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. 

Story a dream has to tell..

A recurring dream can be inferred as a dream that haunts you every night it strikes you. Though you know what's coming your way the effect and haze of dreamland makes it impossible to come out of it. A dream that sends that shrill down your spine!!

I see a constant dream where I see small multicolored balls. They are bouncing across the walls of my mind and gravity has its effects. However, they decrease in size with time initially and pose as if they would disappear. Suddenly, they start to grow as they bounce back and forth. Their size seems to define the volume of the space. Next thing I remember is they disappear and room is empty.

Phase-II starts with me running in space and I run as if some one's life depends on me and I have to get there to open a safety lock. Suddenly I feel that I am the prey and something is chasing me. I run like a machine only difference is I don't get anywhere. I feel like running in a vacuum with no friction and no ground. The sense of losing the grip is evident in my efforts without gaining any momentum. Frustrated and scared I wake up and don't know what to infer from these dreams, if anything at all.

Lets walk beyond distance

saw the moon painting the landscape

as I walked into the sea.

it was sharing all its thoughts

as if it was a part of me.

creating shadows on the pathway,

we both talked of sanity.

i pulled my sheets, she covered with stars,

wishing all the dreams to see.

purity, love and joy we talked,

we also talked about morality.

pain, hatred and lost passion we talked,

we spoke of insecurity.

they come, they go, dark in the moonlight,

holding hands behind the tree.

they live in heartbeats, thoughts,

and eyes for someone else to see.

just look in my eyes when you feel left out,

or when silence speaks as a bumble-bee.

hold my hand and walk outside the darkness,

lets think beyond you and me.

What if

What if I wake up tomorrow and find out that the people I knew all through my life were part of a dream. A dream that I was playing in my head while I was in a Coma and all of a sudden I got out of the dark side and its dark again?

This identity defying thought ventured in so many times and I am still lost to find a solution to this 'What if'. So when I go home and find that the house is there but no one inside who knows me or whom I know and they were NEVER there, how would I react? What if I can see the same view that I had witnessed in my dream but nothing more than that matches with the reality? 

Would I drown myself in the pain of having no one around or I would start something new? Will I trust anything more in my life or would I just walk out to find new faces? If I do find new people what should I do to make sure that this is not another dream? Haunting as it seems this thought is also comforting to some extent. Strange? Yes, its strange even to me. 

Its like the music that you listen to again and again and then it starts being part of your system. The box shaped car that you see your neighbour driving everyday and you start liking some features of it. Like some false political promises which come into being, cyclically with time. 

Is the race the answer?

This is in perspective of what happened to Satyam Computer Services in India. As the drama is unfolding it is sure that many people are at fault. Why? Is greed the sole reason? Or race to be leaders led to a situation like this? 

Is this a common path by choice for all big firms? That does not mean all the big firms are part of it or all the CEOs are filling the pockets. But it surely reflects that people go blind when they want to reflect positive about themselves. They forget who they actually are and want to project an image which is beyond common. Surely favorism exists, but how can companies overcome the shadow of competitors when all they have is the same to offer?

As we know many runners have come back strongly and have been found guilty of using drugs. Though its biased to generalize here but is this a proof that a certain level of heat is necessary to keep the food warm? Moreover what would the impact be if firms all over the world follow this path? What if the auditors who are appointed to work for shareholders are happy blanketting the sin? Should there be any set of authority who govern the auditors? Who is to be blamed for this mess will be clear with time, but as people electing the government are held responsible in this case will the employees suffer the same blame?

have you tasted blood?

is the question that people who have tasted it ask. and mostly the answer is no. in my case it is YES.

in this case blood is a metaphor though for weirdness. once you have tasted weird things in life, you wish everyday has some essence (ark in urdu/ hindi would be proper) of it. its like once you start enjoying the swaying of a boat life seems pointless without it. the raw smell of salt and water around with the melody of waves makes life much more enjoyable. 

i am not referring to a person here. its just the case that some movie, song or something weird that is first experience is always missed. a new trick in the cards of life makes life exciting, may be am missing a great book which has the great tricks hidden. 'Messiah's handbook' by richard bach can be seen as something like that. 

'waqt mano tehar sa gaya ho, ek mod hain jo paar nahi hota. ek raat hain jo basar nahi hoti aur ek pal hain jo yaadon mein jam gaya hain'.

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. 

Sometimes...

...its fun just to dip your head in the snow on the street, when everyone else is watching you.

...its rude to be good with everyone.

...its simple to be complicated and wonder about the complicated life. 

...its difficult to listen to Inspector Vijay jokes (courtesy Ashwin).

...its easy to cook food, with people screaming in your ear.

...its hard to see your dear ones suffer.

...its absorbing to plan for a steady future but know that its subjected to change.

...its exciting to visit unknown places with zero or 100% expectations.

...its different to observe at a smiley which is as confused as you are.

...its an cake-walk to be more nostalgic in class than in your bed room.

...its killing to watch someone suffer for no fault of theirs.

...its kewl to be uncool.

...its frustrating to limit life to 24 hours.

...its natural to be tensed about things beyond your control.

...its reliving to live in moments.

...its untidy to be more tidier than other people.

...its funny to watch people react on your stupid comments.

Pictures worded

Infusing colors, shades of reds and blues

an evening comes with life riding.

Dancing to the tunes, smiling, holding hands,

feeling the beats on your body, like magic wands.

Perfect blend of darkness and words, subtle.

Reflections of dreams, like sky-scrappers.

Ink mixing with water, like wind transcending.

Heart beats as images, full of passion. 

Lines flowing on a sheet, blank.

Riding the moments, an amatuer horse.

Wild roads, thumping adrenaline,

Pure emoticons, wild calls!!!

Just for a moment

So this thought came visiting, while I am watching this movie, "Before Sunset". 

How simple things are until we force them and make them complicated? Life has all the most beautiful moments decorated with music-less heart beats. Its something like a peaceful evening walk, besides a lake watching the moonlight. Watching the swaying leaves of the coconut tree, through which the moon can be seen. Watching the people sitting on the bench and wondering what they are thinking about. Enjoying the fragrance of sand, when rains decide to carry away the pain. Basking in the sunlight as winter begins to soar. Listening to the pigeons, after their long struggle for a place on window pane. Understanding the unspoken words, after a tiring day. Enjoying the delicacy of ice-cream, after a long walk. 

Heart likes what is simplified. Human nature has evolved towards simplicity. However, its the most difficult thing to achieve. Relations evolve and nurture, where simplicity is an essential ingredient. Work towards simplifying things, rationally and life will be a much better journey. 

Net-less life

Well before thoughts start drooling elsewhere, I would like to drag your attention back. The heading is about impact of not having internet (net) functional at home. Its been around 2 months that I am in Boston and this is a first exhibit of me feeling that things are better in India.

The net at home got disconnected on a silly note. Mis-communication is a mistake common reality everywhere but how stupid can one be? As a policy exhibited earlier on this blog, I won't highlight the name of the company providing us the internet connection. However, we asking the provider to shift the main connection to the second floor, considering we had a HiDef TV set, upstairs thanks to Anj proved to be like hitting our leg on a pole. What the provider did was funny. They disconnected the net 3 days prior to the day planned to shift the lines. Why? Because that's how they work here. BS, I say!! Even a small ISP could have acted smartly in remotest part of India.

The days are spent in college and nights at home, like in a desert. The fact that life hovers around net makes it so dependent on small things like these. Can we import some entry level workers from India to impart a training here? Is there any Murphy's law for this, just curious!!!

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!!

Got the numbers?

The way education system in Maharashtra is changing I can only empathize with the maximum number of students. Currently Maharashtra State Board came up with a policy of normalising the scores of its students to make them equally competitive with the ICSE and CBSE students. I say its a good policy for the students of State Board who were suffering otherwise. But I also have some doubts about this policy.

1. Majority-ignored: With normalisation of scores, number of students who have passed the exams have improved. Nothing bad you will say. But here's the catch. The students who have scored more than 85% has increased drastically. With the nominal increase in number of seats the college are facing an unprecedented issue of admitting students. Students in Mumbai having less than 85% are waking to a nightmare of 'No-Seats-Available'. This competition is unending. If the students with more than 90% cannot get into their choice of college what about the majority? This problem wasn't thought of while devising the policy? If it was what is the solution?

2. 70-30% reservation: This is a fresh course of concern for students. If the students this year are breathing freely for this policy won't be introduced this year think of future batches. This policy states that 70% of the total seats will be available for students from that district only. So if I hail from some part of Mumbai which has less number of colleges I will compete in 30% bracket with the majority of students like me in other districts. Thus, I cannot hope for getting an admission in Pune also since I will fall in the 30% bracket, an alternative option.

The filtering policy applied in the 70-30 policy is completely mind boggling. This way the future generation is not only pressurised to perform from the age when they should rather explore but also feel the threat of left stranded in this majorly education based economy. Will this or wont this lead to brain drain?

PS: Feel free to drop your comments on this future-sensitive topic.

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??

e Building

Here are a few things I observed the Indian IT companies are doing right.

1. Catching them young: Your target work-force is yet to enter the ripe age for performance. But they can be tapped by the competitors and you want the best from the campuses. You visit the campus in pre-final year and start with Pre-placement talks (PPTs, as they are termed) and impress the crowd. Show them the on-site opportunities, grab their minds by throwing some big names and show them a rosy picture of life in the company. Dont get me wrong. I dont have anything against the companies. Just that I am free right now.

2. Greasing the minds with money: So you find out that the mall culture has boomed and so has the desire to spend money in the fresh minds. You offer them a package that they cant refuse. Its liking buying them for good. Well now that you have got them in, what should be done to keep them involved? A quick solution. Offer them a salary hike even before they join. That builds a loyalty factor and gives free brand-building a face. Win-winning strategy.

3. Impressive Infrastructure: So if you ask anyone on the street what does India lack in and the answer before your question is finished will be "Infrastructure". Its a proven fact that humans love lavishness, scale of sizes and glitter. Make the factories look more bigger, space-like and there you have it employees would be talking about the brand more than the values it is based on. Make the cafeterias look like another episode of Jetsons and serve with a smile!!

I am sure these are not the only driving factors. But they are good enough to get the best brains. The strong systems, core marketing teams and sky-rocketing clientile list makes IT in India what it is right now. It surely has changed the outlook towards job across industries now and I hope this is just the begining.

Pun Intended...Murphy's laws

Just ponder through the following Murphy's laws and have a great laugh at them when you remember the examples to relate them with.

If anything can go wrong, it will

If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong

If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop

Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse

Nature always sides with the hidden flaw

Everything goes wrong all at once.

In nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, if everything is going right ... something is wrong.

It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.

Nothing is as easy as it looks.

Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.

A valuable dropped item will always fall into an inaccessible place (a diamond ring down the drain, for example) - or into the garbage disposal while it is running.

You will always find something in the last place you look.

The other line always moves faster.

In order to get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it.

If you fool around with a thing for very long you will screw it up.

When a broken appliance is demonstrated for the repairman, it will work perfectly.

When in doubt, mumble. When in trouble, delegate.

If you want something bad enough, chances are you won't get it.

He who angers you controls you, there-fore you have no control over your anger.

Whatever you want, you can't have, what you can have, you don't want.

Open page...

Have you ever felt that what you read, listened to or watched could easily have been your thoughts? Something that comes naturally to you is presented in a precisely similar way?

Well, that's the time you feel that the whole story was there, right in front of you. For a time longer than you can ever imagine. It was a sketched image of a bridge which would have linked two diverse banks of reality. All that was needed was some time with the thought.

Thoughts are the most that we live with. We are nothing but thoughts and we don't give them enough time. Why? Now here I can have a long list of 1023 reasons. However, once the thought is taken up by someone its no longer yours though it might own you for an eternity. Its so disturbing for a few people when thoughts are mis-used by someone for they are being mis-used is the inner-feeling.

Ponder well on what you are thinking and give your sub-conscious thoughts a good amount of time. As imprinted in 'The Alchemist' sub-conscious has the power to make the whole Universe conspire for you. So thoughts you are and thoughts are re-born but tapping the energy and life is what makes them come alive, forever.