GROWING UP III!

Continued from GROWING UP II!

Another day I'd never forget, came on one of the playgrounds of my school. There was a belief in us, 7th graders back then. When you can't, you don't! It's cool to be that way. Especially when we are talking about a 1600. A 1600m race. A 1.60 kilometers race. Must've been a cranky mood, mine, that I took part! Or maybe because one of my friends said he would. Then we both did. 8 rounds of the 200m circular track. At the beginning of my 4th round, the first two boys were, well, galaxies ahead of me.. Reality check, I was as lanky as could be, they were beasts. I was 4feet4, they were both taller than 5feet6, I'd guess! But I wasn't alone, or so I had assumed.. 5th round on, and there was no one behind me. Shucks. What-a-loser, one might think. Maybe I did too. But then I noticed, there were just the two man-beasts ahead of me. Right, no one completes the 1600. Not unless you are a man-beast!

I knew exactly why, amidst my broken breaths. My lungs seemed seaming at bursts. Or bursting at seams, I wouldn't know.. my brain didn't work. Face was red, I knew by the burning sensation. Sweating profusely, I'd lost count. I'd lost the sense of position. My legs kept hitting the ground. And just as I was going to give up, even stopped, at the far-end, one of them shouting, last round, last round! Okay.. okay, I frowned. Let's complete it, half-a-round more!

Only to realize it wasn't the last. Fuck you, I might have wanted to say to that fool, only if I knew the words :P But save the embarrassment, I thought. Let's see where this gets you. A chance to land THIRD in a 1600! Oh-bloody-yes! And I swear, that day the sun landed upon the fields of Jaipuria School; bigger, brighter and hotter than we'll ever feel. And over there, I created history. Well, my own-personalized history. 3rd, in a 1600m. One of the most confident days of my childhood, as I look back at it, even though now I run 7km every day.

As I compile my words this evening, I had a fight with my mom.. she was throwing away my precious, old and apparently useless walkman, that I had hidden from her reach, GASP ..so far! Later I made her some coffee, and declared, "पर  अगर  आपने  हमारा  walkman फेका  तो  फिर  से  अपनी  लड़ाई  हो  जायेगी !" *wink-wink*

Then I realize my childhood was more precious to one lady ..much more than anyone, than me. And she's right here with me, reminding me that I'll never grow up ..never big enough to let my spirits fade, never grow up enough to let my energy down ..to let the excitement desert me! Kudos.

GROWING UP II!

Continued from GROWING UP!

You could have me running halfway across the local park in my underpants.. Not that you'd want to ..not that I was any comfortable with nudity even at the kiddish-est levels; it's that sometimes you just don't care!


I happened to know a psycho-killer when I was young. Atleast I thought he was. A PSYCHO-KILLER. I must've been a combination of genius and dumb, to be knowing that..and still cracking a joke on his face. Turns out, Mr. Killer wasn't quite accustomed to humor, or he thought throwing mud into my eyes was funny. So we had it, and next day I remember chasing him down with a cricket bat in my hand! Our local gangs, wassup brotha? 

Not destructive though, I was very much pro-anti-villains.. I learnt to kick some ass! Suniel Shetty and Akshay Kumar helped.. A LOT! Hehe.. reminiscences of that movie, "Tu cheez badi hai mast mast.." I know.. I know, you get it.. exactly the shit I'm dealing into ;-)


For me, schools sucked. Discipline. Rules. Schedule. Limitations. Homework. Shucks, never did that! Then I was forced to turn it into fun. My first bunk, if I may call it that, "happened" back in 6th standard; an English lecture. The bunk was rather thrust upon me by my Art Teacher - she was beautiful and I don't remember her name! - who made me wait after her class for some random errand(she was beautiful, told you :P ). And then, supported by the possibility of Mrs. Shefali eating me alive for being late, I chickened out.. Ms. Shefali was my English teacher. She was a bad-ass. VERY VERY! Aah, Goosebumps! She turns her head towards you, and you're a goner boy! It was more of a scare than a dare.


Every good time has a beginning, and that was just it. Reminiscences of the old Principal-guy chasing us down the corridor mark the epitome of a fantasy. After all, my bunk-gang had that MAP traced out! Including the abandoned Girls' toilet. And the circuit-room. And the carpenter's room. Who could beat us? Not even the architect of our massive school-building! And above all that super-shit, knowing exactly what time which staff-room was gonna be empty, was kick-ass-est! Countless minutes spent in those cool-down spots, especially when being chased - priceless!


Imagine this. On a rainy morning of August, the 15th precisely.. This girl comes up to me and tells that we have to sing this song after the Independence Day parade. Music teacher's orders. Orders? No shitting, but let's be real, she was beautiful too..not the girl, my Music Teacher. My Music Teacher. She had this aura around her..and she sang like a nightingale, only that I've never heard a nightingale sing :P


Reasons can be many, but the fate was decided. Perhaps one of the best days of my life till then. Enter John Lennon. That soothing voice, the lyrics. It would be many many years later that I'd idolize that man, and his ideals! But there was something about Imagine. Always!


And there's something about music. It takes me where I want to be. It's one thing that never fails me. If my childhood hadn't been shaped this way, I might have turned into a Pritam-fan, thank some people for saving me though :P

So it goes on..!! GROWING UP III!

Possessions

The other day I was wondering how sophisticated these kids(who are under-12 right now) are gonna grow up to be! To my inquisitive self, my father would often tell me how things were different when he was a teenager, and "moving on" has been the mantra of their generation. And rightly so, keeping in my mind the technical and cultural advancement in all these years! He had to listen to the commentary for Hockey and Cricket on a transistor. Although Desi Ghee costed around 15-a-kilo, a motor-car was reserved for the filthy rich and well-to-do! Long queues for Trunk calls, Chitrahaar on Doordarshan.. (if you know all this, I've perhaps made my point, if not - I'm just boring you :P) The point is, I was wondering, now that I'm in my 20s, how distinctly did we grow up?


The immediate thing that came to my mind was, being a boy - a Cricket BAT! You could win the world if you own that.. and now all you need is balls! And not just any ball - Cosco! or even Khanna would suffice! These costed us gang around 25 bucks; and buying a leather ball was a totally different affair. Pocket money doesn't buy those balls! ;-)


I would have to be a sucker critic to claim that this was all I ever cherished. But as I said, I could immediately recall and re-paint my favorite Bat :)
Sad enough, I don't even have a picture of it; infact none of my possessions.. which I took a lot of time to figure out! So I'll now shut up, and put up a few 'things' here - these are absolutely personal and our choices do differ.... but maybe and just maybe, I remind you of something similar! And then you can go on smiling about how-funny-those-time-were.. PRICELESS!




What if I say the following were my fantasies.. PG-500, Gypsy or Beta? No sire, they are not cool names of cellphones from the XYZ brand..

Gypsy, boiiii; How bad I'd flaunt it !! ;-) Add Gel Pens were quite the thing to keep in your school-bag! PG-500 was absolute class; smooth-ass pen for the marathon notes the teachers try to spoon-feed!
And Parker's Beta, it has a story! I won the first debate competition I took part in, at school level. And this was a souvenir. Grand.

Although a freak about these rather common pens, I never completed my homework. I think standard VI was the last I maintained a note-book! Rules and me :/ As much as music interests me now, I could have done anything that could eat up my "homework-cum-study-time". A Philips Cassette Player or WALKMAN was just the thing! No iPods, mp3 players for this kid, not even a disc-man! ;-)


You'll know its hard to find images of the exact one on the internet for obvious reasons, but this was pretty much it. Automatic Stop, thats what it read!
AA Batteries and a cassette that could hold only 10 to 12 songs - but you are the king, and you know it!

Surely it was not that we didn't have gadgets while growing up. Because no one grew up without playing Tetris, even if it sucked(in your head, big time!) You got to have atleast touched that thing!
Suck-up all you PSP freaks! An ALL-WINNER is here!


The BRICK GAME!


Where Brick Game was a HUGE thing to be fiddling with, the TV Video Game had its own special place. SEGA is the only one I can recall for now. You see I didn't have one until I was in the 8th standard, so I couldn't quite master all those games except Mario for one! Because before I could, I had lost interest in sitting infront of the television, or at home, or apparently I had screwed my Joystick toooo soon to be reporting it to my father.. to replace it :P



Oh yes, I had that trendy-colored "educational" one, and a 64 in one classic.












Adding to the list I much adore, I had a Casio keyboard right from when I was 7 years old! Still have it at home, as a piece of.. well, it still works ;-) Achievement, I know!!
That's where I learned the Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do's and the Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa-Dha-Ni-Sa's ;-) And some sick jingles I won't wanna mention here :/




These things are things that one.. or me, to be specific, would use for a particular time in a day. But there was something that was actually a part of me 24x7.. Flesh and blood, shall we call it gentlemen and ladies!


My wrist watch! er, watches! The first one I owned was a Maxima, which was unbeatably water-proof; and me for one, exploited every sing;e feature of my possessions ;-) It just never came of. Sleeping, eating, playing in the field, at school, bathing, and uh-oh, lets not go there(where the time stands still :P)
Coolness as it was, but change is for better. I lost it, I got a new one - Titan Dash!  The Absolute! (Don't mind my exaggeration, that's what I've been doing throughout this post, hehe!) Still remember that ugly morning, while watering the plants in the garden, for one rare time, I took it off my wrist for the fear of damaging it, and kept it somewhere. And next I recall, I was searching for it all around the garden the following evening with a naked wrist and a gloomy face :( Miss it!
If anything that could beat my affinity for this watch of mine, it had to be on splendid object. The very evening, I remember telling mom, that I had lost 'one' of the two most important things I had for my own, and so I am going out to spend some time with the other. No drama, all out of disappointment, that :P And I was out on the streets with my AVON ALTON! (one day, that was stolen too!)
My bicycle. THE BICYCLE! So what, if it had no gears, or shockers, or indicators(that was a lame feature, to be honest) - it was special to me!

No street of Lucknow was left unmarked; no corners unexplored! It would often speed up to 35kmph while going down hill.. and boy, that is some speed for a bike!
Also, that is not how it looked back then :( Again, don't have a picture of it,  and the model seems to have changed!
Mine, was a blue-cum-silver colored Avon Alton - K-series; with the top-tube, down-tube and seat-tube forming a K shape! Who needs gadget when you have that! Get out on the road and kick some ass!
My love for biking never faded out, even as I went to school on a bicycle right till the XII standard! The reason why I never requested for a Dish or Cable connection at home, never cared.. or abandoned my Video Game, was this. 


You think that's crazy :P I'll add more. This adventure race, held around Pune every year, Enduro3, which I participated in 2010 demands a lot of cycling! Roughly, I biked around for 80kms in two days :O No exaggeration here, sir! None! ...Funny(& awesome), that I found an unclaimed Apple iPod(yeah, Nano - the new-age gadget) during that race.. which we, being a team, couldn't finish :/ (and which I have already lost!)




Feel like adding a conclusion here :P So, even if we didn't have a PS3 or an Apple iPod or a PSP or a Laptop or an iPad (blimey, kids now have those too!) or a.. ok, enough! I don't wanna spoil the mood :P.... things don't matter; what is cherished is memories and we had what's precious, a childhood. 

The Nights That Were

A few years back.. those chilly and silent nights.. sitting on the terrace.. with one of my friends.. and a hot cup of tea to accompany... favorite music playing at surprisingly low volumes.."Nothing Else Matters" or "Comfortably Numb" many a times.. looking at the deceptive night-sky.. and shades of moon-light.. we'd know what the other would be thinking.. and philosophical talks would start.. completely honest; and in spontaneity.. each time.. the mystifying thoughts would overpower our minds.. words forming up from thoughts.. and thoughts from words.. stimulated by the ambient perhaps.. the why's and why-not's.. life and death.. right and wrong.. how it should be what never was.. going beyond what a normal eye sees.. and a normal mind would perceive.. finding a weird explanation that overlaps with past experiences... all that I'd never contemplated before..the cups would soon go empty.. dry up.. but we never seemed to get out of the syllogisms.. idealism; in theory.. setting up axioms.. 
Then watching the night transform into the day; that was routine.. there would be no conclusions.. yet.. the moments I'll cherish the most!!


"There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all"

CAT-ASTROPHE10!

12th Jan, 2011. CAT results are out. And here I am going places, just to keep my mind off the disaster. Certainly  not the way I had pictured this day in my thoughts! Disappointment, is the name given to the feeling when certain events do not meet our expectations. Let alone what my parents' expectations, I myself feel alien to this world today. After all the build up due to my graduation disasters and my willingness to take up a challenge, I'm right where I started. Gaining experience and learning a lot, but it doesn't help in the immediate run.. nothing more than suggesting brilliant ONE-Liners to the lesser experienced! Disappointment forces me to think. And I choose to write whenever I'm thinking(Yes, that's how seldom I think :P)

Anyways, CAT is a competitive exam. The point is doing your best, which is supposed to be better than the rest.  The results are out, and they won't change. The hue and cry over the unfair results is what I've been reading about from last two days and I am vexed. It isn't fascinating me, the idea to rebel against the authorities. Especially since I heard this term: UNETHICAL! The results were available on the link on 3rd January and that was being spread like wild-fire! And if the result is infront of my eyes, I won't go back to the CATIIM website to check why the date had been pre-poned(this was my thought!).

I had complained to PROMETRIC(the agency conducting CAT) regarding the wrong questions, that were a part of my TEST and very much responsible for ruining it. In a time-based test, if I waste 25 minutes more than I've planned on a particular section, the balance is certain to be lost! Honestly, many people recognized the faulty questions and skipped them. But mine was a different story. I hadn't put in an effort to attempt the questions from topics that I didn't find convenient during preparations(especially with time-check). So, easy as those Quantitative aptitude problems looked, I got the solutions. But in those MCQs, this wasn't just it! I had to tick the correct option, but none of them matched my solutions. Trusting the might of CAT, it never occurred to me that the Qs could be wrong! It turns out they were. I solved them again... and again, but no solutions. Any other time, I would have not attempted them. But skipping those Qs wouldn't have landed me anywhere near the expected scores in that section.  So I don't regret this impromptu decision anyway. Sad that I ended up at 92%ile. Won't play the BLAME-GAME still...


And CAT 2009 was an example good enough. Yes, there was a retest, but concerned people know how much bigger the fiasco was! PILs, RTIs.. make it as complex as you can. Candidates are calling it injustice, or even a lucky draw!

Not that I believe in inaction. Or I feel helpless. Certainly not ideal they are, the results. The complaint I had made earlier, was the most I could do, before the result. But still, I have written to PROMETRIC, asking to give the details as to how the problem was taken care of; which the PROMETRIC CANDIDATE CARE had said they would(not individually, but collectively).

Because there is a 100%iler! There are hardcore CAT aspirants who are at 99.9x%ile, 99.8%ile etc. My point is, if someone has scored 300+ out of 450, it is very much possible. 'Luck' is infact something a winner has by his side, all the time! Any challenge in the world.. any competition, and luck has its role to play! If I am to win something, I would agree, it just isn't possible without the support of this magic-bird. A few thousand have attained more than 99%ile. Some of them would be sitting in top B-Schools in a few months' time! Thats where I wanted to be.. where they stand a chance to be, and I don't. Jealous, I am. But to my deepest core I know it is healthy and competitive in nature!

So I wont comment on whether I was more deserving than that XYZ or ABC.. but it certainly is worth giving another try! IIMs are always a hard chance, with the profile I have! When they are getting all the qualities that I possess with an excellent academic record, why would they prefer me? Well, I'll do my best given a chance in the interview! Also, CAT is what it is. Transparency is lacking but then, the odds of having it screwed were same for all of us. This is the thought that drives me, for now. Perhaps the question, why screw "anybody's test at all?" is the hot thing currently. But honestly I am running a marathon in my head! No more questioning the impossible. Acceptance, not of the injustice, but my failure.. again and again! I had the advantage of having all the time in the world. People who are working, had to put in all of their energy to make it! PROs and CONs are a part of every fight. Win or lose!

Well, as they say, Success is hollow, when it comes to learning from it, and Failure is the biggest teacher! Let me learn before the next 'big-one'. MICA stays the dream destination, and there is a different exam altogether. 20th February. Till then, no negative thoughts, no feeling pathetic about self, and no messing with the LUCK-thingy! Just the belief:

I CAN, AND I WILL!

On a lighter note: IIPM is after my life! They found my phone number from obvious sources, and now I receive 4-5 texts everyday.. called twice! Also a bunch of other B-schools promising a laptop, a blackberry and even a Freshers' in Goa! ;-) An epitome was reached when a certain Blah-blaah Institute of Management sent me a text that read - Dear MBA Aspirant, "Stop dreaming, and be practical!"..... :D

TEN reasons why I may turn into an ATHEIST

When I entered this world as a new born, it was all setup. People, places, religions, principles etc (etc refer to : bars, discs, strip-clubs, parliament). I started gulping the way an empty glass is filled (knowledge of course, I'm a new-born so far!). No direct experiences though. One day I learnt about the supreme power  that us lesser mortals pray, fear and respect & lie & cheat & even abuse & steal from & collect charity for & NOW even fight wars. And please! God.. if exists, is not your banker. Stop asking him for bungalows and big fat cars.
I followed all my counterparts blindly for a few years. Because I was told HE is perfect. See, if you're from some association for women's rights, neglect the previous line; and please don't jail me. SHE is perfect... too.

Good old days; me(in red) partying with God. Yeah.. we used to have a blast

But years passed, some experiences made my faith shiver. Faith in those who believed in God was gradually dying. The source may be corrupted!  Here's how it happened.


 




TEN


It was a dark night (effects, nights are always dark in this part of the world). I was sitting with my friends in a pub. Watching a football match. New in this arena. Suddenly HE entered. A creature all dressed in blue, fanning himself with what looked like a bundle of Rubles (Russian currency moron!). He booked a table by the name of Billionaire Blue, just beside us.

His eyes ran towards me, And as if his sixth sense realized I was a newbie; he approached towards me. I could see him clearly now, big eyes, chest as big as a SAMSUNG LED TV and the two trophy cases in his hand; of which one seemed untouched. He held his hand towards me to shake. Hands, you naughty naughty boy. Just than a friend of mine, heaved THIS towards me.

I ran out of the place into the dark, windy woods. Chills roller-coastering up and down my spine. I just saw a Chlesea FC fan! These creatures do exist in this universe of the almighty! My faith was badly shaken. This is how it all started.


NINE

India has produced some of the greatest musicians in the world. We have likes of A.R. Rahman in our Music Industry. BUT.. unbelievable - Pritam has fans in India. Trust me he does. And if you don't get the point I've already made, CAUTION! Here's why.

The term Music doesn't have a copyright. Thats how he named his thing Music too.
(Haha. I forgot. Pritam doesn't care about COPYrights)

EIGHT

It turns out me and my friends and my potential friends and my friends from the parallel universe are all GEEKS. We don't Party All Night. Niether do we have liquor flowing all around us. And oh yes.. We all have seen AMERICAN PIE series. O GOD.. if you're there.. you can't do this to me!!
 SEVEN

Talking of GEEKism, this was the reason why I cried alone after a movie, sitting in the wash-room in the multiplex the other day (and oh yes.. the movie was Taare Zameen Par, another reason.. they lifted my life-story!). I've been pretty active on social-networking sites lately. I have all the time in the world. Told you I don't party every day/all night.

I may use the word 'ya' for 'yes' while I talk. Same with 'yo', 'cool' or 'damn'. Words like 'dude' are found in the reputed English dictionaries (and it does not just mean a Camel's dick, so stop forwarding those messages). But there is this class of people who are the trend-setters. They have their own cult. Super-cool guys. Ask them and they'll tell you about " MAH at2de MAH lyf MAH bitch MAH a**hole" Cool ain't this? But how does it matter. I am not one of THEM :( And haven't seen these guys off the Internet either. Where do they live? No one ever figured out. The creator of this life, has been partial, for sure !!



SIX

Talking of social-networking sites, I discovered GOD has a pet name. GAWD. You can stuff as many Ws in there. How unreal. You're nickname is actually longer than your name! Sorry dude, I smell imperfection around you.


FIVE

This one was big. It was about How I met your mother (the SITCOM.. mate, relax!)The times when my faith was getting strong. Reason - Once I saw Barney.. talking to GOD (Its not just colorful, its a LINK moron!). I trusted him. Barney Stinson. Legenn.. wait for it...darryy. I read his blog everyday. The Bro Code - awesome.

But then this Robin thingy!! Barney caught feelings. Doomed. Here's where the faith turned from positive to 0 to negative.

FOUR

Existence of GOD's competitor - sachin_rt ; probably much more dependable.


THREE

 A movie named KITES was released this year. Not the problem. I never saw it. Its music was given by renowned Music Director(citations needed)  Rajesh Roshan. Before the music release, I found an article in Mirror (Not the UK one, not the washroom one either.. it was Pune Mirror) that told a story of how his nephew Hrithik loves Trance, and wanted a track of the same genre to be included in the repertoire. The article further said that Rajesh Roshan has been listening to world's best trance music (thats actually how he creates all his songs). This wasn't the painful part. Disaster struck when I ACTUALLY HEARD THE TRACK CALLED FIRE. 
 

TWO

I saw a video which was something like this.  NOOOO !! Don't click on this one! You'll blame me later on. I'll tell you, its some Justin Bieber guy crying babyy..babyyyy.


ONE
I saw this.

I just love PZ. Though I had never been relishing any thought of this kind... evverr. That doesn't mean I underestimated myself. And cruel world. I mean... Just look at this chhichhoraaa! He got PZ.. I got nuts..

THE END. (We are talking about Faith right now.. so just shut up and read below)


ZERO


Save Tigers, only 1411* left!
(Just added this in case the seasonal I-care-about-this feeling hits back after it boomed in the month of March earlier this year. If it does, this shitty piece might turn out to be the most read one on blogger\m/)

*The number is just symbolic(of the boom I mentioned),it may not be the exact count.


Important : By no means am I making a claim of being an Atheist myself.

PS    - This last image shows renowned Telugu actor Venkatesh, didn't mean to disrespect.
PPS  - No part was intended towards offending any individuals' choices.
PPPS- Clause no. 7 guys, you can take it as an offense though.

Lucknow : Contemplations of a stroller

"I'm just writing a story that I want to read"
Here's about my hometown, not just praising or scorning it. People, places or objects are not perfect; but we still love them. Nothing else matters practically. Tried to gather minute details while strolling on the streets of Lucknow. This is an account of a tiresome but cherished outing for nearly 4 hrs. Won't take you the same to join me :-)

Source: my nookiaa mobile 2MP

It starts with me standing on a blue bridge over the Gomti River. NO. Not dreaming. Checked my totem. I use er.. sorry, pretty private.  Auto rickshaw and a city Bus. Why I was here? I'm on a 6 months official vacation. I don't have to find a reason to stroll :-) It was a spontaneous decision. And I loved every part of it. Me alone. I never miss the iPod thing though. Never.(Life mein background music hota hai #jugaad)
This part of the city is amazing. Wide clean roads, plenty of places to hang out, all the killer-hotrods vrooming, and of course the river. At a short distance was the Samajik Parivartan Sthal. The same 87 crore project that went upto 500crores.(source what State Information Commission released under RTI) Whatever be the fuss over it. This day all I could say was "this is beautiful ;-)". Junta seems to have accepted what the Maharani Mayawati built for them. Some parivartan actually.

The long roads parallel to the waters. Friends in groups, small and large, by the sandstone walls facing the river; and much obvious, couples maintaining atleast 100 metres of distance from the former :P Lively place to be. The syndrome of facing the sun over the view of water had seemingly caught many. Those faces; pensive, determined and ambitious. Thumbsup to those guys. I love to be that way. And if you're lucky enough wind blowing against your face. Awesome. Openings in the boundary railings that lead down to the river, caught my sight. Scanned the area, only to spot a boy and three girls smoking down there. Geez!! Goosebumps. None of my business, but that's bizarre! hiding and acting cool. Misconceptions of a lifetime. Get a life, ladies.

A complete contrast, the road opposite has been named Marine Drive. That place, to be precise has energetic vibes. Bike-freaks with some classy stunts. Luckily it was all alive then and there. Wheelies, stoppies, burn-outs and what-nots. Audience, like myself, were in numbers. Did I say I wasn't jealous? Well, I've not yet learned to ride a bike. Hahaha. Do what you can. Some youth spirit to add to Lucknow :-) I was having a great time, just when a guy on a Pulsar arrived from the other end of the road. Panicked as he was, the only words I heard was "MAAMU". Suddenly all the bikes kicked-off and sped away. I was confused. Why on earth are the audience dispersing? Out of question! I'm not running, I decided. After all I was on a stroll! Earphones back on. Three bikers who went the wrong way initially, rode back to where I was. Real geniuses, thought that guy's maamu was giving a treat over there. Hahaha. Now, hearts in their mouths. I could see a Police Jeep following at a distance. They stopped, locked their bikes and jumped across the pavement. Hilarious. Especially after the policemen stopped and dragged those bikes, abusing loud at the top of their voices. Never heard someone utter in hindi with such passion. Everyone had run away, me the only witness. So I decided to slip out of there.

Much of happenings here. I had to hire an auto rickshaw. One auntieji and her bitia to share it with me. Tension all around. Next stop - Hazratgang. Yes. This is one familiar place. Have been Ganjing ever since I was a kid. Any Lucknowite of my age will tell you the same story. Before I could carry on walking on these streets, I decided to grab an Ice-Tea. Just love it. Headed towards Sahara Ganj, McDonald's. Its about this city. You won't find likes of Ice-Tea anywhere else. True atleast for the parts of Lucknow I've known. And FYI Sahara Ganj is a mall. And damn right, I was in a mall just for Ice-Tea.

Sahara Ganj. This must have been a game-changer for thousands of families in Lucknow, ever since it was opened in December, 2005. EPIC. I remember, being a kid I used to go out with family to visit the likes of Budhha Park, Elephant Park and many others. Changing trends, now one can see families sitting in the  "Ganj-maaal" eating Ice-creams :P This is a new kinda outing. Crowded, no doubt!! Every time, this day too. In the afternoons, another cadre joins in - the school kiddos, in their clumsy uniforms and lazily hanging school-bags. Probably attending another of their extra-class. Damn I used to hate school-uniforms! The only place I could go with them on was SCHOOL. Another set of goosebumps, had any of them been here.


Not ready for the Metro tag. Well, I did my job and got back on track.  Just outside the mall, were nearly a dozen of cycle rickshaw-pullers, looking at me with hopeful eyes. Giving them an obvious reaction - I'm gonna write about this one, you fools! The shops in the lane to the left from where I was. Updated in a lowly manner. Airtel Voucher. Vodafone New SIM @XX rs. And many more, under the same roof. A hundred n/w operator mini-malls on this road. Our country works this way. I'm a mobilophobic so I moved straight ahead.

Source: My nookiaa mobile again.

Here I was at the heart of the city (Gomti Nagar waalo, your thoughts might differ). The spirit of Ganjing took me over. This place was still the same as it had been 12 years back when I had first come to Lucknow. The Universal Book Depot , Sahu talkies, and ofcourse Royal Cafe and Nawab's Restaurant. They have all been there for years, as lively as ever before.  In fact the only piece of Modernistic architecture one can find over there is the ICICI building. The best part, on this road I didn't find any Laptop store or the generic Mobile stores. Of course there is Naza market for these.

One more thing about Lucknow that won't ever change, the presence of white Ambassadors. Anyone living in a state capital would connect with this. But as there is a Mayawati-version to everything in the city - the Mahindra Scorpios carrying BSP flags. It is annoying, the exxtraa-loud horns in ambassadors. And even the drivers of these vehicles carry the tashan that there masters flaunt. Well, that's true about Lucknow people as a whole. Wonder what Delhi would be like. I've never been there and never want to. That's out of general dislike for Delhi and Delhites (no offense unintended).


What earlier used to be depicted as a City of Tehzeeb, and the Pehle-Aap nazaakat, seems to be struggling to maintain its prestige. But the man in that small shop seemed to be quite pleasant, where I asked for coca-cola in the glass bottle. Chilling and refreshing. Paid for it and another can that I slid into the bag hanging behind me. Another FYI, softdrinks in glass bottle, plastic, cans and fountain, all do taste differently. I've had enough debates over this one :P I saw a statue of Rabindra Nath Tagore by the side. Had never noticed before! Some benefit of loitering around :-) Moreover it was comforting to see that there have been public figures in the history other than Dr. Ambedkar whom Lucknowites admire. Don't miss the n number of roads named after him, parks and now even the State Transport Bus Station. That's the harsh effect of witnessing a political metamorphosis upon a city capital.

This was the MG Road. There stood Marksmen. The yummy Chicken burger. Gone bhagwan ka aadmi a few days. NO.(if you read bhaagywaan ka aadmi) Missed the "Fast Food" part in its name. They prepare everything from the desi cuisine now. Mayfair Cinema, that told the sad story of once the best cinemas in Lucknow. Has been shut for years now. On the other side, high up above was visible the massive Cross of the Church. Beautiful. It was visible from all streches of aforementioned  MG Road. Moving ahead I crossed The Cheap Store. I'd been here before. I couldn't help noticing it. The board was still the same. PZ with a Perk XL. No other emotional crap.

Youth was out there enjoying the beautiful weather and some company. I noticed "amaa yaar" had become prominent enough to be coined the unofficial TAKIA KALAAM of the city. People told me, I never agreed before. Ego-thing. As was evident in a  short conversation between two friends (overheard, can't help it (but those men needed help for sure (Ya..Ya..I know, parenthesis suck)))

Chhaprii1- Male around 25, losing hair, but T tight. visibly gyming night and day
Chhaprii2 - Male around 25 again, long hair (seemingly Kaminey effect, resulting in a disaster), Not engaged for sure and too many rings on his fingers.

Chhaprii1 : bhaii aaj chalo tumko chiiiikan laalypop(chicken lollypop, he meant) khilaate hain (a hand up in the air - too happy with his idea)
Chhaprii2 : amaa yaar chuppe baitho yahiin, hum kahiin nai jaayenge. faam dhalne do. Okay, he said shaam
(Needless to say they had been leering at items during all this time. Cheesy)

I wanted to burst out laughing at what I had realized.

That's just one instance of what I heard on that one event. Without wondering what they'll finally do, I moved on and took out my can. NO, not the Pepsi one. My-own-personal&purchased-can of Coca Cola. I had kilometers to walk before I reach home. Office hours over, heavy traffic was on the roads. GPO clock tower - admirable. Vidhan Sabha was also on the way. No RED ALERT today. No benches came flying out of the window. Mulayam Singh must've been in Delhi. Moving on from the broad roads of Ganj, the width seemed decreasing every metre. And vehicle density increasing. Commotion enough to trouble a pedestrian. I somehow managed  to avoid making my perfect day unpleasant. Ah, here's Sulabh! NO. Not the museum thingummy.

Skipping the aahaaa part, now I was on the Aishbagh road. Had been walking some 5 kms already. Run Forrest Run! NO. Thats not what came to my mind. The Ojha Chat. Yeah, I need salts - my mind is a genius, just doesn't support me all the time. Paani ke batashe. The name questioned and voted against by many, is what we call the panipuri of Mumbai and around. Will miss this definitely in Pune. Short break and back on the roads. Now even if I stop, my legs have a pseudo-motion in the forward direction. So I didn't quite stop. Last thing I remember noticing(which practically was the only thing noticeable in residential areas) was the Kirana stores. With an exceptional rice-to-cosmetics range. Kirana store is the common noun these shops adopt; where the proper noun part can vary from Pappu to Sonu.

In the end, home sweet home. Needless to mention, the best part of the city :-) Four hours of aimless wandering on the streets of Lucknow, The Constantinople of India. Doesn't bother me though - this name; I've never been to Constantinople anyway. The spirit lives right here within me. And as I said before, perfect or imperfect. A mechanical version of a Utopian society. Man, this city breathes! NOPE again. Not pollution-free!
PS- fact check for the blind and obsessed.

Dream on!! dream until your dream comes true....

Have you ever followed a dream?

It was like two different people inside my head, talking. Baffling my mind. A dream? Well, I sleep pretty deep, and dream every other night! But that wasn't what it was about. I was trying to answer my own questions. Within my head. I had never done this before. Felt like I was sick.

But could not help it. The question I myself created, never left me alone. No answers popped up from the sub-conscious. I decided to think over it. Have I ever dreamt? Yes! Now I knew what this was about. It was a question I had to answer. No more escapes. A query that could have kept my fresh plans at bay. It was about a challenge I was trying to take up. It was about CAT. The big one!!

I am quite lucky with company I get. Since I was a kid, I have had good friends, healthy family relations, and quality competitors. Lucky, because I never worked hard to gain these. Perhaps the reason I never valued the same. Company that kept telling me I was brilliant, had a lot of potential. I had a good academic record back then(what mates used to call toppers), loved almost any kind of sport and was participative in all the 'third-world acts' of a kid. A complete affair. Never concerned though. But times passed, environment around me changed and so did I. More inclination towards things that entertain. School was no more fun. For ranks I even slipped out of top 10 of my class. I knew not what was coming.

Mediocrity, now it shows in me. My lifestyle. Considering sports, I support Rafael Nadal. A great player. Yet Roger Federer is considered the best ever in tennis. But I am a die-hard fan of his(Nadal). I support Liverpool FC, although the club has been dominated by bigger footballing giants Man Utd and others for past 20 years. Because when they win, I see some hope. Champions we have been. Greatest ever club. But in a condition of high uncertainity, in current years. The abilities, the skills are all there. But things dont seem working. When the underdogs turn the world upside down, its like what I have wished for years.  People writing them off. The system against them. Lo! and still they managed it! Thats a bigger champion for me than any other. The dark horse.

Mediocrity, a world where I didn't belong at all, according to the people who knew me. But the facts said I was badly stuck in it. All the winner qualities were gone. I was unable to deliver in any kind of challenge. Because I was satisfied. The zeal never broke up within me. And even if I did excel somewhere, I was considered a surprise outcome. People would commend even if I was beaten. Just because I took that task up! Still things didn't bother me. I said to myself, 'I just did it, and I can do it again, anytime'. I simply felt better off not doing it. Except that one time when I had a desire to prove to couple of my teachers that I wasn't a loser in +2, where I went all out for Mathematics(although I got 99); I never even tried. Mediocrity had me.
 

And on today's date I was confused again. I had had bad experiences with graduation in engineering. Low on performance, lack of initiatives, an uninterested and laid-back attitude. And then this miraculous thing happened to me. Final semester of engineering. And I was DETAINED. Attendance concerns. Infact I had no attendance at all. I was popular in my college; for all the wrong reasons. Every student knew the name.. and I felt pointed fingers matching my face to it. The first ever bolt to my satisfied self! A bolt at a time when I was to carve out my career. I had plans, cliched though, but all were compromised. A certified loser.

Still I call it miraculous. And human-beings don't share bad miracles. There are no bad miracles. I took it far too optimistic to hurt me. I wasn't pathetic. I did not want to face pity. It is comforting; but sorry, comfort could deprive of the strength; I'd moved on pretty quickly. "Nothing's gonna change my world". Music of The Beatles kept playing in my mind. I informed every person who mattered, no inhibitions to stop me; and unhappy as I wasn't, people gave me all support and no pity. Lucky as I am with friends. :) To me this meant something new. Maybe it was time to think. I knew, I had nothing to lose now. Visibly. Something that had been restrained inside me for 20 odd years, and has been struggling to pop out. Something revolutionary. And it shapes my career too. I figured it out. I was taking CAT.

I reckoned the glory that CAT carries with it. Logical reasoning, basic quants and verbal abilities were all that it tests. Something is special about this one, I always thought. Even considered taking it before. But this time something was different. Some spark in me. Why CAT? Honestly the glory I talk of. The fields it tests upon. And the CHALLENGE it poses. That's all. I didn't want to know what was lying post-CAT. "Why MBA?" is not my question. I didn't care. A friend of mine to whom I owe this. We built this dream together. Not to suspect his efforts, he has already made it to Joka-land this year. IIM-C. The huge one. That's like Nishant! And when he was revered by all, I realized he had turned into a person I looked upto. Will always cherish those memories mate, and truly, you have my admiration(in absentia:))

CAT was the big platform where I could excel and leave behind mediocrity. At the same time that would take care of the million-dollar word 'career'.

Have I ever possessed a dream? NO! not before today; and that's the difference between yesterday and tomorrow. Now I dare to.

I dont know yet where I will land up, or where I stand. But this energy has to be of a winner. I dare to dream of an IIM C call converted..

A book I had read a few years back, Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, means a lot to me. Every line of that book is like a holy sermon to me. It proves that a dream you live, makes you immortal. A seagull who dreams to fly high. Fly, not just to feed itself. But for the love of flying. The challenge. For me, what will be, is in the future, waiting for me. Waiting because I have dreamed about this. I have created the world for me. What others think, I have never ever cared, and this continues.

This is life-affirming. This sets an upbeat mood. Have I ever dreamt? Yes... I finally have a lucid dream. And I am gonna live it for sure!!