Sony world is literally a world in itself, a world full of memories, people and me! Throughout my six months stay in B’lore, there was not a single day without Sony world. Its much more than just a crossing or signal in koramangala, for me it was always a pause… no matter how small or big. I always had to stop and think or wonder what next! Not just because it was this junction from where I had two options to walk down to my room in Nidhi villa after coming back from office, but because it was this junction which decided how I was going to spend my evening that day!
The very first time I came across this name ‘Sony world’ was on the internet while searching for an accommodation in koramangala. Its mention in many addresses sure made me imagine this place as a very famous and big landmark in koramangala. And indeed this small Sony showroom has extended its neighborhood presence to a much bigger area which also includes other big landmarks like Mahindra Renault showroom exactly opposite to it, the Reebok showroom next to it, the adidas showroom, a nice and populated hanuman temple, subhiksha store and many more… But its only the name Sony world which everybody associates to this whole area… I wonder why? ‘Sony world’ sounds like absolute truth and all other places have mere relative existence like ‘near’ or ‘opposite to’ Sony world! Truth… like this … is beyond logic…
Ohh but this is not why this place is close to me.. its more for the memories it created during my stay in B’lore. After a lot of loneliness and frustration during my stay in REVA guest house, located million miles away from the B’lore population (or for that matter any population of human beings and all other animals), just the evening I shifted to my new room ‘near Sony world’ (hahaha), I got to meet meenu! and in a very surprising manner… Next day, on Sunday when I left room to explore the koramangala area, it was this Sony world where I saw shweta waving her hand at me!!!... There are countless surprises like this, associated with this place… most of them involving this guest appearance girl meenu! This is the place where you meet nice people whether you decide or not!....
I don’t know if it is just coincidence or what, but whomever I met in B’lore, at least once it was near Sony world! I have so much about this place in my mind that I can’t write everything but just pause, wonder and smile. This is the place which never did let me feel lonely or lost… I wish no matter where I go in the world, let there be a ‘Sony world’… ‘cause there is nothing like meeting surprises!!!...
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
'Aatle aani Baaherche': Insiders and Outsiders
Long time ago I read this Marathi article named ‘aatle ani baaherche’, don’t remember whose it was. I also don’t remember exactly what it was related to, but sure I still remember what it meant. The author had said there are only two types of people, ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’. I also remember, that thought had influenced my way of perceiving people a lot, especially in public places. It has certainly helped me to accept peoples’ behavior in those
particular situations.
I feel it’s not right to straight away blame someone for their deed without understanding the situation. Let’s take example of a person waiting on railway platform for a local train along with many others. There is nothing special about this. But let the train come and the difference between ‘outsiders’ (i.e. on platform) and ‘insiders’ (i.e. people densely packed in the train) is very visible… and quite violently. Our hero being outsider, can very clearly see lot of space inside for him and tries to explain this to insiders in ‘all the possible’ ways. It’s just beyond his logic why these insiders can’t accept it. On the other hand insiders will do ‘everything’ to convince the outsiders to catch next train or some other compartment…. There is just not even an inch for anyone inside now.
This battle continues for around 30-40 seconds and fortunately our hero manages to get inside the train… hushhhh.. And suddenly he realizes these insiders are trying to accommodate him and his bag clinging somewhere at the end of his palm, and be comfortable (!) themselves! Some of them even share a smile as if to congratulate him for his victorious entry in train! Ohh isn’t that a miracle!!! What is that changed all these people suddenly? These are the same people who were trying their best not to let our hero get in!!! This is what is called ‘insiders – outsiders’ phenomenon! Yes…. Our hero has become insider now… just like every other person in that compartment! He is not their enemy now! Just then the next station comes and our hero starts playing his role as ‘insider’ at his best!!!... forgetting each and every second of his battle as outsider five minutes ago…
No it’s not funny, certainly not! It’s just a very natural phenomenon. So natural that it holds good for almost all the battles in life. May it be a politician changing party, or your bachelor friend getting married (‘kyun ki saans bhi kabhi bahoo thi’ is the simplest to understand I guess), or a person cursing rickshawala for his reckless driving (till he himself gets in one!).This is just true everywhere… A person is not to be blamed, it’s just the matter of whether he is on same side of crowd as you are or not! It’s so simple!
Understanding and accepting this phenomenon has helped me keep my head a lot of times… hope it does work for you too!!!...
:)
particular situations.
I feel it’s not right to straight away blame someone for their deed without understanding the situation. Let’s take example of a person waiting on railway platform for a local train along with many others. There is nothing special about this. But let the train come and the difference between ‘outsiders’ (i.e. on platform) and ‘insiders’ (i.e. people densely packed in the train) is very visible… and quite violently. Our hero being outsider, can very clearly see lot of space inside for him and tries to explain this to insiders in ‘all the possible’ ways. It’s just beyond his logic why these insiders can’t accept it. On the other hand insiders will do ‘everything’ to convince the outsiders to catch next train or some other compartment…. There is just not even an inch for anyone inside now.
This battle continues for around 30-40 seconds and fortunately our hero manages to get inside the train… hushhhh.. And suddenly he realizes these insiders are trying to accommodate him and his bag clinging somewhere at the end of his palm, and be comfortable (!) themselves! Some of them even share a smile as if to congratulate him for his victorious entry in train! Ohh isn’t that a miracle!!! What is that changed all these people suddenly? These are the same people who were trying their best not to let our hero get in!!! This is what is called ‘insiders – outsiders’ phenomenon! Yes…. Our hero has become insider now… just like every other person in that compartment! He is not their enemy now! Just then the next station comes and our hero starts playing his role as ‘insider’ at his best!!!... forgetting each and every second of his battle as outsider five minutes ago…
No it’s not funny, certainly not! It’s just a very natural phenomenon. So natural that it holds good for almost all the battles in life. May it be a politician changing party, or your bachelor friend getting married (‘kyun ki saans bhi kabhi bahoo thi’ is the simplest to understand I guess), or a person cursing rickshawala for his reckless driving (till he himself gets in one!).This is just true everywhere… A person is not to be blamed, it’s just the matter of whether he is on same side of crowd as you are or not! It’s so simple!
Understanding and accepting this phenomenon has helped me keep my head a lot of times… hope it does work for you too!!!...
:)
the right mix
The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles. A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom. The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard.
-Sloan Wilson
I think this is actually true for any healthy relationship, the right mix of support and freedom!!!
-Sloan Wilson
I think this is actually true for any healthy relationship, the right mix of support and freedom!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Shanthi Sagar
Very true name indeed! The typical south Indian refreshment place in koramangala… where I daily used to eat idli, wada and south Indian coffee… But what got a special place in my heart is something else… the tree outside shanthi sagar!!!... my thinking tree…
I have spent hours sitting under that tree, enjoying every sip of my favorite coffee and thinking very peacefully, about yesterday, today and tomorrow… everyday! It had become a very integral part of my daily routine. Every evening on my way back home from REVA office, I used to get down near shanthi sagar instead of going home straight away. Initially it was more of a means of spending that critical evening time among ‘people’ instead of sitting alone in my room in Nidhi villa. Evening snacks and coffee was one more reason, but it could have happened anywhere there…
But sitting on the chabutara under that tree never required a reason… just like having millennium coffee at middle gate till 1:30 in night… It used to give me so much peace to be with myself and think calmly… No it was not at all a peaceful place or the time like my middle gate at midnight. But then I feel peace doesn’t necessarily refer to silence or absence of sound.. Its more like absence of all those things which keep you away and separated from yourself!... Familiar people, their activities, thoughts, your duties, responsibilities… all these insulate you from yourself more than the irrelevant noise of strange people! And that’s why having coffee under that tree outside shanthi sagar was so peaceful even though surrounded by so many people and noise. Probably my inability to understand their conversation in kannada also added to the ‘peace’.
There was no one there to ask me why I am sitting there for so long and what I am doing… just me myself and my own time… not just the time I used to send there, but also the time in my past and my future which I used to think about… I don’t know why… It was magic of that tree I guess… I don’t know where I will be tomorrow… But I hope He has made such peaceful thinking places for me… wherever I go…. like middle gate and shanthi sagar…
I have spent hours sitting under that tree, enjoying every sip of my favorite coffee and thinking very peacefully, about yesterday, today and tomorrow… everyday! It had become a very integral part of my daily routine. Every evening on my way back home from REVA office, I used to get down near shanthi sagar instead of going home straight away. Initially it was more of a means of spending that critical evening time among ‘people’ instead of sitting alone in my room in Nidhi villa. Evening snacks and coffee was one more reason, but it could have happened anywhere there…
But sitting on the chabutara under that tree never required a reason… just like having millennium coffee at middle gate till 1:30 in night… It used to give me so much peace to be with myself and think calmly… No it was not at all a peaceful place or the time like my middle gate at midnight. But then I feel peace doesn’t necessarily refer to silence or absence of sound.. Its more like absence of all those things which keep you away and separated from yourself!... Familiar people, their activities, thoughts, your duties, responsibilities… all these insulate you from yourself more than the irrelevant noise of strange people! And that’s why having coffee under that tree outside shanthi sagar was so peaceful even though surrounded by so many people and noise. Probably my inability to understand their conversation in kannada also added to the ‘peace’.
There was no one there to ask me why I am sitting there for so long and what I am doing… just me myself and my own time… not just the time I used to send there, but also the time in my past and my future which I used to think about… I don’t know why… It was magic of that tree I guess… I don’t know where I will be tomorrow… But I hope He has made such peaceful thinking places for me… wherever I go…. like middle gate and shanthi sagar…
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ecosse Heretic
Beauty is about reaching extremity!!! Simplicity as well as complexity need to be ‘shown’, for its right appreciation. May it be apple’s i-pod at one end or huge Dodge tomahawk bike(?) at other… its about showing the capability of reaching extremity!
Yes there is beauty in extremity, no matter what way. There is beauty in doing a kilometer of 12’O clock bar wheelie…. There is beauty in doing a dead end stoppie!!! There is beauty in sky mirroring calm water of a lake… there is beauty in rock cracking stream of waterfall!...
No wonder why I am appreciating extremity so much, at least after spending more than an hour in looking at one of the world’s most expensive bike picture… the “Ecosse Heretic”… One need not know the machine... one need not know to ride… but anyone who appreciates extremity will agree…. Its beautiful… and it ‘shows’ it!!!
Yes there is beauty in extremity, no matter what way. There is beauty in doing a kilometer of 12’O clock bar wheelie…. There is beauty in doing a dead end stoppie!!! There is beauty in sky mirroring calm water of a lake… there is beauty in rock cracking stream of waterfall!...
No wonder why I am appreciating extremity so much, at least after spending more than an hour in looking at one of the world’s most expensive bike picture… the “Ecosse Heretic”… One need not know the machine... one need not know to ride… but anyone who appreciates extremity will agree…. Its beautiful… and it ‘shows’ it!!!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
the luggage
just to make the blog live again... an old page from my diary..
Yesterday, while waiting for train on platform with all my heavy luggage, I thought “ek aadmi ka itna saara saman… kaun shadi karega yarrr!!! Double the luggage and much more responsibility etc etc….” And as usual my mom and dad didn’t agree to this…
Today I am in train, standing near door enjoying cool breeze. There is such nice greenery along the track! It looks like from some romantic movie... There are small pathways vanishing in the woods... I start imagining myself following those paths, going just anywhere in the woods, no matter where….
And suddenly I feel that need, the need for a good company! I feel a great need to share this experience…. And I feel that this need is a lot more intense and justified than the need to share sorrows… I feel that I can very well deal with my sorrows, or for that matter… anyone can! One can cry full heartedly when alone, but can’t enjoy the happy moments fully when alone! I need someone… someone with a face expressing ‘my’ happiness… where I can ‘see’ that I am happy… where I can store memories of my happy moments… And this is for what I felt that need for company.. It was not just for following those pathways vanishing in the woods…
We all can carry our own luggage, what we can’t carry on our own is our ‘joy’… and we need ‘someone’ for that… someone who will not just walk with you on that path in the woods, but will tell you how beautiful truly it is! You know how tough life is; you need someone who will tell you, life is beautiful too!!!....
- bhavin
(14/5/2007)
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