myself...

A birth.. on a day...

2011-10-07T02:57:00.000-04:00

I didn't have any idea what to write like last year's Blog Entry, just trying to cheat the sleep tonight...

When you are young, seldom are the chances you get surprised by yourself...

You do the things, you take it as it is... never shocked...

Like a beast on the road, careless, carefree...

With the wings, the energy push you... get very less time to think to do whatever...

The same person surprise himself looking back to the past, what I was doing that time... was it I? A young...

And I am nodding to myself sitting alone here on my wood made long back comfortable chair, with the same all day glass of water on my right side...

I am nodding to the fact and trying to accept that when I say young, I mean by the thoughts, by heart young... not physically...

You surprise yourself how the energy flow into your young heart, to do anything... little calculations...

Like Jennifer Yane said… Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened...

To be truthful, I don't remember when I celebrated my birthday except once or twice...

Or may be there is nothing inside the box to take out and write about my birthdays...

What I remember are the days...

Few days in a year which gives me a wake up calls at times and ignites my basics...

For me, still a birthday is bit bigger then people around, having party, cutting cakes and then next day... regular!!!

It’s more or less a dictionary word for me... a day commemorating the origin, founding, or beginning of something...

The origin, the founding, the beginning... If I go by this definition, which I do...I have to celebrate many birthdays and to the same fact, I unfortunately have a very bad memory...

However, to my honest part, I never forget some very of the precious days of my life which made me what I am and how I am today...

Memories...

The memories which tell you who you are and why you are being like this... good or bad, leave it apart!!!

The memories down the line shows you a true cinematic show to cherish the good time, to be sad while thinking about bad time (or rather a miss to good time)

The memories which make your mood swings in fraction of seconds...

The memories which tell a story every time to you while you are walking, working...

Memories about the people who have been along with you throughout the ups and downs of your life...

Memories which can make you think about how life has been and how it has changed in the years gone by...

When you feel alone or lonely, you always have these memories within you... like a mom who is always there for her kid to sing a song or hymns!!!

Memories, makes you sing, dance, cry, laugh, fear, hug, respect, love.. anything...

Honor the memory!!!

Try to listen the sound which fills you from inside... the sound of silence...

Hello darkness, my old friend,

I've come to talk with you again,

Because a vision softly creeping,

Left its seeds while I was sleeping,

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone,

'Neath the halo of a street lamp,

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more.

People talking without speaking,

People hearing without listening,

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence.

"Fools" said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows.

Hear my words that I might teach you,

Take my arms that I might reach you."

But my words like silent raindrops fell,

And echoed

In the wells of silence.

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made.

And the sign flashed out its warning,

In the words that it was forming.

And the sign said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls.

And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.

I forgot... regarding birthday... a day will come when you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again...

Birthdays? yes, in a general way;
For the most if not for the best of men:

You were born (I suppose) on a certain day:

So was I: or perhaps in the night: what then?

- James Kenneth Stephen

May everybody live each day of their life... God bless!!!

Window

2011-06-26T01:36:00.001-04:00

Hello world...

(Oh, I am remembering my college days when we had to write a C program for this letter "Hello World", its nothing to do with "World"...)

Here, sitting on 19th floor, watching Gotham... it’s the best moment of the day... watching Gotham...

Even though I don't like it...

But it has been eventually turned my alibi to watch it...

I can tell that the window of this apartment has been very friendly with me...

At least it understand that I have to sit there and have my dinner...

Otherwise I will not even have my 3-4 hours of sleep...

Its my desk to earn and burn my calories... 

But today is very different...

For me, for this window...

I am moving out from here...

To a new place, and to be a neighbor of new strangers...

Yes, living here in this building, for 6 months, even today everybody is a stranger except two…

One is my Doorman (sorry, I don't ask the names of people, so I don't know his name) and another sort of person is Chester...

Chester has been very nice to me for a long time...

His eyes, his walk, his ears, everything is so much beautifully designed...

And he is so honest personality that even he likes me, but without the permission of his caretaker, he doesn’t allow himself to come to me and have a chat...

And most important point, I like the best in him is his moving tail...

a symbol of affection and love...

Alas, why men don't have a tail ... ;)

Just kidding... Chester is a dog living here on the top floor... 22nd...

I occasionally meet him in the elevator, on riverside, on a walk, while I think of honesty...

Anyways, I should not be writing about Chester more, as my next entry will be completely on dogs...

So again, writing all this, while sitting on my window, watching Gotham, I am thinking about the bond I share with this window...

I think materialistically at times....

I think will this window too will miss me the same way I miss it...

Or its like some other person will come and sit on it... and then it will become "adjustable" and "habitual" of that person...

Or if that window will think that now it should feel blessed for whatever it has got, and now it has a new owner and paying for it...

I mean is it really depend on if I will be out from this apartment for two months (2 odd months) and then I will come back to this window, should I be able to find the Gotham’s view as same as it is today? Or that window will be change enough to accept me as what I was and what I am...?

I know some "social" people will find me odd enough to talk about all this...

But in the end what social is actually "we" and how we make the things "social"...

So it doesn't matter... its fine...

I know people sitting out there want me to be more responsible and practical...

But responsibility and practicality has nothing to do with presenting your views...

At one point, you have to look back and think... and question and answer...

That is how it works... that is how it is...

And more funny part is, its Saturday night... Empire State of mind is colorful tonight...

Even though its a sin city, but sin has its own enjoyment...

"bin alfazon ke ye batein, bin baarish ki hain barsaatein..."

It only happens in Gotham... for few...

Its owesome view here..

I am going to miss it... for sure... 1910 has been its charm...

God bless!!

Cricket World cup 2011

2011-04-02T18:46:00.002-04:00

All over blue...

The power of blue is all over the world again...

Its above yellow, Green and dark blue now...

No toss is so easy...
No game is so easy...
Nothing is free here...
There is no tough way or cake walk, there is just a road you have to follow, what may come...

And that was exactly the temperament Indian team has shown in this Cricket world cup 2011...
After two early dismissals in this world cup final... and those who are legends in Indian cricket team, people lost their hope...

But the way it was handled and the way target was achieved, its unbelievable...
There can be nothing a great gift to Sachin but this... and he got it after 21 years...
It was not the winning, but the way it ended... by a sixer...

I just didn't watch the match because of a superstition...
That if I'll watch, India will loose the game...

So I was feeding the score to myself on timely basis from the internet and was not watching it...
But the heart was beating whenever I was hearing the noise from the next appartment...
People were shouting, howling and doing everything...

And the last over, I was hearing this I think on every ball... "Maar isse... uttha ke maar..."

Eyes were wet, emotions were touching the sky... and once more, the feeling of being Indian took another swing of proud...

One song which I always hear... and I learned from someone about how to feel this song...
And this song is somewhere deep inside my heart... must listen at this moment... for India!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC-RFFIMXlA

Its none other then...

Ye jo des hai tera, swades hai tera, tujhe hai pukaaraa...
Ye woh bandhan hai jo kabhi toot nahin sakta...

Enjoy the cup...

God Bless...

तहसीन मुनव्वर की एक ग़ज़ल

2011-03-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

फिर वही भूली कहानी है क्या
फिर मैरी आँख में पानी है क्या

फिर मुझे उसने बुलाया क्यों है
फिर कोई बात सुनानी है क्या

ज़िन्दगी हो गयी सुनते सुनते
हम को यह मौत भी आनी है क्या

आज फिर मुसकुरा के देखा है
आज फिर आग लगानी है क्या

मुझ क्यों देख रहे हो ऐसे
मैरी तस्वीर बनानी है क्या

रोज़ क्यों गिर रही है उसकी पतंग
उस को दीवार गिरानी है क्या

2011-02-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

Peacefully they will die, peacefully they will expire in your name, and beyond the grave they will find only death. But we will keep the secret, and for their own happiness we will entice them with a heavenly and eternal reward.

—THE GRAND INQUISITOR TO HIS "SAVIOR" in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV

2011-02-25T08:40:00.000-05:00

Its tough to deal with yourself... oneself...

memory

2011-02-11T01:33:00.000-05:00

Below lines are the part of someone else writing, I am just a messanger.

Although its a Friday night, however I am talking about a Sunday afternoon. It is a Sunday afternoon.And I sit here on my bed , listening to music , writing a blog , thinking that my mind is at peace and that I am relaxed , very relaxed . It is Sunday afterall !

All this sounds so perfect until I realize how much my mind is wandering ; fast forward to future , rewind back to the past which takes me back to this moment -where I am right now on a Sunday afternoon , writing this post for someone to read , understand and relate to and most importantly all this for myself ; perhaps to feel good and light .

We forever split our lives into parts and at different places.Each of it with it's own special moments - the books we read , the songs that we heard , the outings , the habits we had , the conversations and those rare days when life felt complete -perhaps a good score , a birthday which was happily spent - a memorable one to say , the night when you spent with your friends talking endlessly the entire night, the day when you cried after reading a certain book and felt that life is so much more ; the day when you realized that you have miles to go and you are ready to take on that challenge to change the world around you, the day when your parents felt proud of you ...

We go through each of these parts and later we always tell ourselves that someday we will go back to pick up the old memories , refresh it and relive those days spent . I always tell myself that I want to go back to my school , go back to my house someday, go back to Goa on bike with my friend , ride the bike to the long distances again I covered few years back, go to the hidden trips I had with someone...

Most of our lives we spend in thinking of old memories , packing them in our bags and keeping them with us but in actuality we go on living with more newer memories .In our quest of searching for the ultimate memory , we often tend to forget the old ones , the simplest of them all....the ones that make us what we are today...

God Bless!!!

What is left...

2011-01-28T23:53:00.001-05:00

A: This is really good dish
K: My mom prepared this..
A: I can say that this is the best upma I am having till now
K: Ahh!! I don't like this, even it is good..
A: K, I don't think someone can miss this food what your mom is preparing... I can say she is one of the finest cook...
K: Hmmm...
A: And I really want to learn something from her...
K: Yeah... I will invite all of you someday at home and then you can meet her...
A: That will be great...

6 months later...

AN: Hi K...
K: Hey...
AN: How are you...?
K: I am fine.. hey, why don't you come to my home today...? Let's have get together...
AN: That will be perfect K... however its too late today... can we plan it tomorrow...?
K: Okay... not a problem... but make sure you will come tomorrow...
AN: Yes, I will co-ordinate with everyone...
K: Okay... bye for now...

Some Tuesday...

K: So you people are coming for a dinner right...?
AN: Yes K, I have communicated and we are all set...
K: Perfect...

She was cooking the best of her food that evening...
She was very excited...
She was thinking that she is going to meet the people she might have heard of at times... on and off...
She forgot to mention the severe headache she was suffering through since last two days...
Anyways everybody thought that this might be normal to have common health issues at the age of 62... Like headache...
And with the course of time and excitement in meeting the people, she was just cooking...

AN Called...

AN: Hi K... we are about to reach... can you confirm your address please...?
K: Its this... and please bring some soft drink with you...
AN: Okay fine, we will take care of this...

PL: We have reached K... we are parking the car...
K: That's fine... just park it somewhere... But I don't know what happened suddenly... my mom got unconscious... she may be fine in sometime... might be just a panic attack...
PL: Ohh... don't worry, she will be fine... we are just coming inside...
K: Okay...

A: Hi K... what happened...? Why she got unconscious...?
K: I don't know man... its quite sometime she is not responding... Anyways, you enjoy your food... We, family, are taking care of it... and please I am sorry not to give you proper time..
A: Please, that is fine... a person is more important then giving us the time... you don't worry and take care of your mom..
K: Okay.. You people eat something... I will join you soon.. I hope she will become conscious soon and will be fine...
A: Don't worry at all... everything will be fine... she will be okay...
K: Thanks...

Doc: She has a brain hamerage...
K got a shock...
She was just fine...
She was preparing food...
She was excited about meeting people...
People wanted to meet her...
And now, she was in deep sleep... coma... question mark...
She can't move... she can't do anything...

K: She is gone now...
A: K, we are very sorry for your lose... just do let us know what we can do.. anything...
K: Sure... I will let you people know...
A: Please... and we are coming just now to you...
K: Okay...

It never happened when they would have got a chance to meet the person whom cooked food they had at times...
It never happened that she would have listened the last words what the near and dear ones wanted to say to her..
It was a click...
Everything changed just like that...
People were shocked more then worried…

Its been like this always...
No-one knows what is waiting for him/her next moment...
Finish everything... say everything whatever you want to say to anyone...
Show your love... show your affection...
And if you are not attached to the materialistic stuff, then don't cry at all when someone goes...
But if one is attached, the time is now to let someone know how much you love and care to someone...
There is no next moment waiting...
And if it is waiting, then it will not last forever...
Don’t take chances... by fighting... by showing their anger...
Cause when someone goes... leaves this body, they left with nothing but regret...
Why I have not done this... why I have not done that...
And if someone had done the things at the right time without waiting... if someone would have told the people what they mean to him/her, then there is no regret s/he have to face...
Atleast with the less density...
That is how we are...
In this matrix of relationships...
Emotions... love... hatred...connections... whatever...

The time is now...
No matter what you are doing...

I am still wandering between the thoughts what is it...
What one is missing, what can be missed…
Wheel of life...
What one have to enjoy... what all a person can have to enjoy... what one have to wait for...
If this is it, then why we are bothered at all...
And if we are bothered then why we are not doing anything about it...
Don't know what we are after...
Don't know what was there.. what is there... what it will be and how...
What is left... what has to be left…
Nohing...
So why we are like that if there is nothing...
The only reason I can think of is we have to be like this...
Things happen and we regret, we get sad and then we have to become normal...
And then we say... "That is how life is..."
We keep answering ourself...

I still remember the best upma I had…
May God bless the soul...

26 - a date

2011-01-26T02:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes some day can't change anything but some dates do...

We remember everything by dates and not generally by the day...

The birthday date, the death day date, the marriage date, the divorce date, the meeting date...

Date has an impact on everything which gives us happiness or sadness...

And dates can't be forgiven, at times...

A person are, but not dates...

We created it like that... not to be unforgiving...

Some dates bring us peace, happiness, good memories, good time we spend...

some dates brings us sorrow, sadness, guilt and give us the reason for remembering the intentional and unintentional sins we had committed...

Wheel of time never stops, but leaves us with the dates we lived in, we played as a participant in a particular date...

And as per Shakespeare, what is done can't be undone... and that doing or not doing, for whatsoever reasons leaves us a date in our memory...

We recall the dates and the moments we spent in that...

We recollect the memories, the people we spent our time and share the things...

We call it as a memory because it can't come back...

It already gone and fix its face within a specific date... gives us a reason to rejoice, tears...

gives us one of the sin of wrath sometimes...

Wondering when one passed away, whether the dates gone with the person or not...

Whether only the committed sins or good things done goes with the soul or nothing...

Whether a broken memory and dried tears makes any difference to the soul or it is just a physical phenomena we have to suffer with...

Weather the date of our departure just get recorded somewhere in someone's memory or it comes with the soul..

Many questions wandering with no answers... but the recording is o its pace... the date...

I have one with me...

Today's... 26-01...

I call it a black day... a sin I committed... deadly one...

With which I have to live with... and die with...

No matter what... just can't get out of my mind...

But as said earlier, intentional or unintentional... you have to live with it...

This is the date I entered in sin city... to play a role of devil's advocate...

Cause of the reason everyone have...

to grow, to earn, to live a good life... or atleast being in an idea of good life...

But I left the good life on this date...

I left everything which mattered to me a lot...

And here I am...

I left... and the same moment unknowingly I gave an Acedia... a state of listlessness, of not caring but to myself and not being concerned with one's position or condition...

And now here... sitting alone... thinking about it... I have nothing in my hands rather then the heavy expectation which has been burdened on me...

I have a date... with me...

Till my end I will have it...

As what is done, can't be undone...

Every moment you are passing, doing anything, can't be undone...

So choose carelessly... without applying your mind and by using your heart...

You want to rejoice a date with someone or you want to regret it sitting alone...

26-01... should not happen!!!
You can deal with anything but not with yourself...

You can fight with anything but not with yourself...

Watch.. the date is laughing at you... sometime...

A hangover lasts a day, but our drunken memories last a lifetime... Unknown!!!

God will not bless anyways, for 26th!!!

Just like that...

2011-01-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

Feel nothing...

2011-01-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

No Eyes, no Ears, no Nose, no Tongue, no Body, no Mind.
No Seeing, no Hearing, no Smelling, no Tasting,
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, phenomena.
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness,
No Form, no Feeling, no Thought,
No Volition, no Consciousness.
No Touching, no Thinking;
No world of Sight.
No world of Consciousness;
No Ignorance and no end to Ignorance;
No Old Age and Death and no end to Old Age and Death.
No Suffering, no Craving, no Extinction, no Path;
No Wisdom, no Attainment
Not born, not destroyed,
Not stained, not pure; without loss, without gain.
So in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, conception, discrimination, awareness

No ignorance and no end to ignorance.
No old age and death and no end to old age and death.
No suffering, no cause of suffering. No extinguishing, no path,
No wisdom and no gain. No gain and thus
With no hindrance in the mind, no hindrance, therefore no fear;
Far beyond deluded thoughts, this is Nirvana

Budhha...

All night I could not sleep
because of the moonlight on my bed.
I kept on hearing a voice calling:
Out of Nowhere, Nothing answered "yes."

- Zi Ye, Collection of Chinese Folk Songs
6th-3rd century B.C.E.

सूर्य

2010-10-22T01:11:00.000-04:00

कोई स्ट्रीट लाईट बल्ब नही है, ये स्त्रोत है हमारी परम ऊर्जा का...

सबसे प्रख्यात, प्रधान और सबसे महत्वपुर्ण स्थान रखते है सुर्य इस सॊर मण्डल मे!
सबसे बडी वस्तु और ९८% सॊर मण्डल का भार समाया है इनमे!
इनकी चक्रिका मे समाने के लिये १०९ और इनके अन्तर मे आने के लिए १० लाख पृथ्वी चहिये!

Mankind will not remain on Earth forever, but in its quest for light and space will at first timidly penetrate beyond the confines of the atmosphere, and later will conquer for itself all the space near the Sun. - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky

पहली कोशिश...

2010-10-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

अभी कुछ दिनो से हिन्दी ब्लोग्स और कवितायॆ पढ्ना शुरु किया है... बहुत अच्छा लगा! अभी एक सोफ़्ट्वेयर के माध्यम से कोशिश कर रहा हू कुछ हिन्दी मॆ पोस्ट करने का, त्रुटिय़ा होगी ही, परन्तु शायद इसी तरहा त्रुटिय़ॊ के माध्यम से क्या पता कोई सम्पूर्ण और अच्छी बात निकल आये...

कोई अत्यधिक महत्वपुर्ण बात नही है अभी कहने या बताने के लिऎ, बस ऐसे ही ताना-बाना बुनने की कोशिश की है जो कुछ भी अभी चेतन-अव्चेतन मन मे चल रहा है! कुछ बाते जो कभी सोच कर दुखः प्रकट कर लेता हू, कभी किन्ही विचारो मे डूब कर अपना रास्ता भूल जाता हू! बात माने तो कुछ भी ना-पते की होते हुए पते की है, और नही है तो शायद कुछ भी नही है! फ़ैसला अपना-अपना सुरक्षित है!

सन्स्कार और संस्कृति

कल राह मे चलते-चलते ऐसे ही रेडिओ पर ये शब्द सुने! यही दो शब्द जिसमे लगता है कि सारा पारिवारिक, सामाजिक और धरा का मुल सुख चिपा हुआ है! यही दो शब्द है जिन्हे सुनते और समझते हुए इन्सान ने कितने ही रिश्तो, कितने ही नातो, और कितनी ही भवनाओ को ना जाने कितनी ही बार ताक पे रखा है और कितनी ही बार कत्ल किया है! कुछ थेकेदारो ने तो संस्कृति के नाम पे एक नया अध्याय भी शुरु किया हुआ है, जो इतना प्रचलित हुआ कि एक फ़िल्म भी बनी उसपे... "honour killing" ... उस सभ्यता और संस्कृति के नाम पे कत्ल जिसे ना तो इनमे से किसी ठेकेदार ने बनाया है, और ना ही खुद कभी परिपक्व और समझदार होके पालन ही किया है!

अब "honour killing" मे नया इज़ाफ़ा हुआ है समय के साथ-साथ, "emotional killing". ये शायद इस "honour killing" का ही एक्स्टेन्डॆड वर्ज़ेन है, परन्तु देखने मे आया है कि इसका रुप "honour killing" से भी अधिक खतरनाक ऒर विभत्स है! "honour killing" मे किसी को एक बार मार दिया जाता है, परन्तु इसके एक्स्टेन्डॆड वर्ज़ेन मे तिल-तिल कर मारने का प्रचलन है!

बात करते है कुछ इमानदारी की. कि या तो आपको किसी भी तरीके से इमानदार होने नही दिया जायेगा, और अगर हुए तो इमानदार रहने नही दिये जाने की एक अनोखी अनजानी सी पवीत्र कसम से बिना कुछ बोले जकड दिया जाएगा! बहुत छोटी सी बात को समझने के लिये जो आडम्बर और स्वान्ग रचे जाते है, कोई ही विरला उस पीडा से मेहरुम रहा हो!

"emotional killing" मे एक बात और जो सामने आती है, वो है किसी अपने प्रिये की बिमारी! टेन्श्न से माइग्रएन, वोमिट, हर्ट पेन, नीन्द ना आना, बुरे स्वपन इत्यादि का आजकल बहुत चलन है! और इन सबके उपरान्त भी अपनी बात को मनवाने के लिये खाना ना खाने का भी अत्यधिक उपयोग किया जा रहा है! मुद्दे कि बात ये कि ये पुराने तरीके इतने पुख्ता और मज़बूत है कि आज भी कामगार सिध है! ऒल्ड ईज़ गोल्ड!

अगर थोडा ध्यान से अध्यन्न किया जाये और समझने कि कोशिश ना सही, बस सोचा जाये समझने के बारे मे, तो बात इतनी कठिन भी नही है, बस रिश्तो की बुनियादे गलत पड चुकी है शायद. थोडी सी मेहनत और समझदारी से अगर काम लिया जाये, तो बात बन सकती है. परन्तु कुछ दुर्भाग्यवश काफी लोगो के लिये देर हो चुकी होती है! और उसपे सुहागा ये कि भुक्त्भोगी भी इसी बात पर यकीन करना शुरु कर देता है कि शायाद सुबहो कि किरण अभी बहुत दूर है!

खाफ़ी खानापुर्ति के बाद नतीजा मुझे तो हरिवन्श राय बच्चन जी कि एक कविता कि और ले जाता है जिसका एक छःन्द नीचे प्रस्तुत है! (आशा है कि अमिताभ जी नाराज़ नही होन्गे, उन्हे पसन्द नही है कि कोई भी ऐसे ही अपने लेख को आकर्षित बनाने के लिये हरिवन्श जी की कविताओ का प्रयोग करे! और मै भी उनसे इस बात पे पुरी सहमति रखता हू. परन्तु अपनी पहली कोशिश की शुरुआत तो मै फ़िर भी उनकी एक कविता के छ्न्द से ही करना चाहूगा)

मैं छिपाना जानता तो
जग मुझे साधु समझता,
शत्रु मेरा बन गया है
छल रहित व्यवहार मेरा

सन्स्कार और संस्कृति पे और भी बहुत कुछ है चर्चा करने के लिये, अगर शेष नही रखा, तो ज़्यादा रहेगा नही लिखने के लिए!

शुभ

Cirumstantial and Relative

2010-10-10T09:32:00.000-04:00

I had been finding the words to express some things I had been thinking a lot. And during my search, I figured out that somewhere we failed and been failing ourselves for being conditional and relative.

Everything has been broken, here and there and no one but we only are responsible for this. Things have been turned circumstantial, relative, confusing, complicated and conditional. Conditions in any relationship.

I have been finding a whole new world all around, since the time I have turned 'honest' or atleast, 'trying to be honest'. Nothing is free, and one have to pay for it. I have to let everything go now, for the reason of being a human. I have to pay for every relation, for being a human and have to be responsible for everything.

Inside, its nothing and a state of 'blank', unanswered questions, unresolved issues.

I am looking at the relationships, love and attachments I share with people. If you are acting and doing according to them, you are the best in all. If you are not doing and acting according to those, if you are adverse of their thoughts, you are the worst person. They forget everything you have done for them in the past and you are in the question of even close to them, if you don't agree.

I am just letting it go, no matter what had happened, what is happening and what will happen, because nothing is getting changed after all. And nothing will change. Change I have seen only in the relationships. I have seen how relationships get change when one don't get agree with them. I have seen the foundation of relationships on the basis of agreements. I have seen how people turns a person up and down on the basis of fake relationships. See the foundation of our relationships, see how strong it is.

There is some mistake we have done while understanding the facts. And there is always a time comes when you have to pay for it.

Its after spring season, I am very cold at this moment, cold from inside. I am looking at the fan on the roof, running. Its like the wheel of life, motion, everytime. I am numb, looking at it. Its not less then a miracle that I am still thinking. I am still thinking and experiencing the wheel of life. Mine being motionless is not affecting this wheel. It has to move and go on, irrespective of anything. I got uncomfortable inside this room, just walked out, but its evening. Sunset is making me more conducive...

I have to go now, its time...

God Bless!!!

The Birth and the Day

2010-10-08T06:38:00.000-04:00

A child take birth, a family get extended, happiness spreads everywhere, newly turned mother get tears in her eyes, grandparents feel on the top of the world, newly turned father feel so proud on this pro-creation, its blossom and autumn everywhere, with the birth of the child. Mother's first thought after looking on the child would be... I will love and protect this child, I will give everything to that child even if she have to die or will have to do anything for it. The first thought...But with all this course, one more thing take birth... expectation. Expectation of fulfilment of dreams, parents dreams, grandparents dreams, everyone involves. Hope and expectation are the two procreation of the same human kind, however, most of the people can't make a difference out of it. There is a very thin line of control between these two, loosely impossible to maintain, it get mixed up. Getting hopeful about a child would have been a blessing, things turns wrong when expectations take over.

No-one is exempted here... no-one is different. Set of rules had been made long back. The education one get, the knowledge one gain, the childhood one spend in the shadow of motherhood, the hidden expectations are growing. And they blast some day or the other, whenever required. There is no hope for the good, there are always expectations all around. Understanding is waiting to get its space and recognition.

With the growing child, parenthood takes its own shape according to time. Expectations makes their own faces and one get treated accordingly. The stories one child read in the books sometime, writing one, another time. When the cause of education turns into a bulky salary expectation, a child never knows of it.

One day for sure has always been given... the birthday. To spend time with friends, happiness in the family, party, gifts. That has also been taken as one year plus to the expectation. We forget the real cause, the real gift we can provide to a child. Healthy thoughts, being responsible towards family and this world, being in the search of a constant happiness, in the state of it. A birth has been a central point of expectations and a birthday is a stamp on it.

My day was never been an occasion, but just a recap of what I had done last year, before I turned one more year older. I never took any resolutions (except once) and now at this point of time, I always feel that one more year when I spend, it should always make me one year more responsible for everything. I had been told and burdened about being responsible, however, that was quite self centric. Now I feel a wider space and more things plus more cause towards what I feel more responsible.

In this unlimited space of time and universe, a birth is a hope, a ray of hope that something good is still there and we have to nurture this hope, not with the expectation, but with the understanding and responsibility towards everything, the first and the basic, towards ourselves, a good start. O child, your birth is not less then a miracle, you are such an extraordinary gift to the world, I believe you always deserved to hear these words, with hope.

One more year has been passed...
One more year has been started...
People have grown more expectations...
I see the actions and reactions on this day...
I am looking at the different faces, different relations I share with people here...
I can feel the extorted mind of mine to experience the another year of unexperienced things...

Its a birthday, the day of birth!!!

The idea should be of being hopeful about your child and not to give him/her a burden of your heavy expectations. Think about setting him free from all the fears you always had and have, set him free from all the rituals, from all the cast, creed and religion, so that in the end, s/he should be proud to be your son/daughter... nurture him/her with his/her basic nature... how s/he is now in his childhood, pure and free of all human made boundries, thought process... that I consider the best birthday gift, year after year.

Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever, and we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that never can end...

~Richard Bach

There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.

~Howard Thurman

One of my favorite lyrics:

Sit by my side, come as close as the air
Share in a memory of gray
Wander in my words,
dream about the pictures
That I play of changes
Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
To brown and to yellow they fade
And then they have to die,
trapped within
The circle time parade of changes
Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind
Visions of shadows that shine
'Til one day I returned and found they were the
Victims of the vines of changes
The world's spinning madly,
it drifts in the dark
Swings through a hollow of haze
A race around the stars,
a journey through
The universe ablaze with changes
Moments of magic will glow in the night
All fears of the forest are gone
But when the morning breaks they're swept away by
Golden drops of dawn, of changes
Passions will part to a strange melody
As fires will sometimes burn cold
Like petals in the wind, we're puppets to the silver
Strings of souls, of changes
Your tears will be trembling, now we're somewhere else
One last cup of wine we will pour
And I'll kiss you one more time,
and leave you onThe rolling river shores of changes
So sit by my side, come as close as the air
Share in a memory of gray
Wander in my words, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes

**Written on 7th Oct, posted on 8th.

God Bless!!!

Relation...

2010-09-29T08:31:00.000-04:00

Its about every single person who met you in your journey of life. This word not only includes father, mother, brother, sister, cousine and all thousands of relatives, but also includes what an abstraction belonging you sense for anyone who is in your life. Friends, colegues, knowns, unknowns, strangers, closely knit bond with anyone... you share a relation to anyone and everyone. One is relative not only to the family, but to this world in one way of another. I had a very strange feeling at one point of time, when I was going through a mental crisis night, that how I am saying one is relative to me, and in what sense. And the answer I ended up with was, everything is relative. It start with "me"/"I", that is self, and it got unbounded to the universe. The starting point is "I". If "I" is disconnected, somewhere, one will not be able to relate himself/herself with anyone, including family, parents. Finding self, connecting with "I" is so important so that nothing can be defined without it. Its a relation you share with yourself, your thoughts about yourself, how you link you and yourself is very important stating point for any journey.

In our environment, relation can be defined very easily, very normally. Father, mother, blood relations, how someone get maternal relative, how someone get paternal relative, its not any science. Science and study is, how many can't find any relation taken for granted? Almost all... in any or every sense, what a relation means in a society has been taken for granted. If she is my daughter, she will do this anyways, reasonbeing, she is "my" daughter. "My" kills. "My" is the utter most wrong relation, "I" is important.

Where you stand, what you do, where you are... when a sense of "my" thing comes, questions falls like a storm. When I think of "I" relationship first, its like a spring, I feel no complication in anything, it blossom love all over. Finding anything is very simple, relatives are very normal things, defining relation is very small here... "Someone in the same family; someone connected by blood"... Are we not a family as a whole? For and of this existence? In this space? For this very moment?

I was in a queue today for some work and when it was my turn, the clerk seen my name and smiled. He said my last name and said "Ohh... so you are Mr. *****"? I said yes, I am. He replied, very good, its great. I asked him what is great in this? He was very disappointed by my answer and got pissed off. Then he told me that he was of the same surname. I told him one thing... If this is how you think you relate to me, "being a common surname", I am feeling pity for me and you... I wish if you could have related me with you and the whole queue with the simplest relation we all have and we share, i.e. a relation of a human to human, this place and the world would have been a much better and beautiful place. (Mine and someone's personal thoughts... no hard feelings)

The another thing I noticed was a parent-child relationship. "If you are doing this, you are not my daughter/son". Taken for granted kills. If this is kind of loan on me to be someone's child, I better choose not to pay that, but alas, in this 21st century also, people are still slaves of these kind of relationships, they have to be, sometimes, there is no other way. Its completely a lack and disconnect of oneself with "I", parents also, children too. Its a different topic altogether to discuss.

Relation, in my sense, is a very simple and cosmic thing. Its inconceivably extended in space and time. It can't be just a family and blood thing. Its with everyone and everywhere. Its with all in the journey of finding Self, and to relate oneself to one, in the form of father, mother, relatives, friends, to the world. Why to give a small definition to the word "relation"? Its simple... "How I can relate myself to you...?". How I can associate myself with you...? Not just because of any pressure, but from my innermost soul, how and in what form I have to accept you? That's being making a reference, a talk. Not just defined things, but beyond that. Not just because one's father gave all the things one needed, but how actually he defined a relation with you. What he added into one, what he subtracted from one, what a thought process he developed inside one, and that what defines how he will be able and how one will be able to get relate with.

I am in between so many theories and thoughts, books and philosophies, write-ups and discussions... trying to define a relation!!!

Will write back soon on this... I want to...

"The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes." - Pema Chodron

God Bless...

And the life continues....

2010-09-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

Mom: So... what's going on? What is in your mind?

Son: Nothing mom... What it is about?

Mom: Don't try to fool us... You know it is about your marriage...

Son: Oh, com'on mom... You have given birth to me... you know I don't want that...

Mom: But why...? And don't give me any of your most like reasons... "I can't do..."... "I don't know..." Its enough... enough of sufferings for all of us... either do it or leave us...

Son: How I can leave you...? How you can think like that...?

Mom: So do it... what is stopping you...? Give the reasons...

Son: Mom, The only reason I can give you is that I can't do it... You know me.. I just can't do... It will be a sin for me... with my soul

Mom: Sin...? What the hell is this now..? Have you done something wrong...?

Son: No mom.. I can't do anything wrong with anyone... that is how I am...

Mom: So tell me what it is all about... and be honest...

Son: Mom, it is right that as of now, I don't have anyone to look forward... there is no-one waiting for me... there is nothing I have done wrong with anyone... I just can't do it... I can't accept and think of any person if it comes to spend rest of my life with...

Mom: (Screamed) I have enough of this nonsense and movie dialogues... I need to know the reason... or if there is someone, tell me and I will try to do something about it...

Son: Mom... I swear on you... I am just all alone... I just can't be with anyone else... I am useless for anyone...

Mom: Stop all this nonsense and try to be sensible... Give me a reason why you can't do it, or if you have someone, why you are not able to tell me...

Son: Is everything you can say and explain in life? Can you explain God, air...? Can you explain everything in your life...?

Mom: Don't try to play with me... Tell me the truth...

Son: I never being this much honest in my life... I want to say... that I can't be with anyone else, and I can't tell you more than this, because I have nothing...

Mom: So what you are trying to do...? Kill all of us...? I know you are a cheater since your birth... you are the most dishonest person... to me, to your dad, to everyone... you are a born lier...

Son: Stop all this... why are you saying all this to me? I never do that mom... I never cheat anyone... Why I have to do this with you? I have no reason...

Mom: No, you have your reasons... you are too selfish and self centered to think about anyone else...

Son: So is it wrong to think about myself?

Mom: I don't want any argument with you, I know you will win anyways... I want the fact...

Son: Mom... the fact is... I can't cheat myself... I can't be a machine so that I can choose anyone in my life out of your choices and I spend my whole life like that... Trust me... I am being myself... I want to be honest and don't want to lie you... I just don't want any partner in this journey...

Mom: Okay... So we both, me and your dad, will be leaving tomorrow, or better today... and you will be free to do whatever you want to do...

Son: This is pathetic... why you have to do so? I should be the one who will be saying this to you... as you think I am wrong, I should be leaving the house...

Dad: Yes... you pathetic piece of shit... you should be leaving the house... why we should pay for your doings and your will. But in the end, whatever you will be doing, we will be the sufferrer... as the people, the society will say that he was their son... you have no identity, nobody who know you... we are your identity in this society... So, we will be the ultimate sufferer... do whatever you want to do... but then don't come to our graves... don't even show your face to us...

Mom: You please calm down.. let me talk to him...

Son: Why it is becoming a life deal for both of you if I don't want to do this...? What right you are giving to me about my life...? The decision should be mine... why you are making me so helpless and in this dilemma? Why you are threatening me like this rather then getting me, my point?

Dad: Because you have no point at all... your life is useless, you are a cheater, dishonest and untrustable person... You have no direction in your life... You are telling us to believe your belief... the belief for which you even can't provide a reason...

Son: I have no reason, that is right dad... but I have a belief in something which has a reason... and its not unreasonable... I know that... You are not believing me at this point... but I know, sometime, when you will be alone, when you will be talking to yourself... all of my these illogical reasons will turn logical to you... when you will be thinking about me as a person... a person who believed in something and how you broke his faith due to your unnecessary pressures... how due to your own selfishness and fear of your fake pride in the society, you made your own son to suffer like this... What all I am asking? I am asking to be alone... its not a deal for your life and death...

Dad: Enough of your lectures... Tell me what do you want...

Son: If you can't be a dad, atleast be a human... still you are asking what I want...?

Dad: (to mom) ... See... this is we have to get when we give the quality education to our children... This is the return... It was your plan to let him free and enjoy his life... and now, see what we have to get through...

Mom: Son... what is the issue...? Why you just can't listen to us now a days...?

Son: Mom... you gave me birth.. I know your innersole is telling you that you should set me free out of all this... atleast you understand me...

Mom: I understand you... but I can't stand against your dad...

Dad: (to mom) Ohh... so now you also turned like him... "You understand him...". What are you understandings...? Let me also get it...

Mom: That I don't know... I only know that I have to be with you... either way...

Son: I know mom... I know you too have been wrap up in these fake relationships and unknown boundaries... Actually I don't blame any one of you... Its my curse to be here...

Dad: You listening..? (to mom)... How big he has turned...? Why don't you leave all of us and turn to a saint giving lectures how parents should be like? You are at that stage of your life where you think you are only the right person... and we all are fools.. who gave you birth, who made you educated... who made you what you are today now...

Son: Yes dad, this is my only curse... to be like that... to be honest and not to have guts to leave you people... because I have to take care of you, like you did for me...

Dad: Ohh... please.. no need to do that sir... let us leave at our own... let the destiny decide something for us.. don't try to be our caretaker.. we can do that...

Son: Now I can say that you don't understand anything at all what I am talking about...

Dad: You coward.. you don't have guts to leave... that is the fact...

Son: Yes... that is the fact dad.. I don't have guts to do that... I am a coward.... you are right... and you know what? I am like this because I care about you... and the only thing which is missing is... just understand me... listen to me...

Dad: I am leaving home right away... I can't be in this house anymore...

Son: Why you have to leave dad? It should be me... As per you... I am a shameless creature, dishonest and a lier... so what right I have to be in this house? I don't want you people to suffer because of me... I just can't do that...But the irony is... you will anyway suffer even if I will leave you... I know that... You are ready to suffer, but not to understand me... You are ready to giveup on me, rather to listen to me...

Dad: (Screamed) Yes!!! I am ready to suffer.. I will think that I had no son... Or he is dead!!!

Son: That is your problem... you are ready to accept that I am dead, rather then accept me as a living being... for your own reasons...

Dad: Enough... just go out of my sight...

Son: One day will come dad, when you will be questioning yourself... "What was the need to do all that... with my own son?" And I know you will have no answer for that... I will do whatever you want me to do...

Dad: I want nothing from you... I know you will not be happy..

Son: That is a relation... you know I will not be happy.. but you have to force me to do so...

Dad: You lier... I don't want to force you to do anything... I want you to either be happy with us, with all the decisions we are making for you, or just leave us...

Son: I can only guarantee one thing... I can't leave you like this... about hapiness, I can't commit to be happy with whatsoever decisions you will be making for me... you are not responsible for my sufferings or my happiness... Its very much my own decisions to be happy or not to be...

Dad: See... we can't win over him.. get out... or I will leave...

Son: Fine dad... you need not to leave... I am leaving.. I tried my best... if possible, please forgive me for all the pain I have given to you...

Mom: Son... there is no reason for me to see all this... (fainted)

Son: Mom.. wake up... please.. for God sake...

Dad: You idiot... leave her... this is all because of you...

Son: See dad... can you see that...? I think you got your reasons why I just can't leave... You are right... I am a coward... I have no guts to do that... you are my dad... you got it right...

Silence... till mom got conscious... and the life continued...

God Bless!!! If there some waiting... :)

Deep down

2010-07-11T03:04:00.000-04:00

Deep down...

Don't take this topic otherwise... its not what "Deep down" you are thinking of... don't try your mind...

Mind and Heart...

The mind which tells you about the right and wrong...

The heart which tells you about to do the thing or not to do the thing...
And this is not a relative theory...

There is a difference between right and wrong and the things between do it and don't do it...
Right and wrongs are social things... do it and don't do it is a natural...
Mind is social, heart is natural... the creation of nature... what we are...

Deep down, everyone know what to do and what's not...
but when the mind disturb, it turns right and wrong...
Pressure works, warning works to make the right and wrong...
Social pressure, peer pressure... being "competitive" things... "being with the time..." things...

Deep down is a very simple thing... its not complicated... we make it complicated... its always "we"...who "make" the things... while it is not...
We want to be happy... we want to b good... we want to be famous... we want to look good...

It has been always "we"... since ages...
But when it comes to real "we".. we failed... overtime we fail ourselves...
We know how it is... we know how it should be... but we just can't do it... we just can't make it happen... because of "something"...
That "something" kills us being "us"...
But have we thought of quote... "We always have a choice...?"
No... it turns philosophical for us when we have to take the "real" action on this choice...

It fails... it failed since ages...
Then we think... this is how it is...
we turn busy... buzyness turns into habit.,.. habit makes us living... living makes us happy...
It turns relative then...
Relative and related... which we never wanted to...

Then when we sit someday... the day with ourself... the long day alone at a riverside... then we remember... what was it and what it is now...
That what and how it should be and what it turned... Deep down...
Buzyness is a bless... people don't realize, but it is...

However, for some, there is no buzyness... never find buzy when it comes to life, to the real... like according, only fools and naves can be too buzy...
People want freedom, freedom from being in a "conservative" setup...
Deep doen they know its not being "conservative" but its "deep"... soething they can't understand...
Being busy, they miss deep...

Just don't want to confuse myself more... hanging up...

Think... deep down... its very simple... to understand, to implement...

God Bless...

Granny's day out...

2010-05-01T17:58:00.000-04:00

Every place has some special bazar... Sunday Bazar, Monday Market, Thursday bazar... Locals always look forward to that day because of their assumption and excitement about getting vegetables and fruits dirt cheap in comparison to the other market days... People want to fill their stores for rest of the week... At my place, the famous day is Saturday when people go mad about purchasing those stuff... it’s an excitement not only in the 3 years old children like my sweet little vampire cousin (yes... she eat a lot of head... she like to suck the blood by talking-talking and talking....), but also for 70 years old people like my chopper granny (chopper coz she always roam around into the house and in the garden...anyone can find her at any corner of our place without a delay of second...).

It was a tough day for me today... I was in a very bad mood because of some obvious reasons (one of the reason was to be at home on a weekend... whole day) and as soon as I picked the keys of my iron woman... (This is my car name as every part of it makes noise apart from its horn... apart from its horn, everything honks), my granny's coarse voice crossed my ears... Oye... listen... where are you going...? Take me to Shaani bazar today... I am tired and can't walk much... I was freezed, my mind stopped working and it was like thousands of red ants got into my head. I didn't deserve this... atleast not now man... I thought...

I picked up my two wheeler keys and she sat at the back side with her two favourite bags of “Pataka Beedi”... she got it as a gift from some shopkeeper long back... Like a co-pilot of a jet, she given me some instructions how to drive and all... and also informed me about the bad weather today... Ohh com'on... I also have 5 senses granny... I murmured... Not more than we covered 100 meters, and I got a compliment on my driving... "tuje aajtak gaadi chalani nhi aayi..." (Like she had won many F1 races in her days...). And yes, for her, every damn vehicle is a "gaadi"... even bicycle... Granny, its not my driving, but the bad road yaa... spare me please... I begged her not to say anything and keep quite...

As soon as I stopped in front of the bazar's main entrance, she jumped and ran into the market without delay... I though... is she the same woman who was tired like anything sometime before...? This is actually an outing for her... Shani bazar... she never missed this as she always gets a chance to meet her friends there... (few more old ladies who always have been cursed with bad daughter-in-laws... the K factor... God... "Kahani ghaar-ghaar ki...") and she also get a chance to have her special "tikki-chaat" there which is not at all allowed for her according to doc... (she missed this today as I was here with her... and special tikki-chaat because she always ask for extra toppings of green chilli chatni and more spicy masala on top of her chaat... tikki-wala use to do so for her without asking, many people knows her in this shaani-bazar... huh!!!). And yes... she never miss her sutta with her old-lady gang... she think that no-body knows about this at my home, but the fact is reverse...
I was in a real hurry as I didn't had enough time to discuss about how my granny's friends "bahus and sons" are doing and treating them... I asked my granny what else to purchase so that I can go to some other shopkeeper and we can wrap up this stuff quickly....(granny, who was busy in negotiations with a mango guy... she was busy like a real business tycoon who wants to close a billion dollar deal...). She told me that only potatoes are left to purchase... but you don't go anywhere, I will purchase everything... (OMG... My sweet little old angel.. gimme some opportunity to close this off soon... but no... as she owes this shani bazar...). Anyways I didn't listen to her and took some potatoes from some stall... and that turned one of my biggest mistakes for the day... She asked me all about the rate, the quantity, the quality and thousand other non-numeric and numeric questions about my potato deal... Then she given me a guilt that I had made a very bad deal as she knows the other guy who gives her a good deal always.. as she use to take the onions plus potatoes plus blah blah blah from him only... Save me God... let her know that time is more precious than potatoes... I murmured again...

Anyways I made her close all this very soon and the time I asked her to hop-on again on the vehicle... she gave me a very ugly expression... I knew the reason... She didn't have enough time to talk to her friends, she is going to miss her special tikki-chaat, she can't have a fag today... so many problems in life just because she called me with her... She might be thinking not to call me from next time... good for me ... I thought... She tried to make some excuses ... "you go with the bag as you are running late, I will come by walk, I need to purchase something else too..." No Ms Granny, I am not going to let you enjoy your outing today... I know what you are going to do if I will leave you here... I murmured... and I asked her to come with me as the road is not so good due to the rain and all... She given me a very scary look, as her tikki-chaat was my face and she is going to eat it anytime soon if I will not go from here... But I was also in a state of revenge, so I forced her to come with me only... She turned sad and came back with me only... I didn't liked this from the core of my heart... so when I was on my way back to home after I finished some of my task, late evening, I brought her tikki-chaat with the extra toppings and all... she turned happy again, like a dehydrated man got some water to live and survive...

Before I entered in my room late night, I crossed her room to see her face again... she was sleeping in peace after her heavy spicy dose... I thanked her to give me company today... for some time... thanked her for some good time she offered me today... to forget about the other worries of life for some time atleast...

God bless...

A talk with a beggar

2010-03-30T01:27:00.000-04:00

hey listen...
Yes...
Do you have a cigarette in spare?
Yes sure... have it...
Thanks a lot bro... do you have lights?
Yes sure... why not...
***Lighting up the cigarette...***
May God bless you man...
Not a problem bro... he replied...
Thanks man... Very few people are like you now a days...
Really? What's the deal? I just given you a cigarette... that's it... It's not more important than a human being... is it?
Oh man... You are really a gem... I never met a person who not only said this, but I can see, you can understand and mean it as well...

Ohh com'on... there are lot of people you can find like me... its just a matter what you ask from whom... he replied...
No... please don't tell me his... how you can say that? the beggar replied...
Yes man... there are lots of people who understand the relationship between a human being to a human being...he replied...

He also wanted someone to talk to someone... since months he talked to anyone about life... it was work and a girl only who was running into his nerves all the time... he wanted to get rid of it... he wanted to be distracted... detached...

He continued... it is just a matter of what one like and what not... I mean its just a matter of one's personal choice on what grounds one want to help someone... Someone like smoking, some people don't... some like pets, some don't...

I don't agree... he got a reply... thats what he wanted... a reply... someone to talk to him on the things what he wanted to talk about...

The beggar continued...
I don't agree because help means help... you need not to help someone on the basis of what you like or what you don't... help means help... it can be anything... if I asked for a cigarette and if you also smoke, its fine for you to offer me a cigarette, but if you don't smoke and if I know that, I would have asked you for some money which eventually I would have been spending to buy some cigrett... so you are the one who got me wrong...

Yes man, you are right... help now means what one like and not what the other person want... its not your need but the other's choice... which is wrong...

Many things are wrong buddy... wrong is to be with some one else if you don't want to be... the begger whispered in his ears...

Holy shit... what the topic this beggar brought in here... he wanted to make a move but he didn't... something stopped him there right at the moment...

Hey... what happened...? You lost somewhere... the beggar asked...

No... I am already lost... I can't be lost anymore than this... he replied... The thing is... People always find there way around to get out of any situation... to get distracted... to feel detached... but when they move back and think of what they have committed, they only left with regret... or may be not... may be they turned too busy and just smile on the past... or after they realize their mistake, they turned like a fake happy-go-luck person who get no-one to share that fake hapiness... and whenever they get a chance to sit alone and think about it... they always feel about that single moment when they committed that mistake... they always live their life with the same pain hidden inside them which a tree feels whenever his branches cutting down... people enjoy the moments whenever they turn busy... they put comments on life "I am content... I am enjoying whatever I got..."... but there is always a joke lives within inside them which life has made on them... People are talking about enjoying the moments... forget the past and live in the present... I say... we always live in our past... because that's what we lived... that's what you call a part of our's... and if something is a part of our's, how we can cut it down at any point? You are making love to someone who don't meant it... you are making noises like you are enjoying it while doing it... you are kissing someone knowing that it doesn't belong to that person... how you can do it...?

It was hard for him to stand so long... it was the whisky running on over his mind... and someone's picture which was making him tough to stand at all... He was about to slip on the road but luckiley the beggar hold him and made him sit on the bench...

The beggar's turn...

You know man... I was one of the most richest person in my society... the day I realized that all this didn't meant to me... whatever I was owing.. the house, the money, the lavish lifestyle, more than 10 cars... I left all that... That was the moment of my lifetime... I left everything which was not giving me a feeling of mine... ownself... I donate everything and turned like this... living a life on other's mercy... and I don't regret it... I don't regret a bit of it... because I know, whatever I thought was mine, it created a fake identity of myself around people... I realized that people are not actually liking me because of "me", but they were prone to what I got, money... I left everything...

He continued...

I thought about everything before I committed this... before I turned like asking for a cigarette from someone... and I was not able to do anything about it before I realized it... I was attached to nothing... Thinking is objective, and detached. Feeling is subjective, and attached... attached to yourself... I tried first to distract myself, but that didn't helped... then I found that the lack of interest in the object of attention will not work... I have to be detached... not distract... distraction will give you the momentary relief... detached is something gonna work for lifetime...
He asked ... So you are saying get detached whom you wanted to be... even you loved?

Beggar...

No... if you will feel detached to those at any point of time, then you didn't loved them anytime... What I meant is to accept and respect their decision... and believe me... they will realize and will regret at each second of their life... even if they show they are too "busy" making love to someone else... even they think they are "saint to handle that" because of all the excuses which made them to took that decision... may be they can justify themselves, but if you are right at your place, nothing can change this... and they will and live with the regret only... showing off to the world can't work with ownself... trust this...

By the time these talks were going on, the cigrett packet was over... he had to get up and buy a new packet... after all... this is what he wanted... to talk... to understand how it feels to be detached... how it has to happen... how to invoke it in his blood... he wanted to get over something which was killing him from inside... he almost ran to a nearby shop and purchased a cigarette packet...

So you are saying that being detached and being more involved are kind of same situation...? He asked...

By this time, the unlimited whisky he had before coming out of his room was making a huge noise in his head... picture of being with someone in the past took all his attention... but he was alive enough to listen to the beggar...

The beggar replied...

My son, being detached is more to do with someone else, being more involved is to do with yourself... If at any point of time, you are feeling detached, it means that thing or person was never a part of your's... it was not him/her running inside you... if you are feeling that way, then what is the logic at all to think about those...? It means you are hurting yourself for nothing... If the people who really matter for you, those would have not let you get in this situation...

Ohh com'on... sometimes situation may bound you to take some decision which you never want to take... which you want to avoid at any cost but in the end you have to take... he tried to justify "someone" to that beggar...

By the time begger started giving him reply on this, he was slept there on the bench... his eyes were closed, his legs were folded onto that small bench where only two people can sit... the beggar took his head on his lap, the beggar took his overcoat and put that on him so that he should not have caught up with the cold... the beggar was singing one of his favorite song... "buy me a rose... call me from work..." which made him to got into a deep sleep after a long time... after ages... the deep sleep without any nightmares...

Beggar's reply...

When he woke up from the bench, there were two notes from the beggar, written on a dirty paper with the ashes of winded up cigarettes... one was a quote... one was a poem...

"To be alone in the only real revolution. To accept that you are alone is the greatest transformation that can happen to you. I realized sometimes later in my life that I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest, to make money they don't want, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they dislike and to get married to someone by calling it as a "situation" which I never wanted... but I had to enjoy it because of my own quotations and excuses I created for myself... and when I realized all this... I quit!!!"

"My own way…
No where to move
No road so smooth
But I know my destination
And I have to move on
No matter what
Life brings about
It’s my crust that keeps me alive
All alone but no fear
May be somewhere I find you around
Its getting dark
And im still on my way
Shameless creatures
That’s all I can see now..."

He woke up from the bench with a heavy headache... tried to figured out some disprine in his pocket which he didn't got... but the words he got from the rich beggar were more then heavy from his headache... He carried away that with himself... something he mummer within himself for someone... "Its a shame idea to live life for someone else you damn... because in the end... what matters is... what life you wanted to life and how you wanted to live... and now see yourself what you got because of your's "unwanted", so called situations... Nothing you are going to take with yourself... its just you and your regrets... look at you!!! But still... I am not angry... because you are a part of me... enjoy... the more and the most you can... make love... make noises... as the beggar said... feel detached... its your destiny... it's someone's alibi... that's what I am doing for you..."

The beggar reminds him... "some spaces are as important as fillings... some detachments are more important than the attachments... its a part of you... you can't live without it... you can't get rid of it... its you, yourself... in the end... standing alone... get nothing... like a beggar, but not rich..."

He again started looking for the cigarette shop... nothing was opened by that time... he has to wait...

God Bless...

Broken In All the Right Places

2010-03-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

Why people pretend to like all the way how you are and then don't like you at all? I mean why not at the first place they say it loud and clear that I don't like you at all boss? By heart I know the people who don't want to see my face... they don't like it... my face, my looks... its horrible for them, to see, to digest what I am...

Yesterday I heard something about myself while crossing the corridor... "This guy got a lot of attitude problems"... Who told those people to come and talk to me...? And why the hell someone wrote that fancy quote "Attitude is everything...". I mean just a break please, at first place you have to talk to me, at second point, you don't wanna see my face... Where is that pill to become a hollow-man? "I don't care will not work boss...", then what will work with you man? If you gotta problem, you need to solve it, not me... I am not commenting and judging someone... then why this favor of judgement has to be passed upon me? I am like this because you are looking at me like that... simple.

There are people who are not saying anything about me, even they know me or they don't know me... its fair... pretty clear... The people whom I should care and talk about are gone... I give a damn to others... Why then others are not giving damn to me? Why only talks and that also not in front?

Why so angry, you young man... he asked...
I replied, its not me, its the other side of me...
Why this other side of yours, it is you for certain... he again tried to confuse me...
I had take a roll...because situations made me to that sir... I again replied...

Oh... again, that bloody shit you are talking.. every second person talk about the tragedies they had or are going through...
So I am not everyone sir... I got my own problems... why you are and who you are to talk to me about all this...?

Hey... look into my eyes... he said...
I didn't looked up...
Okay, you can't look at me, you don't want to see me the same way people don't want to see you?
Man... leave me alone... I care a shit about people...
That's what I am telling you to do... why you are bothered if you don't care about people?
I don't know... I have to... I don't know why it is.. but that's the way how it is...

Door bangs...

Hello sir... I am security person... your neighbor who is a guest just in your adjacent room called the reception...
They complaint about the loud voices, the TV noise... they are not able to sleep...
I request you to please talk a little slow... its 2:30 AM... people are sleeping sir...
Hey, I am paying here... I am not here because I beg and got some place to live... I replied...
I understand sir... but the same way other people are also like you... they took the service of the hotel not for free...

Can I talk to the other person who is with you in the room? I think you are not well sir...
Other person? Who other person? I am alone in this room...
You are alone? Then from where those loud voices are coming...? Sir, please call the other person...
Are you mad? I live here... I know who is inside with me and there is no-one... Mr. security guard...
Okay sir... I understand... all I want you to do is please have some patience... get some rest...
Okay.. I will try...And hey, security... listen.. I am sorry for my rudeness...
No problem sir... I understand... I just want to say that I am doing my job sir... hope you will be fine... goodnight...
I am fine... what do you mean hope I will be fine...?
Goodnight sir...
Okay... Goodnight

What the mess...

So you came back haan... got enough from the security guard?
Hey man.. just go... leave me alone... and were we really talking so loud?
You talk loud when you know you can't do anything... you try to realse something which you can't hold... you not even can't look at me...
You are scary... my face... I can't look at you...
So that's all the other people are saying... you are saying on my face... people are saying this at your back... how does it matter...? The same way the guard told you... he is doing his job... all the same... people are doing their own job... you are doing your own job... everyone is assigned... why you should care...?

Yes, I looked at the mirror... you are right... I/we/nobody should not care... that's the way it was designed actually... we manipulated it... we made it the other way...

Standing on the other side of the wall...
I see your face and that was all...

Blue moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own
Blue moon, you knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for someone
I really could care for

Goodbye... I said...

God Bless...

Noticing phenomena to make yourself happy

2010-02-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

Ever wondered about the people who are taking care of you? I just got surprised when I looked around me...No noticing the things was working for me until the time I woke up...Noticing the things, knowing the connections started bothering me...

But its was the initial phase...I am living it now and then... and enjoying it... smiling without any fear...Without any fear if someone is making a laugh on me...Without a fear of being a topic of someones gossip...

Noticing the things, linking yourself to that... and smiling on it... this is simple and good...I wonder why the ferry man bothers about me...He is a south African ethnic person... probably in his 50's...
Everyday before I enter into the ferry, he tells me to watch my steps...because there is always a gap between the ferry base and the stand from where we on board...
I always smile at him and say thanks...I will ask him someday... apart from his salary, what he get to say this.... I know he do this for other people also, but everyone is everyone and no one is everyone... ;)...

I wonder everyday why one security boy say thanks to me when I show him my access... why he smile and say thanks...He could have let me go like he is doing for some other person..But he always smiles and say thanks to me... Yes, it may be a part of his training, but eventually he is doing without any miss... I bound to reply with a welcome and a smile...

I want to understand why a lady cleaner of age around 60 years always look at me at sharp 5:30 PM and smile..Why she is always bothered when I will leave from the office...She can do and she always do her cleaning work when I am there... why she is bothered about when I will push off...

I wonder why the ferry assistant (he is different from the one I talked about earlier) don't tell me the destination when I on board into the ferry way back to home... I noticed that he tell everyone where the way back ferry is going...

One another security person... I find him always bothered about how I am doing...Even the "How I am doing" is far away from his sixth sense and seventh sky.. he ask whenever he see me...

The ferry ticket distributor... how I can forget her in all this conversation...? An old lady... (not too much... and she is pretty also... I could have met her 20-25 years back... :)) she know what is my destination and what ticket I have to buy...Regardless of knowing this... she always ask me what ticket she has to give me... and when I tell her the destination, she always reply... "I know..."

Another coffee shop family...Mom, boy and girl, anyone of them takes the order OR makes the coffee, but everyone knows that I place what order... (The cheapest one...)... I mean many people go for the cheap coffee... even who are making good money... but the point is the cheap one is the best one...The complete family know what I want to order... and what I will...

The simplest thing is, how you take all these things... Some people takes all this and notice all around the day... You will not get it if u don't want to... But you can find yourself surrounded by these small things anytime and everywhere when you think of it...It exist everywhere... with everyone...That's how it is...

Try to change the things a bit acordingly... figure out something and something in everything...

Good catch... good news... Happy noticing you (I mean I) a fool man...

God Bless...

this is it...

2010-02-20T22:39:00.001-05:00

I know u r buzy ppl... I know u don't hv time to send emails (except KS)...

However, u cn update me abt wotz gng on friends...

I am missing u a lot here... coz smtimes I run short of money n thr is no japani to gv me sm cash... ;)

smtimes I remeber KS for his jokes (worth it!!! U don't get anything out of his jokes, but y 2 break his heart...)

Sometimes I remember Nandy for his golis he had given to us jus bcoz of gaonwali n 1 grl frm his Jaipur country...

Sometimes I miss Raju terribely for his terrible humor, atleast he make us laugh (but trust me, he is pathetic... he can make your life hell if you let him do... hehehe)...

Sometimes I miss nightriders (and the all bad servents there...) for our hapiness...

Sometimes I miss the place we worked all together... for all my good time... (I mean it!!! we never know where we are spending our precious moments and a part of our life untill we loose it...

I had a very good time with all of you friends...and hope to take it forward... except the people who don't mind this (and I know them... :)... I know whom to call friends... :))

Raka... miss u for all the fights we had...missing your home buddy... missing ur kid... and d moments I spend with him... :)(I can't say I am missing your wife.. I know what will come out of you... ;))...

Everything is worth missing it...You guys are lovely... (except Nandy... he is bigger than that in size... ;))N I just want to say... Enjoy... till it last (this is the line of control)...

FU** the rules, give a shit ...Don't try to b anyone's favourite... b ur favourate like 'jab v met...' ahhh I don't like bebo's lil sis, bt wot 2 do... Don't try to b close to sm1 bcoz u need to b visible somewhere... (Jeetu/Nandy... how are u doing?)

N 1 second-last thing... to you all...We are going on a trip in April... for sure... (except the nepali's immigrants who have turned Singaporia's...)We rock... make no grudes in between us... jus b'coz of Gulabo, Gaonwali(I hope Jeetu is paying attention!!!), the girl like mamboo tree (I hope Nandy is paying attention!!!)... but wotever happens... eithee we are going for a trip in April or I will go alone withe pasting all your foto's in my car...

n 1 last thing... From Breavheart... one of my fav movie...

Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it...

Do watch these videos when you have time... second one is my fav tune...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5O0B3A5CCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDEQjGIleKg

Dual

2009-10-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

Is this something which I am only thinking or is this real? Need a reassurance and confirmation here... from me... myself...

I always thought of keeping life straight, simple and fake. Straight in terms of relationships, goals and what I want to achieve, Simple in terms of thought process and keeping all relative things plane, Fake in terms of what all is coming and going in my mind and what I am planning to write down here. Yes, I am no more afraid of this fake which is deep inside me since my birth, I was never actually affraid of accepting this fake side of mine, but there was no time to publish this so broadly. I am using this word fake because I am not comfortable much with 'dual' or 'manipulative’ and because that I am not. Fake is very soothing and suitable for me. Fake is making people disappointed, but disappointment is nothing more than a psychological term. If you can make yourself convinced with something, it hardly matters what other people think of that.

So I was on being fake. Fake in the sense to fulfil myself, my dreams, my things, which always roam around in my mind and nobody have an idea, even my best pal, of that. Fake because I want to roam around, fake because I want to live this present, fake because I have nothing to do with a certain thought process which being injected in our mind since childhood. Fake because I wanted to live like a quote "I am an endless dream... I didn't asked to take a birth, I will not ask for a death... I am and will remain an endless dream for myself, for all...".

What I all mean to say is... being fake is nothing to do with a guilt, a regret, a suppression at all. You wanted to be like that at some point of time, you did that, you enjoyed that, so that is fine. You should regret to something which you wanted and didn't happened at all, rather than what happend which you wished to have happened. Anyways, so being fake for something, but at the same point of time, being yourself and honest to yourself, is not wrong at all. Atleast you should not parameterize yoursef being right or wrong. You should think, if you are being yourself or not, and not if you are right or wrong. You may have your own reasons of being right and wrong on which you can provide reasons to yourself, so that hardly matters. For someone like me, you always have a choice, and you always make a right choice, and you always have reasons for yourself to be at a right position. So, no need to worry about that.

Back to being fake, back to being lie to the rest of the people who matters, like your family etc..., its on one part of yours, second part is what you are. So its the density of what matters is, you or your second part, you or what you have been made or designed? I am out now... something to think upon...

Once again... being fake, being a lier, having a dual life is not important at all, atleast not a matter of guilt, regret... What matters is... how honest you are with yourself... So many lines to write, so many thoughts to share... but I always find myself run out of my mind, out of time...

God Bless... :)

Define it!!!

2009-09-27T15:01:00.001-04:00

Below is just an extract of what I learned and wrote back to someone... Just to share this with myself again, made some changes and putting it down here...

I am not good at this, but I will try to let you understand what is the purpose of my this write up, which eventually is nothing, I know... But sometimes you feel very good doing things without purpose, without directions, to just go with the flow. While reading this, you may be finding me illogical sometimes, sometimes of your kind, sometimes practical, sometime emotional and sometimes very sensitive. Couple of things only one can let you understand in person, not by emails, not on calls, not by blogs etc... But its a good tech world now to throw out the things online and let everyone comment on it... good/bad, anything...

One fine evening, I got a beautiful explanation and definition of love, and I felt to give a big time hug to the person who put the words together, which were inside me, but scattered. There are many philosophies around the world about this four letter word, however, you need to feel comfortable and convinced about one particular thought on its definition which people has given it. No doubt in my statement that 'that person's' theory and definition of love touched me and I was convinced, still I am, nothing can change that throughout my life. Three types I had been told... One is Obsession, which sucks your blood, turns painful. Second, which grooms you in all the ways, which figure out all the positive energies inside you, you bloom in that. Third one, in which you leave the person you love, as it is, even if s/he wants to go, or have to leave you due to anything. I am still in between the sea of all these three thoughts that what kind of love I have oe feel. I am sure about one fact, I love, without any second thought, but when it comes to 'type' of it, I am blank, void and confused to bound my kind of love for someone in any 'type' or definition.

There are many things in your life you have to do; even you don't wish to do. Situations, reasons... Our life always sits on a bench of uncertainty; we never know what lies in the next second and what we will be doing for that uncertain action.

First kind: If you would be forcing someone to stick to yourself because of the reason 'You love someone', thats first kind of love, blood sucking, love which bother... that’s being like punishing yourself, and the other person too. What you would be doing with a machine... machine means a person with no feelings, or partial feeling for you...? The dirtiest sin is to kill your soul to do something or to accomplish something... Vikas, my best friend just reminded me that...

Second kind: If you really in love of this kind... with open heart and open arms, it’s a blessing altogether. Blessing for you and to other person that you met, things happened and you bloom... you bloom in a way that you can't be better than this... in past, in present, in future. It push you to figure out your capabilities... all your possibilities... all your strength become centralized... however, this phase only comes after certain time you have with someone... not just due to attraction, not just because of infatuation. It comes first with the 'magic' feeling, feeling of being together throughout the lifetime, through understanding each other in all the ways, respect for the decisions of each other. After sometime, then you will find that gradually you groomed, you groomed while you were spending the time... while talking, while exchanging the ideas, views.

Third kind: Most painful, though, still unfolds some happiness and satisfaction feeling. You need to some just let go... due to anything... Anything means due to situation, may be the other person don't feel the same way you feel for her/him, may be both of them come to know this that there is always next time and next life for them and not this... reason can be anything, but must be justified. May be, after some time, you will be having a smile on your face while thinking about that decision of being departed, being together in next life and next time... But issue with this third kind is, you hardly find yourself convinced about this. You should be having a very strong 'selfless' thinking behind, a very strong force of being a part o a larger world, a part of a universe which has no limitations, a sort of being saint... saint of your own kind...

I want to talk something about the word 'magic'... How can we skip this if we are talking about 'Love'... This love and magic have nothing uncommon according to me... both in some sense are the same... Don't forget to watch 'Sleepless in Seattle' for this word... 'Magic'... Being yourself... Being in 'Magic'... There is no harm to think about yourself and to think what you want and to get it done. At first, giving begins to you, yourself. If you are not happy, how you can make others happy and can be a reason for anyone's smile? If you are not satisfied, if you are not getting what you wish for, how you can be the reason behind someone's satisfaction and happiness? Isn't it like killing yourself for some other person? And how long you will be able to do that? At some point, you are cheating yourself, pretending, cheating everyone. This will not be long lasting... can't be. Magic is really a magical thing. Someone said it right, you don't know what you are missing until you taste it. If you can't be a living thing for yourself, full of happiness, joy, and full of life, you can't make the things for others...

Something to say... "You are not wrong when you think about yourself... it’s as important as to eat something... as necessary as to have oxygen and water...!”

Pray...!!!
Love & Faith...!!!
Everything will be alright... just believe in Him...!!!

God bless... :)

Wild wild world wide...

2009-09-25T16:36:00.001-04:00

Don't want to put the name of the source from where this post is derived... People who know the source, will smile... who don't know... will smile a lot and will experience a new thing inside them... :)

I won't be the last
I won't be the first
Find a way to where the sky meets the earth
It's all right and all wrong
For me it begins at the end of the road
We come and go...

There is some kind of bigger thing that we can all appreciate and it sounds to me you don't mind calling it God. But when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines through you...

If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed...
I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth...

The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences...

You are wrong if you think that the joy of life comes principally from the joy of human relationships. God's place is all around us, it is in everything and in anything we can experience. People just need to change the way they look at things...

Society, man! You know, society! Cause, you know what I don't understand? I don't understand why people, why every person is so bad to each other so fucking often. It doesn't make sense to me. Judgment. Control. All that, the whole spectrum. Well, it just...

The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head...

Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past...

Take Leave
the conscious mind
Found myself
to be so inclined

Why sleep
in discontent?
Oh the price
of companionship

My shadow runs with me
underneath the Big Wide Sun
My shadow comes with me
as we leave it all
we leave it all Far Behind

Empty pockets will
Allow a greater
Sense of wealth
Why contain yourself
Like any other
Book on the shelf

My shadow lays with me
underneath the Big Wide Sun
My shadow stays with me
as we leave it all
we leave it all Far Behind

Subtle voices in the wind,
Hear the truth they're telling
A world begins where the road ends
Watch me leave it all behind

God Bless... :)

Simple... A day...

2009-09-21T16:56:00.000-04:00

A pending post... about being "Simple..." what I learnt from “A day...”

Not any specific purpose to talk about the topic... neither I do have something special to tell which has happened, I know people would have been least interested to know anyways if there would have been something special too to tell. We have our own worries, concerns, celebrations to deal with, so no time to appreciate or to feel good about some other person's day. But still, why not to describe it... atleast you yourself dealt with a day, just another day, and if describing it to you, yourself makes you feel good, nothing is important than that, at present... You got time for yourself... lucky!!!

Saturday normally is defined in my dictionary somewhere, and that is also defined to change the definition of the same in my dictionary, for sure... I always wish and think that every Saturday will change something, some meaning of a weekend, something which I don't expect as and from a normal like weekend. Not to think about friends, not to think about home, not to think about outing, not to think about a movie, not to think about car service, bike service, not to think about anything which comes into the mind when weekend arrives... at all... And every weekend pass away with these things only... I always think to wake up at 7:00 AM on Saturday; this number 7 has been stuck in my mind, somewhere deep inside... But whenever the alarm rings at 7 on any Saturday, feeling of weekend kills that alarm ring. Today also this happened, I woke up at 7:00 AM, but again got into sleep to stand up in another 10 minutes, and I ended up with sleep at 11:00 AM... again I repeated the things this time, like last Saturday, like all other Saturdays...

The first thing I had so strong in my mind was not to take this day as a normal weekend, and to let the things happens without being feeling of a weekend... Somehow I achieved this too, in partial ways. I made up mind for some tasks which were pending since long back, and not to do 'regular' weekend jobs. But eventually, in this way also I was treating this day as a weekend only. Good thing happened was, I did something unusual, because it was not in schedule, I will discuss that sometime later...

So as per plan, I had to meet my old friends, the dogs. I was missing them like anything and I needed to spend some time with them, to feed them with their favourite food, biscuits. One thing which I always like the most in them is their eyes... it always gives a feeling to be hopeful... sounds crazy thought, but true for me. It’s just don't look at any lousy dog, or that will force you to yawn even after an energy drink..., so don't give a thought to look at a lousy dog at all ... :). Whenever I go to them, their eyes says lots of things... how crazy life is, be hopeful, don't be sad, everything is uncertain, life is beautiful, what if you are not getting everything you wish, life will still remain beautiful, you can't change that fact... and a lot more... their eyes express... funny, but true... try to look into their eyes, read... After spending some time with them, I went to do some weekend stuff...

The time I reached some place for some work, it was 3:30 pm. And from one of my well-wisher, got a call about JV meeting, with Ashok ji. Without a thought, I made-up my mind to attend that meeting, to go through what it is all about, what the talk we can have there. Meeting was in IIT in some canteen area, one of the favourite areas for the people like me. Where you can see such young enthusiastic people, with lots of dreams for future, with new inventions going on in their mind, some romantic short documentaries, some you can find fighting with their own identity among the heavy ones. Clicked some snaps there, like a group of students discussing something very important without talking, with the gestures from their hands, on bird which just came and sit in front of me on my table and started picking the tea I left in the glass, the ultimate canteen with most of the workers sweating and the drops were pouring into the tea, samosas etc... (Lovely feeling, like I was in a rewind phase of my own college days...). So I noticed and clicked all these things while waiting for Ashok ji.

As he described himself to me on the call, he was just like that and without any second guess if he was himself Ashok ji, I gone forward to introduce myself. Just after the moment he came down from the car. So we two were sitted now, he with the glass of fresh juice, and I, with another cup of tea. Tea is something I feel very attached to, it is something to teach you patience, to teach you go slow, learn, understand, grasp, to be silent, as per its nature. What we talked about, what was the purpose of the conversation, what I achieved after talking to him, what I learnt, what I understood... what is JV... all these things I am keeping for another blog, as that is something still to think and also about choosing proper words for it. After some time, few more friends joined us and the discussion continued, it lasted for more than one hour, with more cup of tea in between, with more concentration and likeminded frequency.

In the end, when the departure time was there, the sense of achievement and satisfaction was there. Although, when I use the word 'achievement', it doesn't mean anything and nothing to do with any criteria when I go and meet someone, but I use this word because I was happy, and I was smiling. Achievement can also be defined as a void substitution class for nothing, just as you get nothing if you throw a piece of stone into the water, but you feel good. Like for me, on that Saturday, being a smile on my face was the most important thing to get, to achieve, so that sense came. We concluded that we are lost somewhere into this big race, because of being competitive, being jealous, being shopkeeper who also look for some monitory profit and gain out of anything, being selfish. And in between all this, we forget that the most important things ... being 'Simple'. Being simple, to keep things simple, to make things simple, should be our main purpose. To make ourselves worth, to make ourselves being noticeable, to make ourselves on a mark and as a note, we do many things which are not at all required, which we should not concern at all. The only and special thing we need to do is... be simple... accept simple... live simple... Life is really simple, and is really all about the simplicity and to accept simple... but we really insist on being complicated... to make it complicated...

That was a Saturday I lived, I learnt, I understood a bit and wanted to share... One fruitful Saturday, for which this write-up was all about... and I am bound to copy one thing here from Hans Hofmann... "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak...". Let’s accept this, try this, practices this, and start moving towards that...

God Bless... :)

Society

2009-09-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

Its logical and conceptual... a logical word... just like some IT generated word to define something which you can't describe... which exists but don't exist at all. Which is there, but not present, present, but not there. It can be created anytime, anywhere, it can be destroyed anytime, anywhere, and both the creation and destruction can happen while someone wants to fight with himself/herself into his/her crazy existence. It is the thing which just can't be ignore.. you have to either live in that, or either have to create and destroy one for you. As said, it a logical paradigm, so it exists without any boundary of time. It was already there when the social term itself was not defined... a society of 'no mankind', it is there at present when we are fighting with homogenously multiplexed issues into this world which are far crucial than this existence of term 'society', and it will be there when everything will get destroyed for the new transformation, it will be present as 'a new world arrival'. In different forms, it hit and run, but always show and introduce, present, exists.

I had a so called another 'useless' day here, apart from one thing I did which eventually made it a worth, made it a worth 'logically'. I love this 'logical' word most now days, because everything compressed in it for me, like everything is 'automata', everything turns 'logical'. It exists, but it doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist, but still it has a presence, in one way or another, and you have to live with it. So the worth thing for me which happened was I gone at some place to give some gift to some of my unknown friends, people who don't know me or neither they bother who I am, and then a thought hit my mind. Those also have a society for me... 'Unknown society'... And that was the time I had to stop writing for my other pending blogs (like I am a professional blogger...) and thought to give a shot for the term 'society'.

In everything, whatever I do, damn confusion starts with me, myself. Yes, I respect this feeling that you need to start analysing part with you, but also I too need the space to analyse something and someone else and to start writing and thinking things with, the space which I don't and can't have. So when it started, I got confused. To which society I belong? Whether the one which I created and opt, or the one which created me, as myself, as how I am. The thought process can be mine; it can be what I think, how I think, what I want to do, and how I want to do. But as a mankind, as a contract between the mankind, it should also get derived either for a society, or from a society. So while searching the identity, for some society, you gona be in some crisis, or for some, an advantage. Means you, yourself doesn't mean anything here. It’s one side, or the other. Either you have to accept one, or create one. It’s the concept. Its how all this has been gestate, contrived.

But one good thing is, you have an option... as you always have a chance. You can create one too, 'conceptually', on the basis of your choices. Society doesn't exist as a substance, as its logical term, and as soul can't be created or destroyed, so goes with society. So conceptually you are free to enter into any game of it. If one has to be a strict religious, people are waiting, if one has to be liberal, people are waiting, if one has to change the world, people are waiting, if one has to save the world, people are waiting, if one has to play with rules, people are waiting... every time, everywhere, anywhere... conceptually you are into some society... to comprehend you, or to mistake you.

I am happy with one of the great quote I got... "Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals...". And yes, isn't it like that? Individuals, with their own thoughts, own findings, own learning, own experiences, own decisions, own sufferings... but where this word 'individual' lost when after an unspecified period, it get derived for or from a society? But yes, the people who made the difference, made some of theirs, it’s always not 'from' a society for them, it’s their own 'individuality' which they remained or remaining, and people follow those, to enter into their society.

We are what we have been taught, we became what we had been bound, bound to think and to do calculations. I have been thinking a lot to take an advantage of being a human being and also because I got liberty to think... so I am doing that... and one thing which is popping up again and again... what Buddha said... "Because mind is a creation of the society. It has been educated. The heart is unpolluted. It is pure existence, hence, it has a sensitivity. Look from the viewpoint of the heart, and the contradiction starts melting like ice...". Here is a start... for a new society... :) Come people... join...

No, there is no conclusion of all this, about me, about you, about this blog. If we conclude something, then it means we stop... we stop somewhere... and in contradiction to that, heart can't stop... can't stay... it always like just be ready and receptive... so be it.

A song I want to add...

It's a mistery to me

we have a greed

with which we have agreed

You think you have to want

more than you need

until you have it all you won't be free

society, you're a crazy breed

I hope you're not lonely without me

When you want more than you have

you think you need

and when you think more than you want

your thoughts begin to bleed

I think I need to find a bigger place

'cos when you have more than you think

you need more space

society, you're a crazy breed...

there's those thinking more or less less is more

but if less is more how you're keeping score?

Means for every point you make

your level drops

kinda like its starting from the top

you can't do that...

society, you're a crazy breed...

society, have mercy on me

I hope you're not angry if I disagree

I hope you're not lonely without me
society, crazy and deep
I hope you're not lonely without me

Finally... one pic which I am missing the most, used to have in front of me for some hours in the daytime...

God bless!!! :)

An email I sent to my friends

2009-07-15T00:16:00.000-04:00

Guys,

There are some thoughts roaming around in my mind about our mental and physical conditions. No doubt we are floating in our own world with smoking, drinking and several other stuff which we should either stop or atleast control upon. It reminds me a good quotation "Body is like our temple, we should take good care of it...". I know motivation never last, and motivational quotes etc hardly have any great impact on us apart from 1 or 2 days we remember those and then we again become as we are.

The thing for me as of now is not to explain the pros and cons about any good or bad habit, but to make sure that we can act on couple of points which may save us from any severe damage...
First and the least thing about all the below stuff is there should not be any RULE/DISCIPLINE to do anything. When the words like RULE/DISCIPLINE comes, it kills half of our enthu... I know!!!

NOTE: I know that to whomsoever I am sending this, they know me well that I am as lazy as an Laisk Loom ... not being bothered to do anything... So, the point is...some writing below is mine... and most of the stuff is copy paste!!! (So what... atleast I spend time for you and did all this...!!! Need appreciation…!!!).

-- "Start slow" is the mantra especially for the people like us who always find a reason not to do something or anything about the most important matter... our body. The best example I can put is
-- I remember for a month I didn't gone for jogging because my ipod was not working and my excuse was, without music, what the logic is to go for it at all...?? So, the conclusion is... you need not to be a gizmo freak or be in great attire etc. to do any physical activity. Clothes, accessories are not going to get any benefit, but you will if you do some physical activity.
-- Walk as much as you can… start enjoying it!!!
-- "Aerobic" exercises like cycling, swimming and running are best for cardiovascular fitness. They strengthen the heart and lungs. Make sure you do atleast one out of these for half an hour daily. It may be easier for you to spend ten minutes in the morning when you first get up, then again at night before you go to bed.
-- Games like basketball, tennis and soccer are of great help in terms of stamina etc... Make sure you play any out of these once in a week... (Don't give shit reasons like you don't have any club etc near by or you don't have so much money to do so... You can play basketball or soccer in your society's lawn etc too... and you don't require 5-10 people also for the same...)
-- Drink that H20! You'll need lots of water to stay fresh. You should drink water before, during and after any physical activity — even if you don't feel thirsty.
-- Accept the fact that our ancient Indian gift to us... "Yoga" is the best thing exist we can do for us and for the people around us too. Spare atleast two hours a week to practice the same... You can make it on weekends... (I know some people like me are more busy on weekends rather than weekdays, but I think now I need a small change in that sense... Remember... Only fools and naves are too busy for anything!!! Rest depends...)

Some more things we may think of...

-- Remember to be realistic about your goals. If you try to reduce the calories, fat, saturated fat, and sugar in your diet AND promise to make a drastic change in your physical activity level, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Instead of trying to make many changes at once, set smaller, more realistic goals for yourself and add a new challenge each week.
-- Make healthy choices a habit. This leads to a healthy lifestyle! Make a commitment to eat well, move more, and get support from family and friends. Even better, start eating healthier and being active together!
-- Choose snacks that are nutritious and filling. A piece of fresh fruit, cut raw vegetables, or a container of low-fat yogurt are excellent (and portable) choices to tide you over until mealtimes. Take these snacks with you for a healthy alternative to chips, cookies, or candy.
-- Take your time! Eat only when you are hungry and enjoy the taste, texture, and smell of your meal as you eat it. Remember, it takes approximately 15 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full.
-- Forgive yourself. If you occasionally make mistakes, don’t give up! Forgive yourself for making that choice and keep working on it. Eat an extra healthy lunch and dinner if you had a high-calorie, high-fat breakfast. Add more physical activity to your day.

So guys... lets get together to celebrate a happy and beautiful life by start implementing small things, in bits and pieces... I will be more than happy if we will start pointing out the things we should do and what we should not do... among ourselves (later we can start nagging unknown people too about what they are eating etc, but first lets gain some strength by implementing any of the above mentioned things, so that in case someone start beating anyone of us, we would have stamina to recover soon...). I will be posting such things as and when I will cross any.

Comments/compliments are more than welcome!!! Cheers and good luck.... :)

PS: This my email is not meant for some of the recipients as none of the habit which may cause something bad to health they own… Its just a matter of group, and to let them know what situations we are in and how we are trying to cope up with that!!! But also… I have a something good for them… below…

"He was a good man… He never smoked, drank & had no affairs. When he died, the insurance company refused the claim!!! They said…. He who never lived.. CAN'T DIE!!!"

The pure

2009-07-07T01:31:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about this at times. Though, the fundamental of being right and wrong are reserved by individuals, but purity is nothing to do with that... What is right and what is wrong, will remain the same without any change in it, its just a matter of our own ease that we manipulate those right and wrongs at times. What 'Right' and 'Wrong' we know, are some facts created by us, the mankind, due to our own fears, may be to overcome from some fear, or to create some fear, don't know... What an urge comes sometimes is to face the real 'right' and the real 'wrong'. Those exists, you can feel their presence in this whole existence. But due to how the mankind's upbringing has been done, we start believing in their absence, and we already been constructed for the presence of something which don't exists, or rather, the presence of the facts which we created. This is again a question of man made 'right's and 'wrongs', if you want to believe this, anyways you will, and if you wish to argue on the same, there can be several wrongs here. The part of "convincing" ourselves I had put in my previous blog, so let it be there. What I am trying to figure out is about "What is pure", irrespective of any 'right' and 'wrong'. Purity can't be judged; it can't be parameterized in any such logical calculations of 'rights' and 'wrongs'.

As Osho mentioned... "Your innermost core has always been pure. Purity is intrinsic to you, it cannot be taken away. Your virginity is eternal. You cannot lose it, there is no way to lose it. You can only forget about it or you can remember it. If you forget about it, you live in confusion. If you remember about it, all is clear." No-one can take the purity from your inside... its there, it should be. You may be doing something unacceptable to the world, to the so called society, but the feeling to do the same thing, at there right moment, is pure. You can't manipulate that. And if the purity presents there, how something can be wrong?

It takes a lot of courage though, to be pure. Its there, but to let it come out, it takes lots of courage. Its unforgiving sometimes, but its lovely. Tough to understand, though beautiful. Anything it can take from you, but return everything. It is always right, dancing inside you to come out. But may take ages to feel you like dancing with it. Once it gets start, its unstoppable. Its not a matter of faith or belief, because these words are highly attached with the contradiction between what you have been tout since beginning and what you feel. However, purity is a fact, its a basic instinct of everyone. We have been pure since beginning. It’s just the layers of some conscious and sub-conscious things which hide it. Purity can't judge, between right and the opposite of it. It is what it is. It can't be this way or that way, it can't happen, it can't be created. It’s not to be discussed, as it can't fold itself in topics. Arguments on it can’t be useful, will not help. It’s for yourself, can't be for anyone else. When the world, the so called society get exaggerated on it, it gets impure in a way. Its simple, yet complicated...

"My death, taking the light from my eyes, gives back to the day the purity which they soiled..." -- Jean Racine

God Bless!!! :)

Blank...

2009-07-06T05:09:00.000-04:00

I need to break this travelog for this post... I feel so...

So when I am writing all this, I am "being", its like A 2 Z... or nothing, thinking nothing, because can't.

Its here... right now!!! I am happy, I am sad, I am confused. I convince myself sometimes by the quotes like "Confusion is the most honest state...". I know this is. People worry more about their sufferings rather than enjoying the moments which they can. Sufferings override the best moments they have at present... But as I said, I am highly confused; I don't expect myself not to show this. So, I also think that this happens, the suffering overrides the little moments of happiness, joy, a feeling of being juvenile again, a feeling of being in college again... :), but it can't take that from you. As I said I am confused, I can't explain everything... actually, not anything. And I don't want to do so also. If you force yourself to do so, that's being injustice with the moments.

Words like joy, happiness are often getting used now a days. The whole world seems to be trying to show this. We forget about reading the faces and feeling this thing, but we learned to talk about this a lot. That's a good thing also, we learned something... But the nucleotide thing is... what makes you happy, joyful? Can you do a bifurcation between happiness & satisfaction? I felt happiness inside me because I felt satisfied sometimes back when I was able to deliver some message, though hints, and in bits & pieces. I was confused, I am confused and I will remain confused about the same. And that is my source for happiness. To being not in this state, I will loose the source.

I read something very interesting about Joy... "Joy is not the result of what you do; Joy is a state of being that enters your heart when you are open to learning and taking loving care of yourself. Joy is the feeling of exuberance and oneness that envelopes you once you have opened to feeling your pain, learning from it, and moving through it." ... Though not completely agreed, as people may have different views/definitions, but I feel good to read this.

I am blank, I am empty, I am full, I am sad, I am happy, I am feeling anything, feeling nothing, I am feeling everything. Its not about love, liking etc..., it can't be. Either it is nothing or more than that. I always wakeup my lazy person inside while defining or giving name to something. Giving name would be injustice... defining may be injustice...Its here and there, its everywhere... its now!!! Experience life in all possible ways -- good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light...what matters is you should either feel good about everything, about the experience you are gaining or you have already gained, or should not feel anything. Being sad also can be beautiful, feeling being lonely can have its own experience. Don't know, may be depends...I am still on my stand... I am confused...If you really want to know what it is, you need to be absolutely blank.

As Osho said... "Mind can accept any boundary anywhere. But the reality is that, by its very nature, existence cannot have any boundary, because what will be beyond the boundary - again another sky. That's why I'm saying skies upon skies are available for your flight. Don't be content easily. Those who remain content easily remain small: small are their joys, small are their ecstasies, small are their silences, small is their being. But there is no need! This smallness is your own imposition upon your freedom, upon your unlimited possibilities, upon your unlimited potential."

"All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be -- don't try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance."

So when I am writing all this above, I am "being", its like A 2 Z... or nothing, thinking nothing, because I can't. I don't have any problems when the time will come and I will say I am "becoming"... because I don't feel any issue being a human... We, the humans always have our own right and wrongs, we manipulate things, we always trying to "becoming"... not "be"... so what...? We are also leaning things, its learning phase... and at some/any moments in our lifetime, we will feel that we should be "being" and will implement...

So many things or may be nothing... :) ... but its like a feeling of joy, may be I take everything like this way, happiness, sadness... anything... I always take an advantage of being confused... someone can vouch on me for this, can say anything to me, good, bad, weird... Its again like being A 2 Z or nothing...

God bless!!! :)

Mumbai - Shani Shingnapur - Shirdi - Trimbkeshwar

2009-06-19T11:23:00.000-04:00

This post I am writing regarding a ‘sacred trip’ which eventually turned the 'adventures trip' due to the weather conditions. We had been there many times, however, the best trip was this one which we enjoyed the most due to the reason of being in our own vehicle and I got a chance for a long drive of around 700 Km. Every time we made a plan to go Shirdi; our route was predefined (however not achieved sometime due to time constraint). So the decision was made to be at those pilgrimages on the weekend. We decided to start on Saturday morning and we planned to cover Shani Shingnapur and Shirdi on the same day itself following with Trimbakeshwar next day, post a halt in Shirdi on Saturday night.

We decided to start the trip at 9:00 AM or 10:00 AM on Saturday, however, we had the great 'time-killer' and 'trip-spoiler' this time with us, MM, 'the supari-man' (yeah, he was a replica of super-man, just some supari in his mouth every time). So there was no chance we could have start on time. I don't know exactly by what time we started as I didn't had time to note it down as we were hell late. Initially the plan was to reach Shani Shingnapur by 3:00 PM, reach Shirdi by 6:00 or 7:00 PM but due to our 'Supari-man's' expected delay, we were not even thinking to make this happen.

So we start driving towards Pune as if you have to go Shani Shingnapur first, that route is best. If you have to go as Trimbakeshwar -- Shirdi -- Shani Shingnapur, then you need to move towards Nasik first. Weather was cool and we had our 10 years old wonder-car with only one driver as me in that. 'Supari-man' (MM) and another desi version of 'Super Comando Dhruva' Mr. SPS already showed their intention not to try their driving skills with that wonder-car because the technologies as well as the supersonic systems of that car were not as per their standards. According to them, they are high maintenance guys (with empty pockets).

So we were on the express highway of Mumbai-Pune to cover the time we wasted (which was impossible). There is nothing as scenic as Mumbai-Pune highway during rain but on express highway, halt is not allowed. You can only stop on the patch of 8 kms (Lonavala) which is common for highway and express highway and we had foto sessions there. Driving was going smooth and we took a left turn for Ahmadnagar which straight goes to Shani Sighnapur. We reached there by the evening only, curtesy our 'supari-man'. Before I go ahead and start journey to Shirdi, there is something I want to explain about Shani Sighnapur pilgrim. Information is widely available on internet but there is no harm to repeat it and involved in this blog.

There are many Lord Shani temples in India, out of which, two famous places of Lord Shani are, Shani Shinganapur in Maharashtra, and one is Shani temple in Kosi Kalan (Mathura). Shani-Shinganapur lies 6 kilometers off Ghodegaon- an important market place along Ahmednagar-Aurangabad road. Ghodegaon is 35 kilometers from Ahmednagar. Distance from Mumbai is 330 Kms approx, via the route Mumbai-Pune-Ahmednagar-Shani Shignapur. This village is famous as a pilgrimage as well as for its door less mystery. The houses here have gaping, rectangular spaces at the facade of every home. No door frames, no latches, no padlocks or any other safety measures to guard the house. The door less architecture makes its presence felt right from the famous temple Sri Shaneshwar Graha Devatha. Male devotees clad in saffron cloth take a head bath before entering into the temple. Devotees also perform Abhishekas (rites involving
pouring of certain liquids over the idol) with water and til (mustard) oil. Thousands of people gather on Shani Amvasaya to perform puja.

One of the unique aspects of the village Shinganapur is that houses here have no door- frames or locks on them for safety. They are in fact not needed. The people here believe that it is the benediction of the god that no crime ever occurs in this village. Another belief attached to this place is the story of Neem tree standing to the North of the Shani idol. It is believed that the tree sheds its branches if one happens to cast a shadow over the idol.

Back to journey... we had our prayers at Shani-Shiganapur and moved towards Shirdi at around 9:00 PM. Our plan was to stay in Shirdi and to attend the early morning aarti, however, we forgot that planning is not what we should do to make things happen on time. We reached Shirdi by 11:00 PM and if there is some space to believe, we didn't got any room in any hotel by 3:00 AM, night. Every hotel was full as there was Saturday, Sunday and almost all the devotees came to Shirdi to offer prayers. Finally at 3:30 AM, one hotel staff shown some mercy on us and we got a room there. Our plan to attend the early morning aarti got failed as Mr. Supari man declared that he can't make it as he is hell tired and that statement was strongly backed by SPS. I was finding out the reason what made those guys so much exhausted because I was the one who was driving all the way. But there was no logic to convince them at that moment they got a bag full of reasons why not to go to temple at that time. So we drag into beds and wake up in the morning at around 9:00 AM. By noon 3:00 PM, we had everything done including lunch and we started for Trumkeshwar, Nasik. Again, before we reach Nasik, I would like to share few things about Shirdi.

Shirdi -- A pilgrimage for all. Its approx 80 km from Shani Shingnapur. It’s a place above all religions, castes and creed. Shirdi is the mystical town fragrant with the devotional intensity that sees devotees from across the world thronging to this small hamlet. Highly placed on the world map of spirituality, Shirdi is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and close to the holy city of Nasik. Shri Sai Baba is revered as one of the greatest saints ever seen in India, endowed with unprecedented powers, and is worshipped as a God incarnate. Shri Saibaba of Shirdi lived between 1838 and 1918, whose real name, birthplace and date of birth are not known. An Indian spiritual guru and a fakir that transcended the barriers of religions, Saibaba of Shirdi was regarded with great reverence by all religion followers.

Back to journey...it was around 7:00 PM when we reached Trimbakeshwar, which was approx 110 km from Shirdi, around 22 km from main Nasik. Quite late because it was Sunday and we had to reach Mumbai to attend office next day. But the way from Nasik to Trimbakeshwar, the stretch of 22 km was so much beautiful so that we had lost the thought of next day. It was raining and road was superb with great maintenance. Although, we were unable to get a speed due to slippery way, but due to the reason we had a warm welcome by the environment, we didn't thought of speed. We offered our prayers at Trimbakeshwar and by 9:00 PM, we were ready for our way back. Something about this holy place…

Trimbakeshwar -- It is a religious centre having one of the twelve JYOTIRLINGA of the world, approx 180 km from Mumbai and 22 km from Nasik city. Trimbakeshwar Temple was built by Shrimant Balaji Bajirao aka Nanasahib Peshawe in 1788. This Nagara style temple is built with local black stone and the sanctum features a beautiful tower. Out of the four doorways, three have porches which are adorned with arches and pillars. The deity installed here has five heads which faces towards different mountains surrounding Trimbakeshwar. The temple houses three ‘linga' of the size of a thumb and they are called as Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva). The Shivling in the main shrine of the temple is covered with a single-faced silver mask which attracts thousands of devotees from all over India. There is a continuous issue of water from the top of the Shivling. There are numerous teerths including the Gangadwara teerth, Varaha teerth and Kushavarta teerth in the vicinity of the temple. The temple is known for its appealing architecture and sculpture and is at the foothills of a mountain called Brahmagiri.

So it was time to get a start for back to Mumbai. As said, it was already past 9:00 PM somewhere and we were planning (again!!!) to reach Mumbai by 12:00 midnight to get a decent sleep of 7-8 hours, so we were cool. We crossed Nasik city by 10:30 PM (had dinner too in between) and as I said, we PLANNED to reach Mumbai (a distance of around 160 km) by 12:00 midnight, we were happy about our intelligent thought until the rain started like anything. It was so heavy rain that was making impossible to have a clear vision of even 10 meters, and that made us to stop the car for more than an hour in a dhaba. The clock was showing more than 12:00 when we again started our journey when the rain was not properly stopped, just drizzling, and I was able to drive at the speed of 40-50. Just after a drive of 30 minutes, we again had that show-stopper rain which was even heavier than last slot. All the three bravehearts took the decision not to stop this time and to continue the journey at the speed of even 20-30. It was dark everywhere and Nasik highway was under construction so we even didn't knew how much was the distance between the valley and the car tyres. It was impossible to have any idea about the road and still the roadies were jogging on that in a car. Twice it happened that a truck tried to smash our lil beast with inside us and that was for sure unintentional. We came to know that we were about to come under truck when its headlight were visible at a distance of a meter or so. But as we were not at a high speed, rescue was done on time. One more incident I remember was, due to the construction work, some big stones (from which divider boundary has been made) were there with the divider and were invisible. Our car's driver side's front tyre hop on it and it cost my full strength to control the car. In brief, the scene was completely looked like a crop from any horror movie, night was dark, the road was under construction and was dangerous without lights, heavy rains which made visibility the worst, a car with only one driver (I have right to appreciate me now!!!) who was driving from last 2 days with a small sleep of 3-4 hours, two other members out of which supari-man had no concern at all about what was happening as he devoted all his life to God (he turned saint and he was sleeping on the rear seat like anything...). For some more time I drive like that till the time it got unacceptable. It was almost 2:30 AM and we thought of another break. We again parked our car at some dhaba, I decided to stay in the car itself and to get some sleep, rest two of their own mankind decided to get into the dhaba to get some food (they were hungry as they though they were tired because of all that what was happening... OR may be like they were busy clearing the road to make me drive...). Another hour past when MM & SPS wake me and asked me if I need something to eat or should we push of as the rain was stopped. A thought of being a ‘driver’ crossed my mind at that moment... ;). So we again started after I toasted hell amount of water to wake me up while driving. It was a kind of night safari which we were doing since last 6 hours with worst road condition in the tan dark night, with heavy rain falls etc. and with antiqpieces like 'supari-man-- the MM' and SPS. It all looks like a fun now when we think about that night ride; however we were bit disturbed about what the aura was at that time. We would had not find any mechanics etc. if something would have gone wrong with our car and spending night in a still car with heavy rain falls is not something very enjoyable especially when you have to attend the office next day. But I must admit that my first car had not made us suffer from any of the crisis, not only on this trip, but by the time she was with me. That’s how I named it wonder-car...

We finally reached Mumbai and at our home by 5:00 AM in the morning. Nobody would be believing the fact that to cover approx 200 kms, it took 7 hours especially with a driver who got a sleep of just 4 hours in two days, and with the 10 years old spicy Zen. But that was again a very sacred turned adventurous trip of our life with 'three idiots' in one wonder car. (Sorry to use Aamir's movie name before it get release, but now I guess from where the producer got this movie name...). These are the only things which you cherish throughout your life, no matter how much uncomfortable and unacceptable situation you were in. But once you crossed those kind of difficult situations, the same moments turns into sweet memories...

Some more info on the route, places etc...

If you have any plan to go Shirdi, you can add Trimbakeshwar & Shani Shinganapur in that because it is very much possible and achievable to club those two pilgrims and to cover all three in one day. Though, it will be bit hectic if you are with family, children etc, but the pleasure of being at those two places is much larger than a bit of pain which may cause due to travelling etc.

There can be two ways you can schedule your trip.

Mumbai - Trimbakeshwar (Nasik) - Shirdi - Shani Shingnapur - Mumbai (via Pune)
OR
Mumbai - Shani Shingnapur (via Pune, Ahmednagar) - Shirdi - Trimbakeshwar (Nasik) - Mumbai

Mumbai - Nasik: approx 190 km
Nasik - Shirdi: approx 90 km
Shirdi - Shani Shinganapur: approx 80 km

Total: approx 360 km

OR

Mumbai - Shani Shingnapur: approx 330 Km (Mumbai-Pune-Ahmednagar)
Shani Shinganapur – Shirdi: approx 80 km
Shirdi - Nasik: approx 90 km

Best is to start on Saturday early morning around 4:00 AM towards Shani Shingnapur, reach there by 10:00 AM, reach Shirdi by 1:00 PM and have a lunch break there only, then push off to Trimbakeshwar by 4:00 PM (if you will be lucky enough to have 'darshan' with in an hour or so), reach trimbakeshwar by 6:00 PM, attend the evening 'Aarti' and push of to Mumbai by 8:00 PM. To have a smooth trip, you may have a night stay at Shirdi, attend early morning 'Aarti' next day, and then push off to Trimbakeshwar.

Whatever suits, it’s always been a pleasure and peace to be at those places. Some snaps below...

Some valley on the way....

Nasik - Trimbkeshwar road... something to talk about!!!

Wonder-car!!!

Happy journey... :)

Mumbai to Ratnagiri/Ganpatipule

2009-05-27T01:13:00.000-04:00

Ganpatipule beach is basically named on Lord Ganesha. There is a Lord Ganesha's marvellous temple on the beach and in rainy season, sea waves use to come till temple dwar. One can't describe its magnificent view in words. Its a svayambhu (self-originated idol) Lord Ganesha idol, means no-one made the statue, but it is self-originated. It is one of the 'Ashta Ganapatis' (eight Ganpatis) of India and is known as 'Paschim Dwar Dewata' (Western Sentinel God). It’s a belief that whatever you wish here in this temple, it will get fulfil.

This place is really awesome. If somehow I would become the Tourism Minister, I will definitely put a proposal that "if any tourist comes here, and if s/he will not find the trip worth, the money will be back"... :). Whatever you want, peace, neat and clean beaches, temples, good market, helpful people, scenic highways, good roads... everything which comes under the radar of your brain, when you plan to go out somewhere, you will get it. This is a place where when I came first, I thought to buy some house to stay my old age there. I had been to this place twice, once, only and especially to Ganpatipule with AT, RN and SP. Another trip was not specific to Ganpatipule, but we (me, SP and RK) explored Ratnagiri as much as we were able to, within the given time. Second time we had great advantage of being SK with us who is working and residing there.

So I am here describing my two trips to Ratnagiri.

Ganpatipule Temple...

Phase I -- Specific to Ganpatipule with AT, RN & SP.

There was a public holiday and we took one day leave in continuation with Saturday & Sunday and the boys were ready with their bags. But before that, RN told us acc to his previous experience that if we are going to Ganpatipule, there is no other place as good as MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) to stay. As a matter of fact, in all Maharashtra coastal regions, taking MTDC resorts is always the best option. MTDC has its all resorts just on the beach.

You need to get up from your room, take a small walk of 20-30 steps and you can wash your face from the sea water if you think you are a superhero and salty water will not have any affect on your eyes. So we booked a tent house of 4 in MTDC resort. Now the pending thing was travelling etc. After our great analysers ruled out the road journey, we planned to take the train option. Jan-Shatabdi express is train from Mumbai and Goa, everyday and it stops at Ratnagiri station. Travelling in this train itself is an experience. It has AC chair class option and no doubt this train is full with all the non-social kind of elements like us who goes to Goa on and of.
Stylish hairs, colorful clothes, some with their guitar etc, making pranks, throwing jokes and happy-go-luck-persons kind of creatures. Though, some of the elite class families were also there, with some 'Phoren' friends but there was no time to take care of all them!!! When you have destination like Goa, you already filled with some kind of nostalgia and dramatic feeling and already your level of energy booms like anything. There is no doubt that train is always the best option for Mumbai to the places like Ratnagiri and Goa. It roughly takes 5 hours to Ratnagiri and 7 hours to Goa. The route is one of the most beautiful and scenic route in India with river crossings, green fields, tunnels etc.

So we had MTDC resort booked and train ticket booked in hands and we were ready. AT came to Mumbai at night itself and we were at the Panvel station with our bags at 6:00 AM in the morning. At 6:30 AM, train arrived and the journey started. As described earlier, there were various kinds of people inside, hip-hoppers, rockers, decent couples etc. After sometime of settling down, we had our photo sessions etc while standing on the gate etc. Had seen many guys requesting to TT to let them be on the train, their tickets were not confirmed and some with other issues. I doubt if we had that kind of respect anytime in our eyes for our teachers, school principals, college lecturers etc which some people were showing to that TT. The voices were so smooth and honey dew like TT has to provide them a million dollar loan amount. If there would be a bucket, one could have collected some kilos of honey which was dribbling from their voices. We guys are like that...if we meet some person who is their for any kind of audit purpose, like policemen, TT, our personality suddenly change with in a friction of seconds. From juvenile, we immediately turn very social creatures who know that we are at fault but excuse we provide is always bigger than that.

We reached Ratnagiri at around 11:30 or so and one of our friend's driver was waiting for us. SK, our friend, who had his job there, had done arrangement for rest of our way from Ratnagiri to Ganpatipule, a distance of around 50 km. We first had our lunch at his home, and then pushed of. He also gave us the company for that day. So finally we were at Ganpatipule MTDC resort, just opposite to the beach. The first thinking was a big 'wow' from me and AT side. RN had been there once so there was nothing for him to say, SP, as always was in his own world of laptop, some office work, analysing something that he also didn't knew, looking at the tent house if that was in 'good' condition or not etc. etc.

The stretch...

The beach was neat and clean, well maintained, with white sand and green water. SK gave us company till evening and then he pushed of to his home, Ratnagiri. We all enjoyed our time of 4 days and 3 nights there. While SP was getting lost in his own world 'at times' (and recurrence of his this kind of 'space for himself' is too high), me, AT and RN at all the nights were getting into the mode of 'I love you guys' and 'I love the world'. Routine was predefined. Getting up at 11:00 AM or 12:00 noon types, have something, go onto the beach, play rugby kind of thing (still don't know what name should get assign to that play) with our sleepers, get back into tent house by 3:00 PM, have something which we named as 'lunch', but waiters were also sceptical about our orders, as according to SP, he never had in a mood to have lunch, AT always had some list of menu in his mind which he never solved what he really need, me, as always had a doctor inside me who suggest why 'not' to eat this thing or that thing at that time, and among all of us, RN was the coolest personality who always go with the wind and never say no to anything. Whatever friends decide, he goes with that. His theory I guess is not to get into arguments with fools and always do agree with them as that saves a lot of time and energy. Intelligent creature!!!

MTDC resort and view from there...

Evening time was again a kind of game time for all of us (the kind of games which are still searching for their existence in the dictionary...like playing rugby kind of thing with sleepers, pretending like we were in warfare and fighting with waves, drawing competition etc...). And sometime, SP set himself far away from the water, fixed himself on sand, thinking as he was the loneliest creature of his own kind in the world and asking to God that why either all the good or all the bad things happening to him only. His silent mode sometimes throws very powerful ultrasonic waves. Apart from his silent mode, the best thing is you never knew when again the bulb turns up and throw some enchanting light using the mode of smile. Yes, apart from exploring this 'sage' side of SP, we did many other things like bonfire on the beach at 3:00 in the night. Actually that got organized by some two other guys, with which we became 'janam-janam ke saathi' after we came to know that they have organized such a thing. Those guys were also finding the reason why they were at the beach and we gave them...to enjoy!! We gel along them and after some time, those two kind hearted people pushed off and we again were our own, AT -- 'I don't know what to do' theme guy, SP -- the lost sage, RN -- the 'no problem' bike imported from a south India coast and me -- a multi personality disorder. We had dance, photo session, some weird games in the sand like donkeys, also had some sleep etc kind of activities there, till the guard came and told us that staying late night on the beach is not allowed. He had a solid 'police wala danda' in his hands and we didn't wanted someone to kick us at that time when we will not find any hotel also. So we had to be inside the province of MTDC resort which was just 20 steps from the beach and again we were on the same 'hot' topics like 'ladkiyan and life mein kuch karna hai yaar... etc...etc...' till the time we realized that we need to get up again next day and to able to do that, we need some sleep.

Few moments...

So with this schedule, we spent 3 days there, and on the 4th day, we packed our bags again for Mumbai. Before pushing off from there, we had to go for Lord Ganesha temple (village name is Ganpatipule due to this reason...Ganpatipule, the Lord of the 'ganas' or army and "pule" means sand dunes). We gone to this utter beautiful temple and had blessed.

We didn't had any plans to call SK again from Ratnagiri to pick us and to drop till Ratnagiri station, so choose the MSRTC bus option to reach Ratnagiri station. It was very hot but as soon as the bus started and wind crossed our hairs, there was no time to think about that. It took an hour or so to reach Ratnagiri station and we had around 2 hours in our hands. So we decided to have our lunch there only, which ultimately turned something else...party time. We were lucky enough to get all the desired and delicious food there, and before half an hour of train time, we reached at Ratnagiri station to catch Janshatabdi express. Train was late and again our photographer knock the heart, so we clicked some snaps, did some more chit-chat and boarded in the train. Unlike while coming in this train, people were tired, exhausted and had a scary feeling of going back to work next day on their faces... :). We had also nothing much to do so slept for sometime and due to effected by Mr. SP, gone into silent mode until we reached Panvel, Navi Mumbai station.

Policemen were waiting there for checking the bags etc due to the reason most of the people buy whisky/scotch etc. from Goa due to price factor and which is not permitted in Maharashtra. You can't enter with the bottles with a tag of "For Sale in Goa only". That’s a common rule that you can't take one state liquor to another state, but you can't find that kind of police checking which we seen there. Anyways we all are good guys so we don't do these things (and even if we do, this is not the right place to mention that...) and moreover we were coming from Ratnagiri and not Goa, so we seen a kind of disappointment on 'police wale bhaiya's' face after we told him so... :).

We took a local from Panvel to reach our places, RN had a bit long way to go then us, me, AT & SP came back to our flat from where AT pushed of to Pune and as always, with a great experience for lifetime to cherish...!!!

Phase II -- Specific to Ganpatipule again, but turned 'exploring Ratnagiri' after reaching RK's place.

As said earlier, it is one of the most beautiful and peaceful place atleast for me and during my first visit, I decided to be there atleast once in a year. And this time when I decided to go there was New Year eve. Like all the past times, the first person I tried to contact for this trip was AT. I applied all sort of 'dosti ke vaste etc...' things on him but he had some assignments to finish. RN was out of town and SP was not at all in the mood to join. So after all this emotional dramatic stuff, which continued for 2-3 days, I decided to go alone there. RK, one of our friend's friend was still working in Ratnagiri and I talked to him about my arrival.

The most difficult thing to do for this trip was to get the train ticket and MTDC resort at Ganpatipule. As I didn't had much time in my hand and that was again going to be a new year, one of the biggest carnival in Goa etc..., one have to plan atleast two months before while going to Kankan stretch like Ganpatipule, Goa, Velneshwar. You will not get hotels or either you will need to do some compromise regarding the quality etc which may ruin your trip. December is anyways a peak season for Goa and the Christmas celebration, new year ever attraction pack Goa like anything. So it was just a week in my hands and neither I was getting the train ticket, nor the MTDC resort. I convinced myself to take the bus route to reach Ratnagiri (I hate long trips in buses, though, didn't had any option), I talked to RK and he convinced me about staying there and luckily I was getting the ticket for way back to Mumbai in Janshatabdi express. It was just a day before when I was about to book bus and train tickets, somehow somewhere a light flashed, some announcement happened in sky and SP's soul waked up for salvation. He asked me to book two return tickets as he was also joining me. That was actually a good thing happened because even if I planned to go alone, but 'what is life without friends' theory was hitting me again and again!!! So finally on the same evening I booked two bus tickets for Ratnagiri and two train tickets for way back. For stay and all other requirements, we decided to make RK one of our best friend for next week.

The day came and we boarded on the bus in the night. The drive was hectic, even that we were in AC volvo. The worst thing is you hardly get space to adjust yourself. But the thought of being in Ratnagiri/Ganpatipule was enough to overwhelm that pain of journey. We reached Ratnagiri bus stop in the morning around 5:30 AM. Had tea there which was the first 'feel good' factor. The air was neat and clean and was adequate to leave the bus experience on the bus stop itself. We hired one auto which was very much unknown to any name like RK, and the best part was I had a rough idea of address in my mind. This was again the result of thinking me as a bond, who never forgets something which he read or hear once. RK explained me the address on phone, I noted it down on some corner of some paper, which somehow I lost in my flat (which was more of a chemistry lab, where all the chemicals are misplaced and one never find anything on time one require the most). There was no reason for me to say anything about that piece of paper where I wrote down the address and a map of Ratnagiri treasure... "SK's house". I somehow managed to recall the place name and I gave kudos to myself for my sharp memory (without looking at SP, who was already gone into his deadly silent mode and was staring at me...). So the 'rick wale bhaiya' dropped us at the place which we told to him and we had to find out the building of where our proud engineer RK was staying. We didn't want to disturb RK as it was just 6:00 AM in the morning and he might be sleeping at that time like normal people. Some people have quite normal life and not like us, so why should they suffer...? Yes, we had to ring the bell once we would have been reach there, but why to make him get up from sleep before that, so being on this idea, we started recalling our last trip to Ratnagiri and SK's building (Courtesy: Phase - I of Ratnagiri) as RK had acquired SK's flat post SK shifted to north India. We got the building but flat number was still a mystery for us so we then decided to call RK. To our surprise, he picked the phone in first call itself. I think he was really working on 'Athiti Devo Bhava' quote before that, but RK didn't knew that sometimes 'Athithi' like us makes the 'host' to feel like 'Athithi' in his/her own house. We acquire the host's house and before anyone say 'feel at home', we make the host to think 'feel at home' for himself...we guys have a big heart and accept the things without any issue(s)...

So we put down our bags like RK's flat was our ancestral property and RK was just a caretaker. RK also was surprised to meet such nice guys... ;). We were at rest till evening and in between we discussed about our this trip, what to cover, what all the place to see etc...etc... Eventually our trip turned to "Ratnagiri Darshan" rather then "Ganpatipule revisited". RK told us that there are more than 10 unexplore and non-commercialized beaches in Ratnagiri itself. So we alter our plans and decided to go to Ganpatipule only on 31st December to celebrate new year eve. Before that, we were about to unfold Ratnagiri only.

Exploring Ratnagiri...

RK had a bike and he took one of his other friends bike because we were 3 people. It that 2 days in Ratnagiri was an experience in itself which one can only feel and atleast for an immature write like me, there are no words to explain the same. At the end of this blog, I have described what all the places one can roam in Ratnagiri and I am attaching couple of snaps too. It is a beautiful place with some hidden beaches (known to localities only), good roads, lush green sights and great taste of food. Two days we roamed with RK as our guide and he really made our trip worth to write this Phase II of Ratnagiri. He was in Ratnagiri since an year when we had our trip and he explored almost all the places there. Such a nice person, who never said no for anything, and yes, we tested his patience thoroughly. He made us so comfortable and we gel along with him so well that once we felt that we are his roommates and we are residing here only since long back. He told us about all the places of Ratnagiri according to whatever he has gained in an year and which was quite enough for us being new to that place.

So after collecting non-mentionable memories in two days, third day, the 31st December, we decided to go at Ganpatipule beach. Again the issue was getting a place there to stay, as we were planned to celebrate our new year eve there and we were not in a temper to come back at Ratnagiri after that. That was the most difficult thing to get a room in any hotel at that peak time, however, due to Mr. Ratnagiri, SK, we got a room in a hotel which was also near to the beach and MTDC resort. So we reached Ganpatipule by 5:00 PM in the evening and by 6:00, we were in between the waves...We came back to hotel after we got enough slaps from the sea and like all the past times, we declare the end of war by showing white piece of cloth to the ocean. Unlike to last time, it was more aggressive, as like he was also celebrating the New Year... We again got back onto the beach after change and some rest. This time, just to sit on the sand of the beach and to see its beauty at night, it was around 10:00 PM. People were celebrating, some had arranged the bonfire, and some couples got very cosy, and there were enough policemen to take care of any mis-happening and to keep people away from the sea shore. At 12:00 in the night, we saw enough fireworks in the sky to welcome new year. It was a very beautiful scene, water everywhere, some ships/boats with light in the sea, colorful fireworks and some funny people on the beach... it was a "cheers to life" moment... what kind of beautiful paradise it was...

Beaches @ Ratnagiri...

Post our New Year celebrations, we slept for a while on the beach itself till some policemen again came and asked us to go back to our respective hotels. This happens with us everytime, don't know why we are so precious to this world that everyone starts caring about us, wherever we go... ;). So we got back into our hotel with a magnificent picture in our mind. That was the most delighting New Year celebration and till today it is. What you want and how you want the things to happen, and atlast those things happens in the same way, what could be more beautiful than that...!!!

Next day before pushing off, we had gone to Lord Ganesha temple and this time, we had parikrama too (Its about 1 kilometre, round to the temple). Post that, we pushed of for Ratnagiri. Our train time was again in the evening at 5:30 PM like last time as I said that is a fixed and the best train from Mumbai to Goa and vice-versa. Train was late by an hour or so and in the meantime, RK took us to his office which was near to Railway Station itself. As like all other government offices, the picture was same with a difference of cleanness. It was pretty big and everything was properly arranged. We had some hearty and heavy lessons on semiconductor devices etc from RK. It was kind of KT that happened for another an hour and we were back on the platform. Train took another half an hour to arrive. Again we were on the way back to Mumbai with bang-up memories which will never fade and always become a cause for smile on our faces...

Description of Ratnagiri/Ganpatipule (Some copy-paste stuff…)

Kankan, one of the most beautiful stretch of Indian ocean covering Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka and famous for white-sand beaches and palm trees, mostly coconut and betel nut. It covers Maharashtra's districts of Raigad, Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, the state of Goa, and the Uttar Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. The geogrophical location states that the eastern boundary of the Konkan is "Sahyadri Mountain range", the western boundary covered by "Arabian Sea", "Gangavali River" coveres its southern boundary and "The Mayura River" forms the northern boundary.

The district of Ratnagiri is located at a distance of 370 kilometers from Mumbai. The main languages here are Konkani and Marathi. Rice and coconut are the main crops produced in Ratnagiri, but it is also famous for cashew nuts, and fruits, delicious "Hapus" (Alphonso) mangoes across and abroad the country.
Other local vegetation includes fruit-bearing trees like betelnut, banana, jackfruit etc. Fishing is an important industry in Ratnagiri. Heavy rainfall results in highly eroded landscape in the coastal region. The climate is pleasant there all the months, throughout the year, except April to September when there is a high humid and sun reaches a point directly overhead.

Ratnagiri district offers the most diverse attractions and endowed with many tourist assets. The beauty of this place is a contribution of the rising hills of Sahyadri on east and the depths of Arabian sea on the west. It is blessed with hills, sea shores, creeks, beautiful rivers, hot water springs, forests and water falls among many others.

A few nationalist, socialist and educationist, including Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak; Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Kehav Karve and Raghunath Purushottam Paranjpe, were born in Ratnagiri.

Places to Visit:

There are more than thirty places in Ratnagiri distric to visit and are main tourist attractions. Out of which the below are most famous.

Places of worship: Ganapatipule, Velneshwar, Marleshwar, Hedvi, Hatis, Parshuram (Chiplun), Rajapur
Caves: Panhalekazi, Sangameshwar
Palace: Thibaw Palace (Ratnagiri)
Sea Shores: Kelshi, Murud, Guhaghar, Palshet, Ganpatipule, Velneshwar
Beaches: Mandovi (Gateway of Ratnagiri), Bhatye, Guhagar, Anjarla, Ganapatipule
Birth Places of eminent personalities: Ratnagiri, Malgund, Dapoli, Palgad
Forts: Bankot, Mandangad, Ambolgad, Jaigad, Ratnadurg, Mahipatgad
Sea Forts: Ratnadurg, Harne, Purnagad, Jaigad
Bird Sanctuaries: Vanadi valley, Anaskura Ghat
Exotic forests: Pat Panhale, Bavnadi valley
Water Falls: Parshuram, Prachitgad, Marleshwar
Hot water Spring: Unhavare, Aravali, Tural, Rajapur

Prime Attractions

Ganpatipule: This is the land of Ganpatipule, one of Maharashtra's almost virgin beaches. It is idyllic. It is famous not only because of its blue water and white sand, but for Swayambhu Ganpati Temple (Swayambhu means a self-originated idol, Ganapati). It is flooded by thousands of devotees and tourists every year. The beach here is still natural and pristine as ever. Sparkling blue waters, endless stretches of golden or silver sand, a cool breeze whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

Devotees take a "Pradakshina" around the hill where the temple is located, not just around the temple. Pradakshina is a form of showing obeisance. It is said that the will be done if devotees make a Pradakshina by their sole heart.

Thebaw Palace: The Thebaw Palace was built in 1910-11 for the 1911-16 stay there in exile of the king and the queen of Burma (Myanmar). The place has tombs of the royal couple.

Malgund: The famous Marathi poet, Keshavsut, was born in the village of Malgund. His house has recently been renovated and converted into a students' dormitory. It is just a kilometre away from Ganpatipule. Visitors like to take a look at the house of the poet, now a student’s hostel. Also a must visit to beautiful monument called the Keshavsut Smarak. It has also constructed in Malgund.

Jay Gadh: This 17th century fort offers a spectacular view of the sea. Standing high and proud on a cliff with a spectacular view of the sea the fort is at the entrance of the Sangameshwar river and is 35 kms away from Ganpatipule.

Pawas: Naturally beautiful and serene the place is also prominent for the ashram of Swami Swaroopanand a spiritual leader who influenced an entire generation of Maharashtrians. His residence has now been converted into an ashram.

Velneshwar: Velneshwar is located 170 km from Ratnagiri. Its adjoining beach is clean and lined with coconut trees. There is a well-known Shiva temple near Velneshwar. The village comes alive each year during the Maha Shivaratri far when pilgrims in large numbers visit the Old Shiva Temple.

Ratna Durga: This fort was built during the Bahamani rule. The Arabian Sea surrounds it on its three sides.

Parashuram Temple (near Chiplun): This temple was built in 1685 by Maharshi Brahmendra.

Shivasamarth Gad (at Sawarde near Chiplun): contains sculptures from Shivaji's times.

Getting to

Getting to Ratnagiri is easy and convenient. Travelling by road to Ratnagiri is an experience by itself. The vast Konkan stretch abounds with scenic greenery. There are narrow mud-roads, the earth is red and the roofed houses with clean courtyards add a quaint touch to the panorama. The district of Ratnagiri is well-connected by roadways with all the major cities and towns such as Kolhapur, Mumbai and Pune. NH-17 passes through the district. From Mumbai, (Ex Panvel) a comfortable car journey to Ratnagiri will take around six to seven hours.

The National Highway 17 connects cities and towns of different states as follows Mumbai, Mahad, Ratnagiri, Panaji, Madgaon, Karwar, Kumta, Bhatkal, Udupi,
Surathkal, Mangalore, Kasargod, Kannur, Thalassery, Vadakara, Kozhikkode, Kodungallur,North Paravur and Kochi. The NH 17 passes through hills, forests, rivers, rivulets, and streams,. Most of region has typical scene like coconut trees dotted all along with paddy fields. The road is not even, with humps, bumps, curves, steep rises and narrow paths in between hillocks are found all over this highway.

Apart from Road, Rail journey is having an owesome experience for life. It is called the most scenic railway track so far. Ratnagiri is having a distric railway station where most of express trains halt. From Mumbai, Jan-Shatabdi express from Mumbai to Goa halts here which could be the best option due to AC chair option and its time. The train starts from Mumbai at 5:00 am and takes aprox five hours to reach Ratnagiri. From here, you can take a taxi/cab to any hotel in Ratnagiri or Ganpatipule. Ratnagiri city from Railway station is five kilometers.

Distance

Mumbai to Ratnagiri - 370Km
Pune to Ratnagiri - 380Km
Goa to Ratnagiri - 220Km

Where to stay

A number of good options are there in Ratnagiri, from lexurious suits to economical rooms. If you are going there just for Ganpatipule, MTDC resort is incomparable. The best feature of MTDC resort is you open your eyes in the morning and the sea is around you. This government resort is on the main Ganpatipule beach and consists of AC cottages, Non-AC cottages, general rooms and tent houses under coconut trees for those who want to feel a forest touch.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Ratnagiri is either between the months of April and June or October and December.

Happy Journey... :)

Pune to Goa

2009-05-18T03:42:00.000-04:00

Like all great young warriors, we also decided to have a trip to Goa as like its our right to be there atleast once in our lifetime or one have to suffer in many ways. Its a liability on our soul to be there or we will not be in a count of 'responsible youth'. And why not to be there atleast once? Various colors of life, everything is an occasion there, a life full of happiness and energy, beaches (apart from all the temporary assets I mentioned why one should be there, beaches were the main reason for me. Like Clark Little, "I love the ocean - I am addicted to the waves").

So once the mail thread started between various like minded people (who likes to do many things in one life, but can't do...because they can't do anything)...the program seemed to be fixed. Before that email which arrived from Bangalore and hit our inbox in Mumbai & Pune, everyone was chopping the time and were discussing about how devour the life is by saying our favourite quotes "Kuch Karte hain yaar...kuch nya, kuch alag" etc... etc...

So the thread started with a very decent manner of "Hi, Hello, missing you friends so letz met and cover Goa etc" and certainly ended with billingsgate each other. But finally the program was fixed, 8 people, 2 from Mumbai, 1 from Pune, 3 from Bangalore and 2 from Hyderabad will meet up in Goa. Date which got fixed was of 15 days later. We were counting the days and counting of people was reducing day by day. As in Ramleela, the fight between Shri Ram and Ravana starts and day by day Ravanas worriers become lesser in numbers. And often it happens in this kind of multi-state gathering, one day before the actual departure day, only two guys were left... one, the great plan maker and the other one who survived a lot due to my great plans at times or rather, many times.

So two people were left and the height of desperation was that at 12:15 in the night also, we were looking at some possibility to go Goa with couple of other friends to whom we call 'so called money saver' (you know its pretty good to have big group when it comes to money irrespective of if some people likes you or not!!! We are enough practical now). So all the plans to get some people etc. were failed and we were about to close the Goa trip then suddenly a sound came from my inner soul like in typical tollywood movie that "No, you should go to Goa anyways or you will not attain "Enlightenment". That was the time when I bent on my knees, talked to my bike-guru through mind waves for a minute, took his blessings and told my decision to my other pal that we have to go Goa by bike this time and he, who was desperate to listen "okay we are not going this time, but some other time" confirmed this twice what I said.

In our college days, whatever distance we had covered, whatever we had done with the bikes, but such a nice thought of covering so many kilometres was never crossed any of our mind. Somehow I convinced AT to cover Goa by bike by giving all the absurd excuses, anyways he prepared his mind with the light (as since his childhood he has a misconception for himself that he is really a miracle in terms of taking decisions and finding pros & cons of something) but I didn't wanted to cancel the program so I didn't gave any loose point from my side too.

So in the night at 12:30 AM, we searched internet, got the different distances from Pune to Goa on every blog, sites etc, and finally we concluded by ourselves that Goa is not too far yaar. Its just a matter of few hours...that’s it!!! And what it takes for two young people to cover it? Nothing, only Petrol... (I am searching for that moment again in my life because post that we had many bike trips but that kind of crazy thought never crossed...)

So atlast we decided to push of on next day at around 11:00 AM because at that moment we were thinking ourselves as the greatest and fastest bikers who can cover aprox 500 kilometres with in 5-6 hours. Our thought had been changed dramatically as we had in our mind that there is no silencer in the bike but nitrogen cylinders and also bike will get wings in the traffic jams so that we could fly (but our honest idea was to stick to the road for most of the time...). So I got a job to reach Pune by sharp 9:00 AM. It was so sharp so that it could have cut my throat once. 9:00 AM, com'on...means I need to start from Mumbai at 6:00 AM, means I need to get up at 5:00 AM, means I need to finish the packing stuff before I drag in bed and it was already 1:00 AM...means it was going to be a sleep of 3-4 hours that night and I need to be so proactive even while in sleep like if I am not sleeping at all. I was wondering if 3 alarms couldn't made me wake up at 8:00 AM in the morning on working days when I used to go to bed at 2:00 AM, how the hell I will get up at 5:00 AM if I am going to bed at 1:00 in the night???...But one should appreciate the kind of enthu I have shown and finally got up at 6:30 AM... So it was a good start. Reason being we knew that I can't get up at 5:00 AM and we obviously gonna late anyways, but no-one was thinking that I am gonna make it so early... I mean it was kind of the very-early-late stuff, and I got kudos for that (from myself only).

I made a call to AT on the way to Pune about if he is ready and got a reply in very irritating voice that "you just reach here fast, I am reday to push off". I just smiled and cut the phone because somewhere my sixth sense imagined what could be the scene of the flat when I will reach there. I reached Pune at 10:30 AM and I knew my smile on AT's reply was worth and he was not only sleeping by that time, but also didn't had his bag ready. So next half an hour was to apply some humiliating and emotional things on him but we guys are born covered by some kind of shield so that those humiliating and emotional wordings don't touch us at all.

I had a quick nap of an hour then, while AT was getting ready and at our kind of SHARP 12:30 noon, we had first kick in Pulsar 180 CC. The day was good, not so much heat up, not cold, as October to March is one of the best time in Pune and Mumbai, its just need some patience to gel along with some humidity but at highways, that also need not of to pay any attention. After fighting for 45 minutes with Pune traffic, we hit Pune-Banglore highway and we started with our life changing experience (someone adviced us to think that way OR we would not be able to drive so long... :)).

Highway was pretty cool, road was nice and scenic, with greenery everywhere (we convinced ourselves that this is because we were to hit this road, whilst reason we knew by our heart that Monsoon has just passed and Mumbai & Pune outscrubs used to turn like heaven in that season). Anyways we were least bothered about negative energies/thoughts and were enjoy the driving at fullest. Before I continue, I would like to thanks again to some unknown friends who gave us an idea about the route. Below is the route we followed.

Pune to Kolhapur to Nippani to Amboli to Sawantwadi to Goa.

The trip was going great. Like normal human beings, we stopped after every 60-70 kilometres and had some refreshments (not heavy food, because I have a doctor who live inside me and who directed us that if we will take proper heavy food like we have our normal lunch, we will catch up with sleep and we will not reach Goa in a day). Everything was great till Nippani where we stopped by luck to have tea and sandwiches. That was the same time when we realised that we are professional guys and we have our cell phone and watches with us to check the time. It was around 6:30 PM of evening. We counted on our fingures and calculate that its almost 6 hours when we started this trip. We looked at each other and there were some unanswered questions in both of our eyes and that was not at all the good time to ask or answer those Q's. Somehow I can tell that the telepathy session was about last night discussion which we had related to reach Goa in 5-6 hours because we 'thought' we are extraordinary. We had those telepathy Q's & A's session for some more seconds and then we broke the ice by asking the rest of the distance we have left and to reach Goa. The answer was which we were thinking. Goa was still around 200 kilometres far and trust me we had a solid reason behind getting back our energies and resume to our trip. The reason was 'Chai wale bhaiya', (seldom are the chances for whom to see any biker) asked to us that from where we are coming and we told him. He had some lovely appreciation words for us which he exchanged with his chottu, like the chottu was the only person who was supposed to give us trophy on our way back from Goa for this 'social & community work'.

NH-4

All right, so by the time we left from Nippani, it was dark and bike's headlight was ON. Till Nippani, we were driving at the speed between 90 to 120 and once you get used to with that speed for 5 hours, its loosely impossible to get out of that mental situation. We were hoping to get a nice road of SH which connects NH-4 (Pune - Bangalore) and NH-17 (Goa Highway, starts from Sawantwadi). And no doubt our hope was based on the 'chai wale bhaiya' who immediately turned a 'highway specialist' post we ask him the way forward to Goa. He was so confident about the SH road like he himself made it or atleast supervised it. As soon as we took a right turn from the highway towards SH, we got our first hard jerk after katraj (Pune). We again convinced ourselves and remembered the face of our well-wisher 'chai wale bhaiya' and murmured 'it happens yaar, road will be all right in sometime'. But it turned bad to worst in sometime and we were in a place like world's end point. There were no lights, no vehicles, no roads, no shops, just two brave guys without water and one bike with few liter of petrol which we were not able to drink at all in the worst case too. It was like a night safari on a camel because due to our government blessings, we were not able to touch even a speed of 40. After covering some more distance, we got enough conscious about that situation!!! Who wanted to be left at that place without bike, without shoes, even without clothes...!!! But where there are two audacious boys, there is always a hope... just modified one quote!!! :)

Some electric bulbs were finally the reason of smile on our faces. It was a small police booth kind of thing. We asked for the way forward and they told us. We looked at the bulbs like that was some alien thing to us and started again. After few more kilometres, we stopped in some village and asked 'How far is the highway' from a 'Pan wale bhaiya'. First he looked at us like we asked him to transfer his all paternal property on our name. Then he asked where we want to go. We told him Goa. Reply was as he wanted to say 'there is no such place exists' but before he could have said this, AT clear his intentions. AT asked the same question in a different way and that was very first funny moment on that SH. He asked "Bhaiya, tell us how far is that place where there would be lights everywhere, good and broad roads, some shops and moreover, some life". I guess 'Pan wale bhaiya' got his point (it depends on person-to-person, I mean it depends who understand whom and 'Pan wale bhaiya' got AT's frequency). He told us that just after 5-6 kilometres, that kind of place is there. At that moment, we got a feeling to bent and touch 'pan wale bhaiya's' feets.

The SH...

Yes, we were about to touch NH-17 from where Goa is just 60 kilometres away. Atleast we thought this at that moment and till that moment when we cover 5-6 kilometres and saw another small village of 15-20 houses (With some lights, a 20 feet road, 2-3 shops, and some life... :)). AT looked at me, I looked at AT, we though of 'Pan wale Bhaiya', nobody said nothing and we proceeded further. After 10-20 kilometres, by God grace we had petrol pump with only 2 machines there, from which, one was out-of-order. Our bike had some food there and according to petrol pump guy, NH-17 was around 30-40 kilometres more. We had a sign of relief than but we didn't turned happy OR didn't made any smiley face because since we started on SH, we got these kind of 'highway measurements' 3-4 times. So we decided to kill our 'happiness' and 'joy feeling' by the time we could have reach NH-17.

We were finally in Sawantwadi from where NH-17 starts. We enjoyed that moment with some refreshments on a small shop. We calculated that the SH which we had crossed was 110 KM long. And there were many irritating and funful moments we had on the same stretch. The one most interesting was the hording we read many times on that SH and that was in Marathi. It was written many times "Vahane Savkash Chalva". None of us was so much known to Marathi and we made our own meaning for that quote. We thought "Vahane Savkash Chalva" means "Gadiyan saath-saath chalein". I remember a trip in North India region when we took the inner route from villages to shorten the time because it was night; Police stopped us and told us to be with some other vehicles for safety reasons. In friction of seconds we had expressionless faces after we read that quote "Vahane savkaash chalva". Our question was some "Vahan" kind of thing should also be there on the road to drive with. While we just about to reach Sawantwadi, we crossed one ghat and Police jeep was there. They stopped us and there were some other bikers who were with them. I just thought that the board of "vahane savkash chalva" is hitting our head since past 80-90 kilometres and now when we are about to reach NH-17, we got several "vahans" to go along with. Even the ducats will not think for a loot near populated area. We were just about to tell them that we are very social and kind guys with all the required papers and license, but before that one gentle policeman started telling that "go very slow you all bikers, this ghat is very dangerous with steep cuts and bad road condition, many mishappening happens here". Curiously I asked to a policeman that what this "vahane savkash chalva" means and answer was worth a boxing match between me and AT to hit each other. Policeman told us that "vahane savkash chalva" means "Vahan, gadiya etc. kripya DHEERE chalein". I wanted to have a photo of the painter's hands who painted this all over the road where you can't drive more than 40 km/h. Did that mean one has to put the vehicle on his/her head and walk? No matter what now I call that, but if today also I remember that 110 KM stretch, I am feeling very good abut the bike, the experience, the company and moreover our thoughts we had all along that way.

So we were about to reach Goa in an hour or so from Sawantwadi and yes that one hour was nothing for us now because we already spent more than 9 hours of our life on bike and rest 1 or 2 hours of drive stands nowhere against that. We had our chit-chat with police while entering the Goa province about bike papers etc which is a due course on everyone who enter Goa (especially other state vehicles). That was the time when our superhero AT (who think faster then computers at times) told me that we don't have original papers with us and already we were driving with one helmet, where in Goa, as per those policemen, rule was of to wear helmet even if you are pillion. So we used our Delhi wala skills and we became nephew of one police uncle by buttering (by using our famous hindi dialogue "Uncle, aap ke bacche jaise hain hum, apka beta bhi to kabhi aisa karega OR usne bhi to kabhi aisa kai hoga... Galti to insaan se hi hoti hai naa...etc...etc...")!!!

Finally we entered in Goa and I don't remember the place name where in the night at 11:00 PM we were searching for a hotel. The first feeling which came was a complete 'disappointment'. There were very few lights on the road; nothing was opened apart from one dhaba which was not at all giving the feeling of being in Goa. We had very different picture of Goa in our mind when we started our trip but that seemed to be vanished untill we met some policemen and asked for some nice place for dinner. They told us that we are in the outskirts of Goa and famous places like Baga, Anjuna, Kamagud etc. are about 10 kilometres from here. We had no sick plans to go to those 'famous' places for another hotel as we were about to fall if we could have drive 1 more kilometre. As we think we are born intelligent, so again we proved it by deciding to have our dinner on that 'Dhaba' which was also closed during our inquiry time. But we both appreciate each other for our decision because that's what we do even if our plan won't work. Somehow we got entry in that closed Dhaba and the owner told us that due to police they use to keep the half shutter down but some 'experienced people' like you (me & AT) who knows that what a half shutter down means, get an entry. So we had delicious food there and got back to our hotel.

I will not describe the next four days in details because we had our fixed schedule and we were very particular about that. Schedule was to get up at 12:00 noon or 1:00 PM. Reach Kalamgud beach by 3:00 PM (actually its Calangute beach, but as we least care about what people will say about our English, me & AT renamed it KALAMGUD with our personal trademark...), be there by 8:00 PM or 9:00 PM, be in hotel by 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM and go to bed... This schedule continued with small changes like we had been to Baga beach, Anjuna beach, South Goa beaches, the famous cathedral in some day time etc. Yes, one other night also was crazy when we seen Tetos disc at Wagha beach. It was 11:00 PM in the night and Bagha is the place which gets alive till early morning. So we decided to be in that desc not-knowing that some word named 'girlfriend' do exist and can be very useful sometime. We didn't got the entry until we applied our so called 'emotional atyachar' on the guy who was making the entry passes. We applied all the tricks, gave him his mom's refrence, told him that if anytime he has to come Mumbai, do call any of us etc..etc.. And we got entry atlast at 1:00 AM in the night. We had been there till 5:30 in the morning when one bouncer came to us and told us that the tradition is if someone will not go after certain time, tradition is to throw him/her out from that place (Noticeable thing is there were 3 Phoren-walas also with us out of which 2 were girls, so that bouncer, who thought he was the masterpiece God has made said the same word to them too I guess). So we said good bye to all (don't know who all, but yes, we said gud bye) and returned to our hotel. Anyone can recall 'Vikram-Betall' series if s/he should have seen us. AT was driving (and also telling me again and again that if something happens, not to blame him) and I was laid on him. It was a ride like 'Maut ka kuan' as someone was paying us for that. We reached hotel, and on next day at 3:00 PM, our day started.

Kalamgud...

On our last day in Goa, we just wanted to relax so we explored Panaji, seen 'Don' movie at Galaxy theatre (it’s beautiful and unlike Delhi, have a great parking space, garden etc...).

The 'way back' day had been come and we got emotional... Not because we were going back to Pune, but to take the ownership of driver seat. One practical thing is when you are driving, you are mentally busy and least remembers the pain. But the pillion has to survive because he has nothing to do apart from remembering his pain. Only AT or me knows how again we droved back to Pune with giving all the past 'dosti-dushmani ka vasta' references to drive the bike. Unlike our departure, we covered distance from Goa to Pune in more than 12 hours, unnecessary stoppages, giving excuses of pee, hunger, thrust etc... And almost all of those excuses were coming from whoever was the pillion. Anyways, we reached Pune at around 11:30 PM in the night and in between, I purchased my ticket to Mumbai for the last bus, which was scheduled at 1:30 AM night (next day was Monday, office...). After reaching Pune, meter was showing more than 1200 KM and bike was literally yelling. I took a bath and tried to remember all the things happened within five days and there was no moment which didn't made me smile. Me and AT made our next trip plan to Goa from Mumbai-to-Goa via cruise and the same plan is still pending. Looking forward for the moment to be in Goa again near or on Carnival season. A place where I like more alive... with the waves...with the never ending sea...with the golden sand... Like Clark Little, "I love the ocean - I am addicted to the waves"... :)

A brief intro of route...

Pune to Kolhapur to nipanni (NH-4, very nice drive, its just katraj which will test your patience and car's/bike's shockers)
Nippani - right turn (Or you may drive some more on NH-4 and ask for Sankeswar from there you need to take right turn)
Ajra to Amboli
Sawantwadi to Goa (NH-17, nice road)

Something about Goa...

Beaches in Goa rank among the top beaches in the world. Its coastline stretches (known and famous as Konkan stretch) for around 120-130 kilometres. There are more than 35 stunning beaches in Goa (Most commercialized beaches are Baga & Kalamgud). You can see the different life-style that consists of a blend of Indian and Western influences as can be seen in its varied culture and architecture of its towns and villages which shows that Goa still maintained its Portuguese heritage. Goa is also known as 'City of Bhagwan Parshuram' because due to his legendary bow and arrow, this paradise came in existance.

Will paste more snaps sometimes later as I need to dig out in which corner of my hard-drive I kept those.

Happy journey... :)

Retro trips

2009-05-18T02:56:00.000-04:00

So the theme is "Retro Trips". I have been into some places for which I want to share my experience because anytime while starting any of the trip, I found out many unknown friends who wrote the blogs and articles about the directions, road conditions, best time to go etc... which were of great help to me and my pals to reach our destinations. Although, second thought is to write something as my handwriting getting bad to worst day by day and the best thing to improve it is to write more and more... well you can connect handwriting with the typing speed now a days!!! So we are enough technical, we are enough cool to read/write the repeated things...

As far as my memory allow me to get a pic, our group covered almost all the places near to Mumbai & Pune and near means within the range of 500 KM. Although getting leaves is quite a task but thanks to our ex-managers (God Bless them all!!!) who knew since day one that we guys were not of any use and can't add any moral & social values to society and can only disturb other working people. Its fun to remember their relaxed smiley faces (like if you offer an ice-cream to a demon kid and s/he spread his/her torn lips) while asking for leaves especially on Fridays and Mondays...

While the first trip was being start with the royal feel, an A/C cab with driver etc., eventually we figured it out that if we continue like that, we need to ask for money from our home on monthly basis. So since next time, we hooked on our bikes, with fake posters of R100, dukati on those man made creatures and enjoyed. Later on somehow one guy managed to save some money by doing huge cost cutting in his daily expenses and brought a 10 years old Maruti Zen. Trust me, that was like a wonder car for us and she did all the good things to us. It was a great feeling like a king in his chariot irrespective of she was too old to carry 5-6 guyz, but at times we made her so strong to do so...

Okay, so below is the list in my mind I am thinking to cover in next blogs on the basis of what I can recall...

-- Mumbai to Harihareshwar-Shriwardhan (In Cab)
-- Mumbai to Igatpuri-Bhandardhara (In Cab)
-- Pune to Goa (On Bike)
-- Mumbai to Dapoli (On Bike)
-- Mumbai to Daman & Dui (On Bike)
-- Pune to Mahabaleshwar (On Bike)
-- Mumbai to Pune-Shanisingnapur-Shirdi-Trambkeshwar to Mumbai (In Car)
-- Mumbai to Ratna giri (Train)
-- Mumbai to Alibaug (In Car)
-- Delhi to Amritsar-Chandigarh-Delhi
-- Delhi to Orissa
-- Delhi to Jaipur-Ajmer-Pushkar-Ringas to Delhi
-- Delhi to Govardhan-Vrindavan-Mathura-Agra to Delhi

To be continued... the list as well as blog...

Jeevashram

2009-04-09T05:50:00.000-04:00

Hi There,

Thanks for your time. It has been tremendous pleasure to share this information with you. We all have been passing through a number of sayings/quotes about the essential elements of life "Peace & Love" atleast once in our days schedule. Love human beings because of being human. I just want to add a bit into the same, love life because of being life within you, no matter in what and which form it is, human, animals...all. Anything which is making a response to you, have feelings, emotions, something is going through their mind, they are thinking, acting and responding to you in their own way they are made to be respond. A small and common example is of a dog, when you pass a street dog and just whistle, he starts wagging his tail in a slower sweep that is exactly a response of being confident that you are not going to hurt him and about his friendly gesture towards you. If you ever tried to make an eye contact with a wild cat, you would have noticed the bristling tail and hairs get standing. These are just forms of emotions which they express by their body language. Animals feel love, they feel pain, they feel everything what you feel on certain course of action which would have been taken by/to you.
It is just not a matter of feed some street dog or cat. It is more to do with the question "how much" and "how can" you can help them by taking care of these orphans. It is not a matter of having pets at home for decoration purpose and to show how upper class you belong to. It is not a matter of how much money you have spent to take a high class breed. It is not a matter how conscious you are about your own pet so that you don't take chances when your pet is not feeling well. It is matter of how you feel about animal community as a whole. It is a question on how you feel when you see an animal on the street and road roaming here and there just to get some food. It is a concern what you do apart from uttering a loud inarticulate cry on government while you have to use emergency breaks of your vehicle due to the reason some animal on the road or street comes on the way.

Come on!! They have life inside them, they have a soul to be live, they have a body to feel, they have heart just like you which actually beats as of your heart's do, they have their own brain to understand the things.

Yes, we are facing big issues in our own life. In India we have a huge population density. We are not able to take care of orphan humans which have sleepless nights without food. We are taking these issues in UN, generating reports and dashboards about how poor and helpless we are. But do those animals have some government to publish all these things they are going through? Are they able to write out to some governance authority or system about their sufferings? It’s us who have to think about them because it’s us only due to which they are in this condition. They are also the integral part of this our complete circulatory biological process. It is an unsaid fact that to save the existence of humans, it is necessary to save the nature, a part of which animals belong too.

Jeevashram, means a shelter for animals, is one of those organizations which are working for betterment of these unspoken lives. It was founded in 1990 and working continuously to help animals in all the way they can, i.e. shelter, treatment, helping in adoptation of pets, to prevent cruelty to animals etc. It holds a fully equipped veterinary hospital inside the campus that offers all kind of animal care services. The hospital facilitates with mobile dispensary, X-ray machine and operation theatre. They have a separate space for dogs and a cattery. You can find a combined section for birds and rabbits. They have and take care of peacocks, peahens, roosters and pigeons etc. Cattle, horses and donkeys are also in their campus.Currently Jeevashram Foundation is under supervision of Dr Vinod Sharma, Chief Veterinary Officer-in-Charge. The foundation is affiliated to the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA).

Jeevashram pic

A question to you after reading all above article is "How you can help"??? And the answer you will be able to give in a better position, I am just writing down my own ideas.

-- Atleast, not to be cruel to animals.
-- Donations (contact details below).
-- Any baronial help (providing food, medicines etc for animals to Jeevashram).
-- Adopting a pet. Please don't show so much of concern about breed of dogs etc. Normal Indian breeds have the same emotions and feelings and pets are not just artificial things to decorate the house so that you have to be specific about choices for their breed.
-- Taking care of orphan street animals.
-- If there is something wrong (accident, mishappening) with the orphan animal(s), do contact your nearest veterinary hospital. Trust me, there are some government owned hospitals and NGOs too just a phone call away from you which will not charge for this OR the charge will be less than your daily food cost.
-- Taking good care of your own pet.

Jeevashram Foundation Location:

Village Rajokri, Near the Temple, New Delhi - 110038.
Phone: 91-11-25064114, 91-11-25064118, 91-11-25063696
email: jeevashram@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.jeevashram.org/

The friends and forever...

2009-04-09T05:34:00.000-04:00

Hi There,

So this was a place I always want to own…yes, its not the place I want to be, but I want to own… :) …three reasons…First, this place is on the beach…extremely vast beach, water all around till the eye sight range allow you to see…Second reason, you can drive cars & bikes on that beach!!! No compulsions, no speed limits…

The third and the most important reason is because I got my best, my favorite, most honest and loyal pals there!!! They were around 20, most in pairs…and I loved the most “Great Dane” due to there silence, the second most important thing in life. They were giving very silent friendly gestures. The feeling after looking at them was like they have no issues what is happening all around; they have no worries about food, the kind of place they got etc. However, if you are thinking of breaking their silence in a non-friendly way or either any way they don’t like, forget about walking or having food by your own hands for a month or so. They are calm, but not cowards, they are silent in nature, but not non-violent, they have tremendous patience, but not for testing purpose.

So I got most of the special breeds there, which exactly the match with my choices, the kind of souls I want to spend most of my time…No politics, nothing to talk about schedules, less demanding, and most important thing…nothing they can do to harm environment, (which we are prone to do)!!!

Okay…so we can here talk about some more buddies…as I mentioned, they were around twenty of them…most in pairs…some were puppies. We had breeds like Indian, Great Dane/ Viszla & Hound Mix, German Sheffered, Labrador, Pointer etc…

The Great Dane OR Viszla & Hound Mix

The Great Dane OR Viszla & Hound Mix (the red brown one, behind the one who is getting pampered)…Regret for the mix up of breeds here but me too was really confused which breed was that…and still I am…But what I tried to explain below is 99% common between both breeds.
Their physical appearance can make anyone scared of them, they are tall and large, and having a muscular looks. But in nature, as I said, very gentle, patient and loyal. You can depend on them and they are very easy to train. Precaution one needs to take about them is training. They turned uncontrollable without proper training. They love to be in discipline and if trained well, they can become the great guard for you and your family.
The next one who catch my view was an Old English Bulldog…lazy looks, but very active actually, gives you the feeling that he is ready to take all the pain you have… :). They are very friendly in nature, courageous and fearless by heart. They can save you and your house at any cost, can count on them. The only mandatory thing for them is proper training.

Old English Bulldog

The next one who catch my view was an Old English Bulldog…lazy looks, but very active actually, gives you the feeling that he is ready to take all the pain you have… J. They are very friendly in nature, courageous and fearless by heart. They can save you and your house at any cost, can count on them. The only mandatory thing for them is proper training.

Pointer & German Shepherd

German Shepherde

Emmm…there comes the tiger!! First look of this breed gives you the feeling that they are quite ready to attack…brave heart, very courageous, but soft heart dogs…They carry a muscular and robust physique. They are damn intelligent, loyal and faithful. They require special attention for their daily exercise and brushing. I like them for their looks and their daredevilness nature.

Pointer…

As its name said, they got points… I didn’t had a great idea about the exact breed of this pointer that was there, as there are many breeds and this one is not the pure Pointer breed…however that hardly makes a difference in the nature and built they have. They have great stamina and large in size. They have gentle and obedient temperament. They need lots of exercise on daily basis, that's their maintenance…

Labrador (top on pointer...)

One of the world's most popular dogs…Mainly police dogs for bomb squad etc…they are very gregarious in nature and family-oriented. You will always find them eager-to-please and adaptable. They love water like fish, and as they have to win world championship in swimming… :) They like and need human companionship…In my personal views, they are most beautiful too… :)

Regret for the low quality of pics, needed to keep them with low size...

Thats for now...will back soon...

Something is wrong...

2009-02-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

With the great zeal and enthusiasm of trying to being happy and cool, something strikes everytime in head...the news around you, people around you, the government factors, internet stuff which you always think you are behind someone atleast regarding surfing, information etc... Even this my post also could be considered as a cruddy thing which talks about all the factors which are here to frighten all of us, to help in pulling up our inner instinct of fear. Could we be happier post reading or writing a great story, a story of cheeriness, some inclusion of romance, jokes etc...Yes, for moment of time. By the time you can make that within your memory. As soon as it will diminish, again some kind of fear factor popup, will get heavy on your moment of joy.

Fear of being in a plane which is about to land in water, fear of your kid who is alone inside the house, fear of clashing your plane (on which you haven't onboard till yet and not booked the tickets too) with a chopper, fear of being robbed in your own city, fear of being beaten by some extremists while hanging out with friends, fear of being accused to break any of your cultural law which you never mind or concerned before and you are not ware of that too. Every moment fear of pink slips, everytime news comes for someone about firing, irrespective of someone known or unknown, making and reviewing future plans and checking bills or balances. Everytime a scary feeling comes and go, we convenience ourselves that how the life it is, but don't dare to speak up...why this is how the life it is...

Everytime there is something under the carpet, pinching again and again...something is wrong. Though sometime that WRONG thing is something we are very much aware but, again for our own sake of good, still try to convince ourselves that it is not going to happen what we are thinking. Are we daring enough to unfold that pyramid of uncertainty and figure out what is waiting? No, even if we will have the powers to do so. Because the people who got those powers, are not afraid and reason being, they got those things after all the suffering we are dare to even think about. Anyways, this post is not again to divert the topic from fearing things to great people. Was going through one of the great quote..."On this earth, there is no security, there is only opportunity" which made me to think about what is that "Security" and where is that "Opportunity". But again, to be on the so called positive side of this statement, want to figure out the fact, how to be secure enough to get that opportunity...Again...something is wrong...

Cheers...

Your God, Our God and The God

2009-01-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

So recently I have been impressed from the message (or rather a question) I got from one of the movie...question was raised if God has created the man or man has created the God of his own purpose...? Too simple to read, most difficult to answer...first do something then to cover the same, make a God for yourself, to help you, to convince yourself, to answer your question(s)...sometimes don't we feel that we turn our own God while ask about certain task to do or not to do?

In your inner soul, if in case we have to do something, we anyhow will convince ourselves...weather it is right or wrong...we raise a question for ourselves, making our own answer for the same (and the answer is always what we want to do since the time we raised the question...)...but somewhere, we need to convince ourselves and that is what takes time...to go to our Almighty and ask for the permission by giving pros and cons (not to say always pros wins if we need to do the task, and cons wins if we don't want to do the task...)

So here again comes the matter weather God created the man or for own convenience, we created him, for our own purpose... To blame someone if something goes wrong with us...to call someone in bad time...to ask for something (and almost all the time we need to get something...)...This again creates another question of faith...if someone do have faith in God, in destiny and all related things, then what is there to ask...? It is a very simple confusion (though its a confusion...) that if we believe in Almighty...we need not to ask for something because believing in him itself means we are on the same page with him, we are agreeing with the fact that what all we get till now in life, what all happened with ourselves in past, what all is happening in present and what all future holds for us...is alright...and it is his wish for us, which has done in past, which is getting resolved in present and which will be done in future too...no matters what will happen to our faith, it will remain same, it will not change, can't be manipulated...

In second case, if we don't carry a faith...even if we think we have the greatest faith in almighty, but somewhere it is not (otherwise we should not be in a position to question in any case about past/present/future...) so in this situation, we create our own God to convince ourselves, to pamper ourselves and giving a strong feeling if we should do the thing what we think or not to do the same...in any case, one creates his/her own God, create question, get the answer, if not getting the answer, waiting for miracle like Almighty will appear in dreams and will assist me...(or anything and something like that...)...if miracle also don't work...then anyhow convincing our own God for anything we want to do, is for a good sake for sure.

Not commenting on anyone's faith, believe, feelings...just thought of it if this is what we are doing...or if you are also thinking if this is what we used to do with ourselves...with Almighty...manipulating him like what and as we want...blaming him whatever for we want to blame him...creating him as and when required...Just to remind one quote...God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way...

Someone said it right...What we are is God's gift to us, what we become is our gift to God...and I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice...

In the start and the end...its the matter of faith and belief...not one's writing...

myself...

2008-11-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you don't know what you are searching for...if you say its an excuse to do nothing, I am ready to accept...coz I know I would be somewhere in the deep thinking which you can't get in at the moment...I am not making any excuse. This is a fact and you have to ask yourself...If that could be money with a great designation you wished, you are at that point...why not? I am in confusion...reason being, you get all what you want...and if you get that, you become more hungry...and more and more...there is no end...there is no limit...human nature...Have you feel that whatever you wish to be...you got it and post that...you wish more and more... And after every next level you achieved...insecurity raises high and high...you have more bills to pay...you have more instalments...more EMIs...or whatever...your near and dear ones need more from you and to get that, you have to do a lot more...

When you started with few bucks...you were in the seventh sky...now at present you are at the multiplication of that with 5 or 6 or 7 or even 9...and still there is a feeling inside that "u r nothing, u r nowhere"...what’s the deal? Where is the promise you made to yourself that you will do this, you will do that and all gone? You gone to US, UK..Wherever...you made money...you made friends...but where are you? Are you there where you wished to be? Are you doing what you wanted to be? So what you made out of it? You wanted not to be payable to someone...but a balance sheet is waiting there on your name with bank...waiting for your next appraisal...huge expectation of near n dear ones...waiting there to get fulfil...

So where are you? You are lost somewhere...somewhere in this race...somewhere in this race to be superior...somewhere in this race to be someone...to handle people...can you handle yourself in a way you always wished to be?? You can't...so how you can handle other people? How you can be happy just by a quote "SIR" if someone said this to you? How you can be happy not to be yourself by saying yes n yes to all your superiors when you are not happy by yourself...??

Okay...here goes my side...

Have you ever gone through the life of anyone he who wanted to be himself and succeed? No...? Yes...? Whatever...

I have gone through..but don't want any life like that...as like you don't want any life like that...

Ghalib...? Sindbaad...? Arastu...? Lao Tse...? Heard of them? No..? Go Google...

Anywayz...Whoever they were...whatever they did...they were themselves...They didn’t changed anything inside them...for at least this world...They did they wanted to do...and they survived their life...they were not rich..they were hardly capable to arrange the things for their survival...but they did whatever they wanted...that was the liberty..that was their own freedom...that was in between them...Kings of themselves...which is more important rather than king of all by winning anyone else...I mean you can be funny...you can make other's happy by jokes...but deep inside....you know what is going on...what you are doing..only you can know...but they were what they wanted to be...and everyone around them was a part of that...

Sorry..I am not a follower...I don't follow anyone...but at least can appreciate...

They were not famous at their time...because of the reason they didn't wanted to be...but we....we want to be famous...we want that people should know us...at present...not in the future...not saying that this is wrong...just trying to accept that their approach was right...

I am done with my frustration...thanks for reading and have a good tomorrow ahead...and yes please... don't forget to smile today, tomorrow may be worst... :)