kid

We are so swamped with work and satisfying others that we have forgotten ourselves.
The kid inside us has died or got forgotten.
We are acing in our professional life and fulfilling everyone else’s needs.

We should feel good about ourselves or act like that little kid who wants to break free and act crazy. It will make us more creative, and we will battle our failures and frustrations with more force.

How many of Socrates, Aryabhatta, or Van Gogh would have died because of this? We should not let it die. We are a few lucky ones.

Bhoot Bangla

I was told several stories about “bhoot bangla” since I grew up.
Our parents insisted that we avoid that broken bungalow at all costs. Everybody had their story about “bhoot bangla.” The broken house sits in the center of Andheri in Mumbai.
It has survived 70 years like this.
Nobody knows the original owners, but everyone has a story.

My grandpa told us about the mad saheb who lived in that house during British Raj. One night he was shot by a revolutionary. The police caught the killer and burnt him alive. The ghost of mad saheb is all around, and it’s his soul all around the bungalow scaring mare mortals.

My uncle grew up listening to another tale.
After independence, when the Britishers left, the bungalow was bought by some Gujarati Seth. He had a daughter in her early 20’s. She fell in love and eloped with her Bihari servert. The angry Seth got everyone from the poor chap’s family killed. After a few months, the kid came and burnt the entire bungalow killing everyone. That is why nobody comes forward for the ownership.

The only part I like about the bhoot bungalow is that in the concrete jungle in Andheri. We have a green belt with lots of trees.

learn


We don’t need to go out of our way to learn about life. We have people around us, and seeing and learning makes us better. We don’t have to go out or pay for some classes. These people around us motivate us and make us strive for the best. Every single minute we are learning.

The journey of life is small. It does not matter who becomes our guide. Our society has wasted enough dividing society by caste, age, or race. These divisions are a result of limited thinking. We have to grow up, accept to learn from everyone.

Insecurity

Has human insecurity resulted in consumerism? We want to look good, so we paint ourselves. But who defines: good or ugly? The fairness and whitening lotions. The anti-aging cream or artificial hair treatment. Is it, not an industry running on insecurity?

In the end, what matters is who you are inside. This look, Instagram followers, everything will fade with time. Why can we not be ourselves as we are? Our mental well-being should be the priority, not what others think about us.

lucky

Are we not lucky to have all body parts functioning?
Are we not blessed to have all our loved ones around?
Are we not lucky that we don’t have to bother about daily bread?
Are we not lucky to be a few with skills in reading and writing?

Our life is joyful with an abundance of simple things in life. It is who we run like headless chickens changing the goalpost of our wants.

Our needs are simple, and a few lucky ones have it. But most of us get into trouble with running after unlimited wants.

leader

A leader’s job requires them to lead from the front.
They are the first line of defense.
A leader is a walking culture for their organization.
Unfortunately, with an excess of capital in the market, these rules have been forgotten. Nowadays, leaders hire culture inspectors. So the DNA of an organization gets transitioned from a leader to an employee.

I have no clue if and how it has worked for organizations. The team expects a leader to guide, not someone else. Adversity and success both come through in the journey. It is not for some hired employees to navigate through this but for the leader.

waqt

Kho jate hai hum khud me itne ki har waqt har lamha gujar zata hai Chand Minto mae. Hum phir waqt ko yaad karne lag zate hai. Wo bhule bichre palo ko jab hum masoom the, Jab duniya ki koi fikr nai the hame, Jab dunya hamare ab is waqt me the.

Hum itne mashgool ho ga hai ab is zamane me ki apne ko bhul Gaye hai. Bhage ja rahe hai kuch pane ke chaah liye. Waqt waqt me waqt ke hue za rahe hai be waqt.

Kya the hum bachpan me, kya the hamare zarurate. Kaise hamne sabkuch inte zaldi ruswa kar diya. Kya phir hum us bachpaan me Jake un dino me ze sakte hai kya bhala. Kya hum khud me phir se kho za sakte hai kya Bina kise ka parwah kiye.

responsible

Who is responsible for your life decisions, emotions, and well-being? Is it, not you? Then why do we get angry over the actions of others? Why do we end up becoming someone else’s punching bag? Is it because we lean into all this?

Are we going to bring change in this world when we are living life without owning it ourselves?

Every action of ours, our thoughts, and decisions: personal and professional, we own it. This is the only way we can survive in this world.

rules

Rules are societal sticks to make us all live like a herd. We are told what to do or not. What to wear, who to marry, and what not. It’s like we are born, and then our life and decisions are dictated by others.

We are a generation taught how to live risk-averse. The template of life is set : birth -> study -> job -> marriage -> loan(car, home) -> copulate -> die

What is the thrill of such a life when your inner self is locked? You are dancing to the tunes of others. How is it different than living in a prison?

Most innovation and societal changes happened when a few decided to go against the odds.

In short: breaking the rules. Now it is on you to decide what you are living for society/slavery/self.