Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening

This poem was written by Robert Frost and for some really random reason it is one of my favourite poems! I just feel really uplifted and cold and snowy whenever I listen to this poem or read it! I am posting it here because when I woke up this evening, I felt chilly and the first thing that came to my mind when I parted my curtains was the picture of woods drowned in snow! 

A photo by Tom Fluharty

So here goes:

"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

"And miles to go before I sleep!" 

Hope you guys liked it!

Wise - Cracks

Today I would like to post something here that would be, in my opinion, one of the most heart rendering stories ever heard!

A Nepali man whom we know now as Brother Bhim attended our church today. He happens to have contacts with the pastor of our church and since the pastor invited him there, he came happily, what with the fact that he is a “Christian”!

I have a habit of reaching the church about 45 minutes later, because until then we have the usual stuff going on around there like starting prayer, ikraar and all that, which I think is purely a “ritual” that the Methodist Church has followed since generations and now, even if you happen to wake up the Bishop at 2 am in the morning and ask him to take a Church, he will be unmistakable at that!

So when I reached the church, Nikita was taking the worship and the atmosphere there was so beautiful (which normally happens due to the purity of the Worship Leader) that the moment I stepped in, I was swaying! After the worship session, the priest, Pastor Benjamin, handed over the mic to Brother Bhim, for him to share his introduction, how he got to know Christ and the things other than this on these very lines. The moment Pastor Benjamin said, “Brother Bhim, please come”, I pulled myself downwards in my chair, all geared up for a nap!

Brother Bhim started with the following:

 “Praise be to God! It is my pleasure to be coming to a Hindi church! It’s not like this is my first encounter with a church, but yeah, this is one of the most pleasing encounters I have ever had with a congregation! You people here, have a heart for God, which made me feel so much at peace!

My name is Bhim, I am from Nepal, I have a wife and a little kid who is 10 months old. In my family, we were 3 children, me, my elder brother and my younger sister. It’s not like I have known about Jesus Christ for the first time. I have known about Jesus Christ, what with the event that I was born in a Christian household.

I don’t know whether you people here know about the conflicts and wars that take place in Nepal or not! I’d like to tell you a bit in brief! In Nepal we have a communist group called the Maoists. These people are feared all over Nepal and even in some parts of India. These people have an enmity with the Nepali Government. They oppose whatever policies the Government makes and when they oppose, they don’t go forth without the murder of at least a 10!

In 1992, my elder brother joined the Maoists, on his own terms, and went in for their training. They trained him to a really great extent, and he became the leader of a battalion. He used to get us food, help my parents and all, so even we didn’t complain about his presence in the Maoists. After a few years passed by, the other leaders of the Maoists started developing a jealousy towards his progress, and they got together and murdered him! When we got to know, we were trapped, as complaining in the Police would have just made the matters worse! And soon after that, the Maoists raped and murdered my Aunt who was a teacher in a school, as she refused to give 5% of her meager salary to them!

I decided then that I would get with the Maoists, and destroy them internally thus avenging my elder brother’s death! I did so in 1999. I trained day and night, I trained so hard and I made it into the Maoists – and not just that, I even got into the Gorilla troopers, who are known for their high efficiency! I used to do everything that the General of the Maoists said; we used to train for weeks at a stretch in the jungles of Nepal, without eating anything, surviving with just a sip of water! We were trained to stay in mud for days at end! We also got scientific teachings there for the purposes of  surviving and shooting and all that! A part of that training was to completely believe in the fact that only the things that we can hear, see and feel are of real existence. Nothing beyond that really exists! All this I did was only for my brother’s revenge! I wanted it so bad!

Eventually I was made the head of my battalion, the Maoists Gorillas! At that time, there took place a war in Nepal between the Government and the Maoists and I participated in that war! And as per their characteristics, the Maoists went on murdering anybody who stood in their way to victory! At the end, the Maoists got their way!

In the course of time, the people there became jealous of my progress too. They plotted against me and let out a rumour that I was the person who was solely responsible for the murder of 24 people in the recent war that took place! When this news reached the Government, they put me #1 on the Most Wanted list and declared that anyone who reported my whereabouts would get a lump some of 30,000 bucks! By then, I had fled the Maoists, my revenge left incomplete!

I was on a run by then! And consequently, one fateful day, an Army officer traced me and captured me! At that moment, I felt practically nothing! I was a numbed person, all those years I had trained my self to do so! I had no idea what the Army people were going to do to me, with me!

The officer, a good and virtuous man, took me into the jungle, as per normal procedure for beheading a criminal. That day, the rituals for cutting off my head and presenting it to the Government on a platter were all set up! The officer called up his Colonel General to inform him about the situation and to take his approval for performing the beheading! And I swear to God, until then I was standing numb!

The Colonel General said, “I don’t think the time is appropriate as the Ministers are not in the country. Put him in some secured place!” And then the officer locked me up in an underground tank! Now you people know how tanks are – damp, filled with water and insects and all sorts of filth! I was released 7 months from the tank after I was captured! For 7 months, I stayed there, not seeing the light of the day, not smelling the fresh air – I lived my life in the same darkness; but now, in the Light, I see!

Moving on, when I was released, they told me that as per their investigations, they found out that the story about me murdering 24 innocent people was fluke! And then they let me walk, an alright looking man! After going home I met up with my family and applied for a passport and moved to Malaysia.

Malaysia is a beautiful place to be. I began to work at a computer hardware manufacturing company there. I earned enough for my family. When I was there, I became friends with other two Nepali brothers who were Christians as well. They used to talk to me about Christ and  usually asked me to attend the church with them. I was consistent at saying ‘No’! One evening, after work they asked me to accompany them to the function they were having in their church! I couldn’t say no, as they said, ‘You are a Nepali! You should definitely come see this! You wouldn’t miss it!’ So, I went. Even after going there, I did not somehow felt like stepping in, so I stayed out promising them that I’d wait till they came back! A few Chinese women from a Chinese church nearby came to lend a hand in the same program. On seeing me sitting outside in the cold, they insisted I come inside! That day an Indian preacher, originally from Darjeeling had come for the sermon. He spoke on Revelations 3:20-23 – “Open the doors of your heart and let Him in!”

And then this random guy, whom I didn’t even know, met out of the blue said, “The fellows who wish for a special prayer for them may please come forward”, and I got up and went ahead!

I closed my eyes as this guy said, “Feel His power running through you!”, and I actually felt something inside of me going wild! I felt as if I got a heart burn that was as brightly visible as the lighting in the stormy sky! I felt warm! I felt shivers throughout my body running into the deep earth! I felt Jesus Christ! I shouted, ‘Save me Father! Save me Father!’ And the people standing there claimed that I shouted continuously for 10 minutes!

At that point in my life, I knew Jesus Christ! I didn’t no more know about Him, I knew Him! He touched me, made me feel, disappeared the numbness, took away my burdens and held me in His arms saying, ‘You are my child!’

After a few years I came back to Nepal. I attended the Bible college due to my eagerness to know Him. I learned that the biggest goal in a true ‘Christian’s’ life should be to establish His kingdom in the hearts of the people and not anything else! I was saved and I saw Light – and now I see!”

After I heard this, all my sleepiness went away! 

I was wide awake!

Right To The Point

The following post is from the CBS presenter Ben Stein. He penned it down and read it out aloud as a response to The White House calling Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees!

"My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?"

I think this applies to all the other countries as much as it applies to the USA! 

Take care!

A College Girl Now

It is raining cats and dogs in Pune. God, how I love these rains, but right now it is actually supposed to be the time for winter!

Moving on, this post is actually about my first month at PVPIT. People have been continually asking me how's engineering life going - some are asking out of jealously and some are asking because they want to help me out! Well, this is a humble note going out from my fingertips to all those people who are sitting at home wondering about my progress - Life As An Engineering Student is AWESOME!

It has been a long time since I last posted about my college life. And in this post I will try my best to inform my whereabouts and wipe off the previously held misconceptions about attending lectures!

Workshop Area at PVPIT Pune

PVPIT is a really nice college to graduate as an engineer from! It has some really strict rules and regulations, but they all are rightly leading you to become a punctual and disciplined engineer! The teachers, right since the first day, have been chanting about us attending classes and about the fear called "85% ATTENDANCE"! After 12th standard no student really has a habit of sitting in the class for 6 hours at a stretch, listening to lectures, and this is something I agree as well! Even I became one of these students by the time I reached 12th! And the icing on the cake is the fact that before starting engineering we get a 5 months' break time, which puts us in an even more "lazy" sort of habit, I must say! But at PVPIT, though it was initially tough, attending lectures is not a tedious job! Attend classes and you just need to revise or look through the pages to brush up your memory whenever required! Also the teachers clarify in the class all the questions and major mark-obtaining places from the university papers! So, it is quite a lot important attending the lectures! 

Also I met loads of fun people there, whom I'd never thought I'd ever meet! They hail from places like Osmanabad and Nashik and Sangli and Jammu! And it is an amazing experience meeting people from different places, having to be able to share the experience called "Engineering" with them! Also, due to group studies that we hold in the class, we all have scored brilliant marks in the first mid-semesters - I got a few high scores! :)

It's only been a month and a half since I started engineering and I am loving every minute of it! People might say that engineering is tough and tedious - now, I am not saying that this is untrue - but if you are interested enough in the stream you have chosen, you're gonna totally love it!

The Bigger & More Intimidating Picture

 

On the 14th of August, 1947, at the strike of midnight, there came into existence a new nation, which aimed at being progressive and then progressed one fine day, aimed at satisfying it's people one day and then eventually became self-satisfied, aimed at being strong enough to fight against all odds and then became a super-power one fateful day! Ladies and gents, I present to you, my pride, India.

India has risen, literally, from the ashes! We were nothing but farmers in the older days, running the economy on "barter system". Today we run solely and heartily on the "BADA RUPAYYA"! The World Bank says that India is the second most stable economy after China. Multinational companies look upon India to keep their businesses in action! In this context, I think it is safe to say that we are undoubtedly on the path of progress, of development and I'd go further as to say that I earnestly believe that that day is not very far away when India becomes an economic prowess!

And since we are on the subject of being a prowess, I'd also like to reinstate the fact that India is not much further away from the hour of turning into a security and intelligence prowess as well, a stronghold! And I would like to believe that, albeit the present circumstances. Because a belief makes a man change his productive thoughts into right actions! As Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam says, "You have to dream before your dreams can come true", so we have to dream about a GREAT INDIA and then eventually, consequently, soon that dream will change into a solid reality! And as a backup for my belief, I'd not only like to keep my thoughts positive for the government's proceedings and actions, but I'd also like to lend my help and my time in assisting the officials to get the things in India right! Because the freedom of a nation means being free from corruption, terrorism, poverty and slavery! This is the oath the people took on the fateful night of 14th August, 1947, which dawned a new country on the 15th of August, 1947! It's been 64 years since then and we have forgotten the logical basis of freedom. Being an Indian doesn't mean that we can just enjoy what a thousands of other Indians died for 64 years ago. Being an Indian means that we have to stand for  our country in it's dire times of need and do anything then that it demands. Being an Indian doesn't mean that you can spit, pee on, litter the same footpaths that are used by other fellow and poor Indians as their sleeping addas. Being an Indian doesn't mean that you can just stand up at a random time of the day and blame the government for getting itself into a debt! Being an Indian means to work by actions and speech for the betterment, peace and equality in India. Being an Indian means fighting against terrorism, internal or external, at an individual's levels first. Being an Indian means positively dreaming and changing that dream into actions for the DEVELOPED INDIA!

I don't know abut you, but 20 years from today I wholeheartedly wish of breathing the air of, thanking the Almighty for a developed, strong, anti-corruption, anti-terrorism, a believer in equality and an active INDIA!

May God bless the nation of India abundantly!

Jai Hind!

Excerpts from this Week - Street Photography

This is an all photos post, my second one! Hoe you like it as much as I enjoyed clicking these photos back at home sweet home, Pune! And please overlook the kinks in the photos because I just learnt the art of "street" photography! :-)

This is a picture of flowers I clicked at home (more like a leisure time thing!)

These are Rakhis at a roadside shop in Pune

Rakshabandhan Time

Rakhis for Rakshabandhan

This is from a shoe shop in Pune during the sales put up for Rakshabandhan, more like a festival time thing

Just a random sneakers click

There is all the public and mom taking their picks for the season

Hope you liked it!

Adios!

P.S : All rights for the photos are reserved.

A Feeling So Soft! A Meaning So Strong!

Yesterday my neighbour, an elderly woman whom I have nicknamed "Ruby Dadi" called out for me through mom, to help her with switching on her digital camera. I was busy that time, and told her that I will come as soon as I become free. After about 15 minutes I went into her house. She was sitting right there, in front of the door and when she saw me she smiled and greeted me!

I have been with Ruby Dadi ever since I remember! I have practically grown up in her house, until I got busy with my studies. When I was a small girl, Dadi used to make namkeen rotis for me every holiday morning and I used eat that only out of her hand! And not to mention my absolutely genuine affection to her late dog named "Ruby" and Dadi got her nickname due to her dog only!

The Disney Camera (Not my courtesy)

Now, she knows that I'm going off to college to study Mechanical Engineering and she figured that I was having a lot of free time on my hands to kill! So I went there and Dadi directed me to her digital camera saying she was helplessly unable to switch on that gadget! She said, "Beta, you are a Mechanical Engineer, isn't it? Will you please help me switch on this camera?" At first it didn't strike me that she expected me to do so because she relied on me due to my education and love for gadgets! But then Dadi sat right next to me, and she looked at me expectantly every time I said, "Oh!"

Now, the camera's a 2006 model of Disney Digital Camera's range of DB. At first I thought it was a normal camera, but after reading the manual I did realize that! Dadi then gave me the camera to take home, examine it, see the softwares and all and then see if it's working! But ultimately, all my struggles were in vain because the camera had internal problems and I couldn't risk Dadi's trust by making any mistakes there! So I returned the camera just as it was.

When I came home, mom  said, "See Beta, people trust you because of who you are and who you're gonna be! A very few people are lucky enough to experience this - someone who believes in them and their dreams and aspirations! You've got a whole bunch of people!"

"Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark" said Tagore. I realized this on that day, about a month before starting college, when I had my own bunch of dilemmas! A light yet highly effective and beautiful moment like this definitely brightened up the horizon for me! I know now that 4 years from today, I am going to be an amazing Mechanical Engineer not just for me, but also for all the people who believe in me and my dreams! I owe it to all of us! :-)

The Sukanta - An "Eat To Live" Restaurant

This is a Rajasthani artpiece at the Sukanta reception

I went to the Sukanta on J M Road yesterday. And honestly, I never knew about it till today! It is an awesome dining experience, right next to the Mula river, tucked cozily beneath all the old establishments and flooding with Punekars waiting in a queue to check out the much reputed food!

A shift at that restaurant starts with  pooja wherein all the staff, right from the waiter to the owner participate, to make sure that their business keeps running by the blessings of the Lord. (And I think that even if they don't do that, their business is going to do just fine with the type of food they serve!) And when I said "shift" I meant it! The restaurant is "OPEN" from morning 9:30 a.m to afternoon 3:30 a.m and then it again opens for the guests in the evening from 7:00 p.m to 10:30 p.m. And trust me, these guys follow this schedule religiously!

This is wall piece at The Sukanta

The entire interior of the restaurant is really warm and welcoming. However old the exteriors of that entire building maybe, the inside of the restaurant takes your breath away! Then you are left with nothing to say besides a frequent "WOW"! :-) Then you have the much reputed (I know I am using the word 'reputed' more than often but it is worth it) waiters scaling every inch of the floor, every couple of minutes. These guys are really efficient, don't spill food in your plate, come up to you every time you ask for them or not, don't make you wait and they really make you feel like a 'Maharaj' or a 'Maharani'! What with the superb interiors of the restaurant! Beautiful!

Look at the size of the dishes here and the ambiance of the restaurant

The food at Sukanta is awesome! On my plate I had aloo ki sabji, bhel puri, rabdi, roti, puran poli, kadi, veg papdi, bajri ki roti with ghee and gud, mattar ki sabji, sabja, water, paneer ki sabji, dhokla, methi ka paratha and a couple of more stuff which I can't remember because I didn't know their names there! And guess what? We can eat unlimited food till we are filled with no extra charges! And trust me, while eating this, you don't want to accept any challenges wherein you got to finish all the food with 3 to 5 servings - I did that and I came home crying! Accept the fact that the potato of aloo ki sabji was not boiled correctly, everything else was amazing - I took 2 more servings of Sukanta's rabdi and it was superb! After you've finished your food, they give you pan outside, which not really good, but fine!

But when one opens a great restaurant one should take care of the fact that guests just HATE waiting! That is because if you go during the "CLOSED" hours of the restaurant, mostly when you are a first - timer, you then have to wait for quiet some time till you get to your table. That's fine when you are out for fun time and not hungry. But then what about those foodies who are hungry? When you want fine dining, you just want it! There is no turning back! Also one should make sure that the vicinity of the restaurant should be at least an okay one, if not great one. Another thing is this that one needs to be updated about the quantity of ingredients they are using for the dishes - for Sukanta it was oil. Oil ruled the main sabjis! Other than these, guys, I couldn't encounter any other drawbacks with the restaurant.

The Judging Committee - (from left) Mahima, Nikita, Vijayata and Deepti

I'd say that if you want a nice, filling meal and want to have it at a reasonable price, with amazing dining experiences, you got to visit Sukanta at J M Road! I rated it 6 / 10. Nikita and Vijayata agreed. Mahima rated it 5.5 / 10 and Deepti put it at 8 / 10. So the overall review is that Sukanta is a good restaurant with good food at the rate of Rs. 170 per dish and unlimited servings with the additional 'happy food' that is pan!

Be An Influential Personality - Be An Indian

The following post is by Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam on his three visions for India, his Vision 2020 and various other subjects that he disputed on. This one's a really famous speech by him and I am posting it because it is the most inspirational speech of all times! If you don't think that you need any inspiration to become a good citizen of India or want to know how you want to go about doing the right things, then I request you to not read the following! Because only a progressive individual will understand the true essence of the speech, and not a stagnant and dumb-head person.

So, here goes, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam's Speech :

"I have three visions for India. In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us. 

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured. Isn't this incorrect?

I have a THIRD vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space, Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr. Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life. 

I see four milestones in my career : 

ONE: Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3. The one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life of Scientist.

TWO: After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the part of India's missile program. It was my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994. 

THREE: The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing nation but one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. The fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material. A Very light material called carbon-carbon.

FOUR: One day an orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my patients. In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300 gram calipers and took them to the orthopedic centre. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a three kg. load on their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss!

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why? We are the first in milk production. We are number one in Remote sensing satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat. We are the second largest producer of rice. Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is: She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Allow me to come back with vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country?

YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say.

What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs. 650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 kph) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country why cannot you be the same here in India. Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay Mr.Tinaikar had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand. Or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"!

Lets do what India needs from us."

I hope you are inspired and on fire right now. I got goosebumps when I first read this speech, and get goosebumps every time that I read it. It helps me to understand my responsibilities and priorities as an Indian. I need comments on this one! 

May God bless the nation of India!

Jai Hind!

The First Sight of a New Life

The title to this post is kind of a confusion-creator, really! But again, when you are anxious about so many things and in the middle of making a greeting card for a really special person, your thoughts happen to take a bump every time you give a second thought to a greeting card idea! Happens more than often when it's a really special person! :-)

Well, let's get to the title. Today I went to see my new college, a new place I am going to call "HOME" away from home for the next 4 years. And I am making apologies before hand for not getting any photos with me from there. But next time I promise I will get them to you guys! :-) 

It so happens that I am allotted the SSMS's PVPIT College of Engineering in Bavdhan, Pune. It's a really nice campus, situated on a hill, lush green, amazing and virgin breezes always blowing there and the staff, the building and the crowd is almost 'okay'.  (To be honest I couldn't make much out of the crowd! I need the college to begin in order to determine what kinda crowd there is!) The only drawback is the really high fees - Rs.1,08,625/- per year only (!!!).

At first I actually got a mini heart attack when I read this college's name against my I-D number. Mom was so happy, she was literally sprinting from the kitchen to my room! Dad was happy too, if "happy" were defined as "being calm and yawning, with an occasional nod" (what when it was 6 am in the morning!). All morning I couldn't think of anything besides this particular college, how it was and what were the placements like. I made up all sorts of stories and theories in my head (was actually practicing being a good mechanical engineer!), but all this just so that all my pre-conceptions would be shattered to bits and pieces, about 2 hours from then! :-(

And when I reached PVPIT, I actually liked that place, besides the fact that my favourite Uncle teaches there first year mathematics! So, this was the first sight or more appropriately a sneak preview of a new life, roughly lasting for the coming four years. But I have made up my mind to totally enjoy this time in college, make loads of new friends, make even better projects and actually live these 4 years! :-)

So, PVPIT, here I come!!!

A Strategy Wise Enough to Last Long

I am 18 years old and am going on to pursuing Mechanical Engineering at a reputed college in Pune from the Pune University. I have a lot of aims that I got to achieve down the line, mainly professionally. And no great projects establish within a couple of years (with the exception of Facebook and then me, and then a few others)! But yes, when we have a long term goal and few short term aims leading towards the "big day", we need a basic strategy, roughly spanning a few years, even if our businesses establish much before that.

They say dreams come true. Similarly, thinking about your final goals will definitely make you accomplish it. Free time is the time when one should really concentrate on their goals, only if you are damn serious about achieving them! And when I said thinking, I also meant dreaming about your goals consciously and positively. Next, DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE except yourself. That is barely all that that matters. Be head on! And the most important thing is to stay updated no matter what comes! You want to "establish" a business. The latest trends your industry should be understood. There is nothing besides this that you can do! And amongst others there is one golden rule for any entrepreneur : Make friends anywhere and everywhere!

These are all basic stuff here. I am practicing these, and so putting it up on the blog! Hope it helps! :)

Photography From The Heart Into The Image

This is the photo that I snapped when I was still an amateur

When I was looking at the images that I shot when I first bought my camera, I was left in a shocked yet appreciative state. The images were extremely beautiful, and had all the details right. But they missed an even more important factor – the ‘"heart" factor! Besides the fact that I was an amateur photographer then (which, needless to say, I am even now) I didn’t know the exact art of photography. Photography, the way you see it, has to be shown into the world by you. When you are clicking a photo, you have to be satisfied with what you are watching through that lens. And whatever you see through that lens is the exact same thing that the world will see. For example, take Fritz Hoffmann, the great photographer who shot for the National Geographic Magazine’s China Edition. He was asked to go and do an assignment in China, telling a story about China with nothing but his images! He discovered the soulful fact that China’s entire story is associated to Kung Fu. He worked on it, putting every inch of his hard work

This is from Fritz Hoffmann's China's Edition

into the photos that he clicked right from the tips of the Himalayas to the temple of Master Shen Jeng (who decided to see Hoffmann after a long wait)! When I saw his photos of China, the sheer sight of those made me hold my breath! Those pictures were so lively, as if I was actually living there, through those photos! Every aspect of those photos – right from the struggle that the kids learning Kung Fu put in it to the calmness and serenity that surrounded the great Master Shen Jeng – all of it was completely mind-boggling! And I guess that’s the exact same time when the little girl in my head woke up from her sleep! And she knocked so hard on my skull that I had to open the protective coverings and let her through into my world! And that little girl taught me how to click

This is a photo of my cousins and my dad

photos – not by measurements and by making angles, but by the depths of my heart, by feeling good about the scene through that cheap lens first, then making it a beautiful picture in my mind and then showing it to others and the world – literally through my eyes! I am an amateur photographer even now, but I think now I am learning and I am on the right path to attaining perfection in my photography!

One Day At A Time

Each day passes by,

So quickly, you don’t even realize;

And then, here we are in a new one,

Regretting, guessing and aiming for another tomorrow!

Wish I had been a little bit more careful;

Wish I could do something like that;

And hence, we keep wishing all the time,

Forgetting every time, to enjoy the moment of bliss!

Nah! One day at a time is something that’s in the books,

Nope, I ain’t talking about that;

I am running out of words to put this logically,

But why not a little more of “now” than “one day”?

Every morning we wake up,

Shrug the hangover off of us;

Get into the bathroom,

Get cleaned for another new day!

We struggle hard and sometimes laze,

Keeping in mind the better tomorrow;

But when tomorrow comes,

We commit, struggle and live for another better tomorrow!

Ever imagined how many “better” tomorrows we might have made to come to life?

Ever imagined how many “best todays” we have leaped on?

One can never go from the digit 1 to 100,

So how can we let go of today and determine what we will be 10 days later?

One step at a time makes a man walk,

A man will die if he hops from one end to another all the time!

How could we forget this?