iNTROSPECTIVE...

My friend Shreyas…

iThink — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:04:58 +0000

I am a big believer in destiny and fate and karma. I believe in giving out to others without expecting anything in return. But somehow I know that whatever I give, however small it may be, it always comes around… in some way or another.

Just like this, I know some things are meant to be. It’s a strong feeling, which tells you that certain things will last… no matter what… I know someone, who is so pure of heart and so selfless that he can be the most generous and giving to even the people who are not even deserving of his acts. That’s a level of selflessness which I have hardly seen in the people around me, and something which I am not even close to as far as my nature goes…

This post is a tribute to one of the most wonderful human being I know… My friend Shreyas…

We have been through a lot, have had our share of ups and downs… but even through all that, even in the times where we were not on talking terms, I knew, deep down, that if I am in need, he will be there… no matter what. He is that giving and forgiving…. I think it just comes with being Shreyas.

I don’t know why I chose today, but I want to say that it has been an honour knowing you, and it is my greatest pleasure knowing that I have you as my friend.

And even though we hardly speak and rarely see each other, I know for a fact, that if I am in need, wherever I may be, I will find you by my side at that time… Cheers to us mate…

P.S. My troubled college life feels worth it because u were a part of it dude…

Posted in Personal Tagged: College, Experince, Feeling, Friend, Fun, Life, Memories, Nostalgia, People, Thought

Thank you for the memories…

iThink — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:39:56 +0000

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to get you into Nostalgia mode… and I’m not just talking about the rush of memories…. I have just recently started using iTunes as my music player…. I was a jetAudio man before…

I added my entire music from my PC onto iTunes and was playing it on random. A song played… one I haven’t heard in a long time……. A long long time…. The time I was introduced to the song was around 4 years back and I was staying in the hostel at that time. But I haven’t heard the song in around 2 years or more… when it played today, I was not only reminded of the things that had happened, and the fun that I have had, but even the feeling of being in the hostel for the first time, of the difficulties faced, the joy of getting water after 3 days , the calm and serene midnight and early morning walks in campus, seeing sunrise and enjoying the morning tea with friends, watching movies till late night the night before an exam, and then the feeling of getting screwed the next day …

Some things you cant explain and never experience again… but once you have, it remains… FOR EVER!!!

Thank you for the memories dEE, Avi, Aloo, Mahaguru, Ric4, Rohit, Hitesh, Sunil, Chintu, and the countless others who I cant even picture right now…

All that’s left are some pictures, a few memories, and warm feelings.

Posted in General Tagged: College, Experience, Feeling, Life, Nostalgia, People, Thought

Protected: I’m Tired…

iThink — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:07:37 +0000

Posted in Personal

The day I died…

iThink — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:25:18 +0000

And I’m not kidding. I was officially declared dead by the Police Department for almost half a day. That is until I went there and even then they were adamant I was dead…

Lemme start from the beginning…

What happened was…

I had applied for my Passport on 4^th August 2009. There were some holidays in between so I thought maybe the procedure is delayed ‘coz of that. But now it was 2 months and my friends who had applied with me had already got their passports ready and I was not yet called for the police verification also. So with my dad’s help, I got some internal contact in the PD and tried to find about the details. He checked it out and said the crime report was not sanctioned yet. And he did it in 2 hours by his influence. Then came the identity verification wherein I had to present there in person. He told me come to the station the next day at 3 pm. And so I did. And when I got there, the person behind the desk asked me the name of the applicant. I told him my name.

He glanced at the file and said the application has been returned. I asked why. He said the applicant 9is dead!!! I was like “WHAT???” I am standing right in front of you. And he was like, “but we called in the morning and the person on the other end said that the named person was dead. This discussion went on for 2 hours and he wasn’t even ready to rectify the error. Thankfully, my dad’s contact found someone else to do the job. And the whole thing was resolved. But the jackass behind the desk didn’t move a finger.

The kind man who helped us out came to our house in the evening and told us what had happened.

The verification application had been received by the PD from the Passport Office on 5^th August 2009. And the day they “rediscovered” it, it was 6^th October 2009. And apparently, if the file goes to the higher authorities, the people in the filing department are questioned as to why the delay. And this entire episode was a ploy by that asshole to save his own neck.

Things I learnt from this…

The Police Department is more full of shit than they show in Bollywood movies…

Corruption and laziness runs deep in government offices, more so in the police.

Come on mate… I thought the police was here to save people… not to “KILL” ‘em…

Posted in General, Personal Tagged: Corruption, Experience, Feeling, Life, Movie, People, Question, Rants, Thought

Bubblegum…

iThink — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:47:43 +0000

I had to fill out some forms today. The instructions strictly said that I was supposed to fill in certain blocks with BLACK ink ball point pen ONLY. I didn’t have one, so I went to the stationers and bought one. I didn’t have exact change, and apparently, neither did she. So she asked me whether she could give me a candy. I said fine. She gave me a “BUBBLEGUM”…

What’s so special you must be wondering… Well, I haven’t had a bubblegum in years. And I’m not talking about the minty breath fresheners, but the real deal… the fruity pink colored bubblegum…

I just popped it in my mouth…. And it all just crashed down upon me… those kiddo days… saving up the limited amount of pocket money and buying small toffees, bubblegum, stickers… tossing the sweets into our mouths and cycling down the then undeveloped roads… the wind blowing into our faces… the sense of freedom and just pure “FUN”… no bonds, no ties… it was just me, my bicycle, and my friends… and the wide open spaces… our playground…

Its strange how in our adult life, we are always in the pursuit for happiness. We are never satisfied… never happy…. Nothing is ever enough… things were so simple when we were kids. Small tiny things were enough to make us smile. Little things were enough to make our day…

But if we really think of it, it’s still the small things that give us the most wonderful pleasures. And the funny part is that we don’t even need to go searching for it… it’s always around…

Things like…
Listening to the rain outside while lying in your bed…
Finding money in a pant that you haven’t used since last year…
Accidentally hearing somebody say something good about you…
To hear a song that reminds you of a special person…
To watch the sunset from the hill top…
Feeling butterflies in the stomach every time you see THAT person…
Passing time with your best friends…
To see people that you like, feeling happy…
Taking an evening walk along the beach….
To laugh……. Laugh…….. And laugh…… Remembering stupid things done with stupid friends…

These are the best moments of Life!!!

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed!!!”

Posted in General Tagged: Experience, Feeling, Fun, Life, People, Thought

Infinite Possibilities…

iThink — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:37:30 +0000

Infinite possibilities… When I think of these words, what comes to my mind is some good looking, smart guy, in a suit, holding a nice briefcase, giving a talk about positive thinking… or some such crap. But that’s not the “Infinite Possibilities” that I am referring to here. I am talking about the infinite number of ways your life can our out in, the infinite number of decisions that you make along your life for it to take this particular path. We can’t even imagine how different our life might have been if we had made one small change in any of our decisions in the past. The possibilities are just infinite.

But we are who we are, because of the decisions that we make. Because of what we choose, because of what we decide not to choose. Because of what we have been through. And all of it comes down to the basics; that is the human nature. However predictable our decisions and actions may be, there is a high improbability about our reaction to every situation. There is always a multitude of ways in which we can possibly react. But we choose… every time… just one path. And that is how life unfolds for us.

A friend once told me, “Life unfolds before us as it is supposed to.” It is probably true. But we are the ones making the decisions for our life to unfold the way it does.

I am just completing my education now. And before me there is a wide choice of what I can do. I can choose to study further, or get a job and work. Or work for a couple of years now and then think about higher education. And even if I make any of these choices, I have many options to choose my sector for higher education, or for a job.

What I am saying is that there are many ways in which my life may unfold when I think of it. But finally when I make my decision, it’ll be me who will be deciding how things unfold for me. We normally do not realize, but even the smallest of decisions can have big effects on our lives. Taking a wrong turn for coffee, missing a lecture and going somewhere else, playing an online game, sleeping at home when I’m supposed to be out. All these small decisions that we make can lead to monumental happenings without us even meaning for them to happen.

But it just happens. It’s a wonderful life full of surprises. A world full of Infinite Possibilities. Always hope for the best…

Posted in General Tagged: Choice, Experience, Feeling, Life, People, Question, Thought

EID MUBARAK…

iThink — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:21:29 +0000

Islam is a highly misunderstood and misinterpreted religion. I am a follower of Islam, and have seen the points-of-views of many people about this religion. There are many misconceptions and half truths leading to false ideas about Islam in people’s minds. I was supposed to write a post about the holy month of Ramadan here. I suppose adding some details about the religion itself may do some help raising awareness about it…

Before I start, let me just say that this is an article for informative purpose and is not intended to offend anyone’s faith of feelings. I have just presented the beliefs that are propagated in Islam and it is not meant, in any way, to degrade or defame any other faith. Please pardon me if I make any mistakes. A lot of reading has gone in to formulate this article, and I have made sure it is accurate. But if you find any mistakes, please let me know. I will be glad to rectify.

In the name of Allah, the most merciful and kind…

Islam is the complete way of life. It is more than just a faith or belief. It is guidance to all mankind from Allah, the creator of the universe. It involves every aspect in the lifetime of a being. Islam tells us the purpose of our creation, our final destination, and our place amongst other creatures. It shows us the best way to conduct our private and public affairs; including social, political, economic, moral and spiritual activities.

Islam is an Arabic word meaning SUBMISSION AND OBIDIENCE. Submission is acceptance of Allah’s commands; and obedience is putting His commands into practice. Submission and Obedience to Allah brings peace in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. A person who accepts the Islamic way of life and lives by it is a Muslim.

The final messenger of Allah is “Muhammed-Sallallah-o-Alaihi-o-Sallam” and the final book of guidance is the “Quran”.

Islam has five basic duties which the follower of Islam must do. They are known as the five Pillars of Islam (Arkanul-Islam). These are:

Shahadah (The declaration of faith)
Salah (Five compulsory daily prayers). Also called As-Salat.
Sawm (Fasting in the month of Ramadhan). Also called As-Sawm.
Zakah (Welfare contribution). Al-Zakat.
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). Al-Haj.

Let us elaborate and see what these are…

SHAHADAH

Shahadah is the declaration of faith. A follower of Islam declares his faith by reciting:

“La-Ilaha-Illallahu-Muhammadur-Rasulullah”

This means, “There is no God except Allah, and Muhammed is his messenger.”

SALAH

A follower of Islam has to pray 5 times a day, everyday, compulsorily. This prayer is called Namaz. The 5 Prayers are;

Fajr (Before Sunrise)
Zahur (Afternoon)
Asr (Evening)
Magrib (After Sunset)
Isha (Night)

ZAKAH

Zakah (Zakat) is the contribution we make from our savings and possessions to the society. It accounts to 2.5 percent of our cash, bank, gold, silver and jewellery, which has to be given to the poor and those in need. It is calculated when you have had the assets or cash for a year. Material assets like house, furniture, etc (not used for profit purposes) is not taken into account. Only excessive cash, gold and silver. (Cash includes bank)

HAJJ

Hajj is the pilgrimage every Muslim has to make to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is compulsory for a person having pure funds (No Debt) at least once in a lifetime.

SAWM

Fasting in the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar, i.e. Ramadhan, is compulsory for all men, women and children above maturity (The age of maturity is different for males and females. Females are said to have matured on the commencement of the menstrual cycle, and males are considered mature for fasting at the age of 12.) . This fast is called “Rozah”, which means abstaining from eating, drinking and conjugal relations during the hours of fasting. Travelers and the sick can defer from fasting in the month of Ramadhan and make up for it later. The hours of fasting are from before Sunrise till after Sunset.

Fasting helps us in developing self control and overcoming selfishness, greed, laziness, and other flaws. It is like an annual training program to refresh us for our duties towards Allah.

Fasting also helps us to not just think about our comforts and restrain ourselves from sexual activities. Fasting not only teaches us to control our hunger and thirst, but also to control our speech, our wishes and our feelings. It is also essential not to tell a lie, break a promise or indulge in any deceitful activities while fasting.

The Holy month of RAMADHAN

The Quran was first revealed in the month of Ramadhan. There is a night in the month called “Lailatul-Qadr”. It means “Night of Power”. It is said to carry the blessings of a thousand months of prayers. An additional prayer called “Taraweeh” is conducted in the month of Ramadhan at night.

At the end of Ramadhan, Muslim’s celebrate “Eid-ul-Fitr”, a day of thanksgiving and happiness. It is the greatest occasion for the Muslim community. On this day, Muslim’s offer special prayers in congregation and thank Allah for his blessings and mercy.

EID MUBARAK to all my friends and readers…

SELAMAT HARI RAYE to a special friend…

Please leave your comments and questions if any. Any corrections and suggestions are also welcome. Thank you for your time.

Posted in General Tagged: Experience, Life, People, Religion, Thought

What I learned… From Manchit and his Butterflies!

iThink — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:29:45 +0000

Manchit is a close friend of mine. A nice and calm person. He has an inclination towards photography… ummm… let me rephrase that… He loves nature photography. Among his many subjects of interest, I’d rate Butterflies as a prime. And for good reason.

Butterflies are indicators of a healthy environment. Plus, they are so delicate and beautiful. Knowing the nature lover that Manchit is, I was not surprised by his choice. You should see him running around in bushes, and then, he’ll suddenly freeze, position his camera, and… CLICK. And trust me; most of his shots turn out beautiful…

I guess that’s enough for an intro, I should get to the point now.

What I learned from Manchit and his Butterflies…

Patience: When you are going to click a butterfly, you can’t just stomp in next to it and expect it to stay put. You have to wait for it to get accustomed to your presence. Once it has settled down with you around, you can get even as close as 3 inches (5-8 cm) to it with your camera, and it will stay. You have to learn to respect the beauty and delicateness of the butterflies and to give it that much worth, only then do you get a god click.

Persistence: You cannot expect to get a good capture in one shot. You will always need to take many shots to achieve perfection. And if your subject moves to a different location, you cannot just forget about it, you have to keep going for it if you want a good shot. Till you have hope, everything is there, once hope is lost, everything else is…

Believe in yourself: There will always be people laughing at you when you go around chasing your dream. You cannot let it dishearten you. You will never achieve anything if you stop following your dreams when someone sneers or pokes fun at you. Always remember, even if you feel like the whole world is laughing at you, there will be at least one person who is smiling, not because he thinks you are crazy, but because he thinks you are doing a great job. The people who laugh will shut up by themselves, when they see you emerging with Flying Colours.

You always get a second chance: Whenever an opportunity comes knocking on our doors, and we try to grab hold of it, but we miss it, just coz of sheer bad luck… we lose hope. It’s the same here… you can’t always capture a butterfly, sometimes, they never settle around you; they just fly away. If you are lucky, it may come back to give you a second chance, but you cannot give up if it does not. You have to try again. There will be another opportunity; a different one. It may not be so soon, it may not be as beautiful, it may not be as big… but it will come… ALWAYS! And if you are lucky, you just may get a Beautiful, Big one with vibrant colours; pretty soon too…

For the ending… Just some of his clicks. Enjoy…

After his appearance on the newspaper, people have started acknowledging his talent and respecting him for it. Just a way to say that: “He held on… He came through!” (With flying colours… Literally!!!)

Posted in General Tagged: Experience, Feeling, Fun, Life, People, Thought

Be The Miracle…

iThink — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:55:57 +0000

Parting a soup… That’s not a miracle Bruce… It’s just a magic trick…

A single mom who’s working two jobs, but still finds time to take her kids to soccer practice… That’s a miracle…

A teenager who says no to drugs, and yes to an education… That’s a miracle…

People want me to do everything for them, but what they don’t realize is, they have the power.

You want to see a miracle son… Be the miracle…

God to Bruce in “Bruce Almighty”.

Posted in General Tagged: Life, Movie, People, Thought

What were they thinking…

iThink — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:44:03 +0000

These are the actual Passport issue forms that one of my friends got during may. I honestly don’t know what the people were thinking when they printed this.

Posted in General Tagged: Fun, People