Monday – Blues

“Mate, how was the weekend?”
“Weekend was awesome… Hard Rock Café, Excitement at Derby, fun at Ruby tuesday, movies and lots more...!”
“Yo Man, you are a rock star, how do you manage so much. Do you ever sleep?”
“My friend, multi tasking is the key, and life is short. Why waste time sleeping.”
“You bet dude. After all the stress at work you need some fun.”

If not all, many of us would be having similar exchanges to start the week off, accompanied with a sure shot countdown “Huh… five more days to go.”

We look at people with high regard and at the same time envy them who are able to package more and more things in their daily routine and over the time meant to relax, not realizing the cost at which it comes, a price measured by the wise who said “health is wealth”, forgotten by us who said “Time is money”.

Stress is like sea levels, continuously rising, and in our attempt to de-stress we are indeed stressing ourselves even more like never before.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is more to life then simply increasing its speed”. Unfortunately today we have an attitude of ‘Make the most of it’, rather than ‘make the best of it’

Movies - A common prescription for Inspiration

A decade back when my brother graduated from b-school, he returned home clutching a colorful slam-book and possessively preserved it thereafter, almost as if those last memories would inexplicably vanish. I could never understand the underlying emotions till the day of my own convocation.


It seemed to never end, the sea of black gowns, frenetic flashes as picture after picture was snapped, the chaos of it all deepening the melancholic abyss I was floundering in. I was in no mood to shake hands and exchange hugs, as I feared it signified an end, and worse still there weren’t any slam-books to cram fond memories into. The era of instant messaging had fast replaced grandiose parting gestures. E-testimonials of what seemed a lifetime of friendship were now blogged and dissected online.


This very thought was making me livid, when a friend abruptly walked over and emotionally spouted his favorite dialogue from the movie Dil Chahta Hai- “hum dost the, hain aur rahenge . . . humesha”. The uneasiness of the moment having faded away, we caught up with the rest of the gang and partied, certain that we might never meet again except for accidentally stumbling into each other sometime at malls or multiplexes. It’s been five years since and we get-together almost every weekend, leaving me to wonder, ‘could a movie dialogue be the reason for holding us together’?


Yes!!! Movies are in fact the best thing to have happened to the human race. A single movie brings out the best in each of us, breaking barriers and paving the way for unification of hearts & countries.

If you don’t believe me, next time when you happen to be in a public place just say “Kitne aadmi the” and do not be surprised to hear total strangers voicing “Sardar, do”

Converting Challenges to Opportunities

With summer having taken over from spring and the days now hotter than ever, the early morning mist had finally disappeared to reveal a preciously colored canvas of nature in all its flowering glory.

It was one such morning that my attention was diverted by fluttering of a pigeon trying hard to leave the ground with a large twig held stubbornly between its beak. I was all at once intrigued as well as amused by the antics of the bird. With my attention now held, a short while later, the pigeon had finally succeeded in staying aloft and reaching its nest with the large twig held securely in its beak. I was now truly flustered, for the little bird already had in place a well built sturdy nest protruding from under the air conditioner vent.

The cause and effect was later realized when I found a small puddle of water besides the nest poured-in by the dripping air conditioner above the nest. Placed between the air-conditioner and its metal frame was that twig transporting the droplets to this puddle, which otherwise were soaking the nest below.

I was charmed by the act of this bird, which didn’t abandon its nest, rather confronted and converted the challenge to an opportunity in which lay solution for another challenge of scanty water sources.

Faced with an ocean of sand, many will be deterred by the hardships a desert has to offer while some would welcome the possibility of discovering a hidden oasis. Challenges are nothing but masked opportunities and with optimism and enthusiasm alone you can reveal them which help develop new skills and capabilities that will enable you to stand out as one among many.

“Opportunities are missed by most because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work!”

IN-NO-SENSE

I had dreamt of living in Kashmir but it always seemed to be beyond the bounds of possibility.
I could hardly believe myself, but I leapt over, leaving behind the bounds and here I was, enjoying a great autumn morning. I opened up the creaky balcony door to reveal a sight my eyes had never been treated before with earlier. Sunlight was little, but the reflection off the golden trees magnified it to such extent as if it was just about noon. Blowing wind was making a sound like whispering to everyone – ‘come let’s play’ and the group of dried leaves swirled and tagged along like joyous kids. I enjoyed this for a moment and when I turned around to get back in, there was a loud noise. I had yet not taken a step but I still landed straight on the bed from which I walked out a few minutes back. It was horrific, I was scared and the noise was tearing apart my ear drums and suddenly I woke up with the alarm clock in my hand ready for launch. I was disappointed to realize that I was still bounded; by bounds of unfathomable heights.

I quickly gave myself a shot of caffeine, got ready and headed for the railway station, a distance which I usually covered on foot; helloed the newspaper wala, the sweeper of our street and others who crossed my way every morning.

Very soon I was getting in to the mainstream of black heads, all moving in the same direction like iron particles being attracted to a strong magnetic field that got activated every morning. I passed by many people waiting for the bus, for auto rickshaws. The enchanting sound of morning bells from the temple was getting quicker with each succession indicating last leg of the prayers which coupled with soothing aroma of genda was invigorating.

While I was launching continuous attacks, thrusting my teeth deep in to the Kashmiri apple still cold from the refrigerator held in my hand, I observed school going kids holding books in their tiny hands who I guess were preparing for their exams.

I reached railway station awaiting the train, my thoughts completely transited from appealing Kashmir to the appalling state of these kids, completely flustered. I remembered those days when school for us meant only two things – friends and the lunch box full of cream biscuits which never survived till the lunch break. Those days, the way I always wanted to be. Venturing out to the most unexplored corners of the compound, threesome on the slides, the game of hide but no seek, batting but no bowling.

There was a time when kids represented innocence, and today we regard them as assets. Parents, guardians, elders are supposed to protect them, protect their innocence. But what do we do? We enlighten them what the real world is made up of. We bestow upon them the wisdom, if I may say that so, how to succeed in life at the time when they don’t even understand what life means. We want them to excel in everything, which we couldn’t have achieved ourselves.

Suddenly, there was an announcement about arrival of my destination and for the first time ever I appreciated that. My journey of thoughts, for once, came to a halt but it went on various trips for the rest of the day, until the time I finally decided to shut down my computer. The beautiful picture of the valley of Kashmir stayed on my screen for a few seconds, uncluttered, icon-free before vanishing into darkness.

Before being consumed by darkness myself, I wished. Wished of a place on this earth where we could really live each day, not competing instead supporting each other. A place far away from this world, where language is of love, humility is the price. Only work people did was take care of each other, look after the elders and most importantly look after the kids. Protect their innocence.

Place where wind carries aroma of the fresh flowers, where the river sings the beautiful song of nature, to the tune of which dance the swaying trees. A place surrounded by hills like petals protecting the pollens. I wish if there was a place like this away from this no-sense world to an innocent world.

Well begun is half done, but thats not the end of it.

How often we find ourselves enthusiastically kicking off with new ventures, interests, etc. ? And how often do we realise that its not the cup of tea we thought of. If not many, definitely not less either.

World around had been so eventul with failures in the recent times, that has turned many heads to think. Think what went wrong, think how to prevent it. Every one started with a dream, an objective in their mind. Madoff, the Lehman's, the Raju's. What has happened has happened, but it can only be prevented when we start to think of anything, before getting on it - if it is sustainable?

Yes, I know it has been taught to many in environmental studies.
But its time we think of all the aspects of our life in terms of sustainability. One needs to think real hard.

It can be as simple as thinking of joining a gym, its a great idea. But is it sustainable. Can I continue gymming to remain in shape? May be I can afford putting on if I discontinue.

The big question is - Can I sustain?

I am sure once we put this into our daily lives, raodblocks would be few and we then can drive faster.

Keep sustaining & be happy.