In Pursuit Of The Tiger

Like last October, colleagues at work were itching to go on a short trip to unwind after a year full of releases and customer go-lives. After carefully evaluating several options, we settled for Corbett National Park yet again.

Those who know me would know that I was delighted at this decision. I have been to Corbett several times but I never get enough of the place. The place has a charm that is unique among Indian jungles. What added to the excitement was that besides doing the ritual Dhikala safari, we also went for the new Dhela zone opened for tourism from 1st December this year. Needless to say, the new zone is beautiful with its slightly undulating safari trails and mesmerizing grasslands.

Without much further ado, let’s go straight for the pictures...

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More Indian Than You Think

When one talks about a civilization’s ability to influence and attract other cultures,one name is a constant through out all recorded history . That name is India. I refer to India as a civilization as the soft power (Soft power is a concept developed by Joseph Nye of Harvard University to describe the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce, use force or give money as a means of persuasion) exerted by our culture and traditions predates the concept of the Indian nation state.

In this era of globalization and instant connectivity, few aspects of the Indian story come rushing to the mind.

Cinema and Television

The glitzy song and dance sequences of Indian cinema have enthralled audiences all over the world...

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Musings From A Campus Recruitment Trip

A few days back I was approached by my superiors at work inquiring about my availability for a short trip to National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. I was supposed to be part of a campus recruitment panel. I thought about it for sometime and then confirmed my availability. I must admit, I wasn’t very excited to go. I routinely take interviews for open positions here. Though, they are important, I do not find them terribly exciting.

The trip,however, turned out to be quite the opposite. The drive to Kurukshetra is a short one. But on the way lies Murthal – the mecca of Tandoori paranthas and a most visit for any food lover. The interviews turned out to be quite interesting as well. The excitement and anticipation among the students appearing in the interviews was hard to ignore...

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Goodbye Orkut!

My first introduction to the world of online social media was through Orkut. I remember sitting in front of a terminal at the Computer Centre in NIT Jamshedpur waiting for the account creation to finish but the internet was excruciatingly slow. The date was March 7, 2005. I remember the date because a friend has been requesting me to join this network so that I could write him a testimonial. In the good old days testimonials were trophies that flashed on people’s profile pages. Fan count was pretty important as well!

When a friend suggested that I use the takeout service offered by Google to download a digital archive of my interactions [my scrapbook – this was before Facebook introduced us to the Wall], I heeded his advice...

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Beauty Has An Address – Oman

Oman is an Arab state on the eastern coast of the Arabian peninsula. But what makes Oman special is that it is unlike any of the other Arab states. It is a civilization steeped in history and is the perfect blend of the modern and the traditional. It has,by far, the most heterogeneous culture among the Arab states. It is the land of Sindbad the sailor and has had cultural linkages with both East Africa and Persia since ancient times. It is these linkages and the enduring stamp that they have left on the Omani way of life, along with the Arab influence, that make Oman culturally richer and unique among its neighbours and peers in the Middle East...

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The Tiger Experience

If you are familiar with this blog, you would be able to guess that I absolutely dig opportunities that let me travel to one of the many national parks in India. These nature reserves preserve and showcase the unparalleled biodiversity that India possesses. The dizzying array of flora and fauna in the Indian jungles can be represented by one iconic animal – the Royal Bengal Tiger. The sight of a tiger cooling off in a water hole, confident and unfettered, and then walking with a nonchalant swagger, that only the powerful can have, and turning his gaze at the beholder for the last time before disappearing into a bush as if to say “Hey! What’s so interesting? I am just being a tiger”, evokes emotions so profound that are indescribable in words...

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Beautiful Bandhavgarh!

Bandhavgarh is popular as the tiger haven of India. A national park where almost every visitor is guaranteed a tiger sighting. People throng here in the hundreds to see the world’s largest cat in it’s natural habitat. This park has been the scene where some of the most iconic tiger documentaries have been made. It is also the home of Bamera, India’s largest tiger. I had the opportunity to visit Bandhavgarh earlier this month. It was a trip full of bitter sweet moments. The generally benevolent tigers of Bandhavgarh did not oblige but I was blown away by the sheer natural beauty of the environs here.

I had booked two jungle safaris for my stay here. I must say there was never a dull moment in those 8 hours I was inside the reserve...

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Simply Goa!

The allure of a Mumbai to Goa road trip had not left me since I had first watched ‘Dil Chahta Hai’. The movies beautiful and fun filled depiction of the drive to Goa and Goa itself had made me want to do a similar trip for a long time. So when a group of friends planned such a trip, I happily joined in. And what a trip it was! When the feeling of being with some of your best friends combines with the festive atmosphere of Goa against the scenic backdrop that only Goa can provide, it creates a heady cocktail that can both blow your senses and sooth them. And it is the ability to cater to both these extremities that defines the Goa experience.

We spent the first half of our time in South Goa. We stayed at a resort on the Palolem Beach. South Goa is scenic and peaceful...

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On The Tiger Trail (Yet Again!)

My fascination of wild cats (of the feline kind) knows no bounds. And somehow, despite the taxing work schedule I have, the stars have been mysteriously aligning themselves to make such trips possible. The reason for the trip was, again, a farewell to a team member. The jungle, however, wasn’t the same. This time, we decided to take our tiger quest to Ranthambore.

Ranthambore, is a very different tiger habitat from Corbett. The forest is dry and the days warmer. However, there are pockets of dense green jungles. The undulating landscape, the ancient hills, the numerous lakes and the deep ravines all combine to create a beautiful and surreal environment. It is not surprising that the king of the jungle resides in those beautiful environs.

A beautiful sunrise at Ranthamboreof Ranthambore

A beautiful sunrise at Ranthambore

We arrived at Ran...

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Of AAP and Hum!

So the Aam Aadmi Party is at it again. The only difference being, now, they are in power! Aam Aadmi Party was born out of Anna’s anti corruption movement with the promise that they were taking the plunge to cleanse the system from within. It seems, however, that their singular agenda is to turn governance and administration into agitation and gimmicks. When they should be looking at ways to reform the delivery of public services to the people of Delhi, they are using the media glare on them to launch a shadow campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Soon after assuming power, they took steps to fulfill their electoral promises and garnered well deserved praise for not forgetting their promises to the people of Delhi after the elections...

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