Listening

Some songs hit just hit the chord so right with us. I wonder is it just the word or the melody or the music in the background, I am still to decipher that, though all I can say is that these songs make me smile or feel sad or make me head bang. I am currently listening to 'Abhi Nahi Aana' by Sona this song is about how this singer doesn't want her beau to come so soon as she wants to enjoy the distance between them, it is strange how I just cant smiling as Sona sings those notes.
There are songs like 'Gimme some sunshine' from 3 Idiots which I can totally relate to and so when I like such songs there is no surprises but I remember listening to Rabbi and his 'Bulla ki Jaana' again and again even though I didn't understand what he meant in most of the part of the song but I listened and felt happy and heard it again.
Singing acording to me is one of the most difficult arts to master as emotions are expressed through not only the words that they read from the lyrics sheet but in the voice, the pitch, intonation and what not that makes that song great listen. Try listening to some Sufi songs they kind of get a grip on the concentration part of your brain and all you do is stay in raptures without possibly understanding a word but still understanding what cannot be narrated.
I can confidently say that good breed of musicians make our lives pause for a while and take us through a ride of emotions anytime, any place voluntarily or involutarily.

Humara Bajaj

Bajaj will phase out its last scooter, Chetak, next month. I for one feel very nostalgic about this scooter. This was the first vehicle that my father owned (not counting the bicycle) and was very proud of. I still remember back then, when my Chetak was brought home we all very so happy. I used to feel very proud when the Bajaj Chetak advertisements of ‘Humara Bajaj’ ran on television.



My father learnt riding it with a neighbor's help on the 100 feet road in Bangalore and how when he first went to office on it, we all were thrilled to wave bye from our first floor balcony. That was the time when all the members in the family were thinner than and smaller than now, so we all fit on it well, with my younger brother ahead of my father as I sat between my father and my mother. When I think of it now, I just can’t imagine how we managed. We were always so thrilled to travel on our Chetak!


Out of the excitement of buying a Chetak, I had developed a special skill of sorts. I could, from a distance, just hear a two-wheeler and tell exactly which vehicle it was. I agree there were very few two-wheelers back then, but I as a 9 year-old took great pride in my skill.


During those days I tried and successfully rode a Kinetic Honda, a gearless scooter, but never dared to ride my own Chetak. Not until I was 13 year-old (that was in 1998), when my friend Balaji told me that he could take the responsibility of teaching me to ride it (his elder brother had taught my father to ride the scooter). I knew all the theoretical knowledge one needed to know to ride the bike except for actually riding it. So when I started to ride it the very first time, I thought it would be too easy. But it was far from easy, and anything but a smooth ride.


It all started with my friend Balaji explaining all the procedures (which I've said before I already knew and thought of him as a sucker ;)) in the presence of my father. He told me all the small things -- how to release the clutch and accelerate and stuff -- and then I started the scooter. My first few attempts to get the vehicle in motion failed and I once even managed to do an involuntary and scary wheely (damn clutch!). I finally got the scooter in motion and after going a little ahead, there came the big issue of changing gears, which I could hear Balaji screaming at me to change, but I decided to scream back at him, “Balaji, I will ride only on first gear for now”. I was so scared thinking I would have to start the bike again in case I screwed up that I stuck to the first gear all through. I rode the entire circle of about 300 meters on the first gear.


After that, there was just no looking back. I would take my scooter with a very springy seat to any place around my neighbourhood. I rode this vehicle till 2006, by then my younger brother also had learnt to ride it and we also had a car and a Royal Enfield Bullet as alternative modes of transport for the family. I don’t remember the price we sold it for second hand. I think it was about 7 – 10 thousands rupees or so. Since I had a new Bullet to my self I didn’t feel much of a pain to part with it but now when I think of it I remember the good times we had on it. There was this one time during school, when I took a triple seat on it and I can guarantee you neither me nor the other two will ever forget the pain and the joy of that ride.


I started riding really early in my life and take pride in saying that not once was I ever caught by the Traffic Police (like a true Indian can never pass a chance to boast about how we break the law and get away). All said and done, I am sure the next generation is definitely going to miss a trust worthy vehicle which uncannily needed a 45 degrees tilt before kick starting it.


Humara Bajaj!!

Day Dreaming

There are 9 zeroes in a billion and Slim comes with double digit ahead of those 9 zeroes. 1-2-3-...9

Looking at the list of the Uber-filthy-wiping their face with dollars-burning cigars with dollars-cleaning their ears with Rupee earbuds-coating their cars with Gold rich people like Carlos Slim from Brazil made my mind boggle for sometime like a TV not receiving reception but I recovered soon being a strong man. And while I tried to get back to normal a flood of thoughts came to mind, please continue reading I didnt pen down all of them but just a few, as only very little made sense anyways.

Stream of my thought went through how I first my first cycle made me feel like the luckiest person in the world to now where I am writting down my thoughts on a blog with little food, money or shelter (compared to the uber-filthy..... rich). Without further digressing into some inane topic I will get to the point. Some of them.

Flashback (imagine thundering of clouds)

I started following the richest people list only by the time I reached 10^th standard. I remember this was possibly the first time I wanted a lot of money and felt like my hard work for something might just get me lot of money (How Naive I was stressing about 10^th standard result).

Well that was the time I was a fan of Mr. Gates who made my OS (Ok I’ll accept I didn’t know properly what OS meant back then but what the hell! At least I knew that Mr. Gates made My Computer for me) Also at the time there was this whole thing about how many dollar can Bill Gates give to every person on the Earth and still have some left for himself. I can’t remember the amount but I do remember how awe struck I was to know this little trivia. Till this day I have not tried to confirm the authenticity of that claim but I seriously don’t care now as I am not getting any ;(.

Digressing from the topic, so pulling my self back to what I actually came to write. And it is about how I am proud to be a world citizen in this era and time. How is that related to my start of this blog, well not very but little, I’ll admit. So to take things ahead I used my special powers granted by Google & searched for 2000 list of Forbes most rich people & compared it with the current 2010 one.

I keep 2000 as the point of reference simple because this was the time I started growing my intelligence repository (it has been filling for 10 years damn!! I still feel dumb at least once a day on most days) any ways!!. To me this is an indicator of shift of wealth from Just USA to the rest of the world. From 8 out of top 10 richest people in the world coming from st="on"USA in the year 2000 to only 3 people in 2010.

This list has not yet hit the equilibrium as people from all continents of the world do not figure on the list but I am sure it will once be true. Very importantly my country men figure twice in the list NOT that it makes me swell with pride but makes me happy that wealth is been distributed around the globe. I fail to understand how people from rich European countries do not figure in the list considering they are high on individual wealth like st="on"Norway which figures 2^nd on the list of highest GDP in the world. These countries also claim to have the best living standards but do not have anyone amongst the top 10 richest people in the world. They surely figure somewhere down the list but the top 10 is the place all the billionaires want to be in.

That brings me to this question. ‘Are people in the happiest countries so content that they fail to figure on top slots of richest people in the world or are these countries a classic example of Inclusive growth?” I request you to answer this question in the comments please.

Anyways all I wanted to tell you all is that I wish for a world where the richest people in the world come from all points on this round earth. Imagine the 3^rd richest man in the world from the flood hit country like Bangladesh or the 7^th richest man in the world from the genocide infamous st="on"style=""Republic of Rwanda. When this happens the wealth would have possibly percolated to the perimeter of this world. Then I am sure I would be glad I am in this country working my part in improving the economy of st="on"India (every drop makes an ocean) and not for development of some other country (at my patriotic best).

As I stopped my diahorea of thinking I was with a anxiety if I would ever figure on that list..even if not i'd be happy (not).

(There are many more thoughts from where this came if you want a piece of my mind dont ask me I possibly might bug you with it if I met you..So long folks!)