Ambition: Friend Or Foe?

I met Ambition about a year ago. Decent chap, but one you dare not get too close to. Ambition for me is synonymous with the downfall of Macbeth. It was this companion that led his life to spiral out of control. And I have always detested it, so much so that I refused to even be aquainted.

Breaking that ingrained perception, I tried to imbibe the better part of Ambition. The part that made me want to be that person - the person who has made a difference. And so I began to dream.

Last year I achieved things I never thought were possible. None were worldly achievements, but surely milestones in my own sphere. And I am at this point where I believe I can achieve anything I put my mind to.

There is an inter college management festival coming up. I've put my name down for all five sections of the festival, just carrying the knowledge that I can atleast attempt to achieve all that I wish to.

I am terrified of the concequences of walking with Ambition. There's a fine line that divides the right and the wrong in this corporate driven world.

Feet planted firmly on the 'right' side, I walk along with Ambition, but refuse to hold his hand for fear of getting pulled to the other side.

Two People. Two Perspectives

I accompanied a friend taking her Mom for an X-ray. We waited in line to pay for it, at the end of which we had to provide her details, and then move onto another line for the receipt and payment.

Looking at it from a completely business point of view, I criticized the existence of such bureaucracy. I chose this moment once again to poke fun at the Indian System - that they have adopted such inefficient means of carrying out simple tasks.

Two people truly do not look at one situation in the same way. And, after I heard it, I wished that I had viewed it from such a perspective.

Job creation was her viewpoint. In a country where the label ‘overpopulated’ would be an understatement, high unemployment rates are the norm. And this was a pure example of the efforts of the Indian Government undertaken to curb the issue of unemployment.

So often we criticize The System for their lack of effort. However, more often than not, we are just being blind to what is right before our eyes.

Driving The Two Way Street

My friend residing in the United States just told me how lucky I am to be so close to home. She misses Dubai.

Pragmatically speaking, however, being closer to home by no means implies that you are closer to the people. Living in the same apartment as a friend doesn't make you closer to that person.

Friendships take effort, a belief I had established a long time ago. And, equally important is its two way nature. I can't do it without you obviously.

So, how long after you realise that only one side of this two way street is being used, do you stop driving down the road at all?

The Indian Experience

There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won't go. For me, India is such a place... I had been seeing the world in black and white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.
--Keith Bellows, VP, Nat Geo Society.

Simply India: Elephants

The other day I saw an elephant walking through a junction as my rickshaw passed it. My sister mused out loud the chaos that would arise were the elephant to panic at this rush hour.

...simply India.

We Don't Need No Phoren Education

Adapted from the article We don't need no phoren education! from the Times of India Independence Day supplement.

The Verdict
Getting educated at a foreign institute, today, is as much of a style statment as haute couture or the latest mobile phone. However, when it comes to good old learning, nothing beats what India has to offer. Think about it for a minute... When the west is finally considering India as a viable academic option, is there an need for you to think otherwise?

I Am Selfish

I complain that I got dirt on my leather shoes,
And then I see a child walking barefoot.

I complain that the rickshaw is insufficient shelter from the rain,
And then I see an old woman walking without an umbrella.

I complain that the we didn't have water in the house for an hour,
And then I see a man washing his hands in water streaming from the gutter.

I complain that the rickshaw isn't a great mode of transport,
And then I see an old man cycling along.

I complain that my matress is not comfortable enough,
And then I see a person lying down on a sheet on the side of the road.

I complain I do not have enough clothes,
And I see a child walking without any.

I complain that the floors in the house are not clean enough,
And then I see shanty homes where the mud becomes their floor.

I complain that education from an Indian institution will not suffice for a successful career,
And I see a person who cannot read or write.

I complain that the food is not good,
And I see a person searching the road side for a bite to eat.

I am selfish.

Johnnie Walker... Leading The Way

My hypothesis on India's obsession with alcohol was reaffirmed Independence Day morning as I had a look the TOI supplement. The left hand side of the page carries the headline 'Leading The Way...' only to find the Johnnie Walker logo on the right hand side with the words 'Keep Walking' placed on its side.

A Journey Called India indeed.

Nothing like a good dose of humour early in the morning, don't you think?

Affirmation

Lyrics of Affirmation by Savage Garden

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem
I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye

Riding The Clouds Of Heaven

Quietening yourself as the world around you roars is difficult.

Close your eyes. Mariah Carey's Hero hums in the background. And peace is attained.

The morning was beautiful. Bright blue sky with whisps of heavenly white clouds floating about. Serenity. And I float on these very clouds to that morning.

In the distance, there is a rumbling, moving closer, increasing in volume. And it continues to do so till this rumbling is so loud it rips the air as it travels to your ears.

The metallic bird then comes into view, soaring through the skies as if God created it as a definiton of elegance and agility. Living near an airport, I get to hear the daily drills of fighter jets. And my annoyance was evident every morning.

This morning, however, I had the opporunity of laying eyes on this magnificient creature. Despite the sun rays streaming down, I refused to take my gaze off it. I watched it dip and swerve with grace of a prima ballerina.

More than anything else, there was something exceptionally romantic about it all. I imagined the air force pilot seated in that magnificent metallic bird and my heart fluttered at his gallantry as he took charge of his beast. 'Show off,' I thought flirtatiously. And I fell in love, if not with anything else, with the fantasy.

And I was powerless against its ability to bring this unbelievable joy to my soul and the most sincere of smiles to my lips. Looking around, I observed that this sensational joy had seeped into the souls of those around me as well. From a sweeper on the road to a businessman walking out of his home, from a child running around barefoot to the guard standing at the gate, from a man selling vegetables on a cart to a university student like myself.

And as quickly as it came, it went, riding on the clouds of heaven.