#Love Delhi - Place 3 - Humayun's Tomb!

The day today for me at office ended really early - I was not in the office actually. I had a few meetings in South Delhi and by 3 PM I was all set. I had almost entered the metro station to come back home when I realized that I can actually detour a bit and see the Humayun's Tomb. Having lived in Delhi for so long, and this also being my hometown, I had never been here before! YES - that's true! But today, I finally saw it and am finding myself at peace post it!

I will not describe what I saw - for I think everyone would either know those facts, or if they don't -they can easily manage a google and find out OR visit themselves some day. I would instead describe the activities I did and the feelings I had post experiencing the different things that I did. 

Dilapidated Structure - on the path to the Humayun's Tomb

After having seen Isa Khan's Tomb and the mosque, I went to this dilapidated structure (it does not have a name and I am not quite sure about what it is - pic above). I could not see anyone around here - and since I love silence and isolation, I probably would have been the first one (today) to have thought about going there and seeing what it is. The structure has a staircase which directly leads one to its top and guess what - YES - that is what I did. I climbed up the staircase and it took me to a decent height - a height which made me feel good, watching nature from that angle and then others from a distance watching me and following my footsteps :P LOL. Yaaa - after 5 to 10 minutes, I saw a group of people wanting to climb up this staircase and then experiencing this height! <TOO MUCH DELHI CROWD 😝 > 

I drifted myself away from the people as soon as I saw there were more coming, and soon went to a place with very less people again. I walked until I found myself at the back side of a tomb which had graves of the 'Afsarwala - Officer people'. And there the sight that caught my attention was this - 

The parrots and the squirrel!

The squirrel wanted to go to its home-hole and the parrots had blocked its way. I stood for around 5 minutes here, and from 1 parrot, I was able to spot good 5 of them - all making parrot sounds and inviting me towards them to stay for a longer time :) 

Post seeing the Humayun's tomb, something else caught my attention - 

The sky

The tree

I sat under the tree (pic above) for good 30 minutes and guess what did I do in those 30 minutes - I wrote my diary :) - YES! And the things I was trying to write, were the things I have been thinking about for so long now. 

What kind of a person should one be?

There have been this thought that has been striking my mind since a really long time - what kind of a person should you be? Any kind you choose to be, has certain pros and cons. Like for example, if you are too generous, then probably people end up taking too much advantage of you. If you are too self-involved, then people do not really want to talk to you. When you express your liking for someone, then that person starts finding ways to not like you back. The thought is really deep - and this has been running ever since I started working with my friend KD. I have been forced to think about situations like these, as I feel too trapped in the way emotions are wired in my brain and in my heart. 

After making a mind map of what all is there and my understanding, I finally arrived at a conclusion that from now I will be an unaffected, generous on demand, focused and a carefree person. The best justice that I can do to myself at this point of time, is by giving time to ME and the people who are always going to be with me, irrespective. 

Don't know how much of this will remain with me, but at least, this time I am going to try. Its worth giving a shot! 

Until then - 

#Dream

#Love Delhi! 

The Love Life and Love Delhi Campaign

Someone wise has once said - 'You get what you give!' This thought has always provoked a lot in me - I do not know how much I truly resonate with it, but off lately have developed this habit of trying to be like what I expect, out of others around me.

And everyone in the world likes to happy, likes to be loved, likes to be cared for and receive compassion and warmth from people around. And I am a little 'negative' in all these 'positive' and 'happy' thoughts, honestly. Not that I do not like all these emotions, but because I have liked to be in a stressful state (almost in everything that I have done so far). I remember someone telling me once - ' Zyada khush raho toh nazar lag jaati hain' and I guess that is where it all began... 😛

Being stressed at times has honestly helped me in a lot of ways. To quote some evidences - the stress helped me during my semester exams in College - I never failed any exam :P (although this is not considered very normal for Engineering college students - if you know what I mean ;)! Then the stress has helped me work relentlessly being the Principal - generally it has helped me so far in my professional life! 

But being stressed has had a lot of disadvantages too. To quote some evidences here - you aren't the 'cool' one in your 'gang' of friends and then you are not the most 'sought after' one. And all this seemed pretty reasonable compromises for me to make. 

Being stressed has definitely made me pay some cost, too - like 'seriousness' is all I look for in anything.

I think I now want to experience emotions like compassion, warmth, real happiness, etc and the best way to do that, I feel, is to be compassionate on my own. I will not quote evidences as to some things that I did to be able to get these feelings in me or get them back, but will quote things that I want to do now to feel more complete and happy inside. 

Travelling is something that I have always enjoyed. I have traveled a lot for work and have been to many destinations within the country. Last 5 years, I actually lived out of Delhi (which is my hometown) and then when I came back here, I honestly could not relate to the city rush and the pollution and so much more...

But I believe that living in the moment is really important. And being little satisfied (and yet not be just a little satisfied) with what you have is also important. So, I have decided to start a 'Love Life and Love Delhi' campaign. As part of this, I plan to visit one place (could be a historical monument, a museum, etc) in Delhi every week for fun, leisure and, so I develop some liking for Delhi :)

And I think this is important in many ways - one, I get to do what I like - travelling and then I get to do something that I have never done since my childhood - EXPLORE DELHI - even when I was born here! 

I decided to roam around last Sunday, but honestly because of the work and the 'stress', I could not really go anywhere. But yesterday, finally, I got the chance to randomly drop by JNU - with my colleagues and know more about it (this wasn't the main purpose though - JNU was our meeting place - we were supposed to discuss WORK 😜). Being in Delhi, I never had visited it, even though I used to hear and read so much about it in the news! 

So, here is me lost somewhere in JNU - 

The time spent there was awesome - 'Forest University' is how I would like to describe it! The aura was just so fresh, so rejuvenating, just so so so.......<don't have words to express this 😛>. 

We also went to the 'dhaba canteens' and the three of us ate a few things for just 80 bucks 😮. And ofcourse - not to forget the interesting conversations we had! 

The day was just great! The cherry on the cake being this - 

(Something that will be treasured for a long time 😊)

#Love Life

#Love Delhi

The days gone by!

The days gone by! 

The past week has been one of a kind. I have mixed emotions. I feel blessed for having been in a place I have never been before - a different world - a world where I witnessed some real compassionate and happy people, a world where the acceptance by 'some' (not ALL) seemed really unconditional, a world where smiles are exchanged without any hassles, a world where you can just BE! 

Yes, here I was! My birthday was spent here - doing very different things. The biggest birthday present was talking to people who I never would have met otherwise - too much to write in this regard. Thanks to A, for first letting me be here, then bringing the local 'Honey and Coconut Cake' and then asking me to stand right outside the mess with a friend and telling me to offer the cake to all, as they were coming out of the mess post the dinner. For the first time ever, I was receiving blessings from people I had never met before, but still they were excited to share the day with me and relish the little piece of cake. Truly moved by the emotions. 

The same day I did something I have been meaning to do ever since last April (when I had visited a children monks monastery in Palampur) - YES - teaching monks. I did a 75 minute English lesson with one great group - was a great learning experience!! 

Next was feeling connected with someone here, who took me back to my days in Gujarat - when I used to live on campus. His mention about his 24 x 7 work, then being on his toes so we all feel sorted for our stay and then sharing a few challenges with me - which were completely relatable, just took me back and blew me away. Just this small realization that someone else also could go through the same path, could choose to do something so similar (and with a family), inspired me a lot! 

Then spending my mornings MEDITATING - and then being lost in the nature - for this is something that I never get to do in Delhi. 

Then listening to individuals, almost 60 of them from different parts of the country and from outside, on topics like - 

1. Role of a Teacher

2. Imparting social-emotional skills in children

3. Different aspects of social-emotional training

4. Life

and a lot more...

Then being caught up in the emotion of detachment and the fact that I had to come back to the rush again. And then realizing the same things I have been thinking since the last week of December now - the fact that very few people can reciprocate the same kinda feeling - the feeling that you give them. Very few or no one can match your expectations, and no one can truly understand who you truly are! 

As these emotions were still sinking in, I found myself in yet another favorite place of mine. I risked exiting the airport in the layover (YESSS!). Went to meet some good people I know, and surprised them! :) Would have been complete, if I would have met 'the' one,  but that did not happen! Still - this, gave me happiness! 

And then savoring the 'adventure' sandwich and the bhel at a roadside restaurant, dreading whether we will reach the airport back on time! :) 

Then coming back home for this - 

 And a lot more...

Touchwood! 

2019 begins!

The last year brought in so much - so much so that a blog post cannot even do justice to what I experienced. Probably, I would need a mountain peak/sea beach, a peg or two of whiskey, and someone who I feel comfortable sharing with. And then I am sure the emotions, the experiences, and everything and anything will come out. Haha! 

The year started off with something really unusual. I came back home really late, last night. And then left home really early to go for work. YES! Believe or not - but I was officially working today - on 1st January, 2019. I definitely randomly have worked from home in the years gone on the first day of the year, but never have been to an official training workshop and today I was in one. And whhaatt a dayy it has been!! 

For the first time ever, I danced on a Haryanvi song - 'yaar tera Chetak chala re, tennu chaska Red Farari da' ! I never would have dared to dance or even listen to this song, had it not been in this training today! Had an amazing feeling when teachers especially invited me to dance with them! :)

Last 2 weeks of 2018 have been satisfactory in many ways. I finally was able to finish a chunk of my work - things which were pending since a really long time. Then on 29th - literally being up for the entire night, just so I could enjoy the 30th and 31st. Then the first time snow experience, and so much more - the conversations with a few people, the 'closure' with some, the call of someone who reminded me of early 2018, and then the feeling that no one in this world (except your family) can ever match your expectations, and that all you need to do is to find peace and happiness within yourself. 

And just when I wanted even more satisfaction, I am writing today just so I feel complete, within from all aspects. I need to find happiness within me, coz I know it is there, somewhere. 

I can feel good by doing so much more than what I have been doing so far. I can feel good by living a life in the present - also even thinking about the future a little. I can feel good by just letting things be the way they are. I can feel good by just being 'myself'. And that is what I am going to 'try' doing this year. 'Try' - because I do not know how will this look like! But all I know at this point of time is that it is going to be worth it! 

Bring it on 2019! :) 

And just before I close, here is a quick memory of today - 

Struggling to belong! 

L.I.F.E

It's been a long time again since I wrote last. I generally write when I am filled with different kinds of emotions. This is for the first time or after a while (that I cannot remember last when) that I am writing when I have no idea about how I feel.

Life has become quite hectic. It just is moving..moving with a pace that I do not really understand. Sometimes, I feel its just how headless chickens move..they just have to! And so am I - just moving without a direction! Sometimes I feel its pretty structured - managing different things and different aspects of life. For the first time ever, I have to think about the 'so-called' "Work Life Balance".

In the midst of all the structured and/or the unstructured life that I have - I am still finding myself. Sometimes its while I am driving, sometimes its in historical monuments, sometimes in books, sometimes in cafes I used to go back in TFI, sometimes in pictures from friends of the places and things I have treasured, and sometimes by just being LOST in this very world!

I have a huge weakness - my past tends to become a very significant present in my life! But I guess, something you are really true to, hardly ever leaves you!

And with this spirit, let me sign off by writing here a very small poem I recently wrote -

My life as I see it,

Is sometimes sweet,

As sweet as a rhythmic beat,

That sounds pleasing and complete!

My life as I see it,

Is sometimes bitter,

As bitter as a cycle squeak,

That causes jitters!

My life as I see it,

Is sometimes sour,

Sour like the sound of a loud horn,

That goes on and on and on!

My Life as I see it,

has all the flavors,

It depends on me,

Which one do I treasure!

For all days do have a night,

Darkness has its light,

There is nothing that cannot unfold,

we just need to be bold,

And celebrate each day

Before the time slips away! 

Raman Bahl
13th October, 2018

Ahmedabad Diaries! 

Dear Diary,

Here I am, stuck again! Ideally these are supposed to my last few hours here, before I head back to Delhi but my tickets are not confirmed yet. Thanks to K and his super-duper plans that this is happening for the second time with me in the past 15 days. It happened in Assam as well where my flight got cancelled and I had to get an another one for the next day (got a bonus day there!). Looks like this day's going to be bonus one too! ;) 

When it comes to Gujarat, I'll always be up for such bonuses! I worked here for good 2.5 years, in one of my favorite places - the place which taught me a lot, which gave me some 'life-long' (if I may use this term 😉) relations, some fantastic memories and a lot more! And while I still need to make up mind about what lies ahead (continued from the time of my previous write up - WELL FROM WAY BEFORE THAT), let me take a moment to remember the amazing last 5 days here, having spent them with my 'very special' (if I may use this term 😉) people! 

Gujju land has always come with its package of surprises for me. My all time favorite shopping spot - The National Handloom Emporium. I used to follow a very crazy routine when I was here (believe it or not) - I used to go there almost every Sundays and shop a nice Kurta for myself from there. By the end of those 2.5 years here, I would have owned (and still own) some 30 Kurtas, and 'Kurta-Denim Jeans' still is my dress-code almost on all days, where ever I go! 

As the custom routine, I went for Kurta shopping from National Handloom and bought a nice 'Haldi' color Kurta for myself (intelligent people would be able to guess why only 'Haldi' color 😊). And as I just mentioned about the surprise package, N surprised me there by showing up suddenly out of nowhere and I just could not control myself and shouted excitedly at the top of my voice, unintentionally grabbing the attention of almost everyone on the floor! 

My evenings were the usual 'junk' and conversations (not a lot though) about the 'junkies' of my life! 

Yesterday evening was even more special! Me and K were out at 11:30 PM, we hadn't had our dinner, so we were out this time to have special Noodles and Gujju Pizza! It was followed by a very special Gola place. K told me that this Gola guy makes 12K per day just by spending a few evening hours running this Gola stall! The Gola actually was delicious!!

I cannot ever forget the special evening when I asked to take me for a silent dinner, and then N arranged for something called as the 'moved by love dinner' for me, which was truly a moving experience! 

Thank you Ahmedabad! :)