403 Forbidden !

We made paneer biryani today. Some of its ingredients include saffron, paneer, yogurt, biryani masala, basmati rice, onion, cardamom, ghee, coriander, garlic, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon, among others. My socialist prof. posted a pic of his favorite chicken curry on Facebook. My right wing friend posted the pic of his wholesome meal consisting of poori, bhaji, papad, salad and achaar – on Instagram and Facebook. The prof in his caption wrote about the irony of indulgence in times like these. The right wing friend asked us to thank God for what we have and to help others if we could. I adjusted the plate, took a portrait mode photo, chose the right filter and ‘froze’. This period has made most of us amateur cooks, who want to capture the essence, the aroma and most importantly that perfect pic for our social media handles. We have opinions on policy, religion, culture, popular media, economy and what not but most importantly we have food on our tables . It is unreal how deranged we have...

Dear Rafael Nadal, There are things that I have loved to watch in my life and a package of that would comprise of - a Federer backhand, a Tendulkar straight drive, a Messi nutmeg through pass and a Lin Dan net wobble (as one commentator named it). As apparent as it may look, let me further clarify, I am a believer of methods than the madness, of poise and elegance rather than raw power. One thing that I hate to love is that top spinning forehand winner; that which brought down the likes of perhaps the greatest, Roger Federer, to his knees.  I followed your career sincerely, not with interest but with fear and even a tinge of hatered as you stole one grandslam after the other from Feder. I watched that Wimbledon final you lost. It was not the first time that Federer had out-tempered an opponent and certainly not the last. We had all seen Roddick come so close and give it his all only to be outclassed by Federer year after year. I can't say that I didn't appreciate your...

She looked around to ensure no one was around; a Rs. 100 note in such a big house was something no one would ever notice. She prayed to God for all that was wrong and how it was possible without such miserable deeds but somehow things were slipping out of hands. Her inner selfishness confronting all that was good in the world. There were so many worse off people trying to make ends meet with honest methods. She never had the best of formal education but all she was ever taught was values and the importance of one’s character when the times were tough. She continued sweeping the floor. The time had moved on and so had life – the only feeling that had transcended the dimension was that of guilt. What had also remained unchanged was a hidden desire to cheat the world which had been so unfaithful, desperate and desolate. Those occasional saves of a couple of hundred bucks had ensured she had enough to buy a few old books to be officially called ‘literate’. Jobs had switched hands and...

In perhaps the most happening 8 weeks of my life, I have visited many new places and met a lot of new people from all walks of life; but perhaps the most impactful encounter took place in a Mumbai local. In all its hustle and bustle and even the chivalrous charm, the Mumbai local never ceases to enchant you. For every swear word that you blurt out there’s always a praise to go along. On weekends, along with my cousin I went and explored Mumbai to be left with memories that last perhaps the lifetime. On a certain such Saturday we boarded on the Andheri station headed towards Churchgate; the plan was to visit the Gateway of India. As the train left the station, a man began shouting in full volume swirling papers in an eddy current developed by his own motion. There was a donation box in his hand and my first impression was that he surely was mad. Sandeep Desai with his donation box Upon listening to the man for some time I realised that he was asking for some kind of do...

I have largely refrained from writing my MBA experiences in this blog; not because they are not worth it but for the fact that everyone has a little schadenfreude inside him and I didn’t want to feed yours. Without digressing further as has been the case in all the long answers I have written, spoken or listened to since getting here, I’d rather go straight to the topic. ‘The presentation’ was meant to be ‘the’ presentation for one of the most dreadful courses of my life. What’s more, it contained 10% of the most vital marks ever, which all five of us so desperately needed to pass the course. Yes, it was a group presentation for a finance course. The topic and all the related questions expected to be answered were clear beforehand; at least a month before the actual presentation. When did we start working on the final presentation? Yes, you guessed it right; the night before. Characters: IITian : A diminutive IITian; (perhaps) the most talented of the lot, famous for ...

After several sessions of picking out nuances and nuisances of the CV, several heart pounding reviews and common one-liners “Isko CV bolte hain?”, in the middle of one long CV making session I had this dream, a realization may be of what I would want my child to be – the CV kid. Everything he would be or do would have to be recorded and drafted in the best possible manner in single line bullet points. Snapshots of the CV at different points of time... CV at age 1 CV Kid                    Email: cvkid@gmail.com ·          Cried out loud ( 1000 dB ) just after birth, one of the loudest ever recorded (Proof: Deaf Nurse’s undersigned letterhead ) ·          At the age of 1 month said “tata”, the youngest to say a full English word (Proof: Video recording of the same, tested for not being morphe...