There came a time..

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

- Anais Nin

A Prayer :)

Dear God!

Hope you are doing good.

I wanted to talk about a few things…my finances in particular. Have a figure in mind…if you could just help me reach there, I guess things would be much better.

Oh damn! Didn’t consider the inflation. Let me get back to you in a few days. In the meantime please continue doing what you think is the best.

Yours,

Rohit

Life’s inequalities…

Life’s inequalities can not always be undone; but you can always right the wrong for someone else, if not yourself.

No pain…

No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown!

- William Penn

Parents rejoice - Indian Idol comes to an end

Indian parents can dream again!

After braving 6 months of shattered dreams and Indian Idol, Indian parents can once again look forward to a period of joy, hope and dreams.

According to some statistics, this season of Indian Idol will leave behind 14356 broken “Papa ke sapne” and 3459 broken “Ma ke sapne”. The nation watched spellbound as a dedicated generation stepped forward to make their Parent’s dreams come true by participating in Indian Idol. But it was heart breaking for most as they could not even get past the first stage.

Mr. Rakesh Pratap, father of Jimmy Pratap who was declared a unanimous “Vahiyaad” by all judges in the very first round is looking forward to a new dream now. “It took me almost 5 months to gather the courage to dream again and hand it over to Jimmy. Now I want him to be a great dancer”. It used to be a nerve-wracking 30 minutes on Saturday Night for the Indian Parenting community. Whose dream will be broken tonight? Who will not have anything to look forward to anymore?

“I will be able to focus on my work again, now that I know my dreams are safe”, said a relieved Mr. Gyan Bakshi whose daughter went as far as the Round of 16. According to his colleagues Mr. Bakshi has been acting strange for the last 6 months. Overtly emotional, touchy and sensitive is how they describe him. His boss was embarrased big time when during the appraisal he went down on his knees, started crying and pleading for 20% raise. “Mera sapna toot jaayega boss”

Now that the storm is over, I wish Indian Parents a joyful 6 months ahead.

Why so serious?

मेरी बातों को कह कर बेकार की बातें

चळी जाएगी वो इस बात से घबराता हूं

इसी लिए मै अक्सर खामोश रहता हूं

इसी लिए मै चुपचाप मुस्कुराता हूं

एक मुद्त से लड़ रहा हूं मै

मुझको यह फ़ैसला मंज़ूर नहीं

माना फ़िलहाल बेढ़ियों में हूं

पर ख्वाबों का जहां दूर नही.

मेरी दुनिया को कह कर ख्वाब की दुनिया

चळी जाएगी वो इस बात से घबराता हूं

इसी लिए मै अक्सर खामोश रहता हूं

इसी लिए मै चुपचाप मुस्कुराता हूं

मेरे बाप का सच्चा मगर हताश चेहरा

और मां की नेक पर मजबूर हस्ती

वो चंद सरफ़िरे से दोस्त

एक छोटा सा घर और तंग बस्ती

मेरे माज़ी को कह कर बेकार का बोझा

चळी जाएगी वो इस बात से घबराता हूं

इसी लिए मै अक्सर खामोश रहता हूं

इसी लिए मै चुपचाप मुस्कुराता हूं

India on the moon and an 11 year old poem

Wrote this around India’s 50th year of Independence. Was in 12th Grade I think. 11 years later it makes more sense

पहुंचने वाला है चांद पर कारवां हमारा

हिंद वाले देखो सिर उठाने लगे हैं

है हवा में फ़िर से संदेशा अमन का

पंछी फ़िर तिनका जुटाने लगे हैं

हैं कदमों को नई राहें मिली अब

नई मंजिल पर अब आंखें जमीं हैं

है लिखना अब नया इतियास हमको

बाग में गुल जवां यारो हमीं हैं

नया दिन है नये हैं इरादे

हॊसलौं पर भी बुलंदी है छायी

नहीं कोई गिला रातों से अब

वो देखो सुबहा लहरा कर है आई

इसको लाने में तो जमाने लगे हैं

हिंद वाले देखो सिर उठाने लगे हैं

What’s an idea worth?

Something I hear a lot is - “Ideas are dime a dozen”. Most of the times its followed by - “It’s execution that matters”. And I don’t disagree with the execution part. After all a startup is all about getting something done, about “executing” an idea.

But - “Dime a dozen” part? That is what I have a problem with. Coming across a beautiful idea is like finding true love. It can make you do amazing things. It can lead to greatness. World’s greatest nations, biggest companies, social movements were all based upon some fascinating idea that so caught the imagination of a bunch of people that they found a way of executing it.

What is it that keeps an entrepreneur going? It’s a not an excel sheet or a day to day execution plan. It’s the potential of the idea. The hope of creating something valuable and lasting. The dream of a world that only that entrepreneur can see. It’s the depth of the idea that gives us the courage to take it forward.

So lets show some respect to something so powerful and fundamental to the progress of human civilization. At the least please change to - “BAD ideas are dime a dozen”.

Movies for startups

So I watched Shawshank Redemption again last night. The guy spent twenty years working on that tunnel! And one day he escaped and redeemed himself. What can (or cannot) a startup accomplish in twenty years if it sticks to its vision?

Rocky is another favorite. When Stallone talks about his desire to “Go the distance” and prove that he was not “just another bum” on the street, isn’t he speaking for every bootstrapping startup guy who has his heart set on something wonderful.

I Love Movies! For the way they can inspire you and even help you see a bad sales call in the right perspective.