The Virgineer's Workshop

Tagore

2012-02-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

When I was born and saw the light

I was no stranger in this world

Something inscrutable, shapeless, and without words

Appeared in the form of my mother.

So when I die, the same unknown will appear again

As ever known to me,

And because I love this life

I will love death as well.

Growth

2012-01-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

"Failing? Not at all. Most people spend huge amounts of time and effort on one thing: avoiding the painful truth about themselves. You're doing the exactly opposite."

-Excerpt from Life After Death.

The most beneficial moments for spiritual growth are the most challenging ones in which we discover our greatest shortcomings and face the wall. Because then, we break the wall and emerge as a super version of what was before. We may choose to stay contented in that state. Or we may discover the next greatest shortcoming and face the wall. The thicker the wall, the lesser the number of walls. If we are in a very difficult phase in life, surely it is the best time to become a super-self. No wonder people who live intensely advance immensely. The more the world attacks us, the better swordsman we become. If everything around is quiet and controlled, it is time to move on to some place which is a little shaky. Only then can we quickly advance to the ultimate truth.

How About Practising This Daily?

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

The three things we crave most in life— happiness, freedom, and peace of mind— are always attained by giving them to someone else.

-Unknown

Cute Quote

2012-01-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

-T. S. Eliot

Hindi

2012-01-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

Beautiful poetry and prose in pure Hindi have an unmatched joyous effect on the audience. Got to hear hilarious textbook-quality Hindi prose yesterday for the first time after schooling. Still living the joy produced by the high literary quotient of the author.

Discovery

2012-01-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

Self-discovery is the greatest discovery in the universe. The interesting point is that nobody can do it for anyone else. Each individual has to discover herself or himself despite the fact that millions might have discovered themselves before. And every self-discovery is a boon to the mankind as a person who knows oneself will know everything else easily. Such an enlightened being can touch and improve the lives of numerous other beings.

Too Minute

2012-01-26T07:57:00.001-08:00

Cute Quote

2012-01-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

All is love. With love comes understanding. With understanding comes patience. And then time stops. And everything is now.

- Only Love is Real

Gratitude

2012-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

When we came here, we brought nothing. We were just a super tiny creature crying for some reason. Gradually, we accumulate things from this place into our body and mind. We tend to assume our right over those things and if any of them goes bad, we cry again. Even if we are not able to accumulate more, we cry. If we remember the state we were in when we arrived and see what we are today, we will feel nothing but deep gratitude to everyone and everything for taking care of us. No matter who we are, we are alive today only because the existence is so caring.

Sometimes, when we lend a helping hand to someone, our ego tricks us into believing that we are the ones helping the one in need. Isn't it so easy to see that we are just taking a piece of the existence from one place to another. There is nothing here on which we can claim ownership. Everything is loaned from the planet. However much we may claim anyone or anything to be ours, it will become free from us sooner or later.

That brings us to the question - is there anything that we can claim right over? Are we supposed to start as a beggar and end as a beggar? Is there anything at all that belongs to us? Before that, who are we? What are we? Who am I?

Observe / React

2012-01-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

Simply doing what is needed and just observing what is happening and accepting it as a movie script, even though it may be something negative happening to us, ceases creation of karma. Life incidents, positive or negative, are best seen as a movie script and enjoyed that way. If we react to them, we are not letting that karma leave. "This too shall pass" is a wonderful way to look at everything.

It is not immoral or wrong to act otherwise, it is just beneficial to see life this way. All the energy and emotions that we have should be channeled to the pursuit of the ultimate truth and always doing what is needed, may be helping someone in need, working to improve a situation, or whatever that, according to our understanding, is needed to be done.

Maturity

2012-01-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

Maturity is about doing what is needed without any regard to the consequences. It needs immense strength.

Behaving in a benevolent, and well-mannered way is of little value. It can only earn one a little social praise. Lord Shiva, the epitome of fury, is the god of gods. Living intensely and abiding by truth is far more worthy than being a good for nothing gentleman, but, of course, the intensity should be guided in the right direction.

Self-ish

2012-01-10T07:08:00.000-08:00

There is no such thing as unselfishness. Even mother Teresa served the poor because she felt bad for them and that feeling couldn't let her not help them. Selfishness is the motivation for all actions. It is a righteous feeling.

The inability to see the interdependence of the world leads us to serve only oneself even at the cost of hurting other life forms. More than anything else, that is plain ignorance. Ignorance is the ultimate sin. The root cause of all consequences is ignorance.

Intensity

2012-01-10T06:59:00.002-08:00

Intensity is necessary to transcend the status quo.

From i to i-less

2012-01-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

The purpose of ego and attachment is self-preservation. The concept of “I” exists to preserve this particular body and mind. But, this particular body and mind is as precious as another body and mind. All our activities should be in line with this idea.

Once self-preservation is achieved, we seek something else. That search may find expressions in greed, ambition, curiosity, creating an impact in the lives of people, etc. It seems we are seeking something infinite unconsciously because this search is never going to end this way. Even the most accomplished and affluent individuals such as Alexander, Ashoka, Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry Ford, Einstein, Edison, Steve Jobs, etc. could not attain perfect bliss through towering heights of accomplishments. They all stayed miserable as far as perfect happiness is concerned.

Spirituality is about seeking that infinite consciously and finding out the ultimate truth. It is not about attaining any knowledge or reading any scripture or following any religion. It is just about consciously seeking the one answer to everything that has been, is, or will be.

Ginger and Lemon

2012-01-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

Profound

2012-01-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

I don't know that I know.

- Stole this from a friend.

The Final Question

2012-01-02T01:08:00.000-08:00

Case 1. I am suffering. Even when my seemingly impossible wishes are fulfilled, I am not happy and feel the need for new and different things. There are so many more who are struggling. What is the ultimate solution to all suffering?

Case 2. I am happy, absolutely at peace with all the positive and negative events taking place. Nothing can stir me. I enjoy the beautiful world as it is. I wonder who the hell created all this, including me. Where is she/he hiding after creating this marvel? At this moment, all I can think of is that I must find the creator.

Case 3. Who am I?

Truth

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

A truth beyond my experience is imaginary for me. But still the truth might exist. Only when it comes within the reach of my experience does the truth become a truth for me.

Pursuit of Happiness

2011-12-29T01:37:00.000-08:00

We remember our glorious past and dream of a world-at-our-feet future to be happy. We do things that we like and talk to people we love. We try to find more and more ways to enjoy but end up being sad many times.

Life is composed of moments. In order to make the whole life happy, finding ways to be happy for a moment is a good starting point. Now, what can we do to make a moment full of joy? We can eat an ice-cream, see our loved ones, look at a beautiful landscape, and do numerous other things. But still there can be times when none of these happiness seeds is available. What do we do then? If, by any chance, we can be happy just by looking at whatever is present in front of us, that's a good practical solution.

Wherever we are, in office, at home, or on the streets, if we think of nothing but just observe what's happening around us closely, without judging anyone or anything, we will be at peace. If we begin to appreciate the little beauty present in every little object we encounter and feel a sense of gratitude to the existence for allowing us to experience that thing of beauty, we will be happy.

The truth is that even if we do nothing or think of nothing, we will be happy. If our mind is cleared of all possible thoughts, we will feel nothing but an ever growing peace, the true nature of spirit. But our logical mind is always at work to make us feel sad. At this moment, sitting in front of my computer in my room, if I choose to do nothing and think of nothing, I will be perfectly at peace. But my mind won't let me. It will remind me of the many things I need to do to be happy today and tomorrow. It will give me flashback of many things that went wrong in the past. It will try its best to keep me busy and take me away from this peace of nothingness.

We all have had our share of the victory moments when we felt we got that most important thing we had longed for. And we were so happy and at peace at that instant. If we reflect, we will find that our mind had become empty of all thoughts and desires for those few moments. Free of thoughts, we felt absolute peace and happiness. But then mind comes back to work, takes away our happiness, and reminds us of the next list of action items to be happy.

To the logical mind, it may seem that thinking of nothing will amount to utmost stupidity and dullness. But, on the contrary, active or conscious emptiness of mind means leaving logic for intuition, which is the source of all monumental acts and scientific discoveries in the world.

Does this mean we should stop doing everything and just think of nothing, do nothing? Not necessarily. We have been living in a way that we always pursue happiness through actions. Instead of that, if we live in a way that we experience happiness and peace first and then perform actions, we will be ever blissful and more successful. We can keep growing the peace inside ourselves by thinking of nothing but just feeling and observing things around us whenever we can. At all other times, filled with calmness, we can perform all actions and duties with greater effectiveness. Let's find peace first and then pursue the actions instead of the other way round.

Even better than observing things outside is to observe and feel our own body, our breath. That's something we will have with us, wherever we go. If, while sitting or walking, we simply observe air flowing in and out of our nostrils and try to feel it more and more as an observer looking at the body breathe instead of consciously making an effort to breathe, we will be at absolute peace. But of what good are words without experience?

Good & Evil

2011-12-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Any intention or action that inhibits life is evil or negative. That which helps sustain or enhance life is good or positive. There is no any other parameter needed to judge an action or intention.

Morality is a bad joke that keeps changing its definition without informing anyone, bringing about confusion, suffering and untruth. It does more evil than good.

From a humanitarian point: link

Attention

2011-12-28T06:54:00.000-08:00

The most profitable area of investment is spiritual growth. The input is inward attention and the output is immeasurable peace, to begin with.

बॉम्बे सैंडविच

2011-12-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

सुनो तो ज़रा

हुई क्या खता

जो तुम यूँ

सामने न आते

मेरे गिटार पे

जो धुन सवार है

वो तुम क्यूँ

मेरे साथ न गाते

कहो तो मोड़ लूँ

पल्सर अपनी

तुम रास्ते पे

मुझको मिल जाना

बॉम्बे सैंडविच की

चौक पे

मेरे संग

स्पैनिश क्लासेस आना

Bihar

2011-12-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

My motherland - where humble affectionate individuals address themselves as hum instead of main. Little did I understand the power of we then.

सागर

2011-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

खुली दिशाओं में सिमटा

हुआ असीम पानी

नीले आसमान से नीला

ये छलकता पानी

मैं भी इसी सागर की

एक लहर ही तो हूँ

पानी से बना

पानी में सना

एक हथेली भर ही तो हूँ

काश मैं सागर होता

लहर भी होता

सागर भी होता

यहाँ भी होता

वहाँ भी होता

मेरा कोई किनारा न होता

आज इस सागर के अहसास में

फैल रहा मेरे मन का सागर

पूछ रहा मैं खुद से

कहीं मैं सागर तो नहीं

कहीं लहर में सीमित

मैं असीमित तो नहीं

Beyond Obvious

2011-11-21T03:31:00.000-08:00

Beyond the curves of this water bottle lies an unseen star.

Chips Don't Lie

2011-11-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Only when that potato chip falls from your hands onto the floor do you see all its beauty at once.

बूँद

2011-11-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

बारिश की वो पहली बूँद,

जो शीशे पे सरसराती हुई,

ख़ुशी से पत्तों के बीच फिसलती हुई,

असीम आसमान की सारी असीमता समेटे हुए,

पर्वत की मांग में बहते झरने पे टपकती हुई,

कलियों की गलियों में ताजगी भरती हुई,

मेरे माथे को छूकर मेरे मन में बस गयी,

वो हो तुम|

Candle

2011-11-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, just one candle's flame illuminates an amavasya enough to make it Diwali.

Amusing

2011-11-12T12:52:00.000-08:00

1. If nature had to hide the key to liberation from the cycle of life and death, where would she place it? It seems it's in the breath.

2. If god's reflection in us were to be concealed, where would it be? It seems in the middle of the eyebrows, where we would never ever look unless someone guides us to.

3. We try to live in the past and the future as mere mortal humans. It seems we are god in the present moment.

Vishnu Devi?

2011-11-11T03:44:00.000-08:00

Today, I had a strong thought. Lord Vishnu must be a woman, if the role is to preserve and nurture.
On second thought, let's free gods of gender.

Cute Quote

2011-11-11T01:15:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful city to live in is simplicity. You can see the rose as a rose and a leaf as a leaf.

Love Birds (.... and plants and animals)

2011-11-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia defines love in two different contexts:

Love1 is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.

Love2 is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection.

We all need love - humans, plants, and animals. Usually, when we talk of it, we talk about the love that is limited by a circle. That circle is often one's immediate family, friends, city, or country. The problem is that the limited form of love carries with itself a lot of attachment. The smaller the radius of the circle, the greater the attachment. For one's mother, father, spouse, child, brother, or sister, usually one has a lot of love along with a lot of attachment. And for the rest of the world, there is little love and almost no attachment.

Coming back to the first statement - we all need love. What kind of love do we all need? We all are happy to get parental affection, soul-mate's love, love of siblings, love of child, love of friends, love of relatives, compassion of other human beings with whom we interact, affection of animals which we play with, affection of plants which provide food for us, and affection of every other entity of nature which keeps us alive and contributes to our well-being. Imagine what would happen if all the animals around us become hostile, or the sun and the clouds get permanently angry. Somewhere, there is a feeling of compassion that guides the world and sustains it.

Now let's think about the human love that we practise. As parents, we have infinite care and warmth for our child but our attachment for her keeps us worrying and suffering. As lovers, we have immense care and attraction for our beloved but our attachment makes us possessive and jealous. As friends, usually, we have lesser attachment and an undefined bond of understanding and compassion. It seems, if the attachment part is removed from the equation, the world will suddenly become free of a lot of suffering. But the moment we are born, we start accumulating attachments till death do us and attachments apart.

The truth of life is death. If, by some chance, we come to know that death is not a full stop but a comma, which leads us to the next phrase in the sentence, and that the sentence is infinitely long, sans any full-stop, perhaps we will live in a different way. Is there anything we can hold on to forever? Our mother, father, lover, brother, sister, friend, pet, relative - everyone will be gone away and nothing can be done about it. But if we come to know, at least, that wherever they will go, they will be safe and comfortable and find new family and friends who will love them as immensely as we do, most of our worries will leave us.

Life is impermanent. But what if we are not and we can realize that before death? How would that change our way of living? If in the next birth, someone else would be our mother and we can even be born as a plant or an animal, how would that change us today? It seems that just knowing the absolute truth of the universe and us can change all our priorities and way of living. Wouldn't our circle of love expand infinitely if we realize that we may be born millions of times and every being around us has been or will be our mother, sister, friend or lover in some life? Wouldn't our circle of love expand if we realize that every living and non-living thing around us is necessary for the existence and survival of the universe which is highly interdependent? We have memory of only one lifetime and hence it is almost impossible to accept such a truth till we get the memory of all lives, if there have been more than one. What if there is a way to realize the absolute truth of life and the universe? What if there is immense peace and joy in that way? What if as we proceed along the way, every moment that we live becomes more joyous than the best moments of our life, sans any attachment? Sounds attractive.

Extraa Shots:

Hatred (or hate) is a deep and emotional extreme dislike, directed against a certain object or class of objects. It seems hatred and love1, both are tied with attachment. If you love1 or hate someone or something, you have developed attachment. Love1 and hate can be considered opposites just as like and dislike are opposites, since love1 and hate are extreme forms of like and dislike.

The opposite of love2 can be love2', i.e., absence of love2, i.e., apathy. It may be cruelty or mercilessness as well. Philosophically, the opposite of apathy is flow. Love2 and flow seem to be strikingly similar.

Some believe the opposite of love is fear, some believe it's jealousy. At this juncture, I don't know the true meaning of love. There seems to be far more meaning and potential in love than our perception and understanding of ourselves and the universe. Hence, I don't know the opposite as well.

Courtesy: Link

Disclaimer: This post is more about a few of the many questions that trouble me than anything else. You keep asking until you get the answers.

Baar Baar Dekho

2011-10-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

कश्ती

2011-09-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

हमारे तो अरमान कागज़ की कश्ती में बहते हैं|

थोड़ी सी बारिश हुई नहीं कि

उत्तरपुस्तिका के कोरे पन्नों से

हम अरमानों की कश्ती बनाकर

गली की पतली धारा में बहा देते हैं|

फिर उन अरमानों को बारिश निगले

या पड़ोस का गप्पू हथिया ले,

परवाह नहीं|

हमने तो बस अरमानों की कश्ती छोड़ दी,

अब वो किस मंजिल पे

किस धारा से होकर जायेगी,

परवाह नहीं|

ये पल

2011-09-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

जो ये पल गया फिसल

मेरी कलम तू ज़रा संभल

एक अहसास फिसल जाएगा

एक कहा अनकहा कहलायेगा

इस कोरे कागज़ की बुलंदी का

एक अफ़साना सतह की लहरों को

देखता-देखता डूब जाएगा

आज मैं देखता हूँ

2011-09-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

आज मैं देखता हूँ

खुद को खुद की निगाहों से

दूसरों को तो बहुत देखा

कभी उन्हें चाहा कभी किया अनदेखा

दूसरे भी मुझे देखते हैं

कभी मुस्कुराते कभी घूरते हैं

यूँ ही देखते देखते मैं उनकी

और वे मेरी आँखों में देखते हैं

कुछ मैं सोचता हूँ, कहता हूँ

कुछ वे सोचते, कहते हैं

थोड़ा मैं उन्हें समझता हूँ

थोड़ा वे मुझे समझते हैं

फिर पूछता हूँ मैं खुद से

क्या हम खुद को समझते हैं

क्या मैं खुद को समझता हूँ

क्या मैं खुद को देखता हूँ

खुद की निगाहों से

आज मैं देखता हूँ

खुद को खुद की निगाहों से

Meditation

2011-09-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, meditation leaves you with a state of ecstasy. Every pore of your body feels relaxed and smiles. Now, if the earliest steps are so blissful, I wonder what lies ahead.

Most Unusual

2011-09-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

I (handing over 20 bucks): Aapke paas 5 rupaye hain?
Autowallah searches shirt's pocket. Then, pant's pockets.
Gives 10 bucks back to me. Says, it's OK. Leaves.
I stand speechless!

Quiet, Please!

2011-09-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Silence is the best listener. It hears everything anyone ever says.

Dhat, Paaagal!

2011-09-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today, I fell in love with a blank sheet of paper. I am going to adore her with my pencil.

Cute Quote

2011-09-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

The ultimate formula to end all attachment and attain liberation:

1. Fall in love, truly, deeply.

2. Let it go.

Forget French Kiss, Here's Harmonica Kiss

2011-08-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Please be assured that it doesn't sound like a rotary telephone ring in real, that's just my phone's recordingivity.

From Fevicol Ka Jod Hai to Break-Up

2011-08-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

"She is the best thing to happen to me after IIT. And 'after' is there in the sentence only for the chronology." "You know when it's true love. And I know." "Nobody would have loved anyone ever like I love her."

Familiar? Bhailogon, please proceed to the corresponding section below -

The Freshly Wounded Section:

Bro, trust me, I know exactly what you are going through. With my personal experience, all I can say is, don't go through it. Stand up, and step over it. The question that will break the ice freezing your heart is the following:

Is she responsible for your happiness?

Take a pen and start writing. Better yet, start blogging like yours truly :P

The Ghaav Bhar Gaya Lekin Jalan Ab Bhi Baaki Hai Section:

First of all, time heals everything, and the good news is that you have got time on your side. Second of all, it's time to write the part II of the blog you wrote in the first section.

Finally, it's time to find the one. ATB :)

The Pehli Goli Mein Shaheed Section:
"Hum ek baar jite hain, ek baar marte hain, shaadi bhi ek baar hoti hai, aur pyar....ek hi baar hota hai" - SRK

Dear friend, my deep sympathies, but please allow me to quote Mr Russel Peters - "Be a man". Wo jawan hi kya jo pehli hi goli mein shaheed ho jaaye? Stand up with your chest tight and proceed on your mission to find the one. Meanwhile, you may get a few bullets at the centre of your chest and then you need to remind yourself of Mr Russel Peter's quote. SRK too moved on to Kajol after Rani. Needless to say, but do remember that the best is yet to come.

The :o Section:

If none of those sentences sounds familiar, just know that there is a big monster which catches you (bhagwaan na kare) when you are the most vulnerable. But at the end of the day, you emerge much stronger and more prepared for taking care of the one who will be on her way to you next :)

Brought to you by www.GyaanBaatoRe.com

oD uoY, tcaeR uoY fI

2011-04-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

There's always a flight to catch,

An urgent call to take,

An expectation to match,

A promise to make.

There's always a celeb tweet,

A linkedin offer,

A friend's friend's treat,

A screening of Potter.

At the beginning,

You die to make sure,

There always is someone,

Who needs you.

At the end,

You strive to live,

To make sure,

There always is everything

As it is,

After you.

The truth is,

There always is,

Everything,

As it is.

You don't matter.

MLIA

2010-03-09T01:54:00.000-08:00

Cursing the makers of Virtua Girl, just when I closed the uninvited pop-up window, this is what they presented on the Dilbert widget of my blog.

P.S. Even if you do checkout what they have in the offing, there is not much that is going to please you either.

?

2009-08-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

What is it that I want to do with my one wild and precious life?

Welcome to the Jungle

2009-08-25T04:55:00.001-07:00

"When in jungle, look for mangal."

The dense forests of IIT Madras offer us exotic spots to rediscover ourselves, apart from the rare and prized biodiversity that is there for entertainment value, what with species like Deannosaurus Rex, Profo Electricus Cupus, Mechagon, Chem-fu Panda and Jabol.

In an endeavour to be unbiased and righteous, let's pick up an arithmetically mean Joe's story for today's gyanbaatore session. Honouring the divinely pure minds of the thirteen tribes that thrive here, we hereby proclaim that our protagonist be addressed as Swine Loo. The funda not being some connection between him, pigs and loo but just that a senior tribesman had an unhealthy liking for this name. As expected, our man tries to protest against the unfair practice, but to no avail. When a Western playwright once asked – what's there in a name, he was being completely unaware of what's going to happen in some eastern part of the world in near future. It wouldn't be unfair to say that he was lucky not to get exiled into this jungle and get a name like - Well I'm (the one who) Shakes Spear.

Once his nomenclature is ceremoniously conducted, our man Swiloo, as he is affectionately called, finds himself lost in the midst of a hundred get-togethers being organized one after another with two-three of them being organized simultaneously. Everyday, a few of these parties catch his eyes. But our man, being clueless about which one to join and wondering why one should bother joining them, spends his time in activities that can be termed simply as time pass.

Sometimes, his friends drag him to parties under the sports umbrella, some seniors advise him to attend the literary themed ones, and his conscience nags him to dance in the technically superior parties. Along with these celebrations, there are the daily chores which include increasing attendance in classes and working towards remaining eligible to listen to the Chief Guest's long speech during a convocation party to be held after four-five years.

Cutting the chase, Swiloo seems to be at a loss about his purpose in life. As soon as he identifies that, the next step would be to explore the means to realize the same.

There is no defined answer to when and how one realizes the purpose one is meant for. An appropriate metaphor would be true love. You just know when you have it, there is less reasoning than realization. Under such circumstances, how should our protagonist move ahead in his life?

Mr Steve Jobs, the man with two jobs during recession times, says that the dots will get connected (ref: Stanford Commencement Address 2005). Taking his advice with a bite of apple, one way to go is facing life with courage and love - courage to try out new and unexplored avenues questioning conventional ones and discovering new things one loves to do which can add value.

Nobody knows what lies ahead but optimism cherishes the faith that all the open and loose ends will tie up to form something worthwhile. An alternative is to leave oneself to sail in the direction the wind wishes to take one towards. The conventional mentality of our culture, after all, gives us immense pleasure in sticking to the secure and comfortably stable course we happen to land into.

At this juncture, there is no denying the significance of being aware of what exactly one is doing in the present moment. It is imperative to know that one needs to identify one's purpose and also the stage of the game one is playing in.

One of the greatest lessons of life comes from video games. Mario knows that he is going to fail seven times and face the disheartening message – Sorry Mario, but the princess is in another castle, before he breaks into the castle with the princess. Still, he accepts failure as part of the success story and keeps fighting his way forward in his quest. Similarly, fear of being ridiculed or fear of failure must never deter Swiloo from giving something an honest shot.

So now, with a sense of quest of purpose and thereafter its means, courage and inquisitiveness to try out something new, perseverance and appreciating the existence and learning experience of failure, and just to have a firm grip on the ground before we start running, humility with confidence, we set out to explore the exquisite menu IIT Madras offers to get an extra life out of the curriculum.

To rev up his veins and acquire the best of management skills, Swiloo should run to footer, hockey or cricket ground or pool for water-polo. Hostel's quadrangle is an easy option to learn the basics of a few games but it's a dangerous addiction that could cut down on his fitness and skills. Indoor games like chess and bridge can enhance our man's strategy-making skills (I-banks!). Being an astute player in table-tennis, lawn tennis or Badminton will certainly shine on our man's resume.

After all, Swiloo is a geek. And a geek will always have that tech-thirst to quench which, he may choose to spend nights in Cø, exploring his creativity with circuit-boards, motors and engines, unleashing that spirit of engineering.

No matter what our man does, where he goes, he will always need to convey his opinions, raise questions, deliver discourses, and talk to people. Strong communicative skills are like nitro-boosters in his career race. Lit-soc events and campus publications exist solely to cater to that communication need for him, be it in the form of writing, speaking or body-language.

IIT Madras' vision says –

"To be an academic institution in dynamic equilibrium with its social, ecological and economic environment striving continuously for excellence in education, research and technological service to the nation"

Indian philosophy can't stress more on the expansion of one's conscience through the joy of giving. Contributing to the beauty of our ecosystem, and helping our fellow beings can make a garden inside as well as outside one's mind. The business world recognizes this fact through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and win-win-win situations and strategies. GCU, iVil and NSS are there for that humane being in every human of the jungle. They can do a great deal of good to our man's career too.

The motivation to do something is usually high if one can see an immediate gain coming out of it. The visionaries get more motivated if they see huge value-addition in the long-term. Man is a social being and something that benefits him as well as his community acts as a real strong testosterone booster. Hence can be explained the intensity of inter-hostel competitions.

With so many opportunities to learn, the four-five year exile in the jungle can become a life changing experience for some and just another phase of life for others. The difference lies in the quotient of pro-activity. On a high-intensity note, Swiloo must keep distance from grass and let the black bucks get high with it instead. He has got to go much higher in his life.

Nothing worthwhile lies in a coordship if one doesn't get to learn some palpable skills on the job. It has been found to benefit too few, and ruin many. Our man must make sure he knows what he is doing and how it is going to add value to his life.

A quick measure of any activity's value is on the parameters of being enjoyable and productive. Something that scores well on these axes will create an attractive opportunity for Swiloo to become an achiever in the field. Being shy is not the trait of winners. Winners create and seize opportunities. With the mindset of "Let's give it a shot!" to ponder upon, I hereby wish all Swiloos the best of luck to make the most mangal out of their lives.

Moral of the story: Pigs fly, Swine flew.

बरस बरबस

2009-05-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

बस बरस जा अब
घुटन को घटा घटा से
छिपा-छिपी बंद कर छपाक से
जल से ज्वाला की जला दे

पतझड़ के पुराने पेडों-झाडों पे
टूटे तिनकों, तितलियों, ततैयों को,
खुले नीले आकाश की नज़रों से
कर ओझल फुसलाकर नहलाकर
धर दे धरा पर धीमे से बचाकर

गिरें तो गिरें माटी पे
कम से कम चखें
इस दवा का स्वाद
बस बरस जा अब

Sun of a Beach!

2009-05-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

Camwork: Voldi & me
Actors: Tanty, Voldi & me

Power-cut in Hostel: Andhera Kaayam Hai

2009-05-10T03:09:00.000-07:00

Timepass

2009-05-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

Wonder Wander: Campus Viewpoints 2

2009-04-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

127 Tapti: Every Room has Something to Say

2009-04-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

(-B)Room

2009-03-28T13:31:00.001-07:00

Wonder Wander: Campus Viewpoints

2009-03-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous Green: Campus Viewpoints

2009-03-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

फल हो ना हो

2009-03-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

यूँ ही खिलता रहे सूरज
बादलों की छुट्टी कर
जीते पूरब-पश्चिम मैराथन
थक हार मुरझाये
चंदा उसकी कुर्सी पे बैठ जाये
बड़े सब्र के बाद सांझ की घड़ी आये

कभी हो शीतल मदमस्त पवन
कभी मंद हल्की गर्म बयार
बूंदों के डर से कभी
छाते की सताए याद

सांझ की बेला इंतज़ार का फल
चखो जो इसे सपने मीठे हो जायें
कभी जो अगले मुहूर्त तक
फल की डिलिवरी टल जाए
नीचे लिखी युक्ति आजमायें

कहते हैं फल हो न हो
इंतजार का पल जी भर जियो
सूरज यूँ ही आए जाए
चंदा कोई आकार दिखाए
बस सांझ की प्रतीक्षा में हम
यूँ ही बैठे रहें नज़रें बिछाये

फूSSS

2009-03-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

कमरे की हवा
को न जाने क्या हुआ

पंखे से दामन छुड़ाकर
कभी बिस्तर पे लेटती
कभी कपडों में छिप जाती

कैलेंडर को गुदगुदाकर
उसे हँसता छोड़ जाती

झटके भर में सरसराकर
पढ़ लिया पूरा अखबार
चादर पे गिरती फिसलती
कभी साकार कभी निराकार

अभी जो धीमे से
चेहरे को छूकर बालों से गुजरी
तो लगा उसने हाथ बढ़ाया

जब हवाओं में हो
इतनी खिलखिलाहट
हमारी कलम को क्या पता
हमने क्या खोया क्या पाया

Closed

2009-02-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Thanks for visiting, this blog is closed.

Bliss

2009-02-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

You are woken up by a Maulvi's song dipped in deep devotion flowing into your ears like honey. You go to the hostel's terrace and behold the whole blue world being painted with a small bottle of yellow liquid. Then someone launches rare migratory birds from the heavily thick jungle around as you breathe in and out perfectly according to the instructions of a baba of stomach-game-show fame. You tell yourself - if there exists bliss, it is this, it is this.

And then, my comrade, you have the breakfast. Yes, it is that moment when you would like to thank your parents, friends, and blog readers for their good wishes that you became smart enough to break into the mess at times when you mess around unconsciously in your bed. You have the breakfast which has long been forgotten by your taste buds inspired by Ghajini's killer. And then you pick up your brand new camera and spend some time with deers and birds at the lovely lake-shore, until crows and dogs take over. Some of the street-dogs shout bow bow...insaan, main tera khoon pee jaunga...gurrr and run after you. And as you run for life, you see a Prof who knows you passing by giving you a weird look, completely unaware of your situation. You tell yourself - if their exists bliss, it is this, it is this.

Now that you have had a nice jog in the morning at sufficiently high speed, you come straight to the 9 am class 10 mins early, which is by far your best timing to any class since eternity. Trying to keep the traditions alive, you return to the class 25 mins later, while you read nonsensical blogs in the DCF. The Prof, who happens to be your BTP Guide (Project Totally Bakwaas) welcomes you with - You're looking like a stranger, Apoorva. I can't recall the last time I saw you. Was it in some BTP meeting long back? No, must have been this class in early January.
You spend the rest of the class-time clicking photos of the Prof using your friend's cellphone. Your duty for the day is over and you crash like a MIG-21 at 10 am in your I-don't-have-a-broom room defying all laws of body clock. You tell yourself - if their exists bliss, it is this, it is this.

-

Everything's perfect. It's your last elec course. And you've attended three classes till date. You didn't bother to get any notes photo-copied. Still, with full confidence, you walk into the exam hall. And the invigilator's distributing two courses' papers. He asks, "Which course? Which course? Which goddamn course?" And you know that you don't know the answer.

Okie that might not be bliss exactly.

Well-in-time

2009-02-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Dear *,

Baagon mein bahaar hai?

Kaliyon pe nikhaar hai?Aaj shanivaar hai?

Tumko mujhse pyaar hai?