A Phenomenon Called Gmail

So how do I put it? What was it that struck me? Was I surprised? Or Was there a sense of disbelief when I received that phone call. It was a bright sunny morning and I was just getting ready for a day’s hard work in my cosy cubicle, browsing some customary “Good Morning” and “Have a Nice Day” e-mails, doing the needful by forwarding few to the hallowed spammers expecting to get some meaningful mails in return and sipping what I often regard as the most talked about and discussed beverage of all time, Coffee, when my cell phone rang. It was a landline number, certainly not in my phonebook. As a general protocol for these situations I tend to ignore such calls, thereby depriving myself of an opportunity to make new-friends-for-latest-gossips, or even an opportunity to unfold my future, or even buy a fancy property in some far far away land, and more recently an opportunity to do my MBA from some Top Management Institute of North India. Instead of following the aforementioned protocol I decided to attend the call this time.

It was the naughtiest of voice exuding energy. “Hello Sunny Dadda” were the first few words and were just enough to recognize who it was; Monu, my eight years old cousin was on the other side of the line. Now, I have always found it easier to strike a conversation with kids than I do it with adults and with Monu it just gets a bit more easier.

“Hello Sunny Dadda”, that’s how he started and without even waiting for me to respond he continued and said  “I have created a Gmail account and from now on I expect you to mail me daily”. Finally getting an opportunity to speak I assured him that I would be doing the same (which unfortunately I haven’t been doing) and then asked him how he is, how is everyone else, studies, cricket, Chikki and Shivansh (my other two cousins) and other umpteen things. He told me about everything and then said that he would talk to me later as he had to finish his homework.

As I hung up my mind raced back to the start of the conversation “A Gmail Account”. There was a feeling of amazement over the fact of an eight year old kid having a Gmail account, although the very fact made me happy. If I remember correctly it was only in the first year of my college that I started using computers on a regular basis. Late Mr. Orkut was a new buzzword at that time and Gmail had an aura of exclusivity attached to its name. The reason being it wasn’t open to all. Anyone who wanted to be a part of this esoteric community required an invitation from another person, and there was also a limitation on the number of invitations that a person could send. I somehow managed to receive an invitation from a friend of mine and finally created a Gmail Account. Although I had a Yahoo as well as a Rediff account earlier, but being a part of an exclusive Gmail community filled me with a sense of pride. It was indeed the start of a journey. One thing that separated Gmail from Yahoo, Rediff or any other webmail was the feature of a chat enabled mail box, wherein one can check his/her e-mail as well as chat at the same time without requiring an additional messenger for the same. Apart from that, Gmail has always been commercial free giving it a much refined look. With the addition of more user friendly features, today Gmail has become almost everyone’s favourite.

For yours truly Gmail has always been a trusted companion acting as a bridge connecting him to all his near and dear ones. Wherever I went, in whichever part of the country I had Gmail. Perhaps, there have been an umpteen number of indelible memories associated with Gmail, some good, some bad but all worth remembering.

As I see it today, the exclusivity is no more intact, there is no sense of achievement or pride in having a Gmail account, but the Google Mail has indeed taken over the masses with the tag of being the most user friendly web based email service.

As far as I am concerned my enchanting journey of Gmail continues and now I have two more people, Monu and Chikki, to accompany me in this journey. May they have their best of the times using this superior e-mail service!

Rio & Jewel !

The inspiration that I had for this poem came from two lovely birds, Rio and Jewel, from the recent movie Rio. The movie was infact my first 3-D experience and it turned out to be a great one. The beginning was so colorful, the vibrancy, the charm, breathtaking sights of picturesque Rio de Janeiro, the lively Brazilian samba, everything was just mesmerizing and captivating and kept me glued to my seat from the beginning till the end. The only thought that came to my mind when I left the theater was "If I were your Rio and you were my Jewel..." and what followed next goes like this :

If I were your Rio and you were my Jewel,

We could fly high, up above the sky,

Witness the clouds swell, and the nature just revel,

Feel the soothing breeze, putting everything at ease,

Watch the giant sun, spreading colours of fun,

Feel the lovely moon, wishing night to not end so soon,

Dive into the seas, feel the waters that freeze,

Listen the trees rustle, forgetting times we had a tussle,

Climb the lofty mountains, and capture the loveliest of fountains,

Fly into an alien land, as wonderful and mystique as Peter Pan’s Neverland,

Lovely, indeed, it would be, with you by my side,

Happy, indeed, I would be, when together we take a stride,

Bright, cheerful, happy and everything would seem so well,

Only If I were your Rio and you indeed my Jewel.

100 days

Well the name of this post reminds me of the riveting Bollywood thriller starring Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Da and also one of its songs which till date serves as a classic cliché for all of us “Gabbar Singh Yeh Kehkar Gaya....Jo Dar Gaya So Mar Gaya”. True Indeed !

But to be honest this post bears no resemblance to the aforementioned movie or even the song, though I wish I had that magical ability to conjure up such thrilling scripts catching the imagination of my dear readers. Without digressing any more, 100 days here refers to the longest hiatus in my blogging history. A time span even longer than the duration between two Aamir Khan movies !!  Errr, a matter of concern or a thing to pride ??

Well to be frank I only wish those 100 days were just as thrilling as the movie itself, or even if not thrilling, then indeed not as prosaic as they have been. Monotony is what filled up that vast space frame with splashes of excitement and celebrations filling up the voids. If it was the Office-Home-Office-Home schedule that formed the monotony part, then it was the 31^st December celebrations, the regular departmental parties, the occasional visit by a dear friend of mine, the sporting month of February, the eventful month of March with Holi celebrations back home and those never-ending-ever-so-wonderful conversations with the dearest friend of mine that added some colours to the otherwise grey canvas of life.

How many times did I introspect as to what I was and what I am now in the past 100 days. A different person all together or the same person responding differently to different situations. Well the later seems more befitting.  Perhaps, there also have been many worthwhile lessons to learn in the past 100 days, the prominent of them being to have control over my emotions, to letting things go when they are not worth it, to believing in only what your eyes see, to always being honest to yourself and going hammer and tong for things that I believe deserves all that I can give.

Now to venture into the finer details of the events of past few months let’s start from the start.

January, 2011 the month when my frustration level peaked to its maximum owing to the tedious nature of work which plagued my daily schedule. As I retrospect today I believe it was that particular period that helped me to realize the importance of learning from scratch, deriving something from nothing and understanding the importance of believing in yourself.

Then came February, 2011 the month which saw the cricketing giants battling it out for the “Cup that Counts”. From pre-match cricket shows featuring the ebullient Siddhu, the fluent Harsha and the effervescent Sourav Ganguly to selecting players for my Fantasy League Team, the World Cup turned out to be the best thing to happen and I enjoyed every bit of it.

February was followed by the month of March, the month which certainly brought with it some moments that will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life. There were moments of discomfort, moments of anger, moments of regret, moments of relief, moments of excitement, moments of disbelief, moments of silence, moments of playfulness, moments of happiness and umpteen other moments that indeed made March a month to remember.

Well, the month of April is only in its incipient stage and we have already witnessed the biggest spectacle of our lives, Team India becoming the “World Champions” in Cricket. I just hope that the days to come would be just as exciting as the days gone-by.

For the time being just rejoice in the Glory of Team India !!

Adios !! 

Laughter :)

Reading has always been in my list of favorite "To-do" activities. Perhaps, it feeds my brain, nourishes it providing food for thought. Now, going by my current state of affairs, when monotony has taken a center stage, overpowering every bit of enthusiasm, I find no other thing or person coming to my rescue except my cherished hobby of reading. The motley collection of text that I have read in the past few days, thanks to the EIL library, has indeed been refreshing, offering some respite from the insipid nature of work with which I have been associated for past 2 weeks. 

Now, it was yesterday when I read a piece of article on "Laughter" and found it deserving enough to get a place in my Space. Here's an excerpt from that article-

"Laughter is needed for you to exist. It has to be understood....there are three types of laughter. The first is when you laugh at someone else. This is the meanest, the lowest, the most ordinary and vulgar when you laugh at the expense of somebody else. Deep down this laughter there is always a feeling of revenge.

The second type of laughter is when you laugh at yourself. This is worth achieving. This is cultured. And this man is valuable who can laugh at himself. He has risen above everything. He has risen above lowly instincts- hatred, aggression, violence.

And the third is the last-the highest. This is not about anybody- neither the other nor oneself. The third is just Cosmic. You laugh at the situation as it is. The whole situation, as it is, is absurd- no purpose in the future, no beginning in the beginning. The whole situation of existence is such that if you can see the Whole-such a great infinite vastness moving towards no fixed purpose, no goal- laughter will arise. So much is going on without leading anywhere, nobody is there in the past to create it; nobody is there in the end to finish it."

I don't remember what kind of thoughts went through my mind after reading the above article, but what flashed before my eyes were the past 2 weeks. What followed next was "Laughter". COSMIC  it was, I reckon !!

20 minutes !

It's cold here in Delhi. The mercury is dipping, the days have become shorter and the nights even longer. One thing that I really like about these wintry nights is the silence that they bring with them. On a chilly winter night, the warmth of the quilt and a cup of tea, perhaps have been my perfect companions since childhood. As I introspect today I find nothing has changed. The winter is still the same, the silence is still profound, the quilt continues to shed its warmth, the tea continues to make my nights merrier but one phenomena that has become an essential part of my sojourn is "Solitude". I experience it every now and then, whether I am on a crowded street or on a deserted road, disregarding all notions of space and time, it just grips me up.

Recollecting one such evening when I was on my way back home, after a day of mindless and meaningless activities at work, where 9 hours seems like eternity, I decided to get down from the bus at the penultimate stop and a take a stroll back to my house. The weather was pleasant, dusk making way for the night to spread its cover. The streets were crowded hustling and bustling with people, draped in their winter attire, oblivious of their surroundings, some deeply engrossed in their own thoughts, some chatting with their friends while others lost in their world of cell phone. The street lights entrusted with the responsibility of dazzling the roads with bright light were in full charge. The shops along the roadside were drenched in white light. Everything seemed perfect. Even Delhi's traffic, which I have always found "pathetic", seemed to be oozing along, the buses speeding away, making way for the lighter vehicles. Everything seemed to compliment each other. Amidst all these invigorating sights, the sight of a flock of birds on their way back home, was indeed liberating. I felt happy. I felt relaxed. I experienced solitude. 20 minutes of walk gave me something to cherish, something to forget,  indeed a bouquet full of colorful moments !!

Random Musings

It was sometimes back when I heard a quote saying “Bad Memory can be a good thing”. For all the conventional thinkers the quote might seem unreasonable or unjustifiable for the matter of fact, but to me it appealed a lot. Recall the instances when you had a terrible fight with a loved one of yours or a case when you experienced pain of some sort or recollect the instances when you failed at something and felt the pang of disappointment in your heart. Well, I reckon not many would choose to remember all that. On the contrary, the adversaries of my expositions would argue that in reality those are the instances when we as humans learn the real lessons preparing ourselves for the hardships of this so called journey of life; without any questions I agree with them too. Memories are indeed an effective catalyst, having the power to alter ones behavior at the blink of an eye.

But what if you get a chance to erase some memories or say people from your memories?? Indeed, a far-fetched idea!! It was last night when I happened to watch a strange movie with a concept, so alien, that provoked me to come up with this blog. “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind”, the name of the movie with a plot wherein the protagonist, in order to free herself from the bonding of the sour relationship with her beau ends up erasing the person from her memory with the help of some advanced medical technology. The beau on facing the harsh reality goes on to do the same, until he realizes in his dreams what actually he was doing was nothing but foolishness. “Impulsive” is the word that defined the action of two characters. Though in any case the concept of the movie moved me to an extent to question myself “Would I really like to delete few memories from my brain??” and the answer that came out was a loud “NO”. Memories are, undoubtedly, the single most effective source of motivation for me. Remembering a certain someone trying to squeeze lemon over sliced onions is enough to bring a bright smile to my face.

But what if such an advanced medical technology really comes into being?? Would it really help people solve relationship problems, just as it was projected in the movie?? Won’t the action be called an act of intentional brain damage?? Wouldn’t deleting the harsh times undermine the sweetness of the sweetest memories?? The questions are just as fanciful as the whole concept is, nevertheless, it is worth questioning yourself “Would I really like to delete few memories from my brain??” Just ponder over it.

Memories, good or bad, are indeed powerful, so just cherish them always!!

P.S. - Happy Valentine’s Day To All of You !!

P.P.S. –To my friend with so called “Chinese Origin” A Very Happy Chinese New Year to You !!

Eccentric

I wonder sometimes what have I made of myself, a distraught writer blabbering every now and then or an enthusiastic gamer whining every time on losing a FIFA match or a cynical urchin dabbling aimlessly in search of an aim or a worthy opponent defeating his inner-self each and every day of his erratic life or an anxious Romeo who is missing his Juliet a lot. “Eccentric” is the word that sums up all those aforementioned avatars. Entropy of a system always increases, that’s what I was taught a few years back, but this sudden surge of entropy in my system seems to have taken me aback. I am propelling myself forward with every possible force, searching for some motivation from everything and everyone around me, sometimes smiling smugly at the glories of the past, often admiring the beautiful uncertainty of the present and more often cursing the unpredictability of the future.

I remember in my first year at IIT-R a certain Miss. Bubbly from the Humanities Department came to our class. We were shouting and behaving like raging bulls. She quietly stayed there in the middle beaming with an undecipherable look of satisfaction covering her face as if that was the thing that she expected from us. After few random questions she said “I wish you all be the same person, just as you are today, 4yrs from now...the energy, the ebullience, the shouting...never lose it....what I have experienced from my interaction with the 4th yearites is the fact that they get so much involved in their jobs, studies, girlfriends, politics etc that they tend to lose their sheen, energy and the ebullience....So just keep them intact.” Today, I reckon Miss. Bubbly was damn true and her advice as valuable as twenty four carats of gold.

But the million dollar question still remains what exactly is driving me to have such introspections?? Why am I peeping into the past to deal with the questions of the present??Am I really missing something in my life?? Is The Raconteur losing his sheen??

Well, no need to answer all that, I already said “Eccentric” is what sums it all !!