2 days and 2 nights at Karunagappally, Kollam.

My friend, roommate and colleague from my previous company; all three being the same guy - Deepak; was all set to furnish his life to the next level. It was his engagement.

~ June 1^st

5:30 am, it was still dark. Wet roads and the dark sky, and it was too cold for life itself to feel alive. We started from our rented house at Ernakulam.

This was not the first time me staying in a company of an entirely different version of Keralites. Different version in the sense entirely different dialect, taste, orders etc. It was joyously different. I was literally enjoying though I had my usual weekend to-do list pending in my Thrissur. :)

The 6 over cricket match in the evening between his cousins with some close-to-real sledging and light moments was amazing. I was just a spectator, just to keep myself safe until the function is over the next day. Lessons learnt need to be applied when situation demands. Let that be another lesson.

~ June 2nd

In frame with the stars of the day. :)

The day!! I was also as tensed as Deepak was (But he seemed cool). Because I was the official photographer!!! I’m pretty damn sure I haven’t made it up to his expectation as it wasn’t my cup of tea by any means. But still he seems satisfied with those. May be he is being nice to me as always.

Like someone said, “Marriage is a day when two people think of their future and the rest think of food.” An engagement is nothing different. People seems like they were starving. And this was the only thing I found in Kollam, which I had seen in Thrissur, Kozhikode, Kasargode and Ernakulam. Like Srinivasan once told, “Story of humans is the same everywhere.”#Sandesham :)

With so many happy moments the function also moved smoothly. The gap granted by the monsoon mustn’t be forgotten when the credits starts rolling upwards.

Never did I feel like a guest. I was a part of it. Here ‘it’ being the family, function, fun and also the part-time umpiring for that 6 over match. Other must-mention characters are the two angels Janaki and Gouri (Deepak’s nieces). They make us feel ashamed pasting a smile on our face with their energy, when we sit tired. Kisses to both of them…

In a nutshell, at the expense of a weekend I got some real good people added to my FB friends list and to my ‘real’ friends list as well… :) Thank you all...

Congrats, Deepak and Aswathy.. God Bless..!!

The Balnce Of An Average Grihasthashrami.

There are some pictures or scenes in our daily life that goes unnoticed. Last weekend while waiting for the green light at Naikanal signal, Thrissur Round, I just took a 180 degree look from left shoulder to the right. It was just the usual panorama; some entering the Swaraj Round from Shornur Road while some entering Vadakkumnadhan Temple area; in the snack shop to the corner where the roads met, the glass containers were being filled with hot and spicy tea-time snacks; the juice store next to that was having a busy day, thanks to the red hot Sun; there was a traffic policeman who was shaking his pen to note down the number of a fellow who was a bit impatient to wait for the green and then to my right was a five-headed family waiting for the green on the balance of a pair of tyres and green light is on.

We, who were waiting for the green, started to move together like in a race. One scene that always appears while I stand in the front line of a traffic signal is of a horse race and when the green is like the gun shot when the gates open and the gallop begin.

As I moved forward the panorama of Thrissur Round kept refreshing only leaving that Grihasthashrami’s (Family man) balance kind of imprinted on all frames I saw. That man was not performing a circus-trick or something like the Tornado wing of the Indian Army with five people (including him) on that two-wheeler. He was running a family. He is the Average Grihasthashrami – The Family Man.

It’s just a normal scene. One thing I told my Mom who was sitting next to me when I saw this man, “the whole life of that man is focused just not to lose the balance of that motorcycle which can be a marked as a metaphor to his life.”

What is life? He is not cared about life at all. He just keeps things moving and leaves life unattended or let’s say uncelebrated and finally when the game-over bell rings, his children will be the only proof of his existence on this planet.

It’s a subject that I’m totally inexperienced in. The post is about what I observed; the spark or really ‘living’ life is really missing in the world around us. They just come from somewhere, spend some time on earth and just leave.

Happiness is as ubiquitous as we believe the Almighty is. Like what Mr. Kamal Hassan says in Anbesivam, “I see goodness in you and that goodness is the Almighty.” And I believe that mind which finds the Almighty is capable enough to find happiness too…

I would rather wish to have a set of four-wheelers instead of two. Don’t mistake. It is not the case of wheels of the vehicle we own, but the fear of losing focus can be set free to fly away from within us. And the weight of a four or a five headed family is easily distributed on a well-aligned set of 4 wheels. :)

People are so busy. Rushing and running to reach on time. To reach office on time in the morning and to reach at least five minutes early in the evening. Hardly some realize that in this process, days and months and years are draining. They forget their hobbies, their interest and some even forgot when they laughed out loud from the bottom of their heart and eventually one becomes a stranger to himself as time gallops.

Yes! We need to race, but we need to realize there is no trophy at the end of the race for the one who comes first. And even if there is a trophy it should not be at our life’s cost.

Happy New Year...!!!

2012. A flashback itself is annoying. This will be one of the most chaotic years of my life. Twists and turns happening one after the other. The three words I can use to describe the whole course of the year – Bad – Worse – Worst…with a smile. J

But also this year had tons of lessons to teach me too. Each accident or mishaps had something to tell or teach me. Rather than explaining about mishaps, I would like to share my gains. I was taught to hold the calm no matter the wreck I’m engulfed in; to control the negatives and unleash the positives, admire beauty and smile always.

Also you become a better player when you stop competing with those around you and start competing with your past performances. Let it be in any realm of life. Things change when you start observing and understanding the real you, the ‘self’ from within. It is indeed an interesting practice. There is an inexplicable beauty for the thing you own or that you already have. We don’t have to fish for happiness once we set ourselves free to discover and admire that beauty. Everything happens for a cause for sure.  

I think, in life we all need to be alone for some time. Being alone helps to pull ourselves from the rush outside and get into to think. Solitude in the beginning wears the dress of a curse which I later felt as a course of our journey from the outer rush to within us. It seems to be so disturbing and annoying. But once you are in, once you see the ‘you’, then you find answer for all your queries. This difficulty won’t obstruct you the next time when you meet Mr. Solitude. You simply slide into you like the state of ‘Aleph’. It is a state where you have everything at a point. Like a number that contains all the number. And slowly you start loving that reckoning.

As I understand there are two fears thinking of which we feel that the land beneath of feat is shrinking. One is this solitude. Solitude does not always mean being alone in a room. A person can feel this loneliness even in the crowd of Thrissur Pooram. It’s not of how many of them are there around you, it’s about how many are there with you. And the other is the fear of death. I understand these two are the most prime fears etched on us, which can be rubbed and leveled, that are still left undiscovered for many. Once we gain the strength to overwhelm this fear then no one born or yet to be born on earth can pull down the smile on your face.

Now here, as 2012 melts down, when it’s time to make the New Year resolutions, I think this time I have a new set of resolutions than my years so far. Yet all those mishaps couldn’t win to take the smile off my face as the year signs off. Here are my resolutions... J

·         Read, write and learn more.

·         Go for longer walks.

·         Loosen up.

·         Click more photos.

·         Laugh more.

·         Remain optimistic.

·         Be happy.

Being Happy is the goal..!!! 

Happy New Year..!!!! God Bless..!!!

Delhi gang rape.

I was a bit lazy to push aside things and make some time to jot down those that shook my mind ‘even’ as an FB status. In that, one was Sachin’s retirement. Of course, he won’t play forever. But still all of a sudden when his retirement was announced, I went through a very silly course of disturbance like any young man who grew up hearing about Sachin’s records and centuries since kindergarten. Yet, my laziness was strong enough to overwhelm that silly course of disturbance and keep me sit idle even as my friends filled Facebook with posts, pictures and video of Sachin. Everywhere Sachin..!!!

But then the next thing happens today. The 23-year-old gang-rape victim passed away this morning. I can hardly bear the agitation this mayhem has triggered. This was something beyond the circumference of humanity around me. Unbearable!! We were there with Sachin for the past 23 years of his career. My one silly post is negligible regarding his retirement. But this girl who unknown to us all and who became our sister gaining all our prayers… I think I’m obliged at least to let some space in my Aphorisms for her even though it won’t bring in a change a mild breeze would bring. 

Dear GOI, the way you deal with the protestors can only help the people of India to transmigrate from voters to terrorists or naxalites. It’s a shame. Is it for this freedom those generations’ kept shedding lives for 200 years? For God’s sake, understand..!!!

Whatever is your sign or your flag’s color, those in a position, who fear to react or whose blood doesn't boil seeing and hearing these atrocities are impotent. Or maybe you are much worse than these criminals. You still managed to set your blood ‘cold’ as ever even as something that stirred the hearts of all Indian’s happened. Thanks a lot to the Indian media world by the way. They did not dare to bring out Sachin’s retirement to sink down this issue.

I can’t complain about her death. I would say its better she died rather being a live martyr and wishing to have died.

To finish this just as a mere Facebook status won’t satisfy me. Not that spreading some words makes me feel better. I’m disturbed...totally and thoroughly like the thousands of brave protestors down there in my country.

I don’t know which way to choose to show my protest. Should I go out and kill. Like any Indian, I’m also ready to breach the so called ‘circumference’ of humanity and kill. But whom to kill? Will that bring some kind of an improvement? No..!! The change is something that needs to come from within. Such an incident is not the first of its kind to be so disquieted. At least, let the perpetrators receive their punishment in the public. Let India keep the heritage and traditions aside for some time and perform an atrocious form of punishment that would be a warning for any perverted souls born.

I don’t know her. But she is related to me by the universal bond of humanity, I hear that loud yell of a sister then a mother… that’s what disturbs me the most. The agony she went through… The agony which that mother have to live with for the rest of her life… That’s what brings the moisture in my eyes… Even a prayer, for her soul to rest in peace will be an irony…

Dear Pain..,

Dear Pain..,

You have shattered me.

You have confused and isolated me.

You snatched my energy and my confidence,

In each step you climbed to reach the peak though slowly.

The space within me that drained energy created,

Echoed fear and anxiety.

But, that was only until you conquered the peak.

I exist even after that.

Pain, oh dear…, now you are my best addiction.

You imparted a cute shining crystal of wisdom that

I am mightier than you are.

And as I inhale more of that wisdom-breeze,

I slowly reckon that you never even existed

And that you were just an enigmatic creation

Of my ignorant mind.

The most stupid creation of my thoughts…

The Meeting

I was sitting on the steps on the bank of Nila River (Bharathapuzha) drenched after few dips in her, for offering annual after-death rituals for my father the 16th time. The Sun was just born. The breeze that gave me a freezing shiver penetrated into me. That made me feel a communication which I’d like to believe was from heaven, through the baby Sun, as that tender breeze that came to me caressing the beautiful river and then into me. I felt abstracted totally. That was when I felt the touch of warm fingers on my shoulders. This wasn’t new to me. This is what forces me to this place every year. To feel this touch. But the warmth was deeper and more intense this time. May be because I was a little worn and weak time. All I could feel outside my skin was the cold drops from Nila that rolled all over me.

I could see or feel like seeing an energy that I always liked to call ‘Soul’, everywhere over there. Some were leaving, some trying to converse and some unwillingly flying back. The wonder in my eyes seeing the more than 64X or 128X fast forwarded motion of all beneath me, the Soul who stood next to me said, “The time-wheel have a longer diameter here than that of Earth. One heaven-day is one earth-year.”

Death was first just a word for me first. Then as I started to know, once it shocked me. As time rolled it turned out to be a fascination. Slowly I started admiring Him. Death…I believe it to be God’s proof that he still rules.

Soul then tells me that death is rather a beginning and not an end. It’s said that a body is a highway inn for the Soul. Life begins as Soul enters a body, following which the Soul remains in that body feeling this small-big world with the senses. And as time rolls Soul is forced to fly out from the cage of body as the later wares out.

The moment the last breath is exhaled, the body which was until then a mark of identity turns to a mass of dead meat, which waits either to burn in flames or decay under earth. What remains is the soul alone, which then moves with us in an intergalactic space that's beyond the description of the senses, until it gets a new body to enter.

“This is the fact, son. But, we guide those lives that struggle as we are lost to them. I had always been there around you.” He said. I made a hard attempt to speak. “I have felt that too. Th…though…” Suddenly, I felt water getting in my mouth making me gasp and breathing was also a task. Another sudden shiver woke me. “I” was taking a dip in the Nila after offering the rituals. I couldn’t believe how fast that time went.

Everything just passed by during my conversation with ‘Him’. Nothing abnormal or supernatural was seen anymore when I looked around. But I could still feel the shock all over my body. He must have gone. The montage of emotions I went through expressed a warm tiny candid drop of tear that rolled down my cheeks. Nobody noticed it. Nila wiped it cleverly, taking that drop deep into her.

I wished if we had the same ‘Time-wheel’ they had on earth too. Doesn’t matter.., I could still feel that energy’s unassailable presence around me that drives me steadily until the day I meet God’s proof…

Transit

Waiting is a kind of suspended animation. Time solidifies: a dead weight. Waiting casts one's life into a little dungeon of time. It is a way of being controlled, of being rendered immobile and helpless. One can read a book or sing (odd looks from the others) or chat with strangers if the wait is long enough to begin forming a bond of shared experience.

These long transit hours are killing me. I feel that even the seconds hand on my watch is taking the pace of his dwarf counterpart. Sri Lanka During my primary school days, I had that comic thought that this country which I often draw like a drop of water falling off the tap’s tip, is just a swim away from the tip of my country. Even though it was years back when I was a kid, it would be a point of self betrayal when I deny the fact that that thought came into me several times. Fortunately or unfortunately, my swimming coach was not that professional enough to teach me swimming.

Waiting can turn Gandhi to Hilter. And so for a short-tempered guy like me it was as if 20 years of imprisonment. For me, waiting for a person even after the time scheduled was meant to be his death at the same moment he arrives. But when it is a wait to crash land like a meteor to the midst of your loved ones spreading laugh waves of happiness...it’s…it’s something bloody inexplicable.

Hmm, few more hours to go. There are bunches of hearts waiting for me just across this fragile channel of Indian Ocean. I can feel that gravity. But Sri Lankan Airlines never fly before time. :(

The Road & The Biker

A FOOT and light-hearted I take to the open Road! Healthy and free is the world before me! The long black, tarred or muddy, smooth or broken path before me, leading wherever I choose! Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I am good-fortune. Neither do I whimper any more, postpone no more, need nothing, strong and content, I travel the open Road.

The picture is always alive, every part in its best light, the music falling in where it is wanted, and stopping where it is not wanted. The cheerful voice of the public Road—the fresh sentiment of the Road.

The earth—that is sufficient, I do not want the constellations any nearer, I know they are very well where they are, and I know they suffice for those who belong to them. Still here I carry my old delicious burdens, men and women—I carry them with me wherever I go. I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them. I am filled with them.

Roads. I never know how to consider the Roads. Is it my second mother or the best among all the friends I have or is it that black monk who sets me into a blissful meditation with the majestic “THUMP” of my Bullet? Frankly, I don’t know how to name it. Roads, they have seen all my emotions. 

I have often felt that a biker can imagine wider and deeper than a lover. For the lover have just versions of a single emotion. But a biker embraces the nature. He takes the rain, wind, sun, people and the traffic jam without a curse. He is sometimes a silent monk and sometimes a violent warrior. Whatever he is Road accepts him as he is. This is what makes me say that a biker can be a better poet than a lover.

I say biker. Because, a biker feels nature more than a driver who moves in a bubble faking the weather and listening to someone else’s music. Take your bike. Hit the Road. She is everywhere. Even your destiny is just a highway inn. The highway will still be there…long enough.

Accidents happen. We are mortals after all. There is one way or the other to take us out from this beautiful world. We can never run away from that.

Inhale great draughts of air. Feel that the east, the west, the north and the south are yours.

So take the bike and hit the Road. 

Happy riding…

Happy Friendship Day Buddies..!!!

Today is the first Sunday of August. Today is the friendship day. A day when all races get to learn from each other is the significance behind honoring and celebrating such a day.

The human survival is based on friendship. From the highest authority to the lowest bums living on the streets all of them have experienced in some way or the other one of these different kinds of friendships. We take this friendship for granted because it is something that exists naturally in society and most of us never really have to actually go out into the world looking for a friend. Friendship is a necessary aspect of every human’s life, as we are not self sufficient in and of ourselves. Despite its necessity, in some cases we are either forced or morally required to end these relationships. When the trust between two parties has been broken, the loyalty of the friendship is soiled, and it is therefore a true and just action to end the friendship

 “The silver friend knows your present and the gold friend knows all of your past dirt and glories. Once in a blue moon there is someone who knows it all, someone who knows and accepts you unconditionally, and someone who is there for life.” This is a quote I read once in an article by Jill McCorkle. I wrote it down and posted on my wall. Gender too can barely stand as a wall. When a girl and a boy behave closely there is a scope for a better friendship than a silly folly affair. I’d say that boys and girls make the best friendship stories. Because when they break all the inhibitions and talk freely there is nothing on earth as pure, refreshing, satisfying as that relation.

Amma used to shout at me always asking me to depend on some of my friends when she finds me struggling on something which could be easily solved with an aid of a support, something which would have been more delicate when shared. She always used to correct me saying that the only scope of having is not just gathering and sharing jokes and the film news. “Share your problems and feelings with them. Only then will you be able to know whom to take and whom to drop” she used to say that quite often.

It wasn’t that easy for me to learn on that. But later on I reckoned that life can be lived easier and lighter when emotions and hurdles are shared. Discuss the obstacle you face with at least four trustable people. You can mutate the strategy to subdue an obstacle. Life is then a river with clear, clean and cold water that can smoothen any rock on its way into a pebble.

Thanks to all my friends for accepting me as I am…

Happy Friendship day buddies…

Photography!!!!

Photographing is seriously an awesome habit than a hobby. There are about a zillion reasons why, but I’ve compiled some of them.

Kids are God's presence on earth.

They gift a smile on your face 

regardless of the situation, 

pressure or mess you are in..

I think everyone should get into photography. We don’t ever have to do it professionally. That’s not what being a photographer means. Being a photographer just means we really love photography. It can give us more than we ever imagined. With a photo we can capture a moment, and have it forever. 

Photography changes the way we see things. It’s actually quite an incredible transformation to experience. Suddenly we notice light, shapes, colors, textures, people, buildings, trees, flowers…Everything around us looks different when we start to see the world as a photographer. 

Once we start noticing details, we inevitably start to see how much beauty is all around us. Every day is filled with it—in the most ordinary or unexpected places. Photography is something we get immersed in. We lose yourself in shooting, and all our worries and daily stresses just melt away. 

Photographing the “moment” photographed

Now, there is actually a lot more to photography than just pointing the camera at something and pressing the button. That’s where we start. But learning to become a great photographer is a serious challenge. We’ll always be learning something new, have new directions to explore, and new challenges to face. And that’s a good thing! This is a pursuit that we will never be bored with. Everyone sees things differently. Put 100 photographers in a room and you’ll get 100 different photos. The way we see the world is unique, and photography lets us share that perspective with others.  

That orb of fire is not the Sun.

It is that Big-Bang of Thrissur that detonate a 

busy Thrissur Round to the whoop of its 

own Thrissur Pooram 

Photography also lets us express yourself—our opinions, tastes and beliefs. This part of photography is absolutely fascinating as a viewer, and fulfilling as a shooter. Photos make us feel. They can produce every emotion, from happiness, to sadness, fear and excitement. There is so much contained in one small frame—learning to produce them, and read them certainly opens us up to feeling. Our photos can make people happy. They can make people nostalgic. Through simply showing our images we can evoke an emotion in someone else. With the internet we can affect so many people at once. Photography really connects people in that way.

With our images we can also make people stop and think. Just a glance at a powerful image can stop people in their tracks. Some images can change the way we view the world for the rest of our life. Strong stuff!! After someone has passed, photos of them become treasured items. Without getting too morbid, everyone will die, and photos are potentially the best way to preserve the image and spirit of a person. 

Life is filled with “big moments”. Births, weddings, first steps—these are all moments that need to be documented for family history. And a lot of the big moments aren’t times when we’d hire a professional photographer. 

Imagine we’re sitting around a big box of photos with friends and family. There would be a lot of talking, laughs, stories, jokes, and maybe even a tear or two. It’s an amazing way to connect. Photographs can show more than just how something looked. They can capture how something felt. Especially if the photographer felt it him selves.  

People are incredibly interesting. And emotion is a part of that. Seeing how the face changes during a laugh, or how body language reflects mood are all fascinating studies and photography helps you capture that. Photos have the incredible ability to freeze movement. Photos show us the world in a way our eyes can’t see. 

When we shoot a lot we’ll always surprise and amaze ourselves. As long as we are always pushing ourselves, we can be sure that photography won’t ever get dull! We’ll upload our photos and suddenly say “Wow! I can’t believe I took that!”. It’s really cool. 

Anyone can become a photographer. It doesn’t matter if we’re young or old, what country we live in, or what language we speak. Just get our hands on a camera–any camera–and start shooting. Practice, think about our work, and open ourselves up to our experiences. Keep at it and you’ll see firsthand why being a photographer is so gosh darn awesome!!

Jagathy Sreekumar

Jagathy Sreekumar….Our Jagathy!!! He is the ultimate artist who could make a Malayali move with his expressions, dialogues and even those subtle gestures. For more than three decades he ignited tales of laughter, thoughts and also tears sometimes. He is an actor whom the judging panel always failed to recognize. But, those never used to be something that shakes that man. A real rock-steady man. He never hesitated to speak out what there in his mind. He always had opinions that were often controversies. He was always raw. Like the Ranjini Haridas issue.

That news came in like a shockwave on March 9th when I was being shifted to a room from the casualty of West-Fort hospital following an accident; that Jagathy met an accident around Calicut. It was around midnight then.

Having done more than 1500+ Malayalam films, this man compares himself to a woman of the street saying that he too goes with anyone brings him a chance to act. But whatever he drew out from him before the camera used to have that beautiful signature of versatility in it regardless of the quality of the overall movie. Jagathy never wears out. In fact, is not him who should be called an “EverGreen Artist”?

Now after 4 months of this mishap, he is still bedridden. But news are there saying he started to recover in a steady pace. How cannot he come back to that silver screen when there is not at least one Malayali who haven’t prayed for his comeback at least once? In fact is not this the ultimate award that can boost him to come back and continue his journey again.

May be, this was God’s desire to give him some rest pulling him out of his busy schedule. But He could have chosen a better way. Like what Anjali Menon said, for a man who has given all he has to the industry, arent all of us his family members? It was clear that the audience too is a part of that family – when the doctors requested for blood, there were so many people, willing to offer it for him.

That’s when someone at the hospital said – “Jagathy Sreekumar belongs to everyone – He is a public asset.“

Prayers that you get well soon Sir.

From your family.

He will come back!!! My prayers too...

500 Likes!! :)

I’m an amateur photographer. I know no aperture, I have no big lens, and I have no degrees. But still I believe there are no rules in the warfront. With my Canon I shoot brutally all those in which I find a spark of beauty. The limitations I feel in my skill pushes me further. Each step is an experiment.

Today my photography page on Facebook hit 500 Likes (http://www.facebook.com/VarunzBeautBokeh). May not be a big deal. But it gave me a cute little smile within me. All thanks to my 3 most beautiful ladies, Mol, DivyaChechy and Tishum (Vandana, Sreedivya and Titiksha) who were the root beneath the soil for my Beaut Bokeh. J

A professional photographer is an amateur who didn't quit. I never wanted to be a professional. But I won’t quit. I can’t…

101 Lessons

When I was young I wanted to live to 100. To my mind it might as well have been infinity. Then I got older and I didn’t want to live to anything.
Now I want to live to 100 again. Actually, I’d like to live to infinity. From an angle earth is still a virgin to live in.

Anyway, 27 is still young, and I don’t claim to know it all. What I do know is what I know, you know? ;)

I’ve had this post ready for a long time. I was a little bit afraid to post it, but it may be The Ultimate Filter. Maybe tomorrow I start with a blank slate.
Probably not!

This list was originally 99. Then I edited some out. Then I added some. Then I edited some out. Truth be told I think I could easily hit 1,000. But right now it’s 101. A nice, easy number we’ll also call Infinity + 1.

Infinity + 1 Lessons Varun Has Learned In 27 Years:

1.      Friends really do come and go. Some come back. Some don’t. That’s OK.
2.      Nobody cares about you as much as they care about themselves.
3.      Drive carefully. Roads are full of idiots.
4.      It’s OK to be different.
5.      Most people won’t agree with you.
6.      The people who really care will still care whether they agree with you or not.
7.      You don’t need anybody’s support to make things happen.
8.      Arguments are pointless. You can’t change anyone, don’t try.
9.      People will rationalize and justify anything and everything to be “right.” Let them.
10.   You can never change a situation u enter into. You are the situation. You are the circumstance. Be the situation!!!
11.   “Some day” never comes.
12.   Even your infinite life is not long enough to save all songs that melts or wakes you into the HDD of your laptop. Listen to songs. Be very much in that moment.
13.  You’re not as different as you think.
14.  You can have anything you want. Objects seen in dreams are closer than they appear.
15.  You never have to settle. Not in a relationship, not in a job, not ever. Nirvana is the state you settle. Salvation. Redemption. You can’t say it’s an unattainable state on Mother Earth.
16.  Somebody will always tell you your ideas suck. Take action anyway.
17.  You might think you’re not good enough, but you’ll surprise yourself when you try.
18.  Unconditional love or affection has got nothing to do with blood relation. It’s sometimes just an added feature of blood relations. But it’s a treasure. Unconditional love infects you with sanity.
19.   I like Adolf Hitler. I like Che Guevara. I like Bob Marley. I like Communism. It’s not a crime to like people whom others hate.
20.  10th standard board exam has got nothing to do in your life.
21.  Society wants you to be average as well, but you can be exceptional if you’d like. It’s your choice.
22.  You will make mistakes. So what?
23.  It’s OK to feel sad.
24.  There is nothing wrong with you.
25.  Successful people read books. Not all successful people read books.
26.  Passion can go a long way.
27.  Don’t kill yourself. It’s never worth it.
28.  Make more friends where ever u go to. Unconditional friendship.
29.  If you think you can do something you’re right. If you think you can’t do something you’re also right.
30.  The refrigerator light doesn’t always stay on.
31.  Whether you hear it or not, a falling tree always makes a sound.
32.  Money is not the root of all evil. Love of money is not the root of all evil either. You don’t need as much money as you think.
33.  Instincts can be true. Believe in instincts. We all have instincts.
34.  Marriage is not the license to have an extra-marital affair.
35.  Nobody cares what kind of car you drive. If they do, they’re not worth your time. (Also, replace car with: the kinds of clothes you wear.)
36.  Don’t be a pushover.
37.  Memories and moments are priceless. Write down your memories. Photograph your moments. Even if they seem trivial. Nothing is trivial.
38.  Let you be an open “read only” book. Be transparent. Speak out your doubts.
39.  Ask for what you want. If you don’t ask, you won’t receive.
40.  Don’t make the same mistake twice. If you do, don’t make it a third time.
41.  There will always be somebody more “successful” than you are.
42.  Define your own rules for success. It’s a lot easier to rule your world than someone else’s world.
43.  Never hide affection.
44.  If you can believe a man who have no relation with you or whom you haven’t met in person for your lifetime as GOD just for the reason he have 100 centuries under his belt, then you gotto believe that your parents are mightier than that.
45.  Focus in the Present.
46.  Imagination is powerfull.
47.  Learn the rules, and then play better.
48.  Admire beauty in all its forms.
49.  Telling someone they’re wrong never leads to anything positive. Even if they’re wrong.
50.  Whatever it may be, you need to have your own unbreakable principles.
51.  Be responsible to the bonds in life. Never hide from your responsibility.
52.  You don’t need more than 3 pairs of shoes. 1 athletic, 1 dress, and 1 casual. Even that might be overkill.
53.  Forbidding you from biking after an accident is not the way to prevent another one.
54.  Never share your secrets to others. If you can’t hold your secrets neither can they.
55.  Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.
56.  Follow your curiosity.
57.  Never be subject to questions.
58.  Just because somebody tells you something is true, doesn’t mean it is. Do your own research.
59.  Jealousy is mankind’s most useless emotion. Instead of feeling jealous, feel happy.
60.  Happiness is mankind’s most useful emotion.
61.  If you help people get what they want, you will “miraculously” get what you want.
62.  It’s OK to be a follower. It’s better to be a thought leader.
63.  It’s OK if you don’t like something. Just don’t pretend that you do.
64.  There are exceptions to every rule. That doesn’t make the rule invalid.
65.  Seek vengeance only to those enemies who have a class. Ignore the rest. Let them bark.
66.  You don’t have to marry to know the dos and don’ts of a husband or a wife. We are engulfed with ample examples.
67.  Never advice anyone.
68.  Don’t blame anybody for your problems. They’re yours. The sooner you establish this the sooner you can work on them.
69.  Don’t learn or perform a skill of yours just for the sake of a competition. It lives only when it comes from your soul directly.
70.  You don't have to disrespect and insult others simply to hold your own ground. If you do, that shows how shaky your own position is.
71.  May be a kid can clear your doubt sometimes.
72.  Don’t wish, do. “I wish I could…” is a waste of thought energy.
73.  Never feel shy to say “Sorry”. Accept your mistakes.
74.  Do what scares you. Catch the bull by its horns.
75.  If you think something is a bad idea, it might mean you should do it. Or it might mean it’s actually a bad idea.
76.  Stop watching so much TV. Watch films that's worth watching.
77.  It really is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Try it next time.
78.  It’s OK if you don’t want to travel the world. There are lots of things to explore in your own backyard.
79.  Don’t listen to anybody who tells you “you’re missing out” by not going somewhere or doing something. You’re only missing out if you believe you’re missing out.
80.  Don’t think of cost. Think of value.
81.  You are not cheap. Never compromise when it’s for quality.
82.  Relationships need not always have a blood bond. I have plenty of grannies, mothers and sisters.
83.  You can change the world because you define your world.
84.  Never shout if someone starts advising you. Accept that with a smile and then do it as you wish.
85.  Give away something you love. You’ll learn a) detachment and b) it feels great.
86.  Do activities by yourself. Solo Social Activities (movies, dinner, concerts, travel) can be a lot of fun.
87.  Stop depending on other people.
88.  It’s OK to complain sometimes. Don’t make it a habit.
89.  Do what you love even if you don’t get paid for it.
90.  Stop texting or checking your phone when you’re with other people. It’s rude and it’s sad.
91.  Never interfere in anyone's life.
92.  Show gratitude.
93.  Laugh uncontrollably.
94.  There is no such thing as luck. No good luck. No bad luck. Luck is often an element of our unawareness about something that’s going to happen. The result is scripted already. Realize that you are called up for acting this life without reading the script.
95.  The secret to winning is playing. Often. (This advice does not hold for games of chance.)
96.  Everybody lies. Trust people anyway.
97.  If you dwell on past mistakes you will get depressed. Dwell or don’t dwell, but know the outcome.
98.  There is always more you can do. But that doesn’t mean there is always more you should do.
99.  Don’t compare yourself to other people. Compare yourself to yourself over the time.
100.Trust God.
101. Life is a gamble. So be like life itself. Unplanned.

The Rich, The Ascetic & The Common Man..

"I don’t regret the past, and I don’t care about the future. I live and love my present."

The Facets:

Richness…!!! How much rich??? No idea about that. No idea of how rich I need to be to stop regretting the past; then, to stop being anxious about the future and finally to live and love my present. Will that be an inflated bubble? I have no idea about that too. I want that tag line to be perpetual. Something as perpetual as the sun, never-fading. But an ultra-luxurious life would be something in which I wouldn’t fit in. Too much luxury itches. 

So then comes the second, Detachment!! Relinquished! Departed! The life of an Ascetic. The life of a Wanderer.

Detachment has always been a much coveted dream of my life. More than an aim it’s a dream. Aim is the level between the dream and its transition to reality. It’s not all that easy for a Dream to move down to an Aim.  Effort, focus and above all, you should deserve to be able enough to wave a green flag to bring it to an attainable form of an Aim and then to the tangible form of Reality.

Drifting back to Detachment. No strings attached, no inhibitions, like an ever-flowing river...a relinquished life that is simply original...Simply simple. There the regret and the anxiousness in the tag-line bear more metal to be perpetual. It can be a journey with different colors like a pilgrim, student, traveler, explorer, photographer, or a writer. Name it!! The aim will be to free the mind to where it wishes to fly or to flow. If it’s a life of that kind I can say that “I don’t regret the past, and I don’t care about the future. I live and love my present.” But there are strong strings attached. Really strong strings.

Yet, Present is cool. Life is entertaining with the cameo appearances of the two facets discussed earlier along with a mixture of millions of other elements. Still in this living life I can say that I live and love my present with all the hurdles that come on the way.

Satisfaction is the fourth and the ultimate. Aims are inevitable, but what remains in the filter after draining the aim is that which is to be decimated...the greed.

For living the life the number of strings isn’t relevant at all. Take life as it comes. Enjoy it like watching a suspense thriller with a beautiful BGM played with the strings attached. Utilize and ride it to the finishing point and say “That was a cool ride…”