A decade passes by.. !!

It was the last week of June 2002. A decade has gone since, but that week is still vivid in memory. The week in which me, and many more like me (who were used to living a cozy life with the security of a family around them), really stepped into the outside world. A week in which me, and many more like me, made their entry into IIM Bangalore. At the time, I can assure you, not many amongst them would have known the turn that life was to take then. Speaking for myself, I did not have the faintest clue.

The euphoria of clearing the CAT and then, getting that coveted final call lasted for not more than a few days. Talking of getting that final call, I remember that day too. I was at my desk writing, what else, but code (working for Patni Computers those days) when a call on my landline from home (those were the days where cellphones were in their infancy) confirmed the news ! But any misconceptions of having cleared the biggest hurdle in the quest for an IIM tag slowly evaporated when one contemplated the road ahead. The thought of living a hostel life for the first time, and the stories of the super-crammed schedules and night-outs quickly bought me back to earth. And thus it was that I, with parents in tow and with mixed emotions, boarded the Udyan Express from CST Mumbai on Saturday, 22^nd  June 2002, not exactly ready to face the world.

In the train, I could make out people with similar predicaments. Later on, I came to know that quite a few of my future batch-mates (amongst them Bhushan Lele, Dhananjay Redkar and Ketan Kulkarni to name a few) were on that very train. We rolled into Bangalore the next morning and in the afternoon, I had my first glimpse of the 100-acre grey-stone campus that IIM Bangalore is housed in. I also distinctly remember the butterflies in the stomach, not to mention the awe accompanying it, when the institute bus that ferried us took that small left turn from the main Bannerghatta road and entered the gates of IIM Bangalore (later made famous in 3 Idiots !!). It was truly, an unforgettable moment. Following that were the room allotments and the first taste of hostel life, and of course, that first sleepless night away from home.

Thereafter, things became much better. On Monday the 24^th began our orientation session, where the first bonds of friendships between batch mates were formed. Within the next couple of days, the first beer party at the nearby Guru Garden restaurant followed and slowly, life-time friends were found. And that gradually led to the two most memorable years of my life. A journey, of many ups and downs, but one heck of a journey nevertheless !!

A decade has passed by… since it all began !!.. J

Cheers to the batch of 2004

Amit Gokhale

The 'Say-No-To-Technology' day.. !!

The Sunday gone by was different from a normal Sunday for me. The previous night, based on nothing more than a sudden whim - no doubt partly resulting from the cribs of my better half -, I decided to abstain from browsing the Net either on my mobile or from the desktop at home. This, of course, was not a new idea entirely. A few weekends ago, I was at a small home-stay at a village near Alibaug, where there was no television in the room and the mobile network was, at best, decent in terms of speed. And I quite loved the idea not having a TV or a PC around me. I decided to further extend this idea to not accessing the benefits of television and the Internet even while at home. And I must say it was a very refreshing experience. It meant, of course, that I :

a. Did not switch on the TV the entire day

b. Did not switch on the PC the entire day (which I guess can count as a even bigger achievement in today's digital age)

c. Used the cellphone only for calls and SMSses (no chatting, no browsing on 3G)

As mentioned, I loved the idea so much that I am planning to make it a regular habit (say once a month) and I would heartily recommend it to everyone. The question that would arise is : How do I then spend my Sunday ? Well, some of the things that can be done is:

a. Go for a morning walk or jog. Even if you are one of those that likes to get that extra couple of hours of sleep on Sunday mornings, going out a little late is not a bad idea. I went out for a walk after 8 am with my wife and the weather was still pleasant outside.

b. Try your hand at cooking (as I wish to do someday) or help your spouse/parents in the kitchen (which I managed to do).

c. Do some cleaning around in the house, do not leave everything to the maid. Clean the dust off those old boxes in the attic once in a while. If you are more enterprising, you can even try washing your own clothes. There are few things more satisfiying than taking care of your own washing.

d. Meet up with friends and relatives for brunch

e. And last, but definitely not the least, catch up on a good book. This brings me to the main idea in this post, especially relevant for those, like me, who are parents to babies in the 0-2 years age group. You commonly hear parents bemoan the fact that their children spend more time watching Doreamon on TV and neglect their school homework. And with space around the building being occupied more by cars than children, playing outdoors has become a luxury. But to those parents, I would like to ask a simple question: How much time did you spend in front of the TV when your kid was younger ? How much time did you spend reading a book ? The answer might be plainly obvious. The fact is that kids are very good imitators. They pick up those habits and activities which they see people around the house doing. Today, as a father to a 15-month old daughter, the main thought tormenting me is : how do I ensure that I inculcate good habits in her ? The simple answer (which, like all simple things, is difficult to implement), to that is: I do what I want her to do. So, if I want her to pick up the habit of reading, it is important she sees me reading books and newspapers.  Hence the focus on reading as much as possible when you are around the kid on a Sunday. Hopefully, the habit will rub off on them. I had neglected my reading the past few months but I hope to get back to it with a vengenance.

Thus, I would readily recommend saying NO to technology once in a while. I loved it immensely, I hope others try it out and I would be eager to learn about your experiences.

PS: This is not meant to preach anything. Just thought would share something that seems to be working well for me.

Cheers

Amit

Sasawane : An ideal weekend getaway...

As summer reaches its unbearable zenith and the gaze slowly turns towards the heavens in search of those black clouds, there is always the urge to get away from it all: the energy-sapping humidity, the maddening crowds of the city and the other distractions of day-day life: work, TV etc etc. To get away from it all and be in some place where time passes by slowly and where you have nothing to do but just sit around and watch the world go by (or maybe just read a book in the midst of nature). And last week, I managed to do just that (though for a mere day and a half) and simply had the most amazing experience !!



Zoom view of Stock Exchange from
Sasawane beach

The place that I chose to go was a small village called Sasawane near Alibaug (see the bottom center in the map). For me, the best part about this place is its very close proximity to Mumbai. From the moment I left my doorstep in the distant suburb of Goregaon, I landed at the resort in Sasawane in 2 1/2 hours flat !! (1 hr to go the Gateway of India, another 1 hr to get to Mandwa via the catamaran and then a final 30 minutes to reach Sasawane). And this close proximity to Mumbai is pretty evident from the fact that the towering skyline of South Mumbai is distinctly visible from the Saswaane beach (see attached pictures - including a zoom view of the Stock Exchange building !!). But yet, even though South Mumbai might hardly be just 25-30 kms away (straight-line basis), Sasawane is, quite simply, a world apart, and therein is the next best part of the place. I could see Mumbai and yet feel so far away from it !. And Saswane has a good old-fashioned charm about it. The small beach there is empty, no fast-food restaurents around and only a couple of resorts/holiday homes. Its not like Alibaug, which has almost been transformed into a mini-Mumbai (atleast over the weekends). Talking about the Saswane beach, it is the first beach south of Mumbai along the long Konkan coast-line and hence enjoys a unique distinction. 



Map showing Sasawne right at bottom
center

The place we chose to stay was a wonderful home-stay called Sagar Darshan. Situated just besides the beach, it is maintained by the Apte family for last 20 years or so. And they are quite courteous and hospitable. The rooms are neat and decent (do not expect five-star standards), the food was home-made and wonderful and there was plenty of space just to laze around and do nothing. There is no TV in the rooms and while that meant I did not see the IPL final (not that I missed it), it also meant that I got so much more time to do everything else. Its quite amazing how the absence of TV and the Internet suddenly gives you so much time in life !!. But being a home-stay there are certain ground rules one must follow: its open only for families, lunch and dinner is the standard rice-dal-sabji-roti fare one gets at home (but highly tasty though :) and it needs to be ordered well in advance (there are no eating options outside, in a place which almost goes to sleep after sunset !!). So be careful of these if you plan to go out there and if its OK with you, I can assure you will have the most wonderful time. Alibaug is about an hour's drive away by regular ST buses, which too, I travelled after many years and I really salute these ST services that connect every nook and corner of the state together and are virtually the lifeline of thousands of far-flung villages. Just besides the home-stay is a museum housing the works of the renowned sculptor Late Shri Nanasaheb Karmarkar, which is definitely worth a visit.

Quite and secluded Saswane beach

So whether you have a long weekend coming up or just need a place to relax with your family, Saswaane (and there are many such places along the rich Konkan Coast - check out the website Hotels in Konkan) is definitely recommended. So go ahead and enjoy that break !!

View of the Sagar Darshan
home stay

Unfortunately, this might be the wrong time to post this since once the monsoon arrives, the Gateway-Mandwa catamaran service closes down and these places becomg quite inaccessible (not to mention the heavy rains lashing the coast). But October and thereafter is a great time to visit.

Cheers

Amit