Junkyard

The institute OBB behind the camp that I recently attended had arranged a felicitation program. For this event some of my group members decided to do a skit which would portray the things we learnt at the camp and all the fun we had. Sir gave us precise instructions. But, we found that due to “space constraint” we will have to video shoot the whole thing. So this way, began our new adventure. Yeah, it was kind of an adventure.

One of my close friends at the camp came up with a fantastic & a comic idea for the play & we began working on the whole thing. This idea of writing the script was a really cool experience. I wrote the dialogues and the voice-over between the scenes. Though, we made lots of changes in it before finalizing.
The most wonderful experience was that of the video shooting day. This time we had a “time constraint.” We had to complete the shoot in just one day. And all the worst things that could happen to make us quit, did happen on that day.

We had to meet at 10:30 a.m. sharp at the OBB Office to collect the ruck-sacks and other things that we required for the shoot. But due to all the late-comers in the group, we reached there at around 11:30 a.m. We hastily collected all the stuff. Then the question arose as to how would we carry so much of load to our friend’s place. There were four of us and only 2 two-wheelers. The other was a bike. So I had to somehow manage to put it all on my scooter. It was pretty difficult to balance that between my two legs and drive the vehcile all the way without letting anything fall down.

After we reached the spot, we found the home locked. Our friend was at her college. We called her in desperation and she told that she is leaving and will reach there in a jiffy. We had already lost so much of time. So the other two guys said that we should wait outside the gates for our friend and they will go and bring the costumes on rent. And there we stood on the road, with a pile of rucksacks outside her home. (It looked as if someone had told us to abandon the house on a one-day notice) People moving about gave us strange looks.

After a while, I got a message from a friend which read: “The costume on-rent shop is closed. So we are going to some other place to find costumes.” We were in a fix. No costume meant No play. The so-called “other place” mentioned in the message was about 15kms away. We sat there wondering when they would return. We were again losing lots of precious time. Our hopes were dropping.

We planned to go ourselves to find some shops nearby her house. But to our bliss, that day, all shops either were closed or did not have the costumes. We came back home. We felt irritated. I suddenly got a message from this guy: “We‘ve got the costumes. We‘ll be there.” And I felt this line at that moment: “Hey ya, My joy knew no bounds!”

We began looking for the locations. Near that friend’s house is a small forest-like area. It’s really beautiful and we found it perfect for some scenes. We started deciding the locations. When we returned at her place again, we were admiring the weather and were thankful that it wasn’t all rainy that day.

By then, it was around 2:15 p.m. The guys who went to get the costumes had come back. We wasted no time in getting dressed. But by this time, little droplets of rain had began to fall down. We still thought that this was not real heavy rain and it would stop, once we reach at the forest to complete the outdoor scenes. When we left her house, people started to gather in the gardens or balcony because of our old-fashioned clothes. We made our way through it as fast as possible. We dreaded getting any further attention.

Later, when we had just entered the forest, it started raining like hell. We took a shelter of a tree. But it was useless. The rucksacks and costumes were getting wet. And we were all drenched. We were so idiots that we forgot even to take the umbrellas. We came back to her home half-walking and half-running. You can say, that then all our hopes of completing this were nearly shattered.
I was so wet that I thought why did I spend so much of time this morning ironing these clothes! I had to change in new clothes. I borrowed them from the same friend. After that every single person in her drawing room was thinking, “Why are we doing this?” All were exhausted. No one wanted to talk. I wished I had not bunked my college that day. Was this all worth it??

Just then the friend’s mom offered us tea. The tea was a treat at that moment. All drank non-hesitantly. And I should admit, that this tea thing is hot man! We decided to start working again after 15 minutes.

The rain was losing the grip. It was 3:40pm. We started the video-shoot. The process of arranging the handy cam on the stand and deciding the right-angles was cool. Everyone were excited for the first-shot. Soon we began to realize that when we watch a three-hour movie, we don’t understand why the film-makers take a year or more to complete it. We almost took 15 re-takes to complete just a 1minute scene. Every time some person busted out laughing. Well, It wasn’t their fault altogether because the dialogues that we wrote were simply hilarious. This way we started progressing.
Scene after scene, after every final take, we hi-fived and shouted. It was all fun. At around 6:30 p.m. all became terribly hungry. So some of them bought hot samosas. And we ate to the full extent. I don’t know why or how, but after eating, one gets a lot of energy to start with a new enthusiasm and spirit.

Another problem was that of the honking horns. There is so much of sound pollution in this city. I didn’t care about it before. When any shot was progressing so well, some stupid zooming car or an auto-rickshaw would blow loud horns and distract the whole scene. At other times, a cow or buffalo would make noise or a two-wheeler with no silencer would pass by. And we waited there making pathetic faces.

By 10:30pm at night, we had made it through. All were dying to do two things at that moment. 1.View the video shoot.
2. Go home and go to bed.
But, we chose the latter.

The felicitation ceremony went on very well. All our fellow camp participants (some of them had come from other cities just for a day) enjoyed the movie to the fullest. We were very proud of our work or should I say “ALL IN A DAY‘S WORK.”
I agree that getting medal or a certificate as a topper in academics is cool and great. But, the joy of doing something without any reason, seeing people enjoying and appreciating our work, when we are the showmen is even greater. It’s truly worth experiencing. (and yes truly worth bunking one day at the college.)

I have started liking fiction more than ever. Whenever I go to a book-store or library, I look for the non-fiction section. I find it more interesting to know about the real-life stories of real-life people.

I have read quite a few autobiographies. And to my surprise, I have always found a common-link in most of them & that thing is that, in all such stories, there is an “ordinary” boy/girl who has “extra-ordinary” dreams. This boy/girl is different from the crowd right from his/her young-age. Many-a-times, this boy/girl does some things casually or normally, that people think are abnormal. When the story moves on, you get to know that there is this boy/girl who describes the different events that he/she faces, which become the experience of a “lifetime” later on!

All of them are great tales, I must say. But, I still wonder why every story has just the same facts. Well I guess I will get to know when I write my own autobiography! :-P
Till then I hope that I get to find something different in other books.

They say, “That’s un-cool!“.
I say, “That’s so cool!“.

They say, “High speed on the road is thrill.”
I say, “Who’ll pay your hospital bill?”

They say, “I’ll see which career has better scope.”
I say, “Keep finding, you’ll only stay on hope.”

They say “This thing is “in-style“.”
I say, “I better make my own worth-while.”

They say, “Quotas are for the backward class.”
I say, “Who‘s more backward: the caste or the unemployed mass?”

They say, “Go and get yourself high heels fast.”
I say, “I would not prefer to fall over comfort that’ll last.”

They say, “I will have more opportunities abroad.”
I say, “Stay there and listen to your i-pod.”

They Say, “You gotta study whole day to get big score.”
I say, “Try quality work. You’ll get more.”

They say, “You haven‘t listened to this song?”
I say, “How could I care about every single ting-tong?”

They say, “You know my first crush was…..”
I say, “Give me a break. What‘s this all for?”

They say, “My son or daughter is now an NRI.”
I say, “Do they often call or meet you even to just say Hi!”

They say, “How can I do it all alone?”
I say, “Never mind. Charity begins at home.”

They say, “You don‘t have to be Jack of all trades & master of none!”
I say, “Then why do you want me to be an all-rounder known?”

They say, “I use the f-word almost 50 times a day!”
I say, “I know. You can‘t get better at something else, anyway.”

They say, “You are too sentimental & In controlling emotions you lack.”
I say, “I hate hiding my feelings. I reduce the possibility of heart-attack!”

They say, “Let’s flaunt a tattoo.”
I say, “It’s more of a taboo.”

They say, “It‘s a tough rat-race that firmly you have to face.”
I say, “Chill down. I will either run at my own pace or create a big mess.”

They say, “Grow up. Be mature and take responsibility.”
I say, “Stay young. Be smart and instill creativity.”

They say, “Funky clothes and accessories make one look cool.”
I say, “With that attire and the cheap English, you’ll look a complete fool.”

They say, “Why does your opinion always have to vary?”
I say, “What? Really? I thought I was ordinary.”

Actually, “They say” so many things to which I turn a deaf ear.
The good ones I pick. The rest I just let go.
Because, you know I had and will always have a “I say”. :)

It’s monsoon here.
Being confused is just another state of mind which I am unable to overcome since the rainy season has begun.

I find myself as the most confused person.
Sometimes, I do things completely out of reason.
I don’t think before doing. I ponder after it’s all done.
I like so many things. But if asked for a passion, I reluctantly say none.
The days and nights pass by. And I rise again to face the morning Sun.
It is all good to write. But, sometimes it’s no fun.
So you see, I am a totally confused person.
For now, I just wonder: How will I do in the long run?
(Note: Notice the usage of rhymes.)

This confusion always surrounds me.
Many-a-times I just don’t get how to behave with others or how to act and react.
When I am moving out, I don’t know what should I be wearing. (Actually, sometimes I don’t even know whether I should be moving out or not!)
At other times, I just pass my time wondering: Why am I doing this?
Because I realize that I should be/could be doing something else.
Sometimes, I am sitting in my room and I don’t know what should I be doing next.
I am unable to judge a person, whether he/she was/is/will be good. (Some people I know can tell this right away they meet someone new).
I precisely can’t tell the list of “my favorites!“. Huh!

I have read that this happens with so many people.
It may happen due to various reasons: Teen-age, Peer-Pressure etc…
So, I may not be the only person with these things on mind.
But then it hurts me to know that I think just like someone or somebody thinks just like me.

As I come to the end of this post , I am unable to decide whether I should really be publishing it! Heck! I am sick of this mental “dis---ease”.
But, I guess, it’s over-time now. I am on, to make some changes in my mental processor.
The processor’s speed is highly good (considering the pace at which thoughts get inside and leave my mind). But the internal circuitry has a serious problem.
May be it’s just that the rain-water is getting inside and damaging the whole thing.
I hope I get over this thing soon enough....

When I am typing these words, I can view the snow-clad mountains right before my eyes. I can still hear the gushing sound of the river in my ears, I can feel the cold wind. Yep, that’s the impact it has made on me.

I had been to 15-day trekking camp with a group of over 50 people in the Himalayas along with an organization called “Outward Bound Bharat”. Our final destination was Kafni glacier. But, even though the destination was the coolest place I have ever seen, it’s the journey up till there, is something that has made all the difference. As I try to jot down my experience, I feel, “Why did it all have to end so soon!”

Firstly, I encountered the feeling of being really far away from the house. No! Not because of the physical distance. But, due to the fact that all you get to know, when you are amidst those mountains, is that "Now, you are on your own, no matter what!"

We began our 104 kms long trek (Read again: Hundred and four kilometers trek!) at a place called Tsong. I can’t call it a village because all that place had was a small shop…the only landmark. As we started heading up through he hills and valleys with those BIG rucksacks on our backs, I felt, “Hey, where have I come? What am I doing?”

People normally get paid for carrying luggage from one place to another. And here I was pushing myself ahead with so much of weight on my shoulders, even after paying a huge amount of money. But strangely, I didn’t complain, I moved on.

And then, even though I was so tired that I was unable to put a single foot forward, the view almost took my breath away…. I stood there facing those huge mountains, some green, some brown, some white with snow & I was left spellbound.

The vastness, The greatness, The magnificence that the scene offered can’t be described here, in words. I have heard people say that when you stand facing an ocean, you realize how small and tiny you are. But this is not what I felt. I saw before my eyes the Nature in it’s true and pure form. Though I was far away from my home, I felt being really close to it. That was the moment when I thought, ”To come to the camp….is one of the wisest decisions I‘ve ever made!”

Later when we had completed a huge part of the trek, our Sir declared that we had a 1km down trek to one of our rest houses situated at Dhakuri (about 2,700 meters above sea level). My legs were aching so badly and I was clearly able to hear the sound of my own fast and deep inhalation. I was unable to make out how much distance we had covered or how much was left. Just when I was rushing down on my toes down the road between the thick green forest, I remembered the lines from a famous poem by Roger Frost:

Today, I returned from Mumbai by a train journey. I brief here a small incident at the train.
We entered our compartment & looked for our seat numbers. I had the side-upper berth. But, the lower berth was occupied completely by one fat lady & her two sons. After discussing with them, we found out that they had a RAC (Reservation against cancellation) ticket. The remaining four seats were occupied by a family of four, who for no particular reason were continuously chit-chatting in English-cum-Marathi(Their mother tongue being Marathi). I really don’t know why, but I hate all those people who think speaking in English in public places makes them look smarter.
After a while, I sat opposite the lady I mentioned before. The lady was engrossed in reading a certain magazine and her son was reading a comics digest. The other co-passengers talked with each other on all the topics like: Oil prices, M r. Obama, Weather changes, Foreign life for Indians, Meals form pantry car etc…. But, these guys were reluctant to talk with us. So, I started doing everything I could to entertain myself. I read a whole book. I listened my favorite songs. I ate snacks. But time was not moving as fast as it usually does.
So, I did a really dreadful thing. I asked the lady to have me take a look at her magazine. She gave a warm smile and handed it over to me. After that I had one of the most astonishing experience of my life. I scanned the pages of the magazine & returned it to her instantly. It was a woman magazine (or whatever you call it) & I found all the following.
It had titles like:
How to make your skin shine in four days?
How to control a child who is naughty and arrogant in ten steps?
How to gain attention or make your presence felt in a social gathering?
How to remove pimples & wrinkles?
How to make your ignorant husband love you in easy-to-implement 15 steps?
How to get your dream figure (without dieting) within a month?
How to update your wardrobe with the latest bollywood styles? Etc..

I was lost in thinking. Why do all think that these are the most important issues for females?
How is it possible that women are only concerned about how they look? Isn’t there anything else that these women (who enjoy watching saas-bahu soaps) think rather than reading latest gossips about the Actors and Actresses? Do these girls or women realize how their head stinks with the bad smell of junk they are putting in their garbage-bins (read: heads) ?
Anyways, I had nothing else to do. So, I kept pondering.
If these women start doing something far more creative and innovative than going through these magazines, they can create a revolution. At that moment, I thought that this topic was as important as the global warming issue!
Just then, my mom asked me to soon go to sleep on the upper berth or I wont wake up on time.
I felt empty. May be I could feel better when I wake up. I fixed the alarm & said “Good Night!”

Earlier in India, i.e. back in the age of Ramayana or Mahabharata, the concept of “Gurukul” was followed.(Gurukul is a place where, the students reside at their teachers Ashram or Cottage and complete their formal education.)
In this Gurukul, the student learnt the four Vedas (Authoritative Hindu sacred texts, composed in Sanskrit and gathered into four collections)

The Indian-origin word “Guru” has been adopted by the English dictionary.
The definition of this word, as given in the dictionary is:

• A teacher and guide.
• A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor.
• A recognized leader in a field .
• An acknowledged and influential advocate.

I came across this poem a few days back.
I enjoyed it.
I hope you like it too....

Which one are you?

Card Captor Sakura.
The best Japanese TV-Series, I have ever seen.
I am a great fan of such anime serials.

In Japanese, "Sakura" is the name of the cherry blossom flower. This name suits the best for the lead character Sakura. (The girl with brown hair in the center-front with a magical character called "Kero")

The story of CCS:
The story revolves around Sakura Kinomoto, who is a Ten-year-old, 4th grader student. Once, she opens a mysterious book in her father's study and accidentally lets loose the magical Clow Cards. By her ability to open the seal, Sakura is revealed to have special powers, and it becomes her responsibility to retrieve the missing cards.


The interesting part of this series is that, it has real life characters and environment with a soft-touch of magic, adventure and fantasy.
The anime television series (1998-2000) based on the manga consists of 70 half-hour episodes (spread over three seasons) was broadcasted in India on the channel Animax.
Every single episode is a treat to watch. I always take a stop to watch it, whenever I am bored or frustrated. It cools my mind.
I can write on and on... about its characters and storyline. But, its total loss if we already know the story before watching or reading it.
So, go ahead guys and gals. In the free-time, give yourself a nice treat.

Sakura rocks!