So It begins...

O God please tell me

2011-08-17T00:15:00.002-04:00

O God please tell me

Why the terrible plight?

Aren’t we all Your children?

Why do You let us fight?

O God please tell me

Don’t You love us all?

There are many who die of hunger

Yet there are a few who have it all

O God please tell me

Why are there so many of You?

Each saying the same thing

With a different point of view?

It is sad that we are stupid

To think that You disagree with You

And go to even kill each other

To prove One right over the other You

O God please tell me

Why the deceit and so many lies

You let us trick and con and cheat

But isn’t it something that You despise?

Hey man, wait a minute

Are you kidding me?

What am I to blame for

Wasn’t it you who made me?

It is you who is weak

And can’t stand any bitter truth

You utterly fail as a human

And make Me a scapegoat?

I pity you O human

That you totally miss the point

You gave Me the rules to guide you

Yet it is I to disappoint?

So I pray to you O human

To just leave me alone

And I’m sure if you try hard enough

You’ll find God in your Soul

The past year that flew by...

2011-06-01T23:48:00.003-04:00

What am I doing here? This sounds like a very philosophical question, doesn't it? Well.. it's not as deep a question as you think. I had this discussion with a good friend of mine some days ago about the reason for our coming to the USA. You would say the obvious answer would be 'to study'. But coming to think of it, it is not just that. You would also argue that it is to earn more money, to lead a better life.. but giving it some thought made us realize and concur that none of these are the real reasons.

There are some damn good educational institutions in India and I need not come to Purdue for that. Although one could argue that getting into those places is a different game altogether. But that's not the point. I did have the option to study in India. I could have kept working in India, switched a few jobs and earned more money. And if you have money you can definitely lead a good life in India. So why did I come to the US? I would say it is simply for the experience; to meet different people, to see different cultures, to observe people around me... their problems, their struggles, their triumphs, their joys, their actions, their behavior; to experience living away from my close ones and find more special people to be friends for life. In essence, to grow as a person.

It has been one year since I came to Purdue. Well.. one academic year. But what an year it was!! Academically it was of course an enriching experience. I have a wonderful mix of classmates, interacting with whom, is always a pleasure. I am glad my b-school has a great mix of nationalities. Where else would you get to meet a South Korean army captain and get his views first hand on their political situation? Or talk to an Egyptian classmate right when her countrymen are writing history? Or learn from Chinese classmates what they have been learning about Tibet and Nepal in their schools?

Outside school too it could not have been better. Well..actually it could have been, but anyways :)

I have been fortunate to get a bunch of really good 'real' friends here. I say 'real' because after coming here my 'virtual' friends list on Facebook has ridiculously shot up and the latest number I see is 850!! It is amazing to see the social dynamics among these real friends. Gradually and inevitably this 'universal set' of friends around you get bunched up into various 'sets and subsets'. There are the intersections which sometimes face a tough time managing two groups. And then sometimes there are attempts at unions which are rather difficult to manage. In a community formed thousands of miles away from home, usually you really don't have too much of a choice in choosing these sets. And the ensuing politics, bitching and gossiping is quite entertaining. I must admit I am pretty neutral and diplomatic when it comes to such situations. I also got a really special friend here, the kind of friend with whom you share almost everything. I already have such a set of friends and our friendship has stood the test of time. I just hope this new friendship also follows the same path.

When I came to Purdue my roommate told me about the typical stages in an Indian grad students life here. It is excitement to begin with, followed by a brief bout of depression around fall and winter time and then its all good again as you get used to the life here. Then you visit India in the 2nd winter and have a great trip and come back. Then you finish your course and start with your job. Your 2nd trip to India, although exciting, is riddled with constant thought about your job and life back in US. Your initial thoughts of one day going back to India gradually fade and you eventually settle in the US for good justifying your decision with various arguments.

I have been saying, maybe like hundreds of other Indians, that after a few years I would go back. But my roommate also said that those who do go back usually do so not by choice but due to circumstances. I agree that his argument is based on an observed trend and that I too will be staying here for some years at least. I just hope I can prove him wrong :) But till then, I'm here and waiting for another eventful year ahead!!

Fight against Corruption: Are we 'honestly' ready as citizens?

2011-04-07T01:42:00.002-04:00

The Lok Pal bill seems really interesting and powerful and it is heartening to see people supporting it vehemently. But my question to all of us is, how ready are all of us to be honest and play our part in ridding the country of corruption? Next time when the traffic cop catches us, will we pay Rs. 200 and get a receipt or pay Rs. 50 and mutually benefit? Will you fake rent receipts to evade tax? I don't think I need to give more examples, we personally know those. Corruption has become such an intrinsic part of the society that many a times we do not realize that we are doing something wrong. You inadvertently legitimize many such actions in your conscience by repetition.

We cry out loud when multi million rupee scams of politicians are unearthed. But what about the multi millions added up by the seemingly negligible corrupt actions of each one of us? These small acts are not the ones for which you will be dragged to court. Our law enforcement agencies are simply not capable enough to look at millions of such cases, giving us the immunity to blatantly carry on. The Lok Pal will be there to bring to book politicians and govt offcials and other high profile people guilty of white collar corruption. This might help reduce high profile scams. But what about common people like us? As citizens we ask for the Right To Information, ask for means to check corruption, but are we ready to dispense our duties as responsible citizens and not cheat our country and countrymen? I admit that I am myself guilty of such acts. And I am pretty sure every person reading this would fail the polygraph test. But I can sincerely say that I am ready to change.

Every person should be ready to pass the ‘Swa Pal’ bill in his own heart and check his own actions. Getting the country rid of corruption is going to be a major lifestyle change for each and every one of us. The struggle doesn't end with the Lok Pal Bill, it just begins there.

My first poem

2010-12-05T11:11:00.001-05:00

I woke up in the morning

And opened the blinds

There she was standing

Beautiful in pristine whites

I went out to have a walk with her

It seemed so fabulous

But she warned me in a while

"Be careful.... this can be treacherous"

I said I'll be careful

And so we went along

With days full of fun and frolic

Ignorant of the bed of thorns

She glowed in all her glory

When the sun shone on

But little did I realize

That he will take her along

Then she bade me goodbye

I thanked her for all the joy

With a heavy heart and thoughts in my head

I shut the blinds and went straight to bed

I woke up in the morning

And opened the blinds

And I longed to see her standing

Again in her pristine whites

But as I looked out half asleep

My heart took a leap

There again she was standing

Adorned with grace in her majestic green

- Anoop

The eternal conflict

2010-11-25T01:06:00.004-05:00

I was at a bar today and down 2 beers. We shared the table with my friend’s friend’s friend. He happened to be deeply interested in religion and after 20+ years of studying Christianity he has turned to the eastern philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism. We had a pretty interesting discussion about God, consciousness, concept of the finite and infinite, the Self etc. I do not claim that I understood all that he was saying but I did get the gist. He too was aware that he was in the process of understanding things and so was eager to discuss it with someone who would hear it out. Apparently not many people choose to discuss this.

From all the things we discussed, there was one particular thing that I would like to mention here. I asked him whether the cause of all the religion based conflicts in the world is the deliberate misinterpretation of religious texts. His answer was pretty interesting. It was a thing that I have been aware of and probably you all are. But talking about it today, in this context, totally made sense. Conflicts in this world will never end.

Why do conflicts arise? It is because of differences. The reason for the difference can be as simple as two hungry people claiming the same last piece of bread or as pointless as two religions fighting over their concept and interpretation of God. It would be simple to say that these conflicts can be resolved by resolving differences….by condemning the wrong and embracing the right, by defeating evil and glorifying the good. But that is where the catch lies. All these terms are relative and subjective. What is right for one person may not be the same for another. What is good for one will be evil for another. And there is no way you can change everyone’s perception. In theological language… although we share the same consciousness, our perceptions of the finite and levels of awareness are different. Pretty heavy, isn’t it? The same cross seen by Christians and seen by the rest, evoke a different emotions.

The very existence or presence of something depends on the absence of another thing. Darkness is absence of light. Good is absence of evil. Honesty is not being dishonest. And if you observe, these are abstract things, just concepts. Hence if there was never any evil in this world, we would not have known the concept of Good. We would not have known light as we know it if there was no darkness. Thus, there is always a conflict, and it is eternal. There is nothing anyone can do to resolve it. Let us assume that all religions are dissolved and the whole world follows one religion or absolutely follows none. Then there will be thousands of other reasons which would give rise to conflicts.

The very concept of Utopia exists because the world is imperfect and there is discontent. It is that illusion, that mirage which we dream of. But alas, it is just what it is… an illusion.

B +ve

2009-07-24T03:06:00.006-04:00

B +ve... No, it is not my blood group :) It is one of the principles by which I lead my life. It is one of the little things which makes me the 'hasmukhlal' (ever smiling... got that name in college) that I am.

I believe that whatever happens, happens for the good. I know we can find numerous examples where this statement can be challenged. Take any natural calamity, acts of terror.. what good can possibly come out of it? So I guess this statement shouldn't be taken in the literal sense. The thing to take from it is the positive spirit behind the line.

How you look at an event is the key. Always try to find things which you can learn from such events, make a note for the future, thank God that nothing worse happened and move on. Well, it is difficult for people who have directly suffered, but that is where the positive attitude helps. Take for example, my motorbike accident. With a badly shattered left knee, it was a big setback for my routine life. I had to literally learn to walk again. It was painful, frustrating but I always had the end result in mind, my first steps without crutches. I really cannot put in words the joy I felt when I walked that day. My positive attitude helped me sail thru or rather.. 'walk thru'.

I learnt many things of course. The very basic being the wonderful physiology of the human body. It is indeed a marvel. I learnt to what extent I can push my body. I learnt to be more patient. There are some things which cannot be pushed through. You need to allow enough water to flow under the bridge. I had to wait and struggle for almost 2 years before I could run again.

Most importantly, I rediscovered the importance of friends in my life. Very few people do so much for friends what my friends have done for me. I know we do not count such deeds in friendship. But I must say that I owe a lot to them. I also got time to think about many other people and situations in different light which in the normal course of life I wouldn't have thought about. So the point here is that although a misfortune, I look at the accident as a blessing in disguise for giving me the opportunity to grow as a person.

I know many people who crib and complain about petty matters. However, they do not realize that by doing so it is only themselves that suffer and no one else. If there is something which bothers you, find a solution and take action. If there is nothing you can do, why bother? Your being bothered is not going to resolve matters. I know this is easy to say but difficult to act on these lines. The human mind is quite complicated and controlling your thoughts is probably one of the most difficult things. I am not saying that I have mastered the art of being positive. I am definitely lucky to naturally have this mindset to some extent. Consequently many things which normally irritate people do not trouble me. They just bring a smile to my face and I carry on. I guess I just laugh at luck when I can :)

I do get troubled by some things. But when something troubles me I make a conscious effort to not get bogged down. Try this.. think of the worst case scenario that can happen and you will realize that the situation is not so bad after all. Like in an exam you are totally screwed, what can be the worst outcome? You will fail and worse you may lose an year. Well... that's it. If you look at the bigger picture of life it wont matter. After a few years you'll look back and laugh. So instead of dreading the outcome, think where you went wrong and prepare better.

Looks like this is turning out to be Art of living discourse :) I should stop now. But I genuinely wanted to share what I feel. Believe me.. a small change in your outlook can make a world of difference. Give it a try.

Trek to Chandrashila

2009-05-24T04:39:00.005-04:00

Disclaimer: All events are as per my perception. No names have been mentioned, since this is an open blog. I have surely missed talking about some people, but it is not intentional.

The experiences in the Himalayas blind you with their awesomeness. The inability to aptly convey the thoughts is purely my shortcoming. For those who have never been there, a first hand experience is advised.

Day 1: May 9

Leaving behind all the routine worries and loaded with minimum required luggage I reached the rendezvous point at Mumbai Central station. It was the first time that I was going for a Himalayan trek or rather any outing without any friends/family accompanying me. I recognised a few people from the practice trek a few weeks earlier and exchanged pleasantries. Then I was alone scanning the rest of the group to find anyone to strike up a conversation. I did find a group of architects waiting for another friend of theirs who had managed to be a bit late. By the time she reached we had had a round of introductions and then it was time to board the super fast Rajdhani which was all charged up like us to begin the journey.

The Rajdhani hospitality began with the journey with a quick round of snacks. Most among the 44 of us were in the same compartment and soon preliminary introductions were in full swing. Ours was a mixed group having seasoned trekkers and first time aspirants with almost a 60 year age gap between the 7 year old and the eldest one.

Sometime later in the evening, some of us played a new card game called Hijack which was a hilarious ice-breaker exercise. After a lip smacking delicious feast of roasted chicken (sorry veggies, but it was amazing) followed by dinner, we gathered for the 2nd ice breaker and you know what, my favourite :) a round of soulful old Hindi songs. I couldn't have been happier than sitting among some amazing singers. I knew then itself that I was going to have a blast in the next 12 days.

Day 2: May 10

I realized in the next 11 days that when you keep away all the worldly worries aside, even a minimal sleep of 5-6 hours is sufficient for a tired body. After an early coffee and breakfast, I spent some time chatting with the only person of my age in the group. However interesting the group is, you need someone you can relate to most, to keep company and she being from the same academic background we struck off well. ( do take this at the face value and not read more into it).

Our so called air con bus was waiting to pick us up at the Delhi station. It was a beast of a bus but an ugly one for sure. It was a sleeper coach and the younger ones as expected took the upper berths immediately. All were in high spirits and most part of this journey to Hrishikesh was covered with a long round of Antakshari followed by Name-Place-Animal-Thing (i guess I had played the game around 15 yrs ago) and Dumb charades. The other part was spent grumbling about the stupid bus whose twice punctured tyres cost us our evening in Hrishikesh.

We reached the Garhwal Mandal's Bharat Bhoomi guest house pretty late. It was a wonderful night though. Cool after light showers. I spent a long time on the windy terrace having a chat with my new architect friend. Another good friend in the making.

Day 3: May 11

I woke up pretty early and had a dose of Vitamin D on the terrace. The other nutrients (mostly carbs from omnipresent "aloo") came from breakfast and then we left for our next destination Mastura (4820 ft alt) in 2 small buses to tackle the gut churning mountain roads of the Garwhal mountains. I started off in the smaller bus but soon swapped places to go in the other one since there was no one to sing with in the former. We sang away as we passed DeoPrayag and RudraPrayag, the confluences of various tributaries of the Ganga. It rained later and as we gained height it suddenly became chilly. Excited as we were, we unleashed our repertoire of monsoon songs.

We reached Mastura, a very tiny village, before sunset. After tea and hot pakodas, I did some repacking for the trek and went for a stroll with a few others at sunset. It gets absolutely pitch dark so we didn't venture too far.

After dinner we had a camp fire, the first among many to come. Our group leader, an amazingly enthusiastic guy, came out with his stock of typical trek songs. When most of us went off to sleep we ended the session with some quiet melodies, a few by our multi talented doctor kaka. We slept off with a feeling of excitement for the next day since the actual trek was to begin.

Day 4: May 12

For the next few days the daily morning rituals were sans the bathing part. So getting ready in the morning was not much of an effort. By 8.30am we were done with breakfast and after dumping the extra luggage in a room we were raring to go. After some basic briefing and the customary Shivaji Maharaj's ghoshana/aaroli (ending with Jai Bhavani, Jai Shaivaji) which pumps in more vigour, we were off. For regular trekkers (like me, though this was after a long break) it was going to be an easy day. 4 kms of steep climb to Deoriatal (7998 ft). With poor levels of physical activity in routine life, people did struggle here, children included. I stayed back to egg on my new friend who was struggling a bit. But I must admit that she showed great spirit and reached the camp without taking any help.

Deoriatal, as the name suggests is a lake. One of the most beautiful locations I have seen till date, it seems to have apparated straight from a fairytale. It's a small lake, with almost three sides surrounded by dense trees and a trail going round it. As you approach the lake from south, it acts like a mirror and you get an amazing glimpse of the snow clad 'Chaukhamba' peaks. And for bird lovers, this place is heaven.

Though our camp site, consisting of a guest house and few tents, was just 5 mins away from this lake, it didn't offer a great view of the ranges and valley since it was totally surrounded by trees.

We spent the evening playing some real fun games. I don't remember screaming my lungs out in quite a few years.

And then there was the sunset. The same sun, the same you, but what a difference the backdrop makes!!

After dinner and a nice, warm campfire, I slipped into the sleeping bag inside the mini tent I was allocated.

Day 5: May 13

After a slightly chilly night, i woke up at 5am ("without alarm" !!!! ). A few other lucky people also woke up. I say lucky because what we saw by the lake some time later was out of this world. A beautiful, clear morning sky with cool, crisp air. And there we saw the peaks, getting illuminated by the early rays of the sun, one after the other as if it was choreographed (by God... who else) to perfection. Breathtaking!! And then as the sun came up the shafts of light bathed the whole valley, a scene which only your mind can capture.

After a walk round the lake and some 'genuine' bird watching, and amazing photography with my new architect friend, we went back for breakfast. I really wish all had come to witness the event.

This was a rest day which we spent relaxing, playing cards, UNO, Guess the Word (cool game) and sleeping, a thing which I hate to do when on treks. We went to the forest for some activities like rope climbing, which I was hopeless at, and Tarzan swinging, which I loved to do since I could do it :). And the best part was treasure hunt which we played in the evening; searching for clues in chits hidden in trees and under rocks... and my team won!! We spent the rest of the evening singing and chatting away by the campfire. I slept in another tent that night. It had been a wonderful day.

Day 6: May 14

The clouds were not so kind to us this morning. Those who missed last morning's sunrise were in for disappointment. Nonetheless, some of us waited on the watch tower near the lake, bird watching and chatting away.

After breakfast we bade farewell to Deoriatal and descended about 2kms to a village called Sari (9840 ft) which we had passed while ascending. The knee wobbling descent is what a few people including me dislike, however we made excellent time that day. Sari had a motorable road and we used the services of 2 cars to take us to the next trekking point. In case I have not mentioned it before, I must say that this was a leisure trek, unlike any treks I have been to before.

Our next destination was Dugalbitta (111152 ft), beautifully located in a valley having lush green pastures with crystal clear streams cutting through them. And to reach there, the approach road was equally serene. It was a 5 km climb through dense forest and I have no doubt that inspite of the climb, everyone of us wished that the road wouldn't end. As it's true with life, a trek is no exception; learn to enjoy the path, the destination would wait for you; since it is the path on which most of your life is spent. And make sure you chose your fellow travellers well. I was lucky on that front.

After the pleasurable walk everyone comfortably reached the campsite. We stayed in a two storey guest house with almost all basic facilities that one would need there. The day was spent exploring the camp area, playing cards and just resting. A small hailstorm in the evening was a pleasant surprise and the two youngest gals in our group promptly went hailstone picking. Those two also did some serious strawberry picking the next day. We started with our singing session with tea at around 5.30pm. Our bollywood songs database simply amazes me. We continued this nonstop bollywood hits programme for 4 hours on a trot only to stop at dinner time with the participants dwindling to 5 by the time we wound up.

A peculiar feature of this trek was the frenzy to charge cell phones and camera batteries as soon as the gensets started in the evening. As I said this was a leisure trek. With the gensets shutting down at night we too hibernated.

Day 7: May 15

I had the chance to witness another beautiful sunrise that morning. It was a rest day reserved for a few activities around the camp. But the first attraction of the day was breakfast. Maggi!!!! Believe me it's a pleasure to have Maggi in the Himalayas. A different experience altogether. Well... maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but yes.. its fun.

One of our friends, an amazing photographer, had to leave the trek midway that morning due to some emergency back in Mumbai. We surely missed his company a lot.

I played some volleyball after breakfast and then we were off for valley crossing. Just 2 mins away from the camp our camp leaders had set up the ropes across a tiny gorge. We had to walk across to the other side and with the safety harness in place slide along the rope to come back. I did it for the first time in my life. It was fun but time consuming, so unfortunately we could do it only once. Everyone's expressions while hanging were worth capturing and our ever ready cameras were merrily clicking away. After crossing we were rewarded with a plate of yummy bhel brought all the way from Mumbai :)

Nature had its way again with our rappelling and rock climbing getting washed off in rains and hail. I went for a stroll to the nearby stream with my new young friends. We sat at a beautiful spot by the stream for a long time. Though both girls were just out of school, an event which took place in my life almost 9 years ago, we had many interesting topics to discuss. I must say that I am one of those lucky ones who can strike up a conversation with almost anyone.

We went back after the generators were on. And then I committed a crime, already committed by most others by now. I had a bath...!!! We had broken one of those unwritten rules of trekking. From then on we started calling it a 'Trip' rather than a trek. But anyways... it felt good to be clean again.

That night by the campfire, I saw one of the most beautiful views of the night sky I have ever seen. From the valley it seemed like we were some insignificant beings staring out of a large vessel, awestruck by the big, beautiful universe out there. But for the cold, I would have slept out there staring at God's gardens.

Day 8: May 16

There was a change of plan. Instead of going to our next camp Chopta, we were going to go for Tunganath and Chandrashila peak that day itself and come back to Dugalbitta. The change was to accommodate some other plan which had just materialized. The plan was to reach Chopta, about 6 kms away, by vehicles to save time and start the climb. Some of us walked halfway and were rewarded with some time on a beautiful pasture with horses and cows grazing away leisurely. After a quick cup of tea and some election news on the radio in a shack by the side of the pasture, the car picked us up on its fourth round.

As with any temple in the north, the road to Tunganath (12070 ft) was completely built up. It was a typical stone path, pretty steep sometimes but a cakewalk for regular trekkers. The route was beautiful, the path steadily winding up the lush green mountain sides. Higher up, we left the trees behind and had clouds for company.

A dear little friend was feeling pretty ill, and some literal hand holding was necessary to get her up. But I am glad she made it to the temple. (I know she would kill me for calling her "little", but that's the best I can do without names). Another friend made it on a khacchar (a mule). I'm surely in for a beating here. :)

Tunganath is a nice little temple made of granite slabs. With clouds floating across, the feeling was heavenly. We performed a small aarti at the temple and started our final ascent to Chandrashila peak (13450 ft), a steep climb of about 1.5 kms. I was totally fired up for the last climb and was the first to ring the temple bell atop the peak. We had made it!!! This was the destination we had started for and it was great to see that most of us had made it to the top. The feeling was magical, to be at the top, floating in clouds. Though without clouds the view would have been even better. The cameras were clicking away again and surprisingly all phones had started working. We quickly called up our loved ones just to say 'Hi' from the top.

We got back down to the temple and had excellent aloo parathas and some rhododendron juice, which was quite nice I would say. The climb down after that was pretty fast and eveyone hogged on bun-omelet, maggi and veg pulao at the small eatery at the base. Those of us who wanted more of the trek, walked back to Dugalbitta camp, another 3.5km gradual climb down through beautiful forests and pastures.

Everyone was pretty tired that evening to do much activity. We chillaxed till night, packed up to leave the next morning. After some time by the camp fire, we slept off.

Day 9: May 17

It was a long journey back to Hrishikesh, back the same route we had come by. After a lot of leg-pulling and singing and chatting and lunch en route, we reached Bharat Bhoomi hotel in the evening. There we had a nice bath, a quiet dinner and then we slept off, dead tired after the weary journey. But... we all had smiles on our faces and excitement in our heart for the next day.

Day 10: may 18

Today was the day of the other plan which had materialized at Dugalbitta. It was rafting day!!! A welcome change in plan unanimously voted for. We got ready in our swimsuits... well, not literally, and left hotel for a decent south Indian breakfast. Cars were ready to whisk us away to the starting point of our adventure. We reached there with cars loaded with rafts and rafting gear and after donning the rafting gear all of us quickly had a round of goti-soda to beat the heat. Then the sorting hat (our group leader.... this was for Harry Potter fans) sorted us into our rafts and we were off. Frankly I had expected more thrilling rapids than what we got, but it was fun nevertheless. It was pretty easy work paddling the boat with the experienced guide giving all instructions. But the best part I liked was swimming in the cold water of Ganga. With the sun trying to roast you from top, the water was the best place to be in. We stopped for some cliff jumping which reminded me of the 4th floor jump in my swimming pool days back in Mumbai. Was surely thrilling!!

After a few more rapids and some more swimming under the Ram jhula and Lakshman jhula, we reached the finish point. And all of a sudden everyone went wild, pulling each other in the water, splashing water and wetting already wet people. It was damn fun. In the end a few Pandavs had to be literally pulled out. Oh.. how did I forget to mention the Pandavs before??? We had this extremely funny gang of teenager guys each one with some peculiarity (like a mobile range addict, maggi addict... etc). These were our Pandavs.. or jugaari Pandavs as we later called them since loved playing cards.

We went back to the hotel to clean up and get some rest. In the evening, we went to the Ganga ghats near Lakshman jhula to witness the aarti. It was pretty crowded and very hot and so we didn't loiter around for too long. People did some quick shopping since there wasn't much time at hand. Dinner was at the famous Chotiwala restaurant, which actually had a guy with choti sitting at the entrance.

Back at the hotel, there were plans for a dj session, for which our leader especially bought speakers in the afternoon. However it wasn't much of a success with only a few enthu dancers on the floor. Sorry guys... i'm not so crazy for dancing. Another result of the poor turnout was that, we had to eat about 4-5 ice creams per head to finish off what was bought for all... that was simply too much. Then I stayed back late for sometime with the junior gang playing cards and 'Truth or Stare' in the corridors. I remembered my school days when such games used to be fun... asking each other crazy questions. After answering some expected questions I went off to sleep.

Day 11: May 19

It was practically the last day of our trip. We left Hrishikesh early to ensure that we didn't miss our Rajdhani. The bus was excellent and sleep deprived that I was, I slept most of the time. I guess that's what most others did. We only had packed breakfast and Amul kool enroute and reached Delhi station well in time for a quick lunch at Comesum. Keeping up its reputation, Rajdhani left on the dot and we were off to Mumbai. The feeling then started to sink in that the next morning we were going to go our own ways. I have gone through this many times before but it's something you can't help. The bond you start sharing after spending the whole 10 days together compels you to feel sad. Everyone exchanged their contacts and made promises to keep in touch. A get-together was planned.

In the spur of the moment we make these promises. Everyone knows that not all would be kept. But that's the way you always end your journey.. on a good note, with hopes of meeting again and carrying forward the friendships which started blossoming in the mountains.

Day 12: May 20

We had come a full circle and reached Mumbai Central. It was time to bid farewel. With smiles on our faces and memories in our heavy hearts we finally dispersed to face our own lives once again.

A Wonderful saturday

2009-04-11T16:21:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was just another Saturday. But somehow I would remember it till my memory allows. All of us, that's me and my 2 flatmates, were up by 7.30am, quite early on a weekend morning for software engineers I must say. The most natural thing to do then was turn on the idiot box and switch channels faster than you switch thoughts in your mind. Actually I hate it when someone does that.. but well.. I have no choice. I am never disturbed when I have my Zee Marathi time :):) so I can't complain. And how can you miss tea (milk for me please) and good old Parle G biscuits??

And just when I thought we would settle on one channel, the electricity board played spoilsport. In retrospect I thank them however.

This allowed or rather invoked us to think of alternatives of passing time. Our truly Indian instincts and the presence of a bat and tennis ball in the house left us no choice but to get our weekend lazy butts out of the house on the very fine morning and play some cricket. About 15 seconds walking distance from our gate there is a neglected playground which we happily occupied for the morning. No need to say we were playing so "well" we couldn't have possibly got any "better". You actually need to run when you play cricket. But then there came a gentleman from the pavilion house to do our background check and actually said that we looked quite young to be working in Infosys (btw..that's where we work ). This gave us an adrenaline shot and we were back in real form and had a decent game thereafter.

After an hour and a half of play we were back home and so was the electricity. The TV and laptops were on within no time. As decided on the previous day I checked the timings of a Marathi movie and booked a 6pm show. In the spur of the moment our Punjabi roomie also asked to book a ticket for him. He then had afterthoughts but he didn't regret the decision after all.

By the time we were done with the necessary bathing rituals it was lunch time and having skipped breakfast due to our dedication to the game, we were hopelessly hungry. After some indecision we finally ordered something and awaited its arrival more restlessly than we would wait for the salary to be credited in the zero balance bank account used to its full extent.

The lunch was followed by a movie on Star Movies and sleep for one roomie.

Electricity then surely played spoilsport when after having just a small first glimpse of my friend's week old nephew in Melbourne on Skype the connection was lost. But then we had a movie to go to and this time there was no way we were going to miss the beginning like every time. Another friend joined us for the movie. It's titled "Mi Shivaji Raje Bhosale Boltoy", having a great run at all theatres beating Akshay Kumars some movie, name of which I cant recollect. I must say the movie was damn good. I would recommend it to all Maharashtrians.

The movie got over at 8.40pm and then as decided we went to have the mouth watering or rather flooding..(naah.. doesn't sound nice... watering it is.. but i hope u got my point), CadM chocolate shake. Those who have had it once will second me. Before the amazing dessert we had some bhel, paani puri and dahi puri as dinner. We sat there for quite some time with the steps of shuttered shops serving as out 'katta' and chatted on random topics.

Just as we reached home with me thinking that the day was over, my Punjabi roomie produced 2 badminton rackets and a shuttle from out of the blue (well.. actually from the car boot). Well.. we were back... this time on the road displaying our baddy talents to... no one. Oh.. how can I forget, the gentlemen who complimented us in the morning passed us, this time with his family. He would have thought highly of our dedication to sports :):).

After ensuring with some power hitting, that our forearms would definitely be power sapped and useless the next day we returned home. Now the day had ended... well almost. I was back on the net uploading snaps on orkut. Thanks to the high speed net connection, I'm having enough time to write this blog. Now that the upload is done and I have probably bored you enough, I'll end here.

It was just another Saturday. But what I liked about it was that we 2 Mumbaikars had waited back and we 3 roomies were together the whole day having fun. Such is not just another Saturday. I guess we need days like this for friendships to develop. To get to know your friends better. Now with one of my roomies leaving for MBA after a month I don't think we'll have such days again. Though I don't have any snaps to upload for this day. I'll store it in my memory and retrieve it when I think of my wonderful days in Pune.

Our Choice or Destiny??

2009-01-11T10:35:00.007-05:00

One of man's pastimes which he naturally resorts to, is Retrospection and the most common question which one asks self is ... "What if I had.... ??" This is customised with all the suffixes in the world.

Kids: Though there isn't much kids can do about their questions, they do ask questions to self like... What if I had that bike?... or that toy? .. they are not mature enough to question their actions ... not that all adults are.

Teenagers: What if I had taken up the other course? What if I had said sorry to my friend at the right time?.. or more importantly in that age... What if I had proposed to "her" when i had the chance?

Adults: What if I had taken up that job? What What if I had bought that house? What if I hadn't lived my life the way i have??? ... there are too many complex questions which adults have...

I often wonder. How useful is Retrospection? Is it really worth asking these questions?

Questioning your past actions, especially failures, can sometimes have a disastrous effect on your confidence, if not viewed in correct light. You start considering yourself as a good-for-nothing loser. Such self-inflicted inferiority complex can kill the drive of even the genuinely capable people.

So what should you do? Run away from facts? Coz its also very true that you learn from your past mistakes. Your experiences teach you what no school or university can teach. Doing a mistake might be considered stupid, but repeating it is a crime. Here I think discretion as to which actions to contemplate on and which to leave alone is necessary. And more significantly, it is vital that you view the events as a third person, with some detachment as emotions do not always help the cause.

I would really congratulate those people who somehow seem to take the correct roads in life and never feel the need to retrace their path to analyze where they went wrong. I guess this must be a very small, elite class and there would be no way of identifying them since such self questioning doesn't happen in public. What is it that they do right? It is said that our journey in life is full of choices we need to make. (don't worry I wont give you the gyaan from the Matrix; actually I don't remember what that old architect said) Even in the most difficult situations when we say that "i have no other choice", there is a choice; just that only the league of extra-ordinary gentlemen/women can see that or are in a position to see it as a choice and to do something about it. The lesser mortals take the easy way out often without realizing there is a tougher choice.

In such cases you would most probably hear the argument that "I was destined to do it. Someone up there has already written it for me". Is this a sign of weakness we show by transferring the responsibility or blame on Destiny? Or is there some truth in the argument?

Ideally, one should take one's decisions with so much conviction that even in case of failure you should not have second thoughts. You should shape your destiny rather than the destiny shaping you. To achieve this you need to be damn sure of what you want and (those who believe in Destiny) be convinced that this is his Destiny even before getting to see the results.

I'm definitely not one of those ideal cases. Generally I'm pretty much confused when it comes to taking decisions, but I do take the responsibility and consider all options which my capacity permits me to. And after the decision is taken and the action done with, I ask God to support me and help me get the results. In case of success I never forget to thank Him and in case of failures I share the responsibility too :) .... placing the blame on my choices and thinking that I was destined to make that choice. This way I do not completely run away from my responsibility and at the same time I do not feel too bad about the situation. (how diplomatic..!!! )

On this note I'll end with a quote I found (thanks to google) by William Jennings Bryan -

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

If God was a shopkeeper...

2008-12-20T03:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I got an sms from one of my friends, just one of those forwards saying... "If God was the shopkeeper and u went to buy something from me.. What would u buy and why?? "

Generally we just forward the forward and don't think twice about it. But this one set me thinking. If I could actually "buy" something from God, what would it be?? Well... if it was a wish that was granted, there is a world full of options, or maybe beyond that. But here I have to "buy" something. Since I am paying for it, I have to be very careful when choosing. There's a famous tag line .. There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there's MasterCard. So now I get a chance to buy some things which MasterCard can't buy for me. What would it be?

I can very well be selfish and ask for all the happiness and satisfaction is this world.. whatever that is... for my friend (since it was her question) and obviously for myself. But such opportunities are not be lost for doing some greater good. Looking at the current events I would definitely buy the guarantee that people will not die of bullets or bombs. In this guarantee, I would specifically ask God to cover only regional and religious terrorism. I would buy some Sanity for all fanatics in this world responsible for this. I admire and have great respect for such fanatics including Adolf Hitler, simply for their capacity to influence people. Unfortunately they have screwed up priorities and concepts and mislead masses. I will buy from God a brainwashing or cleaning solution to clean their fogged minds. But their power to influence people... that I'll keep intact. They can do great service to this world by leading people in the right direction.

You'll say.. why take so much trouble?? Why not just buy peace and satisfaction and happiness for all the world? . There is a strong reason for this. I feel the very existence of human kind is based on paucity of these things. People work and go about with their activities only to chase this mirage called happiness and satisfaction. So asking for complete satisfaction and happiness will in a way steal from the people, the very reason for their living. Asking for a completely peaceful world also doesn't make sense. Harmless bickering and arguments add spice to life. Healthy competition only fuels the human spirit to conquer unassailable pinnacles.

So this is my answer to my friends SMS. Wasn't possible to reply through my phone and I couldn't find a better way than through my new blog :) Now just like any other forward I'm forwarding this to you. Do let me know. If God was the shopkeeper, what will you buy for me??

Finally I begin

2008-12-13T12:53:00.002-05:00

Since a very long time I had been thinking of starting my blog. But Newton's law of inertia very well applies to intangible things and thus this delay in beginning. Though I read books regularly, writing is something which takes a bit of effort since you need to think a bit before you write. I envy those, whose minds just open up and thoughts flow out as words on the keyboard.

It so happens that in the past 2 months I have been writing essays for my MBA applications. It's been quite a task since I hardly wrote any kind of prose after school.. which was almost 9 years ago. That's when I realised that, had I been blogging all this while, my task would have been easier. I guess writing regularly definitely keeps your grey cells active and flowing with ideas. Well... better late than never.

Now that I decided to open a blog, I needed a title. 2 of my friends happened to be online and I asked for a suggestion. It was not such an important decision to make but I couldn't think of anything.. (nice start to blogging I must say!!). One of them suggested "So It Begins..". Its our favourite line from LOTR (the 2 towers) just before the battle of Helms Deep. Movies have such a huge impact on us.... I doubt if I remember even 5 words from my Electronics syllabus. Anyways... that's how I got the Blog title name and I finally began.

I hope Newton's laws keep applying and inertia of motion keeps me going.