Ghumakkar's Diary

This new song Mujhe chod do mere haal pe, Zinda hun yar kaafi hai… (Leave me on my own, I am alive and it’s enough), reminded me of the very quote widely attributed to Keanu Reeves, ‘ Other people need happiness to live , but I don't .’ So, what do we need to live . Scientifically we need energy from food to be eaten by mouth (or injected if you are a vegetable), supplied to stomach to be digested into some sluggish thing on one side generating calories and other protein, minerals etc and on the other hand – faecal material (again, if you are not a vegetable); the calories provide energy, minerals, vitamins etc help organs working – like maintaining health of skin, color of nails and tongue, producing adrenaline, testosterone, estrogen and other less sexually needed hormones, helping eyes and brain and ears and other senses sense the emotions and calculate miscalculate the events resulting into sudden outbursts of hormones controlling emotions and turning sane into insane (a...

So, let’s call it a year. Through a lot of ups (!) and downs (yes!) over some 365 days classified in to 12months, the day is finally here, when I can finally say it ‘was’ a year and the coming ‘year’ would be actually better. I, who belongs to the species of human beings generally called as brats , have shed a few layers of my not-so-narcissistic admiration for self in last year – to say. The way this all and that is happening (yes it’s still happening and not reached the death) I would never be able to love myself, reach the earlier level of self-respect ever, and yes I said ‘ever’. But the post is not again about the love of my life – I! It’s about what I am wishing from the coming year and for what I would actually try. Life!

Dear Achtung! It has been 3years since the day you entered my life and changed it completely. With over 35000 kilometers to show, hundreds of stories to tell, number of friends to boast, lengths of highways to conquer and an oath to live the rest of my life as a Rider, I am overwhelmed to write any further.... Achtung!   and Me (thanks to Vineet for the click and Abhimanyu for the edit) Thanks for accepting me as your Rider, it's an honor :) Yours truly, Punit Dubey

(This post was written a year back and forgotten. Before I leave for Banaras this Diwali, I thought to share the pictures) For us festivals, especially Holi and Diwali, are occasions to celebrate our friendship and the bond with the eternal city of Banaras. Sometimes I think I should write on Banaras every now and then. Then, there comes another nonsense (!) thought that is it because it would be easier for me to do so? Well, a plain answer to the question is, be it a small or large city - its hell difficult to write regularly on it even if you are a native or in love/hate relationship with it. And, if it’s the case of the one of the oldest living city on the planet, the situation becomes rather difficult. So, not pondering about the above thoughts (which I would like to discuss some other time under Random Thoughts), it would be easier to write the best part of my recent  last year's short visit to Varanasi or Banaras. Banaras Ghats बनारस के घाट  Visit...

Have been on road since, aah…. I don’t remember , how many days. Rode past through thousands of villages, many a towns, and don’t know how many states. When I found myself at the end of my earlier life, I kicked the lever and came onto the tar. Like they do ideally or in the movies, I didn’t throw my cards, wallet or mobile. Money was at least that I needed to reach the point where I may have to finally decide, whether to go back to civilization or just move ahead wandering! I put those earthly things somewhere in my satchel, sort of dumped, and switched off. Whether to go back to civilization or just move ahead wandering Every end finally disappears into a new start. That I have learnt a zillionth times in my life. Probably, am the man who learns by experiencing; certainly, otherwise I would have been Chanakya , who once said, life is too small to learn from our own mistakes, so I read from others . Am just a commoner, with my share of sins and other, to say, moral activities. ...

हम बजाएं हारमोनिया खुश रहने की बीमारी - छोटे शहरों में प्रायः पायी जाती थी, या यूँ कहें अभी भी पायी जाती है. ये बड़ी ही संक्रामक बीमारी होती है. पर समय के साथ कुछ मनुष्यों ने खुशियों के विरूद्ध भी अपनी प्रतिरक्षा (immune) को तगड़ा कर लिया है. खुश रहने की बीमारी - अर्थ एवम विकल्प  जितना आसान कहना- सुनना, खाना-पीना, सोना-जागना जैसे कार्य होते हैं, उतना ही आसन खुश रहना भी होता है. या संभवतः ये बीते दिनों की बात है, अब ये उससे कहीं कठिन हो चूका है. देखिये, ज्यादा कुछ करना नहीं होता है इस सुलभ बीमारी से ग्रसित होने के लिए, दुनिया की तरफ दिखिए, मस्ती मारिये, गलतियाँ निकालिए, मजाक करिए, मस्त मुस्कान चेहरे पे लाइए, अन्दर जितना द्वेष भरा है थूक मारिये, गाना गाइए  " **** मराये दुनिया, हम बजाएं हारमोनिया " और खुश रहिये. सोच सोच के कोई न पहलवान बना, न धनवान; हालांकि, केवल खुश रह के भी लोगों ने बड़े तीर नहीं मारे - पर इतना तो है की उन्होंने जिंदगी बड़ी ही शानदार तरीके से मस्ती में काटी... मस्त रहो मस्ती में, आग...

Interestingly, I’m publishing this post on the time when probably the whole World is riding on the wave of Google+; and, rather entertainingly I am well included in this World! Months back, a realization occurred to me when an email popped up into my Inbox. To: Punit Subject: orkut - Mr X. has left you a new Scrap! Body: Mr X.: You have received a scrap from your friend Mr X. “Hapy Bday dear” View your scrapbook l view mr X.’s profile -           Stop sending my emails -           Change my email options -           Help Center I was something , in some state that can’t be actually described by terms like amazed, shocked, shattered, sad etc. I wasn’t ready to understand what’s happening? Mr. X has been a very close mate, amongst my best friends, for last 5years; and on my best day what I received from him was just a Scrap, not even an SMS, call wou...

What not is Beautiful in this Beautiful World!? A picture from NASA astronaut Douglas Wheelock's collection Have you ever tried to recall the moment you cried for first in this big world, laying in your mom’s lap? Wasn’t her tear drops were the Most Beautiful thing you had ever seen (if you remember) or you would have to see ever? All good mothers are addicted to their newborn babies (Courtesy:  The Time.com   Quote of the Day) The pride on your father’s face looking blank at a ‘newborn you’, overwhelmed with emotions or probably exhausted with the emotions. Wasn’t it the best sight of the beautiful world you had just stepped in? Benjamin Khor (right) and his father, Edward celebrate  Bronze medal at Double trap shooting event at CWG 2010 (Courtesy: Google) I don’t remember those moments either, but giving mere a thought leaves me goose-fleshed ! The life we are blessed with is full of surprises, happier and awful too. What’s common with all the surprises...

Just another Brick in the Wall... (shot near Chilika Lake,  intentionally not keeping the subject in focus) Let me get lost in the crowd Enough tried to be stronger and proud Let me get dissolved Be a brick in the wall. Never been so negative in life Not seeing any light this time Every road has reached its end There’s no way amicable to mend Let me be just amongst the trillions Enough tried to outshine the millions Let me get dissolved Be a brick in the wall. [ Wrote these utterly pessimistic lines keeping the old man disappearing in his background. Don't have exact idea, but I wasn't able to keep myself in his ' probable ' mind setup and think positively ]

Edition 2.1 I never thought to visit you Kissing you was more than a fantasy Walking with you on the University roads  I felt    your awkwardness e very time Receiving  parents'  calls Lying ‘m roaming with friends Feeding the fishes of that pond Trying to be cozy in my arms Sitting closely on the rickshaw Clinging to find some support Stretching my arms to pull you up Visiting that old temple on the Hills Thinking where to visit when it fell dark Dissolving when found that park Learning the first kiss through lips Promising it truly, little dramatically  I remember everything, the walk we had Everything that happened that day Alas, I remember everything Alas - ‘coz it’s difficult to be that way…. (P.S.: I'm not a poet, just tried to convert  what it'd be felt when it's first time in  to some words. Edition# refers to amendments this poem has seen :) Related articles A Walk to Remember (Version 1: Friendship) (punitdube...

“ Abe, CAT results are out, where are you ” “ Saale, fod diya! I just saw the results, am in Cyber café, Lanka. Scored 98! What’s your? ” “ I too checked, it’s 90! Chal, meet me at Dept, ask Vivert to be there too; we’ll celebrate. ” It was our final year of Graduation course at Banaras Hindu University, and most of us have given the Common Admission Test to IIMs or CAT. Few were sincere, most, including me, were testing there caliber. Prasoon was though the only person who was determined to get in to some good MBA college, and had prepared hard for the last two years. Vivert didn’t apply and Naveen was still weighing the MBA degree against the MSc-Geology degree. I was like let’s appear and see what aptitude (!) I carry :p Whatever and howsoever we prepared for the D-day, results were more or less as expected. Prasoon scored 98, I 90 and we never came to know what other guys had. It was 6th January, 2006; just another day of winters in Banaras. As the results were ou...

Enough is Enough! There is a saying that Fashion repeats itself every 20-30 years ! But still there are a few things that I seriously don’t want to be repeated. Following is a non-comprehensive short-list of so called fashion- eshtyle that I badly don’t like: 1.        Sadhna cut---Eeeew! I can’t remember any other girl other than Sadhna ji, on whom this Wow (?) style suited! Especially, on girls with small faces-it’s awful! (Sorry!) My niece-I'm struggling to get her some other haircut!

I don't find you impressive in looks, Neither do I find you having charming tricks, I don't find you too good with words, Neither do I find you too brave with swords. Yet I find in you, everything I had wished for, I find my Heart beating for you! I find my words crazy for you, I find my eyes searching for you, I find myself longing for you Yet I find in you, everything I had looked for, Oh God! I find in you, everything I had wished for! Some would say, 'What is it worth if I can't tell you', Others say, 'Go tell, may be he's longing', I could have said, but, have fear in my heart, So, it's better that the silence prevails, Its better if I only follow your trails! ~ from Her diary  

It was year 2008; I was on my industrial training in Mumbai. A senior from a Multinational Company advised me to carry my own mobile phone, as it was necessary to keep in touch with seniors and also job providers. When I went back to my hometown, Varanasi, first thing that I did was market research for the best plan available. Following advices and suggestions, I finally bought TataIndicom’s Samsung Hero! What a marvelous cell phone that was! Mine was 2nd Generation model of Samsung Hero. It was a kind of Smartphone, that time, with some Anti-theft thing. One needed to store 2-numbers and a message that would be delivered to those numbers, in case someone changes the SIM without his knowledge. Though I don’t remember the model, it was an upgraded version of the one used by my closed friend, whose advice was pivotal in decision making. That time, 180 per week, 1000 per month, 1800 per month type of SMS packs were launched by the two CDMA players in market, RIM and TataIndicom. I...

How will you feel, when your Google AdSense application is being repeatedly disapproved for some allegedly “Objectionable content” and a friend, who has just started blogging on your suggestion, tell you that is earning in 5digits from blogging? Exactly, that’s the way I felt. ;-/ Atyush (name changed), is working in an IT company. Few days back, while chatting we started talking about social networking and all. He was impressed by my travelogues *shy*. So, on that note I suggested him to give his awesome humor writing skills some online audience. Within a few weeks, through FB, Tweeting and all other methods to reach-out, his followers list overtook mineL. All was good, at least fine, unless we talked last Saturday, when he told me that his blog is earning Rs. 5,000-10,000 per month.

In that very safe Railway’s Colony, my father had that privileged pink colored Pass.  He was someone, without whom it was almost impossible to manage the sanitary condition of that big colony of Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi , accommodating over 4000 employees and their families. I was about 8years old then. Curfew was lifted during 4-6 PM, that time I was assigned the task to go out and buy vegetables and milk. I don’t remember for what duration we spent our days and nights in that period, but I do know that it left deep signatures on my soul; especially, what I saw at that Nukkad , after those riots and curfew. Kalyan Singh was Chief Minister when Babri Masjid was demolished, and communal clashes resulted in loss of thousands of human life. Later, Union Government dissolved Uttar Pradesh assembly, and enacted President’s Rule. Next mid-term election was scheduled in mid 1993, and party’s started their campaign. Once I was returning from market, and I saw some ...

Beauty is in the eyes, the way you see, is the way it is. They say My heart sees more than my eyes, let me be blind. I feel    

“Live everyday as if it’s your last day on Earth” This evergreen quote is as lovable and quotable as difficult to follow in real life. Thanks to my friend who had had a quarrel with his girl a couple days back, and provided me plot for my Third question of the Random Questions’ series ( Question 1 , Question 2 ). So, my dear mate fought with his girlfriend, and furiously swore that if she even tried to talk to him, she’d see his dead face ( Mera mara muh dekhoge/dekhogi , is a famous kasam (swear) of we Indians). The girl, swimming in deep ocean of love, afraid to lose him, called back, and before could say anything was interrupted by my Angry Young Man and then a lot of things happened, that we’ll see later. When my friend shared his story with me, I got my plot. Simple, if we really be able to know when we are dying, we would actually be capable to plan it or not? Updating my status, my diary, etc etc, as I know I'm dying today! ( sorry for this poor graphic, I...

༄༅། What does “कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन” actually mean? ། I have always gauged myself as a hyper-optimistic person. “कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन”, have always been my best line, my inspiration. The shloka... कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ।। English Transliteration... Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Falesshu Kadaachana । Ma KarmaphalaHetuhBhuhMa Te SangostvaKarmaNi ।। What does it mean? Literally, it says “( To ) Karma is your only right, fruits of action (results) should not be your motive. You are not the the cause of the results of your activities, and should never be attached to not doing your duty. ” Yes, the noble motive of “ to do ” should never be inspired by the desire of “ what and why ”. But, doesn’t the feeling of “ what would come ” if “ I do ” so, come intuitively the moment one starts a job? If a midfielder loses the sight on the opponent’s goalpost, would he be able t...