The To-Do List..

Here's a list of things which are long over due and require my urgent attention. Hopefully should finish them off before march begins.

1) To get My Line6 amplifier fixed and serviced.

2) To buy a New guitar Case.

3) To get the strings of my nylon guitar fixed.

4) To buy a new adapter for my POD Xt Live.

5) To get my car serviced from the inside.

6) To get my shoes repaired.

7) To finish learning the final page of the Rudrampaksha.

8) To buy half a dozen of Jim Dunlop Jazz III picks.

9) To get the knob of Digitech rp80 repaired.

10) To start a SIP.

11) To buy some new formal clothes.

12) To have 5 client acquisitions by end of feb.

This are few on the top of my mind right now, most of the above include maintenance . Looks like I am a little down on Vishnu energy. GOD represents Generator Operator (Maintainer) and Destroyer i.e Bramha Vishnu and Mahesh . Of the three aspects it is easy to create and to destroy or to transform but maintaining is the most challenging aspect of life, and Interestingly Lord Vishnu who is the god associated with this domain has taken 10 Avatars while his counterparts have only taken one. Each Avatar has a maintenance lesson for us, I remember around 6-7 Will put all of them up very soon.(one more to do added here).

The Indian Ocean Experience

Ever since I first heard them in suresh's car during our visit to khadakvasala during a grey monsoon afternoon I always wanted to attend an Indian ocean concert, that wish came true for the second time yesterday when I ,Arjun and Harsh attended an unforgettable concert last night.
Well yesterday evening was a typical boys night out like how it used be during the college days, All three of us got together for a concert after a very long time (last time being the iron maiden concert in feb 2008) and boy was it fun!!. We reached the venue just before 8 o clock which was the scheduled time of the concert only to find out that it would take a fair amount of time for the gig to start and it would be preceded by a Fashion show (ohh dear lord). So having a lot of spare time in hand the Kidagiri started. I started Volunteering as a security assistance for DY Patil college at the venue entrance when the hired security guards went for a natures call for which I given them permission,
Arjun has the snaps of me asking people for passes and id cards. The main security coordinator came to me and pleaded that I stand and volunteer there till the guards come, If I have to leave I should give her a call(yeah she gave me her number :P ).
I remember telling people without ids that I am letting them in this time but they should not tell anyone else inside this.Actually it was our master plan to pull a fast one on Janani, who was supposed to join us late and also meeting me for the first time and we succeeded in that for about a minute or so.(I still have to pay her 100 bucks which I took from her entering the venue :P). The guards returned and we all went inside, it was 9 o clock and the fashion show was still going on, people dressed as Senors and 19th century Englishmen, it took another 30 minutes or so for the melodrama to end and the results to be announced, and finally it was time for the tide in RAIT to rise. There were two sections one was for VIPs and the other for Normal people, me and arjun very confidently crashed into the vip section sat before the sofas in the front row and started enjoying the serene music. The band played Kya Maloom (aka Teevra Aandhi),Jhini, Bandeh , A bengali song in memory of Asim, Hille Le, A new song to be released in next amir khan production, Ma rewa and khandisa. The new tabla player is simply awesome, tough vocally he cannot fill in the void left after Asims passing away, that was done by a new vocalist. The whole band was at its sublime best as they entertained us for hour and a half. The concert has really inspired with new ideas as far as My playing goes and has encouraged me to practise guitar more sincerely.

After the concert was over we crashed onto the stage and spoke to Sushmit and Amit and also took some stills with them, which would be updated in a days time.
Feel sorry for those who missed out on this extravaganza and finally Thanks Suresh for introducing me to such wonderful music :) (Loads of love to you).

Selu Hain Tu

One of the most challenging aspect of a marketing job is following up the cold calls and the not so upbeat meetings and appointments.Back when I was working with Calendar World I had an aversion of following up on the potential and the not so potential clients (especially the complicated ones where the chances of getting PO were very bleak). So one day during my weekly review with Sameer (my marketing manager), I asked him how could I follow up in a better way, and he simply said pick up the receiver and dial his number and speak to him , common dude 'selu hain tu yeh sab selugiri toh karna hi padega.' Ever since, whenever a little aversion creeps up in my mind when I am following up, these not so golden words of his ring in my mind like a GONG 'selu hain tu' that sure brings a smile on my face and cuts the aversion with a knife.

The Guitar Story.

It all started in the monsoon of 2003, when taking an inspiration from a friend (Jeetu of all the people), I started learning guitar.

By the end of one and half years, i had only learnt some chords and few songs. The process of learning got slower again during my HSC exams and after that when my father decided that he would no longer pay for my guitar class fees.The World Wide Web came to my rescue. Although there is a lot of material on the internet which is helpful, it is very impersonal.

Luckily for me my practice and confidence kept growing as I became part of the Art of living foundation, "Satsang" one of its activities led me to playing in municipal schools, Old age homes and Slums and also in many public functions and so on. During this I witnessed the solace and the healing minds that happens through 'Spiritual Music'.

I was as if by my guru grace that I found Pradeep Pande, who I belive is the 2nd best teacher in mumbai (his teacher being the best). Learning from him was quicker but also very arduous as I had to carry my guitar all the way in local trains at peak hours to attend classes far away . It was like 'Tapasya' like experience. But the thirst of learning kept me going week after week. Attending live concerts of Vikram Hazra, IIT Live wires, Sies Powerchords, Shakti,Iron Maiden were always a source of inspiration for me to do better.

Playing guitar over the years has has really changed my outlook towards life. In my younger days I used to play guitar for showing off,or to get attention, but now guitar has become a medium to rejuvenate myself in unfavorable , disturbing times. It is an instrument that really helps me De-stress by bringing great relaxation and joy.

Now, after constant request from few of my friends, I have started to teach them too. The number of students for whom i take lessons keeps on increasing..Indeed to misquote Shakespear, for me music truly is the food for life and So I played on.

Random Notes of Rishijis session on 11th jan

Relationships: The purpose of relationship is to share and care, if that is not happening demand and blame will arise and the relationship will go to docks, when you are serving in relationship know that this is the only lifetime in which you can serve and know that you will definitely get the result of your service if not in this lifetime then in the next lifetimes to come “Life is eternal”.

Acceptance: If the there is expectation in the mind there is no acceptance in the intellect and if there is no expectation in the mind there is acceptance in the intellect. Drop all your expectations in the in the mind.

The whole universe is bound by certain laws (human beings are exception). NO matter how hungry the cow is, it will never eat meat, no matter how hungry the lion is it may never eat grass, human beings are blessed with wisdom, but certain discipline is to be followed. Make it a discipline everyday to dissolve the mind (using meditation).

Mind is formless, and hence it becomes very difficult to take our attention to it, it easier to take attention on thoughts and emotion or any other part of the body and then observe it. If there are no ripples in the swimming pool then we can see our reflection in the water and we can also see the bottom of the pool very clearly, Only two types of thoughts come in mind 1) Thoughts about uplifting others 2) Selfish thoughts.

One should become a Fakir i.e. state of no wanting. The more the rich is the person the more poor he becomes he starts demanding more from god. He wants Name Fame Position and anyone else should not have all this.

Mind looking for happiness goes to the five senses and starts doing an action repetitively eventually that becomes boredom for him, but in fact boredom is in the mind. The mind keeps on doing the same thing again and again making that a pattern and eventually getting bored and getting into mental sickness.

One should not associate themselves with their thoughts in order to get out of the chain of thoughts, the thoughts are full of potential energy and if you associate with them they get tranformed into kinetic energy, the kinetic energy is the cause of all the misery. Keep labeling your thoughts as that of past and future, once you are doing that it means that you are in the present moment, and only in the present moment can you do that. Any thought of future is a desire and any thought about the past is botheration,* big secret.