Some More Photographs

Hi Folks,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words (I've just added a few more !). Recently I bought a data cable for my Cellphone and transferred some photos to my PC. So here are the results. The first three photos were taken on 10th and the remainder on 11th January after our promotion interview.

Murali - pensive doing mental maths with CRR and SLR etc prior to his turn.

Goyal - sweating it out - literally !!

Capt Waghmare and Col. Roy - Waiting prior to the interview.

Murali and Toms - Waiting for some word on the outcome of the

interview on 11th January 2007

Moudgil trying to quench his thirst.

This is my friend Toms trying to capture my mugshot on his Cellphone - the activity was mutual.

Decent Exposure !! - Murali and Moudgil comparing notes at the former's house

Dr Bimal Jalan's Book Launch

Dr Bimal Jalan, our former Governor and Member of Parliament was in town on 12th April to release his new book “India’s Politics : A View from the Backbench” The book which has been published by Penguin India and priced at Rs 300/- is the first book written by Dr Jalan which does not pertain to a topic related to Economics. I was escorting Dr Jalan during the time he spent at Bangalore. The book release was scheduled at 7.30 PM on 12 April 2007 at the Taj Westend Hotel. The list of invitees was quite long and impressive but owing to the first death anniversary of Kannada film star Rajkumar there were traffic jams galore all over the city and to make matters worse it started raining cats and dogs at 7.30 PM sharp, hence attendance was thin. Dr Girish Karnad was to release the book but he could not make it owing to the aforesaid reasons.
Most of the crowd which had assembled was of the ‘page three’ variety who were there just to be snapped by the media and to partake of the free drinks – I daresay. The moderator was one helluva ‘rude dude’ – Mr Suhel Seth who ruffled quite a few feathers with his ascerbic comments. He was brash, threw tantrums at regular intervals, cut down a wannabe media person to size and insulted a waiter for showing him drinks. It was fun watching all this drama unfold on the sidelines. I think Dr Jalan was not very happy by the lack of grasp of the subject by most of the audience (as most of them were dumb).
The book which I had a chance to browse through (we spent nearly three hours in the hotel) is very well written. It describes the complexities of the political system in India and the ills plaguing it. Dr Jalan advocates a code of conduct for multi-party coalitions which are the order of the day now. He has thrown up very pertinent issues which should be a cause of worry for every citizen of this country. He has also prescribed a ten point programme for political reforms that could make the Indian democracy more stable and accountable. The book has already been released in Delhi. The book is definitely worth a read. To know more about the author and his other works please visit http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/AuthorLounge/AuthorDetail.asp?aid=1687

Trekking on Good Friday - Savandurga

RBI, Bangalore has recently constituted a Trekking Club of which I also happen to be a member. On 6th April (Good Friday) a motley group of members of the staff and their families set off to a place called “Savandurga”. It consists of two hills – ‘Karigudda’ (black hill) and ‘Beligudda’ (white hill) – which are separated by a chasm. This is about 60 km west of Bangalore off the Magadi Road. The hill which rises to 4050 feet above sea level is famous for a temple and is believed to be the largest monolithic hill in Karnataka.

It is believed that the 17th century Magadi chieftains, Kempegowdas, had their second capital over here. The hill is made up of granite and is devoid of any vegetation. The steep climb to the top is daunting and tortuous especially for first-timers and ladies. To make matters worse we did it on a hot sunny day. We left RBI, Bangalore at 7.30 AM and started the climb at 9.30 AM after a bellyful of breakfast (not ideal conditions for rock climbing). It took nearly 3 hours for the whole group to reach the top.

At the summit there is a small temple type structure with a black benign Nandi bull staring into space. The view from the top makes the gruelling climb worth its while. Coming down was also tough owing to the constant need to apply brakes on our legs. We had lunch in a park at the foothill and reached Bangalore at 6.00 PM. It was a good outing for avid trekkers and nature lovers. I enjoyed it but my wife called it a torture (well one man’s meat …etc, etc). Some of the photos of the trip are as follows :

Watching the kids frolic after lunch

Going Downhill - this was no cakewalk !!!

The spectacular view from the summit

Friendly white arrows mark the "Rute" to the top !!

Start of the trek - A view from the village at the base of the hill

The climb in progress

Breakfast break near the foothills

A group photo at the Bank's premises with the Regional Director

Management Fundas

I read an article on Security Management some 20 years back. What I clearly remember are the comments about management the author's father had made when he was a child. It is amazing how some piece of trivia sticks in your memory. I have long forgotten the contents of the said article. Well here goes - and I think they are still valid today :

1. “ If you want to get hit by lightning, be sure to climb the hill”
(If you really want to be a professional at your job, you have to keep struggling to get up there where you are a recognized member of the team. If you want to get hit by lightning, if that’s where you want to be, keep climbing the hill.)

2. “ If you want to be a statue in the park, expect pigeons.”
(So if you want to be a manager, there are going to be pigeons around. It isn’t always going to be pleasant. There are some nasty things you have to do.)

An Interesting Mail Forward

Drinking Warm Water and Heart Attacks.

This is a very good article. Not only about the warm water after your meal, but also about heart attacks. This makes sense. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals...not cold water...maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habits while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks: You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better are chances of survival. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this...It could save your life!!

** Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about **