Jaane/Anjaane : Looking Back

In our life we meet meet many people, some of them becomes your close friends, some you forget over the course of time and there are some other who just meet you for moments and leave a lasting impression on you. This post is about all those "Precious" people with I crossed path at some point in my life. I don't know name of most of them but I they had some lasting impression on me...

Take 1: "Anoop"
Year 1984
That was the year I was born, I was about three months old and my name was not finalized. That was my first ever train journey and I was going to my maternal grandparents home. One of the traveler asked my mom, "What is his name". Mom: "Not finalized yet". Traveler: "What letter you what to start his name with?" Mom: "Punditji has suggested 'S', but 'A' will be fine too..." Traveler:"What about 'Anoop', that's a nice name"... and since that moment journey of "Anoop" started.  
 

Take 2: "Helping Hand"
Year 1992
I was in my 5th standard, just opposite to my present outlook (if you are among those who think I am sincere, regular type of guy), always on the edge, always inviting troubles for myself. On the annual day of my school, I felt on one of the nail that was used to fix the tent on ground. It was not a pleasant site to have a big nail couple of inches inside knee. Teachers were busy in the preparation on the other side of school and students were totally scared. That time, a guy came out of crowd took off his handkerchief to tie on my knee and took me inside school... I don't know what could have been result of delay... but lot of thanks to you Praveen!    

Take 3: "A friend in need..."
Year 1995
Another incident when I invited trouble, this time in swimming pool. I was learning to swim, and it was the beginning period, and I was not good at it. I took my chances and went into deep water and lost my breath. It was hard for lifeguards to find me in the crowded pool. All of the sudden two hands came and took me out, it was my classmate from school. He took me to low water area to shouted at me, "If you don't know swimming, why you go on that side?". I must confess, I didn't liked shouting that day... but today, when I look back I have nothing by a big "Thank you!".

Track 4: "Unknowns"
Year 1996: 
It was winter of 1996, month of January. Manali, a famous hill station was in its full glow. We were going to Rohtank Pass (one of the highest points for casual tourists). I decided to hike, and our guide joined me. Rest of people including my mom and sister took a passing tractor to go up there when this incident happened. As snow was converted to ice due to cold, roads were very slippery. Suddenly, tractor slipped and started moving towards canyon in reverse direction. From what I have been told, the driver and his helper jumped off and stopped tractor by putting some stones with lightning speed beneath tires and avoided a big accident. I have not even seen these two people, but they are a part of my memory.   

Track 5: "The first crush"
Year 1997-98
It was late summer season, beginning of monsoon season in India. I went for a small track near Indore at a place called Sitlamata Fall with a group from Youth Hostels Association of India. A nice little group in young boys and girls, day passes casually with all track and fun activities. On our return journey to catch a bus, it was heavy rain and we all were wet. We set in the but, that was the time when 'she' set next to me. A girl with wide smile and beautiful brown eyes. I don't know if it was weather, atmosphere, or anything else. Something really clicked between us and after a long conversation she shred her landline number (that was 1997... no mobiles!!!), that I noted on my hand (Old School). We had  a nice conversation, she got down when close to her friend's place. I reached home and looked at my hand, number was not there, rains has washed it up. With passing time, I don't even remember her name, but that I do know that that was my first crush. I thing still when I pass through that area, sometimes I do look around. :)     

Track 6: "Respect"
Year 2008
Moving 10 years and half the world ahead, it was Spring Break in 2008, I was leading a group of volunteers to help out National Park Services to scavenge a lost site at Cumberland Island in US. There was this elderly park ranger, unlike others very clam and had a lot of stories to share with us. In a short period of one week, we developed a great understanding and respect. I am not able to recall his name, but I still have some of the gifts that he gave us when we were leaving.

Track 7: "Roll at Rollins" and "The Beautiful Stranger"
Year 2009
One year later, I was working at Rollins Pizza in my University. An Indian guy working in morning shift among all unknown faces. There I met these two amazing ladies Maria and Miss Jeniece. Maria was middle aged Mexican women, and first friendly face that met there... we had most of the common shifts and had lots of conversations about culture, cooking, beliefs etc. great human being! Miss Jeniece, a 55 year old lady, known for her great Pizzas, very candid and content and my first cooking teacher of international foods. 

Track 8: "Miracle"
Year 1999-2011
This is a long story, year 1999... Internet craze among teens, most of the time spent in chatting. A boy met a girl accidentally, and they became good friends. For next 10 years they were chatting on and off, but they did became very good friends... and after 10 years, one nice weekend they met in Delhi...   

Track 9: "You can find help even at North Pole!"
Year 2010
I was in Vellore, exploring nearby villages and areas around. The most difficult part was communicating with people due to language barrier. On one such drives I lost in nearby area and was trying to find my way out. I met couple of people, but due to language problem I was not able to find my way out. After spending couple of hours, I heard a voice, "Kya Hua?? (Hindi)", it was a shock, but at the same time, there was a relief. He came to me, helped me getting out of that area, back to road. I don't know his name or anything for that matter... except his smiling face. 

Track 10: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"
Year 2008-09
MISC... Missouri International Student Council, a group of diverse and amazing individuals. I am glad that I got an opportunity to meet this wonderful group of people. Some of them were lost with time, but those memories are still there with me. And on the other hand, many of them are my very good friends till date. We are in different part of world at this time... but there is a bond of friendship and respect that always keeps us together.

Down the memory lane...

I was searching something on internet yesterday night and I came across an interesting website on Hindi literature. I visited couple of sections, and started traveling down the memory lane.

So, when I was visiting some of the pages of the website I came across the page of "मुहावरे" (Idioms) in Hindi, and just like typical flashback in Hindi movie, I came from  family of 'mango people', had my schooling in Hindi medium and upbringing like a very normal Indian family of 90's. I was remembering my school days when we were very close to being "Bharatiya" rather than modern Indians. I realize we are missing a lot of things in our life, and I don't think that this neo-generation has any idea about being true "Desi" and they have been eating whatever "Desiness" is been provided by some stupid programs on stupid television channel. The time is not far when we have to find a true Indian in India and this mix bread will take over all. 

Anyways, serious talks aside, I am writing this post for those old memories so lets start a journey with me down the memory lane- 

Language: Ha, I love that language... so informal (with friends) and so respective and formal (with elders) but still a language that directly touches heart, mind and soul. Usage of local/regional words, idioms were the icing on the cake. I remember when just out of fun, me and mine friends in high school class started using those idioms in regular language!!! There is no comparison between that language and this "khichadi" hinglish. 

Games: I have played every possible roadside/indoor game in my childhood, be it late night cricket on road in high school days or paper boat racing during rainy season when I was 4-5 yrs old, it was true fun and enjoyment. The days were full of 'sakal-bandi', 'chupam-chupai', 'sitolia', 'gadha maar' or the best flying kites all day! A great social gathering and great physical activity, where are those days and where are those games... X-Box, PS, Nintendo are good but .... something is missing. 

People: I can still feel warmth of some people I met in my childhood, most of them were genuine and they used to meet because they liked it, not just because they have some secret agenda behind it. I have seen some fights, but at the same time I have seen that how same people make up during festive seasons. I rarely feel that connection with people now a days. 

Festivals: I love to see that time again, when people used to celebrate festival just for pure fun and enjoyment rather than showing off. Most of the festivities are losing their grace in all show off today, and I doubt when if we even enjoy any festival to the core of our heart. 

Life: I feel really bad sometimes when I write some blog about lifestyle or some place, because I am not doing anything out of the league. But to most of the readers that is new, the reason is simple that we have lost touch with reality. Most of the events/blog entries that I post used to be a part of out daily life which is lost in time... and now we see them as some big deal. I feel pity for the generation who have to visit some "Dhani" to see a village life or those engineers in Bangalore those eat at Grameen and feel good about it...

There is a reason why we watch those old Doordarshan Ad's on YouTube, there is a reason that why Mile Sur Mera Tumhara still the best and there is a reason why we miss Surabhi, Hum Log, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Vyomkesh Bakshi... the reason is that we are still the same from deep inside. So why not just move few kilometers out of your cities, and witness life and things that I described above still exists... it just we who don't want to see the reality around us. 

2009

1.       I am officially a foreign graduate with MS degree ;)

2.       Trying to develop a taste towards a corporate life, and culture

3.       Once again I played the Heart Break Kid and going towards Heartbreak and Triumph

4.       Had a wonderful farewell from US, one of the memorable moments

5.       I returned to India… just for all those who are skeptical about my returns

6.       Became a bit lazy about couple of things

7.       Long sitting sessions took the physical health away… time to get back in shape

8.       Some of the last year’s resolution met and some are still left

9.       Movie streak is still on and numerous movies are added to records

10.    Did miss the peace of Columbia, but enjoying the crowd of India…

11.   I don’t think that I will survive Bangalore more then 5-6 year

12.   Developed some innovative business ideas, and seems like I will going to end up in business after couple of years

13.   How about writing a fiction :D

14.   Photography is ON and going strong

15.   Finally, end of year is disappointing I HATE SITTING AT HOME. I am not meant for it…

50 Things by Ben Jones

I was planning to surprise everyone with some new stuff... but due to some technical problems, it has been delayed for some time. In the mean time, here is a wonderful article that I copied from Pritesh's blog who also copied it from someone's blog :)
Reading this, I was in those four wonderful years of my life... here it goes-

A superb read. Quoting it full from the author's page.

"50 Things"

Dear Class of 2010,

This will be my last entry written specifically for you; beginning with the launch of our new site in early September, I'll begin focusing on the future class of 2011. I hope that you guys won't be strangers; stay in touch either in person (come visit us!) or online (please drop by the blogs from time to time and say hi).

As you begin your college experience, and I prepare for my 10-year college reunion, I thought I'd leave you with the things that, in retrospect, I think are important as you navigate the next four years. I hope that some of them are helpful.

Here goes...

1. Your friends will change a lot over the next four years. Let them.
2. Call someone you love back home a few times a week, even if just for a few minutes.
3. In college more than ever before, songs will attach themselves to memories. Every month or two, make a mix cd, mp3 folder, whatever - just make sure you keep copies of these songs. Ten years out, they'll be as effective as a journal in taking you back to your favorite moments.
4. Take naps in the middle of the afternoon with reckless abandon.
5. Adjust your schedule around when you are most productive and creative. If you're nocturnal and do your best work late at night, embrace that. It may be the only time in your life when you can.
6. If you write your best papers the night before they are due, don't let people tell you that you "should be more organized" or that you "should plan better." Different things work for different people. Personally, I worked best under pressure - so I always procrastinated... and always kicked ass (which annoyed my friends to no end). ;-) Use the freedom that comes with not having grades first semester to experiment and see what works best for you.
7. At least a few times in your college career, do something fun and irresponsible when you should be studying. The night before my freshman year psych final, my roommate somehow scored front row seats to the Indigo Girls at a venue 2 hours away. I didn't do so well on the final, but I haven't thought about psych since 1993. I've thought about the experience of going to that show (with the guy who is now my son's godfather) at least once a month ever since.
8. Become friends with your favorite professors. Recognize that they can learn from you too - in fact, that's part of the reason they chose to be professors.
9. Carve out an hour every single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn't count.)
10. Go on dates. Don't feel like every date has to turn into a relationship.
11. Don't date someone your roommate has been in a relationship with.
12. When your friends' parents visit, include them. You'll get free food, etc., and you'll help them to feel like they're cool, hangin' with the hip college kids.
13. In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now, and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.
14. Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking yourself, "what can I learn from this person?" More of your education will come from this than from any classroom.
15. All-nighters are entirely overrated.
16. For those of you who have come to college in a long-distance relationship with someone from high school: despite what many will tell you, it can work. The key is to not let your relationship interfere with your college experience. If you don't want to date anyone else, that's totally fine! What's not fine, however, is missing out on a lot of defining experiences because you're on the phone with your boyfriend/girlfriend for three hours every day.
17. Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over email. (IM does not count as "in person.") Often someone's facial expressions will tell you more than his/her words.
18. Take risks.
19. Don't be afraid of (or excited by) the co-ed bathrooms. The thrill is over in about 2 seconds.
20. Wednesday is the middle of the week; therefore on wednesday night the week is more than half over. You should celebrate accordingly. (It makes thursday and friday a lot more fun.)
21. Welcome failure into your lives. It's how we grow. What matters is not that you failed, but that you recovered.
22. Take some classes that have nothing to do with your major(s), purely for the fun of it.
23. It's important to think about the future, but it's more important to be present in the now. You won't get the most out of college if you think of it as a stepping stone.
24. When you're living on a college campus with 400 things going on every second of every day, watching TV is pretty much a waste of your time and a waste of your parents' money. If you're going to watch, watch with friends so at least you can call it a "valuable social experience."
25. Don't be afraid to fall in love. When it happens, don't take it for granted. Celebrate it, but don't let it define your college experience.
26. Much of the time you once had for pleasure reading is going to disappear. Keep a list of the books you would have read had you had the time, so that you can start reading them when you graduate.
27. Things that seem like the end of the world really do become funny with a little time and distance. Knowing this, forget the embarassment and skip to the good part.
28. Every once in awhile, there will come an especially powerful moment when you can actually feel that an experience has changed who you are. Embrace these, even if they are painful.
29. No matter what your political or religious beliefs, be open-minded. You're going to be challenged over the next four years in ways you can't imagine, across all fronts. You can't learn if you're closed off.
30. If you need to get a job, find something that you actually enjoy. Just because it's work doesn't mean it has to suck.
31. Don't always lead. It's good to follow sometimes.
32. Take a lot of pictures. One of my major regrets in life is that I didn't take more pictures in college. My excuse was the cost of film and processing. Digital cameras are cheap and you have plenty of hard drive space, so you have no excuse.
33. Your health and safety are more important than anything.
34. Ask for help. Often.
35. Half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at any given moment. Way more than half of you will be in the bottom half of your class at some point in the next four years. Get used to it.
36. In ten years very few of you will look as good as you do right now, so secretly revel in how hot you are before it's too late.
37. In the long run, where you go to college doesn't matter as much as what you do with the opportunities you're given there. The MIT name on your resume won't mean much if that's the only thing on your resume. As a student here, you will have access to a variety of unique opportunities that no one else will ever have - don't waste them.
38. On the flip side, don't try to do everything. Balance = well-being.
39. Make perspective a priority. If you're too close to something to have good perspective, rely on your friends to help you.
40. Eat badly sometimes. It's the last time in your life when you can do this without feeling guilty about it.
41. Make a complete ass of yourself at least once, preferably more. It builds character.
42. Wash your sheets more than once a year. Trust me on this one.
43. If you are in a relationship and none of your friends want to hang out with you and your significant other, pay attention. They usually know better than you do.
44. Don't be afraid of the weird pizza topping combinations that your new friend from across the country loves. Some of the truly awful ones actually taste pretty good. Expand your horizons.
45. Explore the campus thoroughly. Don't get caught.
46. Life is too short to stick with a course of study that you're no longer excited about. Switch, even if it complicates things.
47. Tattoos are permanent. Be very certain.
48. Don't make fun of prefrosh. That was you like 2 hours ago.
49. Enjoy every second of the next four years. It is impossible to describe how quickly they pass.
50. This is the only time in your lives when your only real responsibility is to learn. Try to remember how lucky you are every day.

Be yourself. Create. Inspire, and be inspired. Grow. Laugh. Learn. Love.

Welcome to some of the best years of your lives.

-B

Winning and Losing...

Before I start this post, GOOD NEWS!!!
I got my new adapter!!! (For people, those I have added or re-added today for email "My laptop adapter was crashed so feeling incomplete")...
Today was a mixed day... got some great news like my best friend's wedding bells are about to ring and she is about to leave our singles club but at the same time some disappointing news from corporate world and my never ending job search, finally I have listed my car on Craigslist to sell with a great disappointment (it was my first car ever) and I really don't know how to react with two together. But finally, the brighter side clicked and I am really enjoying the time with the good part of the news.

I think, I have started this post to write something else and I am just going in perpendicular direction. So, changing the gears and sharing my new poem-

एक बंद मुट्ठी में कुछ कैद था,
शायद सपनो की ज़मीन थी,
या अरमानो का आसमा था,
एक जीने की तमन्ना थी,
या फिर किसी चीज़ का जूनून था...

कुछ तो था उस मुट्ठी मैं जो शायद बहुत अज़ीज़ था,
एक हक था उस पर और वो भी बहुत करीब था...

वक्त आ गया था उससे रूबरू होने का,
खुली मुट्ठी तो मैंने देखा की कुछ नही था बाकी,
या शायद कुछ था ही नही, बस एक आस थी,
या थी एक कोशिश, हवाओं को पकड़ने की,
और कुछ बीते लम्हों को कैद करने की...

Makar Sankranti

Its "Makar Sankranti", my most favorite festival of all seasons. I still remember those days when I used to do all those crazy things for kites, right from preparing the thread that starts with crushing glass to make it powder to flying kites and having those exciting competition with other guys, counted among the best kite flying guy in my area... still miss those days big time!

Every year this festival comes with new surprises, and this year it was a day before!
Happy Makar Sankranti....