Stay Raw!!!

I just came across the MTV “Stay Raw” campaign. It is revolutionary. In a sense liberating. How often do we find ourselves critiquing things which are an integral part of our identity? How often do we feel embarrassed because of what we are called or who we are or how we look? There’s a constant fear of being judged because of how we eat, what we wear and where we live.


We consciously try to do things which fit our perception of what is socially acceptable, even though it is far away from what we actually feel like doing. The need for social conformity just usurps our true self. We say things people want to hear. Do what they want us to do. Feel the way they want us to. Subconsciously we hand over the remote control of our feelings to others and act according to what’s pressed or rather impressed upon us. Its subconscious, yet a meek emotional surrender.


In doing all of this, our little true self is lost. We forget who we really are. What we stand for. What we wish to stand for. We forget to take pride in ourselves, for the individuals we were born as and for the person we are today. We need to recognise the fact that wherever we currently are, we surely have come a long way, since our first day!


So go ahead, whoever you are, wherever you are, cherish your being. Celebrate your existence. Cos there’s just no-one exactly quite like you. You’re unique. No matter how twisted you are, its always fun. Being true to yourself is ultimately a good feeling. Beat the world and stay on top. Try till you succeed and still if you don’t, stay amateur. No matter what the situation is, stay cheerful. It’s cool to be whacky and crazy at times, so go ahead. No matter how different you are, always stay proud of yourself, Stay original, Stay Raw!!

Jaago Re....

We Indians have an unparalleled fetish for Power. Since time immemorial, power struggles have been well chronicled throughout Indian history. Sons have killed fathers and brothers have massacred each other for the sake of the throne. Families have plotted and deceitfully undone their own blood in their pursuit of power. Be it the Mahabharata, Ramayana or the Muhgal Empire, this theme runs through all of ancient history of India. The important question to ask though is what happens after we acquire that power?

Spiderman gave us this most wonderful line, “With great power comes great responsibility” – well yea, he’s American – he can say it. He wouldn’t have dared to say that if he was an Indian.

We’ve been known to screw up when we have great power. Our regulatory Institutions themselves have time and come into question with their integrity. Be it the BBCI, The Income Tax Department, The Election Commission, The Indian Olympic Association, the relatively well respected Indian Armed Forces who were considered to be a great “Adarsh” have also now been tainted with suspicion. All major Indian Regulatory Entities, by and large love self destruction. TRAI and the Raja scam is the latest to join the list!!

Indian policymakers take corruption to be the norm and exceptions to the norm are ridiculed. It is this attitude of taking things lying down that has perpetuated this deep rooted rot over the years.

We young Indians, who are certainly going to be in positions of power and responsibility in the times to come, need to introspect and walk the talk on making India a respected or a ridiculed state. As the clutter breaking advertisement says, it is indeed time for us to “Jaago Re...”

Eat Pray Love - Comfort Food for my soul!!!

It's truly quite rare that one comes accross lines in a book or a movie that connect so deeply with your inner self and manifest some of your deepest emotions into words.

I had a similar experience with this wonderful journey of life which has been articulated by Elizabeth Gilbert into her book "Eat Pray Love" and then converted into a motion picture starring Julia Roberts, the most apt protagonist to essay the part. The lines which mirrored my soul are.....


""If I love you, I will carry for you all your pain, I will assume for you all your debts (in every definition of the word), I will protect you from your own insecurity, I will protect upon you all sorts of good qualities that you have never actually cultivated in yourself and I will buy Christmas presents for your entire family. I will give you the sun and the rain, and if they are not available, I will give you a sun check and a rain check. I will give you all this and more, until I get so exhausted and depleted that the only way I can recover my energy is by becoming infatuated with someone else."

Whole - Greater than the sum of its parts!!

There was a superb blog post that I recently came accross called "One Minus Some Is Still One..."  which propagated the thought that being 'Lonely' and being 'Alone' are two different things. Being lonely has a negative connotation and being alone is a positive state of mind. When we forge relationships to get rid of our lonliness, we're effectively cheating the other person. However the article proposed that we must love to be in love with being alone. We must learn to first be in love with ourselves only then think of forging relationships. (by relationships - one doesnt mean the spousal / romantic ones only). The following was my reply to a friend who asked me for my feedback on the thought!!..... Sharing it here as I'd love to know what you think on this...

I was contemplating upon this article I read and have been thinking of my reaction to it.....

And I never knew I would EVER begin articulating my thoughts, the way I’m about to. Using Maths!!!

When it comes to relationships, we need to understand the basic arithmatic behind it.

We need to recognise that two, is not just a literal summation of one plus one. We must learn to respect it as an entity in itself. Give it the recognition of being an individual whole number itself rather than constantly viewing it as a sum of two real numbers. Only when we learn to recognise this fact, can we learn to nurture and develop our relationship to the fullest.

We must realise that in the case of human relationships, some of parts (can / should) never be greater than the whole. Lest, we develop fault lines in our relationship ebbing from our deepest routed vice – ego. Hence whether I'm lonely / alone should not really count as long as my intent, commitment, conviction and belief in the relationship is pure and sacrosanct. We need to attach far greater importance to the invisible entity we create (relationship) by our mutual consent, rather than the mental, physical, emotional and physiological state of its constituents (us).

A relationship is a mutually beneficial excercise based on mutual consent. Much like the trades that happen on a stock market. One buys only when the other is willing to sell. As long as both are happy indulging in the act, their intent of buying and selling seldom counts. It can never be a zero-sum game for anyone.
 I partially agree with the subtlety of difference in connotation of ‘being lonely’ and ‘being alone’, however the extrapolation of that concept to interpret individual behaviour in relationships, is something I'd humbly disagree with.

 “I strongly believe that one should first come to terms with one’s own loneliness before entering into a relationship”

When we say this, we truly undermine the power of the phenomena of creation of relationships. Have we wondered how to relationships get formed? (Apart from the ones that are thrust upon us). I think we need to then question the basis of formation of our relationships. Having a precondition of not being ‘lonely’ before entering a relationship would certainly blow away chances of a potentially great relationship being formed on the basis of that loneliness itself where one of the stakeholders acts a beacon of inspiration, companionship and a source of genuine love and affection to the other to alleviate him from his current lonely state. And mind you, this is not done as an act of help or charity. It involves real feelings of real people.

Secondly, another glaring omission in consideration, was the thought that in neither the state of being lonely or alone, is sustainable over a period of time. However, being positively socially engaged in a relationship, if managed well, can bring sustained happiness, fulfilment, joy and satisfaction to us.

We can ask for ‘alone’ time out of a relationship, if we feel disconnected with ourselves for a bit, but the converse is just not possible!!

Transformation of loneliness to aloneness is an act of self deception. A certain mind game, we convince ourselves that we need to play solo!

In my view, attempting to try and create a compelling environment for ourselves which enables us to create and cultivate positive relationships, is the ultimate way of creating enriching experiences, which ultimately make life worth living!!!

Musings of My Muse....

She flung the windows of my mind open,
In a manner contrary to the elegance of her smile,
Rarely have I found the depth of thought so well woven,
That the impact of those words stayed with me for a while

In the veiled garb of this simplistic thought,
There is profound insight,
The spirit that underlines this thought,
Challenges conventions, gives status quo a fight.

Experiences we all assimilate,
Few are bothered to learn,
Fewer enlightened to internalise them,
Fewest have the intellect to share the wisdom in turn.

WE - by Anuj Gosalia

I found myself tagged again on a note on Facebook.... It was from my buddy Anuj Gosalia who is indeed a thought provoking writer...

This one, was definitely made me think... It deserved to be shared as it struck a chord with me.. It articulated things which we all know, but refuse to acknowledge. Happy reading...


We, creatures of hope.
Stare into infinite sky from bottomless pits.


We, creatures of faith.
Trust infidels with bleeding hearts.
We, creatures of fame.
Burn ourselves for the afterglow.
We, creatures of lust.
Sleep in hypocrisies of love.
We, creatures of money.
Part with when ample. Like love.

We, creatures of prayer.
Silent, selfish and sporadic.
We, creatures of love.
In guises of insecurity and egotism.
We, creatures of inadequacy.
Cynical, sometimes real.
We, are more often than not.
Creatures exactly like me!!

A Ceremonious Lie...

Prelude: This rant was born due to the sheer boredom inflicted upon me in my MBA class during a Business Communication lecture.


Disclaimer - This rant doesn't aim to demean any academic practitioner or practice. It is composed with the underlying assumption, that people could just read it for fun without reading further into it!


So here it goes....


Sermonic education is akin to a ceremonious lie,


The one imparting it is shackled, the reciever eager to fly.



The exchange is mutual, but the mutuality is in doubt,


One is certainly suppressed, the other flexes his clout.



The wisdom of both is unquestionalble for sure,


But the futility of the exercise sadly has no cure.

The husky, rugged voice sounds like music to me,


Almost like a deaf Mozart enjoying a symphony.

I’m here at the expense of my extended sleep,


The rewards of this sacrifice in future I’d reap.



Atleast I was told so, this is the gullible me,


The session’s on communication, what an Irony!!!

Minatory of the mind…

My mind meanders, almost like a docile pet.
Giving in to the argumentative master, submission its best bet.
The smug look on my face, exudes a conceited control,
At the core of this cocky mind, thrives a confused soul.

And then it questions, the existential dilemma,
Of this inconspicuous combo,
The heady mix of a mind in command living together,
With the one embroiled in many a mambo-jambo.

A part of it, craves freedom, almost vagabondish in style,
The other more astute and discerning, albeit with a smile.
This crazy concoction is sure to brew up a storm,
Meddling with this medley is truly an art form.

Intense battle for supremacy incandescently rages on,
Clamor caused by the barrage of thoughts leaves me completely torn.
Nevertheless, the turmoil, taught me a thing or two,
If you’re doomed to choose between them, let your words be few.

The Choice Is Ours...

The chronological history of India dates back to about 34,000 years ago, when the first traces of human existence on the Indian subcontinent were found. Since then, it has hosted some of the greatest civilizations that have significantly shaped up human history.

Right from the Mughal conquests to the Indian freedom struggle, from Vasco de Gama’s voyage to the partition of India post independence, the declaration of emergency or be it the demolition of Babri Masjid, these were all choices made by individuals which had far reaching after effects on the future of this nation.

Life always gives us choices. We can always chose to be, (or not to be) in a particular state of mind or have a certain opinion. Our nation and its history has been built based on these choices that various individuals have made at various points in time under diverse circumstances, the effects of which have been faced by generations to come.

On 26th November, 2008 we witnessed events which changed the way we lived forever. The trauma of these series of events can never be encapsulated appropriately in words. Language always looses out in the battle of superior relevance to emotions. The stark difference being, language is always expressed, but emotions, experienced.

The large hoi polloi of Indian masses revel in the values enshrined in our democratic character. We hope for emancipation through justice. We hope despite being duped of it several times before. But after all we’re Indians. We’re hardly trained to learn lessons from the past. We’re the superior breed. We celebrate Idiosyncrasies like “forgiveness”, “mercy”, “suffering”, “salvation through pain” etc.

Today, the verdict on the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks was announced. He was pronounced ‘guilty’. There were so many of us who were expecting that ‘justice’ would be delivered. The culprits will be ‘brought to book’. The wrong doers will be punished and the victims vindicated. Well ya right. The irony of this great nation is that we still have the ability to think so naively that we can make a lolly sucking toddler feel like Einstein.

Do you really think ‘justice’ has been done? Do you really think ‘justice’ can be done? Can Ombale, Salaskar, Kamte, Unnikrishnan and others come back? Will Karambir Kang ever be able to enjoy another meal with his family in the hotel which he manages himself. Will baby Moshe ever get his parents back? More importantly will the public prosecutor bring back my sleep which I lost in utter frightful disgust while catching up on all the live broadcast of 10 men raping the dignity of my city for 60 long hours?

The answer to all the above questions is a big NO. But some of us, will be calling this trial a victory of our “Democratic Process”. Well yea, friends, leave this bullshit for the politicians to mutter in press conferences. If this is a victory, I’d rather not win. I’m tired of such victories in Jessika Lall Case, In Malegaon Blast Case, In Babri Demolition Case, In Godhra Riots Case, In Bofors, In Fodder Scam Case, and millions of other idiotic legal proceedings which have overburdened our judiciary to the extent that it has even lost its relevance.

I’d be the first one to jump in to celebrate victory if the families of the victims of 26/11 would have been compensated adequately. If the public transportation and public places would have been protected enough post the incident. I’d have rejoiced had we pulled up our socks on internal security, had we been able to corner Pakistan to arrest Hafiz Sayeed and hand him over to India. I’d have danced in joy if we were able to extradite David Headly. The problem in India is that we’re just too accustomed to the judiciary stepping in and giving us illusionary solace of emancipation.

It just gives us this illusionary satisfaction that something has been done and takes our minds off the original reasons which caused the mess or the logical steps which should have been taken to prevent another mess from occurring. Which is why, I feel that Judiciary in India is the greatest constitutional cover up mechanism. It’s almost like a lifeline or an escape route available to every wrong doer in India.

This rant is just the emotional outburst of an anguished Indian. For the rest of you’ll who think this spoils your “celebration of justice”, save me the trouble of apologizing to you. Go to the nearest legal library and look up the law books (Which I think, if all sold as scrap, would wipe out the Fiscal Deficit of this country) on provisions of Appeals to the Supreme Court. You’ll find Kasab’s lawyers there chatting up over chai, about the next course of action. There’s this dude called Mohd. Afzal a.k.a Afzal Guru as well, who attacked our parliament in 2001. He’s been cheating imminent death as per his sentence. It’s possible because he’s a believer. Nahh… not in God, in the eternal hopelessness of the Indian system and the inherent idiosyncrasy of this concept called ‘Mercy Petition’. No wonder he’s called “Guru” – The dude’s got great insight on how things work in this part of the world.

As I said, the choice is ours. We can view this verdict the way we want. Call it our success or our collective failure. Life always gives us choices. We can always chose to be, (or not to be) in a particular state of mind or have a certain opinion. Our nation and its history has been built based on these choices that various individuals have made at various points in time under diverse circumstances, the effects of which have been faced by generations to come….

My 25 Most Desirable Women!!!!

Disclaimer: This list does not aim to do the impossible, which is to judge a woman's beauty. It is a mere fun manifestation of my childish fantasies!! These might NOT be the world's sexiest / most intelligent / hottest / googled women. These are just the women I find desirable. There is a heavy personal preference here. All agreements & disagreements are welcome with a smile! :-)

So, here's presenting you to the list of my 25 Most Desirable Women!!!!


Rank Name
1 Drew Barrymore
2 Nandita Das
3 Catherine Zeta Jones
4 Eva Mendes
5 Nigella Lawson
6 Ana Ivanovic
7 Chitrangada Singh
8 Penelope Cruz
9 Sona Mohapatra
10 Demi Moore
11 Cheryl Cole
12 Kate Beckinsale
13 Jessica Alba
14 Sameera Reddy
15 Gul Panag
16 Elizabeth Gilbert
17 Kate Winslet
18 Lisa Ray
19 Gabriella Sabatini
20 Martina Hingis
21 Madhuri Dixit
22 Megan Fox
23 Norah Jones
24 Tulip Joshi
25 Katrina Kaif



PS: These are rankings allotted on random basis as of the state of my mood on this 9th Day of the Christian Year of 2010. On any other day, the rankings may vary drastically.

PSS: For all my women friends, Don't contemplate mental taunts. I will be coming up with a Men's List soon!! ;-)

Why??

Why were you born, you wretched little swine?
How long can we keep paying, for other people’s crime?

This was the welcome I got at Asha Dham,
I felt like a chicken, entering a poultry farm.

Geeta didi was kind to get me here,
Children to her were indeed very dear.

She picked me up from the train, when she heard me cry,
Someone had just left me there, to wait until I die.

I don’t know If I should call it a lucky escape,
Or should I just term it, interference with my fate?

She was a social worker, I hate those kinds.
They make you see hope, when reality blinds.

I live here now with my fellow inmates,
We share our bathrooms and our distorted fates.

We survive daily on a biscuit and two slices of bread,
Our matrons are the demons, all of us dread.

Questioning their generosity, I once sinned, I asked for more biscuits,
They showered their love, fed me till I was full, with punches and kicks.

We’re living our childhood, It’s such a fairy tale,
Just the fairy’s missing, demons prevail!

We read no books, sing no songs, and we play with no toy,
At times we smile, to remind ourselves, of the existence of joy.

Rani was taken away two days back, I lost a friend,
Girls missing from our ‘home’ is a routine trend.

Gone is my friend, her hopes of a secure life, now lie smashed,
Rani was the bearer cheque, they had happily encashed.

I had heard stories of my other friends Raju & Latif,
One’s now a disabled beggar and the other one a thief.

Munna was taken to the hospital the other day,
For an hour on the hospital bed, unconscious he lay,

He wasn’t sick, we didn’t know why he was taken there,
We later realised, he had a kidney to spare!

I moan in despair not knowing whom to blame,
Is there a way, I can quit this game?

The recurring thought floods my mind,
Why was I born as a wretched little swine?
How long can I keep paying for other people’s crime?