Spring Sprints - London Chapter 1

Glimpses of the unseen , good company , Indian food and loads and loads of pictures pretty much summarize my “ideal trip”.

The season of new beginnings and blooming flowers – Spring is that ideal time to visit the Europe and I started by visiting London.

London has always amazed me for its grandeur , royalty and diversity. It can be best described as that tawa sabzi in Indian weddings :Assortment of vegetables each having distinctive flavor happily coexisting on one tawa :D

Our day started with a walk towards Buckingham palace. With London Marathon scheduled for the very next day , roads were blocked with the English flag daunting the whole stretch for the Royal Parade. Helicopters were hovering , media vans were spotted in abundance , sniffer dogs , police , volunteers and tourists occupied the area. Interestingly the area wasn't closed for tourists but for vehicles thus providing scope for carefree walks and clicks.

On our way to the palace , we crossed the James Park which was full of flowers of impeccable colors adorning the garden. The cherry blossoms trees ornamented with flowers paved a welcoming path for the joggers , cyclists , roller skaters and walkers alike. Pigeons , Squirrels and ducks busily and hurriedly interacted with humans and flapped around in search of food and made their way to the lake and grass.

We reached the palace and it was time to witness a traditional ceremony prevalent since the 1800s – The Change of Guards.

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace exhibits colorful extravagance , military bands and British pageantry. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes and usually takes place daily at 11:30 from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year.

You can view the details and schedule at :

https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/buckinghampalace/what-to-see-and-do/changing-the-guard

After the visual treat , brimming memory card and optical satisfaction , it was time to satisfy another important sense : The taste buds.

After some brainstorming and Zomato-ing , we walked towards the Covent Garden and queued outside Dishoom : An Indian Restaurant. If you think the name of the restaurant is the only typical thing about it then wait till you hear more.

Looking at the never ending and ever increasing queue, we were about to give up and settle for Subway , when a pretty attendant offered us Mint Chai tea and Sherry shots and apologized for the wait. Energized and appetised , we entered the restaurant in another 15 min.

It was certainly Mumbai in London. Movie posters , Hindi songs , the smell of curries and kulfis , hindi notice boards and signs , the gola maker ,cutting chai , vadapao and a sumptuous Indian Menu was enough to make us forget that we were in London and not a Cafe in Mumbai.

Although limited choice was available for the vegetarians , the food was good in taste and display.

You can read more about them at : http://www.dishoom.com/

After the splendid food and Bombay experience , we headed towards Leicester Square.

A particular entertaining and foot tapping performance there grabbed our attention ; a comedy song and dance show by a group of  boys on the street.

Do watch the whole video at: https://youtu.be/gh5uxur8-K8

A few more steps and we reached  the Piccadilly circus.

We witnessed there a huge array of shops bustling with offers , live performances,music , Ripley's believe it or not museum ,the Times Square of London and needless to say loads of people.

It was time to return home after bidding adieu to an eventful and memorable day.

The journey of London and discovering the spring and summers of Europe however is still on.

See you soon on the journey to another place another time with  another peculiarity and magnificence.

A date with the printing machine

Nine hours of office would appear seemingly long to some, but when there is work they are just not enough. If you thought hanging around the water cooler , visiting cafeteria in every break , taking personal calls or hitting the gym might be the only activities that shrink your day , then do try what I did yesterday.
A friend of mine and I had to get some documents printed and signed by the HR. We went to our floor common printer and tried to login to the machine kept there. Never in my life had I stared at the “Please Wait “for some 20 odd minutes. Had I been able to voice myself to the box of snail processors, I would’ve told them what being “on time” actually means. As time passed by PLEASE WAIT seemed mocking and a conjunction of etiquette and helplessness.
Since our machine was in client network, we could not connect to the common floor printer from our personal desktops too.
We went to the 7th floor just to discover that both the machines kept in the common area weren’t working: One didn’t download and one didn’t just work.The printer however was working fine.
After trying our luck at the “not downloadable” machine we went to the 5th floor.
The machine was working there but the printer wasn’t.We connected the machine with the 8th floor printer . Went all the way to see a very low quality print.
We came back on 5th floor , This time connected the machine with the 7th floor printer and after battling the long queue of associates who had similar experience that day , we were successful in printing 2 pages. Voila…………….we finally got our print outs. That the HR by the time we reached had gone for lunch and we had to wait for an hour or so is another story altogether.
I wonder how are some thousands of associates able to manage in  offices of several floors where the probability of either the machine or printer not working is .75 (yes I did some maths :P )

SYSTEM NOT WORKING PRINTER WORKING	SYSTEM WORKING PRINTER NOT WORKING
SYSTEM NOT WORKING PRINTER NOT WORKING	SYSTEM WORKING PRINTER WORKING

The silver lining however was that now I know how much time a page will take to print in my office. 
A simple task can sometimes turn into a big struggle utilizing your time, testing your patience and most importantly teaching you the meaning of the word : JUGAAD 

You are blessed!!!

“Some poems don't rhyme, some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end, not all flowers are fragrant and not all trees give shadow. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next”

We remain engrossed in our own lives very often until the journey so far seems to contract in a single moment.
It is this moment which decides the course of your action ahead. It changes the way you think, the way you perceive things, the way you deal with oddities and even the way you think about your own self.
The moment is defined as Kairos (Greek Word to describe a moment). 
Such a moment came in my life a while ago when I heard the most captivating,inspiring,emotional and at the same time rational, full of faith yet backed by scientific facts ,speech at Resonance 2012 (a semi-annual conference of Toastmasters International District 41 )by Sam Cowthorn.
When we entered the conference room that day ,we saw a tall ,rather taller than most of the people I had seen in my life, man who was smiling cordially at everyone he saw and had the charisma and poise which made everyone's head turn towards him.
I had seen his photograph on the banners in the auditorium
He was posing with a guitar and had that infectious smile. He was no different from his picture.
We decided to get a photograph clicked with him primarily because he was handsome and secondary and tertiary reasons being his acclaimed fame which includes winner of the Australian of the year award, world acclaimed motivational speaker to name a few.
He greeted us warmly and extended his left hand. Little amazed by the gesture I shifted my cellphone from my left to right hand and shook hands with him.
The photo sessions got over and we sat down for the session.
His session stood in between the brief tea break and the sumptuous lunch.
The auditorium was packed and Sam rose to speak. His initial introduction by the emcees comprised of phrases like “disabled”, “frightening car accident “,”he lost his right arm and leg”, “He was declared clinically dead for three and a half minutes” etc. etc.
I was now occupied with a sense of sympathy for him not realizing that after the next few hours I will feel the same for myself.
He was unconventional in his methods.
He did not use the stage or the podium to deliver his speech. He came down walked, jumped skipped hopped, climbed up chairs and kept moving throughout the room and in his own words he described it as “Intentional and  purposeful.”
“Charisma doesn’t overshadow character”He repeated this sentence as he walked from left to right corner of the auditorium.
In context of public speaking he said that it is your values, morals and integrity which define who you are on stage and not how the way you look.
He narrated how he met a fatal accident emphasizing that it was his own fault. The day was very clear in his mind and I could picturesque every word he spoke.
He was pronounced dead as his heart stopped for three and a half minutes. After resuscitation he faced severe injuries including the amputation of his right arm above the elbow and severe damage to his right leg.
While he narrated this he detached his artificial hand from its prosthetic arm and showed how he had programmed it with his latest IPhone 5.
A family photo of his wife and 3 kids appeared on the screen and Sam continued how he was pronounced handicap and told by the doctor that he will have to spend the rest of his life on wheelchair. That he will never be able to hold his daughter in his arms, that he will never be able to play guitar, that will have to be dependent on others, that he will never be able to run and dance around and that we will never be able to drive again.
But what Sam believed in was:
"It is your decision and not condition which determines what you are "  What followed was a yearlong fight against his condition from a state of denial to acceptance and then of changing things.
With faith, attitude and the proximity of his loved ones he created his own future.
Standing in front of us was a man who was told that he would never be able to walk again and he was jumping all around in the room and here we are who feel lazy and unessential to reach out to people whom we love and who love us.
Standing in front of us was a man who was once bed ridden and was supposed to be on wheelchair all through his life and today he was talking to unknown people, travelling and meeting everyone with open arms and here we are who at times do not even exchange smiles with people who work for us or work with us.
“Happiness starts by choice and it starts with you”He conducted an exercise where everyone had to stand and greet everyone in the room with the happiest expression possible. The energy levels in the room rose exponentially.
When you want the world around you to be happy you need to be happy at first place.
Another remarkable section of the session was the introduction of Bounce Forward theory.
In times when nothing seems to be at the right place and things start falling apart, we tend to bounce back to the original happier state because it seems to be a familiar territory. But Sam suggested that why don’t we try to bounce forward instead and go to the unknown. Try new things and explore the unexplored.
One should remember that Crisis creates opportunities. It is on you that what you focus on –The crisis or the opportunities it creates. To explain this concept he asked the audience to glance through the room for 10 sec and notice everything that was green. He then asked everyone to close their eyes and take names of everything they had seen in these 10 sec which was purple. 
It is therefore your focus on things which determines their importance in your lives. It was because of this focus that the pain he suffered in his arm 24/7 was inconspicuous to him compared to the beautiful things in life he focussed on.
When we were kids we always crossed busy roads holding hands. That is what is required in times of disparities –Holding Hands in Traffic. He told how the support of his family and loved ones and their belief inspired him to face the biggest challenge of his life.
Finally Leverage happiness that fuels success. Happiness starts with your own self. You are the average of five of your closest people. So remember to keep good company because “Proximity is Power”He also cited that the greatest investment one can make should be in himself –investment in his own brain.
He even touched on various aspects of decision making with the 10/10/10 principle.
Before making any decision think how will the decision impact you, the people around you and the society in general for the coming 10 days 10 months and 10 years.
One should always be grateful to whatever he has in life and should respect and cherish its presence.
In any adverse situation the challenge should be to survive through it and “Turn shoulds to musts”
He concluded the session with a beautiful song which he played on his guitar and asked the audience to sing along with him. He is one of the few people in the world to be able to play a guitar with an above elbow amputation.
“Take this opportunity and sing along .After all when you see a man who has no arms perform for you” were his words.
For the next few minutes the whole room was singing along with Sam
“I am blessed. I am blessed.
Every day that I live, I am blessed.
When I wake up in the morning
Till I lay my head to rest,
I am blessed. I am blessed.”As he finished the whole auditorium rose for a standing ovation and the applauses weren’t just stopping.
His speech was by far one of the best speeches I had witnessed.
It was once in a lifetime experience for all those who attended.He made us cry ,laugh and instilled a feeling which made us all feel grateful  of whatever we have in our lives :our parents ,family ,loved ones ,the company we work for, the money we earn, the home we live in  and most importantly an able body .
Not everything you have in life will stay with you forever but with faith, gratitude and the right attitude you can always make the best and most of the things around you. We are all here for a specific purpose and each one of us has a unique destiny. The challenge is to identify your purpose in life thus making your life more purposeful and worth for yourself and others. Hats off to the man who taught me the much known principles of life in a way that they will stay with me forever and beyond.

We are parting never to meet again

That smiling face
That touch which set abalze
Those countless moments

Those endless waits.

That frozen piece of time

Those understanding mimes
That seeking of attention

Those gestures which never needed comprehension.

That pleasure of your arms

That aura so calm
Those hands so assuring

The togetherness so alluring.

Those big and small fights

Those attained emotional heights
All of them say a little good bye

Make the memory-laden eyes cry.

Efforts to stay together all were in vain
We are parting; never to meet again

Experience as a Newsletter Editor

I woke up with a message this morning “The final PDF is in your inbox. Check and let me know”

No it wasn’t someone from work asking me to review a presentation or code; it was someone from my Newsletter team. So it’s finally over now I thought. This was the last edition.

I started drafting the mail for the launch. Copy pasted the template as usual , changed the link and month name and was about to hit the send button ,when my gaze was fixed at the last line “…..also please send articles for the upcoming edition to d41newsletter@gmail.com”
I had to remove this line. Every time I pressed the backspace to erase the characters, memories flashed in front of my eyes thinking about the past 12 months.
Launching newsletters was hectic , demanding  and frustrating at times  but it helped me realize a lot of things about myself which I wasn’t aware of.

When I was bestowed with this opportunity in the month of July 2014, I was a little scared and I immediately contacted the then District Newsletter Editor, Umesh . He asked me to form a team and comforted me with some words which seem more meaningful now than they seemed then.

Forming a team was a challenging task since I had to work with these people located in different parts of the country. After asking for nominations and short listing people, on board with me were Poonam , Sagar, Ravi and Arijita. I had not met them in person ever , were not aware of their capabilities and was of course not informed of their shortcomings if any while I was introduced to them.

The second challenging task was to collate articles. While most of them promised an article, they failed to mail it to us before the deadline even after numerous follow ups. Maybe they were not taking us too seriously  :D

The third challenge which we faced was of plagiarism and articles full of grammatical errors.

Well this was it……….It wasn’t only about challenges for sure. It was all about a journey where we learnt and grew.

Talent knows no distance and boundaries :

The team was placed at different locations and we were working with people we had never met, still we managed to work coherently maybe because we were not very close and around to irritate each other :P

My team is an excellent bunch of people who worked tirelessly and raised the bar of quality with each edition.

When one door closes many windows open :

While some promised to give an article but didn’t, we had people who willingly mailed us beautiful articles relevant to the theme.

At times wrong things teach you the right lessons:

And yes finally grammatical errors were irritating at times but they helped us improve our writing skills.

And plagiarism made us read more and google more :D

When you lose yourself in something, you discover a new you.

It was a beautiful journey where I discovered how patient and creative I could be.

It brought out the writer in me. Reading personal experience of people as they penned their emotions was a treat and yes finally receiving appreciations from toastmasters all over the district for the efforts put in by us for designing, layout and content was overwhelming.

Thank you everyone who contributed, reviewed, gave suggestions and most importantly read the issues. It was a fulfilling endeavor and I will surely miss working with my team, following launch deadlines and yes connecting and following up with people for articles.

Signing off with something I always say …….” If you feel it then just don’t say it, pen it”

Spardha

Spardha 2007, the annual Sports Fest came as a well-deserved break from the daily quizzes and assignments. While the boys started sending out invites and nominating their names for different sports activities, the girls kept checking the list of probable participating colleges and teams.

While I was proceeding on the memory lane, “Rohit” flashed on the taskbar.
‘Lunch?’ he asked.
‘In 10 min’ I replied.
I was transported back to the college years when we ate in the last class before lunch just to wander in the lunch time.
That carefree and frivolous Rohit has become responsible now. The times when we had to remind him to have lunch are passé now.
Had things been the same then may be the pings I was receiving from him today would not have been possible.

The last day of Spardha 2007 was a game changer day both for the teams and few individuals.

A disagreement which finally led to a fight between teams and a massive upheaval followed.

The following day, the matter was brought to the management and the decision of suspension of people involved was taken. There was a mob protest by students in disagreement .The punishment was then changed to not let the student involved in the fight participate in any of the placement activities.
Rohit was one of them. While the faculty members and other students asked him not to stand for the students found guilty, he maintained his stand and chose to support his friends.

TCS had announced its registration process for placements in our college and Rohit was not allowed to register as per management instructions.

Negotiations and talks with the ED and other faculty members concluded with no fruitful results and registration were to close in 3 days.
I did not register hoping I would register once he gets a heads up from the ED.

Just few hours for the registrations to close and there came Rohit in the computer lab where we were sitting.
‘It’s a yes………….open the link and lets register’
We registered and started mugging up Barrons to clear the written round.
In no time the day reached and we cleared the written round.
Our interview was scheduled in the last slot of the day.
It was 9:30 pm and I went in for the interview .It went well and I knew I had nailed it.
I came out and I told everyone how it went.
Rohit sat at a distance and as he told me much later, he felt I was bragging: D
As I wished him luck and left for home without waiting for the results, I thought reaching this stage itself was a big achievement for him considering he was not allowed to sit for the entrance test.
It was 1:30 AM when my phone rang and the news of success was imparted to me.

My heart pounced as I asked “What about you Rohit”

“Yessssssssssssssss, I did it.”

I was overwhelmed and thought I was dreaming.

I did not sleep that night and memories of everything that happened so miraculously kept flashing.

I took out my tiffin box and proceeded to the cafeteria.

Rohit waited near the lift area as usual and we proceeded to join our friends for lunch.

Times change and so do people. Life is a Spardha (competition) indeed .
Everyone has some challenges and disparities in life at every stage . While some succumb and live with it others stand for what is right to make things, people and situations better.

Mumbai : Where dreams turn into reality

Aankho me ek khoj har kisi ki
Dil me ek baichaini har kisi ki
Baatein kai hai kehne ko
Par waqt nai hai sochne ko
Bhare hue hai kai jazbaat dil me
Koi nai hai sameetne ko
Bheed me har chehra pehchaana hua hai
Par koi nahi apna kehne ko
Samandar ki lehro jaise  hain sapne
Dikhte to hain par hain daayaro se pare
Har jagah ek nayi zindagi hai
Hisso me bati har ghadi hai
Raftaar hai jo thamti nai
Jab thamti hai to rukti nai
Ghiri hui logo aur sapno se ye zindagi
Sikhati hai rukne ka nai chalne ka naam hai zindagi
Sirf sochne ka nai karne ka naam hai zindagi
Muskurahat k peeche gum chupane ka naam hai zindagi
Subah ki neend ko taak pe rakh k
Ek sunehri shaam paane ka naam hai zindagi

Value

When we were in school we always fantasized the fancy life of college going students. No uniforms, no compulsory attendance, bunking classes and all imaginable frolic and fun. When we came to college we fantasized of a luxury life with a long black sedane parked outside our house, flat in a posh apartment, dinners at fancy restaurants, a handsome boyfriend or a stunning girlfriend and so on….
But did life really turn out that way. Did we accomplish our dreams? Did we get all that we always wanted? Or is even life the way we wanted to lead?
We have become so busy with our work and workplace that we have stopped thinking or even looking at the life beyond it.
With the increase in competition at work the level of stress in our life has also increased. We are involved in a rat race of crushing the other one down and stepping up.
In fact, occupational stress has been defined as a "global epidemic" by the United Nations' International Labor Organization.
One could be stressed because of various factors at workplace:
? A demanding boss
? variations in work hours or conditions
? changes in financial status
? firings
? business readjustments
? altered responsibilities
? a switch to a different line of work etc etc.
? Appraisal time etc etc
But it isn’t just strain at workplace which makes our life stressful.
The incapability to maintain a balance between both professional and personal front increases the level of dissatisfaction in our lives. We feel sandwiched between ever increasing competition at workplace and never ending demands at home. Both require time and we have none to spare. As a result of which we end up being unfair, unsatisfied and stressed.
Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.

If you frequently find yourself feeling frazzled and overwhelmed, it’s time to take action to bring your nervous system back into balance. You can protect yourself by learning how to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and taking steps to reduce its harmful effects.

Stress can take a toll over your mind body and even your social equation.

? depression
? diabetes
? hair loss
? heart disease
? hyperthyroidism
? obesity
? obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder



The question now is how to distress yourself and cope up with the ever demanding life.
The key to this is to prioritize the various events things and people in your life.
Work at times can wait but relationships don’t so it becomes really important to know what needs you where and when.
? Spending quality time with your loved ones esp children
? Practising yoga meditation and workout techniques
? Getting up early and going for a morning walk. This will keep you fresh and distressed throughout the day.
? Going for a vacation atleast once in a year.


Hope you find your answer in this speech of Chetan Bhagat, which he gave in IIM-A
“Don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced,successful life.
I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order. There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup.
There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts.
Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first.
Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life.
Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive,will start to die.
One thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously.
Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid
card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends.
Do we really need to get so worked up?


It’s ok, bunk a few classes…
Scoring low in couple of papers…
Goof up a few interviews…
Take leave from work…
Fall in love…
Little fights with your spouse…
We are people, not programmed devices…!”
 “Don’t be serious, be sincere!”
 ‘Live today like there is no tomorrow…’
Have a beautiful life…


Life ofcourse isn’t just about meeting daily deadlines and working at the cost of your own health and the time your family needs form you.
No one has a perfect life. You have to strike a balance between all things in your life.It is difficult and almost impossible to be present at all places at all times and please everyone
For eg if you have to miss an important meeting for your family member’s birthday party then you may miss out on an important official event but you will gain the company of people who love you unconditionally. On the other hand if you attend the meeting you are sure to accomplish something at work but lose the time and affection of your family.
It finally is up to you to decide what is more important for you.
When the decision is yours and not forced whatever option you choose you are not stressed but satisfied at the end of the day.


"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, Friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air.


You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.


But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.

Work efficiently during office hrs and leave on time.Give the required time to your family friends and take proper rest.

Value has a value only if its value is valued.

Me and Toastmasters

Flashback June 2004
It would have been one of the days in the hot and humid month of June when a handful of people would’ve conceptualized the idea of Toastmasters at TCS Mumbai.
Most of us would have been in schools and colleges and not even aware of toastmasters international let alone what changes it is destined to have in our lives in the years to follow.


June 2015
Four years with TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club and it is an inseparable part of my life now.
It is indeed one of the paramount activities in the lives of everyone associated with it. I know many of you who don’t have friends outside toastmasters and who work for or attend events of toastmasters even on weekends: D What binds us together is not the lack of people from the other world but the common passion for improving and learning.
Speaking of 11 glorious years , there is a multitudinous array of people who helped the club be what it is today but let me mention a few people who embarked on this journey and stepped on this ship when all it needed was ; capable soldiers.
I might have not met you in person but Parthsarthi Suresh and Jayesh Madhapara need a special mention for being the pioneer driving members.
Mohammad Fadhel : the dashing President of the club , Adit Paul : the rockstar and first DTM from our club, Shabbir and Mangal : The flag bearers of TCS TM at TCS Nortel , Nikhil Kapadia : the person who brought the club at TCS Malad , Anurag Sinha : who brought the club back to life and who is the reason I and a lot of others joined and continued in TCSM TM , Sanil Shanbagh : the diligent toastmaster mastering the art of public speaking from the art of living, Sreejith Gopalan : the impeccable evaluator and my 1st evaluator , Saurabh sharma and Yasha Nanda : people who kept the sessions going effectively at Malad , Ankit Chaturvedi : the person whose impromptu speeches were better and entertaining than the prepared speeches of a lot of people . I hear lots of girls started attending club meetings because of him :D, Anushree Pandey : who brought life to speeches with her unmatched expressions , Rajiv Perumal : a multitasker and truly the master of all trades from being and ex-com ( for various roles at one point ) to arranging club meetings to participating in speech contests..………..he’s done it all,
Rohit and Rashmi : people who introduced TCS Powai to Toastmasters , Atrayee and Swathi : Enthusiastic toastmasters who came all the way from Seepz to attend the sessions. Atrayee continues to hold the Mumbai flag high at TCS Kolkata Tostmasters ,Surabhi Shrivastava : The assiduous toastmaster from our very own club who is now at TCS Pune and continues to do well in that club too Indrajit and Vanshika : people who took the Powai sessions to a whole new level . Indrajit in his tenure as the President set example for a lot of us to follow ranging from the idea of Club newsletter to chartering a club at TCS Pune , Mohit Chhabra : who worked as a catalyst and infused a new life in the Club in 2010, It was indeed TCS Maitree Toastmasters 2.0 , the bigger and better version , Chinmaya Dave : the young and restless Toastmaster who challenged the status quo a lot of times and expanded the horizon of the club beyond TCS members , Parakh Kukreja : the bundle of energy who stands by the Club and its members always , Surabhi Kinariwala and Pramod Mohandas : who have worked tirelessly each year by guiding the new members and ex-com ensuring that the club lives upto the name and laurels it has earned in the past
There is a huge list of others to mention but how much can I remember from 4015 days :D
Thank you TCS Maitree Toastmasters Club…….you are more than just a club ; you are a phenomenon which has touched and changes many lives.

The Desire

She did not love him nor did she want him to be hers

She was not floored by his looks nor was she in awe of how talented he was introduced to her as.

Every alternate Thursday , her eyes waited to meet with his ,the courteous smiles they exchanged and then the hurried see off to attend office. In an hour they were again in touch in the virtual world on the chat messenger. Discussion about the meetings that went by and the ones planned , food , books,places , events , relationships and all unspoken questions and awaited answers.

There were no obligations however. She treated him as one of the them , one of the many friends she had.

The virtual world meetings transited into real world encounters of the same magnitude. There were talks, there were fights ending up with loads of laughter and discussions.

Things build up in such a way that they were brought closer each time. When they traveled together , he held her hand to guard her from the crowd , he opened the door for her ,he walked on the side of the road shielding her ,scolded her when she did not eat properly and in no time became that one person with whom she shared her desires with , discussed her dreams with and visualized times ahead with.

The affection and being accustomed for each other had started developing strong but distance introduced itself as an unwelcoming factor. What seemed to be like a interlude in the relationship was in fact a catalyst. The bond built stronger and distance indeed made the heart grew fonder.

Surprising him on his birthday or the urge for an embrace , she traveled the distance making excuses and finding reasons.

The distance grew further , spanning continents and time zones .The only thing which remained constant was the immense fondness and love for each other.

They counseled each other on the perspective choice of life partners they made not realizing that what they wanted was with them already.

The proximity and the pressure of commitment led to unforeseen consequences. Something they never thought of happened , something they never imagined had happened. They were broken. The selfless love , the intense longing , the perpetual interaction and the blind trust seemed shattered.

Life was never the same. It was insipid and colorless .

If history was any evidence , the tryst had to grow stronger after the adversity. A couple of meetings , few tears, an impeccable hug and few talks and they were back again loving ,talking, fighting and being together.

It all came back where it started .The universe had it plans and they were again in the same city , in the same place . This time with all the love , all the affection and all the energy saved for a future ahead.

She does not expects anything but love. Does not desire anything but his presence in her life.Does not long for anything but his glimpse to begin and end her day with.

She wants to travel together , cook together, tread the same path , learn a new language , travel a new country every year, tap to a new dance form , invest into a venture , build up new horizons , reach out to people , keep ameliorating , discovering herself and him , try a new sport and be together with him for a lifetime and beyond.

She loves him and wants him to be hers today , tomorrow , the day after and forever........

The Cocoon - Season 2 Episode 1

The appraisal and promotion season was over. The unsettling whiff of office politics ,competition, dissatisfaction and introspection finally gave way to gentle breeze of silence and calmness.

With minimum work load and a good hike in the backdrop , most of my time was spent with the newly discovered love of my life : Online shopping. Amazon and Jabong dethroned watsapp as I was addicted to my new hobby , online window shopping.

It was time for the monthly team meeting .I sat on the last row and was busy clicking on “Add to cart” to avail Jabong's 3 hr sale.

I heard a few introductions of new joiners , some announcements and applause in the background.

Our team was certainly doing good.

The meeting was over and it was time to grab the bag and leave office. Engrossed in my phone , as I reached the door , I saw Vijay surrounded by some people. I went nearer and heard garbled “congratulations “ and “Thank you “ being exchanged.

I stared at Vijay from a distance. He came closer and said “ Grab your bag we are going clubbing tonight”.

We were surrounded by a couple of other people so I didn't question him.

“meet me in the parking in 10”.

I saw at “my cart” pressed the exit button and packed my bag to leave.

I reached Vijay's car to find three other friends of ours.

I got in and Vijay drove us to the “Tryst”.

Tryst welcomed us with high octane music , minimum light , dance floor , food and drinks. Any combination of a pair of these factors was enough but all these factors combined made it all the more implausible for me to talk to Vijay.

I thought of living in the moment and danced away to glory and drank and ate to my heart's content.

It was 2 am and time to leave. We got with over-convivial hugs and byes. People certainly appear closer and friendlier when you are drunk.

Considering the order in which Vijay was to drop us , I was the second last person in the group which meant I would not get some “alone time “ to inquire Vijay about the “congratulations” and “thank yous” The rest of the gang was drunk ,sleepy and tired for me to strike a conversation as to why we were partying in the first place.

It was my time to go home. I stepped out.

“Bye Rohit.............Bye Vijay” I had so many questions wrapped up in that bye. Only if Vijay could decipher.

I came to my room , changed into my Pjs and crashed.

My phone beeped. It was Vijay. He asked me to come down.

I went down and stood before him.

“ I dropped Rohit and thought of catching up with you “

“What was the party for and why were people congratulating you?” I said abruptly.

“Seriously???????? “ Vijay exclaimed as if I had asked him who was Sita after he had narrated me the whole Ramayana.

“hmmmm...so.....”

“I don't believe this.....What were you doing in the meeting today?”

“I was sitting on the last seat so I wasn't able to hear everything” I camouflaged a sincere and genuine expression to avoid any further disappointment I had caused Vijay then.

“well if you dont know the reason then why did you come out for the party”

<because we always party and you have a car in which you can drop me home ( I wanted to say)>

“Because you asked me to “ (I said ) with a meek expression to come across as innocent and victim of events and circumstances. (yes girls are dramatic at times)

“Good night” he said controlling all his anger I assumed and hugged me lightly.

I came back and dozed off in no time.

It was Saturday morning so I could take the liberty of sleeping till late hours.

I woke up at 12 and checked my phone still warming up in bed.

I was member of yet another group on watsapp.

“Not one more group please” I mumbled and clicked on the group.

It was named “ Vijay's farewell”.

What I experienced in the next 10 minutes which followed was a mix of guilt , sorrow confusion and anger.

Guilt of not paying attention to the announcement about Vijay which probably took place in the team meeting.

Sorrow of Vijay's departure.

Confusion regarding where and when was he going.

And Anger on Jabong for the 3 hr sale at the wrong time of the day.

I was too embarrassed to call Vijay. I called up Rohit and took the details.

I clicked on Vijay's chat window on watsapp to talk to him and congratulate him.

There were some unread messages.

[03/04/2012 15:32] Vijay : So my manager asked to me replace Joy at onsite.What do u think I shud say?

[03/04/2012 16:12] Vijay : Where are you ? Im in a meeting cant call to talk reply here.

[03/04/2012 16:52] Vijay : I said yes............US of A it is baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my God!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how did I miss all this? I ofcourse knew the answer to this.

I called up Vijay.

“ So............when do you leave?”

“Oh ….there is time it'll be somewhere in April ”

“Great” I said trying to sound happy but it was killing me.

There was barely a month left.

The Cocoon Season 1 Episode 5 (Finale)

As I approached closer to him, I saw him looking intensely at me. He looked tired.

“Didn’t sleep?” I broke the silence with my pretentious ‘I am unaffected and cool ‘ tone.

He kept looking at me.

“So, what brought you here? “ I asked a question I very well knew the answer of.

He came closer to me. “I love you “he said.

There were the words right in front of me .

Words which I had heard a thousand times in movies.

Words which I had rehearsed to utter to my love one day.

Words which would give a new meaning to my life now.

I had thought over it. I might want to be with him but he doesn’t know whom he wants.

“What?” I said and laughed.

“I need you.” He said

There was an awkward silence. I avoided looking into his eyes and kept looking at the watch and unnecessarily playing with my hair.

“Go Vijay “ I repeated.

He didn’t say a word and drove away.

I stood still. It seemed like those Bollywood songs where the protagonist gets highlighted in Eastman color and people are moving around in black and white backdrops. I couldn’t hear any sound or see any people around. I felt numb. Tear rolled down my eyes profusely. But why was I crying? I had asked him to go. I didn’t respond to his feelings and I was the one unhappy.

Sad Bollywood songs started playing in my head. “ye ishq nahi aasan…………” seemed so much real now.

I came back to my place. Nothing seemed right. I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t hungry. I kept crying. I had lost logic and reasoning. There was no inner voice to console me. I didn’t even get bored of crying this much.

This was the paciest weekend and it was Monday morning again.

Programmed to perfection, I dressed up and started for office like a robot. Unlocked my computer and sat at my desk.

The chat window was blinking. It was Vijay. I transformed from a rotten leaf to a freshly bloomed rose.

“hey”

“Hi Vijay”

“Send me the Unit test cases and tell me if interface testing is possible today”

I withered to a gloomy stance.

“k “ I replied.

Days passed and I and Vijay transformed from being formal to semi-formal and then friendlier.

We got addicted to each other on watsapp and office communicator.

We discussed books, music, food, incidents, life and friends (not Meera ofcourse).

We started out together with friends and sometimes just the two of us. We ate, we drank, we laughed and we talked and talked and talked.

It was Diwali Holidays and I went home. My parents had asked me if I had someone in my life and I had declined. There were a series of perspective matches lined up for my consideration and approval.

Vacations were over and I landed in Mumbai on Sunday evening. I called up Vijay.

“Hey I cant hear you….You landed in Mumbai?”

“Yes..what are you upto?”

“At a wedding”

“I thought of marrying when you were away. It would hurt you less I thought” He chuckled.

“ Who is getting married Vijay”

“What???? When?”

I didn’t know whether to be happy about it or be angry on Vijay for not telling me this news.

“ Ya………..”

We met the following day. I didn’t ask Vijay anything. He didn’t tell anything.

Days, months and years have passed since then.

It’s been 3 years now.

We still chat, speak for hours and share the happenings in each other’s lives.

Overthinking and assuming tarnishes the chromatic canvas of any budding relation so between us there is no obligation, no commitment and no relationship. We are two people who like each other’s company, care for each other and share a bond which doesn’t have any definition.

We might commit to each other in future or maybe marry one day but as of now ,we continue to be what we always were ………” A house on fire”

The Cocoon - Season 1 Episode 4

We didn’t speak a work and started walking back to the car. He extended his hand to grab my finger…..i slipped my hands into his.

I was friendlier than ever before with Meera.

We went to “Persian Darbar” for dinner, Meera’s favorite restaurant and I was totally fine with it :D

“Let’s order that then”

“Hello ……yaa…..hello….. I can’t hear you….you ok? Where are you?

I am having dinner.

Ya im with her

I browsed through the menu while he looked restless.

“No it’s too late. Come along with me. I need to just check on her. She’s partying with some friends at this club Bora Bora. We will quickly go there and then ill drop you”

Vijay sat beside her and held her close. She lay her head on his shoulder and kept saying

She fixed her stare at Vijay and repeated “you don’t realize whom you love and who loves you”

“Nothing”

“Tell me “

“Nothing Vijay”

There was a long pause

I continued. “Is there something I should know?”

“About you and Meera”

Vijay halted the car.

“I like you”

“ And I like spending time with you ……..And we are discovering each other”

I turned my gaze“Everything “ I wanted to say “ Nothing “ I said.

He kept his hands on mine to assure something I believe. I was cold.

Questions starting erupting like a volcano

“Does Meera love Vijay?”

“Does Vijay loves Meera ?”

“I am progressing too quickly in this relationship?”

“ Is this the time when Meera and Vijay should rekindle their feelings and discover each other? “

“Am I coming in their way?”

“Does Vijay love me or he just likes spending time with me?”

My daily alarm was ringing. I reached out to my phone in my bag.

Caller : Vijay

“ I am standing downstairs. Can you come down?”

I started walking down.

“Haha thanks……Go home and sleep Vijay. Sleep is what you need “I replied.

“ Oh…. So I wasn’t invited “ I joked.

“ Meera”

I froze.

“Ok let’s speak tomorrow then”

My happiness knew no bounds. I was bursting with joy.

While they were still speaking of their common friends and alien incidents, I was smiling for unknown reasons. Nothing had happened but I felt good about everything.

The following Monday seemed delightful. I took extra efforts to dress up. Monday seemed like Friday. There were no morning blues. Red was the color of the day.

I came to my desk and pinged Vijay .He replied and we chatted until the end of the day.

He asked me if I’d like a ride back home and I readily agreed.

This was how things went for the whole week.

It was Friday and it was time for weekend plans. Vijay took me out for dinner where we were supposed to discuss this. After much brainstorming and Zomato-ing we landed at the Persian Darbar.

“It better to be with a known enemy than an unknown friend” he said.

We sat down and began to order.

“So how hungry are you? Hungry hungry or normal hungry”

“Hungry hungry “ I chuckled

“SO let’s see………..There is this kebab platter which is good….I had tried this the last time with Meera.”

We chatted and ate. He spoke like a complete Business Analyst in real life too.

Talking to him seemed like I was reading a Business Requirement Document. At times while he narrated things or explained them, I could picturize tabular structures, flowcharts and pie charts.

We were about to order for the main course when his phone rang.

Chalo cool then take care”

“It was Meera. I think she’s not fine. Let’s order quickly “ Vijay said.

“ I am not that hungry. Let’s leave “, I said.

He didn’t say anything but he summarized his gratefulness and his appreciation of my gesture in a smile.

“You carry on Vijay I’ll take a cab”

I didn’t want to add to his worries so I agreed to it.

We drove to the club. It was dark and smoky inside. We spotted Meera. She was sitting with a girl.

By the looks of it , it was evident that they were drunk and high. Meera saw us and got up . She hugged Vijay and it continued for a while. She saw me and hugged me too.

She introduced the girl as her elder sister, Natasha. We sat down. Although fully drunk herself , Natasha kept on asking Meera not to drink anymore . Meera kept blabbering “It’s my life. Don’t teach me what to do”

“It’s my life. Ask her not to preach”

In sometime Natasha lost her cool. No sanity and a bad temper are a dreadful combination I discovered that day.

Natasha shouted “Oh yes it’s your life. You married that fancy NRI and see what happened. OH yes it’s your life and see what misery you’ve brought to mom and dad .Oh yes it’s your life and you don’t realize whom you love and who loves you”

Vijay interrupted and called for the bill. He then asked all of us to make a move.

We sat in the car and there was pin drop silence. He dropped Meera and Natasha at their home.

We continued. We didn’t speak to each other either.

“What happened?”

“About what?”

“Shes my best friend ..what else do you want to know?”

“What am I to you?”

“And…………”

“Look let’s not spoil it by giving it some tag so early. Let’s go with the flow…If something is meant to happen it will and why are you bringing it all and what has Meera got to do with it”

He dropped me at my home.

I lay down to sleep.

I kept thinking without reaching any conclusion. A new day had dawned.

105 missed calls.

It seemed like he had a sleepless night too. I called him back.

“Hey you were calling?”

What didn’t occur to me while thinking the entire night, dawned upon me in a minute.

I knew what I had to do.

I walked towards him. He looked sleep deprived with a confused composure. I was sleep deprived but clear and light in my mind.