An Anecdote From my Life

Jobs & Careers
23

"Memories" are the most precious gifts one can have. A single memorable (I call it Insane) outing with your beloved ones could make you happy at any phase of your life. So,"travel" is the most beautiful word for those who actually experience it.

We never imagined this insane "TRIP" that became a reality after many immediate discussions, meetings, phone conferences , 11th hour decisions and blah!! at the end of May 2013, a month when the sun was actually 'kidding' with planet Earth.

Finally, we 3 left from Pune for our so called "Project X" and all 6 BBM statuses got updated to "En-route to the land of beaches!! " (yes, you have read it right!) We had to pick up 2 of our revered friends from Sangli and the 6th BBM was a surprise even for us and he joined us from Amboli where he supposedly was with his family for an outing.

So, pages from the book of wisdom started reveling the magic and mysteries. Words are insufficient when you are actually narrating the experience of "life" you have once dreamt of. I am still "Tripping" on the illusory boat which we had sailed on the end days of summer in GOA.

To summarise it all; relied on Google maps!!; dubstep and irrevocably its god "Skrillex." We stayed nearby "Baga beach" the most hyped area and booked a resort named "Alidia" which served with great hospitality aspects like food and stay; on one of the great locations in Goa.The night started at "the Havana club" with a typical doping and drinking environment of Goa.The next few days were followed by the parties in different places of North Goa like at "Curlies", as VIPs in "Hype" , The Italian shack, "St Anthony's shack","the UV Bar","Britto's" with so called bollywood VIPs sharing the immediate next table,the authentic Goan drink "Feni." And how can I forget the the blender touch of "grey goose" and the ice cold shots of "jagermeister," morning breakfast was simple but nourishing with ham sandwich and juices,pool parties,spa and much more huh!! If you want tea in Goa then to my opinion ask for a "long island tea" instead of a green, red, black, which we favor due to diet. For an Indian crowd I would definitely call Goa as "India's Las Vegas"!!

If I go on quoting further the memories are unrealistically wild and insane. Goa is a place you can enjoy at any time of the year if you are accompanied with your loved ones. It's good to be crazy at some phases of life.

So, till the next chapter of my insomniac I would cling to my belief in "TRIP" despite no plans soon. Now, back in normal IT life with one PC, one cabin and a slogan "high performance delivered"!!

Its my first post on PaGaLGuY, hope you guys liked it.

Happy Reading and "Tripping"!!

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The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

- Marcel Proust

I always imagine a point in life where I would have the liberty to grab my backpack and travel to places unknown at will. This is because travelling never fails to inspire me and that too in a new way every time.

My freakish love affair with travelling started while I was still a kid. It was the first time that I had an opportunity to visit a hill station where one of my uncles lived. Unlike the normally crowded and over-commercialised hill stations, this was a place about which one could only dream of. The house was perched right on top of a hillock with a stream running next to it. The virgin beauty and the pristine landscapes left me awestruck. Waking up every day to the sights and sounds of the forest was incomparable and straight out of a travel book. Life is a struggle up there due to the difficult terrain and scarcity of water but people still manage to live a happy and satisfied life, which in many ways is ingenious.

Cut to present time. Delhi is one such place that never fails to inspire me. The incessant pace and the lively atmosphere is infectious and affects even the dullest of the souls. I remember discovering Delhi. Every weekend I used to zero in on a location and went exploring it. The bus rides were bumpy but provided a flavour of the heady pace at which life moves in big cities. It was as if I was a William Dalrymple criss-crossing the length and breadth of Delhi in search of the djinns of the past. While on my mission I met people and characters who changed my perception towards life and the way I chose to live it. You have to travel to experience this thrill and the huge amount of energy it generates from within. Each journey is unique and teaches something while it slowly unfolds.

Watching 'The Amazing Race' or the 'Man Versus Wild' on the tube makes me envy the people who get to travel to unknown places. It's a fantastic challenge to get up everyday and to find your backpack as the only known object around. Gets the adrenaline rushing and the thrill that it brings with it is tremendous.

And so journey after journey my love for travel only grows stronger.

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25

In the beginning, attraction makes everything come together. Then we try to understand each other. The more we get closer, the more we start to wonder. We are exposed to another person's world, their habits, their thinking and a whole new perspective of life. When it's too different from our world, it's extremely hard, not easy at all.

To be honest, things may not work out fine, it won't go the way you want, because we can't just change our principles, our vision and the values that we are raised upon so easily. Both of you will fight and quarrel to the extent that you'd want to rip each others head off, you would want to make the things right, the way you want it to be, but things won't be right. One of you has to make the change, a sacrifice, bring in tolerance and patience, when the other won't. At this point I can't say that things will be good for you. I know how much you will suffer.

We didn't change, our love didn't either, we just saw a part of each other's world that we couldn't understand.

In love we have to make sacrifices. Here's a quote.

A Compromise in a relationship is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes that they have got the biggest piece.

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26

What does a bad day in your life consist of? Is it the day when your boss finally gets hold of you, or when your girlfriend fights over everything under the sky? Is it the day you miss your home, or when your bike gets punctured leaving you stranded in the middle of a road?

I want to tell you about one such bad day of my life. I clearly remember that I had a night shift and I hate night shifts, so that's how my bad day started. When I left my apartment at about 9 pm, the weather, which was just waiting for me to leave home, made it start pouring heavily. I was caught totally unawares and within seconds I was completely soaked and was shivering. Nevertheless, I continued on my way and after reaching halfway, my bike went kaput in the rain. I somehow managed to reach my plant and spent the whole night shivering. For the entire night I was missing my home, the tea that my mother makes, and the comfort of my bed. I kept thinking about all the people who must be cozy and warm in their beds near their loved ones. I considered myself in the most painful situation anyone could be.

That night passed. After a few days, a friend called me informing me about the death of a common friend's father. I had known that his father was keeping ill but I didn't know that he had been on ventilator in a state of coma with no chance of recovery. Then my friend told me about the day this gentleman died. It was the same day when I was stuck in the rain, telling myself that nobody could be in more pain than me. When I was struggling with my wet shoes, my friend was making the decision about pulling the plug on his father.

Every other place seems dark when you are at a bright place.

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27
Ginger

The memory is hazy, it's been about two years now. But I remember enough to recount the incident. Was a kitten then, one among a litter of five. We stayed inside Champaklal building, Mumbai.

When I saw my brother come under the wheels of a reversing car when a month old, I realised kittens are unimportant around here. Two of my sisters too died later, the night before mum had found them drenched under a downpour.

So death was the first thing that came to my mind when I found myself trapped inside the bark of a tree one afternoon. My brother and I were scampering along with my mum earlier that day when we saw a bunch of children come right at us. My mother ushered that we climb up a tree, which we did, but to my horror the branch that I chose was hollow and I dropped right in.

I could hear my mother meowing outside for me. She also peered in through the opening but I could do nothing. The hole was a good three feet in depth. I meowed back and told her it was impossible for me to climb out. She asked my brother to call for help but what could the little guy do; we were both two months old.

It was dark inside the hole, smelly too. I tried jumping out several times only to land back on my rear, each time with bruises. There was little space inside so my body kept scratching the hard bark, which added to the bruises. I must've meowed for some two hours. My throat was dry and the darkness inside was unnerving me. I could sense insects crawling near me but did not feel the urge to eat them.

Finally, I heard some commotion outside the opening. Some gruff voices and movement near the tree. My mother by then had moved away though I could hear her faint cries. One more attempt to jump and I got a glimpse of some uniformed men around the tree and a parked ladder near the opening. I jumped again to reach the ladder but fell back with a bang.

Then something came down the hole. I looked up, it seemed like a thousand white bulbs shining at one go. I did not blink and the light disappeared.

The voices around me grew louder and an ear-splitting noise took over. I looked up and a big chopper was attempting to cut the branch in which I was holed up. I stayed put even while sharp wood shavings kept falling on me with the movement of the chopper. After about an hour the top part of the branch gave way and I was much closer to the opening. It was my time to soar. I gathered whatever little energy I had and leaped the highest I could. I found myself on top of the hole and I was out. Badly bruised but free.

Some do care about kittens.

Ginger

28

When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself - Earl Nightingale

How do we judge a person to be good or bad? Or do we simply agree with the most popular of the cliches, “Everyone has some good and bad in them.” How do we judge whether someone is the right person to be your spouse, or maybe a friend or even a business partner? Or maybe the question is 'do we judge others?' Maybe we need to contemplate the inner self and 'look in to the mirror'.

I was sitting in a train and was trying to enjoy my long journey that had just commenced (extra emphasis on trying). Suddenly the girl sitting in front of me, said in a very polite tone, “Excuse me, would you please exchange seats with my friend. She is in different coach.” That, followed by a long chain of PLEASEs' made it unavoidable for me to not accept the request.

What got me thinking was the way she spoke. What is the probability that she would speak to me in a similar manner if she wasn't 'asking'? What if I was the one asking her the same? The attitude of a person when you are enjoying an advantage over them is completely, in a way, unreliable.

But then ill-behaving people too, may not always be the 'evil' ones. A man who has recently lost his wife cannot be expected to act amiably, in the strict sense of the word. Someone who has just been reprimanded by his boss over a trivial matter is likely to be as agitated as an active volcano. You poke, you pay. It might as well be the case that the boss himself was heated up over a family feud.

Next is the option of self-introspection, an aspect which remains pristine throughout the lives of majority of us. He's a jerk! She's arrogant! They're not trustworthy! What are we? Do we have the honest answer to, perhaps, the most straight forward question that can be fired to us?

All that being said, it is indispensable for a person to commit a relationship or maybe a partnership with someone without knowing who they are or who they can be. Remorse is something no one wants as one of the building blocks of their life. That, conceivably, is the only reason we ought to glance at the life canvas of others.' So to say that the only judgment that we are entitled to is ours, though not incorrect, is incomplete .

To fill this incomplete blank we need to learn that life is full of experiences and through them we learn to view the world from different vantage points. We learn there is no accounting for taste and perception. We need to learn to trust and as sure is the death of every mortal being, genuine trust is always reciprocated.

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Hi All,

It's my first article for PG....I am not really sure whether I am sharing it on right place or not (in an anecdote from my life)..Please go through it patiently and do tell me your important view on it.

It's time to discuss the title of the post "Cogito Ergo Sum", it simply means "I think therefore i am." it seems to small lines but definitely it's very deep in meaning.

I firmly believe that much of our life happens between our two eyes. Go to sleep; the world vanishes.Open the eyes;there is the entire world to see. Expand knowledge; the world will enlarge for u, and for the constraint mind with ritual, prejudice, vanity etc; the world becomes a difficult place even to breath. When u fall in love; the world becomes a lovelier place (u want to see everything with love,heart). When u hate somebody; ur all emotion see d world with detestable eyes and deeds demands action.

Let me talk about winning & losing....

Win something(I) have wait for;the world shows excellent promise to u. Lose something (I) have; the world is doomed. Go to a place where (I) want to be; world is heaven. Get stuck up in a wrong place; world is hell.

When I'm d boss, I m d power. When I'm subordinate, power is bullshit. When I'm child, I want parents to understand. When I'm parent, I wish children understood me.

Basically what I want to speak is: I see myself in terms of what I can be. Doesn't matter if other judge me by what I'm. I see myself through my eyes, i see others also through my eyes. I remember what I speak, not what others speak because, at the very least, there is an "I" who is doing the thinking. Now i can simply say

" The world begins when i wake up from sleep. The world shuts when i go to sleep"

or in other words i can explain the phenomena as what u actually allowed to think yourself to go or not to go in a certain way, No one can force u, No one can convince u, until and unless it's u who want to change the way.

I hope I'm coherent with my thoughts, hopefully it may makes sense simply I want to end up with those line it's ABSOLUTELY I," I think therefore I am".

Thanks

Arpan Maheshwari :)

31

The familiar smell of the air, which once used to reside in your breath. The familiar road, the known faces of shopkeepers, the same old paint on the outside walls of the building.

But still, it all appears to be different, when you remember the people who used to walk on that road with you and who used to sit near those shops with you, used to criticize that old paint, used to breathe the same air as you.


Entering from the main gate, you notice, that the guards have changed, similar uniforms though, the receptionist has been changed, similar reception though, the environment has been changed, similar place though. You tend to search not anyone else, but you, in the midst of the crowd, which completely ignores your presence.


Heavy-hearted, you move towards the classrooms, where you were 'supposedly' were taught the lessons of life. You smile, because the chairs are same, placed one after the other, and there it is, your favorite one, third chair from left, in the second last row.

But then, a tear drops from your eye, when you realize the reality, that neither the chair, nor the class belongs to you. And more than that, those people who were there are no longer a part of your life, but you still miss them, in that unexplainable moment. Walking out of the classroom, you look back, to stare at the chair, your chair, once more, and bid it a bye.


Reaching the canteen, you sit at the corner table, with a strange feeling, that no one is going to join you today; no one is going to beat the table and sing an old song with you, not even your “used-to-be” best friend or girlfriend. Helpless, you've to finish this lunch alone, and pay the entire bill yourself, which once used to be divided equally among your group.


Gathering all emotions, you enter into your favorite teacher's cabin, assuming that you'd surprise him with your presence, for the first time ever. The way he greets you, with his wonderful smile, means a lot to you. You don't even know, from where to start, what all things to ask, what all feelings to display, and you stay silent, which never had happened in years. The small meeting ends up quickly and you're walking towards the exit.


While it used to be the best time, when you used to exit from the college, everyday for years, but surprisingly it is not the case now. The myriad of emotions, which have captured your heart, you feel nostalgic, in that one dreary moment of silence.


You wish, you'd have lived more of those years, with those classes, teachers, friends, entry-exit gates, that one crowded road, that one old building of bricks, people call college.

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32

I am quite sure that most people from the “IT background" must be familiar with this term. In fact the saying goes that your life as an IT professional is incomplete if you have not been on the bench once in your career.

The term I am talking about is “The Bench."

I became familiar or you can say accustomed with the term, immediately after completing my training. At that point the idea of being on seemed to scare the heart out of me. I guess it was the outlook of Non-IT people thinking which scared me, for whom being on bench is equivalent to your inability to do work, but it took me no time to realize that this is the outcome of your “will not do” attitude towards work .

I am not quite sure of the origin of the word and I guess IT people's saviour “Google “ has no clue from where this word came into being with context to the IT community. But, I guess the word is stuck with this cherished profession from time immemorial. This abundance of time creates two sets of people, one who see this as an opportunity to excel in whatever they want to do and others who just don't pay any heed to what people say and enjoy this time to the fullest.

In between , we deviated a bit from our discussion about the origin of the word.I, “Greek god of bench." realized that there is practicality attached in this word.I almost passed everyday through that “passage”( where I think even the gods would be made to sit and wait to meet the HR's ) and glared at the unknown faces, wondering what are they upto ,sitting here doing nothing ,as if they are in an “interval” of a movie and waiting for the movie to commence again, but ,one fine day I got a chance to sit among them and realised that the place where I was sitting is where this jargon came from and realised how different the passage looked, sitting at the other end. You almost remain lost or barely visible as if the crowd is ignoring you and dejecting you. This “bench “ word at time seemed perfect enough to remain glued from such a long time to such an industry which always insists on “Unlearn old things and relearn new things."

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33

You might be thinking why this title “Anonymous”, but do you realize ever what life we live. We have got such a huge world with numerous countries and Islands which all together makes a population of 7 billion people. But do you have that one person in your life who can completely understand you, who can devote all their life just for you and die just for you. How you will feel like when you will have that one person to unconditionally love you throughout.

I know it sounds like a dream coming true but trust me if you ever happen to find that person you will never ever cry out, your life will seem like a bed of roses. Anyways, how strange is it ? You spend whole life finding one person to love you and you can't find one, how unfair is that to mankind !!? Had been living alone for years in the boundaries of my own thoughts, never found one who could really have taken me out of those boundaries. I feel more pity when someone comes to you stays for a while gives you hope that they will take you out but at the end they leave you making those boundaries more stronger and taller which you can neither jump nor break.

The good thing about the walls(boundaries) that nobody can come inside too. So again a lesser hope to find someone for yourself. So you live an anonymous life where no one knows you.Are you living that Anonymous life too .. ??

If yes, Second Part "Anonymous 2" Read Here.. !!!

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We all have dreams. I too had one, which I still remember. I wanted the college time to last forever. College meant so many things friends, fun, frolic, hang-outs, sports, competitions, crushes, break-ups and what not. It was a part of life, teaching us more than anything else could, molding us in the best possible ways. And those were the times I was allowed to do whatever my mind wished. Wandering wherever I wanted, doing things I loved and the best thing - feeling the soul within me.

So whatever happened to that? Years passed by and college days were spent in lots of other things but more of less preparing for the academics, burning ass off to secure good grades and then hoping to end up with good placements, later realizing grades don't matter much and then again burning to secure a good one . As this was done with, a realization dawned upon me, the time for separation had come, people had to move out, in the directions their fate took them, the inevitable was about to happen, the situation was their staring at my face, asking me for insane amount of courage to get that idea into my mind, get used to it. As all good things, this too was coming to an end, an emotional, sad one.

I slowly realized that as the years passed by, I was becoming someone else. The soul within, my soul, was missing, it was lost midst the chaos around. I tried searching for it, but all that effort ended in vain. It was long gone, somewhere lost in the dust around and all I was left with was a changed me, longing for things that were not there, living in a day-dream, unable to accept the ground realities and walking around introspecting: Was this what I always wanted, was this what I dreamed off when I entered this place ?! Have I lived to the fullest?! Have I lived up-to my expectations. As I searched for answers to these questions, time was passing by, close ones were leaving, going far away, things, people were changing and so was I, with a part of me left behind in the crusades of what went by in the past and a hope for a bright future, of what lies ahead of me.

-$@r

36

" I need one more chance..I know I can do it," these were the exact words I said to my Maa when she suggested me to join a local b-school in Bangalore, which I have joined.

I finished my Engineering in June 2009. I got campus placed but the company had asked me to join in June 2010. I wanted to work for 2 years and then pursue my MBA abroad. But as I pondered deeply, MBA abroad? any can but CAT where only 1% of total students taking it up will selected for the next round was a challenge and I wanted to try it. I had tried for NIT's, couldn't get through , I got a poor rank in my State CET because I was confused whether to concentrate on AIEEE or Karnataka CET though my 12th Std grades were best. All these came to my mind and I decided to take CAT 2009 and give myself a chance to be in the elite group

I enrolled in coaching centre, started preparing and did not think of the job which I had because I didn't want to play safe. I wanted to win. Mocks started, all the 3 sections, negative marks. This went on and on in all the mocks and finally in my last Mock, I cleared the cut-off in English and DI section. I had improved and now it was all about strategy on D-day

The D-day arrived, the malware which had attacked computer systems, the negative environment surrounding CAT 2009 since it went online had a great impact on my mind and in the exam hall, I panicked.Even though I knew the methods to solve, I couldn't, it was a disaster. The results were out in January, I logged onto CAT website and there was my result - '10 percentile.' I cry rarely and that was the first time after 10 long years I cried. Not because I failed but because I panicked.

My other exams were disaster too since I had no idea as to how to approach it. All these exams and this journey was new to me. I had entered into a world which was entirely new and I knew the risks of not being successful when its tried for the first time.

My Maa was the only moral support and so were my friends who helped me come out of that shock. They knew I was blaming myself for the disaster since I thought it was my fault to swim in an ocean without getting acclamatised with it

June 2010 arrived . I joined an IT company, but my mind and heart was still in CAT, I compromised for a short period of time.

What happened next?? Did I take another attempt or multiple attempts?? How did I land up in a local b-school in Bangalore.

Read my next story.

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37

My previous article was about my beginning of a new Journey into a world which was new to me.

I started my journey in the IT world , keeping in mind that this is only a compromise and my dream to get into IIM , I need to live it daily.

The idea of going to a job, for all of us here, is financial independence. And yes it is!! You have a great deal of independence. You can spend on branded items which you craved for, since you were a teen, all of this can be realised with the money YOU earn.

But I was not interested in making money this way. I started looking back into this journey and asked myself why I need IIM or any other top b-school. Upon introspection I found the answer. I had always dreamt about having a company of my own, to be an employer and to achieve that dream I had to get into a good b-school, learn the nuances of management and find a good mentor who will help me realise my dream. I had no money to start a business on my own and this route seemed feasible.

Now I had a goal in my life and getting into a good b-school will be a milestone in that path to glory.

I started studying for CAT again but since I had very less time I had to work hard more. But the job world is different from your dream world. Here for the first time I became a victim of what is called 'office politics.' I was naive and didn't know how to handle it. Meanwhile Oct 2010 came and I took up CAT just to keep in touch with it and I had no hopes of clearing it. Results were out and I got 45 percentile. Not bad , an improvement without studying.

Meanwhile the office politics started to disturb me a lot. Also the fact, that even if I quit, it wouldn't make a difference to them, prompted me to quit my job and after 1 year in the IT world, I quit and decided to concentrate fully on my dream , a dream to become an employer.

I started studying at home for CAT and all other MBA entrance exams which are in India and prepared seriously. Exams commenced and in CAT 2011 I got '75 percentile' again improvement but not enough. The other exams I lost my mere 1 mark or 2 marks or 0.75 marks. I was getting nearer to my dream of getting into top B-school which was a milestone and which will take me to my dream of becoming an employer

Now what happened in my life? After third attempt did I give up and joined a local b-school? If not what did I do?

Read my finale story!!

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38

Continuing from my previous article.

I have attempted CAT thrice. I had no job, my friends were enjoying their weekends but still supported me, my other friends started to look down upon me. My relatives began to avoid me saying I'm unemployed. All these factors led to a discussion in my home. I said "I'm 25 ,if I clear CAT I will be joining college next year.By 28 I will be out.So give me a chance" and my Dad said, " I will provide you food till I'm earning after that it is your life." My Maa said, " You are old enough to decide what you want in life.I know you don't like the 9 t0 5 job , you want to be an employer so realise it but don't get disheartened if you don't succeed, compromise a bit and then realise it later."

I gave my heart out for CAT 2012. I studied hard, again, at home for second year. I knew no one would give me a job after taking a year break. Many said I took a great risk. But when you want to do something you love , you don't play it safe, you take a risk.

The D-day of CAT 2012 arrived, my exam went well and the result was '87.25 percentile , I was disappointed. I can never get into IIM , might be second round of IIM-K nothing further than that. But other colleges like KJ SOM and LIBA calls came through . I lost SNAP and XAT by a close margin

In these GD-PI's as expected I was asked why it took 2 years to prepare, why I left a great IT company. I realised that clearing the exam was the first step, the GD-PI were the second hurdle. I finally converted KJ SOM call. But I wasn't ready to compromise so I did not report to the college.

Many said I was arrogant, but I had other plans. I had given an exam for PGDM in journalism and cleared it, I had got a 7th All India Rank . This was one year program and I thought by studying there I could still prepare for CAT. But before joining that college I suffered from a slip disc, yet I went to that college but couldn't continue and was on bed rest for three months. Back to square one. Finally, as a last resort I had to give Karnataka PGCET where I got 6th Rank in Karnataka and got into local B-school.

I still haven't given up. I don't like this college, but I have to compromise. I will give CAT again and if I don't clear , I still won't stop dreaming about becoming an employer.With or without CAT, I have to realise my dream. And a day will come when I would have LIVED MY DREAM.

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39

The day before was one of the hottest in Delhi - 44 degrees, and today was no better. It was about 10:20am and I was on my way to Narayana (Coaching Centre). My shirt and helmet were soaked in sweat as I was waiting at the red light at the IIT flyover.

As I looked in my rear view mirror I saw a very small girl (maybe 4 yrs old) wearing a dirty, torn frock, walking bare feet on the road. I turned back to look at her directly. All the carbon and hot gases from the exhausts of the neighbouring vehicles (not from mine, I had turned off the engine :) ) were hitting her face. She was shouting out loud with her shrill voice “bhaiyya kuch khaane ko chaiye”. With all the roaring of the engines and the horns I could still hear her voice. Poor girl, walking bare feet in the scorching sun, but still shouting with all her might. I couldn't imagine how she was able to speed up her little steps to reach in front of my bike.

I just had 3 eclairs in my pocket and there was still enough time for the light to turn green. So I called her out loudly. She wasn't that far from me. I gave her those 3 eclairs, merely a matter of 3 rupees for us but not less than a delicacy for her. She didn't have words to thank me, maybe she knew none. But the smile on her face was so damn pure, at that one moment all my problems seemed so small, they just vanished and I realized how I was wasting my life sulking over petty things when people like her were facing life with a smile.

That day in Narayana there was a commotion in class because the AC's weren't working. I know it was a very very bad situation but atleast it was better than the heat on the roads outside. If everyone would've made up their mind to study, it was very much possible to study in that very room. But no one did. I feel this is the problem with all of us, we are always complaining! (See, I'm complaining about this problem rightaway! :P).

We're always complaining about things we don't have but never value the things we have. This one day made me realize that life is much bigger than our problems and we should rejoice every moment of it and try to help those who are really in a state of destitute, those without hope.

I'm not askin you to stop leading a life of luxury, just that if you can do whatever minimal for the needy then the world will definitely be a much better place. Whenever you're down & low and you feel you have all the problems in the world, think about those destitute people and ask yourself “Are my problems really that big?“ .

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"You will be relieved by evening",these are the words of a surgeon that still recite in my mind.Diagnosed with gall bladder stones that came out & stuck in connecting tube coming from liver.Sounds weird? it is.So,i reached hospital next day with strong mental makeup.Spent 3 hours anxiously for my turn in preoperative room.Operative room was more like a stadium where i laid down on pitch(bed) & huge flashlights focused on me ,waited for umpires(surgeons)but they never came(i was put to deep sleep.A sudden pain in abdomen woke me up & minutes after i was regurgitating mess on my bed.Father was shocked,but i was not(lost my cognitive ability).Minutes after,i was shifted to emergency ward.my maa was waiting for me at home,but here i'm.At midnight,lightning came down on me,pain moved beyond my threshold.I started to feel as if someone is cutting my abdomen with knife.i cried for help in front of relatives of other patients,they looked baffled.Yes,i felt i'm dying,this is the pain one gets when death comes to his door(later come to know i was suffering from severe pancreatitis,contradiction of my surgery,pancreatitis's pain is worst among diseases according to medical books).Next morning shifted to ICU,where the neighbouring patient was on ventilator(horrific scenario).Next day my parents & friendscame,who started looking at beautiful doctor who was receiving me & so i.Three days in ICU,then to ward total 7 days,not to forget,didn't consume even a drop of water,skin started peeling out due to dryness & started getting hallucinations(about waterfalls,ganga-maa).Shifted to a famous hospital of delhi,where they said they would put a tube in to my nose-intestine(i thought how i'd breathe)to feed me,not to tell how painful the procedure was,as if someone strangling my throat.15 days went,still no water,no food,confined to a room,watching birds from my window,remembering the time i ran in Delhi marathon,i tried to walk but failed,didn't have enough ATP's.3 days after i walked,supported by father & holding my bag which was storing my stomach waste.30th october 2012,myCAT day,i gave it looking at birds from window,IRMA D-Day came,i gave it with firm determination by walking on my own.On 20th day i felt glassy liquid in my mouth,taste was unforgettable.I discharged after a month stay,went final surgery 3 months after,gall bladder removed.Within 1.5 month started lifting dumbbells to challenge myself,learned 1 thing through ordeal,rise above the obstruction through mental make up,there is glowing sun above the dark clouds,you just need to change perception.My fate took 30th october 2012,but i challenge that by choosing same 30th october 2013 for CAT,where i ll beat my past.

41

It is said that 'The real power is not to make war but to prevent it'. That power is the POWER OF TOLERANCE. But frankly speaking, we do not have a morsel of tolerance in our lives and the major hindrance that cease us from being tolerant is our ego and self-esteem. The feeling of 'I will show him who I am', when someone criticises us. The question, 'why should I tolerate?'. Perhaps, you'll redeem your ego by answering the critic, but it will only cause hatred. Lack of tolerance often comes out in the form of anger. Talking about tolerance always reminds me of a high school incident of my then friend Nikhil. Nikhil had failed in his prelim exams. Two days later Vaibhav called Nikhil a failure. He criticised him for not even passing the exam. Nikhil could not tolerate this, he could not control his anger and slapped Vaibhav. Now Vaibhav was not the follower of Gandhiji & what else? A BIG FiGht! I still remember that fight had lasted for over six months. Taking a sky view of the situation, what if Vaibhav had not criticised him? Or what if Nikhil could have controlled his anger. It could have prevented the big fight. There was no option of growing hatred between them. A little more understanding and a little more tolerance is what's required to live a peaceful life.

Cutting short, just tolerate it, because anger means destruction and tolerance means peace.

42

Hi all . this is my first article so bare with some mistakes if you find any.

This is about me trying to get into a a dream b-school called IIM yet left the opportunity in hand to try it out again. I started my cat prep in my final year of college for CAT 2012. I attempted many mocks and failed to clear the cut-offs in all of them. Yet somewhere inside my head i still got the feeling i can do it in the D-Day. I took cat and the results came, I was anxious and the screen showed me 91 percentile. Not Bad for a first timer i thought, but still this was not going to get me my dream calls. So i focused on getting a shelter to continue my journey to The Great Manor House. I got a 'core' job in the campus placements, though the salary was not so good it was good for a starter. and then came a surprise, calls from IIM S, and all the new iims and an Indore call.

I was resurrected by the calls yet BLACK calls were not at my reach.

After the GD/PI process my results came , waitlisted in IIM S and a convert from six of the seven new IIMs . This is where my problem started i was not sure on what should be my next step. I waited for the Indore results which disappointed me with a reject. Many of my friends suggested me to join New IIMs while my mind was still pondering over the BLACK calls. I believed I had it in me whatever that is required to take me forward to the great b-school.

"I decided to keep looking and never settle for anything less than what I deserved". I just followed Steve jobs.

I rejected the converts (many people said I am a fool) and decided to rest my hopes on scoring a great goal against CAT by converting one of the BLACKI calls. I took shelter in a core job, which people said is valued good in Interview. So here I am starting from my shelter to continue the journey towards my dream of reaching the The Great Manor House.

"Hope is the only thing that never dies".

I rely on this eternal thing.

43

Some rejoice being born into a family of great riches while others lament being born into rags. This partial treatment of life has no specific explanation but there is something that life has given to each one of us impartially and that is 24hrs in a day.. to add some value to it lets say it has given us 86400 seconds. I am sure this change in figure would hardly appeal to most of us because we belong to the creed who has so many other things to value over time. So let me add some real “value” to this figure. Let this be preceded by Dollar.. fine So what I say now is assume that our account gets credited with 86400$ daily. By now I am sure most of us would have already landed in their wonderland imagining what they would do with that money. You are free to spend as per your wish. The only condition put forth is that the remaining money will not be carried forward to the next day. There is no need for me to further explain how each one of us would make every possible effort to use even the last penny. My dear friends, life has bestowed upon us a similar gift. Take a microscopic look and you shall find out that each sec in our life worth much more than a dollar. So now when I say this, you have 86400 precious seconds in your life's account being credited on a daily basis and it is up to you how many you utilize and how many you waste. We keep waiting for that right time to come and one day we release that the time we have been waiting for never came. When we realize this we are already bankrupted with no more time left in our life's account. We all come here with an expiry date, the irony is that we don't even know that date. So under such circumstances how can we postpone all that we want to do for our later age.. for the time when we have gathered good amount of wealth and have won the most desirable person on earth as spouse and most noble beings as children. Wake up folks to discover the beauty of this life.. follow your heart and feel the love and happiness that surrounds you. Let that child within you that has long been masked come up. The child who never cared for jargons like “what”, “who”, “when”, “where” and “why” ,who was the happiest “being” on earth and who was highly energetic as his resting mind sipped all the cosmic energies in the universe. So stop expecting the best of everything to come to you instead try and make the best of everything. Don't just sit and wait rather live each and every second of your life to the fullest, the seconds which anyhow you would never be able to store .