Bales of Blue

Journey to the Top

2011-11-27T01:55:00.000+05:30

When I saw my peak,
I started the climb
And I left you behind.

The peak is a glory,
But I am so lonely
And the tunnels so dark.

There is no sunshine
Pain from the climb, there is,
A difficult time.

Come here my angel,
Down from the sky,
And take me to fly.

The Twenty Third Year

2011-10-31T03:04:00.000+05:30

Behold ! A poem which a lot of us will relate to at this point of time in life!

On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty-Three
by John Milton

(1631)

HOW soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew’th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits indu’th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven,
All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Task-master’s eye

Roots

2011-10-13T08:06:00.000+05:30

Closing in with yet another year of madness, growth, progress and thankfully measurable results for a change, I look back at my roots and see the distance growing. The distance between my roots and I has created a great magnetism between the two, as distance always does.

I see spiritualism, happiness and fulfillment in my roots. I remember my paternal grandparents and the values they imparted to me from when I was very young. I miss them.

What sounded like just another Sindhi song to me a few years back, now seems like a binding force of so many Sindhi families to believe in themselves, their culture and each other in adversity.

Every Sindhi person proclaims, "Jhulelal Bedapaar" but how many of us know the legend of Jhulelal? How many of us know that Jhulelal was only his nickname? His true name was Udaichand.

Whatever it is, I have realised that there comes a calling which takes you to your roots, whether you believe in it right now or not. There is no running away. So heavy is the influence of culture and upbringing that it tags along wherever you are and whatever you wish to be.

I never thought I would say this because I never experienced the belongingness. But now that I do, I am proud to be a Sindhi.

Cheers!

Friendship's Day

2011-08-08T02:34:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was friendship's day.

I thank each and everyone of you. You know I'm speaking about you. :)

I believe that man by himself cannot exist. He needs company. Well God made woman for that would be the next logical statement. But I am not taking that perspective here.

I believe that man alone is whole and complete. Incompleteness arises only in the existence of another. And the adventure is to complete this incompleteness in the presence of the other and with the other. No adventure, no life.

I thank you for being with me in this adventure. Whoever you may be - family, classmate, colleague, neighbour, acquaintance - essentially, your are my friend.

Happy friendship's day.

The Plunge

2011-08-02T01:59:00.000+05:30

I took the plunge
In a stranger sea,
In a quick jiffy,
And went down quickly.

There I saw,
another world,
Many an emerald,
And life unfurled.

My eye wanted,
To open so wide,
Front and then side,
As if, On fish I did glide.

The sun seemed so far,
Sweet cold water, but sour,
I was left in paradise,
But with a deep rooted scar.

Tamanna

2011-07-18T02:32:00.001+05:30

Duur ho tum kahin,
Kabhi paas aane waali nahin..

Phir bhi kyon sochta hoon..
Ki kab toh milogi tum..

Ek haseen pal ki yaad..
Ek rangeen pal ki muraad..

Muskuruhaat mein shararat..
Aur koi mazze ki baat..

Tumse milne par har pal..
Ek ajeeb si aahat..

Par naa milenge hum kabhi..
Na hogi dosti ki woh sabahat..

Bhool na paoonga tumhein kabhi..
Bas hai tanhayee, tamanna aur chaahat.

Chi

2011-07-04T14:51:00.094+05:30

Part I

There was once a philosopher and preacher in Hechi, China. He was called Master He-Ping by all. Throughout his life, he enjoyed the company of two of his school friends - Jing and Liang. But this was only till he was in Hechi. At the age of 47, he left his home after only informing his wife. He chose to travel and learn and started towards the Green Dragon Mountains.

As soon as Jing and Liang heard that their dear friend had departed, they somehow did not feel right about it. They loved his company. His very presence was calming in nature. A word or two from him relieved people of life's miseries or at least got much confidence in them to face them. Some people thought that he was a phony. Some people didn't. Whatever it was, whatever people said, everyone did visit him and listened to what he had to say.

Now Jing and Liang decided that their sons - Kun and Kang respectively will follow He-Ping and serve him for a few years. Both their sons were teenagers. There were a couple of reasons for doing this. Firstly, they knew that by serving the Master, their sons would come home as completely different men. For they knew him the longest and knew his worth well. Secondly, and most importantly, for someone who was so dear to them all, how could they let him be all alone without any helpers? Now since Jing and Liang were the bread-winning members of the family, sending their sons was the only feasible option.

So Kun and Kang packed their bags and headed towards the Green Dragon Mountains. It took them four and a half months of quick paced, fast and intelligent tracking to meet the most renowned philosopher in the state, Master He-Ping. He-Ping was touched by the gesture of his friends but he asked the two teenagers to return home. The two insisted that they serve him on the grounds that the mountains are filled with wildlife and local ethnic groups that might disturb him and disrupt his objectives. He-Ping accepted their proposition only on a condition that he would then like to impart his learning to the two of them.

He-Ping had trained and learned under many great teachers. He had learned Kung Fu, Accupuncture, Feng Shui, Taoism from great masters and Confucianism from Menicus himself. One of the agenda that He-Ping had was to look for students. This was because he believed that whatever he had got, he should give it back before he completed the journey of his life. And here there were two students who came searching for him. They were honored to be offered so and more than gladly bowed down to him that very instant.

"You do not have to protect me. You have to help me spread harmony. Harmony with the Universe, always", were the first few Tao preachings of the Master about to his pupils.

This began a long and rigorous training schedule day by day. It was not easy for the two of them. After eight months of training in Kung Fu, Kun and Kang were asked to climb to the top of a tree. As soon as the master completed the instruction, they charged to the tree. In a youthful competitive spirit, they glanced towards each other to see their respective position. Their invigorated run was backed by an intention to win. Well both of them nearly reached at the same time,Kang reached earlier only by a couple of seconds.

Kang had a huge grin and Kun felt left out. While climbing down, both were filled with emotion. The Master asked them to count the number of branches and leaves which had broken because of their activity. They were appalled to see the number of branches broken and fresh green leaves which had come off the tree.

The Master said, "You are doing what you are doing but you are not respecting Chi. Chi runs through you and also through this tree. Climb the tree not to see who wins Kang, but to see can find the Chi in the tree and combine his own with it. Yes, Kun?"

They smiled and nodded. The Master shouted, "Yuan Zhu Bao You" (God bless you). They both ran towards the tree. Looking at the climb with their different perspective, one could make out how calm and steady they were. Not a branch, not a leaf fell down in the second climb.

When they both came down, the Master asked them, "So my dear ones, what did you observe?" Kun said, "It was much more peaceful. We noticed many things like what kind of a bark the tree has and which branch is weak and which is not." Kang said, "Yes, I felt the same way and also it took us a bit longer, but was more enjoyable."

The Master smiled and enlightened,"It did not take you longer Kang. It took you the same amount of time. I was counting. Time also, is how you perceive it to be."

He-Ping went from village to village and preached people which toughened them mentally and physically. Kun and Kang together served as four limbs to the head. He-Ping was invited to the King's court and was offered the position of the chief advisor. He turned down the offer by saying that the King was already very wise. He did not need anyone to advise him. He urged the King to give up impulse. The King understood what the Master had told him and bowed down to him. He-Ping continued travelling with his two students and harmony slowly started spreading all over Central China. Many more wanted to become his students. He-Ping said that he will call them when the time is right.

One day, on He-Ping's 58th birthday, He-Ping called his two students and told them, "I must move to Tibet. You two have to carry on with this. I cannot give anything more to the two of you. Now you have to learn on your own and spread harmony."

The Master walked while the two students had their heads bowed down with their hands joined, with a fist and a palm. He turned around and shouted, "Yuan Zhu Bao You" (God bless you)".

Part II

Kun and Kang had in no way expected this. The were taken aback. They did not speak after their master left. They were mellow and felt lost. Just like how one feels after a close one passes away.

They completed their chores and went off to sleep. The silence was heavy and deafening. Kang fell sick and stayed ill for a few days. Kun asked him to let go and not be affected by the event to that extent. Kang did not take it well that Kun provided to him unasked advice. He quite got offended at that. "So well Kun is all ready to be a Master, eh? I don't think he really loved Master He-Ping at all. Who stays calm after someone so dear decides to just leave like that?", he thought.

Thus started a conflict in the two heads, which for eleven years had a unidirectional and clear thought process. They anyway stayed together and took ahead He-Ping's work. One night, Kun saw the silhouette of a human figure through the cottage window. The person was trying to peep in. Kang was fast asleep. Kun ran to the door and went towards the window from the outside. No one was there. There was a person in a full coat running in the distance. There was no way in which Kun could have reached him, however fast he ran. He returned to the cottage and locked the door. He put an extra lock on and turned towards his bed. Kang was gone.

Part III

Everything was happening a little too quick after eleven years of stability and discipline for Kun. First his master went away and now his friend. It was like listening to classical music all day and then towards the evening, after an entire day of calm, the record player produces a screeching noise; the kind that you've heard from a chalk on you school's old blackboard.

Kun realised that for sometime he had lost his cool and was in a state of mental hyperactivity. He gathered himself together and started thinking about what his next step is going to be. He realised that Kang could have just headed searching for him and might come back in a few hours. So Kun decided to sleep.

He woke up, as usual, just at sunrise. He went and stood by the window. The same window where he had seen the mysterious man last night. Unlike a few hours earlier, it was warm and vibrant. He could hear the birds chirping and there were so many of them. The rays of the rising sun as if blessed Kun's shiny bald head. There was a slight haze in the morning air and vision was restricted only upto a few hundred meters. He heard the door shut behind him and turned around.

It was Kang. Kun was confused. He didn't know how exactly to respond. He walked towards Kang with a confused look.

Part IV

Arti lay her head on Sohan's chest and was listening to the story very intently. She was completely in love with the guy, since college. She was so into him that she could also picture how He-Ping, Kun and Kang looked and also how they dressed and the way they spoke. That is to say, an instantly cooked up story by Sohan was also taken very seriously by her. On the other hand, Sohan was the best storyteller anyone could have met. The way he narrated incidents, his expressive eyes taking the people to a far away planet away from reality.

They were about to get engaged in a few months. Their parents were okay with it.

Suddenly Sohan's phone rang.

Arti said, "First complete the story!"

Sohan said, "No wait!"

Arti slapped Sohan's hand which was approaching the phone. Sohan stared at her angrily. She withdrew.

Sohan looked at the phone and said, "It is your dad! Now tell me, I shouldn't pick up?"

He looked at Arti and said, "Do you have any missed calls?"

Why else would her dad call him directly. Obviously for some work then.

Arti said," No!"

Sohan picked up the call, "Hello uncle!"

"Oh ya! Sorry I will take time to get into the habit dad, have been calling you uncle since college."

"You want me to see you now?"

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Bye uncle, I mean, dad"

Sohan told Arti about it and Arti insisted that she comes along. Sohan disallowed her to come along on the grounds that if her dad wanted her to come along, he would have called her.

Sohan returned after a couple of hours and Arti waited for him there. Arti was happy to see him. She smiled. And the curve of her smile slowly straightened when she saw gloom and upset on Sohan's face.

Sohan looked at Arti and said, "I am sorry."

Arti asked, "What? For what?"

Sohan said, "Your dad will not let us marry if I don't take dowry. And I had spoken to you about this earlier"

Arti said, "I will talk to him"

Sohan said, "Try. I doubt you will succeed. It will have to become a choice between him and me. And for all that he has done for you, I'd say choose him."

Arti rushed to the bathroom.

She leaned with her hands on the mirror and then reached out for the tap and washed her face. She looked up into the mirror. She did not see herself. She saw a man. She saw Kun.

She reached out for the towel. She now knew the end of the story. As she walked towards the door, she clicked on her mind's VLC media player. She maximized it.

Kang : You have no respect for me, and you did not have any respect for Master He-Ping either. You are a mean, selfish guy who just looks at his benefit.

Kun : But that's not true my brother.

Kang : Don't call me that.

Kang approached his bed. Kun noticed that Kang's clothes were packed into a bag.

Kang picked up his bag and stomped off.

Arti opened the door. Kang was gone. And so was Sohan.

Boom - Vol. 1

2011-06-09T00:20:00.003+05:30

Boom - A situation for you to think about.

He wanted to get her flowers that evening but was too tired to even park his car and step out. He just wanted to go home and sleep. He loved her. But he felt lazy. The laziness was in the mind. Parking the car and taking that effort would not kill him. Had he implemented what he thought, he would have been a different person to her.

Boom.

There are three people in this mini story. Abraham, Kevin and Brenda. Abraham works as a Purchase Manager for Perfect Sanitary Ware, a sanitary ware manufacturing company. The company manufactures shower heads, restroom seats, flushing systems etc. One of the main components used in the manufacture is PVC pipes. Brenda is a Sales Manager at Plastick Industries and regularly supplies PVC pipes to Abraham's company. Abraham and Brenda have become great friends over the years. Now, Abraham goes on leave and Kevin, who has been handling Logistics since four years has been given the responsibility of filling in on Abraham's role. Kevin meets Brenda for an appointment over lunch and shows openly that he was only interested in a certain category of offerings from Brenda. He even negotiates and upscales the purchase to meet his gratification. Brenda is disgusted. She supplies cheap quality PVC pipes to Kevin on the next day and reports the matter regarding Kevin to the board of directors of Perfect Sanitaryware. This becomes a corporate scandal on the grapevine but is kept away from the media. In a futile statement to defend himself, Kevin states that Abraham had prompted to him that such tactics can be used for personal sexual benefit. To avoid infamy, the company sacks Abraham too, without giving him a chance to defend himself.

Boom.

Airport

2011-06-02T19:07:00.002+05:30

Have you ever been to an airport in India? If you have not, trust me, it will be one of the most unique experiences in your life. I love going to the airport.

I was at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport last night to receive someone and the flight was delayed by a couple of hours. Well, this article is all about the wait at the airport.

First things first, it was crowded! There were people waiting with name cards. They were getting impatient and so was I. Every now and then the eye would scan the terminal gate for the concerned people expected and the mind would be disappointed.

Yet, the disappointment would be contained by joys of the others. The embraces, the kisses and the smiles. Oh what smiles!

I was at the 'Arrivals' gate. It was difficult to think how the 'Departures' gate would look like. Or was it? Of course there would be families going for vacations, Corporate biggies in their stylish suits with hardly any luggage, hurrying by the gates while giving a short glance to their INR 500,000 wrist watches. And yes, the long embraces that the mothers would have with their not-kids-any-longer children who would be going to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies. How did I forget to mention honeymoon couples?

So much of emotion, all at one place. A place where people exit from one gate and enter from the other. Upset, happiness, disappointment, love, worry and teary-eyed joy. At the airport. Just like how it is in life.

The next time you feel cold, lonely and that you have a mechanical life, go to an airport in India.

Resolve

2011-05-30T09:51:00.000+05:30

It is time of life ladies and gentlemen, to give up everything for the win.

Not because winning is everything, but because victory is yet left to be attained.

George Mallory was questioned on the reason for climbing Mount Everest. He answered saying that he is climbing Mount Everest "Because it's there".

Action, speech and thought will now be taken to a higher level. I hereafter will perform at the pinnacle of my capacity.

Cheers!

The El Dorado Expedition

2011-05-06T07:14:00.000+05:30

It will be a journey all the way back. Back to the beginning. Right from where I started. There is really no other way to keep me happy, healthy and satisfied. This road that I travel on lets me do what I want. But the idea is about being on a road which would lead to El Dorado. What point does it make for me to keep travelling on one of the best roads in the world when it doesn't bloody go to El Dorado. You get what I'm saying? Yes I do.

A Personal Note

2011-03-22T05:22:00.000+05:30

Hello,

I blog today at 5 am and I shall not post a poem. This is one of those few entries which I post more often than not on such occasions that embark upon a new path in my life.

I will now explain my thoughts to share what I am going through, which you might relate to your life. After all, what I experience is only human, especially in the society that we live in.

A confusion arises in every crucial choice we make in the early 20's. The first and the most important reason for this is the lack of complete knowledge. And the state of complete knowledge is only a fictitious concept. Because knowledge is infinite and with all that we humans collectively know, I feel we have conquered the tip of the iceberg. Hence an inevitable problem of lack of knowledge always exists.

From the mother to the professor, from the sibling to the competitor- the second reason for the confusion is the influence that the family and the peer group has on us.

And the third reason is that it is extremely difficult to discover oneself - one's truest aspirations and beliefs. And once that is done, it would take the strength of Cratus to take the dream to its reality.

The challenge is to do what one is cut out for and also be socially admirable.

Please do share your thoughts. Let us see where we land up!

Best wishes.

Act II Scene I

2011-03-09T01:45:00.001+05:30

So the drama continues,
You must forget Act I.
In the middle of the blues,
You think of head, heart and gun.

Think of it more,
And there won't be a second,
It will all be a bore,
No tale, no legend.

The gloom will subside
My dear, the misery will end,
You will laugh because you cried,
With a new random friend.

Tread along the script,dear,
You know not what twists await,
No Macbeth, Ceaser no Lear,
As You Like It, you will create.

Prismatic

2011-02-25T02:23:00.001+05:30

Smallest strongest,
Makes everything big
To thy eyes and mine,
Such is her strength.

Drives on the open road,
Wind blows the roof off,
Windows shatter one by one
And she pushes the accelerator.

The road ends but she flies,
The sun ray hits her glass
To give a diamond glare.
Inspired, the Cloud forms a Rainbow.

Picture courtesy : http://rainbowwallpaper.info

Flow

2011-02-23T16:39:00.000+05:30

Go go,
go with the flow.
Move fast
Or move slow.

Clutch not to the rocks,
Fear not you droplet,
You will see no shocks,
It is only an octet.

Dance, dance along
The music of the flow,
Sing to make it a song,
Find peace in the tempo.

Choose channel A or B,
You still sing,
Still dance free,
To nothing you cling.

You shall go to sea,
Yes,one day, and till then,
Move fast or move slow,
Sing and dance in the flow.

Flame

2011-02-01T15:14:00.000+05:30

Does it matter who's the King?
Or who's the minister?
The hardy to their fear do not cling,
They only for the latter make it sinister.

If for once you look inside,
Deeper than you ever have done,
A ball of energy you will see on the hide,
Explosive gunpowder of a hundred odd tonne.

Zero to a hundred in time undefined,
Going into timespace(remembering Einstein),
A look at the world for someone who was blind,
Extracting myriad strength from Life's mine.

You emerge at the top of your game,
And just then everyone says, "Have some shame!"
Don't look at them, you are not to blame,
Above heart and head, keep your flame.

Gibberafternoon.

2011-01-27T15:46:00.000+05:30

Often one doesn't know how to express. But I believe that anyway, one should. Here is a little bit of my life in gibberish. Tell me what you hear.

Argameshun jes tiapro, ti veragutan bee muzadarika. Seemprashuda zesh yo vanista dembo ki ki.

Helwith juha kishee bishee, drik zwik gik.

Mezarukee gembo ikki tikki rikki.

Swamby sheshe origi zeperasush?

Yewo teke honotuda zele opy bekher.

(Now read it again in an angry tone, then a sad tone and finally by making funny faces)

Ho ho ho! The season is here!

2010-12-26T17:46:00.000+05:30

Hello guys!

Merry christmas and a very happy new year, in advance. This post is a dedication to a very close friend who has completed yet another year of awesomeness.

I was dressed up as Santa yesterday and was sculpting balloons for children at a well known store. I got a picture of how much one Santa can do for so many children- create or sustain a world of fantasy which exists only in childhood.
If not that much, at least get smiles on the faces of the older kids. Yes, kids can be a pain sometimes. But, at the risk of sounding like a parent already, it all feels worth it to contribute a little bit of happiness to their lives.

It felt so good to really go out there and spread happiness and that too, was overly exaggerated for me because I never say ,"HO HO HO!" thirty times an hour. It made me realize what we really miss out on thanks to our inhibitions of being open in expressing what we feel for people, maybe at the risk of sounding stupid. Yes, I had apprehensions about being a public Santa. But I thought it to be worth the risk. And yes, it was. There was a lady who came with an infant in her hand and spoke to him saying, "Oh see! Your first Santa!". The mother clicked a photograph of the seven-odd month old in his father's arms with me. And all that I could think of was 'Wow!'. There were some six year old's who gave me one of the best responses for the balloons I sculpted for them. So much happiness.

It was a pain sometimes because there were seventy odd children and managing them, their emotions and their mother's emotions and turning them into happiness was a task. I had to build impromptu stories and manage the crowd as I simultaneously pumped air into the balloons and twisted and turned them into Christmas goodies for the children.

The experience made me realize how I am different when I was known to the world as Santa and not Avinash Shahri. The former had a huge deal of happiness to provide. The latter was tired after the event, but left fulfilled. Same person.

To think of it, this whole episode reminds of this birthday girl. Why? Because she always spreads happiness. That's it. She spreads, happiness. Happy birthday.Andwatelse?

Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee

2010-12-03T16:55:00.001+05:30

I am going through a very typical 4:14 am syndrome. A syndrome which puts a lot in one's head to think and overrides sleep. To go through this syndrome is beautiful as it ceases to exist only after a blog post is put up. A blog post is expression in the form of text. I feel that one would benefit a great deal by having a habit of regularly expressing in a certain form - dancing, painting, writing and singing being the popular ways. Eventually, one does gain a certain expertise over such a form of expression, so much so, that one begins to enjoy it.

Each one of us has a different approach to forms and styles of expression. Each one of us will be different at it. Any two Bharat-Natyam dancers, with a similar body structure and training period, who train under the same guru will be unequivocally different in their stage performance. One's way of doing things is heavily influenced by one's style of expression. Taking into consideration the larger picture, one's profession and style of communication become an expression of humanity that the world remembers, even after one is dead. Then the world defines this person in a line, or maybe a few words.

I am moved by the definition (nickname) that a certain person got from humanity. He is called 'The Greatest'. His name is Muhammad Ali.

They say, that Muhammad Ali was a good fighter, but when he would attack, there could possibly not be anyone better- "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" . The following video captures the last few seconds of the famous match between the two greats - Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, popularly called as 'The Rumble in the Jungle'.

You will see in the video that he is calm and playing along as if it's the normal business that he is into. But he knows. He knows when his real game begins. He has calculated that already, but even as the planned time to begin the blitz nears, his head is as cool as a cucumber, muscles are as relaxed as they could be in a boxing match and overall performance is that of an ordinary pugilist. With the blink of an eye, in an unexpected moment, Muhammad Ali as if transforms into an angry salivating predator. And even before one cares to notice - Bam Boom Bam Dhish! K.O.

I am in so much of awe of Muhammad Ali as his approach has always worked for me. And when I consciously decided to 'Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee' it worked even better. Infact, it gave me this result of winning luxuriously with a good lead from the runner up, a feeling of being 'The Greatest' in my small little game.

So, who is your inspiration?

Aaj tere tiffin mein kya hai?

2010-11-30T02:06:00.003+05:30

As I was reading a post- Healthy. Wealthy. And almost Wise. by a fellow blogger , who mentioned in that the joy of sharing food, I realised how I deeply enjoy this and hence thought that this definitely deserves a blog post, which of course is only an extension of her idea!

It happens everywhere- when colleagues open their lunch dabbas in offices, when small cute kiddos, who leave home with water bottles around their necks, open their double-decker boxes in short breaks. (The boys often show off the pokemon, superheroes and wrestling star designs on them)

It happens everywhere- when we see three auto-rickshaw wallas sitting so that two are behind and one is in the front facing them, late in the night or early in the evening, waiting for that guy to open the dabba who had his turn to cook that day.

It happens everywhere, and this being the best food sharing ever, when Gujjus meet Punjabis, when Sindhis meet Andhra-ites and when Keralites meet Maharashtrians on overnight journeys while sharing berths in trains. Because then, there is Bhatura-Shaak, Chhole-Dhokla, Koki with Pudina Chutney, Sai bhaji with Hyderabadi Biryani, Vada-Appam and Fish-curry with Pav.

The awesomeness that this is, I have heard, does not exist abroad. And Dev Kolhi, while writing lyrics, forgot to mention this one in his song "It happens only in India". There are chances that I settle abroad. Chances that a CA student has at thinking after a full day class at JK Shah Classes (that being the most popular one..yes this one's for you my friend!).But anyway, if I ever settle abroad, this might just be the thing which will pull me back to this beautiful country.

Superhero Comeback

2010-11-24T11:08:00.001+05:30

Sitting in the corner of his room,
With his knees pressed to his chest,
Praying for a magic broom,
He is far, far from his crest.

He has more than one to care for,
More than one battle to fight,
Everything is moving fast in his head,
Searching for the light, now out of sight.

He could, with just a flick, die,
And all the world could suffer,
That would be because Mr.Superhero,
Was actually, a complete duffer.

Heavy duty, heavy fear,
And nothing is not unclear,
Weariness of the mind,
Leaves him far behind.

Another story on the news
Of Humanity's abuse,
He stands up and holds his head,
"This repression will not last", he yelled.

Makes a plunge to the ceiling,
And out into the sky,
a loud divine pealing,

(The audience would surely sigh)

Mountain strong, Cannonball-King Kong,
The world at his feet,
"Superhero, superhero", pointing to him,
A boy yelled out on the street.

After this all the action lies,
When he beats the bad guy's ass,
Saves the day, saves the city,
And in the end, he gets his lass.

Morning by the Sea

2010-10-13T16:10:00.000+05:30

The wind from the sea hits my right cheek,

As my feet get salty and wet.

Sleepless, my walk is meek,

The radio of my mind, at one station I can’t set.

Every step leaves a deep mark in the wet sand,

And when my feet get sticky with muck,

The frothy waves make every grain disband,

But some between my toes, themselves tuck.

The last deep mark I leave behind I can see,

When I turn around to look at its depth,

I see no other footprint of mine and look at the sea,

The sea of life that does magic with its stealth.

So then why do I see my steps,

Right or wrong,

With the eye of my mind and reminisce

Everything I did in the form of a song.

The sand, though, doesn’t end,

It goes on, till the end of land,

So much more energy left to spend,

I start to run, only to make the percussion grand.

Winning the Shield

2010-09-22T02:57:00.001+05:30

I dedicate this post to my close friends and family who helped me reach to a state described at the end of this article. And if you are wondering whether you are a part of this group, stop wondering fool. You are.

In our life, some things are more important than the others. That is always how it works. Some might call this phenomenon 'Setting Priorities'. Same thing.

Sometimes, we lose a very important thing, that is, one of our priorities. What I mean to say here is, that we as human beings think that we can live without some people/objects and cannot live without some people/objects. Well, I am not going to talk about objects here. That is because if we lose an object, we can get it back. That is not true with people.

Some of us think we cannot live without our parents, whereas for some of us a partner is most important. And then someday, we lose that particular friend, partner or parent. What happens next?

Life stands still? Of course it does. It feels as if time has frozen. Numbness arises not in body, but in the mind. At the most, we are touched by our close ones, that too only to a certain extent. It is only that warmth that penetrates through the invisible shield we build around us.

It is intrinsic to human nature- the building of the invisible shield. Some shields take years to break, some shields break in a day and some shields never break. The shields that do not break in a lifetime are rare cases. They involve extreme intensity in the relationship. They are quite often seen in the cases when a mother loses her child. The next frequently observed case is the case of lovers parting, who have taken to a great level of attachment. Except in these cases, which become the talk of the town because they are so few, the shield generally does break.

Now let me tell you about the rules of the shield. These rules do not point to a new discovery, it is just the way I express the dictum of the old and the wise, as I experience and learn. The shield makes productive emotions dormant and puts them into a lull. Now, productive emotions could be any emotion that assists us in getting forward in life in any way. Whereas, the unproductive emotions get magnified. This is because the part of our unproductive emotions which are for people in our lives, get redirected towards us as a function of the shield.

All in all, it is a pathetic and messed up state. So how do we help this? How do we get ourselves out of this? All of us put effort and fail in these phases of life where upset only seems to be growing like a rolling avalanche. The more we try, the harder we fall. So what is the way out?

Well, I have come across a possible answer to this. There is no way out. It is life. Life will get us out of such phases. And in a way, which makes us believe in life, more than anything else.Some call it God, some call it their own hard work. I do not say that working hard to get out of the situation is not required. But I choose to call it life. I could also call it time and I truly believe in the concept of time healing all wounds. There could be scars, but the wounds get healed. But I call it life, because life is bigger as it not only removes the shield, but also leaves us with something beautiful at the end.

Last night, I got rid of such a shield.

Laugh

2010-09-19T04:30:00.000+05:30

If you are thinking too much,

You’re right,its too much,

And you will know it as such,

That it was all a mind’s lurch

Sir laugh, sir laugh,

It was all a stupid faff.

And the sad morning

Will set the sun winning,

The player should not stop

The music rocks on with jazz pop.

Sir laugh, sir laugh,

It was all a stupid faff.

God too, has many a problem,

That day he told me some of them,

One was an identity crisis,

Some call him Allah,some Jesus.

So sir laugh, sir laugh,

It is all a stupid faff.

Well you know that words change it all,

Some meaningful and some small,

But have you ever thought my dear mister,

That they could also mean nothing at all.

So sir laugh, sir laugh

It’s all a stupid faff.

You are born to live,

But never die to live,

Is that something fair or dark,

Is a lark always as happy as a lark?

And sir laugh, sir laugh

It’s all a stupid faff.

Game?

2010-09-10T07:52:00.001+05:30

Directed by Yann Samuell, this French movie, Jeux d'enfants (Love Me If You Dare) is an unconventional, colourful movie which steps in between two worlds- one world being the world that we live in, which acquiesces to social norms and conventions and the other being the one which is the home of fairies and elves. But on the whole, the plot attempts to depict love and companionship in a very different light.

The two characters in the movie are best friends since childhood. They tread an unusual path in their life using their childhood game of daring each other to a certain task. This game is extended by the two from their classroom environment to the big bad world, from the innocent days to the days when one starts meaning serious business. And this is exactly how the roller coaster starts moving on dangerous curves.

This movie makes us think about the right and the wrong, the appropriate and the inappropriate and the penny in the pocket while we pursue more, but only in hope.

It leaves the audience with a vagueness, which will only further thought. Gripping to the core, this movie makes you enjoy the journey of the two characters in love and their ups through heaven and downs in hell. All in all it is a lot of fun and leaves you, at times aghast and at times in peals of laughter.

I just have one word for this movie. Mad.

One

2010-09-07T02:03:00.000+05:30

So many times I feel I disappear,

When love fills up the atmosphere,

Feeling light, I feel so free,

I dont understand what's wrong with me!

The music is going down into me,

From the head right into the knee.

I forget worries, I forget all pain,

Only sounds flow into my pulmonary vein,

The heartbeat is perfect percussion,

Strings of nerves complete composition.

The music is going down into me,

From the head right into the knee.

I slowly, lose my identity

Becoming the music, the music becoming me,

Every tune reminds me of someone,

That is how, you and I will be one.

The music is going down into me,

From the head right into the knee.

Chhotu

2010-08-07T16:15:00.000+05:30

This one is a song that I wrote on child labour.

Sadak pe woh so raha,

sabse pehle uth gaya,

Chai ko chulhe pe rakhkar,

Signal pe akhbar bech raha..

To usne kaha chhotu..ek cutting le aa…

To usne kaha chhotu..ek cutting toh pila…

Uska beta school gaya..

Chhotu wahin reh gaya..

Bacchpan se kaam kar ke,

Woh tees pe boodha ho gaya..

To usne kaha chhotu…ek cutting le aa..

To usne kaha chhotu..ek cutting pila..

Chhotu ki shaadi ho gayi,

Usko beta ho gaya,

Chai banane ka kaam ko,

Ek naya chhotu mil gaya…

To usne kaha chhotu…ek cutting le aa..

To uske bête ne kaha chhotu..ek cutting le aa..

Yeh kahani hai us gareeb ki,

Jo aapke ghar ka naukar hai,

Taleem na mili usko,

Kya paisa hi sab kucch hai?

To aap na kehna chhotu..ek cutting le aa..

Par yeh kehna chhotu…tu school kyon nahi gaya!!??

Mitr-My Friend

2010-08-07T05:22:00.000+05:30

In a family of a couple and a daughter, what does it take of a woman to be an ideal mother, of a girl to be an ideal daughter and of a man to be an ideal husband? And besides, the woman is also a wife and the man is also a father. These are one of the most difficult set of questions in the world. The difficulty of this question can be aptly be expressed by a quote under the Western Express Flyover in Bandra. It says, "The child gives birth to a mother." Mothers and fathers, husbands and wives and daughters can never exist in solitude.

There is always a person required to have a relationship with because of whom the title gets bestowed to one. Talking about these titles, the roles played by these titles and the complexities which come of it, Revathy's directorial debut "Mitr-My Friend" could not have done more justice to this subject.

The National Award winning movie has a talented cast with Shobana (playing the role of the mother and the wife) pulling off an unbelievably realistic performance, the veteran actor Nasser Abdullah (the husband and the father) making a thought provoking impact with his simplistic style of acting and Preeti Vissa (the daughter) delivering all the facets of a rebellious child born and brought up in America.

Lakshmi (played by Shobana) is a traditional woman from Chidambaram, a small town in South India who gets married to Prithvi (played by Naseer Abdullah) who is working abroad. The two have a daughter, Divya(played by Preeti Vissa) who goes to school in America. The plot revolves around their lives in the foreign land, where moral and family values are way different from those in the small town of Chidambaram, or they appear so.

The movie successfully throws light on the three relationships. But what is most impressive is that it emphasizes that three relationships are actually six perspectives. The dynamics of a relationship depend on both, person A and person B. In the case of this movie, Revathy, in her directorial debut itself, shows the directorial skills of a master by showing the subtle influences of the third family member on a relationship between any two family members.

The movie looks at the uselessness felt by the traditional Indian woman, who is essentially a home maker. The monotony felt by her with the household work day in-day out. The lack of love and romance in her life with a busy and uncaring husband. The hurt experienced by her with every tantrum of her teen daughter. Also, every action has an opposite and equal reaction. So it was fairly expressed why the husband and the daughter behaved so. It was because the home maker had turned into a nagging, clinging and hyperactive house cop.

Last but not the least, what touched me most in the film is Shobana's performance as the mother. The emotional input that a mother has in a relationship with her child is far superior and greater than any other relationship in this world, that we all know. But what this movie brings to the front is that with a certain smile of a child, the mother abandons any disappointment or upset regarding any heated argument with the child. That is magical and unique to the relationship of a mother with her child.

An important facet of the film expresses the importance of a friend. No matter how happy or sad a family is, a friend is always in need. The role of friends as saviours in grave situations is exhibited more than once by Prithvi's friend Pam and Lakshmi's friend Steve. Most importantly, the movie shows how a family ultimately needs to be woven by the relationship of friendship more than anything else.

So the next time, you think about your mother and why she is so, stop. Just know that she needs a friend. Be her friend. And you will have given her more than she ever wanted.

A family can never be unhappy with a mother who is fulfilled as an individual and loved and cared for.

All in all, one of the most beautiful films that I have watched in a long time.

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895

The Old and The New

2010-08-06T22:30:00.000+05:30

Hello my friends, a song I sing for you now,
About life, dreams unfulfilled, and realities wow.

Yeah, life's quite a rush,
And there is no time for mush,
Those teenage days are gone,
When sleep was what we did in the morn.

Some people are gone, some still hold on,
Some have come back and some show us a new dawn.
Failiure shows us its face when we don't want it to,
Victory, acts like a pricy girl I wanna woo.

And yet life goes on, phase to phase,
Filled with surprises is this lovely maze,
Too much thought will get us into a haze,
So come on guys, let's spring up the craze.

Meet me this Sunday, when the eve is bright,
We shall laugh together till its dark and no light,
Life will seem breezy once again,
I will be ready for Monday, from heart and from brain.

Peace.

2010-07-24T21:24:00.000+05:30

It is an uneasy process. There is garbage and filth all around. And then there are people, including me, who exist in this smelly backyard of this house whose owner lives now in New South Wales. Some have big noses, some have no eyeballs. Some have dirty teeth. They all speak mean things. They all wanted to go to a certain place. And only one of them would be the chosen one. So they would fight to go to the place. Every day.

No one knew how to go there. Though, they knew that there was a definite secret to do so.

Across the world, there are millions of such weird people who meet everyday across hundreds of countries in such backyards, who want to go to that place

I lie there. With my clothes torn, with a headache of a different kind. I am numb. There is no sensation. There is only noise that they all make which disturbs me. It hinders my thought process. I don't know what to do next. I want to go to that place too.

You must be thinking what this place that I am talking about really is. It is a place of peace. A place of satisfaction. A place of fulfillment. A place where all retribution ceases to exist by the power of the feat performed. At this place, nothing will matter.

I suddenly see that everything is different. I cannot see anything but a white screen. I go to touch it and realise that there is nothing there. It is not tangible. There is an endless expanse of white. There is no end. And I turn to look at where it begins and as expected, I see that there is no beginning either. I look down to see the colour of the floor. There is no floor. I seem to suspended be in the midst of white.

And all so suddenly, I am back in the filthy little backyard again. I find myself suffering from a lingering hangover which makes my mean comrades sound louder and more irritating.

I wonder what happened in that one moment. The beautiful place that I was in, only for a moment. I thought I had reached that place. Why couldn't I have stayed there and more importantly, how did I really get there?

It struck me. I had closed my eyes. It dawns on me. The process is not uneasy. It is the easiest. What really is difficult, is the decision to shut the eye.

Let Me Take You To a Different Place

2010-07-13T12:35:00.000+05:30

To Vasundhara (the Environment Club of Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies-Undergraduate),

Let me take you to a different place,

Where no regrets come to your face,

Everyone you meet, you embrace,

Life goes on at a different pace.

There is nothing to bog you down,

When you make the best use of your crown,

Where hindrances cease to matter,

Because every obstacle you will shatter.

Let me take you to a different place,

A place, with quite a heavenly grace,

No honking, no traffic jams,

Only breezy weather and beautiful dams.

Peace and Calm enter your head,

Every night you go smiling to bed,

Every morning is when you take another birth

From the womb of your living room’s hearth.

Let me take you to a different place,

Where government problems are very scarce,

Where competition is necessarily fair,

And nothing possibly, gives you a scare.

Your eyes open and you realize,

To be in dreamland is not wise,

Your actions will be the magic broom,

That makes this planet Jannat or Jahannum.

The Fool

2010-06-30T05:51:00.001+05:30

Another of my attempts at writing songs....

Roaming on the roads alone,
Early in the hours of wee,
I found a fool finding his clone,
Did he really know what he wanted to see?

He touched his head to the ground,
Arose and touched his face,
Yelled a bit to see how he sounds,
"An idiot", he thought, "I am a disgrace"

Why was he afraid,
Who was he scared of?
What on his mind played?
Did he play cricket or did he play golf?

I wished I could talk to him,
An interesting personality was he,
Couldn't get what was his milk,
Only saw himself skim with glee.

Madness took him over,
He started playing with the drain cover,
Thought about all that happened unnecessarily,
Would you be surprised if i told you it was me?

The Dark Lord of Quant

2010-06-24T11:15:00.000+05:30

We all have dreams to talk about but we know that some just win that 'Best Dream' award for whatsoever reason. I had such a dream last night. It ranked highest in terms of connectivity to my life and creativity.

To give you a brief background of my life nowadays, I am preparing for CAT 2010 and all the exams that follow in the season.

Coming back to the point, why I feel "Connectivity to my life" is an important criteria for ranking a dream is because some dreams are mindblowing, but take a lifetime or more to connect to our current life, that is, we cannot make any sense of them. For example, I had a dream that air borne seeds turned into poisonous insects and crowded the ceiling of my living room. Absolute vagueness.

The Dark Lord refers to none other than Voldemort. Now Voldemort haunted yet another part of this world. The world of Quant (Quantitative Ability). I could not see him in my dream. This was because his movement was as fast as his speed at calculation. In this episode, Voldemort would move in and out of the bodies of humans without a second of delay. So that was at least what I thought, initially. His dominance and power emerged from only one virtue- his prowess at manipulating and dealing with numbers. He used numbers to calculate the fate of what lay inside of the volume of the human body- its concept and character- the soul.

I could make something of it. I understood his magic. It was Co-ordinate Geometry. It was simple. He would map various locations of the person's body (finger tips, elbows etc) on Plane x, Plane Y and Plane Z. A crucial position for his magic to work would be the coordinate points of the person's brain. With this data he would use Distance and Section Formulae to determine the obvious. Also, the normal time in which a person responds to a certain stimulus would be the normal reflex time for that person. With the distance and the speed, the Lord would then know at what speed a confusing impulse is to be sent to that part of the body not only to instruct it to do something else, but also for it to not receive the impulse from the brain in the normal reflex time.

In this way, contrary to what I thought, the Dark Lord would control human beings from the outside. Coordinate Geometry was all that it was.

I did wake up scared as hell at 2 am. This was quite similar to the experience of a certain Mr. Potter in some other world, wasn't it? But I wouldn't know if I was his counterpart. I had no scar.

So what's your best dream?

The Difficult Step

2010-06-04T17:26:00.002+05:30

Random thought.

2010-06-01T11:20:00.001+05:30

Sometimes, the thing that stops us from going ahead is the fear of the enormousness of the unknown.

The Coffee Song

2010-05-31T09:43:00.002+05:30

On lonesome mornings after sleepless nights,
You're missing someone you love,
Thinking about all those fights,
When you never held out the dove.

Serve yourself that brown-lil mug,

Of freshly brewed bean,

The aromatic steams will hug,

Yeah..you're adult or a teen.

Lazy long afternoons, you want to make that call,

When you're off for a meeting, until night,

You're always there in the meeting hall,

Always end up doing wrong, when you wannabe right!

Serve yourself that brown-lil mug,

Of freshly brewed bean,

The aromatic steams will hug,

Yeah..you're adult or a teen.

Uninteresting lectures and boring bards,

Trying to teach you physics in school,

Why don't they ever think of art?

Why...oh why..is the system so uncool?

Serve yourself that beautiful mug,

Of freshly brewed bean,

The aromatic steams will hug,

Yeah..you're adult or a teen.

Happiness you will get with time,

Company or purpose,

Singing along with me this rhyme,

You will never call this life a curse.

So,serve yourself that beautiful mug,

Of freshly brewed bean,

The aromatic steams will hug,

Yeah..you're adult or a teen.

Picture courtesy:

Gettyimages

Training

2010-05-28T10:40:00.001+05:30

The training must go on,

One difficult situation after the other,

From each heaven is a hell born,

All this on earth, makes me shudder.

The joy is in a string of special moments,

Sorrow, an unending maze,

Just when life seems to have low rents,

Starts the sub prime crisis phase.

The eyes go so moist most of the time,

Trickling tears on the cheeks quick,

Receiving punishment for a noble crime,

Haven Happiness shatters brick by brick.

And then some time passes by,

For us to only see the dawn,
The distant rays, a relieved sigh,

Finding a teary-eyed overwhelming morn.

Thinking of what happened and why,

Suddenly not wanting to lose the moment,
Forgetting the sorrow, looking at the sky,
Orange-red fruit for bearing the training torment.

Kahaan ho?

2010-05-16T00:58:00.000+05:30

Sometimes life puts you into such situations, that boredom is inevitable. Moments, evenings, days and even weeks pass by. But there is nothing to do, other than what you are supposed to do. There is nothing new, nothing exciting and nothing which makes you want to live. You just live because you are alive.
I am going through one such blank, empty spaced phase of my life. This is because I have the 'yellow fever' i.e. Jaundice. By the way, I do not have Yellow Fever. Yellow Fever is something completely different. I have Jaundice. I am just calling it 'yellow fever' because my eyes, nose, face, hands and legs are yellow and I have fever.

My mind nowadays is super idle, so I am filling it up with sitcoms, books, movies etc. Also, a lot of thoughts gush in. Thoughts about graduation, about friends who I miss so much, about all the food I cannot have, about friends who meet me often nowadays, about past relationships and finally, the category on which we all get stuck, "Myself".

I am sure most of you will agree with me that we, in highly contemplative moods, don't really know what to do with ourselves. We do not even know if there is anything to say or do. We are just stuck, waiting for life to move on.

I too, am waiting for life to move ahead. It seems to have come to a standstill. It's like I am trying to push an aeroplane, hoping for it to move so fast that a take off would be possible. When days are to be spent without doing anything, it's killing. Sometimes I just lay on the bed looking at the clock. A second seems the longest in such situations. Thankfully, I am recovering quickly now and I can divert my attention to making productive efforts just like this one.

As I write to you, I figure the logic of God/Nature/Universe, whatever you want to call it. We all go places in the journey of our lives. And what I mean by that, is that we fly to places. Currently I have reached my next destination, but it's just that I don't have landing space which is why I will have to wait for the signal from the the air traffic control officer. So where are you? Flying to your destination, just landed or taking off?

Miss Sunshine

2010-04-27T22:59:00.000+05:30

This one is a birthday dedication to an extremely special friend.

You met me at 3:61 pm
In the first month of the 13th grade,
I knew I would see you every sem,
To meet the media commitment we had made.

But i never imagined,
That we would share friendship of this kind,
Like in chocolate Lindt,
And that with happy moments we both would bind.

Semester one to four,
We went through our individual roller coasters,
From periphery to core,
We were put through the grind; the Head's cabin or our paper posters.

The "matters of the heart" were another story,
Many rights; Some wrongs,
Whatever we did, we did come out with shining glory,
We made wonderful songs.

And now, I hope you enjoyed the roller coaster today,
At the exciting World of Essel,
Happy Birthday friend, I wish I wasn't away,
So that this to you, personally I could tell!

So I shall log out with the thought for today,
Whatever you do girl, don't put your sunshine away,
Because with it, you can be attractive and gay! :P ;)
Jaaaaaaani...Wish you a very very happy birthday!

Divine Moments

2010-04-13T01:03:00.001+05:30

They come only once in a while,
After a storm, a turbulence so vile.

Smiling, they leave you, with peace plenty,
So much that it feels that it was meant to be.

Trust, faith and love restored,
Like flowers blooming in spring galore.

So much so is the beauty of life,Time is a myth,
Years are short but minutes are long.

Relationships change, but people stay on,
Songs change, but let the music goes on.

The Final Countdown.

2010-03-29T15:40:00.002+05:30

This one goes to all my batch mates, the ones who are about to sit for their final TY exams.

Consider the comparison.

A 1500 m run. 500 m every year.

In the beginning, the minds were fresh, so were the bodies. Muscular, young, the run was lithe with grace.

Every lap was 200 m and seven and a half were to be completed.

The first lap was brilliant. It was happy rather. Vibrant and easy. So were the next few.

But the 4th lap was the test. That is after completing 600m of the race. The body almost broke down. It starved of glucose. It felt like the body was dying. The mind did not know what to do. All that was in the head, in the arms, in the calf muscles, in the thumping heart was a craving for glucose. And glucose supplements were placed at the beginning of the lap. And it would be available only at the beginning of the 5th lap. The mind wouldn't give up. The body had nothing in it. But the will was strong. And the body, empty nevertheless, made it to the beginning of the 5th lap.

All was well then. There was good refueling done. The body flourished and the legs sprang back to graceful movement. The worst had been surpassed and for that the mind and body peacefully ran the race.

Before realization could dawn on all of us, we all completed seven good laps in total. A brilliant feat. 1400 m of non stop running.

The race is not over. It is about these last 100m that will determine the state of the race. And it is all about speed and capacity. Because the body is attuned to the comfortable pace of running. The body will now have to sprint. So let us bolt through these few days guys, and complete grad like Bolt himself. All the best. Crack 'em up!

Nearing the End

2010-03-25T05:58:00.001+05:30

With 10 odd days left for the last exam of TY, here are some pics of the Symbi campus where I spent the last three years of my life.

Three years, which were extraordinary.
Three years, which would not have been the same otherwise.
Three years, in which so much happened.
Three years, in which people entered into my life and exited too.
Three years, in which those few gems of people who stuck on, who give me a silent assurance that they are always gonna be there.

Three years, which taught me to be with people.
Three years, which made me live without them.
Three years, in which I came close to knowing what I want in life.
Three years, which I am never going to forget.

A Tribute.

2010-03-10T12:30:00.000+05:30

So today is the 10th of March, 2010 and the 2007-2010 batch farewell program just happened yesterday...I am going to take the liberty of posting this in improper and unstructured language as this post comes right from my heart...

I just gave my 6th sem project viva today and was lucky enough to have Mahankale Sir as one of the professors on the interview panel...!! Mahankale Sir is inspiring. Not one day when he has been serious. And if at all, then he has been seriously humourous.

Getting back to the point, the farewell programme was very touching. A BIG THANK YOU to all the second years for giving us TY's such a soulful and memorable farewell. There were balloons, fire crackers and nostalgic songs being played. I was only so much away from being teary eyed till I saw awesome fried rice and noodles. There were pics being clicked everywhere, with everyone, known or unknown. Michael became very popular because of his tech-savvy and awesome camera.... :P ...

The auditorium function had a very special moment with the entire faculty going on stage and singing Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna...very mellow and touching moments.
The speeches that the professors gave were very inspiring, some humorous and some touching...

And for all my batchmates, just wanna say that we all made it guys! It might seem easy, but truly our BBA curriculum was one of the tougher ones in the country (especially with the guinea pig treatment) and though we have copied in exams, bunked non core lectures..i am sure we are a very unique set passing out of this college and i know that five years down the line, we will be highly successful people...

Anyway i realise tht i will be out of this place in maximum, a months time from now..So apart from the professors to whom any words of gratitude are honestly less, I would like to thank all those people who are/were really close to our daily activities, whom we will see only when we come back for convocation/alumni meet(hopefully!)...

Dilip Bhaiya- No words can describe how this man manages 200 odd project bindings in a matter of a week. No words to describe how much he earns. Star entrepreneur and a very good human being. Traditional Gujarati or Bollywood tracks from the 80's always play in "Cann Xerox Service Center" in the college basement post 4 pm. Sometimes, we get to witness Gujarati play videos too with the entire gang of Dilip Bhaiya & Co. roaring with laughter occasionally. Also it is more of a family business and coordination is to the maximum. Love it.

Shetty Bhaiyas- Well, the juice bar at the Symbi canteen is quite awesome. The rates were as low as Rs. 5 for a glass of freshlime when i came to this college but have increased to Rs. 7, if I am not wrong. Well the Rs. 2 here matter to a Symbian. They matter because we wanna save money and splurge else where-Scream, Toons, HRC. Anyway, that was really a hyperbole. Very efficient and always loving and supporting social initiatives, the Shetty brothers are quite a sweet duo in our college canteen.

The Bhaiya Gang- Well, walk into the SCMS(UG) office and you will find a serious formal environment. Straightforward and sweet. But one place where this is enthusiasm, fun and a lot of energy is the pantry. The pantry is the destination of all the Bhaiyas! I will not name them because I might just miss out one or two, but they are quite a gang. Eight of them, I think. Well they are damn cool. They are like the firemen of our college. Chilling in the pantry, but as soon as the bell of fire rings from a faculty cabin, or a student just hits of the siren shout, they are there on the job! And they are super efficient, available from 7 am to 8 pm and all of them live far away! Hats off man!

The Didis Gang- Well, has anyone ever noticed our campus, our frikkin' huge campus to be dirty...hardly! This is all thanks to the day and night mopping, cleaning and dusting that these didis are upto day and night all over the campus- SID, SCMS(UG) and SIMC(UG), Campus Plaza, Amphitheatre, Gym Foyer, Basement, Canteen and the list goes on....Again they are available from 7 am to 7 pm.

The Coordinator- Sharmista Mam! Two words of hope. Two words of reassurance. And two words of divine intervention when the going gets tough in college! Sharmista Mam, the entire batch is thankful to you!

The Seniors-Let me not start the list. Because anyway this post is longer than usual. So to all of you who know me, all you seniors, please know that in some way you guys inspired me, taught me and comforted me in this rapidly developing environment of Vimannagar. And for all those who are my juniors, you can really ask my seniors about this place- it was an uncivilized forested area. Today, I searched for Vimannagar on Wiki and it said that Vimannagar is the silicon valley of Pune. Ha! Go Vimannagar! And this is for the seniors, a multiplex is expected at Dutt Mandir Chowk soon, thanks to Lunkad Realty!

Talking about Vimannagar, let me tell you something about people outside college who have put in daily doses of sweetness in my life. The Uncle and Aunty at Rasoi, the Uncle at Ganpati Mandir Chowk who was always there at 4 am to give me the "jaago re" effect with the amazing 'adrak chai' after sleepless nights and of course Venkataramana for the amazing and economical breakfasts and coffee! All in all Vimannagar turned out to be a very homely and peaceful township. Will surely come back to find this peace when I retire and be a teacher at SCMS(UG)!!! (Though I think that this place will become very trendy in terms of lifestyle over the years!)

Well that's about it from my side. I thank each and every friend of mine for being there in times high and low. Some of us have met up less in the last year or two, some of us yet meet everyday. But the memories will always stay. The friendship too.

2010-03-02T06:31:00.000+05:30

This is a wannabe poem/song written for all my engineering friends from all that I have heard from them.

Baithe baithe bore hue hum,
Timetable bhi yaad nahin,
Shaam ko date pe nikal pade hum
Practicals ka pata nahin!

Practicals ka timetable,

Aur attendance ke loche,

Professors ke mood swings,

Aur ATKT ke lafde!

Class mein attention pay karne ka naatak,
Teacher ke saamne band hota hai saala mere dimaag ka phaatak,

Raat raat ko samjho books se kaisi anaab shanaab,

Circuits aur softwares, arre pak gaya mera dimaag!

Practicals ka timetable,
Aur attendance ke loche,
Professors ke mood swings,
Aur ATKT ke lafde!

Chaar saal ka jail hai bhaiya ratte maarna shuru karo,
Drop ki darr se toh boss, mauj masti kurbaan karo,
Engineering mein aa gaye par engineer banna nahin,
Career,MBA,paisa,placement, kucch sala pata nahin.

Practicals ka timetable,

Aur attendance ke loche,

Professors ke mood swings,

Aur ATKT ke lafde!

Semester ke end mein toh neend kabhi mili nahin,

Submission dates ko sunkar udhar hi meri vaat lagi,

BCom ke doston ke lifestyle se hui jalan,

Rajnikanth ke picturon se ho gayi excessive lagan!

Practicals ka timetable,

Aur attendance ke loche,

Professors ke mood swings,

Aur ATKT ke lafde!

Peace of Mind

2010-02-28T03:35:00.001+05:30

What does one do to get peace of mind?
When troublesome situations start raining,
When the closest ones are not happy,
When your efforts to that don't work.

What does one do to get peace of mind?
When things do not look so bad,
When things are anyway not perfect,
When all nights go sleepless one after the other.

What does one do to get peace of mind?
When the immediate future looks uncertain,
When the present is all that there is,
When the next step could lead you in Alibaba's cave or then straight down a cliff.

What does one do to get peace of mind?
When sometimes it is all lonely,
When it is all blank with no interest in work,
When I feel guilty to brood and think.

What does one do to get peace of mind?
When you really want to get out of a mess,
When you keep getting deeper and deeper into it,
When time is the only hope.

What does one do to get peace of mind?

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

2010-01-26T13:21:00.004+05:30

A double chocolate latte with an espresso shot and fresh whipped cream! What's your poison at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf? For those of you who haven't heard of it, it is an international coffee chain which just opened in India last year. Blue Foods has taken up the project of launching 40 stores of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in India, the first one being at Nariman Point and the second on Linking Road. With products like "Chai Latte"(!!) on its international menu, the "chai" at CBTL will definitely be more successful in India than the Barista or the CCD tea. Sorry for deviating, but a must know fact- Water tastes better than the CCD tea.

Well, as one enters the place, there is a chorus by the entire staff which goes, "Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Welcome!".The ambience of the cafe is warm and the seating arrangement is spacious compared to Barista or CCD. Blue Foods has selected a prime location for the second cafe, the one that I visited. It is where Cream Centre originally was on Linking Road(opposite Amarsons).

The quantity of serving of the coffee is reasonable. Though the prices are 10% higher than the Barista or the CCD, the coffee, the service and the ambience makes it absolutely worth it. Also, the coffees are available in three servings-regular, medium and large. Blue Foods has marketed and launched this cafe wonderfully. There were only two to three tables vacant when I visited the place.

With Costa Coffee launching two stores in Bandra (one at JATC and the other opposite Danai)the CBTL opening at Linking Road, the Columbian Cafe on Hill Road and Gloria Jeans at Turner Road, Bandra is about to turn into a coffee hub! Not to forget the good old CCDs and Baristas! Besides, there are places like Candies and McDonalds which are not coffee stores but are very popular for their coffee.

On the whole, I personally rank CBTL right on the top with Costa coming in second. CCD and Barista, you better make your coffees cheap, the competition will kill you! A Cappuccino at CCD for 20 bucks! That's what I'm waiting for!

Anyway let me know how you liked CBTL!

Finally, finally, finally.

2010-01-11T01:31:00.002+05:30

I never knew what love outside relationships is until theatre and stage came into my life. And now, after so many years of so much effort, I have realised that love for some phenomenon, hobby or art form is a pursuit. It never ends. It can never end. It always is in your system.

This post relates to the first post for the regular readers of my blog. For those who have not followed me since the beginning, the first post of mine on this blog was about how passionate I am about theatre. Well, thus the connect.

This affair started in 2005 when I joined Neeraj Kabi's Mask and Gestures workshop at Prithvi and did a quick second Acting and Directing workshop with him in a matter of 15 days. I got to act as Hamlet on the pristine stage of Prithvi Theatre for only a 10 minute presentation. Though I got to direct it also! But that was it. I had done it. My presentation was the last one and Shashi Kapoor walked towards me and shook my hand. Everybody stood up and clapped. It was glory time.

He asked me a few questions about my direction and I answered them rather confidently. I saw a proud smile on Neeraj sir's face. Two days before the presentation, in the workshop, he called me aside and asked me if I wanted to work for his play. I had entered heaven. No, actually a place better than that, it was called Pravah Theatre Laboratory for Performance, Training and Research.

Under Neeraj Sir, I learnt theatre, management, patience, adaptability, street sense and what not! My association with Pravah went on till May 2006. It stands tall and strong till today but I couldn't contribute or be in service of Pravah since then. This was because I had my 12th grade to give in 2007 and then I got admission in Symbiosis, Pune.

For sometime I was adamant and attached to Pravah to such an extent after going to Pune that I refused to work or create any new possibilities for theatre related growth in Pune because Pravah was operational only in Mumbai. I stagnated for a good long year. And then, I realised that this was not a fling. I was in love with this for life. I participated for the first time in a drama event in January 2008. It was called Dramaturgia. It was a monologue event. And I won second place.

My search for support for progress was over. It was inside me that I had to look. That is why I gave a boost to English Drama Club in my college with the joint efforts of Aditi Shanbag and got a good 65 members supporting events in the club. That is when the first project of the English Drama Club materialized in Jan 2009 with "Oh God!" at Ananya, the college cultural fest. It was a 30 minute long semi-musical with an Indo-Greek story line, written by Shashvat Shukla and Shezah Salam and directed by Shashvat and me jointly.It was received well and EDC became quite popular, at least more than before.

Sitting at my place we three figured that when going to other colleges, English Drama Club wouldn't really sound impressive. Yes, the three of us were Shezah, Shashvat and I. So then something called "Along the Lines" took birth, which has now become far more than a baby to me.

Auditions in the first semester, no play, no workshop and a lot of swine flu! The second sem has what ATL was always waiting for. Dramaturgia,(my breakthrough event remember?) but this time bigger than ever! Going inter college with 8 institutes participating and Quasar Thakore Padamsee gracing the event on 4th February 2010 to not only judge it but also have an interaction with the audience, it is more than a drama come true! :)

And of course who can forget the ATL workshop happening with Mr. PRadeep Vaiddya! All this at the end of graduation is only overwhelming. Infact, all this just gets me back to the same point. Its only been a pursuit of doing better,growing in theatre and getting stage experience. And the pursuit only came from the place of love.

Until then
Keep pursuing your dream!

PS: This blog is a dedication to the lovely Dramaturgia team and all its supporters, Along the Lines, the faculty who have supported the club, Mr. Neeraj Kabi, Mr. Quasar Thakore Padamsee, members of the former English Drama Club, Shashi Kapoor for the unforgettable handshake, Prithvi Theatre and to the love of drama which rests inside of me.

Asmanjas

2010-01-02T04:40:00.005+05:30

Scene: Vipul, a twenty-odd year old is walking down the street at 10:30 pm on one of the streets of Khar in Mumbai. As he is walking, he sees a Maruti Zen a little away coming in the reverse direction. With his judgment that the car is yet a further away, he continues walking. The car driver speeds the car in reverse and the car almost runs into Vipul. Vipul, in instant reflex, bangs the back shield of the car harder than required, exchanges a glance with the car driver.

Car driver: Bhenchod!
Vipul : Hattt!

(The car driver aggressively stops the car, comes out of the car banging the door shut and walks towards Vipul)

Car driver: Saale madarchod. Teri aisi abhi bajaoonga na. (Tries to hit Vipul)
Vipul : Haath mat lagao. Haath mat lagao.
Car driver: Kar kya raha hai haan tu? Itna jor se kyun maara? Teri to! (Tries to hit)

(Vipul sees a police chowky and rushes towards it. A traffic police officer comes to the door of the chowky. Car driver slaps Vipul in front of policeman)

Vipul : Sahab yeh dekho maar raha hai. He is raising his hand on me.
Car driver: Itna jor se gaadi ke peeche maar ke jaata hai. Saala. Dikhata hoon isko.
Vipul : Khar Police Station chalo.
Car driver: (goes towards Vipul) Abe saale aa toh sahi tujhe dikhata hoon.Chal, chal.
Vipul : (Enters the police chowky and tells the policeman) Ab main aapke custody
mein hoon.
Policeman : Aap rehte kahaan ho?
Vipul : Sahab yahan do building door.
Policeman : Chalo abhi tum dono jao.
Car driver: (Enters the chowky and proceeds towards Vipul)Bastard. Idhar aa.
Vipul : Chup. (Shows angry eyes)
: (To policeman) Isko bolo idhar se chale jaaye. Aap kya kar rahe hain?
Policeman : Main kisi ko kucch nahi boloonga. Aap Khar Police Station jao.

(Vipul is shocked. He remains silent most of the time)

Car driver: @#@#$%$#^&*&^(*)&*^%&@$%!@#
Vipul : Main aap se baat nahi kar raha hoon. Suna nahi aapne. Main aapse baat
nahi kar raha hoon. (Two three times more. Says the same thing.)

(Vipul tries to get rid of him but the car driver just doesnt agree to go.)

Car driver : Arre aise door mat jao. Main kucch nahi karoonga. Aao tumhe tumhare ghar
chhod deta hoon. Aao.
Vipul : Chalo. Mujhe ghar chhodo.
Car driver : (Happily walks out of the chowky) Aao.
Vipul : Haan aap baitho andar.

(Car driver sits inside the car. Vipul and car driver exchange a glance for a second and then Vipul just gestures the car driver to leave. Not once, not twice but five times. And rather vigorously.)

Vipul to Policeman: Mujhe toh problem solve karna tha. I am aware of everything that I could have done. I am an educated and informed civillian. I know that I could have filed and NC against him. Par kya fayda? Time aur energy khoti hota hai.

Police man: English mein nahi, Marathi mein bolo.

-------------------------X---------------------

Guys, this script is the text of my life exactly 6 and a half hours back.Yes, I was Vipul. This very thing happened at 10:30 pm near my house. I had gotten down to buy popcorn.

The asmanjas here was if I should have adamantly pursued the case by taking the constable and the car driver to the police station and taught them a lesson or the apparently intelligent thing that I did by coming home and saving an hour of tension and worry of my parents' and my life.

Already?

2009-12-29T09:03:00.002+05:30

A certain somewhere did I see or I was asked to write- my batch year in SCMS(UG). And it was 2007-2010.
In the next few hours I opened the papers to see new year party advertisements in 5 star hotels -"Seduction 2010", "Bollywood Mischief" and "The Experience".And then I thought, "Why can't they ever have decent names?!".
Finally,it struck me.
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
Last 3 months of college life.
And then, its over. I will be a graduate. End of grad school.
I have not yet come to terms with it. It will take time to sink in. Maybe sometime when I am writing my last set of exams, will it hit me. I hope not though.

Comebacks

2009-12-27T07:45:00.004+05:30

There is something about them. The attached glory that they bring. It stays more inside of you than outside. But it stays with you forever and for every minute that you are alive. It stays with you because you know that you were great in delivering to the situation, which was a do or die, completely and perfectly. Because you didn't let yourself die. Because you created something for yourself which will inspire you for your entire lifetime.

We all have made come backs. Some aggressive, some restrained and some well planned. And we know how difficult it is. Imagine, how a comeback for a company will be!
Human resource integration to the maximum and leadership personified. This is what really pulls me towards such cases.

With the cadbury disaster of germs infestation in 2004, the then marketing manager played a superstroke by having none other than Mr. Amitabh Bacchhan endorse the brand and support it on national television by taking a tour of the factory. Cadbury sales were back to normal within a year.

General Motors India marketing and after sales head Mr. Ankush Arora and his team launched a new Chevrolet model just a week after GM filed for bankruptcy in the United States in 2007. This left the media, the public and the competitors shell shocked. It gave the consumers the feeling that Chevrolet, contrary to popular misconception, is going to be around.

McDonalds. What more is to say? In a country where deceitfully being fed beef causes rage, humiliation and sometimes a mutiny, McDonalds pulled off the same sales figures within a 6 month period after being accused of using beef in cooking oil. Cheers to Ronald McDonald.

Some people might think that all this is, is making mistakes and then fooling people. Well , I would say that this is growth. We all goof up. But the player who wins, is the one who can reconcile, reintegrate and reconnect the fastest.

Inconsistency

2009-12-23T03:18:00.003+05:30

January 2
February 2
March 9
April 3
May 0
June 2
July 1
August 1
September 1
October 2
November 1
December 1

These are the number of posts I have put up on my blog this year(including this one). And it sums up to be 25. Which makes it around 2 posts a month which is fairly decent. But for those of you who know me, I bet you are already laughing. 9 in March, but 0 in May! Well what can i say? 36% of my blog was written in the month of March. (Financial Year end adjustments?) Ha!

Well and now that I have realised that the average is coming to 2 posts per month, I am slowly wanting to turn that figure to 3. (Calendar Year end adjustments).

So a desperate attempt this December would be to try to at least close in to the 3 figure mark with good, valid, reasonable posts. (Basically no bullshiting).
So the challenge stands. Eleven more posts in eight days. And all of them should make perfect sense.Hmm.

Well this whole excercise really stands for how I do most things in my life. Not very consistent.

Anyway, I have to say, that writing in this part of the year is exciting and easy too. It's Santa time. And yea of course, new year resolutions, parties, calendars(and i am NOT talking about the swimsuit ones) and lots more. So keep reading my blog. A lot is in store this winter. I hope to monetize it some day. (Sindhi blood.Ha!)

PS: A new year resolution found. It's called "Being consistent in 2010".

I don't want

2009-11-28T16:36:00.002+05:30

So life goes ahead,
But I dont know what i want,
Sure I dont want,
I know what I want not!

I might as well be blank,
Rather than have tension so,
Rather than have turbulence so,
I might as well be crazy.

Crazy is always good,
Because if there's something,
Which is outside the wood,
Don't want to venture concrete complication.

Simple is good,love is,
Not that I don't have time,
Not that I don't have courage,
But it's just that I know what I want not.

I don't know what's happening,
I don't know why it is so,
I don't want to see reason,
So heal me time,heal me.

Possible Impossible

2009-10-24T08:27:00.009+05:30

A Strange Fever

2009-10-02T22:49:00.002+05:30

It is strange. A strange madness. Something which I have never experienced before. It is not music. Because music is everyday, ordinary and regular. It is a sick shiver of the brain. It is a fit that I get when I am brushing my teeth, walking to college, having dinner with company or even talking to somebody.

It is an explosion of sound in my being which is unavoidable. Makes me helpless, doesnt let me concentrate. And there have been quite a few of the "songs" which you might know that were involved in this experience. It becomes hard to explain what they were, so hence I shall mention these sounds as songs.(Because just like music, songs are also regular, ordinary and everyday)

The experience is an experience for a reason. For any writing cannot describe it as well. Which is why they form a different league of my favourites. I'd like to call them the "Sick League". Not because they are sick. But because they make me so. Sick with desperation so that they shall soon fall upon my ears. It is a persistent craving. Changing in form though.

A month back it was this song called "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. Well sounds/music/songs become more hard to get rid of if appropriate research is done about why these songs were written and what the concept behind the song was when it was performed/written first.

The latest viruses which have caught on to me are "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Riders on the Storm","People are Strange", "Kashmir" and many others. It's a long list. Will be posting the entire list soon. Till then, I am happy with these viruses. I like their monopoly. And I hope they maintain it because there is a dangerous undesirable one on the loose.

Till then,

A musically swayed man.

PS: Shashvat, I really wish there was a time machine. I would do anything to go back to the classic rock times.

Energy explosion

2009-09-15T19:28:00.011+05:30

Sometimes there is nothing to say. So, sometimes, we could hear pictures speak? Try listening.

Going Solo-The tip of Mumbai

2009-08-11T02:41:00.008+05:30

Twists of My Perception

2009-07-31T22:32:00.002+05:30

In my white sea,
There is a place to be,
An island dense and clouded.
My beauty ofcourse, is dumbfounded.

Beneath me lie the greatest depths,
The biggest truths and lies,
I talk a lot,loud or soft
Only an eager listener listens oft.

On my coast, there is a lot to boast,
Vegetation of different criteria,
Uniform they look, all of them most,
Sometimes, speak love or shout hysteria.

The waves of my sea,
Upset or glee,
Are my main functionaries,
So my master rejoices or worries.

To him I belong, his name is Jake,
Good care does he take of me,
Thank God, me, he doesn't plasticize,
Appears no glass to me, to criticize.

And for him I feel bad,
Guilty that my functionaries create,
What he calls happy or sad,
'Cause the rays through my waves always permeate.

The waves of my 'see',
Make Jake, what is he,
That is my only contention,
He's only the "twists of my perception".

Contribute to your life

2009-06-04T21:19:00.003+05:30

One thing we forget to do on a daily basis is to contribute to our very own lives. Yes, we have a profession or a business. We all are busy working everyday. But do we make time for ourselves to do one thing which will make us grow as a person? Please note-growth of knowledge, money and fame is not counted.

I am inspired by Homi Adajania(Director of Being Cyrus). He is a writer, director and a SCUBA DIVER! He has his SCUBA DIVING training camps at Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Well, that calls on for variety and a very interesting life! He is coming up with his second film called Thugi, which is Saif Ali Khan's home production. Well, also have a look at this poem called Sunscreen, now a famous song by Baz Luhrmann, written by Mary Schmich.

Sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.

The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.

I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.

You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

And there are just somethings...

2009-06-02T21:01:00.005+05:30

And I am back!
It was a long long summer break. Really wanting the monsoons to set in quick. Though, Pune has way better weather than Mumbai.
It is a Happy birthday to my best friend today.May God bless him!

In this while, when I absented myself from the blogarena ,there were some things which become more than what they were meant to be.

1)Movie:Vanilla Sky

What a movie!!

2)Song:Arziyan(Delhi 6)
What a song. Got tears to my eyes.

3)Hobby:Dance

My new heaven!

4)Organization Systems:Sanjay Singhania

5)Song of the season

6)Ad of the season

7)A song which reminds me of an awesome friend

All set for the first day of my last year in graduation college. Lets see where this year of academia takes all of us!! All the best to all! Will bump into you in one of the corridors definitely!

Nocturnal Turmoil

2009-04-14T16:03:00.004+05:30

I don't get sleep. I'm tired, mentally and physically. I've had a full meal, Chicken Tikka Biryani! I feel heavy, my eyes are close to shutting off, but they don't. Not because they don't want to. I'm too tired to think. It's 5 am already. I get hold of my keys and my wallet and walk down. Two dogs come to sniff me as I get out of the gate. I had no memory of stealing anything. They prove my memory strong as they walk away and laze on their concrete beds. I walk towards the 'chai' tapri and get myself a biscuit packet. It was hunger.

I very quickly ate all the biscuits. It was glucose. My favourite. Then i ask the guy for tea and go and sit on the chair. Everyone around me is smoking. Couldn't take it early in the morning. After walking a little away, I enjoy the garam masala chai. I go to the chai wala and pay him. I look at the biscuit packet and ask for one more pack of glucose biscuit. I realise that I'm not hungry, yet I want the packet. It dawns in the dawn, its not hunger.

I apologize to the chai wala and return to him the biscuit pack. I start walking towards home. I look up at the sky and see how it is changing colours from a deep blue to hues of purplish red.

As I enter my gate with my head hanging down, frustrated for not know the cause of my behaviour, I realise I'm looking for something.It's a game. A game that I've not yet played.

LOU!!!

2009-04-13T18:41:00.005+05:30

Okay, this is going to be crazy! As filmy, mushy, cheesy as possible!!! Expect the unexpected guys!

Romance is in the air for me, with romance itself. With the mush in the music and the intensity of love with tears in my eyes. With the "hero" and the "heroine"(lol) going beserk over grasslands and Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu in the male playback...Not to forget Lataji and Shreya for the ladies.

These are a few of my all time favourite song videos-as mushy and romantic as it can get. I know just a week down the line, I will laugh at this post. The moody person that I am, I get jhatkas of everything! But this time romance has just taken over! :D

This one can make me cry

Filmy date!
Teri meri pyar

The irrationality of infatuation!

Cloud 9, Smiling for nothing et al

Love is...

Feeling hot hot hot!

2009-04-09T18:00:00.003+05:30

It's so hot that I could melt

It's so hot that the liquor stores are soon gonna go out of business.

It' so hot that my hair would decide to shed empathizing with my skin.

It's so hot that my exam notes are gonna crumple with heat(Bingo!)

It's so hot that I won't need the boiler in the bathroom.

It's so hot that iced tea and cold coffee is gonna sell a few hundred rupees higher soon.

It's so hot that water is gonna cost and not follow the paradox of value anymore.

It's so hot that my towel dries in a ridiculous 17 mins after using it for bath.

It's so hot that I think of giving Whirlpool an order to make a "Quick chill" bed for me which doesn't need electricity(thanks to the power cuts in Pune..Garmi ka magic chalega ka magic chalega kya?)

It's so hot that I dread of the condition next month.

It's so hot that I can expect thunderstorms and floods in monsoon for which I could recommend the Government of India to declare an off, at least on the west coast for a minimum period of one month at the option of the employee from the 15th of June to the 15th of August.

It's so hot that with the touch of my hand, my ice cream melts.

It's so hot that my fridge gave up.

It's so hot that I've packed black clothes and kept them in my store room.

It's so hot that I sweat at least a litre in a 37% humidity weather.

It's so hot that the zenith has been preponed to 9am.

It's so hot that a provision for excess zenith has been created at 12pm.

It's so hot that the weather forgets when the zenith is over and even at 3 pm retains heat accordingly.

It's so hot that I wouldn't wish that my girlfriend would be so if the weather sang ,'Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me!"

It's so hot that I randomly keep fainting here and there for a few seconds and get up on my own only to realise questions directed towards me of the kind,'What happened?' and I say,'Nothing man heat stroke but im used to it'

It's so hot that More has increased sale of cold juices and drinks by a staggering 72% this summer.

It's so hot that AC seems to be the best scientific invention.

It's so hot that I remembered a PJ!

It's so hot that I have to tell you!

If it's so hot, what is its opposite?

The person who comments with the answer first will get himself/ herself a very hot prize!

2009-03-26T13:41:00.000+05:30

Operation failed
Crew injured
Over and out.

Examination Insanity

2009-03-26T02:29:00.005+05:30

Are you listening to me?
Yes I'm talking to you
Yes you
Will you please give me a launch?
You are the only person I can depend on
Yes, the only person
Because I trust you
Now give me the launch
Make it a total thrust of 75 kgs,
With a burn time of 11.5 hrs
And a launch reach of indefinite altitude.

And yes, make it happen NOW!
The next update will be taken in the next 6 hours.
Over and out.

A good life, a good wife

2009-03-24T20:11:00.006+05:30

You have tunes of your own,
Which without consultation you play,
The impacts of your beats loans
Me a burden and I have nothing to say.

And then I wear those shoes,
Those magical shoes and I know to dance,
I'm not running, its just a cruise,
But I have speed, and winning becomes a chance.

The tunes which silenced me
Now I enjoy,I can see without eyes,
The finishing line is where I'll be free,
Enslaved I am to you,you bloody tune.

Tunes are to which now I addict,
Wanting to live more everyday,
A romantic turning into a benedict,
Victory is a good wife, and its all a play!

See you soon

2009-03-23T20:08:00.003+05:30

Was thinking a lot about you, so thought I'd write something.See you soon.

I've been missing you so much,
But it's only a matter of time,
Exam time is here and things are such,
That but for the books, all is crime.

But I will come to you soon,
Lie down on your soft bed,
And look at your lovely face shine.
I hope these exams soon shed.

And then there will be liberty
Freedom, joy and pleasure,
Brotherhood, love and harmony,
A state of ecstasy beyond measure.

Goaing (coco)nuts about you just at your thought!

Love
Avi.

High

2009-03-12T00:00:00.002+05:30

Sometimes, it feels so good,
Wonder if I really should,
Just hold you, make you the one,
Tell everybody under the sun

That when I met you,
For the first time,
I so knew it in my mind

(Guitar solo)

And now that we know
What makes us both cry,
And how I can blossom
The curve on your beautiful face

You are the one,
You are my soul,
The one with whom
I’d love to grow old.

So take my hand and
Follow me into the
Depths of our lives
As they unfold to us
And make us swing gently
With laughter and joy
I swear on the Lord, baby,
You get me so high
So high high high….
High.. high …high….

Away From You

2009-03-09T22:35:00.003+05:30

A blurry life
A run to the green
Watching the sun
Go down so clean

Everytime I remember you (1)
It always feels theres something new,

Crazy are the nights,
Crazy are the lights,

Crazy are the nights,
Crazy are the lights

That keep me away from you...

A blurry life
A run to the green
Watching the sun
Go down so clean

The darkness makes me cry so dry, (2)
And I always wanna see the sun to be so high

Crazy are the nights,
Crazy are the lights,

Crazy are the nights,
Crazy are the lights

That keep me away from you...

November Rain

2009-03-05T03:05:00.006+05:30

Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N Roses, worked on this one for 19 years. 19 years to bring out a 9 odd minute number. The music video of this song created an equal amount of buzz as the song itself . It is till date the 13th most expensive video. The song was conceptualized on a short story by Del James called "Without You" which is about a top rockstar reminiscing his times with his girl, which ended with the girl killing herself with a gunshot. The video of this song has amazing cinematography and the bride who dies, the protagonist's fiancee, wears a bridal gown which had then cost the band a staggering $8000. The video cost them a $1.5 million. So much hype. So much drama, about the drama. But in the end, all worth it! Enjoy!

Sometimes I wonder....

2009-03-04T03:51:00.007+05:30

Sometime I wonder why I feel like writing only at nights. Does my right brain not work during the day, or does the left have too much of "financial" load?

Sometime I wonder why I keep forgetting my bag here and there

Sometime I wonder why I took finance

Sometime I wonder why I get high on water

Sometime I wonder why I am growing my hair

Sometime I wonder why I don't shave regularly

Sometime I wonder why I listen to music a lot lesser than I should

Sometime I wonder why I left my guitar at home

Sometime I wonder why I talk to a friend on the phone about monkeys and bananas and connect them with simplicity of life at 3 am

Sometime I wonder why I sit on my college staircase right below the board which reads "Do not sit on staircase"

Sometime I wonder why I never wrote in school

Sometime I wonder why I don't read enough

Sometime I wonder why I don't ever cry publicly

Sometime I wonder why I was born

Sometime I wonder why I never liked cheeseballs in school and my friends loved it

Sometime I wonder why I would get a headache when I used to eat cheeseballs

Sometime I wonder why I don't sleep early

Sometime I wonder why I love theatre so much

Sometime I wonder why I hate a particular profesor as such

Sometime I wonder why I don't get a lot of comments on by blog anymore

Sometime I wonder why I love my laptop so much

Sometime I wonder why I stopped dedicating entries on my blog to people

Sometime I wonder why I don't iron my clothes well

Sometime I wonder why I am so philosophical

Sometime I wonder when I am going to write my next poem

Sometimes I wonder why I crack so many lame jokes

Sometimes I wonder why I'm such a foodie

Sometimes I wonder if my name would be Alice, I could make up a nice title for this post

And sometimes I do wonder how you guys are doing out there.....

So a "wonder"ful cheers!

2009-03-02T01:38:00.004+05:30

Dear Friend,

I'm in my room now. The fan is on. The light is off. The breeze created by the fan hits my face and my arms. And the light of my laptop is slightly straining my eye. The dog just howled. I am feeling pressure. Pressure which is turning me into a zombie.
Stuff is happening around me. A lot of stuff. Random and specific.
I just saw some redness reflecting on my window pane. I got scared thinking that it might be a fire. I hurried to the window and looked out to see that there was actually a huge fire on the road, at the corner. I looked harder, someone had burnt a tyre. I wonder why someone would burn a tyre. There was a man walking around the fire. He came from behind the fire, with his back facing me, blew his nose facing the fire and shook his hand vigorously so as to get rid of the snort and projected it into the fire. I was just amazed. I came back and sat on my bed.
Now. There is a vaccuum. I feel the pressure again. There is nothing happening in the room. Nothing. But I still feel the pressure. My eyes are burning. My stomach is growling for something. Though, I am very full in my stomach with tasty Veg. Biryani that I had for dinner.
Anyway, it is late and I think I should catch up on some sleep. Thanks. For listening to randomness. See you soon yaar.

Love,
Avinash.

The Distance

2009-02-22T11:57:00.007+05:30

It's a beautiful sunday morning. And something is missing. A part of me is missing. I am here, on my bed, writing this out, while experiencing a hunger which cannot be satisfied. The hunger of a homely breakfast on my dining table with my family.

Fresh Idlis , Sambhar , Coconut chatni or be it the traditionally sindhi cokie with dahi, anything would do. I have to make do with Maggi here. And yeah, the maggi that mom makes, tastes totally different!! Never valued home more. I can just remember a saying which is put up on my Nani's bedroom wall-"A house is built of bricks but a home is built of hearts"

It is the distance, that makes us value. For years, I took everything for granted. But that is really the rule of life.There is a difference between knowing the value of things and realizing their value. The realizing part is what is important, be it anything.

अंजान दलदल

2009-02-22T03:05:00.003+05:30

एक अंजान सी घबराहट,
बेकारण, बेहिसाब
जब मैं न समझूं,
छोट्टी से छोट्टी बातें ।

क्यों रुका हूँ मैं,
क्यों नही चल रहा,
न मैं जानूं यह,
क्यों थमा हूँ मैं यहाँ.

पेट में अजीब सी गुड गुड
न पास है घर,
रास्ता भी चौडा,
और दूर है मंजिल.

रात है बड़ी घनी,
सूरज उभरेगा जल्द ही,
इन चन् पलों का गुज़रना,
ही तोह लगे जैसे एक सदी.

Lady of the moment: Zoya Akhtar

2009-01-31T02:34:00.017+05:30

Applause. Debutante director Zoya Akhtar does magic."Luck By Chance", I would say, is a wonderful work of film making because of many reasons-

1)Great direction, fantastic screenplay and editing. Added the winning angles to Farhan's performance.

2)Farhan somehow just can't stop the whole undying connection that he has established with the audience. He carries of the script in his unique and typical 'andaaz' and connects to his viewers very well.

3)Koko! Love her.

4)The sattire in the movie was brilliant. There were so many times that the audience was mum and behaved like zombies. Trust me, i was rolling.

5)Hrithik came in time and again. It was as if he was 'glittering' the screen.

6)Shah Rukh Khan exuded power in his performance(Sorry to break this to you but just had to mention this. After seeing the movie, you will know what I am talking about)!

7)It was great to see Rishi Kapoor acting very well to fit into his role perfectly.

8)Dimple Kapadia stole the show with her 'adaayien' once again. But a crucial 2 minutes got a lot of reality of the film industry and gave solid depth to her character.

9)The hidden paradox in the movie, which makes up its theme, is depicted in a very subtle way.(Do not want to disclose the hidden paradox. Let it be hidden)

10) The music is fitting and not unnecessarily glorious as in many bollywood flicks.

11) It is an intelligent movie.

12)It leaves you thinking.

Worth a watch. Spent Rs 140 on it, plus the popcorn. Surprisingly, did not come out regretting that I could have watched it on my laptop.

Hope to see more of such movies. Expectations are rising. Bollywood is improving.
Cheers.

Lines on which I flipped !!

2009-01-02T06:11:00.005+05:30

Below are some quotes which I found thought provoking. Read on.

On Emotions
One mad magenta moment and I have paid for it all my life-Alan Bennett

On Fashion
I like to dress egos. If you haven't got an ego today, forget it-Gianni Versace.

On Love
To be wise, and love, exceeds man's might-William Shakespeare in Troilus and Cressida.

On Marriage
To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup
Whenever you're wrong admit it
Whenever you're right shut up.

Odgen Nash in 'A Word to Husbands'

On Men and Women
I think men talk to women so that they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so that they can talk to them- Jay McInerney in 'Brightness Falls'

On Conscience
Thus conscience makes cowards of us all- William Shakespeare in Hamlet

On Food
Kissing don't last: cookery do! -George Meredit.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T22:01:00.006+05:30

New: "Original and of a kind not seen before"
Wish all of you a very happy NEW year. Lets make 2009 a year which is unlike any of the years that we have ever lived.

A Beautiful Bliss

2008-12-18T21:11:00.004+05:30

The one who brings a smile on my face,
With whom time flies in conversation,
Who helps me deal with the world's fast pace,
Her company is always a vacation.

Such happiness which cannot be explained,
To form landmarks in my memory lane,
I cherish the feeling, wondering if its ordained,
Because no one else makes me be this way.

I dont know what this exactly is,
I dont even want to know because,
Whatever this is, it is a beautiful bliss,
As serene as the mosque, as holy as the cross.

Seeking Heaven

2008-11-25T21:21:00.005+05:30

There are many things that my soul seeks,
In every nook and corner of conversations it peeks,
To find speed, love, adventure or friendship,
And take me into an exhilarating trip.

I'm tired of complacency and resignation,
It has been a long process of fruitful fermentation,
I'm itching to get into high spirited action,
My hands are on my destinyation!!

A World of the Ustad.

2008-11-11T04:20:00.003+05:30

Ordinary things and ordinary people cannot keep me up at 4:30 am and make me write a blog entry on them. Well, on what I am writing today, is in the true sense extraordinary. Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab.

X&Y.The axes on the graph paper. The axes of my soul. After listening to Ustad, I realized that there exists an axis Z in my soul. Just like a string on a harp, it emerges only when struck. And for sure, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab's music truly struck mine causing some resonance!

His music, along with depth and elevation in pitch, has variation which is refreshing. When I listen to "Kinna sona tenu rab ne banaya" I feel like having a crush on somebody. And truly, "Dil kare dekhta rava"!

The Ustad is truly the maestro as far as his classically 'qawali' trained voice is concerned. He modernizes Qawali by using western instruments like the electric guitar, trumpet, electric keyboard and the drums in many of his songs. And it comes out beautifully, soulfully, in a brilliant contrast.

The fusion in his music is unlike any other in this world. The thing about his songs which touches my heart the most is that from a background of the hectic techno/modern music, emerges purity, love, melancholy and an emotion filled voice.

The following song in the video makes me happy from inside. I feel a two way itch. My sole itches to reach the floor and my soul itches to be let in heaven. This song is in the classical qawali style with classical instruments like the tabla and the harmonium.

"Dam mast kalandar"

A beautiful solo by Ustad. One of my favourite songs ever. And he does more than justice to it as the lucky audience watches a great recital.
"Sanu ek pal"

This is the song that I loved from the very first time I listened to it. A marvel created by the star lyricist Javed Akhtar Sahab and Ustad himself.

"Afreen"

A classic, OST of Dead Man Walking featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Eddie Vedder.

"Face of Love".

I could keep embedding videos here. Its already an hour up and I realise it's just about an hour for the sun to rise. Will sleep for a hour and a half before I get back to studying, but with eternal and overwhelming music in my heart.

Enjoy the songs.
So long.

O Captain, My Captain!

2008-11-10T17:32:00.007+05:30

It has been a while since Dhoni has been captaining India brilliantly. But I have failed to relate to him as the captain of the Indian cricket team inspite of his winning streak individually, as well as a captain. It always has been Ganguly for me. As i write,Dada wears the Indian test cap for the last time today.

It will not be so much fun to watch cricket without him. I will miss the spinners being hit for sixes from half pitch down, so clean, elegant and not to forget, out of the ground. After the way he united the Indian cricket team and got a period of glory back to Indian cricket - after he fought his way till the end in the face of injustice and politics, I bid Dada adieu.

Here is a perfectly fitting write up for his farewell.

He Played From The Heart
(Author:Boria Majumdar
Courtesy:Times of India-10th November,2008)

How will one best remember Sourav Ganguly? What will be his most enduring legacy? These are questions being asked all over the cricketing world
on a day when Ganguly will wear his India colours for one final time in Nagpur. While some say that he will be best remembered for his never-say-die spirit and perhaps as India’s best ever captain, history will also surely remember him as someone who rescued Indian cricket from its deepest low: the tribulations of match fixing.

At a time when the match fixing scandal was eating into the very edifice of Indian cricket and the national side under Sachin Tendulkar was in disarray, Ganguly assumed the mantle of leadership. Fans had started to lose interest in the game and only a handful in the cricket fraternity — one of them being Ganguly — was above suspicion. To compound problems, he was soon challenged by Steve Waugh’s record-breaking Australians seeking to conquer the “final frontier”. It was a team that came to India on the back of 15 wins on the trot.

Ganguly’s initiation into Test captaincy in 2000 could not have been more dramatic. To add to his woes, India was mauled at the Wankhede in a little under three-and-a-half days in the first Test of the series. Add to this the scoreline at the end of Day 2 at the Eden Gardens in the second Test: Australia having scored 445 and India reeling at 128-8, the situation looked set for Ganguly to lose the captaincy even before he had warmed up to it.

Reality, however, could not have been more different. India won at the Eden match thanks to a miracle partnership between V V S Laxman and Rahul Dravid and a match-winning spell by Harbhajan Singh. This was followed by a series-winning victory at Chennai. It was perhaps the best Test series ever to be played on Indian soil and suddenly to borrow the words of the man of the moment, Barack Obama, Indian cricket had a three-word mantra: “Yes we can”. Under Ganguly, nothing seemed impossible and innovation was routine.

Ganguly converted Virender Sehwag into an opener, discarding all the conventional idioms about opening the batting. It was a decision that still continues to pay dividends. Remembering the decision, Ganguly suggested in a conversation last week at the end of the Delhi Test, “In India you need quick runs at the top of the order for once the ball gets older, you can’t score fast. And if you get off to a flier the opposition will always be under pressure. Sehwag was our best bet.”

He played Dravid at number six and promoted Laxman up the order, an innovation that won India the Eden miracle, and could be something we need to resort to again to get Dravid back in form. He inspired Harbhajan to become a proven match-winner in all forms of the game and motivated the team to win in adverse overseas conditions. In doing all this, his hair may have turned grey and his batting form may have suffered but the nation surely gained.

Ganguly’s personal journey may be divided into two distinct phases — the pre- and post-Greg Chappell periods. While the first witnessed near unrivalled elegance in batsmanship, the second was a more cautious and hardened phase, one in which he valued his wicket much more. While in the first, dancing down the track and hitting spinners out of the ground was routine and caressing the ball through the offside to the boundary second habit, in the second, milking the ball for ones and twos was the norm.

The first phase resulted in comments like Sourav was god-like in his offside play; the second forced critics to acknowledge that he was more mature and solid after his stunning comeback in South Africa in the 2006-07 series.

The one link between the two periods was his aggression. Be it the over-the-top waving of his shirt at the Lord’s balcony after the Natwest victory in 2002 — something that he gets slightly embarrassed about when reminded of — or making Steve Waugh wait for him at the toss in the 2001 series or his valiant counter-attack en route to scoring a series-defining century at Brisbane in 2003, aggression and confidence have been his defining traits.

In retirement, too, Ganguly stands out. Even in his final Test match at Nagpur, Ganguly scored a flawless 85. Giving it up before critics call for his head, despite knowing full well that he could have continued for some more time given his current form, he remains someone who has always exceeded expectations and fought his way out of trouble. In fact, it is this ability that endears him most to the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

In commenting on his legacy, one is forced to acknowledge Ganguly’s ability to surprise one and all. You may not trust him with your life if you apply the parameters of reason and rationale, but you can certainly bank on him if you think with your heart. And who better to tell us than Ganguly that modern competitive sport is more often than not played from the heart and not in the mind.

As the God of the off-side walks to the pavillion for good today, I thank him for putting breath into the cricket team, cricket players, his own career and cricket in India. which was not in a state of less than paralysis, just a few years ago.
O Captain,my captain! We all will miss you!

Acting, Brilliance and Naseer.

2008-11-07T20:45:00.003+05:30

My inspiration for lifetime. A brilliant actor, with unimaginable skills and principles.

Also guys, check out this very interesting video! http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Iakpxg6OusU&feature=related

Zero.

2008-11-04T14:05:00.000+05:30

Have you ever felt zero? Blank, empty and void. As if there was nothing that was ever done by you. Nothing ever achieved by you. And even if there was, doesn't make any difference today. Because today you have failed. Big time.
There is no ego, no motivation, no happiness. Numb, is all that you are. You know what it will take to get there from here. You know you can do it. But you are tired to begin.
Begin all over, once again. The snake bit you at 90 odd, you are back in the first row of the game. No ladder seems inviting enough.
One of the few moments in life when you remember God. Think how He functions, what His aims in His life might be. A realisation dawns on how selfish you are to remember God only now. All claims of perfection in aspects of your life have turned false. You are stranded.
The only way out to come out of the chakravyu is action, out of self belief.
Will you believe in yourself one more time?
Will you act?

अब तक साँस जो नही रुकी

2008-09-21T11:48:00.000+05:30

What a charged up Sunday morning! And this one is in my very own rashtrabhasha!

ना कहीं रुकना है अभी, ना है पीछे जाना,
वक्त का यह खेल है, कभी डूबना कभी उभरना,
पर तैरता रहूँगा मैं सदैव, लहरों से झगड़कर,
हारा नहीं हूँ मैं, अब तक साँस जो नहीं रुकी ।

फीर आयी एक लहर, मुझको अपने अन्दर खीचकर,
पानी के तूफ़ान के बीच , हालत थी बुरी,
गोल गोल घूम रहा था मैं, सोचा भीतर अब और भीतर ,
हारा नहीं हूँ मैं, अब तक साँस जो नही रुकी ।

हाथ पैर हिलाते हुए, पहुँचा तट पर आखीर,
मीठी नर्म मिटटी पअहुंचा पूरे पानी पानी ,
कल फिर होगा एक और संघर्ष , एक और मंजिल, लेकिन,
हारा नहीं हूँ मैं, अब तक साँस जो नहीं रुकी ।

पोस्टस्क्रिप्ट

है यह मेरी पहली कविता, ना हूँ मैं कवि,
ना हूँ लेखक, साधारणता के लिए माफ़ी,
पर लिखता रहूँगा, जब तक मेरे हाथ में कलम नहीं नाचती,
हारा नहीं हूँ मैं, अब तक साँस जो नहीं रुकी ।।

Stories of Honour.

2008-09-18T18:53:00.000+05:30

"I say Japan was made of a handful of brave men. Warriors willing to give their life, what seems to be a forgotten world. Honour."

And the story began. A story that I will never forget. A story which will egg me on to stand up for what I do, for what I am. May even death come in my way.

19th Century
Captain Nathan was a retired US military personnel who had curbed the rebellion of the Red Indians. After the victory in the battle with the Red Indians, he had a passion for drama and used to act in street plays before he was sent to Japan to train the Japanese Army and fight this clan of warriors called Samurai.

For those of you who do not know what I am talking about. See the movie. It's called The Last Samurai. One of the best performances of Tom Cruise.

This movie shows how it is just not about what is, what you are, it's only about what you want to become. Passion of the ambition.

The movie depicts the Japanese culture of the Samurai, their discipline. Says Captain Nathan, "They are an intriguing people.The moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue."

Captain Nathan Algren trained the Japanese Army for a very short period and inspite of insisting that the army wasn't ready for the battle, was forced by his superiors to go to battle with the Samurai clan. The result was what the army also expected, having seen the Samurais fight. Many were killed, many fled home from the battlefield, but Capt. Nathan was taken captive. The only reason he wasn't beheaded was that he kept fighting till the end and showed immense bravery, impressing Katsumoto, the Head of the clan.

He was kept hostage for two years and in the process got acquainted with their culture and very well appreciated it. Katsumoto also allowed him to train as a Samurai.

The last battle of the Samurai and the Japanese Army is extremely moving. After seeing it one will know what is passion, what is honour. Because a Samurai shall only die of his own sword, or that of his enemy.

The story goes on to show how every Samurai but for Captain Nathan was destroyed by the Japanese Army in the end. But something was born out of their death;the respect that was born on this planet for the Samurai, the clan and their culture.

My mind, where art thou?

2008-09-11T20:43:00.000+05:30

The first lecture of Unit VI in Quantitative Techniques namely, Job Sequencing, with an adorable, energetic professor and a class full of great learners, except for one. Any guesses? Yes, that's me! Well I do not seem to have time for phone conversations, math, accounts or laws! The reason is that I am often not in this world. There are other worlds that I live in.

Well I would like you to meet my friends-Krishna, Arjuna, Macbeth, Hamlet, Claudius, Romeo, Juliet and Brutus. I often travel a billion years back to Kurukshetra to view Krishna racing Arjuna's charriot into the wind for the battle. Well, I also travel abroad. Just yesterday I met the three witches who were waiting for Macbeth on the foggiest part of the Dutch Highlands. Socializing has reached to new levels in my world. For those of you who are in sheer disbelief of my intense eccentricity, let me tell you, "To be or not to be, that is the question."

My passion for drama can only be imagined. Well, all that I'm waiting for is to get onto the the stage, with lights, music and people waiting to be transported to another world. It does not matter whether I act, direct or am in production. It's the spirit of drama, the opportunity to explore another's life nevertheless, through me. The privilege of creating the spirit of a play, through direction, coordination or production is only experienced by a few.

Another reason why I love plays is because it is so much of a 'play'. Music, lights and positional dynamics, all can be played around with to fine tune moods, tones and emotions. Stalwarts like
Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, Prithviraj Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah inspire me infinitely.

All in all, theatre 'plays' in my blood !
Thoughts, scenes & dialogues in my head flood
Of wars, deceit, romance and tragedy
And take me into a state of rhapsody!