Remembering Heisenberg

Dear Heisenberg,

You will be delighted to know that your 'Uncertainty Principle' of quantum mechanics can be applied in other scenarios as well. One of those is the state of scientific research at many of the institutes in this country. Research being a group activity there are people involved at different steps, e.g. administrative staff, purchase and store staff, technicians, clinical or other collaborators, the principal investigator and the graduate students. Apart from the general scientific temper and aptitude, often the graduate students are expected to coordinated with all the above mentioned staff and people for the smooth working of the system at least till the time they graduate. There is always at least one student in this weird hierarchical setup (in which each and every person has the capability of being the rate-limiting step) who drives the system.

I was very fortunate to do my Ph.D. from an institute where the system was relatively more organized. But being at this current place is becoming frustrating with every passing day.

My work depends on two people at the distant clinical collaborative setup and the patients (there are many). These two people are supposed to work together for ~3 hrs twice every week to get samples for me. Week after week I am given novel reasons for unavailability of either of them. I can tolerate reasons like one of them being busy with examination/interview. But it is really irritating to find out that one of them is playing the role of a handyman to his immediate boss, doing odd jobs at the market, standing in the queue at some ticket counter, performing puja at a funeral and may be buying vegetables for them too. I fail to predict his exact location or his velocity/momentum at any moment. There comes the uncertainty of his availability and completion of my work here. The only thing which remains certain is that the monthly salaries of all the people involved (except me) is deposited in their accounts on the 1st of every month, whereas I have to make million calls to ask for the status of my fellowship. How unfair....

Tum pukar lo

Waheeda Rehman climbs up the stairs holding a book (Meghdoot) in her hands as Dharmendra croons this haunting melody. The song ends as the lady climbs down the stairs and the man remains oblivious of her presence.

A song so simple, yet meaningful. A perfect song for a lonely, breezy night.

Somehow, whenever I listen to these lines "...dil behel to jayega is khayal se, haal mil gaya tumhara apne haal se" I feel that they describe a smaller degree of sadistic-pleasure. :)

Love this song.

It's that time of the year.... :)

Waiting for 25th December 2009.

Been a year since I fought and snatched tickets from the rowdy telugu crowd in Hyderabad and managed to watch the first-day-second-show of Ghajini.

Been two years since I pestered my lab junior to get tickets for TZP while I was giving a presentation on my research in Pune.

Been three years since I got a chance to be the lucky one to get the last ticket for the preview show of Rang De Basanti.

Been many many years...since this silsila of craziness has been going on....and it will go on forever.

Love of my life (of 20 years)....here i come. :)

Ajab & Ghazab

What was the first thing which made me rush and watch the first-day-first-show of this movie? It was the fun-factor which is quite evident from the official website of APKGK (http://www.ajabpremkighazabkahani.tips.in/). The other interesting features were the songs (i love most of them).

The story is of a good-for-nothing boy (and his equally worthless friends) who promises his mother that one day he will do something great and make her proud. There are many sub-plots in his way to fame. And of what value is fame if you don't have the love of your life by your side by the end of the story? Prem succeeds in achieving everything (like in most hindi movies).

I got slightly bored with all the slap-stick comedy in the first 15-20 mins. But slowly the movie got interesting. May be I liked this movie so much because I really wanted to like it as it reminded me of those good old movies Andaz Apna Apna, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na. Amongst them the resemblance to Andaz Apna Apna was most obvious (with Ello ji sanam hum aa gaye playing in background in of the scenes) , specially the climax which was shot in a detergent factory. The villain would remind you of Crime master Gogo. In one of the scenes he calls to ask for ransom money (yes the movie has a kidnapping) and the call gets cut because he was low on balance... :)

Both Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif look cute and act funny. The supporting cast all fit well in their roles. Smita Jaykar (the Ma) did a cute-trying-to seduce-her-hubby scene which made the public split into a roar of laughter. There are many funny moments in the movie (more in the second half). I will not write about those here and let you all enjoy the Ajab Kahani yourself.

I like the song "Tu jaane na" most and it is picturized well too (in blue tint). Other songs are also good to listen to, like "Tera hone laga hoon" and "Prem ki nayya".

Overall I really enjoyed this movie. A simple funny cute movie.

Apart

I didn't realize it when she said goodbye and we drifted apart.

In a flash of a second, she was gone.

...Gone light-years away from me.

Today I see her smile from this distance,

but I wonder,

when did those lips curl into that smile...

How many years have passed since then...

And how does she look today...

Magical she was,

and still remains for me.

-A man in love

Dreaming funny

Last night my lovely sleep was interspersed with a funny activity in my brain and resulted in these dreams...

I am dead and my spirit is asking my father to stop crying. I am trying to console him and tell him that I am not happy to be dead as I have to leave for an unknown destination...that I will really get bored as I won't have anything to do there. Then I ask him whether I can carry my laptop with me. At least that way I will have stuff to read, movies to watch and music to listen too...

(I think I am getting obsessed with my laptop)

Another one.....

I am nervous before my thesis seminar which should start within a few hours. I visit my guide's office and notice that she is having lunch. She looks at me and asks me to get a few 'papads' for her. I roast 2 'papads' and get them for her. Then I ask her to come for my seminar.

(The scene changes)

I am standing in a hall, ready to give my presentation. I begin with 'acknowledgment-slide' and this slide goes on forever. Finally the audience clap and it gets over (too easy). The point to be noticed is that the thesis seminar was taking place in a church and the audience looked as if they have come to attend a wedding.

(Does that mean I am happily married to my work/thesis? I think I am watching too many hollywood movies and at the same time I am little stressed with the preparation for my thesis defense.)

Ek lau is tarah kyun bujhi?

Picture courtesy: http://www.razorcd.com/wp-content/gallery/photography/extinguished_candle_by_razorcd.jpg

Dhoop ke ujaale si, os ke pyaale si,

khushiyan mile humko.

Zyada maanga hai kahan, sarhadein na ho jahaan,

duniya mile humko.

Par Khuda khair kar,

uske armaan mein, kyun bewajah ho koi qurbaan?

Ghuncha muskurata ek,

waqt se pehle, kyun chhod chala tera ye jahaan?

Ek lau is tarah kyun bujhi mere maula?

Ek lau zindagi ki maula...

Saw the movie Aamir today. A 95 min movie without any song and dance routine (or a romantic angle) which moved me to tears. The movie is thought provoking and leaves many questions unanswered. An innocent man who is circumstantially driven to commit a crime. In the end he has to choose between killing innocent people and becoming a martyr himself.

The movie took me a year back and made me remember few of those martyrs. And I ask the same question as the song above.

Assistant Sub-inspector Tukaram Omble

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan