The brevity of the transient

What is the most perturbing point in the transient phases? The most concerning facts about the fickle minded?

Fear.
Fear of wastage of time, energy and money if the transience is just too brief to return anything if at all. When we invest in activity, we have a target to reach, a vision.

However, in transient activities, impermanence mars the course of the road. Blurs the target.

Why?
Because the fickle minded individual who had seen the goal and started off, is now too consumed in dealing with the pathway leading to the envisioned goal. The distractions in due course sets his visions off target and the motivation weans away.

The culprit?
The hidden course. The route. The pathway to the target.

The trap?
Target is always high. Above everything else. It is easy to see the target as it shines bright. Stands above everything else. Similar to a flag post waving atop a hill.

But, the course to it is all along hurdles. Mazes. Puzzles. Difficulties. And the flag post can reached only after negotiating the course.

Why do transient acts happen?
Because of failure to see the course. Blindly following the target. Wasting more time in thinking about the highs of reaching the target, without cognition of the course.

What to do?

• Set the target.
• Forget the target.
• Plan the route.
• Study the route.
• List down the impossibles.
• List down the cake walks.
• Interchange the impossibles with the cake walks.
• Re-strategize with the exchanged version.
• Keep it as a fall back plan.
• Get back to the original plan.
• Close this blog page and start working towards it.

Cheers !

Climbing & cycling to a griding halt!

I am being troubled by a niggling knee for some time now. First it was the right one and now even the left one has become bothersome now. Reason?

Well, it could be anything from – climbing, running downhill with sudden jerks and heavy backpacks, cycling with high resistance and irregular cadence or anything… reasons aplenty, symptoms and niggles all the same -knees or ankles.

And, now I diagnose it as a ligament injury – sprain and laxity. Advised rest with ultrasound physiotherapy offering the treatment. So advised strictly against cycling, running, climbing or any other physical activity. No knee exercise as well. Just rest and physiotherapy.

Let me maintain my sanity till the knee regains its full fitness back.  Atleast, till the time I can begin with moderate knee strengthening exercises! Let the better senses prevail.

By the way, a very happy and prosperous Diwali to you all. Let it be safe, noise free and eco-friendly!

Cheers ~

Issued in public interest by …

Elections are round the corner and the Jaago re, Badlaav and Youth for change and all such initiatives start cropping up in numbers and soon teem the media space all over.

But do these organisations & initiatives help in achieving the change? Will increased participation of the youth in the elections solve all the problems?

I don’t think so.

I strongly believe that these awareness campaigns, even though a noble effort, pathetically fail against the rampant corruption, bullying by the political powerhouses and unethical emotional foul play that appeals to the irrational emotional sentiments of the masses.

Just imagine yourself in a position of an educated and informed youth from Dharavi, who is well informed about the fallacy of the contesting political party. And you are resolute to vote for the best and cleanest collar in the upcoming elections.

Then just as your resolution becomes contagious, you are confronted with a juicy offer. A fortune that you just can’t refuse in exchange for a vote. And all the resolutions are washed away.

Or, a threatening to you & your family.

Or being brain-washed into religious injustice / humbugs of minority and all other bull shit and abetted into wrong doings.

Well, the avenues for breaking your resolutions are larger than you think and more powerful than we perceive.

These initiatives aims to create public awareness and a positive movement for betterment of the society spend fortunes on advertising campaigns, promotions and events. Good for the cause. The footnote in these advertisements, ‘Issue in Public Interest’ also lends a positive to the suspecting wicked in me.

Then what can we do? Sit back and relax? Mera kya jata hain attitude? Yeh India hain, yaha kuch nahi ho sakta?

There is a way. Resort to Guerrilla warfare and we can sustain and improve the situation.

Consider these metros as the targets of these political powerhouses. These centres are thoroughly permeated with the infectious worms and their reign is very strong in these areas. These are the foci of infections and will gradually spread to more vulnerable areas, the tier-II and tier-III cities.

Rather than attacking the source of infection, the focus of foul play, the metros, the political powerhouses, we must protect the peripheries and vulnerable towns from these ravagers. Start with the rural areas, which are farthest from the focus of infection. Empower them and improve its immunity to such an extent that they become resistant to these infections.

Then move towards the centre, one level up, in the tier-III cities and then sequentially to tier-II cities. Make the peripheries so strong that they gradually encroach the centre and stifle the foci of infections.

Well, visualize it and it looks perfectly feasible, isn’t it? It does, yeah!

Implementation isn’t too difficult too. Move away from the focus and focus on the unfocussed. Participate in rural upliftment and empowering the hinterlands.

How can we do this?

• Educate – Teach in village schools for free, a voluntary act.
• Listen to them and be sympathetic towards their problems
• Tackle each situation one by one and patiently
• Get to the basics, be humanitarian
• Inform them of the current affairs and update them on the need of the hour
• Enlighten them about the positives that the future beholds for them with just few informed actions
• Help them in decision making
• Instill a sense of confidence and righteousness that will render them impermeable to the corrupt practices rampant at the focus

There are many more things that can be done. Just think and rack your grey cells. You will better the above mentioned crap and come out with smarter ideas.

A late night rendezvous

There is not enough motivation in the world for me to stay awake till 3.00 AM unless it is one of those last moment farcical & superfluous study patterns that I practiced  (and I believe most of us do) during my school and college days

There was none yesterday either. But I did. With nothing on my mind I was winding up for the day and a causal ‘hi’ dropped to a friend unfolded some of the most precious revelations to me for the next 3 and half hours.

I wouldn’t definitely delve into the intricacies of the conversation since even though it is precious to me, it is definitely most worthless to the rest of the world. So how does it matter to write this blog post?

Well, the purpose is not to discuss the conversation, but the effect of such conversations. The ever-available yet long lost friend was there by my side and the invaluable essence that was gifted by the friend is still fragrant and a bliss.

There was a place which was full sometime back. There was a place which began emptying itself in the wake of some endeavours.  The essence started to leak out. And the place was gobbled up by a vacuum. Or I thought so. And did not bother to have a second look. Until last night.

A look over the shoulder and I realised that it was nothing but a fata morgana. A mirage. An illusion. There it was full and brimming as it was some time back. Not too long ago. A year back. The fragrance still there. The essence still there. The magic amplified.

May be the conversation left more questions in our minds. May be it left more questions unanswered than before. But it rendered me potent enough to solve the cryptic now. The questions were unanswered even before, just that I was ignorant to it. The conversation helped me clear the haze. Face the questions. And take them head on with unwavering spirit.

May be certain words in the conversation camouflaged the truth. May be certain words conveyed a meaning other than what they are actually meant. Certain expressions. Gestures. A realisation. An understanding that cannot be expressed but experienced.

The 3 and half hours helped me wade through a calm turbulence rising within. A face off with the turbulence and a lesson that there was no turbulence. An acceptance.  Thanks to my friend.

Note: This post is nothing but a acknowledgment to the self and to the person who mattered. Sorry if you read through and gained nothing. You were not the one to gain. If anyone did, it was me!

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

It is Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganeshotsav, Ganesh Festival, Ganpati Utsav, Ganapati Bappa Morya or whatever we prefer to call the almighty. Well, Haven’t I included all the keywords? Missed some..?

Well, I am a poor link baiter… I never blogged for links. But perhaps this blog post is meant to be for the purpose. Writing about the current festivity. Including all the keywords in the post and hoping that I rise higher in the searches for the relevant keywords. Oh, and yes more hits and more fuel feed for the eternal obsession.

Now hat you have gone through the crap, let me offer some value -

• Lalbaug, GD Ambedkar Road, in central Mumbai
  Laulbaug is home to the towering Lalbaugcha Raja. However, a great deal of patience is required to see this famous statue as it draws millions of devotees. Ganesh Gulli in Lalbaug also has one of the tallest statues in the city, with impressive decorations.
• Khetwadi, 12th Lane, in south Mumbai
  This year the Khetwadicha Raja is diamond studded and sits in an arcade of mirrors and ornaments. Spectacular!
• Opposite the G.P.O, Fort, south Mumbai
  This display is an exact replica of the famed religious spot Vitthal Mandir in Pandharpur. It’s been created by visiting Rajasthani artists.
• Andheri West, Asad Nagar, in the western suburbs
  Famous for lavish sets, this year it will have the Saras Baug garden of Pune.
• Andheri West, DN Nagar, in the western suburbs
  The Sarvajanik Ganeshotav Mandal is into its 41st year this year. The statue has been given the royal treatment, making Lord Ganesh the king. It looks like a scene out of the movie Jodhaa Akbar!

Well, hope this helps! Well Ganapati Bappa helped me a lot with this post of mine and every year this gets loads of hits! Yes, this one.

Cheers ~~~

A rainy day romance

The haze covered everything from the myopic vision right under my nose till the farthest extent that filled my sights. At a little distance the warm yellow of the sodium vapour lights hanging on the lamp post highlighted the rich density of the rain drops falling per square unit of the tarred road below it.

As always, umbrellas are redundant when rains lashes hard in Mumbai and suburbs. All that can be saved from getting wet are few strands of hair right under the umbrella skeleton; that too if the strong breeze doesn’t turn your umbrella upside down and dismantling the frame work. This time around I was lucky enough that the wind wasn’t merciless. However, it was strong enough to allow rain drops the slanting path wetting a good 80 percent of my pant, much of my shoulders and shirt-arms with a few droplets even landing on my cheeks and nose.

It was long that I had ventured out in such a heavy Mumbai rain. I must correct myself; “it was long since I had ventured out in such a heavy Mumbai rain and that too leisurely. No rush to catch the train or attend a meet, no obligation, no timeline, no committment to fulfil. It was an idyllic stroll. And it was this moment, this stroll that reignited a long dampened flame, a desire to drench in the rain that was always subdued with the urban chores and the illusionary comfort of staying clean and dry under the roof, either office or home.

This stroll brought out the old charm of feeling the droplets, small shining droplets on the end of the strands of my hair, on my arms, on the eyebrows and the wisp of cool air making me long for something warm, much warmer than the gelaming sodium vapour overhead.

The tip-tip of the rain on my umbrella grew louder as I realised that I was no more bothered about getting drenched, even though I held the umbrella firm and tried hard to save my shoulders from getting wet. A paradox, a pleasure. I was humming on some of the favourite tunes of Kishore Kumar, Sonu Nigam and few more and it was really a pleasant surprise that I could recollect most of the lyrics of those archived memories! The tunes seem to hit the perfect chords and suddenly sigin was never seemed so wonderful – an unchained melody. My voice, the lyrics, the tip-tip decibels of rains, the whizzing sound of fast rolling tyres on the wet tarmak and intermittent honking of horns all seemed perfect.

As I strolled further with my singing hitting the higher decibels I noticed a few passer-by’s glancing on their way. I noticed the road-side bhajji wala and the chai-wala at nukkad, these were inviting. Even more conspicuous was the steam emanating from the tea kettle. I ignored both of them, with some difficulty as I continued.

A 30 minutes stroll in the rain completely cleared the settled dust. The dust settled on my mind. The dust which forced me to close my eyes. I thought rains to essential for farmers and as a nuisance to the daily commuters. However, the rain was just too strong to allow misconceptions rule my mind. Rains are equally essential for a parched urban soul as it is for a parched cultivable land. Perhaps the soul needs it more than anything else.

Aaj jaane ki jidd na karo… another humming that filled my mind as I walked on through the puddles, wet trousers, drops on my arms, face … aaj jaane ki jidd na karo…

Why the term ‘lazy bones’?

Is laziness permeating our life to an extent so much so that the fabric called life has become visibly frayed? Well most probably it is and not only is it limited to fabric, but also permeates our skins & flesh and hence the deep within hidden lazy bones are clearly visible on the surface – thats is where perhaps the term ‘lazy bones’ comes from I guess!

Metonymy apart, here are few thngs that have abetted us in our crimes -

Remember we used to be crib about getting up and reducing the volume of our TV sets when it was blaringly loud? But we still use to get up and do it.
Now it is done reclining in our couch and  just by hitting the remote button.

Remember we used to walk up and down the stairs of shopping complexes?
Now escalators are helping us to make our limbs a victim of disuse atrophy.

Remember how we used to pedal our way across the lanes of our town or just walk, not too long ago?
Now we just hit the electric start and rev the throttle.

Remember how we stood in the long queues for hours and hours at the banks and bill payment counters?
Now we hit the submit button from our couch and deal via online banking and direct debits

Remember we used to queue up at STD booths after 11.00 PM to call our distant relatives?
Now Vodafones and Airtels make it simpler from our bedrooms

Remember as a kid we all used to play gilli-danda and bhanvra and cricket and lukka chuppi and vish-amrut and pakda-pakdi?
Now is theAge of Empires, FIFA, Medal of Honours and so on.

The list is endles and the harder we try and remember the way things were done a decade ago, we will realise how technology has simplified our lifestyles and accentuated our lazy instincts further.

Remember the quote “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler”?
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Now you are most welcome to add your own remembrances in the comment section.

Cheers.

Strings attached? Elasticize them!

One of the most pertinent dilemmas in an outdoor enthusiasts life is to balance the outdoor activities and domestic responsibilities. This becomes even more of an important issue in country like India where domestic bonding and attached responsibilities stake a greater claim on ones life than everything else. How many times do we find a trekker complaining that he did not find the time to satiate his hunger for outdoor quotients? Probably a zillion of times.

Finding the right balance isn’t always the easiest thing to do when you are pulled bilaterally with equivalent forces – inevitably though time tells which of the force would incline you to their side. And more often than not it is the domestic pull that wins the tug of war. However, I don’t find it surprising that domestic pull is greater – not only it is the societal pressure but also a in-vivo conscience that leads one to attend to domestic chores first.

Usually one thinks that once the domestic responsibilities are taken care of, (when one is well beyond 40) he can fulfill his long cherished dream of undertaking a travel spree. But then what about the children – SSC, HSC, Graduation and so one – the unending cycle continues.

When can a true outdoorsy soul lead his life and cherish his desire unbound with no strings attached? Only when there are no strings attached. This doesn’t necessarily mean to severe the strings; but one need to learn to have elastic strings and if it is already too late to elasticize, one can always learn to append extension slings.

Spitting – An Epidemic

Salivation is actually a physiologic process in animals that relates to the foodstuff and its intake. Biologically it also helps in initiating the digestive process in humans. However, inspite of these seemingly harmless, if not beneficial associations, I firmly believe that salivation is proving to be a nuisance for mankind – at least for Indians.

No. Indians are no biologically different a breed from the rest of the population, but somehow they act different innately. I can never fathom why a perfectly fine and well balanced individual (Indian) cannot tolerate his own saliva that his very own salivary gland produces. Why can’t he just gulp is down his throat like others do. Is it such a wasteful product of our body that we ourself don’t want it? We just keep on expelling it from our body as if it is something obnoxious – oral defecation should I say?.

Go anywhere in India (generally anywhere – exceptions are negligible) and you will find people spitting around in the form of ‘pichkaris’. Worse still, they smear the town in red if they have the habit of chewing guthka or paan masala. Spitting in public places has become a mayhem and we have no one to blame other than ourself for what I feel is the worst epidemic that has hit the Indian population.

I won’t get into the details of how spitting can be a health hazard responsible for air borne transmission of infectious diesases like T.B., but I just can’t help but mention that this habit not only exposes the severe deficiency of community hygiene in Indians , but also the a deranged mental hygiene on an individual basis.  It is a shame that the culprit does not realise that he is spoiling the place, if not the environment with his unmindful spitting spree!

Be it hanging out a running train or bus, standing in a queue for a ticket or paying some bill in some government office, we would find all sort of excuses and seek every possible opportunity to spit it out! I feel no remorse when I compare them with the dogs who urinate with their one leg raised, caring hell about whether it is a public place or others property. What will these brain-deads care for?

The condition is worsening day by day. The PSI (per square inch) available for spitting is plummeting by the day and much like the city gardens, due to lack of available space, the non-spittable area is reducing by the day. Be it newly painted walls, posts and pillars or corners of the corridors, you would find them all smeared in red.

Boards and signs that indicate ‘No Spitting’ are the ones that attract the maximum bull-brains to go about painting their red fiery (not fairy) tales. The appaling fact is that even those who are serving to regulate the laws are ballantly breaking it. It is not surprising to find the Hawaldars (fondly called as ‘Pandus’) and governemnt servants (babus) spitting their way to glory while on duty. No wonder that traffic posts at the junctions smell spoilt – not just with the corruption system, but with the filth of guthka spit. Again, generalization is the way I go in this case.

Another favoured spot by the spitters are the grilled windows of trains and buses. You can find these spit-rats doing all sort of aerobics and back bending to squeeze their spits through the grilled windows. Some are even more shameless, caring nothing for the grills or the windows and splattering it all over the grills.  Now when I remember my childhood days when I used to cry for donning the window seat in trains all I can feel is like ‘Yucks’!

As a novel initiative, the administration came up with installing ‘Spitoons’ at public places, prominently so at railways stations. Well, a good idea one might feel; but not me. I don’t understand the reason for people to spit in the first place. Since people won’t budge, government is providing them with a toy to play, much like a spoilt brat reaping from forgiving parents. Rather than implementing strict prohibition on spitting, provision of spitoon is actually acknowledging the fact that spitters will have their and there is no stopping that. However, you don’t need to be a genius to know that the spoilt brat has had enough of the toy and is back to his normal ways of spoiling the pavements, pillars and corridors. And the toy life was disappointingly short.

I have seen people sitting in train compartments and spitting right in between their legs beneath the seats. I have seen them spitting in malls and multiplexes, canteens and office corridors. And, be aware that the epidemic is not limited to any strata of the society; it affects all literate and illiterate, rich and poor and across all the castes, except the one and only one – A conscientious indiviual.

The devastating fact is that the conscienctious individuals are nearing extinction, if not already extinct.

Kasab is a Pakistani national

Finally Pakistan has admitted that Ajmal (Kasab), the shooter involved in Mumbai terror attacks (26/11/08) is a Pakistani national. Anyways, did it make any difference, whether they accepted of not? It was clear to all sane minds that Kasab is a Pakistani and it did not really require Paks’ approval; well but by doing so they did save for themself, if not more, an iota of chance and embarrasment cover to face the global media.

It is no secret that Pakistan is a global terror hub and that they are the biggest and most significant abetter to global terrorist forces, not only passive in providing refuge, but actively involved in providing the needed finance and training.

Improvement from them, is out of question. Even this acceptance is their attempt to survive and exisit as a sovereign nation on global canvass. Anyways, who cares? A dogs tail can never be straightened and it will always wag till the breath lasts. May be its time to chop it off! A dober man huh!