29 July, 2009

Just when...

I thought I was getting into the mood of things.. I fall flat.
Not that I have never been sick before, but this has to be the worst of them all.
But thanks to some dear friends here.. I am well.. and recovering well.

It is funny on such instances you reflect upon your life the most. The happy days.. the not so happy ones.. the ones that made you smile.. the ones that made you frown. It is also during these periods that you reflect upon people. Ever wondered why you are interested in someone for a while and then all of a sudden you lose interest? Maybe it is the 'I Don't Care' or the 'Go to Hell' attitude. But whatever it is, it allows you to look beyond what's apparent upfront.

I often wonder why people are hypocrites. They say one thing on your face and then do the other behind your back. It is these sects of people that I despise the most. In such cases I just make a note in my mind and simply move on.

25 July, 2009

Staring into the horizon

straight..
with unblinked eyes.
rays of hope appear.
you smile.
a dark could appears.
someone.something.somewhere.
a dream could be lost.
shattered.
tears of sorrow.
a broken heart.
desires flushed.
a new ray.
hope rekindled.
thoughts.
mind games.
assumption of the false.
a realization.
...
....
verity of the solitude.

24 July, 2009

Believing in oneself

I think that the most important thing for an entrepreneur is to believe in himself or herself. One has to realize that the person himself / herself is the biggest source of inspiration and motivation. It is the self confidence that matters hugely if not completely.

I have been a social entrepreneur by virtue of the child education project for close to three months now and as mentioned in my previous post, am on the verge of starting another venture which is the design firm. It is totally unthinkable if I were to not have the self belief.

The good thing about being an entrepreneur of any kind is that it gives you this immense self satisfaction. The satisfaction of trying to fulfill a dream. It allows one to be at peace with the soul. The conflicts that arise out of doing something that does not please the soul is unbearable. And so one by virtue of putting your heart, effort, time and money into doing things that one likes, one creates a pathway to fulfill that dream. And in that process satisfy the soul.

The not so good part about being an entrepreneur is that one is always short of time. Time management hence becomes the key. There is always the thought that a minute could be utilized for something productive. For making that one phone call that could make things, or that one mail that could strike a deal for a project. And the wish that there was more than just 24 hours in a day.

Being a social entrepreneur has its own set of challenges and limitations and I think that it is more challenging than any other kind. This I primarily think is due to the basic nature of humans to feel secure. And call it unfortunate, but money happens to be the prime culprit of making people insecure.

The other thing that is required is trust. There is a lot of trust that one has to have. Firstly in oneself, then in the partners, your family and friends and the close circle of people who believe in you and finally the trust in the almighty.

Building Trust...

I do not go to temples often, but I do know that the trust is there in him. I do not fear failure. I know that everyone fails. There have been innumerable instances of things not going the way that it is planned. But then only when one has tasted failure, they realize the sweetness of success.

A college professor often said 'Fail Early, Fail Often.' I think I have stuck by those words.

19 July, 2009

Of Mangoes, Generation Gap and a Break

It has been a really long time since I wrote here. I guess it was a part of the break that I was so dying to take after the busy schedule that was there in the past few months. Thus staying away from the internet and being at home was good in some sense.

But unfortunately, even in that break I was traveling quite a bit. I was in Delhi, Kolkata, at home, Pune, at other relatives places, and meeting some old and some new friends. In all case it was a welcome break. Though in hindsight it turns out to be only a break from the internet. The break by no means meant that I was sleeping and taking rest. There was always something or the other that was happening. The pleasant part was that I was taking care of things that mattered most. Like spending time with my grandparents, visiting my native village, and most importantly visiting the schools that are a part of the Pick Me, Click Me, Educate Me project, and now an integral part of my life. The joys on the children's faces on seeing me is something that makes me want to go back there again.

During this period I also attended two marriages, for which I also did the photography. Both were unique in their own way and I had fun in both of them. In the process, met new people, and made newer friends. .

My dad's garden (I still like to call it his garden, as its all due to his efforts that the trees are bearing fruit today) has mango, litchee, guava, pomegranate, papaya trees in it. The best part of the break was that I was in the season when the mango trees were laden with fruit. Mango happens to be my favorite fruit. And when the fruit is from a tree in your own garden, so much so that you pluck it afresh and have it, the taste is better a few hundred times! Thus a day used to be incomplete if there was no mango served in either of the meals. My knowledge on mangoes increased during this period and I am now able to identify the variety just by looking and smelling them.

Now that I am done with my masters, the next institution that I will register in is going to be marriage. Although there is ample time for that. Thank god for the crazy things I am doing, or have thought of doing over the next few months / years, the degree of uncertainty has risen. Coming to which, I should let you know that my design consultancy will be soon registered and that will be another dream being fulfilled. Oh I so love the power of dreams! So Marriage is another year and half away if not more. However if one has to go by the words of people back home, they could have had it done in the next few months! Maybe I escaped this time. One of the reasons why I did not visit too many local people whom I used to meet earlier, was this fear of being asked this question.

It is in this concept of the arranged marriages, that I feel the generation gap the most. Parents I feel should understand that times have changed. They also have to understand that their kids are not in the same location, setting, and environment that they are in. The least they can do is to understand things from a logical point of view and think without the notion of the society and their pressure. Whenever there is an absence of logic and the acceptance of the norms which are improper in the child's understanding, there is bound to be tension. Things go from bad to worse. However, there is the hope that things will change.

The other day a friend (and a senior at college) suggested that I blog / write about my life. This he mentioned after reading a short biography about me and the things that I have done and am doing. While I know this was in relation with the child education project mainly, but there are other things too that I think would be worth sharing. The decisions that I have been taking, the things I have been investing my time in, happens to motivate a lot of people. This blog therefore will be more personal now, and reflections on the journeys that I take. Its all about the learnings that happens everyday, from everywhere.

Will be more regular now. (Hopefully).