Janmashtami Time

I know its a little too late in the day (maybe very late) for wishing a Happy Janmashtami, but didn't someone once say, "Better late than never" ? So taking cue from that, I will go ahead and write this post. Besides I am just too excited about the wonderful celebrations taking place around here that I can't stop myself from sharing it all.

I feel that the best place to be at during Janmashtami, is undoubtedly the Uttara Guruvayurappan Temple in Mayur Vihar-1, New Delhi. The temple organized JANMASHTAMI ASHTAMIROHINI Celebrations today. 

There is something very peaceful about this place. It seems to exude some charm such as to leave me spellbound. I truly enjoy every single of my visits here. 

And today was the most awesome of them all. Starting from the beautiful decoration with flowers and diyas, that made the place glow with a magical warmth, to the countless number of devotees lined up to catch a glimpse of their beloved god. Shiny, new clothes on everyone. Children running around. Cameras and touchscreen phones furiously clicking away the evening, capturing the grandeur. 

There is so much to say about this temple, it would take me forever. I have a lot of memories of it from the time I was a little kid. And it was quite a surprise when I visited it again after almost over a decade. It still stands the same, exactly as I remember it. 

Simple and Serene.

Oh and having a huge sweet tooth, how can I forget the delicious prasad. The sweet rice dish with pieces of banana and dried coconut. Just one word - Heavenly! 

Added to that the prasadam today was the highlight. It had Upma, idly, vada, laddu and sambar. Along with snaking lines of people. Soon there were lines extending onto the main road. The adjacent temples too were filled with revelers, giving the street a cheery, festive look. Looming just ahead were also some RAF personnel, keeping an eye out for any mishap. Did not seem likely though, not with everyone drenched in the divine showers. 

However the Icing on the Cake today was the little kids dressed up as Krishna and Radha. So so cute! Babies dressed up in yellow robes, with little crowns and earrings , some even sporting flutes was a sight to behold. I had to do away with no photos as my archaic phone started acting funny all of a sudden. Really sad, that part.

All in all, a perfect ending to a very special day! Looking forward to the next janmashtmi and my next visit to the temple (it will definitely me much sooner). 

Ciao

Fight till the last breath!

Fight! Fight! Fight! Don't ever give up! Go down fighting if you will, for the sheer satisfaction of having stood up for your cause...or in more drastic situations, for your life.

Picture credit: http://www.sodahead.com

Haven't we heard that a lot already? Or read articles on such inspiring stuff all around? And it is so lovely to be getting such motivation. Even if just for a millisecond. The hard part is actually putting it in practice. Not to forget, figuring out what it is worth fighting for. 

Now aren't most of us always ready to jump up for ourselves? "I know what is right and I will not bow.", "Why can't they see that this is the right way?...Such sissies!"  It seems that the first step to fight for your cause, is to convince everyone else, come what may. Irrespective of the result, it is of utmost importance that everyone agrees with your point of view.

For the silent ones like me, it is even worse. There is this constant conflict of ideas within, trying to burst out any moment. Even speaking out is such a strain! It is either a silent acceptance or a scary showdown. Neither too sensible. And when the desperation gets too intense, the person is sure to look like someone suffering from split personality disorder or something. Again not desirable at all. 

What then is the right way to fight it out keeping casualties to a minimum? Oh, I wouldn't care much about casualties really. People understand eventually. Now don't they? I sure hope they do.

Be it something as trivial as buying clothes or life altering events like getting married, even choosing the right career path, cannot be given up without a fight. Not for me. There is always someone or the other suggesting I do this or do that just because everyone else is blindly doing the same. And how happy they are now. Heavenly!. Not. The one part I can't fathom is, why do we need to bother convincing others at all? Those who care for us do not need much convincing, while those who can't stand our ideas and notions don't need much of our care.

Picture credit: emslegacy.wikispaces.com

Things get very tricky when the fight is against very close ones, like parents or grandparents. They always wish their kids to be safe and happy. Which is a very good thing, but when it starts to stifle the individual growth of a person or constricts the free flow of ideas and actions, its time for some talking.

Sure it's not  easy to convince someone to change their mindset. If they have been idealizing a set  framework for a lot of  time now, it can be a daunting task to deviate from it. Add to this, a group of people who will egg them on to stick to their point.

But efforts have to be made with determination and persistence, the two most important companions. Things need to be conveyed and attempts made to convince. In the end the worst that can happen is that we lose. Then again, we are left with a sense of contentment. We never know, the experience might actually come in handy the next time such situations arise.

Dilli Meri Jaan

I have always wondered, what is it about a place that charms people towards it, flooring them. Is it the landscape? The infrastructure and development? Career opportunities? Malls and market places? Or the masses? For me it has always been the light moments, fun and freedom I share with my companions wherever I go or live.

Well...thinking of nice places, what better place to start with than home? And that brings us to Delhi!

 I love Delhi. Truly Do. Having spent all my life here, I've come to adore and cherish this city. This might come as a shocker to those who associate the capital with rising instances of rapes and murders.

The reports on such incidents keep flooding the newspapers each day, but that is simply not enough to put down the fighting spirit of the people. The people just move on with resilience, springing with new hope.

Going down the memory lane, I am left with a brimming collection of memories as a child in this huge city. The dusted up DTC buses, the killer blue lines, old styled cycle rickshaws , black and yellow autos...the list just goes on.

India gate was the ultimate picnic destination. Lunch on its lawns on lazy winter noons followed by Frisbee in the children's park.

Both sides of the road leading up to the monument lined up with balloons of every imaginable color and shape floating dreamily in the slight breeze, was a visual treat. Not to forget the monkeys performing their shows, the bioscopes and the fluffy cotton candy.

That reminds me of Appu Ghar, the best amusement park ever in Delhi. Miss it so much. School outings would usually be planned for this place.

 I regret never getting onto Splash though, the ride with the steep rise and fall, ending with water splashed onto the people.

The last few years have been more special, what with college and lovely friends. It is funny how, when in the company of loved ones, the city seems to bloom and sprout up its beautiful wings. I have seldom had a dull moment. It feels as if the same places hold a different sort of attraction when hanging out with friends, making me treasure those memories forever. And making me fall for my beloved Dilli again!

Just Do It! or wait forever

I would like to make small modifications to the famous Shakespearean quote above. How about the new

 "To take the plunge or not, that is the question" 

                                                                                                                                                         ??

No, don't start getting any funny ideas. What I simply mean here is weather one should act on impulse or wait patiently for the right time to come, whenever that should be. 

Why has there always got to be some or the other condition fulfilled for a decision to come through? The most common I've heard is 'I will buy myself a car when I get a job' or 'My dream home is still a few years away, when I've saved enough' or the really funny 'I worked out so hard, time for a treat...a rich sinful chocolate cake should do'. I can totally relate to the last one. Only difference being that I don't even work out. 

So this whole process of waiting for the right time to start with something I like had me thinking. Back when I was in 12th standard, complete with IIT coaching and extra tuition classes, just like others I too dreamt of making it to the prestigious institution. The dream did not end there. I was greatly inspired by Chetan Bhagat who had come out with his first book, 'Five Point Someone'. I am not talking about the book. What had me interested was the novel idea of penning down college memories in the form of a book. 

That is when I decided that once I got into IIT (really hopefully) I would come out with my own novel. And the joke ends here. I did not get in hence never started with that book. That was that. I had buried my dream. Later when I wanted to start my blog, I told myself that I surely would but only after I had achieved something great...like clearing GATE or bagging a challenging job. And that was it. None of the two happened, indefinitely postponing my ideas. Did not seem fair. I had to follow things I liked. So here I am blogging and also enjoying it. I can always put in that extra hard work for my dream job or GATE.  

What I find even weirder is when people turn to astrology to pick that perfect time to do the thing. If you need to find yourself a job, then why wait for the stars and planets to fall in line? Don't they have other important things to do...like maintain the correct angular momentum and path in space. And if you have just bagged that job, you should report on the day specified instead of consulting your lucky omens.   

I agree that it is easier said than done. Acting on impulse can be a very scary prospect. More often than not the outcome might not be a favorable one. Then all that is left is a feeling of satisfaction. Like they say:

"It is better to know the worst rather than keep wondering"

Again...the implementation part is always difficult. Isn't it just so hard or simply mortifying to walk up to your crush and tell them that you like them. And so begins the planing and delaying. 'That day seems nice', 'Or how about after exams?...no no it would be better if I wait till after graduation' and thus goes the endless saga. I can't even bring myself to describe the sorrow of such missed opportunities. Because once its gone its gone forever. 

I think that the worst feeling ever is the 'What if?' If only I had mustered up the courage and gone ahead with it. Things would have been different. 

Then again there is nothing wrong in waiting patiently forever. All the while a voice announcing in a clear tone:      Aap katar me hai, kripya wait kare!

When nature wreaks havoc

I am sure the title has given you quite an idea about what this post is going to be about. Then again I'd like to just clear out that it is not going to be a technical detailing of the crisis. And definitely not an up to date report regarding the calamity. There are numerous TV channels and newspapers doing just that. Besides I am in no way as capable as either the news crews nor the rescue forces to be even remotely taking off on my own. But Oh...How I wish I could do that this very minute!

Picture credits: newsflashrajasthan.com

Okay...I hope you are not rolling your eyes at the screen already, thinking 'don't these silly people have anything better to do rather than write irrelevant things and that too in such grim situations?' Even if you are I'd like to say that a lot has been written, debated and criticized about the events- right from the negligence of authorities that caused the disaster to the "disaster tourism" carried out by our dear netas. Even as scores of pilgrims and locals are still stuck in inaccessible areas and the rescue teams comprising the Armed forces, the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) are fighting it out against the rogue weather, the newspapers and all other forms of media can't get enough of headlines screaming 'CONTROVERSY'.

Picture credits: http://www.firstpost.com

 I never give such reports a second glance but this one particular piece of news in The Hindu Vijayawada edition caught my eye. It recounted the hardships faced by a pilgrim from Andhra while he was stuck in Kedarnath. He explained how there wasn't much to eat and little information being given out to them. He then went on to say that not much was being done for the telugus. Now I don't know why but I found this part weird.

 It also brought me to think about Narendra Modi's visit and subsequent evacuation of the gujrati tourists through the arrangement of special transport means from Dehradun to Ahmedabad.

 States chipping in to help with the rescue operations is a very good thing, especially when uttarakhand is not in a position to do it all alone. But once they commit to help the hapless and stranded does it make any sense to discriminate the victims on the basis of state or region? If every state starts organizing special rescue operations for their respective citizens, what then shall become of the locals or the ones who went to the region specifically for career prospects? Which state will sponsor them? 

Luckily for us the Army, independent of such glitches will successfully help as many people as they can, owing to the unpredictable weather.

Sitting in the safe confines of my home in a place far away from the scene of the disaster, I don't really think I should be passing out comments on the rescue activities or how the responsible ministers very conveniently overlooked the sensitive terrain of the place in the face of ever expanding industrialization. But I can't help it when I see or hear the varied responses of sizable chunk of the population that exclaims 'Ohh!' 'How sad!' or 'tch tch tch...' , 'God has been so ruthless' , 'These ministers are good for nothing' and similar others. They are downright annoying. Its funny how we think we can empathize with the victims without actually ever having been in such a situation before. 

Praying for the safe return of the survivors.

What to do? Life after College

My very first blog post and I can't help feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. There are far too many thoughts fighting for a chance to be described and displayed. Not that I blame them, they are all very dear. And if I were to plot those many thoughts on a paper, the resulting pattern would put any modern artist to shame.

So getting down to the most recent one- College comes to an end,  Officially! I am now an engineer. Sounds so great. Not. Funny thing about graduation is that I feel no different than how I felt exactly four years ago. Sure I got to learn a lot, academically and otherwise. More of it outside the class than inside. But I'm still searching for the "I-am-all-set-to-conquer-the-world" or "The-world-is-my-playground" sort of an outlook. Oh I did manage to bag a job during the campus placement drives by the various companies visiting my college. So I do have something to look forward to. The only problem being that they wouldn't be giving us a joining date any time soon, leaving ample time on my hands to practically go into hibernation. 

Pretty much how I plan to hang around :P

Well it seems the best thing to do now is to plan out my hibernation period so that I come out of it feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. And this is how the list goes:

1. Sleep definitely dominates the list. Getting up blissfully late to an awesome weather. An overcast sky, light breeze, with birds chirping, scurrying for cover lest it starts raining. 

2. Poetry Time to rhyme! Taking right after the weather comes up my new found love- Poetry. I'm not a pro or anything but writing down a verse that successfully rhymes or at least makes sense instantly uplifts my otherwise surly mood. 

3. Reading Nothing beats the smell of a brand new book. The ecstasy of burying into one and not looking up till it is finished.

4. Movies, movies and more movies follow next. For someone like me who watches a movie once in a month or even less than that, there is so much to catch up on.

5. Shopping Now some things don't need any reason. I need to shop no matter the season or situation. I am a firm believer in the many benefits of retail therapy.

6. Dear Diary How can I ever forget my dear partner, sticking with me through times good, bad and ugly. So    curling up with my diary is a must.

7. Music This one doesn't really need mentioning in the list. I mean music is the one thing that is ever present, and constantly changing with my varying moods and feelings.

And right now the one song that I plan to play on repeat mode is 'Roobaroo' from Rang De Basanti. Truly inspiring! Also keeping in mind the lovely weather, a horde of Bollywood songs on rain and monsoon are at the top of my playlist.

8. Movement Some amount of moving around is essential too. Nothing too intense of course. So morning walks or a good jog coupled with crazy dancing to latest numbers is a decent way to go.

What more is there to add? Thinking, thinking...oh yes and a lot of thinking about anything and everything under the sun.

Till I come up with my next post.