Category: History

V. (Master the) Vedas.

This is a part of the April A to Z Challenge. My theme is my Bucket List. Read about it here. Other posts in the A to Z Challenge: Ancient Ruins, Book, Coffee Shop, Date a Supermodel, Entrepreneurship, (Be a) Finisher, Give Away my Wealth, Handle a Baby, Inspire, Jack of all trades, Keep my shirt on, Make a lot of money, No, Off the Grid, Poker, Question Everything, Run a Marathon, Settle in the mountains, Teach and Up in the Air.


Next is V. V for (Master the) Vedas. 

Vedas are ancient Indian scriptures that apparently contain the sum total of all ancient Indian wisdom. It was written over the years and by multiple people across the entire length and breadth of the great Indian subcontinent. Apparently, vedas is not a work of human imagination. It is what the sages heard from the divine. More on this later.

The four vedas 

So, once I have hung my boots, I’d want to devote my time studying the vedas.

Why would I want to do it? I dont know. It just sounds unfair that this great body of work exists and while I was around on this planet, I did not spend time with it. All the more important because I believe that I am curious about the world around me and no better way to try and satiate the urge than the vedas.

Plus the vedas is like a collection of ideas and thoughts that everyone has an opinion on. And each sect would have their interpretation of the vedas. Each interpretation would make for an interesting read. Will show me different perspectives and opinions.

I wish I could leave everything and chase the knowledge and understanding like its no one’s business. Just wish I dint have to work for money!

Oh, this series by Times Wellness is a good starting point!


A. Ancient Ruins.

Hello dear readers of the blog. I am taking up A to Z Challenge. Its a simple plot. You write 26 posts in April, each post starting with a different character. Preferably all these posts, all these words should have a common theme. 


The theme for me is my Bucket List.


For the uninitiated,  a bucket list is a list of things that people want to do before they die. Since, I love making lists and its been some time since I’ve made a list, its time that I make one now. One item at a time. One day at a time. One character at a time. Starting with A. On the 1st of April. I am going to archive the entire list here, if you are interested.

A is for Ancient ruins. Of Machu Picchu. And Angkor Wat and others.

I have no clue why I love history so much.

And come to think of it, I hated it in school.

Now that I am a grown up, I realize that the curriculum was inherently boring and thus the hatred for history was not me. Plus, I have been lucky to have travelled to so many places. And all that travel has made me realize that I love history. I love historical places. Love em so much that I that there are times when I have thought of joining the ASI or UNESCO. I dont know what I would do there but I know that I’d get to travel to all these places that have been long lost.

I really wish I could travel back in time. The pragmatist in me tells me that I may not be able to, in this life time. Thus, the closest thing that I can do about it, is goto all the historical ruins that I can goto. Specifically to the ruins at Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and at other older civilizations (China, India etc).

Ruins at Machu Picchu

The thing is I have realized that there is a specific reason for me to travel back in time. The curious in me want to know that how in the world did they erect such majestic structures without the luxury of modern technology or tools. I mean look at the Taj. Or at Pyramids. Or the Great Wall. Or the temples are Angkor. How did they haul all that stone to such large distances in such short amount of time?

Who came up with designs? Who helped them with precision when they were creating things? Who was doing the QC? And most of them all, why would someone even want to create these things in the first place? Back then, lives would’ve been really simple and the kings would have had enough to eat and fuck and yet they chose to get these things made. Why guys? Why?

Not that I am complaining. I just want to understand these people. They must’ve been tripping on something really wild.

As an added incentive they may have hidden some treasure that may has escaped the eyes of all those treasure hunters that keep searching for. Wait, did I say treasure hunters? Lol! Wait till I reach T ;P

So yeah, one of the things on my bucket list is to travel to as many historical ruins as I could. If not all, I have to have to see Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat before I die. There is something mystic about these places that sorts of calls me there.

Anyone wants to sponsor my trip?

Happy Birthday Divya Mathur

Today is Divya’s birthday. She used to be a classmate at Plato Public School in Delhi. Last I met her was sometime in 1997 when I was leaving the school for a bigger and better school elsewhere. Since then have thought about her a lot of times, tried searching for her on Orkuts and Facebooks of the world but could not find.

Wondering if a blog can help me find her. Her full name is Divya Mathur and last I know, she stayed in East Delhi and went to Plato Public School in IP Extension.

Please see if you can help.

Remembering Duck Tales


When I was growing up (I still am), on TV, there used to be just good old Doordarshan. And it was the time when Sundays were important. More important than anything else. I would not miss the Sunday for anything. I used to wait the entire week for Sunday. I would make sure I had done my homework on Saturday night itself. On Sunday, I would get up early, get ready, was bathed and powdered and my hair parted on the left side, I would sit in front of TV at exact 9, waiting for the clock to strike 10. I would be the perfect kid. I would give no reason to my mom or my dad to disturb me that day. It the most important time of my life.

At dot 10, Duck Tales with its awesome intro music would start beaming. And with it, I would get lost in a fantasy world of Uncle Scrooge, Beagle Boys, Magica, Launchpad and all the pranks played by Luey, Huey and Duey (I dont really remember the names). I used to wish I had an Uncle like Scrooge McDuck who would literally be flooded with money. I wanted to have brothers like Luey, Huey and Duey. I wanted to have a nanny like Mrs. Beakley. I wanted to have a friend like Launchpad. I wanted my life to be life that. Full of action, adventure, suspense, comedy and emotions.

Life was so perfect. There were no worries. No decisions to make – their was only one channel and hence the simple decisions. Moreover the ads were very limited. There used to be just one commercial break and the ads of Cadbury’s Tobu Cycles etc. were lot more fun that the ones right now. (Ok, not Tobu Cycles but Cadbury’s for sure).

And obviously next day at school, at the lunch break, there were sessions where we discussed everything that happened during the show. We would talk about funny incidents. We debated about strategies that they should have taken.

And now, we have serials that started with TV channels and in all probability they would never end. There is no wait. Life moves at a snails pace. I happened to see Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi few weeks ago and they were still talking about Tulsi and Ba. I mean its been 10 years since Tulsi has been contemporary and is most talked about Bahu in the history of India.

Sincerely wish if those days could be back. Need to write another post on Tale Spin, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhaal Kay etc. And if you want to read more about TV shows from those times, read my earlier post here.

I have the sound tracks of both Duck Tales and Tales Spin. Please email me in case you need em.

The Mahatma


Mahatma Gandhi was shot down on this day in 1948 by Nathu Ram Godse. Every history book credits him for standing against aparthied, for getting India her independence, for propagating the path of truth and honesty and preaching non-violence. Mahatma Gandhi, in his 72 years of life did more for his country than anyone else could ever do in 7 lifetimes. Now these are strong words that I am using. And I will have to defend them.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi could have taken the path trodden by everyone else and could have been a meek spectator to the Indian freedom struggle. He was after all a qualified lawyer and he could practise law at London or at South Africa. But he chose a different stance. When he was kicked out of a railway carriage, he could have cursed the Brit and sat in the third class compartment but he stood his ground. There are numerous incidences like that.

In short, he had this ability to stand for what he thought was correct. Most of us admire him for this very reason. Even when odds were against him, he would make sure he stood his ground. For me, the best thing about Mahatma Gandhi was his ability to connect with the masses when newspapers were limited in reach, television was a privilege and Internet was not even born. His messages and letters could bring the entire nation to its feet. Managers in this era should learn from his methods and way he influenced people. And this influence was not a particular section of people but on everyone. Hindus, Muslim, Educated, Villagers, Men, Kids .. think about a strata and he had reached them.

Many people have blamed him for partition of India and Pakistan. He is also blamed for all the problems we have between Hindus and Muslims. He is known as a bad father. His relationship with his son Haribhai are still as big as a folklore. But all things said an done, he was after all one of the key reason we got our independence. His contribution was no small one and he will always be missed.

For me, he is one of those few people who died too soon. His death anniversary is a time to take stock of the situation. What we could have been and what we are now. And finally the way ahead for future.