GS' Beats

J Ashok "Sir, I didn't understand that. Like ... why do we consider opportunity cost here, eh, mm.., but not in the previous question?" It was my first batch of class. I was handling a question in Financial Management. The concept was about Equivalent Annual Benefit. I had explained the first model on the topic. Everything went on smoothly. Atleast so I thought. I explained the second model, a question on optimal replacement time taking a different approach, not so convincingly. I realised that a bit late, only after that question, for which I had no answer. The question was from Ashok. In a class of around 20 odd students, when each of their eyes communicated a certain degree of doubt over what I was explaining, he was the one who raised this all important question. "Why?" 'In case of mistakes, with others - we seek judgement, with self - we seek compromise' was an SMS I received from one of my friends a few months back. Reading that I can only remember...

S Sundar Raman It is with a matter of pride (you may call arrogance as well) that I say this. I have great deal of zeal in taking up anything, any work (with or without a prefix or suffix). This zeal I consider my strength. Anything new offers certain scope for learning, which is quite an experience, as new things throw up a challenge before you, which helps you stay competitive. I believe, this competitive spirit is essential for us to progress. But the biggest hurdle or challenge in the entire process is the sudden indifference I encounter, whereafter I end up being in a shell, without a pinch of thought for whatever happens around me. I don't have any reason for that. It just happens. I lose interest. I am not interested in staying competitive. Energy levels goes down. Efficiency goes down. Thinking gets extinct. I just become some vegetable. It was during one of those vegetable periods (unusually long that time around), that Sundar came about. Four Years younger than me, but fo...

I had been dreaming about her for almost 4 years, chased her on my bike whenever I saw her. Almost every night I used to fantasize being with her, being inside her, riding her or probably driving her, and driving myself crazy. Let your crazy thoughts take some rest, this is not what you think. My desire for her had turned into an obsession. I had promised myself that I will get her, come what may. I was sure that I had found my second love. That was till I saw this drop dead gorgeous Italian beauty, scorching hot, oozing with oomph, glitz and a stunning stance. I would have missed her, but for my sister, who noticed her. That stretched sporty style coupled with her sizzling looks and I was floored. What I had thought as my second love, suddenly looked a tad older, tad dull and a tad boring. I knew if at all there will be a second love, it was this "second" her. I had just seen the Fiat Palio Sport, in my favourite colour - Black. We were returning from some purchase or window...

V Rangarajan The smartest dude I have ever come across. The sharpest mind whose brilliance needs to be experienced first hand to really appreciate what I am writing.  Watching him perform was like watching a divine mixture of Sampras and Federer, Don and the Little Master, Pele and Maradona. He was simply the best. As one of my friend had put it, "Avan Deivam da" (He is God). He is the finest example of an intellect. Brilliant and Ecletic. He was a classmate I never had. He was the competition I never truly had at my school. His was the brilliance, that was unmatched by any other head I have come across in my life. A head which did not make empty noises. A head which never made noice, for light it was. There was no arrogance or ego. I met him in one of those inter college competitions at Madurai. I was representing Bishop Heber College and he represented St. Josephs College. (As fate had it, I did not get a seat at St. Josephs College). Two lads from Trichy, meeting at Madura...

Krishna Prasad Rarely we come across people, especially your own peer, who also turns out to be your mentor cum inspiration.  Krishna Prasad was one. But for him, I would have ended up being one of those shit heads whose world started and ended with academics. Those high scoring bright students, darling of the school teachers, who after qualifying best of the professional examinations, end up being part of the crowd of morons, with no real identity. Those super achievers, who always had the brightest of their life at school thereafter getting eclipsed by the more ecletic blokes (hitherto regarded as duds). Krishna was the key to the locked doors of my mind. He was the one who helped me think beyond study books. When the whole of class used to discuss either exams or movies or sports (cricket), Krishna used to discuss world of other topics. We used to discuss history and poetry, plus the usual guy talk. There were religion, life style, automotives, women, word plays, food, movies, books...

Overview of the Posts in this Blog It is always better to know what a Blog is all about. This is well served, if one knows what each of the blog label stands for. It also acts as an easy indexing tool, and adds a lot of clarity in the entire blogging process. What better way than to post a blog on "blog labels". This is it. The Blog Overview. Though for some labels, the posts are already there. For some labels, the posts are in WIP. Books and Movies On the books / movies, both fiction and non-fiction, that moved me emotionally and intellectually. Don't mistake this label for a review, because it isn't. It is an ode to those fantastic piece of writings / film making, which, in a way, has shaped my thoughts and actions.It also includes those fine works of art, which had impressed me the most. Those which did otherwise, have a look at funny. Bullet The obvious. My first real love. My Best Friend. My experiences and experiments with the Big Bad Machine. My Initiation...

The First Big Trip It was the first week of August 1999. I had just started learning riding a geared two wheeler. It was my father's colleague's TVS AX 100 R. A red coloured bike, similar to the one our neighbour had. My father had borrowed the bike for two days.  Reason? To teach me how to ride a bike. Wow! I suddenly started feeling older than the seventeen I was. Two days was all the bike was available. I could take it only in the evening when my father returned home. He taught me the basics. How to hold the clutch lever, and switch gears, and slowly release the clutch, and gradually rev up the accelerator. It felt fantastic. The learning part was the most blissful experience. In my college half the toads knew to ride. I felt really bad that I couldn't. Now I am their equal, is what I felt. The practise track was a couple kilometres away from my home, on Sathanur Road, with bushes and wild plants on the road side. Because of those bushes, you face a swarm of insects and ...

Gluttony of Hope Greedy are sinners. What did the sinners greed after? Money? No. Wealth? No. Happiness? No. Then? Hope, for to hope, is to sin. Can a person be called sinner simply because he had "hope"? Generally no. Specifically yes. In this case. For those people who hoped beyond what was reasonable. For hoping that their bloodless coup will win more fronts and frontiners. For hoping that world will have endless growth and it cannot fall flat. For being super optimistic. For being super arrogant. For they still hope to return to their bloodless rout ways, despite where they are now . For hoping against hope that the world will forget and forgive the mess they have created. Hope that they will be bailed out of the mess they are very much part of, not as unwilling participants, but as the real and true instigators. Who are they? The shareholders. The investors. Or are they really investors?! Who is an investor? Is he just a person who puts his money, but not his mind? Can a...