Musings

“Are you alright, Utkarsh?” I asked. “What?” “I said, are you alright?” “I was.” “What does that mean?” “It means, you are irritating me!” muttered Utkarsh angrily. I knew he was grumpy because he hadn’t slept well and I wished I could punch him on his face for yelling at me, but I didn’t feel like getting into a fight at that time. Faintly, I patted his back. “I’m Sorry, mate” I said. “Tell me what happened?” Finally, he explained, “I met two kids today. Both of them were in tears and had a very similar problem. They told me that their classmates laugh at them daily. When I asked the first one specifically, he told me that one night he saw something strange from the window of his bedroom. He was sure that it was a ghost and the very next day he told his classmates about it. Since then they have been teasing him.” I spoke, “Oh C’mon man. Are you insane? Don’t tell me that you believe in ghosts. Ghosts are a myth and if he’ll talk rubbish like this in his class, ot...

"is   haar ka bojh   kitna bhaari hai... ye tumhe shayad abhi samajh me nahi aayega" Most of us are familiar to this dialogue from Srk’s stunner ‘Chak De! India ’ . I recently watched it again. Kabir Khan knows what it’s like to be down & out and comes back in a new avatar to coach the Indian National Women’s Hockey team, a rag-tag bunch of girls who had bygone team spirit, played for themselves and not the nation. Kabir unites the underestimated women to achieve a common goal above their individual interests & they end up winning the world cup. HAPPY ENDING!   Let me take you back to the scene when srk forewarns the two lead strikers that they are too weak to bear the affliction of defeat. Was it really “winning or nothing” for them that day? Wasn’t it enough for a group which was merely a team on paper and not in reality, to step up, value relationships, work as a team and reach the finals of the world cup. Was their journey worthless? Life...

Traders : “ We want to trade in your kingdom for a month.What is the taxation? ” King : “ What taxes are other kings demanding? ” Traders: “ One lakh rupees per day. We can’t afford it. ” King : “ I’ll only take one rupee! ” On hearing this the traders got elated. The minister further explained the pact that they’ll progressively twofold the amount so the first week would cost them only 128 rupees which would give them time to make savings. The traders readily signed the deal and went back contentedly.   Wow! What a lovely King? Wasn’t he? The traders ended up paying roughly 54 lakhs at the end of the month facing a huge loss. (Do the Math    )     Words are powerful tools. They possess tendencies to perturb one’s psyche and beliefs. They can avert people’s decisions and can easily stir up hatred or love if used effectively. Sometimes we make decisions in life not based on our contemplation but what we listen from others. I can ...

A: “ the tea was very sugary ” B: “ the tea was sugar free ” A & B came to these conclusions after taking sips from the same cup of tea.C then decided to unmask the liar by enquiring the cook.The cook avowed that the tea got sweetened unintentionally. It seemed clear that B was misstating but he kept claiming his veracity.  How could the tea be both sugary and sugar free simultaneously? B was about to be jailed    .On further inquiry, it was disclosed that B was actually a chocoholic and had eaten a chocolate minutes before he drank the tea.He wasn’t lying, the tea actually seemed “sugar free” in his perspective.He was acquitted and lived happily ever after. Life is a matter of perspective.We often develop perspectives based on our experiences ,which further evolve our decision making.Two people in a divergent set of circumstances may patently choose the opposite alternatives when offered the same.A person who is lost on an island will take any fat c...