Category: Vipassana

O. Off the grid.

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, Keep my shirt on, Make a lot of money and No.


Next is O. O for Off the Grid.

Off the grid is when you are living a life that no one is aware of. Its the life Osama was living when he was hiding from the US of A. Or all such dictators live when they run from their adversaries.

In my case, I dont have someone to hide from, but I would want to go off the grid atleast once in life. If I had my way, I’d escape once every year. I do try around my birthday but I dont really succeed. Why would I do it? Because I want to know how it feels to get detached from the world that we all love so dearly.

The epitome of an off the grid life this guy (Chris McCandless) who went Into the Wild. First time I read the book, I was appalled to know that there are people who are strong enough to be able to do that.

I cant. Not in this life, not in a million lives. Not for a billion bucks. I, however, want to go off the grid for a few days. In fact come to think of it, Vipassana comes close.

A quote from Into The Wild

Ofcourse we live in a connected world and there is a constant barrage of tweets, likes, pokes, emails, notifications, alerts, reminders that comes our way. Its really easy to let go and go with the flow of these interruptions. Most say its good. We move forward and we get work done. Some say its bad, its shortening our attention span. I dont have a side that I can take. I like both perspectives. But there is something that I want to do about this constant connectivity. And that is, go off the grid. At least once in this life time.

Vipassana is close. For 9 days you live life like a pauper and you practice serious moderation of air, water and food that you intake. You moderate your thoughts and you try to peel off layers from your conscience. Its close to being off the grid because you dont talk and you dont know anyone else. But then you are confined to a small area. 
However, If I could go someplace without anyone knowing about me, it would be off the grid. I dont want to use a phone or email or ATM card or anything that leaves a trail. I dont want people to know who I am. I want to hide. Hide in the open. They may be looking for me but since they dont know who I am, I could be in front of their eyes all the time and yet remain hidden. I would even go underground if required. The way most assassins go after they’ve committed a crime. Mafia called it going to the mattresses. Actually mattresses is about preparing for the war, but its about a safe house where no one can track where you are.


And not because I want to hide. But because I want to live life without a worry. Without fear. Without lure of these notifications that make us social. In fact if all goes well, this year on, I would be able to go off the grid for two months every year. Keeping my fingers crossed. In the meanwhile do hear this song by Veder, from the movie Into The Wild.

Finally, the big question. Would you go off the grid? Do you have the balls?

First post of 2012

I have been trying to write this for quite some weeks now. I started with thinking I would write about the year gone by and review all the posts. I started and could not finish it. Then I said I would talk about my most favorite post of the year. Again, I starting writing, and could not finish it. There were reasons and there were thoughts, too long to be constrained to a small blogpost. Then I said I would talk about why 2011 sucked so much and how I had been waiting for it for more than five years. But I couldn’t finish it.

But then I had to write something. After all I am an aspiring writer storyteller and I have to be able to write well tell compelling stories. Even if the stories are boring and mundane, I should be able to make them interesting by the way I tell them. And to be able to tell good stories, I realize that I need to write often. More I write, better I get (apparently) and hence this blog. And this post. Like Yogi says, “You can’t think and hit the ball at the same time”. I ought to hit, hit and hit.

Anyways, after the longish introduction, coming onto the first post of 2012, let me do something that is as cliches as white safari suit and white shoes. I shall talk about my resolutions for the year. Without further ado, here is a quick list.

  • Lose weight. This has to be the most common resolution. If I owned a gym, I would promptly drop the prices of memberships, get as many members to pay for it and then retire to Goa. And if all the people who have promised that they would lose weight, the sea level would actually drop!
  • Eat right. At least once a day. I plan to stop having dinner. Vipassana taught me how to live on two means a day (just a simple breakfast and lunch) and I was fine with it. I plan to do that. I will try and achieve it by end of January. I am not sure if I can but I will try hard.
  • Continue to not drink Coke. I stopped drinking coke in 2011. So far I have resisted the temptation to restart it but I will try to not have it as long as I could. I dont know if it does any harm to my health but I know any sort of addiction is uncalled for. And I know that once I start having coke, I would get hooked on. So why take a chance!
  • Get Leh’d. I have been dreaming about the trip for a long long time. I have made plans and failed. This year hopefully I would go to Leh. With sgElectra. 
  • Play poker more seriously. I have been toying with it, off and on, for last two or so years. I have now reached a stage where I think I am an average player and I have a keen interest in the game. And with almost two years of non-serious play, I have developed a fair amount of understanding and gut for it. Its about time I capitalize on it. I plan to play more and hopefully goto more live games. But then this is something I am not too sure about. I dont have the money to invest that the game calls for. 
  • Start making a lot of money. I have had the pleasure of chasing my dreams and working for companies that you don’t often associate management graduates with. Its been fun ride but as a result I have been left poor. Now that I am almost at my half life, I need to fend for myself. And I need to start making money. Btw, any recruitment placement hr consultants reading this (three keywords in one line ought to attract some bots)? I am a MDI graduate with almost 5 years of solid brand management and advertising experience. I just need a lot of money and I will sell my soul if I have to. You know where to reach me.
  • Ensure that all the resolutions listed above. 🙂
And ofcourse this is no way a complete list. I would keep adding things to it. 2012 could be the last year for us humans and I better make the best use of it. I need to live it up. And, if, by any chance, this is not the last year, I am sure having done these things would do no harm. It would only help. Right? 

2009: the year that was…

I am at Delhi airport. Waiting to take the flight to Mumbai. Like most thing in my life, there is no agenda for this trip to Mumbai. And like all other things, this trip was planned at the last minute. There are no specifics, no reasons why I wanted to see Mumbai. Only a vague sense of reason and some amount of gut feel. In fact, think of it, most things I do, I do because of these two.

Anyways the idea of the post is recap things that I did in 2009. Mumbai is a different and longish rant. Lets keep it pending for some other time.
So, here is a quick and dirty list of things I did and things I did not in 2009.. In no particular order.

  1. I resigned from my job (July). Second resignation in three years post MBA. GE Money and now Creativeland Asia. Both for different reasons. Both times, trying to chase hope and dream big.
  2. I did Vipassana (Sep). This is the first time I was quiet for 9 days on the trot. Last time I was this quite, it would have been the time when I was still a toddler and hadnt learnt talking. I am told I took 2 years to start talking. No wonder I am catching up on the lost time by all the talking that I do.
  3. I finally took the Mensa test and got the membership (June).
  4. I applied for TED fellowship and I did not get it. I knew and still know that I deserve it as much as rest of the 100 fellows who got it. But as they say, life aint no fair. Shall keep trying.
  5. I started a company with Kunal (Aug). 10 years after we started working together and dreaming about owning businesses. This one is nothing to write home about but our pipeline is full.
  6. I finally started teaching full time (Aug). Although what I teach is inconsequential but it still is addressing a batch of students none the less. And I now know that I enjoy teaching. Need to think more and take this forward.
  7. I started writing a book. A piece of fiction. But left it midway for reasons that I dont know myself. I dont even know where those chapters are.
  8. I realized that I could be wrong. And more importantly, I realized that its ok to be wrong. As long as you tried.
  9. I discovered that I love advertising, media, entertainment, design and technology businesses. Of course I am an outsider, young, incompetent, inexperienced, “un”talented, dreamer, naive et al. Along with these disadvantages and more, I do have all the advantages that outsiders have. I can look at things from unbiased perspective. I can slaughter the sacred cows. I can dare. I can change. I can improve. I am the new.
  10. I moved back to Delhi. Though I do miss Mumbai and all the fun I had in Mumbai. Is it the people that I miss? Or the place? I shall never know. It sucks how friends drift apart with passage of time.
  11. I got my Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 5S (April). I have been thinking of buying it for about 15 years (not exaggerating). And its one of the best decisions that I have made in my life.
  12. I learnt how to fold a paper into a crane (April), juggle three balls at the same time, drive a car, be diplomatic and live with a bald head.
  13. I started watching movies (Dec). Of all the ones that I saw in 2009, the Shawshank Redemption impressed me most.
  14. Met tons and tons of people. I got their contacts from Twitter, Facebook, MDIJFK, friends, family etc. Most have been helpful. Wish they could actually DO rather than just talking.
  15. Discovered the world of Poker (Sep). I am not good as it as yet but I am practicing. Plan to be a part of WPT some day.
And few insignificant numbers (I do love numbers, especially when they are useless).
  • 147 – number of blogposts in 2009 till date. At the rate, I should end the year with 150.
  • 6 – number of years I have been blogging now.
  • 27 – my age
  • 1722 – time on my laptop. My flight takes off at 1820. I need to board at 1740.
  • 2 – number of bags I am carrying.
  • 3 – number of tabs I have open on my Google Chrome.
  • 126, 415 – number of chips I have on Zynga Poker. And that is what I am going to do till my flight is announced.
See you in Mumbai.
P.S.: Now that I am reviewing the post, I should have done this in a chronological order with months adding to the structure.

Back from Vipassana

I am back. I went for Vipassana. I did a ten day course under the guidance of SN Goenka in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin at Dhamma Sota (map) and I loved every bit of it. I have never come across anything as professional, motivational and grounded in science as the course.

Thanks to Goenka Ji for Vipassana Meditation Centre. I would recommend the 10 day residential course at one of the Dhamma centres (more than 120 centres around the world) to everyone.

Should someone need more info, please write in. Will be more than happy to share details and experiences.

And if I was to summarize my learnings in one sentence, I would say, “This too, shall pass”. And if I was to use one word, it is, Anichya (impermanent).

P.S: I cant say I have changed or learnt the art of living but as Goenkaji says, I am on my way of Dhamma.