Armageddon meets Renaissance

PMO : Maturity is everything

2008-04-22T00:06:00.003+05:30

Implementing a PMO is not a panacea to an organization’s project woes. Instead, it is the maturity of the PMO that makes the difference, according to a new study. As a PMO matures and assumes more responsibility in areas such as portfolio and people management, organizational success metrics improve, elevating the PMO’s value to the organization.

Organizations are increasingly implementing enterprise-wide project/program management offices (PMOs), but at the same time, they are wrestling with newfound challenges, according to a new research report by PM Solutions’ Center for Business Practices (CBP). The State of the PMO 2007-2008 found that 54 percent of respondents said that they have an enterprise-wide PMO in place, up significantly from 35 percent in 2006. In 2000, only 47 percent of respondents had implemented any kind of PMO at all. “The spread and growth of PMOs is a strong indicator that organizations recognize the critical value of successful project management,” said Jim Pennypacker, director of the CBP. “Our research shows, though, that simply implementing a PMO is not enough.

PMOs, like all organisms, need to be nurtured and supported to become effective. A PMO’s value lies in its maturity.”

“As PMOs become more mature, organizational success metrics improve”, he added.

Facts Revealed:

· PMOs have been in place 29 percent longer in high-performing organizations (4.5 years) than in low-performing organizations (3.5 years). High-performing organizations are 30 percent more likely to have steering committees (65 percent) than low-performing organizations (52 percent).

· PMO functions performed significantly more by high-performing organizations include strategy formulation, portfolio risk management, benefits realization analysis, contract preparation, outsourcing, project opportunity process development, resource assignment process development, management of a staff of project planners/controllers and business relationship managers, and resource identification and optimization.

· There is no correlation between project managers reporting to the PMO (as opposed to them just being supported by the PMO) and organizational performance. High-performing organizations have larger PMOs (30 percent more staff) and rely on more specialized roles (they have more staff performing those roles), including mentors (136 % increase), team leads (467 % increase), planners (147 % increase), controllers (116 % increase) and relationship managers (698 % increase).

· PMOs at high-performing organizations are 66 percent more mature than at low performing organizations (average level of maturity is 2.9 vs. 1.7).

In addition to these, we also found that

· Organizations average (median) 31 projects per year. Organizations with a PMO work on more projects per year. PMO budgets range from 0 to $50 million a year (with a median average of $600,000).

· The PMO budget is on average, 1.7 percent of the organization’s budget (median).

· Governance issues top the list of PMO challenges: companies lack the compliance structure to make project management processes consistent throughout the organization, and project leaders still labor under conditions where responsibility and authority are not allied. But as PMOs age and mature, they have fewer challenges and are significantly better at meeting all challenges.

For more information on Research Reports, visit: The Ultimate Renaissance

India Auto Expo 2008

2008-03-22T04:00:00.018+05:30

AIMK Zooming Ahead >>> Pt. 2

2008-02-26T19:28:00.022+05:30

Every year, Army Institute of Management Kolkata, celebrates it's annual B-School Meet in the form of an event called Inferno. It comprises of not one, not two, but a whole lot of exhilarating, spine-tingling, nail-biting episodes, games and contests. To win prizes there is not an easy task. One needs to display his creative instincts, his vigor, his liveliness, his passion for participating and winning a fortune at INFERNO! In a thriller of a quest, one locks horns with the best students from around the region for conquest of the booty – bags full of exciting prizes.

This absolute event took place this year on 23^rd February at Volleyball ground of AIMK. The various events that were organized include:

LaunchPad: The team has to launch a new product. The launch must cover all the aspects of a real life launch. Basically, sell your idea.
Counter Strike: Just Win by defeating your opponents in the world-famous PC game.
HR Arthashastra: Case Studies.
Quiz Wiz: Show your knowledge.
Dress Your Thoughts: Advertisement Special.
Wealth Guru: How well can you solve your financial issues?
Trade Master: The virtual(on line) stock trading game.
Fashion Furore: How fashion-forward are you? (This is the first time such an event has been organized @ Inferno)

Following are some of the colleges which had participated in this Mega Event:

Also, this year has seen a whole lot of sponsors, pitching in to have a chance at providing support to the 3^rd Best B-School of Eastern India. The Times of India had been given exclusive coverage rights.

Following are some of the sponsors for the event:

Above are a few snaps of the event. I personally congratulate all the participants, prize winners, and, of course, the brains and the brawns behind this Mega Successful Event.

The Sleeping Beauty

2008-02-02T04:54:00.001+05:30

Fallen for this cruel trick
Asleep by the spindle's prick
Here in the candle lit lair
Lies a maiden snow white fair

Curling strands of raven curls
Like a newly black bud unfurls
Every night the rising moon
Knows that she will die soon

No one has a memory to keep
The whole land's fallen asleep
Through the years the castle is worn
Covered by sharp black rose thorns

But beauty, look love showed through
Ur prince charming is coming for u
But look at how pitifully he bleeds
Pain on his flesh it feeds

But then steps in cruel fate
As soon as he reaches the Gate
Attacked by huge ravens and crows
They tear his flesh from his bones

All that's left are bloody lakes
But alas! No one ever wakes
For broken love no one cries
Even when true love dies

Pieces can't be put together
Sleep beauty, sleep forever....

Into the Darkness.............

2008-01-20T14:45:00.000+05:30

I'm wandering into the darkness of the night
Wondering about my life, what’s wrong & what’s right
My mind is playing wicked games with me
Am blinded by evil thoughts & so I fail to see
The goodness that was once a part of me

No heaven no hell for me as long as I am in my dream
Coz this reality is the biggest nightmare that I can ever dream
My heart bleeds & my flesh burns in my skin
My pain never dies but it continues to live deep within

I close my eyes but I fail to pray
I can see myself slowly fading away
The sun has set a long time ago
I have gone as far as I had to go

The lightning strikes with ever increasing might
I am still clueless about the strangeness of this night
Wandering in the darkness of night, I am all alone
Am still on the lookout for that something unknown

This darkness will take me away with itself
That’s the only way I can redeem myself
And so I still continue to wander into the darkness of the night
Having now realized that two wrongs can never make a right....

I'm Trapped

2007-12-27T02:49:00.001+05:30

Welcome to this world of mine
Welcome to this place where the sun doesn't shine
I'm locked in this cage
I'm fighting my own rage

Slowly and slowly I'm losing my pace
To the world beyond, I am a disgrace
Trapped between these walls
I keep looking at my scars

No gain in this pain
Only the wind and the rain
I wish I could erase myself
Look into my eyes & u will see urself

The pain I carry in me
The blame that's been put on me
What did I do to deserve this life
What did I not do to get this life

There's no day in sight
All that is there is this unending night
I crawl deep into the darkness
Trying to remind me of my lost goodness

Beyond the dark walls is there some hope?
This is something that I will only know
When will I be able to get away from this dark hole!!!
I'm trapped...

AIMK Rockkking and Zoooming Ahead.............

2007-12-21T18:16:00.000+05:30

This goes out to all my fellow AIMKians. The time when I joined the college in the MBA-9 Batch, the college didn't have too much of a respectable image among great names like IIMC, XIMB and IISWBM. Then, with the help of many of our seniors, we did a lot of changes. We carried out State-wide events, participated in All-India level Management contests, won prizes in almost all the activities in which we participated.

Those 2 years were the time when we genuinely wanted our college to come to the forefront in line with great institutes like IIM Calcutta, XIM Bhubaneshwar and IISWBM. In other words, we just wanted to make a mark in the Eastern India, if not on the whole India. Thanks to our Students' Council members who had made a mountain look like a pebble. And, the results are quite handsome.

Perhaps none of us had expected such a result in just 2 years of handwork. Kudos to the present batches.

Today, we rank ahead of most of the colleges in Eastern India. Below is an analysis of a recently concluded survey by PTI:

In terms of Living experience of the students: In this section, AIMK ranks 17^th in the All India level, and is behind only IIMC (Rank: 2^nd) in Eastern India. XIMB ranks 26^th, IISWBM ranks 57^th , and ICFAI Kolkata ranks 71^st.
In terms of Learning experience of the students: In this section, AIMK ranks 55^th in the All India level. The other colleges in Eastern India rank as follows: ICFAI Kolkata ranks 28^th, IIMC ranks 29^th and IISWBM ranks 54^th.
In terms of Placement experience: Here, AIMK ranks 64^th in the All-India level, and is behind IIMC (1^st), and IISWBM (24^th); but still beating ICFAI Kolkata, which is at 66^th.
In terms of Return-On-Investment: AIMK ranks 45^th in the Top 100 B-Schools in India. In this section, IIMC ranks 20^th, IISWBM ranks 54^th , and ICFAI Kolkata, a distant 77^th.
Overall Rankings: And here comes the ultimate rankings for the year 2008. AIMK ranks 44^th in the Top 100. Some of the other colleges in the Eastern Region in the Top 100 are: IIMC (2^nd), XIM Bhubaneshwar (14^th), and IISWBM (34^th).

But, don't lose heart, guys. At least, we have entered the Top 100 in this survey, and even the Top 50, Top 20 and even Top 15 in certain other surveys. Other colleges in Eastern Region have jumped ahead of AIMK only due to their high number of Foreign Placements. Now, it is the right time to tell the world: "Get out of the way - We are here to stay". HOWZ THE JOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grasp of Death

2007-12-13T13:11:00.000+05:30

I was racing ahead to meet life
When death stepped in to take me aside
In journey mid, I made a switch
On death I tried to hike a hitch

I asked no questions, I looked for no answers
Death is no mystery for me, we are lovers
I have sought hard for its cold embrace
Yet, when it arrives, it brings no grace

Stare away into an incandescent light
The sight leads to a darkness that's bright
On the mind's cornea, it leaves a blemish
A thin, obscure, dull, sepia finish.

I felt the dense, dark blackness encircle me
The blood tasted iron as it rushed away from me
Putrefying, rotting, beastly, brutal stink
That's how the smell of fear and death link

I do not know if this is what I wanted
It left me weak, helpless down to the count
Fear, Death ethereal so primal
My soul, surreal refused to die like an animal

Shrieking silently, rumbling deeply it erupts
From the far reaches of my mind, death it disrupts
Death clammy squeeze to love's warm clasp
Battered, bruised my soul, pushes me away from death's grasp

Breath scrambles and rushes in a gush
Bright red colors explode, my mind espy in a rush
I have broken the spell of death in its maze
I know, 'have repelled this with my life's love and grace.......

Top 7 Bikes of the Millenium

2007-12-07T14:18:00.000+05:30

7. Aprillia RSV 1000R Mille

Engine : 998 cc, Power : 143 bhp, Max Speed : 281 kmph

6. Yamaha YZF R1

Engine : 1000 cc, Max Speed : 283 kmph

5. Honda CBR 1100XX Super Black Bird

Max Speed : 286 kmph

4. MV Augusta F4 1000R

Engine : 1000cc, Power : 174 bhp, Max Speed : 299 kmph

3. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14

0-100 kmph in 2.4 secs, Max Speed : 302 kmph

2. Suzuki Hayabusa GSX 1300R

Engine : 1299cc, Power : 175 bhp, Max Speed : 305 kmph

And here comes the BEST OF THE LOT :::::::::::::

1. MTT Turbine Superbike Y2K

Power : 320 bhp, Max Speed : 365 kmph, Price : $150,000

Data Storage : The Next Generation

2007-11-22T18:08:00.000+05:30

All data storage in modern times are done on disc, be it a computer hard drive or a CD-R disc. Blu-ray and HD-DVD have upped the ante when it comes to the amount of data that you can hold on a disc, but at some time they will eventually become obsolete. Right now our data storage needs are currently met, but as the amount of data available continues to rise, storage technology must evolve with it. The next generation of storage technology is going to be Holographic Data Storage.

What is holographic storage?

With CD-R and DVD-R technology, data is stored on the surface of the disc as distinct magnetic or optical changes. With holographic data storage, an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within a thick, photosensitive optical material.

How do they do this?

This is done by intersecting two coherent laser beams, the object and reference beams, within the storage material. The object beam contains all the information needing to be stored, while the reference beam is designed to be simple to produce. The resulting interference between the beams causes chemical and/or physical changes in the photosensitive medium that the data is being stored on. Basically “burning” the information to the storage medium, this mark is called the grating. When the grating is illuminated by one of the two waves that were used to record the information, the light is refracted in a way that the other wave is reconstructed. These gratings can be stacked or superimposed in the same thick piece of media, as long as there is a distinguishing spacing or direction, allowing the stacked bits of data to be accessed independently. In addition to larger storage capabilities, holographic storage also boasts to accelerate data transfer rates to about one billion bits per second and reduce access times to just tens of microseconds.

The benefits:

1. Larger storage capacity – Some companies are developing a technology that enables the storage of between 100GB and 1TB of data. Compare this to Blu-ray and HD-DVD, which max out at 50GB. Amazing leap in the amount of data you can store on one piece of media.

2. Accelerated data transfer – The holographic data storage medium in the works boasts data transmission speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. The new HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs clock in at 36.55Mbps, which is only a fraction of the holographic data storage transfer rate.

Well, if you’re like me, you learned quite a bit about a new technology from this short article. This new technology is quite a ways off from being accessible to the common consumer, but some companies are in the process of developing holographic data storage for the corporate sector. Technology is a strange beast, always changing, always mutating. The sky is the limit, and only time will tell where we’ll be headed after the rise and fall of this yet-to-be-seen data technology.

Unsolicited Thoughts

2007-10-29T18:09:00.000+05:30

Muted by the mind,
Numbed by the heart,
Frozen by the body,
I breathe in the warmth of your love.

Silenced by thoughts,
Distanced by sealed lips.
Melted by the flow of tears,
Salt is now tasting sweet,
Thanx for wiping away my fears.

In silent moments, at times together,
Or just moments to feel each other.
I know u r not gone, but neither are u here,
These principles of silence and estrangement, we defer.

For how long, how far, shall we adhere?
I don't ask anymore, knowing u r with me,
I know I've lost you, whenever I take your name,
I know things and I have changed, and it's just not the same.

The Memories Remain

2007-10-18T14:17:00.000+05:30

Remembering my classmates after a few years,
My eyes were filled with tears.
Everyone now is busy a lot,
No one escaped destiny's plot.

Saw the girl, whom once I thought was my best friend,
Oops! Today she's someone else's girlfriend.
After all these years,
Remembered her for a while.
Heard she is happy,
That made me smile.

Project reviews to campus interviews,
Nicknames to last-bench games,
Cultural rehearsals to love proposals,
Short-term crushes to classroom blushes,
Everything is fresh in our mind.
Hope time could just rewind.
Let's laugh, play and rejoice
Once again become college guys.

Chatting and laughing, we all were in elation
Till the painful, moment of separation.
When it was the time to part,
We all returned with a heavy heart.

Today, life is full of commitments
And too many worries,
But those cherished moments
Will live forever in our memories!!!

Me without You

2007-09-27T14:59:00.000+05:30

This poem is dedicated to a very dear friend of mine, who had passed away 9 years ago on this very day.

My Life changed, the very moment I found out
That you had passed away.
I couldn't stop it; there was nothing I could say.
You've touched my life so deeply to a point you will never know,
I try to think about you when I feel down and low.

Sometimes when my day gets hard
I think about your beautiful smile
and if I listen hard enough, I hear your voice after a while.

It's you who give me a reason to go on with my day,
and now if I want to see you, I'll bow my head and pray.

I catch myself looking for you still, in the halls and at your front door,
but when I call out your name I cant find no reply anymore!
I never thought a day would come where we would be apart,
God has you in his keeping, and, I have you, in my heart..

Life will go on, but will never be the same,
u r gone, but ur smile will always remain.
You're my angel from up above.
You'll always be missed, but most importantly... loved.

Just one more minute, God, is all I ask- why can't you give her back;
It seems to me like it's such a simple task.
I guess people are right when they say God only takes the best,
I know it now that you're peacefully at rest.

I'm always thinking about that short time we had to spend,
You'll always be with me; you'll always be my LOVE!
No time would be long enough to spend with you,
And what am I gonna do without u here....... I got no clue

I know you're gone now, but will never be left out;
I will never forget you - in that there is no doubt.
Although you're in a new place

I'll always remember you,

And remember your grace.

There are times I swear I know you're here;
I can feel you so near, yet, you're so far away!
I can't wait until that one sweet day
Where I can talk to you in our own way!

You had brightened my day with a little wave and a smile!
There is so much more I can say,
But right now I will say, "See you in the afterlife
Wherein the heaven, we will finally play.”

In dreams and hope, I will see you again,
I know right now you're looking down on me
With a tear in your eyes thinking about that horrible day
When you were forced to say good-bye.

The Final Moment

2007-09-20T16:50:00.000+05:30

I remember a time, when I took part in a race
When I got nervous, seeing the audience, face to face

I had practised a lot, and it was not a fake
But my fear-inflicted heart asked, what if others overtake

Then the moment came, and the race was about to start
I cud feel my nerves and the beats of my heart

The shot was fired, and I leaped towards the rope
I gave it all I had, and I was full of hope

The power that I pushed in, and the pain I had had
Soon proved out to be useless, and I became sad

In the final 2 meters, 3 runners overtook me
Failure was everywhere, as far as I could see

I was disappointed, I got no medal, no fame
And then I realized,
It doesn't matter whether you win or lose
What matters is, that you played the GAME.

It's all coming back to me

2007-09-11T15:51:00.000+05:30

Its all coming back to me
The way it was before
This pain is so intense
You can't feel it anymore

It becomes your second nature
It becomes a part of life
There no longer seem to exist
The meaning of suffering and strife

You know that they use you
You suffer each night and day
For the shoulder you always needed
The price you agreed to pay

It tears you from the inside
It cuts you down and deep
Buried under heaps of sorrow
You're denied of a peaceful sleep

Life's full of wasted old feelings
Put into prose and verse
But when the doomsday comes
Please get me a new hearse.

5 Stages of Drunkenness

2007-09-04T17:10:00.000+05:30

Stage #1 -- Smart

This is when you suddenly become an expert on every subject. You know all and greatly wish to express this knowledge to anyone who will listen. At this stage you are also always right. And of course the person you are talking with is very wrong. You will talk for hours trying to convince someone that you are right. This makes for an interesting argument when both parties are "smart".

Stage #2 -- Handsome/Pretty

This is when you are convinced that you are the best looking person in the entire room and everyone is looking at you. You begin to wink at perfect strangers and ask them to dance because of course they had been admiring you the whole evening. You are the center of attention, and all eyes are directed at you because you are the most beautiful thing on the face of the earth.

Stage #3 -- Rich

This is when you suddenly become the richest person in the world. You can buy drinks for the entire bar and put it on your bill because you surely have an armored truck full of your money parked behind the bar. You can also make bets in this stage. Now of course you still know all, so you will always win all your bets.

Stage #4 -- Bulletproof

You can now pick fights with the people you have been betting money with because you cannot be hurt by anything. At this point you would go up to the boyfriend of the woman who had been admiring your beautiful self all evening and challenge him to a battle of wits for money.

Stage #5 -- Invisible

This is the final stage of drunkenness. At this point you can do absolutely anything because no one can see you. You can get up and dance on a table; you can strip down to your underwear, to impress the people who have been admiring you all evening, because the rest of the peoplein the room cannot see you. All your social inhibitions are gone. You can do anything, because no one will know.And you certainly won't remember !

I await you still.......

2007-09-03T18:40:00.000+05:30

Blushing in the gay weather,
The flowers await the bee still.

Dressed in red and ready to go,
The girl awaits the boy still.

Thinking about him and cooking,
The mother awaits her child still.

Calling me again and again,
The success awaits me still.

There are even friends awaiting me,
And awaiting me is passion and thrill.

But I’ll let them waiting for ever,
Because in my heart I await you still.

Mr. Fixer

2007-08-22T14:18:00.000+05:30

Nilesh Ganjwala isn’t a ‘fixer’ in a conventional sense. He doesn’t fix corporate deals, or cricket matches. And no, he doesn’t fix damaged water pipes or power lines either. His business card says he is CEO of Innergise Solutions, a business consulting company in the Worli sea face area of Mumbai. So, he fixes error-laden accounts books, tax problems, etc. Right?

Wrong. Ganjwala, a chartered accountant, actually fixes falling SMEs (small and medium enterprises), and brings them back from the brink of extinction. “Large companies have a smooth pattern with their numbers, which are never a challenge,” he says. “It is wonderful to work with small companies.”

BSVL ran up losses of Rs 9 crore in 1994. Thanks to Ganjwala, it was soon back in the black. In 2005-06, it notched up a net profit of Rs 6.47 crore. Ganjwala starts off by scrutinising a company’s financial statements. Once he detects some leaks, he makes factory visits to pin down their exact nature. Then follows the first big milestone. He says, “The first step to victory is to get the conservative entrepreneur to agree that he has gone wrong.” That isn’t easy. Typically, owners of small companies get emotional about changes, and take a lot of convincing. But the soft-spoken and reticent Ganjwala, who is extremely popular on the SME circuit, can be quite a toughie. “He doesn’t bluff,” says BSVL’s Daftary. Once the owner is convinced, Ganjwala channels resources (cash, loans, people) in the right direction.

As a 16-year-old, though, Ganjwala wanted to be a “financial expert who helped large firms go global”. But with time, he realised that he was “drawn to entrepreneurs with interesting ideas”. While he’s a numbers whiz, Ganjwala has shown the ability to go beyond numbers as well, to the extent of even providing strategic inputs. In 1984, Zenith, which made tin sheets and cans, was hit by a crippling labour strike. Then, “the larger OEMs moved into plastic cans for products such as paints, chocolates, oils and medicines,” says Alihussain S. Barodawala, director, Zenith Tins, in Mumbai. Within a year, the company ran up losses of Rs 35 crore. Ganjwala reduced Zenith’s workforce from 2,700 to 500 through a voluntary retirement scheme. After 15 years, it now makes a steady profit of Rs 6 crore-7 crore. In a way, his first challenge probably was the toughest. “It took them 20 years to come back. But I am glad I was with them all through,” he says.

Of course, he also has a life beyond reviving dying SMEs. Every four months, he takes off for 10 days either to England or Goa with his wife Rupa and daughter Niti. Even today, large corporates offer him global positions, but he is not interested. “It is the best time to be in the SME segment. Large firms are not growing more than 30 per cent, but SMEs are,” he says.

Now I am leaving it all behind............

2007-08-14T18:02:00.000+05:30

Eyes are numb…
With tears dried…
Shows the way…
I must have howled and cried…
So now am leaving it all behind…

Trusted you…
Loved you…
Even after all this…
Waited for you…
But now am leaving it all behind…

All the memories…
All the pain…
I’ve lost everything…
Nothing to gain…
So now am leaving it all behind…

All you gave me was smiles…
Tears were very few…
But now I will have to go…
Won’t be able to live without you…
But now am leaving it all behind…

Your care…
your concern…
Your possessiveness…
your aggression…
Your hugs…
your kisses…
Your love & your memories…

Now am leaving it all behind…

What If.............

2007-06-22T13:43:00.000+05:30

What if I say
That I love you,
Will you smile to me,
Like you always do…….?

What if I tell you,
That I didn’t sleep last night.
Will you take me in your arms
And hug me tight?

What if I say it,
While looking into your eyes
Will you believe me then?
Or would you consider them lies?

What if I tell you,
Your smile is like moonshine.
For you I shall bring down the stars,
If only, you could be mine……….

What if I tell you,
I miss you more than ever.
Will you believe in me
And wait for me forever!!!!

I MISS YOU

2007-05-21T22:11:00.000+05:30

I miss you
Only the thoughts of your smile keep me whole,
But thoughts alone can't help soothe my soul.
Memories are something that only last for a short time,
But your memories will never leave my mind.

I miss looking into your eyes when you’re right next to me,
Staring into them and seeing what our future will be.
I miss holding your hand and feeling the love flow through,
Just feeling your heart touch mine makes me only focus on you.

I miss having you wrapped in my arms,
Just holding you, protecting you from any harm.
I miss hearing your voice fly into my ears,
Even though I talk to you on the phone,
I rather hear it when you are not near.

I miss seeing your smile and feeling your loving embrace,
Just thinking of you makes a lonely tear slide down my face.
Even though we are not next to one another,
Just remember that I love you and
‘will be there for you till time unseen.

Let love be........ Just a rope

2007-05-15T17:18:00.000+05:30

The day is clear
The sky is bright.
Love me long
Hold me tight.

The night has gone
The sun has shone.
Come to me
And, make me bright.

Love me long
Adore me please.
My eyes are wet
I feel u breathe.

Come to me
Hug me tight.
And everything else
Wud be alright.

Therez just a hope
Don’t let it go.
Be with me
And, we will be fine.

Love me please
Let love flow.
This love is deep
Now let it sow.

The rays of light,
Let them shone.
Let the hope be
Just a rope.

This Feeling of Depression

2007-05-10T22:10:00.000+05:30

This feeling of depression

I tell you it’s OK

I assure you that if you close your eyes

You'll wake to a brand new day

This feeling of depression

I tell you it’s alright

So you close your eyes and rest your head

Let’s put off this fight

This feeling of depression

I tell you I control

With every ounce and every bit

Held deep within my soul

This feeling of depression

Will go away so soon

I close my eyes but can’t sleep

Perhaps I should watch the moon

This feeling of depression

I’m sure you’ve felt it too

But when I scream I feel alone

Is it something we all go through?

This feeling of depression

I lack the words to say

Has consumed my heart and left me bleeding

Perhaps to God I’ll pray

This feeling of depression

Will never call “It Quits”

Perhaps its time to just throw down

And turn away my chips

This feeling of depression

I tried to tell you…….. Why

are you not here to hear me! Maybe

you’ll come when I die!!!

Without any reason... but surprise

2007-05-05T22:28:00.000+05:30

Tears tremble down my eyes
Without any reason but surprise
They say we are there for you
But ‘m surprised, there are less than a few

Out of curiosity I ask myself-
Why is it salty water and not fire?
I got an answer to my interrogation ---
That being cautious with fire harms you less
But a game with water will take you to lapse

A drop of water that slides from my eyes,
Soon rests on my lips like a sad demise

Believe it or not, but it is true
Only your fate and destiny decides, where are you!

Winners and losers, both are sure ---
Life is an aim, worth fighting for…

Still somewhere, somehow , they feel
Tears tremble down the eyes
Without any reason but surprise.

Not only saints, but priests do cry
It’s a matter of fate, which runs your life dry
Hold on your breath,
Hold on your life,
Hold on your sorrows,

Until you survive........

In this long run
Tears tremble down my eyes

Without any reason
But surprise…

I hope I m not too late .......

2007-05-02T06:35:00.000+05:30

Well... My exams are still On, but I just couldn't resist myself from exercising my most favorite pastime... writing poems. So, here I am, coming back with a new one. Hope you will relish it.

Six feet under my unfulfilled dreams,
Where a broken heart ebbs to beat,
I am at peace with the world that gave me my life,
I am now the world myself,

This had to happen eventually, I was not immortal, neither are you, you're just plain late... hurry up, you may still make it...

Join me by my side,
We'll sleep away this tide,
Hide ourselves from our lives,
What do we have to fear now,
What mortals dread now, now we'll laugh away,
Immune are we now to tomorrow and yesterday,

Death ended my life, ended my fears, ended my tears...

Tears ended my sorrows, killed my joys, killed my smiles,

and killed me...

But with death, arose an unborn truth,
I was sad no more at my demise,
Why be sad when you can’t smile?
Why feel lonely when you're one with them all?

Death is victory over life itself,
Death is an ultimate liberating force,
Death relieves you of all your pain,
Death kills you till you are sane,
Death kills all the vice in you,
Death is what makes you YOU,
Death is what will save this world today,
Death will finally show you the way,
Towards a better you....

I can see myself now, taking her hand, its icy, its cold, its holy,

anointing myself till I can no longer see my reflections in my mirrors, till I am no more myself...

I’ll take leave now,
I have to discover myself,
I hope I am not too late...

End of poems

2007-04-11T22:15:00.000+05:30

Hello friends......... It's now the time for my exams and after that, i will join my company..... so, with this poem, i.e. "Welcome to my world", I am declaring an end to my poetry-writing spree. Of all the poems that I had posted here in this blog, the poems called "Lie to Me", "A Vampire's Tragedy", "Go fall in Love", and "She is the Prison where I am Free" have been my personal favorites; while, the last poem "Welcome to my world" was straight from the heart.
Thank you all for your support and appreciation.
God bless you all.

Welcome to my world

2007-04-11T17:47:00.000+05:30

There is a world somewhere
Where the sun never sets
Winds blow with gentle speed
Birds fly high and happy

Where it is winter throughout the year
Stars shine bright in the dim moonlight
Where angels carve the way
For our peaceful sleep

Where you have the world at your feet
Angels to pamper you,
Elders to support you,
Friends to cheer you,
People to see you,
But no one with you to enjoy this eternal bliss
And no one with you to share and rejoice this peace

You are the king
You have everything
But all alone on that height
You cry in vain.

But people still see you happy
Bcoz, the people, they don’t see ur tears
And once again you sob alone
Where it’s only you, your thoughts and your shadows to sob by you.

This is my world… and you know it.
So, you are welcome to feel it.

The world where the sun never sets
The birds never sleep
Where it’s winter all the time
And you can feel eternal bliss.

She is the prison where I am free

2007-04-02T16:57:00.000+05:30

A withered flower I did once touch
Afraid to feel one yet again
Like a slain gladiator, my heart yet mourns
Afraid 2 welcome spring again

Eyes yet longing 2 see d red sun
Omnipotent I wish 2 be
The heart of dat girl I wish 2 touch
In her mind I wish 2 be

Like water, so pure, quenches all thirsts
Help me this time; this soul is all lost
To step onto those steps or another heart
By my life this time I wud pay the cost

The rich beggar is more happy
I'm yet poor nd poorer do I get
No gem I saw ever so bright
Onto her trust I wish 2 pet

Till ages 2 come I know not wat I'll be
Till ages b4 I know not wat I was
From shadows nd dust I searched 4 a light
In love so true I hope lies the cause

Like the tailor, I weave a web of lines
But is it enough to get 2 her shrine
She is all above, with her lotus feet
To touch them, I commit the crime

Falling in a bottomless pit was better
Than wen I fell for her
Even Caesar never had d fall
That one falls wen he is in love

Drunken, I now roam about
Questioning the existence of "bond"
The things I feel & wish to be mutual
The world asks me 2 hold on

Onto those black whips I'm still amazed
Those eyes that look straight into me
Blinding the path are these dull lights
She is the prison where I am free...

Malwares on the rise

2007-03-21T18:47:00.000+05:30

Goldman Sachs’ well-known 2003 BRIC report was the first to predict India would become the world’s third largest economy after China and the US. But with India now sustaining 8 per cent annual growth, Goldman Sachs has since revised its estimates, placing India ahead of the US by mid-century.

Recently, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) reported that both government and company websites have seen increasing numbers of defacements. 430 websites were hit in December 2006 alone. About 25 per cent of these have been attributed to the ‘LORD’ defacer team, a Turkish group that leaves messages on targetted websites, after each attack. Such groups seek self-praise, and opportunities to disseminate their own brand of political or religious messages. Defacement has become such a problem that in December 2006, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs ordered all ministries and government departments to host their sites only on government-owned servers.

The spread of ‘malware’ is driven by the prospect of economic gain. Each successful attack makes cyber criminals wealthier, giving them more financial power to create larger engines of destruction. The old hacker stereotype of a lonely, bespectacled computer-geek, logging on from his parents’ basement is slowly being replaced with one of wealthy individuals, with multiple employees and large bankrolls of illicit cash.

What’s worse is that not only is the frequency and sophistication of the attacks increasing, but so is the amount of resulting damage. A Gartner Group report showed 2006 profits from phishing scams rose over 400 per cent, from $257 per victim to $1,244 per victim.

As the cyber crime industry grows and becomes more organised, it is becoming easier for attackers to execute their strikes. And it is now actually possible to buy and sell malware in underground marketplaces. The most successful cyber criminals today are not the ones who perpetrate attacks directly, but those who provide the infrastructure by creating illicit attack tools and selling them to others.

With the Indian Technology, already taken a considerable lead in view of the rest of the world, with regard to the IT industry, India can now take on others in Information Security.Our continued global success depends on how securely we can remain connected to the rest of the world in terms of economy, information, and most importantly, technological infrastructure. Some early steps in this direction have already been taken with the passage of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Continued national leadership, standardisation and security guidance are one of several important layers of a successful IT security environment.

Network security today goes far beyond simply patching up individual system vulnerabilities; and it goes beyond protecting one’s company against nuisance attacks and common viruses. Network secrurity is also about protecting your money. The malware economy has become increasingly organised, and to fight it effectively, companies, governments and IT security firms will have to begin doing the same.

I can't go on.............

2007-03-18T15:37:00.000+05:30

Those lonely days,
Those lonely nights,
That weeping face,
Those crying eyes,
What she said I’ll never forget,
Those words felt like,
Swords in my chest .

How she went away that night,
I’ll never forget her,
In that shining moonlight,
Lonely in my bed I felt,
How a part of my life,
Had just left.

My weeping soul,
Didn’t go to sleep,
The pain she gave to my heart,
I’ll always keep.

Feeling her love in my blood,
Never had I felt this weak.
Rushing through my veins it kept,
Spreading like damn disease.

Cut my wrists to see how it felt,
Without her love that my blood had held,
Every drop seemed to be the last,
Just wanting it to finish fast.
But when I actualised, That my love had left,
I realized I was already dead,
Then I thought, what I perceived was wrong,
Without her love, I just can't go on........

Go, fall in love

2007-03-12T17:48:00.000+05:30

Look into my eyes
You'll see your face
Smiling, at you
Coz you still don't see
Someone, looking at thee

Listen to me when I sing
You'll hear your heartbeats
Dancing to the very tune
And you still don't hear
You haven't given up fear

Think of me crying
Can you stop your tears?
They'll not listen to you
But you still put it strong
This love, it will never go wrong

And now
Look into the mirror
Are you alone, for sure?
Isn't there someone looking at you?
Someone...
Listening to you?
Smiling at you?
Crying for you?
Dreaming of you?
Thinking, loving, waiting for you?

Take a look into the mirror
And you'll see him
Inside your heart

He has nothing
Nothing but this hope
And you have him, completely.

Don't let him die
Die within you
Coz he's lived once
And loved only once
And will never again.

Go, fall in love with him
Trust him this once
It's not that difficult, dear
Let life be, what it wants to be
Go, go, go
Go, fall in love with him.

Inflation in India : The Blues

2007-02-26T03:47:00.000+05:30

WPI (Wholesale Price Index) inflation is at 6.58 per cent; and “in view of the paramount need to contain inflation expectations”, the RBI has yet again upped the cash reserve ratio of banks by half a percentage point to 6 per cent of net demand and term liabilities.

How serious is our current bout of inflation? What drives it? Can RBI’s monetary and credit tightening policies work? If not, what will?

For all of corporate India’s good news, ours is a nation of over 500 million poor people. That being so, every government in India is hyper-sensitive about inflation. As Mr P. Chidambaram once said to me, “At 6 per cent inflation, the government’s boat starts to rock; at over 8 per cent, there can be blood on the streets.

As the chart shows, the 13-w MA of primary product inflation has been rising since May 2006, and now stands at 8.4 per cent, with no signs of letting up. Incidentally, the point-to-point primary products inflation on 27 January was 10.7 per cent. Manufactures inflation has increased from 1.9 per cent in early May 2006 to 5.2 per cent today, and is still on the rise — with the latest point-to-point estimate being 6.2 per cent. The saving grace has been fuel, power and lubricants, whose inflation has dropped significantly since July 2006, and stands at 4.1 per cent today, with the point-to-point at 3.7 per cent. Had crude reigned at $70 per barrel, we would have faced a WPI inflation of over 7.5 per cent.

If you carefully look at the data, you will be convinced, as I am, that our current WPI inflation is driven largely by supply side factors. That being so, there is little that monetary policy can do other than reduce money supply, hike interest rates and, in the process, possibly choke some of the growth impulse. When inflation is supply driven, it requires freeing up imports of primary products, sharply reducing tariffs on manufactures, and betting on a plentiful rabi crop. In any event, we are possibly looking at over 6 per cent inflation for another month or two.

But since RBI must be seen to be doing something, act it certainly will. So, expect yet another round of credit tightening fairly soon — which will not really dampen WPI inflation but can harm growth.

So Bright .............

2007-02-26T03:34:00.000+05:30

Twist of fate, Destiny awaits,
Throw me off a cliff and watch me fly,
I will see that you are left dry,
Blood and gore will always be mine,
I know I aint a monster but still I wont sublime,

Crawl through me and take my blood,
You will feel the poison that flows like flood,
When you see the stars you will feel their pain,
Its time to realize that you have turned insane,

Fear the wrath above ur head,
I will make you realize as I said,
That poison aint just your food,
Coz I live upon it and now I am more shrewd.

You know its never over when you think it is,
It’s just the time you mite have bought on lease,
Wait for the time to come again,
Yet another history rewritten on this stage,

I will see that you soon realize,
It’s not just sickening thought but a sickening sight,
I shall rise and I shall fight,
But fight with whom, the one that gave me light??
Ahh - are you the one who gave me light?
Then show me that this light is not the light of darkness -

Not the light of darkness that switched so bright………

A Vampire's Tragedy

2007-02-14T19:27:00.000+05:30

Alone I sit on the top of a hill
thinking of how my un-life has been
Of the pain and the sorrow I've seen
In the eyes of my victims before they lay still.

Though a hunter in darkness I must be
the feelings of guilt always come back
when I sink my teeth in another man's neck
My conscience is the only light left in me.

All I want is to leave the shadows behind
And truly this time I will
For I no longer desire to kill
Thoughts of light are now on my mind.

I'm waiting for the sunrise today
On the lonely hill where I sit
And maybe, I'll catch a glimpse of it
Before the wind blows my ashes away.

SEZs - Gainful or Lossy?

2007-02-14T18:56:00.000+05:30

Special Economic Zones are expected to facilitate exports worth Rs 3,40,352 crore by 2009-10. But even if the target is met, it will cost Rs 22,913 crore in direct taxes foregone in the year, according to the revenue department. Calculations by the department show that exports from SEZs will grow from Rs 61,734 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 3,40,352 crore by 2009-10. The loss on direct taxes will grow from Rs 4,156 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 22,913 crore in 2009-10. (The profit margin on exports has been assumed at 20 per cent.) On the indirect side, the government will incur a tax loss of Rs 8,147 crore by 2009-10. Indirect tax foregone will, in fact, decline —from Rs 14,936 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 8,147 crore in 2009-10.

These estimates have been worked out taking into account only 70 SEZs. “After this, about 230 more SEZs have been granted approval. So you can imagine the volume of revenue foregone,” says a finance ministry source.

Total revenue loss has been estimated at Rs 1,02,621 crore for the period 2006-07 till 2009-10 — Customs concessions will amount to Rs 29,700 crore, excise Rs 10,368 crore and service tax Rs 8,813 crore. The total projected investment lined up to the first board of approval meeting is around Rs 1,75,000 crore, based on which the finance ministry has made these calculations.

Even as the controversy raged — and has now taken on deeply political overtones — finance ministry officials maintained that there were still many concerns on the SEZ policy. One, they argue, there is absence of a level playing field between manufacturing units within the SEZ and those in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA). “It will soon not make any sense for anyone to operate in the DTA,” explains one official.

Then, there will be large revenue loss on account of tax concessions for exports of goods that are already being exported without such concessions. “The SEZ policy, and the tax concessions it offers, is coming at a bad time when we want to look at phasing out tax concessions and reducing the government’s total tax expenditures”, says one official.

The ministry is keen that a clear time frame should be set for phasing out all exemptions. Its view is that barring senior citizens, defense personnel and physically handicapped persons, all tax concessions on the direct and indirect side should gradually be phased out.

The Indian Digital Migration

2007-02-03T13:32:00.000+05:30

India stands on the threshold of entering the digital cable television era, with cable operators in the country's largest cities—Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

To speed up this ‘Digital Migration', India's broadcast regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), supported by the judicial and executive branches, has sketched out a fine blueprint for the transition to digital cable operations. The entire switch to digital cable television is set to be completed by the time India hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

Every society has its own set rules and ways of doing business, and soon the broadcast stakeholders—broadcasters, multi system operators (MSOs), cable operators and subscribers/viewers—will find themselves in new territory as the rules guiding digital migration are implemented in India. Based on the experiences of other countries that have gone through digital migration, along with regulations that fit each society, everyone in this broadcast value chain will discover a spectrum of new possibilities as this era unfolds.

India's expanding middle class, its vibrant Bollywood film industry, and its steady advances in broadcasting technologies are all laying the foundation for the introduction of digital cable television, which will deliver a new freedom of choice for viewers in terms of television channels and content, an enforced truce among broadcasters, MSOs and cable operators, and reduced fees for subscribers.

A unique feature of digital migration is that everyone in the broadcast value chain will become a stakeholder, since subscribers are identifiable, and every link in the chain can be managed through a Conditional Access System (CAS).

This CAS, or addressable system, is a description used for a matrix of set top boxes (STBs) and connected software used at different stages in the distribution of a TV network, through which normally the pay channels are transmitted in encrypted form. The subscriber is given an authorisation depending upon his request to view one or more encrypted pay channels of his choice. This authorisation is given and managed by the MSOs that own the conditional access system in a digital cable television network. Here, the MSO is often assisted by the local cable operator. The MSO and the broadcaster will know the exact number of subscribers per pay channel, and the amount that is due from each subscriber.

The present practice in India is that the MSO, after buying/receiving the signals of various channels from different broadcasters, bundles them into a single “bouquet” and transmits them to individual subscribers' homes through the cable operators, and charges for the entire bundle. This sometimes results in a subscriber paying for channels he does not want to see, but has to pay for because they are part of the bundle. However, with the introduction of conditional access following TRAI's mandate, it will be possible for the consumer to decide and choose which channels he or she wants to view and pay accordingly.

Day by day...

2007-01-29T02:12:00.000+05:30

What a lovely shower,
What a lovely rain,
Pouring my heart, sweetening my soul,
Day by day...

Looking in, peeping out,
Then there is nothing I feel,
Staring at the window and that shameless wind that blows,
Ahh... some wounds pained in me again and again...
Day by day..

Words taking shape,
Thoughts letting loose,
Why should I stop them,

I am getting close to the answer…

Day by day…

End of Roads or a Fresh Begining?

2007-01-25T18:59:00.000+05:30

Less than a year ago, mired in mounting operational expenses, pathetic sales and cash flows, it was on the verge of closing down. Chetan Kumar Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer, Reva Electric Car Company (RECC), was prepared for the worst. His family-owned Maini Group, which had been keeping the Bangalore-based RECC afloat, could not possibly subsidise it forever.

This year, RECC plans to roll out more than one model — it already has five prototypes ready. “DFJ and GEF have provided us with a global perspective and strategic vision,” says Maini. DFJ, with $3.5 billion in capital commitments worldwide, has invested in electric sports car manufacturer Tesla, energy storage device manufacturer Deeya Energy and photovoltaic solar cells maker Konarka Technologies.

What went wrong in the past five years? In 1997-98, when Reva was in the final stages of conceptualisation, its makers factored in the prevailing government subsidy of Rs 1 lakh for electric cars. But, by the time it was introduced in 2001, it had been withdrawn. The price of the two-seater (Rs 2.5 lakh) was almost the same as that of a Maruti 800, India’s cheapest four-wheeler. The target customer segment — working women, professionals, college goers and the retired — was not impressed, even though the cost per km was as low as 40 paise. It had a top speed of about 60 km per hour and a range (distance it can travel on a single charge) of 80 km. Its staggered launch in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi, and Ahmedabad went unnoticed. Currently, Reva is available only in Bangalore (RECC is the distributor) and in Ahmedabad (through another dealer).

In Europe, RECC test-marketed its product in 2003 and a UK-based company, Going Green, marketed Reva as G-Wiz in 2004. To date, it has sold more than 800 cars in London — the highest sales recorded by any electric car manufacturer in any city. Its price is competitive at euro 11,000 as against euro 15,000 of its competitor NICE’s Mega City developed by Aixam-Mega group of France. It also offers a better range — 75-80 km — than Mega City (see ‘Global Tally’).

RECC is currently test marketing in Greece, Spain, Japan, Australia, and Sri Lanka.

In India, it plans to unveil a new four-seater model by 2008 that will be comparable to an Alto or an Indica. At present, the cost of Reva is Rs 3.2 lakh on road and in the next five years, RECC expects to have a distribution network in place in the top 20 cities. Draper believes that Reva could become part of the big league electric car manufacturers that will include the likes of Toyota and Tesla. DFJ could also assist in facilitating technology transfer between Tesla and RECC.

Meanwhile, the Indian market appears to be showing an appetite for non-fossil cars. Toyota, which has so far sold 100,000 units of its gasoline-electric hybrid — Prius — globally, has already conducted a preliminary survey to study the viability of introducing it in India. As for RECC, the $20-million funding is going to serve as its bloodline. However, how far this re-engineering will change its fortunes depends on the success of its cars in Europe and, to a great extent, in India. It cannot afford to falter this time, else it will mean pulling the plug forever.

Lie To Me

2007-01-25T18:47:00.000+05:30

Lie to me
Tell me that you'll be here.
Lie to me,
Tell me that there's no need to fear.
Lie to me,
Convince me that you can care.
Lie to me,
Convince me that you'll be fair.
Make me believe that you can love me,
Even though, I know this will never be.
Please, just lie to me.

Something Called Life

2007-01-20T21:38:00.000+05:30

I had once no idea how 2 survive...
then God gave me something called life

I began to breathe n explore..
n soon came across the things i had to ignore

I felt the things in my isolation..
Brutality n weird temptation

Nature leering over people's damnation..
mocking over cries n unfulfilled expectations

Butchering realities n fearful journey..
treacherous time of unbearable agony

Gradually it depraved me and moulded me into it..
spirit n life became a rollicking threat

The LIFE God pledged me I know its fake..
n finally came the time for God to take

the only thing i felt why i wasn't told...
that life is so cruel n cold

I thanked God once again..
Condemnation 2 hell is better than this pain!