The IT Mill

The Firm is seriously a great book. Although i have never considered it as one of the best books ever but I have started admiring it more than ever. Initially when the recruiters come to colleges they end up addressing a lot of expecting people. They give them the best possible picture of their enterprise. Wait a minute this is about mill a run of the mill Indian engineering college - this is no IIT, NIT or IIM , this is just a run of the mill Indian engineering college. Most of these blue eyed engineers are not even aware of the divine reason behind their engineering degree and of course the non IT guys yes those chemical engg guys, the mech guys even for that matter the ECE and the circuit branches as they call them. They are crammed into a large hall with a few smiling people addressing them - the recruiters.

Lofty promises are made about holiday packages, appraisals, a great work environment which always almost resembles a beach party in close confines. The engineers are impressed an they clap their hands with every photo being shown on the screen. Along with this they also give info about what technologies they use, some stuff about who the clients are again invoking a lot of oohs and aahs from the audience.

Once the interview process is completed and the names are announced there is jubiliation. Phone calls are made to parents who are extremely satisfied that their children are settled, they also know that in case their children will go abroad on day just to settle there with family. Those people who do not get selected obviously are discouraged.

Well some heaven for everybody who get selected. A lot of hell for everybody who does not. Lesser calls would have been made to your phone if you had been trapped in the aftermath of a bomb blast.

The honeymoon lasts until students actually join their dream jobs. Once the job starts the same old routine continues . . Swearing at the boss behind his back . You learn what bitching is . And ultimately you feel that the ones sitting at home are the lucky ones !!!!

Harry Potter delivers a blow

Saw harry potter last night at inox in chennai. Before i proceed with my comments i want to say that i did not read the book. The movie begins ( came into the theatre 10 mins late after a dinner treat at rhapsody !! ) with allegations on harry potter that his encounter with the dark lord was a mere cook up. The ever protectful dumbledore is also apparently involved. The images which have been shown in the movie are truly amazing and brings to life the book in the best possible way . All the hary potter book fans have to agree that the book contains far too many characters and events. To cover all that in a two to two and a half hour time frame is a very tough job. But full marks to the cinematographer and and the camera man for making magic through their wares. Special mention has to be made about the new defense against the dark arts teacher - dolores umbridge planted by the ministry of magic headed by cornelius fudge. She has delivered a powerhouse performance again bringing life to the character. The scene were she tries to kick professor trelawney ( the build up to the scene included )out of hogwarts is particularly well done ( but of course professor dumbledore rescues the poor thing ).
The movie is obviously not complete without its faults. Again i have not read the book but i felt that ron and hermione were not given the screen space they deserved. The loose ends of certain scenes were dangling in mid air. These faults have to digested because it is not possible to bring every fact mentioned in the book.
All said and done it is a must watch. The movie was of course a great stress buster for me given the fact that i watched it after a hectic day of work and still managed to stay awake through the movie.

Selection of the finest urdu poetry

Thought since i am just starting off with this blog i d rather voice my opinion about a book which i bought yesterday. It s a book which contains translated and original shayari and ghazals from the finest urdu exponents of ourcountry. Dont worry the shayari is not in urdu.
The structure of the book is extremely simple. The pages are not crowded with text which tend to divert you from the actual matter of the couplets. The actual translation is printed in hindi and a version in english ( for those who cannot read hindi very fast like me !! ) and a translated version in English.

The selection undoubtely is a distilled collection of all the finest poetry the urdu language has seen. It also has an insightful introduction on urdu as a language and poetry. It would surely be a delightful experience for those who appreciate poetry. One warning to those who have just brokem up avoid the stuff on lonliness, defeat in love and the apathy of chronic singletons !!!