R-Rated

The Mayans were correct about one thing. That the world would end in 2012. It certainly did for India. We lost a 23-year old woman called "Nirbhaya" or "Damini" (depending on which media outlet you follow). She was no ordinary girl. She has, for all practical and necessary purposes, become "The Voice of India". No one in mainstream media or the general public knows her name, rightfully so. She was left to die after a horrific ordeal on Dec 16th, 2012 and unfortunately, the Braveheart, passed away this past Saturday, Dec 29th, 2012 after battling for her life in a Singapore (and Delhi) hospital. She was cremated in the wee hours of Sunday, December 30th, 2012. It's a sorry state of affairs in India. No woman is safe, still . Numerous reports of molestation, rapes and gang-rapes have been reported AFTER Nirbhaya/Damini's reported incident and struggle for life, and some have been from Delhi (again) and a case of molestation of a girl (possibly m

Just recently, a certain Mr. Robert Vadra had proclaimed on Facebook that India is a Banana Republic . I am sure with the recent turn of events in Delhi, he didn't exactly have this in mind. And by this I mean the brutal, unthinkable gangrape of a 23 year old paramedical student in a moving bus by 6 "banana" wielding sickos. The woman's "crime" was to catch a bus after a late evening movie along with her male friend. The woman was gangraped, beaten brutally and the male was beaten up (with iron rods) for trying to help the woman and both of them were thrown out of the moving bus after the job was done. There is a sort of comical saying that goes by "All men think with their di*ks". So bloody apt for this episode and for countless others that do go documented (and several that don't) in the news but the rapists go scot-free. There is never any regard for human life. None. Who in their right mind rapes and then chucks the victim out of a mo

Most of you know me as a sports buff and so I thought my next post should be about something that I dearly love (Yes, K is No. 1 but still....) So, is it Cricket? Cannot be. Too commercialized for my taste, too over-rated for my sensibilities, too few teams to really make it a contest/rivalry, too much T20 at all levels, too empty stadiums for Test Cricket - to name a few. So, is it Golf? Interest level peaked a couple of years back when I was watching the Master's and US Open Championships. Not much interest in the year round tournaments but the 4 Majors are really fun, especially on Sundays, no matter who is the hunt. Almost always produces a spectacle. So, is it Tennis? Love it to a degree. But beyond the four Grand Slams, there is not much in the tour for me. Rafa has the best muscles, Andy has the best serve, Novak has the best game (and there is no doubt about it) and Roger is well, Roger. Not much love for the women's game (sorry, it's not meant to be a sexist

I had written a post this past Sunday regarding the death and funeral of You Know Who but I had to take it down hours after I had posted it as a mark of RESPECT *wink* to the departed soul. I still have that post in my draft and when the right time comes (if ever) that post will be up. Unfortunately, the arrest of 2 girls for stating the truth landed them in jail and showed true colors of a  mob , correction, political organization mourning the loss of their leader. Good for the girls, they are free on bail now albeit after being forced to apologize and their families being lighter by Rs 15000 or so each. Who pays for the repair of the clinic? Your guess is as good as mine. So moving on to better things. It's THANKSGIVING in the US and while my buddies enjoy the 4 day weekend extravaganza, there is a small matter of Splurging. That's right - Black Friday is sandwiched between Turkey Day and Football Saturday and Sunday. The day when America enjoys a kick to it's downtrod

Dear Ex-employer, Just yesterday, I ended our 5.5+ year relationship. A relationship that started in the US and finished its course in India. And with that, I wanted to thank you for your collaboration and support. Here are some good things that happened during our time together.. Met and made some friends who have become so close that they are above "friends" now (you know who you are). Even though the first project separated K and I location-wise, the second one more than made up for it (longer project). The 2 big projects added up some terrific work experiences - challenging and interesting - at both projects and hopefully made a lasting impression at both customer locations (I know some of the client colleagues miss me & I miss working with them and their warmth and camaraderie were beautiful). You sent me back to the US after the first debacle into a role that was never done before by me but which now has become the basis for my current role, so Thank You

So I go to the barbershop last Friday to get my mane to acceptable levels. The barbershop has transformed itself in the past 10 years or so from Raj Hair Cutting Saloon, devoid of any air-conditioners to Raj Gents Salon complete with a split AC. Even the lead barber in the 'salon' (missing an O on purpose) has a certificate from the L'Oreal Institute (at least, it looked genuine). I am going to start calling him The Expert as it is the first time in my life that I have seen (in India or US) that someone has a certificate from the L'Oreal Institute. You probably think I have very low tastes in hair-cutting but I don't think going to a barber once in 3 months requires me to go to someone 'highly qualified'. So I am on the chair awaiting my turn, specs off - I probably have never seen clearly as to what happens once the sheet goes inside the collar, for obvious reasons but for those who don't know me well, I am practically blind without my optic-power

What a weird title, you may think. That's the truth that many of us experience and endure. And that's a combination of both things that I have, Sweet Tooth and Tooth Ache . Unfortunately (or fortunately), I have sweet teeth and teeth aches - if only, the English language would allow such a gross misuse of words and speech, life would have been much easier. For better or for worse. So the idea for this blog came up this morning while I was relishing the opportunity to dive into the box of Mysore Pak that my mother specially prepared for me. For those who are unaware, Mysore Pak is a sweet dish and not some historically significant event that happened between Mysore and Pakistan. One of my favorite sweet dishes (among many many others) that I happened to crave once I returned to India. Although, it helped that just 2 days back I had a generous dose of the same at Usha Mami's place (better get used to the names that I will put up in some of my posts). Coming back to the

That's right. I am going to start referring to myself as The Chameleon Tamilian. You will wonder, what's up with this guy and I am going to explain you just that. See quite recently, I had a conversation with a gentleman from Chennai. This is what transpired. After sharing initial pleasantries, I introduced myself to him as Rajesh Anantharaman. Probably with a hint of pride, after hearing my name, he quickly pounced with "Are you from Chennai?". Not expecting that googly from the guy, I shot back with "No, I am from Mumbai". Thoroughly unsatisfied with my response, he quipped "But your last name is Anantharaman" (and thus, I have  got to be from Chennai). With my final answer to this puzzle which was "Ya, my father was born and brought up in Tamil Nadu and moved to Mumbai in the late 50s and consequently, I was born here".  With that, I very conveniently squashed the expectations of the gentleman with my being a non-Chennai wala. A

In 1973, Rishi Kapoor sang this for Dimple Kapadia... Bahar se koi andar naa aa sake... Andar se koi bahar naa jaa sake... Socho kabhi aisa hoto kya ho.. Socho kabhi aisa hoto kya ho.. Hum tum ek kamare mein band ho.... And there ends the similarity between one of the most romantic melodies of all time and the situation K and I find ourselves in. 4 weeks into the Home Improvement project and we are almost at a point of feeling claustrophobic. With carpentry at the finish line, the painters have started their relay. And we stay confined to the smallest room in the house, with a massive bean bag (unopened), 42" LED (wrapped), a computer table (with all the junk from the remaining rooms), a ward-robe that once opened could allow us to shoot an episode of Hoarders (no really, it is a fact), a diwan that does the duty of computer chair by day/afternoon and sleeping companion (for one) at night and 2 massive suitcases that remain stuffed with K's US returned items. Yours

Damn you, Zuckerberg!! You have officially turned me into a social networking-Zombie . What started off as a harmless exercise in "riding the wave of popularity", has now become the second most important website of the day (a close second to the email-Zombie - GMAIL). I had sworn off Social Networking after the Orkut** wave had crashed but the disease has spread way too much in my psyche now and to come out of the phenomenon might just have disastrous and unintended consequences. But guess what, I LOVE IT!! As reprehensible as it may sound, I actually look forward to getting news from folks in my Friends and "fake"-Friends list. And quite a few of them are "fake"-Friends, really. {**Google folks don't give up, do they - they clearly lead the "If you cannot beat them, BUY them" Bandwagon, case in point - YouTube, Blogger etc. Heck, they would have purchased Facebook too, if they had been allowed.} More so, I hate to admit it but I need t

With 5 consecutive years of Ganpati at our home (in States and in India) between 2007 and 2011, a little jog back in time. 2007 - Minneapolis - The best one till date. K will agree. 2008 - Minneapolis - K wasn't in town for this one. 2009 - Mumbai - K wasn't in the country for this one. 2010 - Chicago - The reunion year. 2011 - Chicago - One last time (for now). Here's wishing my readers and their families a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.. Ganpati Bappa Moraya, Mangal Murti Moraya Best Wishes from R and K

So as renovation gets underway in our house and the house gets transformed into Our Home , a winged species is trying its level best to call our home, their home. That's right. I am talking about the (damn) pigeons, who were made extremely famous by the Lata Mangeshkar/Bhagyashree combo in 1989 with Kabootar Jaa Jaa Jaa from Maine Pyar Kiya.  While that song was purely sung in romantic emotions, we now wish to sing the same song in order to shoo away the birdies from making their love nest in our gallery. And what a mess they create. They are relentless in their pursuit and hell bent on being permanent residents. We even had to move a very important plant inside the house just so the doves don't eat the once-in-a-lifetime blooming flower. K and I were out for 1 night and the next thing we know is that the foundation (that too of metal wires) is already laid down. Sorry, but only humans are allowed to stay in 402 Shreevardhan. One old dove had refused to fly away even a

Today, I had to "let go" of my first and only employee. She did some decent work for us but there were times when she would not come to work at all and K & I would have to share the work left behind by her. Happened a couple of times last week but got to know later that she was not in the best of conditions to work. Moreover, with a new month starting, we thought, her services were not really required on a daily basis. Just when the need arises, she would be summoned. Guess whose services were terminated: ________________ Last week we had a horrendous experience with TWO service providers (retail), from whom (1) we had purchased a rather expensive product and (2) we wanted to get their services for digital TV. Customer service has a long way to go in India. With the retailer (Croma), we almost cancelled the purchase but the product made its way just as we were getting to the point of barging into their store and demanding our money back. The TV wall mount did n

So we moved back to India recently and today after a long wait, we splurged. As a result, I have lost weight in about an hour's worth of workout and feel lighter already. Not the good kind though. A TV, Washing Machine and a Refrigerator were must buys so we bought them. Next up on the list, Home Improvement. We need it and lots of it. Time to lose some wallet-weight, again!!

Thank you... Sushil Kumar Yogeshwar Dutt Gagan Narang Vijay Kumar Saina Nehwal Mary Kom Some of you might or might not participate in Rio 2016, but if you do, best wishes for another medal to make India proud. GO FOR GOLD!!

Gagan Narang Vijay Kumar Saina Nehwal Mary Kom These 4 have been the medal winners for India at the 2012 London Olympics. Hopefully, there would be a few more on the podium by the time the event winds up this Sunday. And once the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka starts in September (followed by series with England and Australia ), the names above will just be forgotten - with the possible exception of Saina Nehwal - for the next 4 years until Rio 2016 comes around. I could not be any prouder of our Olympians, medal or no medal. Specifically, I loved the way P Kashyap (Badminton Quarters) played against World No. 2 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia . True that Kashyap did not have a chance against the much experienced Lee, but the World No. 20 played a superb game and even held the lead against his much celebrated opponent. Has a great temperament and has terrific gaming skills to match. I was glad that he was also felicitated in Hyderabad along with Saina (deservedly) a

Warning: This post has a few expletives. Please do not continue further if you will be offended by the choice of words used in this post. I watched The Dark Knight Rises over the weekend and thought that I will write a blog about how marvelous the movie was and hoped to inject some funny ideas that I had of my own but after watching the news recently, I decided to do a 180 and write a serious post. Recently in the news was how a minor in Guwahati was molested by a mob of 14 (or 17 depending on which news outlet you follow) that was (allegedly) instigated by a member of a local media group. His name is Gaurav Jyoti Neog.   The photos of the molesters were posted across the city and some of them were even arrested. The ring-leader (Amar Jyoti Kalita) was still missing until a few days ago and has been apprehended. Fucker had absconded to Varanasi . Probably to wash his sins in the Ganga . The Assam police have the fucking audacity to say that they cannot be at every place w

I used to be a very important part of your life during your days in VESIT. I played a crucial part in your car travels and you couldn't do without me - even if you wanted to. The glory days were so memorable for me and then it all faded. Your brother sold off the FIAT, dangled the money in your face, happy about it and all & soon you too headed off for greener pastures in the US . While I can understand your ambition of higher studies and a better lifestyle, you didn't even bother to think what would happen to me? Your other 3 "mates" were still there for you and you had ample "use" for them. I was there with you all throughout but alas.... 10 years have passed between then and now and not once did you feel the need for me. It happens. The United States is built for such ruthlessness and for most mortals, only the 3 Idiots are required. Even during your India trips, you didn't have the need to "use" me. And now, you'

Life has become routine now. No more airs about "US Return" (never had any to begin with, but whatever traces might have been there is now history). Tennis and Cricket (and occasionally Football, thanks to Euro 2012) are slowly becoming part of everyday existence and maybe, that's a good thing. No Avengers , no Rowdy Rathore , no Ferrari ki Sawari , no Prometheus but watched Gangs of Wasseypur this past weekend and I was truly floored. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the best part of this is I am actually waiting eagerly for Part II (yup, Anurag Kashyap made this into a 6-hour epic that was screened at Cannes ). Just started to put together "the list" of things to do and to buy here at home and it has already gone past the so-called budget (just kidding) I had in mind. But, these are a priority now that I am back and soon, K will be and these important things were in the back of the mind for the longest time. Twice in the recent months, I have fl

Nearly a month into our return from “the land of opportunities”, I am trying to figure out the opportunities the Motherland has to offer. Being in India , the key thing I DON’T need to worry about is whether a company has to sponsor a visa for me, but rather will I find the quality of a potential new job satisfying and challenging and of course, how much moolah will I be offered. Having said that, one probably has to fight off the “slave mentality” of Indian managers here and the unsaid requirements of long hours at work (never a handicap but leaving the office at around 5:30 PM might still be considered “half-day” by certain nut-cases totally ignorant about the fact that the work-day began at or before 8:00 AM). Being a firebrand myself, it’s definitely going to be tempting for me to fight back (and I mostly will in my own subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle ways) to such Oppressors when the need arises. Almost every good paying position in my industry and whereabouts seemingly

Before I begin this post, my sincere apologies to K, Su and the rest of the ladies who crave Mumbai/Pune street food (you are about to be disappointed). Dudes, I am not apologizing to you, you won't mind. In no particular order, this is what I have consumed last week; Ragda Pattis, Pav Bhaji, Chole Bature, Bhel Puri, Dahi Puri, Bread Pattis, Paneer Pattis, Wada Pav, Aloo Paratha etc. and some of the regular lunch/dinner fare. My weight, you would think, would have ballooned to proportions you can only associate with such heartily oily, but deliciously tasty food. But, it is not that bad, considering the heat I am subjected to on a daily basis. My sweat glands are working over-time and are asking for a salary hike. Pune has been kind so far (with emphasis on the 'so far'), with just a Bharat Bandh last week that did not disrupt my schedule or travel to/from the office. Hinjewadi is quite isolated from Pune city and so it was uneventful for us even though 1

The  India  Diaries - Part I After leaving K behind, Mother, Father and Son left the  US  shores for  India  (Yeh jo desh hai tera from Swades playing in the background for dramatic effect). Thanks to V's help with the luggage (and everything else as well, can't thank him enough) and my cousin's support, the exit from the  US  was seamless. The Eagle Has Landed: After a grueling 20 hour ride from  Chicago  to Mumbai (with a rushed stopover at  Abu Dhabi ), the party of 3 arrived home on the morning of May 20th.  My first complaint: As soon as we stepped out of the airplane, the stench of garbage was just too overwhelming. This is one of  India 's premier airports, for God's sake. 35 degree weather did not help matters. Incredible  India ! - Certainly not. Thankfully, the events at Mumbai airport were pleasantly uneventful (no bribes asked, none given). Due to a fortunate twist (traveling with parents definitely has its benefits), we w

That's the number of days I would have spent since February 12, 2010 up until May 18, 2012. That's been the amazing 2 year ride that I've had making some great friendships and forging some stronger ones. With "send off" parties from the group at work (Hospira guys, that is), K's friends from CVS and the Regulars (V, S, S, S, B, S + the kids), I am 5 days away from my flight to India. Barbecue at V's place last night was a perfect ending to a nice time all along. From frozen margaritas to "smoking" hot corn, sweet potato fries, "grilled" pizzas, paneer tikkas , cake and Chocolate Mousse , an evening to remember and an investment (V's Weber Grill) worth the price. Too bad , we won't be around to experience the remaining delicacies on offer this summer. I finally had the chance to complete the Architectural Tour of Chicago with my folks. An impromptu decision that worked out pretty well on Mother's Day. Happy Mom's Day

As if I was not already lazy and piling on the pounds, my parents came to Chicago 2 weeks back. Since then there's no stopping me (or should I say, no stopping Amma ). Case in point, even before all the bags were opened, Amma stuffs 2 home-made, soft-as-hell Idlis down my throat. Delicious, but just the sign of things to come. I am beginning to resemble those Idlis. Those who know my mother, knows she does not take No for an answer.  2+ weeks have passed and we have covered some significant landmarks in the Chicagoland area. Lemont Temple (that too on Ram Navami), Field Museum, Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago Botanic Garden, Baha'i Temple and the Magnificent Mile (on Michigan Avenue). Squeezed in the middle was the Tamil New Year with ample Madrasi favorites (not going to mention here lest you start salivating), trip to my cousin's place and enough time to make V & S's baby girl know who my mother is (you get the idea). Exactly a month remains as I get to bid a

Notwithstanding the disastrous year that Team BCCI (aka Team India) has been having over the past 12 months, here is a recap of the glorious stream of events in 2011. http://rajkir.blogspot.com/2011/04/world-champions-once-again.html New blog to follow soon...

Destination: _ORLANDO, FL Targets: _UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, EPCOT, SEA WORLD, DOWNTOWN DISNEY, MAGIC KINGDOM Subjects: _R, K, Sa, Su Mission: _HAVE AN AWESOME TIME WHILE NOT MAXING OUT THE CREDIT CARD Yes, the goal was that simple and every detail was hashed out to perfection (K gets the credit here). We reached Orlando late night on Thursday with the expectation of a Magical ride for the next 4 days and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were thrilled at the prospect of spending the next few days away from the hassles of work and the not-so-cold winter of the Northeast and Midwest. Checked into Disney's Pop Century Resort, which was the cheapest of all the available resort options. While it certainly hurt the pockets (partial Mission failure #1 - there will be more), the amenities were sufficient for 4 adults. DAY 1: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS With great expectations, the 4 subjects reached the hyped Studio attraction. Great expectations stemming from the fact that R and Sa had already exper

So last time around, I missed writing about a new thing that we did for the first time. We went to a stand-up comedy show at The Improv in Schaumburg. We went to Anthony Jeselnik's show (those who watched the Roast of Charlie Sheen on Comedy Central should know who he is) and it was amazing. Non-stop jokes with a dead pan expression kept the audience in splits throughout the show. He even picked on someone from the crowd and made us realize never to mess with a professional. The woman who got singled out surely learnt her lesson. One thing with these comedians is that no one and no event (however tragic) is off-limits. Case in point, a joke about Casey/Caylee Anthony. So to use the second of our 3 coupons, we watched another show, this time by Greg Behrendt. The profanity-laden show was just average, clearly not the bar set by Jeselnik. And we are still debating on whom to use the final tickets on. So this past week, we had a baby shower for V & S. S, mainly. The surprise party

So after an unintentional sabbatical from blogging, today seems an appropriate time to reflect back on the second half of 2011 considering it's the NFL playoffs and there are no night games scheduled. Let's see, since the last post, the following happened, in no particular order. - Made a trip to the Northeast (Boston) and to the Northwest (Portland) in a span of 2 weeks for professional and personal reasons. - Moved from Vernon Hills to Prospect Heights, leaving behind a fully-furnished apartment to a clean-slate whiteboard (literally, the paint in this house is snow-white). - NFL season started and ended (September to January) and thus the exile from blogging. - Joined a Fantasy Football league and for a change, won the regular season and finished 3rd overall for a rookie season. - Gave in to a long-standing demand and got a good deal on ...wait for it....An Apple product. We are officially in the Apple cult. Proud owners of a 4th generation iPod Touch. Somewhere Steve Jobs i