My Life As I See It

It's been a while since I sat down at 8 in the morning to write. There have been a handful of instances across time when I have done this and it seems to me that that is what makes it so special. It also usually means that I'm supposed to actually do something else but I've just indulged myself and let loose. Today, however was different. I woke up about 20 minutes ago with a fully formed thought in my head that I wanted to write. I didn't know what about and it didn't bother me because somehow once I found my laptop open in front of me, I was sure that I would find my fingers racing across the keyboard and indeed that is what happened.

Well I've settled on what I want to write about. I want to write about writing and the strange fascination I've always had for it. I have always unequivocally loved reading, there has been no doubt in my mind about that. I may be picky about what I read sometimes but I'm quite convinced that I could read anything in world out there (provided I knew the language of course!). Writing however has been more elusive. Like a houseguest who you aren't sure how long they would stay. Or when they would be back again. But the way I feel about it has always remained steady like a gnawing pain that won't go away. I didn't have words to describe this feeling for a long time and then I heard it in the movie The Hours. It describes it perfectly:

"I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the flowers looked when you carried them in your arms. This towel, how it smells, how it feels, this thread. All our feelings, yours and mine. The history of it, who we once were. Everything in the world. Everything all mixed up, like it's all mixed up now. And I failed. I failed. No matter what you start with it ends up being so much less. Sheer fucking pride and stupidity."

That's how I've always felt. Like I want to write everything but somehow every time I take pen to paper, it always feels so much less than what it was in my head. The colours in the scenery just lack that lustre and it cripples me then to think that everything I will ever write will be that way and I will never be able to say everything that I want to. But I've slowly realised over time that its ok. It doesn't matter that I couldn't get it out perfectly or that I never will. It only matters that I felt happy about it. When I don't expect to do something great I've managed to write some things that I am exceedingly proud of. I go back to these from time to time and wonder how I wrote them. But there is no secret, its just practice and discipline and habits being formed and most importantly being happy with what you are writing. Its about not assuming that you can or cannot write in a certain style. Its about never limiting yourself. Its about just writing down whatever comes to mind without second guessing yourself. And most importantly it is about getting over the fear of that nagging disappointment that comes when you've finished writing something that then looks nothing like what you imagined it would be. Its about celebrating every word for what it is and coming back to write more and more and more. No matter how agonizing it is. No matter how much your palm sweats from the effort or your head hurts or your eyes just want to close because its the end of a long day and you just don't want to write anymore.

I don't suppose anyone in the world can ever write it all. But when we all write our own little parts, these stories come together and become so much more than just the sum of the parts. Its the richest and most complete story ever spun because each and every thread is unique not matter how much they seem similar. Like pieces of music that are made up of the same notes but each different from the next. Our words are what stay and tell our story long after we have uttered them. So put it all out there in the universe, your voice, your story. There are enough things in this world to inspire. The cup of tea I had this morning with the steam gently rising from the surface made me think about time passing slowly by. The patch of sunlight on the floor right now makes me think about strength and solidity. The dance steps I was attempting to learn last night (unsuccessfully) was proof of how much I love my friends to even think of attempting something like that. Watching the sun set over the sea yesterday evening just gave me an assurance that it would keep happening again and again till time itself stopped. The clear blue sky that I can see outside my window right now is humbling, makes me acknowledge how really small and insignificant we are in this universe. It all matters, it all counts, so never ever hesitate to write it down.

Cheers!

My Life As I See It

It's been a while since I sat down at 8 in the morning to write. There have been a handful of instances across time when I have done this and it seems to me that that is what makes it so special. It also usually means that I'm supposed to actually do something else but I've just indulged myself and let loose. Today, however was different. I woke up about 20 minutes ago with a fully formed thought in my head that I wanted to write. I didn't know what about and it didn't bother me because somehow once I found my laptop open in front of me, I was sure that I would find my fingers racing across the keyboard and indeed that is what happened.

Well I've settled on what I want to write about. I want to write about writing and the strange fascination I've always had for it. I have always unequivocally loved reading, there has been no doubt in my mind about that. I may be picky about what I read sometimes but I'm quite convinced that I could read anything in world out there (provided I knew the language of course!). Writing however has been more elusive. Like a houseguest who you aren't sure how long they would stay. Or when they would be back again. But the way I feel about it has always remained steady like a gnawing pain that won't go away. I didn't have words to describe this feeling for a long time and then I heard it in the movie The Hours. It describes it perfectly:

"I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the flowers looked when you carried them in your arms. This towel, how it smells, how it feels, this thread. All our feelings, yours and mine. The history of it, who we once were. Everything in the world. Everything all mixed up, like it's all mixed up now. And I failed. I failed. No matter what you start with it ends up being so much less. Sheer fucking pride and stupidity."

That's how I've always felt. Like I want to write everything but somehow every time I take pen to paper, it always feels so much less than what it was in my head. The colours in the scenery just lack that lustre and it cripples me then to think that everything I will ever write will be that way and I will never be able to say everything that I want to. But I've slowly realised over time that its ok. It doesn't matter that I couldn't get it out perfectly or that I never will. It only matters that I felt happy about it. When I don't expect to do something great I've managed to write some things that I am exceedingly proud of. I go back to these from time to time and wonder how I wrote them. But there is no secret, its just practice and discipline and habits being formed and most importantly being happy with what you are writing. Its about not assuming that you can or cannot write in a certain style. Its about never limiting yourself. Its about just writing down whatever comes to mind without second guessing yourself. And most importantly it is about getting over the fear of that nagging disappointment that comes when you've finished writing something that then looks nothing like what you imagined it would be. Its about celebrating every word for what it is and coming back to write more and more and more. No matter how agonizing it is. No matter how much your palm sweats from the effort or your head hurts or your eyes just want to close because its the end of a long day and you just don't want to write anymore.

I don't suppose anyone in the world can ever write it all. But when we all write our own little parts, these stories come together and become so much more than just the sum of the parts. Its the richest and most complete story ever spun because each and every thread is unique not matter how much they seem similar. Like pieces of music that are made up of the same notes but each different from the next. Our words are what stay and tell our story long after we have uttered them. So put it all out there in the universe, your voice, your story. There are enough things in this world to inspire. The cup of tea I had this morning with the steam gently rising from the surface made me think about time passing slowly by. The patch of sunlight on the floor right now makes me think about strength and solidity. The dance steps I was attempting to learn last night (unsuccessfully) was proof of how much I love my friends to even think of attempting something like that. Watching the sun set over the sea yesterday evening just gave me an assurance that it would keep happening again and again till time itself stopped. The clear blue sky that I can see outside my window right now is humbling, makes me acknowledge how really small and insignificant we are in this universe. It all matters, it all counts, so never ever hesitate to write it down.

Cheers!

On Being Immortal

There is a deep seated need in each one of us to be remembered. We may not acknowledge it, we may even laugh at someone who boldly states it but it is there, in the centre of our hearts.We seek it all the time, desperate to leave a piece of ourselves in the form of a memory in someone else's life; a photograph immortalized by the internet; a song we sang off key; a family video of us just goofing around; a blog we used to write which will be preserved for eternity no matter how long it has lain dusty. This is the reason we suffer anguish, when the computer crashes and leaves us a wreckage of our beloved collection of photographs and videos; when the internet goes off and you realise that the draft you were writing was not saved. We have become hardened by the time we have spent on this earth, developing into a civilization. We no longer trust the human memory, how much can it take anyway? There are too many of us, we reason, not everyone will be remembered. We doubt our own memories too when we suddenly find that we can't remember the dates of important events in our lives or even the most important moments themselves.

So you see we are not really to blame to take advantage of the advancements of our race to try and preserve a piece of ourselves, the best and the brightest ones so that when we are gone, they will live on. We are scared to imagine the lives of our ancestors who we know nothing about. We wonder if we are making the same mistakes they once made, because we have no way to know their stories. Sure we have a history, that can teach us the futility of war and the importance of being human but its never personal enough to make us sit up and take notice. We can think of people from history in third person but we can't imagine ourselves in their place because we can't really feel it. It is important therefore to be remembered for exactly who we were so that our future generations can look back and really know us.

Of course I may just be romanticizing it all and giving it more weight than it deserves. But I have to believe that the whole world has not just taken leave of its senses to spend such time and effort to make themselves immortal. Maybe it is actually the most important thing we are ever going to do and therefore worth the effort and the time we spend.

Or maybe I'm just rambling as usual...

Suddenly

Well as suddenly as it began, the summer seems to be over. I say seems because the rain doesn't seem to have dispelled any of the heat. As I sit here with a beer mug full of mango milkshake (sheer heaven!), I want to take a moment to look back. A lot has happened this summer starting with me taking the GMAT. I figured that taking the test would be the hardest part but apparently that isn't entirely accurate. Ever since I got my test results, all I've done is think about my application essays. They somehow make you think long and hard about your life. After struggling with where to begin for more than a month, I decided to start at the unlikeliest place, my email inbox. It needed some cleaning and organizing anyway and somehow reading old emails helped me see a lot of things about myself very clearly. It was also a beautiful walk down memory lane, and made me feel grateful for everything I have had in my life: friends who have stood by me through thick and thin, the places that I have been to and the experiences that I have had. In the mad rush of the world today, where everyone always seems one step ahead of you and there is always something left to catch up on, its nice to feel grounded and know that you wouldn't trade your life for anyone else's. I am a product of everything I have been through and for better or for worse that is who I am and I'm proud of it. There is nothing I would change because what I am today will help me get to where I want to be (this destination is unknown at the moment). I truly believe that everything always falls into place at the right time and all you have to do is keep working towards that goal of yours.

Cheers!

On Writing

The world today is full of way too many options! I just wish sometimes that there were fewer. Don't believe me? Just think for a second about how many apps you have in your phone and the how many of them do pretty much the same or similar things. Or even better, how many different sites are open in your web browser right now? Chances are that the number is atleast 3 or 4. I know I have 4 different sites running right now - I'm checking my email, downloading the Evernote desktop application, reading an online magazine and streaming an episode of The Big Bang Theory. What is wrong with that? Nothing really but something I saw today just reminded me of how much we miss out by just rushing along from one option to the other. It was a beautiful but so simple 'recipe box'. Just a little wooden box with a colourful hinged lid which opened to reveal a stack of pretty cards meant for jotting down recipes and storing them safely for future reference. While my stationery loving heart fell in love with it, the very second thought to follow was that I can probably find an app to do the same thing for free. This led to some introspection. Most of the time I am not a big fan of technology, in fact it's a running joke among my friends, but over time I have learnt to acknowledge that they can be pretty useful and have even become quite adept at using them. I even bought a smartphone and have been very very happy with it but I realised that I haven't even once posted a blog from my phone! This in spite of having the blogger app installed in my phone. My previous phone was a blackberry and I have posted from it numerous times straight from my email which believe me was painful but then that was when the blackberry was good for little else so all was well in the world. But ever since I have got my Samsung Galaxy Grand with all it's endless possibilities, I have not done the one thing I love the most: WRITE. I have chatted, emailed, browsed, read, made lists even, jotted the ocassional notes, checked a million other apps for their latest but I have not written. The reason this hits me so hard is because there was a time when I would write endlessly when good old paper was the only means available. Now with blogger and wordpress and evernote and one note and google drive and sky drive and what not I just don't get around to writing that much anymore. There are too many things distracting me, all very deceptively packed under the guise of things that will make our lives better. But actually they're 'just noise' as someone so rightly put it recently. The whole internet is full of it. Think for a moment and you'll know it's true. It's up to us to filter out the things that do nothing to help us and let in only those which actually make our lives better. On that note, I thought I'd make myself an early new years' resolution and vow to get more writing done in 2014. Hope you decide that too! Cheers :)

Life is Transitory

Life is transitory. How do I know that? I looked it up in the dictionary and it says: Transitory means “of a passing nature; not enduring or permanent; temporary, fleeting”. And that is so true about life! The feeling really hit me when I was cleaning out a desk at home a few weeks ago. The things that came out of there, some of which I had almost forgotten about, all brought back to me so many memories of specific places in time that I was staggered. And this is only about eight or nine years worth of stuff, I don’t really have much from before that time. So it really hit me that this pile of stuff would only get bigger. What kind of stuff you ask? Well there are things ranging from birthday cards (especially the handmade kind but the other kind too, the message inside them make them special), bookmarks (I just love collecting those!), mementos (invitation cards, ribbons, fancy badges, sea shells), notes on scraps of paper, diaries with scribbles of song lyrics or half finished stories, calligraphy sheets, folders, old calendars with nice pictures on them, precious stationery, a few photographs from back in day we used to actually print them and the list simply goes on..

Anyway, this got me thinking (what’s new?!), and it occurred to me that we use this transitory nature of life as an excuse and keep planning for the future which never does really appear. We keep telling ourselves that this phase of life will just pass by soon and then we shall do all things that we have always planned. But actually it should be the absolute reverse of that! We should be living in the here and now, making the most of the phase we’re going through right now instead of waiting for it to finish and a better time to begin. There will be no better time if we don’t make it so; so the closet that we’re planning to clean out next month, or the early morning exercise that we so want to start but keep putting off till next week, or that we want to cook but next weekend always sounds better, all these things are just exercises in procrastination. Want to be more updated about happenings in the world? Start reading the news today; Want to get fit? Go for a walk right now; Want to read or write more? Start right now. It really doesn’t matter what it is, the answer always lies in taking action. Nothing stops us from doing the things we want to do or to put it the other way which I find that people respond to better is that nothing forces us to not act. Only that little fear inside of us that we may not be good enough or not be able to achieve what we set out to do or someone else might not like what we do; but quite frankly none of us is perfect and every mistake is an opportunity to learn so that we get just a little better at it. It’s just the decision that we need to make really and the rest will all take care of itself; the decision to be what we want and do what we want. So that in another ten years time when we clean out that desk full of memories we are satisfied with what we see and not regret that there are missing pieces that we could have had but just didn’t do anything about. Something to think about… Until next time, cheers!

A Saturday Morning...

I wrote this a long time ago on the back of a bus ticket printout. Just found it recently while cleaning out my desk, so thought I'd put it up here..

I sit alone in an empty restaurant on a Sunday morning and just watch the world around. Traffic goes by easily, for there is no rush on the blessed weekend. The sun shines brightly today instead of the incessant rains of the week gone by. I look back on the week gone by, last Saturday at this time I was on a bus on the way to Pune, a journey of only three short hours but a place that is world's away from this one. I almost felt like I was going back in time; the closer I got to Pune, the more clearly I could see before my eyes - my life of three years.

In the quiet I can hear the hum of the air conditioner with the occasional sounds from the kitchen. Now they decide to put on some music, nice and slow just like the day. There is an ancient tree outside which actually blocks part of the road but nobody has bothered (or should I say dared?) to cut it down. Its as if the tree holds its own against this world of constant change and remains resolutely firm in the face of danger. It's scarred and drooping branches reach all the way across the road and offers its shade to all. And now the quiet of the restaurant is broken by the loud and carefree voices of schoolchildren who argue heatedly about the burgers, fries, choice of sauces and drinks. You can't help but smile at the innocence of the young.

I often think that the very young like the very old have the uncanny ability to see through the trappings and go straight to the truth. They pick up all the vibes around them, a lot of which depends on their parents with whom they spend most of their time. Children will imbibe all the good that they feel and repel all else. Even later in life, we come to resent certain manner of things without any particular reason for doing so; it is basically our subconscious that reminds us that sometime in our life we have seen something similar and not liked it.

Now there is a man who want his takeaway order and fast. He makes a few quick and impatient phone calls, all the while drumming his fingers on the table that is his temporary sanctuary. At last he collects his package and is on his way, leaving behind, in his wake, a trail of energy. How some people can be so constantly charged up, beats me!

And now comes the food, just as good as I remember it! There something very indestructible about food, it always lasts, no matter what. Food makes everything just a little bit better, a little less worse, a little more bearable, and basically you get my drift. And since my focus has now shifted to this delightful burger before me, I bid adieu. Until next time then, cheers!

24.02.2013

As this blog turns four years old,  the author is in a contemplative mood. So I do what I do best, stretch out on the couch, put on some soothing music, stare into the lamplight and contemplate. My thoughts are in a mood to wander today, and I am in no mood to organize them. Sometimes its good to let yourself wander. My mind goes back to random memories, both happy and sad: a sunny winter day spent in the park, a long walk at the end of a summer day, an amazing impromptu lunch and a roadside joint, a movie and dinner and all the laughs that come with it. I once read in someone's autobiography that when you look back on memories, if they are happy ones, you can actually re-live the joy of the moment by just thinking of it but if they are sad ones, you don't really feel it as acutely as it had been. I think this is so true and so wonderful, its like life telling us to go out there and do whatever pleases us best, for tomorrow all the bad stuff will feel just a little less bad. I have always tried to live my life that way with as little regrets as possible and I'm proud to say that I have managed quite well so far. When faced with life's toughest situations, just ask yourself if you could do it all over again, would you want to change anything? In most cases, no matter how bad, my guess is that your answer will be a 'no'. Likewise, when trying to make a difficult decision, always toss a coin: if you're disappointed with the result, then you've already made your decision. Take notice of all the little things around you and you will find yourself smiling even if you were in a foul mood seconds ago; and the best part is that the smile is something that shall make you smile when you remember it, where as the foul mood will just be a memory. So chalk up as many smiles as you possibly can for this is the most important scoreboard that you can have. Focus on all the positive stuff and accept the negative stuff too for what is life without them, just make sure when you look at your scoreboard, you have more smiles than frowns or tears. For there is nothing in this world that is greater than happiness and the pursuit of it.

Here's wishing it to be fruitful year ahead.

Cheers!

The Stories

Everyone of us has a story to tell and no stories are the same. Each and every life and it's story figures in the tapestry of human history. We may not always make it to the history books (lets face it, those are boring most of the time so we're lucky in a way :P); but it matters, every single thing that we do or do not do. There is a beautiful line that explains it so clearly, whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it's very important that you do it because nobody else will. We may not even be remembered for it, but it is still important that we do it. Our stories are all unique, unmatched and make for a fascinating study. There are stories of courage, stories of love, stories of sadness, stories of pain, stories of joy and the list goes on. Take a moment when you are feeling blue to look at your story and see what it means to you. Look at every bend in the road and see how you have risen to the occasion; look and see the lives you have touched and have become richer for it; look at what you have achieved and be proud to be you; look at all the things you love and the joy they bring you; and lastly look at yourself and the person you are because you have all these stories behind you like a solid wall to lean on. Walk forward confidently and with every step, keep building those stories.

The Gift of Life...

There is one school of thought that subscribes to the theory that everything in life is about chance and that nothing is planned. So it doesn't matter what we do or don't do with our lives, we will end up where we were meant to. Then there is the other point of view that says that we make our destiny, that the power is within us to shape and mould what we want our lives to become. I believe that they're both wrong and that life is actually a delightful combination of the two. We have with the raw materials if you will: all the characteristics and strengths that define who we are and there is no changing that. But what we do with them is something that is entirely up to us. We can throw up our hands and say that it is fate that hasn't let us become all that we could be but the truth remains that whatever gifts that we have with us can be used to bring out the absolute best in us and make us shine so bright that the entire world notices. The belief in who we are and what we are doing is what will make those dreams come true. The moment you give up hope is when you have written yourself off and no matter what you do, you won't be able to make anything of yourself. I think this quotation perfectly describes what life should be about and how to live it to the fullest:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Something to think about..
Cheers!

The Other Side...

I visited Crossword bookstore yesterday and the sight that greeted me was heartwarming. The normally straight laced and perfectly ordered bookstore was having an overwhelming moment. There were books spilling out of everyone, in the shelves, on the floor and just about everywhere. The entire store looked like it was bursting out of it's seams and I couldn't help but smile. Firstly just to see the sheer number of books spread about and secondly because it just shows that there is always another side to things, the side that is not so rosy or comfortable or even sensible. It helps to be reminded of that every once in a while, just to know that it is there and you should pay it some mind. It is not as if you would like the thing any less because of it, in fact it would add to its charm. We human beings are quite the hypocritical creatures; we strive for perfection everywhere and look for it in everyone but what really touches us are the imperfections, the flaws, in short the other side. Here is to embracing that other side, that we all have within us, to know that it is a part of us and makes us who we are and to learn how best it can help us along in life. We may not like some of the things that we find but that is how it is, life isn't perfect and the sooner we realise that, the happier we shall be for then we shall know what things will make us happy which aren't necessarily the perfect things.

Living in the Moment...

There is much sense in the saying 'stop and smell the roses'. That, along with many other sayings all say the same thing: enjoy the moment that you have right now. Everybody's heard of this but few of us understand what it really means. It does not mean that life should all fun and games but that it should feel like it is so. Too many of us are of the belief that constantly worrying about the past or the future will somehow help improve our lives. Not to say that some amount of planning is not necessary for life but to be obsessed with every little detail all the time just drains you of all the joy that comes with it. Take life as it comes, face problems, weigh options, make decisions but more importantly laugh loudly, smile widely and feel happy every day! Care more than it is wise, risk more than it is safe and dream more than it is practical, just do the things that make you happy today. Its true that tomorrow you may not remember most of these things but you will certainly remember the feeling of satisfaction that came with it. The relief that you feel when you decide to live in the moment can make you quite light headed. So why don't more and more people embrace this feeling? The answer is that its too easy and we as human beings are wired to always believe that if it isn't hard then there must be something wrong. So we slog through our days doing things the hard way just to pat ourselves on the back at the end of the day feeling like we have accomplished something. Just ask yourself this question today: what is that feeling of accomplishment worth?
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Volcano

What is it about destruction that attracts us? Nobody ever wants it to happen to them but nevertheless everybody eagerly follows the news when there is a calamity (natural or man made). With connectivity getting better and better, news from all over the world has invaded our homes and lives. Its not just that these incidents are increasing by the day, we find out about them immediately and that is what adds to the shock effect. Even the silver screen realises this, evident from the movies where the end of the world seems to be the theme! What is it exactly that pulls us in? Is it just the drama? The philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to their grave with the song still in them'. Maybe we ease this desperation by feeling the adrenaline rush that comes from an event that threatens to destroy everything. The rush of emotions: fear, anger, pain, empathy all combine together and give us the feeling of being alive and from that springs the will to survive in any way possible, the proverbial fight or flight so to speak. But at the end of the day, when the movie is over or the crisis is past, we go back to the humdrum of our everyday lives...until the next time!

PS # I think I should mention here that I was watching this movie called 'Volcano' last night, I'll leave you to guess what that was all about :P. Cheers!
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The Bigger Picture...

Sometimes we just get too caught up in the moment to realize that there is so much more beyond it. These are the times when we let our worst fears rule our best instincts and the worst that can happen at a time like this that you find that you have no one beside you to tell you otherwise. If you are ever faced with a situation like this, then just repeat to yourself a very simple statement: This too shall pass. For there is nothing in this world that lasts forever. So if you're going through hell, accept it. If you find not a single friend around you who understands why you are doing what you are doing, accept it. If at times you yourself don't understand the things you are doing, accept it (trust me, your instincts know better). Think of the bigger picture. The bad time will pass and your far thinking will take you places, the true friends will remain by your side for life in spite of what it may seem like for now and your instincts will be well honed to recognize these signs in future. And most of all just remember that there is a lesson in everything in life and that is NOT that you should fear what life throws at you just because you have had one bad experience in the past, but that you now are better equipped to deal with the situation before you. It isn't easy I know to keep yourself from sinking into doubt, but make a deal with yourself not to wallow in it. Take a minute, but only a minute, to tell yourself every single thing that you can possibly do wrong and then vow not to let it happen. You will feel better for it for two reasons; one is that once you list all the negatives they won't seem all that bad and two is that the reassurance from yourself that you won't let anything go wrong will go a long way in boosting your confidence when you find it failing. Don't get me wrong, mistakes will still happen, but they won't cripple you if you have that vision in your head of where you are headed, the light in your eyes which guides your path and voice in your ear that gives you your confidence, in short: the bigger picture is what you need to think of.

Great Explorations...

When you search online for the greatest achievements in human history, you find under the category of greatest explorations, the following:

• Columbus's discovery of the New World (America)

• Lewis and Clark Expedition (They traversed the uninhabited territories of the USA from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast in the early 1800s)

• Marco Polo's journey to China

• Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe

• Amundsen's journey to the South Pole

Before these pioneers explored beyond the boundaries of conventional thought there were vast parts of the earth that was absolutely unknown to man. Seems inconceivable today doesn't it? The Atlas as we know it today has been there forever or so it would seem. Every child in school has been made to learn the names of countries, their capital cities, the principal mountains, the chief rivers and lakes, the distribution of forests and deserts and even the crops that grow in the different parts of the country depending on the climate! As children, we have all cursed the very existence of the book of maps and on more than one occasion even changed the face of maps when memory evaded us, but if we could travel back to a time when the maps were being created, we might see the beauty in it, the sheer joy of watching the shapes come alive for the first time. Of course it was not without its own problems with society being so firmly entrenched in their own notions about the world and further back in history, in the age of kingdoms when maps were regularly redrawn to reflect the might and power of the kings in question. These explorers in fact had their work cut out to convince the people in power that their journeys would reveal anything at all! So now when we may even a casual glance at the map of the world, it is with the secure knowledge that there is little else to discover. Every piece of land and water body is neatly demarcated by multicoloured lines; which goes to show just how far we've come. Of course we're far from being sure of what all goes on beneath the surface but even that, with today's technology is not that hard to project. What we're forgetting however is that no matter how advanced things are now and how easily and carelessly we can access information, we are still poorer than our ancestors in knowledge. This day and age is wasted on us. Once upon a time, people with much less information on their hands, were more hungry for more knowledge and they made sure they got it, the scarcity of it making it all the more precious so that every last drop had to squeezed out of it. People ‘read' languages different from their own instead of merely learning and forgetting them; people read books to know about places, things, people and cultures that they had never seen; society was a closely knit community where people looked to each other in times of joy and in times of need; there was time for work and there was time for play and last but not the least, there was an appreciation for all of these things that is missing in today's life. The word culture was originally coined to mean the cultivation of the soul and mind. How many of us can honestly claim to doing that? Or even attempting to? It isn't easy mind you, even if you did decide to wake up one morning and start enriching yourself. We are limited by our own passion for speed and anything that doesn't quite match our pace gets left behind. The internet, that wonderful platform that literally brings the world at our fingertips is rarely used to discover something new unless circumstances demand it. We have become a servant to the technology, blindly following glitter instead of gold, instead of technology serving us. We have the means to read about anything we wish to; visit almost any places that we may wish to and find entertainment in any number of ways but how often do we actually do take that crucial step towards the unknown. It gets easier every day to arrange for anything to be delivered straight to your doorstep but it gets harder and harder to break out of the comfort zone. Its like having an entire ocean at your disposal and being content to live in the bottom of a pond of stagnant water. For that is exactly what our lives have become: stagnant. Of course one may argue that we after all are not completely at liberty to always do as we please and that we have responsibilities to fulfill but unless you put some passion into it, nothing you ever do will feel like worth it. It is heartening to hear about people who have broken the mould of ordinary and ventured into the unknown; we follow their lives with breathlessness and wish we could be the same and yet at the end of the day, we scoff at their foolishness and lack of wisdom. I'd say that people had it much better when they knew little and thus wanted to know more. They would journey across the world by the only means available to them which took them months to reach their destination (such cruel waste of time I hear you say!) but they used their time to enrich themselves like we never have. Think back to the years spent in school, how often have you sat in class and strained to hear the bell ring that would signal the end of the lesson? Did we ever even then think about learning something new, get excited about knowing something more than you did yesterday? We didn't and reason for that is just that the world and our society has made us that way, looking out into the world and seeing only the present (and an exaggerated version of the future!) and nothing else. So, sometimes, we should take the time to cast our eyes back to the time when explorers set out to discover the world (in every sense of the word) and then drew the maps which in a sense was almost like creating the world all over again; and then when we come back to the present, find some way to bring into our own lives, a passion for discovering something new and extraordinary.

PS # I am going to be practicing what I preach. When caught in the middle of a conversation about the Philippines and having only a very vague idea of where it was, I actually used the erstwhile internet to pinpoint the exact location and a very helpful website also enlightened me about the capital city, the principal mountains, the chief rivers and lakes, the distribution of forests and deserts and even the crops that grow in the different parts of the country depending on the climate (Not that I remember even one tenth of this, but it was good to know that I could know anytime I want). Cheers!

All Mixed Up...

Today morning was the most brilliant example of ironies. After an entire week of dark cloud cover over the city, suddenly there was dazzling sunshine everywhere. Pale blue skies, patches of white clouds with no hint of rain and miracle of miracles, pleasant breezes and no humidity! That in itself is an aberration in Mumbai. I'm told it didn't last all that long and eventually it did rain but the early morning impression stays with me, fresh and clean, like what I imagine spring would be, if we had one. The trees and grass, glistening with last night's rain and their colour shining because the showers have washed away all the dust from their surfaces; the swings in the children's playground looking like toys with their bright colours and of course the bright yellow sunshine everywhere. It was too lovely a morning to leave curtains shut and as I went around the house drawing them back and throwing open windows, I could hear the music and the singing in my heart. It was a beautiful feeling and all the useless worries just drained out of my head leaving me feeling peaceful and content. In a minute I would have begun to sing out loud and then the rest would have been history but having recognized the signs, I made an effort to come back to reality and hurried over the mundane tasks of everyday as I was by now running late. On the long journey to work, I finally gave in to impulse and began humming along with the music on my phone. Another thing that pleases me today is that I have finished reading the novel 'Gone With The Wind' for the seventh time. It has become a tradition really to read this book every summer since I was in the class 9 and I am yet to get tired of it. Every time I read it again, I see something with new eyes, which I hadn't seen before and thus the exciting mystery goes on. The vivid descriptions of the scenery, the way of life, the war and the characters that come alive over the course of the book all contribute to the pleasure of reading it yet again. Moreover, wound into the beautiful and intricate embroidery of the story are the home grown common sense observations that hold true even after a hundred and fifty years since those days. Society will always be averse to something that is different from the normalcy that they have defined for themselves; wars will continue to be fought because orators fill people's heads with foolish notions; there will always be people on the lookout for a quick buck by twisting circumstances in their favour; money at the end of the day will not buy you happiness and human beings will continue to be baffled to see changes around them that they never thought possible except for a handful who learn to see which way the wind is blowing. An interesting thing to note here is the place of women in society in those days, they were held in high esteem no doubt but it was inconceivable that they should think for themselves. Apparently sheltered from the harsh realities of life, these women were far more intelligent than they let on to their men folks but their greatest wisdom lay in the fact that they allowed their men to continue believing them the helpless creatures who needed protection from the world. It was this wisdom that ensured that the society was peaceful and life went on smoothly, never changing even in the face of utter destruction of their world. It just make me curious to think what it would be like if it had remained that way. The world today has seen women striving towards the same things that traditionally been strictly the domain of men and nobody would dare suggest that anything was beyond their reach but if we step back and think about it, things are not as pleasant as they seem, there has been a large price to pay for realizing our potential. Women now are faced with the prospect of managing the home (a full time job in itself!) and proving themselves at the workplace; which they do admirably but I can't help wondering if its worth. At the end of the day, wouldn't it be easier to just let men think we're fools and do all the work for us? :P

On that very twisted note, I think I'll end this post which has traveled light years from where it began and await the wrath of womankind. Cheers!

City Life...

I simply love the sounds of a city coming to life. It has a magic of it's own, even if it is the dreaded city of Mumbai. After being tucked away in the peace and quiet of Viman Nagar, Pune for 3 years, it is quite an adjustment to relocate to this bustling city again. I'm making good progress however. While the news that the city greeted me with on the 7th of April 2011 was shattering, it is slowly redeeming itself in different ways. The smell of freshly baked bread at the bakery; watching vegetables being unloaded from trucks to the roadside vendors' carts; the vigorous dusting undertaken at all the stores right after opening, the various signboards and wares that these shops choose to display on the pavement being brought out in full glory; the florist stringing garlands out of fresh flowers; delivery of milk at the dairy; these and so many others are the things I love about the city first thing in the morning. Walking around at this time of the morning has quite a few advantages; the freshest supplies are yours for the taking with hardly any competetion around so you can take your time and choose the best and of course work get done so much faster. There are however glitches in this system of thought; since all enterprises do not deign to open at that hour, you often find yourself cursing them and having to return at a more reasonable hour to try sending out a courier, collecting your laundry, changing a library book or CD, buying light fittings or clothing. There has to be that perfect time that needs to be established for otherwise you may end up setting out too late and then being greeted by half shut shutters indicating a 3 hour lunch and siesta session. Post this session you find all shops displaying a great reluctance to conduct any business until the reasonable hour of 6 pm when the streets begin to bustle with life again. This time there is no qustion of peace and quiet and we find hordes of people at every shop and shopkeepers skillfully using all their pent up energy to sell their wares. Fried junk food and other street food causes quite a bit of congestion on the pavement leaving no doubt that this is probably the mot popular time of the day. As the evening wears on it is the clubs abd restuarants that have their share of people's attention and come night the only thing open till late enough is the ice cream parlour and the 24 hour pharmacy, and ultimately the city slumbers again. It is the same cycle of life that we see everywhere with each stage having its own share of joy and sorrow, light and darkness, laughter and silence, heat and cold an the list goes on. So does the cycle will go on, never stopping, never ending, just keeps moving from one day to the next. But all in all, I think I like mornings the best :)

Happiness...

The eternal battle between Mars and Venus will remain just that: eternal. There is absolutely no way for one gender to win this proverbial war, if there was, well where’s the fun in life then? I believe that the reason for this tug of war lies in the very essence of how we are differently wired. Men and women are just different in the way they look at the world. It’s in the very nature of men to not let things affect them in the way that women just don’t understand. The seeming indifference may be a disguise for a lot of turbulence but they just have that knack for pushing it away, a trait which is both admirable and at the same time pitiable. For what is life without experiencing every kind of feeling that there is, even the most torturous of them? While women are often seen as the weaker sex simply because they choose not to hold their emotions in cheek, they are actually stronger for it. Men may scoff and say that it makes no sense to allow oneself to go through an emotional roller coaster, much better to be disconcerted about things that cannot be helped. I can't help thinking that in this way, though they may spare themselves the pain, they also rob themselves of the simple joys of life, the light at the end of a dark night is not for them. Having said this however, I have to admit that this world would indeed be a crazy place if men and women were all alike, the very fact that they are such opposites of each other helps maintain the fine balance, which also explain why we turn to each other to find solace and happiness. She feels for them both and he protects them both from the harsh world. He goes out to face the challenges and bring home the bread while she is content to be home and make it a paradise on earth. Alas, those days are gone and indeed nowadays the notion is almost primitive, but I can't help thinking that it was how it was meant to be, designed to be. But human beings being what they are, will never be content with the status quo, set about destroying this balance and hence we have arrived at a point where we have invaded each others' space and given birth to a battle which shall never reach an end. But at the end of the day, we aren't all that different from our primitive ancestors; we still turn to each other for comfort, be each others' shoulders to cry on, be the person we share our joys with, and in each other find happiness, the kind that makes all else seem insignificant (even if for a little while). Cheers!

Words...

Words are funny things, you can twist them up in so many million ways and yet they always mean something. Simple things sometimes can be made to sound so grand that you wouldn't even recognize them and equally, great things can sound so plain that you might miss them completely. Its almost an art to decipher these curious things called words. There are so many times you might miss their hidden meaning and go for the more obvious one and looking back you might wonder how it could have escaped you. I think that is where the beauty lies, in not knowing, never being completely sure of what exactly they mean. Its the mystery that keeps them alive or else wouldn't we have progressed to mind reading by now? The simple act of putting one's thoughts into one's words can take forever if you consider all the ways it could be done - should I say it as it is or dress it up so that it sounds better? should I hold something back or is it better to leave it all out there? should I be saying it out loud at all or is it best left inside my head? As funny as it may sound, we all do this every time a thought crosses our mind. It's just that the mind is too used to it and does not register it anymore but deep down in our subconscious, the wheels are always turning and the battle always raging. If the thought at hand it something close to our heart and needs a lot of deliberation, only then do we find ourselves consciously weighing the odds. So it may be all in a day's work for us but the words are here to stay long after we are gone.

PS # I don't think fiction is really my forte, so I'll stick to random vagueness

The Toss of a Coin

When in doubt, always toss a coin; if you're disappointed with the result, then you've already made your decision...

Very apt I believe. It so happens that we often dont know our own minds but deep down we've never been surer. In a situation like this, all we really need is that crucial reassurance. It need not only be the toss of a coin (it's just symbolic of the fact that there is more than one side to pick), it can be a friendly advice or parental guidance to realize what we really want. As long as the decision rests at the back of the mind, it may or may not manifest itself into action, but the moment we are confronted with reality, we know exactly what to do. Basic biology actually: Fight OR Flight to sum it up neatly. So the big question of the day remains: how do we actually determine if this gut feeling is right or wrong? I dont think there is any test in the world which can actually measure human intuition, but I also know that more often than not it is this feeling of conviction which turns out be the right one and saves us from many a trouble. Too cut a long story short, all I'm saying is that when in a situation of indecisiveness, fall back on the age old nagging feeling at the back of your head which tells you what needs to be done. For believe me, if you let things continue without any interference, there will come a time when you come face to face with reality and regret not having made that crucial decision which could have changed it all. And regret is something that we could all very well live without. On that note I think I shall end this post. Will be back with more nonsense soon. Cheers!