Immersing into the greens..

The natural vegetation of Shillong is a treat to watch, a beauty to imbibe and an experience to relive every time you step into the green outdoors. It has been less than a month and I have already been to a lot of trips enjoying the clear blue skies, lush green lands, mountains and valleys, cloud covered lanes and the crystal clear waterfalls. But this one trip to the sacred forests of Mawphlang organized by our own faculty at IIM Shillong was expected to be something completely different. I hadn’t heard of this place before until our professors told us that it has a sacred power associated with it, a power which hurts anybody who tries to hurt it. There have been stories that people who have disturbed the ecology of these forests have suffered from illness thereafter and some have even died! Though the stories didn’t captivate me much but I was quite excited to undertake this trip as it would be a ‘date with nature’ as described by our professors. And what made it even more interesting were the ground rules set by them, which said that we weren’t supposed to carry any packaged food, no cell phones, no ipods and most importantly we weren’t supposed to utter a single word while inside the forests. That looked like quite a difficult task but as I could see the sole motive was to make each one of us experience and appreciate God’s biggest gift to humanity – The nature.

                                

We started at 5 a.m. in the morning and reached Mawphlang by 6 a.m. When we got down from our buses all we could see were unending green grasslands covered with fog as far as our sight could go. I was wondering, weren’t we supposed to go to a forest. After walking for a few kilometers on the green carpet, we finally reached the coveted place. It was like a big porous green wall which we were about to break into. Standing on the fog covered grasslands on one side and looking at the entrance of the dense green forest on the other, it reminded me of some fantasy world like Narnia. Curious and excited, without further thoughts, I stepped into it with my friends. And mesmerizing would be too small a word and too short of an emotion for what I experienced thereafter.

Few of the local Khasi people accompanied us in our journey, to brief us about the forest and its history but more so to guide us with the path, since without them we sure would have got lost in the greens. The first time we stepped into the forest, we couldn’t stop praising this scintillating piece of natural beauty. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dried leaves which helped us walk through the turns and slopes in the forest. The trees acted as our ceiling protecting us from the light drizzle and allowed only small streaks of sunlight to reach us. When we looked up, it felt as if a source of light was trying to enlighten us in this divine place and it rightly managed to do so. The freezing streaks of water were playing music which we had never heard before and the tall green trees were bending over to talk to us, it was literally a date with nature full of romance and intimacy. The chirping of birds further added to the perfect desirable ambience. It was one of those moments when you want time to stop. I wondered how life has evolved, something which was a part of our routine few generations back has become a vacation now. I wished I could go back to that generation and continue to live this vacation forever, if only that could happen.

Our journey was refreshing and by no means easy. People slipped but got up, were tired but walked on, cribbed but continued to laugh. It was as if we were willingly trapped in a green maze and the fact that we will somehow manage to come out was the only motivation as well as the only deterrent. When it all got over and we were back on the grasslands, it was a moment of achievement for all of us, an achievement to have finally been able to understand nature. Our trip was named immersing into the greens and it was literally so. And though the time has passed and its memories continue to linger, something which will remain with us forever is the sense of responsibility for preserving this nature in where so ever we are and by what so ever we can. I wasn’t sure if it was the end of a beginning or the beginning of an end for me. 

The shepherd boy and wolf

The following incident was narrated by one of our professors of Business Ethics at IIM Shillong and I couldn’t help but sharing it..

Everyone must have heard of the story of the shepherd boy and the wolf. The moral of the story was straight forward “A liar's truth is seldom believed”. Ever wondered of any other moral that could be derived from that story? Before you proceed to read on, just think for a moment and try to come up with an alternative moral. Don’t worry if you are not able to come up with anything else, that is what happens to most of us who have a restricted frame of mind. If you are able to come up with something sensible then I must admit you have an excellent ability to unlearn things.

Pause for 5 min and try to think of an alternative moral for the story…..

There are two separate incidents which I will share, both involving kids. Both of which will show you a glimpse of the innocent intelligence of children. The first incident took place in Kolkata, where a father narrated this story to his son and asked for the moral of the story in the end. He was amazed on listening to his son’s reply. His son said, “Dad, what kind of story is this. There is problem in the first line of the story itself. How can a shepherd boy go to work, this is child labour and it is illegal. I do not accept it.” A child talking about child labour, touching indeed!

The second incident happened in Punjab, where a school teacher narrated this story in class and asked the students to give the moral of the story. There was one kid who stood up and said, “Ma’am, this tells us that when we lie everything good happens with us but when we say the truth we get hurt”. The teacher was amazed at the child’s thought process.

I myself was amazed by both the replies. Even at this stage when I think of the story, the only moral that comes to me is the traditional one. I guess that it has been in grilled in us for so long that it now becomes too difficult to part ways with it. This happens not just with stories but with many other learnings which we have encountered in our life. Our professors at IIM Shillong keep telling us that the best way to learn something new is to unlearn your previous learning. After listening to these two stories I couldn’t agree more!

5 things I love/will miss about Hyderabad

There were a lot of things in my mind when I was leaving Hyderabad and I was not in a position to collect all of them. Now that I am alone at home, I finally decided to pen down my thoughts. Though the list is endless, this is just the top five in the list of things I love/will miss about Hyderabad.

5. Watching Movies - Well, I know watching movies anywhere else would probably be the same but I wonder when again I would be in those spirits to watch any random movie for no reason at all! Well the only reason I can now think of is that "it is a weekend"! And hence I ended up watching movies like the super duper hit - Prince and the retro style all time favourite comedy - Action Replay! Though I should add that I had awesome fun watching them, after all it is the company that matters. Now, that there are no theaters in Shillong I will definitely miss it even more.

4. The grand architecture – Within my first month itself in Hyderabad, we went for a full day Hyderabad darshan trip and I was awestruck with the beauty of the grand palaces, forts and museums. Looking at those massive structures, a tiny part of me dreamt of being born in the Nizam’s family. The history is even more interesting. Cannot forget to mention the beautiful laser show at Lumbini park, the famous Charminar, the glowing Necklace road, Hussain Sagar lake and the literally enlightened Buddha statue. As a child I had always dreamt of going to these places at night with friends and this wish was fulfilled on my last birthday, what more could I have asked for.

3. Hyderabadi delicacies – By the time I came to Hyderabad, I had lost interest in Chicken and Rice was never a favourite! But the Hyderbadi chicken Biryani changed all my taste buds and no matter how much I crib about having put on weight but I just cannot resist when that delicious bowl comes in front of me J Hyderabad undoubtedly, is a delight for foodies and especially non-vegetarians. Be it the expensive multi-cuisine restaurants or the average roadside chicken centers, taste is something which is never compromised. Though I will enjoy shedding some unwanted fat from my body, but the Paradise Biryani will truly be missed.

2. Night life - Coming from Nagpur, I had hardly walked on the streets after 11. Though it is a safe place to hang out but there is hardly anything interesting open after 11. Hyderabad gave me a whole new opportunity to enjoy the so called “night life”. It started with the dream bike rides and roadside (Bomarillu style) ice cream and ended up with the long car drives and fancy ice creams. Our lift used to be shutdown and building used to get locked at 11 but in spite of those hassles we continued our adventure as the ice cream was too sweet to resist and the fun too much to give up.

1. My Shreetam – I have taken the liberty to call him mine and I will try not to fall short of words at least this one time. When I first met him in Hyderabad, I learnt about the concept of selfless service to friends. On spending some time, I learnt the art of understanding and exploring the various facets of life. I started to think, started to live meaningfully and more importantly started to love! I have seen life like never before. It will be difficult to give a name to this relationship so I will just call him my Shreetam (just as we say my friend, my love etc) :) Leaving Hyderabad this time, I left a part of me behind and I will definitely come back to this beautiful land to reunite with that inseparable part.

my childhood memories

Childhood memories seem to be the best part of life, especially when you are a grown up man but crave every moment to re live those golden childhood days. And when you are at home, suddenly all of them keep coming back to you one by one. When I think about them, I get such random pictures, like our green colour landline phone, today who uses a normal bsnl landline phone without a caller id. When I think of it, I realise why it is such a distinct memory. I have built beautiful relationships with so many people- friends, cousins, relatives over the years talking on that phone.

When I was packing up my stuff while coming back from Hyderabad this time, I came across a decade old letter which I had written to one of my school friends. It read somewhat like this:

Dear friend,

                How are you? I am fine. I got 90% this time. How much did you get? I am enjoying the holidays, also missing school. What are you doing in these holidays? Why did not you write to me? .. and so on.

I went through it again and again till I hadn't got enough of it and couldn’t stop laughing there after. After reading that letter I recalled that we were a gang of four friends who used to exchange letters every summer to keep in touch. I cannot recollect how it all started but I am glad it did. This piece of paper keeps reminding me of those friends and though I am not in touch with them now, I still feel close to them. I guess this is how at each stage life keeps on storing some memories for us here and there which become important only when we have completely moved on to the next stage.

I am glad facebook has made the world so small, that everything now is just a search away. Recently one of my friends posted a childhood photo of her playing in a swing in front of her house. When we were kids, we have played on that swing day and night like crazy and it was so nostalgic recollecting those days. Their family was very close to ours and had later shifted to some other place. It was awesome fun when they used to come to meet us but the only part I remember now is that when they used to leave, every time, I used to cry like the entire universe was coming to an end! All our neighbours used to make fun of me the next day. I have so many bigger concerns and issues to think about now and drop a tear but those tears still seem precious to me for the sole reason that those days might never come back again!

I was kind of a studious kid in my childhood (some would say even now!). Being sincere, I was never scolded while studying or doing homework but some how I still remember crying. When I asked my mom she told me I had this insatiable urge to get everything correct the first time. And she particularly recollects that I used to cry a lot while writing the letter ‘S’ as I could never get it correct. I can completely understand, for an analytical mind like mine, the artistic ‘S’ must have been more difficult than other letters. Today, while I was helping my mom get a hand on the computer, I got a little irritated by her continuous questioning and just when I was about to give up my dad told me, “Child, this is exactly how we taught you to write ‘S’. Look at yourself now. Do you think we gave up on you.” For a moment I felt ashamed but it was an awakening call. Life does come about as a complete cycle.


(dedicated to all my friends who have made my childhood memories special..)

Dear friend..

Dear friend, walk in to the world with open arms,
But remember what you want to reflect or absorb,
Discover, that is what took you to new places,
But don't end up using it for your own selfish needs,
Invent, that is what brought us from darkness to light,
But don't end up turning the clear blue sky dark,

Be ambitious and have aspirations,
But remember that satisfaction holds the key to all happiness.

Stand up for what you think is right,
But don't end up carrying too much hatred instead,
Try to fight for all your rights,
But learn to adjust when the situation demands,
Learn to love by everything you have,
But don't let your expectations ruin it all,
Be fearless in all your actions,
But do fear the one who has a watch on all.

Travel as much as you want and as far as you can,
But don't forget to pause and reflect in between,
Live and enjoy your life to the fullest,
But don't give this as an excuse to your responsibilities,
Be a part of the sweet music around,
If nothing exists then make some of your own,
Don't hesitate to dance to the tunes of life,
But do make sure that the steps are your own.


(dedicated to all my fellow human beings....)

happy journey...

I have travelled by train quite a number of times and now I have got very well accustomed to it. But unlike few of my friends, I prefer to travel only with a confirmed ticket. The only journey in waiting was while I was travelling to ahmedabad and that gave me quite a good experience never to take up such adventures here after in life! My mom always tells me not to let those W/L chepaks occupy space at our feet or they will slowly move and make our good night sleep not so good and I believed her, until I myself was travelling in waiting and was begging for a place sufficient to just hold on to the seat. But anyways, that was one nightmare. My last journey though, was quite an experience. I was travelling from Hyderabad to Nellore in Charminar Express (No, it doesn’t give us a view of the Charminar as I told one of my friends and he even believed me!) That same friend had advised me not to travel by sleeper and had explained to me the funda of how the living standards of an average middle class man had increased and how I was living with my own little perceptions. But not having received the last month’s salary has had quite a bad toll on me and I had to book sleeper tickets.

The journey started quite well with my seat getting confirmed. The ticket collector (TC) came, checked the ticket and went away. As the train crossed station after station, I was amazed by the number of people getting on the train and running behind the TC with their W/L, RAC tickets. One person even had a W/L e-ticket who still ended up getting a seat along with a full blown session on e-ticket rules. My respect for that man in black coat grew, in spite of not having gone through a professional management course, he seemed to have managed quite well! The TT seemed to have space for every possible passenger. I was a little irritated looking at the crowd, it looked more like a second class compartment. But I had no option and resentfully went to sleep.

My return journey was by Simhapuri Express and though it is supposed to be a lower grade train as compared to Charminar but surprisingly it was much cleaner and less crowded. I was quite happy until the TC came and told me that my ticket was RAC! I was already low leaving my parents and was hardly in a mood to talk to anyone. And to add to my agony, hell RAC! And as per the past experiences, even W/L might get converted but RAC, no chance! They are like those few unlucky auto walas who get sodexos from their passengers. They get paid but don’t know how to you use it. I had already started hating the TC for no reason of that poor soul. Not in a mood to request or revolt, I just laid down in one corner of my seat hoping the other person just cancels his/her ticket after checking its status. But nonetheless I knew I was being far too optimistic and thought I better get some sleep before I become uncomfortable. It must have felt like just a moment’s sleep when I was woken up by the announcement at the dreaded station. I adjusted my sheets and sat straight with crossed fingers as I saw a group of people entering my compartment, followed by the TC. The fellow passengers started adjusting their bags when the TC finally came up to me and told me with a plain face and in as less words as possible, “Your seat has been confirmed, happy journey!” I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I sat there smiling for a minute trying to digest the fact. On talking to my ‘could be’ RAC partners I found out that they too had got a confirmed seat. I was pleasantly surprised. In this world of unbearable corruption, there are still a few people who stand by their values. Maybe it wasn’t about values for him, may be he just considered it as a part of his job. But he hadn’t realized what he had just done for me. It was a lesson to note down in my “rules to live your life” notebook. Thinking of it, respect from some random person might not be significant to you but it might be significant to that person. Influencing people to be more honest to their work, more honest to humanity, will ultimately helps in building a better world.

It was not the joy of getting a seat but the joy of realizing that such people still exist that didn’t let me sleep there after.

when will we wake up!

“We are not even ready to talk for anything below 60 lakhs”. Wondering, what is it that is being bargained for such a huge sum of money? Surprisingly and shockingly, it is for a bridegroom. No, this is not a decade back incident in some remote village in Bihar. It happened last week with one of my aunt who has recently started the groom-hunt for her daughter in Hyderabad. I asked my mother curiously what he was doing? She said he was working in some multinational company and earning 15 lakh rupees pa. I started wondering why would anyone possibly need 60 lakh rupees if he is so self-sufficient. That brings me back to the much sought after question. I have seen people arguing that the reason they are willing to pay huge amounts as dowry is for getting a well earning guy for their daughter who can take care of her for the rest of their lives. With 60 lakhs, wouldn’t anyone be capable of doing that. And the point is, if the guy is so self-sufficient and well earning then why he would possibly need such huge amount from his would-be family to run his own family!

As far as this is a story running in the neighboring house, you can live with it and laugh on it. But consider the same scenario in your own house. Consider being sold to a guy like this. After all the money that your parents have spent for your top class education, after all the hard work that you have put in to be a top performer through out, after all the struggle you have been through to get a good job, after all the dedication you have showed in job to receive a fast promotion, if you wake up to realize that you would be sold for some price to a greedy so called self-sufficient person, then will you not be shattered. I am fighting a helpless battle at my own house for a reform. Dowry and the related domestic violence are the most prevalent problems faced by maximum mediocre households in Andhra Pradesh. Easy access to cheap liquor is further aggravating the problem. Even after decades since the enactment of Dowry Prohibition Act, Andhra Pradesh and many other Indian states are still facing this evil problem. A problem which cannot be dealt without the collective efforts of every probable victim, every father who desires a good guy for his beloved daughter, every mother who dedicatedly does groom-hunting for her daughter, every guy who is an search of a lovely wife and every girl who is in search of a caring husband. It is we who are the root cause of this problem and it is only we who are the most affected by it. So when do we plan to wake up?