Conversion - Thousands to a billion
Here is a conversion table I found quite useful. Others might find this useful as well ...
1 Unit
10 Ten
100 Hundred
1000 Thousand
10,000 Ten Thousand
1,00,000 Hundred Thousand or 1 lakh
10,00,000 Thousand thousand or 10 lakhs or 1 million
100,00,000 Hundred Lakhs or 10 million or 1 crore
1000,00,000 Thousand lakhs or 100 million or 10 crore
10000,00,000 Ten thousand lakhs or 1000 million or 100 crore or 1 billion
Cheers!
A wedding reception turned Old Fellow's meet!
Well, quite an interesting day and a rare occasion when an astrologer’s prediction turned true!
The forecast was that I was going on a surprise party to meet old friends and that’s precisely what happened around 9:00 pm on 24th December,’08. It was a good 3 months back when one morning while I was picking up my daily that I accidentally met an old classmate, Kalyan who could recognize me after 18 long years at Spencer’s 
. Things were quiet till Hari, another classmate who is in touch with Kalyan called and we had a long discussion. It is remarkable to hear the accounts of long lost friends who drifted apart then reunited to carry on the saga of everlasting friendship and nor would I feign that ours was going to be another but it did bring a cheer and a smile on my face. The world is indeed round and getting compressed day by day …
We had plans to meet but that seemed a low priority as each of us got busy with our daily routine.
However, last week Kalyan called to catch up and he reminded me about Upendra’s reception this week. I was game for a trip as long as they took me along. So yesterday morning, Hari buzzed me and we planned to go together. I decided to take Aditi along.. so, she knew that mummy also had classmates …lol 
.
Frankly, I didn’t recall Hari at all and he mentioned that I had changed … credit to Kalyan for ‘discovering’ me. I was to be a surprise for Upendra but since he had heard about me … he did recognize me. He seems to have found himself a pretty wife who wanted to make friends with me …. Just to find out how he was in his younger days … Though we were to stay back and catch up on old times – there never really was the time or the occasion to do that. So, after a lavish dinner (though I ate like a pauper), we headed home thanks to Hari for arranging a transport.
Infact, the whole meeting was thanks to Hari’s efforts and look forward to seeing more of them in the future. Before ending, I must confess that I am pleased and feel privileged that my batchmates have done so well for themselves … they are well settled – doctors or doctorates, earning well and enjoying a satisfied life.
God Bless!
BIRTHDAY THOUGHTS
This year has been a very low key celebration with the day not being any different from an ordinary day … I only gave the gym regimen a miss and devoted an extra hour in prayers. Apart from the fact that I am missing my parents a lot, there is also a feeling of melancholy and depression has set into each of our lives – mind you all for uncontrollable factors.
Birthday wishes have come in from close relatives and friends like all other times but things are just not the same. The feeling of enthusiasm, exuberance and bonhomie is absent – I hope everybody is not doing for the sake of formality or maybe I am not happy myself.
It’s been 4 months since I have been handed the pink slip and till today I still search for the elusive offer – time and luck not running my way. I read in the papers about a man in the US who was laid off almost 9 months back and after innumerable failed attempts to find a suitable opportunity he had resorted to ‘beg’ for a job after pinning his credentials on his shirt. Ouch! I dread to even think of getting into his shoes.
Is it my ego or something else that is hurt - the rejection from everywhere which adds up to the pent up exasperation? But things are slow and all the leads have not yielded any positive results. I still don’t know how long I can sit idle and wait for things to change …
When I think back … the reminiscences of my birthday celebrated last year conjure up my mind with many happy and everlasting memories. I will truly cherish those moments although I knew even then that it would for the last time in such company.
Never has uncertainty gripped me so much– who know what holds for me tomorrow although I am sure I need to let go only to embrace changes for a better tomorrow …
Signing off with the anticipation that there is light at the end of the tunnel and when things don’t work your way they work out for the better ….
With Faith.
TERROR ATTACKS
Over the last 6 days I have been riveted to the TV and newspaper following the terror attacks in Mumbai. The latest round of atrocities caused by the miscreants of Pakistani origin seems to have induced a kind of anger in the citizens of this country like no other attack before this and in turn has united the nation. Alas! It took a tragedy to bring us together … No amount of condemnation can truly reflect the sentiments of the people and world leaders alike and I hope this serves as the wake up call to all involved in Governance of the city and the country.
However, I regret to say that some disgruntled politicians still use this incident to gain political mileage while some other make ‘loose’ and irresponsible statements at a time when much of the public resentment is directed to them. I admit that we have seen some welcome change in the handling of this incident with an All party meeting being called, some preliminary actions being taken like augmenting of commando forces, providing them with better combat equipments, streamlining of the various intelligence agencies for better co-ordination etc. Also, we have seen some heads rolling with the change in the Home Ministry and perhaps in the State Government as well. It remains to be seen if that has any impact and improves the efficiency of the system. For once the people of Mumbai tired of the cliché ‘resilience’ and ‘indomitable spirit’ have decided not to put this mayhem at the back of their mind and get on with their lives… I hope and pray that they keep up this spirit.
I salute the contributions of the police and security personnel who have laid down their lives in the line of duty to save thousands of innocent lives - as also to the many hotel staff who helped others not caring for their lives. My heart felt condolences to the affected families of these brave soldiers of India. Rest assured that your sacrifices has inspired a whole new movement in India … While I join the rest of this country in paying my tribute to the deceased, I also pray that their families find the strength to cope up with their loss.
I end with a lot of unanswered question which hopefully our leaders will help us address …
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO AVERT A SIMILAR SITUATION IN THE FUTURE?
IS THE SECURITY IN PUBLIC PLACES ADEQUATE? HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH PAKISTAN WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO CONDONE THESE ATTACKS?
WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING TO PUT PRESSURE ON PAKISTAN WHICH SERVES AS THE BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISM?
IS OUR INTELLIGENCE WELL EQUIPPED TO WARN US ON IMPENDING ATTACKS AND PLAN A COUNTER ATTACK?
Lastly, I feel that every citizen should be provided with some tips on how to defend themselves and those near them (or atleast learn some safety measures) if they find themselves in the midst of a terror attack… but the question is WHO, WHEN AND HOW WILL WE BE TRAINED?