Love

Love. It has always been a puzzle for me. For that matter, any relationship that I share with my parents, family, friends, strangers or with you is not intuitive for me. Growing up, my extrovert nature exposed me to various kinds of interactions. Every conversation was another data point for me to figure out the rules. Some of them I understood. Most of it, I had to leave as it was. As time passed, I got better in understanding most of it.

Most, that is, except Love. I have never been able to get it. 

Love is best expressed by announcing it to the world, yet it is also spoken well through the silence. Love is felt in the company of your loved one and also in the longing of that special companionship. Love makes you feel complete even when you are alone but also leave you unheard in a group of people. It is so much more and also nothing but just 4 letters written and spoken. 

I never believed in destiny and love at first sight. But the night we first met, I was supposed to be on a plane to the US and you should have been at a different place. But we ended up meeting each other. I still don’t believe we were supposed to happen, but I guess it was destiny. And I know, it was love at first sight. 

I remember seeing you for the first time. You were sleeping, and I came into the room accidentally. I just got a glimpse of your face through the light that forced itself through the cracks of the doors and panes of the windows. I should have closed the door, but I couldn’t. There was something which made me stay. Something which made me wish everything stop right then and there. Your high forehead, the sharply defined chin, pale skin, long dark hair, high delicate eyebrows, strong nose, narrow mouth and full lips delimitated the logic and reasoning.That moment was so complete in itself. I never thought it would change my life. But I am glad it did. Forever.

When we started going out, Love for me was all about getting your attention. It was a free spirited love tied to the smile on your face, controlled by your presence in the room and dominated by the words coming out of your lips. It’s impossible to separate lust from love. In that case lust was not defined by the desires of the body but by your gentle touch when we shook hands, touch of your body when you were at the backseat of my bike, smell of your hair while sitting beside each other. It was the time when the day was successful with a single glance of you, the joke was funny with a simple smile from you and every action was justified if it gets a nod by you. My thoughts didn’t matter if you haven’t heard them. I didn’t matter if I was not with you. We lived the life by the moment and nothing else mattered. Love was a complex yet very simple to understand for me. It was all about fun for me. 

Time passed by and we started feeling more secure in each other’s company. We would share our dreams and hopes and plans. We were still young and felt unstoppable. Everything was within our reach and nothing would bother us. We believed life to be perfect in each other’s company and decided to be together till eternity. Love meant strength and success.

Something changed after marriage. Rules changed. Goals Changed. Priorities changed. The world became more complex and circumstances started bothering us. It took us some time to figure that out and bring everything and everyone in place. You were ambitious, and I was not. You pushed me to be the best that I could be. You were comfortable leaving everything for me. I never understood it. I still don’t. How someone can leave all that matters behind, all that define them, for someone else and be content with the decision. I started to realize that Love meant sacrifice.

Moving to the US brought us so many opportunities and challenges. Our life became my life. Our dreams became my dreams. I enjoyed it for a while but started hating it soon. Living your life for someone you love takes its toll and I saw it in you. We started asking different things from each other. We stopped enjoying things that we used to. Love was confusing.  

But with time, we rediscovered each other. We started another journey where we pursued new things and started enjoying each other’s company in a different way. We started becoming ‘ONE’ from two different selves. You pushed me each and every day to be the best I can be. I resisted and continued resisting. It took me some time to leave my notions and start seeing the world from your eyes. And It was a very different but beautiful world. After being together for 7 years, there is very little that has not been told or shared. The puzzle that we are for each other, has already been solved. But in the midst of everything, there is a comforting silence that wraps our world. I know now that Love is far beyond any definition or set of rules. 

The last 5 years has not been the life I promised you. It has been a life full of struggles, uncertainties, and compromises. But it has also been a life with hopes, dreams, and perseverance. It has been a life of grit. I can’t promise it will be happily ever after. I can only promise that I would try my best to be alongside you every step of the way. I promise to be a better person than I am today and continue to push you to be the best version of yourself. I promise that one day this life we share together will be a life well spent.  

5 moments which gave us the hope in 90’s that there is Indian cricket beyond Sachin. False hopes.

1. Abhay Kuruvilla :

Possibly the tallest player to play for India at 6'6", With his well endowed physique he gave us the hope that we have finally moved from lanky bowlers like Prasad and Srinath and we now have an answer to Ambrose and Walsh. He gave us the hope that we can check speedometer values during Indian Bowling sessions as well. I remember him taking long strides in his run up, come running towards the bowling end and bowling. At the speed of 125kmph. This was an end to our hopes of an express bowler. 

Though during his 1996-97 West Indies tour, Kuruvilla emerged as a key figure in the Indian attack and a haul of 5 for 68 in the second innings of the third Test at Bridgetown set up a winning position for India, but Sachin failed and the other batsmen contrived to throw it away and along with it the hope of a long career for him. 

2. Nilesh Kulkarni

This tall (6'4") and lanky player from Dombivili, a suburb in Mumbai, etched a name for himself in the history books by taking a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket. This was against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 1997-98. He is the only Indian bowler to achieve this feat and the 12th bowler in the history of the game. Finally we got a bowler beyond Kapil in the record books of bowling. That was cool. 

He bowled 70 overs but amazingly enough that was the only Test wicket he took for he had the misfortune to bowl when the Sri Lankan batsmen set several records in running up the highest total in Tests. Read 952 runs in an inning.

3. Hrishikesh Kanitkar:

Hrishikesh Kanitkar's name will forever be linked with his winning boundary off Saqlain Mushtaq in fading light in India's memorable victory over Pakistan at Dhaka in January 1998, when the team chased a 300-plus target in the Independence Cup final. We thought that we have got a finisher, an all-rounder. A very rare commodity back then. Rarer than a keeper who could bat or opener who could touch the ball.

But this however, was the only highlights of his international career, which included two Tests and 34 one-day internationals. 

4. Vijay Bharadwaj:

Coming into the national side on the back of a 1000-run domestic season, Vijay Bharadwaj was supposed to be Indian cricket's next big thing. His debut series - the LG Cup at Nairobi in 1999-2000 - suggested that there was substance behind the hype, as he took 10 wickets at 12.2 and scored 65 runs without being dismissed and was Man of the series. We were confident that he would be the person to share load of expectations with Sachin.

But a disappointing tour of Australia saw him become yesterday's news. He proved to be  a second Narendra Hirwani or Vinod Kambli.

5. Ajay Ratra :

 When Ajay Ratra gritted 115 not out in Antigua in 2002, he became the youngest wicketkeeper to score a Test century and the second Indian wicketkeeper to make one overseas. He was just 20 and it was only his third Test. Now we had a wicketkeeper who doesn’t get run out and scores century. That too in West Indies. Best possible thing that could happen to Indian cricket Period. 

This was supposed to be a long journey but later he lost his place in the Test side to Parthiv Patel, and in the one-day side to the appointment of Rahul Dravid as keeper in the quest for balance.

Right to Free Quality Education

It takes me great pleasure to introduce Edunetworking to you. 

Edunetworking is on a mission to provide free access to quality education for each and every child of this nation. We believe that the ‘Right to Education’ is an essential birthright.. To accomplish our mission, we have started ‘Edunetworking’, a non-profit initiative in the educational sector, initially targeting the 7th— 10th grades in India.

We have created an extensive library of over 2000 videos meticulously prepared by experienced teachers, covering most of the 7th—10th grade topics on various subjects including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mental Ability, Social Science and English. This library of videos has been uploaded on ‘www.edunetworking.com’ which can be accessed by anyone, free of cost, to learn what they want, when they want and at their own pace. This library can also be equally beneficial to aspiring and existing teachers working in high-schools, as well as to volunteers dedicated to spreading education amongst economically and socially deprived children.

With the advent of the Information Technology age, education has gone digital. We therefore made a conscious decision to spread the cause of education in a digital format keeping the future in mind. Our idea has received overwhelming support from many teachers who voluntarily devoted their time, experience and knowledge to creating these videos. We are committed to improving the quality of our video library on a regular basis. We are now focussing on widening the lecture content to incorporate topics for 2nd—6th grades as well as 11th—12th grades.

We understand that it is very difficult, if not impossible; to reach out to economically deprived classes with only web-content. Nevertheless, as we embark on our objective to provide free education to the nation we hope that our tiniest step in the direction towards the mission of ‘Right to Education’ would translate into several miles for the nation and eventually achieve the dream of a 100% literate and employed India.

To expand the reach of Edunetworking to children who do not have access to school, we need the support of as many people as possible. We would like your help in promoting Edunetworking to the masses. We want to reach out to students, teachers, parents and NGOs in the educational sector to make our dream of a literate India a reality. We hope that you will help us in achieving our objective.

 We look forward to hearing from you.

http://www.isb.edu/idiya/

Luv Shuv, Shaadi Vaadi

I never thought I would be the first one among the self proclaimed legendary group of civil engineers to get married first but as every series has a finale, every love story also comes to an end. For my luck, mine is ending on the right side of the line. Or I believe so.

I met her nearly two years back. Then we met again. And again. But when we finally met after this, we were both shattered in pieces. But in the solace of each other’s company we picked ourselves pieces by pieces, formatted ourselves and geared up for the thing called life. And then, rest is history.

People ask me when I decide to get married. It’s a funny story with a serious ending. I went to a certain club in US. But in this certain club where morality is least expected from an individual, I, guy not known to be bound by a well fabricated moral fiber, felt moral compulsion for the first time in life. I took that as a sign from God. Yes, God is everywhere. Even in the places where cover charge is applicable. So I came back, I proposed her and she said nothing which I took as ‘yes’. Thanks to a bhery bhery long friendship bond between my dad and her dad, dosti rishtedari mein badal gayi.

Now when I reflect upon the last two years, it makes me realize that whatever we believe love to be, whatever we hope it to be, it is never the same. It always surprises us. I always used to believe in a fairy tale kind of love. A love so perfect that can make every goddamn ‘Rom-Com’ feels like a tragic movie. But its not. I know now. Love is never perfect. Love will never ever be perfect. The most important thing to know and believe is that it turns you into a better person.

In the last two year, we have seen what a generation can’t experience in decades; we have fought what many countries do in centuries;  we have loved what many people can’t do in lifetimes. We have laughed, we have cried, fought but in the end we have always end up in each other arms. We didn’t promise each other perfect life. We never will. Because it can not be done. But we have promised to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; until death do us part; or I become a rockstar.

 Date for the events along with mailing address for the gifts and wishes will be conveyed soon.

Right To Education - How many of us are aware of this?

The Right of children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came to force on April 1, 2010. Since then, the right to education is being accorded the same legal status as the right to life as provided by Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. Every child in the age group of 6-14 years will be provided 8 years of elementary education in an age appropriate classroom in the vicinity of his/her neighbourhood.

 Any cost that prevents a child from accessing school will be borne by the State which shall have the responsibility of enrolling the child as well as ensuring attendance and completion of 8 years of schooling. No child shall be denied admission for want of documents; no child shall be turned away if the admission cycle in the school is over and no child shall be asked to take an admission test. Children with disabilities will also be educated in the mainstream schools.

All private schools shall be required to enroll children from weaker sections and disadvantaged communities in their incoming class to the extent of 25% of their enrolment, by simple random selection. No seats in this quota can be left vacant. These children will be treated on par with all the other children in the school and subsidized by the State at the rate of average per learner costs in the government schools (unless the per learner costs in the private school are lower).

All schools will have to prescribe to norms and standards laid out in the Act and no school that does not fulfill these standards within 3 years will be allowed to function. All private schools will have to apply for recognition, failing which they will be penalized to the tune of Rs 1 lakh and if they still continue to function will be liable to pay Rs 10,000 per day as fine. Norms and standards of teacher qualification and training are also being laid down by an Academic Authority. Teachers in all schools will have to subscribe to these norms within 5 years.

Pyaar ke side effects

Summi once told me that Love effects you like drug. I interrupted in between even before she could complete her sentence and told her – “Yeah, Yeah I know. Love gets you high. But do you know – It’s because of the increased blood levels of adrenalin and cortisol which has the charming effect of getting your heart race and mouth dry when you unexpectedly bump into your new love. And also because of serotonin which explain why when you’re falling in love, your new lover keeps popping into your thoughts.” I finished my sentence and thought of the brilliant Sheldon Cooper. I also nearly said Buzzinga in my head but then she cut me off.

She told me that what she meant by getting high is that love make you hallucinate. It makes you read between the lines looking for the meanings which are not there, chasing for the signs which do not point anywhere, searching for the love which does not exist.

I wasn’t really sure about her statement but then she asked me – “Or how else you would explain so many one sided love stories?”

I couldn’t answer her.

Alternate Cocktail Experiments

Year 2011 has been a year with lot of booze. Not as much as last year but yeah definitely much more in terms of experimenting. These are the findings.

Experiment: Alternate Cocktails Experimentation

Apparatus: Vodka, White Rum, Scotch , Blender, Long tube shaped bowl, Sugar, Water

Procedure: 1. Take Alcohol, blender, bowl, sugar and place them on table at some distance from each other

2. Take 90 ml of Vodka in Bowl; Pour 50gm of Tang orange. Add chilled water and Blend it using Blender. A perfect drink for College students managing funds between Alcohol, snacks, Ice. Tang orange is a good substitute to Expensive cold drink. Add Sugar according to taste.

3. Take 90 ml of Vodka in Bowl; Pour 500 ml of Carrot/Cranberry Juice. Blend it using Blender. A perfect and amazing drink for health conscious people.

4. Take 90 ml of White Rum in Bowl; Pour 250 ml of Sugarcane Juice. Blend it using Blender. A good desert after a complete meal of hard drinks.

5. Take 90 ml of White Rum in Bowl; Pour 500 ml of thandai. Blend it using Blender. Created to duplicate the effect of Bhaang. May cause upset stomach next day. But totally a worth sacrifice.

6. Take 90 ml of Vodka in Bowl; Pour 50gm of Jaljeera. Add chilled water and Blend it using Blender. Another creation to match the Vodka Golgappe. Not a big success but still something which can be tried.

7. Take 90 ml of White Rum in Bowl; Pour 50 ml of Mint Cordial. Add chilled water and Blend it using Blender. No throw it in the sink. It’s a complete useless , utterly hopeless cocktail.

8. Take 90 ml of White Rum in Bowl; Pour 50 ml of Roohafza. Add chilled water and Blend it using Blender. Suggestion from a Friend/senior – Amrit. It’s the newest favorite.


Result: People tend to drink 45-75 ml more alcohol when served as a cocktail. This increases the chances of passing out by approximately 30-35%. It has also been noted that puking rate has drastically come down by 60%





Part II of Experiment – Alternate alcoholic Snacks

Rum-Choc sandwich – Take 4 slices of bread. Apply Chocolate sauce on one surface of the bread. Pour 10 ml of vodka on each slice. Put 10 gm of butter on each slice. Join the two slices and put them in Sandwich maker. Heat it for 4 min 35 sec and your Rum-choc sandwich is ready. This is the best dish you will ever taste.

Magg-scotch - Add 30 ml of Scotch in the normally prepared maggy. A perfect snack to eat up while you drink.


So these are all the experiments – good or Bad , Done in 2011. I am sure 2012 will add many more colors to my existing cocktails recipe. Let me know how you find them. Offcourse after you tried them.

Who am I ?

Sometime back one of my friend asked me to define myself and I said that I had no idea who I am. The past few months have made me realized who I am.

I am CONFUSED.

I have been a North Indian, born and brought up there but I have spent the prime of my life in South India. I equally love and hate both the parts of country. I like the springs in north and falls in south. I would prefer both Vada and Parantha equally as my choice for Breakfast. I love the serene calmness of the south as well as guzzling roads of North. I have the northern accent in the swear words I use and I also finish my sentence with ‘uh’ I equally hate the cultural hypocrisy of south and sleaziness of the north. I am in love with the intellectuality of the southerners’ and charm of the northerners’. I love the smells of gajras as much I like the smell of Itra. I like the woman dressed in Saris as well as in the Skirts. I found the thick southern English accent as funny as the Hariyanvi Hindi accent. I like the dusky shade of the skin as much as I like the bright fair tone of the skin.

I am not sure who I am.

I am not sure if I have lost my identity.

Or have I created one for me?

Life

Sehra told me once that life is the best poker player. She never opens all its cards at once. Whenever you think you have caught it, it was a bluff. Just when you think you got it, it fools you again. Life always has a card up her sleeves. And it plays them beautifully. One by one. She tests you. She plays with you and just when you are about to give up, she lets you win a round so that you can keep playing. And I was just about to give up....

Love at first sight

I never used to believe in love at first sight. I still don’t. But it simply happened when I saw her the first time. Her high forehead, the sharply defined chin, pale skin, long dark hair, high delicate eyebrows, strong nose, narrow mouth and full lips delimitated the logic and reasoning. The love that time was unburdened by the complexities of expectations or the plans for the future. It was a free spirited love tied to the smile on her face, controlled by her presence in the room and dominated by the words coming out of her lips. It’s impossible to separate lust from love. In that case lust was not defined by the desires of the body but by her gentle touch when we shook hands, touch of her body when she was at the backseat of my bike, smell of her hair while sitting beside each other. It was the time when the day was successful with a single glance of her, the joke was funny with a simple smile from her and every action was justified if it gets a nod by her. That feeling never leaves you. That feeling never comes back. That love never happens again.

100 things not to do in an email.

Just when you hear the news that Ashutosh aka Janwar is the first person to get places, Sajal has started his own firm, Anshul is talking rebelliously, Ravi is trying skating, Pattrow is talking about loyalty and Saurabh is getting best employee award – you realize that end of the world is close. Just when you are about to lose all the hopes about God’s creativity , life present you with a star born to eclipse every shining object. I met this guy on my trip to Beep (In accordance to Kabil Sibbal vigilance instructions), I met this guy named beep. Couple of months back he met a girl, got his id and wrote her a letter. This letter is very informative and should be a part of the Mail Writing 101 lectures titled– 100 things not to do in an email.

Attaching the letter for your reference and learning:

Hi Beep(name),

Greetings ! I am the crazy boy(LOL) who spoke to you yesterday night on Beep :-) Just thought of dropping in an email to say hi. I am sorry I couldn’t introduce myself properly in the short window of time (Really !!) which we had yesterday evening. I am Beep(name) currently working for beep(company) in beep(city). I have just now finished my BE in Mechanical Engineering from beep(college) and see myself working in beep(city again!) for at least 2-3 more years.

I am an army kid and my father is a doctor in the Indian army. So I have spent most of my childhood in various places including but not limited to J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Hyderabad and like.( All these places just in childhood !)

What about you? You are a fashion design student, right?

It was really nice interacting with you yesterday!

Look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers!

Now you know 100 things which you should never do while writing a mail.

If I would have got two more hours a day in my life

It pains. Quite a bit. And to be very frank, its really embarrassing lying in the middle of the road in your own blood, puke, intestines and what not.They say your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the moment before you die. I can make out some people’s faces. Some of whom I never thought will come to my mind again. Maybe it’s due to the head injury. Or maybe they are actually there… Asking me why I never had time for them…

I see my parents. My father whose calls I never picked up and my mother whose calls I hung up during the call… It was due to the lack of time after office. And sometimes, I was just out having fun with friends

I see my friend Rahul. There has been trouble going on his life and he tried to call me and talk to me. But I never could return back the calls since I was stuck in the traffic. The day I got the news of his suicide was the worst day of my life. I wish if I could have picked his call. I blame myself and I know there is nothing which can be done.

I see the face of my ex-girlfriend. She was just trying to spend some time with me. But with all the office and commuting, I was just not able to do it. I understand now that she was right in leaving me. I yearn for her every passing day.

I also see the cover of the books I picked but never finished. Titles of the movies, I wished I could have watched. I can also see my incomplete stamp collection.

I feel as if all these people and things are calling out my name and even today I am not in a position to reach them back. May be, If may be, I could perhaps have had two more hours a day in my life......

The awkward silence

(Please Note: If you do not have a sense of political incorrectness or silliness, or lack the potential to poke fun at gender bias or are completely incapable of understanding satire, this blog is not for you!)

Do you have a girl who says you are her friend? If ‘yes’ please proceed ahead.

Do you know what level of a friend you are to her? If ‘No’ please proceed ahead. If ‘Yes’ I am suing you for using my copyright theory.

Anyway, if you are here then let me tell you - There are three stages to any friendship with any girl.

Level I – when she calls you on her own.

Level II – When she shares every detail of the day with you.

Level III – This one is tricky. There is a very thin line between Level II and III. The answer is – when she confesses to you that she is down.

But trust me, it’s a really very awkward situation when she does that. Let me explain how.

So one of my friend, let’s say Paplu was a very good friend of let’s say Paplee. It was a warm summer day. The sun was at its peak. It will not be an exaggeration to say that it might have been the hottest day of the decade.

Paplee calls Paplu – Lets meet. Now Paplu was already at level II. They decide to meet at the cafeteria. Paplu was there at sharp 11.00; Paplee arrived at 11.32. She was looking tired and drained.

Paplu: Hey wassup. Late today? What happened?

Paplee: So if I am late one day, you will ask questions. What are you, my boyfriend now ?

Paplu: No!! No I was just asking – Are you ok?

Paplee: No, I am not feeling good.

Paplu: Yeah it’s the heat. You must be dehydarated. Right?

Paplee: Noooo…

Paplu: Head-ache?

Paplee: No, I am down.

(Paplu, of course, didn’t realize that ‘Down’ was ‘Down’. He thought…)

Paplu: Oh, so you are down with fever. It must be sun-stroke.

Paplee: No… I am DOWN.

(NOW Paplu got it)

Paplu: Oh.

(Awkward silence… more awkward silence… some more silence which is obviously awkward… this is not it, there are some more long scary moments of awkward silence)

Finally…

Paplu: So coffee?

Paplee: NO…

(Awkward silence)

Paplu: Iced tea then?

Paplee: I told you no…

(More silence, definitely awkward)

Paplu: Hmmm… So lunch?

Paplee: Damn it. You are an idiot!

Paplee gets up and walks away….

Now you see why Paplu never got to Level III. I have never been to Level II. I don’t know anyone who has handled this Level III situation perfectly. I am sure there should be a way but what, how. I don’t know.

Still my question is: Why girls do this? I mean we never share if we have a night fall. We never share if we get fungal infection down there. I am not saying you are wrong. I just want to say – we are not the right person. We are not made to handle this that’s why we don’t get it. I mean either teach us the protocol to handle it or expect us to fail.

Well, I am still looking for answers. Let’s see if I ever get one…

Anna & India's August Kranti - But for how long?

On the risk of being called unpatriotic, disloyal, traitor, coward, terrorist, cynical and worse even congress supporter, I am putting it down. I don’t believe anything significant will come out of this protest. I am simply putting the points which I have pondering around for a long time, trying to get a powerful counter argument but didn’t find any. But I would be more than happy if anyone can convince me wrong. So here are some of my reasons for being skeptical or nearly sure about the final result of this protest which is going to be nothing:

1. The movement is supported by all the sections of the society, predominantly Middle class. Now for how long do you think that a working middle class is going to miss their work and keep protesting? I am not sure if I give it more than a week. The problem is the issue at hand; corruption does not risk the jobs of people. If that would have been the case, then I am sure the protest would have gone for long. Corruption, yes it hurts but it is not taking away our jobs and Job is going to suck back the people in their regular life.

2. The other significant factor is the absence of student bodies as universities and schools are still open. Such movements like 1975(JP Movement), 1990(Movement against VP Singh) had a great impact due to involvement of universities. I believe the success of this movement depends largely on that.

3. Whatever happens, I am not sure that it’s going to hurt Congress in long run. Memories of Indian People are of very short duration and it has been proved again and again with issues like MP bribe scandal, Indian Cricket team victories and defeat, reservation bill. Issues definitely stir up the scenes for a while but once it settles down, we Indians don’t ponder much about them much.

4. Team Anna is definitely doing a great job but the problem is their version of Lokpal Bill is way too tight for the other political parties to accept. It’s also safer to say that Corruption is an issue on which no political parties will lend their support to the motion. So it’s going to be a movement of people v/s political powers across all level. And absence of any support from political parties and students further strengthens my doubt over the success of this protest.

5. Last but not the least; I am not sure how many people are actually aware of the difference between Jan Lokpal and Lokpal bill, for which they are protesting.

I would love to be wrong on these issues so please prove me wrong

The Realisation-Struck Zindagi

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or ZNMD as it will be referred to going forward, is an amazing film. It’s a film which made me understand so much about my life. There were so many things which I could relate myself to and all those scenes on screens made me look at them in a fresh perspective. Like, for instance, in the scene when Hrithik Roshan finishes scuba diving and comes out of the water, he starts crying. My first reaction was maybe it’s some fish which bit him like the way it bit me when I was snorkeling in Andaman, a couple of years ago, and I came out crying just like him. But I was wrong. In his case, it was the self realization-Kung-Fu-Panda-Inner-Peace kind of thing. It started me thinking that maybe I too had cried not because of any fish bite but because I too realized that earning millions of dollar, having a villa in Manhattan before turning 35 is a waste. Instead scuba diving in Spain – well that’s what is called Life!!

The movie also reminded me of another incident when I jumped from an eight-feet high wall with a cape tied across my back, in the hope of becoming a superman and started crying as soon as I hit the ground. Now I know it had nothing to do with the twisted ankle, just as in the case of Farhan Akhtar it had nothing to do with nausea or high blood pressure or anxiety caused due to a jump from a higher altitude. Fortunately, in my case, I was aware that my father and I sharethe same genetic traits, thanks to a school project, so I figure that that particular bout of crying was related to my realization that I am no Superman. It was the hard truth and I was not ready to face it.

But the part which wasclosest to my life was the bull running event. It reminded me of the time when the nasty-barking-rabies-infected-stray dog of my lane ran after me for a mile. Unlike the bull running, where only a few bulls are running behind thousands of people, that was a one-on-one encounter. That was the day I realized I should remain indoors after 10 PM and I must say that it was one hell of a “realization”.

ZNMD is a great movie as it has been inspiring so many people to think afresh and helping them in realizing so many things just like in my case. Now you can “realize” why ZNMD is so close to my heart. But this movie, like every good thing, has its own side effects as well. Last weekend I went to a water park. As you might be aware “urban” people in India think the straight slide to be a dangerous adventure. I decided to do that inspired by ZNMD. As soon as I came out of the water after completing the slide, I had tears my eyes. It was due to some stupid faulty edge of the slide, which scratched my elbow, and trust me, it was a pretty nasty blow. But my friends and people just left me alone thinking that it’s an intensely private moment for me as I must have realized something. Well what can I say; I guess the movie was pretty impactful.

Now wherever I go, I see people who have just crossed the road, people who have just got down from a Mumbai Metro train, people who have just been able to get a job – staring into the heaven. Looking for something to “realize”. Hoping for something to “realize”. The truth is ZNMD is a farce in which the characters are wealthy enough to not care about the banalities of real life and real relationships and in the end realize that their life is more important than the money which they have already earned. But the truth is, we, the middle class people have to do certain jobs and take care of relationships. No matter what we may have realized, Money is going to be the central axis around which life will always be revolving.

Relationships are funny

Relationships are funny. Aren’t they?

One day you are being told that lets be together and the very next day you are being told about not remembering anything due to the blackout after drinking last night

One day you are being blamed for being a changed person since the start of relationship and the very next day for not changing as per the expectations

One day you are being asked to keep your mouth shut and the very next day you are being questioned about your silence

One day you are being asked if you are sure and next day the partner himself/herself is not sure

One day it’s your messy hair which is repulsive and the very next day it’s your green T-shirt

One day it’s all about you better than ex and the very next day you are being worse than the ex himself

One day it’s all about doing things together and the very next day it’s about personal space

Indeed, they are funny enough. But they are important. Right?

Disclaimer attached.

Facebook Oscars

This post is dedicated to recognize the efforts of the people who have dedicated their life to the cause of Facebook. They keep enriching our life through status, links, pictures etc. To recognize them under one group will be a disgrace to the genre they have created so I am going to categorize them and share a few words about them.

Share the gain: This is a group of people who believe in the power of sharing knowledge. They will keep posting links days after day, hour after and sometimes minutes after minutes. The link will specifically be related to the every minute little new thing they have learned today. Whether it’s about Dandi March or about making perfectly boiled eggs. These people will share everything. For the sake of incrementing our knowledge, off course!

Share the pain: People belonging to this category have dedicated their life in showing the other side of the perfectly normal life to us. A life filled with so much pain, a life full of regrets, memories of lost love, loneliness, grief, pain and what not. These posts have the power to make us feel the pain which we wouldn’t have in normal life but they also have been instrumental in taking the research forward in the field of heart pain. I wish I could do something to block their pain ….err….block the pain in their life.

A picture is worth a thousand words: These folks are the most socialized among all the groups. Not only they share their life but they also allow us to peek in their personal life through pics. Due to these photos, we can live a life which wouldn’t have experience. A life where you can see the happiness of a person when he is able to cook maggy for the fiftieth time in his life or smoke a hookah, eat at a decent restaurant. And don’t forget the thousand two hundred odd pics of the garden in the building compound.

Majored in Drama, modified with Psychology: If you have missed Osacr Wilde like greats then don’t worry, we have a whole new breed of Junior woodchucks. Intelligent quotes equipping you with the knowledge to deal with all the possible situations of life ranging from running the government or catching the Obama. They have a solution for everything for everyone.

On-the-Grid: These are the most responsible folks on the facebook. Who would have thought the usage of FB like the way they have done. In today’s world of Osama and Obama, where no one is safe – It’s a responsibility of an individual to let her well wishers known with the personal safety (or existence?). They dutifully keep you updated with the change of 3 days old socks pair or when their flight is delayed by 15 min (from Blackberry, off course)

The Curious Case: These are the most naïve species on the planet. For them facebook is like a key to the world. They want to see who have visited their profile or how they will look in the old age and most amazingly how can a woman squirt on the roller coaster ride. They are very curious and they will click on everything. Literally everything. ( I wish they can click once on a pistol facing them)

Likers: They are the reasons for all the things happening on Facebook. They are the driving force behind the 50 Billion valuation of facebook. People with a disease called likamia and commentia. They will appreciate your changed socks pair, comment on your garden pics and click on each and every link you have shared. These are the foundations of the Facebook community. I salute them.

What would you wish you'd done before you died?

Someday, sometime or anytime have you thought about the answer to the question which Tyler Durden ask so prominently to the Fight Club team: “Guys, what would you wish you'd done before you died?”

I have been thinking of it for years and now I know the answer.

I WANT TO BE AN AUTO DRIVER!!

- No I am not kidding.

- Yes, I joke around sometime but seriously I want to do this

- What WTF? Everyone is free to choose what he wants to do before he dies. Right?

Have you ever considered the fact that we are animals but the tamed ones. We have been breed to work, to be responsible, sensible, ethical and most importantly respectful and courteous. These thoughts are constantly fed to our mind through stories, movies where good guy gets the woman. We are told education brings humility. It’s not humility but a lack of capacity to humiliate.

What if I like to misbehave with someone, say – “Just for Fun”. Not misbehave, definitely not. It’s not the right word. It’s a milded version of what I want to do बदतमीज़ी. Yes thats exactly what I want do with with people. Just the way an autowallah do.

Have you ever watched a life of an autowallah. So free, so liberal. He can do whatever he want, say whatever he want, and charge what he wants. No one can guide him, force him. He is the most liberal of the souls among us. I want to live my life like that.

Here are some of the things which he can do with people and we can’t even dream of it doing with someone, not even with the ones we hate.

Scene1:

Guy: Chaloge?

Autowallah: Nahin, I will sit in auto and drive. Aapko chalna(walk) hai to chal0(walk).

Scene 2:

Guy: ABC Chalne ka kitna loge?

Autowallah: Aapke paas kitna hai?

Scene 3:

Autowallah: Bahia sahib, kidhar jaoge?

Guy: XYZ

Autowallah: Hmmm….toh jao phir.

See this is what I am talking around. Roaming around, doing बदतमीज़ी with random people and feeling proud for this.

What a life they have!! And we try to take it away from them with meters and regulations. Hell to all of you.

Sachin - The God himself

Everyone has just one question on their mind - How he do, what he do? But I don’t want to ask him anything.I have no question for him. Rather I want to ask you and me and everyone else these questions?

How many of us have worked for years without feeling to give up? How many of us have gone even for flat 22 days to work with the same enthusiasm? How on earth can someone work day after day, week after week, year after year for 22 years with the same commitment and focus? How many of us has cherished and lived a dream for 28 years and kept fighting for it? How many of us have felt disappointed not just by ourselves but by the efforts of people around us? How many of us have tried to be with the people who were not there with us at the time when they were required most, with the people who booed us then? How many of us has managed to kept ourselves far away from any controversy, any fight? How many of us have to think every single day to fight against 15 players, 2 coaches and other staff? How many of us have to outthink people every day? How many are successful in the business where success rate has been close to 0%? How many of us have managed to be on top for 22 years?

But the most important thing is how many of us have managed to kept the fire alive like he did? How many of us woke up everyday with same enthusiasm towards our lives, our dreams, our goals?

I don’t think I can ever understand what It is like to be him. What it takes to be there? May be I don’t want to know because I am sure that the answer will be something which is way beyond my understanding, my capabilities. I just want to savour the moments which are left not thinking about how its going to be after that.

The world is ending in 2012 anyways!

It rained that night

Its been over 7 months since we talked the way we used to. Its all only the casual talk

how?

Fine!

You?

Ok!

It seemed more of a formal conversation. No-one was even trying to get the things better. Its just that we were comfortable that way. For the outside world we were still the ideal ‘Husband-wife’. We’ve always been. But I fear they have also started seeing through the farce we were pretending.

It was a rainy night. It rained like never before. Seemed it was determined enough to take the complete city with it. I was running around, closing all the panes and doors and there I saw her. She was standing in the rain, steady. It looked like even the wind would not dare to move her. I came near to her. She was dripping wet. It reminded me of the first time when I saw her walking down the road. The only difference was the smile, the smile which gleamed her eyes, that took my breath away, was missing. Instead, i saw the shine of tears in her eyes, after a long long time i saw that. Tears. Couple of them were able to make their way significantly to get noticed.

On any other day I would have reached her and held her straight away, but at that time I thought for long time before going near to her and keep my hand on her shoulder. She turned towards me. I could see the dam of sorrows which was tied beneath the indifferent behaviour was broken. She looked at me and whispered slowly : “I wanted to name him Yash.”

Yash. The baby which never took his first breath. We cried that night, together for the first time in 7 month and we cried like never before. The rain tried hard to hide the tears but at the end it gave up...