Bloggers get ready for the Marathon

This is a treat for the blogger in you. Blogathon is an online event where all the bloggers blog on a particular topic, daily, for a week. Blogathon is going to start on 20th of April so hurry up put on your marathon shoes or (blogathon) gloves.

Here is the list of topics:

Infrastructure: Sunday, 20th April 2008
How can we improve the traffic condition in our city?

Politics: Monday, 21st April 2008
How do we change the focus of politics from caste/religion to grassroot issues?

Entertainment: Tuesday, 22nd April 2008
Does Bollywood overshadow regional cinema in India?

Media: Wednesday, 23rd April 2008
Why are Indian news broadcast channels not as mature as their International counterparts?

Gender: Thursday, 24th April 2008
What are the challenges that society faces in accepting the concept of alternate sexuality? How can we address them?

Sport: Friday, 25th April 2008
Are ‘media’ and ‘commercial interests’ in cricket the only reason that are killing other sports in India?

Lets all blog together for a cause. For more details about the Blogathon please visit Blogathon Site.

Tarun Chandel
For the love of Blogging

I did not fall...

One of those days when I am thinking about some good days in the past and let me share one post that I wrote for another blog sometime back...

It was just another day, or at least that's what I thought. I vaguely remember it was around 5 in the evening, I was lying on my bed for last two hours without moving even an inch. It was very unusual for a guy like me to be so still, but this was a different day, a day like no other in my whole life.

What was it? I think those eyes, no that smile, no it was the tinkle in her eyes, or may be it was her wet hair, I think it was all of this and much more. I had lunch with her today and I think I fell in ... No way can't be ... me ???

These thoughts were making me crazy but I liked it. It was different, as I had never thought about anyone for this long. I was not even sure what I was thinking but it was an amazing feeling. I think yes I did fall in ... or may be it was just because I was thinking about her so much. I never really had thought about any other girl for so long. I had missed three lectures. I finally got up; it's tough to move after lying motionless for more than three hours. One of my leg had gone numb and I limped to the window of my hostel room, which was facing the cafe and a lush green lawn in front of it. I saw her. She was sitting in the lawn and having tea, I was looking at her and then she turned towards me and a current ran through me. No not because of her but because my leg was getting the blood circulation back and anyways my room was quite far from the cafe and one could barely recognize anyone from there. So it might have been someone else and I was seeing her everywhere or at least I was supposed to according to so many movies, so many hit movies.

I came down from my room to the cafeteria, as I wanted to be around her. She was there in the lawn, I ordered a coffee and sat with her. She was sitting there with a bunch of other friends, and most of them were singles. So they were not going anywhere, if you are a couple then you go away from the group to spend sometime together. But since most of my classmates were single they used to hangout together. I liked this group till date, but today I wanted them to disappear. I wanted to be with her, wanted to talk to her, smile with her, gaze her, make her laugh and tell her how good I can be. I wanted her to fall for me. I wanted her to feel the same way about me as I was feeling about her.

We were sitting there for next one hour, I was unusually quiet today and as I was sitting just besides her I was not able to look at her directly. Later that evening we went for dinner in a restaurant near our campus. On our way we walked together for around 10 mins or so but it was the best walk I had in my whole life. She asked me about my family, friends and childhood. I also talked about a lot of general stuff. Suddenly her hand touched mine and I suddenly felt the current in my body again. Though it was just a gentle brush, but her hand was so soft. We reached the restaurants had dinner, while coming back she walked with other girls. We reached hostel, said good-bye and headed to our rooms.

I collapsed in my bed, I don't know for how long was I up that night, though my roommates were chatting constantly but I could not hear anything. I was in a totally different world. I don't know when I fell asleep or was I up all night, but when I opened my eyes it was 6 in the morning and it was a cloudy morning. I could still feel the touch of her hand, I was still seeing that smiling face in front of me, and I was still able to see the shine in her eyes. I was still wearing shoes, I never took them off I reminded myself. I headed out of my room, I don't know where I was going, I was not even sure what was going on with me, so I didn't care much. I headed out of campus and started running, I was not thinking anything, and I was just running. I must have jogged for around half an hour that morning. I didn't know whether it was love or not but one thing was clear it was surely going to change my life. People fall in love I think I jogged in love...

Tarun Chandel
Love, Life and more love...

Not just another year by the bay

Two years since I came to Mumbai and it has been:
2 years of fun
2 years of hard work
2 years of sheer learning
2 years of growth
2 years of being independent
2 years of being professional
2 years of survival
2 years of madness
2 years of happiness
2 years of Capgemini
2 years of Mumbai
2 years of life...

Tarun Chandel
Life, Learning and Technology

Party I love, Noise I Don't

On the No Honking day, I was having coffee with one of my friend discussing, how effective the silence can be and how we as a society make a lot of noise that can be easily avoided. I don't know whether I said it wrong or what, but he did not like my idea. He singled out the instance of playing loud music during the festive season (may be because he had read my post on power of silence) and he was of feeling that it's very important for us as a society to get together and enjoy these festivals. He said the music is played out loud so that everyone gets to know that such a thing is going on and they should also join. He was also of opinion that if the majority of people are enjoying at a event they have every right to play loud music.

I am not denying that we need to come together as a society and enjoy all our festivals, that will surely make us more united. I am just saying that we should enjoy all this at a reasonable decibel level so that no one is getting affected because of it. I was recently watching Apocalypto and there is a scene in the movie where the whole group of villagers are sitting together and celebrating the good catch they had. They were playing music, they were dancing, they were enjoying and they were surely united. We can have our celebrations in similar style, keep the music to a level so that everyone at the celebration enjoys it and those who are not there are not getting bothered. May be then we will also get to hear some wise words. As for the points made by my friend that music is loud so that everyone knows about the party, foolish idea. Tell everyone about the party in advance if someone is not interested he will never come no matter how loud music you play. The later point that he made if majority at party are ok with loud music they have the right to do that. This is a rather bigger and difficult issue to tackle as this is a wrong way to think. Just because some/lot of people like it they should not compromise others comfort. This mentality has to change and we as a society need to start respecting others comforts and their personal space. I am not against getting together and having a party or celebration I love that but at the same time I would not like others to suffer because of that.

Tarun Chandel
Life, Learning and Technology

ख़याल करना...

ख़याल करना बहुत ज़रूरी है मिस्टर अवस्थी
इसमे इलाज की शक्ति है...
एक मरहम है जिस से दर्द मिटता है,
बच्चे को तस्सली हो जाती है की उसका कोई ख़याल करता है,
एक आध झप्पी, प्यार भरी पपपी...
ये दिखाने को की मैं ख़याल करता हूँ,
बेटा मैं तुम से प्यार करता हूँ,
अगर कोई फ़िक्र है तो मेरे पास आओ,
क्या हुआ जो तुम फिसले गलती हुई,
मैं हूँ ना...
ये दिलासा...
ख़याल करना... ख़याल करना इसी को कहते हैं न मिस्टर अवस्थी?
- तारे ज़मीन पर

तरुण चंदेल
ज़िंदगी, सीख और टेक्नोलॉजी