Shiny bright blue sky up above,

Once filled with hazy heavy hearted dark clouds,

Is now plain as a playfield ready for a fresh new Game!

Fresh new Game! Fresh new rainfall! Fresh new Hope!

Lush green tree that stands beside you,

Once dry as a forsaken desert, parched and dead,

Is now emerald green, glowing for a fresh new Spring!

Fresh new Spring! Fresh new Season! Fresh new Beginning!

A tear that rolled down his pink soft cheeks,

Once for his dead mother, who parted him untold,

Is now a tear of joy for his new born baby girl, a fresh new Life!

Fresh new Life! Fresh new Reason! Fresh new Rebirth!

Every day’s a gift, every minute is a celebration!

Take a reason to smile, make an excuse to live!

Treasure every moment of your life!

Take every breathe of your life, as if it were the first!

I have always sought answers for the questions above, spiritually and practically! If we consider spirituality then it’s a huge debate in itself that I don’t want to get into here and it’s a never ending one too! I am trying my best to address this question practically and trying to reason it out as to why do things happens the way it does? Why are few of us happy? Why few of us are so very unhappy?

A couple of months back I saw this movie ‘Luck By Chance’. The movie is one of the best movies that I have watched for a long time now. And it left me really disturbed and I have wanted to write a blog about the movie for long time now! The story of the movie revolves around the choices that each of the protagonists i.e. the hero and heroine in the movie make to succeed in their struggling career as actors. The hero who aspires to become a hero in movies does whatever it takes to become a successful actor. He is a go getter and bends a lot of rules, ethical and non ethical to make it big! To fulfil this dream of his, he lets go of his love, his family, friends and his moral values too! And that is the choice and sacrifice that he makes to move up the ladder in the highly competent world of movies. Whereas the heroine of the movie, though she intends to become a successful actress, she is strongly bound by her values, her love and friends. She makes compromises in her career and her success in it for the values and morality that she strongly believes in! And even better she is happy making her choices and preferences. Hence the movie ends with the message that life is all about the choices we make and we are solely responsible for it!

Hmmm that movie left bells ringing in my mind! For days and months I was disturbed by the movie. I thought, gosh maybe for all the ‘n’ number of questions in my mind that kept haunting me all the time, here is the answer and it’s pretty obvious! We are responsible for the way our life turns out to be, be it happy or sad, success or failure, rich or poor, hardworking or lazy, good or bad etc. It all lies in us! All the problems and solutions lie within us after all! We are responsible for what we are today and what we will become tomorrow! Agreed circumstances, situations, relatives, friends, family members, loved ones, etc influence them all. But then those are factors that are constant for all of us. All of us in this world are exposed to it at various degrees and all of us are largely affected by it. But then irrespective of what the factors are, the choice the ultimate decision, the final call is ours! It’s always us! We are left with the authority of making the choices and so are we equally responsible and eligible to bear the repercussions and outcomes of this decisions which most of us many a time refuse to do!

I do understand that we know this all! We definitely know it all! But then again how often do we realize it and actually acknowledge it? How many of us have the guts to tell, yes today I am a failure because of the choice and decisions I made in the past! Yes today I am seeing this day and here I am because of what I did yesterday! Hmm not many of us will do that! We always try to find reasons. We always try to give excuses and defend ourselves. We always try to protect us with the blanket of pity and self empathy so that we don’t have to face ourselves and answer our conscience that yes, I am responsible for it! I am the culprit behind it! I am to be accused! I am to be blamed!

Here are the examples of few people in my life who made their choices when they had to and hence wrote the script of their own lives! They are the masters of their own destinies and they stood by their choices and preferences at times of good and bad! They faced the highs and lows of their lives, faced the storm with a brave heart and alluring smile even when the times were testing and demanding! They always knew what they wanted and the cost they had to pay for it! They chose to do whatever they did for their own good reasons and judgements that only can they justify and defend.  

A very close friend of mine made a decision two years back that her parents and their happiness were most important to her over her love! She let go off her love because she thought that was the right thing to do for herself and her parents. She sacrificed her love with a heavy heart to cherish the smile on her parents’ faces and live up to their expectations. Today, she is happily married to the guy chosen by her parents and is leading a normal life with her husband. This was the choice that she made then when she had to choose between her parents and her love. She was well aware of the compromises that she made for her parents sake and she was happy to make them. Hmmm hats off to you dear for your steel nerves and the selfless love for your parents. Not many are actually capable of doing what you did!

My manager at my previous company used to very often say, ‘I always had a choice to make – to either be on the management side or the employee side of the table and I chose to be on the management side, always! My choice to represent the management may not be the best of the decisions and if I were to remain as an employee in my career span then I could have gone places! Yet here I am with a huge bank of experience in life and career and I have seen all types of firms and managements in my career!’ Yes Sir, hats off to you again, for being there on the management side and all the knowledge and experience that you have gained over the years. I am even more glad and grateful that I got the wonderful opportunity of working under you and gaining great valuable insights from you and your experience.

A very close friend of mine again, let go off his plans to work after his under graduation, go abroad and pursue his masters, stayed back and completed his masters in one of the local management institutions in the city right after his under graduation, though his career orientations and passions were different did a gracious and noble act of pursuing a totally different path in his career and also would be settling much earlier than his other pals for the sole reason – the love of his life! His selfless love for her has made him face numerous challenges in life and he has always chosen her over his any other aspirations and dreams! He is a man of honour and great virtue! He is undoubtedly a man of selfless deeds! Hats off to you my friend! She is the luckiest soul on this phase on earth!

Where the trees were lush in green all through the year

Blooming with fresh fruits and flowers

That was fed by frequent storm and rain

The beautiful land was a treat to the eye

Filled with joy and laughter of the children and adult

Lively as always all through day and night

Knew not they what the pain of hunger was

Knew not they what the struggle for survival was

For they had in abundance the food and the shelter

Glad as ever were they to share and care

This is what a paradise was thought many

This is what they mean by eternal bliss muttered a few

Not a disease or a drought had this terrain ever witnessed

Not a sad or a grumpy soul lived on this piece of earth

Never was a tear of sorrow or pain shed on this soil

Happy were the folks as they had always been

Living in harmony with all residents and the nature

Everything seemed to be a pleasant dream

For it could only be a reverie that could be so idyllic yet not real

It was the land of wonder the existed not in bona fide!

Incident I: I had the privilege of being a part of a three day TiE Entrepreneurial Summit 2008 at Lalit Ashok, Bangalore. I represented the placement council of my college and was supposed to network with the attendees there as a part of the branding activities of the college and also invite them to be a part of the campus placement activity of our college. This was during December 2008, the time when there was alarm of panic across the world with the aftermath of the recession in US and its impact on other global economies. The buzz words at that time were recession, economy slowdown, retrenchment, funds crunch, unemployment etc. But the environment at the summit was significantly different compared to the world outside. It seemed to be like an Island that was filled with people unaffected by the world outside – that only spoke about the negative impacts of the recession on its business. The three days at the summit was like a dream full of opportunities, leadership, VCs, entrepreneurs who dreamt of big things, had miles to go and no word of return, retreat, fund shortages or compromises on their dreams and aspirations. Entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from across India were present there and I had the golden opportunity of interacting with them and spending some quality time with them. Each one of them was good at their own spheres with budding energy, zeal and entrepreneurship. Not one spoke about recession, shortage of funds, economy slowdown, lack of opportunities etc. These were the last words in their vocabulary. The environment there was so vibrant with the entrepreneurial spirit that I myself came out with charged up energy that only reinforced my own aspiration of being an Entrepreneur in the near future!

Incident II: The current organization that I am working in, shifted our office premises to Millers Road, a month or so back. The office now situated in one of the central locations of Bangalore, is also a place where numerous companies in Bangalore are located too. It is filled with huge buildings and business centres that are pedestal to business activities in and around Bangalore. Just opposite to our office at the traffic signal is a cobbler in a small battered hut where he weaves and mends boots. His body build up and his dressing style though with worn out clothes didn’t make him appear quite like a typical cobbler! To my very surprise, when I established a conversation with him I found out that he is an entrepreneur himself! He manufactures shoes in a manufacturing unit at Shivajinagar, Bangalore by providing employment to 15 odd people sourced from Calcutta. The employees are from Calcutta for they have good skill sets in manufacturing shoes. The materials are sourced from Chennai and China to ensure that they are authentic leather. He says – ‘though people say globalisation and liberalization is a threat for our country and the small scale industries in India, I would disagree with it! The entry of major global brands into the Indian markets has only increased the demands for the shoes produced by players like us. If a pair of branded shoes is worth 3000 – 4000 bucks, customers can buy 10 such similar pairs from us.’ He also gave an account about the competition in his business, the customers and the business strategies that he adopts for survival and growth of his enterprise. His insights on the business, customers, market, competition etc were in way inferior compared to any well learnt analyst or a business professional!

Seeing the entrepreneurship spirit in this man on the streets on Bangalore with worn out clothes and shabby form and amongst the hundreds and thousands of them that I met at the TiE Summit in business attire and well groomed selves, I could only ponder over and over again about the famous statement that I have heard from several people – ‘India is a land of Entrepreneurs’! How true and how apt! Way to go India! Way to go Entrepreneurs!

Cheers!

My Dad says that I am one of the naughtiest of all of my siblings and he has always silently enjoyed my mischief! I am sure he is regretting for it now, though! But then like my Dad says I am always up to one or the other thing! When you hear such news and see such tragedies of life, that’s when I again and again make up in my mind that I want to try out everything if life, everything and live every minute of my life to the fullest, good or bad! Call me a selfish pig, a mischief, a freak show! Call me whatever you want! But then I want to try out everything in life. Life is too short and I want to live up to the maximum so that tomorrow when touchwood I am flying in a similar flight and I know that death is nearing I can go down and embrace death with a smiling face! I should face the last few minutes of my life with a contentment that I have done at least a few of the things that I actually wanted to do!

Frankly speaking, as of now I haven’t done much of what I want to do! As of today, my ‘To Do List’ can run into pages and miles! Few of them are beyond my reach for now or ‘It is too early to say’ as my dear friend Sumeet puts it! Few of them if not most of them, I strongly feel are still in my control and reach! If I make up my mind today and put in the right mix of efforts, energy, prayers etc they can and will happen today! Now I know for sure know my time is running! And that I can vanish from this face of the earth any second, like the France flight disappeared from the sky! The ‘Restless Suma’ can be wiped out any minute and all the things attached with her can become distant memories of past in matter of seconds! I now know that whatever I want to I got to do it soon! The earlier the better! Every minute is precious! Every lost minute, day, week, month is not going to come back! And when I face death, I want to embrace it with smile of contentment and joy!

Indian Coffee house is one of the most famous landmarks in Bangalore. Any person from Bangalore who has lived here at least for a couple of years or who is a resident of  Bangalore would know about the ‘Indian Coffee House’ MG Road, Bangalore. Though I have lived here in Bangalore all my life, I had never heard about this place before! I came to know about it for the first time during my MBA days when I was working on a business plan for setting up a coffee shop in Devanahalli, Bangalore. When I was researching about the leading coffee shops in Bangalore I read a lot of online reviews and articles about the ‘Indian Coffee House’ and its long history. The place has been in Bangalore for several decades now and it has its own set of customer following who are hard core fans and worshippers of this place. It is famous for its ‘Bread Omelet’, ‘Cutlets’, ‘Sandwiches’, ‘South Indian Coffee’ etc at very affordable prices. Since the time I read about this place, I was dead curious to visit the place and get to know what the hype was all about! And also be a part of the history associated with this place and Bangalore!

 After several months of pestering my dad and my friends to take to me to that place, we finally went there one D day! Hmm the place is one of the oldest places in Bangalore I can tell. The ambience is that of the ’50s’ and ’60s’! It can nowhere be compared to any of the coffee shops like Barista or Café Coffee Day! There are these waiters who are wearing turbans on their heads and serving customers! It kind of gives you the ‘British Raj’ time feeling and takes you back in the history! There are huge pictures of Gandhiji, Nehru and our other famous freedom fighters hanging on the walls. The people visiting there are mostly middle aged who are with their gang of friends chit chatting! They order their favorite items and have a giggle or two! There are few foreigners and youngsters sitting there with their own kith and kin talking! As I sit and see these middle aged and old people sitting there relaxed and chatting with their friends, I become nostalgic and go back in time! Bangalore was once upon a time called “The Pensioner’s Paradise”! With its serene greenery and pleasing weather, it was all a person could want to settle down with and grow old with his beloved ones.! It was no way related or associated with the modern fast moving Bangalore now!

The Indian Coffee House and other such places in Bangalore like the ‘Vidhyarthi Bhavan’ in Basavanagudi, ‘Premier Bookstore’, the ‘Mavalli Tiffin Room’ or rather MTR hotel in Mavalli, ‘Symphony Theater’ in MG Road, the ‘Lal Bagh’ etc that are the torch bearers of the losing spirit and value of places and people in Bangalor! They represent the past, the cherished memories of the people who have grown old along with these places! They represent and talk a lot about this city that is transforming every minute, every second! It is only sad that several of these places and many other such landmarks in Bangalore are being closed down or shut down day by day. The Indian Coffee House, MG Road too has been shutdown recently and has been shifted to Church Street! Though the owners promise that it will be the same, I strongly feel it will never be the same again unless and until it is restored back in the same location in the exact same manner in MG Road! It would only be fair if the Government and the residents of Bangalore could do something about such landmarks in Bangalore and take a strong stance about safeguarding such monuments of Bangalore that represent and talk innumerably about the dying spirits and history of Bangalore!

Far across the river stood a man

His charming face drew me towards him

His warmth gave me a nest to reside in

He assured me a world of joy that I hadn’t seen before

He held me during the time of storm and tide

Happy was I for I found my love

In him I saw my present and my future!

Together, I thought we could take on this whole world

That we were made for each other

That we completed each other

That he would stand by me for the good and the better

Happy was I for I found my love

In him I saw my present and my future!

As we held hands and walked our way of life

His hands turned cold slowly, loosening the grip

No more was the warmth there

No more was he around when I turned back

For he had to leave, in the middle of a stride

His destination had arrived and he needed me no more

Broken was I like never before

Life had failed me once again

Misery had struck me like a big bad flood

Lost was I once again

In the land of Darkness, in the midst of loneliness!

I am one of biggest movie freaks amongst the people I know (i.e. me, my friends, my family members and others). I have grown up watching nonstop movies and soaps since childhood. In my young days I had constantly fought with my cousins and family members just because they wouldn’t let me watch the movies and the channels that I want to watch. In fact my parents had to buy a second hand TV for my sake alone and to avoid the conflicts that I had with my cousins. I am so obsessed with movies that I can most of the times predict the story lines of the movies and the climax of the movies too. I consider my life incomplete if I do not watch a movie in the first week of its release. I get so restless that I spend sleepless nights and freak out! The feeling is similar to what Kareena Kapoor narrates to: ‘of missing a running train’!! He he he J That just further proves my obsession and love for movies!

People cannot resist chocolates, pastries, money, flowers, fame, apparels, accessories etc. But I would definitely say I would get irresistibly tempted when people bribe me with movies and I would do anything and move to any extent to avoid missing a movie. I have done numerous mischief to watch a movie in the first week of its release, be it bunking classes, skip assignments, lie at home, pick up fights at home and my friends and even cry and create drama! Here are few crazy instants that I could remember when it came to my obsession with movies:

• Me and my friend Hash during college would make up our minds to watch a movie in matter of seconds by either calling the theatre, referring news papers in the library, making calls to our other friends or just taking a shot in the dark. During the five minutes break, we would pick our bags and run out of the class, hide in the restrooms till the faculty enters the class and shuts the classroom door and sometimes even request our friends to give attendance for us. We have even watched 3 consecutive movies J
• I had one of the worst fights with one of my best buddies because she wouldn’t agree to come with me for the movie Da Vinci Code in the first few days of its release. We went all the way to the theatre and she wouldn’t consent to watch the movie because there were long queues. The fight with her to watch Da Vinci Code which is based on the book Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was one of the most intense and unforgettable fights we have ever had.
• During my exams time I am used to studying during the late hours of the night and to keep myself awake, I switch on the TV with low volumes so that I feel I am not alone in the night times. And it so happened that so many times I have ended up watching movies in the night instead of studying for the exam next day. Even if my preparations for the exam next day sucked big time I wouldn’t miss the movie coming on Star Movies or HBO at any cost. This insane habit has cost me dearly many times and yet I never give up  

The above incidents are just a few amongst many to mention and there are many such crazy incidents and habits of mine when it comes to movie craze. I get unreasonable, immature and insane when it comes to watching movies. Movies I would say are an integral part of my life and life would be pretty boring without a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or a Slumdog Millionaire! A world without movies, widescreens, theatres, actors and actresses or drama is unimaginable for me! I would go mad and become numb without all the mere drama and fun. Movies are my passion and my love. Movies are not just a source of entertainment for me but a source of very survival too J

Who the hell are these people? Who the hell are these buggers who wear saffron headbands and scarves and carry out dastardly acts? Who the hell are these people who call themselves the protectors of the culture and the country? Who the hell are these people who take all the rights in the world to attack innocent women, harass and molest them? Who the hell are these? And who the hell gives them the right and the freedom to do what they do?

The incident in Mangalore and the attacks on the girls at one of the pubs at Mangalore has disturbed me adversely. It has left me hurt and scarred inside like never before! The harassment of the women and their cries are giving me sleepless nights and forcing me to think all over again about the security and safety of women in my proud country India! Is this the plight of the women in the proud land of India where women forms of Gods like Lakshmi, Sarswathi and Durga are worshipped and revered and in whose name such despicable acts being carried out?

How different are these cheap buggers (who just storm into the pub, abuse and harass the women and men) from the terrorists who carried out the 26/11 mission at Mumbai? How different are these heartless souls from those men who shot innocent people randomly and caused irreversible damage to the society and the civilians at Mumbai? How different are these community groups like the Bajrang Dal, Sri Ram Sena different from the Taliban terrorists groups that threaten life and dictate norms in the society? The worst of all is, at least the terrorists were from another country and were funded to perform merciless act that they were summoned to carry out! But these groups and individuals are from our own country and claim to safeguard our society and the country?

What are these groups that attacked the women at the pub trying to prove? What is their objective and what are they trying to achieve by doing such shameful acts? Who gives them the authority to do such horrified act in the name of religion and God? Does the saffron colour stand for such idiocy? Are the Bajrang Dal and the Sri Ram Sena formed to carry out such acts across the country and still get away with their actions? Is this what the Hindutva stand for? Just because they are backed by one of the mainstream party or because they are a part of the majority community of the nation, their dismayed action justified and defended?

My blood boils! My anger and frustration towards such thorns in the society reaches the tip! The injustice carried towards women and they being taken for granted like always disgusts me to the core! My heart skips a beat every time I look at the videos of the attack and the torment that those women were put through! I feel insecure like never before! I feel ashamed of my country and my fellow Indians more than ever! Women are being harassed and molested anywhere and everywhere as if they are toys at the hands of these buggers! They escape guilt free in spite of everything that they do and continue to do more and more.

When will this sick society be fair towards the women? When will their helpless voices be heard? When will justice be provided for the pain and torture that these women and more are put through day in and day out? When will the plight of the women improve even a bit? When can women live a life free of fear and threat? When will women be respected and revered for what they are? When will the cheap bastards be punished for what they do? When will a time come when these buggers know that they are answerable for their acts and think twice before they even look at a woman? When will the nation as a whole raise its voice against the exploitation of women? When will the nation as a whole feel responsible and be sensitive towards the pain and torment of women? When will the society evolve and learn to treat women better?