Zephyr In The Sky

Be Mine!

2012-01-01T23:48:00.001+05:30

Someday, very soon in time
We will become wisps of air that entwine,
Willows of sorrows and tomes of sunshine,
Things that should've never been stopped,
Left out cold to exhaust the passionate flames of time.

I dread the day I stop my rhymes, these passionate soulful lines
Brewed up just right for you, my sweet soulful Moon divine.
My world ticks for nobody else other than you my love benign,
By accident or sheer design,
All I want for is you to be mine.

When the push comes to shove
And the lines recede and don't rhyme,
Far beyond the universe there would always be a time
When I would look out for you and you would finally come out from the cold
And together we will say,
Be mine!

I Should've Stayed

2012-01-01T23:43:00.003+05:30

Would you remember me Moon when it’s all gone?
Think of the days spent together when you smiled like the dawn.
Remember the times when you felt divine,
And all I asked for was your hand in mine.

Of all the walks we took on the sands of time
What is left today is not mine.
Would you remember how much I loved you Moon,
Halfway down your life when things are beyond your control?
Would you, would you then not agree and say
Zephyr was the best and I should've stayed.

Moon

2009-08-15T23:03:00.003+05:30

It all started right up there, high in the sky where the Zephyr looks forward to the Moon spreading her Silver wings and shining with all her graceful hues.

The warm golden sunshine, the soft evening drizzle,

The walk through the woods and conversations crossing the farthest hills.

The mist hogging the coastline, the trails covered in fog,

The forlorn Lighthouse making sure things are just right.

The intensity of the sun rays trying to reach the moss covered bay

Gave a new allure to the existing pathways.

Beach side fireplace, Barbecue with steaks and fries,

The wind gushing in from afar, made it a nice earthy surprise.

Beyond the coastline, above the horizon,

Higher than the Zephyr is the Lifeline.

A milieu of vistas, starry and bright,

Richer than serendipity, better than delight.

Flames astride while travelling on wings of fire,

Beauty of the moment gets the wings to fly.

She is quintessential and she is wise,

The amalgamation of everything prescient...

She is Life!

Continuum

2009-08-15T20:19:00.009+05:30

It has been exactly a year to the day when things went astray on the way. A date which got lost in the immense and boundless propensity of time and space. A time which got absorbed into the bottomless and fathomless skiver of life. Life radiated all its true energy without any hesitation. Space got irradiated with everything that it encompassed.

How many times we looked at the sky and wished we had not spoken what we spoke earlier. How many times we got lost in the vastness of this wonderful world and wished we had spoken what we could not speak. How many times have we genuflected and said, "Oh, all right, this too shall pass away". But then again, how many times have things come back in the same shape and form which we had disguised as harmless and unnecessary and written off?

It is for all these things and many more that this post shall make an attempt to bring some cogent answers. This brings forth the Continuum, the Continuum for life.

Things couldn't have been any better. The world intact, feelings in the right place, happiness bounding over the morning sunshine and life sailing on golden sun rays. The walk through the down-town in the drizzle, the cab rides late at night, feasting on tangy food at the beach with a fireplace in front or just the sheer numbness of being together brings forth a host of memories. Memories which are both wonderful and everlasting.

Do you remember the way the wind blew over the coast and the waves crashed across the high seas into magical pools that washed away the sand from our feet? Remember the misty fog hugging the shoreline, hiding the forlorn Lighthouse from clear vision? Do you remember the words written on the soft sand of the beach which even the waters of the mighty ocean couldn't erase or the smile of satisfaction that came from within knowing fully well that there is someone to take care of things? Do you remember the time when everything was lost and everything was gained in a single fleeting moment of mystery? Do you remember the time when someone promised you his life till eternity.

It has been a year, yes! A year full of varied dimensions that shone with colourful arrays. Streaks of light flashing across the bay. A majestic transformation into what we became for what we are and would be till the end of time.

Questions will come, answers will pass by, junctions will always divide the path but that doesn't mean that the 'twain shall never meet. Rather, every bounce will give rise to a new step into the right direction. Every fall will reinforce the importance of being together. Each single dimension of your existence will take you onward to the avowed path.

Trudge along, Fear not

Might men, give up not!

Walk straight, turn right

Salute smart, live your life!

How many roads must we travel for you to get convinced about the significance of it? How many paths shall we explore side by side, for you to realise that this isn't a dream? How many alleys do we need to criss-cross, for you to be convinced? How many mile stones do we need to cross before you are sure that one day the journey will finish? How many breaks do we need to take before you agree that it is possible to accomplish?

The answer is not blowing in the wind. The answer is in you, deep within!

The Adventurer

2009-05-10T18:12:00.004+05:30

In roughly another 2 weeks, it would be a year to the day I transitioned from the blue Zephyr to the AGL, nearing my 1st milestone in crossing over from the battlefield to the corporate boardroom. It has been an interesting journey so far and I look forward to the days ahead to unfold themselves and show me the path on which I would tread.

Contrary to what I had earlier thought, life on the ground isn't that bad after all. Rather, it is just an extension of the sheer cacophony and the sublimated bliss which exists in the cockpit miles above in the sky. Sounds too cocky, doesn't it? Well, this is actually how I feel! LOL!

Feels a trifle too unbelievable that I am going to complete a year in this world, a year sans starched uniform, iron nailed boots, the de rigeur of conforming to regulations and the impassiveness of getting swathed in the stifling heat or getting numbed in the dreary cold. Be it the Thar or Siachen, the icy wastes of Siberia or the bleak atmosphere of Darfur in Sudan, I loved it all. There always was a new thing to try out, a nouveu riche experience that etched itself forever in my memory. Whether it was the smooth skin of a Fighting Falcon as compared to the rough hide of a Fishbed-J or the ease with which the M-16 could be armed vis-a-vis the stoic nature of the 7.62 mm SLR, nothing ever ceased to take my interest.

I still travel the world but in somewhat different manner. I no longer need to plan out for the logistics of carrying my gear or plan out the safety of my team so that we do our job and come back in one piece. I travel the world now like an Adventurer, someone who is paid to do and love his job. I do what I like doing the best and the only thing I am keen on is improving myself and become better in doing what I do. The IAF motto says "Nabh Sparsh Deeptam". Translated from Sanskrit, it means "Touch the Sky with Glory". Nothing could be more apt.

I have always fancied what Ian Wright does in Globe Trekker. In my opinion, that is one of the best careers a person can have - get paid to travel and discover exotic new places and make a documentary about them. However, life is more than wishing for what you think is right and doing what makes you happy. Life is also about missed opportunities and golden handshakes, its about camaraderie of old pals and the josh of living to the fullest.

For the men and women in uniform, the name of Dunkirk evoke images of gallant bravery under overwhelming odds and as the following lines summarise, it is not about how you live your life but about how you touch others around you that makes life complete.

... We were alone, and hope had fled;

We loved our country and our dead,

And could not shame them; so we stayed

The course, and were not much afraid.

Dear God, that nightmare road! And then

That sea! We got there - we were men.

My eyes were blind, my feet were torn,

My soul sang like a bird at dawn!

I knew that death is but a door.

I knew what we were fighting for:

Peace for the kids, our brothers freed,

A kinder world, a cleaner breed ...

Signing off with a thought that I truely believe in...

Make the most of now!

Amour

2009-04-25T23:33:00.006+05:30

Never knew that life would be so good and beautiful with you.

Never knew that you would take away all my worries,

Never knew that a talk with you would make me smile and roll with laughter,

Never knew that everything would so soon, lose its glory!

A stroll with you on the beach,

A date with you in the cockpit,

A lil' kiss on the cheek,

And a huge bear hug would make it complete.

So far, so Good

But what next is yet to be understood!

Misunderstandings as small as an electron

And misinterpretations as big as a cyclotron!

A great trouble in what they call a Paradise.

I leave it up to you, Sir, to decide

Whether to hold on to it

Or let it go;

Whether to make it work

Or make it a No No.

And the answer is...

YES!

Beyond the Zephyr

2009-04-25T16:21:00.006+05:30

After a long time I am spending the weekend at home and the one and only reason for doing so is the freak accident I had in the morning (details in the post below). Since I cant go out anywhere today and moreover because of the power cut in the city, I have limited options to choose from. I had planned to take someone out for lunch but cancelled it because the pain in my leg is really bad and had I gone out, I would have not been able to enjoy either the company or the food. I also realised today that I have finished all the books and need to go and buy some new ones. I initially thought of rereading Montgomery's 'The Desert War' but for some strange reason decided against it even though I always find it awe inspiring to read about the LRDG, Desert Rats, the battle of El Alamein and the valour of the 'Red Eagles', the famous 4th Indian Infantry Division who earned the grudging respect even of Rommel and the Wehrmacht.

However, this post is not about my accident, neither about the Afrika Corps of Rommel nor the strategic genius of Montgomery. This post is about the boundless and limitless sky. This post is about the Zephyr, about life beyond the Zephyr.

Close your eyes, draw the shades, listen to nothing but yourself. Can you hear something? Can you tune in to the rhythm of your inner self? Is there something ticking inside you, something that is jading you? If the answer is yes, then read on.

Have you looked at the sky lately? Wait, don't think as I know the answer. No, you haven't and I wonder why. However, if you can recollect, when you used to watch the sky intently, what was the single biggest focal point for you? Think of it, you cant forget it. Above the horizon, farther than the bluest hue, stark and true shining into view floats a majestic celestial body called the Moon.

The Moon might look forlorn and empty but only to those who are ignorant about the wide space that encompasses her. The Moon was never lonely and will never be so. She has for company the endless Zephyr that throws a protective blanket around her. The Moon might forget about the Zephyr but the Zephyr never would.

A few years back I heard a very touching line which said 'Love has many reasons that reasons themselves don't understand'. If you think of it, nothing could be any truer than this. But for someone who doesn't feel the need to love or be loved in return it might take a long time before the reasons get ingrained enough to become significant. However, once the reasons for loving someone and being loved in return become sacrosanct, there is no looking back. Promises once made have no scope for not being fulfilled.

Then again, if all of what I said above could be true always, this world would have been a perfect place. The Moon and the Zephyr would have been together, forever till the end of time. But, there is a catch. What if the Moon one day shuts off her aura? What if she just vanishes from the horizon and chooses to be elusive to the seeking eyes of the Zephyr? The Zephyr can always go and hunt her out but suppose the Moon doesnt want to be disturbed, the Zephyr would respect her decision and not switch on his RADAR. Afterall, we all need our respective space in life and Zephyr understands it very well.

At the same time, there is a life beyond Zephyr. Good, bad or ugly, only time will tell but if that is what the Moon has chosen, then so be it.

In the end, I would wrap up by quoting from the song that made Neil Young the Godfather of Grunge and made famous by Kurt Cobain in his suicide note (I wish he was still around but nevermind, will cover it some other time):

'Its better to burn out than fade away'.

Moon, do let me know how is life Beyond the Zephyr.

The Accident

2009-04-25T12:25:00.002+05:30

I am hurt! Sounds strange, doesn't it? As my two year old nephew says, even Superman sometimes tumbles down from the sky. I am no Superman and neither do I proclaim to be one and yet, I got hurt today.

It is Saturday today and time for me to spend some quality time with my babe (picture above). She is a moody beast but no so difficult to handle if you know how to keep her satisfied. A lot of pampering, a little bit of stern glances once in a while added with tons of understanding and pleasure giving keeps the girl happy. After having spent endless hours travelling through rocky mountains and winding roads with her, I have come to regard her not as a machine but as an extension of myself. It is a symbiotic existence - I keep her happy and she ensures that I am safe.

I had not been able to devote enough time to her lately and so decided to spend the entire morning on Saturday taking care of her. I opened her up and checked her out and realised that she needed some expert care. So I closed her up, put her stuff back in order, gave her a nice going through once again and off I went to the Service Centre.

The problem with Royal Enfield is that they make fantastic bikes but when it comes to Servicing, they somehow lack the expertise or the drive to ensure customer satisfaction. And so, I ended up taking my Babe to the Service Centre in the outskirts of the city. And on the way there, I met with an accident.

Yes, I am hurt a little badly but I will recover soon. The bleeding and pain are nothing compared to what I felt when the actual accident happened.

It was a plain straight road, chock a block with traffic and vehicles moving at a snails pace. Suddenly, one lane opened up and everybody started gunning for that patch. I never drive rashly or fast but since it was an up slope, I revved up my throttle a bit and was overtaking a car when in the distance I saw a guy riding his bike while looking behind. Because of the chaos and the heat and the incessant honking of vehicles around me, I couldn't make out what the guys intentions were. Suddenly, he came bang in front of me, there was traffic to my right and a concrete wall to my left and this gentlemen on the bike was still looking behind and moving from the lane to my right to the left without giving any signal. And lo and behold, he came and crashed right into me, his handlebar hit my right knee, his engine slashed through my crash guard and I experienced a searing pain in my leg. He lost balance and came to a grinding halt. I was thrown off balance but years of training came back in an instant and I regained control over my machine. Applying brakes would be dangerous, slowing down would have been suicidal and so, I just came to the left lane, looked back and found the guy was allright and then moved on.

I was pissed as hell and mighty displeased because not only had I taken a massive hit but my bike had also been damaged. Luckily, I had almost reached the Service Centre and that's when I realised the nifty escape I had because of my bike.

The Royal Enfield Bullet is a huge and powerful beast and the only one of its kind in the entire world. Had it not been for the Bullet and its sheer size and the crash guard in front, I probably wouldn't have been sitting here writing on my blog. Proverbial escape probably but I would attribute it fully to my bike.

I had taken my bike to the Service Centre for some minor tweaking but now I will have to shell out a few thousand bucks. Never mind, I have always been in love with machines and found them much more reliable than human beings.

I will go back to collect my bike today evening. I am already missing her and hope she would be back in shape.

As for people who don't follow traffic rules and flout all norms on the road, I just have one thing to say - one day you shall not be so lucky.

The Incorrigible

2009-04-10T21:05:00.006+05:30

I wish of spending time with you,

But, life catches me in blue.

I wish of talking long,

But, the day has something else along.

I wish to go out

To observe the skies unbound,

To witness the magic,

To see some dreams charismatic.

But, something comes by way

The energies, the spry...

I know, I do not have

Anything but, a regret.

But, all I want you

To know is..

I shall always strive to

Turn the dice...

Beyond Ushuaia

2009-04-10T20:32:00.007+05:30

Its been almost a year since I posted here. A year of near misses and happy triumphs. Moments filled with agony and some delicate ecstasies. A beaker full of joy and lots of soliloquy in abundant delicacies.

Some things have a surreal way of coming to life, some prosaic and unique way of throwing up one surprise after another. Sometime back, a very special person gave me food for thought and during my course of discussion with her, a very surreal feeling overcame me.

Amber colored mahogany,

Deep crusted monotony,

Whispering winds,

Taboos springing within.

I am still waiting for the day I reach Ushuaia with the one to whom it was promised to. The wait may be eternal but promises once made are never retracted.

This post, for a change, wouldn't make sense to anybody except the one who knows about Ushuaia.

Ushuaia is not the culmination of all efforts. There are many more things that lie beyond it. Ushuaia is just the beginning. Let the journey begin...

Sifar - The ReAwakening

2008-08-04T21:23:00.002+05:30

So many things to speak
And a lot many words to say
Some become the bounty green
While some remain in the hay.

Take a pinch of salt
Mix it in with lime
The sweet tangy taste entwined
Brimming over with salty brine.

Wonder where it all started
And I wonder how it stood
The test of time so mysterious and enigmatic
Can't believe nobody checked under the hood.

Zephyr it is that stays aloft
Floating leisurely miles above
Soaking up the heavenly glow
Spreading cheer down below.

Sifar is an existence
Ingrained with a delicate rhythm
Wonder where the glory goes
When she tucks in all her halo.

Peaceful coexistence and wonderful bliss
Happy rhythms with dollops of zing
Mile high dreams on towering beams
Sifar to Zephyr, the story begins.

The Beast

2008-05-27T15:23:00.009+05:30

We drink, we fight
And sometimes we dope;
Once on the run
We never stop.

We relish mutton, pork, beef
And also prefer snakes and dogs.
If you dare
We might even go for your peacock.

We got the best girls
And they are Hot!
The guys are cool
And we never miss our shot.

Don't mess with us,
We might do bad;
If you must know
Our fist spells death.

We rule and we are
The Devils from the sky;
Don't mess with us because we are
Worse than Vipers crest.

Mess with the Best

Die like the rest!

*

Petit Méchoui. That's what we call it in French and I am referring to the picture above. Ok fine, you don't know French but hey, if I translate the word then I can bet that people will start fleeing away. Don't believe me? Here goes...

It was one of those lovely salubrious days with good easterly winds and a hint of rains in the atmosphere. We had a long day climbing down from the mountains and were too damn hungry.

After discussing (at length) what to do, we decided to go catch some snakes. But then, as they say, the slimy creatures were nowhere to be seen and our hunger had hit the roof. Somebody suggested 'Méchoui' and we were a little lost because it was nowhere to be seen.

Oh shucks, I forgot, you don't know French. Fine, Méchoui is Sheep and tastes very yummy though not as good as snakes but as I said before, the crawlies were nowhere to be found.

Anyway, we found out some nice sheep for ourselves, had it skinned and cleaned and started a nice charcoal fire. Once the marination was done and the Barbecue pit was nicely stretched out, the sheep was mounted on the skewers and slowly turned on a shallow fire.

I ain't much of a Chef and my culinary skills are normally restricted to savouring the delicacies and so to cut a long story short, the sheep that we had was very juicy, nicely done and yummy to the core. Lemme know if you want our 'secret' recipe, its worth the taste!

Together - You and Me.

2008-05-25T18:17:00.009+05:30

Here I am sitting with my best ink and paper

I have a feeling I am thinking, I am peeping deeper.

Is this the way I wanted my life to be

Is this where my destiny had to take me?

Sometimes in life things do happen

Happenstance by chance, things going dapper.

Deeper than water, bluer than the sky

Good things do happen and so be the eager Beaver.

I have a heap of questions

I have a clump of notions...

Love, hate, relationships, illusions, reality matrix

But some things happen that I can never fix.

O! What is a heap of questions?

It can never be bigger than a mouthful of sky.

And what about the clump of notions?

It can never be larger than the Zephyr.

Love the good, hate the bad,

Relationships happen, illusions become snappier

Reality is a fix, the big seated matrix

Many things happen, why should you get fixed?

These words mean so much to me,

Never have I been answered with such an unanimity.

I am now in love with the mouthful of sky,

The relationships, the illusions, the notions.

I feel those words reflect me, my self, my unexplored me.

A new dimension these words have given me

And now I want to feel them till my core and

Understand me.

17 Jul 2007

1935 Hrs

It was another of those random monotonous days when boredom hits the ceiling and leaves you high and dry. I was sitting and talking with Minki who is the sweetest of all my friends.

The AC was at full blast, we had created a frigid zone at the place we were in and having exhausted all options to kill time, we hit upon a brilliant idea. Minki and I decided to start writing something, anything. As long as we got to kill time, we didn't care a damn about what we could conjure up.

And so, up we grabbed our pen and paper and let our grey cell's do the thinking. We decided to write a poem, one paragraph at a time. Minki expresses herself in very creative ways and I asked her to set the ball rolling and then I followed suit.

Apart from all the crazy lil' things that we do, I love Minki for one thing - it was because of her that I explored a totally new area. Sharing one's thoughts and matching them with another's expression and coming out with some creative streaks sure is a herculean task.

Thought this poem was our first collaborative effort, it certainly isn't our last. We have also written a nice sweet story set in the blue waters of an Indian Ocean island and the last word written saw us swimming in the crystal clear ocean water.

Yeah I know you're reading this Sheryl and trust me, even Minki had been talking about getting you back over here.

Humour Across the Border

2008-05-25T04:09:00.007+05:30

True story from the 1965 India-Pakistan War

Khalsa troops posted near the border had hung their Kaccha's and Baniyaans on a barbed wire running along the perimeter of their post. It is a usual practice to fence off a minefield with barbed wire so that accidents can be averted but in this case the wires had been erected by the Khalsa troops just for the purpose of drying clothes.

Funnily though, an advancing column of Pakistani tanks thought otherwise and assumed it was a ploy on part of the Indians to make them think it was not a minefield. As a result, the Pakistanis made use of their 'brilliant' tactics and applied their ever so superior tactical minds and changed their axis of advance. Consequently, they wound up in the actual minefields located on the sides of the post and the entire Pakistani armoured thrust came to a screeching halt.

So, in this fight between the Kaccha's and the Pakistani tanks, the Kaccha's saved the day! In fact, not only did the Kaccha's save the day but also helped the Khalsa troops to live another day and wear the Kaccha's again! Hehehe!

Khalsa Roulette

Khalsa troops caught a Pakistani soldier on our side of the fence.This Pakistani chap (the brave soldier that he was!) started pleading the Khalsas to let him go.

Khalsa: OK! We'll play a game. Take this dice and roll it. If you get 1,2,3,4 or 5 you'll die.

Pakistani: So if I get a 6, I'll live and you'll set me free?

Khalsa: No! In that case, you roll again!

What a Pakistani Does Best!

Two Pakistani Ranger's are driving around in their vehicle, looking for something to blow up with their G-3 rifles and 9mm pistols. They are just having a regular good time listening to some crappy songs and cursing their CO when all of a sudden they see this goat with it's head stuck in a fence.

Paki-1, being the Johnny-on-the-spot, jumps out of the vehicle, drops his trousers, and, well, you know, does what a Pakistani does best.

After the initial "josh" wears off, Paki-1 looks back and realizes he's been ignoring his best friend. So he looks over his shoulder and says, "Hey! You want some of this too?"

Paki-2 is thrilled - he can barely believe his good luck. "Yeah, sure!" Excitedly, he quickly jumps out of the truck, drops his trousers, and sticks his head in the fence!

Pakistanis and Female Donkey

This scene is set sometime during the Kargil war near the Line of Control in PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir).

A senior Pakistani Army General decides to go to a front-line village and inspect his troops. When he arrives in the village, he is very surprised to find a female donkey in the camp.

"Lahole-villa-Kuvat," he yells, "Why is there a female donkey in this battle field?"

"Well," the Pakistani soldiers answer with embarrassment, "The Indians are bombing this place since several weeks, and all the village girls are gone. So, uh, when we need women, we only have this donkey to... ... ..."

"Fucking hell!" the General angrily interrupts the soldiers, "We are the great Pakistani Army! How could you do such disgraceful things?! I don't want to see this donkey around anymore!"

So the Pakistani soldiers chase the female donkey away. In order to strengthen the discipline and keep an eye on his soldiers, the Pakistani General decides to stay in the village and commands the operations.

And the Kargil war goes on...

After a couple of weeks, the General starts to feel the need of ... !

"Well," he thinks, "My soldiers may be right. Life is tough here without sex especially under such a heavy Indian shelling!! After all, a female donkey is better than nothing...". So he orders his soldiers to find the donkey back.

Once Pakistani soldiers bring back the donkey, the General jumps out of his office, unzips his pants, stands behind the donkey and starts to F*ck the animal.

When he finishes and feels finally released, he notices that hundreds of soldiers - amazed and stunned - are looking at him with big eyes.

"Come on, guys," the Pakistani General says, "Don't look at me like that. Isn't it the way you all have been doing before?"

"No, Sir", answer the Pakistani soldiers, "Before, we used to ride this donkey and find women in the next village."

The Train Ride

An Indian chap and his pregnant wife were traveling on the TGV in France. A few Pakistan Army officers were also traveling in the same compartment.

As every body knows, the Pakistanis think they are a little too smart and also try to show their superiority in all aspects, and so they tried to act little smart and embarrass the Indian. They thought at the same time, it would be a good way to pass time too.

So, one of them went and sat beside the man.

The 'Smart' Pakistani officer asked the man, "Are you an Indian?".

"Yes", our chap replied proudly.

The officer then said, "Is your wife pregnant?".

"Yes", replied the man. He was a bit annoyed by the question as it was obviously visible that his wife was pregnant and the officer still asked that question. But he kept quiet.

Now, the Pakistani officer thought it was time to have some fun.

He asked the Indian, "If it is a boy, what would you like him to be?????"

"I'd make him a Software Engineer", the man said proudly.

"What if it is a girl?" asked the Pakistani officer.

"I'd make her a doctor", the man replied.

Now, the Pakistani officer gave the man a naughty grin and said, "What if it is neither a boy nor a girl?"

The smart Indian realized the whole point of this officer speaking to him. He realized that these Pakistani Army officers were trying to embarrass him so he decided to give it back to them.

The Indian chap thought for a second, returned the same naughty smile back to the Pakistani officer and said,"In that case, he will join the Pakistan Army!"

The Good Humoured Soldier!

2008-05-25T03:01:00.008+05:30

Time Check

During his peace tenure, a seasoned Para Colonel found himself at a gala event at a posh hotel. There was no shortage of extremely attractive, idealistic young women in attendance. One of them approached the Colonel.

"Excuse me sir, but you seem to be a very serious man. Are you this way all the time? Or is there something that's bothering you?"

"No, I'm just serious by nature."

Looking over the colonel's ribbons, the young lady said, "You seem to have seen a lot of action."

"Yes, a lot of action," said the Colonel rather curtly.

Finding it hard work trying to start a conversation with the colonel, the young woman said, "You know, you should lighten up a little . . . relax and enjoy yourself."

This didn't seem to move the Colonel, who just looked at her very seriously. Exasperated, the woman said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when was the last time you had sex?"

The Colonel replied back, "1955".

"Well no wonder you're the way you are! You really need to chill out a little and quit taking everything so seriously. I mean, no sex since 1955 is a little extreme!"

"I don't think so, it's only 2130 now!" the Colonel said.

Exercise

Annual exercies in Army are quite a boring affair. Hitting dummy targets, killing dummy soldiers, negotiating dummy obstacles and blah blah blah. The Referees and Umpires act like very very tough school teachers.

Once during a Corps level excercise in Thar, two Referees were watching a Brigade crossing a river (ofcourse a dummy one).Then they saw one infantry column crossing the river but not using the bridge. Technically speaking the infantry chaps were crossing the river on foot.

Immediately the Referees jumped in their Jonga and sped towards the erring column. Upon reaching near to them they saw the leading person carrying a placard stating "Hum Tair Rahe Hain" (We are swimming)!

GC Capers

A GC filled Army Aviation as his choice during the choice of arms. When told that he cannot directly join Army Aviation and has to give some other option, he opted for AAD.

His reasoning - 'IF I CANNOT FLY, NOBODY WILL FLY!'

The Owl

2008-05-25T02:34:00.009+05:30

The "Owls" are quite a famous lot in the Armed Forces. These are the Staff College qualified chaps and there are many jokes floating around about them. Here are some...

Op Discussion
During one of the serious discussions on the tactics for attack, the Corps Cdr asked one of the bright looking Owl's...

Corps Cdr: CO, tell me whats your plan of action and how do you wish to capture the post?
CO: Sir, its very simple - two of my Coy's will advance, one from the right flank and the other will give fire support .
Corps Cdr: How much time do you think it will take to capture the post?
CO : Sir not much , my boys are well trained and will be able to get them within 2 hrs.
Corps Cdr: Two hours? Are you joking my friend?
CO : Nope Sir, we'll take about 30 mins to reach the target. It is clearly evident for the enlargement, as the crow flies, the disance from the the FUP is hardly 900mtrs and can easily be covered in 30 mins, and rest one and half hrs for capturing the enemy post.
Corps Cdr: My friend I appreciate that you made your judgement about the distance from the enlargement. But, you forgot about the ground realities. Well if I am not wrong it will take u atleast 36 hrs to capture that post as "AT THIS ALTITUDE NOT EVEN THE CROW FLIES"!

The Poster

One of the most famous posters in the military depicts a road leading to a glacier. By the side of the road is a big board which reads...

NO PSC OFFICERS ALLOWED BEYOND THIS POINT - ACTUAL WAR IN PROGRESS!

Voyage d'aventure Fini

2008-05-25T00:14:00.013+05:30

It has been a real long time since I last posted anything on my Blog and frankly speaking, I am little lost as to what to write as there are way too many things going on in my mind right now. Mixed reactions all. LOL!

The past few months have been real exciting and full of adventure for me. Though I could not execute all my adventure plans (due to a variety of factors such as weather conditions, money...hehehe) I certainly had an amazing time. As always, I came across things which brought a smile on my lips, saw something that endeared itself to me, met up with awesome people (and some not so awesome one's too) and discovered a little bit more of this mighty world that we live in.

Sunrise is always exciting as it brings forth the promise of a new day, a new beginning. Sunset on the other hand is associated with a certain degree of mistrust as it is the harbinger of the oncoming darkness. I for one don't believe in any such assumption because for me every sunrise is the promise of a new adventure and every sunset guarantees me a few wonderful hours whence I can check out the bright stars, the shiny planets and the reflection off the Strobe lights of the high flying aircraft's.

The voyage of adventure upon which I had started off in January has now come to an end and I am finally back on terra firma with no more shaky ground to tread upon, no more rocky mountains to climb, no more snake infested jungles to cross and not wanting to chalk out a routine so that I could enjoy the surprise of a new adventure each day.

These past few months have also seen quite a few things crop up, some pleasant and some not so pleasant. Life however goes on.

I am an intrepid adventurer, love travelling to the unknown and taking a walk to the back of beyond. As Nicholas Hulot used to say in Ushuaïa, le magazine de l'Extrême... "Let the adventure begin!"

NB: And for all the curious one's who managed to see the photograph in full zoom, yeah, that's a TomCat flying towards a darkening horizon. Super Sexy!

Yankee Humor In Action

2008-03-19T13:48:00.003+05:30

USA and Osama bin Laden

After getting nailed by a Daisy Cutter, Osama made his way to the pearly gates. There, he is greeted by George Washington.

"How dare you attack the nation I helped conceive!" yells Mr. Washington, slapping Osama in the face.

Patrick Henry comes up from behind. "You wanted to end the Americans' liberty, so they gave you death!" Henry punches Osama on the nose.

James Madison comes up next, and says "This is why I allowed the Federal government to provide for the common defense!" He delivers a kick to Osama's knee.

Osama is subjected to similar beatings from John Randolph of Roanoke, James Monroe, and 65 other people who have the same love for liberty and America. As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson picks him up to hurls him back toward the gate where he is to be judged.

As Osama awaits his journey to his final very hot destination, he screams, "This is not what I was promised!"

An angel replies "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you. What did you think I said?"

Radio Conversation

This is the transcript of an ACTUAL radio conversation between a US naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995.

Radio conversation released by the Chief of Naval Operations 10-10-95.

Canadians: Please divert your course 15 degrees South to avoid a collision.

Americans: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees North to avoid a collision.

Canadians: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course.

Americans: THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT'S ONE FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Canadians: This is a lighthouse. Your call.

Bravest of the Brave

Top brass from the US Army, Navy and the Marine Corps were arguing about who had the bravest troops. They decided to settle the dispute using an enlisted man from each branch.

The US Army General called a private over and ordered him to climb to the top of the base flagpole while singing "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," then let go with both hands, and salute. The private quickly complied.

Next, the US Admiral ordered a sailor to climb the pole, polish the brass knob at the top, sing "Anchors Aweigh," salute smartly and jump off. The sailor did as he was told and landed on the concrete below.

Finally, the US Marine was told to do exactly as the Army and Navy men had done, but in full battle gear, pack filled with bricks, loaded weapon carried high. He took one look at the Marine General and said, "You're out of your mind, sir!"

The marine commander turned to the others. "Now THAT'S guts!"

Some of the Greatest Military Jokes

2008-03-19T12:47:00.006+05:30

Time

Air Force Stn Lohegaon shares its runway with the civil aviation. One day the ATC tower at Lohegaon received a call from an aircraft asking, "What time is it?"

The tower responded, "Who wants a time check?"

The aircraft replied, "What difference does it make?"

The tower replied "It makes a lot of difference.

If it is an Indian Airlines flight, it is 3 O'clock.

If it is an Air Force plane, it is 1500 hours.

If it is a Navy aircraft, it is 6 bells.

If it is an Army aircraft, the big hand is on the 12 and the little hand is on the 3".

Girlfriend

A soldier at the border received a letter from his girlfriend back home:

Dear Ricky,

I can no longer continue our relationship. The distance between us is just too great. I'm sorry. Please return the picture of me that I sent to you.

Love, Becky

The soldier, with hurt feelings, asked his fellow soldiers for any snapshots they could spare of their girlfriends, sisters or ex-girlfriends. In addition to the picture of Becky, Ricky included all the other pictures of the pretty gals he had collected from his buddies. There were 57 photos in that envelope along with this note:

Dear Becky,

I'm so sorry, but I can't quite remember who the hell you are. Please take your picture from the pile, and send the rest back to me.

-Ricky

Moral of the story: If you can't change your fate, change your Attitude.

The Field Telephone

Once there was a newly commissioned officer. One day he went to the Long Range and was just checking out the area when all of a sudden he thought of calling his girlfriend. He ran to the desk to ring her and was greatly relieved not to find anyone on duty. This officer was about to make the call when suddenly the phone rang.

Rrriinggggggggggggg!!!

He ignored

Rrrringgggggggggggggggggg!!

He ignored again

Rrrriinnggggggggggggggg!!

He got irritated and picked up the reciever and the following conversation took place:

Officer: Whats wrong with u a$$hole?

(It was Base Cdr calling )

Base Cdr: (Stunned!) Do you know who I am?

Officer: No! Who are you?

Base Cdr: This is Base Cdr speaking!

(The new officer was a quick witted type)

Officer: Do you know who I am?

Base Cdr: No !

Officer: Thanks!

...and ran away.

World War II

It's war time, the Battle of Britain is raging and the War Office decide that the pilots morale needs to be kept high so they come up with a plan for the pilots to take a break now and then to spend some time with the fine young ladies of the aristocracy at evening get-togethers.

Of course, no unseemly business must be allowed, so chaperoned by some of the military bigiwgs, the young ladies are assured only the most civilised behaviour.

At one such do, young Paddy is delighting a group of sparkling debutantes, who are quite taken by his strong good looks, and strong good Irish brogue. As his Wing Commander is passing the little group, he catches Paddy describing his daring escape from attack in the sky, saying "And just as Oi was sweating that Oi'd never have enough fuel to get back, these three Fokkers come swooping down on me!"

Fearful the young ladies would misinterpret the Fokker aircraft for Paddy's legendary sprinkling of the language with expletives, he stepped in to make an explanation to protect their sensibilities.

"If I may, Paddy, ladies. A Fokker is one of the finest aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe, and as Paddy is saying, they do tend to give us in the RAF a lot of trouble in this conflict. Thank you Paddy, you may go on."

"Oh yes indeed Sor," says Paddy, "The Fokker truly is a great machine and all. But these particular fokkers were Messerschmidts."

The General on Radio

This is an exact replication of National Public Radio(NPR) interview between a female broadcaster and US Army General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military installation.

INTERVIEWER: " So, General Reinwald, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?"

GENERAL REINWALD: 'We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting."

INTERVIEWER: "Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?"

GENERAL REINWALD: "I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range."

INTERVIEWER: "Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?"

GENERAL REINWALD: "I don't see how, ....we will be teaching them proper rifle range discipline before they even touch a firearm."

INTERVIEWER: " But you're equipping them to become violent killers."

GENERAL REINWALD: "Well, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?"

The radio went silent and the interview ended!

Work or Pleasure?

Two Majors are in the field area arguing.

The first Major says sex is 90% work and only 10% pleasure.

The second Major argues the opposite: 90% pleasure and 10% work.

They can't agree, so seek a 3rd party to arbitrate. The only person around is a Private doing latrine orderly duty. They ask him his opinion. He asks them if he could speak freely, and they tell him to go ahead.

He answers, "Well, if you really ask my opinion, I'd say it's all pleasure, for if there was any work connected with it, you SOB's would have me doing it!"

Medal of Honour

Two soldiers were boasting to each other about their old army days.

"Why, my outfit was so well drilled," declared one, "that when they presented arms all you could hear was slap, slap, click."

"Very good," conceded the other, "but when my company presented arms you'd just hear slap, slap, jingle."

"What was the jingle?" asked the first.

"Oh," replied the other offhand, "just our medals."

The Military Chain of Command

THE CO TO THE 2IC: At nine o'clock tomorrow there, will be an eclipse of the sun, something which does not occur every day. Get the men to fall out in the company street in their fatigues so that they will be able to see this rare phenomenon. Should it rain we will not be able to see anything, so take the men to the gym.

THE 2IC TO THE ADJUTANT: By order of the CO, tomorrow at nine o'clock, there will be an eclipse of the Sun; if it rains, you will not be able to see it from the company street, so then, take the men in fatigues to the gym. The eclipse of the Sun will take place in the gym, something that does not occur every day.

THE ADJUTANT TO THE JUNIORMOST OFFICER: By order of the CO in fatigues tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning the inauguration of the eclipse of the sun will take place in the gym. The CO will give the order if it should rain, something which occurs every day.

THE JUNIORMOST OFFICER TO THE SENIOR JCO: Tomorrow at nine o'clock the CO in fatigues will eclipse the Sun in the gym, as it occurs every day. If it is a nice day you will fall out in the company street.

THE SENIOR JCO TO THE CHM: Tomorrow at nine the eclipse of the CO in fatigues will take place because of the Sun. If it rains in the gym, something which does not take place every day, you will fall out in the company street.

COMMENTS AMONG THE PRIVATES: Tomorrow, if it rains, it looks as if the Sun will eclipse the CO in the gym. It is a shame that this does not occur every day.

Excerpts from my first Blue Book (Flying Diary)

2008-03-19T01:12:00.007+05:30

Week 1
Monday: Met announced a prolonged spell of bad Wx condition. Went back to studying the FRC's and Pilot Notes.
Tuesday: Rain. Surprise Gen Test on airfield procedures and emergency actions. Within an hour we all were hanging upside down and then started cream-rolling. Ouch!
Wednesday: No rain; no visibility either. Rig check up. Some more cream-rolling followed by endless runs of touch and back.
Thursday: Met declared Friday good for flying. Instructor and Flight Cdr asked all of us to have lunch and report for flying. Entire Squadron pounced on us for 'light exercise'.

Friday: Fly! Do first stall and second stall during same manoeuvre. Cover instructor with lunch. After landing came back to hangar rolling from the cockpit. That was funny!
Saturday: Flight Cdr took our happiness in real fauji style! Hehehehe! We all gave our sweat and blood to the tarmac. By the end of it, my Sqn apron was shining!

Week 2
Monday: My buddy and I were fooling around with a parked aircraft inside the hangar and managed to set off the ejection system. Things went out flying crazily in all directions. We got jacked back in the Sqn. They call us the 'Ejection Boys' now!

Tuesday: Instructor wants me to stop calling throttle "THAT BIG KNOB THING." Also hates it when I call instruments as "GADGETS". Got my visor and oxygen mask broken due to 'vital actions' carried by the Instructor during approach.
Wednesday: R/T is always garbled or the radios won't pick up on the alloted frequency. So I turned them off. Instructor seems to think I missed something.
Thursday: Learned Rate 1 bank is not a steep turn. Did stall again today. Lost 2000 feet. Instructor said that was some kind of record -- my first compliment. Hehe! Loved it!
Friday: Did steep turn. Instructor said I was not ready for inverted flight yet.

Saturday: Time for the weekely Bajax session. I loved it!

Week 3
Monday: Instructor called in sick. New instructor told me to stop doing steep turns. He said I had to have permission for inverted flight as I have not been cleared for aerobatics yet.
Tuesday: Instructor back. He got mad when I pulled power back on takeoff because the engine was too loud.
Wednesday: Instructor said after the first 20 hours, most students have established a learning curve. He said there is a slight bend in mine. Aha --progress! Yippee!
Thursday: Did stalls. Clean recovery. Instructor said I did a good job. Also did turns around a point. Instructor warned me never to pick up the swimming pool as point again when lady officers are undergoing their swimming classification test.
Friday: Did circuit work. Instructor said that if downwind, baseleg and final formed a triangle, I would be perfect. More praise! I have started liking it now.

Saturday: Special gift of Love from the Commandant - we got to see the moon, the stars and the lovely sky at night-time!

Week 4
Monday: First landing at a controlled field. Did fine until I told the captain in the Il-76 ahead of us on the taxiway to move his bird. Instructor says we'll have ground school all this week on radio procedures.
Tuesday: Asked instructor if everyone in his family had turned grey at such an early age. He made a 'Flying Maharaja' out of me! We did takeoff stalls. He says I did just fine but to wait until we reached altitude next time. Aircraft cowl number Two Nine Seven One will be out of the T&SS Hangar (workshop) in three days when the new strut and tyre arrive. Instructor says his back bothers him only a little.
Wednesday: Flew through clouds. I thought those radio masts and Radar towers were a lot lower. I'm sure my instructor is going grey.
Thursday: Left flaps down for entire flight. Instructor asked why. I told him I wanted the extra lift as a safety margin. More ground school.
Friday: Asked instructor when I could solo. I have never seen anyone actually laugh until they cried before.

Saturday: We were ordered to flatten out the grass next to the runway shoulder. Some of us wondered where the heck did the airfield maintenance tractors go?

-X-

Did I do anything wrong, duh?

Voyage d'aventure

2008-01-05T18:54:00.000+05:30

05 Jan 2008, 1907 Hrs.

The last few days have gone by in a blur for me. I got involved in a lot many things and many a times, it became a tad bit too tiresome. Thank God that it is all over now.

Tonight, I am setting out for yet another adventure which will take me through the jungles, across valleys, over the mountains, through thr mighty rivers to the wonderful sights and magnificient natural beauty of India. The next three months I will be living off my rucksack. I am going out on an adventure trip.

I am very excited about this trip not only because I am going for an adventure trip after almost a year but also because I will be meeting a lot of my coursemates, friends and a few long lost pals with whom I managed to re-establish contact after many many years.

One of my closest pals from school days is posted in Udhampur and I will be paying him a surprise visit. The bugger has no idea that I will be crashlanding at his place! LOL!

Just like all my previous trips, I will try and make this one as adventurous as possible. Though for a major portion of my trip I will be having the company of a few good men and women :) , there are points wherein I will be doing the travelling all alone. I will be using a variety of transport mediums - bus, train, boat, aircraft etc. I have also made a conscious decision not to carry my SLR camera along as this time I truely want to enjoy the adventure without feeling the urge to capture the moment through the lens. I know that it is a good practice to click photographs for the sake of nostalgic memories but hey, I live in the present and not in the past and so let me try out this thing too. Incidentally, I happen to be a photography aficionado and it sure will be difficult for me not to feel the need to click photographs.

This brings us to the end of this post. As I will be gone for a while, there won't be much activity here. However, I will surely be updating my stuff the moment I am back. So please do keep visiting my blog and do let me know in case you need a picture postcard of the wonderful places I will be visiting! LOL!

Adios!

Flight Simulator

2008-01-02T16:12:00.000+05:30

For all the wannabe Aviators and those passionate about flying, here is a cool tool to take you through the paces. Click on the picture below to find out what it is like to be in the cockpit.

Enjoy your sortie!

2008

2008-01-01T11:08:00.000+05:30

Seasons Greetings
&
Best Wishes
For a Vibrant and Prosperous
2008

On 01 Jan 1983, TCP/IP first came into existence. Today, as we celebrate the 25th milestone of the invention that directly led us to the Internet, it indeed feels great to be able to witness such a phenomenal moment.

Silver jubilee's have always been a source of inspiration to millions of people. In the technological domain, every developer looks forward to his golden sunset when he can bask in the aura of his invention having lasted a quarter century of existence.

01 Jan 2008 will in all probability go down in the history of the Internet as one of the golden days not only due to the silver jubilee celebration of TCP/IP but also because what has happened in the preceding two years. If 2006 was the year of Web 2.0, 2007 became the year of the You Tube. Any guess for what 2008 will be? My take is that Social Networking will become the biggest buzzword on the Internet in 2008.

People have been hankering about Facebook but the way I look at it, it doesn't interest me a wee bit. I like the Google Technology at work in Orkut and I'll bet my money on it. Ever tried Virtual Life existence? If not, then go get your presence registered on Second Life. You can find me there under the moniker Raymaker.

2008 has started and Google ushered in the New Year by putting up a doodle of the TCP/IP invention on its page. Way to go Google. I love you people out there.

Coming over to my hopes and expectations, well, there are dime a dozen things which I plan to accomplish in 2008. Though I am not the kinds who makes a New Year resolution but, just like 2007, I wish to achieve all that I dream about in life.

Here's wishing everybody the very best in 2008.

God bless ya all.

Semper Fidelis

2007-12-31T18:43:00.000+05:30

2007 is coming to an end. Another few hours and we will be in a new year. What 2008 has in store, nobody can predict, it is something that only time will tell. However, basing my prediction on what happened in 2007, I guess it is safe to assume that 2008 will be an exciting year.

The year gone by has been a good one. Many things happened, some for the very first time. I got involved in a million different things, met people from all walks of life, experienced various different dimensions and enjoyed it all big time.

As always, there are way too many memories clouding my mind - some good, some bad, some delightfully beautiful while some downright atrocious.

I also met lots of nice people and some not so nice people. Some of them became a part of my life while the others blurred into obscurity.

2007 came with a lot many surprises. The biggest surprise has been the phase shift in my life. Change is good and I truely believe that nothing is permanent except change.

As I log out from 2007, here's wishing everybody reading this blog the very best in their lives. Go people, go touch the sky with glory. There is nothing impossible in this world. Dream, execute and reach your destination.

Semper Fidelis!

The "T" Factor

2007-12-31T11:20:00.000+05:30

Tanya called up in the morning, way too early in the morning - 0330 Hrs. She pulled me out of the cozy comfort of my warm blanket. 0350 Hrs saw me standing on the main road, waiting for her to pick me up.

It was freezing cold today morning with a big fog cover hogging the ground. A cold wind was blowing through the trees and thank God for the MES, the street lights were all working. Seems like the AGE (E&M) has pulled up his boys before the New Year.

Tanya had got her car & the moment I entered it, a high db blast of Jim Morrison hit me. Nothing could have been better than hearing The Doors sing Light My Fire on such a cold, wintry morning. Something was amiss, Tanya listening to The Doors and not Led Zeppelin and that too so early in the morning was a bit strange. But then, I have never been able to understand her quirky nature. She is as crazy as it gets!

It was still pitch dark though the MES lights were throwing up haunted shadows through the fog cover. Tanya didn't tell me where we were headed, she just kept on in her sing-along voice. I was mighty pleased that she'd got some eatables and that quintessential of all fauji drinks - Rum and garam paani. If you haven't tried this combination, then do try it out. The Olive Greens, the Snow Whites and the Mighty Blues swear by this heavenly concoction!

We criss-crossed the Cantonment, through a few back roads which I'd never been to before and traveled up the nearby mountains. I heard the sound of booming guns and gave a quizzical look to Tanya. She just shrugged it off and lit up her saviour - Mr Gordon Light aka Gudan Garam. Now that was a heady mix of Mr Old Monk and Mr Gordon Light. Intensity personified.

After traveling a lot of clicks, we finally stopped at the foothills of the mountain. We got down the car and started climbing up through the dirt track that lead to the top. We took about half an hour to climb all the way to the top. Mr Gordon Light was firmly entrenched in her fingers and Tanya made a very dramatic pose on the hilltop.

The first rays of light had started showing up. The entire space was still dark but there was the faint eerie outline of dawn that I find really groovy.

I suddenly realised that we were not alone. There was that distant booming of gunfire yet again though I couldn't locate it with my eyes. Suddenly, Tanya tugged at my arms and directed my sight towards the NW. There, many clicks away, I saw the darkness getting pierced by tongues of flame.

We were on a hilltop, overlooking the Long Range and those orange-red coloured flames were coming out from the barrels of heated up guns. The chaps were doing their zeroing-in and calibration before their move to their KLP for the next few months.

2007 couldn't have ended on a better note. I was on a mountaintop with Tanya - my buddy, my closest friend, co-conspirator and accomplice in many crimes, enjoying a cold wintry morning and towering flames of lights piercing the darkness of the dawn. It was just the both of us out there and the AAD chaps at the Long Range. It was a very magical moment, something that I will always cherish for the rest of my life.

I don't need to say this but for the record, thanks Tanya for your crazy eccentricities! I would love to see you take the Point on our next expedition in Feb 2008.

N.B. - For all those wondering as to why I have put up this picture over here, well, the reason is known to those who know the reason well. LOL!

Aksshe Shatrun Jahi.

Signals - The Nervecentre of Warfare

2007-12-30T15:56:00.000+05:30

Control of the battle has always been the concern of commanders down the ages and whoever could exert better control over his own forces and impress his will on his men won. When the armies were small and the distances relatively small, messengers on foot or on horseback sufficed. However, as the battlefields stretched out and the size of the armies increased, such means no longer sufficed. The coming of the artillery also underscored the importance of communications. Necessity being the mother of invention, such changes in the battlefield drove the evolution of the Signals and gave the Corps its unique place in the armies the world over. Signals are essentially the nerves of the Army. The Generals, being the brains of the Army, receive inputs from the troops in contact and from other sources through the Signals. These inputs are processed at the headquarters and converted into action plans. It again falls on the Signals to convey these operational plans to the troops who are to execute them. Feedback on execution gets conveyed back and the battle progresses. It is therefore obvious that the Signals are intimately intertwined in all aspects of the functioning of the army both in war and in peace and are present at all levels and at all places.

Army Radio Engineered Network (AREN): This indigenously conceived area grid radio communication system for the field formations launched more than a decade ago has since grown into a potent tool for the commanders to exercise command & control and automated interoperable information and decision support systems in their area of responsibility.

Army Static Switched Communication Network (ASCON): The ASCON was evolved to integrate the telecommunication infrastructure of the hinterland with the tactical communication networks. It is a digital, fully automated, secure, reliable and survivable static communication system based on microwave radio, optical fibre cable, satellite and milli-metric wave communication equipments. Value added services such as Fax, Telex, data transfer and video are also available to the defence users on this network. The ASCON network is currently being expanded to include all army commands and areas in eastern India and also finalising plans for future expansion of the network. In addition, ASCON's existing microwave links are being replaced with optical fibre cable for increased reliability in communication.

Troposcatter Communication Systems: The Corps of Signals have harnessed the potential of troposcatter communications basically to meet the requirements of mechanised formations operating in rapidly changing tactical environments and for responsive & quickly deployable mobile systems to provide cross linkages and integration with the communication networks in the tactical zones. The digital mobile troposcatter systems are operated by specialized signal groups.

Satellite Communication (SATCOM): Conventional communication systems derived over field & permanent lines and radios could not be satisfactorily established over mountainous and snow-clad areas of borders in India. Hence the Corps has developed expertise and are already exploiting the latest facilities available by using INMARSAT, INSAT, LCTs and ECTs in the low-intensity conflict areas. INMARSAT has been used by the Corps of Signals units deputed for service in Somalia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Cambodia and Angola.

Computer Data Networks: The Corps of Signals has done pioneering work in spreading computer literacy in the Indian Army since the 1960s. Right now the Corps is providing the pivotal role and infrastructure in exploiting Information Technology (IT) for data communications, weapon control and management systems. This fast proliferation of IT is providing an ideal incentive to the IT specialists for both graduates and post-graduates.

Electronic Warfare: This has become one of the most potent force multipliers and a technologically challenging field in which the Corps has developed tremendous expertise. EW has played a stellar role in anti-insurgency and low intensity conflict operations besides the conventional operations conducted earlier in Sri Lanka and recently in Kargil.

Information Technology: In the thrust of the Indian Army to usher into an era of acquiring maximum dividends from IT, the Corps of Signals is the torch bearer and facilitator. Fully automated offices with minimum paper work, improved response timings, fast information dissemination systems, hierarchical management information systems at all levels are some of the areas of thrust.

Static Peacetime Communications: Signals is providing standard subscriber communication services to the Army during peace time by way of telephone, telex, fax, e-mail, voice-mail and data transfer by establishing state-of-art communication systems and networks.

Automatic Message Switching / Handling Systems (AMSS): The Corps is also using a computerised AMSS for handling the high volume message traffic of the Army. This is network connecting the hierarchical nodes where the army formations are deployed.

Blogging In Photographs

2007-12-30T12:05:00.000+05:30

Starting upon a new thread on photography, an all consuming passion of mine. I plan to put up some of the craziest pictures that ever came out a photographers camera.

1. How Narayana Murthy reached the top with Infosys!

2. C-130 crash in Iraq - Classic case of why NOTAM's are important.

3. C-130 crash in Iraq - Birds eye perspective.

4. Thunderbird Ejection - An Aviators dream turned into horror.

5. Bird Hit - Is that Tandoori Chicken by any chance :)

6. The Special Forces Club at Phu Bai - Picture from another era (Vietnam War).

If Aviators Became Directors...

2007-12-24T09:44:00.000+05:30

711

Aa Ab Loop Marein

Aerodynamics Koi Khel Nahi

Go Round Kiya To Darna Kya

Hamari FRC Apke Paas Hai

Jaanam Fly Karo

Kabhi Spin Kabhi Eject

Landing Ho Naa Ho

Maine Bees Rupaye Ka Form Kyu Bhara

Mi Wale Congo Jayenge

There She Goes...

2007-12-17T15:47:00.000+05:30

It all starts here...at the wheels

Next comes the Engine...

Then we add on the fuselage & get onto a dream...

And then finally, we reach out for the stars!

Ushuaiah, the journey begins!

Sky Unlimited

2007-12-14T18:18:00.000+05:30

Soft grey clouds interspersed with wafts of cotton white enveloping the sky and making patterns of varying hues on the surface of water. Land sizzling high, water splashing wild and the clouds wafting languorously across the sky. Picture perfect, just the way an ace photographer would have liked to have in order to capture the scenic beauty of this world.

The things that we take for granted the most are the ones around us that help us overcome obstacles, keep our sanity intact and give us a reason to smile. We all are humans and with due apologies to Mr Julius Cesar, I would like to rephrase his oft repeated quote by saying that it is for us humans to err and then make that mistake all over again. My post (Storm & Petals II) is a living testament to this.

Anyway, this post is not on Storm & Petals because that's something which happened in my past. What is now more important for me is to live the present and construct something good for the future. Call it a noble mission or anything else, I am secure in the knowledge that there are a few good men and one less woman to help me out. However, this is not about them but about somebody about whom I have never spoken before.

Have you ever experienced the thrill of riding out a storm, the ecstasy of conquering blinding snow and a terrible blizzard or the euphoria of having tamed a tempest? Have you ever come across a toughened soldier or met a seasoned sailor or maybe came face to face with an aviator who has seen it all while throttling down to earth from high up in the sky? For once try and unhinge your mind from the vagaries of daily life and think about the most beautiful thing that you have experienced in your life so far. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, imagine yourself standing on some lofty peak with the pure mountain air filling your lungs. What do you see? A dream, right?

I am no Paulo Coehlo yet, I know the power of dreams. I firmly believe that dreams are the stepping stones to reality. There is nothing wrong in dreaming, no matter how big or audacious our goal, it is always a good idea to dream. However, we must always be rooted to reality or else we will lose control over who we are.

This post is dedicated to a friend of mine who almost scuttled her dreams once. Something had shattered her, a broken remnant of her past which haunted her no end. But the will-power to overcome obstacles and human endurance finally paid off. My friend is back on track, back to the azure blue sky she loved watching, back to the clouds she loves flying through, back to the stars which she one day wants to touch.

Never stop dreaming my friend because dreams will one day take us to the final fantasy. The endless Space beckons us all. Viva le ciel!

Storm & Petals II

2007-12-14T09:56:00.000+05:30

The picture that you see above is that of a Hawker Tempest Mk. V. Made in the heydays of the second world war, the Tempest was in service with the RAF.

It indeed is a Tempest that I find myself in right now. Never thought that such a thing would ever be possible. I was naive enough to believe whatever was said. I should have been more prudent in approach & shouldn't have taken everything at face value.

Have you had the chance to read Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken? The poem starts beautifully with...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

The poem is as much an assertion of individualism as it is a scathing mockery of people who are perennially hesitant to walk the right path. The best part in the poem is in the last stanza wherein Robert Frost says...

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Something sure has made all the difference, something that never occured to me before. I'm still finding it weird to realise that I went along with it all these days. Feelings, emotions, the time spent together, the things shared between us, the said, the unsaid, the felt and the understood. Was it all a lie? Was it nothing more than a play of words? No matter how much I try and be rational over here, it just doesn't add up.

It feels as if suddenly something has become disjointed from you. The abruptness of it all has certainly taken me by surprise. Maybe it was my fault that I didnt read the signals along the way. When I look back, there were things, blaring and screaming at me. I knew them also but everytime I tried discussing them, it was brushed aside. And then yesterday, the whole thing blew up.

Looking at it right now, I can make out that it wasn't abrupt at all. It was a very gradual yet secretive thing that build up over the past few months. And like a fool I had blinkers on my eyes and was made to feel as if things are going in the right direction. Yeah, right direction it sure is but on a different path. Like Robert Frost, I have always travelled the road less travelled but this time I wanted to do something more common. Probably it was intentional that I was pushed onto it this time around.

Are you wondering why I'm writing all this? To be honest, even I don't know. Probably because I never expected this to happen, atleast not this way. It would be an understatement if I say that I'm feeling cheated and made fun of. And to think of, all this had been happening for quite some time. Probably I'm writing this because I don't know what else to do or whom to share this with. My life is an open book but this will go down with me to my grave. Apart from me, there is only one other person who knows this.

We always take for granted what is around us. So this mean that I also do something drastic like a majority of the people normally do? No, I refuse to be bound to customs and traditions.

Does this change anything for me? Yes and No. Yes, it sure has hurt me like hell but No, I won't let this bog me down. Life still continues, doesn't it?

Coming back to the Tempest about which I spoke in the beginning of this post, the last couple of months I'd got settled into my own comfort zone. Never in my life had I ever got into one because I've always known the negative fallout of being in a comfort zone. The day you get into your comfort zone, you become careless and lackadaisical in life. Nothing could be more dangerous than getting into a situation that will throw you into danger.

But this time, I allowed myself to sit back, threw all cautions to the wind and enjoyed the short comfortable stay. No more, never again. Yet again, I've learned one of the biggest lessons of life through a small yet very significant event.

Enough of the problem definition I guess. What about the solution? Simple, I've already put this behind me. I've phenomenol tolerance for such unpleasant surprises that life sometimes throws up at you. For me this event has already paled away into insignificance.

Did this entire thing change me? I guess not, I hate losing my originality. I'll now be more cautious about what happens around me. Enjoy, I will. Fun, I always have. The only thing that is different is that henceforth, it'll be difficult for me to enjoy the good old things in the same manner. In corporate jargon they call it Opportunity Cost.

As always, I don't have any regret nor do I harbour any hurt feelings. Just a wish that Storm & Petals (http://zephyrinsky.blogspot.com/2007/10/storm-petals.html) hadn't withered away like this.

The letters never got replied back or even acknowledged. The SMSes stopped coming long time back. The phone calls have already stopped, infact the cell has not rung in the past 72 Hrs. I'm still at a loss as to whether the innocence and freshness of being somebody's best friend also died an unnatural death.

2007 is coming to a close but this is not the way I wanted to celebrate New Years Eve this time. Nobody wants to be sad while celebrations are happening dime a dozen around you. But oh, what the heck, life goes on. As B*witched sang long ago, 'C'est la vie!'.

Les amis à jamais

2007-12-01T12:40:00.000+05:30

She is back. Back with a bang!

It was yesterday when the wheels of change started turning again. She walked in from the main gate, straight down the foyer & into my arms. Sounds way too filmy but thats how it was.

I was talking to a friend over dinner when I sensed her coming to me. I didnt even have to turn back to know that she was there. I knew it. It was in the air. I excused myself from my friend, turned around, my arms automatically opened up, I offered my hand to congratulate her (she'd just done something very big in life) & in less than what it takes you to blink your eyes I found ourselves hugging each other. I am not lying but this was the best embrace that I've had in my life so far. Nothing else mattered to me at that instant, everything around us faded away to obscurity.

She is back & things are back to normal. I always knew (http://zephyrinsky.blogspot.com/2007/09/band-of-brothers-spirit-of-friendship.html) that one day we'll get back together, it was just a question of time.

It feels great to have you back buddy. I know that we've missed out on many things over these past few months but hey, we can always catch up.

Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Boeing & finally Arianespace! They all are up for grabs.

Welcome back!

High Flight

2007-11-30T10:12:00.000+05:30

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untresspassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

+++

Flying has been the mantra of life for pilots since the dawn of aviation. High Flight is a tribute to those special people known as Aviators who break free from the shackles of this earth & fly away to the blue sky.

Everytime I read this poem, it sends a tingling sensation down my spine. It strikes a chord deep within me & makes me yearn to strap up the harness, close the canopy & take off to touch the sky.

Sky - its a different world to be in. Flying is not a passion, its not a religion, its not an obsession. Flying is life! Everything else pales into insignificance.

I Dream Tomorrow

2007-11-29T19:27:00.000+05:30

Tomorrow as you open your eyes

And wake up into a new lit dawn,

There you will stand audacious and bold

To lay down an epic never before told.

And as on the steps you proceed staunchly

Leaving behind all your languish willingly,

The world will linger upon you and extol

As if you were an occultous doll.

Once again you'll remember those torrid days

In which you toiled on barren bays,

Labouring morning and noon incessantly

Untill you comandeered and decimated successfully.

At once you go back into that long awaited eulogy

And like a maelstrom euphoria touched thee,

Your efficacy in the battle did not go waste

'cause paid you is a holocaust - so FULMINATE!

+ + +

This is for my best friend from yesteryears with whom I've shared some of the best moments of my life. She was and still remains one of the most gifted persons I've met in my life so far.

Rock on girl, way to go buddy!

Once We Were Warriors

2007-11-26T19:24:00.000+05:30

...Continuation of Green On! Go!

I'm not emotionally affected by what happened. I certainly dont have nightmares. We are big boys & we know the rules we play by. We've all been close to death. You accept it. You dont want it to happen, of course, but sometimes, there you go - occupational hazard.

In a strange way I'm almost glad I went through the experience. I wouldnt like to repeat it, but I'm glad that it happened.

Some things, however, will live with me for ever.

The crash of a bolt.

The boom of gunfire.

The smell of burning flesh.

The suffocation of an acrid smoke.

The rattle of rounds falling all around you.

From all this I've learned that nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Things that might have bothered me in the past are less likely to now - sparkling wine spilling over my crisply pressed clothes, the car not starting when I'm in a hurry, something valuable getting lost, my laptop breaking up after falling from a height. I know my limitations better now, yet I feel more positive & self assured. I no longer take anything for granted. I appreciate simple, everyday things much more; instead of spending a bomb on getting my laptop repaired, I'll make do without it. I'm not attached to anything in this world.

As to the rights & wrongs of the war - well, thats never been a worry to me. I was a soldier, thats what I was paid for. It was very exciting, I got high doing it.

And as for the people who were lobbing shells over my gang, if I meet any of them in the street tomorrow, either here in India or the United States of Honolulu or wherever, & they think that they will get away with it, well, I'll slot them & rip them apart from spleen to spine in one go.

Alea jacta est, the Rubicon has been crossed!

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

2007-11-10T19:56:00.000+05:30

Its Diwali today. One of the most quintessential of all Indian festivals, Diwali is the celebration of light and symbolises the importance of living a vibrant life.

India looks decked up like a Queen during Diwali time. Roads, streets, shops, homes everything is adorned with shining electric lights that add a totally different hue to the place. Busy thoroughfares through the city turn into a veritable feast for the eyes due to the multitude of colours that adorn the way. People put in a lot of time and effort to clean their areas, put shiny new lights around and wait for Goddess Lakshmi to bless them with her presence. In Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity and almost all Indians look forward to enjoying her blessing during this period.

This time during Diwali, I decided to do something different. Instead of blowing up a few thousand bucks on firecrackers and polluting the environment and lead to high decibel levels, I decided to spend my time with a few special people, soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who'd lost their limbs or arms or both during the course of duty.

It was an emotional experience for me to be amidst these brave guys. Even though they had had lost a part of their body, their spirit was indomitable. Having given their best to the nation and to their unit, these guys showed the steadfast resoluteness to bash on regardless in life. Come inclement weather, loss of limb or arm, these guys were ready to brave any storm. A majority of these soldiers had lost their appendages in J&K where we are fighting a proxy way. In military parlance we call it Low Intensity Conflict / Counter Insurgency Operations. There were a few casualties from the North East also. Additionally there were a few paramilitary chaps who were involved in anti Naxalite operations in the hinterlands of India.

It felt really good to have spent time with these brave people. Not even once did I feel that they were any different than me. The typical fauji mood prevailed everywhere. There was a light hearted banter going on, a corny joke was being shared somewhere, somebody was using the very colourful fauji lingua franca with finesse while someplace else chaps were planning out things for the weekend.

People in the swish civvy streets have always asked me what faujis do when there is no war going on. It is very difficult for them to understand why we need to have a military even when we are not fighting a war. For these people, it is an alien proposition to understand how someone can be given a salary without being given a sales target for the month or for a quarter. Everybody is not money minded or profit driven but who will explain it to these people.

When I go home, people ask me, "Hey you, why do you do it man? Are you some kind of a war junkie?". I wont say a God damn word. Why? They wont understand, they wont understand a God damn word as to why we do it. Its about the men next to you. That’s it, that’s all that it is.

People think that we fight a war because we want to be heroes. No. Nobody wants to be a hero. It just sometimes turns out that way. Somebody has to do the job, somebody has to get their hands bloodied.

Soldiers are not taught to sacrifice their life for the country. Rather, they are trained to kill the B@$&@^] on the other side of the trench. A soldier doesn’t feel himself any superior to his civilian counterpart. That’s a wrong notion carried by people outside the uniformed services. A soldier, by virtue of his training and the regimented discipline that is ingrained into his psyche knows that he is supposed to carry out his duty without fail.

At the end of the day, its all about belonging to the Brotherhood of Hero’s...soldiers carry out their allotted tasks and many a times go beyond the call of duty. This is what makes soldiers different from the people outside the armed forces, maybe this is what makes them special.

It was with such people that I spent my Diwali this year and more than I making them smile, they touched my life in a very special way.

Voiceless Chayos

2007-11-04T12:02:00.000+05:30

Voiceless..I am

Violent my smiles are

Silent my tears are..

But........I speak..

Through my eyes...

My face glows.......

Whole body sings...

When you harp....

Melody.....

Fills my soul...

With your touch...

You have to look at me

To listen it

You have to look at me

To read me

You have to look at me

To know me

I'm not nameless

I'm not stranger

I'm not lifeless

Voiceless....

Only I am

........................................

Voiceless to unknown.

She Is...

2007-11-03T11:06:00.000+05:30

A face so pretty

A face so bright,

She can light up

Even the darkest of all nights.

A scent so sweet

A scent so divine,

She can gently turn you on

With her fragrance wafting high.

A presence so electrifying

A presence so desired,

She can make you want her

For a lifetime's serenade.

A walk through the forest

A journey through night,

Wish she was near

Never out of sight.

Flying over the horizon

Across the coast glinting bright,

Soaking in the moment forever

Never wanting to let her go off sight.

A slowly rising melody

A tune that is right,

An epitome of beauty

She is a wonderful sight!

She is... ... ...

+++

This is for the one who started it all.

Not so long ago, I was at Oberoi Towers next to the NCPA in Bombay. A gentleman was playing the western classical piano in the hotel lobby & I just couldn't resist myself from walking up to him and listening to the wonderful tunes he was playing. He treated me to a veritable fare that included everything from Bach to Mozart to Beethoven and finally wrapped up with John Denver.

Annie's Song is an awesome composition. If you haven't heard it, go & get yourself a CD. Trust me, it'll make a difference to you in your life. All you need to do is find yourself a comfortable place to sit in (my favourite being the Bean Bag in my bedroom or the leather couch in the living room), draw the shades, switch off all lights, cell-phones and rest all distractions. Sit back, close your eyes & let John Denver take you through an ethereal journey.

Annie's Song has a special significance for me. It always induces a bittersweet memory in me. It is like a pain that is both sublime yet very powerful. Some people like it while some don't. But whatever you do, you can't ignore it. The song brings out the best & the worst of human emotions within us. For some it is a catharitic exprience everytime they hear the song while some get the most virtiolic of all emotions when they listen to Annie's Song.

As for the one who started it all, well, words are not sufficient to describe her. Have you ever seen a person enter a room and brighten it up with her smile? Have you ever experienced somebody's presence who can liven up the atmosphere in & around? Well if you haven't then my friend, you ought to be in love, not with just a person but with an existence.

The Lady here will always be an Enigma & I prefer it that way because, she is not ordinary.

She Is... ... ...

Fragmented Existence

2007-10-26T10:09:00.000+05:30

Like an Eagle looking at the sky

Its a gentle luxury to weep,

Clouds have winds for them to keep

Do you know what you want from this life,

To keep away from the darkness deep?

Fragmented existence

Darkness enveloping the bright sky,

A mighty fury building up

A tempest gone wild.

Riding the wind

Unleashing the storm,

Washed away by circumstances

Dipping sun giving way to the dawn.

Fighting the odds

Destroying the violence mile high,

Striving alone

Battling hard to clean up the sky.

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes

Resurrect the bond,

Spread the hands wide

And fly out to the azure blue sky.

A reason to live

A reason to smile,

A reason to fly

Higher than the blue sky.

Once Again...

2007-10-25T21:26:00.000+05:30

This is for the one who made it all possible..my best friend from yesteryears who had got lost in the mist of the past.

Its a different world altogether. A different place and a different plane of existence. I know it wont make sense to a lot of people but I'm not bothered. I know that N would understand it. And thats all that I want.

Change has been the only constant in my life because nothing is permanent except change. N and I have travelled a long path back from those days in the past. While she took a turn to the left, I turned right. It was happenstance that made us meet again. It was providence that made things conducive enough for us to get back and talk just like the good old days.

25 Oct 2007 goes down in my life as a day which sprang a big surprise. Its been quite a roller coaster ride through thick and thin but in the end, N and I came out much the wiser.

It feels great to have rediscovered an old friend, someone who does make a difference to you.

Thanks for everything N. It sure feels great to have you back in life.

Storm & Petals

2007-10-14T10:47:00.000+05:30

She has somewhat of a mysterious aura around her that piques at your curiosity the first time you meet her. She is like a quaint old river that flows effortlessly through pebbles & stones & in the process ends up polishing them to a perfect shine.

She is the kind who will make you feel comfortable even under the glare of a 1000 eyes. She is somebody who can touch your circadian rhythm with ease & become a part of your living existence for the rest of your life.

Her affection & love for others is never elusive & people around her enjoy basking under the glory of her spirited existence. A wonderful soul who can never think ill about anyone nor has ever trampled upon anything in her life, she radiates grace & charm wherever she goes. She is the true manifestation of an esoteric beauty with oodles of cerebrum.

She is life!

Earth Bound Misfit

2007-10-13T12:22:00.001+05:30

Dear Earth Bound Misfit,

I like the mysterious aura surrounding you. I really appreciate the way you've kept the cards close to you. But this mystery is too much of an esoteric delight to be forgone.

I'm wondering as to how come you know me but I can't place you. You said that you know me a decent bit. Now I'm wondering as to who you are because I'm not in the habit of forgetting people.

Yesterday is but today's memory, tomorrow is today's dream. The only use of a knowledge of the past is to equip us for the present. The present contains all that there is. It is holy ground; for it is the past, and it is the future.

Robert Frost once said "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on".

I know for sure that we know each other. Its not that I've forgotten you but just that its difficult placing you in this maze called life. I wouldn't hazard a guess because sometimes happenstance can go wrong. Nothing changes more constantly than the past; for the past that influences our lives does not consist of what happened, but of what men believe happened.

Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than getting to know who you are. I don't think I'll be expecting too much if I ask you to lift the veil of mystery surrounding you.

'Leave nothing but footprints... Take nothing but pictures... Treasure nothing but memories'.

Regards,

Zephyr.

Alive!

2007-10-12T10:25:00.000+05:30

It feels good to be alive

Sun soaked existence

Pretty sight for the eyes.

It feels great to be able to fly

Soar like birds

Touch the zenith sky high.

There's a good deal to survive

Snow covered peaks

Sparkling rivers falling from icy heights.

It feels good to be alive

Mysterious existence

Stars twinkling bright.

The Coolest Blue

2007-10-02T11:34:00.000+05:30

Circa 2005

It all started in Bombay.

Since then, life has meandered through pebbles & stones to flow effortlessly with the zest of life.

Where it goes, only time will tell.

* * *

The first time I met her
I fell in love with her charm
Meeting her that day
Was like falling into a romantic trance.

Second time we met
The hope looked brighter
Pictures came and melted the heart
Gave me all the more reasons to smile.

The third time things looked bleak
Didn’t want to miss her,
The glory of her charm
And get the tears of streak.

The pictures came
Went right through my mind
Glimpses of her gracious grace
And her most amazing charm.

Tho’ I aint AXL Rose and Slash
I still jive well
So I believed in God
Put my trust in his faith.

Didn’t want to miss Ms Grace
Snapshots of heaven
Wanderlust of the pure
The two way glory unfolds.

So ‘twas no surprise
That I met her again
Had the best time of my life
Till that very date.

The night was serene
The ocean a deep dark blue
Waters splashing on the Rocks
Foaming with a very different hue.

Things were looking their very best
Had nothin’ to regret
Took the decision
To live it all over again.

Sure about the decision
As sure as heaven as I could be
Want to capture this moment forever
Never to let go by of it again.

I don’t know what lies beyond the blue yonder;
Since I fly in the sky so blue and,
The mighty wings take me high;
Very few things interest me that are,
Not in the sky.

Didn’t know who she was
Didn’t know where she was
Don’t know why I never crossed her
In the alleys of life
Before that moment.

I know many things
Yet don’t know anything
But I know one thing for sure
She is so wonderful and true
That I’ll always find her

The Coolest Blue.

Band of Brothers - The Spirit of Friendship

2007-09-20T17:24:00.000+05:30

What you see on the left is a picture from the flag raising at Iwo Jima.

Iwo Jima is a strategically located island in the Pacific Ocean which witnessed one of the bloodiest infantry fights of World War II. The US Army & the USMC fought a bloody battle to wrest Iwo Jima away from the Japanese.

Whenever I look at this picture, it evokes a strong nostalgic feeling in me. It brings back all the good memories of being with people whom you could trust with your life. It brings back the memories of those long lost days and nights wherein we would patiently sit out for the enemy and then go in for the kill. Band of Brothers, thats what we used to call ourselves before HBO made the term a household name through its syndicated series with the same name.

That was then. Now, in the swish civy streets, Band of Brothers feels more like an alien concept. People talk about things like group dynamics, cooperation & esprit de corps. These all sound so very jazzy but I hardly ever see any such thing happening. People are more interested in scoring points over one another, criss crossing each other & trying their level best to pull down others around them.

The war cry & the blood curdling screams are not present here but the competition is so intense that people dont hesitate even once to draw out their swords & attack others with razor sharp accuracy. The trust, the faith & all the friendliness is gone.

I'd been warned about the pit falls of the civy street but I never knew that it is so difficult for people here to live upto the spirit of friendship. It never crossed my mind that over here, people whom you consider close can actually react negatively one day and fall out permanently by the way side.

I've always been confused by the ways of the so called civilized world. People whom you consider good friends & who are close to you, you never expect them to act in an irrational manner. I fail to understand as to how after having put in a lot of time & effort to make the friendship work, it crumbles down and breaks apart because of a freak incident.

If the friendship is so weak that it cant endure even a slight change in weather, then its better that there be no friendship! I know I am making a very strong statement here but I have always hated the cold shoulder attitude. Someone might accuse you of not making enough efforts to sustain the tempo of friendship but then, what can you do when somebody is blind and oblivious to reality. What do you do when your friend refuses to see reason & ends up believing a rank outsider? If an outsider can influence your friend so much that she goes at loggerheads with you & becomes opposed to you, then I guess there is no reason to continue with the friendship anymore.

It takes a lot to build, maintain & sustain any relationship. It must be so strong that even the fiercest of tempests cant knock it down. However, if the very will to survive against all odds is absent & one ends up believing people who wish nothing but the worst for your friendship, one cant help but feel disappointed.

I always keep humming to myself, its not for us to reason why, its just for us to do or die. God knows I tried my best, I did all that I could to save the situation from going bust. But inspite of my 100% efforts, the lifelong friendship that was supposed to last an eternity came to an end.

I'm still the same, nothing much has happened to me. But I miss having the good pal whose company I enjoyed so much all these days. Its easy to forget a broken heart when ones relationship goes through the doldrums but its difficult or rather impossible to come to terms with having lost a good friend. It becomes all the more difficult not to miss her when she is not around & to act as if shes not there even though she is sitting somewhere else in the same room where you're sitting. I dont care much about the curious stares that people give & neither do I give a damn about the people who were instrumental in breaking up our friendship. What I am concerned about is to figure out if I can get back to my friend just like the good old days.

Nothing beats the feeling of walking down a long winding road with a close pal. Nothing can substitute the joy of sharing things with your friend. Nothing can ever come close to the happiness one derives when one knows that a friend is always there to stand by you.

Reality has jaded me so much that I ended up becoming an optimist. I know that nothing is permanent except change & one day I would love to be back with my friend. When that happens, only time will tell. I've left the option wide open to her & for a change, I'm really hoping that she can dispel the cloud of mistrust separating us.

The spirit of friendship has never failed me. Eternity is a long way to go.

She will always be a friend to me.

Flying Into Virgin Territory

2007-09-02T16:15:00.000+05:30

First time in the air is an awesome experience for most of us. But the first time one gets airborne as a pilot with the full knowledge that henceforth he/she is responsible for the sortie is indeed a nerve wracking experience.

An air passenger will never be able to fathom what goes on inside a pilot's mind. This is not so much because of any lack of knowledge or skill-set of the passenger as it is due to the unique aspect of flying. Nothing can tell you about flying other than first hand experience.

The first time I went airborne, I was bewildered beyond my wildest imagination. Too many things were happening at the same time. I didnt know what to do, whether to keep a check on my aircrafts attitude with respect to the horizon, look outside the canopy to cross check where I was headed, keep an eye over engine parameters or simply to adjust the throttle mixture setting as per the regulations & trim the aircraft.

I felt very flustered because this was something that I'd been waiting for all my life. While others used to eat, dream & sleep cricket with most of my pals chasing skirts & the gals fishing for guys, I used to pore over tomes of flying books, both fascinated & engrossed at the same time about the wonderful world of aviation. Since the very beginning, I was sure that sky is where I belong to & while others are born to die, I am born to fly. LOL!

My first air sortie as a pilot was nothing much to talk about. Apart from my amazing bewilderment, I was mightily confused as to what to do next. While I did all the checks as per the SOP, called out over R/T while turning Cross & timed out perfectly after having crossed the live dumbell over Downwind, I couldnt understand how time flew so fast! It seemed just a second ago that I'd pulled up in air during my Take Off roll & I was already on Baseleg, about to call off for a Full Stop over long finals.

After doing the regimen of [i]Nose straight, no drift[/i] & blah blah blah, I touched down & cleared off the link to reach the apron. With the engines shut & all circuit breakers out, I opened the cockpit canopy & gulped in a mouthful of the hot desert air.

When I was in school I'd read the Red Baron's (Manfred von Richthofen) 1917 book Der Rote Kampfflieger. Apart from his flying feats, I was especially impressed by the Red Baron's honesty about his utter mental confusion the first time he went into the air. I must also mention General Sefton Brancker's (of the notorious Mercator controversy) famous remark in his lecture to the Royal Aeronautical Society when he said that no one ever sees anything at all during his first hour in the air owing to the hopeless confusion in his mind caused by the novel aspect of everything.

Flying into virgin territory isnt such an easy task afterall!

Sadaiv Satark

2007-09-01T21:52:00.000+05:30

Sadaiv Satark or Always Alert is what keeps one alive not only in the battlefield but also in the swish civvy street.

This incident happened very recently. I'd to go down to city 'H' on an official visit and was accompanied by Ms. 'D' and Mr. 'M'. On their insistence, we booked a CHT (Civ Hired Transport) for ourselves.

These CHT's are considered very safe & the best way to cover long distances as one need not get unduly worried about keeping a constant watch for unwanted visitors.

We boarded our CHT at 2130 Hrs on an evening when the heavens had amply opened up with all their wonderous delight. We'd hardly travelled a few miles when news trickled in about the twin bomb blasts in city 'H' with many fatal casualties. A sordid pall of gloom descended upon us at this mindless violence. I fail to understand these Jehadi minds who are hell bent on creating utter destruction where-ever they go. I dont understand why people cant adopt the policy of 'Live & let live'. Is harmonious coexistence so difficult?

Anyway, we continued with our journey even though the threat perception level was at an all time high. Ms 'D' & Mr 'M' joked about people in city 'H' giving me a jazzy welcome. Twin blasts with lots of fatalities, it looked like a bad omen.

Mr 'M' was constantly on the phone with his beloved and as Ms 'D' was sitting next to me, the task of distracting her mind from the blasts fell upon me. The CHT we were travelling in had a video console and we ended up watching an old hindi flick. I was mighty amused to see one of the biggest hits of the early 90's after such a long time. The moves & shakes of the onscreen actors seemed very funny & Ms 'D' & I ended up having a hearty laugh watching the movie. With garish make-up, clothes that can give you eye sores, cliched dialogues & a storyline that seemed to lead nowhere, I started wondering as to what nadir the Indian movie industry had fallen to during the 90's before it resurrected itself post Y2K like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Sometime after midnight, we pulled up at a roadside dhaba where a lot of truckers were taking a pit stop on their seemingly endless journey to their destination. In India, one thumb rule to make out a good wayside joint is to count the number of trucks parked outside. The more the number of truckers eating their food at a particular joint, the higher is the possibility of finding tasty food inside.

Ms 'D' was not really hungry as she'd been to a McDonald's before we started our journey. Mr 'M' was slightly hungry & as for me, well, I'm somewhat like Jughead Jones. I'm perenially hungry, and not just for food! LOL! So while Ms 'D' stuck to her favourite cola drink, Mr 'M' & I digged into some spicy chicken gravy along with an endless stream of that quintessential of all chicken accompaniments...butter naan. Ms 'D' was charming enough not to object while we guys chomped down our food. Once the chow session was over, we moved back to the CHT and started the trash hindi movie from where we'd left it before going for dinner.

Mr 'M' found a cosy spot in the CHT & was beaming side to side on having found a strong connection on his cellphone even on the move. And then he went back to the object of his affection. Love can actually drive people crazy, notwithstanding the huge roaming bill that you incur on the move!

So it was back to Ms 'D' & ME all over again. We discussed a lot many things that night. As the CHT moved forward into the dark night with the crap songs from the same old hindi movie blaring out of the speakers, the heavens, which had been taking a breather, opened up again. It felt wonderful hearing the pitter-patter of raindrops lashing against the window. And my discussion with Ms 'D' continued even further into the night.

Sometime late into the night, Ms 'D' drifted off into the dreamy world. Mr 'M' had already been asleep for the past couple of hours. Apart from the driver, I was the only one in the entire CHT who was fully awake. With the sleep fairy acting coy with me, I couldn't even drift off to the dreamy world the way my friend Ms 'D' did. So I just closed my eyes & started thinking about some random things.

After sometime, I felt a sudden urge to get ready for action. Now that was a strange feeling because it had been ages since I last vanquished any enemy elements. However, years of gruelling training & tons of experience years told me otherwise. My instinct was very much intact & so was my reaction time. In a split second, I became acutely aware of my immediate environment, opened my eyes & started sensing around to see if something was wrong. That very moment, I saw something very large looming over my head from the window & at the same time, I saw very bright headlights appear ghostlike from the front.

In a nanosecond, I sensed that something major was going to happen & that too from the window side. My reaction kicked in & I instinctly took Ms 'D's' head in my hands & tucked them under my shoulder. A fraction of a second later, the whole window shattered to a million pieces with most of the glass pieces flying directly towards me. Ms 'D' & I had borne the brunt of the impact and suddenly after that, the whole CHT lifted up in the air, became airborne for sometime and came crashing down with a defeaning thud.

All of a sudden, the whole place became quiet. I swear you could have heard the sound of a cotton ball wafting down to earth. It was the deadly silence that followed the severest of tempests, the peaceful calm that is left behind after a storm.

I physically lifted Ms 'D' out of her seat & picked out glass pieces that had got embedded into her clothes. After ensuring that she was safe & after having checked out Mr 'M', I became aware of a sharp, throbbing pain in my arms. Under the Indiglow illumination of my wristwatch, I realised that glass pieces had got deeply embedded into my skin.

Mr 'M' had woken up with a start & I told him to move out of the vehicle. We collected our gear & notwitstanding the pain, I brushed off the scattered glass pieces & helped Ms 'D' come out of the CHT. I did a rudimentary inspection & was glad that nobody had been seriosuly hurt. I was bleeding from several places but managed to dab out the blood fairly quickly. My adrenaline was pumping fast & the pain & discomfort of having glass pieces embedded into my skin was the last thing on my mind.

It was a beautiful night, we were on the upslope of a hill, a nice gentle breeze was blowing & the entire place was eerily lighted up in shades of blue & brazen gold with the sunrise just about an hour away. On closer examination of the CHT, I found the chasis broken & the entire left side of the vehicle dented with the whole window portion smashed away. The CHT stood on the road like a lighthouse rooted to the shore amidst a sea full of fury.

At first we thought that we'd been hit by IED's but on inspecting the surrounding environment something else transpired. While we were climing the hill, a tree branch fell down right in front of the CHT. Our driver swerved to avoid the branch but due to high speed ended up hitting the tree itself. The whole tree shook in mighty fury & came crashing down on us through the window. Ms 'D' & I bore the full impact & thats when the window broke & glass started flying everywhere. Due to the momentum which was imparted now, the driver tried stopping the CHT but ended up hitting a 10-wheeler truck coming from the opposite side. This was the second impact & it lifted us up in the air.

The tree came crashing down through the window into the exact spot where Ms 'D' & I had our respective heads & had I not ducked & pulled Ms 'D' under me, our heads would have been blown to smithereens. I dont know whether it was luck or something else that saved us that night, but had it not been for the quick reflexes, both Ms 'D' & I would have been on our way to heaven. And then everyone would have prayed R.I.P. for us!

Ms 'D' was still in a daze & though she was taking everything in her stride, she was majorly shaken up. Thats when the feeling sunk in that we both could have easily died in that freak mishap. I have traversed through minefields, walked down trails full of IED's & Jumping Betty's & would have been really disappointed had I gone heavenward in a stupid road accident.

However, we'd a job to do & so after minor repairs to the CHT, continued on our journey. What happened afterwards is an event in itself & I shall cover it sometime else.

Op Adwitiya Part I

2007-08-27T00:05:00.000+05:30

Key Location Post, 2345 Hrs
I am going out on a mission after a long time and it feels good to be back in action. The stuffiness of the airconditioned environment had started affecting my sanity. Its good to back in the open and experience the varied human emotions all over again.

Adwitiya would loosely translate into 'Second to none'. This mission couldn't have been more aptly named. I like the sound of Adwitiya, like being in action all over again.

We humped off from the KLP in an exuberant mood. But the good times were soon to come to an end. A couple of minutes into the mission and the first volley of gunfire started. This was pretty normal but what came next was a bit of a shocker. There were two loud bangs followed by a series of explosions that ripped apart the darkness of the night. The staccato firing was so intense and the din so loud that one could have easily gone deaf.

"Its not for us to reason why, its just for us to do or die"! With these thoughts in mind and also with the goal looming over the dark horizon, we pushed ahead ignoring the blood curdling scenario that suddenly seemed to have enveloped us from all over.

...To be continued...

Degh Teg Fateh!

2007-08-25T12:34:00.000+05:30

Its 1236 Hrs on a glorious sunny day. A soft wind is breezing
through the trees while I soak in the lush greenery of the mountain in front of me.

C'est la vie, this is life. So many people in so many places and yet, just a single one who brings a smile to one's face. Long time back, one of my best friends told me that

'Somewhere there's someone who dreams of your smile,

And finds in your presence that life is worth while.

So when you are lonely, remember it's true,

Somebody somewhere is thinking of you.'

There are dime a dozen people in this little world of ours and a zillion different faces that we come across. Here today, gone tomorrow, we don't know how long this show will go. Many people come, some stay awhile while others go away forever in endless time. A few stay back and these are the ones that bring a whole new meaning to life.

Check out Slash walking out of the Chapel and strumming out his guitar in the video of 'November Rain' by Guns N' Roses and the finale wherein AXL Rose sings his heart out at the funeral. Or check out the brawl in the pub in the video of 'Dont Cry' yet again by Guns N' Roses.

I sometimes cant understand why people act the way they do. Is it that difficult to be good to others and treat them nicely? Why is that the ones you are closest to hurt you the most? Why is it that we fall for this trap again and again? I am not saying that one must expect something back in return but when you go out of your way to live upto the spirit of belonging to people close to you, aren't they also supposed to do the same. Why does mudslinging and volleys of accusations start in the first place when everybody knows that it will lead to bitter acrimony later on? It is worse when no exchange of words takes place because the coldness seeps down to your skin and you fidget under the uncomfortable feeling of having lost something precious.

Just wish things were better. Hope that one day, some day, things will be back to what they should have been.

At YO Wing they teach us that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. But I have realised that once the day is done, only the Invincibles resurrect themselves like the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

A tout le monde, a tout mes amis

Je vous aime, je dois partir

These are the last words I'll ever speak

And they'll set me free!

Degh Teg Fateh!

One Mouthful of Sky

2007-08-03T20:12:00.000+05:30

Earth, Wind, Rain & Fire,
Wealth, Power, Blood, Desire,
One goal to aim for before we die,
One taste of glory,
One mouthful of Sky.

Seven reasons for becoming a Pilot.

2007-07-17T09:26:00.000+05:30

When I grow up I want to be a pilot because:-

1. It's a fun job and easy to do. That's why there are so many pilots flying around these days.

2. Pilots don't need much school. They just have to learn to read numbers so they can read their instruments.

3. I guess they should be able to read a road map, too.

4. Pilots should be brave so they won't get scared it it's foggy and they can't see, or if a wing or motor falls off.

5. Pilots have to have good eyes to see through the clouds, and they can't be afraid of thunder or lightning because they are much closer to them than we are.

6. The salary pilots make is another thing I like. They make more money than they know what to do with (yeah right!). This is because most people think that flying a plane is dangerous, except pilots don't because they know how easy it is.

7. I hope I don't get airsick because I get carsick and if I get airsick, I couldn't be a pilot and then I would have to go to work.

Green On! Go!

2007-07-16T12:56:00.000+05:30

It is 16 July 2007 today and the day has a surreal feeling to it. It is like Déjà vécu, a feeling of having been there before.

... ... ...

I'm standing in the aft portion of the aircraft with the ramp wide open. The world is looking bedazzling with a million tiny lights shining up the night sky.

The cold high altitude wind is piercing into my skin as the Jumpmaster signals to me to get ready. I have a quick look over my weapons, assure myself that my parachute pack along with the reserve chute is in place, recheck my chord-line and have a quick inspection through my gear. Fully loaded and armed to the teeth.

The light goes green and the Jumpmaster nods to me in the semi-lit darkness of the aircraft cabin. After returning the Jumpmasters salute, I dive out into the dark sky. It is a cold dark night. My last mission and I have a silent prayer on my lips for successful completion without any casualties.

The air is chillingly cold but refreshing at the same time. I am speeding down to terra firma at a gut wrenching speed under the force of gravity. Under normal conditions and without the killing weight of my gear bogging me down, I would have loved doing a couple of somersaults in the air. But tonight, I have a mission to accomplish. I'll save the aerial acrobatics for some other day.

As my eyes get accustomed to the darkness around me, I scan the skies for my boys who have tumbled out from the aircraft after me. After counting the number of dark bodies, I grunt a satisfactory approval to myself. I take a look at my wrist altimeter and count down the thousands of feet left before I deploy my parachute. I cross check the topographic features around me and do some quick mental calculations to find if we have strayed off course.

By now I can see the Drop Zone (DZ) and I'm relieved because we all are headed in the right direction. Adrenaline is fast pumping into my system as I go through all the worst case scenarios in my mind. The biggest mistake one can do is not to foresee tragedy and be ill prepared for it.

I take another look at my wrist altimeter and realise that I'm seconds away from the threshold. I put my hands on the D-ring and after counting down the remaining feet, I tug open my parachute at the designated altitude.

The parachute opens up beautifully and I look up to check if it’s deployed correctly. A few light tugs at my rip chord and I manoeuvre myself towards the DZ. I break the parachute slightly to reduce my speed and touch down for a perfect landing.

I collect my parachute and dig a hole in the ground to bury it. My boys have started landing and we are lucky enough not to have any broken bones amidst us tonight. After ensuring that all the parachutes have been taken care of, we fan out across the DZ and take up position so as to command a dominating line of fire.

Daylight is hours away and a gentle breeze has picked up. It is all peaceful and quiet and had it not been for my weapon and my boys around me, I would have been under the illusion that I'm on a vacation up there in the hills. It is a dreamlike situation, a trance so serene that for a second I allow myself to believe that I'm there not on business but on pleasure. I can’t remember the last time I went home on leave.

All of a sudden, my left flank opens up and I can hear the staccato firing piercing the stillness of the night. Whoosh! A Carl Gustav fires from my right side and then all at once, our weapons have opened fire. A shell lands a few hundred feet before us, splinters flying thick and fast and then all hell breaks loose... ... ...

... ... ...

I come back to life! I am still my own self but in a different place. The Déjà vécu has run its course and I'm back to reality.

The boom of the gunfire, the swoosh of the recoilless rifle and the thump of the mortar seem as if they are from a different time, a different world altogether. The smell of cordite and the yelling shouts are a thing of the past. No more accumulation of bile during long marches, no more fatigue and exhaustion from endless fire-fights and no need to be on my guard relentlessly day after day. No more blood curdling cries from guys whom I don’t know but who want to kill me, no more frustration at finding that the rifle spring has melted after non stop firing, no more jamming of the breech block and no more heart rendering moans from guys whose life is ebbing away.

That was then. Now, the air-conditioned environs help me keep my cool and I don’t get the stinging feeling of sweat trickling down into my eyes. The wall to wall carpeting and the perfume candles add an enchanting hue to the place where I work. It is a far cry from the maddening fields where I transitioned from boyhood to becoming a man.

I have started upon a new phase in life where I feel everybody is pretending to be overfriendly and nice. I don't like this place but then, as we say 'Its not for us to reason why, we are here just to do or die'. I miss my boys, miss their josh and joie de vivre. The battlefield is gone and my eyes are looking towards the boardroom. One day, I shall be there. As my CO said before I left "Go, become a Corporate Mogul".

The lights have gone green again but I don’t have to check my parachute gear this time. I just put my feet on the accelerator pedal and zoom towards my destination.

The journey has just begun.

The Aviator

2007-07-06T01:21:00.000+05:30

High above the mighty blue

Flew he on wings of varied hue.

Soaring & rising, dipping & diving

He explored the world with a passionate cool.

Up over the horizon where he flew

There was a mystery stark & true,

Throttling forward with a vigour anew

Covering distances through the mighty blue.

Cutting through the clouds, diving into the sides

Lifting above the mist, speeding with a twist,

Slicing through the barriers of sound

Moving into the zone that belongs to the unbound.

Silence is so serene, pristine like the bounty green

He flies through the mighty blue

In the confines of his cockpit filled with lovely solitude.

An Aviator I am

I romance the misty hue,

Spread my wings

To kiss the mighty blue.

Paradise

2007-07-06T01:15:00.000+05:30

Deep dark night, moonshine so bright,

The stars are twinkling and the sky is winking.

I sit under the canopy, an arch so high,

I look up to stare and gaze at the sky.

Many nights I’ve sat here, under the starlit night,

Many times I’ve wondered why it is so lovely and quiet.

Sometimes I think and sometimes I wonder why

Why is it so difficult to hope for a better life?

The moon is shining, spreading its wonderful light

Pristine glory of silver, divine in its own right.

Then I see the pattern, a story so coy

One might be alone but never in one’s life.

The moon will always shine,

The clouds and star covering the night sky

One day the holy truth will come

And deliver us to Paradise.