Change of Plans

Dad : What will you do after MBA?

Me : Start something of my own.

Dad : Yeah Sure. So should I just ask Khanna uncle to take you in his company?

At the age of 8, we all had the most exciting plans made for our lives. Pilots, Scientists, Cricketers, Rockstars, every single thing was on the list. What next? Life happened. Pilots and scientists became engineers while cricketers and rockstars started trying to become Chartered Accountants. Still trying.

Perhaps, it turns out that in this overly populated country, everyone, mostly smarter than you, has the same plan. Cut-throat competition they call it for a reason. More than anything, Indian parents are too scared to let their kids experiment, too confused they are. They will make their son an engineer and ask him to join the family business. Half of us take up jobs just so we can answer the many relatives during Diwali when they ask "What do you do? How much are you paid?". Fortunately or unfortunately, after completing your graduation you realize what you really want to do in life. By then its too late and you decide to go with the flow.

Doing MBA can give you different ideas though. One day we sit on the stairs and decide to start a condom factory. No, we don't have a great plan set. No, we are not the children of Ambanis and Bajajs who will throw their money at us. No, we are not addicted to sex. Its just that we know if we want to take a risk, it is now that we have to and we have all the time to do so. And why not? We are talented (I think so) and have chosen the people wisely (pick me. pick me).

The reason we had better plans back at the age of 8 was that we did not have the fear of failing and facing the society. It was easier to dream and be creative. An amazing book I went through recently was "How are braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million dollar company".
(https://www.youtube.com/watch.VarunAgrawal) While reading the book you'll realize you don't really need to think so much and complicate everything. Start working. Start today.

There have been many plans before and there will be many plans in the future. Who says they have to work out? Why to stick to it? Why should it always succeed? Basically it doesn't. But you can always plan better for the next.

P.S: If you have a bad plan and decide to execute it after reading this, the writer is not held responsible, whatsoever. 

Wed in India

Hey, I just met you
And this is crazy.
But let's get married
And have a baby.

Thanks to Facebook, we know how many of our friends, cousins and a dozen acquaintances recently either got married or engaged. It's usually said love is in the air. I say marriages are these days. Oh c'mon it's not the same. In the Indian society, marriages are all about families, horoscopes, pandits and muharats. Sorry shubh muharats. And lastly, the bride and groom. How did I forget the relatives. Oh yes, so many of them. Most of them you don't remember. All of them you don't care about.

Let's start from the very beginning. You finish your education, get a decent job and start searching for a partner. Alright jokes apart, it begins with any of your family member coming up with the idea of your wedding. Each family has two or more match makers. They have a list of eligible bachelors for girls of all ages and vice versa. Literally all ages. The only good thing about them is that they don't take commission. This match making is done for free in return of some information of the younger siblings and cousins. So you know the list can be updated. Sometimes you even get 'ek pe ek free' offer. Families come to see you and make deals with your chachi also for her daughter for the younger son. They even provide with an exchange offer. Oh yes, your son marries our daughter and our son marries yours. This is an exciting deal as you cut the marriage expenses into half. 

But before all this, the horoscopes of the girl and the guy need to match. Next comes the biodatas. I once heard an aunty talk about her daughter's horoscope, "Panditji kehte hai kundli toh mil gayi. Lekin bache kehte hai humare hobbies alag alag hai. Maine bhi keh diya tere baapu ki aur meri kaha same hai. Toh kya shaadi nahi hui!". Yes India is a weird place. And weirder are the first meetings. We have  family dates(totally a thing). The whole family- father,mother, the guy/girl, brother, sister, masa,masi, chacha, chachi, dada, dadi, nana, nani of both the sides meet up over tea and nashta. Apologies if I missed some relative, coz if I did, it is going to turn bad and there would be some broken hearts with taunts for a decade. The boy and girl can talk for half an hour, more or less, or not at all. But why am I off the topic. That is hardly an issue. As far as the samosas you cooked are delicious and the guy brings a big car it all works out.

Surely things have changed over time. Yes the horoscopes still there. Yes you still need to make yummy samosas. No you cannot tell the relatives to mind their own business. But there are chances you get six months of online chit chatting and long calls with your fiance/fiancee to know him/her better. Majority of the families still follow the traditional methods. I even heard a friend say in his tradition the groom is kidnapped and forced into marriedage. Well you read it right the first time no need of reading it again. Kidnapped! God bless your soul. Strangely, all this is not just followed sincerely, it is followed for generations. Irony is the parents who ask you to stay away from strangers want you to spend the next 50years of your life with a stranger. 

Soon there is a typical wedding I'd be attending. Not that I'm not excited to see the rich chacha fuss about the non ac car we send him. Or the creepy cousin who would do everything as I do. Even the old mausaji with gas problem wouldn't be an issues. It's the match makers I fear. No matter what, family should not read this post. 

Jai Hind!

Play Safe

"What should we order?"

"Oh just the usual. I'll have my favorite Pizza again."

That would be me ordering at my favorite restaurant where I go very often. Well, many of us like life just like it is. We like doing the same things, at the same time, with the same people and of course, in the same way as before. If we are asked to sleep on a different bed it would just be a sleepless night because we want to sleep at the same spot, as we did yesterday and every day before yesterday.

Is it wrong, you may ask. Maybe. Maybe not. It sure makes us happy. But doesn't that make us more mechanical, a little less adaptable. We start saying "Nah that's not my type" instead of "hell yeah! Why not?". How much could change if you give everything a chance? Choose some random restaurant, close your eyes and let your fingers select what your dinner would be. But please if you are a vegetarian, make sure you don't end up eating a tuna sandwich. 

Same happens with shopping. Yes I wear too much of red and pink! Well this time I go shopping, yellow would sure be added to my wardrobe. Some green as well. Not tunics, no. This time I'm going to buy a skirt. Me talking about clothes and fashion would boggle some friends, but, yeah sure I will. 

We tend to repeat everything once and again because we feel safe about it. It's like having no risk elements and being aware of the outcome. Life's motto becomes: Play Safe. We are now so used to the monotonous lifestyle that we have embraced so far  that we fail to have a broader perspective to life. Just like that we become our parents and the cycle goes on. Instead, shouldn't we try out the least expected? You never know, it might turn the odds in your favor.

Change for a new chance. Breaking out from the chain of regularity would bring you a new story to narrate daily, a new lesson to teach, a new opportunity to grab on. In fact, even my next post would be something completely out of the blue. Well, I say this a lot, but now the urge to write something not thought much about is getting stronger.

Adios!