Life Without FB

We all Deactivate Our FB account at some point in time for some reason or other. I did it for the first time about a month ago the reason Being An exam I was appearing in a months time together with utter frustration that culminated from the Fact that I didn't have any updates of any form as My work life , the insane commute and weekend Studies left me with no time.
SO I decided instead of wasting  time there and brooding over the sad facts I have the power to deactivate it and Make it little easy for myself , I  know people who have never had a fb account and were still alive and pretty normal .
 I go to the settings , answer the Reason why I wish to deactivate My account which was simple - I waste too much time here though I wish they had more realistic  Answer  which could read something like this  - I have no updates and I have better things to do in life then to  just check Peoples time-line and feel sad ,Nevertheless I deactivated.
A week went by and Yay I was still alive ,no signs of depression Either . During the week I did pick my phone in free time and searched for this App  which would give me a doze on Monotony of my life only to realize it didn't exist anymore , I still didn't feel my phone is all Useless now.

In the Process I have discovered Few things , pretty basic though:

1) It doesn't Kill you : Its just an app after all, it wont make an iota difference in your life , it just another Habit , A routine.

2)You ll have Enough Spare Time: Now that my exam is over and Still there is no Fb , I use that spare time to Well Read , sleep a little longer .We do waste a lot of time there and according to a study An Average Indian FB user Spends 4 Hours a Month on Fb alone!

3)You wont have access to  peoples Life you don't care/Know well as result You wont feel horrible even if your life is Simple monotonous journey without any promotions, travel, Engagements etc cetera.

On the Other hand :

1) You wont get to see many offers on the sites you might have been following otherwise

2) You will miss on quite a few birthdays, Anniversary's , new born  and Event Invites

3) And if this is your source of World News well then.. Good LuCk

And yes That would be all .

I am not against FB or any social Media PLatform ,After all we need to Move ahead and Accept these changes , its helpful in many aspects and mean not only harm. But We have forgotten where to draw the line, Its suppose to be a platform to interact with people But we started to compare our lives which is the reason of most of the troubles( it all applies to me as well )
They didn't know of  the impact it would make on an Individuals life , neither did we weigh the Consequences.

I would want to get back my account, few more days maybe. But it did teach me that I need to learn to Use it just as Platform for Interaction /little knowledge sharing and Nothing more,  that my life is as good and there is no point of sulking over Monotony which is short lived and Much  needed sometimes.

Whats your experience like Without FB?

Life is...

              I am putting together few lines that inspire me and puts a big smile now and then.
                                                       Hope it does the Same for you !!

Goodbyes

She brought her up, she was her favorite grand kid.  They would spend most of their time together, laughing, arguing, playing and loving each other.  She was just 14 unaware of the fact that granny was getting older.

During her last days she won’t recognize her favorite  grandchild. But she knew she still loved her the most.

One day her mom asked her to meet the Granny before she left for her exam. She murmured something in her ears and left.

It was the last time she could tell something to her favorite Grandma.

A goodbye only seemed impossible  

They knew each other for 3 months. He was in Love with her, she wasn’t. But he Was Special to her.  He decided to move to another city, she was not informed. He stopped talking to her for good.

He then decided to leave the country. 

A letter in her hand, tears in her eye  she traveled to his city to say the Final Goodbye.

They met in College, flirted, fell in love, created memories, She moved to another city for work.

The Distance grew, they fought, cried, tried to make it work, it wasn’t destined to. He wanted to marry her, she didn’t.  They fell apart.

2 years later, He got married. She is still there, wondering and broken.

Unable to accept It’s about time for the final Goodbye

He was her favorite Uncle. A warm, happy person. He fell sick never to recover.

She knew he Is going to be fine.

They met, she hugged him tight. They spoke for a while. It was time for him to rest.

Few months later

She lost him and hugged him goodbye.

Kashmir Great Lakes - A Memorabilia

Courtesy: Sumita Chakraborty

I can never in my life express what my eyes witnessed and my soul experienced .You have to be there to believe it , to live it and experience it.

A month ago I was headed to what was going to be the most memorable 7 days of my life. I was headed to Mighty Himalayas in Kashmir. My first high altitude trek which was planned with utmost precision with no scope for any cancellation, accidents or changes, at any cost. Parents, Gear, tickets ,leaves everything was taken care of much in advance .I was accompanied by Surbhi , a friend for life and my Love for 8 years now.

It’s a 7 day Meadow trek that begins at Shitkuri in Srinagar and ends at Naranag. You get to witness 10 most magical lakes and that’s why it is called ‘’Kashmir Great Lakes’’.

In those 7 days I traversed thorough valleys, meadows, snow patches, streams of crystal clear water ascended  descended mountains slope , walked over mammoth boulders while my legs shivered , carved my way through snow patches, went on without shower for 6 days, quenched the thirst with fresh mineral water , ran after sheep and stopped only when they started running behind me, tried my hand at chapatti  making, befriended the humblest of people, stargazed for hours together, dipped in Ice cold water  ,challenged my limits , prayed hard not to blow away the toilet tents while I attended to nature's call, felt sorry seeing how humans didn’t leave a chance to destroy such a beautiful place , pinched myself to believe that such place exists , saw most magnificent fresh water lakes nestled so intrinsically in the midst of mountains, played volleyball on the slopes, slept to the roaring sound of streams , enjoyed kawah while making an attempt to count the stars and most importantly I LIVED IN THE MOMENT, every single second.

                                                                 Here's a Glimpse

     '' How I wished I could have a tiny little cottage right here for rest of my life'' -  Vishnusar Lake

 

Courtesy: Vinit Shah

                                                                       

                             This was my Love for the rest of the trip ''Gadsar'' - The lake of Fishes

Gadsar Lake
Courtesy: Vinit Shah

''Mountains bring you closer to your Irrelevance .They make you more humble , Joyous and Content ''

''The Path is always yours,you will fall more then once & then you'll just learn to Pick yourself Up ''

  

  ''This is What We slept to Every Single Night ''

Courtesy:Aditya Narayan

                                                                                 
Every Morning we would get up , pack our Bags, tighten our shoes & walk our way through to LIVE                                                                             this                                                                                               

The Twin Lakes :Gangbal - Nankul
Courtesy: Vinit Shah

                                                                              

They shared stories while we Celebrated Them - Meet the Heroes who guard Our Boundaries in the    toughest of Conditions

 

  

        

They would cover the same distance as we did in mere  2 hours , pitch tents for us and welcome us with all their hearts every single day

'' The Superheroes - Our Kitchen Staff''

It wasn't just a Trek , it was a Lifetime  Experience , it got me a little closer to the Real Myself and the marvels of nature.

I can never Thank Indiahikes  enough for putting up such a great team without whom the journey wouldn't  have been so  beautiful.

We already have next destination in Mind !! 

 When are you heading for kashmir Great Lakes Trek?

The Death Note

What was  I Told

 " How we want the People to remember us when we are gone

What I believe
 A Death Note reminds us what are those few things we want to recognize in ourselves,  it makes us think hard about how we want to see ourselves at the end of our journey.

One Fine day , I was asked to write one. I wrote it at 4 in the Morning ,still half asleep.I was amused after reading what I wrote . It made a lot of sense.

Here's what I wrote:

A Dreamer in true sense, she was courageous, she lived her life to the fullest and made sure others around her did the same . She wasnt afraid to follow her dreams , be it her passion to serve the society or her love for adventure ,she lived to experience them all.
The spark in her eyes never died, the smile on her lips never could  fade.
A bundle of joy she made sure to spread the happiness she experienced . Her shortcomings were her own and she accepted them as a warrior.
If 1 person I know, who lived thoroughly, was HER.

She laughed, Loved and Lived.

She is not dead. She has just become a part of us FOREVER.

Think Hard , Lot of things might start making sense.
You might end up  knowing yourself just a lil better:)

Like there is no Tomorrow

Sometime in 2004 A movie titled ''Hum Tum" was released, nothing special about the movie but the hairdo the actress had left me with an urge to have it 1 day. 10 years , yes after 10 years I finally did it!! The thought came a zillion times and every time when I went for a haircut but who had the guts. The sweet habit of listening to everyone , weighing the risk of looking like a disaster along with no confidence to carry the look made me wait forever which was precisely 10 years!

I wonder what got into me this one fine day and I just wanted it, people suggested me not go this short all of a sudden but to experiment intelligently but I tried to  turn a  deaf ear to all the suggestions.  Booked an appointment, downloaded few pictures and headed straight to the salon. Look at my guts or stupidity , I didn't even go to the regular salon, rather the one I never visited but just heard.

The hairstylist was a cool woman in her 30s,I showed her the pics and asked for suggestion( couldn't resist) and to my amazement she said@ Lets do it. I asked her same question million times even when I knew I wanted it bad .As I begun to get cold feet she made the first cut and my heart skipped a beat , I thought its a heart attack but clearly it was not( pun intended)!!

She asked " Are you gonna cry "? I Replied " Not here, maybe at home", she laughed out loud, 2 more cuts and it was all gone ( maybe for good), only a lady would understand what I am talking here. You take years to grow those 3 inches of hair and in seconds they are reduced by more then 6 inches! That day I realized what is the fear of unknown, the uncertainty and how much can it affect one.


You see, its no big deal cutting your hair short, it would grow back in few months or years maybe, but the fear associated , the fear of unknown, the fear of looking like a mess , the fear of  getting your confidence crushed and fear of being mocked , the fear of not doing the right thing, it all stops us from doing a lot of things which might fall under the the category " Un-Do-able" . But frankly speaking there is no such thing.  No, I did not get enlightened by getting a hair cut done, I just realized a fact I should have realized long back.

And I do not want anyone to wait for a decade for such a thing.

Consequences - Don't bother about them, they are better then unfulfilled desires.

You want to get a tattoo, get it done, what to shave your hair , who is stopping you?? travel alone ,why not??? want to quit your job, do it today. Go on a trip with unknown people, pick up a hobby you feel you are too old for, go learn a dance form with a bunch of teenagers.
A very wise friend once told me " There is no Right and No Wrong". The path/ thing you choose is Right.

Stop waiting for tomorrow , or the right time for the right thing.

Cant resist sharing this quote:

“Tomorrow is promised to no one.” ― Clint Eastwood

"Just to Motivate you"

Share your story in the comments!!

LITER of LIGHT

I remember seeing a fb invite for  a workshop on installing solar Bottle Bulb in houses, and now I can’t figure out the reason for missing it.
NO regrets as a friend of mine ( Tripti Raj & Pankaj Dixit)  started the same Initiative also known as LITER OF LIGHT in Bangalore .

 Their 3^rd installation in Bangalore and I was part of it. Something about L.O.L as we call it. Liter of light is a global initiative which aims at providing economically sustainable source of light to underprivileged household’s .It involves filling up a 1.5L PET bottle with purified water and bleach and installing it onto the roof of a house. The water inside the bottle refracts the sunlight during the daytime and creates the same intensity as a 55 watt light bulb. With the correct installation and materials a solar bottle can last up to 5 year .The idea of using plastic bottles for daylight was first pioneered by Alfredo Moser from Brazil in 2002.

Sunday early Morning:

My alarm was set for 4.15 am but I was wide awake at 4am, excited to see how this thing works, have only seen in videos and Photos. A team of 10 volunteers, 4 experienced and 6 new headed to an underprivileged area in Benson Town to spread some light. We were welcomed by Muriyamma and crowning roosters. The settlement had Pakka houses with temporary roof-tops,  drowsy kids and adults who came out to see bunch of intruders clad in blue uniform carrying bright color equipment boxes.

First house that we were assigned was a small room with an attached small kitchen area, I noticed a single bed, few utensils, a sewing machine and a very happy lady in her 40s.The room had no light  if the door was shut. So our experienced Volunteers Tripti, Pankaj Sir and Hardik got to work while rest of us watched. One installation takes anywhere between 1.5- 2 hours minimum.  An initial assessment is done to see if the  Solar Bottle bulb would do any good or not followed by a quick inspection of the roof.

Men/Women at work finished the installation by 9 ish and the aunty treated us with hot tea in yellow colored mugs. I noticed her grinning from ear to ear as she entered her house. She loved it :)  And so did we :) I was amazed to see how  people managed to  lived with limited resources and still be happy. Met a family that had 9 members and stayed in 2 small rooms, their latest addition was a 5 day old baby who slept peacefully in a swing made out of an old sari. 
As we explained few curious onlookers it was time for the 2^nd installation.

With it came an opportunity to finally try my hand. It was a humble house where a family of 4 lived, what amused me was the no. of utensils they had. The walls were adorned with couple’s marriage photographs, bunch of colorful glass bangles and lots of teddy bears .And guess what, they had an induction stove!!

We assessed the house and decided to install the bulb in the small kitchen area that had no light at all. At 9.40 am, we got on to the roof, arranged our equipment and cleaned that area. While my 2 beloved friends cracked some jokes on ME, Hardik drilled the roof for us. After the drilling was done, we used BTI pliers, a filer to enlarge the hole that could accommodate the Bottle. The hole has to be precise so the bottle fits in perfectly and there is no gap. The Bottle is prepared few days in advance and is glued to a piece of fiber sheet .As we sweated profusely trying our best to make that perfect hole in the roof we could hear Bollywood songs playing in distance ,it was a good substitute for otherwise annoying jokes.

''Shining Bright like a Diamond''

The next step was to place distilled water and chlorine filled bottle in the hole, fill the gaps with SIKa glue, gloves and our love:) It was done!! We were too excited to come down and see how it looked (I have seen the bottle bulb already but this was my-our very first installation) And there it was, shining bright, filling the small room with bright light and at the same time  filling  our hearts with happiness and content. We got ourselves clicked with the beautiful Solar Bottle Bulb and relaxed for a while. I was awestruck by the hospitality we recieved. They left the door open so that we could sit in and relax, while they sat outside, served us with cold drink as we finished the task .How many times have we opened the doors for complete strangers???

 As the other team was busy installing the 3^rd Solar bulb I roamed in the narrow lanes of the establishment, got to peep into few houses as their doors were always open and couldn’t help but notice the following things. Few of the houses had Tile Flooring, most of them had at least 1 TV, Steel Utensils looked like their prized possessions, cats were preferred over dogs as pets , floor of the houses were spic-and-span and  every family had at least 2 kids.

Hungry and tired, 3 Installation  and 6 hours later  we called it a  day by rubbing petrol on our hand( just to get rid of SIKA glue) and by filling our stomachs with super delicious food at  IMLI humming few of our favorite old Hindi songs.

Join us Next time and this experience can be yours!

Be part of L.O.L( Liter of Light) @ Liter Of Light Bangalore