Life's short!

Life's short. We seem to think that we will live forever. We spend time and money as though we will always be here. We buy shiny things as if they matter a lot and are worth the debt and stress of attachment. We put off the the trip of a lifetime for another year, because we assume we have another year. We don’t tell the ones we love how much we love them because we assume there is always tomorrow. And we fear. We stick it out in miserable job and situations because we’re afraid of the risk of stepping out. We don’t reach high enough or far enough because we’re worried we’ll fail, forgetting, or never realizing that it’s better to fail spectacularly while reaching for the stars than it is to succeed at something we never really wanted in the first place.

We think we’ve got forever and that these concerns that weigh us down are so pressing. We worry about the trivial to the neglect of the most precious thing we have: moments we’ll never see again. We talk of killing time, passing time, and getting through the week, forgetting we’re wishing away the moments that comprise our lives. We say time is money when in fact the time we have is ALL we have. Money can be borrowed, time can’t. We fear taking risks, unaware that the biggest risk we run in playing it safe is in fact living as long as we hope and never doing the things we dreamed of. And then it’s too late.

Whatever your dream is, find a way to make it happen. Your job can wait. I know there are so many reasons we can’t do whatever we want and some of them are valid. Life is not only short, it is also sometimes profoundly hard. But I think sometimes our reasons are in fact only excuses. Its all about living the dream. It’s the realization that life is short and no one is going to live my life on my behalf. And one day soon – because it’ll seem that way, I know it – my candle will burn out; I want it to burn hot and bright while it’s still lit. I want it to light fires and set others ablaze.

Life is short. Live it now. And live it with all your strength and passion now. Don’t keep it in reserve against a day you might not have. Be bold about it, even if your circumstances mean all you have is to love boldly and laugh boldly. Because now is all we have, and these dreams won’t chase themselves.

आईचा वाढदिवस!

आजही पापण्यांचे दरवाजे मिटले की ती मायेची उब, अलगद अंगावर शहारे उठवुन जाते. तो स्पर्श, मनाला बेकल करतो. आठवणींच्या गावामध्ये, बालपणीच्या रानामध्ये, मिश्कील हरकतींच्या किलबिलाटामध्ये आपण नकळत ठाण मांडतो.

आपल्याला हवे ते हवे तेव्हा खाऊ घालणारी आई!

शाळेतल्या पहिल्या दिवशी आपल्या आधी तयार होणारी आई!

पहिल्या दिवशी शाळेत जाणारा मी नजरेआड होऊन वर्गात जाईपर्यंत कौतुकाने बघत राहणारी आई!

शाळा सुटण्याआधी आपल्याआधी शाळेच्या जिन्याखाली ताटकळत उभी राहणारी आई!

आपल्याला ठेचकाळले की जोरात रागावणारी आई, त्याचवेळेला तेवढ्याच मायेने मिळेल ते करून रक्त थांबवण्याचा प्रयत्न करणारी आई!

आम्ही झोपल्यानंतरही काम करणारी आणि आम्ही उठण्याआधीपासुन काम करणारी आई!

कदाचित झोपेतही संसाराच्या जबाबदा-यांची बेरीज वजाबाकी करणारी आई!

आपल्या बोलण्यावरून आपली संगत ओळखणारी व दाटून बरोबर काय अन चूक काय हे ठसवणारी आई!

माझ्यासाठी कुणाशीतरी भांडणारी आणि भांडण्याचा मुळात पिंडच नसल्याने डोळ्यात आलेलं पाणी लपवणारी आई!

खस्ता खातानाही हसता येते आणि कुणाला न दाखवता मनातून मूक रडता येते हे पहिल्यांदा आईकडूनच तर शिकलो.

सगळ्यांची भूक शमल्यानंतर, सगळ्यांचे ढेकर ऐकल्यानंतर रिकाम्या भांड्याला पाहूनही पोट भरता येते हे आईशिवाय कोणी सांगू शकेल बरे?

परीक्षेत आपण पहिले आल्यानंतर सगळ्यांच्या हसण्यामध्ये गुपचुप देवासमोर जाऊन समाधानाचे अश्रु गाळणारी आई!

आपल्या आवडी निवडी पूर्ण करता याव्यात म्हणून प्रत्येक वैयक्तिक सुखाला कात्री लावणारी आई!

आज तारुण्यात काही मनासारखे नाही झालं म्हणून चीडचीड करणारे आपण अन तेव्हा तिच्या ऐन तारुण्यात शंकराच्या पिंडीवर बेलाच्या पानांप्रमाणे स्वतःच्या आनंदाला वाहणारी आई!

शाळेमध्ये फी भरण्यासाठी सकाळी आपण उठण्याआधी वडिलांशी बोलून, आपली हौस बाजूला सारून आवडता दागिना काढून देणारी आई!

कित्येक वर्षे आपल्याला तळहाताच्या फोडाप्रमाणे जपणारी आई!

चार पैसे वाचावे म्हणून काटकसर करणारी, रात्रंदिवस काम करणारी आई!

त्यागाचे मूर्तीमंत उदाहरण कोणी असेल तर ती आईच!

सगळ्या परिस्थितींशी भांडून आपल्याला आपल्या योग्य ठिकाणी पोहचविण्यासाठी धडपडणारी आई!

वादळात, वीजांच्या गडगडाटात, मुसळधार पावसात, गरीबीमध्ये, उद्याचा आशेच्या किरण दाखवून आपला पाठपुरावा करणारी आई!

आपल्या स्वप्नांवर आपल्यापेक्षा जास्त विश्वास ठेवणारी व तिथपर्यंत पोहचण्यासाठी सतत प्रोत्साहन देणारी दैवी शक्ती म्हणजे आई!



शब्द नेहमीच थिटे पडले आहेत आईबद्दल लिहितांना! पण आपला उगाचच प्रयत्न करतोय आज कारण आमच्या मातोश्रीचा आज वाढदिवस! आणि तिला हैप्पी बर्थडे वगैरे म्हटले तर म्हणते 'तुम्ही मुलं कधी मोठे होणार काय माहिती, अरे माझा वाढदिवस का साजरा करावा?'. स्वतःचा वाढदिवस साजरा केलेला तिला अजिबात आवडत नाही. पण इतरांचा मात्र मनापासून आवडतो. तेवा आज आमच्या जिजाऊना वाढदिवसाच्या शुभेच्छा!

कवी यशवंतांची कविता आठवते,

शाळेतुनी घराला । येता धरील पोटी
काढून ठेवलेला । घालील घास ओठी
उष्ट्या तशा मुखाच्या । धावेल चुंबना ती
कोणी तुझ्याविना गे । का ह्या करील गोष्टी ?
तूझ्याविना न कोणी । लावील सांजवाती
सांगेल ना म्हणाया । आम्हा ’शुभं करोति’

स्वामी तिन्ही जगाचा । आईविना भिकारी.

How would you feel when...

How would you feel when you just cannot make someone understand what you think of her?
How would you feel when that someone is still the most important person in your life?
How would you feel when you cannot afford to give up on that someone?
How would you feel when you just cannot feel anything, anymore?

Finer Pleasures!

Mornings- A cold morning. Sitting in morning sun. On the roof with a newspaper and a hot breakfast. Pleasant!

Afternoons- Slow, lazy afternoons. Would love to just take a nap after lunch but would ultimately slip into deep slumber.

Night- In the backyard. Cool Satpura breeze. Struggling earthen lamp. Scent of Rat-Rani. Clear sky. The stars. With all the cousins. A pillow fight.

Sleep- In Aai's lap. As she pats your head gently, just cherish it. No matter how much grown up I may have become. Heaven!

Hug- A group hug. Just aai, baba and us.

Kiss- Kissing young sister. Gently pulling her cheek. Her innocent smile. Priceless!

Hand shake- A warm, soft palm within mine.

Pride- Dadaji adorning that old but shiny Cap. Walking straight. Standing tall. In his 80s. Respect! Dignity!

Leisure- Sitting on a swing. listening to music. reading a joke-book. laughing out aloud.

Crave- One cake. Just one; of chocolate. Yummie!

Walk- Night. Star studded. Brisk wind. Rustling leaves. Clittering crickets. And hand in hand. Bliss!

Talk- For hours. Together. About anything and everything under the sun. The night just passes.

Share- Share happiness. Joys. Every good thing. Pleasure!

Sip- A hot cup of Coffee. In a July rain. Sitting in front of blurred window. A sip and letting your heart out. Just like that.

Sit- On a bench. In a garden, from where I can aimlessly observe. Just watch the busy crowd getting thick and thin, while birds chirp happily in the background.

Laugh- That hearty and huge laughter till warm tears start rolling out. Priceless!

Sing- On the stage? I am not sure. But in the bathroom. Oh yeah! 'We are the champions!' Just you and your echo. No bigger joy!

Tears- Just think of times bygone. Remembering old smiles with tears in the eyes. Nostalgia!

Care- When a friend knows just what's on your mind and in your heart. Let the silence do talking. Look at each other. Realize that you are never alone. Never ever!

Love- Knowing that someone is thinking of you. Now. Everytime. An emotion. Transcends into unfathomable depths and sky soaring heights. Just so undefinable!

Smile- Just a smile. A grin. Contagious. Refreshing.

Help- The poor. The needy. Give. Donate. Everything you can. Shear satisfaction!

Lost Words...

There was time when you could tell a kid, when it spots a cat around, “Look there. It’s a pussy cat.” Now I squirm feeling uncomfortable when a just 4-year old niece points out a pussy cat to me.

Or when going through her ABC book teaching her, I feel awkward as I have to point to a bird called cock that I introduce as “C for ummm… Hey look its Mr. Hen.”

As a kid I was really happy and gay. Now I have to say I am only happy. Because through last decade the Americans conveniently stole words from my lexicon and gave them meanings which made sure I can’t use them like I once used to.

Now it is difficult to find a player saying, “I like playing with the ball” even if he was just stating the obvious.

A screw helps you bond two things….like wooden planks, or any material for that matter. However if, next Thursday, a girl shouts in Material Testing lab “I want a screw” I know exactly the kind of looks she would get then.

I wonder if an embroidery shop owner will now say that people pay more for a hand job than a machine job with same old ease.

There is this company called Tantra which make T-shirts. They banked on one such lost word to in a successful ad campaign that said-“Rajasthan-A great place for a good hump!”

However, when people say “I can make out”, they may just be referring to their ability to tell one thing from another.

Similarly, “My wife always comes before me” could simply mean the wife comes before the husband does from their respective offices.

P.S.- Talking of double entendre,

I have many favorites like this bar joke. ‘A woman walked into a bar and asked the bartender for a Double Entendre. So he gave it to her.’ :D

One I found outside Mulund station ‘Come to us for unwanted pregnancies’

One I read somewhere ‘Astronaut takes blame for gas in space’ ahh there are many..

P.S.- Why this post? Well it is for someone who is beaten at something but still smiling now. :P

Our Forgotten National Game..

It was an ecstatic moment for hockey lovers like me over the weekend, when the Indian hockey team broke the 13 year long spell and won their fourth Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament. The boys defeated hosts Malaysia 3-1 in the final of the five-nation tournament on Sunday :D. It was such an unbelievable moment . Our very own captain Sandeep Singh was declared player of the tournament. What a great show put up by the boys or so I READ! Yes you got it right...hockey lovers all over the country could only read about this huge win in the newspapers or on websites. It is so sad that there was no telecast of our “official” national sport. Just imagine this is our national game that we are talking about here. It is pathetic that a fairly big hockey tournament doesn't get any airtime even on our national television network while the smallest of state level cricket matches are telecast regularly. It is painfully disturbing to see that our very own national game gets no encouragement from anywhere.

I am most certain that many of us don't know that Hockey was introduced in India by British Army regiments. The first hockey club in India came up in Calcutta in 1885-86 and soon Bombay and Punjab followed and also formed their hockey clubs. India made its Olympic debut at the 1928 Amsterdam Games and the Indian hockey team cruised home to its first Olympic gold without conceding a single goal. From 1928 to 1956, the Indian hockey team won six straight Olympic gold medals while winning 24 consecutive matches. This was the golden era of Indian hockey when India emerged with great stature in world hockey and produced some of the finest players the game has ever seen.

We must ask ourselves why hockey is becoming a forgotten sport in our country.Why are we letting politics in a sports body ruin the glory of the game? I guess it's high time we start respecting and asking questions about our national sport. I am not against any other sport but I really do think that all sports should be treated equally. Cricket is not the only sport around. What do you think?

• End sems round the corner.. :( Koi Bachao..
• Going home in a couple of days.. yOyO
• Elections again.. All the politicians fighting for a SHIT in Lok Sabha.. ahhh I hate this/them..
• I can't stop liking the spring.. Awesome
• Great collection for Goonj.. Thank you junta.. :)
• bye
  
• End sems round the corner.. :( Koi Bachao.........................................

Feeling Nostalgic....

Kharagpur weather is full of surprises. It is raining here now (And rain in the spring is something unusual). I was just standing in front of my room, seeing someone play in the rain and willingly getting soaked in the sprinkle of water and the thought hit me like a thunder. Are those days gone?

The childhood, the innocence. This is one part of myself which I miss the most.

Why do we feel nostalgic? Why do we remember the old times? Hmm. Who knows? But one thing’s for sure, while the pleasant memories give you moments worth cherishing, sad incidents in the past teach you about your mistakes and encourages you to be better in the future and hence improve yourself as a person, adding on to your self-esteem.

Now days, when I eat (let’s say) Jalebi, I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. Not that I like it less, neither is Jalebi worse now. Then what is wrong? I guess, I lost that ability of finding happiness in every little thing. I remember being over-delighted when father brought me something as small as a pencil, an eraser or a sharpener, as if he got me a car. Now rarely does anything give me as much happiness.

I recently heard a story of a child who wanted to see it raining on a hot summer day and how a friend elephant gave him the rain he longed to see, using its trunk. This took me back to my childhood, those nights in the arms of my father as he narrated me all those great stories, each story making me a little wiser, a little stronger, a little better to face the outside world. Those stories were different, where the good always won over the evils, where the villains were fought against unitedly, where there was always the hope for good and there was always a happy ending.

When one is a child, he is innocent. Since you don't do anything bad to anyone, you don't expect anything bad to happen to you too. You are always protected by unflappable support of your parents by your side. Parents have the solution to everything that worries you. You are safe and most importantly, you know that you are safe.

I so badly wish I could go back to those days, the school days. When learning used to be much more fun. When, during summers, I used to wait for school to start cause school was so much fun and, during winters, I would wait for summer cause vacations were equally great. When I had nothing to worry about. When only concern each day was to complete the tiny homework for the following day. The moment it is over, I was free to do anything, not having a single fear, always knowing somewhere in my mind, that my parents will protect me from anything bad that could happen.

I know, I have never said it, but thanks Aai, thanks Baba, for loving me all so good, for always being there for me, for guiding me at each step, for concentrating all your efforts in your pursuit of making me a good person. Seeing you satisfied by my few achievements, that look of happiness and pride in your eyes on my, however little, success, that has been my greatest reward and will always be. Nothing can substitute the joy which I get when I know that I have lived up to your expectations.

I hope, I have never hurted you and I never will!! I know you have always been there for me, and will always be. I will be there for you too. My love for you will keep on increasing with each passing moment and every passing breathe.

Now that I am out of the cocoon and facing the whole new world, I am safe in the knowledge that my values will always guide me on to the right path. And when my life comes to a still or when the going gets tough, I would have those memories to rest back on to re-kindle the trust in my own self. Though I can never relive those past moments, the memories will always be there for me to cherish. So now that I know, that the days are not gone, they can never go, it feels much better.

As I look out it is still raining here. Rain in the spring, God I like it so much. I am gonna go dance in the rain……

Who is the foolest politicians...

well last couple of days saw a lot of anguish against the "great" indian politicians... and it is pretty obvious too.. these silly people did act like they are devoid of common sense and that they really lack the sense of wat they should talk of according to the situations...

first came a comment from the then home minister and deputy chief minister of maharashtra r r patil.. he termed the terror attacke in mumbai a "small incident".. for those who like bollywood dilouges wat he exactly said was “bade shahron mein aise ek adh hadse hote rahte hain. Woh 5,000 logon ko marne aye the lekin humne kitna kum nuksan hone diya."

This created a flutter and huge outrage over his remarks all over the country…

Well it was army and NSG who contributed largely in flushing out the terrorists…but patil was talking like it was he and only his police who “saved” Mumbai (lekin humne kitna kum nuksan hone diya)….

The loud mouth patil was shouting from the top of his voice about a month ago when his men killed a seemingly innocent boy rahul raj on the pretext of “encounter”…. he justified his act by saying that guns will be met with guns…

Well I wonder if it was because, none of his family member was inside taj, oberoi or at cafe leopold & cst station, he said all this ….or is it just words to hide own unability to take any action….

Or Is it really like wat sharad pawar (patils senior in his party) said…that it was due to patil’s language problem that he made such a statement .. I surely dont think so … I don’t expect the second most powerful person (politically that is) of such a large state to make fool of himself just due to his language problems….

I wonder if we should really expect protection from terrorism by such politicians…

The second incident was when BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that people protesting against political apathy during the Mumbai terror attack are no better than terrorists…

To quote him exactly..” Some women wearing lipstick and powder have taken to streets in Mumbai and are abusing politicians spreading dissatisfaction against democracy. This is what terrorists are doing in Jammu and Kashmir,"

in times like this we should join hands for our war against terrorism rather than waging war against the democratic institution…

now too someone came to downplay these silly comments (BJP spokeperson now) …who said that naqvi did not mean to say that …his words were presented in wrong context..(ohh really)..

he means women wearing lipsticks are deviding nations….but no they are not it is these fucking politicians who play the game of vote bank..

I came across a witty comment somewhere I really liked it said “India should get rid of terrorists who come thru VOTE as our military will anyway get rid of terrorist who come thru' BOAT”

Next, r r patil’s boss, Vilasrao Deshmukh, the chief minister of Maharashtra, took his movie-star son and a well known bollywood directorram gopal verma with him on a "terrorism tour" of the devastated Taj Hotel… deshmukh then termed this as a “no big deal” and that ppl are making too much fuss about the incident…

Does the behaviour of these men is a sign of the crisis that has engulfed Indian politics since the atrocities in Mumbai…

It did not end there. The chief minister of kerala state, VS achuthanandan, managed to turn the mumbai incident into a political crisis for himself after he tried to visit the father of army major sandip unnikrishnan shot by the terrorists….when the distraught father refused him entry, an outraged achuthanandan said that had it not been the house of the army officer "not even a dog would have visited them"….

Outreaged father of brave sandip forbided any politician to visit his home and (rightfully) called the opportunist kerala CM 'a dog'….

Meanwhile narendra modi didn’t want to lose in this race of “the foolest politicians” …he rushed to shed his crocodile tears and condole the martyrdom of the brave ATS chief, Mr Karakare. His widow very rightly refuses to meet him or accept his cheque for Rs.1 crore….

Also after completing an interview with Al Jazeera concerning the Mumbai attacks, sanjay nirupam, a congress party spokesman was confronted by bystanders over the government's failings to prevent attacks…..

While whole nation was literally crying over attack congress leader narayan rane was crying over the CM post …after deshmukh’s resignation there was speculation about rane getting the post … however when the news of ashok chavan becoming the CM came, rane could not take that and started putting allegations on his own party and even going to the extent of saying that he has an idea of of who all in the party are protecting terrorists…

the BJP leader and a candidate for PM post advani and BJP president found campaigning in rajsthan more important than the all-party meeting convened by prime minister manmohan singh to discuss the terrorist attacks in mumbai…

all these incidents outraged people… opinion poll taken after attack found 82 per cent of voters agreed that politicians do not have the desire to fight terrorism and are too busy playing politics…. It found 86 per cent felt the terrorist attacks on mumbai could have been prevented and blamed the Government for being incompetent….

the attacks brought forth our politician’s shameless true colours …

atleast the people of mumbai showed the guts to show solidarity and unity when they came out on street to protest against the attacks. many politicians still havent found the time to make a small satement against terrisiom, they can just play dirty politics , why shouldnt these people be blamed for attacks, shame on them and their entire political fertinity……

POLITICIANS HAVE EVEN NOW NOT LEARNT THEIR LESSON!!! ALL THESE POLITICIANS DESERVE TO BE LYNCHED..THATS ALL…

PS

• came across a relly cool slideshow of rally in mumbai..see it here
• question..whos the foolest politicians??
• rahman is at it again ... slumdog millionaire and ghajini are spellbounding ...ossome compositions..
• going home next sunday...yoyo
• thnx chubby for great testi...
• do comment..(my first public blog :P)
  
• feeling sleepy...
• buhbye...