Two recent fiction books set in and depicting life in India that have become internationally acclaimed are Shantaram and The White Tiger. Shantaram, written by Gregory David Roberts, is a semi-autobiographical fiction book based upon some of Roberts’ real life experiences as a fugitive from an Australian prison who flees to Bombay in the 80’s and has a wide range of experiences there including living in a Bombay slum and a small rural village, joining the Indian mafia, fighting in Afghanistan against the Russians, and acting in Bollywood movies. The White Tiger was written by journalist, Aravind Adiga, and tells a fictional story of a driver in modern day India who serves an upper class businessman and ultimately becomes a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore after escaping what he calls life in the Darkness through, what most would say, the worst way possible. (more…)
Archive for September, 2009
Shantaram and The White Tiger: A stark contrast
Posted in Book Review, Entertainment, India, tagged Aravind Adiga, Comparison Shantaram and The White Tiger, Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram, The White Tiger on September 26, 2009| 5 Comments »
Reflections on 5 years at Intel
Posted in Technology, tagged Intel, Intel Online Services, Wi-max, Working at Intel on September 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »
As I wrote about here, I attended an Intel Alumni event last week where Andy Grove spoke about clean technologies. This was actually the first time I’d attended a formal Intel alumni event since I left the company in 2005 after 5 years of employment there. Meeting former Intel colleagues and listening to Grove has led me to reflect on my years at Intel. What really stands out about Intel is discipline and process excellence, training, its role in the technology ecosystem, investing in R&D during recessionary periods, and the overall Intel way. (more…)
India and China: A comparison
Posted in China, India, Travel, tagged Beijing, China, Comparisons India vs China, Hyderabad, India, Motorcycles in India vs China, Travel observations India and China on September 19, 2009| 5 Comments »
In a previous posting, I wrote about my observations of China from my one week stay in Beijing. Earlier in the year, I visited India after six years, spending time in Hyderabad and Kerala—you can read my observations from that trip here (or click on the links to the side under the heading India Trip Observations). During my stay in China, I found that 1) my pre-conceived notions of what I expected China to be often was based on my experiences in India and 2) internally, I would often compare my China observations to my India observations for a particular attribute. The reason for this is based on the parallels of significant growth that China and India have been both experiencing over the last decade, the wide media coverage of both of these countries which often compares them to each other, as well as their common status as the most populous countries in the world.
Given that, here are my armchair comparisons of India and China in a few areas and more specifically Hyderabad (population approximately 4 million and Beijing (population approximately 12 million (metro) , (more…)
Andy Grove on Clean Technologies
Posted in Energy, Environment, Public Policy, Technology, tagged Andy Grove, Clean technologies, Green technology, Intel, Intel Alumni on September 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Tonight, I went to an Intel Alumni (I spent 5 years at Intel) seminar featuring Intel alumni who are now focused on clean technologies. Legendary Andy Grove was the keynote speaker. It was great to see Andy Grove— it’s always a treat to hear his perspectives on business, technology, and the issues of the day. While he remains a senior advisor to Intel’s board and management, he is also actively interested in energy policy and often gives speeches on the topic. Along, with Grove’s perspectives, Intel alumni in the entrepreneur, product, or investor spaces of clean technologies provided additional perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing these technologies. Below are some of the key points made by Grove and others and my observations of the night. (more…)
My travelogue from a week in Beijing, China
Posted in China, Travel, tagged China, Lao she tea house, Travel Diary of Beijing, Travel in Beijing, Travel in China, Travelogue of Beijing on September 9, 2009| 11 Comments »
Earlier I wrote about my one day stay in Hong Kong. Upon leaving Hong Kong, I went to Beijing, my first ever visit to China. I stayed there for a week, working with my company’s Beijing office team. Below is a chronicle of my experiences and observations of my trip categorized by the following topics:
- Itinerary
- First Impressions
- Infrastructure
- People
- Lifestyle
- Cuisine
- Local mannerisms (more…)
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