The Marriage Conundrum

There are so many stories around marriage and so many incidences around it. But recently I came across an article about a 39 year old man who had hanged himself because he had not been able to marry. Again, it got me wondering about how important marriage is in our great Indian culture. We talk about modernism but we still stick to the old orthodox ways which press for marriage as a sure way to mate. When will it all change? We build computers and software, we launch rockets and satellites but we are still unable to launch ourselves into the future. 

Revenge gives meaning to life:

Everyone preaches about forgiveness. From self help books to gurus to teachers, everyone feels that revenge is what causes most of our worldly troubles. Revenge is what causes wars. Revenge is what causes people to ruin their entire lives. Revenge is the worst of our emotions. But is it really the case? Is revenge such a bad thing? We always look at the wars and the destruction but revenge has also been the best main ingredient in bringing out the best in all of us.

Revenge has brought to us some of the best art, science and even the best investments. Revenge has been instrumental in the forging of the Chanakya Neeti, the foremost text on politics. Revenge is actually a very misunderstood emotion. Its easy to ignore it and focus on the love, just like it is easy to ignore the bad and focus on the good. But we all have to face the bad in us to understand importance of the good.

Rise and Stand up:

Over the years, I have read quite a wide variety of philosophical books. And invariably, every one teaches us restraint and patience. From saints to preachers, everyone has the same set of advise. Conquer anger, conquer fear and conquer your mind.But how much is enough? Where do you draw the line, that you are no longer trampled on? At some point of time, it becomes imperative to show them, that you do have the power to be irritated. And yes, they do have to be told, "Mess with the best, die like the rest."

A very old friend of mine, has her ex chasing even after their break up. And he makes it a point to put her down, in some way or the other. Their prolonged relationship has given him the edge. He knows all her weaknesses and pressure points. And she just blows her top and cribs but just cant turn her ex away.

What we forgot about Gandhi: Being Minimalistic

It's a strange day. It's a day when you are not supposed to work because it is the Birthday of the Father of the Nation-Mahatma Gandhi. Ironic I say. A compulsory holiday for a man who never ceased to work? But that is just the beginning of the strange.

I step out on the road expecting less traffic. But the roads are jammed worse than ever. Everyone is out shopping or visiting. I wonder, would Bapu really want us to stay at home, laze around or to go visit the mall on his birthday? I wonder. The shops are doing brisk business. One of the shopkeepers tells me, "Business is better today than ever. Thanks to Bapu." He winks. And I wonder. Is this how we want to celebrate the birthday of a man who survived on minimalistic needs? Is this really the free India he imagined? Is this the Freedom that he struggled for?

The saint in the Rikshaw:

I had read somewhere a long time ago that there were saints everywhere and they appeared as and when they were needed. They live amongst us, protecting us, helping us in our everyday struggle with life. When we give up hope, they appear out of nowhere to motivate us not to give up our fight against life. And for long I have believed them to be angels working with us to make our lives easier. And for ever, I have placed them at par with Gods.

And so it has been that whenever I have been troubled, a stranger has come up to hold me. The past few days, I have been bothered about how the office space. I have been bothered about the evil that men do to project the good in them. I have been swallowed by sycophancy, I have been devoured by debauchery, I have been troubled by the troublemakers. And in this troubled mind, I hail a riksaw, almost when I had given up hope of finding one.

Give a damn someone...

It's been five years since I have been writing. And I have been getting better by the day. One of the abilities that I have been especially proud of has been my ability to rhyme. I might not be as good as Eminem but I am still better than most of the others. And my verses however silly have been able to bring a smile to the lips of people I have written them for.

I recently decided to put up  my verses online where not just the incumbents but everyone would be able to enjoy them. And surprise! No one seems to be interested. It takes more effort than writing about a recipe, writing a peom. With all the rhymes, working together to bring meaning to the fore, the abstract materializing into emotions and feelings, the real essence of poetry emerges from the corners of the words.

A worthy Life

Many fathers have died before us,

One day we will die as well.

But have we made our lives worth,

Only our deeds will tell.

Live for the own self,

But work not for this self.

Make life good and better,

For everyone, self and latter.

Words for me:

He says..write some happy words,

Write about the green grass and birds.

Not always about being sad,

Or just about being raving mad.

She says.. write me a happy verse,

Not ways about ghosts or a curse.

Write about the blue sky wide,

Or a wonderful fantasy ride.

In the middle:

I stand taller than,
Most of the men around can.
But not tall enough,
To be the tall and handsome stuff.

In the middle, I stand,
Trying magic without a wand.
Never high, never low,
Never hollow, but still shallow.

Sleepless:

Dark indeed is the night,

Thoughtless

Ever wondered, how forever we are bounded by thoughts? Good thoughts, bad thoughts, but thoughts everywhere. I could never understand how the brain works and where all these thoughts come from (the scientists claim they do). I wonder if they will ever be decoded, thoughts.

But there is a space in our lives, our everyday lives, where we can be absolutely thoughtless. Some call it meditation, a place, a state of the mind when the mind sleeps. But such is the hustle and bustle of success, we forget to rest our tired mind. And the poor mind toils and toils hard.

Leave the women alone!!!

I recently read an article by well-known author Chetan Bhagat, condemning the state of women in our country. He implored his fellow countrymen to look beyond the phulkas and understand the contribution women can make to the society. Then there is this famous writer and feminist who has been imploring women to get on beyond the kitchen and explore other avenues. And then we have this famous actor, pulling up men for the atrocities committed against women.

I recently read about a very dynamic lady in Gujarat who had turned her backyard dairy into a full-fledged business worth crores of rupees. Has she moved beyond the kitchen? Probably not. I am sure her family still enjoys the wonderful meals she cooks up for them every day. I have a colleague who makes wonderful paranthas and gets them in the tiffin every day. And the appreciation, she says, inspires her more to try out new recipes. Has she moved on beyond the kitchen? I wonder.

If women like cooking (which in most cases they do) why are we forcing them to move on? Everyone wants a piece of the pie in the advice for women. Everyone wants them to do this and do that. Some want them to work; some want them to look beyond child rearing and other want them to move beyond the kitchen. All of the above are basic qualities which all women have in them. And if they want to and like to be able to continue doing so, why force them to stop doing what comes naturally?

Strange beautiful data: the art of visualization

After years of learning and forgetting one technology after the other, I had almost given up on the life I would be living in the future. A sad, monotonous life spent making love to the computer screen in front of me. I dread the feeling.

I have never been one of the humongous crowd of self professed lovers of analytical powers. I have no clue how a balloon can fill a room or how I can fill a 5 L jug with a 3 L jug and frankly I don't and never did care. I never found writing code challenging or solving puzzles a way to feed my dying ego. I detested my job for lacking something that defines our very existence...color.

Surya Dev: The Sun God

With the power to give and take life, the sun, is the most powerful of the elements that surround us. Resplendent in the blue skies around him, Surya Dev or the Sun God can only be bowed to.

Next is what?

One of my good friends recently joined a small company with a really big package. All these years, she had been this average girl next door, who seemed to be happy with whatever she ever got in life. All she wanted was enough money to pull her through her treks to the Himalayas. And suddenly she was a big star. A person grossly underestimated by the people around her. It wasn’t long before people did start discouraging her. “Are you sure the company is gonna survive?” “You’d be laid off soon.” “You already had a good package, now you are doing better. Next is what?”

Street Hog:

On a Moonlit night, riding over the darkness, feeling the breeze, breeze past you. The feeling is second only to that of being in Heaven. The Hog rules the streets, the night and even the moon.

There's magic everywhere:

There came a time in my life when I was totally done with the job that I was doing. I was done as in DONE. There was nothing more to learn, there was nothing more to teach. Life was becoming more of a morass of monocrity and there was nothing left. But there was one decision I had stood with. I wanted to be with technology and not move on management. And there was a personal reason to it. I was a reporting specialist and I loved the representation of data. It was weird.

It was wonderful how data could be visualized and displayed in so many different forms. And every bit of data, is like a child waiting to get dressed, waiting to play. I have always missed art in my life and here I was with every opportunity to paint, create and build. But here the canvas was data. Some of the representations of data has been nothing less than breathtaking. And I....I have been enjoying all the painting. I have been honing my skills with the latest version of Business Objects (4.0). I have been trying my hand with Xcelsius and Qlikview. It has been an interesting ride so far.

Mahadev:

When we think of Shiva, the Lord, what really comes to our mind is the entity embraced by the Damroo, the third eye, the Ganges and the Moon. This is an attempt by me to recreate the aura of the Lord, without actually painting him.

Need, Indeed:

Need, Deed,
Feed, Breed,
Lead, Plead,
Knead, Bleed,
Steed, Stampede,
Speed, Heed,
Impede, Succeed,
Accede, Secede,
Reed, Weed,
Creed, Exceed,
Greed, Indeed!!!!!

Nobody’s fault:

I recently got into a rickshaw at Vidyavihar-w and immediately noticed that the meter was not working. When I did point it out to the driver, he looked back and mumbled something. I told him to let me get down if he was not sure why the meter was not working and he assured me that it was all good. When I did reach my destination, he demanded Rs.15 whereas from my experience, it should not have been more than Rs.12, which is the minimum fare. And in the ensuing argument, I mentioned to him that when I did point out the issue with his meter, all he did was mumble. To which, the gentleman had a very interesting retort, “Neither is it my fault, nor is it yours”, he said. “The entire fault is that of the meter.” I was too shocked to say anything but was adamant I would not pay the extra Rs.3. Finally after showering me with the choicest vituperations, he left.

Though the incident should have left me angry and flustered, I found myself laughing. Many a times, just to prove ourselves right, we come up with silly reasons and excuses. The human tendency to save one’s skin is so powerful, the self-preservation instinct so strong that we forget the implications of some of our extremely negligible actions. What seemed like a minor altercation between the rickshaw driver and me left him poorer by Rs.3 and left me with a hurt ego. Had he been kind enough to accept his mistake I would not have taken the issue personally. But then, his instinct to preserve himself led to the misadventure.

The Education blackmail:

A very close friend of mine recently called me in the middle of the night. Not in the soberest of moods, nor in the soberest of senses, she had nothing but silence to offer. After much prodding, she started opening up. And what she told me, brought back some memories and some realization as to how lucky I have been.

My friend, lets call her S, had been preparing for her MBA entrance. And however much she tried, she always felt the time would never be on her side. And she tried harder, her parents forced her harder, it was a never ending loop. I told her, to try was in her hands, everything else was destiny. People who gave these long lectured about crafting their own destiny was nothing more than nonsense. With hard work, you can only achieve, this much. To achieve more, you need an ample amount of luck. But as always, my advise only fell on deaf years. All that she wanted was more time and less sleep, so she could study more. She had to live up to the expectations of her parents.

How I nearly lost:

I started this blog as a reflection of me, my thoughts, my hopes and everything about being Vinayak Gole. But somehow, somewhere in the middle, I woke up. This was not what I meant to do!!! My blog and my words were meant to reflect my thoughts and not popular thought. But in this mad rush to win page views, I had nearly sold out.

But yesterday, I realized, that I was meant to be me and not anyone else. And a verbal dual with my superior by rank played catalyst. I realized during that tussle of egos that I would not bend, not just to please any one. As long as I was right and held on to my values, I would stand for what I am. So, if that was the case, why chase page views? Let me chase my thoughts, my hope and my fears.

Rocket Singh: Winning need not be competitive

Saw Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year after quite a while and I stood just as impressed. The movie is just as inspiring and could not have come at a better time. In a world run over by an extreme competitive streak, the movie stands out for preaching something just as opposite. I had been impressed the first time I had seen it and had written about it here. And today when I was able to view it again, it definitely stood out just as hard hitting and impressive.

Be Yourself:

I am a huge fan of Tom Morello. Though I am still heartbroken about the break up of RATM, I still follow Tom. And since Audioslave is the conglomeration of some great musicians including Chris Cornell, I did decide to check out some of their songs. A particular song caught my attention, "Be Yourself". And it was more than the music and the lyrics that I found very distinct. In addition to the fantastic guitar wizardry of Tom and the extraordinary vocals of Chris, I found the title of the song, very very interesting.

Ever since we are born, we are told to compare our lives with someone else's. Why can't you study like your brother? Why can't you play like your friend? So on and so forth. And the story continues as we grow up. Always living a life that does not belong to us. The temptation though still exits, doesn't it? The temptation to Be Yourself.

The Hulk within us all:

The Hulk is a wonderful and unique superhero. An uncontrollable monster living within the calm and banal being of the brilliant Dr.Banner, he is feared by friends and foes alike. But then, who would want to be friends with such a monster? That is a different issue.

The first two instalments of The Hulk franchise had Dr.Banner struggling with his incapability to control the monster. After zeroing in on his anger as the catalyst that triggers the emergence of The Hulk, the Doctor tries everything from solitude to meditation to calm himself down. The point I am trying to make here is, The Hulk is the anger. Destructive, uncaring and confused. Isn’t this how we see ourselves when we are infuriated? Anger makes us go blind, when everything and everyone seems to be conspiring against us. Who would want to be friends with such a monster?

Why you should never pad up your CV:

It was my morning newspaper run and I remember reading something about Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson having to resign over some row over his fudged up CV. Now that isn’t so bad that a CEO has to resign, I thought. There was more important news to read. The stock market was headed nowhere and the government was coming up with more taxes. And I did not even own stock in Yahoo!

After a gruelling day at work, just as I was about to leave, I was asked to interview a candidate on an emergency basis. Armed with a very impressive CV, he had started a scuffle among project managers as to which of them would win him over. The CV covered almost everything anyone could ever mention about SAP. Something was wrong here, I wondered. Years of experience and the amount of knowledge seemed to be disproportional. As I opened the call, I realised the truth in the first couple of minutes. Just knowing about terms you mention in the CV does not justify you have knowledge of it. The interviewer knows. He knows.

And I could suddenly find a link between the CEO and this entry level guy. Though the two cases cannot be compared, the effect was still the same. Different causes, different reactions but the same end.... Rejection.

How I stole a child’s childhood:

He played along. All of 8 years, he found things to play in everything he did. He jumped over the stones in the ground, smiling and laughing as he rushed from person to person. Singing to himself, he spun round as the wind struck him, as if the wind was playing games with him. I watched him with amazement, wondering how little it took for a life to be happy. His tattered clothes did not matter and maybe he did not even remember his hunger. I watched him, jealous, anxious and with a smile on my face. How lucky you are, I thought, to have found happiness.

And then.....crash!!!

Mother by any other name:

Technology has evolved. People have evolved. The world overall has evolved. Traditions have changed, relationships have changed and even mindsets have changed. Human evolution has not only been with respect to adaptability of the body but also a complete overhaul of the mind. However, the one thread that bound us thousands of years ago, still holds. The one word which most of us learn to utter when we first learn to speak….Ma.

Life

And isn't this how life is? Complicated and wound up in circles and yet...so colorful. A myriad mixture of the best and worst of colors signifying the best and the worst times of our lives. Life indeed is beautiful.

The Third Eye

The Kumkum of the Indian woman, also symbolizing the third eye. The mark of the divine, the Goddess. I don't know what the inspiration behind this sketch was but it did come and it came on Mother's Day. 

The Invisible Ganesha

It's not just surprising but amazing how the Lord Ganesha manifests himself in so many of my drawings. I wouldn't call them drawings or sketches, they are just doodles but then I just flow, I flow as if there is an invisible hand holding my hand as I just splash the colours across my phone's screen. And the result, is this!

The Kosmic Eye

This is something that came out. I have no explanations to it. Call it abstract, call it the universe expressing itself through my eyes, I have no clue what this is about. But I prefer calling it the Kosmic Eye. A combination of Karma and the Cosmos watching over everything we do, everything that we are and everything that we have become. Its the Eye of the Creator, forever alert to all the Good and Bad in this world.

The King’s Problem: What did we learn?

Every story has a lesson in it. And some very valuable lessons. The very concept of story telling started as a means of imbibing values and spreading the learnings to the coming generations. And likewise for this story. It would be unfair to take the story as just another sheet of words about a King going bald. Instead, we need to explore what the story has to offer to us in relevance to everyday life.

The King was a just ruler until he fell for the trivial problem of baldness. Almost all of our problems emanate from the fact that we do not accept. Baldness, acne and a hundred physical problems, tend to rule over the real problems in our everyday life. I have written earlier about how accepting our problems as our own can make life simpler and easier to live by. But as always, we forget to accept.

The King’s Problem: The cure:

Continued from The King's Problem:

The Minister was perplexed. How could such a wise and just King be bothered by such a menial problem. But he also knew that the strongest of minds almost always lost to the meekest of problems. And he knew he had to find a solution.

“Sir, how about making an announcement for a prize? That would bring the best of the medical practitioners to the Kingdom. A cure would definitely be found. And meanwhile, the council of ministers has some very pressing issues that deserve attention, sire.” The Chief Minister had deftly tried to divert the King’s attention from the hair loss to the affairs of the state.

“Fantastic idea Chief Minister! Make the announcement instantly. Announce for 50000 gold coins to the one who is able to cure me. However add a clause that, if any doctor fails, he will be beheaded immediately.”

The Chief Minister stared at his mistake in front of him. His attempt to get the King back on line had backfired and snowballed into a horrible catastrophe. Now this was something, he was determined to avoid. No lives would be lost because of him. But how could he prevent the loss of lives. The King had spoken, and going against his wishes would amount to treachery. The Chief Minister took the King’s leave wondering.

The shortest story:

A thought struck me today. How much do we need to write a story? Can a story be told in a single sentence? Maybe so. And so I thought up of some stories....
1. And she just walked away......
2. It was the cruel smile...of success
3. It never dawned that day
4. Sometimes you need to lose to win.

My 2 minute love story:

It was a scene painted straight out of Michelangelo’s canvas. Nothing abstract about it but definitely complicated...thought provoking. In the fading crowded background she stood out like Mona Lisa. Only, this painting was live, alive and animated. With lucid movements, she reached down into her purse to pull out her phone. And then, she all of a sudden, she caught my eye. Cupid must have been around somewhere. So dumbfounded I was, immersed in the beauty of the entire scene, that I could not drag myself to look away. I kept staring. Risking the aftermath and the onslaught of impending fury, I kept staring at the painting in front of me. Grace defined itself in her. Her hair fell in layers across her shoulders, dark, shiny, contrasting against the colour of her cheeks. Her sanguine cheeks puffed up because of the effort put in the stretching of the lips into a smile. Her eyes, soft, deep, brown, searching, staring in amusement at the foolish oaf staring blindly at her. Somehow, I managed to smile back, the colour rising in my cheeks. And then, the unimaginable happened. Rising slowly, she glided her lithe figure in my direction, never leaving the lock on my gaze.

Karmic Rocket

Sometimes, the mind acts like a rocket, with the thoughts playing the propulsion gear. Some thoughts make us feel good, some make us feel sad. Its after all karma.

The Beach:

A dream, life by the beach, on the phone :)

The Flag

Need I say More?? It was a thought, a couple of brush strokes and I had the national flag, everything that we stood for, ready. Vande Mataram...

The magic of the embrace:

It has been a long time since I read about Osho and his discourse on accepting everything in life. But then, I was young, I was confident, over confident to some extent and I dismissed the reading as "utter nonsense". With time, I have had a more lasting relationship with life and I have come to realize, how true the wise man was.

Embracing Failure:

Failure is the most difficult aspect of our life. But more than failure, it is the fear that failure might be around the corner, that saps up our mental strength. Worries and concerns, troubles and stress, all revolve around this central theme of failure. Failure to meet expectations, failure to meet demands, failure to achieve, the list is endless. And we struggle, fighting it, struggling against it. But what we fail to realize, is that fear is inherent to all of our lives. If everyone started winning, who would lose? Accepting failure, understanding the lessons from a failed attempt and continuing the journey, is the most treacherous of human conquests. Accepting failure also eliminates the fear of losing. Embracing failure as a part of life will bring about a paradigm shift in the way life progresses.

The Joker

Had been playing around on sketch and draw on the mobile and came up with The Joker..Sad but entertaining

Building peace: piece by piece:

As we step into the addictive world of work, we forget the purpose of our stepping into this world. What made us indulge into the world of work and money in the first place? It was the assumption that with more money will come more comforts. And what does the ultimate comfort translate to? Peace? Happiness?

The comfort and happiness granted by money is only imaginary. It stays but only till the next goal. It’s a never ending pursuit to achieve more. And the ironic part is, we fail to realise that peace, is always in abundance. You do not actually need to gain more of it. It’s just about that much. A piece of peace is equal in weight to tonnes and tonnes of it. So why compare comfort with peace at all, in the first place?

The King's Problem:

The king was sick!!!!The king was worried. The queen was worried. The entire kingdom was worried. The king seemed more worried about the taxing problem of his than the taxes of his state. Finally the businessmen could take it no more and decided to meet the king.

As the king sat looking at the ceiling, his hands unconsciously touching the royal crown, the senior most businessman uttered,"Maharaj, the taxation system of the state needs urgent revision. We are also suffering heavy losses due to the outdated export policy. We request your urgent attention into the matter, Your Highness."

It's all about selling, isn't it??

If you are a musician, you have to market your music. If you are an artist, you have to market your art. If you are a politician, you have to market yourself and if you are an employee, you have to market your efficiency. How ironic, isn't it? People are even marketing their blogs!!!

Is the desire to be well known so overwhelming that it makes us sell ourselves? I have seen people continuously  blowing their trumpet about how hard they have worked. The world would be such a fantastic place if we stopped this indiscriminate selling and started concentrating on the job at hand. In a desperate attempt to show off, most of us forget what exactly needs to be done. For a solution that costs a dime, we end up showing how we managed to spend a pound.

That thing called Jealousy:

"I don't care. I am just happy with whatever I have." This is perhaps the most eloquent statement I have heard from the most eloquent people. People who do not seem to care but always seem to bother. People who always seem to be nonchalant but always concerned about everything and everyone. People who are in simple terms....jealous.

Its been a long time since I gave up the rat race. I live like Rambo in the corporate world. I live invisible, seldom talk, do what is expected of me and never complain. But still, I have people who are jealous of me. For God's sake, gentlemen, I don't earn half as much you do, I am not as successful as you are and I don't even own a car. So what is it that makes you keep a tab on my life.Let me live my life in peace, in anonymity. But even my anonymity seems to have made me famous. 

People are concerned about my rating, my investments, my buying habits, my love life and even my personal hygiene habits. None of which I have. Is it so difficult to know that a guy is invisible?

Many years ago, when MJ sang, "you just leave me alone", I was a kid and could not understand what the problem with MJ was. I wished, I could get all that attention. I wished, people would love me, go crazy after me like they did for MJ. I wondered why Princess Diana was so hyper to the paparazzi. After all she was famous. But me? I am not even famous, I don't even matter. But people.....they just think otherwise.

My advise to all of you jealous guys out there - Let us unknown souls be!!! We do not want to be famous like you. We do not want to be ultra successful like you. We do not want to bitch about others like you. All we need is anonymity, peace, a routine and a contract of deep understanding with life.

JUST LET ME BE!!!!

That Mosquito and Me:

Exactly a week ago, I was feeling lethargic going to work in the morning. Mondays are usually extra energetic days, the mind having rested over the weekend and the body relaxed. Last Monday was a surprise. I still managed to get the work done well, forced myself to hit the gym but by evening, my body was giving up.

The next day, I went to get a lab test for Malaria, and before the results landed in my lap, I was already shivering in bed. In the hallucinations that followed the infection, I could imagine me and the alleged mosquito dueling over a duet. The song was none other than Def Leppard's Hysteria..........Malaria:

Malaria:

Me:

Out of touch, out of reach yeah 

You could try to get closer to me 

I'm in shit, I'm in deep, yeah 

Hypnotized, I'm shakin' to my knees 

Mosquito:

I gotta know tonight 

If you're blown tonight 

Can't stop this feeling 

Can't stop this fire 

Oh, I get hysterical, Malaria 

Oh can you feel it, do you believe it? 

It's such a nocturnal mysteria 

When you get that feelin', better start believin' 

'Cos it's a miracle, oh say you will, ooh babe 

Me:

Malaria, when you're near 

(After I get bitten)

Mosquito:

Out of me, into you yeah 

You could hide it's just a one way street 

Oh, I believe I'm in you, yeah 

Open wide, that's right, dream me off my feet 

Oh, believe in me 

I gotta know tonight 

If you're blown tonight 

Can't stop this feeling 

Can't stop this fire 

Me:

Oh, I get hysterical, Malaria 

Oh can you feel it, do you believe it? 

It's such a nocturnal mysteria 

When you get that feelin', better start believin' 

'Cos it's a miracle, oh say you will 

Ooh babe 

Malaria when you're near 

Come on 

Art Attack

Lately, after my tryst with Pixlr and the varied weird art forms, I decided to move on to the next step, trying to find a place to put up the art. Oh no no...not an art gallery but something that is more publicly visible. Something where the people can actually see a painting made by a loser nerd in a dust ridden, hotbed. And so I hit upon the idea of putting it all out on tee shirts. What the heck, I have read a hundred meaningless words on tees. People have crazy stuff they call art on their coffee mugs. So what does Vinayak Gole do? He finds sites on the internet where people can actually select his art work.

Well then, I have created a store on http://www.zazzle.com/worldofwords ... The art is just about spilling out, the words are just about making sense and life is just about making sense. Now for how long, that is the question. However, the best thing is, I have something new to play with and there is some more hope that the fun doesn't end very soon in this world.

Many a times we forget that the internet is not just about Facebook but much much more. But it takes more than an iron will to break away from the Facebook addiction. Mine...is a work in progress. Next stop...http://www.cafepress.com/rambling1 .

Day1:The lone ranger:

As I mustered up the courage to step into this unknown territory, I realised that it was very different that what I had imagined. There were people looking at me as a stranger, an intruder in the forbidden kingdom. There were the intimidating glances, there were the shameful nods and the super replusive vibes. But still I lingred on, found the master of the lands, the Instructor and told him I would be beginning today.

The changing room had more shame for me. I couldnt get myself to expose my loose flabby body to the masses. After an effort to hide as much as I could, tactfully managing the view with my extracted clothes, I was able to emerge. It was time to begin. I had a purpose, I had to run. I had a purpose, I had to stay in-breath while climbing.

After a light warm up, I decided that this was the moment. I approached the dragon, I had to conquer, The Threadmill. After soem struggle with the various buttons and some help from the instructor, my battle had begun. I had to walk...for twenty minutes. 

The first five minutes seemed like fun. But soon fatigue overtook the fun and I was fighting a losing battle against breath. The belt was spinning and I just wasnt walking fast enough. Holding on to the support bar did help a bit but it was a race, a race against time...or rather..with time.

Soon the battle had been won. Slowly but steadily I had survived the first twenty minutes on the treadmill. I was a survivor. It was time to get ready and leave. It was time to live today..to die another day.

The Nerd runner:

For years, I was proud to be part of the ever bludgeoning workforce of India's IT workforce. Computers, software, smart phones made my day seem to have meaning to it. Artificial lights seemed better than the sun, conditioned air was a given and bottled juice supposed to make up for nutrients. I was healthy..at least..I thought so.

It was a recent transfer to a newly opened office in Powai that opened my eyes. Barely able to navigate the steep slope at the entrance, I would need to take breaks to huff and puff before continuing my journey to the office gate. It was then that I noticed what technology addition had done to my health. I had an immune system was in doldrums, lungs seemed to have holes and the body was all more of fat than tissue. It was the day I decided to break away from my belief that the body heals itself. It was the day I realized that God, would help me only if I helped myself. It would be a long journey to get to the top without the huffing and the puffing. But a battle that could be won.

It was time to check out that unknown entity on the floor above. The Gym: