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Sri Vidya from Mysore has emailed me with the following comment: “hey shiladitya, ur heart is made of purest gold! only u cud have forgiven that old man for trying to abuse you in Jacuzzi!! Jacuzzi is no place for such nonsense, it is in fact a sacred area where busy execs go to relax, coz after all they are ones who are keeping the economy ticking!!!! Anywayz, i just wanted to ask u what are ur fav college fest songs that u like to see performed??? I was thrilled to see that u dig Chiquitita. To me that song is a summary of the meaning of true love!”

Thanx, Sri Vidya! Unlike from any other ppl, who listen to only one or two kinds of music, I like to listen to many different varieties and find enjoyment in all of them. If you ask me, music is a universal language. On my shelf, I have cassettes of Beethoven sitting next to cassettes of Nusrat Ali Khan.

Some of my fav numbers, that the KGP band has performed at Flavors (the annual KGP extravaganza):

1. Summer of 69, by Brian Adams
2. Hotel California, by Eagles
3. Wild World, by Mr. Big
4. 18 Till I Die, by Brian Adams
5. More than Words, by Extreme

True friendz

Sshhh…..!!! It’s Shil, baby!

Wassup, party ppl!! Your smooth blogger is back, and he’s bigger than ever!!!!!!! LOL.

Guyz. This is actually a serious post. Sometimes I feel that the pace of life is accelerating, and it’s becoming hard to hold on to memories. Memories of ppl you’ve lived with, ppl you’ve loved, ppl you’ve bonded with. And when those memories come back, it’s a set of mixed emotions. And that kind of baggage is something you carry for ever after. Guess you guyz know what I’m talking abt.

So I found out yesterday that my old crush from KGP days, gal by name of Vinitha, just had an arranged marriage to a lawyer in Bangalore. The alliance was announced in the TOI……….

……..what can I say?? Vini was one of those rare gals: she could be very chill abt things, but when it mattered she was very passionate abt a cause. She was also a beautiful singer, who represented KGP in all the inter-college music fests. If I close my eyes, I can remember her standing on the stage in front of a thousand ppl, singing effortlessly with perfect poise. Her favorite number? Chiquitita by ABBA. When she sang those immortal lines “Chiquitita, you and I know, how the heartaches come and they go and the scars they are leaving”, it was as if the whole auditorium had suddenly been transported into a Schrodinger’s box – with probability 1/2 we were still alive and with probability 1/2 we had passed into a heavenly realm.

Vini was my shoulder to cry on when times were tough, always giving me the advice that no one else dared to say. And who could forget the good times we had in Raju Bhaiya’s canteen, eating cutlets and drinking endless cups of tea!!! Yeah, as you probably guessed, I never told her my feelings. And of course, she thought I was just a “good friend”!! If she only knew!!! Guess some guyz are destined to only be “good friendz” forever. But what a good friend she was! When I was depressed over my poor performance in physics lab class, she was the one to comfort me. And when I topped the class in final year inorganic chemistry, she was the first to tell me congrats.

So let me be the first to tell her congrats now. Thx for the good times, Vini. If you’re ever in Edison, don’t forget to look up your good friend, Shil. And this time, we’re really just good friendz, promise!!!!

20-20 Tamasha!

Friendz, this is ultimate!!!! Here's a truly gr8 joke abt 20-20 World Cup that some ppl are forwarding on the internet.

Master interview... ......... Twenty-20 - World Cup Final Post match presentation interview between Shastri and winning captain Dhoni.

This Is Ultimate

In the post-match presentation, Ravi Shastri to Dhoni "Congratulations to you and the whole Indian team for winning this world cup. You guys have produced a great nail baiting show.. and deserves the cup. We welcome you to share the joy with us."

Dhoni "Thanks Ravi, the match was pretty close encounter between two great teams and our guys held the nerve to win the game and cup."

Shastri, "Who was the main reason for this thrilling victory?"

Dhoni, "All us played well but I would say the main reason and man behind this great victory is Ajit Agarkar"

Shocked Shastri..., "Agarkar ? ? .. how come Agarkar... he didn't played in the final"..

Dhoni, "Yeah.. that's the reason we won this low scoring match.. if he could have bowled in final, Pakistan would have scored the winning runs from his 4 overs ...."

Shastri, "ok.. fine, To whom you want to thank for winning this final..."

Dhoni, "The team doctor deserves the credit... he really helped us to prepare for the final..."

Shastri, "Is it? ?.... how the doctor helped to prepare for the final... he is not the coach or
physical trainer...Dhoni. . I am getting confusion"

Dhoni, " Ravi ... nothing to confuse... he has failed Sehwag in the fitness test according to our game plan and we managed to pick a good playing team.. thus we weigh the doctor's contribution as very high... infact it is better than our team effort in the field.. our game tactic worked well"

Shastri, "To whom you want to dedicate this World Cup?"

Dhoni, "The entire team including myself want to dedicate this cup to Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly..."

Shastri, "I really really appreciate you... its good that you have so much respect to the seniors ....and you ...."

Dhoni interrupts.. .. " Ravi .. let me complete...India would have exited in the Group matches if they decided to play in the series... thank god they opted out and we managed to play cricket and won the cup.."

Shastri, "The match was thrilling encounter and was concluded by a single mistake of Misbah.. Isn't it?"

Dhoni, "Yes you are right, after lofting the ball Misbah told me that he has sent the ball to where there was no one....but he didn't know that there is a malayali in every corner of the world.... This single mistake has costed the game and won the cup..."

Shastri faints and Dhoni receives the CUP and that is the end of the great Twenty-20 world cup...

Music business is churning, yaar!

Dudes and dudettes! Yo, kya haal hain? You're thinking Shil has forgotten to update the blog. But chillax, no ways I would forget my www family! I was busy with managerial work, yaar. Mapping future strategy for G-Crew IT support team. Complicated work, guyz…..what do you think, just looking at bottom-line will be enough? No! Have to develop synergy with the production and sales boyz, all in an expanding and fast changing market. And got to factor in work-life balance, coz in new management philosophy, that is critical survival parameter.

Sometimes, I now feel that although KGP is the best institution in India, it did not prepare me for the real management world. Yes, current and aspiring KGPites, there is a real world out there, a dog eat dog world of bedrooms lit up by blackberry screens at midnight and of 6 am management "huddles" in the control room…..

Sorry, guyz, I went a little senti there. I did not mean to lecture like those ass. profs (LOL!) at those commie DU colleges! This blogpost is about something different- western pop music.

Friendz, I am greatest Rahman fan, but sometimes I listen to English music if it is melodious and has good beats. For example, M. J., Shakira, Whitney Houston. Problem is, cost of original English cassettes is v. high. Unlike most of my pals, I don't go for illegal stuffs like free MP3s, coz I'm in responsible management position.

So, I am excited to hear about this new experiment by a British musical troupe called Radio Head. They will offer their new songs online at ANY price that the buyer is willing to pay. Minimum price is 2 penny. Question is: can global economy cope with this challenge??! Havoc will be aroused in world markets by such an aggressive marketing strategy!

Crux of the matter is: who the fuck is Radio Head??! Are they coming on Billboard Top 20 regularly?! Thanx God they are not so money-mad as other performers, but sadly no one cares. So, I don't think anyone except druggies will pay more than minimum price. But, this is still an exciting revolution. First of all, this is based on a Hindustani concept of bakshish, which is basically to pay the servant as you please. Second, maybe better musicians like Madonna will soon follow this plan...and I sure would pay 2 $ for her new CD.

Doston, would love to hear your response on this.