Chasing Newer Leisure Pursuits

For as long as I can remember, I have always indulged in some hobby or the other to make good use of my time. Having dabbled with so many things, I can only say that I am a jack of all but a master of none. And that's precisely been the point. I never pursued hobbies to excel at them. I had academics for that. But now that life is at a stage where academics don't matter and neither do career achievements, if and when I can afford some time for myself, I would like to use it for something that feels exciting, makes me look forward to the activity and leaves me with an immense sense of satisfaction having indulged in something like that. And so I can always switch gears and stride towards a new leisure pursuit.

If I list out all my hobbies since childhood, I can say that I have been reading (that's a given!), painting (of course!!), building some craft projects, recording cartoons on VHS tapes and creating my own collection, creating my own board games with rules that only I knew, collecting coins and other stuff. That was of course before cable tv and introduction to music and Hollywood movies. Once audio-visual cues started luring me into their world, it was just addiction to the idiot box. I was also subscribed to a DVD library to watch all the latest and greatest movies that were out there. I can't quantify how much Hollywood I have consumed and still do. Just that the cable tv or DVDs have been replaced by OTT content. And the dedicated time for watching TV has been subtly replaced by movie marathons and binge-watching the latest series. Obviously, that wasn't time well spent and it would only be later that I would realize it.

The job would keep me busy on weekdays and weekends would open up for anything that I wished to fill it up with. Poorly chosen things like OTT content, social media, Youtube took no time to fill that void. It took a lot of effort to get back to pursuing things that actually meant something and were not a mere waste of time. Blogging was certainly one of them and something which I would pursue as long as possible.

Two years ago the pandemic hit, bringing the world to a grinding halt. Work didn't stop though, it just shifted from elite office space to a humble corner in my bedroom. But what it did afford, was a world free of the daily commute, wasted time getting to the office and back, unavoidable office parties and so much more. You just have to wake up and sit in front of the computer and Boom! You are in office!! Work from home definitely put things in a different perspective and I started to value the time I found at hand. I could always binge-watch Netflix but instead of mindlessly wasting time away, I could find means to fuel the pursuit of different leisure activities. I started spending my time learning origami, calligraphy, canvas painting with acrylic colors. All new frontiers for me, but none sustainable beyond a certain period. I lost interest too soon and now the bunch of origami papers or the calligraphy book or the painting stationery, all have retired to a shelf waiting to gather more dust.

Perhaps a couple of things that deserve a pat on the back were putting together and framing a thousand-piece jig-saw puzzle of the amazing Santorini Island of Greece and building a Lego set of the Harley Davidson motorcycle. The frame adorns the wall in my drawing room overlooking the shelf on which the Harley sits with pride. It was fun but only lasted for the time of the activity. I was definitely looking for something that would grasp my attention for longer and keep me going.

A new year ushered in and I got myself a new desk calendar. It was the Dilbert calendar for 2021. A comic strip for each day of the year. The color cartoon on the first page showed the pointy-haired boss angrily walking away from Dilbert's desk and saying "I will be back when I figure out how this is all your fault". It was so funny that I pulled that page out and taped it to my fridge door. It is still there surrounded by my collection of fridge magnets. I have always been a Dilbert fan and this daily calendar gave me an opportunity to hand-pick rib-ticklingly funny strips, which I started pasting into an empty notebook bought precisely for that purpose. The pages were just big enough to accommodate three strips per page. Gradually I started pasting the strips as days turned to months and 2021 started inching away. Heck people collect stamps, I might as well collect the most funny, eclectic, sarcastic, relatable stuff I could find in there. I curated it to the best of my liking. It was fun to read it every day, decide if it's worthy enough to be part of my collection, and promptly paste it the next day. I would also take a picture of some strips and share them as my WhatsApp status for my friends and contacts to enjoy. If they are wondering why I don't put them anymore, well 2021 is gone and so are the strips. By the end of the year, I had for myself a mini-comic book with the best Scott Adams has to offer. Something which I can pick up to read and burst into bouts of laughter. There are some real gems in there. You have to see it to believe it.

Another year passed and the pandemic did not really loosen its grip over the world. Inspired by my year-long endeavor with Dilbert comics, I started looking for something which will keep me busy this year as well. Some activity for each day and to remind me that I am committed to the process for the rest of the year. This year is dedicated to reading meaningful books and sure enough, I happened to pick up the "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living" by Ryan Holiday. Stoicism has caught my fancy off late and I am trying to read anything that gives me more clarity on what it is. Rather than the history of Stoicism, I am interested in imbibing it in my daily life in whatever capacity I can. This book gives me the start I am looking for. It has one page for each day of the year. Each page has a quote by one of the several Stoics who has contributed to the philosophy. And that is followed by Ryan's interpretation and explanation about the topic. No doubt this is a good book, but I wanted a distilled, concise version of what's being said so that when I visit those pages again I don't have to read it all over just to get to the important parts. That's when the idea of writing a précis for that day came to my mind and I started putting together notes for each day of the year. This means not only do I have to read the page for that day but read it over a couple of times to get the crux and distill it into a précis not more than three sentences. If the first sentence were a quote from a Stoic, then I am left with just two more sentences to summarize it all. That's a challenge for me and I take the liberty to either put things verbatim or interpret the ideas across sentences into a handful of words. So far I am doing well. My notes are up to date and I try not to miss a day.  

And this is how I am charting my way to newer horizons, chasing the leisure pursuits which make me realize that I have to do something with the spare time I have with me. Either I use it or lose it. Maybe it is these purposeful hobbies that have kept me from going insane. There is a lot to deal with in this world. And when you are done for the day, you just want to unwind, relax, gather yourself before starting all over again the next day. I am hoping such a leisure hobby will help me focus, reclaim some serenity and bring the ever-elusive peace back. I can chase these pursuits at my pace and get something more meaningful in return.

Reminiscing "The Storyteller"

Time sure flies and does indeed go unnoticed when you are enjoying every bit of the journey you started on. This post marks the completion of fifteen years of my blog "The Storyteller". The first post was way back in April 2006, when I was just beginning to wander into the world of blogging. Who knew the journey would last so long and still continue after more than sixty posts. Tiny writeups, imagined accounts, profound monologues, epic adventures, emotive poems, inspired writings, personal anecdotes have all made their way into the "The Storyteller". I meant it when I said I want to step into the shoes of the story teller and tell tales that will make the reader feel a different emotion every time. Thats what I have been trying to do, find ways to tell a different story every time.

What better way to cherish a journey than to look back and see how far you have come. I didn't start with the intention of going on a blogging spree and churn out something or the other every few days. Instead it was a deliberate attempt to let the creativity grow organically and just see what shape a primitive idea takes as I spend time trying to cultivate it into a blog. Something which can be as complete as I can make it. Each one goes through an iteration of its own. What may start as a short essay may find itself transformed into a long story as more ideas bounce back and forth. Maybe I have to curb myself from adding another verse when I see that the poem is already too long.

I have tried to tackle stories that sometimes completely rely on the wings of my imagination or sometimes narrate incidences that have happened to me or someone I know. Either ways the story teller wanted to convey something that gets the reader hooked for just the right amount. Truth be told, it's me who keeps coming back to read them over and over again. No, I am not obsessed with what I have written, but I keep proof reading them and still find some spelling error, some ill constructed sentence which I ought to correct at earliest or atleast think of ways on how I could have made it better. That helps me put the right effort in the next blog that I want to put forth.

What good is a post without feedback! That's what some of the comments have done for me. Appreciate me for something good that has been written or be upfront about how things could be better. It only shows that someone reading the blog is invested in the story and feels that it is relatable at some level. As for constructive criticism, I have braced it with open arms. It lets me know there is always a scope for making it better, taking it up a notch.

The blog itself is a reflection of life around me, an interpretation of things the way I understand them. As life goes on and unfolds previously unknown facets, I will have a different perspective on things, which will make me feel the need to tell a different story. In that sense, I really do not have an idea about how long do I plan to keep writing. I have seen my hiatus once a while, but have managed to gather my thoughts for yet another blog. In that sense I do not want to stop, I won't stop ... rather I can't, because its the ebb and flow of ideas. Ideas that gradually take form and once they have been given enough thought, they have a life of their own.

As I stand at this milestone of fifteen years of "The Storyteller", I have looked back, long and hard and found myself pondering over so many of my blogs. As I reminisce over them I realize, what was nascent once, is now a full blown collection of my writings, musings, poems and much more. Here is a toast to this avenue I have curated for myself. The journey thus far has been immensely fulfilling and may it continue for a long time to come. It is manifesting itself into something that will not end so soon. It is a voyage into the world of words henceforth limited only by my lack of will or a dwindling count of new ideas.

Castle of Sand

I build my castle of sand
With enthusiasm and optimism abound
Knowing well as the day would pass

I'll find it in shambles, down to the ground 

Is it the waves that decimate it
Or the wind that's being merciless
Maybe its the foundation, left unreinforced
And it painfully crumbles nonetheless

Maybe I am building it wrong
Not knowing what really would make it strong
As each night sees the light of the day
I gather myself and start building right away

Each passing day makes me realize
What's built today may be gone tomorrow
But each iteration makes me see
I have a fresh chance to make it right

One day I might have to stop
And not have the strength to carry on
I might be reluctant to see a castle half built
And see it perish, eventually gone

Would I have the strength to not cry that day
Or ponder on things that could have been
Would I be helpless, resigned to fate
Or recount the opportunities I should have seen

I would have built it to my best
No reason to believe why I should suffer
Trying to remember how it all began
The reason to build it might seem a blur

That distant future isn't here yet
None of it will happen is what I hope
So for today and every day after
I just gather myself, be ready to cope

I will rebuild my castle of sand
With enthusiasm and optimism abound
After many years and then some more
No one would find it down to the ground

Nuggets Of Wisdom

I have been an avid watcher of videos by Sadhguru on the internet. Seems like he is the real rockstar out there. Given the level of insanity in the world, I found one person who has the most sane things to say and put our lives into some perspective. What he offers is simple practical understanding of how we should be in this world. The stress he puts on the "being" of being a "human being" has piqued my interest since quite some time. And so when I stumbled on an "Inner Engineering" webinar, I jumped at the chance to experience this first hand. What I chronicle here on, will just be my understanding of that one hour of interaction with one of the instructors. I was ready with my pen and paper, eager to note down some nuggets of wisdom and boy did I start filling out page after page, trying to lap up all that was being dispensed. Pardon me for my verbatim usage of several things that were said. There are simply no words to explain things better. The clarity of thoughts, intent of words and effectiveness of the talk was something that will be with me for a long time.

The instructor started with a very simple premise. Why do we do what we do in our everyday life? The ultimate purpose is to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is all it is. But the joyful nature we once had, when we were five years old, is no longer with us, now that we have turned thirty. The happiness graph has gone down for most of us. Whatever we choose to endure ourselves through, we just know that towards the end it will give us something that will lead to happiness (of some sort). If we look around, how many happy faces do we really see? People go on with their lives with long faces most of the time. We have not been able to sustain or even potentially grow the blissful happiness we had when we were kids. This means something must be wrong with us.

Stress is the most common attribute anyone would associate with their jobs. Everyone seems to find their job stressful. You might be stressed for some reason, but so is your boss for another reason. A person working behind the counter at a store thinks he is stressed. So is the president of a country. How come there is so much stress everywhere and everybody is affected by it?

No job is actually stressful. It becomes stressful when the individual does not know how to manage the situation around him. How is it that given the same situation someone is bogged down with stress while someone else breezes through it? Simply because one person is able to manage things better than the other. These bouts of mental tension build up day after day and the agitation of the mind begins to translate into agitation of the body. When you drive a car at a relaxed speed, it will go miles and miles before needing any maintenance. But if you drive it at high speeds all the time, there is only so much distance it can go before something breaks down. The same is true with our body. Too much stress can only take you thus far, before you begin to get troubled by some disease. The mind is source of most illnesses. But you can deal with all the day to day grind with proper management. We have been engineering the outside world for several centuries to make things work for us, serve us and make things more convinient. But how often have we done anything for the mind, taken care of the "inner" world? Inner engineering shows the way to do that.

Things like peace, happiness, anger or agony are nothing but different levels of chemical energy in the human body. It is something hapenning within us because of things hapenning around us. Knowing well that we may not have control over things outside us, we should definitely know that we have control on things hapenning within us. What we become is solely our choice. Given a choice no one wants to be miserable, but if the situation around us is not the most favorable, we can still choose what we want to become. It is possible to become peaceful and joyful again just as our five year old self, even if we think we have lost that ability at the age of thirty. 

The body is at its most restful state when it is asleep. A well rested today will lead to an energetic tomorrow. But if we are sleep deprived for consequtive days, it starts impacting the body. The quality of rest that we have, affects the body. It is the quality that matters and not quantity. Someone could have slept only a few hours, but if he are well rested and relaxed, he has better ability to concentrate, his productivity is increased and he is less stressful as well.

Our memory is nothing but a series of things that have been hapenning to us and been continuously recorded by our senses. Every thing that we experience by way of reception via the senses becomes a memory but how often are we able to recollect things that we want, when we want. Maybe we remember everything else around that event, expect for that one tiny detail and later on it may just pop into our minds, when we are less stressed about trying to recollect it. As an analogy, try finding a book in a library where there are million other books all put into a heap with no organized catalog of any kind. Within that chaos it will be impossible to find what we are looking for. But if it were a well catalogued library, looking up a book among millions will be very easy. Just like that a mind that is relaxed will be more alert and receptive of things hapenning around it, able to process and recollect things effortlessly and stress free. This kind of organized process helps improve concentration and productivity.

Remember that time when you went on a vacation? You were happy, joyful, peaceful and you could feel it. You were like that for a week but you could not sustain it for longer. Once you were back from vacation and caught up in your daily grind, the peace earned on the vacation was gone in no time. Was it the place you were at or the person you were with that gave you that joy? Or did it essentially come from within you? If so can't we learn to by joyful all the time. No one wants to be miserable by choice, yet that is the case for many of us since we haven't understood the simple fact that joy has to come from within. It is our response to whatever we are facing wherever we are.

To be joyful we need to have more control on our mind. But it is not always the case. We may have some control over our body but we do not have any control on our mind. It is difficult to control the mind. It will not obey you and will do exactly what you told it not to do. Inner Engineering is offering ways which will enable us to control our faculties . Its not a teaching nor a philosophy but a scientifically proven method to be in better control of our mind, emotions, inner peace and the joy that we can experience.

Those were all the nuggets of wisdom that I could gather from the webinar. I am not sure how much of it was "lost in translation" or given a twist because of my "interpretation". But all I know is, I listened intently to what was being said and wrote down enough to serve as a reminder that though I am way beyond the age of thirty, I can still follow this path and learn to be blissful and joyful as my five year old self. The seeking has only just begun.

Prisoners of Dimensions

"I think its time to meet. How about I come to Mumbai over the weekend?", Rajan finally spoke after what seemed like hours on the call. The silence and the suspense had almost killed Revati, when his words sprung her back to life. She shrieked with joy, jumping up and down the couch. Rajan was sure her voice would still have reached Delhi sans the phone. But he kept that joke to himself. Revati on the other hand was already day dreaming about the weekend. They had waited long enough. Making calls back and forth for months together and having video chats on Skype, it really was time to meet. Their steady long distance relationship was going to take the next logical step and it excited them to no end. He was wanting to meet her since long, but had only managed to speak up now. She had already made up her mind but just wanted to be sure if he wanted it to. How a quantum physics nerd had fallen for a fashion designer was something no one knew for sure. As they say, Love does find its way.

Saturday arrived. Rajan was already on his way to the airport. He had called Revati earlier to tell her about the plan. He was planning to put up with his friend and would borrow his car for the evening. He would pick her up from her apartment and then the evening was wide open with endless possibilities. She could take him to her favorite restaurant, or maybe they could go for a long drive, or maybe they could just have a stroll in the park, who knew! All they wanted to do was meet up and say things they could have said only in person.

The flight landed on time and Rajan was soon at his friends place. Revati already knew of this, since his Facebook notifications had kept her up to date. They had a quick chat and finally decided to catch up at six. Rajan was taking more than usual to get ready for his date. He wanted to look his absolute best. He did and re-did his hair a dozen times, before settling for his final look. Dressed in blue denims and a white shirt, he bought roses for her and got into his car. He had the address with him and just let Google guide his way to his love.

It took him a little under an hour to reach Revati's place, but he was right on time. Nothing can possibly go wrong now, he thought, while planning the rest of the evening in his head. He called up Revati who said she would be down in five. He waited with excitement, eagerly looking at the main gate for first signs of Revati walking out. Sure they had seen each other on video chats but a sweet mix of curiosity and anxiety filled his heart as he just stared out from his car window. He was parked right in front of the gate so he knew he would be able to spot her right away.

Ten minutes passed by. "She should have been here by now" thought Rajan. While anxiously waiting for her, even minutes felt like hours and he became really restless after some time. He was still not able to spot her, when his phone rang. Revati was calling. "Hey Rajan, where are you? I am waiting at the gate for almost five minutes I don't see any cars parked outside". Thats strange, he thought, he was parked right in front of the gate. "I am right here Rev, just outside the main gate. I don't see you either. Is there another entry into your locality. Am I at the wrong entrance?". "No, its a single apartment building with just one gate" Revati replied, clearly confused with what was happening. Rajan wasn't able to understand anything either. "Green Park, Lane no 5, Santacruz West, that's the address you gave me right? That's where I am." He replied on the phone and even shared his location with her. She was surprised to see that location matched with her location, but there was still no sign of any car around. Though they were on the phone throughout the time, they were just not able to pinpoint their respective locations. "I am parked right at the road junction, I see a couple of auto rickshaws at the stand. There is a huge hoarding for some cosmetics company". Revati looked around for all these things and saw the exact same things from where she was standing. If he is this close, why don't I see him, was all she was thinking. "Look there's a blue merc driving into the main gate, I can see it right here" said Rajan. Revati was now flipping out, as she saw the blue merc drive past her and into the gate. She was standing right there.

"Please don't play these pranks Rajan, this is freaking me out now. I just saw the blue merc drive past me and into the main gate. I am standing right outside. How is it that you cant see me?", Revati was unable to believe what was happening. "Okay, what else do you see?" Rajan tried to find out more details. "Well, there is a tea shop besides that rickshaw stand, and also a bus stop few meters away. Wait... a city bus just made a stop there, bus number 89, its headed to Worli". Now Rajan was for loss of words, he was seeing all the things she said at the exact locations. "Okay, you see the bus stop right, I am just walking up to it and will wave my hand once I am there. Maybe that will sort this confusion once and for all. We are not here to play hide and seek, are we?". He was at the bus stop in no time. And had clear view of the Green Park's main gate, still no sign of Revati.

"What do you mean you are there and waving and still cant see me? I don't see anybody at the bus stop either. Stop this nonsense at once please. This is not a joke." Revati was furious now. She did not want to be stood up by Rajan and certainly not like this. "I swear I am right here and still no sign of you", Rajan replied honestly. "This is crazy, are you telling me that I am seeing everything else at just about the same time as you, except I don't see you! How is that even possible? The world around us is in sync, things happening at about the same time and yet we are invisible to each other!?"

Rajan got a weird feeling about what was happening. He remembered his time spent at the university studying advanced physics and concepts of time warp and how things could exist in space and time co-ordinates. But this was something else. If what they were experiencing were true then there was only one possible explanation. Beyond the coordinates of space and time, the dimensions had to be considered. "Shut your scientific brain off man", Rajan said to himself. "Is this even happening? What if it were true? How is it that things can exist in multiple dimensions and still interact seamlessly. I mean we are chatting on a live phone connection for God's sake."

After few more mind numbing thought, he called her up and said "Rev, you wont believe what I think this is. Don't freak out. Just hear me out. To meet someone you would need a time and a place right? So here we are at your place and at the agreed time. I am here and no doubt you must be here too. But I think we might be in parallel dimensions. So all of it is in sync, the place, the time, the events happening around us, except we are in separate dimensions. Like having another world that looks like this but is not this. I am in my world and you in yours".

"What rubbish! You nerd, stop pulling these pranks on me. All I know is, I am waiting for someone who is really important to me and fearing that this might go nowhere because he is a no show. I would hate to be stood up like this. And I suppose the cellular network also works across these dimensions since I am hearing you loud and clear, blabbering about some stuff from sci-fi movies. I don't care about your space and time and dimension. I just want to meet the guy I had those long chats and video calls with. The one I thought was special and with whom I would have wanted to make this day memorable. As far as I know, I don't see that guy"

Video call. Rajan finally stumbled on what could possibly prove his point. Hell yea, if cell networks can work across these dimensions, so can a video call. "Okay, okay! Don't buzz me off. I will prove it to you. I am making a video call to you. Pick it up and lets chat there. Okay?". Revati reluctantly agreed and checked her Skype for incoming calls. Rajan dialed in a minute later. "Hey there", he said," Just look behind me, I am walking around in your area. Notice any familiar buildings or maybe check that huge hoarding and there's the rickshaw stand". Revati was seeing stuff in background and it was obvious that Rajan was nearby and walking towards her. She just stayed put and peered curiously at the phone screen. "And now I am walking up to Green Park main gate, here is the security cabin, I also see that blue merc parked inside and yet there is no sign of you".

Revati was in disbelief. She was right there at the gate but was nowhere to be seen on the video images sent from Rajan's phone. She moved round and showed the video feed to Rajan who was unable to find himself in the spot where he was currently standing. Different dimensions indeed.

Both were unable to understand what this meant. Did multiple dimensions truly exist, were they in different worlds, was cell connection their only way to communicate? When Rajan thought the evening was open to endless possibilities, this particular outcome would not have crossed his mind in a million years. The scientist in Rajan was elated and already trying to find answers to this mystery of the universe, but the guy, who had fallen for the smart and chirpy Revati, was not able to comprehend, let alone figure out how to meet her. Their's would become the ultimate long distance relationship with zero possibility of ever meeting.

Rajan thought of one last thing to prove his point. He kept the video call on all the time and walked up to Revati's apartment. Revati could see him get off the elevator and go to her front door. And guess who answered the door! A splitting image of Revati, her clone who existed in Rajan's world was right there giving him a bewildered look. Yes she looked the same and talked the same, but Rajan was a complete stranger to her. She had no idea who he was or why he was at her door or why he had his video call on all the time. She slammed the door shut.

Revati saw the entire episode on her cell phone. Tears gushed down her cheek. She did not want to believe what she just saw. Time, space and dimension were still stuff sci-fi novels were written about and though their video call just proved Rajan's theory that they did exist, he would never exist in her world. What did exist was a clone who had no memory of her and what their relationship was all about. For the Rajan in her world, she did not exist either.

They guessed it was their last good bye. First date gone horribly wrong. They could choose to continue their relation on voice and video calls but that was about it. As of now they were stuck where they were. Mere prisoners of their dimensions.