Q?

 

I am always so full of questions and when I am in a contemplative mood, as I am today, my mind bursts open with so many questions, Questions will come aplenty, especially if we provide them enough space to flourish but most of which are never answered. I think now, as I struggle valiantly to be optimistic, that I’ll never find the answers.

For instance, why is it that good times seem to disappear so quickly that you never realize they’re gone until bad times start taking effect?

Why are there so many bad times that make you wish for some time turner and change things, or better still, to escape into the future so you don’t have to face them!

How do things unexpectedly make even the optimist feel hopeless?

And why does God seem to leave that hand he used to hold you with, when you needed that support the most?
But well, things can never be hopeless, even in the darkest of skies, there will be some ray of light coming out to give a splinter of hope or maybe, the other way to feel hopeful is to think of those people who are worse. But What all I can say is,

 

” onnume puriyala ulagathula…
yennamo nadakuthu marmamaa irukkuthu…”

 

 

Hectic Week

 

What an awful way to start a post.
I just feel horrible, as though nothing in the week has been going right. Nothing has, actually.
I feel cold and I have a headache right now and they’re really not helping things. I feel like a near-failure. But being optimistic drives me crossing these things. Added to that I’m bored of people all people I just feel like running away from everyone and just sleeping on my bed with the cover fully drawn over me. It just feels so awful! I want to get out of this crazy place and have to do nothing at all!

 

Being a South Indian

I’m sharing an article about being a south Indian in B school but its not alone a problem in B school, It can happen to anyone once he gets out of Tamil nadu either for Education or for Job. There is nothing wrong in learning Hindi. No need to be so offensive about Hindi. After all learning a language is always a + for us.

The problem of being a South Indian in a Bschool – Ramanan Venkat

The day of announcement of the results. Thank god you are admitted. At last. Some relief. College pal phones you and after formal congos says ‘Meesaya eduthuru. Northie ponnungalukku mesa irundha pudikaadhu” (Wipe your Moustache off. Northie girl doesn’t get along with mushy guys).

You see him as a savior. Do that. Think you look like ‘Thillu Mullu’ Rajini and stand before amma. After a brief shock she adds, “ Oh. Anga ulla manjal vachrukken. Poi theichi kulichiko”. Arghhh.

Airport. Adieu Sennai Madharaas. In the flight an old lady with the specs ,” Krupya thoda hut jaayiye . Mujhe saaman rakhna hei” . A padikkathavan Rajini appears again withinself . Smiling you say, “Yes . Yes. Thank you”. The lady is puzzled. Again minutes before landing when your eyes are fixed on to the refreshing pair of waxed legs , the air hostess with her glass of water whispers , “ Kursi. Thoda aage”. The reply was “No. Thanks”.

At the end of the day 1 you update your Facebook wall with any of these three phrases. “ Ek gaav mein Ek kisaan raguthaatha.. Raha.. Raha”, “Arrey yaar!!!” ,” Roti, Rajma and Aloo L “

Anshul, Arnav,Abhinav, Arnab, Ayush, Amit, Ashish. Ankit. Confusions of India. RIP Anands, Aruns, Karthiks, Sureshs & Rameshs.

The next day someone asks you , “ Are you a Maddu?” Mallu misspelt you thought . Madras = Maddu. Mallu, Kaddu, Golti likewise. Whattey explanation. Appo Salem na enna Sallu va..? Podango.

You are astonished cum annoyed to know that Keralites can understand,talk,walk Hindi you bloody fellow. People from AP can speak broken Hindi. Kannads speak even Marathi. Dei. Ennagada. Naama ellam onnunu nenachen? Appo naan than out aa? Oh Gaaaawd.

Class rooms are nothing less than night mares. A girl in the class is on the way with a smile. Says something. Before you could decipher that, a Villain with a loud voice crosses and declares, “Usko Hindi nahi aathi hei.” Ot** Dei.

No where connected to the mass the world looks deserted. When the entire class bursts out in laughter for a professor’s joke in Punjabish Hindi you are busy nudging the next fellow , “What yaar. Kya yaar. Bol yaar”. The chap makes sure that he doesn’t sit in your vicinity for any of the future classes. It becomes a routine and over a period of time it becomes almost involuntary. You bang the desk and start laughing loud enough so that Prof makes a special note of you, though you don’t get a single bit of it. Desperate class participation you see.

You pretend to be the calmest guy in the class. Little the other people know that you penned a love letter in Class V and the cc of the same was sent to the Maths teacher. A typical last bencher you hurled pieces of chalk at the miss and in UG college you proudly used to claim the prettiest faculty , “En Figure”. Distant sweet memoirs. Vaal is suruttified.

Morning before you even get up you think of the day’s menu. “Aloo parantha & Dahi”. That Idli, Pongal & Meduvada floating on a plate of Sambhar at Ratna Café in Triplicane flashes across. The same weekend you travel 50 Kms up and down for a Andra full meals.

Water sprinkled on a banana leaf. You are getting emotional. Rice piled. Hand drilled. Hole made. Podi put. Ghee vittu. You are disturbed. Thinking of the Home and Amma for the first time in 40 days. Eating the first vaai of Rasam. You are about to cry. For the first time in life you tip Rs.30.

You’ve never been a great fan of Rajnikant. Sans Baadsha. But when people tease you with The name for every single thing you do you feel more connected to him. Some youTube videos for the rescue. Blue neon/Led lights flashing S.U.P.E.R S.T.A.R and then a R A J N I Goosebumps.

And the only solace. You try desperately to learn some Hindi but fail again and again. Frustrated, you see the famous “Inga Vaa – Idhar Aaoo – Kuchi Kuchi Otha Hei” “Nahi Beta… Beta engamma tharaanunga” “Idhar pundit kon hei??? Cone ice aamaa ???? Adhu pandigaila koyilukku velila vippaanga” Vadivel comedy tracks and hit the sack.

This abysmal situation will never change unless Hindi is made compulsory in Primary schools of Tamil Nadu. See how politics affects individuals life.

 

Deferring your happiness to the future is a terrible idea

Everybody has their own goals of life, which we desperately want to make in our life time. If your whole life is working up towards one really big goal that you hold on to for years deferring happiness, then you will have a major anticlimax after the dust settles. Work towards it, but stop deferring your happiness. Happiness differs from age to age, the one which makes you happy at your 16 won’t be same as when you reach 32. Everyday we must have some entertainment quotient which helps us to be calm and happy. And as usual it differs from person to person but anything of good is always right.

When you start deferring your happiness for the sake of something, the day when you get it, you feel there will be something else missing out in your life. I fundamentally believe that long-term pure happiness from one particular situation or achievement is a pipe-dream, but we can learn to be content with what we have, live in the now, all while enjoying the progress and changes we are making. Many people make a thought that when they have that one thing they can work towards for years then “everything will be alright”. This is an absolute delusional.

Everyone knows about the saying, “Make hay while the sun shines”, likewise, we should always try to be happy and make others happy when it is possible for us to make it happen. When happiness prevails, the inner strength and the progress improves there by it helps in achieving the goal easier than by deferring happiness. But, most of all, deferring happiness is of mad people’s idea, don’t ever try to be one among them. Be happy and make the life enjoyable by not deferring happiness at each stages of life. Don’t ever fall into deferred happiness syndrome.

Search “Deferred Happiness Syndrome” in your search engine, you will know what it is all about.

Thanks for the read!

 

QND – 2010

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Qatar National Day – 2010

Location: Chorniche, Doha.

Camera: Olympus E-600

Photos are crunched in-order to save space.

 

The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white, but must be experienced

“The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white but must be experienced.”

– Benny Lewis

Nothing is like the real thing. Reading books, blogs and articles, watching the world passively or living the world vicariously through someone helps to experience other people’s triumphs and mistakes without having to go through it. Of course, it cannot replace real experience but is the closest thing to it that is accessible to most of us, it can apparently get only the general gist of anything, because, the most important things in life are very hard to put in Black & White. Words are restricted by their meanings and context while experience is unbound. You can describe an event with words, but the Words are inadequate to capture reality. A philosopher says,

“Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others”.

– Otto Von Bismarck

 True. Getting the abstract from other’s mistake is also a type of experience but try to be a “Fool” sometimes, The World is such a huge place and there is so much to explore, the later you start exploring it, the less the world you would have conquered. The way of life must be experienced to really know or feel what it’s like until you try it by yourself, I can’t for instance, tell someone what is feeling of electrocution or what the taste of chilies is. Every genuine experience is beyond words. I still believe that controlled “Small Mistakes” are good for overall development of the individuals, provided that they he or she reflects upon the mistakes. My view may contradict with others, but we have “One Life” – experience everything because “Experience is the only consolation of growing old”.

Whoever we are in life creates an expectation, we live in a world of expectation where everything is due to everyone but in reality, nothing is due to us. And experience is one among the priority which helps us meet the expectations. Experience doesn’t diminish its value. Remember that every real experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, and however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.

Always make sure that “The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white but must be experienced.” So Go ahead and start explore : experience life.

 

Sunshine – Part I

 

Sunshine – the brightest thing in the world.

The pictures were taken with HTC Wildfire and none of my pictures here are edited.

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Everyone everywhere basically wants the same thing.

What we want most out of life?

 Life can get so busy that we don’t have time to think about what we want out of life.

When people get their basic needs – Food, Water and Shelter, they seek for Happiness. Happiness is the foremost concern of every living thing. Many people will seek happiness throughout their life, yet some look in the wrong place only to despair. There are people who are lucky to have good life, good parents, education and talents, yet they search for trouble and trying to find something exactly wrong with their life, and they search for regret. But does it all leads to things we destined for? “Pursuit of Happiness” is the prime thing that helps to reach our destination.

But before sharing things about pursuit of happiness, Let me ask,

What is happiness to you? What gives you joy? What makes u smile? These questions can only be answered by you but I can say what happiness all about??? (You may be familiar with some of the points I’m about to share, but being reminded is always good)

Does money makes you happy?? We need money to live, but being obsessed with money will never give us happiness. At most, it will only give us short-term pleasure, it buys things that you long for but they are not permanent and they will leave you as soon as they come to us. It’s a recorded fact that 37% of people on Forbes are less happy than any average man.

Appreciation and Compensation!! If someone appreciates or compensates you for the good thing you do, we surely feel happy, but later the happiness fades away slowly. And most important thing is it also makes up the mind to expect the same when you did it again, and expectations surely hurt.

Meaningful Relationship!! Meaningful relationship is a key ingredient to happiness, it always makes the life interesting when u knows that someone loves you for the way you are but the path of relationship is not always calm. When the storm hits, you will break down into pieces.  

There may be many factors like liberty, Freedom, Social support, Free from pressures, Health, Family, Friends, Love – which makes us feel happy, but still we could feel unfilled that there might be still something crucial missing after we have reached the goal of happiness. It is because of our internal factors. Yes, Happiness is determined more by the state of one’s mind than by one’s external factors, it can be achieved only by our heart and mind.

The three most important things through which you can reshape your mind and heart for the “Pursuit of Happiness” are “Attitude, Gratitude and Compassion”. We can put those words in a sentence, “An Attitude of Gratitude cultivates Compassion”. So, learn to like yourself in-spite of the things you don’t like about yourself, there is nothing you can do about it now. Instead of worrying about it, you’d better accept it, thank and see it in a positive way. What you think it as disadvantage could actually be your advantage. Only after you feel good about yourself you can find happiness throughout in life.

As a result of this, you’d feel contented and destined, but you aren’t really. Make sure that, Happiness is not destined to be all and end for anyone’s life, but having them beside leads us to do great things, the great things that you are destined for, thereby serving  the “Purpose of your Life”.

And that’s why,

Everyone everywhere basically wants Happiness to reach their destination 🙂