Moments that made History

2nd April 2011 will go down in the History book as the day when the world discovered a new religion - CRICKET. Thought this religion was quite prominent in India, it came up as an religion for the world only on this day. The moment MS Dhoni hit that Helicopter shot into the stands, the whole of India and the Indians abroad erupted like a Tsunami. For that one moment people forgot all their miseries, sorrows and pain danced in glory of the Men in Blue. for the first time i experienced Unity in India. No other festival, no other occasion or time have i seen people from all cast and creed come up together as one nation and celebrate the World cup triumph as One Nation. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians etc all came out of their homes to celebrate the Diwali or Ed or Christmas or rather i would love to call it a new festival called "CRICKETANIA."  People all over India had no bounds to their happiness. The 20 people on the field ( 15 players and 5 support staff) were able to do one thing that no political party or religion has been able to do for past 60+ year - i.e. reunite 1.2 billion people of India as one big Family. It was heartwarming to see what a mere sport like cricket can do to a nation as big as India.

Pic from a mall screening world cup final in Delhi

India was reborn on 2nd of April 2011. I wasnt there when India got freedom on 15th August 1947 but I can now say that i felt what the people then would have felt as 2nd of April was nothing less then that. I am not over exaggerating the win but it really brought back the 1947 India which achieved the ultimate glory of Independence by fighting together as ONE. I was there on the road after the victory and I saw thousands people shouting, crying partying, dancing on the roof of cars and on middle of the road partying in the wildest way one can imagine. Even the cops joined in the bash.

Me myself was so happy that my joys had no bounds. I was watching the match at one of the clubs in Gurgaon and the moment the ball sailed over the rope i was jumping as i was the World champion in high jump, i was dancing as I was Prabhu Deva on the floor, I was shouting my throat out. I was hugging every person who came my way. I was on a high not on alcohol, nor on drugs but I was stoned just because that one glory gave me the ultimate satisfaction. No words can describe what I felt or rather what India felt for that one moment.

In the end  I am proud to say that Cricket is a Religion in India and its one religion which has successfully united us as One.

Dhoni Brigade you all have made us proud. Thank you for giving us the real picture of India.

Jai Hey.

To Travel is Better Than to Arrive............

You know something this guy once said,

“To travel is better than to arrive”.

And I was like why?

Because I used to think that there is only one path

to take to get where you want to be in your life.

But if you choose that one path it doesn’t mean

that you have to bend in all other ones.

I realized that it is actually what happens

along the way that counts -

the stumbles and the falls and the friendships.

It’s the journey not the destination.

You gotta, I guess, trust that future will work out

as it is supposed to be…

You know i have always been a journey man then a destination one. i just love travelling, whether it is through places or through time. I just want to keep travelling until the angels [or the devil ;)] comes and take me. The fun lies there. Life is all about fighting and celebrating the wins then getting stuck up at one place - destination. 

But somehow we don't respect the fact that journey is the thing that we enjoy more then the destination. Its just because of our ignorance that we disrespect it. Take a simple example of phases of life. When i was a kid i always hated studies. I was bad at it and i always dreamt of getting myself into college where i was free to do what i wanted to do. I very seldom use to appreciate what i had and what i could have achieved. But when i grew older and went to college, i realised that my school life full of restriction and scoldings and what not was far better then the college one as there were far much less tension being a kid then a growing teenager. Now i wanted to get into the professional aspect of life. And so god granted me my wish of professional life. But alas, here also i realised that what my college life gave me was far better then what i was getting in the professional front. At least i had time for myself then. Atleast i could hang out with friends free of tension of getting up and going for work.


But tonight i realised how inappreciative i have been to my life. I never appreciated what i got as a kid, a teenager and now as a grown man. But today i looked back at my last tem days at work and it struck me that if i appreciate what i am getting today, lifes going to be much more happy and enjoyable then cribbing for the past or yearning for a better future. Its true that whats past cant be changed but what our future is completely in our hand. But is it also not true that if we enjoy what we do today and do it wholeheartedly then the future is just going to be the way we want it to be? I realised that the journey of past 10 days at my office were one of the most difficult but best days of my professional life till date. Just because it taught me to appreciate what i have right now rather then living in the past. I am able to accept the fact that the two good phases of my life are over and now its in my hand to make the next few phases of life good for me and for the ones i matter. For the first time i think i am going to live for today and appreciate what i am having rather then thinking what i have lost. I guess i have learnt the most imp lesson of my life i.e. travelling the journey rather then getting stuck up at one destination in life.


I want to be the one who doesnt cry for it to finish but rather be happy that it happened.


I hope that the journey of this blog continues and doesnt end up at one particular destination!!! 

Hell of a Tour!!!

It all started on a Tuesday. I had just been back from a tiring tour for Indore and Bhopal 4 days back. And I was told that again from coming Monday I was  suppose to go back on tour, and that also to the same old places (Indore and Bhopal) with Jabalpur added. For all those people who haven’t heard abt any of these places, all of them are situated in the heart of India – Madhya Pradesh.

Last time when I went to Indore and Bhopal, I travelled by train to Indore first, did field work there, then went to Bhopal by bus and flew back to Ahmedabad from there. But this time around it was a bit different. Holiday season had started from the very same week and it was impossible to get confirmed train tickets. Moreover we only get air tickets if the journey is of more than 12 hours through train or road. So I planned my tour differently. Indore is 10 hrs by train but Bhopal is 13 hrs. So I decided to make Bhopal my arrival and departure points for tour, i.e. my tour would start and end with Bhopal. I planned out that on Monday I will work in Bhopal, then catch a train @ 1 am to Jabalpur which would reach there by 7 in the morning. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday I would work in Jabalpur and on Wednesday evening I would leave Jabalpur by 5:45 express to Bhopal. This train will reach Bhopal @ 12 am at night and from here I will catch a taxi to Indore which will take another 4 hrs or so. Then on Thursday and Friday I will work in Indore and Friday night I would come back to Bhopal. Saturday I would work in Bhopal and by 7 I would be flying back to Ahmedabad. I know all this time table thing sounds boring, but its important to narrate everything abt it.

So I booked Hotel and ticket according to this plan. But to my misfortune, the train ticket I was getting for Bhopal to Jabalpur in 3^rd AC was having 2 waiting, still I thought that it would get confirmed by the time I will travel and got them booked. And so I was all ready to set off the tour on. But on Sunday when I checked my ticket status of Bhopal to Jabalpur, it was still in waiting. Now I was in a fix. Jabalpur is around 400 kms from Bhopal, and I was told that by road it would take around 13 hrs to reach as the road conditions there is very bad. What to do now??? I called my area manager of Jabalpur and told him my about my problem. He told me to get Janshatabdi ticket booked. I checked the train on net and the timing was suiting me. The train left Bhopal @ 5:40 pm and reached Jabalpur by 11pm. But the only problem was that the available tickets were in 2^nd sitting!!! Now I have travelled in 2^nd sleeper but had no idea of how 2^nd sitting was going to be like. I visualized (from movie experiences) that it would be somewhat like wooden seats and people jam packed in every inch of the bogey. But I had no options and so I got the e-ticket booked.

I reached Bhopal at around 9:30am in the morning and started my work at around 10.30am. but I guess that day was cursed. Whichever doctor I went to meet, was either on leave or had finished his practice for the first half of the day. With many struggles we did call of Six doctors and when my colleague was coming me drop to my hotel, the bike tyre got punctured. I was getting late as I had a train to catch so I decided to hire and auto and reach my destination.

I reached station and the train was waiting at the platform. As expected by me the platform was swarming with people. But from inside the train was not that bad as I expected. It was definitely hot but the seats were much much more comfortable then what I had expected. The seats though were small, but were cushioned and not of wood. Moreover my seat was a window and not an aisle. The train was almost full when it departed from Bhopal. Its always a nice experience when u travel in 2^nd class, atleast for me. You get to see so many different variety of people, children enjoying in their own special way. You can be much more relaxed mentally as there are not artificial sophistication around you. The best part of travelling 2^nd class is you can really enjoy wind blowing through your hair and face (though the disadvantage is sand making out hair hard). And so with all the drama around me, I reached Jabalpur by 11pm. But the Hotel there which was booked for me disappointed me. It was the worst hotel I have ever been to. The room was so small that it had hardly any space left for walking. The toilet was not upto the mark and old. The A/C was of “baba aadam ke zamane ka.” It was making no difference in the room temperature. The food I ordered was all tasteless. Somehow I managed to spend the first night in that room as I was dead tired(as I was up that day from 4am).

Next morning the first thing I did was to get my roomed changed. Though the new room wasn’t that good, it wasn’t that bad either. The whole day’s work went on pretty coolly but one doctor I met was just plain “sanki” (without any brain). I went into his chamber and requested him for some knowledge. But he took it all wrong. He thought that I was trying to test him and was trying to act smart in front of him. He started screaming on me and I had to ask for forgiveness to make him calm again. Rest all the work went on smoothly. In the evening I went to a place called Beraghat where Dhuadar waterfall is situated. It’s a beautiful place with Narmada water flowing between the mountains of white, blue and black marbles. Overall was a nice experience. Though, one thing happened when I was going to Beraghat. These falls are situated some 30kms from Jabalpur. I went on there with one of my colleague on his bike. While we were driving through the small hills, suddenly the tyre of the bike slipped. We were on a bridge which was connecting 2 hills. And as we slipped I almost was thrown out of the bridge, thanks to the railing that saved me. The thing about your life flashing in front of your eyes is all rubbish. My mind was blank at that moment and for the next 15 minutes or so. I realized only after few minutes that I had escaped death!!! Phew…what a moment it was…

Rest of the working at Jabalpur the next day was good and I enjoyed it. But here comes the best part. I completed my working by 4pm as I had train to catch at quarter to 6. But when I reached station at 5, I was agitated to find that my train had got delayed by 5 ½ hrs. instead of leaving at 5:45pm, it was scheduled now to leave at 11:15!!! I was supposed to catch this train to reach to Bhopal and from there I was going to get a shared taxi to Indore. But now as the train had delayed, I had no option but to cancel my trip for Indore for the next day as I would reach very late. Instead I decided to work in Bhopal the next day and Indore the day after.

As I had checked out of the hotel, I thought there was no point in taking a room for just 5 hrs. so I decided to wait in the stations waiting room for A/C passengers. I thought that it would be better to sit in A/C for 5 hrs rather than wandering on station. But to my disappointment, when I reached the waiting room, I was shocked to find out that the waiting room was nothing of what I expected. There was no A/c, but in a room of about 30ft X 20fts, there was only one fan in the centre. Also the chairs were so uncomfortable, that one cant even sit on it properly, forget sleeping on it!!! But on one corner of the room laid two tables side by side. I decided to get my ‘Tashrif’ (i.e. Bum) there rather on the ugly chairs. The next four hrs were spent in agony and waiting. At 10:30pm I stood up and went to my platform were the train was scheduled to come. But I think my luck was not with me. The train was now scheduled to leave at 2am. So another 3 ½ hrs of waiting!!! But somehow I wasn’t irritated by all this. I wasn’t cursing or screaming from inside (in such situations I used to get irritated as I hate waiting). I was just smiling from inside and was taking everything positively. So I had my dinner at the station and again went back to that stupid waiting room. The next 3 hrs were spent listening to some old aged aunties(probably from Punjab) and their bitching and gossips. Finally the train came at 2 am. I left Jabalpur at 2.30am. I reached Bhopal at 9 in the morning, 9 hrs late from scheduled arrival time. I wasn’t able to sleep in the train as it was jam packed and my ticket was again of 2^nd class. Also it was too hot in there with so many people inside. When I reached my hotel at around 9.30am, I just went into my room and fell asleep as soon as I landed on my bed. Then at 11.30am I went for working with just 1 ½ hrs sleep. What a pathetic trip it was. Yet somehow I enjoyed it and ritenow I am enjoying riting about it. Its around 9pm and I still have slept for only 1 ½ hrs in last 36 hrs. Tomorrow morning I am leaving for Indore at 5 and would be returning back at around 11.30pm the same day(Indore is 4 hrs by bus from Bhopal). So another hectic day awaits. Lets see how it turns out to be and hope for the best!!!

No thoughts

As i am on tour not getting time for my thoughts. Just too hectic to think about anything. though yesterday went to Dhuadar Waterfalls at Bedaghat near Jabalpur. Will upload pics as soon as i get back home. I was listening to one song and would like to share its lyrics. Its my personal fav. and quite similar to my thought process. Also putting up the video from youtube so that u can listen to it. Just read it once and then listen. you would njoy more.

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten

I am unwritten,

Can't read my mind

I'm undefined

I'm just beginning

The pen's in my hand

Ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words

That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten, yeah

Oh, oh

I break tradition

Sometimes my tries

Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah

We've been conditioned

To not make mistakes

But I can't live that way oh, oh

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words

That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

drench yourself in words unspoken

live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

the rest still unwritten

(Gospel)

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words

That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open *****

Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open *****

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

The rest is still unwritten....

Hope u liked it!!!Will write more when get time...

Adios

Why Forget/Forgive...

I have never understood why people say that a person who has a liking or was in a relationship with someone at some point of time can never end up becoming good friends. A few days ago one of my friend told me that if I can be in a comfortable position with such a person, then I am a great man as he just cant bear the presence of a person with whom he has broken up. Well I know my strength and that’s in forgetting the past and moving on. And I guess its my misfortune that none of my friends has ever understood my nature in this front. Forgiving or forgetting the past has helped me in moving forward in life. Like every other human being I also have my ups and downs in life. And yes I too have mood swings. But I guess I have the quality of over things quickly – whether good or bad. Yes I do get overexcited and also get irritated easily but that’s only for a short period of time. I just cant have a conflict lasting long as such a fight or anger haunts me more than anything.

It all began  when I was about to start my MBA from IIPM. IIPM Delhi is around 34km from my house and it takes around 1.5 to 2 hrs to reach there. So going alone in my car all the way was boring as well as idiotic b’coz it would cost a lot. So I started searching for people who got admission into IIPM and stayed near my house.  Orkut really helped me here. I joined the 2007 FW IIPM batch community on Orkut and through this I met her. She was also searching for someone from my area who would be willing to pool in. There were also few other people I found who were ready for the same. So we all decided to meet up at Crossriver mall. I was the first to reach the meeting venue and slowly people started turning up. Suddenly my eyes went on one girl who was coming towards us. She was wearing a t shirt , jeans and shades on her hair. Her first looks for me were mesmerizing and I was just awestruck by her looks. As she was approaching to our small group, a thought ran into my mind that this time I am not going to make the same mistake like one I made in 11^th grade. And so when she came nearer, I was the first one to get up and greet her. We had a little conversation and then a discussion started in the group regarding our traveling. After about an hour when we had reached to a conclusion regarding how we are gonna commute, it was decided that she and two other girls would commute with me in my car and the rest in another car. And then almost everyone left except her and one another girl and ofcourse me. We went to CCD and ordered our respective drinks. We had a good hearty chat about life, boyfriends/Girlfriends, academics etc.  it was one of the very exciting moment for me as she was finding talking with me comfortable and enjoyable. And in this excitement I did one idiotic thing! The bill was CCD was given to me and I paid it in 3 hundred Rs notes. The waiter brought me balance of Rs 50 and said something which I understood differently. He told me that he needed Rs 12 change and I replied back “keep the change” as I thought he didn’t has Rs 12 and so I asked him to keep it. We stood up and left CCD and were abt to leave for home when she suddenly pointed me what waiter had said. And at that point of time face became so small as I had made fool of myself in front of a person I was trying to impress for past 2 hrs. but we both laughed it off heartily (and we still do laugh on that moment).

So we started commuting together to our insti daily. I used to enjoy her company a lot(though there were some hiccups from the other 2 girls). She used to bring loads of food which lead to messing up of my cars interiors. But the food used to be great. And slowly I got attached to her. Infact I got so much attracted to her that I started joining her for jogs in the evening as it gave me some more time to spend with her.

And one fine day I when we were returning from my institute, after dropping the other girls and just before her house, I stopped the car and popped the question out. This was my first time and I was total armature. I just told her what I felt for her and asked her whether she felt the same. But when I looked at her, she was totally surprised. So I started the car and drove to her house. She kept on asking me all the way that did I really meant what I said and I kept on replying yes. When she was getting off at her place I asked her not to get this thing affect our friendship. I left and when I was leaving I saw in the rear view mirror her face which was still surprised and shocked. In the evening there was a status update on her orkut which read “I am better off alone” and also a testi was awaiting me which was as follows :-

“Pulin aka our own Pullu's appeal lies in hs contradict'ns!!
he appears 2 b a regular casual guy!!
bt indeed he's one of d most understndng n a gr8 human being i hv evr cum across in ma lyf!!!
he's truly an ANGEL who carries a heart of GOLD!!!
i cn rely on hm 4 ny help @ ny hr of d day!!!
i cn tlk 2 hm abt ny n everythng under d sun n ds includes all d naughty stuff also!!
wnevr v guys r 2gthr dn toh v njoy lik hell!!
n ds's d reason dt none of us gets tired while commutng 4 3hrs daily 2 r insti!!!
he's sumbdy vd whom i cn maintain an extreme degree of transparency in r frndshp coz he's not @ al judemental abt nythng i tell hm!!
he'l undrstnd everythng u gonna say evn if he dsnt agrees vd u!!!
so i feel free 2 express maslf in front of hm!! 
n one thng i really adore n above all admire in hm is dt he's alwys CALM n COMPOSED, no matr wtevr d situat'n is!!
in short, m very much blessed 2 hv hm arund me!!
hp r frndshp vl surive till eternity.........
may u gt al d hapiness n sucess in ur lyf!!!”

And so I got my first rejection. For a while I was a bit dejected and I started to get away from her. But very soon I realized that it was me who had asked her not to let affect our friendship on such things and its me now who is letting it affect that bond. I realized that not everytime I can get what I want but everytime I can have what I am getting. And so I decided not to ever my personal feelings hamper any of the relations or friendship I was into.

We still are very good friends and we still enjoy with each other the same way as it was before the proposal. Recently a week back she told me that she is getting married real soon and ordered me to be there at her wedding without any excuses. And trust me, it didn’t hurt me b’coz I had forgotten the past and moved on. Infact I was so happy & excited hearing the news that I all passengers near me started staring at me(I was travelling in train).

So to all the people who say that they cant move on from their previous relationships or love, I would only say that think positive about everything that happened and forgive/forget the past. And enjoy what you are getting!!!

Introduction

What’s common between all of us living creature is Time. Time that we spent living what we call life. Time that starts clicking with our first cries and ends with cries of our dear ones. Time which always is running out. Time which never waits for us, or that’s what most of the people think… for me time stays. Time stays in the form of memories. Time stays with us in those special moments which we want to see when blackness is surrounding our lives. We always say that time always changes but the fact of the matter is that time never change! Its we who change ourselves or try to change our surroundings; knowingly or unknowingly.
CHANGE- Time changes…
We define time in two phases- good times and bad times! Good times are when we enjoy what we are living and bad times are generally the rough patch of life. But that’s not entirely true. Time is neither good nor bad. Its our perspective which makes us look at it as good or bad. In this blog I wanna write about the time of my life, whether you define it as good or bad is up to you. But for me all these moments have been the “Time of my life.”
And all this may not be in the chronological order, whatever moments I remember I am jotting it down. And also some of these moments have been my thoughts, dreams or wishes. So hope you enjoy reading! :)



28th June 2002
I just came back from Delhi and got to know that my new school, St. Kabir was going to start the academic session for 11th grade from the next day! And I didn’t even have the uniform ready with me. So I was quite reluctant to go to school without my uniform. But my chachi(I was staying with my chachi then) ordered me to attend school in whatever clothes I had. Well her orders were not always my command, but anyways I had to follow it. And off I went in a jeans and a t-shirt to a new school on my first day. For the first time in my life I was feeling uncomfortable in my jeans and t-shirt. In the ocean of white and green, I was the only one in blue! I could hear people gossiping about my dress and that made me even more look like a fool. But suddenly when I was entering my class, I saw something. Or rather I saw someone special and familiar to me. Yes there she was standing right out of the class in the balcony with another girl from our class. And then our eyes met, her sharp black eyes met with mine. And I don’t know what made her smile- me or my dress but that was one of the most beautiful and innocent smiles I am ever going to remember! And what a fool I was. I wasn’t even able to say a proper hi to her at that time. Well you must be asking who this girl was and how did I know her??? For this I would take you back one year.
Somewhere in mid of May 2001
I had just shifted from Delhi to Ahmedabad for my schoolings (why I shifted, you would get to know in my future blogs). It was 10th grade, and 10th and 12th grades in India are very important as they are believed to be career making year (trust me- that’s bullshit). And here in Ahmedabad, there is a culture of sending your child to tutions or coaching classes. And so I was also sent to one of the very good couching centers to help up with my marks. And here it was that I first saw her. I can still remember that day perfectly. She was wearing a green dress. Man, she really looking B-E-A-U-TIFUL in that dress. Her face had that simplicity which made her look even more charming. Her voice was mellow and I was fortunate enough to sit next to her for the whole session that day. We had a little formal conversation or rather just hi- hello stuff. At that point of time I wasn’t that interactive with girls and she was the first girl whom I liked at the first sight. Infact she was the first girl I liked. So now enough of her introduction. Now back to June 2002.
28th June 2002
So I didn’t even approached her this time to have a hello-hi conversation this time around. My class teacher came and I had to explain her why I was not wearing my uniform and blah blah blah…all the boring stuff I am skipping. I remember it was the sixth lecture of Maths and Miss Vani was going to take it. From the very first look of her made me think of her as strict & staid. And that she was. I was sitting on the second last bench with few of other new guys. Vani ma’am had given us some sums to solve. There was this guy sitting behind me who was quite similar to me in the build, but far more cuter than me(yes I was jealous of this). Suddenly he started telling some joke to his partner and asked me to join in to listen to what he was saying. And like a fool I turned back and started to listening to what he was saying! Suddenly he grew quite and I was about to ask him to carry on but before I could utter anything out from my mouth, I felt something hitting my back with a loud bang! Vani ma’am had slapped me on my back because I was distracting so called other serious people around me(here I want all of you not to take Vani Ma’am wrongly as she is the best teacher who has ever taught me). I felt giggles around me and again I felt shame rising within me. I wanted to stand up and slap that rascal behind me but I wouldn’t. And that’s not all. The tragedy is that this bloody idiot went on to become my best friend, guide or brother, whatever you wanna call him. For me he will always be the Medallion of my life!!!