Thursday, February 4, 2010

Drive




SO WHAT DRIVES YOU ?

So what are you waiting for !







SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR !









It is not big words or bigger phrases that help you to get motivated its simple things that make life worthwhile...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Strive

Clueless about the start

Without any Heart

Lacking any soul

Difficulty in achieving the goal

In this lone Fight,

With lost Might

The harder I Cry

The Harder I try

This is about IT

It’s not the conviction that matters
It’s the fear of losing that matters more

It’s not about the quantity
It's the quality of the completion instead

It’s not about dirty tactics
It’s about fair play.

It’s not about the creation
It’s what lies in the passion

It’s not about taking every step
It’s about reaching the goal ahead

It not about winning being everything
It’s about winning being the only thing.

It’s not about playing the game you know
It’s about playing it your way.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

An Alternative Relationship

It wasn’t one of the best phases in my life. Things didn’t really look good. Ankur was no more living with me. our so called live in relationship had gone terribly wrong. He was cheating on me and had just moved in his new girl friend’s house. I was, once again all alone in that house. Boss was also not really happy with my work. His family life too was messed up and due to that he started expecting a bit too much from me in work. I tried hard but I really have no clue what he actually wanted from me. I could have easily lost my job at that time. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I would have. Money as usual was an issue. I still had to pay the pending rent of my new apartment. First it used to be OUR, mine and ankur’s home. Now it was just my apartment. These were the slightly larger issues affecting me and my life. There were a million small issues as well. The domestic helper would never be on time. The watchman of the next building would always eve tease, and that dog, I don’t know what problem he had with me. He just had to bark every time I went on that street. My colleagues in the office weren’t angels right from heaven aswell. Most of my friends were busy with their own lives, some of them were already married and some of them were extremely busy with their own careers. Nothing really looked good. I still remember that week. It was one of the toughest times I have had till now in my entire life. It was a Monday and after a tough journey to the office, I remember I couldn’t take my boss any more that day. We had a major argument and I was fired. I lost my job. I had to return by car back to the office. That was my first car and was given to me by the organisation I was working with since at that time they were extremely impressed by my work. Well, but now I had to return it to them. It was the month of may when Mumbai experiences its highest temperature. I went home in a BEST bus that afternoon and it took me 2 hours. My head was terribly aching and I felt like banging it against the wall. I reached home and made myself a nice cup of coffee. I though that it would help but then that day the super inquisitive phone calls from the office made me crazy. TV didn’t have any thing nice to show and the internet was down. Everything was wrong. I didn’t make any dinner for myself that night and just went to sleep. The next morning was not good either. The same calls and arguments with the land lady followed with issues with the domestic helper, the watchmen and like all these things were not enough, irritating neighbourhood kids. I just felt like jumping off from a high rise building that evening. Just then the bell rang and it was Ankur. For a millisecond I was happy. I felt that the love of my life was back. To be with me, to take care of me. “I want my stuff back, had left a few things here, I need them”. and yes, these words took me back to reality. I knew that he wasn’t back in my life. I knew that the distances were going to increase. I told my self that now, Ankur, someone who knew me too well, now even failed to notice all the things that were going wrong in my life. I didn’t say a word. Opened the door and he went to his room. He had left back a few tapes, some of his files and certificates and a few of his clothes. He took all of it, packed his bag and then came out to the living room. He asked me if he could fill a glass of water for himself in the kitchen. I smiled and said ofcourse. He drank a glass of water and without saying much he just left. That question “can I please have a class of water if you don’t mind” made me cry. I locked the door and hid my face in a pillow and cried for hours. I was now alone. All alone. Everything was wrong. Just then I saw the same old dog whom I hater looking at me from outside through this window. He looked concerned. I laughed. I thanked god that atleast some one was concerned. I opened the door and gave him a few biscuits. He licked my hands and that look in his eyes made me feel better. i still couldn’t stop my tears that day. I don’t remember when I went to sleep. Next day, as usual the alarm rang at 8.00. I didn’t care to wake up so early. I woke up by noon and called the internet guy to get the net fixed up again. It was all done by evening and I was now online and looking out for a new job. The dog was still there in the compound. My irritating domestic helper, shanta had cooked a few chapattis for me and I gave all those to that dog. He ate it and was still looking at me from that window. He was still in the garden outside the house. It was like he had started calling it home. I was glad that my apartment still felt like home to someone atleast. Life went on in a similar way for the 2 months which followed. I used to be at home. Health was something I didn’t take care at all. I would sit and cry at the way my life was ruined for atleast 3 to 4 hours a day. I missed Ankur, I was jobless and I felt like looser. I was a looser and thats what made things miserable. I had started getting angry and aggressive at small things. I remember throwing the garbage at the neighbourhood kids when they made too much noise and I couldn’t take it. I remember tearing their basketball out when it came into my balcony by mistake. I had even slapped shanta twice. Like all of it wasn’t enough, I had started hurting myself. One day I had broken a glass on my own hands and was bleeding. Another time, I broke a plate and the broken pieces had hurt my foot. I bled too much and fainted. There was no one at home that evening. When I regained consciousness, I was in my bedroom on my bed and the doctor and shanta were sitting besides me. I wondered who called the doctor and to my surprise it was the dog. Yes, that same dog had called shanta and she came home and had called the doctor. I named him Sam. And I owed my life to him. We brought him home, washed him and now I had decided; he was my family. That was not the end of the story for me. my sessions with the psychologist had already begun. I was being treated with an alternative therapy for anger management. Sam was living with us. He was now my life. I wanted to go back home every evening. Spending time with him now was important. We loved each other and now he was my family. It was a beautiful relationship. Here, he was not just my per but he was my kid, he was my friend, he was my companion. I could smile when I was with him, I could hold him in my arms and cry. Life was now looking good. I had again started smiling. It was a tough period of about 3 to 4 months consistently in my life. My therapy is now over and I have also found a new job. Its in a nice firm and I am comfortable with these new people. The pay is also larger than what it was previously and I have cleared all the previous rent accounts of my apprtment. Ankur had called 2 weeks back and said that he and his new girl firend had broken up and that they were no longer living together. He said that he wanted to meet me once. I refused. The kids come in every evening to play with Sam. I have started enjoyinh the noise they make. The new office has given me a new chauffer driven car. Life is normal now. Thanks to Sam. He is an important part of my life now. It is a weird relationship, an alternative relationship which gave a new meaning to life.

Story 1

Amma and appa as I called them were now free. I, their only daughter had got married and was busy with my life. Appa had retired from his job and amma was a house wife. I knew they had something in mind and things worked out great.
They shifted to Ambapur, a small village outside Chennai and bought a large piece of land. There they built about 10 small cottages where about 4 to 5 people could comfortably stay. The local villagers called it an ‘old age home’ but it was not just that. 10 people moved in. Let me first introduce the members of this organization, yes you heard it right it was an organization and they named it ANUBHAV.
Mr. and Mrs. Gokhale were the first couple to join Anubhav. They were abandoned by their successful kids and had no where to go. Mr. Gokhale was financially stable and wanted to utilize his money for a cause and not ‘WASTE’ it on his ‘good for nothing’ kids. Before you start looking at them with sympathy let me tell you that they were not at all disturbed with their so called ‘life full of tragedy’. They had accepted it and just wanted to move on with life. They were an educated couple where Mr. Gokhale was a lawyer and Mrs. Gokhale had got a masters degree in social work. They were not very talkative but they made sure that they would be friendly with everyone around. Mrs. Gokhale loved singing and her singing sessions had become an inseparable part of Anubhav.
The second couple to join the cause was Mr. and Mrs. Lalwani. Mrs. Lalwani was suffering from depression. They had lost their only son 6 months prior to their entry in the organization and Mr. Lalwani had come here primarily to divert her state of mind and then to bring back her confidence and faith in life by making her work for a cause. Mr. Lalwani was a thorough gentleman and very good my nature. He was a total extrovert and was always with his wife. Mrs. Lalwani, though depressed, was liking it here. She was under mild medication and the new place, people and atmosphere was working very well for her. She showed improvements in the first week of their stay at Anubhav itself.
The third couple was Mr. and Mrs. Shah. Mr. Shah was a business tycoon and so was his wife. They were working in the same organization and at the age of 55 they started finding life very monotonous. They needed a change in their pace of life and also needed to give a new meaning to life. They had no kids and were all alone. They retired and appa accepted them as a part of Anubhav. They were very well mannered and were always waiting to learn something new about life. They were very accommodating and fun to be with people. They loved dancing together and were proud about it. This is what everyone loved about them.
The next to join Anubhav was Mr. Shankar dayal. He was a bachelor and an ex-alcoholic. He was just back from a rehabilitation center in the northern part of India and was serious about getting rid of his habits. Apart from being appa’s school friend, Mr. dayal was also an ex police chief and had done commendable work during his serving period. Very strict by nature, he was a complete perfectionist. He was an introvert and didn’t like to talk much or laugh. But he had a soft corner for kids and became one himself when he was with kids.
The last member to join Anubhav was Ram Prasad Maharaj. He was a saint and was very kind to join appa and help him in his cause. He could not be of any monetary assistance to the org. but his experience and thoughts were all that was needed. He spent most of his time in the temple chanting. His lectures and experiences with life was something every one would wait to hear every evening.
Amma and Appa as we know were also a part of this group. Amma was a psychiatrist and Appa was a cardiac surgeon. Amma and appa was a very happy couple who had a love marriage and was still equally in love. They loved me, their only child and also my family which was made up of my husband and my son.
So this was it. Anubhav had started working. 10 people, a lot of energy, conviction and willingness. Everyone had a special quality and some weaknesses. Appa had been planning this from a long time. He had considered the applications and the personal letters sent by the above people. He had published advertisements in the newspapers and had also spoken to various NGOs about it. The whole process went on for about 2 years. In these 2 years he faced a lot of unwanted attention from different people and groups. But alls well that ends well and here it ended for a bright new beginning.
Anubhav, as u might have assumed, was not working for senior citizens and their rights. Nor was it working for orphans or street kids or for eradicating poverty. This was a unique cause. This was a cause where all the members could get themselves actively involved in the task, use their personal talents and fight their own weaknesses.
Now here is what Anubhav was all about. Anubhav’s academic term was that of 6 months. At the beginning of every six months 5 new patients from the Chennai mental asylum, with the permit of their relatives and doctors, were sent to Anubhav. Here the members were to treat them. Each member had a different task. All the 5 patients were suffering from different problems and it was Anubhav’s challenge to treat them completely.
Now lets see which tasks were assigned to the people and what was the schedule of these patients. The first thing in the morning each patient was supposed to go was to go to appa for their body checkups. After that the patients had to go with Mr. Shankar dayal for their physical training and work out schedules. This would take up most of their morning. After that they would come back to the center and cook their own meals in the assistance of Mrs. Lalwani who was an excellent cook. When the cooking was over the lunch session would begin the assistance of Mrs. Shah who would instruct them on manners and ethics. Afternoon was given to rest. In the afternoon there were talent and storytelling sessions conducted by Mr. Lalwani were the patients were made to do different things like painting knitting recitation elocution etc. In the evening all the patients would go to garden and listen to Mrs. Gokhale sing her beautiful songs. This was like a music time where other members would feel free to sing and play some music this was when everyone especially Mr. and Mrs. Shah would dance and so would the other patients. Then it was spiritual time where maharaja gave a lecture and did kirtans and chanting for the patients. Maharaja would also personally spend an hour with each patient in the evenings and give them a personal spiritual treatment. Then again cooking sessions for dinner with Mrs. Lalwani and then before going to sleep counseling sessions with amma would end their day. Amma would counsel them and ask them to give a fair report of their day. This was a regular day of the patients. The most important part here is that these patients are treated without any kind of drugs. Mr. Gokhale and Mr. Shah had been assigned with a job of organizing their picnics and outings and they also had to handle the legal formalities.
This was what anubhav was all about. Anubhav means experience and these people had to teach a simple lesson of life. The whole concept was initially to treat the patients with immense love, make sure they have a lot of fun and keep them busy throughout the day by ensuring their physical and mental fitness. This according to them was what the people were lacking in their lives. This was supposed to be the kind of life one is supposed to lead where in each flavor is present in the perfect proportion. This was a simple concept which did miracles with special lives of these patients.
A lot of incidents happened. Patients were cured. Lives were changed. Anubhav worked for 10 years and changed the lives of 160 patients. The patients now lead a normal life in different parts of the world. Mrs. Lalvani is now completely fine. Media attention is something appa always wanted to stay away from and he has done that. Chennai mental asylum doctors and the patients are the only ones who know what was happening. The villagers still thought it was an old age home. In the past 10 years anubhav saw the death of 7 people. Maharaj, Mr Gokhale and Mr. Lalvani are the only ones alive.
2000 was their last academic year. Right now I sit with a letter in my hands where in the patients themselves want to get along with maharaja, Mr. gokhale and Mr. lalvani and start a new Anubhav...

Latest Venture

Another facet to this blog is now along with the edition of stories of glory and poems of hope we also have short stories that are not just entertaining but also enables the reader to think aloud all the while not allowing the reader to leave his brain behind...

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Boy That Made Me A Man

It started that night an innocent boy had let his thoughts become reality

Emulate an older brother it went to his head and blocked clarity.

They warned me; the message was clear watch your actions his eyes our set on you

‘You’ is all he sees and even blocks what is not glamour, poor kid had no real clue.

That evening it all became clear he strayed down the path that became home to me

All in the hope and belief that this is what will get him there.

It hit hard, knocked me down got the eyebrows to lift in shock

No longer could I stray from the truth I had to change, the clock is going to tick.

So there seemed like one solution, be the man that lets those dreams become real

The change was not intended it helped a dying cause its his future I chose o heal.

Comeback King

As captain of one of the top clubs in Europe’s most elite football competition I wasn’t accustomed to being in a losing position. If anything had to be done to turn the 3 goal disadvantage around it would be my responsibility to instigate the fire. The manager stands near the door resting his back to the wall, his eyes and shoulders droop. Clearly he is as disturbed with the condition at the interval as the environment in the dressing room or for that matter the entire stadium. Liverpool FC isn’t just “another club” and granted that our day’s opponents, AC Milan, weren’t meant to be a walk in the park, the scoreboard reading 3-0 in their favor was definitely flattering.
Our coaches stand before us without uttering a word. The pin drop silence is almost uncomfortable. I felt the urge to speak even if the manager doesn’t say anything. It wasn’t a time for emotional speeches but I had to respect the situation we were put in. It required my leadership to get us through the remaining 45 minutes, to not only last it out but to try and win the cup. Not every team has the honor of playing in front of a full stadium in the final of the Champions League. I remember speaking with conviction. As I looked each of my teammates in the eye, I saw belief. We knew we could win and 45 minutes was enough to turn our fate around.
Walking out the tunnel was enervating. I could hear the chanting long before I could see the opening to the grass. I could hear “Liverpool, Liverpool” from thousands of loyal fans who travelled a great distance to support their favorite team. They would not stop chanting even if defeat was inevitable. I couldn’t stop trying, I had to give it my all, I had to try my best to salvage the victory. The moment was inspiring, exciting and provided the perfect burst of adrenaline to stimulate me and the team.
It was an inspiring performance from our team. No doubt AC Milan had played their hearts out but at the end of the day we wanted it more than them. The victory by Liverpool FC over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul is considered as one of the best comebacks in footballing history. I am glad to have been a part of it and to have lifted the trophy at the award ceremony. I am the captain of Liverpool FC, Steven Gerard.

Our Intro

Crap not again this not going to happen again is it. Another blog another few jackasses think they can capture our attention and speak to us. You have no idea that we kind of figured this all out to begin with and don’t worry we aren’t here to spread our philosophy; we aren’t telling you that the dress is not right or that you’re future is the drains. Hardly though we are just a bunch of teenage kids who have a simple task at hand. Motivate people seemed easy enough. Then we got started.
Our blog is simple we aren’t telling you to get off your ass and do something with your life. We aren’t telling you to look into you’re empty space and try and fill it and we certainly aren’t suggesting ulterior career options. We are simple bunch of sorts. Through this blog there will be creative articles by a one famous writer Jubin John a true life example of how self motivation can triumph all devils. His motivation has always been simple “be the best at whatever you do” and if that doesn’t work always close your eyes and tell yourself that you Rock. Another such writer is Manish Usapkar it takes a little while for motivation to kick in here bout once it does it sets the kind of example that blows minds and leaves eyes popping.
Rest assured irrespective of their own endeavors at motivation they will never fail to inspire you and give you a reason to not just smile but maybe get of that chair and move mountains…well maybe they aren’t that great.
Stay tuned.