Tag Archives: Personal Life

Diary of Julie & Rajiv’s India Trip

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Background

The following is a diary of some events from our recent trip to India. I created it using Twitter and Yahoo Pipes. We posted regular status updates to Twitter during the trip, mostly using text messages from my mobile phone. I’ve done some minor editing in the post below. The timestamps are in New York time (USA Eastern). More information on how this was generated is at the end of this post.

Compilation of Status Updates From Our India Trip

Julie and I are excited about our vacation to India. We will arrive in New Delhi on the 29th.
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 9:27 AM

Vik is helping Rajiv & Julie with getting ready to head to the Newark airport for the India trip.
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 1:56 PM

Julie & I just checked in at the Newark airport and are now checking out the shops near our gate.
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 6:39 PM

Julie & Rajiv are inside the plane headed to New Delhi. We are looking forward to visting India after the 14 hour flight.
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 8:11 PM

Julie & Rajiv’s plane just landed in New Delhi. We are excited to start this vacation.
Mon, Dec 29, 2008 10:23 AM

Julie & Rajiv are in a car with Rajiv’s family headed to their home in New Delhi and then will head to Taj hotel.
Mon, Dec 29, 2008 11:27 AM

J&R are at the Taj Mahal Hotel. The staff’s hospitality to us has been awesome. Thanks to dear friend Anshul’s connections in the Indian …
Mon, Dec 29, 2008 1:08 PM

J&R woke up early today. Our wake up call isn’t due for another 3 hours! The weather here is great. We look forward to exploring New Delhi.
Mon, Dec 29, 2008 7:07 PM

Julie & Rajiv had a great workout at the gym this morning at the Taj Mahal hotel in New Delhi.The hospitality at the gym was excellent too.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008 2:06 AM

Julie & Rajiv are walking inside JNU Campus in New Delhi visiting the places where Rajiv grew up.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008 3:09 AM

Julie & Rajiv are getting ready to go for dinner. India is a country of contrasts: The New Delhi outside the Taj Mahal Hotel is an example.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008 10:13 AM

Julie & Rajiv had a delicious dinner and fun conversation at the Machan restaurant with Rajiv’s childhood friend Princy & his wife Daisy.
Tue, Dec 30, 2008 3:01 PM

New Delhi is a collage of colors & contrasts. Julie & Rajiv’s photos of the trip so far are being uploaded to http://photos.rajiv.com/share/3IJ90SbngI922
Tue, Dec 30, 2008 7:38 PM

The hospitality at the Taj gym was impressive again this morning. Friendly personal trainers giving one on one workout sessions are great.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 1:25 AM

Julie & Rajiv plan to meet some friends in New Delhi and explore some places today.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 1:27 AM

The kids at Rajiv’s family’s home in New Delhi have become huge Julie fans! They love her gifts and playing with her.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 5:15 AM

Julie & Rajiv are back after a tour of the Qutub Minar historical monument, followed by a tour of JN University with Rajiv’s family.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 7:36 AM

Rajiv’s nieces are playing with Julie. They are currently drawing using crayons. We are eating and will soon go to a New Year celebration.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 10:32 AM

Julie & Rajiv are eating a late night New Year dinner at Rajiv’s family’s home in New Delhi. About 5 more minutes for 2009!
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 1:26 PM

Happy New Year from Julie & Rajiv visiting New Delhi. We had a busy day exploring yesterday. We also visited Rajiv’s high school SPV.
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 11:33 PM

Julie & Rajiv loved the warm hospitality at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi. Now headed to the Himalayan foothills.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 3:21 AM

J&R are in car heading out of New Delhi towards town Haldwani. We plan to spend the next few days visiting family in the Himalayan foothills
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 4:04 AM

Passing fields of green and yellow, having left the urban landscape behind. Cows, bicycles and Hindi language signs abound.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:11 AM

Car seems to be having problems. We have stopped on the side of the road and the driver is checking it out. At a village along highway.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:22 AM

At a mechanic’s shop on the highway. They are checking out the car.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:26 AM

Back on the road now headed again towards the town of Haldwani.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:35 AM

Julie just spotted a monkey… They are everywhere along the road. Taking photos…
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:42 AM

Continuing on the highway. Still in awe of all the monkeys we just saw. One was sitting on a tractor where the driver would normally sit!
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 5:46 AM

The car horn, like the manual stick shift, is an essential driving device on Indian roads.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 7:35 AM

Julie & Rajiv are with Rajiv’s parents at their home in Haldwani. A wonderful welcome!
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 10:37 AM

Julie & Rajiv just woke up to a beautiful morning in Haldwani, India.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 9:27 PM

J&R are buying a room heater. It is cold in the Himalayan foothills at night :-) Great, mild weather outside, right now.
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 11:54 PM

Julie & Rajiv are headed to an Internet cafe to check emails in Haldwani since we have not had broadband high-speed access since we got here
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 12:05 AM

Electricity went out, so no luck at the Internet cafe. Oh well :-) Now we are headed back home and then to the mountain town of Nainital.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 12:44 AM

In car heading to Nainital. Awesome mountain roads!
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 1:36 AM

Just saw lots of monkeys hanging out near the mountain road we are driving on.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 1:41 AM

Visiting lake town of Bhimtal on way to Nainital.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 2:15 AM

Leaving Bhimtal with some great photographs. Next stop, another lake town Naukuchiatal (literally: lake with nine corners).
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 2:41 AM

In the beautiful mountain lake town of Nainital. The mosaic of colors and diversity is spectacular.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 6:00 AM

Today I visited the ruins of my ancestral home in Bhowali where I played as a child. It burned down in a fire in 2003. Emotional experience
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 9:34 AM

Julie & I are catching up on our emails at a family friend’s Internet cafe in Haldwani. He is kindly letting us use it late after hours.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 9:39 AM

Rajiv is watching people make arrangements for the engagement party while Julie is resting inside in anticipation of the busy day ahead.
Sat, Jan 3, 2009 11:53 PM

Julie & Rajiv are amazed by the hospitality and generosity of the people they have met in India.
Sun, Jan 4, 2009 2:16 AM

Uploading photos from an Internet cafe and checking email.
Sun, Jan 4, 2009 11:27 PM

Julie & Rajiv are in a car heading to New Delhi from Haldwani. Beautiful sunny day. Lots of goodbyes, love and blessings.
Tue, Jan 6, 2009 1:58 AM

Beautiful, sunny day at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Checking out the garden area and exploring in the fresh air. Feels good.
Wed, Jan 7, 2009 2:21 AM

Julie, Rajiv and Indrajit are at the India International Centre for lunch. So many childhood memories of this place.
Wed, Jan 7, 2009 3:28 AM

We just returned from their morning workout at the gym at the India Habit Centre in New Delhi where we are staying.
Thu, Jan 8, 2009 12:03 AM

The India Habitat Center hosts cultural activities, includes: large conference center, film & theater auditoriums, guest house & restaurants
Thu, Jan 8, 2009 12:06 AM

Last night, J&R had dinner with Rajiv’s high school friends Prashant and Nisheeth at the Delhi Golf Club
Fri, Jan 9, 2009 2:43 AM

Julie & Rajiv are exploring Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi. Off to a Bollywood film later in the day.
Fri, Jan 9, 2009 2:45 AM

Julie & Rajiv are heading from New Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (historic monument, not hotel :-)
Fri, Jan 9, 2009 7:57 PM

J&R’s last day in New Delhi. Heading to meet a few more relatives and then off to the airport in the night. Namaskaar!
Sun, Jan 11, 2009 12:38 AM

Family (Indrajit & Pushpesh) are taking Julie & Rajiv to the New Delhi airport. It was a great trip. Namaskaar India! See you again.
Sun, Jan 11, 2009 8:40 AM

Julie & Rajiv are at their gate inside the New Delhi Airport. The staff at the airport are friendly and courteous.
Sun, Jan 11, 2009 10:37 AM

Julie & Rajiv are back in New York from their trip to New Delhi, India. In a car headed home now.
Mon, Jan 12, 2009 6:05 AM

Catching up with both personal life and job after return from India vacation.
Tue, Jan 13, 2009 5:20 PM

Photos from Julie & Rajiv’s India trip are at http://photos.rajiv.com/share/3IJ90SbngI922
Sat, Jan 17, 2009 6:27 PM

The Technology Behind This

We posted regular updates to Twitter during this trip. This enabled our families to receive a running commentary of our trip on their mobile phones via txt messages. They were happy to have regular updates of our well being and to learn where we were and what we were up to. The list of events we posted are saved on Twitter’s Web site. Since Twitter lists the updates in reverse chronological order, I used Yahoo Pipes to receive an RSS/Atom feed from Twitter and sort it chronologically.

The Kindness of Taxi Drivers

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It happened to me yet again! Another taxi driver refused to take money from me. I don’t fully understand why, but it happens to me every couple of months. Over the past several years, taxi drivers in San Jose, California; Chicago; Philadelphia; New York City and other cities have insisted to me that the ride was complimentary. Sometimes I’ve succeeded in persuading them to accept my payment. Sometimes, I’ve just had to drop the money in the seat next to them since they wouldn’t take it. A few times, like today, I just could not convince them to take the money.

This has happened to me with taxi drivers of different ethnicities and cultures. Often, this kindness has been shown to me by people from Pakistan, which is interesting considering that I am an American of Indian origin and I have a Hindu name. (I classify myself as spiritual and open to all religions.)

I tend to strike up conversations with strangers. Earlier today, on the New York subway, I saw the person next to me had a Nikon D3 camera and started a conversation about it and soon another DSLR camera owner sitting in front of us joined in the conversation.

Today I took a taxi in Manhattan. Hearing the driver’s accent and reading his name in the taxi, I asked if he spoke the Urdu language. He did and we talked about the sport of cricket, about the economy, about the recent elections and about India and Pakistan. When the ride ended, he said he was happy to give me a ride and didn’t want payment. I insisted on paying, but the gentleman was adamant that it was ok. He didn’t want me to pay. I tried to compromise, requested that he at least accept $5, but he wouldn’t even take that. He said to me that he would be driving around anyway and he was happy to give me a ride. Since he was so adamant despite my insistence to pay, I didn’t want to be rude so I politely thanked him for the ride.

The kindness shown by people is what I love. It is not about the money. I’d much rather they accept my payment. While I felt disappointed he didn’t accept payment, his gesture made my day, especially considering that his business is not doing well in the current economic situation in NYC.

I’m touched yet again by the kindness of strangers. Goodness is contagious. Spread it around.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It is all about Balance

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To be effective at anything in life, balance is required Be it personal life, leadership, management, technical work: balance is essential. You need to be aware of balance at all times.

I plan to write a series of articles about this subject.

Some topics I discuss with friends and colleagues:

  • standardization vs. innovation & creativity (technology, management)
  • dedicated resources vs. shared services (management, leadership, technology)
  • security & privacy vs. convenience (technology, product design)
  • centralization vs. decentralization & empowerment (leadership, management)

I’d love to hear your topic suggestions and read your viewpoints and experiences. Please do so via the comments section here and in future articles.

Amazon NowNow Gives Politically Incorrect Answer on Where To Learn Spanish

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The Amazon Kindle mobile reading device comes with their NowNow service included, where you can ask any question you like and you get a response from a paid human researcher. I asked a question and got the unexpected answer below.

I do believe this was an honest mistake by a researcher trying to be helpful. NowNow is a useful and good service.

Update: Amazon resolved the issue. See their follow up responses that I’ve posted in the comments section below.

Rating: ★★★½☆

—–Original Message—–
From: NowNow [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tue 1/22/2008 10:48 PM
To: Rajiv Pant
Subject: RE: What are some good places to learn Spanish in evenings and/or weekends in Manhattan New York City?

Your Question:
What are some good places to learn Spanish in evenings and/or weekends in Manhattan New York City?

Answer from NowNow:
Get a job at any restaurant and work in the back.

Get a job in the back of a restaurant and you will make money and learn spanish from your co-workers.

Source:
Opinion

NowNow, let us be politically correct :-)

If they had said instead a Spanish or Mexican restaurant, that would have been acceptable, but in the back of any restaurant? That’s presumptuous.

If you’d like to suggest a better answer to my question about learning Spanish, please feel welcome to leave a comment here.

Reddit Alien Mascot Bobblehead Returned

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Reddit Alien Mascot BobbleheadThe Reddit Alien mascot bobblehead (photos), which had recently been kidnapped at the Reddit Bar Party in New York City (photos) is now back, safe and sound with the Reddit team.

After I reached out to some people in New York, a kind person arranged to have the alien returned as a surprise at Steve Huffman‘s birthday dinner. Steve and Alexis Ohanian were thrilled to have the alien back. It was a great night!

I Love New York City

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I’ve now been living in Manhattan for two weeks and I love NYC. New York is a wonderful city. I’ve wanted to live here since I was little.

My new job is at Conde Nast Publications as VP of Information Technology for CondeNet. My office is near Times Square, a major tourist attraction which is every minute, every day teeming with a diversity of people from all over the world.

So far, I’ve visited the Village, Union Square, Central Park and Times Square areas, all of which I’ve found lovely. I see the city will provide ample sights for one of my favorite hobbies, photography.

Moving to New York City

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I’m moving to NYC for an exciting new job as VP of Technology at an awesome publishing company. I look forward with excitement to my career at the company and life in Manhattan.

I loved the past three years working for Cox as CTO of COXnet in Atlanta where I was proud to contribute and learn a lot. I wish them continued success and will stay in touch the wonderful friends I made there. Atlanta is a good city, but my personal preferences match The Big Apple much better. I’ve wanted to live in Manhattan for many years. This move back to the Northeast also brings me back nearer to family and friends in the area.

My personal contact information remains the same.

Happy New Year 2007! Highlights from December/January

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paris-2006-dec.jpgNAA 20 Under 40The closing of 2006 and beginning of 2007 has been exciting. I’d like to share some highlights from December/January:

  • In Paris: I celebrated New Years’; spent a memorable week; photographed hundreds of beautiful moments; learned some French; practiced Spanish; made new friends and relaxed on the train to London. http://photos.rajiv.com/2006
  • In the USA: The Newspaper Association of America awarded me their 20 Under 40 Recognition for 2006. http://www.rajiv.com/20under40
  • In Mexico: I explored the ancient Mayan Ruins in Tulum; attended my friends’ wedding in Playa del Carmen; was spellbound by beautiful colors, diversity and extremes; and learned some more Spanish. http://photos.rajiv.com/2007

Snow and Ice in Atlanta

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When I moved to Atlanta, GA, I didn’t realize I’d get photo opportunities featuring snow and ice in the city known as Hotlanta.

It only snows on one or two days per year here. Almost all my neighbors were staying cozy indoors. I headed out with my camera and took photographs, including some of leaves, berries and branches beautifully frozen inside crystal clear ice.

http://photos.rajiv.com/gallery/376446