Me and My City....!!!

The place we live becomes a part of us over a period of time...You simply start loving every aspect of that....I am one of those fortunate few who got to stay at the same place for over 25 years. So there should be a fair idea as to how much I should be obsessed with the place.

As my dad works for railways, and the fact that I could travel in the train for free till i finished my education meant that I got to travel the length and breadth of the country...visiting many cities and places in a span of 15 yrs...But very few of them impressed me as much as my city did.

The strong smell of fresh filter coffee, the wonderful climate, the food, the people, the life..it just embraces you as soon as you step in here and no wonder lot of people from around the country wish to make it their hometown. Welcome to "Bengaluru" or rather welcome to "Namma Bengaluru" as we Bangaloreans call it.

I have a special bonding towards this city not just because I stayed here for so long...it is because I saw the city grow up with me. As people used to call it when I was small, it was a pensioner's paradise and a pretty laid back city more known for its rich culture and the wonderful climate.

But as I finished my schooling and in the duration of 7 yrs of my college life I saw an immense growth and I could see the face of the city changing......It used to give me immense pleasure as I could see the City grow up with me as my close friend......as I grew to be a responsible citizen, I saw my city grow up from a "pensioner's paradise" to the "Silicon valley of India".

Each and every stage....right from the First flyover built.....the first mall that came up...the first ever multiplex.......from a red BTS bus to a gleaming BMTC volvo......the first tech park.......the first ever Metro.......every change made me feel proud and with every change I started to love the city more and more.

And what more....I can proudly tell people that.....I am a native of this wonderful place.....and without a second thought...."Proud to be a Bangalorean"

Signing off.... :-)

ನೆನಪುಗಳ ಮಾತು ಮಧುರ....!!!

Non Kannadigas- Its means "Memories are sweet" ...Sorry had to put the topic in Kannada...it always has that emotional touch to it...!!!

Yesterday I saw a message which read "Spending time with friends, I just thought we were having fun..never realized that we were creating memories"...so true...no sooner I read it...felt like writing something about it..So here I am..!! 

All these years, I have been really really lucky to have made a lot of friends. Some have been my school mates, some my college mates, colleagues and also a few acquaintances...they have all played a very integral part in my life....Some have become really close and some have faded away over the period of time but irrespective of how I met them or how close I was to them, each and every one have left back a sweet memory trail in my life..!!

Just sitting back and turning the pages of my memories of the good old days with friends is such a "feel Good" factor...Be it bunking the classes and going for movies or the long walk from college gate to the bus stop speaking all kinds of nonsense...clicking pics while eating watermelon on a hot summer day or a roadside bhel puri on a rainy evening........Fights for small reasons and the patch ups after that....celebrating a friend's birthday in a car's backseat......Just that second of exchanging glances when we see a hot girl pass by....

Having fun at each and every situation be it Studying in a group cramming up furiously for an upcoming exam or practicing together for an upcoming cultural event or playing cricket on a hot afternoon and drink goli soda after that......posing for a camera with the first tequila shot wit best buddies (and requesting friend not to put it up in Facebook).....Helping a friend to express his love...and getting elated when it succeeds....10 people sharing a plate of Gobi Manchurian and fighting for the last piece of it......

The list is simple endless....

Each and every instance above was absolute fun..the days which I can never ever forget through out my life  and when all these happened, I just thought we were having fun.....the very fact that we were creating lifetime memories never crossed my mind...!!


Signing off

Sethu 

She Came..!! She Sat...!!! She Spoke....nd I Fell...!!!

It was a pleasant Saturday evening.. I was sitting on a deserted bench in a huge park thinking of how I met her?? How we became friends?? How much I loved her?? how desperately I tried to tell her what all I wanted to tell....and how I had held myself back fearing that I might lose out on that wonderful friendship I shared with her all these while..!!

As my mind thought about all these, my eyes was scanning the huge park..the atmosphere and the ambiance....some  couples sitting on a bench chatting as if it was the last conversation of their life.....Some couples walking hand in hand at their slowest possible pace..Some elderly couple taking their much needed break after the hectic race of their lives.....it was a beautiful setting with some equally beautiful thoughts running in my mind...!!

Suddenly at distance, my sight fell on a beautiful girl coming towards the bench I was sitting... wearing a gorgeous blue dress.... hair left loose...Just for a moment I could not believe what I was seeing......felt I was dreaming......just had to pinch myself to make sure that I was not. Yes..!! It was the same girl who had occupied my mind all these while..!!

She came towards me, sat on the other end of the bench on which I was sitting and looked at me right in my eyes...I was almost in a state of a shock...!! Never expected her to come here...!! I had thousands of questions in my mind but my throat had dried up...I was not even able to utter a single word....I could hear my heart beat loud and clear.

Just as I was about to ask her something, she began to speak and told me that she wanted to tell me something which she always wanted to but was somehow was not courageous enough  to speak about it all these while...on hearing those words I froze...!! Just had a feeling where my heart rocketed towards the sky..the feeling of happiness was simply  immense..!! I had just fallen for her Innocence and simplicity.

Suddenly I could feel that my back was hurting...I could hear a loud sound right beside my ears, i could hear some familiar voice shouting my name at the loudest possible volume and very soon I realised that I had fallen off from my bed...My alarm was ringing loudly and my mother was screaming at the top of her voice to wake me up as it was very late in the morning...!!! I indeed was dreaming about all this.

Wow !!! what a fantastic dream it was...was just thinking about it the whole day after that..!!!

Wish our dreams had episodes like daily serials..so that It could just continue on and on and on...!!

Dreams which are "Just Dreams....."

It is always said..."you need to dream something big and strive to make it happen"..."To Dream is to lay the foundation stone for a big achievement".....But can all your dreams come true??? or let me put it in another way.."Do you always Dream to achieve something"??....Go back and read the title of this post again and ask yourself the questions I posed just now..!!!

'My' answer to the above question would be a big NO.....Yes I want all my dreams to come true... but I have to be a bit realistic here and say "Some Dreams are Just Dreams"...those are the dreams which makes you feel good...and may be running behind them would mean no sense.....If it really happens......then it is just luck...!!! Let me dig a bit deeper into what I wanna convey here...Take some of the below Instances..!!!

Personally I am fascinated by good Love Stories......there is something in them that makes me feel good...Today I saw a movie in which a beautiful girl conveys her love to a guy by wishing him on his birthday with 12 gifts (one for each month till his next birthday)...On seeing this I felt " God!! what a lucky guy...I wish it happens to me some day"...Now this is just a dream......I would consider myself really lucky if it happens...But can I make it happen??? Never..!!!

Another one.....when ever I listen to our 'National Anthem'...I just dream of standing beside M S Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar before a match.. representing India in the World Cup Final in front of my proud parents and people who thought I would never make it big in life...Now when I imagine this..the feeling is simply out of this world....But on a realistic note...Will that happen??.....or can I run behind it now to make it happen??? I would be ROFL if you said YES...!!!

I was in love with a girl....Don't ask me if she loved me too...Obviously no..she had other preferences...but sometimes I crazily dream of that girl coming and telling me that she always wanted to be with me...Now this is something that makes me feel good momentarily....even though my mind clearly knows that this is not gonna happen..!!!...

All these are "Dreams"....which are "Just Dreams"..!!!

off to sleep now...

Good Night...
Dream big....
and Dream Sweet..!!!

Signing off

New Found Friend....!!!!

Friendship is termed to be the most sacred of all relationships in this world.....The best part of this stupendous relationship is that it has literally no limits.....You can just go on and on in adding new people to your list of friends and you will never get bored and will never regret doing it at any point in your life..!!

Everyone will have friends in life...Best buddies, Childhood friends, colleagues, classmates, friends through acquaintances..so on and so forth....But there are very few friends who truly touch your heart....they come so close to your thoughts that you are literally comfortable in sharing anything in your personal world with them.....This post is dedicated to one such fantastic newly found friend of mine who unknowingly became very close to me....

We tend to meet a lot of people in day, some hundreds of people in a week and some thousands in  month...but only few people catch your attention....and with only those few people you feel like extending your hand to feel the warmth of friendship....

It was on similar grounds some 6 months back in the office cafeteria while having dinner with my team mates, my sight froze on a bubbly girl with a flashy smile sitting over the adjacent table for dinner..it was one of those moments where my intuition took over my senses and something in me told that she would be a real real good friend... Tried talking to her a lot of times at work to build contact....We had some common friends too..but somehow was not able to pick up a conversation....May be because of my timid nature..!!

A couple of months later through the same common friend I got to know that she was quitting the company...and that day I cursed myself so so badly for being so timid in talking to her and rued the opportunity to build a prospective friendship...but as wise people say.."not all doors close at the same time..there would be at least a window that would be open" And I saw this window of a opportunity in her "Thank you mail/goodbye mail" sent to my friend.

In the mail she had mentioned a link about her blog which I thought would help me in building the contact which I always wanted to...I have this habit of reading blogs sometimes (thanks to my brother for that) and that habit of mine paid off when I read her blog and commented on that....and for the generous person she is..she replied to my comment...and since we had some similar interests (music), the conversation flowed easily and started building day by day...and the rest...is history

I know her for a little more than 3 months now....a very down to earth, very simple, very hard working and talented girl....she almost gets along with anyone with her amazing conversational skills....I can easily relate myself to her so much that I am very comfortable in sharing anything in my life with her....that perfect friend anyone would yearn to have in their lives..and I can proudly tell that I have got one..!!

Busy Bee..!!! You have been a real nice person...and an amazing friend....you've been there when ever I needed u as a friend....a big big thanks for that..!!! and I am very sure that for your kind heart, you will get everything you desire in life..!!! Stay the same..!!! Never Change..!!!!

Signing off..!!

PS: The strangest part of our friendship is that we've never met till date...hopefully get to meet her soon..!!!

Whisper of Heart to the Peeping drop of Tear...!!

Long, Hectic and tiring day at work, sitting in the cab listening to a favorite tune..A drop of tear peeps out of my eyes reminding me of my inability to pursue my dreams......at that moment small voice in my heart whispers to the tear...."Don worry..not everything is lost...the dream is still there and it can still be pursued"

A long trip with best buddies..having the time of life..forgetting all the pain and difficulties.....A drop of tear peeps out of my eyes asking me if this time will ever comeback......?? to which my heart whispers "Always make time for friends in life then such moments will automatically come back...and more frequently too"

On a business trip.....feeling really sick and low......I suddenly see my mom's number flashing on my phone...that moment..A drop of tear peeps out of my eyes remembering and thanking each and every sacrifice that she has made in life to bring me up to this level....Then I hear my heart whisper..."Don worry brother.....you will get a chance to show your gratitude to all those sacrifices made by her"


Meeting up with old friends after a long long time.....sitting around a table pulling each others' legs and snatching each others' food...A Drop  of tear peeps out of my eyes..telling me to live the moment to the fullest.....to which my heart whispers..."yes yes enjoy the moment.. all these will surely make some sweet memories when you get old"


A really good friend...stops talking all of a sudden and starts to Ignore leaving a small sense of loneliness behind..A drop of tear peeps out of my eyes shouting "Why me always??" and my heart whispers "Calm Down....may be that person is busy...Just give some time..you will get that person back"

Message of the post:
Recognize that voice of your heart and listen to it.....you will never go wrong


Signing off...!!!!


Sethu

Time of my Life.........!!!!

Life does not stay constant for any Individual...It changes...and there might me lot of reasons for that change....it may be circumstances, might be an individual or might be a group of them...!! I am no exception...for me life changed drastically (for good) in 2 years...and there are a group of some awesome people who made it happen...and this small post is the dedicated to all the below mentioned people with whom I had " The Time of my Life" for 2 long years....(i still do when ever I meet them)..

Starting off with Mr Arvind Jarmalle....My closest friend till date......A fun loving..well informed and very organized Guy.....you can start off any conversation with this guy and it just goes on and on......First day I met him, I spoke to him for an hour in the bus without knowing his name....felt so embarrasing to ask after such a long conversation (he seemed to know my name though)..then had to silently peek into his notebook to get his name...sounds so funny isn't it....and right from that day till date, there has never been a dull moment with him around....Together we've had a long, funny, serious and interesting conversations...He is the one person who knows a lot of things about me..!!

Next comes a very famous person.....From last day college till a brief period after her marriage, there was very less conversation between us....One day I got a call and could see her number flashing...the conversation I had that day was the best one in my life till date.....because even though I hadn't spoken to her for some time, the conversation flowed so smoothly that I never felt I was talking to her after such a long time...(its the same even now) May be thats why she is there right at the top of my friends' list...Oh I guess I forgot to name the person...Introducing Pavithra.....a simple down to earth and a fun loving girl and the one to whom I would always go to if I have anything to share....!!

Next is the ever active, bubbly and the most talkative girl in my friends' list...Prakruthi...!! A big time foodie and when ever I needed any information on any good restaurants in Bangalore, I always knew whom to go to..!! Used to drag me everytime to have dosa in Ganesh Darshan (In Jaynagar) which took my liking to dosas to the next level..(The very mention of that word makes my mouth water)...Loves her music to the core and tries to push across this liking of her to others as well....Poor PK used to bear the brunt of it...!! A 5 minute conversation with her when you are not feeling good will surely put U back in the right track...Always good to catch up with her and A Super friend whom I would never wanna miss in my all time friends' list...

Rachana.....If there is anyone im afraid of in my friends' list, it should be Rac...whenever you call her, she doesn even say "Hello"...she starts scolding...It happened even today when she called me...instead of asking me how was I doing, she started off..."ಕೊಬ್ಬಾ ನಿಂಗೆ ?? ಒಂದು Phone ಮಾಡಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗಲ್ವ ???" without even letting me open my mouth... an equally innocent girl too...can never forget her Caller ID Phone and her idea about the Indian voting system...right Rac??? but thats Rachana for u....an amazing person and a great great friend..with a superb attitude towards life.....!!! Ve always enjoyed her friendship a lot..!!

Prasanna Krishna....famously called PK.....he is six years elder to me and I've never felt that when he is around ....My first friend in college and an amazing, Unique and a fantastic person...he'll be waiting for an opportunity to pull others' legs....He can easily relate to any person....an excellent Yakshagana artist.....One thing I don't like in him is that he is a bit moody ......!! Used to pick me up from my house everyday and on our way to college, we used to have a lot of fun....with a lot of funny conversations......and today if I am able to commute freely in Bangalore with all the knowledge of the routes and the leading roads, the credit should go to him..!!

Lastly...Anand, Motu, Brinda and Ranju....I would not be making any justice if I don't mention their names in the list....I do not have any incidents to talk but the list would simply be incomplete without their names..!!

I don Know if my MBA has added any value to my career...but truly those two years I spent with all of them has surely been a Time to Cherish in my life..!!!

 

šēţħũ

ಅಮೃತಧಾರೆ

ನೀ ಅಮೃತಧಾರೆ...ಕೋಟಿ ಜನುಮ ಜೊತೆಗಾತಿ...

ನೀ ಅಮೃತಧಾರೆ...ಇಹಕು ಪರಕು ಸಂಗಾತಿ....

ನೀ ಇಲ್ಲವಾದರೆ ನಾ ಹೇಗೆ ಬಾಳಲಿ....!!!

I just love those lines....and the song itself should be one amongst the top in my all time playlist....Every time I listen to those lines there is a small tickle somewhere in the corner of my heart....and the feeling itself is simply amazing. I just get lost in my thoughts on the way to a small dream world of mine.

I always used to tell everyone (I do.. even now) that fortunately or unfortunately I have never fallen in love or got into a relationship till date and I am really happy about it... that I am always free and independent without any commitments...But do I mean what I say every time ??? Not always....

In real, somewhere in the corner of my heart, I really feel that if there is anything that I have truly missed in this wonderful phase of life...that would be to relish the tender feeling of love....and when ever I listen to this song especially the word "ಅಮೃತಧಾರೆ"...my thoughts simply take me to that Innocent, Talkative, down-to-earth girl of mine whom I'm yet to meet...!!!

A Girl who would make me feel that I am the most special and unique person in the world.....when most of the things around me are not in my favor.

Who talks so well that I forget all the headache and stress of a long and hectic day when I listen to her soft, soothing voice...

Who is so simple that just a silent walk and small conversation eating a paani poori on the road side would make her feel that it was her best day so far..!!

I know all these are Cliché-d statements and very rare happenings...But these are just dreams and might not be ideal situations ....I am just trying to give shape to all of them here.....so instead of analyzing it, just read and enjoy... and If possible try and relate it to similar happenings in your life so that this small effort of mine pays off..!!

šēţħũ

Celebration....!!!

Hey...I got Promoted today - Lets Celebrate....
Its is my Birthday today - My treat - Lets Celebrate....
I'm flying to the states next week..come over for a small party this weekend - Lets Celebrate

These are some common statements that come to our mind when we think about the word "Celebration". And if you are living in a busy and bustling city as Bangalore, where people don't have the time even to chat for a while.....celebration is most of the times just an occasion........A Birthday, An Anniversary, A promotion and so on...

But does Celebration mean only that much?? Then what do you think about the below incidents ???

A Rainy evening, going for a long drive with friends...You see a small tea shop in the outskirts of the city....
Sitting on a wooden bench having tea in a slight drizzle pulling each others legs..!!

Best friend proposes a girl...she accepts..!! Celebrating the success by smearing cake all over his face..and pouring soft drink all over his head..!!

Family get together....having fun screaming, playing and talking with cousins....time for dinner.

ಆವಾಗ.....ಅಮ್ಮನ ಕೈ ತುತ್ತು.......super ಮಜಾ ಇರುತ್ತೆ.

Feeling a bit low....sitting and listening to radio thinking about something.......suddenly a favorite song gets played in the radio.....a small sense of happiness for a fraction of a second...worth a celebration

A clear and pleasant evening......walking hand in hand with your loved one on the sea shore with her head resting on your shoulders....!!

I'm sure most of us would have come across these small small celebrations at every instance of our lives. But most of us fail to pick the amazing sense of enjoyment and satisfaction these small things bring in with them

Running behind our goals, many times..... lot of small things fail to get our attention...

So at least for a brief while take some time of your busy schedule and try to enjoy that special feeling all these instances bring in your life which makes your world a special place to live in..!! And you'll say...Indeed

"Life is a Celebration"

šēţħũ

Misty Mornings..!!!

Waking up early in the Morning is always a pain....And I get to know the pain everyday Morning 6.30 when the loud alarm in my phone wakes me up. Negligently pulling myself up from my bed, I lazily strode over to the atrociously huge balcony in my house (a good 20 kms away from the city) and the moment I m there, all the pain of waking up early just vanishes.

The feel of freshness with the cool breeze and the sight of a small temple surrounded with a lot of trees, with a slight mist in the background sipping on a hot cup of strong filter coffee truly makes the effort of waking up early worth it.....gives a me kick start for a hectic day ahead.....and with that encourages me to wake up early again the next day...!!

And more so when you are in a city like Bengaluru, it encourages you even more to wake up early...atleast when you are at leisure...Doesn't make sense???

Try this out then.....

If you are in Bangalore, and if you are at leisure, Just try waking up early, take a ride in the cool breeze on the way to Lal Bagh..take a lazy walk by the lake side there and just feel the beautiful calm atmosphere take you over...and on the way back have hot Rava Idly and filter coffee in the nearby MTR....and see how your day goes from there...!!! (let me know if I was wrong)

Signing off

*****

šēţħũ****

*****

If I get to choose any Job in the World, I would……

I would definitely want to be in the place of 2 people who are true masters in their respective fields…Sonu Nigam and Harsha Bhogle…Before you ask me why only these two, Just read on……..

Music and Cricket have always been my biggest passions right from childhood. And as all aspiring youngsters I would always want to be the best in either of the two. And there would be no better way to do that if I could grab the Job of any one Individuals I named above.

Starting off with Music, my previous post should tell you about my passion for music and singing…and my craze to become a celebrity took my passion to the next level (i.e. to be a singer) and considering the amazing voice and the position Sonu Nigam enjoys currently in Indian Music….every aspiring Singer would surely want to take his place…!!

Secondly Cricket….Its a known fact that if you are born in India, Cricket is your religion..The sheer passion that the game has in this country is a treat to watch….This should be enough to explain that I am no different…As any average Indian Kid would do, I took to this game like a duck to water…loved each and every bit of it. And as any youngster would dream, I wanted to play this game at the highest level. But….In a Cricket Crazy country of 1.2 Billion People, with 90% of them wanting to play for the country, you gotta be really lucky to get through.. and no prizes for guessing- I was not lucky enough..So I gave up the Idea of playing the game….!!

Instead, I started following the game very keenly..used to read books on cricket…watch shows on Cricket…to put it in a simple way, i became a student of the game and not just a spectator…..This was when I saw this individual called Harsha Bhogle, who along with the top cricketers was always up there in the books of cricket for his immense knowledge and passion of the game..who showed the world that even if you do not get to represent the country in a game, you can still get famous at it…….He is currently employed as a cricket commentator and enthusiast with a top sports channel in the world….and if given a chance, would surely wanna take his place.

It takes a lot of strength to pursue your passion and unfortuantely not may people in this world are strong enough..!!!

Sethu..!!

Music...!!!

In Ancient India, there was a belief..If you are born as a Brahmin, you will either be a pandit or you will take to Music..!! Not too sure why this belief set in but on some serious thought I really think this is true.

Born in a Middle Class Smartha Brahmin family, where most of them were music lovers, It did not take me long to take liking to this art form. My Ajji was a fantastic artiste..she used give performances in radio in and teach music to lot of people she was very good at what she did. And my Mother, God!!! she is truly blessed with a very very sweet voice which has won her a lot of competitions at her work and other places. Infact she is very well know for her singing skills amongst our family circle

And I consider myself really lucky to have inherited this quality of both my mom and ajji...Initially I was not very much aware that I sing well....It was only when my mom go me admitted to a music class when I was 8 yrs old, I realized the rare skill I had...Unfortunately could not continue with my music classes for long because of some obstacles...But that stint in the music class was enough to boost my confidence. I started winning a lot of competitions in school and college. Came out victorious in many of the Inter Collegiate events.

I enjoyed singing so much that I wanted to take it as a profession. Wanted to be a playback singer and i used to dream of being one...Unfortunately, because of some complications, I could not pursue my dream..... That din mean I left singing...I still do sing when I'm happy, sad, at leisure and it still gives me immense pleasure every-time I do that.

As it is famously said..." you gotta be really lucky to be able to pursue your dream"

Hopefully my luck gives way and my dream comes true before my voice wears out...!!

Sethu

ಕನಸಿನ ಲೋಕಕ್ಕೆ ಸುಸ್ವಾಗತ..!!!!

Just loved the Title..!!!

For all readers who don't know Kannada, "Welcome to the world of Dreams" is what I meant.

Its been a long time since I thought of writing a blog. A blog which was a mirror image of my soul. A blog which would clearly reflect my thoughts and a blog through which I could let my thoughts flow without any obstacles..!!! And after a lot of thought and some loss of hair I could finally come up with this one.

One Song in kannada which always comes to my mind when I think about dreams. The Lines go like this...

 "ಬೆಳಕೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ನಡೆಯಬಲ್ಲೆ...ಕನಸೇ ಇಲ್ಲದ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾ ಹೇಗೆ ನಡೆಯಲಿ ???..ಈ ನನ್ನ ಹಾಡು ನನ್ನ ಕನಸು ಕೇಳಮ್ಮ...!!!" 

(I can suceed walking in a path with no light but it is not possible to walk in a path where there is no Dreams) 

I was always searching for a medium where I could give my dreams some shape and after a long wait, I found this to be a suitable one..!!

I am writing if for all of you to read.....your feedback will be very important to me...!!

Because..... ಇದು ಕನಸುಗಾರನ ಒಂದು ಕನಸು .........!!!!

Sethu