Vipassana - A little dhyaan and a lot of silence

How does it feel to be silent for 9 days? To meditate, or try to, for 10 hours each for 10 days.

To me, the silence felt good. The attempts at meditation were not particularly successful but worthwhile nevertheless. Goenka's philosophy of salvation, however, was what I was least receptive to. Like any life-guiding philosophy, Vipassana affects each individual differently, and here's my personal experience of it.

During the long ten days, we maintained silence from the night of Day 0 to the morning of Day 10. The silence could be broken only to talk to the teacher to ask or answer questions about the meditation technique or, to raise any issues with the management. Besides an average of 2-3 sentences every 2 days, I was silent for the rest. Some folks gave up on the silence around the fifth day, but since this was the easiest task for me, I stuck. It was especially easy since our phones had been deposited with the management on Day 0.

The silence clears your mind of a lot of clutter. With no WhatsApp and Gmail, it's easy to focus on one train of thought and go deep. It helped me reach decisions on some life issues and think about the path I've chosen.

While the silence came easily to me, meditation was a different kettle of fish altogether. My silence did not extend to my mind. It was full of thoughts. Keeping it focused on my breath and body sensations was a constant battle. I did get better as the days passed but my interest waned after Vipassana discourses.

S. N. Goenka (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was surprising as I'd enjoyed the discourses till then. In the daily video discourse, Goenka speaks of the theory behind practising Vipassana in the style he teaches. In the first few days, he's quite areligious and irreverent. Faith without the trappings of religion made absolute sense to me. However, in the later days, he talks more about how Vipassana is 'the path' to salvation where religion has failed. He also tried to explain how each religion talks about Vipassana in different words. Surprisingly, I had no problem with that, maybe because I've always appreciated politics. However, the repeated focus on how engaging in Vipassana would cure the sins of my past births and take me towards salvation, was a turn off.

Overall, the ten day course was definitely an enriching experience. It pushed me to crystallize my thoughts on life and what faith means to me. But, would I do it again? Probably not. Unless I need the silence enough to ignore the salvation mantra. 

When do you stop being a newbie?

Credit:
The Partially Examined Life

In a week’s time, I will be completing my first quarter as a Field Manger at Dimagi. Given the myriad of things that I do as an FM, sometimes I feel like an old hand. And then there are times, when I ask questions about the simplest of tasks, like how to load multimedia for a CommCare app on a Java phone. When will I see that milestone that says ‘You are now exiting newbie zone’?

In these three months, I have travelled to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Three states were for work. Gujarat trip was to meet friends and utilise the ‘work from anywhere’ policy. I planned that just after my maiden field visit. Did the newness wash away in waters of river Narmada?

On that first visit, I experienced the joy of helping an elderly field worker, learn how to type on a smartphone. The process of teaching has deepened my well of patience but, I am yet to be as engaging or creative a trainer as I could be.

Loosely inspired from Pasta Primavera

The saga of my invention test with penne pasta. This desi version was derived from Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera.

Mom and I were doing Diwali shopping at the supermarket when I found a shelf of pasta. My last search for any pasta in this place had proved unfruitful so spotting a packet of penne pasta, one of my favourite kind, led to a quick grab.

Baby steps of my food photography

After a long soak, this blog is ready to sizzle. I am armed with a spatula and a camera, along with my trusty laptop. The next week would have posts about my cooking and its pictures. How did I go from being a multipurpose, could-be writer to food photographer and cook? The cook part is because the sous chef at home is on leave for a week, so it’ll be me manning the kitchen. The food photography has a more interesting story. 

My interest in food started dating my passion for photography during a Visual Communication class, in last September. Their lovechild is less than a year old now. She uttered her first word in January, it was of course garble, but it sounded so sweet to me: 

The next baby-book milestone was when she started walking on her knees: 

विचारों की यात्रा

डॉ पुरुषोत्तम अग्रवाल
क्रेडिट: बुक लवर 

आज बहुत दिनों बाद हिंदी साहित्य से रूबरू होने का मौका मिला| अवसर था डॉ. पुरुषोत्तम अग्रवाल की पुस्तक के विमोचन का| किताब का नाम है “हिंदी सराय : अस्त्राखान वाया येरेवान”| विमोचन डॉ. कर्ण सिंह द्वारा किया गया जो कश्मीर के महाराजा हरी सिंह के पुत्र हैं और राज्य सभा सांसद भी हैं| अस्त्राखान रूस में है और येरेवान अर्मेनिया की राजधानी है| यह किताब वैसे तो अग्रवालजी की येरेवान और अस्त्राखान यात्रा का विवरण है, पर साथ ही साथ उन्होंने १७वीं सदी में अस्त्राखान में जाकर बसे भारतीयों के बारे में भी बात की है| जिस तरह से उन्होंने इतिहास, संस्कृति और विचारधाराओं को अपनी किताब में कुशलता से बुना है, उसके लिए कई वक्ताओं ने उनकी पुस्तक को मात्र पाँवों की यात्रा का विवरण की जगह “विचारों की यात्रा” का वर्णन कहा|

पहली वक्ता थीं सुश्री मन्नू मित्तल जो जवाहरलाल विश्वविद्यालय में इतिहास ही प्राध्यापिका हैं| उन्होनें एक बड़ी रोचक बात बताई – हम जो कपड़ों में “अस्तर” लगाते हैं, वो शब्द अस्त्राखान से आया है| हुआ यों की अस्त्राखान में कपड़ों का, खासकर फ़र का व्यापार होता था| और पहले कपड़ों में फ़र लगाया जाता था इसलिए वो अस्तर हो गया| संस्कृति के आदान-प्रदान के ऐसे कई सबूत मिलते हैं, जैसे कि कोणार्क के मंदिर में सूर्य देवता स्लाविक जूते पहने हुए हैं जबकि कोई भी हिन्दू देवी-देवता जूते पहने हुए नहीं दिखाए जाते|

Chandni Chowk : A Heritage Walk

The alarm rings at 8, I want to sleep a little more on this hazy Sunday morning. But, I get up because the glimmer of Chandni Chowk beckons. A heritage walk to Jama Masjid nestled withing the old, walled city of Shahjahanabad is an exercise in seeing fleeting glimpses of the 17th and 19th century. The walk director conjures up images of a proud Shah Jahan sauntering into his beautiful city in 1648 and Mirza Ghalib lamenting its demise after the freedom struggle of 1857.

Isfahan during 17th century. Credit: Isfahan Municipality Portal

Shah Jahan's new capital was built to outshine the city of Isfahan in Persia, and it did so. Shahjahanabad was a gorgeous walled city with 14 gates and a webbed layout. Delhi as a city has been constantly recreated and this counts as the 6th among the 7 Delhis. 4 of Shahjahanabad's gates exist as structures today: Kashmiri gate, Ajmeri gate, Turkman gate and Delhi gate. We saw Kashimiri gate during the heritage walk on the 1857 mutiny.

Credit: www.traveladventures.org

This walk began at Chawri Bazaar metro station and ended at Chandni Chowk metro station. But, this little space houses sprawling dimensions of heritage.

Dedication to Prof. Suresh Ramaswamy

Sura, as he was affectionately called, was a gem of BITS Pilani. He was one of the best individuals I knew - able administrator, diplomat, brilliant professor and a decent person to the core. He always had an ear for everyone, be it a student, parent or hostel assistant. Even after changing posts from Chief Warden to Dean, Administration, his was the office to go to, if you wanted your case to be heard. He understood students, was generous with praise and recognised their faults too. I always loved listening to him speak on the dais because he spoke briefly with simple words, yet managed to inspire. 

I'm still trying to believe that one of the pillars of my college life is no more. I knew him first when I was a college kid in first semester, fresh and eager. His was a presence that was always there for me, even if we didn't talk for months. I saw him last on 5th August, 2012 sitting in his home. We talked for almost an hour with his young daughter playing on the carpet.

Many of us remember him with a bicycle tyre in LT, demonstrating how the gyroscope works. That is the role in which I saw him first, a Physics professor. He painstakingly explained waves concepts to me in his office a couple of days before Physics I compre. I was, and still am, a complete novice at Physics, but he gave me the confidence to attempt to solve those problems. 

I next knew him as BITSAA coordinator and he became Sura for me, a relic of his Pilani days. He was genuinely interested and involved in all activities. I see him sitting with Vishrut bhaiya and others discussing the Director's Tea Party menu with Sharath Babu. In second year, I got involved in too many things and no longer had time for BITSAA. When I was given my walking papers, albeit nicely, I remember his canny comment while passing by in the corridor "They booted you out? "

In March 2009, he succeeded Prof. A. V. Kulkarni as Chief Warden. I worked with both of them as part of Election Commission. Sura always made time for the team. We even had meetings sitting on the stairs outside B Dome so that we could get work done after his office hours. This was the first time when the whole responsibility of the elections rested on the Chief Election Commissioner. He did not impose his decisions and let the team do its work. Because of his genuine understanding and assured support, I knew that if my decision was right, I could've told a candidate to do their worst. He came to each audi debate, never intervened, but for me, he was like the wall who would be there if things went awry. 

In March 2010, a group of friends and I were in a bus accident. I lost my sight for a few minutes but was conscious. My vision was wavering between dark and light on the way to the hospital but I managed to dial his number. I thought of him first because I knew he would care about the 8 students in the bus and also, because he had the authority to ensure we were taken care of. He came promptly with the hostel superintendents to the Chicalim Cottage Hospital and stayed with us for the whole day in GMC. He talked to each of our parents on the phone, reassuring them that their wards were being cared for.

I thought my last interaction with him would be in the Director's Tea Party in 2011. I was speaking as a going-out student on the dais where I had compèred three years before. But I ended up attending another Tea Party in 2012. To my surprise, he remembered what I had spoken about a year ago. He wasn't one of the professors who just nodded and smiled. 

Despite all that he had achieved at BITS, Sura was the epitome of humility. I asked him for a recommendation to HBS and GSB in July 2011. He frankly told me that he'd never written a business school reco and to tell him what's the format. When he saw me at the convocation in August 2011, the first words out of his mouth were "Sorry, I didn't get the time to write your recommendation letter". I was astonished. The reco wasn't due till October, it wasn't even on my mind, but he remembered! Out of the three professors I asked, he was the only one who did not ask for a write-up. He was the first one to upload the recommendation letters, despite being pressed for time as the Dean, Administration.

  

As I am writing this, there are many more memories which come tumbling in. I always admired him. Looking back, I realise that he was the only professor I came close to adoring. He was vital to BITS Pilani K. K. Birla Goa Campus. My mind is still refusing reality. I keep thinking what will Sura think when he reads this.

Serial Entrepreneurs Anyone?

Mr. Sanjay Gupta
Credit: YIFP

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan
Credit: YIFP

On Friday morning, we had a guest session with two speakers: Dr. Venkat Srinivasan and Mr. Sanjay Gupta. Their session's main takeaways were do what you like to do, trust your gut and then "make your luck". Venkat is the founder of several companies including English Helper, Rage Frameworks, Brightleaf Corporation, Corporate Fundamentals, and eCredit. Mr. Sanajay Gupta is currently the CEO Global at English Helper. He has had a long stint at American Express, where he served in several leadership positions. He has also held senior positions at Motorola and Pepsico in India. Currently, he also serves as Director of Bharti AXA Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd., School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL), and other companies. He is on the Advisory Boards of organizations including Schneider Electric India and Acumen Fund. Sanjay is deeply committed to the development sector and is a Trustee at Charities Aid Foundation (India), Udayan Care, and Mobile Creches. Sanjay is guest faculty at Duke Corporate Education. (Source: English Helper Board and Advisors)

It was very interesting to know about Dr. Srinivasan's journey from a school in Delhi run by Delhi Tamil Association to University of Cincinnati and then from an academician to an entrepreneur.

Antidote to Cynicism: Shaheen Mistri

Credit: Careers 360

"To give each child the chance to be where you and I are today" This statement by Ms. Shaheen Mistri, CEO Teach for India, resonated with me because it is the main reason why I want to work for social development. I believe that an accident of birth should not be an obstacle to any individual's progress regardless of age, gender, race or religion. 

At the guest session at YIFP, Shaheen shared her life story in term of significant numbers. She was 12 when she found her calling by seeing the disparity in children's conditions in Indonesia. Shaheen spent her first 18 years outside India and spent every sumemr after age 12 as a volunteer with children's organisations. She quit college after first year in US and came to India to study at St. Xaviers where Akanksha Foundation was born in 1991. She saw slum kids who needed education and college students who had too much time on their hands and decided to bring the two together. Then arose the need for space. She knocked on the doors of 20 well-to-do, convent schools to hold classes in second shift; all refused except the last where she told Father that "My life is in your hands." She didn't want to give him the chance to change his mind, so she told him that classes would begin the next day. Then came the scrambling. She somehow got the students and pleaded with her friends to volunteer until she could find teachers. You can read more about the founding of Akanksha in this article by Anahita Mukherjee. The beginning of her story is simple and endearing but when you look at her, you see the courage and perseverance that has got her where she is today. 

When she moved on from Akanksha Foundation, it was successfully running many centers for education and was involved in municipal schools too. She said that she shifted to Teach For India because her vision became larger. From "To give a little love, have a little hope, make this world a little better", it has enlarged to "One day all children will attain excellent education". But, this was not objective enough for her. So now her revised goal is to ensure excellent education for every child in India in the next 50 years. She knows that TFI fellows alone cannot reach so many students, but she believes that TFI alumni will change the world of education. Her model aims to produce leaders in every walk of life who are passionate about solving the problem of educating the 320 million children in India. 

As a country, we are facing a crisis if nothing is done for provision of education for our young demographic. She also said that as priveleged individuals, "there is a moral obligation to give back to society". This is another of her statements which echoes my sentiments. I feel greatly blessed to have a mother who is a professor and who gave me the best educational opportunities possible. But I was lucky, my maid's children are not. How am I not responsible for ensuring that some day they have a chance too? I agree with Shaheen when she says that let us give them those choices, what they do with those choices is upto them. I believe that every individual must have options and the freedom to choose must never be taken away. 

TFI Fellow Prakhar Bhartiya with students 
Credit: Careers 360

India's formal system of education however, believes in fitting everyone to a mold. Because of this, when a farmer's child goes to school, he is taught mud is dirty. Our pedagogy is such that an average graduate is unemployable and he can't take up his father's trade either because he has a degree. I really appreciated Shaheen's answer when I asked her how does she handle this issue. She said TFI Fellows don't just teach English and science, they develop the children's values and mindsets, nurture their aspirations and show them alternate pathways to success. It is too early to comment whether TFI is meeting its goals, but I think they are doing a great job. Developing children as individuals is essential if India is going to utilise the youth benefit which is touted so much in the media. 

Shaheen's story has recieved a lot of attention in media but she has remained down-to-earth. She can inspire a room of cynics and give the idealists another reason to plough on. One of the idealists among Young India Fellows said "Looking at her, you can tell she's gone through the whole shit". The miracle of Shaheen Mistri is that she makes the  lofty aim believable.

P.S. Applications for Teach for India Fellowship 2013 are open. Please spread the message. To apply check: http://www.teachforindia.org/

Click here to read about the other guest lectures at YIFP: first woman US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and the founder of satellite TV as we know it, Kay Koplovitz

Related articles

• Satyamev Jayate - The Truth that Lives Within (bloodinkdiary.wordpress.com)
• Indian school education system (jeyaramblog.wordpress.com)
• Report recommends revamp for education system (thebhutanese.bt)
• Why India's Education System Is Failing? (theachiever2011.wordpress.com)

Madeleine Albright : How did she do it?

( Credit: TED )

"There is a place for mediocre men in this world but not for mediocre women" said Madeleine Albright, first woman US Secretary of State in a guest session at YIFP. She said that women are expected to be outstanding in the professional world. They have to prove that they can do it. Men don't have to. This is the real-life experience of a woman, who was born in Czechoslovakia, lived in England and Yugoslavia and finally became an American citizen. The word inspiring is too insipid for her journey, it is astonishing.


Her father was a Czech Jewish diplomat. Adolf Hitler's actions forced the family out of their homeland and they lived in England during World War II. After the Nazis lost, the family could return to Prague and then moved to Belgrade, Yugoslavia. They had to leave again due to the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia. Then, the family sought political asylum in United States. Ms. Albright was eleven at that time. Nobody could have foretold that the foreign girl who came to New York in 1948 will be US Secretary of State in 1997. Her appointment as the Secretary of State marks a moment in US history not just because she was a woman but that she outshone the tags of both 'foreigner' and 'woman'. It is not an easy thing to do in a country which has still not had a woman President even after more than 230 years of Independence. 


In the session, I asked her what were the choice and obstacles in her journey. She said that she gave preference to her three daughters over her PhD which has resulted in a ten year gap between her career age and her chronological age. She also said that it was often women who were more judgmental of her. Every woman makes a choice between personal and professional life. And women make others, who have made a different choice from their own, feel guilty. The middle name of every woman is guilt. She also reiterated her iconic statement "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women". 


Before becoming Secretary Albright, she served as the US representative to the United Nations for four years. When asked about her time at the UN, she said it is interesting to see how the international community functions. She also said that often decisions were not taken until the US participated in the discussion. In matters of intervening in other nations’ problems, US is in the position of “damned if we do, damned if we don’t”. “We are indispensable”. Because of human rights violation by leaders towards their populations, the US feels responsible to act in the interest of the people’s rights. 

(Credit: All Things Green)

Dr. Albright is known for her serious face and also her 'brooch diplomacy'. In one of her interviews, it was mentioned that the serious facade is considered gravitas for men, for women, it is just gloomy. As a woman in this world, she uses costume jewellery very effectively. The pin on her blazer reflects her mood and hence the mood of the meeting. If the slow pace of talks bothered her, the pin would have crabs or turtles. When things were going smoothly, it was balloons, butterflies and flowers. In one meeting with Yasser Arafat, her left lapel had a large wasp and he was visibly perturbed. Her collection of pins is now a museum exhibit. ( Source: Oneindia news )To our session, she wore a large multihued square slab which she said depicted the diversity and layers in India. 


During the session, one fellow who grew up in the US mentioned that she saw Secretary Albright on TV and wanted to be her. Another said that he first saw Secretary Albright on TV when she was imposing sanctions on India in 1998 after the nuclear test. Such is the varied life of a foreign policy specialist. Her story is yet another inspiration for Young India Fellows, one which is fodder for dreams that don't let you sleep.


For my previous posts about Kay Koplovitz's guest session or Young India Fellowship, click the link and scroll down http://lekhika-devu.blogspot.in/search/label/YIFP

Related articles

• Where Are The Women? (outsidethebeltway.com)
• What I Learned From Madeleine Albright (women2.com)
• What the Medal of Freedom Means to Me: Madeleine Albright (whitehouse.gov)
• Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright (charlotte-booklog.typepad.com)
• Keep Growing (wnyc.org)

History and Confusion of World Cinema

The day was dedicated to world cinema by Prof. Rashmi Doraiswamy from Academy of Third World Studies at Jamia Milia Islamia and Kaushik Bhowmik, senior vice President at Osian. Kaushik talked about the evolution of cinema while Prof. Rashmi explained German Expressionism and Soviet cinema. 

How did moving images become the feature films of today?

Kay Koplovitz : Inspiration Personified

Leadership requires authenticity. This was said by Kay Koplovitz during a guest session at YIFP today morning. Kay inspired the students by talking about her life journey. Can you imagine life without any sports on TV? She's the visionary who started sports television as we know it today by negotiating the first cable contracts  for Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the US Tennis Open and many others (from http://koplovitz.com/About.html ). She was the first woman in the world to head a cable network when she founded USA Networks in 1977. She is now a venture capitalist and motivational speaker on topics like leadership and entrepreneurship. To know more about this enchanting lady, check out the website of her media advisory and investment firm, Koplovitz & Co. http://koplovitz.com

When asked about how being a woman had affected her professional journey, she said that if you think of yourself as an equal with dignity, you are treated that way. She excelled in a sector which was completely male-dominated. When you see barriers and can't work around them, know when to move on so that your growth is not stifled. In her experience, women tend to not take credit for their achievements. E.g. A woman who was pitching a biomedical device to a roomful of VCs talked about her project, her team etc. but did not mention that she's a physician and an astronaut.

First Week at YIF: People

YIFP aims to groom a batch of 100 fellows each year. The batch of 2012-13 is an amalgamation of engineering with arts, finance and management. Not to forget that we have 3 lawyers too, out to which only one can defend us in court. Talking of defence, we have one guy with an Indian Air Force background too.

When I think of large groups of new people I've met, college comes to mind first. That was an enormous bunch with individual diversity but homogenity in academic choice. Next was Jagriti Yatra, which had 400 incredibly motivated development enthusiasts. The diversity there was amazing - people from all kinds of educational and professional backgrounds, rural and urban areas and also regional and international diversity. In contrast, YIFP has students from great educational institutions of India with hometowns ranging from Meghalaya to Kerala. Most, including me, are urban creatures though a few have strong ties to their rural backgrounds. The common thread here is that they are special. Whether a psychology graduate from Christ University or a mechanical engineer from an IIT, they stand apart from their peers in some way to "reach for the stars".

In the process of knowing who these people are, today was a milestone. We wrote a document called 'Initial Vision' for Dwight's Leadership class which was about our lives so far, what kind of leaders we want to be and strengths and weaknesses.

Learning, not just education

On one wall, there is a crow putting stones in a water-pot. On another, there's a monkey sitting on a crocodile. Where have we reached? A play-school. A Govt. play-school in rural area is called aanganwadi. We are visiting an aanganwadi at Beenjawara village in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh.

Fulfilling Half Day in a Village

Visiting a village was one of the things I wanted to do since long. Though Jagriti Yatra filled that wish to some extent, today was better. (And ya desire for a longer visit still smoulders) I'd gone to an official visit today to Katgaon village in Osmanabad district in Maharashtra. The purpose is to monitor and report on a project supported by a corporate donor. It's a small village with population of around 5000. This post is about my travels, another about the impact of the NGO which I visited will follow.

The two-day visit started in Solapur with taking a room in Hotel Surya International. The room is good except for the fact that it has no tubelight (only CFLs) and there is no ironing facility at the hotel. But my colleague opined that there are no cockroaches and the bathroom is sparkling clean so it's a great deal :P

Moving on, we reached a training centre of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), the NGO we are visiting.

Maid in India 1.0

"The ‘decimal’ is simply a dot within a number. Its position within a number determines what the number means to us. Just a shift to the right or left changes its meaning exponentially." 

Decimal Foundation, an NGO in Mumbai, cites the above as their inspiration. They serve an omnipresent and yet ignored section of society - domestic help. Do you know when was the last time your maid had a health check-up? Every woman associated with Maid in India gets free medical care every couple of months. To read more about the great work they are doing, and about my visit to their office, read on.

Tata Jagriti Yatra 2010

यारों चलो बदलने की रुत है

These lyrics by Prasoon Joshi is what Jagiriti Yatra is about. It’s a journey that spans 12 cities across the Indian mainland igniting change in 400 young men and women. It takes these participants known as yatris to meet social and business entrepreneurs who are role models in their fields. The 400 yatris for the 2010 yatra are a diverse bunch from all regions of India and 12 other countries including Germany, Ethiopia, UK, Jordan, US and Australia among others.

Not only is the diversity amazing, the things people have done are mind-blowing. In my own group, there are two IAS aspirants, one lobbyist, a doctor who’s worked with ‘Doctors Without Borders’, an environmentalist who’s been to the UN conference in Copenhagen and the Sarpanch of a village in Chattisgarh. Isn’t it just breath-taking? I’ll keep mentioning the brilliant people I meet throughout my posts. For now, let us take a look at what the yatra is about.

The yatra is centered on using enterprise-led development to develop middle India. The jury is out for a precise definition of middle India. Middle India is that class which has ambitions and potential but not resources to fulfil them. Education is limited which limits the income too. Large families and seasonal nature of employment further worsen the situation. Urban middle Indians would be the rickshaw-drivers, grade IV government employees, small shopkeepers and the like. Rural middle India would include small and marginal farmers.

Yaadein 1.0: Elections

Elections would seem a strange choice as the first topic among college memories. But, it was there in one of my first posts on this campus and the last elections just finished yesterday. Election Commission (EC) was the first activity that I took up in campus. Imagine being the second week in campus and the Chief Warden  is interviewing you at 9pm in his chamber.

यादें

कॉलेज का आखिरी साल, हर लम्हे को पूरी तरह जी लेने का जज़्बा लेकर आता है| हर कोई कहता है कि यह चार साल ज़िन्दगी के सबसे सुनहरे साल हैं, जितनी मस्ती कर सकते हो कर लो| पर यथार्थ में यही ज़िन्दगी की नींव के सबसे महत्त्वपूर्ण पत्थर भी होते हैं| चौथे साल तक भविष्य कि चिंता दस्तक देने लगती है, साथ ही दोस्तों की अहमियत महसूस होती है | इस उधेड़बुन के बीच मैं यह चिट्ठा लिख रही हूँ, कॉलेज के रंगीन दिनों पर | कुछ दोस्त विदाई ले चुके हैं, बाकीयों से बिछुड़ने का अहसास है |  पर होठों पर सदा मुस्कान लायेंगी कॉलेज कि ये यादें ........


PS: If you are a non-Hindi reader, don't worry, I won't be writing the memoir completely in Hindi :P

Driving in Jabalpur

If you appreciate chaos, you would love this. Heavy traffic, no rules whatsoever and roads with potholes. Driving a two-wheeler in Jabalpur is at times a circus where you are unknowingly one of the jokers.  I went driving for a mere 8 km today and a few peeks at the journey can tell you a lot about my daily experience:

I’m driving a bit towards the left on the road and a passenger auto decides to go left and stop right before me. No problem, with autos you can expect that they’ll turn or stop whenever and wherever they feel like. I then overtook it from the right but then somebody has to get down on the right side.