Life's Elliptical

After a long time an idea worthwhile writing about. Or let me say a revelation.
I am a fitness conscious in the making. I got introduced to the concept of Machine Cardio exercises here in the US. You just can't jog out in the open in winter time. The elliptical Precor machines here beautifully explained me the concept of life-quite unknowingly to them.
There are programs, monitors and goals to set. The goal here is something that you need to achieve. It may be calories to burn, heart rate to achieve or just time to spend. Any which way you want, it works. What is your goal is what you need to decide. I almost invariably pick the Max-Calories-to-Burn-in-least-amount-of-time goal. Groovy, aint it?
Now as I start to work my way towards it, I realize that there are lot of variable factors I need to take care of , to achive my goal/target. For eg. I need to maintain my heart rate below a certain level, or I need to pedal optimally so that the speed is not below the threshold or worst enough, is to see how much time I am taking. The moment I want everything to be perfect, its all jacked.
So amidst the event I realize that my heart rate is too high, so I lower my speed. My time suddenly shoots up and I am in jitters. First it said 27 min to finish and now its saying 32 min to finish. So I start pedalling faster and my heart rate again shoots up. So maintaining a balance is very important. Then I see that I can reduce the time or burn more calories by increasing the resistance on my pedals. So I reduce the speed and subsequently my heart rate drops, then I increase the resistance. So now, my time is evend out, with more calories burning. As soon as I get happy about it, my legs start hurting due to more resistance. Oh ! Oh! Whats going on? So again I reduce the resistance and come to my original self. And pedal and pedal, to reach the goal. At the end of burning 500 calories, it says "Goal Achieved." and gives a one line summary " Avg Heart rate 134. Max heart rate 151. 50:17 min in zone 106-151. " And I am elated, because, thats what I wished for.
So to cut a long story short- what did that ellipitical teach me today? Life's worthwhile setting a goal for. And working your way towards it. In it you' ll have variable factors like your friends, family, work. But when you know what you want to achieve, you'll need to juggle with all these. Sometimes you'll win on some, sometimes you'll loose on some. But the name of the game is to keep moving ahead. And the culmination, the summary should bring smile to your face. Because whatevere you did back there, was against the resistance, overcoming odds and getting hurt a little bit.

Kahat Kabira..

Recently, have been influnced by two dohas of Kabir:
1) Are you looking for me?
I am in the next seat.My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms,
Nor in synagogues, nor in cathedralsNot in Masses, nor Kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck,nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly —You will find me in the tiniest house of
time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.

2) What had death and a thick body dances before what has no thick body and no death.
The trumpet says: 'I am you.'
The spiritual master arrives and bows down to the beginning student.
Try to live to see this!"
P.S ( I am searching for orginal lines. If you have please post the link as a comment.)
Nothing anyone writes can be as pure and authentic and true as Kabir.

Moments with God...

Too many questions now; Take a moment to think and answer them.
1) Have, you have felt someone's with you but couldnt actually make out whose that?
2) Have you caught yourself staring at a distant object with a blank mind?
3) Hve you seen a flower and experienced peace like never before?
4) Have you closed your eyes and felt a different kind of current in the Air?
5) Have your ever hugged someone and cried, not because of sadness or dismay, but because of the sheer vibe between you and the person?
If answer to any one of the above question is Yes, then you are those lucky ones who have had the chance to share the Moments with thy greatness: GOD.
Osho says, God is not a person, God is a vibe.
Have you attuned to that vibe yet?

Stained Shirt

My shirt got stained one day. And I was wearing it like that only. Someone asked me “Buddy, why don’t you wash that?"
I said, "I don't want to.”
He sneered, shrugged and left. What would he know?
The stains were made while my grandma was feeding lovingly with her hands; trembling hands.

Microsoft Bids for Yahoo!

Three big names are present, right here, right now. Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google. Where can we experience a greater example of Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat."
The Redmond based Hercules, targets Sunnyvale based Goliath to take head-on the Mountain View based behemoth.
And whats in the offing?$ 44 Billion. Phew!
If this deal goes through, its all set to change the technology landscape as Internet will never be the same again. Google is of the same opinion and has started foot slogging for it. Basically, the biggest motive is to rake moollah out of the estimated $40 billion internet ad industry where Google has the largest market share (37%) which is more than that combined of Microsoft and Yahoo! As for Yahoo!, it's all in the strategy. Though they will prefer partnering with Google, but monetarily Microsoft is the better choice.
Now its a wait and watch time for us as to how Microsoft will integrate and leverage Yahoo!'s acquisition, provided they pull it off. But I sincerely do hope my email id will not look like this :
adwait@hotyahoomail.com.

Tounge in cheek, is'nt it?

"God Bless you Bhaiyya"

Brigade Road in Bangalore is one of the famous shopping streets in the country. Standalone boutiques of brand factories attract you like anything. They have Adidas, Levis, Gas, Dockers, Puma and loads of other stuff that empty your pockets,your hard earned money and leave you wanting for more.
And over there that day, I found innocence on that street. Innocence. 2.5 feet tall. Holding roses in their hands. Asking for someone to buy them. Pleading may be the right word. Then they found a new customer: me. 3 little, sweet girls, flocked me and started pleading to buy the roses they were carrying.
I didnt know what to do. They wouldnt let me walk. I was caught off guard, and couldnt do anything, but to ask them the price.Here is how our conversation went by:
(For all practical purposes, I will call them Cute1, 2 and 3. )

Cute1: Bhaiyya, please buy the roses na. Please bhaiyya. Please bhaiyya. They are only for 10 bucks.
Me: Ok. Ok. Give me 3 roses. (I take my wallet out)
Cute1: Bhaiyya please buy 10 roses bhaiyya. I will be very happy. Please bhaiyya. Buy 10 roses na.
Me: What will do buying those 10 roses?
Cute1: You can keep it in the church bhaiyya. Please buy 10 roses.
Me: Ok, Ok, give me 10 roses. (I take a 100 Re. note out and give it to her.)
Cute2: Bhaiyya, please buy my 10 roses to bhaiyya. Please buy my 10 roses too.
Me: No, No. Please let me go, I dont have time.
Cute2 & Cute 3: No Bahiyya, you have to buy the roses. 10 her and 10 mine. Please bhaiyya.

I could see the twinkle in their eye with a shade of fear. Questions came and went. Like a gusto wind. What will happen if they wont sell all the roses today? Will they get a bashing from someone living of them? Or will they sleep empty stomach as they usually do? Will they be hurt by someone more powerful yet immature?

Me: Ok. Ok. One by one. Please wrap all the roses in one cardboard and give it to me. And make sure you dont crush them. ( I take out my wallet again and hand over 200 bucks to them.)
Cute 1 & Cute 2 & Cute 3: Thank you bhaiyya. Thank you bhaiyya. God bless you bhaiyya.

That was one of the purest form of blessings i have ever got.

I saw the happiness in their eyes and suddenly i felt at peace. A different kind of contenment ran through the body.
You know the cost of making a difference? Well for me, it was just 300 Rs. What is it for you?

Dhumrapan Neeshedh

Thats hindi. In english its called "No Smoking." Its hillarious to see to what limits people will go to articulate "smoking is injurious to health." If see on cigarette packets from Singapore, they will have all thes cancerous photos sticking on. It gives an horrendous outlook to the whole packet. But most enjoying is the in-flight annoucement.
I am not a frequent flier. Though most of the weekends I remember shuttling between Pune and other cities, 90% by flights. So I am more than a frequent flier. :)
There is always a candid annoucement made that " Smoking is prohibited in-flight. There are smoke detectors in the cabin and in the toilets. " What was that again? In the toilets too? If its your lucky day and you are travelling in the domestic shuttles, you cannot help but observe that there is an ashtray behind the toilet door.
What is the deal with that? If you are saying smoking is prohibited, why are you providing an ashtray at the back of the door? Isnt it to encourage smoking?
Can any body answer that?

Band-Aids

This is hillarious. A recent news article tells about how people in China are using used condoms as hair bands. It has been found in the local markets of Dongguan and Guangzhou. And a possible hazard is spreading aids that it was supposed to protect.

So it goes from "Banned-Aids" to "Band-Aids" :-)

Read the article for further reference.

No Pain.....

Somewhere I remember reading, " Pain is weakness leaving the body." The statement implies something very deep.
Recently, I am reading a string of books written by Osho. The philosophy he narrates is very powerful. He quotes Buddha, Lao and all the masters who have preached awareness as the way to ultimate bliss (nirvana). Simply put awareness is "Self -rememberance." The quality to remember oneself every moment. This bolts you to the present, without the clouds of past hovering over. Pain is one quality I found that makes us aware. How? read further....
Try to analyze when you are pain. Its very hard because you are trying to run away from the pain. Pain killers are your best bet. But what is the reason that pain is there? Ever tried think about that. Its to make you aware. One teeth starts paining excruciatingly and you are suddenly aware of its exsistence. For many years that teeth was there you were oblivious to it. And now, suddenly, its has your attention. The attention it deserved.
Then you try to do quick-fixes over it. Take pain killers, do root-canal et al. Everything you do but to give it attention. To be aware of its existence. The very purpose of pain is to gain awareness.
Try this sometime. When you are in pain, just look it into the eye. Just be aware of the part that is paining. Dont shove your mind-off. As we start attending that pain, its purpose is solved. It has got no reason to exist. Relief is nothing without pain remember that.
Its true that " Pain is weakness leaving the body" for it kills the weakness of oblivion to move in to awareness.

Maruti Omni

I am not sure why I was in oblivion to the exsistence of this engineering marvel. This awesome piece of creation. Maruti 'Omni'. Its all starts with the beauty of its structure and trickles down to engineering performance.
Where most of the R & D labs in the world are making the car structure more aerodynamic, Omni stands tall with its box-like structure. No No, please dont think its thoughtless. It must have been thought through. It is we people, or rather me who dont know the reason.
Then comes the seating. Whilst the driver comes with a plush independant seat in front, we have only 1 companion seat with the gear lever in between. Since the engine hails directly below the drivers seat, his 'feeling of warmth' has been taken care of. There are normally one or two (opposite) seats in the back. It accomodates people more efficiently if they are packed in the boxes. But if we are free, we might face some problem with each others legs as we seat opposite. But nonetheless, its a best bet to transport cargo from one place to another.
Thirdly comes dicky. Though it less of a storage space and more of a space to keep the spare tyre. But I think thats a wise decision. When there so much space in the vehicle, why keep a separate dicky space?
I have yet not had the luxury to hear the music system out of it. But I am damn sure it will be as endearing as the whole set-up. Oh did I mention that I have the good fortune of travelling by Omni's distant cousin 'Versa' before I actually got the red carpet in Omni.
Last but not the least, I want to thank to the creators of 'Omni' and wish them all the sucesses in life. It because of the creations like these that our journeys and safer, enjoyable and stress-free.
Kudos!

Its time to write...

Its time to write
about fallen dreams,
about sleepless nights.
And then how the sun rose
torching disdain and forlorn
torching hope and lights.

Its time to write
about you and me
about us and them
How we fight for
in these sacred ventures
in this bloodless mayhem.

Its time to write
about this moment
about living a life
To smile through
in health and disease
in hope and fright.

Its time to write
about the red line
about love and hate
teaching, its us sometimes
sometimes its fate.

- Adwait Joshi

Blackle

What would happen if Google turns it site into completely black? We will save approximately 750 Megawatts-hours an year!
According to a recent blogpost by Mark Ontkush, black google will save 750 Megawatts-hours an year taking into consideration the popularity of the same. Subsequently, someone went ahead and custom made a google serach engine on a completely black page. Evidently, the page is called as Blackle.
Now there is a new angle to usability engineers while designing a web page and that is energy preservation. Kudos to those people who came up with the concept. I have already started preserving energy.
Have you?

A very Bad Person.

They say people will remember for what you were, what you did and what you talked. I am a good guy, in totality. But sometimes I ask myself, why I am what I am?
Why go out of the way to help people? Why catch someone's eye and make him/her smile? Why crack jokes and lighten someone's tension? Why thrive for the betterment of some people? Why do I do it? Then suddenly in the mid of the day the answer dawns upon me.
I am not a good person at all. I am a very bad person. I want to make people cry when I die. Cry this much that they might have a hard time forgetting me. I want to touch their hearts deep enough. I want to spread love and tell them that nothing in this world is eternal. We all will pass on someday and make our appreeance as contemproraries.
I want to shout and tell the world that no one on this earth is good or bad. Its just the situations that make them. I want to tell that never form opinions about someone because when they will change you dont know. I want to tell them that every human being is beautiful in his or her own terms.
Really when I think of it, I am a very bad person. Would anyone like to spend their life with me? :)

Chala Dostoho Auyshavar Bolu Kahi

"Ugach valse shabdanche he det raha tu,
Bhidle nahit dole tovar bolu kahi,
Chala dostoho ayushawar bolu kahi."

--- Sandeep Khare

Loose Transalation:

"Go on, take unnecessary twists and turns in you words, till the eyes meet, we will talk about something. "

Aapke Dil Mein....

Aapke dil mein thodi si jagah chahiyeMere ...?
Aapke dil mein thodi si jagah chahiye----

Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye

Pass aane bhi deegiye na itraiyee
Ha haaPass aane bhi deegiye na itraiyee

Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye

Apnaa dil lekar abb kahan jayegnehaahaan
Tut ke katra katra bekhar jayenge
Wah !
Aapke bin sanam hum to mar jayenge
Hamari halat pe aakhir tarsh khaahiye

Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye j j j Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye

Phele to adab se app pesh aaiye
Kaun hai yeh mujhko app batlaiye
Phir bolenge appko hum aaiye aaiye aaiye
janaab aaiye aaiye aaiye

Appne dil app zara kabul rakhe
Acchayuh na khule aam aanhe bharehai
zamana bura thodi parwaah kare
jaake dil kahin aur behlaiye

Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye Jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye jaaiye na

Can you guess whom I have written this for?

Inner Demons

Have you ever had a nightmare? A kind of a dream where you are running and running and nobody is there to help you. You dont know what you are running from. Then suddenly you hear screams. Shrills, cries of agony with pain. Cries for help and you are bewildered. Who is asking for help to someone who is running himself.
Then you run towards the sounds. Its darkness. Nothing of it makes sense. Then there is silence. Only sobs are heard. Then again silence. An errie silence. You open your eyes. The fan above is revolving with a humming sound. Its was unreal. But so real.
You sit up and pray for your near and dear ones. You thank god it was a dream. Thank him because he has brought that out. That inside which kills you. You inner demons. Who might come silently in the night and grip you.
The next night you will sleep beleiving more in God, Love, Prayers and People more than you did the earlier night.

The Lake House

They say love knows no limitations. However romantic that may sound, we always know there is something that limits us. How I wish a love story would be so like the movie “The Lake House”
Here it starts, the literal timeless love. It revolves around a house by side of lake with a mailbox. Kate (Sandra Bullock) is a doctor in an uptown Chicago hospital in 2006. Alex (Keanu Reeves) is an architect in 2004. Did I get the years right? Sure I did. The movie tells us a story of two (prospective) lovers separated by 2 years. One dwells in other’s past. One dwells in other’s future. Awesome screenplay slowly takes you through the ups and downs in their relationship. And what is their communication medium? The mailbox by the side of the lake house where they post letters so that each could read.
And a day comes when she finds him dead in her own hands on Valentine’s Day. No the movie doesn’t stop here. She knowing the future, tells him to stop on that road where he was supposed to meet with an accident. And tells him to wait there for 2 years and return back to the lake house. Where they meet in 2008 for the 2nd time.
Nothing I write about it will do justice to the concept so unnatural and heart-warming. Do watch it or ask me for that DVD- pro bono. And yes, don’t forget to watch the first time they meet.

Laxmi-Keshav

The lay-off program has worked positively for me a number of ways. Apart from getting time to read some ground-breaking books like “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and “Psychology of Selling”, I personally got time to do what I love the most: traveling.
Since childhood, when I last visited it, I wanted to know the history of my kuldevat (God or Goddess of a race)-Laxmi Keshav (Lord Vishnu). So this time around, I thought I will do some nosing around and get a little knowledge about it. Here is where and what I found out.

1)The serene temple of Laxmi-Keshav is located in Kolisare. Barely a village, it is 45 km from the town of Ratnagiri in South Konkan. An ST bus for Jaygad drops you at a cross-road which connects you to Kolisare. You have to take a rickshaw from there.

2)As you walk down the red-soil, you come across steps which take you to the backside of the temple. The temple is about 700 years old. Though it was been rejuvenated lately, it still has the archaic look-and-feel.

3) Last registered, about 800 years ago, the statue of laxmi-keshav goddess was hidden in the “Rankala Talav” in Kollhapur. The reason being anti-hindu attacks. After being there for 200 years, she gave a spiritual message through a dream to 3 individuals-Joshi, Vichare and Kane. Living in a village of Varavde, these people got a message to move her out and establish her elsewhere.

4) The place decided was a village of Reel in Konkan. So the campaign started. After moving her close to Reel, they camped overnight in Kolisare. Second day, the statue was unmovable to any human force. After trying for a day, the again slept overnight. In a second spiritual message, the goddess told them to establish her here itself and not else where. The day sthapana (establishment) happened, a miraculous water-fall started near to her feet.

5) The water still runs pure and clean. The “Panchsukt Pavman” abhishek is done by that water only. The temple brings in its wake the calmness and new degree of spirituality. It was a heaven-like experience for me.

This information was provided to me by Mr. Sudhir Phadke. He and his family have been with the temple for generations. I thank him a lot in appreciation. Hope all the “Shandilya Gotra” Joshi’s find this informative. And yes just so you know, don’t forget to visit your kul-devat at least once a year.

The Alchemist

The art of Alchemy is ancient. Simply defined, it’s the process of turning lead in Gold. There is a solution/stone that when touched with, the thing turns in gold. Pioneering the same is a person called as an Alchemist.
Though Coelho’s book teaches us the moral of following our dreams, there is something else that we should understand from it. Reading between the lines, we observe that every human being in his/her life meets an Alchemist- A person who turns that lead of a person, into gold. But that comes after his destiny as a “lead” is fulfilled. Everyone/Everything has to fulfill his destiny. Before that, no matter what you do, you will not be able to transform yourself.
But the law of nature is very rewarding. It lets you meet your alchemist at that very time when your destiny as lead has been fulfilled. Then he comes, with a philosopher’s stone and touches you. The transformation is not easy. Shedding old characteristics and donning new one, is not a cakewalk. It takes tremendous persistence, patience and belief in the alchemist to help you transform into gold.
Every one has that luxury, but not the wisdom.
It takes an open mind to know who your alchemist is. It teaches your one lesson: never underestimate anyone. Who knows, he might be your “Alchemist.”

Lingo!

1. Shakespear once said " What's in the name?"
I repeat" Whats in the name, as long as i get your number right."

2. Never say the phrase, " Its a different ball-game" when you are with a woman.

3. If we most of the time we are finding solutions to organize things, why is a company called an "Organization" ?

4. Why is it called a "Beauty Parlor", when most of the people going over there are not beautiful?

Do you have anything to add?