Saturday, January 31, 2015

Some more pics from the event

I finally got a few more pics from the event. Long distance shots of the audience.
Section of the audience at the back - Shankar Melkote, Junie Aunty, Shanti. Shreya, Anita, Vikram among others
Another angle - audience backs
Right at the back - really far from the action

Koni. Dr. Sreenivas, Chandu


The audience form behind the action



More front row stuff

Back to the back row

Back of beyond

The Big Mo

50 Images of New Zealand

I love these links. They add so much beauty to my life - sitting right here in my room!
http://matadornetwork.com/trips/50-images-of-new-zealand-we-cant-stop-looking-at/

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Happy New Year - Movie Review

The motive was fuzzy. If the villain did use the one man's finger prints which lead into the safe and rob the jewels, the police should have had no problem finding out where the jewels were hidden right? Only one man can open them and he is right there in their custody. So where are the jewels? Ok, I was with my boss who gave me a drink and I don't remember what happened. So he cannot say. Who stands to gain? Why not check on him? But then we cannot ask these questions because then we don't have scope for revenge.

So enter son of man who was unfairly accused with motive for revenge. Two more chaps share his angst. Two pros are recruited for special skills - one of which is puking at times most unwarranted. Get a dancing babe and the team is complete. All we need to do is enrol in a dance competition, rig the voting system, win the prize, go to hotel next to safe with jewels....(why not just check into that room at any other time?), dig a hole, seduce chap who has only fingerprints that give access...oh its too much.

Anyway all's well in the end. Nothing lost. Nothing gained. Is it a new frontier in film making? No. Is it full on entertainment? Not really unless you like Sajid Khan type of movies. Is it totally unacceptable? Not really. Its moving on. Happy New Year. Its like a party you go to but don't remember much.

Sunday Cricket Lessons 1 - Recalibrating the Mindset

Every Sunday I go to the ML Jaisimha Cricket Academy at Secunderabad to bowl for an hour. Most times I am joined by some friends else I go alone and bowl to the young batsmen there. For me that one hour of bowling off a short run up and trying to learn and relearn old techniques, is an exhilarating and liberating experience. My old coach Mr. Rehmat Baig watches me bowl and smiles and says - you're still doing everything right - and its a wonderful feeling when he says that. Its also quite challenging to fox the youngsters and get them out once in a while. At the end of the hour we have a cup of tea and I chat with Mr. Baig and the boys. But not one Sunday goes without a new learning. I might as well capture them on the blog.
Mr. Rehmat Baig - My coach since 1982 with the first copy of 50 Not Out

This Sunday there were two learnings.

1) Recalibrating the mindset to improve performance
We bowl well on some days and we do not bowl well on some days. On rare days everything seems to be perfect - you can make the ball sing as they say.  It's the same ability, except that the mindset is not right on most days.

So I thought - let me put myself on a scale of 1-100. Today I am calibrated at say 45 (100 being perfection). Can I recalibrate my effort to 50? Can I upgrade bowling like a schoolboy cricketer and perhaps try and bowl like a state bowler, which could be 70. When I consciously recalibrate my mindset, I find that my effort improves that much more instantly. There is more focus and a more purposeful effort. Certainly the outcome improves too.

When I tried this, I got the batsman out the very next ball caught behind. More zip, more purpose.

To reiterate - whatever it is you are doing, calibrate it on a scale of 100. Then crank it up to a level you think you can achieve and once that number is fixed (say I will work at this level like a senior manager or some aspirational thing like that and fix a number to that), the performances should improve.

2) The Outcome Reflects the Preparation
While trying to bowl at a predetermined spot, I realised that my accuracy was not spot on. I tried a few balls and realised I was not as balanced in my run up and action and follow through and the result was that the delivery was inaccurate.

So I went back to my run up. I realised I needed to run in only as fast as I could retain my balance while going into my action. That sorted out a big problem for me - what is the idea speed to run? The balance determines the speed at which I am running in - whether I am able to keep my eyes on the spot or not. Once the speed of the run up was under control I focused on the action and then the follow through. Thus, the outcome guided my preparation or the actions leading into the outcome. Once I get all these right, the outcome is near perfect. I could hit the length I wanted, was closer to the spot and certainly more in control. As I practice this consciously I can increase pace if I need to.

The outcome of a fuller length, I got the batsman bowled.

To reiterate - whatever it is you are doing, keep an eye on the outcome. If it is not exactly the way you want it, there is something wrong and unbalanced in your preparation or the lead up acts to it. If you can sort out those knots and approach the outcome in a balanced manner, chances are the outcome will be what you want exactly.

Talking to Mr. Baig about this, I found that he stressed on the importance of balance in the run up, action and follow through. The body has to be aligned - side on or front on - which makes line, length, swing and cut happen automatically. If they are not happening, your body is not aligned nor in balance. Time to go back to the basics. Time to call in the coach.

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Hyderabad Literary Festival 2015 - Fleeting Impressions.

I went to the Hyderabad Literary Festival at its best venue possibly - in terms of accessibility - the Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, which is bang in the middle of everything. In terms of romance I think I liked Taramati Baradari best but it was far away from everything. Aashiana was good but it had its usual space constraints.
Nice design! My shadow looming over HLF

Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, or HPS, Begumpet as we know it, is a large campus. It was originally called the Jagirdar College and was a college for the children of the nawabs. So much of what HPS has reminds you of stuff you have read about in books like Tom Brown's School Days  - huge buildings, corridors, large grounds, trees and an old world look and feel of strength and silence about it. Its perhaps the best venue for a high profile activity like the Lit Fest and all steps must be taken to make it the permanent venue for the Lit Fest. Its good for all concerned.
Bad pic of the HPS forecourt

I visited the venue on Day 1 to meet Krishna Sastry Devulapalli who had a session on Food as a identity. And Chitra (who has a session on the last day). As always Vinod and I caught up first, had chai (oops, chai got over! - how can chai get over?), went to Krishna's session, met them, met Daniel, and went off to have coffee at Minerva.
 
Krishna in session

On day 2, I met Praveen, who was at the venue. He bought a copy of 50 Not Out at the bookshop (which had the slowest billing process I ever saw). We took some time off and walked around the campus. I have two great cricketing memories here at HPS, Begumpet, so I wanted to visit the grounds.
From the bookstore

At the ground behind the school, an inexperienced David-like All Saints team beat a Goliath-like HPS, B in a league match in 1982. We were in our 10th class. Ehtesham was our captain, Masood, Suresh and Srinivas Chakravarthy made up our claims to state players. The rest was rookie players. Me in my first year at school cricket, Michael, Farruk, Abdul Rub, Subodh Bhatnagar, Iftekhar, Rajesh, Joel, made up the rest of the team. HPS, B had the fearsome Hariprasad, captain of the Under 19, team, big hitter and someone who had already played Ranji Trophy. In filmi style our Rector told us before we left for the game that we must win and if we win we can ask for whatever we want. We did not believe for a moment that we could win.
Near the cricket grounds

HPS packed us off for 121. In 3 overs before lunch they rattled off 30 for no loss - Hariprasad looking ominous. The rest of their team was making fun of us and hinting that they could go home while the top two batsmen finished the game. First over after lunch I get wicket one, third over I get two, fifth Hari falls to Chakravarthy and then the cat is among the pigeons. HPS got bowled out for 70, one of the biggest upsets that season. I got 5 for 25, Chakravarthy 4 for 19. Rector treated us to dinner and a movie!
The cricket grounds where we beat HPS

I wanted to see that ground. So we walked behind after convincing the security guard that we were old students who wanted to see the ground. We were old and we were students so we did not lie in that sense. But looking at the grounds brought back all those memories. More than that, the environment gave me a fragrance of the old days and it was refreshing to get a whiff of life in today's suffocating mix of of strong aromas.
The pavilion

The other ground up front where most literary activity is taking place was where we played many games. But one which we played against Andhra Bank is what I remember. We were in our Intermediate. MCC was led by M.L. Jaisimha and our regular motley crew of seniors and juniors. We got few runs and Andhra Bank was cruising along comfortably. In my second spell when Andhra Bank needed another 10 runs or so I found superb rhythm and made life terrible for the Andhra Bank men. I got two wickets but I still remember the rhythm and the way they hopped about.
The lovely old world feel

Anyway, back to the literary festival. I liked the standees. They say the school looks beautiful when lit up at night. Food arrangements were not great. One thing people must remember is that food is a great attraction and stress buster. Good food will always have happy people. Hyderabad has enough options for all sorts of food and if thought out well, or given out on contract, this big aspect of any good experience could be easily taken care of. From our chote samosa, to lukmis, to Irani chais to biryanis, Hyderabad is all about its food. It just cannot be ignored.
The canteen that serves pav bhaji
But the venue offers so much. Large grounds to walk about, catch up and meet. Would be great if this did become the permanent venue.



Saturday, January 24, 2015

Review 2 - Blog on 50 Not Out!

Vinod Ekbote, my mirchi bajji eating and coffee drinking partner, scourer unparallelled of second hand book markets in Hyderabad and Secunderabad and many other cities, owner and connoisseur of some rare fountain pens, owner of one of the most enviable collections of books I have ever seen, owner of a generous heart that gifts away precious books, pens, gifts to see a smile on the faces of those he cares for, literary man (miles ahead of me, I know nothing literary really), pursuer and student of literary festivals, authors and their works, loyal friend, loving parent, son, spouse and sibling, recipient of Government of Andhra Pradesh award for Excellence at work which is evident in his forthright and honest manner of working, possessor of one of the wittiest pens I have ever read and one among two or three writers in the world who can make me laugh out loud while reading, knower of the difference between an irani chai and a pauna, a dilpasand and a dilbahar and such stuff that is available in Irani cafes, and possessor of a myriad more talents, blogs about 50 Not Out! on his much read blog. Its an honour Vinod bhai and I am grateful for the kind words, your constant support always.

We shall celebrate in the usual fashion today!

 http://vinodekbote.blogspot.in/2015/01/at-launch-of-50-not-out-harimohan-paruvu.html

Review 1 - Blog on 50 Not Out

A Moment of Uncontaminated Joy

As we walked in ahead of the event, I showed Anjali the poster in the lift at Landmark bookstore. Her reactions were brilliant.
Gotcha!
 And then as we walked in we saw a huge poster at the entrance to the bookstore and posed.
This is it!
And then we turned to go away, after our moment of celebration. There were things to do.
Let's go!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

50 Not Out! - The Hyderabad Launch

The Big Moment - 50 Not Out! Launched at Hyderabad by the classy VVS Laxman
The Hyderabad launch of '50 Not Out' took place last evening, 21st January, 2015 at Landmark Bookstore, Somajiguda. The panel of guests included former Test cricketer and a very very special person V.V.S. Laxman who was the Chief Guest of the evening, C.V. Anand, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad, Suresh Babu, Film Producer and Sumanth, Film Actor and more importantly the compassionate and loving Coach Sampath in Golconda High School.
Books waiting in readiness
The event was to start at 6 pm. So I went early to the venue with Shobhs and Anjali to see how we can contribute. Raghuram Mahamkali, young software engineer, passionate about cricket and life, my MC for the evening was already present, immaculately dressed and well prepared. The space was set up, chairs in place, press enclosure made, backdrop ready. Books were on display, counter was open. Mikes in place. There were only 50 chairs and I wondered if they would be enough. What if 100 showed up? I expected between 70 and 100. Oh, we'll handle that said the store. There were 100 books in stock and I again wondered, what if more are needed? I asked the man from the publishing house to have another 50 on standby and he said they would be enough. They know. They have organised book events. (Both chairs and books were finally not enough by a large margin. Shows that bookstores and publishers are still not clued in. When oh when?)
VVS Laxman, Me and Sumanth, listening to Suresh Babu speak
Suresh Reddy, my friend my St. Alphonso's Junior College, where we studied our Intermediate, now Chairman of Lycos, came early, all dapper in his fine suit. AP, friend from Osmania Engineering College, came early too. We took pictures early with a beaming Anjali before the crowd came in.
Pre-launch - Anjali and I pose with old friends AP Srinivas and Suresh
Prasad Nimmakayala, Executive Producer for all of Ram's movies, and someone who has helped me immensely with the launch events of all three book launches  - 'The Men Within' in 2007 (which was a sell out event i.e.e sold out all books), 'If you love someone...' in Delhi Book Fair and now '50 Not Out' in Hyderabad. His fine sense of managing events, revving the press, keeping a cool head under pressure makes things easy. And he delivers each time - drums up press support, ensures they get pictures and videos. He had a new idea to shoot the event and send the videos to TV channels and he did that yesterday.
C.V. Anand in a relaxed mood
Shobhs went off hunting for books to gift the guests. Vijay, my skipper from Osmania and classmate from MBA, came with Timothy Paul, one of my oldest and dearest cricketing chums. Both work in Central Excise and Customs. Amar Chegu, friend and management consultant came, and I unabashedly took his pen which was writing much better than mine - he was generous enough to gift me that. My school friends Joel, Arif, Jamshed, Vinay Gopal came together - I am meeting them after thirty some years.
Vinay Gopal, Jamshed, Me and Arif - classmates from All Saints meeting after 30 years
Joseph Fernandes from school came with two other pals. Farruk Ali Khan, Rahi Prakash and Rajesh B - both of whom were in the school cricket team with Joel and I, came. (Those who were not present from that team - Masood, Abdul Rub, Suresh, Ehtesham, Subodh Bhatnagar, Michael, Iftekhar, Chakravarthy). My sisters, then my brother Ram. Prof. Shamraj came with Pavan hugged me and gifted me a tie with Osmania colors. Precious gift. NP Singh, Hyderabad's lion hearted fast bowler who took over 300 wickets, ex- Chairman of selectors, came. Madhav who is here on a visit from the US came and disappeared for a coffee. Ram Gedela of JWT, Hyderabad my childhood chum stepped in looking dapper. And then the time was neigh.
C.V. Anand introducing the book - winner of the award of Special Merit by the Election Commission of India
C.V. Anand, my friend and cricketing mate for many years during University days, now Commissioner of Cyberabad, and a man who does so much good wherever he goes, came. He was happy. He had just been awarded an award of Special Merit by the Election Commission for best practices in India, among many other contenders. Among the achievements that led to this award were the highest cash seizures  in total, the highest individual cash seizure apart from other poll practices. Its a wonderful achievement and we should hear more about it in today's news. CV was dapper in his tweed jacket, and looked relaxed. Good day for both of us.
Nice - Very, Very Special Moment
Suresh Babu, film producer and friend, one of my esteemed panelists for the day, slipped into the crowd comfortably. We caught up and spoke about Ashok Amritraj for a while. Apparently Ashok made all his deals on the tennis courts in his home in the US. Suresh knew him personally. His evolution is fascinating, Ashok's, and we were wondering how he chose his route and how successful he became considering the kind of movies he made originally.
The One and Only Coach Sampath - Sumanth
By now the crowd was building up. I met old friend Anjan Nadimpally after many many years. He just dropped in at the event and was scheduled to leave next morning. We just had time for a quick hello. The friends from the press were there, my sports team, Das from NIE, VVS from Hindu, Gladson from ToI, Wenu Kodimela from Hans, Pallavi from Metro.

Vivek Jaisimha, friend, mentor came, handsome as ever, with Mona, warm as usual and a big hug. Cheryl Rao, writer of several children's books came with her husband and wisely took her copies in advance. Ramanamurthy, fast bowler, member of the Hyderabad winning team during 1986, came by and gave me a big hug. Military, Sanjay, my new ball partner in Under 15 came by. And then Sumanth came, film actor, Coach Sampath in Golconda High School came, handsome and glamorous, easy and graceful. We all caught up in a small enclosure away from the crowd and awaited the arrival of Laxman. And then he arrived. I had to snatch him away from Narsimham, captain of the JNTU team in our playing days and now  President of the Architect's Association.
A moment's reprieve from the proceedings - Laxman makes a point
The event started 12 minutes late but we were quickly off. Raghuram started the proceedings, invited me on stage. Then CV Anand, Sumanth, Suresh Babu and Laxman. We sat down. Raghu introduced himself to the crowd, and then introduced Landmark and Jaico, and then asked CV Anand to open the innings and introduce the book. CV did a wonderful job, introducing the book, delving deep into the idea, the pattern and structure behind the book, the challenges, his association with me and his impressions and he left me with the words - this book has much to take away for everyone and needs to be marketed well and you have to take lessons from Chetan Bhagat. He said he read the book in four hours and I was amazed he could do that. he even read out a whole chapter - one on honesty - which features Laxman's straight bat too. By the time he concluded his well-paced, well-planned introduction, the game was set up perfectly and I must thank CV for being so frank, honest and affectionate. He mentioned how I gave the impression of being casual and how he was surprised that I left the game early in those years. Ah, glorious days those. I had a special affinity for CV, Yuvraj, Ifti, all my younger colleagues.
Me and my two bits
Sumanth spoke next about our association, his book reading habits, his love for movies, 50 Not out, the book itself  and chose to read his favorite parts, about patience. He loved the fact that I could see a link between a batsman waiting for the ball to come to him and Sonny Corleone's bad batsmanship in the meeting with Solozzo in 'The Godfather'. He spoke easily, warmly and read effortlessly. Grace and style all the way. He even poked fun at himself - I like the chapter on patience which I think is a great virtue. But sometimes people think I am a bit too patient.
Signing books - Dr. Krishnan and Mrs. Girija Krishnan in the foreground
Suresh spoke next and he said he felt like the batsman coming in next - but the game was already finished by the first two batsmen - they had said everything already. He recounted his impressions of me. He had read parts of the book and said he could take a couple of them to life - the chapter on courage and concentration (keep your eyes on the ball) - finding instant connect to his latest movies. He said how he took his eyes off the ball for a while and felt he missed a bit on the casting and felt it was a mistake and how he told his people to go through it all again and look at the fuzzy parts and set those right. Perfect delivery. Suresh and I, we both feel that the book needs to be read one lesson at a time.
The highly talented director-actor Srini Avasarala, Suresh Pullella and behind me Farruk Ali Khan from my school days
I was asked to speak next about my transition from a fearsome fast bowler to a writer who is so easy to read. (Is easy good?) I took some potshots at our fast bowlers club who were far away from all things easy and sensitive, and how the transition was long and tough. How no one would believe that a fast bowler could write. And that too sensitive stuff. How I realised that to make things seem easy  was certainly not easy. I then addressed 'Why' I wrote the book - the lessons cricket taught me made me what I am today. I would not have been half the man without them. My early days in Hyderabad, All Saints being a rowdy school as it was, threw me off my bearings until I got selected for the school team and then the state team. My lessons in under 15 with Chetan, not knowing the rules helped, the Universities experiences when we won and we lost, my MCC experience.
Farruk, Joseph Fernandes and Joel Wilson from All Saints
Then I spoke of 'How' I wrote, the challenges I faced in connecting mindsets of cricketers and champions in other fields of work. I wound off with a quote by Plato - on how an hour's play reveals more about a person than 20 years of discussion. I had played with all four on stage and I recounted briefly what they had revealed of themselves during that play - CV Anand's desire to right things that were wrong was as evident then as it is now, Sumanth's calm, patient and sensitive nature showed in his batting and how he influenced the match. Suresh's combative instincts and his will to win were so evident in a game we played and certainly bowling to VVS Laxman when he was a college student drove me to frustration - so straight and pure was his bat. And then of course, each one in the audience had played with me and revealed parts of themselves and certainly aided my growth. Thank you all for that.
A view from the crowd
Laxman spoke and he spoke so well that everyone I met remarked on how wonderfully he speaks - clearly and articulately. His thoughts well sorted out, Laxman constructed his talk as he would an inning, steadily and surely. He spoke about how he finished reading the entire book on a flight to Delhi, how he found the book an interesting read and how it made him recollect many incidents from his past, how Golconda High School and The Men Within and now 50 Not Out actually made him feel very emotional. He recalled his days of playing for Little Flower against All Saints High School, the growing years of cricketers. He picked the two lessons he connected to the most - Courage and Preparation and he spoke about them - specially citing the way I prepared to get my 128 runs that I promised my skipper. He noted how I mentioned my mother's contribution in my dedication. He said I should have been a cricket coach apart from being an Executive Coach. He felt that marketing or no marketing, this book will do well.

Laxman spoke very well, read the book in its true sense and gave the event that magical silken touch. 50 Not Out! flies off the bat of Laxman, C.V.Anand, Suresh Babu and Sumanth and my family and friends at Hyderabad and I am sure with the kind of good energies we have had at the event, it will live to its potential. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all - the event was all one could hope for. A packed crowd, media jostling for space, crackling speeches, sell out books and the love of friends and family.

Some quotes from the press about the event
"It's not just 50 aspects of being a successful cricketer, but the book gives us 50 aspects of how to be a successful person" - VVS Laxman, Times of India, Hyderabad

'There's a lot of technical stuff like temperament, leadership, team spirit and all that but importantly in his (my) case, it's given him courage to get out of his comfort zone, which is cricket, and into writing; courage to follow his dreams, unconventional as it seems.' - VVS Laxman, Times of India, Hyderabad

'He (the author) has successfully greenflagged a lot of red flags accentuating the importance of preparation an focus, without which it is hard to succeed in life." - VVS Laxman, Times of India, Hyderabad

'It took me just three hours to read the book and it made me quite emotional. There were several aspects of it which I could relate to my own life. It's written in simple language and is easy to read and understand.' - VVS Laxman, New Indian Express

'Two important factors which he spoke in the book are about courage and preparation, which are extremely important not just in cricket but in any profession.' - VVS Laxman, New Indian Express

'I turned emotional on reading 50 Not Out. It was so touching that you instantly relate to the happenings around and try to pick up a few lessons in the art of living too.' - VVS Laxman, The Hindu

'The two biggest lessons of the book are courage and preparation. The best part is it just doesn't discuss problems, but has plenty of solutions too.' - VVS Laxman, The Hindu
Vishwa, Me, Shrini, NP Singh, Vijay and Shobhs
'A must-read for all those interested in managerial skills, coming as it did from an ex-cricketer who played straight and fair during his hey days.' - C.V. Anand, The Hindu (Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad and recipient of the National Special Award for Best Electoral Practices in 2014 awarded by the Election Commission of India)

'I loved the way he made a conscious attempt to connect cricket terminology to signify the good and bad in anybody's life like explaining what it means playing with a straight bat and bowling no-balls.' - C.V. Anand, The Hindu

'When your movie is released you feel very tense but I had just then finished reading what it means to have an eye on the ball in cricket and stay focussed.' - Suresh Babu, The Hindu

'When you're writing a book of this kind, you run the risk of either being cliched or preachy. Hari has cleverly sidestepped these two by blending life lessons with cricket and films.' - Sumanth, Actor, Lead Actor in Golconda High School

'Cricket taught me innumerable lessons and I wouldn't be half the man i am if it wasn't for the game. The lessons came fast and frequently and I initially thought it applies only to cricket, but then I soon realised hat it can be applicable to all walks of life.' - Harimohan Paruvu, New Indian Express

'I tried to get into the mindset of champion cricketers and compare it with champion personalities in the outside world. There were challenges on the way and I wrote about a hundred drafts, but it worked in the end.' - Harimohan Paruvu, New Indian Express 

And then VVS Laxman unveiled the book.
Young admirers - Anjali, Ashrita, Harsha and Mansi
50 Not Out! was officially launched in Hyderabad.

Post launch Laxman was mobbed the TV and press crews. I was signing books for a long time. As expected the 100 books got sold out soon and the Jaico salesman rushed to get 10 copies from Himalaya which were sold out too.  When will these guys ever learn?

Let me try and remember who came.
My cricketer friends - Vivek Jaisimha, Vijay Mohan Raj, Ramanamurthy, NP Singh, Mujtaba Askari, Sanjay T, Vijay Kumar, Timothy Paul, Bansi, Srikanth Iyengar, Baliguddin, Riaz, Narasimham
MCC friends - Ramkrishna, Suri, Pavan, Srinu, Ramesh, Subbu, Suresh Pullella, Venkat Swaroop
School friends from All Saints - Choudary, Vasu, Arif, Jamshed, Vinay Gopal, Rahi Prakash, Rajesh, Farrruk, Joel, (all cricketers too) Joseph,
My Inter friends - Ajay Narne, Ramaraju (with his entire team from Gap Miners), Suresh Reddy, From Osmania University Engineering College - Sanjay Reddy, Sunil Jyoti, Chandu, AP Srinivas, Prasad Badiganti, Vijay D, Kishore, Vivekanand, Anjaneyulu, Sagarika, Kanakaiah, Anil Kumar Suravaram
OUMBA - Shrini.A, Vishwa Prasad, Ramesh
Writer friends - Vinod Ekbote, Major Kiran, Cheryl Rao, Taufeeq
Buddies - Madhav, Kiran, Ranjan
Film fraternity -  Senthil (ace cinematographer of GHS, Magadheera fame and a most compassionate and kind human - he came after the program but stayed long long after, chatting about this and that in his unique humble manner), Nandini Reddy, Srini Avasarala, Ramesh Eligeti, Prasad Nimmakayala, Sagar, Naveen Nayak (whose pics I posted now),Sai Srinivas (Siddhanth of GHS), Sudhir,
Elders and teachers  - Mrs. Jaisimha aka Junie Aunty, Naresh's Mom, Mr. Shankar Melkote, Prof. Shamraj, Prof. Balaji, Dr. Krishnan and Mrs. Dr. Girija Krishnan, Vidyasagar,
Doctors friends - Dr. Satyanath Patnaik, Dr. Sreenu and Dr. Manju, Dr. Gautham
Friends - Mona Jaisimha, Monica, Shanthi, Mamta, Shailendra and family, Pratap and Narendra Nargundkar, Chitra, Prashant, Ramesh, Pavani, Vaishali, Anitha, Geetha, Shreya, Rohan, Shashi, Jaleel (constant at all launches and a wonderful friend, brother of Aqueel the Great), Suryaprakash Rao of HRG, Amar Chegu, Prem Chand, Lalitha, Murali Baseedu, Naushad, Tej, Roopesh, Dayakar, Sushmitha, Jawad, Kishen, Bhanu, Vikram, Safir, Anjan Nadimpalli, Suresh Ravi, Bhaskar, Vijaylakshmi, Divya Uday, Dhruv, Sheetal Kiran, Madhavi C, Nitin and Naina, Ashok Nair, Major Chary, Sridhar, Ravi Kulasekharan, Shravan Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Shalivahan, Gopinath, Paola, Achyuth Menon, Shiva, Reena, Shekhar, Prashanth Chandra, Prateek Chandra, Bobby, Abha, Anjali
Family - Shobha, Anjali, Mythily, Ashwini, Jagdip, Abhishek, Sheila, Ram, Chimu, Radhika
Journalist friends - Das, VVSubramanyam, Gladson, Radhika Rajamani, Venu Kodimela, Pallavi.

I am sure I missed some. I am going to get them all,

Thank you all for coming and making it such a blast.


Pics from the launch

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Invitation to the Book Launch Event of "50 Not Out!" at Hyderabad - Please Come

This is an invitation to the book launch event of my third book '50 Not Out' on the 21st of January, 2015, at 6 pm at Landmark Bookstore, Somajiguda, Hyderabad (second floor in the Westside Building, next to Spar, near  Amrutha Mall).

The program would conclude by 730 pm.

All are welcome. Please do come. 

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Article on Promoting Ownership Among Employees

Promoting ownership in employees is a huge concern for most leaders and managers. Here's an interesting article - a how-to.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219328

Friday, January 16, 2015

Kite Flying on Sankranthi

I could not figure out kite flying. I did not know the way to buy the right kites, did not know how to punch holes, tie the knots, tie the thread etc. If the kite flew I was more than happy to hold it and exult in the feeling. If someone challenged my kite I was helpless - there was no one to complain to. The aggressor would cut my kite off and laugh and I'd pack up sheepishly. Didn't happen too  many times but I could never understand why they were cutting my kite when I had not challenged them to a duel in the first place. In that sense Ram, my brother, was much smarter at kites and marbles. I had no sense of survival.
Ready for action

Oh, oh! Not as easy as it looks
Armed with such dismal experiences I kept away from kite flying. I did not have the patience of Mohan who went to Gulzar House to buy manja. Not that Mohan was too successful at cutting off other kites but as with all things Mohan did, the excitement was more in the journey than the result. As I grew older I kept further and further away from these kites and confessed to my complete ignorance on the matter.
Bliss of participating

Okay, let's go

Now Anjali is old enough to want to experience all these things and my past comes up like a ghost. How do I now make peace with these kites? How do I tie the thread? A couple of years ago we actually bought kites, thread, charkha etc but knew nothing of how to get it flying. The pathetic kite flew two feet and nose dived. I felt the frustration the Wright Brothers must have experienced in that fifteen minutes.
Mama's helping out - there she flies!
So when Vasu the adventurous, suggested that we fly kites at his house in Banjara Hills I found the perfect answer to my dilemma. I took Anjali to the housetop there where Vasu and Ranjan were engaged in kite flying with Ananya and Ishan. Anita and Geeta sat in the shade which was the perfect place for me. Anjali joined the kite flyers and well - held the charkha which is the first job given to every new comer and an important one, held the thread and pulled at it and felt the happiness of holding the string of a live kite. All in all, a most satisfying outing again.
Ananya and Anjali

Alright, looks good

Let me navigate

I haven't done this yet
But there were not many kites around. There were too many buildings, too few kites. Also the kites and thread and manja we had was apparently Chinese. What the hell are they doing making our kites and manja? Wonder what else they are producing for us?