'The past and The present'

Truly spesaking, its been a whirlwind journey after marriage. The honeymoon trip to Manali was very memorable. And thereafter, started a life with loads of responsibilities. Not that I shirk them but yes, the carefree attitude had to go out of the window.

However, the sense of togetherness brings with it lots of joy and happiness. And that is what I been lucky to witness in the company of my wife.

One of the milestones of Rupanjali's career was reached when she successfully enrolled herself for the PhD program towards the last week of January, 2008. The next milestone was that of her paper being published in the Malaria journal in September, 2009. By this time, I had also slipped into the comfort zone at Alcatel-Lucent.

But apart from all these, there was another lingering thought that was running through our minds; and that was about the joys of the impending parenthood and the responsbilities that it would bring along. An anxious wait throughout the month of October gave way to the birth of 'Sayantan' on the 5th of November, 2008. And wasn't it a great feeling to have him with us!!! Slowly but surely Sayantan has grown from a tiny tot to a more grown up one, if I may say so. But this hasn't come about without many a nightouts for the two of us. Now Rupanjali has surely started to understand his whims and fancies. For all his snaps uploaded till date, visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/saikat.chaudhuri/OurSonDeep#

While I write this blog, my wife and my son are hundreds of miles away. And the longing for them in my heart grows by each passing day. Another 13 days to go before I catch up with them once again. And wouldn't it be a joyful re-union then!!!

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

"Courting my love"

July,2007 to December,2007: One of the most cherished periods of my life till date; Life was like "Movie, Masti, Magic' :-) My wife to be - 'Rupanjali' and myself used to have real fun then on weekends - We would be roaming all around the city of Delhi and Gurgaon - almost visiting a new spot every next weekend. Starting from the Humayun's tomb to Qutab Minar; Chadni Chowk market to 'The Karims'; Connaught Place to Priya Cinemas to Chanakyapuri and how can we forget the 'Leisure Valley', our most frequented place!!!!
And as December approached, we waited with baited breath for The Day - 14th of Dec, 2007.

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

Ahoy!!! Ahoy!!!

Cometh 2007, cometh, un-arguably, one of the most happening and eventful years of my life.

The year started off with the purchase of my new car - perhaps a dream that everybody has in his/her eyes as soon as they start earning. After much efforts, running after loans agents, hopping to different showrooms and dealer negotiations, it was finally there on the 24th of Jan, 2007. And I felt proud to be the owner. After all, I had saved every bit for this moment. Apart from a freak accident in Feb, 2007, I every enjoyed every bit of my rides on the new WagonR LXI.

Then came the next and probably one of the most momentous occasions in my life - My Engagement with Rupanjali. Ever since we first met in Oct, 2006; the chain of mails and interactions finally culminated with the proposal finally getting the elder's nod on the 6th of May, 2007. And guess where was I at that point of time? Ssssshhhhhhh.... I was returning from Varanasi after a secret meeting with her. Every minute spent in her company seemed to come as a whiff of fresh air - an entirely new experience; the moments spent on the banks of the Ganges, the movie hall, the luncheons together and of course (How Can I forget!!!) - the trips to VT. The engagement was scheduled for the 20th of June, 2007. And both of us waited with bated breath for the day.

On the engagement day, it was a feeling of excitement that gripped both of us. With the relatives pouring in and the two of us being the cynosure of all eyes, the moment really seemed special. The uploaded snaps can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/saikat.chaudhuri/AshirbadSnaps

About a month later after the engagement, it was time for Rupanjali to shift to Delhi to pursue her career after completing her Masters. And since her arrival, the two of us together have shared some wonderful moments in each other's company. In the meantime, Rupanjali appeared for her first interview of her career for the post of a research assistant at the prestigious IGIB. And on the 31st of July, came her confirmation for the post. The gleam and excitement in her eyes was unbelievable.

At the same time, towards the end of July, my brother's BSc results had been declared. Calcutta University had spared the tricks that it had played last time and my mother and myself were a relieved lot.

Its nearly the end of August now and Rupanjali has quietly but surely settled into her job. Rupnajali's ICMR results have also been declared and she has surprisingly made it to waiting list. No mean achievement considering the little window of time that she had for her preparations and given the competitive nature of this All-India exam. Only time will tell how things will unravel in the future. I have also planned to diversify my career a bit and have thus enrolled myself for the CFA course from ICFAI.

Rupanjali and myself are looking forward to our wedding scheduled on the 14th of December,2007. As the events unfold, I will keep updating this post. Till then...

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

A Transition that was to be...

A Memorable Journey Through the Nokia-ISS and SS7 Teams

It was in August 2004 that I began getting involved with the Nokia-ISS project. Until then, I had been working with the Nokia CX-MMI team, primarily on GUI-based applications. Having spent a year at Newgen working extensively on VC++, GUI development had gradually started to feel repetitive. The Nokia-ISS opportunity therefore appeared at just the right time, offering a chance to move into the Linux and Solaris domain, technologies that were widely used in the telecom industry and aligned well with my long-term interests.

As fate would have it, soon after I moved out of the CX-MMI team, several members of the group received opportunities for three-month onsite assignments at Nokia's UK facility. While missing out on the onsite opportunity was initially disappointing, the prospect of working on a more challenging and technically rewarding platform more than compensated for it.

From April 2005 onward, I assumed complete responsibility for the project. While this required me to understand and manage every aspect of the system, it also brought a significant degree of independence. I had the freedom to plan my work, take ownership of decisions, and shape the execution of the project. Moreover, Nokia was an exceptional customer to work with, making customer support and collaboration a positive experience throughout my tenure.

By September 2006, I began feeling the need for a new challenge. Having gained valuable experience in the SS7 domain, I wanted to explore emerging technologies and expand my profile further. My interests were increasingly drawn toward VoIP and 3G-related technologies. Around this time, an Internal Job Posting for the I-HSPA project appeared, presenting exactly the kind of opportunity I had been seeking.

I joined the new project in October 2006 and eventually bid farewell to the SS7 Products team on December 8, 2006.

Life in the Products Group

Working in the Products Group was a unique and memorable experience. I had often heard that product teams offered the perfect combination of challenging work and an enjoyable work environment, and the SS7 team certainly lived up to that reputation.

The team was a vibrant collection of personalities, each bringing their own flavor to the group. One of the first names that comes to mind is Kamal Kishore Pandey, known for his outspoken nature and uninhibited attitude. Then there were the energetic younger members such as Prabhakar and Nimish, along with the ever-humorous Ankit Sharma, who could effortlessly keep the team entertained.

Balancing the lively atmosphere were the technically focused and highly capable engineers such as Swapnil, Vipul, and Nilesh. Haidar frequently became the team's good-natured "fall guy," affectionately blamed whenever something went wrong. Simon Saha brought his own brand of humor to the group. Whether or not his jokes landed as intended, his enthusiasm to entertain everyone never waned, and often the laughter came as much from the performance as from the joke itself.

Then there were individuals like Pavan and Arif, whose technical depth and unwavering dedication to customer success made them stand out. Their commitment often extended far beyond normal expectations, reflecting a remarkable sense of ownership and professionalism.

No recollection of the team would be complete without mentioning Gaurav Singh, whose creative explanations and excuses during office hours were legendary. And above all was Manish Sharma, a central figure who seemed to hold the team together. Under his influence, lunch outings often attracted large groups, creating a sense of camaraderie that was the envy of many in the Presidency building.

Equally memorable were the informal tea breaks in the atrium with Deepak, Swapnil, Nilesh, Mohit, and several others. Those moments of conversation, laughter, and friendship often became the highlights of the day and contributed immensely to the team's spirit.

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

"Movies, Masti, Magic..."

Three movies in a week!!! That’s something that has never happened with me before. But after loads of work, you seriously feel the need to chill out by the end of the week.
Saw United 93 – last Sunday-17th Sep, Munna Bhai Lage Raho on Tuesday – 19th Sep and Dor – Yesterday – 23rd Sep.

United 93 was based on the Al-Qaida’s attack on US on 9/11 and depicted the bravery of the passengers aboard the plane, United 93 who took up the cudgels to crash the air-liner in no-man’s land rather than allow it to hit Washington DC.
The movie was more on the lines of a documentary showing the element of surprise amongst the Americans where they can scarcely believe that their symbols of prosperity and strength are targeted one-by-one by Al-Qaida terrorists on a suicide mission. It also displayed the lack of preparedness on the front of the American air-force to deal with the emergency. Despite having the information that there were multiple hijacking at the same time and that two of the planes had already hit the twin-towers in New York, little could they do to prevent the third air-liner from crashing into the Pentagon Headquarters. Soon screams from the cock-pit alerted the Air Traffic Controller that another plane – United 93 had also been hijacked. The hijackers on board U-93 had killed the flight captain and his sub-ordinate and had taken control of the plane.
Meanwhile, as the passengers destined to their fate started bidding good-bye to their near and dear ones, they came to know of the attack on the twin-towers and the Pentagon. Soon they realized that the hijackers were on a suicide mission and none of them would be spared for a ransom. With their lives at stake, some of the passengers mustered the guts to use all they had at their disposal and attack the hijackers and retain back the control of the plane. But in the process, the plane crash-landed into no mans land and none survived.
It’s a very serious kind of stuff and not the usual movie with the hero(es) or the heroine(s) hogging the lime-light. It’s a movie completely based on impersonal lines and a movie to watch out only if you have plenty of interest in the nitty-gritty’s of the incident. We came out of the hall somewhat enriched in knowledge regarding the incident but none too refreshed.

Munna Bhai Lage Raho – Many including myself thought that this was a sequel to “Munna Bhai MBBS”. And truly speaking, I haven’t relished too many sequels. So I was a bit circumspect regarding the value for money factor. After all 150 bucks is no small an amount. Incidentally, it so happened that the day we saw U-93, we had actually gone to see MBLR. That being on a week-end, all the shows were booked. Luckily, that very Tuesday, we had a party at office and planned to watch MBLR.
Well, the movie was no sequel to MBMBBS. With most of the core team remaining the same, the movie was however on an entirely different concept. It revolved the concept of applying Gandhi’s principles to take care of real world problems. The message was adequately communicated. The acting of Arshad Warsi aka Sarkeshwar aka Circuit was absolutely superlative. His expressions using his eyes and facial changes along with his accent of a typical Mumbai “Tapori” left everyone bursting into laughter every now and then. However, the scenes of emotion were no less emphatic. Vidya Balan too plays her role to a nicety and shows why she is being rated so high of late. The movie was a classic with “Gandhigiri” being interleaved with comedy throughout the movie. The concept was altogether a new one and the message sent across does leave an impression even after you have left the cinema hall. All-in-all, it’s a must watch movie with great conceptualization and brilliant screenplay.

Dor – I have always loved movies which have a strong story-line. Iqbal was one such film. And with Shreyas Talpade and Girish Karnad involved, Dor promised to be somewhat on similar lines. The 4 stars in its TOI rating further ignited my interest. However, most of my friends usually do not share the same sentiments regarding movies. For them, a light movie is more value for money. So when I asked my room-mate to watch this movie along with me, I just hoped it would have some elements of entertainment for him as well.
Although it was a newly released movie, there weren’t too many takers for the movie in the hall (Perhaps there weren’t too many people who belong to my class:)). The movie is based on the lives of two women, Zeenat and Meera who are newly wed and have to part with their respective grooms who leave for Saudi for better work prospects. Zeenat belongs to a Muslim family based out of Himachal Pradesh, and Meera belongs to a Hindu Family based out of Rajasthan.
The lives of both the ladies change once Shankar, Meera’s husband is reported to be murdered by Amir, who is Zeenat’s spouse. Amir is sentenced to death according to Saudi law and the only thing that can save his life is a signature from Meera on a document forgiving Amir for the crime.
Zeenat is sanguine that the incident was an accident and not a murder. She sets off in search for Meera to obtain her signature on the document. The movie then captures the sentiments of the two women from two different regions and how Zeenat’s zest for life rubs off on the life of Meera who, till then, was leading the life of a desolate widow. Shreyas Talpade provides some light as well emotional moments in the film with equal panache and livens up the movie in the second half. Both, Ayesha Takia (Meera) and Gul Panag (Zeenat) give off strong performances and probably capture the maximum possible attention of the audience. In short, it’s a movie with a strong story line and scores even better in terms of picturisation. What’s noticeable is that both heroines are without make up in the entire film.

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."

Exotic snaps from the trip to Agra and Manali in Aug'06

I am back...

It a'int surprising if somebody wondered whether this guy vanished into thin air, after all!!! No posts for one full month; where did he go?
Well, August for a change, was full of activities.With my mother,brother,mashi n mesho then scheduled to visit Gurgaon around the 2nd week of the month, the early days of August was a wake up call for me to get into the cleaning up act. I am not dirty but you know how a bachelor's room inevitably looks like, don't you - things strewn all over the place, books and computer covered with a layer of dust, smelling bed-sheets, et al... :) But trust me, I was much cleaner on most of those counts. However, a sprucing up act was of-course required.

My family reached Delhi on the 9th of Aug. During their stay, we visited Agra (Mathura & Vrindavan- both en-route to Agra) during the first week-end and then went to visit the Himalayan paradise - Manali, the following week.

Their stay lasted around 10 odd days. On the flip side, the climate at Gurgaon was pathetic during that period - high temperatures coupled with humidity made matters worse. But, thankfully, the trips were pretty successful and they left satisfied at the end . My family departed from Delhi on the 19th of Aug and from then on, I have plunged myself into the the current assignment @office so as to be able to find time for my Puja vacations.
So looking forward to Durga Puja and eager to be back home soon...

"....The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind...."