That Familiar Stranger...

Far away I see a face,

So familiar and so full of glaze.

But as time passed by it disappeared in the crowd,

“Why so?” I would think aloud.

I enquired here and I enquired there,

But no one had a moment to spare.

I was really confused

And some things weren’t clear,

But then I found that face

When I looked into the mirror.

Vada Pav- The Indian Burger

It was a beautiful Sunday evening. The sun was setting giving out beautiful red rays into the sky making the sky seem like a long beautiful red satin cape. My friends and I went shopping in Vashi. (Rather my friends did the shopping and I did window shopping!) We were so busy shopping that we didn’t realize that it was evening from noon. Now, that we were done with the shopping. (Only for now of course. For girls, they are never tired of shopping. So that is why done FOR NOW.) After we were supposedly done with the shopping hunger hit our stomachs like hurricanes hit places as they have with full force. In a similar analogy, like hurricane hit areas look devastated our faces looked devastated too with hunger.

All of us decided that we would have anything to eat from the first food stall that we see. We were starving after all. We spotted a Vada Pav stall near the Vashi Bus Depot. All the three of us bought a Vada Pav each and were eating the hot Vada Pavs and chatting away to glory.

As we were discussing about how we would spend our vacations, we saw a man- a customer to the owner of the Vada Pav stall. The man was probably in his mid 30s. I still remember his looks as I had seen him from very near. He looked pale and weak. He was wearing a blue pair of jeans and a torn shirt. He was covered in cement. From his appearance, I concluded that he worked as a laborer for the repairing of some parts of the Vashi Bus Depot. (No rocket science required!)  At that moment, one of my friends happened to see her watch to see what time it ea. The time was 8.00 p.m. It was dinner time for him. A mere Vada Pav for dinner- this symbolized poverty. But one Vada Pav, if not completely, filled his stomach that night. He left with satisfaction on his face. Since we were very hungry, we decided on having another Vada Pav each. So with that, again coming back to our original places where we stood earlier we resumed our discussion.

Just then as old couple arrived. They seemed to have been shopping for vegetables. I could make that out because their hands were full with vegetables. (Again no rocket science here either!) The man was probably in his early 60s yet he looked handsome. (Without wrinkles or dentures.) His wife was probably in her late 50s. She looked beautiful. She looked just like a yesteryear actress. They ordered for one Vada Pav only. I wondered why. Soon, my question was answered as I saw them sharing the same Vada Pav. They looked so adorable together. They with the current generation. They had made it a point to keep them updated with the fast moving world. I say that because the lady was wearing a pair of jeans and a kurti and the man was wearing a pair of baggies with a matching t-shirt. They were so romantic!

Looks like, the rose has to share its position (of being the symbol of love) with the Vada Pav. (Honestly, if roses could express their feelings they would be going green with envy.)

It is in-built in girls to chatter for no reason. We were no exception. So we continued with our chatting.

That is when a young man in his mid 20s came there. He looked very tired. He looked like if he had something to eat he would be energetic at least till he reaches home. While eating his Vada Pav, he talked to the Vada Pav stall owner. We obviously overheard. From what he said, we deduced that, he was to travel a long distance to Thane by bus before he reached home.

 Last but not the least; we had filled our stomachs to last a few hours. This was the first time that I got to learn something about the Vada Pav or the Indian Burger as people call it. I had learnt that Vada Pav was indeed special to the people of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

Just like the rose, Mumbai’s local trains also have to share their position (as the lifeline of the city) with the Vada Pav. (Someone else is going green too! WITH JEALOUSY.)

Virus....

Virus.

What does the word 'virus' bring to your mind?
This word sends jitters through my spine. There are two reasons. Firstly, the word reminds me of fever, cold, cough and various other diseases that can be caused by viruses. Secondly, that word also reminds me of the virus in the computers. Like every other teenager, I am also crazy about computers and especially the social networking sites. They are our lives as teenagers.

In the first case imagine a person with viral fever blowing his/her watering nose like he has no other job in the world and he/she looks very ill and tired. He/ She is not in a condition to do anything. In the second case, imagine life without computers or internet in the right working conditions. Either of the case is so scary to imagine, isn’t it? (Well, the second case mostly in case of teenagers.)

As the watering nose, whether you like it or not, is a part of our body; so is our mind. Our mind is a part of our inner body. Feelings like anger, jealousy, sadness, inferiority complex and other such negative thoughts and feelings are the viruses that affect our mind.

Viruses don’t emerge out of thin air. There are some agents that bring in these viruses.  These agents can be in any form. For instance, a person who is jealous of someone is destroying his own mind or if a person is short tempered he destroys things that he has to repent for a lifetime. One cannot completely blame the humans around her/him; because most of the times we are responsible for the viruses within us. Some might wonder, “How, on earth, is that possible?” But, trust me, it is very much possible. It is said that- “No one can consider you to be inferior unless you allow them to.” So never allow others to underestimates you. Even if they do underestimate you, you must have the capability to prove them wrong.

Inferiority Complex is very bad for our mental and emotional health.It can kill us internally. In the sense that, you walk talk and eat like any other person but inside you are destructing yourself. You are not alive and vibrant as you should be. You are completely broken from the inside. INFERIORITY COMPLEX KILLS YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE. If one thinks that the person who points unnecessary faults to them, then the person who is quietly listening to it is a criminal.

Next important self destructing weapon is ANGER. Anger is another virus that is spread by us; resulting in the destruction of our minds. If one has done a proper analysis of himself/ herself when they are angry, they will realize that they say things that they do not intend to say. Saying things that you are not supposed to say will lead to A BIG TIME REPENT.

A proverb that O read somewhere goes like this: TEETH ARE STRONGER THAN THE TONGUE.

I partly agree with the proverb above; in the sense that I agree that teeth are physically stronger than the tongue. When something (I would like to refer to humans and animals alike as SOMETHING) bites you then there is a mark that is left that fade away with time. And even if it does remain, it can be manipulated by cosmetic surgery in today's day. (That is, if the mark  looks really bad.)

  I agree to the fact that teeth is PHYSICALLY stronger than the tongue, but tongue is even more stronger than the teeth in terms of leaving a mark that one wouldn't forget till one's death. Tongue leaves an impression for a life time. So use your tongue properly.

The above proverb can be understood in two ways. First is the one that i mentioned above. The second one is that one can consider the tongue to be the silent, wise one who speaks only when required effectively. The teeth can be considered as the talkative, blabbering one who talks without thinking.

I am a college student. I had this subject called Business Environment. Here we had to study the internal and the external factors affecting a business. Books on Business Environment should be read continuously replacing the business to be 'you'. It is really helpful.

A Balanced Person

I wrote this when I was sitting with a friend and we decided to write a poem each.


Fate knows where you are going
But it is up to you to go there,
It is but natural that people should be knowing
That life is just as unfair.

The darkest hour
Is just before the dawn,
Wouldn't you grab this hour
And reap the corn?

To be victorious
You follow this one,
And at politeness
You will beat everyone.


There is nothing more tiring
Than worrying about an incomplete task,
If you need help from anyone
Shouldn't you just ask?

A person is fully balanced
In the true sense,
If he has good manners
Good ideas and some common sense!!!

A Talk With an Alchemist.... (Part 2)

"Then why don't you follow your dream of doing a Journalism?" he asked me. I answered, "I am scared of the unfavorable consequences that will follow." "Just a second," he said, "Hold on. What is the guarantee that the consequences will be favorable when you let others decide your fate? Some time ago I told you not to sit. By that I meant don't sit and pity yourself or be afraid of being left behind in life. Now I tell you to sit. This time I tell you to sit and listen. Listen to what your heart has to say. It won't hurt as much as you think it would to listen to your heart and land yourself up in a soup. At least, there you will be responsible for the good and the bad consequences, right?"

So, following his orders, I sat down and closed my eyes and listened to what my heart had to say. I opened my eye. The Alchemist asked, "What did your heart say to you dear?" "I answered with utmost calmness in my voice, "It said that I should do Journalism." "Then do it," he said, "What is stopping you from doing Journalism?" "The thing is sir," I said, "I am already in the middle of doing Chartered Accountancy." My face showed a very disgusting expression. "There is always a way out of every problem child. If there problems in our life then there have got to be solutions to these problems too." "I did not get you sir," I said. "Okay," he said, "Let me give you an example. Let us take your example. You think that you are in a big mess but that isn't the case.There is solution to your problem. You have not one but two solutions that you can choose from." There was a question mark on my face. He continued, "Child, the first option is that you can either do something related to Journalism after you finish with your Chartered Accountancy.The second option is that you can have writing as a hobby and pursue Chartered Accountancy as a profession.. That way you wont hurt the feelings of your dear ones and you are not sacrificing your dream too. Remember one thing: THE HAND THAT HAS WRITTEN YOUR LIFE HAS WRITTEN THE STORY OF THE UNIVERSE. SO NEVER EXPECT TO KNOW YOUR FUTURE. GOD NEVER SHOWS YOU WHAT HAPPENS IN FUTURE  AND EVEN IF HE DOES HE SHOWS IT  THAT IT CAN BE CHANGED.

"Yes sir," I said, "I will remember that." "One more thing dear," he said and paused for a few seconds. He said, "This line is a proverb and has been used in Bollywood movies in Hindi (Of course!) It goes like this: IF YOU WANT SOMETHING/ SOMEONE WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART, THE COMPLETE UNIVERSE CONSPIRES TO GET IT FOR YOU. This something includes- good or bad. So be careful when you ask for some thing. This is His law and it cannot be changed. FEAR IS MAN'S WORST ENEMY. Here. I would modify one of the well known sayings- KEEP FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER AND FEAR THE FARTHEST. Fear can kill. One last thing dear, "DESTINY PLAYS GAMES WITH US. IT IS A VERY OLD PLAYER. BUT WHEN AFTER A LOT OF HARDSHIPS YOU BEFRIEND DESTINY i.e. DESTINY IS ON YOUR SIDE , NO ONE CAN STOP YOU FROM DOING ANYTHING.                                                                                                                                                            


He gave me a divine smile. I smiled back at him. He said, "Now, sit and  think about what I said." I turned around to sit and think. When I turned around, he had disappeared.


He was indeed an alchemist. Although he had not turned lead or iron into gold. In the sense that, I had realized that to convert my heart of metal to gold I had to burn myself to gold.

At this point in life, I had decided to listen to my heart ALWAYS.

A Talk With an Alchemist.... (Part 1)

I walked and walked. I was walking on the path of my life. At one place, I stopped because I was tired. I took my chance and looked in front of me and I saw miles and miles of road stretched across. I couldn't see the end to the road. I, then, had the sudden urge to look behind and I was shocked to see my past. I could see patches of deserts at some point of the road and there were stretches of greenery at some other points on the road. After seeing all this, I got very scared. and quickly turned away from my past. I had become very discouraged because I did not what was in store for me in the future and there were constant thoughts about my past too. In all of this confusion, I had totally forgotten my present.So, I sat down in the middle of the road and started crying. I was crying very badly. "Wrong, Very Wrong," said a voice behind me.I still continued weeping. That person held his hand out his hand to me. I held his hand and got up.
I was curious to know what was wrong so I asked him, "What is wrong, sir?" He looked elderly. "The way you look at life is wrong, child," he said, "Imprint my words in your mind- LOOK AT THE PAST ONLY TO LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. YOU MUST NOT LOOK AT THE PAST EITHER TO BOAST ABOUT YOUR PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR TO GET DISCOURAGED BECAUSE IF YOUR PAST MISTAKES."
 "Okay, sir," I had said, "Thank you, sir. May I know who you are?: "I am," he said, "AN ALCHEMIST." "An alchemist, sir?" I asked. He said, "The meaning of an alchemist comes from alchemy. Alchemy is the transformation of lead or copper or iron or any other metal to gold by purifying them i.e. heating it. Though you all don't believe, it still exists. Now let us come back to your situation. Self pity or timidity or fear will never take you ahead in life. In fact, they are hindrances that obstruct you from reaching your goals or destiny." "There is a slight problem there sir," I said, "I have no idea where I am going in life. I mean that I have not yet decided My Destiny."

To this he asked, "Why?" "Well," I replied, "My parents and loved ones SUGGEST that I become a Chartered Accountant." "Okay," he said,"Then where's the problem?" "The problem is I want to do Journalism instead." THE ALCHEMIST had a positive aura around him. I could feel the positivity and I had a good feeling when he was around so I shared everything with him.