Tag Archives: Mumbai

Success = Suffering!

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If you are wondering how absurd the blog title of equating success to or leading to suffering is, by the time you end up reading this peace, either way you might have different views altogether ;).

Somehow, success in our era, tends to bring along with itself, lot of suffering in the form of hypertension, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes etc.

If you happen to be living in the financial capital of our country, and have had the chance to go for an early morning walk to the extremely picturesque Marine Drive, where supposedly all the successful turn up every morning to get their body in good shape, would suggest you do a simple experiment.

Just look at the people who pass by, and notice the expression of success reflecting suffering and try rendering the comfort of a smile on to each one of them.

More often than not, you would see a perplexed face with a thought why the hell someone is smiling at them, or the best on offer would be a forced grin.

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Since childhood, I was taught that success brings happiness, am sure, many were taught similar things by their parents, schools and the who’s who of society.

Just wonder why that success or being affluent is not leading to the happiness that it was supposed to embrace.

Is it because the manner in which that success is being obtained? Is it the process that takes a toll on one’s psyche?

Or

Is it because we need to rethink about how, as a society, we are defining the very essence of success?

For if all was OK, one should be happy enough getting the fruits of desire. Something, for sure, must be wrong in which, we mortals, are perceiving success and chasing the same to the best of our abilities, achieving it, yet feeling the unpleasantness having obtained the same.

Food for thought ?  😉

Source for the Image: https://www.ageofthecustomer.com/index.php/do-you-prefer-achievement-or-success/

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The Couple Philosophy!

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If you happen to be in Mumbai, more often than not, you tend to visit Band Stand, if not then at least happen to pass by, for sure, witnessing the mages tic waves trying to engulf the rocks under her arms.

But more than noticing the sight that nature presents to you, you end up noticing the couples who tend to gather on the 1 km or so long walkway, or even venturing amongst the rocks, to find that one intimate moment with their gf/bf.

With the likes of moral policing making their lives difficult and with the lives becoming busier by the day, they relish the few moments they tend to be spending with their loved ones.

And if you happen to get into the depth of the dynamics, you can end up classifying the various categories of lovers.

On one hand, where there are shy lovers, trying to sneek in from the unknowns wondering what the insignificant would be thinking about them, on the other hand, there are bold lovers, who wouldn’t mind demonstrating their love in front of everyone, acting as a source of inspiration for some and a reason for annoyance and jealousy for the others.

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Then there are the secret types, who tend to find some place besides a rock, hiding themselves from the purview of all present, to spend what they might later call as the most wonderful moments of their lives if they end up being together, or the worst nightmare, if they end up treading their own separate path.

No matter the consequence of the very act, there is an air of hope, a fragrance of positivity, a colour of freedom, and a belief that we all are living.

There must be something deeply imbibed inside the very ambience and the pleasant gust of wind that tends to caress your face and hair, which makes you love the entire scene that tend to remain with you forever and ever.

If this and many such more experiences are not what life is all about, I wonder what is?

Source for the Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RdrhOWguQE

Cabby’s take on Make in India!

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Each city has a different flavour and Mumbai being the financial capital of India is always buzzing with opinions from people concerning the economy. Though you may not really agree to various perspectives and opinions being expressed and though you might not be able to find a strong rationale which could convince you, yet the conviction with which a common man in Mumbai cites one’s perspective is a thing to learn from.

Yes, it was one heck of a drive with one of the cab drivers in Mumbai that I happened to take just a couple of weeks back. As you might be aware that Make in India was the talking point, practically all over India, just a couple of weeks back, this gentleman had a different take on the same altogether:

“Sir, where do you wanna go?”—Cabby

“Take me to the BKC complex for Make in India. “—Me

After driving for around 5 minutes, cabby broke the silence, “Sir, do you think it will be good for India?”

“Ya, I think so. Investments would pour in. More job opportunities would be created. People in general should benefit. So, yes, Make in India is a wonderful initiative taken by our honourable PM.”

“But Sir, don’t you think again the goras would come and start ruling again similar to what happened with East India Company and rest is History. I mean, all the investments would be theirs, what will we have? We will again become slaves in the entire scheme of things. Don’t you think it’s like selling India to the goras?”—Cabby had his own apprehensions regarding the entire initiative

“It’s not like that. It would be a Joint Venture between us and them. We would contribute some, they would bring in the rest of investment and expertise. Moreover, we will have checks and balances in place which would enable such a thing doesn’t happen”, I tried explaining.images

“Sir, kis zamane mein tumhe living aahe. The world is not that great. Do you think it’s all for the good of the people? It’s only because if you have money then only you can get a cut in the same. Sir, hum logon tak kuch nahi pahuchega. There is so much of corruption. How will we benefit?” Cabby had a valid point.

“So what do you think we should do?”

“Sir, we should encourage our own youth. Gora kya karega. Idharich, we should do something.” Cabby had his own take on things.

By the time I reached the BKC complex, cabby had me convinced about the gaps that need to be filled if any such programme was to be made a success.

As I entered the gates of the Make in India event, I wondered whether the cabby did have a point. After all, what was needed was not just investment, but a sustainable process where in the trained workforce can utilize the funds being brought in and have a sense of ownership in the entire scheme of things, rather than being dependent on the external sources of funds.

I would want to believe that collaboration is the way forward and with concepts like, “vasudaiva kutumbkam” receiving acceptance from the who’s who of philosophical thinking, may be the collaboration should have a basis which goes beyond just attracting investments from the external world, whether one must try to focus more on domestic before going to the international, may be the international collaborations would help more in case we are able to first sort out our internal affairs and be ready for the change.

What concerns me most is whether India has prepared well for the significant change at policy level that is taking place, whether we as Indians are capable enough to adapt to the pace of change that is going to hit us in the near future, whether won’t it be better to have things sorted out in education/skilling and healthcare sectors in a focused manner before venturing out in the world of investments.

Yet to be seen how Make in India and Skill India will come through, but one thing is for sure, decisions made at the policy level, needs to find common grounds with the implementer in the system, else all these initiatives would go for a toss and once again we would be left repenting and thinking, “what if”.

Source for Image: http://shareacab.in/

The City of Extremes!

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What people refer to as the city of dreams, I would also want to give it a title of the city of extremes. On one hand, where you have the glitter and glamour associated with the Bollywood industry and the rich businessmen, on the other hand, you can find the famous slums of Bombay, where every morning people get up hoping that the day would turn out to be a life changer.

Most, who fall on the other side of the table, by the time the sun sets, return home still wanting that one magical day in their lives which they dream about every night the moment they hit their beds.

They feel disappointed and even curse the one and only for giving them the life, but wake up every morning hoping and believing that their time would come. In this entire cycle of hope and despair that they tend to go through each day, they are faced with numerous life threatening challenges.

Only few are able to successfully come out of the vicious circle that they tend to find themselves the moment they are born. Rest are left to go through the excruciating pain each day, which they all start referring to as life.

Of the majority, some chose to find renunciation in the world of dreaded dreams, which all colloquially refer to as the underworld. The world which is often showcased in our movies has its own set of rules and regulations.

Often the world provides the much needed relief to the psyche of our youth with no jobs, but comes along with its own set of deadly consequences. Youth get easily attracted to the glitter which tends to take them into a different zone altogether where they start to feel that they have made it big.

With the real estate offering hafta and the rich and famous having no choice but to pay them hefty amounts for their own security, the underworld blossoms big time. As a result, the gangs go on a hiring spree looking for impoverished candidates who are frustrated and are trying to find a means of getting away from their day to day lives. images

To increase their clout, the recruitment is not just limited to one specific gang. As time passes by, the once impoverished youth become most wanted criminals. Some of them end up getting encountered by the specialists in their field and only a few who are really lucky go on to become dons, who then act as role models for the impoverished lot who aspire to become just like them when they grow up.

If you are wondering, how these gangs tend to gain sympathy from the have-not in our society, it is because the leader of the gang tend to nurture them with all kind of materialistic support for both them and their families in need. They truly become messiah for the perpetually needy lot.

All the above brings us to significant questions, “What if the youth was not impoverished? What if the youth had decent white collar jobs? What if their families were well fed? What if the governance was good? Won’t they be just like us who do our regular jobs and try to live our lives in a peaceful manner?”

If the answer to the above is yes, then who is it who should be blamed for the scheme of things that take place in their lives. Is it the politicians, is it the bureaucrats, is it the aam aadmi? 

Or more than wondering about who is responsible, why not think about who can make things better? Is it our politicians, is it the bureaucrats, or the aam aadmi? Possibly each one of them need to work together.

It is always said, “where there is a will, there is a way”. I just wonder where the will in this case will come from and will that will result in affirmative actions aimed at rectifying the scenario.

Source for Image: http://www.mumbai-metro.com/category/construction-and-technology

The Life of a Couple!

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Yesterday, I received a call from this guy who has just managed to overcome what he refers to as the crisis of his life and I feel it is worth narrating considering the kind of lifestyles that we have got so used to leading in this increasingly and menacingly busy world. He got married just a couple of years back. It was a love marriage. Everything looked perfect. He thought, “lucky are those who are able to marry the love of their lives.”crisis

And then the couple decided to move to a metro, where the guy was supposed to get one of the best jobs that he could have dreamt about getting in terms of the package that the company happened to be offering to the guy and he simply couldn’t have afforded to miss upon this lucrative opportunity that seemed to be knocking at his door.

His wife was happy that they would now be able to lead a lifestyle that she had always wished for. She thought that she too would find a job and would try to keep herself busy during the hours when her husband would be slogging hard in order to fill their lives with luxury and in turn happiness.

It took just a year for the couple to get accustomed to the lifestyle of a city like Mumbai. Success that the guy was getting in his job, coupled with the free lifestyle that the couple could afford to lead made them really happy.

But like every other story, this one too had a twist. Having achieved the kind of life that she wanted, the absence of her husband from the house even during night at times, started giving her a hard time. All the luxuries that seemed to have made her so happy wasn’t making her happy anymore. All she wanted was that the guy should come home early to her, so that they could spend some quality time together.

The guy on his part got too involved in what he was upto on a professional front. After all, that’s what the couple had wished for at the time they had decided to leave their middle class lifestyle that they happened to lead in their hometown, when this very opportunity had managed to come their way.

The guy could feel that their life was falling somewhat apart. He could feel the tension in and around him and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. It was then that he decided to take that all important decision of his life which was supposed to bring him back the happiness and the peace of mind that he had in plenty when they both happened to be spending their lives in their home town.

That very weekend, he took his wife out for a dinner, where he told her how much he had missed those moments that they used to spend together back in their hometown. How wonderful the life had been! Sitting in a restaurant that night, they both decided that they would go back to square one. They would return to the world where they belonged to in the true senses of the world.couple

Today, when they look back at that night when they had gone out and had decided to take that all important decision of their life, the thought of having not done the same and the thought that what would have happened in case they had tread the same path as the other couples are generally found treading in such situations, seems to give them jitters, which reminds me how often we, in our lives, are found wanting when it comes to chosing between two very different alternatives, with huge pros and cons attached to each one of them.

What else can I say other than, “lucky are those who managed to take that all important decision when it mattered the most in their life”. At the end of the day, your destiny is decided not by wishful thinking or mad optimism but by the choices you make in your lifetime.

Source for Image: http://errolallenconsulting.com/2013/03/07/customer-service-during-a-crisis/, http://whitegoldsilver.blogspot.in/2013/05/love-couple-wallpapers-love-couples.html