Pisolino

I have lost the sensation of my desk under the skin of my arm.
I can hear only the buzzing of people around me.
I can not figure out what my cubicle partner is talking about, to his team mate.
Suddenly I have started feeling cold.
The flower pot on the edge of my cubicle frame is going to fall down.
Blue is looking green, green is looking blue.
Letters on my monitor screen are getting blurred, wavy & dissolved.
Go away… NO!! Please leave me. I don't wana come with you. shu shu …..
I cant take it anymore…
I am helpless.
No.
No
No.
Bang !!! U Won.
Ok I am coming but only 10 mins I have work.
Wow !!! Its so gud to take a Nap.

God doesn’t needs to be awakened

It is the month of Shravan going on so as a ritual, on every Monday of Shravan a long long long queue of devotees can be seen in all the Shankarji’s temple across India. To say that I am a complete Atheist would be wrong, but I believe in some power which keeps us going in our hardship. Anyways I am not writing this post to give my opinion about the presence of God. I just want to state that wherever He is whoever He is he doesn’t needs to be awakened.
What happened is I went to the Shankarji’s temple on the first Monday of this Sharavan. It was the Aarti time it must be around 7:30 PM. My roommate M was with me and we had decided that we will take a short cut to Bhagwanji instead of taking the lengthy queue. The Aarti is generally a chain of Aarti. I have never understood the reason behind chanting the Aarti of another God/Goddess in the temple of some other God/Goddess but never mind. This temple isn’t a very big temple it’s an average size temple located at a cross road where you can see all class of people from upper class to labor class. The queue in the temple corridor cum garden was approximately 200 meter long. It would have taken us about 2 hours to take the darshan. But we were satisfied with the view we were getting from our standing location.
Since I know almost all the Aartis I figured out that, that session had started 5-10 mins back and it will still take 15 mins more to finish with all the Aartis and mantras. Both of us bowed, our hands together in the namaskar position and we also started our own prayers. What disturbed me was the sound of the loudspeaker, in which the temple trusty and pujaris were shouting, yes shouting the Aartis on top of their voice. Some of them were beating drums; a couple of them were ringing the huge brass bells. It is not that I was surprised by all this, I am an Indian and I have seen this from years after years. But that day it made me think on it. On the way back home, only the ringing of bells and the sound of drums was there in my ears. Instead of feeling the serenity of praying in the temple I could hear the roar of drums. Do we really need to sing and chant like this in front of the almighty? This was at least a middle sized temple, in the big temples there are automated drums, and bells and other musical instruments which are started at the time of puja. The sound is so powerful that it can be heard from long distances. But I don’t think that the almighty would want his Bhakts to increase the noise level to this extent. When the discs and bars are open and play loud music they are closed down, but no one will say a word when the whole day whole night procession will be carried during the Anant Chaturdashi of Ganesh festival. It’s not just this, it’s the same during the Ram Naumi the chariot is pulled by the devotees and same loud prayers and it’s the same during the Vijayadashmi. And there are many other festivals and occasions.
We don’t need to call him like this. He is there always close to our hearts’. He can hear you even when you do not solicit him for help. Like SRK has said in Swades “Ram tere mann mein hai ram mere mann mein hai, dil se Ravan jo nikale Ram uske mann mein hai”.
Another thing I got odious about the temple was the flowers and garlands and the all the Nirmalya being collected after the devotees have offered it to God. In almost all Indian rituals God is offered with lots of flowers, leafs of different trees, whole coconut, and other elements of puja. In huge temples like Balaji and many other places of pilgrimage, tons of Nirmalya is flanged in the rivers. Why rivers why not in the garbage dump, because it’s the sacred waste and it cannot be thrown anywhere and it shouldn’t be compared with garbage. Just because it is written in our holy books we need to offer 108 Bell leaves to Mahadev on every Monday of Shravan. Where are we heading to? Everything is contributing to global warming if not directly. I am not saying this all should be stopped all of a sudden, but we, the young generation like us can at least contribute a bit to reduce it.
I have decided long back that a flower or two is ok but nothing more than that. No loud prayers no loud Bhajan, just a cordial prayer which will touch His feet softly like a smile of a baby when he is far asleep, which is so innocent yet true yet pure.

Keep the Spark Alive........ By Chetan Bhagat

Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune 23rd June, 2008

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park.
A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party - several months in advance - just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs. the second
half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save
the
spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.


To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr.. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?
They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good.
If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born.. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, 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.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, 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 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 last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously.
One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice.
The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not 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, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame.
These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades - how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years
to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns
your
initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved - movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result - at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan - I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life
- friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it - not just in Bollywood, but everywhere.
And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen.
Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damn lucky by Indian standards.
Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family.
But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise.
Love yourself first, and then others.


There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.


I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today.. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends.
And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.


Thank You!

NOTICE PERIOD

“In dino office mein mera mann hi nahi lagta” would be the exact hindi sentence to express my feelings about my notice period. When I was still wondering about it, one of my colleagues told me the meaning of NOTICE PERIOD. He referred it as a joke which eventually arrived to him from his colleague when he left his previous company. And the meaning is quite acceptable, its goes like this. Notice period is when people actually start noticing you. “Oh, so YOU are leaving?!!” And there it goes in my head. After this statement cum surprise cum question they start the series of grilling.

1. So !! here only ?

Me: Yeah J [with fake smile]

2. Hmm …cool. So which company ?
Me: Sangte nantar (for Marathi interrogators)
OR
Me: Bataungi aramse (for Hindi ones)
OR
Me: Will tell you later ……

3. Hmm… cool. Then howz the package??
Me: Better than the present one at least.

4. UUmm well gr8. How much then?
Me: [gimme a brk ppl…. am I supposed to tell the package also ? Isnt it sufficient that it’s better than the current one.Anyways …] It’s off course good… :) [once more fake smile, sorry for this but can’t help it]

5. But how much percentage rise then??? [This time looking really impatient and excited about the number]
Me:[Completely frustrated and irritated state]About 50%. [Now planning to make my way out before I m fired with next question.]

6. [Bang !!! I failed to move :( ] Wow that’s gr8 … but then how much you had over here??? 3, 3.5, 4???
Me: [Tell him the number Jyoti otherwise you will be here only for rest of your life, I remember the torturous sentence from Shollay “ye haath humko dede thakur …. nai !!!ye haath humko dede thakur… nai !!! Bang, hands gone” ]"beep beep" [I have to tell the number off course I modify it slightly but can’t help it again]

Me: [I hope I m done ?]

Hehe your kidding .

7. So tell na which company??
Me: Huh????????? Later later badme pakka $$$............. [me disappeared]

Cute little lizard

Every night it comes out of its abode. A cute little baby lizard. It teaches me to be focused on my work at hand. Never get distracted; never let the wrong feelings enter your mind. It comes out a few steps, concentrates on its prey, move slowly no hurry, we have to reach it, and we have to get it someday. Take your time understand it learn it, and grab it, it’s all yours. Now we can go back and rest. Again we will come back with a new hope, new goal , damn grab it common need to move ahead some more steps a few more steps, but we can get there it’s not impossible. Yeah that sweety comes out every night I watch it and it moves back in its abode. And I close my eyes with a hope to scrutinize it again.

It’s still the Male dominated world!!

When was the last time you saw a super woman in a movie and the movie working wonders at the box office ?? Don't remember !!! Lets take this blogging thing only. Men can write anything they want to. We, women still have to think before writing in our blog also. I cant write everything i have to. The inner me shouts why me why us, why cant i be just myself. Why do i have to think about the world every time i want to do something. Even i want to do crazy stuff like the way guys do it. Even i wana get drunk and come home in the morning after roaming out for whole night. No we cant coz its still the male dominated world.

The other day me and S were coming back home from dinner at 10 oclk in the night. Yeah 10 oclk is decent and not very late since our very own restaurant is nearby to our place we were walking back and didn’t need a rick. Nicely enjoying the fullness of our stomach and singing our fav bollywood numbers ( yep slowly , only we could hear it, gals na at last ), remembering some kisse about that day in office, we were walking lazily. What happened next , left us horrified and paralyased for a while. And even now we have to think twice while coming back late at home. A son of a bitch was driving bike from the wrong side of the road. He must be around early fourties. As he approached towards us, S felt something wicked in his driving and before we could guess his intentions he had slapped S at her chest, and drove ahead. She screamed at top of her voice, but no one did listen. She was hurt badly moreover our trust was hurt. What was that?? Was the only question we could think of, what was it for, just the sake of touching a women’s body?? Is this the man who is supposed to protect his wife, his sister, his mother, his friend? Is this the man, whose wife observes fast for his well being, is this the man, whose sister ties a rakhi and asks him to protect from evils, is this the man whose born in a Woman’s womb ??

We are still looking for the answer.

Modern kande pohe…

Oops wrong number !!!

Preface:

They have decided where to meet. Initial talk on phone was very hesitant and brief. They have seen each other’s profile on the matrimonial website and so decided to meet at a normal Indian restaurant on a busy street of a semi metro city.

Scene:

She is waiting outside the restaurant [for a blind date ?!] Dressed in a traditional Indian outfit, a salwar kameez. Thick eyelashes colored black turned outwards. A tint of kajal in brown eyes, albeit of lipstick and a small dot of black bindi, making sure she doesn’t look a kaku bai .

Gal: [looking at her wristwatch and frowning off course coz the guy hasn’t reached yet huh]

Meanwhile she turns her head here and there a hundred times in search of a face similar to the one she has seen in the profile photograph.

Gal: [looking at a guy inside the restaurant , I think he is the one …]

Guy: [ I think she is the one…]

Their eyes met. He was sitting at one of the tables. He gets up and walks a couple of steps to greet her.

Gal: Hi !? [Smiles / blushes, not bad hmm…,looks albeit smarter than the photograph…gr8]

Guy: Hi !! [Smiles, pointing towards the table he was sitting at] We will sit here?

Gal: Shall we sit here instead?

Yeah gals call it is!!! They sit opposite to each other at the table chose by the gal. And yes the famous silence breaks in.

Guy: so how did u manage to reach here?

Gal: Oh well, took a bus, public transport and my place is too far so sorry to make u wait for so long.

Guy: No problem, no problem it’s ok.

Both of them now run out of topic to start with, so they have the glass of water placed in front of them.

Gal: So where did u say u are working at?[ wat a stupid question u idiot !!!Now to herself]

Guy: I am working in a MNC in Japan. Came down to India to get married [smiles on his joke]

Gal: [smiling and confused ] I didn’t know you work abroad , dad told me u work here only .

Guy: hmm ….may be [confused] Are u Prajakta ? I am Sagar kulkarni !!!

Gal: [DAMN IT WRONG NO !!!!!] No I m not Prajakta. [Shit he is but not the one whom I have come to meet]

They can’t look at each other now. Both of them couldn’t stop laughing. Completely embarrassed she walks out of the restaurant and calls up the profile guy now. Still laughing , gal finds the profile guy and what a funny coincidence Prajakta also walks in the place. Our gal is now sitting on the table next to the Sagar’s table with her right guy. Both the couples now discuss if they are the right match for each other.

Our gal now going back home in the same public transport bus. Smiling at herself “I should have at least taken Sagar’s contact no. damn it!!!”

Try try u will succeed

huh ...this is my first blog and i m completely blank. Want to write so much but donno where to start from. Well lemme start from the most recent favorite song of mine.

Broken dreams...

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone.....

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone.........

This is me presently. Chao until i come again.