Full credit to Kaushik and Anwesha for us being able to create this intersection point. Last couple of trips to Boston, we just could not get our timetables to match. Therefore, I was delighted when they let us know that they would be in Atlanta for an event. This time we got together and had a great time catching up and adda and laughter!!!!
Shamshan
“Manzil to teri yehi thi, bas
Zindagi guzar gayee teri aate-aate
Kya mila tujhe is duniya se?
Apnon ne hi jala diya tujhe jaate-jaate”
Cremation Grounds
This was always your ultimate destination
But you spent your entire life reaching here
What did you get from that life of yours?
Your own set you on fire before leaving here!!
Navin Saxena!!!
Became very close to him in 1983-85. Then lost touch. Had a fleeting glance of him in 1994. And then lost him again. Decades later today, managed to catch him in his own lair – or at least his hometown.
Early morning today, in Atlanta airport, called up Rahul in New York to enquire if he had some contacts of Navin in Portland. Six hours later, landed in Portland, called Navin and surprised him by saying I was in town. At the end of the day after all the meetings were done, went to have dinner with him and his family. Missed his daughter who was out of town for a tennis tournament.
So many fond memories came back from the past – we were in junior and senior (high school) together. Those studies in hostels… the cricket games in dorm courtyard… those common friends… the trip to Dip’s house in New Chumta tea estate … visiting Navin’s house (my first exposure to a swimming pool and playing tennis), Rahul’s house (Kolkata), Rajeev’s house (Asansol), Rakesh’s house (Hind Motor)… the paper clipping that his parents had saved that had his and my picture next to each other (we had done not so bad in our high school exams). [my parents even today have that clipping of our picture together in the newspaper]…
The only sad moment was learning about his dad’s demise. He was very nice to me that one time I had visited them in their house.
It was a magical time. I was so absorbed in catching up with him and following his successes that I did not get much of a chance to get to know his lovely wife and really smart son a little more….
It was great to sit down with him for a couple of hours and talk like those days … nearly thirty years back.
On a coast to coast flight. Figured I have enough time to come up with a puzzle.
As always send a personal message for your answer – do not put it in a public place like Comments section in Facebook.
I had heard this problem long time back and was struck by the simplicity of its answer. I am adding a twist to that question here.
You and fourteen more of your team members were having coffee at your office cafetaria one day. Your manager walked up to you and said “I have an interesting problem for you guys. All of you will get an increment if you can tell me the correct answer. I am going to pick a random person ten minutes from now and ask – ‘how many of the team members earn higher than the average salary of the team’ ?”
Now the trick is obviously nobody wants to divulge their own salary to anybody else. And nobody wants anybody to know whether he or she is making higher or lower than the average.
You can assume nobody is earning at exactly the average number.
The team members look up to you to devise a quick, easy and elegant way so that everybody will get that increment.
How would you do it?
