Euphony of thoughts..

Princess

2011-05-16T00:52:00.002+05:30

She’s innocent and pure
World of happiness for sure
Ten little fingers and sprinkling smile all over
She’s an angel and god’s delightful shower
The best of life’s treasure
An ocean of great pleasure

You expect some memorable and enjoyable moments from life and life showers the most beautiful moments. :) A dream that you saw and life makes its successful attempt to fulfill that dream and gives you the greatest of joy, ever.. It was one of the best feelings ever when I took my baby in my hands for the first time.. Wrapped in a cloth with her eyes closed, a tiny, delicate, pink colored princess, a gorgeous beauty was in my hands. She didn’t cry and not even tried to open her eyes..

When those tiny long eyes opened to see this world, she might have wondered where I came to! Small pink colored tongue was out when I fed a small drop of honey to her. “Kedar chi Xerox copy aahe” - Most of the people declared this statement. But, her face is changing on daily basis. Now, the excitement started - How she will look when she will grow up? How her eyes will be? When she will start talking, When she will start walking? When she will start recognizing her parents?.. What her interests will be? And so on.. An unending list :)

Strings :)

2008-09-24T19:56:00.001+05:30

“Friends are like strings of a guitar. It plays the best sound when all the strings are involved.”

Turn the clock to early 2006. “Guys, wake up. Aaj jogging la jayache aahe na?” Then every day creative minds responded differently … such as “Baher paus padto aahe”, “Aaj khup thandi aahe”, “Road var traffic khup jast aahe”, etc ;-) As world knows, “Phase-II was a lot of versatile people”. However, some people always play pranks and contend to the saying. ;-)

Music, One of the beautiful things ever created... Two of us started learning guitar. As always, S wanted to impress his friends (obviously girls) ;-). I don’t know how many girls were impressed by his musical performance. ;-) In fact, he also tried to print his ‘musical’ image on class girls. I think, I better stop here otherwise … some body is gonna hurt very badly ;) hehehe! Enthusiastic about music, we put our foot in the door of music. But, we could not keep up the pace with the classes.

Practice makes every one perfect and unfortunately we lacked practice. One day, during the class, our ‘Puneri’ sir asked us to play ‘D major’. Ooops! Through the corner of my eyes, I could see the 'notes', written in my book, associated with the chord. Played well… ‘Aha’, cool and relieved. I don’t understand why we took long time to learn the musical notes. I guess we concentrated more on something else. ;-) Anyway, the next day, sir asked to play ‘G major’. That day, book did not help us survive. We both played the wrong chord. Then, the fun began. Oblivious of the correct chord, we started playing ‘newly created’ own chords in the guitar history and I could see the anger creeping up on sir’s face. I understood it was not a bed of roses. We gave up saying, “We don’t know, sir”. He replied with a harsh tone. “Tumhala sorry mhanava lagel. Sorry mhannn, sorry mhannn.” After the class, we laughed our heart out on the statement. But, we do appreciate our sir’s integrity towards music and classes.

Turn the pages of time. Think of a situation, what if I see the same sir unexpectedly while sauntering near my apartments. It would be as easy as pie for me to recognize him and recall his words. I feel, however, he would not retrieve his memory to identify me. I will ask him a question. “Hello Sir, olakhala ka?” and I am sure he will come up with “Nahi”. May be he will recognize me after reminding him his own words. :-) Our Guitar sir, a maverick, unforgettable personality... :-)

Surprise Dear :)

2008-08-20T00:00:00.001+05:30

In June, I decided to go back to India, the place where I belong… the sweetest place on the earth, home. :) Although I had been to India during Diwali, seven months seemed seven years to me. The second innings to US was full of traveling and reading. I had been to wild Vegas, heavenly lake Tahoe, scenic blue Pacific beaches and many lovely places in bay area. Once you stay at any place for almost two years, you get attached to the place, to the people. Even though it was a mixed feeling, I was happy. Happy … because I was going home … because I wanted to meet my old buddies … because I wanted to add more colors to my life … because something inconclusive and uncertain was on my way :)

Generally, I am poor at giving surprises. Can’t keep myself controlled till the apt time. ;)
I think… once in a blue moon I got success. So, thought of turning the tables of prevailing trend with a pleasant strong comeback. One night, I was sauntering after my dinner and planned to give a sweet surprise to Aai, my mother. I called her and told that I would be at home on fourth Tuesday of June. She was glad and I could imagine an avid curiosity in her eyes. But, the reality was I would be at home on third Tuesday. I involved my sister in this plan. :) Rather I had to. What would have happened if I had gone home and learned that the lock on the door was waiting for me ;)

For few days, I kept switching the dates in my conversations. When I talked to Aai, I used later dates and when I talked to my sister, I used previous dates. It was fun…thumbs up to my sister that she kept mum.

Finally, the departing day, second Saturday of June arrived with the oceans of mixed feelings. My flight was in the evening. Interestingly, it was the first ever Jet Airways flight from San Francisco to Mumbai. So, action filled first day events and inauguration were on their way at the airport. The ambiance was filled with zest and happiness. As the plane took off, the sun was already settled in the west and a red-yellow haze was inevitable over the blue pacific. I liked the service of Jet and especially one yellow uniform dressed airhostess. But, the history repeats again, unfortunately she was serving through a different aisle. ;(

After a long journey for almost a day, I landed in the financial capital of India, Mumbai. :) Fortunately and surprisingly, one of the immigration officers did not ask me to go through immigration check and I escaped without spending a penny. Had my luggage been gone through immigration check, it might have cost 50 to 100 bucks to me with my 2 bags that include loads of electronic stuff. I could feel Indian-ness everywhere. ;) I was excited and a glittering zeal was locked in my eyes that I was on the way of giving a great surprise. My friend came to pick me up, we chatted for a while and I made my way to Pune.

I enjoyed my one and half days in Pune and on Tuesday afternoon, I started my journey from Pune to Aurangabad. In the mean while, one of my friends called my home to talk to me. And luckily, my sister spoke to him. If Aai had picked up the phone, the plan would have been a failure and the prevailing trend of my missed-surprises would have continued. Eventually, I arrived at Aurangabad, took an auto and landed in front of my apartment. The bubbles of happiness were flooding in my heart. It was around 10 PM. I rang the bell and there was a pause of 5 seconds. My sister already knew that it was I who was at the door so she involved herself in some work and indirectly pushed aai to open the door. Aai opened the door…. She was stunned for a while. A benign smile was dancing on her surprised face. Similarly, my sister came and started smiling. Aai later told that she thought the watchman of the building knocked the door at 10 in the night. ;)

In this way, I broke the old trend and set a new one. Although I took help of my sister, it was one of the sweetest memories and the biggest surprise I ever gave to anyone. :)

A night to remember!

2008-06-27T10:14:00.001+05:30

Here I am This is me There’s no where else on earth I’d rather be..
I fell in love with this song when I listened it for the first time. Bryan Adams, the name is enough. If anyone loves music then Bryan is inevitable. Over the years, I have become an ardent fan of this intriguing personality.

Thanks to Makarand, who called me for the live concert of Bryan Adams, I could experience the masterpiece of music. The high water mark of the show was his solo performance. The acoustic concert was convened in San Francisco, a city with great alacrity. I would say San Francisco is cleaner and smaller version of New York.;) It’s difficult to drive through the ups and downs of the city but don’t miss these roads if you love driving. :)Fortunately, I could drive successfully all the times with my heart bumping. The most alluring site is the golden gate bridge bathing in the mist.

Bryan Adams started the concert with the same song, Here I am! One by one, he covered most of his admired collections. Straight from the heart, Summer of ’69, Cloud # 9, Somebody, etc. Like Swades movie, the next song is really close to my heart and I think I have listened this song a million times.. :)
Oh - thinking about all our younger years there was only you and me, We were young and wild and free…. It isn't too hard to see we're in heaven..

Many people sing songs and write the scripts but the most amazing thing about Bryan is how he plays guitar. Incredible! More than two years ago, I learned some basic concepts of playing guitar and I know how much practice and dedication it needs for mastery. ;) Albeit, Bryan did not sing some of my favorite songs such as Everything I do and Wherever you go whatever you do I will be right here.., it was a night to remember and cherish. It was a dream came true!

Indeed, some birds are born with golden feathers. :) From January to December.. Let's make a night to remember all life long.

स्वप्न

2008-06-07T11:50:00.001+05:30

आज पुन्हा रस्त्याच्या मध्यावर मी उभा
समजेना कुठली वाट पकडु?
पुन्हा धुसर आणि अद्न्यात ह्या वाटा
ह्यातुन कसा माझा मार्ग शोधु?

निघालो होतो काही वर्षांपुर्वी ह्या प्रवासावर
डोळ्यात जग जिंकण्याचे स्वप्न घेऊन
लढत होतो स्वबळावर
मनात निर्धार आणि रक्तात ताकद घेऊन

विचारांचा मगोवा घेत
आठवण आली जुन्या वाटांची
दाही दिशांच्या संकटांना सामोरे जात
सापडली होती वाट इन्द्रधनुश्याची

आयुश्याच्या समस्यांना उत्तरे देत
वाट मात्र सुरु होताच संपली
कुठे गेल्या ह्या यशाच्या वाटा
जणु सगळ्या कुलुपांची चावी हरवली

अपेक्षाभंग झाल्या, स्वप्नं तुटली
जुन्या वाटा सोडल्या आणि नविन वाट पकडली
मृत्युलेख लिहायला मला आवडत नाही
भ्याड होऊन युध्ह सोडणे मला जमणार नाही

जिद्द आहे जीवंत आणखी
जग जिंकण्याचे स्वप्न मेले नाही
मान्य आहे मोडुन पडलोय, परन्तु संपलो नाही
संपेन ही कदाचित, .... परन्तु लढणे सोडणार नाही.

P.S: It's just a poem :)

Umm Starbucks..

2008-06-01T14:33:00.001+05:30

“The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.”

A dialogue from You’ve got mail, one of my favorite movies. I love watching this movie and I bet you can’t find anyone as charming as Meg :-)

Cappuccino… In recent months, Starbucks has become a favorite pastime for me. It’s one of those places where I can spend hours without looking at the time. Although I am not a great coffee lover, I do enjoy trying different coffee types and flavors at Starbucks. Today, I am a big fan of Starbucks! Sometimes you don’t like the things at first sight but as time plays the game, you start liking the things. When I landed to this extreme west of the world, I didn’t like green tea. But, today I usually have 3-4 cups of green tea daily at my office.

Starbucks Vanilla Café Latte – I simply love it. Café Mocha is good but a bit stronger than Café Latte. French Roast and Italian roast are the strongest of all! Ambience plays an important role in any place to make it out of the world! Starbucks is no exception to this rule - Great soothing music, with pristine smell of great taste. I still remember my first experience at Starbucks when I saw a charming, beautiful young lady, with turquoise eyes, at the counter. Eventually, I couldn’t resist myself praising her eyes.. May be this is the reason that started loving Starbucks ;-)

All in all, it’s a wonderful place for hang out - Great music, wonderful coffee and charming ambiance!

The colors of rainbow :)

2008-01-28T04:58:00.001+05:30

It was a month of rains. :) Rains every now and then with temperature falling near to the freezing point. Although it is chilled with strong breeze moving around, it is far better than the deadly cold of east coast. I have never been to the east coast in winter but I can imagine the life by my experience in Lake Tahoe. However, Lake Tahoe is a truly masterpiece of nature. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Generally, cold weather fascinates me. But, I really struggled when I did skiing in the national park for more than 3 hrs. I had to take 2 full syrups of Vicks Nyquil for my survival!

Last weekend, the sky was clear with very few clouds sitting in the sky. It was a wonderful evening and after a long time I saw a perfect sunset. The sun disappeared and the sky went to shades of red and orange above the horizon. These scattered colors are always fascinating to watch. That’s the beauty of colors. :) I started thinking how the world would be if there were no colors. No blue, no green, no pink! It is impossible to live without colors. Colors are like friends. They are parts of life rather oxygen of life :) Colors make life interesting; they make it beautiful, more meaningful. Moreover, every phase is associated with different colors. However, some colors never disappear. They last long forever with their persistent shade. Enjoy each color and when all these major colors combine it becomes a rainbow – and that’s the life.

Somehow, these sunsets are associated with feelings. When I came to the reality, a black-blue haze was already landed on the horizon and slowly the darkness started dominating all over. Again colors! I walked away trying to figure out the colors in my rainbow! Thanks a lot for being a color in my rainbow :)

A Famous Win :)

2008-01-20T15:53:00.000+05:30

When chips are down and expectations are high, there comes a real test of strength!

Has anybody ever imagined that India will win the third test match against Australia in Perth specially after losing the first two tests and the controversies of Sydney test match? I think most of us would answer a strict NO. But, the Indian team came from the dark and enlightened with a sensational win in Perth, the winning bank of Aussie team.

I have been watching Cricket since I stared reading and writing. And I would rank this victory as the most glorious and best of all in recent times.

First, it was the first victory in Perth of any sub-continent side in the history of game. Nobody could defeat Australia in the last two years. So, a victory for tourists in the host country means a lot.
Second, Indian team was down and almost out with 0-2 in the test series. So, it was a huge pressure from all ardent Indians. Many were thinking of 0-4 around the corner. Australians were eyeing for their world record of 17 straight wins.
Third and the most important one is it was a perfect team effort. Everyone contributed in this win with whatever they could. Young guns with their bowling and experienced lot with their batting.

Really, Indian team made my day :) Resurgent team with jubilations! One of the greatest wins in the history of Cricket! Congratulate India :)

मन माझे

2008-01-13T13:56:00.000+05:30

क्षितीजावरुन कधी आपल्या ह्या अनोख्या जगाचे चीत्र रेखाटावे तर कधी सागरी किनार्यावरील ओल्या वार्याशी मैत्री करावी.. भन्नाट कल्पना आहेत, right?

कधी जीव ओतावा आपल्या लोकांवर तर कधी जीवापाड प्रेम करुन अमाप लळा लावावा एखाद्याशी ..

धुंद होऊन कधी आपल्या मित्रांसोबत गायलेलं गाणं म्हणावं तर कधी बेभान होऊन आपल्या गावी पळत सुटावं.. कधी बालपणीच्या शाळेत जाऊन 5th चा class attend करावा आणि शाळा सुटल्यावर वेड्या पावसात मनसोक्त भिजुन घरी परतावं.. College च्या कट्ट्यावर बसुन छान गप्पा माराव्यात मित्रांशी कधी class सोडुन hostel च्या TV रूम मधे Cricket match पहावी..

बरच काही वाटतं ह्या वेड्या मनाला .. सुरेख साथ देतोय जीवनाची पण ऊणीव नक्कीच आहे आईच्या प्रेमळ हातांची आणि जीवलग अश्या मित्रांची...

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-02T13:42:00.000+05:30

Hundreds of eyes were locked up on the watch of famous watchtower at San Francisco peer 1 from 11:45 PM. It was an electrifying atmosphere with people shouting and screaming. Time ticked away and camera clicks started so as celebrations, jubilations, and exultations. It was perfect 12:00 and beginning of a new year, new hope and new colors. Then all eyes turned to the lights! The most awaited fireworks started with a bang over the bay bridge. Dark sky glittered for around 15 minutes with all types of colors and fireworks. Truly, a fascinating experience!

Unlike last year, this time I couldn’t see the reflections of lights in the bay. But, I did enjoy the beauty from the branches of palm trees. From the day one, I fell in love with this beautiful city. Every time I visit, I started liking SFO more and more. After the fireworks, people came from nowhere and streets were densely crowded. It was a hard time for the cops as well. While coming back home from Embarcadero, I experienced Mumbai local traffic. Just stand in public and you will automatically go along with them.
All in all, it was wonderful yet another time.

So, it was the start of 2008. :-) I always like welcoming new things so as New Year. Like last year, this year also I have jotted down my resolutions. They do help in analyzing yourself. Ultimately, it is all up to you how you follow these resolutions. The funniest thing is one of my resolutions – “to be an early bird and not night owl” started in such a fashion that I went to bed around 4 AM and got up at 11 AM ;-) But still resolutions will continue and continue with persistence.

Wish you a very happy, satisfying and wonderful new year! Spread the wings, expand the horizons, follow your dreams and live life delightfully :-)

The pursuit of happiness continues…

2007-12-04T11:03:00.000+05:30

“I was in the clouds when I saw this movie, the pursuit of happyness. And I must say it was a precious time I spent in the plane from Newark to San Jose. Full marks to Continental Airlines! It was a masterpiece of sheer determination, passion, and challenges. Big words!! Right? In the movie, I really enjoyed the conversations between father and son. Parag’s words – “you will definitely like this movie” were absolutely correct :-) When I landed to the ground of reality, those big words sound even bigger.” Well, an incomplete story so as my incomplete post! I wrote this way back. But, to complete this post, time never smiled upon me till now.

Happiness? Everyone has one’s own meaning to this word. Playing day and night with baseball, rehearsing and practicing the different scenes in a movie, singing at least thousand songs, drawing hundreds of pictures and portraits, writing phenomenal novels every year, learning new languages and cultures, inventing great miracles of science!!! The list continues.. There is something that makes everyone happy and satisfied. But I believe, one must know exactly what that ultimate thing is! Hardly 5% people in this world realise it. Once we make it, these big words will help us creating a beautiful journey of life! A journey that I want to live without caring for results. And they say that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination :-)

In the movie, one must see last 5 minutes. Its victory, jubilation filled with emotions and wonderfully acted by Will Smith, walking and crying on the crowded streets of San Francisco. The same is the case in real life.. Happiness is ephemeral but that transient time makes all the difference. That little and ultimate part of life is called happiness :-)

One fine day before 7 years

2007-10-06T07:53:00.000+05:30

Just read one of my letters. It goes like this..

"On one fine day, there risen a storm from the roots of desert. Has a strong desire and dream of kissing the sky. He found a companion in the sand and a friend as warmth. His struggle became the strength & skin got hardened. Realizing what he has become, he smiled back. Attaining the culmination, flabbergasting the world he made him the proudest of all"

And like Carpenters song... I want yesterday once more :)
Thanks giving is coming my friend ;-)

.. and here is the mystery of time!

2007-07-28T14:14:00.000+05:30

Well, that’s the mystery of time and I am sorry for my blog..
Many things to write.. From memorable empire state city to the stunning beauty under the great falls, The pursuit of happiness, Driving at 80 miles/h :-), Santa Clara-Sunnyvale Temple, Pleasure of Pleasanton, IO .. the moon and what not!!!Yup many things to write ... presumably ...

And that's gratification!

2007-05-19T13:45:00.000+05:30

What is the probability of drawing a red and a white ball from a cart of 3 red, 1 white and 4 blue balls? What are the aftereffects of First World War? What is the figure of speech in “Life is beautiful”? What is volume of a cone, cut at 2 cm from the apex? What is the wavelength of green light? Four years back, I used to deal with these types of questions. And more importantly I used to enjoy them a lot :) Today, definitely missing these questions along with their joy.
One of my students once gave me a card on Teachers day. Today, I don’t know the card’s existence but surely I can call up the first page of that card. It had an image of globe with ruler and pencil. A traditional teachers day message was present on the inner pages. Though I taught for less time, it was a feeling of immense satisfaction.
Today, in TIME I was reading an article about a fantastic teacher, Warren Buffett. Till that moment, I didn’t know about the teaching skills of this man. Once used to be terrified of public appearances this wonderful learner is now a famous natural public speaker. Good teachers are always good learners. These teachers fascinate me a lot. Truely, a world of great interest - skills of understanding, articulation and relationship.
The best teacher I know is a mother. Like life, teaching is also an art. She better knows it. Basically, it’s the root of all professions. Once a wise man said that you catch a fish and feed a person his dinner. But, if you teach the person how to catch a fish, you feed him for lifetime.
Really well said..

Does God Love you?

2007-05-09T12:21:00.000+05:30

Last week, it was a bit hectic. Almost every day I traveled through light rail from Montague to San Jose downtown. It was one of the best experiences that have helped me to understand the lifestyle of a common man in Silicon Valley.

One day, when I was traveling, I saw a folded paper on the vacant seat opposite to me. The seat was set apart for disabled people. With my tiny eyes, I could see the title and it was “DOES GOD LOVE YOU?”. I couldn’t resist myself to go to that seat and read the article. It was a small guide of some Christian radio ministry. There were a number of questions and answers in the article related to God, his love, Heaven, Hell, Jesus Christ, Bible, etc. While reading this, it reminded me the slogan, "In GOD We Trust" and I just smiled.

Well, over the years I learned that God is present. But, he is not present in the skies. He is among us and always meets us in some or other forms. He is for good, for the betterment of all lives. Take it as a temple, a church or a mosque, these places help people to calm down and think for the best. The holy books and stories teach us about living. Ultimately worshiping God means being pure and honest, being good to the people around you, being good to the society. The God and his feeling is the greatest thing in this universe and surely one of the major things that bind us.

And about the question, "Does GOD love me?".. Yes, he does :-)

The magical kingdom of Disneyland :)

2007-04-04T09:53:00.000+05:30

विचार करत करत मन वेड्या पाखरासारखे उडत शाळेतल्या दिवसात गेले.. शाळेतील सकाळी ७:२० ची प्रार्थना आठवली.. ७:३० ला पहिला वर्ग असायचा..आठवण :) वपुर्ज़ामधे व.पु. म्हणतात की आठवणी ह्या मुंग्यांच्या वारुळाप्रमाणे असतात. बाहेरुन पाहिल्यास त्यात किती मुंग्या आहेत ह्याचा अंदाज़ येत नाही पण एक मुंगी जरी बाहेर पडली तर तीच्या मागोमाग असंख्य मुंग्या बाहेर येतात. तर शाळा.. घर शाळेपासुन almost १.५ miles अंतरावर होते. त्यामुळे पायी चालत जाणे म्हणजे at least ३० minutes लागायचे. तेवढ्या भल्या पहाटे आईने बनवलेला डब्बा.. त्याची चव कधीच कोणत्या जेवनाला येणार नाही.
शाळेला जाताना चिंचेच्या झाडाचा चिगोर खायचो. शाळेत खेळाच्या तासात निलगिरीच्या टोप्या वेचलेल्या आठवतत. भिंगरीच्या झाडावरील भिंगर्या तोडायच्या आणि मित्रांसोबत त्यावर पैज लावायची. विटीदांडु, लपंडाव, पावसाळ्यात गोगलगायी पाहण्याची स्पर्धा आणि मैदानावर असणार्या झर्यात शंख-शिंपले शोधण्याची घाई.. चित्रकलेच्या तासात चित्र काढायचे.. चित्र राजवाड्याचे, डोंगराचे, नदीचे, cartoons चे, प्राण्यांचे.. वेगवेगळ्या fantasies चे. अशेच fantasy world ४ महिन्यापुर्वी पाहिले .. The Happiest homecoming on Earth .. Disneyland :-)
Walt Disney ने त्याच्या imagination, creativity आणि स्वप्नांच्या जोरावर हे Magical Kingdom तयार केले. त्या काळातील (in १९५३) हि कल्पना भन्नाट आणि त्याचे भन्नाट विश्वही निर्माण झाले. Walt Disney चे एक वाक्य आहे - " Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.." Yes, its all about imagination.. आम्ही तीघे सकाळी ८ वाजता Disneyland ला पोचलो. आमच्या tour guide चिनी ताई आम्हाला guide करीत होत्या. The day started with bang.. Adventureland. त्यात Indiana Jones, पाण्यातील Winnie the Pooh ची राईड - Wonderful experience - राईड जबरदस्त होती. नंतर आम्ही आफ़्रिकेच्या जंगल्स मधुन गेलो.. Jungle Cruise. Haunted Mansion बाहेरुन तर बरच भयानक वाटत होतं पण मधे गेल्यावर आमचा पोपट नक्कीच झाला ;) पुढिल विश्व दाखवणारे Tomorrowland - त्या मधील Space shuttles आणि Star wars च्या राईड्स ह्या आधुनिक जगाच्या नक्कीच छाप पाडणार्या होत्या. जेवनानंतर म्हणजे burger खाल्ल्यानंतर ;) आम्ही वळालो Fantasyland आणि Mickey Toontown कडे. कल्पनाशक्ती असावी तर अशी! मिकीच्या घराच्या hall पासुन kitchen पर्यंत सगळं खर-खुरं वाटत होतं. Tea Party, Mountain rides, Pirates of Caribbean.. सगळं काही छान होतं .. अमेरीकन लोकांच्या ऊत्सहाला नक्कीच मानायला पाहिजे... But, the best was yet to come!!
Unforgettable Famous Parade of Disneyland :) The most attractive.. तो अनुभव इतका अभुतपुर्व आणि सुंदर होता की त्याच्यासाठी शब्दच नाहीयेत. आतिशय मग्न होऊन, स्वत:चे भान विसरुन आम्ही त्याचा आनंद घेतला. Parade हि main gate पासुन Sleeping Beauty Castle पर्यंत चालली. Santa त्याच्या सगळ्या साथीदारांसोबत parade मधे होता. It was unbelievable.. all cartoon characters, music, dance, enthusiasm, environment .. it was amazzing .. Parade नंतर Celebrations time.. Beauty Castle वर fireworks झाली आणि लगेचच artificial snow.. It was jubilation of great creativity and imagination!! The great fantasy world - Disneyland :)

Life in Silicon Valley

2007-03-26T06:11:00.000+05:30

"If we hadn't put a man on the moon, there wouldn't be a Silicon Valley today.”

- John Sculley

Its one more quiet but stunningly beautiful Sunday in "High-Tech Heaven". In my fanatic engineering days, I always used to think about this place called Silicon Valley. The land of technologists and venture capitalists, situated in about a 30-mile radius around San Jose in California. Blessed with wonderful weather, the "Valley" is nestled between Diablo And Santa Cruz Mountain ranges. Pacific ocean also adorns the beauty of the valley. There are excellent places nearby like San Francisco, Napa Valley, Santa Cruz beach, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Reno and many more.
It is first home for most of the big names in engineering and IT like Apple, IBM, Google, Yahoo, Intel, Oracle, Cisco and lot more. Their concentration and sheer size create melting pot of opportunities in this area. There are more jobs than workers in the valley. Consequently, resulted in insane cost of living with apartment owners increasing their goody bags. To be very frank, here you have to pay for your breathing as well. The houses are relatively packed but a lot of ostentatious showing of wealth. Most houses don't have basements and there's no such thing as an all-brick home, both because of the threat of earthquakes. Unfortunately, a black spot on the glowing beauty.
Commuting is relatively good with local trains and buses but its better to have car to save the time. I found good air but you better watch out for water. San Jose is titled as the safest big city in US for the past several years. But, its always safe when you are safe. ;) I saw a small India resides in the valley with 20-25% of Indian population. There are many DESI turned American families in this area. Some of them are maintaining the culture and ethnicity. DESI restaurants and grocery shops are booming with most of the south Indians and gujjus making their business. Importantly, you can find any Indian grocery item whatever you want from Parle-G to Chavanprash.
This is about living in High-Tech heaven. :)

Great Indian Agriculture Story!

2007-02-28T14:48:00.000+05:30

Well yet another time, read an article on "Framer's Suicide" in India especially in Maharashta. Itz a real shame for a country where IT is going from 0 to Ferrari. It’s a grim statistic that says that one suicide in every eight hours. Alas, more than 2000 farmers committed suicide from January 2001. Intensity has increased to 300 from the last 6 weeks. Ultimately, agriculture is somewhat dragging the booming economy down.

Its very complex issue. The old favorite drought is surely a problem but its one amongst the others. The major problems are personal bankruptcy, high inflation rate, cost of cultivation, old technologies in agriculture, disastrous policies, politics, and the list continues.

Basically, Farmer is an entrepreneur and farming is his business. It’s again a management principle of cash flow. Well, Just had an overview of our Budget 2007-2008. From my opinion yet again a cautious budget. Some what focusing on agriculture, inflation, growth and of course politics ;-) with a laughing point of pet food. I really laughed my heart out!

Again the infrastructure is our main bottleneck. Now, the budget has increased farmers credit but is it enough? The power and electricity may play big role here as well as in IT. We know our sorry condition about power. Whats the formula for that? Leave it; budget can be a HUGE discussion.

Well, they say number of proposals to perk up agriculture is in progress. Lets see. Basically, Indian farmer is mostly illiterate. So it’s difficult to run a business. Agriculture is all about business that should be an organized process with fundamentals of entrepreneurship. In US, it works in a business way. World is changing, so the needs. Infrastructure has to be setup. Modern scientific methods have to be used. There should a perfect plan for farming business with ample equity capital. Big guns have to come up with farming organization giving employment to these farmers. Our brains have to be utilized to foster the great fruits from Indian Agriculture.

ओढ..

2007-02-20T12:53:00.000+05:30

दुरवर पसरलेले हिरवेगार डोंगर
त्यावर चरणार्या जर्सीज़..
उधान वारा.. पाण्याला अलगद स्पर्श करणारा
साक्ष त्या वरंवार उठणार्या तरंगांची

पुन्हा दिसले आकाशात उडणारे तेच दोन पक्षी
निळ्या आभाळात राहणारे,
कधी काळ्या-पांढर्या ढगाआड लपणारे..
सदैव एकमेकांचे सारथी..

दोघांमधे मौन परंतु
भाषा आहे अमोघ वक्त्रुत्वाची..
क्षणात बागडणारे हे पक्षी
ना सीमा आहे कोणत्या प्रांताची ना कोणत्या देशाची.

पुन्हा दिसले .. परन्तु आज निघालेत लगबगीने
पाहुन काळ्या घनांना..
डोळ्यात त्यांच्या अनाम ओढ
चींता असावी त्यांच्या पिल्लांची..

हिरव्यागर डोंगरावरील तेच पक्षी :)

Nature rules!

2007-02-05T02:16:00.000+05:30

Baseball, अमेरीकेचा राष्ट्रीय खेळ. त्यामुळे येथे Baseball च्या मैदानांची संख्या अनगिनतच. समजुन घेतलं तर कोणतीच गोष्ट अवघड नसते आणि शेवटी हा तर एक खेळ आहे. Baseball च्या ground वर Baseball नाही पण Cricket खेळण्याची मजाच वेगळी आहे. तसे पाहिले तर Cricket कुठेही खेळल्या जाऊ शकतो, भर रस्त्यावर असो वा Basement parking मधे. सप्टेंबर च्या सुरुवातीला संध्याकळी 8 वाजता दिवसभराच्या Cricket चा शेवटचा ball खेळला होता. त्याच मैदानावर डिसेंबरच्या शेवटी संध्याकळी 5 वाजता उघड्या डोळ्यांनी ball पाहनेसुद्धा अवघड होते. Actually, फ़रक आहे दिवसाच्या लांबीचा. जगाच्या ह्या भागात generally दिवसाची लांबी maximum 14.5 तास असु शकते आणि minimum 9.5 तास. Equator च्या दुर असल्याने असा हा फ़रक साहजिकच आहे. I can imagine life on poles... मला आज बर्याच दिवसांनी 9-10 चे भुगोल आठवत आहे. ;)

हुशार लोकांनी DST (Daylight Saving Time) concept सुरु केला. Thanks to Benjamin Franklin ह्याची सुरुवात झाली. Energy वाचवण्यासाठी, traffic injuries आणि crime कमी करण्यासाठी दिवसाची सुरुवात पुढे-मागे करायला लागले. They say that "Run for Daylight." (In US, in Spring, clock moves forward by 1 hour and in fall, it moves back by 1 hour. Previously, it used to start on the first Sunday of April and used to end on last sunday of October. But, from 2007 Bush presidency signed a new law in which DST will start on second Sunday in March and will end on First Sunday in November. Here is the link)

बर्याच देशांनी DST concept implement केलाय. त्याला महत्वाचा अपवाद आहे जपानचा. आपल्या भारताचा अभ्यास केला तर उत्तर भारतात maximum length of the day 14 तास आहे आणि minimum 10 तास. Southern ईंडियात हा concept निरर्थक आहे पण Northen ईंडियात may be फ़ायदेशिर ठरु शकेल.. जेवढा आपला विजेचा वापर आहे ते पाहता DST concept Northen ईंडियात implement करायला काही हरकत नाहीये. पण, आपली लोक हा complicated concept implement करायला तयार आहेत का?

There are complications but it's fun to adjust our clocks accroding to the nature. Afterall Nature rules :)

Cooking - its difficult to improve perfection ;-)

2007-01-07T08:48:00.000+05:30

वरनफळ, हे एक असं नाव आहे जे ऐकुन आपल्या तोंडाला पाणी सुटलेच पाहिजे नाहीतर आपल्या जीभेला रसीकतेची चव आलेली नसावी. भरपुर दिवस झाले होते वरनफळांचा आस्वाद घेतला नव्हता. मग ठरवले की आज ह्याचा सुध्द्दा प्रयोग करावा. Lets try :-) तशी cooking मध्ये theory तर सगळ्याच गोष्टींची माहीत आहे. इडली पासुन ते पुरनपोळी पर्यंत... ;-) परंतु 12 च्या अभ्यासासारखे cooking मध्ये नाहीये. ईकडे theory पेक्षा practicals नाच महत्व आहे. तुम्हाला सगळे मार्क्स हे practicals वरच मिळतात. Moreover, practicals are difficult than theories. तर मग practical ची अशी सुरुवात झाली.
सुरुवातीलाच एक million dollor प्रश्न असा पडला की आता कच्ची पोळी कुठून बनवायची? कारण गव्हाचे पीठ आणुन पोळी बनवने म्हणजे requirement analysis मध्येच project ची deadline संपणे. मग half-cooked Indian chapatthis वापरायचे ठरवले. चींच भीजत घातली आणि डाळ शिजवली. जसा पैशाने पैसा बनतो तसेच अनुभवाचे असते. अनुभवावरुन अनुभव येतात. [(1 Number Statement ;-)] चींचेचे वरन बनवन्याचा तर दांडगा अनुभव होता, मग तेच केले, अतिशय खमंग आणि तिखट-आंबट वरन ready झाले... आता त्याच half-cooked पोळींचे तुकडे करुन वरनात टाकायला सुरुवात केली. मग cook व्हायला थोडा वेळ लागतो म्हणुन gas full करुन बाकी कामात गुंतुन गेलो, पन दुसर्या कामात ईतका मग्न झालो की भान हरपुन गेले. मग 30 मिनिटांनी पाहतो तर काय half-cooked कच्ची पोळी शिजुन त्याची almost gravy झाली होती आणि वरनफळ म्हणजे आंबट वरनात कुस्करलेली पोळी. मग कय !!! Taste करुन पाहण्याची वेळ आली ... delay किती करणार आता!!. आई शप्पथ अप्रतिम चव आली होती.. एकदम मस्त झाले होते :) आणि असा प्रयोग frequently करु लागलो ;-)

कदाचित आपले पण असेच आहे..

2006-12-16T13:56:00.000+05:30

काल पहिल्यांदाच अतिशय जोराच पाउस मी येथे पाहिला. वारा जोरात सुटला होता, जनु त्याला एखाद्या प्रश्नाचे उत्तर उमगत नसावे म्हणुन त्या उत्तराच्या शोधात बेभान होवुन तो धावु लगला होता. परंतु वार्याच्या आणी पावसाच्या ह्या गणितात झुंज चालली होती ती झाडाच्या एका थकलेल्या लाल-पिवळ्या पानाची. कधीतरी जन्मलेले हे पान कदाचित ह्याच रंगाने अवतरले असेल .. कालन्तराने हिरवे होवुन त्याने बरेच काही पाहिले असेल मात्र आपल्यासरखे पावसाळे पहाणे ह्या पानाच्या आयुश्यातच नसावे. त्याच्या वरील रेषा मला कधी कधी आपल्या हातांवरील रेषांसारख्या वाटतात. परन्तु बरेच अंतर आहे त्याच्या आणि आपल्या हातांवरील रेषांमधे आणि तेवढेच साम्य सुद्धा आहे. एके काळी झाडांवरील ईतर सर्व पानांसोबत राहणारे हे पान आज एकटेच झुंज देत आहे. बहुदा आपले पण असेच आहे...

आज मज..

2006-11-07T13:29:00.000+05:30

आज मज वाटते की पाणी व्हावे..
तुझ्या काळ्या डोळ्यांची खोली अनुभवावे..
चुकून ही त्यातुन कधी ना बाहेर पडावे..
सदैव तुला आनंदी ठेवावे..

तुच सांग असे का?

2006-11-06T09:03:00.000+05:30

का ओढ लागते सागराला किनार्याची?
का किनारा वाट पाहतो सागरी लाटांची?

चंद्राला का साथ लागते काळ्या डागाची?
काळा डाग का चंद्रावर कधी रुसत नाही?

थकलेले आभाळ का टेकते जमीनीला?
का जमीनीला काळजी वाटते आभाळाची?

का रंग असतो गुलाबी ह्या थंडीचा?
का सुगंध येतो ह्या ओल्या मातीचा?

का चातक आतुर असतो पावसासाठी?
का मयुर आनंदीत होतो मेघांसाठी?
का पतंगा फिरतो दिव्याभोवती?
का? असे का?

Twelve Angry Men !!

2006-10-29T16:25:00.000+05:30

"How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and, keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to know what really matters most.” well known said by Stephen Covey. I just trying to recall my fundamental beliefs and core values. How they take shape in the long run? Well, if you ask to any person what is his/her core values then I think most of them would come up with almost same answers. Do we really mean it? Do we really understand what it means? Don't give me answers like defination of all these terms may differ from person to person. I do agree about these facts. But, keep it aside for some time. Ultimatley, Just a gentle question am I in touch with my principles of life and how important are these in my life? Am I more concerned about the means than ends or viceversa?

Ways and means change many things. It really needs a great strength of character to keep your core values intact even if number of people are against you. Such type of thought trains were running in my mind when I saw an American black and white masterpiece of Henry Fonda called '12 Angry men'. Great performers, script, theme.. A movie about a murder case and a jury formed to resolve the mistery. 12 interesting characters in jury played different practical roles in a heated debate. A strong character actively stimulates and influences everyone. We love all of them. I won't tell the story ahead. But, a must see movie for everyone! I strongly recommend to see this classic of all times from one of the best actors Henry Fonda. You will find many pointers from this movie along with the above paragraph questions..

We do have a Hindi version of this movie but get the original one and enjoy :-)

Live life King size ..

2006-10-23T12:46:00.000+05:30

I always wonder about a place
A place of bliss, delight and peace
The promised land of angels
They call it as paradise

Where I can laugh and cry
But always there is an eternal joy
Where I can sing and dance
I get time to listen morning birds
Get time to see full moon
Where I can spread my wings
Coming true are my dreams

Around me are my dear ones
Where love always resides
Its all about pleasure and glory
Glory even in the bad times

Its place of satisfaction.. its my world
Where I want to live my life
Live my life, create my destiny
Create my own heaven..
Thats the way life is..
We only live once and thats enough
If we live life king size :-)

Tuze dole :-)

2006-10-01T05:10:00.000+05:30

With all the showers of pleasure,
like cold smiling full moon.
n Sometimes with the sparkling glister,
like an eternal boon.

Came into existence the term loquacious,
seems world is communicationless without them.
They are so deep and mysterious,
seems an ocean is snippet in front of them.

Universe of purity n truthfulness,
Just like the purest heart of yours.
World of innocence n naturalness,
Like an euphony of sleeping baby's.

Pride of deity but life of mine,
Spirit of yours but strength of mine.
That all I can say about them,
About them, about your eyes, my life, about your eyes.

प्रेमाची तारांबळ !!

2006-05-13T18:12:00.000+05:30

चंदेरी काळोखी चादर सरत होती,
सावल्यांचा खेळ हा सुरु होणारच होता.
किलबीलणारी पाखरे जागी झाली होती,
प्रकाशाची चाहुल सर्वांनाच लागली होती.

घटका पुढे चालली होती, आतुरता वाढली होती,
परंतु प्रकाशाचे आगमन काही झालेलेच नव्हते.
ईतक्यात असे कळले कि काळोखाचे प्रकाशाशी प्रेम झाले,
आणि प्रकाशाचा जीव हि काळोखावर जडला.

श्यामरंगातूनी वाटा उजळल्याच नाही,
पाखरांनाही कळेना किलबील करावी की नाही,
सुर्यफुलाला काही समजेना, सावल्या रुसुन बसल्या.
आकाशातील ढगांनी विचार करायला सुरुवात केली.

सैरावैरा धावणारा वारा सुर्याच्या शोधात निघाला.
ना दिवस होता ना रात्र होती, काय करावे काही सुचेना,
प्रेम झाले दोघांचे खरे,
परंतु अशा प्रकारे सर्वांची तारांबळ उडाली. :-)

प्रेमाचा विश्वास !!

2006-02-18T21:00:00.000+05:30

एकदा प्रेमाने विचारले विश्वासास,
आपल्यातील नाते काय?
विश्वास उत्तरले.. मीच तुझे प्रेम
आणि तुच माझा विश्वास !!

..केदार !!

आई ..

2006-02-16T23:57:00.001+05:30

आज, मज सांग तु देवा,
का दिलीस तीला इतकी प्रचंड माया.

हातात बोट घेऊनी बालपणी,
पडता पडता चालणे शिकवीले तीने मला.

तीनेच दिली डॊळ्यात जगण्याची दृष्टी,
हे जीवनगाणे गाण्याची सुवर्ण संधी.

कधी तळहाताच्या फोडासारखे जपले तीने मला,
तर कधी अवघड मार्गावरुन जाण्याची दिली शक्ती.

आयुष्याच्या ह्या वाटेवर तीनेच घडवीले आहे मला,
लावला आहे अमाप लळा माझ्याशी.

कशी सांगु गाथा त्या माऊलीची? कशे फेडू पांग तीचे?
आज, मज सांग तु देवा....

- केदार.

सुक्ष्म तो दवबिंदु !!!

2006-02-13T23:39:00.000+05:30

असला जरी सुक्ष्म तो दवबिंदु,
अवनीला सप्तरंग देऊन जातो.
मान्य आहे की आहे तो क्षणभंगुर,
मात्र त्या क्षणातच आपले महत्व पटवुन जातो.

- केदार.

शिंपल्यातील मोती....

2006-02-13T23:35:00.000+05:30

शिंपल्यातील मोती खुप सुखी असतो,
तळपत्या सुर्यापासुन सदैव दूर असतो,
बेभान वा~याचा त्यास गंध ही नसतो,
सागराच्या तळाशी जरी असला तरी सुखाच्या शिखरावर असतो.
शिंपल्यातील मोती....

- केदार शेवाळकर.

क्षितिजापलिकडे..

2006-02-13T23:29:00.000+05:30

क्षितिजापलिकडे पाहण्याची दृष्टी असेन,
तर क्षितिज नक्की गाठता येतं.

आपल्या रक्तातच धमक असेन,
तर जग ही जिंकता येतं.

आपले क्षितिज हे आपणच ठरवायचं असतं,
त्याच्या पलिकडे पाहण्याचं धाडस एकदा तरी करायचं असतं.

असते आपल्या रक्तात जीद्द व ताकद,
त्या ताकदीला एकदा तरी अनुभवायचं असतं.

- केदार शेवाळकर.

हि आहे सुरुवात!!

2006-02-13T23:22:00.001+05:30

विचारांचा जेव्हा पुर येतो, तेव्हा ते शब्दरुपात ओसंडुन वाह्तात आणि लेखनीच्या माध्यमातुन कागदावर उतरतात. लिहिण्याची इच्छा आधीपासुनच होती. मग अधूनमधून डायरी लिहायला सुरुवात केली. रसिक मंडळी विचारतील मग ब्लॉग कशाला? काही गोष्टीच डायरीपुरत्या मर्यादित असतात. उरलेल्या शब्दांच्या आठवणी व जिव्हाळा म्हणजे हा ब्लॉग.

- केदार शेवाळकर.