Month: January 2016

A day in Udvada

At a backlane in Udvada

Ever wanted to travel back in time?

You no longer have to wait for a mad scientist to work on a time machine. All you need to do is pack you bags, dump them in a car and drive about 200 odd KMs to this place called Udvada.

Once you reach there, you are sort of teleported to a different era where the buildings look as old as time itself. In fact the very concept of time seems to be a mirage as it moves so slow that you cant seem to notice the change.

Empty houses line up winding lanes that have more curves than they have on the mountains (except the lane in the pic on the left). Though the houses are replete with signs of life – the odd light bulb is hanging in the porch, the rooms beyond the porch are lit up, allowing light to escape through the tinted glass windows, the reclining chairs are placed strategically at an angle that allows you to gaze at the lane and yet keep you in shade and other such numerous things and yet, and yet you cant see a single person!

Except those two old Parsi uncles – an old man of about 70 and his father, who’s may be 90 – that just gaze at other people pass by. Their gaze is as indifferent as if they were looking at a herd of goats clawing at patches of grass on the neighbors’ land. May be we are all indeed goats in the larger scheme of things?

Anyhow, so, there is nothing much to do at Udvada except walk the lanes, click pictures, marvel at lavish houses, get astonished at the fact that such a peaceful, rustic, quaint place could house the holiest site for an influential religion. Because all other religious places tend to be a loud celebration of the religion, melee of confusion, dotted by scroungers hoping to find patrons and fat priests, hungrier than the beggars.

Oh I had to talk about this sooner. So, Udvada houses the Atash Behram (the holy fire temple for the Parsis) and is one of just eight such places in the whole of world. Apparently the fire’s been burning since 1742 and is the oldest continuously burning fire in the world. The lore goes that the fire is a gathering of 16 types of fires and the Parsis go great lengths to preserve the sanctity of the fire. If you are not a Parsi, you can NOT go in. Tip: No, you cant bribe the guard. And no no no. You can NOT pose as a Parsi and go in to satiate your curiosity.

I am no expert on organized religion but its fascinating to see the extent people push themselves to be able to attach meaning to things that even the modern science has been unable to explain (for example, life and meaning of things).

At Udvada, apart from the holy fire, there is a rocky beach lined with dark soil that is not really inviting. Could be skipped, unless you love sunsets. Or sunrises. Or the number of likes that the photos you click get on Facebook and Twitter. Then there is this huge cricket ground and a football ground that could very well be among the most postcard-picture perfect grounds in the country. Tip: Click a nice one of the ground and you will get more than average likes!

There are a few restaurants that serve authentic Parsi food, which is a delight even to a vegetarian egg-etarian like me (in fact, I am told a Parsi takes his eggs very seriously and an egg is an important part of his cuisine). So do try to have at least one meal at either the Globe or the Ashishwang – we did not go to either – they did not really invite us in.

Not just the restaurants, I got stared down by a lot of other people while I was there. It could be my fault to have intruded in their private place or it could have been my looks. I am not sure but they definitely were not welcoming – which is not a great thing. I was initially confused about uncalled for, unprovoked unfriendly stares but once I got over the confusion and realized that most non-Parsis are greeted similarly, I was ok with it. I have been in more hostile situations and I’ve been trained to get over the nagging feeling. Tip: Do not enter a who-blinks-first. If however you do, please tell me of the outcome.
 
To defend the trip as a food-laden experience, we did stop at Atithi and at Ahura en route to Udvada and Mumbai respectively. Both the places have been recommend by Rocky and Mayur of HOMP fame. The
egg-cutlet with Salli (potato sticks, grated fine and deep fried) was amazing and I’d never had anything like that ever. VG ate some dishes made with chicken and other animals and the dishes were apparently so delicious that we got them packed for our onward journey. I
would’ve gone back to Atithi and Ahura if I were a foodie. Since these restaurants are commercial establishments, the waiters were nice to us and made the dining experience great, reinforcing my belief that economics is what moves the world! Tip, Google search for Atithi and Ahura before you set off. They are not too tough to miss while you are driving down the well-maintained highway.

To summarise, before I went to Udvada I had my doubts but thanks to VG, I went and I loved it. While I loved to walk through the town and soak in the scenes and smells and sounds and all that, I am not sure if I would want to live there. But I do wish I could go back there with a genuine, authentic Parsi some day and enjoy it like the insiders!

In terms of Experience, the trip was a 4 on 5.

In terms of Accessibility, I’d say 4 on 5. Once you cross the Thane Toll Naka, you are on a national highway (NH 8) and thus is a pretty smooth ride. You have to take a left from a certain point and then the road becomes a State Highway and starts reminding you of Goa. Trees line up the road and sunlight plays hide and seek with you as you drive down the narrow and yet well-laden road.

The Cost has to be a 3 on 5. Affordable. In all, we would’ve spent about 2000 bucks on fuel, 2000 bucks on eating and a 3000 rupee-a-night resort. Expensive but then, what else do you expect from two old men trying to escape discover life?

Signing off!
Saurabh Garg
31 Jan 2016

P.S.: I went to Udvada on the 23rd of this month with VG. Took me a few days to find time to be able to write this but I am glad I did. Also, I am trying my hands at serious travel writing. Do tell me how
to improve. I know I need to add more photos – which I will, next trip
on. What else can I improve?

Like a rolling stone…

I have this maniacal flip flop switch in my head. It gets triggered at odd hours that I cant seem to control. I could be in the middle of a gathering of some of my people and boom! it goes and I am lost for words. I want to get away from everyone and everything. At other times, I am dumped in one of the million miseries that shroud me and click it goes and I am happy. For no reason.

And this happens very often. There is no set pattern per se but it does happen. And unlike other miseries, it does not come with a warning. If there were warnings, I could be prepared. But no, there are no warnings.

I dont know if this is a known disorder but the pseudo-smart dude in me has deduced that I am probably suffering from a mild form of bipolar disease. I have spoken about it on this blog at least twice (one, two) in the past. A quick glance at the two posts tell me that nothing has changed. I am little better in terms of where I am going with life. But I am still not anywhere close to any source of eternal happiness.

So this flip flop switch remains a mystery to me. And because I have this desperate need for closure, I have to find an answer to it. I have tried everything short of getting professional help – I may do so if things continue to go like this. I have infact made a list of questions that I have about this. A not so comprehensive list would be…

  1. Am I the only to have these demons in my head? 
  2. Is there an end? Will I ever reach a state of bliss? Or I will have to succumb to alcohol, substance abuse and all that?
  3. How do I fix it? Do I need to find a job? Do I need to get married? Do I need an adventure? What the fuck do I need?

Any answers anyone? No? Well, Thank you!

Apart from this list, I have also told myself to start taking notes. For two things – the triggers for the switch and when / how of things that help me come out of it. Because once I know these two, I can get little more rational and predictable and genteel in my demeanor.

So, what causes it? There are no specific answers but the likely suspects are…

  1. The times when I wish sgMS was next to me. At a gathering of friends, at a new place that I travel to, when I do something big and other things that ought to be shared with someone special. And there is no one as special as she. 
  2. The times when I get rubbed the wrong way by people. This could be colleagues at work (I cant digest incompetence), strangers (talking to me rudely without a reason), friends and family (for no reason) et al. Of course in all the cases, I have to be at fault (I am the I am not ok, you are ok type). I have just too many things that limit me. I may need to get out of it. In fact, a friend says, that as a poor man, you can not be eccentric. Unless you are Roark. 
  3.  Incessant work meetings that dont have an end or a destination in sight. Agreed my entire life is like a meandering deer in an infinite pasture and a paper boat drifting aimlessly in a downward stream. But I dont understand how people who have worked for ages at fancy places with great people could be do indecisive. It sucks to see such incompetence running large companies. If they Elon could find a way to automate the decision making and take the onus off people, life would be so so much better. BTW, there is this entire debate about efficacy of mechanical, artificially intelligent decision making vs human judgement (judgement based on available data, experience and gut). I tend to lean on the human side but we ought to work towards making AI engines smarter. Ok, I digressed. 
  4. Inability to get things done. My work requires me to talk to a lot of people and I have lately realized that I suck at getting things done from other people. In the words of @Jason, I am Bob Dylan, not Rolling Stones. So, it could be my inability to get work done from people? Or my inability to understand their inability to comprehend simple things and do things? Arrghhh… am ranting! 

Cutting short the list. There are many more reasons but these were the things from the top of my head.

And how do I come out of it?

  • Often a session of music (by Lucky Ali, Rabbi, Dylan) helps – I love to drown the outside voice by blaring loud music in my ears. 
  • Other times a drive helps. But then my partner in crime is sort of moving up in life, I dont get to go on drives as much. May be if I could afford a car, I could go more often?
  • Writing helps. But I dont get into the flow most times when I am sad. Sometime I do. Like when I started writing this post, I was sad (even though there is no reason for being sad) and somehow as I write this, I can see the shroud lifting. Inshallah it does. I shall report at the end of the post if I am back to the normal self.  
  • It often helps if I eat something nice (classic symptom of depression). 
  • I try my hand at mindless work (like aligning objects on the latest powerpoint deck that I am working on) and it often helps. But I dont really have a lot of powerpoints to work on on most days. 

I cant think of more. And like the triggers, this list of antidotes is also from the top of my head. I probably need to list more such things. May be I will keep a track of things on my Evernote or something?

Good idea! It sounds like a plan and I shall take notes and report next time something changes substantially. Over n out.

Oh, one more thing. While I was ranting, the answer dawned on to me. From the philosopher and guide, Rabbi Shergill. He says and I quote..

jaddon na kujh agge disse
tahiyon bandaa vekhe picche

Translates into, when you cant see whats up ahead, you tend to look back. So may be, just may be, my problem is that I look back too often? May be I need to have something to look up to?

What do you guys look up to?

P.S.: I think I am far better than what I was when I started writing this. So, thumbs up! 

P.P.S.: I have captured things that fuck up my mood. I need to capture things that elevate it as well.

Three scenes

Scene 1
A 33-year old man. Dressed in baggy denims, ripped at the knee on one side. Torn at the leg opening on the other. Linen shirt that needs ironing. Almost bald and a disheveled mop of hair on the crown of the head. An unkempt salt and pepper beard.

The guy tries to walk in to a swank building that has security guards from G4S. The building houses corporate offices of a few leading banks and other such businesses. And like any other “corporate park” the building also has a few fancy restaurants.

While the man attempts to walk in the building to meet a friend for lunch at the restaurant, he is singled out and is asked by the security guard about his intentions. And while this is happening, a few hundred characters, dressed in clothes ranging from three-piece suits in the muggy Mumbai weather to a dress that barely covered the woman’s modesty to a worker who probably was engaged as a window-cleaner to everything in between walked past by. Without raising anyone’s eyes or suspicions.

Back to the man. He calmly tells that he intends to goto one of the restaurants and the guards give him an incredulous look and want to frisk him.

Scene 2
A resident of a not-so-posh building is walking in to the lift lobby to go up to his home. The security guard at the entrance asks him to make an entry into the visitor’s logbook. When the resident tells the guard that he lives in the building and he is not supposed to make an entry into the logbook, the guard frowns at him, scans him from top to bottom and asks him, how could he own / rent a place in the not-so-posh building.

Scene 3
A not-so-young man has matched with a very attractive lady on a dating app and he is all excited about meeting her. They meet up but the moment the lady sees him and his tattered clothes and his hair, she abruptly cuts the visit short and escapes by making an excuse.

There are more such scenes that I can recount. And the dude in all these three scenes is me. And all these things have happened to me in the course of last three few days.

My impressionable heart and mind refuses to come out of the shock. That the world I live in judges people on the basis of how they look. I mean I’ve always known that great looks can get you ahead in life, career and all that. But this is blatant discrimination. And its not nice to be on the receiving end. I now know the reason for all the anger and frustration of people who’ve faced discrimination on the basis of their color, race, skin, thoughts and so on and so forth.

While we talk of (in)tolerance and openness and all such things, I dont get that that the world treats me like an anomaly and I cant function like a normal human being! I mean we are nothing in the large scheme of things. No one knows the reason of life and all that. We will all die someday, leaving behind I dont know what and I dont know for whom. Whatever time we have here, why cant we be and let others be? Live and let live? There is just so much to do, so much to enjoy. There are so many miracles that we ought to enjoy, rather than staring at people who are different.

Dont believe me? Go get caught in the rain and tell me if it matters how someone is dressed!

Andy from Shawshank, in the rain.

Notes from Bandra – 1

Subject: Bandra seems alien to me. 

So its little over month since I moved to Bandra. Although so far I havent had the time to explore the area, I still go to a certain place everyday to go sleep. And when I wake up, I still have to walk a bit to get my rickshaw. Or train. Or whatever.

It is at these walks that I have discovered a bit of Bandra that I know of. The bit that makes me equipped enough to claim that Bandra is alien to me. The rational part of my brain tells me that it is very much a part of Mumbai, which in turn is a part of India. And India is home. Always will be. Unless something drastic happens. It also tells me that unlike all other places where I have lived, Bandra has the “most” foreign heritage (Portuguese and all that). So it is natural to be disconnected with things. But Bandra is as much a part of India as I am!

However, the emotional part of my brain revolts at the thought of Bandra as a part of me. Or me as a part of Bandra. I know I am not cool enough to be here. I love old world charms but I dont have what it takes to live in old, ill-maintained, cramped buildings. I love small alleys and nooks but I cant breathe in the filth that has been gathering for years. I have nothing against people who have pets at home but I cant get barked upon by a street dog that is fed by the locals. For some reason, I am not free here. I am restrained. And I love my freedom more than anything else and I want to guard it with
as much gusto as I can. Bandra does not give me the freedom. Freedom of
mind ladies and gents.

Thing is, while I love surprises and exploring and all that, I want things to be familiar at the place I live. If wanted alien-ity around me, I’d rather live out of a suitcase and adopt a nomadic lifestyle – which I will once I have the money. Damn contradictions!

Wait. What is alien? Something that you cant relate to. Something that is unexpected. Something that is not you. Something that you stop and take note.

I do all of the above as I walk the winding lanes in Bandra. While people speak the language I speak, they dress almost like I do, they almost eat what I eat but it seems like a foreign land to me. The roads are broken and yet fancy cars that are a far cry from Marutis zoom on them. There are hawkers and temples (and churches and mosques), both pimping their wares louder than the other. There are small boutique fancy restaurants competing with the Mumbai sandwich “chefs” on a stand for the palette. There are Indians who look like foreigners and foreigners trying to blend in. There is so much happening all around you that you are lost like a kid in wonderland. The way a traveler is lost in a foreign land. Alien land.

Oh Bandra, you are not for me!

When in doubt, you turn to the philosopher and guide Rabbi. On Bandra, he says, “Tu avin Bandra, Taenu sab pata chalega” – Come to Bandra, you’ll know it all. May be these 9 months in Bandra will be spent on the journey within? May be its part of the evolution? Am I finally growing up? Or I am merely depressed?

Dont know. Dont care. Over to the next post.

Saurabh Garg,
Bandra,
22 Jan 2016

P.S.: Oh, by the way, as I write this, its is probably the best weather in
Mumbai. Its windy and its pretty cold and it keeps the Mumbaikars
indoors. So after the office hours, the roads are less crowded and less maddening. Last
night I was at the Bandstand and I loved the cold winds from the ocean
breaking on my face. The place that is teeming with people was deserted.
And I loved sitting there and writing.

P.P.S.: No, I am not cribbing. I am merely observing things from a rational and emotional view point.

P.P.P.S.: As I write this post, it seems to me that I have lost my writing mojo. Words aren’t flowing that easy. Its no long a pleasure to write. I havent seen my fingers dance on the keyboard lately. I have a tough time getting in the flow. I dont know who / what to blame. Lack of time? Lack of reading? Lack of motivation? Lack of what else? Whatever. I have to re-initiate work on #book2.

P.P.P.P.S.: Guess the need to belong is gnawing at me? Context? Read yesterday’s post. 

Untitled – 2016/01

While I was walking back from a station today, I realised something really cool. That now that I am doing ok work-wise and money-wise and I may claim to be a little more stable now, rather than craving for more work, more money, more this or more that, I’ve been missing #sgMS a lot lately.

Ordinarily when you have work and you are busy, you tend to not have time for things like love. Compared to last year. I did not have too many things on my plate and yet I was ok without her.

Also, I’ve always been told that once you make your first lakh, you want to make 10 lakhs. And then you want to make 1-crore and then 10 crores and so on and so forth. I have been lucky to have made my first lakh (in savings), and yet I dont have the carrot of 10 hanging in front of me. Of course my ambition is to reach 1 crore in this year and I am committed to it, the first lakh did not make me stare at the 10-lakh number.

Coming back, so why do I crave for her?

May be because, because of all the work, I dont have time to engage in any useless fluff that takes up a lot of time (things like checking FB updates like a maniac, engaging the trolls, stalking the intelligent ones, pimping my book etc.). And thus I am focused on stuff that matter. Work. Her.

May be because, because of all the work, I am spending a lot of time in transit – so there are more rickshaws rides, trains (yes Mumbai local), taxis (not Ubers) and all that. And since I cant work in transit, or read, or do anything productive, I am drifted to her.

May be because I am older and wiser and I know what I want and what I dont? Like Steve says, the dots connect when you look back?

May be deep down, I somehow know that I can provide for her and I thus want to be with her? After all the biggest crib I have had with life all these years is that I was poor and she was not so poor. Not that I am now an equal, just that I am little more comfortable.

May be I am old and know that I have to settle down? (PS this is a change in stand. From a time when I was not willing to listen to even an argument about wedding, now I want her around. For good.

Anyhow, the point of the post is not her. Really. The point is, I realized today that while I am ambitious, I am not greedy. When I become big, I will not become an asshole. When I’ve made my first crore, I will chase more but I will not be motivated by the next milestone of 10 crores. I will chase more work and grow more and I will give back more (I have two interesting things lined up for this – will talk about them soon).

So, yeah. Thats about it. Of course this is a first-world problem and I am very lucky to have it. Hope the problem continues!

P.S.: Too much information?

By 2025

I just made a promise to myself. That by 2025, I would have climbed to the top of the Everest. Tall claim. But I will.

Everest!

Why a date in the first place? 
Vivek tells me that goals without dates are meaningless. And this cartoon by ZenPencils opened up my eyes. I had to put a date. And I couldn’t think of anything else but a 10-year time frame to attempt it.

Why ten years? 
People tell me that it takes 18 months of preparation and 60 lakhs INR to give Everest a serious shot. 18 months to acclimatize the body and get to the required fitness level. 60 lakhs to pay the Sherpas and others (its an established business where you pay companies a certain sum and they ensure that you reach the summit).

So I need time to be able to earn that kind of money. And I need to provide for my family. And I need to fulfill my “reason” – the reason I was put here for. I refuse to believe that all this is just a big coincidence. May be it is – after all, everything will be dead in the long run, including Mother Earth. But I refuse to believe that. There has to be an explanation. Not too evolved spiritually but whatever little I know of, I have a reason and I need to find it in 10 years.

And yes, there is a big big chance that I may not come back. And hence the ten years. To live this life.

Why Everest?
Because it is probably the toughest thing to do, in terms of human endurance? Even if it is not the toughest, it is definitely the highest. And it may be commercialized and easy if you have the money and all that, it remains the highest point on Mother Earth. And I will go up there. By 2025.

Serious! 

Dear sgMS,

Dear sgMS,

I am back! Did you miss me? Of course not May be (this year, I am going to be ambitious, as a friend told another). Did I miss you? Hell yeah! No moment goes by when I dont think of you, about you, about the times we were together. And I wish those days could be back.

You know, as I write this when I wrote this, I am was at the international airport, taking a flight to Delhi. And because my domestic flight is from the international airport, I am surrounded by all these signs that point to all these fancy destinations and all these people going to all these fancy destinations. It suddenly dawned on me that I want to travel the world with you. I want to hold your hand while I am lost in those cramped alleys in Europe, when I am marveling at the national parks in the US, when I am lost on some highway somewhere in Australia, when I am up in the air heading to one of these fancy destinations, when I am scared to jump off the plane for my maiden skydive and so one and so forth. I want to click stupid selfies on top of the Eiffel tower. I want to sit on the benches on the river fronts. I want to laze at the airports. I want to listen to the music lying the hotel rooms. I want to be close to you in a crowded local train. I want to sneak in to your bed at some hostel while the floor creaks and wakes up everyone around. And I dont know how many more such things.

You know I want it all. And more. For the rest of my life.

Remember I wrote you a letter on our last trip? I know it was kind of long – it spilled over into 4 pages – and I had a hard time cutting it short. With you around, there is just so much to say. So much to do. So many memories to make. 

You know,  I want to grow old with you. I want to stuff a house with things that we may or may not need. A friend says most women are hoarders and like most women, you are too. I want to see you hoard all those things that I otherwise do not approve of. I want to live with you in a cosy house (I know you dont like lavish places) and I want us to frequent a cafe close to our place and do our things – you could doodle and I could play the guitar. I want us to argue over those simple silly things like giving my PIN to the waiter for punching my bill. I want you to yell at me for all my careless mistakes like leaving my card back at the restaurant. I want to fuck up the pronunciation of Parpal and February. I want you to correct me while I give you reasons for my wrong pronunciations. I want to do all those things that people do over their lifetimes.

Thing is, this is new to me. I have never imagined that I would be old. I know that I have missed the bus and I wont be richer or cooler or famous ever. I will at best be a typical mango man and I may get to drive a nice car and own a 2-and-a-half BHK in some far-off suburb in Mumbai but I will never be what I have wanted to be. But if somehow that makes you happy and content and peaceful, I think I am ok with it. I realize that I will not be forever young and I will be forgotten the next second I die. The thing thus is, while I am here, I want to be with you and make the most of my time here. That’s all there is to life I think (selfish I know).

But this is about you. Not about me. So coming back, I want to be with you and grow old with you. I want to be around when you get those spects. I want to hide your spects and hold up two fingers and lie that I am holding up three. I want to pull your cheeks and scream googly woogly mush. I want you to cook something and make a face at you while you croon in horror and then laugh at you. Oh man, there is so much that I want to do with you..

You know what? I cant write no more. I miss you so bad it hurts!

I do!

Hope you come back.
SG

P.S.: I did not cheat on you. I promise I did not. Tere sar ki kasam.

2 days in Rajkot and around

I know listicles are a passe but there is something about em that makes em attractive. Attractive as in easy to write, east to comprehend, easy to share, easy to consume. Etc.


So as I write this, I am on a work trip to Rajkot. While I have seen fair bit of country in my job as an event manager, this is the first time I am here. Here are ten things I observed in/about Rajkot, in no particular order… 

1. The most famous thing to have happened to Rajkot is Cheteshwar Poojara – the cricket player. Apart from that there is hardly anything that Rajkot could plaster banners of. I mean there is some house where Gandhi grew up, there is some doll museum and so on and so froth. There is a whole list on Trip Advisor but none of the places listed there made me want to visit.

Even the statues in the city are of Jhansi ki Rani and Shivaji. I mean Shivaji and Jhansi ki Rani? There’s no Veer Rajkot in their history?

2. The place is poor. While there was signs of prosperity like a branch of Standard Chartered Bank and a very own Rajkot Half Marathon, the city is poor. The super premium brands are missing. I saw just one BMW (that too X1) in my 100 odd KMs of travel of in / around Rajkot. One of the three malls dotting the city that I visited was in desperate need of maintenance. And there are just too many beggars. Even the rickshaw-wallahs fleece like nobody’s business.

Compare it to places like Pune, Ludhiana, even Indore. I dont know if these are of the same size but those small towns, cities are far far ahead compared to Rajkot.

3. They dont know what is Red Bull. In my former avatar, I would have asked for Diet Coke but now that I am off cola, I tried my luck with Red Bull. I was amazed to see that they dont know of Red Bull. I thought their distribution was as good as Coke’s.

4. Google rocks. At Rajkot while I vaguely understand the language and while most people can converse fairly well in Hindi, without Google, it would have been a pain in ass to get around. In fact, Google does not rock per se. Because without Google, I would have asked more people for direction. I would have been taken for more rides. I would have been subjected to more pressure. And as a result, I would have become more robust (remember AntiFragile)?

5. Everyone in Rajkot chews onto some local tobacco kind of thing. Its in the same territory as Gutka and Khaini. I tried it, tasted funny and I couldnt comprehend what pleasure do people get from it. May be the same pleasure that I got from binging on Diet Coke?

6. People drive like cunts in Rajkot. If someone is coming towards you on the wrong side of the road, rather than scampering away or giving them enough room to pass by, you will go head on into them. And then stare at them. Till they give up, back their vehicle through the mad jam that has been ensued by now. And when you do pass by them, you give them a glare.

Its this kind of useless aggression and ego-maniacal display that gets wars and battles started.

7. Continuing on traffic, people do not wear helmets. People do not wear seat belts. People drive the way they want to. Guess its a small-city thing. Most other small cities are similar.

8. Tea Post is, I think, Rajkot’s answer to Starbucks and Cafe Coffee Day. In the limited time, I could see some 5 outlets of Tea Spot. And going by the number of people at each cafe, each time I passed it, I want to invest into it. Connect me to the founder please?

9. Loved the food options in Rajkot. I am not a foodie per se but I relish when / what I eat. While I was there I tried eating what locals would. And I was pleasantly surprised at the taste. I had this poha next to the hotel I was staying at. And then I asked a local for their favorite restaurant. They pointed me to Pankaj Restaurant and oh my god!

On this note, I think I need to make a pact with with Vivek that once in while we’d goto some obscure place and eat our hearts out. Much like Rocky and Mayur’s highway on my plate.

10. Rajkot’s economy works on core industry (not on farty things like software, ITES, retail etc). It is manufacturing. And it is huge. There is ceramics, auto ancillaries, automobile spares, cotton, stone and so on and so forth. Rajkot is the kind of place where I would love to put up a factory that makes something (and money) and keeps me busy throughout the day. And the same factory has a high roof that affords me a view of neverending landscape spread under a starry night, while I lie down, fold my hands under my head, prop my feet up on some lo stool, look up to the million patterns that the stars and cloud make and marvel at this wonder called life.

Inshallah some day!

Thats about it from Rajkot. Over and out.

The Balloon Guy

Today, about an hour back (about 10:30), I was walking around Bandra with a friend. We passed a dark alley and in the corner, behind the shadows was lurking a guy who was apparently selling Balloons. He was on a bicycle and there were some balloons hanging from the front of his bike. We looked at him and like every grown up who ignores things as playful and amateur as balloons, we moved on.

However, the man starting pleading to us, in low tones. He said something to the effect that he hadnt sold a single balloon in the day and he wont be able to buy himself dinner. Being a dilliwallah, I ignored his plea and was concerned for my friends’ safety. I herded her away from that dark alley, into the bright light cast by the huge Starbucks signboard up ahead.

We found a rick for her and once I put her in a rick and was walking back, it struck me that the balloon guy must be working real hard to earn his living and it must have taken a lot of balls to be able to ask for alms. And he’s probably worked hard all his life (selling balloons cant be easy), it must be even more tough for him to beg.

Left me wondering that we crave for things like houses and cars and we fight for things like God and idols of stone but we cant find a way to help people like that balloon wala make enough to feed his family. What’s the point of it?

Of course I wont have answers to these issues that perplex the intelligentsia. But I know for sure that that it could be a great purpose in life. To be able to help others upgrade the lives they lead. And how would I do that? I dont know. But I shall find out. I have at least 33 more years to go. And I will work on increasing that as we go along.

Help me on it? Please?

Diet Coke Deprivation

So, officially its been one week that I haven’t had a Diet Coke. Why am I subjecting myself to such a torture? Because I want to see if I can stay away from something that I love.

Enough of vanity. Coming back, its been 7 days without a Diet Coke and I have serious withdrawal syndromes! I miss holding onto an icy cold can. I miss seeing that drop of water run down the shiny surface of the slippery can. I miss that pop when I opened the can. I miss the tingling sensation on my tongue. I miss how it hurt my bad teeth. That reminds me that I need to see a dentist. I also want to see see a supermodel but that’s a thing for another post, on another day.

More than these carnal pleasures, I miss the breaks that I took to go and buy the coke. Diet coke had become my escape. If I was in a longish meeting and I needed to get out, I would blame my coke addiction and step out. If I was mindfucked about something, I would go for a walk, to go buy a coke and shake those cobwebs away. I could stretch my legs. I could gather my thoughts. I could see the sidewalks. I could observe a lot by merely watching. I could chit chat with the shopkeepers. I could watch people.

A can of Diet Coke has been a companion to me through thick and thin. Through good and bad. Through pretty and ugly. At places as fancy as five-stars and as “downmarket” as a roadside chai tapri. Through my travels across the world. Through my hideouts in college. Through my escapes in parties. Through my long drives with Vivek. Through my short meetings with sgMS.

Diet Coke allowed me to find something to hold onto while the world around me was engaged into drunken revelries. Diet Coke allowed me the company of something predictable at unknown places. It was a reassuring sign in a lot of foreign lands. It was a way to open conversations with people. conversations at bars, at restaurants, at parties, at airport lounges, in the flights with the air-hostesses and co-travelers. In fact in most long flights most air-hostesses start knowing that I want a lot of coke and that breaks ice, literally!

Damn I miss it. All of it. Everything that my addiction to Coke stood for, I miss all of it!

There are very few people, things that I have allowed to come close. Coke is one such thing. I will probably lapse back to the use. But I shall stay away till end of 2016 for sure. Let’s see I have what it takes to control my emotions. And while I am at it, I will probably take up the NOBNOM one of these days. Lets see!

Oh, if you spot me having any form of cola in 2016, you may claim Rs. 1000 from me. And I promise I will honour it. On the spot. But after I have had my coke.

What next?

The web for some reason is rife with “What next?” posts on Medium. I reckon some web celeb or entrepreneur kinds would have written his what next post and everyone else would have taken liberal “inspiration” from that post to create their own versions of What next. I dont want to miss out on the “trend.” And thus, here is my What next.

So, life has been great so far. The last year was a mixed bag. I made my mistakes, I learnt my lessons, I played all I could and I did some interesting things. Its time I capitalize and go to the next level (wow I sound like a motivational speaker! Damn!).

For me, what next is pretty simple. I will build on top of what I have and take it up from there.

In no particular order (I have three components to how I look at things – work, personal and writing)…

Work
Next is to establish the event management business that got off to a great start in 2015. It is nothing out of the world and there are a million event agencies in the country but it allows me to do some great work, make the clients happy and pay my bills. Next is to get better at it. Next is to create processes that allow me to deliver better work at cheaper cost. Next is to create a team that allows me to expand. Next is to learn things and inculcate in how we work as a team. Next is to find someone who helps me grow faster than I have planned for. Do you think you want to partner up? I am on saurabh.garg@gmail.com.

Next is to create a marketing support services business that my clients (both of them) have been telling me to do. Apparently I am very good at being a marketing support services guy and I need to create an organization around it. Next is to think about it. Next is to find a way to integrate it with the events business.

Next is to continue the chase for that startup business that can change the world. I mean it. Change as in change. Like Uber has changed the way we use public transport. Like AirBnb changed how we holiday. Like Twitter has changed how I meet new people. Like Tinder has brought to surface the fabric of society we are in. Do you have an idea that we could work on together? I am on saurabh.garg@gmail.com.

Personal
Next it to get more social. Meet more people. Learn more. Do more. More more. More. I love it when I am learning. And the best way to learn is to do. I want to do more things. Even if I have to stretch myself thin. I will do so. One life. Next is to do more (rather than merely thinking), chew more (rather than eating more), write more (AND read more).

Next is to find avenues to help more people. Whatever limited understanding I have about myself, I realize that I am happy when I help others. I dont know if its my vanity or my ego or something else. But I am supremely happy when I am helping others. I may not be the best help that they get but I am definitely better than nothing. You may argue against it. But I think there’s no harm and doing and then apologizing!

Next is to spend more time with my family and friends. I have ignored them for too long.

Next is to find love. Though I have missed the bus already with my age but I need to find love. For the next 33 years. Or may be more. I recently met someone who is punting that average human lifespan will cross 100 in the next 20 years. By that metric, I still have 67 years to go. Now thats a long long time. Lets come together and do wonderful things together 🙂

Writing
Next is finish Book2. And get it published. I am not sure if Grapevine will publish it (now that I have missed several deadlines). May be get a literary agent to help me? I dont know. But next for sure is to finish the book in this year quarter. I’ve got this year to a great start (this is the 4th post in 4 days) and I need to keep the momentum going.

Of course, I’ve been grounded all these 4 days and hence I’ve been able to write. Hopefully I’d continue to write even when I am traveling. Next few days should tell.

That’s about it. For me, in one line, next is to end the year better than how I started it. What’s next for you?

400072 to 400050

About a fortnight back, I moved from 400072 to 400050. And I have mixed emotions about it.

From – 400072

To start with, I am going out of my comfort zone. I lived there for close to three years. Life at Nahar was really awesome. Apart from a REALLY bad experience with a broker (Naveen / Anju Sharma from Good Homes Real Estate – if you are looking for a place in Nahar / Chandivali, please do NOT use their services. They WILL rip you), life was sorted while I was there. In fact, if I had all the money in the world and I had to live in Mumbai, I will not live anywhere else. May be I need to add this to my ever growing list of things to acquire.

Anyhow, thing with Nahar is that its like a cocoon in a big merciless city. It takes some effort to reach there and when you reach, it is so brilliant that you feel as if you’ve entered a wrap zone and teleported to a new world. Its green. Its quite. Its spacious. Its airy. Its clean. Its everything that you ever want from a place where you’d want to live. In fact, from my place, I could see a hillock and when it rained, I could see waterfalls. Oh, and I had a balcony, which in Mumbai is a blessing.

I could go on and on and on. It was a brilliant place! I will someday go back there.

To – 400050

At Bandra, on the other hand, life would be far tougher. Things will be unfamiliar and I wont be able to nod at people. I will have to find new comforts. I will have to re-create my life around how things are in Bandra.

But, the larger issue is that on a day to day basis, I will bump into people who are far richer, cooler, smarter, ambitious-er, hard-working-er than I. I would look at them and secretly compare myself to their toys and cringe about my inability to get my hands on them. Case in point? After working for almost 10 years after my MBA, I still havent been able to buy a car. And everyone else I know of has a more than two houses, 5 cars for a house that has like 2 and a half members. And since #in2016, I dont want to crib, I shall leave this rant here.

Also Bandra is far from clean. There are nice little pockets that look great. There is that occasional celeb spotting that happens. But on a day to to day basis, its not a place where I would want to live.

However now that I have made a decision to live here, I will have to live with it. And I need to make the most of my time while I here. So… if you live in / around Bandra and would want to catch up for coffee / drinks / something please do let me know. While I have varied interests, I can hold interesting conversations on startups, marketing, branding, poker, travel, writing and self-improvement.

Up for it? I am @saurabh on twitter.