My first Ad!!!

I know the art work is a bit shabby...I've only just started working with Photoshop.I'm trying to improve my skills there. besides that if you have anything to say...you know what to do...

Is it worth it??

It’s quiet pointless, the route we take in our lives. What stream we choose for our XII, which degree we struggled for, which career path we trod upon. It all comes down to whether we’re happy doing what we’re doing (or maybe not doing). It comes down to whether we’re doing what we’re doing to the best of our capabilities, with all the passion we possess or doing it just because we have to. Ironically, it’s not the route we take that decides our destination, but it’s the number of milestones we have crossed, the milestones that we set, not someone else. Not our friends, not our family. But then, it’s not so fucking easy. Obviously, there are a million complications. Infinite hurdles. And unfortunately there is no solution to most of these complications other than ‘compromise’. We compromise once, twice, and before we know it we’re not who we wanted to be. We look at others and envy them, coz they had the courage, the balls to put their foot down, to stop compromising and do what they wanted to, become what they wanted to become. Of course, they had to struggle a lot, but wasn’t it worth it? Isn’t it worth it? Is it worth it?

finally...

You don’t really know or realise what you have missed, what you have been longing for till you actually get it. It felt so perfect, so right, so deserving. I used to love it. In fact in those childish days I used to actually call it my first and only love. Then somewhere, something went wrong and it disappeared. You remember those old Hindi movies where two ‘bichde hue bhai’ reunite. And the reaction they give when they realise they’re brothers (I don’t think there is a more exaggerated show of pure happiness). That is precisely how I felt. And believe me I’m not exaggerating. It was almost as if adrenaline was carrying my blood rather than the other way round. I felt exalted, elevated, liberated. It was a feeling I had never felt before. The feeling I had missed for so long. The feeling ‘yes, this is where I belong’, the instant connection, the belief, the rush...of finally playing basketball.

kachra!

‘Do not spit here’, ‘No littering’, etc. These are a couple among the various signs that you read and conveniently ignore. It enrages me. You, the so called ‘civilised’ population of India, behave in the most uncivilised manner. I’m sure you have a ready excuse if confronted, ‘the government is not doing its job, there should be a dustbin here’ or ‘where are the sweepers? The Municipality does absolutely no work’. Why don’t you take a look around, there is a dustbin at less than 50 metres from where you stand. How the fuck can you make such an excuse? You don’t even want to take a couple of extra steps to keep your country clean. (I’m not even going to dwell on the subject of saving our environment with this insolent group). And then to top it all, you go to a foreign country and go gaga over how clean that city/country is. You have the bloody audacity to pass such a comment. You make all the possible contributions to maintain your country as dirty as possible and remark on the beauty and cleanliness of other countries?? And what is your reasoning?? ‘Mere akele ke nahi karne se thodi kuch hota hain’. It’s because every goddamn person thinks like this that no one does it. Change starts with YOU. I’m not asking you to propagate this message, (that is hoping for too much), but atleast do your part. Don’t add to the already abundant garbage lying on the roads of our beautiful country. ‘Kuch toh sharam karo, thoda kachra kam karo!!’

A 'subtle' reminder...

Am I writing this blog for you to read it, for someone to read it and give me a job or for my personal satisfaction? That’s the question that’s been screwing up my head for the past week or so. I wanted it to be for myself, for my satisfaction, a relief valve for all the pressure that builds in the course of something called life (or existence). But somewhere in the conceiving phase there was an error, a short circuit (shot). It became a self analysis tool. I was asking for comments, nay, I was practically begging for them. I care a fuck about your comments. I don’t care whether you like what I’m writing or not (unless of course if you can get me a job based on this). I don’t care if you think the topics of my blog are too stupid or pointless. The last thing I need right now is to analyse myself through someone else’s eyes. I WILL DO what I want to. I will write whatever the hell I want to. This is MY blog.

READ this...

‘Books padha karo, it’s a very good habit’…I’m sure every one of us has heard this phrase thrust in our faces (maybe in varied languages) hundreds of times. I’m not going to deny or try to contradict the truth in that. But yes, I am going to try to bring to light the fact that it’s easier said than done (among other random comments I’m going to make).

I do believe that a lot depends on the childhood phase of our lives. You can’t expect someone who has never read any book other than what the curriculum prescribes to suddenly grab a book and become an ardent reader. It takes grooming, developing taste, identifying the genre that you enjoy the most, etc. It should not be a one day, one week, one month or a year's stint; you have to keep at it. You have to, like I mentioned earlier develop the habit, groom yourself.

From what I have noticed, I believe there are 3 kinds of readers. First, those who enjoy reading in their free time. Then there are those who I like to call ‘compulsive readers’. These are the ones who HAVE TO read everyday. They take special efforts to find time to read something or the other. They are the ones that are truly very passionate. There are also those readers who read only the ‘best sellers’ or maybe just one series or author. Well I didn’t find them worthy enough to dedicate a category to them. There is also another kind of readers, but frankly I haven’t come across many who belong ‘purely’ to this category. These are the ones that randomly walk into a bookstore, look around the store, spend over a couple of hours looking for a book, not knowing what they’re looking for, and might even walk out of the store without picking up anything. They can’t read any book, unless that book ‘calls out’ to them. Its not that they have to find the book interesting…no no no…the book has to call out to them, the reader has to identify a bond with the book. They can’t read a book even if a hundred people tell them that a certain book is worth a read unless they identify the bond.

I know most of you are going to think ‘what nonsense’ or ‘its just an excuse to not read’…but those who have felt this bond, those who have experienced this feeling will know what I’m talking about.

In any case, I strongly believe reading should be developed as a habit. And I don’t mean comics or magazines. I mean reading ‘sound literary substance’. Maybe it is because I am very passionate about languages, be it English or Hindi. While we’re at the topic of books, and reading ‘sound literary’ books…I would like to recommend ‘the Ramayana’ series by Ashok Banker and if any of you fancy a good Hindi read, there is a collection of short stories callled ‘gadhyanjali’ (yes, all you ICSE students…our old text book). Happy reading!!!

mum-BAI blues

It’s a very difficult life living alone in Mumbai. Some people think…well let me put it this way, most people think it's all fun, you get unlimited freedom, come home as and when you like, leave home when you please…but no one seems to see the flipside to it. I agree the cons don’t compare to the pros…but the point is THERE ARE cons. Take for example the topic of discussion in this post. ‘BAIs’. It is impossible…and trust me I have a lot of experience here…it is impossible to find a bai that will satisfy all your needs (for people with exceptionally dirty minds, I didn’t mean what you were thinking). First of all, since you live alone they think why in the name of God would you want a spotless house or clean utensils or washed clothes. They think living alone is a synonym of living dirty. No matter how many times you tell them, how many times you warn them, they will still not satisfy you (don’t wander…stay with me). They know that we bachelors are too lazy to fire them and then go out looking for another bai who will also work only as efficiently as the previous one. Then there is this everlasting issue about food. Finding a bai who can cook good food is like finding the Holy Grail. Impossible. And then after you have tried their food and asked them to stop cooking anymore but still do the other chores of the house…oh my God! It’s like war. After that they will make it a point to screw up. And then show absolutely no remorse when you do reprimand them. Basically, the point is…I’m very flustered with my bai. So if any of you know of an efficient bai in the 7 bungalows area…please let me know.

ATTENTION!!

I would be posting at least one post every day...if you find them interesting...please keep visiting...even if you don't find them interesting...still please visit to criticise...and if you have any random topics you think I should or I could write upon...please let me know...I want to push my writing skills to the limit...

Career Counselling

:)...I couldn’t help but give this title to my first post. Those of you who know me will know what I am talking about. I’m foraying into the darkness and danger...yet again...changing the direction of my career...(probably a different plane altogether) and subsequently my life. Most people believe (and trust me they have every right to do so) that I have a highly 'unstable' mind...that I’m too finicky. Well, at this moment I don’t have any argument to counter that. In any case, this post is to try and encourage, try and instil the desire in you to follow your dreams. I’m not saying it's an easy path to trod upon, I’m not saying I have done it. But I am trying to...and believe me just the prospect of doing something I love, of becoming someone that I have dreamt of becoming right from when I was maybe 4 years old...is exhilarating. I am, so to say petrified of one thing...when I am, say about 40 years old...I will look back at my life and say...'maybe I would have been happier if I had done this'. You will not regret what you did, you will regret what you DID NOT do. So I urge you to go out there and do what you want to do...become what you want to become...chase your dreams...and they WILL come true!!

kripya dhyan dijiye!!

Hey...i've ben waiting and wanting to do this for a long long time...
WRITE...for the heck of it, for the fun of it, and now for making a career out of it...crticism is encouraged...and appreciation is encouraged even more. for those of you who were not paying enough attention in their hindi classes...'alp viram' is a comma...literally, it means 'pause'...