LIFE IS A HIGHWAY..

We all have dreams and aspirations when we are growing up..

Some of us have bigger dreams while some probably get happy easily. Those who have bigger aspirations find themselves on the crossroads of the paths they have to take by the time they are, say, 20- 25 years old.


20's is the time when you finish college and find yourself going for that coveted Post graduation from a University in Europe or States or from some reputed institutes back home. For some, higher education is the natural path for opening up of newer avenues.


For some others, Finishing college and being in the 20's means bagging a comfortable job, living the 'new money' life in the metros or big cities for a few years before getting serious about future growth and career goals.
These above two classes are of those who are actually on Track..


There is another class of people who find themselves thrown off track while the time whizzes by.
Now...If you belong to the "Big Dreams, On Track" class...you probably have a lot of good Karma behind you..
If you belong to the "Small Dreams, Easily Happy, On Track" class...you too probably have good Karma behind you..
The problem arises when you are in the "Big Dreams, Off Track" class..

When you find yourself approaching the wrong side of 25, and nothing with life seems to be going according to the plan..
When you find yourself alone and without the means and space to pursue what you want. You find that you cannot follow the plans because there are more urgent things to look after...
When you feel yourself bound to an intangible sense of responsibility...When you feel like you are losing touch of things you liked and leaving behind things you long for..and When It is hard to put it all in words to someone.

Its hard to explain the associated anxiety and restlessness that doesn't let you sleep in the nights, that makes you feel like one of those childhood nights when the quilt felt too heavy and suffocating, When you felt that you will never get out of it...When you want to scream but all you can afford is a muffled cry or even meek laughter..
The problem gets compounded when things you believed turn out to be false...Things you hoped for and waited for never begin to happen...


"It is in this dark hour...when all hope has faded...That Isildur, the King's heir, has to take up his father's sword..."
Oh..I am sorry..I got distracted...that was a take on the Lord of the Rings...:P


Well, When all of this is happening, you probably need to just sit back and watch for a while..Think and believe that this will pass..Go back to being yourself because the people who have known you and possibly love you for what you are, don't deserve the indifference that comes with all such thoughts.

Its not easy to do...But you have to do it not for others' sake but for your own. Self-preservation is probably the biggest factor of motivation, although negative. But desperate times need desperate measures...


Its time to realize that its been a struggle and it always is a struggle. That is how life is...Nothing comes easy...No doubt that the circumstantial head-starts help, but If everybody had Head Starts, then "Where is the story in it?"

Its time to let the negativity go...
Smile and Laugh again...
Thank life for the experiences it has shown you...Realize the ways in which you have changed...
Thank Life for the friends and foes you have made..The ones that make life and its times worthwhile...

It is time to turn the volume back ON, Pick up the strings you've stopped feeling and learn a few new notes..

Go on Joe...Get back on Track..:)





PS1: This is the first time I am being so out-spoken about all the "Lets get positive" thing.. Lets hope that the enthusiasm doesn't sound misplaced in retrospect..:P
Please drop in a few comments if you ever had thoughts like these or would just like to say something...I love comments on my posts..:)

PS2: This post was saved in the 'drafts' for over half-a-year now..So many others still bite the dust..

Long time Gone..

It has been such a long break for my blog. The past few months went by in a fashion that I am not very glad about. No creativity, maximum idling, lack of focus, direction and a complete lack of the jest that usually has me jumping and blabbering at almost everything.

Now I am not very sure if I am back to normal (or abnormal, depends on how you see it) yet but this feeling of writing a post here seems to be a start in the right direction. As they say, when things are really down they can only go up..right??

A lot went by in these past few months.. A quick recap.. I went back home for a leave and spent the most part of it on getting a few formalities completed for a home loan. I am an expert in applying for home loans now. .:P

I decided to start driving a four-wheeler as I desperately want to try my hand on the land-cruisers out here..Met an old school friend who, we both just found out, is also from Dehradun..Ohh…I bought myself a harmonica which I wanted to be a diatonic one but the old uncle at the music shop gave me a tremolo one.  Now I can finally work on playing like Bob Dylan..:) And the cherry is for the last..I finally bid adieu to my Acoustic guitar and bought an Electric one..!! Ibanez Gio for beginners..Anybody in and around Noida who wants to buy one, please contact me..I’ll tell you about a great store..

My vacation went by without much happening so when I came to Noida to complete the formalities for coming out here, I decided that maybe I should treat myself by buying something for myself. I was thinking of moving up a notch and get a semi-acoustic Fender or Gibson. So I went to this store in sec-18, just behind the McDonald’s there. It has a pretty impressive collection of acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric guitars plus of course the accessories. The best thing about them is their service and the guys who sit there for telling you about the instruments. Both of them are from the North-East, which half-implies that they pretty well know their strings. I don’t remember their names but they are well-versed with everything about the guitar.

I was being a little uneasy about it because I wasn’t very sure how much it would cost me. Turned out that a entry level Fender semi-acoustic was for 12K which I didn’t like much. Like it always happens, the things that you like seem to have the highest price tag, the one that I liked was 22K. So while I was mulling over whether or not to buy one, the store guy said, “Why don’t you buy an electric guitar?”

“What, can I get a good one for this much?”

“Of course, you’ll get an entry-level Ibanez or Gibson”

Mannn…I was quite excited on hearing this. He then showed me around the Electric guitars section and while I was going all gaga over the Fender Stratocaster and the Les Pauls (way beyond the budget), he pulled me back to safe grounds by showing me a Gibson and an Ibanez, both entry-level. He even rigged them up with the amplifiers and the processors and asked me to just play a bit to get the feel of it.

Now, you must realize that I am not a very accomplished player, most of my learning has been online which means I am mostly tone-deaf and play whatever I have practiced for a while..So this getting to try it was a big deal for me. I just tried a few riffs I know..”Summer of 69”, “one last breath”..just the usual…

He asked me about the kind of music I like to play. I said country and he said go for Gibson. That was when Miss Shrinkhala came in who had her birthday that day and was coming all the way from Meerut to greet US on HER birthday. Now, I know it should have been the other way around, but c’mon..you know we get busy at times..:P

So she walked in and while I was already inclining towards the Ibanez, she pretty much sealed the judgement. And so it was the Ibanez Gio.

Next came the billing part. It was 14K only..:) Now comes the good part. The store-manager was a young guy named Bhupinder, soft-spoken and someone who knows his trade. He asked me to pick a strap and a good quality cable. I wanted to buy a stand which wasn’t too costly so I took one but decided to give the extra cable and strap a pass.

Say Hellooo..:)

I then went over the billing counter and started filling the customer’s form. As I was filling in my name and place of residence, Bhupinder asked me, “Joshi Ji, Dehradun ke ho aap?”

I said “ Nahi, we live there, Main Almora se hun”

Lo and behold, He says. “Ohho, tab toh haath milao yaar, mera ghar bhi dehradun mein hai aur main bhi Almora se hun”.

Now it just so happens that the ‘Joshi’ surname is a pretty respected one around our place because ages ago, we used to be the Clan priests (read Shaman :P) or something. Even now, in villages, we have our ancestral gods and the temple where the priests are from our, now extended and scattered, family. But I guess, sometime back in the past, they all must have been together.

So Bhupinder tells our NE guy, “Bhaiya ko straps aur cable dikhao”

I went over and hesitatingly took the most cheap looking strap.( wrongly thinking that cheaper meant soberer..is soberer even a word??:P) the NE guy gave me a Fender cable and as I went back to the billing table, Bhupinder started adding the prices from the drop down list.

Strap : 1200, Cable: 900..

I was like, “Kya yaar, pyaar pyaar mein saaman de diya inhone mujhe”.

And then he pressed a button and there the figures went..Poof…zero zero..

I said..” ?? “ (more like an expression)

And Bhupinder bro said, “ Yeah, a gift for being a first time customer”. 

Call it regionalism or whatever but I think it was my good nature..:P

When I came back here and tried to play it, something entirely different happened, about which maybe I’ll tell you in the form of a tutorial someday when I get good at it.

I was here to tell you a story about a dream but ended up writing this. Of course, this is just meaningless talk about something entirely about me but just maybe if you stick around I have a very funny story to tell you the next time around. Maybe tomorrow..maybe a day after that..Till then, Adieu…

Have been thinking for ages that I need a good camera.

Ohh yes, I thought of an interesting thing to do over the internet. I am going to find a Spanish girl somehow and ask her to tell me the Spanish lyrics of the  song “Senorita” from ZNMD..good idea right..you may try it too if you are a guy, or find yourself a Spanish guy if you are a girl..All the best..I may end up not ACTUALLY trying this, but if you do, do let me know..

PS: If you are reading this blog for the first time, Please ignore my views on Anna and India and corruption and all that in older posts...Lets just keep this civil..I HAVE realized the futility of such uncontrolled expressions..

THE RIGHT AND WRONG OF SUPPORTING ANNA

THE REFRAIN OF THE ELITE

I consider myself a patient guy but I am starting to get sick and tired of the tirade aginst Anna Hazare not just from the government but also from some common people on Facebook or news channels. The most common refrain you are going to hear consists of high sounding phrases like:

"Anna is trying to threaten and jeopardize the Democratic foundations of our country by subverting the constitutional authority and supremacy of the Parliament and its elected representatives"...

To this I say, WHAT THE HECK...Will you just shut up...I mean...can these people even hear what they sound like..?

I believe that most of the people who are towing this line are the kind who derive pleasure from sounding elitist or the ones whose beliefs have been deeply affected by the first few lines of 'If' by Rudyard Kipling..Awesome poem though..The first few lines go:

If you can keep your head when all about you 

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 

But make allowance for their doubting too; 

The poem then goes on to list a lot of If, If, and If and finally says that "Then You'll be a Man My son". I would highly recommend this if you haven't read it.

But yeah, some of these opposers of Anna Hazare are almost as smug in their knowledge of the 'constitutional discourse' and the 'purview of law' and they are drawn to think that :

a.) All about them people are losing their head but they gotta keep calm.

b.) They have to trust themselves but make allowance for our doubting...ahh...we the lesser mortals...

I bet that at times, they recall the poem under their breaths repeatedly when Anna supporters go from saying "You are anti-Indian" to "Screw you moron". Someone please tell them that guys, give us all a break. 

Stop behaving like you are a Public administrator or a responsible spokesman and thinking that your words are too precious to be the same as what everyone is saying. Stop deriving pleasure in the knowledge of being different and "Having my own viewpoint which the constitutional democracy of the Republic of India, founded in the year AD 1950, of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, entitles me too."

In short, Guys, Cut the crap....!!!

THE REAL PROBLEM: THE MONSTER THAT GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN

I don't think it has been sufficiently explained to some people that now this problem is not just about the Lokpal bill. The point that is to be put across are:

1. People will not tolerate a government which is openly trying to condone corruption and behave in a dictatorial way in face of public opinion.

2. They will not accept the tarnishing of image of any person or organizatiosn which seems to be protesting against it.

3.They will not tolerate the way it is trying to influence public opinion and suppress voices by the use of state machinery.

We are sick of always feeling helpless and drained at the thought of corruption and what it will take to change this situation.I have seen conditions first hand when many a times local politicians and their goons try to influence the work that our organisation is performing at Project sites. If you have to work in 'their area' then you have to award them the work contract, they will then promptly collect the bills but will not deploy required manpower or machinery for the job. Either our management has to somehow accommodate these 'contingency expenses' or bear the brunt for delaying the project due to their 'un-accommodating attitude'.

This same situation can be exactly replicated in every single corruption scenario by merely replacing the characters and situations. 

Nothing happens against the corrupt and people just pile money for God-Knows-What..

Now, Corruption not only leads to loss of money or a few inconveniences when you pay your bills or challans. Sample this:

Corruption at the root level and rural areas has ensured that despite the sanctioning of crores and crores of Rupees, we still have parts in this country which are completely inaccessible.Funds are sanctioned for opening up of primary schools, digging of tube wells, harvesting of rain water, repair of roads, setting up of healthcare centers and myriad such schemes...

A village somewhere deep in India's tribal belt

BUT, Our hierarchically corrupt system meant for disbursement ensures that there is siphoning off of the funds at every level with the shares neatly divided on the basis of designations. The money never reaches there where it is intended to.. 

The result is that a huge percentage of our population remains illiterate, malnourished, without healthcare, without civilization and without the hope of ever having a better life.

The result is that the lands of our farmers remain parched, the meagre production they manage rots in godowns, prices come down and so do their hopes of seeing another spring. The farmer kills his little kids, his wife and hangs himself. Or quite simply, just hangs himself and leaves behind a wife who would probably sell her 12 year old daughter to the highest bidder...for a 100 Rupee note perhaps.

Naxalite training camp in Chattisgarh

The result is that this forgotten and lost race of people loses all faith in the government and the system and rises in arms against it and we get another suave point of discussion to count as a threat to our country, We call it 'internal strife' and feel good that Mr. P Chidambaram also thinks so.

The result is that the hopeless youth from these forgotten lands deserts its rural areas and head for the urban areas where, unable to cope with their surroundings, these people take to petty crimes or survive by indulging in the most menial of jobs.  They become what we, the common people would call the "filth of the city".

It doesn't stop here. A filthy and unimaginable amount of money flows into the wrong hands, the hands of people who are ready to kill their conscience. They are the same people who are ready to kill and destroy a family if an upright person tries to become the whistle-blower.

They are the same people who are ready to deal in things like drugs and human trafficking because our weak and corrupt system allows for it.

They are the same people who wield enough power to commit unimaginable crimes and get away with it,  Buy their way out of 'Accidental' genocides,( Read Bhopal Gas tragedy), Shoot a model who refuses to be accomodating, Burn a woman's body inside a tandoor, sell and buy little girls for money. Rape, loot and kill with a free will...

All because if you got money and power, the system will support you.

I know I may have gone a little too far into portraying this last paragraph but whatever, call me unreasonable, but I feel like suffocating everytime I think about the agony of those hundreds and thousands of little children, girls, women and men who have suffered directly or indirectly because of corruption...because "Iss desh mein aisa hi hota hai".

This disease of corruption, this invincibility of the rich, this disconnect of the high and mighty, this is what has brought us to this level.

Don't you see that "democratic discourse and constitutional framework" holds no value to these people  who were probably among the first to rally on the call of Mahatma Gandhi and the leaders of freedom struggle.

Peasants, tribals, lower castes, poor artisans, the lowest of the low who gave their hearts and hands for the independence of this country. These peasant farmers and tribals of this country have a long history of uprisings and revolt against the British.

I frankly don't care if I have to bribe my way out of a condition that is a problem or even a little inconvenience to my family or a loved one.

But I do care, and I say so with the utmost sincerity, I do care when the same corruption becomes the reason that so many of my countrymen still have to live like worms and maggots.

And I will stand with whoever becomes a voice against it, I don't give a damn if its extra-constitutional or subverts the Parliament. I don't care if he is being intransigent by demanding complete fulfillment of his demands. I don't care if it turns out to be right in the end or wrong.

All I know is that, here's this chance, one that will probably not come in another lifetime, to stand in our own little ways for pressurizing the government to pass a bill, that will finally strike fear of law in the hearts of every single individual who is a part of this chain of madness.

And if all you care for is to discuss the rights and wrongs and the clauses of the constitution that this goes against, then please take a bow and spare us the non-believer talk for the moment. I fear for the world and my country if it has people like you.I have nothing to say to you.