a2z2014 – Page 2

N. No.

Next is N. N for (Learn to say) No.

I really really want to learn to say no. They say its one of the biggest qualities that a leader has. And I suck at it. I try saying no but cant help it most times. And I end up losing time, losing money, losing face. In the events industry parlance, we call it “udta teer lena”. No, I cant translate that in Hindi. And no I cant explain that to junta from non-events background. Btw, do see this collection that I started sometime back. I called it the confessions of an ex-event manager.

Read this post. From Oct 2013.

So the thing with saying yes all the time is that you lose your mojo. This quote by Kristin Armstrong is probably the best example.

… learn to say no, so your yes has some oomph…

Brilliant.

Just because I say yes to everything, there are times when I am taken for granted and I end up in a spot. There are times when people dont even ask me because they know that my default answer is going to be yes. And hence I have to start saying no. No, I dont mean I would say no all the time, for fuck sake. But I would get selective about things that I say yes to. And that’s all.

Thing is, I know that its tough to say no. I also know evolutionary biology makes it tough for people to do something that puts them in a spot. I know we have that fight or flight gene. I know odds are stacked against me in terms of what I am hoping to achieve. But how hard could it be? Its just a word, made up of two simple alphabets. N. O. No.

No?

Hang on. I have a question. How about sharing this post with all and sundry on all networks that you guys know of? Yes? #no?

M. Make money. A lot of it.

This is a part of the April A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship, (Be a) Finisher, Give Away my Wealth, Handle a Baby, Inspire, Jack of all trades and Keep my shirt on.

Next is M. M for Mint money like its nobody’s business. Make money. A lot of it. Make wealth. I have spoken about money and wealth in a previous post (G) and hence I wont talk about em too much.

But one of the things on my bucket list is to get insanely rich. Insanely rich as reach the levels of Bill and Warren.

Forbes Top 3, as on Apr 15, 2014

Its no secret that I want to be successful. So successful that its nobody’s business. So, I need an indicator for it. Could money be that indicator?

Money, as an indicator, is tangible, comparable and is easy to comprehend. Everything else, happiness, impact, job creation, satisfaction, learning, fame etc have some degree of intangibility. In fact look at the top three in the list above. 2 of those 3 are my heroes. Not a bad number. And if all goes well, someday I’d end up near the top of that list. Probably in the top three. If I can do that, I would have done a lot of things from my bucket list. A, C, D, E, F, G, I and K. 8 of 11. Again not a bad number.

Both “not a bad number”s indicate that money may be a worthy proxy for success. And thus, the next thing on my bucket list is, make money. A lot of it.

Unless someone points at a better alternative. Can you?

While writing this, I realized that words aren’t flowing as smooth as they ought to. Writer’s block? I dont know! I am planning a four hour writing/editing marathon for #tnks tomorrow morning. Lets see how it goes.

K. Keep my shirt on.

Next is K. K for Keep my shirt on.

Keep my shirt on loosely translates into “staying patient under adversity or otherwise.” Here, check this UD page for more definitions and other things.

The Hulk Rip!

As a kid, I used to trip on WWF (as it was known those days) and I was a big big fan of a few superstars. Its been ages but I still remember a few. There was Stone Cold Steve Austin, there was Bret the Hitman Hart and ofcourse there was the mighty Hulk Hogan.

I was not much of a fan of the fights that happened in the ring but I loved the non-aggressive shenanigans such as opening moves, rivalry and complex plots. I am sure all of you would remember the badass thing about Steve Austin. The way he’d flip the bird, the way he’d catch those beer cans deftly and then smash against each other and pour it down his throat. Show business I tell you!

But nothing came close to Hulk Hogan tearing his shirt and screaming at the top of his lungs. Those days, if someone asked me what would I want to do when I grew up, I would say I want to grow up to be Hulk Hogan.

I thought that being a wrestler was the coolest thing that anyone could do. And to be one, you ought o have temper. I worked towards it. Really hard. Even if I wasn’t angry I would fake it. And over the years, I dont know how, as I grew up, I became a rude, impatient and a short-tempered man. No, I am not blaming Vince McMohan or WWF or other wrestling shows for my behavior but it definitely is one of those things that would have contributed.

And to be honest, I am not proud of it. In fact, in the last few months I have realized that I need to flip completely. And I needed to change. And the change would happen if I could try and keep my shirt on.

The idea is to become calm and serene (if the word is valid here). I want to be as stable as a Banyan Tree, so that when the ship rocks, I know how to handle it. Its a toughie but what is life without a few challenges? I am going to take it and crack it. And hopefully inspire some people!

Lets start action right now! Can you try and keep your shirt on? Bet?

P.S.: Come to think of it, this is more of a “mantra for life” than an “item on the bucket list”. But I want it. And I want to put this on paper even if this does not conform to any definitions.

J. Jack. Of All Trades.

Next is J. Tenth post in the series. To be honest I quite liked working on this. Guess its because it made me write everyday. Or may be because I luckily chose my theme as Bucket List.

Anyhow, next is J. J for Jack. Jack of all trades.

Jack of all trades is someone who knows about a lot of things and yet has a hard time getting adept at any one. Most knowledge is superficial. Most of it is academic and would not stand serious scrutiny by any expert. But then, since Jack knows about a lot of things, he is uniquely positioned to do well. Before I launch into an enquiry about other pros and cons, do read this wikipedia page about Jacks.

Jack of Spades 😉

So let me list the good things. For starters, Jack can create connections among multiple disciplines that he is aware of and can create something that any expert in any discipline will never even imagine. Since Jack does not knows the boundaries as well as an expert knows, he is more likely to challenge em. And ofcourse there is a very thin line that separates a Jack and a polymath. Jack also is comfortable in new settings because by definition Jack is innately curious and looks at everything as a challenge.

In term of bad things, the very nature makes Jack a scatterbrain. And Jack keeps chasing the next shiny thing that would catch his fancy. Jack is quick to grasp new things but is often bored when it comes to real work. Jack loves to procrastinate. Jack takes forever to take decisions. Jack can never reach high-up in a corporate hierarchy. Jack will always live in the shadows of experts. Jack can never be a creator but will always be a manager. So on and so forth.

Its a long list and the arguments may never cease.

For me, I decided long back, unknowingly ofcouse, that I want to be a Jack of all trades. And thankfully, I have spent time becoming one.

To be honest, I think I am almost one. In fact, once I learn a few more skills, few more vocations, few more tricks I would become the Jack that I’ve always wanted to be. In terms of self-evaluation, I believe that I would the Jack I want to be, if in a room, I can engage more than 90% people in a one to one conversation about their respective worlds. Because I would know more than average on almost 90% things that are important to people. Thats it. Simple.

Simple. And yet, its a big deal. Most people can talk about just 10% to 20% things in a place full of strangers. But Jack can easily score a 90%. Its a big deal. A big fucking deal. And I want to be one before I die. A big fucking deal. And a Jack of all trades.

I. Inspire.

Next up is I. I is for Inspire. I picked Inspire over India, Individuality and Identity. And over I.

So, before I die, I want to do something that inspires people. Far and wide. I dont want to be just a superdad that is like the default hero for his kids (not taking anything away from superdads here) but I want to be someone that a lot of people look up to. Someone like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sachin Tedulkar, Warren Buffet etc?

Steve Jobs. One of the many greats who inspire me.

Why, you may ask. Because, the world as we know it (political, divided into boundaries, ruled by a few, stuck into hierarchical etc) is fucked up and its coming to an end. Soon. I dont know when. I cant predict but it would. Its logical.

And it would be replaced by a world where individuals will have more power than the collective, boundaries would be intellectual than political, extremists will be in a minority and a new class would emerge. And emerge not to rule but to live their lives the way they want to and do things they want to. Without worrying about society, norms and other such things that drag us down.

I want to live in a world like that. I want to create a world like that. I inspire people to do embrace it. Actually this may be too esoteric. Let me make it simple.

I want to be someone that inspires others to do more, do better, push themselves and become the best they could be. Simple enough?

So the reason why I am so so fixated on inspiring others is because I think that’s a brilliant way to give back. I am not really great by any stretch of imagination but I have learnt from a lot of great people. I have talked about this a million times. The thing about standing on the shoulders of the giants. So one of the ways I could give back, is by inspiring people.

I dont know if I am the right person to inspire but I know that if I did not, I would be disappointed.

I dont know what I would end my life as. If I do some future gazing (because I dont know what I want to do with my life) I’d end up as either a writer or a teacher. I wont be a businessman (I plan to create a huge business and then give it all away). I wont either be a cog in the wheel or another brick in the wall (I plan to not work the day I start making enough from writing, about five more years if JA is to be believed). I hope so atleast. Inshallah.

So I’d be someone who’s honed a talent (of writing) so well that it started making money. Or I would become a majestic failure. Either ways, it would be amazing. I would have glorious story to tell. And arent these stories that inspire other people? Remember the story when Steve Jobs was fired from Apple and he came back? Remember when Warren Buffet talks about his days as a newspaper salesman? Sachin’s story about how his coach would place a coin on his stumps? And arent these stories interesting? Arent these stories inspirational?

Do see E. Entrepreneurship as well. And these two videos.

H. Handle a Baby.

I am scared of babies. Yes, scared is the right word. I will goto all lengths to avoid touching a baby. Leave alone touch, I go long way to not even be in a room that has a baby in it. If I could have, Id get a restraining order against babies coming within a two KM radius of me. Anything to do with babies, I want out. I just cant handle the babies. For my life.

I know that at some point in time in life, I’d have to eventually learn how to handle babies. And I better do it sooner than later. I could argue that I could go without babies but I cant. More on it in a bit.

The Meme Baby

So the thing with babies is that they are really unpredictable. They are irrational. They are moody and reason often does not work with them. And I hate when I cant reason with someone, something. Babies.

Since I have a large family with like a thousand cousins and thus tens of thousands of babies, I have had a harrowing time with em. I’ve been patient and I’ve tried every trick in the book to try and be civil with them but they dont give me an opportunity. I am like that cat that has touched the hot stove once and I refuse to touch another. In fact I have touched the stove a thousand times and I’ve burnt my hand every single time. So that’s why no babies.

On a more serious note, the thing with babies is that they look so fragile. And I am such a giant. I am such a monster that I feel that if I even touch the babies, I’d hurt em. Its like if I touch em, Id put a dent in them. There I said it. The biggest issue I have with kids is that they are fragile. They are just beginning the journey and I am almost towards the end of it. And I cant hurt something that is just blossoming. I cant imagine doing it. Ever.

In fact, I am so sure about it that if you want to blackmail me, if you want to get a secret out of me, if you want me to squawk, all you need to do is throw a baby at me. And I’d submit.

Jokes apart, like I said, I really really need to master the art of handling babies. Because two of my favorite couples have babies due in less than a month. And I am better prepared before I go see their babies. Yes, I am talking about PD and Neo. And I promise, I’d learn. How to handle a baby.

G. Give Away my wealth.

This is the seventh post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship and (Be a) Finisher.

Next up on my bucket list is, G. Give Away my Wealth.

I define wealth as the amount of money that I would be able to make over my lifetime.

I want to believe that it would be a lot of it. Lot as in at-least as much as Uncle Scrooge made, if not more. And for the uninitiated, his net worth is estimated to be between 21 billion and 607 tillion (not trillion but tillion). Here, do see this link.

And when I’ve made the money, I want to give it away. All of it. No kidding.

Scrooge McDuck

For this post, I am trying a format that most content farms use. Let’s see if I get more hits / comments.

Money. Good or Bad?
So, the thing with money is, you cant have enough of it. You may be Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji, Sharad Pawar (yes the agriculture minister), Shahrukh Khan, Saurabh Garg (yes me), you always want more. I have no clue why. Research says that even if money was fake or it was play money or it was even Monopoly money, people would have as much fixation with it as they ought to reserve for real money.

Money if you ask me is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. I cant decide if its a good idea or a bad idea.

Good because it makes transactions so much simpler. And bad because by creating an instrument, we have created something that can be measured. And defined as a tangible number. And once we have a tangible number insight, we start chasing it.

Imagine if we did not have money or currency, what would we chase and how would we hoard all the money that we want to?

What is Wealth?
I define wealth as “money on steroids.”

Let me explain.

If you make enough money to pay your bills, take that annual vacation to an exotic island and buy the next shining car that comes out, you are no doubt doing well for yourself. You are rich. You have money.

If you make enough to do all of the above and you are still left with enough to up the ante, travel in business class, buy two cars, get three homes, you are doing even better. You are richer and you have even more money.

But if you do everything listed above and you still have money left and you don’t know how much, you are wealthy. You have wealth. Not money. And this wealth enables you to take decisions at the drop of the hat. Wealth allows you to buy toys without thinking about the price. Or the cost. Or the value. These three are different things.

Wealth allows you to chase frivolous dreams. Remember Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark etc? Wealth allows you to be free. You are no longer a mortal. You can even ~~buy~~ create an antidote to death. Some say that one of the Google founders is trying to defeat death. So on and so forth. You get the idea.

The endeavor, thus, needs to be to make as much money as we could while we can. Not because we could buy cars and all that; but also because we are talented and we’ve been gifted with the talent and drive to make ~~money~~ wealth. Convincing enough? Let’s go make some ~~money~~ wealth!

When to give? Now? Later?
The next question that immediately follows the pursuit of wealth is, when to give. While you are making money (that 10% donation that most religions proclaim that we ought to make or those things that rich people keep doing to stay in the news) or after you have hung your boots (like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett etc have done with their wealths).

I’ve heard all sorts of argument. There are plenty. Its a thing that I could write an entire book about. And here are two, one for each. Each is the most convincing argument in support of that particular. Read and decide.

Give now. Because tomorrow is too late. Because the impact that you could make today may not be required tomorrow.

Give later. Because you would have more money and thus more opportunities for impact.

Parting Words
I’ve made my decision.

I would chase wealth like its nobody’s business. I would get wealthy beyond imagination. I’d try at least. And once I have made as much as Uncle Scrooge, I would give it all away. After I have provided for my family, responsibilities and for my sustenance.

Let me tangibilise it. I’d giveaway 99% of my wealth. And when I say 99%, I will. Even if that means I would have to sell my immovable assets. Or I wont have anything to pay for my bills. Or I would not have a single paisa in my bank account. I will. I want to actually. That’s the idea of the bucket list. No?

I just hope I have the balls to do so when the time comes.

What about you? Money vs Wealth? Will you give or not give? Now or Later?

F. (Be a) Finisher.

This is the sixth post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel and Entrepreneurship.

This is a tough one. This one is making me think. This one is about a thing on my Bucket List that starts with F. I made a list of things that are important to me, that start with F. Here is the list. Family. Friends. Finish a marathon. Find a treasure (like real treasure) and I cant decide what is important enough to be on the bucket list.

In fact the idea of these writing prompts is to make you think. This one is making me think. I know that going forward, the rest of April, it would get difficult.

Ok, the random vomit of words has given me an idea. I know what I am going to talk about. Its called Finisher.

The next thing on my bucket list is, “Be A Finisher.”

Before the blogpost, let me define a Finisher. Someone, when he takes up a task, ensures that it reaches a logical conclusion.

All my life, so far, I have been guilty of leaving things mid way. Last few months, for a change, I have started to put an end to things. And its a different high altogether. I really want to be known as a finisher. If there was an epitaph, I would want it to read, “Here lies a man who finished things that he worked on.”

Screen-cap from Cool Runnings. More on this later.

So, for a scatterbrain like me, things are often tough. I see something shiny and I am tempted to cling onto it. And just when the clinging bit starts sinking in, I see another shiny object and I want to move on. And I do.

Thus, I hop from one thing to another, leaving the old ones behind. Nothing wrong with it. But often, I tend to leave things midway. Without finishing them. When I look back on life, I don’t really see a road studded with diamonds and studs and achievements and all such things. But I see a bridleway strewn with projects half-done, half-dead, abandoned, left mid-way. To rot. To be ignored.

No these things dont come back to haunt me but its not a nice feeling to have. I realized it when I was making my CV. And preparing for an interview. More than justifying it to the world, I realized that I hated looking back at things that I left like that. It felt shitty. And anything that feels shitty, I am going to change it.

So last few months, I have worked really hard and I have started to finish things. I am beginning to become a finisher. I no longer abandon things just like that. If something doesnt work out, I put an end to it. I accept the failure and move on. I put the pieces back in place and close them. A logical conclusion. It may not be a desirable ending but its an ending. A clear end. I don’t abandon it. I am ok with failure but I am no longer ok with abandoning something. I think thats the biggest thing I learnt from writing a book.

I want to be a finisher. I want this to be on my bucket list. I want to be known as a finisher. I want people to hire me because I can finish things. I want people to know that I am a finisher. I want to tell myself that I am a finisher. Most important of them all, I want to look into a mirror, stare myself hard in the eyes and tell myself that I am a finisher. Because I think that the easiest person to fool is self. The world sees what you may not choose to see. I dont want to fool myself. If you know me and you see my fooling myself about this (or other things), please do point out. I shall be obliged. Ya, thats the word. Obliged.

Thank You.

Oh, and do see this bit from the movie Cool Runnings. I will not spoil it by telling you what it is. But its a must see scene. I saw it atleast ten year ago and its still fresh in my head. Its that powerful. I thought of the word finisher and I knew I had to include this scene in the post. Do see it. Leave everything else and see it.

And if you still have some time, do read about Fucket List. I found this while searching for things that start with F and could be on the bucket list. Do you have a Fucket List? I haven’t made mine as yet but I am tempted to. May be next month 😉

E. Entrepreneurship.

This is the fifth post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop and Date a Supermodel.

The one thing that I am probably most desperate about, the thing that I really want to do in life before I hang my boots is to be able to launch a business and run it successfuly. By successfully, I mean I want to make money from it (so much that I dont have to work ever again). It means that I want to be an employer of choice (the way Googles and Facebooks of the world are). It means that I want to be an industry leader in what I do (not in terms of revenue but in terms of thoughts et al). It means that I want to create things that users love. It means I want to leave a dent. Cliched. Over used. Abused. But I really really want to.

Steve Jobs.

I have no clue why I want to be an entrepreneur. I do love the freedom that comes with it. I do love the excitement that comes with it. I love the grind that it requires. But I dont know the real reason, something that comes from deep down in my heart. I have no clue. But I merely know that I want to be one. Someday. In fact I have tried in the past and have failed. On atleast two occasions. Both times, I put in time and money and effort and I failed. I had partners that were better than me and I failed. I am assuming that now, when I try again, I would be better. I sincerely hope so.

I am going to take another shot at it very soon. As soon as a couple of months. This time, for a change, I have the luxury of an investor who believes in the idea and is willing to help me with it. Lets see how it goes. Apart from the book, this is the second biggest thing I am going to work on this year. And I am geared up for it.

I’d talk more about it as I get closer to doing it. Inshallah it would happen. Like they say, if you want something real bad, the entire universe conspires to bring it to you. Dear Universe, please do your conspiring act and help!

To end this post, until I can create a company, until I am an entrepreneur, I shall continue to try. Till then, here are a couple of videos that I think every aspiring entrepreneur must see as often as they could!

Thats about it. Please go see the vids and thank me ;P

D. Date a Supermodel.

This is the fourth post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins, Book and Coffee Shop.

Before I launch into the next item on my bucket list, lets get some definitions out of the way.

A date. I define a date as a meeting, an encounter, an activity done by a couple where they talk about things that are important to each other. They engage in all the frivolous activity because they either hope to make out after the date or they are evaluating each other as prospective partners for the rest of their lives. If there is a third reason, I dont know. I am probably too old and too old-school.

A supermodel. I define a supermodel as a woman who is so stunning that when she walks the ramp, she makes the heads turn. She makes the time come to a standstill. She presents such a stunning picture that it gets etched in your minds for a long long time to come. She leaves you feeling happy and gooey in your heart. The knees go weak and your throat goes dry. You want to say a million things to her but you cant even come up with a measly hello (remember “you had me at hello“?).

So coming to the next item on my bucket list, it is, Date a Supermodel. And in absence of a reference point, the woman I want to date is Priyanka Chopra. A quintessential Indian woman. Dusky, petite, long haired, million dollar smile, cute and hot at the same time.

Priyanka Chopra

So the thing with a date is that its one of those encounters that may or may not result in a long term relationship. For someone like me, its always been a problem. You meet me once and you’d not want to see my face again. I just dont have what it takes to hold attention.

Anyhow, so the point of the date would be see how it feels to command attention of everyone in the room. Including the stunning beauty sitting across the table. It would a beauty and the beast, goldilocks and bears and so on and so forth.

A supermodel is like something untouchable. She is a public figure. She is for everyone to see and admire. A very few can reach the inner circle. Fewer have the balls to talk to her. Just a handful can get into a conversation with her. And the one who could date her, has to be one in a million. Just like her. Because she wouldn’t deserve anything less. In fact, I think Priyanka Chopra deserves one in a billion.

Actually, I’ve seen her once. At some hotel. She was going away from it while I was entering the hotel. While crossing me, she accidentally looked into my eyes and the world came to a stand still. My world did. She on the other hand continued to walk. She did not pause. She did not wait. She carried on. With her security guards and managers and friends and well-wishers and all such people. Leaving me behind. With a burning desire. A desire to date her. Date a supermodel.

One may argue that dating a supermodel is one of those things that you’d like to do, not something that you HAVE to do. I have an answer ready. I’d say, there is a thin line of difference between something that you’d like to do and something that you have to do.

Like to do means “if you do it, great. If you dont, great.”

Have to means “an itch that you have to fucking scratch.” Have to equates to must do. If you dont that you are unhappy. You think your life was a waste if you didn’t do things that you have to.

So yea. I have to have to date a supermodel someday. I want to do it so bad that its part of my bucket list. Filed under D. D for Date a Supermodel.

Oh, I do have a long disclaimer at the end of this blogpost.

The only real person that comes close to my definition of supermodel is sgMS. She may not be walking down the ramps but she could if she chose to. Its a misfortune of the world that she is not. Thankfully, I’ve been lucky enough to have dated her, once upon a time. Of course I couldnt keep her attention or affection and we have moved on. But I still hope that I am back with her somehow. If not now, may sometime in future. If not in this life, may be in next. But sometime. It would be such a loss for me if I cant. Its like, its like the purpose of my life was to be with her. And if I dont have her, there is no meaning to my life. No, its not hyperbole. Its the truth. I know. And I hope she knows as well. You know it. Right?

C. Coffee Shop.

This is the third post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here. The other things on my bucket list are Ancient Ruins and Book.

C is for Coffee Shop. Not a chain. A few outlets maybe.

Let me hazard an opinion. A coffee shop is one of the most important inventions of the current era. Why? Not because they sell overpriced beverages. But because the coffee shops give us those proverbial third places where we all can chill. First place is home, second is office. Third place is an in-between where we could choose to remain anonymous and seek asylum whenever we want. Atleast this is my definition of a third place. Of a coffee shop. This to me like a modern reincarnation of those salons that thrived in the last century.

So, one of the things that I want to do in life before I die, is to be able to create, own, manage and run a coffee shop that is loosely modeled on these salons.

I dont intend to make money off these salons but I want to sort of curate culture and change at these place. And if it could become a self-sustained venture, nothing like it.

Imagine a place where you could go without any inhibitions or any obligations as such. Where you have other great minds to chit chat with, where you could exchange ideas and where you create things. Think of a mashup of a co-working space, a coffee shop, a library, a school, a movie theatre, a laboratory and a barcamp. I would call it Acme Labs (inspired by Pinky and Brain).

Imagine is a place where you could come up with ideas, you could find co-conspirators to work on ideas, you could get an audience to showcase your ideas and then another audience to talk about your journey from ideas to execution to customers.

In fact, the modern coffee stores are very close to my ideas of Acme Labs but then they are for-profit operations and thus they cant allow a lot of freewheeling. I wish they could. I would not move out of such places. I could even live at such places. The other thing with these coffee shops is that they are more of watering holes without alcohol and most banter is social, rather than cerebral.

Anyhow, someday when I have figured out shit in life, I would really want to put money towards creating atleast one such edition of Acme Labs. Its not a question of if. But a question of when. There is no question about that. However, I have a question for you dear reader. Would you want to come to Acme Labs? To have a coffee and get into conversations about ideas? To translate these ideas into great pieces of art or business?

B. Book.

This is the second post in the A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read more about the project here.

B is for Book. A published book. Under my name.

Its no secret that I aspire to be a writer. A professional writer. Even with my limited grasp on the language and tiny vocabulary, I want to be a professional writer. I want to write articles (for newspapers), opinions (for magazines), prose (for lovers separated by the world around them), books (for people bored out of their wits) and speeches (that moves the damn mountains).

I haven’t read a lot but from whatever I have, I want to be talked about alongside greats like Charles Bukowski, Stephan King and Murakami. Maybe Hemingway from the previous era. Coming back to contemporaries, Sue Grafton, Jeffery Archer, John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon and Lee Child. And Surendra Mohan Pathak, RK Narayan, Uapamanyu Chatterjee, Satyajeet Rey, Khushwant Singh, Javed Akhtar Saab if I talk about people from India. I even dare to dream that I want to be as influential as Harivansh Rai Bachchan Saab and Gulzar Saab are. They often say about Gulzar Saab, “In the beginning, there were words. And then there was Gulzar.”

Anyhow, I am sure I am missing out on some names but that’s ok. I am sure this gives you a drift. I really really want to write.

The funniest bit is that writing happened to me by accident. About ten years back. With this blog. And about a year back when I took a break to work on The Nidhi Kapoor Story. Its funny that you spend 30 years of your life (more than half the useful time you have here) and you suddenly realize what you want to do. What makes you happy. And it turns out to be something as simple as writing. Or may be as tough as writing. Take your pick. Either way, its exciting. And its exhilarating. Its orgasmic.

The thing with is writing is that you could be holed up in a dark corner in a smelly basement and yet you can move a mountain in a different part of the world. Of course moving a mountain is at one extreme. Its a figure of speech. But other common place examples are as abundant. For example, I reckon, most freedom struggles have been won by the undying grit of the fanatic fighters and the mighty pens of writers. Most products are sold by advertising created by smart marketeers and smarter lines by the writers. Most things that pour molten chocolate down our heart and make us feel special (music, films, cards et al) are imagined by dreamers and crafted by writers. So on and so forth. You think of something amazing and I would point at the contribution made by writers.

These writers, some are lucky that they are gifted and they realize it early on. Most, like me, stumble on it and work hard to hone the craft. And the thing with writing is that with ample practice, you can really get better at it. I’d not go there. Enough people have said it enough times in enough ways.

Since I didnt really get it as a gift, I am working on it. I am working on it as we talk. I work on it when I sleep, eat, crap, travel, think or read. In terms of tangibles, every time I post a blogpost, every word I write is work. It takes me a step closer to being a better thinker. A better writer.

I know that writing is going to be an important part of me. And I am going to work hard for it.

I’d need to because I believe that writing a book is probably the biggest challenge of them all. To start with, it takes a lot of time to finish one. An average fiction book is about 80K words and if I was to write 1000 words everyday, it would take me 80 straight days to write it. At least 3 months. For someone as lazy as I, three months would mean nine. Then the book has this finality about it. There is a story and there is a plot and there are characters. There is an emotional investment that people ought to make when they pick your book. There is a lot riding on it. For a writer.

Its like the endurance test. Everyone can run 100 meters but very few can go and finish a damn marathon. I want to finish a marathon. A book is a marathon. Like a marathon, a book is not about the time you take to finish it. Its about the damn finish line. And nothing else.

A book, published book, under my name, is thus a thing on my bucket list. A very important thing that I ought to do in life.

And you know what, I have a book on its way. I have put in almost 9 months working on it. And its near completion. The book hopefully would come out by July this year if all goes well. Do see the website at www.tnks.in.

For me, #tnks would be the first step towards becoming a writer. Not that I need a gratification from the world but its like coming of age. Its like a personal milestone. That I can write. That I am a writer. It may not be accepted by the world, it may be laughed at but it will be out in print. Soon.

Inshallah.

Oh, by the way, a writer is nothing more than an egomaniacal delusional bastard in absence of an audience. And a few patrons. I am in dire need of some. You want to help? Its easy. All you need to do is pray for me and send some good karma my way. Thats all I ask.

You want to do more? Help me when The Nidhi Kapoor Story comes out. Help me with spreading word about it. Help me by liking the FB page. Help me by pointing things that I could do to make it better. Help me by connecting to other people who may help me further.

And, thats about it. About writing. About #tnks. About book.