koscielny and Mertesacker being the preferred pairing for Arsene Wenger. The questions would be: Will he leave and will Arsenal sell again to United?

Dede: Cruzeiro defender Dede is considered one of the best central defenders playing in Brazil today and will cost around 12-15 million euros. We need to make a quick move because Chelsea have an interest too.

Midfield
Koke: The no. 1 target for the January window, he will definitely add the creativity which has been so lacking this season but he is very happy at Atletico and it will be very difficult to convince them to sell.

Everton Ribeiro: Ribeiro has more assists and has created more chances than any player in the Brazilian league this year. The Cruzeiro player believes he can fit in any part of the United midfield but will he be able to make a January move as Cruzeiro’s director of football Alexandre Mattos has made it clear that he won't sell unless a substantial sum is paid for the player. So United should pay whatever it takes to get him.

Herrera: The main target for the summer window will be a target again this window but paying the 31 million release clause is a little too much for a fallback option.
.
Have your say in the comments below.

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.

#ThankYouSachin

Someone someday will break the records but none can match the creator. When I started watching cricket, every one day match started with the first ball you faced and ended with your back to the pavilion. There are so many memories - when I switched off the idiot box when you have got out, shouted when team India has ruined your efforts and slumped to defeats, felt angry when you have been wrongly given out (including the 199th test) and cheered with joy at each four, six, fifty or century and at all the important wickets you took whenever you rolled your arm and bowled leg breaks, off breaks, medium pace, etc. On 18th November, all these memories are the ones which will be left when the God stops playing the game and I might stop watching test matches because cricket for me was never wham-bam; it was always about your exquisite straight drives, cover drives, lofted six and the paddle sweep. Will miss you every time I watch the Men in Blue play the game you made your own. #ThankYouSachin

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports, technology and marketing.
(c)PGHU69KMJUV5

The curious case of Shinji Kagawa

My heart skipped a beat when I read this - "Man United Ready to Use Shinji Kagawa as Bait In Pursuit of Borussia Dortmund Center-Back". A constant attacking menace at Borussia, Kagawa had scored 29 goals in back to back successful Bundesliga campaigns which led to Sir Alex Ferguson parting with £17 million for the attacking midfielder. Since then he has played only 30 matches and scored 6 goals, in the process becoming the first Asian to score a hattrick in the EPL and has been named Asian Football Confederation International Player of the Year in 2012.

So, when I read that David Moyes was ready to offload him to get Mats Hummels, I was perplexed for a number of reasons. First, Kagawa is the only creative attacking midfielder in the United side. Second, he has never been given his favored no.10 role in which he had excelled at Dortmund and even Moyes agrees his best position may be number 10. Third, he has played just one league match till now against West Brom where he was fielded in a wide left position and was strangely substituted at half-time. Fourth, why get a center back instead of Kagawa when you can develop Smalling (who was brilliant in the win against Liverpool), Jones and Evans.

To conclude, he is an immensely talented player who brings a level of creativity and flair that is lacking in the likes of Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia. His attacking prowess was there for all to see when he rattled the crossbar from 20 yards against Liverpool in the 1-0 victory in the Capital One Cup. It might be that Moyes has to change a few things in order to make it work or Kagawa will have to adapt to a less favorable position on the left wing but either ways, United are better off with Shinji on the field than on the bench as was evident in both the wins over Bayer and Liverpool in which he had started because he adds a new dimension to the attack whenever he drifts inside.

An open letter to Wazza (a.k.a. Wayne Rooney)

Hi Wazza,

It was 61'; United were leading Swansea 2-0 but for me the match had just begun. You came on the field as a sub for the evergreen Ryan Giggs. And I was not disappointed because you provided the assists for the last two goals as we eventually would win 4-1. The second one especially was a masterpiece as you provided the perfect ball for Welbeck to chip it over Vorm. Then, I saw you not celebrating the goal and I was hurt because this meant the poster boy of United, the center of my United universe might actually leave.

I know being number two is not your cup of tea and that is where the problem lies. You don't want to leave but you can't bear to be overshadowed by a Ronaldo or a Berbatov or a RVP because you are someone who wants to be the best at whatever you do and you want to be the fans' no. 1 too. But Wazza, you are the best because even from a position which is not yours, you scored 12 premier league goals and provided the assists for even more. You put in all those hard hours in training, score important goals, provide the assists which help RVP become the leading scorer in the league, selflessly run up and down the pitch to help the defence and yet, when you are labelled the bad boy for asking to leave United, I'm hurt because the people don't understand it's tough being Wayne Rooney. Ever since you made your debut, the onus has been on you to carry the legacy forward. The Ronaldos have come, made a mark and have left but you have hung in there showing your loyalty to the club. You have been United's golden boy but all of a sudden when RVP became the no.1 and Moyes said that you are the backup option, I understood that you were bound to get hurt.

Just wanted to say we have always loved you, Wayne. Give us fans a chance, give the club a chance, and give yourself a last chance at United because there is no place better for you. You belong at the Theatre of Dreams and I hope Moyes finds a way to play both RVP and you upfront. If you leave this summer, I would know the reason but I'd wonder all that you could have achieved at United and thank you for all the memories including the stunning overhead kick against the noisy neighbors.

Thank you Wazza.

Sincerely,
A fan

The End of an Era

The 20th league title won, with 4 games to spare
the man never knew the meaning of fear
the chewing gum and the affable face
the fans love his style and grace
the season is over, and his time is done
but we will always be proud of the laurels he won
he leaves Old Trafford with a void too big to fill
for he is the one who taught Manchester United to go for the kill
next season, when the crowd returns
there will be a new coach and it will be a new dawn 
but more than that, it will mark the end of an era,
The era of Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson.

A new beginning...

A new journey was embarked upon 2 months back. 11th February will never be forgotten. I doubt anyone would have felt so happy after putting in his papers. Anyways let bygones be bygones. This is ‘my new beginning’ as I have moved to a new city, a new job, a new life 

The new city is cool though the weather is nothing like what people boasted about - ya, Bangalore is hot during summers, have not been to many places but loved Bak Bak Bar (the LIT is superb) and Fenny's Lounge (the ambience, the music and the crowd rocks), but the 11.30 p.m. shut down is not happening. 
The new house is too big for a person like me cos i never leave my room, the kitchen is useless when you don't cook, and without a maid, cleaning is a pain but I love Airtel for the awesome mobile plan and the broadband plan (8 mbps is heaven for a social media and TV series addict like me)
The new workplace is kinda cool - flexible timings, creative work, some cool sports and fun loving colleagues (and some not so cool ones too), a refrigerator with lots of coke and no dress code.
For now, my world is immersed in a melange of social media, seo, sem, ppc, adwords, newsletters, designs and so on and so forth as I move forward towards my goal of becoming a new age digital marketing specialist – a digital media whiz.
Ciao till the next post :-)

Follow me @nileshsurana for regular updates on Manchester United, sports and marketing

Govt. v/s www (the world wide web)

On a freezing Friday morning as I return back to my den from yet another soporific lecture, I ponder over the mundane nature of life over the last 2 months as it has been a long wait for my destined job which is yet to come by. If not for the internet it would have been worse... what would I do without Facebook and its apps, Twitter and its information, Gmail and the conversations, Zephyr (our download hub) and the movies & the TV series. But now the Indian govt. wants to censor the internet like China. Firstly, let me tell you I pity the Chinese youth on the amount of knowledge they are missing due to this censorship. Now, coming to the point, what would this censorship mean for us, the future of India? Lets take an example - you are a youth journalist who writes on politics and religion. Fed up of the Govt.'s policies on reservation, you write against the reservation for religious minorities. The Govt. or the religious minorities complain to the host and your blog is shut down. Is it fair? Is it even legal as per the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression? 

Lets take you to US now. The US Govt. is trying to pass SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) which is even one step ahead of our IT Act. 

What is SOPA? 

Lets say X is the owner of some kind of copyrighted material like movie, music, novel, etc. and it observes that there is a site Y operating outside of US and that site according to X seems to be infringing on the copyright by US law. In normal circumstances, X can't act against these sites as they are outside the jurisdiction of US laws. What SOPA intends to do is to not only provide some tools to X to stop such activity but also allows X to go on a witch-hunt for anyone who might even enable such activity including sites like Google, Bing, ad networks, Paypal, etc. who help the site Y do its business. Even DNS servers within US that associate Y's domain's name with actual servers can be served court orders/notices that compels them to cut off ties with Y. What SOPA does is it classifies an internet site to be dedicated to theft of US property even if it enables violation of copyright laws in US. In this scenario, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, CNN, etc. can all be shut down because user generated content may violate copyright laws.

Don't you think this is a shoot first, think later policy? I mean the site Y can be a legal site in the country it is operating in. Also what if it actually is not infringing on any copyright. Now, you may ask if they can sue back. The problem is even if Y proves itself innocent, they can't sue because as per SOPA a party can be sued only if it "knowingly materially misrepresents the violation". So, if the site X feels that there is a copyright violation, he goes on to get Y shut down and when later Y is proved innocent, X can claim that they felt so and did not knowingly misrepresented the violation, and it will be allowed to walk away free of all charges.

And on top of all these unfair clauses, a site Z can be considered illegal even if it has secured its site such that US Govt. cannot confirm the violation. This is clear intrusion of privacy and is a draconian Act.

So, my plea to the free people of the US - please ensure that you Stop SOPA and my plea to fellow Indians - let us unite in this censorship of our freedom of speech.

P.S. I hope my blog doesn't lead to blogger.com being shut down or lead to my blog being removed, after all this can be considered defamation of US policy makers or an instigation against Indian Govt. :D :P

I would like to acknowledge http://www.khanacademy.org for its highly informational video on SOPA.

The reality quotient of Fairy tales...

A sweet friend of mine updated her status on Facebook to "now believes in fairy tales" and this has kept me thinking for a while today. Do fairy tales have any relation with the real world? Do fairy tales actually tell true stories? Do fairy tales have a hidden meaning imbibed in them? So lets explore the world of fairy tales.

Since birth we are fed an amazing number of fairy tales right from Cinderella to Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves to The Frog Prince and each fairy tale has a unique flavor and a hidden lesson which brings the fairy tale close to real life experiences. Each fairy tale carries many insights. The adventures depicted in the stories are a reflection of the challenges we face in the course of our lifetime. People can have different understandings of the same fairy tale. But let me give you my insights about some fairy tales.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin might look to be a simple fictional tale on the surface but probe deeper and you will realize the lesson it depicts for us - let go of greed for money or else you will lose your most precious assets like the mayor's greed for money led to the town losing its most precious assets, it's children.

The Beauty and the Beast is a portrayal of true love. It teaches us that true love comes in everyone's life even as we keep dreaming about it all the time. 

The story of Cinderella is a lesson for us that bad times do not stay forever. We have to be optimistic and hopeful and never stop dreaming of a happy life because happiness is always round the corner.

Not only these good lessons but also the darker elements in the fairy tales have a hidden meaning, they reveal our fear. The dark forest, the wicked characters, the monsters represent the elements we fear the most. The monster might be the fairy tale depiction of the person who bullies us in childhood whereas the dark forest can be a place where we would not like to go alone. 

Learning to find the reality quotient of fairy tales is not difficult; all it takes is a little effort to understand the symbolism and to decode the message. Every tale has its own lesson like the Holy Grail which is a depiction of each one's own desire. Like the desire for love will take you through the journey of The Sleeping Beauty who waited in her sleep for her true lover who kissed her and she rose from her slumber and said, "Is it you, my Prince (charming)? You have waited a long time.” The challenge is to pay attention and understand the message imbibed because the effects of what we learn can shape the course of our lifeline ;)

Dustbowl

You may be thinking why such a title for a post. Well that, my friends, is the synonym I have given to my place of internship, Gurgaon. It's hot, dusty, expensive and boring :| 

My first tryst with this place was when I had come with my friends and fellow Markupites (members of MarkUp, the marketing club at IMT) for cold calling for sponsorships for MWC '10 and I had developed a hatred right away because the place had no proper transport system, was far too dusty and all we managed to do in the 6 hours was meet some cold people who never reverted back. 

My second encounter was when Jugal and I came to finalize the PG for stay during the internship which was quite an experience because we realized that the auto-wallahs are thieves who charge 100+ bucks for wherever you wanna go even if it's a 4km distance only. Anyways we did finalize a PG in sector 22 which I was to begin hating within a week of my stay because travelling from there to my office proved to be a pain due to the awesome traffic system (or the lack of it) prevalent in Gurgaon.

So, here I am, stuck in this Dustbowl where other than the work at office (IRIS Nation Limited is a cool place where I even get to play football :P), I am bored like hell, the only saving grace being the weekends when I went to Delhi or Chandigarh for some awesome time and the superb time I had in Amritsar with my Princess and my childhood buddy Anil (dude you rock). 

A very very important advice to anyone who intends to shift to this place: GET YOUR OWN VEHICLE!!!

Life @ IMT-G

Hey guys, been a long 3+ months since I blogged. Not that i did not have time, just that i was busy with loads of stuff at my new home - IMT, Ghaziabad.

On 20th June, 2010, I stepped into the hallowed portals of IMT-G to begin a new phase of my life. There were new faces all around except for one face, my Princess, who came along with me to kick start my journey :-)

Orientation week was kinda hectic with all kinds of sessions like introduction of faculty, clubs and committees and of course the student affairs council ;) , guest lectures on various industries, intro sessions on various subjects, outbound sessions which comprised rappelling, rope crossing and other group tasks not forgetting the yoga at 5.30am and the night long PDP at the hands of seniors which meant I had 6 sleepless nights.

Then began classes and a plethora of open houses and interviews for various clubs and committees and after several gruelling rounds of GDs and PIs, I became a MarkUpite :) Post 2 weeks of usual classes, came the first quiz and the jitters involved with giving the first exam (LOL) and then the mid-terms but it was not only about studies. I was part of the group that came 2nd in the IMT Premier League organized by Globiz ( the Int'l Biz club), participated in Mark Roadies 3.0 organized by MarkUp plus was a part of the Sec-D football team in the League of the Titans. And oh yes, the parties - MarkUp party, Sec-D party, b'day parties, JLT (just like that) parties etc. etc.

Post mid-terms got selected as POC of MarkUp for Passion 2010 and designed events, penned down write ups for Corporate brochure of Passion 2010 as part of the Creative team, finally had our freshers nite (which was quite an extravaganza), and then the end terms (results are knocking at the door :P :D)

So all in all, an exciting three months which went by in a flash but the main reason for them passing by at lightning speed was not the above mentioned events but my F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I have been lucky to have a circle of super genuine friends at the college. Mehak, Parag, Swati, Jugal, Nishant have made this ongoing journey at IMT worthy and more. Trips to RDC, Sector-10, Shipra, Delhi, etc. etc.; parties in the campus; studying for exams; impromptu dinner plans, late night adda at DLP, Nescafe & BbC; pulling each other's legs; supporting each other through thick and thin - it would never have been the same if this bunch of awesome people was not there in my life @ IMT. Love you all :)

As I am short of words at the moment, all I wanna say is that - 

Chase the dream down the highway; 

don't care when it's not going your way 

the blue sky on top, 

the rain drops on the ground, 

there's no looking back once you have turned around.

Adieu !!!!

On June 18, 2010 its gonna be time for me to leave home and the City of Joy. As I prepare myself to bid adieu with a heavy heart, I keep going down memory lane and images of the past 23 years dance in front of my eyes-

Phase One: crying at my first admission test (for St. Helens school), mom smiling proudly when I came first in all three sems at St. Helens, going to Don Bosco in the auto-rickshaws via those pot-holed roads (roller coaster ride/tokyo drift), playing cricket, football, basketball, rugby etc. etc. at school (what great fun), coming back home and running away to play again on the terrace (lol), receiving awards in the school auditorium *proud smile*, adda with friends after school/tuitions (miss it :-( ), night HRD Programme at school (a night to remember), the board examinations, the anxiety on the day of results and the relief on doing well, the disappointment of not cracking engg. exams (somehow rue it till date)

Phase Two: St. Xavier's College, bunking lectures (voh bhi kya din the), movies at INOX (watched so many during college days), new year's eve with friends at my place (just awefome), university exams (god knows how i managed to pass :D :P), interviews at SCMHRD & NMIMS

Phase Three: my workplace (got great exposure to real world business practices), 22nd birthday celebration with my princess (what a lovely surprise), Mysore-Ooty trip (ethereal beauty), mom-dad's 25th wedding anniversary (one hell of a party), the elation of scoring 99.22 in CAT (and the disappointment on not getting a single IIM call), first b-school convert (SIBM, Bangalore), IMT-Ghaziabad calling :) :)

Its an unending list of brilliant imagery and each image, a special memory etched in the mind and the heart.

I'm gonna bid adieu with mixed emotions-the joy of getting into a top 15 institute for pursuit of MBA and making my parents proud and the sorrow of going far from family and friends; the joy of getting the opportunity to breathe in a different atmosphere after 23 years and the sorrow of leaving behind the warmth of home and the city-Calcutta.

The next two years are gonna be very critical for my career and I just hope to make the best out of them. To all the people in my life, this is my final message before adieu - dream, work hard, achieve and make it large.

Lots of love,

Nilesh

Mumbai is for all Indians

Shahrukh Khan says, "I truly believe they (Pakistan players) should have been chosen," in reference to the auction held for IPL3.

Consequence: Shiv Sena targets SRK and says it won’t allow SRK’s latest film My Name is Khan (MNIK) to hit the theatres. It starts protesting against MNIK and says SRK has to apologize to Bal Thackeray else he will have to pay. It even goes to the extent of saying that Mannat (SRK’s home) is in Mumbai, not Pakistan. SRK remains defiant and says he hopes everything will be fine.

But the thought that’s bothering me is the safety of Indians in India even as all these days we thought Indians were unsafe in Australia. After all any Tom, Dick or Harry can start a protest and harm anyone for cheap publicity or his own selfish political interests be it Shiv Sena or MNS or Sri Ram Sene. Anyone can threaten publicly through the media, can create unrest in the country/state/city and shockingly they will not be punished by the law.

The questions I, as an Indian citizen, have are - Should not the people who have been threatening SRK be put behind the bars? Should not the Shiv Sena be apologizing to SRK for threatening him and causing mental agony to him and his family? When will the Govt. of Maharashtra take a strong stand instead of being spineless and leaving the citizens at the mercy of the Sena? Till when will the Bollywood Industry remain silent and bear the brunt of the Sena’s unwarranted wrath? When will the Mumbaikars and the people of Maharashtra wake up to protest against this outright insult of democracy and the right to freedom of speech? When?????

I don't have answers to the above questions and I don't think anyone else has them either but we can definitely do one thing - Wake up and tell the Shiv Sena that Mumbai unke baap ki jaagir nahi hai.....