Looking back at 2008

Before I actually start off, I would like to inform all the readers that this is my first write-up when my mind is in its sub-conscious state. I am on a high as I write this!
Hence, I request you all to forgive me if I write something irrelevant.
Here I go...

The start of 2008 wasn't all that great for me as I was still recovering from my grandmother's loss. Had it not been for the Java 3 gang and Virtual Tennis, my recovery would have easily lasted for a fortnight longer. Thanks to all the friends I made in Java 3 for that! The memorable 3rd floor lab was the place where I met a lot of new people and got really close to some of them. How can one ever forget the fun we had there? Be it while playing Virtual Tennis or while undergoing the training.
Three cheers to the Java 3 batch!

Unfortunately, the good times we had while undergoing training didn't last very long. Some of them were being allocated to projects and some of us including me were heading towards the SAP world being excited. Little did we know that the SAP practice within our company wasn't all that great! The trainings for the people in SAP hadn't stopped yet! Some of us underwent the training in Web Dynpro which I felt was the best training I have ever attended till date. After that, we got our cubicles in the Ground Floor (the so called Bench). Phase 2 GF was the place where I met a lot of new people (some really interesting)! Interesting huh?

We guys from the Java 3 batch had started planning for a trip to Goa by the mid of March. Those four days we spent in Goa were the most memorable days of my life so far. More on the Goa trip here,

http://kishan-livinglifetothefullest.blogspot.com/2008/05/memorable-trip-to-goa.html

This trip had made the bond between all of us in the group stronger!

The period from May - August was a bit dull I presume since I am unable to recollect any incidents worth mentioning here. Panache (The cricket tournament) would be the only interesting thing that happened during this period. We witnessed a lot of good games there as some of us cheering for the SAP team had become their followers. They didn't play badly. Did they? I met a very good friend during this event with who I am very close to now. I'm not mentioning any names here. Forgive me for that.

September - October 2008. We had almost completed a year in our company and most of us in SAP hadn't been a part of a project yet. Some of us were really anxious regarding this as we witnessed some of our friends in other practices scale new heights. I had to console some of them who were really worried by my famous dialogue "Everything happens for the good". I doubt whether my ways of consoling them were effective. Hope my words acted as a stress-relief medicine for them. I chose TT as my pill for stress-relief though! I played TT regularly during this period of time and had become a fierce competitor. Hope I'm not praising myself too much here. (That's a very common symptom of getting totally drunk). Please bear.

After that, we started getting into projects one by one. People soon began to realize the importance of my advices. (Sorry, I am not able to get rid of the symptom I mentioned)
I got into a project finally on the 17th of November after having spent more than 13 months in the company. But I was quick to realize that my wait was really worth. I have been a part of this project for close to two months now and have learnt a lot of new things. I’m hoping to continue that this year as well!

All in all, the year 2008 was a year filled with a lot of ups and downs. It has to be like that if we are to get tougher and stronger . Thanks to you all for making this year so memorable and standing by me during the tough times. Hope we continue that in the years to come!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year 2009!

Here's me signing off 2008 and stepping into 2009 on a high (((((((((note)))))))))!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,
Kishan

P.S: This is an unedited version of the article I wrote at 3AM on the 1st of January 2009.

SAP Teched 2008 Bangalore (Connect, Collaborate, Co-innovate)

SAP Labs conducted this annual event in Bangalore from the 12th to the 14th of November. This three day event had everything in it for what it takes to be a blockbuster. Here are a few things that made this event a great success,

· Educational sessions - More than 100 educational sessions (lectures/workshops) on varied topics were on offer for the different levels of audience to gain expertise.
Click here to know more

· Demo Jam – Among the 60 demo entries, the top 6 which were demonstrated gave us a chance to witness some cool cutting-edge technologies. A lot of creative brains must have gone into that. Huh.
Click here to know more

· Certification – Provided us with a platform to get ourselves certified as professionals in our respective fields.
Click here to know more

· SAP Solution Pads – Gave us a chance to check out the latest SAP Technologies in action.
Click here to know more

· Contribution Recognition - SAP recognised the top contributors of SDN and encouraged all its members to contribute more article/blogs. The points thus accumulated during the year would be encashed and donated to the U.N world food programme.
Click here to know more

· Entertainment - We were treated to a fabulous comedy show by Mr.Vikram Sathaya (the most sought after comedian in the world of cricket).

· Virtual Teched - With over 500 sessions of streaming video from 2006, 2007 and 2008 events, Virtual SAP Teched delivers the industry's best knowledge of the latest SAP technologies at your fingertips.
Click here to know more

Many thanks to MindTree for providing us an opportunity to witness a memorable event like this one!

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna

Everything happens for the good!!!

I happened to hear a story today morning that I would like to share with you all. I felt that I was blessed to have heard this story as it proved something I believe in.

Here goes the story -
Centuries ago, there lived a King who had appointed a wise Minister to help him lead the nation in an efficient manner. This wise Minister was someone who always believed that - "Everything happens for the good". Soon, he met the King's expectations and was considered the right-hand man of the King.

One day, the King injured his thumb while cleaning his sword. The injury was so bad that his thumb had to be removed. Soon the news spread throughout the nation and everyone was unhappy. But when the Minister heard about this incident from a soldier, he told him "Everything happens for the good" and the Minister's face didn't show even a sign of distress. Seeing this, the soldier felt that the Minister was out of his senses and soon thought about reporting this merciless attitude of the Minister to the King.

The soldier then goes to the King and tells about his experience with the Minister. The King's face turned red with anger after having heard that. He immediately asks his soldier to bring the Minister to his court. When the Minister arrives, the King orders his soldiers to lock the Minister in a dark isolated room till they recieve any further orders from him. Hence, the Minister finds himself locked in a dark room for the merciless attitude shown by him towards the King.

Later that night, the King desperately in need of some relief from the intolerant pain decides to go hunting along with two of his soldiers. In the jungle, they decide to go in different directions in search of a prey. The King, on pursuit of finding a prey finds himself lost in the dark jungle.
That same night, a gang of poachers looking disturbed were wandering in the jungle after God had appeared in their dream and told them that they would find a bagful of treasure in that jungle. The treasure would come at a price though. The price - a human sacrifice was to be made.

The poachers then see the King wandering alone in the forest and were very happy having found a solitary human-being for their sacrifice. They capture him and just when they were about to chop his head off, one of them notice the thumb missing in one of the hands of the King. They start discussing about this and decide that the King was not a complete human-being and considered that as a bad omen for their sacrifice. The poachers finally decide to let the King go.

The King now glad about how his life was saved by his missing thumb goes back to his palace and narrates the whole incident to his sub-ordinates. At this point of time, he sees his Minister and remembers what he had said : "Everything happens for the good". He orders his soldiers to free the Minister. Our King trying to fall on the Minister's feet apoligizes to him. The Minister tells the him that there was no need to apologize as the King had eventually done a good thing by imprisoning him. The King is now confused after hearing these words from a guy whom he had kept in a dark room and hence asks the Minister to explain.

The Minister then explains why he thought the King had done a good job by imprisoning him. Had he not been imprisoned, the Minister (considered the King's right-hand man) would certainly have accompanied the King when he had set out for hunting and might have got himself sacrificed by the poachers after they had considered the missing thumb of the King as a bad omen for their sacrifice!

Hence, both the lives of the King and his Minister were saved. As they say, "Everything happens for the good". I couldn't do much but agree with that saying after hearing this story.

P.S: If you still don't believe that everything happens for the good, I would like to congratulate you as you have won yourself a chance to read the story once more.

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna

Grandma's Love!!!

I had been to Davangere a couple of days back to visit my grandparent's whom I hadn't seen for quite a long time. I purpose of my visit was genuine though - My grandfather had his knee operated after he had met with an accident and was now going through a recovery process. I truely enjoyed this trip for the affection and care my grandma showered on me. This affection, I conceived would definitely decrease (if not die) as we grew older (She was in her early seventies and I was nearing my 24th Birthday). But, I later realized that I was completely wrong.

I took a bus from Bangalore at 11PM on Thursday and reached my grandparent's house at around 5.30AM the next day. To my surprise, I was recieved by my grandma who had been awake and waiting for half an hour anticipating my arrival. She was overjoyed and a bit shocked as well after seeing me. Overjoyed, since she was seeing me after a long time and shocked seeing the drastic change in my physique. She after quickly inquiring about my happenings, asked me to take a nap since she thought that I wouldn't have slept in the bus. Little did she know that this grandson for her's wasn't awake even for a minute during the 6-hour long journey!!!

I woke up at 9 that morning. I was amused to have got a bed-coffee (Just can't remember the last time I got a bed-coffee!). She performed that act in which I believe all the nazar's put on me will be removed. She asked me take an oil massage bath later on. After taking bath, it was time for me to have a delicious breakfast. She would keep adding stuff to my plate even though I hesitated!

We had a chat for the rest of the afternoon. She said that I had reduced a lot of weight and that she just couldn't see me like that. She also warned me not to come to see her again till I put-on that much weight I had now lost! Now, that's what you can call Blackmailing even though her intentions were good.

She had cooked chicken for lunch that day even though she wasn't supposed eat it herself on that particular day of the week. This wasn't known to me until I was done with my lunch and I saw her having curd-rice. She had intentionally kept that a secret fearing that I wouldn't have let her cook chicken that day if I knew that fact.

It was then time for me to take a nap after having had a nice huge meal. I guess I would have consumed atleast half a kilo of chicken that day! After I woke up, it was time for another round of those nazar removal duties to be performed on me before I took my grand-parents out for shopping. I bought them clothes which meant that I had become poorer by 3k now. That 3k which I spent just can't be compared to the love and affection they showed on me for that is invaluable!

The second day of my stay there wasn't any different from the previous one. The only change was that the number of times the nazar removal duties were performed on me had slightly increased!

All in all, it was a great experience for me. I had never received so much love and affection from anyone (my mom included) till date. I must admit that I shouldn't have been given so much affection which looked very painstaking for someone of my grand-mom's age. Age just doesn't seem to affect the grandmom-grandchild relationship. Does it??

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna

Just for fun!!!

I just happened to see a skit a few days back. The skit was just an imagination of how Devaloka would look like in the present generation with the evolution of cell-phones, laptops etc and lot's of people on earth committing suicide..

The skit actually started off with two lovers (from earth) committing suicide after their parents had disagreed for their marriage (as is the case in most love-stories). In my views, they shouldn't have loved in the first place if they weren't ready to face these kind of challenges.

Chitragupta (Yamaraja's PA) gets to know that a couple had committed suicide through his laptop and is in a dilemna as he doesn't know whether to send the couple to hell or heaven. So, after discussing about this matter with Yamaraja, they pick their cell-phone's up and decide to call for a meeting with all the Gods and Goddesses.

In the next scene, all the Gods and Goddesses arrive and they are all set for the meeting. All the God's were put in one side and the Godesses in another. Chitragupta breifs them all about the agenda for the meeting. Then a group discussion starts.

The Gods tell that the couple should be sent to hell as they have committed a crime by committing suicide. The Goddesses completely disagree with them and say that the couple should be sent to heaven as they couldn't have lived without each other and suicide was inevitable. Then, a huge fight enrages between the two sides. It reminded me of the terrible group discussions that happen in the MTV Roadies auditions.

Chitragupta and Yamaraja are in a confused state of mind after seeing the God's fight and hence couldn't come to a conclusion. They feel that Narada is the best person to resolve this matter and hence they decide to invite him to the meeting and seek his help. Narada arrives and Chitragupta briefs him about the happenings yet again.

Narada tells that the best way to resolve this problem would be to get the couple back to life again and get them married to each other. This would help them in two ways,

· Both heaven and hell being over-crowded, the people out there wouldn't have tolerated with the addition of two more people.
· The couple could have their dreams realized and live happily.

All the God's and Goddesses believe that this seems to be a better option and hence agree to Narada's suggestion. Sooner, Yamaraja decides to put the couple back to life again and get them married to each other. The couple are happy.

After all this, the God's go out on a victory lap to celebrate their success. The Goddesses are stunned witnessing this since they knew that neither of them won. So, they ask the God's the reason behind their celebration. The God's respond by telling them that the final outcome was what they had intended as 'Getting married and going to hell are one and the same'.

Want to get married? Think again!

P.S: This article is neither intended to hurt anybody's feelings nor against marriage.

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna

A PaPlu called KiRaT KaPooR!!!

After having thought long about the gift I would present Kirat on this 24th birthday, I pinned these two things down,

1) A wallet. (He never carries one!!)
2) An article about him.

I finally decided to go with the latter. So here I go,

I first met this guy a few months ago when we were playing cricket on a Friday evening. I was truly amazed by his jovial attitude and his batting skills. He would inform the bowler that the next ball would be going for a six. And yeah, the bowler would stand in complete disbelief after seeing the next ball he bowled hovering over the boundary ropes for a huge six. Now that's called 'Attitude'. Kirat, with his batting skills could have put most of the upcoming batsmen at the top-level to shame had he continued his career in cricket. He says that the only reason he discontinued practicing cricket was because he had to travel 40kms daily from his house to the stadium in Lucknow.

There was no looking back for me after having met this guy. I have found a great friend in him. Spending some time with this guy would be the best medicine to have when you are upset about something. He cares a lot for his friends and would never want them to be in a bad mood. Though, he has a smiling face always, I must say that he can get very emotional at times. But he just wouldn't let that show on his face to the outside world.

As they say - "There is a kid still left in all of us!” Kirat has a bit more of that left than most of us. He is very friendly. Sometimes, he can get so friendly that he can talk to a complete stranger just like he would talk to someone whom he has known from years! I just got a taste of this when I heard him speak to an ICICI Bank Credit Card Sales Representative. Our pal got so friendly to that Sales Representative that he invited him for dinner that night!! So, be sure to listen to the way he speaks when he gets a call from a stranger the next time around to be convinced about what I actually meant.

'Open Challenge' seems to be the latest buzzword often used by our friend Kirat to invite someone to play a TT match against him. I must admit that I haven't won a single game against him till date. I came very close to winning the last time we guys played though. There are not many people in MindTree who can win against him! He has a unique and very effective style of playing TT or any game for that matter. Kirat, I just hope you carry that same style to face the challenges you might face in your life bro. I am sure that you will come out victorious in the end if you treat them as an 'Open Challenge' too.

All said and done, I wish you a very Happy Birthday and success in all your endeavors mate.
Here is what your close friends think about you Kirat,

Sunil:

“He is a very lively person full of energy and josh. He can see a friend in each and every individual. A great sportsperson, be it in cricket (if you haven't seen him bat or field, you’ve missed something great!!) or even TT. He is a good dancer and a great entertainer.
You won’t ever get bored when he is around. There’s a lot of “bachpana” still left in him. Actually that’s what makes him special.
Happy Birthday Kirat!!! Cheers!!!”

Nidhi:

"Kirat is a lively person, thoda style martha hai some times, fun to be with. He should remain like this and never change.
Happy Birthday Kirat!!!"

Madhu:

"The first few words that come to my mind when I think of Kirat are: Exuberance, Energy and Fun. This is because Kirat is a combination of all these and more.
Kirat is a very talented guy and he has proven that time and again. More so in cricket. The concentration and the passion with which he plays the game is truly amazing and it fascinates me. This is the passion that can keep any person going.
Self Confidence is one more thing that you can associate Kirat with. You give him any task that he hasn’t tried earlier and I am damn sure that he can do it extremely well with the amount of confidence that he has in himself.
All in all, he is a great friend to have and I’m lucky to have a friend like you dude.
Keep the josh going. Happy Birthday Kirat!!! Cheers!!!”

Shweta:

"They say - Simple things are the most complicated ones to describe. Similarly, things can get very complicated when one starts to describe Kirat.
He is a simple guy who can get very funny at times. Isko to dekh ke hi hassi aa jati hai.
You would just love to have a friend like him and I’m proud of that fact.
"Kirat, tussi great ho jee”. Chak-de fatte.
Wish you a very Happy Birthday and all the happiness in this world!!!"

Khaleel:

"Kirat- Well, what do I say about him??
Amazing chap, a multi- talented guy (Note: I have mentioned 'guy', else I am more talented than him any day!!! ;-)). He can carry the color pink with PanacheJ (like me u C!!!).
My advice to him: "Don’t be desperate to have a gal friend dude. Gals will follow you (or even Khaleel's for that matter!!). You don’t have to follow them!”
All in all - a HUNK!

Coming to the JUNK part of 'Kirat':
He is an @$$#**** to the core. Thinks that he plays better cricket than me!!!(b@*** 2 u!) :-P…

Now, on a serious note: "Dude, you tend to lose your cool very easily when you don’t play well (By 'play' I meant CRICKET ;)). PLAY SAFE BUDDY:-D
I am glad that I've come across a person like you J."
Happy Birthday and have a rocking year ahead Kirat.

KIRAT ROCKSSSSSSSSSSSS~~~~~~
(Hey hey hey, WAIT!!!! I love you buddy ;): P: D)."

Anand:

"Well I have known Kirat for quite a while now. He is a guy who doesn't care about this world. Keeps smiling (sorry, laughing!!!) all the time no matter what situation he is in (sometimes that's dangerous). Can dance to any tune (Oops!!!? I wish you never see him dancing). Can do a bhangra on the grooviest South Indian hit. Likes to be photographed (it can get very irritating when you have the camera in your hand). A movie freak and a Hrithik Roshan fan. A very good batsman and doesn't get out often.
He is a very good friend to have. He will always cheer you up when you are down and out. He likes Punjabi food a lot (just like any other Punjabi). Off late, he has started liking South Indian food a lot (especially Khara-bhath). Ask him guys, something's fishy.
Huh!!! I think that's enough. I can't praise him anymore as I can't lie anymore. Just kidding. Honestly yaar tussi great ho. Keep scoring and keep smiling.
Happy Birthday Kirat!!!"

Last but not the least, here is what Kavitha feels about you Kirat,

Kavitha:

"Here I am going to talk about a person who is,
Kind in heart
Innocent by nature
Responsible in his acts
Attracts people by his eyes
Talkative and Talented

Yeah, he is none other than KIRAT.
He is a kind and generous person who can brighten up our days, bringing much more joy to us with his kind and thoughtful ways. He is a great cricketer and a good dancer too.
One more thing I would like to tell about Kirat is that he is “Bindaaz”. He doesn’t live as if he is the King but lives as if he doesn’t care who the King is and that’s called Attitude. Keep going KIRAT.

Kirat, you ought to have a little more patience and keep working hard since there is no substitute for ‘Hard Work’.

Wish you success in all your endeavors. Keep Rocking!!!
Wish You Many Happy Returns Of The Day!!!"

Hope this came to you as a pleasant surprise Kirat. Have a great life ahead. I am sure that you have got the right attitude that will take you a long way. Keep rocking bro.

P.S: I would like to thank all those people who helped me successfully complete this article by giving their valuable thoughts.

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna

A character called Khaleel !!

After many of my friends had asked me to write about Khaleel, I finally decided to write about this guy three days after his 23rd birthday.

Here I go,

K - Koool & Karizmatic
H - Humorous/Horny
A - Ambitious
L - Lovable
E - Energetic
E - Easy going
L - Lustrous

This guy is one of the rarest characters I have ever met till date. Rare - because he loves everyone impartially, be it a guy or a gal (pun intended). He treats everyone equally and doesn't discriminate between people. Heard that he still gets a hug and a kiss from his old maid. He has the talent of grasping things very fast. For example, you could show him how to do a dance step and the very next moment you can see him do it better than you. Great talent to acquire bro.

He has his own unique style of doing things - be it, hair-styling or the way he plays Table-Tennis. He always sounds positive and believes that whatever happens will happen for the good. Will never give-up trying once he has set his sight on something. Very dedicated and determined in everything he does.

He can chat about some weird topics for hours and he wouldn't stop until he gets a few harsh words from Bharath for crossing his limits. He is a multi-talented personality - A good singer, dancer and a great cricketer. One can confidently change the phrase "Jack of all, master of none" to "Master of all, jack of none" to describe this guy. I just heard a weird Kannada song called "Chitranna" while coming in the cab today morning. Khaleel, with his amazing voice can put all those singers to shame.

Here is what your close friends feel about you Khaleel,

Bharath - A very lively person (very shy also) and a good friend. If there is a lot of flirting and talking (which doesn’t make sense most of the time) involved anywhere then it’s surely Khaleel. Well on the serious side, I hope to see him scaling new heights both in his career and much more in life. “You have a lot of potential Khaleel, use it well and you will be an inspiration to a lot of people.” Wishing you all the best once again.

Srinidhi - "Khaleel has a passion for life. He loves living with full throttle giving his best always. He is fun-loving.”

Akash – “Khaleel is a very energetic, enthusiastic, easy going and a funny guy (Sorry for giving him the status of a guy).He is very talkative (hardly has he spoken something with sense) and it is rare to see him sitting quiet. He is very much particular with his so called Spike hairstyle. He is unperturbed when anyone criticizes him for fun and always takes things in a light manner. It is hard to find a guy like Khaleel who can take things so easily. I have only told you of the better half of him. The other half of Khaleel is a little scary. He is extremely short tempered at times. He tends to speak anything out of anger (I have also experienced it). It is very difficult to control him at that point of time. This is one of the things he has to improve upon. On the whole, Khaleel is a lively person and a great friend of mine.”

Nagashree - "The extremes of two emotions I found in him.
If you have a friend, you should have one like him,
If you have an enemy, you should have one like him."

This one is my favorite of the lot,

Mamatha - "Khaleel, as I’ve seen is a person who doesn’t walk as if he rules the world but walks as if he doesn’t care who rules the world. Now, that’s called Attitude. Keep Rocking Khaleel.”

Madhu - "The first time I met Khaleel, I thought he is a guy whose endeavor is to impress girls, but later I came to know that I was wrong (as he tries to impress guys).
The very first thought that comes to my mind when I think of Khaleel is a guy who is immensely talented.

Let me tell you the good part of this guy:
Very quick learner,
One who makes friends very easily.
One who can make you laugh (through his PJ’s),
Immensely talented.

Coming to the bad part:
He is very short tempered and shouts at people without putting a second thought,
He thinks he is right always (Although he is sometimes),
Gets irritated quickly,
Doesn’t listen to other people.

Khaleel I have only one suggestion for you. Please control your emotions and have patience in life and keep the good stuff going.
You Rock dude.
I think I am Lucky to have a friend like you."

Chethan - “This guy is a multi-talented fellow. I saw him first in our famous JAVA-3 lab, when he was singing some Hindi songs along with some of his friends. That was when I got a feel of his awesome voice… Then on, it was just an exchange of casual words between us till Virtual Tennis came into picture… Got to say that this game played its part in bringing people closer, especially in our JAVA-3 batch… (along with that memorable trip to GOA). He is good at cricket too. I wish I could bat like him one day. (But still, I am the best all-rounder.., arguably ;-)). And to add to these, he is a very good dancer… (Bloody hell..!! I am quitting. I don’t want to keep praising him throughout the day...!). Best of luck buddy. Have a wonderful year ahead… J”

Sendhil -
Kind
Horny
Attractive
Lust
Excited
Energetic
Love

Understanding
Loads of Talent
Lazy
Arrogant

Keen to help (Girls first)
Honest
Ambitious
Naughty

Last, but not the least. Here is what Maha feels about you Khaleel,

Mahalakshmi - "Khaleel is a gem of a person. Looks like a lazy, happy-go-lucky guy, but is very determined and dedicated from within.
Has a lot of respect for people, relations…
Also 1 big PJ master!!! ;) [Most of his jokes will be so funny that you will have to tickle yourself to laugh!!! :D ]
A great person to be around with… always happiest when I am with him! :)"

Hope this came to you as a pleasant surprise Khaleel. Wishing you success in all your endeavors’. Have a great life ahead. I am sure that you have got the right attitude that will take you a long way. Keep rocking bro.


PS:

• I would like to thank Mahalakshmi for her co-operation. Wish you both a great life together.
• Though most of you guys still feel that Mr.Khaleel is very short-tempered, I must admit that he has now improved and is more patient than before.
  

Regards,
Kishan Chandranna