25th April 2009
I was sitting anxiously with my mom & dad in the majesty hall of ‘Le Meridian’, waiting for my name to be announced. It was my PG convocation and I had no idea whether I was going to get the degree that evening or not.
‘God, from tomorrow I’ll definitely read The Economic Times (instead of some genuinely interesting pages of The Pune Times) .But please clear my ‘Current Affairs’ paper, my distinction in all the other subjects is worthless if I flunk in this one’
God was listening such prayers from me since I was in 10th Std.These prayers had one consistent demand, just the names of the subjects and the intensity of the prayer (which was directly proportional to the difficulty level of the subject) kept on changing.
Finally, my name was announced. I got up very slowly, adjusted my tie-knot. Mom & dad were clapping. I looked at their glowing faces, they were enjoying my convocation more than me. I went on the dais with plastic smile on my face. The chief-guest reciprocated the same. However, his smile was more fake . (Experience counts!) He handed over me the file and congratulated me.
‘Wait Sir, Let me just check up the file, whether anything is inside it or not.’
I got down from the stage with the echo of applauses roaring in my ears. Slowly, with thumping heartbeats, I opened the file.
BOOM ….The certificate was there.
The certificate, that was going to shout at every corporate recruiter from now on, that the guy holding this is a management graduate, was there.
Lesson # 5 :- Most of the times our prayers are answered.
It was only then, I clearly remember even today that precise moment, when I realized that this is the end, the end of the two most rocking years of my life.
24th April 2009
We were standing in front of our director’s cabin, waiting for the list to be declared. The list of the students who were smart enough to clear all the 85 subjects in the span of 17 months and finally getting the degree in the grand convocation ceremony at one the most glamorous hotels in the city. I was quite comfortable with other 84 subjects .My only concern was ‘Current Affairs’, which consisted of some objective questions from the Economic Times. Although reading this particular newspaper is considered as quite sexy in all B-schools , I don’t mind confessing that I never liked it.
And there I was, standing tensed for straight three hours, facing the consequences of hating the Eco Times.
Time flies when you are with friends. We were waiting till 8 pm. Cutting chai from R2 reduced our misery to much extent.
Then came the announcement, ‘No list shall be declared today, tomorrow in the ceremony every one will come to know whether he/she has got the degree or not’.
I kicked my bike and zoomed in to the wild traffic of FC road. There was this continuous stream of thoughts running in my head.
‘What if I don’t clear this subject’
‘What will happen to my job, will they take back the offer ? ’
‘Mom-dad are already excited about this convocation’
“ Are **** , **** , aage dekhke gaadi chala na…”
“Sorry, my mistake”
Lesson # 4: - You should concentrate only on driving, especially when you are driving in a city like Pune.
1 Sept 2007
“Get out of the class, NOW. And I am giving your entire group one red star.”
Mr. Singh fired as always.
The victim went out of the class with the fear of a lamb in his eyes.
His mistake: - the color of his socks was not matching with the colour of his trousers.
Career Development Program popularly known as CDP was the course filled up with many activities designed to check our capability to take load and face embarrassing situations. It was more intense and serious version of MTV Roadies without any retakes. ( I wont underestimate the learnings though)
The course had some clear cut rules.
1) Even if you have a single hair on your cheek, you are unshaved.
2) A single wrinkle on the shirt means your are untidy.
3) You have to finish the homework before coming to the class .You’ll get an exemption from the homework, only if you die somehow, the night before.
4) The colour of your socks should match exactly with the color of your trousers.
You are liable for the punishment if it is lighter or darker.
And the punishment was……
I experienced it in the first lecture.
“You stand up, explain me the cash flow quadrant” Singh sir said staring straight in to my eyes.
“Sir…mmmm” I was desperately searching for some words to explain my excuse.
“We are running out of time.”
“Err..Actually I was not feeling well so I could not read the book”
“I will take that reason only if you produce the receipt of the hospital in which you were admitted. Please sit down and you will write this entire book today.”
This is unreal man…I mean, I have been threatened with such punishments in the past, but no one is crazy enough to actually implement this. This is not a school. He must be kidding. However his eyes were communicating something else…
“ But Sir…”
“Start writing”
? Entire book ? Really? Unbelievable….
I went home at 12.00 in the night with a hand written copy of ‘ Rich Dad & Poor Dad’
Lesson # 3 :- The Terminator doesn’t exist only in movies. There are some guys (not robots) with whom you can not negotiate. Don’t mess with them.
6th August 2007
After one long PPT about a Japanese concept of Kaizen we were separated in to few groups. Kaizen was the most “famous” activity in our B-school.
The PPT talked something about the concept of continuous improvement.
However when the execution time came, we were told to actually sweep and clean the premises in and around the institute under this kaizen activity…. ..they never mentioned that in the PPT.
Brooms & buckets were ready.
Students, with bit hesitation, picked up the brooms and started sweeping. People on the street were surprised to see these blazer clad municipality workers.
I was the leader of one group. Sweeping the institute is not exactly the activity where you can show your leadership qualities.
“Sir, where is my broom and bucket ?” I asked the senior who was allocating the stuff.
“No broom and bucket for you dude…Pick up that Harpic and brush. You have been allocated the boy’s toilet” He said.
“What …?”
“Gent’s toilet… Loo. Samaz nahi aata kya ?” He was arrogant. But I couldn’t complain. He was our senior. And he was strong.
“Hey Chin. …this kaizen thing is damn crazy na” Here comes the cutest female in the class. A day before this damn kaizen we had talked for the first time. It takes a hell lot of time, efforts & intelligence to break the ice if a guy is introvert like me and a girl, gorgeous like her.
“Hmmm… yaah”
“ Disgusting man…sweeping the streets..”
“ I know…”
“Thank god, I am not doing this.”
“Why ?”
“ I’ve been allocated the directors cabin, I just have to arrange some files. What about you ?”
“I don’t know …yet…”
“Are bhai ..tu baate hi karta rahega kya? ye le gloves aur team ja ke saath toilet saaf kar.”
That same senior interrupted while giving me some orange coloured, sticky & wet rubber gloves.
Her expressions changed in a flash.
“Okay then.. I’ll go” She said staring at those gloves, as if I was carrying a live king cobra.
She’ll never shake hands with me again …I thought while putting my hands in them.
Lesson # 2 :- B School learnings are not only about flashy PPTs in AC classrooms.
3rd July 2007
After I messed up in SNAP, I was waiting for the result of the CET. Hoping to get in to any reputed & university affiliated MBA college.
My B- School, where I was already selected, was not affiliated to any university.
There was not any MBA degree and no powerful brand name.
Honestly I was hesitant to join.
So the CET result was the last ray of hope.
When I checked up the website, I realized that I have not cleared the CET with required marks for my dream college.
My prayer was not answered this time.
I was left with only one choice and I went ahead with that.
It was pouring like anything on that morning of 4th July 2007. I entered the campus for the first time in my life, completely drenched , at 6 in the morning to learn the most important lesson in life , the lesson that I was going to learn in bits and pieces for the next two years , the lesson every one learns only in a hard way, by experience.
Lesson # 1 :- Sometimes, God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Searching...please wait
7/8/08, My B-School, Pune, 8.30 pm
It was one of those (rare) occasions when I was completely in to what the prof. was teaching.
As I remember, ‘Systems thinking’ lectures were always stuffed with some above the head concepts like mental models, learning organizations, irreversible loops etc. I and some of my highly optimistic classmates, we used to try our best to figure out what exactly is being taught. But most of the times we used to end up staring at the board with the Eshan Awasthi expressions on our face. (Remember Taare Zameen Par, the kid with Dyslexia?)
However, today’s lecture was an exception, revolving around only two terms: - ‘Universal purpose and Individual purpose’
“When I say ‘individual purpose’, I mean all the objectives, dreams and targets one sets for his own life”, Sir was teaching.
“By now, you all must have set some objectives and I’m sure you all have big dreams. However apart from these objectives that we set for ourselves and consider them as the purpose of our life, there is one more purpose behind our existence.
And that one is set for us by the Universe or Mother Nature or God, whatever you call it. This is called as the universal purpose. Don’t take the literal meaning of the word ‘universal’ here, just understand that the purpose set by the universe for us is our universal purpose.”
Then there was a long pause that was absolutely necessary to absorb this new funda.
“And … He continued ,”There is a universal purpose for everyone. I repeat, there is a universal purpose for existence of each one of you in this room.”
"But Sir, how to find out our universal purpose?"
“Well…. I don’t have any encouraging answer for this. Most people depart from this world without ever knowing the real purpose behind their existence in this world.
However there are some guidelines to find out this purpose. If you are working in line with the universal purpose, you will always experience joy and ease despite of multiple obstructions in your path. You will never get bored or frustrated.
And when you will accomplish the tasks set for you by the universe, you will ,in a way, serve the entire mankind. You don’t need to be Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi to serve people. You can do it in your own way.
So when you will lose yourself in some work and experience immense joy, ease and grace while doing it and at the same time, people around you will get benefited through it, understand that you’ve found it.
And when that golden moment of realization will come in your life , you have my cell number, don’t forget to SMS me.”
5/6/ 2009, Juhu beach, 6.30 pm
A friend of mine was talking bit restlessly, quite contradictory to his otherwise calm and composed nature.
“‘Superficially, I’m fine. My job is going great, got promoted last month. However something is missing yaar. Don’t you think we are living like billions around us?
I mean, look at our life, Monday to Friday working like hell, then chilling out on weekends, getting excited with small increments, promotions…Man…This is so …so mediocre, so routine. Nowadays I’m getting a strange feeling that I’ve so much in me and that is not at all getting utilized. I’m born to do something else….Are you getting what I’m trying to tell you?”
Well, that was an unexpected reply to my simple & harmless question, “How’s life ?”
8/12/2009, Some cyber café in Chennai, 7.00 pm
My inbox blinked with a mail from a friend. A friend who is currently thousands of miles away from me. It was a long mail. Took me ten minutes to read and half an hour to grasp the matter.
He was saying that he has found the one thing he is best at. His strength, his talent. And he is going to sculpt his entire life considering this particular thing at its core.
I remember all these incidences so clearly till date because of one powerful common theme they share. In one way or the other, all the above mentioned incidences are connected to this theory of finding and aligning ourselves with the universal purpose.
I think , the primary step to find out our ‘universal purpose’ is to trust that there is such an entity called as the universe .And the next one is to believe that there is some special, definite purpose behind our existence. (Forget about finding that purpose for a while, this thought itself is rather encouraging, isn’t it ?)
Believing such things can be little difficult for some logical and rational minds out there.
Because no tangible proof of this theory is available.
Even I found it difficult to believe the universe as an entity and then to believe that there might be some different purpose behind my existence than what I’m thinking. But two days before I saw a guy who was working with extraordinary grace and ease and somewhere I thought this guy is doing it so easily because he is doing what the universe wants him to do. I’m talking about Sachin’s double century in the last match. Two hundred is certainly a mammoth figure for ODIs, but what struck me is the simplicity with which he was executing all those difficult shots.
And then I realized that the proof of this theory is very much around us , it’s just concealed.
Check out the grace & style in Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, the effortlessness in Lata’s singing, the joy on Zakir’s face while playing tabla, the ease in Leonardo Dicaprio’s acting (‘No hidden machinery involved ‘, to quote Michael Scorsese. )
All these things indicate only one fact.
These guys have found it, the universal purpose for them, the very thing for which they are here on this planet earth.
If you ask them, why you are doing what you are doing, they all will give a common answer which is a cliché but true and that is ‘ I love to do it’.
And definitely these people are serving the entire mankind by just doing what they love to do or now we can say ,what they are born to do.
We’ll find such examples in and around us. And many of them won’t be celebrities.
In the pursuit of any dream beginnings are scary, ends are uncertain and rewards are not always assured. However we seldom think about rewards at the end, when the journey itself is full of joy.
After knowing this theory of alignment with the universe, I’m still struggling to find out my own universal purpose. Still Sir’s cell phone has not flickered with my SMS.
I’m bit confused about it. The search is on.
What about you ? Have you found that thing for which you are here? Or you are also confused? If you are, then not to worry.
Confusion is a good thing. Because, confusion, in it’s true sense, is nothing but an indicator of availability of multiple choices.
It was one of those (rare) occasions when I was completely in to what the prof. was teaching.
As I remember, ‘Systems thinking’ lectures were always stuffed with some above the head concepts like mental models, learning organizations, irreversible loops etc. I and some of my highly optimistic classmates, we used to try our best to figure out what exactly is being taught. But most of the times we used to end up staring at the board with the Eshan Awasthi expressions on our face. (Remember Taare Zameen Par, the kid with Dyslexia?)
However, today’s lecture was an exception, revolving around only two terms: - ‘Universal purpose and Individual purpose’
“When I say ‘individual purpose’, I mean all the objectives, dreams and targets one sets for his own life”, Sir was teaching.
“By now, you all must have set some objectives and I’m sure you all have big dreams. However apart from these objectives that we set for ourselves and consider them as the purpose of our life, there is one more purpose behind our existence.
And that one is set for us by the Universe or Mother Nature or God, whatever you call it. This is called as the universal purpose. Don’t take the literal meaning of the word ‘universal’ here, just understand that the purpose set by the universe for us is our universal purpose.”
Then there was a long pause that was absolutely necessary to absorb this new funda.
“And … He continued ,”There is a universal purpose for everyone. I repeat, there is a universal purpose for existence of each one of you in this room.”
"But Sir, how to find out our universal purpose?"
“Well…. I don’t have any encouraging answer for this. Most people depart from this world without ever knowing the real purpose behind their existence in this world.
However there are some guidelines to find out this purpose. If you are working in line with the universal purpose, you will always experience joy and ease despite of multiple obstructions in your path. You will never get bored or frustrated.
And when you will accomplish the tasks set for you by the universe, you will ,in a way, serve the entire mankind. You don’t need to be Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi to serve people. You can do it in your own way.
So when you will lose yourself in some work and experience immense joy, ease and grace while doing it and at the same time, people around you will get benefited through it, understand that you’ve found it.
And when that golden moment of realization will come in your life , you have my cell number, don’t forget to SMS me.”
5/6/ 2009, Juhu beach, 6.30 pm
A friend of mine was talking bit restlessly, quite contradictory to his otherwise calm and composed nature.
“‘Superficially, I’m fine. My job is going great, got promoted last month. However something is missing yaar. Don’t you think we are living like billions around us?
I mean, look at our life, Monday to Friday working like hell, then chilling out on weekends, getting excited with small increments, promotions…Man…This is so …so mediocre, so routine. Nowadays I’m getting a strange feeling that I’ve so much in me and that is not at all getting utilized. I’m born to do something else….Are you getting what I’m trying to tell you?”
Well, that was an unexpected reply to my simple & harmless question, “How’s life ?”
8/12/2009, Some cyber café in Chennai, 7.00 pm
My inbox blinked with a mail from a friend. A friend who is currently thousands of miles away from me. It was a long mail. Took me ten minutes to read and half an hour to grasp the matter.
He was saying that he has found the one thing he is best at. His strength, his talent. And he is going to sculpt his entire life considering this particular thing at its core.
I remember all these incidences so clearly till date because of one powerful common theme they share. In one way or the other, all the above mentioned incidences are connected to this theory of finding and aligning ourselves with the universal purpose.
I think , the primary step to find out our ‘universal purpose’ is to trust that there is such an entity called as the universe .And the next one is to believe that there is some special, definite purpose behind our existence. (Forget about finding that purpose for a while, this thought itself is rather encouraging, isn’t it ?)
Believing such things can be little difficult for some logical and rational minds out there.
Because no tangible proof of this theory is available.
Even I found it difficult to believe the universe as an entity and then to believe that there might be some different purpose behind my existence than what I’m thinking. But two days before I saw a guy who was working with extraordinary grace and ease and somewhere I thought this guy is doing it so easily because he is doing what the universe wants him to do. I’m talking about Sachin’s double century in the last match. Two hundred is certainly a mammoth figure for ODIs, but what struck me is the simplicity with which he was executing all those difficult shots.
And then I realized that the proof of this theory is very much around us , it’s just concealed.
Check out the grace & style in Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, the effortlessness in Lata’s singing, the joy on Zakir’s face while playing tabla, the ease in Leonardo Dicaprio’s acting (‘No hidden machinery involved ‘, to quote Michael Scorsese. )
All these things indicate only one fact.
These guys have found it, the universal purpose for them, the very thing for which they are here on this planet earth.
If you ask them, why you are doing what you are doing, they all will give a common answer which is a cliché but true and that is ‘ I love to do it’.
And definitely these people are serving the entire mankind by just doing what they love to do or now we can say ,what they are born to do.
We’ll find such examples in and around us. And many of them won’t be celebrities.
In the pursuit of any dream beginnings are scary, ends are uncertain and rewards are not always assured. However we seldom think about rewards at the end, when the journey itself is full of joy.
After knowing this theory of alignment with the universe, I’m still struggling to find out my own universal purpose. Still Sir’s cell phone has not flickered with my SMS.
I’m bit confused about it. The search is on.
What about you ? Have you found that thing for which you are here? Or you are also confused? If you are, then not to worry.
Confusion is a good thing. Because, confusion, in it’s true sense, is nothing but an indicator of availability of multiple choices.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Rehmaania
Recently, ‘The Mozart from Madras’ a.k.a. A.R.Rehmaan was in town for a concert. (Here ‘town’ stands for Pune, my hometown. Nowadays I’m living in Rehmaan’s hometown itself.) I was one of those fortunate thousands, who witnessed his live performance, on 31st May.
The concert was at the Balewadi stadium and was named as ‘Jai Ho.’ Quite straightforward and uncomplicated. (To be frank, this track is not there in my list of personal favorites. I find it somewhat soul-less. What you say? You are free to criticize me or to introduce me to the beauty of that song, my ears are still not able to discover. )
As soon as I entered the stadium, I felt some strange vibrancy in the air. The venue was totally charged up. There were people selling T-shirts depicting the Oscar doll with Rehmaan’s speech after he grabbed that one. (Something like…’I chose love and today I stand here’.)
Then there were some ‘dudes’ from ‘A.R Rehmaan fan club’. They had traveled all the way to Pune from various regions of the country to catch a glimpse of their icon.Each one of them was wearing that ‘Oscar doll + Rehmaan speech T-shirt’ and was carrying long curls like him.
Felt like watching 100 prototypes of A.R. in front of me.( Those were mere prototypes and not clones. You can not clone a genius like him.)
The huge stagecraft that was set for the event, was lifeless when we entered.The speakers were silent and the lights were yet to be turned on . However, through that inertness also I sensed that every single light, every single speaker and that gigantic stage is screaming at me ... Something really really big is in store for you this evening. Be Ready !
An hour went without any sign of the concert getting started. The audience was slowly shifting from boredom to irritation.Those dudes got desperate and started shouting.
However I found no reason to get annoyed.It was a pleasant May evening with amazing breeze; I had a nice seat with full view of the stage and a can of my favorite cold drink to complete a perfect moment.Perhaps first time in my life, I was enjoying the process of waiting for something.My wrist watch indicated 7.30pm.The stage was now looking midnight-black. All the halogens were still dead.
And then all of us heard one melodious tune. It was a Sitar. Just one sitar. In a fraction of second, there was pin - drop silence in stadium that was jam-packed with almost ten thousand people.
My brain received a dose of adrenaline from nowhere and started searching its database.
hey…which song is this….
who is playing….
why the stage is still dark….
But that mysterious sitar tune continued for a minute without answering any of those questions.
The music paused for a millisecond and unexpectedly the entire stage sparkled with a glittering blast,at the same time those huge halogens were turned on, the sitarist who was quite delicate with his instrument a moment ago suddenly turned in to a rockstar, Shivamani joined him with his drums like a wild beast and all those walls of speakers started thumping with their full potential.The same audience, that was bored, irritated and confused a minute ago was now dancing with all their energy reservoirs on the tunes of ‘Mousam & Escape’.
WOW… what a beginning!
Then ‘He’ arrived with his trademark shy , shoulder down posture.
'Jaage hai der tak hame ,kuch der to sone do'
In the climax of this song his voice actually touched the sky and compelled Punekars to give him a well deserved standing ovation.
The event was unfolding and we were losing ourselves. I do realize now that some of my excited reactions were attention grabbing and my voice rose many times beyond decibel levels that are normally accepted in public places.For two elderly aunties sitting near me, I was a live example of undisciplined new generation. I could read it through their eyes. One of them was constantly giving me ‘what-a-spoilt-kid’look and the other one was staring at me with ‘shut-up-and-sit-down’ look. I ignored both of them. I’m sorry, but you can not just sit down and watch when Marium Teller is performing Belly dance in front of you.And I was not alone. Except few people who could not relate with those songs, everyone was dancing,screaming, reacting weirdly or you can say enjoying fully!
After Marium who literally set the stage on fire, it was Suzzane’s turn to soothe the atmosphere with her olive oil voice. She created magic with ‘Dreams on Fire’.
Rashid Ali extended that romantic mood with ‘Kahi to Hogi Wo’.
We were already high but the heavenly experience was yet to come.
After Rashid’s performance, all the lights were switched off. After a gap of two long minutes the stage was illuminated with dark green light. The kind of light we usually see at mosques or dargahs.
Typical holy Islamic green color. Color of Allah.
To my surprise, the stage was totally clean this time, without any fancy , hi-tech musical instrument.
Is it over ?
Nope. It wasn’t.
Rehmaan appeared wearing one traditional black Sufi outfit with a white cap on head.
He sat down in the middle of the stage on a modest mat with single harmonium.
Again there was that same pin - drop silence, Again guessing started in our minds.
He closed his eyes for one full minute.
Too long pause for us.
Too much of suspense for us.
And then with all the feelings and devotion, he started...
‘Arziyaa saari main chehre pe likh ke laya hu.. tumse kya mangu main,tum khud hi samaz lo maula.’
According to me that was the highest point of that event.
Rehmaan and sufi music has always been a lethal combination.
Whether you like Rehmaan or not, you like music or not , you can not escape his sufi songs.
Most of his songs are like Vodka. It takes two or three listenings, then only we start feeling them from the core. But once they are absorbed in our bloodstream, their hangover persists for months.
And some songs pierce their way into our hearts the moment they strike our eardrums.
His sufi songs come under second category.
To be very specific….he made us meditate and introduced us to nirvana in those five minutes.
There are very few things in this world, when they are rubbed off against our hearts, we cross the borders of mere enjoyment and enter in to the lands of ecstasy. Music is one of them.
And when it comes to Rehmaan, this ecstasy becomes intense and turns into euphoria.
We danced like crazy, we shouted like maniacs, we got inspired, we felt romantic, we suffered the pain of losing someone, we experienced passion, we laughed our hearts out, we felt blessed, and we got connected with the almighty. All in two and half hours !
Thanks A.R…..and thanks Rahul who remembered me while booking the tickets.
The concert was at the Balewadi stadium and was named as ‘Jai Ho.’ Quite straightforward and uncomplicated. (To be frank, this track is not there in my list of personal favorites. I find it somewhat soul-less. What you say? You are free to criticize me or to introduce me to the beauty of that song, my ears are still not able to discover. )
As soon as I entered the stadium, I felt some strange vibrancy in the air. The venue was totally charged up. There were people selling T-shirts depicting the Oscar doll with Rehmaan’s speech after he grabbed that one. (Something like…’I chose love and today I stand here’.)
Then there were some ‘dudes’ from ‘A.R Rehmaan fan club’. They had traveled all the way to Pune from various regions of the country to catch a glimpse of their icon.Each one of them was wearing that ‘Oscar doll + Rehmaan speech T-shirt’ and was carrying long curls like him.
Felt like watching 100 prototypes of A.R. in front of me.( Those were mere prototypes and not clones. You can not clone a genius like him.)
The huge stagecraft that was set for the event, was lifeless when we entered.The speakers were silent and the lights were yet to be turned on . However, through that inertness also I sensed that every single light, every single speaker and that gigantic stage is screaming at me ... Something really really big is in store for you this evening. Be Ready !
An hour went without any sign of the concert getting started. The audience was slowly shifting from boredom to irritation.Those dudes got desperate and started shouting.
However I found no reason to get annoyed.It was a pleasant May evening with amazing breeze; I had a nice seat with full view of the stage and a can of my favorite cold drink to complete a perfect moment.Perhaps first time in my life, I was enjoying the process of waiting for something.My wrist watch indicated 7.30pm.The stage was now looking midnight-black. All the halogens were still dead.
And then all of us heard one melodious tune. It was a Sitar. Just one sitar. In a fraction of second, there was pin - drop silence in stadium that was jam-packed with almost ten thousand people.
My brain received a dose of adrenaline from nowhere and started searching its database.
hey…which song is this….
who is playing….
why the stage is still dark….
But that mysterious sitar tune continued for a minute without answering any of those questions.
The music paused for a millisecond and unexpectedly the entire stage sparkled with a glittering blast,at the same time those huge halogens were turned on, the sitarist who was quite delicate with his instrument a moment ago suddenly turned in to a rockstar, Shivamani joined him with his drums like a wild beast and all those walls of speakers started thumping with their full potential.The same audience, that was bored, irritated and confused a minute ago was now dancing with all their energy reservoirs on the tunes of ‘Mousam & Escape’.
WOW… what a beginning!
Then ‘He’ arrived with his trademark shy , shoulder down posture.
'Jaage hai der tak hame ,kuch der to sone do'
In the climax of this song his voice actually touched the sky and compelled Punekars to give him a well deserved standing ovation.
The event was unfolding and we were losing ourselves. I do realize now that some of my excited reactions were attention grabbing and my voice rose many times beyond decibel levels that are normally accepted in public places.For two elderly aunties sitting near me, I was a live example of undisciplined new generation. I could read it through their eyes. One of them was constantly giving me ‘what-a-spoilt-kid’look and the other one was staring at me with ‘shut-up-and-sit-down’ look. I ignored both of them. I’m sorry, but you can not just sit down and watch when Marium Teller is performing Belly dance in front of you.And I was not alone. Except few people who could not relate with those songs, everyone was dancing,screaming, reacting weirdly or you can say enjoying fully!
After Marium who literally set the stage on fire, it was Suzzane’s turn to soothe the atmosphere with her olive oil voice. She created magic with ‘Dreams on Fire’.
Rashid Ali extended that romantic mood with ‘Kahi to Hogi Wo’.
We were already high but the heavenly experience was yet to come.
After Rashid’s performance, all the lights were switched off. After a gap of two long minutes the stage was illuminated with dark green light. The kind of light we usually see at mosques or dargahs.
Typical holy Islamic green color. Color of Allah.
To my surprise, the stage was totally clean this time, without any fancy , hi-tech musical instrument.
Is it over ?
Nope. It wasn’t.
Rehmaan appeared wearing one traditional black Sufi outfit with a white cap on head.
He sat down in the middle of the stage on a modest mat with single harmonium.
Again there was that same pin - drop silence, Again guessing started in our minds.
He closed his eyes for one full minute.
Too long pause for us.
Too much of suspense for us.
And then with all the feelings and devotion, he started...
‘Arziyaa saari main chehre pe likh ke laya hu.. tumse kya mangu main,tum khud hi samaz lo maula.’
According to me that was the highest point of that event.
Rehmaan and sufi music has always been a lethal combination.
Whether you like Rehmaan or not, you like music or not , you can not escape his sufi songs.
Most of his songs are like Vodka. It takes two or three listenings, then only we start feeling them from the core. But once they are absorbed in our bloodstream, their hangover persists for months.
And some songs pierce their way into our hearts the moment they strike our eardrums.
His sufi songs come under second category.
To be very specific….he made us meditate and introduced us to nirvana in those five minutes.
There are very few things in this world, when they are rubbed off against our hearts, we cross the borders of mere enjoyment and enter in to the lands of ecstasy. Music is one of them.
And when it comes to Rehmaan, this ecstasy becomes intense and turns into euphoria.
We danced like crazy, we shouted like maniacs, we got inspired, we felt romantic, we suffered the pain of losing someone, we experienced passion, we laughed our hearts out, we felt blessed, and we got connected with the almighty. All in two and half hours !
Thanks A.R…..and thanks Rahul who remembered me while booking the tickets.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Angles & Demons
I think, one of the biggest reasons why we should seek and crave for few serene moments in our daily hustle of life is, it is the serenity that helps us to extract all the angels and demons residing within us.
Serenity…a too mild expression perhaps! We sometimes really need what is called as the ‘dead silence’ to dig’em out from the bottom of the iceberg.
Being unfamiliar with our demons can be disastrous sometimes, but not being aware of our angels is a greater loss.
Then there is this particular thing about demons, that they can be neglected for a while but can not be avoided…they catch us unaware and attack us…..one after the other…..one after the other…a kind of chain reaction ! .
Some people never face any demons in their life….Some people face them but have no swords to fight with them…And there is this third ‘blessed’ category of people who face many demons but are provided with swords too… (First two types are truly ill-fated…)
Killing these demons is not that easy. Cause we generally tend to search them in some external event, person or a situation, only to realize in the end that we were battling the wrong enemy.
Ultimately when we cut all the junk, every situation in life is a choice.
To battle with these demons or to accept defeat before the battle is our choice.
Most of us start playing ‘victim’ even before the battle begins.
We get so overwhelmed by the demons that we forget to check out our swords.
We forget that we HAVE a sword.
We forget that we actually are a warrior, not a victim.
Just a shift of perspective from a victim to à WARRIOR and a battle transforms.
Try it.
Choose to be a warrior.
Because sometimes, the choice we make, becomes the story of our life.
Serenity…a too mild expression perhaps! We sometimes really need what is called as the ‘dead silence’ to dig’em out from the bottom of the iceberg.
Being unfamiliar with our demons can be disastrous sometimes, but not being aware of our angels is a greater loss.
Then there is this particular thing about demons, that they can be neglected for a while but can not be avoided…they catch us unaware and attack us…..one after the other…..one after the other…a kind of chain reaction ! .
Some people never face any demons in their life….Some people face them but have no swords to fight with them…And there is this third ‘blessed’ category of people who face many demons but are provided with swords too… (First two types are truly ill-fated…)
Killing these demons is not that easy. Cause we generally tend to search them in some external event, person or a situation, only to realize in the end that we were battling the wrong enemy.
Ultimately when we cut all the junk, every situation in life is a choice.
To battle with these demons or to accept defeat before the battle is our choice.
Most of us start playing ‘victim’ even before the battle begins.
We get so overwhelmed by the demons that we forget to check out our swords.
We forget that we HAVE a sword.
We forget that we actually are a warrior, not a victim.
Just a shift of perspective from a victim to à WARRIOR and a battle transforms.
Try it.
Choose to be a warrior.
Because sometimes, the choice we make, becomes the story of our life.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sufi
Radio Mirchi was playing the song ‘Tera Mera Rishta Purana’……
The song had some mystic sufi flavor that grabbed my attention.
‘Cool Song! ‘, I thought, ‘This dude must be really missing his girlfriend.’
Few days later, when I was sincerely performing my daily ritual of surfing all the 200 TV channels, I accidentally encountered with the video of the same song, which was being telecasted by some V or M TV…
To my surprise, the video didn’t show any guy sitting in some lounge with vodka in his hand crying for his lost lady-love.
The hero was standing in-front of one huge golden Buddha effigy with filled eyes and this song was being played in the background.
'Ohhhh…This one is dedicated to God and not to any girl'….
Hey, have you ever noticed some striking similarities between these two most important relationships in our life; i.e. the relationship with our beloved and the one with God.
You can have heart-to-heart talks with both of them…
You don’t need to wear any masks when you are with them..
You occasionally get angry with your beloved and say, “I will not talk to you. Enough is enough. You have not been listening to me”.
Same way, for few days, you drop praying completely. Because sometimes you go on praying and God never listens.
In both the cases, getting angry or even fighting indicates deep involvement.
Both relationships are like roller-coaster ride !
One day you are flying, other day you’re broken….
But that’s the sign of ALIVE relationship!
The song had some mystic sufi flavor that grabbed my attention.
‘Cool Song! ‘, I thought, ‘This dude must be really missing his girlfriend.’
Few days later, when I was sincerely performing my daily ritual of surfing all the 200 TV channels, I accidentally encountered with the video of the same song, which was being telecasted by some V or M TV…
To my surprise, the video didn’t show any guy sitting in some lounge with vodka in his hand crying for his lost lady-love.
The hero was standing in-front of one huge golden Buddha effigy with filled eyes and this song was being played in the background.
'Ohhhh…This one is dedicated to God and not to any girl'….
Hey, have you ever noticed some striking similarities between these two most important relationships in our life; i.e. the relationship with our beloved and the one with God.
You can have heart-to-heart talks with both of them…
You don’t need to wear any masks when you are with them..
You occasionally get angry with your beloved and say, “I will not talk to you. Enough is enough. You have not been listening to me”.
Same way, for few days, you drop praying completely. Because sometimes you go on praying and God never listens.
In both the cases, getting angry or even fighting indicates deep involvement.
Both relationships are like roller-coaster ride !
One day you are flying, other day you’re broken….
But that’s the sign of ALIVE relationship!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The year is at the spring
The day is at the morn
The morning is at seven
The hillside is dew- pearled
And all is right with the world.
The day is at the morn
The morning is at seven
The hillside is dew- pearled
And all is right with the world.
Though Robert Browning has written these lines to portray one fresh spring morning in Paris, on that day, I was actually experiencing the sparkle in the poem at Mumbai.
There was one more variation in my case; the ‘dew-pearled hillside’ was replaced by lustrous sky-scrappers at Hiranandani Gardens, Powai.
On that day, I was assigned the duty of an escort for the chief-guest of the national seminar arranged by my B-school.
The job-profile of ‘an escort’ included many responsibilities like welcoming the guest with bouquet (why me for this job yaar….? when there were enough pretty girls in my class…), taking care of his breakfast-lunch on the way (the event was in Pune ) etc…But the most important task was to ensure that the driver from car agency arrives on time at the guest’s place with the car and the guest reaches on time at the venue of the event.
The chief-guest’s residence was at marvelous Hiranandani Gardens…and I was in the parking waiting for both of them to arrive (the driver and the guest…!)
9950…. I dialed driver’s number. He was supposed to be here at 7.30.
“Good morning sir…Sandeep Singh here from Aryan travel agency….”
I somehow noticed two unusual things during this conversation spanning 2 seconds.
First thing was driver’s fluent English and other was his polite tone.
And yaah…the guy must be above fifty….that I could make out from his voice.
‘Sandeepjee…its 7.25 .when are you coming? ‘
‘Don’t worry sir…I am reaching there in 5 mins..’
Meanwhile the guest SMSed me that he’ll be late by 15-20 mins..
At 7.30 sharp, one car arrived. One elderly sardar (must be around 55-60 ..My guess was perfect!) wearing spotless white uniform got down from the car with a broad smile on his face.
I asked him "Sandeep sing …? "
“Yes sir…I am Sandeep…"
I shook his hands.
“I hope I’m not late…”
“No Sandeepji…you are perfectly on time.”
Then there was some awkward silence for few minutes. He was first to break it.
“Sirjee , what do you do ?“
“ Sandeepji.. I said ..I am pursuing MBA from Pune and please don’t call me sir. I am just 23 year old, much younger than you. You can call me by my first name …Chinmay”
He was little amazed.
I continued “Where are you from ...How long have you been in Mumbai? "
“We are originally from Lahore,Sirjee (again Sirjee !). My father came to Mumbai at the time of partition. Since then we are ‘मुम्बईकर..”
मुम्बईकर ? Nice to hear marathi word from a sardar.
So I just took a chance " मग तुम्हाला मराठी येते का? (So can you speak Marathi?)“
He gave me one more broad & innocent smile ( in fact all sardars have innocent smile...) and said " हो...एकदम शुद्ध मराठी येते.... " ( Yes, I can speak quite fluently)
Wow, that was cool !
The guest was taking a bit long . But I was having a good chat with Sandeepsingh in various languages …...
And we were discussing many matters like Mumbai rains, bomb blasts, traffic jams, Raj Thakre etc.
Meanwhile ….I was bit hungry. I took out Hide & Seek for me and also offered him. He was little hesitant initially but reluctantly took some cookies when I insisted.
After some time, suddenly, I noticed some tears in his eyes. I said “ क्या हुआ सन्दीपजी? ..is everything fine ? “
"सरजी... एक बात बोलता हू…I am working as a driver for many top executives for last 20 years. But no one treated me, the way you are treating me now. You are treating me with respect. You are talking to me, you even offered me something to eat…that’s very rare…"
“I did nothing special Sandeepji”
“See …you are calling me Sandeep'ji’ …”
“Obviously …cause you are quite elder than me..”
"आप उम्र मे छोटे है..... आपने अभीतक दुनिया ही कहा देखी है? लोग driver के साथ इतनी अच्छी बाते नही करते…मै तो केहता हू कि …बात ही नही करते… बस खाने के लिये ५०-१०० रुपये हाथ मे थमा देते है…....People behave as if we don’t exist in the car or the car is being driven by some machine. You know sirjee..... Most of the guys never spoke a single word with me in the long journey of 8-10 hours.तो अभी जब आपने हम से इतनी बाते की ...तो हमे बहोत अच्छा लगा जी… "
Now I was speechless.
Actually, his emotional response was beyond my comprehension at that time.
What did I do? Why he was so touched by the acts which according to me were quite obvious?
Do we treat human beings based on their occupation, position in the society? I think Yes, that’s why old Sandeepsingh felt overwhelmed by my simple acts and shed tears on that morning…
Do we treat human beings based on their occupation, position in the society? I think Yes, that’s why old Sandeepsingh felt overwhelmed by my simple acts and shed tears on that morning…
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