Kishor Krishnamoorthi’s WebsiteKishor a.k.a Mjuboy’s Blog

After 2 weeks of campaigning, smiling, and forming a personal relationship with 1200 people, I needed a break. My trip to the Warwick Economics Summit 2010 was simply an excuse to go to a place where I was a nobody, another anonymous figure who nobody cared for, and could get away with doing whatever I wanted to do. Sitting in their bar and getting drunk in the afternoon was one of the best things I’ve done in a while and then proceeding to walk around their Students Union corridors, while still tipsy, and take photos to “borrow” their ideas.

The Summit was fantastic, dont get me wrong, we had a whole range of high profile speakers from Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer a.k.a Finance Minister to Kevin Kallaugher, known as KAL, the resident cartoonist of The Economist. I did miss around half of the talks but the time I spent sitting in the bar pondering nothing was well worth it. The Dinner and Dance on the final night lived up to my expectations. Even though I had pledged not to talk to anyone unless they spoke to me first, I managed to meet a lot of people on that night and we even came 3rd in the Quiz! The final day had a short video where they went to several prominent Economists around the country and asked them ‘What is Economics to you?’. The video gave me a fresh insight into why I had chosen to study Economics in the first place, why it was a subject that I truly enjoyed studying, and why I felt it would help me in my life’s goals.

From a more philosophical perspective, the weekend was enjoyable because I took a completely opposite approach to attitude when compared to the past two weeks. I didn’t care what they thought of me, I didn’t have to talk to everyone I met, I didn’t have to be the centre of attention, I didn’t have to be a massive politician. I could be myself, a lone little Indian boy without anyone caring what I did, without anyone noticing who I was, and without a responsibility in this world.

I loved it so much. Too much maybe. But I did miss my University, that sense of power when I walk into the bar, that feeling when all eyes hover upon me, that moment when I could go upto anyone in the bar and they would know that I was their President-elect.

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Some would say 3 weeks is plenty of time to explore a city as vast as Hyderabad. I’d say even 3 years is too short. Even though I’ve spent most of my life in this glorious city, I keep discovering new things to keep me amused every now and then. The past 20 days at home have been a well deserved break from the mad pace of life at University and a time to reminisce with friends. Few things I’ve rediscovered include -

- Ramser Cafe
One kirrack place it is. Sipping chai for hours at end while discussing everything from where to get the best Biryani to how we are going to spend our first million. Then munching on delicious & unhygienic Chinese Bandi food, the place provides for a blissful experience. It was here that I realized that you dont choose your favourite hangout spot, it chooses you.

- Jaablessness (Joblessness)
Life doesnt get any better than sitting in Paradise with old friends talking about school days and eating Biryani for 3 hours, laughing out loud like madmen while everyone around stares at us reprehensibly. (Paradise can be replaced by Nanking, Minerva or any other economical restaurant depending on prevailing culinary preferences.)
And when run out of money to eat more food, sitting around with friends, lazing in the sun, reading novels, and going on random long drives are fantastic substitutes.

- No worries about the rest of the world
India’s bothered box is India. 1 billion people is enough to worry about. While this may sound a harsh initially, it is hard enough to survive in this sea of people, let alone be concerned about people you’ve never met. This system seems to work, and keeps everyone cracking of with their lives.

- Great Weather. Eternally
The English are known for their constant qualms about the weather. If only they came to India, they would run out of complaints. While England is facing its worst winter in 30 years with temperatures touching -15C, the situation in Hyderabad is completely under control with the lowest temperature being around 15C and a pleasant 25C during noon.

- The cheap alcohol
The clubbing scene in India can be likened to a teenage kid going through an identity crisis. Since good manners does not automatically come when you get lots of cash, you end up seeing some crazy stuff at some of the poshest nightclubs in town. But this makes things convenient for us. We can do stupid stuff and get away with it too! And put that together with the fact you can get alcohol at the store for about 10% the price you would pay for it in England, you’ve the opportunity for a great night out!

- The hot girls
Okay, I was lying with this one. But not completely! While I can testify to the fact that there is a much higher percentage of good looking girls in England, the situation is different in India. Due to my Indian origin, I seem to possess this natural attraction towards Indian girls which makes home the best place to be for me.

- It’s home.
Regardless of all the madness that goes around and all the unncessary swearing that comes with it, it is a place I call home. Its a place that has sheltered me & my family for more than a decade. It has made me who I am. Its home.

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“Lets dance ah?”, asked Ranjith as we stood on the dance floor of the Emerald Room.Without hesitation, I eagerly shouted over the din of the music “Okay mama!”.

And thus began our tirade into 2010, a fresh decade promising new opportunities to explore, new lessons to learn, new girls to befriend and old friends to reminisce with.

Our plans for New Year’s Eve were uncertain until a few hours before the start of the night. Having managed to get our hands on passes for Taj Krishna, a classy 5* hotel in the city, the night began with our sober and impatient selves waiting in line for entry into the nightclub. After what seemed like eternity, we were inside. And with wristbands for unlimited drinks, it was the beginning of a night whose madness knew no bounds.

We finished the first few drinks rather quickly in our eagerness to start partying and as the alcohol kicked in, everyone’s face was plastered with broad grins. Time flew, drinks flowed, glasses became empty and soon the countdown to 2010 began. As the clock struck 12, a roar could be heard from the dance floor as the DJ wished everyone a happy new year.

The situation in our group was a bit different to the crowd. Kalyan was laughing uncontrollably. Naveen was hugging a random white man and refused to let go of him. Upendra was doing his traditional dance and smiling away to glory. Vivek was the happiest man around since it was his birthday as well. Ranjith was ordering more drinks. Nakul was in the bathroom. Tharun was nowhere to be seen. Rama was cursing the world and her ancestors loudly. But this was only the beginning.

It didnt take long for us to get bored of Ahala (the first nightclub) so we moved to the adjacent nightclub (Emerald Room) which was bigger but also very crowded. We came across some “interesting sights” as we walked around the place and bumped into a lot of known faces, all of whom we hugged and wished happy new year.

By around 2:30AM, a select group of us were still ready to party more but a few others of our group had passed out completely. So after much deliberation, the decision was made to drive them to our friend’s house which was base camp for the night. Unfortunately, his house was on the 4th floor and the building didnt have a lift, which meant we had to lift three drunken bodies up 4 flights of stairs. Fun times.

And then came the hunger. The crazy yearning for food. So six of got into 2 cars and drove to Y2K, the only restaurant which would be open at 3 in the morning and got ourselves some Biryani, the staple food of Hyderabadis. And now that the hunger was satisfied, the thirst for thrill was next. One of our designated driver’s was convieniently sleepy, I took up the challenge of driving one car. And we were off to Novotel which was on the other end of the city, and we didnt we even know why we were going there. We sat by the pool at Novotel for 15 minutes before getting bored and back to base camp it was. It was nearly 6 in the morning and as much as we wanted to stay awake for the breakfast in Taj Krishna at 7, our bodies got the better of us and we fell asleep in the cars itself. Another glorious night of the most random things had come to an end.

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I got back from my 1 week trip to North India last week. It was a fabulous trip and seeing the Taj Mahal in flesh is something surreal. The heat of Jaisalmer was killing and indeed it nearly killed my white friend, Josh, who I was traveling with.

I did get a bit tired of traveling towards the end of the trip, having already gone to Delhi and South India for a week each. Getting back home was a glorious feeling only to realize that I would be leaving for England soon. I think I’ve made the most of my time in these 3 months, having traveled around, spent quality time with family and friends and enjoyed the feeling of being home to the maximum.

I watched ‘Mallanna’ a few days ago, a movie which everyone warned me about as being a complete torture but a movie which I surprisingly found entertaining. The story itself was nothing complex and the movie wasnt taken very well, but I still found it reasonably okay, perhaps because I liked Vikram and thought the songs were awesome.

I’ve been catching up with friends again, its been fun and nice to see everyone once again before I leave tomorrow night. My next post will most probably be from England, and as always, I dont really want to go since I enjoy home too much, but things must move on…

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I spent a week in my native place near Kanyakumari when I’d gone there a week ago due to the sudden and unfortunate demise of my grandmother.

As the necessary ceremonies and rituals for the funeral did not take too long, I decided to make the most of my time there and look around the place as much as possible.

Going back to my birthplace brought about a strange sense of nostalgia within me. Even though I had’nt spent much time as a kid there, I felt a connection with the place. As I walked about the streets watching the old men have their evening coffee while poring over the newspaper, the women hanging out clothes to dry, kids jumping about playfully and the cows returning from grazing, I realized that these people lived in their own world, a world far away from others, far enough from civilization to be ignorant and happy but also close enough to get your hands on technology should you wish to.

Long drives in narrow roads with the wind rushing at your face while watching coconut trees gently swaying in rhythm, and stopping off for a drink of ‘Paini’ (a natural drink made from Palm trees more refreshing than Pepsi) is an experience that the mind can never forget.

I had my first waterfall bath, unlike any other shower or bath I’ve ever had before. With the water falling directly on you from a height of 20+ feet, after wading through rocks, its better than a hand massage and its supposed to good for health too. Quite addictive too since once you’ve felt the joy of taking a bath there, you want to keep going back for more.

My mother’s native village was filled with tons on interesting people with lots of stories to share.  Half of the village men were perpetually drunk, while the other half debated about my choice of facial hair. It was otherwise a lovely village where everyone was terribly friendly and helpful.

My father’s native village was equally lovely but there was a distinct lack of drunken men although that may just have been my ignorance. A nightime stroll around the village with my cousin as tour guide was great, getting to know the place inside out.

We did a reasonable amount of sightseeing and relative meeting over the course of the week, and a surprisingly large amount of people who said that they remember seeing me when I was “so small” and now I’d grown up with a “fancy moustache” and all. Fun times.

And with my travels to the northern and southern ends of India, I learnt a valuable lesson. That this is my country. This will always be my country. And nothing I say or do will ever change that. And you can take me out of India but I will forever be an Indian.

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New Delhi.

A place I’d like to call the New York of India.

Admittedly, I’ve never been to New York, but the touch, the feel and the sights of Delhi reminded me of what I’ve always imagined New York to be like. My friends reminded me that technically and geographically, Mumbai would be the New York of India while New Delhi would be Washington, but emotionally, I felt that Delhi deserved the title.

I got back from Delhi earlier this week, after having spent a week there with some school friends of mine, doing the usual touristic things as well as doing some local things.

Its a wonderful place, filled with a wide variety of people and places, and although the weather wasnt pleasant during my visit, I think I managed to get a decent peek at the life of a Delhi-ite.

A quick run down of the places we visited with a line about each -

• Jama Masjid – Absolutely magical, watching the evening prayer is truly a surreal experience.
• Humayun’s Tomb – Majestic. Having been the forerunner of the famous Taj Mahal, its a must see monument!
• Red Fort/Lal Kila - The huge size is what hits you first, and imagining the life of the people there in the days gone by brings about a strong sense of nostalgia.
• India Gate – It invoked a patriotic feel within me like nothing ever before. Walking down the Rajpath at night towards India Gate is something every Indian should do.
• Qutub Minar – Larger than I’d ever imagined, it makes one wonder about the marvels of Indian architecture.
• Chandni Chowk – People, people and more people. Possibly one of most populated places I’ve been to, with more trading done every hour than the biggest of malls in India.
• Connaught Place – Tons of things to do, see and lots to eat, and a  popular hangout for the Delhi Youth.
• Palika Bazaar - Chandni Chowk’s underground and modern brother, you can literally every gadget ever manufactured here.
• Karim’s – The very though of this place makes my mouth water. Absolutely brilliant food!
• AP Bhavan – A slice of Andhra in the depths of Delhi, it reminded me of how much I missed Hyderabad.

Overall, Delhi is quite an interesting city with lots of see and do. Going on a rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk is an experience of a lifetime, weaving through people, bikes and goats, going on the wrong side of the road and doing more sudden brakes and power slides than a F1 car. Okay, I’m just kidding about the power slides but apart from that, it is truly awesome. Bus rides are quite the opposite with bus drivers being stupidly rash and dangerous in their driving.

Watching movies in a cinema in Delhi is not such a great experience though. Apart from the stupidly expensive tickets, people in the theatre done appear to have much respect for the other people sitting there. All through the movie, people were chattering away noisily on their cellphones, with little regard for others.

I stayed at St.Stephens college with my friends, Arun Kumar and Venna Naveen, the college was a very beautiful place which almost made me regret my decision to go to England. People were friendly, right from the waiter at the cafeteria and the watchman by the gate to the students and staff.

Overall, Delhi is a city where paupers become princes and princes become paupers, where every 12th car of the road costs more than my house, and power is thrown around the city like a tennis ball. Its a city where girls try to appear modern with their clothes leaving little to imagination and boys trytoo hard to be cool with ridiculous hair styles and dress sense. But the true intellectual value of the city youth is something that can debated for years at end. In the end, I still love my Hyderabad and Mana Andhra way too much to live anywhere else.

Photos and Wallpapers coming soon!

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The fifth floor of the Albert Sloman,
everyday I go and sit at my spot,
the last chair by the window on the left,
and gaze at the lake for hours at end.

Studying I dont, for I find it unrewarding,
staring at the splendour of the lake,
has given me many a knowledge,
that EC111 couldnt have.

The occasional crow that swoops by my window,
the odd phone ringing on the other side of the room,
the fire alarm going off in the distance,
all contribute to this unique experience.

The shuffling of shoes,
the flipping of pages,
the clacking of keyboards,
the scratching of pen on paper,
all break the deathly silence,
so silent that I can hear my heartbeat.

I like my seat on the fifth floor,
I feel like I’m on top of the world,
surveying my territory outside my window,
gazing at the ducks, swans and geese,
and the pretty girl in red feeding them.
I’m transported to another world of solitude and freedom.

So many books around me waiting to be read,
so much knowledge waiting to be gained,
so much literature to put in my head,
but all I want to do,
is sit and stare out of the window instead.

I see a young couple fight and break up,
and another kiss and make up,
I see the ducks fighting over a piece of bread,
and the doves waiting to be fed.

I can see the whole world from here,
from my perch on the 5th floor,
watching life in its finest forms.
If there was one place I could sit forever,
it would be the last chair on the 5th floor.

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Two Years at University.

All gone by in a flash.

The two major events celebrating the end of the academic year at University, ‘The End’ and the ‘Summer Ball’ were held last friday and saturday respectively and the last term of the year is now over.

The End was immense fun. It involved about a 1000 odd students in the main squares of the University and tons and tons of alcohol. As you can expect, the outcome was definitely an experience not worth missing. The Summer Ball is pretty much the same thing, except its held in a large fancy tent and everyone is dressed in tuxedos.

Summer Ball this year was fantastically better than last year, primarily because the weather was dry. The new tent was unique, and since I got a VIP invite to the event, I also got a good free dinner. I didnt bother watching the acts, I was too busy with my friends going on the fairground rides. I ended up going on the infamous Dominator about seven times and got bored of it by the end. The general atmosphere of the night was positive and you could feel the fun all around you. I had an absolutely brilliant time and came home by 5AM after 12 hours of partying away.

Alcohol was flowing freely and excessively over the course of the 2 days, but I suppose its permissible given that it is only 2 days in a year. I know that both the days wouldnt have been half as fun had I been sober and hence the slightly generous consumption but it was well worth it and I’m going to go cold turkey for the next few months.

I’m going to miss all the final year students terribly during the next year, both these events were a huge goodbye and thanks to all of them who hung out with me over the past 2 years. Time sure has flown at an insanely fast pace and I cannot believe I am already finished with two years at Essex. It feels like it was just yesterday when I walked into good ol’ Flat 13 with my bags at midnight to meet up with my fellow flatmates. One more year, or maybe two more, but then it’ll be off into the real world which only exists as a myth within the university bubble.

I’ll be leaving for Hyderabad in a week’s time. I cannot wait to get home, its been too long since I’ve laid my taste buds upon some Paradise Biryani.

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The Paintball Machine at its finest!

The Glue Guns

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by the BBC (Yes, British Broadcasting Corporation themselves!) to know if I would be interested in taking part in an exclusive preview of their new online creative programme ‘BBC Blast‘. Not wanting to miss out on revision time for my toughest exam, I was about to turn down the offer but thought twice and accepted it since I wouldnt really get a chance like this often.

Upon further research, I found out that I was one of fifteen people creative minds invited to attend the preview and have a fun day out basically. I was quite excited about it and lo and behold, I was not disappointed. On Monday, I headed down to London and after meeting up with everyone and quick introductions, we were taken to Topolski Studio at Southbank London, just off the London Eye.

Since the studio was not big enough to accommodate all of us simultaneously, we were taken in 3 batches. The place was definitely like something I’ve never seen before, different and fresh. It housed four different creative ideas, one was a set of four paintball guns, hacked to be controlled via computers, another was 3 glue guns, once again hacked to be operated via a computer, a couple of printers and fifteen coloured lights sync’d with sounds.

This plethora of instruments could all be operated via a computer there, and you can do it online as well over here. The paintball guns were pointed against a then white wall, now a mish mash of colours, and you can direct it however you choose. The glue guns are pointed vertically down upon a plastic dome and they hope to build a sculpture by the end of the month. The printers can print out anything you type in online on the website and if I’m not wrong, I think they’re going to be displayed eventually in an exhibition. The coloured tube lights can have a different tune assigned to each and glow when you hit the respective key on the keyboard.

The Backend

Overall, there was a decent bit to see, and we were also given booze and snacks which made the whole experience even better. After some tinkering around, we went to the park to do some sweeding, as can be seen in ‘Be Kind Rewind‘. There were a lot of ideas and thoughts being throw around but we eventually settled on the movie Hancock with some random robots thrown in, it was good fun and we’ll have to edit the clips before we can get the final result which should quite amusing to watch.

I’d like to thank the BBC for organising this interactive day, and 1000Heads as well for finding the me and guiding us during the day. It was definitely different, and new and hopefully, as the programme expands, it’ll get lots of people involved in it!

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“No flash photography allowed.”

These were pretty much the first words that I heard on the London Underground when I came back to England early this week after a 10 day holiday to Spain and France. I did miss England over the holiday though, or rather I should say, I missed having the ability to converse to all the people I met freely without a language barrier. I definitely enjoyed taking photos only with a film camera though. I had both my film cameras slung over my neck as I wandered through the various cities. Agreed, it did get a few strange looks but I didnt care for them, I had different lenses and film in both and hence, I did it out of necessity.

It was a great holiday, a brilliant break from routine, and taught me things about the world and life that no book can. Things that cant be explained through words and must be seen to be believed. Subtle observations here and there, all of them contribute to a wholesome and learning experience while still retaining the joy of travel. I refrained from going shutter crazy this time, even though I managed to run through 14 rolls of film which is effectively about 500 photographs or an average of 50 daily. I made sure to visit all the usual tourist attractions, the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, etc, etc but also went to completely random non touristy places to have a different perspective of the place. I also shot in more street style of photography rather than a standard photography perfect shot technique. This was quite fun and opened my eyes to notice more around me.

Back in England, things have been good, perhaps a bit boring, but still good. Weather has improved considerably, its sunny, warm and pleasant. I’ve been sitting by the lake, working on my dissertation and essay, and going for the occasional pint by the bar with friends. I shall scan the photos from the holiday and try and put them as soon as I can. I also have 4 rolls of B&W film to hand process, and it is slightly time consuming but I shall get that done soon too, hopefully.

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