This happened sometime back in our rented house in Bangalore, where I even stay currently. My sister and her husband are now based out of UK, but way back in 2007 we used to stay together in this house here.
It was 7a.m., Monday morning when we opened the main gate, just as we usually did every other day. Minutes after we opened the gate, my sister realized that her hand purse went missing from the main room, the place where she kept it the evening before. Sunday was full of fun, wherein we visited couple of places in Bangalore and came home late in the evening. My sister kept her hand purse in our main living room, which is also the entrance room. It was gone in the morning. Someone came in the house just after 7a.m., while we were all in the house, and took the bag quietly. Hundreds of pounds, along with lot of gold which included their wedding rings were all gone. Total damage of about Rs.90000. We were supposed to keep all the stuff in the bank the very next day, but it seems the timing went really wrong…...of course not for the thief!
We had only one suspect. It was Stalin, the guy who used to come to our house to wash Balaji’s car. Balaji and his family used to stay on the first floor in the same house. We began looking out for Stalin in HSR, but all went in vain for about a week. He went absconding from that day onwards, and didn’t even turn up to clean Balaji’s vehicle. Finally, it was almost after 7-8 days when I spotted him working in a nearby house. Stalin was a slim guy, and I knew I could handle him given to understand my physique as compared to him at least. But, this was Bangalore and not Delhi, where one first would have given him a beating and then would have questioned about the incident. I had to restrain from doing that, taking care of any issue I could end up in here. So, I called up my brother in law, and both of us brought Stalin to our house for further enquires. The policeman, with whom we were in touch, was on the way to our house already. He arrived and took the guy to police station. The guy was given a good bashing there but still didn’t utter a single word about the theft. Later in the evening we got a call from the police about the status, and that they would further probe. We somehow did not want this to continue further, so went to the police station and brought him back, just to get a call from an unknown lawyer next day to withdraw our police complain failing which we were threatened about legal action. That was the extent up to which we suffered. Fortunately, we had some relatives as senior advocates who suggested us to not to withdraw/give anything in writing to the police, as we had till that date not given any written complaint. Giving a complain withdrawal even without filing a complaint would have ended us into a big trap!
This was the ordeal through which we went. Certainly a costly lesson for us!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
R.I.P Peter Bren Ibarra
Dear Pete,
It was June 20th, 2008 when I first wrote an email to you, unaware of the fact that I would soon form a very good friendship bond with you in the next few months to come. I soon landed in Manila for one of my short but critical projects, Project Pink Panther. By this time we were already in touch for several open items related to the project.
It was exactly 1 year back when I reached Manila (on 20th June, 2008) and met you. You were a charming person, with loads of energy and ‘never say no’ attitude. One would always see you smiling, no matter what the situation would force, be it work issues or personal life matters. It did not take me much time to realize that it were you who could single handedly (and I mean literally) setup technology for an entire center, within no time. Similar kind of setup in India would take me at least a team of 10 resources who would slog to make things happen, somehow. Most amazingly, our center in Manila had only 2 technology resources including you, heading technology operations.
As the project progressed, we worked day and night to fix issues collectively. Resource was always an issue, so we had no option but to work on all aspects, be it small or big. Of course it was you who used to come up with solutions to every problem, no matter what it would take. I remember once entering the office premises along with you on a Thursday afternoon and leaving at around 3p.m. on following Saturday. This is the intensity with which we two worked!
We would often leave office at 7a.m. just to get some rest, return at 4p.m. and continue our endeavors. I used to enjoy the relaxing ride way back to my guest house in your old Mazda, which was a moving house in itself. One could easily find your clothes hanging in the rear, your toothbrush and other cosmetics scattered here and there in the car. You never knew if you would step on brylcreme gel someday while stepping in your own car. This was your dedication towards work, and more importantly, TIME! I still remember that you really liked Suzuki Swift a lot, while I always debated on Mazda RX8 being a better choice for you, because of low cost there. I also remember that you could make out only 1 word in Hindi dictionary, which was ‘Chalo’ which you interpreted really well, always. Not to forget, the freshly baked cheese pizzas which we used to eat almost everyday, along with diet coke to balance the fat intake. I recall you trying hard to find vegetarian dishes in campus food court so that I would at least eat something, rather than eating nothing.
Nonetheless, as a sports enthusiast, you used to dedicate your short weekends to friends. You were fond of battle sports, which your fellow mates used to play with guns that could only fire small rubber/paint bullets. Your other past time included analyzing different cell phones. I recall how much time you took to finally buy Samsung Omnia 3G over Iphone 2G! Pink Panther was a success, with our organization making some good profit. Mine was a short trip in Manila, which ended on 5th Aug, 2008 with my return to Bangalore. I was happy for the project, and also for some good hectic experience which I got out of it.
Time passed by, and everything was fine, until recently when I came to know that you were not keeping well because of some infection. It sounded quite normal to all of us, as we all usually get ill, and then recover. But I guess nature had something else in store for you my friend. It was 16th July 2009 when I got a call from one of my colleagues early morning. The news was sad, and unbelievable. You were no more. You had left us all, abruptly. This was the short 1 year for which I knew you. I last had a chat with you sometime early July this year, when you told me about your bad health. I wished you all the best, but I think it didn’t prove enough.
I would always remember the good times we had. I still cherish all of the text messages/emails that you sent me in the past. I still can’t believe that you are no more. It just seems like a bad dream, and I still hope to come out of it sometime.
My friend, remain happy always, as you were when you were around us. We will always miss you.
Your friend,
Sumit
It was June 20th, 2008 when I first wrote an email to you, unaware of the fact that I would soon form a very good friendship bond with you in the next few months to come. I soon landed in Manila for one of my short but critical projects, Project Pink Panther. By this time we were already in touch for several open items related to the project.
It was exactly 1 year back when I reached Manila (on 20th June, 2008) and met you. You were a charming person, with loads of energy and ‘never say no’ attitude. One would always see you smiling, no matter what the situation would force, be it work issues or personal life matters. It did not take me much time to realize that it were you who could single handedly (and I mean literally) setup technology for an entire center, within no time. Similar kind of setup in India would take me at least a team of 10 resources who would slog to make things happen, somehow. Most amazingly, our center in Manila had only 2 technology resources including you, heading technology operations.
As the project progressed, we worked day and night to fix issues collectively. Resource was always an issue, so we had no option but to work on all aspects, be it small or big. Of course it was you who used to come up with solutions to every problem, no matter what it would take. I remember once entering the office premises along with you on a Thursday afternoon and leaving at around 3p.m. on following Saturday. This is the intensity with which we two worked!
We would often leave office at 7a.m. just to get some rest, return at 4p.m. and continue our endeavors. I used to enjoy the relaxing ride way back to my guest house in your old Mazda, which was a moving house in itself. One could easily find your clothes hanging in the rear, your toothbrush and other cosmetics scattered here and there in the car. You never knew if you would step on brylcreme gel someday while stepping in your own car. This was your dedication towards work, and more importantly, TIME! I still remember that you really liked Suzuki Swift a lot, while I always debated on Mazda RX8 being a better choice for you, because of low cost there. I also remember that you could make out only 1 word in Hindi dictionary, which was ‘Chalo’ which you interpreted really well, always. Not to forget, the freshly baked cheese pizzas which we used to eat almost everyday, along with diet coke to balance the fat intake. I recall you trying hard to find vegetarian dishes in campus food court so that I would at least eat something, rather than eating nothing.
Nonetheless, as a sports enthusiast, you used to dedicate your short weekends to friends. You were fond of battle sports, which your fellow mates used to play with guns that could only fire small rubber/paint bullets. Your other past time included analyzing different cell phones. I recall how much time you took to finally buy Samsung Omnia 3G over Iphone 2G! Pink Panther was a success, with our organization making some good profit. Mine was a short trip in Manila, which ended on 5th Aug, 2008 with my return to Bangalore. I was happy for the project, and also for some good hectic experience which I got out of it.
Time passed by, and everything was fine, until recently when I came to know that you were not keeping well because of some infection. It sounded quite normal to all of us, as we all usually get ill, and then recover. But I guess nature had something else in store for you my friend. It was 16th July 2009 when I got a call from one of my colleagues early morning. The news was sad, and unbelievable. You were no more. You had left us all, abruptly. This was the short 1 year for which I knew you. I last had a chat with you sometime early July this year, when you told me about your bad health. I wished you all the best, but I think it didn’t prove enough.
I would always remember the good times we had. I still cherish all of the text messages/emails that you sent me in the past. I still can’t believe that you are no more. It just seems like a bad dream, and I still hope to come out of it sometime.
My friend, remain happy always, as you were when you were around us. We will always miss you.
Your friend,
Sumit
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Out of control!
This recently happened to me. I was surprised to see an escalation from one of my peers marked to me (mistakenly) which was actually meant for the person’s boss! It was fun!
So guys, the tip of the day is: Don’t write in a bad mood, and re-read before pressing SEND!
Wish you are reading this… my dear friend. :) Take care next time you escalate...
So guys, the tip of the day is: Don’t write in a bad mood, and re-read before pressing SEND!
Wish you are reading this… my dear friend. :) Take care next time you escalate...
Chor-police!
It was 12 a.m. @ my engineering college hostel, Indore, sometime way back in 2002 when I was in second year of engineering. I experienced one of the most bizarre things that one can think about. Yes, I think you got it right from the topic title! Our hostel was flooded by about 25-30 Delhi police officers and an equal number of MP policemen who had come there for an encounter of a notorious gangster who had taken shelter in our hostel.
Ashish, Vinay and I were in our room (No. 11 to be precise). If I recollect it right, we were watching a movie, when somebody knocked our door very sturdily. Readers – please don’t think that the gangster was in our room (heheheh). We opened to door and found a fat police constable forcing him inside our room. We stood lightening stuck! We never expected a policeman at our door that too in the middle of the night. All three of us looked at each other guessing who was the one amongst us who did something miserably wrong (hahaha…I can’t stop laughing)! Thankfully the policeman didn’t say a word. He just came inside and checked our room and asked us to remain inside. He went out and locked our door from outside. All this while, we had no idea that the same was being done to all the rooms in the hostel. Students were instructed to not to come out in the corridor as the entire hostel had become a shooting ground within couple of minutes. Some of them who had their rooms facing the hostel front side were lucky as they actually saw the way police entered the hostel in groups of 2 officers at a time with loaded guns moving ahead using hand signals. We could not experience that as our room was at the back side.
Post all the rooms were locked up, the three of us were eagerly waiting for some gunshots, which fortunately for the criminals, didn’t happen as they had already vacated the place. It was at 1a.m. after all this drama got over when our rooms were finally unlatched and we were permitted to come out. And it was then when we learnt from some senior officers what had actually happened. There was this gangster who had come from Agra (or Delhi.. I don’t recollect) to Indore on some kind of assignment. The police got his whereabouts from their reliable sources and thus they had planned this encounter.
This was certainly a good topic for all of us in the hostel to discuss the whole night.…not sure if the cops could make it to the convict later!!
Ashish, Vinay and I were in our room (No. 11 to be precise). If I recollect it right, we were watching a movie, when somebody knocked our door very sturdily. Readers – please don’t think that the gangster was in our room (heheheh). We opened to door and found a fat police constable forcing him inside our room. We stood lightening stuck! We never expected a policeman at our door that too in the middle of the night. All three of us looked at each other guessing who was the one amongst us who did something miserably wrong (hahaha…I can’t stop laughing)! Thankfully the policeman didn’t say a word. He just came inside and checked our room and asked us to remain inside. He went out and locked our door from outside. All this while, we had no idea that the same was being done to all the rooms in the hostel. Students were instructed to not to come out in the corridor as the entire hostel had become a shooting ground within couple of minutes. Some of them who had their rooms facing the hostel front side were lucky as they actually saw the way police entered the hostel in groups of 2 officers at a time with loaded guns moving ahead using hand signals. We could not experience that as our room was at the back side.
Post all the rooms were locked up, the three of us were eagerly waiting for some gunshots, which fortunately for the criminals, didn’t happen as they had already vacated the place. It was at 1a.m. after all this drama got over when our rooms were finally unlatched and we were permitted to come out. And it was then when we learnt from some senior officers what had actually happened. There was this gangster who had come from Agra (or Delhi.. I don’t recollect) to Indore on some kind of assignment. The police got his whereabouts from their reliable sources and thus they had planned this encounter.
This was certainly a good topic for all of us in the hostel to discuss the whole night.…not sure if the cops could make it to the convict later!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Car Vs Bus - 8th March 2008
It was a decent Sunday afternoon, when I was driving from Silk Board towards Banarghatta road. I was in my car and was at around 50-60kmph. Suddenly from no where, there was this rash bus driver who overtook me from the wrong side (left side to be precise), barely missing my car’s side view mirror.
My instant reaction – I lowered the left side window to give a really bad look at the driver. I failed to do so and it hurt my ego! I changed the gears, accelerated the car, overtook and brought my car in front of the bus, and reduced my speed. The bus behind me also slowed down and tried to again overtake me from left, again. Seeing that, I steered the vehicle in that direction to block his way. The bus driver again tried to overtake me, this time from the right. I again steered to my right and blocked his path. This bus and car game continued for 2-3 minutes when finally I felt satisfied and left the bus to follow its own path. I felt like a self declared winner.
Just within couple of minutes of this rage, I realized what I had done. First of all, I had actually risked both my car and my life just to satisfy my ego. I brought it intentionally in front of the vehicle without thinking whether it was really required. Secondly, I tried to prove that the driver was a bad person, without realizing what situation a driver can be in, especially when the poor chap is doing the same thing from morning to evening, throughout the year to make his both ends meet.
Certainly, I will keep this incident in mind, and will try to avoid this in future!
Bye 4 now!
Views invited... of course! :)
My instant reaction – I lowered the left side window to give a really bad look at the driver. I failed to do so and it hurt my ego! I changed the gears, accelerated the car, overtook and brought my car in front of the bus, and reduced my speed. The bus behind me also slowed down and tried to again overtake me from left, again. Seeing that, I steered the vehicle in that direction to block his way. The bus driver again tried to overtake me, this time from the right. I again steered to my right and blocked his path. This bus and car game continued for 2-3 minutes when finally I felt satisfied and left the bus to follow its own path. I felt like a self declared winner.
Just within couple of minutes of this rage, I realized what I had done. First of all, I had actually risked both my car and my life just to satisfy my ego. I brought it intentionally in front of the vehicle without thinking whether it was really required. Secondly, I tried to prove that the driver was a bad person, without realizing what situation a driver can be in, especially when the poor chap is doing the same thing from morning to evening, throughout the year to make his both ends meet.
Certainly, I will keep this incident in mind, and will try to avoid this in future!
Bye 4 now!
Views invited... of course! :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Cruelty against animals.
How many times do we come across situations where we find deprived animals in pain? And how many times we merely close our eyes, either pretending that someone else will take care of their pain, or assuming that this happens to many animals, so this one can’t be exclusion? I think this happens to me almost everyday! And I am sure this is the case with almost all of us, unless you are in a house arrest, or really blind (in that case you won’t be reading this blog at all, unfortunately).
It was yesterday when I was out for a lunch at a nearby place, when I saw this poor dog licking his wound (a severe one) on one of his shoulders. I whistled and he came to me wagging his tail despite of his pain which I could see in his eyes. I felt as if he was asking me something, but as usual, I sidelined him, assuming that this is the law of nature. I am sad about this incident. We have become so selfish that we care only about ourselves. We work from Monday to Friday, and on Fridays we think about options to spend time on weekends. On 30th/31st of every month, we wait for our salaries, and the time goes by like this for ever. Yes, this is our life these days. There is a need for us to change the way we live, and I would like to hear from anyone who wishes to contribute on how we can do that? Views are most welcome...
It was yesterday when I was out for a lunch at a nearby place, when I saw this poor dog licking his wound (a severe one) on one of his shoulders. I whistled and he came to me wagging his tail despite of his pain which I could see in his eyes. I felt as if he was asking me something, but as usual, I sidelined him, assuming that this is the law of nature. I am sad about this incident. We have become so selfish that we care only about ourselves. We work from Monday to Friday, and on Fridays we think about options to spend time on weekends. On 30th/31st of every month, we wait for our salaries, and the time goes by like this for ever. Yes, this is our life these days. There is a need for us to change the way we live, and I would like to hear from anyone who wishes to contribute on how we can do that? Views are most welcome...
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