The Small Voice

A very dear and old friend asked me yesterday, “How are you doing?” And almost as a nervous response, I smiled and replied “Great!” But aren’t we sometimes not so sure of that smile? As we were growing up, we had stars in our eyes and a spring in our step. The world was a fantastic & mysterious place. The biggest drudgery was homework, and the biggest worries of then, seem so trivial today. But, assuming you are on the wrong side of thirty like me, things have changed a bit. Days pass, as if in a blur. You are running but still sleep-walking through the day. All your waking energies focused on making ends meet after the EMI payment, driving through the dense traffic, meeting deadlines at home and office, the demands of boss as well as wife & children. You hardly have any time for yourself. When you hit the bed at night, most days, you are too tired to even talk to your wife, for more than a few minutes. But some days, when the sleep doesn’t come and the r...

Today I attended a sitar recital by Shujat Hussain Khan (wiki link) at NCPA. I usually like soft instrumental music, but neither the wife nor my parent s are particularly inclined towards the stuff. And I had insisted they come along. So I was worried a bit on the feedback. To make matters worse, I also had lied to them it was an 30 mins concert, whereas in reality it was 2 hrs long. To sum up, I was treading on thin ice. Dangerously thin. South Mumbai, has a certain old world charm to it. It’s not claustrophobically cramped for space like the rest of Mumbai. NCPA is even more so relaxed, spacious, beautifully maintained almost an island of peace and culture.  The inside of Tata theatre ; Picture rights reserved The concert started off with the usual tuning of instruments. The auditorium was almost houseful. This was my first live Hindustani music concert, and I was a bit awed by the erudite of Mumbai gracing the occasion.   Our seats were decent, but ...

Letter to My 16 yrs old self from me of Today Dear Me, When should I write to you? I think the best time is now, when you have just crossed 16, and are recovering from Jaundice. You have missed schools by one month and are feeling completely lost. Your classmates have joined various tutions and well on the syllabus while you are still finding your bearings, despite having had a head start in Physics and Maths (right after your ICSE). Well, that’s bad, but that’s how life is as you will learn later. Believe in yourself and don’t get too serious about criticism / ridicule: Well, first and foremost, have faith in yourself. You have got a pretty cool head and lots of patience which will often come handy and amaze you a few times in the days to come. Your ability to stay focused and cool will be an asset. But talking smart or bragging will never be your forte. You will make a lot of friends, (including girls) by mostly just treating them nicely and as equals. Just by do...

My journey and moments with the little master -by Ashutosh Garud (guest) On 23rd December 2012, Sachin Tendulkar showed he is human after all. Yes he retired from ODI’s. Somewhere deep down in our hearts, the fans (including me) were anticipating the moment to be around the corner. I was 8, when he debuted and honestly I don’t remember his first runs and innings. A 16 year kid was hitting unbelievable strokes against some very established names. Understandably, his popularity was meteoric. Before I could realize I was sucked into his silky stroke play and for me Sachin became a synonym for cricket. Discovering Sachin the batsman... When I started playing serious cricket (the gully cricket was of course serious cricket), I started holding the bat right at the bottom of the handle and chose the heaviest of the bats available. So what if that made the cut, pull and the sweep shots much more difficult for me. After all I had to follow the way Sachin played, right? I use...

The year 2012 has been a significantly tumultuous year. We, as a nation, got angry, cried, protested and fought for our rights. We also saw the economy tumble to depressing depths as inflation and policy inaction brought a halt to the growth momentum. But this post is, as Abhishek suggests, is a “slice of my life” post. I write this in a pensive, reflective mood. Personally, the year 2012 started on a sad note for our family for a close relative. Early in the year, we witnessed one of those events which can only be called God’s wish. The only silver lining in the trauma, if it can be called that, was that the whole family behaved in a very mature manner. The bereaved were spared the pain of post-event blame fixing, usual in such events. My wife & I too, suffered a testing time personally. Hospitalisation, surgery and crazy medical bills. Definitely scary stuff. But in the end, life goes on. There were some nice things too that happened, and that has taught me bet...

Dear Shri PM ji, Thanks for speaking out and calming us finally, days after the tragedy that happened on the streets of Delhi. Sir, we would like to believe that your feelings of concern for the victim are indeed true and genuine. We thank you for the deep empathy you displayed for the young protestors braving the Delhi cold, getting drenched by water cannon, beaten up by Police batons, shot by tear gas shells while demanding a safer city for women.  Your words of calm and reason are soothing balm to a troubled nation. We already feel better. But sir, YOU are the establishment. You don’t demand results , but, it is you who should deliver RESULTS . The people are angry because each day their wives, sisters and daughters are condemned to live in a state of fear of the goons and criminals. Women are afraid to step out after dark in the capital of the country. Even women of foreign countries are regularly issued advisories suggesting caution. Z plus security ...

Whence  hast thou come ... You can buy a kit on the National Geographic website , provide your DNA sample (just  swab the inside of your cheek) and send it back. What comes next is awesome. NG with IBM will send you your complete gene history. They will tell you how much Neanderthal is in you, the global migration pattern that your ancestors followed hundreds—even thousands—of years ago, with an unprecedented view of your ancestral journey.   Also, you will have the opportunity to share your story and connect with other Genographic Project participants, helping the project fill in the gaps in the human story. Who knows you may find out that you are a long lost descendent of Genghis Khan or even better, remotely related to ME !!!  Ain't that cool? If you have $199 to spare, you may buy it. I certainly would have, if only I had 200 bucks…. Donations welcome.