Grass is always greener on the other side.....

Grass is always green on the other side

Ask a ten year old kid going to school

Or ask an old mechanic working on his tool

Why is it that with rules we always have to abide

You peek in the ruins of your conscious mind

Where life flickers off and on in alteration

The quizzical look on the face is just a reflection

The mind always looks to the distant ringing bells as a friend

Grass is always green on the other side

Only the halcyon days of yesterday are remembered with joy

You remember the sweet old first love and its first expression, coy!!

But we surrender for ambition and our own isolate covenant of conscience

You live for dreams, both frustrated and realized

You step into the all engrossing rat race

It only helps you lose the smile on your face

What you still have to achieve will continue to keep you amazed

Grass can be seen to be greener on your side

But you need to have the courage to say ‘Yes’ to life

Even if it means to try when you are torn with strife

And all it takes is to treat each moment as a joyful ride!!!

Bye bye Dada!!

“We are visitors in your country, we expect to be treated with respect” was a reply Ganguly gave when a rascist comment was passed by a spectator in a practise match Down Under in 2000. As far as captaincy was concerned he did not believe in Indian schools of antiquity. Post 2000 Indian Cricket stopped being nervous polite visitors and soon began to be taken notice of as a team that has come with an ambition of becoming the conqueror. Ganguly wore his hurt on his sleeve and soon taught a cricket crazy nation to do the same.

Dada did not have a technique to boast off and gave ample opportunities to his critics to lick their fingers. But he embodied grit and determination like no one else in recent times. No one else might have made as successful comebacks as Ganguly did, that too on two occasions.
Ganguly built his own team and led from the front. An attitude was seen on display whenever the Indian team started taking field. The Bengal southpaw gave India 22 test victories and those sweet cover drives, but more importantly he gave the sport of this country an attitude.

The popularity of a public figure only manifests itself in the individuals departure from the scene. I just hope its not a departure and Dada returns back as a coach of the national team soon. As a fan of this great game, my utmost respect to a champion of the game which has always been my biggest teacher in life.

Aditya

Pain with the thousand teeth

The Tatas have moved out of Singur. Many would term this as very unfortunate, especially for the state of Bengal. One persons loss is anothers gain and Modi quickly stepped into the opportunity to prove that his politics and plans go beyond Hindutva. Ofcourse the economic trajectory does not cancel out communal trajectory.
I would try to be optimistic of the entire episode and say whatever happenned has just taught a lesson to everyone. In a developing economy like ours, more and more projects are going to be undertaken, lots of infrastructure needs are hopefully going to be addressed in the coming decade. And all of this is going to require lots of land. And we still do not have a proper land acquisition policy/ people rehabilitation policy in place!
Why should the poor farmers lands be acquired without their consent? Why should a Mamata Banerjee or a Medha Patkar be criticised? May be none of them is really interested in the farmers cause and it all is a political goodwill gaining exercise, but the issue is extremely critical.
The fact of the matter is that there has been no proper handling of these issues. 12624 farmers were to lose their land in Singur. The so called protectors of the marginal farmers, the Communist Party themselves were becoming exploiters of the down trodden. You may have grand plans for the betterment of your own people in the future, but it is equally esential to have immediate plans of action for their present well being. Be it Kashmir, Naxalism, LTTE or Kargil, unfortunately for India there is no coming to consciousness without pain. Its time India Inc, the State governments and the Central Government take a leaf out of the whole Singur episode and work towards a well laid out development plan for the country.
That which is escaped now is only pain to come. Lets wake up in time for this.

Towards that shining star I will rise!!!

Towards that shining star I will rise
I have this ambition which I do not bite
At times I feel there are very few things I do right
But to reach that shining star I will hunt for every prise

I had a dream and that dream I followed
Was oblivious that to the very dream I had to surrender
Was unaware that there would be times I would just wander
With a pinch of salt everything I had swallowed

But the dream I believe in and the dream still exists
The mind is now eager, thirst even stronger,
To set out on my path I can wait no longer
To achieve the dream I will persist

A different path I will adopt, new ideas I will try
It is a new challenge, a sudden gauntlet thrown
Failures have only helped and my confidence has grown
The path has had thorns to whom I have said good bye

Time has now brought my passion to the fore
Ready to explore new avenues and things unheard
Not afraid of doors closing and certain people absurd
With time the doors too have creaked that much more

The doors will finally give up, The journey will look beautiful
Fresh, colorful and full of people hearty
Life, I would want to make it one big party
Yes, towards that shining star I will rise!!

Aditya Khandekar

Tables turned

Being in a sales function you have to keep going to the market to understand the happenings of the game and also to push the sales yourself. You visit a store, end up calling the shop owner as Sethji, Sirji or some more respectable names if you can come up with. For finally they are your customers.
Even some of the shop keepers often try getting some ego massaging done, a little bit of “bhav”….who doesn’t like it? Its always nice to be a buyer in a business deal, you are always welcome!

Still the shopkeeper calls you “Sir” and so does your salesman. The poor salesman has to bear the brunt incase the buyer doesn’t end up getting all that he had ordered for.

Recently I visited a huge Kirana shop, one of the prominent ones in the locality I was visiting. I wished the owner a namaste followed by a “sethji”. The owner just replied, “Sirji, mujhe aap sethji mat kehnaa”. Initially surprised, but then I realized the owner was one of our companies old salesman. Having been in the field for 20 years he understands all the nuances of the game. He knows the tricks of the trade and now calls the shots!!

Hats off!!
Aditya

Jane tu...ya jane na......

Grow old with me…..the best is yet to be!!

Touching the so very old theme of friends not knowing they are in love and further unable to express the same when they actually realize it. Friends whom you keep teasing with someone else's name, though at the bottom of your heart you would not want him/her to be away from you. A friend who you feel is absolutely no match for you, but later realize that no one understands you as much as him/ her. That being who has been so much a part of the hedonism, your pranks, your problems that he/ she cannot remain “just a friend”. That being who has an existential map having ‘you are here’ written all over it."

The movie is full of some good college bakwaas, some real catchy tunes, cute faces, dumb looks, a Naseeruddin Shah talking through Photo frames and aapdo Gujju bhai Jiggy organizing his own surprise Birthday party, albeit some irritating scenes at times (it actually starts with a funeral for a cat). But every frivolous scene is ‘maaf ’ for the way the movie gets built up. For in spite of everything being so predictable you keep yourself telling just one single word till the end “Cute”.

Kitne ajeeb rishte hai yaha pe
Do pal milte hai sath sath chalte hai
Ek mod aye to yuhi chale jate hai

And the special friend doesn’t meet to just walk away from your life someday. Thankfully Jai realizes this Just in Time.
Wisdom too often does not come and one ought not to reject it merely because it came late!!!

Aditya

The Traveller

The Traveller
He has a deer's legs and an ass's back

No kind of energy and observation should he lack
From one place to another he has to go

At no place which he visits can he lie low
Pain and sufferings he has to see

Through such things stoic he has to be
Memories are collected at every junction

Tomorrow will be another place is a presumption
In case of darkness he has to move

He has no time to get into his groove
He has to forget those beautiful eyes

Contain emotions and let out no sighs
A positive energy he has to vibrate

Pep up some kid who seems will enervate
Every journey is always spiced up

To become a virtuoso you need to keep up
For no one can ever be the perfect master

Games are played even by the creator
No one can understand when the journey will consummate

whether its in the morning dew or the evening sunset
Aditya Khandekar

The visualizer to actualizer !!

Currently in our MBA class they are teaching us entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship course as such started after all of us have been done with our placements! Mumbai University rocks.

"Whats so different about entrepreneurs" our Prof asked. Calculated risk taking, vision, good inter personal skills, innovators, opportunity seekers, people with inter disciplinary approach and many more such cliches. But what is it that differentiates an entrepreneur she again asked? "Will to take initiatives" one friend of mine said getting up from his nap.

"Calculated risk taking?" Every sensible man always takes risk on a calculated basis, its not restricted to entrepreneurs. The term itself doesnt make much sense.
"Vision?" Statesmen of various countries, Financial heads have great visions, entrepreneurs rarely and more so the vision develops only after a few successes. In almost all occasions they end up doing something other than what they initially planned.
"People with inter disciplinary approaches?" May be yes, because an entrepreneur always thinks of his finance and his sales. At the same time he wants to be having a good networking with people. Innovators, Initiators and many more such words came into the discussion.

Although I have no first hand knowledge, 4 things which I felt are more important than anything else for being a a Successful Entrepreneur and which wont ever get mentioned in any book on Entrepreneurship
-"tremendous self-confidence". Unless a person has the confidence about his own ability he will dare not even think about starting his own firm even if he/ she has the best idea in the world.
-"A roll your sleeves and get down to the field on the job" kind of guy who has the guts to find his way around.
-someone who is "mentally tough" and probably has faced failure in life.
-and those who have the potential to think ON their Business along with thinking IN their business

and I sincerely feel, rest of all the terms/ adjectives associated with an Entrepreneur are only for Glory.

Aditya

How Much more.....

We have been known as a country of tolerant people and have continued to be so right through our history whether its us against imperialism or the dirty politics or for that matter even on the cricket field.

The new year has started on a note where Kumble and his men have earned the support of 1.1 billion cricket crazy Indians on losing a Test match which could have been rightfully
theirs. The game never was allowed to stay as a battle among equals. The Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting appealing for a catch on day 5 when the ball was clearly off the pads and had then touched the ground as well summed it all. India were fighting against a bunch of ruthless, ethics-less, so called aggressive team of 11+2 people on a foreign ground.

The gentleman's game ceased to stay so right on day 1 of the second test when Ponting led by example and stood ground dishonestly. Things reached its peak when the only known gentleman Down Under, Adam Gilchrist appealed for a caught behind for Dravid when the ball had not touched any part of the Batsman's apparatus. 6 wrong decisions is not bad umpiring, its something beyond that.

These things may be just a part of sport for anyone else, but in India Cricket is sacred and anything done on the 22 yards is debated and discussed on every street, in every living room and even in the Corporate Boardrooms of the country. Apart from an Indo-Pak war, Cricket alone has the potential to make this entire country stand in unison.

How the Board presents its case to the ICC is a different issue altogether, its now about
how the depressed Indian XI fight out their remaining series against the tyrants. Its now a War to be fought for its no longer remained just a mind game.

Men in Blue, the whole country backs you, for your performance often does predict the mood of this nation.....Dont expect pity, dont take take it heads down, fight it out for glory, respect and dignity.

Aditya