Entwined In This Dance Of The Stars

Why don’t we waltz with this music playing, the sound of life? Why don’t we play further the roles we have? Why can’t we continue this costumed existence?
Let the stars of Winter twinkle a little longer, and this night be as mellow as it is now till eternity ends. All I do need is here, as it should be. All that should be here is grossly missing .This fleeting spirit that runs, what if it denies us for a minute the very, minute. Would it do so for a day? Maybe a month? Would it be considerate enough to let all plans unravel at their own speed and not be products of fleeting ideas and ill-executed movements of pseudo logic?
Is it possible in the wisdom of all that is holy and sacred we tend to idolize not absolute change rather the solace or procrastinated hope. Maybe justifying that “Hope is a good breakfast but bad dinner.”?

I strongly believe that change is a neutral entity and is the essence of life itself, we as humans however remain stuck in our roles so strongly and remain tied to them. Even if we may alter our tastes, preferences, company, etc on exposure to our previous surroundings we tend to revert back to our former selves. This may be something some of us cherish however does this also not show failure to adapt and alter perspectives? Maybe consistency is good and one should never forget one’s roots but that doesn’t mean that you keep falling back in familiar patterns.

An amusing thought it is when you realize the conflict we face in a world which tries to alter us, but at the same time tries to fit us in a fixed role. How any sort of movement and change of pattern is always met with opposition. Be it forces like friction or maybe trying to change a government. The Law of Causality is an axiomatic rock that has maybe been the steady witness over time to this phenomenon.  What is funny is that maybe if there was no opposition we could not really call it change? It would be a continued state of existence. What does this rant so blatantly beating around the bush mean?

It means maybe we should hear ourselves for who we are in the present and try to see life in all it's worth in the moment, lying underneath the shimmering stars on this Winter night.

All Grown Up.

This post is way overdue. I have been kind of busy, but more so not in the mood to write. I mean, an engineer who does writing. The one I know of the like is Chetan Bhagat so that's a bummer.
Anyway the last few months have been  a jump. Like a fast forward. Not because of the general perception that time is fleeting, but because they have made me realize, it's time I plan out a future.
To be honest it's weird. I mean I still like racing people on the stairs. I still try to balance the switch between on and off. For some reason I believe that the guy who makes questions marks and stars on his partner's copy might not be the most "consummate professional" (Even if his resume does say otherwise).

It's funny,  in college everything feels the same. In fact there are still aspects that I am still discovering and contrary to all previously formed opinion it isn't as bad a place I thought. I mean they don't serve non-veg and are like Scrooge when it comes to holidays, but still. The people too aren't that bad. In fact some are pretty cool. So I kind of do like my present. The question is when I leave this frontier and go to the beyond. Full of suits, computers, water cooler jokes and people with a bad sense of humour to whom I can't give a sarcastic retort.  How will it be? Classmates from school have nearly got it all figured out and I am on the side going like, yeah, I'll go home and eat Chinese.
Perhaps the funniest instance was when Siddharth, Puneet and I had a conversation about SAE and it's relevance. Trying to sound all responsible. The guys who laugh at the Chowpatty-Charpai joke.
I speak to my juniors and for once I do envy them. Is it a Peter Pan sort of thing? Bah. Couldn't care.

500 Days of Summer is a pretty good movie, especially the last part, when he does become serious about his career and associated clips like those are purely my only solace. I mean let's put it this way, it's not scary, just general apprehension. Can you blame me? A guy with whom I used to (and still do) talk about Pokémon, is contemplating B-Schools and specializations with respect to the job market. Who wouldn't freak out? It's like the night is over and the grown ups have to go work.

I am ready for it. Agreed I don't know how the "Corporate World" functions but you know, when I was a kid I did not know how Middle School -High School works but I made it. It's the same just that the stakes are like the REST of my life. Like a never ending final. Then again, improvisation and determination can overcome quite a bit. So yeah. I am ready to jump. I am ready to go and design/manufacture/sell/buy/fix/play/write. I say all these because the one thing I have learnt is even the kid who convinced his parents he wants to sing does have a lil voice that tells him otherwise. The individual who wants to switch fields needs a little boost to make the switch. So for all the souls looking to do it, this entry I hope convinces you that being slightly tensed is okay, but what you need to remember is the fact that your success has already been decided when you decided it. Now it's all about grit, hard work and other vaguely motivational terms.

We all start with same knowledge as a fresher in any field. It's ultimately all about your perseverance and knowledge. You should know what to take and what to reject. You should know your opportunities and be able to make your setbacks, stages for a comeback. Very few decisions are both important and easy as they say. You can't let fear steal your funk.
Here is hoping that you, me and all of us do become the rockstars/doctors/dictators/engineers/authors (even Chetan Bhagat might) that we aspire to be. Deserving of the credit of our toughest critic, ourselves.

-Yes, the fear-funk was a "How I Met Your Mother" reference.

Cheers!

Peace.Acceptance.Anticipation

A lot is said about change. A lot. Stuff like, it's inevitable, has to happen, is welcome sometimes, you should carry your own, etc.

"They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."
-Confucius.
 
It is like explaining the relation between the present and the future.
By the time that you realize that you have changed, or your surroundings have, or the people in your life have, it's already too late to do anything about it. Sometimes it is a good thing and the change is helpful, sometimes it's bad and you want to avoid it at all costs. However sometimes, it is a bad thing, but we still want it, because often our present can become a little too overwhelming, for us to continue to think properly, and sometimes, you don't want to keep making the effort to make sense out of nothing. Sometimes you just want life to take control (Auto-pilot, if you will).

But sadly, that is the thing about change. It itself is unbiased. The question only is how you perceive it. It can be your best friend, or your worst enemy, it can also be that guy in your class who   you call only for some administrative thing  or whom you hang around with when you crew is absent. (Ok, to be honest that 3rd option was a little cryptic. Delve into it. The meaning is somewhere.)

It's just that the one needs to make peace with their past, be accepting of their present I guess then only can that person be ready for his/her future. Maybe that is the greatest lesson any of us can learn. To learn about faith, anticipation, bravery and the ability to be at peace.
All we can hope for I guess, is to take the leap, because like it not you will have to jump. It's on you whether you do it at your own accord or are pushed into it.
Always dreaming for the best.
Cheers!

On IPL and "sportsmanship"

A lot is being said about how “fixing”  and determining match high points before hand has spoilt the game. It is quite easy for everyone, be it  an irritatingly loud, argument friendly news anchor or  the bus conductor. They talk about how wrong it is. They talk about how its destroying the country. It really is easy to just side with the tide. However just for the sake of argument I would like to play the Devil’s Advocate.
First of all it’s a game. I repeat, it’s a game. That is it. No it has not compromised security, and no it has not caused destruction of property. I believe that all those who cry about match fixing,  are just a fraction of the present massive uproar. The rest of them just bystanders being swept away by the popular opinion. I believe that this set up is exactly like a business deal. A simple contract. The viewer at any point of time can shut the TV and do something useful with his/her life. It’s like watching a show. You know there will be twists and turns. The IPL is nothing different. Of course some say about how its a sport and talk about things like sportsmanship, but seriously, how many people would actually keep watching the IPL, if it were not for the twists and turns? Our society thrives on drama and underdog upsets.  Why would Reliance continue to invest in the sport if their team keeps losing? Kingfisher has proudly stated its connection to 4-5 major teams. Did no one think there might be a slight conflict of interests over there? If you were fine with the sell out of the sport, why do you cry when you see the math?

The BCCI is an independent body. Sadly “independence” is a term our country has never really appreciated post 1947. Unless of course you include the holiday. The same goes for the institutions.  Everything works on the basis of pressure points. The media always acts as the judiciary. The judiciary  as the rebellious teenage kid of the government and the government like Big Brother.  How does all this figure in? Because deep down, everyone knows this and it sickens them. Hence they turn to sports and movies. Mix the two and you get something glossy like the IPL. So when this “sport” is marred by malpractices,  the frustration is vented on something which is a very small part of the entire picture.

The fact that there is fixing in the IPL should not be forgiven of course. Rather the IPL should be given the same treatment as any soap. It would be the perfect solution. All of us have had a wrestling addiction phase. Some of us see through the pseudo angry athletic display and wise up. The rest carry on anyway. Nothing different about the IPL. It is indeed, Sports Entertainment.

 

Logics Of Life

"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."


Firstly, yes it is a Kung-Fu Panda logic, but leaving that aside if one actually ponders on the validity of this thought, it becomes more obvious about how true it actually is.

I am a strong believer of destiny. I do believe what all we have in store for us has already been written somewhere. We however are not meant to ever know that as in that case the surprise and thrill which life has now would completely die out. If we know what the future holds would it help us? I don't think it would. We would just exist and not live.

Now,  with regard to the given topic, I think a good example for it would be trying to forget something. If you try to forget it, you only keep thinking about it. The only way to actually forget about something is to refuse to let that fact take over your life. To not let it define your existence.
Similarly I guess is the case with destiny. Now people do say you make your own destiny, but I think whatever you will do/can do/might do is already written somewhere, in a library perhaps in Greenland's caves where there is a huge record of everyone on Earth. What they will do, and how they will go on to change the world.

Why do I believe in destiny?
I would like to believe that our planet, our Universe was not born out of sheer chaos and confusion. I would like to think there is some defined purpose and logic behind everything. Now be it a 20 year old writing a blog entry at 12 AM, or maybe the fly which keeps on irritating him. It all has a purpose. It all plays a part of a bigger picture. It is not that I believe in insignificance of a single entity, quite contrary to that I believe that all that is to happen has already been written. However there are different roles all of us must essay before we can actually achieve that ultimate stage. I believe that the Universe is defined by us and not the other way round. Our lives have already been written. We now get to savour it.
Truth be told I am not really a pack of sunshine. However I do realize what a gift life is, and the fact that I have it means there has to be some greater purpose I am yet to achieve, which will be clear to me when I am ready for it. This sort of belief  can give one a lot of perseverance. It is not just blind hope. Rather should be imbibed as a belief.

In conclusion, having faith that we all have a special role, that we all are present for a higher purpose is something I believe we all  should treasure and cherish.
Cheers!

20.

Now I don't mean to sound strange or anything, but today it hit me, that its my last day as a teenager.
How did this happen, well a simple discussion about birthdays led me to realise, after today, I have to behave responsibly (*crap*). You know how some of us as kids always dreamt of growing up and being all responsible and stuff, I DID NOT!
However as one of the things that one tends to learn, is that any event or time, will occur when it has to. You cannot do anything about it. You must change according to it. It does however feel different.  imean the kid who till two days ago, was  playing on a swivelling chair has to be all responsible and mature. Not very confidence inspiring you know.I mean I get, it all this started when I was 18, but still the fact that now there is no turning back and no buffer. It gets like a battle from here. That hits.
I believe the age of 19 is like "Intro To Adulthood 101".
However from here on it gets all serious and stuck up. I'll have to be all cynical, and criticise whatever the government does, and pretend I know more about sports than the players themselves. Cry about taxes, and how inflation will be the death of this country.
Talk about a Peter Pan Problem.

The Window to a Dream.

To lie on my hammock is all I dream,
to see the stars and their pearly sheen.
To feel the cool wind on a grassy track,
to explore Narnia and the Shrieking Shack.
To follow my whims and spontaneity,
to be limited only by my imagination and creativity.


To see the tree stretch far out in the distance,
 To not face any animosity based resistance.
I strive  to reach a world ever so elusive, ever so green,
Where  ignorance is ignored, only knowledge seen.
Where one does not run after trivial pursuits,
Where everything  is appreciated for function, from science to soot..


Where work is done not for mean benefits or gains,
rather to cure the universe’s pains.
Where all life is with dignity and grace
where you get the choice to set your own pace.


An egalitarian civilization, with kinship not limited to blood,
for all my fellow beings, in a hope we trust.
To  know that this world in the present is a gift.
We must use it judiciously, without being too thrift,
for either is harmful, over or less
its better to stay out of this mess.


So I dream, of a place where the streetlights, shine as bright as life,
where the cool winter chill inspires  hope and not strife.
Where help doesn’t see profit or loss,
just and only the effect and cause.
Lend a hand to strangers and friends
so all that’s broken can be mend
Let us work for joy, and to let happiness abound,
for whatever good we do, surely will come around.