Breakup not breakdown

CD says.... "Break-ups are always good because
1) It removes a wrong person from life
2) It teaches how to be 'yourself'
3) It gives another chance to fall in love"

Published in public interest :)

It's Complicated...

Or so i say... But then what is not complicated... Complication has become a part and parcel of our life. The other day someone i know had called up to invite me for his marriage. After the initial exchange of niceties, he sadly informed me that the person he is marrying is his close friend and not the love of his life. I was surprised and quite naturally asked the reason for this. He answered " Its complicated".

My collegue's 12years old daughter had written a paragraph in her exam in answer to a one word answer question which was " How is H2O popularly known as?" When she asked the kid why she had explained so much, the kid answered "Its complicated" definitely than it seems. Surely n0 one would ask such simple questions in exams.

So is Complicated the new word enveloping our life? Is it actually so difficult to keep it simple? I sometime wonder what does it take to be and remain simple... And in course of that self introspection, i realised that its not complicated. We just don't like it simple anymore. Simple is boring, monotonous, shallow and without excitement. Complicated on the other hand is fun. The very idea of something complex gives some of us a kick, the excitement of the unresolved. Somewhat like a mystery and we are ready to live our life being complicated. The more complex it is, the more fun.

So be it. The next time you dont want to answer or try to avoid explanation, you know whats the phrase to fall back on. Till then "It's complicated"

Two Zero One Zero

Happy New Year to all....



Time really flies... it seems just yesterday when i celebrated 2009.... and in a jiffy its gone and we are in a brand new year... Let us look at 2009 for one last time before we move forward... 2009 was a year when----

• India proved it's mettle in fighting the economic slowdown. It is poised for a 7-7.5 % growth..way ahead of the developed nations
• India became the World's best Team in Test cricket
• Sachin "Master Blaster' Tendulkar completed 20 Years in International Cricket
• Ramaling Raju became the face of biggest Scam of Corporate India
• Deepak Parikh and his Team emerged as saviour's of Satyam's reputation and reemergence as a Software companny to reckon
• The HINI Flu was declared a worldwide pandemic
• Slumdog Millionaire bagged 8 Oscers, one of the highest for any movie
• Bandra Worli sealink was inaugurated
• Kasab became vegetarian
• 3idiots created history
• Calcutta witnessed the coldest winter of the decade

So that was quiet something and my life was not untouched as well.... here is a not so long list of my gains and things i would have definitely done without last year....

• A much deserved and awaited promotion with a decent hike in tight recession situation
• Increased responsibilty at work with a decent incentive
• Lost money in a mutual fund
• Broke my heart twice
• Lost a very close friend (but not to death)
• Made a couple of new friends
• Enjoyed 3IDIOTS

Now that i have bade the year final farewell, its time to look forward and one thing which i shall strive to do much more this year would be some serious blogging.... In case you are wondering, this is not a resolution.....

Happy New year once again.... Let's RoCk!!!!

Distance from you..... (Sentimental)

I said it will be ok. But i was the one crying...
I said we will move ahead without each other. But i am the one still holding back the memories...

The Perfect Kiss (I love this)

Which is when the world stopped turning.

Which is when the birds fell silent.

Which is when the clouds all breathed in at the same time.

Which is when lies became truth.

Which is when pain became love.

Which is when fires burned blue.

Which is when red flowers bloomed.

Which is when snow fell.

Which is when ice became water.

Which is when the universe smiled.

Which is when the sunshine and the moonlight met.

Which is when gravity gave up the ghost.

Which is when the air became thick.

Which is when people screamed on the edges of cliffs.

Which is when every guitar in the world strummed the same three chords over and over.

Which is when the dead rolled over and wished to live again.

Which is when the song turned itself up.

Which is when aliens on other worlds looked up into the heavens and gasped.

When is when hurricanes and storms and floods swept through us.

Which is when tears fell from willows at the beauty of it all.

Which is when riots and madness chased themselves through the streets.

Which is when millions of glasses committed suicide, throwing themselves from kitchen cupboards.

Which is when angels were filled with envy.

Which is when vampires threw back their heads and howled.

Which is when skin crawled.
Which is when we were watching TV on a couch.
Which is when you were in my arms and I was in your mouth

In between......

In between the sun seemed dull.... in between the wind felt hostile....in between the clock completed a round... in between music just seemed like a sound.... in between all promises seemed untrue....in between i realised how much i am missing you....

Interesting conversation between a man and a Service Officer

A real story ...A conversation between a man and software engg in Shatabdi Train .... Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man.. He was the Project Manager and still Not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin Person, it was the savings in time. He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to Some good use. 'Are you from the software industry sir,' the man beside him was staring Appreciatively at the laptop.

Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now With exaggerated care And importance as if it were an expensive car. 'You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today Everything is getting computerized.' '

Thanks,' smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always Found it difficult to resist appreciation. '

You people always amaze me,' the man continued, 'You sit in an office and Write something on a computer And it does so many big things outside.'

Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. 'It is Not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of Process That goes behind it.' '

It is complex, very complex.' 'It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid,' came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence Crept Into his so far affable, persuasive tone. ' Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. .. 'Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway Reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the Hundreds of computerized booking Centres across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time Concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security.

Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?' The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. 'You design and code such things.' 'I used to,' Vivek paused for effect, 'but now I am the Project Manager.' 'Oh!' sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, 'so your life is easy now.'

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, 'Oh come on, does Life Ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am Responsible for it and believe me, That is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and With The highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always Changing his requirements, The user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always Expecting you to have finished it yesterday.' 'My friend,' he concluded triumphantly, 'you don't know what it is to be In The Line of Fire'.

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When He spoke after sometime, it was with A calm certainty that surprised Vivek. 'I know sir,...... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire.......' He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast Expanse of time. 'There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the Cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for Whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of Us were alive.' 'You are a...?' 'I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil..

They tell me I have completed My term and can opt for a soft assignment.

But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, Open to enemy fire while We were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself.

He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put The safety and welfare of The nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he Commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time.' 'He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the Bunker.

Every morning thereafter, As we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were Actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire.' Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond.

Abruptly, he Switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting, to edit a Word document in the presence Of a man for whom Valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which He Had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it Pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.. 'It was nice meeting you sir.' Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the Tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand Went up in an impromptu salute. It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident narrated was during the capture of Peak 4875 is a True-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he Commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, The nation's highest military award.