The Joy Of Innocence : CC3 Toast Masters

He pounded my chest repeatedly with both his legs while I lay pinned to the ground. He had not an inch of remorse and wouldn't care for how I felt !!

No, he was not my enemy and neither did he hold any grudge against me. Infact I loved the pounding so much that I took it many times a day !!

He is..  my sister's 8 month old baby and the pounding is the joyous virtual cycling which he practices on me

Innocence is one of the most adorable human traits. Mannu, as we lovingly call him, is devoid of all the tainted worldly feelings. He knows only four things - eat, smile, weep and sleep. When I take this 10 kg wonder into my arms and try to kiss him, he returns my kiss by trying to have a bite at me with his cute little two teeth. His happiness,  takes the shape of a million dollar smile enclosed within two cute curves whenever his mom sings his special song or his dad playfully dashes into his tummy.

In his naive attempts to crawl, he often ends pivoted on his tummy, flipping his hands and legs as though he were swimming. The beauty of his innocence makes him so charmingly captivating that my sister would spend sleepless nights and not let a fly hover over him. 

We could witness some of the most beautiful expressions of Innocence as we watch children develop friendships. When they meet, they do not try to judge each other “Is she trust worthy ? Is he Honest ? ” They deal with friendship in its simplest form. They just think “You are fun to be with. Let's be friends” They quarrel, but then they quickly forgive and forget. It is not for nothing that it is said "you should have your hearts like one of these children to enter Paradise. Befriending a kid can be one amazing experience. It of brings out the kids in us. We smile a lot as we enter their unpretentious world pure feelings and emotions. 

Innocence doesn't only border around children and childhood. We could find traces of it in each of us and sometimes the trace could be as big as something I am gonna describe. Rahul was one of my best friends at college. Talking to him was a joy and his company always relieved me of my stress. I would sometimes ask him “Innocent Rahul how would you survive this wicked world ?” and he would swear “John I am not innocent !!”

Once he had called me at my home and my sister picked up. The conversation went like this :

Rahul - Hi akka, is John there ?

Sis - No Rahul he is out on an errand. I will ask him to call you back once he is home.

After bidding bye as my sister was about to hang up

Rahul - Akka, shall I ask you something ? Does John talk about me?

Sis - Yes Rahul he does.

Rahul - What does he say akka ? Does he say I am innocent ?

My sister had no choice but to say - Yes

Rahul -  Shall I tell you something akka “I am not at aaaall innocent”

As time passes by we mature but then some people defy this law of Maturity

A few days ago, I called Rahul and we were discussing something serious. He suddenly says - "John 2 minutes John" and he puts the phone aside. Then I hear distant shouts of Wow and Yay !!

After two full minutes he's back excited and says - "John, Just now a huuge Aeroplane passed by my apartment. It was so big and beautiful !!

Some good things never change

Having such souls around makes me feel - Life is beautiful and Innocence is a bliss. They remain oblivious to the cruelities in the world, stay guiltless and happy. Happy because what you don't know cannot possibly hurt you.

I often steal a moment or two from my life to celebrate "The Joy of Innocence"


P.S. - Names changed to maintain anonymity !!


Also my - CC3 speech at Toast Masters International.

State of mind

As time flies by, you sometimes sit back to think what came and what passed by,

In the sea of world and life, you sometimes realize the waves had just flown by ! 

It often aches the heart when I realize I hadn't done things, I ought to have done,

Perhaps, with my priorities, I was chasing a mirage while wandering in the wrong direction !

Women's day

Its quite symbolic this year to have the festival of colors coincide with the women's day !! Just goes to say how  pale and colorless the world would have been without these wonderful people around us. From being the person who introduced us to the world, made sure we got comfortable with it, to being the person whom you would call your better half, woman have been the essence of our lives. She is both the best celebrator of our successes and  the best empathiser in our tough and emotional times. So guys - Take time and acknowledge each and every special woman in your life, how important and indispensable they have been to us !!

To all the wonderful ladies who give meaning to our lives - a heartfelt bow from the male fraternity !!

The QUOTE for life

I heard this somewhere - "There would be one quote which will really inspire/ motivate you to do things you always wanted to do; so watch out for that 'one quote' in your life"

Ever since, I have been on the look out for any such thing which really motivates me for around a couple of years now. I thought my friends achieving things I always wanted, should inspire me. Then seeing the World Cup finally in the the hands of Sachin did have its bit of motivation.

As I continue with my attempts to break my motivation jinx, I recently came across this motivating quote which connected with me instantly and has been running around my mind for quite sometime (I don't yet know if this is the one which would really motivate me though !!)

If you have enough reasons, you can do anything by Dottie Walters

So, I have been jotting down reasons of late - why I wanted 'what I want' so bad, so that it etches permanently in my heart and the universe conspires to make it happen.

PS : On similar lines as Shah Rukh's dialogue in OSO -  kisi cheez ko agar dil se chaho to saari kayanath tumhe usse milane ki koshish me lag jaati hai !! 

On my way back home !!

It gives me a sense of power walking beside him,
People rushing to meet him with anticipation to the brim !


They try to please him with reason or need,
His courtesy can work wonders indeed !


He makes sure every problem is addressed,
By the time he's done, he is greatly stressed !


I have seldom regarded him with concern so deep,
Tonight only his mercy could give me a good night's sleep !


He's always suited up no matter dry or cold,
His sparkling white trousers are a sight to behold !


You may wonder who this champion could be,
He is none but my train's TTE !

Screech !!

I landed sitting upright after a somersault in the air. People ran in from around to check how well I had done the stunt. It took a while for me to figure out things in my mind and two things quickly called for attention : my bike and the guy who helped me have that leap.It was 6 AM and the city was just waking up. I was on my way to class when this man carelessly made use of half the road to make a casual U-turn and stumbled on seeing me approaching.

Everything happened so fast that the only thing I remember was sitting (after the land) with my hands over the head. I had travelled atleast 5-6 feet without my bike. People came upon to do the damage check and I got up with anger for the erratic man. I looked around for my footwear which had also flown across to the other side of the road with the impact. After glancing at the culprit, I began inspecting my bike which had minor scratches on the handle, a cracked speedometer and dented engine guard. It had just met with its maiden accident. The people around prompted me to first check myself. I had miraculously escaped with minor bruises. The Abercrombie Hoodie gifted by sis insulated my torso and the jeans played its part to minimise the bruises. The ripped gloves took the friction and protected my palms. But still it was miraculous for the fall I had - Thank you Lord for your grace !!

What followed was a series of interactions with people and I had to miss my class. I dragged Sabharish out of his sleep to help me in conversing with the people and he helped settle things.

Drive slower is what you would always conclude/realise at the end of the day and it definitely helps to have a steady head over your shoulders, but then the fact remains - Accidents are Accidental !!

A milestone for my buddy !!

This post has been in the mind, waiting to see light for quite sometime now. Wanted to write a bit about my good buddy for one year now - My Red Beast - My Avenger !!

Its been my companion in rain and in sun; in joy and in sorrow; in long lonely journeys and happy moments alike. Guess that seems too much of a patronization for an inanimate object - my friends often complain this too.. but I cant help my feelings 

Frankly speaking, I was not in much for this muscular monster when I was on the lookout for a bike. My bro had been influential partly in me finalizing on it. I had zeroed in on Honda Dazzler and had even made the bookings for it. But then, he convinced me that it was small and not quite suiting my personality. He wanted me to go for Karizma rather (his dream bike). I took his first advise, cancelled Dazzler and booked Avenger instead. The excessive plastic body as in Karizma or a ZMR did not appeal me much.It was then that I laid my eyes on this metallic beauty. Solid body, cool cruiser style and unique on the road - Feel like God - as the caption goes (I hesitate to use this caption here as it sounds blasphemous)

Needless to mention the bike has been tastefully made and I have grown to like and admire it over the period. The drive quality is great and I have realized that even a small hiatus of couple of days makes me long to drive. I had slight apprehensions about control on busy roads and parking in crowded places but thankfully, all it requires is a bit of hands on to get used to :)  Monsoons are what my bike dislikes the most - puddles of water, bumpy roads and the consequent risks of rusting. Though it has the luxury of getting a wash once every two days when it rains. 

I remember the first days last year when it was still a small baby, there were heavy monsoon rains and it inadvertently got wet. To my despair, I suddenly realized there were specks of rust on the silencer and in my desperation, I had washed it (with water again) only to see the specks grow in size and area. Experts came to my rescue and prescribed anti rust sprays and solutions which helped me in preventing the situation going from bad to worse. Henceforth, it has come a long way from its baby strides (at speeds <45 kmph for around 2000km) to now tearing the winds apart. I have had a couple of memorable rides to Mahabalipuram, and to Pondicherry and innumerable short rides within the city. With 4 services done (3 free and one paid) and having clocked 10000 KM, my friend keeps getting better and continues to amaze with a 40 plus mileage. Way to zoom buddy