(Real) (Day-1) Skydiving in India

It was pre-diwali time and i had scheduled my CAT on 3rd of november. I had a 'you-won't-believe' schedule in oct-november which i would share some other time !

I just came back after my mock-CAT at around 1.30am.
I and tirth (my roommate{fantastic guy}) generally discuss my scores and analyse it amap.
It was then we were discussing speed and distance quant problems solving whom takes half an hour if you take "ethics" into consideration.
I then came to my bedroom and i was thinking speed and distance again.Suddenly , i literally mean suddenly , it was speed thrills in my mind. Thinking of a time , when you were happy in past , at such stressful moment always gives you mental freshness .

I remembered the time when Toyota fortuner reached almost 190 km/hr during a recent roadtrip. And as common what whatsapp is to phones these days , driver seat is to Mr Karna Mahant.

Okay so speed thrills.
Second thought , Mitesh you got to do Skydiving.

Searched , researched and there i was.
Booked a slot and booked train tickets to Dhana,MP.
Scheduled date was 25-26-27 Jan and it was a complete rest-off weekend.

24th Jan (Thursday Night) -
Left office around 6 pm that day and went to my place for packing and stuff. I had already placed a List-of-things to be carried on the main table which i always look first , when i reach home daily.
Packed those things , took some other things and was on facebook !
Time went by and i didn't knew !
It was already 7.30pm and you should definitey hear to some gujju about Ahmedabad's eve traffic !
Took my bike and rushed to railway station.
I was hell hungry and i prioritize food over anything.
Parceled some Tikkas from Moti-mahal and parked the bike.
Scanned the board for platform and rushed in like anything (it was just 5-7 minutes to depart).

Got the train but then i thought that i bloody don't know the seat number because the ticket was in waiting mode. Called tirth for seat number and confirmation stuff. He is super-quick in these type of replys. Just reached the train seat and the train departed.Such close moment mann and i was laughing internally like BLISS.

Reached Bina on 25th around 3 pm.Had a very good egg-curry at very bad place near a bus-stand. Boarded a bus to Sagar (70 kms from Bina). I had googled the distance and it usually takes 90 minutes in gujarat to cover 70 kms.
But it took ~4 hours to reach Sagar .Hell MP roads and transport system !

Boarded a local Ricksaw called a chakda in Gujarat to RajaKhedi (10 kms from Sagar).
There i was at Hotel Paradise.
The diving people had booked a room between two participants and my roommate had taken the keys with him and left.
Similar was the case with Desetty Praveen.
A nice-hearted south indian guy to chat with.True in all his words.We both befriended sharing our rona-dhona.
He accompanied me for a shave to a nearby salon and then we went for dinner together.

Came back to paradise and met Anubhav Kohli (roommate).
A middle aged guy with heavy beard and those North Indian cheeks.I had assumed he was somewhere from top north and 
he actually was.
From kashmir , handling a Hotel business.He was smoking and having his cholle-bhature asking me if i had any problem 
with smoke to which i did not have any. He was discussing the current day's training session and risks as they were diving solo.

Had a Intro and chat session with Praveen's roommate too.I assumed he was maharastrian and he was.A software engineer
belonging to pune.

Had some vodka with another participant in room 406 and was discussing the thrills. There was some fear and sparks and thrills in everybody's body language and language too !

The atmosphere was exciting. slept at 12.30am to report at 6.30am for the Jump.

(Share) Love and relationship

During a seminar, a woman asked," How do I know if I am with the right person?"


The author then noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so he said, "It 

depends. Is that your partner?" In all seriousness, she answered "How do you know?" Let 

me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind 

replied the author.


Here's the answer.

Every relationship has a cycle… In the beginning; you fall in love with your partner. You 

anticipate their calls, want their touch, and like their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love wasn't 

hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to 

DO anything. That's why it's called "falling" in love.


People in love sometimes say, "I was swept of my feet."Picture the expression. It implies 

that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few months or years of 

being together, the euphoria of love fades. It's a natural cycle of EVERY relationship.


Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always 

welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive 

you nuts. The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship; you will notice a 

dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or 

even angry subsequent stage.


At this point, you and/or your partner might start asking, "Am I with the right person?" And 

as you reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that 

experience with someone else. This is when relationships breakdown.


The key to succeeding in a relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love 

the person you found.

People blame their partners for their unhappiness and look outside for fulfillment. 

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes.


Infidelity is the most common. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, friendship, 

excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside 

your relationship. It lies within it.



I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could. And 

TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later.

Because (listen carefully to this):


The key to succeeding in a Relationship is not finding the right person; it's learning to love 

the Person you found.


SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. You have to work on it day 

in and day out. It takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it demands 

WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make it work. Make no mistake about it.


Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your partner), 

Just as there are physical laws Of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for 

relationships. If you know how to apply these laws, the results are predictable.



Love is therefore a "decision". Not just a feeling.



Remember this always: God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide 

who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let GO..

Moral of the Story : "If its not working , make it work ! toil hard"

(Real-Share) "Bombay to Bangalore"

A True story

Extraordinary True Stories About Ordinary People

Sudha Murty, chairperson, Infosys Foundation and author, is known for her ability to glean interesting stories from the lives of ordinary people and weave these narratives into a unique blend of anecdote and fable.


Her latest collection of stories, 'The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk', features a fascinating cast of characters, each of whom made an indelible impression on the author. Extracted here is a nugget from 'Bombay to Bangalore', one of the most heartwarming stories in this collection:


It was the beginning of summer. I was boarding Udyan Express at Gulbarga railway station. My destination was Bangalore. As I boarded the train, I saw that the second-class reserved compartment was jam-packed with people. I sat down and was pushed to the corner of the berth. Though it was meant for three people, there were already six of us sitting on it...

The ticket collector came in and started checking people's tickets and reservations.. Suddenly, he looked in my direction and asked, 'What about your ticket?' 'I have already shown my ticket to you,' I said.



'Not you, madam, the girl hiding below your berth. Hey, come out, where is your ticket?' I realized that someone was sitting below my berth. When the collector yelled at her, the girl came out of hiding.

She was thin, dark, scared and looked like she had been crying profusely. She must have been about thirteen or fourteen years old.She had uncombed hair and was dressed in a torn skirt and blouse. She was trembling and folded both her hands.. The collector started forcibly pulling her out from the compartment. Suddenly, I had a strange feeling. I stood up and called out to the collector. 'Sir, I will pay for her ticket,' I said.

Then he looked at me and said, 'Madam, if you give her ten rupees, she will be much happier with that than with the ticket.'



I did not listen to him. I told the collector to give me a ticket to the last destination, Bangalore, so that the girl could get down wherever she wanted.

Slowly, she started talking. She told me that her name was Chitra. She lived in a village near Bidar. Her father was a coolie and she had lost her mother at birth. Her father had remarried and had two sons with her stepmother. But a few months ago, her father had died. Her stepmother started beating her often and did not give her food. She was tired of that life. She did not have anybody to support her so she left home in search of something better. 

By this time, the train had reached Bangalore. I said goodbye to Chitra and got down from the train. My driver came and picked up my bags. I felt someone watching me. When I turned back, Chitra was standing there and looking at me with sad eyes. But there was nothing more that I could do. I had paid her ticket out of compassion but I had never thought that she was going to be my responsibility!...

I told her to get into my car. My driver looked at the girl curiously. I told him to take us to my friend Ram's place. Ram ran separate shelter homes for boys and girls. We at the Infosys Foundation supported him financially. I thought Chitra could stay there for some time and we could talk about her future after I came back from my tours.

I was not sure if Chitra would even be there. But to my surprise, I saw Chitra looking much happier than before. Ram suggested that Chitra could go to a high school nearby. I immediately agreed and said that I would sponsor her expenses as long as she continued to study. I left the shelter knowing that Chitra had found a home and a new direction
in her life.

I got busier and my visits to the shelter reduced to once a year. But I always enquired about Chitra's well-being over the phone. I knew that she was studying well and that her progress was good.. I offered to sponsor her college studies if she wanted to continue studying. But she said, 'No, Akka. I have talked to my friends and made up my mind. I would like to do my diploma in computer science so that I can immediately get a job after three years.' She wanted to become economically independent as soon as possible.. Chitra obtained her diploma with flying colours. She also got a job in a software company as an assistant testing engineer. When she got her first salary, she came to my office with a sari and a box of sweets.

One day, when I was in Delhi, I got a call from Chitra. She was very happy. 'Akka, my company is sending me to USA! I wanted to meet you and take your blessings but you are not here in Bangalore.'.

Years passed. Occasionally, I received an e-mail from Chitra. She was doing very well in her career. She was posted across several cities in USA and was enjoying life. I silently prayed that she should always be happy wherever she was.

Years later, I was invited to deliver a lecture in San Francisco for Kannada Koota, an organization where families who speak Kannada meet and organize events. The lecture was in a convention hall of a hotel and I decided to stay at the same hotel. After the lecture, I was planning to leave for the airport. When I checked out of the hotel room and went to the reception counter to pay the bill, the receptionist said, 'Ma'am, you don't need to pay us anything. The lady over there has already settled your bill. She must know you pretty well.' I turned around and found Chitra there.

She was standing with a young white man and wore a beautiful sari. She was looking very pretty with short hair. Her dark eyes were beaming with happiness and pride. As soon as she saw me, she gave me a brilliant smile, hugged me and touched my feet. I was overwhelmed with joy and did not know what to say. I was very happy to see the way things had turned out for Chitra. But I came back to my original question. 'Chitra, why did you pay my hotel bill? That is not right.' suddenly sobbing, she hugged me and said, 'Because you paid for my ticket from Bombay to Bangalore!'

(Excerpted with permission from Penguin Books India from Sudha Murty's 'The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here and There')

Moral of the Story : Life is beautiful . Help and love

(Share) "Bovine Economics"

A beautiful post from THE P.H.P (a personal blog).Here you go :

LET'S UNDERSTAND THE NATIONS IN RESPECT OF BOVINE ECONOMICS::

TRADITIONAL ECONOMICS:
You have two cows. 
You sell one and buy a bull. 
Your herd multiplies and the economy grows.
You retire on the income.

INDIAN ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You worship them.

PAKISTANI ECONOMICS:
You don't have any cows.
You claim that the Indian cows belong to you.
You ask the US for financial aid,
China for military aid,
Britain for warplanes,
Italy for machines,
Germany for technology,
France for submarines,
Switzerland for loans,
Russia for drugs and
Japan for equipment.
You buy the cows with all this and claim of exploitation by the world.

AMERICAN ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You sell one and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
You profess surprise when the cow drops dead.
You put the blame on some nation with cows & naturally that nation will be a danger to mankind.
You wage a war to save the world and grab the cows.

JAPANESE ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You redesign them so that they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
You then create cute cartoon cow images called 'Cowkimon' and market them worldwide.

CHINESE ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim full employment, high bovine productivity and arrest anyone reporting the actual numbers.

RUSSIAN ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
You count them again and learn you have 17 cows.
You give up counting and open another bottle of Vodka

FRENCH ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.

GERMAN ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so that they live for 100 years, eat once a month and milk themselves.

BRITISH ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
They are both mad.

ITALIAN ECONOMICS:
You have two cows.
You don't know where they are.
You break for lunch.

SWISS ECONOMICS:
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you.
You charge others for storing them.

(Share) "Learn & Earn"

This is a normal happy-go-lucky-passby :

Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard.

After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a Sales Representative.

One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tender resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him.

The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realize the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. 

Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? 

Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg.

Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question? 

Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality.

Chuan was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.

Moral of the Story : A more successful person is more observant, think more and understand in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow.

(Share) "The empty soap box"

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the  case  of the  empty  soap  box,  which  happened  in  one  of  Japan's  biggest  cosmetics companies. 

The  company  received  a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which  transported all  the  packaged  boxes  of  soap  to  the  delivery department.  

For  some  reason,  one soap  box  went  through  the assembly line empty.

Management  asked  its  engineers  to  solve  the  problem.  

Post-haste, the  engineers worked  hard  to  devise  an  X-ray  machine  with  high- resolution  monitors  manned  by two  people  to  watch  all  the  soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.

No  doubt,  they  worked  hard  and  they  worked  fast  but  they  spent whoopee amount to do so. 

But when a workman was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications  of  X-rays,  etc  but  instead came  out  with  another solution.He  bought  a  strong  industrial  electric  fan  and  pointed  it  at  the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.                                
                           



Moral of the story: Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem.

(Share) "Those mercedes kids"

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research,
Never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked,
"Did you obtain any scholarships in school?"
The youth answered "none".

The director asked,
" Was it your father who paid for your school fees?"
The youth answered,
"My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked,
" Where did your mother work?"
The youth answered,
"My mother worked as clothes cleaner.
The director requested the youth to show his hands.
The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked,
"Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?"
The youth answered,
"Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books.
Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said,
"I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.*

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked:
" Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered,
" I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked,
" please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,
Number 1,
I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not the successful me today.
Number 2,
By working together and helping my mother, only I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done.
Number 3,
I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said,
" This is what I am looking for to be my manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop "entitlement mentality"and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts.
When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others.
For this kind of people, who may be good academically, may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel sense of achievement.
He will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?*

You can let your kid live in a big house, give him a Driver & Car for going around, Eat a Good Meal, learn Piano, Watch a Big Screen TV. But when you are Cutting Grass, please let them experience it. After a Meal, let them Wash their Plates and Bowls together with their Brothers and Sisters. Tell them to Travel in Public Bus, It is not because you do not have Money for Car or to Hire a Maid, but it is because you want to Love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will Grow Grey, same as the Mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.

Moral of the Story : Let him/HER get that skinned knee