"At Your age.." she continued as she rocked slowly in her chair...eyes lost in dreams and hands working on those knitting needles like an activity imbibed into her being as unconsciously as the beating of her heart.. And everyone who saw her could see the sparkle in her eyes and the mischief in her smile as flashes of her past escapades raced in front of her.

She is the manifestation of a silver-haired lady consumed by her long journey through life and her rocking chair, the representation of her peace in having accomplished what she could. Her knitting needles boast of the vast knowledge of experience imbibed into her spirit, so much a part of her that she glows with it completely unaware of its existence. And finally her sparkling eyes and mischevious smile epitomizes the presence of the one gladiator that pulled her through her journey... Life itself.

And yet a picture so perfect will be so inane without the one element that brings it to life.... memories.

I often wonder how many of us really work towards Making Good Memories.

Put me a room full of competitors and Ill find myself as alienated as a beautiful butterfly in a company of wasps (FYI: I am the butterfly).

Right frm ven I was a child, I never understood wot I had against competition. It was never that I lacked merit or cud not compete... But I never WAS satisfied by winning one. If some1 stood in front of me challenging me 2 do something, Id rather step down n let him take credit whilst being content 2 kno that MAYBE I cud beat him!! I gave up the position of being a GS in college for crying out loud!!

I guess the sentiment stems from the fact that I hav always and still operate on the sole purpose of satisfying just 1 person.... me (really selfish I kno ;))

Now if u ppl r vondering y I suddenly brought out this topic... well, I have been following this other blog for quite some time now... and its happened more than once that Im thinking of something to write about n ter it is... exactly the same thoughts on this other Blog!! And M always dumbstruck n vondering... Just how the hell can some1 think so much like me??. And as I wud naturally act, I resign n choose 2 change topics.. off course with the most pathetic results!!

And now Im wondring.. I shud just stop Blogging n mayb redirect u 2 this other blog... Check it out (http://reshmasanyal.blogspot.com/).

Man IS SHE GOOD or WOT!!!

Ven I heard this phrase 4 D 1st time 5-6 months back, I was quite disgusted vit the outlook ppl here had 2 life. I wud hav even said a word or 2 to get my point across had it not been a person at quite a high ranking position frm the client who dared to utter them. Since then I have been evaluating this in different perspectives and now... I have reached a stage ver mayb I can stand n defend it!!

The fact is that the nature and purpose of reporting 2 some1 back in India is so different frm the nature of reporting to some1 here that we really need 2 re-look at how (and y) v report 2 ppl in the 1st place!!

I have led teams back in India and still remember that if I did not hear frm a team member about his status atleast 1ce in 2 days... I had to assume that something was wrong. Either the member had not understood his tasks properly Or he was stuck in a problem which he was vailantly tackling with no regards wotsoever to the time he was wasting doing it!! Keeping track of ppl's wrk in this way was so cumbersome (not 2 mention stressful n frustrating) that at a point I used 2 almost ask for status's every 2 hours!!

And then there ver teams I interacted with outside India... There, it was an unsaid rule that if no1 says anything, everything is assumed to be going as per plan!! I have tracked some amount of work ven outside India too n all I can say is... its a miracle how a simple rule can work wonders.

I have tried 2 use the same approach ven I returned back to India too. But it never seemed to work.. and now upon closer examination wot I find is that ven v work in India, we follow one of two basic unsaid rules:
All news is News worth spreading: These r a group of ppl who believe that everything shud b reported... no matter how trivial the issue is. U can spot such ppl sitting in frnt of managers goin on about wot tey completed, wot problems tey faced, how tey solved it,.. falana falana falana..
No news is News until my ass is on fire: These make up the vailaint fighters who wont give up until the last moment. U literlly have 2 pull some of them out of the chairs n say.. Give it up. Its not worth it.

And though we are more intelligent, more hard working, and more promising than our foreign counterparts, the only real difference is that we dont realize when something is out of our potential... we dont realize wen is a good time 2 give up... and we dont realize that sometimes giving up is really more productive 2 the project than solving every problem that comes by.

And I really wish that ppl back home understand this small concept n make working much less stressful 2 themselves n othrs :)

And I really really wish I cud apply the same rule 2 reporting back 2 ma parents :)

As children, Im sure we must have been taught the importance of telling the truth. In fact, Im sure that every 1 has some few thoughts that are burried deep inside a blur of memories which hold the capacity to churn up bubbles in our tummies... and the most likely scene wud be that of our parent/teacher/guardian red in anger, wildly moving their fist n saying "TELL ME THE TRUTH [slap][spank][kick]!!" (now dont go about convincing me that u ppl did not have naughty childhoods ;))

NEways.. Ive always mused over this line and even 2day ven I see some1 do that.. it brings up a slight smile on my face.. y? Consider this...

During the late hours of the day two men spotted a car speeding away from a crime scene. One swore that the car was dark blue while the other bet his life that it was jet black! Both ver put through a Lie Detector test and both came out clean. Now which is the version of THE truth? The fact is that in the dimly lit circumstances that surrounded the incident, both DID SEE wot tey saw... Then again...wot is the Truth?

Well according to me... the Truth is just a mere intrepretation of the circumstances made by the person so much so that he believes in it. In simple words, it is just His Perception of the facts. So if the Truth is just a mere perception of the facts, should'nt we be moving our fists wildly n shouting.... "TELL ME THE FACTS [slap][spank][kick]!!!"??

It normally happens in the evenings... the skies goes dark accompanied by a sudden rise in humidity... a distinct smell of wet mud fills up the air... Its arrival is not un-proclaimed... There have been prior indications of its coming... mornings greeted by wet roads and building entrances filled vit the stench of wet dogs. And on this day, the long wait is over.

In a 30 sec transition the once dry-land gets covered with the wetness of Heaven, a low-key rumble moving through the sky accompanied by winds swishing every tree... and warm drops caught grazing across your face.. leaving clouds to meet their final destination... Earth.... and when that happens, u know the monsoons have finally arrived

Well, I dunno how it happened this year coz I was not ter 2 vitness it... But I sure do hope u ppl took some time off ur b u s y lives 2 enjoy the bliss of getting wet in the first rains... after all, these are some moments in time created by the act of nature which never fail to amaze me.

God I miss the rains of BBay!!

As a child, I remember how I used 2 simulate rain for all the little ants in the Kitchen walking by the wall carrying particles of food around. And apart from the learning that "Ants once wet, wriggle out of water drops more easily than Ants that are dry", I guess I used to get real sadistic delight in poking my nose into their business... This delight manifested itself in the form of putting stuff onto the ants path, blowing at the marching ants n simulating a storm, and even adding more particles of food to the already heavy payload being carried !! And everytime I did such a thing... the poor ant wud fight its way thru n finally continue on its daily routines... This always made me say ... "Dumb Animals" (picture me with a grin as develish as can get :D).

Being in the country that I am now, this nature seems so prevailant around here that I could not help but meditate over the thought. Only here, its no longer Ants we are talking about... its People and Countries!! It is so common here for a person to decide if some1 is innocent or guilty, if some country shud have Nuclear Weapons or not, and even to the extent if some1 like Saddam Hussein shud live or die ! And now that I think back... just like I had nothing better to do than play GOD with ants who cud not evn dream of hurting me in anyway... these guys too have absolutely no other work!!

BTW: If u guys r still wondering how wet ants manage to get out of water drops easily, its coz wet ants have much less surface tension to break than the dry ones :)

Ive always been interested in how interacting vit people can have a lasting impression in our lives... And sometimes, u never even realize that tey actually did have anything to do with what u are today !!

I remember a trip I had made to the Mahalakshmi Temple (Bombay) one morning. Im not that sorts who wud like 2 go to Temples, but I tagged along with ma parents... guess it was some auspicious occasion (and I wud not have been able to squirm out of it)... And as we walked thru, we stopped at one particular Ganesh Idol. I could hear the seas behind me and the low buzz of temple activities around. And then this man walked up to the Idol, offered his prayers and started to play this huge Drum kept on the side. He started slow with a steady 4/4 beat which he changed slowly into an 8/8 and finally a 16/16 count. He had this beautiful variations which he brought in as fills... and suddenly... it was THE only sound I could hear... no people.. no seas.. and no existence... just the sound of drums... suspended in infinite space... my body feeling every bit of vibration set out by his stick hitting the drum skin... and my mind aware of every sensation my body was picking up....

I was interrupted with a nudge on my shoulder frm my mom indicating that we shud leave.. and though I did cud not wait there for him to complete his piece, I cud hear his drums for quite long after that.. many times I still hear it play in the back of my mind....

And though he meant nothing to me.. we spoke off nothing... and we didnt even smile... he gave me one of the most cherished moments in my life... the day I composed my first piece of music. Now thats what I call... Touching Lives

Ah Well ... People who have been in my mailing lists for long now already know that I have tackled this question once before. But the new additions to the people tend to ask me "How the heck do u get the time 2 do all this?". And I see it in the tone of their voice/mails that they mean no harm but have subtly begun to believe that I have no other work!.

Well the answer has always been Time Management. There have been phases when I have written 2 or mayb 3 topics a day... and there have been times I have not written for months together. And I have believed (and still do) that at the end of the day what counts is the priority u attach to any given task :)

If I remember my sentiments correctly frm my last response to this question, it was:
If u put something off for a day, u may not have had the time.... If u put things off for a week, U might have been busy...... But if u put things out for months..... U have some serious issues with ur priorities man!!

So think again before you say.. "I absolutely completely have no time for anything !!" coz Ill kno wot that actually means ;)

A Good friend of mine quoted "and there we go again on the path submerged in solitude and introspection ... wonder when its goin to start ... the next green phase of our lives ... we sumhow still manage to find some reason to go on ... i wonder til whn the reason wil last ...".... And all I did was smile :)

The fact is that evn before v venture out doin something, v have this inane instinct that provides us with this "sneak preview" of everything that could go wrong. And yet more often than not, we choose to be foolish and go ahead !

The fact is that evn before some1 ventures out trying to save some people in a blazing apartment or pull out a person drowning in the ocean, he has this inane instinct that provides him with this "sneak preview" of everything that could wrong. And yet more often than not, he chosses to be heroic and goes ahead !!

Now... are we Heroic? or are Heroes foolish?

And after almost 10 years of experience in driving right from the trafic infested roads of Mumbai to the Fast Track AutoBahns of Germany, This was the place it had to be the toughest !!

I have always believed that life in Europe is so much more easy and fulfilling than life in the "Country of Freedom".. and here... I have another reason to back my opinion.

Sweden: I could drive with my Indian License
Germany: By law, you need an IDP... but U can drive with your Indian License
Austria: Go right ahead... No one is stopping you from driving with an Indian License
USA: NO WAY!! We recognize only US License.

Whats more, I finally got my "US License" today after 2 attempts to getting it..

Attempt 1: Fail - U are not aware of Hand Signals - Who the heck needs them ven u have turn signals!!

Attempt 2: Fail - Ur Sponsor was not wearing a Seat Belt in the back seat - am I to walk around the vehicle n strap every1 inside down before driving??

Not once was I failed coz of something in my Driving Skills !!! And I thought Driving a vehicle was about being able to drive a vehicle!!

What does thy seek by putting thy mind into the task at hand?
Thy knows that the mind shall give you reason...
Thy knows that the mind shall procure the means...
And thy knows that the mind shall accomplish!!
But alas! Thy Heart shall not find Happiness!!
And is it not Happiness wot thy seek?

There is only as much difference between Putting ur Mind to a job and Putting ur Heart to a job as there is to Understanding Life and Living Life. So now.... go, figure :)

A couple of guys asked me wot I got against ppl in ma snaps. Well, Every photograph has a story to tell. If it conveys the story, its a good photograph! So consider this... From my perspective we normally have the following kinds of photographs:

Ones that appease the eyes


These provide for a view of nature (like landscapes, scenery, etc). The composure of such snaps are the simplest and is more like "what u c is wot u get". The one that is shown is a simple exposure of a garden walkway in Melk (Vienna) that depicts an ambience of woods!

Ones that make you go .. "Umm.. this looks interesting"


These provide for a different perspective to a very normal composure. Such photographs feature extreme closeups or the photographers view of the scene in front of him. The Celestial Sunrise is a classic example of such exposures.

A candid act of nature


These generally feature natures beings (sometimes humans included) doing something that might be common n yet manage to bring out a smile!

A subtle exaggeration of facts


These are exposures which exaggarate some element in the scene. The one shown exaggerates the speed of the vehicles moving about to give a "wizzing" effect.

And then there are snaps with People in them!!
Now..ven u have a "face" in the snap, the intention is always to ensure that the attention of the photograph is ON THE FACE and not distracted by its surroundings. 2 ways of doing it is to keep the face in focus (so that other elements seem useless) or compose the face in such a way that it occupies majority of the frame!!

So now u see... if I need to take a photograph of a person by a waterfall I either make the fall out of focus or make the person a major part in the composition of the snap... Either way kills the beauty of the Falls itself...

I being more of a "Nature" person, tend to believe that the Human Element messes with the story the photo is supposed to tell (unless the human element is part of the story).

The exposure shown is a classic example of such a situation. Looking at the snap, the eyes tend to focus 1st on the person and moves focus to and from the tree bark in the foreground. Both elements are equally important for the exposure.

Such situations where human elements co-exist with the surroundings dont occur often now.. do they?

And I wonder how much better Digital Photography can get!!


Almost all the people Ive sent this snap to has asked me how I managed to get such a shot standing right on this very Earth!! And I have just one answer..

The way you see it is different from the way you look at it !! :)

Work out all the way
Sweat it out every day
Start up in the morning end up in the night
Every new dawn brings an entirely new fight
Then at last when you go off to sleep
There's something in your heart, something really deep
Which insists on making you to keep trying
Forces you to stop crying
Gives you the required inspiration
Helps you reach your aspirations
Makes you work even more harder
From the start, takes you farther
Makes life more entertaining
Be the moon waxing or be it waning
Enhances the beauty of the heavenly stars
Sets you up in depressing hours
With every difficulty it helps you cope
The one word that describes it all is "Hope"

I saw u in my dreams 2day...There u ver vit that sweet smile n a fresh face. Ur half curly hair blowing rite across in the smooth breeze and ur deep eyes staring rite at me. And as if spending eternity talkin 2 u was not enuf u asked me a simple yet difficult question.

I remember ur faint smile ven u softly asked me "Do u luv me?"

Frankly, I was surprised and a little startled coz I was not Xpecting it. But in a very calm, composed manner I replied...I dont know....U r sweet, n I like it ven u r around.....But I dont no if I luv u.

And as if u ver Xpecting this answer, u leaned forward, rested ur chin in ur palms, and vit ever so much inquisiteness in ur voice asked ....Tell me...how does it feel 2 b in luv?

I fumbled a bit n hesitated. Well, luv is a funny thing coz so many claim 2 hav luved n yet nobody has ever xactly described how it feels 2 b in luv. So who was I 2 comment on D subject? But since u had asked, I had 2 answer. So I cleared my throat n proceeded to describe luv the way I best knew it.
I said...

Love is when I feel restless if you are not around
And yet content to know that you are there
Love is that hug I give you when you are down
That little peck on your cheek that tells you I care

Love is those fights I lose on purpose
Just to make you feel you won
Love is that radiance in your smile
When your touch feels warmer than the sun

Love is when I’m eager to meet you
And yet scared of what to say
Love is that desire in my heart
To just meet you everyday

Love is the yearning to commit to you
But the fear of breaking your heart
Love is the relief to know you'll be there
And yet the fear to depart

Love is to protect you from all harm
Though you can handle an eye for an eye
The readiness to lay down my life for you
But the need for you presence when I die


Hussshh....u said....placing ur finger on my lips...Do you feel this way for me?
I looked deep into ur eyes, ever so intent...and said..ummm….yes...sort of..
I cud see that mischevious smile spring up slowly on ur face....

So...u wispered...then that wud mean……u luv me....rite?

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I just knew its now or never. I had 2 tell you. And then I opened my eyes and saw ur face so close 2 mine...so innocent….so naive...And I could hear myself whisper four more lines in my head.....

Love is to know tat I’m in Love
But still unsure as can be
The fear to tell you what I feel
Unless I know what u feel for me.

I looked at you eager eyes…so expectant 2 hear Xactly wot I wanted 2 say…but then took a deep sigh n said...I dont know.....

I sat there in the train today
amidst people all around
Nothing seemed unusual then
just the mundane clattering sounds

And there she sat two rows from me
in thoughts so deep I fear
Her lips clenched within her teeth,
I saw her shed a tear

She sat there still in spells of silence
holding on, showing utmost grace
And yet during those bursts of tears
she was forced to hide her face

One drop fell and then another
Whilst she tried to show restraint
But her eyes, those treacherous traitors
turned every effort in vain

Then there was this moment, that brief little instant
when our eyes met each others way
I saw her staring right at me
but I did'nt know what to say!

I looked around in search of words
I shrugged my shoulders a-while
Then amidst those thousands and millions of thoughts
the best I did was "Smile"

And then what happened I did least expect
the most rewarding thing to see
The Smile that broke was so coy and bashful
Yes, she smiled right back at me

Our destinations reached, the time seemed up
We proceeded to get off the train
With that persistant smile and that one last glance
We knew we may never meet again

And as we walked into the crowd
enroute each other's ways
We knew we had something to cherish
We'd remember this smile for days

When I wake up in the mornings with dreams of you
I smile to myself, Yes I smile all through
And I start my day with that glow on my face
Like Ive been having the most wonderful of days

I get on to work with no worries on my mind
And I find myself a little extra kind
Smiling away to every passer by
with a grin on my face and a head held up high

The bustle and chores dont matter no more
Im swimming in fragrance of flowers galore
everything I see looks more beautiful to me
and every step, a dance of a bumble bee


Before I know it, the day is no more
Im ready to dream, slumber, and snore
This happens when ur in Love.. the wise men say
U smile to urself... Like Im smiling today

I sit up late in my bed
watchin her sleep so peacefully
and I wonder what she dreams
as she smiles away so gracefully
she snuggles in so close
I can feel her skin so tender
I cant help but kiss her baby nose
and feel the need to defend her

And just when I think Ive gotta let her go
Im scared to close my eyes
Im scared to sleep all through the night
and wake up to brand new skies
coz when I wake up she'll be one day older
and my worst fear might come true
that I put my lil baby girl to sleep
and a woman, she becomes too

This fear I fear is a funny thing
Coz I kno it has to be
Someday she will get older
and her world will grow beyond me
She'll have her friends and boyfriends too
She'll have a life of her own
we wont have time for bed-time stories
and all because she has grown

And some where deep I kno Im waiting
for that dreaded day to pass by
And as I think, I slip into my sleep
to wake up to a brand new sky
When I wake up 2morrow she'll be one day older
and my worst fear might come true
And Im hoping that I put my lil baby girl to sleep
and a woman, she becomes too

It all starts with a silent noise
of cluttered thoughts, an unheard voice
Memories in flashes of agile emotions
and chaotic feelings in blazing portions

The will to hold on, the desire to let go
deep in regret, but smiles to show
Weakening knees, reducing strength
but standing steady in prideful pretent

Wandering thoughts that turn you insane
Holding back fervor, only in vain
Standing tall for that instant longer
hoping for resilience of getting stronger

With loving tears in glittering eyes
distant glances, sombre goodbyes
With piercing pain deep inside
Yes it hurts to part with your child

Sometimes I sit and wonder
what a fool I would be
to think that I would find me here
for all my life to see
'Cause I’ve closed my eyes and seen this dream
this bizarre fantasy
Something that I’ve always wished
would become reality

I was here, not meant to be
not this place sure by far
I was meant to touch the sky,
to reach those heavenly stars
I was meant to walk with pride
My head held up high
Someone loved by every heart
and grieved for when I die

Now here I am busy with life
So muddled in routines
that I barely find any time
to work towards my dreams
Sometimes I sit and wonder
What a fool I should be
To know that I would find me here
for all my life to see