'IF'

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

Dwarf’s Life!

Once upon a time there was a dwarf ‘Tee’ who had a tall father ‘Nthh’. His tall father had lots of tall friends…some even a little fat and pudgy. Most of these friends also had dwarfy diminutive progenies. Tee was a little guy who loved watching the sky and the feel the wind as the clouds moved by. Tee also had a beautiful mother, but there was a shortfall she had. She was blind! But there was a special provision; she could see only things Tee’s father’s eyes saw. Blood relationship demanded happy co-existence in the nest dwarf family lived in.

Not all is as it meets the eye. Tee desired to see what lies above the clouds he watched everyday. He imagined if there was silver dust that was sprinkled over it. Tee’s dad wanted him to grow tall and be independent. Tall enough to get a silver apple from the holy tree. Nthh was a gifted man, very regimented and diligent. Self made as a man; he was practical and loathed people who dreamt. He was always sorrowful to have a son who according to him was doomed to failure. He wondered why almighty had to keep his son deprived of the abilities his father was endowed with.

Tee was a dreamer. Always decent at academics, sports and respectful as a child, Tee was a confident kid for most people. The detachment from family seeped in over the years. The look of inferiority in father’s eyes and mother’s expression of repulsion was something Tee just could not understand. The craving for unlimited pure love first confused Tee, but as he grew up he preferred to ignore it. Even if his pillows were tear soaked at most nights he managed to carry on with the routine.

All Tee thought of was the cloud he wanted to reach. His father just wanted him to get the blessed apple and grow taller. Tee knew by nature’s rule he had to grow taller sooner or later, least was he concerned about that god damned apple. Nthh’s tall pudgy friends boasted about their tall kids and the blinding shine of the apples they had managed to get.

Before we start getting mislaid in this Tee and Nthh maze, digress, and loose the point, aide memoire this is not a story of a family feud but story of life. There is a Tee in all of us and there will always be some Nthh who will have different plans for us and doubt our abilities. Dilemma of life is to respect the persons wish and let go of the sky we wish for or take the flight we itch to take and follow the opportunity that knocks!

While I still remain in the tight spot since I was born to date, any take you have on such a common place situation in life is welcome!.....

Look at Bihari monkeys doing the dance together!!..

With the colleges having minority quotas in Mumbai for communities like Gujaratis, south Indians, Sindhis etc, which by no means are minorities. To add a burden to that the regular reservations for the so called lower class in almost all the colleges, makes me angry. These quotas in cosmopolitans like Mumbai are manipulated by the rich big daddy's of these so called poor minority.This further frustrates a financially not so well off 'general category' student like me. But is this a reason enough for me to get a gun? flaunt it in public places? and a step further, even fire it? Not only did Rahul fire it, he also injured one of the commuters who the media and Bihari political team has conveniently forgotten. We forget the fear of the conductor who faced this unusual situation. Questioning the police of their obvious duties is not only stupid, but its also naive on the people's part to not pay attention to the fact that where did a youth get a gun from.Especially when he was just 3 days old in the city...I think the shootout will serve a lesson to all the youths and bring them to think before they pull such stunts. And when i say 'Youth', i don't mean Biharis, its applicable to all fools who think they can get away with creating public unrest and any damage to the property that each one pays for in form of taxes.

Beyond Words!!!

Intoxicated by the Wine of Love.From each a mystic silence Love demands.What do all seek so earnestly? 'Tis Love.What do they whisper to each other? Love.Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts.In Love no longer 'thou' and 'I' exist,For Self has passed away in the Beloved.Now will I draw aside the veil from Love,And in the temple of mine inmost soul,Behold the Friend; Incomparable Love.He who would know the secret of both worlds,Will find the secret of them both, is Love.

The whole world is a marketplace for Love,For naught that is, from Love remains remote.The Eternal Wisdom made all things in Love.On Love they all depend, to Love all turn.The earth, the heavens, the sun, the moon, the starsThe center of their orbit find in Love.By Love are all bewildered, stupefied,Intoxicated by the Wine of Love.From each, Love demands a mystic silence.What do all seek so earnestly? "Tis Love.Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts,In Love no longer "Thou" and "I" exist,For self has passed away in the Beloved.Now will I draw aside the veil from Love,And in the temple of mine inmost soulBehold the Friend, Incomparable Love.He who would know the secret of both worldsWill find that the secret of them both is Love.

Strive to discover the mystery before life is taken from you.If while living you fail to find yourself, to know yourself,how will you be able to understandthe secret of your existence when you die?

Youngisthan meh Fashion !!!

“Every fucking thing is the problem with me….every fucking thing!!!” shot of Bani in Roadies as her apparent neurotic frustration being considered hip by most of us was eye catchy. Today’s definition of fashion ranges from fashion in emotions, fashion in appearance to just fashion in our action. For some that Jockey underwear flashing in public places is fashion and to others splurging all their pocket money on selective bargained clothes in ‘Fashion Street’ may be fashion. Not only does fashion change in geek to nerd parameter but it changes drastically with age. Before heading onto exaggeration of overrated importance of fashion to youth today, am just tempted to take a brief pause to wonder how our dear ol’ dads must have perceived this diverse term ‘Fashion’. Can’t really figure that one out completely!! Due to limited recollections of bright checked shirts, bell bottom pants, red based makeup, plates, sari clad babes with really high buffo and lots and lots of running around trees…Umm…quiet visually enticing for youth of that era I guess!!
Now getting back to generation ‘X’…y…z…more to come….it think our generation must be highest in the fashion conscious graph with internet, television, films and advertisements to influence our imitation hungry minds. Before sounding too biased let me bring some light to the fact that even imitation can bring out individualism from person to person varying from what they actually chose to follow. Youngsters today have various trends and fads to follow just to be popular. Fashion is being used as a tool to have an edge over others not only by youth but by professionals to middle aged women. Youth is bending towards fashion due to increased importance to appearance and growing materialism; growth in buying power, westernization and globalization adding fuel to fashion fire. Well fashion is not limited to models and celebrities but now it has also extended to middle class teens. The main reason for this being availability of cheap imitations of various designer clothes in local markets. Accessorizing has also become a cheap affair with vendors in train and footpaths selling amazing stuff at throw away prices. But that does not mean the youth today is cheap…Boss! Ours is the most brand conscious lot that has ever existed since dinosaur times. Youth today has been the reason to the expanding adv. Industry with them being the most sought after target audience. But even if gen’X’ is brand conscious, they are not brand loyal and ready to experiment all the time giving lot of access to new products in the market.
Talking of market and industries, Fashion industry is growing like a baby. Youth today has a major liking to fields like modeling, designing, fashion photography, fashion communications etc. Not only are these fields very lucrative but they also require tremendous creativity, so they are not possible for all. Being a super model must be a dream to many young strugglers but is a reality to a handful. With various fashion portals all the fashion freaks have a scope for prompt up gradation.
Tattoos, cosmetics, surgeries, flashy cars/bikes, piercing all amounts to fashion. Looking good was never a crime but compulsively spending or bizarre inferiority just for fashion is obviously unacceptable. For many of us today fashion has become a addiction which we all follow subconsciously. We state ‘Judging the book by its cover is wrong’ but we rarely ever mean it and literally never hesitate to pick up the book with most attractive cover, at least to flip through it. Never know who catches your fancy just on the basis of looks.
Like there is fashion there is ‘Fashion Faux’…in layman terms fashion disaster. This fashion defies all rules of fashion, social acceptability and sometimes just plain sanity. We see these fashion faux passes more than often these days. With fad of ditching the natural, hair coloring can look really weird at times. Parents can’t help but compare the hair of their beloved babe to near to extinction exotic bird. Heartbreaking is that moment for that father who imagined his son to grow up and be a MAN, darling son now with long colored hair, rings not only on fingers but in ears…eyebrows…tongue and lot more unmentionables, accessories more than his mom has ever worn and regularly visiting parlors for maintenance, spending mammoth amount of money in the process. Metro-sexuality term coined for over conscious males about appearance.
Even though fashion is a subject that can generate communication unlimited but its not just something that associates with youth at all times. Even though face of fashion changes, the crux remains. Perception and individualism are part of every person that is mirrored by fashion they follow. Beauty without brains can be at times repulsive, but looking good is essential in today’s date. Stay Fashionable!!!