Au Revoir 2012

Living on Planet Earth is expensive but it sure does come with certain unique perks of its own such as a free trip around the glorious sun every year!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aviators and the not so favoured, hope you all enjoyed the last trip. A fresh new trip starts from midnight and so please tighten your harness and off we go!

Zakhama

Zakhama, Nagaland, India. Erstwhile home of the fabled 8 Mtn Div of the Indian Army. A place which evokes strong nostalgic memories tinged with sweet emotions and adventurous escapades. A true blue isolated Cantonment which gives wings to your dreams and makes you ponder about the delicate intricacies of life while soaking up the beautiful vista of the forest covered rugged mountains.

Part of my promise to my best friend Maj Lisandra Karen Fleisher, USMC for a trip to the back of beyond. The weeklong trip started at the beautiful jungle resort of Iora at Kaziranga Wildelife Sanctuary, Assam and meandered through Tezpur, Jorhat, Mokokchung and finally culminated at Zakhama.

The hills, the winds, the clouds, the mist and the beautiful company made this a truly inspiring trip. Have a lot more to pen down but will do so later when time permits. For now, its bye bye from the land of the Headhunters!

La Côte d'Azur de l'Est

12.12.12

A Soldier - His Prayer

Stay with me, God. The night is dark,

The night is cold: my little spark

Of courage dies. The night is long;

Be with me God, and make me strong.

I love a game. I love a fight.

I hate the dark; I love the light.

I love my child; I love my wife.

I am no coward. I love Life.

 

Life with its change of mood and shade.

I want to live. I’m not afraid,

But me and mine are hard to part;

Oh, unknown God, lift up my heart.

You stilled the waters at Dunkirk

And saved Your Servants. All your work

Is wonderful, dear God. You strode

Before us down the dreadful road.

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 we were not much afraid.

Dear God, the 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.

I’m but the son my mother bore,

A simple man, and nothing more.

But – God of strength and gentleness,

Be pleased to make me nothing less.

Help me, O God, when Death is near

To mock the haggard face of fear,

That when I fall – if fall I must –

My soul may triumph in the Dust.

The MachiNoid

It has been close to 5 years since I transitioned from the 'Uniform' to the crisp corporate suits, almost half a decade of having switched over from the hot and smokey cockpits reeking with the stench of fumes and sweat to the  air conditioned offices with Air Fresheners kept at every corner.

First time in the Boardroom was quite an experience for me. The long tables with polished surfaces, top of the line video link with acoustic system, huge bay windows, plush upholstery and the best in the world lighting mechanism. Though the novelty and awe of the Boardroom has weaned off over the years, it doesn't fail to inspire me even today. The Boardroom is the modern day avatar of the 'Kings Inner Circle' from times past and it is here that all crucial decisions are taken and strategies crafted to beat the hell out of competition.

Sometimes certain things crop up at the most unexpected time, when you least expect it, when you never thought of it. Yesterday was one such moment.

It was yesterday that we were having a very seminal discussion and the meeting lasted late into the night. The situation was pretty grim we had entered an impasse. There was no way we could have moved forward without rolling over this one particular issue affecting us; the issue of lack of time.

There are only 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, 365 days in a year. We have been going through an acute crunch season the last 8 months and doing 18 hours a day, everyday through the week and month after month has still not been sufficient. Our biological clocks have gone haywire, our mind goes into a tail spin, our bodies start slacking off and the regular cogent features go numb. Yet, we persevered, we overcame all the odds, fought the adversities and came out on top. We were asked to do more and we happily did and will continue doing so in the larger interest of the organization.

There is no doubt in our minds that when something needs to be done, it must be done. We don't wait for the push to come to a shove, we go and preempt the situation. However, this time, there was a catch. Out of all the mind boggling tasks we do day to day, of all the painful number crunching we go through, of all the analysis we churn out, out of all the near impossibilities we turn around to success stories, we were asked to take an impossible responsibility upon us and flag it off to the success line.

My boss and my super boss refused to bite the bullet!

I admire and respect my boss even more than what I used to do earlier because she stood up for me and told people that they should not impose such impossible conditions on us. Of all the people present in the Board Room, she took my name and explained the pain through which I have gone through the last 8 months. 18 hour days stretching back to back, no weekends, no holidays, no time to sleep, no time to rest, no time to socialize, no time to breath. I had seen this before but for the first time, her concern was magnified and apparent to everyone present. Somewhere deep within I felt a wave of happiness sweep over me. At that moment, she became my 'Saviour', my 'Hero'. But, this was not the end of it.

Next up was my super boss. He again pointed out my example and put it on the table that he felt tremendous pain every time he saw me grind myself to exhaustion for getting the work done while chasing inhuman deadlines. And mind you, this had not happened over a week or a month but over a full fledged 8 month long period which is still not over yet.

There was pin drop silence. Nobody moved. People went into silent mode. I turned around and saw a lot of my colleagues who felt the same pain, who had undergone the same anguish and turmoil with me all these crazy 8 months.

Someone stirred in his seat and we realized what we had let ourselves become. We had, over the course of a few months, allowed ourselves to become Robots. We had become machines that deftly churned out one thing after another. We had lost our innocence, we had lost touch with our humane side, we had forgotten to smile, forgotten to relax, forgotten to rest. We had become MachiNoid's - half machine, half humanoid.

Through the painful passage of the past 8 months, of all the trials and tribulations we passed through as a team, we succeeded in achieving all our goals and came out the winners in the tough competitive landscape. However, this came at a great personal loss for me, a loss that can never be reclaimed. The pain is intense and there has been no closure also. And this is what has made the situation even more acute.

She left! Five long years and she went away with neither a rhyme nor any reason. No aurevoirs or adieus!

However, I have no regrets whatsoever. I did everything to salvage the situation and in fact can confidently say that I did much much more than anybody can or will ever do.

I wish her luck but I know for sure that she will never have it so good ever again. I at least came out with flying colours while she didn't stand the test of time.

I guess turning into a MachiNoid was worth it.

10 - Love. Game over!

Morning Glory

To the dawn that comes after the night,

And the mist that envelopes a delight;

The mystic hues that spring a surprise,

There is a wonder waiting to be discovered by sight.

After the Moon has departed with the night,

There comes a halo riding high on top of the blue delight;

Never a moment that fades away in the shining light,

Create an eternal magic with the sun kissed sky.

The sweet golden shine

Spreads a cosy warmth from the sun divine,

Interspersed with the misty rays

This is what you await at the beginning of the day.

O! Let the glory unfold,

Held aloft in this wonderful world;

Touch your soul and make it gold

Morning Glory is yours to behold.

Ushuaiah: The Journey Begins!

"The best kind of relationships begin unexpectedly, when you get the astonished feeling and everything happens so suddenly. That's why you don't look for Love. It comes to you just at the right time; the time you never thought would have".

Lao-tzu was so true when he philosophised eons ago that 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'. The much awaited and fabled journey has truly begun in right earnest and it would be interesting to see where all it takes me.

'Alea Jacta Est', the die has been cast and the Rubicon has been crossed.

Life, here I come!

Semper Fi!

Semper Fi!

Ushuaiah! Let the Journey Begin!

Life has come around a full circle. The Zephyr no longer pines for company in the eternally vast skies. The only celestial object that was close to him has changed its orbit and never will they ever cross each others path again.

Five long years after the heavenly dance began, the Zephyr once again floats at peace through the Stratosphere. The trials and tribulations that came with the waxing and waning of the Moon are a thing of the past. The ebb and tide of the waves now make for a fascinating scene from up there where the Zephyr floats in the sky.

The memory still lingers and the experience still fresh but nothing that a spot of sunlight can't heal. In the depth of winter, the Zephyr finally learned that within him lay an invincible summer.

Adios to the 'One' who strayed. You will now miss the Zephyr while you look for yourself out there.

Champagne Supernova

At first, going by the title of the post you might think that this post is about the eternally beautiful song called Champagne Supernova by Oasis. If you thought so then you are mistaken. This is not about Champagne Supernova about something equally beautiful, rather more beautiful than anything else in the whole wide galaxy encompassing us.

The universe in its quintessentially diverse manifestation has multiple dimensions in which one can choose to exist. A close friend of mine once told me that having Loved, Lost, Rediscovered and Lost Again the essence that made her life blissful, she has been at a loss ever since as to what to make out of life. I guess that holds true for many people who find it incredibly difficult to find peace and tranquility after having being sidelined on some alley in the road of life. The feeling is akin to having been thrown into the harsh climate of a desolate desert from the comforts of a tree lined boulevard where you were happily strolling with the One who made your life worthwhile.

Let there be no divergent views here; whatever has been spoken and understood till so far has become a part of the vast repository of our memory - most of them wonderful and merry, some bad and ugly. Having said this, it is also equally important to know that roadblocks only impede your movement for a brief period of time, once the chocks are cleared and throttle set on maximum power, the wheels of fortune start rolling all over again. Ideally speaking, the journey should always be free of roadblocks so that we get a good view of the surrounding vista. However, sometime roadblocks do come up and that is when the real test of fortitude comes into picture.

It is easy to let go off things and say that nothing will ever work. It is all very easy to not understand why the other person is doing things the way he is doing. It is also equally easy to find everything "Boring, Monotonous and Inconsequential". But, the question is, have you ever considered being pragmatic during those times when you lose sight of reason and refuse to be rational.

It doesn't pinch to hear whatever you say but what hurts is that time and again you have failed to see reality point blank. Cocooned in your own shelter, it is relatively simple for you to burst out about the vicissitudes of being together, about how insane it makes you when someone doesn't understand you. You don't express yourself fully and yet expect him to know you completely. Why is it so difficult for you to leave your set notions behind and open up to an altogether new worl with him...

He just wished that you understood him. Honestly.

Goodbye!

Be Mine!

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

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.