The Eternal Optimist!

I think the city of Panaji is like a beautiful painting and you cant take your eyes off it. Roaming the city in late evenings after office has become my hobby. I don’t walk. I don’t do anything on my own account. The streets come alive and pull me on and the sea sings songs of joy. Miramar beach is my trusted friend. It is here that I built my first sand castle as a kid. It is here that I wrote my first poem . I shared my grief here with the sea and tears from my eyes fused with the waves to become a part of their calm humming that provides hope. There is this place, elegant as a nobleman, charismatic as a leader, whoprovides a peek in the corridors of power. The hill of Altinho-abode of the ruling elite. Sometimes I stand before the Archbishops House and pretend I own the place or stand on the heights of Altinho imagining I rule the city spread below. The mentions and bungalows of the city’s powerful barons, the sophisticated black coated lawyers at the high court and govern...

Monsoon heralds the beginning of the new academic year and brings joy to all. To me, it announces the end of the party season. My uncles used to drop me back home with a bag full of fresh cucumbers and lots of good wishes for school. I hated monsoon for that. It brought me back from the cave of Alibaba that was my grandmother’s house. It brought me back to this cruel world of studies from the magic kingdom of stories. Above all, the uncles, my two Jinns would vanish behind a curtain of rain- not from the sky but from my eyes. My cousins Sushrut Ria and I called grandmother’s home “Magic Kingdom”. As dark clouds vanished and winter approached, the magic would spread its wings. Like intelligence agents, the uncles knew before we did, the dates of our mid term break. Afraid that my mom will deny permission to go to the magic Kingdom, I would plan my escape a week before the Diwali brake. Bal mama’s shop of electrical appliances was on the way to my school. He used to wait outsid...

So, I got this awesome job with a news channel. I joined and started out with an average performance. But within a month, my performance skyrocketed. I became a favorite at the office and my ideas began to revolutionize the channel. What happened? Freakonomics happened. While I was still a fresher, a trainee in the corporate world, I was given some time to observe the workings of the office. Lot of free time, to kill which, a friend gave me this book. What was in this book? “Incentives” she said. That’s it. Must be some high end economics book, but something’s better than nothing, so I set out to read it. It was awesome! Out of the box application of economic principles focused on one assumption- people react to incentives, positively or negatively. You can solve any question, yup, ANY question using a correctly created algorithm and finding the correct data. That’s what the book tries to say. People don’t react to incentives in a predicable manner, there might be very different reaso...

Was just thinking... Different countries have certain national symbols which remind them of the core values that they believe in for eg, a flag, a coat of arms and a national anthem. I think if an individual had a personal anthem to motivate him/her towards the goal of his/her life, life would be lot more meaningful. A national anthem generally reflects the culture, strategic thought and aspirations of a nation. An individual would need an anthem reflecting his/her character, principles and goals. I have thus created an anthem for myself. This song is called ‘The Hope.’ it centers on freedom, prosperity, confidence and my love for Goa. As long as the divine light In my eyes still shines And my mind Blossoms with dreams As long as I possess A cunning brain And an able hand My hope will never end To be a free man In the land of sea and sand By the power of my will May my mind be graced by peace And my palace by prosperity May my heart be filled ...

Hi all! Wondering where have I been all these days? Well I was busy giving interviews, looking for a job but I think the only job I m good at is axing myself! First, I went to a famous local daily to get the job of a reporter. Considering my studies in poli sci, the interview panel asked me to explain the current political situation in Britain. I answered. They asked me my opinion on pros and cons of globalization, I answered. “What’s the distance between Margao and Ponda and Ponda and Panaji?” I was blank. “It was nice talking to you Mr. Joshi” they said “you may go.” Next stop, Vodafone. “This is a post paid business.” My immediate boss growled as soon as I cleared the interview. (I had studied some local geography by now.) My contacts at the company had given me the impression that I would be getting a desk job. But no, in reality, I had to sell postpaid sim cards to customers on the street, wander from office block to office block, house to house. ...

Was listening to a lecture by Prof Dattesh Parulekar on information and communication technology in the developing countries. The professor brought out the pros and cons of ICT in Asia and Africa with specific examples. Approximately 70-80% of cobalt needed to manufacture mobile phones comes from Africa mainly Ethiopia and as such the spread of cell phones in Africa has been awe inspiring! However the Africans are not doing so well with regards to internet connectivity where again taking the example of Ethiopia, he showed that about 90% of the internet connections in the country were concentrated the capital of Ethiopia, Aids Ababa. The rate of spread of cell phones in the developing countries rose from 2% in 1991 to a whooping 41% in 2006! The internet usage in the developing world rose from 0.2% in 1991 to 41% in2006. Talking about information and technology and political problems in developing countries, we can see how in countries like India, electronic voting machines have...

I just visited my grandmother and remembered my childhood. So I decided to try my hand at writing a story for children! here goes... A long long time ago, there lived a fairy in the forests of Africa. She loved her forest. Everyday, the fairy hopped from flower to flower and poured honey into it. The flowers greeted her with a smile and the birds sang in her honor. Everyone loved the fairy! One day the fairy saw a grass hopper happily playing around the grasslands. He was dancing hither and thither and singing a song! “Work is so boring Let’s do something thrilling We sing the songs of freedom!! Sing and dance! Now is your chance! Come on, Take a vacation!!” Listening to his song, the fairy began to think. “I have been working all my life.” She though. “My work is indeed boring.” So she decided that she would not work any longer. The next day, she threw her honey pots aside and went for a picnic! She set out to roam around the jungle and enjoy! She ...