Life on the other track...

Visioneering : Tale of an elephant and a dog

2017-08-18T13:40:00.003+05:30

One very interesting story I came across in the recent days!

An elephant and a dog became pregnant at the same time... Three months down the line the dog gave birth to six puppies... Six months later the dog was pregnant again, and nine months on, it gave birth to another dozen puppies... The pattern continued... On the eighteenth month the dog approached the elephant, questioning "Are you sure that you are pregnant? We became pregnant on the same date, I have given birth three times to a dozen puppies and they are now grown to become big dogs, yet you are still pregnant... What's going on?

The elephant replied "The is something I want you to understand, what I am carrying is not a puppy but an elephant... I only give birth to one in two years... When my baby hits the ground, the earth feels it... When my baby crosses the road, human beings stop and watch in admiration... What I carry draws attention, so what I'm carrying is mighty and great...

Moral of the story...

Don't loose faith when you see others receive answers to their prayers... Don't be envious of others testimony... If you haven't received your own blessings, don't despair... Say to yourself... My time is coming, and when it hits the surface of the earth, people shall yield in admiration...

Independence and How?

2017-08-14T21:31:00.000+05:30

Tomorrow is India's 70th Independence Day. A day pinned in world history as one of the most iconic victories against tyranny. Though I was not born during or have been a part of the independence struggle, I really admire all the effort put in by each and every person directly or indirectly for its happening. I am grateful that I was born in an independent country. Blessings are countless, which the diaspora of the Indian Sub Continent offers.

While chatting with friends we usually encounter terms like:

'yaha kuch honewala nai hai' (nothing is going to change/happen in India)
'politics desh ko kha gaya hai' (politics has gnawed the country to bits)
'sab ke sab bikk chuke hai' (everyone, specifically the government is corrupt)

However, today while sitting down peacefully, I wonder:

311 Million People in USA
65 Million UK
144 Million in Russia
25 Million in Australia

versus

1.324 Billion in India

How would you suggest a better way to function?

In my opinion the nay saying has to stop. As the wonderful saying goes "Charity begins at home", my message to all my fellow Indians on this auspicious day would be:

Do one thing for India that makes a difference towards our nation, atleast in your lifehood.

This way, you too would be a part of the new age independence.

Vande Mataram

An attitude of gratitude - Steps to success - Post 1

2017-08-06T20:43:00.001+05:30

Life is at its utmost best. Be grateful always.

A day of lazing!!

2017-03-26T19:13:00.002+05:30

25th March 2017 will go down in history. Atleast for me, as the day of lazing around royally!

After almost 6 months of my return from Tanzania, I believe I havent taken a break. Work has been overwhelming and I've been enjoying it too. Thanks to the Almighty.

Though things have curved downwards a bit this month with 2 of my major customers moving out, I think its the perfect time for re-thinking the strategies I have been following. My mentor Sir Ivan Bayross too have been quoting this for a long time ::

If you keep doing the same things over and over, the same results are going to be reaped.

Year 2016 brought a lot of momentum in my personal and professional life. One quarter down in 2017, I feel the vibe is yet on going.

I have been writing, reading and traveling far too bit less. Guess this jinx is to be broken now with this blog post coming in.

Ohh! by the way, Im sure you are following me on Instagram @logical.tester

Hope for the best.

Amen.

23 Days - 300KM - Funeral - Realization

2016-11-27T19:08:00.001+05:30

May 2016, turned out to be a roller coaster of a month. So far, I consider it as the month of the year 2016. The title of my post summarizes it totally.

An episode of my life that took 23 days between a YES and NO happened in May. Today, sitting 6 months apart, I am very happy that the outcome was a NO. Sometimes you panic and think, Hey! what happened? Why did the tide rolled backwards? This episode (details held for now) has helped me understand that the Almighty has his own plans for you.

23 reasons why Allah cares for me?

I am fed, clothed and sheltered in a very comfortable manner.
I didn't get trapped in a tyrannous trap.
I know how to respect my elders and people in general
I am able to support my family, mentally, physically, economically etc etc
My prayers have been more timely
My peers are happy with me
I have very few haters :)
I am successful at work
I am getting newer ideas and proposals
I have common sense
I am more focused than ever before
My inner peace has not shattered
People who were supposed to be with me - are with me and vice versa
Prayers are getting answered
Work Keeps me Busy
I am motivated all the time
I have friends who love me for who I am
I am good at health, infact I improved
I went for a foreign trip and planning another one
I crave for learning and it never ends
I am getting my office renovated
I have a few talents that makes complete sense and supports all other points above
I can thank Allah, my parents and folks enough before I die

For, now that I have expressed my gratitude, I would like to reconcile a very important experience that taught me something special.

It was Friday night and I planned to watch a movie after work. With my brother, I set off to the theatre and made it there in time. Just before buying the tickets, my phone rang and a friend of mine called me asking to accompany him to his hometown which is 150KMs away - Nasik. I was surprised to realize such a sudden plan. Upon asking further I realized that someone had passed away in his family and it was urgent for him. I canceled the movie and headed straight to his place.

We started for Nasik at 9PM and reached at around 11PM and it was one crazy drive. The drive was nice though the situation was grim. We reached on time in order that we could be present during the rituals. I too joined them.

In the graveyard, as the rituals were going on, I kept hearing a few things like:

"Bhaijaan, body ko yaha se utaro" (Brother, take the body to the grave from this side)

"Bhaijaan, body ko left me lo" (Brother, take the body on left)

"Body ko sambhal ke utarna" (Brother, be careful while lowering the body in grave)

and so on.. This was a moment of true realization.

Your entire life, you have a name, an identity, an outlook. Make the most of it. Once dead, you are just another body that enters the grave. Use all the time you've got wisely. Do the best for yourself and others.

Lets make this one life as helpful and great for the beings around us. Lets live a life. As the saying goes... "Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi" ("Live a large life, not a long one").

Amen.

My Wishlist 2016

2016-03-13T22:02:00.000+05:30

A sneak peek into my wishlist that I will keep building for 2016:

Travel

North India

Shimla belt

Ladakh belt

East India

Assam/Meghalaya Belt

International

UAE
~~Tanzania~~
~~Zanzibar~~

Language

French

Arabic

Things

Office
PP

Apparels

Jodhpuri

Nehru Jacket

Gadgets

Underwater Camera

Underwater MP3

iPad Air

~~(25th Mar) - Mi Note 3~~

Activities

Scuba in Netrani

Bungee OR the Giant Swing

Books

~~Business Adventures - John Brooks~~

~~13 things successful people don't do - Amy morin~~

The Rosie Project 2 - John Brooks

Hope thats not much to ask for.

Well if you are reading this, then definitely you have a good chance to know whats pending and help me close the items in my wishlist ASAP!! Times running.

Fight Club - No admission without permission

2016-03-13T21:49:00.000+05:30

Image courtesy : 1klbblog.com

On the 27th of October 2015, at 5:00 AM in the morning I had 2 choices. Sit back and sulk OR wake up and embrace change. I don't like giving up early. I can strive as much as I can and I am patient for results. It took me an hour, to decide and I gave up sulking. Not a single day since, did I sulk about things that were not in my control. 8 months passed and things were great. I doubled my business, I grew on all fronts. My targets met like never before. The Gods were all smiling at me. Effective immediate.

Unfortunately last week, Something happened that shook me and broke me down emotionally. It feels really depressing when winds of sorrow pass through you and you sit there alone. Its the biggest trap and I got trapped into sulking. This time 3 days were required to get out of the trap. Negativity covered me from all sides. I couldn't focus, I couldn't work, I couldn't drive but I knew I will recover and I did on my own. People I reached out couldn't do anything for me. Maybe I am born to fight alone.

I promise that I would not let my inner peace get disturbed again. No matter who it is. Its my life and I keep or kick out people I want.

Value Expectations - Gratitude Series

2015-11-09T18:07:00.000+05:30

Life is unexpected. You expect value where you invest and God returns you from where you expect the least. Its a give-give situation at both ends.

My QA Batch of Sept-Nov 2015 turned out a blessing in disguise for me. Its a story that has to be penned. A story of tremendous gratitude, a story that brings out the good in me and a story that proves that VALUE GIVEN is never under valued.

I don't know, but I have my own instances where I felt I have been under valued(in other words under paid). It could be under-valued in terms of respect, worth, trust, faith etc etc. However, as said earlier, God works in mysterious ways. We are just playing our parts, and I am sure if we do it well, we would be happy always.

Now, let me speak about the 3 angels that helped in times when I needed it the most. I was speaking to people for my upcoming batch and it happened that I came across Mr. Barwe. He visited my office at evening hours to discuss about the course and the offerings I could provide. Mr. Barwe ensured that he and his friend Mr. Chawre would join the course for understanding and learning the nuances of Software Testing. Upon follow up, they assured me a date and I agreed to start lectures then.

Before the batch began, I met Ms. Soni, a friend of theirs who too was interested in the same training. She got convinced by the way I explained a few things to her friends and decided to tag along with them. As a matter of fact, Ms. Soni was pursuing the same course from another institute and she felt that she was being conned there. She hopped on and joined the course with her other two friends in a weeks time.

The training began as regular and I kept delivering as much value as possible. Every time I met these guys, they used to believe they learnt something new and hence kept the interest going. They asked doubts and I kept clarifying the same.

One fine day, Ms. Soni came in during the week in order to clarify some doubts that she had. I explained her the way through. We spoke for almost an hour and she left. A few weeks down the line Ms. Soni and Mr. Bawre came during the week for certain clarifications. I delivered and then we started chatting in general.

During the chat I explained them about how I started RethinkingWeb, where I worked earlier and other things. I also requested them to spread word of training offered by me and if their friends were looking for similar courses. They said, they would do so.

Another 10 minutes into the conversation, Ms. Soni said that they wished something from me. At this point, I was sincerely taken aback, thinking on what might be the case. She said that, together the three of them have decided to pay me a sum that would assist me in paying off the debt that is supposed to be cleared.

I was flabbergasted. I profusely denied the proposition. It would be incorrect on my part to accept money above the course fee, which was already paid off. They didnt budge from their thought. They said it would make them ask me more questions and they would not feel bad about it.

My negotiations with them failed and yesterday, they paid me sum as much as the course fee again. I am so so thank ful and so much obliged to this gesture of theirs. This makes me feel and believe that, people who value you will always payback in great ways. I do not boast of my training skills, however, this is the second time that this has happened.

I am blessed to be having such a gift. Thank you Allah for blessing me with such bounties.

Learning for today and forever -

2015-10-08T23:15:00.000+05:30

Free yourself from negative people. Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven and like-minded. Relationships should help you, not hurt you. Surround yourself with people who reflect the person you want to be. Choose friends who you are proud to know, people you admire, who love and respect you – people who make your day a little brighter simply by being in it. Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. When you free yourself from negative people, you free yourself to be YOU – and being YOU is the only way to truly live.

27 to 28

2015-10-01T07:12:00.000+05:30

A few days to go and yet another year shall pass by.

15 years ago, when I was 13, I used to envy life of my cousins who were of the age I am today. Today, I envy the life I had 15 years back.

Past is gone, future is what needs to unroll.

Starting today, as I did a few years back, I will unfold few stories that are imprinted in my memory.

Chapter 1 of Swimming comes to an End

2015-08-31T23:11:00.000+05:30

The club stopped its membership renewal and we are left astray. It brings an end to 1 year of my swimming training. It was a beautiful journey with a lot to learn.

Swimming Diaries

2015-06-13T23:55:00.000+05:30

One more day to go before the month long sabbatical from swiming. Yes, Ramazan is commencing on the 17th of June 2015 and for 30 days no swimming.

To talk about the progress, yeah definitely the stamina has shot up by large. A few months earlier I could barely breath on completing 25 meters. Yeah! a meagre 25 metres. Now, at a stretch 500 meters do not cause much of a trouble. The technique mentioned in the featured image does make a difference. Try it and let me know.

I'm practicing back stroke and I hope to learn it completely once I am back to the pool. Deep diving too is added to my Done list.

Kalsubai - Conquered

2015-05-31T22:47:00.000+05:30

The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile - Plato

Another target of 2015 achieved. Kalsubai, the mightiest peak of the Sahyadri.

May 2015 was unforgiving. Temperatures rose valiantly. I wished to go for a short break and this trek came in on time. I did try for Kalsubai during Feb/Mar with Bhramanti365, however it turned out to be impractical. This was one of my bucketlist items too.

Trekmates by large, is one of the best trekking groups that one can trek with. It was my fourth trek/tour with them and YES it was another experience to remember and pen for life.

We started for the overnight trek at 4:00PM from Thane by a local train upto Kasara. There were 55 trekkers (including the leads) for the event. Upon arrival at Kasara, cars were ready to ferry us till the basecamp. 20 minutes into the drive, sun descended upon us and darkness took over.

We reached the basecamp at around 8.00PM. It was a temple where all the trekkers assembled and introduced themselves. Quite a few of them were first timers, which was surprising. Trekking the highest peak of the region with no previous experience is damn ballsy.

Post introduction, dinner was served. We were satiated by the food served by the village-house-cum-restaurant people. Their hospitality was unmatched.

Close to 10.00 PM we started ascending the mighty Kalsubai Mountain. The first halt was after around 30mins. Lo and Behold, everyone was panting already. Not more than 400 meters ascended and Hey! this is damn tough.

It happened that 2 of the girls gave up the trek then. One of the trek leader took them back to the village (basecamp) and arranged safe accomodation for them. After a brief pause of 15mins the trek resumed. Also, I forgot my hooded jacket in the basecamp, which I brought to beat the cold (funny, I thought here that it would be cold).

The ascend was really interesting. For a very long trail we dealt with orderly paths and steps, when came a time where we dealt with steep stairs. Almost with an inclination of 75 degrees and missing rungs the stairs were a bit challenging at night.

I was trailing along our local guide throughout the trek. He was a 10 year old guy with an acute sense of humor. He tagged a well built man as a body builder, some folks as lovers and his songs kept us engaged through the night till we reached the point where we stopped to rest.

At 3AM, I was all prepared to sleep in a duct that was against a rock. Last time, when I was trekking at Matheran, I made sure to dug in a couple of hours of sleep by avoiding stupid horror story sessions as they make no sense afterall. However, this time it was difficult to grab it. It was a major mistake to forget the jacket at the basecamp. The winds at the top were freezing and unforgivingly freezing. Not a single minute was spent trying to dodge them. The entire 3 hours of freezing would not be forgotten. At 6AM, I ran towards the leftover firecamp, but that too helped a lot to recover.

At 7AM the final ascend to the top began. Few of the early birds like me quickly went up to gauge the view. Worth it. Totally worth it. It was great standing at 5300+ metres and believing in my own small little victory.

Kalsubai Temple, a small rock of hope. A rock of faith standing on top of the highest peak. Inspirational indeed.

The descend started 2 hours later. Same way back BUT in the scorching mid summer heat. The temperatures rose abruptly once the clock struck 9AM. Water depleted like crazy and it was really a challenging walk down. Along with a few reached back to the basecamp at 11.15AM whereas the rest reached safely at 1.00PM.

We had lunch again in the 'arrangement' and we were set to the return journey.

Lots of memories and a victorious feel. Kalsubai, you rock!

Swimming Diaries

2015-04-05T16:12:00.005+05:30

Going freestyle in swimming is boring now. Wish to learn newer techniques like the butterfly stroke which would require more agility.

The swimming pool was shut for a couple of weeks due to some serious electricity related issues. Would reinstate my practice this week.

Till then let me know if you have any tips that would make my swim a bit more interesting.

Descend from Matheran via Garbett Point

2015-03-31T16:27:00.000+05:30

My first encounter with Tattva Adventures came to reality after 2 unsuccessful attempts. They were always over-booked and I couldnt snug in at the last moment.

With the entire team at RethinkingWeb, no chances were taken. The event was planned for 28th Mar 2015 and executed accordingly. It was a long weekend and the 7 of us were all prepped up for the trek.

Trekking always gives an adrenaline rush down your spine and this event though being a descend justified it enough.

Before the trek actually started we spent the entire night on a rock bed under the naked sky. Temperatures in Mumbai had already soared up, beating the heat is an objective everyone wishes to achieve.

It was a long day for me yet had to keep it up all night. The team assembled on time at the planned location. We boarded the train and reached Neral at around 1AM.

There were a few people from the trekking group who missed the train and hence we had to wait for them to drop in. The wait was worthwhile as a drunk midget dropped in an started performing mimicry and behaving irrationally. It was fun as we had selfies and clicked photographs till the entire trek group gathered.

It was 2AM when the Jeeps came in to ferry us up the hill. The entire RethinkingWeb clan got a dedicated vehicle and we set a step ahead from the rest.

Half and hour passed and we reached the base camp. The other ferries reached consecutively. At 3AM we entered Matheran.

Matheran, as you would read in my earlier posts, is a place which I love to visit. Infact, I have insisted people to come along and spend a day with me in Matheran. Its blissful, serene and simply awesome. If you are reading this and have enough energy to tread the rocky, cool and chilled paths of Matheran, you are welcome anytime.

The team gathered for a formal introduction. The Tattva way of an introduction was to talk about one's self and perform a single dance step.

One of the trek mate had their birthday at that moment, we all wished her. It marked the beginning of the night trail. For over an hour and a half we kept moving through the trails on the Matheran mountains. It was pitch dark but the moon above helped a bit. Each trekker had their own flash lights. Some sang songs, some were chit chatting and some just focusing on the track below.

We reached atop the mountain where we decided to take some rest till dawn. The passion in trekkers was unmatchable. People gathered in groups and then started the most interesting part of overnight treks viz. Horror Stories. People started sharing their experiences at various treks. Few were funny and few horrifying (Unbelievable).

I spent some time chatting with Lawrence, where I understood a whole lot about snakes in India and the world. He had great understanding of snakes and a whole lot of his know-how built my experience in the subject.

On the other hand, another trek-mate Kshiteej Dua was showing off his brilliant skills with his camera. He is a director by profession and has done few short films too. Indeed his skills were worth a watch. He clicked some amazing light photographs. It was something I never knew.

I was exhausted by then and dozed of in my sleeping bag. Not for long though.

In a couple of hours the sun shone and all the adventurers were ready for the descend. By the word descend, the mindset was already prepped for ease. Alas, it was not. The descend began at 6.30AM and probably by 8 we did descend the rocky mountain... and then the plateau began.

A long... very long stretch of the plateau was strolled to a point where everyone began looking for the base village. But the plateau was unforgiving. We reached a point where we found a well. The well had really cold water which helped the trekkers to re-hydrate and refresh themselves for the next 1 hour and 30 mins of walk.

Until 12.30 PM we walked through the Garbett plateau and reached the base camp. There were some really picturesque locations on the plateau, especially near the lake. Throughout the descend hundreds of photographs were clicked.

It was an awesome experience.

At the base camp, we had lunch and parted ways. All in all a very memorable trek.

Swimming Diaries - #NoSwimming

2015-02-14T15:28:00.001+05:30

Hey folks, not able to swim since a week as I had a minor accident in the past week. Missing the work out.

TEDx Visit Experience

2015-02-14T14:50:00.002+05:30

I am grateful to be invited at TEDx St Xaviers Mumbai as an attendee. This was the first time I attended any TED talk and it was worth the effort. The excitement was high since the time I registered and got an invite, till the end of it.

It was a 10:30 AM to 6:00PM schedule as published. Attendees and speakers were present on time.

Talks from varied speakers on various topics ranging from psychological health to physics to NLP to Indo-Pak relations to a better society, women empowerment and others kept the audience engrossed throughout the day.

Special thanks to the team at St. Xaviers for making TEDxStXaviersMumbai a successful event. Also, many thanks to RAW Pressery for offering a free bottle of their cold pressed pomegranate juice for keeping us active through the sessions.

At TEDx St Xaviers with Deepshikha K

Met a friend and made a friend there. A Sunday well spent.

Looking forward for another TedX event in and around Mumbai.

How Big is Big, Indeed!

2015-02-14T14:13:00.000+05:30

Every one dreams and dreaming BIG is not a crime. We keep hearing this quite often and its normal to dream big. However, the question that arises in my mind today is to define BIG.

So I started observing things, people, thoughts, talks and similarly various attributes that one dreams of.

For instance, consider a software development company with 10 member team and compare it with a 100 member (10%) or 1000 member (1%) company. There is a huge difference. Now, consider a company like Microsoft or Apple or of sorts. They have 100,000+ employee team and they are bigger than most of them. Not even a match to apparently the big 1000+ member teams. Hence, the philosophy of being 'Big' becomes irrelevant.

What do we dream of? How big is big indeed? Can we just think big or relativity shall kill us while dreaming ;)

Pondering..... :)

My Wishlist 2015

2015-01-26T00:09:00.002+05:30

A sneak peek into my wishlist that I will keep building for 2015:

Travel

North India

Shimla belt
Ladakh belt

East India

Assam/Meghalaya Belt

~~South India~~

~~Calicut Belt~~

Language

French

Things

~~An SUV/Car~~
A BHK

Apparels

Jodhpuri
Tie

Gadgets

Underwater Camera
Underwater MP3
~~Fitbit~~

Activities

~~Kalsubai Trek~~
Scuba in Andaman
Bungee OR the Giant Swing
~~Tedx~~

Books

~~Freakonomics - Steven Levitt~~
Business Adventures - John Brooks
~~The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion~~

Hope thats not much to ask for.

Well if you are reading this, then definitely you have a good chance to know whats pending and help me close the items in my wishlist ASAP!! Times running.

Swimming Diaries - Good pair of Goggles

2015-01-25T23:25:00.002+05:30

A real great set of swimming goggles makes your swimming much easier. For 3 months of swimming I dealt with 3 goggles that were absolutely not clear enough. This month, because, I forgot to get my pair, I thought to purchase a new one as the previous one anyway had issues with its fitting, clarity etc etc.

With the new pair the pool seemed clearer than before and the fitting does not disrupt my flow anymore :) Happy Swimming.

Wish you all a very happy and a prosperous new year 2015

2015-01-01T00:00:00.000+05:30

My Best Friends Wedding

2014-12-28T19:34:00.000+05:30

Its wedding season here in India and 2 of my best friends getting wed this season. Technically, I should be happy about it, however, its the other way round. Its that for atleast 2 years from now, they would be super entangled with their spouses leaving me alone. Anyway, its alright. Life's like that.

Its a chilly December this year and Chirag planned the first half of his wedding in Nasik. He is one of the best plan-man I know. From atleast 4-6 months he planned his big day.

24th Dec 2014, was the big day.

We are opposites in nature. He is careful, I am impulsive. He seeks advice, I offer advice. He is stern, I am tactful. He is blunt, I am soft. But we have hung around for years together as a matter of fact, now more than a decade. The wedding (Nikah) ceremony was scheduled at 7.00PM at Nasik and due to delays in coming from office we started at around 5:30PM.

At the Gas Station with Shahnawaz. (The guy behind us was annoyed due to the photo shoot :) )

Along with my mom and a couple of friends we started towards Nasik from Thane. The highway was long and steady. It was a fantastic drive, we reached Nasik at quarter to eight. Quickly checked into the hotel and quickly sneaked into our wedding clothes to attend the wedding. We reached minutes after the ceremony completed and were greeted by all of Chirags family.

The function in Nasik was grand. The stage was beautifully decorated. Chirag had wore a designer suit in which he looked great. There were hundreds of guests chatting, greeting, meeting and kids running around the wedding lawn. My mom was escorted to meet Chirag's other relatives while I gelled along with Chirag and others.

The three musketeers at Chirags Wedding in Nasik

We had some dinner and once the function was over we started loathing around in the lanes of Nasik from around 11.00PM to 3:00AM. We were chatting and bullying each other, reminiscing all the memories from College to work and also chatting about various other nonsensical matters.

Clicked at Midnight by a passerby on Tarique's demand

The night was chilly and fun. We returned and slept in the hotel at around 3.30AM. Woke up at 8:00AM and had some breakfast before the onward return journey.

We went to meet my uncle who stays nearby. Dropped mom and ran to a nearby Mall for shopping/fun. Played few games of bowling, had lunch there and clicked random pics

The Mall marked the end of the entourage. We sneaked into the car, picked up mom and started our return to Mumbai. The drive was smooth all the way back. We had refreshments on the way and all in all it was fun.

On the 26th Chirag had planned his reception. Not many memories there as we had a terrible experience to reach at the wedding hall. But we made it at 10:30PM :)

By the way, the guy in pic below is Chirag ;)

85 and Counting!

2014-12-28T19:01:00.000+05:30

“Younus”, “Younus” (a bit louder), “Younus” (much louder) wake up”. It was 30 minutes earlier than my regular time. Winters began late this year and during winters I usually wake up a bit late. Halfway asleep “What happened nanaji??”

These days I am staying with my grandfather. It’s voluntary, as he and my grandmother are all by themselves and to avoid any midnight crisis I sleep over at their place. Normally they stay in Bangalore with my uncle however; the winter cold out there doesn’t support them much due to age. It’s good that they are in Mumbai with us for a while. I have had long chats with him before. A few years back before moving to Bangalore, I used to make a point to catch up with him at least once a week to learn nuances of life. He is a person with nang and namoos. He has lived by himself and raised 6 kids. For he has strongly believed in his principles and stood by them till now.

“Can you do me a favor?” he asked. I was puzzled. “Tell me?” I asked. “Drop me to Zakir’s Office today once you are ready to go for work”.

He flew from Bangalore a day before and was already missing the place, I thought. He had all the luxuries he asked for at my uncle’s place, but here it was different. You got to do everything by yourself and life doesn’t remain easy sans the weather. You cannot control that.

“Get your car and we will drive through” he advised. I mumbled “It’s not so easy.”

With age my grandfather is losing on memory. He didn’t recall that he was in Mumbai and wished to go my uncle’s office as a routine thing he does. He keeps forgetting bits of memory and at times cannot connect the dots.

“Be discreet while your drop us there. Take your grandmother along…” he continued.

It was time to break the ice; I believe these are his early days of dementia. There are a lot of examples which I can share, like he forgets what he ate earlier in the day. When asked he would simply give a standard meal (chicken curry, bread and steamed rice) as his reply, but when I cross check with my grandmother it goes totally wrong.

“We are in Mumbai, 1000 Kms away from Bangalore, I believe you forgot. We cannot go by car and if you wish to go back please remember the temperatures are below 10 degrees throughout the day out there.”

“I am sure we can go by other means, train perhaps” he replied.

“It takes 24 hours of journey AND importantly you are here because you cannot resist the cold there. Hope you remember?”

It was already 20 minutes of argument which was going no-where. I knew there are more such discussions coming in future.

“You don’t want me to go to my son’s office. You just don’t want me to go…. You are cruel” he started cursing.

I was helpless there, what could I say. I thought it for a while and replied humbly “If you are so sure to return, let me call uncle and get your flight tickets done. You will reach there before the end of the day and then you can go to his office tomorrow.”

That was magical.

The moment I said ‘let me call uncle and get your flight tickets done’ he started thinking hard. He probably recollected that he asked my uncle to send him to Mumbai as it was chilling there and he wished to be in Mumbai. I have heard that he fought everyday to fly down and 2 days that he is here he wants to go back.

He closed the conversation with a plain “OK, let it be” and I rushed to the washroom to freshen up.

The day was long and boring because of the 30 min early break down. However, I pray that my grandfather spends the rest of his life in peace and his health improves in order that he can stay happy.

Swimming Diaries

2014-11-04T19:11:00.000+05:30

So its my second month of swimming training coming to an end and I can proudly say while breathing above the water level that "I can swim now :) "

Travel Diaries

2014-10-23T15:59:00.002+05:30

There has not been much travel on the cards off late. I wish I can plan something for a few days before the year ends.

Had been to Bangalore, Mysore during the summers and was a boring trip. With my mind not helping me to enjoy for various reasons, I spent the vacation sulking. None came to rescue. Not worth a mention. My mom and sis were along and moments spent with them made me feel good.

Later, went to Gondal-Rajkot-Junagadh-Vichiya in Aug, and it was another tight scheduled trip. Visited a few places here and there. Kept driving all the time. Was too packed up and unplanned. Again not worth a mention as the after party turned out to be sour.

Visited my favorite place earlier this month viz Matheran. A place where its serenity calms you and makes you feel blessed. Was a day trip quick and fast. The hills of Matheran makes me forget all the pains and all the gains. A neutral experience, but again not worth a mention as the after party turned out to be sour.

None of the trips in 2014 made me feel satisfied. But looking forward for a great adventure before end of this year to stop the craving.