Van Chitgough- The Art of Life

so i wake up this morning to find that my computer is behind by one hour:) very pleased with the fact that it has automatically adjusted itself to 'reverse daylight saving' .
Wiki describes it as: " Daylight saving time (also called DST, or summer time) is the portion of the year in which a region's local time is advanced by (usually) one hour from its official standard time. It is most common in temperate regions.

"Daylight saving time" is a system intended to "save" daylight, as opposed to "wasting" time (for example, by sleeping long past sunup). The official time is adjusted forward during the spring and summer months, so that the active hours of work and school will better match the hours of daylight."

Quite cool...so now that winter is here, the reverse is in practise:) clocks all across europe are now set back by one hour:) I get more daylight when i go to work, and in some warped way, get to sleep in by an hour...but then its the same for everybody...
i wonder if we back in india would think of something like this for the farmers slaving their ass of in the winter months....hmmm must write to the president.

Posted by chitgo at 10/30/2005 03:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

friday , had a killer evening and night of loads of fun with these gangsters:) (thanks gio and CK) Went to gut genaut for dinner with niharika and these guys and the hot topics ranged from the indian gods and goddesses , to the origons of indian names, the swiss and indian realities and differences and ofcourse AIESEC...great time...
couldnt get enough ofcourse so decided to hit a 'uni' party in Bern for the celebration of the semester re-starting. some things dont change across the world, and thats that young people basically need a reason to get drunk ... hahaha anyway the place was cool, me and gio downed an entire bottle of martini as we waited for the endless queue to wind down before entering.... inside, dual levels and some good music was mixed nicely with a crowd way older than me:) hahahahah its funny to think they're students !

anyway , so on saturday, was walking around bern with niharika and came across the 'Brasil Capoeira ' performers :) these guys are cool. a rhythymic tune to which they engage in acrobatic martial arts ...women, men and even a young kid who was extremely skilled, wowed us with what seems like a most beautiful form of art.
Check out the pictures:) these guys were flying and exploding with the roundhouse kicks all over the place...this shit is cool.

Posted by chitgo at 10/30/2005 01:05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

translation: my german teacher:)
Sie ist klein aber gefährlich i.e 'she's small but lethal, very lethal i tell ya'....and i've got a lot of studying to do for the weekend!!!

Posted by chitgo at 10/29/2005 04:26:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

whats going on? were we playing sri lanka or bangladesh?
a complete lashing from the likes of irfan and sir sachin once again. i predict a fightback for sure , but with this sort of dominance....what u going to do lankans? i ask u...what u gonna do?
hahahahahah (evil laughter) from an indian in switzerland.

Posted by chitgo at 10/28/2005 08:30:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

wooooohooo:) ...armed with enough luggage to survive for the next 10 years..niharika arrived in zurich, switzerland yesterday!. she's settled down...as settled as one can be in 1 day in a new country...and will be starting work next tuesday. Fun weekend in Bern planned and basically all is well in hoppschwiiz!

right now, I'm busy juggling 10 different things between aiesec and UNFPA work as my online scoreboard tells me irfaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnn (aka irfan pathan) has struck early getting rid of the dangerous jayasuriya.
The sun is shining down on a glorious Bernese day:) and I suddenly remember I have like 2 chapters of my german left to finish before meeting caro this sunday. This time she is really going to kick my ass if i'm not finished...yikes!
enough ramblings...back to work...and that goes for you 'velas' (jobless in my beautiful mother tongue of hindi) as well..:)

Posted by chitgo at 10/28/2005 02:49:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

my favorite game of all time:) Max Payne and Max Payne 2...i just completed the second part and my life feels more complete...my choice for the all time, most kickass 3d shooter you can ever play....yeah its old...but its gold !..what next? Halo 2 and finally going to see whats so great about the half life series...:)  

Posted by chitgo at 10/26/2005 05:49:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

and oh boy is he back:)....
nothing else in the world would deny my dad of giving me sagely advice when meeting me on MSN , except if the topic is to share the batting prowess of one sensational Mr. Sachin Tendulkar:) hahahaha i miss the times me and him would sit on the edge of our beds in the room downstairs with some chicken wings and coke and shout everytime sachin would go ballistic in a bowler:)
Its good to see the man who can shape the emotions of a billion people come back and whip the shit out of the sri lankan attack!...if only for a match.
yes yes, i can hear the puritans exclaim "dont count your chickens before they hatch" (lol is IIPM going to sue me for defaming their slogan hahaha )..but watching a few highlights of the internet brought sweet memories of matches in sharjah, tests in pakistan, one day internationals in sydney and long haul innings of class at lords...he is the man...
I wonder if nations can be moved with the power of an individual, sport is a 90 minute- 1 day affair...and yet it can hold in captivation souls - who shall beam with pride or cower with shame over their 'countryman's' success or failure. Here in switzerland, i feel it more , cos i doubt this nation would ever permit the sillyness of a sport to take over their core emotions. Football? maybe just a bit here, not like cricket which i know can make one laugh, cry, shout, scream , explode firecrackers...the list goes on.
Me and sethi (an old friend of mine from venky in delhi) used to watch cricket matches whilst talkin to each on the phone...the frustration for my family members to have to hear 3 sets of commentary - the tv, me and sethi LOL:)...
ahhh the joys of shouting "what a beauty" at the top of my lungs:)
Lol...if you've ever seen the spe3/4 flat in vikhroli you would know its much too crammed to fit 8 over sized men , but it did..despite sam's constant shuffling and restless nature...we wouldnt budge until the last delivery would bring the indian cricket team success , or failure:)

Posted by chitgo at 10/26/2005 05:27:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

yup! today marks exactly one month for me in switzerland!, and it has been a blast. chairing conferences, trips to the mountains, concerts in bars:), german classes, high german vs. swiss german (bernedutsch, baseldutsch etc;)), endless trips up and down geneva, millions of falafels, even more tsopf and washing it all down with fondue and white whine- all in all its been awesome.
So, as this is an educative blog and in the spirit of active learning and sharing , here is a lost of top 10 things ive learnt about this country and it's people...

1. Xenophobe's guide to the swiss is a kickass book which anybody visiting / living in this country must read. For the non-swiss its funny and insightful, for the swiss- well its funny and insightful hahaha...

2. the swiss are terrible with compliments, and i mean terrible!. And this for a guy as egocentric as meself:)

3. German is a fun but very difficult language to learn especially when there are some 16,000 different dialects within switzerland itself

4. each city in switzerland is like a different country. in a train ride from bern-geneva you can actually feel the culture and language transition smoothly from german to french through fribourg (mix of german and french speaking city) to lausanne (ze francais begins here) into geneva (aka genf as the german speakers call it). confused? join the club...

5. punctual is not a term you can use in this country...punctual is weak and meek compared to the insane respect for time this place enjoys. Buses and trains can be marked to the SPOT. I mean to the spot...buddy if you're train is at 10:03 in the morning..10:04 is so late you could practically catch the train the next day..tsk tsk..shame on you:)hahaha

6. fondue ROCKS!...and you can eat it with apples, grapes, bread and well pretty much anything

7. if anything goes wrong here, its usually the foreigners to blame:) (and theres a big % of them here mind you)

8. the swiss concept of crowded is most humorous for an indian:)...if you're on a train and 2 out of 4 seats are taken, oh boy..you know its rush hour. dont even think of asking/sitting in the 3rd or 4th empty seat..cos nooooooo, that much space is needed:)

9. the swiss think of EVERYTHING. the last compartment of every train is a fully equipped kiddy play area with jungle gymns and slides and what not...also, there is a special 'silent' compartment where you are not allowed to say a word!..no cell phones, no music...nyet, nichts:)

10. saturdays and sundays are HOLY DAYS , shops close at 4 on saturdays....not a soul manning any shopping areas on sundays....amazing considering this country has the highest per capita income in the world.

thats just the tip of the iceberg...;)much more to come. As i write this, it's 10:15 pm coming to the most eccentric aspect i've seen in switzerland- if living in an apartment building you can't bathe after 10pm! hahahaha...:) holy crap..and you think you know what 'silence' is....

Posted by chitgo at 10/24/2005 01:29:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

woohoo...:) kicked cos my new tool in capturing the images that surround me arrives on the 27th with neha:) its the canon powershot a400 and its my birthday gift! many thanks to my parents ;)
....should be more than sufficient for assisting van chitgough's musings.

hmmm rest of the news, all is fine and dandy here in hoppschwiiz:)...loads of work at the UN with representing at the WHO forum on global partnerships on health, putting together a couple of reports on the latest global compact tools and watching the windows of my office get bullet proofed (haahahha no kidding, we are important people, i got a notice in my email that this proofing would happen on tuesday !)
Niharika arrives on Thursday and im guessing the day will go into helping her settle in...the weekend will be good fun showing her around (the big swiss expert as i am)...
spoke to trent my main man on the IPM CC in netherlands last night, was great fun catching up with him on his normal aussie antics hahaha....club 104 springs to mind....;)
hmmm...german class with caro tomorrow evening...and i studying needs to happen tonight cos ive got like a full lesson and a half of my notes left!..yikes..
anyway its a beautiful sunny day outside and I am going to embrace it with open arms...
P.S. song of the week is undoubtedly 'disco king by david bowie' what a track- psychadellic style rock which you wouldnt expect considering his usual musical style.

Posted by chitgo at 10/22/2005 07:40:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

some insane stuff going on with IIPM, a b-school spread across a number of cities in India....its getting quite ballistic, but more interestingly is causing the release of a lot of skeletons in IIPM's cupboard ....read some of this crazy shit here and here and if you want a good laugh read this hilarious 'we love iipm' blog here.. . Oh and lets not forgt the Legal notices!

The most interesting tid bits have been provided by proactive (and I must say aggressive) Indian bloggers in unearthing a lot of the falsities of this institution. Check out some kickass investigatory journalism here. Protests, media updates, bloggers uniting against IIPM in Bangalore- catch it all here

Posted by chitgo at 10/21/2005 02:46:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Posted by chitgo at 10/20/2005 08:06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Almost 4 weeks into another country and what I am about to speak of was something I could never believe was true till I was smacked in the face again and again and before I would have time to recover- again.
Day 2 in Bern : I walk pass the COOP (grocery and personal goods superstore spread across switzerland) and see a familiar face- positively tamilian with the trademark curling knots. He could not have been more than 35 years old. I smile at him from a distance, readying myself for an acknowledgement when in closer proximity- nothing. I hold the flaming curve of my mouth hoping foolishly that he had bad eyesight, he turns away - almost in disgust, but what is really there in that expression is the harsh truth- contempt. My pace slows, a bit shocked I wonder at that time " what the f@$#$ was that?"

Well Im going to face it and blurt this out: Indians it seems are ashamed of each other's existence in a foreign land. I guess the time they fled the county of 1 billion familiar faces, it was in the thought and nature as that of a refugee. The very sight of another indian now reminds them of a terrible past and a truth they dont want to face- they're Indian. Yes you bastards, no matter how much german, dutch, french or bulgarian-romanian hybrid you pick up- you're still Indian, and I dare to ask...why the contempt? why the disgust??

Ok, so thinking of this furiously , I guess some1 up there wanted me to see I was right. Im sitting on the train back from wengen (the beautiful hill station which overseas 3 swiss mountains and a valley - pictures below) and zuzka realizes that the elderly couple in front of her are slovak. She can tell , even though they speak in hushed tones- the kind you only see elderly people engage in. She gives me a big zuzka-like smile (a smile of a baby when she's given a lollypop the size of her arm:)) and says " I have to talk to them, this is so exciting"...I say "go for it!"...the rest is history and sadly enough, what makes me as despondent about this reality.. I fall off to sleep as Zuzka chats rapidly with this elderly slovakian couple for over 35 minutes...she walks off the train bounding and eager to tell me of this couple's story...they ran away in the late 60s, the communist regime had the husband in prison for the longest time. they are concerned of what's happening today' etc etc etc etc...
I come home and think....i've probably seen atleast 20 Indians who could have reacted to my open stance and willingness to talk...heck even a smile in return. Nothing. Zilch. Nyet. Nuet. Nichts ...you get my drift?

Piyush, my main man:) was in zurich 2 weeks ago...gosh it was nice to see a fellow countryman happy to see a familiar face:) as we joked over how the feeling of meeting in another country was kickass, I regailed my confusion to him. The reaction- "Dhruv, its not just here, any part of the frickin world man- especially developed countries. New York is supposedly worse, europe is ridden with such people. Ignore them, no point wasting your time."
Everyone has a chip on their shoulder.

After much thought, Im left feeling pity. My pity turns to laughter and to gratefullness of the wonderful ethics and pride I was brought up with... I will travel the world in the next half decade and come back to my beautiful home, my beautiful country, I will rejoice as I smile at the piccadellos and respect the great gains she has made....

Posted by chitgo at 10/20/2005 01:38:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

mountains and rivers
bein crossed everyday
in the very same breath
you call love a cliche

i know that love songs
are very passe
meant for those
who cant win their love away
i guess ill always..
be one of those fools
..you're love i just cant lose...

i guess i was always searching for trouble
i guess i was always searching for you
endlessly searching,
for that voice inside of me
a voice that would say,
you and me deserve to be

many told me
that you're the wrong kind
samaritan voices said
she'd mess up your mind

but if thats what i have to do
to get to you babe...
you know i'd do it...
cos nothing else feels more true...

-dC , spring 2002

Posted by chitgo at 10/20/2005 03:35:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Illume says the candle that I burn
A reflection in the window
All the way to Point Dune
Illume like it dances
I am a cliff dweller
From the old school

I like the coastal cities
I like the lights
I like the way the ocean bends
Into the city at night
It's like living on a working river
This coastline is glittering
Like a diamond snake
In a black sky

I am alone now
With my thoughts
how we could make it
how we could get out
What we've been through
All of the trauma
The smell of Nag Champra
Shadow of a stranger

I will not take you for granted
I wouldn't trade it for jade
Or for diamonds
Not for one minute
Not for anything
I need you to be there
Just remember when I am haunted
That I was just so scared

I am alone now...

What I saw on this journey
I saw history go down
I cannot pretend
That the heartache falls away
It's just like a river
Ooh, it's never ending
I cannot pretend
That the heartache falls away

Because I
It's just like a river
It's never ending
It's just like a river
It's never ending

I am alone now...
What I saw on this journey...
I am alone now....
What I saw on this journey...


-fleetwood mac (illume 9/11)

Posted by chitgo at 10/20/2005 03:31:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

was thinking about this randomly the other day as I walked down the 'eigerstrasse' (the name of the street i live in Bern) watching the drizzle surround me....
the heavens dont have too much to do with anything on this planet - in physical terms,...theres literally a whole world between them..pun intended:) but everytime the rain hits the ground, its as if to make it 'king' just for a mini-second....next time, watch the rain..a million little crowned divinities is what the land looks like...i found this image which kind of helps the visualization process.
why ? how come it doesnt splash out in a vertical formation or something else?
for every1, and every thing, needs to be king , even if for just a fleeting moment. the ground is tread on day in and day out, by the unworthy soles (and souls) that reside here...the purity of a raindrop reminds them...you're alive, you are the king...you are ...

hahahah, and no im not going insane:)

Posted by chitgo at 10/20/2005 12:23:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Debating champion, 3 years running in school. Winner, all state competition in uni. The quickest wit amongst his friends, the one to step up to 'talk their way out' of tight spots with the cops.
Brilliantly verbose they called him.
10 years past, he looked at pictures from her wedding and thought " I couldnt say those three words"

---------------------

" What are you getting him for his birthday?"
"An inscribed zippo and a carton of his favorites"
"Yuck, you're his best friend, you want to kill him or what?"
"It's his life yaar, leave him alone"
The test results came out on his birthday....
the bottomside of the zippo read " friends forever"
---------------------

They always made fun of him.
"Dumbass, loser, chutiya"
He only had fair weather friends, he reminded himself of charlie brown, without the cute dog....
2 decades later he sits back in his leather armchair smiles at the picture from graduation day..noone found out who put the bomb in the cafeteria"

Posted by chitgo at 10/19/2005 10:12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

a talented blogger got me hooked onto this little style of prose :) called the 55 word fiction....Archie...i loved reading the ones you put up on your blog...am giving them a shot now....you can call this uhmmm, my tribute to 'a dose of archster' :) (the idea being ladies and gentleman- a 'short' story, fiction, exactly 55 words long...its amazing what the mind can do:))


"He needed a haircut, badly. The heat was quite uncomfortable. Then he remembered, those slender figures running through his locks, grabbing the tuft at the back as they kissed. He smiled as he thought of the security of lying on her lap as she stroked the curl on his forehead. Maybe the haircut could wait. "

Posted by chitgo at 10/19/2005 08:35:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

he turns 22 today...my best friend...somewhere in canada:) im curious of how he would be celebrating...but I will, sitting here, many miles away , be going through the few odd photographs I have and random voice recordings we treated us to in our previous egoistical times ;)
there are friends that define what the 'masti' and indefinable fun of the teenage years can be...the feeling of being indomitable, untouched by anything around you..in that world..we were the kings of all we surveyed....he taught me that...happy birthday you bad ass mo$#$ f#$#:) ....'cha'

Posted by chitgo at 10/19/2005 03:17:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

where do we go now?

Posted by chitgo at 10/19/2005 03:15:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

ever once in a while you get exposed to something different, something non-commercial and simplistic when it comes to music. I was lucky enough to have stumbled upon something like this...a must hear:

download from here
The Sweetest Things in Life - Demo

Beware of the Sirens - Demo

Climbing Trees (acoustic)

In Retrospect

and check out the others as well if you like em...beautiful ..absolutely beautiful stuff...

why the despondent music? ...its getting cold here in switzerland, the fog envelopes one early in the mornings....as if the beauty needs to be shrouded in a a grey blanket...
but on a happier note:) i had a wonderful fondue dinner with sabi, sarah, zuzka, bee, mark, joelle and sam :)...more white wine, more funny conversations that can only be the result of a 2 swiss, a slovakian, 2 hungarians, a german and one indian eating a true swiss dinner. For those who dont know fondue, it's a delicious cheese porridge (i can imagine some of my swiss friends taking out the army knives ready to carve me into tiny pieces for daring to compare fondue to the term i just used:) but what the heck) eaten with morsels of bread, apples and grapes ; washed down only by a generous serving of white wine....scrumptious!
listening to lickpenny loafer right now, its 11:40pm and you can hear a pin drop in this country that can redefine silence..

Posted by chitgo at 10/19/2005 03:00:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

quaint.... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:55:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

and miles to go before i sleep....this was the kind of walkway i strode along for 2 hours:)  

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:54:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

contemplative....and heres the quiz...what am i thinking?
option 1) 'if i jump' could my laptop be used for protection on landing?
option 2) what if one of those paragliders down there suddenly realizes how uncomfortable his briefs are?  

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:50:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

cascading.... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:48:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

seriously breathtaking... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:46:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

nope, this isnt a postcard- this is the real deal....do you hear a bollywood track somewhere in the background?  

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:45:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

chillllllllllllllller...this after 2 hours of walking..and it was only something this beautiful that would get my rear in gear with such alacrity... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:44:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

oh let the sun beat down upon my face...aboard the 'zug' (train in german) to the wengen... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:42:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

1276m altitude:)  

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:41:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

dateline-sunday the 16th of october 2005
van chitgough's state of being- tired after a day of cycling and lazy after a previously relaxed night of movies and white wine
the eventual consequence- so bloody worth it!!!!

oh my god...my verbose brilliance fails me in describing this trip i made the last sunday to the 'wengen'...check out the pictures above!:)

Posted by chitgo at 10/18/2005 01:26:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

it was movie night with the girls 'Bee' and 'Zuzka' last saturday:)...After a thrilling 2 and a half hour cycling expedition across Bern into Thun and back (pictures below).., white wine was accompanied by what is now one of my favorite movies of all time' The Shawshank Redemption'. Its one of those movies I remember as a kid watching with my dad, but, the lack of violence, chinky eyed heroes slamming each other in unimaginable vertically aligned kicks and basically nonsense- would not hold my attention for long:)
but oh man, what a movie!...worth watching for those who are thinking of the next flick to grab from the oldies...my good mate vasu ofcourse provided me with the amazing information about the bollywood version of the same- what would i do without him? i think he said it was called teen diwaren?
Next on the movie hit list are 'the usual suspects' , 'monty python- the holy grain and life of brian', 'snatch' , 'clockwork orange' and 'memento' :) not to mention im downloading 'spinal tap' as well....
hmmm also...looking to watch some good documentaries...suggestions anyone ?

Posted by chitgo at 10/17/2005 07:36:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

dc contemplating life....the kind of picture theyll be placing in the musuem dedicated to me....illusions of grandeur rule... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:50:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

ok ladies and gentleman, thats the crazy ladder some pet loving individual made for his CAT....yes C-A-T...holy crap...this kittys got it made in the shade.. 

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:48:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

van chitgough taking a little break by a 'brook' hahaha i always wondered when id be able to say that 

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:46:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

many thanks to sabi for giving me his funky bike:)...more contraptions on it than a frickin car..! 

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:44:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

a bikers dream with the river on one side...neatly winding forested areas to my right:)...pure bliss... 

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:43:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

zuzka and me on the whirlwind 'tour de aare' :)  

Posted by chitgo at 10/16/2005 03:43:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

oh man...its been way too long...i think it was way back when i was 15 or 16 , when me and shouvik used to go and get 'urban underground' with our street kats ( hahahaha yeah thats what our bikes brand name was) and hit the under construction lanes of mayur vihar, noida and patparganj:)....making up stories as we went along it was the best feel good factor and we used to thoroughly enjoy ourself....

cut forward to today:) almost 6 years later and i embark with my friend zuzka on a killer bike ride along the gorgeous river aare in bern...winding pathways along a beautifully forested area cut upon like a delicious cake:)- hence providing the ones lucky enough to have set out for an excersion with sights of valleys, long green fields, junior league soccer matches, sneak glimpses of the various mountains that this ridiculously picturesque country is filled with....
fresh air in my lungs...arms and legs aching a bit..but thanking me for some exercise...god, i think ive done more for my state of physical well being in one day than i did in over a year in bombay and 2 months in agra!:)
check out the pictures above...

Posted by chitgo at 10/15/2005 11:14:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

got a call from dhanur today...the CC office is C-7/8 and C-8/8 is now empty except for his luggage and a couple of chairs....man oh man ....was good hearing his voice despite the mandatory hindi that he forces himself to utter in conversation with me:) My salutations to one of my closest and most respected friends - DG who has wrapped up with one of the most intense and consequently successful conferences of all time....16 months nearly of unparalleled devotion and brilliance for this project....i wish i could be there with you to close the doors on those 2 little apartments...some crazy history created there bro.

on another note....im just a lucky son of a gun to have been part of 2 'champion teams' , one of my Indian MC 04-05; the true champions standing tall in the face of adversity; and the second the champions crew:) that took the world by storm with International Congress....i miss you. This picture of the latter at our last team meal - being breakfast 2 days after the last delegate left the venue. What a bunch man , what a bunch....someone out of this group will be the next CEO/social entrepreneur of the decade/CFO of major proportions....momentous shit....look out for an entry that will leave the jaws dropping across the planet- the final surplus figure from International congress 2005:) not to mention the kickass plan that goes with it's distribution - leaving a true legacy and sustainable action for our organization's future.

Posted by chitgo at 10/14/2005 04:52:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

my colleagues B and Zuzka remarked today on how the long cold winters make the swiss bored which is why they probably have the coolest 'gizmos' one could think of - but not in terms of electronics or gadgetary! Went upto the hill Gurten today which was absolutely gorgeous...was a birds eye view of the entire place....not to mention a freaky elevator train that went up about 500 metres :)....secondly...saw a little ladder leading down from a window sil of an apartment near Rob's on the first floor to the ground floor...what for? the cat...
holy mackeral- the cat has his own ladder....
idiotically didnt have my digi-camera to capture these 'fantastic' images...but will surely be passing by those areas again :) ...look out for em...
also....also:) found this awesome picture from B's blog of me with my new team...notice how I am clearly the most relaxed of the lot-- chairing ACT 2005 was an absolute blast...many thanks to aiesec in switzerland and the MC (in the pic- from the left - Sabine (aka B), zuzka, sabi , me and Rob )for a brilliant conference.

Posted by chitgo at 10/12/2005 01:25:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

last year i had one of the best aiesec experiences one can have..got to sit in for an LCM in a different country...that too in @ in switzerland's top performing LC- Bern...after which I went with some members and a couple of international trainees to this absolutely cute place called cuba..i remember having to walk a long way but after getting there, it was worth it..pure samba and latino played all night long and i was treated- only visually;) to the best dancing from some of the locals that you can imagine.
so today, with Patrick (aka CK) , after an intense meeting discussing the proposed follow up to a Business event hosted by @ in switzerland called Connect at a lovely restaurant next to the 'Kornhaus', i remarked on how Id love to go back to 'Cuba' one of these days- well would u believe it- we were 10 metres away, without my knowledge:) CK smiled and we just walked in...the memories flooded back and we ended up drinking the night down with a friend of his called Obi....a nigerian dude whos birthday it happened to be....more memories of jokes and fun shared with jesse and Akin came to mind....:) (Fellow Congress committee members of IC in Agra)....

Posted by chitgo at 10/11/2005 04:47:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

hahahaha...holy crap!...stumbling upon a dps rk puram alumni site, this is what I found!! :)...brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my lips...can you find the protagonist of change and the terror of the 'norm' in this picture? this was in 2001...jesus, feels like ages ago!. Actually, I suddenly remember being lucky to be in this picture ; being the last few days of our year in high school, impromptou rugby matches were only interspersed with the customary begging of the class geek to hand over all the notes she had made the effort of compiling , with me marketing vociferously the reason why I deserved to have them:)...
If you do find me in the picture, notice the dishevelled tie, idiotic smile and obnoxiously curled hair....what a model student.
And if you're sharp enough, find also the little champion in one of the front rows:) who was in actuality the model student- coming in the top 5 of her class for 3 years running- hence deserving the special 'blue coat' (an award bestowed upon students scoring 80% aggregate and above 3 years running) . Notice how I have a green one- the dress for the less worthy in my wonderful institution that is Delhi Public school.
wow....trip down to good old land of the dipsites is required next year....
I wonder where these guys are now...we shared 2 whole years together and there are probably a handful who I have a vague idea of today....time flies man...flies...

Posted by chitgo at 10/09/2005 07:19:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

a good friend of mine from the UK(from the congress committee) on a conversation I had with her the night before I left for switzerland asked me "so how do you feel now that your leaving your beautiful country"...I ofcourse answered honestly remarking that I was extremely excited missing upon the context of the question on how I was leaving behind the gorgeous and mysterious land that was India.
I didnt say much then as there were more pertinent things to speak of including catching up on other mates...but...the remark really left me thinking....here's why...

I have worked with a number of internationals from various parts of the world in the past year and a half, and it has been my distinct pleasure to introduce my country and its 'beauties' to them. My problem , coming straight to the point is that I fail in elaborating exponentially on the 2000 year old monuments and the intricacies of our marble stone; I fail even more miserably to recount historical and religious references to the culmination of this mysterious land as it stands today...
what i end up doing, almost foolishly is talking about india's vastly developing economy, the changing, diverse and yet remarkably culturally sensitive ways of its young people and the growing ambition of its midddle class. I tend to boast about our economist prime minister and scientist president...but you know what? all of that falls on deaf ears...cos who the fuck cares about that? show me your statues, your minarets, your torn down war heroes and your religious symbology..shom me your sadhus and your bullock carts.?????
Heres my take on this- europe is starving. Starving for a feel of 'reality', starving for a feel of what they like to believe is the 'basic' ....please dont get me wrong- I am in no way being derogatory or negative...not just yet...my point being that please pardon me if im 'less than overwhelmed' about the rapdily increasing monumental structures that are our temples and devotions to the hindu gods...hell no man...i dont give a flying rats ass, not cos im an aethist, i just find my country's desire to continously invest in ridiculous aspects like that a waste....people will argue that it is this very ignorance towards the divine intervention and mankinds core requirement for a place of worship....and I would bite my hand off before i was made to respect my country for those 'virtues'.
No...i will not, not now , not ever...and i wish that the true virtues of one's country lie not in what its past glory achieved...(i disagree vehemently with tom when he says cultures of 'respect' are those with vibrant histories of glorified physically depicted existence like Egypt, Iran and not-like Saudi Arabia!- see the posting here.

Anyway....this is rambling, and it seems im getting more aggressive. my point being..look at a country in totality...i havent come to switzerland and started to scout for every second fricking mountain hoping desperately to catch a fleeting glimpse of a semi-porno bollywood flick....far from it...this country has a melting pot of cultures and is yet the most stark example of how aggressive cultures and religions of tumultous pasts have come together in beyond perfect harmony- actually creating a eutopian aura around it. Now if THATS not a Good case practice , i dont know what is...
Read mckinsey quarterly, question yourself on why india amongst 9 other rapidly developing nations features week after week after week....admire its unity in diversity and its maturity when dealing and managing a relationship with Pakistan--hell if you want to admire the sunderbans...dont just talk about the bloody tigers but turn on NDTV and watch politicians and social activists battle it out on tribal preservation issues.
I am NOT feeling low about leaving my beautiful country...cos honestly its getting to be kickass because of a few generations before me and hopefully mine as well...it will get to be world class offering its citizens - every man, woman and child an equal opportunity and a standard of living that is worthy of a history so noble..and NOT the other way around....
we are a tireless nation....and i urge the yoga-enthusiasts and marketeers of tantric medicine to think of investments, partnerships, business trips and jobs in this nation-i daresay it might be a little more rewarding than that gazillionth trip to the Taj Mahal.

Posted by chitgo at 10/08/2005 12:51:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

ahhh:) one of those super hectic weeks...monday, tuesday and wednesday was a hectic start with days interspersed between bern and geneva (MC and UNFPA)...some late night conversations with Bee and Rob meant less sleep ( I wake up at 6:30 in the morning to catch the 7:30 train to geneva which takes an hour and 50)...but it was certainly worth it...eye opening discussions on the swiss reality towards 'marketing' , 'selling' and External Relations overall make my mind race ...which for anyone who knows me - knows the onset of a sleepless night.
Thursday the advisory council meeting with some very interesting individuals including my boss Mr. Erik Palstra- the director for the UNFPA. A very cool man who greciously offered to take our team picture in the break at the main UN general assembly hall (this was magnificent) at the Palais de nationes in Geneva....what a place.. (kofi annan was delivering a speech in a hall next door)....the stuff stories over a whiskey and cigs is made of many years down the line..

hmmm flash forward to today which was a trip down to the IBM headquarters for a session on mentorship and coaching - how it stands for their organization as well as detailed discussion on implementation in aiesec...very interesting :) (taken by the head of management development for IBM Switzerland)...following which was another interesting meeting with Microsoft switzerland where myself and Bee met the individual managing academic accounts ( was enlightening first of all understanding what that was- the organization has a billion divisions reaching out to every stage of software usage; this one focussing particularly on ensuring MS software is utilized in curricula of universities/engineering set ups and primary schools as well)...anyway good meeting- nice to be back in the ER saddle- most certainly my forte and my one true love....
needless to say the week has left me bushed...downloaded some awesome movies last few days which im going to preserve for the long train rides to and fro geneva-bern (shawshank redemption, usual suspects as well as some brainless ones like the big labowski and hellboy- ahh bliss!)
Also, watched sin city a few days back...was excellent fun- a bit random :) but well spent 2 hours for sure....
hmmmm, other tid bits- virgin radio has made an excellent compilation of top 250 rock songs...and i must say its comprehensive from a self-proclaimed rock expert of a variety of genres..check it out here
Also...found the perfect site that can list some of the best movies both in the UK and US box offices - most certainly worth checking out for those who are looking for the next nice flick to latch onto over the weekend...IMDB

Also, lastly but most certainly not the least!- Niharika has got her visa! wooooooohoooooooooooooo...party on till the break of dawn..the princess of LNs :) will arrive in zurich in the next 3 weeks and the excitement builds..!
other news hmmmm....team days next week...Do-IT draws nearer (undoubtedly the DEFINING conference of the western european region- so those of you thinking of the inspiring conference thats going to help explode your outlook- drop me a line..worth selling your souls for)
more coming up soon.
also song of the week - is the blue oyster cult classic 'dont fear the reaper' ...(listen at the Virgin radio top 100 btw)

Posted by chitgo at 10/08/2005 12:16:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

your environment really defines your desire for a particular type of music...as aged as it may be...

when surrounded by beautiful mountains - you have just got to listen to 'madrugada - the kids are are on high street'. Download it , burn it on a cd/better still on an ipod..and stare into the great outdoors'....you can almost imagine what great conquerers of the past felt like....
Thanks to my now heavily nordic friend aneesh for giving me this song a long time ago...it just has a lot more flavor now in hoppschwitz:)

ok, and besides this im having a major pearl jam rerun in my head so dug out my vs, ten and yield albums and have been rocking to 'go' , 'animal' ,'daughter' , not to mention my all time favs like 'elderly woman behind a counter' , 'black' and 'garden'...aaahhh bliss....
also, DG (aka dhanur grandhi- my main man back in bombay deciding which corner of the earth he wants to go to) informed me that 'our' room back in good old vikky has been enabled with wifi access so he hasnt left it for the past 2 days. coming to the point, this man undoubtedly has a good and diverse taste in music and his 2 latest suggestions:
-simply being loved by BT
-kangna accoustic version
are all out smash chiller tracks....get a hold of em music buffs..

Posted by chitgo at 10/04/2005 01:31:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

My office in Geneva at the:
11 chemin des Anémones, UNFPA
Office C 601, Maison internationale de l'environnement I
Châtelaine Genève, 1219
Suisse
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.
Private Sector outreach and Partnership creation for foundations, corporate organizations and agencies within the western european region. Without sounding too braggy, that is a severe understatement, there is tremendous scope and potential for this particular avenue and I have literally been given a free hand to create strategies best suited for major financial contributions. How? Because amazingly enough I am the only person working in this agency of the UN apart from the Director on private sector initiatives, all previous data and 'outreach' was outsourced....hence next 2 weeks are dedicated to assimilating all tested and untested waters under one umbrella post which the action plan shall be created....
Dont even ask me how excited I am- because its unfathomable....:)
A 20 hour UNFPA orientation CD is calling out my name and hence I must depart...
au revoire!

Posted by chitgo at 10/04/2005 01:13:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

thats the term they call the country and scenario i live in today....after one week i am compelled to contemplate on 'why'?...hmmmm so many reasons..

The legendary 'pipeline' of activity doesnt exist in environments and cultures like this. An individual's word is considered holy rather than the paper that gaurantees the same. Respect is gained and lost based on the ability of one to be consistent with communication meted out, rather than overpromising and underdelivering as I have been accustomed to. needless to say these are shortcomings in my own working and personal style and if there is something to learn here- it is that once a person/organization/entity says 'itll be done'- It will be done 9/10 times. Even if not, you know there would have been a reason honest and transparent enough to confidently allow the 'moving on' process and consequently find a solution.
Simple example- I had the distinct pleasure of chairing an AIESEC in Switzerland conference this past weekend. Not particularly large- for the indian aiesecers reading this- slightly above average to a december lcong for an LC.
However, something that constantly struck me at this forum of young people from 9 diferent parts of the country was the tremendous respect for time and 'word'. How do i explain 'word'- picture this...i'm sitting in a legislation prior to the start of the conference and a Local committee president (aiesec city representative for the non-aiesec initiated reading this) is explaining why the organizing of one of the conferences mandated to him is on track- and the budget should be approved. His explanation- we have not found a person to head the organization process as yet (OCP), in fact 3 days ago , the person we had in mind was not sure if he was upto taking up the responsibility, however NOW he is most motivated and the conference is on track.
Whaaaaaaaaa? on-track? how? 3 days ago, he wasnt sure, now he is? is it on paper?> was it voted upon/elected upon? were there meetings with the EB/LCP/MCP deciding the same????? my mind was going insane thinking this cant be right....
BUT...heres where the learning stepped in....switzerland is that sort of country, you respect each other's promises because true respect in this society comes in 'over-delivering' on promises. I dont know if the country even knows what under-delivering is, god forbid they will not oversell. For the daft ones reading this, dont get confused by the 'over' and 'under'- my point simply being- for the first time in life I can confidently delegate a task in this country or count on a colleague and on receiving his acknowledgement and affirmation that it will be done- doggone it, it will be done. Being a self-proclaimed man of efficiency myself, 'over-delivering' is going to be the way to go......cos plain old 'delivery' and execution is taken for granted...and you know what, I love it.
No wonder they are on a different league, no wonder little things dont phase them and the pursuit for excellence surrounds you as if to attack your very being. The trimmed hedges to the perfectly winding pathways and the crystal blue river interspersed with (almost medical precision) timely banks for exit/entry. I should have known, the almost perfect environmental surroundings are completely linked with the people that live here (obvious isnt it? the people impact their environment, and the environment in turn impacts people like myself who are new to this culture, new to this astounding creation that is the swiss life) Cosmopolitan as it may be, and as a high percentage you can count on expats- I think something happens to this vast majority as well- the 'swissnes' takes over. It is something you will see me refer to many times cos its a term ive developed, which I believe needs some testing as well....
The conference was kickass to say the least, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the level of the delegates, both experienced and otherwise was commendable....I love the fact that these people can laugh at themselves...they have an almost insane sense of local pride which unlike my country drives them to a sense of pride and belonging- which in turn adds tremendous flavor to an already interesting country. Switzerland in itself is just a physical boundary, the cultures within it are governed intensely on the core basics like language and family formats- but the 'current existence' and 'state of being' is that of the naturality of being Swiss.
I met some very interesting people this weekend though- some smart and funny people that reminded me tremendously of my culture - the italian-swiss from Lugano- a trip down there is most required...the geneva troupe has officially become my number 2 favorite set of people and spot to hang out after Bern (aka the MC;)) thanks to the great group of aiesecers that reside there....well the list would go on.....
The confernence ended on a high, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Looking forward to working with these unique people and hopefully attaining some real swiss traits more than it's kickass flag that is its perfectly aligned cross (memorabilia of which I cant get enough of by the way)

Posted by chitgo at 10/04/2005 01:11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments