29th July...

Hi.

Its 29th of the month today, and Its always an special date for me. Not just because 29th is my birth date but also i have found lots of positivity in this figure. sort of a belief in Numerology. Most of the positive surprises have come to me on 29th of any month. It does not turn my bad work into a success but yes if I am expecting some good return on my deeds it often comes on 29th. One of them is My Salary too.

Well today is a birthday of two special people to me. Good thing is that both of them shares few common qualities.

1.Both are innovative.

2. Both have always gone beyond expectations

3. Both are a bit ahead of respective concurrent time.

One of them is Mr. J R D Tata and the other one is Mr. Bhuvan Gupta. well we all know Mr. Tata and of course some of us definitely know Bhuvan. At least those who know him once can not forget him for a lifetime.

Well I would like to talk about the 3rd quality which I have mentioned above.

Yes Bhuvan is always innovative and Ahead of the time. The difference between a normal innovator and Bhuvan types is that normal innovators think just next to the current times and special ones (Like Him) thinks a little beyond, that is why they go un-understood by others many a times.

Even I had many conflicts on many topics with Bhuvan and his approach or Ideas. But most of the time i realised the worth of his ideas later.

For Example...

1. He started a CD club in our college days, like many i didn't believe in that idea, but now I think how innovative it was. All those who could not utilized it were really unlucky.

2. When he organized "Ankit Fadia" Event. I think some of the time, the kind of Risk appetite and organizing capability he had, almost 7 years back, prior to all management education he has got.

On his birthday today, I just like to wish him success, which was never too far from him and also a future which has a bridge between his ideas and peoples expectations. I am sure its gonna make this world a better place.

Luv

VT

P.S. You can also read 'testimonial' written by me to Bhuvan on his Orkut profile.

Rains in Mumbai

Hi,

Its raining cats & dogs in Mumbai (and at times just mice and chicks too..my nomenclature for drizzling). It has rained more than what i had seen in my last 6 seasons in Delhi. (Its a fact..) In delhi monsoon is like a 'theme summer' just summer with a monsoon theme. A Lil' bit of rains between scorching sun and hot weather conditions.

I had not seen such a rains in my life exactly. When I was at Barghat during my early days, it used to rain a lot there but there were no traffic jams, power cuts or water logging at all, so rains were simply a season to enjoy and at times we could avoid schools too as a bonus.

In Bhopal I had seen some heavy rains but as I was in boarding school, so avoiding school was not an option. As the school building was at a stone through distance. More over in boarding you could not request the choicest food suiting the rainy season so rains were just another phase of life.

In Indore I haven't seen much of rains, though i have spent 4 complete and continuous years there, and if we count 'July's only then I have been in Indore 6 times during July. It simply do not rain enough, this is my observation based on my very limited exposure there.

In Mumbai it is my first rains-The best weather I must say in the island city. Because winters aren't cool and summers aren't hot here. Rains are the only honest weather here and beautiful too, if we can cut all man made problems.

Rains started in Mumbai a bit late this year around the 2nd last week of June, however since then I have not seen a direct sunshine in the city, its cloudy 24*7, and as unlike winters & summers, Mumbai is not humid or sweaty during rains.. must be some scientific reason.

It was a Sunday evening (20th Jun to be precise), when it started raining, I and Neha were getting ready for our weekend refresher 'badminton'. All dressed in sports wear and equipped with accessories. The rains gave us a naughty thought and we left our Badminton kit and picked up swimming gear (None of us know swimming..but swimming is still the loveliest sport to me.. No pun intended..). We immediately rushed to our swimming pool (We do not have a private one, its the society club house.. just to clarify.. Ok) and jumped in the pool (its only 4 feet deep).

It was simply an 'out of the world' experience for both of us to be in the pool with the first showers of the season. The memories of that day can still refresh me any time ..(just like an F5 button on our keyboard). Rains were heavy but we were not alone there. There were some 5-7 people more. What i noticed next is that all other except us were kids, their parents were there, standing with Umbrellas around and calling them back. But kids were as casual as we were.

At times i think, its a great stress buster to behave like a kid (not to talk like a kid..like some irritating girls do... i know such girls are always there in any friend Circe..). I am suggesting to act or think like a kid. remember that scene from 'Jab we met' When Shahid flushes down the photo of his ex-girlfriend and feels better to do a kiddish thing, and moreover its more refreshing to accept such acts.

So all you who are too stressed with work, please do something which you used to do in your childhood or you wished but missed to do in your childhood.

Just finishing the post with few interesting observations (All Rainy..)

1. Samosas and all similar stuffs tests better in rains then in winters... believe me, else check it out yourself.

2. Any kind of Gazal, sounds suitable when you listen it during rains ..(Kind of Gazals..??? it is a question mark for many, but those who like Gazals with a deeper attachment would appreciate it)

3. To me 'Woh Lamhe..Woh Baaten.. ' is the best rain song till now.

4. Most of the favorite rain songs are not directly related to rains.

You can revert me with your favorite rain song...

Luv

VT

2nd July...

Hi..

I am back after a lot of travel and work in last few weeks which has affected my health too, but nothing to worry everything is just right.

Well The title of the post is 2nd July and I am posting it on 13th, sounds like a mismatch. in fact it is. Actually i wanted to write it on 2nd July only but could not due to extremely tide up schedule.

2nd July is the birth date of "Neerav" and this post is dedicated to him also. On his birthday I was just recalling few interesting incidents i experienced with him. I cant say these are the best ones but yes these are the most memorable ones and therefore I am mentioning them here:

Part of life:

I remember the time when I was in 3rd year and he was in 2nd year of engineering. It was around 7 PM in evening. Neerav just left from my place ( my address was 6/4 Mahesh Nagar.. This place itself is a legend..an abode to many memories and stories..). Anyways After some time he rushed back almost huffing and puffing. (My room was at 3rd floor) and just knocked at the door. I opened and he asked me is he left his cellphone there..??

I checked and told him 'No'. He has actually not left it there. He has perhaps lost it on the way. In those days Cellphone used to be a costly assets (almost like a Laptop today) and maintain one was even more costly as till that time i remember, Incoming calls were chargeable, that too at a rate which was more that today's roaming STD call.

He was also sure that phone was not left at my place, on the way when he realised it is not with him, he returned back searching the phone on the road (on Jawahar marg ). He just came back in a little hope, may be its left at my place. May be he came back also to get some consoling comfort from me, being a senior i was expected to share some words of wisdom to him.

However i was speechless as loosing cellphone as a student and that too in those days was a great loss, and i was simply unprepared for such an accident, i was clueless that how should I console Neerav or what should I say to him (Let me confirm here that he was not crying or looking sad at all, he was balanced as usual, even i was looking more worried than him).

Still we took some moments to realise that, Yes the phone i gone and we wont get it back, police complain was still not solution. after some while i thought of telling something to Neerav but failed to say anything and my facial expressions were sufficient enough to convey anybody that how the hell clue less I was.

Suddenly Neerav came closer to me and said few golden words, which has not only made the atmosphere light but also gave me a relief. Thank god, Neerav didn't require any consolation from my side, in fact what he just told was really the pearls of wisdom, which everyone one of us always keep in our minds...

He said .."Don't Worry sir, Cellphone was just a part of life and not the heart of life."..

Results can wait:

This was an incident happened on the day when i was leaving Indore for Delhi. 18th August 2003. I had to leave by Intercity (Between Indore & Hazrat Nizamuddin-New Delhi) around 4 or 5 PM in the evening. I was leaving for my MBA with the memories of life time and Neerav & Bhuvan were in their final year.

It is said that the proof of your compassion can be seen in your funeral. It was a similar incident. I was leaving Indore for good, I mean not to come back in the same way, and i still remember the way i had received my farewell. It was an unforgettable moment. May of my friends have visited me, gifted me and most of them came to the station to drop me off. It was looking almost like a political see off where, so many people had come on the platform for one, Including all the tenants of 6/4 Mahesh Nagar.

On the same day the result of their batch (Neerav & Bhuavn's batch) has come out for there 6th semester. They both were good in studies and deserved good marks always. Somehow once in 8 semesters, results come like a shock, when toppers topple down, rankers are rammed and almost everybody has got unbelievably bad figures in their mark sheet. It happens to every batch of engineering once a while.

It was that kind of result for them. Their results used to be declared on the Internet, unlike ours. Results were upload midnight, and news were in the air that X has failed, Y has got % in 60s etc..

Bhuvan has also got very less marks then expected but he maintained the calm and didn't mix his feelings with my farewell, he was looking absolutely normal, I asked him about the results but he didn't share and told me not to discuss about it as it is not an important thing at that moment. I still Remember Bhuvan came up with a bag full of fruits which he gave me for the journey.

Neerav went one step ahead, when he came to know the results are bad for everyone, he decided not to check his, till my departure. I do not understand how I become so special for them but I definitely realised how much special I was.

Thanks to them,.. and of course Ankit & Runjhun were also there accompanying me from Mahesh Nagar to Station, we clicked some photographs there too, and when the train was leaving we funnily tried to mock DDLJ's final scene.

Anyways...

Let me wish a great life to Neerav on his birthday and wishing him all the success he deserve.

Luv

VT