The Banyan and the Shoot

Once upon a time, there grew a Shoot, under a Banyan tree
It sprouted - and 'coz it was loved, protected and nurtured for -
The Shoot grew tall and carefree...

Growing up, in the Banyan's company -
the Shoot learnt happiness - to smile, laugh and be merry
To face the storms, the fires; and even when its leaves got plucked without a reason;
It learnt there's magic in all of life's seasons...

Then there came a time, there grew another Plant, under the Banyan tree
It was also loved, protected and nurtured for
And started growing tall and carefree...

The Shoot resented, grew agitated and threw tantrums,
For it had to share - the love, the protection and the care -
Of the Banyan it so adored, admired and considered its very own claim
The Shoot grew angry with jealousy, feared it would be ignored and may have to lie bare...

The Banyan said nothing, stood tall - peaceful, calm and serene
It continued to spread its branches far and wide - making a green canopy...
The Shoot looked around and about - across the green terrain
It saw a multitude of Shoots, Plants, Blades and Flowers -
Resting, growing, caring - all nurtured by the Banyan's hospitality...

Eventually there came a time, when the shoot said to itself -
The Banyan is not mine to lay sole claim to
It has had and will always have, a life - beyond me too...
I guess I should be grateful and happy -
someone I love is capable of being a canopy
A Banyan - everyone looks up to...

~Written on 22nd September 2016 #Original

Random Thought #12

Learn to trust.
Have faith in the 'good'.
Let your default setting for any person be to "trust", unless that person proves otherwise.

~Life Lesson on a Friday afternoon by CG.
Danke girl, you rock!

PS: A series of original random thoughts that are concise...or may be I am just too lazy to follow up with longer text...

Freedom

What does freedom mean to you ?

I'd say, freedom isn't always about splendid sunshine, vast clear expanses of blue sky and a never-ending horizon...
...sometimes, freedom also means turning away from the sun, and choosing the drab, dark, dank 'everyday stuff' - the freedom to do what you want - irrespective of the way the worlds defines freedom... allowing yourself (and others) to have views that don't fit the standard society norms - and not be apologetic about it :)

Just a Monday morning self-realization that hits when a pigeon repeatedly refuses to venture back to its home in the balcony, and you wonder why it chooses to stay, when it could so easily fly away. #everydayLifeLessons :)

...and makes for the 100th post too! Yayyy B-)

High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out the reason why!
You jump, you float;
You cry, you gloat;
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out the reason why!
May be you resolved a tricky bug
Or was it that your best friend gave you a hug;
Could've been the ginger tea your Mom brews...
Or the sky decked in sunset hues.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you got to work with a father figure you admire
Or you just saw stacks of fresh flowers piled higher and higher;
Could've been the effect of your recent haircut...
Or the race to book a tatkal ticket.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you found an antique earthen lamp decor
Or the seed you planted just sprouted a pretty blue flower;
Could've been the project deadline you successfully met...
Or the Chips and Orange Minutemaid you always get.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you just finalized a trip with friends
Or finished a Poirot novel with awesome twists and turns;
Could've been the pasta you cooked...
Or the Marathi play ticket your Mom booked.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you suddenly saw lots of fireworks in the night sky
Or just laughed over a PJ till you felt you'll cry;
Could've been that the late night radio played all your fav songs in a loop...
Or someone made you hot Manchow Soup.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

And you realize these are just ordinary little moments
No rocket science or phenomena strange
Even small reasons suffice;
Trivial things bring happiness...
'Coz you're high on Life!

~Written on 31st October, 2014 #Original

Kintsukuroi : Day#20/30

I'm writing Day20-24 posts a bit later than they were supposed to be written, all because of the GoT addiction ;-)
Writing these missing posts feels so much like those school times when we were supposed to write one paragraph and do 10 sums per day for Diwali homework. I usually ended up doing the entire week's (or the fortnight's) homework in a single day (yeah, just the day before school reopened ;) ) :D :D
This seems so much like that!

Came across this photo and it just had to go on the blog :

Here's the wiki page for Kintsukuroi (pronounced as keen-tsoo-koo-roy), the Japanese art of mending objects with gold lacquer.

“	Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, but the repair is literally illuminated... a kind of physical expression of the spirit of mushin....Mushin is often literally translated as “no mind,” but carries connotations of fully existing within the moment, of non-attachment, of equanimity amid changing conditions. ...The vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks, the knocks, and the shattering to which ceramic ware too is subject. This poignancy or aesthetic of existence has been known in Japan as mono no aware, a compassionate sensitivity, or perhaps identification with, [things] outside oneself.	”
~Christy Bartlett, Flickwerk The Aesthetics of Mended Japanese Ceramics

The thought is so amazing - that things are more beautiful for having been broken...

Extrapolate this to life...Sometimes we stumble, life deals us hard blows - and we don't have much option except to pick ourselves up and carry on...

But we need to appreciate the scars, the bruises and the welts - for each and every wound changes us - for the better.
A mark to remind us we can be much much stronger than we think we are. We can battle on long after we think our strength has left us. Reminders of our ability to stand through and bear it all.

Battered, bruised, broken - but all the more beautiful for it :)

The Elephant in the room : Day#16/30

Have you heard of the elephant in the room syndrome?
Well, even if you haven't heard, I'm sure everyone must have gone through it at least once...

It's like this:
Imagine a room where people are sitting, discussing stuff. They may be colleagues, may be friends, may be family...
And there's an elephant right in the middle of the room.
A huge elephant.
Everyone 'sees' it, but no one wants to 'notice' it. No one acknowledges it. No one talks about it. No one brings up the fact that there is an elephant in the room, although each is aware the other knows of the elephant's existence.

How many times do we ignore the 'elephant' in the room? The thing that's on everyone's mind, but no one wants to say out loud.
I am guilty of quite a few many times.

It takes courage to say out loud that there's an elephant in the room.  Recognizing an issue is the first step towards trying to solve it.

Here's to noticing the elephants and spelling out thoughts.
Speak. Talk. Discuss. They say it helps!
(Yeah yeah, I know I'm preaching...I go into infinite thinking loops and never say out whatever I want at the moment it's meant to be said)
Precisely the reason I identify most with the 'elephant in the room' syndrome.

PS: These days, I often start by saying, "I want to talk about the elephant in the room..." whenever I need to have those 'difficult' talks, and that in itself eases tensions and makes the conversation much more easier ;-)

Kar Chalna Shuru Tu... : Day#12/30

After the loonngg never-ending 100 random questions post, really wanted to take the easy way out...
Posting a song I really really love and can listen to infinitely....
Absolutely amazing lyrics.
Absolute beauty of a song.
Enjoyy maaDi :)

Something's just not right : Day#7/30

A lump in the throat
A tug at the heart
A tear just waiting to roll off
And you know that something's just not right...

However far it might actually seem
the pain is really very near
Almost friendly
like a neighbour
Always peeking in
Always looking into your life
Probing, Questioning, Staring.
May be because it knows
something's just not right...

A photograph long forgotten
Or a poem long lost
A word oft spoken
A person passing by
A favourite song
Small things really; but are enough
to bleed you afresh
And then you know something's just not right...

However hard you try
However fast you run
There are times when you can't stop
Sadness from creeping over
There are times when you can't deny
Something's just not right...


PS: Well, please don't be alarmed pplz, everything's alright really :)
Just a melancholy working Saturday does this sometimes ;)
The 'something' is probably the code I'm working on...and this is what I do when it doesn't work even after eating away into my weekends. :(

--Written on 6th April 2014 #original

Someday : Day#3/30

#iSketch #Life #Lessons

A place in the sun : Day#2/30

Well, I bunked the Day#2 post. :-P
So posting #2 and #3 together.

Take me to that place
A place in the sun
Where crossroads are commonplace
and 'not-knowing' is so much fun

A place in the sun
From where you see the stars shine bright
and things are simple
come day or night

A place in the sun
Where 'today' is the favourite day
and you cherish and count your blessings
and not fret seeing other's play

A place in the sun
Where you stop and smell the roses
not bothering about pimpled freckled noses
A place in the sun
Where there's always a way
Even if you go astray

Take me to that place
A place in the sun
that makes you realize
Things might not be wrong
even if they don't seem right

~Written on 2nd April 2014 #original

PS: I really really need my place in the sun! NOW! Yeah, a bit boggled and battered by life and things in general. Just a phase. A very very bad time (or is it a good one assuming I'm in a mood to vent and rant) to have started the blog marathon! I hope I don't end up cribbing all over the blog :-P

Gudhi Padwa Wishes : Day#1/30

This time around, I am going to attempt the "30 day blog challenge" - write a post everyday, for 30 days straight...
and what better time to begin than the new year? :-)
Wish me luck!

Day 1/30 :

We tend to take most things in life for granted, and I feel gratitude is something we need to practice more often...
Reiterating my last year's status message for keeps.

"ओंजळभर मागितलं तर
ओंजळभर मिळतं;
पण आपली ओंजळ भरली
हे कितीजणाना कळतं ?"
~चंद्रशेखर गोखले

Translated as,
"You ask for a handful,
You get a handful;
But how many of us realize
that we have received our share ?"
~Chandrashekhar Gokhale

Wishing everyone a new year full of things to be more to be thankful for...
गुढीपाडव्याच्या शुभेच्छा...! :-)

The Keymaker(s) of Magarpatta City

A Tuesday morning. Laptop? Check. Charger? check. Wallet? Check. Office ID? Check. Close the door shut. Bam! Keys inside.
Knock on P's door for the extra key. She can't find it :-|
Realize that you will have to tackle the issue immediately because the decoration stuff you promised you'll get for the office fest is trapped inside as well :-|
Realize with a heavy heart that you need to call him.
Yet Again.
Dial 'KeyMaker' (called KM, henceforth) for rescue :P

There are some people whose services you just can't do without. "Essential services". When I moved in to Magarpatta, HC gave me the KM's number, along with the usual list of Maid, Cook, Laundry and Car washers numbers and I thought, "OK this is cool, but I won't be really needing it. But let me save it, emergency ke liye..."
But yeah, HC knew me better :P

And this KM has really been a 'saviour' at times :P
Especially for people like moi who have duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate and even pentuplicate keys (I wonder if those are even legit words :P) (and yes, this is over exaggerating things ;) ) and still manage to lock themselves out, or lose (mostly its a 'forotten them somewhere, and think you've lost them' syndrome) the 'Keymaker of Magarpatta City' (as I like to call him) is indeed a saviour.

He is a character, and a completely technosavvy one at that. Just a phone call away from all 'stranded/locked-out' people. :P
His phone rings and you hear "इतनी शक्ति हमें देना दाता...मन का विश्वास कमजोर हो ना..." Seriously. #I am not kidding.
And you smile, despite yourself, and think, "What irony! This guy opens people's doors for a living and his caller tune says 'भूल कर भी कोई भूल हो ना...'"
You already trust him, even before he picks up your very first call :P This should be a decent banda you think, 'coz his cellphone sings 'हम चले नेक रस्ते पे...' :D

"Kaunsa door lock hua hai? Main door ya room ka?" he asks. "Room ka." "Naya key banvana hai ya sirf door unlock karna hai? Naya key banvane ka charge is 200/- Sirf door unlock karna hai to visiting charges 200/-" he says. "Key andar fasa hua hai, sirf unlock karna hai. Office jana hai, aap abhi aa sakte hai kya bhaiyaa?" you plead. OK, he says and promises to be there in 20 mins. He arrives, with all the paraphernalia, a big brown bag packed with keys, tools and whatnots. And you can see he's quite the busy man...for the ten odd minutes he takes to unlock the door, he gets atleast five calls :P

The first time he had come, he got a thick plastic sheet, just slid it in the gap between the door and the wall frame and with a well trained jerk pried opened the door! And I was like, "What! That's it?! Is this so easy?! And 200 bucks for this?!" :-O He smiled his saint like smile.

This time around, he was upto more 'technical' stuff. He loosened the disc in front of the lock, and used some kind of a screw driver that had a bent pointed end and used that to 'open' some lever inside the lock. Hmmm. 200 bucks.

Anyways, like I said, until there are swift gusts of winds to shut doors and forgetful people like me around, he's going to have a good business going! All I can do is thank him and pray he stays as honest as he is... :-))
Amen.


PS: This was written in a fit of #'I have nothing to do, while being stranded outside my room' and waiting for the Keymaker to turn up. Totallyy in a mood to rant and crib.

PPS: Although I have seen, and dealt with the same keymaker always, am sure they have a gang...err 'team', of their own. Hence the title, 'Keymaker(s)' ;-)

PPS: and while I was whiling away the time, it did occur to me that it's high time I learnt to open locks on my own. And I remembered one such time @H11, when me, C and K had (unsuccessfully) youtubed and tried to open K's room after she had forgotten her keys@home :P
Nevertheless, am definitely going to try some youtubing the next time around :P And who knows, if I get really good at it, may be I can even think of an alternative profession, and also get to call myself a 'non virtual ethical hacker' ;-) :-P

Dream(s)

You paint a dream.
Vivid. Colourful. Lively.
You use up all the patterns and techniques you've learnt. You put in the hues you've thought up till now. You practice it over and over.
Till its near perfect. Almost. Perfect.
You put in all of your heart in it. All of your mind. All of your soul. Till it becomes almost synonymous with you. Your existence. Your breath. The boundaries between your dream and your self blur.
It is a work of a lifetime. A dream of a lifetime.

Shiny. Sparkling. Fragile.
It shatters.

What do you do?
You dream another dream.
Equally vivid. Equally close to your soul. Equally 'you'.

Its OK to fail after you have tried all you could. Because you can always try again. Failure is not fatal. So long as you are true to yourself and know that you tried your best.

PS: This post is the result of a late night show of the movie "Bombay Talkies". ;-)
I especially loved the last story in it, and this post an interpretation of that last story.

Its a story where a father teaches his son the 'importance' of failure, the fact that sometimes however truly you might try, there are chances you might fail.

An awesome awesome story. Awesome lyrics (सब्र की मीठी चाशनी में भिगो के, वक़्त खड़ा है मर्तबान में ले के...) Awesomely scripted. Awesomely shot. Loved it!

Closed bridges and open umbrellas...

Something funny happened today - something that made me smile a lot, and then ponder a bit...

I closed my umbrella as I approached the bridge on Kanjurmarg station, glanced on the platform to see which train was scheduled, and then started climbing the steps; when I saw something that made me smile - a guy on the bridge was walking with his umbrella still open - in the hurry to reach the platform and catch a train, he had forgotten to close his umbrella - didn't realize that the bridge was covered and he no longer needed to shield himself from the rain anymore. Quite commonplace. Have seen it happen quite often, and sometimes even have climbed halfway through a bridge before being aware, smiling goofily and closing my umbrella. :-)

Don't you think our prejudices, judgements and preconceived notions are a lot like these open umbrellas? There might have been times when we needed them and their protective shield; but after some time, we eventually come under safe bridges, where we no longer need the shield of these "prejudiced" umbrellas.
But we are unaware, and continue to keep them open. Perhaps, we often need to pause, think and decide whether it's time to close these self-created umbrellas, make ourselves free and move on...

After all, it's ridiculous to be seen under a closed bridge with an open umbrella, isn't it? :-)