Unmuddlings!!

Well, this could have as much been a Bombay syndrome or New Delhi syndrome or for that matter any other place syndrome. Guess New York gets the cake, because maybe more people in this world might have a loftier sense for New York than Bombay or New Delhi or any other place that could have found a place in the title….or a greater percentage New Yorkers probably have a loftier sense of their city [compared to other cities], than residents of other cities. So whats this syndrome…that has an intro more of a long DI ques aka CAT….[for the those who are masters of their own…who never need to know whas DI or CAT..…DI=data interpretation…with that clue CAT now would be a cakewalk for some…CAT=Common Admission Test, b-school wala] Well well, lemme move to the main prattle. Prattle nonetheless. A guy in Bombay, would not know where the unknown village Jhumri Talaia is; whereas our man from Jhumri Talia would know about Bombay well enough [without having ever visited] to speak about the Juhus, th...

Hey! All, ever wondered why FB is gaining ground and mainstream print media losing readership [despite increasing circulation]. The ans is fairly simple…the same reason why Sooraj Barjatiya rakes in the moolah while the movie movement that tried to portray the ‘stark realities’ of life [aka art movies] went under quite some back…… This is also the same reason why delhi times / sports pages have 10 times more readership than front page or national page….What am saying is, pick up 2day’s TOI…and scan the pages…the headlines… It makes one feel…that is world is sick, psychopathic place…but man gimme a break…I see great people, even greater feelings / gestures…showing up everywhere, every moment….how the heck…man this doesn’t show-up in any of our headlines… [as customary digression…heck…as I want to convey…is the cross b/w ‘hell’ and the popular 4 letter word starting with f…when u wanna express something casually disdainful…and heck…brings in a bit of a novelty factor…intends to be both t...

Thud!...Bit of a jerk ....am alluding to the flight landing..:)……the taxing…n the fun starts right away Can hear the mobiles switching on [despite the message, sure its not you]…ruffling feet, racing hearts, animated tones…..in delhi or bbay the taxing can seem like endless – longer than the longest flight…finally the airbus or boeing is about to come a halt [hopefully not screeching]…and there u go.. Quite a Hustle!....Activity…everyone…but for one or maybe but for one dozen…all standing up…as if the class teacher has entered the class…..Good Morn!!! Miss… [as we used call that in school; not the somber ‘Madam’ – maybe the teachers themselves coined it to make their elegant selves look / feel younger :)……well that takes me to Select City Walk, Saket…..and the variety tricks incl bold dressing that all aunties do to look younger and more attractive…n the outcome is not bad at all……well I must add, I found some excitingly aesthetic dressing by youngies too last time around…] And the lou...

Soon after alighting from the Shatabdi, the inevitable tete-a-tete ensued with the eager auto driver. Our man flaunting the adorable [nay ‘maast’] flourish in his words, that one gets quickly wont to in Amritsar [infact whole of Punjab]. Thanks to him playing the 'tripadvisor', we checked in into a hotel bang opposite the Golden Temple. I will not elaborate upon the events that led us into that, that has enough masala to qualify as a post in itself. It was 2330 hours by the time we reached our cosy room; but in 10 mins we were out again in the open. Eagerly mingling with the endearingly mildly chilly Amritsar evening. And quite keen to have a peek at the Golden Temple. GT never fails to amaze me – the courtesy, the cleanliness, the camaraderie – as soon as one enters the temple premises. The vibrations reverberate rhythmically. As we walk up and down the stairs – Lo! And behold. The scintillating golden twinkle of the monument and the lilting [can’t help the adjective] reflecti...

….For sustained and inner happiness one requires on one hand, an absolutely relaxed state of mind which is unfettered from worldly stresses – even though not its pressures and pulls. One the other, continuous positive activities across multiple dimensions [e.g. family, relationships, charity, spiritual, remunerative, financial that can lead to holistic growth and excellence. A cucumber like cool mind that helps us look at the bigger picture at all points in time – something that gives us the necessary space to take on more things and evolve ourselves continuously to internalize and achieve a excellence. That’s the only combination that can give us both peace and a sense of purpose at all points in time. It is important to reiterate, that here we are talking of peace and multi-dimensional purposefulness playing on each other for total excellence. There will be many examples of ‘excellence’ and ‘peace’ without each other – but it is easy picking that in such cases neither the ‘excellence...

Hey c’mon, am not playing the salesman for an English literature workshop – am no good there. I have never myself been a voracious reader by any stretch of imagination. Must have clocked max a 100 books in prose – both fiction and non-fiction – outside my text books. And [if I don’t consider Golden Gate as a books of poems] beyond the Poesy of Poems, Panaroma and the poetry books in Higher Secondary [cant even recollect the name] I have actually read one book of poem [a lovely collection by Gulzar]. Though am planning to read another one soon. That’s the Nobel prize winning effort from the maestro from Shantiniketan [by the way how many people know Shantiniketan boasts of having brought up 3 Nobel Prize winners….and am not kidding….but there was of course only one from Literature]. Btw, there is a collectors edition of Gitanjali with the original manuscript in the stands these days – and is a must but for anyone who once in a while soaks in with delight the incense of traditional symbo...

Over the past few days I have found myself wondering more than a few times – a wee bit more than in passing – why do some people write. I mean lovlier things to do – maybe date, chat, play, sleep, preen, pore through the window watching trees or street cricket or watching the crazy variety of people and situations in play.…..and maybe work [for productive people]…..or the best other option – just do nothing, sit tight. Or goddamn watch TV [yuck!!...nah I take it back, writing is 1001 times better….despite its nerdy self]…….ok well…watch TV [assuming you have the choice to flick the channels of your choice]. With this wide repertoire of options – and many dozen more, depending upon the ingenuity of the person – why do people write the question remains!!!! Damn it the answer is easy – people write for the same reason as people take bribes. That is people write because other people read. In the same way, the people take bribes as people give bribes [or do you want me to put ulta – i.e peo...

Time immemorial, ladies have been branded as goaders - twas actually an euphemism for women being stereotyped as ‘naggers’. I even recollect Allan and Barbara [the Pease family for novices ;)] citing an example from olden days where a bechari wife was dunked in the cold river for nagging her poor hubby a bit too much…[ungrateful man!] Infact there is very eerie way the dunking used to be done for naggers those days [in UK, if I recollect correctly], like they have this person in a stool and way it goes down under freezing cold water….and they used to call it by some specific term [will look it up sometime]. As I ponder over this – I have queer mixture of amusement and alas feeling. Yah, the other feeling – I mean, kuch tau alag has to happen for me to be writing about goading [or nagging as the pessimists may say] here. Over the years, I really believe a great gift for men [or for that matter women] is to have a ‘nagger’ around [I would like to take it as a ‘goader’ actually]. I mean ...

Its one of those quiet uncluttered Saturdays, When I 'indulge' myself amidst the office space Leaisurely browsing through the whos-who And purposefully ticking off the to-dos. Interspersed with illuminating thoughts to dote And googling distantly smiled quotes - to rote... Thats kind of summarisies the mood today - which started off with dutifullyclearing the mails, but then took off with one of Probal's mail sent in the very early hours of the day. [Probal is a bright young man straight - almost - out of campus.....certainly more classy and driven than what I was at his age] . That sparked off the race to the ole ole memory lane...the verse which eugolised which the both the boon and the bane of IT professionals [also all engg and b-school students in the country] - 'the night outs' to touch the finishing line just in time.. The search...with the wrong cluing, thankfully - took me through some delicious twists and turns into English literature and my own memory la...

Bhubs is a bit chillier these days, than what it has ever been in the past few years. This has added a bit of zing to the early morn! For Bhubs followers - some of us have been caught unawares - like Bombayites [nah! Mumbaikars? :)....am this ole school types in this name game it seems] got the dose last year [or was it the year before that] - but that is what has added to the zing . On a sombre note though - unfortunately there have been a few winter led indigestions [dunno if it sounds greek to some] in the family, both of Pema and Nana have been a bit down. Pema's illness spoilt the sprite for a good part of the last 2 days, but she seems to be back to her talkative self. Yday evening was a bit nauseating for Nana, though he seems better now. Me too, someone - not known to wear any warm clothing - in the real sense of the term - in Bhubs was found looking for indoors during noon day before yesterday - even with window panes rolled up. Unthinkable in Bhubs - but it did back to it...