When opportunity comes-a-knockin', dallyin' ain't no option!

 With some wonderful friends from the last YHAI trek to Sar Pass, 2011.

"A man who misses his opportunity, and monkey who misses his branch, cannot be saved."

-Hindu Proverb

 

I finished my Graphic Design diploma course a couple of weeks back and had atleast a month's rest in mind. The Indian thinking cannot digest any education without a degree, plus its needed for postgrad abroad, so I had also enrolled for English honors from Delhi University last year as a study-from-home 'correspondence' course.

With so much time on my hands and almost nothing to do (my earlier plans of traveling for 'bhaarat darshan' had been pulverized by my companion's relative's shaadi), I decided to take my chances with a mountain biking expedition in Kullu organized by the youth hostel. Oh was I excited!! :) :)

As (bad)luck would have it, the first year annual exams commenced just two weeks after my final jury for GD. But I was least bothered. A couple of friends had told me I could give the exams in December too. I was more than happy to procrastinate for a while and go for it later this year....till another friend said he had never heard of this. I checked from the uni and sure enough nothing like this existed, not for the first years anyway. My head was reeling. The haloed degree was delayed a whole year now! If only I had confirmed earlier! :(

Thinking right about turn: if only I had confirmed earlier, I would've been trying to prepare in 14 days what my fellow students had time to do in months, since my GD course left almost no time for me to study for english. Most importantly, I would never have registered for the biking trip. In trying to acclimatize for it, I would never have rediscovered the joy of cycling. Never also would I have hoped to come near, let alone tick off a certain fitness goal I had set myself a year ago! :P

Really, life really isn't about giving exam after exam, getting degree after another and getting sturdier fattier paychecks than everyone else around. To me, it is about discovering and rediscovering things that bring me joy. My parents always urged me to take up something I loved doing, rather than what my friends or everyone else did, since that is what is going to sustain me and make brand Me in the end. My father said he wouldn't mind what I do for a living as long as I loved doing it, even if it was something as (conventionally) unpaying and whimsical as pottery or painting, after taking up science in school. What a sensible set of parents!

My trip starts the coming sunday on 21st. Shall come back full of stories to tell and pictures to show! Till then, ciao my friends! Burn green! :D

Anandpur Sahib: and the hangover

Tuesday, 31st Jan.
"Arrey kaisi sardaarni hai! Abhi tak you haven't seen the Khalsa museum??" - Anando Sir.

We had the next day off from college. And sir was ready to give us his thursday class off too. Tara had contacts to get us free stay at a guesthouse, free entry (and VIP treatment) at the museum, AND a driver to drive us around town. What more had we to ask for? ;)

The excitement began!
Raghav, Bhanu, Tara, Angelica and I could hardly contain our excitement all day long, and I kept getting text messages on my phone asking if the plan was still on! haha!
The 10:30pm Haryana Roadways bus turned out to be a much better experience than expected and we were at Anandpur Sahib in a mere 6 hours.
The city of Anandpur Sahib was founded by the Sikhs' 9th guru, Guru Teg Bahadur in 1665.
It is a quaint little old place with semi-modern houses dotting the picturesque valley the city is in.  Almost untouched by the hustle-bustle of cities or the racket of too many tourists, the unhurried contented life that its citizens enjoy is practically infectious. For us delhi people, it was a treat just to be able to watch the pretty blue night sky dotted with innumerable stars!

Shinde uncle picked us up in his Omni van from the bus terminal and took us to our lodgings, the "Scholar's Guest House", tucked away deep amidst the wilderness, a good way off from the main city. Some sleep and freshening-up later, the breakfast of parathas at the Kissan Haveli was a godsent for us hungry souls. oh yeah! ;)
Dharmender, our museum 'contact' helped us through security and was an epitome of patience as he remained with us all through, while we ooh-ed and aah-ed at the mural illustrations, the installations, the applique panels, the lighting, the colours....
Angelica and I just would not stop looking at the life-in-punjab mural, each building and animal panel juxtaposed so brilliantly as to make it even better than a 3d! (And we thought the Form & Space at college wasn't a biggie. couldn't be more wrong!) But that wasn't it. The awesome panels depicting Guru Nanak's four udasis in applique work totally blew us away, as did the depiction of his enlightenment after 3 days in water. TOO bad we couldn't take pictures. But Google Images zindabad! :P
 After disappearing into a river and meditating in the water for three days, Guru Nanak emerged having had a powerful vision of the nature of reality, Divinity and human existence. He recorded that vision in a song - known as Japji Sahib - the Song of the Soul. With Japji Sahib, humanity has a rare picture of what a Master experienced at the moment of his enlightenment described in his own words.

Above: The BRILLIANT depiction of Guru Nanak's enlightenment. 

The representation of Bhai Lakhi Shah Vanjara setting his house on fire to cremate Guru Teg Bahadur's body was another first-rate design concept. This story of the Guru's martyrdom to save the Hindu religion played on a screen alongwith the audio inside a tent-like structure made of sheet metal. The pattern of different metal sheet pieces joined together for the complete surface resembled flames of a fire. Epiccc!

 I can go on and on raving about each exhibit....loved every inch of it so much! If you haven't been yet, go NOW. ASAP! I can provide all the travelling details. :P

Following a visit to the Bhakra Dam, an AWESOME boat ride in the Gobind Sagar lake, visit to the gurudwara and a satisfying dinner at Pehalwan da Dhaba, we were back 'home' at about 8:15pm. 

The plan was to leave early next morning by train. So it was best not to go to sleep at all, after the exhausting day. Playing poker, pyramid (half an OldMonk kept the others company) and UNO kept us awake till about 1:30am till everyone crashed on the sofas, too sleepy and tired to go back to the rooms (we had brought blankets to keep us warm earlier). 

Hardly three hours later we were up, cleaning up the place n putting everything back in order. I think we did a fairly good job on that. Shinde uncle dropped us at the Anandpur Sahib railway station and the journey back home ended with the highly bothersome metro ride! :-/  But, what a good trip it had been!

Well. And THAT was....yesterday morning!!

Already feels like an eternity since we came back home...such an eventful couple of days it has been! But i think this was my life's best decision. Ever! 

:)

Anandpur Sahib

Just back from my best trip EVER with four other friends!
shall write back VERY soon...in an effort to blog regularly again..

The Keshgarh Sahib gurudwara, Anandpur Sahib at 5am...

BESOTTED! : Natalie Portman

Alright.

THIS female couldn't get better!
 

PLAY PLAY ! ALL THE WAY!

Came across this BEAUTIFUL poem penned by a teacher who works with children with special needs. Talks about how parents in India give more importance to 'proper studies' than playing. Set me thinking, haven't we figured out the ways of this humongous world just by playing our way through it in our earlier years? Then why do we stop playing once we are 'big'?

Playing is no child's play, is what i think. We need to 'play' in our daily lives too. Start by putting in much more joy in everything we do. Play together, work together, as a team. Accept challenges. Encourage others around us in their low times. Take every loss as a lesson, analyse wins to learn what works. Playing teaches SO much!
The poem couldn't be more expressive about this sentiment. Read on!

 

Building castles out of blocks

I dream of shape and form

I wonder about balance

And how a house is born.

I stack the blocks so carefully

I keep myself quite still

I’m learning how each piece behaves

And how a space is filled.

I’m going to be an architect.

And you think I’m just playing?

Wearing Mama’s high-heeled shoes

I stand up tall and straight

I pack my briefcase on my own

And kiss the kids – I’m late!

I know they want to tag along

But Mama has to work

I’m off to court to try a case

I’m wearing Mama’s skirt.

I’m going to be a lawyer.

And you think I’m just playing?

This picture that I’m working on

Was going to be a tree

But on the way, another thought

Seemed just as good to me –

A tree of stars, each branch alight

Demanded to be drawn -

The vision from inside my heart

Appeared here on its own.

I’m going to be an artist.

And you think I’m just playing?

My students sit in tidy rows

And wait for me to speak.

Well, three are dolls, and one’s a cat

Who thinks I’m speaking Greek.

He won’t sit still or do his work

He doesn’t like to read –

For him I’ve got an IEP:

He’s got ADHD.

I’m going to be a teacher.

And you think I’m just playing?

 

This hole goes clear to Africa

Straight down, clean and bright

I’ve got my shovel and some forks

I’m sure my map is right.

I’ve been working here since morning

You can help me if you wish

But don’t disturb the little elves

They’ve just come off their shift.

I’m going to be an explorer.

And you think I’m just playing?

I’m busy with this puzzle

I have to fit this piece

The one that seems to have no home

No matter how I squeeze.

It seems some rules are absolute

Like square pegs and round holes

I’m learning how to work it out

I’m focused on my goals.

I’m going to be a problem-solver.

And you think I’m just playing?

Ask me what I did today –

The answer’s always “Played.”

At school, at home and on the bus –

My mind’s just built that way.

I’m a child and play’s my job

It’s what I’m meant to do –

It’s how I learn about the world

And grow to be like you!

I’m going to be a grownup.

And you think I’m just playing?

Watcha waitin fo' ? GO PLAY!  :)

Cricket : The neo-Indian God

Till last year, I had no idea what overs, wickets and spin-attacks meant.
Until I went to an IPL match with some friends (who were aware of my ignorance) and explained to me in detail (bless them!) the game, as it is.

Point in case: I cannot be called a cricket fan.

But strangely enough, as the World Cup progressed, as did conversations and newspapers, I began to watch and take note. And when the final match against Sri Lanka came around, I watched every minute of it, glued to the screen like never before and went to sleep suitably late and thrilled!

Perhaps I did not want to be left out of conversations.
Perhaps I wanted to see for myself what the fuss was all about.
Perhaps a faint spark of interest had been ignited.
Perhaps...

This is what a World Cup triumph does: it creates new fans.
Not for me. My interest in the tournament lasted only that long.

But I doubt that is the case for thousands of others in this country, where cricket precedes even God.

Graphic Reflections

Yes yes...I know I did not stick to my promise of writing regularly. My sincere apologies (ofcourse I'm assuming there's a horde of people waiting for me to write)... :)

Graphic Design is a very funny business to get into. It teaches you how to perceive forms and colours to images of things around us.
Before long, you are imagining battles happening in the skies, just by looking at the shapes of clouds. Or better still, you can compare peoples' faces to a mashed potato, a diagonally-cut radish or even a squished plastic bottle! It makes your life that much funnier. :P
Good news is you start enjoying your own company and won't mind going anywhere unaccompanied! I used to have a phobia of getting bored if I had to go anywhere without a friend. No more! And trust me, it's very liberating! :)

(Anantjeet loves travelling and was given the rare opportunity to go on an all-expenses-paid world tour. She turned it down because she couldn't find a friend to go with her. So much for enjoying your own company!)