There is something in the silence of the night. The serenity of the moonlight, that helps to heal. Take the force of nature and regenerate your body, mind and soul.
Tag: journey
Someone Like You
You, who were the sunlight of my life in the darkest times,
Giving me warmth from the bright twinkles in your eyes and your hearty smiles!
You, who’s embrace melted my walled core and fears,
You, even someone like you has weaker sides.
You reminded me that the Sun sets and it’s night even after the brightest summer morning,
You reminded me that memories of such melting comforts can be crushing.
You, someone like you, can make and break,
And be someone else’s sun from the next day.
Forget yesterday, forget the summer’s sweet days!
You, someone like you is a boon and a curse,
Flipping someone like me between fire and ice,
You, someone like you is the one I thank and wish to forget in a single prayer,
Some haunting that makes me smile, some bliss that gives me a scare…
You, someone like you, I’m blessed to have met but will never want to meet again,
It’s someone like you that makes a fool wise,
Someone like you I pray I find and keep this time,
As my own Sun without any nights…
And someone like you, you know, will never find,
The Moon’s calming silver light to liven up your soul,
For there’s only one Moon that brings tides!
So, someone like you may be the centre of another’s universe,
But someone like you will never me mine.
Someone like me will revel in the soothing silvery nights,
Hoping for a Sun that always gives the Moon it’s light,
No eclipse,
Only the moon Playing with the sea and forests and all that’s wild,
Spreading a beautiful silver after the moonrise.
Rikshawala
I have been thinking a lot about cycle rikshawalas since coming to Delhi. They take a lot of pain to earn a meagre amount, all the while breathing in the Delhi smog deep in their lungs all day! Today, looking at a man easily 45 plus who was standing outside my office hoping to get a rider, I felt pity. I hesitated. Is it even fair to make a mid-aged man haul me? It was 9 already. The nights are cold here and it gets very dark around my office. I chose to let him haul me out of the insecurity arising as I stood in the shadowy road alone.
He did his best. On the upward slope of the road, before I could consider getting down for him, he got down as pulled the rickshaw with his arms. Downwards on the road he rode like a young boy enjoying the cold breeze on his face.
That’s when it hit me. Why should I pity anyone for a job they chose to pick? He may not have a lot of options, but of the few he did, he chose to own a cycle rickshaw.
Age doesn’t matter to him, why should I be so arrogant as to pity him? One thing I have learnt is to never pity a person for doing a job that helps in survival or , for us, seems unthinkable. I have been taught this all my life and I feel it’s important; always respect people who earn fair and square, whether through the sweat on their brows or the thoughts in their head!
Infrastructure vs The Basic Structure: How The Big and The Small Things are Connected?
In the latest joint-parliamentary meeting, the Hon. President of India clearly stated the blueprint of the new government. It is a laudable to-do list! They have covered the much needed points, especially about the Infrastructure, corruption, and black money. Infrastructure is an indispensable part of an economy, and India is leagues behind from its contemporary rivals China, Brazil, Taiwan, and South Africa. Corruption is the grass-root level of decay in India, so yes, it has to be weeded out of the system. Black money again is a big problem. It must be brought back in circulation and steps should be strictly taken against it in future. There are many more big problems like brain drain, illegal immigration, a moldy education system, messy town planning ( I think it should be a whole different department), environmental degradation, e-governance, etc.
But what about the small problems? What about the problems that we see every day and have grown so used to that we have learned to live with them? What about the problems that have direct effect on our peace of mind? Let me jot down examples to remind you.
If you are in Mumbai, you know about how dirty the railway terminals are. You would know about the nallas, the slums, Juhu beach loaded with filth, to point out a few. These are supposed to be grand and sparkling as they are in the Financial Capital and Bollywood centre of India, where thousands of people gather every day, including tourists. What does it do to our thought process? No amount hit movies or tall buildings can fix this image.
Delhi- ites know what a black and white city Delhi is, with clean and neat metros and roads in contrast with jammed and crammed, stinking market places and localities. The old and the New Delhi are two different worlds. So are CP and areas like Kamla market. What does it makes people who see the mess everyday think? No number of metro rails or even bullet trains can reduce this difference.
Bhopal, my very own city, could be an international favorite only if the town plan wasn’t messy, if BRTS was introduced AFTER widening the roads (possible only and only with a good town planning!), if the areas around the lakes, dams and heritage sites could be built in a modern standard and saved from encroachment, if only people didn’t throw garbage wherever they wanted… No amount of building malls will correct the tainted scenery.
You begin to think- this mess is the reality, and that’s how it’s going to be. Deal with it, or migrate to a foreign land.
TO ALL INDIANS. You know how many throw garbage out of the train. Simply because there is no dustbin in the coach. Why can’t we complain, or collect the mess in a bag and keep it in a corner?
You know how many spit and dirty public places even if there are dustbins.
You know how you ignore complaining to the authorities when public toilets, places are not clean. That’s because the authorities don’t care, I agree.
But can this cycle of ignorance and blame game continue? It’s like a wheel in zero gravity; spinning without moving forward, eternally in one place.
The development in Infrastructure, manufacturing industry, and in every other sector will mean NOTHING if the walls are covered in pan spit and garbage, and if the toilets stink. Can you imagine entering a world-class railway terminal with stained walls and garbage all around, with no proper services? Zero corruption level will not help if people don’t wake up and realize that clean and beautiful cities are their RIGHT and they should demand it. Visuals have a deep affect on a human’s psychology. What you see is what you believe in. You see garbage, you believe that that is the reality. Ignorance settles in, but subconsciously you want out. This leads to unsatisfied and frustrated citizens. No amount of increase in GDP and PPP will satisfy these frustrated masses. If they don’t see the development, how will they believe in it?
So what can Policy- makers do?
With a new enthusiasm and energy, they can set a special department or team for reaching the roots of this mess. It starts from the higher ups in bureaucracy. Give them targets, give them incentives, give them strict instructions to keep a check. TRAIN them as per the modern needs and international standards. As you go lower, give the workers, cleaners and other people doing odd jobs training and equipment. Make their work respectable!Good administration and effective communication is very important here. What happens is, that people with seemingly insignificant jobs like cleaning, sitting on counters, making rounds to check on others, labour jobs, etc. are not educated, trained, informed, or equipped. Even if they know what to do, no one checks if they are doing their jobs right (For an example, the general and sleeper coaches in a train is a mess. Let’s not even bring up the toilets!) As people already have no expectations, there is no strict action. The cycle thus again goes to the higher ups.
I propose that at least half the jobs regarding administration, implementation and grievances/ complaints should be given to management students. The lack of training and proper standards for government jobs recruitment at railways, ticket counters, public hospitals, various registration centers should be corrected. Proper checks must be ensured, and their performance measured. Complaints should be quickly handled.
Cleanliness, government and citizen communication, quick solutions to the problem are the basic structure of growth besides trade and economy. The newer cities should be planned with future in prospects in mind to avoid repetitions of the present problems. These are the little services that make a ‘beautiful’ economy. The policy makers should introduce reforms and policies, to make what already exists, better!
What should citizens do?
AWAKE!! Realize that the higher standards of life can be reached for the rich and the poor alike if public areas are clean and beautiful! It is your right! The standard of living rises with better hygiene, more happiness, and communication with a government that responds and helps. A beautiful house can give you peace only until you stay in. But once you step out to work or just for a stroll, it depends on your surroundings to either frustrate or invigorate. Promote environment friendly culture, use bicycles whenever possible, stop treating your cities and towns like garbage cans or washbasins or toilets, be an active citizen! If every person keeps his area of the town clean, if every municipality does its work like it should be, the day isn’t far when we will ‘feel’ India becoming a superpower instead of just reading about it in newspapers. Society is another name for tolerance, patience, and unity combined. It can either strive to move forward or starve and die.
I am going to start an awareness revolution by questioning the authorities and telling them about what I see wrong. I will take advantage of the newly formed government’s energy, and help them it in reaching the bigger goals through small steps. It won’t matter if I’m in Bhopal or outside. I will do my part. Will you?
mansi babbar (@MinutesOut) has shared a tweet with you
Focus on the result instead of the problem. Vision success, nt failure. All worries wil subdue. — MinutesOut (@MinutesOut)
Mansi_B
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Worry Makes You Fail… Almost Always!
Haven’t you constantly worried about something? Don’t u constantly worry about something? And aren’t most of those things about a future that may or may not happen? In the present world and lifestyle, you cannot avoid worrying.
Worries are thoughts. You are thinking about alternative results you may get, and the problem with us is that we create mostly the negative ones in our minds. Such negative imagination of consequences or happenings will not help you improve anything; you are only deteriorating your chances of success! Most of the time, these negative thoughts have an adverse impact. You become gloomy, fearful. And an up shooting BP is no good for health, is it?
Worrying can be constructive, however, if it doesn’t come wrapped in negativity. A worry focused on finding the SOLUTION, not visualizing the problem and its ILL CONSEQUENCES become constructive. It may actually calm your nerves!
For example, I have an exam soon. If I imagine that the questions would be out of my range of solving, its gonna be impossible to score well, I’m gonna fail, etc, then I’d be depressed. I’d give up before trying, at least somewhere in my subconscious. I wouldn’t give my hundred percent, and probably score less. BUT if I instead worry like this- the exam might be tough, I gotta start studying hard right now- the chances are that I would score better than ever. I would be confident more than nervous.
It’s all in your mind. The key to avoiding a negative scenario is to focus on the solution to the problem. Don’t go on thinking the worst and even adding the alternative ways for the worst to happen. If my little bro has not been home from his classes, he might be out his friends. The chances of being kidnapped, attacked, hurt, getting into an accident, lost, or something worst is almost zero. What I may do to stop negatively worrying about him is to give him a cell phone and be in contact!
Depression, paranoia, anxiety, panic, negativity.. they are not good for a clear mind. Without clarity, there’s no success. Without success, there’s no happiness! Some most laid-back, cool people do the same. Successful businessmen, and other people good at their jobs which looks stressful to us have learnt to work with worries while not allowing the darkness to set in their hearts (my personal example is my dad!). Look around for such people and study them!
Quit worrying destructively and worry constructively, for in the making- or breaking- is YOU!
Mansi_B
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- What is worry? (secrettruthoflife.wordpress.com)
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A Trip to the royal Rajasthan!
Everyone of the BBA 6th sem student was excited, from the moment a college trip for us was announced! Last semester would be filled beautiful memories of college, and a lot of fun! A trip to Mt.Abu- Udaipur- Chittaurgarh is ought to be an amazing experience, especially if u have your friends by your side.
So, with a lot of shopping and packing, we said bye to our families for a week and left for Chittaurgargh on the 2nd of March. The fun began. We talked, sang, and photographed every silly thing we did in the train. After almost twelve hours of journey, we mounted on a bus for Mt. Abu. The fun and frolic ended though, when the bus started. It was bouncy, noisy, and congested (especially for me because I’m not at all short) while our destination was four hours away! It was sometime later, when the first rays of the sun shone in my eyes, that I woke up to see the fascinating depths of mountains for the first time in my life… far away near the horizons, the Arravalis stood strongly, with composure of a yogi. The depths ran 3000 ft below the narrow road we were on! The bus kept crawling upwards, spiraling. The Arravalis became more and more enthralling!
As we reached to Hotel Grandiose, a string of sighs ensued. Finally, we could rest and eat something. The hotel was, as its name suggests, grand. The food was too delicious to resist a second serving! On 3rd March, officially the first day of our trip, we visited Lake Nakki. It was ten minutes away from our hotel, surrounded by shops and hotels. The first reaction when we saw the lake was- The Upper Lake of Bhopal is bigger! The parks of Bhopal are the same! It was only after some roaming around that I noticed how the lake looked more beautiful; it was due to the mountains beside it! There were more parks around, with huge fountains and a hot air balloon. One more thing that distinguished Nakki Lake from the Upper Lake was cleanliness. The place was clean. Not garbage free, but really clean! We students shopped after walking all around. I bought a very essential hat! The sun was scorching hot and there was no breeze. That was the feel of Rajasthan in the noon.
As the night approached, I had to pull out my sweater. It was as cold at night, as it was hot in the day! I made friends with my new roommates and celebrated Bini’s, my very new friends, birthday!
The next day, 4th March, was perhaps the best day of our trip! We drove to Dilwara or the Jain Temple and climbed up at the highest peak of Arravalis, Gurushikhar. When I saw Dilwara temple, there was nothing special. But when I entered inside… my eyes popped! From the ceiling to the floor, there was not a single piece of marble that was not carved alluringly. I was spellbound. Each carving was different from another, yet they blended perfectly. Every statue had different expressions and poses, but so harmonically! As if it was all a movie and the statues were the characters, every wall and pillar displayed a show. Our guide told us that the carvings in Dilwara are more beautiful than in the Taj. I concluded he wasn’t bragging. Such intricate designs can rarely be found. In addition, the temple has part of its structure dedicated to the artisans who made it, and ten statues of elephant in memory of the animals that carried the foundation stones of Dilwara all the way into the dense jungles that existed before. In how many places would you find such respect? Not in Taj, for one.
It took me fifteen minutes and some soda to snap out of the images of Dilwara still reeling in my mind. Next, we headed off for Gurushikhar, the highest point of Arravalis. It was exciting for me to sit at the back of a jeep and watch all the mountains and the snaky road running behind! There were cacti everywhere, and the mountains seem to get bigger and farther. As I hopped out of the jeep, a feeling of light-headedness dawned. I could feel some pressure inside my eardrums… damn we were 4000 ft above the sea level! This is how you feel the heights! I ran up the stairs as fast as I could to reach the top.
We first entered into Gurudutt’s temple. It was actually a cave! There, a panditji explained how the saint reached the state of enlightenment. Saint Gurudutt had meditated in the cave for a long time to attain Moksha. Almost two floors above this temple was another cave temple, and the most breathtaking view from the topmost point! There was no railing to prevent a fall, which was probable after looking below from the edge! So I maintained my balance, my palms n feet tingling with threat, and stared into the sky. There was no horizon; the mountains and the sky morphed into each other and the fog covered there trails! It was thrilling, I wished at that moment, strongly, to become an eagle and fly away! Lucky are the birds…
Our next stop was the peace park. One member of Brahmakumari talked about the rise and fall of the Golden Era of our country, and explained why should we meditate. The park was beautiful with colourful flowers, well designed bushes and creepers, and with a view of the topmost point we had just been on. Then, the bus drove us off to the Sunset Point! And what a beautiful sunset it was from the mountains! It seemed like the sun dissolved into the mountain range like a water-colour drop on canvas.
After gobbling the yummy dinner back at the hotel, we were lucky enough to have a Dj party! Everyone danced and enjoyed for more than an hour, ignoring our aching feet, and woke up late till night talking and laughing with their friends.
In morning of the 5th, we left for Udaipur via bus… the same congested bus. But this time, it was fun as we sang our way through. On our way, we stopped for an Industrial visit to a marble factory. It was a big factory, with dinosaur machinery! But I hadn’t seen anything like it before. The cut huge slabs of rock into slabs, and polish them. Sounds simple but actually takes all the sweat and time!
Udaipur was a clean city, with good roads. We stayed at the Vishnupriya Hotel, which was again a nicer place! This hotel was better in terms of decorations and guest services. Plus, we had bay windows (with a clear view of a pool; pun intended) where some students would sit all time. We saw more foreigners here than in Mt. Abu.
The places we visited in Udaipur were Saheliyon ki Bari, Pratap Smarak and Fateh Sagar Lake. Saheliyon ki bari is a beautiful park full of flowers and appealing fountains. Back in time,only the queen could enter with her friends, and no man was allowed!
The Pratap Smarak was dedicated to the great king Maharana Pratap and also his loyal horse Chetak. The emboss sculptures on brassshowed the events of the battle of Haldighati, and how the courageous king and his horse fought the Persian enemies. The statue of the king and on his horse was quite life like. Every vein was carved onto it!
Fateh Sagar Lake, once again reminded us of The Upper Lake in Bhopal, but the reflection of the mountains made the place scenic. I appreciated how clean the lake and the areas around it were, and how professionally the police squads patrolled them.
The next day was to bring some more wonderment for us, as we visited the City Palace of Udaipur! The entrance gate itself was a wonder as it could let a big, fat elephant in! It was a grand palace, with magnificent architecture. You could feel the air of sophistication! We saw the many rooms of the kings and the queens, the weapons used by Maharana Pratap, the many paintings, a Suryavanshi symbol cast from pure gold… and the best thing was (for girls) a live size, real looking portrait of the present Prince of Udaipur! Now, who wouldn’t like to see a contemporary icon?!
We had less than an hour to shop to our hearts’ desire before we left for Chittaurgarh. It was like a roadie’s task! The market outside the palace was so big and wide, filled with adorable things, that you would have to adopt the bee method of running in all directions!
We reached our next destination, The Fort of Chittaurgarh, in the burning heat of the afternoon sun. It was worth tolerating, for the fort was amazing! It stretched 13km into the hills with huge, indestructible walls. There were beautiful carvings everywhere once again! The view took me into the medieval times, as I imagined how the soldiers used to line up and fight the pitiful enemies below. I imagined the sacrifice women and Queen Padmini made back then, jumping into the fires and performing Johar in the fort, when their husbands lost to the enemy. Even after such highlights and shadows, the fort remained untouched by enemies.
There was a awe striking Shiva temple inside too. It reminded me of Dilwara, as the temple had beautiful and intricate carvings. Hundreds of them! The depiction of Shiva was also uncommon; the three moods of Shiva- happy, meditating, and angry- were cast on a rock and painted. A high monument, similar to Qutub minar, stood strongly in the fort. I found it more attractive due to the carving and statues engraved from head to toe of it! Sadly, it was time to leave, and I couldn’t go to the top.
After visiting a Rajasthani Handloom store, and shopping a little more, we left for our train back to home. All the beautiful memories and images of these mesmerizing places are engraved into our hearts, like the immortal carvings on marble! And the best realization that came to me is that, seriously, I live in ‘The Incredible India’!
MinutesOut by Mansi Babbar 