Me Mumbaikar

Mumbai is the Financial Capital of India - "its not a place made by politicians, but the Aam Aadmi working endlessly to make money."

Post the terrorism in Mumbai on the unfortunate night of 26th November 2008, 'Me Mumbaikar' seems anguished and disappointed at the same time. Crores of people working day in and day out, keeping and making the city what it is today. It's you and me that hold Mumbai in the pride that we do. It's not the politicians - they look at capitalizing on the Mumbaikars hard work. What happened last week left us all shocked, hurt and disappointed. More than the terror attacks, it was the attitude of the system - The Govt - that broke down the spirit of the city of dreams.

I am ususally not a person who gets into politics or what politicians say. Infact I am too careless to even bother about my voting card and my voting rights (this would tell you I have never voted). Out of laziness and lack of clarity of who am I gonna vote for. For me all the politicians are the same - I don't trust anyone of them. This attack on Mumbai has for the first time got me to listen to what the politicians have to say. And they have said the most disappointing things I could ever imagine in my life. With all this I do plan to exercise my right of not voting. Let them know that of all the people voting there is someone out there, who is NOT voting for anyone. Does this help?? I don't know. So why am I doing this. Maybe because it's time I do something, own some responsibility for the state of affairs in Mumbai.

I never expected anything of this magnitude to happen in the city. As we took a quiet little stroll outside the Oberoi - Trident hotel, I kept wondering, what kind of a night would that have been. What went on the inside of the walls of one of Mumbai's old legendary places. We could see broken windows, big black marks from the blast, and I was trying to imagine what would it be looking like on the inside on Saturday morning after the massacre was brought to an end.

Do I blame anyone? Yes, I do. I blame the lack of attention that was paid to the innumerable warnings issued. I wonder WHY, WHY on earth would someone ignore it. Ignore something of that high significance. Do I have an answer to it?? No I don't and I might probably never get answers to my questions just like all other people in Mumbai.

At times, I dont even know what is this whole thing about, religion, terror, politics?!!! Lost - once again in the vicious circle of things unknown.

There is a lot of debate and differed opinions on the spirit of the city. Will it ever come back to the way it was. Yes it will!! It will bounce back, and with always the big black scar that the terror attacks left on us. The average Mumbaikar may return to the usual way of life, love the city like he always did, do the same things he always did in Mumbai, still call Mumbai much safer than other places in India, still the most happening place. The charm of the place shall always stay - stay with a big black scar. Only now it would be with a big black scar, a lump in our throat, and praying everyday for peace.

The Happy Day Feeling :)

The “Happy Day” Feeling – well, lets see what it means. Ummm… isn’t the term self explanatory?!! Well, yes it is.

A happy Day feeling is when you want to jump around, dance, sing to yourself, walk on the road aimlessly – smiling at anyone and everyone you come across. Talk to all your friends. Wish everyone “Happy Day” and just be as happy as you are. This is a day when you do all the right things, all on time, when you are completely satisfied with yourself and also you are happily comforting the most cranky people you would otherwise avoid.

So yes, a Happy Day feeling is about you – cos as the philosopher’s say Happiness is internal. Look for it within yourself and when you constantly look for it, after sometime you will realize that its just there in you all the while, it will overcome the not so good times and will let you enjoy the very good ones to the fullest.

A Happy Day feeling makes the dullest environments around you lively, buzzing with life and energy. You will ignore the dull and slow elements and the energy touch points will shine out bright :)

This is how it seems to me on a typical Happy Day feeling:

“Office buzzing with work and my head and system running go go go with more and more work with every minute. More so when the minutes pass away and the work load increases tooo… some pass and some more come in, meetings and discussions. Organizational goals, departmental goals and then my personal goals. And I am all pumped up with the Happy Day feeling – that nothing bogs me down. I am a go getter, and I say, “Bring it on!!!” I am unstoppable, unconquerable, I can reason, im ready to listen and accept, to prove my point and see the brightest points in others throughout. Im eager to help, oversee mistakes of my colleagues and take the tantrums. And I want to come back to work everyday, or maybe I don’t want the day to end. I want the work hours to extend. I can work over 12 hours at a stretch. Blah blah blah”

And I can go on and on about the Happy Day Feeling. And happy day feeling can come easily to anyone anytime you want. To me at times it comes even with 2 strong Espresso shots!! Try and tell me about your Happy Day feeling :)

Watch out for: "MISE Module as a source of Happy Feelings!!"

The Unconquered

The weekend at Goa has so far been one of the best getaways from work.

Something that really struck me more than the sheer beauty of the place is the strength of its beauty and what really makes it what it is. And this would seem more if you too have felt what I have on this trip to Goa. The place creates THE magic.

I mentioned earlier that the sea fascinates me, thinking about it now; I realize it’s the water. Its the power, the beauty, the depth, the infinity, the strength that amazes me. Water is one thing mankind has not been able to conquer. It always beats us.

Walking on the top of the Chapora Fort (popularly known as the ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ point) I realized that the waves coupled with the strength of the powerful winds can so break you down. It broke me down. Sitting at a rock, on the top of the fort, staring down at those powerful waves brings about a sea change in emotions. It brings out in you all that you were trying to avoid from thinking and all that you tried to keep away from your mind. Things that are in you and dug so deep into you that you don’t want them to come out. It is like hiding yourself from you.

Sitting on the Worli seaface one night I was observing how hard the waves would go and hit against the pillars of the new sea link (from Bandra to Worli), and trust me it feels like it will just break down. The waves hit it hard and it will keep doing that forever, we have treaded on its territory. It will fight back forever.

And once it starts breaking it, it just breaks and breaks it further down. You think you can fight it, you can’t. I wonder how those rocks stand it. And I guess they are the only things that can stand it. Not completely though. They don’t break yes, but they certainly change. They change to suit the direction of the force of the water.

It makes those paths in you that if you resist you break down. It might not break you but will definitely bend you down.

A New BLUE World

The beauty of the world grows and increases with every new experience that you have with it. It’s the ‘newness’ that happen to entice you towards it. I wrote about how difficult it is to let go and how we suddenly realize certain things have come to an end. Well, don’t be surprised if the next minute you are already looking forward to the next phase of your life, of starting into the NEW world.

For me it’s NEW all way. A new house, new people, new workplace, new way of life, new thoughts, new encounters, new rules, new …!!!

There is a moment you think that you are just not the correct fit for the surroundings. And the next minute you are a part of the group, wanting to live more and more of the new life life. For me the new way is BLUE!!! Yeah it’s a true blue world – facing right on to the sea. All I need to do is look up towards the window from my seat and I can see the unending horizon. The blue sea, the perfect clouds and the vastness – the Infinity of the world. I have always been fascinated by the sea; as a child I used to wonder what is at the other end and now I wonder where the sea would lead me to.

The last 2 years of MBA have reinvented me as a different person altogether and now I find my discovering more and more about being me. Maersk would definitely bring out a new me at the end.

And yes, however, new it may be one thing is true, this is what I had thought of always – My life is a manifestation of my thoughts. I am today what I have always wanted to be and seen myself as.
And here is a snapshot of the vastness.

PS: Special thanks to my friend NB for sending me the picture.

Last Day

There is something about 'Last Day'. They are not unhappy, they are just unbelievable... A friend sent me a message this morning which read, "Some people say that you don't know what you have until you lose it. The truth is that you always know what you have, you just never thought you would lose it."

Unbelievable yes that's what I call them. And what makes them more striking is the fact that you know they are gonna come, you know precisely when it would happen. You also know how would life be like after that. And when the Last Day is there... you say, "Already!!" You want to stop it from coming. You just want to UNWIND a little more. A little more time in the past that has passed by. Just a little more of it. :)

When I resigned from my job before my MBA, it was for the simple reason that I didn't want to be there anymore. I was fed up of it. And then on the last day, I didn't want to leave. I didn't know it was time to go. Well, I did go yes. They always say there is something better waiting for you instead. :) And there was.

There would always be a better time waiting for you. And there are somethings, you never thought you would miss, but you do, a lot. And this is where we say, "You don't know what you have until you lose it" :)

All the best!!!

Melange 2008 - Ending in STYLE!!!!

Melange our annual most awaited festival which brings together all the SIMSRites is undoubtedly most enjoyed and loved by all.

What makes me write this is not cos its another college fest and the fun you can have or fun we had at Melange. It's because Melange this year has made us end our MBA in style!!!

Had Melange not happened the way it did, I am sure quite a few of us would get bored of college and not spend time in college meeting each other. I take Melange as my last day of college :) Never would be a last day spent in soo much celebrations and fun as it was at Melange (Melange 2008 - 29th & 30th March 2008). Not just my batchmates, I loved working with all our juniors as well. One time that we all bonded so so so well. Will miss you all!!!

We spent more than a month on Melange working, having fun, enjoying ourselves and loving SIMSR. And all the while we just hoped that time would stop and we never finish college, always be here :D. Cos end of Melange met end of the life at SIMSR.

I am so glad that we all feel the way I do which just goes on to show how much we all mean to each other and how we loved spending time with one another and do all that we did!!!

And the class skit - nothing could beat that!!!

Love you all!!! Rock On!!! It just couldn't get better!!!

Accidents, Coincidence - PHENOMENA!!!

On my way to the station today, I almost ran into an auto-rikshaw. Unlike most days when my thoughts wander away (which is quite often) I was quite alert today. With hands on the brake, the rear view properly adjusted, my speed too was quite less and in control. And suddenly I found myself ramming onto my brakes struggling to stop my scooterette. Not that the guy in front of me goofed, well, it just happened.

It happened in a way I couldn't understand - what, where, when, why and the how of it.

So does everything that happens - just happens. Is it a chance a coincident?? Some things just happen - they don't seem to have a rationale or a logic. And I am wondering why???

How do we explain the coincidences in life? Well, we call it destiny. At times when I say, "It was destined to be" I get a reply, " No, it was just a coincident". Well, if so then can you explain a coincidence?? Well, I cant explain destiny either. The only thing I perhaps can make sense out of is that - Coincidences make destiny. Its an unexplained PHENOMENA!!!

A lot of things I guess are beyond us. Science says there is no God, we can't explain it. Well, can they explain coincidence. What is it we call a coincidence and why? When we meet someone on road some old friend, just like that... we call it a coincidence, When we happen to be in the same city planning to meet a friend since ages and cannot - and then one fine day we bump into each other in some other part of the world its a COINCIDENCE; A Phenomena - Unexplained, yet true.

Touched!!!!!

I thanked a friend of mine recently for the concern he had shown once. What strikes me is the reaction - he was surprised, wondering and confused WHY I thanked him!!!

I am sure many of us have come across a similar experience (being on either side of the fence). There might have been a time when we are really touched and moved by something a friend said for us or a gesture they showed. And think about this, for them its just a passing moment for them. They haven't put in a lot of time on it thinking about it. And we felt so touched that we go to them and thank them and hold the moment in such a high regard.

There would be a time when someone would come to you and say thank you and would leave you wondering "what was it u did, that made them say it to you". You may not even remember your own actions and words then. Well, I had the privilege of being thanked by a batchmate and I didnt realize why... and when she told me I was truly TOUCHED!!!! Touched to see that people remember such trivial things and acknowledge them!!!

The Secret

My love for reading, brought me across this lovely book. As optimist as it can get, and as true as you think it would be... My optimist self make me believe 100% in what the author said. Its about this secret, which if I hold for too long from you would be incorrect.

The Secret of Life. Its about YOU. Yes, the secret is as simple as you. You are your life. This is quite on the same lines as my earlier post on Things Happen

Here goes the logic, first, it works on the law of attraction. Law of attraction is considered to be nothing but the Law of Love. The second part of the logic is about magnetism that our thoughts possess.

When a thought comes to or mind, and we go over it again and again, it attracts like thoughts from the universe. So, a positive thought brings in more and more positive thoughts and same goes for negative thoughts. And when similar thoughts are attracted to one another, there are forces that create an environment to put thoughts to reality. Thats how, what you think is what you get. Today what you are and what you have, is a manifestation of what you thought about in the past. Thats why you are happy about the way you are, the way your life is.

Something interesting mentioned in the book was that, the mind doesn't read or notice words with a negative connotation. For instance, if you say,"I don't want to be late for work..." it catches, "I want to be late for work..." When you say on a particular day, that you had a bad start to the day, your thought triggers more number of bad thoughts for your day and they build on one another. And it's simple to turn around your day. Just get some good thoughts for the way you want your day to be, the way you want to spend your day, and you will be able to see your day turning out to be exactly like that. What makes this work is simple. When you have one good thought, one good memory of your life, it is followed by more such thoughts and memories. This brings you amidst good thoughts and good feelings, which translates into a good day.

It is important, hence, for you to focus on what you want. Focus on it with all your energies, your thoughts, and you can see, the things you want coming your way. The thought, basically throw out certain frequencies in the world. These are matched by similar frequencies and attract them to you. And this is the prcess, that SRK mentioned in OSO, "Jab aap kuch dil se chaho, to saari kaynat aapko usse milane me lag jaati hai...:

Yes, its a simple as it can get. It's just a matter of your thoughts, you get them right and your life is in your hands, completely the way you want it to be.Your thought is your life.