I was walking down brigade road in Bangalore when a beggar dressed in rather filthy clothes, with disheveled hair (putting it politely) caught my attention. Unlike most others in his very time conscious fraternity that we come across in the city these days, this man seemed to be engaging in more patient dialogue with potential do-gooders. I had a few minutes to kill before I met a friend and so I walked over to the interesting fellow to see for myself, what interesting sermons he had been doling out to his rather awestruck audiences.
Rather young and in his twenties, his large yet droopy eyes, braided hair and black wrap around clothes gave him the aura of one of those much talked about and even more feared thugs that had gained popularity for hypnotizing and looting innocent victims. I paused for a moment, but my curiosity dragged me closer with the exuberance of a playful pony. He'd spotted me and not surprisingly he'd read curiosity.
"Sahab, 10 Rs de do sahab, bahut bhook lagi hai" He requested.
(Sir, please give me 10 Rs, I'm very hungry)
He looked fit and healthy, though slightly deprived, but that was obviously by design. I never subscribed to the idea of distributing money to the young and physically able and so I picked the easy way to say no.
"Paise nahi hain!" (I don't have any money)
"Koi baat nahi sahab, ek minute" (No problem sir, give me a minute) he said as he started fishing into a secret pocket below his waist down wrap around (Lungi). Quickly enough he pulled out a chit of paper and a 5 Rs note and handed me the chit.
"Sahab, iss mein mera bank account no., mera naam, aur IFSC code hai sahab, jab aap ko fursat miley, transfer kar dijiye!" (Sir, this has my account number, name and IFSC code. Whenever you find the time, just transfer the money) He beemed a victorious smile at me, one that had the innocense of a boy. Almost like he'd just discovered a harmless substitute for tobacco. As I stood there baffled, he handed over the 5 Rs note.
My mind yelled withing its walls, WHAAAATT ??!!??!! and as expected I blurted out "Kya???" (What???)
My mouth had gone crooked with obvious shock. This was clearly beyond my imagination. "Haan Sahab, agar paise hote toh aap de dete na?" (Yes, sir, you would've given me the money if you did have it, would'nt you?).
Still too shocked to explain to him my philosophy on charity, I asked, "Aur yeh 5 Rs kis liye?" (And why the 5 Rs?). "Arrey sahab, 5 Rs charge lagega na NEFT ka?, Us liye" (Sir, you'l be charged 5 Rs for the NEFT transfer wouldn't you?) he responded, with the same smile stretched across his face.
Well, jokes apart, that for you, is Financial Inclusion, in skin and flesh. Imagine being able to walk down the street to your "chaat wala" and make his payment through your phone, on the spot. In a nutshell, financial inclusion means to ensure that every individual has complete access to financial services.
thinkingInfinity.
Disclaimer: The incident narrated is imaginary as most of you might have guessed, and is intended in good humour, to explain, in a light hearted manner as opposed to conventional theory, what financial inclusion means. This is no way intended to ridicule the ideals of the financial inclusion initiatives around the world. Further I would like to express my complete support to the financial inclusion concept. If you enjoyed reading this you can show your appreciation by sharing this with your friends.
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Monday 11 July 2011
Wednesday 8 June 2011
The Thinking Cap - Vision
A fortnight ago, I accidentally broke a friend's spectacles. They weren't really broken, but they needed some fixing. Not a tough job really, but if you're not someone with a deft touch, you'd do well to take it to an optician if you don't want to be paying for the frame soon enough...
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So, in we walked, and it was fixed by an old man behind the counter in what seemed like a post-retirement amusement-endevour of a shop.
I paid for the fix. I thought I should since I'd been the one to break it... It was a nominal 10 INR. But my friend didn't want me to pay for it.
"It's just 10 Rupees!", I said. We always had this habit, of talking about more serious things, but with a sprinkle of humour... That was our way of acknowledging realities and yet staying sane.
And so he retorted, "Just 10 rupees? are you saying JUST 10 rupees??", "Do you know how big a change you can initiate with this 10 rupees if you do use it well??". He continued, with a grin across his face..
"Yes Sir!" I said, grinning back at him... "Because, with my 10 rupees, I just gave you back your vision."
ThinkingInfinity.
The Thinking Cap - Friends
Friends
We are like the wings of a butterfly... When she flies, we meet, but briefly. It is the meeting and parting that keep her flying ... The Charm !! But when she sits, the wings collapse, we come into perspective... Thank God she does, and thank God we still slow down, make time for friends...
Soon, she rises again, the wings flap, and from then on we become old friends that might happen to meet only briefly and rarely, yet meet we must, and sit she must, for the nectar that she drinks ...
the choicest of juices, the nectar of our lives... Friends
Take time we must, for nobody knows when the butterfly will rise !!! ...
ThinkingInfinity.
We are like the wings of a butterfly... When she flies, we meet, but briefly. It is the meeting and parting that keep her flying ... The Charm !! But when she sits, the wings collapse, we come into perspective... Thank God she does, and thank God we still slow down, make time for friends...
Soon, she rises again, the wings flap, and from then on we become old friends that might happen to meet only briefly and rarely, yet meet we must, and sit she must, for the nectar that she drinks ...
the choicest of juices, the nectar of our lives... Friends
Take time we must, for nobody knows when the butterfly will rise !!! ...
ThinkingInfinity.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Monday 16 May 2011
Monday 9 May 2011
Gyaan Baba
You have to taste the mud, to appreciate the dessert
Dessert and Desert : I always mix up the two. If you too confuse the spellings of these two words, look it up
Click here to look up Dessert
Click here to look up desert
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Dessert and Desert : I always mix up the two. If you too confuse the spellings of these two words, look it up
Click here to look up Dessert
Click here to look up desert
Friday 6 May 2011
Introspection... A Bike Ride stirs my soul !!!
Please play the video. Let it buffer/stream completely before you start reading. Please play it throughout your reading of the this write up, it is an essential part of the mood.
I think that people are wrong, wrong in losing faith... For, how is strength deemed to be strength? When it doesn't wilt under the storms that time brings... Omnipotence, its associated with the Gods, and why? because they don't wilt. So for me and you too, omnipotence exists... Only, omnipotence doesn't come easy, it needs a spine that can withstand the weight of its ominous power. It needs undying faith... a faith that knows no such thing as death.... Like i keep saying, life only wants to see if you have a sense of humour. Everytime you start to believe in yourself, it will test you... for, untested strength cannot be called strength at all... strength is when tests are thrashed so hard that tests don't dare to test you again... I am great and so are YOU.
East Coast Road, the highway from Chennai to Pondicherry, India, better known as ECR is one of the best roads i've had the privilege to ride on. It's a biker's dream. So much so that it even curves and bends with your approval. The road is parallel to the coast line and you can watch the ocean almost all along the road, if you are the pillion rider off course !!! ;) But the road is so straight that it encourages even the rider to take a few peeks at the beautifully blue Bay Of Bengal with its uneven shades of blue, often making me come to a complete halt, just to stand and stare at it in complete awe of it. If you hit the road early enough in the morning, you will find the moon on one side and the sun rising from beneath the sea.
I headed out of the gate on a lonely street at about 5 AM, Pushing the headlights on as a got past the first crossroad. The air, was perfect for a long ride, and though I hadn't planned one, I thought I should I should go on one nevertheless. I rode a Honda motorcycle, the Unicorn, one that had always craved to be tortured and pushed beyond its limits. Having proved its loyalty beyond doubt, i often dared to take mild curves at a 100+kmph, only to realise that she wasn't done surprising me yet. So heading out of Chennai, the road straightens just as your engine is revved up sufficiently to scare the birds in the sky. I pull her into 4th from 5th (gear). I'm riding alone today so i push my feet against the pillion's footpegs and at at 90 kmph, i bring my face closer to the speedometer console, my chest against the fuel tank, giving the throttle what i thought was a dying twist. She surges easily to a 105 kmph, steadily pushing forward. I click her into 5th and keep the throttle gunned. She pushes to a 110 kmph and I think she has maxed out, but soon enough a look at the speedo claims she is doing a 118 kmph... On the best of roads, I haven't crossed 115kmph, so, excitedly, i keep her going, with an eye on the speedo. I pull my elbows closer to my knees as the road straightens, flying past a set of rumblers (speed breakers) at a 120kmph. My first instinct is to pull her back to a 110, but she surges ahead reassuringly and I decide to trust her. The road slopes downward, ever so slightly, pushing her back to a comfortable 120 and possibly even a little higher. I don't dare take my eyes off the road anymore, but I think we touched about 122-124kmph (real speed on a V-Box speed gauge should be a 115-118 kmph). These are the feelings that we rarely take the time to feel in our urban lifestyle. Too scared to explore what lies beyond the shadow of fear, we often miss out on the best of things. But the things that lie beyond our fears are often the best things in life.
There is no need to be right about everything. But there is a need.... a need for faith
Its amazing what even machines will do for us when we have faith. What men could do, can only be left to imagination, for, we have not the limitations of machines. Time will move on, and you cannot control it, but always keep in mind that you are the one that sets the time on your wrist watch.
ThinkingInfinity.
Gyaan Baba !!!
Everything shall pass, even the worst days*
*Conditions Apply: As long as you keep walking ...
On a lighter note, Strange Co-incidence: ;)
Disclaimer: I haven't created this image
Sunday 1 May 2011
Friday 29 April 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Saturday 23 April 2011
Saturday 16 April 2011
Introspection ... Transition
Please play the video throughout your reading. Its a part of the mood. (Let it buffer/stream before you start)
When you realise that a fourth of you is close to 25 years old, but three fourths is still only 5, and probably always will be, and yet you have to act more like your 25, because there are obvious advantages of being 25. When you realise that acceptance is more important than awareness, and that deeds are more important than words.
When you know, that you don't know.
ThinkingInfinity
Thursday 7 April 2011
Introspection... Men & Women !
Please play the video throughout your reading. Its a part of the mood. (Let it buffer/stream before you start)
Men have a disease, greed... In every sense of the word,
They more often than not, want more....
&
Women, they have a different disease,
They don't tell the world what they already have,
In the hope that they'll get what they want,
And more often than not,
They will choose to tell the world,
If they have given up on finding it,
OR
If in some moment of madness,
they've already burped out a trace.
Ultimately Coal meats Coal and Diamonds meet Diamonds, but we're all CARBON, in different forms...
Introspection... Destiny
When people say "stuck between the devil and the deep sea!" I wonder why they never imagine that the devil could be the aliens from the move, Signs.
In the movie, the aliens are destroyed when they come in contact with water. And we are realistic by design. But if you're stuck, might as well take your chances, i feel. Even with our backs against the wall, we will rather discuss and relax under an umbrella of self pity, than walk out in the seething heat and fix things.
But if you're lying down in one place getting your butt kicked by a buffoon that destiny has selected for the purpose, standing up and throwing some water is not a bad idea. We know our devils, and we know their water.
Questions come first,
And then Answers,
But the trick is in that,
Question's older twin, is Answer.
Answers ignite questions,
and therefore,
Question has an older twin in Answer.
We are a breeze, sometimes a gust of wind,
Winds that pass, like phases do,
Picking up answers on every street,
Picking up new questions,
We are led by questions.
But hiding answers, kills the questions
And halted are the wheels.
Life is a game of chess with me on one side,
And destiny on the other,
A game, but one that must be played.
Destiny's move is destiny's,
Sometimes her plans may make the game deadlier,
And sometimes you play Big Brother...
But refuse one cannot, the fact,
That we get to make alternate moves.
Play to stale mate or go for kill,
Question is what's greater,
Your will, or her will.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Introspection... Love !!!
Please play the video throughout your reading. Its a part of the mood. (Let it buffer/stream before you start)
Disclaimer: This video is not created by me.
Sometimes you get beyond love, so far ahead,
That love becomes a strong conviction, an instinct
And we might lead ourselves to wonder if we have lost love,
But often we have only gone beyond, far ahead....
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Disclaimer: This video is not created by me.
Sometimes you get beyond love, so far ahead,
That love becomes a strong conviction, an instinct
And we might lead ourselves to wonder if we have lost love,
But often we have only gone beyond, far ahead....
In darkness there is only hope faith,
For instinct to man, is greater than reason,
For love is love in every season.
ThinkingInfinity.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
Saturday 2 April 2011
Fool's Gold
Sometimes I cry about the fool I've been, But more often I choose to laugh about the fool that I still am.
thinking infinity.
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thinking infinity.
Friday 1 April 2011
Thursday 31 March 2011
Introspection....
Please play the video throughout your reading. Its a part of the mood. (Let it buffer/stream before you start)
Disclaimer: This video is not created by me.
About life, I have always known,
that I have never known.
Life is a journey, you meet fellow travelers.
For the bends in the road we've seen,
For every road we have treaded,
Has taught us.
And we may meet, maybe never,
The crack of dawn, and off we are,
For, beyond the common roads,
There is a road that takes me home,
Beyond the common roads,
And walk alone i must,
But the road has been kind,
And good travelers i did find,
But walk alone i must,
And take time i must,
To bid farewell to my fellow travelers,
Friends we shall remain,
In our hearts, if not in our lives,
But walk alone I must,
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Disclaimer: This video is not created by me.
About life, I have always known,
that I have never known.
Life is a journey, you meet fellow travelers.
For the bends in the road we've seen,
For every road we have treaded,
Has taught us.
The tree, A shelter for the night,
We're talking .... passing tools,
Passing tricks that will get us by,
For we have a singular common goal,
Exploration,
The road shall bend every-time it pleases,
And we shall get by, every-time we will.
The best friendships lie under each tree,
You have rested under,
With each of those travelers,
And we may meet, maybe never,
The crack of dawn, and off we are,
For, beyond the common roads,
There is a road that takes me home,
Beyond the common roads,
And walk alone i must,
But the road has been kind,
And good travelers i did find,
But walk alone i must,
And take time i must,
To bid farewell to my fellow travelers,
Friends we shall remain,
In our hearts, if not in our lives,
But walk alone I must,
For, beyond the common roads,
There is a road that takes me home.
For new beginnings shall lead to new roads,
And one of those will take me home.
Cheers to IFMR, Batch 10.
ThinkingInfinity.
Monday 28 March 2011
Saturday 26 March 2011
Introspection....
Wisdom is a tool that time gives, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. Life is like the stock market. You can make a killing, and you can lose your pants there too, You can forecast all you want, but never predict. While, wisdom teaches us to enjoy both, the good surprises and the not so good ones, it doesn't always prepare us for those surprises. You might still win or lose future games. But you have learnt enough to understand that they are games. To be enjoyed, sometimes badly lost, sometimes brilliantly won. But more importantly, games, to be fought hard. Games, maybe just games, but you still have to play well if you intend on winning. Wisdom makes losing easier, it helps you handle victories better, but victories are not on offer, not on a silver platter.
Wisdom, all of it, without action is like Sachin Tendulkar standing in the middle of the cricket pitch, hands on his hips, refusing to bat. What a waste that would be? Wisdom helps you connect the dots in hindsight, but it will never tell you where the next dot is. Wisdom is important, its great to possess, but its not enough. Wisdom is the know-how, luck will occasionally hand you a special bat, and hope will drive you to become the greatest batsman in the history of the game. All that and more, if you just wield your bat.
Friday 25 March 2011
Introspection
Opposed to what in my opinion are Utopian views about how people should be, i think that to love someone, you have to love yourself. If we weren't selfish, maybe we wouldn't explore what we try to describe as love.
What fool would try,
To describe love?
For Love is, a black box,
A wonder of "how" and "when"
Over a lifetime, Or in an impulse,
Right there, right then.
A mystery older than Eve and Adam,
Maybe because, its always beyond expectations,
As diverse as us miracles called people,
And man might take for granted,
But its in his nature, to love his own.
Maybe why selfless love,
if found at all,
takes the fame,
stakes the claim.
So I ask again,
What fool would try,
To describe Love???
Maybe, someone like I?
And thus fools we are, all of us,
For love, to each his own form,
Love of people,
Or just love of happiness,
And thus fools we are, all of us,
But happy fools,
Happy, because we all know Love.
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What fool would try,
To describe love?
For Love is, a black box,
A wonder of "how" and "when"
Over a lifetime, Or in an impulse,
Right there, right then.
A mystery older than Eve and Adam,
Maybe because, its always beyond expectations,
As diverse as us miracles called people,
And man might take for granted,
But its in his nature, to love his own.
Maybe why selfless love,
if found at all,
takes the fame,
stakes the claim.
So I ask again,
What fool would try,
To describe Love???
Maybe, someone like I?
And thus fools we are, all of us,
For love, to each his own form,
Love of people,
Or just love of happiness,
And thus fools we are, all of us,
But happy fools,
Happy, because we all know Love.
Thursday 24 March 2011
Introspection....
I think of the sea, and sometimes i think of the ships that sail them. You can't be a stone and fight the water. It doesn't always pay to push hard. Life, so also water, they let you stay afloat if you decide to. Human beings are designed to stay afloat. As for the ships that we travel in, they have to accept the water if they are to stay afloat.
Life is a Sea, where,
Ships sail happily,
The ones that dare,
To accept equality humbly,
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Holy Shit !!!
The first step to becoming "somebody", is probably, to be willing to start off as "nobody".
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Holy Shit !!!
Hedging is an interesting concept that re-iterates the fact that, you finish your risk, you finish your return.
To know what hedging is, CLICK HERE
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To know what hedging is, CLICK HERE
Thoughts ...
Love teaches you to accept divergence; to appreciate not only the common shades but also the new ones that get added to the palette
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Holy Shit !!!
With people who either can't or don't take things seriously, the best way to say something is to joke about it.
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Tuesday 22 March 2011
What I learnt from Cartoons !!!
You needn't be Superman ! It's okay to be Popeye, if you're eating your spinach !!!
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Thursday 17 March 2011
Wednesday 16 March 2011
The Rebel - Sevenier
Please play the Youtube video throughout your reading of this content. Its an essential part of the mood. Please let the video buffer before you start.
I call a work with 7 paragraphs of seven lines each, a Sevenier - an original concept. ;)
He was everything he was,
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I call a work with 7 paragraphs of seven lines each, a Sevenier - an original concept. ;)
He was everything he was,
A rebel without a cause.
By virtue of his nature,
Living for a secret dream
Living for a secret dream
Living what he was born for,
A secret unknown even to him,
One that until then, he hadn't yet called for.
Breaking the laws,
A secret unknown even to him,
One that until then, he hadn't yet called for.
Breaking the laws,
For want of a better cause,
Till he was an outlaw,
He fought well, but the wrong battles,
Gone was everything and
A fallen man is only;
Obsessed with redemption
But redemption never came,
For, too full, of his own views,
In a nearby village he took shelter,
He had a lot to learn in the art of war.
To be able to shoulder a dream, will be possible,
Only in the time, in the hour,
Taste the grapes, sour.
Strength descends like a fairy with a saxophone
Gentle, Patient and Soothing.
Playing the music you're dancing to,
Strength comes when you need it.
Pushed to the wall,
Only forward to move,
Any direction should do fine.
As he walked resolution was built,
The heart then sought it's causes of guilt,
Regret is a waste, but remorse is not,
The path will lead you when you are ready,
His choices lead him wherever they may desire,
Now war trained, the man, will meet with his destiny,
Faith, the right place and the right time.
Rebellion is no crime, in humanity's code
And neither is, the rebel, a criminal,
As long as the cause is justifiable,
To yourself, rather than, to the world,
And when he follows the path that beckons,
A path that believes the heart,
The rebel shall turn revolutionary.
He wandered with speed,
In circles, round and round,
In circles tirelessly, like
A negatively charged electron,
And in time the Jack of all trades, shall find,
Why its okay not to be king,
He was born, different songs, to sing.
Music: Bon Jovi - Keep the faith
ThinkingInfinity.
Till he was an outlaw,
He fought well, but the wrong battles,
Gone was everything and
A fallen man is only;
Obsessed with redemption
But redemption never came,
For, too full, of his own views,
In a nearby village he took shelter,
He had a lot to learn in the art of war.
To be able to shoulder a dream, will be possible,
Only in the time, in the hour,
Taste the grapes, sour.
Strength descends like a fairy with a saxophone
Gentle, Patient and Soothing.
Playing the music you're dancing to,
Strength comes when you need it.
Pushed to the wall,
Only forward to move,
Any direction should do fine.
As he walked resolution was built,
The heart then sought it's causes of guilt,
Regret is a waste, but remorse is not,
The path will lead you when you are ready,
His choices lead him wherever they may desire,
Now war trained, the man, will meet with his destiny,
Faith, the right place and the right time.
Rebellion is no crime, in humanity's code
And neither is, the rebel, a criminal,
As long as the cause is justifiable,
To yourself, rather than, to the world,
And when he follows the path that beckons,
A path that believes the heart,
The rebel shall turn revolutionary.
He wandered with speed,
In circles, round and round,
In circles tirelessly, like
A negatively charged electron,
And in time the Jack of all trades, shall find,
Why its okay not to be king,
He was born, different songs, to sing.
Music: Bon Jovi - Keep the faith
ThinkingInfinity.
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Monday 14 March 2011
Sunday 13 March 2011
Thursday 10 March 2011
Monday 7 March 2011
Friday 4 March 2011
Thursday 3 March 2011
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Monday 21 February 2011
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Sunday 9 January 2011
The Thinking Cap
I wonder why we think of the past with regrets;
in some strange way that implies our control over it.....
and yet somehow we seem to think we have no control over tomorrow.....
a tomorrow that is the day after's past....
thinking infinity.
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in some strange way that implies our control over it.....
and yet somehow we seem to think we have no control over tomorrow.....
a tomorrow that is the day after's past....
thinking infinity.
Tuesday 4 January 2011
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