जब तू बरसे – Jab Tu Barse

सावन की पहली बारिश से मौसम भी करवट बदले
टिप टिप बरसती बूंदों से मिट्टी की जब सुगंध उठे
थके हुए को भी नचवा नचवा के दीवाना बना दे
ऐ ऊचे अम्बर में रहने वाले बादल, जब तू घन घन बरसे

कुछ पलो के लिए किसी के भी सारे गिले शिकवे भुला दे
बारिश के पानी से जो नहाये उसकी सारी थकावट उतार दे
आसमान ख़ुशी में गरजने लगे, और बिजली भी चमकने लगे
ऐ ऊचे अम्बर में रहने वाले बादल, जब तू घन घन बरसे

रिम झिम गिरती बारिश तो गूंगे से भी गीत गँवा दे
मायूस चहरे भी तेरा नाच देख कर शोर मचा दे
कोयल भी डाल पर बैठी मीठा मीठा गीत सुना दे
ऐ ऊचे अम्बर में रहने वाले बादल, जब तू घन घन बरसे

बारिश में नहाकर बच्चे तो कीचड भरे पानी में कूदने लगे
ज़िन्दगी की परेशानिया भूलने और सब बंदिशे तोड़ने लगे
गरम चाय के संग माँ से पकोड़ो की मांग हम करने लगे
ऐ ऊचे अम्बर में रहने वाले बादल, जब तू घन घन बरसे

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. Langston Hughes

The Beauty of Paris

Paris is often called the “most beautiful”, “most romantic” and the “most artistic” city in the world and I can testify that it did not disappoint us (me and Snneha) when we visited Paris for 8 days last month. When talking about Paris and beauty, it is something very difficult to describe in an article, yet I am going to try. If I have to sum Paris up in one word, it would be “SPECTACULAR”..
 
Eiffel at Night

Eiffel at Night

 

 

What makes Paris spectacular?

 
Art
Everything about Paris is artistic, so well designed that you can’t believe some of the details. The perfect blend of modern technology with art with the keen attention to detail – from the Eiffel Tower to every croissant or cappuccino or chocolate you treat yourself with in its numerous roadside cafes.
Details
Things which we take for granted, and won’t even notice in our own cities are designed with so much attention to detail that will make you stop and stare at them in astonishment. The exact same design of the branches of each tree on Paris streets makes you astonish in wonder – Is that by design? Details, details and details – they are not overlooked in Paris and that is what makes the experience so magical.
Food
If you are a food lover, the choices you will find on Paris streets are endless. From the coffee to the chocolate to the croissants to the cheese, you will be left asking for more every time. The patisseries, the bakeries, the wine shops and open markets all add to its charm. And you can’t leave Paris without tasting their crepes.
Fashion in Paris

Fashion in Paris

People

While heading back to the airport, we decided to go via the Metro and RER. At the interchange, we had 3 big bags of luggage to tug along the many different staircases on the Metro station. At each and everyone of these, we found a local Parisian who voluntarily (without asking) picked one of our suitcases and carried it over the stairs for us. That speaks more than anything else.
Heritage
Paris is a historical city, and how they have preserved their heritage and culture is a lesson to be learned by many other cities. The numerous museums, cathedrals, palaces are icons which are integral to what Paris is. It is not just the tourist attractions, even a glance at the hotels and apartment complexes around Paris will make you realise that there is something unique about them in the way they are designed and constructed.
Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame Cathedral

Fashion
Any description of Paris can be incomplete without Shopping and Fashion. Among the top 4 cities of the world for shopping (along with Milan, New York and London), it is home to numerous global brands like Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, L’Oreal and Sephora, among many others. You can notice the affinity for fashion among its citizens if you take a stroll across any Paris street. And it is not just the younger ones, and a sight sixty year old women in a mini-skirt and with make up all over their face is not uncommon at all.
More to follow..

The Perfect Road Trip

I believe that there is no better way to see and experience the beach, the snow clad mountains, or the plains than from behind a automobile, be it a two or a four wheeler. With every glance of a long weekend, you know the time has come to pack your bags and head off in one or the other direction. Sometimes it is the destination that matters, but most of the times it is the journey that makes the drive worth it. The sheer sensation when you feel the cool breeze turn into chilly winds as you ride up the hills, or the experience of breathing fresh air that you can never find in cities is unmatchable. Needless to say, the best way to experience rain is get out of your vehicle and get drenched.

My idea of a perfect road trip has three components – the vehicle, the company you have and the where and how of reaching your destination.

The Company
If I recall my most memorable trips, it has been because of the people I have for company. The fun I had with my colleagues at Jim Corbett Park in 2006, then with a different set of colleagues at Mashobra in 2008 was unforgettable. My recent trip to Paris with my wife also ranks high up because of the wonderful company I had. It is the company which decides how many memories you will carry back and how you will remember a trip after a few years. My idea of a perfect company could be two – One with a group of friends/family and another with your partner/spouse. One could be about adventure, fun and leg pulling while the other can be about romantic walks and quite evenings. While one can be crazy, the other can be mesmerizing. While one can be loud, the other can be serene. While one can help you feel the thrill of living each moment, the other can remind you of the beauty that is love and to enjoy the various serendipitous moments it might offer.

The Scorpio can be your ideal vehicle for a drive up the Himalayas

The Scorpio can be your ideal vehicle for a drive up the Himalayas

The Destination and the Journey
The second most important component to any trip is the where and how to reach there. Precisely, where is the destination that one is heading to, and how are you going to reach there? Sometimes it is the destination that builds the whole excitement, like Paris yet at other times it is the journey and the path you take to your destination which builds up all the excitement. My perfect journey would be from Delhi to Leh by road. One could take the route from Srinagar while going and return via Manali, experiencing the best of the Kashmir and Himachal. The drive through some of the most beautiful and scenic mountain ranges, and the thrill of seeing cliffs on one side is a sight not to be missed. The fresh air, the clean and cold water flowing in the form of rivers and small rivulets which turn into waterfalls at every fall will make you imagine the scene even while reading this. The stopping at various photo points, interacting with locals and knowing their culture all adds to the experience of the journey. The Himalayas let us soak and absorb its beauty into our soul, and not just our external senses, and that is what makes a trip to Leh from Delhi the perfect road trip ever.

The Vehicle
After you have finalized on the destination, the route and the people whom you are traveling with, the last (but not the least) important component of a great journey is deciding on your vehicle. The above two components have a big say in deciding what kind of vehicle you choose. There is a altogether different kind of fun in going together in a bus (with a group) or in a small hatchback or sedan if it is just the two of you. My ideal vehicle would be a SUV which can be multi-purpose and can serve as a private space for the two of you while also as the perfect vehicle for a group. For my dream trip to Leh, a Mahindra Scorpio (which I have had the pleasure to drive on many occasions) would be just the perfect choice. It can navigate the plains with potholes as well as the climb up the mountains on tricky surfaces with equal ease. Apart from the versatility of the Scorpio, the height of the driver gives you a commanding view of the landscape and the road.

Apart from these components, there are other stuff like a navigation device, extra pair of batteries for mobiles and cameras, maps, local currency in cash and the knowledge of the local language goes a long way in eliminating and reducing any discomfort or hiccup we might encounter on the way. To sum it up, nothing could be better than a trip to Leh on a SUV with either your friends or your partner (or both) for company.

तेरे संग एक महीना – Tere Sang Ek Mahina (One Month With You)

ना ही रीता ना ही गीता
अब नहीं दिखती कोई हसीना
पता भी नहीं चला कब बीता
तेरे संग एक महीना

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” ― Dr. Seuss

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
― Dr. Seuss

ना कोई मोती ना कोई हीरा
तू ही है सबसे कीमती नगीना
इतनी जल्दी हो गया पूरा
हमारे मिलन का एक महीना

तेरे प्यार की गर्मी से
बिन मौसम ही आये पसीना
थोडा खेल थोड़ी मस्ती में
निकल गया यह एक महीना

तेरी एक झलक में था मेरा दिल फिसला
तेरे साथ ही है अब तो मरना जीना
पता ही नहीं चला कैसे निकला
तेरे संग यह एक महीना

एक बार जो तुझे अपना लिया
अब छोडूंगा तुझे कभी ना
देखते ही दिल अपना था खो दिया
आज उसे गुम हुए हुआ एक महीना

Why I don’t believe in personal / professional divide?

Throughout my career, I have never believed in keeping separate lives for personal and professional fronts, as people say. One big reason for this might be that I started my career in a startup, and have worked mostly with startups where the work culture and environment was uber-cool and the person sitting next to you was a friend first and colleague later.

There have been times where I have been advised to keep my personal and professional lives separate, and to think and act only professionally while at work. I myself have thought (for a brief duration) that keeping this separation was the way for peak performance, but I have failed miserably whenever I have tried that. In this article I will share my views about why this separation between personal and professional life no longer works. It might have worked a few decades earlier, but in this age of facebook and twitter, I don’t think peak performance is possible if we keep our personal self at home.

1. Sharing our Feelings Bring People Closer
It is no secret that honestly opening up to another person and being authentic about a situation taps to the deepest levels of the listener and helps to forge trustworthy relationships for the future. By sharing something which touches or moves another, we are building bonds of trust which will not only give us a friend but also a colleague who will be fun and easy to work with, and produce greater results.

2. Bring Yourself to Work Fully
Whoever thinks that emotions have no role to play in professional decisions probably has a blind tied over his/her eyes. We can put on a ‘all-work’ mask, but it is only a mask, as our emotions (and the level of comfort and trust) plays a big part in any business decision. We can try to pretend that we will not let our personal lives affect our work and vice versa, but the truth is that they do. People act differently at work depending upon the mood at work, because as human beings, a parent will not stop worrying about their child just because they are in ‘office‘.

3. Leaders are Humans too, and Leadership is not Perfect
Leadership (and leaders) are no longer seen as super humans, who are meant to be admired and respected, and their word followed like a war order. These days, true leaders are seen vulnerable to the same emotions we all are, and they generate more trust and loyalty by being authentic rather than being perfect. If you are late to office because of a personal reason, there is no point in hiding it just for the sake of personal / professional divide.

4. Working with Friends is Always More Fun
Nobody wants to spend 8 hours (the biggest chunk) of our waking lives daily with bozos. Life gets much more interesting when we are doing what we like to do, and with people we like to interact with. Working in a field which excites you in the company of friends makes work so much easier. We all know how difficult passing the eight hours at work becomes when there are just colleagues and no friends. Friends can make time fly by and you won’t even realize you are working. It also raises the productivity level of you as an individual and the team as a whole.

Having said that, this article should not be interpreted as a case for taking your work home or letting personal come in the way of work. What I want to say through the above points is that we can be much more interactive if we see our clients and colleagues as people first, and not stop ourself from understanding or forging a friendship with them just because personal lives must be kept apart (as per popular advice).