Invictus

To all who never knew how Nelson Mandela went through 27 years of imprisonment...... It was through a Victorian poem called "Invictus" that he gathered his strength and inspiration

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley 1875

Vengeance I seek you....

It has taken me a lot of time to realize that life may actually be a level playing field. Over the months its become evident that I have been distressed and purely frustrated due to certain group of people. There characteristics are highly modern yet their origins run deep down to vile pits of hell. They make the Satan proud and the Seven sins look like nursery rhymes. Alas I must admit that they were made for each other, I don't think anyone would survive that level of evil, probably that's why they usually marry within their satanic community and yes its colorful, noisy and fake.

Now, when I was going through my routine insomnia I finally came across the concept of vengeance, but should it be called revenge if I decide to separate these two demons ?? Of course I can try there is this one method which might just do the trick. Whats bothering me is the odds of it working and the future ramifications. Honestly karma can be a bitch too but I might just take a gamble on her this time.

So the big question now is to go ahead and get playing on this level field, hmmm may be I can pose this question to my shrink, I think 7/10 times most shrinks will say no but its worth the try. :-D

And you thought I would wither and fade away

For months this thought had troubled me, for nights I lay thinking about the way things turned out, who would have thought that the answer to my wretched nightmare would lie in a book called 'The secret' by Rhonda Byrne. This nightmare had weighed me down for months and I woke up thinking about killing myself and killing those who torment me in my dreams and I would ask my sister what would they be doing right now and her answer was "they are having sex right now as we speak and you can't do shit about it" and I would gulp down this hard fact, usually with a sleeping pill.

All these nights I had just one thought in my mind, I need an answer for this and I need to put an end to this evil. Three months later a friend gives me a book out of nowhere and she says "this will change the way you think, try it" and I looked at the book and it was called 'the secret'. There it was, the answer to my question. The secret it holds is no complex chemical formula nor is it alchemy, the secret is the power of positive thinking and positive feeling. I can't explain this to you but you have to read this for yourself because when you do, you will get to say that expression that you hardly get to say .... "deja vu"

The book simply states we can achieve everything in life by following 3 simple steps of think, feel and believe. These are one of the most power tools an individual posses but man fails to match it with the wisdom. Now I see things unfolding in front of me, my past was vortex of negativity comprising of a very strong black hole with the heart colder then the north pole and filled with gluttony. I would have been sucked in to this god forsaken hole if I hadn't made the mistake of making a wish to change my life dramatically. That wish was a positive feeling, a thought, a desire for freedom..... then I forgot all about it. Today 5 months later I realized that what I wished for had come true and thing were better than ever I discovered myself, saw who what this evil had made me, felt the sadness it had caused to my loved ones and then I prayed and thanked to the one force in the universe who has no name or a face but watches over us diligently and with mercy. I said to myself "deja vu". My nightmares have faded away, my tormentors are dead and my equilibrium restored. I want to send a strong message through this blog, everything we ask for is received to us in this life but remember you have to pay a price for it, if your wish is honest and selfless you need not worry but for all those whose hearts are filled with greed and self preservation you will have to pay for it in this life or the next.

Objectivism: the road never taken

I logged into to my blogger today and I was shocked to see that my last blog was in December 2009. Seems like I went through a writers block (if that's applicable to me :-P). A lot of fans, critics and some spies were left wondering what I was upto. An avid critic of mine requested that I get back to writing again, so here I am attempting to tackle a very strong personal issue and an issue that is hidden in the deepest corners of our Indian mind.

First of all it is more of a desire compared to an issue, I am sorry, you must be wondering what issue/desire I am talking about, well I am talking about financial independence or self sufficiency.

I wonder if this issue/desire ever comes across the minds of our age group because a cognitive mind will always feel the need to be free or to be self sufficient. It could be the day you decide that you want to stop sleeping in the sweltering heat of Mumbai and get yourself an air-conditioner and try and pay the electricity bills or buying your first car, bike, LCD tv or a laptop. These are the very first thoughts and steps towards being free. In retrospect however one could say that this desire for materials, isn't it driven by selfish motives and here I begin to wonder, what has selfless motives and action given any one? Road to personal nirvana has never been selflessness, it has always been and always remain selfishness. It's no surprise that Ayn Rand never rings a bell in peoples mind since her theories were established in 1950's. Although her theories were drafted in 1950's its application has been relevant for the most part of the our modern times. Ayn Rand developed the term called 'objectivism' and what she meant was "the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or rational self-interest". Come to think of it, it could be said that America's growth in this century is down to objectivism.

Objectivism is applicable in our day to day life and forms the very basis of our freedom. It's a very disturbing fact that we still live with our parents dictated by our Indian logic and I am not trying to point fingers here because I am one of them too, however what separates me and many young dreamers is that we want to be self sufficient and we want to be objectivists. I have been fortunate enough to go through a trial run of this and trust me its not as easy as it seems, its challenging, scary and terrifying but when you get the hang of it you will wake up proud everyday knowing the fact that now you stand on your feet not supported by anyone. The biggest question isn't how to start this journey, it's when to start this journey. Just like a mountain expedition requires training, skills, equipment and guts , objectivism requires courage, strong self belief and a stable economic condition. When you have these three vital ingredients you can start your journey. Getting out of the house is the first step, rent out your first apartment, experience how it feels to be in an apartment all alone, start paying for those everyday basics we took for granted before.

After a few days you realise this is your fortress, this your kingdom and what does a good king do, he makes his kingdom strong every single day. In a year's time you will realise how far you have ventured outside your comfort zone and how free you feel.

You may have to make a lot sacrifices that could include anything from cooking for yourself to missing your family but remember freedom needs sacrifices. I hope this blog helps people realise where you stand in your journey, not everyone would want to take this ride but hey objectivism wasn't meant for everyone.

Ask yourself today, what do you really want in the next 10 years and if your answer is settle down, boss you need to rethink your approach. If your interested in knowing Ayn Rand and her work you can read about her by clicking on the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayn_Rand.

Cheers,

Vin

Opening pandora's box

Epic, blockbuster, award winning, five stars etc etc etc. These are the words which are being associated with James Cameron's Avatar, mind you some of these words were associated before the film had actually been released in theaters.

So what makes the film so special? why are people watching this film? what are the interpretations drawn from this film?

It's a story about an indigenous population of humanoids called Na'vi fighting against a large earth based corporation who are on Pandora for a metal called 'unobtainium' which apparently sells for 20 million USD per kilo. The Na'vi stand between unobtainium and the corporation. So the corporation has its own army who wants to take the resource by aggressive means. However a diplomatic solution is attempted through the Avatar program designed to have Na'vi bodies remotely operated by humans to gain trust and negotiate terms of their relocation. So, the negotiator, while negotiating with the Na'vi falls in love with their princess and fights against the corporation to kick them out of Pandora.

Now my intention was to give you a very simple description about the story, but tell me, all this while do you feel that this story seems all too familiar?

Does East India Company ring a bell ladies and gentleman? They had their own army, they came for our resources, we fought them, we were indigenous, we had our kings, queens and princess as well. This resource driven quest for power has been a strong feature of the westerners. No one in the western world has accepted this fact and probably never will but its ever present in their subconscious mind and Avatar is one of its interpretation.

Perhaps the most compelling quote from the film for me was when Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) says "they already killed their mother", he was referring to planet earth which we all know is going to be a hard fact very very soon.

Pandora is a dream world, so much nature on the screen in 3D made me feel so fresh. Those shades of green,blue and brown relaxes your mind gravely. I wonder if Mumbai was the same some 40-50 years ago. The graphics used is the best I have seen for quite sometime, notice the sweat on the characters face, notice the mud on their face as well kudos to the animators.

So Avatar is a must must must watch. It has deep connection to our history and also is a great entertainer. On a lighter note our Mangal Pandey may well be comparable to Jake Sully :-D but the fact remains Pandey is a real life character who died for our independence.

Cheers

Vin

Where the wild things are

I am finally in Mumbai and it's been a week boy it feels so good. I feel like I have left some extra baggage (54 kilos aprrox ;-) back in Melbourne. So here I am and it looks like I am standing at that start line of my career, after all this is the place I dreamed about all my ambitions and it's ironic I am back here only this time I am armed with a Master's degree.

In one half years the city has changed radically, to be more precise the infrastructure development seems like they are in a rush for the olympics and where the hell is the bloody recession? Oh yes it was just an excuse to fool fresh and vulnerable graduates to work for lower salaries. Anyway the infra looks modern but not world class just like the people of this city, modern but not world class.

Anyone who has been abroad knows the amount of patience you gain from those world class folks and this patience thingy has rubbed on me big time. At one point of time I was the angry frustrated mumbaite with my middle finger being on active duty all the time. Now I am happy to accept our city's limitations and uncivilized mannerisms exhibited by almost everyone. What makes me really sad is everyone looks so unsatisfied, frustrated and mindless.

Sometimes you should try and observe random people and you will find many interesting behavioral patterns. From here I discovered a common problem called the rat race syndrome. Guess what even my sister exhibits this syndrome :-P. People suffering from this syndrome want to be first and thats it. Overtaking, cutting the queue, pushing, shoving, dodging, putting their hand forward to claim their stake or whatever. People suffering from this syndrome don't even exhibit human like behavior and would have been perfect candidates for Charles Darwin and his theory of 'survival of the fittest'. Obviously these folks still feel that we are in medieval times and too some extent it is understandable. It is no surprise to me that our medieval education system doesn't teach us the basics of civic sense.

There is a theory that every city has a life of 300 odd years and after that the city becomes deserted, fast forward to another 250 years and this bloated city will be deserted. Unfortunately none of us will be alive to see this but hopefully this blog could go on and prove my point.

Till then you know where the wild things are......

Vinay

In pursuit of happyness

I have two days remaining in Melbourne and it was Melbourne where I started my pursuit of happyness. Coincidentally I watched the movie in pursuit if happyness in Melbourne and thats why I have misspelled happiness just like in the film.

The word happy, probably the easiest word to learn and spell. Happy birthday, happy diwali, happy anniversary and so on.

What is happy anyway? I look at my Facebook and I look at moaners and groaners and yes I am one of them. But as I said I am in pursuit of happyness and I begin to wonder has anyone reached that elusive little place. Some say, yes I have cause I just got married, and I ask are you sure?

Happiness, I have a very eccentric example of happyness, in the movie Dark Knight Alfred (michael caine) says to Batman (Christian Bale) and I quote "some men just want to watch the world burn". Isn't it scary ? but when he said that I felt yes one could feel that way, sometimes I feel like watching a part of this world burn. I don't know why but this thought crosses my mind but only sometimes. Happiness is spread across sanity and insanity but insanity is not bad at all. Insanity is a version of happyness the world does not want to pursue, it wants money, safe financial future, apartment, merc, armani etc.

I am still in pursuit of happyness and therefore I am heading back home to start from the start. I don't know if I will ever find it or may be I might stumble upon happiness and fail to recognize it. This could be the same for anyone who is in pursuit of happiness however there is a difference between me and them. I am not looking for money or fame in my pursuit, I am looking for someone who will be my sheath. A sheath is a container for a sword or a dagger and I am looking for my sheath, I don't know how she looks, I have never seen her but I know she is out there may be looking for me.

I cannot tell you how important this person is for me and my mind tries to connect with hers in my dreams.

I am in pursuit of happyness and I hope to find her and I hope to find my happyness in her.

Vin