Life is a BEACH !

Well yea, literally(often) as well as phonetically(occasionally). Or at least that’s what it seems to me after spending the last week of last year by the seashores of Bombay and Goa. While Bombay’s beaches had an introspective effect on me (I guess every beach does that if u visit them alone), Goa’s beaches were simply rocking at this time of the year(with techno and trance playing all around, it was difficult to keep your feet still). Ok wait, let me start from the start. (!)

I had not intended this blog to be any kind of a biographical account, but I guess since I’ve had such a rocking time this last week, it would be a waste if I do not keep an account of it.
First a quick wrap-up of my time at Bombay(for the record) - I reached Bombay on Christmas day and put up at my college buddy Pushkar’s flat. Despite it being a lazy Sunday, we were out in almost in no time and I was shown around the Colaba area and we went pubbing at Café Mondegar. Later at dinner we met up with our common friend Tapasya and her sister Stuti, who were both absolutely thrilled with the idea of us going to Goa and insisted that they would like to tag along as well. The next day Stuti’s friend Shweta called up to confirm her seat in the gang as well. Apparently Goa was so popular with these Bombay’ites that they’d been celebrating New Year’s there for the last 4 years in a row. (After being there myself I can now understand why). So ultimately 5 tickets were booked for the Bombay-Goa Volvo for 28th night. The remaining 3 days in Bombay were spent visiting my buddies in Santa Cruz and Andheri, also some shopping as I bought myself a blazer styled leather jacket and some tees for Goa.
So finally the entire gang started from Bombay on 28th night and reached Goa early Thursday morning, then quickly checked in to Pushkar’s friend’s flat in Porvorim. The females were swift to pack themselves into 1 of the better rooms(obviously!) while we had to make do with a couch and mattress in the living room. Anyways, within an hour of our arrival we hired a cab for next 3 days, and the party was on!
I have to mention here that even though I’m not much of a party freak most of the time, yet I guess it was the exotic combination of the destination, the timing, and the contagious company of some serious clubbers that brought out the dormant wild party animal inside me.
The 1st destination that we hit was the popular Anjuna beach, where after some time of surfing the sand in the sun the females realized that this activity was non-hazardous only for the pigment free skins of the scores of firangs who were trying to soak in as much Vitamin D as possible, and so we moved to the shady shelter of a nearby shack for lunch. Post that we scanned the various stalls for some exotic Goan handicrafts, and even though I hate any kind of accessories yet I picked up a chain (just to go with the flow!).
Another noticeable thing about Goa was that wherever we went and at whatever time, the atmosphere was so lively and festive, that it was unlike anywhere I’d been before. No wonder there was the buzz of Amitabh, Shahrukh and Salmaan having checked in the town for Vijay Mallya’s famed party as well. We even spotted a black Hummer at Baga which according to my knowledgeable Bombay’ites belonged to Sanjay Dutt.
Next we reached Calangute and stopped over at a lounge called Kamaki. The ambience was neat though a bit expensive. Now we headed straight for the famous Zanzibar shack at Baga, where Nikhil Chinappa and DJ Pearl were jockeying from 29th to 31st from 5 pm to 10:30 pm( http://www.submerge.in/gallery.htm ). Ah, the first glimpse of those flickering Neon lights and the booming music was enough to send us like hungry tigers on scrumptious prey, and we literally kickstarted the dance mayhem.
After about 2 hours of dancing we took a break for dinner at a nearby shack called Oceanic and feasted on some seafood. (I tried a Pomfret but somehow didn’t like it.) Now we headed for the famous Tito’s where we again gyrated to some pulsating music till about 2 am, and then were so tired of the traveling and dancing that we decided to call it a day.

The 2nd day (30th) everybody got up around 12, and soon made a quick tour of Vagator, where the junta was bored with the same sand and sun so quickly found our way back to Baga. Here we had lunch at Oceanic, then tried some mouth watering desserts at Britto’s (best food in town), before launching ourselves back to the mania at Zanzibar.

Post dinner a quick plan was formulated to check out the No. 1 nightclub in Goa (and maybe in India) called Club Cabana. It was aptly located on the top of a hill from where a flickering searchlight proudly boasted it’s Numero Uno status to the whole of partying town below. It was definitely the highlight of the trip as the crowd was Crème-de-la-Crème, and plenty of models and TV actors could be spotted jiving around. We reluctantly left the place after sunrise around 6 am.

The 3rd day(31st) started with everyone getting up around 3 pm, and even though we were all simply burnt out with fatigue, we were still raring to go. We took a quick tour through Panjim around 5 pm but it was so crowded everywhere that we thought it was better to stay near the beaches. So we again started shopping around Calangute, and around dinner time decided to check out a rave party happening in a club called HillTop. But there was such a Jam of partyhoppers that our cab couldn’t move beyond 500 metres in half an hour, so we thought it better to spend the midnight hour at Baga rather than in the cab.In any case we were told it was useless to go to a rave if you don't do drugs, so i guess we didn't miss much.

So as the clock struck 12, we were dancing away at Zanzi while there were thousands and thousands of people all around as far as the eye could see. There were dazzling fireworks almost for an hour all along the coastline.
On 1st morning I bid a sad farewell to my group, and pushed off to another friend’s home in Panjim where I’d been invited for some delectable Goan lunch.
And then it was time to get back to Bangalore and the monotony of work life. (but I’m somehow sure I’ll be back there soon).

'Oh Milton, if you had ever visited Goa, you would never have written Paradise Lost'. – A popular Goan phrase.

(Some more pics at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IZN2LVuzbsRe )

From Dusk, Till Dawn

This photograph known as "The Kiss" is famous as being among the classiest shots ever captured by a camera. It was taken on the eve of August 15,1945 after the Japanese surrender to American forces in World War 2, during the celebrations in the famous Times Square in New York city. It’s said that on that day every swabbie worth his bell-bottoms kissed every girl within reach. The pic shows 1 of those sailors and a nurse engaged in a moment of sheer ecstasy.
I love the natural, un-artificial beauty of it. The way her legs are positioned, with the grace of a ballerina, while his legs are firm and supportive. The way she seems to have completely submitted herself to the trustworthy embrace of his arms. The way those lips are locked, unperturbed by the presence of hundreds of prying eyes around them . “A picture can say more than a thousand words.” If the word ‘Passion’ was ever to be described by a picture, then this would be it. I’d been looking for an excuse to use this picture here for sometime, and I don’t think there can be a more apt time than Now.

The time has almost come to kiss another year goodbye. As has been true with almost all the previous years, this year too had it’s own share of ups and downs. Some dreams were fulfilled, some were not. Some really good friends were made, and some were lost. Some targets were achieved, others remain.

Yet whatever be the case, this is the time to look forward to new beginnings, new horizons, crossing new frontiers (maybe a new job ;) ).
This may/may not be my last post for this year, since I’m leaving for a well deserved vacation to Bombay and Goa tomorrow.(Though I would check for your posts). Whoa, I’ve been told Goa is among the top 5 destinations WORLDWIDE to celebrate the New Year’s! Moreover some really good friends have been real nice to forward me a lot of information on what to do and where to go. A Goan friend of mine has even promised to take me along to 1 of those exclusive ‘firang rave parties’ on Goan beaches. Let’s see how all this turns out !

So all you talented souls out there, it’s the time to let your hair down and boogie the nights away! I hope you all rejuvenate yourself and come back with a BANG next year! Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Fantabulous New Year!!!
So till next year, Adios Amigos !!!

Shame

These are the days of the debauchery of the senses and the death of innocence.

I usually would have avoided writing about a depressing or somber topic specially in this festive season, but the recent news of the rape and murder of a woman that is rocking Bangalore has made it inevitable that I vent my ire on the current state of affairs, especially more so in this case since the victim happened to belong to the BPO branch of my very own organization.
Apparently, around 2 a.m. on Tuesday last week, this lady got a call on her cell from this driver, who told her he had come as a replacement for her regular cab, and who then drove her to an isolated place, raped her, then slit her throat and dumped her body in a nearby ditch, and fled the scene, only to be caught by the police after 2 days.
I shudder to think what would’ve gone through the mind of her husband, (she’d only been married for a few months).
And that’s the reason I hate the Human Right’s activists who’re against capital punishment. The sad truth is that such vile and disgusting oversexed men can be controlled only by fear and sheer terror. I beg your pardon if I’m being too graphic, but I totally support the punishment given under the Shariat law in Islamic countries for such heinous crimes, to chop off the very tool which was the root cause of the crime, and then keep the perpetrator alive in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.
As was expected, the whole organization is now shook up and rattled with allegations and counter allegations, with the police claiming that she might’ve been saved with the timely action of the travel desk staff, since the regular driver had informed them about her absence that night.
It’s tragic that it took such a ghastly incident for the company to wake up from it’s slumber and issue new safety guidelines for all people who might have to stay back beyond normal working hours, be it BPO or the Software employees.
Had this been the U.S., the victim’s family could’ve sued the a** of the organization. Anyways these MNC’s earn more than 10 times their employee’s salaries from the outsourced countries, and the least they can do is ensure their safety and security.
Sadly, nothing can change the harsh truth for her family members, who’ve lost a loved 1 forever.

Even on a broader scale, crimes against women are gradually increasing by the day. Bihar and UP have always remained the badlands,(no disrespect intended), but the recent crime surge in metros like Delhi and Bombay(and now Bangalore) reflects a disturbing trend.
Though we take pride in calling ourselves the 2nd fastest growing economy in Asia, all that growth is meaningless if it’s not accompanied with an equally effective growth in law enforcement and a swift and just judicial system.(Now that’s a distant dream)

The state of a nation can be judged by gauging the state of it’s women. – Jawaharlal Nehru

The Complete Man?

"Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man's nature and of life's potential." – The Fountainhead

Nah, this is obviously not about the Raymond’s ad or discussing the finer points of Fountainhead. This is about my drive for the pursuit of perfection(?, or is it striving to lead a fuller, comprehensive life, whatever that is supposed to mean), for as long as I can remember.

When I was a kid, a very deep sense of right and wrong were drilled into my gullible mind. I was told to follow an existing code of conduct, by following which I was to have achieved perfect manhood (or adulthood or whatever) one day.
It was all pretty straightforward, until the notion of ‘perfection’ started encompassing more and more prerequisites. E.g. What was an early liking to Tintins and Enid Blytons, soon graduated to Grishams and Sheldons and now Lapierres, was NOT considered at that time to be a manly (or boyish) pursuit, at least by my granny. “Why don’t you stop reading this trash and go out and play with the other boys?”, she would often remark. Anyways, like most Indian boys, I too tried my hands at the only game that drives this nation crazy, and soon realized that I was not to be the next Kapil Dev. (He was the icon from my city Chandigarh in the early 90’s)
And so I started hunting for alternate areas for achievement, and soon joined Karate classes. By the time I’d cleared the White and Orange levels, I didn’t see myself following Jackie Chan’s footsteps either. The same fate awaited Swimming, Horse Riding, BallRoom dancing, Roller Skating, Sketching and God knows what not. I was wild with the passion to discover my hidden talent(If there was ever any). Yet I was just glad that I was experimenting with anything and everything under the sun.
A proper masculine physique had always held a special place in the typical North Indian male mindset ( especially so in my case since my dad happened to have won quite a few Bodybuilding championships in his college days), so whenever his friends would visit, I would always be grilled on when would I start flexing my muscles. So as soon as I reached the 11th standard, I started hitting the gym regularly, shuttling it with my coaching classes. And Yessir, I did manage to pump them up, Sallu style, though when I flunked my Math exam during the mid-terms that year, I was forced to renounce my ‘Schwarzeneggerism’ and start hitting some books instead.

The last and the most enticing bug that bit me during that period was that of modeling. Oh Cmon now, how many of you have not, at one point or another, stood in front of the mirror and wondered if you were the next Brad Pitt(Lol, or Angelina Jolie!), so stop giggling. Anyways I’m digressing. So this real fast buddy of mine who happened to be a cool dude as well as the son of a hotshot IGP, claimed to have some amazing contacts with the who’s who of Bombay’s Glam industry. So one fine day (12th Standard) he tells me he’s going to Bombay for 15 days to get his portfolio done and circulated to his contacts and modeling agencies, and I was invited to come along. When I asked my folks I was simply told that there would be thousands like me already struggling there, and anyways I was not to miss precious days of my coaching classes (entrance exams were drawing near). Now this point struck a note with me( I wasn’t too confident with my dusky looks anyways) and so I somewhat reluctantly agreed. That friend of mine went on to get shortlisted for the final 7 in Grasim Mr. India next year! (Though I have to admit he was a REAL hunk).

So am I disappointed at ending up as yet another engineer in this ocean of techies? Hell No, this is my bread and butter at least for now.

The quest for a fuller life has definitely slowed down now, though not extinct. There are still many things I feel I have to experience before I either burn out or become too occupied – learning French, the Tango, Bungee jumping, biking to Ladakh, Scuba diving, just to name a few.

And the Million Dollar question – Do I feel like a ‘Complete’ Man yet?
To tell you the truth – I couldn’t care less.


Jack of all trades, Master of none?
- A Master can be boring, at least I’m having some fun.
;-)

Keep Walking

So me'z back after a pretty long hiatus.
The truth is I’ve never had such a hectic period in my life as I had in these 2 months. 15 hour workdays for 2 weeks at a stretch are no jokes, yet when you come to know that all this hard work might not cause the least bit of change in either your appraisal ratings or your onsite chances(hence your remuneration), it does cause a little disappointment. To top it all, you’re supposedly given a paltry 100$ reward (!) for all your efforts while your colleagues who haven’t contributed 5 % of what you’ve done, are given 800$ just because they’re your so called ‘seniors’!
Duh, this world reeks of politics. Sometimes it’s disheartening to see the lengths to which some people would go to in order to serve their purpose. Ethics and morals seem to have ceased to exist anymore. I sometimes even wonder if these people have ever had something called conscience in them at any point of time, coz I bet if they did, they wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
But then sensibility demands that one takes it all as just another lesson of life, and as Johnnie Walker says…”Keep Walking”.

I’m reading Dan Brown’s ‘Angels and Demons’ this week, and I’ve been really taken aback by this 1 particular dialogue that takes place between the leading characters in the book, Robert Langdon (the main protagonist who is a Harvard professor of religious iconology) and Vittoria Vetra (a pretty Italian scientist).
Vittoria: Do you believe in God?
Langdon: A spiritual conundrum. Well, I want to believe. (The intellectual suspension of disbelief that was imperative if one were truly going to believe had always proved to be too big an obstacle for his academic mind)
Vittoria: So why don’t you?
Langdon: Having faith requires leaps of faith, cerebral acceptance of miracles- immaculate conceptions and divine interventions. And then there are the codes of conduct. The Bible, The Koran, Buddhist scripture… they all carry similar requirements – and similar penalties. They claim that if I don’t live by a specific code I will go to hell. I can’t imagine a God who would rule that way.
Vittoria: Mr. Langdon, I did not ask if you believe what Man says about God. I asked if you believe in God. There is a difference. Holy scripture is stories….legends and history of man’s quest to understand his own need for meaning. I’m not asking you to pass judgment on literature. I’m asking if you believe in God. When you lie out under the stars, do you sense the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you’re staring up at the work of God’s hand?

Langdon: Well, as a scientist and the daughter of a priest, what do you think of religion?
Vittoria: Religion is like a language or dress. We gravitate towards the practices with which we were raised. In the end, though, we are all proclaiming the same thing. That life has meaning. That we are grateful for the power that created us.


Hmmmm….now that’s surely some food for thought! I’ve always been fascinated with theological history myself and have always been perplexed at why do people have to kill each other over something that has a universally common goal….to acknowledge and thank the higher power that created us. Be it the persecution of early Christians by the Jews, or the bloody massacres of entire villages of Jews and Muslims by the Christian Crusaders who were encouraged by the Roman Catholic church for over 400 years, or the holy war called 'Jehad' started by followers of Muhammad which called for the slaying of all 'Qafirs' or Infidels as the holy duty of every devout Muslim, and which continues to this day, or be it the mindless killings of Muslims in Gujarat by Hindu fanatics justifying it as revenge for the Godhra massacre; all of them are equally deplorable barbaric acts of a few twisted minds who bring a bad name to their entire communities. These people obviously miss the bigger picture, that all of them have been created by the same higher power which can never endorse the destruction of one part of it's creation by another.

Science and Religion have always externally been like the opposite sides of the same coin, with 1 using rationale and reasoning as the basis of all theories, and the other relying on faith, legends and beliefs to try and explain the workings of this world. Yet, these 2 cornerstones of human understanding do often come at crossroads where the postulates of 1 vindicates those of the other.

Every major religion agrees to the basic law popularly known as Karma, - “As you sow, so shall you reap”, “What goes around, comes around” etc. etc.
Newton’s 3rd Law is eerily similar in it’s proclamation – “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

Even science fails to explain the cause of the “Big Bang”, the cosmic explosion out of a miniscule subatomic particle, out of which this entire universe is supposed to be made of. Who or what caused that explosion and what was there before it, remains unanswered.

“Let there be Light”

E = mc^2

Energy and Mass are interconvertible. - Einstein

Your body is transient, only the soul is permanent. - Ancient Hindu saying

Bulla Ki Jana Main Kaun

Normally i can't listen to a song more than 1-2 times a day no matter how much i like it,since i get bored by any kind of monotony pretty easily; but there's this 1 number which i find myself listening to again and again, innumerable times a day since i read it's translation sometime back.The song is the much popular no. 'Bulla ki Jaana' by Rabbi Shergill, though i doubt if most people take the trouble of understanding the mumbo-jumbo being mouthed by the sardar clad in all-white; they probably just like the guitar or maybe the out of the box video, and lo and behold, the song is a super success! That's the indian music industry for most of us !

Anyhow,this song was originally written around 300 years ago by the highly revered sufi poet called Bulleh Shah who lived in Multan(now in Pakistan),in Saraiki, which was the local spoken language of that time.His poetry usually reflects the eclectic fusion of the various cultures which made Punjab the most diverse region in the entire Indian sub-continent...from acting as the gateway of India for early Aryans to the Turks,Mongols and Mughals, and from acting as a breeding ground for Hinduism,Islam and the newly founded Sikhism.Even though the language is somewhat similar to Punjabi, yet i had to go through the translation to understand the meaning of each and every word penned by the great poet.Below is the translation i picked from a website:

Na maen momin vich maseet aan
Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan
Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan
Na maen moosa na pharaun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh
Bulleh! to me, I am not known)

Na maen andar ved kitaab aan,
Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan
Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan
Na vich jaagan na vich saun.
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s craze
Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Bulleh! to me, I am not known)

Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki
Na maen vich paleeti paaki
Na maen aabi na maen khaki
Na maen aatish na maen paun
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! to me, I am not known)

Na maen arabi na lahori
Na maen hindi shehar nagauri
Na hindu na turak peshawri
Na maen rehnda vich nadaun
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun
Bulleh! to me, I am not known)

Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya
Ne maen aadam havva jaaya
Na maen apna naam dharaaya
Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
Bulleh! to me, I am not known)

Avval aakhir aap nu jaana
Na koi dooja hor pehchaana
Maethon hor na koi siyaana
Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun
Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun
(I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?
Bulleh! to me, I am not known )

Confessions of a Wandering Mind

If there is 1 thing right now that i'm sure i feel too strongly about, then it's missing my student life; or more precisely, life at IMT.The 3 golden years spent at the campus have undoubtedly been the highpoint of whatever life i've seen so far.No wonder they used to call IMT 'The Resort'; life was all about eating,drinking,movies and partying.Studies used to happen only when semester exams got too close for comfort.

One can never forget the hostel life - absolutely no holds barred pure freedom.No wardens around to tell you whts right and wrong, no1 to stop you from playing blaring music at 2 am.Like they said-life in IMT started at midnite. And those ragging sessions - 1st year when v were the 'futchas'; thank god for those senior babes who hid me inside the girls' hostel on the pretext of 'ragging' me when the rest of my not so fortunate batchmates were being stripped and made to run around the campus by the senior guys.And the 2nd and 3rd year, when we enacted the roles of the mighty 'Seniors' pretty easily and undertook that oh so great responsibility to uphold the grand old tradition of the college. My first roomie, who i renamed 'grassie' for his marijuana addiction, and who i had to kick out of the room since i cudn't stand the overpowering stench of the 'weed'.Sorry for that bro, cudn't help it though.

And of course parties,parties and more parties. How can anyone ever forget that amphitheatre , which turned into a dance floor on many a Saturday nights, and which was a witness to the many flings and romances which blossomed under that intoxicating atmosphere. The same amphitheatre which got transformed into a swimming pool on Holi, full to the brim with colors of all hues.The fun we had pushing off friends into it who were already high on bhang,all laughing and crying at the same time.And that holi of 2002 when i had a full 2 litre bottle of Bhang and then passed out in my room for 2 whole days !
Or for that matter, how can 1 forget the annual college fests:Passion and Chakravuh, when the best crowd from all the best B-scools of India used to converge onto our campus. 3 days of non-stop fun, those babes participating in double meaning skits(lol), the fashion shows which v choreographed on our own. All those events which were organised a 100% by the students, with absolutely no interevention by the college authorities, resulting in a mad-mix of non stop fun.

So it's pretty obvious that work life here seems to be overwhelmingly bland and mundane when i compare it to the fun i had till just about 2 years back....IMT rocked !
I always associate the following song with IMT ;it's called Teenage Wasteland(Baba O' Reily) by The Who:

Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living

I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven

Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland

Sally ,take my hand
We'll travel south crossland
Put out the fire
Don't look past my shoulder

The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
So let's get together
Before we get much older

Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland
Teenage wasteland
Oh..yeah
Teenage wasteland

They're all wasted

Musings on Attitude

Though I don’t fancy myself as any kind of a philosopher, yet my mind has time and again ventured into the intricacies of human behavior and understanding their psychology…Lol I do wonder sometimes if I should have opted for Psychology rather than Computer Applications as my choice of career !

Anyways, I have often felt that the most decisive factor in determining the quality of our life is our Attitude towards people and situations.
The way we think and feel about things can imprison or liberate us from the captivity of our minds.
An aware mind, devoid of the illusion of success, is the one that can be called truly liberated. The fear of failure and the pleasure of success would pale into insignificance before such radiant awareness.
Our attitude determines the nature and amount of our suffering. It’s not developed overnight, but slowly, as the pearl in an oyster, through an analysis of other’s thoughts and philosophies, by keeping the company of more such ‘liberated minds’, through contemplation of the nature of things and through thoughtful suffering. Once it has taken shape, it helps us to view the world in a fresh and lucid way.
Such attitude would definitely empower us to cultivate a disinterestedness in the fruit of action.
There are examples aplenty in the legends and lore from all over. The 2 that immediately come to mind are:
1st forms the very foundation of The Geeta – Lord Krishna giving this exact sermon to Arjuna who is waivering on his task at hand – to go to war against his cousins and relatives. Here the act of going to war against his own kith and kin is regarded by scholars as a metaphor for the constant struggle between the mind and it’s inner evils.
The 2nd is that of the Greek king Sisyphus who had been condemned by Zeus to push a rock to a hill’s summit until it stayed there. Each time he tried, the rock would come rolling back down – but instead of despairing, his awareness led him to transform his struggle into a game. He realizes that his sense of duty and the unavoidable nature of the assignment leave no room for emotions.

The essence of all these ‘deep’ thoughts seem to be to “ Live life to the full and Let NOT the fear of pain deter you from the pleasures ! “