Like your life depends on it kinda stuff

Ve ya tried doing stuff just for the heck of it and next thing you knw that it just mite help in saving your life in future. I mean would you learn driving differently if you know u would be a truck driver in future. Or say a Best driver or blue line bus driver. Or what will go thru your mind while learning how to swim if you know that it can save your life in case of a plane crash in the ocean.


Like learning a foreign language and it mite save you from getting mugged abroad. or skimming through an article which later in future will help you in clinching a deal and saving self from pink slip.

Most of the times we don’t really care about the consequences when we are learning anything new say for knowledge sake. n it happens to save our lives or oder ppl`s lives. And when dis happns I jus wonder in laugh back thinking whether I could ve dne nethin diffrntly.

Its a funny question to answer coz mostly we do stuff only wid as much interest. I just only wish for wat all I ve learned I may use it sometime in life.I hate wasting Talent 

Waiting Game

It’s a waiting game
But who` s got the stop watch
Just keep the poker face
Oh you ain’t got any cards to play with.
Pretend. Everybody does it
Nonsense!!!Shame is a strong word.
Hush .We live in an appeased world
But isn’t making sense is a good thing
Yeah whining clown
Keep the restless adrenaline in line
Nobody has got the voice here
And even if you have .Don`t bother
Isn’t it colorless? I mean we are all living right?
Nuances of the game are different my child
Hear, but it may be a story so doesn’t speak.
See, but it might just be farce
May look an abyss but it’s not endless
Don’t try to follow the light coz it you won’t find
You can’t win coz nobody wins.
You just play your part.
Till somebody come and change the script.

Ode to “Enthu”

Today was Vishal`s last day at office. He`s finally off to chasing dreams in Swiss Alps. It sounds kinda cool ugh. It’s much like chasing rainbow on top of the hill. Wish Him all the luck for these dreams to be more colorful than untouchable rainbows.


My partner at the bench from past 4 months, His enthusiasm has saved me from being wreck at times.


Things I`ll miss Vishal

1. You being the first follower in my blog page

2. Homefood…it was awesmmm

3. Lists..Packing list/medicine list/grocery list/utensil list..etc etc

4. 3 straight years of fasting .Even my MOM didn’t believed it

5. Cramps in the stomach the next day

6. My only JAINY friend

7. Crash course on local train travel

8. Our 4 tea breaks in 8 hrs wrk day

9. Our twice in a day tag team visit to HR

10. Repeated Talks on food/cookery and social acceptability in foreign land

11. Borivali and wonders of its world

12. Tender Coconut ice-cream

13. Root Canals and everything related with the misery.

14. Our transition from Investor to “Long term investor”

15. All the updated business news and buzzing stocks

16. Teaching you Activa in pouring rains

17. Our vague projects and not so different approach towards them

18. Expat blogs and subscriptions to zillion yahoo groups

19. You passion for the cookie

20. Just being there laughing and smiling always and signifying that life can be lot simpler.


So my friend besides chasing dreams on Swiss Alps you can Ski , Eat Chocolates, Roam around in Europe and keep sending me the accounts of your discoveries.

Surprise Me

I have loads of time to write long and huge blog posts...


But then I guess I got carried away and the amateur writer in me took over and I started writing stuff heavier than myself. But I guess after requesting people to add to my follower s list to which some people grudgingly relented and in lieu had to promise no huge serious matter overdose.

So we shall mark the return of the self depreciatory humor.



Things which surprised me this week

• Serious blog posts

• And Historic Delhi post

• Goa in rains..

• My Nuvo amigos( new friends) from LatAm

• My knowledge about Venezuela`s inflation and Sao Paulo`s cost of Living

• Their amazement on 1.5$ beer and 10$ Shirts

• My company`s HR

• I actually started liking BigBoss

• 2nd trip to Mondy`s in a week and still loving it

• Standing on stairs and listing to random stories at 3 am.

• Vishal Shah making his 5000th list

• Spending weekend by reading a shitty novel

• Getting up at 6 am for the third day straight

• Losing all my Portuguese notes

• Staring out of the window …even when it was not raining

Whose WAR is it anyways….

It s said sometimes profound realizations happen at the most unexpected times. I would like to ask all a question. How well do we know our country? Well its turning out to be more patriotic blog off late but the definitions of being Indian sometimes surprises me.

I was sitting with my firang friends and sipping beer on the beach at Goa. And the casual banter was hovering from dusky Indian Women to sanctity of marriage...to caste system…to international Politics ...even Anti Trust laws of America and revolutionaries and dictators of the world.

Then Out of the flier came a question that why had there been terror attacks in INDIA. What’s the objective of these terror attacks? What exactly these terror organizations wants to achieve after all.

Well are we as a country tolerant to a limit where it seizes to matter. Are we so used to of terrorism that it has blended in the Indian-ness that we longer bother about the objective of such attacks? We are not really America…the most hated country .we are neither at the brink of the civil war that you can call these terror attacks done by the revolutionaries. Then what’s the matter with us. Without such clearly laid objectives it’s just looks like some Kid is playing with bombs and in our nonchalance we are letting him.

The whole rationale of terror attacks has became so hollow that even if we try to attach it say with …freedom, jehad, revolution, oppression, disturbance..it just not fit any criteria.

So shall I sit down and see the cracker show killing innocent shoppers and kids or we need to stand up and say I love my country and will save it from any Mad man who wishes to ruin it.

Where did my City of Djinns go?

’’A labyrinth, a city of palaces, an open gutter, a landscape of domes, an anarchy, a press of people, a choke of fumes, a whiff of spices.’’

The story of Delhi is about survival - time and again, Delhi was ransacked and razed to nothing, yet it rose again, for which legend gives due to the invisible Djinns that have made Delhi their residence and protect it, and the curse that whoever rebuilt it would lose the city. The flavor of myth overshadows all aspects; past and present, making Delhi seem as fabulous as the Baghdad of Arabian Nights.

The forces that shaped Delhi over a 1000 years and beyond, leave tokens scattered around, some prominently visible as tourist landmarks. Yet others are unmarked ruins, their significance escaping passers-by. Still others are masked by conversion to govt. offices and hospitals. It is curious how many such exist undiscovered, leaving the city a still-fresh archaeological dig site. The city is vivacious in its soul.

While we occasionally still whine about the colonial influence on our culture, the reverse India Effect on the former ruler is deeper. But the modern day truth is how much of that baggage has been shed, and how little it is remembered. Delhi’s history has two predominant faces to it - the wild frontier feel, during the times of early Muslim invaders from the North and the early British presence, with its opportunities of rapid advancement, and violent ends. The second is the decay, self-indulgence and cultivated debauchery of late Mughal Empire. The Twilight Period seems the lowest point, between the two massacres and sackings of Delhi, one by Nadir Shah of Persia (when he made off with the fabled Peacock Throne) and the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, after which the British destroyed a number of irreplaceable monuments in a petty display of vengeful spirit. Power shifts however were never easy or civilized at any time- the intrigues of the royal family during the Shahjahan-Aurangzeb period are colorful and gossipy.

May be the terror attacks deemed as acts of extreme contempt but Its DELHI. Where violence is no stranger and extreme violence on a mass scale seems to visit with cyclical regularity. Tyrannical rulers like Tughlaq, massacres by invaders like Nadir Shah, the Partition (the largest forced mass migration in history) that changed the demographics of Delhi completely, the Sepoy Mutiny, the 1984 riots after the death of Mrs. Gandhi. What does living on thin ice constantly, in such extreme hazard to life and property does to human beings. Does life return to its primitive essentials, or turn escapist? With the fear of losing all in the next riot, strangely there is more clinging to materialism, not less.

It’s a city which does not follow a single language mannerism. Neither the regional contrite. It’s just as proud as the capital should be and as royal as Nothing has changed since mughal rulers. What makes it more interesting is that it’s not economy which derives the place after it has been ransacked, shaken and stirred but the brave face it has kept to pull itself up time and again.

So may it be Hijbul Mujahidin or SIMI ,terror can take newer names. It may be the city of Djinns and jinxed to rebuild itself every few decades. You can only deface the edifice but cannot mar the regalia.

PS: with help from "City of Djinns" by William Dalrymple

Vaccinated!!!

The beaurocracy is an astonishing thing. It rejects the Newton’s third law. It has such fancy ways in which really nobody gains anything, surprisingly not even corruption sometimes.

Requirement:
There is a mandatory requirement to get yellow fever vaccination in case you wish to go to countries with the yellow fever risk. Else when you come back you shall be quarantined and will be put up in the hospital captivity for 7 days.

Ordeal:
This is India and an age of Jugad. So hence we thought us`ll manage…

So three gleeful fresh MBA`s with air in their hair and sand on their feet went to find out how do get oneself punctured and move closer to the countries of our dreams. We met with an absolute uninformation.Which is still ok but then if you ask somebody they can tell you versions which motivates you so much that you say “come wat may”. So we were not just motivated...but determined and disciplined. We used our status and sent an office boy to get ourselves registered for the shot. Interestingly the registration is to be done at 5 am, so that u can forward ur Arm and say “Come’ on baby gimme the shot“ in the evening.
 And as told after registration we went to try our luck at 12 in the afternoon. Right in front of the Arrival Gate. (Of the new flashy international Airport) there is a Tinshed.With the Airport Canteen toilet board painted on the other side by “Yellow Fever Vaccination Center”. Trust me rural pulse polio drop centers will look better than that. But then you can’t fight the system so we stood in line.
 Haggled for our No. Realize that they give only 40shots a day. I mean LOGIC???..but that’s how it is ..only 40 shots..no it’s not free..no you can’t pay more and get it done..no if you are in a hurry then that’s only your problem. Not even if you reach in time you can get it done.40 means 40 n rest of the reason can go to hell..I guess it’s a measure the government is utilizing to restrict the brain drain. But dude IIT`ians goes to Amerika for Ph D. Why stop people who want to go to Kenya and Madagascar.


You are supposed to register for it at 6 am. Now the registration sheet is actually just a old cardboard sheet..which somebody has kept hanging outside the door. Actually it looks more like a dogs beware kinda thing but then what the heck. We as ardent and stubborn prototypes so we reached at sharp 5.15 am. AND surprise! Surprise! Surprise!..we were 40th ,41st and 42nd. I mean people gimme a break.
 Then we reached again. More determined to get poked. Stayed and shifted in the lines. sometimes haggled without lines and eventually used the “foot in the door” policy quite literally.

And here it was. Our prize possession..A needle A vial and a person who called himself Doctor.(certified).God knows about what was there in the vial but the certificate he gave me after that is definitely yellow.


And Alas I am vaccinated..!!! and feels like a War hero 

Wonder Years!!!

I am not really Nostalgic types and rather progressive. So I get a little uncomfortable at the alumni meets. Then there are fears about who is doing what and I am stuck like a loser cribbing and bored at the job. There are expected flashes of money. Signs of indulgence and materialistic comparisons in the spending race. It can very easily get phony and pretentious. Considering we are talking about SRCC alumnus there’s is no limit at which the abundance can go.

So I had my reservations when I got the Invit. List of lost people. Some I wish to see but most I didn’t wish to compare. So finally I went with my apprehensions and enthusiasm restricted.

The room was full of formally dressed people adorned with tie`s and flashy suits and me in jeans and boots. But I guess that is where all the oddity ended. The moment I saw the people from college with whom I had stayed day and night for years. All those memories came back flashing. It just felt so close and in near past as if nothing has really changed. Nobody is judging me by my clothes, Or the intelligent conversations, Or the zeroes on the paycheck, Or unpronounceable names of the companies, Or beer guzzling or just about anything.

It was more to the implicit cord attaching all and all what matters is from where you belong. Everybody has its destiny and sooner or later one will get there. This bond is special because it’s with the people who have seen you starting the journey. Who have been with you in thick and thin during the hit and trial process of growing up.

They have been with you when you were hungry at 3 am in Delhi winters. They were with you when you went to see every shitty movie on Friday night. They were there always ...be it fresher’s, elections, cross roads and sometime just random fake fights outside the Audi to scare people. Useless conversations and bakar sessions with round-off timing clause. It was the wonder years which you wish never pass. Sometimes professional colleges cannot be like this and B-School doesn’t almost ever teach to be humble.

It was oh so music to the ears listening to Hostel Anthems and Songs. Being loud and rowdy with friends. Nonchalant dancing at public places even if for that small moment but to be able to flaunt “I care a fuq to the world” attitude. Felt years younger again Instantly.

PS: For all the unknown

Sri Ram College of Commerce has been given Heritage Status and is the site for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010.

More Blah

Blogging is like a habit..or sorta addiction .Portrayal of the emotions in public or washing ur dirty laundry in open and being quite cool about it. And most of the times these topics have no purpose and essentially nt much of substance.



Its like oceans of words about nothingness. Life stories…weekend stories..some are just stories .like there had been so many stories to inspire you and would miss something in life if you don’t stay updated with them .actually the objective is never about knowledge enhancement I guess .It’s just about let going first things coming to mind and being a showoff by putting it at a place which is publicly accessible.


Actually its jus cool to think yourself a writer. Act as a writer and feel like a writer. Coz at the end of the day we all know there’s no glamour in actually being the writer. So the euphemistic view is being the blogger. X-: ).



So I shall use the Google given medium to reduce the internal conflicts of life, reduce the anxiety and propagate free thought.


Disclaimer: Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. Trust me...deeply.

Word about Faith and Religion

I belong to Jainism. Well mostly it’s difficult to say if I belong anywhere coz I have that nomad spirit in the head but all said and done Jainism is my birth religion.

 

There are things like acquired faiths and cults. I have attended Buddhist prayers, Sehej Yog shivirs but I am still with Jainism. Coming from a family which follows 3 religions I am absurdly unreligious.

I don’t call music my religion nor I am a atheist. I hate theology so what does belonging to a religious sect means to me. The post is not about sociology and needs of belonging to the cult or to say connect to the higher power. I guess I am not even qualified to answer that.

For me the gr8 Jainy Fast was actually more symbolic rather than religious.

 

12 years in type 1 diabetes...36 hrs without food and without water means a lot to me. It reinforces the fact that u can force the body to do anything if you are at peace with your head. Even if it means planning each drop of insulin and motion study to save every ounce of energy. I did 4 hrs of puja which is more than my cumulative total for the year. I did all the rituals and practices like I have been doing them from ages. And to survive with the shrunken intestine and churning stomach for 2 nights and a day can definitely make you feel the triviality of the temptations. Its an whole experience when you go through various emotions in 1 single day. Sometimes surprising oneself is very satisfying.

Coming back to the travesty of the Birth religion I do sometimes wonder even if we don’t follow the faith ardently we still end up reflecting the traits of the faith. It looks so designed and dt too so aptly that you wonder had it could be any different. May be at the end of the day its only about what you can achieve with faith and trust in God.

But ya for now only one step at a time.

One More

Nothin happened in past couple of weeks..that actually explains no updation on the blog. But yes I fully agree there have been no worthwhile sensible contributions from my side to change the face of the earth. Actually this medium of self depreciatory humor is also quite bland and over used to make people cheerful.

So one more weekend.
One more place where I reached as an uninvited guest
One more Coffee shop
One more coffee experiment
One more failed experiment
One more cancelled breakfast program
One more movie. Surprisingly it was good
One more drunk party and drunk jokes
One more meeting with some random women and already calling them friends
One more old monk wd hot water coz there`s infection in the throat
One more friend lost to Drama
After we had lost him to phone
One more Maggi for lunch
One more month end and gravity of phone bills
And food bills
And credit card Bills
One more Week of yellow fever vaccine stock out
One more paper needed for work permit
One more country got added in my profile
One more Episode of Spilitsville
One more Re-Run of Spilitsville
One more altercation and discussion over Big Boss 2
One More failed attempt at cooking
One more week running away from portugese torture

Phew Phew
Bachhe ki jaan lega ke choudhary!!!!