A Fresh Start - Back from a Long "Blog Break"

Its been a long break from blogging. May be around 6 months or so. Around the same time work became very busy. Also, my son, Swaraj (turning one ) made sure that morning and evening were his times with me ( what ever little I had free from my travels) . So I stopped for a while - also hoping for a magical make over and some inspiration to my style of blogging! That never happened until now.....Lets get started.....

What makes me happy ? ( Besides money ofcourse!)

This Sunday I sat down to think what really makes me happy...Ofcourse the first thing that came to my mind is having a million dollar in my account ...Then I thought this is something that every one and their grand maa desire...So me too...but beyond this what does really make me happy...Now that's something I feel every one would have something different than the other one...

When I laugh so much that it hearts.. (Buy a comedy eBOOK?!)
Having some bizarre dream that I keep remembering of the whole day....
The giggling smile of my son....Do you want to Ignite your Child's Imagination?
Watching my niece warning my father not to take too much chocolates.... ( Buy a Child Behavior Management Tool for your child today)
Remembering my days in scool when I used to sing loudly in my school playground in rain...
A bottle of wine....
Reading inspirational books and making a promise to myself the very moment...( and finding reasons not to keep that promise the very next day.)
Cranking the music up and driving around in my car while no one is on the road.....
Passing off side by an empty higway and shouting loudly...
Having conversations with taxi drivers about life.....
Making good decisions and praising myself either infront of mirror or my firends....

Lets get wet in the rain....Dance and Kiss in the rain..

It’s been pouring outside, hard thunder and all that. I was standing outside the balcony and watching the rain pour down.Just thought to take a clip of the same and here it is ....



Its a wonderful feeling though.....Those nights on the long verandah, with plantain pillars, squirrel beams and bird rafters — the flickering oil-lamp throws shadows on the panelled wooden-walls with heartbeats, as the last raindrops dance to the beat of thunder drums. I sway to the bheen of drunken monsoon winds. The smell of sand perfumes the air in a trapeze of fireflies. A courtyard quivers in the lap of the pale moon, in the southern corner of a distant nation, I call motherland — where eyes meet eyes in greeting and languages melt in smiles. Those monsoon nights, rising from a fond letter, are drowned in cups of desi chai as a Manx morning wakes up to a tiger sky...

It reminds of Raj Kapoor and Meena Kumari Kissing in the rain.The chill of the rain melts away against the heat of a kiss.It really does.

Learn the Art of Kissing!

Write a Novel ?

When I was younger, I always excelled at creative writing assignments, and teachers said that I showed real promise. But as I got older and had to do more structured writing I struggled to achieve the perfection that I desired to the point that I grew to dislike writing. In fact, I never took a single English department writing/composition course in college. Now that I’m older and I enjoy writing again (even though most of what I do is non-creative).

Offlate when ever I got time from my mundane daily job I’ve written at least a hundread beginnings to countless stories that I’ve come up with, but I seem to lose momentum as the story goes on. I think it’s because I notice how many pages I’ve written and feel a little intimidated by it. I realize that I have years to write out a compelling novel, but I want to prove myself that that I can attempt writing a novel. I’m not just some angsty livejournal poster who has epiphanies every day or so. I feel like something’s in what I write and I just lack the ability to draw it out.

But there’s been a novel bouncing around inside my head, on and off, for the past few years, and I’d love to commit it to paper someday. I probably need to watch "Chak De" again and again to keep this motivation alive in my head .

I just stumbled upon this product on good writing ... Wanna try out ?

Independent India and its changing soul after 60 years of independence

Long Before I went to school and learnt about glorious indian history, or read about the Buddha, Mahatma or vedic wisdom, I learnt from an untutored woman, my grandmother, the essence of morality. Of being good, moral and to conduct myself with self esteem. The rules were simple. I had to respect what I had been given and be nice to people around. Toys had to be shared with my sister and a smile and hello were mandatory to the milkman. If the kid next door was playing on the slide in the neighbourhood park, I had to wait till he finished. The cycle-rickshaw wallah had to be wished 'good morning uncle' with a smile on the way to school, and then it was the peon at the school gates. The fellow human being had to be respected.

Food had to be respected too. Plates had to licked clean, because there were people going hungry elsewhere. Gifts had to be earned. A kind act was always returned with a kinder one. It was what being a 'good boy' was all about. The limits were defined and could not be questioned. There was no room for examining them, dissecting them or even to test their borders. Across the concrete wall, off limits, lay the 'bad boy' image, and that meant punishment. No hugs or kisses from maa or bapa, no chocolates and certainly no gifts. Silence at the dinner table. Nobody would talk to the sinner. The lack of gifts and chocolates would be bearable to a point, but the thought of being unloved or unwanted was too much to take. In school I learnt history, Ashoka's amazing conversion and Puru's glory in defeat. Gandhi's other cheek and Bose's bravado and Mangal Pandey's passion. They were good people, examples of the very things that granny had taught me as a kid. And through it came a realization that I had a responsibility to my country, that of being good. It was my duty and my contribution. It was my pride. Only by trying to be the best that I can be, I could fulfill the promise that came with being an Indian. I was glad I was born here. India was my country and I was proud of it. I would not trade it for the world.

Now I am all grown up into a rational adult. I work with big corporates who pay me well. I honk incessantly on the roads, bully smaller verhicles, swear at them using the filthiest of words with the vilest of tempers, if they try to push their way through. I push too, but thats alright. I will take the advantage if I can. I dont mind causing inconveninence to others if I have to do so in order to get ahead. And I am not in the habit of saying sorry. All that ended a long time back. It was a false pride over a nation of rude, violent animals struggling to get by. I live in the present, and I do what I have to, to exist. Being good does not work anymore, blaming the system does. The system put a traffic light. I jump it. I even start moving before I get the amber lights. The rules say that I need to stay in my lane and put on my blinkers if I want to change, but I dont. I just barge in and barge out. The system put a 'No Parking' sign, but I dont heed that. Hey, sab chalta hai, this is India. I crib about general cleanliness, and still throw my cigarette butt ends around. I chew paan masala and spit on the road. I scream at pedestrians crossing streets and scream at cars when I am walking. I speed like a mad dog when I get an empty stretch, and I hit and run if someone comes in my way. I scream at the traffic cops calling them inefficient, but am always on the lookout to sneak out when he isnt looking. The system says 'Q please', but I dont queue up. Instead, I go and ask the guy at the top of the line to buy me some tickets, or sometimes just try to shamelessly stand at the top of the queue seemingly oblivious of the others waiting in line.

Are , yahan koi kuch nahin bolta, India hai bhai. You can insult anyone's intelligence. Sab chalta hai. Yeh system hi aisa hai yaar. India mein asia hi hota hai. Hey, this is the way we are, bas aise hi hain hum. Kya karein, India always moves in slow motion. We have lots of other problems to take care of. Cant change it man, just got to endure it. But we are a proud lot. We have a glorious history. Aur waise bhi, so many things are looking up, look at IT industry man….

Aaj kal bahut tough ho gaya hai yaar, Now I want to leave. I want to settle down abroad. Amrica jana hai ..

Looks like the only thing of importance that the Great Indian Nation gave me was my passport. The other unimportant things that have been written in history books are for dinner table conversations, needless, thoughtless banters. I will tell my kids to read them anyway, might help them score good grades in examinations. India sucks.

Hell no, I do. I suck. And I have sucked out the 'good' from my country. My grandmother is dead and my parents are old anyways. Who would know !!

Have you tried Picasa?

Then and Now...Mountains have moved!!

Sunday afternoon! Who can foretell the nature of the afternoon from the heat of the morning sun! I had an appointment with an old friend to catch up after a long-time. While I was sipping the tea at his home , overlooking the long tennis court infront of his home, we caught up on the old days and how stars had a different story for each of us. And then we went to a bowling hangout to unwind and returned after few hours.After dropping him and his family at their residence I headed towards my den. Though it was just few hours,but I guess those were some good moments in a long time. On my way back as usual I caught up with the taxi driver and we discussed on life and stuff..

I started..."You know what.. I was here 3 years back and this place was a jungle..It seemed at that time as if there was no human settlements for a 2 km stretch...Things have changed since then....Mountains have moved.." and to this he responded "...take a close look..it still is a jungle...not green but a jungle of cemented structures.....human soul is still farther..."...I didn't quite get what he meant when he said "human soul is still farther..I kept on asking why did he make that remark...and his response made me think the whole night..."saab bimari bahut teji se badh rahi hai....man ki bimari....tan ki bimari to thi hi....par ab man ki bimari badh gayee hai....pehle jinke paas roti nahin thi...un ko tan ki bimari hothi thi...ab jinke paas jyada roti hai unko man ki bimari ho rahi hai..aur ye bimari teji se badh rahi hai..." ......did you get that ?? ....human soul is still farther...

This man outrightly rejects the growing young urban multiplex goers as humans with souls..He is young and makes a decent earning for himself from his driving profession. He seemed to be emotionally intelligent and has an excellent attitude. This made me ponder over his remarks further....

Back at my den as I watch TV news , I wonder if this has something to do with our PM's recent speech at CII on "Austerity drive"..I feel so..It's probably to do with the new challenge infront of the corporate India...Inclusive Growth...

Then...it was about growth ...Now ....Its about inclusive growth....Mountains do move..We would see change....The taxi driver would feel the soul ..the human soul...only if we would promote inclusive growth.