My head is stuck under a rather hard pillow and the rest of my body is wrapped in a thick cotton sheet with red borders. I open my eyes and grimace because I know that it still isn’t time to get out of bed and so I am irritated with myself for ruining a perfectly good sleep. The ever present cell phone confirms my worst fears. There is barely an hour to go before I have to drag my sorry ass out of bed and start the day.
No, no. This is not how it was supposed to be. After ambling around Hyderabad’s horrible footpaths for more than an hour in my uncomfortable Woodland shoes last evening, I have a huge blister on my right foot. It gave me a good excuse to not go to the gym today. Last night I had gleefully planned to sleep till as late as I could. So getting up at 0630 was most certainly not on the agenda.
But now that I was awake I reason that I can either struggle to go back to sleep. And fail miserably at it and then have a grumpy day. Or I can make the most of the extra hour or so that I had. Surprisingly, I decided on the latter.
So I roll over, remove the useless pillow and look outside the window. Hmmm, that’s odd. It’s a little darker outside than it should be and the AC seems more effective in the room. Immediately I know what has happened. After years of living in Bombay, Goa and Lonavala I know how to recognize an early morning shower. My mood brightens, in stark contrast to the ambience outside. I open the windows, shut off the no longer needed AC and grin.
The skies are gray and overcast. Forbidding, stern and even angry. But the mango tree just outside my bedroom is alive and as happy as I am. It sways with the wind and its branches move in rhythm to a beat that only it seems to hear. I honestly think that it is welcoming the rains. The leaves rustle and there is the faint sound of tiny raindrops hitting them. No longer do they look dusty and stiff. Just like the rest of the tree, the leaves seem bursting with new energy. The older leaves appear darker while the new leaves, which are at the top of the branches, seem to be more vibrant. It is as if when the rain washed the man made dust off the mango tree, it also gave it a fresh lease of life.
While I make myself a cup of filter coffee I wonder what the monkeys think of the rains. I hope they don’t decide to use my balcony as a shelter. Monkeys can be very bad tenants. They never pay any rent, make a mess when they leave and sometimes attack their co-occupants. Plus, my landlord warned me not to sublet the apartment. Oh well, I guess the monkeys will fend for themselves.
The coffee tastes great. Maybe it is because I love sitting in a cane chair, with my feet on the ledge of the balcony and listening to the sounds of the rain. Everything seems so energized and young. The newspaper and the rest of the world can wait. Ah, for mornings, and weather, like this throughout the year.....
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Trouble Sleeping
I have been sleeping too much off late. Way too much. In fact, the other day I went to sleep at 2130 hours and got up at 0730 today. That’s ten hours of time spent in dreamy dream land. Not impressed? Try this then. Over the years I have got so attuned to having my cell phone around me that I can hear it or feel the vibration no matter how fast asleep I may have been. Or at least that was the case till yesterday.
Cuz when I got up at 0325 and found myself lying parallel, and next to the head of the bed, I checked my ever present phone and found 3 text messages and 1 missed call. (Please don’t get sidetracked as to why I was sleeping parallel to the bed, I just was). I was surprised cuz this has never happened before. In fact, there have been numerous occasions when I have woken up from some very pleasant dreams because ICICI/HDFC/Citi Bank thought it fit to tell me that my balance on Sunday morning was Rs 257.65. (Why don’t the idiots who run the batch job realize that people like to sleep in on a Sunday morning?).
Anyway, back to my sleeping troubles tragedy. One of the texts was from my bro, the other from my ex-roommate from Delhi and the third from a beautiful woman whom I adore. (The call was from my bro, not her). And surprise, surprise I had even switched off my alarm at 0545 and gone back to dozy land. Which again, is very unlike me.
Maybe this is my body rebelling against the strict regime that I have been subjecting it to in the last few weeks. I can imagine a meeting of all the (millions of) fat cells. They are all screaming, ‘Where the @#$%&* is the KFC and the beer?’…. ‘What are those idiots sitting in the brain doing? We haven’t been fed properly in weeks’…. ‘We are being taxed to death. Look at how much energy the muscles are demanding from us’. So finally one of them must have said ‘Okay, let’s sabotage this entire programme by getting the cells who are responsible for sleep management on our side’. And viola, next thing you know I am sleeping through what should have been time spent at the gym!
You think it’s plausible? I think that it might be. The truth will come out when my thumbs start to get suspicious about the lack of late night smsing and launch an enquiry. The battle of the bulge might just have begun.
Cuz when I got up at 0325 and found myself lying parallel, and next to the head of the bed, I checked my ever present phone and found 3 text messages and 1 missed call. (Please don’t get sidetracked as to why I was sleeping parallel to the bed, I just was). I was surprised cuz this has never happened before. In fact, there have been numerous occasions when I have woken up from some very pleasant dreams because ICICI/HDFC/Citi Bank thought it fit to tell me that my balance on Sunday morning was Rs 257.65. (Why don’t the idiots who run the batch job realize that people like to sleep in on a Sunday morning?).
Anyway, back to my sleeping troubles tragedy. One of the texts was from my bro, the other from my ex-roommate from Delhi and the third from a beautiful woman whom I adore. (The call was from my bro, not her). And surprise, surprise I had even switched off my alarm at 0545 and gone back to dozy land. Which again, is very unlike me.
Maybe this is my body rebelling against the strict regime that I have been subjecting it to in the last few weeks. I can imagine a meeting of all the (millions of) fat cells. They are all screaming, ‘Where the @#$%&* is the KFC and the beer?’…. ‘What are those idiots sitting in the brain doing? We haven’t been fed properly in weeks’…. ‘We are being taxed to death. Look at how much energy the muscles are demanding from us’. So finally one of them must have said ‘Okay, let’s sabotage this entire programme by getting the cells who are responsible for sleep management on our side’. And viola, next thing you know I am sleeping through what should have been time spent at the gym!
You think it’s plausible? I think that it might be. The truth will come out when my thumbs start to get suspicious about the lack of late night smsing and launch an enquiry. The battle of the bulge might just have begun.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Bucket List.. Part 1
I had written a post about a bucket list that I was creating. So based on some introspection and a little help from my friends, this is the first bit of my list. Lemme know what you think. :-)
1. Visit all seven continents
2. See the Grand Canyon
3. Visit one of the 3 poles
4. See the Pyramids of Egypt
5. Watch a football World Cup Final
6. Spend a year with an NGO doing pro bono work
7. Write and publish a book
8. Pay for an underprivileged child’s education
9. Go bungee jumping
10. Go parachuting
11. Watch an opera
12. Learn how to cook biryani from scratch
13. Learn how to windsurf
14. Touch a live whale
15. Drive a Formula 1 car
16. Join the Mile High club
17. Fly a super sonic jet
18. Serenade a beautiful woman on a gondala in Venice
19. Make wine
20. Visit a distillery in Scotland
21. Own a cabin cruiser
22. Build one house on an island or beach and one house in the hills
23. Learn a craft
24. See a match at Centre Court Wimbledon
25. Go on an African Safari
26. Pledge to donate my organs once I die
27. Have my own library
28. Have a patent registered on my name
29. Plant 50 trees
30. Learn at least one dance
31. Go scuba diving
32. Adopt a stray dog
33. Climb to the summit of a live volcano
34. Visit all the major historical sites in India
35. Go white water rafting
36. Learn how to shoot (only for self defense) and buy a firearm
37. Learn how to play golf
PS - Once I finalize the list, I plan to keep a 'Status' column as well.
1. Visit all seven continents
2. See the Grand Canyon
3. Visit one of the 3 poles
4. See the Pyramids of Egypt
5. Watch a football World Cup Final
6. Spend a year with an NGO doing pro bono work
7. Write and publish a book
8. Pay for an underprivileged child’s education
9. Go bungee jumping
10. Go parachuting
11. Watch an opera
12. Learn how to cook biryani from scratch
13. Learn how to windsurf
14. Touch a live whale
15. Drive a Formula 1 car
16. Join the Mile High club
17. Fly a super sonic jet
18. Serenade a beautiful woman on a gondala in Venice
19. Make wine
20. Visit a distillery in Scotland
21. Own a cabin cruiser
22. Build one house on an island or beach and one house in the hills
23. Learn a craft
24. See a match at Centre Court Wimbledon
25. Go on an African Safari
26. Pledge to donate my organs once I die
27. Have my own library
28. Have a patent registered on my name
29. Plant 50 trees
30. Learn at least one dance
31. Go scuba diving
32. Adopt a stray dog
33. Climb to the summit of a live volcano
34. Visit all the major historical sites in India
35. Go white water rafting
36. Learn how to shoot (only for self defense) and buy a firearm
37. Learn how to play golf
PS - Once I finalize the list, I plan to keep a 'Status' column as well.
Monday, May 05, 2008
India and Asia
Gurcharan Das’s article in yesterday’s Sunday Times was really thought provoking & interesting. He talked about his tour of lectures across South East Asia and the kind of queries & comments he received about India. While there were the obvious ones about our ‘depressing infrastructure’ there were others that required more thought and introspection.
Why is it that India hasn’t taken its rightful place amongst the world powers? Why are we still reluctant to flex our muscles? And why is it that Asia views China’s rise as a cause of concern but not so India’s? Well, there are no simple and straightforward answers to these questions but I will try my best to do so.
To begin with, it is not that India does not think that it belongs at the same table as the other world powers. Nor are we reluctant to flex our muscles and take what we want. To understand how India goes about treating its neighbours one must understand how India treats itself. Even at the risk of using a cliché, India’s strength is its diverse culture. ‘Unity in diversity’ really is our national beacon. It is not by accident that even after 61 years of independence we have proved the doomsayers like Churchill wrong. Instead of falling apart we have grown closer. I think that the strongest factors that hold us together are our cricket team, our love for movies, our defence forces, our judiciary and finally our much maligned bueracracy. While the first two our products of private enterprise and even individual genius, the other factors that hold India together are not.
So getting back to the questions that were raised, India cannot and will not morph into a power hungry empire eager for conquest and domination. For that is too much against our civilizational DNA. The modern day Chanakyas in Lutyen’s Delhi know very well that no sooner than we invade another country will we be sowing the seeds of our own self destruction. For every Bangladesh that is invaded there will be ten more revolts for self governance in the north east. One thing that keeps our soldiers and civil servants motivated is the belief that they are fighting on the right side. The idea that they are defending their matra bhoomi and protecting their families. Without this righteous glue, morale will fall, discipline will waver and the iron frame of India will come crashing down.
So I say to all our Asian neighbours, sleep easy and do not look towards India in fear and trepidition. You will never wake up to the sound of Indian Army boots kicking down your door. For we are happier being a united regional power than a police state super power.
Note:
While one certainly admits that not everything is as it should be and there are difficult obstacles facing us as a nation, I do not think that they are as threatening as the ones that faced our founding fathers. An aggressive Pakistan, a shackled economy, no access to advanced technology and a food crisis that makes today’s seem like a harvest bounty were just some of the many issues that had to be tackled, and then overcome during the early days of the Indian Republic. If we could weather those storms, I am more than confident that we will be able to tackle the current and the future threats.
Why is it that India hasn’t taken its rightful place amongst the world powers? Why are we still reluctant to flex our muscles? And why is it that Asia views China’s rise as a cause of concern but not so India’s? Well, there are no simple and straightforward answers to these questions but I will try my best to do so.
To begin with, it is not that India does not think that it belongs at the same table as the other world powers. Nor are we reluctant to flex our muscles and take what we want. To understand how India goes about treating its neighbours one must understand how India treats itself. Even at the risk of using a cliché, India’s strength is its diverse culture. ‘Unity in diversity’ really is our national beacon. It is not by accident that even after 61 years of independence we have proved the doomsayers like Churchill wrong. Instead of falling apart we have grown closer. I think that the strongest factors that hold us together are our cricket team, our love for movies, our defence forces, our judiciary and finally our much maligned bueracracy. While the first two our products of private enterprise and even individual genius, the other factors that hold India together are not.
So getting back to the questions that were raised, India cannot and will not morph into a power hungry empire eager for conquest and domination. For that is too much against our civilizational DNA. The modern day Chanakyas in Lutyen’s Delhi know very well that no sooner than we invade another country will we be sowing the seeds of our own self destruction. For every Bangladesh that is invaded there will be ten more revolts for self governance in the north east. One thing that keeps our soldiers and civil servants motivated is the belief that they are fighting on the right side. The idea that they are defending their matra bhoomi and protecting their families. Without this righteous glue, morale will fall, discipline will waver and the iron frame of India will come crashing down.
So I say to all our Asian neighbours, sleep easy and do not look towards India in fear and trepidition. You will never wake up to the sound of Indian Army boots kicking down your door. For we are happier being a united regional power than a police state super power.
Note:
While one certainly admits that not everything is as it should be and there are difficult obstacles facing us as a nation, I do not think that they are as threatening as the ones that faced our founding fathers. An aggressive Pakistan, a shackled economy, no access to advanced technology and a food crisis that makes today’s seem like a harvest bounty were just some of the many issues that had to be tackled, and then overcome during the early days of the Indian Republic. If we could weather those storms, I am more than confident that we will be able to tackle the current and the future threats.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
The Double Infinity Theory
I was watching a show on Star World last evening where one of the characters asks the other if she’ll ever get another chance (at love) and the other replies, ‘Of course, because nothing in this universe happens only once’ . She went on to talk about how even infinity goes in both directions, and how there is never a perfectly unique incident. And she then told the first character how we always get a second chance at life.
Since it was just a TV show one shouldn’t take it as the gospel truth and think that this principle applies universally. But if you just look at it as a thumb rule it isn’t such a bad idea. How many times have we thought, ‘this is THE guy/girl for me’ or ‘this is my dream job/college’? I know I have at least a couple of times in the girl, job & college categories. When things work out it is great. But even when they don’t, it isn’t the end of the world. The sun always rises the next morning, though you may not see it on account of an alcohol binge and its subsequent hangover.
For example, when you hurt someone it is never too late to say you are sorry. Sure, things may not go back to the way that they used to be. But if you are smart & humble, you will learn your lesson and hopefully not repeat the same mistake. And that is what I mean by a ‘second chance’. You may not get that second chance with the same person/people or organization. But somewhere down the line, you will come to a similar fork in the road and you will have the option to make a different decision this time. Now unless acknowledge that fact that what you did in the past wasn’t the best that you were capable of, it is highly likely that you will make the same choice the next time around as well.
Love, work, friendship, family, society…. wherever you may want to apply this principle. Things have a way of repeating themselves in patterns. In order to break out of a particular patter, you have to be able to recognize it.
So if infinity can work both ways, why can’t human choice? Every day we have an option placed in front of us. We either continue with our daily routines. Eating, sleeping, working, blah blah blah. Or we could consciously decide to do something different. To shake things up and make a difference. To someone or something – it may be a person, an animal or even the neighbourhood. The point I am trying to make is that change for the better is possible.
Sounds a little preachy? Well, maybe it does. But I think I am on to something with my ‘Double Infinity Theory’. So as they say, ‘You have a simple choice. Either get busy living, or get busy dying.’ Cheerio.
Since it was just a TV show one shouldn’t take it as the gospel truth and think that this principle applies universally. But if you just look at it as a thumb rule it isn’t such a bad idea. How many times have we thought, ‘this is THE guy/girl for me’ or ‘this is my dream job/college’? I know I have at least a couple of times in the girl, job & college categories. When things work out it is great. But even when they don’t, it isn’t the end of the world. The sun always rises the next morning, though you may not see it on account of an alcohol binge and its subsequent hangover.
For example, when you hurt someone it is never too late to say you are sorry. Sure, things may not go back to the way that they used to be. But if you are smart & humble, you will learn your lesson and hopefully not repeat the same mistake. And that is what I mean by a ‘second chance’. You may not get that second chance with the same person/people or organization. But somewhere down the line, you will come to a similar fork in the road and you will have the option to make a different decision this time. Now unless acknowledge that fact that what you did in the past wasn’t the best that you were capable of, it is highly likely that you will make the same choice the next time around as well.
Love, work, friendship, family, society…. wherever you may want to apply this principle. Things have a way of repeating themselves in patterns. In order to break out of a particular patter, you have to be able to recognize it.
So if infinity can work both ways, why can’t human choice? Every day we have an option placed in front of us. We either continue with our daily routines. Eating, sleeping, working, blah blah blah. Or we could consciously decide to do something different. To shake things up and make a difference. To someone or something – it may be a person, an animal or even the neighbourhood. The point I am trying to make is that change for the better is possible.
Sounds a little preachy? Well, maybe it does. But I think I am on to something with my ‘Double Infinity Theory’. So as they say, ‘You have a simple choice. Either get busy living, or get busy dying.’ Cheerio.
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