Don't set milestones...

Emerson had said, Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is none and leave your trail...

What I am doing right now will not be known to many... neither do I want this... just that pat on the back... or that gleam in the eyes... or simply that look which doesn't say a word is enough... enough for the sleepless - tired nights and days...

What I am doing wouldn't be known to even the person next to me... neither do I care... its enough that I know that I have done it... I have made my path... left my trail...

I don't believe in setting milestones, instead what I want to do is let the path that I have tread be my mark... Let it be my signature... There can't be a better appreciation of what I have done... just that pat on the back... just that gleam in the eyes is enough...

When you walk up on the stage, face your audience, say what you want to say... and once you are done, if there is that wow, you'll know that you have done your job... and done it well...

Aim for that wow...

When you walk a trail never walked... go down a road where none exists... let your footprints become the trail...

Don't set milestones, let the trail you blaze become your signature...

My Nepal (I)

"The greatest journey in life is the one that takes you home!"

I had taken a bunch of photographs in July 2005, stitched them together and the above is the result. Its the mountains to the south of Kathmandu...

This one is for you Delhi...

Delhi, where I spent 4 years of my life... gained "wisdom" made friends, made enemies, and made some acquaintances, some of whom I'll remember for a long time... some not even the next day....

Delhi, where I learnt to cook... Delhi, where I learnt how to jump off a bus at 50 and land on my feet... where I would smoke 555 in the first week, classic in the 2nd, navy cut in the 3rd and down to beedi in the last...

Delhi, where there was Galina's Tandoori, Barista's Latte, Keventer's Cold Coffee, Wenger's Pastry, PVR's movies, and where there was the old faithful 442... where there was mudrika + and -, and one day that red AC bus too...

Well Dehli, can't say I love you... can't say I hate you... this one is for you:

Jaagegi raat bhar aur...
Bhaagegi saath par kar...
Daalegi belagaam khayalon ko...

Puchge ye savaal aur...
Maangegi ye hisaab, na...
Sunege tere jawabon ko...

Yaha hei ek nadi...
Aur waha hei ek Lal Quila...
Par kahan hai es sheher ka falsafa...

Yahaan aasu aur geet...
Aur jawani thi maine tere naam ki...
Aavara thi raat...
Aur sarhkein thi sab mere baap ki...
Aur ma tha... tu thi... aur thi Dilli bas!

Kahin koi urh raha hai...
Kahin koi gir raha hai...
Kahin koi hai khara quagaar pe...

Kahin koi khele jua...
Kahin koi bane gulaam...
(aur) Kahin koi hai khara intezaar mein...

Jab gaya mei kal Quatab Minar...
Aur suna tha maine elaan...
Ki bani hei yaha en nayi party...

Aavara hai naam...
Bhatakana aapna vidhaan hai...
Fursath hai kaam...
Kuch dhundala sa aapna nishan hai...
Wahan mei tha, tu thi... Aur thi Dilli bas!

Dekhe yahan kayi mausam badalte hue...
Dekhe jazbey kayi patthar bante hue...
Kayi waqth se pehle...
Sab aaj tu kehle!!!

Aavara hai naam!
Bhatakna aapna vidhan hai....
Fursath hai kaam...
Kuch dhundala sa aapna nishan hai...
.... Aur mei hun... tu hai... aur hai Dilli bas!

- Rabbi Shergill
Song: Dilli
Movie: Dehli Heights

set yourself free...

don't be confined in a metal cage...
set yourself free...
feel the wind in your hair...
mirror the brilliance of the sun in your eyes...
it won't matter if you're accompanying the rising sun or riding off into the sunset...

be one...
be one with your thoughts...
be one with your ideas...
be one with your desires...
be one with yourself...

set yourself free...

Lavz... kabhi kabhi yeh dagah de jate hai...

Jis din dil khush ho... khushi se khushi... chaaron taraf sirf khushi ka eahsaas ho...

Yeh batana bahut mushkil hai, ke yeh eahsaas kaisa hai... kafi mushkil... do lavz, sirf do lavz woh bhi dagah de jate hai... be-wafh lavz bhi...

Aur fir woh mere aankhon me dekthi hai... na jaane kyu dil ki dharkan kehti hai... thoda sa aaraam kar lene do... in aankhon ke saaye me... saala dil bhi be-wafah ho gaya hai...

Ab sirf yeh waqth thoda sa be-wafi kar de... sirf kuch pal ke liye ruk jaye... koi aahat na ho... koi sanaata na ho... woh sirf mere aankho me dekthi rahe... kafi mushkil hai batana... arre hume to hosh kahan... hamara dil to dharakna bhul gaya... yeh in aankhon ka jaadoo hai...

Yeh kaisa jaadoo hai... do lavz bhi nahi chodh gaya... kya yeh in aankhon ka jadoo hai?

Kehna mushkil hai...

Kaise kahun... yeh Lavz... kabhi kabhi yeh bhi dagah de jate hai...

Haan... abhi yeh Lavz... yeh bhi dagah de jaate hai...

The prettiest girl!

When you are dancing with the prettiest girl in the party its not bad manners to step on her toes, its simply stupid... and when you are holding her close in your arms, and lift her up in the air just because she is the most special person in the world, you don't drop her... not because its not the right way of putting her down.... IT IS JUST DUMB!

When you bank 70° while making that turn at 90, or when you are taking her on the the bumpiest of roads... you are dancing the waltz... it is the most wonderful of feelings that any heart could feel... or the senses to behold...

I dance with the prettiest girl in town... I hold her tight in my arms, close to my heart... and when she is idle... each stroke of her 346cc engine is attuned with the beats of my heart... or rather my heart attuned with her every stroke...

what now?

what now? the same old clamor of the tv running in the background... nights have turned into days and days into nights... twilight has taken over... no sun rise... no sun set... just that flaming ball stuck somewhere over or under the horizon... does it matter? i am not allured by it... nor repulsed...

This one is for my sweetheart!

Just for her...

Dil dharakta mujme hai lekin hai to uska!
Mana feel mujhe hota hai lekin ehsaas to hai uska!
Mana sochta me hu lekin khayalo me to woh hai!
Mana yeh me hu... Lekin hu to uska...

Holi 2007 Pictures

Holi 2007

To the pictures, click here
.

17 Hour Shift! (contd...)

2nd March,

Now that I look back at the 17 hour shift at the office on the 28th Feb, it wasn't all that bad... had reached the office at 3AM... later found out that there was a bandh in the morning, had two options, one was walk... second sneak home through the alleys and lanes...

humph! decided to make another option myself... as it is by the time I was done it was already 12:30 so what the heck just another 3-4 hours and I could ride back... had lunch there itself... the chicken was delightfully well prepared... especially the gravy...

Had some pending work so started with that... listened to some music... Spirit and Dilli Heights, the flash I made was quite nice...

Cleared my mind... never realized that once you're making the owls and the bats jealous how weird it is working at day... there was a nice breeze so opened all the windows, which then got a little too strong so closed it back again...

Ate a banana after a long time, felt a little like a monkey! Soon it got to 4, went to the floor, spent the next hour and a half in the server room... was interesting... and cold...

Then the sun also decided to call it a day, went down to Ram Dai's for one for the road... and decided that it was time for me too to call it a day, for my next one would be starting in about 7 hours, finally left around 7PM, and reached home quite quickly, the traffic was unusually light... ought to be because it was a bandh...

Reached home...

Interesting day...