Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time I chanced upon a girl,

Eyes of brown, hair held in a curl,

When our eyes first met, she gave me a smile,

To regain my senses, it took me a while,

I was standing in the corridor with my good pal R,

He laughed his guts out, I was blushing the whole hour,

First time ever, that a woman had floored me,

That first time to me - an eternal memory,

Yet I never mustered the courage to go upto her and talk,

Gutless, with no gumption, to her never could I walk,

But then they say, fate can’t be withheld,

And one fine day, over coffee the cards were meld,

We got along like a house on fire,

Endless hours when she talked and I listened and neither did tire,

A best friend in each other, we seemed to have found,

In togetherness, our feet seemed to have left the ground,

Confidantes, comrades, partners in crime,

Together we were a beautiful, unforgettable, symphonic rhyme,

Years went by and by each other we stood,

Through thick and thin and whatever else that we should,

All good things do end, both of us had known,

We weren’t about togetherness, as time has shown,

Hadn’t known if in each other’s hearts, we dwelled,

So we both let go, when our hands we could’ve held…

Well Done...Now shut up!

Well, obviously enough, being smart and Bikram, aren’t quite a part of the same sentence often. Heck, I reckon it’s rarer than being smart and you are related to in the same sentence! Nonetheless, we all have our moments and then when we are finally applauded for making a smart point or for making a point that really put things in perspective, (alright, I’ll talk about me then!) when I finally do it, I feel so happy and elated! For the next umpteen days, I’ll be proud of my achievement and be egged on further! But all good things come to an end. It’s not long before I am back to making a fool of myself and soon before long, I realize my folly. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and confirm it!” Right?

So be it. Silence shall ensue!

Random Rhymes

1.>
Sometimes beyond our sights we need to see,
beyond our sorrows and moments of glee,
its a time when both you n me,
need to move forward, set our hearts and minds free!

2.>
what do you think the heart does seek?

why does our courage mellow and spirits go weak?

why away from our troubles do we flee?

when all we need to do, is set our worries free...

3.>
time flies and memories grow,

with every passing day, a new seed we sow,

and yet the new can we only see,

when we allow ourself to set our past free!

4.>
a million miles between us now,

yet i hope of seeing you somehow,

someday maybe across the sea,

ill fly to you and together we'll be!

5.>
do you remember that once upon a day,
you and me together had walked this way,
and now across the screens we talk,
wondering when together we might walk,
and re-live and re-make all those stories,
ones that we now seem to call memories!

6.>
time brings us close, time takes us apart,

friends that arrive, friends that depart,

until one day, we aren't reason for each other's smiles,

separated by a distance, not measured in miles!!!

Some random poems that I conjured up, thought I might do well to archive them up here... its better than losing them to the sands of time right?

An Educated Fall

Yesterday in class, we were discussing the pressing needs of the Indian economy and obviously enough, alleviation of poverty and the need for education rose up as the prime issues that need addressing at the earliest. I couldn’t agree more. I doubt without these two as our prime focus over the next couple of decades, could India continue on this tremendous path of self-discovery and the resultant phenomenal growth. It is imperative to educate the masses and bring everyone to the same level so we all are on the same platform and are able to compete with each other. As we all understand, competition is the way forward-the best way forward.
But is it really?
Do you agree to the statement that competition is the path to success and that everyone in the world needs to be brought at the same level for this world to move forward progressively? If you do, let me play the devil’s advocate here.
Do we really need to bring everyone on the same platform and then let them compete with one another? Is it possible that the very fact that all humans are not on the same platform is an indication of some larger hierarchy of our social existence? Also, what is the purpose of competition, to determine and hence help flourish the best among equals? Then again, if you really wish to determine the best amongst equals, are you not really looking for the unequal amongst equals…how does such a system disprove the statement- “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” Isn’t competition out to determine precisely that, the more equal amongst equals?
So to what extent would you go to make unequals equal and then allow them to between themselves or by the process of natural selection, determine the unequal amongst equals? What a contradicting thought isn’t it?
Well, it actually isn’t. Just because I had a headstart by way of excellent schooling, it by no means is an indicator that I am better than someone who might have done his schooling from a lesser institution solely on the basis of the difference in the financial abilities of our guardians. It would be essential to expose all the young minds to the same level of superior education and hence determine which are better equipped. Although, all minds are better equipped at some specific tasks than others and therefore determining the unequal amongst equals would be as fruitless a task as comparing a rock to an apple. Yet, the education system is designed to do precisely that. Grading students on their ability to write answers in the answer paper more by rote than by a critical or analytical ability and hence using these grades to precisely determine what field they might be suited for is appropriately inappropriate.
Next, we all realize the importance of educating the masses so that all of us are equipped to hold our own views and reasons. How far do you educate the masses though? Do you make all of them qualified PHDs? If we did, what kind of a social system would we have on our hands? Education sharpens minds and there cannot be a counter argument on that. However, if all minds were sharp, would they all not cut each other? If everyone was an intellectual, who would be the follower? A world full of intellectuals would not mean a world where everyone agrees on the right objective, it means a world where everyone agrees on the right objectives but disagrees on the right path! There are a million ways of ending up at the same eventual goal but you cannot have everyone taking a different path to reach the same goal. If we did, we would have a system of roads cris-crossing into each other and the traffic being held up with nobody getting anywhere although everyone knows where they need to be! Would it not lead to a stagnation of growth? If everyone is at the same level, how do you find the next level?
But you cannot put a stop to progress at the same time can you? How can you ensure that we do not reach a level where we are so educated, we all work towards our own downfall? How do you uphold rights and at the same time ensure that the rights do not become liabilities?
There are essentially three types of freedom:
1. Economic Freedom
2. Political Freedom
3. Social Freedom
The three are essentially inter-related and you cannot have either of them without another. It’s a classic case of one thing leading to another. And yet, all the three freedoms come at a cost, a cost which is defined by how much you can have of each of the freedoms. The more economic freedom you have, the more social freedom you want, the more social freedom you have, the more political freedom you want and so on and so forth. Hence, it is seemingly the human nature to be independent of one another, to be able to lead lives that are not dependent on any other lives for any of our means or to be more direct and put myself on the plank, education leads to a desire for freedom, a freedom which seeks to break social-cultural-political-economic barriers and hence lead an independent life. My claim of course is backed by the social scenario in the west wherein the educated are more inclined towards seeking separation and divorce in the seed of social existence-marriage.
So are we wrong in seeking education and knowledge? Is that what I have concluded here? Wow!
Don’t conclude so… it is a parallel train of thought. It highlights a few other facets which I leave upto you to dissect. To give you a clue, it’s about the dangers of half-knowledge and improper education and is too indepth and philosophical. I wont bore you with that. This piece is way too long anyways.
Just a wisdom I would like to impart-“What binds us is not knowledge of the known, it’s the ignorance of the unknown…more aptly dubbed LOVE.”

New Shoes!

I am an eleven year old stuck as a 23 year old. I went out to buy a toothbrush and other such miscellaneous items yesterday. I saw a pair of shoes that I really fell in love with and without thinking twice bought ‘em! To make matters worse, the only thing I have seen since yesterday have been my shoes! When I walk I am looking at them, when I am sitting in class, I am staring at my feet! Damn, I doubt an eleven year old does something like this!
I really oughta quit this MBA program, I am not meant to be here… As always “ Right Place, Wrong Time!”

Vacations Chronicled!

Pic A : Family Photograph
Pic B : A Romantic Evening
Pic C : The City Palace
Pic D : The Lake Palace
Pic E : The Jag Mandir

Finally I get down to writing about my vacation. The past few weeks were spent hob-knobbing through the country as I made visits to Bangalore and Udaipur.
Bangalore was because my grandpa wanted to meet all of us together at once under the same roof and have a classic family photograph (Pic A). I also happened to chance upon meeting my cousins there and a couple of friends. My most treasured memories of Bangalore are from a time when I spent about three weeks there at the SSB. Fabulous memories of the SSB, a great experience indeed. If that was supposed to give me a brief glimpse of the kinda things I would have been doing in the armed forces, I really think I have missed out on a fabulous life. Damn…
I bought something called “Mili Imli” from Nilgiris there and it was a really fabulous buy. A tad expensive thought I but then again, nothing these days is cheap and if it really claims to be putting farmers first, why not pay a little more. (Although how imlis are putting money into farmers’ pockets is something I would like to study as a business model. It is either a brilliant business model or a brilliant brainchild of a hot-shot MBA, the latter I hope it is not. I despise MBAs. All we seem to do is be good at providing a justification for everything that doesn’t need it.)
Udaipur was a very unique experience on two counts.
A) Because it was the first wedding I attended wherein a friend was getting married and
B) Because it was my first visit to the state of Rajasthan.
The wedding was an experience in itself as it was the first time I was involved in a wedding as the friend of the groom. Awesome fun I must admit. Even better because we got to pull his leg so much (and we aren’t quite done yet! And I am sure he shall have double the fun at our weddings!) Perhaps the highlight of the whole wedding was getting to decorate his bed! We put papads and khakras under his bedsheet…poor chap…I bet he shall curse us for the rest of our days!
Oh! And how could I forget to mention the food? It was incredible! The 8 or 9 of us, ate our fingers off! A whole week’s quota was being gobbled in a single day! Incredible food!
On my first visit to Rajasthan, I had expected the place to be rather barren and devoid of much vegetation and sights. Perhaps a few beautifully constructed palaces to look at, but not too much else. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I admit I have never been more awestruck by the sheer natural beauty of a city! To give you an idea, Udaipur is located in the Aravali range in Rajasthan and in poetic style, is a city cradled in the mountains. I am not too sure of exactly how many lakes it actually boasts of but to my limited knowledge and first hand view of the two huge lakes, the city is truly a lake city! The first lake that we saw, the Fatehsagar Lake (Pic B), has within its midst a beautiful garden. The sight was rendered even more beautiful by the weather which mysteriously turned cloudy hiding away the sun and giving the feeling a completely romantic outlay. Damn, if only I had someone to share the moment with!
The second lake was the grander of the two, the Pichhola Lake. It houses the Summer Palace (aka the City Palace, Pic C) on the banks and the winter Palace (aka the Lake Palace, Pic D) in it’s midst. You would know I do not approve of a lavish lifestyle but I admit, human as I am, I was easily overawed by the beauty of the City Palace and the grandeur of past royalty. It really must have been quite something to be a member of the Royal family. Sadly though, it’s a real shame it came at the cost of the general public. Yet, the terms honour and royalty may truly be understood in those palatial houses, the rich history and the splendor of their lavishness. The Lake Palace is now a hotel and definitely unaffordable as a student. Maybe next time when I have earned a little money, I might be able to afford a peek inside. Until then though, I am stuck as a mere subject!
I am sure there are several regions in Rajasthan that are barren and maybe even places that are desert but if are quaint enough to think (like me) that that is all there is, you might wanna rethink your stance. I wouldn’t comment too much about the rest of Rajasthan until such a point when I have seen more of it but Udaipur was fabulous. I now understand why you might wanna have a honeymoon in Rajasthan, especially in the winters!

Pic E is the JAG MANDIR also in the midst of the lake...

Some Cribbing

As some of you might be aware, I have been in the process of writing my memoirs for the past few years (?!) now. (Wow, it has actually been over a year!) and quite frankly, though I expected it to be good, it has actually turned out to be a drab read. Although, I still think I should get back to writing it again. Nonetheless, yesterday I sat down with my index of chapters that I thought I should include in the book and I realized that as is with the rest of my existence, the book really wasn’t turning out to be about me. It’s been more about all the people in my life. It’s been about the experiences we have shared, the whack and stupid decisions we have taken and more often than not, about all the misadventures we did partake. Nothing about me!
I wonder if that is a good or a bad thing when your autobiography hardly deals with your own life but with the rest of the world! Weird coming from me because not so long ago I had propounded a theory about the centre of the universe! Mine, it would seem, is centered around everybody else but me! Bah! I really am weird!
By the way, anybody out there think I should put the chapters up as a separate blog cause I really don’t see it getting published ever. Moreover, I need something to spur me on… these days I am facing a boredom crisis… surrounded by grand old men! I tell you, it’s so difficult to get these guys to do anything. Playing cricket seems a humongous task to them, a walk on the beach seems like a scaling of Everest…I really dunno what these guys could be gotten to do. I am contemplating hiding away in books again. And to think I was told that the world out there was a wonderful place… sadly though, it is…and I have no one to share it with!
r

CRYPTIC

I sit alone pensive, trying to write a rhyme,
As I sit and wonder about a bygone time,
I try but I can’t put words in a single line,
I am lost as is this life of mine…

I float to a world of my dreams,
Filled with cake trees and chocolate streams,
But it feels empty though serene,
As if something’s missing that shouldn’t have been…

This universe around me does unrealistically conjure,
Hope, when I feel hopeless for sure,
As I lose interest and everything seems a bore,
My mind is tired, it feels red and sore…

I look up and see the sunshine so golden,
It’s a sight, to forlorn hearts embolden,
Yet somehow I am standing in the rain,
In tranquil, I feel the pain…

I pick my pen and begin to write,
As within me the past, present and future do fight,
It’s an epic battle, and I can’t say who’s right,
I am getting engulfed by the darkness of the night…

All of a sudden, all my friends are here,
Wonder who showed them the way to get there,
All my joys and sorrows they insist and share,
Showering upon me all their care…

In the distance I see a wall,
I can’t tell whether it’s big or small,
Along the horizon it seems to crawl,
With every passing moment, it’s growing tall…

A pair of eyes look at me bemused,
Steadily into one they get fused,
Let not this rhyme leave your mind battered and bruised,
Stop seeking clarity, when this life is so confused…

This isn’t a rhyme that puts across a thought,
It’s the most cryptic work my mind has wrought,
And to a handful might sensibility here have brought,
Ironically it’s to those who had never sought!