ADDICTIONS: Dying to get Offline, but Alas!

 “Greatness adds to the Good & evil begets evil, as simple as that”

 One 12 year old kid, who was supposed to enjoy his summer vacations by going out or playing till he drops in the heat, was having a horrible day yesterday, because his mother was not allowing him to play the Xbox (which he was playing for more than few hours already).

 He came to me angry with his mom and asked, ‘I am getting bored. I don’t want to go out and play. Can you tell mom to allow me to play on my Xbox so that I can have some fun.’

 I guess, this is what has become when I look around me, except for those very few who are still fortunate, under control and in touch with the real world.

 That’s when it struck me.

 I too have been addicted. I realized that I have become utterly obsessed to the cyber world like millions across the world. Today I am just one among the million less fortunate getting strangled to the today’s ipv4 syndrome – The Internet.

 This virtual platform engineered by those who started it as an information sharing platform has gone manifold through inventions & contributions by great pioneers like Al Gore, Tim Berners-Lee, Vint Cerf, Robert Kahn, Leonard Kleinrock, Lawrence G. Roberts, Radia Perlman and few others.

But why do I quote the first line that “greatness adds…..”

I realized the missing link around that could hold me grounded and keep me engrossed in life that is real.

Today, as I scan across my little self-centered murky world, I find all those around fixated to something that is not just contagious, but uniquely contagious, in the sense that, it drives oneself to catch their novel form of addiction on their own.

 Surrounded by those either addicted to the till death do us apart yearning for money or those with a deflective state of philosophical bent through religious dose of daily booze or those obsessed with zero value adding life skills of traditional education or the amazingly exasperating bunch of hardcore shopaholics who have today led me to succumb & snail myself into a smaller world owing to sheer utter boredom.

 I feel suffocated when I end up nowhere but yet ‘find myself’ in a Mall every other day or worst diluting my already troubled fitness regime sitting in a restaurant that is definitely not helping me regain my good old self.

 Why? ‘coz today I am tired of again and again planning a spontaneous tour to a better place or at least a real world around and unfortunately cannot also find,  ‘who can take on ideas to connect to the real world’ & initiate an adventurous outing may be?

I keep trying to reinvent by being innovative and planning to reach out to the outer and real world and sadly find myself in a restaurant or compulsorily on the almost only way to stay connected with each other today – Telephone or even worst in a bar or a again a mall.

The value addition per se seems to be missing at every stage as addiction has caught up with specific religious routines of not thinking beyond the monotonously small world around.

 With so much of information explosion, I am today finding the spontaneity missing around me so much that I chose to get addicted to a virtual world with just a couple of hardware and loads of unnecessary junk from all across the globe.

 As I drift towards spending shockingly gifted long & empty weekends addicted to the virtual galleria, the more I realize the emptiness of adventure and spark with zest and energy around.

 The more I update myself on Web3.0 today, the more I feel sorry for the world of tomorrow that ‘might’ be a part of these uniquely contagious addiction syndromes over a period of time.

 Now that I have done some keying in for the day, let me get back to Orkut or Facebook where I can meet real people, ahem!

 Can’t believe, I am actually dying to get offline!

 What say?

 Let me know your views

 Ananth V – ‘(Still Online)’

Image Source: AnanthV

Twirling Dreams & Blurring Reality

Money, passion, exhaustion and fame…. Drawing to a weekend where serenity was the magic to the tempo of realism called Life!

 Met up with an old buddy, yes, the same friend who shared his dream with me and wanted the same to be shared with all of us through this platform: Choked by a crab

 He said, I want to share another one this time.

 I asked him, “You spend too much time sleeping, don’t you?”

 Thank God, he took it lightly, just the way I had meant it.

 But he meant business as he straight away quoted “I saw a baby monkey running around me with whom I was playing and then feeding a watermelon”

 We knew we were no Birbal, so we got Sherlock.  No, not the web search app from Apple  (That’s still Google for us).

 We got searching and finding all probable combinations. Why? ‘coz my chum seemed quite uneasy and anxious since a couple of days with this and he said, lets put this again on board. 

The combination of a baby monkey being fed watermelon, hmmmmm….

The Web help sources said, That could mean putting jointly emotions of innocence which was trying to be grabbed from the past.,Unsettled triggers of unfinished business from childhood recollections that could have sparked very recently. That with a monkey that was being fed, probably expressing a betrayal of expectation from someone who should have been there more to support you who meant close to you and finally with a fruit that is either about ease or about fiery passion. These were amazing combinations which meant well, nothing to me as now I turned at my buddy.

 Slowly we put the running ball together; I noticed a sneer and a sense of realization on his face. He said, I got my answers, now you quote down your lines.

 His face was composed or a lot calmer now and now that I got that he got it, I was sure I need not try to know what it was.

 But I felt uncomfortable when I quoted his dreams the first time on the blog after he said, go for it. Flash it across. Now a repeated second one made me say to him, ‘it’s not right to talk about your life on a Writers blog.’

 He said a simple line after which I started to key in the new post here.

 He quoted, “It helps me relax to read it across the blog and it helps me know, it’s just out there, happening and makes me feel in control from within. It’s good to flush it out of my system than to burn wakeful from inside in the barrenness.”

 That’s when I realized the influence of Soaps on TV. With Ekta Kapoor and her Dramarama swarming the nation like a wild blaze, people find themselves sharing a part of it, some or any part of it at times and that’s what keeps them at ease and linked day in and day out.

It’s not the actors, it’s not the lines, its Reel reality with a dash of overflowing emotions bundled with of course repetitive unnecessary camera shots. (ya, ya I have seen an episode too.. big deal)

 Well, I don’t know about me, but Ekta definitely built her dreams with it….

 And to my pal, Happy dreaming buddy! Have a good nights sleep!

Chao!

Image Source: Click

When I was 21

 Another ‘good’ year,  or is it?

A stressful month, painful week, draining last few days…. has finally brought me to a not so energetic weekend.

Duh!

It’s 6am IST on a Saturday and I am awake writing a blog…. So take a wild guess!

But yes, I had few other realizations of f late about people and life. They don’t change, they won’t change…. Either we learn to adapt or we learn to let go.

I usually have been habituated to working with a big team professionally and have an extremely choosy few friends. And it’s true what they say. Our friends teach us more than anyone else of things that could be played and done right to socialize. I have been lucky and in awe of few such friends of mine to whom I might not have mentioned this to, but have helped me a lot to gain control of myself and my social life over these years.

Today I understood when Sinatra started by singing when I was 21 as I missed being 21 a lot, when it was a very good year … remember!

 Those who probably knew me two years back, if they wind up discussing with someone who knows me not from yesteryears, would sense they are discussing of different individuals. I changed… for some reason, i changed. Became more calm, more patient and more socially acceptable and human.

So today, I fall flat and confused when I am questioned for being too calm and non-aggressive and on the other when I know how hard I have worked for it.

So what am I to do? Where am I to go from here….

I come from a middle class orthodox family, valuing teachings of the great more than life. I do not obviously abide by those at the same level but I respect the learning’s in every form of practicality in life today.

The quotes and learning from the holy books of Gita, Ramayana, Bible and great leaders and my personal influencers like Mother Teresa, Swami Vivekananda have shared their wisdom across the globe. When I read through them, I feel so shallow in my life of doings.

I have always found peace when I was able to lend a helping hand to someone really needy, be it education, physical help or bringing smile through words of humor. I have lost all that today in the rat race of life.

Recently I received a letter where I have been nominated for Rashtriya Gaurav award (I thank them for my nomination) for my contribution to various NGO’s over the years, but strangely I did not fill up my nomination, because there is so much more to do…… so much of void to be filled, my work has not even begun.

I am not trying to preach like the great influencers, trust me I do not have that audacity anymore. I am merely like a candle in front of the mighty sun, running confused and with chaos on what is to be done more, better and positive…..

The great words from Gods and legends have taught me to just keep pursuing my work and not bother.  But today the days and weeks seemed to be either hooked up on monotonous ideas which itself cracks the point of having ideas or no learning and loads of zero value addition routine tasks or chasing god forsaken numbers or planning them and with nothing coming in return from any of these that could be worth valuing; “TIME” seems to ask me, are these days even going to be worth remembering?

The answer I get is a simple no!

So today I ask my friends who have either massively or in any other way, impacted a positive way of life in me, how do they do it? …

To name a few: Anand P (A humble guy & a master & wizard on traditional High quality education), Amit R (Very helping & his PR skills are better than SRK’s), Ajay K (The most modest, sincere & humble being) who have been my very close friends since decades and of course there are many others who have added and impacted at some level or the other as excellent friends: Beta, Chinki, Kishore, Prakash, Bala, Hari bhai, Sagar, Chintan, Akshay, Prasad, Deva, Mani, Chini, Ankur, Venky and there are those whom I can’t mention owing to uncanny reasons…..

or do they too miss being 21….. Come on fellas, give me your comments…

Quotes from Holy books and some of my personal great influencers:

 “There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.” 

“ Karmani ave adhikars te: –you have the power to act only; ma phalesu kadachana:–you do not have the power to influence the result; ma karmaphal hetur bhoo: –therefore you must act without the anticipation of the result; ma sangostu akramani: –without succumbing to inaction; ” 

“Anything that brings spiritual, mental, or physical weakness, touch it not with the toes of your feet ”

“I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them” 

“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness”

 

Image Source: AnanthV

As the Oscar mania settled in and the winners went backstage to celebrate the 81^st Academy award, my heart stood still for few moments.

Of the winners list announced, I searched and landed back for the nth time on the name of one of this years Academy award winners.

It has been 7 years since I have not missed the Oscars, from my home television set of course, but this was the first time I was very sure of the award winner in one of the categories.

So sure, that when I had seen the Actors performance and was heading back home from the PVR cinema at 1:40pm night in Mulund – Mumbai, I said to my friend, “Ye saal, Ek Oscar to malum chal gaya, isko hi jayega, Kya superb performance diya re is bandhe ne” so to say, I told my friend that I was damn sure who is going to be winning one of the Academy awards this year, amazing performance it was.

It was the first time I stood up in between the movie to add a thunderous applause to the already amazing background score of the movie.

Needless to say, I watched this movie twice in the theater, for the very first time in my life, watched a movie more than once.

As days rolled by, I got busy with work, then one day, I heard the shocking news.

The Actor had passed away. He died of a drug overdose.

I went online, scurrying through the sites to hopefully see if it was not true, but went motionless on reading it in every website.

The 28 year old brilliant performer, Heath Ledger who won a million hearts with his uncanny and outstanding performance as the Joker had passed away.

I pay my humble tribute to this legend of an artist.

The Joker will always Live…….

Why So Serious…..

Why So Serious

“Either you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” – Joker ~ The Dark Knight Returns

Image Courtesy:

Heath Ledger: Heath

Joker1:  Joker

Joker2:  Why SO Serious

As the Osacar mania settled in and the winners went backstage to celebrate the 81^st Academy award, my heart stood still for few moments.

Of the winners list announced, I searched and landed back for the nth time on the name of one of this years Academy award winners.

It has been 7 years since I have not missed the Oscars, from my home television set of course, but this was the first time I was very sure of the award winner in one of the categories.

So sure, that when I had seen the Actors performance and was heading back home from the PVR cinema at 1:40pm night in Mulund – Mumbai, I said to my friend, “Ye saal, Ek Oscar to malum chal gaya, isko hi jayega, Kya superb performance diya re is bandhe ne” so to say, I told my friend that I was damn sure who is going to be winning one of the Academy awards this year, amazing performance it was.

It was the first time I stood up in between the movie to add a thunderous applause to the already amazing background score of the movie.

Needless to say, I watched this movie twice in the theater, for the very first time in my life, watched a movie more than once.

As days rolled by, I got busy with work, then one day, I heard the shocking news.

The Actor had passed away. He died of a drug overdose.

I went online, scurrying through the sites to hopefully see if it was not true, but went motionless on reading it in every website.

The 28 year old brilliant performer, Heath Ledger who won a million hearts with his uncanny and outstanding performance as the Joker had passed away.

I pay my humble tribute to this legend of an artist.

The Joker will always Live…….

Why So Serious…..

Why So Serious

“Either you die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” – Joker ~ The Dark Knight Returns

Image Courtesy:

Heath Ledger: Heath

Joker1:  Joker

Joker2:  Why SO Serious

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival The 2009 Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will be on from 7th February to 15th February.

Gallery and pavement shows, exhibitions, literary events, film screenings, music concerts, dance performances, theatre shows, workshops, heritage walks, a food fiesta, and a buzzing street festival bring in audiences and participants from all over the city.

 The Schedule Of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2009 is as follows:

7th February, 2009

8th February, 2009

9th February, 2009

10th February, 2009

11th February, 2009

12th February, 2009

13th February, 2009

14th February, 2009

15th February, 2009

URL: http://www.kalaghodaassociation.com

Wishing everyone a very Happy &

 Prosperous New Year

Welcome 2009

God Bless & Be Well

Ananth V

Snarling all around with a face that could not look dimmer than what seemed to be. As I walked into the client’s office, he was staring at the horrible sounds that seemed to be echoing through his office with my entrance.

But I guess, the meeting was important enough to entertain my orchestra of heavy cough and cold in his conference room.

I finished my appointments and meetings one after the other and rushed to find a cab back home. Desperately with my weary self I carried the exhaustion my body was trying to bear all around the crowded street of Andheri.

As the misery of my last 3 days fever and cold seemed to catch up on my body strength, I caved in and started hunting for a rick that could take me home in it’s own topsy-turvy way.  I finally found one in the horribly crowded and filled with heavy horns and brakes road of Saki Naka. I entered in and re-checked with the Pilot of the ‘Rick’ of my destination. He nodded and took off in his horribly rash way that he drives. He drove like he owned the road, but the only issue was, with his speed, he seemed to also own my life for that hour or so. Anyways, I was too tired to move and in those twenty minutes or so he just all of a sudden stopped.

“Gas nahi hai sir rickshaw mein” he said and eyed for me to get off the vehicle.

No gas in the rick, Wow, fabulous. I was at the Hira Nandani area of Powai at 7 pm where I would never ever get another rick in less than half hour.

Bingo, I was right! I got the rick for my way home at 7:25 pm. I was half crashing down when I reached home.

I ate something light to keep me ticking and rushed to the doctor to get some meds of this stretched weariness. Luckily, there were only 2 other miserable looking individuals at the doctors waiting room. I took my number and just laid back in the seat waiting to get my dose of medicine. It was 9:30 pm. In the next 30 minutes or so, there were apparently 6 others who went directly in saying they needed to just show their reports who apparently the doc’s helper felt was fine to let them in. By the time the whole lot went in and out and me with the other one more waiting to get in could explain and get things right, (which I did not get into as it seemed like a fight when the others were doing it, so I just laid back in the seat) the time was 10:20 pm.

Finally, it was my turn and I could not believe my luck. The doc had an emergency call and she left.

Finally, I got my dose of meds and left at 11pm. Glad… My wait was finally over and apparently when I took my meds back at home… so was the day!

Happy healing!

Snarling all around with a face that could not look dimmer than what seemed to be. As I walked into the client’s office, he was staring at the horrible sounds that seemed to be echoing through his office with my entrance.

But I guess, the meeting was important enough to entertain my orchestra of heavy cough and cold in his conference room.

I finished my appointments and meetings one after the other and rushed to find a cab back home. Desperately with my weary self I carried the exhaustion my body was trying to bear all around the crowded street of Andheri.

As the misery of my last 3 days fever and cold seemed to catch up on my body strength, I caved in and started hunting for a rick that could take me home in it’s own topsy-turvy way.  I finally found one in the horribly crowded and filled with heavy horns and brakes road of Saki Naka. I entered in and re-checked with the Pilot of the ‘Rick’ of my destination. He nodded and took off in his horribly rash way that he drives. He drove like he owned the road, but the only issue was, with his speed, he seemed to also own my life for that hour or so. Anyways, I was too tired to move and in those twenty minutes or so he just all of a sudden stopped.

“Gas nahi hai sir rickshaw mein” he said and eyed for me to get off the vehicle.

No gas in the rick, Wow, fabulous. I was at the Hira Nandani area of Powai at 7 pm where I would never ever get another rick in less than half hour.

Bingo, I was right! I got the rick for my way home at 7:25 pm. I was half crashing down when I reached home.

I ate something light to keep me ticking and rushed to the doctor to get some meds of this stretched weariness. Luckily, there were only 2 other miserable looking individuals at the doctors waiting room. I took my number and just laid back in the seat waiting to get my dose of medicine. It was 9:30 pm. In the next 30 minutes or so, there were apparently 6 others who went directly in saying they needed to just show their reports who apparently the doc’s helper felt was fine to let them in. By the time the whole lot went in and out and me with the other one more waiting to get in could explain and get things right, (which I did not get into as it seemed like a fight when the others were doing it, so I just laid back in the seat) the time was 10:20 pm.

Finally, it was my turn and I could not believe my luck. The doc had an emergency call and she left.

Finally, I got my dose of meds and left at 11pm. Glad… My wait was finally over and apparently when I took my meds back at home… so was the day!

Happy healing!

Mumbai -TREE Grace -Strength!

 

Why {‘Me’mbai} … will never be my question!

The first breath of air that I ever took till the current letters that I am keying in…. Every minuscule moment screams of the word MUMBAI.

I grew up proudly in this beauty of a land which we term, as the city of dreams. The energy and drive that Mumbai can bring for anyone is, in human terms, unreal and eccentric. Growing up here, all I ever worried about was nothing other than ‘just the fear of growing too slow’.

For I knew, that my quick paced city was safe and would keep me safe.

Life was driven by the ambition of achievement and passion, nothing more.

Life was socially or otherwise, always strictly business for every Mumbaikar. 

Mumbai never had Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs or any other community. Mumbai in its most awful state of affairs always seemed to come to a consensus on the basis of an understanding but has stood strong and has returned hitting harder.

We are a cash rich city by means of real estate, human resource and the dream builders of the world. At the end of the day, everyone knows… There is only one Hope on the face of this planet… that can withstand any trial, wherein so many cultures and dreams have been built from and with nothingness, Our Mumbai.

But this week, Mumbai met with an attempt which has made things very personal.

In the name of community and insane inhumanness innocent lives were driven into havoc. We were attacked by those who had nothing in their minds, but a canvas of painting the city red. Of giving a message to all: Stay away from this city …..

As of date, we have earned over decades the bloody audacity to shout at the top of our voice that we are going to welcome the world more than ever and by God, will the world too take this city with more respect than ever before.

We will and have already bounced back to grow, party and capitalize harder than anyone could ever dream of.

No one is scared…… bloody not even close…. Now the city is going to have more guests, more visitors and tourists than ever before. All will have the hot and crispy groundnuts outside the Taj Mahal Hotel once again and hang out. Drive around the Marine Drive and catch a movie at Metro this week.

Why, because, WHY MUMBAI, will never be my question. You wanted to hit the best… Thanks for reminding the billions all over, that the city of dreams is actually a city that never sleeps. It is actually built with people that love this land and she gets her energy from the blood running through each of our veins. The city has never slept and will never sleep. We will grow beyond what anyone can fathom and will welcome billions more to this land to grow along with us everyday.

We are dreams… We are hope… We are strength…… The commandos, the NSG and every brave staff at the hotels, the amazing heart of every civilian, The Trident, Nariman House, Taj, Colaba, CST and all over … gave us more hope than ever before. A heartflet sincere Thanks to each of the heroes. We will always bounce back and hit harder than one can ever EVER in their bloody sense of the term even think of.

I will never ask why M{e}mbai.. I know… ‘coz people always go after what’s the best….. It’s sad… for the rest… ‘coz they will never get even an ounce of it…. It’s not for cowards, it’s not for Losers…. It’s for the mighty strong who face Life… not from behind a bush…but Face to face!

M{e}mbai!

Look at us – We are ready to rock the world again!

—

Image Source: http://ananthvclickswordpress.com