When you say nothing at all......

These are the words i love.....

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I can never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear
People talking out loud
But when you hold me near
You drown out the crowd
Try as they may
They can never defy
What's being said Between your heart and mine

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fal
lYou say it best when you say nothing at al
lYou say it best when you say nothing at all
You say it best when you say nothing at all
That smile on your face
The truth in your eyes
The touch of your hand lets me know that you need me

You say it best when you say nothing at all
(Nothing at all)
You say it best when you say nothing at all
(Nothing at all)
You say it best when you say nothing at all
(Nothing at all)

The best is yet to come

“The best is yet to come”… I could make no sense of these words when first read them 5 years ago in my college. This is when we were searching for a quotation to be printed on the back side of the T-shirts we were planning to get made for the college dayschis (meaning, day scholars) and I came across this line… I liked the words but couldn’t get to the meaning. But today, having shuffled along on this mortal coil for twenty five years, I am finally able to comprehend the meaning and the essence of these lines.

I turned twenty five, today and realise that even by best averages of WHO more than one-fourth of my allotted time is over. And sometimes I feel now that there is a lot I shall never be able to do again:
- travelling in third class all alone without any reservations and still enjoying it (I have even travelled by local trains with the worst of the ppl who have never been told abt the word called ‘hygiene’ but it was still okay for me and dunno y some ppl create such a fuss about it)
- planning so many things about what u gonna become with equal number of backup options ranging from being in army, police, merchant navy, scientist, shaktiman (I was once obsessed with this super-hero….jo ghoomta hai aur gayab ho jaata hai… to be honest I still do), et al. And, infact, once I planned to become ‘all’ of the above stated in single life!!
- playing videogames samurai/atari for hours at a stretch…my schedule would not allow me now to spend time so lavishly… I particularly miss playing ‘age of empires’ during my CA articleship days in kolkata pwc while we were all connected to LAN and playing against each other even while sitting in different floors and supposedly working for different managers.
- eating oil-rich pudina parantha with all the possible rich gravy vegetables at the restaurants on a daily basis with a quantity that would be sufficient enough to serve the entire family with decent appetite. And after an hour I was ready for another voyage!! Now this furious passion of healthy food and salad days will surely kill my taste buds some day.
- driving at 140 kmph (that’s the highest I reached ever on delhi-chandigarh highway nearing karnal and sahil, my friend whose car I was driving…. he was just about to collapse had I not slowed down coz of the close brush I had with a speeding truck… as even I was zapped then…lol)
- falling in love with three girls at the same time (its easy actually when u had just moved from school to college and ur going to a nearby DDA sports club to play table tennis everyday… three places…three gfs…all disconnected…that’s the trick…. And ya…never involve ur friends when u doing such things… coz dat wld be vulnerable for u!! and one more thing…the term used is always love)

Times are a changing everyday. I no longer believe that I can change the world, but I am convinced that I can make a small part of it a better place before I depart. Career-wise I have realised my potential and if that has fallen short of the promise I made to myself, I have no regrets now. Ambition still remains but it is now a mentor and not a master; a force that motivates, not one that drives. I have that eye to weigh the rights and wrongs and to judge that two wrongs do not make a right. Enough smartness I have gained to save myself from professional politics…obviously haven’t been so old to play around with that.

I better comprehend today what love is, and its many manifestations. I know people leave for that is the law of nature, but i am content in the certainty that when they go something of me will go with them, and a lot more of them will remain behind. Friends have taken up an entirely new significance, and friendship has become a valuable possession that has to be carefully nurtured. In school/ college it was something I took for granted, old things could easily be discarded for the fresh ones. However, now I find it difficult to make new friends and have to make necessary adjustments to create any new friendship. It has more of become a business deal now. I would be nice to you only if I feel you are capable enough to give me back something. Old friendships have become much more precious now which have already adjusted to my idiosyncrasies, a comfort zone which I have created around myself.

There is a renewed hope, confidence and belief that was lacking earlier. Yes indeed, the best is yet to come and I would “grow” along!!

just realised....dat i wont be having a weekend this time.... Reason?? work pressures!!
ofcourse i will have to go to office to put work pressures on my juniors!!actually that counts towards my appraisal..."coaching on the field"....a line item in my appraisal form!! and i need to teach them....this is PwC!!
yeah...its been long...and i am so used to it (working on saturdays and sundays)... similar to ganguly getting out on duck.....its just wen i am getting ready in the morning and see my dad at home...i realise its weekend!! and then i am like... my job really sucks!!
but life is not same for the team members... they still think that saturdays and sundays come under the category of weekends!! and to call them and make them work on these days... makes me forget that my job really sucks!! It gives me a feeling of satisfaction..

You kno what... i reached at 12:30 pm day before yesterday (on thursday)... just when i reached and completed with my "socialising ceremony"....it was time to break for lunch!!! and dats why i pledged myself to reach early today...sharp 11:20 AM i was in the Auditor's Room. The only thing what bothers me is when my friend called up and asked me to make a plan for tomorrow (saturday).

And i wished from the bottom of my heart... he joins PwC!!!

Something penned down from my thoughts....

Even though i have been to quite few of the "teerath sthalls" so far....vaishno devi, shirdi, kali mandir in kolkata, mathura, vrindavan, haji ali dargah in mumbai, birla mandir, jhaku temple in simla, churches in goa and many other temples, gurudwaras, masjids and churches..... i find myself in the dilemma, whether I believe in God or not. Unfortunately, the answer comes out is the latter one...

Do you believe in God?
That's a favourite question of mine. An upside-down question.
"Well, if i asked people whether they believed in life, they'd never understand what I meant. It's a bad question. It can mean so much that it really means nothing. So I ask them if they believe in God. And if they say they do - then, I know they dont believe in life."

Having said that, I would still admit that I am not totally against prayers...and I too pray sometimes, though I know prayers dont change 'things'. But I know it changes 'people' and they change things.

I want you to read this one twice, atleast.....

Mila wo bhi nahi karte, mila hum bhi nahi karte
Bewafai wo bhi nahi karte, bewafai hum bhi nahi karte

Unhein ruswai ka dukh hai, humain tanhai ka dukh hai
gila wo bhi nahi karte, gila hum bhi nahi karte

Gali ke kisi mod pe aksar takrav ho hi jata hai
ruka wo bhi nahi karte, ruka hum bhi nahi karte

Humein wo dekhte hain, unhain hum dekhte hain
chhupa wo bhi nahi kerte, chhupa hum bhi nahi kerte.

Unhein jab dekhte hain sochte hain kuch kahein un se
suna wo bhi nahi karte, kaha hum bhi nahi karte....

PS - yes, I have taste for these too.... you would soon see Mirza Ghaalib, once I buy his "great work" book

Ek baar daaku gabbar singh humare gaon mein aaya.
Daaku sabko maarne laga naam puch puchke.
....to ek humaari bhabhi boli humara naam sunita hai to daaku ne unhe nahin maara kyunki uski maa ka naam bhi sunita tha

phir usne mujhse poocha to maine kaha,
"Naam to mera Vineet hai , lekin sab mujhe Sunita hi kehte hain"

****Being Neutral is Not RIGHT ****

"Samar Shesh Hai , Nahin Paap Ka Bhaagi Keval Vyadh.
(Not just criminal is responsible for crime. Time will speak for truth.)
Jo Tathasth Hain , Samya Likhega Unka Bhi Apradh .."
(Whoever is neutral, Time will decide his/her fate and role in Crime.)
- Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'

Whenever i have to decide on any issue i look on these lines and I take a stand on that issue. It doesn't matter you are on which side but its dignity to have a look and stand. We cant stand in a corner and look like spectator because we cant regret it after sometime that we could have been difference. I believe that a single human being can make things happen in different way if he/she stands tall and firm with the cause.

Take a pledge that you will speak your mind irrespective of results and you will be true to yourself.
This will make you a true human and a respected person inside and outside.

FAITH - This is the conversation which inspired me to keep my name as "Faith" , came across this in an e-mail, wanted to share this!

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.
He asks one of his new students to stand and .....
Prof: So you believe in God? Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)
Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. IsGod good? Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from? Student: From...God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil? Student does not answer.
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they? Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them? Student has no answer.
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.
Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold? Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH.

That is all that keeps things moving & alive. . . . . . . WANT TO KNOW WHO THAT STUDENT WAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

... this is a true story, and the student was none other than.........
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the present president of India.

Regards Vineet (Keep the "faith")

Kolkata again.

Having been travelled by bus...day in and day out...while in college... and thorough with the numbers....hopping from 1 bus to another just to save those 5 minutes to reach on time for S.K.Bohidar (i guess he was alloted the class slot for economics subject...dats what my classmates had informed me) classes.... on-time here means - buffer enough to sneak into the fagging end of class during last minutes mess of attendance...I was a pro bus traveller.

And, i was carrying this confidence into this new metro city -- called city of joy (still!!??!!). I took my cousin along with me - class 10th, to have few rounds of the city while I had no other friend yet to torture for my pleasure. Though, I wanted him to show me around and guide me... he somehow (and very smartly too) made me blv that I was the senior partner...and I am supposed to do all the administrative work. Obviously, we both were managing the chicks in our own way... everyone has got this inherent ability to do that.

Not enough money to hire a taxi, I asked him to take me to the Bus Stand.... even though we were racing against time to catch up the movie on the leisure Sunday. Now the job was left on me to search for the right route number.

I went to a seemingly looking bus conductor and asked in Hindi, " dada, will this bus go to dharamtalla (erstwhile, esplanade)?"
(dada was the first thing i learned there. It was used to refer to ppl, like here in delhi it is "bhaisahab" for everyone - be it 18 yrs old, 25 yrs old, 35 yrs old, 50 yrs old, or 80 yrs old --- sometimes i wonder how can i have a brother in each age group)

"Jaabo na", comes the reply with a very flat expression!!

Not able to decipher it, i went to another educated looking fellow and asked him in the politest possible manner in hindi, "will this bus go to dharamtalla? "

"Jaabo na", comes back the voice in the same bengali accent, education notwithstanding!

However, I could catch the word "jaao" in both the interactions. And when i looked at my cousin at the other direction, with his face giving me a disgusting sort-of look (saying, whats taking him so long to just get a bus info!!), I was left with few minutes to make him ride the bus. I looked at the passengers on board the bus... they seemed to yell at me, "what are u waiting for, u moron!! cant u see we all are going to dharamtalla"...and just then my gut feeling said....THIS IS THE BUS and safely presumed from the empirical data captured earlier that both the gentlemen were telling me something in hindi, "jaao na."

But I dunno, why the people in my family can never trust each other. My cousin gave me a glance with his eyes narrowest, and face as stern as Sherlock Holmes!! "Are you sure, this is the right bus?"

"Ofcourse, I am. I have checked up with those two babu moshais as well!!", said I.

"Are you sure, thats what they said?"

Not having the option to swear at my cousin, I composed myself and said, "YES...THATS WHAT THEY SAID"

Desperate, cousin (by the way, his name is happy -- ghar ka naam) turned to another Bengali (I could have used the term person as well, coz there is no other species u wld find apart from bengalis!! and specially when u are looking for some kind of enquiry window) who'd been watching us interestedly.

"Excuse me, is this bus going to dharamtalla?", he asked in ENGLISH (and to my surprise, coz I was always under the impression that for him the dictionary meaning of Language is Hindi). I thought of searching for Rapidex in my uncle's house, may be even to notch up my skills to a level up.

And in perfect English the fellow replied, "Actually I, and all the other passengers (remember, those who were seemingly yelling at me, a minute back) on this bus are going to Karunamayee. But who knows? If your travelling companion insists it's going to Esplanade, perhaps he has some inside information. However, if you were to ask me, I'd say that bus there on the opposite path is the one you're looking for. If you run, you might just make it.

Needless to say, what I did after that.

Circa 2002, November!! First few days out of delhi….of my own… still learning to know that there are roads beyond Ring Road…and language beyond hindi. I will talk about those learnings later… lets start with an interesting event happened with me in Kolkata (referred to as City of Joy, still!!!???!!!!)

I had been to Kali Mandir (as told by my brother – there are few things a must watch in kolkata – tram lines, howrah bridge, metro rail, Victoria house and the shrine) to cover one of the desired destination. Even I feel, if u haven’t been to “must watch” of a particular city, u have theoretically not been to that city!! And dunno why, I was in a hurry to complete the full circle, may be I was expecting my short stay at this joy city and eager to get back to my home ground.

Anyways, I had taken my camera alongwith me – yashika J…the conventional one….not digital (just to look as if I have come here for a purpose, I hate prayers!!! And don’t even want anybody to think that I am praying….though dats very unassuming in India), presumably to capture some splendid moments of nature. That’s when I started clicking the shrine and the surrounding nature. Looks like 'Nature' got embarrassed with my amateur photography. As I was walking back to the parking lot, 'Nature' called me. Tried ignoring it. No-go. It called me again and again. I had to listen to it this time. Started looking around for a public toilet. After a long hunt, found a dilapidated structure near the light house. Heaved a loud sigh of relief and started running towards that heaven.

"Plis, plis staap sor", came a voice from a corner. Had no time to waste. Especially, was not in a mood to listen to some Bengali jerk shouting in English with a Bengali accent!

Irritatingly, I shouted back saying, "aapnar tokleef ki? "
(Meaning, "what the hell do you want man ?")

That guy continued to speak (say, try) in English and asked something that stumped my brain and heated up my haemoglobins - Must have been around 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Sor, you going one bathroom au two bathroom?"
(Precisely speaking, "do you wanna pee or shit?")

I asked him in hindi, "How the hell does it bother you?"
By then, nature stopped calling me. It actually started to yell. I was really trying hard, but this guy was just incorrigible.

He again replied/ tried in English saying, "Sor, aami the toilet moster. Plis pay one takaa for one bathroom and two takaa for two bathroom"

And that was the last straw to break the camel's back ! I was fuming within myself. He was not ready to allow me inside without the payment. And even if I did pay, I was doubtful if he would come inside to check what I was really doing. I've heard of a school master, station master, Karate master, grand master and even a tea master. But who the hell is a toilet master? Probably he wanted to command some respect for his profession. I had no time to think about all that shit. I had been challenged by Nature and had to answer it desperately. Finally, tossed a two 'takaa' coin on his table and sprinted towards Nirvana. Not that I came under the two 'takaa' category, but wanted to avoid getting spied by another man! And at this junction.

However, what I saw inside the toilet, it literally made me puke. Unclean floor covered with a dirty slush of mud. Pieces of shit spread all over the pot. Sanitary tubes and valves broken and unplugged from the basins. Colourful designs on the walls made out of a mixture of pan and saliva and tobacco and what not. Nauseating stench. To top it all, there was not a drop of water in the taps. To my surprise, I even found some excreta on the wash basin. I've only heard about people doing things differently. This was the first time I saw it ! I know creativity has no limits. But this is atrocious ! Believe me, I have not exaggerated even a single fact. What is really stopping these people from maintaining the toilets clean, inspite of we paying money for using them ? This is not the case with just this toilet alone. Almost all public toilets in India are maintained this way. (I don’t want to narrate scenes of my vaishno devi yatra here… I had almost lost to nature then) I see this so called 'toilet master' collecting coins from the public and stacking them on his table just like we do while playing tambola (yes, only the tambola master gets the riches). Who uses this money and for what purpose ? These are some of the questions for which I have no answers. Sometimes I used to think, maybe it is because of this reason that our desi folks prefer the street corner near a transformer/ tree rather than a public toilet. Nothing better than “natural loo” when nature calls you!

Speaking of toilets, ah ! that rings a bell ! Someone once told me - "Marriage is like a toilet. People who are outside, desperately want to get in and people who are inside, desperately want to get out."

All said and done, I've always had this question lingering in my mind since my childhood days. I would be grateful if someone could answer -

Why is number one associated with pee-ing and number two, with shitting ? On what basis were the rankings declared?