Dec 20 2011: The Epic Day!

"When you are down to nothing, God is up to something. Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible."


That was my facebook status on the evening of December 20, 2011. That was my Gmail status since a month. It gave me inner strength and the force to drive all obstacles and face face failures. These failures were again and again slapping my dreams, my worth and my sanctity - causing internal disturbances, and havoc. 


Tuesday - "Lord Hanuman" - thank you so much!  You blessed your child at the right moment. You dug up the sand and mud using your shovel of courage - brought the child from drowned deep inside into fathom of darkness, frustration and de-marred reputation. Without even studying and preparing in advance, you presented a ever-heartening gift.


And here I was, at the culmination of a successful dream turned reality! Thank you GOD!

Rise UP an Sail!

Do you get easily bogged down by demeaning opinions, which in all ways hamper your rational thinking process and influence your ability to judge the right and the wrong? Do you let other people plunge into your mind, and steal way all the cells oozing creative juices, and dry them like a barren land?

Insecurity, Social stigma and recognition, Imagery et al. But haven’t you lost your real self and natural conduct due to trivial things which are external and invincible, beyond your static control?

You are yourself. You did not come to this earth asking someone. You were destined to bless your parents and close ones. You chose your path for future yourself, though you may have been advised for the same – but you listened to your heart and to those whose outlook really mattered. You made friends by your own conscience and nurtured their presence. You were the masters of yourself, your thoughts, your actions and consequently, your outcomes.

Then, is it so difficult to rise up from petty, insignificant external influences into a world where your free-will surmounts your behavior? I’m not advocating here the fact that you should cut yourself from the social world. But this world in no way should make your conduct biased, dependent and devoid of autonomy. When you would learn to do and follow what your heart conveys, I bet you shall be instilled with strong pints of happiness, energy and euphoria. You would be the master of your own soul with full command on your life. You would sail in the freedom of an unrestricted air of self-rule and magnanimity.  You would be yourself, and no one else.

G5: Jan-Mar 2011, LBSIM: Much More than a Summit!

This is not about attending classes and giving presentations. This is not about getting marks. This is not about whether the presentations and assignments are a dreadful experience, or whether they prove remarkably tremendous. These meagre horizons don’t deter the spirit of this team. These factors are not even worth a thought.

Now, this is about sharing views and freedom to expression as a team. This is about having trust and conviction in each other’s capabilities; with a never-dying spirit to perform. This is about pursuing an argue-free discussion between classes, and a smooth flow of ideas surging across like rivers meeting each other and converging into one. This is about allocating separate ‘ministries’ to all members and making them default, celebrating birthdays in a grand style, the long-laughter sessions/jokes, singing assemblies on the last bench and Fun!!!

Be it the “Thank You” slide in GPSEB presentation, the animations, the Group outings, the Carrot and Orange eating agenda in HRM classes, the nicknames for each other, the ‘Katy Berry’ font and the hilarious comments – we have encompassed all of this in these three months. We have stood by each other during tough times and supported each other’s shortcomings, and boosted morale when it was required. We covered it up all. It has been a hell of an experience! 

The courageous and spirited attitude of all guys has made the entire journey worth remembering and savouring for times to come. It has been simply an adventurous ride for G5 this trimester. The memories overflow our minds and fill us with remembrances and nostalgia. We didn’t Rock, we ‘Blasted’ into splinters of Unity!!!

Cheers to all!

This Way or That One – “Neither”!

Sometimes I ponder upon where I stand today and where I could have been positioned, had I made up my mind – at that very moment when it all mattered. These thoughts keep crossing my intellect, and sometimes befuddle me. Having not-so-big, rational desires is essential for mental satisfaction, and that was my thought process. Ambitious outbursts inadvertently disturbed my inherent focus, but sooner or later they died down like waves receding off the shore.

Middle Class upbringing and being equivocally content and giving the best in whatever one gets – that drove my actions. I would rather succumb to a modest benefit than to risk myself and plunge into a fore seeking advantage. But in all this, I “smiled” and was happy – I was content in my own small world. I avoided and shunned people who tried to belittle my approach towards what I termed as ‘mental sanity’.

But competition and the rat-race hits you one day. It did to me too, though I found a way to deal with it rationally. I do not hope a tad that people reading this shall concur with my means, I may also be scorned off.

 I laid hands on a balancing approach – and although it warranted hard work and sleepness nights; it guaranteed unregretful cerebral satisfaction. Neither was I utterly ambitious, nor totally modest. A change that wasn’t too much for a way of thought, but brought in rewards. I deeply kept on focusing on the task at hand, (the foremost priority); but also shifted some of my efforts to a long distant riskier dream. There was less distraction – whether to choose one path over the other – and of course, miniscule dilemma.

Focus proves the key here! Rather than procrastinating and moving in roundabouts – you have to choose your way! No confusions allowed. When you see your dream and what you want to achieve, wholeheartedly reciprocate your actions to make that tangible. It doesn’t really matter which path you walk upon, (except when it’s unethical, of course). Your efforts will show you the way. So make a Start and Focus!

Amen!

I never Thought of this...

Do the human surroundings and the world which revolves each day around us have the power to bring about a drastic shift in a person’s thought process? Some would disagree and say that circumstances have little or no control over certain behaviour and the manner of response which one pursues in a situation.  

Brain is a complex processing organ with emotional and thinking chambers inundated with a variety of fluids – and it is often difficult to decipher its actions when they happen suddenly. The body responds later to discover it has to act the way the brain has thought of.

A person who has never been loud or rancorous starts shrieking; the one who is polite goes beyond his/her morals and crosses limits of tolerance; and someone who is jovial and vivacious changes the stance to being stolid.

People forget and forgive. Some cling onto it. Some retaliate back. Some just move away…

Only the bold and fearless stand alone to face whatever comes their way. They have no one to prove themselves to, except their own self. They deliberately adorn a superficial myopic mask and strive for excellence, facing all difficulties with full vigour. Its only when the tide turns in the opposite direction, do such sailors make their way through – crossing all barriers. For them, true courage is like a kite – and a contrary wind raises this higher.

                  Roy Emerson aptly puts forth this idea:

“It is only as a man puts off from himself all external support, and

stands alone, that I see him to be strong and to prevail.” ~ Emerson

The courageous shall proliferate and leave behind the “pulling-back” brain, they only shall flourish. 

Peace of Mind!

Enter the new world and reciprocate its mantra: I. Me. Myself. Mine. My ego, my career, my desires and that's it! Nothing else...these are the minute limits around which my world revolves. I don't look beyond this...I don't care a damn about anything else. I laugh and ridicule others on their mistakes, without doing a bit of soul searching and trying to find flaws in myself. I am jealous of and want to run the fastest in this rat race of competition, trampling people beneath my feet. I don't want to learn and without taking the ownership for my failures, I conspicuously and nonchalantly put the blame on others. I lack the courage to even stand up and fight for what is right - because the first thought which strikes my mind is - "What will I gain out of this? Let me stay away!”.   I live for myself, and that's about it all!

To hell with this! I shall be cursed in heaven if I concur with this freaking thought. Let god pour his mercy on these poor souls who crave to be noticed and seek attention through burglar-ism and not through their actions. Let the almighty, at least once, gift them the serenity and show them the pleasure of helping others, out of their way. Let the ignorant individuals rise above their small petty yearnings, and learn the power of "We, Us, Ours, Ourselves." I decipher no reason whatsoever for people around me behaving in such non sympathetic ways.

I am outta this for sure... this big bad world... I surely need some Peace of Mind! Phew!

A Day of Eternity and Bliss!

So how do I start writing this? I felt like a traveller foregoing unexplored grounds, too eager for the journey to begin. I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions when I thought of it. The wait was long, as if someone has been lined up in a queue for ages. But I was happy to bear the fruits of patience which would ripe-out in future and help me scale unparalleled heights. I was so optimistic…

So should I plan for this journey in advance; I asked myself one day, and my soul said – ‘No’!  I was waiting to just dive-in and then learn at the place. I wanted to be like a first time swimmer being pushed into a pool, who by the means of his struggle and enthusiasm makes his way through. And of course, the learning is immense in this setup. You get out satisfied and content that your hard work has paid off. You have the craft to face unexpected challenges.

14^th June embarked upon me an aura of excitement, nervousness and positivity of being part of a premier business institute. That was a feeling, just a naïve thought. But the reality turned out to be more serene and placid. I was astounded and gratified by the Principles of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri and his devotion – and the place where I have planned to study for the next two years – gave me his noble fragrance. The value system was so strong that I could feel it on the first day. I was humbly appreciative of the eminent faculty members as they introduced themselves. Years of experience, insurmountable qualifications and still no signs of high-headedness.  This place surely exuberated modesty and courteousness.

Students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds met at one place, eager to know about the proceedings. With diverse I mean a whole sundry of inquisitive minds, stretching across the breadth of our country. Too fervent to socialize among each other and make new bonding. 

The Director’s address and informative guest lecture really boosted my decision to join the institute. The stress upon development in rural parts of our country, helping the poor and downtrodden - envisaged empathy and compassion. A long list of laurels to carry along, the institute seemed to have successfully cemented pillars of societal responsiveness, morality, efficiency and excellence through 15 years of its establishment.

Happiness becomes multiplicative when reality exceeds expectations. This was the feeling which empowered me during the return journey on Metro; and it seeped in further the next day. I felt blessed to have joined ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management’. There should be no comparisons. This place bred the co-existence of humanity and education. Yes, this was my place! Yes, this is it!