Being a Mentor: A Road Least Taken...

“Some say they are born, some say they are made. What we believe might not matter, but the truth is, they believe, hence, they are!”

-          Tulika Singh

Every day begins with a rising sun, and so does our cycle of life. In this journey we fall, we fight, we defend the wrong and right, we strive for peace, we get hurt, we make mistakes, but amongst all this if there is something constant, it’s the process of learning. Our learning, when encountered for a period of time, becomes experience. And we all know, experience is our best mentor in life. It has a typical style of teaching. It first gives us the test and then the lesson! But then, why do we need a mentor? Why can we not depend entirely on our and others' experiences? What makes a mentor, so special?

Life In A Gray-scale!

Of what human does to the world, least realize the pain induced in others' lives, flora and fauna alike. I wake up each morning wondering what atrocities I will come across today. Alas, my wondering is never washed in vain! Each day, brings along with it an episode, some sad, some joyous, some painful and some which you want to embrace for a lifetime. A collection of such episodes creates a season we call life! If you try and integrate your life with others you would realize how beautiful the world can be. Alone is a tiring ride. But it also teaches you the “don’ts” of life, shows you a reality you would have otherwise loved to ignore, and tell you in your face how brutal your race is! As I previously said nothing is pancakes and roses!

Pancakes and Roses!

A strong gush of wind wakes me up as I feel the breeze tingling in my ears, and brings to me the sound of early morning prayers, chirping and bells. I dare not look into my clock’s eye for it just might spoil the mood so I keep lying down enjoying the moment of tranquility. A beautiful good morning it indeed is! The blanket fur soothes like nothing else in early winter mornings and the bed consumes you. The last thing you want to do is deceive them and walk out. Disguised selfishness.

This morning tells us so much about us and our lives. We spend an eternity hunting for peace and love, we wander like stranded leaves maneuvering the plains of life, but all we gather is a “mirage”, an illusion that assures you happiness but laughs at your back once you are not looking. Why? Life is the wine of our souls that tastes best when left alone with time. For those who do nothing but whine over all that is lost or never received, life is a short joke, but for others, a melody of loud and soft, fast and slow! Savor each tune, so what if it’s drenched in pain and grief, it’s another colour of your life.

Yellow Journalism: A Tarnished Country's Vision

Yellow journalism is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. When was the last time you tuned into a piece of news and got something that made you feel a bit more informed than your informal evening group discussions? Well, the answer seems vague for most of the people… When on actual grounds this was asked to people many interesting opinions wriggled out. One of them answered “Oh well I heard something was going on between Saif and Bebo while he was out for his shoot, he hid his phone right?” – That’s some really important crack sir; I wonder how our nation will survive without such sensations! 98% of normal population remembers Prince, the small boy who was struck underground and army dug all their way down to save the kid… When there were bomb blasts in USA at the same time news channels thought it was “better” to show the story of the Prince, who lived!

Corruption: A Curse or A Boon?

In the light of truth, facts and understanding of “xyz” concepts we derive the chart of pros and cons in most situations. But what if for once I deceive your morals and ask you to confront the good side of something you’ve always considered bizarre? As insane as it sounds, let us try to offend AND defend corruption and try to understand if it actually makes or mars our country - India!

In a lecture today at class (after all I am just a student) we were confronted with the most thoughtful topic I have come across till date. Can we actually shake hands with corruption? I’ve been reading this beautiful book called “The Secret of The Nagas” – Amish Tripathi and hence, I began to correlate this philosophy to the most basic of all truths, something that justifies the facts. Lord Shiva once said, “Greater the good, greater the evil.” And it all makes sense now! Let us see how twisting the tail can help us turn the tables.

When we drop down to define corruption, we can only do it in domestic boundaries. Why? Well, the Chinese economy believes in “If they can, we can!” resulting in BlueBerry, Gulsar, Shijingshan Amusement Park, Seayahi Cofee etc. whereas if you look into Indian premises patent rights rule the market restrictions. So the underlying fact is, what is corruption for us, is a way of living for the other. So, the reason number one is, not having a proper setup to define what exactly corruption is. Another interesting concept that came up was the difference between crime and corruption. But let’s first stick to defining corruption.

It's A Promoter's World!

“Out of Sight is Out of Mind”

In this world of complete market orientation “jo dikhta hai, wo bikta hai”. And to accomplish this it becomes imperative that we understand how promotional techniques rule the market places today. Believing the business adage, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door," might lead to your ultimate failure. You may have the best product in on the market, but if no one knows about it, you will be doomed. Follow basic principles for promoting your product to improve your business' long-term success. Where classic movies like Raincoat  get a flop at hands, movies like jhoom barabar jhoom who cater to no strong story line hits the first day box office, all by the way of aggressive advertisement. Business branding and promotion has now entered the 21st century and what the 21st century market demands is often more than just free gifts, cut price costs and cheaper deals.

The Whispering Autumn!

You sit beneath the autumn tree,

and witness the pain you had never seen!

The scar you hid at the bottom, dwells,

the wetness beneath your eyes now tell…

Your hair is how now all tangled and thin,

at the hands of angry, raging, rising winds…

I see you struggle, I see you wince,

like an immortal bird with lifeless wings…

The world in your eyes is a skeptic view,

all you can see are, whites & grey, and, pales & blues!

You seem to me as withering with time,

a hope of death, a sinful crime!

You live your life seldom in grief,

like the fading charm of the autumn leaf!