I think ... (Tarun Chandel's thoughts)

कभी अपने आप से मिल जाता हूँ

2012-05-08T12:54:00.000+05:30

यूँही कहीं चलते हुए इन रास्तों पर मैं कभी अपने आप से मिल जाता हूँ
हैरानी होती है की मैं खुद को ही कितना कम जानता हूँ
इन चंद छोटी मुल्कातों में, जितना भी मैं अपने को जान पाया हूँ
उस से एक चाह उठी है खुद को और जानने की, खुद से ही और मिलने की

यूँही कहीं चलते हुए इन रास्तों पर मैं कभी अपने आप से मिल जाता हूँ
अचंभा होता है की कैसे में कुछ ऐसे काम कर देता हूँ जो मुझे ही चकित कर जाते हैं
कहते हैं हर एक में भगवान बसता है, ऐसा भी होता है कभी की उस शक्ति के दर्शन हो जाते हैं
इक सूकून मिलता है की इस भीड़ भाद भरी भागती ज़िन्दगी में भी मैं उसे नहीं खोया हूँ

यूँही कहीं चलते हुए इन रास्तों पर मैं कभी अपने आप से मिल जाता हूँ
शर्मिंदा हो जाता हूँ जब खुद मैं ही बसे रावण से मिलना हो जाता है
कभी ऐसा भी सोचता हूँ की कहीं ऐसा तो नहीं की राम और रावण कभी दो अलग लोग थे ही नहीं
थे तो हम सब का हिस्सा, थे वो हमारे ही खुद का हिस्सा, जो अलग अलग समय पर उभर कर आते हैं सामने
तो कही ऐसा तो नहीं भगवान वो जो अपने अन्दर की अच्छाई से ज़्यादा समय मिला
और रावण वो जो अपने अन्दर की बुराई से ज़्यादा मिला
पर सोचने वाली बात ये है की राम हो या रावण, वो अपने आप से कितना अधिक मिले
और मैं तो अपने आप को ही नहीं मिल पाता हूँ, अपने साथ ही समय नहीं बिता पाता हूँ

पर जब यूँही कहीं चलते हुए इन रास्तों पर मैं कभी अपने आप से मिल जाता हूँ
बस ऐसा ही कुछ सोचता रह जाता हूँ...

- तरुण चंदेल

Chewing Gum Thoughts

2010-09-08T11:02:00.004+05:30

I always believed that I think... and as a matter of fact I do think a lot. But how many of these thoughts actually get to see the action that can make them a reality? Not many! I do chase some of my thoughts and make them a reality but not all. The thoughts come and go all the time. While I am in one of these thoughts journey I get high, but then gradually the thoughts starts to sink in and then fades away. Then comes another thought and the cycle continues. The longer I stick with a thought the weaker it gets. Reading through my blog archive I feel I started on so many thoughts but followed so few of them. The name of my blog “i think” is so true, yet so shallow!

Walking on the chewing gum strained pedestrian sideways of Brussels another thought came to my mind. Aren't my thoughts just like a chewing gum? A new thought is like a fresh gum. It tastes sweet to start with but then as I keep chewing the taste just fades away. Then I spit it out and pop a new one and the cycle continues. My blog is just like the Brussels pedestrian sideways, full of chewing gum spots. Full of those thoughts that felt sweet to start with and then just faded away but they have left a mark (no just a spot). I am just a chewing gum thinker; my thoughts are just chewing gum thoughts!

May be this thought is just another of those chewing gum thought!

Tarun Chandel
Chewing gum thinker

Real dreams or dreamy reality...

2010-08-26T14:00:00.001+05:30

Control over dream can’t be gained
Control over reality can never be contained

There’s no choice but to live the dreams
There has never been an alternative to the reality
Yet somewhere the distinction has blurred
Somewhere dreams and reality have collided

How can I be so dreamy when I am real?
but how I can be real if reality is so dreamy?
In dreams I stride
In reality I glide

To give up the dreams, I tried
To accept the reality in dreams, I strive
What the real illusion is, I can't decide
So I am letting the dreams and reality collide.

Tarun Chandel
Yet to figure it out

Last day in Brussels

2010-06-17T20:11:00.000+05:30

On my last day in Brussels my mind is drifting to replay the memories of last few months. The city of Brussels took its own time to impress me and I am glad that I gave it time. For a long time I was searching for a place to fit in and I didn’t even realize that I have been there the whole time. You might find out that thing you hate so much is the very same thing you miss when it's gone. And sometime in last few months, I don’t exactly know when but I realized how true Robert Alan’s words are: “Okay, we are different, it's true. And I don't like to do all the things that you do. But here's one thing to think through, you’re a lot like me and I'm a lot like you!”

Being alone in this city was the biggest burden especially in early days when I did not like Brussels. I think owning your burden is half the battle. It is difficult still it is not that daunting if you look around you and see what other people have to deal with. You need to find right reasons to motivate yourself to keep going. At the same time you need to accept that there are problems that need to be addressed. Acceptance can take a lot of different forms. Whether it is accepting that it's ok to show your soft side every once in a while or accepting someone you love just the way they are. But in the end the most important thing to accept is that no matter how alone you feel, how painful it may be, with the help of those around you, you get through this too. Ego can make you so afraid to ask for help and instead we just quietly hope for someone to notice. We secretly wish that someone comes along the way and say, you are in a crappy situation let me pull you out of it, I am your friend. If you find someone that actually cares about you it is important that you let go off the little things, even if you can't let it go off all the way. Because being alone is really hard especially when you are surrounded by many people.

I try not to let people down, whether it is someone I made a promise to or someone I love or letting down someone I barely know. Because in the end it is the 'what ifs' that hurt the most. Like what if I had done it differently? Me I don’t believe in fate. I believe we have more control than we think and that every action has a reaction. Afterall the most minor event can change everything. Sometimes for the better, even if it doesn’t seem like that at first. So I took more risks with everything I did, be it with people around me or with my work or sometimes with my life. No matter how it turned out but in the end I am really glad that I took those risks.

The work was a great learning experience for me. I especially enjoyed the company of the smart, pragmatic and intelligent problem solvers I worked with. They made me realize that, if you are smart enough you can always learn something. But whatever you do, don’t wait for that pat on the back. Being a young consultant I always wished that I had the company of my seniors at work. But in retrospect I think they chose not to be there as sometime being there for someone means not being there at all.

It is very important that you work on something that you love. Love gives you strength in the moments of self doubt and there will be plenty of those when you are working alone in tough conditions. It is important to keep reminding yourself every once in a while that you love what you are doing, even when it seems otherwise.

It has never been easy for me, to say the final words calmly. May be because I try to hang on to the leaving moments so much that I end up uttering some awkward lines. At the same time being a dreamer endings are never easy for me. I always build them up so much in my head they can’t possibly live up to my expectations and I just end up disappointed. I am not even sure why it matters to me so much how things end here! I guess it's because we all want to believe that what we do is very important, that people hang on to our every word, that they care what we think. But truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if, even occasionally, you get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better.

After that it's all about the people you let in your life and as my mind drifted to see the faces I have seen here before, I was taken in the memories of friends, of coworkers, of competitors, of strangers who smiled, even those who frowned but mostly of those who helped me tread this long arduous path. And as I was sipping my last coffee, their words came rushing back to me in a wave of shared experience. … good work chief, you have no chance to succeed here, keep up the good work, you are the youngest person on this floor yet you know our business better than most, you are getting old now, like your tie, you are so preppy, I doubt you, you are a good friend, will miss your company, I don’t think I will miss you…

Even though it felt nice and nostalgic for that moment, I knew it had to end. It's never good to live in the past for too long and as for the future thanks to last few months it never seemed so exciting. It is what I always wanted to be, being in company of my loved ones, sharing my days and nights with them, laughing and playing with them and more than anything else living close to them. Yes I am going back home, yes my love I am coming home!!!

Tarun Chandel

If the words sound familiar to you, I am sure you are a Scrubs fan :o) I have taken most of the words from there and added bits to make the context right. I could relate to that series in more than many ways.

दार्शनिक

2010-05-26T01:19:00.001+05:30

मैं क्यूं दार्शनिक हुआ जा रहा हूँ?
आज दार्शनिकता त्यांगने को जी करता है ...
आज नदी किनारे खड़े धाराओं को बहते देखने का नहीं, उनमें घुल जाने को जी करता है...
आज आते हुए तूफ़ान को बाहें खोल महसूस करने को जी करता है...
आज गिरती बारिश से बचने का नहीं, उसमे भीग जाने को जी करता है...
आज किसी नए अजनबी से नहीं, किसी पुराने दोस्त से मिलने को जी करता है...
आज विपदा से डरने का नहीं, डर को डराने का जी करता है...
आज दार्शनिकता त्यांगने को जी करता है ...

तरुण चंदेल

Your truth

2010-04-13T23:20:00.000+05:30

How do you know that the path you have chosen is the correct one, asked the boy with nous of qualm in his voice. Monk kept quiet, he smiled and continued ploughing the field. He kept doing the same thing till the sun was on his head burning brightly. The boy was sitting in the hue of the lemon tree as if still expecting an answer. The monk finished his work and moved towards his hut, he was still smiling. The sunlight was reflecting from his shiny bald head. The boy started following him quietly. Are you happy? Asked the boy, this time as if to kill the time of commute. Monk replied with a positive nod of head. The boy said if your path is leading to happiness should I follow the same trail? Monk kept walking.

After reaching his hut monk shared his lunch with the boy. After the meal monk asked the boy, what is your truth? Boy had learnt from the monk that one should only answer after giving enough thought to the question. Boy had read about Gandhi in one of his school books and he thought Gandhi always talked about the truth. But what was his truth, may be answering this question was his truth. May be seeking the answers was his truth. And then it struck him and he shouted out. Seeking truth is my truth.

The monk was happy to hear that. He told the boy that there is more than one way to reach the truth. Let your truth be the guiding light to show you the correct path. Boy got up with a huge smile on his face may be because this was the first time he heard so many words from the monk. Boy summarized with a sense of enthusiasm, just like everyone’s truth is different than others their path to happiness are also different. It was monk’s turn to smile as he had helped the boy in getting answers from within; from his own Buddhi, from his own Citta.

Tarun Chandel
Still thinking...

love all

2009-05-12T07:59:00.001+05:30

ज़र्रे ज़र्रे में उसी का नूर है ...
झाँक खुद में वो ना तुझसे दूर है |

इश्क है उससे तो सबसे इश्क कर...
इश्क है उससे तो सबसे इश्क कर ...
इस इबादत का यही दस्तूर है |

इस में उस में और उस में है वोही ...
इस में उस में और उस में है वोही ...
यार मेरा हर तरफ भरपूर है |

- दिल्ली ६

... holding her hand ...

2009-02-14T22:06:00.001+05:30

Walking all alone in this huge crowd, I felt lost

I kept on walking, I kept on moving

I was tired, I was down

Then I saw a face in the crowd that made me smile

I stopped for a while, I stared for a while

I sat down with her for a while

I walked with her for a while

I still am part of the crowd

I still move and get lost in the crowd

but now I smile with others

I meet them with warmth

I make friends in this crowd

as I move on

holding her hand

holding her hand...

Tarun Chandel
New Life!

You always have a choice

2009-01-20T08:56:00.000+05:30

If you were cool breeze would you freeze the soul or would you relieve an explorer of the desert?
If you were moon would you hide behind the clouds or would you shine brightly so that others can dream?
if you were soil would you be ploughed by a farmer or would you be part of the battle ground?
If you were a kid would you cry your lungs out for the toy you saw in the shop passing by or would you smile at a dull stranger to give him a reason to believe in life?
If you were a candle would you burn bright on a festival or give a chance for a kid in village to read?
If you were a drop of water where would you rolling on the surface of a chilled bear can or on the lips of a thirsty girl?
if you were a traveler, would you like to get lost in unknown places to explore or would you like to follow the beaten path?
If you were in a Karaoke Bar would you sit and laugh or sing your guts out and laugh out loud at yourself?
If you were you, where would you be here or somewhere else?
You always have a choice!

Tarun Chandel
Choosing to Dream On!

If you were ...

2008-12-24T17:42:00.001+05:30

if you were wind, where will you fly to?
if you are allowed to relive a moment in your life, what would that be?
if you could make one person fall in love with you, who would you choose?
if you could address 1 billion people, what would you say?
if you were a tree, which one would you be?
if you were a boat, which sea would you like to sail in?
if you were a mountain, how high would you be?
If you were granted a wish, what would you ask for?
If you were allowed to fulfill a dream, what would you dream?
If you had to answer just one question, what would that be?

Tarun Chandel
Some questions are not easy to answer!

My Blog is missing me

2008-11-06T18:38:00.001+05:30

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I can never explain
what I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face let's me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you catch me wherever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all....

I miss you, hope you will be back soon, spending more time with me!
- My Blog to me in words of Ronan Keating from Notting Hill.

I am still Dreaming...

2008-10-10T08:05:00.000+05:30

... I was always moving...
... I was always learning...
... I was always sweating...
... I was always preparing...
... I was always ready...
I have come a log way ... I was always dreaming...

... I am still moving...
... I am still learning...
... I am still sweating...
... I am still preparing...
... I am still ready...
I have a long way to go ... I am still dreaming!!!

Tarun Chandel
My life, my dreams

Ganesh Visarjan Utsav

2008-09-15T19:37:00.007+05:30

I love the festival of Ganpati. The energy, the enthusiasm, the sheer number of people together at one place, the music, the thrill it is unparalleled to any other festival that, I have celebrated.

This is one of the most common music for Ganesh Festival. I love the beats of it.

Another very common music for Ganesh Festival. I love the energy of it (notice the number of people in orchestra).

Finally the Ganpati idol is immersed in the water. Photos of the Ganpati Visarjan Utsav are available here.

Tarun Chandel
Give peace and harmony a chance!

Nothing is Permanent

2008-09-14T16:56:00.000+05:30

चाहे जितनी शमाये रोशन करले धूप तो ढल जायेगी...
- आमिर

Backpacking away from computer

2008-09-04T10:02:00.005+05:30

Taking a break from online life and spending time in offline world is something that I really cherish. It has become sort of a new resolution of mine. Last time I took one week off and this time I was away for 2 weeks. It is fun to do such a thing and at the same time you get so many idea when you are away from your computer or laptop. We humans are not designed to think in front of a screen and I can vouch for that statement.

In the two weeks that I was away I read a lot, met friends, spent a lot of time with loved ones. For a week I also went on a backpacking trip to Himachal, spent some time in Delhi, also visited Dehradun.

Mumbai Vs Delhi:
I watched Singh is Kinng in Delhi and also in Mumbai and surprisingly the experience was starkly different in either city. Delhi crowd was going crazy while Mumbai crowd had more of a "WTH" feeling. I had a blast! May be the Delhi guy in me comes up sometimes.

Delhi Rains:
I witnessed the heaviest rains of Delhi and to be frank that was hardly a rain for Mumbai. The potholes on the roads were bigger than the ones on Mumbai roads. While everyone was grim I couldn't stop grinning. I guess the Mumbaikar in me takes over sometimes.

Dehradun:
Dehradun has improved a lot since my last visit. Bit modern and yet that coziness of a small valley town, that place gives a unique feeling. The only reason to crib I have is about the road from Delhi to Dehradun (which also takes you to Haridwar, Masoori). Inspite of being one of the most traveled roads of north India it's in terribly bad shape. I fail to understand why?

Cloud covered towers. For more pics visit my photoblog.

Himachal:
Himachal is really beautiful and in rains that place looks like heaven after a wash. The only colors I could see were the shades of Green and Brown. The clouds had shifted their home to the hills and the mistiness added to the whole divine experience. I was traveling some of the interior villages of Himachal, got to meet a lot of people talked with them about the life and challenges that they face. People are extremely friendly, they open up quickly, they accept you quickly. Something that we in cities should learn. Life is hard there, they can hardly do anything after it's dark (but they do so much during the day). Good Schools are rare. After schooling the choices of courses are very limited. Those who really want to do something have to travel to other states (not a bad thing) but the knowledge of what other universities can offer is again very low.

A Wedding in Himachal:
People live a very community oriented life there. I attended a wedding and more than an event of an individual family it was more of a community event. People from all over the villages dropped in to help, they chip in with all the necessary things like milk, vegetables, grains and most important of all their time and efforts. The marriages last for three to five days and it is more of a festival for the whole village than a family or person. Something starkly different from cities.

Coming Back Online:
Coming back online after a long break is not easy. There are so many things to catch up. It took me two days to read and reply to all the mails, three days to read blogs of my friends, one day to catch up on twitter and one for all other social networks. Pheww...

Things I am looking forward to:
Barcamp Pune is coming back and I am part of the planning team (interesting times ahead). Capgemini is waking up to the concept of Barcamp it is going to be an internal event but surely going to be interesting. I have a new photoblog (someone said the dark side of your blog, I say colorful side of my blog:)). The Business Analysis Blog is doing good, getting a lot of interaction going on but somehow BAs prefer mails over comments.

Tarun Chandel
Feeling refreshed after a break!

Blog Jam

2008-08-04T18:09:00.000+05:30

Isn't that an awesome video? For the real music lovers, that is worth more than the original song. Jamming helps is creating something unique and different that has a touch of all the participants yet it has it's own individuality. Like in the video Strings singers are singing their hit single Duur with Hariharan, all of them are adding their bits to the song but the experience they are creating for the listeners is something unique.

Think of it, if two bloggers get together to write something that has their touch, I am sure they will create something unique. I think it will be a great idea to do a jamming session with other bloggers. Blogjam is something very different and much more challenging than a guest post on somebody's blog. I am yet to try this but very keen to try out.

Let's try some blogjam!

Tarun Chandel
Blogger

ये होंसला कैसे झुके

2008-07-28T08:10:00.002+05:30

रुत ये टल जायेगी,
हिम्मत रंग लाएगी,
सुबह फिर आयेगी ...

अपनी खुदा से है ये दुआ,
मंजिल लगा ले हमको गले,
जुर्रत सौ बार रहे,
ऊँचा इकरार रहे,
ज़िन्दा हर प्यार रहे ...
- डोर

तरुण चंदेल
एक और रात, एक और बात

Leave a Trail Behind: Tarun's Thoughts on an Early Morning

2008-06-30T07:43:00.001+05:30

Walking on the wet sand of the seashore, leaving behind a trail of steps thinking that others would know the path I took. Reaching a destination was never the target; to keep walking was always the motto. The sound of a returning wave has always given me an illusion of absolute silence. An illusion that lasts just for a few seconds till the next wave comes with its own music. The sand under my heels feels so good, I try to hold the sand with my toes but it slips. The harder I try the faster it vanishes. I choose to move on, may be that's the message the sand wants to give me. Nothing lasts forever no matter how much you want it to; as I turn back the trail of my footsteps is gone. May be nature wants everyone to explore and design their own trails? I see some lights at a distance, the more I walk the farther they get; may be someone wants me to change my direction. I see a fisherman trying to pull his boat through the silver waters. It's early morning and maybe he wants to see if the last night got him any catch. A boat full of fish or no fish at all; In any case he will be back-tomorrow morning. A thick moist breeze from the sea hits me, I look up and there are clouds in the sky. The warm morning has just got a gift of cool winds and the dark sky. The sea seems to be enjoying this and the waves dance with extra energy. I choose to walk a bit longer but now I maintain distance from the waves. Again, I can see the trail of my footsteps; I grin, as if I have outsmarted the waves. The birds are flying high in an attempt to touch the dark sky. The church bells are audible but only if you listen carefully. I close my eyes and spread my hands; I can feel the drops of water on my face. The heaven has opened its doors, as if it is responding to my stretched arms, as if it is looking at me and following my trail. Soon it starts pouring; the smell of freshly wet sand brings back the nostalgic memories. I walk away from the shore all wet and as I look back the trail of my footsteps is washed away...

Tarun Chandel
Keep Walking, Keep Thinking, keep Blogging

ISB Hyderabad Diary

2008-06-23T09:19:00.002+05:30

The beautiful blue sky. Just as the sun was getting ready to shine through the day, sky turned into a beautiful blue painting. I have never seen sky this blue and this beautiful. Great start for an amazing trip ahead.

The long winding road covered with trees on either side of it and a beautiful sky on top of it.

There he was waiting at the corner of that path.

ISB looking awesome.

Empowering the nation to reach for the sky

ISB happens to be the dream institute for many. It was ranked among the top 20 Business Schools all around the world, ahead of Kellogg School of Management. Feels good that an Indian School is getting such appreciation around the world.

Each and every corner of this campus is really well crafted.

The design of the floor from the roof top.

Aerial view of the ISB campus and Gachibowli around area. Gachibowli is a fast growing area with campuses of big IT majors like Capgemini, Infosys, Microsoft, Wipro and others. There are many more under construction. Though the place is awesome but it is far away from the Hyderabad city and very far away from the new Hyderabad International Airport, around 46kms (thank God the place doesn't have Mumbai traffic).

ISB campus gets even more beautiful at night. Glowing with lights all around the campus.

I don't really remember when I last saw a peacock moving around freely. May be when I was a kid on my way to school there used be few. But that was long time back. Our national bird and surely one of the most beautiful bird is something that we don't get to see much in our life. ISB is one such lucky place that is a residence of this species. I tried to spot a peacock but could not find for a long time and when I was least expecting it I saw a bunch of them crossing the road. It was a really amazing moment but they were gone by the time I could take my camera out. Peacock is a very shy bird and keeps distance with humans. I took shelter under a tree and waited with my camera to click one good snap. Though I got to witness peacock dance but could manage only this decent shot.

The hills in Hyderabad are very different from what I have seen. The rocks are lying all around the city in all unthinkable positions. The more you look at them, the more you wonder how are they defying the gravity? One thing that comes to mind immediately after looking at these stones is, who put them like this? Looks like someone has taken a lot of time to design all these for you to stare in amazement.

Sitting at the roof top and staring at the beautiful scenic campus my eyes were trying hard to capture every inch of it. The soft touch of breeze was caressing my soul and the sound of silence made my senses go crazy.

Tarun Chandel
Travel, it changes you.

Nashik Life

2008-06-21T09:11:00.011+05:30

The dreams may well be far far away, someplace where I have never been before. But there is something that tells me from deep down inside me that they are reality somewhere. I don't know for sure whether to go there or not, but I was told that if I followed this path I will be there someday. This path merges with the horizon somewhere ahead, atleast that is what I can see. I have no one with me but my dreams, I am not sure what the destination is going to be like, still I want to move on as I believe that the journey is the reward!!!

The old market with old buildings. The business here still runs in the traditional ways, though sometimes I missed the ease of things that places like Mumbai and Delhi offer but it was really fun to move around in this market. The people were very friendly and as the place is small everyone knew each other. The treatment to an outsider is still that of a guest and that is something I learned from this trip.

As I moved through Nashik, I found a lot of classic traditional buildings and at the same time this town is fast gearing up for modernization.

Beautiful old villas can be seen at regular intervals. The human being in me tells me that I should live a life in such a place. The Business Analyst in me is telling me that the reality market is going to hot up in this place; all these Villas are going to make way for either big malls or high rises (something similar to Pune). Nashik sure has some really beautiful Villas with big and spacious living space and even bigger gardens around the place. If you want to live a lavish life at such a villa and have beautiful surroundings you should be in Nashik. You can get a Villa for less than what you will pay for an apartment in Mumbai.

Nashik is not just about traditional and old buildings. It is moving towards modernization that we all tend to measure with presence of malls and multiplexes. Nashik has its own share of these, just like any other place.

The best part about the life in Nashik is that you can get to live near, next or in the farms. There are plenty of lush green farms all around Nashik. It not only adds to the beauty of the place but also is a source of fresh air and fresh vegetables.

The greenery all around Nashik is something that I miss badly in Mumbai.

The wind in Nashik is really amazing. A cool breeze always keeps flowing across the place. May be the reason again is green fields all around. The one thing that I have started appreciating the most after moving to Mumbai is wind. There are very few days in Mumbai that can be categorized as pleasant and it gets even more difficult after a visit to beautiful places like Nashik that are hardly at any distance from Mumbai.

The burning desire. The trip to Nashik made me think a lot about what I am missing by staying in Mumbai. The sense of completeness of life is one thing that Nashik offers and the other is the healthy surroundings with excellent weather. Mumbai can never match all that...

The grilled chicken and it was delicious. I think the chicken and food overall (including vegetables) were far better tasting there.

Life in Nashik is just as beautiful, pure and pious as droplets of early morning dew on the petals of flower, something that cannot be expressed in words you need to experience it.

Tarun Chandel
Journey is the reward

Pune Thoughts...

2008-06-11T10:36:00.003+05:30

Pune has always been special. Staying outside Pune has made realize this even more. Last weekend I was in Pune and somehow, this trip was a lot different than my previous visits. This trip got me thinking about Pune a lot more than ever before.

May be someday I will be there...

On my way to Pune:

The clouds are descending to meet the mountains, makes me feel as if the sky is within reach. Just want to run to the top of that hill and feel the clouds on my face. I have already done that 8 times if I do it again I will be on cloud number nine.

A view of the expressway through my window . The rains add the distortion but it still is beautiful.

Rain drops keep falling on my window. Though I can hardly see anything outside as the dark clouds have covered the whole area, but there is enough going on my window glass.

Cloud covered hills, beautiful green valley aren't these people staying in an absolutely heavenly place?

I sat on the road, I jumped on the road, I kicked the road and at last I got tired and asked the road; how can I reach my destination? The road smiled and said, just walk with me I will take you there.

Pune Beautiful Pune

I was sitting at one of the nicest spot in Pune, it had a beautiful panoramic view of the Pune City. The usual sweet drizzle of Pune was on. The beauty of Pune rain is that, it rarely pours and it rarely stops. The rain keeps floating in the air and that makes the whole amazingly beautiful.

Staring at the distant clouds I thought, may be they also love Pune. That's why once they come here they want to stay for the maximum time, so instead of pouring all the water they spend time hovering over the city and then just become part of the air.

Sitting there I thought, I am like those cloud. Visiting for a short time but just don't want to leave and trying to soak as much as possible in the short time. There, I had the difference between me and clouds. While I was trying to soak as much of Pune as possible, the clouds were giving to Pune as much as possible and in process they become part of Pune. I think, I should be like those clouds...

What the hell I was just thinking?? May be because, I was sitting there for along time. Then I decided to move from that corner to the opposite corner ...

The green Pune, may it stays the same forever! Isn't that a lovely sky over a beautiful city?

Pune city is on an expansion plan... I am sure soon the hills will disappear. Can you spot the massive construction just on the right of the hill?

Pune has changed:

A lot of new malls have opened in Pune and many more are under construction. The city has geared up to the challenges of more people coming in, with lot more houses, wider roads and sleek flyovers.

I got to visit the MG road at night and I was pleasantly surprised to see people enjoying the walking plaza. I remeber my last visit to MG road was on the first day of the walking plaza. Authorities had announced that no vehicles will be allowed on MG Road and all the shops went on a strike. That day only a handful of people were on that road. This time I got a feeling that whole of Pune was there.

Change takes time, thought that comes to mind after being on the walking plaza. The shopkeepers who were against the idea now actually wait for the walking plaza, as the sales are all time high. It is one of the most effective ways to save them from the malls that are surely eating a huge chunk of their customers. It took them time to understand this and now they have embraced this change.

There were road shows, cultural shows and children enjoying the evening out. Isn't that how one should spend a nice weekend evening? I had dinner with Rohit, Jamaal Raazi and his wife Sana Raazi (they make a lovely couple and I think the most techie couple I have ever met).

CYG 2008 (Commonwealth Youth Games 2008)

I got to visit the office of CYG2008, thanks to Rohit who is Director of technology there. They have a very vibrant office and it's buzzing with people all the time. It was a great feeling to see these people working so hard, to make the games possible. Jamal, Sana and Rohit are in the same team there and they work on Saturday as well as on Sunday. They later told me that it has been a while since they got a weekend off and the in coming days things are bound to get even more hectic. I never knew that so much goes behind pulling the games together.

Meeting Symbi buddies

It is always a pleasure to catch up with my classmates from SCIT. Got a chance t0 catch up with Varun Joshi, Saurabh Lokhande and Sudhanshu Sohoni (non symbi friend). They forced me to write about them on my blog, guys I have done this. So now can I move on to the next thing??? (Just kidding, it was really fun to catch up with you and remembering the good old days of Symbiosis life.) We had a very nice lunch at All Stir Fry, special thanks to Saurabh for that. I think I should also thank Mythili, Varun's wife, for letting Varun meet us... I think I should stop now else Varun may get in some trouble.

Pune Dream

That's what Pune is - some natural beauty, some modernization, some growth, some friends, some culture and a lots of memories. May be someday I would come back to Pune and not on just another visit. I was reading the brochure of the IT BT Conference that is going to take place next week and it had a line, Pune has faced a reverse brain drain. Got me thinking... may be someday I will be there...

Tarun Chandel
Pune and I

Sky is getting dark again ...

2008-06-04T23:16:00.002+05:30

Good to see some dark clouds in the sky. The beautiful rainy season is about to come.

Tarun Chandel
Waiting for the rains...

Somethings are best witnessed and experienced, but let me try

2008-05-27T20:42:00.003+05:30

It was one of the quietest place I have ever been to. The hills in the background were a thick forest with melodious birds. The musical sound of birds was to echoing in the green surrounding. Even the wind was musical, I never knew that trees were such good music creators. The sound of leaves dancing with joy was taking me to a greater high. There was so much to listen yet it was so quiet, yet there was silence. I could hear my heartbeats, I could hear myself breathing and it somehow was sounding all musical to me. This never happened before, never ever. I never knew the music that I play all the while, may be because I never really could hear all this while I was in plains. This place was quiet, it helped me to connect with myself.

The valley in front of the hills was one of the most beautiful valley I have seen. May be it was because that day, the sky was covered in misty clouds till the horizon. It was such a beautiful sight. Being at a quiet place with an amazing view in front, I sat down there and chose to gaze at the horizon and listen to the most natural music and, at the same time enjoy the silence. I am finding it hard to express in words and I think you can notice that. Somethings are best witnessed and experienced.

I must have have been sitting at the same place for hours, though it never felt like that. The moon was out to venture in the cloudy sky and it was an amazing sight. It was all so simple yet so beautiful. It felt like as if there was someone up there who had planned all this so that I could witness this beauty. The quietness of hills, the music of wind, the mistiness of surroundings, the beautiful moon lit sky, all looked so designed. May be it was just my mind that has always been designed to look at everything with suspicion. Or may be it was designed so that I can change my behavior and it worked, I guess (again suspecting ;) so it may not have worked).

It was the time when I realized that nature has so many gifts for us and we are busy chasing ... God knows what. It will be a good idea to stop someday to look around, spend sometime with yourself, cleanse your thoughts, cleanse your soul, cleanse your character and start afresh. May be we will be able to give a meaningful direction to our chase.

Tarun Chandel
Music of silence,
beauty of nature and
thoughts of a calm mind.

Capoeira Mumbai

2008-05-14T07:49:00.003+05:30

Capoeira is a traditional Brazillian dance. It is a mix of martial arts, dance and traditional Brazilian Music. I was lucky to catch a session at the St. Stanislaus High School Campus, Bandra. I was there for the Yuva Vividha Seminar. Please excuse me for the darkness in the video but these people were performing in a dark corner.

Video 1 Capoeira

The music in the video is really amazing and the energy of the group makes it even more special. This group of cool people got together and started playing some nice music. The energy of the group kept getting better, it was really amazing. Watch out for the guy in the end...

Video 2 Capoeira

In this video the group was playing bit slower but very nice music. One minute into this video you will hear me talking to Valentina (from Italy) about the history and other interesting things about Capoeira. She explains the whole thing with lot of interest and excitement. Also you can see Freeman playing in this slower version of the Capoeira.

Video 3 Capoeira

This is the last of the three video that I captured. In this one the song and music was absolutely amazing but I have not been able to capture it completely. You can find more about Capoeira on Wikipedia. If you are interested in playing Capoeira please visit the Capoeira India Blog, these guys are amazing!

Tarun Chandel
Music, Dance and Capoeira

Starting to say with photos - Tarun's Blog with Photos

2008-05-04T17:40:00.005+05:30

Though I have been taking pics for a while now but never really put them on this blog. Recently I have started to put them on my Flickr photostream and got response from my friends that, I should put them on my blog as well. As someone smart said, "always listen to your friends" so I am going to listen to my friends. Though I will post most of my pics on Flickr but once a month I will post some pics on this blog. Here are some pics:

Those of you who have seen me in last few weeks would recognize this :) I have been openly sporting my love for Mozilla for last one month or so.

This is one of those pics where I was thinking of capturing something abstract yet beautiful and I got lucky in this shot :)

Dimaag ki batti jala de

The content of my pics is fairly simple just like my blog. Do let me know what you think about the pics and should Tarun's blog have more pics? I will appreciate your views and ideas.

Tarun Chandel
Photos, Beauty and Expression