PPN Personal

Furor Scribendi

Quotation confesses inferiority. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain

Welcome and thank you for visiting my humble virtual abode in the cyber cosmos. It is so tempting, yet so formidable to write about one's self, isn't it? Anyways, this is what I just felt of penning down (or more appropriately, keying down, as it now goes...) and I have not planned it, nor have I improved upon it; probably it is best the way it is!

Some fast(?) facts:

Who am I?
Hmm.....always been the most difficult question to answer!!! Well,...the name's Prasanna - which means cheerful, happy, peaceful - in Marathi, my native language.

Where do I come from?
I'm from 18° 32'N 73\260 51'E. (Pune, India, for those who know not their way around the planet). But you may not classify me as a "Puneri" because I spent a major portion of my childhood in the vibrantly pulsating Mumbai - the city that entertains the rich and the poor, the people with grins and growls, the cosmopolitan place I know from as close quarters as the face of my keyboard, and for those who take pride in "general" knowledge, its the financial and commercial capital of India. After my first 15 years of fast-paced life, we moved to Pune, a place that added pizzazz to my cultural, educational (Pune is called the Oxford of the East), and religious life. This historical metropolis of India has a glorious past, an innovative present and a promising future. From Fall 2000 through Summer 2002, my home was in Happy Valley, a small picturesque University town called State College, Pennsylvania, with 60,000 students, teeming with activity. Since July 2002, I have moved to the 8,778 square mile huge city of Houston, a.k.a Space City (after NASA's Johnson Space Center) or the Bayou City (due to its numerous winding waterways), Texas to work with Schlumberger Technology Corporation. Houston (fast facts) is also famous for its diverse businesses in Computer, Petroleum, Chemical, and Medical industries, the immensely diverse population, languages, food, cultures, and education. Also known is the Museum district, the Galleria shopping mall (one of the biggest of its kind), the night life, and the numerous freeway systems.

My entry on the earth
I share my birth date with a lot of eminent people like Mickey Mantle (1931, the heroic baseball player; and promoter of organ and tissue donation, overwhelmed by the selfless gift of a liver from a stranger). The list is long, and if you are really interested (though I am not sure why), you can look it up here. By the way, it seems I forgot to mention the date - it is October 20, 1978.
To save some trouble for people who would like to figure out my zodiac sign, I am a Libran!

The ties of blood...

A happy family is but an earlier heaven. - John Bowring

Back in school, we were asked to write an essay on "My Family". I vividly remember writing about my parents, grandparents, and my little sister. Things haven't changed much since then, and I still love to write about them! I was born in a Hindu Brahmin family rich in values, religion, and cultural heritage, yet far from being orthodox in thoughts. Born to parents struggling hard to better the physical, mental, educational, and moral lives of their children, I had a very open atmosphere at home. We had a lovely place near Juhu beach, and always had visitors - relatives and friends - dropping by. My grandparents stayed with us quite often, and I went to stay with them during vacations. It was a perfect life anyone could dream of....and I grew up under the sheltering wings of my parents and grand parents. Boy, am I lucky!

My maternal grandfather, Dr. V. D. Kulkarni, was a noted critique, a literary fame, ex-HOD of the Marathi Department in Bombay University, a Sanskrit scholar, an author of many a book and articles on varied subjects (including art, science and metaphysics - Sant Sahitya), an artist in the true sense, a man of principles, and a really loving grandfather! He won numerous awards, chaired various committees, institutes and organizations, but always remained a simple man, a display of honesty and integrity toward one's work. The mantel-piece in our living room is full of his trophies, plaques, and mementos!!! Well, if I think of writing about him, I will be short of space; I am a proud grandson of a proud grandfather. I have spent some of the best moments in my life with my grandfather and grandmother.

My father, a personality whose composure hides his zeal for work, has done practically everything in life - from fishing, marketing, consulting, to trekking in the Himalayas (he was the manager of the 1st civilian expedition to Mt. Everest in 1992, which unfortunately was unsuccessful due to bad weather). The list is unending, but to note a few worldly things: He is ME in Metallurgy from the Government College of Engineering, Pune, with MMM (Masters in Marketing Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai) and MMS (Masters in Management Science from University of Pune). He started working as a Manager for Premier Economizers in Mumbai just before I was born, and started his own proprietary Engineering/Manufacturing Marketing and Consultancy in 1988. He has also served as acting Principal in MIT's School of Management for a brief period of 1 year. He has traveled far and wide, almost to all continents in the world. Currently he is involved in religious activities of the Alandi Devasthan, Pune, and Pandharpur Wari.

Words are poor messengers to talk about my mother. She was in Parle Tilak (same school as mine) and served on all sports and athletics teams in school and college. She got her MA from Bombay University in Philosophy (100% in Logic!). She also minored in World History, Marathi, Hindi, and Sanskrit. She would have gone for her PhD, if I were not born at the same time.....I feel guilty about it! Music is her second nature, and from her very young age, she has been learning Hindustani Classical Vocal. She also taught classical music in Sangeet Mahabharti, Mumbai, an institution for Shastriya Sangeet (not only vocal, but also instrumental, and dance) started by Lt. Pt. Nikhil Ghosh. Amongst her well known students is Suchitra Krishnamurthy, the noted Cine-star who made her debut in "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa". She has been teaching Marathi to non-Maharashtrian students for quite some time now. Presently, she is busy with her own music class in Pune, with over 15 students. Also she has kept herself busy with compiling some literary creations of my grandfather. She has been a very understanding, supporting, caring and loving mother indeed, and I admire her for her selfless devotion to our family!

My little sister Nandita is 4 years younger than me, and is presently studying German in Hamburg, Germany. She is pursuing her BA (major-German, minor-Psychology) in Fergusson College, Pune. Extremely intelligent and well-read, she also has a very sweet voice, and has excelled in classical vocal music, along with my mother.

Erudition

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. - Mark Twain

I have seen only a small but interesting part of this world since I first saw the face of this earth some 24 years ago. As a little boy, I had a small world - till the end of the pond I saw from my window. As I am growing up, I am changing, for the better, and my sight is widening - in search of a vision.

I must mention that I miss my school days in Parle Tilak Vidyalaya (Eng. Med.)..... especially the pranks (boy, those were THE days!!!). I also sometimes gather in my memories the days I spent in my kindergarten Ramabai Paranjape Balmandir. How I changed from a kid in shorts singing "Baba black sheep" and learning the alphabet "C for CAT - C-A-T" to a young man (still sometimes in shorts!) singing ballads of love and making prototypes of cats (Nittany lions)!!!

After school, I moved to Pune and joined the Sir Parashurambhau College in the Science stream, thanks to my good performance in standard X. I also participated in lot of socio-cultural activities, primarily the social gatherings, various competitions, and organizing festivities.

Two brief years in SP and equipped with brilliant scores in XII, I decided to venture into the engineering field. I entered the highly coveted Government College of Engineering, Pune - "Aavaaj kunacha? COEP cha!". I chose to go for Mechanical Engineering - much against the will of many a respected folk (Computers was and still is a favorite of the masses), but I do not regret my decision one bit. These were undoubtedly the most fun-filled years of my student life. There were laurels galore in the four years I was at COEP, but there was more to be derived from the numerous weekend/ vacation sessions, which were fun and informative. There was also the slew of cultural competitions, and I would attribute many of my wide-spread interests just to my mere presence in COEP.

I planned to go for the ostentatious higher education in Uncle Sam's land and with a decent GRE score (obviously bull's eye score in Q and A) and top of the line academics, I landed in the Penn State University's Industrial Engineering Department, which is ranked #4 in the US! I worked as a Research Assistant with distinguished Professor Dr. Paul Cohen and Dr. Sanjay Joshi. Dr. Cohen is an admirable clement gentleman who was my benefactor for the 2 years I was in PSU. Dr. Joshi travels at 1000 miles an hour in his thoughts and ideas, but he was propitious enough to convey his conceptions to me, and motivate me to achieve our goals. My colleague Jaeil Park is from Korea, and he was very resourceful in our projects and has become a praiseworthy friend.

During these past years, I have gathered a lot of friends, a treasure I cherish, some of whom receive mention elsewhere in this hypertext menagerie.

Escapades

A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away. - Phyllis McGinley

Well, so who am I really? I am a versatile genius. I can sing like Bill Gates and play like Bill Clinton; the musical instruments I play are the radio and my music system.....Jokes apart......I am an ordinary person with extraordinary dreams, having average intelligent quotient and above average emotional quotient. You cannot call me religious, but when it comes to my work, I AM religious! And I have faith in the powers unknown that wise men call God.

I relish spending hours discussing some wonderful idea with a close friend. Other favorite pastimes are browsing the net, chatting (which, as a keen observer, you might have guessed by now!), watch movies (comedies, tragedies, thrillers, romance, but not action!), listening to music (all sorts - ranging from the mystic ancient tunes to the modern rock bands), food (man! I am a connoisseur of all vegetarian delicacies), drawing and painting (picked this up from my mother and maternal grand father, though I have lost the touch now :( ), playing the tabla (I learnt if for over 7 years, but if you listen to me now, you will kill me for not having practiced for so long! sorry about that!) and the keyboard (I do not have formal training, but picked it up mostly from my mother, sister, and two cousins), (I am not sure if it is appropriate to mention here, but I am supposedly an above-average bathroom singer, ask my room-mates! ;) ), composing and reading poetry. People read so little now a days, that even bums like me can brag about being well read. I read almost everything - the paper in which I pack my shoes to the great works of Shakespeare. I like to sit in solitude and think (@ anything) - which has become so rare now. I will let out a secret here (to reward you for reading so much!) - I love to play mischief and pranks! So beware!...haha

I also devote time to sports like swimming, rowing, kayaking, canoeing (thanks to the COEP boat club), ping-pong, badminton, tennis, cricket (I can virtually play anything - from bridge to billiards, but you can defeat me in all of them!). And last, but not the least, traveling and trekking/camping. This is so important to me, that I think it deserves a separate section with pictures of places I have visited!

"What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
- William Henry Davies

For those who care to know what I do in the remaining time, here it is:
Ummm........(?).......ah ha, I'm working(?) as a Manufacturing Engineer/ Material Specialist for Schlumberger, in the Cables Engineering Department. This sector, previously called the Vector Product Center (VPC), is now known as Schlumberger Conveyance & Delivery (SCD). I am presently undergoing some general training (safety, environment, first aid, quality, etc.), some technical training (ERP, DBMS), and I am also working on a couple of projects as a team leader (5S, Kanban systems, ISO 9001-2000 implementation, process planning, productivity, efficiency and cost improvements). Its a fun place to be, and the people are really nice. I enjoy my work, and spend most of my creative time here; it has become my second home.

Concomitants

The only way to have a friend is to be one. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kedar Dandekar: One of my oldest buddies, right from grade I. We grew up together, and knew each other's fancies and fantasies. A very sensitive person, good at heart, and just too honest. Academically very sound, but in school he suffered a little because of his illegible handwriting. He has compiled many of our interesting school memories on his website, all are welcome to read to humor yourselves. He is currently completing his MS in CSE from Toledo, hopefully he will get a good job! He was very supportive when I built this website. Thank you, Kedar!

Pradnyesh Rane: An intelligent and also a strong man, he is very silent, but has spoken quite often through his actions. A nice person at heart, he is very sensitive, and I have seen his emotional turmoil, and his feverish ups and downs in sentiments. He is now doing his MTech in CSE from IIT, Bombay.

Vinayak Tanksale: A good friend right from school. Back then, he was very naughty and very very funny indeed (I believe old habits die hard, so he has hardly changed!). He came to the US for his BS in CSE (Toledo), and then got his MS in CSE from Purdue. Currently he is working as an Instructor in the CS department at Ball State University.

I remember our school gang, our free periods, the mischief we played, the group activities we had and the huge lunch boxes we savored in no time. Our squad was pretty big, with Mandar Salvi cheering; Salil Malshe trying to team up people together; Nishant Fadnavis trying to do something different and stealing the show; Sagar G. and D. always sporty; Kaustubh Medhe having the "latest" and the most "shocking" news; Amit Gokhale topping in academics; Archis and Niranjan performing sensational feats and landing in trouble; Abhijeet Rahate being the saint of the class; Sameer, Pankaj, and Pradnya singing their hearts aloud; Sheetal Achrekar bossing around; Uma Pandit mongering gossip; Ruhangi and Anjali usually flirting; Saptarshi and Karishma leading the intelligentsia; Anand Joshi, Nilesh Kulkarni always at the best of their wit; Pushkar Joshi jovial and naughty; Jaishanker making people laugh with his guffaws; Mayuresh Deosthale having the last laugh; there are many more about whom I can talk at length some time.

After I came to Pune, I had new friends. Amit Oak and Abhay Limaye. I met them both in Milind Rege's class, and we became good friends right on day one. Amit is religious, sincere, and hardworking. He has been around in times good and bad, and after I came to the US, he still visits my parents and gives them company. Abhay is a jolly person and passes comic, sharp, and subtle remarks from time to time. Both Amit and Abhay are presently working in the engineering field in Pune.

I met Sachin Deshpande and Bharat Purandare in SP College. Amongst the most intelligent and bright people I have seen, they are very honest, helpful, and homely. Sachin is working for an engineering company, and Bharat has become a successful doctor in Pune.

COEP has given me some very good friends. Most of them are now in the US. The cool and composed Aamod Modak, with whom I spent a lot of time learning basics of cars, computers and also GT, is now in Minnesota. Omkar Pendse, the lively and boisterous one, is in Oregon. Well-read and hi-tech Anoop is in Rensselaer, NY. Saurabh Bhide, who was at the apex of cultural activites in COEP, is in Arizona. There are many more like the-only-female-in-Mechanical Samidha, her husband Jaydeo, cool rowing champ Betty, tall Aky, smart Paritosh Ambekar, singer and artist Sameer Kotasthane, drummer Aniruddha Khadke, determined Mahavir, all-rounder Savita Bhat, cousin-cum-friend Devdatta Kulkarni, TT and badminton champ Jitendra Deshpande, Sachin, Jitesh, Ketan, Ameya Bapat, and many many more spread all over the US! There are many back in India who have good positions in renowned companies, and are making big bucks. Intelligent and merry Jaspreet Singh, and sharp Ranjan Mehta are in Cognizant Technology Solutions, puckish Dinesh Rajan and bright Anand Kulkarni are in Wipro, Saurabh Kulkarni, Satish are in CAD software companies.

Rahul Pate, a wonderful friend all along since we came to COEP. Always supporting me in my herculean endeavors, trying to instill some sense in me and talking me out of some impossible missions, and being a good son to my parents in my absence. He probably knows me better than I know myself, and we have worked together in his palatial home with his always helpful family, on our BE project, and even later for the engineering exams, GRE, TOEFL, university applications, and preps to fly in the land unknown. He worked for Citicorp for the past 2 years, was in UK for some time, and is now coming to the US for further education.

I vividly remember the time we all spent in COEP on the boat club, the lawns, the chess matches we played in teams(!) near the temple, the debates we had in the drawing halls, the splendid Regattas, the gluttonous gathering dinner, the tours, the final projects, the time we toiled in the workshops, all those activities throughout the term, the 11th hour preparations for the awful exams, the frenzied blind shots during orals, and finally the colorful results that came late(r), alls well that ends well!

Mandar Deo: My room-mate and a very good friend. Actually, when he called me on 25th July 2000 in Pune, saying that he was coming to Penn State, I hardly thought he would manage even to get a ticket (I flew to the US on 27th July, and this guy didn't even have a VISA till then!). Anyways, by whatever amazing super powers he has (he comes from a family of exceptionally learned scholars, the holy "living" Gods, and this reflects in Mandar's personality very much), he finally got to PSU somehow, and we became room-mates. This man is not only a fabulous company to keep, but also very smart, witty, and generously helpful (the only thing he lacks is, unfortunately, culinary skills! :( ). He is well read, has had great experiences, and he narrates his anecdotes in a brilliant dramatic guise, its real fun to see him perform and make fun of everything and everyone!

Karthikeyan Umapathy: If you want twisted humor in twisted English!!! We became really good friends after coming to Penn State. He can pull people's legs in such a ridiculous way, that I have many times laughed in my sleeve. His mocking and light bantering has always been in healthy spirit, and I have always considered it very important, it never hurts you, in fact I learnt to laugh at myself because of him. He is a very nice person, and extremely generous.

Aamod Sathe: A born leader-to-be! He is the newest addition to our home, when he came to PSU in Fall 2001. Though small in stature, he took the reigns of our house in his hands the day he stepped in, and is now the sole commander-in-chief!..... Just kidding.....well, to be honest, he loves to be Lord Paramount, and has headed in quite a few tempest times. Its just in his blood - the aplomb, the rationalism, the eloquence, the defiance, the "charisma"! He is also a fast learner, and as "a genius borrows nobly", he is very good at emulating celebrities.

Jayesh Tekchandani: Smart buddy! Remarkably practical, smart, and precise. Knows very well how to go about things, a wonderful arbitrator, and extremely diligent in his efforts. We had a great time when I had the opportunity to travel with him and his parents to Niagara and a couple of other interesting places in the northeastern parts of US.

Vishal Kochar: Generous and idealistic; nicety personified! I think he inherited it from his parents...really wonderful people. He is lot of fun to be with. Very disciplined, but on occasions, his ideas are a bit far-fetched. He is persona grata, a friend of everyone. His ways are sometimes very amusing, but his philosophy is that "there is a pleasure that is born of pain". The bottom line - his life is simply filled with unalloyeddd happiness.

In PSU, I gathered some fantastic personalities as my friends. My elderly, innovative, and fanciful room-mate Rajdeep is one of them. In our bathroom, he pasted a note - "Cleanliness is next to godliness - Mother Teresa & Brother Raju" :) Doctor Neeraj is a forthright, resolved man of genius, and a true bibliophile. He is a little phlegmatic, but his crudeness suits his personality. Nonchalant and innocent Divya, religious Sriram, saintly Birju, elegant Binu, cheerful Param, cool and intellectual Amol Damle (unbelievable combination!), strategic Arvind, industrious Sanjeev and many more - thank you all for being such marvelous friends!

I also become good friends with my American colleagues Nick, Neil, Christine, July, Lisa, Dan, JD, Andrew Hoskins, Don Smith, Tracy Potter, Julian Thomas, Kristina Cowan, and Helen. I have friends from Canada (Lisa), Puerto Rico (Katia), Russia (Alex & Nanci), Japan (Chang), China (Jerry), Korea (Lee), Indonesia (Vicky), Sri Lanka (June), Philippines (Diana), Africa (Rich), Zimbabwe (Thembani), Australia (Anita), UK (Liz), France (Martin), Germany (Brit), Italy (Cheryl), Holland (Jane), Switzerland (Charu), Denmark (Barbara), Sweden (Stefanie), Greece (Lucy), Austria (Ivica & Gunter), Belgium (John & Keith), Spain (Jaime & Michele), Mexico (Rodrigo), Brazil (Fred & Carmen), and Argentina (Martin & Alfred).

In my nine days' wonder, I saw, met, talked to, acquainted myself with, and befriended many souls. I know I have not mentioned many, many of them here, but I always remember the good times we had together. {Hey friends, if any of you want me to put their links here, please contact me} I never classify my friends, that is there is nothing like a "good friend" or a "best friend" for me. I consider all my friends as friends, and I think the word needs no epithet. I have made new friends, and kept the old ones. Some are far, some are near, but we are always in contact. When I think of my friends, I remember Henry Ford's words - My friends are the ones who bring out the best in me.

Pinacotheca

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. - Dorthea Lange

In the brief moments when I thought I had to save in my memory the scenes I saw, I also tried to capture them in the reel (now on the digital camera) so I could share them with others. It was intuitive, and not always was I fortunate enough to grab the faithfully exact moments, but whatever I have to share, I will try to present here. Some of the pictures have been taken by others who were present to witness those moments. There are numerous places in India and the USA that I have visited, but only a few have been mentioned here. There are lots of albums, and you may see them all together here

Family: My parents, grandparents, sister and cousins who have always been there with me

Myself: So you would know who is to blame for making you go through all this!

School: The graduating class of X-C, 1994. Please excuse me, but I would not be able to recognize most of them if they happen to come across me now.

COEP: Pictures of Kodai, Ooty, and Kanyakumari when we had been on the educational(?) tour to South India in December 1998.

Salt Lake City: When I first came to the US, I missed my flight connection when I was traveling from New York to to San Jose, California, so I had to stay in the western city - Salt Lake City - nestled in a valley at the foot of two mountain ranges in Utah. In the few hours I was in SLC, I travel around in the hotel's bus and see this beautiful city. In Spring, the canyons are adorned with wild flowers and impromptu waterfalls. It is a world-class travel destination, yet it retains its essence as an unspoiled, family-friendly destination.

Silicon Valley: Destination numero uno in the US. Stay with my uncle Arun Athavale and Pratibha kaku in the posh Los Gatos area. Go biking and jogging in the mountains and on the trail around lake Vasona. Also drive around in a Mercedes S500, see the valley, the malls, restaurants, CISCO, Sun Microsystems, Oracle, Yahoo offices, the universities. I have a great time during this orientation period!

San Francisco: One afternoon, we drive to the luxurious SF. Watch the piers, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Ghirardelli chocolate factory.

Stanford: I stay in Stanford University, one of the topmost universities in the world, for a couple of days. Observe the well equipped libraries, laboratories, facilities, meet some Professors, and make a few friends.

Yosemite National Park: I join the Stanford graduate students to trek in this huge forest park complete with countless waterfalls, sky-high rock formations, giant sequoias, rivers, meadows, the wilderness, the picturesque vistas, the home of wildlife (we are terrified when a bear visits us at night and sniffs around our tent) and wild flowers.

Residence @ State College: Finally, after the excursions in the West, I come to Penn State, via Chicago and Harrisburg. State College is a small and cozy university town in central Pennsylvania (about 2 hours drive from Pittsburgh and 3.5 hours from Philadelphia) with over 40,000 students. It is situated in a valley called Happy Valley, and is studded with lakes and rivers, surrounded by majestic mountains.

Penn State University: Pictures of the huge campus, the PSU mascot - Nittany Lion, the #4 IE department, the lounge where we "hang around".....

Fall 2000: Fall colors...experience first in my life time. Pictures of the college airport, the road to campus from home, the local bus, the golf course, the college stadium which seats over 110,000 people, the football game, the home-coming parade after the last football match (which we won, of course!), the local club, trees shedding its yellow-orange-red leaves.

Winter 2000-01: Snow time! Everything is blanketed in sheets of snow and it gets dark by 4 PM.. Marked difference between the trees in fall and in winter is clear in a couple of pictures.

Summer 2001: Warm and lush green again! Residence, campus, valley, golf courses, trees, lawns - all in their verdant hues. Squirrels sport all over on the lawns, and we play tennis and go swimming. Partying and camping at its peak, and lot of extra-curricular activities in full swing.

My Car: I become mobile on 8 May, 2001, and I am very pleased about it. I buy my first car - a used Honda Accord - 5 speed with cruise control. Amazing features, but I am stuck very soon with a broken strut, and have to tow the car from Pittsburgh! A big dent in my pocket! :(

Lakes in Happy Valley: Car comes in real handy. Every weekend, we travel. On weekdays, we go to lakes in Happy Valley to spend our evenings (in summer the sun sets around 9 PM! We go canoeing in Bald Eagle Park, walk along the banks of Susquehanna river, wander around Colyer lake, throw stones in Whipple dam ;), and play frisbee in Roosevelt Park. We also go to see by boat the glittering stalactites and stalagmites in the all water cavern and wildlife park - Penns Cave. In January 2002, we go to the frozen lake in Black Moshanon State Park ( album - must see!), and walk on the lake. What a thrilling experience!

Temples in the US: We also visit the Sri Venkateswara temple, the Hindu-Jain temple, the Sai Baba temple in Pittsburgh, the Iskon temple with peacocks all around in Gitanagari (Port Royal, about 60 miles from State College), the Saylorsburg temple, and the all-encompassing Bridgewater temple in New Jersey.

Independence Day - July 4: We watch the superb extravaganza of fireworks from the college stadium with 20,000 other people from all around the place. The musical-fireworks show enchanted us all for an hour from 9 pm. Really magnificent when actual experienced!

Ganpati Festival 2001: Omkar 2001: We have a 5-day Ganesh festival, the biggest of its kind in State College. Over 400 people gather one Saturday evening during the Ganesh festival, in the Community Hall. We have a procession, Sthapana, bhajans, flute solo, Raaga Carnatic music, Bharatnatyam dances, Pooja, Aarti, Prasad, and a night of Antakshari. Everything is organized and managed by us graduate students, and the community is always there to help us in whatever we need. Also included are pictures of Visarjan, and Pooja on the other days, in Parkway Hall.

Florida: In December 2000, Mandar, Vishal, Nishadh, and I decide to drive 1200 miles down south on the eastern coast of USA. We travel through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolinas, Georgia (where we stay for a couple of days in a motel of the Patel's - really friendly and homely people! Ate Indian home-cooked food, and saw Hindi channels on TV!). Finally we reach our destination - the summer resort of the United States - Florida. We stay in Boca Raton with the Athavale family (they had just returned from a cruise to the Bahamas, but they generously put us up for a few days) and go to Miami, see the South beach, hang around the bars, drive to a couple of keys (a chain of scenic islands connection by bridges), and see the metro from a metromover - Miami's high-tech, elevated, electric monorail that runs a 42 mile loop around downtown Miami.

We then come over to Orlando, and thoroughly enjoy this entertainment capital of the US. We go to day-long rides in Universal Studios (experience on their sets, some shots of famous movies like Jurassic Park), Sea World (see the seal and whale show, aquatic life, and take some thrilling water-rides), and the Kennedy Space Center (we see the sites from where rockets were launched in space, walk through space shuttles, wear space suits, and are dazed by the stupendous structures and equipment). We skipped MGM studios and Disney World because of insufficient time, and we were almost broke by that time!

A point to note - We lost one of our cameras in the "Men in Black" ride in Universal Studios. It contained all the pictures taken until we reached Orlando. Hence, we do not have pictures of Miami, the keys, and some parts of Universal Studios. Please excuse, and if any of you find that camera (even in its remotest possibility), please do return it for a reward.

Niagara Falls: Summer 2001 and its time to go to Niagara Falls. Jayesh, his parents, Mandar, and I drive to Buffalo. We see one of the seven wonders - Niagara Falls, and the Canadian side at night (Canada has put up colorful lights focused on Niagara Falls from 9 pm till midnight). The next day, amidst the mammoth crowd (vacation time and excellent weather also have some disadvantages!), we take the ferry "Maid of the Mist" to get wet in the powerful shower and mist of Niagara Falls. We go on a trail in the "Cave of the Winds" to stand beneath the American Falls. We wave to people watching and enjoying from the Canadian side. We also envy people taking the balloon and helicopter rides.

New York: The 4th time I go to New York, but the first time for sight-seeing this vivacious city, the most happening place in the world. Mandar, Vinay (Mandar's cousin), Karthik, Divya, and I stay with Vinay in New Jersey and take a train to New York. We travel in underground subways, walk around the downtown. We visit the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Buidling, the unfortunate World Trade Center Twin Towers (I am glad I saw them just a couple of months before they vanished from the NYC skyline), Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center. We eat in an Indian restaurant with my cousin Anjalee, who is currently pursuing her PhD in Psychology in Columbia University, NY, and her husband Eric.

Boston: Mandar, Karthik, Rajdeep, and I visit my cousin Abhijeet in Boston, for a weekend. One day, we drive to Cape Cod beach and lay lazily stretched on the sands, sunbathing. The next day we travel by train through downtown Boston. We walk through the Harvard and MIT campuses. Clouds prevent us from going atop either Prudential or John Hancock Towers. However, we happily stroll in the Boston Commons Park and take the ferry to see the anchored 1700's warship - the USS Constitution. We view the Boston International Airport - Logan, and the aquarium. We terminate our circuit at the site of the Boston Tea Party. Boston is an exciting rich city with a medley of venerable, cultural, educational, athletic and entertainment venues.

Canada: August 2001 sets in, and Karthik, Samrat, Jyotirmoy Nanda, and I decide to cross over the Unites States border to traverse in our neighbor's land. We get our Visas from Buffalo, NY, and drive for 7 hours to reach Montreal in Quebec, the largest French-speaking state outside France. We had a tough time initially to figure out the directions, all in French. The city is structured in Victorian architecture, filled with aficionados of electrifying nightlife, the downtown resonates with captivating festivals. It truly exhibits "joie de vivre". We saw the Olympic stadium with its slanted tower, the Bio-Dome with wildlife in its natural habitat, the City Hall, Courthouses, Market, Piers, and Casino de Montreal.

After 2 days in Montreal, we tramped west to Canada's capital Ottawa, in Ontario. This is a city unique in history, geography and lifestyle. We admired the palatial Parliament buildings, the Chateau, the churches and museums, and marched in the downtown.

Our next anchorage was in Toronto, where we stayed with Karthik's eldest brother Arun. We had a great time relishing South Indian food at home, and fondling Jyotika, Karthik's 2 year old niece. With countless outstanding attractions including SkyDome (the stadium with retractable roof), Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), The Hockey Hall of Fame and the CN Tower (tallest free standing structure), it's not surprising that this Canada's most populated city entertains millions of visitors each year. We also spent a day in MarineLand near Niagara (in Canada) and were captivated by the seal-whale-dolphin shows, the waving bears, and the longest steel rollercoaster. On one slack day, we also reclined on the Toronto Islands. An evening, perched on top of the 1800+ feet icon defining Toronto's skyline, we had a breathtaking view through the glass floor of CN Tower, and experienced a glamorous sunset from the Horizons Cafe on the Observation Deck.

On our way back, we stopped over to review the Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, and it sure is a much better and a much fuller view! We roamed in the Niagara Parks, saw the Minolta Tower, and Casino Niagara. At night, its a sight you should not miss in a lifetime. Watch the falls from the Parkway where musicians play their bands to the sound of the sparkling waterfalls, and countless onlookers rove through the mist, amidst the aroma of fresh hotdogs.

India Trip 2001-02: Home sweet home. A couple of pictures taken at home. A month is just too short, but we manage to visit Goa for the New Years, and see my uncle, aunt, and granny.

A lot more pictures have been uploaded since my India Trip in 2001-2002; however, due to the increasing insufficiency of time, I do not have descriptions to go with the pictures. If you wish to see all the pictures without captions, please go to the consolidated list of albums by clicking here.

Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. - Mark Twain

Sorry to be so long and break my promise! Anyways, this site is perpetually under construction and that is an excuse for not maintaining a good site. Just to grace the significance of this page, here is something very special written by our favorite Marathi legends Pu. La. Deshpande, and Vi. Sa. Khandekar. I have put a few interesting links below, please see if and when you have the time. Anyways, please do sign the guestbook.