Fate and Destiny!

Time and again we complain about our luck and so many of us crib and cry about accepting what life throws at us.

We complain and crib and complain some more .

Smallest of things are enough to spoil our mood and take us in a loop of depression.

Today I would like to share one such story of ill-fate and how it was accepted with so much positivity. The story is a familiar one but the thought process it portrays is what I would like to draw attention towards.

Remember the Story of Lord Ram’s Vanvaas.

King Dashrath had consulted his ministers and decided to announce Ram as the new King the following day, he wished to retire and acceed the throne to Ram his eldest son and the most eligible one at that.

Having learnt this Ram was content however it was fate that had other plans.

As we all know King Dashrath bound by his oath to Queen kaikayi sent Ram away for 14 years.

Imagine Ram’s plight and mindset in that situation.

What does one do in such a circumstance , the public wanted him as their King , the ministers had approved, Dashrath had approved but alas destiny had other plans.

When we look at Ramayana today after learning the complete story it seems like a logical step to go away since we know its pivotal and crucial for the death of Raavan however in that moment and in that instance Ram did not know this, Sita did not know , the entire public of Ayodhya did not know. No one knew it.

Think about this, in a few hours he was to be crowned as the king and now was asked to leave for the forest with a ascetic’s life for 14 long years.

When Laxman came to know about this he suggested a solution he said let us take our father King Dashrath captive. As a prisoner you wont have ro follow his orders anymore and after the coronation we can release him. 

Thus his Oath to Mata Kaikayi can be bypassed on account of him being powerless.

But this is Ram we are talking about he had to set an example for the generations to come, not for nothing he is called Maryada Purushottam.

He said to Laxman “I have not done anything that might remotely hurt Maa Kaikayi ever and yet she has wished for something that has brought me to this juncture in my life. There seems to be greater forces at play. 

Fate has something in store for me which I will not be able to comprehend if I do not follow this path, its only logical that I follow this path which is to determine my destiny and so I will accept the Vanvaas”

In this one decision Ram taught us about fate and its power, we all know what happens next and how Ramayana played out further. 

How many of us accept our undesired outcomes with such openness and such gratitude.

Let us understand he did not do things because he was God , he became God because of his actions.

Jai Shree Ram 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

P.S.: its Ram and not Rama , translation from Sanskrit to English has fated this mistake 😝

Bhageerath Prayas

Once upon a time , long long ago there lived a great king (😝 pun Intended).

His name was King “Sagar” or famously known as “सगर राजा”.

After conquering the great lands of bharat he decided to perform the famous Ashwamedha Yagna , and as per practice of the yagna he left a Horse to roam about in the lands , as fate would have it overcome by jealousy this horse was kidnapped by Lord Indra himself and hid in Kapil hrishi’s ashram.

Angered by this Sagar Raja sent his sons all 60,000 of them to search for the horse and in their search of it they reached Kapil Hrishi’s Ashram. 

Disturbed and troubled by the sons of Sagar Raja the sage in a fit of rage burned them all just by looking at them.

After learning about this the King was heartbroken.

Being in a drought affected area a sad Sagar Raja prayed to Lord Brahma for water so as to perform the Jaldana for his 60,000 sons and So Ganga took birth , but Ganga was very headstrong and in her prime wanted to destroy anything that came in her path, In a fit a rage lord Shiva held her up and tied her down in his locks.

Now Sagar Raja again with a heavy heart prayed again to Lord Shiva but he soon died,

His only other son who was left Asmanjeya continued his fathers Penance but he too withered away,

Then his Son Anshuman followed suit and even he too passed away,

The next heir to the throne King Dilip continued the task but alas he too couldn’t please Lord Shiva and soon left for the heavenly abode with time,

Then came Bhageerath the 5th Generation after Sagar Raja and as one knows Ganga is also named Bhageerathi , its after this King Bhageerath she is named so because Bhageerath by his prayers was able to please lord Shiva and shiva let a single stream of Ganga from his locks and thus King Sagars dream of Jaldana for his 60,000 sons was realised by his great great great grandson Bhageerath. 

A herculean effort one would say or as Ami Ganatra Says a “Bhageerath Prayas”

It took 5 generations for an effort started by Sagar Raja to fructify eventually. 

Imagine the patience put in. The amount of discipline, dedication and determination required to be passed on from generation to generation.

We witnessed something similar in our generation but much like many things that happen around us we failed to relate to it and unless one draws parallels it’s really difficult to comprehend the magnanimity of the event.

Ram Mandir was opened on 22nd Jan 2024 it was after almost 496 years that Ram Mandir was rebuilt.

If one takes into account a lifespan of 100 years which in times of Sagar Raja was very common , it would be fair to say that it took almost 5 generations to rebuild the temple. It took a herculean effort no doubt or to simply say a “Bhageerath Prayas”

Great things happened in the land of Ram and now that Ram Mandir is Back let us witness the greatness and Magnanimity of our Land once again.

P.S.: JAI SHREE RAM 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Once More..One last time..

Dear Sachin, How are you doing ? (Awkwardness) Let me first introduce myself. I am a reserved, reluctant sort of character - generally directionless, good at drifting from one thing to another - school, jobs, love, marriage, ah and this cruel middle age. I do a few things in life decently well, but come on! - I am not really fantastic at anything in particular like yourself. ( God, that straight drive. Sigh) I am more than a hundred million strong. We may dress differently, diss at the young Kohlis and Rainas with varying intensities and dialects, but at the core we are one person. For simplicities sake, let me call myself The Tendulkar Generation.  So once again- how are you Sachin? I hope this letter finds you in the best of health.  If you are wondering, we have run into each other many times - in hotel lobbies, from behind tasteless nets and rusted barbed wires, at innocuous inaugurations, and mostly through those Taiwan made TVs. I have seen you, copied you, cried when you were Shoulder Before Wicket and boy have I celebrated when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar cuts loose. God, how time flies. There you were. Young boy, around my age, curly hair, twinkle in eye, and dragging a bat clearly too heavy in your hands. There you were, with that quick glance at the heavens, that stare down the pitch, and that disturbing little one quarter squat.  And boy did I scream and laugh out loud. Somebody get him a better fitting box! And then I corrected myself. Heck, on second thoughts let him be. Everything he does is beautiful, and he hasnt even hit the ball yet. It is difficult to say how and when exactly this connect started. Was it when you took that last West Indian wicket to leave a match tied at 126? Was it when you made grown men squeal while a cricket ball took flight like the sand that surrounded it? Or was it on that day when you flew back from a father's funeral to that quick look at the heavens, that stare down the pitch, and that squat.  Who cares ? We connected like kids do with elder brothers, like elder brothers do with fathers, and like fathers do with their friends from another time. In whatever role you played - teenage freak, opener for India, reluctant captain, honest young man, wise solid anchor - you remained everything that was right with our world. Sachin, you made us happy, like no one else ever did. Top Edge, Fielder getting underneath it. Tendulkar out. Match Over. Return to exams, to nagging parents, to grainy Doordarshan and to monotonous lives. Top Edge, Fielder getting underneath it. Tendulkar out. Match Over. Return to spreadsheet, to nagging wives, and to monotonous lives. That was you twenty years ago. That was me twenty years ago. That was you yesterday. That was me yesterday. I may have lost a few hair , and gained a few kilos, but with you around that stubborn part inside of me still believed I was a kid, and felt capable of pulling off amazing things in life. After all, the calendar may have ticked over and the shades may have changed, but you were still tonking it in Blue. We were always surrounded by bullies, we were always fighting our way through. If Tendulkar can, I can.  Dear Childhood. Rest in Peace. It was good while it lasted. Sachin, you must come across a gazzillion such notes from your fans to meet you, pose with you, shake your hand and well... be a part of the Sachin Tendulkar experience on Facebook and what not.  But as your earliest admirer, I - the Tendulkar Generation, never really gave much thought to all of this. But today, I want my pound of flesh. I make my first and last request to you. And I am going to be firm about it. You better listen dude. This is not how romance ends. There has to be one last look over the shoulders. Sachin Tendulkar, you have to play it one more time. Do it against Pakistan, or do it against Nigeria - it does not matter. It never did. Very honestly, like I have said before, cricket for us was Sachin Tendulkar versus 8 international teams. You have to play one last time, and you have to do it in Blue.  After that, they may well retire the Jersey or they may retire the damn color blue , dont care. Play it one more time, is that too much to ask? And yes, thanks for all the memories. - The Tendulkar Generation .. P.S.: Courtesy Arpit Srivastava..BIIB Batch 2009-11..superb writing sir

The King....in mee

Above all...!!

Have you ever felt like a king....?
Like a real powerful person....Holding so much power that you could just burn out everything in your path...
Do whatever you want....but then you don't do it....you just hold yourself back...
You contain the power within you....you don't want to be soo brutal.....
You know you have it to do it....but you let the Royalty just show for itself...
It's like a test of your patience and your attitude...and your kindness for smaller creatures...



Have you ever experienced that...have you even felt what it feels like too have to power and not use it.....I guess few might have....But I definitely have

Every time i ride my machine....my ZMR...i feel it...
It feels i have soo much power vested in me....but i try to be calm and patient....I hold back....
I relax my nerves and just breathe easy...
I feel everyone watching me....i see them gawking at me when i pass by....they seem to want a show...a display of my power
Makes me feel proud...makes me feel like a Powerful man...
Makes me feel like a KING...!!

Soo i just bask in the Glory...and keep them waiting....and wanting...:P
..
P.S.: I don't need a Queen....i search for a DYNASTY...

coffee,conversations and more....

For those who could not get what am talking about....itz the tagline for...
                            "MOCHA"--The Place for Conversations...
A very delightful end to a very lazy day....and boy was it not fun....
At about 4pm in the afternoon Me, Rishabh and Anshita decided to go for a round around the city...
None of us knew what to do & where to go....so we landed up at FC road....
The sun was burning at our head....to add to that we did not find transport for a long time....we were all sucked up....it seemed we were done....
But then we i saw this joint....Mocha....i knew it right there we were good to goo...
Once we were in....we settled in fast....we were soo tired already....

This was our table....and yes that was a swing...

I opened the Menu...
The 1st page of the menu said...

"Relax...settle down....let us give you an experience which is out of the world...

We know you are busy....but a cup of coffee....is what you need...

So forget everything and get yourself a treat....

Because when you are at Mocha Life can wait...!!!"
And trust me soo it did...

We were in search for Nirvana....so we ordered one...
and a Choclate Avalanche...

The Nirvana was matchless....the ambience was amazing...and service was simply superb..
it was all normal till now.....except ofcourse that we were in a state of nirvana...
but then we decided....let us do something....and soo we did...
soo we ended up playing Spin-The-Bottle....
and 3 hours simply went flying....and we were left wanting for more...
Many secrets were revealed....many misconceptions cleared....many realities came to life....and some hearts were broken too....:P
Soo as they say...."conversations and more".....the "more" was simply more active....


All said and done....The choclate avalanche is simply superb....choclate lovers its a heaven...
especially when you are in a state of nirvana...
Accomplishment was that....we three got close....
and for all those who thought i was the "Kabab main haddi"
To me it seemed the kabab was missing.....or rather i would say there is no kabab...
it was fun guys....had lotta fun...
Thank you Rishabh and Anshita.....for being true all the while
and on that note I sign off....
...
P.S.: Tommorrow itz destination "Alibaug"...