HAHAHA

Look...remember....think...do..is....was...will..shall...should....why...how...who...me....you...this...that...

HAHAHAHA....me thinks im turning insane...is this also world going insane....wher does this end....whats the motivation....why am i doing what i am doing.....fighting for work....fighting to learn...learn n do what???

23....whats so spl abt 23 yrs....whats gonna happen in 23 yrs next...why...should i evn be thinking...is survival the only purpose!!! for me 2 fit into this template which ppl think is apt....i dont want 2 do that...i am not doing that!!!do what you can do abt it....will i change...yes i will...bt for worse or better

....why do i think the way i think....i want to rebel against ideas whose time has come....break them...wreck them.....shatter...

travel....hmm that will b interesting...b on a paid holiday permanently...in same part of the world....mayb evn anoder planet....wait dats possible now...no no...den go 2 anoder universe!!!

why am i writing this...fr sum1 2 cum read this.......i cud well as keep it on my pc n lock it....this and that...there and here...hw and why.......the circle goes round....re-invent the wheel i say till it becomes a square!!!

Fly Away......

Well .....so I am working!!! And this is my first post since then....wooosh quite a long time!!! So what do I have to say.....have lots to say about my job, corporate life...etc. But for now...just the beauty of the sky and the land below.....pics taken 30,000 feet above sea level....INDULGE!!!

Do I really matter....???

Sometimes I just wonder what is the very purpose of our existence. Where do we fit into the scheme of things in this one speck in the universe called earth? Does GOD really exist or is it just by a co-incidence or accident that evolution happened?

So many unanswered questions in my mind. A particular scene in "Babel" where DiCaprio's character reasons with a priest that Jesus made an accident happen in which he was the main culprit and the priest's furious reaction to the reasoning, started me thinking about the system by which "God" functions.

Another movie called K-PAX was about this guy who thinks that he is from another planet. Never mind the movie, the counsellor and this "alien" were discussing about the system of justice in the respective planets. The "earthly" counsellor was amazed that the other guys planet dint have any laws in place and asked him how would they punish people who murder. The "aliens" reply is the moot point to this blog when he replies..."you humans will never understand - an eye for an eye was never the solution". And somehow I found this quite complementing DiCaprio's situation where he thinks God wanted him to commit the accident and thus it was God's will. These two scenes from two completely different movies made me question the whole system of justice and punishment. Although i quite support the present system, this conflict of human actions and God's will have made me question it none the less.

While we are on this, I also recently read an article in the "Speaking Tree" about Dwaitya and Advaitya where in there two opposing concepts. While "Dwaitya" says that God and human soul are separate entities..."Advaitya" prescribes that there is only ONE being in this world.

Coincidentally(or not??) a book Im currently reading "Celestine Prophecy" says that there is no such thing as co-incidence in this world and that there is a particular pre-determined design to every single event. Just made me wonder whether me seeing these two movies and then reading that article was a co-incidence...My guess is as good as yours!!!

After so much of thinking and then some more thinking, I have come to the premise that there is no conclusion to this answer. After all...how much ever importance I attach to my being, I shall still remain one of the six billion beings trying to survive on one of the billions of planets hanging around in space!!!

Epitah in the making....

As of this moment we are seeing two of the biggest events on the Indian political theatre.....namely the UP Elections and the Presidential "Election"!!! And boy o' boy has it been akin to a classic Alfred Hitchcock movie as the plot gets thicker by the moment.

As for as UP goes, the casting has been done brilliantly with Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati as the lead actors. That is not to say the least about the brilliant supporting actors in form of the 3 Singhs(Rajnath, Amar & Kalyan), Gandhis(Sonia, Priyanka & Rahul) and special appearance by none other than AB Vajpayee & Lalu Yadav.

The UP Elections just go to show the nadir that Indian politics has reached. While the BJP has tried to up the rhetoric and the ante on the Hindutva & the Ram Mandir issue, the SP, BSP & Congress have been canvassing for the OBC & the Muslim vote. Thus, in the process, widening the already sensitive and tense caste equations. While on this issue, it would be so unfair to not talk about the Reservation issue, for the Congress & the UPA who have always upheld the 'secular' flag, the quota misadventure just goes to show how pro-minority their secularism agenda behaves!!!

Well reading the Speaking Tree column somedays ago, an interesting concept I came across was that of idol worship being just an initiation into believing the Formless. Well the analogy I can draw with the UP elections is that people will pin their hopes on various parties and there shall even be da weirdest of coalitions(SP-BSP...u muss b kiddin me), but in the end all the people of that great state shall find is that political parties are just shameless.

In the earlier days (not that I have personally experienced any...but having read speeches of luminaries like Jaiprakash Narayan & Morarji Desai...its a certainty) elections used to be fought on developmental issues with fiery speeches by leaders based on the ideology of one's party. And oh for the joy of today where leaders exchange mild notes on the criminal cases either one of them has been involved in!

Everyday there are new depths of shamlessness and indignity being reached by politicians. The remark by Mulyam Singh Yadav's brother that Nithari killings are a matter of routine and then the subsequent failure of the CM to even visit the area are indeed matters of great concern. "We the People" , as the Constitution proclaims, seemed to have been caught in this vicious circle of politics and money where to enable one to get into politics you need money and to get that money you either become corrupt or rob a bank and then become a criminal(which is the easier route to become a politician by the way)!

Coming back to the UP Elections, it certainly has provided us with utter VFM entertainment what with Rahul Gandhi making irresponsible statements about the Babri Masjid Issue and the India-Pak war of 1971, Amitabh B promoting the SP through sum slick(???) promos abt "UP mein hain dum", the battle of the bahus...Sonia Gandhi vs. Mrs. Big B.....oh if only some one would have paid a few crores more and roped in the newly wed Abhi-Ash into dis jumboree.

Well the UP results are to be expected in the next few hours, the political scenario has never been more exciting and in dire straits at the same time.....perhaps Epitah of the Indian polity in the making???

FAREWELL!!!!

First things first, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of my kid bro Jayesh for sprucing up the color scheme of the blog. From the earlier state of the blog being barely readable, it has surely come a long way...Thanks again Jayu!

So I have had a couple of my MBA friends already pack up and leave Bombay for good. Its such weird feeling – knowing that I may not see some of them ever again. Having spent 2 years of your life being associated with so many people and for them to suddenly leave, comes as the unkindest cut of them all. My post today is dedicated to all these fellas with whom I have shared so many moments & may not get the chance to do so anymore….

Firstly, my dearest friends its been a pleasure knowing you - and would take this chance to appreciate whatever moments we have spent together –even a two-minute interaction (who cares for duration anyways – in outerspace even a lifetime is just an hour!!!!). During a recent conversation with a friend, I just realized that the greatest learning from the course has come not from the classroom but from the varied individuals we got a chance to interact with. Every one is unique in their own sense with their own talent, quirks and idiosyncrancies. You have the chance to either learn or waste the opportunity. And thankfully, I have managed to learn quite something from the amazing batchmates I have had.

Humility is one of the best things that I have observed in my time at b-school. Even though there were quite a few – showing off their father’s moolah, I couldnt but help notice the majority who inspite of having the money, chose not to flaunt it.

Another thing I have learned is helping others without expecting anything in return. For here I have learned to share and share meaningfully and give everything to a friendship that you possibly can do. And sometimes not even expect a good friend in return…..

What also I do take back is not getting caught with smaller things and looking at the bigger picture and the larger scheme of things - & one of my bestest friends “Galat” as I call her – has a lot to do with it. Because sometimes having more marks, answering back some curt remark or chasing a purportedly superior position are just blips on the radar of life. Why lose sleep when you could do some hundred more things – better and effectively. One should always remember that there are always so many things which you never know exist and then see how exciting life can be!

Weird combination of courage & whackoness helps!!! This I learnt during the longggggg placement “week” in college. Letting go of chances when the future prospects of placement were bleak is one of the most daunting decisions I have ever made in my life The kind of tension and anxiety that I came to bear upon myself for not applying to atleast a dozen plus amazing companies & the experience of being booted out at 3 places is not a pleasant memory but something which I will treasure none the less. (And when we are at this point discussing placements, I somehow cannot fail but recall those crazy moments of ectasy when a fundu company was supposed to vist college for recruitment, those frantic visits to the CMC & checking your inboxes expectedly everyday, twice or more times a day. It was also the time when there was a certain bonding between so many of us friends – those discussions about the future, those bitching sessions about the undeserving jerk getting someone’s dream company, encouragement all round.) What I would want to remember is the camaraderie and the concern everyone showed –inspite of all their own tensions and insecurities. That even though there is so much at stake, its important being a human being first!

I could go on with this list and Im sure one day I will surely write a little more on this with time giving me the benefit of hindsight, but for now there is one last thing that I shouldn’t fail to mention. And that is – Answer just what your heart prompts you. Because sometimes the analyzing and the paralyzing doesn’t help, logic goes awry and anxiety blurs your thoughts.

Finally, I would like to end this post with a certain something I wrote when Trimester II of our course was just about to start & this holds true even today( and so does a little bit of the corniness in this torturous attempt of a prose )

I wish for us to be satisfied and at the same time be not satisfied, to be happy with our achievment and also aim to better it the next time around

I wish for us to get to know each other a little better, and enjoyin each others imperfection

I wish for us to give in our best and excel in what we not do best...ya u read it rite....wat we not do best

I wish for us to get to know new friends and discover unknown admirers

I wish for us to look at life in a refreshed manner, takin every challenge head on and without complaining

I wish for us to break monotony, to try out the untried and jus twist the rules.

I wish for us to be ourselves and not pretend to be something we arent.

I wish for us to stick it out for each other and just be there wen someone needs you.

I wish for us to not repeat our mistakes but also know that there is nothing called perfection

I wish for us to not endeavour for a new beginning but to make a promise and work towards an improved tommorow.....

I wish for us to not get captured in the present but also not live in the future

I wish for us to not forget old friends and rediscover forgotten ones

I wish for us to achieve that point of inflexion we keep on talkin about

I wish for each one of us to add value to ourselves, to others and be pleasant n happy always.

I wish for us to juss enjoy life,to discard uncalled for tension, to throw away unpleasant memories, to live a better day...every day....

My friends, wherevr you may go, may the light of success and the brightness of joy follow you. Wishing you luck & fortune in your future endeavours & may this journey be full of enchanting experiences as you ride off with the vivid memories we have shared together......BON VOYAGE!!!

Lunatic Proportions!

So I am at it again, writing a piece for my blog when everyone expected it to be a one-star wonder!!!! But fear not, the torture has just about begun……

So last week I finally got myself a camera …Canon S3IS ,a promateur(for the uninitiated it’s a an amateur “tryin” to become a professional). Now there are two words to look out for – amateur – cant even call myself that and the second and the more important one is “Tryin”…like im tryin to write this blog, trying to be at peace at myself……

And I have always been fascinated by the moon….so what does a person do who recently got a cam and is amazed by the moon! Yeah …clik the moon & these are the two shots im proud of although they may not even be close to being good…but what the heck…remember you agreed to get tortured neways.

The first one was clicked right next to Welingkar under a tree, at dusk! After a long hard series, I finally got the moon where as I would want it. The second one was jus a simple neck- breaking attempting at shooting the moon while sitting down on the sea face, creaking my neck muscles to depths and stretches they dint know existed.

Seriously my photography is taking lunatic proportions(pun intended)!!!! :)

Remembrances!

Today…yet another piece of BLOG gets added to the cyber world. This blog has been in the waiting as I was not sure what it would be about & even today that holds true. My first thought was of course – a blog should be about my everyday life and the shit that I make happen and go through. Nahhh…I thought that would be too boring, so then I decided to write about life in general and try being a ‘lil philosophical. That sounded interesting but wondered if I could sustain writing on such a topic. Next idea that came was writing about general stuff – stuff which I read and follow religiously – politics, cricket, business, etc. I asked my self a question – when there are so many newspapers available with so many so called “experts” ranting about everything from the “progress” under the Congress regime to the chances of India winning the bid for the 2016 Olympics – which retarded soul would care about my opinions???

So I being a total Bombayite – love the Bhelpuri – so my blog is a mix of everything that I have mentioned about and probably even more. So that explains the title of my blog – “rantings” and of course these are gonna be pure mental “torture”.

Well so my first blog comes at a time when I am just about to graduate from B-school. And so this first blog goes out to these last 2 years. Frankly, I rate these two years as a total sheer success or as a marketer would put if…VFM. For in these two years I have learnt so many things which I never knew I could be or do. I have learnt about making friends and figuring out who are just acquaintances and who are to be with you for life. School life had been a bitter experience and gave me this inferiority complex which took me all of 5 years of college life and more to shrug off. Welingkar has been an environment where I felt that I am on an equal footing with everyone and could be comfortable being myself. \ I saw this is an opportunity to make friends – and I leapt at it. Probably like someone who hasn’t had food for days and when suddenly its available, he overeats and causes himself an stomach upset – similar was the case for me. For I tried to make as many friends as I could and now that I think of it, many people just misunderstand me for this reason. For I couldn’t possibly sustain so many friends at a time and let go many, consciously and sub- consciously.

But no regrets, for the few friends which I have now are all literally distilled. And these friends are the reason that Welingkar has been a dream ride, for at every moment there was someone new I was discovering and relating to. The way the last two years have happened were great and wouldn’t want them to change a bit. Of course, there have been some bitter instances and some friends which I think would last the distance but which just fizzled out. But who wants to talk about these.

This is a time to rejoice and recollect the happy memories, the trips, the outbounds, the drunken misadventures(literally), projects at crazy hours of the night, lectures with IP messengers, unemployed people talking their heart out after a rejected interview…man have these days have been fun or what. From the first day I could feel a change –been a little more confident about myself and this has grown over a period of time. I have learnt about following and leading, about connecting with people at more than just surface level, and that amazing feeling that there are people apart from your family who believe in you.

2005 – 2007…what a journey!