A small joy with diminishing returns

I'd say a home- cooked meal falls into this category. If you are far away from home, or if your house is in a state that your kitchen isn't functional- like mine is damn it- well, that's when you miss a warm home cooked meal- whichever part of the world you belong to. And if you are far away, the first week or two there's a thrill of eating new cuisine and experiencing new bars and restaurants.

But any longer and people start crying out for Ghar ka khana- whether your ghar is in Delhi or Dallas.

I guess confirmed bachelors and hostelites don't really experience it for long parts of their lives, but most of us do.

Very strange, but this joy is ephemeral, because all of us take the home cooked meal for granted when put in front of our faces every single day. I'm the guiltiest party when it comes to criticizing things around- or consider home food blah.

Till I don't get it on my plate, that is.

Ramble to Unscramble

If you live in Pune, you have to go for a ramble up the hills. You wouldn't do worse than the ARAI- Vetal hill area. And you got to do it before say 20th of november- that's when you'll enjoy the fresh green carpet and flowers all round.

Cmon, I know there is some inertia to start with (walking up a hill on my well earned holiday!) but it is so totally worth it. Go with a companion (preferably one who doesn't yadder too much). Go to a place that is not frequented by people who work out so that you can have some solitude, and don't get weird glances from earnest fast walking people who wonder at your meandering pace.

Or go alone and sort your thoughts out- nothing like a hill ramble to do this. You get a panoramic view which helps put things into perspective. You can stop when you want, increase pace as you want- so it becomes between a wander and a trek.

Finish off with a well earned bun maska and chai at some canteen nearby. Small joys dont come better than this one.

The Journey to Product

We recently launched our product's website : www.coconnex.com. It was a landmark moment for all of us.

Around three and half years ago, we had brainstormed about an idea in the event management and marketing space, and created a rough and ready proof of concept. From there on began a journey from idea to product.

Today, the product (Coconnex) has its own look and feel, its own website and other marketing communications, a proven sales and delivery team and an impressive list of clients. It has graduated to being a full fledged service.

It has given many small joys along the way:product demos being appreciated by prospects, business plans being seriously whetted;smart technological decisions taken, product becoming more market ready, getting to first client, then the first overseas client, then getting client appreciation and testimonials, then our UK based sales director joining us- and now this whole new branding and launch.

The small joy I'm having right now is one of nostalgia and lessons learned. I now know what it takes for an idea to become a valued product in the marketplace.

Happiness in stressful times...

Is our responsibility, isn't it?

When this world becomes too busy for me, I tend to lose track of the fact that my happiness level completely depends upon whether I can "steal" a moment and make myself happy. Currently, my life is super busy- both at office and at home, and stress levels are high. This is where this small adjustment that I've talked about comes in. Let me explain a little more.

It's enjoying a chai at the tapri with a dear friend in between office and home. Fifteen minutes of complete relaxation.

Its enjoying a good read on the pot (tacky to some, a must for others)

It's remembering to listen to a good song at a traffic signal

It's seeing a sitcom for five minutes while your kid has gone to the loo in a commercial break in her cartoon show

Its about....

I guess the adjustment is to use ordinary time which we'd use just doing nothing (maybe waiting for something to happen, or worrying about something) and use that time to make yourself happier.

No one else will. Let's all remember that!

Champagne Weather

Today's a day like no other. Atleast not what we've seen in Pune for a longish time. After the humidity and torrential rains of last week, today was cool, crisp- white puffy clouds, azure skies and warm sunshine. Sounds like a travel brochure, doesn't it? But this brochure like day exists, and with it brings a lot of happiness for absolutely no reason.

I can see office goers go out for a post lunch stroll from my window. I could see a lot of cork trees, full of blossom, sparkling away like the snow Pune will never have when I walked in the morning. I was reminded of a Wodehouse novel, where the weather is always fantastic even though the hero's heart is heavy.

Its a day full of what I'd call Champagne Weather. Forgive me for getting all poetic on you: God gives licenses to everyone today for waxing lyrical.

Discovering TS Eliot

I'd been meaning to do this for a long time, and finally I had half a chance and read a few of TS Eliot's poems. I'm glad I did. Beautiful poems, no doubt, but his quotes enraptured me. Sample these:

" Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood. "

"Home is where one starts from. "

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

"It's strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words."

"If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?"

"The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason. "

I love stuff like this. I could cut and paste for a long time, but I think you get my point. Something beyond the usual pseudo- intellectual romantic longish rants that masquerade as poems. I guess they don't make them like him anymore.

Fixing things

My house is in a complete mess right now. We're re-flooring and re-painting a lot of the house, and if you've been through this, boy, you know what I mean. It takes a special effort for everyone to accept small discomforts, and cool down frayed tempers, and be patient.

Of course, there is a positive side to this as well- you can see your home getting spruced up and more like the way you visualized every day before kick-starting this. There's a small joy there- seeing something beautiful unfold in the unholy mess that surrounds you.

I read a beautiful story in Paulo Coelho's book "Like the flowing river" where a man, whose life is a mess, offers to rebuild a ruined house- for free- for a stranger. As soon as he starts doing this, his own life gets sorted out. I'm reminded of this story again when I see my own home being rebuilt- hoping that the rest of my life becomes less messy and more beautiful! Good thought huh?