To a wonderful person from whom I cut away

Looking back, I wish to perhaps make a resolution on learning the art of getting along with people. I feel remorseful about the fact that I didn't quite communicate well with Chandana who was a close friend of mine once. I solely was the one responsible to break away from what I call the positivity of true friendship reflected by her. I really am not sure on if things would be the same like before and for that matter this very thought makes me feel hesitant to directly talk to her. But should there come a day if she would care to know on what went wrong at my end, I wish to say that I deeply regret my action of completely cutting her out and I wish her well wherever she is. 

Why the world needs Dr Kalam

To the one, who could pack his worldly possessions in two suitcases and yet, think beyond the realms
defined by  "richness".

To the one, who imbibed and taught the world, what the world would need to learn from India.

To the one, whose daydream, and nightmare was his vision to sweat so that India prospers.

To the one, whose life was his message.

To the one, who gave the word "Dream" its most dignified meaning,

If man is god's best creation, without an iota of doubt you probably would be the one he would hold close to his heart

Never again would we get to see a man who passionately loved his country and her humankind. Losing you meant loss of a wonderful human being and worldly citizen who passionately believed that righteousness in the heart, beauty in the character, harmony in the home and peace in the world is the need of the hour.

Thank You mighty heavens for scripting the existence of a man who taught the world the most dignified "way of life"

India will miss you. The world will miss you and of all, the mass of humanity in all its vastness will miss you.

Sir, It was a privilege and a much cherished experience to enjoy your company through your books, speeches and messages. Like everyone I pray and hope, you Return If Possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guXkoXga0Qs

Oh my love- Where art thou ?

Keep calm my child
I am on my way,
To prove that you are not alone in this battle of yours

Keep calm my child
I am coming to you
To convince you that there are reasons to hope

Keep calm my child
I am here to help
To make you feel that we can lessen the pain when we do this together

Keep calm my child
I am here for you
To confirm you to your happy ways so that you know that hope is not to be hoped against

Keep calm my child
I have heard you
To prepare myself to take over your worries so that I continue to thrive on your happiness

Keep calm my child
I love you
To no bounds so that you continue to feel that life is a beautiful game that's just to be played

Back Home-Strong on hope!

Being able to express what you go through may at times seem a very herculean task especially when you feel mere words how much ever creatively and expressively deployed may actually not do justice to your inner feelings. It gets even tougher when you are trying to describe an event which took place in the past(in my case about an hour back!) and all you are left with is just memories of that event. You want to go over the process to magnifying that thought such that it converts to an emotion and takes over you completely. For the forthcoming few minutes I attempt to fake my present moment as I key in my words(with an occasional sneeze!)  by imagining myself walking along what seems to be a heavily jammed Marathahalli outer ring road. I get myself heavily drenched and all I see is a void hopeless look in the eyes of the bystanders waiting for their modes of conveyance(Divine intervention required badly!). Ive got about 4kms to cover amidst a vehicle population crisis!. My only sigh of relief is a petty shop where I head to, take my first few puffs and now relaxedly watch a side(perhaps the only one) of insanely fast urban India. I make conversation with the petty shop owner who answers my questions with a sense of indifference. Meanwhile my first cigarette gives away to the incessant rain and I am quick to get on with my second one!. Haha I have all the time in the world(atleast thats how I gotta think, for I enjoy my present!). Now I move on from there firmly determined. I encounter more vehicle traffic, more slippery sand and more rain!. I have an audio playing in my head; that of the climax scene from "The Shawshank Redemption" which goes "hope is a good thing. maybe the best of good things. and no good thing ever dies". Well folks as I make slow paces towards Marathahalli Bridge, there is nothing else I think of and I must admit the severity of the emotion I was holding onto inorder to key in this blog has died down. I did not require the audio tape once I reached Marathahalli bridge because that bit felt like something familiar; Like my normal routine every day. Well I am home. I hope to go to office strong and continue about engaging in my daily business(Divine Intervention required again badly!) or I may need to play my audio tape again!. If you have read till here, you may want to take a look at this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWJyI9OybWk

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Well to start with, I decided to hit Ongole primarily to experience a side of India I have never been to before(Of course Rafi in case you are reading this, Ismail's wedding did matter to me as well :)). I was all curious to know what I would come to brace myself for in the next 30 so hours time. As I key in my notes(two months after the trip!)recollecting a few images of the trip, I smile. I did find a lot of things fascinating. Probably it could be me yearning for new experiences. Those things you may get to do just once or twice in life, yet again have fresh memories of the same for a very very long time to come. It may not be awe inspiring as watching the Taj Mahal reveal its behemoth self, as you pass through the entrance completely transfixed or breaking down at the shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala as a befitting climax to two weeks of fasting(Well a lot of people do better, I know!). But the people I got to meet, a boat ride into the Bay of Bengal, attending a muslim marriage ceremony, banter at the bus stand, tea break, and a lot more of beautiful memories I took back with me-Ongole was for a lot of reasons an unforgettable experience. Thank You Rafi, Chandana, Supriya and Seshu. Like how my roommate Mahesh often exclaims "You made my day!".I was here!

A special gift for that special someone!

Finally some inspiration to hit my page and key in  something...This  morning I did something which I have always considered  the most boring thing for a man to be involved in ... SHOPPING SAREES! ... One of those situations where your face puts up either of grimace/indifference .. Your sight sweeping through an array of multicolored, shining and big clothing material  with nothing evoking special interest, its not the best place you can find yourself on a Sunday ...

But that wasn't the case this morning..  The coming Tuesday, I go home ....I take with  me my special gift for my special someone .... It isn't about commemorating  fifty years of existence on planet earth...Nor is it a compulsive obligation that the person being close to you, she deserves a birthday gift on her birthday .... I have my own reasons ....Initially I thought, is it a "I owe you one thing?" for having spent sleepless nights and fighting my battles when I was going through a bad patch in life..You had your own set of inner foes to take on...But you have braved them....You have been my best teacher and best friend...Well this might seem like an entry you would come across in a small childs book.... But again with whatever I have experienced and expected for a very long time, it is you who fits in perfectly to the role of both best teacher and best friend in my books ... When I gift you a saree, I do not  want  to prove  that I have grown up, rather I would want you to know that you are the most beautiful lady in my life...You were the best thing that happened to me..I hope and pray that if I were to continue more sets of birth cycles on planet earth and given a choice, I have you in my life as my best teacher, my best friend and most importantly my AMMA !   

Investing Time!

Its been a while ! .... A long while .... Probably this time, it is to take my mind off the vicissitudes I have been dragged in due to work and a strong sense of loathsomeness I tend to develop towards my self and my world at times ... I admit I do get mood swings ... Strong indeed that they hit me very hard that it wrecks my mental framework transforming me to a very irritable cynic. I at once give up on the real self that I long to be. I give up on the force of life. Its a lot of persisting questions that haunt me. I wish to unlearn the bad.  

I value time regardless of whether it is mine or anybody else's. But at the same time I do succumb to the fears imposed by its unrelenting forward march that I prefer inaction/inactivity.  I have attained age to discharge responsibilities and at  the  same time "avoid" venturing into risks that "may seem demeaning enough". I owe a lot of things to a lot of people. But again this time, I ve worked  hard enough and have garnered enough experience to validate that these troubles are part and parcel of life. THE REVELATION OF THE  GITA!. It is a beautiful experience contemplating on the ideas. I can feel the message sinking in. I do not know where it is taking me, but I prefer to chug along. Let divine thoughts come from everywhere. Let me be the medium between cause and consequence, so that I don't claim either of these. This is one thing which I wish to share with the readers. I do not wish to expound on the individual shlokas, but I shall give it a good human effort to write on how we can identify ourselves with the relevance of  the message this beautiful piece of literature(this is a severe understatement!) conveys!.

INTROSPECTION

It is not about how this entry starts. It is about what flows. It is about giving expression to the most powerful force that has convincingly conquered all realms of human knowledge that is fathomable. I am talking about the human spirit. I understand that it is this vital force that sustains the human species on planet earth . Having taken birth in a country that was once treaded upon by the great maharshis who constantly reflected upon and propounded on the divinity that is inseparable from the human soul, I find it a privilege and more importantly an innate sense of responsibility not only to take suo motu cognisance of this fact, but also to appreciate the understanding it offers. I am a great admirer of the way the human spirit has powered mankind to endeavour into anything it desires for. Be it the profanity of the vedas or the nuclear bomb or the laws of Newtonian Mechanics or the overwhelming stature of technological display at NASA, it has led me to believe time and again that the things that I see around me are not as great as the "real me". The "me" in "me" when given a sense of focus and direction materialises to what I see around "me". In real terms, we associate it with passion, pursuit for perfection, glorifying excellence ... the adjectives are endless... Now why am I writing all of this. How it may manifest such that I really make use of an iota of what I am supposed to be doing ?. Well, I should say, it all matters when I stop succumbing to my inner woes which tends to force through me a sense of subservience. The circumstances around me which is a direct implication of my actions, exert a powerful influence thus making me fell that staying within a cocoon of indifference and inaction(as though my life is guaranteed till eternity) is the right call given a situation where I have been asked to make a choice/take a stand on my own. In other words, I too wish to overcome a "chalta hai" attitude towards life and realise that with life exists a powerful identity that I may contribute a verse. You, me or as a matter of fact any thing that embraces life subscribes to thoughts of wisdom and action. I am very pleased to acknowledge Swami Vivekanadaji(in Lectures from Colombo to Almora) and Mark Twain(in his letter to Walt Whitman..http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/04/what-great-births-you-have-witnessed.html) who have thought on similar lines. 

LOVE AND LOVE ONLY!

The most beautiful perceived emotion and something that makes any living creature feel full of life!. It is divine. A feeling of oneness with the heavens. It shines brighter than the brightest .. glows with an effervescence matched by none... LOVE!... NOTHING LIKE BEING IN LOVE!...LOVE IN ITS PUREST FORM... LOVE THAT GIVES AND FORGIVES, THAT DOESN'T GET AND FORGET ... The very same force that we have always rejoiced through Krishna and Radha, Laila and Majnu, Adam and Eve.. TO BE IN LOVE, TO LIVE IN LOVE AND TO MERGE IN LOVE .... One of the most beautiful tunes ive heard in a very very long time ....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQi7Kzy964g.... Kamal Khan, Sunidhi Chauhan Take a Bow!

THE JAN LOKPAL BILL

To quote from the very famous essay by Albert Camus titled "The Fastidious Assassins"- "There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic". The year 2011 will be remembered in India as the year of campaign against corruption and for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The need for an effective Jan Lokpal Bill springed in the backdrop of various scams notably the 2G spectrum and the CWG scandal which saw misappropriation of public funds. The strong resolve to fight the inadequacies took shape with Anna Hazare's fast at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi in April 2011. Subsequently a joint committee was formed to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill.

WHAT IT MEANS

Based on the United Nations Convention , that necessitated all countries to place agencies that investigate corruption related issues, the Jan Lok Pal which functions independent of the executive wing of the government  

SELECTION COMMITTEE

The members who chair the selection committee include the Prime Minister, the leader of the opposition, two judges selected by the supreme court judges, the CAG, the CEC, the CVC and the previous three chairpersons of the Lokpal through a transparent process.

POWER AND PROVISIONS GUARANTEED

1) A full fledged investigative jurisdiction over all public servants that covers Members of the Parliament, judges and all sections of the bureaucracy and those suspected to abet acts of corruption(includes corporations and NGO's).

2) The Lokpal can recommend the removal of officials charge sheeted for corruption followed by freezing of any assets acquired by corrupt means.

3) Trials based on corruption would be resolved by putting them on fast track during which losses caused to the public exchequer would be determined. Subsequent measures to recover the loss from the corrupt officials and their abettors would be taken.

4)The formation of the Lokpal makes it mandatory for providing citizen's charters by the public authorities thus ensuring time bound delivery of public services.

5) Unless proved impossible to undertake, every public authority is expected to lease out contracts, leases and licenses with total transparency by public auction. In addition public servants would be barred from  taking up jobs with organisations with which they had been dealing in their official capacity thus ruling out possibilities of accepting bribes. 

In the state levels, the Lokayuktas based on similar lines would be formed.

MELVILASAM- A real sense of identity!

This classic hit the theatres somewhere in June 2011 .... The plot revolves around Sawaar Ramachandran(essayed by actor Parthiban with a lot of substance and quality behind each scene he emotes! ... Thank You Sir !... Hats off for a super splendid perfomance! ) who is facing the army court martial for having shot two senior officers(one succumbing to injuries)...The court martial proceedings are presided over by Col Suraj Singh and other members who participate include Captain Vikas Ray, the defence counsel(Suresh Gopi ... a little different from his much cliched cop roles.. yet again he proves he is real vintage stuff when it comes to playing characters that are characterised by "stiffness","rigidity"etc), Major Ajay Puri the government pleader), Captain B.D Kapoor(Krishnakumar) etc.

I do not wish to expound more on the story line. That is left to the reader to watch and perceive it for oneself. Rather, this post is simply to covey my sincere feelings of gratitude to Mr Surya Krishnamoorthy for having ventured to gift the thinking malayali his much deserved due. As I ponder over how exactly the title "MELVILASAM" can be deemed befitting to this movie, I consciously conclude that the girl childs identity is aligned with her foster father Sawaar Ramachandran whose days are numbered as the verdict passed is to "hang him until death". He has suffered rebuke, insults and torture from his senior officers. His daughter wont see him for long. Yet again after his demise, young Ammu wont be devoid of her real identity which is the respect Sawaar Ramachandran has acquired for he stands for discipline and loyalty. The salute conferred by General Suraj Singh in the "touching climax" simply stands for the real recognition of a self respecting individual's sense of self respect! .... The message is clearly conveyed ... It is a 10/10 from my side!

INTROSPECTION-

Fragrances in the air ....

that leave traces behind...

reasons seem lapsed...

But here i am feeling as..

relieved as young Simon..

who has been assured of his favourite chocolate...

Read Gulzaman's Son and you ll know what im talking about!

What it takes to move forward and fight !

I have often wondered as to how it is that the choices that we make and sticking to them help us to handle the toughest of calls in life ?. What is the factor that guides us! ... I find my questions very relevant in this era especially when i see/feel that unrighteousness seems to go unchecked.... the bar that sets the standard of ethics, discipline, righteousness, values seems to lower by subscribing to heavily corrupted practices! .... Does it really help clinging on to god and his grace ?... If its just our own actions that decides our fate then what was the powerful force that has guided the accomplishment of the mammoth tasks ?... In short what should I be ?... good/bad .... right/wrong ... if then how good/how bad ? ... how right/how wrong ?.... if so will in win/ will i lose ? .... most importantly what is good/ what is bad ? ... these questions have time and again reflected and translated into my biggest nightmares that have literally wrecked havoc with my life! .... I have often found myself losing a part of me seeking answers .... TODAY I PRESENT BEFORE YOU THE ANSWER GIVEN TO ME BY MY GURU! ......HE HAS ANSWERED IT FOUR WONDERFUL LINES

FOLLOW THE MASTER

FACE THE DEVIL

FIGHT TO THE END

FINISH THE GAME

The best part is points 2,3 and 4 are nothing but a direct consequence of point 1 ..... I will expound on this in the coming weeks!... meanwhile please check this link http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_07/01OCT09/03-HTH.htm

Whats with an AD ?

Hmm fair enough, you have a point there .... What exactly does over adulation of the Bajaj Avenger Motorbike prove ?. Well you see, I do have nearly the same level of appreciation as most of you if you were to look at it as a 1 minute video that endorses the bike. I went by the wordings that you hear throughout the course of the video.

My dad: I have had tussles with my parents. In fact I have told them that they can lay their claims only to my human body, but not my thoughts. For they are mine alone. I am my boss. I dont believe in duality. I believe in god. God is in everyone. God is in me. I AM GOD !

Girlfriend: This is too personal. I have been in two relationships. Being in one is very much analogous to the moth which gets attracted to fire. You either bloody burn to ashes or you get liberated(the best thing that ever happens to you). I am now a transformed man. Currently in a relationship with god. It feels like god !

My past: Hmm I always tell myself "Rahul theres no point in pondering over past events. Your present is a direct consequence of your past.". My dad uses his favourite example of that of Birbal's helplessness in making his child who was hell bent on ringing the royal darbar bell "yesterday" to make me understand me the fallacy of getting so stuck up with the past. Let go of it. The present alone is the truth. Yesterday is mystery, tomorrow is history, the present alone is the gift: Courtesy Mr Mohammed Aijaz, my school principal

My Boss: Well Mr Arunakar Mishra, the CEO of Genser Aerospace and IT Pvt Ltd is a gentleman. So not much to mention about him. I really wanted to describe how passionately I hate some people with whom I have unfortunately acquainted with(I didn't have a choice!). But this is not the place where I derogate them. I have my personal blog and this guarantees me my freedom of speech. I make use of this tool to say I forgive you people. No grudges as we hopefully wont see each other again. Wishing you the very best in life. I forgive you all for all that you have done to me. What if I wont be able to forgive you again ? !!!

As we near to the end of this blog, let me tell you that your very enemies are within you. They don't deserve even an iota of your mercy. The people around, the circumstances that you encounter in your life, infact everything external to yourself can all be forgiven. Just smile and start dealing your fears with firmness. You will know what Im talking about ......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npzedFEs_Qg .... feels like god !

Cheers

RC

Take 1: Making of a nemesis and taking on them

I have of late perceived that I am very capable of perceiving a lot of things that endorses life's gifts/god's gifts. This is very much vouched for by the fact that I hate 'fear'. I always take on fear by the face. Fear and RC could possibly be treated the worlds best protagonist antagonist combination. Given a situation in which fear were to play the ideal protagonist, I would amass a mountain of blunders for I would be far from perfect!. Now I tune to this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqkVq3u4_fY

An entry for the day

I start this mixed feelings in my mind. Earlier in the day, as I was on my way back home after a 9 hour tenure at Genser Aerospace, I was gripped by negativity. The onset of the very set of emotions that once wrecked my life. I am yet to come in terms with everything. It is at this crucial juncture that I introduce you to Swami. From now on, I will present myself as someone on Swami's behalf. As this wonderful journey called life takes it course, everything will unravel. I will interact with my readers on myriad issues with the sole aim of making you feel refreshed, positive and full of life!. All cheers to a bright start. See you tomorrow!