Excuse me, where are you going?

Study, study, work hard, top the class, win competitions, land yourself a great job, play politics, climb over everyone else to get to the top and then what - oh! I forgot to mention, it gets lonely at the top.

So, is this the beautiful corporate dream? The desire to make lots of money quickly, gain a lot of power, pull some strings, play with people's "careers" , be consumed with an insane sense of self worth and end up a megalomaniac like ever other corporate czar, lose focus of who you are, where you come from, the parents who gave you birth, the partner who stood by you, the children you brought into this world but never really "brought up" - is that the end goal, the destination, the life force, the mothership that is stringing it all and playing all the chords?

Yes, money is important but can it buy you love, luck, health, joy, peace, sense of contentment and life itself. Nay, good sir but it so cannot! It can give you a lot of fleeting moments of temporary illusional smiles that you will term as happiness. It can buy you that great car, that amazing house, that dream cruise trip - can it give you the health to enjoy a car drive, a partner to share that house with or promise love with a family that stands by you and enjoys that cruise with you - unfortunately no!

Why then, despite all our education, experience and accomplishments do we still crave for the materialistic entities that in reality hold no promise of a happy life? Isn't happiness the end goal? How do we get there?

Let's just take a breather from the lives we so proudly call as "busy" and promise to put down our life goals and not just career planning for 5 years, 10 years down the lane - even if that be case, where do we want it to lead us? Think, think intelligent people, I urge each one of you to do so, including myself.

Do you know your end destination?

Timelessness

Never did I realise the importance of time as I have done so now
I know now what "being hard pressed for time" means

Never did I know what extreme fatigue was
I know now what "being dead to the world" means

Never did I know what timelessness meant
I know now what "work life balance" means

It's a new phase, a new period, a new part of life
But, it is consuming every waking minute and sleep...errr...what's that?

Never have I given up and never will I,
Work it out I will, till the balance is achieved!

You can't go back and make a new beginning but you can start now and make a new ending!

Take a close look at the amazing sight I witnessed at a palace in Srirangapatnam. Aeons ago -mode of transportation : Carriage. Today : automobile. What are we talking about?

Change. The word itself is so disconcerting. Natural impulse is to resist it. Pretty violently at that!

Sometimes change is welcome and arrives like a soothing gust of breeze on a hot sultry day!

 And at most other times , it lurks in the shadows and casts its evil spell on an unsuspecting poor prey!

The earth is spinning on its axis and also around the sun. Every nanosecond , it is changing. How do we then expect the tiny little dots(human race) that reside in it to remain unchanged?

A baby matures into an adult , a sapling into a tree ...constant change.

Fashion statements keep changing. What is the norm today become meaningless and obsolete tomorrow. Day after the original statement gets back into vogue. Thats another constant factor about change. The fact that it always comes one full cycle and tends to keep repeating itself sporadically or otherwise.

Apparently , when a butterfly flaps its wings in India , that teeny weeny speck of change can give rise to a tornado miles away! Yet another addition to the multifaceted"change". The fact that its a chain reaction.

More often than not , change occurs without any prior intimation and tends to throw everything around it off gear. The feeling is unsettling and scary. Gradually , you get accustomed to it and then you imbibe it. Soon , it becomes a part of you.

And that my friend brings us to the most important dimension of this multifaceted"change"...the fact that it remains the undisputed constant factor of life!

So, the key to change...is to let go of fear and embrace it bravely.

Cheers to that!

Tough times don't last,tough people do!

Life is a roller coaster. Life is a sinusoidal wave. Life is all about trials and tribulations. Life is about give and take. Yes, life is a trade off.

Its always about making choices. Its about sacrificing and letting go. It teaches you to explore your inner dormant strength and helps you do things that you thought you were utterly incapable off!

People say , these are the experiences that shape your personality and make you stronger and bolder to face the world.

Its important they say, to stumble and fall just when everything seemed so good and happy. That speedbraker throws you completely off guard and you are left grappling with a sheer sense of incomprehension!

Alone time for me has always been important. "My space" is precious to me. But, too much of a good thing sort of negates the whole effect. Kind of kills the whole  aura.

As human beings , the survival of the fittest holds true and that makes us sail through the toughest of phases well and emerge intact and better than ever before.

The ashes are there now. The phoenix is slowly painfully reviving itself. Day by day . Definitely so. Soon it will emerge in a form more glorious and bedazzling than ever before.

God Bless!

Writer's bloc?

Naah...no such thing...au contraire..November was a crazy crazy month filled with many an interesting moments!

Why the one month sabbatical , one may wonder...to be honest it was just one of those things which happen in life while you are busy making plans...as I mentioned repeatedly in my previous post a month ago...randomly:)

I realised a few things:

1. My city - Mumbai is HOTTT(literally and figuratively)...wish we had winters:(

2. A new hairdo is even better than retail therapy...yaay!

3. The only person who can motivate you is you , yourself! As Swami Vivekananda said " Save yourself by yourself "

4. Being a pushover works - like a charm

5. Finally , the only thing that really matters in life - " attitude"

This pretty much sums up the month gone by.

An individual who has inspired me and taught me many an important lessons in life(including the importance of maintaining a blogspace) has undergone a knee surgery. I pray for your speedy recovery Iyer Sir so that you may continue to impart your priceless knowledge and words of wisdom to all of us who have been blessed to be associated with you. Thanks Sir for everything.

The order in the randomness...

So much of life it seems to me is defined by pure randomness.

Randomly you pick up a book and happen to chance upon something that will change your life. Forever.

Randomly you venture out for a stroll and bump into an old acquaintance.

Randomly you gaze out of your window and spot an eagle chancing upon its prey.

Randomly you meet someone and you hit it off like you have known each other forever.

Randomly you get nostalgic and reminisce.

Randomly events happen and you experience a sense of deja vu.

Randomly you get a whiff of your favourite delicacy and you can virtually experience the flavours.

Randomly you see a little child selling flowers at the signal and you say a little prayer for her.

Randomly you smile at complete strangers and spread cheer around.

Randomly you get jostled in the Mumbai local trains and you squabble like there's no tomorrow.

Randomly you have this burning desire to hit the flea market and you have the time of your life haggling on the streets.

Randomly you pick up the phone and dial the first number that comes to your head.

Randomly you surprise someone and make their day.

As John Lennon so aptly put it "life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."

Albeit ; randomly , I say :)

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...

How many years can a mountain existbefore it’s washed to the sea?

Yes, n how many years can some people exist

Before they’re allowed to be free?

Yes, n how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,

The answer is blowing in the wind.

These beautiful lyrics keep singing in my head. This multilayered song has so much of subtleties hidden deep within it.

Nothing is immortal. Nothing lasts forever. Change is inevitable. Change is indeed the only constant in life.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

We are never caught in a time warp. At this moment, millions of things are slowly stirring and a change is happening, unnoticed, unwaveringly.

The only person who can see it all, who knows it all is the wind – that current of air that sweeps across the universe.

Vāyu (Sanskrit: वायु,) is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman. He is also known as Vāta (वात), Pavana (पवन, the Purifier), and sometimes Prāna (प्राण, the breath).

One of the 5 elements of the universe, he races across continents, planets, oceans, space ages and time ages. He has seen it all .He knows it all.

More often than not, we end up visiting astrologers, tarot card readers, numerologists, fakirs, sadhus and babas lure us with glorious promises of showing us our future through the crystal ball.

But,everything is pre decided. God has a plan for each one of his children.

The universe is constantly whispering things to you, be intuitive, sharpen your 6^th sense and the answers will come to you from within. From the soul.

Allow the wind to caress you, dance in the rain, soak in the warmth of the sun, roll on the green valleys, look towards the sky on a starry night all starry eyed.

As Shakespeare put it “The world is my stage and we are all the actors in it”.

I would take this a step further and say that the Director is the almighty who is closely listening, watching and protecting us. It is his manuscript, his blue print that we are all leading.

But the game of life is not that simple – at every stage we encounter cross roads.

Choices are hurled at us, there is one distinct path that always seems easy – “pathli gal li”, and one that seems full of thorns and obstacles.

More often than not, the road less travelled is the one full of trials and tribulations. Strangely it also culminates into immensely satisfying jubilations in the long haul.

Life’s like that. We love it .We hate it. With or without it, we cease to exist.

It’s ironic, despite everything; we always have a mental bucket list, without which life seems so mirthless.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.....