Oh my men in blue, my men in blue
You are my blue-eyed boys, aren’t you?
It began with crushing the Bangladesh crew
Where Kohli conjured a ton on his world cup debut
And Sehwag’s magnificent 175 gave them lots to chew
Then England tried hard to make it through
But Sachin blasted his 98th international ton, mind you!!
And you warded them off saying “Kohinoor is the only gift we gave you”
Minnows Ireland came with an agenda too
But Yuvi’s 5-for and Yusuf’s knock had them sulking too
And then Netherlands’ fight seemed futile too
Defeat against South Africans gave Dhoni a cue
Not to play Nehra for matches few
But Sachin’s 99th made it all worth a view
The West Indies let us breeze through
And reiterated our quarterfinals position without much ado
Australia quarterfinals broke boundaries new
Raina’s power-play prowess came shining through
And Yuvi’s stellar made the 4 time world champs finally eschew
Pakistan semifinals made the nation Bleed Blue
Mohali seemed to be the favorite venue
It was really our bowlers all the way through
Nehra felt vindicated too
I only wish Sachin’s “100th ton” dream had come true
Your dedication let the success continue
Munaf, Ashwin and Piyush had lots of learning new
Sreesanth made not much noise for you
Harbhajan took time to tune in to
While Zaheer went about setting records anew
Sizzling Finals with Sri Lanka came down to the wire too
Gambhir and Dhoni sparkled like sunlit dew
You are the ones Sri Lanka finally succumbed to
You lifted the World Cup that was 28yrs due
And dedicated it to Sachin’s career of 22
Three cheers to you, three cheers to you!!
Now that the victory is ours I don’t know what to do
No challenges new, no hysteria to look forward to
I really am down with the Cricket blues
Gary is making way for some one new
Sachin, I am glad you are not bidding adieu
For I really can’t contemplate Cricket without you
But well......tomorrow is a brand day new
Men in Blue, let your journey continue
For a billion hearts beat for you!!
By: Sheela Karunaker Bapna
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sunday, March 2, 2008
My Oscar moment
Alighting from our car that evening at the Four Seasons Hotel, Silicon Valley, I was filled with nervous excitement anticipating the evening ahead. The occasion was, after all, our 19th Annual President’s Quality Awards (PQA). These awards represent the highest Applied Materials honor for achievements in Quality and Reliability (Q&R) for the fiscal year (2007).
The evening commenced with a warm reception by our Q&R team where the various teams mingled with each other over sparkling wine and delectable appetizers. The crowd was a nice mix of diverse people who represented the 4 winning teams of this year’s PQA – CSS, FEP, GOMO and TSMC. Soon we were joined by our CEO, Mike Splinter, and his Executive Staff.
What followed was a sit-down round table dinner where I had the pleasure of sharing the table with Tom St. Dennis, Sr. VP – SSG, and fellow members from other teams. Between relishing our five-course meal, we talked about varied topics ranging from US presidential elections to the booming Indian economy, social culture in the Middle East to state of affairs at Applied.
“I am having so much fun”, I remember thinking to myself when Tom posed a question “What is your essence of Quality? Did you work towards winning the PQA this year?”
To which I recollect answering to this extent – “CSS has always shown a strong commitment to Quality and has always advocated adherence to the best practices and in fact ensured percolation of this commitment to all levels within the group. Hence, the PQA was not the MOTIVE of our actions but instead, the RESULT of our actions.” That moment made me realize how proud and honored I was to be representing CSS at the PQA.
Soon the dinner session came to an end and coffee was being served, when Mike Splinter took over the dais to address us. Mike spoke about the importance of emulating companies that achieve quality excellence — Motorola, Toyota, Singapore Airlines — through processes that have moved them up into the top quality echelon.
And then, before we realized we had reached the much awaited part of the evening - the awards presentation. Chuck Korstad, VP – Q&R, took us through the contributions of each of the winning teams, starting with CSS.
It was impressive to learn that CSS's Quality initiatives and efforts earned it the first ever customer award from Samsung, specifically for software. Together, CSS and its extended software support family have received 12 customer accolades from major customers including Crolles 2, TSMC, Chartered, and SMIC. During a recent Supplier assessment Intel highlighted CSS-VP's dedication to Quality by giving a full score of 10 out of 10 for Management Commitment.
Although CSS has won the PQA on previous occasions, this award was made more significant by the role played by our global teams across N America, India, Russia and Xian who have contributed significantly to Software Reliability improvement.
It was indeed a proud moment for all of us from CSS to receive the PQA.
The beautiful evening finally came to an end and it was time for us to leave. As we left, I recalled the sparkle in the wine, the sparkle in each of the winners’ eyes, and as I stepped out into the night I noticed the sparkle in the star-lit sky. Truly, what a sparkling evening that was.
The evening commenced with a warm reception by our Q&R team where the various teams mingled with each other over sparkling wine and delectable appetizers. The crowd was a nice mix of diverse people who represented the 4 winning teams of this year’s PQA – CSS, FEP, GOMO and TSMC. Soon we were joined by our CEO, Mike Splinter, and his Executive Staff.
What followed was a sit-down round table dinner where I had the pleasure of sharing the table with Tom St. Dennis, Sr. VP – SSG, and fellow members from other teams. Between relishing our five-course meal, we talked about varied topics ranging from US presidential elections to the booming Indian economy, social culture in the Middle East to state of affairs at Applied.
“I am having so much fun”, I remember thinking to myself when Tom posed a question “What is your essence of Quality? Did you work towards winning the PQA this year?”
To which I recollect answering to this extent – “CSS has always shown a strong commitment to Quality and has always advocated adherence to the best practices and in fact ensured percolation of this commitment to all levels within the group. Hence, the PQA was not the MOTIVE of our actions but instead, the RESULT of our actions.” That moment made me realize how proud and honored I was to be representing CSS at the PQA.
Soon the dinner session came to an end and coffee was being served, when Mike Splinter took over the dais to address us. Mike spoke about the importance of emulating companies that achieve quality excellence — Motorola, Toyota, Singapore Airlines — through processes that have moved them up into the top quality echelon.
And then, before we realized we had reached the much awaited part of the evening - the awards presentation. Chuck Korstad, VP – Q&R, took us through the contributions of each of the winning teams, starting with CSS.
It was impressive to learn that CSS's Quality initiatives and efforts earned it the first ever customer award from Samsung, specifically for software. Together, CSS and its extended software support family have received 12 customer accolades from major customers including Crolles 2, TSMC, Chartered, and SMIC. During a recent Supplier assessment Intel highlighted CSS-VP's dedication to Quality by giving a full score of 10 out of 10 for Management Commitment.
Although CSS has won the PQA on previous occasions, this award was made more significant by the role played by our global teams across N America, India, Russia and Xian who have contributed significantly to Software Reliability improvement.
It was indeed a proud moment for all of us from CSS to receive the PQA.
The beautiful evening finally came to an end and it was time for us to leave. As we left, I recalled the sparkle in the wine, the sparkle in each of the winners’ eyes, and as I stepped out into the night I noticed the sparkle in the star-lit sky. Truly, what a sparkling evening that was.
Friday, September 21, 2007
In the Race
The score was 3 each, so there had to be penalty shoot outs before either of the teams – India or six-times champion, Australia could be declared the World Champion of Women’s Hockey. Having started as the least favorite, Indian team surged past S. Africa, Argentina, Korea and many others before they demonstrated a very convincing victory over Australia. The entire stadium stood up to applaud their win and many from the audience, including me, cheered them as well from our seats in the 70mm cinema hall.
This is the climax of the recent Shahrukh Khan blockbuster Chak De! India (meaning Go for it! India) for you.
It is no coincidence that this well-crafted movie timed its release during the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence Day; the sport centric theme guarantees to evoke patriotic sentiments. Nor is it any surprise that it portrays the revival of a less popular game of Hockey in a Cricket-crazy nation. But the most prominent theme of the storyline that captures one’s interest is the portrayal of the WOMEN’S hockey team conquering against all odds.
Is there a message here?................But, of course.
In the recent past, Indian women, both closer at home and away, have been making news, and for all the right reasons.
Be it Sania Mirza’s rise to the 26th position in the World Tennis ranking or Kiran Desai’s Booker Prize winning literary work “The Inheritance of Loss” in 2006. Be it the election of Mrs. Pratibha Patil as the first woman President of our nation or Sunita Williams’ successful completion of a 6 months space mission. And how can one forget Ekta Kapoor’s revolutionary, albeit controversial, contribution to the Indian small screen. Or Indra Nooyi, U.P. CM Mayawati and Aishwarya Rai’s recognition as one of the 50 most influential Indians by U.S. based Business Week.
Sports, Politics, Corporate, Media, Literary and Cinema……fields diverse, contributions immense. As somebody rightly said, “This is the century of the women” indeed. So our fellow sisters are very much in the race, and making great strides at that.
Chak De! India………or should I say Chak De! Indian women.
This is the climax of the recent Shahrukh Khan blockbuster Chak De! India (meaning Go for it! India) for you.
It is no coincidence that this well-crafted movie timed its release during the 60th anniversary of Indian Independence Day; the sport centric theme guarantees to evoke patriotic sentiments. Nor is it any surprise that it portrays the revival of a less popular game of Hockey in a Cricket-crazy nation. But the most prominent theme of the storyline that captures one’s interest is the portrayal of the WOMEN’S hockey team conquering against all odds.
Is there a message here?................But, of course.
In the recent past, Indian women, both closer at home and away, have been making news, and for all the right reasons.
Be it Sania Mirza’s rise to the 26th position in the World Tennis ranking or Kiran Desai’s Booker Prize winning literary work “The Inheritance of Loss” in 2006. Be it the election of Mrs. Pratibha Patil as the first woman President of our nation or Sunita Williams’ successful completion of a 6 months space mission. And how can one forget Ekta Kapoor’s revolutionary, albeit controversial, contribution to the Indian small screen. Or Indra Nooyi, U.P. CM Mayawati and Aishwarya Rai’s recognition as one of the 50 most influential Indians by U.S. based Business Week.
Sports, Politics, Corporate, Media, Literary and Cinema……fields diverse, contributions immense. As somebody rightly said, “This is the century of the women” indeed. So our fellow sisters are very much in the race, and making great strides at that.
Chak De! India………or should I say Chak De! Indian women.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tribute to M.G.Road
What do you call a congenial, captivating, cosmopolitan confluence of software and shopping malls, electronics and environment friendliness, salubrious climate and cleanliness, modern outlook and old worldliness, precision engineering and pubs?
You call it India’s best city for business……it is also called Bangalore.
>Opening lines of Business Today’s survey on India’s best cities for business, Dec 1998
Bangalore, to me, has been more than a "Global IT hub" or "Pub capital" or any other sobriquets that it may go by. It is the city I grew up in (and still growing). This city is my home and it was once the city I loved the most, until the recent onslaught of malls and apartment complexes, growing population density and chaotic traffic changed it all........or so I thought.
When I heard about the Metro Rail project finally taking off on M.G. Road, I was happy that somebody had finally woken up from their deep slumber and decided to do something to ease the congested traffic situation in our city. However, my excitement was short-lived for I realized that this came at the expense of the beautiful landmark of M.G. Road, the Boulevard.
Any native Bangalorean knows that the true charm of M.G. Road lies not just in the mixed architecture style of this road, but more than anything, in the Boulevard walkway that graces the entire stretch of one of the sides of M.G. Road. Speaking of the architecture style, it is a delight to see how well the old, quaint buildings blend in with the relatively new ones. So more recently when I read that the oldest ice cream parlor "Lakeview Milk Bar" on M.G. Road was to be shifted, what they claimed to be temporarily for 2yrs, I just felt the urge to visit M.G. Road.
All these years, I have been to and through this road a countless times – walked through it, driven past it, enjoyed many an auto ride and even caught jay walking across it. However, my visit to M.G. Road today was different from any of the others ever made before. I was there today with the sole intention of seeing the road itself, enjoying it and paying a tribute to it.
Here are a few glimpses of what I saw.
Boulevard overlooks a deserted M.G.Road on a bright Sunday morning
Metro Rail project site
Not far away, an uprooted tree from the Boulevard is being translocated
Uprooting can be painful
This tree stands stripped naked to its bare structure
Modernization comes at a cost
This magnificent tree stands in full splendour, unaware of what lies ahead
The only strip of Bougainvillea flowers at the Kumble Circle junction
Sipping coffee at Barista, Barton Centre, "facing the Boulevard" will only be a thing of the past
Not many know that this decrepit "Plaza Theatre" which has hosted some memorable films to many a audience, once used to be a venue for ball dances for English soldiers in 1930s
Deccan Herald office reflects the old world charm
Jamals, a 1910 structure, is just the place for china and cutlery
Lakeview has a history of 77 years behind it. Set up in 1930, it has stood witness to every change this stretch has seen. Although more popular for its ice creams and milk shakes, I am glad I managed to enjoy one last breakfast of "Lakeview special omelette and Moosambi juice" before its landmark move to another location
Bombay store, on M.G. Road, is housed in a sprawling three-storeyed building while its headquarters in Mumbai's financial district apparently operates out of a relatively cramped space.
Barton centre, definitely one of my favourite piece of modern architecture in Bangalore
And you think I would miss out on the opportunity to take a pic of myself against the Boluevard........this one is for posterity :)
And thus, I rediscovered my love for Bangalore all over again, traffic and poor roads, notwithstanding........
You call it India’s best city for business……it is also called Bangalore.
>Opening lines of Business Today’s survey on India’s best cities for business, Dec 1998
Bangalore, to me, has been more than a "Global IT hub" or "Pub capital" or any other sobriquets that it may go by. It is the city I grew up in (and still growing). This city is my home and it was once the city I loved the most, until the recent onslaught of malls and apartment complexes, growing population density and chaotic traffic changed it all........or so I thought.
When I heard about the Metro Rail project finally taking off on M.G. Road, I was happy that somebody had finally woken up from their deep slumber and decided to do something to ease the congested traffic situation in our city. However, my excitement was short-lived for I realized that this came at the expense of the beautiful landmark of M.G. Road, the Boulevard.
Any native Bangalorean knows that the true charm of M.G. Road lies not just in the mixed architecture style of this road, but more than anything, in the Boulevard walkway that graces the entire stretch of one of the sides of M.G. Road. Speaking of the architecture style, it is a delight to see how well the old, quaint buildings blend in with the relatively new ones. So more recently when I read that the oldest ice cream parlor "Lakeview Milk Bar" on M.G. Road was to be shifted, what they claimed to be temporarily for 2yrs, I just felt the urge to visit M.G. Road.
All these years, I have been to and through this road a countless times – walked through it, driven past it, enjoyed many an auto ride and even caught jay walking across it. However, my visit to M.G. Road today was different from any of the others ever made before. I was there today with the sole intention of seeing the road itself, enjoying it and paying a tribute to it.
Here are a few glimpses of what I saw.
The only strip of Bougainvillea flowers at the Kumble Circle junction
While a remarkable piece of history was paving way for modernization on one side of M.G.Road, the other side, with its mixed array of quaint and contemporary structures, continued to add to the charm of the place
Not many know that this decrepit "Plaza Theatre" which has hosted some memorable films to many a audience, once used to be a venue for ball dances for English soldiers in 1930s
Gangarams, one of the most well-established and popular bookstore stands next to Higginbothams, which is the oldest bookstore in Bangalore and part of a chain established in 1844
And thus, I rediscovered my love for Bangalore all over again, traffic and poor roads, notwithstanding........
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