Well, Almost..

1500 years ago, the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said: "To attain knowledge add things every day. To attain wisdom remove things every day".

All through my adult life, I've been busy removing things. It occured to me pretty early that everything around me - the people, the possessions - are only illusions created in time. And so, I've built a life meticulously pushing away things that I thought I'm getting a little too attached to. Why? Because I honestly thought this would protect me against pain. Has it? I wouldn't know. I've focussed on self preservation for too long.. I've lived within the confines of my comfort zone - like the proverbial frog in the well - for too long, to know the difference between heartache and heartbreak.

Speaking of wells...

Can you understand being alone so long
You would go out in the middle of the night
And put a bucket into the well
So you could feel something down there
Tug at the other end of the rope?

~ Jack Gilbert.

Change of Address

It's been five months already since I moved here. The city offered me a better career option, which I gladly took up.. the decision being fueled by my long standing itch to settle down in life. I should point out here, that "settling down" in my dictionary doesn't mean getting married and having babies.. it's about finding a place you can call home. When you've spent 12 years jumping cities all over the country (and beyond), all you want is home.

This is a nice place.. the local people have a quirky sense of warmth, which at times I quite enjoy basking in.. but it does lack the strong buzz that all my previous addresses had to offer. Paul Graham, in his essay 'Cities and Ambition', says - "Great cities attract ambitious people. You can sense it when you walk around one. In a hundred subtle ways, the city sends you a message: you could do more, you should try harder." Kolkata nudged me towards the finer things in life (which, of course, I realized only after I'd left).. Bangalore gave me that first taste of independence.. Mumbai taught me that hard work, with a bit of heart, trumps all.. Delhi showed me a whole new perspective to power... but Pune, nothing till now.

Maybe that's why I've started to love this city. With her complete lack of expectations from me, I now have the freedom to embrace my restlessness.

Punjabian Di Shaan Vakhri

Gurpreet Singh Bharmota.

You taught me how to smear that extra butter all over my gobi parathas. You taught me that it ain't a Patiala peg if the alcohol in your glass measures anything less than four fingers. You taught me the lyrics to "nadiyon paar sajan da thaana" while it blasted full volume on your car stereo. You taught me that no matter what the song, there's only one dance step. You taught me that being Punjabi is a way of life.

Delhi is not going to be the same without you. Rest in peace, my friend.