Monthly Archives: September 2015

Philosophy

Bhagat Ki Dulhan – Azadi!

A post that was written in the memory of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Today is his birth anniversary.

Naman Bansal's avatarAn Endless Epiphany

Freedom is a word which means: the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.  It holds dear to all of us. As kids, when we learnt our lessons on independence, we were told that our country first kissed the soul of freedom on  15th August 1947. A day when the lives of our ancestors  changed forever, and was hoped it changed for good. I remember, as a kid, the only time I took part in any dancing activity, was when I danced on the tunes of “Ae vatan, ae vatan, humko teri kasam”. At that time, I didn’t know the meaning of any word of that song, but I cared about it. I cared about taking care of the song because my teachers told me it was like caring for my own country. And, today, when I know the meaning of each and…

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The Journey!

The Eleventh Hour!

It was yet another life-less day at office when I picked up my phone and called up a very dear friends of mine,  Mr. Vishal Singh . Our 6 years of friendship is built on a very important factor; passion to do something different in our lives and subsequently try to bring about a small change in other people’s life. He, by the way, is a very talented film-maker, event manager and writer.

While we were having a conversation about how our lives have changed post college, he told me something that would change my life forever.

“Why don’t you apply for SBI Youth for India ?” he asked.

“What is it actually?”

“Do not ask what it is, go and simply search about it. Just remember, it is something that you would love to be a part of”.

I remember spending the following night performing an owl. Saying that I read a lot about it would be an understatement, I actually devoured articles after articles about it. The thing that struck me the most was the possibility of the lives being changed and smiles being spread out during the venture. Since childhood, I find eternal bliss whenever I am the reason for someone else’s happiness. The very thought of making someone else smile by a small, random act of kindness is something that always makes me feel alive.

I finally registered for SBI Youth for India and then, well, I chose to forget about it. I was not only lazy, I also did not have the required courage to fill up the application. That was all.  Every now and then I used to get an email asking me to complete the application and well, I always chose to ignore it. Such a Coward.

It was the last day to fill the application form. I managed to sneak out of the office and also gather half-hearted courage to complete it. At quarter past five, I started with the form which included 3 essays as well. The clock struck 10 by the time I finished with the application. But wait, there was more to come.

When I clicked the submit button, it showed, “The page you were working on has expired. Log In again to continue”.  

Basically, I was asked to fill the entire thing AGAIN  before midnight. I thought to give it up thinking it was some sort of indication for me to not do it. Did I do it?

I finished the application at quarter past eleven; in the eleventh hour, literally. Who said great things can’t happen in last moments? 2 things happened with me. Courage and Youth for India  🙂

“There is a unique thing about courage; you find it at the most unexpected places.”

Next Post: “The Interview”

Video of the day: A short film by Mr. Vishal Singh (No, he did not pay for it) 😛 Worth watching though.

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Carpe Diem!, The Journey!

Wipro Journey Ends Today!

About a year has passed when I first came in this big corporate giant, Wipro.  Today, I am calling it quits.

I still remember my first day in Wipro. We were told by our trainer that the company is built on the fundamental principle of honesty and integrity (which it actually is). I was fascinated by the concept itself. I remember standing up and telling a story on the same, A Story Money Can’t Buy , which eventually led the crowd of 300 fellow colleagues applaud. Moments!

As you can see, I started on a high. First time out of home, 4 months of training in Bangalore were mixed with high content of alcohol, party and girls, I was, well, on weed. But things has to change and they did.

Coming back to Pune, I suddenly found myself sitting in front of the desktop and code. I had to prove something while I was back in Bangalore. Now, the same inspiration seemed lacking and I could not get myself to wake up every day and do the same thing over and over again. I kept on asking myself what is the purpose of my life? What is that one thing I am doing with my life which others aren’t? How am I different? And most importantly am I happy? These questions have kept me awake at nights. I had to find a purpose of my life.  Now, I believe, at  least for the next year, I have found one.

When I told people about my decision to quit my job and join a fellowship SBI Youth for India, many thought that I have lost my mind. For most of you reading this, knowing that it involves lesser amount of money and no “secured future”, you might think the same. Right? I was told many aspects for not doing it: tough village conditions, mosquitoes and lesser dowry, to name a few. The funniest of them: social service is a thing for women. Really?

So, why did I chose to do something which everyone was telling me not to. Well, it was simple. I wanted to do it. Period. I shut myself behind closed-door for an hour and asked myself a very simple question: Will I regret doing this? The answer was NO. And that was it.

Today, my Wipro journey ends. But the real journey has just started.

Pictures of the day.

IMG-20150924-WA0017 IMG-20150924-WA0012

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Carpe Diem!

My Life’s Greatest Lessons – The Solitude’s Paradise!

As I sit today, writing about the journey of my life over the past year, I feel a sense of completeness building inside me. I feel that I have been away from my inner self for quite some time now and so, now, I am trying to reconnect with all over again.

If I look back to my life till now, I have had my share of failures and success. I have had both. I have had moments of extreme happiness and moments of absolute gloom. But, that’s pretty much part of everyone’s life. Right? So, here’s a thought. When every human being faces the same set of challenges, served in different ways obviously, why is that some of us come out of it emerging as leaders, innovators, people who change the world, while the rest of us end up being someone less than what they can be. Who is stopping them from becoming what they can actually be? And, what is that one thing that sets the two kinds of people apart from each other?

Over the course of next few writings, I will tell you about some of my own life experiences that have shaped me who I am today. And, who I wanna be over the next few years.So, let’s get started.

A man who learns from others’ experiences is indeed wise. 

Since the time I came back to Pune, I have had my share of moments when I felt absolutely disappointed with my life. True that I have a wonderful job, a good place to be in, a perfect family and all the other ingredients of a perfect life. But, I felt that something was missing in my life. In my life before coming to Pune, I had given in to the issues which were not only petty but also unproductive. I had started to consume alcohol more than once in a while and have started to date a few people. But, in the process, I had started to disintegrate myself from the person who I really was. A person who I cultivated over the years with so much hard work and will power. But, as they say, no  thing happens in your life without a reason. All you need is to have the right perspective and the will to see that reason.

There are nothing such as bad experiences, lessons is what they are.

Now, coming back to Pune, I realised that I have less number of friends in this city. Being a guy as social as I am, it was never difficult for me to make new friends. But, somehow, I was finding it difficult to do one thing that I was actually good at. The initial days were so tough that sometimes I could barely wake up from my bed. I felt that my life has lost its purpose. That, it has lost all of its meaning. I wanted to make some changes in my life and, as they say, the one who wants to see will see even through darkness. 

One day while surfing on one of the website, I saw this book titled “THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI” and I remember one of my dear friend telling me the profound impact it had on his life. I immediately ordered the book and I started reading it. I couldn’t believe the profound impact it had on me right from the first word. At the end of the book, I realized one very important thing that has been missing from my life and that is, the power of silence. I remembered the time when I could just sit in my room with absolute silence for hours contemplating on all the good things that I have in my life. Now, all of that seems missing in my life. So, I decided to act.

Over the next few weeks, I would wake up early, and go into the room, which I call, “The Solitude’s Paradise“, leaving the whole world outside and I would just sit there. The first few days were difficult. I could see my mind wander to the things that I had done in the past, the things that I’d do in the future and all other unproductive thoughts. Then, slowly but steadily, I started to hear silence. I started to see what the world actually wanted me to see. I started to feel all the wrong that was there in my life and slowly I started to remove all the dust that was hampering my growth. Today, it’s been three weeks since I started that practice of Solitude’s Paradise and it has done wonders to my life. I feel calm, peaceful, loving and more focused. And, I have started to do things that I love doing most, writing being one of those, maybe the best of those.

In the end, I would just like to tell all of you who are reading this that if you feel you are stuck somewhere in your life, that you feel you’re frustrated with your life or that you are confused between things, stop whatever you are doing right now, go and find your “Solitude’s Paradise“. Keep your mobile phones away from you, don’t keep the track of time you are spending in there, make yourself invisible from the world for sometime. There, my friend, you will find all your life’s answers. For, every answer that you search for is right there. Inside you. Inside your “Solitude’s Paradise“.

Special thanks to my friend Vishal, for indirectly being a part of this experience.

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Carpe Diem!

A Story Money Can’t Buy!

In this world of extreme competition, having a good amount of money is a necessity. Money buys us stuff. But, it can never let us buy a beautiful smile from an unknown person. So, i am gonna tell you all a story which involves both money and a smile which actually made me believes, “”You always know what is right and what is wrong. You just have to take a step which is a little harder””.

It all starts one fine morning when i was going to my college. Mostly, i drive my Activa on the way to college. But, on that particular day, as has often been the case, i chose to go via a local bus. So, i went on the bus stop at around twenty past eight and waited. I needed to board the bus from Jail Chungi to Begumpul. After waiting for around 5-10 minutes, the bus finally came but it was over crowded. But, as all of those who’ve travelled in a local bus know, it was absolutely normal. And, since i wanted to reach my class by 9(which i never do), i boarded the bus instantly. There was a complete chaos inside, as expected. I couldn’t remember who all were there inside the bus, but i remember one fine girl wearing a “”burka”” which made me wonder how her face looks like, and how she smiles. Well, that didn’t happen.

The journey between my boarding stops takes about 10 minutes and costs 8 INR. And, due to the fact that the bus was very crowded, the bus conductor could come to me for a ticket only when i was about to de-board. So, i gave him a 100 rupee note. He needed to return me 92 rupees. But, i don’t how, he returned me 192 INR or 152 INR(I don’t remember the actual sum, but it was one of the two).
As soon as i came down, i knew that he had made a terrible mistake. I wanted to return the extra money, as the bus was standing right in front of me, but i didn’t. I let it pass through. If i wanted, i could have returned the money to him then and there, but, honestly, at that one moment, i wanted to steal his money and run. I made a feeble call to the conductor which only i could hear.  And, in the process, the bus was gone.

But, then came a moment in my life when i had the chance to do the right thing. When i had the courage to walk the path less travelled. When i had the option to choose the story i wanted to tell.  Immediately, i boarded an auto from Begumpul to Ghantaghar, and i could see the bus at some distance. I told the auto driver to follow the bus and soon began the game of cat and mouse. Whenever the auto came close to the standing bus, it started moving again, and again! It happened twice or thrice until i could finally catch up with the bus where it got stuck in traffic right at the point when it was about to change its course to the City Railway Station.
I remember the rest completely. I came out of the auto. I looked into the eyes of the conductor who was standing at the door of the bus. I ran up to him and gave him his extra money. He looked at me in amazement, as if asking me the questions that i didn’t want to answer, and he just smiled. I smiled back at him.

That was the story. I didn’t write this story to score any brownie points to build up my image. Actually, i felt that i needed to tell this story to everyone to tell them how completed i felt at the moment when i got the 2 most beautiful gifts , a smile, and “”a story money can’t buy”. To tell them, that even though i don’t remember the sum of money i returned to the guy, i remember his unconditional smile.

In the end, i would just say that if you feel that you don’t have your own story to tell, you can always have one by following what your heart says, by walking the path only some could dare to walk, by choosing what is something “culturally” different and difficult, but is always right. That is how iImake my own stories..!!

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