Stamp Collection

An Empty Mind is a.....

... a Devil's Workshop?? Is it? Really?? I guess not.. You need to be very smart to do Devilish Works. Empty mind is far to 'Spiritual' to venture into evil... There are many who have been trying to attain this state of mind, this emptiness thru meditation, thru yoga, and so many other ways to bring peace to their wandering minds. It takes lots of efforts and sometimes efforts of lifetime in attaining moksha . Reminds me of Neo's jump across the rooftops in the movie Matrix. "Free your mind"... "Okey dokey... free my mind. Right, no problem, free my mind, free my mind, no problem, right..."  

Okey dokey... no problem... is it? I'm sure most of us would not have thought this way. OR if we did, we would have not tried hard enough to dig deep within and search for the happiness or satisfaction or peace. OR we might have tried and not reached there. Yes! It certainly is a tough task.

Touching Videos...

Found these 2 very touching videos from http://www.knucklebusterinc.com/ - here and here

PROFESSIONal from VITA BREVIS FILMS on Vimeo.

A KIND OF PASSION, a tribute to classic motorcycles and the people who love them
from Squadra Sutge on Vimeo.

Rang De Basanti: A Generation Awakens

A generation awakens?? An exaggeration?? A marketing gimmick?? An overstatement?? Perhaps… but remember the French revolution was ignited by a non-existent piece of cake and bread! Revolutions, in classical sense, aren’t the order of the day. And most certainly don’t happen by watching a typical 3-hour bollywood-masala flick.

But this case is different!

While coming out of the dark cinema hall with other people, some with moist eyes, some with a smile and some sporting a cynic look, I wondered… how apt this analogy would portray what I felt like. And many be a few like me would feel - transiting from darkens to bright light with a momentary blur and then seeing things clearly.

“Agar tum system ko badalne jaao, to system tumhe hi badal dega” (If you want and take initiative to change or improvise system, system itself will make sure you are changed!)

But, “No nation is perfect. You have to make it a better one.”

Inspire

Necessity is indeed mother of all inventions.. But many a times, it’s a motivating factor or a few inspiring words that make the difference...

In this world, there are many who exist, but a few amongst the crowd live... These few living people often do things which all of us want to do, but are unable to do. Some don't have enough time, some don't have the means, while few others find such an act just unimaginable to their limited vision..

We often find ourselves lost in this crowd... it’s a frightening thought... it’s okay to feel the fear, that's perfectly normal and human... but don't be afraid to such an extent that it (fear) overshadows your capabilities.. Finding the insurmountable human spirit will take you to the avenues, heights where others would look at you and wish they were in your shoes...

Dynamics of Success

Success, acknowledgment, appreciation.

These are few words that you’d typically associate or come across reading inspirational stuff. Be it Habits-of-Successful-kind-of book or some forward about leaders or biography of a great person.

Below is an actual lunch-time conversation between two 3D-guys.

“What is success?”

“It’s simply acknowledgment by others of what you’ve achieved.”

“What about self-satisfaction then? Does a genius really care for appreciation of his masterpiece?”

Unclicked Memories of A Lone Rider ......

Had a ride this weekend too. I rode all alone this time. Not that this was the first time I rode alone, but this was one of those times where inspite of riding alone I didn't feel that loneliness. Mother nature was there to accompany me.

Here are the pics that I took from my cam. Although these pics don't do any justice to the glorious scenes that I witnessed, they would atleast give a fair idea of what was in store for this rider.

The ride was different from others in more than one ways. I was expecting someone would join me for this ride. I did this ride so that I could attend wedding of a fellow biker. I did this ride to see if I can really capture good snaps. To see if  photography is my cup of tea or I shouldn't pursue this new interest.

One thing I learnt the hard way was, always carry an extra film roll. This goes inline with the to-dos of long rides i.e. always carry spares. You never know when you might need one. The very first time and I ran out of film, eventually missed  some real good 10-15 pics.

Guardians of Culture

Are we old enough to decide what’s good or bad for ourselves? Or do we still need others to tell us ‘what to do’ and ‘what not to do’? Or is it, that, we’ll always remain mamma’s boys and papa’s little princesses; no matter how old we grow or even if we have kids of our own?

Be it the kind of movies boys prefer to watch or the 7 pm deadlines for girls (10 pm for the liberal households), there will always be set of rules to ‘regulate’ or rein the adolescent genes, the hormonal changes, et al. The ever-worried parents do need such ground-rules to ensure that their young boys and girls grow into mature and responsible citizens of tomorrow. There’s no denying this fact of life (mind you, it’s necessary in many cases) and no harm in dealing with your children’s future with caution and prudence.

Most of the parents do realize when the time arrives. The time when all their parenting efforts are put to test by means of freedom acquired eventually by the youthfulness. And now it’s this upbringing that decides the course of actions an individual takes. There would be times when people turn to elders for guidance, counsel and support. And elders in turn show confidence in the judgments and decisions of the younger generation.

That’s how generations evolve and human race progresses. That’s Mother Nature’s way. Sparrow teaching its young ones to fly and then one fine day little ones fly off to newer heights to make them proud.

Beauty...

Is this word a misnomer? Or does it actually exist?

Is it an illusionary concept? Or is it real and tangible?

Is it a passing phase? Or is it eternal?

Is it really skin deep? Or is it something much deeper from within?

Does it lie in the eyes of beholder? Or is it felt only by the one who is actually beautiful?

Does it need someone's appreciation and approval? Or is independent of observers sanction?

Everyone's point of view might be different on this, just as their idea of what is beautiful.. The idea.. The thought.. The feeling.. The reaction..

It is something which appeals, engages, evoke emotions and feelings which are pleasant and pleasurable. Something that brings joy.

Feeling it takes us to a different plane of thoughts. Thoughts that cannot be described by words.. Which leave us speechless..

Passion

• This is what I do for living…
• This is what I live for…

2 statements, very distinct, with meanings such deep that one could spend an eternity exploring the various interpretations.

First one is a set of actions that we enact to spend our lifetime, may be in a more comfortable and desired way. We are forced either by circumstances to adapt them or it’s our conscious and willing choice. Either ways we work, we work hard, toil harder and smarter to meet the ends (or is it just an ‘end’ and not ‘ends’ as it may seem to be?). It is a path we happen to travel on this journey of life. We pick up convocation, a profession, a skill or a skill-set (in our very own IT lingo) and devote our time and efforts to acquire a certain level of expertise. This level of expertise determines how good or bad we are at ‘the job’ (implying not the actual job but the domain or area of knowledge/skill).