Posts

Travel

walking around the streets wanderlust gaining miles beating the dust meeting new people gaining trust... travelling is a form of catharsis.. making me realize what I really want...

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There is no such thing as duty. If you know that a thing is right, you want to do it. If you don't want to do it—it isn't right. If it's right and you don't want to do it—you don't know what right is and you're not a man. ~ Ayn Rand,  We The Living

Arbid thoughts

a fit a burst a thought a curse just rambling no passion just ambling no reason long days sad ways life - a journey wasted away

Small Things in Life

Off late I seem to be missing the small things in life... Does it make any sense when I say that I miss those random midnight chats with friends.... being able to call anyone at anytime of the day/night.... those arbitrary discussion about a travel trip which starts with seeing the photos... the wish to have all meals together...  24hrs with no one but myself... I can go on an on...  But somehow, the sudden realization that I probably won't be able to do any of this is giving me a dull feeling of missing out on life...  Somehow it is these small moments in life that I am missing... and in effect, the bigger things being achieved seemed to look paler in comparison...

Going with the Flow ?!?

I was recently reading about Kiran Gandhi , who ran the London Marathon.. not only for a cause, but also for a purpose... something very few of us manage to achieve. Like she puts it, she was facing an otherwise simple decision... whether to run the marathon when she was menstruating.. or to defer her plan of running to the marathon for one more year despite training for it all year long.... and she finally decided to go with the flow. I doubt if even 1% of women would have the courage to do what she did... though associating this act just with courage would also be incorrect. Despite being a totally natural process, menstruation seems to be one of the most taboo issues of today's society, atleast in India.... and it takes an act like this to bring people to atleast start talking about it, even if the discussions are only limited to the social media. I am a woman, and I menstruate... No one can understand what happens during the process, and it cannot be explained eit

Happy Independence Day

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Independence       noun in·de·pen·dence \ËŒin-dÉ™-ˈpen-dÉ™n(t)s\ : freedom from outside control or support : the state of being independent Each of us have a different expectation from our country, and hence, our definition of Independence differs basis our circumstances and experiences. While a large chunk of the Indian population was striving for Independence from Britishers in 1947 (what eventually become the Indian Independence Day), a substantial group of people were striving for a corruption free nation in 2011-12. Though we are all born in the country, our choice of what we associate with the country's Independence varies. While my neighbour who has witnessed the freedom struggle against the British will cherish the sheer independence to do as she pleases, the current generation will cherish the independence to say as they please (something most of us take for granted nowadays).  All I am trying to say is our symbol for Independence provided by the nation being free fr

Time to Change

The recent speech given by Shashi Tharoor at Oxford is simply brilliant... not just because of the courage of putting it across, in interspersed with humour in the Queen's own country, but also for the various points he touched upon, but also the spontaneity with which he connected what he knew, with what the other participants said... even something as trivial as the wifi password was used to make a point. Having said that, it is also strange that even after 60 years of independence, we never miss a chance to blame the British for our current situation. What Tharoor did was oratory.  But if that's our excuse for things not working even now, I think we need to think again. Consider Japan, a nation which was partly wiped out around the same time we got our independence, which has managed to literally rise from the ashes, and done a brilliant job of it too.... Indians have got used to making excuses... first it was the invaders... then the britishers... now our own politi

Fate in the hands of Faith

All of us like to keep faith... in something... in anything... Infact, if there is a single defining phenomenon in the country, it is that we all are patient about almost everything (from putting up to with the antics of corrupt politicians to keeping up with the delay in the repair of roads), and keep faith... As Aamir Khan says in the famous movie, we'd like to believe that All izzz Well ! But I've noticed that we try to obejectify ( I don't think there is any such word, but I can't seem to find an appropriate word which shares the same intent !) our Faith.... As of result of this, a small twig of Tulsi to a Banyan tree end up becoming a place of worship. What starts out with someone keeping flowers, leads on to someone lighting a lamp... and one fine day, the pavement gets cemented, and the area becomes a place of worship, with an idol installed. Ultimately what was actually a pavement/walkway and effectively public property, gets obstructed, with no possible

Curb the Urge

Have you wondered why men tend to urinate on the road...  It doesn't matter which road it is... whether it is adjoining a house, a school or a hospital... but it just looks like they can't hold back when they have the urge.... they just have to unzip and get it done with... And don't live under the illusion that it is a particular section of the society which indulges in this.... Men of all shapes and sizes, sects and races... everyone... and some don't even bother looking for a lone spot.... Have they never wondered for women control their urges ? What would one say if they saw women also squatting on the side of the road !!!! And anyway, if control was the issue, it is time to introduce men to their childhood companions... read diapers :D So the next time you spot someone lightening them self by the road side, just hand him a diaper and ask him to wear one till he reaches home !! 

Reason to Celebrate

What happens when you have been really waiting for something... and it finally happens.... yipee !!! but... hold it... this is not entirely what I wanted... only part of it.... so does that make my joy incomplete ? or is it still a reason to celebrate ??? Maybe the flaw is in the part where I was looking for a reason to celebrate.... actually, this life should be reason enough :)

From Manpower to Wo-manpower

I recently read this article by Gloria Steinem called If Men Could Menstruate. Though I don't entirely agree with all that she says, the nerve she has touched upon is very relevant. We (and it is true for both the East & the West) belong to a male dominated society, where most terms and things, from "mankind" to "manliness" get their term from the male counterpart. Language, unknowingly has a tendency of creating a bias in our minds. Even more ironic is the way the Modi supporters have lashed out at Kavita Krishnan for her showing why she disagrees with the #Selfiewithdaughter movement. Though I don't agree entirely with what she says (yes, again !!), the essence of what she says is spot on...  There are innumerable people, from Sunitha Krishnan  to Malala Yousafzai , who have nearly lost their lives on multiple occasions, fighting for women rights.... but the root cause of the problem is closer home than we realize...  The treatment is the fu

Mind Out of Control

Have you ever encountered someone with a neurological condition in your daily life... It makes me wonder how anyone can cope with something like this... physical disability is one thing.. but mental imbalance due to things beyond your control is scary... My workplace had one such person who is a Schizophrenic, who was recently fired... I have not worked with him ever in close quarters, so I can't say what the "output" of all his work was... but to think that one would suddenly be deemed useless is very scary.. As if to reinforce the emotion, I happened watch Still Alice , an movie nominated for Oscars, for which Julianne Moore, the protagonist, went to win the award for the Best performance for 2014.  It is scary to think that one can slowly (or is it too quickly) lose memories, thoughts, speech and eventually control over our own life... I wouldn't wish a neurological disease on even my worst enemy, leave alone a friend.  But are we doing enough... 

Making a Name

We glide through life.... not realizing what is zooming past....  We want to make a name, but don't realize what we are loosing in the process... In the hope of making a name, we loose the people who would actually remember our name... One lives in the hope of becoming a memory. ~ Antonio Porchia 

Black & White

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There was a time when I believed a person is either Black or White... with no Grey.... Good or Bad, with no ambiguity in that thought... But over time, and space... .and the few years that have gone bad... my theory has now evolved... to maybe conveniently accommodate the grey's.... a person is both black and white... we just chose to be a certain way in a certain environment...  PS: For those who still haven't encountered Escher till date, the above is one of his many hand drawn masterpiece sketches.... This one is aptly titled Day and Night

Arbid Thoughts

we Plan, we Do, we Conquer.. Plan......Do... Conquer... But when this flow of events occur one too many times, I begin to worry.. Call me a pessimist... call it paranoia... But it keeps nagging me, till there is atleast one quirk in the track... like a hiccup once in a while... to know that it will eventually fall in line..

One Fine Day !

It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one.  We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things. ~ Lemony Snicket,  Horseradish It is funny how we want to plan everything in life... and yet, no thought is given to the one definite eventuality. I don't mean that we should live in the fear of dying. But maybe we'd enjoy what we have in hand more if we are cognizant of the fact that this is all going to end some day.

Fire in the Mountain.. Run.. Run.. Run..

Zillions of thoughts flying around.. creating the spark needed.. milestones, many, in every direction... several unheeded.... I run, with the hope catch it all And touch whatever I can before my breath runs out Gasping for air, I stop to find... I have missed more than I have found.. And then I sit and wonder if it was all worth it.. and then when my final breath is drawn it comes to me, I nail it... It wasn't to catch or just touch It was all mine to feel.. but I kept running in all sides thinking what is important is the turning wheel !!

Seeking the Goal

All of us, or atleast most of us, have an ambition. For some it is a physical goal, for some a career related goal, and for a philosophical one. Whatever the goal might be, till be make an effort to advance in the direction, it is futile to just hope for fulfillment.Besides what is the point of a goal if one doesn't try to seek it. After all, the fun is in the chase :) If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place. ~ Nora Roberts

Rage of this Age

The levels of aggression and anger that most people are walking around with nowadays is almost scary. I often wonder if I will get beaten incase I accidentally scratch someones car. People now don't have time for words and explanations... they only want an end result... even if the end result is just ending someone's life..  One of the related aspects is also that people have stopped giving it another thought, when they wish to start taking the law into their hands... maybe if there was a fear of punishment, or someone holding them responsible, the incidence might reduce... Such policing  is needed, because our moral compasses are Dead ! We don't think twice before abusing someone.. one mistake by anyone, and we wish to give it back, one way or another... It's just sad how things are shaping up... for all of us.. In all of us !!!

Life

From being mortals to lesser mortals to becoming photographs on the wall... Life just ticks along... and we just realize how time takes us along with it..