Connecting with thoughts - My thoughts and Me

I knew this day would come When I would wake up All by myself Without you by my side However hard I may have tried You would have still slipped away From my hands For who has managed to Hold on to water Which leaves your Hands wet and Then just dries off Without a trace Telling me that from here on The road ahead Has to be travelled All by myself Without you

For twenty two years I held you in my arms And placed you in my heart A place where even I did not step Just because you were my little princess On whom I wanted to shower Everything in life That was the best And cared so much That even my heart was jealous But I didn't care For I had you And that's all that mattered Mattered till today When I felt something slip out of my hands Something so brittle That it broke into pieces For minute I thought it was you But it was my heart That lay scattered Lifeless For it had just lost you (A father's feelings for a daughter who is walking out on him for someone she thinks she loves)

My eyes see What's there for everyone to see And capture it in their hearts But unfortunately  Not everyone does see For they are so caught in their Routine rituals of life That they hardly "Live Life" the way it is meant to be What they usually do though is "Leave Life" Unaware of the enchanting beauty That life has bestowed upon them And when they do happen to see It is bound in frames hung up on the wall Painted and captured by me Which pale in comparison to the Originals that are put live on display They appreciate what they see And say he has got an eye for details Without realizing such a creation Is there for everyone too see But somehow I just happened to be Amongst the fortunate few see and capture Shades that paint the sky The beauty of sunrise The glow of the dew The blossoming of the flower The bullock cart against the setting sun

Lost in translations are countless emotions  searching for words to express themselves with a face that appears calm above yet so restless within just like the sea

Sometimes life is like a Western Railway Train...you don't know on which platform and at what time it is going to come. The best option then is to be on the foot over bridge (or sit on the fence) till the last moment and then take your go. At times you try a bit too hard and feel bad about not being able to make the cut despite your best efforts without realizing that after you done your bit there is still someone else who has to do his bit too. In such case no point in being to harsh on yourself.

Been there done that. Yet it feels like the journey has just begun. However its time to grow up. Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn't have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves... for growing up. The Wonder Years  

When it all comes to an end You sit back and evaluate What you have done What you have not What you could have What you ought to What you have gained And what you have lost What could have been good What has been good What should have been good Or on the contrary What was bad Could have been bad or even worse What should have been bad Surprisingly though There are a hell lot possibilities that exist Not only when things are happening But also when things come to an end Is it for this that the mind Is never really quite satisfied

About Dreams Dreams create thoughts Thoughts create possibilities Possibilities create opportunities Opportunities lead to determination Determination leads to actions Actions lead to results Results lead to realization of dreams So dare to dream Dare to live your dream

60 visitors since yesterday....great. Thanks to all my readers. Thanks for your support. You all keep me going. Thanks again.

Realizing Your Dream Well today the Youth of St. Michael's Church Youth Group, Manickpur took a first step towards realizing their dream. Today's day, the first day of Giovinezza, by grace of God was wonderful. Given the short time frame that the group had before it took on and developed the concept of the festival is really amazing. Everything that happens in typical group happened. But what came out of all those bruised egos and conflicts was a strong determination to make it happen. And that too not compromising on the studies...now takes some effort and deserves special appreciation. Kudos to you all for once again proving that the Manickpur Parish has been at the forefront of all the cultural events and social changes in Vasai. Way to go. May this serve as an inspiration for others to follow.  Today we proudly have 70 youths who made this event a success. Those who dreamt of the event were a handful few among the group but then what has followed thereafter is les...

Meeting Old Friends Every now and then Is something We all should do For there is a profound joy in Revisiting those Simple, silly moments That thought us life most valuable lessons Gave us reasons to smile (even today) And keep on telling us That there is still some one Who do not care who we were Or what we are now But just love us the way We have always been And no it's about finding solace in the past As much it is about Finding your feet again To traverse life's ups and downs Through friends Who not only hold the mirror Unto you but Inspire you To just be the person You like to be

At Loss For Words... Over the last couple of days I have been at lost for words. Even today it appears to be the same story. I always thought I can write. Write well. But blogging has been revelation to me that how much I need to improve or better still I am not even of the mark. Man how I envy those blogs that I do read. How explicit and well expressed are thoughts in those blogs. The depth of their knowledge, the expression of their feelings, the flow of their words, their insightful thinking and ability to challenges and create new perspective just amazes me. It's on occasions like these that I feel do I really need to write? What difference am I making or what new thoughts am I contributing. The answer is simple - I still have miles and miles to go before I arrive. My arrival looks a bit difficult given the kind of works that I come across. But there is no harm in trying. Trying till I find my words like they have found theirs. I may not go on to make a significant differ...

Writers These days when I am struggling to write or even think of anything to write about I realize the greatness of the all time classics that have been written over the ages. To reader it just a book and an experience that he can read at his / her convenience. Not so for the writer. For the writer it is a painful journey of seeing the idea through, connecting the dots and much more. Someone mentioned to me that Ernest Hemingway wrote a book 32 times before he finally got it published, boy that's a lot of painstaking effort.  Again for the writer its not just words, they have to be words that tell a story, explain an idea, present / challenge a viewpoint, make a comment, create a picture and much much more. And while doing all this the words have to speak for the author, help him connect with the reader, be as explicit as possible creating a whole new meaning or perspective. That according to me is really something, no wonder writing has been a forte of a handf...

The language of love Beyond words beyond meanings beyond expressions beyond feelings beyond everything beyond anything there is a language that exists that transcends all horizons and boundaries and that language is nothing but the language of love

Sony Mix. Over the past couple of days I have been thoroughly enjoying Sony Mix music channel. And have been pleasantly surprised to catch up on some really good songs, songs that I love listening too. For once I don't have to flip music channels for catching up good songs. With some good news comes some bad news. The bad  news in this case would (if at all is does happen....and I pray with all my heart that it does not) be that goes the MTV or Channel V way where there is hardly good music and you can't manage to hang on the channel beyond few minutes.  So if Sony Mix does manage to stay on to the music factor (Bollywood is good enough to last a life time) then I guess definitely have something too cheer for in the long run. The programmes themes also appear to be neatly packaged and the songs very well picked up. Looks like they have someone who has a good ear for music. Though one question still remains - how long it continues to hold good. Till nothing to worry b...

The One Person There's this one person in life who transcends all boundaries and is beyond friendship, beyond relationship or beyond anything. He / She is just there. There for us. No matter when, no matter where, no matter how, no matter why. And loves us for all that we are, not what we should be. No if's, not but's just the joy of letting us be ourselves and helping us find life's truest meaning. Today I remember this person and thank the person for being there and letting me just be me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That South Bombay did not have power supply for almost around 16 hours made headlines and news is amusing. Amusing because in other parts of the state they actually don't have electricity for almost 16 hours a day. All the name of load shedding and shortage of power supply. One of friends came across an interesting article proving why load shedding is compounding the problem instead of solving it. With the growing hours of load shedding people have started using inverters which store and consume even more amount electricity than all that has been saved through load shedding. So the article raised some pertinent question regarding what exactly is the government trying to achieve?  As far as I am concerned, I still don't believe we live 21st Century given the frequent power cuts we are subjected to in addition to daily scheduled hours of load shedding. Nobody wants to cut down on leakage and theft. Nobody wants to do a reality check on subsidized electricity being doled out...

Losing / Passing / Death Well yesterday we lost Jagjit Singh the soulful ghazal maestro who took the ghazal to masses. And what other beautiful song to dedicate to him than "Chithi Na Koi Sandes...". Take a bow late Jagjit Singh. I will always miss you. A lot has been writtten about Jobs and Jagjit Singh and I have nothing new to add other than the fact they will always have special place in my life. Thanks again.

Back Again. It's quite sad that I missed out on the last five days. So it feels nice to be back again. In the days that I have been away (due to repair of my laptop) the world lost Steve Jobs. I have been greatly inspired by his talk at the Stanford University - How to Live Before You Die which went viral after his death. Sharing it again. Thank you Steve Jobs. He did wonders when he was back again at Apple. I wonder to what extent it will change the world if Steve Jobs comes back again.

Time and Again It had to happen. So it happened. As goes Murphy's Law, "When things have to go wrong, they will." As was the case with "The Next Thirty Days", my current theme also ran into trouble. This time it was the keypad of my laptop which did me in. However hard I tried (unfortunately all my trying was limited to starting and restarting the system) it just refused to work. So I missed, missed another day. That's what happens when we rely too much on technology. But as I am writing the blog my mind tells me there's another lesson too. Never take things or for that matter people for granted. A very valuable lesson I must say. For time and again we actually keep on doing the same thing, again and again. Once a relationship establishes itself (it could be between people, people and technology or any other thing) we start taking it for granted. There are a certain things which we assume to be given. Given the fact that a relationship ...

Technology and Human Touch Last Sunday when I up caught with my school friends, one of them had a very interesting thing to share. My friend has been a frequent visitor to hospitals due to an unfortunate accident that he met with about 10 years ago. He observes that in the initial phase of his treatment when he used to visit the his doctor in Out Patient Department seeing people talk to each other (this would mostly be the discussions among the patient and the relatives accompanying) was very common. That was almost about a decade ago. Things have changed now, he says with a lament. These days when he visits the doctor he rarely sees people talking to each other but deeply engrossed with their mobile...either playing games or talking to someone. Why can't they just to talk to each other? he often asks himself. For precisely the same reason another friend of mine refuses to carry a mobile. Though he does remember to carry with him the mobile numbers of all his friends and re...

Common Ground. At our MBA batch reunion today one my classmates asked, "you don't write mails any more?" Well, for starters, I was quite notorious for writing a couple of mails which the class did cherish (I have posted a couple of them in my blogs..will posts the links later). What I did not mention to him was that I did attempt on quite a few occasions to write but could not reach beyond a few lines. However hard I may have tried...I always got stuck. Never quite realising the reason why I could not go beyond the first few lines. However on my way back home from the reunion as I was reflecting on his question the answer suddenly struck me - why I could not. Simply because the common ground that we shared when college was not there any more. We had gone different ways. Though the common thread the connected us still remains and will continue to remain but what we knew and experienced as part of college life was our common ground. It was easier then for me c...

Started with few lines on disconnect. Deleted them. Wrote again. Again deleted. Damn easy. That's the beauty of living in internet age and using the technology. Make mistakes and delete them. Write something delete it. Don't like something which you have created, delete it. Wish life too had been so damn easy. Unfortunately or fortunately it is not. Had the option to delete and create something new had been there....may be nothing would have been created.  For the human mind is rarely satisfied with what it has created or sought to gain. And unlike the technology that appears to complicated and complex but is far more easier to create and destroy compared to human relations or for that matter the human mind. The fact the 90% of brain remains unused bears testimony to that. Nature though has made up for it by blessing us with the ability to forgive and forget. Unlike the technology it's not so easy to use but has a tremendous capability to create a miracle like effect ...

Should I....should I not? That is the question. Since last seven years, every year, I have attempted to write something or other under the title "Thirty Days In October And The Day After". I have succeeded only once. That was the first time I attempted it. All subsequent attempts never reached completion. So that's where I start of with this time too. Should I ...should I not? But this time round I am inspired and motivated by the successful accomplishment of doing something new for the next thirty days. So I have every reason to believe this time it will be different. Over all the years through "Thirty Days In October And The Day After", I have attempted to get a glimpse of my thought, reflections and self with each passing day the date of my birth nears.  So ...I take this opportunity to wish myself all the best!!  Let the count down begin.....

Like the next blog link on blogspot. Though it's occasionally that I do click on the link but on quite a few occasions I have ended up reading some really good blogs and thoughts. Unfortunately, I have never saved those links. Perhaps, I should have. But why bother and be stuck a few when you can pursue the blogs randomly and savour the various flavours of life that keep popping out of these blogs. So just sit back and enjoy. And if you do happen to read this blog do remember to check out the next blog link. Who knows you might find something really worthy. Cheers!!

Mind is such a wonderful thing. For it never ceases throw up some wonderful and beautiful things one can think of. But its pretty unfortunate that not everything that the mind conceives or creates gets captured. Yes, whether you like it or not its true.  I mean think of all those thoughts and reflections that go on in your mind when you are driving, walking or travelling. At times they throw up some amazing insights about ourself, our relations or even work. And one tends to feel blessed to be gifted with such wonderful insights...but alas they do get lost in transit. For they never quite reach a piece of paper. Not everyone is gifted enough to get it on paper though (that's a different story). But what they do is become an unconscious and integral part of our thought process popping up when we need to understand them the most or learn new meaning from life. It's then those simple thoughts and reflections become the most valuable gifts one could ever have. For it is then ...

The way forward is full of challenges. But then what is a life without challenges. You walk, you run You stumble, you fumble And may even fall down with thud But therein lies the challenge For life does not tell us stories of people Who fell down never rise to again For they are far too many But it surely does tells us tales Again and again Of  those handful few Who fell time and again Only to rise against and above all odds Setting the bar higher and higher Inspiring others to follow And giving them a belief That they too can achieve great heights If they will to pursue The way forward that is full of challenges For what is a life without challenges

Well ....it all started with a dream ..na..more of an idea...na dream..hmm..both. That's better. When the first time they (the youth group members) proposed it. I said Vow what a thought. But I blasted them too. Not because I did not like the idea or the dream of our own Youth Festival but because the idea was the put up before the group in a way that it should not have been. Had it been somebody else they would have been disheartened. Not our boys (and girls too). They sold the idea of what started with a few to the full group.  That was about three weeks ago. Over the past three weeks they have managed to do their bit and move ahead on making the dream into a reality. That takes some guts. Especially when you have not done anything on scale that you are aiming at. True they have experience of successfully organizing programs before hand too. But what they are trying attempt is to get a few thousand youths to a part of this festival over period of three days. Now that is so...

I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a child. I have been many people in many places. I am Socrates exciting the youth of Athens to discover new ideas through the use of questions. I am Aesop and Hans Christian Andersen revealing truth through countless stories. I am Marva Collins fighting for every child’s right to an education. I am Mary McCleod Bethune building a great college for my people, using orange crates for desks. And I am Bel Kaufman struggling to go  Up The Down Staircase. The names of those who have practiced my profession ring like a hall of fame for humanity... Booker T Washington, Buddha, Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Buscaglia, Moses and Jesus. I am also those whose names and faces have long been forgotten but whose lessons and character will always be remembered in the accomplishments of their students. I have wept for joy at the weddings of former students, laughed with glee at the birth of their ch...

To all my teachers, within and outside school and college, I am grateful to you all for helping me learning life's precious meaning. Today I would like to thank God for blessing with some of the finest teachers I could have ever asked for. Finest because their way of teaching or helping me learn was not limited to the books or subject they taught, it well exceeded that. Those were lessons for life. For today as I sit and look back I see glimpses of them in the way I have shaped up. They made learning a experience to remember, an experience which I still long for. For they were always passionate about what they taught. Today I look to bring the same passion in everything I do and if I do succeed even a fraction in my attempt it will be only because of them. And that will be my biggest tribute to them. Thanks for being my teacher and showing me the way. The Heart of  a Teacher is truly A Treasury of Inspiration....and I could not have better video to say what I want. ...

Just one question to Team Anna....do you believe in the Constitution of India? If yes then let it decide on the bill. You can't dictate terms and conditions to the Parliament that is supreme institution. If you don't then what's the point in getting your version of the bill passed the Parliament? And Yes...I too want the a corruption free India but not with the gun held to my head or through compulsion but out of my own free will which the Constitution gives me the right. By putting a deadline for the Lokpal Bill to be passed by 30th August are we not denying ourselves the right to debate and evaluate all the pros and cons, consider all the possibilities, identify a common ground? Are we being just to ourselves, our Constitution and our Nation? When we plan a simple family picnic we take care of all things. Then why compromise with our Nation? Gandhiji, if I am not wrong, never set deadlines and he never showed any disregard for any country or any Constitution. He pur...

Congratulations!! There's no harm in congratulating yourself, especially when you have been there, done that. The feeling's great. Today as I am writing this I realize the true meaning of " A journey of thousand mile begins with a single step." With the successful completion of The Next Thirty Day......I have already decided on what I am going to do for the next thirty day and they start from tomorrow.

Wow!!. Day 29. That is something great. It has been a great journey so far. Not quite in terms of writing though. For it was good and it was bad. It came out good at time and not so good at other times. But then that's life, right? You don't always get it right. Neither should you. Somewhere, somehow (I don't mean it intentionally) you have to be wrong too. For otherwise you will never realize the importance or experience the joy of being right. Though I always knew I would come this far..for I wanted too....it has not been an easy journey. It's difficult to come up with thoughts that help you write day after day. At times the thoughts are very much there, full of life but the words just don't justify them or find it challenging to make sense. Though it has been 29 days so far....on quite a few occasions I literally struggled to write. Started to write and then stopped, deleted everything and started afresh. Only to realize that what I started with and what ca...

Well literally...I just dozed off to sleep yesterday and before I could realize I had missed writing the blog the next day was already up and smiling. And I too just smiled to myself. For I remembered those childhood days when me and my brother would put up our bed in front of the TV to catch the 9:30 p.m. movie playing on cable (yeah those days there were hardly any movie channels) only to doze off to sleep with the TV on.  The best part would dad coming home from night shift and innocently thinking that we are awake and knocking on the door only to realize that we had dozed off to sleep and he had no option but to open the door himself with the key that he used to carry. Of course this did not happen always though ...but it was fun. Fun falling asleep without even you realizing. Such sleep is really welcome. It really freshens you up. The sleep (dozing off) usually catches up with us when we have had long day, did something we really enjoyed, did something in which were very mu...

I feel its plain stupidity...why can't we just stop giving bribes, stop cheating in exams, vote during elections and ensure clean candidates win and support them post win in cleaning things...There parts of India where the experiment has worked...It's time to do something practical then getting stuck on just one Lokpal Bill What's wrong with the government, what's wrong with Anna? Hate it or like it but I feel both are being childish and stubborn....why can't we just believe in the power of democracy and combine forces for implementing it in its true spirit. Anna says the bill will reduce corruption by 60-65%...does Anna know about 100% of corruption that occurs / happens in India. If he does then it is my humble request to kindly bring it to the fore with evidence. I have not seen a stupid government....it does not really what it wants to do. No concrete action plan. Just plain blabbering. How does the PM who says nothing at all ever goes to sleep at night? ...

It took almost 150 years (hope the number is correct...kindly confirm) for India to win her freedom from a handful of Britishers (it's too small a country vis-a-vis the size and population of India).....Now honestly consider the Lokpal Bill...how long will it take to eradicate or for that matter to minimize corruption from the mammoth of population that practices it and equally vehement number that unfortunately has no option but to support it. Now consider the following questions - Have we become so naive to believe that the Lokpal Bill eradicate and is the only solution for a corruption free India? What are the chances that the Lokpal Bill will be implemented in its truest spirit? More importantly what happens when the Lokpal Bill fails to deliver? Given the population, geographic spread and diversity of India do we have a mechanism that can facilitate implementation to grass root level? Do we have so many spotless and incorruptible people who will implement it with focus and ...

To my country, my nation which I am proud of.... India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization) The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu. The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus. Chess was invented in India. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India. The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magni...

I missed writing my blog for the fourth time. Three out of those four times was due to poor net connectivity from my service provider MTS where the webpage just refused to load as usual.  After two complaints number and four calls later....I have getting calls my MTS saying that for the past three days saying our "concerned" department will be solved at the earliest. They cannot tell when earliest is. They cannot tell how they are going to resolve the complaint but what they can definitely tell is that their "concerned" and at times technical department is working at it. If it the complaint is not solved by 15th August, 2011 (earlier it was 13th August, 2011) they will forward to their seniors.  Welcome to the 64th Independence Day of India where the customer is still has bear the burnt and be at the mercy of service provider and yet pay the service provider for not being able to use the service. Why? Because the concerned team is buys working on my complaint. Gre...

One of the very few poems which has stayed on with from my school years is the poem "Shabdh" (Words) by Marathi poet  Waman Nimbalkar. I am yet to come across any other poem that captures the strength of words in handful lines. Since the day I read the poem to this day it has never ceased to amaze how he managed to say so much with so little. I remember Vapu Kale (another eminent Marathi writer) mentioning in one of his books that, "Words have more power than all the steam generated by Watt to get the first steam engine running." That is precisely what the poem does. And each time I have gone back to this poem...I have learnt new meanings of communication. Here I am reproducing the English version as I was unable to find original Marathi work. Also unfortunately I happened to misplace the notebook in which I had written the original. Nevertheless....read, reflect and realize the power of words. WORDS by Waman Nimbalkar Words is that set aflame houses, hom...

Work as if you have no need of the money, Love as if nobody ever made you suffer, Dance as if nobody is watching you, Sing as if nobody is hearing you, Live as if the Paradise were on this earth Copied this from a friends post...but could not resist sharing it.  Such simple yet wonderful words....may be at some point in life we all nourish this thoughts. Unfortunately for most of us they remain just thoughts and fade away. Never too late to live this thought for the day. As they say better late than never.  So when are you going to do at least one of these. Today I just did that and enjoyed it thoroughly. Try it and you will experience the beauty of gift called life.

The Next Thirty Days...Day 22 (Thoughts on Communication) Communication is effective when it has a context, meaning and ability to influence (or change) for something better. The modern technological inventions (mobile, email, etc.) which were suppose to facilitate and enhance quality of communication are unfortunately reducing the human touch / element which lies at the core of communication. Communication is all about understanding the meaning and the essence of the message. Communication is spreading little moments of joy and showing you care. As a result of technology communication today is like wildfire...by the time you realise there is a fire the damage has already been done. When was the last time you really listened to song with it true meaning? When was the last time you listened? When was the last time you really understood the meaning of communication?

Well ..these days my fraternity is the talk of the town. And for all the wrong reasons. Two deaths within span of few days...because of me. And I am not the one to be blamed but end up being so. So much so that the leading news daily are giving me and my fraternity extensive coverage and have become talk of the town. Who am I? I am the pot with the hole...I really enjoyed those Polo advertisements....it used to make me wonder if they were inspired by us or...maybe we (here we means our creators) have been inspired by them.....we are still busy finding the answer. So is the Municipal Corporation albeit about different questions .i.e. how to get rid of us...how do we know....well my fraternity heard it. You don't believe it ...didn't anyone tell you about "Even The Walls Have Ears"...well with our significance presence everywhere people feel they are up against the wall (that in reality is the corporation not us).so the wall have ears....so we know what people are talki...

DROP YOUR NOTHING Disciple :  I have come to you with nothing in my hands. Master :  Then drop it at once! Disciple :  But how can I drop it? It is nothing. Master :  Then carry it around with you!  Your nothing can be your most valued possession. - Anthony De Mello SJ Do I carry nothing with me too? What does nothing mean to me? What's the underlying or the inner meaning of this anecdote? What does nothing really mean other than its dictionary meaning? If it's nothing then why do I have to drop it or for that matter carry it around with me? Is nothing the most valued possession for me too? And more importantly ....I just happened to mentioned to one of my friends..."The essence of life is nothing"....why did I say that and what did mean to me? What did it mean to him? Nothing. Or is it no thing?