4.2 Lakh IT employees suffering from Ailurophobia, Apply for leave.

Ailurophobia, or commonly known as the fear of CAT’s, is on a rise this season. Though this disease is a general phenomenon during this time of the year among IT employees, this year has seen a considerable increase in the number of cases.

“Last year we had reported 112 cases but this year we have already reported about 320 cases of this disease, and the season has just begun” said Dr. Honey Singh from KMC Mangalore.

Ailurophobia is a type of specific phobia: the persistent, irrational fear of cats. It comes from a Greek word ‘ailouros’ meaning cat and ‘phobos’ meaning fear. Some sufferers experience it almost all the time, others just in response to direct stimuli.

An interesting symptom of this disease is that the patient starts thinking that he is affected from different diseases like typhoid, dengue, malaria etc. Though actual blood tests reveal that the person is totally fit and it is only psychological. Treatment is usually carried out by a psychiatrist or other therapy specialists.

This year a staggering 4.2 lakh IT employees have already applied for leave anticipating that some disease is going to strike them this coming season. The highest numbers of employees coming from top companies like Cognizant, Infosys and TCS.

“Already about 3800 of our employees have applied for leave citing issues like typhoid, malaria etc from our Pune office itself” said Mr Chandrasekaran, Group Chief Executive, Cognizant Technology Solutions India.

Mr. Narayan Murthy of Infosys group was unavailable for comment on this issue.

Just one message to all the employees, take good care, stay calm and all the best!!! ;)

Express your views, opinions and get well soon messages in comments below.

Cheers!!

Disclaimer: All characters and events in this article, even those based on real people are entirely fictional.

Dharamshala: A Religious Trip! ;)

There are always some dreams you have in your life which you wish would come true someday. I always believe that whenever we dream we should think of the best we can achieve. This trip was one of mine.

It all started with a little bit of google-ing for the schedule of the India England cricket series which was to be held in the month of January 2013. The moment my eyes fell on the venue of the final match, my eyes lit up. It was Dharamshala!! A long pending dream was about to be fulfilled.

Well, by reading the title of the post, you all might have been misguided, but for me it was truly going to be a religious trip. A quick check for the tickets and a couple of travel bookings I was all set for an experience of a lifetime. Being a true follower of cricket, (consider it as my religion! And I believe that it’s the only religion that unites our country.) this was truly going to be awesome!

Dharamshala City (Akshay Badkar Photography)

Dharamshala is a small town in the state of Himachal Pradesh, mostly known to people as the place where ‘The Dalai Lama’ lives, is the headquarters of the Central Tibetan Administration. It houses a large population of Tibetan refugees. Not many know and not many can imagine that it houses a cricket stadium of international standards. In fact, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium is the highest (in terms of altitude) cricket stadium in the world! Yeah!!

HPCA Stadium (Akshay Badkar Photography)

But that isn’t the best part. The best part of this stadium is that it is situated at the foot of the mighty Dhauladhar range of mountains which are snow clad throughout the year!! So cricket lovers, imagine this, snow clad mountains on one side and a lush green cricket field on the other! HEAVEN!! :D

Dharamshala can be reached by various modes, nearest airport being at Gaggal and the nearest narrow gauge train station is the Kangra Valley Station. Numerous overnight buses by state transport ply to this place from New Delhi. Places to see around are plenty which include temples, churches etc, McLeodGanj being famous among the tourists.

Dhauladhar Range (Akshay Badkar Photography)

As the literal translation of the name “Dharamshala” indicates it to be a place of spiritual dwelling, this place does have that feel of its own. Though India lost the match,(but were winners of the series ;) details here) this trip was an out of the world experience!

The mandatory FB Check In ;)

A MUST visit!! :)

P.S.: The temperature that day was about 3 degree Celsius. :) Pretty 'cool' isn't it? ;)

Cheers!!

The Taj Mahal: A Symbol of Love?

During my stay in Noida I got an opportunity to visit Agra. Super excited like my group of friends, we booked a cab for a to-and-fro trip to Agra from Greater Noida on a chilly winter morning. In what earlier used to be a 4-5 hours journey to Agra, the travel time has now reduced to a mere 2 hours, thanks to the brand new six-lane Yamuna Expressway .

Nothing much to see on the highway, except for a short glimpse of the “Buddh International Formula One Circuit” (Yeah, I have been there too :P ) on the right, soon after Greater Noida.

Once you enter Agra, the hustle and bustle of narrow roads, traffic and the crowd really gets you exhausted. Agra still has that small town feeling and does not seem like a place which houses one of the Wonders of the World. All the tiredness is driven out when you enter the Taj complex. My first reaction was like “WOW!!" The white marble beauty, standing the test of time simply amazes you and you just can’t take your eyes off it!!

The Taj Mahal (Akshay Badkar Photography)

But I've always wondered, was it really love for his wife that made him build this massive structure?! As I went through different sources it came into light that not only was Mumtaz his third wife (who died while bearing his 14^th child!!) but building the Taj was also one of the 4 promises extracted by the queen from her husband while she was alive. So was it really love or just another expensive demand from a wife?? ;)

Nevertheless, this Taj trip was truly an amazing and breathtaking experience for all of us!! Be proud that India houses one,  the Best Wonder among the Seven Wonders of the World!!

A MUST visit! :)

Do share your views, opinions or even contacts of any descendants of the Mughal Empire in comments below ;).

Cheers!!

The Real Goa

Miramar Beach, North Goa (Akshay Badkar Photography)

Being from Goa, I always wanted to write a post about my state and how different it is, from the usual perspective the tourists come to the state with.

Well, the first impression which comes to mind when somebody mentions Goa is the beaches, white sands, white skin, the cheap alcohol, clubs, and then nobody remembers the rest. Most of  the people visiting end up in the areas around North Goa, Baga, Candolim etc. That may  be a stretch of about 15-20 kms out of the total coastline stretch of a 101 kms. So how much of Goa have you actually seen? You can do the math!

You might be surprised to know that 40% of Goan area is covered with forests, with about 8 major wildlife sanctuaries which attracts quite a lot of trekking enthusiasts and bird watchers. The high number of photographers in the state,doesn't mean we are some geniuses in this field, the simple logic is whatever people click comes out beautiful by default!! ;)
 

The Western Ghats houses a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Numerous streams n waterfalls originate here. In fact the famous "Komban Gaon" in the Chennai Express was actually the famous Dudhsagar Waterfalls. Goa also houses a huge number of temples and churches of which some are listed in the World Heritage sites. People here still follow all traditional customs and are proud to say that they have a rich cultural  heritage.
 

Thanks to the thousands of scenic locations, Bollywood is kind of shifted to Goa. In the past few years among the movies I have watched, about 80% are shot in Goa.
 

We tell most of the people who want to visit that the best time to visit is from November to February. Yes true. Mainly due to short winter season, in otherwise a hot n humid climate.. when we know that the state looks most beautiful in the monsoons. May be we like to keep this season to ourselves ;).
 

The best way to explore this state is by hiring a bike and moving about on  your own. The awesome narrow roads laden with beautiful coconut trees, the old Portuguese style of architecture and houses form the real essence of Goa. The food mainly consists of non veg with fish being the important part of the staple diet. Sadly nothing much for the veggies.

So next time you meet a Goan don't ask for Feni or cashews, instead come, visit the place, experience the life beyond the booze, beaches and babes!! ;)

In short the Real Goa! :)

Sarzora Lake, South Goa (Akshay Badkar Photography)