Eureka-Discovery (e-discovery)!

Statutory Warning: The below blog contains Technical terms and issues. Read at your own risk. If you go scratching your head in and out, author of the article shouldn't be cursed!

Eureka Eureka!!

Remember the Archimedes Line? I still have the memories of a snapshot of Archimedes running out of the bath-tub shouting the famous word, straight out of my 8th Grade Physics text book. 

My, then classmate, Kapil Umalkar and me would make fun of him then. Don't ask me how Kapil is, I wish he turns out to be another Archimedes running on the streets of Delhi. he stays so out of touch these years,sucker!

Anyways, the I.T. guys find this word very common to their lives. Sometimes, they even don't need to run down the streets and shout the word out, as I.T.  every single minute is offering something new to this globe. That's I.T. for you. (But, don't ask how the I.T. guys really get screwed down by doing so. Every time there is a new upgrade to work upon, Sucks!)

From past couple of months, I have been working in the field of e-Discovery as a Product Analyst. ( I know, a hell lot  of you guys, don't know what it is. Why don't you do me a favor then? Go check the link I have put for it rather then asking me up seperately. "Yaar! Shashi, mast hai yaar, magar e-Discovery kya hai? What is e-Discovery, temme?" )

The designation of Product Analyst may seem so cool, but you will keep figuring out, what you have been actually doing until you Grey down all your hair. he is someone, who is a Technical personnel, guiding and guarding the software all armed day-night.

e-Discovery is a vast new field of I.T. With the well-structured format it has got, it will definitely come out to different horizons of work-flow in and around the Legal world. e-Discovery links I.T. to the Legal World with a brilliance. Sometimes, you fail to figure out in an e-Discovery enterprise, who is from the Legal background and who from the I.T.

It's a known fact that the Legal world  is something that will never die out for sure. It is to stay till humans are alive on the planet. As, SRK says in My Name is Khan, there are two kinds of people in the world, good and the bad. Legal and Judiciary has been into use from the oldest era of mankind. So, I.T. has always got a lot to offer in here and the way e-discovery brings I.T. into the legal world is just very beautiful.

My organization is grooming up the e-discovery concept too with it's s/w tool, which brought me closer to this I.T. concept. But, there are a lot many concepts that need to be fished into the e-discovery house-hold. Most importantly, as going through, few discussions I get to learn from people around, Cloud Computing, which I have studied at basics while pursuing my Engineering.

The most important trouble I think that e-discovery must be facing, atleast I'm when related to e-discovery tools, is  the searching of the required documents.

The searching of documents and data in e-D isn't a normal search, I must make it very clear. you're actually not running a normal search which one performs in Google or Yahoo. Here, you're searching a series of documents that may be a necessity for a legal case. This series of documents may be defined by many metadata fields (metadata: data of a data), many other fields.

These searches are performed in such a way that, you may have to search for funny Tags, with what all names, according to the folders they are in, according to the few words. In short, the searches are never easy. Very Complicated.

Everybody close knows, if interested in something, I'm all High for it. I come out with anything close to it. This time, it's e-Discovery!! Funny, but true, the lazy bone taking interest.

 So, while reading stuffs on this, and facing a hell lot of trouble with the searches, guiding clients and sometimes guiding myself in it. I found out an article somewhere in blue about Concept Searching, which the e-D developers have started working on already.

Ex. 1: "Hey!! Sachin scored 200 in Gwalior in cricket today!"

Ex.2: "Hey!! Sachin scored 200 runs in Gwalior in match today!"

If the term 'Cricket' was used as a keyword in the search, then example line 1 would be found, but Ex.2 won't. But ,they both mean the same.

However, a concept searching tool would be expected to “find” both examples, because “Concept Searching” is, as the name implies, actually looking for “concepts” rather than just keywords.

As mentioned already, let me warn you,that the searches in e-discovery aren't the normal searches. It is also the most important practice in e-D. Just like, you are trying to find few necessary papers in a room packed with millions of sheets. That's crazy isn't it? But, that's what makes e-d a well-practiced concept in the western world. Guess, when Indian lawyers would stop searching legal papers in their moist room jam-packed with files and folders. 

In e-D, while performing a search,You're actually fishing out a doc. or a set of docs, with any field tagged or with any criteria, because these are just not normal documents. A single document can be the apple for your legal case. This tool is doing just what is done above, but on a more focused paragraph or sentence rather than an entire document. 

  

Concept Searching can be successfully implemented categorically for Tags, Buckets,words.

Also, what I believe, what if we are dealing with large set of documents; if there is a 5000 or more pages, that we usually have in e-D, document that is important or “hot”(lol), because of one paragraph, concept searching for similar documents will often produce a large junk. Like, Concept Searching for example a newspaper with Sachin Tendulkar's One-dayer score, would fetch in a junk result of Sachin's Adidas advert. saluting the master blaster.

I certainly believe that the Concept Searching should be very much worked upon by the I.T. world to implement it sooner to e-Discovery. that's atleast going to push off the headaches for easy going chaps like me. Ask a guy like me, what I go through, whenever I have to work on the searches, just has to go round-and-round in these searches.They so very damn confusing. Fellow mates, sometimes would come into rescue me out of the mad mad world of searching.

e-Discovery is a all new world man, so many to come up.Learn it out, the ones who still don't know a pinch about, it's a lot catchy dudes.

Romancing with the Buzzz Station!

Place: Jaipur

Month- Mid Feb

Cold breeze sweeps on this road here. I pull on the cap of my Adidas pullover and then give a look at my watch, it says 11 pm. I'm still not feeling sleepy even after a a busy day. May be because I'm staying all alone in the hotel. After a chat with few Nepali stewards at the hotel, I stroll down this narrow galli that leads to the Polo Victory road. It's mid Feb, and Jaipur is still so cold.

The silent galli ends for the Polo Victory Road.colored with bright Golden street-lamps. Crowded, loud, bright, with road-sided dhabas and restaurants opened 24/7, its' what this road is all about.

Crispy dry cold breeze reminds me of my office's Air-conditioner going wild. I'm just strolling down the street looking the road-side multi-cuisine dhabas. Very Next to me is Sindhi Camp, funny name, but this what is the busy jam-packed Jaipur Bus terminal named as.

I walk briskly walk into Sindhi Camp. As my feet force s me to the bus platforms, the intensity of noise and human voices increases. 

loud chaiwalas, Himachal Pradesh's Apple-Juice counter and I halt! 

"A glass please"

"Yes Sirji, here you're"

Break Break Break...a question to anyone reading this blog- These H.P.'s Apple Juice centers at various Railway, bus stations around the country, are they really an initiative of the H.P. Govt, and are these cheap 8 INR per glass juice, really the apple drink? I remebber, our Cab Driver during the Manali, Shimla trip, who was laso our local guide at times,lol, was telling us that the apples are too cheap there, a big huge box costs just a  whooping 30 INR. Whether it's Ahmedabad's railway station, Bandra and CST Terminus, Jaipur's Sindhi Camp, wherever you're they are on.

After a great glass of apple treat, I move ahead buying myself a cream-roll. I give a look at the watch again, Its quarter to 12 now.

"Haridwar Delhi Haridwar", "Nathdwara Udaipur Kankroli", "Gurgaona-Delhi", "Rohtak"  , ..loud creepy voices rule the terminus.

To my surprise, I find buses for al the places in North, which always looked far and far to me from Western, Central and Eastern part of the country. Jaipur, being one of the most important tourist destinations, seems well connected. Buses for everywhere, Srinagar to Shimla, Manali to Merta City, Udaipur to Ujjain, Kalka to Chandigarh. anywhere in North.

Rings my fone..."Hey?" 

"Hi Shashi! Happy Birthday".

"Sucker! It's not today.. u the earliest, it's tomorrow. Thank God, I was awake Ashu, rest u were dead"

I look amazingly at the bus station, people and people around. On seats, below seats, sleeping, talking, laughing, even breaking winds and Roaring the ZZzzzzzzzssss while napping.

"Sir, Have to go to Ahmedabad day after tomorrow in the late hours. Buses for the city?"

"Got one at 10.00pm and a Volvo at 11pm"

"Whats the fair for them?"

"Sir?" "Sir??" "Sir???"- Jaipur and most of the country ki adadat, all the govt and civic services employees, short and sweet! ha ha.

Watch shouts 1 AM now.

My message tone rings. Niraj Patel sends "LOAFER aur OFFER mein kya farak hai? Batao toh chavani dunga. Ladka Ladki ko propose kare toh LOAFER aur Ladki kare toh OFFER!" Cool messages like these from Niraj storm my message book these days.

 I move to the other section of the terminus, exclusively for North-Bound buses."Manali Manali"..."Shimla......Shimla", "Sundernagar.....Sundernagar"

And moving ahead, I move to the executive class of the Rajasthan State Roadways Terminus (RSRTC). The Gold-Line, Silver-Line marked, well trimmed, washed decorated buses. The shops on this side are also not normal thellas, like the other sections. You have a Narula's here, a NesCafe Outlet, well-groomed waiting rooms.

I move to the Enquiry Counter.

"Got to go to Ahmedabad day after tomorrow, can you let me know the fare and timings of the buses?"

Unlike the previous encounter with a RSRTC Official at the enquiry Office, for whom, just to listen to his break-way voice, hoards of people were waiting, and he was still unmoved. 

This person politiely answers- "Sir! Bus will leave at 9.30. It's a Volvo Bus to Ahmedabad. You will Reach Ahmedabad at 9.30 am sharp. The fair is 950 INR. I suggest you better buy the ticket now, as the bus suddenly gets packed."

Surprised and feeling nothing less than a king by his gestures towards me, I feel I'm on Cloud 9.

I move to the ticket counter and stand in the queue. The same person points at me - "Sirji, Please fill the enquiry form before standing in the queue, rest, you may have to go round again and stand."

"Form? Reservation Form?" Just Like the Railways?"- I gesture

"Ha Ha! Yes Sir"

The scene here is quite executive. The feeling you get in this section makes you feel you're special. Rajasthan is always known for the hospitality given to outsiders. You see it all here. Padahro Mahare Desh! 

But, the previous sections, normal running buses aren't groomed the same way. Why? I just don't get it? The tickets and fares for those buses aren't cheap either. We blame the large Indian population for this. But, Gosh! Gimme a Break! Aren't the ones traveling by Volvos a part of the same populous crowd? 

The Jaipur bus Terminus is lively, cool, fun to be. But, a sea-change in approach for the normal platforms and executive platforms is different. Foreign nationals to travel by the normal buses. If we can take care of one part at a dead-end kind of approach, why not the same for other class of buses? It's just an example of our approach. May be the crowd make it dirty and messy again, may be they like keeping public places dirty, may be. My be, in few hours the  mess and dirt is there all over again. But lets try keeping them clean once, Let's give it a try. I truely understand that population and the people's approach is very annoying. But sanitize and keep the other sections clean once, and make the people understand that keeping them so would be and is good for them. We don't do it, and rest blame the population again and again.

Rest, you guys, do answer my Himachal Pradesh apple juice counters wala question?

Ahmedabad and the foul stories!

This Write-up got place even in the Ahmedabad Mirror's e-Paper.

1.30 am and Ahmedabad is finally here. I peep out of the door of the 3-tier AC compartment of Ranakpur Express, and can see the train passing on the bridge over Sabarmati river. Next is Ahmedabad junction.

But, I love it. I'm back to Ahmedabad from a short trip to the Thar. Ahmedabad, where I was born more than 2 decades back, and now staying post graduation. Broad roads, Silent Traffic, cool Malls,..That's Ahmedabad! A metro city in India where you find the traffic police circulating safety norm circulars and Do's and Dont's, instead of looting your money away. A city where, crime is the lowest. So low, that chain snatching is something that police has in its top crime agenda to curb down. Yes, Chain Snatching, which seems normal for other metros. This is Ahmedabad, where women can be seen riding at 3 am without any fear.A metro city where, you have peace and security. A city rich with Vibrant culture, and house of literates, where you even if you accidentally bump into a guy on road (if his and your vehicle isn't damaged or hit), the other would just pass in a smile and move on.


But, Ahmedabad is still being remembered for 2002, and I don't know why. Whenever there is a talk about Ahmedabad, its for the two reasons; Busting economy and 2002. I don't understand how can people still tag it as a communally tensed area, where Human rights takes a beating. Let me put in a fact, if it was not Gujarat and some other state in India, It would have been almost impossible that a police official fishes out the truth behind an encounter. I wish to see that whosoever having a similar mindset about this city and state, reads it and changes his\her view about Ahmedabad. In fact,  according to the recent report published by a Indian Government agency, in Ahmedabad & Gujarat, every community whether major or minor, are most prosperous than the rest of the states.

Ridiculous! Really ridiculous to see how Ahmedabad is been portrayed by the media as a communally tensed city.  Whatever I want to convey here can't go light by looking me as a Am writing this, because, its just after My B.E. in 2008, I'm full-fledged living here. Neither I'm a Gujarati. I have lived in more than a couple of Indian states from East, Central India to West, so please don't doubt my credit-ability on this.


Believe me or not, after living in the likes of major cities and towns of India, i would call Ahmedabad the most peaceful and rapidly growing city, where public services is worth learn. The Police and the way government offices work in this city and state is an example to watch. Police? lol..Shashi talking about police? What about those fake encounters? And I would answer back to something like this as..What about the cracking of Indigenous IM group, responsible for Mumbai sub-urban train blasts in 2006, Jaipur, Delhi and Bangalore Blasts carried out by the terror group. What happened to the Police network of Mumbai, who couldn't crack down? What about Rajasthan, and NCR Police? Ahmedabad saw a serial blast and within 6 months, the ones who carried that out were booked to justice. Alos came out the long thread of terror carried out by IM in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore.


I cannot expect any other city in India, where a police official comes up giving you flowers or traffic police handing you a safety norm page, when you are not wearing a helmet.


What happened in 2002 was really demoralizing and worth condemnable, but lets grow up! Lets stop cursing this city for that every now and then. This only weakens it's secular fabric and gives enough reasons for notorious heads to carry out inhuman acts of terror in the city. Is this what every one wants? I have a question to put forward.. is Ahmedabad the only city that saw Communal tensions? Mumbai and Delhi didn't? Do we defame Delhi as a communally tensed city for the ones who were brutally harassed after Indira Gandhi's assassination? Delhi lives with the same community with peace, and I can confirm there cannot be other in Delhi. Mumbai? what happened in 1993? Do we keep reminding Mumbai of that?


Continuous talks about Ahmedabad as a communally tensed area is wrong and I fortressly withstand that. All the communities in this vibrant city is living peacefully. There was a time before 2002, when two big religious communities in the city were up heels to react to one other. That is gone after 2002. people have learnt that such blunders is harmful to the secular fabric.


I have had verbal discussions on this with quite a few friends many a times, who ask me about the city.  I hope they get the answer here.