Ram Jhula

When you walk on Ram Jhula you have faith that it will hold you and you won't fall. Have same faith in Ram too. 🙏

Woh Khoon Kaho Kis Matlab Ka

वह खून कहो किस मतलब का     

जिसमें उबाल का नाम नहीं।

वह खून कहो किस मतलब का

आ सके देश के काम नहीं।     

वह खून कहो किस मतलब का

जिसमें जीवन, न रवानी है!

जो परवश होकर बहता है,

वह खून नहीं, पानी है!

उस दिन लोगों ने सही-सही

खून की कीमत पहचानी थी।

जिस दिन सुभाष ने बर्मा में

मॉंगी उनसे कुरबानी थी।

बोले, “स्वतंत्रता की खातिर

बलिदान तुम्हें करना होगा।

तुम बहुत जी चुके जग में,

लेकिन आगे मरना होगा।

आज़ादी के चरणें में जो,

जयमाल चढ़ाई जाएगी।

वह सुनो, तुम्हारे शीशों के

फूलों से गूँथी जाएगी।

आजादी का संग्राम कहीं

पैसे पर खेला जाता है?

यह शीश कटाने का सौदा

नंगे सर झेला जाता है”

यूँ कहते-कहते वक्ता की

आंखों में खून उतर आया!

मुख रक्त-वर्ण हो दमक उठा

दमकी उनकी रक्तिम काया!

आजानु-बाहु ऊँची करके,

वे बोले, “रक्त मुझे देना।

इसके बदले भारत की

आज़ादी तुम मुझसे लेना।”

हो गई सभा में उथल-पुथल,

सीने में दिल न समाते थे।

स्वर इनकलाब के नारों के

कोसों तक छाए जाते थे।

“हम देंगे-देंगे खून”

शब्द बस यही सुनाई देते थे।

रण में जाने को युवक खड़े

तैयार दिखाई देते थे।

बोले सुभाष, “इस तरह नहीं,

बातों से मतलब सरता है।

लो, यह कागज़, है कौन यहॉं

आकर हस्ताक्षर करता है?

इसको भरनेवाले जन को

सर्वस्व-समर्पण काना है।

अपना तन-मन-धन-जन-जीवन

माता को अर्पण करना है।

पर यह साधारण पत्र नहीं,

आज़ादी का परवाना है।

इस पर तुमको अपने तन का

कुछ उज्जवल रक्त गिराना है!

वह आगे आए जिसके तन में

खून भारतीय बहता हो।

वह आगे आए जो अपने को

हिंदुस्तानी कहता हो!

वह आगे आए, जो इस पर

खूनी हस्ताक्षर करता हो!

मैं कफ़न बढ़ाता हूँ, आए

जो इसको हँसकर लेता हो!”

सारी जनता हुंकार उठी-

हम आते हैं, हम आते हैं!

माता के चरणों में यह लो,

हम अपना रक्त चढाते हैं!

साहस से बढ़े युबक उस दिन,

देखा, बढ़ते ही आते थे!

चाकू-छुरी कटारियों से,

वे अपना रक्त गिराते थे!

फिर उस रक्त की स्याही में,

वे अपनी कलम डुबाते थे!

आज़ादी के परवाने पर

हस्ताक्षर करते जाते थे!

उस दिन तारों ने देखा था

हिंदुस्तानी विश्वास नया।

जब लिक्खा महा रणवीरों ने

ख़ूँ से अपना इतिहास नया।

– श्री गोपाल दास व्यास जी

Stealing the Guavas

During the summer months you can see guavas everywhere – being sold by roadside sellers to our own street-end hawker. Whenever I go on a family vacation (far - far away on the highway), there is a very high probability (99.99%) of coming across a roadside fruit seller, selling this delectable fruit, on a highway traffic signal.

It all begins with a tap on the driver window, prompting to buy this fruit. While my tongue is already drooling, there is no way I won’t spend couple 100 bucks to buy the fruit (at a higher price though). The vendor cuts the fruit into 4 and applies some magical masala, which puts me in 6th gear of ecstasy, while my car is still idling at the traffic signal. 😊 It all brings back my childhood memories; when we would sneak into our neighbour's fruit garden, pluck the guavas and have it all for free. The thrill and excitement of plucking the guavas was like driving a super car clocking its max speed on the German Autobahn.

Stealing guavas was no less than a money heist for us young boys. Everything would be planned meticulously – eyeing when the fruit ripens, who will scale the fence, what time (usually after it turned dark) and how many would we pluck. It was a herculean task to pluck the fruit and returned unscathed. So many times, we would get bruised and hurt while climbing the fence or the tree, but nothing would deter us from our resolve to pluck some more.

As one of us was climbing over the fence or the tree, a lot of encouragement would come from all the friends. Sometimes we had to tell them to hush up, because the last thing we wanted was unnecessary company of the owner. We would then climb the tree using our nimble hands and feet. Sometimes we could only manage to pluck the ones that were very close to the ground, and sometimes we could just manage to pluck only a couple, for a bunch of 16 boys. In the end everyone got a tiny piece. However, it was the taste of success which was sweeter than the taste of honey.

One day my younger brother got all too excited and offered to pluck the guavas, despite his 3 feet height. He scaled the 6 feet wall and started climbing the tree. As he was climbing, the tree swayed in all directions and made a gushing noise. This caught the owner’s attention who came out running and caught my brother red-handed. There was no escape for him. We could have escaped but decided not to, since we were a “band of brothers”. The camaraderie prevailed and we stayed.

The owner was angry and reprimanded us. He shouted on us for a while and when he cooled down, he asked us for our house numbers and told us that he would complain to our parents. Boy oh boy! a chill ran down our spine. We were chickened. This is one thing all of us dreaded the most: someone complaining to our parents and then our parents showing us all the galaxies, constellations, and nebula's in just one shot.

However, God was gracious, and the owner never showed up on our doors. I believe he must be reminiscent of his childhood days when he himself must have plucked a fruit or two from someone’s farm. He too must have giggled at that thought and said these kids reminded me of my childhood days. 

Go inside the heart !

Conversation between Lord Krishna and Rukmini (his wife)

Rukmini: What do you do with your eyes closed, that brings a smile and glow on your face? 

Krishna: I stay in my heart.

Rukmini: What is inside your heart, that brings about so much of aura and divinity on your face?

Krishna: Soon you will get a chance to enter my heart and you can see for yourself, what lies in my heart.

Paradoxical Charlie

Charlie Chaplin is the best comedian of the century and here are his 2 paradoxical quotes. 

Quote 1: A day without laughter, is a day wasted. 

Quote 2: I always like walking in the rain, 
               so, no one can see me crying.

Kankar and Shankar

What breaks under constant hammering and chiselling forms "Kankar" (Kankar in Hindi language means pebbles), 

What comes out as beatiful and immortal under the same hammering and chiselling forms "Shankar" (Shankar in Hinduism is one of the Gods of the Holy Trinity).

Difficult times bring out the best in us

Difficult times are like a hammer and a chisel, which eventually brings out the best in us, provided we don’t shatter under that hammering.

Inner voice is so profound

The most profound voice is the voice within,
and we often fail to listen to it, due to the humbug around us.

Echo of the thoughts

The thoughts in our mind echo so loud, that we fail to listen to the voice within.

Dad's letter

During the late 80's letters were the most common medium of communication. My parents used to post dozens of letters to relatives and friends, each week. The visits to the red-Letter Box in the corner of the street, were always fun filled and thrilling. The letter box resembled a large robot with a cap over its head and a huge mouth that could gulp anything. I always had the privilege of dropping the letters in its bottom less belly.

It was summertime and my father, who was a banker with a reputed bank, had to attend an official meeting in the ‘Officer’s Training Centre’ in Bhopal. During those days, the travel time between Kashmir to Bhopal was somewhere between 45 - 55 hours. One had to take a bus from Kashmir to Jammu, a train from Jammu to Delhi and another train from Delhi to Bhopal. The Kashmir to Jammu journey must have been a pleasant one, since Kashmir is in the lap of the Himalayas and the mercury doesn’t soar too high. However, the journey from Jammu to Bhopal, must have been an arduous one.

Once Dad reached Bhopal, he wrote us a letter. The letter took 12 days to reach us. I guess the post too moved at a snail's pace during those days. The letter was mostly about us - behaving ourselves and not troubling our mother as much (my father knew very well that troubling was an integral part of growing up). Mom read out the letter to us and told us that dad would bring us sweets and toys if we behaved ourselves. Our joy knew no bounds. Mom noticed the excitement on our faces and told us to share this news with our aunt. Since we lived in a joint family everything would be shared with one another. I along with my siblings took the letter and ran towards my aunt's room, which was at the end of the long alley.

While we were running in the alley, we noticed Dad walking towards us from the other end of the alley. We were pleasantly surprised to see dad. However, we were even more puzzled, how it could be remotely possible for a letter to arrive almost at the same time. We hugged him tight and took his baggage. We were excited at the thought of the goodies his luggage held. Sure, enough there were sweets and toys inside.

I can’t recall what toys or sweets he had bought, but I do clearly remember the thing that caught our fancy that day. It was Dad arriving moments after his letter arrived. The memory of him walking in the alley is still so fresh in my mind. I know it is the father who is the real Santa Claus, always brining happiness, excitement, and a lot of goodies for his children.

We love you Santa, we love you Dad.

Face your fears

The best way to overcome your fears, is to face them and face them with resilience. 

Bourbon’s and me

As a kid I was as fascinated with chocolate, as much as 'Charlie' was with 'Willy Wonka’s' chocolate bar. The protagonist 'Charlie' in the movie 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' only dreamt about having a bar of chocolate and winning a chance to visit his chocolate factory. Albeit 'Charlie' never adopted any unethical practices, unlike other kids in the movie, to get a chance to visit Wonka’s factory.

I was around 14 years old, but my hunger for chocolates was never ending. It was Autumn and I was visiting my grandfather, who was being treated in a hospital in Delhi. Thankfully he was recuperating well. After I visited my grandfather, there was nothing much for me to do, in the hospital. While my father, spent a lot of time with his father; he asked me to wait in the open area outside the hospital ward.

It was my lucky day. Not only was I happy to visit my grandfather, I also had some pocket money to spend. Chocolates were on top of my wish list. I went to the small canteen, which was bang in the middle of the open area and picked up a pack of my favourite Bourbon biscuits.

I paid 10 Rupees to the shopkeeper and got 4 Rupees back as change. I went into a corner where all 2-wheelers were parked. I sat on a scooter (Bajaj Chetak) and opened up my prized possession. The pack too was very fancy, with images of sandwiched chocolate and sugar sprinkled biscuits adorning it beautifully. The packaging looked as luscious as the biscuits themselves.

I took the first biscuit in my hand as if it was my newfound treasure. I felt it's texture, looked at the sugar coating atop the biscuit, looked at the sandwiched chocolate cream and admired every piece and bite of it. Every biscuit got the same royal treatment. I parted some of the biscuits so I could lick into the sandwiched chocolate cream. I was totally engrossed in consuming my Bourbon's. It was indeed a delectable and a heavenly experience. The whistling trees, the cold breeze, the chirping birds and the blue sky all added to this savoury experience.

Swami Vivekananda once said, "Playing football will take you more closer to God, than reading any religious text". What he meant by this was, that while a player is on the field, his mind, body, heart and soul are all set upon the goal. Same adage also applies to a pack of Bourbon biscuits "Relishing Bourbon's with full conscious will bring you more closer to God than the chanting of any hymns or prayers".

#InLoveWithBourbon

Out of the box thinking is the mother of all innovation

Wright Brother’s idea of a manned flight was once an irrational and insane idea.

However, the same idea today has made the world a small place to live in.

Lessons of life

Lessons of life are like a shot of vodka - small, hard and intoxicating.
Show some grace and take them with a pinch of salt.

Discover yourself

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles (Gautam Buddha). 

Mediation is a way to look deep within to find a balance and equilibrium in your life. It helps find perfect Harmony of mind, body and the soul.

Imagine a one-winged bird. How do you think it will fly? Obviously, it will fly in a circular pattern, deeply meddled in its viscous circle. A two-winged bird on the other hand will flap its wings and soar high into the sky. The wings of the bird represent the external material world and the inner self. Only when these two are in perfect balance, can we attain harmony and be at peace with ourselves and our external world.

Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree for 7 weeks. He meditated and reflected on his life's experience, thus unearthing the truth. From that moment on he was called the "Enlightened one".

We have talked about the “what” and “why” of mediation. Now let's talk about the “how” and “when” of mediation.

Breath is the foundation of all life and we will do a guided meditation on breath for about 5 minutes or so. Sit comfortably; gently close your eyes. Breathe in and exhale gently. Now focus on your breath (focus on each inhalation and exhalation). This will unplug your mind from the mundane and bring your attention to the foundation of life (breath). After this meditation on breath, you will feel that your mind, body and soul is relaxed and rejuvenated. You can do this for 5-10 minutes in the morning and repeat in the evening, to discover your true self.

Perception

Whatever we think of people and this world, is our own perception of them.
It is neither real nor surreal, it is just our creation. 

Nest

A nest is built with twigs, but everyone living in it has to put in their heart, to make it a beautiful home.

When life throws lemons at you ...

When life throws lemons at you, take it with a pinch of salt and a shot of Tequila! Elixir! 

If I had a chance to travel the world...

If I had a chance to travel the world, I would make the best of it. I would visit all the 7 wonders of the world, both the ancient wonders and the current ones. I would visit all the places that I have only heard of, or dreamt of, like Alaska, Antarctica, Siberia, Sahara desert to name a few.

I would specifically love visiting:
a. Norway, to see the Northern Lights
b. Antarctica, to see miles and miles of snow and the scientific observatory on the south pole
c. Siberia for it's -55 °C chilly winters
d. Hawaii for it's active volcanoes - (trust me there's nothing on earth, more beautiful than a volcano)

Finally I would end my globe trotting right in the lap of the Holy Ganges, taking a dip in it's divine waters to redeem myself of the sins committed during my international sojourn. Bon voyage.
(Micromasters Table Topics Marathon - If you had a chance to travel the world)

Attempt the Himalays

Speak not only of the brave hearts who successfully climbed the Himalayas,
speak also of the folks who attempted climbing it. 

Attachments and detachments

All through our life we keep on accumulating things, and then spend all our resources maintaining it, whether it be our feelings or material possessions.
Detachment is the key, difficult to practice but not impossible. Stay light stay Buddha.

Knowledge

Knowledge dispels all delusions and confusions.

Missed my flight

My wife was at her parent's place for delivery of our kid. I had booked a 17th.Feb flight, but in order to surprise her I told her that I have booked a 18th.Feb flight. Telling the same lie over and over again, does its damage - it camouflages the truth. It was set in my mind that my flight was on 18th. So, on 17th morning I came to office, and I was working on my workstation, as usual. My coworker Ravi was sitting behind me in my cubicle, working on my test machine.
I was excited to be going on a 2 week leave, the next day, to welcome the baby in the world and to enter the world of fatherhood. I opened my air-ticket, to fire a print. Once the ticket was open, I checked the flight date and time, and to my surprise my flight had already departed in the morning. My eyeballs started bouncing like ping pong balls between the flight date on the ticket and my system date. I froze for a moment, and then exclaimed – ohh no, I missed my flight. It took me a while to realize that the damage had been done.

After some time, to add insult to injury, my wife called me and said that the doctor had advised them to go for the delivery, the same day. She was sobbing, and I felt helpless and so damn stupid, for missing my flight – when I could have made it on the birth of my kid. I called up the airline, asking them for a partial refund and to book my ticket on the next flight to Baroda. The airline stated that the airfare won’t be refunded since it was a “no show”. So, I booked the next flight, which didn’t leave till early next morning. I spoke to my parents and booked them on the evening flight the same day.

But, the Delhi attitude had gotten into them to the core. Reaching the destination on time, is a strict no-no for Delhities, whether it be a marriage or the airport. They left home at leisure, and didn’t make it to the airport on time, thus missing their flight too. The worst part was that instead of cutting a sorry figure in front of my Mom, my Dad went to the airport coffee shop, and bough himself a nice hot coffee. My Mom was fuming with anger. Hadn’t it been winter time, the whole airport would have experienced corona temperatures.

At around 3pm my father in law called me and said that a boy was born. But, his underlying tone had a crisp and clear message – “now that you have become a father, come out of your boyish attitude, and grow up”. I was super excited to hear the news but felt equally miserable for missing my flight. My friends came home to congratulate me in the evening, but, most of them hurled abuses at me instead of congratulating me. Well that’s friends, they show you the real mirror.

I took a late-night bus to the airport the same day, to catch my early morning flight, but, the airport security wouldn’t let me in, because there was still a long time for my flight to depart. So, I occupied a bench in the airport waiting area, and slowly and steadily I stretched my legs till I covered the whole length and breadth of the bench. It was chilly outside, because it was Winter time, but I managed power naps, constantly keeping a watch on my watch.

Next day I reached the hospital in Baroda and looked at my baby sleeping in the pram. It was the best moment of my life. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the little chubby, Chinese looking reddish infant. I bent down on the pram, and kept staring at this most beautiful thing, I had ever seen. I picked him up in my arms and hugged him gently. I then went to my wife and said, “you did a great job”. My parents too reached Baroda the same day, thankfully nobody missed the flight.

Don't underestimate the little butterflies

School’s Annual day brings in a lot of excitement and fun. One, because it marks the end of a strenuous year, and gives the children an opportunity to dance, be playful and break out from the mundane study schedule.

It was my kid’s annual day on 18^th.Feb, one day after his birthday. On his birthday we had a party, and he ate as many chocolates as he could lay his hands on. During that night he had an upset stomach and vomited out everything he had consumed during the day. We feared that he may not be able to participate in his school’s annual day, since he was dehydrated and energy less. We thought we will call the school and inform them that Bhargav won’t be performing in the annual day. But he persisted, so we allowed him to go.

There he was, a lower kindergarten kid, dehydrated and energy-less, but not spirit-less. He was super excited to be a part of the annual day. Indeed, he had practiced hard for this day, and he didn’t want to let it slip.  At just 4 years, he was getting a chance to show the world, how to dance, and how to be happy, tapping the feet. 

While I was dropping him to school, I told him that we are planning to get a big banner with his name printed on it and we all will shout “Bushy Bushy” (his nickname). I dropped him to his class and told the teacher not to exert him much. Teached assured me that she will take good care of him and not exert him much.

I came back home, only to return after 2 hours, when the annual day would actually start. The kids had to be dropped early, so that they could dress up and rehearse before the final act.

We came in after 2 hours and were seated somewhere in the back. All the front rows were already taken by the super excited parents. All the parents were eager to see their little butterflies perform today.

The annual day was dedicated to all mothers and their ultimate sacrifices for their children. The performances continued one after the other, and was fun to watch the toddlers perform with full enthusiasm and energy. While a performance was underway, the next performing batch would stand next to the open stage, to occupy it after the ongoing performance. After a couple of performances, we saw a batch of kids standing next to the open stage and among them was an overzealous kid, waving at the audience.  I was amazed, at this overzealous kid, waving at the swarm of people in front of him. Suddenly my wife burst out laughing and said “See Bushy’s waving at us”. I was like “Ohh Boy, this kid has got a lot of nerve”. He not only spotted us amongst hundreds of people but was also continually waving at us. We were happy to see him finally, and were eagerly waiting for his performance. He had no stage fear, and nothing could make him conscious.  If I would be in his place, I would have fainted, seeing so many people in the front; leave alone waving at them and then dancing in front of them. 

I remember, when I was in 9th standard, everyone in the class had to read out the morning news, during the morning assembly. When it was my turn, I locked myself in the bathroom, and stayed there, till the morning assembly was over. Such was my fear of stage.
Another surprise awaited us; Bushy was playing the lead role in the act; that of the mighty King Shivaji. We never knew that he was playing the lead role. The opening scene was that of ‘Shivaji’s’ mother ‘Jijabhai’ doing his ‘Aarti’ and praying for his longevity, before his departure for a battle. The song that played in the background was “Ram Krishna Ka Avtaara”. After this act, Shivaji (Bhargav) is shown going into a battle with his enemy, and returns after defeating the enemy.  To celebrate his victory, Shivaji (Bhargav) and his army, dance to the tunes of the ‘Malhari’ song “Bajne de Dadak Dadak Dhol taashe Dadak Dadak” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3b8Vy4vkxI).

The toddlers danced so well that it was hard to believe that they were all 4 years old. During the whole dance act, I was hooting at the top of my voice.  In my excitement, I even forgot to hit the record button on my camera, even though I had held the camera up, during the whole act.
That moment I realized that our kids are capable of achieving much more, than we think they can.  Sometimes, we should just let them span their wings and let them fly. Let them try and discover their true potential. They may fall and fail multiple times, but, let them get up on their own.

Let them go through the metamorphosis of becoming a butterfly from the infancy of the chrysalis.
Later I met the class teachers ‘Bhagyashree’ and ‘Rose’ and congratulated them for a splendid performance by their kids. It was a day full of joy and a good parenting lesson.

Japanese man’s travel to Banaras

It was 26th.Dec and I was travelling back from Tokyo to India. I had been there for 6 months, for a client project. Now that the project was over, I was returning home, to celebrate the new year with my family. I was a happy man to come back home. During these 6 months I missed my folks, home cooked food, and that extra warmth at home.

I was taking the Japanese Airlines flight (JAL) from Tokyo to New Delhi. I boarded the flight, and there was a nice Japanese young man (probably in his late twenties), sitting next to me. We greeted each other and settled down for the flight to take off. While the flight was mid-air, he stuck a conversation over mid-air dinner.

Ito San: Hello, my name is 'Ito'. Where do you live in India?

Me: Hello, my name is 'Amit', I live in New Delhi.

Ito San: How far is Banaras from New Delhi, and how to reach there?

Me: (curiously looking at him) Hmmmm I don't know. I have never been to Banaras. (after a pause) Are you going to Banaras.

Ito San: Yes.

Me: (Now even more curious) Why are you going Banaras?

(I was thinking, why is this guy not going to metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, or tourist attractions like Agra, Goa and Andamans, why only Banaras???)

Ito San: Banaras is a sacred place, popular destination for attaining nirvana. My friends went there last year, and they told me all good things about Banaras.

Me: (More bewildered) Ohhh!! Really! I don;t know about that. (Feeling ashamed of my ignorance, about my own heritage and religion)

Ito San then told me a lot about Banaras, and that day I realized that it is not only important to chase your material goals, but also to find a way to attain moksha, by way of knowledge and spirituality.

That moment

That awkward moment - when you are singing along with the music system and suddenly the power goes off, you continue singing, only to realize that your voice sucks.

That triumphant moment when the soap slips out of your hand and you grab it like the Kung-Fu Pandaaa.... yeeeeaaa hooooooo

Loser’s team in football

Football always has been my favorite sport. My school had a football field partly grassy, partly bald, and we had vowed to make it fully bald. Given a chance I would have gone to school, to play just football, putting my books in the fireplace – ‘ouch that burnt’. Even the harsh Delhi heat at 45^oC couldn’t stop us from playing. I used to be extra happy on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s; it was the sport’s day. Rest of the days we had to sit on our benches half-sleepy, half-awake, as if in a state of trance.  

We had a basketball court, 2 volley ball courts, full-fledged gymnasium and a badminton court in the school, but my favorite sport was football. My signature football gear was a pair of leather ‘Bata’ shoes, shorts and the school T-Shirt. The leather shoes were a part of the school uniform. During those days football studs would have been a luxury, I suppose. Today I see kids, flashing their cool Nike football studs, even though they can't kick properly; they would be happier playing a video game or two on their mobiles or iPads.  

The school football ground was no less than a battleground. You could actually envision it somewhat akin to the movie 'Saving Private Ryan'. Just that the target here was to save the goal, and to kick the ball into the opponent’s net. The bald portion of the ground would give way to a lot of dust, making it a scene close to that of a bomb blast, and people running amok. You could also see people kicking each other in the butt, if the ball was tackled away from them. All in all it was a fun filled game, though a bit aggressive at times. Yes, we were at full liberty to use our aggression to our advantage, and to the disadvantage of the enemy.

Many tactics were used - fair / unfair to score a goal, whether it be pushing, shoving, shouting while getting hold of the ball, or purposefully hitting someone in the crouch - ouch that hurt (no wonder 'crouch' was called just that - "crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-ouch").

If by chance I would reach the ground a little late, I would first enquire the score, and then choose to be on the losing team’s side. Common sense - losing team is weaker, and would need to push really hard to score a goal; and there I was, the ‘messiah’ who would bring the losing team their much anticipated ‘nirvana’. Siding with the losing team would also give me the opportunity to play my best, whether in defense or in offence position. I would usually play in the defense, and was considered a formidable wall against all attacks. But, at times I would play in the attacking positing, and my attacking was just that - attacking!

We would put in our best to score a goal; sometimes we would win and sometimes we would lose. If we won we would take the heroic compliments, for fighting the war so well. If we would lose, we would save the grudge for another day.

It’s been many years that I am out of school now; but I still play football with my office folks. Though a lot has changed now; the patchy bald field has given way to the turf with artificial grass, fancy lights and stands. The full-fledged football ground has given way to a much smaller 100x50 feet ground (roughly 1/4th of the full-fledged football ground). But, the love for football is never ending and never dying.

You can take a footballer out of the ground, but you can’t take football out of a footballer.

And yes, I am not one of those footballers who watch football on their idiot boxes, like a couch potato, and wear football jerseys supporting their respective teams. That seems melodramatically disconnected and disoriented. My love is much more serious, damn serious… Goallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...

A true footballer!

Hukus Bukus (Kashmiri poem)

Hukus bukus

Telli wann che kus

Onum batta lodum daeg

Shaal kich kich waangano

Brahmi charas pone chhokum

Brahmis buttney tekhis tyakha

Itkhyan ne Itkhyan

Tse Kus Be Kus

Teli Wan su Kus

Moh Batuk Logum Daeg

Shwaas Khich Khich Wang-mayam

Bhruman daras Pone chokum

Tekis Takya bane Tyuk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTPZZD_ZJVM

Who cuts sliced cake on a birthday?

It was my coworker’s birthday on 21st May; and we decided to celebrate it with lot of pomp and show. Actually 21^st May was his birth date only on the papers; the actual biological birthday was something else. I used to take a dig at him, by saying that - after the gods you are the only one who is born twice.   

I decided to do something wacky on his birthday, to show him how special he was to me and how much I cherished his friendship. I bought him a sliced cake instead of the fresh cream cake. ‘Yes’ you heard it right “Sliced cake”. 

I invited the whole team to the conference room, for the cake cutting.  As soon as people poured in, they broke out into a roar of laughter; on seeing the sliced cake on the table, with 2 candles neatly placed on either side of the cake. It was fun to see people laughing their heart out during the office hours.

We clicked a lot of photos of the birthday boy and then asked him to deliver a birthday speech. He obliged, and spoke about how much embarrassed and happy he felt at the same time.

It did not stop there! After the cake was cut and shutterbug did its work, we wanted to give birthday bumps to the big boy. But, he started throwing tantrums like a kid; he started running all over the place, as if we would crush his balls with our Shaolin soccer kicks!

Happy birthday dear! Muah J

Theft and the Chocolates

Who doesn’t love chocolates? As a kid, I was so fond of chocolates that I would go to any extend to get a bite.  I probably was 6 years old, when I stole my cousin’s pocket money, ventured out of my house to a shop a mile away - in the dark, to buy my favorite chocolate bar.

Growing in a joint family has its own merits. I was lucky to have more than a dozen cousins of all ages around me; who would pamper me and play with me. We had a huge ground in front of our house, where all of us would play in the evenings. One day, while playing, I noticed something shiny on the ground. I picked it up - it was a wallet. I checked inside and found some money in it. I thought of going to ‘Noora’s’ grocery store, which was a mile away, to buy my favorite chocolate bar. I knew the way to his store, as my mom used to buy groceries from his shop. I started walking towards his store, while it was starting to get dark.

When I reached his shop, I handed over the money to him and asked for my favorite chocolate bar. He was shocked to see me alone, and asked if I was accompanied by anyone. I said, no. He was horrified that a 6 year old boy had just walked down a mile, alone to his store, to buy chocolates. He took the money and handed over the chocolates. Then he asked his wife to look after the shop, while he drops me to my place. It was completely dark now.

We had walked half a mile when I saw my aunty and my cousin ‘Neelu’, whose money I had stolen. My aunty was relieved to find me. But, my cousin was mad at me, as I had stolen her money.  My aunty told me that the whole house had been looking around for me. When I reached home, my grandfather ‘Bobji’ was waiting for me in his room, looking furious. He scolded me, but I couldn’t understand much of what he spoke.  Though I don’t remember my father scolding me, but I guess he wouldn’t have spared me either.

As kids, we do many such crazy and stupid things, and this was just one of the crazy things I did. If you have a crazy incident from your childhood, to share, do post it in the comments below.

Karma is like a Boomerang

Karma is like a Boomerang; it always comes back to you…  

I like ODDS that make me EVEN

Success has no address,
No landmark,
No calling card,
But the path is steep,
And some will take the elevator,
But i will take the stairs,
Some will get there faster,
But i will get there stronger,
And adversity will be my
Traveling companion,
Because when i get the there,
I can turn to adversity and say,
So long,
And heave the bag of taunts
and insults i gathered
along the way, and scatter them
to the birds,
I will miss them,
But feel lighter,
Yes,
That will be the day,
When i stand at
a large bay window,
And unclench my fist,
For there will be no more
odds to conquer,
Not even the mind,

I like odds, they help me get even

(By :  Praveen Kumar)

Life and Death

Death is not when you die,
Death is when, you forget to live! (Anon)

Life is not the number of breaths you take,
Life is the number of moments, that take your breath away! (Anon) 

Simplicity

In this world full of fancies and fantasies, simplicity still hasn't lost its charm !! 

Value of things

I once had a chance to go to Mother Teresa charity house in Vadodara (thanks to my wife).
The thing that I loved about this place was the kids, running around, laughing, having fun.
They were so joyful, even though they had very little with them - no toys, no gizmos, not even proper shoes.

And our kids? They throw fits if they don't get a candy (or whatever they are asking for).
This opened my eyes. The perception of being "happy" is different in an orphanage, than in a comforting, cozy home that our kids are now accustomed to.

Our kids are born with a golden spoon in their mouth. Without even them asking, parents dole out expensive branded clothes, shoes, all kinds of toys, gizmos and what not!

Perhaps its important to teach our kids the value of things; to edify them about being contended even if they had little on their plate. 

No Money, No Honey!

Money may not solve all your problems, but it surely reduces your miseries !

Success

Start with your passions, Grow through Hardwork !!

Mind it!

A girl shouldn't lose her mind to the extent that she wakes up on someone else's Pillow.

A man shouldn't lose his mind to the extent that he wakes up on the ruins of the castle, he once built.

My day of glory

Cricket has never been my favorite game probably because I didn’t play the game so well. But as a kid, that is the sport I have played the most. Most of my friends were good at it, except for a few, including me. I was neither a good batsman nor a good baller, but an excellent fielder. I would never let the ball pass through me - a formidable iron wall. Once we had a match with the boys from other school. It was summer time, and the sun was burning. The match started at 4 pm, on the Empire Pitch. The opponent team won the toss, and elected to bat first. They played well and put up a total score of 76 runs. Our team was the next to bat, but the few opening batsmen barely put 24 runs on the scoreboard. I was the last man down and all the hopes were stuck on me. The tension was peeking with every passing second.

The match proceeded, and the baller threw the ball at me. Nothing happened in the first 3 balls. The leather ball would just swoosh past me into the gloves of the wicket keeper. Then came the fifth ball on the onside, which I flicked with my bat, towards the back of the wicket, and it went straight for a 4. The next ball met the same fate – a 4. Cricket is a game of uncertainties and the whole game can turn around at any point of time. My friends looked at me as if I was the white horse who will turn around their fortunes. I had to lead the team to victory but it was a huge feat. I took a run on the last ball, so I managed to keep the strike. The next baller balled, and I managed to score 2 more runs. My partner on the other end, kept on hitting the ball left, right and center, and we kept on adding to the score card. My partner put in a total of 22 runs, while I was rotating the strike with him.

We were nearing the target of 77, and were playing at a steady pace. I took the crease and a guy named ‘Akshat’ balled to me. The first few balls went past me, but then the 3^rd ball hit my stumps, and I was out. We were all out for a total score of 57, and lost the match by a mere 20 runs. We had 7 players in our team, and I thought to myself, had all the players scored 11 runs, we would have easily reached the target and won the match. But, I was proud that we, the last 2 batsmen, could put up a total of 33 runs, before getting out. That was our moment of glory, though a bit overshadowed by the felling of losing the match.

Nevertheless, losing doesn’t matter, playing in the right spirit is what matters. 

Small things make up for a happy life

As a kid painting never interested me, except for those Science classes’ diagrams. Science class drawings were more of a compulsion than a choice. The Art teacher had asked us to bring Wax crayons, for making posters, for the School’s annual day. I took 10 Rs from my mom, and went to the market to buy the crayons. I asked the shopkeeper for the Crayons, and he handed over a pack to me, which read; “Maximum Retail Price Rs 10”. The shopkeeper, however, asked for 4 Rs, which I paid to him. I thought to myself that the shop keeper asked for 4 Rs by mistake, instead of asking for 10 Rs. Anyways, I was happy to get the crayons at a throw away price.

Having stuck a good deal, I thought of expending rest of the money. So, I went to the Gajak cart nearby (Gajak is a dry sweet made with groundnut and jiggery). I got a lot of Gajak for 6 Rs. This was my lucky day! I ate the Gajak to my contentment, and the best part was that, I didn't have to share it with anyone.

As a kid these small things gave so much happiness, that can’t be bought back with all the riches of the world.

Losing or Winning is all a state of mind!

You don't lose when you actually lose; you lose when you accept that you have lost !! ‪#‎KingBruce‬

Everything of Nothing

There are some people in the world, who know nothing about nothing, but pretend as if they know everything about everything !!

Perceptions and the World

I have my own perceptions of how this World works; and it really doesn't work like that !! 

Mom on facebook

It was an enchanting experience to teach Mom how to use the facebook. It was like teaching a 3 year old to write ABCD… from scratch. She was enchanted with the facebook, more so, because all my cousins, relatives and her friends were on facebook. At the beginning she was like any other enthusiast learner, but as I started to explain to her how it worked, she became overloaded with information and I had to take it slow from there. (It’s the learning curve that every learner goes through, enthusiast beginner, mid level laggard and then an addicted enthusiast!)

At the beginning she even found it tough to find the characters on the keyboard, but after a thorough scan she would hit the right buttons. Bingo! The first thing I taught her was to post a new status on her wall, which read “Hi everyone, I am new to facebook, and hope it is going to be a great experience. Stay in touch”. Many friends and family members were happy to see her on facebook and warmly welcomed her.

She would eagerly wait for me to come back home, and pounce on my laptop to post new status updates. There after she would post about her daily routines. One day she posted her photos on her profile page; the next day she eagerly waited for me to come home, so that she could check, who all had commented on her picture. True as can be; at times she was disappointed when the response was cold!!

Next level was to edify her about logging into her account and logging off. She even did a revision to memorize her user id and password. At times she would commit mistakes, and key in incorrect grammar or spellings. I used to lose my nerve over it, but most of the time I thought about; “how much cool and patience she had maintained when I was a kid; she for granted all my sins and idiotic activities”. She has a lot of patience; which I unfortunately lack. Even though she committed mistakes, she would begin from scratch and keep on trying till she got it all right. Best part was that she would not hesitate to ask if she had written anything wrong. She had started posting pictures and commenting on pictures that she liked. It was mesmerizing for her to check the pictures of relatives abroad, whom she had not seen in ages. In just a few days she not only learnt about the facebook but also learnt a lot about computers.

She was so hooked to facebook, that she told me to get her a new laptop so that she can stay connected with everybody, and also do video chat with people who are far away. She said I would be able to do video chat with you guys also when I go back to Delhi from here. On that note, I am actually thinking of buying a new laptop for her so that she can enjoy the facebook and the virtual company of her friends and relatives. She can even do video chats with whomsoever she wants to. 

It's great to see her use the technology. And, she's really come up to speed using this new fad !

Turbo >>>>>

No Dream is too big, No Dreamer too small .... TURBO >>>

Monday Blues - ehhh

It was Monday and the office was opening after 4 days. The drive to office was comfortable, lesser traffic, probably people were still vacationing. I reached office at 11:30 a.m. In the elevator there was this office boy with a post it note stuck to his Id badge. I pointed to it and asked him, what it was? He smiled back at me and said that it's his “To Do” list for the day; setting up computers for new employees, replacing water bottles and delivering couriers. For once I was amazed with his dedication. He had his day well planned, in advance. As I exited the elevator, I smiled at him and bid him bye.

I thought to myself, my work is much more interesting than his, and yet we are so demotivated; especially when we walk into office on Mondays. We even term it as “Monday Blues”. I said to myself, let me go in and work dedicatedly today. There was a huge surge of enthusiasm in me. I went to my desk and put up my own “To Do” list for the day. Believe me, it was a gratifying day.

The day couldn’t have started better, and it couldn't have ended better. Yay

Of all things Kashmiri

1. You speak in a way that is called ‘Kaye-gee’, speaking in a manner that is satirical, and unfathomable.
1. You won’t speak in your own mother tongue, because you feel embarrassed.
2. The only Kashmiri song that you know of is the popular Bhajan that your parents used to sing while praying.
3. If a known person goes abroad, all relatives think that he/she is making a fortune there, and sending in kick backs via Hawala.
4. The first thing that you look for, in a marriage card is the surname of the Boy / Girl, to check if it is an inter caste marriage or not.
5. If it is an inter-caste marriage you just toss the card on the table. If its not, you read the details completely and plan to attend with enthusiasm (of course).
6. You are not interested to marry a Kashmiri Boy/ Girl, because of reasons that I myself could not fathom.
7. You are to dance on Mehndiraat’s more likely on a Bollywood number than on authentic Kashmiri songs.
8. You are a loud mouth. When 2 people are talking, the whole neighborhood would know.
9. If you live in a non Kashmiri neighborhood, half of the time neighbors think that you are having a fight.
10. The only time you meet someone is when it is someone’s marriage.
11. If you happen to meet a distant relative of yours at a function that first questin that will pop up in front of you is “Did you recognize me? Who am I, do you know?” You are left dumbfound.
12. You have a whacky sense of humor.
13. Your mom thinks that you are no less than Akshay Kumar in looks, and thinks superficially high of you.
14. You have 2 Papa’s, 3 Badey Papa’s, 2 Choti Mummy’s, 1 Badi Mummy, and 25 cousins, of whom you won’t even know half that well.
15. You give more importance to money than the social life.
16. Women only wear Kashmiri jewellery during marriages.
17. If you call up your relatives on phone, they would definitely ask you, ‘what was up for lunch or dinner’.
18. Going back to Kashmir is no more than a good vacation well spent. It no more means home coming.
19. The greatest festival is Shivratri, and actually means the kids getting richer the next day.
20. If you cook any Kashmiri cuisine, it is a special feast.
21. You love to eat Yellow rice balls, with curd and sugar on birthdays.
22. You will not pass on your culture to your kids either in form of edification, music, arts, food et al.
23. You will recognize a Kashmiri in a crowd, but will barely go and talk to them.
24. Kashmiri abuses (actually slangs), would soon be archived for non-usage by the UNESCO. Because now you rarely use these slangs.
25. You still brand a person based on his surname, ‘villager’ / ‘priest’ etc.
26. You believe in a lot of superstitions that have been fed in to our cerebrum since childhood.
27. If the elder generation sees another Kashmiri in a public place, they Switch on their Bluetooths to pair with each other; and actually find out, that they are related by nth order of 'x'. 

When I caught the ants

When I was small, probably 5 or 6 years old, there were so many nasty things that I used to do.

I and my siblings were a menace in the big house that we had in Kashmir.  It was summer time and I set out to play in the lawn in front of our house. But, instead of going to the lawn I went to my uncle's garage, to check if his scooter was there, and to fake a ride on it (like kids of that age would do), and make noises like vrooom vrooom vroooom vrooom. As I was about to enter the garage I saw a colony of ants at the gate of the garage. I thought to myself it would be a great idea to capture these ants. I ran inside to get a bottle of Chelpark ink pot, with water filled in it.

I started hand picking the ants, and dropping them in that ink pot. The ants started to float on the water, and I didn’t know that they were actually dying. I was elated that I had captured them in my magic bottle. I continued doing this and soon my younger brother joined me too. We continued this till my elder cousin saw us and came near. He asked 'what are you doing’?

To which I valiantly replied that we are capturing the ants and safely storing them in my ink pot. He was taken aback. I asked him, “Why are the ants not moving in the ink pot”? He replied ‘the Ants are dying, in the ink pot filled with water’. I froze for a moment and felt bad that I was not capturing the Ants, I was actually killing them. My cousin took away the ink pot, probably to throw away in a corner of the huge lawn facing our house.

Nirvana

Angrez come here either for 'Nirvana' or for 'Marijuana' !!

Devtaa Aur Asur

Devtaon aur Asuron ke beech, Varchasva ki ladaai sada se hi chali aa rahee hai.
Donon hi Kashyap Rishi ke vanshaj hain, aur dono Devtaon aur Asuron ko janam toh unhone hi diya hain.  Devtaa unki pehli patni 'Aditi' se janme the, aur Asur unki doosri patni 'Diti' se janme the. Devtaaon ne Dharam ka maarg apnaya, aur Asuron ne Adharam ka marg !!