Interview with an NRI from North Carolina - Guess who?!

"A" Simple Blogger - that's who Amrit is to those who know him only in the blogosphere. I remember the first time I visited his blog, I was just a few days into blogging, I left a comment in his post and within minutes he arrived at mine. My joy knew no bounds then!

He calls himself a Simple blogger; but if you read his serious posts you will know better. He shares only  mature and well-thought-of ideas in his posts. Not only that, he has a knack for encouraging others with his comments and visits.

This quote is from his post What makes him a Mahatma? Now, here he is to share openly with us as part of the getting-to-know interview series. Let's give a hearty welcome to Simply Speaking Superb Blogger "A"!

"In my mind Gandhi’s constant effort to create a just and equal society makes him Mahatma. Gandhi made an unprecedented effort to integrate a highly fragmented, religion, caste and class based society of India..."

? Can you tell us a little about yourself? Please include where you are from.

! An average human being.  Born and brought up in New Delhi. Studied Engineering and worked in New Delhi for a few years before immigrating to Western world primarily for better opportunities and more money. Currently I live in Cary, North Carolina on the East Coast of the USA.

... Several times people ask me what is “A”. “A” stands for Amrit – my first name. Literal meaning of ‘Amrit’ is nectar but it implies holy water that purifies mind, body and soul. But as you all know, name does not always reflect the personality.

? How did you first get involved in blogging?

! A friend asked me to define first love. Not satisfied with my one line answer, he challenged me for a better and a complete answer. I ended up writing a story – My First Love. I delivered to his challenge but my new challenge was to convince him, other friends and my wife that the story was pure fiction. Their reaction encouraged me to write more and explore this skill.

? What do you do when you aren’t blogging?

! I guess you mean in my spare time. Spending time with family, gym, parties, movies, leisure travel, reading, music and believe it or not I run chores too.

? How did you come up with the name for your blog?
! An Engineer simplifies complex problems and in the spirit of engineering background, my goal was (is) to keep the writings simple, hence the title: Simply Speaking by "A" Simple Blogger.

? What is your favorite post that you have written? What makes it special?
! 'She..' and 'My First Love' are my favorite posts. Looking at wet eyes and happiness on my wife’s face makes 'She..' very special. I think 'My First Love' remains my best work though it is a relatively long story and does not follow all principles of storytelling.

? Any regrets about any of your posts?
! I could have done a better job bringing various aspects of Wiki Leaks. The post was biased.

? Tell us a joke please.
! Here is a joke that a friend sent me today and I added a line to it.

A little boy, after being shouted at by his mom and sitting sadly.
Dad : "What happened son?"
Son : "Dad, I can't handle your wife anymore! I want my own wife!"
Dad: “Are you sure son. Do you want to be shouted at every minute?”

? What can readers expect in your blog? What is it about?
! This is my question to readers. What do readers expect from my blog? Feedback can be helpful.
 
? Is there anything else you want to share?
! Bear with me. I am not always nice.

? Now, if you have a question for me (NRIGirl) this is your chance to ask.
! What is your first reaction when you see my new blog post in Blogger/Reader? What is the first thought that crosses your mind?