What's on my mind today..!!

 Book Review ! This is not so much a book review as much a record of how this book made me feel ! I came to fiction after a long time and wandered and got lost in the lanes of this beautiful island finding love and peace in a warm sunny weather by the sea ! That's the wonder of fiction that even though you know its fictional, nothing ever comes as close to being real and relatable as stories like these. The moment when Linus found out about Arthur and was torn between not knowing whether to trust DICOMY or Arthur was when chills ran down my spine because I know that feeling, a little too much to my liking. Few books and just a few books, after being read create that void which is difficult to fill and sets you looking for something else, some other voice, some other words that can fill this void and this one was for sure among those few ! Lines that blew my mind away and are going to stay with me are.. "Arthur's smile, that quiet beautiful smile that felt like seeing the o...

This one to cherish these moments for a lifetime, a piece of love straight out of my heart.. I know no better words, though this piece deserves better, You must be grateful that I am not writing a letter  I must unload this overjoyed overfull heart of mine, I am brimming with laugher and my eyes shine Subhashree confirmed just a 100 times, if these are savings accounts In flight we learnt that winning is not the only thing that counts Appam at that place was the best meal that was had Walking past the scrambly route, we all were sunset clad We had wings to fly, we flew far and further Couldnt ask for more, we had Kalia, Gulabo and the Silver surfer Lions rock was a cake, how young we were The bus ride was not, that uncle made us suffer The crow at the station found an apt place to shit "Dont look up", I think we liked, though a little bit The overenthusiastic kids on the train, made our ears bleed But in Mr student, we found a friend indeed We all caught cold under a star stu...

I read with the belief that these books are changing me and shaping me, my subconscious slowly, one day at a time and that just by being on this journey, I am making a conscious effort to be a better version of myself. And here I am serving you a piece of this cake that I devoured to share my understanding of this book with as well as encourage you to live these great lives through these books !  As promised I will review the book by answering these 4 questions. What is the book about as a whole ? The book takes you on a journey to explore the life and adventures of Tony Hsieh, who is the founder of Zappos. It is a light and enjoyable read with a friendly, conversation like tone and you can almost imagine yourself sitting in Zappos' lobby chatting with Tony yourself. What is being said in detail and how ? The story line follows a chronological timeline starting from Tony's upbringing, his formative years, the early signs of entrepreneurship and the relentless drive to make mor...

My milkman’s  17 year old daughter came to ask for my advice, She asked me what should I pursue next in my life I could not answer her question but began to introspect, Have I achieved enough so far to have gained this respect I often find myself scrambling to know where I should go How can I then tell the path to take, when my own I don’t know I wonder what makes us worthy of giving such life advice The external facade is what they see, cant they hear my screaming inner voice? How am I any better than that 17 year old to know which path to take? Should I tell her the truth or protect this false reputation at stake Have I established any standards of exemplifying “the success?” Should I tell her how hollow I am within, that it’s nothing but a mess Should I tell her to take one step at a time and let things fall in place That she must know what she wants to be and then walk towards at a steady pace I must acknowledge that I am outwardly   at a place ...

I read Elon Musk’s biography and honestly took much longer to complete this book than I would have liked. But as resolved, here is my review of the book in the format referenced from the farnam street article . And I would like to reiterate, this review is not for you if your sole purpose of reading is entertainment, but if you like to draw lessons, expand horizons or try and build a skill using the book, then you are in the right place to know if this book is for you. What is the book about as whole? This book is about Elon Musk and his businesses. His purpose in life and the mission of saving mankind that he has set upon himself to achieve. The book dwells into the history and upbringing of Elon and each of his businesses and attempts telling the story behind what we see today in the form of SpaceX, Tesla, Hyperloop, Gigafactory, SolarCity and idea of space Internet. What is being said in detail and how? The book covers specific challenges in time, that were faced ...

हम सोच सकते है कि लाखों गुज़र गए, हमारा अंत भी आने वाला है या हम सोच सकते है कि लाखों ठीक हो गए, फर्क सोच का है, दिखाई देता अंधेरा है या उजाला है  हम सोच सकते है, अर्थव्यवस्था चरमरा गयी है, हमारी जेबे भी खाली होने वाली हैं या हम सोच सकते हैं कि जान बची तो लाखों पाए, फर्क  सोच का है, कल दिवाला है या दीवाली है हम सोच सकते है, ज़िन्दगी चार दीवारी में कैद हो गई, हमारी ख्वाइशें दम तोड़ने वाली हैं, या हम सोच सकते हैं, की ख्वाब दीवारों के मोहताज नहीं, फर्क सोच का है, पलको पे इंद्रधनुष है या रात काली है 

The below poem is in light of the corona virus pandemic spread throughout the world and how our country is trying extremely hard to fight the situation. There are a handful of unwanted people who do not realize the extent of danger or suffer from impaired decision making and might play a pivotal role in bringing doom to this nation. Through this poem I am attempting to draw parallels between today and our Indian war of independence, urging our fellow countrymen to stand up together as we all dangle on that thin rope of hope. These murky and treacherous times, has stretched the string of hope too thin, There is fear and gloom outside, will I find peace within ? As I grope for answers in history and try to think this through, Our country's war for freedom might be analogous in my view We are fighting a microbe today, back then we fought the crown, Both such resilient evils, our plight never caused them a frown The freedom fighters from those times, are to...

I started reading as a casual reader, more so driven by the perception of reading rather than actually being driven by the need to read. I started with fiction, gradually drifted to non-fiction but never really had a sense of direction about what to read and hence largely dependent on reviews from co-readers to arrive at my next book. However I have lately started thinking about reading for understanding the world better, for creating my mental models of decision making, to enable choices and to understand concepts I think are far more complex than I can process. And in the process, make effort to remember what I read and also hone my abysmal writing skills.  Hence this is an introductory post of my first book review, to summarize my learning and understanding of the last book I read - Made in America by Sam Walton. Deriving inspiration from an article I read on Farnam Street , I will structure my reviews around the following questions and continue improvising as I go along. ...

I mostly resort to poetry for expression...attempting prose this time... Speaking to my five years younger self... You are fresh out of college with a lot of education, many degrees, some disposable money in your hands and a whole gamut of options of what you can do and who you can become. The most important thing to know is that there is still a whole lot of you left to become who you want to become. It might appear that you have already shaped yourself and have become who you could (may be not who you should) and that the mold has already taken form. But this I want to tell you is a lie. This is the time you will become who you will be for the rest of your long life.  It will be easy to get accustomed to comfort and laziness. It will be natural to adopt the ways of people around you. It will be easy to drift in accepting who you are. But what comes easy is not what's worth having. Accept the fact that if you get your self worth from hard work, thought and labor, then...

आज बहुत वक़्त बाद जब वक़्त मिला है तो ये आवाज़ आई की काश वक़्त ना होता....  काश वक्त ना होता  ये रूह जला देने वाले सुलगते ख़यालो को  और गरमी देने का...  काश वक्त ना होता।   इन नासूर जैसे ज़ख्मो को  और गहरा करने का... काश वक्त ना होता।   जो मेरी रौशनी निगल जाए  ऐसे अँधेरे को और कालिक देने का...   काश वक्त ना होता।   ये मायूसी जो आंसू बन के बहती है  उस मायूसी को और नमी देने का... काश वक्त ना होता।   जिन सवालो की आंधी में उड़ रही हूँ  उस आंधी को और हवा देने का...  काश वक्त ना होता। ज़िंदगी की कश्मकश में उलझते धागो को  और उलझाने का... काश वक्त ना होता। ये स्याही जो इन विचारो को आकार देती है  इस स्याही को कलम देने का...  काश वक्त ना होता। काश वक...

Some ordinary moments jolt us from inside and leave lessons behind. One such lesson is here... On the lunch table, I was feeling jittery, irritated and trapped, Angry yet dull, my energy was sapped I wondered why, time was not passing by It then dawned on me, I had caused the melancholy You showed off, acted all too wise Your unsolicited judgement, I despise I let myself argue, to beat your pride The ripples created, crushed me inside I damaged myself more than you, because I now realize, I became like you I must learn the art, to avoid and ignore Detach from the pompous, preserve my core

The magic and misery that these books are...they consume you, churn you, reform you and make you a different person. One of such books is ‘When breath becomes Air’ by the late Dr. Paul Kalanithi. Books become special and precious when you can associate with them, when they bring alive your story or the story of a loved one. In the initial days, for me, it was a journey of courage to pick up this book and take a plunge into the corridors of hospitals and cases of brain tumors. Every disease is sacred, every case an emotion and every death a scar. I never imagined myself reading a book dealing with brain diseases and hospitals after my abysmal performance post watching movies and videos of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s patients. This was a whole new escalation. It was brain tumors and cancers. On each page, this book evokes different emotions - sometimes it made me weak and want to collapse and cry sometimes determined to live a life of meaning. I gathered courage, each page wa...

Dear Chennai, As we part ways I wish to tell you that you are special to me. I know people from my part of the world won't understand, but its between you and me and the bond we share...  All I want to say to you is... As I landed here a year back, you opened your heart to me, You never demanded allegiance, you earned it from me With your soothing sea breeze and mesmerizing sunrise, I cocooned into your warmth, each day grew wise You were relentless at times, with blazing sun in the sky, But you were teaching me patience, so I now know why You got back on your feet, when nature struck you hard, With magnanimity and strength, you rejoined each shard I deserved all on my plate, you only served me sweet, Your Rajini craze and Murugan Idly, no city in the world can beat Not a single day that I spent with you, do I regret I always am, and will always be glad that we met.

This is all the courage I could gather to put down the avalanche of memories and thoughts rushing to my mind at the rate of 1Gigabytes per second..This is to the place which made or unmade me...K Forever! Living in the fear of having to go separate ways brings pain All my efforts to hold back and let go have gone in vain Every passing moment brings conflict and choices One last time is all I can hear among all the voices! Lost in the sea of where to be and what to be Everything shall pass and yet I want to hold on to thee! I shall never return and this is where we part But to thee I promise, we carry a piece of each other’s heart!

The following words started rhyming in the Retail Management class today... Be thankful and grateful for the blessings around, You'll be a disgrace if blind to the happiness abound Don't repeat the mistakes you have already made, Make new ones everyday, let the old ones fade Those causing ripples in the tranquil were not meant to be there, Don't shed more peace, it is nothing but fair You owe this to yourself, move away from the noise, Don't let the storm around stifle your feeble voice Sing the song of your soul, make a rhythm divine, You are a diamond in the making, you are here to shine !!

This disillusionment this haziness makes me wonder, Was there ever a purpose or have I just lost it now ? That alacrity seems to have vanished, Purpose disappeared and my being famished. Is there a reason that reason wants me to find ? The forces are evading, nothing seems to unwind Never had this feeling of not having a purpose before Bouncing in the waves, not knowing where to find the shore.. This is no sadness this is no pain What do I call it when it doesn't matter whether I lose or gain Moments ago, what I was losing mattered and the stakes were high No longer is this the case and I don't know why ??????

Sitting in my balcony with a cup of coffee, staring at the vast expanse of coconut trees stretching into infinity...this thought struck me like a lightening bolt or probably not so suddenly....Recent events in and around my life forced me to think...Where is this education taking us ? What is its use ? Is this journey worthwhile ? Am I moving forward or backward ? ...and I penned these words down. Education is to create, is not to destroy is to make, is not to break is to rise in humility, is not to fall in pride is to achieve synergy, is not to claim equity is to empower you, is not to victimize you is to build relationships, is not to build egos !

This hollow that words cannot express, I long for peace, nothing more nothing less This fear that grips me amidst all laughter, Those castles made in years will shatter a moment after This dazzle and glitter has parched my soul, leaves me barren and shaken, it takes its toll. Peace evades and I am chasing, Stars wink at me and I am gazing...!!

For this is what Yamuna named her and this was the only word that we exchanged apart from the word 'yamuna'. It is strange how two strangers connect in a bond so special, that even before they part, they feel the force causing a stir within..! In the past two months, the only source of exchange with her (mamma) has been through Yamuna and yet I am awed by her capacity to Love and Give. She is an important experience that happened to me here, she is a lesson to take. Let us know her better. She is around 65 years of age or may be more usually draped in a Red and Yellow Saari and mostly accompanied with that heartfelt smile, which you know can only make your gloomy day fine or a tiring day at office refreshing. She doesn’t know that the world exists beyond Chennai, and any other language beyond Tamil. She has never seen people who do not speak Tamil, and thinks they don’t belong to India. For all my inability to communicate with her, she knows that I am a 3 times clas...

The feeling after reading a book...a story that consumed you for the last few days, its so strange that it cannot be put it into words. That air that moves in the hollow of the stomach is so new..sometimes bringing ecstacy sometimes just pain. I just finished Mockingjay by Suzzane Collins...not just am I in love with her writing but I have equally strong emotions for each of her characters. I wonder how is it possible to evoke such feelings from the reader inspite of the fact that I know they are virtual people. How unknowingly does it happen that I start associating myself with those characters in the story and sometimes map them to the people around me..I wonder how these worlds tranform into each other throwing me back and forth between reality and virtuality....!! Its a feeling of evading the reality, living in those unreal worlds, yet facing those same questions that you evade... The depth of emotions, the brutality of the choices to be made, the struggle to find reason b...