Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Dream - Part II - 'Dead' or 'Alive'

‘What happened buddy? You were not like that. I have seen the optimistic you at times when everyone else gave it up to destiny. You can’t just collapse.’

Yeah I am not like that. So, what should I do?? I think I need some time.. Some time to recollect my energy, and more so to recollect my thoughts. I need to introspect, to think what actually went wrong with my last chase… My last ‘Dream’. Nothing is impossible… Nothing is invincible… So, what went wrong?? Was it my dedication? Or was it my effort? C’mon I can’t say luck. I don’t believe in that. Then?? Well dear, can’t answer you right now. I need some time.

Hey, don’t get disheartened yaar. Cheer up! One thing you can take from me. I will get out of this mode. It might take some time, but I will come out stronger and much well equipped than before. ‘Coz now I know how much it hurts when you see your ‘Dreams’ going away. When you wave Good Bye to them. When you see them going far far away towards some distant land. When you feel them ‘fading away’. It hurts, it really hurts. But, I will definitely come out of it and this time with a better and more powerful line of attack, and will set one more ‘Dream’ and will chase that one till ‘Death’. I don’t know I might succeed or I might fail again, but I will never give up ‘dreaming’, because if you don’t ‘Dream’ then you are already ‘Dead’. So, ultimately its upto you, you wanna be 'Dead' or 'Alive'?

Dream - Part I - 'Please Understand...'

‘Please understand…’

Yes, I understand… I understand you dear… Don’t worry I won’t trouble you again. What if, I have always thought of you? What if, I have always aspired for you? What if, I have always wanted to be with you? What difference does this all really make? No, sweetheart I won’t bother you again.

‘You are so great a person that you have no parallel. You are very mature, and understanding.’ says ‘Dream’. ‘It is really great to come across a person like you. No one can ever replace you, your respect and your mark in my mind. I can never forget you. May be you deserve something better. May be it is all happening for good. I wish you all the success in life. Have a wonderful life (without me), and be in touch.’

Smiling and with watery eyes I say goodbye and let go ‘The Dream’ to some far off land. Standing behind with a proud chest and inflated emotions but standing all alone.

Next day, I think about getting in touch with ‘The Dream’ again, but something is preventing me. Some resistance is there. But what is that thing… who is stopping me to reach ‘The Dream’… Wait… Let me think… Oh! Okay, maybe those two immortal words ‘Please Understand’. Yeah now ‘I understand’.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Riding is an Ecstasy...

Some said.. 'you are stupid'.. Some called me crazy. Chennai to Bangalore and back.. and that too alone. Yep, everybody around me (except for my fellow Club riders - Madras Bulls) told me the same.. But I over heard them and all their considerate advices. I forwarded this idea to my club.. MadBulls, and the veterans out there shared with me their experiences and told me all Do's and Dont's of riding alone.

I got hold of a road map, prepared a check list, got my bike checked, got some necessary spare parts - clutch wire, spark plug, etc.. and with all preparations done I was finally set to leave for Bangalore. I started at 0500 hrs. Initially I maintained a decent 60-70 kmph, but once the day broke and the visibility improved I couldn't hold my temptation and then.. 70 - 80 - 90 and finally 100 kmph. One of my close friend gave me clear instruction before leaving that please keep in mind the speed limit of 80 kmph, and yes, I maintained the lower speed limit of 80kmph :D. I was elated to realize afterwards that on my way to Bangalore only two vehicles overtook me - one Santro and one Esteem (must have been real nerds otherwise who drives so fast ;) Well, after a long and lovely ride I safely reached Bangalore at 1130 hrs.. Voila!! I made it and was feeling great.. a sense of accomplishment.

I stayed back in Bangalore for 2 days. Had a great time on my Bull. Completed my work out there.. and was all set to come back. I planned to start early morning the following day, but, again I fell victim of my own craziness and decided to leave at night itself. And there I was.. I kick started my bike.. Gave some throttle.. and vroooom.. And somewhere in distant background I heard some clock banging 12 times. Yes, it was 12 at night. Driving at night is totally different kind of experience. I should admit, It is really hard to drive at night. You need your full concentration to keep yourself on the road. Specially, when there are no road lamps, no vehicles, no light and when it is complete dark. I was focussing completely on the divider line and was trying hard to maintain same line, and then, there were patches, where, there was no divider line. At such stretchs, your speed drops down and your eyes follow the low beam of your head light.. and nothing else is visible. I was back at home around 0800 in the morning.. Driving at night was a totally different kind of experience, though a bit tough. Well, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Riding is a different kind of experience, altogether. It is not just a test of endurance.. not even just a test of your craziness.. It is an ecstasy. It brings you to a different level. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, a sense of achievement. However small or insignificant this achievement might be for others.. or for that matter even for you, but, I believe that such small achivements add a lot to you.. and a lot more to your personality. It induces more confidence in you.. I chose to do this trip not just because I wanted to ride, but I also wanted to check my risk taking capability.. and yeah, that was the reason why I decided to come back at night, after trying the day riding. I wanted to test myself. Believe me such small events counts a lot.

Overall, this trip to Bangalore and back was Great. After this trip, I feel more confident, and now I trust my Beast (ThunderBird) even more. I am looking forward for more of such trips in future... and I promise that this rider will never stop...

Monday, February 20, 2006

Quote for Oskar Schindler

"Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire"

Schindler's List - I have seen this movie couple of times. A great movie.. an abode to a Great Man - Oscar Schindler.


'No one will ever know exactly what made this complex man do what no German had the courage to do. Oscar Schindler rose to the highest level of humanity, walked through the bloody mud of the Holocaust without soiling his respect for human life - and gave his Jews a second chance at life.' - Extract from website www.aushwithz.dk
To unfold.. visit: http://www.aushwitz.dk/lamus.htm

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Quote of the Week

"People wish to be settled. Only as far as they are unsettled is there any hope for them" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

A dialogue with Self - Part 2

Something is terribly wrong... Something is dying... Only few days have passed.. Say, roughly one week that I've put in my efforts in this direction.. and within one week I am feeling exhausted.. How will it happen then?? I don't want to let it die so soon.. You were asking about the issues and concerns na.. this is the most critical one.

The energy dies out.. the focus fades away.. and it is very important to keep this fire alive.. otherwise.. the only outcome possible is… obliteration, and I don’t want that to happen.. So, I’ve to fight with myself.. I've to keep reminding myself of the promise that I've made.. and yes about the most important thing.. 'The Miles' (..and Miles to go before I sleep)

Sometimes we create all frenzy around our naive ideas.. We tend to think that these ideas have got great potential.. a big promise.. and we start working on it.. not gradually.. not in a planned way.. but infact we pounce upon the idea.. the idea of making our idea BIG.. and we start working on it without giving it any serious thought.. And then in due course of time we realize, that there was nothing big in that idea.. but we could have made it great.. if only we could have planned that in different way.. So, getting carried away by the idea is the second issue... leading to lack of planning, which is third..

Well... Top three issues are here.. and I've faced them all within just one week of my dreaming high.. I'll share more insights.. as and when I'll face them..

Hope to get some insights from you as well..

Hello.. Hello....... Where are you buddy??

Inspiring Quote: Paulo Coelho

Shekhar Gupta had an interview with Paulo Coelho (author of "The Alchemist" among other books). A quote: "there is only one thing I really treasure in a human being. You can have your fears, you can have your moments of doubt, but you can never be a coward. You have to face your fears, you have to overcome your moments of doubt, you have to believe that if you look for it there is always a solution. If you really want something, the whole universe is going to conspire to help you. But to do that, you have to be brave. Brave enough to fight for things that are meaningful to you. Not meaningful to A, B or C, but to you."

Think over it !!