my visit to a BANK...

It seems life is totally into giving me some really tough experiences these days. Although today was my second visit to the terrific world of Indian Government’s
Bank services(would prefer leaving out the name of the bank here to avoid any legal controversies :D), I realized that my patience level had yet not reached the scale required to handle this bizarre world.

All thanks to my friend Navdeep without “exclusive” whose support and cooperation I would never have been able to go through this exciting journey.
Well actually it was due to some speculative decision of hers which gave us the opportunity to get a feel of this interesting site. LOLzzz

I have quite candid memories of my very first visit to a bank as well.

All thanks to the splendid ATM machines and their defects which helped me get a feel of this significant creation of mankind to help them out in managing the green bills.
The two visits to this domain were in two different states. The first one was in my hometown and the second in the place located near our college premises.
Although the two places are far apart in all aspects, former being in a capital city while the latter in almost near to a village, I did not find much of a difference in the environs of the banks located at these locations.
So without making this introduction rather too boring let me move on to the exquisite details of the fantabulous Indian Government’s Bank services.

The foremost thing you would notice when you enter a bank is ample number of counters each with a long queue of people. Every individual standing in these queues wears an expression of either a killer ready to stab the person sitting behind the table if given a chance by God’s grace, or of the most frustrated being with all the world’s burden on his or her shoulders.
Most often and a large majority is of the second category,if standing on the Indian terrain.
Moving on to the other important observation which I made while myself falling prey to this category of people and waiting in the queue was, there is a cash counter which has this machine to count the number of notes and put them into bundles of the specified count. Although the machine is in a perfectly good condition and I hope would be giving the correct count, the person sitting on the counter counts the notes again to clarify and avoid any mistakes. Now this should give every Indian an opportunity to boast upon the fact that we have one of the most hardworking and dedicated crew working for us and our money is definitely in safe hands.
I would not like to miss onto one of the most important persons in the arena, the Peon. Honestly speaking, if it was not for him, most of our works would not have been on or say a little over the time. Even though he makes the worst of blunders of confusing a person named “Jawahar Singh” as “Gawar Singh”, he is the one and only person whom you can look forward to for any help. And most of the times he is helpful enough to get your work done within hours which might otherwise had taken days, or even months.
The last thing which I observed there would be counted as a feelgood factor for many of us, including myself;
Out of all the people standing there in the expanse, almost 50 percent people are unaware and are not very acquainted with the procedures and operations of the proceedings of a bank.
So next time you have to visit this workplace, which might be the first visit for some, I hope this information helps or or to the least it would definitely help you keep your calm.

And in the end,all I would like to say is “NO OFFENCE PLEASE!!!”.

But I could not keep myself from sharing the go-throughs of my extremely wonderful visit to this super place.

HEAVEN ON EARTH…HAVE WE LOST IT??

Yes its true...there does exist a heaven on our very own planet earth. Or should I correct my statement by changing it to the past tense. Well I leave that upon you until you reach the end of this article…

I have never been to this paradise. But I have heard its name time and again from my father. He goes all praise for the magnificent beauty which nature has bestowed upon this piece of land situated in the foot of Himalayas.

Kashmir…its not just any other hillstation. The charm of this divine abode has been attracting travellers right from the mughal times. The very famous Dal lake, the ravishing valleys lapped by the silver stream of Jhelum and its tributaries, picturesque houseboats, the heart of Kashmir; Gulmarg, the charming gardens with dozens of delicious apples and the list is boundless literally. Even the recitation of the allure of this Eden is beyond the powers of any spectator.

Why then is such a divine gift from the almighty to the human race being fought upon?
Why is this heavenly kingdom which should have been praised by mankind been reduced to a mere piece of land…
Such a land which only reminds every person today of disputes and conspiracies.
The scenario of Kashmir at date really leaves me wondering.
Is it the greed of mankind that has grown to such a limit or the morale which has gone down to an abyss.
Every other day the newspapers are painted with rise in the degree of atrocities with which the beauty of this paradise is being strangled.

Each one of us irrespective of our religions pray to the superpower that rules us, to grant a place in his heaven which actually nobody has witnessed, after we die.
What about this present which already has been blessed upon mankind to witness…feel and enjoy. Instead of being thankful to God for such a glorious gift, everyone is engrossed in gratifying their own demands.
Is the official possession all that holds important. If we cannot adore the glory of this heavenly paradise, at least just let it be.

The land of Kashmir still awaits the advent of that auspicious day. The day when the buds wont shy away from blooming, the day when the innocent souls living there will no longer be surrounded by arms and militants, the day when we would be able to witness and hear cute and chirpy laughter of children instead of bewilderment.
The day when not only the Indians but the entire world will stand by its side to protect this nirvana from the devils trying to rob away its glory.
AMEN……

FINAL YEAR BLUES

The pyramid of final year responsibilities had started taking shape during the days of our last summer vacations of the college life itself, most of which was spent completing our internships. I must admit the training did  commence with us stepping into the respective companies or institutes with bags which possessed some pens and notebooks  in them. The few initial days were definitely spent gathering knowledge and taking ‘ interest’ in the industrial environment which was a totally new experience for most of us. But then as the days passed and we substanciated that we had to spend 8 weeks(conditions applied ;))under the same modus operandi, the bags started shrinking for the writing material, the tea breaks which earlier used to witness budding entrepreneurs soon enough got a taste of pakka engineers  and the after hours which were spent revising the on job training tutorials were being purposefully invested in the shopping complexes and food joints .Finally after going through all this rigour, we did endure our summer internship successfully.

Then came the first day of our final year quest. We stepped into the campus all stuffed with the enormous feelings of “the seniormost students” in campus. Somewhere   though,in the nook of our minds loaded with numerous querries related to ,the most important target now to be for us “placements”.

The 7^th semester henceforth began with the bash of friendship day party, moving further to one of the most awaited intracollege fests “Engineers’ Day”, and  of course the diwali break after strugging our ways out of the two, now not so important aspects of our lives “midterms”.

Vacations ended and slowly we fourth yearites began to get a feel of the scheduled final year blues coming our way.

The notice board had already started heating up the environment for us.

“ATTENTION

 B.TECH FINAL YEAR”

These few words were enough  to give those butterflies in the stomach and warm up the environment for the fourth yearites.

The subject of these notices kept changing and everytime giving new jhatkas to us especially the deadline factor I would say. 

Well that is so much like engineering grads…so no regrets

All’s well that ends well and it does work out, to end well for the b.tech students and if by any chance it doesn’t, we can always make it happen.

Yes I am definitely obliged to this system of graduation called engineering which has made every individual who belongs to it…masters in the art of slogging.

And with this potent weapon in our hands we got through with another one of our semesters.

But  this time it did not have to end here. There was this goliath called “PLACEMENTS” awaiting us with open arms.

When the entire college campus was in a festive mood for Christmas and New Year preparing to take the first flight back home, we, the final year people were gearing up to take another and the most crucial challenge of our lives, head on.

The placement season began with the so-called ‘personality development’ workshop , courtesy one of the companies, where we ended up making paper t-shirts and playing the pipe and marble game. Well we were being imparted the values of team work.

The fight started with the well known names belonging to the Indian as well as global IT zone coming to our campus one by one.

  Soon enough most of the students were able to grab a place for them in one or the other troupes.

By the time the earth was going to enter the new revolution cycle and after a few days eventually, most of the 4^th year students had been successful in securing a job for themselves.

Hence began the 8^th  and the last semester of our college life with a bash of joy and excitement. 

This entire experience did leave me with a lifetime conclusion and that I would carry with me forever…..

Everything turns out to be fine by the end…if it does not, then that is not the end…PICTURE ABHI BAKI HAI MERE DOST!!!

And another one...the most important...ENGINEERS ROCK!!! 

PULSATORS......

Pulsators is the name given to a bunch of  highly, in fact I wont be exaggerating even if I quote them as ‘OVER’ enthusiastic, funny and amusingly peculiar people persuing engineering at present. This species happens to be one of the most  baffled ones and definitely one of their kind existing on the planet earth. The current location of this group is at laxmangarh.

This must  be considered as a warning from me that these days they are busy plotting plans of moving out and having fun which can be rather dangerous for the society.

The  threat is not only to the people around but also to the various monuments and public places.

Reason being that once they visit a place, the concerned domain gets so attached, addicted would be a better word, with them that it becomes  awefully difficult to let them go.

Now you might be wondering how do I know so much about the pulsators??

Well to be very frank I fell into the trap of these pulsators some three years back and now it has become so hard to even imagine my life without these bunch of idiots.

And I have to admit that now I am as well an inseparable component  of this  peculiar species.

I honestly don’t know how am I going to move on in my life some months from now.

These amazing creatures which are formally designated as ‘friends’ have helped me become what I am today. They taught me the true worth of the words like caring, helping, sharing, and not to miss out…teasing…which used to be just vocabulary for me before I stepped into their arena.

The memories of the times spent together have been etched deep enough in the minds and hearts of each of the pulsators for time to erase them.

The late night chats, the fights over Maggie, bluff games, DJ parties, the birthday bumps in the mud pools of college streets and the innumerable and never ending photo sessions will always be there in my psyche as the most cherished part of my life.

After going through this detailed description of this species, I think the readers must have got a fair enough idea of the extent of risk it is to meet them even once in your lifetime.

Once they are in…they are in…there is nothing stopping them in grabbing this huge space in your hearts.

So  people………                BEWARE !!!!!  

SOMEONE THAT COUNTS…

Vote for me now!

“What a piece of work man is!!! How noble in reason… how infinite in faculty; in form and moving how express and admirable! …In action how like an angel…In apprenhension how like a god” –William Shakespeare. 

Each one of us is the most beautiful and extra-ordinary work of the almighty. Every human being has been created with a cause. All we need to do is to peep within ourselves and find out the task that has been assigned to us.

Well, this is no philosophy lesson I tend to impart here. It is a fact of which every one is aware and if by any chance is not, its high time you were told this. So,let us discover the real “you”…

We all posess  a whole lot of characteristics and surely some exceptional traits in us which make us different from the others. Each individual is different and has  every right to stand out in the crowd. But the biggest question which staggers is …why then is it only some of us or in fact not even a handful who are competent enough make a mark….to be called “someone that counts”???

The answer to this lies in the acceptance of the most fundamental truth that….it is only this handful who acknowledge their gifts and utilize them with joy, pride and an honest devotion.

Human beings have this (I must emphasize) very awful tendency of delving into the lives of others. They love spending time counting upon the qualities which have been bestowed upon their counterparts instead of realising the value of ‘their own potentials.’

All of us tend to ignore the gifts, talents, achievements, successes and good works  which compose our “SELF IMAGE.” To begin with …

You have a name that belongs to one and only person , ‘you’…”THAT COUNTS”. So strive hard enough to keep up the honour and respect that this name is entitled to.

The  family which holds to your very existence….”THAT COUNTS”. Be proud to introduce yourself as a part of it even if you belong to the most modest background  and never  shy away from the responsibilities you owe to them.

Your  group of friends who have stood by your side through the dark and bright days of your life…...”THAT COUNTS”. Friends play a major role in shaping and enhancing the real ‘you’. Reach out to them whenever you need advice to make an important decision or when they need yours, for, they’ll always be there for you and certainly do not forget to be there for them.  

You have enough strengths, talents and good attributes….”THAT COUNTS”. Always focus on your potentials instead of your limitations. It would always be the potentials you count upon  which would steer you towards your destiny and never the latter.

The dreams which you have had all these years…..”DEFINITELY COUNT”. Never  ever give up upon them. Think big, dream many dreams and dream them big. For , its only those who have many big dreams, at least make some of them come true.

So, begin to live now, and stop just existing. Start digging deep inside yourself and unravel the mysteries that have always been there within you but  have lied unknown. And do not forget to keep a count of the presents which you have been blessed with, because they would be the stepping stones in your journey of making thou self “SOMEONE THAT COUNTS”…       

SARI UMRA HUM,MAR MARKE JI LIYE…EK PAL TO AB HUME, JEENE DO JEENE DO…..

Vote for me now!

Remember this phrase??...Does it remind you of something??... I am sure most of you must have retraced the movie “3 idiots” from your cluster of grey cells by now.

It was not only the circumstance of Farhaan, where the father decides “mera beta engineer banega ” even before the child  opens  his eyes to witness the sunshine or feel the first raindrops; the story of Farhaan  depicts the fate of many students today.

Most of the crew aboard on the so-called generation next cruise suffer  from the malfunction of “UNFULFILLED DREAMS”.

 Be it the need of the rat-race hour or the pressure from our parents, we have to succumb to the situation and forgo our beautiful childhood aspirations in the hands of reality.

Every year with the advent of the 10^th board result, begins the tragic saga of a large majority of students of our country. This is the very first checkpoint of our “well-designed” education system which creates divisions in every peer group as follows…

·         90% & above-science stream

·         75 to 85%-arts

·         Rest-commerce

What-so-ever be our ambitions or dreams, the sections have already been designed by our forefathers and the tradition hence continues.

The decision therefore has been taken even before we realise, and the only option left with us, is to stop cribbing and get to work as soon as possible.

It definitely takes some time for most of us to accept the situation but finally we relinquish and as time passes we learn to slog. With low but surely some spirits left within us we take up this challenge and start the journey of “no excellence, only gain”. The one and only mission leftover in our lives is then to  gain marks and end up doing a job which helps us fulfill not only the basic necessities of life(roti,kapda aur makaan) but also to keep up to the standards of the high society be it on the cost of our lifelong happiness. 

This again categorises the youth into two broad sections…

The certain proportion of youngsters who are not able to cope up and find suicide as their respite.

While there is this  another   group who certainly do not take up any such drastic measures and keep carrying the burden. But after a certain extent, even their conscience starts begging for the permission of euthanasia.

Hence the biggest question still remains unanswered…..

When are we…..the coolest tagged generation of all times going to make “THE BIG GESTURE???”…

And when finally will we throw down the gauntlet upon these  age old traditions so that we get back the freedom to spread out our wings and fly….

Direct Dil Se...

Life is like the sand castles we build by the sea shores.

We implement the best ideas and invest all our efforts and time building the lovely castle bit by bit. It requires a lot of patience and tremendous hardwork to mould the wet sand lying by the shore  into the palace of our dreams. Every step we take, every window or tower we place has to be handled with caution. And  while we are busy constructing it, splaaashhhh…..suddenly the waves come, uninvited, shattering all our dreams and dilapidating the beautiful piece of work.

This is the time when god puts us to test. He tests our perseverance, our determination.

This is the moment which actually gives birth to both failures and successes. The failures are those who take the easier way of giving up on the idea of taking the challenge to start the work all over again, while successes, though need immense courage of beginning the task knowing that they might end up with a broken castle at any point of time, do have the fortitude to give it one more try.

Life, which has been quoted as the toughest taskmaster, does not take the guarantee for any move we make in it. It never comes with the assurance of even awarding us with the tiniest bit of reward which we anticipate for ourselves.   

And there are times, we all would admit when we get the most gratifying gifts from life which are least expected by us.

It is a package filled with umpteen number of sweet and sour surprises for us. Until we open this present, we cannot get a taste of it.

Life gives us smiles and also gives us tears, not to dishearten or discourage, but to make sure that we understand the importance of every grin that spreads across our lips.

It always tries to maintain a balance so that we value the happiness or achievements which come to us and do not take them for granted.

Hence the mantra goes something like “NEVER TAKE A FAILURE TO YOUR HEART AND A SUCCESS TO YOUR HEAD”

You never know what life has in store next, for you.