flowing ashes

Simplicity – The Ultimate Sophistication

2011-05-12T00:37:00.000+05:30

These days I am going EUREKA about a simple fact which I had always read and heard but had never experienced firsthand. Right from childhood I had heard about ‘Simple living and high thinking’ but never knew how this holds true in an era when we all jump for greater complexity. Our choice of vehicles, gadgets, clothes and lifestyle in general are instances of how we choose the complex in our leap towards the bigger and the better. Being a witness and sometimes a reluctant participant in this race to aim for the stars, I overlooked a basic premise that eternally holds true – Keeping it simple and getting the basics right.

When there is talk of simplicity, I am reminded of the zipper incident in the movie 3 Idiots. The lead character Rancho gives the example of a trouser zipper as a simple machine. However, this hurts the ego of the professor who prides himself on the complexity of what he teaches. One thing we all crave for is home food. What makes home food special is that the dishes are simple and basic without excessive spices, masalas, oils , flavors and ketchups. I never remember asking for chutney or ketchup while eating a cutlet or potato wedges or pakodas made at home.

There is something very 'like'able about simple people and simple situations. In school, we all loved the mathematics teacher who made the toughest problems seem like a cakewalk by simplifying things. Simplicity makes stuff more digestable to all. Classic oldie songs are cherished by all and even liked by modern generations, even though they have none of the beats and hungama of modern music. These songs were simple and one could soak in the undiluted concoction of lyrics, vocals and tunes.

The power of simple could impress the genius Da Vinci and made him state that, 'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'. One has to be simple to truly innovate because you need to be conceiving something that is so real, that the complexity seekers would never touch that area. It doesn't surprise me at all that great ideas were shot at first sight. Keeping simple is indeed simple and straight. It is simple to make things appear complex for others and feed one's ego. However, to be in step with the universal harmony and strike a chord with existence, only simplest beats simple.

Solo Bike Ride - Lavasa!!!

2010-11-09T17:19:00.000+05:30

After a prolonged monsoon, thanks to our negligent attitude towards the threats of climate change, I was rearing to make a long ride (So many donkeys left their machines switched on and left for diwali vacations). This diwali long weekend seemed to be the ideal time to move out with my cruiser. As usual, after fighting a battle against my sleep, I finally woke up at 7.30 AM in the morning. It was a tough call considering that I had terrible nausea the night before due to excess of sweets. The only motivator was the line “Abhi nahi to kabhi nahi”(Now or never) which kept coming to my mind every now and then. I finally got done with my ablutions and left at 9 AM, still unsure whether I would ride all the way up to Lavasa, after eating a complete delicious apple as breakfast ( An apple a day , keeps the doctor away … remember? ).

After going through the calm city traffic , I arrived at Chandni Chowk and the first signboard to Lavasa greeted me, LAVASA – 42kms straight. I liked the sight of it and there was no turning back now. If there was one word to describe the ride, it would be twisty. I encountered the various ghats like Piranghut, Mutha and Dasve with twisting curves. The stretch between Lavasa dam and the Lavasa entry gate had real ‘U’ curves, the kind I never encountered before. The weather was pleasant and I took many halts to capture the beautiful scenery on my humble cell phone camera. Tourists travelling with their families in the hired cars envied me and my freedom on wheels. I loved the attention they paid to my cruiser bike and allowed them to pose with my babe (bikeJ) for pics.

I was pleasantly surprised when the security personnel at the future city entry gate checked my number plate and allowed me to enter the township. I had read in blogs and heard from friends that bikes were not allowed inside but this was a welcome development. After Dasve road, I reached the lake town and found myself very hungry. I decided to have a sub, a decision I regretted dearly. Salad and bread, you call that food?! ..Sick! After the so-called lunch, I decided to stroll and enjoy the view around the lake.I felt I was roaming in a European city. The ride back home was speedier and I decided to stay high on the throttle. It was a pleasure to speed through the villages – herds of goats, sheep and cattle made me brake. It was welcome, the countryside belongs to them. I was amazed at the extent to which we urban folks are detached from our country’s rural reality. There seems to be no going back once we are stuck in this collective and deceptive great urban Indian dream.

I am looking forward to many such long (and even longer) rides. Till then, stay tuned!

Brutally Frank

2010-07-01T15:09:00.007+05:30

Please note that the following is not intended to be a book review...

The last time I visited ‘Crossword’ book store, a very flashy title caught my eye – ‘Think Big and Kick ***** in business and life’. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the cover picture. It belonged to none other than Donald Trump, American real estate magnate and TV celebrity (‘The Apprentice’ fame). One of the review comments mentioned on the paperback was “Trump’s version of the Secret”. I was gifted with a revelation when I browsed the contents. Only a Donald Trump can be so brutally frank and realistic while writing a book meant to inspire and motivate. Jaggi Vasudev once said that a true Guru is the one who shakes up a person and drags him out of his comfort zone. This is exactly what Trump dishes out, practical wisdom and an aggressive approach to achieve one’s big dreams. ‘Attack is the best form of defense’… This seems to be Trump’s approach and he has very frankly illustrated by citing instances from his own life. These instances are about how he tasted victory in defeat and defeat in victory, how he was down but never out.

After reading the above para, many folks will surely google out info by copy pasting ‘Donald Trump’. They are sure to come across the fact that Trump is the son of a wealthy real estate developer. Upon encountering this, many a person would feel that Donald Trump had it easy. Most people have this false perception that the second and third generation business tycoons have it easy and get everything on the platter, so to say. I beg to differ, personally, even if I had to inherit a billion dollar business, I would still find it very much a pain to learn on the job from my dad. I am very certain that taking over the reins is a daunting task and not just a joyride in a Mercedes with a laptop. Vijay Mallya could capture the imagination of an entire generation and the generations to come by daring to revive a very old Kingfisher brand of beer. The brand no longer represents only a brew but an entire lifestyle which includes a domestic airline (I swear by the service). The Ambani brothers have gone ahead and truly made Reliance a very popular and recognizable brand. Innovation and not inheritance is the name of the game when it comes to these successful gen-nex tycoons.

Donald Trump admits to having his share of the limelight and fun. The following is short excerpt which I leave you with….

“People always ask me, “How did you get so rich?” The way I do things has allowed me to succeed financially far beyond what I had expected. I have had a lot of fun, and I have made a lot of money. I have known many celebrities, billionaire businesspeople, and superstar sports figures. It is not easy to explain in a couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, persistence, and passion, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers. “

The Beloved

2010-06-28T15:54:00.006+05:30

Very wonderful words .. sure to make you fall in love all over again.

"The truth -- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.

I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment."--Viktor Frankl

In anticipation of the unpredictable..

2010-04-09T20:50:00.002+05:30

For some people, its a daunting task to clear their mind.. to break free from the constant processing of their brain, while some manage to exercise control over it just as easily.
What i am about to say might just sound like a load of gibberish, then i guess,my gray cells are processing a load of crap..

There is always an influx of questions in my head !One among these is how come I live in anticipation of melancholy to come knocking even wen I am surrounded by the most happiest of moments. Whether it be the satisfaction in my dad's voice to hear i'm going to start out a new venture, or it be the magical words uttered by my beau, sadly, my brain keeps prodding me as to when all of this would vanish!

Seeing people around me who seem to be hassle-free or else unperturbed by any worries is mere frustrating.Call me a sadist,but thats just how i feel.
Makes me wonder, does happiness exist.. or is it a figment of our imagination..if it does exist, then why doesn't it last? Why does it keep distancing itself from me !! :-(
I am faced with multifarious issues everyday.. Some give me satisfaction..some immense pleasure.. but mostly, I am just left with a feeling of emptiness..Is it just my stupid over-working brain that generates these emotions??

Anway, what i have come to realise is that being happy isn’t quite as simple as clearing your papers or getting a job, (both of which i have achieved only after a lot of perseverance) despite what the elders may tell you. We need to dig past the superficiality and realise the true meaning of happiness.
The question as to how to achieve it still gnaws me endlessly, and
I shall leave u with this thought a certain classmate shared with me: "Happiness is like a butterfly, If u run after it, it keeps flying away, but if u stand still, it comes and sits on your shoulder".. Funny pun, isn't it !

Rant about April, fools and phools

2010-04-01T19:55:00.003+05:30

Today morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from my HR SPOC, what was it about? ... It was about April fool’s day celebration plan for our company. It was decided that we can give flowers to the people whomsoever we appreciate in our company(or anywhere in Tech M I guess) and flowers would be made available. Other tokens of appreciation like gifts, chocs etc. could also be gifted. The person receiving most flowers would be declared phool of the day.

I must say it is an innovative way to celebrate April fool’s day (though pretty boring). April fool’s day pranks are always memorable, the recent one last year was with my roomie. I loved the way he acted drunk on the phone and called a female friend to tell her that he is madly in love with her, the aspiring director made a great job with the Devdas aka Bevdas act. The next day when he called her she very cutely reprimanded him saying he should not be calling her when he is drunk which was followed by a great belly laughter by our roomies. The image of Rajdeep laughing is etched in my mind.

However, the best April fool’s prank at whose receiving end I found myself was played on me by my cable operator. I had finished my boards on 31st March and as is the case when answering exams I did not really remember the date. I was watching the late night TV shows and suddenly the cable guys flashed a message that they would be showing a naughty movie at midnight. This was really welcome after the examination stress ( not that male lust hibernates during exam days, in fact the opposite is true at times). I waited eagerly to see it, only to be greeted by the message that I am an April fool L ..BAKRA!!

Nowadays, the stress is on commercializing all these events rather then making them eventful in the real sense. Valentine’s day was not more than a card and chocolates two decades back but now things are very different. Coming from a business family, I am all for commercialization.Giving flowers is not really mushy any more. WHY? ...I can imagine a disgruntled employee handing over a rose to his boss while slowly grumbling an inaudible ‘get well soon’… LOL!... If the guy at the receiving end does manage to step down the pedestal, he may realize or maybe that is not possible. However, the sarcasm or gandhigiri is not to be restricted to the senior-subordinate equation, it could well be extended to the cubicle jungle. The fairer species loves chocolates, give a chocolate to someone arrogant .. “something small , hope it makes you sweet” , it better be inaudible or audible with a time delay ( Post graduation making me a geek!).

The good news is we can still be bad on this day .. Happy April fool’s day!

As someone cald it.. a "tale of tragedy"

2010-04-01T12:13:00.002+05:30

She was a typical middle class girl brought up like any other TamBram. Her parents had inculcated in her the values that they believed in. She was told from the outset what was important. Respect for elders and education meant everything for her parents.
'Nothing is as important as education in this world',it was etched in her brain cells.
And so, when she did embark upon her journey, she had no other thought in her mind. She was bright, inquisitive and more importantly focussed. Now, at that young age, even her parents were in awe of her sincerity.
She took up daily errands in the house which none of her siblings had done. She wanted to help with the household especially since her grandmother had so much to do. Her work was despicable. Her cousins saw this as an aberrant behaviour because she was like no one in the family. Contrary to the general trend, she was timid and voiceless. She would never converse unless she was spoken to. She never demanded for a birthday gift..nor did she ever complain that her mother wasn't around like the other kids. She was happy with the independence she had.

It came as a shock when she was apprised of her father's transfer to Mumbai. She was elated,more than anyone in the family. Secretly she was surprised by her ambivalent emotions..the separation from her extended family and the joy of a new place.
It was a new start. She was finally going to move out of Chennai, the place that she despised.

The transition was quick. Within a fornight, she found herself amidst the Mumbaikars. Her admission in the school was an exception made by the principal, owing to her excellent academic records and her performance in the induction test.The principal said so herself. Her mother's anxiety had turned into pride that her daughter had been accepted in one of the best schools. Being a carreer oriented mother, she never had to worry about her well-disciplined daughter.

Well,the little girl was blosooming into a woman. Little did she know that the place was going to transform her. She was aware that she ahd a lot to learn.
She would carefully observe her classmates who were forthright and shrewd, something she never was. Slowly, she adjusted herself to this new place. She became one among them.
From being the quiet timid girl, she became the confident out-spoken daring girl. I guess thats was the air of Mumbai instills in you.

Her academics spoke for itself. She impressed the teachers with her aptitude for maths and the fluency in English.As her granfather would say, luckily, she had inherited her dad's humbleness.
She never interacted much with her mother. However, the father-daughter chats were frequent. She would always wonder why her mother never found time to have these chats. It would bring a tear to her eyes,so she would immedialtely shun it to the back of her head. She had not been taught to cry. Her father was so strong. She wanted to be like him. She knew he was proud of her. It was her mother she wanted to impress. So, she kept trying, pushing herself beyond the limits set by herself. She hoped one day she would succeed.

Soon, she discovered a new side of her, something she never thought she had. In a society like in Mumbai, it was hard not to socialise. Even harder when everyone around you is doing it. However, this interest did not appeal to her mother.

Unable to obtain her mother's approbation, she realised what most teenager do. "what she doesnt know will not hurt her." Then began the lying. The first one was a little difficult, the second comparitively easier..and finally it became easier to lie rather than try to combat with her mother to seek approval.

Despite the lies, she never let her education take a backseat. She was still a topper and remained so for a long time. She had great friends.. few guys whom she fancied..and in short a normal teenage life.

Well, life doesnt go smoothly. The teenager din't know this at that time! Good things have to come to an end. The much dreaded transfer happened again. There was no packing-the-luggage with alacrity to see a new place. Her parents' apathy towards moving to a new place angered her. She did not want to move. She was unaware of what they were punishing her for. Teenage mind is a fickle mind.
The emotions she felt that time, she could not express to anyone, simply because she had never done it before. She did not know how to. She had become so attached to the place, the air, the pollution, the fast-paced life, the sweaty people around her in the bus, the first smell of rain , her best friend.
It seemed impossible to separate from the place.She was aghast. She knew deep down inside her father would have tried his best to stay there but she had to blame someone and it cudnt be herself. She became belligerent. She knew she was fighting a losing battle.

When she moved into the new place, she had an aversion towards everything. For one, the school she was admitted into did not appeal to her. She realised she couldn't let her father feel bad about it. So she did take it in her stride.. well she put up an act. After a while, it was etched in her that in time, she would go back there. After living in the crowded metropolis, Goa felt like the most desolated place in the world !
Her father tried to raise her hopes but she well knew they were all delusive promises.
The only way was to put this behind her and start afresh, build new memories. It was painful. She lost that spark . Probably, Mumbai took away her spark when she left.

They say, life happens when you are busy doing other things. She couldn't fret about her new life anymore. She was faced with exams, which she was told , dictated her future. But this time, she found herself in a different situation. She refused to
make a conscious effort.Her apathy towards studies resulted in a
paranoid Mother.

In the end when it mattered, she did perform well. Not for anyone, but just to tell her parents that she had done her duty even though they had not.However,this time, her parents, were not too proud of her simply because she had not performed to her capability.
Her mother was disappointed. After all, somebody else's kid had fared much better.From then on, things changed. The family nature of always feeling someone else's kid is better than mine started to show in her mother as well.

This continued from then on.Being constantly reminded of her "failure" did little to help. She was no more a teenager. She became a college graduate. Even then, what she had achieved wasn't enough. There was still a feeling of "you could have done much better".

At the end of it all, She had grown to be just another kid who failed to please her parents. She had finally lost hope that she would ever be able to please anyone.

Be 'Idiotic'

2010-03-20T20:32:00.000+05:30

Speech by Mr Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis ...must read...

Don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

"Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die. .......

One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? ......

It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices........." :)

"Don't be serious, be sincere."!!

Moments of Inertia

2010-03-08T17:55:00.001+05:30

Nehru said, “Aaram haraam hai” …… This was the motivating thought for me whenever I needed to stretch and work hard for exams in school days. However, now I think otherwise. Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about dynamism and being the ‘go-getter’. Winning the rat race and ‘achieving’ is the mantra that most corporate niwasis swear by.

Reminds me a wonderful story I heard about the Mughal emperor Babar. Babar was famous for his military exploits. A wise man visited his court. The wise man was utterly shocked at the way Babar behaved. Babar cracked lewd jokes and laughed profanely with his courtiers. The wise man was saddened by this. Before leaving the court, he told Babar the motive of his visit and the fact that he was very disappointed. Babar told the wise man that if that is the case he should leave immediately, but before the wise man left he showed him a bow hanging in one of the corners in his court. The wise man did not understand. Babar explained that just like the bow needs to rest without being stretched or aimed at something ( lest it loses it’s flexibility), in the same way he prefers to rest and just ‘be’, so that he can give his best in the demanding phases of administration and battles.

Hierarchies are put in place for division of labour and decomposition of tasks to achieve business goals. However, climbing up the corporate ladder has become an ego and ‘status’ issue. Isn’t that sad? In this rat race obsession how many times have we not been good listeners to our parents or spouses or children? Doesn’t make good business sense to me. About 70% of what we achieve is for our family and how good does it hold when we cannot ‘connect’ with them.

The bell which ‘tolls’ in the church or temple or the Maulvi melodiously reciting the Namaz in the mosque at dusk are all wake up calls. Wake up, stop and proceed home, not as a corporate executive but as a father or a son or husband, etc….

Unless, we stop and lay back how can we ever excel and ever ‘connect’? The character Rancho in 3 Idiots is interested in excellence, not the rat race and not the competition.

Dynamism and enthusiasm are very important but it does not entail a hectic race where we neglect the scenery along the way. Human nature is to swing between extremes.When our country was not so developed, the stress was on answering ‘competitive’ exams and making a mark for oneself. Have we gone overboard with this? More urban youth in India die by committing suicide then in accidents or disease. Calls for a ‘reality’ check.

The key is not to relinquish ‘efforts’ but to do away with ‘doership’. Being lazy is not the answer but ‘restful activity’ seems to be the answer. Focusing and fully believing in our innate potential can work wonders. When you feel good, you look good and you get into the zone where you truly enjoy what you do. Look at a Anand Mahindra or a Sanjay Kalra., they exude tremendous energy and dynamism but at the same time they are relaxed and enjoy what they do. If we are not relaxed, how can we ever ‘connect’?

To conclude with my rant (or GYAAN), I quote my Dad’s favorite verse (by W. H. Davies)

WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can
enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare

Wave at nobody?

2010-02-13T21:20:00.002+05:30

Hi,

Talking about politicians, here is an interesting blog post by my fav blogger Amit Verma,

http://indiauncut.com/iublog/article/waving-to-nobody/

Rahul magic

2010-02-06T19:19:00.001+05:30

After the IPL drama, Rahul Gandhi visited Mumbai. I think there is nothing great about it.

The good news is that India might just be on the verge of a huge revolution. A youth revoultion.

Are we all not tired of seeing ailing politicians?

Rahul Gandhi, probably the most charismatic Indian politician after his dad Rajiv Gandhi is a whiff of fresh air. It is not an exaggeration when people call him the crown prince of India.

However, I think Rahul has good intentions. It is not easy to travel by local trains, meet the aam aadmi and give them hope when your dad and grandma have been assasinated in public.

Also, the fact that he is doing it in non-election time is very big deal.I have this strong gut feeling that India is moving towards greatness.Rahul is doing a good job by trying to connect with

Common man and more importatntly the youth of our nation.

Let us hope for the best.

Dharti Pe Bhoj

2010-02-04T20:08:00.001+05:30

The title in Hindi can be literally translated as “Burden on the earth”. You guessed it wrong, I am not swearing at anyone. This write up aims to share an important concept which I learnt about recently, namely, ‘ecological footprint’.

The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste.

Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how much of the Earth (or how many planet Earths) it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle.

Now, you might just be wondering how this applies to you.

Well, instead of writing further about “how YOU can know as to how much of a ‘Dharti Pe Bhoj’ you are”, I would very strongly suggest you do a little bit of research on the internet and find out for yourselves.The findings will surely be an eye opener.

Blogging in 2010,Atlast

2010-01-16T15:23:00.002+05:30

After the IPL drama, Rahul Gandhi visited Mumbai.There isn't anything great about it.

The good news is that India might just be on the verge of a huge revolution.

A youth revolution.

Are we all not tired of seeing ailing politicians?

Rahul Gandhi, probably the most charismatic Indian politician after his dad Rajiv Gandhi, is a whiff of fresh air. It is not an exaggeration when people call him the crown prince of India ( sarcastically or otherwise).

However, I think Rahul has some good intentions. It is not easy to travel by local trains, meet the aam aadmi and give them hope when your dad and grandma have been assasinated in public.

Also, the fact that he is doing during a non-election season is very big deal ( atleast, Maharashtra and Goa did not have elections).I have a gut feeling that India is moving towards greatness.Rahul is doing a good job by trying to connect with the
common man, particularly, the youth of our nation.

More on this in my next post.

God Bless!

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a Congress Supporter/Gandhi family fan/Rahul Gandhi fan.

Choice to choose

2009-11-08T14:26:00.004+05:30

When there are two equally good options it is really gets tough to choose . I remember senior Art of Living teacher Bawa once writing that it is tough to choose when you two equally irresistible options like a sexy girl or a rich girl. It is so true , but my experience is that the very moment a choice is given ( even not so irresistible) , then confusion follows.

What is the sensible thing to do in such situations?

I really don't know as of now , but I feel that if one has the foresight or visibility of the future one should choose the option that gives long term gain ( with possibly short term pain ) .

What if that visibility is not available at the moment?

Then , I wonder how does one choose? ... maybe go for a random pick and hope for the best :) or postpone the decision till the options eliminate themselves and you are forced to choose what you get. LOL!!!

play of life , myriad emotions
splash of expressions ,
clash of impressions ,
But the fact of the matter being,
it doesn't even matter

All for now ... God Bless!

Reality Shows , Real money

2009-10-25T13:50:00.003+05:30

Rakhi Sawant reportedly earns Rs. 60-80 Lakhs per season of her reality show ' Rakhi ka Swayamwar'.

An executive at a major production company says networks pay such actors approximately Rs 10-12 lakh as a one-time signing bonus for reality shows, an additional Rs 2-3 lakh per week for the duration of the show. These actors are also paid for the time they spend rehearsing. Depending on the time such participants last on a show, they end up earning anywhere between Rs15 lakh and Rs30 lakh in less than three months.

Amazing isn't it ?

They earn in three months what I plan to earn in more then three years.

( News Source : http://www.livemint.com/2009/10/22002828/Dose-of-reality-spells-big-mon.html?h=A1 )

Premature rewards

2009-10-13T17:07:00.002+05:30

Hi,

I was wondering as to what would be the subject of my next blog .I am recovering from diarrhea , so sitting at home.

Started surfing my fav blogs and found out that they are actually awarding Nobel peace prize to Obama. It really does not make sense to me.It is like my boss rewarding me for my potential and not the results. I don't know about the struggle that Obama has gone through to become the first black president but I doubt if it is any close to what Nobel laureates like Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa has gone through.

All for now!

God Bless!

Hmmmm!

2009-10-04T13:44:00.003+05:30

Hi,

Feeling v/s commitments is the biggest battle man fights all the time.Both of them are inversely proportional to each other.Many a times I feel like postponing something just because I don't FEEL like doing it. Life is not a bed of roses but neither is it a crown of thorns.It is paradoxical.

she surfaced
made known her identity
brought me fascination
bought I obsession
what or who are you
a mirage or oasis?
a mirage or oasis?

Studies Again!

2009-09-25T22:22:00.002+05:30

Hi,

Just when I thought I had completed one study-free year after finishing my engineering degree, I decided to make things more 'exciting' by enrolling for my masters.Its been a little more then a month and my mid-sem exams are fast approaching. In short , I need to get back to books.

Lots of unread portion and little time ... that has always been the case with me . It only leads to my long study sessions where I sit in the company of my books and learn and learn and learn more. Water is important since I like to read aloud while studying.One thing I will miss this time is my mom - her talks , stories and of course the snacks and meals which came at very regular intervals.I am not the types who can sit for hours together and go on cramming.

There are two ways I make myself study , one is to really try and enjoy the content and when this doesn't work I put my endurance to test and keep going. Of late though , I feel enjoying and studying is more cool and agreeable to the human body and mind.

I plan a study marathon for the next three days but will take breaks and enjoy the evenings .

God Bless.

Awaiting the beauty

2009-08-31T23:05:00.002+05:30

It is coming to India ......

Check this link : http://www.indiauto.in/2009/02/harley-davidson-bikes-plans-in-india.html

The Secret

2009-08-23T11:37:00.004+05:30

Hi,

Thanks to my internet operator I was forced to dig into the folders of my PC and find out something to keep myself busy after work.This search led me to the documentary of 'The Secret' which was lying unwatched by me. My roomies had watched it , two of them are too lazy (as usual) to apply those things and one guy is applying it . Before watching the movie I was skeptical because I had read many self help books by western authors and to be frank I did not like their ideas especially about affirmations and positive thinking ( I still don't :) ).

After watching the entire documentary I felt that it was in no conflict to what I learned at the Art of Living sessions and the Bible.

Here are some of my conclusions after watching it :

1) The Secret is not a philosophy/school of thought. It is the existential reality.

2) Due to the above point , the Secret cannot be in conflict.

3) The Secret is nothing new but it is a masterpiece only because it has summed up the knowledge very beautifully.

4) Whatever you say or think will manifest . That is what they called 'Tathastu' in India. "Your wish is my command".This is the very reason elderly people in India scold you when you talk about misery or death. Some people ( including me ) usually don't say Bye in India , because Bye means your ending the meeting at that very moment. I use 'see you' , 'cya' or 'ciao' which is more hopeful and the hope is that I will meet the other person many times again.

However , we considered those people superstitious and ignorant . They were blindly following some parts of what is now known as the Secret.

The essence of the Secret is to feel good about things and the doors of possibility will just open. I find it funny when people say they are applying the Secret.The Secret is just feeling good about what you are and what you want.As Sri Sri says "Living life in an expanded state" .

Leave your comments and educate me more about this :). I will love it.

God Bless!

2009-08-09T14:55:00.004+05:30

Hi,

A relaxed Sunday after a long time,relaxed doesn't mean I am spending the day on my bed but it means I get the opportunity to do household chores like cooking , cleaning and so on.My female friends like this part of my bio-data :), The days are not too far when there will be hardcore working women and full fledged homemaker husbands. Can you picture that ?

Last two months Sundays have passed by without me noticing that it was indeed a Sunday.Attending AOL programs , catching up with friends are some of the things that kept my Sundays occupied . Now with the re-scheduling of AOL activities in Pune , I will have a lot of time on my hands. Also , my boss is out of office for the next two days.I plan to catch up on my hobby of cooking during this free time .Hoping to make some rich and delicious dishes.May try some sweet dishes too.

Last time , I wrote about gay rights in India . Though I am straight , I feel India has become freer after this verdict to decriminalize homosexuality.Being narrow minded and restricted is not helping our nation in any case.People who spend their time moral policing on others should use that time constructively to promote the growth and flourish of ancient Indian wisdom like the Mahabharata , ayurveda , hypnosis and the list is endless. I read once that our government spends only 10-20% of the medical budget on alternative medical systems. If this percentage was increased and more funds were pumped , I am sure we would have desi cures for diseases like swine flu.

Thanks for reading .. Till next time .. God Bless!

2nd July!!!

2009-07-11T12:13:00.005+05:30

Hi,

As I was deciding or rather wondering what to cook for lunch . The decision also involved whether I should cook in the first place considering the dry taps and limited water here in Pune.

Anyways! ... on 2nd July at last the courts decriminalized homosexuality.Though this judgment vitally affects the lives of few gay people . There are many other opportunists who seek such events to bask in the limelight by making fancy statements about the events.Its funny!

Baba Ramdev has fiercely opposed the move and said that homosexuals are diseased people in need of treatment and nothing else.This is one time I feel the yoga guru has gone a bit too far , but he is entitled to his opinions.

There are also people who said that it is not the state's business as to what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms . That makes sense but there are many dumbos who questioned as to whether should rape , murder , incest and pedophilia happen behind closed doors . These idiots don't even understand what is meant by consenting adults and they want to express their silly opinions and create chaos.

Gay individuals did the most of the new found freedom and have come out of the closet . It is wonderful to see such freedom in out nation.People who oppose this judgment are the same people who have no opposition to 'horny' uncles or despos thrusting and rubbing their groins against females in crowded buses .. yuck!

God Bless our amazing nation!

Light on relationships

2009-07-05T21:39:00.002+05:30

Hi,

Spirituality is the core and it transcends any religion.The more I attend to my spiritual side the more firmly I feel that religion is not where we ought to stop .

I was watching a video of a discourse by mystic and spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev. The commonly held perception is that when people have mystical leanings they become loners living in solitude.

Is this true? Do spiritual people not value relationships?

Spiritual people can also be in relationships and fulfill their commitments to the fullest.In fact they can do it much better then the so-called sansari ( worldly) people.Normally, in this world when people get into or find themselves in any relationship, they try to make the most out of the other person. To put it in a better they try to extract happiness from the other person.This becomes the cause of downfall in the long run.Spirituality means finding bliss in oneself and when a truly spiritual person gets into a relationship he uses it as a chance to share this bliss or happiness or joy.I always used to wonder when my Art of Living teacher used to say " relationships are all about giving " . I took it in a very material sense and hence it did not click with me for a long time.

What I realized now can be summed up very easily : " Relationships will truly succeed if you use them as means to express your joy and not to extract joy "

Another analogy is about beggars . Can two beggars beg from each other? .
Obviously No. Then how can two individuals extract happiness from each other in a relationship . It doesn't even sound logical doing so.

The above analogy and scenario was mutual.In some relationships which we generally call "one way traffic" , it so happens that a person looks for happiness in another person and that person in turn is searching for it somewhere else in somebody else.Again a recipe for disaster.Taking the begging bowl in one's hand is perfectly fine but we have to do it for much higher and much nobler causes.

God Bless!

Win some, lose some

2009-06-29T13:52:00.001+05:30

The story as promised …………………………….

(All characters in this story are fictional and any resemblance to people in real life, living or dead, is purely coincidental)

Mehek was the highlight of this batch of corporate trainees just out of engineering school. As usual, the guys spared no efforts to make this evident to her. She was the Rajput princess – wheatish complexion, coffee brown eyes and straightened hair, her pony tail was really like a pony’s tail. However, she held no airs about her beauty. Right from the day I entered this training batch I knew that Radhik would be the most talked about guy. He looked the dare devil types but later I realized he was cent percent insane with not even an iota of sanity. Grey matter he did have, no wonder he was a programming wizard. On the other hand, Subroto was the mama’s boy getting his first taste of freedom outside his city of joy, beloved Kolkata. With such a star cast, or rather, should I say ‘characters’ the stage was set for a roller coaster ride of mind games , deception , romance etc.

Pune is considered to be the city of two wheelers and rightly so, the city has a very poor network of public transport like buses. Radhik had his own Royal Enfield motorbike which made him self-reliant as far as transportation was concerned. Though Mehek was never the matlabi types she realized that in a new city with no friends, befriending Radhik was not a bad idea. As it always happens, intentions of care and friendship from the fairer sex are usually received with lust and opportunism by the males. Mehek knew this very well but she knew her limits and if she was my daughter or sister I would bank on her decisions. The point of convergence for both was that they believed in working hard and partying harder but in a recession hit era none of the other trainees were willing to take chances. That meant most of their other colleagues would have working weekends spent in office without letting their hair down. Pune had the malls , ice-cream parlours , theatres , pizza huts and McDonalds which never disappointed people looking for fun and frolic on a day out. Rajput princess and Delhi biker made most of this on their weekends. They looked every bit the stereotypical mismatched couples which are a common sight in Pune.

Heyo ! ~.. Na-Na-Na!~ .. Na-Na-Na! !~, played the hip-hop dummy lyrics of a Hindi song on Subroto’s cell phone while he banged his head. Subroto knew that she was stuff that dreams are made of but he dared to dream that dream, though everybody including himself knew he stood no chance. Nonetheless, he built castles in air. Mehek was the elusive desert rose he adored and wanted to pursue. It was apparently nothing but a kiddish puppy love with no meaning and consequence. Subroto knew nothing about love and all the warped notions he had about attraction and romance came from the kilos of movies he had watched in his otherwise insignificant existence. As much as the sight of Mehek would stir him, seeing her with Radhik was agony for him. Subroto could never be discreet about anything and same was the case in this situation, everything was out in the public domain which in his case did not help his cause at all. He refused to recognize this bitter fact.

Radhik shared a good rapport with Subroto and if it was not for Mehek then they might well have been buddies for life. Subroto knew Radhik had a way with women and sought advice from him about wooing Mehek. Radhik promised to guide him and in a way guaranteed success for him. Radhik’s room mate and friend Vikram knew all the time that Radhik would do no such thing but he could not be articulate about this to Subroto. Subroto was doomed for disappointment in love but he still dared to dream and Radhik’s promise came as a thin ray of hope. At last, Subroto could hang out with ‘the’ princess and he did not mind Radhik’s presence at all. Radhik would get touchy with Mehek but Subroto overlooked that, but sometimes he would cry alone fearing that Radhik would confirm his worst fears.

In the meanwhile, the corporate training was coming toward its last phases and getting rigorous and brain racking. The company could no longer sustain the trainees and on Christmas Eve decided to send them all on a long undefined sabbatical to survive on love and fresh air (love was no option for Subroto). The HR personnel used polished language and assured the trainees that the company was committed to forward their careers. Nobody believed that and the vibes of disappointment and dejection filled the atmosphere for the remaining days of the trainings.

Amidst all the chaos, Subroto could find a quantum of solace in his dreams. Once while chatting with Mehek , he dropped hints about his feelings towards her. Surprisingly, the usually calm princess freaked out and shouted profanities at him. However, the wrath was not towards him. She was already committed back home in Udaipur and she did not like guys asking her out. In her fit of rage, she admitted that even Radhik had expressed such feelings towards her and she was surely not amused. Subroto was frozen. Radhik had deceived him, Mehek did not care, and all this added to an uncertain career transported him to the depths of despair. Dreams shattered !

Dreams held in my eyes

Dreams of glass shattered

The fragments hurt my eyes

Weep I tears of blood

Mehek and Radhik, though not in a relationship according to the grapevine, continued to be the best of friends .They decided to visit Goa on a weekend. Subroto saw this as salt on his wounds but he was powerless as usual , he felt his princess was acting cheap by going out with a guy just for fun when she was already committed to someone. Mehek left the office but forgot to take her cell phone with her. Subroto saw it but he could not figure out how he could inform her because that was her sole contact number and the handset was in his hands. Subroto was perfectly well-mannered but his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to read her sms. Far from what he expected , the messages were very surprising. Most of the sms were from a foreign number. He looked up the country code of the number and found that most of the messages were from Dubai. Mehek never mentioned about connections in Dubai. Women are complicated, it is well known, but the messages baffled Subroto.

Her inbox :

“Send the fool alone to Goa with the package and then he gets his stuff”

“No money, he has to pay in kind”

Her Sent sms:

“Yes boss, will get done”

“Yes boss, done!”

Who was the fool?.... Who was Mehek reporting to with such submission ? .. Such queries cluttered Subroto’s smart but relatively innocent mind. Should he ask her? NO! , he did not like what he saw. It sickened him. Suddenly, Mehek entered the office drenched in sweat, she asked about the cell phone. Subroto pretended to know nothing. He also realized that it was already 4 PM, the time her bus was scheduled for departure. Was she not leaving? Subroto felt like asking but something stopped him. Mehek made a quick exit with her phone looking a lot more relieved then when she had entered. Subroto could not keep this to himself. He knew he would be ridiculed by his friends. Who could he share this with? He decided to leave office , go home and have a good nap to forget it all.

As he left office, he met his Java programming trainer Karan. Karan’s bald plate and French beard made him look profound. It was as if the vibe possessed Subroto and he told Karan all about what had happened. As expected, Karan listened carefully and gave a good thought to it. Karan was disappointed because Mehek was his favourite student but he knew something was fishy about all this. He spoke to his friend, Police Inspector Joshi. Joshi promised to look into the matter .

Subroto sleepily opened the door next morning. The newspaper was a surprise.

NEWS FLASH!

SECURITY ATTACK FOILED!

Mehek and Radhik’s pictures featured on the first page.

POLICE FOILS ATTEMPT OF BLACKMAILED DRUG ADDICT TO TRANSPORT RDX FROM PUNE TO GOA.

Subroto was no where in the picture but he felt proud and relieved. The phone rang. It was Karan.

He laughed and said “Good Morning !… Congrats!”

Subroto smiled and replied “Good morning Sir, thanks!”

Karan asked “Weekend hai, movie dekhne chale? “

Subroto replied in the affirmative.

I just want to say ... Hi!

2009-06-14T21:17:00.002+05:30

Hi,

Well , I was really on a roll in the month of May as far as blogging is concerned . Feeling lack of energy and inertia in June so decided to write something , lets admit , the best way to stop being lazy is to stop being lazy . Makes sense?.. hmm?

I think I will write some more short stories inspired by real life characters . I did so once and posted on my company's creativity portal and people were pretty amused.

I will share that story on this blog too. So keep waiting!

Till then .. God Bless!

Guru

2009-06-07T11:01:00.002+05:30

( Article about the concept of Guru by Raman Maharshi )

The Guru is both external and internal. From the exterior he gives a push to the mind to turn it inwards. From the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quietening of the mind. That is Guru's grace. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self.

The master is within; meditation is meant to remove the ignorant idea that he is only outside. If he is a stranger whom you await, he is bound to disappear also. What is the use of a transient being like that? But so long as you think you are separate or that you are the body, an external master is also necessary and he will appear to have a body. When the wrong identification of oneself with the body ceases, the master will be found to be none other than the Self.

Ramana Maharshi

From my balcao :)

2009-06-05T21:15:00.004+05:30

Hi,

When I was a school going kid , the month of June heralded the start of the monsoons in my coastal hometown Goa . Infact , there were mango showers in the month of May which did provide some reprieve from the heat for a while but led to very sticky and sultry days after that. Thanks to the power department every pre-monsoon shower was accompanied with power cuts in the night.

TOTAL REST.NO TV .

Just sitting with my mom and enjoying a chat after dinner . Goa is ( or used to be ) famous for its balcao ( Portuguese for balcony ) gossips .These balcaos were really symbolic of Goa’s sussegad ( again Portuguese , this time it means ‘laidback’) lifestyle . We were not fortunate to have a balcao in the traditional style but still moms can’t be beaten. The umbilical chord perhaps never gets severed.

I don’t expect such rains in Pune . In fact I have stopped expecting them in Goa too. Goa is the girl who is all beautiful on the outside but is subjected to incestuous rape behind the scenes. It is sad. The situation is getting worse. The River Princess is screwing up the beaches of Goa .

Noodles ki Jai! … My dinner is ready … Ciao!

God Bless!

Disgraceful Dolls !

2009-05-30T12:27:00.004+05:30

Hi,

I was just perusing the news on the internet and I found it very interesting to see the pic of girl band Pussycat Dolls wearing sarees as part of their campaign to promote their version of AR Rahman's grammy winning song 'Jai HO'. I feel they have done a great job with the song , it sounds very catchy and yet its very melodious.A saree is the Indian traditional dress and when draped properly it can make a woman look really graceful and elegant.Nicole Scherzinger and company look hot as always but except for Nicole,the others have draped the 9 yards in the most disgraceful fashion.

Enjoy the pic!

God Bless!

Wish on !

2009-05-29T22:59:00.004+05:30

Hi,

I am on a roll . Yesterday when I was doing a mini revamp of the appearance of my blog I noticed that this month I posted more then I ever did in any other month . I am loving it ! ( not crappy McDonald's ). Talking about McDonald's it is funny how junk food (with the apparent 'yum' factor ) starts losing its taste after one commits to healthy eating . This mind can do wonders , all creations starts in the mind , and so many things get over in this mind.When I was younger , in my early college days I used to love thinking about winning a lottery and what I will do after winning the lottery. Trust me , at that point of time , when I used to be penniless this feeling was so thrilling.As time passed I realized that money does not grow like fruit on trees and earning even a few bucks aint child's play. Being realistic is good but sometimes it deprives you.

Thoda wish karo , thoda dish karo
That is a great tag line .

I read it as Thoda wish karo,thodi koshish karo.

May all our sweet desires be fulfilled.

God Bless!

The observer has an impact on the observed

2009-05-28T22:51:00.004+05:30

Bangalore (India), May 25: HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was the key note speaker at the centenary celebrations of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
“Are you feeling at home?” asked Sri Sri right at the onset. He then shared: “Our ancient scriptures have always said that true learning happens in a relaxed environment where an exchange of ideas takes place through enquiry and questioning.”

A Q&A session followed in the relaxed atmosphere of the auditorium.

Excerpts:

Q. Is life governed by free-will or destiny?
Sri Sri: Life is a combination of both. There are some things which are beyond your control. That is your destiny. Then there are things where you have a choice. That is free-will. If it’s raining outside, it’s your destiny as you have no control over the weather. However, to be wet or remain dry is your free-will.
Past is your destiny, future is your free-will. And be happy in the present. A foolish person looks at the past as free-will with regret, future as destiny and is miserable in the present.

Q. What is true love?
Sri Sri: If you have a doubt, it is true love. We always doubt the positives. We doubt our capabilities. We doubt our happiness but are 100 percent sure of our depression. We doubt a person’s honesty and doubt the existence of higher power. So what is true love? Time will tell you.
Love is what we are made up of. All negative emotions are off springs of true love.
Love without wisdom makes life miserable…love with wisdom is bliss.

Q. How can we attain that wisdom?
Sri Sri: By adopting an attitude of enquiring.

Q. How can love move science?
Sri Sri: When love for science is intense, it is already moving the world.
The ultimate aim of a researcher is not to earn a livelihood. If the main aim of a researcher is to earn a livelihood, it is not a best quality research. It has to lead to a soul-search. Research is to know. The joy of knowing is itself the goal. Getting recognition is immaterial.

Q. How do you know what level of spirituality you are at?
Sri Sri: It depends on how often your buttons can be pushed. If you have no buttons to be pushed then you are very strong.

Q. Who am ‘I’? And what ‘that’ is? Can these two questions coexist?
Sri Sri: Of course. Yes. The theory of relativity has already accepted this. The observer has an impact on the observed. This was taught some thousands of years ago. But people kept it a secret. This is where we missed out.

Q. What is true happiness?
Sri Sri: Know the reason of your unhappiness. If you remove it, then there will be happiness. Meditate. Just do the Sudarshan Kriya and you will find out.

Q. Why do thoughts come and where do they originate from? Why do the thoughts rule us?
Sri Sri: Where do the thoughts come from? From the mind, or the body? Close your eyes and think about it. That itself becomes a meditation. Then you will reach the point or space within you from where all the thoughts come. And that is fantastic.

Q. Some people have positive thoughts, while some have negative thoughts. How does one control this?
Sri Sri: By keeping a stress-free mind. If you have a stress-free mind, your thoughts will be positive.

Q. How do you know all these things?
Sri Sri: Life is a journey from an angry “I don’t know” to a beautiful “I don’t know!”

Q. What is wrong and what is right?
Sri Sri: Which gives you short term pleasure and long term misery is wrong and vice-versa.

Q. Why do other people’s feelings inflict us?
Sri Sri: Because you are not a single individual but a part of a single collective consciousness.

Q. In spite of having so many great saints why is there so much of communal violence, cascades, conflicts. What is the problem with India? Are we going wrong somewhere?
Sri Sri: People who have been involved in these activities have never been in touch with any of these spiritual leaders.

Q. Why don’t you suggest government to include spiritual knowledge at the level of class 10th, at least in India?
Sri Sri: I have been telling it. Now, you all should give voice too.

Q. How to forgive and let go of things?
Sri Sri: When you see a culprit from a broader perspective, forgiveness becomes natural.

Q. What do you consider success?
Sri Sri: A smile that nobody will take away from you - that is the greatest achievement.

© The Art of Living Foundation

( Courtesy : http://wisdomfromsrisri.blogspot.com )

Youngistan !

2009-05-28T16:55:00.003+05:30

>Hi,

So atlast we have a 28 year old minister in the country’s cabinet. Agatha Sangma was sworn in as the youngest minister in Manmohan Singh's cabinet . This is a welcome change . There are so many youngsters holding critical positions in India's corporate world,so why not the country's cabinet?

God Bless!

2009-05-24T09:53:00.007+05:30

Hi,

A great relaxed Sunday morning!

Breakfast is getting ready.Lots of milk and a bit of corn flakes.That's what I call a quick , easy and pretty healthy breakfast for someone staying away from family.In Pune,the traditional breakfast is poha(pressed rice) but I really don't like it though it is really very healthy.

Enough about my breakfast now .... I will leave you with a video of Osho talking about vegetarianism . As usual,Osho videos leave one surprised or shocked or amazed and definitely out of balance.

I Dont wanna promote vegetarianism right now but this video is damn good and funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GchstgVcXM

God Bless!

Time !!!

2009-05-22T23:02:00.003+05:30

Hi,

Time is the torment and time is the healer.Five minutes back I was in no position to write a blog post for the simple reason that I had no ideas in my head . Eureka! .. suddenly a thought came in my mind about time.When we enjoy something and float in the joyful feeling time passes very quickly.Time and tide waits for no man.The same time goes on stretching like a chewing gum if we are not occupied and more importantly if we want time to fly, for example,students waiting for a class to end ( a boring class .. most classes are boring since I don't take them .. lol!... im serious !!! ) . Timepass , also called TP is a common word in India . Time passes fast and sometimes slow . Time heals all our wounds . It is a wonderful healer .

God Bless!

Count to fate

2009-05-16T14:03:00.003+05:30

Hi,

I am not really interested in political discussions and politics in general but I think the day of vote counting is really interesting . I followed vote counting on TV last year for the assembly elections around this time of the year , it was awesome with Rajdeep Sardessai and all the big news guys speculating in style about the fate of the country.All the silly statistics , crazy trivia and don't forget astro predictions.

A minute back I saw that UPA leads by 250 votes and looks strong on the TOI website.(No TV this time :( )... Looks like our PM cum PA will be back .I think we citizens need to be sensible , form forums and meet our newly elected MPs with our issues .I know this is easier said then done.Convincing a politician and making them fulfill their promises is more difficult then seducing Aishwarya Rai ( ooops! AB baby I forgot she's your wife now , bound to happen after Dostana ;) )

All for this sunny saturday afternoon!

God Bless!

Something I feel !

2009-05-11T14:06:00.002+05:30

Hi,

The ancient greeks classified love into five types.You can google it out and know all about it. The two main types I reflect upon most of the times are romantic/sensual love ( eros ) and spiritual love ( agape).In both these forms, not expressing is a way of expressing at times.You will wonder how. Intimacy gets formalised through speech and doesn't leave that anticiaption and thrill.Also, sometimes expressing too early and too frequently leads to clash of egos.What is sacred is meant to be kept secret , that is what my Guru always advocates. The longing may appear painful and testing but it is a necessary ingredient lest we would never appreciate our familiarity and close proximity to the entity we love.

In Paulo Coelho's famous book , The Alchemist , the underlying message was that if we strongly desire for something the entire universe conspires to grant that to us . It is well said in the Bible,

Ask and you shall recieve

Seek and you shall find

knock and the door shall be opened

( I dont remember the exact verses and chapters ;) )

God Bless!

2009-05-04T15:08:00.001+05:30

Hi,

Its been quite a while since I last posted.Now I feel its almost like a compulsion that I do so.Forgive any typing errors because I left in a hurry and forgot to wear my specs ( No , I can see what I am writing ... chill! ) . There were a lot of long weekends this year and though they are welcome,my dilemma was what do I do with 3 days off .

Working in Pune I have the option to visit scenic Goa which is my hometown ( jealous? ) that is not priority since I really dont do much at home other then eating delicious home food.Another idea is to hangout in Pune with so many malls and cinema halls. To be frank , these places are great to visit once in a while but the idea of patronising malls does not really amuse me.Malls are great consumers of power and most of the full blast air conditioning is unnecessary.Thus they very easily contribute to the greehouse effect ( wake up! global warming affects us all , it is not just a topic for fancy discussions) . Secondly, though malls are one stop shops , the convenience comes at a huge price . I have seen that factory outlets sell the same branded products at a very less price ( sounds good! ).

************

According to a forwarded mail I received,I am a panther ( grrrrroowwwl!!! .. I don't know if panthers can growl ;) ) . The mail said that depending on our date of birth we can have qualities of certain animals and it said that Im a panther . As a child , I always felt panthers are really scary.Guess I dont have to worry now since I am already one ;) .

See what it says about me ( quite accurate I must say! ) ……

If you are a Panther : You are mysterious. You are someone who can handle pressure with ease, and can handle any atmosphere without going berserk. You can be mean at times, and love to gossip with your selected group. Very prim and proper. You like all situations and things to be in the way you desire, which, sometimes is not possible. As a result, you may lose out in some relationships. But otherwise, you love to help people out from difficult and tight spots when they really need you.

God Bless!

Can we rise ?

2009-04-12T13:00:00.004+05:30

Hi,

Easter symbolizes new life .. rising from the ashes!

In a week or two , we Indians get the opportunity to exercise our franchise.Politics is dirty and corrupt in India. Citizens have zero faith in the two major parties.

Will India ever shine in glory ?

I don't think poverty is India's biggest problem anymore .. CORRUPTION is the greatest enemy hindering our nation's progress.

Will Mallika Sarabhai be able to give a fight and come out victorious against the projected PM of the saffron brigade?

There is talk about choosing the 'lesser evil'. I think it is utter crap.Evil cannot be less or more , it is evil and it grows to be more evil.I think the only way government's dirty politics can be kept under check is by people coming on the streets and protesting against the wrong doings.Perhaps we need social reformers and activists who can be the Gandhis and Tilaks of the modern era.I feel all of us should shoulder the responsibility.

God Bless!

Good times LPG !

2009-04-10T10:28:00.004+05:30

Hi,

I got this forwarded mail and could not resisting sharing it on my blog .. so have a close look.

Subject: If Vijay Mallya takes over LPG ???

After the phenomenal success of Kingfisher Airlines, have you ever imagined as to how will the gas cylinders be delivered to your home if Vijay Mallya ventured into the LPG Distribution Business in his own way of approach ???

Scroll Down….

.
.
.

All husbands will stay home & start cooking…

Too good .... isn't it?

Akki's Lesson in loyalty

2009-04-05T11:38:00.003+05:30

Hi,

There is a lot of controversy generated due to the unbuttoning of Akshaye Kumar's jeans by his wife Twinkle Khanna ... I think its all unnecessary.... it was a cool thing to do .... Akshaye had to do some posing with another model but he preferred to be unbuttoned by his beloved , which was cool and loyal , even for a casanova like Akki.... Marriage and commitment are considered 'uncool' these days ... this was a great way to glamorize it all .. what say? the so-called purists should laud this.
I wonder if Madhur Bhandarkar will use this incident in his next movie.

All for this sunny sunday . BYe for now!

God Bless!

Election fever on !

2009-04-03T13:54:00.001+05:30

Hi!!!

Election fever is on ! Actually, one cant help feeling that all this circus of electoral politics is a big bad joke, which is surely entertaining but its outcome is always disappointing.There are many campaigns these days that are urging people , especially the youth , to go out there and vote.If the youth ( and the young at heart ) take this seriously , it will be the first step of India's awakening.Atleast, we wont feel helpless and hopeless about the future of our democracy.Youth can responsibly vote this time and try to track the progress of the new government.The ultimate step should be to form a party comprising truly dedicated members.Many times I feel there can be no utopia but small steps to make the world a better place should be taken.

I wish there were no reservations !

I further wish there was no mention of religion / caste in any offiicial doceuments of a person. Religion/caste should be the person's own business not to be bothered about by the authorities

I wish!

Bye for now .. God Bless!!!!

Test!

2009-04-02T21:58:00.001+05:30

Hi ,

Testing a new feature which will make me post more frequently and on the fly.

God Bless!

Verse of Poise

2009-03-21T14:03:00.006+05:30

To extremes swings the pendulum

No rest , to and fro

The path untread lies ahead

but in the now , joy have I bred

Things unsaid indeed are heard ,

Never did I know that vibes felt

Of the Babel that piled effortless,

twas grace the architect subtle

Disappoint me oh loneliness ,

lest I feel stony

soak me my longing ,

aids me connect , your aroma

Manifest of the Apocalypse ( Short Story)

2009-03-21T13:08:00.003+05:30

Hi,

I am trying my hand at writing short stories . This is my first attempt , do leave comments and let me know what you feel .............

Being an IT professional and hence a sedentary worker, Angela could never sleep like a log. She was not an insomniac but of late her sleep used to break a bit in the wee hours of the morning and whenever that happened she made it a point to check the time on her cell phone. She would sleepily and silently rejoice if it was a long time before six a.m. i.e. the time she had to rise in the morning. After that, immediately she returned back to the world of her dreams. The kind of person she was, her dreams could never have been ordinary. All her life, she strived to be the best and more importantly, different from the rest.

Angela always felt that software engineers were workaholic donkeys. Her perpetual attempt was to segregate her so-called ‘personal’ life from her ‘professional’ life. She could hardly succeed but felt no harm in trying. 2nd March 2009 was yet another usual day at work. She went to bed at about mid night after a little pillow talk with her chatty roomy Danielle .As was the trend in her sleep pattern , that night or rather morning Angela found herself awake . Stretching from her bed she reached out to her cell phone. It was dark outside so she assumed that there was plenty of time before she would have to get out of bed .The time on the cell was a mild disappointment for her but more importantly it was a big surprise which shocked her out of her sleep.

Was she dreaming?.

Naah ! such weird dreams could never belong to her. She was highly realistic in life , detested Steven Spielberg , J K Rowling and Kafka for their outlandish works .Her world of dreams was exciting , wild and wonderful but never weird or outlandish. It was six in the morning and it was pitch dark outside. This time of the year she never expected it to be so dark at dawn, in fact , there was no dawn right now . Angie, as her friends would call her, cross checked the time on the wall clock. SIX ! . For a moment she thought of proceeding for her ablutions, get ready in her tights and start with her early morning power yoga routine. The suryanamaskars , yoga stretches , breathing and meditation improved her quality of life or so she believed. However, she was bothered by the pitch dark environment outside. Her mind could not really comprehend why the sun would snooze in excess. Her Corporate mind wished that the sun had an email where she could mail and at least get an out-of-office reply with an appropriate reason.

Suddenly, she realized that it was not her personal sun that she should be bothering about all this .Was everyone in the neighborhood asleep? She felt like waking up Danielle but feared making a fool of herself in case the sun rose.

Brilliant idea! She decided to switch on the TV and check the news. Of late she had stopped watching the news because it appeared to her more of a circus to increase TRPs by making news more appetizing which meant making Himesh and Rakhi Sawant the protagonists or clowns or outcasts , call it whatever you want . On NDTV there was ‘live’ displayed next to the channel logo. Angie was shocked to see famous news correspondent Rajdeep Faldesai fainting on national television. What on earth was happening? She shifted her eyes to the live news ticker that moved down the screen on that channel. It reported ‘Nuclear dust cloud covers sub-continent, causes unknown’. Angela could not believe her eyes, the sun being blocked by a cloud of nuclear dust? Nuclear dust was harmful but with the sun being screened away there was no chance of survival for any human being in this part of the planet. This would probably be the worst nuclear disaster after Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Nobody would survive. Manifest of the apocalypse. Can even God save us?

Angie suddenly woke up with a start, gasping for breath. For the first time , the sms tone on her cell sounded so loud. It was yet another sweet GOOD MORNING sms from her boyfriend Fred. She was thankful and at the same time relieved. Back to reality not a harsh one this time .. pleasant , indeed very pleasant!

Getting to know people

2009-03-15T20:49:00.001+05:30

A few years ago I watched an episode of ‘Rendezvous with Simi Grewal’. For those uninitiated into the world of Indian cinema and TV ,Simi Grewal was an actress who had supposedly appeared nude in the famous movie ‘Mera Naam Joker’ .This episode had featured Leander Paes as the celebrity guest . The tennis ace had said that people matter a lot to him . Getting along with people , establishing good rapport and all other people related aspects have inspired many a author .

Indeed , relationships are very important in life. The chemistry between people is a complicated alchemy which everyone intends to know about but hardly any mere mortal gets a chance to do that. Its funny how people get along differently with different people. The Playful Mystic Shivo feels that past life karma and re-birth can explain a lot about this. I wonder how magnetism gets sparked between individuals. I am sure you must have noticed that some people you meet you can so easily get along and bond with whereas with some it takes time for the roots of friendship to grow deep . It is very strange.

This is the first time Im blogging from a laptop sitting on a mattress in my unfurnished rented apartment in Pune. I am using my roomie and friend Kaushik’s Compaq Presario . No wonder my Guru always says that in Kaliyuga ( the dark age according to ancient Indian scriptures and incidentally it’s this era which we live in.) even the common man enjoys better amenities and luxuries which were not available to kings of the ancient times . Maybe the good old days were not good enough compared to today. On the fly connectivity allows the blogger to blog from anywhere at anytime.

Cities are funny , especially the young crowd . With the advent of IT and BPO companies a lot of youths like me have migrated to cities to be employed . Away from home , the freedom that an independent life affords gives one a chance to live one’s life in a way that one feels is best. There is no perfect way to direct one’s life. Life is a blank canvas waiting for us to color and paint . There are no answers in life and ideally there should be no questions. Immersing oneself in creativity and beauty is bliss.

Tokens of care hidden in casual tones
Sent I through satellite pigeons
It is my luck
Such fortunes await me
Though I squat like a duck.

Hoping to post my next blog very soon ….. God Bless!

Micky Mouse Taliban

2009-02-18T21:32:00.007+05:30

Hi,

I really find it funny how Mr. Muthalik , the chief of the fanatic organization Ram Sene aspires to be the Bal Thackeray of Karnataka.His modus operandi to do so ? .. well,simple,just send hooligans to beat helpless girls and drive them out of a pub.Actually,the girls who did not pay the bill for the drinks and who didn't get hurt much were lucky ..hehe.Doing this earned him a year's supply of pink undergarments.If he is the metrosexual types he might just enjoy the gift , though showing such likes and dislikes would be a taboo for him .

This cartoon of a man stood with great arrogance despite being arrested for such a cowardly act.The media being his accomplice in the crime.

How did all the news channels know that this fanatic goon would send his men to beat those girls drinking in the pub?

It was an ugly publicity stunt which earned Muthalik nationwide fame and good TRP for news channels.There was a time when I used to respect reporters like Rajdeep Sardessai and Barkha Dutt , but now I realize that they too are 'losers' who have gone paparazzi style to make news stories that will entertain audiences.

'Live and let live' ... that should be the funda for all..stop interfering in other's lives .... in short , grow up !

Sad State of Affairs....

2009-02-05T21:28:00.003+05:30

Hi,

Well,a week back the Indian PM Manmohan Singh underwent a bypass surgery and guess what, it was news . I really fail to comprehend what is so great about a bypass surgery.In this era of stress and competition , believe it or not undergoing a bypass surgery is a matter of pride and prestige for many ... sounds odd? ... let me explain... the bypass surgery is something which people boast about in social circles just like they flaunt their SUVs and beautiful wives... a bypass surgery performed abroad is a 'better' status symbol compared to one in an Indian hospital . Similarly,AIIMS bypass is better then a Apollo bypass ... this state of affairs would make anyone laugh , but it really aint a laughing matter.

Coming back to our honorable PM , I respect this man for his academic credentials but at the same time I feel he is not fit to lead our nation . He lacks the charisma and the dynamism that a world leader should have.Subservient to his madam he occupies the chair of PM.This is the second time PM saheb is undergoing a bypass surgery. I wonder whether India will ever have top class and dynamic leaders like Obama .... It is a great thing that age and experience is respected in our culture but I feel that middle-aged or young individuals would be better suited for top leadership.

Why should I pay my hard earned money in taxes to sponsor the medical bills of these aging and ailing leaders?

The common man is responsible for these state of affairs .. a few years back I read about a political party formed by young and dynamic IIT graduates ... as one would guess , they were hardly able to win any votes.

A lot of education is needed to shield people from the 'false promise campaigns'of these rascal politicians belonging mostly to the mainstream parties.It is a very
daunting task but we need to start at some point.

More on this in future posts ... Till then ... God Bless!

Visit to OSHO meditation resort

2009-01-25T20:32:00.005+05:30

Hi,

Well,the long cherished desire to visit OSHO aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's ashram (more appropriately called a meditation resort)has at last been fulfilled.Today,I went for a 1-hour guided tour of this beautiful paradise.As heard and expected the place was extravagant and over the top.It is very cool and happening (for its residents) and yet it lies in nature's lap which makes it ideal for spirituality as well as frolic.

You may wonder why I am so excited about having been to OSHO ashram.Osho,through his books introduced me to the world of spirituality .The media has coined the term 'new age spirituality' to describe such beliefs or practices , but it is essentially old wine in new bottles.In the spiritual realm there exists no differences of religion,race,gender etc. Osho's teachings stressed on meditation.This Zen master was of the opinion that salvation or 'nirvana' or 'moksha' can be attained only through meditation.

Osho also had many revolutionary ideas which more often than not landed him in controversy. I will write more about those beliefs and controversies in the future.

Open your wings,
there is nothing to fear,
nothing to lose.
Just be open to the sun,
the stars....
-OSHO

Bye for now!

God Bless!

Aanewale Pal Janewala hai

2008-12-31T21:21:00.000+05:30

The end of an old year and the herald of a new year is actually nothing out of the blue . If calendars were not invented then probably there would no metrics for time. Did you think about this?

A few years back when I had all the free time in the world for introspection (not that I don’t introspect now !) , the thirty first day of December I would go through a range of feelings and emotions . I would think about all that I did , all that I could have done ,how worse things could have actually been and also would realize that how unknowingly I had been very fortunate.

As usual , I like to discuss the title of my blog post ( which I proudly call an ‘article’).If you are not an aspiring phirangi like my roomie Johann then you would know that I’ve borrowed the title of a famous Kishore Kumar song . Time just flies.

Aanewala pal janewala hai ..

Ho sake toh isme zindagi bitalo..

Pal jo yeh janewala hai………………

People who are always on the go are considered to be dynamic but the fact of life is that such people are escaping themselves by doing so. Osho and many other mystics always say that people do not enjoy being alone ( not lonely!) because they do not understand what lies in the very core of their being. Sometimes I cant decide whether Im alone or lonely.

Happy New Year !

God Bless! .. JGD!

2008-12-24T23:16:00.002+05:30

Hi!

Merry Christmas!

This christmas Santa Floyd presents to you my first attempt at poetry .. I did not follow any rules on poetry .. just expressed myself in a somewhat rhyming fashion.

Oh Life tell me Why I exist

Live I through all you give

Pain and joy all amidst

Existence tell me why I live

Seeking should I travel

I don’t, lest I lose my way

Seeking do I marvel

At all flowing its own good way

Restless to wait

Lazy to move

Cannot comprehend any such state

Distant to me is what people call love

Trueness of love

Meaningfulness of life

On this narrow path no rolls Royce had drove

Walked all , chapped feet , an existence of strife

Canines survive on bones

Satisfied by daily manna rest many

Gods reside in stones

To unlock whom its so uncanny

Cost Cutting Ka Zamana Hai Bhai !

2008-12-19T23:49:00.002+05:30

Cost cutting is perhaps one of the most commonly used phrases in recent days . The recession has indeed affected everyone a big deal and now rigorous application of cost cutting fundas seems the best way out for most organisations/institutions/individuals.
(hope the liberal uses of slashes (/) doesn’t make my post look like some silly application form !).

As I was perusing the papers last Sunday I was astonished to discover that even our rich and famous Bollywood stars have started applying cost cutting fundas in their daily life.Filmstars are trying to cut down on parties , car travel among many other extravagant costs which comprise their ‘rich and famous’ lifestyle.

It is already very clear that most if not all IT companies in India are in the process of rigorous cost cutting which implies loss of jobs for many people and an overall sentiment of insecurity among the employees. Call it sad or unfortunate but that is the reality of today . It makes many like me question the wisdom in pursuing a professional career.

Despite all this,every event or trend in life, whether good or bad , can be looked at from a funny angle. Doing the same I was wondering what would be the other areas where cost cutting could be applied and here is what I could list,

Dating games : It is a well known fact that going out for dates does costs a lot . Any date comes with a price tag. Young professionals who are business-minded may question these costs . College students who date and hangout at cool places will probably be restricted by their parents .

Safety in bed : Having safe sex not only helps in keeping away all those dreaded STDS including HIV but also helps keep the head count of the family ( and hence the country) under check (-; .A lesser head count entails lesser costs , this knowledge is no rocket science. By the way , stress remains the no.1 killer across the globe ( except for some countries in Africa where HIV leads in that department). In short , make love and not babies.

Use of bicycles : Whatever happened to those days when people used to freely work out their hamstrings by using cycles as the major mode of transport .Jokes apart, I really don’t know why people consider riding a bicycle un-cool. If I were to use a bicycle to ride to work and travel around the city I would be saving more then a thousand bucks every month .

Do tell me in the comments if there are any other areas where you feel cost cutting can be effectively applied ... Till then .. God Bless !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-28T23:37:00.009+05:30

Hi!!!

Om Namah Shivaya ...

Mumbai burning? ... Mumbai on siege?

Give me a break ... Come on .... for heaven's sake , this is 2008 !.... are we really safe?

What can I do on my part to prevent such acts?

In a dark room ... even a small candle or for that matter even a matchstick can dispel the darkness.I need to do those small acts everyday .

The DO-STUNNER (~dostana~) Effect

2008-11-21T23:16:00.004+05:30

Hey,

Feels good to be blogging again in a span of just a day ... a record of sorts which I dont mind and to you it does not matter.

Art imitates life and life imitates art ... 20 yrs back most people ( atleast in India ) were almost ignorant about the existence of homosexuals and considered such individuals as perverted and abnormal.However the fact that people do not accept homosexuality does not stop nature from manufacturing them . Indian spiritual texts never have the clear cut segregation of the genders which is a creation of the western world. Every man has feminine qualities to an extent(which is variable!) and the same holds true for every woman.

Recently , two movies Dostana and Fashion had heavy gay characterisation throwing light on the fact that homosexuality is no horror but a way of life and is merely another sexual orientation .

Perhaps this had to happen in this Big Bang fashion through the medium of cinema because in modern India homosexuals have been marginalized and have been forced to live the 'so-called' NORMAL life of having families,rearing kids and the like.

Similarly,there is a psychiatric treatment to alter the sexual orientation of children who exhibit affinity towards the same gender . The process followed is to show the child pictures of the opposite sex and reward the child for showing attraction . This is really a criminal act because it is an attempt to suppress a human's basic sexual nature and impose an artificial sexuality just for the sake of social acceptance.

'Live and let live ' has always been the spirit of India since time immemorial and maybe no more wil it be uncool for gay men to say " aadmi hoon aadmi se pyar karta hoon" ;)

God Bless !

Random Thoughts !

2008-11-19T20:58:00.004+05:30

Hey,

Its been more then 50 days that I have not blogged .... The pace of life has definitely changed for me. From the laid back , sussegad college life in Goa to the life of a stereotypical fresher software professional in a dusty city Pune ( by the way , I never call it Poona :) ). The people out here consider us Goans lucky ( " Lucky buggers !" is the common reaction we get ) .

Change is inevitable and I have to move along with the tide . I still do not know where the search will end ..
perhaps it wont end ...
but I keep learning
and learning
and learning .

The quest for completeness ( THE COMPLETE MAN was once a tag line for some brand )does not end or does it ?! ....
A survey indicated that only 1% people do what they really love ... the rest work !
I work in that case .... Carlyle said "Blessed is the one who has found his work" .. maybe I will ...

Life keeps us guessing .. doesnt it ?
Everything is the diametric opposite of nothing ...
but the moment one gets everything .. you get back to square one i.e NOtHing!

This Leela or play of life is never ending ..
not always colourful but sometimes black and white .
Sometimes bumpy , SOmetimes smooth.

Happiness is all about straightening question marks into exclamation marks or compelting the questions marks into light bulbs.

As the song goes Que Sera Sera whatever will be , will be .. the future's not ours to say ... Que Sera Sera ~~~.

Engineers From The Heart

2008-09-22T22:26:00.002+05:30

“You can do it!” and “Follow your dreams!” We’ve all heard these speeches at that crucial point in our lives when we had to make a career decision. Many of us grapple with issues as to whether the career we have chosen is right or have a made a grave mistake. Fortunately, I am not one among those unlucky ones.

Currently doing my Third Year in Engineering, I consider myself blessed to be in this profession. As I have understood, we Engineers are the Creators. Initially, I was of the opinion that College life would be so much fun that it would leave lasting memories that I could take to my grave. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong. During my 1st year, I really didn’t think this profession was different from any other. The only reason I studied was Exams and the only time I studied was 20 days before exams and of course, I was happy to just clear all papers. As time passed by, things weren’t smooth. I messed up my 3^rd semester, which I regret till day. That was when I put my thinking cap on. That is precisely when I realized how I’d been wasting my Engineering life. All said & done, I realized ultimately its how much one wants to absorb that makes all the difference.

Good, bad or otherwise, people who are in the limelight are filmstars, sportstars, Politicians, Lawyers, and Doctors. However, we ‘Creators’ always remain behind the scene. Even if some were in the limelight, I am sure it happened only after they had long been gone. In a world where technology dominates, unfortunately, I have never heard someone say, "I wonder which engineer designed this product"; but I always hear "who is in this film?"

The question I would ask is 'would you rather be rich or famous?' People who want riches more than fame may possibly choose the career path of engineers (Please note: I am not saying that engineers are filthy rich, but they are smart with the money they makeJ).

Hoping I’m not being too “preachy”, I appeal to all the Engineers & other techies reading this- Make the most of yourself as an engineer. And yes- always put Human’s welfare as the prime factor in whatever you do. As far as possible, avoid making claims about future developments unless we know how to fulfill them. Aim for intellectual positions not for flashy jobs.

If you’re worthy enough, the world will notice u – Maybe not within your lifetime, but definitely your work will be spoken of one day. We are a society that appreciates worthlessness, so the lesser we are appreciated, the better J

P.S: This topic was given by Assets.

Childhood !

2008-09-18T21:38:00.006+05:30

Hello! .. Im back !!!

I always knew that childhood with all its innocence is preferable to life as an adult but never thought why it was so . Today I realized why.

I was going out to get some official work done and nobody was at home so I had to lock the place and leave. This was not the first time I was doing that but I did realize at that moment ki how many things I had to remember all by myself . Locking the door , placing the keys in the pocket and not anywhere else , carrying a jacket since it was raining , carrying my bike keys ( this is not a feat but if i forget the bike keys I need to unlock the door and get in again , the folks who wear reasonably tight jeans would know that its not very comfortable to fish out a key from the pocket) and at last I have to be sure that I am carrying all the documents/licenses etc. that will be required to accomplish the work I set out for.

The above para describes what almost everyone does but as a child we never had to do all that , my mom always packed or atleast helped me to pack what I needed to take , even if I forgot the bike keys I could knock and ask for the keys. In short,childhood was all about our needs ( and obviously our greeds .. lol ) being taken care of . This was really an eyeopener for me . No wonder Shankar Mahadevan was stating an universal truth in his song "Tuje sab kuch pata hai naa maa".

Children do not have financial concerns , no phone bills , no cell recharge( modern kids are hi-fi , I know that ),no insurance premiums and no loan installments.They care a damn about inflation because they know "mummy is the best" and "my daddy strongest" and that they will provide for their needs no matter how much Wall Street crashes , no matter how many Dalals get screwed at Dalal street.

I remember watching one of Rishi Nityrapgyaji's talks on youtube where he stressed about building one's own support system to serve others . This I feel is crucial for adults - one should not rely on only one's own family and friends but be able to accept this whole world as one's own family ... As the wonderful Sri Sri says "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" ( " One world family ") ... More on this in the next post , also considering to start a new blog .. but you gotta wait to know what its all about .... till then God Bless!!!

The life i would love to have!

2008-09-08T01:31:00.005+05:30

Well, when i was young.. i mean the kiddo age ;-) , iused to relate to the serials as though they were a reflecting my own life.. As i said, this was when i was a child.. hmm.. anyway, i am certain you would agree when i say .. today there is absolutely no resemblence of the serials to our lives as we know it..its more like an escape from our less-than ordinary lives !

For instance..Friends..I'm sure you all have watched atleast once in your life..Even if any of the six are jobless or even in a job with a meagre salary.. they seem to don the best attire.Their clothes..shoes..make up.. hair.. everythin seems so impeccable..as though they are standing for the Miss World pageant
All they do is hang out at the Central Perk's coffee shop..which, appalingly , seems to be free for the 6 all the time..How they get any work done is miraculous.
Anyway, this aint the only show.. Ever seen the OC ? Yes yes tha same one starring the hot Marissa Cooper..and of course the other chicks in the serial.What i am baffled about id that the Cohen & Cooper siblings never seem to tax themselves with studies.. yet manage to get into some of the best Universities..Ah.. how i wish that happenedin my life!
Sex and the City really puts me in awe.The men and the women all seem to have perfect looks.Wake up in bedone morning (next to some random guy u'd hooked up withthe previous night) with the drapes covered so that notan extra inch is visible..snogging goes on even without brushing... eoww!
I just wonder, these stereotype serials concentrate on so much unwanted & unnecessary stuff..and yes, an unbelievable story outline.
Most of you wouldnt agree with me and say we are only appreciate the hard work they have put in to make serial ..blah blah
But,wouldnt we appreciate it more if it were more realistic?
Ohh by the way, i do watch all these soaps pretty intently..whenever i get the time to.. but continue critising them ;-)
c ya..

1o1 REasons to Go vEg !!!!!!!

2008-09-04T21:44:00.008+05:30

Guys I found these wonderful 101 points that prove why one needs to turn veggie . I'll mention a few of those facts in this post and I sincerely hope you people will read it and go veg for your own good and the good of this whole world.

# Every year in the UK we feed our livestock enough food to feed 250,000,000 people while in the world 30,000,000 people die of starvation

# 20 vegetarians can live off the land required by one meat eater

# Every 3 seconds a child dies of starvation somewhere in the world

# The destruction of the rainforest by cattle farmers is destroying the lungs of the planet & reducing the worlds capacity to replenish our oxygen supply

# 25 gallons of water to produce 1lb of wheat & 2500 gallons to produce 1lb of meat

Now , some cruel ones that make me sad .....

# Fishermen's nets kill 10 times as many other animals as the fish they are hoping to catch

# Fish caught in nets die an agonising slow death of suffocation

# Unwanted male chicks (because they can't lay eggs) are gassed or pulped while their sisters go to the battery sheds.

# Chicks are debeaked without anaesthetic to prevent them injuring each other in the unnaturally confined conditions they are kept in - this is equivalent to having your fingernails pulled out without anaesthetic

And few health hazards ...

# Meat eaters have double the rate of Alzheimers disease as Vegans & Vegetarians - some people also think that Parkinsons disease is also linked to meat eating.

# Meat eaters are two and a half times more likely to get bowel cancer than Vegetarians.

# Of 2,100,000 deaths in the USA in 1987, 1,500,000 were related to diet (ie. meat & dairy)

If you've read this far, I hope that you are beginning to see that the Meat & Dairy industry is a major contributor to misery on this planet. It is destroying the health of people in rich countries, starving those in poor countries, it is torturing & killing billions of animals every year and in the meantime it is one of the major factors in the destruction of the environment - so what does the meat & dairy industry have to say in it's defence?

Well their only real point is usually "Meat is tasty" - fair enough a lot of people enjoy the taste of meat - but there are plenty of delicious alternatives (just consider the huge range of vegetarian dishes in Indian cooking - one of the oldest & most sophisticated cuisines in the world) and if you really crave meat & dairy, nowadays there are plenty of healthy non animal alternatives - just look in the supermarket & health food shop. So I hope you will agree it's pretty pathetic to consider all the evidence & then say "well I know you're right about the environment & health & the animals - but I just love my meat"

The remaining complete 101 points can be found on http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.html

Also , thankful to my fav bloggers Bawaji and Dineshji from whose blogpost I have been inspired to write this.
(http://bawandinesh.blogspot.com/2008/04/102-reasons-to-go-veggie.html)

2008-07-26T21:35:00.008+05:30

Hello Friends

Many times I come across people who only want to talk ... with them its always a monologue not a dialogue ... they do not hear and surely they never listen to the other party in a conversation ... its strange but true.

The golden saying of the days of yore , "Silence is Golden" is hardly understood by anyone today . Anil Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal will like this kinda state of affairs because its chatter that keeps their telecom networks running and their cash register ringing . The subtle invisible beauty of silence is not appreciated.

Self-help books -- Do they help ??

The other day I entered a bookshop ... that particular bookshop had so many motivational or self-improvement books ... Dale Carnegie , Robin Sharma , Deepak Chopra etc. all trying to make their presence felt on the bookshelves with catchy titles for their boooks . These books do sell like hot cakes but do they serve the purpose for which they are written ?? .. I dont think so ... reading motivational books has helped me to be positive and driven only for a few days ... but with the daily grind and nudges of reality ( which keep getting harder), one really cant apply the knowledge gained . No doubt one gains knowledge and tips that are handy , it can lead to changes but not a transformation . The authors of these books do conduct such workshops/seminars which give hands-on practical techniques to bring about transformation but the onus lies on you to incorporate those practices in your daily routine .

Thats all for now ... take care ... Enjoy !!!

Mission Green Earth !!!

2008-07-23T18:57:00.004+05:30

Mission Green Earth Stand Up Take Action 08 is ONE Combined project ...a SINGLE World Wide Project (AOL-Sri Sri Institute for Agricultural Sciences & Technology And UNMC)

AOL's Take Action is Mission Green Earth (Tree Plantation with Effect from the 16th of July till the 16th October 08) and then We Stand Up on 17th, 18th and 19th October 08 for the global counts on tree plantation and the number of people standing up...our Sankalpa is 100 Million Tree Plantation and 100 Million People Standing Up..

www.standuptakeactionaolun.com

So all... Let us be a part of Guru ji's Mission and Plant as many Trees as we can..
Find Place near your area, and plant Trees ..

for sapling cotact: srisriagri@gmail.com
Bangalore Ashram.Contact 09448926965 / 080-32950685, 28432965

Poor Old MTV !!!

2008-06-24T14:14:00.002+05:30

Hello all :).. wel..the good days have begun finally !!! naturally im talkin of the post-exam days..when there's no tension.. nuthin to worry about.. all peace!!!
I was wondering wat to write in d blog.. about the bloody inflation or the football fever.. after all.. there's so much goin on these days..watchin tv is almost everyone's favourite passtime.. i dont disagree on that.. but i have a question
WAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE ZINGY,EXUBERANT MTV????
There was a time when it truly embodied te word 'Enjoy'.. Now its no different from the other crappy channels..Roadies got over.. fine that was tolerable..apart from the 2 psycopaths.. of course im talkin abt that baldie Raghu & tht ex-roadie RanVijay..
But this new crap they have cm up with.. Splitsvilla.. or watever.. WAT THE FUCK ?????
For those of u who dunno wat its all about, leme sum it up for u.. there are a bunch of 20 gals..i dont wana use "hot" or gudluking cz alldont fit in them..and there are 2 guys.{both luk as tho amone's pukedon them !!}. Big losers according to me..The gals "compete" among themselves for these 2 losers.There's something like a Dumping ceremony where one after one gals getdumped! Naturally , u can predict wat happens next!the gals walk off tearfully into darkness.. as thou the world has cometo an end.the rest o the gals jus go on to dating the guys.. bitching about each other.. screw it i don wana say more!
The first time i saw this i could just think.. wat a spectacularlyMINDLESS show!!!!!!!!!
Probably these are just a reminiscent of those reality shows like Temptation Island {used to cm on Star world}..
Whatever happened to the Hindi movie spoofs and cyrus' Bakra .. etc..

Well, i can jus say that the best thing about television now is that theres a remote.. which u can always use.. i think Travel & Living has a number of worth-watching shows rather than MTV. Sadly, the channel we all used to luv watching has definitly lost its humour..energy.. sense, EVERYTHIN actually!

Newy, thats all for now.. c u soon..

Literary world etc. etc. ( by Floyd)

2008-06-17T22:32:00.006+05:30

Its been a long time since i've written on my blog ... and I am still wondering what I should write .... actually there are two types of writings - 1) writing for oneself and 2) writing for others .

Writing for oneself is also what one would call expressing oneself , its therapeutic for the writer because he/she can give a vent to his/her feelings thus acting as a catharsis . Osho Rajneesh in one of his discourses pointed out that reading such "cathartic" works would burden the reader rather then enlighten him . Whereas,reading scriptures or books on spirituality broadens ones perspective and helps in finding joy in life.The people who write for oneself however find greater fan followings and hence bigger cheques. Its a depressed world looking for even more depressing stories. Hindi film director Karan Johar has this mantra for success that if you make the audience cry, you go laughing to the bank ... and isn't that damn true!!!

When people write for themselves they many a times try to dump their confusion on their loyal readers . One big example of this is the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.I dont know how a school teacher can have such a wild imagination to imagine such occult/weird stuff. She must have surely been a witch doctor is some rural part of India in her last birth (haha).It is sad that parents encourage their kids to read such books when in India we have so many beautiful epics.

Paulo Coelho,the famous author of the novel THE ALCHEMIST also seems to be a confused soul.His books seem to be a cocktail of christianity,islam,indian spirituality,sufism and his own experiences , though I must say he does a good job in putting together the spiritual ideas with an interesting storyline .

Well, in the absence of things to write about I feel i have already said enough ... Its no doubt that today the literary world is fully commercialised and the idea is to give the readers what they want so that the bank statements of authors and publisherslook better every month .

Thats all I can say for now ... would love to know what's your take on what I wrote .... Thanks and Take Care ... See you soon

REASONS TO VOTE ..... FOR ALL YOUNGISTANIS

2008-04-18T22:21:00.001+05:30

Did you know that there is a system in our constitution, as
per the 1969 act, in section "49-O" that a person can go to the polling

booth,confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding
election officer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!

Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these seemingly
notorious leaders have never disclosed it. This is called "49-O".

Why should you go and say "I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if a
candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has
received "49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be
cancelled and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the
candidature of the contestants will be removed and they cannot contest
the re-polling, since people had already expressed their decision on
them.
This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine
candidates for their parties for election. This would change the way,
of our whole political system... it is seemingly surprising why the
election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public....
Please spread this news to as many as you know... Seems to be a
wonderful weapon against corrupt parties in India... show your power,
expressing your desire not to vote for anybody, is even more powerful
than voting... so don't miss your chance.
So either vote, or vote not to vote (vote 49-O) and pass this info
on....

LETS BE AWARE YOUNGISTAN !!!!

Waste Of Time on CRAP ( By Floyd)

2008-04-14T10:32:00.002+05:30

Hey !!! ... hws life?

TV !!! ... the very name of the idiot box used to make me excited a year ago. TV was synonymous to entertainment and education called as 'edutainment' and Im not talking about Discovery or NatGeo. I mean to say things used to be quite sensible and creative even on the channels watched by the common man.

What pisses me off the most are the 'bakvaas' news channels that air crappy stories with no truth and of no consequence to anyone. Now, there is really no way one can keep a count of the number of such channels being aired.I also realize that this is just the beginning of the end of sensible television.

WHY WOULD I BE BOTHERED ABOUT THE DIET OF 8-FEET MONSTER GREAT KHALI????

IPL,ICL and what not......

The coming of the Indian Premier League will mean more cricket ,more entertainment and more waste of time . I find it absurd that people who will never play the game,sit for hours together and watch 11 men scratching their crotches on field.

It is understandable that youngsters who play cricket watch it to learn new tricks which they can put to practice when they play,but how does a pot-bellied 40 yr old who cant walk 5mins justify such waste of time? and their silly daughters fantasize cricketers rather then watching the game . I feel that creativity and health take a backseat because of this .It is indeed very sad . The same 40 yr old gentleman could have gone to the park for a walk instead of lying on the couch. He could have shared some of his experiences in life with his silly daughter or taught her some creative art or craft which he knows.

But he rather choses to invest his time to gurantee himself a bypass surgery at the age of 45 so that his poor wife has to cry rivers and be worried about the future of his children.By the way , he also invests his time to make sure that business people like Vijay Mallya ,SRK and Preity Zinta get richer.

Sorry all ya cricket fans .. but this is the TRUTH and it is BITTER ... bye for now!!!

2008-03-20T21:06:00.000+05:30

Hi Friend !!!

Greetings for Eid , Holi and Easter.

Well , I must say that this month of March is really a happening one.

Dhoni and Sacrificial lambs

Today is Maundy Thursday which is also the traditional Passover festival for Jews.As I was perusing the papers i saw this article about our Indian captain MS Dhoni sacrificing a goat in a Ranchi temple to celebrate India's victory. There was a time when I used to idolise Dhoni as a winner and as style icon to the extent of even growing my hair like him , but his recent acts have made me think otherwise.

So,is animal sacrifice justifiable ?

Gurudev Sri Sri RaviShankarji answered this same question beautifully , "Animal sacrifice doesn't imply sacrificing Innocent animals but sacrificing the animal within us"

That says it all and is what celebrities like Dhoni and the Nepali king should realise and stop such cruelty in the name of religious sacrifice.
( To Dhoni: "Annihilate the animal within you that makes you look like a fool chasing immature starlets like Deepika Padukone")

Bulls and bears and bearing the
recession

I recently came across this term called "Bear Market". From what I
understood , a market under recession and not doing well like the
current one is called a bear market and a more flourishing market is
called a Bull market.Bulls and bears are indeed very dreaded animals.

Leaving you with these thoughts about money , animals and animal instincts I bid adieu , but promise that I'll be back soon .

See You .. take care!!!!

Thats Some +ve attitude eh ?!?

2008-03-18T22:43:00.003+05:30

There are days in each one of our lives where we feel its the end of the world.. it seems as though your floatin to the dark side of the world .. nothing really matters.. you try the futile attempt of easing the troubled mind..

Then the unnamed feeling
It comes alive
Then the unnamed feeling
Takes me away

I'm frantic in your soothing arms
I can not sleep in this down filled world
I've found safety in this loneliness
But I cannot stand it anymore

The song was playing in my head for quite sometime.. i was perusing the day's paper but hardly doing so.. cz my thoughts were elsewhere..when suddenly an article caught my attention..Well, to be honest, the title wasnt very captivating.. "Positive attitude a Self reward " i thought it was just another attempt to stop the innumerable suicide attempts that our generation was indulging themselves in..Yet again there was something in that article that made me focus on what i was reading..
here goes... (do read it)

"An old man was walkin along the seashore when he came upon a part of beach where there were plenty o starfish was ashore. Little further.. he saw a young woman frantically picking up the starfish one at a time & throwing them in the water again.the man surised by this exclaimed "you silly girl, u cant possibly save them all. there are too many of them. It wont make a difference."she paused for a second then picked another one tossed it in the sea &said "there.. i made a difference to this one !"the old man could only jus shake his head in awe."

well, not only was he awestruck, so was I. i guess at the end of the day all that really matters is how u take things in life. No matter how insurmountable things may be, its just your attitude that makes all the difference.We should learn to believe that we are masters of our own fate..we just need to start believing that the task set to us aint above our strength.. I definitely wish to run my own race..after all oppurtunity is jus so god damn rare.. n i surely want to " soak it up like a sponge "
On that POSITIVE NOTE , buhbye ;-)

...after a long time :-)...

2008-03-14T23:27:00.002+05:30

Saying its been a quite sometime since i wrote in this blog would be an understatement.... Long time overdue :-)

To be honest..been stressed out..heart feels very heavy.. reasons? well, this & that.. too many to actually mention..
For tha past week and a half now..even after a hectic day.. im leftalone in my room.. pondering..about the cause for the lump in my throat and then.. a memory out of the corner of my head to trouble me even more!!
Tears slowly trickle down.. well, crying maybe child-like.. but sometimes crying just makes me feel so good..
This is mostly followed by an urge to share the heaviness with someone... yet again.. the question arises who..Who can you trust.. to understand every syllable ..
Whats unfortunate is that most of the time,feelings are just misinterpreted for a "a stunt for sympathy" or even worse "trying to gain attention"..so i prefer to cry to myself..And many seem to be of the opinion that even if im happy my happiness is always irrational and short-lived!
In my defence.. i can only say,unfortunaltely for me..the pain just runs a little deeper than it actually seems like..and is a lot moreillogical...i really envy those people who are so beautifullyoptimistic in life..When i see these people im just utterlybewildered..and wishing i could switch places..
When things go real bad.. rough.. when uncertainity creeps into me..make me feel really bad,i'm left helpless..i play a song and cry silently through the night..questionin God why ... accusing Him for everythin.. slowly dozing off..A week later.. if and when things are right...it jus seems so stupid..coz it was a mere wate of time..but i guess Crying really helps sometimes
A few days back i was just Happy..in the full sense of it.. It seemed angels were actually surrounding me .. not lettin even a whiff of sadnessof any cause for it near me.. but alas.. i should have known .. this cant be my life!Now i'm just howling and its because I've discovered yet again that lifain't that simple... In fact it aint even close to being "simple"..Andit doesn't help that none of the people I'm howling for will ever see my point of view..
And yet again i was touched..incredibly touched that there are people(can actually count them on number tips) who are concerned. Peoplewho aren't even family but who care enough to think about me when I'mnot doing it myself..glad about that!

The only thing that's keeping me going right now is the thought that everything passes.. The worst of days go from being a reality to a mere memory..

anyway, on that note . i'm just signing off..

Views on News ( by Floyd)

2008-02-03T09:39:00.000+05:30

Hi Friend

Im back earlier then u expected ... right?? ...

Akshaye Khanna , Batter cars and Greenhouse
I read in today morning's newspaper that the thinking actor Akshaye Khanna has decided to use the battery car REWa to travel in Mumbai city for his shoots . I dont kno if Akshaye actually intends to endorse REWA cos hes not much into the endoresement bandwagon . Maybe it is sangat ka assar , his close friend Anil kapoor never does endorsements.

**********

Shed a tear or two
The other day i was sad to see a void at my bus stop . Recently an overtaking bus met with a horrible accident at the same spot , the driver escaped the scene but an innocent schoolboy in the bus died on the spot , his brains literally got splattered all over the place , not a sight i would want to witness.
Im sure our irresponsible authorities after the usual drama let the driver free , but they needed to blame somebody , they needed to punish somebody and they found a good old tree on a nearby turn,the innocent trees absence aint makin any difference to the traffic scene. I wonder if it makes any difference to people like me who stand at the bus stop . I wonder if anyone felt sad or has shed a tear or two for our big green friend who was made to leave with no trace behind.

**********

2 days back on NDTV i saw the news about some internet cable getting cut underwater leading to disruption of internet services in India. That really disturbed me and made me wonder about this wonder called the internet.We talk about great scientists like Newton and Einstein but it is funny that we still dont acknowledge the fathers of the internet , the people who invented the TCP/IP protocol and other services.

Orkut v/s Facebook
I also learned an interesting fact on that same news show . I learned that even though the orkut v/s facebook debate rages ,there is no definite way anyone other than the companies running these sites can determine the total no. on each of these social networking websites.
I wonder if there are math wizards who could churn up some formula to find that out.

Silence Aint All That Golden ...... By Floyd

2008-01-27T12:22:00.000+05:30

I need to apologize to the readers of this blog for delaying this post . I really dont have any genuine excuses except my laziness. Now you will be wondering as to what I've been up to during this period . Your wrong if you think I've been busy enjoying Christmas or new year . Wrong again , if you think i've been busy with studies and no im not in love or for that that matter im not even doing MD ( MD mane multiple dating , not the medical qualification).

I know , I know

You are screaming and tearing your hair ,

“ THEN WHAT THE BLOOODY HELL WERE YOU UP TO !!! ”

This holiday season has been a period of silence and reflection . It is surprising though that the outcome of silence is not very calm cos solitude raises some uncomfortable questions .

Questions about life and its purpose .

All of us really live in a drugged state , we try to get caught up in something , we try to stay busy . All this , just in order to prevent the feeling of restlessness within. One fine day we need to kick the buck and no trace of us is left . Nobody really weeps for the dead person ,the so-called loved ones weep for themselves.Then there is a re-birth ,some people say that the unborn child is very tranquil in the mothers womb while others say that the child hangs by the umbilical cord and is the most uncomfortable position , I don't know which of it is true.Anyways once born we strive to make the same mistakes and again leave .

Catholics who take their religion's teachings in literal terms visualize a physical heaven and hell ( HOW ABSURD AND SILLY !!!) after death .Such people pose as do-gooders with the hope that they will get the ticket to heaven . They are selfish people wearing the masks of angels ( trust me , im talking from experience ).

Ultimately the purpose of life remains unclear. I dont know why I always get caught up in such queries . The futility or superficiality of my life and those around me really haunts me . This is a quest that should go on .........

Amigo , thats all for now .... Please share your view with me about what i just wrote .

God Bless !!!

A toast to the fascinating world of music

2008-01-14T16:49:00.000+05:30

Well, before i start writin this article,for all those who are unaware.. Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India.. i should mention that the Southern part of India can
be referred to as the "Carnatic Music Hub" n rightly
so..A huge chunk of us have grown up feeling a lot closer to
the Eagles.. Pink Floyd..Robert miles..rather than the
ones performing just in our neighbourhood yet receiving
so much appreciation worldwide.

As far as i am concerned..at a young age, i was inclined to learn this art.. &
improvise on it. However as ill luck would have it, i'd
to move to Bombay where i did find learned teachers but
very satisfactory ones.. as is the case with most youngsters today, i 'd to discontinue due to circumstantial reasons.

As years passed by, i slowly became rather un-Carnatic!!
However, on my yearly visits to Chennai, i wud hear an aunt
speak out a Vidhwaan's name & it wud ring a bell smwher
in my rather un-Carnatic consciousness. Meanwhile, my
aunt would comment "Ah! how would u know? your
generation is not interested in any of this"
With due respect to many in my generation, this
storeotyping was not too far off the mark!I sometimes nailvely wonder if the unfamiliar &
uninitiated could have a wholesome experience listening
to sm Carnatic Music.

When i came to Chennai this time around.. some great
works caught my attention..initially i was a little
reluctant to listen cz the complexities.. i.e the raaga
n taal..aalap made my heart skip a beat.with all doubts plaguing my mind n the reluctance to
switch off the John Mayer i was currently playing in my
head,i picked up the collections n started listenin..
could i detect the raaga..or could i atleast appreciate
the work.. i thot not..well, i couldnt hav been more wrong. .

As i finished 4 mins of the song i realised it really
didnt matter wat kind of music it was.. what was being
evoked was a plain basic instinct to connect with
music..
i m sure all of u have come across books that tell u
what u already know..yet these are the best books.. this
music is somewhat similar.. upon pronouncement of every
note, u feel it is exactly wat was lurking in some
corner of your mind..
What amazed me wat a couple o more of minutes manged to
undo about a decade o my conditioning- conditioning that
had put me & many of my age away from this fascinating
world of Carnatic Music.

On an ending note, i guess, its just the form that
separates the great music of MS subhalakshmi from the
Eagles.. Simply put, it was a great tribute to creativity & sound

2007-12-25T17:56:00.000+05:30

helloo all.. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Well, recently.. wen i was jus perusing the newspaper...i came across this caption "the Damsel & the distress"..
The first thought that came to my mind was that o the Indian Cinema.. Man o man..
if not for those musicals..the union of the beautiful women n beastly men would be
unbearable..
its kinda rude but unfortunately its true.. n this can be illustrated with
innumerable examples..
we had the Fearless Nadia.. Meena Kumari.. Waheeda Rahman..Nargis..Sadhana..
Sharmila Tagore.. Hema malini.. Rekha..Madhuri Dixit.. Aishwarya Rai.. Tabu ,
karishma kapoor... try n conjure up these faces... this is a list at random in no
particular order...n i could go on..
Honestly i dont think that all o these were/are stunners but most SANE MOVIE-GOERS
would allow that, personal preferences apart.. these were attractive n personable
women..
Now consider the men..Prem Adib.. Kishore Kumar..Raj Kapoor.. Dilip Kumar..
DEV ANAND!!.. Sashi kapoor.. DHARMENDER!!.. Amitabh Bachchan.. GOVINDA!! mithun
chakraborty.. Shah rukh Khan.. Hrithik Roshan... Sunil Shetty..Sunny deol.. n so on
..
now the extraordinary thin abt this list is tht is that the men who figure in it..
are by most standards o male beauty.. aggressively unbeautiful...

Our HEROES.. however charmin they may be.. have a physical presence of a cupboard..
wearing a dressing gown... superstars tho they may be..looked upholstered for
most of their careers..
And yet, these men were serious stars!!!!!!!!
the more u luk deeply at the face of Indian cinema,the more u l find Fat..
Lipsticked men..with Pencilled moustaches!!!!

that led me to the question .. why the F@#* does the indian cinema have to deal
with beautiful women but ugly men???it could be b'cz the audience for popular
cinema is disproportionately made up of young, desperate, thwarted men.. to whom
the herione's sex appeal matters much more than the hero's appearance..
sounds plausible doesnt it??

Well.. Indian Television is no better... i wonder for how much time can u really
flog a story?? well,if u r a "Star" channel... then ur a master at it...
jus the other day i was flipping thru channels.. n i saw Star News showin a.. um..
wat did they call it.. "a never-seen-b4-" video of the aishwarya-abhishek marriage..
first of all.. i m of the opinion that our news channels concentrate too much about
the lives of the cinema celebrities... how many of us are indeed really bothered
about them gettin married o kareena-Shahid break up???
its high time the channels realise that the majority .. (i say majority cz there are
a few who r actually interested in such thins)...DONT CARE A DAMN!!!
Are they tryin to show how ash puts d garland over abhishek.. unless ur from d
circus..how differently can ne1 put a garland around sm1 else's neck!??

oh wait there's more to it.. not to forget the SICKLY SOAPS!!!! its understandable
that channels are going head-to-head on the results.. but i ve a sinking feeling
that the audience is definitly not gona appreciate um.. CRAP!!!!!..

I hope this sad state of affairs in the Indian cinema as well as television ends
soon.. n we get to watch a few worthwhile stuffs..

Perspectives On Flattery

2007-12-20T19:14:00.000+05:30

This article is will surely remind you about the piece I wrote about bitching months back .Well , one way to look at flattery is to see it as one of the techniques or tricks used by people to scale ladders with ease , just like bitching. Flattery is synonymous with sweet talk and adulation ( atleast that’s what the dictionary says ).

Flattering a person in my opinion is to shower him/her with praises ( all of which may not be genuine) . In Konkani , we use the term Fuloi to mean flatter but fuloi also means to inflate , which gives us a gist of what this entire business is aimed at . The person who flatters definitely aims to influence and win over a person . In other words , inflating the ego of the other person . So it is not surprising that bitching and backbiting find flattery as a worthy companion . In most organizations , from the dingy government offices to the suave corporate world , the people who call the shots are the ones who resort to this lethal combo I’m talking about here ( the dosage may differ !!!).

All said and done, there are two sides to any coin .

Haven’t you ever experienced the feeling when somebody praised you?

Didn’t it feel great at that moment?

Getting flattered is falling into a trap, but it feels good I must say . Praising others genuinely is infact a very positive thing to do .If God is in every person , then praising a person implies praising the almighty in him. So flattery aint that bad after all . ( Nothing is good or bad !!! .. its what we make out of it that makes it bad or good) .

Finally I have to say this – The world may change but people will people will continue to flatter and get flattered … Am I right ???

Love For Animals ( By Floyd )

2007-11-19T23:29:00.000+05:30

Hey Folks !!!

Animals are so lovable yet not loved .. not loved by man . Love for animals is a major turn-on in any person for me . Animals exude innocence and loyalty that is very rare in humans.

I remember Swami Sukhabhodananda in one of his discourses ,how he pointed out the feline grace of a cat's walk and the "smily" wag of a dogs tail . According to Swamiji,these simple regular gestures (should i say traits?..not sure) of animals had so much of meaning and conveyed so many wordless emotions that man can never convey through words.So true!!!

Thats all i gotta say friends .. love Animals for they reflect the Almighty's love.

I end with the beautiful words of a wise friend i once met in this journey of life ,its about animals and here it goes:

Julius has a dog named rusty
Who’s in luv with a B….. named laila
Faithful laila will play with you
And laugh with you -- or cry.
She'll gladly starve to stay with you
Nor ever reason why.
And when you're feeling out of sorts
Somehow she'll understand.
She'll watch you with her shining eyes
And try to kiss your hand.
her blind, implicit faith in you
Is matched by her great love--
The kind that all of us should have
In the Master, up above.
When everything is said and done,
I guess this isn't odd...
For when you spell 'Dog' backwards,
You get the name of God.

A Preoccupied mind....

2007-11-12T22:08:00.000+05:30

hey ppl...

Earphones in ur ear.. ur lying in bed and drifting off to sleep listening to your
favourite music.. this is definitely heaven for me....
Its this "study leave" as they call it when u tend to appreciate music o any sorts
Be it the whale song, the sound of waves breaking on the shore... or the torture of ur
dad singing songs in the loo... jus about anything is acceptable to u except opening
ur damned text book..

I'm sure the start o my blog says it all. As the saying goes.. there are 2 ways to looking at things,
half empty or half full, death-the end of life or the beginning of life without
you. When people say time is money, they sure mean it. In fact, that is an
understatement. Time is MORE than money... though im saying so i dont
seem to be utilizing my time to the fullest.. atleast in terms o usefullness... ;0(

Apologies for my tendency to proceed simultaneously in twenty different
directions while neglecting to stick2the point and by the end of it,
the topic gets lost smwhre in the messy mishmash that I have, by then,
made of all those thoughts that were hitherto loosely suspended somewhere in the
dark interiors of my really overcrowded but underutilized brain... ;(

And so the Sem exams 'l be shrouded with dilemmas of a person who
just cannot focus on the task at hand at the moment.
Yes, in other words, i’m spoilt. Just like many of you are, stop denying it.

Study,movies, novels, pleasure,clubbing, roamin streets with friends...its harder
to choose "studying" when you’ve got so many more enthralling options. Studying for
the forthcoming exams is easily sidelined...

These study holidays are the times wen thots abt my future troubles me the most..
i see many o my seniors who have walked past this stage of answering exams so
comfortably & without any worries...i c them raking in millions.. all those names
"TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, LnT, Accenture, Honeywell,... i cud ramble on... seem like
some kinda dreamthat an never be a reality.

i'm troubled by the thoughts tht this circus life as a student will come to an end soon (by soon i mean another 2 yrs) and i'll be enveloping myself in a spiral of a directionless compass which
will lead me some place that i don't know yet...........

Bitching, Big Boss etc. ( By Floyd)

2007-10-29T20:04:00.000+05:30

Hey, let me tell you first what inspires me to write on this topic.
The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine and he said that he would prefer a girl who is bitchy rather then someone boring....

That led my vichardhara ( thought process) to think about this amazing but negative trait generally attributed to the fairer sex , but no longer so. Bitching , I feel is a way of life in today’s insanely competitive (to be read as materialistic or egoistic) world .

Haven’t you noticed that the biggest bitches or backbiters are the ones calling the shots in any setup?

If these creatures are not the Kings , it is most certain that they are the Kingmakers holding others to ransom. So always a win-win situation for them , no matter what!!!
According to many, bitching and allied backbiting strategies are the surest way to scale the corporate ladder in most , if not all companies and organizations.

When I hear such things as above , I pity the Professor who once told me that in the corporate world , everything is based purely on performance and nothing else could ensure success.
Did the wily old fox mean to include performance in bitching???

Now all the purists out there will argue that despite the above benefits one ends, up with tainted character … MOOH KAALA.

For all those who think so ,think twice !!!

Bitching is not only necessary but also glorified as glamorous and fashionable .Thanks to reality shows like Big Boss . Not only did the slutty female celebs of Big Boss but,also the men took part whole heartedly in the activity. Bitching was no doubt the USP of the show .So much so that the biggest bitches in the show , Rakhi Sawant and Kashmera Shah were given a second lease of life, despite their elimination. Bitching was to Big Boss what Jate Goodie’s racial slurs were to Big Brother…..notorious but glamorous.

Talk show “Koffee with Karan” thrived on the Rapid Fire round , but I thought that, more then rapid ,the answers had to be bitchy to bag the coveted koffee hamper. Not surprising though for a show hosted by K.Jo,who believes in the mantra “controversy creates cash”. He again owns the notorious reputation of being the biggest male bitch , no doubt he is taking men towards feminism by promoting metrosexual ( kindly don’t read as homosexual) trends in his movies.

Moral of the story : Bitching can make you the Big Boss in your area of work and if you can go to higher levels with it , maybe as a celeb, someday you may be invited to “Koffee with Karan”. So keep bitching if that’s your cup of tea.

NOTE: I thank God for not gifting dogs with the ability to surf the net and access my blog . Otherwise, my pet Rusty would surely bite a chunk of flesh off my body,for using the female canine’s name for such a disgraceful activity.

MONEY MATTERS ( BY Floyd)

2007-10-19T21:50:00.000+05:30

Hey!!! you there,squinting at the screen to read my article.

ARE YOU CONFUSED ABOUT THE ARTICLE"S TITLE???

If you are intelligent enough you should be utterly confused because it can mean many things.Either i'm going to talk about money related matters or am I asserting that money is of importance?...thus saying that money does matter.

However thats not all my friend,it could also be the case that in the hurry of delivering this article I forget to append a sickle(sorry,i meant question mark) to the title.That would make it sound quite a query and would make me appear a confused soul.

Talking about queries ,i wonder if all queries arise out of confusion.In the same breath, i realise that queries also come out of complete ignorance.The possibility of ignorance-induced queries is rare though because of our over-inflated egos.Ego?.....oh my God how can i ignore queries put forth with ego to let down others.'Queries' are also something that haunted me last year since they were part of my engineering syllabus and remind me of that subject called DBMS (Database Management Systems) of which they were
part of.(database querying deals with searching,adding and performing other operations on computer databases).The funniest part of the lectures covering the topic of queries was the fact that they ended with so many queries about queries.Whether those queries were satisfactorily answered was again a debatable query and so was the result for that paper.

The above para if read aloud would sound quite like a tongue twister.Now,I have a query to all of you who might be Guiness Record freaks>>> Do i get a Guiness record for max use of the word 'query' in a single para?? or atleast a LImca record??.

Jokes apart, coming back to the menacing title, I would like to point out that a hatrick of exclamatory marks after the title (MONEYMATTERS!!!) would have made it look like a revelation from a man enlightened,akin to EUREKA!!! by Archimedes, the Greek Scientist.Thats because all people do not realise the worth of money.

This title has indeed been very consuming of our energies , i need a break.My apologies for speculating the title of the topic but not discussing the topic .Frankly speaking ,i dont think money matters and i dont believe it worth to discuss money matters,but things do change and maybe in the future i may write something sensible to do with money ( or atleast something that earns me some money).Till then,your suggestions regarding other possible interpretations of the title are welcome .........Adieu