Miles to Go

The path you have chosen is rough and steep
You will have to travel through fire and sleet
But don't be afraid to take one long leap
Because the chasm can't be crossed in 2 small leaps

There is miles to go before you sleep.

3 Pieces of Cake

This was the speech I gave for my 3rd Project in ToastMasters procceding towards my CC Certificate.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become your words,
Watch your words, for they become your actions,
Watch your actions, for they become your habits,
Watch your habits, for they become your character,
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Once upon a time(this is not a fairy tale []), my sister was baking some sponge cake. Everyone in my family loves the sponge cakes she makes. Sometimes she covers them with chocolate and something she makes a double layer, with a layer of strawberry jam inbetween. Yummy.

So one day I “thought”[hand gestures], let me try my hand at baking as well. Hearing this,my sister laughed and said “You, and bake? You’re only good at eating them, not baking them.”(Actually she was right) but I “said”...” yeahhaaa, I can do it.Whats the big deal in baking a cake”, and then gave some feeble argument about how the best chefs in the word are all guys.

Deciding to prove her wrong, I walked away in a huff, pulled off the apron, shooed everyone out of the kitchen , pulled out the baking recipes manual, selected what looked like me to be the most easiest cake to make and started making it.

I did not know the B about baking and yet there I was baking a Christmas fruit cake.After a lot of chopping and peeling and kneeding and cooking and measuring and .. sweating, I pulled out a cake from the oven. Surprisingly(for my sister and family), and proudly for me, it turned out to be AWESOME. Fullstop. Success.Mission accomplished.

Fellow toastmasters, many of us like eating the cake, not baking it. We would prefer to go to Sangeetha and have the same coffee, which we could have made at home. But I think we like paying 20 bucks for a Kuppa.

Many of us lack the most essential part of making anything a success.

“Action”->Execution

Your actions speak louder than your words.

Had I just told my sister, “I can bake.”, she would have looked at me and said “If you say so”.But when I actually baked the cake, she had no choice but to believe me. And you know what, till date, every christmas time, I bake the same cake, and everytime it turns out to be better. It has become a “Habit”.

It was all possible because of one thing. Execution.

An idea written on paper, is worth less that the cost of the paper itself. An idea put into execution is what will get your name in the papers.

The act of executing a task successfully can be compared to the act of baking the cake.

Let me tell you the 3 P’s which will help you in effectively executing anything you may wish to achieve. They are:

1)Plan-Collect the ingredients
2)Prioritize-Arrage them in an order.
3)Perform-Chop, peal, smash, bake and sweat.

First of all, you have to sit down, calm your mind, organise your thoughts and put down on paper the list of things that needs to be done in order to achieve the goals. This is the first and the most important step of all, because if you don’t plan well, you’re planning to fail. The nitty gritty details of each and every item on the to-do list needs to be taken into account. Leave nothing to chance.

Think of this phase as collecting all the ingredients together. Even if one is missing, ur cake cannot be baked. Think of this phase as measuring the right amount of baking soda , otherwise your cake will either have a hole in the middle or it would be over-puffed.

It has been scientifically proven that the things we write down, we will remember even when we don’t have the list in front of us. It also acts as a record of the things we had planned to do, and which we actually did. This would help later when you reflect on what you did right and what you did wrong and help you improve your rate of success.

The second P: Prioritize. You have 1 min and 10 things to do.You have 7 minutes and lots of things to say.... you need to prioritize. Take a look at the list and try to arrange them in an order. It may be logical, chronological ,legal, causal et cetera. This will help you to focus your thoughts on the things that need to be done first, things that would be affected by these actions and things that need to be done later.

Compare this to the act of arranging the ingredients. Do you need the baking tin now or later? Should you bring out the cream from the fridge now? Should you bake the cake first or eat it first?[]. Arrange them in a way that the order and ease of access is present.

The third and final P: Perform. Execute your planned and prioritized activity. Perform the goals that were planned for the day and time. This is difficult, but with the right amount of planning and prioritizing it is ... well...”a piece of cake”[].

Compare this to the act of actually mixing all the ingredients and baking the cake. Pull the cake out of the oven.Completed.Perfect.A Masterpiece



Everyone will admire the works of michaelangelo and da vinci. But imagine, had they not been successful in the execution of their masterpieces we would not have the Sistine chapel or an “enigmatic smile”.

Cultivate the “Habit” of executing the tasks. It will slowly be ingrained in you. It will become your “Character”. And with this great feather in your hat of character, “Destiny” awaits you with open arms.

I urge everyone of you who is interested in inculcating the habit of execution to read the book called “Execution:The art of getting things done.Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.”

As for those who like a bit more of an adventure, I urge you to read
“Baking without eggs.”

Thank you.

The Unforseen

I question to me
to be or not to be
the path forward is dark
no symbol, sign or mark

to guide a soul ahead
a soul full of dread
an explorer in its own right
moving ahead without a sight
a dense fog ensconcing around
you feel stifled and bound

you cling on to something familiar
feeling bravado and chevalier
you feel the warm succour slipping away
drawn away into the mist, deep and fey

you gather your wits
with a heart of fire and grit
you trudge a path along
singing a nostalgic song

your mind a bevy of thoughts
all memories a life has wrought
you put one foot in front of the other
you think of failure and shudder

you stumble and fall
to rise again,humble and tall
you scream, shout and abuse
in vain, of no use.

yet at heart you bear a torch
it burns and it scorch
a yang inside a enormous yin
a cleanser of sorrow, grief and sin.


it is what keeps you going,
upright, steady and without slowing
filled with wisdom, courage and hope
a giver of spirit and power to cope

atlast, finally, the fog lifted
it whittled down and drifted
a smile creeps upon your face
you will forever remember having been
successful in traveling the ...unforseen.

First Rain

the parched lands
the praying hands
the pleading voice
for the thundering noise

The first rain.

the rumbling clouds
crying aloud
"I bring you rain
to ease your pain"

the first rain.

the thirsty crops
the tumbling drops
the gurgling drains
the pattering frames

the first rain.

the earthy smell
how it lingers and dwells
the re-freshed flora
the rejoicing fauna

the first rain.

on the street
the flowing fleet
the splashing sounds
with joys abound

the first rain.

the swishing wind
the tinkling chimes
the first flower
in a long time..

the first rain.

Yin Yang

“Shadows in life only proof that there is Light somewhere”.

“An acorn grows into a Mighty Oak, and withers back to produce Acorns”

“Is a wall created to keep secret in? Or thiefs out?”

All these are phenomena that occur in our day to day life. All these are a tribute to Yin and Yang.

As per the popular belief Yin Yang means a balance between good and evil. But in reality, the meaning of yin yang is far more profound. First, let me explain the meaning of the symbol.

As can been seen, the symbol is made of 2 colours, white and black, yin and yang. Naturally, it means two opposite forces, not necessarily good and evil. Also, on careful observation it would appear that one is dominant is some part and less in other. There is a small part of yin in yang, and yang in yin . Finally, they together create a circle, a cycle, an infinite continuation. When one reaches its peak, it changes to the other. It depicts that Change is the only constant in Life.

When we put everything together, what we arrive at is the following conclusion: that life is a balance of 2 opposing forces. If we think of them as good and evil, then we come to a conclusion that life is made up of good and evil, but...there is always some good in an evil force, and always evil in some good force. That is the essence of balance.

“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.”

Its because of this reason that we have many seasons. Every season has its own low and high points. And as all things, every season is transient.
Absence of one of them simple means that its antithesis is dominating.

Just like
“Knowledge is nothing but the absence of Ignorance”

For example let us take the example of fire and water. Both are opposite, but both are necessary for life. We need the warmth of the fire, but it can burn us as well. We need water to survive but it can drown us as well. Good and Evil... together, in harmony.

Another interesting example would be that of the Sun and Moon. Both exist together, but only one dominates at a time. During daytime, darkness is less and light is more, at dusk, the wheel turns and darkness prevails with a small source of light.

Even the food we eat has yin and yang in them. Yin foods are those that keep you cool, yang food are those that give you energy. You can only survive if you have them in harmony, in moderation.

Have any of you wondered why “Fish and Chips” is popular. Why do soft drink companies always have an offer of free chips with them? Soft drinks are highly Yin. Salty items are highly Yang. Your body craves to maintain the natural balance of being. And in the course we make soft drink companies obscenely rich.

Or even a favourite of us all. Curd Rice

A tree can only grow as tall as its roots go deep.

There is freezing space above us, and molten hot lava beneath us. Yet we thrive.

How many of us always take risks, and how many of us always play it safe? How many of us feel happy for others without a touch of jealousy?
Can there be winners without losers?
Can there be valleys without mountains?
Can there be success without failures?
Can there be a truth without lies?

In conclusion,
To appreciate something good, we need to see the bad. To know what is right we need to see the wrong. You cannot appreciate good times, unless you have gone through bad ones.

Yin Yang also tells us, that balance is always changing, and always being created. What would happen if the Sensex always went up rather than Down!!!!


“in every dusk a new dawning
in every cloud a new lining
in every storm a new calming
in every winter a new warming”

A Rendezvous with Me

On 1st August, 1988, in a small colony called HindMotor on the outskirts of Kolkata, a family was distributing Raj Bhogs. Why? Because a son was born. The first son of the eldest son of the family, naturally, demanded some sort of extra celebration. The mother, when asked about what name should be written on the birth certificate immediately replied “Rohit”; and that’s how I was born.

First of all something about my name: “Rohit” means the sun, and “Jhunjhunwala” means a person from “jhunjhunu” which is a place in Rajasthan.

My journey has been anything but normal right from the first day of my life...How?

Well to begin with, I was born with eyes the colour of which was grey-green. Everyone who had a first look at me, was mesmerized by them(or so my mother tells me). This resulted everyone in calling me “Cat eyes” and even now they have a surprising effect on many people(its a bit sad that I wear glasses that hides them a bit) 

During my childhood I was a very pampered kid. My grandma used to spoil me and my mom was always against me. Mom said-“You, get up and go to school”. I used to act as if I was in a deep sleep and wouldn’t wake up. Seeing this,my grandma would say “Let the kid sleep. Don’t spoil his sleep”.
But you know what my mom would do? She would drag me up, carry me, brush my teeth, and dunk me down in the bath tub, after which it was impossible to fake a sleep.

Life went on and we then shifted to Kolkata for me and my 2 sisters’ education. I studied till 9th standard at South Point High School.
As a kid I was not very interested in the normal outdoor activities as any kid of my age would have been. I preferred to stay at home, watch tv all day long, read comics, and my biggest passion – Video Games. I was attracted to anything sci-fi or fictitious. This was probably when I developed my preference to science and technology. I used to buy a whole armada of GI Joe vehicles, GI Joe guys, Hot wheel cars, build forts with my cousins, give imaginary powers to the most mundane figures, build my army and go to WAR. Even the comics i used to read were all about superheros like Najraj, Dhruv.

Even now, I have a passion for futuristic weapons, concept cars, Sci-Fi movies and Video Games.

I grew out of comics, and went on to Tinkle, Chandamama and Archies and later on to more thicker books. The thickness and gravity of the book I read was directly proportional to the number of books I read. Somwhere during that time, I found a set of chess lying around my house. I took it, without having the faintest idea and opened it. I was intrigued by the chequered black and white board. I tried to learn how to play it by asking my parents and relatives. But no one knew how to play. So you know what i did? I made 2 armies of those 2 sets and went to war again. This was perhaps the beginning of my interest in Chess and I can honestly say that I am somewhat good at the game now.

All through my growing years I was constantly battling an array of medical problems stemming from a very rare kidney disease I had. This restricted my activities to those that didn’t strain me, make me exert myself and which didn’t require much physical fortitude. Although it was a pretty bad thing, some good did come out of it. It made me a very punctual person(as I had to take lots of different medicines at different times), efficient time manager(as I had to juggle between the vary activities I wanted to do as well as the doctor appointments), knowledgeable(well at least medically), I lost my fear for needles  (because when you are poked every week for 6 months you hardly notice anymore), I learnt self-control(because when almost all kinds of food are banned for you, you learn to control yourself). My medical condition is probably a big factor in making me a person I am today.

Fast forward a bit... We land at Chennai Airport. Why?
Because I had a Kidney transplant and the docs recommended we shift base to be under a better care. That was 9 years ago. If nothing else, this event in my life was the biggest game changer. It bought with it, its own set of complications and relief. I was allowed banned stuff, I have to take more serious medications all though my life, I have to fight the side effects of those medication, fewer but regular doctor’s appointments, frequent infections and so on and so forth.

When I retrospect, I realise, my world has turned upside down after the shift to Chennai.

I used to be an average joe at studies back in Kolkata. Here, I managed to come 3rd in my school in 10th and I was the school topper in 12th.
I used to be an introvert. Never talked to people, liked to be by myself. Here, I developed the liking for public speaking, oratorical competitions, and elocutions. So much so that I went on to win interschool competitions and was made the School Literary secretary.

Infact the changes were so astonishing that many a time my family has joked that I have had a “Brain Transplant” as well.

The passions that I had during my childhood were still intact except for TV. Because? I had found a better alternative to that. Computers!!!. The first time I used it, I was so fascinated by it , I sub-consciously must have decided to have a career in it. So keeping that in mind, I entered Anna University and did my Bachelors in Computer Science and Engineer and graduated with Distinction.

I joined iNautix Technologies India Pvt Ltd as a campus recruit and was awarded the Outstanding Trainee award and Best Project award 6 months later. I am now a full time developer that the company.

Anna University was a gruelling experience as it was, and add to that the medical complications I had to go through, I believe that I have really achieved something I can actually be proud of. The medical aspect of my life has certainly had an effect on almost all other aspects of my life.
But I like think that, had it been different, I would not have been the same person I am in front of you today. The Butterfly effect would surely have made me a very different person.

I am a very stubborn guy. If I take up a responsibility I will see it through to the best of my ability. Almost all time, my demeanour depends on my mood. If I am in the mood, I can be as busy as a worker bee or as lazy as a sloth, if I am in the mood, I can be a talkative person, or the most laconical person you have ever met. I can be sweet as sugar, or as angry as a bull which has seen red.

I like to be punctual. I don’t mind being 10 mins early, but hate being even a second late.

I am honest, and a very straightforward person. I don’t mince my words, I speak my mind and I might be blunt at times.

I sometimes write poems, and also blog about life in general. I live in a very idealistic world and seeing the real world, I find many anomalies, some of which I pen down on my blog.

I like experimenting with various cuisines, I have been to almost all restaurants that serve a different cuisines. Greek, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese, Spanish, Italian, Mexican, American, Continental, Arabic, North Indian, South Indian, East Indian, etc.

I know Hindi, English, French, a bit of Bengali and a bit of Sanskrit. I want to learn Japanese. I love to travel and whenever I am on a vacation I never like staying at home. I always like to wander about. I strongly follow the motto “when in Rome, be a roman”. I love learning new cultures and their way of life. You will find me a lot of time on the internet, talking to random strangers trying to know about their culture and how different things are.

My ambition in life is to become a happy person. Sounds cliché right!!
I don’t really have one single philosophy in life, but rather a philosophy in the various roles we play in our life.

As a professional I strongly believe “Work when you got to work, play when to got to play”. As a traveller I believe “a traveller doesn’t have a destination and is not keen on arriving”. As a friend I follow the saying “ a good friend comes to see you at the hospital, a best friend will be lying down right next to you”. As a person seeking happiness, my motto is “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you run after it , the more it eludes you. But sit down and be quite, it will slowly come and sit on your shoulder”. As a person asking who has seen success and failure, the phrase that always comes to my mind is “Failure is not the end of success, success is not the end of failure.” As a person asking “whats next?”, i reply “Que sera, sera”.. what will be , will be.

So I have come to end of my talk and as bugs bunny says “THATS ALL FOLKS”.

Whats the Mean(ing)

This post is dedicated to all the stories , articles and mythologies tales that revolve around the idea of "You cannot have both Money and Happiness"

Since ancient times, many tales have explored the idea that Money and Happiness are two separate beings. One cannot exist near the other. If one person has a lot of money, you can be sure he/she will not be as happy as the person who is less bestowed than him/her.

In Hindu mythology, we have a tale, that the Goddess Lakshmi(God of wealth) was always fighting with the Goddess Saraswathi(Goddess of Knowledge). Each one claimed herself to be more important that the other(In this respect, Goddess or not, it is the same[:)]).

But lets take an objective look in this highly materialistic world?

A person who has wealth, doesn't need to be educated. We have innumerable examples of such people. Once a person has wealth or has found a perennial source for it, one would think that they would be the happiest person ever. But in real life it is not so. And the reason being Greed. The parasite that feeds on itself. Makes people want more.

One is termed as having everything if he/she has money. But there are several cases where this is not true. Infact, i havent seen any person who is wealthy and says "Thats enough for me. I do not want more".

How much "Means" is Meaningful? What is excess? What is sufficient?

Likewise, the opposite exists as well. Its a common vision that when you think of a professor, you always associate low income, high knowledge and little satisfaction with him/her. Why? Because we were raised up listening to stories of poor people who were unhappy and craved money? Because we believe in the mythological tales?
NO. I believe its because of what we see. A person who is bent on gaining knowledge regards money as just a means of survival. His/her mind is working on a different plane and to them, money is a frivolous creation of this world. Not worthy of pursuit.

How many of us know a knowledgeable person who is rich? Even if we do, its count would always be less that the number of people we know, who without education have more money.

Why is it that people are never able to find a balance? Why cannot we be aiming for a balance of the two.

Sufficient means and knowledge enough to live a meaningful life?
I believe that is the combo we need to be heading for.
Otherwise...What the Mean(ing) of it?