Time versus time

All of us must have found at some point or the other certain forwards finding there way into our inbox again and again. Some of these forwards carry nice messages and even inspire us to do better.

I was enthused by one forward which through its many examples told that time whether quantified in units of a year, month, week, day, minute or second and these days perhaps even a nanosecond, is crucial. An athlete who lost a race because of half a second, a doctor who is unable to save a life because of a minute's delay in bringing the patient to the hospital and a student who fails in an exam even after months of preparation would be able to clearly tell us about the importance of time. So we should not waste our time and simply let it go.

The second forward had would-have-been-victims (belonging to a company whose premises was in the Twin Towers) of the 9/11 tragedy telling stories how they got saved because little incidents occurred which made them reach their office late. Some of these "little" things were like a man stopping for buying a band-aid for his blister, a woman's son crying and not wanting to go to school, someone missing his usual train, etc. These stories tell us that while time is important we should not fret when even after our best efforts we lose it or get delayed. We should learn to value these little though irritating (at that moment) speed breakers.

I like both the forwards and use them to inspire me depending on the occasion. To keep me on my toes on the work front I remind myself the words of the first forward. And when I happen to miss a bus and reach home/work late I console myself with the message of the second forward saying "this is where God wants me to be". It always reminds me of this quote:

Agar Bhagwaan tumhe wo nahi de rahe jo tum chahte ho
toh iska matlab hai ki Unhone tumhare liye kuch aur accha soch rakha hai.

meaning

If God is not giving you what you are asking for
then it means that He has made some other better plans for you.

High divorce rate

The other day an Uncle of mine came home. At that time a couple of my friends were also there. He cracked a joke in front of us which I thought was highly original. Since the joke is also related to one of my pet topics I am writing it down here for others to enjoy and have a laugh as well.

My Uncle asked a simple question:
"What is the reason behind the current high divorce rate?"

And the straightforward answer to that was:
"MARRIAGE."

:))))))))

Attending international conferences: paying registration fees

An important step that needs to be taken in our journey to attending an international scientific conference is payment of the registration fees in advance. There are two ways of doing this.

(i) These days conferences allow participants to register online by making the payment using a credit card. Obviously in this case you end up paying from your own pocket until you later get it reimbursed from your institute using the receipt provided to you at the conference.

(ii) The second option is to pay the fees through the contingency grant available to you as part of your Senior or Junior Research Fellowship. In this case the fees is sent on your behalf by your institute in the form of a draft made out in the currency of the country you will be visiting. For achieving this feat the following has to be done. Firstly you need to write an application to the Head of your institute asking for permission to use your contingency for the transaction. This application has to be attached with a copy of your invitation letter and the flyer giving the details of the registration fees. Get the application signed first by your division/department's Head and then by the Head of your institute. Remember that once you get the approval keep a copy of the same for later use. Next write a second application mentioning the details of the draft/cheque to be made using the contingency. Attach to this (a) a letter of declaration stating you have enough money in your contingency to pay the entire fees and signed by the Head of your division/department. (b) copy of the first application (c) printout of the flyer displaying the registration fees (d) a Sanction Memo signed by the Head of your division/Research Guide mentioning the amount to be paid (e) a FVC Bill signed by the Administrative Officer and (f) the Foreign Exchange Form A filled in the name of the Head of your institute (that's what I was told since the cheque will be made officially by the institute's bank). Keep the FVC on top of the bunch and submit it in the Finance and Accounts section to the person incharge for making such cheques for research fellows for attending international conferences. A week or so later you will receive a cheque drawn in favour of the conference. Then you post it to the address provided by the organizers. Once they receive your cheque you will get a confirmation of your registration.

Do remember to collect your receipt and letter of participation from the conference organizers once you go to attend it!! You must submit the two on returning from the conference otherwise the cheque that you have made will remain as an outstanding balance in your account. The receipt and the letter are a proof that you did attend the conference. This procedure though long takes care that you don't end up paying money from your own account but rather through the funds available to you.

This is how I have paid my registration fees for a conference (to be held in Sydney) that I am planning to go for in September. So it is a tried and tested recipe which I have put here for others to refer to in the future.

Kheema matar

Since it was Father's Day on Sunday 15th June, I decided to cook something special for us at home. I made kheema matar and pooris. The pooris had nearly got spoilt but then Daddy came to my rescue and saved my efforts exemplifying the importance of Father's Day. The kheema matar turned out rather well and so I am putting the recipe here and for once I have photograph of my own results in the kitchen to display.

Ingredients:

2 medium size onions, finely chopped
3 teasepoons of ginger-garlic paste
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped
2 green chillies, cut in small pieces
1 teaspoon haldi powder
1 teaspoon jeera powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon dhania powder
salt to taste
1 cup water
1 large sized tomato, finely chopped
500 g minced meat, thawed
handful of peas
coriander, finely chopped for garnishing


Method:

Heat oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Fry, stirring time to time. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 more minute.

Add the tomato pure, corinader leaves and all the masala. Fry for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato, water and let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the minced meat. Cover the vessel and cook for 10 minutes stirring in between. Next add the peas and again cook covered for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for 5 minutes more or until the water has evaporated and the meat is cooked. Remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Your kheema-matar should be looking like this:

Tip tip tip tip baarish

The weather has changed here in Pune and so have I along with it. Two weeks back it was sweltering and hot, with sun rays that were practically roasting my skin. Along with that I was feeling overworked. I wanted to finish some calculations as soon as possible. But they were taking there own time. All this was getting on my nerves.

Then suddenly one fine day the sky was filled with dark clouds which burst out pouring. The fury was such that it reminded me of the incessant Mumbai rains. Due to the heavy downpour the electricity went out and so all computers were shut down. I should have cursed the raingods but instead I felt light headed.

Since then its been a lovely atmosphere here. There is a cool breeze blowing all the time in which you enjoy letting your hair down. There are thick clouds but it only drizzles and you don't mind getting sprayed by those drops of water. In fact its refreshing. I am no longer fixing any deadline for my work. I've decided to follow the que sera sera rule and let things happen at their own speed. I am happy to sing two of my favourite rain songs again and again whenever I have nothing else to do. I am putting the lyrics below.

Film: Jurmana

Music: R. D. Burman

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

Saawan ke jhoole padhe

Tum chale aao

Tum chale aao

Tum chale aao
Saawan ke jhoole pade...

Aanchal naa chode mera

Paagal hui hai pawan

Ab kya karoon main jatan

Dhadke jiyaa jaise panchhi ude

Saawan ke jhoole padhe...

Dil ne pukara tumhe

Yaadon ke parades se

Aati hain jo des se

Hum us dagar pe hain kab se khadhe

Saawan ke jhoole padhe...

Jab hum mile the piya

Tum kitne nadaan the

Hum kitane anjaan the

Baali umariya mein naina ladhe

Saawan ke jhoole padhe...

Film: Khamoshi-The Musical

Music: Jatin-Lalit

Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri

Singers: Kavita Krishnamurti and Shraddha Pandit

Mausam ke sargam ko sun

Kya gaa raha hai samaa

Tu bhi gaa tere sang

Gaaye saara jahan

Gaaye ja Gaaye ja Gaaye ja

Har sur pe dil yoon dhadke

Ke saanson mein agan bhadke

Sun kar ye sada

Har sur...

Aise aaj gaa khamoshi bol uthe

Palkein bheeg jaayein jal barse bina ghata

Gaaye ja...

Phir ek din le jaayega

Ghunghta tera uthaayega

Koi rajkumar

Phir ek...

Phir yeh roop rang

Ban jaayega chaman

Hoga ang-ang ek masti bhari phuhaar

Gaaye ja...

Mausam ke sargam...

Roomies (Story - concluding part)

This is the concluding part of the story Roomies. Its earlier two parts can be found here and here.

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The following weekend Mr. and Mrs. Mehta came to meet Devika as promised. They took her and Vaishali out for lunch and had a great time. The night Devika spent with her parents in their hotel room and on Sunday she took them to Elephanta Caves. Though she had been there before the trip became a memorable one because of the rediscovered love for her parents and vice versa. As the time came to say goodbye her parents hugged her with boundless affection. When she returned room number 156 she was full of spirit. She divulged all the details to Vaishali and then asked her,

“Ab tera kya hoga Kaaliya?”

“Meaning?”

“When are you going to inform your parents that you are not going back home during vacations?”

“Hmmm.”

“Don’t delay the inevitable. Call them today. It is Sunday and so Uncle will also be at home. That reminds me Daddy told me that his very close friend Mr. Subhash Goyal lives with his family in New Jersey. In fact the two of them talked over the phone in front of me. Uncle said he will be happy to take care of you and act as your local guardian. Also he has a daughter who is our age so you won't lack company.”

“Really? Can I tell this to Maa and Papa?”

“Of course. Daddy will soon get you in touch with Goyal Uncle.”

Hearing this news Vaishali called her parents and was amazed to find that she didn’t have much convincing to do. Her mother hardly put up a fight. Mr. and Mrs. Kapoor said that they were very proud that she had won this prestigious opportunity. They were however concerned since this would be her first trip abroad and that too alone. But when she told them about Mr. Subhash Goyal it comforted them that there would be someone in foreign land to look after their daughter.

Thereafter time flew very fast. There was so much to do. Besides the usual attending of classes and practicals, writing assignments, giving quizzes and revising for the final exams the girls were busy making rounds of the US Consulate and shopping for the cold winter of New Jersey. By mid-November all arrangements for Vaishali’s trip had been finalized. She had got the US Visa and a confirmed air ticket. An Indian student, from the Chemistry Department at Princeton, Anand Sarkar would be coming to receive her at the airport and take her to campus guest house. Mr. Goyal’s daughter Supriya and she had already become friends and had hatched plans for all the sightseeing.

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Finally the end-semester exams were also over and it was the eve of Vaishali’s departure. Devika had stayed an extra day in the hostel to help her pack. With minutes to leave for the airport both were making sure that nothing had been left out from the checklist. Satisfied they carried the luggage to the taxi waiting outside the hostel. At the airport Vaishali checked-in her baggage and got a window seat allotted. With nothing more to do but wait the two of them decided to sit quietly and relax. Not having slept much over the last fortnight due to the exams and excitement over her trip Vaishali ended up dozing off on the chair. She was in the middle of a dream when Devika woke her up.

“Vaishali… get up... wake up. In 30 minutes you’ll have to proceed for your immigration. I suddenly remembered you never called Uncle and Aunty. You had told them that you’ll be giving them a ring once you were free. They must be on tenterhooks by now!”

“Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding. I’ll talk to them.”

She spent the next 15 minutes on the phone with her parents. As Vaishali ended the call and looked at Devika who was standing at a distance it dawned on her that she’ll be now be only seeing her friend after a month. Shyly she admitted,

“Devika, I want to tell you something. In all this time I have never properly thanked you for that night before the Analytical Chemistry exam. Had you not lent me your books and notes all this would not have been possible.”

“What are you saying?? I am the one who should be thanking you. Mummy had told me long ago that you had called her up. I guess it was a couple of days after that heart to heart discussion we had had.” confessed Devika.

“How could Aunty break my promise?” asked a clearly embarrassed Vaishali.

Devika answered while smiling, “She didn’t actually. She didn’t disclose even dialogue of your conversation with her. She just felt that I must know that Daddy’s and her changed attitude and my reconciliation with them are all because of you.”

Snapped back Vaishali, “But I have not been the only one working behind someone’s back!! I have known for sometime that it was you who explained my side of the story to Maa and Papa!! It was on your insistence that they started giving me the space that I needed.”

It was Devika’s turn to feel embarrassed. The two girls were now glaring at each other. As a minute passed by they began feeling stupid that they were fighting over saying thank you. Soon the anger gave way to laughter and they said in unison,

“I guess that’s what roomies are for.”

“Devika… as roomies we share more than just a room.”

“Yeah Vaishali… we share each others’ joys and sorrows.”

“We stand up for each other. Just the way you did. You gave my life a new direction.”

“You gave me back my family.”

Just then an announcement was made asking the passengers going by the Delta Airlines flight from Mumbai to New York to proceed for immigration. The moment to say goodbye had come. The roomies hugged each other and parted ways to meet once again in the following semester.

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THE END

Roomies (Story- Part 2)

This is second part of the story Roomies. For the first part click here.

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Since the night of 17^th September the air of room number 156 had undergone a change. You could hear friendly banter and sometimes even mild laughter emanating from it. In the evenings a few girls from neighboring rooms had started joining the Vaishali and Devika and they would together gossip and grumble their way into the night. As the roomies got talking they discovered they had much in common. They loved the same kind of books, movies, music and food. The one point on which they differed was regarding the sort of life they desired.

“I am tired of being treated like a kid by my parents. They are just over protective and over indulgent! You know the reason I came here was because I wanted to move out of the house.” Seeing Devika’s shock Vaishali immediately added, “Its not that I don’t love them. I do. But I still want my independence. And having tasted hostel life I was dreading going back home in the vacations.

But now thanks to –”

Devika interjected saying, “You probably won’t believe me but I am really glad that I came second. I don’t even know why I was fighting so hard for that Princeton experience when in contrast to you what I crave for is home. Since class 6^th I have been staying in a hostel, which is nearly half my life!”

“But why so?”

“Well… my parents’ jobs are such that they are constantly moving from one city to another. So they just couldn’t just leave me home alone then.”

“But now you can stay with them?”

“Nopes… now they think that since I am grown up I can stay on my own!

Besides they want me to focus on my career and if that takes me away from them then so be it.”

How can two people who have shared their innermost hidden feelings not become friends? So was the case with the two girls from that day forth. They started going to department and library together. During classes they would sit next to each other. While they continued to have different partners for lab, they would always return back to the hostel at the same time. On one such occasion their Hostel Manager Shobha ji caught hold of Devika.

“Beta… a parcel arrived for you in the afternoon. It’s lying in the canteen fridge.”

She was surprised to hear this because maximum she had occasionally received cards from her friends by post but never a parcel. With great excitement she took out the parcel and opened it. There was a huge box filled with an assortment of her favorite chocolates!! She also found a card saying “Missing you!! With love, Mummy and Daddy” and a long handwritten letter penned by her parents.

Unable to contain her exhilaration Devika rushed to the confines of her room to read the letter. It was a very simply worded letter without any fancy language. Her parents had described how they felt bad at having made her come to Mumbai and how in the midst of their tight work schedules they couldn’t help but remember her. They further wrote that they were planning a trip to meet her and inquired which weekend would be best suited for her. As Devika reached the end of the letter she was in tears. She immediately called her parents and they talked in a manner they hadn’t talked in months or perhaps years.

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For the concluding part of "Roomies" wait for the next post.

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