You can think of me as more of a CLI than GUI person :). Having strong core is what matters more, outlook could even be simple. Nethack has been my favourite computer game and Slackware has been my favourite Linux distribution so far since my first introduction to them in 1994 at Pune University, Computer Science Department.
Some people have mentioned to me that I am perfectionist/idealist. May be I am that way as I prefer clean, simple and thoughtful solutions to problems over shoddy and bulky ones. Easily understandable, debuggable in case of doubt, upgradable in case of enhancement needs and foremost not contributing to new problems, solutions are always useful as they save time, human and other resources in long run and increase productivity effectively. Unless your business model aims at fooling and fleecing the customer.
I don't know about myself being a team player or not, but I prefer to strengthen my teammates and help them to gain confidence about the work in question. However at times I prefer to work alone because that way work gets accomplished faster. Later I brief others if they are interested. In general, team player attribute of a person is relative and depends on constitution and quality of the team.
My other intersts include reading, photography, comics, trekking, walking in rain on a nature trail. Some point of time in life I had the habit of scribbling something on paper that others called creative writing. There are lots of things that interest me, almost everything in under the sun. :)
Sometimes I feel like penning down travelogues and other experiences in day to day life, give way to stories that have been there for too long. But I would prefer to do that in Hindi. So much English everywhere in professional life has been making mothertongue as a second language for some people. How many people read literature in their mothertongue? Number of people using English at their home also is growing year by year. It won't be surprising if many aspects of regional cultures become extinct in future.
I wish to learn as many regional and foreign languages in a way that I can read and understand their literature/religion/religious practices/culture better. Translation often distorts the meaning and feelings, for lack of words and expressions in target language that describe the meaning correctly and also the interpretations of translator at times play great havoc. I am working towards to regain the ability to read/write/understand/speak sanskrit, something that has degenerated to great extent, because of non-usage since 1988.
There is something in mathematics that still attracts me. Sometimes I look back and smile, sandeep till class 12th wanted to study further in mathematics. Mathematics was fun then, thanks to my parents, teacher and friends. Algebra, trigonometry, 3-D geometry, vectors, calculus - everything was fun to learn. Vedic mathematics has fascinated me since I first saw a related tv programme on Door Darshan, in one of their regular education related tranmissions before or around 1993.
Time passes quite fast. During IIT days, after couple of plays, used to think about getting into theatre as hobby, getting affiliated with Indian People's Theatre Association if ever happened to be in pune. After coming to pune in 1993, got caught up in studies then work that forgot about it for so long. And it looks like a thing of yesterday.
Like that there is another wish that has been there for past couple of years now - getting associated with some down to earth group, so as to spend few hours a week with children, old and other dejected people and give them the company they long for. There have been cases where children are either settled abroad or have been there for long time and people at that age need company, care and life that is more than just living in memories, than money they receive for taking care of themselves.
In 1996, with three of my friends/batchmates - Rakesh, Naveen and Dhiraj, a little plan was made to have our own company on internet, where we would get projects and provide solutions over internet or otherwise. As we were spread in Delhi, Pune and Bangalore, plan was to coordinate amongst ourselves also via internet, not all of us had phone facility then. One of us did made some progress towards getting a small project, but things fizzzzed out. Financial aspects were one of the big issues, apart from lack of contacts and openness of market to these kind of concepts. Sooner than we all realised, we were absorbed in our daily life and work, some of us got married soon, thus reducing the exploration of unchartered avenues further. Then we decided to continue working and come back to our dreams of being our own employers some years later after gathering the necessary experiences of life. I have started taking steps towards it, though not in expected way of those times, as life has got some more meanings/strings attached to it now.
I wish if technology could be used for masses in such a way that masses are not dependent on it but use it as an aid/help. Isn't it quite weird that with advancement in technology, newer generations are losing on basic cpabilities.
I like meeting new people, as each one teaches me one or other things about human psychology and the world and in a direct/indirect way helps to know myself.
In case you are looking for things like my favourite movies, books etc., check
out for me on Orkut and
Rediff Connexions - good sites for
keeping in touch with batchmates, friends, ex-colleagues, aquaintances and
business networking.