chutzpah

A few years back went to Jaipur from Delhi with a friend. As part of the plan, we went by bus and came back in train. We reached Jaipur railway station after covering the important places to visit in the pink city. We behaved upto the mark of royalness of the city by going to such places and planned to see off the city with a royal brunch. We were done with the brunch and a few local friends joined us and they dropped us at the station. I picked up a book and my friend is not a reader. He was waiting for the train to arrive, so that he can board first, crash on the berth and go for a long sleep, journey tiredness. Finally train arrived and we checked our names before boarding and settled down at our places. I started reading and he went for his most awaited sleep. Slowly co-passengers started boarding and our companions, consists a big family, so needless to say about the luggage and jumping up and down. Lucky us, back-packers, dumped our luggage on the top berth along with my buddy. The family had settled down and started eating, with never miss the lunch attitude. I was completely irritated with that behaviour of eating heavy lunches with a big bang home cooked stuff etc and never liked that having lunch on time concept too. My thought then was that its ok to skip a lunch, even today I apply the same funda for myself but not for others, I don't mind, if they have and make some noise around thru it, the reason being, now I realised the importance of discipline and health.

While the family enjoying the lunch, a hefty man entered the coach with heavy luggage. Started saying these our berths so you vacate. I didn't get involved and played the role of TC, thinking this is common in train travels that one gets confused with the seat numbers because they are hardly visible. The head of the family got confused and started explaining to the jumbo that this is so and so coach number and these are our berths. Jumbo was not at all paying any attention and he was shouting at his family to come and occupy their places. He told the family man to go and check the coach number and you should check the names once again. His confidence caught my attention. I lost in thought, what if they changed the passengers list outside after we had boarded. What if our seats have been upgraded to another compartment. I called out my friend and signed him go and check the names once again. Meanwhile this jumbo removed the family's luggage, which was kept under the lower berth, put his baggage and started eating the noisy chips. As I said, eating in the crowded train that too with noise, not my scene. My friend got down from his berth and asked me what is going on. I quickly narrated him the scene and told him to check the names once again to be on the safer side.

He followed the family man to check the names and came back with a smiling and not to worry face. I realised that jumbo made a nuisance here and wanted to see how the family man handles the scene. The family man came and told, see these are our seats and you please go and check them once again. Jumbo again confidently started saying check the coach number and etc. Then my friend pitched in and said, sir we have already checked and you please go and check once and asked by the by what is your coach number and seat number. He showed his ticket then we realised that, this is not his coach at all and then heard the train horn. In one minute or less than that, jumbo had to remove his luggage, the family man has to keep his luggage back, settle down and the jumbo has to search his coach. All this hungama because he didn't see the coach number properly and not allowed other to even correct him. That is his chutzpah, that means his audacity.

Audacity, heard word but not chutzpah, this is from hebrew language, picked it up from Haider movie. While audacity never got my attention but chutzpah did, the main reason being, the way it is pronounced and thrill when you hear that word. After that, I started realised we see these kind of chutzpahs very regularly in life, they not only confuse you but they will help you in ending up in trouble too if you are not awake. The only solution to encounter these chutzpahs is to keep your calm and hear them out and simply say what you wanted to say than ending up in draining your energy by arguing with them.

Keep calm and stay out of trouble - happy chutzpah :)

her one smile

she smiled with a rich heart
fallen sprinkles formed a bubble
i was taken to another world in it
alone and astonished in the new world
mind says ask her to smile back
heart says ask her to join us
standing alone astonished still lost in smile...

time

Once gods and demons wanted to know, between them, who has the ultimate power to control the universe. They gathered at one place and started oral fight and cursing the other group. When they were about to exhaust themselves, they heard a voice enquiring what happened. Then they replied, trying to prove our power. Then the voice replied, power has two forms, one you tried and found no result and kept silent. Suddenly they roared war, and declared that a war will decide their power but they were not able to move forward and stood in wonder. Then they heard the voice again enquiring what happened. They replied saying, we want to settle the power with war but not able to proceed. The voice asked, why. They had no answer. Then, one of them came forward and asked the voice, you seem to know everything and have the ultimate power, will you join our side. Then they both started arguing that the voice should be their side. After a while one of them declared that the voice must be time and that was why we were not able to proceed for war even though we have decided. The voice smiled and said, yes i am time but don't belong to any of you. This raged them and they started abusing the time about its circle of life philosphy. They heard no justification from time except a gentle smile. Then they heard the mourns of a few people over a dead body and saw them devastated. A few moments later they heard a few people cheering and clapping in joy for the new born. Gods and demons went back to their palaces...

Animal

Almost a decade ago I had applied for my passport and after a few days started wondering what is the status of it and in those days online status was there but didn't find it as status updated just a few minutes ago type. Then on one regular day the status has changed to pending with police verification status. Then day became very fine otherwise regular. Felt relieved, the reasons being I have submitted it in an usual rush way (yes I'm HUMAN) :D and more to it I had put my hostel address in there. Hostel is the synonym for disorder. Trust me, one should see hostel phase too in life. As I already know the process quickly found from which police station the cop will come for the verification. When I was teen answered a few questions about my brother when a cop came with passport application enquiry. Kept the info and documents ready but no one turned up (not only in movies, cops comes late) at my door. A few more days passed by and still nothing happened, then I decided to walk in to the police station proactively. Puzzled after knowing that police station was getting renovated, in mess and got directed to a temporary station setup. Ended thinking what if they misplaced my papers!!!

When me and my good old friend Srikanth Amara ended up there on a chilly evening, we found it like an old principal room with sports shields, a sofa on one side (remember the old and full of dusty type) and on the other side a table with yellow colour plastic wired chairs. When we approached the cop at table, a young fellow was reporting his lost bike with his helmet in hand (almost all carry helmet in hand, never locks it to bike but park the bike where ever empty space is seen) and finally our turn came. Immediately after we shot our question he pointed a room and we landed there, with govt, it’s never a single window. Again same question was shot but this time buck stopped there. He took out the BIG ledger (seen any time?) and turned pages left and right to check my name and finally declared yes application is pending with us, me relieved again. While we started shooting a few more questions, two cops came into the room and asked us what you want. I volunteered and answered politely that we have come here to check the status of my passport. One of them immediately laughed out loud and said where can you go and what can you do and kept laughing. If you are wondering what made him say this? Then we have never met.

We are almost there...

Got hurt and temper raised like a just launched missile. Wanted to punch his face and throw a nasty comment at him. If you know me for some good amount of time, you will easily realise that I can make any one lower their head with my sarcastic comment to put them back in order, so I started filtering the instant comments getting generated in mind at supersonic speed and selected one; a comment on his weak economic status. I was kind of sure it would wound him badly and that’s what I too want. An old saying, never enquire about a man's earnings and a woman's age, it’s not manners. But I say, you also never comment in a bad way about his salary and about her beauty. Don't be in shock if they never talk to you after that.

I turned towards him; staring and getting ready to shoot the filtered bullet with a fear element inside as anything might happen after that. It is sure that one of us will regret but the question is who will it be, and what if it’s me; so fear, but not giving up, young and short tempered blood (dna issue) and a confused mind whether to go for it or call it off. Srikanth was too upset, he was not only my team mate at office but also my roommate and we spend almost the whole day together so knowing me well he started smile act and nodding the head in no direction and hinting me to not to go for it and act sportive, mental sportive only no physical kicking of balls. I started slowing down my horses and suddenly the other cop who entered into the room along with this cop said what are you saying in a criticised voice (good cop, bad cop routine) and I slowly swallowed the comment (like the bomb scene in The Mask movie's climax) and continued smiling. Remained an incomplete creature, comment would have made me a complete creature.

Quite a story, eh? But what's with animals!!!

What could have happened if I wouldn’t have swallowed the comment? Anything could have happened that I am leaving it to your imagination. One can scare themselves pretty well with their imagination skills. It’s not about the presence of Srikanth and good cop; it’s about controlling, at that moment I did a decently different job which is doing nothing. Not my style. Neither reacted nor responded. You see, inaction is also an action. Saw Jackie Chan’s The Karate Kid movie? I am a virtual student of Mr. Han like Ekalavya in Mahabharatam, sorry no direct lesson, no right thumb finger. Through that he thought me a few beautiful things about life such as the only person one has to control is himself; being still and doing nothing are two different things and a few more solid secrets of life in a simple ways. These are no new lessons but still find them new every time. Life is about “learn, unlearn and relearn”. So the phase of unlearn is where we end up in trouble if we are not quickly transforming into relearning phase. One should have a score board of his angers and smiles points till he became the master of anger management. Once he is the master only a bad miracle could make him anger again and he will be human again.

Oops human again!!!

They say find your humanity which is buried deep down and all. Why do we call people human when they behave like animals at some point of time knowingly or unknowingly? People are wolves chasing material and immaterial needs, angry birds attempting to destroy the pigs who spoiled their life game and end of all just living like a dog in many ways. By the way, do you know dog breed is created by man and not a creation of nature? That's why I never call people as human beings; I refer them as social animals. There are only black and white shades of life, no grey and afterwards escaping by different shades of grey. See, there is nothing to worry by getting compared to animals, remember we evolved, actually still evolving. It is much better than being partial to some traits where we claim I am an animal in bed, I chase money like cheetah, I drink like fish, and weigh like hippo etc there is no end for these animal comparisons. Stop comparing and accept to be animal. It’s a great fun. The best part is you can always master the traits needed to be human and declare as human. Of course one will feel lonely out there at masters’ villa but always stays at top and rest act aspiration to be there but keep jealous about it inside. Sins committed silently :)

Oh my passport!

Did I tell you that the cops have never visited (as far as I know) the hostel and didn't do serious search for me while I am at office busy with financial analysis. They figured out that I am a good kid hence got my passport. I was a good animal not human because I wanted to comment that cop badly and have my vengeance. We don't have to list down all our traits and start fixing them with a big bang plan where ever we see a problem. If you do so all you end up is thinking that you are a monster. Have you ever edited others writings or exam papers? If you correct something in the very beginning you end up with lot of corrections, and if you didn’t do any corrections in the initial paragraphs, you end up with fewer corrections. Yeah it’s a brain thing, don’t ask me more. I just know that’s it. We just have to select the few which are major influences like anger, in discipline towards health and career etc. Actually these are my selections, if these turns out be your selection too here is my virtual high five; great minds think alike. If we fix the majors, minors dissolve on their own.

Thinking that by the time we achieve these we might die? Who cares, we die in life battle than in the bed with regrets.