Accio Thoughts

BrewHaHa Brainiacs Quest - Crime & Mystery Quiz

2008-09-15T21:49:00.001+05:30

BrewHaHa and Team Nexus present

The BrewHaHa Brainiacs Quest – The Search for Intra-Terrestrial Intelligence – Episode II

After the first edition two Saturdays back, we continue with a CRIME and MYSTERY quiz this Saturday, September 20, 2008.

The quiz will have approximately 50 all-written questions on all things criminal and mysterious – from Osama to the occult!!

Please do come by as teams of 2 at 11:30 AM to BrewHaHa – adjacent to Jyoti Nivas College – Koramangala.

There will be a fee of Rs 300/- per team, of which Rs 200/- is encashable against Food & Beverage.

Winners and Runners-up will have their ‘cover charge’ waived off. Points for top 8 teams, and participation points for all teams.

See you for a fun-filled Saturday morning!

Please call Venky on +919845719332 or Vivek on +919845079348 for any clarifications.

Team Nexus

The leader board after episode 1 will be available on www.brewhaha.in, along with the questions and answers of last time’s episode.

TVS Tyres sponsors KQA's 25th Anniversary Fest

2008-06-24T12:44:00.002+05:30

Coinciding with the 25th anniversaary of both institutions.

Don't miss two great days of quizzing on Saturday and Sunday - June 28 and 29.

More details on http://community.livejournal.com/kqaquizzes

Deca Dimensions - Dasaavatharam

2008-06-19T14:34:00.008+05:30

The religious bigotry of a 12th century Shaivite king saves an entire populace from being annihilated 800 years later. Find it baffling? Well, that's the stuff movies are made of it seems!

The entire movie watching (at least Tamil movies) public is now obsessed with two scientific concepts that few common men had heard of - Chaos Theory and Butterfly Effect. Indeed this is the premise on which the much-hyped Kamal starrer, rather deca-starrer, Dasaavatharam is based.

Working on a basic storyline that small, seemingly unrelated events can cause massive changes and impact in this world, the film opens with a fantastic 12th-century sequence, cuts across to a high-tech lab in the US and culminates on the shores of the Chidambaram beaches, tracing out events in the 96 hours leading up to the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

Without going into the details of the story, suffice to say that there are a number of interesting and subtle touches. The naming of the characters for each avatar of Vishnu, the brief dalliances with atheism in the dialogues, having a Japanese character at the time the Tsunami hits are some that come to my mind.

While the messaging in this movie is a little more underlying and covert, unlike one of his earlier movies like say, Anbe Sivam, the narrative is in the genre of Crash and Babel.

There are a number of redeeming factors to the movie, most prominently the 12th century Chola king sequence, and the role of Kamal as a Dalit activist. Kamal seamlessly and effortlessly essays all the diverse role ranging from a 95-year old retarded woman to a Punjabi pop singer who got his first break in Tamil Nadu. Ms Sherawat sizzles as ever, for an hour in the movie before meeting her end, and has the men sighing (to put it politely!). Asin, in her first role is good and comes out below par in the second role. As the Telugu-obsessed RAW officer, Kamal lends humor, while communicating the message of the parochial divides that exist in South India.

Himesh Reshammiya, a most baffling choice for a music director (songs only), has done an okay job and does not necessarily make you flinch. I would have loved to hear the maestro Illayaraja's notes and chords for a movie like this.

My biggest grouse was that the overdone make-ups deprived us of actually enjoying Kamal's thespian abilities. But since this was the biggest draw of the movie, I don't think one can complain too much.

Some other minor headaches and inconsistencies do exist like Jayapradha's force-fitted role, the quite unnecessary "Kamal as George Bush" avatar and an average performance from Asin.

It's a rather clever ploy this time from Kamal who makes sure that he has made a mark in Indian cinema with this movie, at the same time incorporating liberal doses of commercial masala to satisfy the mainstream.

Summarily, a commendable effort that will make you form an opinion - one of those "you can love it, or hate it, but cannot ignore it" kind of movies. Which is more than what can be said about a majority of the Indian movies in theatres of late.

Definitely recommend one watch.

KQA Anniversary Quizzes

2008-06-13T11:53:00.006+05:30

Hi All,

The Karnataka Quizzing Association is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and there a number of quizzes planned. All the quizzes (except school and college) are Open Quizzes – meaning you can team up with anyone! There will be loads of prizes for finalists, winners and audience as well.

Among the highlights is a Bangalore Quiz, which will have loads of interesting fundas on our city!

More information will follow in another post.

Please mark your calendars and be there.

Please also pass this on to everyone you know on your mailing list.

Cheers!
Venky

KQA celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding this year.
This year's ASKQANCE, our anniversary quiz festival, will feature five quizzes to be held over two days : Saturday, 28 June 2008 and Sunday, 29 June 2008

The Venues
On 28 June 2008: Old Hall, St. Joseph's Boys High School, Museum Road, Bangalore
On 29 June 2008: Purandara Bhavan (Indiranagar Sangeetha Sabha) 8th Main Road
(Near Indiranagar Club)

On 28 June 2008
KQA Intercollegiate Championships featuring two separate finals for junior college and collegiate teams
3-member teams
Start: 10 a.m
QMs: Ochintya Sharma, Rajeev Gowda and Thejaswi Udupa

Hubbubb-a! The Third edition of the Bangalore Quiz
2-member teams
Start: 1:30 p.m
QM: Arul Mani

Open Entertainment Quiz
Teams of 4 members
Start: 3 p.m
QMs: Kiran Vijayakumar and Madhav

Sunday, 29 June 2008
Cognito High School Quiz Championships
Teams of 2 members
Start: 10 a.m QM: Dibyendu Das

High School Solo Championship
Start: 12:30 p.m QM: Mitesh Agarwal

Sesame - The Open! Quiz
Teams of 4 members
Start: 2 p.m QMs: Arun Hiregange and Arul Mani

KQA Silver Jubilee Ceremonies 5:30 p.m
All prizes and certificates will be given out during the ceremonies.
Other details such as entry fee, prizes etc. will be announced shortly.

Quiz at BrewHaHa on Sunday, May 20

2007-05-14T22:14:00.000+05:30

Hi All,

Am conducting the second edition of my quiz at BrewHaHa, Koramangala on Sunday, May 20, at 2 PM. They also have an online quiz starting Wednesday, May 16.

Details below:

Online Quiz Starting May 16
Quizmasters : Rajdeep Gupta of the Infosys Quizzing Group and Mansur Nazimuddin of BrewHaHa
Format : Online quiz
Date and Time : 1 question every day on the main page of the website (http://www.brewhaha.in/) at noon, starting Wednesday, 16th of May and ending Friday, 25th of May
Points System : 3 points for first 2 correct answers, 2 points for next 2, 1 point for every other correct answer received before 6 pm on day of posting. 3 bonus points for anyone who gets all the answers right
Prizes : BrewHaHa gift coupons worth Rs. 250 each for 3 highest overall scorers
No registration required. Just send us your name, city and company when you mail in your first answer.

Open Quiz on Sunday, May 20

Our second quiz this Sunday
QM: Venkatesh S (Venky)
Format : Open General Quiz
Date and Time : Sunday, 20th of May at 2:00 pm
Team Size : 3 or 4. Open, no affiliations
Entry Fee : Rs. 100/team
Venue : BrewHaHa. Near Jyoti Nivas College gate, Jyoti Nivas College Road, Koramangala

On the spot registration

Book coupons and BrewHaHa gift coupons worth Rs. 3000 on offer as prizes!

Please do be there and make it a success! Also, please do pass on the word to everyone you know who may be interested.

A Heady Cocktail....Booze 'n Brains

2007-04-06T15:03:00.000+05:30

It was Thursday night again last night, and we went to Opus for Mark Rego's Booze and Brains - India's longest running pub quiz! I have been going on a pretty regular basis for about two years now, and every time the experience is invigorating for me. The concept of combining quizzing, with an ambience of fun, good spirits, some finger food (unfortunately below par service) is by itself amazing. Yesterday, we were trailing for a large part of the quiz, and going into the last question, which was worth five points, and in a moment of inspiration, Ads (Aditya) and I got the answer and hit gold! The sheer pleasure of winning a quiz, especially from behind is just beyond compare. The fact that the average age at the table that was leading throughout, was a good 6-7 years lower than ours (an excellent team of 7 people, seemingly from college), was prompting Anu (Aditya's soulmate) to comment that we are over the hill and the invasion of the youth brigade has happened! So, it was fun to win.

Mark Rego brings with him an inimitable style, and great amount of passion. Even though he runs a very tight calendar as a corporate MC, traversing all over the globe (he's going to Casablanca in Morocco next week!!), he makes sure he fronts B-and-B on Thursdays. With his usual mixture of timely wit, and the ability to hold the attention of a crowd however large, Mark leaves his mark on this "patented event" of his. Apparently, a corporate edition is due soon.

So, it was an evening well spent with friends, and getting back to winning ways was good.

Here are some questions from yesterday:
a) Hydrophobia causes what viral disease?
b) The now extinct Dodo, was a native of which island?
c) Which organization replaced General Agreement on Trade and Tarrifs?
d) What is a cyclone in the China sea called?
e) Which is the largest freshwater lake in the world, by area?
f) What is Asterix's mother's name?
g) Who is the only tennis player to have achieved a Grand Slam twice in his / her career?
h) Which cricketer played for Australia and South Africa in World Cups?
i) Which country is closest to the southernmost point of India?
j) What is the equivalent of a Black Box in ships?
k) Berlin is on the banks of which river?
l) What is 'D' in roman numerals?
m) How do we better know Cristobal Colon?
n) Who was the first Asian to win a Nobel prize?
o) The People's Great Assembly rules which country? Mongolia or South Korea
p) Which American city first hosted the Summer Olympics - St Louis or Atlanta?
q) What language did Jesus speak? Aramic or Hebrew
r) Transylvania is in which modern-day country?
s) How do we better know the breed of dogs called "badgers"?

And the final, 5-pointer question was:
What is the name given to a person who manages the gambling table at a casino?

Answers below:

a) Rabies

b) Mauritius

c) World Trade Organization

d) Typhoon

e) Lake Superior

f) Sarsparilla (Praline)

g) Rod Laver

h) Kepler Wessels

i) Indonesia

j) Voyage Data Recorder

k) Spree

l) 500

m) Christopher Columbus

n) Rabindranath Tagore

o) Mongolia

p) St Louis

q) Aramic

r) Romania

s) Dachshund

And the answer to the 5-pointer was: CROUPIER

Mozhi - the language of Silence

2007-04-04T17:53:00.000+05:30

Watched the new Tamil movie Mozhi last week. This movie immediately goes to my Top 10 list of all-time favorite Tamil movies. A simple story, narrated with lots of sensitivity, empathy, aesthetics and realism, the movie makes for a very satisfying viewing experience.

The story revolves around 4 central characters - Archana (Jyothika), who is challenged in terms of speech and hearing, but wants to prove a point to the world, her friend, the pragmatic young widow Sheela (Swarnamalya), and two young musicians - the romantic Karthik (Prithviraj) and the sometimes cynical and happy-go-lucky Viji (Prakashraj, who is also the producer. The movie is about how Karthik tries to woo Archana, while trying to reconcile with her need to be independent, not partonized by anyone from the 'normal' world and being subject to destiny. Meanwhile, Viji and Sheela end up deciding to tie the knot. Karthik and Archana both go through a process of discovery about their feeling towards each other and on various other issues. How the movie ends - well, I will leave you to see it and enjoy it!

The director has dealt with the subject of physical impairment and the context with enormous sensitivity - without going overboard either way. The setting for the story is a modern, multi-house apartment complex, and the various other happenings in this place also lends itself to some excellent comedy performed by the main characters. This is a refreshing difference from the usual Tamil movie style of having a slapstick comedy track, performed by 'acclaimed comedians' with no relation to the main story. There also various other comical yet poignant sub-plots like the Professor who is frozen in a time warp in 1984 after having lost his teenage son, and the Association Secretary who courts mishap at every opportunity and is phobic about cockroaches.

The fact that the movie has no superstars, and is the swansong for Jyothika, makes it all the more remarkable. Rammohan, the director has effortlessly blended a simple story line with a tight, smooth flowing plot. Jyothika's performance as a deaf and mute, self-reliant, aggressive, passionate urban woman is simply brilliant.

The music by Vidyasagar is pleasant, but not really appealing - the one low point of the movie. A marginally better edit job could have been executed as well.

This is certainly a path-breaking movie for Tamil and Indian cinema, and I would strongly recommend a watch.

General Quiz...

2007-04-04T15:17:00.000+05:30

Have been conducting a fair amount of quizzes recently, mostly within my Company. A sampling of some recent questions that I asked. Answers in comments or through mail are welcome. Will post answers soon.

1. This phrase means to attempt to extend the current limits of performance phrase came into general use following the publication of Tom Wolfe's book about the space programme - The Right Stuff, 1979. In aviation, it is the description of the upper and lower limits of the various factors that it is safe to fly at, i.e. speed, engine power, maneuverability, wind speed, altitude etc. What phrase?

2. The Latin root of this word means "bright, shining, glistening white." The ancient Roman people who wanted to run for high office would wear bright white togas. This was seemingly to demonstrate their purity of thought and actions. Which two English words came from this Latin root?

3. The "Preferred Address in _______". It is centrally located in the heart of the business district, and is 17 Storeys high. Among international celebrities who have been here include Pope John Paul II, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Winnie Mandela, Steven Segal. The blank is the name of a city. What are we talking about?

4. Douglas McGregor (1906 - 1964) earned a B.A. from Wayne State University in 1932, then earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1933 and 1935 respectively. He was a Management professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His 1960 book "The Human Side of Enterprise" had a profound influence on management practices. What theory of people management did he popularize?

5. Only three films have won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay, a feat which is known as winning the "Big Five" or the Oscar "Grand Slam." Name them

6. The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival in the United States, and ranks as one of the most prestigious in the world. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S. Held annually in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, Utah as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is the premier showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. Who named it and why?

7. From the early 1980s until the early 1990s, American Express was known for cutting its merchant fees to restaurants if they only accepted Amex and no other credit or charge cards. However, in 1991, several restaurants in Boston started accepting and encouraging the use of Visa and MasterCard due to their far lower fees as compared to American Express' fees at the time. A few even stopped accepting American Express credit cards. The revolt, quickly spread nationwide to over 250 restaurants across the US, including restaurants in other cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. What was this revolt called? (Funny answer!)

8. This phrase/definition was first used by the Reverend Theodore Parker at the Boston anti-slavery convention in 1850. Needless to say, few in the crowd paid attention to the definition then. The phrase was made very famous by an American president in the 19th century. It is now quoted as a standard definition for this word. Which word and phrase?

9.It is an information and technology research and advisory firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The company was founded in 1979 by the eponymous Gideon ___. Originally a private company, the group was launched publicly in the 1980s, then acquired by Saatchi & Saatchi, the London-based advertising agency, and then acquired in 1990 by some of its executives, with funding from Bain Capital and Dun & Bradstreet. In 2001 the name was simplified to ______. In the course of its growth, it has acquired numerous companies providing related services. Their symbol at NYSE is IT. Name the company

10. Connect the movies Adaptation, Cider House Rules, A Fish called Wanda, Jerry Mcguire and Syrianna.

11. In European club football, the waving of white handkerchiefs by the fans is the traditional sign that they want ___________. What?

12. Ronald Gerald Wayne is the often forgotten "other founder" of this company. He illustrated the first logo and wrote the instruction manual. While there, he also wrote their partnership agreement. Wayne worked with one of the founders at Atari before co-founding this company on April 1, 1976. He was given a 10% stake, but relinquished his stock for $800 only two weeks later because legally all members of a partnership are personally responsible for any debts incurred by any of the other partners. Which company?

13. An 13 October, 2006 article in The Boston Globe, states that this reawakening of an interest in Gandhi through the concept of Gandhigiri has had a positive impact in India and suggests, "What America needs is a film that encourages people to take up Gandhigiri, ____, or ____. If it worked for Bollywood, it could work for Hollywood". Which are the other two 'giri's, named for two famous Americans?

14. It was first sold in North America in October of 1968, but were not rolled out nationally until the mid-1970s. According to the patent, it was invented by Alexander Liepa of Montgomery, Ohio for the U.S. Army. The company chose the brand name from a Cincinnati telephone book, selecting ____ Avenue in Finneytown, Ohio for its pleasing sound. The brand is advertised in the United States with the slogan "Once you pop, the fun don't stop", and in the UK with "Once you pop, you just can't stop". Which one?

15. The title of the movie comes from the work of Dr. Duncan MacDougall, who in the early 1900s sought to measure the weight purportedly lost by a human body when the soul departed the body upon death. MacDougall weighed dying patients in an attempt to prove that the soul was material, tangible and thus measurable. These experiments are widely considered to have had little if any scientific merit, and although MacDougall's results varied considerably from ____, for some people this figure has become synonymous with the measure of a soul's mass. Which one?

Enjoy!

Answers below:
1. Push the Envelope
2. candidus, which led to candidate and candid
3. The blank is Kingston and the answer is Hotel Jamaica Pegasus
4. X Theory and Y Theory
5. It Happened One Night, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Silence of the Lambs
6. Robert Redford; after his role as Sundance Kid in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. Boston Fee Party!
8. Democracy - a government by the people, of the people, for the people
9. Gartner
10. Oscars for Best Supporting Actor
11. Manager should be sacked
12. Apple Corporation
13. Kinggiri and Kennedygiri
14. Pringles
15. 21 Grams

A champion...

2007-04-04T15:12:00.000+05:30

Amidst all the shameless media trials over an insipid cricket performance, another Herculean achievment has gone unnoticed. Vishwanathan Anand, that gentle genius has done India proud yet again; this time by becoming the numero uno chess player in the world - the first time that an Asian has achieved this top slot. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Vishy is that, inspired by him, many boys and girls in India have taken up the sport and Koneru Humpy is currently the #2 women's player in the world. Instead of treating our cricket team's loss as a national disaster, we probably want to stand up and salute Anand for what he has achieved - being an epitome of the new India's desire to be the best and nothing less. Kudos, Vishy.

Brewing a new concept...

2007-04-04T14:54:00.000+05:30

A large, yet cosy ambience, comfortable bean bags, bright orange colors, dancing figures on walls, white boards with markers - some of the sights that greet you when you enter BrewHaHa, the new coffee cum gaming joint at Koramangala. Located near Jyoti Nivas College (opposite Lakme), BrewHaHa's USP is bringing back the memories of playing some really nice board games with friends, while sipping on some good coffee, with finger food. The range of games available to play is excellent - I doubt even if game afficionados have seen more than 25% of the games available. The coffees are reasonably price, with a good range available. The names are really cool - the filter coffee is called Kumbakonam Brew - with a by-line that Ramanujam used to enjoy it everyday with his 'pi'!! The service is non-intrusive and quick. The ambience has an immediate uplifting effect on your mood, and the games are extremely addictive. Sreeraman and Mansur, two IIM Ahmedabad alumni, have chucked plum MNC jobs to pursue this dream, and I must say that the concept rocks. Sreeram particularly makes sure he explains the nuances of the game and the concept as a whole with oodles of passion. The plan is to make sure that the place becomes a hub for community based events like hobby classes (for aero modelling, robotics et al), as well as college-days lit-events like quizzes, cryptic crosswords, Dumb charades and so on. You can look forward to activities starting very soon. Keep watching this space and if you are one who likes to do "intelligent chilling out", go to Brewhaha right away!

A long overdue revival...

2007-04-04T14:48:00.000+05:30

After the initial enthusiasm of some posts, I have been guilty of neglecting my Blog totally! The few loyal readers have now given up on me completely. In the intervening six months, I have become envisioned (that is, have started wearing spectacles), clean-shaven, heart-broken with our listless cricketing performance, conducted lots of good quizzes, and on the verge of shifting roles at work to something exciting. Am making a promise to myself to do this more regularly from here on...the blogging that is!

Yo! China...No China

2006-10-19T17:08:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, the wife and I on an impulse, went out for dinner to Yo! China in Koramangala.

The food is very attractively priced with lots of 'combo' offerings that are great value for money. The ambiance is simple and quite okay. The place does not serve alcohol. They have seating at two levels; the AC was not working in the upper level though. The food quality was average; Magnolia beats it any day, not to talk of Mainland China et al

There was some vague music playing much too loudly in the background. We ended up watching the climax of a great cricket match with the 21" TV on mute all through!
Service levels were nothing to write home about; the beverages came quite late, well after the food had come We had a mistake in the bill as well, which was rectified after some discussion.

All in all, a thumbs down from my side, unless you have a really strained budget and are desperate to eat Chinese food. Lots of potential in the place, though.

Champions Trophy catches fire...

2006-10-19T16:49:00.000+05:30

After two insipid, one-sided encounters, the much-hyped ICC Champions Trophy has finally caught fire. Pakistan, expected to be in complete disarray showed the fighting spirit that they are made of to topple Sri Lanka. The energy and passion that the Pakis showed on the field was superb and Adbul Razzaq put up a memorable performance to clinically finish the match. He reiterated the value of having a true, quality all-rounder in the team.

Yesterday was the match that has really ignited the tournament. A really good even contest, it ultimately became a battle of the mind that the West Indies won over the fancied Aussies. The latter seemed to have the game well under control till a suicidal run-out displaced the well-set Gilchrist. It was all downhill from thereon. The game brought to the fore a few things:
a) The Aussies can certainly be beaten, especially if they chase on the slow, low Indian wickets
b) Playing slow bowlers and quality spinners, may be the way to go for all teams and may determine which team progresses further
c) Patience and application are going to be key virtues for batsmen to succeed

India's group is now wide open and lots of interesting possibilities are ahead.
In a context like this, I cannot help but feel that Very Very Special Laxman would have been invaluable in the middle order. Rahul and the Indian team need to seriously review the batting line-up and start playing with more application. Using bowlers like Yuvraj, Sachin, Sehwag and Raina may also be very important. And most importantly, the WIndies showed that if you are confident that you can beat the best in the world, then you simply can.

For now, my bets on the semis are India, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan. Let's see!

Cola Wars - a feet on the street account

2006-10-12T11:30:00.000+05:30

Say Cola Wars - and people will immediately conjure up images of Blue vs Red, Aamir vs Shahrukh et al. And of course, of late, their biggest 'brand ambassador' - Sunita Narain!

The cola companies through some high-profile celebrity endorsements and dollar-splashing have made sure that larger-than-life brands have been created.

But this post is about the 'real' cola wars. That are fought in the dusty by-lanes of small towns.

I worked in Pepsi at the beginning of my career - six years ago, for a couple of years. And it was a memorable experience.

Firstly, it teaches you that the guy on the truck selling your product is all-critical. His relationships with the shopkeeper, and his efficiency in delivering the right stock at the right time is often a critical success factor. And what is ironic is that very often, this frontline salesman is not a company employee, but employed by a distributor. So, it is this guy who is your greatest brand ambassador and brand executor.

The other absolutely critical factor in beverages is distribution. In Madurai, the territory where I worked in, the sheer depth of distribution is what gave us higher market share. And here, you are not talking about some "less fashionable pocket of a metropolis", but one provision store tucked away in a narrow lane, catering to a cluster of villages. For the shopkeeper here, selling beverages is one of the highest-margin businesses. And this is where market share is determined not by whether he likes Lagaan or Swades - but purely based on who can supply stocks consistently and better during peak summer months. And just to give you an idea of the cyclicity in the business, in states like UP nearly 60% of annual sales comes in one month - May! So, effectively this month determines how good your year has been.

Specifically, in India the other interesting dynamic in beverage sales is glass management. Every year companies make incremental investments on producing new glass. But what is critical is the turning around of empty bottles from the market. Say, in a particular market, if the cola brand is the strongest, you will have to keep on supplying more of the same brand and get back empty bottles of the same brand. And this is because if you get back empty bottles of say, Fanta, you cannot bottle Coca Cola in it, right?!

Beverages are the only product that cannot be consumed in the same state as they are in when they are produced. You need to chill them. And this means providing chilling infrastructure across retail outlets of all types in multiple locations. And then, tracking the same and ensuring it well used.

All in all, beverage marketing and sales is cut-throat, exhausting and stressful, but also great fun and a great experience. Not recommended for the faint-hearted:-) And the next time you see Sachin endorsing your favorite cola brand - spare a thought for the route agent who went 12 kms to keep a commitment with one shopkeeper and sell him 12 bottles of the same drink!

Cheers!

Malgudi Fundas 2

2006-10-10T15:43:00.000+05:30

Today is the birth centenary of R K Narayan. Here comes the second edition of a quiz on him:

1. As part of the centenary celebrations, an omnibus collection of Narayan's best short stories, some 75 of them, is going to be released with an introduction by a well-known author of our times. Which author?
2. From the second half of the 1980s, which fortnightly Indian magazine published a number of Narayan "Table Talk" pieces, some short stories, and even three novels in serial form?
3. What connects R K Narayan and Lux Soaps?! (A rather lateral connect!)
4. From which city in India did R K Narayan obtain his Bachelor's degree?
5. What connects R K Narayan and Symphony theatre in Bangalore?

Go for it guys and celebrate the memory of this great man!

Cheers!

Wright Choice

2006-10-09T13:01:00.000+05:30

I have just finished reading Indian Summers by the former Indian cricket coach, John Wright. Overall, the book makes for an interesting read. A clear overtone of self-deprecation and an undertone of sarcasm are prevalent right through the book.

As an unlikely candidate for coaching one of the world's most crazily followed teams, Wright explains the expectations and dynamics of the role over the five years. As India's first foreign coach ever, Wright began with nobody giving him a hope in hell of succeeding with a team that was always known to wear it's attitudes and emotions on the sleeve. The perspective changes that Wright experiences are immense: ranging from the all-pervasive and incessant media glare to being astonished at having thousands of people turn up to see the Indian team at the nets.

One concludes that one of the reasons why Wright succeeded is that he quickly learnt that the system, including the players had a certain set of strong limitations and he worked around them and adapted fast. He writes of moments of intense frustration at the dressing room when a player has thrown away his wicket to an irresponsible shot, or a suggestion from him has been disregarded on the field. But his greatest angst stems from the poor attitude and discipline shown by some of the players, including the 'superstars'.

Some of the anecdotes narrated leave you with the stark realization that with the immense innate talent available, it is discipline or the lack of it, which prevents India from being a great team rather and not just a brilliant one in phases. With some amount of logic extension, there are lessons to take away for everyday work life in the corporate world as well. An interesting dynamic narrated here is about how during his tenure, the captain (we know who!) and the coach (himself) were different as chalk in cheese in approach and attitude, but decided to work together to achieve the larger goal of victory for the Indian team more often than not.

If people were expecting some controversial, "blow the lid off the covers" stuff from this book, they are sadly disappointed. Instead it is more like a diary of sorts with a fair amount of human touch to it. The awe he has for the batting talents of Dravid, Laxman and Sachin, and the helplessness that he experiences with the Indian selection system are quite real and true to heart.

The book does get mildly preachy in some parts, and the reader could well lose grip and interest.

It must be noted that Sharda Ugra who has co-authored the book is an acclaimed sports writer and has certainly contributed to the easy-to-read style of the book. Summarily, a very good read if you are interested and passionate about cricket.

PS: On the recommendation of a good friend and equal cricket fanatic, I bought the book from Fab Mall online at a good discount! Thanks, Rahul!

Cheerio!

Malgudi Fundas 1

2006-10-09T12:49:00.000+05:30

As promised, I plan to do a mini-quiz on R K Narayan every day this week, in celebration of the great author's centenary. So, for all you fans, here goes a simple edition 1 of the quiz:

1) On whose suggestion did R K Narayan shorten his name from Narayanswami to Narayan?
2) Which forest range is adjacent to the town of Malgudi?
3) The original title of "Swami and Friends" contained the name of a famous cricketer in the title, before it was changed. In the book, Swami is compared to this great cricketer. Who?
4) There is a popular rumour, which has been repeatedly debunked, that Malgudi gets it's name from two popular residential areas in Bangalore. Which ones?
5) Which place / landmark in Malgudi is the first point of our introduction to the town? In fact, this place is contained in the first line of Swami and Friends that RKN penned down.

Enjoy the quiz and mail me the answers on venkyiimb@gmail.com

Cheers!

Magician from Malgudi

2006-10-08T13:05:00.000+05:30

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Ayyar Narayanaswami aka R K Narayan is one of my favourite authors. This week, on October 10, is the birth centenary of this literary genius. Along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao, he became the 'big three' of Indian literature. One of the interesting things about Narayan is that he is probably the first full-time professional writer from India - he earned his living as an author. R K Narayan's books literally transport you to the location of the plot. You can picturise yourself being in quaint little Malgudi, that endearing fictional South Indian town that he created; imagining that you are actually walking along the tiny streets, ducking into the Boardless Hotel for a coffee, having a bat with Swami and his team on the cricket pitch and hearing the gentle hum of the Sarayu river rolling by are all imminent possibilities once you bury yourself into any one of his novels or short stories. The really important point for me is that, while the language in all the books is easy to read and comprehend, with a flowing, lucid style of narrative, the vividness of the portrayal leaves images etched in your mind.

For those unfamiliar with him, the wikipedia page on R K Narayan is an excellent start. I would also strongly recommend the lead article " A Reluctant Centenarian" in the Magazine section of The Hindu today (Sunday). N Ram, the editor of The Hindu was an associate of the author and has written an excellent tribute to him.

I plan to make this a series of posts from today on dedicated to this master craftsmen who has given us so much delight, including a quiz on R K Narayan everyday.

Cheerio!

Weekend Heartbreak

2006-10-08T12:56:00.000+05:30

So, it was not to be. With 15 laps to go, the fairytale ended at Suzuka, Japan. The super reliable, famed Ferrari engine gave up on its genius driver, and Michael Schumacher was left ruing the fact that sport can be a great leveller. On top of the world one week, and literally crashing down the next. With all the controversy over team loyalties and support, it was an excellent achievement for the young and mercurial Fernando Alonso to have won and practically sealed the driver's championship. I have never been a great F1 fan; indeed, even today I rarely end up watching a full race. But, the sheer spirit of Schumacher to come back after he was written off halfway through the season was just awe-inspiring. And a complete treat to watch. And today, as he sadly trooped off, the oft-repeated quote" there are few fairytale finishes in sport" came back to mind. But, there is one final race to go in Brazil two weeks from now. And there, we shall bid adieu to one of the grittiest and talented sportsmen to have ever graced world sport. Till then, it's champagne time for the Renault fans.

The First Steps

2006-10-06T15:26:00.000+05:30

Finally. It seems that I have been talking and talking about this for a long time. Every time I meet my friends, inevitably discussions turn towards the Internet, the digital area, online community fora and Blogs. And at long last here I am contributing to the ever-growing blogging world.

It's a Friday afternoon, and no, the week's not coming to an end. A farcical 'bandh' (compounded by a 'bandh' of power supply at home) called on Wednesday, means that the stop-start work week will extend into Saturday. And in true evidence of Murphy's Law, while I will be working this Saturday, my wife will be working the next. So, that means two one-day weekends in a row.

Thursdays are always fun as a bunch of us go for India's longest running pub quiz, now in one of Bangalore's finest restaurants, Opus - Booze and Brains by Mark Rego. Yesterday was great ambience, great weather, good crowd and what made it better is that we won! Mark is the best show-host / compere I have ever seen and in Opus, the quiz is so much more fun because of the atmosphere.

This Sunday, the action will be in Japan. Will the Michael of the "Indomitable Spirit' continue his astonishing comeback and make it a truly memorable swansong for himself, or will it be a tearful ending to a champion career? We shall see in Suzuka.

Meanwhile, cricket will wed entertainment this week, as the Champions Trophy begins. I am quite hoping that Bangladesh will cause an upset and make it to the main round. And of course, the real tournament starts on October 15, when our own Men in Blue take on the English team. The Indian performance has tended to sway from the sublime to the ridiculous in recent times, but given home advantage and a little more luck (than we had in KL), India should by all accounts be in a semifinal against South Africa.

Still on cricket, I am finishing up "Indian Summers" by John Wright. More on that in my next post.

This has been a long, slightly muddled post. Attribute it to beginner's blues.

Cheers!