Absconding Paranoid

After a few stretching sessions and photo shoots, the organizers flagged off the ride at 5:30 AM. I had to skip the mid-night movie in order to get some sleep. I started off later than I expected and after going 1-2 km, I figured out that I forgot my reflective vest, which was one of the mandatory items for the ride. Had to go back and fetch it. Finally after arriving at the start point, HBC Bike Station, we greeted each other and joined the stretching sessions and all. After the ride started, we slowly headed to the next check point, which is almost 67 km from the start point. We rode as if it was a 100-120 km ride, giving it all, as we were a bit concerned about reaching the check-points in time. For any other ride, we would be going at our own pace. But for the brevets, we rode in small groups, with people who ride in similar pace. And the reason for pushing initially is, we had to tackle a lot of head wind and inclines. To add to our misery, even the sun was shining brighter. We a...

Close to the city of Paithan, in a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak! But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari. 'I am sick of this!' she grunted loudly. * * * She had enough with the voices in the back of her head shouting louder and louder. She was not just like any other girl since childhood. She did not want to follow the crowd and lead a mechanical life, dep...

When do the most creative ideas and the most daring thoughts knock the door of the brain? Before sleep? Bathroom? Sitting idle? Am not gonna answer that! :P But I happened to experience a hair raising thought just a while back. Thinking about how I ended up choosing to go for the dreamy distance of 300 km ride. All this while my legs are still begging for a bit of mercy as they got exhausted big time from the 200 km ride only a couple of days ago. The tan-lines are still fresh. My palms became rough and numb. No wonder though, as the ride itself is labelled ‘Heaven and Hell’ officially! But my mind still feels happy that I am a randonneur now. My mind is now racing to find all the memories and stick them together… to tell the tale! It all started when casual commuting on bicycle (hereby referred as bike) came to a stand-still and re-entered my life, after the bike got back to me, in running condition! One fine day the words – “We can go for long rid...

It's hard to see.... those who know the pain of being rejected but it makes them strong! for a part of them know, that stopping won't take them anywhere... and trying more will make a difference! It's hard to see.... those who get mocked at.... but it keeps them going... to see the world of destination... and it makes them realize the power of determination! It's hard to see... those who fail to smile even once... but they battle hard.. to win against the feeling of loneliness It's hard to see... those who get treated like a stranger... but they know best, the value of friendship It's hard to see... those who keep waiting for the loved ones... but they know best, the value of true company It's hard to see... those who walk with guilt.... but they can explain best, the happiness of being forgiven It's hard to see... those who long to experience a moment but they know best, how to pile up memories! It's h...

Fresh air to breathe… Fresh sceneries to view.... Fresh activities to tone the body... Fresh music to occupy the mind and shake the head in sync with the tunes The emotional self is satisfied The physical self is gratified We sometimes get surprised by our ownselves... How we tackled a situation so awesomely! And we find ourselves a bit cool! :) How we realize that there's nothing more thrilling than taking full control of our own self!! Finding our new selves constantly in the quest of life, when we are lost in the chaos more often than not! We are the company of our past   and future selves. Instead of mourning the past, refresh the current self with new aspirations, and welcome the future self! Re-read the old scribblings… and prepare to be awed by the thoughts that kept lingering... that kept pushing... constantly to the new beginning with new perspectives! A smile is all we need to embrace the uncertainties!! :)

Another Sunday lazing around... another futile attempt at siesta... My mind lingers at all sorts of thoughts rather than focusing on the much needed precious sleep. That's when the usual thing happens... my mind clings to philosophical thoughts and observations. I realize that the frequency of my blog posts has drastically fallen. But that's fine I suppose, considering the fact that I am pretty much tied up with friends or family almost every weekend and sometimes on weekdays as well! Anyway, coming back to the thoughts.. A random concept looked like this: "A loner thinks - 'Its a rather strange world... The one I love doesn't love me. The one who loves me doesn't get accepted by me. And to deviate my mind, I turn on the TV and there comes the ad - mee toothpaste lo uppu undha?   This is it!! I have had enough rest. Now there is only one goal for me! I am gonna hunt down that so called creative concept designer for that bloody ad!!" And one mor...

When you feel high... why does your performance increase ten fold? It is because there is no pressure! And no pressure means freedom!! :) Freedom from fear... freedom from pain and grief. Freedom from anxiety...freedom from the essence of loss. Freedom from responsibilities. That's when you smile! That is why kids smile more often!! They are able to see the beauty around them clearly with no obstacles. And probably they are glad they had the opportunity.. That is why happy men have become a rare breed! ;) Because overcoming fears and accepting reality gracefully is not something everyone can do :) Now don't strain yourself, trying to categorize, to which breed I belong.. I am after all, being human! :D

The hole so deep, so cold, so harsh.... takes its toll on just about everyone who falls into it! Its not easy to climb out of it. This is what it looks like to those inside it. But to those outside it, it looks puzzling. Because all they see is a bunch of crowd sitting and looking helplessly out of the hole, hoping someone would help them to come out of it. The outsiders just wonder why don't these people lend a hand to each other and come out of the hole. But this is no ordinary hole…. its the hole of loneliness!

There comes a moment... When all the dormant hopes ... swim across the seas of pain and agony... and make it to the shore of dreams... To play with the waves of smiles... To feel the beats of love... roaring when the tides of memories hit the rocks of life And brilliantly carve the story of happiness.... Lasting long enough ... for someone special to visit... and embrace the moment... together... to celebrate the precious time... silently watching the etched stories... for what seemed like eternity and add the words... 'happily ever after!'

Kid: Dad, why do people cry? Father: Because they are sad Kid: Why are they sad? Father: Well.. depends on various reasons... Sometimes the situations force them to make a choice, that they do not wish to make... Sometimes because they are too greedy... Sometimes they tend to be too choosy.... The higher the expectations, the higher the hopes, the deeper the attachments, the chances of being happy or becoming sad grow accordingly If things are as they are, the way they are expected, peace and happiness intertwine with life. If things go beyond control, and end up in a way you never expect them to be, you are bound to become sad. Kid: So you mean to say that its easy to become sad? Father: Nope... its easier to become happy! :)

After a tiresome trek up and down the hill, every muscle seems to beg for a timeout. But the soul doesn't seem to be satisfied with the visual treat yet. The mind lingers to the breath-taking pictures and tends to imagine the scenic-beauties beyond the ghats. And then, amidst the fray, when he feels disappointed with himself, his eyes fall upon an old person peacefully heading to the destination he sought after, even while his meager posture looks barely standing. After a few minutes, he recalls a story he read many years back at school. He lets out a smile, that seems content. He calls out the old man and offers him the bun and water he has been saving for the journey all along. The old man was very alert and instantly turned his way. He gestured as if he is happy to see someone else str i ding the same path, but refusin g the offer. Still musing at the old man's gesture, he goes back to his childhood days thinking how his thinking patter...

Waqt ke pannon ko dekhke... ye lag saktha hai, ki waqt guzar jatha hai! Aur uske saath kuch cheeze, kuch yaadein, guzar jathi hai! Lekin abhi zaroor ye tho lagega... ki kuch khaas logon ki pahunch kabhi door nahi hothi! Waqt se bhi anmol ... kuch bewakoof hai! :) Aur tujhe ijaazat diya... koi bhi pal hame yaad karne ko! :D zindagi ki kitaab mein in doston se sajaye huye rangeen pal ke kaagaz ko bar bar dekhne ko!! PS: Parting gift to 'The Raj' :)

When we achieve something, someone asks how we feel. When we lose something, someone asks how it feels like. When we are young, we smile at everyone. When we get hurt, we cry like we lost everything. But as time passes by, as we grow up, we no longer smile that much. When we get hurt, we no longer cry that openly. As we get past the hurdles, the source of happiness seems to move away. There seem to be too many terms and conditions to reach it. Too many sources of disappointment cross paths everywhere. The world seems to have a lot more evil than a couple of decades back. It seems too difficult to skip the pits of heart-breaks. It seems as if the smiles are being erased. It seems as if everyone is just too selfish. It seems as if frowning is a default option, welcoming at every corner. The faces refuse to even frown as they got too tired of it. But they refuse to smile either. The possessions look petty. The sorrows seem silly. The reasons to smile vanish. Th...

It was a long and tiring day. He winded up his training and headed to his favourite spot.... the tree shade amid-st the rocky terrain atop the hill. It was particularly calm and breezy as opposed to the howling winds growling in the ear. He felt the soothe on his face and closed his eyes to enjoy the short stay there. Leaning against the tree in his usual posture, he got lost in his world. His mind was still lingering to the thought. Being an avid reader and day dreamer, he always wanted to develop the fuzzy thought and plume it into much clearer words and someday he wish to see himself transform into a good writer. He believes in his principles firmly. Peace and patience come before pride to him. Something flashed in his mind and he quickly started penning down: Once, people worked for earning food and shelter. Then, people worked for the nation... developing and expanding it. Now, people work... but strife dominates the lifestyle. Waging wars? Winning them? ...

He wakes up in the middle on nowhere, but finds out that he is in a closed room with his best buddies around... all smiling at him... as if welcoming him aboard and congratulating him for his achievement. He was given a few tips,precautions and many warnings. Finally he was told to go through the door and explore The people who go infront of him doesn't notice him, and so, leave the door to close. By the time he approaches the door, the door is almost closing. He gets a feeling that the door wont open once it closes. He tries to call out the people who just left the room. Strangely his voice doesnt find a way out of his vocal cords. Its as if someone is smothering him from yelling out. He tries again and again, and finally a faint part of his voice reaches out to them. They hold the door for him in the last second. They seem to be smiling at him, and welcoming him to the new world. He comes out and sees good day light. He visited many of his friends, seen unexpected people, bee...

I am the innovation... I am the imagination... I am the passion! I am the optimist... I am the protagonist... I am the narcissist! I am the observer! I am the adventure lover! I am the one who gets enthralled by the nature! I am the one who seeks thrill! I am the one who enjoys little achievements! I am the one who gets mesmerised... I am the one who dares to take risks! I am the one who craves for happiness! I am ... the child within you!!! :-)

If I'm looking at you, I'm not just looking... I'm observing.. I'm thinking... I'm hoping.. I'm willing I've been looking for you... trying to find you in every face I see. Observing your every action.. observing your thoughts...your cute eyes.. and the way they show the world I look forward to meeting you.. thinking about the conversation.. thinking about the ambiance..and how breath-taking it becomes with your presence I'm hoping to be with you...and willing to listen to all your jokes and smile with you Your thoughts poke me when I sit down to write something I become so obsessed that I try to erase everything else It's like being energetic...ebullient..excited.. it's like enjoying life How I wish that my life is full of you! It would be great to fill my memories with the moments that remind me of you!! I'm willing to look at myself everyday... and find you within me..o my dear happiness!!! I guess it makes good sense now :...

The return journey to Hyderabad on 17th Jan 2012 was another nightmare!  Read on to see how it all happened. This year Sankranthi celebrations were good. Had a great time with family. And on sunday we tried to get the tyre repaired but the shopwala said tht the puncture is too big to be patched. So planned to get a new tyre on tuesday before starting to Hyderabad as all the shops would be closed on monday for festival. But on tuesday the shopwala insisted on getting the new tyre in Hyderabad as I could get the good ones there and that the tubeless ones wont get flat so easily. So I started off after getting the wheel alignment done I thought of starting early in the morning but ended up starting late in the afternnon. Soon after sunset, ill luck greeted us at around 6:45 PM as a huge pothole when the incoming light blinded us. Again the same tyre puncture scene. This time, the air pressure reduced in no time. And this time, no spare wheel, no jack, no spanner... and...

Yes, that was the thought lingering in my mind for quite some time now, but I wasn't sure yet if I would be doing it as I dint find company for the Sankranthi trip. Its 13th Jan (friday) and I finally found 3 more people and decided to hit the road at 3 PM. Finally we started at around 4 PM I planned to go on a not-so-good route in order to avoid the festival-season traffic. The road was good but full of cars till some 100 km and then I deviated to Ongole route. After deviating from Vijayawada route, the traffic indeed decreased, but the speed breakers and potholes made the journey a nightmare! I couldn't speed more than 40 kmph for most of the time due to poor lighting and for avoiding the gigantic potholes... its not a surprise to say that the max I could reach is 90 The road work made things even worse!! Reckless cars came head on trying to overtake the trucks and buses, and we had to brake all along. I was estimating the time all along and thought I could make it ...

Not all things look good in life. When some look unpleasant, some makes one feel disturbed. Some even deteriorates one's self-confidence significantly. For instance, the ambiance at a hospital would definitely not be a pleasant one... The sight of physically wounded people, ranging from months babies to corporate professionals to retired gramps and grannies definitely wont be what one wishes to see. Some would try to avoid hospitals just because they cant withstand the unpleasant reality. Some would try all possible methods to avoid a needle prick while some would be willing to sell out all their wealth just to recover. The patients and the care takers would be all over the place, the guards and nurses guiding and soothing the patients, the doctors busy all day with rounds and surgeries. Some coming out with surreal treatments while some having a hard time digesting the tragic incidents. But amidst all the chaos, theres something which is not observed often. Its the hope, c...