Hitchiker’s guide to 2030 shopping

It’s the year 2030 and India is now one of the largest economies of the world. The debatable FDI concept that started as an idea, in the early part of the 20^th century has exploded into a revolution, with retail giants like Walmart,Kroger, Costco, Walgreens, Home Depot and Target desperately competing to have their share of the big Indian retail pie. The desi retail chains have had a major share too. Shoppers Stop and Chrome have partnered with online shopping giants ebay to manage their inventory optimally.

Kalyani, 35 is a housewife and wants to buy her daily household stuff, including milk, cheese, vegetables, toiletry etc. All she has to do is to SMS the list to the nearest retail chain outlet and, the same will be delivered  at her doorstep within 2 hours. Thanks to the six-sigma supply chain of the Amul retail, which assures timely delivery of quality goods. Incase of delays appropriate discounts are provided to her.

Anup, is a regular teenager growing up in a tier-B Indian city. He digs hanging around with friends, and spends mainly on clothes,gadgets,food,movies ,cell phone recharges  and sometimes books.

A company called Yuva Ltd. caters to all the needs of  Anup.With it’s shops set up at all college campuses and tie-ups with partners like airtel ,dominos and myntra.com. Yuva Ltd comes up with custom packages for customers falling in such segment.

The shopping model in the future is going to be hybrid and custom built for the customer. Customers like Anup and Kalyani ,will be able to custom build orders for themselves and that too at very efficient costs.

This might well be the hitchiker’s guide to 2030 J

http://deals.ebay.in/chrome/

Mid-Night Poetry

The quarter of a smile….ohh precious smile……

Where had you been, all this time.

I’d searched for you in the crowded corridors,

Of offices and shopping malls…..In the swimming pool and cinema halls.

You were near,yet so far…..short lived for a while….

The quarter of a smile……ohh precious smile.

One fine day, I found you beside me….in the car as we trudged along….

Humming together our favorite song.

I saw deep in your eyes, which sparkled like the twinkling lights.

It brought hope to me, in a manner which the lighthouses would bring to lost ships at sea.

That moment, I hardcoded in my memory, and came up with this poetry.

Competition entry: http://www.preciousplatinum.in/en/about-platinum/platinum-day-of-love

Deep Sorrow

Seeing savarkar’s father accompanying the doctor outside the aiims hospital, didn’t strike me with awe. I had received the news of his passing away an hour back, it didn’t make me feel sad either. I was secretly happy, for my friend’s suffering had come to an end. 35 days in comma. Lakhs spent as “hope” slyly smiled on their expectations from her.

I fear the lord. I dare not say a word against his divinity, or he might kick my butt in a similar way, I need to fear him, I fail to love him. My emotions seem to have flushed down the drain, I have stopped feeling.

The Buffer theory

Momentum is mass*velocity, Whenever we start solving the mass of our problems quickly, we are said to gain momentum. Be it gaining momentum in our preparations of an exam, or wrapping up unfinished work before going on a long vacation.The Buffer theory states that,
 momentum is a state of mind, a feeling or a certain level of confidence, which the mind has the ability to document in a subconscious buffer. In case we face a situation in the future, the mind has the ability to connect to this buffer of confidence and get into the same level of momentum.
some gyan eh!!. It works at times.

The Giver

When I met the ocean. It roared to me from , behind the walls of the hotel.

I felt as if I was about to be presented before something, or rather someone grand and sacred. Like a king summoning an unknown visitor.I found myself humbled as I admired it from a distance.Huge waves , towered and slapped the rocks with a thunder!! It was bewildering to have imagined the phrase "...a sea of emotions..."(What a magnanimous thing to possess and more to control)...which was now growing inside me.I reluctantly stepped towards the shore, aware of the fact that I was present in front of royalty.
The waves , hit my feet with a gentle force,as if it was the grand sea welcoming the unknown visitor to his territory. It was a good omen. I stood before one of almighty's most  majestic creations ,the sea.
Like an old wise friend he spoke to me, in a deep and strong  voice....
"Calm down my friend...Just calm down.. whroooosh the waves splashed....
"I'm the final destination of unknown rivers, who travel a thousand mile to surrender to me..." whroosh the waves splashed at my feet again.....
"I accept them as they are (their dirt and minerals)..equally and unconditionally...."
For a  moment , I felt like the sea. A similar feeling  we get, when we help someone in need. A feeling that bounds the infinite meaninglessness of life....the feeling of a giver.

The Midas touch

The path is dark, wilderness all around…

A  distance barking dog seems to frown.

The mind lost in qualms, aghast. ……………When it hears a sublime start(of a guitar).

A tune it is that I hold on to…………A jingle of the rock guitar,

Coming from anonymous fingers………… travelling to unknown hearts.

The song has no lyrics, but it whispers wisdom to my soul.

Forming a sync with the thoughts unknown.

Adieus

I quit….for the views were too skewed to wonder….

I quit….for the holy cross bled with thunder ….

The “circum” of the “stances” pushed me to a bottleneck…

Causing great damage and utter wreck….

Thy shalt not mourn old friend of mine…

For the situation here is a bit sublime…..

Farewell!! Fellowmen…my last goodbyes….

Signing off, with a heavy heart and deep sighs.


* PS: this poem is dedicated to Headstrong and my colleagues there.

Follow thy heart...

 “Follow your heart”, is what the final message of all the wisdom in the world is.

Steve Jobs did it. “Stay hungry, Stay foolish” was one of his favorite quotes. Amir Khan is doing it, realizing that he is gifted with success in a field, whereby he can influence a large section of people, coming up with a show that addresses real life problems to the very root. Subhash Chandra Bose did it, when he refused to join the Indian Civil services and dedicating his entire life to the Indian freedom struggle, the history of which does not do justice to his contributions.

As I grow older, I feel the need of following my heart all the more. It’s important for me to do what I really want to do. Of course, it certainly doesn’t mean hurting anyone, (people are becoming less important for me by the day , so I have a confined social circle i.e. small bunch of people who are worth compromising oneself with).

Recently I completed 5000kms of biking. I observed a growing instinct inside me. Being new to the NCR, I’m not aware of all the roads that connect my office to my flat in delhi. Getting stuck in the traffic is the last thing you would want, but it is inevitable in the evenings. The only motivation that keeps me going through the traffic is that, it is the shortest possible distance to my flat. There have been certain days , that out of sheer frustration , I decided to take “the road less travelled”, and it has always been a rewarding experience to find a new route . I try applying the principle of free will to the path that lies ahead of me(while I’m on my bike trying to find a new way). I go by my instinct on every turn. It helps me connect to myself, there are places which are jammed, but I feel like getting inside it’s all instinctive.

This has become a small piece of exercise which I implicitly practice at-least once in 20 days. Like any newbie, I’m nervous and unsure of myself. It’s important to have a good acquaintance with such mental state. There might be graver situations in life, but the feeling of fear and doubt are the same, may be more intense. So I utilize , this exercise to not only get acquainted with such a mental state, but also to help myself come out of it. All it requires is a bit of enthusiasm.

The Travel Blog.

Mountains, valleys, rivers and me….on my bike I drove with thee…
Diving in the abyss, zooming on the highways …..
Stopping on the random shop and the lonely byways (to pee) …
A traveler resides in my soul…which constantly searches for new goals…
where heart meets the head....in harmony with the rest
it swings, it whirls like the movie black pearl...
the pirates,the pistols and the buzzing bee......I'm the etrnal traveler...
of an eternal me.

Delhi is to north, what Bangalore is to south. In terms of location, both these cities lie almost on the same longitude. While Bangalore is a metro, centrally located to South India, same goes for Delhi.

While staying in Delhi, one could plan short car/bike trips to the following places.

West- The Lands of Rajasthan,Gujrat and Haryana lie to the west of Delhi. A weekend trip to Jaipur would be so much fun. Places like Dwarka,Ahemdabad,Jodhpur,Upaidpur,Jaiselmer can be covered over a short vacation. The highways are known to be broad and filled with quality dhabas and eat outs throughout.

South- Nothing much in the South that I have heard of apart from the wonderful six way highway through the Aravalis, connecting Delhi through Faridabad to Chandigarh.

East- Lot many places to explore east of Delhi. Starting from Haradwar, Dehradun,Mussorie, Corbet National Park, which revolves around the tarai region of the river kosi, The eastern terrain extends to Lucknow and Kanpur for an overnight drive. There is two way connectivity. First one being through the legendary grant trunk road, which passes through cities of Aligarh and bareily to reach luck now. But I will not advise this route , since most of the road is broken by heavy trucks and is Jammed most of the times. A surer alternative is the brand new six lane Yamuna Expressway, that starts from Greater Noida, runs parallel to the Yamuna river and ends up in Agra. Imagine spending an ideal weekend by a young couple, celebrating their brand new car on a smooth drive to the adobe of Romance. A definite thing on my bucket list. Another route would be through Mathura,Agra,Etawa,Kanpr,Lucknow. The Highway is in a very good condition, just for the sole reason of being under Mulayam Singh Yadav’s constituency who made sure that roads in his area were good.

Finally North- There are lot many places to visit, North of Delhi. Starting off from Himachal Pradesh, which happens to be one of the most beautiful regions of the country. Mountains here one of the highest and home to places like Shimla and Manali. The land of Punjab and J&K lie beyond this. Places like Amritsar,Kashmir,Leh,Jammu and Chandigarh are some not be missed by the travel freaks.

Being in delhi also gives you a chance to plan a trip to the Holy Vaishno Devi temple and Ajmer Sharif shrine.Not to forget, Delhi itself is home to so many national museums and monuments. As a student , I had explored the region east of delhi extensively, but as for the other places around delhi, the Juice is definitely worth the squeeze J