Sharing space with Steve Jobs

It was only lately I realised that I had shared space with Steve Jobs.

During my trip to Santa Clara, I chose to visit the icons of the IT industry rather then the Golden Gate Bridge or the sights of San Fransciso. One such other trip was to Stanford University.

As I drove through the beautiful avenue,I could see in the distance the green lawns of the University and in the far distance the familiar arches of the building I had seen in the pictures.

I was in awe as I entered one of the Meccas of learning.The story of how Mr. Stanford and his wife were kept waiting at the Harvard University , where he had come to donate money in the name of his son, who had died at an early age, but were rebuffed by the President of Harvard.They then decided to start an University, which was co-educational and it rose to compete with Harvard, and the many brilliant minds which had passed through this portals flashed through my mind. It is on record that about 27 of its Faculty Members won the Nobel Prize todate and 4 of them the Pulitzer Prize.

As I wandered in the verandahs of the buildings, I could see the students lounging around , many of them Chinese and Indian students, reflecting the rising power of these south Asian countries and their influence in the world economics.

As I left I carried with me some of the glow of the halo of the University.

It was only after the the death of Steve Jobs that the one of the popular speeches he had made at the University on the occassion of a Graduation Ceremony, started making the rounds.

It was then I realised that I had stood on the very grounds that Steve Jobs made that speech.

Apple meant Steve Jobs

I never owned anything from Apple,no Ipod,which virtually changed the way people listened to music,no Mac desktop which in its last avatar came in all colors, no Mac laptop or later the MacAir which made all the Mac lovers go gaga.

I have over the years kept abreast of all the launches, and the dramatic way Steve Jobs presented each new product. The whole world watched ,waiting with abated breathe what wonders he would unveil. Each time the product he launched defied conventional design, and features. The world gasped at the products he launched.Long queues of people formed outside Apple stores all over US a day before the launch, braving the cold nights to be able to be the first users of these amazing products.

I kept watching with wonder ,but never made an effort to possess one.Then the ipad was launched, a fascinating cross between the mobile and the laptop and ergo a new category "tablet" was born. Ever since the Ipad was launched my desire to possess it increased ,and was waiting for it to land in India. Land it did,but the price kept putting me off and I kept delaying my purchase.As I waited ,lo and behold Apple launched the ipad 2 , thinner ,sleeker with front and back cameras, and many cutting edge features. It was then I decided I just had to have it.

As luck would have it, a never thought off business visit to the US came up and on landing,at the first opportunity I bought the just launched ipad 2, through the good offices of a dear friend and I joined the Apple lovers society .Later I visited the HQ of Apple, in the Silicon Valley, and took a snap in the world renowned address 1,Infinite Loop Cupertino California. Heres a snap.

Almost a month later the news of Steve Jobs stepping down as the CEO filled the news and internet.Will Apple be the same without Steve Jobs?? Will Apple be able to launch products with iconic designs? so many questions, but only time will tell.

Takeaways from the US visit

Landing in the Big Apple in an Airbus 380 for the first time was a mental high.Even the 14 hour flight was bearable in this aircraft about which had one read so much ,what with beds,showers and bars! I never got to see any of that that since I was flying economy ( but it was a classy cattle class with comfortable spacious seats in the A 380).

I landed at about 2.30pm in the afternoon,and walked out with some oversized baggages which i was carrying for an exhibition and found myself accousted by some lebanese and other dubious taxi drivers,much like our own airports,but I was warned against this by the aiport staff.So I contacted the ground transport help desk,where an African American lady helped me out with the number of a taxi company. I hired a SUV cab which accommodated my oversized baggages nad after about 15 minutes of the two hour ride to New Jersey ,came to know that the taxi driver was from Chandigarh and we chatted away happily in hindi, with him telling me about his brother back home who would only go on a car to his college and was blowing about Rs.30,000 in fuel bills every month while he was slogging away earning dollar by dollar .Of course at the end of the trip, he asked me for a 20% tip if I was travelling on company account and no tip if I was travelling on my own. Thus begun my stay in the US.

I really felt that I was in the US first when I saw the Statue of Liberty, and how it stood there welcoming all those who were persecuted, and choked because of the lack of Freedom in their countries.

The second place was when I stood at Ground zero,a mental picture of the cloud of dust which enveloped the Greenwich street, when the twin towers came down, came up and went.The moment which changed the country and its thinking for ever.

Now a gleaming tower is proudly coming up in it's place,telling the world one could never put down that country ever and that it would always get the people or person who wounded it.

The third place was of course the Times square where one could see nationalities from all over the world congregating as the country celebrated the 4th of July.The Square where the brands of world shone in brilliant neon signs,with the Empire state building in the back ground,and the teeming multitudes of people told me that this was the place where the whole world met.The whole square came to a grinding halt as the night sky was litup by the fireworks down on the Hudson river.After a good twenty minutes as the fireworks winded down the whole square erupted in cheering voices and the clapping of hands. Viva la America!!


The main take-aways from the short trip of about 10 days to the US was the discipline on the roads,the politeness of the staff in every outlet one visited, and dignity of labour, right from the young to the old every one worked ,even if it was physical labour.

But the one incident which struck my heart happened on a Southwest Airline Flight which I was taking from New York to San Francisco.As the flight was about to land the airhostess thanked all the serviceman who were travelling with them and those who were serving the country all over the world and the whole aircraft erupted with clapping of the hands. My eyes were wet as I too clapped my hands .

A nagging discomfort that I had not seen anything of this sort back home,kept nagging me, but then we are lovers of cricket , arn't we? Only cricketers are saviours and Gods.

Did I tell you that I too am an ex- serviceman of the Indian Army?

Bin laden......

The US Navy Seals who staged the spectacular mission "GERONIMO" to capture or kill Bin Laden, are well euglised in the many movies we have seen, But to see it staged in real time proves the capability of this force.( but why did it take 9 to 10 years for the world's most powerful country?)

Of course we have had a couple of missions like the Israelis staging a mission at Entebbe, where they even had a duplicate Idi Amin with them

In the Indian forces too, we have well trained commandos who could stage a similar attack, but do the political bosses have the guts? that's a different story.......

The top Brass in the forces too shouldnt have shot of their mouths, even when such a mission could be done.

US has given billions to the Pakistanis and could get away with such an attack.

But any such venture by India could only lead to war between the two countries.

My First Car

I still remember the first car I bought. It was in the late 80's in Hyderabad.Owning a car in those days was a sign of arrival, especially if the company helped you buy it, which was based on merit.

The company magnanimously gave me a loan of Rs. 35000/- In a wide ranging search in the market, i finally came upon a powder blue Fiat, which was I gathered a third hand car. Not knowing much about cars , i went and bought it in good faith. Later I realised that some portions of the floor it was rusted and showed signs of advance decay.

But then it was my first car. With a lot of fanfare the car was taken for the Puja along with my team tagging along to the Hanuman temple at Kharkhana. It was a memorable day.

That car gave us immense pleasure as we rode around the town,and probably for the first and last time took my parents around in the car when they visited us.

Subsequently through the years I owned many cars, but none has given me the pleasure of my first car.

Sasha baby

When I saw you come into this world, you simply looked around, without any crying and looked at the wonder that is the world.

Ten months later when i first saw you at the airport, you simply smiled at me and blew me away. Every day when i spend time with you as you play, and sometimes do things with an intelligence beyond your ten months, I look in awe and love.

You have a smile for everyone, but a lovely smile for me and come willingly into my arms.

The beauty and innocence of your being is a proof that God still loves us ,and has given you to us.

Sasha Baby I love you & am proud of being your Grandfather.