Excercising your right to vote

It is important that we all vote. but sadly- due to my crushing travelling schedule- i will not be able to do so this time.my voter registration is in westBengal- and i have not grown enough roots in bangalore to transfer it. kind of emotional for me.I wish there was voting possible through net ( like i select my president through web vote in ieee.Over the years- i have become completely apolitical and prefer none of the stakeholders.though there are good leaders around- butit will take us years to make this better democracy. We are heading towards years of confusion this time as i assume that we will have hung house and all types of frivolous elements will hold the country to ransom.

To Pune!!!

Will be going to Pune again- regional review!! and i look forward each quarter or every chance to go to this beautiful city. Pune grows on you. I was quite annoyed when my then boss Rakesh Mehta asked me to relocate to Bangalore and take the challenge. In retrospect - that was the best thing that couls have happened to me. Thank you Mehta sir!! But by then i had spent 2 years in Pune. My life's best of the times, worst of the times ( oops!! that line taken from Dickens- pls don't consider it as copyright violation). It is another thing that i am now certain that nobody reads these random thoughts and i can get away with whatever i right. This is better than my journals i used to keep.
ok... Pune. I loved Pune- i get nostalgic about Pune. the Garware pul, the unlimited thali in janta ( near shambhaji putla). 4 rs- in dukkar ( a strange vehicle- now banned) from Kothrud to Apte road. Time spent with collegues of mechatronics and bitmapper. I sometimes take a walk at night after coming back to hotel room ( i still prefer to stay near apte road).FC road is still same - will always remain same- Girls all wrapped up in morning ( Sun must feel bad- He cannot touch those beautiful damsels); and in their finest in evening. I and Rahul- used to freshen our mind in saturday evening after a hard week by walking from one end of fc road to other end ( discussing philosophy and politics). that phone booth is no more there....( visiontek manuf.- so when i went to there manuf in Hyd. i was remembering them). that Ganesh lodge is torn down ( 20 rs per day rent)-- it was the only thing affordable for me. that night- when i cried over the double bridge- in pain- over not getting what i wanted. now thinking back- God is great- He made me toil and get everything after i put efforts.Pune will always remind me of hard days, struggle, love and pain. It will also remind me of freinds made for lifetime.

Connecting & Reconnecting

I was always fascinated by web from early on. I remember- being the first one in my first year engg class ( in 1997) who spent 60 Rs/hr to create an email account. it still functions- sengupta_sambit@yahoo.com I created in a internet shop in DP, Nagpur.then slowly i became power user.I graduated to have my own website, blog, more email ids etc.catched the fever of social networking over web in 2006. found it too addictive ( and anything addictive- i leave like hot potato). but today i had lots of time. I felt over years- i have become too unsocial- more a loner and self centred. that tendency was always there- but it has grown more. more proof- one of my best freind -Sanket-lives just downstairs and today i saw him after 15-20 days. He had a quizical face- he knows me that what i am- so may have pardoned my ways. Actually my wife is just opposite- she makes freinds, laughs and very outgoing- she cannot live without talking with multiple people for 10 mins.
so i had time and sent out too many requests to all old freinds over orkut. the responses have started coming in- some are plain incredulous- isko ho kya gaya? sambit is that you -- kind of....

Ahhh!! finally a trophy in showcase

Right from my childhood days- there was this unspoken desire in me- to see myself as a recipent of trophy. I remember the days in school- I used to participate in all events ( i was a silent competitior always!!)in hope that i will get a trophy. I used to win prizes- everyyear the pattern was kind of similar (1 prize in academics - i used to stand second or third- never the first boy); 2 in extempore speeches ( always first in English and Hindi ones) and 1 in recitation= total 4 prizes. But my school always used to honor me by giving a nice certificate and some kind of utensils. By 1993- i had collected so many of them- that Ma used to joke during annual days (ok, boy- this time how many 'katories'( hindi word for bowls)?)-- ohh horror!!!
I once won a corporate quiz- thought that they will give a trophy- they did give- one- but i kept it with such care in my bike- that it broke in transit. During my higher studies- there was never a scope of winning trophies- was the best student with worst results always. Then i gave up. Then Amrita came in my life--- i openly expressed my jealousy of her Gold medals ( poor girl!! she put it into our locker).
and i forgot all my passions- work took all precedance. I read Randy Pausch's book- the last lecture and felt the pang somewhere.

And finally that day came- without much ado- like all big events of my life- very silently. In all India analog disty meet- Bangalore - my product supplier- Texas Instruments honored me by giving Best product manager- India. And they gave a trophy. the photographer had to click the photo twice- I took it from Steve Parks- and maybe- i closed my eyes- first- yes- everything went past me- zippppp!!!

I shared this with ma and amrita- two freinds who know me better than me. Both of them laughed. I kept it in showcase. and then thought now what? what next? more work? what about another trophy???