The Past

 

 

Sugandha asked Jinesh to talk her friend as she curled herself on the other side of the bed holding a pillow. 

"Let me check with her and message you" replied Jinesh as he kept the phone down. He told Sungandha that she needed the PNR of their flight tickets to cancel. 

"Its in the sms, please send it to her na". "Yeah, I will if you could unlock your phone." he said. 

She gestures to hand over the phone to her and gives it back unlocking the phone. Jinesh forwards the text to her friend as he is laying next to Sugandha as she is trying to sleep.

As he was going to keep the phone next to her, a whatsapp message pops up which caught his attention.

Scrolling through her chat messages, he wondered if he knew Sugandha at all. The night became a bit longer for the sun to rise.

They had met through a common friend a year back. Jinesh never thought he could come across someone who would make him feel complete.Sugandha too felt the same for him. They decided to take it ahead formally as they decided to be together for the rest of their lives.

They both got engaged to be married in a few months. Life could not get any better from both of them.

Sugandha's parents had gone out of town, when she fell ill. With no one to take care, Jinesh decided to be there for her.

He looked at her sleeping and found himself unbearable to deal with what he came across.

All he could think of was did he knew Sugandha at all? Planning to marry her?

Jinesh kept her phone on her side and he moved to his side of the bed. Staring at the wall, all he could think about was the chats from the past.

He kept thinking if he should confront her or not or let past remain the past...

IKEA: Yeh Tune Kya Kia

 

The year 2020 was a tough year for an end of the decade. Not that 2021 is better, but atleast we know what we are up against and in much better position to fight the pandemic, even though the struggles are also a work in progress.

Hoping everyone is doing well and praying they do well along with their families.

This tale is about the beginning of the pandemic which we thought would go away when we would usher in a lockdown. Apparently the corona virus was smarter than and we ended up playing an hide and seek game that is still going on...

Since it was a lockdown, offices were closed and work from home became a norm.

The only thing that I miss about the office is the adjustable chair. Being a tall guy, having a lever for adjusting your chair's height, pushing it back feels like heaven which I miss a lot. This is not about the chair, which again I would have loved to have one.

I have to say a home is certainly not a place to work for a tall guy where the ergonomics goes against them. If you don't believe, please do search for the average Indian height, you will know better.

The start of the lockdown I managed to do my work through my arrangements. As months passed by and duration of work getting longer, my back began to complain.

The complaint of the back was so much that I knew I needed a solution. That is getting a work desk which should take care of the problem.

This was going to be the first time experience of mine buying an furniture online. I did not knew that I would be regretting it so badly. After going through a couple of home decor sites I zeroed in on one and that was IKEA.

The purchase and delivery of the table was fine. It was when I opened the box, I realized that one of the corners of the table was chipped off.

Immediately I got in touch with their chat box support on the site and they assured me that they would take care of it. What I did not know was this was just the start of my nightmare. It all began in Oct 2020.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. I had nothing better to do than doing follow-ups to the great international brand of IKEA and keep asking when the replacement would happen. All I got was a date. Yeah I am too reminded of Sunny Deol's famous dailogue tareek pe tareek.....

I seriously wanted to be one of those guys working in the chat support system. I hope they pay nice. The beauty of the chat support system is that the employees can disconnect the chat without even providing you a resolution. On top of that there is no feedback system with regards to the interaction. Sone pe Suagha.

The email system should be replaced by postal service. Such is the world class treatment was provided by this global MNC that the only thing I would get would be a call and a date. No responses or even an acknowledgment to one's email.

The call center was no better. The only good thing was I could vent out my frustration, despair on those hapless agents who would assure of looking into it but nothing would happen. Any talk of speaking to higher ups will be met with a silence stating we cannot do that. How pathetic is the customer service? You cannot give solution nor intent to provide an escalation matrix to ensure that people in the top knows what is going around. 

The person who handles the customer service department surely needs to be given a raise. This kind of customer delight is not heard of before. May well give them an award.

Finally the month of Dec 2020 arrived, I was again assured that I would get a replacement on 31st Dec 2020 which again turned out to be a dud.

I gave it up and stopped following with this company who seems to be lost on responding to their customers and fulfilling their commitments.

2021 turned out to be a good year though. Out of the blue, in the second week of Jan 2021 got a mail from the company stating about the replacement.

Guess what they actually got it replaced. I should thank my lucky stars.

One lesson that I learned through this ordeal is never to buy furniture online. Tauba kar le humne.

I only hope this only helps others as I came across lot of other people on social media awaiting their replacement/refunds. Such kind of pathetic service was not expected from a brand like IKEA. Naam bade aur darshan chote.

Ikea yeh tune kya kia....

Tick Tok

Time is ticking and with each tick of the clock is your life too.

Such strange times that we live in. We needed a pandemic to hit the pause button of our lives to look around and smell the grass.

 Not sure if the year 2020 can be called great, but yes life did take a 360 degree turn for most of the people, turn upside down. For some made to wonder what the future holds for them.   

I will be honest enough that the beginning of the work from home was not great for me. Someone who cannot stay at home for long told you cannot move out of your home because there is a lock down.

One of the good things that happened I ended up reading books, doing other stuff and yes taking a pause from this blog. In reality was not in a good headspace to write almost about anything. 

The year was supposed to end in a different note but ended up in a different way.

Who says God does not have humor? I certainly experienced it the details of which will be revealed later if everything goes on a happy ending or maybe not...

I have come across people who have choose to live a complicated life which could have been much better if they had made the right choices. I guess trying to understand or bring sense would not make any sense since that ship has already sailed. The next best thing that one can do is hope that they move in the right direction and add meaning to their lives instead of living in a short term happiness and unhappiness in the long term. Why do anyone even want to live such a life of emptiness?

Independence means different to different people but stretching the limits of it is to test yourself or bring harm to one. I hope people realize life jhand nahi hoti but the choices one makes in their lives decides where it will take you.

The year 2021 is no different than 2020 but yes there is this hope that things will get better and we may go back to our old lives finding ourselves back in our homes, offices or wherever you thought was your life. Hope there is no regret that during this pause phase of our lives, we did not get an opportunity to have a reassess our lives, our lifestyle and yes of course health both physically and mentally.

Hope that you find your purpose of living, happiness and love that you look for.

I certainly hope that I can get back to write more on this space of mine :)

Daddy's Little Princess

Source: ispcc

Karan was sitting in the hall, his shoulders drooping elbows resting on his legs as his hands covered his face. He could hear the voices coming from inside and wanted them to stop.

It went for quiet a while, screams could be heard and then Anju his wife came out and said "You talk to her. She is not listening to me" she said.

"Let me try" Karan said and went inside. He saw his 15 year old daughter Arohi sitting near the window looking outside. Eyes swelled up and face sullen.

He walked toward her and sat down to the floor to look upwards towards her. "Beta, what happened?" he asked her which was met with a silence and indifference to his presence. "We talked about this. Remember we had a deal" Again there was no response from her end.

Sensing that she was in no mood to talk he offered to leave to which she responded "I don't want to go" still looking outside the window. "Who is talking about leaving? We are still a family and will be always. The only difference will be I will not be around much but just a phone call away. Your wish will be my command".

"Dad, I want you to live with us just like old times. Why can't we be like one happy family like we used to be? No one cares about what I want. she said as her eyes let the tears flow out.

"I know its difficult for you to understand right now but when you grow up, you will know it was in the best interest of everyone. This is not what I wanted you to go through but here we are" as he held her hands into his.

"Dad, do you still love Mom? she asked and he nodded his head in sadness. "Why don't you fight for her, make her stay?

He looked at her with a smirk smile. "Don't you think I tried hard enough? You cannot hold on to people who have choose to move on. For a relationship to work it has be from both the ends. Otherwise both end up losing".

"People grow apart but that does not changes how you feel about them. You choose to move on with your life".

"I want to live with you Dad, not her". "Arohi beta, you know I tried from my end. Don't hate your Mom for this. She is doing what she think is best for her and you. Life is not a bed of roses and situations like this makes one realize to let each other know that you love them from time to time. Maybe I was not paying attention to what was going on with her and paid for it".

"I will never stop loving her and so should you. Remember the happy times and I will be just a phone call away" he looked at her and smiled as he held on to her hands. She smiled back.

"Be a good girl now and give your Dad a hug" Karan said as he got up. "You know, you look so pretty when you smile, your face lights up" as they hugged each other.

"You will be always be your Daddy's little princess"

Book Review: Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple

Its been almost a year now that I have started reading books again. Made sure that I touched upon the writers never read or heard before. It gives a good perspective when one engages oneself in the thoughts that is put into writing. Questioning, Understanding and Differing views gives an understanding of the larger picture. 

When I decided to read this book, I had no idea what it was all about. I had heard only about the author William Dalrymple but nothing to gloat.

I have to say that I did not know that there exists different types of writers. Mostly what I have read was mostly fiction, biography, etc. but never a travel book. This was my first travel book.

India is rich in diversity, culture and so many stories to tell. Religion plays an important part in our daily lives and this book offers us a peek into the lives of people who dedicate their lives to God wholeheartedly and ask for nothing more.

It stuck me how little we know of them who are only revered during religious ceremonies. I have to say the author did a pretty good job reminding us about the hardships, dedication and ways of life to live. 

It reflects upon on the lives of nine such individuals who found their calling in God.

I could relate to the story of the Theyyam dancer having witnessed Bhuta Kola up close which is similar to it. What I did not know was the back story of these dancers that I came to know through this book.

We think we know all about religion/God but its the lives that has been touched upon have the tales to tell.

The glimpse into the life of a girl who always knew she wanted to become a monk, wandered places, learned the ways to live and it was the passing of her friend that led her to question and then on the path of Sallekhana.

It's intriguing to see the author ask them about their choices, the path they walked on and to an outsider that gives a lot of insight into their lives.

Among the nine lives, its the narrative of Manisha Ma Bhairavi, the Bauls & Tibetan monk that makes an interesting read.

I have to say that I at times find the author too excessively describing the surroundings which did made me wonder if that was needed.

Nonetheless each interaction with the nine lives makes you think the path they walked on, the road less traveled and the kind of determination and dedication shown all in the name of God.

I will recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore the facets of these lives who remain invisible to our naked eyes and come to prominence only when we need the presence of our higher calling.

Suicides

The first time when I heard someone saying “suicide” was during my class tenth, when one of my friends told me that one of our classmates had committed suicide. That guy used to sit besides me.

I wondered what prompted him to take such a drastic step even as the results were still to be declared.

The thought evaporated over the years but comes back as I read or hear about people committing suicides through the newspapers or news channel. The number of people committing suicides has gone up and some of the reasons may even baffle you.

Growing up, we are all taught the winning ways but are left alone when faced with a setback. Has the society reached to such a level that failures are simply not acceptable? As it is said “Success has many fathers, Failure has none”.

Committing Suicide is like taking the easy way out. Not facing the people who keep reminding you that you have failed, lost your job, are unemployed and other numerous taunts that becomes unbearable for some. Has the tolerance level of today’s individual’s stoop so low that they just cannot accept failure and try again?

No one can really understand the predicament of such an individual who contemplates such thoughts or is it that we never try to when they try to reach us out?

People today have become so closed-up that some of them actually think twice before they lay their bare chest open. The love between the family members, friends and others are hardly shown and are kept for occasions only. It needs to be shown everyday in forms of hugs, words and support to show that there are people who care for you so that they can reach out to them when they need the support and help.

No wonder it leaves many people stumped when they hear someone they knew commit suicide as they had never saw it coming.

Suicides by celebrities evoke the same shock as behind the glam life; one could never see the true emotions hidden behind the face. The truth is, there are always signs to see if one can observe it, an individual who thinks about taking such a drastic step often shows withdrawal symptoms which is in contrast to their personalities.

Life is all about living and not about running away when one finds themselves in troubled waters. We need to learn living through our bad times as we do in our good times.

Nothing lasts forever.

It’s just a phase which either makes you realize something you haven’t or gives you enough strength so that you can bounce back, but for that to happen one has to try.

Problems come and go, but life once gone cannot come back again.

Before taking that big step, one should think about their loved ones and what would they be put up through…

Call of the Void

I have a confession to make. I am afraid of heights.

Albeit it was not like that always. I have stood on the edge on the roof and was able to look down. It was in college when I realized I had height issues.

Strange as it sounds having a tall height and short railings would make sure that I stood a feet away instead of being on the edge.

A few years back, it took a worse hit when I visited a place where interior was taking place. Standing on the 12th floor, I was not able to look down and when I sat on a bed next to an open wall without window, railings with hardly a few distance.

As I walked towards the bed and looked outside, I had this voice in my mind prompting me to jump out of the window. As weird as it sounds I did not pay any heed to it but I did ponder on it on the back of my mind why would such a thought would come to my mind?

I had completely forgotten about until it happened again.

Strange, a voice inside your head telling you to jump and there is no coming back from it. Why would one think in such a way? Was the subconscious at play? Trying to telling something? Was it all a figment of imagination for all to begin with?

There were no answers.

Did my own sanity saved the day for me? Made me think about those people jumping from high-rise buildings, did they listened to that voice in their mind as their own and took the step...

I had confided about this to a family member. A few days ago they told me that one of their friends also experienced such an incident and apparently it has a name.

Its called "Call of the Void" or as they say in French "l’appel du vide".

Studies have been conducted to understand this phenomenon but there has not been a complete breakthrough on why the mind would say something that would end up hurting or killing yourself?

It is very normal to happen and can happen to people with no history of depression, mental illness, suicidal tendencies, etc.

If you’re among those who experience the call of the void, it’s usually nothing to worry about. It’s just one of those interesting, mildly scary, not-yet-fully-understood weird tricks of the brain that a lot of people experience (Source).

There is so much to know and so little we know. I would quote from the X-Files "The truth is out there" which pretty much sums it all.

The sad part is not everyone knows about this. Call of the void is a real thing and it would certainly help to make others aware especially those who are hearing those voices.

You may refer below links in case you want to know more:

Link 1
Link 2

Ram Bharose

"What do you mean by names don't match? I have given you my pan card and adhar card that reflects my name only. I have given them across for other KYC & account opening. What do you mean by name is not matching? No one has ever come back to me once. How can you say name is not matching?" thundered John Alex Stalin on his cellphone.

The bank executive Ram Bharose listened to John and said "I know Sir but as per the new rules put in place. Your government photo id cards full names should match. Your middle name is not matching."

"What the fuck do you mean its not matching? My middle is written in both "Alex Stalin". Are you guys blind not to see? screamed John.

"Sir, I know. Your pan card mentions John Stalin but your adhar card states John Alex Stalin. There is a middle name mismatch." said Ram Bharose.

John shook his head, his hand touching his forehead as he walked up & down the hall "Arre Ram Bharose, woh pan card ke second line ka naam mere abba ka hain na!!" 

"Sir, nahi chalta na, usse first line hona chaiye tha, jaise apka Adhar card main hain. Aap naya pan card kyu nahi banate?"

By this time John is huffing & puffing down the hall unable "Ram Bharose". "Yes Sir". "Tu ek kaam kar woh jo application hain usse aag laga de, nahi toh ek kaam kar usse fadkar dust bin main daal de. Nahi kholna mujhe koi account" he thundered.

"Sir, aap to bura..." is what John got hear as he disconnected the call.

Leela appeared hearing his screams as John's cheeks went red with rage. "That fellow says aapka middle name galat hain. Bolta hain baap ka naam missing hain"

Hearing it Leela started laughing as she sat besides John in her attempt to try and console him.

Seeing her laugh he got more enraged and said "You find this funny? You see how I teach them a lesson. I will tweet this to their CEO on twitter. Phir dekhta hu kaise middle name mismatch dekhta hain"

"Why taking so much stress? Just give him na what he wants and khatam karo. Baat ko chewing gum ke tarah kheech ke kya kar loge"

"Leela, you don't understand. Somebody has to stand to their idiotic demands. Where is it written that full name should match in all government ids? ID main photo nahi dekhta kya?

"John, do you really think you can argue with fools? Tumko lagta hain isse desh badal jayega. I am telling you, just give them what they want and leave it" All John could do was fume at her.

Two days later as John & Leela were having their cup of tea, John received a call and the voice over the other end said "Sir, Ram Bharose bola raha hu. Apne twitter main complaint...."

Leela watched his expressions changed to rage as he cringed and listened. She asked him who it was and he loudly said "Ram Bharose!!!"

Tinder, Ok Cupid...

"I am tried of this finding a wife shit. I am starting to feel that matrimonial sites have fake profiles just to lure us into joining them." complained Nikhil.

"If things go like this, then we will only get Aunties for marriage" Wasim said as both the uncles laughed.

"I have now given up on the idea of getting married, I will live a single life, travel and do whatever I want to do. Maaja ne life jiva nu.(lead a happy life)  Nikhil said into his cellphone.

"What about old age? who is going to look after you? Family family hoti hain baki sab gair hote hain (Family is family, no one else is going to look after) taunted Waism.

"You mean to say that I should get married so that there is someone to take care of me in my old age? Bas yeh reason ke liye shaadi kar lu" (So I should get married for this reason) He asked as his voice grew louder followed by silence on the other end.

"Bas yehi bolna tha??" (This what you had to say) he asked Wasim again. Again there was no reply. "Hello, so gaya kya" (Hello, have you fallen asleep) Nikhil asked.

"Sex" the other voice said. Nikhil thought he heard wrong "Kya?" (What) he countered.

"Sex. men marry for sex. Woh bhi lifetime free." (Men marry for sex as its lifetime free) Hearing this Nikhil responded "Tu bola raha hain jo bhi aadmi shaadi karte hain, woh sirf aur sirf sex ke liye karte hain!!"(You mean to say guys only get married for sex) "Arre nahi rahin. Love marriage ho toh apne choice ki. Arrange ho toh jo mila so..." (No, If its love marriage, its your choice and in arrange marriage, one has to make do with what they get)

"Abe tu kya bol raha tujhe pata bhi hain kya" (Do you even know what you are talking about) he retorted. Wasim listened to him patiently and said "Tu samjah nahi re. Woh Bipasha ka movie dailogue hain na Yeh jism pyaar karna nahi jaanta. jaanta hai toh sirf jism ki bhookh. Woh yaad aagaya tha isliye bol diya" (You are not understanding. You rememer that Bipasha's movie dailogue. The body knows no love, it knows only hunger. Remembered that hence said it)

"Lekin zindagi main ek hum rahi ki zarorat toh sabko padti hain. Yeh baat aur hain ki hum usse parivar agae badana, bacche paida karneka naam dete hain. (Everyone needs a companion. Its a different matter that we say to do it in the name of carrying family name forward, to have kids..)

"Wah babaji wah. Aaj subah subah coffee ki jagah kuch aur toh nahi mari thi na?" laughingly Nikhil asked. (You are great Babaji. Instead of coffee, you did not had anything else right?)

"Tu meri sunta nahin hain. Mera saath rahega toh shikh lega" (You never listen to me. You will learn if you stay with me) said Wasim pulling his leg.

"Toh Wasim Baba, hum dono ki iss samasya ka koi upay hain?" (So Wasim Baba, do you have any solution for our problem?)

"Kuch nahi balak. Jo pryas tum shaadi.com aur jeevansaathi main kar rahe ho, wohi tumhe tinder, bumble, ok cupid aur market main ek naya app aaya hain uss pe karna hain. Safalta zaroor tumhari gale padegi" (You just keep doing what you are doing. You know have to do the same on dating apps like tinder, bumble, ok cupid and there is a new dating app you should try. Success will come to you) Wasim said and both had a hearty laugh.

That evening Nikhil was fiddling with his phone when he remembered his conversation with Wasim. He went to the play store downloaded the app, filled his details and tried his luck on it as he swiped left & right...

P.S.; This was suppose to come a week before Valentine but its never too late.

You can also shop at Amazon below for:

Valentines Cushion Cover
Romantic Love Cards
Swarovski Crystal Neckalce Titanic Blue
RED Hoodie with White Print: Faith Hope Love
Showpiece Couple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Boss Big Boss

Radhika was watching the whole fiasco as both Manoj & Rahul were arguing in the meeting. Atul, the manager who had called up the meeting was a mute spectator.

Seeing them fight gave her headaches, she wished if there was a mute mode like on the tv remote control she could activate. She did that every time Sidharth Shukla & Asim Riaz Choudhary started their non stop verbal duels.

Back in her mind, she was wondering who was Sidharth & Asim among the two of them. Even as they were been pacified by others and in midst of it Atul would speak out which would evoke no response. 

Somehow the meeting ended and as she moved towards her desk she felt Rahul was more of a Asim as he was aaraaraar damn irritating as Salman Khan would say in Big Boss season 13. He would constantly push everyone around to get his work done and would poke endlessly to make his point.

As she sat at her desk, Jyoti grabbed a chair near her and said "Aaj toh kuch zyada hi ho gaya, Atul sirf suno suno karta rahegya" "Chhod na Asim aise hi hamesha poke karte raheta hain" Radhika replied.

"Asim"?? Jyoti said looking at her amusingly. "I am talking about Rahul". "Yes, Rahul only. He reminds me of Asim from Big Boss". 

"Big Boss??" Jyoti questioned. "You dont watch it? this season is good. I am also watching it for the first time only". She said.

"Yaha pe apne masale sulajhte nahin aur tu big boss dekhte hain, wah wah" Jyoti laughed and went away. 'Masale', that is the word that Mahira Sharma would use in the show Radhika recollected.

As she deep dived into her work, her attention was again broken by the raised voice of Rahul. She could see Rahul poking Manoj at his desk while some choose to ignore, others tried to intervene.

She looked at them wondering who they would be, had they been on Big Boss. One by one she was able to relate them to the remaining contestants Paras Chhabra, Rashami Desai, Shenaz Kaur Gill, Mahira Sharma & Arti Singh. 

Manoj had to be the Sidharth Shukla as he was the one who would always have logical answers & would be there for this team.

Happy that she was able to find her big boss within her own department, she went back to her work. 

Minutes later, her eyes went wide as she thought of herself and the character she will play on the show and who would be Big Boss?

Realization dawned on her that she would be the "camera" as she would see everything but would only show what she wanted to. That is what happens when one is second in command.

"Atul has called us both in his cabin" Rahul said to Manoj as they both walked towards it. 

Hearing it Radhika smiled and got back to her work. The mystery of Big Boss stood resolved.

P.S. You can get

Upto 70% off on Beauty Products on Amazon
Upto 70% off on Handbags on Amazon
End of season sale starting from Rs.299 on Flipkart

Book Review: Serious Men by Manu Joseph

If you have read about my last to last book review, you will understand that when one is reading books from unknown/new writers its kind of a gamble not knowing how the ride is going to be.

Till now, it has been good and it just got better with the book "Serious Men" by Manu Joseph. 

Every author has their own writing style. A way of telling the story which keeps one enthrall, engrossed in the book or might not. The writing styles also gives an insight on the intellect of the author and the undertones played by the words. This one certainly makes one think about it.

The story is about a father Ayyan Mani who along with his son plays a game in the surroundings of the BDD chawl, institute of theory & research & the society. Will his game be exposed? Will he give up before his last move or will he be on top of it?

Every story telling has a beginning, middle & end but this one stands out with a different approach that I have come across.

One of the beauty of the book is that as one reads into it, it leads you in the life of Ayyan Mani in such a subtle way that one becomes engrossed into it. 

It takes one into the world of science through its nuances that one actually forgets the main plot and wonder if they are reading about the science world. One is left wondering about making alien contact.

The author also take a dig at the casteist society of ours in a pun way that is hilarious.

I ensured that I had Google nearby to me every time I came across a word that I have never heard before. The last time I remember doing that was of me making attempts to read Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist (which I have & yet not read).

The word melancholy seems to be the author's favorite word as it has been repeated all over the book.

The book stands out in many ways wherein it appears like a puzzle to decipher the main plot of the book. One might find themselves lost if the do not read into the hints given by the author. It stands out in many ways with the approach of story telling.

The open-ended climax certainly keeps one guessing.

Looking forward to read more books by the author.

Its recommended as a must read!!

P.S: One can buy the book from Amazon on https://amzn.to/30Z35p2

Book Review: Connect The Dots: Rashmi Bansal

 

I have to admit that I am late. That too by a decade. The book was first published in 2010.

It feels like ages ago when I read the author Rashmi Bansal's first book Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. It certainly stirred a thought.

One has to wonder if the author is fan of Steve Jobs when one goes through the book titles which can be related to him. The title for this book seems to be derived from his famous speech at Stanford.

Don't we love the underdogs, when they triumph like a David taking on a Goliath?

Apparently the author also shares a fascination for them when she talks about the twenty  entrepreneurs who  were never in the first place meant to become one.

The book talks about individuals who perhaps in their quest to satiate their hunger came out in the black as they stood out for their acumen to make better of their situations/opportunities.

Be it the story of Prem Ganapathy of Dosa Plaza who came to Mumbai sustain a living but ended up building a dosa empire that has over 70 outlets in India and abroad.

There are others like him who stand out. Like Hemant Gaikwad of BVG India, R Sriman of Crossword (no longer a part of it), Chetan Maini of Reva (sold to Mahindra), Mahima Mehra of Hatthi Chaap, Krishna Reddy of Prince Dance Group & Saurabh Vyas and Gaurav Rathore's Political Edge.

It takes you on the embarkment of their journey and the problems that they had to overcome to reach where the stand today. The author ensured that she touched on the areas of these entrepreneurs wherein there journey could be captured in a holistic manner.

Like the speech of Steve Jobs, its only when you look back at their choices, grit & determination that one can connect the dots.

The book makes a wonderful read if you like reading about individuals who came on the top when the chips were down. Their passion, vision and focus did not drown them in societal norms of  walking the path of tried and tested roads.

Its worth a read for anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur from having nothing but passion and an idea to bring their dreams to reality.

 

P.S.: You can buy the book at Amazon on https://amzn.to/2tbZUhy

Riding A Motorcycle

Oh, I cannot believe that its been six years and the craze of riding a motorcycle has not died down.

As in upgrade myself to a car.

Funny right, why would one pick up a bike to ride leaving the comforts of a car? Its not as if I am driving a Harley or a Bullet (Royal Enfield).

Would you believe that I actually did not learn to ride a bike for the fun but for the need of commute?

As a kid, I used to get my hands on learning more about cars when I had one. It was pretty clear that I would own a car compared to a bike albeit it was not meant to be.

 My first brush with the bike happened in my college days, when one of my school friend decided to teach me on his father's bike. I picked up pretty quickly. That was then.

Ages later I got an opportunity to buy a second hand bike but was not simply interested. I preferred walking & traveling in BEST buses.when frequencies were on a higher end.

In the time to come, it was the need of the hour of commuting that got me thinking. I needed a ride.

Now comes the problem. It had been quite a while since I rode a bike. It was time to learn it again but how?

In the old days, it was a friend with a bike who would help but not now.

In my quest of learning a bike, roped in another friend who too was keen to ride. We almost bought a bike together. One will find driving classes for car everywhere but for a bike there was none.

It so happened that after months passed by I came across one instructor who did taught two wheeler driving lessons. The challenge was when to attend in the weekdays when one is working. I ended up getting up early in the morning traveling in the train and coming back and then leaving for office.

Learning the ropes was ok but practicing it was the key. Getting up early became a norm till it instilled enough confidence that it can be ridden on the daily Mumbai traffic on the way to work and back.

The first long distance ride happened after 9 months to Lonavala. It was fun ride with lots of memories with friends. Post that the next three years was ridden on commute from home to work and back.

The mechanics at the service center used to take a jibe asking if it was not driven around.

The year 2016 was going to change everything. One needs to have the sulemani keeda to do something out of the box.

It was my first solo ride to Nashik (330kms approx.). There were so many things running on my mind. Like what if something goes wrong? Tube tires getting punctured. Which did happened but with a twist. Every ride teaches you something about the ifs & buts & taking care of it.

Post that went on another ride of 1800 kms (longest one for me). What a ride that was.

Somehow the recent ride to Aurangabad a 350 kms distance proved a lot tougher with bad roads taking a toll on my bike & on me. Certainly an adventure where everything went wrong.

The bike reading for the year ending 2019 stands at 2.30 lac plus kms ridden of which a major part of the ride has happened in the last three years.

Have to say that the Aurangabad trip kind of made me desired of having a car which would make certain things very easy.

A bike ride is fun, you can feel the wind on your face, experience each turn in the ghats, the slopes be it uphill or down and the hair pin bends. Such experiences can never be felt on a car ride.

The downside is you cannot leave your luggage lying around on the bike. You need to keep a watch on it. Carry around your helmet as its fixated with gadgets. With a car, you can just leave your belongings behind and walk away with the essentials.

Bad roads can take a toll on you and certainly did on me. However I am not going giving up on it yet.

The option of upgrading to a new bike or car is there. It can be both too!!

What do you think it should be?

Book Review: Footprints On The Sand Of Crime

When one talks about reading books, one always goes for known authors/writers whose books are popular. It saves one from disappointments.

Then again what happens to those budding/potential writers or someone publishing a book whose name you have never heard like ever...

The beauty of reading  from these unknown writers is that they bring fresh perspective and different ways of story telling then one has been used to.

Remember the world has a population of more than a billion and each one of us has a story to tell using our own imagination, experiences and unique way of putting it out for the readers to read.

Why choose to restrict yourself to a few when you can explore around the unknown to learn more or understand better perhaps.

I decided to take the plunge with the book Making Breakthrough Innovations Happen by Porus Munshi. It did not disappoint.

For the second book, I picked up Footprints on the sand of crime by Ramakant Kulkarni. It explores the crime scene in India from the experiences of a police officer and touched upon a few criminal cases handled by him. The book was first published in 2004 and has been in reprint.

It is so ignorant of us that while we watch so many western detective/crime tv shows/web series but we hardly know anything about the Indian crime scene unless one has started watching Crime Patrol.

The book touches upon the journey of the author from joining the police force to moving up within the ranks and his encounters with the crimes taking place. 

Be it the international criminals Walcot and Danze or arresting the serial killer Raghav Raman. 

Every case has been detailed with the trail that led them to the assailant which certainly makes an interesting read.

There are some cases which makes you wonder was killing the person worth it? Be it the case of a prostitute who was living a happy married life after leaving her past behind or the murder of a women bus passenger.

The author has outlined his progress in the police force to CID. It  certainly makes it worth reading as one gets to learn more about the working of the police force.

He has expressed his distraught over re-investigations of cases or investigating one of their own. He also informs us how getting crime solved did not led to justice unless its proven in the court which can be tedious and sometimes the accused goes scot-free.

He sheds his insights into the Raj Bhavan burglary & Indira Gandhi's assassination of which he was a part of.

The book summarizes the author's journey and the insights into the select cases. The writing is also lucid which makes it easier for the readers to comprehend.

Would recommend this book if you want to learn more about the Indian crime scene.

P.s. The author has passed away almost thirteen years back.

Book Review: Making Breakthrough Innovations Happen

Have started reading books after a very long hiatus from last year and its been a mixed bag.

I ensure that the book I pick up for reading is completed. Then again there are challenges wherein I have found difficult to finish books. I literally have and had to give up on them. It happened back to back and I wondered if I lost my touch with reading.

Thankfully, I was wrong and got back in the reading mode with "Making Breakthrough Innovations Happen" by Porus Munshi, published by Collins Business.

India is known for its "Jugaad" and this book attempts to explore few of them who were in a position to make life altering changes for the organization/people they worked with.

It takes us through these case studies or should I say orbit shifting moments as the author  Porus Munshi likes to call it.

The book covers 11 personalities from different walks of life, who despite their challenges overcomes them through their sheer innovation, persistence & perseverance.

It was Govindappa Venkataswamy stubbornness to cure needless blindness that led to the creation of Aravind Eve Hospital. Known for its high quality, high volume, low-cost service delivery model all of which was learned by observing McDonald's service efficiency. It certainly makes a fascinating read if you have not heard about it.

 The Trichy police case study showed the way wherein community policing had a larger impact on combating crime and other issues. To such an extent that the crime rates dipped to the lowest as compared to the ratio of cop to people.

Similarly there are other case studies which includes Cavinkare, ITC;s E-choupal, Bosch India, Titan Edge & Surat city transformation.

The author has kept kept them light-hearted and  easy to comprehend. He has made sure not to go into the nitty-gritty and kept it simple for readers understanding.

I liked the case studies of E-choupal, Trichy community policing, Surat city transformation, Aarvind eye hospital, Su Kam & Shanta Biotech.

They show the grit & resolve of these individuals who have risen above the challenges with their innovative ways breaking the barriers of societal thoughts. Paving the way for path breaking products, processes & ideas into use.

The book makes an interesting read if you like to read about ways the Indian jugaad works.

It's certainly worth a read.

P.S. You can buy the book at Amazon on https://amzn.to/38OQrvH

Dreams Do Come True

Sudhir was taking a piss in his toilet with the door open. When a women in her mid thirties appeared in a black sari with red border, her hair open and a red big bindi on the forehead staring at him.

He turns around and there is no one. He thinks about it being weird and all and goes back to sleep.

The next night he gets woken up in middle of his sleep, seeing the women again standing in front of him, next to him sitting on top of him. This continues for a few nights.

He gets up in the middle of the night, looks around and there is nothing. It shook him so much that he dreaded to fall asleep.

His performance at work slumped, sleeping at work, low productivity to such an extent that he was told to take a few days off to get things in order.

Sudhir being an atheist, thought maybe taking a break was not a bad idea. Lying on his bed, he wondered about the women in his dreams, Was she a figment of imagination or did she really existed? He could not recall seeing her ever. Answers eluded him.

He switched off the lights of his room, hoping to catch up on his lost sleep. Though on the back of his mind the thoughts of the women in sari wont go away.

The next day people were coming in and out of his flat, as Sudhir's body was carried out into the ambulance. Police presence was there making inquires. 

Murmurs were heard that he probably passed away in his sleep. The landlord informing the police that over five years ago a women had died in a similar manner.

A colleague overheard the conversation to whom Sudhir had confided into about seeing the women. He wondered if only Sudhir had paid attention to his dreams from coming true.

Surrender: The Conclusion

Read the first part on this link

The sound of the water droplet falling on the base of the window was making its presence felt like a echo. Girish was sitting across Prasad in his cabin, when Prasad said "Mr. Kamat, as you are aware we dug the place you mentioned, we could not find the bodies as it was decomposed. We did though found belongings which helped identify their identities and corroborated it with their family members".

"Kamat Sir, why did you do it? Why come and confess after thirty years? You are in your seventies, you could have kept this as your secret and died peacefully as a good samaritan. We did a background check of yours and everyone only has good things to say about you. Why give up on all that? Prasad asked him as he looked at him trying to unravel the puzzle.

"I needed to answer myself. I am guilty of killing three people. I am sure their families must be looking for them. I needed closure and they did too". Kamat replied.

"Why kill them? They had paid for their crimes". Prasad asked him. "Not enough. When they tried to do it again." He replied "Again?" Prasad questioned. Girish replies in affirmative.

"Can you let me know what happened?". Girish took out this spectacles and moved his right hand fingers between his eyes and pressed his nose and removed them.

"Even post completing their jail term, they never got reformed. They began haunting my family. My wife, my kids and me. I did what an ordinary citizen would do, file a complaint with the police station and they would get away. Until they got to her. I knew I had to take things in my own hands now".

"My wife was a strong women, She rebuild herself from the tatters she was left with. She had been an independent women, a loving wife and a good mother. She was back into her shell, scared wondering if it was going to happen again. They almost got hold of her the other day but got saved from getting raped."

"I killed them and life has been a bliss thereafter especially my wife who recovered and died peacefully,seeing our children grown up, well settled. We were living happily in our own world and somehow found ourselves under this situation. What was I suppose to do, sit around and wait till they harm my family? I was not going to let it happen."

"One has to take matters into their own hands when the system fails to give you justice". Girish thundered. "Mr. Kamat, I can only sympathies with what you have gone through, but taking matters in your hand is certainly I wont recommend. I know the system failed you, but  that does not happen all the time." Prasad said trying to make his point.

Girish looked at him with stern eyes and said "Do you know about the infamous Priyadarshini Mattoo Case?" Prasad nodded yes. "You also must be knowing that his death sentence was converted to life sentence. Have you wondered about the girl who lost her life at the young age of 25. Don't you think she had her own aspirations? her family dreams for her. How do you think they would respond that the killer of their daughter is still alive, got married, had a child, becomes an advocate and it took 10 years to deliver justice. Numerous written complaints filed but yet the killer got away. Had the system worked, today she would have been alive instead of getting murdered and raped gruesomely".

Prasad was left speechless. He got up from his seat, moved towards Kamat and said "Sir, I know the system failed but we need to keep trying. Not everyone is a bad apple. I will have to arrest you for the crimes you committed and would be kept in jail till the court hearing comes up and gives its verdict" he said.

"You please do your job" Girish said. Prasad called out to Gaitonde to take Girish away. 

As Mr. Kamat was taken away from his cabin, Prasad looked at him wondering if justice has been truly served given the nature of the case. He moved towards the window and opened it as it stopped raining outside.

P.S. This short story is actually inspired by an old 2001 Sri Lankan movie Aswesuma story plot. I have only read about it, not seen yet it made me think...

Finally, I have some closure.

Surrender

It was raining incessantly. The old door made its creaking noise as it was pushed. The sound of the rains hitting the ground was loud enough to be heard inside the room. It was pitch dark outside as Inspector Prasad looked outside the window taking in the smell of the first rain.

"Sir. An old man wants to meets you" constable Gaitonde said. "Kay zala" (what happened?) he asked as he put his finger into his nose and starts to wiggle it.

"Me vicharla tyla pun toh sangto ki toh tumhala fakta sangel" (I asked him but he states that he will only talk to you) Gaitonde said. "Aat pathav tyla" (send him inside) Prasad chided.

Taking small steps a frail old man walks into Prasad's cabin wearing a cream shirt and trousers. Prasad signals him to have a seat as he walks back to his seat. Once seated into his chair, he look at the old man and said "Tell me, what can I do for you?"

"My name is Girish Kamat. I don't know how to say this or how will you take it but I have come here to confess". Prasad looked at his face thinking he was probably a nut case. He stretched his hands on the table and said "Sir, please don't hesitate, you can tell me. Go ahead".

He gave Prasad a pensive look and said "I have killed three people and want to surrender". Prasad looked at him and ask "When did the killings take place?

"Thirty years back". Prasad thought he heard wrong, "Sir, did you say thirty years back?". "Yes. I did" said Girish looking at him through his glasses. For a moment there was a silence as Prasad stared at Girish for a while and asked "What made you come here and confess this now?"

"My... My... wife Sudha. She passed away two days back" is all he could mutter as his eyes filled up with tears. "Sir, control. I can understand it might be a difficult phase for you. Let me see what I can do? he said.

"Gaitonde" he yelled pressing the bell ring. "Ho Saheb' (Yes Sir) he said as he entered the cabin. "You please note down everything Mr. Kamat tells you and make a note of his address and other details". "Sir, you please go with him & share the complete details with him". "Gaitonde, ekdha tujha kaam zalyawar mela bhet" (Once you are done with your report, come & meet me.).

Post an hour, Gaitonde enters Prasad's cabin as he is going through a file. "Saheb...Toh Kamat mala veda wattoh. Toh thees varsha purvi kelela khoonachi ghatna aata sangto hain. Assa kaun veda khoonachi confess karayla yeto?" (Sir, I feel thar Kamat is mad. He is talking about murders done thirty years ago and now wants to surrender!!).

"Mala mahit hain. Tyacha charana padla vathos hain. Tu bhag tyacha bolnyat kay thath hain kaha. Nahin ter tyacha parivaara bolvayla lagel" (I know, seems like a nut case. Check if there is any credibility to what he is stating or else we will call his family) Prasad said as he moved his hands behind his head and rocked his chair.


(to be continued....)

The Aurangabad Trip

It was the month of Jan 19 which happened to be the last month to be spent at my now X organization. 

Decided to take a week off coz I could and the timing couldn't get any better.

All kind of thoughts came to my mind like spending the time to get the pending house/personal chores done. To go on a solo trip within India or abroad, etc.

However I was not able to decide thanks to the work that did kept me busy till my last day. I know for someone on a notice period I was actually doing my work which left me with little time to think of how I should be spending my vacation.

As the D-day was nearing, lot of thought was put into place, distances, travel days, itinerary, expenses, etc and I was finally able to zero in onto the location of Aurangabad.

Aurangabad had been on my mind for a long time just like Murud Janjira fort. You keep hearing about the place but nowhere near to go there.

When you talk about Aurangabad, the only places that pops up is Ajanta & Ellora Caves. One might have read about them during their school days. I had the opportunity to visit those places and others and see if they are really that magnificent and serene as it was written in the books.

Now the question was how? 

Everything was put into play and the winner emerged was my bike. Yes, this going to be an another solo road trip that I would be undertaking. 

The bike needed servicing and yes new tires since the old ones worn out.

I would be staying there for five days. Aurangabad is around 350 kms away from Mumbai and an approx 7hrs ride. It was going to be a Sunday ride.

The beginning of the ride was good. Riding on the highway, watching the sun rise, passing through the ghats. Had breakfast at chai ki tapri. It was only as I got near to reach my destination, google maps decide to pull a googly on me. I realized I was lost and decided to rely on locals directions. That did got me on the track but the roads were bad, very bad.

This trip was not short of any adventure. My headlamp casing got broke from one side and it started dangling making me worried that the whole thing might come off. I found a garage nearby who did a temporary fix with the help of fewi kwik.

Still worried if it will stand through or not as I made my way into the city of Aurangabad.

 My place of staying was different this time. It was going to be a hostel. I let myself in to my bunk bed, placed my luggage into locker. Took a shower and then hit the bed to sleep. The room was pretty empty with around 10 bunk beds but there were luggage and clothes lying around.

I woke up in the evening, had my dinner outside and went to sleep again. Had a schedule planned for myself. Did not want to mess that up.

Next day woke up at 5 am, took a cold shower on a chilly morning. Revved up my bike and was putting directions to Ajanta caves when Google maps showed it was closed. Decided to go to Ellora caves instead.

Ellora Caves was a treat. The good thing was I reached early and the crowd was less. The Kaliasa temple is one not to miss. One can still see colors on a few idols making one wonder how it would have looked in its hey days. Its quite a walk to cover all the caves. Do carry water & eatables with you. The highlight of the visit was the lift given by the security guard on his two wheeler all the way to the exit point. It was a nice gesture. The visit to Ellora caves was certainly worth it.

I happen to visit Aurangzeb's tomb thereafter which was not far. One can actually wonder if he repented his actions in his last days. He wanted an open grave with no markings of him being the king. He bought his burial place from the money he earned from selling his hand made caps. However today it stands covered in marble thanks to Lord Curzon. It lies within a masjid.

Nearby, I also visited the Bhadra Maruti temple, the only one of the three temples where Hanuman is in a sleeping posture.

For Lunch I had the local delicacy Naan Khaliya. It was worth the taste.

My next stop was Daulatabad fort. The place has silver monkeys all round. It also has a minar similar to qutub minar. On top of a watch tower lies a ram shaped cannon neatly polished and worth a sight. The very unique monument would be the the bhara mata temple. The whole arena was built with granite like stone and designs different from what I have seen earlier. The disappointment was the idol which was not a statue. It looked like it was painted on and certainly did not look good. There was a Andheri passage which has its own story to tell.

The next day again was early morning ride to Ajanta caves. It was going to be a very interesting ride. It was roughly a 105 km ride but one that was going to prove challenging. The start of the ride was great. The sunrise was beautiful, it was still foggy in the air.

Had stopped for breakfast on the way as it was getting chilly cold even though I was wearing a jacket.  I don't have the habit of wearing gloves even though I carry them with me all the time. My palms got so cold that it felt as if the blood rushed out. I had to stop for the blood to rush in my palms again. Wore my gloves and let my common sense prevail.

I found Ellora caves much better than Ajanta. Only the caves that had the paintings were worth seeing. Otherwise it was pretty much the same almost every cave. When you are a solo traveller, you end up becoming camera person for other people. I ended up taking snaps of other people. Lot of foreigners visitors groups were seen here.

As I was done with my sight seeing, I was worried about getting back to my hostel. The roads were not great. In fact to call it a road itself would be wrong. There was work going on the route and it was full of gravel stones in patches which certainly is not great if you are riding a two wheeler as there is a tendency for the tyres to skid.

I  happen to skid on the gravel stone but since I was on a slow speed, no harm happened to me. One of my fog light glass got broken, the crash guard got scratched and my gear pedal got shifted on the inside.

Post getting my bike up and running, It wont move beyond the first gear. With very difficulty I moved the bike on the first gear from the gravel stone road to have it parked nearby on a safe side to resolve the issue I faced at hand.

The realization dawned that I needed help. I asked the locals nearby if there was a mechanic nearby and they said no. In fact, I will have to travel to another place to get it fixed. I decided to get a lift but that was not looking promising. A tempo decided to help me to take my bike to the place where I can get help for a price. I agreed.

Somehow they change their mind and decided to take someone else help. A two wheeler stopped and two guys helped load the bike into the tempo. Once it was inside, one of the guys asked what was the problem which I told them. The guy took a small stone hit the gear pedal from the inside and it was now on level again. Apparently the same thing had happened to him and this is how it was fixed. Now you know why 'jugaad' works in India. I thanked them as I made my way back to my ride as it was going to get dark soon.

I soon realized that one of my reflective mirror almost came off. I took out the whole thing and found a mechanic to fix it.I started again, this time speeding up as before the sun would set and it could only get worse from thereon. I got back in one piece my bike too with minor damages.

I was done with my long distance places visit. The rest of the places lied within the city to travel. My choice of transport was Ola auto. The first place of visit was Bibi ka Maqbara.

It certainly does gives you the feeling of Taj Mahal on entering the place but its certainly stands on its own. The sad state of affairs is that its not well maintained. They have toilets built inside the premises. The place itself is quiet and peaceful.

People can be so ignorant as there were coins, money thrown all over the tomb. Certainly not the way to pay respect to the dead.

Panchakki was next on the go list. One can only image the ingenious thought put behind building it. The only problem its not well maintained and yes the water gives bad odour. It certainly does not gives a good impression when you visit such places.

My last stop was a zoo and the highlight would be the tigers, who were making noises, roaming freely. It was a sight to watch them. The bonus was seeing a white tiger which is rare to find.

I had a day left and I decided to leave as I covered all the places in my itnerary. There were places that I wanted to go but could not for want of time and distance.

The hostel experience was ok. There were good amount of foreigners who were staying there. Some traveling solo, others in groups. I don't think sharing a room is meant for me. I got rudely awakened in the middle of one night by a guy saying that I am snoring (which I do but not always). Seriously who does that? I was not able to sleep there after. Hostel comes with its rules and one needs to follow that. They don't make your beds like they would in hotels. There was no room service. They served only breakfast. If you are ordering food then you have to wash your dishes too. Itne paise main Itna hi milega.

Roads of Maharashtra need some serious work to be done. They are in terrible conditions. I have seen much better roads down south on a state highway than over here. It really makes me wonder how the villagers ride the gravel roads in the night especially two wheeler's. They don't even wear helmets. One can imagine the damage that it can do...

As I look back on my trip, it has been filled up with lots of memories, adventure, experience and learning. Solo traveling has its own fun as one get to do things the way you want to, meet new people, interact with others. Having fun at your own pace.

 The travel bug has just bitten me. Let see where it takes.

P.S. Back from my trip to Aurangabad, had an impromptu trip to Matheran which again was a first time. It was not solo though but with friends.

Memories

As people passed by, Pushpa kept ranting at them. Sitting on a bus stop with her grey hair neatly tied up, wearing an old used pink white punjabi suit. She kept talking to herself as she stared back into people who looked at her.

A little girl walking down the road with her mother saw Pushpa as their eyes met. "Mummy, who is she and why is she talking to herself.?" "Beta, woh pagal hain, aise logo se durr rahena chaiye" ("she is mad and one should keep away themselves from such person"). Her mother said as she passed by Pushpa.

Pushpa heard what the mother told the child. "Pagal nahi hu main. Pagal nahin hu main" (I am not mad. I am not mad) she kept mumbling away as she felt the hurt on the inside.

The only solace she could find was in her memories, the ones where she was surrounded by people whom she called her family...

Mutual Funds Sahi Hai

I am sure everyone must have seen the ads on the television sets of "Mutual Funds Sahi Hai". It is being promoted in a big way.

With the dip in the interest rates of Fixed Deposits, the only option for a person looking to making better returns on their investments is the stock market and mutual funds.


It kind of reminded me of my days when I wanted to take the plunge into it but was unaware how to go about it. I guess it has to be about  somewhere  around 8 years back.

The first thing that I did was to get a demat & trading account opened. Since I am a bit tech savy, I played with the online platform to understand how it works before making my first purchase. Post that I did ended up buying more shares of different companies.

How did I make my purchase of shares? It all came down to gut feeling. Its a wrong way to buy stocks in this manner. One should always study the company financials, stability, opportunities for growth before making a buy. Something I started to do later on.

Even though few of the stocks I owned did made a lot of sense to me predicating their growth. The management of those companies were though not that keen to be transparent to their shareholders. I ended up burning my hands by selling them at a loss.

At that point of time, I knew of mutual funds but did not knew how it worked out so never invested back then. Now I do and so invested in a couple of them.

The only point that I disagree with the ad that it forget to mention the risks involved which a majority of people would avoid to take. Even though the last line of the ad says "Mutual funds is subject to market risk...."

Yes, it does give better returns compared to other forms of investments. The only problem is that you need to time your exit to end up with a profit. Something that most of the advisors will not talk about.

One might keep their money locked for a year or maybe three. Chances are that even after three years, there is a possibility of not getting returns or seeing your principle in negative. This will happen when the market conditions are not right to make a exit. One needs to make a note of it.

Alas, there is a sure upright trend in more people opting for mutual funds/investment in shares. I just hope they don't have a twinkle in their eyes with the offering of moon in the sky when a pit below can drag you down.

Market is all about timing. When to enter and when to exit...

P.S.I share a fascination for personal finance. In fact had a blog too, which I shut down as I did not had the time nor an idea on how to go about it. Sharing here my two cents.

Monsoon Trip

"Will you take your bike on our trip?" I asked my friend #4 "You want us to take our bikes for the trip? It will be raining". He said. Post that began a list of reason (excuses) of him not being ready enough to take his first long distance road trip.

I speak to him for the second time trying to convince him that we need bikes to wander over there or end up hiring vehicle. It all seemed in vain and we ended up buying train tickets for our trip for the four of us.

On a flashback, the trip was planned in the month of May, not the place and people accompanying. Three people were confirmed. It was to happen on the fourth weekend of June 18.

The scouting for the place began. We were certain that it was not going to be Lonavala. Over the years, it has become too crowded and certainly not worth the effort as you end up seeing more of humans than enjoy the nature.

Post the place decided, began the search for people to join in. We had a car at our disposal. All we needed was to stack up people together to get the trip going.

We got to the magic number of 7 required and then in a whoosh we dropped down to 4. Time was running out...

Back to the present. We were all set to go on a train for our trip, till I and my friend #2 started talking again about how it will be better to have bikes to travel and wander once we reach there.

I spoke to my friend #4 again for taking up the bike and finally he relented. He was going to come all padded up with gloves, riding gears.

The day was great for bike ride as it was hardly raining and yes seeing the lush green mountains and empty roads only got your adrenaline pumping. We reached around noon and took a break in the hotel.

Evening was spent in the swimming pool and in the night we explored the place around. It was fog everywhere. It just made the climate more awesome with cats & dogs pouring down.

The next day we checked out of our hotel, visited the vipassana center and yes in the midst I got my bike skills tested on a muddy patch. Post that we wandered out to a location that reminded me of Manali trip like it was seeing the snow for the first time.

The road was scenic with green cap mountains and fields, little drops drizzling from the sky. It was just awesome. It could not have been enjoyed any better than on the bikes. It certainly made the trip a memorable one.

On the way back, it was raining incessantly and yes we found the fog making it presence too. The empty roads, greenery and the rains made me wish not to leave the place. Then again its trips like this that gets you going, wanting for more and come back again to relive it.

It was a trip that was totally worth it!!