Reaching There

"Surreal but nice" that's what Hugh Grant's character managed to blurt out, mesmerized by the beauty of Julia Roberts (in the movie Notting Hill ). And this was the exact thought that was running in my mind as I was rising from a depth of over 35 feet under water in the Arabian Sea near Goa, India. I had just finished my first dive (rather second dive of my first dive) with grouper fish, tailor fish - and many more - knelt at the bottom of the ocean floor and touched a ship wreck that sunk more than sixty years ago! It was a surreal experience that has left me with a feeling of self-satisfaction as well as endless curiosity. The two feelings very rarely take a house together in my mind. Probably the last time they shacked up together was when I got an admit for my Master's from State University of New York . The feeling of gliding underwater among the fishes, water pressure trying to burst your ears drums, flying over huge boulders of rocks under sea; like an un...

The best way to start anew is to start simple yet big! Simplicity is attractive in any form; whether it is the simplest form of an idea, design or even a human being. It carries with it the power to affect thousands when complexity restricts itself just to a handful. There are numerous examples around us where a simple idea became a big time hit! Whether it was Apple's iPod, Google's home page or Indian " jugaads ". Ideas like Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent movement, Nelson Mandela's efforts on reconciliation (forgiveness) or more recently Juan Mann's free hugs campaign were simple yet powerful enough to carry their effect through the human biases. The inherent infectious nature of these real simple ideas leaves us happily vulnerable to unknown outcomes that always follow them. As I welcomed 2011 into my life I was asked by someone whether I had any new year resolutions. A confession here, I am not a resolution kinda guy. But that set aside I thought why ...

I came to South Africa not knowing what to expect. But, surprisingly all my unknown expectations were fulfilled beyond my imagination! I managed to taste and enjoy most of the colors of the Rainbow Nation. Although just a three week visit and riveted around Durban, I managed to get a feel of Suid-Afrika. Durban   Airport   and the Indian Girl King Shaka Airport, Durban, SA I landed in   Durban   on a bright sunny evening in mid-November. Just near the immigration counters was a big poster of a smiling Nelson Mandela; welcoming us with a big smile and the 2010 football world cup trophy clutched tightly in his big hands. I knew I was in   South Africa,  a country I would never had thought of visiting if not for my job. The diversity was quite evident from the people at the counters. I had an African guy, a white guy and a girl of Indian origin wearily looking at the long line of people that had just landed from a flight from   Dubai . I ended up wi...

Quarter-life Crisis The years from twenty five to twenty nine are a weird experience; at least that’s how they are turning out for me. The word weird here is a mixture of humour as well as distress. These are the years when you’re well past your adolescent days. You’ve moved through the puberty into the maturity carrying the burden of college degrees. You even got your first job and were very content making that monthly loan installment towards the education loan. Your college buddies who looked doomed seem to be doing fine. Your friends, like you, seem to be doomed for an unknown amount of time to follow. You’re pretty sure you will lead the pack of your doomed friends. Maybe you’ve a relationship with a girl or a guy who has managed to stick with you through these waves of changes. Or you’re still not sure whether it is worth to be in a relationship. For others this part was all but happiness. However your parents and mentors have showered you with enough wisdom about the opportuni...

The strange thing about being open or receptive is that both happiness and sadness can come in through the open door. But it is up to us to decide which lives in our house. Of course the house I am talking about is our mind. The openness is a characteristic you can't live without as well as can't live with it! (my U2 line :D) Openness comes with a disclaimer: use at your own risk! When I agree to being open I sign a contract with unlimited possibilities. The contract clearly states that the result may or may not align with my expectations. But the contract does guarantee an experience that would justify the suffering or joy. So eventually I might just end up with an experience. No more no less! But that's the cost of the openness. But can I define openness? To me it is the condition when mind is ready for possibilities. It is not restricted by its' own biases and inabilities. Openness puts me in a vulnerable state where I am like a traveler on the way to nowhere. I ...

I came across a very interesting quote recently by Stephanie Gilmore. Just a bit of background on her. She is a professional surfer from Australia and four time world champion on the women's Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour. You can read more about her blog . The quote goes something like this; "I am a good loser, I know how to lose now!" Unfortunately I don't remember the rest of the quote from the magazine. But the jest of it was learning from the losses, not get bogged down by the losses and most importantly moving on to try for the next win! It was a very interesting insight from somebody so young (she is 22). So it is important to enjoy the loss and use it for your preparation. Sulking or hypothesizing the win isn't gonna help in any way. So happy losses! Cheers!

Sometimes the time pushes you and other times you have to push the time. The relationship between time and you is a mutual one. Both have to take care of each other to enable a benefiting relationship. The end result is a wonderful lifetime! Let me take you through my thought process. "Sometimes the time pushes you". This is the part where we are governed by the circumstances or surroundings in our life. This government could lead into situations which may not be at a comfort level acceptable to you. But you have to go with these situations. Calamities, losses, heartbreaks, betrayals and other misfortunes push you into unknown and highly vulnerable surroundings. But to move through this you have to be agile and forgiving. Other times time pushes you into wonderful things. Serendipitous circumstances are typical examples of time pushing you into something wonderful but you feel equally vulnerable as well. Hasn't it happened to you when you ended up saying, "Wow! I wa...