Rat Race

A couple of years back, I read a book titled "Escaping The Rat Race". It was one of the books that I bought and actually read.
As I am well known for buying books and not reading them and is often criticized for it, but for a change, I read this one. So I felt proud of myself.

I managed to read the book because it was thin. But more importantly, i read it because during that phase of my life,I was trying hard to become a successful entrepreneur.

I never wanted to do a JOB which for me in those days meant,
Just Obey Your Boss.

However as fate would have it, i could not succeed in that endeavor and ended up taking a job, but that is a different story altogether.

Now getting back to this minuscule yet huge endeavor of writing this article, the idea and the thought is a somewhat deep and a little less air-headed.

We all live in a competitive world where every one is running as if running in a 400m relay.

This is the race of life, or as I call itThe Rat Race.

All throughout our school lives we are told(forced in my case) to study hard, so we can get good marks, better courses in the best of colleges.

During college we slug it out for better grades in order to grab the best jobs on offer.

Once a part of the corporate world we kiss and kick ass, rub our noses and dance on the tunes of the corporate world to earn a bigger pay-check, a nice incentive get a big raise or may be just a raise(recession time you know).

You all do this so that we can buy that fast bike, that shiny new car, that spacious house that you've yearned for. And through all the effort that you put in school, in college, working all those late nights in office, working throughout weekends, one day you do purchase that shining red car, that 18carat ring which you knew would look good on her finger, that multi-storeyed flat that you always wanted to call...
HOME SWEET HOME.

Job well done it seems.


And then comes a new day, when you are driving down to work in your Honda and a Camry cruises by. You stop at the next red-light and a Mercedes crosses right in front of your eyes.
And then you begin to think. What if I worked harder? Should i change my job? May be invest in that Mutual Fund? And you do that. But you forget that after a C-class, there would be a BMW, a Porsche, a Bentley. The list is endless.

The point that i want to put forward is, no matter how far you go, no matter how much you earn or what you drive or where ever you live, there is always something bigger, better and beautiful.

Now I am not suggesting that one should give up all the materialistic desires and become a saint.
No No No, i am not MOM.

But between all this struggle or "Rat Race" as i like to call it, aren't we missing out on something? After years of slugging, when we'd be sitting proudly on the manager's chair , earning that fat pay check month after month, would we be doing, what thought we would, when we were teenagers sitting in the college canteen feasting on those samosas, patties in my case.

Would we still be living that college dream. Its been more than 3 yrs since we left college. I remember saying, we would LIVE LIFE KING SIZE and that "we would always be friends".

Now we are still friends, best of friends and I am proud of the fact that we still have each other. So feel proud. But about kingfisher's tagline, it didn't came true completely.

Are we doing what we love doing or what we thought we'd do? Are we living our lives the way we thought we would?

I am not sure about you, but I love to write. And when I do, it feels good. I feel alive. Now you all know that I love Alcohol right?

I just hope that after reaching those heights in the professional life, I am still able to write and drink. I don't want to be choosy but, I am thinking, may be writing a book, on a beach, sitting in the Sun while sipping a Margarita.

We'll see about that...



P.S- Stay tuned, more to come.


PRK

The second opinion from an infoscian

The second opinion

I always wonder whether the doctors ever go to see a doctor when they fall ill. Or do the beauty parlor ladies go to another parlor to get their hair and eyebrows done. Or do the psychiatrists take a second opinion when they start hallucinating.

It’s kind of intriguing to think from the psychiatrist’s point of view. Imagine that he knows everything about human psychology, has everything that it takes to be what he is. He is able to listen to and give unprejudiced suggestions to his patients. But I always wonder whether he would be able to do that if one day he starts hallucinating or starts experiencing the games of the psyche. I am not sure whether he would be able to convince himself that he does need a psychiatric treatment.

The point that I am trying to drive at is it becomes difficult to reach or ask for help when you are more learned. For eg the psychiatrist would understand from a doctor’s point of view that he is mentally unfit but at the end of the day he is a normal human being and suffering from a mental illness. In his sane minutes he would understand all the logic but once the insane mind takes over…will he able to put all his advice to cure himself???

And even in his sane mind, if he is fully convinced that he needs help will it be possible for him to go to another psychiatrist and seek help?? I don’t think so…..

Sometimes I feel that reading books and becoming wiser doesn’t help all that much. When I see people fight over trivial matters I often think why people cannot understand a simple fact of life that no two people can have the same way of thinking and there is bound to be a difference of opinion. Trying to convince other people of what you think to be right is, in my dictionary, an absolutely ridiculous idea. That is unless your life depends on it!!!!!!!!!! JJ

But the point is, having understood that myself, I haven’t gained much happiness or less misery!!!! Because although I understand it, the people around me don’t. And since I don’t believe in coaxing them to understand my point, so most of the times my side of the story is left unheard. And at the end of the day people around me make me feel like I am at fault and I, knowing fully well that I wasn’t even given a fair chance, do feel guilty conscious of hurting them. And because of knowing and understanding everything, i.e. both the sides of the coin, it is difficult to discuss your problems because I know what is the next piece of advice coming –“try and understand their point of view also”. So it’s kind of frustrating because I am in that situation because of understanding the other side. Otherwise even I would have fought and either ‘won’ or ‘lost’ the argument and as well would have enjoyed or sulked about it.

Sometimes being a little ignorant also makes your life a little simpler and a little bit happier. You can blurt your heart out as well as not worry about any crap advice (or the “Second opinion”) coming from other people because you don’t already know it and so it doesn’t sound all that clichéd and more importantly….does not push you off the edge!!!!!

A dream come true

I was unsure about what to do. It was quite a catch. For months we had dreamed about it, looked at it in amazement and prayed as if a farmer would for rain, for its price to drop down. And just like that one fine Sunday, it did.
There it was, right in front of my eyes for a sweet 16 Grands.

With a few anxious minutes of consultation and calculations, I finally made my decision. I must admit that the atmosphere was tense and the air was hot. One could compare it with the conference room of H. Truman prior to the D-Day.

But with comparable conviction and confidence, I stood up and made my way towards the beauty that had me mesmerized and had eluded me for 3 months. Three long and quarrelsome months.

I held it in my palm. It was gorgeous. There was an impeccable shine across its face.
Involuntarily I uttered WOW! And the next words that came out my mouth were, Pack It!

After a little paperwork and a little more decision making, our 3 months old ordeal was finally over.
And that is when I got best gift I could ever want, Her Smile...

She was overjoyed to finally hold the E-71 that she's been dreaming about for so long, and now it was in her hands. We walked into the store with a feeling of content and satisfaction and of course i am happy that I could help her realize at least one of her many dreams.

The End.

The 99 club

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.
One day the King came upon a Servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy. The King asked the Servant, "Why are you so happy?"
The Servant replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a Roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies." The King was not satisfied with that reply.

Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted Advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the Servant's story, the Advisor said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired. The Advisor replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is place 99 Gold Coins in a bag and leave it at this Servant's doorstep." When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... so many Gold Coins!

He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 Coins. He wondered, "What could've happened to that last Gold Coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 Coins!" He looked everywhere he could, but that final Coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that Gold Coin and complete his collection.

From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th Gold Coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his Advisor's help, the Advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club."

He continued, "The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra "1" telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."
We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires.

That's what joining the 99 Club is all about."

Love to fight??????? Or fight for love??????????

Love makes the world go around. I am sure all of us have read and heard it many times over. But not until recently I realized the bigger picture.

Militants fight and kill, all for the LOVE for their country. Children fight because of the LOVE for their favorite toy. Politicians fight because of the love for power. Businessmen fight it out in the boardrooms for the love of money. Celebrities, more often than not, wash their dirty linen in the public, all for the love of fame. Even though it could be only 2 minutes of fame. Well atleast I find all these people to be selfish because they are fighting for individual interests.

But I always marvel at how two people with absolutely selfless intentions knowingly unknowingly end up fighting. Take a couple who are very much in love. More often than not, I have observed (and also from personal experience..:) that people who love only for love often fight more and more bitterly. The reasons could be as frivolous as one can imagine. Both will do things for each other, sometimes directly affecting that person, sometimes indirectly. And in the process they don’t even realize when they end up saying things that hurt their partners. And the worst part is you do everything in your power to make life as loving and comfortable for them, you don’t realize a thing and suddenly like a bolt from the blue there crops up a fight. And when you probe deeper it is nothing but the powerplay of emotions.

It has been rightly said by someone, “In Love, too much is not even enough”. And I guess it’s very much true. How much ever you love, there is always more that you want, more that you expect. The only irony is sometimes you end up hurting your loved one more in the bargain. Because each one of us tries to find that perfection in our loved one. But perfection can be very Relative!!!!!!!! It s got more to do with what we choose to see than what is there to see.

But as ‘SOMEONE’ says…it’s difficult to change, but it’s the effort that counts. So people…appreciate the efforts, fight less, love more, live more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Have a great life!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the LOVE of…..LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nisha sat up in her bed. She could no longer fool herself. She had been awake all night, dreaming…with open eyes. “I think I am in love”, she almost said to herself and giggled at her own foolishness.
It was 5 a.m. on a cool October morning and even though the warm blanket was inviting, she got up and went out for a walk. And while she was braving the morning chilly winds, she was totally lost in her thoughts. She had changed. And how much. She couldn’t believe she was the same person she had been 2 years before.
She had always been an opinionated person, had her own set of morals and standards she stood by. She always prided herself on being an honest and fair person. She had had a theory of her own on almost every subject. And she did what she said. “I hate snakes and hypocrites”, used to be her mantra.
And now, she couldn’t believe herself. She was doing things she had never imagined she would ever do. She felt things she never believed could happen to her. She was saying things she could never ever even dream of.
But life had its own ways. We are foolish to think that life will the turn the way we think it will. And it teaches us precisely that. In its own worldly ways.
When she reached back home, she took a bath and got ready. She checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving the house. “Perfect”, she said smiling ,”just like love”.
She reached her ‘office’, a small rented room taken only a week back. Outside the board read ,”For exciting job offers in Dubai and immediate Passports. Satisfaction guaranteed”. The ‘office’ was located on the outskirts of the city. Gullible people would walk in and hand over their life’s savings to her so that they could go abroad and earn thrice as much for their families. “So what is the harm if I am doing the same for my family”, she justified to herself as she saw people started to come in for the day.
1 month later, there is no sign of the ‘office’. The room is empty, save the weather beaten bare walls. People start to gather outside the office before the start for the day. Some have come on the pretext of being promised of a job, others have come to collect their Passports who have already landed a lucrative job in Dubai. As the sun travels across the sky, a little uneasiness sweeps over the crowd. By the evening, the crowd is an angry mob and as impatience gets the better of them, they break open the door of the ‘office’ only to find their worst fears come true.
And 100 Kms away, a train leaves the station and with it the unfulfilled dreams of the scores of people whose money Nisha is eloping with. She has a grim satisfaction on her face. She has fallen into a deep slumber after destroying any signs of an ‘office’ and then travelling 40 kms to catch her train before people were out of their beds. She is dreaming of the time , 2 years ago when her father was alive.
Then ,she had never thought of money more than a means to an end. But after the tragic incident when her father had died in a car accident, the responsibility of her mother and younger sister fell on her. And carefree and playful childhood years ended when she had to do odd jobs to support her family. And her heart cried out for her baby sister, who was five years younger to her, and she found it difficult to support her studies.
As the train halted at the next station, Nisha was jolted out of her trance and she double checked the locks on her bag which contained her earnings. When she was satisfied, she sat there thinking about her next plan and next destination. She made a mental note to call home and send them a money order as soon as she reached there. She took her diary out and started to scribble,“They say Love makes the world go round. And I think they are damn correct ”.
And with these thoughts she turned to her booty in the bag, gave a soft innocent smile and said those magical words “I Love You”.

THE theory of Relativity from an infocian

I have never been more impressed with any other theory taught to me in high school than this one. Even though Maths happened to be my favorite subject, the favorite theory of my life happened to be 1 from Physics.

Our very own Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

As far as I remember I studied the Theory of Relativity when I was in my 12th standard. And to say the least I was fascinated, bowled over. In short I was in love.

Till then, the words more, less, difficult, easy were all mere words. It was only after I studied this theory that I came to fully understand their meaning. That everything we measure is by taking a reference and we are the taking the relative value with respect to that reference. Confused??

Let me put it more simply. For eg. if I say that I have very few toys, who am I comparing myself with?? Fewer toys compared with whom?? If the arrogant high headed girl in my class said that she had a lot of money, I was so tempted to ask- compared to whom??

The most important lesson that I happened to learn from this theory (apart from the good marks that I scored in the subject) was that everything that we experience in life is Relative. It just depends on ones perspective. If u think u have too less, just look at the poverty stricken, down trodden people for whom earning a square meal a day is a challenge. And believe you will more than thank your stars and your God for what you have. If you think you are very successful, look at the the Ambanis, Tatas, Birlas and the Mittals of the world. Maybe you will get that much needed fire to exploit your potential more, to exceed your own expectations.

Also I came to understand other peoples way of thinking and their mindsets much more clearly.
It used to be intriguing sometimes to see people throwing away everything they have to join NGOs and help others. And at the same time see a set of people who have more than enough (again very relative!!!!!!!!!!) and still burn the newly wed brides in pursuit for more wealth in the form of dowry. Analyzing events and people became much easier, when you could actually understand the way their minds work and from what perspective they would think about a certain issue.

From what I understand and feel from this is that when you can see your sorrow and joys from the reference, and not relatively, you will not experience the crests and troughs in life (though that could be another debatable topic for a certain set of people). People would argue that it is because of the troughs that we appreciate the crests. But seeing from a broader perspective keeps you much more calm and happy (much more.relative?????????? :-D)

Once I read this famous saying Life is hard. And I was tempted to ask compared to what????????

Lost And Found

I did not know why i named it lost and found. Guess that's what you name your articles when you have many things on your mind. But anyways here we go...


They say that, to gain something, you have to loose something. One has to make a lot of sacrifices in order to achieve what they want.

I never really understood what it meant until a few weeks ago, when i found love and lost my heart.(LOL)
Something that i never thought would happen to me. Love to me was like cryptonite to Superman.

I never thought that i could love, i never thought that i could be loved, again.

But there comes a time in every man's life when the only thing that matters to him is,
HER SMILE.

I was a guy who had lost hope on love. I had given up hope that I'd ever be able to love.
Coz whenever i loved a girl, or whenever a girl loved me, she cried a lot and there is nothing more painful than watching your love go away.

And you hit rock bottom when you realize that unknowingly or unwittingly you broke a heart that loved you more than love itself.

And all that follows is the realization, the guilt and the curse that you have to live with every single day of your life.
And you start wondering, if only you could delete all the bad memories but one.

Which one would you like to keep? Would you like to keep the memory of watching the girl that meant the world to you go away from you or would you rather wake up every morning to the fact that there is a heart somewhere in this world which is sad, because of you.
I GUESS NONE

And just like that, on one fine day comes a girl who just sweeps you away form all your misery and all your sorrow and you realize that you are capable of falling in love, again.
She makes you feel wanted, special and important. ( Sounds kinda queer, doesn't it).

But believe you me, finding love and finding someone who loves you after living with a curse, is some feeling.

And if i say " Its an out of the world feeling" I ain't kidding.

Now everyday i wake up to the fact that i have

FOUND LOVE AND LOST THE CURSE.

Or at least that's what I'd like to believe. But the fact of the matter is that

I'm in love.

Ciao!

Knock On a Door

I was walking on a road, night was black and cold. The gloom filled my head but I knew I could not stop. I saw a house at a distance, and I dared to knock on the door.
She opened the door and let me in. she gave me food, she gave me a quilt and a place to stay. She was The Angel mum had told me about.

She was my friend, my pal, my buddy. We laughed and cried, danced and frolicked together. One day she told me, I was her friend, her pal, her buddy. Then she said I am the Love she never had. I was confused, and shocked I was vexed and bewildered.

Nobody had loved me like that before and nobody will love me like her again.

I was sad when I walked away from her, it makes me sadder to wake up everyday and realize that I broke a heart full of love. Riding on my bike, I face my fate everyday. I feel the pain and the curse of a heart that I broke. I met some girls, I liked few of’em. But I could not have them as she could not have me. I sit on a cliff and look at the sunset. I lay bare on rocky ground gazing at the starry sky wondering,
What wrong have I done? What wrong have I done?

But I know what I did, I know it very well. I didn’t wanted it to be that way but it ended up that way.

Now I walk the road again, the cold and gloom filling my head again.
But I can’t stop, I have to keep walking in search of a soul, in search of a heart.
In search of a house so I can knock on a door, so I can knock on a door….