I will remember this!

On Board the aircraft SpiceJet 282                                                      18^th June, 2013

                                I am writing this piece several thousand feet above the sea level. People say they are on cloud nine. A peep round the corner of my window reminds me that I am typing my mind to my laptop screen sitting on top of more clouds than nine. Nature’s beauty, in view now, is taking me to joy which know no bounds. So, what better time could I have to do what I really like doing. Here I am narrating what I am going through on this plane.

First let me tell you people where I am heading to from Chennai; it is to Ahmedabad for a 4 day seminar on entrepreneurial excellence for young entrepreneurs at IIM-A. I got this lucky opportunity through our business’ banker ICICI. This seminar is organised by them in a tie-up with the IIM faculty to explore and educate on tackling the challenges of entrepreneurship and businesses. ICICI gets to invite few from each zone to the conclave. I believe my father’s excellent rapport with the bank and their trust on him might have got me this chance. Enough said about why I am on this flight. There is far too much happening here, so why am I not moving onto the niceties around me right now.

I entered on board wondering if boredom would catch me like it often does while travelling alone; sat down on my seat 29A at the tail of the aircraft. This being a noon flight on a weekday, the flight wasn't full. The seats next to me went unoccupied. That perfectly suited the idea to blog with only loneliness around. The take off had just happened and I have typed the first few paragraphs since. The fully stretched view of marina’s shores from here is breathtaking. Chennai can be, indeed, so beautiful too. I am now looking down on the clouds. It is quite different from usually looking up to see them. I see its shadow falling down on the city from what they call a top view in engineering classes. Each shadow likened its respective cloud exactly in shape like a mirror image. I see that they are the only shades to save Chennai for the scorching sun.  

I am now allowed to take my seat beats off. I immediately rush to the lavatory to answer to nature’s call.

I am back. As sit down, I glance at the air-hostess as she brings water. Well, if anybody has the obvious question that I had, the answer is that no one looks good. SpiceJet it is; so, not much to expect. I am now reminded of being on Emirates for a family trip to Europe; they were how air-hostess should be indeed.

We are on cruise mode now. The crew start their food delivery. The food tray comes close to my seat.  I expect it to be complimentary and ask for what juice they have on offer. The hostess says lemon; I take it with a smile in reply to hers. She looks at me and says ‘30’. I had no option but to dish out 30 from my wallet though I didn't need the drink because I would have else looked so dumb. ‘oh no, 30 for two sips of lime water?!!’, I questioned myself. ‘Budget Airline’, I answered my question too.    

The best part of conservative Indian families is, they never lose an opportunity to cut the odd extra expense. I had chapattis packed for lunch as rolls. I now take a break from typing to eat it. It is 1 hour into the flight time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.

10 minutes has passed by since, and all the chapattis are into my stomach. I have felt this feeling and it has been proved by science too. Every time after hunger’s quest is answered, mind takes its break too and dozes off.  What better example than our memories of attending classes after lunch in school and college.  So, I am wondering what I type now.

My mind takes it time and goes to Ahmedabad. It feels uncomfortable of the fact that it has to wage a battle with its supposedly powerful IIM counterparts. Lack of confidence is not something to feel bad of. Everybody goes through that feeling on and off. Although we try to keep it up always, it rocks to the bottom for no apparent reason or the reason of a false fear. I talk my mind through it and say it will do fine there. It doesn't agree and keeps questioning me. I then cast my mind back to the pleasant experiences it has had. It smiles in return and says, ’bring it on’.

By this time, I have lost my ability to hear partially. My wondering thoughts bring me close to the time for descending to Ahmedabad. I am asked to switch off all my electronic devices and open up my window sheet. I am saving this now. I will get back to complete the story.

IIM-A campus Management Development Centre      Room No. 57           22^nd June, 2013  

Four days have gone by since, and it has been an amazing time. The programme had people from diverse businesses; all fresh from starting their own or taking over from their fathers'. I was thrilled to be part of it all. The networking we had was very important and good. Listening from IIM professors, the lessons on management was nothing short of an overwhelming experience. With no real management experience, I was pleasantly surprised to see myself being so participative in the class to the questions of the professors. It sure gave me confidence for my career ahead. At least, it gave me a feeling that I belonged to that coveted group of the best.

A campus tour around IIM-A left me in awe given the beauty of it all. To think this is where India’s top minds come from made my presence unbelievable. I leave this place fully knowing I have had one of the best experiences of my life in the last four days.

I am not sure what I intended to convey through this write-up, maybe the happenings of an air-travel initially; but at the end of it all, the very feeling of living a dream made me finish the way I did to savour the experience for a long professional career ahead; hopefully one that will end successful, satisfied and peaceful.  

Wish me luck,

nagapps-the-entrepreneur

I like being single...

This is such a pleasure. He would be seeing Switzerland on a blackboard; she would be admiring her pretty face on a utensil. While he would, actually, be at his classroom listening to mundane lectures and she would be washing her cooking vessels.Yes, I am talking about this four-lettered feeling, love. Isn't it such a pleasure?!!!

A lot has been said about it. Heaps of poems, loads of stories and as many as uncountable novel numbers have explored this feeling. Yet, a lot still remains unsaid about love. That is the magic of this feeling. 

I once heard Tamil speaker Barathi Baskar say, "Poets, writers and invariably all creators are beggars to love in order to make a living." How true..!

I could try and put to words how does it feel like to be in love. But, I know I would miserably fail to do justice even. No, I am not a poor writer; such is the feeling, words hardly help. 

Yet, I shall try and put forward my one-liner on love. It is simple and complex; It is as light as a feather and as strong as rock. I am sorry, the line is as lame as it gets. Cliched by any standards. But I will stick with that definition; cliches are cliches for a reason.

Having said what I have about being in love, I wonder why I have never felt an urge to fall into a marital love yet. After serious soul-searching, here I am blogging on it.

To start with, marital love is not something someone goes on a hunt for. It happens without a reason for a reason. While I totally endorse that viewpoint, there needs to be an urge from within for that happening to happen. The lack of which is what I am debating myself on.

If you are already thinking that I have no taste for beauty nor do I like the idea of love, you can't be more wrong. No one can escape the feeling of love; and I am no exception. That's the very feeling that made me a writer-creator, if you readers acknowledge I am one. 

So I feel love yet I like to be single. How do I explain your next obvious question which is, "why the hell would you not want to have a girl friend?"   

True love often is not seen in a human figure. It is always around; in the air, somewhere there. Just that small-minded mankind tries to give a definitive shape to what is everywhere. 

I have often witnessed how even honest love vaporizes once we bottle up such a magnanimous feeling of love into a confined entity. What happens is, we get bored of seeing it in the same form; and end up targeting our emotional baggage of life to that bored and fed up entity which we call the only love. 

Love is forgotten to be in nature, in God, in good music, in language. These are not something we ever get bored of, the reason being they are all formless and everywhere.

Its hard to blame human beings for being human and feeling love in human forms alone. After all, even religion gives us a figure shape for God to make us follow. That is religion understanding what mindset humans are made of. No human is an exception to not be human. Certainly not I; so I will fall to the trap of figurative love too one day. But I would know at the back of my mind, love has other different forms too. 

So maybe as I feel love already as different entities, there is no real urge for me to pick a girlfriend as yet. That is keeping me waiting for an arranged marriage where I shall open up all the bottled love sourced from the other forms of life to my special her. Marriages are made in heaven; I shall leave my choice and destiny to the God I love through my parents. I cannot stop myself from quoting my favourite poet Kannadasan here to compliment my argument,"Manaivi amaivathellam iraivan kodutha varam". 

When I have told friends that I like to be single and gave the reason that I have given above, people have asked if figurative beauty hasn't attracted me at all. To them I replied, there was never a moment when I have let feminine beauty go unnoticed from my eyes. I enjoy beauty in all forms, the beauty possessed by my opposite sex tops the list of all. I only maintain that, it doesn't make me a candidate to fall in love with one such. 

I agree that love affairs initiated by a strong mutual liking to physical appearances have gone on to become epic ones. I understand mutual admiration to beauty and lust are the much needed fodder for love to take firm roots. I believe, only lust can form the medium to make the two into one, both physically and psychologically. Lust is like the oxidant on the tip of a match stick which gives the ever-lasting fire of love. 

So I have nothing against being committed, it is just that I like being single.

I also feel it is important to be single for a considerable while, because it helps develop a craving sense of affection to the partner we are to find. I often get the idea that the feeling of love is something that is definite. The human mind needs to have a cause for exhibiting love. I say mind, and not heart; because heart can pour indefinite love. But unfortunately, it is the mind that controls human activities in most cases for most individuals. Mind likes playing tit for tat. It argues why should I smile when she stares. So, that is when this being-in-single-time comes in handy. It makes us feel the importance of a companion and value the relationship. That is when the heart unknowingly takes over the mind to make sure it gets the love it desperately wants.

The when-am-I-going-to-find-my-one and who-is-going-to-be-the-one feelings are also a thrilling part of being single. Trust me, there is nothing like falling in love. And so, there is nothing like having to wait for it.

So, I shall happily live with being single for now. This is also a feeling that should be enjoyed as much as the feeling of being in a relationship. 

For committed detractors who think we are to be pitied I end by saying, 'Sorry, we are having a blast; by feeling love in all that we sense.'

Cheers,

the-happily-single-vikinagapps!!!