There is a very thin line between.....

confidence | overconfidence

attitude | arrogance

leader | dictator

being decisive | being impulsive

being strong | being insensitive/cold

being sensitive | being an emotional fool

love | obsession

loyalty | betrayal

patience | cowardice

need | greed

which side are you on?

Spare your tongue!

Spare your tongue.

Not only to speak whats on your mind.

But also to give voice to someone else's feelings.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to win arguments and debates.

But also to negotiate peace.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to gossip and spread rumours.

But also to speak the truth when its the hardest thing to do.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to make accusations.

But also to ask for forgiveness.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to vent out your anger.

But also to tell someone how much you love them and care for them.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to give farewell speeches.

But also to call up your loved ones faraway, and tell them how much you miss them.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to ask and demand.

But also to thank and show gratitude.

Spare your tongue.

Not only to make fun of others.

But also to console them in their times of hardship.

Spare your tongue

Not only to provide consultancy for business empires.

But also to counsel others seeking answers.

Spare your tongue.

for doing a good deed to someone

for someone who has done a good deed for you

for being courageous enough to accept your mistakes

for forgiving others mistakes

Spare your tongue.

for erasing distances of thousands of miles that exist between your loved ones

for breaking the barriers of indifference in the hearts of your near and dear ones.

for relieving your heart and attaining peace.

for enriching lives of people around you

Lend an ear,

Spare your tongue.

(Suno. Sunao. Life Banao!)

Nazariya - Chapter 1

Heres one to the dreamers!!!!!

Dreamer – anyone who dreams. According to its definition all human beings are dreamers. So what is it I want to discuss here? Lets begin.
I am not talking about some great visionary or scientist or inventor here. I am not talking about some great leader or statesman here. I am talking about us here, we the people.

In school, I believe there are two types of students. One type, the focussed, bright ‘A’ graders who will always figure in the top 5% or say 10% of the result sheet. And the other type, I would prefer to call them ‘Dreamers.’

So do I mean that the ‘A’ graders don’t dream at all, absolutely not! Then why only the second type are called ‘dreamers.’? Well, by the end of this I hope you will be able to see my ‘Nazariya’.
The ‘A’ graders there are very good, very focussed since a very young age as to what they want in life, what are their goals, and more importantly how to reach that goal. You really have to give it to them ladies and gentleman for their unwavering will and focus, otherwise in today’s world it is very easy to get distracted.

I think it is more to do with the way their minds were conditioned at a very young age.
For example, I may be wrong, but most of the kids who have their parents as doctors, end up being doctors. One of the reasons I suppose is that from a very early age they see their parents as doctors, they hang around hospitals, see what great job their parents are doing and hence you know get inspired to be that which leads to their dreams, goals and passion, all linked to being a doctor.

Other type of ‘A’ graders is those who from a very young age have an idol to look upto and then they get so obsessed with it that they want to achieve more or the same as their idol. Once again their dreams, goals and passion get linked to that one thing or one filed their idol belongs.
But no, I am not here to discuss these ‘A’ graders, I want to tell you more about ‘Dreamers’. Who are they? Well a simple way to identify them is as elaborated below.

Around 9th or 10th std most of us in school are bombarded again again by one question, “What is your goal is life?” Invariably all the students in the class will answer. But there will be some who will lie, not because they don’t want to tell the truth but because, the truth is, they don’t have one.

Right from the school to college and even while working, the dreamer doesn’t have that one dream to throw himself totally into, but he has lots of dreams behind which his heart would like to run.

‘A’ graders, right from the beginning have one goal and one dream and hence I feel sometimes this acts as a disadvantage, in a way that not many other things interest them and hence I feel there exploring instincts get rusted. Whereas, on the other hand, ‘Dreamer’ is always exploring new fields, always falling in love with something or the other.

Take the author for example, for those who don’t know the author personally it starts with cars and bikes, since a very young age he was crazy behind them. So logically the answer to the question – “what is your goal in life?” in 10th std was automobile engineer. But somewhere deep down in his heart he was still debating, was it the machine that he was attracted to or the feeling of driving or riding. Moving on, the author went on to do his engineering in Mechanical.

Then came along MBA, a field he was unaware until his 3rd year Engg, until he heard his friends discussing it. Subsequently it led him to exploring media, advertising and marketing. The author fell in love gain. He started loving media and advertising so much he dreamt of himself as an advertising guru.

Also along the way he got encouragement for his writing skills. He started dreaming of himself as a writer.

All this while he got a chance to spend more time on the road, tripping on his bike and then suddenly he realised that his real passion was travelling and being on the road on the bike.
Now well into his first job and also having quit it, the author has some different plans. When his boss (now ex) asked him during his exit interview “Where do you see yourself after 10 years?” he says, “I see myself as a teacher.”

On the other hand if he would have been an ‘A’ grader kind of focussed guy I am sure he would be as of now an M. Tech and working in some R&D department of some automobile company.
But mind you, the author was a bright student, a college and once a university topper in Engg.
But tell me what is more interesting, the 3 lines mentioned above of the author as an ‘A’ grader – which literally sums up the entire life. Or the 4 paragraphs of the actual life of author, to which more will get added coz the author is a dreamer.

Exactly, and let me tell you dear readers we will realize this when we become parents or grandparents (assuming the present generation won’t have time as parents to tell their children stories but sure hope they do have time as grandparents) and we are narrating our stories to the kids around.

The ‘A’ graders will have stories but I feel they will be short and will evoke only one feeling – inspiring. But us Dreamers, our stories will have all the masala in it, the confusion while choosing subjects, the goof up of flunking in a course because we just chose it on impulse and the uncertainty of where our lives will lead us but nevertheless enjoying it to the hilt.

And I would say the dreamer’s life is also shaped up into the way it is, largely due to the freedom of thought which he gets from his family, the undying support from them in whatever he does.
Some of you may say, doesn’t he mean day dreamers, people always lost in their world of fantasies not quite focussed, etc.

I would beg to differ, day dreamers have a derogatory feel attached to it. On the other hand I feel its not at all derogatory to be a dreamer. I feel as opposed to the ‘A’ graders who always think “I have to do this” a dreamer will always think “I have to do all this” and more so “what else can I do?” and may get up every day of his life having dreamt of himself as a different person, in a different career.

Dreamer’s dreams are not enslaved by one goal as opposed to an ‘A’ graders. An ‘A’ grader, who wants to become a doctor, will always dream of topping his class, getting admission to the best college in medicine, specialising and being a top notch doctor. Whereas a dreamer’s dreams are like a free bird. Always flying and exploring new horizons.

Tell me readers how many of you (considering you all are working) still get dreams of you doing good in some other field other than the one you are working, and you get up and say, “why not?” I feel majority of our dreams are enslaved, by our day to day commitments. Some of us just dream or rather I should say plan their following day in their dreams, they do financial planning in their dreams. Zyada se zyada they will dream about a new home, new car or a vacation . C’mon give me a break. Allah hasn’t given us this awesome blessing to be wasted like this.

I guess this has become too long and I might as well end it here.

So like I said in the beginning lets hear it once again for the ‘A’ graders and last but not the least, raise whatever is in your hands and say, heres to the ‘Dreamers’!!!!!

"Nazariya" - a point of view

Welcome to Nazariya!!!
In this section I would like to put forth my point of view on some subjects. Subjects – some may sound very trivial, some may be interesting, some may be debatable or some may be hilarious.
Whatever it may sound like is up to each individual reading it and I would like honest feedback on the same.

Before I begin, a disclaimer – The author means no harm or has no aim to ridicule any section, region or part of the society. Also some of the articles in this section may not have a sound base of facts so my apologies if i have quoted something wrong. The aim of this section is just to entertain, and if possible sometimes to provide food for thought.

Cant thank you all enough

Today on 14th November, first of all Happy Childrens Day to all.

Well 14th Nov after last year has a lot more significance for me. And today here i stand, perfectly normal, back to riding, only because of your support, because of your care, because of your freindship.

And hence i take this opportunity, and its not only me its my family - Dad, Mom, Naaz, Fatima, Kareem Mama and Nani and many more (its a big family) to Thank you all.

Thank you Yajant, Anil, Varun, Pranav, Venu, Utsav, Shantanu, Pooja, Prerna, Isha, Divya, Samhita, Suhasini and all my MICAN friends.

Thank you for being there for me and my family.

And especially my mom, she misses you all a lot and i have already got like 5 smses from her reminding me to put this post on my blog.

ज़िन्दगी कि इस कशमकश में हम कई ज़रूरी काम अधूरे छोड़ जाते हैं
कई बातें अनकही रह जाती हैं।
अफ़सोस इस बात का नही कि हम इन्हे वक़्त पर न कर सके, मगर
अफ़सोस इस बात का है कि येः एहसास होने के बावजूद भी , हम इन्हे अधूरा ही छोड़ दिए।

Lend an ear

Lend an ear
Lend an attentive ear

To your heart broken friend
To your angry customer
To the elderly and the old
To your grumpy boss

Lend an ear

To your colleague who has had enough
To your partner who just loves to talk
To your younger siblings who are curious
To your older siblings who are gossipers

Lend an ear
Lend an attentive ear

To someone who is in pain
To someone overjoyed
To someone who doesn’t want to talk
To someone who is never heard

Lend an ear

To your chattery watchmen
To your friendly waiter
To a complete stranger sitting beside you in a journey
To the people closest to you in the journey of life

Lend an ear
Lend an attentive ear

To gain wisdom and knowledge
To be always interested in whatever you do
To appear curious and attentive to others
To be a good listener

But do also lend an ear

To ease somebody’s heart
To share somebody’s joy
To dissipate someone’s anger
To make someone feel special

Lend an ear
Lend an attentive ear

At times it means much more than lending a helping hand
At times it is all that the other person needs
At times that’s what makes you special

At times it is the best thing you can do and have to do

Paint my little rain drops!!!!

Paint my little rain drops red, yellow and green.
Paint my little rain drops oh! You traffic mean.

Even though the weather and traffic has acted so mean.
The clouds above have given me little rain drops on my helmet screen.

I am amused by the way they change their colour.
Sometimes taillight red or sometimes yellow headlight dipper.

I twist my head from side to side
Trying to colour all my rain drops in one colour, sigh!

But when the left ones are red, the right ones suddenly go yellow,
The traffic on the opposite lane, cops has allowed them to go

And then the lower drops suddenly go green.
Along with the traffic light, making them seem jealous and mean.

I don’t disturb these rain drops, no not one of them.
Others are all wiping their helmets and erasing them.

As I stand here in a jam drenched to the bone.
I fight away my boredom by making this stupid song.

Paint my little rain drops red, yellow and green.

Paint my little rain drops oh! You traffic mean.

8 months 9 days 20 hours and 30 minutes.......

24th July, 2009; 3:30pm; Sec’bad Railway Station: This was the 3rd time this week I have come to this station। No I have not been coming here to see off anybody neither to receive anybody. But the reason for my visits here may sound trivial to most, is something very important.

After 8 months 9 days 20 hours and 30 minutes I feel a sense of happiness which, I had completely forgotten। I make my way through the crowded platform no। 1 towards the inward parcel office. Yes, that is the place I have been visiting for the past 2 days. But always went back disappointed and most importantly, empty handed.

“Kahan ho aap, kitni daer se aapka no। Try kar rahe hain.” The voice at the other end of the line said, irritated, when I had called up at 2:13pm. But aaj my heart said – Sab maaf!!! Coz I was happy, so happy that I could not express. Since then I just counted every second till I could get out of office and go to the station.

Yadgiri, the person I had befriended at the parcel centre the very first day I had come here। As soon as he saw me he said, “jab nahi aaya toh barabar jaldi aate the, aur aaj jab aa chuka ha to itni daer laga di.” I said, “buss kaam hi aisa hai, kahan hai woh.” He asked me to sign the register while he went to fetch it from the platform. I eagerly signed the register and got the gate pass. I fiddled in pocket quickly and fished out the keys -brand new keys. They had arrived the very next day Dad had couriered them and since then I started carrying them daily in my pocket. Just then Yadgiri shouted from behind, “side hato.” I turned back and saw him bringing it into the office and moving towards the exit. Even before he asked me whether it is ‘it’, I had recognised it. He said, “kyun no. Yaad hai kya parcel slip ka?” I said “Nahi!! Tyre ka thread ka design yaad hai.” After all I had chosen it 3 years back when I had decided to go in for a broader tyre. Yadgiri saw it again, the entire bike was covered with gunny bags but the tyres could be seen and he just smiled. Must have thought one crazy grown up kid I am.

He took it outside and put it on the side stand। I rushed to cut open the gunny bags, just like how an excited kid would open his gifts on his birthday. Yadgiri said, “Rukiye, hum araam se khol denge. Kaafi achi packing ki hai.” Then I stood back as Yadgiri very meticulously and carefully cut open the gunny bags covering the body. Beneath the gunny bags was a layer of waste newspaper. After around 6 minutes and 45 seconds (exactly according to my casio stopwatch) of working on it, finally, there it stood gleaming in the afternoon sun of Hyderabad, my Quicksilver. After 8 months 9 days 20 hours and 30 minutes it was there in front of me and I had the keys in my hand.

For some it may be just 8 months 9 days 20 hours and 30 minutes but for me it was nothing less than a lifetime। Perhaps a tear trickled down my eye. I was reminded of the day I had got the bike the first time. I was recuperating from a minor ENT operation in my house in Nagpur when Dad drove it in, not only into our courtyard, but into my life. 27th August, 2003. It was around 6:30 pm and was drizzling. I came out excitedly, holding my mom’s hand as I still was feeling a little dizzy due to medication and stood there on the steps just admiring this silver coloured machine in my courtyard.

“Saab thoda chai paani।” It was Yadgiri and his voice just brought me back to the present. The same silver coloured machine stood in front of me. But this time it had a name “Quicksilver”. I just dug into my pocket and found a 50 Rs note. I gave it to him without saying anything after all I was very happy. He walked away but I still stood there staring at QS for a little while. Went closer to it and could clearly make out the parts that had been replaced and repaired.

“Get the paint job done once the monsoons get over।” My dad had told me. Hence the scars on the tank were still visible. I just caressed it, from head light to tail light. I bent down and glanced over the engine and the rear tyre and suspension. I sat on it and raised it upright from the side stand and I felt empowered all of a sudden. Just last week I had met my doc and he said that my injury had not healed fully and that I would have to maintain precaution and that 25% of the area wasn’t getting blood supply and blah blah blah...... The voice just faded in my head and there was another voice in my head which shouted, “Bullshit!!! You have recovered 100% now.”

I looked into the mirrors and adjusted them। They were also new. And in the mirror I could see not only what was behind me but also what I had left behind - the accident, the pain, the hospital, the bed, the wheelchair, the walker, the crutch and also most of all the sadness. And perhaps I also saw a glimpse of all my friends faces, smiling and giving me encouraging words, standing behind me and most importantly I saw my parents who despite the whole world around them being against it, gave me back the most important thing in my life or if I can say, gave me back my life.

I looked sky wards and thanked the Almighty. For if it wasn’t for Allah, leave alone 8 months 9 days 20 hours and 30 minutes, I wouldn’t have ever ridden a bike again. Thank you Allah for keeping me safe and also for keeping Rahul safe.

I looked in front; the rush hour traffic was picking up density in front of Sec’bad station and for the first time after 8 months 9 days and 30 minutes, looking at bumper to bumper traffic, I smiled :-)

On the back of an autorickshaw in Hyderabad

मांगो उसी से जो दे खुशी से ।
कहो उसी से जो न कहे किसी से ।

Guftugu with Aparna Upadhayay.

AU: कश्ती भी नही बदली ,
दरिया भी नही बदला ,
और दूब्नेवालों का जज्बा भी नही बदला,
है इश्क-ऐ-समुन्दर ऐसा,
एक उमर से भी यारों ,
मंजिल भी नही पायी, रास्ता भी नही बदला।

FA: इश्क है ही ऐसा की इसमे हर ज़ख्म मज़ा देता है,
नजाने कितने बार इस समुन्दर में डूबे हैं पर,
हर बार उनको पाने का जज्बा,
दीवानगी की एक और हद पार कर गया है।

On the back of an autorickshaw in Nagpur

जिसके साए में हम चलते हैं, उसका साया हमें कभी दिखता नही ।
रोज़ी तोः सबको मिलती है पर देने वाला दिखता नही ।

What is your OPINION on this subject??

First they ask you your opinion.

When you dont have, they ask you to form it.

Then they ask you to justify it.

Then they ask you to defend it.

Then, finally, they ask you to fight for it.

कम्बक्त दिल उन्हें इतना न याद कर कि कहीं खुदा नाराज़ न हो जाए ।
इतना याद खुदा को करले, कम से कम मौत के बाद जन्नत तो नसीब हो जाए ।

Guftugu with Samhita Mishra. Part -1

FA: unki yaadon mein har pal bheeg raha hoon main.
Par unki ek jhalak ke liye pyaasi meri nazrein hain.

SM: missing who?

FA: Unka naam zubaan par hai magar awaaz se lene se darte hain
Yeh nahi ki unse mohabbat kum hai par unki badnaami na ho, darte hain.

SM: Usey khushnaseeb kahoon ya badnaseeb,
jisne tujh jaisa chahnewala paa kar bhi nahi paya.

FA: Na koso unhe tum ki taqleef hume hoti hai.
Woh na ho sake humare to kya, aaj bhi jab yeh haath uthte hain khuda ke saamne,
to dil se dua unhi ke liye nikalti hai.

SM: Kosungi kaise unhein jab mohabbat tumhari unke pass hai.
Naseeb mai unke tum na likhe ho toh buss isi se hum udaas hain.

यह ज़रूरी नही कि उनके साथ कितने लम्हे गुज़ारे हैं ।

पर एहमियत इस बात कि है उनमे से कितने लम्हों कि याद तुम्हे सताती है ।

इज़हार ना किया तोः क्या हुवा,
दिल की बात केह नही पाये तोः क्या हुवा।

उनकी आंखों ने सब कुछ केह दिया,
उनकी जुबां से ना सुना तोः क्या हुवा।

दिल के कुछ पन्ने ऐसे होते हैं,
जिनको याद करने से तकलीफ होती है.

मगर जब जुबां से बयान होते हैं,
तोः दुनिया उसे शायरी कहती है.

हमारी उड़ान को कोई रोक सके, इतना दम इस ज़माने में नही।
ये तोः सिर्फ़ आघाज़ है, मंजिल हमारी सिर्फ़ तारों तक नही।

Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh jaakar kisi ke neeche kaam karna hai
Par aaj toh hume apne marzi ka maalik bane rehne do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh in kandhon par zimmedariyaan aa jayengi
Par aaj toh in par yaaron ke haath rehne do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh office mein baith kar deewaar par lagi ghadi ko hi dekhte rahenge
Par aaj iss khule aasmaan ke tale khade hokar uss chand ko taakhte rehne do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh hum waqt ke saath daud lagaya karenge
Par aaj toh hume waqt ki bezzati kar lene do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh aadhi aadhi raat tak kaam ke saath khelte rahenge
Par aaj raat toh doston ke saath khel lene do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh shayad gaane sunne ka hi waqt mile
Par aaj doston ke saath theatre me ek aur film dekh lene do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh sirf ghar se office aur office se ghar ka raasta naapte rahenge
Par aaj naye aur anjaane shehron ka safar tay kar lene do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do

Kal toh hum baithe baithe kabhi tanhaai mein yaad kar liya karenge
Par uske liye aaj kuch aur haseen palon ko yaadgaar bana lene do
Abhi kuch daer aur yahan reh lene do