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Why Am I Not That Someone?

One of the nice things about major bus stops is that both the people and buses keep moving, yet the place remains decently crowded, and always buzzing with life. It was 20:30 hrs when the bus I needed arrived. I was waiting closer to the bus so that I could take my turn after the rushing crowd boarded. An elderly lady approached me and asked whether the bus would go to her stop. It wouldn’t. I patiently explained to her the right bus numbers that would take her there and told her that her bus would come in 5-10 minutes. I suggested her to stand slightly away, where her bus usually stops. Then, I boarded my bus and left. You know, it is truly a blessing to be present in moments when elders feel the need for a helping hand. I have often seen college students carry bags for older people as they board buses. Even if the bag is almost weightless for the youngster, the gesture matters, and I am sure it helps the elder more than we imagine. It also leaves a warm feeling in the one who offers ...
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Contextless Context

  Life is a bit of a mess when a stepdad and his stepchild don’t get along. Ask David Copperfield. His stepdad, Mr. Murdstone, made his life miserable, or at least, that is how David saw it. I was skimming through David Copperfield, not really feeling any sentiment, and honestly, a bit bored (lie!). And then, there it was — this line: “He ordered me like a dog, and I obeyed like a dog.” Suddenly, I perked up. I could see it. A dog ordering? A dog obeying? I never expected a single line to spark such hilarious visuals. A “wow, interesting” moment, completely out of nowhere. Of course, the reason is that I could easily relate how the dog orders and how it obeys to what Mr. Murdstone and David do. I was sure that I was not an eligible audience for “The Greatest Show on Earth”. It wasn’t the greatest show for me. I dropped out at 10%. Not because it was bad, but just because I kept wondering, why am I even following this? Then, amidst my inner struggle, I hit this passage...
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A Lesson for Hansie, My Pet Dog!

Love has the power to let go. No doubt about it - Dad is the real hero for most of us. And this hero has a harmless villain side too, especially when you are a kid. Specifically a male kid. You know what I mean - those moments when he “orders” you to do something that you don’t want to do. The justification is simple: he teaches us the things we need to learn. His love is about shaping his son into the best version he can be, and this is his way of expressing his love. While this kind of love filled with care, lazy dads are happy enough to “use” us to do things for their convenience, and crazy dads make sure to call us exactly when we are in the middle of something we love. Well, the fact is, dad is the first person to love us to the core, and having letting go as part of that love. Love is an intoxicating bond. It blinds us to the demands of the world. One of my friends, a father of two, is very particular about independence. The first thing he did after marriage was teach his wife to...
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2024: The Year in Review

2023 gifted me 5 extra kgs, and despite my best efforts in 2024, I couldn’t shed them. The silver lining? At least it didn’t increase! 😅. Yeah, that is about my weight gaining. Over the past few years, I’ve been setting pull-up goals and missing them entirely. So, this year, I’ve decided to focus on chest press and squat goals — aiming for at least 20 kgs. I’m also thinking of setting a 390-minute sleep routine . Lately, I’ve been overindulging in sleep (450+ minutes on most days). I use two alarm timings, but they aren’t helping much, so I’m switching to a single-alarm system. I also plan to include some basic morning stretches. Despite my poor eyesight , 2024 saw me continuing my long-standing tradition of binge-watching movies and Tamil serials. This year, I really enjoyed Oppenheimer, The Art of Flight , O2, Blink, and Ghoomer. This is perhaps lesser than the previous years. The Guns of Navarone, Laughing Bhudha, Level Cross were disappointing.   On the reading f...
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Your Fingers Your Tunes

  Had Gandhi not been present in Champaran, he would have still become a Mahatma. Had Che Guevara not studied Marxism, he would have still become a revolutionary. Had Siddhartha not been born in a palace, he would have still become the Buddha. Throughout history, countless leaders have risen to greatness. It didn’t matter where they were born, when they lived, or what challenges they faced - they had something inside them that pushed them forward. But why only them? Was it destiny? Were they born with a “greatness gene”? If I told you that was absolutely true, would you believe me? Let us take a moment to dissect this and see why it is not out of your reach. Imagine this: You are blindfolded and left in a grand hall, much like a child born into this world. Your task? To create tunes. All around you are walls, pillars, tables, curtains, and, yes, a piano. You can create sounds with almost anything. That’s how most of us live, just creating some sounds somewhere, somehow. In fact, ma...
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December Rain - 15

 “Be the change you want to see in this world” is a famous quote. But what if I want change but choose to do nothing to make the change happen? Well, I simply leave it to others, including God or convince myself that the change is not necessary. This is one of those, a random thought on inequality, imposed indirectly. Return journeys, especially after a 500+ km trip between cities, can be tiring and boring. My last one was no exception. We were returning after attending a teammate’s wedding. Since I don’t drive, I sat in the front seat, just watching the scenery and the road. And only the road, once the sun disappeared below the horizon. That was when I started watching people travelling long distances on motorcycle. The first one, the one that no longer annoys me as much as they did once were the daredevil riders. I know they require great skill and courage. Of course, it is a risk for them, but more importantly, it is a risk for others as well. And then the good guys, the real bi...
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The Unfinished Deathbed Experiment

 I had a hunch that I had heard of it somewhere - “The Deathbed Experiment”. Confused between Covey’s “Begin with the End in Mind” and Robin Sharma’s “Who Will Cry When You Die,”  I set out searching for the “Deathbed Experiment”.  My search led me through things like “Legacy thinking,”“Mortality Reflection,” and the “Eulogy Exercise”.  And it went a little deeper, the more abstract ones, like “Memento Mori Practice”, “Terror Management Theory Experiments”,  “Thanatotherapy,” and “End-of-Life Journaling Exercise”. No, I wasn’t looking for those. The idea itself was simple: imagining how people would cope with your death. Well, the name didn’t matter to start my own experiment. Here is how I progressed. I’ll skip over friends, as I believe that each one of them would fall into one of the categories that follow. Let me begin with the easiest group - my neighbours. Their response would be straightforward  - they would simply find out that I used to live there....
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