Friends

"Saale, tu kuch karta nahi hai...", Chins said to Anky, and we all laughed at it. 

This was around 24-25th time, we heard this dialog in last 4 days. This was the last day of us together, at friends marriage, and the time was around 4.00 in the morning. This was certainly not the time to make jokes. But we did.

It has been around one and half year, after college and first time we all were together at one place for Abhi's marriage, for having fun, and for so called 'Reunion'. Everything changed after getting a stamp of MBA. Everyone is now busy with individual career. There have been so many commitments to everyone that we hardly got a time to get together. Finally we got an occasion,  AB's marriage. 

Sweet......Nothing, a photo by Vikram K. on Flickr.

One by one we all joined the celebrations, less of a ritual, more of a fun and recalling the days, we missed so very badly.

It will be a start of new life for Abhi, but for all of us, it was like reincarnating into college life, the countless nights spent in chatting, maggie and coffee. The computer games, the discussion about projects, exams, submissions and growing together as friends and every other thing we enjoyed, we shared and the moments we lived together.


Everyone is well connected with each other by electronic communication, but this was the first occuasion we all are together after college.


In the early morning, we all were waiting for autorikshaw, and may be for that last time that year, the very famous statement cranked on the laughter. But this time there was a tint of pain added to that, because for all of us, tomorrow will be bringing back our duties, routines and every other things which makes our usual life, except THE FRIENDS!

When everything fails, the hope rises again....

we shook the hands towards each other, wishing bon voyage, and with the assurance that,

"It will not be too long for next celebration"

(note - this was a long due post, I wrote last year, but hardly got time to complete it, thus posting it now)
Chins, Anky, AB, Tips, Vaibhs, Vishla, Esha, Mru, Archi, BK, and all others, who made my life special, missing you all...

Fireflies

I was surfing YouTUBE and a video grabbed my attention because of its name. The video was ‘Fireflies’ and singer was ‘Owl City (Adam Young)’. I loved the lyrics, the video and the meaning too.

It starts with

You would not believe your eyes 

If ten million fireflies

Light up the world as I fell asleep

Cause they fill the open air

And leave teardrops everywhere

You'd think me rude 

But I would just stand and stare

I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly

It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep

Cause everything is never as it seems

I can say a perfect description for a dream, which is full of good moments.

One can easily relate it to the sequence of life, which could have been filled with teardrops. Good moments are like fireflies, they will look good from the distance, but when you are trying to achieve it, there is hardly any fire remains. Still planet earth turns, slowly.

It so happens sometime, that I think about myself, what I’m doing, how I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Not all things carry proper answers, but not much things remain unanswered. Sometimes I feel that I am running behind fictitious things, which will hardly happen. But on the next moment, I am very sure that, if the decision was incorrect then I would have stumbled in-between as a result. Thus whatever I am doing is correct.

Cause I'd get a thousand hugs

From ten thousand lightning bugs

As they tried to teach me how to dance

A foxtrot above my head

A sock hop beneath my bed

A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

All the things are in place, so does I. and as planet earth turns, slowly, it will take some time for me to get results, get some concrete facts about whatever I am doing.

Leave my door open just a crack 

Cause I feel like such an insomniac 

Why do I tire of counting sheep? 

When I'm far too tired to fall asleep

To ten million fireflies

I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes

I got misty eyes as they said farewell 

But I'll know where several are

If my dreams get real bizarre

Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar

“I’m weird cause I hate goodbyes”, This could have been a major reason behind few of the important things, I am doing. For me the definition of success would be

“Loving yourself, loving what I do, how I do and why I’m doing it”

And as I am loving the reason for which I am doing it, I need not to worry about the future. This feeling always motivates me towards my goal.

I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly

It’s hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep

Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

Video from YouTUBE

Management Story

This article is taken with thanks from NetBhet by Salil Chaudhary, I am just posting it again.

There was once a washer man who had a donkey and a dog. One night when the whole world was sleeping, a thief broke into the house, the washer man was fast asleep too but the donkey and the dog were awake. The dog decided not to bark since the master did not take good care of him and wanted to teach him a lesson.

The donkey got worried and said to the dog that if he doesn't bark, the donkey will have to do something himself. The dog did not change his mind and the donkey started braying loudly.

Hearing the donkey bray, the thief ran away, the master woke up and started beating the donkey for braying in the middle of the night for no reason.

Moral of the story “One must not engage in duties other than his own"

Now take a new look at the same story...

The washer man was a well educated man from a premier management institute. He had the fundas of looking at the bigger picture and thinking out of the box. He was convinced that there must be some reason for the donkey to bray in the night.. He walked outside a little and did some fact finding, applied a bottom up approach, figured out from the ground realities that there was a thief who broke in and the donkey only wanted to alert him about it. Looking at the donkey's extra initiative and going beyond the call of the duty, he rewarded him with lot of hay and other perks and became his favourite pet.

The dog's life didn't change much, except that now the donkey was more motivated in doing the dog's duties as well. In the annual appraisal the dog managed "ME" (Met Expectations) .

Soon the dog realized that the donkey is taking care of his duties and he can enjoy his life sleeping and lazing around.

The donkey was rated as “star performer". The donkey had to live up to his already high performance standards. 

Soon he was over burdened with work and always under pressure and now is looking for a NEW JOB... 

Ideal couple

That was a wonderful evening...

They were meeting after a long break. Before that, distances were spicing up relations, sometimes bringing them closer, or else creating walls between them and their thoughts and Finally here they are, together, to enjoy an ideal evening, just like crafted carefully for them.

She was working with one of the top notch company. He was just a struggler, waving on the flow of destiny, looking out for destination. Both are from different places, different surroundings, studied together, 'n slowly entered into a bond. After the college, everything changed, right from the location. When they used dream about smooth running life, and suddenly were down. Right on the earth, in the company of so-called hi-profile people, who used to comment like, 'Postgrad is great, but what about job? my (someone's someone) did his PG from (XYcollege) now works with HDFC/ICICI/HSBC/Standard Charter earning (some two digit number before 'Lakhs')...

She was brilliant and made it to her dream place, and of course, a place for which everyone will dream for. He decided to take his own path. Non-glamorous, but highly ascertain and sometimes illogical too. They used to talk every night, briefing about each others life, funny creatures they encountered in the day and so-on and so-for. But unknowingly they were not at a same level. Later on, even the phone-calls reduced their timing, Subjects changed, contents changed even the details and ideas. Still they love each other.

One day, he asked her, about engagement. She was like stumbled in-between. She asked for some time. Later on, the reply was, "It might be too early to decide something now!" He was happy, waiting eagerly for her response. Meanwhile he is judging himself, entered into a business, started working and enjoying that. Again the matter came into hit point and he asked her about marriage. She asked him few questions. Mainly related to the things he knows about daily life and a specially about earning. The hidden meaning was about whether you are capable of earning which is sufficient for them together.

He realized that, he was just loving her, and hardly ever thought about practicability of relations. Was he wrong at that time? Again the matter postponed. Time was running, so as seasons and finally they found an evening together after these events. They got a neglected corner in that small bistro, and ordered each others favorite dishes. Conversation was important for them, not the coffee. They were talking, opening up with each other after so many days. Just like they used to do during college days.

The lights went dim and music stopped. That was the sign that Bistro is closing down. They came out, hugged each other. Went on to the opposite sides and disappeared in the dark shadows of night.

No one knows what happened after that. For spectators they are like an ideal couple. Even their college friends think the same. Made for each other.

But finally relations are all about what happens between them, not about what other perceives.