Meandering Mind

…. And I should start ticking each of these very soon.

1. Own a nice, exotic villa
2. Watch the opening ceremony of Olympics
3. Sponsor the entire education of one child and mentor him
4. Skydive from the highest point
5. Visit Manasarovar (I really have a fascination for this place)
6. Have a business of my own
7. Be a part of a play viewed by eminent theatre personalities
8. Do a post grad in Literature
9. Visit all the 7 wonders of the world
10. Retire in a small hill station

Perhaps this statement would offend Paulo Coelho. Even if it dosen’t, its gonna offend Sanu who is ready to kill me.

But I truly found it boring. This book was gifted to me by Saurabh who said that this was one of the best books he’s ever read. Sanu underlined this statement strongly, saying that reading this book changed her outlook to life!

I sat to read this book with a great deal of enthusiasm. But as the story unfolded, I just lost my interest. All that was happening was a clueless shepard travelling the entire world in search of some treasure that didn’t really exist!!!

I mean….. !!!!??!@^!. And I thought I was clueless!!!!

Sanu really had to coax me to read this. Whatever bit I read was more like a punishment, like some school student obediently doing her homework. 50 pages is all I could take – had to give up after that.

But what really surprises me is Sanu – my little sister, 5 years younger – who reads all his books with so much of delight. Infact I’ve never seen anyone adoring an author so much like the way she does. Maybe she has reached a maturity level that I haven’t. All of Paulo Coelho’s books are spiritual giving readers deeper and meaningful insights of life. Only someone with a more stringent and matured mindset can appreciate it. 

Guess that’s why people like me are happier with a Chetan Bhagat!

All through life, different people have impacted me in their own very special ways. Have had loads to learn from each of them. One such a special person is Mr. Panju Billawa – or just Panju Sir (PS) as I call him.

PS is a manager at our EY Bangalore office. I regard him as one of the most successful people I’ve met. Successful not only because he’s doing well at work, but because he truly has achieved the highest form of respect and admiration from everyone around him.

Sitting right next to PS at work, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with him extensively both at a professional and personal level. Just wanted to share with you a few things I admire about him and have seen him practice each day at work. These are little tit bits that we all learn and know, but they just seem to get lost in the nuances of daily life:

• Greet everyone with a smile. Start your day by just saying a “Good Morning” to people around you. Knowingly, unknowingly it can just brighten up someone’s day
• Share your thoughts with others. Small or big, everyone loves to hear others experiences. And what’s the harm if you are the one opening up first?
• Never be rude to anyone. Politeness (and firmness if required) can be an effective answer
• Learn to enjoy and relish the little joys offered by like every minute. Whether its just good lunch or a good conversation, if it made you smile, its all worth it
• Humility is the key. Once it disappears from your life, everything else will also seem void
• Relationships matter. Don’t ever get so caught up in your professional world that you forget your personal life
• Treat everyone with respect. Whether older or younger than you. The old philosophy implies here –“Give respect, get respect”
• Wish well to everyone and genuinely mean it. A persons true heart is invariably shown on his face
• Don’t ever let success get into your head. Always keep a cool head – whether in sorrow or in happiness
• Work, and work with all your sincerity and dedication. Work for the organization like its yours, don’t do it just because its your job

Sometime back Sanu (my little sis) was admitted into a hospital for a uterus surgery. This hospital was essentially a maternity hospital.

I spent a couple of days there taking care of her. Hospitals to me are the worst places to be in. Just the smell of it makes me sick. Added to that are people’s woes which makes it very difficult for me even to enter one. And staying here with my sis was quite a task for me.

But this place was different. Being predominantly a maternity hospital, the air of this hospital itself brought in a lot of freshness. Every couple of hours there was a new life taking birth in this place. For the first time in my life I saw loads of babies, some being just a few hours old while the others a few days old. And the joy that these little ones can bring to you is incomprehensible. With the parents, relatives, doctors, visitors and the staff rejoicing with every new born, this sight has left a lasting impression on my mind.

All new borns looked just the same to me. In Shakespearean language, they were as pure as driven snow. In their own little way they were all getting used to a different milieu after a strong safety of the mothers womb. You had babies of different religions, castes and creeds altogether. With a Parsi enjoying the birth of a Hindu, a Muslim congratulating a Christian, the whole place seemed like one big family. No bars on the financial conditions, no upper casts or lower casts, no money could buy the joy of celebrating life.

Wish when these kids grow up, the world still remains the same for them.