My Life

Something or Nothing...!!!

2008-10-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Something or nothing...!!!

Yes, I know, I have been out of scene for a very long time. Also a few of my friends have been insisting me in a complaining tone, to take to writing again. I too have missed writing my blogs and keeping you all updated with recent happenings at my end. It has infact been more than a year since I last wrote. I don't promise to be regular but can surely try to be a more frequent with my blogs.

Something or nothing was the title that came to my mind when I went to watch India - Australia cricket match at Mohali on day 2. There were a couple of incidents that made me contemplate, that in India, you either are something or are absolutely nothing. If you happen to be something, life is a pleasant journey, with best of things, that life has to offer, but unfortunately if you happen to be on the other side of the fence, then, you have had it.

Going by the incidents, I am made to believe that we (me for sure!) fall on the wrong side of the net. It so happened that I along with my mother decided to watch the match, courtesy our office help, Prem who somehow managed two tickets for us. You would not find anything amusing until I would tell you that, I in the first place did not like the idea to go on free tickets. We Indians, are so used to free luxuries of life, that we would not even bother thinking purchasing things, no matter how small they may be, because we can always get some "JUGAD" and yes, that's what I did being an Indian. Really shameful, but then... “Sab chalta hai yaar.”

And then, as we were about to enter the stadium, a police inspector yells at us from about 10 feet, which goes something like this, "Bibi eh purse andar nahi jaooga, eh bahar rakh ke aayo" it seemed ridiculous to me and I intervened, requesting and pleading with the middle aged officer to be considerate and told him we were ready for a thorough inspection of all articles in the purse. But, PP (Punjab Police)... "ki dassan main tohanu ohna baare"... and suddenly the inspector threateningly pointed towards me and said "oye, hun tu mainu dassenga ki karna aah, eh purse le jaa, te kite hor rakh ke aa" I felt bad and a tad humiliated and again requested him to kindly let the purse in, as our car was parked almost 1.5 kms away. But did he give in, please don't even expect so, instead he almost got out of his chair in again a very threatening manner, as if to hit me and yelled "tu chahe eh purse rakh aa, chahe samaan ithe hi sutt jaa, par purse andar nahi jaauga" and then a lot of ladies joined us to protest against this absurd law. May be the police officer was performing his duty to perfection, but was that serving/ helping us? May be not. Was he courteous enough, certainly not. Did it portray a benevolent image of the police? Forget it. Were there any instructions in newspapers beforehand detailing items that could be carried and those that cannot be carried into the stadium? Absolutely not. Was there a collection center for items that cannot be taken inside the stadium? Sorry, the answer again is a big NO.

Then, as we were forced to call it quits for the day, immediately after lunch, by the piercing heat, we noticed something unusual. We saw a turbaned Sikh, running after a teenaged boy in full fury, which he ultimately could not catch hold of. I thought that may be, the boy pick pocketed on him and was hence running for cover. I thought helping the sardar and chase the boy down. I went to the sardar and asked what has happened, to my dismay he pushed me away and asked me to mind my own business. Well done sardar ji.

And now, that "Milkha Singh" Sardar ji, was none other than a PP (Punjab Police) officer and was chasing down a black marketer of tickets. Not bad. But just then, I saw a village bumpkin being handcuffed by the sardar and being taken away. I stopped, enquired from the passer bys as my offer for help had already been turned down by the mighty sardar. And what I heard tore me into ruptures. The police could not catch the guy trying to black market the match tickets, but instead caught hold of the poor guy trying to purchase tickets. Ha ha ha. God save that poor guy from PP constable. You must be wondering, why I am laughing. Ok. Let me tell you. At the whole stadium, I could not find even a single stand for selling match tickets. Then what would you expect from people? To just hear the cheers of the stadium standing outside? Well, that's asking for just a bit too much.

So, these experiences made me wonder, that in India, either you have to be Something or you are absolutely Nothing!!!

20Plenty

2007-10-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

"I caught on to cricket watching ODIs, and gradually moved to Test cricket. At this point of my evolution as a cricket fan, test cricket is infinitely more enjoyable than T20. But then lets analyze the argument from a purely marketing angle. Cricket fandom is declining. And new converts are not coming in big enough numbers to backfill the lost eyeballs. Now if you want to attract a fresh devotee, you have to evolve her through various steps. In the post T20 world here is how the scenario would work

With T20 format, the game is more international and understandable. The entry barriers for a non-convert have gone significantly down. So many first timers would sample the game.
T20 are designed to be more thrilling, hence the newcomer would be hooked to try it a second time.
Once the newcomer is hooked to the format and has started recognizing star players, she would follow these stars to ODIs and later to Tests. Hence, I believe T20 is a good thing, so sit back and enjoy.

T20 as I believe will rejuvenate & revolutionized other traditional sports as well and why not? It gets me thinking, why could other sports not go in for re-jig, the way cricket has done? Instead of feeling threatened with the fear of being swept of their feet, other form of sports can surely think of ways of making the sport more user friendly and fast paced. Lets compare cricket and football. Why are almost 100 Nations following football and just 8 nations following cricket. I guess the reason is quite evident. It entertains the spectator and its gives a value for his money. T20 will not wipe off other games from the face of the world, but would only spur them to come out of hibernation and look at the world with a difference. Hockey's attempt with Premier Hockey League is a case in point. Change as they say is Nature's Law. So just wait and watch how this newest tamasha of sports unfolds itself."

Kunal Thakur

Published:
Hindustan Times dated October 2nd, 2007, page no 12

Moments Make a Lifetime...

2006-12-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Hii I am back with my promise of updating you all with the happenings of events during my two and half month's hiatus... I have already narrated to you one of the most significant event in last of my posts... but here today I would like to apprise you all with some of the other events which were equally important if not more...

To begin with 23rd of September 2006 was the day when we added another member to our family in what is known as the Man's Best Friend... yes we got a small little puppy for ourselves... named Simba... it's the same cute little dog from the now famous Hutch Advertisement... it was the sole decision of my brother to get this Pug home... it did cost us a fortune to bring him home... but he has truly sparkled each one of our lives with his spontaneity and liveliness... forcing us out of the bed early... and making sure we do not party late into the night... and also ensuring that we do our bit in keeping the house clean... he has made men out of us... transforming us into more disciplined and responsible individuals... now he's grown a good two months old... and is being cared for and nurtured just like a small baby... and he quickly notched up a space for himself as an integral part of the family...

Another important day of reckoning was 25th September 2006, which was my last day of office at Canadian Institute for International Studies... bringing to an end, an association, a relationship which lasted for nearly three long years... it being my first job would always be remembered as a place where I spent some of the best and quality time of my life... forging relationships which beyond the confines of the office... it was a place where I started my career from... where I learnt a lot... met a lot of intelligent, suave, open, and friendly people... a place where I was cared and nurtured just as a kid... and a place where I was the cynosure of all eyes... it was also a place... which fulfilled my ambition of traveling across the length and breadth of the country... infact as a kid I wanted to travel extensively within my native state of Punjab... exploring the culture and folk tales of the bravery... and finally my dreams came true at CIIS where I was fortunate enough to have traveled not only to every nook and corner of Punjab but infact got an opportunity to explore almost every inch of India... I got an opportunity to travel right across Jammu & Kashmir to Kanyakumari... from Junagadh to Kathmandu... I was in love with every bit of it... was a witness to almost everthing nature had to offer... big mountains... large unending deserts... vast sea scapes... during my stay I also got a chance to connect with a wide variety of people... from different cultures, religions, regions, and varied viewpoints... which helped me in transforming (possibly for the better) as individual...

27th September... well... days were changing fast... a lot of events unfolded during a span of just about a week... this was my first day at my new office, the Times of India... a day which brought a lot of new hopes... new challenges... a day which introduced me to scores of bright and talented set of people... it was the beginning of a new association... a long professional commitment... looking forward to it...

22nd November 2006 was the day when my brother resumed from where I left... meaning... he too purely guided by hand of luck... got to begin his career with the same organization as I did... i.e. Canadian Institute for International Studies... being a Computer Engineer by profession it would not have been any easy for him to gain entry into the organization as a Marketing Professional... but kudos to him firing through and getting just where he wanted... just like me he's entered a new phase of life... I would like to wish him the very best of luck in all his future endeavors... for the record... he's just into his second week at CIIS and is already flying down to Kolkatta for a official visit...!!! now that's cool naaa... isn't it...???

November 20th - 27th November... well... u might be wondering what's this fuss is all about... well, this was time during which I got a chance to become a kid again and revisit my long lost days of school time once again... rotting history notes... playing with friends... and giving tests and exams... to break the suspense this was my training and induction week at Times of India... this would go down as one of the most memorable weeks for me... it had all the ingredients of being written as a full separate post... but anyways... this was the time when I connected to my roots... just to give u glimpse into it... a typical day at the training session would begin at about 9.30am in the morning... but the surprise element was that nobody knew when the clock would strike half past nine... as it was only when our instructor would turn up would the clock strike half past nine... and just to spice things up there was fine of 100 Rs for anybody turning up late... there were some other rules too... like, no mobile phones allowed... and the mobile phones had to be submitted only in the switched off mode... and there was fine for anybody forgetting any tenet of instructions... we were made to learn the history of media... and it was followed by a test... anybody getting less than 90% was deemed to have failed and was required to pay a fine of Rs 150. In the afternoons we all together used to have the deliciously cooked lunch in a group... which was followed by a game of Pithu Garam... and we never knew when those seven days passed off... the last day was spent at the Times House in Delhi... a humungous setup there in Delhi... where about 2000 employees work under one roof... all put together it was a wonderful experience on the whole...

So this was a hastily compiled essay of events in my life... as and when they unfolded... would come back again soon with a new set of news and views... thanks for listening patiently into it...

Unshackled...

2006-11-30T06:41:00.000-08:00

Well... my earnest apologies to start with... for not updating my blog regularly... to be honest... there was no particular reason for it... neither was I overtly busy... nor had I been away from home for a long period of time, as was the case earlier... frankly speaking it was pure laziness on my part for not writing and not updating my blog... trust me; this would have been the last thing on my mind... but somehow on some occasions I do enjoy showering myself with some royal treatment... as I did during these two months of hibernation...

A lot has happened during this two and half month period... somethings which were significant... infact very significant... which could have an impact on the times to come... and not just restricted to time... but even lives... and not one... but many...

I would just like to roll you over the events that took place during my self-imposed hibernation... one by one... probably only one atleast in this piece of writing...

It was 19th September... a very innocuous day... I was just sitting in my office... and suddenly my phone bell rang... waking me up from my siesta after lunch... it was a call from what would later turn out to be my future employer... it was a call from one of the biggest organizations operating in the Indian landscape... it was a call from the revered Times Of India Group... the Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd... asking me to drop into their office and collect my offer letter... I was just left dumb stuck... I just could not believe my luck... how it had changed in a matter of seconds... they (TOI) had initially asked me to turn up the next morning for collecting my "Love Letter"... but I could not resist the temptation and just could not hold myself back and requested if I could come to their office and collect the letter right away... a request which they gleefully accepted... the time was set for 5'o clock in the evening...

I was visibly ecstatic... and I straightaway headed home to groom myself up for the occasion... I shaved... I ironed a new set of clothes... and I also applied a lot of perfume to make sure that I don't let the chance slip out of my hand like sand... and I made sure that I reached the venue before the specified time and do not give my would be future employers any chance for complaint... I reached the office fully geared up for any thing that might come flying my way... I hesitantly entered the (would be) new office and signed on the visitor sheet... and then I approached the well laid out reception area and introduced my self confidentially and asked for the concerned person... upon which the lady at the reception picked up the receiver of the phone and very quietly spoke with someone on the other end... and upon completion of the call I was respectfully asked to wait... the wait never seemed to end and after waiting for some 20 minutes... I was directed to meet the Branch Head of the Chandigarh unit.. which initially spawned quite a few butterflies down my stomach... but then I handled the whole interview very gracefully at the end of which I was rewarded with a offer letter from the organization... I was very elated to read that and gleefully signed on the xeroxed copy of the sheet and handed them back... which clearly stated that, 27th September 2006 would mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life...

My joy knew no bounds... and Airtel helped me spread the message around, taking it to all shores of Chandigarh and the adjoining areas... there were also frantic phone calls pouring in... congratulatory messages being received... it seemed as if I have had won the Olympic Gold medal... in the end then I along with one of my very good friends decided to celebrate the occasion with a nice dinner... and we chose HM Salad Bar as the fortunate destination...

So this was the origin of all the action during these two odd months... thus carrying you all forwad from where I left you... I have a tendency to underplay events... in some cases it is good... but in some other it can create minor and major problems as well... anyways... this is the first part of a series of many still to aired episodes on www.blogspot.com... so keep looking for this space again in a couple of days time and keep your fingers crossed... Good-bye till then...

Stuff of the legends...

2006-09-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Last week was an amazing week for the sports crazy buffs like me... there were hell lot of ups and downs going around... a US Open where Roger Federer was busy rewriting the record books and where two of the brightest stars of the game faded into sunset, Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova... one of the most important Formula 1 Grand Prix in the history of the sport at Monza, Italy where the world saw the departure of one of it's most admired athletes, Michael Schumacher... and a subdued Hockey World Cup in Germany (in the light of the recently concluded Football World Cup)... Roger Federer created a unique record of winning three US Open and three Wimbledon's in a row... Agassi and Navratilova announced their retirements... Michael Schumacher wins the Formula one race and announces his retirement from the sport after virtually dominating it for so many years, elsewhere Indians were taking a heavy pounding in the Hockey World Cup in Germany losing relentlessly to teams ranked well below them and failing to register even a single win... these were some of the sweet sour incidents which have virtually changed the whole sporting scenario upside down... the world would never be the same again...

7 World Championships
90 Grand Prix victories
153 Podium finishes
5 Most consecutive World championship titles won
Most pole positions 68

The name's Michael Schumacher...

59 Total Grand Slam Titles
41 Grand Slam Doubles Titles
Winner of all 4 Grand Slam Titles
18 Singles Grand Slam Titles
9 Wimbledon Titles

The name's Martina Navratilova...

8 Grand Slam Titles
Winner of all 4 Grand Slam Titles, only 5 man in history to do so.
Winner of every major title on offer, Masters, Grand Slams, Davis Cup, Olympic Gold etc.
Career Spanning 21 Years

Better known as Andre Kirk Agassi...

8 Olympic Gold Medals
1 World Cup Title
6 Consecutive Olympics gold medals
National Game of the country...

Hockey... The golden sport of India...

It's said Legends live for ever.... and how true it seems to be... all these legend... no matter where they are... would keep on ruling our hearts and souls well after they are gone... their mesmerizing style of play would keep on entertaining us and would always keep on reminding us of the glorious era...

But nobody's indispensable... many great individuals have arrived and left the scene... but the show never stops... it must go on... but yes the void will be felt for ever and ever...

Story of the Day...

2006-09-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hiii it's an amazing story for the day... infact I am amazed it happened so early in the day... it actually made me realize my worth and connect with myself... through it I came to know about my standing in the world...

It so happened that I was traveling in a car today morning... Ford Ikon to be precise... seated in the back with none other than a retired General from the Indian army and another colleague of mine who was seated in front seat... it was going on as a great ride... we were chatting and discussing different topics... right from the ongoing US Open to rains to even the sale of beer bottles in a day in Chandigarh... we were traveling from Chandigarh to Fatehgarh Sahib... on our way to Fatehgarh Sahib we were following an off white Tata Indigo... which was traveling at a very leisurely pace of about 70kms/hour... and traveling very smoothly infact... with no signs of impending danger... and just as when we thought nothing would happen... suddenly out of now where the Tata Indigo came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road with us following right behind them... it was such a sudden stop by the car ahead of us that it totally caught us unawares and we banged right into the middle of the car... the back of the Tata Indigo was bumped into and the bumper of the car came off... and at our end the Ikon got badly hit at the bonnet and on impact we could see the glass of headlamps of our Ikon flying into the air... thankfully all individuals concerned escaped unhurt... not even a single scratch...

But then came the time of tiff between the two car owners... our General and the gentle but ordinary lady traveling in the other car... our General started meeting out instructions to Punjab Police cops as to how to handle the case and how to take the driver of the other car by the scruff... he came out as a real powerful person... as all the Punjab police cops listened attentively to him and his directions... and as if that was not enough... there came the local MLA passing by and he saw the General stranded by the road side with his car badly damaged... he instructed his caravan of cars to stop... came over and gave the General a warm handshake and asked what had happened... and on listening to the story... again ordered the already beleaguered cops to take care of the General and complete the required formalities... with instructions sounding paramount to those police officials... all the formalities got cleared as the Big MLA sahib had said... but there was another twist in the tale... the lady in the car... also strangely somehow knew the local MLA closely and the MLA had no other option but to ask the two parties to restore peace by saying that we should all be thankful that nothing serious happened... and he again walked off in his caravan of cars... smiling at both our General and the other gentle lady... exchanging pleasantries all around...

Till now I was out of focus... out of picture in the story... but now my role in the story begins... this incident actually made me realize... how powerful people are... with the kind of money that they have and with the kind of links that they have... and we ordinary individuals actually stand nowhere... I was just imagining if I would have been in the place of that lady... I would have been absolutely crushed by the tall standing General and the MLA on the other side... I would have stood no chance at all... neither with the money now with kind of links the other party had... I felt so helpless... though nothing actually happened to me... and in the rest of our journey this was what I kept thinking about... and even now when I think about it... it really sends shivers down my spine... that we ordinary individuals are nothing...

Fathers...

2006-08-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

When you were 8 years old, your dad handed you an ice cream.
You thanked him by dripping it all over his lap.

When you were 9 years old, he paid for piano lessons.
You thanked him by never even bothering to practice.

When you were 10 years old, he drove you all day, from soccer to gymnastics to one birthday party after another.
You thanked him by jumping out of the car and never looking back.

When you were 11 years old, he took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked him by asking to sit in a different row.

When you were 12 years old, he warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked him by waiting until he left the house.

When you were 13, he suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked him by telling him he had no taste.

When you were 14, he paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked him by forgetting to write a single letter.

When you were 15, he came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked him by having your bedroom door locked.

When you were 16, he taught you how to drive his car.
You thanked him by taking it every chance you could.

When you were 17, he was expecting an important call.
You thanked him by being on the phone all night.

When you were 18, he cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked him by staying out partying until dawn.

When you were 19, he paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus, carried your bags.
You thanked him by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn't be embarrassed in front of your friends.

When you were 25, he helped to pay for your wedding, and he cried and told you how deeply he loved you.
You thanked him by moving halfway across the country.

When you were 50, he fell ill and needed you to take care of him.
You thanked him by reading about the burden parents become to their children.

And then, one day, he quietly died. And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder on YOUR HEART.

Life is never fair...

2006-08-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

Life as they say is so unpredictable... one day ur on top of the world and the next day u come crashing down... why does this has to happen to us mortals... life is so cruel without any emotions...

A question worth considering is... are we all really happy leading our lives...??? I can sense so much pain and agony behind smiling faces... all of us are hurt somewhere or the other... no body is happy... we only live under false pretensions of being happy and partying all the time... why don't we understand that life is so short to live and we have got only one life to live so why not live it the way u want it to... why do we lead our lives the way world wants us to... why... kyun... why should the world decide what mobile should I purchase... what car shall I drive... which girl I should marry... after all this is my life and should have all the right to lead it the way I want to... but again the truth is that all our lives are interconnected... whatever we do has a tendency to affect so many other lives...

I feel being in a boxing ring in a one to one duel with life... it's a long battle... but at the moment I am being boxed around... left and right... up and down... no respite in sight... life is walking away with the game... I am getting tired by the each passing day... but I am still fighting and persisting... because u never know when the tables might turn around...

I also sometimes feel as if life is a truck and somebody has wrested control of the steering and is driving the vehicle the way it wants to... and I am just a happless commuter...

Anyways this is life... in typical bollywood lingo... a suspense thriller... u would never know what's gonna happen in the future... and that's exactly where the fun lies... so keep enjoying ur movie... and just pop a corn into ur mouth... and once again say "LIFE ROCKS"...

The Days Gone by...

2006-08-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted anything on my blog page... I was really missing it and was thinking about the topics to pen down... once I returned back... I had many weird and crazy ideas coming my way... but I thought I would just reflect back on the time I was away, as it would itself make for a very good and interesting read, atleast for me...

Well, it has been a really busy and hectic month for me... ever since my first post for the ongoing month... I have been keeping extra - ordinarily busy with my professional and personal commitments and have hardly got any respite... it has absolutely upset my apple cart... I have missed out on so many of my daily chores... the three chores that I can very well remember being upset are:

My daily fitness routine... early morning and evening walks with my mom,
My habit of scavenging information through daily newspapers and magazines,
My diet schedule also went for a toss, as I was used to a very healthy diet pattern

But anyways, since I have just got through my hectic schedules... I hope to get back into action very soon... infact I have just started working towards it from today itself...

The unusual hectic schedules has been primarily due to the season end workload... I have been busy conducting city seminars in almost all cities, big and small, throughout Punjab and have been marketing for the company relentlessly... and these seminars can have a very heavy toll on you... In a day I would travel over 400kms... cover 4 cities... get free at about 10pm in the night with my last seminar... and then would push off at 8am in the morning for my next leg of seminars... this in a sense has been unusual... but I have had no other option but to do it... as work has always been my first priority... the tours have infact been back breaking to say the least... and more so when you have to do all this continuously for over a period of 7 days in a row... without a break...

Things that had been keeping me busy were...

City seminars from 7th August till 10th August 2006
Mega Seminars from 11th August till 13th August 2006
And in between parties with friends and during Mega Seminars, wherein along with other team members we used to sleep at about 2am in the night and get up at about 6am in the morning and head for the next tour belt... phew...

But I think things should certainly work out for good, in the coming few months... that's my perception from the events which are unfolding and my perception... seldom goes wrong....

Good Luck...

Waiting for the day...

2006-08-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

I tried but I failed... but I can be happy that I gave it my everything; still things did not work my way, no problems... I still have not given up hope... I would triumph one day... sooner or later tomorrow is gonna be mine... I just need to be patient... the spoils are surely gonna come my way... just waiting for the day... when I would break free... all my tries have been honest endeavors and I have no regrets...

Being human has it's own shortcomings... I sometimes feel as if I have run out of luck... and it sometimes tends to have deep repercussions on my psyche... but the fight is on... I have everything going for me...

Why...

2006-07-31T23:39:00.000-07:00

It started of as any other day for me... a very normal morning infact... I got up at my usual time of around 5am... and after freshening up... headed straight for an early morning walk, coupled with a causal jog... almost all was going fine, till the time I noticed an elderly aunt, weeping and narrating an incident to somebody, which possibly wasn't to her liking... she was narrating the incident and weeping continuously... which made me feel very awkward and uneasy... I could very clearly see & feel the pain in her eyes and her voice seemed to be becoming heavy every passing second... I don't know why was I feeling so uneasy at the sight of seeing an elderly lady weep in full public view... I had never seen that lady before or even remotely known her... but there was something amiss... there was something that was drawing me closer to her... I wanted to go right up to her, inquire about her problem, possibly offer a solution and console her... but at the same time... there was something within me, which was stopping me from doing that... possible my own fears and inhibitions of approaching a stranger and being rebuked in return... for who am I to her... why should she share her sorrows with a stranger... and too with a person who's not even half her age... I kept on looking at her and wondering what would have made that innocuous and mild looking lady so upset... I wished if there was some divine intervention and all her sorrows get wiped off at once... but if only wishes were horses... that wasn't to be... she moved on... infact limping, and disguising the wiping of tears with a casual brush of hand across her face... from the worldly gaze...

This whole incident left me with a lot of unanswered questions in my mind... why do we get upset... what, makes us soooo upset... is getting upset a direct result of our own actions or inactions... why do people act in such an irresponsible manner that would upset individuals (directly or indirectly)... and what role does God has to play in it... if a person is so visibly upset then what is He doing sitting up there... is it not His duty to provide proper care and attention to His people... and if He's not able to fulfill His objectives, is it really sensible revering Him to such colossal heights...

To sum it up, I was very upset just at the sight of that poor old lady being subjected to such severe mental stress... why can't we as people be more responsible and responsive to each other's needs... I casually wonder, would world have been a better place, if we respected each other's feelings and showed care compassion towards each other... in the end I would like to say that I felt incapable of handling or even remotely addressing the trauma of that seemingly gentle lady... but I wish if I had those super human capabilities of healing sorrows and replacing them with gentle smiles...

Paradise Lost...

2006-07-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

It comes so easily and naturally to each one of us… the blessed and divine souls of the universe... we get up each morning after a long night's halt and dormancy and effortlessly start off with our routine exertion... oblivious of the fact, how life would have been if we were not blessed with the power of vision, the ability to see things as they are and appreciate happenings around us…

But just spare a thought for the souls deprived of the divine blessing named… vision… try imagining their world… everything around appears BLACK to them… step into their world and you would realize how difficult it is just to cross a road… how difficult it would be to reach your destination without the power of vision… how difficult it would be to learn and educate yourself… how difficult it would be to find someone who could understand your feelings… how difficult it would be to find someone who would love you unconditionally… how difficult it would be to find a compatible soul mate with whom you can spend the rest of your life and would subsequently forget your hardships… how difficult would be to escape the guile of the world… difficult… difficult… difficult… is one word which could very well sum up the whole episode… struggle is how I can best describe their lives to be…

With this realization in mind and heart… I along with couple of my friends (Jaspreet Gill and his fiancée, Arshdeep Kaur) set off to visit the Institute for the Blind located in Sector 26, Chandigarh… it was an impromptu decision which struck our mind while on our way to lake on Saturday evening… we shelved our earlier plans of enjoying ourselves at the lake and instead decided to dedicate just one evening of our lives to these helpless individuals who have been handed a raw deal by life… and at the end of it all it turned out to be an amazing experience and wise decision… all of us felt a deep satisfaction after meeting those small little kids and being a part of their lives for just a couple of hours…

Since it was an impromptu decision, we could not take much but some éclairs to be distributed among the kids… there were about 100 kids in all… and we were really amazed to see the kids engaging themselves in a variety of activities ranging from playing cricket to learning Bhangra to learning how to weave chairs and beds from jute and also listening to TV, watching a Mithun movie and listening him bang the bad guys with sounds of Dishum – dishum echoing through the hall and small kids clapping on the supernatural feat of the superstar…girls busy learning to tidy each other’s hairs… and also learning how to stitch…

I am grateful to my friends for introducing me to the idea of helping these kids with special needs… and it has accentuated within me the desire of dedicating some part of my life to the develop and support the lives of these kids… who can well turn into another Hellen Keller or a Michelle from Black…

Looking back I could decipher their world to be so separated from ours… so different… insulated from the ever visible animosity and game of one-upmanship … they seemed to live so gently and peacefully… helping each other in their endeavors… it was a world very unlike ours to say the least…

Indeed life has lot of objectives to throw at you… it’s up to you, which one you catch hold of ultimately…

The "Prince", the Pit and the Media...

2006-07-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

It's late evening, you reach home tired after a hard day's work and switch on the TV to rejuvenate yourself... but to your utter surprise you notice TV channels beaming the news of a small little kid fallen into a 60 feet deep well… and there seems to be no respite in sight... you empathize with the kid and move on praying for his early evacuation... time passes by... u again switch on the TV to find out if the kid has been rescued... but are dismayed to find out that it's not only you who is bothered... but infact the whole nation seems to have gone hysterical over the plight of the kid...

This was simple episode which actually played out with me... except that I was not the one to fall into the well and I was not the one who was frantically praying and keeping fasts for the kid’s evacuation... I just played the part of harried office returnee who gets to see no other news or pictures except of a small little kid in the midst of public attention and having all possible luxuries (of course those that could be made available in that small pit)... I have nothing against the kid and I actually pity the boys the condition... but I do not approve of the way the whole episode was handled by the news channels...

One news channel has sponsored his education, another has given him Rs 5 lakhs, the government has offered Rs 2 lakh and free medical check up, all this because he fell into 60 feet deep pit??? Well… I am willing to fall into a 120 feet pit and that too for over 100 hours... will someone sponsor my MBA fees...??? I am not trying to undermine the media's effort in highlighting the boy's ordeal, but do they need go overboard for this??? If the media and the Government are indeed so bothered about child welfare why do they have to wait for a Prince to fall into a pit.... there are lot of poor children in desperate need of help... why don't highlight their plight... getting hysterical over one child isn't good enough... and the same would go for the public in general... praying, keeping fasts and performing rituals just for the sake of safe passage of one kid would not earn them any brownie points... there are thousands of Prince who are dying a silent death each day... wake up and work for them as well... they deserve as much attention and time as Prince.... Chief Ministers to Prime Minister had been praying for his safe exodus... Prince and his mother are being called by various news channels for a one to one interview... well if this is the kind VIP treatment which is being meted to kids falling into gorges, pits and wells... then I am sure there must be scores of parents and kids willing to fall into them... if you could just ensure 2 simple square meals a day... nothing much...

And media must come forward and the blame for loosing focus and vying for TRP’s instead… Infact this is not the first time that the media has gone overboard in reporting events... in past there have been many incidents for which the media had been at the receiving end... Rahul Mahajan and Mika - Rakhi Sawant episodes are not the ones to be forgotten with ease...

An ode to the Kargil martyrs...

2006-07-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Height 7428 meters... ice cold winds... temperature almost zero degrees... backpack baggage around 15kilos... time midnight... gun shots blaring through ur ears... u just can't locate the enemy around... u are at the foothill and have to climb the whole mountain to throw the intruders away occupying ur land... there is no end in sight... no location to take shelter from the flying bullets... supply lines have been cut... ufffff... this is the plight of the brave Indian soldier who has to surmount so many obstacles each day so that we, ordinary, thankless, barren and distasteful individuals are able to sleep peacefully with our families… and more often than not it's that nameless, invisible soldier who pay's for our night's sleep with his live... how shameless are we as individuals that we just don't even remember them...

Today is one such day... it's 26th July 2006... a very ordinary day in the lives of us mortals... ungrateful individuals... we would eat, make merry and go to sleep, unmindful of the fact that this was the day 7 years back when some individuals laid their for the nation and did not let the enemy distort the map of India... I still remember some of the names... Capt. Amol Kalia, Squadron leader Ajay Ahuja and Capt. Vikaram Batra who laid their lives...

We Indians do not realize the value of something till the time we pay for it... and keep on taking things for granted... I was appalled to notice that no TV Channel, none of the newspapers or magazines or web links brought our victory in Kargil into any kind of prominence... either they did not feel the need for doing so or did not consider that the news would be given any weightage by the general public...

And more annoying was the reaction of the general public... nobody except for the families of those who lost their dear ones or those who injured themselves beyond recovery, ever remembered even for a minute about this day...

Somebody should have lighted a candle to let somebody know that we care... we remember... that we are with you... but no... how can we do that... what would people say... blah blah blah...

Shame on us... Jaago India Jaago...

My Companions... Orkut & Blogspot

2006-07-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well blogging for me would never have happened... Blogging and I??? or for that matter even getting into any kind of social networking site was always a no no... I had always consciously stayed away from Yahoo chat... as I considered these sites to be nothing more than real time killers... but I don't know why and how have I recently hooked onto a couple of websites and I just can't have enough of them... one of them being Orkut and the second Blogspot… both of them being Google initiatives... now that I have been firmly gripped in by these sites... I have simply decided to give in and swim with the flow...

Orkut was the first site that took me by surprise... I never thought that I would be so captivated by a site that from the very start both spelled and sounded so awkward... but all thanks to Orkut which united to so many of my lost mates from school and college... also Orkut is a store house of knowledge and entertainment for me.... u name it and u have it... school communities, political, religious and dating forums... discussion boards on various topics and yes of course information all those topics which we can discuss in private, but would always shy discussing on a public platform like Orkut (until of course you camouflage ur identities) ... I hope u understand what I am trying to hint at... ha ha ha... I knew u all were well informed individuals...!!! Anyways... my best compliments would go to the Orkut team members who have been working tirelessly to make the best service available to millions of loggers each day... Thumps Up to u guys there...

My second vote of thanks would go to Blogspot... which has been a remarkable service... I infact knew about blogging and Blogspot in particular for quite some time but always considered it a luxury afforded by a select few... who had everything from time and uninterrupted internet connection to unlimited spare time and inexhaustible motivation available with them... but how I got hooked onto it is a very different story... I got onto the Blogspot platform just out of sheer curiosity and also possibly to avail of a chance to dabble into something new and unknown… and trust me the journey from there on has been an unparallel learning experience... sitting here in Chandigarh I one could just not imagine how far the world has traversed in terms of the knowledge accumulated and the application of that knowledge... it was really mind boggling to see the kinds of profiles being created, the ideas being generated and those trendy and awe inspiring looks being provided to these sites or blog pages I must say...

With the objective of learning something new and putting my creative urge to rest... I decided to create a blog and give my pent up feelings a little room to venture out... but creating a blog was just the beginning... I had not forgotten the dominating objective of learning something new through this... so I decided to refurbish my blog page and giving it a little interesting and trendy look... but for an individual with a non IT background, I found it extremely hard to maneuver my way through... but still I persisted and made my way... on my way I was helped by a troika of individuals, lending me a helping hand whenever I needed it the most... and I am a person who believes in giving credit where it's due... so I would like to pitch in with a special of note of thanks to, one, Ajit Sharma who has always been by side right from our childhood days and I must admit his knowledge of computers could perhaps match the very best in the field, he has always had an answer to my every question... that's simply awesome... second individual is Mr. Charanbir Singh my colleague at CIIS and my senior both in age, knowledge and hierarchy... he has also never stopped short of helping me or any other individual approaching him for help or support... I would term him as an individual who would know something about everything... and lastly I would like to thank Anand Verma again from CIIS for being very supportive and helpful, whenever needed and required...

So after heavy battles from within (ranging from motivation to create and sustain a blog) to the my known handicaps of computer usage... I think I have come a long way... last few days have been particularly hectic... as I have been busy trying to create and search blog templates... then to modify them to my liking... but finally I suppose I have mostly achieved my laid targets... and have won the major battle raging within me... now there are only small tidbits to be completed and I believe they should not take long to be accomplished...

Nikhil Sharda

2006-07-22T00:51:00.000-07:00

Our emotions are running wild but our minds have stopped". I think my site is a pretty decent waste of time for those looking for something like that. If you're not out to kill a few minutes/hours YOU do something constructive and creative. Think of a way to feed and clothe the homeless. People are too quick to judge the homeless. You see one begging you for money and you go "Shit you're just gonna waste it on drugs and alcohol". Well shit that's what I was going to waste it on too, let's not be too hasty here.We should make marijuana not only legal, but mandatory. Bunch of mellow hungry fucked up people everywhere, that would be a nice world.If you do feel like randomly blurting out your emotions about my site, you can though. Either comment (you don't have to be registered) or mail me. Whatever. I won't hold it against you, your opinion is your own. But don't preach your ethics, moral, or why your view on life is the ultimate truth. Because I won't fucking listen. And neither will anyone else my site is http://effortlesslife0.spaces.msn.com/only for hotmail users you have to sign in before you can view my blog.

An eventful trip to the National Capital...

2006-07-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hiii all... first of all my sincere thanks to all the people with whose persistent efforts we have been able to get our favorite Blogspot back... Cheers... and long live the democracy...

Well, this post is supposed to be about my trip to Delhi... which was an eventful trip on many counts...

The trip to Delhi actually started off very grudgingly for me ... as I have always shied away of going to Delhi... I don't know why, but with due apologies to Delhi'ites... I have never had a very special liking for Delhi in any corner of my heart... so it was not a very pleasant trip to begin with... but still work always comes first... so I had no option but to go...

It all started with my boarding the early morning Shatabadi to Delhi on 19th June... professionally on the whole the tour wasn't very encouraging... I went there for conducting day long seminars in our branch offices... costly advertisement were placed in the national dailies... but surprisingly, they fell short of evincing any interest in the general public... this what sets me off... Delhi’ites has always been very hard to please... people hardly have time for events and activities or even for each other... they seem to be more interested in themselves... but anyways... I spent the first day in the GKII office which wasn't very productive... it was boredom unlimited... had somebody not invented the Internet and Orkut thereon... I would have died craving for some action...

The next two days were pretty interesting, went over to Rajouri Garden branch for the conduct of the seminars and was pleasantly surprised to see myself suddenly in demand... I was being acknowledged and respected... suddenly tables turned around... I thought the Delhi people were always unresponsive and self occupied... but this reception at the Rajouri can force me into changing my opinion... well, the trip to this branch was productive as I was able to solicit one conversion and consequently have a face to show... I have special mention for all the Rajouri branch people for making me feel wanted… and special thanks for the Rajouri Branch Manager Mr. Sarat Chandra Gupta for taking special care of me…

Well, on my trip to the capital, I was very lucky and happy to rekindle my old friendship with my erstwhile mates from college during my study days in Delhi and it was a welcome break to see and speak with old friends... we might have lost out on time but I was relieved to notice that the intensity was still the same... although some of them got married and some of them garnered good jobs...

Well, during one such meeting, I met with a (soon to turn) celebrity friend of mine... Arun Yadav... the meeting brought back memories of old times... the things had changed and they had changed drastically... we did meet... but with several restrictions imposed on us by our respective working schedules... still then... we were not the same... those carefree days... those night outs and that rowdism had evaporated and we never realized when did we mature... but still my friend Arun was still the same... he did not change a bit, same thoughts, same wacky ideas, he was exactly the same person whom I had left two and half years back... but I felt we had become wiser with time than ever before... but our meeting did not go as smoothly as thought or intended... as due to either his mistake or my pressure for a meeting we inadvertently parked the car at a non parking zone, which was ultimately towed down by the traffic police and we had no other option but to pay the fine for our mistake... but I would take the blame on myself and request Arun to forgive me for on that count... but nevertheless, I had a good time with Arun (can't say the same for him though)... I also intended to meet one of my other very sweet friend Ravi... but due to his and mine hectic work schedules we were unable to chart out a meeting plan... but still we maintained good contact over the phone...

The last eventful part of my trip to Delhi was my travel through metro rail... it was being touted the problem to India's infrastructure ills... yes it's somewhat an answer to that... the process is wonderful and I have all the praise for the way work has been done... the whole system works with clinical efficiency... I actually took my trip from Rajouri Garden to Rajeev Chowk and then ultimately to New Delhi Railway Station, on the insistence of my Rajouri Garden branch manager who was hell bent on me having an experience of metro rail... and I must thank him for his initiative... but I would not advise it to people who are traveling it for the first time and board the metro at 4.05pm have to catch train catch a train to Chandigarh at 5.15pm... the processes are so sophisticated that it takes you a while to get accustomed to it... we have generally been bread on those redundant systems... and I actually got stuck at quite a few places while on travel through metro and thankfully I got out of them in time to catch my train to Chandigarh at the slotted time ... and about my views for metro... I still feel it has a long way to go... it is still in its nascent phases and the traffic during the rush hours sometimes becomes a little hard to handle from the commuters point of view... and my observations with the Indian public is that although we are insensitive to time but when it comes to boarding buses or train or getting into a cinema hall we want to be the first ones to grab the best seat available...

Anyways... it was a nice trip... made more memorable by some benevolence, generosity and gentleness showered from some unexpected quarters of Delhi... Thanks Delhi...

About me...

2006-07-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I had been thinking about this blog for a long time now... and even attempted writing it a couple of times over... but got entangled in the initial stages itself... deleted those blogs and started allover again... But now I have decided that I must stop thinking and post the blog as it is, as every time I would invariably start discovering new facets about my personality...

"I perceive myself as an individual who's smugly ensconced in his own little world... the entry to this club (or world) is restricted to a very select group of individuals who are very close to my heart... I prefer to spend majority of my time with these individuals than trying to make unnecessary group of friends... in other words you can label me as a very private person... I am very choosy about the things I select... friends, job or for that matter anything... I am also very committed to everything that I am directly associated with... work, family, friends or even country... although working for the world's largest immigration and resettlement company... I am very happy living here in India and would not like to trade it for the lure of settling abroad (at least at this point in time)... I want to stay back here in India and fight all the ill's plaguing the society... I feel this is my duty and responsibility (or infact of every fellow Indian)... I am just not able to swallow the thought of leaving the nation when it needs you the most... after all the nation has spent money and time on educating me... and certainly it has valid expectations from me...

My goals in life are very simple... I have seldom crazed for a lot of money... only thing that I desire is having a sweet and understanding family... the only material aspects that I aspire for is a small house and a small car of my own... I plan to work in the corporate world for possibly another ten years at the max and would then tend to dedicate my life towards social causes... joining or forming an NGO. I thankfully have never crazed for limelight for almost althoughout my life... and honestly I would want to stay as far away from it as possible... and in the end... I would just want to die peacefully with no baggage of conscience around my neck... and would also like to breathe my last here at my home soil where I grew up... that would be the perfect finale to a struggling soul..."

Iit might sound like a moral science lesson but that was an honest admission about myself... hope u would have enjoyed reading...

Unforgetful days of my life...

2006-07-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

U get up one day and a surprise is in store for you... but do not mistake that surprise to be a pleasant one everytime... just like movement is not always forward only, the same way, we all also have combinations of good and bad days in life... which we would never be able to erase from our memory, even if we wanted to...

Presented below is a list of events... both good and bad which have left a profound impact on my life...

It all began with the birth of this divine, illustrious, celebrated individual on the 21st day of April, 1980
Second important day in my life, 23rd December 1984, I am blessed with a cute little brother, named Ishaan...
8th January 1986, I lose my paternal grandfather to God... (God ensured I never had enough of him)
2nd June 1986, I meet with a near fatal accident...
30th December 1989, I lose my maternal grandfather...
Years 1990 - 1992 Golden years of my life... enjoyed life to the hilt... everything I touched turned into gold...
December 16th 1990 a black day in my life... (Would not like to illustrate)
Year 1991, for the first time in my life I stood second in my class... most memorable moment of my life... it gave me a sense of self belief...
1991 A bitter feud ensued between me and one of my very best friend of those time Varun Gautam and we part ways... only to be reunited after 10 long years... illustrated below...
Year 1992, failed in Mathematics while in class seven... a huge blot on my competence... scored 17 out of 100
August 17, 1993 lost my maternal grandmother...
23rd December 1993, my first article published in the "Letter to Editor" column of Indian Express's local daily, Chandigarh Newsline... my joy knows no bounds...
1994, I fail for the second time in life again in mathematics scoring just 27 out of 100... into my 9th standard...
8th February 1995... a wonderful sunlit day... for the first time in my life I propose a girl... Jasmine her name to be precise... got a rejection straight away... but, I had not given in... the struggle continued... just in my 9th standard then...
August 1995, I bunk my tuition for the first time ever and went to watch Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...
6th October 1995, my efforts bore fruit and Jasmine accepts my proposal... my first girl friend in life... reflecting back... I feel it was more infatuation than love...
8th April 1996, love musings with Jasmine come to an end officially...
May 1996, caught by Dad bunking tuition classes...
My second golden era begins... lasts from 1996 - 1998 enjoyed every bit of it... everything I touched turned gold for the second time in my life...
26th July 1996 met one of my very best friends in life... Jaspreet Gill...
31st August 1996, Ravinder Singh's birthday... I bunk school for the first time to have sweets in the neighborhood shop... Katani to be precise... but unfortunately caught by teachers who are also incidentally there having sweets and got a good thrashing and told to go back to school as the teachers continued to have their sweets...
17th December 1996... one of the most beautiful days of my life... for the very first time met my best best friend Anjali... and our friendship continues till date... touchwood...
December 1996 for the second time I stand second in my class... winning accolades all around..
January 25, 1997... I reach school and scale the boundary wall of the school in the lunch break and escape to loiter around with my friends...
January 29, 1997... I leave home for school... but do not reach school... instead watched movies at my friends place...
14th February 1997... for the first time in life I watch a live concert by Gurdass Mann...
17th June 1997... I along with a friend of mine drank beer (or alchol of any form) for the first time in my life...
31st December 1997... I celebrate New Year with friends... one of the most happiest evenings of my life...
13th February 1998... one of the most dreaded nights of my life... (will not tell why)
September 1st 1999... I fail in Mathematics in BBA - 1st Year and earn a compartment... a huge huge blot...
5th September 1999, I break my association with God... turn Anti - God...
30th May 2000... a heavenly day... (Keep Guessing)
4th June 2000... most dreaded day... (???)
December 2000... my first attempt at cracking CAT... I fail...
May 2001 - till date... struggle to establish my self continues...
2001 I fail to crack any major MBA exam...
Early 2002... I secure 98.74% in MAT examination...
1st February 2002... my best friend undergoes a life shattering surgery...
1st March 2002 I appear for Amity Business School... but fail to break through...
12th May 2002... I appear for IIPM exam... and I clear it... (My biggest tragedy in life... life changes thereafter)
22nd May 2002 I deposit fees at IIPM Delhi and joining it...
3rd June 2002... my classes in Delhi IIPM begin...
16th June 2002 pick pocketed... hell breaks loose thereafter...
3rd July 2002 my best friend undergoes another life shattering surgery...
22nd October 2002... my friend Ravinder Singh is granted visa for UK in his second attempt... and I drink to my hearts content...
10th April 2003... a forgetful day in my life...
December 24, 2003... I sit for campus interviews but fail miserably... my confidence is dented...
December 2004 fail in interview for Bank of Punjab...
February 28, 2004... I return back to Chandigarh from Delhi for good...
March 27 2004... I fail in the written test for ICICI Bank...
April 23 2004... I join CIIS... my current employer...
12th August 2004... black day...
May 2005... fail in interview for Hutch...
9th June 2005... enjoyed the day a lot...
July 2005... clear an all India Test for ICICI Bank...
18th October 2005... enjoyed the day a lot with my friends in Surat...
September 19, 2005... fail again in interview for ICICI Bank...
December 2005... fail in interview for Zee Telefilms limited...
3rd March 2006... fail again in an interview for ICICI bank...
15th March 2006... conversation with another of my good friend... Gurpreet...
10th July 2006... a forgetful day once again... summoned to the police station...

So these were the string of events which affected my life in one way or the other... and which I would remember throughout my life...

They would never know how much I love them...

2006-07-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

"He loves me... he loves me not.... He loves me... he loves me not..."

Love is a very difficult and tricky subject to be dealt with... love infact is a very subjective term... the definition of which would vary from individual to individual... Some would fall in love at the first sight... some would not fall in love even after spending years together... for some love would fade out after few days/ weeks/ months/ years... for some love would transcend the boundaries of time... some would term lust as love... and some would term love as lust... So there is hardly any conclusive definition of love...

But at some time or the other it would have surely happened with each one of us... that we loved an individual dearly but were not able to confess our love/attachment to him/ her... or it would have happened that we love an individual but are not able to solicit the same love/ affection from him/ her... or it would have happened that we love that individual but our actions/ words would suggest the opposite...

Life has it's own twists and turns... there is nothing bigger or greater than time... one day the whole world would love you... and the very next day it might happen that you become the most hated individual... but still, there is no bigger disappointment than to lose ground in the eyes of the people you love/ adore... We all are mere mortals... and to err is human... if looked at very closely... love would bring humbleness and ego in an individual in an equal measure... initially humbleness might win over everything... but as your love/ romance takes a more consolidated form... ego steps in and spoils all your previous exploits... why does it have to happen this way...

I have loved some individuals who have been very close to my heart... but please do not mistake them to be from the opposite sex only... and do not mistake them to be my only dream acquisition in terms of my future partner... that for me will be a very narrow definition of love... the individuals that I would list below are the ones I love and some of them have been the ones I have not been able to proclaim my love to... these individuals are not necessarily my age... they might be much older than I am or may be much younger than me... (I would be using "him" as the word to describe individuals, just for the sake of convenience for both males and females)

The first individual I would love would be the one who is much older than me and to whom I have never been able to prove my love... either with my actions or with my words... I am very thankful for whatever he has done for me and would never ever forget that... (_ A _ _ _ _)
The second individual is the one who is much younger to me... I have not been able to live up to his expectations... and neither have I been able to prove or proclaim my love for him... but he's very close to me... I can lay my life for him... (_ _ _ A _ _)
The third individual would be the one is the one who is elder to me and whom I have proclaimed my love for... but probably due to my own inefficiency or rather non attention I might lose this individual... but whatever might be the consequence... one thing would always remain... I would always love him... (_ _ _ A _ _)

So these are some of the people I have loved dearly and would continue to do so... I have not specifically put in their names... possibly because I lack the requisite courage... but one day I would surely fill these details with their names as well...

Aisa bhi hota hai...

2006-06-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

Well, this is an unusual post... infact a story about a string of incidents that played out with this simple lad in one single day... it was a day which saw remarkable turn of events and through this blog I would like to narrate the happenings of this particular day... i.e. Tuesday 27th June 2006...

It was a very normal morning here in Chandigarh.. I got up at about 6am in the morning, which is a little late than what I am accustomed to... I usually get up around 5am and then head for the neighborhood park to breathe some fresh air and a little jog... but the night before, I was into heavy partying and celebrating the reunion with one of my friends who had recently returned from a stint abroad... the heavy partying took it's toll on me and forced me to get up later than usual... But, there was something amiss... I could sense aches erupting throughout my body... and had a very bad and stiff throat... It seemed as if somebody had slit my throat and sprinkled it with salt... It was not a very pleasant feeling to start with... and soon it felt as if I had been engulfed with my first fever of the season... which later on proved to be very true...

But, this did not deter my thoughts of joining the office... I got up and went ahead with my usual chores of the day though with some labor... In spite of all the hindrances and difficulties, which included my Mom persuading me not to join office in this condition, I managed to get ready for office in time and am ready to leave for office, just when I discover my motorcycle had a flat tyre... I look towards the heaven and wonder it had to happen only today, when I was down with fever and was having aches running throughout my body... I thank the good Lord and go inside to speak with my mom who was also getting ready to leave for office... I ask her if she could drop me to office today and if possible pick me up in the evening.. oh my God... good mother's that they are... she persuades me to skip office now that even my bike has a flat tyre... but I again insist on going to office... but then I melt down and tell her that I would return early from office today to get some rest... and just on the mention of it... she decides to skip her office for my sake, so that I could return early and she could take care of my health... and she asks me to take her Kinetic Honda to office... which I gleefully accept, but do not like the idea of her skipping the office just for my sake... but still I promise her that I would return soon and would take adequate rest and then in the evening would go to the market for repair of the flat tyre of the bike...

I am in the office...

In the office too, there is an unusual turn of events and a hell lot of a work emerge from nowhere and I am in middle of all the action... I am still battling the fever and body aches and do not realize when it's evening and my watch shows 6pm to my dismay... I think of my poor mother who's taken a day off just for me and here I am languishing in the office... I decide to rush back home... but there's another turn in sight... I head back to my Mom's parked Kinetic... only to realize this time the Kinetic has a puncture... Oh my God... what's this happening...

I am running high fever... battling severe body aches... my bike’s got a flat tyre... my mom's taken a day off just for me... I am in the office for the whole day... and now on top of it... I have got another flat tyre to bang my head with... uffff... what's this yaar...

And there's no puncture shop in the vicinity of our office... the nearest one is about 2kms away... I push the Kinetic full two kilometers before I find any repair mechanic... I feel totally exhausted and out of gas... I am totally drenched in sweat... I get the kinetic repaired and it's already 7.15pm by then... and I am thinking about the next round of puncture repair to my bike... with this thought lingering in my mind I head back home...

But to my sweet surprise and comfort... my father had already taken care of it in my absence... and I felt really thankful to him for this... he had saved me a lot of effort and energy... but I was thinking about him... the amount of energy he might have spent on it and the troubles he might have taken for repairing the puncture... anyways the job was well done...

I am at home…

I sit back and decide to pen down my thoughts in the form of blog... I start writing and spend about half an hour writing amidst fever and pains to give a real and authentic look and have reach almost midway through the post... suddenly, I just shake my feet for no ostensible reason and the feet in the process hits the button of the UPS and switches off the computer completely...

I feel, totally aghast... and it leaves me wondering if there is some secret power machinating against me...

First high fever through the day coupled with severe body aches... then punctured tyre of my motorcycle... then my mother decides to forgo her day at the office to take care of me... I battle through office and am not able to reach back home, where my poor mother is waiting for her ailing son... and then I get another flat tyre in the form of my mom's kinetic is awaiting me... I reach home try to write a blog... spend half an hour, reach midway in completing my blog... and suddenly I shift my leg to realize that I have hit the UPS power button and have switched off my PC without even saving my blog...

Pure coincidence I presume....

But thankfully, there were no more hiccups after that... and the day after resumed absolutely normally... but sometimes it happens and that’s when we call these day’s some less ordinary days…

Chak day phatay... Nap day Killi... Savere Jalandhar Shaami Diliiii...!!!

2006-06-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

"Statistics are like mini skirts..what they reveal is suggestive but what they hide is vital..!! "

"One, who doesn't throw the dice, can never expect to score a six."

"You got to choose between tightening your belt or losing your pants. "

Suggestive... nooo... of our great Navjot Singh Sidhu Paaji... Well, we all love his commentary and his style... his persona and his awesome elegance in demolishing the competition around... We have always loved his way of introducing things around... here are some of his most memorable quotes...

There is light at the end of the tunnel for India, but it's that of an oncoming train which will run them over.
Experience is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald.
India look like a crippled cobra whose fangs are clipped.
Wickets are like wives - you never know which way they will turn!
If ifs and buts were pots and pans, there would be no tinkers, my dear friend !
That ball went so high it could have got an air hostess down with it.
Sri Lankan score is running like an Indian taxi meter.
He is like Indian three-wheeler which will suck a lot of diesel but cannot go beyond 30!
The Indians are going to beat the Kiwis! Let me tell you, my friend, that the Kiwi is the only bird in the whole world which does not have wings!
The gap between bat and pad is so much that I would have driven a car through it!
As uncomfortable as a bum on a porcupine.
Deep Dasgupta is as confused as a child is in a topless bar!
The way Indian wickets are falling reminds of the cycle stand at Rajendra Talkies in Patiala..one falls and everything else falls!
You cannot make Omlets without breaking the eggs.
Deep Dasgupta is not a Wicket Keeper, he is a goal keeper. He must be given a free transfer to Manchester United.
When you are dining with a demon, you got to have a long spoon.
We'll take the cake with the red cherry on top.
He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.
One, who doesn't throw the dice, can never expect to score a six.
He is a wily fox. But, if we make the fox run, the chicken will become hen.
It is not all over till the fat lady sings!.
A fallen lighthouse is more dangerous than a reef.
You cannot ride a seat-less bicycle without getting blisters on your bums.
Anybody can pilot a ship when the sea is calm.
A revolutionary idea is usually one with its sleeves rolled up.
Nobody travels on the road to success without a puncture or two.
You got to choose between tightening your belt or losing your pants.
If the heavens throw you dates, you got to keep your mouth open.
When you have a hen laying eggs you should not mind the cackle.
He is like a one-legged man in a bum kicking competition.
The third umpires should be changed as often as nappies and for the same reason.
Ganguly has thrown a drowning man both ends of the rope.
Eddie Nichols is a man who cannot find his own buttocks with his two hands.
When things are coming easy, make sure you are not going downhill.
His slower ball was so slow that my mama can run fater than that
He is so unlucky that even if you put him in a barrel full of nipples, he'll still come out suckin his thumb!
A fifty is like kissing a virgin, you just have to go on!
"Agar" meri chachi ki moochen(moushtache)hoti to kya mein use chacha kehta?
Throw a lucky man into the sea and he will come with a fish in his mouth.
Ganguly is doubting his beliefs and believing in his doubts.

U just can't have enough of them... just keep on enjoying them and keep guessing where do they come from...

You are responsible for it...!!!

2006-06-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

"Life's never fair...", "if only I had known it before... I could have done better..." that's what we always lament...

Life invariably present us with innumerable set of choices to choose from, we just need to pick up the right choice... we have got a choice in almost everything... the friends that we choose, the job that we choose, the life partner that we choose, the car that we would purchase, the food that we would eat, the time that we would like to get up... there are choices in almost everything that we would like to do... we just need to be vigilant and play our cards correctly...

But picking the right choice is not always easy... only after that we have made a decision and gone ahead with our preferred choice, do we come to know if we have made the right choice... this is what we name as experience... but the hardest part about life is it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards... I wish only if the cycle could be reversed...

But when we have got a whole set of choices to choose from, then what do we lament and whine about... the decision that you took was yours and if you would have wanted or if you had been vigilant enough you would have picked the right choice... so then is it fair to say that I have been hard done by life... NO... I don't think so... now that you have taken the decision, you must also take the responsibility and back it at every step... you are responsible for what you do and what you choose...

But there are also no retakes in life… the decision once taken cannot be reversed… that's the beauty about it... knowledge of the fact that's it's not gonna come again or happen again is what makes life more enjoyable and beautiful... if only Ravana would have known the result before kidnapping Sita, the epic of Ramayana might have been written in an entirely different context... if only Herschel Gibbs would have known dropping Steve Waugh on 56 during the 1999 Cricket World Cup would prove to fatal to his teams chances of lifting the cup, he would surely have been extra vigilant... and only if VP Singh the former Indian Prime Minister could have been told that implementing the Mandal report would prove detrimental to his chances of holding onto power, I am sure he would have changed his mind, he might not admit it, that's altogether a different matter...

So Stand up and be counted... take responsibility for what ever you do and undertake… it was after all your decision to go ahead with it… and if somebody else forced you into it… even then you had a choice of being subjugated into adhering to the decision or to revolt against it and create history for yourself and take responsibility for the action that you took…

Cheers...

Kunal

Does God Exist???

2006-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

In reality, the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved; it is just of matter of faith. The world has always been polarized between two sets of people, the Theists and the Atheists. It would be very hard to prove or disprove the existence of God, but yes effort towards this can certainly be made. God, by very definition is “ A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions”. God from times immemorial has been referred to as the greatest invention of humans, where in they could rely on an imaginary being to take care of themselves and the events around. It instilled a sense of fear among individuals and this fear governs us till date. Talk logic and the concept of God fades away, to an extent, if not completely.

There can be many arguments that go unanswered:

1) The problem of theodicy: If the evil in the world is intended by God he is not good. If it violates his intentions he is not almighty. If only God can create he must have created evil. If somebody else created evil, how can one know that God, and not Satan created the universe?

2) If God knows everything, he knows what he will do in the "future". He must have known that from the very start of his own existence. If God knows everything, he knows what he will do in the "future". He must have known that from the very start of his own existence. God is tied by faith, he has no free will. If God has no free will God is not omnipotent. Another way to put it is that to be able to make plans and decisions one must act over time. If God stands above time he cannot do that and has no free will.

3) If everything must have been created, then God must have been created as well. If God is not created, then everything mustn't have a creator, so why should life or cosmos have one?

4) God has never bothered to contact me even on my repeated requests, so is it not that He might not even exist? I would want to know why He should shy away from listening to what I have to say. Is he busy, trying to act pricey or simply unconcerned?

5) If God exists, then how do we know which religion properly describes him? If God is so mysterious, how can we know anything about him? Through the Bible? How do we know that the Bible and not the Koran or the Veda books, for example, are the words of God? (Or the Bible if you believe in any of the other two books). Considering the cruelties that have been made in the name of God, how do we know that not all religions are made by Satan?

I believe that the Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe. According to the big bang, the universe was created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions. The Big Bang Theory received its strongest confirmation when Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, who later won the Nobel Prize for this discovery, discovered this radiation in 1964. Although the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted, it probably will never be proved; consequentially, leaving a number of tough, unanswered questions. But this is the nearest equivalent to the theory of the Universe being created by God himself. I would rather subscribe to this theory, rather than clinging onto unproven facts.

I would like to end here, as this discussion seems to go on and on and on, without any end in sight, we can go on debating and still reach no conclusion. But one thing I would like to mention is that yes I do like going Temples and Gurudwaras, not because I go there to search for some God, but I go there to enjoy the serenity of the place and the tranquil atmosphere. When I see so many people bowing their heads in reverence to something unseen and unknown, it moves me to bits and I just cannot help but marvel at the power wielded by that unknown, unseen individual. Then, I also do not mind praying sometimes to God for help, though I would prefer not to admit in public, as I am believed to be a die hard Atheist, and this confession would somehow be seen as a denial of my earlier confession. I think the two best things religion has ever been the cause for are music and architecture.

I can sum up the whole thing by saying that:

1. No one person can claim credit for inventing the concept of God, not even founders of various religions.

2. The intention behind God: God has been used to educate and communicate (unintentionally of course) best practices of a particular period in history, for e.g. cow being sacred in Hindu mythology - very practical then as India was for quite a long time an agriculture based economy and cattle had immense uses for milk produce and ploughing fields.

3. God as a lifestyle statement: it was actually considered quite cool to devote your life and career to God. It was an "In profession" centuries ago that guaranteed status and perks.

4. That God is the first multinational product/service with customized local versions.

Thus, we can conclusively say “Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense."

Reference: http://godandscience.org/
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe/b_bang.html
http://www.orkut.com/ and specially the community titled “Atheists” by Carolyn Marbry

Finally got it!!!

2006-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yesss... I have finally done it...!!! What...??? Read on...

Well, I wanted to create a blog for myself for quite sometime now, but either could not find the time or the inclination to do so... But a couple of days back I decided enough is enough... No more lingering around and then the great mind got on with the work... But it was hard work friends... I longed for a unique blog name... And it took me no less than two full days to zero in on a blog name of my choice...

I also want you to know that, I came across thousand of options... wrote each option on a piece of paper... carried it along and then tried to check if the name is actually available... and to just let you know the amount of thinking and the hits and misses I went through... for every 50 entries I could find just a single available option... huhhhh...

Anyways since the process is on now... I sincerely wish to pen my thoughts down on a regular basis... But then no promises... promises you see are meant to broken...