Reaching There

The doomsday has come and gone, I'm still alive and kicking! The world is still not out of danger though. The danger is not from a bunch of asteroids hurling towards us from the deep space. The core of this third rock from the sun is still hot enough and we don't need a Superman to "restart" the spin, not just yet. So all is well, at least on the first look. However the planet is dying and perhaps the mankind is already dead. So I wrote this poem today to express my somberness ( partially inspired by Fire and Ice by Robert Frost ). I peek from my window; I just see a cloud of dust. I take out my hands to feel the water, but all I get are some burns in return. I wish my ears can hear a bird's chirp, the sound of people is far too loud. I smelled a flower when I was young all my nose gets is a whiff of CO 2 now. Dear Bob said the world would end in fire; I say we are already dead in our desires. Then a thought races to my mind an...

Dec 21 2012 Today is 21-12-12. Earth's crust is still stationary, at least it's not moving as fast as it should be if we were to consider today is the doomsday. The cosmos is shifting as well, everything moving farther away from each other at a speed that would dampen all records of Donald Campbell . (not connected but RIP Carl Sagan ) However that's also not new news since the Michelson-Morley experiment in 1887 gave a number to the speed of light and Edwin Hubble said all galaxies are moving farther and farther away. In comparison Charles Hapgood's theory of shifting Earth's crust and an impending doomsday doesn't sounds far-flung. So when Ronald Emmerich created a martini out of the apparent end of ancient Mayan calendar and Hapgood's theory, it added more chaos to the already panicked world. If recent history is to go by then humankind ain't doing a good job in trying to keep its home. The subprime of indulgence is eating away this...

Yay, let's celebrate! All of us have to deal with appreciation at some point in our lives, whether at work or personal life. It could be in form of an email, recognition, comment, Facebook likes, retweets on twitter or simply a big fat trophy! Appreciation comes in many forms, shapes and sizes too. Recently it was bestowed on me as well, it came as a pleasant surprise. Often it is followed by a multitude of feelings that range from greatness to humility.  During the latest instance of appreciation I decided to do a small experiment. I did a self-study and noted down the various thoughts that came into my mind during the next few minutes. Yes, all of this was within the next ten-fifteen minutes I say. Feeling 1 Wow! (trying to makes sense of all this) Feeling 2 I really did a good job this time, yay! (heart starts pumping ferociously) Feeling 3 I am doing better than others, double yay! (I'm higher than cloud number nine Mr. Adams) Feeling 4 ...

As I enter the premises I get a first view of the grandeur of the majestic mansion build out of white marble. If not for the sheer size of the building, the blinding light of the sea of whiteness overwhelm my senses. A thought comes to my mind - is this the house of someone of great importance? I take a walk along the stony pathway surrounded by luscious gardens and beautiful statues adorning them. A series of steps lead me to the courtyard surrounding the house. It takes a few gasps of breath to imbibe the majestic view of the house from here. The main building is still a good fifty steps away. I can see throngs of people scattered around the courtyard. A family sitting on the ground raise their heads to sky to see the yellow flag fluttering in the strong wind a hundred feet above the ground. A couple of school kids are busy taking pictures from their mobile phones. An old man with a stick to support his fragile frame, makes a strenuous effort to straighten his back, aston...

Strolling in the Park A movie released in 1994 barely managed to recover its budget but it is now on the list of American Film Institute's 100 year...100 Movies. It's tagline "Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free" is right at the top of my favourite movie quotes list. The movie is full of memorable scenes, the scene where Red and Andy discuss about hope and freedom - those lines & the acting is simply divine. However I didn't gave much attention to another line from Red, which is very early in the movie.  He had a quiet way about him, a walk and a talk that just wasn't normal around here. He strolled, like a man in a park without a care or a worry in the world, like he had on an invisible coat that would shield him from this place. Yeah, I think it would be fair to say...I liked Andy from the start. Mr. Morgan Freeman's character, Red, says these lines after his first 'deal' with Andy - a friend who would help hi...

Life is very short, and there's no time For fussing and fighting, my friend. The Beatles Nirvana Nomads Ramanagara Trip Pic Sometimes when you meet a person you're head can't stop shaking! Well, you're not going through a fit but the words are just making too much sense to you. Something similar happened with me when I met someone on a trip to Ramanagara (designed by a Bangalore based bunch of travelers called Nirvana Nomads ). More about the trip later, this chain of words is inspired from a small conversation. It was therapeutically helpful for me to discuss about some problems and find out that it is more or less the same with others too!  The gist was life is uncertain and there are too many screwed-up things. Nonetheless, in between this horse-crap flying around there are few candies flying around too. So catch those, you may get hit with some shit. Clean yourself and move on. Eww, maybe that's your reaction to my last line - cand...

Happythankyoumoreplease Living in the moment is considered a big deal; after all  it makes us happier . It has always intrigued me how it looks like to be in the moment. The sudden change from being outside to being in the moment . Acting coaches always stress on being in the moment . An actor can create the most wonderful of emotions onstage with a burst of self-awareness.  It is the time when nothing can go wrong; imagine Sachin hooking McGrath to a six across the stadium longest boundary. All the forces seem to mysteriously come together and create an invisible cloak of confidence & flair. I remember a couple of days back I muttered a highly excited yet muted "Yes" when I succeeded in something at work. It was great! It happens to all of us and at least a few times a week. It doesn't have to be public; it can be very private moment too. Nonetheless, I must add that to achieve this feat onstage is remarkable. Emotional nakedness is more daunting - say...

This post is autobiographical in nature. I have drawn from my past and tried to understand why I don't read anymore (at least as much as I like to). So if you want to indulge in bit of "me" or just humour me; you can proceed further. In any other case feel free to drop out now and maybe try this link (it is safe). Stage 1 I am buying this book because I'm going to read it.  Stage 2 I am going to read this book because I bought it. Stage 3 Argh! Why did I buy this book?! The aforesaid stages summarize the relationship between a book and me. Perhaps some of you can relate to it. I am not talking about avid readers who can devour a book in a day or maybe even few hours. Please pardon me but I'll also exclude the Will Huntings ' of the world from this group. I'm a reader. This is a bold statement (maybe false too). I am not sure I like reading. It is a habit I have picked up because of my father. He used to take me to the World B...

Time Machine - Still a Fantasy? This is a rant. It is dedicated to all the insanity existing in this beautiful world. If you don't like rants, this is not for you. The plot is based on a true experience while the dialogues have been reproduced to the best of my memory. I have been feeling a bit emaciated during the last few weekends. I feel I've been missing out on something important. Well fact of the matter is something trivial; it is just that I don't have an internet connection at my home. This avoidance of technology is not a show of mental grit rather it is a result of some shoddy customer service by the internet provider. I won’t get into too much details of the strange nonchalance shown by the provider. However I cannot stop myself from writing about this strange incident with a customer rep on the phone. I called the helpline on 13th of October to check the status of my service request that was supposed to be completed on 11th of the same month. A v...

Mother Teresa Saints are revered in most religions. A saint can be defined as a holy person   in the eyes of the people who have faith . They are considered as the source of absolute truth. They are also source of exemplary qualities such as compassion, love, justice and honesty among many others. A while back I wrote a post on the public figure. I see God as a public figure whose life and actions are scrutinized by each and every living being on Earth (and perhaps on other planets where intelligent life exists). It isn't easy being God, perhaps He shares my sentiments. However for a mere mortal like me it is difficult to "see" God. So the faith is a bit of a far-fetched idea for me. I end up in a recursive loop - to see Him I need faith but for faith I need to see Him! Besides it is easy to forget someone who apparently is never seen & insists on helping with an invisible hand. These days ther...

Oneness and Interdependence T he culture of a society comes from its people. My actions are the driving factor in the rise or fall of the society I live in. It is as simple as that.  So when, Yongtang, our driver in Leh said, "Film stars are not our heroes. The  jawans  on the border are our heroes", it gave me an insight into the culture of Ladakh. Ladakh is both a beauty and a beast. It has some of the most divine places lying within treacherous Himalayan mountain passes and arid lands. It is a region so cutoff from the mainland India that it is sometimes difficult to imagine that it is India too. Yet, when I look at the people I see a connection hidden to my city boy's naked eyes. A couple friends and I decided to go on a trip to Ladakh in July this year. Apart from some bouts of altitude sickness the trip was a beautiful eye-opener. It introduced me to the land of "Juley". Before the trip I did my bit of research on what...

A self-made video interview of a sadhu in Chitrakoot, India in 2011. I had always wondered about sadhus' who renounce the world and live seemingly strange lives; for a person like me their life is a mystery. My father and I did a short interview of one such sadhu. English subtitles available. Last year I also wrote posts on Chitrakoot which you can read here . You can watch the interview here, the video is available on YouTube with English subtitles.

On the second day in Ladakh, our driver told that we would be visiting Alchi and would do a night stay in the village. I am unaware of Alchi (frankly I just knew about Leh before this trip). Most websites states Alchi to be a place famous for its old monastery. Alchi is conveniently located 70 km west of Leh on the south bank of the Indus River. It is at a "reasonable" altitude of about 3,100 m. Dare I say, 3,100 m (about 10,200 ft) sounds so pleasant after "experiencing" symptoms of altitude sickness at around 4,250 m (about 14,000 ft) in Sarchu on our way from Manali to Leh. Alchi The road to Alchi from Leh is ordinarily beautiful. As the cars traverses on the winding roads of the mountains, a nondescript turn marks the entrance to the village. A small shaded bus-stop welcomes you to a road leading into the village. The doorway to the resort proudly states the traditional hut style rooms available for the guests. The hut is a bit of a misnomer...

I am finding it very difficult to write in a single post about Ladakh. It is a land blessed with immense natural and spiritual beauty. So to make my job easier and in doing so spend more time with the topic, I have decided to break this journey into a series of articles. Lamayuru On the third day of our trip, driving back to Leh after a night stay at Alchi, we made a detour to Lamayuru . This is a small Tibetan Buddhist monastery situated on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road in the western part of Ladakh region. It is located at an altitude of about 3,510 meters. As our car made our way into the vicinity of the Gompa the place seemed "touristy" but I had a feeling I was in for something special. A lot of building material was scattered around the narrow roads leading to the monastery. "Oye, that way", pointed a monk with a prayer wheel in his hand. Murals on the Wall I made my way up the stairs leading to the entrance of the courtyard. It was decora...