Yet another college story !

Setting:A typical messy boys hostel room.Time : 4 AM. Dramatis personae:A final year student,trying to clutch at the mosquito repellent just out of his reach amidst the pile of stuff on the table with one hand,and embarking on a vain attempt to shoo away the buzzing bastards with the other.Music playing in the background.For the character,this has been another day of getting up at noon,going through the placement drone,sharing expletives,disappointments and convictions with a bunchful of equally hyperactive colleagues,ending with a nite out.The character seems disappointed at having failed to bag yet another opportunity of a godforsaken job at some metro city with some kind of fat compensation.More so,he seems oddly confused.Till now,he never had to plan for things,He has no clue what he wants to do for a living.He had had a clue once.He long forgot all about it.Sometimes,he wants to revive that lost dream.However,somehow doing so requires a plunge that various elements in him sternly suggest to stay away from.The mosquito continues buzzing in his ear,and as he gears up for another shot at the repellent,he impulsively feels a connection with the poor insect and hmmmms along with it;idly wondering if the hmmmm is symantically viable and he has a shot of actually conversing with the mosquito.A Lynyrd Skynyrd song comes up,one of his favorites.The character whistles along initially,and then closes his eyes,and listens.

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.

Go take your time... Don't live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and you'll find love,
And don't forget son,
There is someone up above.

And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Oh,won't you do this for me son,
If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

Boy, don't you worry... you'll find yourself.
Follow you heart and nothing else.
And you can do this if you try.
All I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Better be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.

The character gets up,finds the repellant and plugs it in.He then opens up blogger and posts the lyrics in the hope that he always remembers them,as a note.For somehow,within all the idealistic overtones,the song does seem to make sense.A lot of sense.

P.S: In case you have not yet laid your hands on Lynyrd Skynyrd,do.The song is "Simple Man".Also check out "Free bird","Tuesday's gone" and "Sweet home Alabama"-good lyrics, and awesome solos..Its a pity the original Skynyrd band is no more.Music is all the more poorer for this loss.

Zen Story

Two monks were once traveling together down a muddy road.
A heavy rain was falling. Coming around the bend,
they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash,
unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl," said the first monk. Lifting her
in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

The second monk did not speak again until that night
when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer
could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females,"
he said. "It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," the first monk said.
"Are you still carrying her?"

Recurrenti...

People nowadays are so busy taking others down,they have forgotten that the deal was to climb up themselves.

On third year,IITK..

And now the times are changing,
look at everything that's come and gone...

Keep looking back as the most eventful year at IITK draws to a close.From friends to academics,from matters at home to that of love,life chose extremes.Its no wonder why Sophomore time seems so juvenile now.The sheer baggage of the experiences in the last one year,I have seen myself being pushed to grow up and be wary of things rather abruptly.Gone are the days of thrills.Caution,calculative talks and keeping things to myself are newfound companions,and I don't know if I like it.This area is still not in my comfort zone,and a part of me wants to return back,only knowing that it is never gonna be possible.Life moves on.

The Cup

The Cup

-Swami Vivekananda

This is your cup -- the cup assigned
to you from the beginning.
Nay, My child, I know how much
of that dark drink is your own brew
Of fault and passion, ages long ago,
In the deep years of yesterday, I know.

This is your road -- a painful road and drear.
I made the stones that never give you rest.
I set your friend in pleasant ways and clear,
And he shall come like you, unto My breast.
But you, My child, must travel here.

This is your task. It has no joy nor grace,
But it is not meant for any other hand,
And in My universe hath measured place,
Take it. I do not bid you understand.
I bid you close your eyes to see My face.

6 years have passed since I read "The Cup" in one of my high school literature courses,and this poem still remains my favorite.

A cup of life

It is so small a thing
To have enjoyed the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done...

-Matthew Arnold

A leap of faith

Life always has you looking for answers.There's this intrinsic impatience in us all- to get to know the answers to each of our doubts at once,to sort out life exactly the way we want it,to get to know and plan out how we want to spend it.In this race to the so called luxury of knowing everything firsthand,we never even notice how the present slips out right in front of us.Somewhere there is always this person who says,"Hey there!I'm living life as it comes.I do what seems right to me,and i have no regrets!"Wonderful words that have us wishfully thinking all our issues just melted away on the spur.so that we could also develop a likely attitude.I personally,have never been able to relate to that philosophy.There is just too much stuff going on in the mind,and even though being impulsive by nature,I always wanted to know the answers all at once.Recently this realization dawned though-a feeling of being more relaxed,more comfortable with your identity and,well,your life. I ,for one,had always been one of those impatient guys wanting to know the answers to all their problems,to analyse them to the hilt and demand how to tackle them-immediate solutions.Never did it strike me that to have no regrets,as the person around the corner claimed, meant that everything was hunky-dory,and that his life was sorted out by the almighty exactly as he wanted it to be.Nah!You then realise what that person was trying to tell you-that sometimes it is more important to let things be-they will be sorted out at their time-never earlier.Its one day when you stop the incessant hunting for all answers that you discover a newer picture that life tried to show you all along-appreciating the qualities of those close,and having faith in your ability.That day you realise that somehow enjoying the uncanniness of each passing moment is a great feeling in itself.And in the process you somehow naturally stumble upon a newer meaning of backing yourself up-a deeper and more silent confidence of knowing you always were able enough-no external words of motivation or scrutiny could possibly help you discover that.That day,life does seem sorted out.That day,you grow up.And a leap of faith does it all.