The #Extremedrive Indiblogger Meet

Renie and team Indiblogger can kick up quite a dust and take you through some power-packed jolly rides, as i figured during my first ever Indiblogger meet.

Set in the expanses of a large open ground, this one was quite different, perhaps, from the routine of presentations and tech-literature. With some 200+ enthusiasts from different genres of blogs, there was a mood of eagerness and bonding.

Soon, with hands muddied, outwitting competition to tug up a truckload, literally, the 'cyclone' swept up a win within a super-incredible 5.82 seconds. And, off we were bundled for some roaring antics orchestrated from behind the wheel of the beast, which was worth every ounce of adrenaline each one carried! That must sum up the mood when you are dished out a power-homie Tata Safari Storme to play with :-)

Also the wonderful conversations, a great connect with some fellow-bloggers and time well spent, makes for a memory to be treasured.

Oh, and thank you very much guys, for that snazzy Victorinox jewel for an appreciation and souvenir. Loved it.

Next thing on my mind: #Extremeblogtrek :-)

Indian by birth, Blogger by choice! Yeah! 

Beyond Sun and Sands - In Words and Notes

Goa and frolic have, over time, attained synonymy! And, fun in Goa is nothing short of being legendary, decreed by King Momo himself. It has been 20 years to the date since i last visited Goa and something has been itching within me to pack a bag and set off - except that the moment in time doesn't seem to arrive.

Some ten days ago, on a Friday morning, fellow blogger Chirag's text and K's email landed up almost the same time informing me of a press-conference scheduled later in the day announcing the Goa Carnival 2013. The enthusiasm of news from the land of 'sun and sands' added to the prospect of meeting some fellow bloggers was alluring.

The Government of Goa had sent in their top emissaries for the purpose; the minister and chief executive for tourism, who did good to promote the upcoming event and spell a message that Goa wasn't all about beaches and fizz, during the year end, but much more in spirit, culture, food, people and destinations. One witnessed a passionate and sensible attempt to convey of Goa as being a place to be visited year round rather than it just being seen as a frenzied venue for new year calling.

So then, what is the message about the carnival? A moment in time at a place "dominated by enjoyment and merry making where people come together and spread cheer and happiness."

Now, Goa aside, it was a treat to meet the lovely K, charming and eloquent, who as an organizer made it very comfortable and personal. Anil Purohit of Windy Skies was a pleasure to meet with. Kuldeep Chugh of The Top List with his sense and perspective of current goings-on and beyond along with Chirag, about whom i've written some posts before, made for some fine, personal, warm and memorable conversations that one could have hoped for.

Footnotes:

A post on Chirag's blog about the evening.

Rendezvous with the Renaissance Man

Among the things that define him the least is to say that he is a blogger.

He is someone who is much more, and blogging therefore is among the many activities of his passion. Self taught, self made, supremely adaptable, admirably well-travelled and in a purposeful quest for meaning, reason and happiness, he holds the distinction of being someone out of the ordinary, committed to himself, to be away from the mundane rat race that defines the road to success in the context of the present day.

Sadho Ram, affectionately known as Sadho, is a man who holds life in high esteem and values relationships with importance. So when one Sunday morning, not long ago, i had the privilege of having breakfast with him, only hours before his departure from here, i was adequately reassured of his priorities in life.

But the story begins from many years ago, when a boy decided to break free from what was almost decidedly the natural course of his life - willed for him by his kin, themselves following in the path of their family before them. Aware that the path towards his destiny lay elsewhere, he broke glass and chose to embark upon a journey that saw him go places, pursue a course of study of choice, and transform his life  - a journey which saw him be himself.

Having travelled extensively across the breadth of the Indian union, he continues to be in awe of places and what they hold in store for the explorer in him, the explorer that is him. The more i spoke to him, the more i became aware of him as a person unperturbed by time.

His concerns are not centered around wealth, positions or material gains - those to him are mere dictates of a social order. Sadho is energetically and genuinely articulate about the concerns surrounding human life today - paramount among which is a prevalent lacking of the ability of the individual to unite and bond with the self and thus be aware and cognizant of the the world within and that which lies outside of it.

Close to ninety minutes, an easy south-Indian fare and a soulful conversation later, i decided to let go of him mindful of his impending journey later that day.

But, truly, it has taken only ninety minutes to earn a friend for life.

Footnotes:

On another note, Deepu, my brother, turns 30 day! Welcome to the club, boyo! :-)

Rendezvous with The Rain Boi

Vikram Jeet Singh Parmar is not someone who can be labelled as being just a commendable blogger or a skilled photographer, both of which he very much is! He is someone who has transcended either - by venturing into the real world with a zeal to do something that he always wanted to do.

Having surpassed many a milestone he is now ardently following a dream, to realize his passion for photography that has led to him to embark on a journey of Recreating Reality.

For this intrepid soul from the hills, who calls himself 'a cautious observer and a reckless participant', there exists a dream to explore the world and immerse himself in it until eternity, seeking bliss unlimited.

Having read Computer Sciences and having worked for a while in a global organization, he decided to opt out of the increasingly mundane routine, in order to do what he does best - to be a writer, photographer and traveler!

The uniquely tied-to-destiny ardor he exudes of life can at best be summed up by the most appropriate of Ayn Rand's lines that 'the purpose of man's life is to become an abject zombie who serves a purpose he does not know, for reasons he is not to question.'

Oh, and i must thank him very much for letting me, the most amateur, fool around with his super toy - the awesome Canon EOS DSLR, the series of which i don't remember, the nomenclature of which i don't understand, but am fascinated about no end.

And, before i end, VJSP, thank you for making the ToI Literary Carnival 2012 happen for me! :-)

The Times Literary Carnival 2012

It was chance that offered me to live a dream when fellow blogger and ace photographer Vikram Jeet Singh Parmar announced his intention to attend The 'Times of India Literary Carnival 2012.'

And so it began at the iconic Mehboob Studios with the ever lively Bachi Karkaria introducing the graceful Justice Leila Seth, who spoke about bringing up Vikram, her son who is today an internationally acclaimed author - most famously known for his creation - A Suitable Boy.

The Screensavers came alive next where Anusha Rizvi, Urmi Juvekar and Rajeev Masand debated storytelling in bollywood movies. And then there was the vibrantly eloquent Dr. Ramachandra Guha who spoke of his book, The Passionate Liberal, in a manner that was the epitome of passion. And my joy was limitless when i got to meet him, to come face to face with the man who had created a definite masterpiece of literature - India after Gandhi.

But delight knew no bounds when two critically acclaimed writers, Katherine Boo and Suketu Mehta, who work between India and the US compared notes about reporting across boundaries in an unequal, market-global age. It was a bigger sense of delight to have been able to meet Suketu Mehta, in person, in flesh and blood. Coincidentally, i am presently reading Suketu's classic, Maximum City, which is truly one of the best works that lucidly describes the finer and not so fine aspects of this megapolis, this metropolis, this wonder.

Day 1, for me, concluded with the master historian William Dalrymple launching his, yet another masterpiece - Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839 - 42. His ability to tell a story in its vivid, accurate and descriptive form is simply remarkable and unparalleled. It was rather unfortunate that i couldn't attend Day 0, which happened to be on a Friday, thus being taken up by work!

Day 2 began with a more closer-to-home point in case; the fine art of losing! Sarnath Banerjee, Shiv Vishwanathan, Shaheen Mistri and author Manu Joseph moderated that the winner doesn't take it all. A question that came up very pertinently - Why don't we teach our children how to deal with failure?

And then there was The Eternal Manto - translated by Aastish Taseer, read to us by the legendary Javed Akhtar and the poet extraordinaire Gulzaar, steered by the ad man Prasoon Joshi.

A group of the finest story tellers from South Asia then came together in the forms of Daniyal Mueenuddin, Rana Dasgupta, Jeet Thayil, Anjali Joseph and Nilanjana Roy to discuss inspiration and the craft.

And finally, to talk of the challenges of adapting fiction to film, and about her latest film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, was the charming, confident and intelligent Mira Nair with the celebrated director Shyam Benegal.

But, it was not all of this alone that made it such a wonderful occasion. I ran into long time inspirations, free souls; DK and JJ - sailors, from another world, free and blissful, something that i can today only imagine.

Footnotes:

Image Courtesy - Vikram Jeet Singh Parmar

Image Description - With Suketu Mehta the author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

More pictures from the Literary Carnival 2012 - On my Flickr photostream

Rendezvous with the Technologist

A suburban train in this city ferries some fifteen hundred commuters during a single journey - a conservative personal estimate, that being. Mumbaipedia has gone a step further in defining a suburban train, which it claims to be a series of motorized carriages, in Mumbai, transporting a third of the world's population every year!

At close to half past six one evening, out from work, I ambled into Churchgate terminus and found myself ill-timed to have missed my usual ride. Boarding another, only minutes after, i chose to avoid, as i always do, the desperate battle-struggles of co-travellers to find salvation in being seated to begin their long and sometimes arduous journeys homeward.

At the next stopover, which like the others doesn't last more than a few seconds, in came someone i thought i knew. Uncertain, yet enthused by this pleasant happening of chance, i waited a while to make sure. Suspicion turned certainty after i sent the 'suspect' a text message seeking confirmation and then pronto - i came face to face and shook hands with the famous blogger and technologist, as I choose to call him.

Chirag Jethmalani was introduced to me by his blog some years ago and we exchanged notes on blogging, social media and the like, not ever having met before, without the possibility of meeting ever - until that evening. And my enthusiasm knew no bounds as i chatted away at this delightful happenstance.

Warm, exuberant, mature and with a distinctive poise, here was a person who had, fairly early on, understood the ramifications of technology and its influence on our lives and businesses in a very definite manner. Having incubated his own business venture and also pursuing higher education, Chirag is a corporate blogger engaged by a number of names in the industry. But he is best known to be the founder and editor of squamble.com which is a platform for sharing the latest buzz on business in India and updates on technology. Today, over 700 articles, close to 4 years and some 75,000 pageviews later, Squamble commands a brand value.

And aptly, like he describes himself, he is an established blogger and comes across as a thinker, who admires creativity and innovation and is hungry for gyan with ideas turning him on.

But what could one say about a chance meeting, for the first time, on a suburban train - endless possibilities in the maximum city?

Privacy & Google

There's a lot of hullabaloo about Google's new privacy policy that kicked in, effective yesterday. As I leafed through some pointers, a few mentions, I thought, were worth making a post, given that there is an increasing blur in the lines that divide an individual's privacy and the public domain at large.

I found these quite interesting, so to speak.

Is there a way to prevent Google from combining the personal data it collects from all its services?

No, not if you're a registered user of Gmail, Google Plus, YouTube, or other Google products. But you can minimise the data Google gathers.

It's important to keep in mind that Google can still track you even when you're not logged in to one of its services.

But the information isn't quite as revealing because Google doesn't track you by name, only through a numeric internet address attached to your computer or an alphanumeric string attached to your Web browser.

Is Google's new privacy policy legal?

The company has no doubt about it. That's why it's repeatedly rebuffed pleas to delay the changes since announcing the planned revisions five weeks ago. But privacy activists and even some legal authorities have several concerns.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a privacy rights group, sued the FTC in a federal court in an effort to force the FTC to exercise its powers and block Google's privacy changes.

A federal judge ruled the courts didn't have the authority to tell the FTC how to regulate Google. The FTC says it is always looking for evidence that one of its consent orders has been violated.

Earlier this week, the French regulatory agency CNIL warned Google CEO Larry Page that the new policy appears to violate the European Union's strict data-protection rules.

Last week, 36 attorneys general in the US and its territories derided the new policy as an "invasion of privacy" in a letter to Page.

One of the major gripes is that registered Google users aren't being given an option to consent to, or reject, the changes, given that they developed their dependence on the services under different rules.

Footnotes:

Excerpts from a slideshow article on Google's privacy policy featured in the Times of India

ccTLD rollout on Blogger

Over the past couple of days now, Blogger has been gradually rolling out redirects to country-code URL’s (or ccTLD’s) for all Blogger sites.

What this means is that "if you are in India and viewing [blogname].blogspot.com, you will be redirected [blogname].blogspot.in. A ccTLD, when it appears, corresponds with the country of the reader’s current location."

Unfortunately, this update has been a cause for some major issues where the same post will show different sets of comments depending on which ccTLD readers visit. Which explains why some of your comments remain hidden away, while yet some others keep doing the vanishing act once every while.

I have written to the support folks at Intensedebate and have been in the process of a number of un-installs and re-installs, but technology sometimes can be geekier than the geek! ;-)

I'm hoping that a solution emerges soon - meanwhile, for those who have been so kind to comment on my posts, I'd like you all to know that your comments are safe, though invisible - which I'm told is a momentary lapse of reason on the part of Blogger! :D 

The 381st

This post marks the completion of 381 posts on this blog. Spanning a period of 6 years and from across several locations, I feel elated at the manner in which I can now reach out to all of you who are some of the finest harbours of creative excellence.

Thank you all for Redefining Oblivion. 

SOPA-PIPA and Us

Some excerpts from Mashable's take on why SOPA will take us back to the dark ages;

"It’s not just books, music and movies. The Internet is empowering people to create all sorts of businesses and distribution systems. They leapfrog the old hurdles, ignore the gatekeepers and go straight to the public.

Yet the language in SOPA is so irrational that I can only assume that the authors and backers wanted nothing more than to fundamentally change the rules of the web: To shut down the open post fields, kill reposting (goodbye, Tumblr), end shared videos (sorry, YouTube), expand the definition of what it means to infringe (sorry, Twitter, no sharing links that aren’t yours).

When you turn copyright infringement into a felony and say that anyone can accuse a website of providing ”infringing” tools (and apply severe penalties whether or not you do something about it), you are essentially making it impossible for anyone to do anything online without fear of retribution."

Footnotes:

This post contains excerpts of Mashable's opinion on SOPA.

Redefining Oblivion firmly believes that Copyright Infringement cannot be condoned and hence they are not bad words after all, but to think that one will possibly no longer be able to re-post links that aren't yours is quite  something else.

So technically, in future, this post will constitute a violation, perhaps?

Are we ready yet?

Dusting into Time

A few days ago, I was leafing through some blogs that were, once upon a time, very active and current. Over time, however, I notice many of them have remained 'unfed' or worse - discontinued.

And I wonder, what is it that makes people abandon something that they have been so passionate about. Is is the lack of time? But when one embarks upon a journey of passion, one certainly takes the effort to make space and time to further that activity. It is perhaps a feeling of loss of thought or block that comes with time? Or, for some, was it really something that was chanced upon merely by accident only to notice and understand later that the 'once-upon-a-time-cool-thing' isn't cool anymore? Now, how uncool can that be?

Whatever the reason, it ain't a very pleasant sight to see a lot of dead blogs floating around! 

Rendezvous with the Realist

It is uncommon to meet someone who has a very realistic perspective of life that is commendable, and therefore to have spent some quality time with such a person is truly a memorable experience, one that will surely be lasting in impression!

Issam Siddique is not your next door guy, nor is he one who can be considered to exhibit a characteristic mentality of the herd! This perhaps is his greatest strength, of course, combined by his ability to articulate perspectives very very well. In him, there lies a person of purpose, of clarity and persistence which is remarkably appreciable.

Therefore, not surprisingly, we got along extremely well, thanks to a chemistry that was nothing short of being electric! During the relatively short time that we spent together, we spoke about businesses, excellence, inspiration, mindsets, passion, books and people - all of which found commonalities and agreements among us with surprising ease. One can imagine then, the amount of delight when given a chance to meet someone so similar in thoughts and perspectives, despite very different backgrounds and conditioning!

Perhaps, the one thing that I would appreciate Issam the most would be for his remarkable ability to be cognizant of the world around without ever losing sight of the most trivial detail that many would consider insignificant.

It is not often that you meet someone who reflects truly what is within, but that when you do, you surely will know!

Rendezvous with the Spider

How someone so wonderful as Vimal (aka Vimmuuu), of the V-Lokam fame became the spider can be read about here and here! But that is beyond the point and not withstanding!

It thrills me beyond words to tell you about a truly wonderful meetup with a fellow blogger, something which was much like the coming together of old friends who have known each other and their ways, comfortably, for a very long time!

Vimmuuu is one of those people who is remarkably composed and characteristic of his display of tranquil poise, something that will win over even the most toughened heart! His ability to be grounded and yet remarkably eloquent is an attribute of charm and character that is rarely seen! Now, add a great deal of affability to the equation and who you meet is someone very warm, cognizant of the many multitudes of life's prevail and most importantly as real as reality itself, without any prejudices whatsoever!

Over some truly heartening southern fare, we found instant bonding that grew in proportions during the terribly short rendezvous that turned out to be a very momentous occasion for me! I can at best describe this as akin to meeting a childhood friend who carried with him a wealth of goodwill and warm gestures that made me feel happy and prized beyond expression!

Truly, it is destiny and not chance that brings people together!

A rendezvous with the thinker!

Meeting a fellow blogger is a rare privilege, quite an event, one that does not occur often, though desired! So, one can imagine my joy when such an occurrence takes place in Ooty!!!! I've got to liken that to a celestial happening of the rarest possible kinds!

Rajesh, who is the creator of Destination Infinity, popularly signed as DI, was here in Ooty and took time out to meet me and spend some quality time.

Among the first things that will strike you when you meet him is his simplicity, which will make you reassured in the importance of that virtue. Absolutely clear in thoughts, he is a person with a deep drive for a knowledge oriented qualitative life - both in personal and professional spheres, from what I gather.

Within the limited time at our disposal, we shared our thoughts on technology, entrepreneurship, culture, thought processes and the importance of quality in life and at work, among other things. Also mutually agreed upon was the idea to initiate a blogger meet in Coimbatore under the aegis of Indiblogger, something that will bring a lot of us closer in interaction.

And for me, I felt having learnt quite a bit - primarily, on how to be a better thinker and a disciplined one at that, for they say, and truly so, that what one thinks, one eventually becomes!

Thank you Rajesh! And, please do return to blogging soon!

A rendezvous with the writers!

I've been wanting to meet fellow blogger Shahid for sometime now. Having built a good rapport via blogging and once-in-a-while chatting up on common interests, soccer and journalism being among them, I needed to meet up with him before leaving here!

And so we decided to do just that on Saturday last, over well recommended and consequently enjoyed mughlai fare, which was truly appealing to the foodie in me, or rather - the foodie me, if I have to state facts correctly, that is! I had the pleasure of meeting up along with Shahid, Chandni and Sumedha, the wonderful ladies, one of whom I've spoken about in a previous post!

What a wonderful meeting, rather occasion, it turned out to be! Guarded, with the best foot forward in disposition, something that I believe I still need a great deal of polishing upon, I was quick to return to my informally normal self having been made to feel extremely comfortable by the awesome trio who I was meeting for the very first time!

It took no time for Shahid and I to get along like fuel and fire, engrossed in conversations on Eminem, the corporate world, blogs, food, culture, politics, religion and of course soccer, much to the discontent of the ladies, who were, unwillingly distanced, due to the teen-boy tech talk!

Shahid is very passionate about interacting with people and thus is high on interpersonal skills, something he hopes to capitalize on while kick starting his professional career shortly. He also has a distinct other facet, a more serious one that is maturely cognizant of the philosophical and metaphysical aspects of life – the astute thinker that he is!

Terribly brief yet enriching, and exceedingly congenial, I left with a feeling akin to having met with an old friend, and revisited bygone times!

Remember Louis Armstrong and his marvel What a Wonderful World? To all the good times that I have always associated this masterpiece with, I'm reiterated in the belief that the world is indeed a wonderful place, down below 'the skies of blue, and clouds of white, the bright blessed day and the dark sacred night', more so for the brilliant people that make this, truly, as 'I think to myself.... a wonderful world!'

But Shahid.......... surely Chelsea rules!!! ;)

Samby comes to Pune

I had not once before met someone from the blog world and when Samby told me of his impending visit to Pune, I was excited! I was happy that I was going to be in town and made sure that I had nothing to be bothered about on the designated day! I hadn't much to do at work either, with my boss on vacation during the week!

But then, I had not factored in the possibilities of Murphy's law. While at work, on the afternoon of March 3rd, I received an email from the training team stating that I had been nominated for a certain workshop, the subject of which is still very new across my organization. I was to travel to Mumbai for a three day session which began on 6th and ended on 9th! I couldn't help mutter a curse! I was contemplating how to inform Samby of this development while still being at loss for words and thoughts! And suddenly it dawned on me that Mumbai wasn't too far apart for me to travel back to Pune since Sunday was not part of the training calendar. I then wrote to Samby, that "come what may, I will be available in Pune" on 8th to meet with him!

On the morning of 8th, I met Samby in Pune! I'm tempted to divulge details of his harrowing trip from Lonavla to Pune, but then that being specifically marked "Classified Information, Ears Only", I'd be well guarded against spilling the beans!

It took me just an instant to understand that Samby was a traveller in the truest sense and in the realm of life itself. He is somebody who is very passionate about life and work, somebody who is never hesitant to call a spade a spade and more importantly someone who is very mature in his reflection of thoughts and actions, even after a few beers ;-)

While he recounted some parts of his life in the services, I reflected on my past and wondered how so much I too, as a teenager, wanted to be a part of this ultra elite assemblage. Today, it gives me great pride, pleasure and a sense of privilege to be associated with someone from the armed forces, a group of highly disciplined people who do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives, so that we live in peace, as was the case of Major. Sandeep Unnikrishnan who attained immortality, fighting islamic terrorists, as part of Operation Black Tornado, during the 26/11 incident in Mumbai last year.

March 8th, was a very short day, fun-filled, interesting and very informative to me as I had the wonderful opportunity of learning a few lessons from someone much younger and for having been able see the world as he did. They say every meeting is historic for the experience it provides. Unquestionably sure, I was!

As a finale, the picture was taken. Now, Samby, what did you do to make me look so unphotogenic?