KDRrrr...rrrrrr

I looked around,

but there was nothing unusual in sight,

it was a normal day,

and everything seemed all right.

but what choked me to death,

was a smell that was stuffed with fright,

or, was it the devil himself,

against me in his worst disguise?

It was a usual working day at office, the time after lunch. People were just settling in at their workplaces. Lots of cup of coffees were being poured from the coffee machine. Friendly banters and jokes were on among people. Everything seemed just like a normal working day. But it was suppose to become a little different.

Probably people, who have worked in IT, would know that we sit in a big hall with each of us having our own big spaces but no walls. So we can see each others faces, talk aloud and even share jokes and work stuff.

So this fateful day, suddenly my boss rose from his cubicle which is like 3 cubicles away from mine and opened his windows and the guys sitting next to my boss cubicle immediately followed the suit. Next I saw that my boss and my colleagues next to him are laughing and opening all the windows. In just next 1 min. I realized the reason and virtually ran to open the windows next to my seat. In just few minutes almost everyone in the hall was running to open all the windows and the doors.

By all the holy mother, the foulest smell on the earth was let loose on us. The round of laughs followed as the blame game started to identify who the devil was. But the laugh just kept getting louder and the smell started to recede, courtesy to the open windows and doors.

In a span of 10 minutes a serious working environment was reduced to a laughing stock. Could anyone imagine that a foul smell could create so much commotion and confusion?

The conclusion of the story….whether Swiss or, Indian it doesn't matter…farting is common and its awful. But no matter how foul the smell is, at the end of it all you remember are the hilarious jokes, indefinite accusations to everyone around and a belly full of laughter.

Own House

It's a lonely night,

and the darkness shines,

I step on the streets,

and its all quiet,

With the twinkling stars,

and the dim moonlight,

I keep to the pavements,

and try to walk upright,

The road is long,

and the walk is hard,

But in the end it's all worthwhile,

as the road finally leads me to my house.

The association of the emotional aspect of a house to an individual is both amazing and strange at the same time. I would call it a really fascinating aspect of the human evolution. And what makes this even more universal is its equivocal acceptance across different cultures.

Probably it could be due to the inherited characteristics from our ancestors. The house could symbolize stability and protection to the male and the reason for a female to be attracted to him. The moment the male becomes strong enough to break away and start an independent existence for him the house is the first thing that gives him his identity. This could have been the case for years for our ancestors. But things changed with the development of the civilized society model. But the traits inherited are still not lost, they just lie dormant.

Even now the need for an own house is the considered the basic necessity of life. Most people spend their entire existence in pursuing their dream of owning a house. The dream that is pursued with all vigor, energy, enthusiasm, pain and sacrifice. The efforts and the pain are both enjoyed. This is bizarre but I have seen numerous people who feel proud to have gone through this choice of pursuit. How something that is just a wall around some empty space can infuse so much life into a living soul is worth the admiration!

In my most recent conversation, with a dear friend who is also a proud house owner, I realized that the house is probably not a non living entity. It is a chronicle of the struggle of the family that lived under its roof, a family that shared its joy and happiness, growing up of their kids, their grievance and compassion in sorrow, the memory of their existence, etc…etc. It could be just a house for someone who looks at it from outside but for that family it is their identity, their life.

And just by looking at the face of my friend while he was talking about his house, I realized that in the end it is really worth all that pain and struggle. Probably much more worth than that struggle!

Swiss Hockey and ME

Swiss indoor hockey came to me as a pleasant surprise. And honestly speaking I had not even heard about the game before.

It all started from a friendly chat on an internal chat channel at work. One of my Swiss colleagues asked me to join in for a game of Swiss hockey as they were falling short of guys. He said it was similar to field hockey and that I would get a feel of it once I played. So I pitched in. The game was to be of an hour during the lunch time. My colleague was to bring for me a spare hockey while I needed to bring my usual sports wear.

So the next day, we all met for a game of Swiss hockey. The field size was of a half soccer field, with 2 small goals at extreme ends like that of an Ice hockey. There were markings on the field with blue and yellow. But the hockey sticks were really light and different from a field hockey. The ball was light too with porous markings for air to pass.

I was quickly explained the rules and we were divided in teams of 4 each. The whistle sounded and we started playing. The first surd was of 20 minutes and god it was hard! It was like continuously running on a field with a stick and a ball. The moment you stop the ball was lost and in every possibility a likely goal! It came to me as an even bigger challenge as I was still not comfortable with the stick. I had a tough time to decide which one was better for me a left hand one or, a right one. Unlike field hockey, the stick in Swiss hockey is more about feel. You can't choose a stick on just you being a right or, a left handed guy.

So after an exhausting first surd, I finally got a little clearer about my stick comfort. And then the second surd was a bit better. I scored 2 goals and ran more vigorous. But nevertheless I was tired like hell! I guess I was never so tired in a game than this.

Finally we came to the third surd. It was fun by now. The game started to excite me. Though tired but the enthusiasm kind of grew! And then the final whistle blew. We won all the 3 surds. And I scored some good goals! But the lesson was a hard learned one. The key areas to work- speed, stamina and shots.

And I really look forward to try some more hands at it this Wednesday! ;-)

Fear!

The moment you fear, you are no body. It is fear that is the greatest cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstition. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven in a moment.

                                                                                                                                                                    -Swami Vivekanand

If you read the famous lines above, it could probably make you feel that fear is an ultimate vice. But I would not agree with that completely.

Fear is definitely a vice but only so long so forth it's not channeled towards its end.

In simpler words, it is only human to fear. It is a very part of our existence and drives us all through our life. It is the fear of loosing a living that makes us work, it is the fear of being punished and shunned that makes us follow a predefined social code of conduct, it is the fear of being alone that makes us make friends, etc… etc. The more you think on this the more you would realize that eventually fear is the biggest motivator of the actions in our life.

What eventually distinguishes people is how well they are able to battle this fear to win over their aspirations. If the fear to earn a living makes one work, the one who succeeds is the one who finds out a way to reduce this fear by doing something that makes this fear obsolete. These people are the people we refer to as 'stinking rich'!

I do agree with Swami Vivekanand, that fear is a cause of our woes but then it is also a catalyst for our growth. The moment one stops fearing he becomes immortal. And that's just the end of evolution. But being human is about evolving every moment. It is about trying, succeeding, failing and trying again. And in the end it is the fear of failing that eventually makes one succeed.

So I would say, do not fear to fear. It is only natural to do so. But every time you fear, just do not fear to look out for the ways to reduce that fear.

Why it's difficult to say 'NO' to a pretty woman?

I start this with a question with a hope that may be someone notices this and answers me back. It is not often that you realize how vulnerable one is to beauty. But when you do that, questions like these clog your mind.

Last evening I got into a situation like this. I had to take a hair cut and it was my first one in Zurich, so I didn't knew much about the Hair salons here. I just got down on my way back at a busy tram station and looked around for a Salon. I found a pretty nice looking one, called 'Giddor'. So I walked into it.

I saw all around cushioned comfortable chairs, hair washers, shampoos, gels, etc. just like an Indian Salon. And then I saw something that was a bit different….pretty girls! All around the Salon there were no guys. The hair cuts were done exclusively by girls. Nice surprise!

I got a seat and a hair stylist. Luckily I got the one who was the prettiest to my eyes. If only I would have had such a pretty hair stylist in India, I would have never left the Salon. But jokes apart, she didn't understand English. God I hate when language kills a good chance!

So she called time to time a girl, who translated for us. She started with really specific questions like a hair cut with scissors or, machines, how many centimeters, wet or, dry cut, etc-etc. Then there was a stage where she had to decide upon the style. And here the magic of beauty worked. She just told me casually that I would look smarter if I would change my hair to a new style that she suggested. And I just couldn't say a 'No'. It was not that I wanted to say a 'No' but it was also not that I wanted to say a 'Yes'. But I didn't even thought a second to say a 'Yes'. I just said, whatever you feel good is great!

Come on now! Who would have said this to a hair stylist if he had been a guy! Probably just looking at her face while she was working was enough to make me dumb and docile. That's the hidden power a pretty woman has! It stops your thinking process. At least it did that to me.

Luckily the hair style really did look awesome after she was finished. But it is really funny because not until I reached home I actually cared how it was. But that doesn't change the question that I was just all dumb in front of her and that she could have suggested anything and I would have not been able to say a 'No'.

So the point is why is it so difficult to say a 'No'? I like the sound of the word, in fact I keep saying it most of the time. But No I could not even think to say that last evening. And the only reason was that I was in front of this pretty woman who looked divine and didn't even knew my language! That's weird and spooky. I really wish I knew what made me so dumb last evening as I am pretty sure of this to be an exact encore, when I go there the next time! ;-)

The Zoo Syndrome

Last week I got a chance to visit the Zurich Zoo. The reason being, it vouched as one of the most exotic tourist and local attraction of the city. I would say it does justify the hoopla and reputation that it enjoys.

It was a fine Saturday morning with a warm Sun and a cool breeze. I reached the Zoo at sharp 10:30 am, just moments after the Rainforest is opened for the viewing. I must say I was not expecting the kind of crowd that I saw there. I believe it was the only place in Zurich where I saw more people than on streets, malls and trams. But may be it had to do with the awesome spring season that just marked its beginning after a harsh winter.

Anyways I got a ticket, which was an expensive one even by Swiss standards and got into the Zoo premises. I had received a map for directions but I guess it didn't help me much being in German.

It's amazing how even little things being in a language that you don't understand can make you so uncomfortable. I believe it is only now I realize how much of a social animal a human being is! You snatch away the ease of his communication and everything in his character just falls apart.

So searching with the diagrams of animals on the map I started my detour. It was an amazing experience. I had just forgotten how it felt to be in a zoo. The walk with animals and green stretch of paths brought back a sense of wild life. The animals at the zoo were exotic. I had never imagined that animal's like- camels with wild fur, oxen with long horns, frogs of unimaginable colored skins, a peculiar pelican variety of bird, etc. even existed! The more I walked in the zoo the more I realized how oblivious I was to the nature's beauty. I felt happy and sad at the same time. Happy for being able to see such beautiful animals and appreciate the nature's marvel and Sad for being so engulfed with the pettiness of my existence that I fail to enjoy this feeling of pure joy and appreciation for the nature.

That day walking down the paths in the zoo, I probably realized for the first time how my life is a zoo of my caged freedom. How I deny myself the simple joy of being free, of being able to appreciate the diversity of nature, of being joyous in contentment. And all this is sacrificed for the mere sake of existing in terms of the pre defined stereotypes of the caged society model.

I guess there is a much bigger zoo out there in us, in all of us! The zoo of our pre-conceived notions, morals, ethics, stereotypes, cultural stigmas, etc., the list is never ending. And probably this zoo is much diverse and horrifying than the beautiful one that we see with animals.

The only question is if there is enough strength in us to break this prison of existence to explore a side that is never unraveled and mystique or, do we continue to enjoy this caged contentment of a stable existence.

I believe this question has always been subjective….and so would be the answer!

Swiss Spring

It comes April in Switzerland and the weather changes dramatically. There are times when there is rain, snow and sun all in the same day. Probably that is why they have a saying in Swiss, which means:

April is the mightiest and it always does what it wants! 

But come April and the Swiss holiday spirit for Easter takes over and the harsh winters slowly recede. The people who are used to walking on street with heavy jackets, mufflers, overcoats start showing some skin. It is really nice to see people walk in t-shirts, joggers, shirts on street and in fact it is the first time you really realize how beautiful the Swiss girls are. Though most of them could be seen smoking cigarettes, with bizarre hairs and piercings but still one cannot fail to admire their beauty.

The spirit of spring infuses, the moment you step out on streets. Smiling faces of people, the warm tender Sun and the beautiful greenery, all of them just completely grow on you. The natural beauty is probably the best feature of Switzerland. There are trees which have flowers just for a week, the flowers that are blooming red, pink, magenta, yellow, orange, green etc. It's fascinating to see how blessed is Switzerland with colors and natural beauty. And then there is this moist cold touch of wind in this sunny weather that makes you swoon with delight, comfort and enthusiasm. It is natural to be happy and joyous in this weather. The most remarkable thing is that this finally gives a sense of coherence to the monotony of the harsh winter life. The sense is of relief, comfort, happiness and content. 

You would enjoy the smell of foods stuffed in supermarkets, sweet wines and the feeling of festivity surrounding Easter holidays. The celebration is universal because it just not celebrates Easter, it celebrates life. It celebrates a change that is for good, a change for existence and a change that brings new hope, joy and happiness of being alive. 

The Weekend Insomnia

The Weekend and Insomnia could qualify as an excellent antonym. But on the contrary, that’s exactly what it didn't to me last weekend. The last weekend in Zurich, left me a pretty too exhausted than the work days. The reason was that I had a bit too much time for me than what I can handle. It's really strange how too much of a personal time becomes loneliness and too less of it stress.

This weekend started like a pretty normal day with sleep till late morning, coffee, guitar, internet, etc. But this was all done by late Saturday afternoon. Now unlike India, in Switzerland silence is really valued. So even after straining my eyes and ears for hours to catch some noise, I ended up failing miserably. Now I don't know why but after a while silence seems really annoying to me. It's not that I need to talk every now and then, but yes I need to hear voices around just to make me feel that I am still alive.

So I started becoming restless by Saturday evening. Even watching back to back episodes of Friends, movies, etc. didn't really help it much. So I decided it was time to launch my deadliest weapon to destruct this boredom….sleep!

So off I went to a compulsive sleep. It's amazing how sleep can cure boredom for a while. Nothing works better to kill time than sleep. But then the inconceivable occurred. I woke up around 2:00 am in the night. The silence around was enough to make me realize that the massive thumping that I was hearing was of my own heart beat. And the rules in Switzerland don't allow you to make any noise after 10:00 pm. So what to do? Ohh..yes, I remembered my childhood, count sheep in the yard..1,2,3,4,5…….200….400…500…and duh..uh.. it worked and I was asleep again. Isn't it funny how silly tricks of childhood still work?

So the sun shines the next day. It was a good bright light that entered the room and of course why not after all it was the God's own day…the Sunday. But ohh my god…! I just woke up. I had nothing to do the entire Saturday and there I was again to begin a free day. Hello…all the shops and places in Zurich are closed too on a Sunday. So just like a soldier who is stuck between cross fires, I decided at least I'll go down fighting. So I thought let's try launching the deadly weapon of sleep again. But nope…the enemy was prepared this time. Nothing doing! Count as many sheep as I wanted…it was not going to happen now.  I was wide awake. The guitar, coffee, books, everything seemed boring and irritating. I tried to watch few more movies but even they seemed more or, less tiring. Ohh…how much I wished I could fall back to sleep. But it didn't happen! Tired of this I started strolling on streets aimlessly. But it's not that fun. So finally after few hours of failed frustrated attempts I returned back to my apartment. And then the Sunday hit back with a vengeance for his brother Saturday. The sleep kept eluding me the entire night. I realized there can be times when even darkness, soft pillow, a big bed and even soft music doesn't helps.  Finally the day dawned and I got up from the bed Monday morning, happy that I have a day to go to office. I never really thought a Monday morning could ever bring me more hope and energy than the God's own day. 

Ohh..my god, am I going crazy...because I guess I have just starting loving Mondays!! ;-D

The Guitar Crush

It's amazing how a small wooden instrument can infuse so much adulation in people. Believe me or, not but just a guitar hanging from your shoulder can make a big difference in terms of attracting envy and admiration at the same time. 

I remember how there was a mad craze among people to learn guitar when I was a kid. The kids used to hang around just to get a feel of the wooden stuff and pose with it for some style. It was really funny as there were always more people around than the people who actually played guitar or, those who were trying their best to learn it.

I never understood this fiasco. They were so many people who wanted to learn guitar. They did bought an expensive one, joined classes, came for a week, and then all of a sudden …woof…they disappeared! And it happened to every 1 out of 4 students. The plausible reasons:

1.  May be they wanted to tell everyone they were learning it and that itself made them popular.

2.  May be they wanted to straight away become Keith Urban. Too bad they didn't realize it was like climbing a cliff straight up.

3.  The fingers hurt a lot initially and most of them are not able to console that pain with the bad zing-zings that they make in the early months.

4. The initial feedback serves as a moral breaker for some of them.

5. All they want to learn is few songs. That too the real tough ones and nobody has the patience to go step by step.

Sorry…! But this doesn't works out this way, because at least this is something in life in which there is definitely No short cuts.

Learning guitar is just like falling in love. You see someone, you get attracted to her/him, start going out with her/him, slowly with time you start liking the person even more, the attraction becomes stronger and intimate and before you even realize it is getting serious, you are already in love! That's exactly the way a guitar grows on you. You never know when it ceases to be a non-living thing and becomes a part of your existence.

That's why I say for playing guitar you need to be in love with it. It can be a crush initially but it should mature to a serious love and it better be fast.

And please don't learn it just because you need to build up a social image, acceptability or, serve your designs of wooing girls. As believe me, it won't work. You would end up a looser. The reason being that just like a relationship, if you don't start it with an honest effort, chances are that later you may try everything but it won't work out in the end. 

So as a final advice, I would say….just let your self fall in love with this beautiful wooden beauty. And trust me…this would be the only love of your life which would never hurt....instead would grow stronger with time and even cleanse your soul of all the sorrows, fatigue and frustrations of life.

Victim is always guilty!

That's a funny phrase....because it should always be the other way round...but no it's not! ;-)

It's definetly true and I had to go through an experiance to understand how valid this is. It was a small issue of a negligence on my part to land up into a big problem. It could had been avoided if the others involved in this would have been a little concerned and supportive. But they didn't do their part of the duty and in the end I was the one who ended up bruised and mutilated.

The post mortem was scheduled after the problem was re-solved. The stage was set for the trial. The jury, solicitor, bench, witnesses, etc. all assembled for the great trial.

The case was build up by the solicitor with a great poise and precision. The witnesses as usual sided with the powerful and the mightier. The words were twisted...taught and rendered to suit the pre-staged drama.

And then..the victim was asked for an explaination. That's the only ethical conduct in a trial ;-)
The victim put forward a plea. Stating that he did accept his crime but he is not solely responsible for it. He has been framed into it. He has suffered, bled and lost so much because of it. It's not intentional...It's not delibrate... and It's not at all logical!

And finaly the verdict was announced by the Judge...

'Victim is guilty!'