My learning from my first fling with acting!

Just 10 weeks back I had no clue I’d be standing on stage playing second lead in an hour-and-a-half long play. I was forced to audition by my director and best friend Vashisht so I landed up there. God-only-knows how I was called back for the next round and God-only-knows how I was zeroed in on for the role of Ramesh. From then on there has been no looking back. I have loved every single moment of being involved in this brilliant production.

Acting has taught me a lot. In the very very recent past I couldn’t have imagined myself being so expressive but now I don’t feel constrained at all while impersonating Scarlett Johansson, in a completely female voice, in front of 200-odd people. I have learnt that it is not me on stage but it is my character. It is my character Ramesh performing all these actions, not Saksham Karwal. I have to let myself free, there is no room to be shy. Whether I am more comfortable believing that there is an audience watching me or that I am alone in a room is all up to me, I have to choose which environment would spur me to give my best. There is a scene where my boss Arun, played by my friend Akhil, slaps me and it was hard for both of us to play this out. I had to mentally prepare that it was Ramesh being slapped not me; I had to force myself not to put my hand in a defensive position as a reflex action knowing that I am going to be slapped. It was hard, but then you gotta do what you gotta do. I have learnt that teamwork exists even outside my cricket team. Acting is a team effort, you rub off off your co-actors' energies. I have learnt that criticism is not a bad thing; you have to take it well. I had no clue how to act (don't know if I have any now either!) so I kept my mind receptive to all the advice and points coming from Vashisht and Manasi (the Assistant Director). Every single line in the play can be interpreted in a million different ways and your view may not match with someone else's, but you have to listen. No one is wrong, it’s just a matter of picking between two rights. I have learnt that patience is key. There will be days when someone is off, you have to let those days be, you can't let them upset you because there are always days when you will be off as well.

For making the last two-and-a-half months of my life an unforgettable experience, withdrawal will be hard and long :( I am a changed person, for the better of course. The word shy doesn't exist in my life anymore. The world is my stage. For everything that has come my way I'd like to thank every single member of the production, right from lights (Bhakti & Anshul) to sounds (Yash K. & Vandit) to costumes (Gehna & Natasha B.) to the stage manager (Juveca), to the set designer (Colin), to props (Aisha & Riah), to the graphics designer (Karan), to the super efficient set crew (Aditya & Ayesha), to the one and only director mentor (Vidyut), the Naatak board (Vidushi, Shashwat, Vashisht, Abhijay, Shreyans, Natasha S.) and most importantly my director, the AD and my fellow cast members. Thanks Vashisht for making me an actor (c'mon I am one!!). Thanks Manasi for always uplifting everyone's mood. Thanks Akhil for always silently being the most supportive (and for the million slaps). Thanks Karishmma for just being such a perfect Rashmi for Ramesh. Thanks Sneha for bringing all the positive energy you brought (and the note along with the gift). Thanks Shiv for always going on and on and never letting there be any silent moments, you fit in perfectly. Thanks Varun for giving such a great performance, you are irreplaceable. Thanks Ashley for the 'Jesus wouldn't like that.' Thanks Pheobe for believing you were really talking to Scarlett Johansson. Thanks Subodh for letting me take out all my frustrations on you. Thanks Steve, Yash M. and Natasha S. for being so sporting. Thanks Gandharv and Shubhi for making us perform in front of a full theater with people even on the floor and on the aisle. How can I forget my family and friends for being so supportive throughout? Thanks Sugyan for being so encouraging (I am gonna see you a lot more from tomorrow). Thanks Kirti for having the craziest talks with me. Thanks Harsh for always being up for everything, yes everything! Before I forget, I’m sorry to anyone I may not have behaved properly with, I owe an apology. Finally and once again, thank you so much, I love you guys.

Now, its time to go up on stage and give it my best one last time. So off I go from here straight on to stage... wait I'm always on stage now!

PenNaatak presents 1-888-DIAL-INDIA

This weekend I will be making my acting debut in the play 1-888-DIAL-INDIA written by Anuvab Pal. The play is being performed at the University of Pennsylvania by PenNaatak and is directed by Vashisht Garg. The posters of the play are attached for you to view!

I will soon post on my fling with acting, my learnings, the pressure, the work, the bonding but most of all the fun I had!

Yes that is me on the bottom poster playing the part of Ramesh, a call center employee. Enjoy, because I definitely did!!

Movies and real life

Should real life match the life in movies or should the life in movies match real life?

Pitching for funds or wooing a girl? One and the same!

I recently attended a session of the Economic Times Power of Ideas in Delhi in June and while listening to all of the entrepreneurs, whether young or old, there was one thing that continuously struck me. This was that pitching to VC’s for funding is very similar to wooing a girl. I shall elaborate further.

1. Choose the right VC/ Girl
   Choose a VC who is interested in investing in a sphere that you are operating in. Know what kinds of companies have been funded by this VC. Pick a girl who is compatible with you and you actually stand a chance with! Try to know what kind of guys the girl has previously dated or fallen for. For both, the VC and/or the girl thorough research is required.
2. Business Plan/ Life Plan
   Be prepared with a compact, concise and clear business plan. A VC will glance through it very quick and your plan must immediately impress him. You must have your life ahead mapped out. Women should sense that you know what you are doing and where you are going.
3. Presentation style
   You have to be able to sell your business to the person across the chair. You have to be passionate, enthusiastic and full of self conviction so as to make the VC believe in your plan. You have to market yourself in such a way that the girl begins to believe that you are the one stop shop for all her needs.
4. Build Credibility/ Win trust
   Show the results of your organization and make the VC believe that you can continue to perform. Be chivalrous, be polite, be a complete gentleman and be there for her. She needs to know that you are more than eligible for her and can trust her life in your hands.
5. Competitors/ Other suitors
   Never mention to a VC that there are other organizations which are bigger than or capable of quickly overtaking you. Make a girl believe that you are the only one she should be interested her and she shouldn’t waste her time elsewhere. At times, this could involve painting a false picture!

So choose the best fit for yourself, arrange for timely meetings/dates, use appropriate terminology/pick up lines, leave a remarkable first impression, be passionate, sound convinced, behave confident, continue to do what you believe in and you will automatically build yourself an astronomical valuation. And the rest as they say will be history!

Imagine 2020

Why can’t a search engine be developed which offers a much more holistic service to net users than what Google, Yahoo or Bing currently offer. As of now, we type in search terms, sentences or phrases into the search bar and get a few hundred thousand results in less than a second. Great. But why not go a few notches higher? Why

just stick to typing search terms and getting innumerable articles? Here is the plan for “Imagine 2020.”

All of us have those times when we just can’t place someone. We know we’ve seen them around, met them a few times but just can’t pinpoint who they are. Definitely embarrassing. Its even more embarrassing when the other person is a well known personality and you don’t recognize them. On Imagine 2020 you will be able to upload a photo of a person on the search bar and instantly know who they are and what they do or have done. Imagine will start with a database of famous persons, move on to semi-famous persons and slowly but surely have a world wide database. And not just people, it could be the image of any kind of animal r creature or object, and you could get split-second details about it.

On the same lines why can’t we upload a sound clip and get a gazillion results in a microsecond? For example, if there is a bird chirping around me, I should be able to record its chirping with my phone and upload it to Imagine and know exactly which bird species it is, what are the specifics of the sound it makes (wavelength, pitch etc.), whether the bird is a male or a female, the age of the bird and whatever more details you want. Imagine will be on top of this service.

This is definitely the future of search engines. To make us more aware of the universe we live in. To make our lives even easier and faster. To make the world an even smaller and more connected place. Just IMAGINE...

India's dismal performance in the T20 World Cup

Just like any Indian, Bollywood and cricket are an integral part of my life. Unfortunately in the past month both have been a major letdown for the entire country. In this post I will concentrate on cricket though.

Being cricket crazy, since I was a small kid I would do anything to watch all the India games with great passion. I remember when I was 7 I stayed up till 4 am to watch India get dominated by the West Indies. But I still stayed up night after night. That’s because I knew we were trying. Each and every player had their moments of brilliance on the tour.

A little more than twelve years later nothing has changed for me. About three weeks back I was watching India play England in the T20 World Cup and was absolutely disgusted with the way we played. It just seemed that most of the Indian players didn’t want to win the game. They just wanted to end the tournament for themselves right there and get rid of all the pressure on themselves once and for all.

On the second last ball of the match it was Ryan Sidebottom bowling to Yusuf Pathan with India needing 9 more runs to win or 8 more to tie and go into the super over. Basically to remain in the game or rather the tournament India needed a minimum of 2 runs off this delivery, assuming that Sidebottom would not concede any extras in the balls to go. Pathan slapped the ball straight down the ground and immediately shot off to run. Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was at the non-strikers end also began running, though he should have been at least half way through at that point considering he would be running towards the danger end in case India took 2 runs. In a very shocking turn of events, Dhoni reached the striker’s end and didn’t even turn around to attempt a second run. He didn’t even look back to see if the fielder had cleanly caught the ball or not, whether he had already thrown it, whether Pathan was on for a second run, nothing seemed to bother him. Even a schoolboy would know that not attempting a second run was suicidal. All that Dhoni had to risk for the entire tournament was his wicket which it seems was more precious to him than his own team staying alive to defend their world cup trophy. It was as if Dhoni had come in to the centre knowing from before that he had to concede the game but at the same time make it look close enough so that fingers wouldn’t be raised later on. There are a lot of smaller incidents that simply refuse to let me believe that India was out there to win.

So I have concluded that a lot has changed for me after this T20 world cup. I have lost that passion with which I used to watch the gentleman’s game. That thrill is no more there for a person who actually appreciates the finer intricacies of the sport. Now, it all seems like a beautifully written script for an engrossing tv series with enough drama and mirch masala to keep the ordinary person interested.

The Hardest Exam in the World

The following piece was hand-written by me on the 8^th day of April in 2007. It is complete fact, no fiction. Please read it till the end. Entertainment guaranteed.

“Wake up and get ready”, shouted my dad,” We have to leave by 8 o’clock sharp.” I had to appear for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) today. The JEE is the test for entrance into one of the seven prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT’s).

As I had already been accepted into college, I had not bothered to prepare even a little. My Physics, Chemistry and Math textbooks had been stacked away in one corner of my study table since March, and by now a thick layer of dust resided over them. Obviously, I had no hope of cracking the hardest exam in the word. But why not take a shot in the dark!

Never reaching on time for anything till date, I decided to continue the tradition. I walked into the exam room, full of tense students praying to the Almighty, after the instructions had been elaborated upon and the question papers along with the answer booklets already distributed. But I wasn’t at all worried! I took a copy of my materials, completed all the required details like filing in my name, registration number etc., and went and sat relaxingly on my window seat.

At sharp 9 am, the bell rang. The examinees around me frantically opened the seals on their question booklets and started working immediately, so as to make the most of every minute given. On the other hand, I kept looking around the room and glancing out of the window, checking out the huge playground the school had. I could even keep an eye on the school main gate where hundreds of parents were still anxiously waiting till things had settled down. Forget all of that, thank God I was assigned a window seat!

By 9:20 am I decided it was high time I opened my question booklet. Surprisingly I did know something; the answer to exactly one problem. I quickly shaded the correct option in my answer sheet. Now my hopes had been raised. I started reading the following questions. No prizes for guessing that I barely knew anything else. Barely knew, ha, I just did not know anything at all. Fifteen questions read and the Physics section ended, twenty five questions passed, end of the Chemistry section, half-way through the Math section, end of the Math section; I just did not know anything.

It was only 9:30 am and I was done with my 1^st paper. I’m sure I set a new record for finishing the exam in the least time ever.  Believe me, very very few people can manage to finish a 3-hour exam in less than 30 minutes. My answer booklet was as clean as the whiteboard in front of me, so I started thinking of how to fill it up. I decided to randomly choose one of the options (either A, B, C or D) and mark that for all the questions. Why not try my luck? There wasn’t much further below to go from here anyways, the only way was upwards.  After a quick ‘Inky-Pinky-Ponky’ I chose option C and shaded that through my answer sheet. Now it was no longer empty. I was proud of myself. Not too many people have the capacity or capability to attempt all the questions on this test.

By 9:35 am I had ‘solved’ every single question. As the rule stood, I was not allowed to leave the exam hall before the end of the scheduled time. Once again, I decided to make full use of my window seat. By 10 am I was bored out of my brains and I couldn’t digest the fact that I had two more hours to pass in the same position. I tried to take a nap. I think I dozed off by about half-past ten.

Extremely unfortunately, I was woken up within fifteen minutes. “Are you fine?”, asked the female invigilator.

“Yes, absolutely fine.”

“Have you finished your exam?”

“Ya, long back.” I showed her my answer sheet like a narcissist would. She was taken aback.

“Fast”, was all she managed to say.

Yet again I tried going back to sleep. Thankfully I fell asleep immediately and woke up after forty five minutes. Now I had only another 20 minutes pass by. My condition could be compared to that of a restless passenger on a long transatlantic flight on which there are absolutely no sources of recreation with a cabin temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. I got up from my seat, stretched a bit, cracked my finger joints and walked off to the bathroom. I splashed my sweaty face with some cold water, put my hair in place and decided to model for a bit in front of the mirror. I must say, too much free time has strange effects on people. After ten minutes I went back to my chair.

“Ten minutes left” announced the proctor. I looked at her trying hard to control my smile. The effect of this announcement on the rest of the examinees was completely opposite. They started panicking and solving questions at the speed of light (but obviously none could match my speed!). At this time, the only people smiling in the entire room were the invigilator and me.

The finishing bell rang. Music to my ears. I got up and submitted my paper before it could be collected and very happily walked out. Don’t worry the story doesn’t end here. I had a 2-hour break after which I had to attempt paper-II which was also sadly three hours long.

At 12 noon and 40 degrees Celsius, I sat in an auto rickshaw from right outside the school gate and met up with my friends who were also appearing for the same test. Over lunch we discussed who had slept the most, who had been able to disrupt his entire class the most, who had been able to pass his time most easily and who would score a lower negative score! At 1:30 pm we parted and left for our respective centers, prepared for another three hours of torture.

Back in the exam room, I quickly filled in all the necessary details. As soon as the bell rang, even I immediately tore off the seal on my question booklet and began reading the first couple of questions. In an instant I concluded that I did not know anything yet again. Déjà vu! Though this time round, I did not waste my time (not like there was any shortage of it!) skimming through the questions. I straight marked option C for all.

Action replay. I had finished answering all the questions even before most people had turned over the first page of their question booklets. I had broken my earlier record; I was through in fifteen minutes flat! Again I would somehow have to pass another 3 hours till the clock showed 5 pm. I tried taking a nap. After a satisfying lunch, the hot wind blowing on my face from the window and having absolutely nothing to do, it really wasn’t that hard to doze off. I slept for about an hour, waking up at 3:30 pm. Just an hour-and-a-half left! I’m sure you feel my joy.

Now, I decided to make use of the few thousand pages provided to me for rough work. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess that each of my rough pages in both booklets was as clean as a whistle. I thought of writing something. But what?

Finally, I narrowed down on writing about my experience at the IITJEE. What a wonderful story it would be to tell. The events were also fresh in my mind. So I started writing and just continued to write till 5pm. As I write this line my smile extends from one ear to the other. My happiness is uncontrollable because the finishing bell is ringing and I am free yet again.

Today it has been proved that the JEE is the hardest exam to ‘pass’, literally!

-Saksham Karwal

08/04/2007

Need of the hour: Incredible Indians!

“Is desh mein aane waala har insaan hamara mehmaan hai, karo mehmaanon ki hifazat, toh milegi desh ko izzat, aapko barkat.”

This beautifully translates to, "Every person coming into this country is our guest and if we look after these guests well, not only will our country be more respected but also, we will receive divine blessings and good fortune."

Indians have always been known for their immaculate hospitality but in recent times this feeling of hospitality seems to have disappeared from the hearts of the masses. People are now looking for their own gains and not at the larger societal good. In recent times the government has taken many measures to bring about a sense that foreign tourists must be treated with respect. The Ministry of Tourism recently launched the ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ ad campaign under the Incredible India! umbrella. ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ when translated to English literally means that guests are a form of God. This campaign has been introduced not only because of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi but also with a much larger picture in mind that foreigners feel welcomed, safe and completely at home here in India.

Before reading ahead I would recommend you to see the ad which I’m talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP7HfMc1t64&feature=related

Brilliant, isn’t it?

Aamir Khan has brought out the social message effortlessly in a very realistic and inspirational manner. The dialogues, written by Prasoon Joshi, are also very carefully written, appealing to the target audience and at the same time sophisticated enough that they appeal to anyone else who sees the ad. Even the director, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra of RDB fame, has done a flawless job in perfectly depicting a scene which is not at all alien to us and which most of us come across very often but do nothing about.

I feel that the idea of incorporating tangible gains, wherein Aamir explains to the public that if we don’t treat our guests well then they will surely not visit again, is very apt as it will definitely influence those who are plain selfish. By cheating or overcharging tourists once, we may get immediate money but it would leave the unwanted feeling that those guests were ‘one-time wonders.’ It can be compared to being so stupid so as to kill the hen that lays the eggs thinking that we can encash all future eggs in one go.

In the end all the other auto rickshaw drivers and shopkeepers are standing by Aamir’s side. This sight certainly instills a sense of confidence in the aam aadmi walking by who always wanted to interject in such a situation and make a difference but was under the impression that he was alone. Making a decision of not standing up for something that is right is also a decision. The scene unquestionably reminds one that if one speaks up for what is right one cannot be alone.

Also, by playing this ad on the radio apart from the TV, a larger target audience can be reached. Aamir’s familiar voice always makes the other person stop and listen and his conviction instantly touches the conscience. I would like to express my gratitude to Aamir and all those involved with the ad for being Incredible Indians and the government of India for keeping in mind an aspect of society that needs to change. Now, it is upto us to make the difference.

As the ad ended, “Jai Hind!”

Australian dominance and the winning formula for the IPL.

Try to imagine a scenario which was very much possible. Indian cricketing legend Anil Kumble receiving the IPL trophy from Mr. K P Singh and Rahul Dravid animatedly joining into the celebrations. Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar and Manish Pandey spraying champagne on each other, reveling in the crackling bright fireworks behind them being cheered on by a 100,000 people present at the New Wanderers Stadium. Unfortunately, the script had an ending that slightly diferred from the one I would have ideally wished for.

But yet again the INDIAN Premier League trophy was lifted by an AUSTRALIAN. In the 2^nd edition it was Adam Gilchrist who had the privilege of being the first one to get his hands on the trophy and in the inaugural edition it was Shane Warne. Adam Gilchrist had Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds to help with plotting their victories while Shane Warne had the comfort of being able to rely upon Aussie revelation Shane Watson. In each of the seasons the Player of the Tournament award has been bagged by men from Down Under, Watson being succeeded by Gilchrist. Even the award for the highest run getter in both the editions was won by Australians, young Shaun Marsh springing a surprise in 2008 and then the seasoned Mathew Hayden having a great tournament in 2009. No wonder both the Australian coaches John Buchanan (KKR Coach) and Greg Shipperd (DD Coach) wanted the limit of playing only 4 foreign players at a time changed.

Before the 1^st IPL got under way, Team Rajasthan was declared least favorites to win, but the underdogs won. Coming into this year’s IPL, Deccan came in at the 8^th spot but they transformed their wooden spoon into the beautiful golden trophy. Finally, Shah Rukh has something to look forward to in the next edition of the tournament. With KKR finishing at the bottom of the table this time and news doing the rounds that Ricky Ponting will be the next captain of the franchisee and Aussies Brad Hodge and David Hussey displaying intermittent strokes of brilliance, everything seems to be in place for next season. A last place finish and a new Aussie captain backed by a couple of his own all-rounders, Shah Rukh seems to have mastered the winning formula!

To end with, I would love to see an Indian lift that trophy next.

P.S.: In no way does this post take away from the absolutely brilliant and inspiring performances by our Indian heroes in the tournament. Without them obviously this tournament wouldn’t exist. 

An Ode to the Class of '09

I was a freshman back in two thousand and seven,

Getting to play cricket for me, seemed like heaven.

 

It all began on a boring train ride,

To make me feel comfortable very hard they all tried.

On our weekly hour long journeys for the cricket team

They advised on everything from CIS, Wharton to MEAM.

And then, before long, as you may guess,

I was taught the easiest way to release stress.

And all of us landed up for poker at Harnwell,

Before long with all of them we began to gel.

Obviously Naatak was to come into our lives very soon,

The afterparties ending after the sinking of the moon.

Freshman year had to come to an end sometime or the other

By now each of us knew at Penn we had more than one elder brother.

 

The summer zoomed by and began sophomore year,

We never really realized that for them the beginning of the end was near.

We were told that Yue Kee Aunty cooks the best food,

Going to places even 'further than AC' just depended on their mood!

We observed and learnt as they figured out their plans for after Penn,

So confidently Goldman was rejected by some of these brave men.

4029 was a second home throughout,

Every day we would land up there without a doubt.

The ‘Queen of Diamonds’ became a part of our lives,

May each one of you find suitable husbands and wives!

Watching sports together was always exciting,

And beating them at fantasy games was ever- enticing.

The fun of doing classes together was mad,

With us you took them, just be glad!

The ability of pulling off multiple accents was unique

With ease could be spoken English, Japanese or Greek.

Soon hit the Bahamain ‘Ricardo’ Spring Break o’ nine,

And together we did more than just dine!

 

And as everything does, the circle came back to cricket,

In the last game, even those who only batted took at least a wicket.

 

I was a freshman back in two thousand and seven,

Getting to play cricket for me, seemed like heaven.

 

It all began on a boring train ride,

Thank God I took that ride…

 

It was great learning so much from you’ll and spending these two years together. Wish each one of you the best for the future. We love you all!