NOLA - A dream city or a city of dreams

When I saw this four letter word written somewhere on an old clay plate hanging somewhere in some shop, It appeared quiet weird name to me. Although I ignored, but then this name just kept on striking my view again and again...and I realized that the very city I am going to stay for next 3 weeks, is known as "NOLA", New Orleans, Louisiana :)

Not sure why, but I was not much enthusiastic about coming to US . Neither had any excitement of visiting world's richest and most powerful nation for the first time. To me, any US city would have a fast pace of life with people running around for money, time....

I was proved wrong when I started knowing the city...4 years back, when Katrina devasted the infrastructure badly, it failed to uproot the spirit and culture of the people here. Rather, it seems, Katrina's after effects appeared in the form of coordinated efforts amongst the local people here to bring the city back to life. Re creating the infrastructure, establishing more and more businesses in and around the city to stop the immigration.

This city has its own culture and they've preserved it extremely well. For the first time I was enjoying Jazz so much. Wherever I go, the music follows, it just made most of us asking for more. A city where people believe in spirits, ghosts and contribute to businesses of many palmists sitting with candles in the dark around the cathederal during night. The city center has variety of places to visit. From shopping malls to Harrah's casino, from ferry rides to acquariam and zoo, from dupon cafe which opens 24X7X364 to burboan street...

The city is trying hard come out of the tragic happenings of 2005. I somehow found myself comparing this city with our own Mumbai, which we say, has overcome many odds and came out strongly everytime it was hit upon.

Overall, this place is unique in terms of its culture, people, music and history...A place which is not a typical US city ... The warmth of the people just impressed me..!! I hope i'll be able to explore some more interesting facts about this place in the coming days..!

Till then...Keep watching the space..!!

Take care

Note-book to Notebook

Yes...finally note-book to notebook... things have changed....from flat no. 602, Mumbai to my room at home...and now room no. 23, GMP Residence... and many more uncountable halts..where I used to open my note-book (diary) and pen down few lines and few pages...


But today, I am moving to Notebook (my laptop) to write my first blog!!


Its been two months, and things have started moving faster. Sometime back I was trying hard to remember 96 names and associating them with 96 brand new faces that entered my life...!! Yes..96...the number itself is little funny (69...96...leave it) anyways..!!!


Well...and the situation after two months is completely different...these 96 names have become a small world for me...!! Day in and day out...I am listening to one or other of those 96 names..


I've been extremely busy since I came here...but things are actually going to go tough with time..!! But its fun...with sunday cricket sessions, monthly stress busters, mid-night movie sessions in Class rooms, TT, Baddie...a long list of activities that are balancing my life other than academics!! A life full of surprises...a life full of events...a life in XLRI carries a lot in it!!

Things are just passing by.....the scenes moving quickly in front of my eyes...The adventrous trip, Village visit, Tata Motors visit...perhaps many more to go..if not anything else, I am sure, I would have a lot to remember in this one year.'
Another aspect of being in GMP, from professional point of view is that you not only learn from the professors and don't only carry XLRI brand, but you interact with around 100 professionals who'd been attached to renowned brands in Industry..you got to view things not from a single perspective but multiple dimensions...
Well I hope there is a lot coming my way over the remaining few months...and many such blogs would add up in this space..!!
See you later.....