Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything...
.... is 42. don't believe me? Fine, google it.....
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Clan can make it count!
I watched in shock and horror, as the events unfolded in Mumbai. I felt ashamed and angry that my country was brought to its knees and no one seemed to know anyway to prevent it or even put an end to it. Like every angry concerned and paranoid citizen I wanted action, and I wanted to make it count.
But even more scary was the half baked analysis and irresponsible way media was broadcasting it all. They were helping the terrorists by spreading panic far and wide, and in a way never before imaginable.
As politicians scrambled to the scene doling out money to 'kith and kin', trying to draw political mileage, dividing India again, it looked like ‘déjà vu’ of many other incidents that scarred India thus far. But, to my pleasant surprise, there were a ‘few good people’ who also wanted to put an end to it, and I'm speculating from now as to what must have transpired since the attacks...! Of course the story has the civil service (the clan) tilt to it… read on…
The attacks must have got everyone, and I mean everyone (including the civil service) caught on the wrong foot... its evident that the civil service which was the backbone of our country's growth in the early part of the post-independence era, got involved in the unthinkable sin possible for the profession, getting influenced by 'politicians'. I don't know for whatever the reason, maybe money, maybe the lack of motivation, but the clan went to sleep and hide behind the politicians. Maybe they realized that the very politicians who were stealing their glory were now becoming the fall guys for the lack of growth and no one was complaining since the people of India have a undeniable tendency to just vote for the same crook over and over again! so, things were going as a system, people were paying taxes, politicians hiked their own salaries 400% and more, created entities to funnel money out of system left right and center.
Despite all these, yet the clan always felt that they could control the chaos, so far,....
Then 26/11 happened, and ‘the clan’ was angry..... Worse they were embarrassed. they also knew that the devil that they created - this new breed of politicians, were good for nothing in this hour of crisis.... so it started straight from the top. The top advisor to PM proposed some measures to make things work, and it involved no discussions with media, no interviews and importantly not taking credit for what ever is the outcome that transpires... politicians’ nightmare!
See the series of events after the attack - PM makes a significant post change, that of the home minister.... with some conditions though for the possible successor (1) the new minister is to be more of a 'yes' man, (2) the person is to be a 'long term' candidate, i.e. possible political mileage in the long term, maybe a possible PM for the future?? it feels and looks like the work of the civil service !
The first person that PM trusts and confides for such a role, is a fellow economist… coz he knows first hand that without an inside track and loads of political mileage, its almost impossible for a 'knowledgeable man' to be anywhere in the contention of a leader of the country. Especially, in a divided country like India, if there's anything that they are united against, its in putting a geek (statesman as they call it) as head of the country...
Second fact, the days after politicians were doing what they do best, appearing in tv interviews and Paki bashing, there seems to be a void… almost as if there's a directive from PM to the members asking them to 'refrain' from discussing the plan of action publicly.
Initially the usual rhetoric were made in public and Paki govt. rubbing their hands in glee to a possible repeat of 2002 (they must be thinking Wow! these guys are so predictable!!!), the only sounds that continued to come from our Govt, were the repeating of the same points through media and some rebels who are too senior to 'shut up'. The silence and the lack of additional Paki bashing were signs that some things are happening, at last!
Next step, put pressure through the US to make Paki act... it’s been said that the way to Islamabad is through Washington (quote from a daily)… immediately the tone of Pak changes to a tone of reasonableness (show us evidence that it came from here, and all that). Of course what everyone realizes is that US doesn't have the vested interest that it had in '02, except maybe some guilt for the mess that they have created in this part of the world. At that time they had won election because of the 'war on terror'... this time around they lost an election because of the damned war, so they're not going to be doing much else for these guys.
Also, now for the US its destination India, with all the potential nuclear deals money to be made, biz deals et al......
I take a small break here.. while I've been filling up the blanks till now with theories and opinions of my own... there's one ally who is not in the thick of things.... Russia. We are forgetting our big brother who helped us grow and walk in this region. Atleast they were the first to help us stabilize and we seem to be ignoring them, now that they seem to be more of a toothless snake, with the continent disbanded into a faction of warring countries. Only time will tell how this will revise our status with them.
Way forward, we made a couple of parliamentary speeches which were on the lines of the UN speech made recently... the usual yada yada. Act helpless or rather constrained, stay diplomatic, at the same time arm-twist behind the scenes to get our way done, at least get things moving in the direction which we want. I only hope we continue to push without putting a face to the entire action. Only way to strike this kind of enemy is to play thier own game, their rules, but in their own turf. Attack from different sides, with varied objectives (seemingly at the outside at least), and achieve what we cannot achieve through the saber-rattling rhetoric that politicians are famous for. this can be possible if India's united - fat chance of that happening... maybe the clan can make it happen.. i hope so.
But even more scary was the half baked analysis and irresponsible way media was broadcasting it all. They were helping the terrorists by spreading panic far and wide, and in a way never before imaginable.
As politicians scrambled to the scene doling out money to 'kith and kin', trying to draw political mileage, dividing India again, it looked like ‘déjà vu’ of many other incidents that scarred India thus far. But, to my pleasant surprise, there were a ‘few good people’ who also wanted to put an end to it, and I'm speculating from now as to what must have transpired since the attacks...! Of course the story has the civil service (the clan) tilt to it… read on…
The attacks must have got everyone, and I mean everyone (including the civil service) caught on the wrong foot... its evident that the civil service which was the backbone of our country's growth in the early part of the post-independence era, got involved in the unthinkable sin possible for the profession, getting influenced by 'politicians'. I don't know for whatever the reason, maybe money, maybe the lack of motivation, but the clan went to sleep and hide behind the politicians. Maybe they realized that the very politicians who were stealing their glory were now becoming the fall guys for the lack of growth and no one was complaining since the people of India have a undeniable tendency to just vote for the same crook over and over again! so, things were going as a system, people were paying taxes, politicians hiked their own salaries 400% and more, created entities to funnel money out of system left right and center.
Despite all these, yet the clan always felt that they could control the chaos, so far,....
Then 26/11 happened, and ‘the clan’ was angry..... Worse they were embarrassed. they also knew that the devil that they created - this new breed of politicians, were good for nothing in this hour of crisis.... so it started straight from the top. The top advisor to PM proposed some measures to make things work, and it involved no discussions with media, no interviews and importantly not taking credit for what ever is the outcome that transpires... politicians’ nightmare!
See the series of events after the attack - PM makes a significant post change, that of the home minister.... with some conditions though for the possible successor (1) the new minister is to be more of a 'yes' man, (2) the person is to be a 'long term' candidate, i.e. possible political mileage in the long term, maybe a possible PM for the future?? it feels and looks like the work of the civil service !
The first person that PM trusts and confides for such a role, is a fellow economist… coz he knows first hand that without an inside track and loads of political mileage, its almost impossible for a 'knowledgeable man' to be anywhere in the contention of a leader of the country. Especially, in a divided country like India, if there's anything that they are united against, its in putting a geek (statesman as they call it) as head of the country...
Second fact, the days after politicians were doing what they do best, appearing in tv interviews and Paki bashing, there seems to be a void… almost as if there's a directive from PM to the members asking them to 'refrain' from discussing the plan of action publicly.
Initially the usual rhetoric were made in public and Paki govt. rubbing their hands in glee to a possible repeat of 2002 (they must be thinking Wow! these guys are so predictable!!!), the only sounds that continued to come from our Govt, were the repeating of the same points through media and some rebels who are too senior to 'shut up'. The silence and the lack of additional Paki bashing were signs that some things are happening, at last!
Next step, put pressure through the US to make Paki act... it’s been said that the way to Islamabad is through Washington (quote from a daily)… immediately the tone of Pak changes to a tone of reasonableness (show us evidence that it came from here, and all that). Of course what everyone realizes is that US doesn't have the vested interest that it had in '02, except maybe some guilt for the mess that they have created in this part of the world. At that time they had won election because of the 'war on terror'... this time around they lost an election because of the damned war, so they're not going to be doing much else for these guys.
Also, now for the US its destination India, with all the potential nuclear deals money to be made, biz deals et al......
I take a small break here.. while I've been filling up the blanks till now with theories and opinions of my own... there's one ally who is not in the thick of things.... Russia. We are forgetting our big brother who helped us grow and walk in this region. Atleast they were the first to help us stabilize and we seem to be ignoring them, now that they seem to be more of a toothless snake, with the continent disbanded into a faction of warring countries. Only time will tell how this will revise our status with them.
Way forward, we made a couple of parliamentary speeches which were on the lines of the UN speech made recently... the usual yada yada. Act helpless or rather constrained, stay diplomatic, at the same time arm-twist behind the scenes to get our way done, at least get things moving in the direction which we want. I only hope we continue to push without putting a face to the entire action. Only way to strike this kind of enemy is to play thier own game, their rules, but in their own turf. Attack from different sides, with varied objectives (seemingly at the outside at least), and achieve what we cannot achieve through the saber-rattling rhetoric that politicians are famous for. this can be possible if India's united - fat chance of that happening... maybe the clan can make it happen.. i hope so.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hold on.....
"Now we have hands-free phones, so you can focus on the thing you're really supposed to be doing ... chances are, if you need both of your hands to do something, your brain should be in on it too. "
it takes two to tango...
early on in life, i learnt one trait which i follow to date... to people that u trust, easy to be honest and direct. life's too short to keep unraveling deceptions, and falsehoods of others, and frankly not worth it (many people think its the only purpose of life). i 'learnt' this by getting caught in my own web of little white lies early part of life, coz i thought it was a necessity to get things happening the way i wanted it.
i've come a long way from then, and discovered that being honest when it matters is more rewarding and enriching. so what if people could read me a mile away? maybe i'll never be a good poker player, but i'm willing to take the chance.
to those very many people who think covering urself with web of lies is the only way to live life....i don't tango!
i've come a long way from then, and discovered that being honest when it matters is more rewarding and enriching. so what if people could read me a mile away? maybe i'll never be a good poker player, but i'm willing to take the chance.
to those very many people who think covering urself with web of lies is the only way to live life....i don't tango!
more thoughts.....
mind's been a troubled sea with storm of thoughts crashing inside the head only to disappear and withdraw beyond reach...... or am i really trying to reach them? don't know, don't care....
Lately, i've been having that helpless kind of feeling - been a long while since i've done anything worthwile, so this should b no surprise, you'd think! but wait, nope, don't count me out just yet. i'll be back... and how.
people measure their sucess in life based on what (or where) we want to end up, and so far, i've been shortselling myself for simply because i was using a wrong measure.
one thing's pretty clear now, not knowing the answer to the above question isn't a reason to limit myself to be a mediocre...
but then, the question remains, what's the real deal?? what's the right measure??? actively seeking clarity, until then, continue fishing in troubled waters.... destiny will prevail, or not! :)
Lately, i've been having that helpless kind of feeling - been a long while since i've done anything worthwile, so this should b no surprise, you'd think! but wait, nope, don't count me out just yet. i'll be back... and how.
people measure their sucess in life based on what (or where) we want to end up, and so far, i've been shortselling myself for simply because i was using a wrong measure.
one thing's pretty clear now, not knowing the answer to the above question isn't a reason to limit myself to be a mediocre...
but then, the question remains, what's the real deal?? what's the right measure??? actively seeking clarity, until then, continue fishing in troubled waters.... destiny will prevail, or not! :)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
ride the wave
"....thoughts live... they travel far." well, here's an 'insight' from inside my head (that is a lot of distance, you dummy) - i measure up people's qualities. Good or bad, I tend to notice 'traits' about people pretty quickly, and act accordingly..... well, while i've managed to keep afloat in the sea called life by listening to my instincts about people and life in general, sometimes i jump into deep end of the pool just coz my mind says don't do it (well, that's gonna be my reason and i'm sticking with it!)... basically, i've ridden several 'crazy' waves without really knowing if i'm gonna crash, and scary part is that these rides have so far been the 'memorable chapters' of my boring book called life.... hmm, giving me ideas, perhaps time to write a new chapter?
barkin up......
heard of the age old sayin - barking up the wrong tree?? Probably old, but let me attach some fresh thoughts to it....
one of swami vivekananda's most inspiring and famous quotes is ' Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced'
i look up to swami vivekananda quotes all the time.........yet, can't get that invisible doubting thomas off my back about this quote......got this image of jack and the beanstalk on my head whenever i convince myself about an idea being 'the idea'!!
hence, a branch off funda on this one quote, my own..... let the mind be a farmland, full of ideas, sow ideas, water it, nurture it and then reap it.. if the crop is suitable for the land, then make it a forest land - grow the idea, rather like what the quote said...
then why the farmland?? well, if u ever get a bad hunch about an idea, would be easier to rip it off the roots if its a farm, rather than a forest... kapish??? if you can relate to this in real life decisions and thoughts, well, you've just experienced a glimpse of what it feels like to be 27, single, and undecided on life - my style!
one of swami vivekananda's most inspiring and famous quotes is ' Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced'
i look up to swami vivekananda quotes all the time.........yet, can't get that invisible doubting thomas off my back about this quote......got this image of jack and the beanstalk on my head whenever i convince myself about an idea being 'the idea'!!
hence, a branch off funda on this one quote, my own..... let the mind be a farmland, full of ideas, sow ideas, water it, nurture it and then reap it.. if the crop is suitable for the land, then make it a forest land - grow the idea, rather like what the quote said...
then why the farmland?? well, if u ever get a bad hunch about an idea, would be easier to rip it off the roots if its a farm, rather than a forest... kapish??? if you can relate to this in real life decisions and thoughts, well, you've just experienced a glimpse of what it feels like to be 27, single, and undecided on life - my style!
round's what keeping things going...
one of god's little creations, maybe his most sucessful one yet, is a planet ball called earth.
why circle, i often wonder, why not keep it flat and simple.... will ask him if i ever get a chance to meet him. until then, ponder this, why round? maybe coz.........
why circle, i often wonder, why not keep it flat and simple.... will ask him if i ever get a chance to meet him. until then, ponder this, why round? maybe coz.........
- circle's easier to suspend in the air for a while compared to a flat surface.... if he ever decides to play with it, say hang it up like a curtain or something, with gravity and all that, i don't think i'd want to be at the bottom of the pile!!!! Point! round 1- god!
- flat's too simple and boring a shape to live in.. imagine if everybody could be to all 'nook and corners' of earth.. yawn, so boring. chances are some bozos mite consider taking a peek and maybe a leak too, at the corners of earth... hmmm, try doing that in a circular room... heheheh! round 2 & match - god!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Passing out
Why is the term ‘passing out’ used for a person who has completed his education, as well as for a person who is ‘flying high, and planning to stay that way for a while’??
I googled it to find out who coined this term, and got some crazy facts about how to pass out and kinds of damage it could do to your head….not interested or suggesting to try anything like that.
on a lighter note, in this crazy world, maybe there is some humour after all……whoever coined this term has definitely 'been there, felt that!'....
ok, enuff of that.... back to more saner posts...
I googled it to find out who coined this term, and got some crazy facts about how to pass out and kinds of damage it could do to your head….not interested or suggesting to try anything like that.
on a lighter note, in this crazy world, maybe there is some humour after all……whoever coined this term has definitely 'been there, felt that!'....
ok, enuff of that.... back to more saner posts...
Heights of drunkenness
My friend and I were drinking up yesterday, and it was one of those rare days when the drunken state seemed 'perfectttttt' to the 't'..... only problem was with the next day being a holiday, we wanted to ensure that our sleep was also in the same blissful state..... so my friend wisely suggested that we should keep an alarm to remind ourselves not to be woken up...
couple of hours later, here I am...... - the damned alarm went off!!!@@@!
couple of hours later, here I am...... - the damned alarm went off!!!@@@!
Monday, October 06, 2008
what's high about cocaine anyway?
Hey, before you get any ideas, i mean cocaine, the clapton song.
i say this because one of my friends gave me this list of his fav songs, and cocaine was way up there. i haven't got anything against cocaine (the song, again), but personally, i feel there are other 'trippy' songs, like 'lite my fire' from doors, even layla and crossroads which've got great guitar riffs. i do like cocaine - i find cocaine more of a smooth song overall, but songs like 'fade to black', comfortably numb' rank higher in my listening list....
everybody's got their preference i guess, especially the 'trip list', so if u can relate to any of the songs above, gimme a shout on a few more, i'm game!
i say this because one of my friends gave me this list of his fav songs, and cocaine was way up there. i haven't got anything against cocaine (the song, again), but personally, i feel there are other 'trippy' songs, like 'lite my fire' from doors, even layla and crossroads which've got great guitar riffs. i do like cocaine - i find cocaine more of a smooth song overall, but songs like 'fade to black', comfortably numb' rank higher in my listening list....
everybody's got their preference i guess, especially the 'trip list', so if u can relate to any of the songs above, gimme a shout on a few more, i'm game!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
opinions, me???
i realized this about me as i was reading thru various blogs which are funny, blunt and yes, very opinionated - that i try to be 'politically correct' on matters generally. its true (people who know me, can vouch for this, i dont doubt!) that i rarely get trapped into stating an opinion like a fact, (i.e. sticking with it thru thick and thin). usually, i use the context of conversation to make my opinions 'on the fly'...... however, this doesnt stop me from contributing my two cents to any topic, oh yeah, but again usually manage to sway it to the side that i'm convinced (atleast at that moment).
bottomline - at some point in life, i've figured out this subconciously - that people who have strong opinions are usually 'compartmentalized' by others. people like me, who can rattle off any topic, at both sides of the argument sometimes, are usually involved in a wider range of topics, bouncing off ideas/thoughts against a more diverse group compared to the 'opinionated' group. so, at the risk of losing crediblity, i'd live by 'opinions, who me???' philosophy, as people matter to me more than most topics do... :)
bottomline - at some point in life, i've figured out this subconciously - that people who have strong opinions are usually 'compartmentalized' by others. people like me, who can rattle off any topic, at both sides of the argument sometimes, are usually involved in a wider range of topics, bouncing off ideas/thoughts against a more diverse group compared to the 'opinionated' group. so, at the risk of losing crediblity, i'd live by 'opinions, who me???' philosophy, as people matter to me more than most topics do... :)
moving targets
i mean this in the most positive way possible, but everything in life's a moving target.... whoever said that 'change's the only constant thing in world' said it rite. gotta keep working at it, keep moving on, to even catch up to whatever it is that we need or want.
gotta remember this often, need constant reminders to understand why things have moved away so soon... it probably means we havent moved fast enuff....
enuff said.
on the funny side, if we ever reach at we aspire for, and figure out it really isn't 'the reward' that we want... lol, that, my friend is a priceless moment! :) been there, felt that - life goes on, tara rum pum....
gotta remember this often, need constant reminders to understand why things have moved away so soon... it probably means we havent moved fast enuff....
enuff said.
on the funny side, if we ever reach at we aspire for, and figure out it really isn't 'the reward' that we want... lol, that, my friend is a priceless moment! :) been there, felt that - life goes on, tara rum pum....
Thursday, October 02, 2008
'bucket list'
heard of this term?? well, i did too. and every now and then this passes thru my mind like a buzz and then i forget abt it. i had a moment like that just now.. what really is this bucket list? is this something that people create when they know that they want to 'achieve' something in life? '10 things to do before i die' kind of things.. personally, i can't even balance a check book, so a 'list' like this would probably be the end all for me! :)
but then, why do this?? me, i've always been a dreamer, will always be a dreamer. corporate life has a way about it, sucking dreams out of you, making it seem more like a fantasy. so my bicket list, if i put something together now would go like this:
travel atleast 20 different countries outside india (5% completed.... 95% loading
live a 'no strings attached' life (read earlier notes about stags, nite life, etc etc.. )
start and do something of my own-goodbye corporate life.
oh well, like i said, not much of a list, but then i can;t really decide on something that i 'must' do. any ideas?
but then, why do this?? me, i've always been a dreamer, will always be a dreamer. corporate life has a way about it, sucking dreams out of you, making it seem more like a fantasy. so my bicket list, if i put something together now would go like this:
travel atleast 20 different countries outside india (5% completed.... 95% loading
live a 'no strings attached' life (read earlier notes about stags, nite life, etc etc.. )
start and do something of my own-goodbye corporate life.
oh well, like i said, not much of a list, but then i can;t really decide on something that i 'must' do. any ideas?
Monday, September 29, 2008
movies
got this recent obsession in film making - wonder how long that lasts... till then planning to watch movies with a curios bent of criticality to understand what appeals to me and how these guys pull it off..
they say taht the best sign of a sucessful director is in pulling the audiences without them realising it. i think that may be a thing of past.. there's only so many twists and turns and what not, that it has become so cliched that people don't fall for that as much anymore. the new breed of directors are now conciously trying to put their 'stamp' on the movie in a way that audiences recognize the 'style' as belonging to particular director. it used to be more of cult thing earlier, nowadays its happening more in mainstream cinema as well.
frankly, i am indifferent to one style or the other - just want to see if director is able to sell the movie, without compromising on anthing obvious.
they say taht the best sign of a sucessful director is in pulling the audiences without them realising it. i think that may be a thing of past.. there's only so many twists and turns and what not, that it has become so cliched that people don't fall for that as much anymore. the new breed of directors are now conciously trying to put their 'stamp' on the movie in a way that audiences recognize the 'style' as belonging to particular director. it used to be more of cult thing earlier, nowadays its happening more in mainstream cinema as well.
frankly, i am indifferent to one style or the other - just want to see if director is able to sell the movie, without compromising on anthing obvious.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
shake those cobwebs!
well, fancy me saying this, you might wonder... if you've ever gotten around reading any of my posts - its depressing, a little depressing, lots of trying to understand 'bigger' facts of life 'gyaan'. yep, its true - i dont deny it. but then having said that, there are a few 'escapisms' that helps me shake off these cobwebs... music, movies, books, friends and what not..
basically, my funda in life is still evolving, but it goes something like this (for now.. :)) having 'deep' thoughts is fine - up to a point. are you going to do anything about it, other than brood over it? if not, then it helps to be free off of it every now and then.
have a hobby, an outlet, which is crazy, beyond ur grasp, something that u always wished u could have done? well, go get it. as i type this, i'm wondering if i will ever get around to do this myself. well, i'll try.
i'm in mumbai, india currently, and i've resolved to cover some good spots of this all nite city, a lil bit of which i've been to, over the last year and half.
stags, good places to go on weekends - if u know of any, let me know..
most of the places that i've been to are foodie with good music (english) places. but couple of places which i've frequented are firangi paani in andheri and hard rock in bombay dying mills compound. i go to these places more to drink than to eat, but these two I like mostly because of the crowds and the ambience..
hard rock is pretty large place, gets quite crowded close to the bar. ppl usually come in groups, couples.. very few stags around in that place.
firangi is also good, has a wide bar area, so ppl can catch a place around it, if u r not going to sit down to eat. there's a dance place in this area, and you can be sure to catch some pretty sights there. :)
another good place in bandra is toto's.. its pretty small, but the drinks are incredibly realisticly priced for you to have a good time.. unlike the other two, which border on insane for some cocktails...
if i've gotta rank these places by music, i'd say totos, hard rock and firangi (they slip in a lot of pop. the best part about totos is the amazing dj music played there. mostly rock, and that's my preference.
on a weekday u can head to other places, since stags are allowed in most. i've been to hawaiian shack.. music's really good. they've got couple of really small floors of dance floor, and the music's different in each floor. usually its hip hop in 1st floor, and more rock/pop in the other floor. check it out. the music's good in the hip hop area, and the best part actually abt this place is the small floor.
some really good beers, if u r looking for that in this city is defntly from places like leopold, in colaba.. u head out to the gateway of india area, and u'll not miss these places. old architecture, been around for ages, and pretty reputed. luv those really long giraffe kinda pitchers which u get ur drinks. speaking of pitchers, firangi's pitcher's pretty good too.. better than any other place i've tried. otherwise, kf is usually the standard beer that u can enjoy in pint/bottle.
vie lounge is pretty good place too, but expensive, i've been there couple of times and enjoyed the atmosphere, as its by the seaside.
and then if u r sloshd by end of last order (which is usually by 1.30 in the morning), head out to orchid for the midnite buffett, near the domestic airport. good spread, worth the 450-500 bucks that they charge.. luv the pastries/desserts, especialy when i'm content with good food and drinks. hic... cheers!
basically, my funda in life is still evolving, but it goes something like this (for now.. :)) having 'deep' thoughts is fine - up to a point. are you going to do anything about it, other than brood over it? if not, then it helps to be free off of it every now and then.
have a hobby, an outlet, which is crazy, beyond ur grasp, something that u always wished u could have done? well, go get it. as i type this, i'm wondering if i will ever get around to do this myself. well, i'll try.
i'm in mumbai, india currently, and i've resolved to cover some good spots of this all nite city, a lil bit of which i've been to, over the last year and half.
stags, good places to go on weekends - if u know of any, let me know..
most of the places that i've been to are foodie with good music (english) places. but couple of places which i've frequented are firangi paani in andheri and hard rock in bombay dying mills compound. i go to these places more to drink than to eat, but these two I like mostly because of the crowds and the ambience..
hard rock is pretty large place, gets quite crowded close to the bar. ppl usually come in groups, couples.. very few stags around in that place.
firangi is also good, has a wide bar area, so ppl can catch a place around it, if u r not going to sit down to eat. there's a dance place in this area, and you can be sure to catch some pretty sights there. :)
another good place in bandra is toto's.. its pretty small, but the drinks are incredibly realisticly priced for you to have a good time.. unlike the other two, which border on insane for some cocktails...
if i've gotta rank these places by music, i'd say totos, hard rock and firangi (they slip in a lot of pop. the best part about totos is the amazing dj music played there. mostly rock, and that's my preference.
on a weekday u can head to other places, since stags are allowed in most. i've been to hawaiian shack.. music's really good. they've got couple of really small floors of dance floor, and the music's different in each floor. usually its hip hop in 1st floor, and more rock/pop in the other floor. check it out. the music's good in the hip hop area, and the best part actually abt this place is the small floor.
some really good beers, if u r looking for that in this city is defntly from places like leopold, in colaba.. u head out to the gateway of india area, and u'll not miss these places. old architecture, been around for ages, and pretty reputed. luv those really long giraffe kinda pitchers which u get ur drinks. speaking of pitchers, firangi's pitcher's pretty good too.. better than any other place i've tried. otherwise, kf is usually the standard beer that u can enjoy in pint/bottle.
vie lounge is pretty good place too, but expensive, i've been there couple of times and enjoyed the atmosphere, as its by the seaside.
and then if u r sloshd by end of last order (which is usually by 1.30 in the morning), head out to orchid for the midnite buffett, near the domestic airport. good spread, worth the 450-500 bucks that they charge.. luv the pastries/desserts, especialy when i'm content with good food and drinks. hic... cheers!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Travel plans - Connecting the dots
Ever been bitten by the Journeyman bug? Felt a wanderlust that washes over you like a tidal wave when you look at countries and ..... oh well, I get that, and mostly a Journeyman'esque desire to connect the dots in maps.
My recent fixation is on South East Asia (me being in India, all the more reason to think that it's do-able), after a good friend of mine visited Bangkok. Well, as usual I pulled up this map in Google and what do I see, countries dotted together like states in our country. In India, I've travelled about 8-10 states & its major cities ...... Been to Mumbai, Delhi (passed through... caught glimpses of the touristy things), Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Silvassa (Daman- although only for a party, so can't call that really visiting!), then being more of a southie... travelled all states and cities in south - Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Ooty, Cochin, Palakkad, Yercaud, etc etc all the way down to Kanyakumari.... wait, how could I forget Andamans - yep, been to Port Blair and other mini islands as well.....
Well, while searching for articles on Bangkok, came across so many blogs, travel logs and memories of people, captured so vividly and for a point - a point of sharing it so that many such prospective travellers could benefit from it. Will make concious efforts from hereon to share many such little tidbits which could be a starting point for many. One pain point is that I'm not as meticulous or as organized as these fine bloggers, but not making excuses - will definetly work to share travel logs in future.
Back to the topic of connecting dots - Bangkok. Travel costs are as low as Rs.16-20k to it from Chennai/Mumbai. Well, my friend ended up spending about 30-35k for 5 days and was very upbeat about the overall travel & stay. Me being me, pulled up the map, and was working out the incremental costs to 'connect the dots'...still dont get it??? look left, right, up, down to Thailand and you'll see what I mean!!! Thailand's neighbours include, Laos, Myanmar (not planning to travel there), Cambodia (definitely on - Angkor Wat), Vietnam??-maybe, but pushing it too east, Malaysia, Singapore.. connect this and i'm up with a mammoth cost of close to a lakh. Still trying to work out the math, number of days for this trip and the logistics (need multiple entry travel visas for some countries...etc etc). More importantly got to save up enuff moolah to cough up in thai bhats!
My recent fixation is on South East Asia (me being in India, all the more reason to think that it's do-able), after a good friend of mine visited Bangkok. Well, as usual I pulled up this map in Google and what do I see, countries dotted together like states in our country. In India, I've travelled about 8-10 states & its major cities ...... Been to Mumbai, Delhi (passed through... caught glimpses of the touristy things), Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Silvassa (Daman- although only for a party, so can't call that really visiting!), then being more of a southie... travelled all states and cities in south - Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Ooty, Cochin, Palakkad, Yercaud, etc etc all the way down to Kanyakumari.... wait, how could I forget Andamans - yep, been to Port Blair and other mini islands as well.....
Well, while searching for articles on Bangkok, came across so many blogs, travel logs and memories of people, captured so vividly and for a point - a point of sharing it so that many such prospective travellers could benefit from it. Will make concious efforts from hereon to share many such little tidbits which could be a starting point for many. One pain point is that I'm not as meticulous or as organized as these fine bloggers, but not making excuses - will definetly work to share travel logs in future.
Back to the topic of connecting dots - Bangkok. Travel costs are as low as Rs.16-20k to it from Chennai/Mumbai. Well, my friend ended up spending about 30-35k for 5 days and was very upbeat about the overall travel & stay. Me being me, pulled up the map, and was working out the incremental costs to 'connect the dots'...still dont get it??? look left, right, up, down to Thailand and you'll see what I mean!!! Thailand's neighbours include, Laos, Myanmar (not planning to travel there), Cambodia (definitely on - Angkor Wat), Vietnam??-maybe, but pushing it too east, Malaysia, Singapore.. connect this and i'm up with a mammoth cost of close to a lakh. Still trying to work out the math, number of days for this trip and the logistics (need multiple entry travel visas for some countries...etc etc). More importantly got to save up enuff moolah to cough up in thai bhats!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Shashi Tharoor's Sunday Column on Kipling's "IF" poem
First of all... this is a response that I've put in the form of an open letter to Shashi Tharoor's Sunday Magazine column on Kipling's IF Poem.....
His article goes like this....
-----------------------------------------------------------
Faithful readers — and I know I have a few — are aware that I have had a few unkind things to say about Rudyard Kipling over the years, in this space and elsewhere. But there was one work of his I was very fond of when young — and n o, I’m not referring to his precious Jungle Book, with little (white) Mowgli surrounded by all the menacing (sub-human) animals of the Indian jungle. The words of Kipling’s that I most admired, and often recited, were those of his poem “If”:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master,
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools...
Immortal truths?
And so on it went, but these were the lines that rang resonant in my impressionable mind, especially the bit about Triumph and Disaster. The poem seemed to me to speak immortal truths that all individuals of conviction had to live by: the need to stand up for what you believe in even if your ideas are scorned, your motives suspected, your performance distorted; the need to persist doggedly on the right path despite the hecklers and naysayers around you; the need, above all, to have faith in yourself and not be swayed by either pressure or pleasure. Of course the poem weakened somewhat in its second half, with the lines “If you can make one heap of all your winnings/ And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss”, an exhortation to gamble that I thought irresponsible even in my teenage years, and the nakedly sexist imperialism of the closing lines, “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, /And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!” But on the whole, I said to myself, Kipling may have been a racist thug who suffered from bipolar disorder and opium addiction, but he certainly had a way with words, and the words in this poem were not only inspirational, they were rhythmically recitable — and they rhymed pretty well too.
Well, all of us grow up, and in time I too outgrew my lingering respect for Kipling as anything but a wordsmith — a craftsman of high talent without a soul. So it might have passed — with all due contumely for the inventor of the notorious phrase “the white man’s burden” and the equally racist assertion that East and West could never meet. But when I recently discovered that Indian schoolchildren of my acquaintance were still reciting “If” in elocution contests and learning it by heart for literature courses, I felt I had to raise my voice in protest. Because, in celebrating Kipling’s poem, we are not merely celebrating a benighted imperialist — we are unconsciously paying homage to a specific incident in the nasty annals of imperialism.Historical context
For “If” was written for a purpose, and the purpose was to honour Kipling’s friend Leander Jameson, one of Africa’s nastier colonists in the service of Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company. Jameson had won fame for a military misadventure baptised by the British media as “Jameson’s Raid” — an assault in 1895 on the elected Boer government of South Africa, which he hoped to overthrow and replace with a more congenial alternative — congenial, that is, to British imperialism. Jameson and his raiders were soundly thrashed and widely pilloried even by many Englishmen; many historians consider that his attack began the unfortunate cycle of events that was to lead to the outbreak of the Second Boer War. The government in London, which historians believe to have been behind the raid, cynically disowned Jameson and his men and even put him in jail for his pains, much to the outrage of Kipling and his fellow jingoists. The poet wrote “If” in response, to urge Jameson to ignore his detractors and persecutors.
So what many see as an inspirational poem full of stirring aphorisms for young people to live by is in fact little more than an apologia for an imperialist misdeed. In that, “If” is little different from the Kiplingesque effort by Britons in India two decades later to raise funds in support of Brigadier Dyer, the butcher of Jallianwallah Bagh. Fine words strung together in praise of the morally indefensible: that was Kipling every time, and the sonorous cadences of “If”, alas, are no exception. It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and his ilk belong. And then perhaps we can offer new closing lines to our fellow citizens who spurn Kipling: “Yours is the land and everything that’s in it, /And – which is more – you’ll be an Indian, my son!”
-------------------------------------------------------
now i'm putting my point on this:
Hello Mr. Tharoor,
This is in reference to your recent article on The Hindu newspaper's Magazine section on Kipling's "If" poem titled "Losing our heads to Kipling?".
Your article is very enriching and provide great level of insight into the real meanings of various phrases & the flow of the 'explosive' poem. I describe it as 'explosive' as that is the honest emotion that I can relate to when I read the poem.
The love for this poem really stems from the fact that I (like many fans of this poem) identify some aspects of the feelings and emotions in the poem. And many a times the clarity to pen these thoughts, actions and ideas is what differentiates the great from the rest. Kipling's poem is one of such fine works of art, which stands out simply because it holds your attention and is able to positively 'swing' and nudge your emotion in a subtle yet manupulative way.
Just like many of the hollywood, or 'bollywood' movies where people fall in love with the movie irrespective of whether the movie was made with a 'hidden agenda' or not, this poem stikes a chord to many. While the real 'story' may be very relevant in understanding reasons for the flow of the poem (your point of 'weakening second half' is a case in point - albeit I didn't find it weak at all.... on the contrary, being a perenial underachiever who has trodden the 'safe and middle path' all my life, such thoughts indeed were fodder for my mind many a times ....but that's a different argument which I will leave out in this mail...). However, it should not be 'The Reason' to like or dislike a work of art.
If school children or schools continue to subscribe to the poem written by "a wordsmith without a soul", as you put it, the real reason is not ignorance or love for the poet, but for the power of the poem. People seldom look beyond what is said if they find the answers that they are seeking (you, sir, are an exception, which probably explains where you are and what you have achieved till date). I myself am feeling the varied emotions of seeing the poet in a new (not very charitable) light yet not able to dislike the poem entirely after reading your article. When I look at the poem detaching all other aspects, I find myself asking these questions, which I want to share with you:
While it might seem to be the right thing to do, now that we are armed with the real and full knowledge (I wrote 'the real truth' but then thought that its too harsh a phrase in this context, since Kipling never attempted to bury or deliberately mislead people, atleast I assume so), is it right on our part to deny young minds the fiery, stormy, hotly brewed cup of poetry that helped shape so many energetic thoughts, ideas, actions and goals in our heads during the very many times that we read the poem?
By rewriting or burying art for the hatred of artists or bias against them, are we not doing the same injustice that we critize the religious zealots, the 'right-wingers'? Are we not closing our minds, and attempting to shut the minds of others to ideas, poetry, art by removing their brilliant works due to the personal affiliations of the artists?
I write this piece to you more to convince myself than to try and convince you. Because, I realized when I read it, if such a new revelation could dilute the power of the poetry in my mind, god knows for the person who unearthed it how hollow and insincere the poet's words may appear, and how cheated he would feel about something that he once loved.
In writing this to you, I expose my divided (not equally split, as you can see I'm tilted more towards the love of the poem of many years than towards the recent but powerful fact) and conflicting thoughts. Yet, I realized that I am not entirely in favor of the other 'solution' of removing it entirely from sight and mind. I belong to the group of people who have found lot of inspiration from 'drugged up' musicians, people on the verge of suicide, anti-social people etc. To look at this situation on a lighter & slightly positive note, we can clearly see how the right inspirational buttons of Keating's has been pushed for him to come up with such a work!
With that train of thought I humbly conclude my long and tiring stream of thoughts on this issue. I wanted to put my point across for your eyes, so that you can pause in your pursuit to expunge this work of art and consider my humble request to let sleeping dogs lie (in this case). Rather than beleiving that we pay homage to the poet or to the specific incident, I am asking you to look at it as a medicine for very many who fill their void of self-doubt, lack of confidence, the depressed thoughts with this poem of positive energy and who don't really care if the poem was written by a raving lunatic or a hardened criminial.
- Bala Hari
His article goes like this....
-----------------------------------------------------------
Faithful readers — and I know I have a few — are aware that I have had a few unkind things to say about Rudyard Kipling over the years, in this space and elsewhere. But there was one work of his I was very fond of when young — and n o, I’m not referring to his precious Jungle Book, with little (white) Mowgli surrounded by all the menacing (sub-human) animals of the Indian jungle. The words of Kipling’s that I most admired, and often recited, were those of his poem “If”:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master,
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools...
Immortal truths?
And so on it went, but these were the lines that rang resonant in my impressionable mind, especially the bit about Triumph and Disaster. The poem seemed to me to speak immortal truths that all individuals of conviction had to live by: the need to stand up for what you believe in even if your ideas are scorned, your motives suspected, your performance distorted; the need to persist doggedly on the right path despite the hecklers and naysayers around you; the need, above all, to have faith in yourself and not be swayed by either pressure or pleasure. Of course the poem weakened somewhat in its second half, with the lines “If you can make one heap of all your winnings/ And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss”, an exhortation to gamble that I thought irresponsible even in my teenage years, and the nakedly sexist imperialism of the closing lines, “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, /And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!” But on the whole, I said to myself, Kipling may have been a racist thug who suffered from bipolar disorder and opium addiction, but he certainly had a way with words, and the words in this poem were not only inspirational, they were rhythmically recitable — and they rhymed pretty well too.
Well, all of us grow up, and in time I too outgrew my lingering respect for Kipling as anything but a wordsmith — a craftsman of high talent without a soul. So it might have passed — with all due contumely for the inventor of the notorious phrase “the white man’s burden” and the equally racist assertion that East and West could never meet. But when I recently discovered that Indian schoolchildren of my acquaintance were still reciting “If” in elocution contests and learning it by heart for literature courses, I felt I had to raise my voice in protest. Because, in celebrating Kipling’s poem, we are not merely celebrating a benighted imperialist — we are unconsciously paying homage to a specific incident in the nasty annals of imperialism.Historical context
For “If” was written for a purpose, and the purpose was to honour Kipling’s friend Leander Jameson, one of Africa’s nastier colonists in the service of Cecil Rhodes’ British South Africa Company. Jameson had won fame for a military misadventure baptised by the British media as “Jameson’s Raid” — an assault in 1895 on the elected Boer government of South Africa, which he hoped to overthrow and replace with a more congenial alternative — congenial, that is, to British imperialism. Jameson and his raiders were soundly thrashed and widely pilloried even by many Englishmen; many historians consider that his attack began the unfortunate cycle of events that was to lead to the outbreak of the Second Boer War. The government in London, which historians believe to have been behind the raid, cynically disowned Jameson and his men and even put him in jail for his pains, much to the outrage of Kipling and his fellow jingoists. The poet wrote “If” in response, to urge Jameson to ignore his detractors and persecutors.
So what many see as an inspirational poem full of stirring aphorisms for young people to live by is in fact little more than an apologia for an imperialist misdeed. In that, “If” is little different from the Kiplingesque effort by Britons in India two decades later to raise funds in support of Brigadier Dyer, the butcher of Jallianwallah Bagh. Fine words strung together in praise of the morally indefensible: that was Kipling every time, and the sonorous cadences of “If”, alas, are no exception. It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and his ilk belong. And then perhaps we can offer new closing lines to our fellow citizens who spurn Kipling: “Yours is the land and everything that’s in it, /And – which is more – you’ll be an Indian, my son!”
-------------------------------------------------------
now i'm putting my point on this:
Hello Mr. Tharoor,
This is in reference to your recent article on The Hindu newspaper's Magazine section on Kipling's "If" poem titled "Losing our heads to Kipling?".
Your article is very enriching and provide great level of insight into the real meanings of various phrases & the flow of the 'explosive' poem. I describe it as 'explosive' as that is the honest emotion that I can relate to when I read the poem.
The love for this poem really stems from the fact that I (like many fans of this poem) identify some aspects of the feelings and emotions in the poem. And many a times the clarity to pen these thoughts, actions and ideas is what differentiates the great from the rest. Kipling's poem is one of such fine works of art, which stands out simply because it holds your attention and is able to positively 'swing' and nudge your emotion in a subtle yet manupulative way.
Just like many of the hollywood, or 'bollywood' movies where people fall in love with the movie irrespective of whether the movie was made with a 'hidden agenda' or not, this poem stikes a chord to many. While the real 'story' may be very relevant in understanding reasons for the flow of the poem (your point of 'weakening second half' is a case in point - albeit I didn't find it weak at all.... on the contrary, being a perenial underachiever who has trodden the 'safe and middle path' all my life, such thoughts indeed were fodder for my mind many a times ....but that's a different argument which I will leave out in this mail...). However, it should not be 'The Reason' to like or dislike a work of art.
If school children or schools continue to subscribe to the poem written by "a wordsmith without a soul", as you put it, the real reason is not ignorance or love for the poet, but for the power of the poem. People seldom look beyond what is said if they find the answers that they are seeking (you, sir, are an exception, which probably explains where you are and what you have achieved till date). I myself am feeling the varied emotions of seeing the poet in a new (not very charitable) light yet not able to dislike the poem entirely after reading your article. When I look at the poem detaching all other aspects, I find myself asking these questions, which I want to share with you:
While it might seem to be the right thing to do, now that we are armed with the real and full knowledge (I wrote 'the real truth' but then thought that its too harsh a phrase in this context, since Kipling never attempted to bury or deliberately mislead people, atleast I assume so), is it right on our part to deny young minds the fiery, stormy, hotly brewed cup of poetry that helped shape so many energetic thoughts, ideas, actions and goals in our heads during the very many times that we read the poem?
By rewriting or burying art for the hatred of artists or bias against them, are we not doing the same injustice that we critize the religious zealots, the 'right-wingers'? Are we not closing our minds, and attempting to shut the minds of others to ideas, poetry, art by removing their brilliant works due to the personal affiliations of the artists?
I write this piece to you more to convince myself than to try and convince you. Because, I realized when I read it, if such a new revelation could dilute the power of the poetry in my mind, god knows for the person who unearthed it how hollow and insincere the poet's words may appear, and how cheated he would feel about something that he once loved.
In writing this to you, I expose my divided (not equally split, as you can see I'm tilted more towards the love of the poem of many years than towards the recent but powerful fact) and conflicting thoughts. Yet, I realized that I am not entirely in favor of the other 'solution' of removing it entirely from sight and mind. I belong to the group of people who have found lot of inspiration from 'drugged up' musicians, people on the verge of suicide, anti-social people etc. To look at this situation on a lighter & slightly positive note, we can clearly see how the right inspirational buttons of Keating's has been pushed for him to come up with such a work!
With that train of thought I humbly conclude my long and tiring stream of thoughts on this issue. I wanted to put my point across for your eyes, so that you can pause in your pursuit to expunge this work of art and consider my humble request to let sleeping dogs lie (in this case). Rather than beleiving that we pay homage to the poet or to the specific incident, I am asking you to look at it as a medicine for very many who fill their void of self-doubt, lack of confidence, the depressed thoughts with this poem of positive energy and who don't really care if the poem was written by a raving lunatic or a hardened criminial.
- Bala Hari
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Knowing others helps to know yourself
We meet a wide range of people with different personalities, different goals, aspirations in life. Often, we pick and choose some as our companions, friends, mentors, gurus, etc etc. The others, the so-called wannabe friends, whom for some reason our mind writes-off, or blocks them as a no-good, a worthless person, or a 'not-so-good to have around' kind of people, also exhibit certain qualities which is very important and really helps us subconsciously to gravitate towards our 'preferred' group. They might be aggressive, passive, obstinate, arrogant, humble, soft, loud, vulgar, bold, shy, timid, passionate, crude, selfish or just plain stupid (according to our judgment). Looking beyond the obvious is such as easy thing to say, but very very difficult (impossible for many) thing to do in real life. Why? One answer could be because these are people we 'choose'... meaning: they are not our siblings, or parents - and even there, we can always exercise the 'exit' option.... (divorce, disown parents, kids or siblings, etc etc).
The emotions, the qualities that people exhibit are so incredibly varied. Again, why? I believe that overall personality of a person is nothing but the sum total of different qualities which they have imbibed... understanding them better will help draw the boundary as to which areas are best left uncrossed and which areas are worth opening up. To know about yourself, it'll be great to know what defines your judgment as good and bad, and what better way to test it than being with varied people and knowing them. Maybe you'll realize some qualities in them that'll help give you a different dimension about yourself and others. Not to mention the candid 'criticisms' that these people can give - will also help you (oh yeah, I've experienced it too!). As one of my mentor said to me once, to be a successful person, you must draw from the strengths of any given group. If you let the negatives /weaknesses in a group affect you or flow into you, it'll weigh you down and anything that you do.
Note: Abstract thoughts....not supposed to make sense!
The emotions, the qualities that people exhibit are so incredibly varied. Again, why? I believe that overall personality of a person is nothing but the sum total of different qualities which they have imbibed... understanding them better will help draw the boundary as to which areas are best left uncrossed and which areas are worth opening up. To know about yourself, it'll be great to know what defines your judgment as good and bad, and what better way to test it than being with varied people and knowing them. Maybe you'll realize some qualities in them that'll help give you a different dimension about yourself and others. Not to mention the candid 'criticisms' that these people can give - will also help you (oh yeah, I've experienced it too!). As one of my mentor said to me once, to be a successful person, you must draw from the strengths of any given group. If you let the negatives /weaknesses in a group affect you or flow into you, it'll weigh you down and anything that you do.
Note: Abstract thoughts....not supposed to make sense!
A life less exciting
Often the verdict is out to comment on people's lives if according to the viewer (often a friend) the other person's life is less exciting compared to their's or compared to an average Joe..... 'You need to get a life!', 'this is your life, make it count' are the kind of jibes & swipes people take at them, of course in an obvious attempt to spruce up the activity and overall appearance of the chap in discussion. Agreed, its all well meaning and only the real concerned parties go to the extent of bailing out the 'soul in distress'.
The other side of the coin, the chap with the 'life less exciting' tag. You can practically write his life story in a page, no wait, in a paragraph (why not?). What goes into the person's mind for him to resign and sign-off to a life that always seems to be 'stuck in second gear'?
Thoughts, opinions, comments welcome.
The other side of the coin, the chap with the 'life less exciting' tag. You can practically write his life story in a page, no wait, in a paragraph (why not?). What goes into the person's mind for him to resign and sign-off to a life that always seems to be 'stuck in second gear'?
Thoughts, opinions, comments welcome.
What's all this worth?
Everybody's out to achieve something! Or atleast trying to! and ofcourse, it needs to be big!
Hard runners want to prove to world that they are worth something! while long runners want to prove to their near and dear that they can be relied upon.... but wait, stop.... what about those in-between'ers?? those who want to run either hard or long, but not for these reasons... those who want to run, want to compete in life, but for the sake of just proving it to themselves. Ask them, what's all this worth.
Again, 2 kinds of responses... some are determined to fulfill their dreams, their goals.... they'd say, its worth everything. For them, all of this is a need to have! Others, who are doing it for the heck of it, not really pushing hard (who feel these are good to have, not need to have), they back out, side step, avoid confrontation or slow down when their goals appear to bulldoze people and their feelings out of the way. We never realize when we move from one stage to another, yet we move on...
When do we stop to think, wait a minute, what's all this worth? Answer: only when our heads are swimming with confusion, when more than one answer seems to be correct, when procrastination or 'do nothing' seems to be the ideal answer to our thoughts rather than actions. Often, we end up only breathing but not living....
Here are little something that I cling to...
“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”
&
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”
Question: Until we reach the "how to act" stage, or until you feel that the one idea that you have is "THE IDEA", the question remains...."what's all this worth". I believe when we reach the stage, then and only then will we be truly able to answer this question with true conviction.
(Both of above quotes are of Swami Vivekananda's)
Hard runners want to prove to world that they are worth something! while long runners want to prove to their near and dear that they can be relied upon.... but wait, stop.... what about those in-between'ers?? those who want to run either hard or long, but not for these reasons... those who want to run, want to compete in life, but for the sake of just proving it to themselves. Ask them, what's all this worth.
Again, 2 kinds of responses... some are determined to fulfill their dreams, their goals.... they'd say, its worth everything. For them, all of this is a need to have! Others, who are doing it for the heck of it, not really pushing hard (who feel these are good to have, not need to have), they back out, side step, avoid confrontation or slow down when their goals appear to bulldoze people and their feelings out of the way. We never realize when we move from one stage to another, yet we move on...
When do we stop to think, wait a minute, what's all this worth? Answer: only when our heads are swimming with confusion, when more than one answer seems to be correct, when procrastination or 'do nothing' seems to be the ideal answer to our thoughts rather than actions. Often, we end up only breathing but not living....
Here are little something that I cling to...
“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”
&
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”
Question: Until we reach the "how to act" stage, or until you feel that the one idea that you have is "THE IDEA", the question remains...."what's all this worth". I believe when we reach the stage, then and only then will we be truly able to answer this question with true conviction.
(Both of above quotes are of Swami Vivekananda's)
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