Freedom and independence.

Is there a thin dividing line between freedom and independence, or is it ‘thick’? The feeling of freedom is more like being content with oneself and his physical and mental environment. The feeling of being at ease and yet safe and sound and within limits. Freedom is a feeling you enjoy. Its like the breath of fresh air when you break to the surface of the water after swimming underwater for a long time.
Independence is being self-sufficient. There is freedom, alongwith which appear responsibilities. Responsibilities which have to be taken up and tasks which have to be completed in order to be called a truly independent person. The feeling of being free and yet that of having a sword tied to the end of a rope above your head. Independence is more like the breath of fresh air when you break to the surface of the water after swimming for a long time…….only to realise that land is far away and you have to swim for atleast a mile before reaching the same. I guess so.........

Money.....Fame....Satisfaction.....

We all have our dilemmas regarding selection of a career path. It might occur at different times for different individuals, but, yes, the questions do arise……what kind of job would I like to do? In which field would I like to make a career? In the present scenario, there are a lot of options, which makes the dilemma even worse. It wasn’t a big decision some years ago when men had no option but to take up a job quickly. Education wasn’t that important or there were a few who could afford higher education. Settling down quickly in life and earning money to fulfil your basic needs was necessary.
When I completed my engineering degree, I went to my father for some ‘career advice’. He had seen my confusion before and gave me the most practical advice.
He told me……

”Son, You have to decide what you want. You have to decide what makes you happy. In your happiness lies your success. You have three options…..Money, fame and satisfaction. Money will bring you all the luxuries in life. It will satisfy all your materialistic needs. Being money minded might make money multiply……..but remember that if you focus only on money it is likely that you will stop living a ‘life’. Its not a question of how much money will satisfy your needs. It’s a question of how to satisfy your needs in the earned amount.

“Fame might be some the ultimate goal for some. Fame comes when someone does something great or something stupid!!!……like win an olympic medal or become an actor of bollywood or dives from a cliff and escapes alive!!! But with fame comes responsibility to maintain the status….and not to defame it!! And the good old saying goes………Fame is a fickle friend. When you are famous, there are people who would call you friends….but you get to know who your true friends are only when you lose your fame and the times are bad. Fame and money often go hand in hand but not always”

“The third option is the one which I would advice you to go with……satisfaction. Decide what career will make you feel satisfied. I ask you…..why do you want to earn money? I have earned enough so that you can enjoy your life to a certain extent…..atleast take things at an easy pace. I have worked hard and earned a lot of money….did I have an option? I am not saying that you shouldn’t earn money or be famous……the point of telling you this is that I want you to decide what you want. I want you to take up something that’ll make you a happy man.
If money or fame make you content…then so be it….go after it… If satisfaction is your cup of tea….look for a 9 to 5 job and be happy with what money you get and your designation….youll also get an opportunity to try out new activities as youll get home early!!!”

“If you find utmost satisfaction in only money and fame or if you get all the three in the same career…..you will be the luckiest and the most successful man alive!!!

Gym

A room full of exercise equipment, a rack having some dumbells, maybe a music system, a small changing room and a trainer guy who looks like a ‘bouncer’ are probably the basic things which make up the gym. I have been going to a gym for almost a year now (Not counting the breaks…of course!!). I have achieved a considerable degree of progress………….in the sense that I love to just shout out loudly when I am lifting something heavy, I love to hear the music at a volume that probably would burst others ear drums and I now walk like a guy who has a plank of wood stuck between his sides and his arms. Apart from this, I have managed to build my body just a teensy weensy bit.
Apart from the workouts I have, over the years, observed, a lot of people who come to the gym….their exercise habits….good, bad and annoying etc, their daily workouts…… their body types (fat and short, short and skinny, skinny and tall, tall and fat etc). First of all……the trainers…….some trainers are known to be aggressive marketeers. A gym I went to, once had a trainer who pep talked all the newcomers on the first day. “I will train you in such a way that you’ll have a great body in a month!!!” People generally left the gym one month later when they did not meet the trainer’s expectation!!!! . Some trainers will be more like ‘caretakers’. They will sit on a chair in the gym shouting orders to anyone who do not keep the weights in their racks. They will collect the fees and write receipts and change the FM radio channel or the music CD. If anyone comes for advice they will direct you to a muscly fellow and simply say ‘ask him’. Apart from these there are good trainers who will give you good workouts, push you, but still not over the edge.
As I have mentioned before the type of people coming to the gym are also worth observing. There will be skinny newcomers who will stand in front of the mirror and will lift the sleeves of his t-shirt when no one is looking and will observe their muscles. Some others who are less shy will do it openly even if they have nothing to flaunt!!! There will be those annoying types who will stand between you and the mirror when you are performing an exercise so that your view is completety blocked. Fat ones, who will sweat like pigs after walking treadmills, turning pink in the face, well built ones who will strut in style throwing their chests out, flaunting muscles and heave and shout when they lift heavy weights screwing their faces as if constipated. And some others who will be very normal……very few of them.
The above views are, of course a few of my observations (sarcastically stated) . I will not list out the advantages of going to the gym as they will not even fit inside a full book. All in all I would personally advice you to go to a health club…. Don’t overdo weight training; don’t build your body like there’s no end to it and you start looking like a gorilla. Build a lean and muscular physique, increase your fitness levels and stay healthy. ‘Health is Wealth’. Be brawny and stay brainy!!!!

Of dogs and cats.....

Two of my friends and me were sitting in the garden this evening and saw a stray dog chasing a stray cat …it seemed that the dog would catch the cat until the cat climbed on a compound wall and leapt onto the branch of a tree. Since the dog could no longer chase her it gave up…

Rohan: Did u see that?

Irfan: Ya….shes so nice….

Rohan: Who?

Irfan: That girl who is sitting over there.

Rohan: You idiot….wasnt talking about the girl….I asked whether you saw the dog chasing that cat?

Irfan: No. Whats so interesting about a dog chasing a cat? I see it everyday…..Come to think of it…..i even see that dog chasing some of those people who come late nights from office…… These stray dogs and cats are a nuisance.

Rohan: I wish I had a dog at home as a pet.

Me: Well your parents do have u as a pet, isnt it, you dog!!? Hahahaha!!!!

Rohan (giving me a friendly punch): No, seriously man, dogs are so adorable....I hate cats….they are horrible.

Me: Yes, that’s true, dogs are very faithful to their masters….would give up their life for them. Cats are the opposite. Give them a bowl of milk and they’ll come and get it and go away. If you don’t put that bowl of milk the next day….they wont come!!!

Irfan: But cats are cute man….when I see those small kittens….I feel like keeping them as pets. Keeping pets is a tough thing guys…..the cost of keeping a pet at home is more than the expense of keeping a person home. Besides they have to be trained not to carry out their morning activities inside the house!!

Rohan (in a serious tone): No man, that’s not true……I mean, look at ravi, the expense of keeping him home is a lot for his parents……….he eats so much!!!

Me (this time I give him a friendly punch): Idiot!!!

Rohan: My friend Tina has a dog at home…..

Me: Oh!! So that bitch has a dog at home….hahaha!!!!

Irfan: I was bitten by a dog…when I was young….a stray dog of this locality.

Rohan: So its all thanks to you that todays generation of dogs in this locality are totally mad!!!

Rohan: I want a pet dog……someone I can love…..

Me: You better stay away from me……if you want to love dogs…..there is something wrong with you man!!!

Zindagi Talaash kar..

Rehne de aasman,
Zameen ki talaash kar,
Sab kuch yahin hai,
naa kahin aur talaash kar,
Har arzoo poori ho jaye, to jine kaa kya mazaa,
Jine ke liye bas ek kami ki talaash kar.

-By
Not me.

Time: The healer or the killer ?

When you want something and its due to come after a few days…..,ever had the feeling that those few days seem to take forever to pass by?. The time seems to stretch towards an eternity. Neither can you make the time pass quickly and neither can you supress the desire. It’s a kind of ‘suspense’ which numbs you, becomes intense, and sort of eats you up. You think about it day in and day out and perform your routine activities mechanically, without really putting your mind to it, as your mind is wandering elsewhere on that ‘something’. You feel frustrated as well as excited in a manner in which it would excite you when a friend tells you that he has a pleasant surprise in store for you!!!
Have you ever felt anything like this?
I have, in fact I am feeling it right now!!!! They say time is the healer. At such times, time is the killer!!

Never be afraid to say what you feel.........

Got the above picture through email today. The subject line was ‘Motivational Poster of the day’. Found the picture to be very inspiring indeed. It shows two dogs, a large one and a smaller one. The larger one seems to be a dominating, ….big and ‘lordly’ sort of character. The smaller one is tiny as compared to it.
I can imagine….. the bigger intimidating dog bullying the smaller one and saying something like “Hey you, punk, give me the juicy bone you found or ill break yours.” The smaller dog looks straight up at the huge dalmation and says….” Fuck you bully, I found the bone and ill chew it…..wont give it to you…..”

Well the thing to be learnt here is the attitude of the smaller dog…..it sometimes pays to say what you feel without being afraid. It cannot be said that its always correct to open out……….but again there are people who don’t speak out at all simply because they are afraid that they are wrong and might be reprimanded by others or they want to remain safe or they don’t want to upset others feelings.

People who are never afraid to say what they feel will have the mental satisfaction to have taken up their turn to share their thoughts. At the same time it cannot be said whether that persons opinion counted and whether it had any impact on the others and if it did, was it a good impact or a bad impact? .And then of course in case of the scenario depicted in the picture….the smaller doggie is only inviting his death. (But then we all die only once…isnt it?) There are advantages of keeping quiet too and not saying what you feel, too. You don’t give a clue to the other person as to what you are thinking and by doing so you have the mental satisfaction of holding back your aces so as to play them in future, provided you do have aces and you do intend to play them in future!!!
I feel that the picture above is great and very inspirational…..however I would like to add some lines and modify some of them……the total proverbial expression would be something like this……

Don’t be afraid to say what you feel. However say it when the time is right. You be a judge of what the right time is. Whenever necessary hold back what you feel and say it later.

TV serials suck.

It was a Wednesday evening. My neighbor, an old lady was having some trouble tuning the desired channels on her TV and had asked me to help her out. She has an old Onida TV, which does not have a remote control and is literally falling apart. So after coming back from office I decided to take a look at her TV and help her with the same. Just as I was about to ring her doorbell I heard some noises……….some lady screaming at the top of her voice. I thought for a moment that it was my neighbor herself. My senses went on red alert. Grabbing the nearest heavy object I could find (there was a wooden plank on the parapet.) I rang the doorbell urgently. My old neighbor opened the door calmly. She seemed to be alright!

Aunty : Why are you holding that wooden plank son? Were you going to hit me or what?
Me: I thought you were screaming aunty………that’s why I thought some intruder must have entered your house…………
Aunty: No No. The TV volume is too loud……..you must have heard Phoolsi screaming.
Me: Who is Phoolsi?
Aunty: She is a character from the serial ‘Kintu gunga kuta bhi kabhi bhonkega’.

These serials………they are a harrasment to people like me. According to me TV serials should be banned. They are full of scheming, plotting and anti-social men and women who have no better jobs than to think and do evil. Murders are very common in TV serials. Sons of the same mother seem to appear out of nowhere!!! (legal or illegal sons ) Plastic surgeries are also a regular feature.
A plastic surgery is generally not a part of the original story. Whenever an actor wants to call it the quits from the TV serial (because he himself is frustrated by the fact that the story is going nowhere and hes dead bored and wants a change.) the shows producers and story writers create an ‘accident sequence’ in the TV serial wherein the actor undergoes serious injuries and his face is disfigured………. then comes up the new face, the new actor…….after the plastic surgery!!!!
Camera angles and background music are such that they create a dramatic effect for the ladies who watch these serials.
A serial always portrays good characters and bad characters……….the good characters are the ones who suffer a lot. After being afflicted with a lot of attrocities……they finally either die or come to their senses and become badder than the bad characters and start their revengeful tactics. In addition to this a TV serial also portrays some characters whom I would categorize as ‘simply hopeless’. These are the ones who are too good…..saints more like. They would take anything lying down, without opposition.
All in all TV serials / soaps suck. They are dead hopeless and very irritating. The background music makes me want to blow either my TV down or my brains out.
Unfortunately most of the ladies (moms age) watch these and love them too……who the hell created the concept of a TV serial anyway?

Goodbye pal..........

This bears reference to the post written on 29th march 2008. It describes my dilemma at choosing a good 150 cc bike. After much speculation on the matter, I finally came to a decision. Booked a Honda Unicorn last week. Will take delivery of bike on 7th May which is considered to be an auspicious day according to the marathi calendar (It’s a day called as Akshay tritiya……its not the birthday of Akshay Kumar or Akshay Khanna or anything…!!) So all in all I am a very happy man. Eagerly awaiting my new bike.
But then there is another side of the story. Ill have to sell off my old bike which means I will have to say a goodbye to it. Will be a sad moment to see it sold off and taken by someone else. After all it has been a ‘humsafar’ and ‘saathi’ for almost 2 and a half years now. There is some nostalgia associated with my bike. I went on my bike for my company interview 2 years ago. Got the job and since then have been travelling almost everyday on my bike to office. Its given me a great ride everyday. For the summer months it’s a great pleasure to ride a bike because you can feel the wind when you ride it. During the winters it gets freezing cold on the bike and in rainy season I feel a childlike joy in riding through the puddles and pools of water. In fact I love to ride a bike in rainy season!!! It’s a great to be soaking wet. People find it dangerous to ride bikes in the monsoons. I find it adventurous!!! I also went for two of somewhat long bike rides on this bike. One to my grandfathers Karjat farmhouse with one of my friends and another time went to Karnala with two of my friends!!! I also survived an accident on this bike for which I have to thank it for keeping me in one piece, and its dear leg guard for well and truly guarding my legs from any injury!!! It saved me while getting badly damaged itself. From my side I serviced it from time to time and gave it my personal attention by cleaning it every weekend!!!
So I dedicate this post and the given below poem to one of my best pals……….my dear old hero honda super splendor……….and I bid adieu to it…….Thanks for being a great pal!!!!

Alvida mere dost,
Alvida mere saathi,
Tum chale jaooge, Par yaad tumhari aayegi,
Is dil mein tum, hamesha amar rahogi !!!

Tips from my boss...

After attending a gruelling kick off meeting for a new project today, I was leaving office today when my boss (lead engineer on the project, he must be around 40 years of age) called me and we had the following conversation,

Boss: Ravi, Can you give me a lift till nerul on your bike today?

Me: Yes sir, sure can.

Boss: Hope you don’t mind. You aren’t giving a lift to someone else today, are you? A girl or anyone? Your girlfriend, perhaps?

Me (Aloud): I don’t have one, sir, till now
Me (Thinking) : If I have one in future and want to give her a lift after office ill tell you to buzz off, thats obvious isnt it?

Boss: You don’t have one? How come?

Me (Thinking): Kyun mai kyaa Salman Khan hu kyaa? (Am I Salman Khan or what?)
Me (Aloud): Sir, koi pasand nahi aayi abhi tak……..

Boss: How many of our office colleagues are bachelors?

Me: Myself, Rohan, Tushar, Omkar, Sachin, Sachin (There are two sachins) and Gaurav.

Boss: None of them have a gf?

Me: As far as I know, at least I don’t. Don’t know about others.

Boss: Kyaa re? Kaam ke jaise idhar bhi tumko madat ki jaroorat hai kyaa? (Do you need help here too, i.e for searching some girl for you?)

Me: Sir, lagta hai idhar bhi kisi ki madat leni padegi……waise bhi maine zindagi bhar madat lee hai. School bhi mom and dad ne dhund nikali mere liye, engineering college admissions lene ke liye bhi paiso ki madat lagi, abhi finally ladki bhi mom and dad hi dhund ke denge……madat to leni hi padegi!!! (Sir, I think ill have to take some help in this case too. Anyways I have always taken help from people for my whole life. Dad and mom found the right school for me, even during engineering admissions, mom and dad payed my fees, and so finally, here too, I think mom and dad will search for the right girl for me!!!)

Boss (Laughing): Milegi milegi…….I will give you some tips.

Me (Thinking): Tu kyaa studd hai kyaa? Kyaa din aa gaye hai? Ab een cheezo me bhi isse tips leni padegi? (Are you a studd? What the hell? Now this fellow will even give me tips even on such topics or what?)

Boss: Here’s the first tip……….



I could see the sun setting from the window of my office………………..

Gudi Padwyacha hardik subhecha!!!! Happy Gudi Padwa!!!!!

Wishing everyone a very happy Gudi Padwa or as in marathi ‘Gudi Padwyacha Hardik Subhecha’ (I think its too late to wish now, but still….its ok). The significance of the Gudi Padwa festival day is that it marks the start of the maharashtrian new year. According to mythological sources it is said that this is the day when Lord Brahma created the world after the ‘big deluge’. Some sources say that when Ram returned to Ayodhya after his 14 years in exile people commemorated it by hoisting Gudis. The ‘gudi’ means the flag of Brahma (Brahmadhvaj).
Gudi padwa at my place went off pretty well because, first of all, it’s a holiday. We made garlands for the house and decorated and hoisted the Gudi. Secondly mom prepared the ‘Basundi’ which is one of my favorite sweet dishes. The ‘basundi’ is a delicious and lip smacking recipe which when eaten fills up your stomach quite quickly but still, the quantity does not satisfy your heart. The third most satisfying thing was the afternoon nap. There is no greater pleasure than eating basundi and snoozing in the afternoon!!! I can say that, the beginning of the new year with a marvelous day for me!!!!

Peculiar, bad or simply disgusting habits.

Have u come across people who have peculiar, bad or simply disgusting habits? It is said that old habits die hard. Some observations………..

The nose diggers and the ear wiggling experts:
If these people are near you, please be careful when you are shaking hands with them, chances are that you may find a pieces of ear wax, or human bogies on your hands after you shake em. If you do, by chance, get to observe a nose digger or a ear wiggler, just watch his expression when he does this ‘job’…..Theyll appear to be transported into seventh heaven……….. eyes closed, enjoying the blissful feeling of taking their fingers right upto the end and finding the desired piece of …….hahaha!!! Disgusting? Or odd?

The pan chewers:
This is something which is very common in india. Pan chewers will be seen everywhere, even in corporate offices and high level parties. Talking with their mouths full of paan and spitting like theres no end to it. Spitting from windows of buses, spitting from windows of apartments, spitting in the basins and on walls and leaving the red stains. Paan chewing is ok…but I find that spitting is a highly disgusting habit.

Auto-rickshaw drivers:
They always sit on one side of the seat. This is either to give you a view of the road ahead through the windscreen or they simply feel the heat radiating from below their seats. The third possibility is that they are always ready for an emergency bail out!!! Whenever there is danger simply bail out!! Let the passengers take care of themselves!!!

Smoking:
Smoking is injurious to health………..is what is written on cigarette packets. (I find this to be extremely ‘ironical’. But then of course it is the same as a statement which appears on a mutual fund investment form ‘Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks. Please read the offer document carefully before investing’. It is like saying “You can buy it but I wont give you any guarantee, it could be risky”). Smoking is definitely an evil habit. But then smokers don’t care.

Consumption of alcohol:
Alcohol consumers will always celebrate their joys and sorrows with the consumption of their favourite alcohol. A bottle of rum, a pint of beer, a shot of tequila, bottoms-up, quart, khamba are some of the favourite terms of the standard alcohol consumer. There are some people who simply don’t care what kind of drink it is. They just like that high feeling which follows consumption of some minimum quantity of alcohol. This ‘minimum quantity’ is different for different individuals. Some get a kick earlier than 2 large glasses, some don’t even get it beyond a quart. It’s a matter of shame for some drinkers if they consume less alcohol or get a kick earlier than others do. It’s a big thing if you can drive straight after consuming a quart or more of alcohol for some.
Consuming too much alcohol affects the liver. Yeah, that’s right, he stops living!!!

And the list of strange, peculiar, disgusting or bad habits continues……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………to infinity…………………………………………………………..and beyond.