Lakshya!

May 17th 2015 - A Sunday, that I am looking forward to..

Even as I wondered between the alternatives to choose from, a simple session of badminton the previous evening, was enough for me to know what was the only viable option. Sitting comfortably on my office seat gulping coffee, the options that were on my computer screen showed - (a) the 10 kilometers run and (b) 5.7 km majja run. These being the available distances for another of the soon to approach city runs in Bengaluru.

The TCS world10k is back in Bengaluru and it is an opportunity for me, no matter how small, to take stock at my fitness levels. The last time I participated in a small run of sorts was during the Bengaluru Marathon in October last year, and in spite of trying to take the easy way out by opting for the 5k - I ended up huffing and puffing, right after a few minutes of some (not so) serious sprint!

One might argue that 5000 metres is nothing to rave about, but for someone who has ignored his routine for quite a few years now, it is a challenge. Probably a good start to getting back at improving my agility, of which I would have never complained or bothered about may be 5-6 years ago. Ageing gracefully, is an option, but definitely not ageing prematurely!!

So in the days leading to the third Sunday of May, I hope I do workout well and practice enough, to not cause myself another embarrassment. I do dream of running a full marathon someday, but lets just say that it is not something I would lose my sleep over.

I definitely need to have a very strong will to take on the enormous levels of laziness that I usually succumb to in matters of fitness, and that's precisely what has prompted me to write about it, so that this post will keep reminding me of my short-term goal - to comfortably run the 5k with no signs of ageing!!

Oh, and yes, it is also time we did some justice to the URL of this blog :)

Baba and the Black Sheep !!

Current affairs (those which can be showcased on national television) like always, remain my focus of attention, with the latest issue being that of Baba Ramdev confirming that he would go ahead and plunge into the Eradicate Corruption in the "Fast"-Mode.

With a huge following of more than 10 crore people, the Baba provides yet another dosage for purifying the nation, this time of its ill gotten wealth. Its commendable to see a Yog Guru voice his opinion on the much needed changes in the government policies.

But, then again the Devil's Advocate comes up with many a questions.. which largely remain unanswered and speculative.

Primarily, the timing of the fast is what most people would question, considering that this is not the first of its kind, more so after the huge uproar the youth of the nation created less than 2 months ago, riding on the movement led by a "True" Leader Shri. Anna Hazare. The purpose cited has been black money this time, but then is there a necessity for a separate fast, which would raise eyebrows even amongst those who swear by eradicating corruption at the grass root levels.

Whats more surprising is that 4 cabinet ministers have met the baba in less than 24 hours to placate him. So many would want to ask why the government has pressed the panic button at such an alarming rate, where as this was not the case when Mr. Hazare was on the fast lane. (Do we see a political motive here??)

Well, any which way reforms are the need of the hour, and any initiative, if beneficial to the society, is always welcome. Lets hope that ultimate vision is for the betterment of the country !!

ich bin zurück !!

Hello people (if at all someones got onto this link by mercy).. long long time !!

Just thought that I would put up my thoughts online again, what with the fading memory cells and a huge scope for non sensical random thought processes !!

Not at the moment though, got to do justice to my favorite hobby - Go get some good sleep..
but have decided to write (type) more often now, irrespective of the high amounts of crappy online garbage it would result in..

Abhi ke liye baksh diya,

KRN

When our eyes met .... Again

Its been years, months and many more days
A period that put our relationship in haze

I looked at the crowds, the people around
But nothing did quench my love profound

You stood still in the lurking light
With a spirit that was ready for the flight

The time and the distance had taken its toll
Your love for me had bequeathed your soul

Then came the moment, for which I yearned
Rekindling the hope that still burned

Up rose your face with the elegant demure
A sight of which put me in complete allure

Nerveless, I stared from the corner in pain
Treasuring the instance our eyes met..again

Socha Hai..

Its been sometime now since I last posted..IIT Kgp witnessed both its cult. fest and tech fest over the last fortnight, and must say "it rocked, big time". After a long time (I think about 2 years now), I won a prize in the Ad-Spoof event (of course it was a group event). We also put in some effort to pull off a decent Nukkad Naatak, with terrorism as its basic theme.All in all, the phase went well, for better reasons too ;)

A friend of mine today said and I quote "your brain works in a wicked manner".. referring to the recent "ideas" and game plans I have been upto. Although he meant it as a jest (I hope), that really set me thinking. What constitutes a person's perception!! Is it just the way he acts, talks and thinks?? I have always been curious to decipher the thought processes that take place in the small yet complex cerebrum.. How do people, rationally differ in their thinking??

When you read books, especially autobiographies, a certain basic funda you get to understand is -- "Given an ideal situation, most people think alike when it comes to any issue at the macro level".It is those subtle eye for detail, that differentiates a great personality from the good. Given that we currently have a course on leadership, as part of some research work (or is it Googling) on negative thought leadership,I came across an interesting name.. Walter Langer, better recognized for his role in preparing a psychological analysis of Adolf Hitler that predicted his suicide. This guy has helped conceive the US concept of studying the minds of famous personalities based on the Freudian principles.

The Thought

Thus wrote William Brighty Rands, in his brilliant words -

Into the skies, one summer's day,
I sent a little Thought away;
Up to where, in the blue round
The sun sat shining without sound.

Then my Thought came back to me—
Little Thought, what did you see
In the regions whence you come?
And when I spoke, my Thought was dumb.

But she breathed of what was there,
In the pure bright upper air;
And, because my Thought so shone,
I knew she had been shone upon.

Reality Bites..

Back to Jobless days.. and this time its all the more grave.. I am right now lying down on my bed in the hostel room dwelling upon what the likely situation would be, once I pass out of this management course. Probably I would have studied for a period of over 20 years, and still be on the job-hunt.

These have been difficult times for the economy, the country & the cliched 'aam aadmi'. The recession has hit and hit very hard. These are the days of bust, and we guys are occupied with the thoughts of where we would finally end up after the placement season.. More optimistically,I personally feel I should be scraping through.. what matters would the profile & the take off from there on. The company I had done my internship has FROZEN any further recruitment and the "Dream Job" seems to be quite a distant possibility as of now.

The financial crisis wasn't sufficient to send people into a tizzy, that the Mumbai Terror Strikes had to happen. I have no right to comment - sitting comfortably in front of my black-box, I have been updating myself with the minutest of details as to how things have been progressing in the worst attacks this nation has seen in the post-independent era. Horribly gruesome and disturbingly sick!! No place seems to be safe nowadays.. Selfish, that I am, I might as well settle down in Kharagpur for a decent and secured living... at least you know you wouldn't be shot at, while you are walking down the street.


Experts have been talking about all the "should-have done, could-have done" scenarios, but we have been failing, time and again, in our attempts to cut the bud at its roots. Of course, nobody really anticipates an attack of a fresh kind until it actually takes place, but when you know how vulnerable the situation is, you need to act tough. (You, who??). Brave officers have laid down their life, but what India needs today is a strong, secular outlook with modern infrastructure to combat the goons.All said and done, we again hear "The spirit of Mumbai" moving on and being resilient... come another day and we still walk on !!

Aye Dil Tu Rona Nahi..

Was in a nostalgic mood today, bemused in thoughts.. life at this time last year was miserable, insecure and in terrible shape. Looking back, I still have not been able to figure out what exactly I went through at that stage.. nagging questions still haunt me, although I have learn t to let go of the past. (for the uninitiated, do not let your imagination run wild.. I was just down and almost out during this time last year due to unnecessary complicated thought process that went on in my brain.. ya I still strongly hold on to my morals and ethical values).

Today I thanked a few people who have helped hone back my sagging confidence.and ya I thought this post should carry a "senti" side to it.. We have all been through those mind boggling sessions from great thinkers and jobless fellas alike, questioning the purpose of life and solving that Paheli called Zindagi. I have read a few bloggers come up with some interesting gyaan on the essence of Life. For some its about having to face tough challenges, for others its about overcoming those everyday obstacles,a few more spoke of enlightenment and search for peace. But the quintessential point for many remains.."the purpose of life - is life itself..". You see it in its entirety, experience it, highs, lows, the sunny days, the "good for some" rainy days, the days cherished with loved ones, the days better spent alone.. Life teaches you at all stages, you just got to be a good student !!

Today when I see newspapers and TVs flashing the exponentially increasing growth of the country,it feels sad that we have been lying to ourselves and portraying only the brighter side of our country. The need of this hour is to critically examine the low points of our nation, its core ground level realities, its ever growing divide between the rich and the poor,its thirst for the ever crunching fuel resources, its irregular infrastructure development, and many more aspects alike.Today the common man has put up a more disturbing grim face, unable to make both ends meet.India today may be sporting a smile, but many nerves have been veiled to make that picture look good.Many voices have been suppressed, overlooked and unattended.

Indeed, we have taken off in many aspects of progress, but you still get to see the cart puller wielding his burdened muscles to buy bread for his family, the little kids at traffic signals asking you to take notice, the poor woman at the construction site trying to pacify her baby, and many more such sights which leave a mark in your mind.Do we care enough to do anything about making their life more comfortable? Most of us are more worried about how the stocks have been falling, the manner in which the Indian team has lost its sheen of late, debating over the nuclear deal issue, and things like wise on which we have no direct control.



The Teach India campaign by Times of India was one solid example of how we can make a difference to the society.Though restricted to select few cities and towns,the response it generated showed that all is not lost.The nation still has a huge number of citizens who are willing to help the under privileged. Its just that most of us do not know how to go about the task. We are ready to put in our bit of help, but all we need is a direction, a path which would lead to a glorious future for this country.We have had a civilization more than 2000 years back, that was very well versed with times as well as knowledge. And today we face a problem of awareness, which is so very vital for our society to take that next step. People need to be made aware of their rights and duties, of their responsibilities and their potential.We as a unit can change the face of the nation! We as a force can accomplish superior goals and we the people of this country can together make it happen.

We are not short of inspiration...there have been numerous examples around us, over the ages, who have done our country proud. Its time now where we stopped resting on past glories and moved on to newer laurels. Its time where we stop looking for role models and became one our selves.. like that beautiful prayer which says "Doosron ki jai se pehle, Khud ko jai kare".. we need to have the self confidence and drive to achieve the unthinkable.Its not very difficult to attain self sustainability and become a truly global leader in every sense.

Small things done in greater interest can go a long way in shaping this country. For the starters, please conserve water, electricity and fuel. Our planet is on a red alert and needs attention.

Heres a link on simple yet smart things which we can do as individuals to save the planet... (forgive me for the indirect gyaan,I wanted to save my laptop's battery by typing in less) ;) ..

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1167112

P.S.: I know theres no connection as to how I started and the manner in which this post was concluded, these have just been random thoughts

India says - "Gold is not enough"

Last weekend, thanks to a very long holiday session, I had the opportunity to witness Akshardham on the outskirts of Delhi.A modern day architectural wonder, it was a sight to watch..(would be wiser to experience it rather than describing on the blog).The attacks sometime back have had a huge impact on the security check at this unique complex of Indian culture(not even cell phones are permitted inside).
Moving on from there, I landed up at the Bahai "Lotus" temple. After a long time I could feel the "Complete Silence", the one in a symbiotic relation with peace, unlike the maddening ones I usually go through.

The long weekend also saw independent India touching 61, with retail chains using the concept of "buy for Rs. 1947 and get items worth rs. *^ free".Too bad I didn't receive any Rakhi greetings this year (or is it a good sign, for obvious reasons ;) )
One thing this country has still not overcome, as was the case at the lotus temple, is being normal when at an arm's distance from the "non-desis". People were so fanatic that some of them actually requested a few "firangs" to join them in a photograph session, to add glamour (read as celebrity status) to the serene pics.
And ya the usual stuff of pool, bowling happened too :)

Olympics now..

While Phelps has been out of this world, Indian players are displaying performances which are knocking them out of the events one after the other ( 2 boxers still give the eternal hope ). Usain Bolted thunders with his yet again below 10 seconds performance.Over 25 world records and 50 plus Olympic records have been broken till date in this edition and more would be on their way.I do not see another medal on its way for India, but I wish I would be proved wrong.

As Nikhil Hajirnis, my close buddy would always sign off..

JAI HIND

Khoon Chala..

yesterday was a birthday well spent..for a change, I landed up at Epicentre, an exhibit auditorium in Gurgaon (probably the only one) to witness a sensitive yet interesting theater play on Thalassemia.Titled Mr. & Mrs. Nayyar, the drama was based upon a family which copes with the adversities related to the disease.Thalassemia is a relatively "ignored" issue in India but the awareness is steadily increasing.Basically the haemoglobin count goes on decreasing, if not replenished on a continuous basis.
Regular medical visits and blood transfusion are a must for avoiding any complications.

Theres a 25 % chance that two thalassemic minor parents can give birth to a thalassemic major child.So this disease is mainly hereditary.
There are a number of tests that need to be done and a follow up is required at all times to keep the patient in proper condition. Family & Social support is a very important factor while dealing with thalassemia.

for more on Thalassemia: heres a good link..
http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/menu_thal.html