Restarting the blog after 6 months

Last time I made a posting on this blog was way back in March, 2009. Since then lots have happened. First, I decided to give up my association with CES, since it was turning out to be a pointless vocation. I tried to help out in restrucuring (or should I say starting afresh) a HR policy in the organisation, whose employees in general were suffering from having nothing of its kind in place. I did a little bit of research and conducted a survey through a questionnaire among the executives; submitted a report to the top management, who appreciated my efforts but did nothing to implement any of the suggestions made therein. I made an effort to chalk out a training schedule, both for the freshly recruited engineers and the existing executives at large. However the management did not want to make any investment whatsoever to get the plans started. Sudhansu Chakraborty (Sudhansuda), the CMD of CES, who was actually instrumental in my joining CES as a Consultant after my stint at IMI, wanted me to help CES get Design/development projects from SAIL, but all my connections there had retired , and those who were now at the helm were in relatively junior ranks when I left SAIL in 1993. As a result my efforts in lobbying at SAIL was not likely to show positive results in a hurry. By the end of April, I decided that all these exercises are becoming futile, and I stopped going to CES from April 20, 2009.

Second, within a week after I left CES I fell ill with angina pain in my chest. I consulted a cardiologist, Dr Upendra Kaul of Escorts Heart Centre, and he promptly advised me to go through an angiogrphy test, and immediately thereafter an angioplasty treatment , which were done at Escorts on 29 th April. The operations went off rather well, and as Dr Kaul, claimed, I should now be a "young at heart" by a virtual 12-15years. Now, after about 6 months post that operation, I must say I feel a healthy person overall, and can easily take brisk walk for 2-3 miles without ant difficuly. Later in the year, on 11th and 13 September, I also underwent phacoemulsification and lens implantation on my two eyes to get rid of the cataracts that had set in. These were done by Dr Pakrasi, a well known eyesurgen at the Aslok Hospital in SDA. One and half months afterwards, I can see very clearly without any glasses, which have been with me since I was only 8 years old.

Third, Munia (Nandana), younger of our two daughters, left for USA on 6 August last, to study for PhD at the Carnegie Mellon University. Though she had been living in Mumbai for the last three years, we are missing her very much for being so far away from our home in Delhi. From Mumbai she used to visit to Delhi regularly literally with any excuse and whenever she felt home sick; I doubt if she can do such escapades from CMU. Thanks to Technology though, we can see and speak to her on Skype every other day. She however looks like settling down well in her new country, making new feiends and getting into her studies with quite a vigour.

Last but not the least, our elder daughter Bulbuli who now lives in Cambridge UK with her husband Sambit gave birth to a bonny son last week on Sunday the 1st of November, 2009. The baby came to this world some 12 days before he was scheduled. Rupu and I had planned to be with Bulbuli before the child was born, but that was not to be. We arrived in Cambridge on Friday the 6th, and now that we are here, we are truely delighted with our first grandchild. he has been named Siddhartha. He is very cute and rather small, and his ears are quite long just as Gautam Buddha ( Siddharta as he was also known ) had, as they say. He has also quite a similarity in looks (as far one can make a guess) with his other grandfather , ie Sambit's father, Late Dr Sanjoy Sen .

We shall be Cambridge for sometime, unti the end of December. Apart from spending time with Siddhartha and her parents, we hope to revisit Cambridge and its many nooks and corners, like the colleges, the meuseums, the riverside and the art theatres. We were in Lion Yard, Corn Exchange, Market Square and the King's College today, and mingled with young crowd which included a number of new graduate students who seemed to have had their convocation ceremony today.

I hope to add to this blog regulrly during our stay in Cambridge.