Tranquility

Another day passing by. Passing by while I look outside the window 'how beautiful the World has been, or was or can be!'. Another moment slips by without realizing that once gone it will be never back again. May be it will be captured in my mind as a calm serene tranquility. Peaceful as the shadow of a mango tree on a harsh summer afternoon when I heard the wind sing to me. The chorus was framed far away by the bell in a cow's neck. I saw those dry grass streaks rustling and whispering that this moment too is passing by.

The fearless moments that I have enjoyed within myself seem to be reborn every time I remember those calm moments. I am sure you had your share of them, don't you love to weave them in paintings, in words, or in your pictures? The moment that gave you a sense of relief from the tiredness, so real. I feel that the people that I know are slipping away, may be it is a magic trick played by my thoughts just to confuse me. I do not know if I have enough chips on my side to raise that blind but I would love to. I would love to see them coming back to me, some time - some moment where we could ride the bicycle as effortlessly as we used to do or swim to the other side of the river and look how tiny others look from this side.

It has become a fast paced, goal based life where these moments are a rare thing. I experience them at times when I am lying down on my couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, just by myself listening to an old song. It is rare alright but it is worth fighting for. Or when I splash the water on my face while in the shower and there it is that homely feeling, ecstasy. Cherish it while it lasts, search for it until your feet give you the road. 

Illusion called 'Privacy'

In this age of ‘You-Twit-Face-ogle’ it’s getting increasingly difficult to contain your information private. With more information readily available from various sources may it be business related information or government data, ‘Privacy’ is an illusion. Though security measures are highly recommended and applicable, violation of it is probable for future benefits.

Marketing firms are being more aggressive as the need to understand and analyze competitive strategies is of utmost importance. Basic product information is now obtained through re-engineering and surveys are getting less effective. With shopping malls, pharmacy stores, banks and vending machines becoming more user friendly a lot of data is accumulated. Data available can be requested by insurance firms, automotive companies or next door marketing firm in order to customize their offerings for each customer’s need at the right moment. This is a new age of utility offerings; ‘offer as is consumed’ is the new key punch line while proposing cost savings.

How sensitive can a consumer be then to her/ his own data? As the race to acquire more information to segment customer base aggravates, customers become more ignorant of their information or is it? More and more web 2.0 applications are offering security features at customer’s disposal. They can tweak the security features and make their identity less/ more public. However, with customer trying to do this, firms are taking more interest in places where customers have no control. Loyalty plan data for various firms is an immense pool to dive into and offers lot of advantages ranging from private selection of menus to basic information. It’s time to think whether your privacy really private??

some portion of me

lying on the floor, on a lazy gloomy day

pushing the air, carving faces in the clay

trusting inner instinct, feeling glee

carry no baggage, just let it be

fighting the rains, with an open umbrella

showing a poker face to that random fella

twisting the twigs as you search for the key

enjoy the moment, just be

inviting memories with an open arm

laugh on strangers, but you mean no harm

and searching for another route to flee

or a reason to stay, just to be

watching the trees sitting in a car

thinking of friends from so far

covering the wheels, that's a real me

decorating moments, glad to be me

Pop-goes-the-cork!!

Has this ever happened to you? You have been sliced and pushed down with so much of pressure that you hardly find time to breathe. To top it off, you get stuffed in all the aspects of life such as your professional, personal, too-personal and social sides covered in deep-sh** and you cannot even run away and face them with all the weapons you have in your store, is the only option.

So, what you do is learn the skill of fighting in all the rings or war-fields and all of a sudden you blink and it all disappears! Its like you are standing in the middle of a ghost-Detroit-town and everything and everyone’s gone. You have the same puzzled look and peace masks as your enemy. Staring into the Sun till it transforms into the cold dark look of a moon-less sky you are horrified by the missing action.

Well, all you need to do is kiss the worries good-bye, smile and enjoy the free time at hand. Force yourself into that discomfort and watch the movies with popping corn in your hand. Take it easy!

Watch out! She has the power

As I walked out of the McDonald opposite my office, I noticed some construction work on the other side. I had just munched on two great snack wraps and was digging deep in my teeth, searching for the lost taste. I waited patiently and watched a few cars zoom past me. It was not uncommon to have a few stares.

The light turned Green for me and I started walking at an easy pace. As I crossed half the distance I saw that construction on the other side had slowed down the traffic completely. People were getting impatient and were looking at their watches. I saw a lady talking something as she steered her car in the middle lane. She looked in a hurry and I was doing what I do best when stuck in traffic. I was looking at the cars and sketching a few thoughts in my head. As she came closer to the crossing line I backed out even more, just to be safe.

She pushed the pedal, brake pedal and looked at me. Gave me a smile and waved indicating me to cross the road. I smiled, whispered 'Thank you', as I waved back. I saw cars following her, a little impatient. 'She had the power and she used it for some one's benefit' I thought as I reached the other side.

"If you want to test a man's character, give him power" - Abraham Lincon.

Guaranteed Lyrics

Guaranteed

On bended knee is no way to be free
lifting up an empty cup I ask silently
that all my destinations will accept the one that's me
so I can breath

Circles they grow and they swallow people whole
half their lives they say goodnight to wive's they'll never know
got a mind full of questions and a teacher in my soul
so it goes...

Don't come closer or I'll have to go
Holding me like gravity are places that pull
If ever there was someone to keep me at home
It would be you...

Everyone I come across in cages they bought
they think of me and my wandering
but I'm never what they thought
got my indignation but I'm pure in all my thoughts
I'm alive...

Wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere
underneath my being is a road that disappeared
late at night I hear the trees
they're singing with the dead
overhead...

Leave it to me as I find a way to be
consider me a satellite for ever orbiting
I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me
guaranteed... 

Letting go...

Now a days, with the thought of what others would think of my thoughts I have limited expressing, literally. I feel like a lost elephant in a new jungle. This comes to me as a shock, that even this blog seems like a page borrowed page from someone which I might have to return back. The drawn pictures, the wet leaves cease to exist. As a dear friend had mentioned "I hate short-talks".

I am feeling a bit nostalgic of the times in Mumbai. I am missing the stupid times I have had enjoyed at IIT Powai's Lake House. It was not only a spot where we went recluse but also enjoyed being silent for a change. The crazy dancing, singing and future plans were all witnessed by those moments. Rohit's adventure with his new camera, bike rides, swaying platform on the lake and Pizza party are so fresh in memory. Most visited address searched in the google of my brain. 

I am still confused with how people act situational, me included!! Is the algorithm scribbled in the same way for everyone? Yesterday this fact led me into a long discussion with a couple of friends. This discussion brought me to the same conclusion "don't expect anything from anyone and you are better off". GoSo are you listening? 

Life has slowly become like an artifact which is absorbed with the colors of past. When the colors were wet and the canvass blank, it was glorious. I want a new page on this canvass so that I can start a new adventure. May be it also signifies that I get lost with the small things in life. Get too people centric. Too mechanical. 

PS: As I mention the drawn pictures, I remember the college bag of Ninzee. A mechanical form of Lord Ganesh was drawn on it. Wonder what rules the mind of that artist?

landing under the sky

its such a good relief to be with peace for a night. i am sure that if you are in your bed you would love to think of some cheerful moments. its like coming back home and finding your dog jumping on you and asking you if you missed me? 

lying under the stars on sand and holding hands and talking nothing but listening to your heart beats. enjoying the breeze that makes the hair fall, which you love to set to make sure that the moon is visible. feeling the cold through the warmth of being with someone that you care about. 

counting the stars, talking about the non-sensible things of life which you are embarrassed about and missing those moments when life was pushed in the blood. i am sure that when life unfolds tomorrow, i will remember the past. sometimes we just forget to live it all and then it never comes back...

smell the flowers, listen to lyrics, enjoy the music and let life take over...for that's what you are living for and once its foregone its gone, forever. smile today coz now you feel like. 

Shores crossed

So much has changed over a period of time. Before 10 years I was a student and here I am, a student again. But more distant from that part of myself. 

Some crazy moments, which exist as memory are still churned in my mind like a cow churning its fodder, are past. The process is unending. Mind dwindles in past and future and loses track of present. Its difficult to keep a tab of current droplets of life which fill the jar of life. 

Thoughts which are so transparent at this moment, were so opaque earlier. It is so easy to gain access of opportunities or close the door tightly. Its a matter of choice after all. Colors can be as bright, as tightly you can close your eyes or open them and observe. The sky today looks the same even though my location has changed. I can see the same constellations that I could see from my college terrace, football ground in Mumbai and now here. 

Fulfilling dreams is an important step in life. Things which can be done very easily are postponed and thus are sacrificed for something else. The grains of sand can fly with the wind if they let go of their fear. The words are the same its just the usage that makes great orators, poets or authors more better than their counterparts. 

The footprints in the sand remain though the water gushes towards the shore. Its just that shores are crossed and new terrains ventured. 

Stop!!!

Humans are so funny. They love challenges but can't contain themselves with achievements. 

Here is a short fictitious story. There was a simple guy, Richard. He used to walk everyday to his school. He had been watching the same buildings every time of morning and sunsets. He loved the journey so much, that it became a part of him. However, one day the road was under construction and he had to take the other route. He got so mad with himself that he started running in every direction he could. A simple common man was watching all this and stopped Richard and asked the reason. Richard explained everything as fast he could, to continue running like a wind. Man told him, 'Accept the road you have been given. Its going to school that is important and the new paths will keep appearing. Just keep appreciating them and walk on!'

Random behavior can be bothering but accepting it as a part of existence can make journey more meaningful. 

New things, old things

Well, funny it is. Life, I mean. So many new things to experience that the list and time seem endless. Wait for a moment and the demon called Nostalgia catches your collar. Its like jumping from a cliff for an endless experience and waiting for life. Well, I don't intend to be serious here. 

I am tired of being philosophically boring person. But my head and heart work in a symbiotic or chaotic way and make me be this way. I know its raw, but it does not burn to be chaotic at times, right? 

In recent times, I keep missing the road that ran in front of my engineering college. No particular reason, but the view was breath-taking, especially in winters. You could see the 'Satpura' ranges covered by haze. The bridge on the road was an incubator for new ideas, which are old now. Everything about college was so different the last time I went there, but it was all still the same. The same place where I learnt many lessons about life and forgot a few. Travelling on a moped without light, on a moonlit night. 

Richard Bach's theories are still appealing. So is 'The Alchemist' and the idea of travelling for unknown. But that's what we do, always. Keeping ventured, being venturer and looking for new ventures is a natural progression, which we keep challenging to make our life complicated. Wanna live it simple, just one moment at a time? 

Drum beats are enthralling just like surging heart beats. New bands have different tunes, which connect with the same me. I have so much to soak myself in. I still dream about bungee-jumping, sky diving and bike ride, all the time. Needs are so different from wants. Keeping mouth-shut is not always painful, just tricky. To each his own, these are just random thoughts.

Simple Ponderings

Can the past be foregone, just like a dark night?

Can memories orphaned, for being out of sight?

Can trust be broken, for a self's might?

Can the doors left closed, waiting for night to turn bright?

Road and gravel

So, you think that you know yourself well? Tried, tested and checked? Wait till the time you get to a new place and you will be either overwhelmed or shattered or both.

Travelling surely is fun and so is exploring new places, people and opportunities. However, its an unending journey sometimes towards and at times away from yourself and your goals. For that matter even the goals can be as dynamic as night and day. Just keep walking is the mantra. No matter how difficult is the terrain, have faith in yourself and your destiny. Now some people will buy it as it has paid off for them in the past. Some will discard it as a squeezed lemon.

As a friend said in the morning, ' Everything happens for a reason'. Let that follow the truce of time and you will be surprised by what is in store for you. However, don't just throw away the ability to work hard for this reasoning. Make every effort to walk the last mile and walk a little more, everyday. Walk with a dream in sight. Walk for a better day, for the time that you craved for. Ask whether you want something more and for whom?

Giving up on dreams just because it looks shimmering is inking your own defeat. Instead of justifying why not to do it, think of the positive outcomes and ask yourself 'Why not?' Beat the road, heat the rods so much that they will give away. Dream the dreams and work harder for them because the day has just started and you have it completely for yourself.

But for a moment

She had surpassed the walls of sanity.
Her heart feeling free like a cub
surrounded by love as she wanted it.
She dwelled in the insanity of freedom.

Her walk defined the pride in her decision,
her smile composed of millions of stars together.
Her passion for the moment defied rules,
she had counted nights in the loneliness.

Meddling with the grass leafs, she thought
'was it really worth a fight', 'for the death
of shattered dreams', 'for the dark nights
spent under the endless sadness?'

Now that the doubts wore mask of history,
she flew like an eagle, ready to reach
to the limits, to celebrate something called life,
to enjoy the new day under the blue sky.

The waters were clear again and so was her mind.
The lines were beautiful and so very pure.
The grains were waiting for a dusk.
It was almost there, but for a moment!!

Civic enough?

The beauty that strolled on the road and got your head turning is back again. Its more sexy, oozing out energy and is more efficient. It has a lot to offer under the hood but as always its too expensive to tame a beauty like that, making it a beast. There is nothing like a free meal, after all!! A price tag of around 24 Lacs makes it looks like a sexy brunette molded in a Versace studded with Diamond rings.

Yeah Civic Hybrid is launched and how? Definitely exterior is the same stylish, sharp and mouth-watering. But its engine has changed and so have the gadgets. The Instrument panel wears a different look and simply makes life luxury. The best part of the whole deal is the Hybrid engine.

However, over a talk I heard my brother saying "With that golden price tag, I would rather go for a more aggressive car like BMW or something". Came as a harmony to me. Seems like the government is still adamant on giving these cars some space on the already crowded streets of Metros like Mumbai, Delhi. They are taxing with glory (104% as import duty). That makes this environment friendly vehicle out of reach for most of the people and thus drives down the volume. Its like a rolling ball. When less people buy it and wear the Green tag, it still has little impact on the whole purpose of going hybrid.

Its like selling the word green and taxing every alphabet of it at the price of Gold. Government should welcome this kind of a move with tax cut and promote other OEMs to come up with this technology. After all the perto-based PSUs can sustain the pressure for not too long. Anybody listening??

Fading shades of Nostalgia

The emotional urge of visiting and re-visiting the past is so strongly needled in our tattooed brains that we just drag ourselves in the dungeons of illusions. The colors of happiness, success, love, pain, wrath and fear linger in the hearts, for the past has so many different window panes to see through. The tall buildings built on the pillars of memoirs are surely the best architectural witnesses of our choices. Remember the dome of security that you had carved with the chisel of love? It still stands and show me the colors you got for the evening!!

The hurled stone in the water still has ripples to be offered which can quake the reality of your world. The stamped coin lying on the train track is still hot by the heat and friction and has the fragrance of the early morning. The climbing hill still has the same gradient in your mind that it had when you got scarred as you fell down. The dark clouds, the floating logs, twisting and hugging leaves, the wet scent of first rains, little steps of your sibling, story with happy endings and the pregnant mango tree are still engraved in some corner of your mind, ready to be unleashed. The settled dust on the past is just like the magic casted by a magician on a childish summer afternoon. All it takes is a brush and a mind of child and not any great archaeologist.

The dashboard of forgotten fantasies still blinks high in the dark night and it has so much to add to. The crooked finger of your grandpa which you held more tightly than your dropping candy on a summer afternoon can never be forgotten. Angry voices in your head when you were torn between your head and heart as a child, still emerge through the grey clouds of youth. Fear of losing those you loved most is still as gripping as the memory of a train blast.

Though the past has so much to offer, it becomes necessary to move on. For the present holds so many promises for a new future just like a beautiful virgin lady. Though the taste of your grandma's recipe is still deliciously tasty what your future offers is what you can have. For by-gones are by-gones. Holes on a sea shore, whirlpools in the water, casted shadows on a dark night, early morning light in the winter. Blind alleys in a new town, first page of a new handbook, impression of the wooden ruler, chalk dust in eyes, demanding friends, stomach-aching laughter are all yours just like pillars of a dome.

One for me!!!

Life is so astonishing. Every time you think you have lost the choices, it offers you more. Two choices for every moment. Pick one and add a new journey or enter a new alley. Every time I feel lost, I wonder what went wrong and it offers me the answer. Choice or the walk.

Every alley has its defined rules and they hold true for every traveller but might have different edges. For small feet, the same alley can be a wonder place where he can find a box full of magic tricks, hidden by the great magician from the world. For college love, the alley might be a hideout with his love and a reason to live every moment more passionately. For an old stick, the place might be full of nostalgia. Memoirs of the beautiful evenings, animated talks and cuppa tea.

Giving up is an easy choice. Many people use that as an excuse and an effective solution. Surmounting the cliff is the path less travelled, more full of adventures, new experiences to share on the way back. More scars on body for others to question about and greater opportunities to woo people. Its merciless. Its killing. The air on the way up can throw you off the edgy uphills. But whats life without risks?

Strange when people say that they have settled down. For me it defines death. Being settled? Life is so uncertain that it itself is shocked by the development from the wrinkles it has and they are as important as light in a dark, small tunnel which smell of last beast it sheltered. Don't they find it fascinating to check what lies beyond the darkness, beyond thoughts.

The feeling of lifelessness is like sitting besides the train track and waiting for the train to pass. You know it will, but still wait for long just to feel the friction. Feel the scratching and jerks inside your head like clinching teeth together. The growing beats with the incoming thud of the train. Deeper breaths, shivering hands. Ain't this even the person who has lost everything and waiting for the train to free him, feeling deep inside. What makes him to overcome this fear and knock the door fearlessness?

Life is a single experience which you will miss and you know for yourself how. No one can define it perfectly for you. You had your share, I had mine. We made our choices and tasting the delicacies we cooked for us. Whats there to repent, or rejuvenate but the journey towards the lighthouse? Reaching on the top is just for the moment but what we own at the end is the journey and its memories. As a friend quotes from a movie, Finding Nemo, "Keep Swimming". That's what you are here for. Enjoy every stroke towards the shore and don't worry for the wrong ones.