Beginnings and ends

There are so many choices one has to make in life but sometimes these lead to inner turmoil because they start questioning your deepest beliefs and you must deal with them all alone.

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

All Content including Pictures are Copyrighted 2006- 2008 © Shruti Bansal.
Copying or Using the content without permission is punishable and offenders will be liable for prosecution.

Goa the Shruti Way !

Another view of my favourite beach . Does this help ?



Guess the beach ? My favourite .. A guide to Goa as I have seen it coming soon .

All Content including Pictures are Copyrighted 2006- 2008 © Shruti Bansal.
Copying or Using the content without permission is punishable and offenders will be liable for prosecution.

MEMOIRS OF A HORSE RIDER / LOVER

IT was a an unearthly hour … I groped around in the darkness .. crash .. blonk . … @%$# … clink … ( at last I came into contact with the light switch) …I never thought I had it in me I wondered (aka RDB).. to actually be able to fight for a cause ..in this case my long cherished dream almost a revered passion .For getting up at 5 in the morning for me was like fighting with the enemy at the battlefield .. an almost Herculean task .. next to impossible !!

It was my 2 nd class..I arrived just in time ,,the clock had struck 6 .. the other riders had arrived and mounted their muses … I hurriedly got into the “ appropriated dress” .. now what were the instructions of the last class???… my mind had gone totally blank..as the horse stood majestically in the distance waiting impatiently (Horse : really ??? come fast U oaf … what’s taking U so long ???? am not used to waiting !!!) … As I approached the horse .. almost apologetically ..my instructor suddenly instructed me to ride another horse.. a bay colored one (which the girl in front of me had apparently refused to ride )… much bigger than the ones I could see around me .. I glanced/ peeped at the horse ..the horse looked at me in disdain …I am a thoroughbred !! .. its whole demeanor seemed to scream out … ( for the uninitiated a throughbred is a horse meant for racing and hence much more powerful .. prone to some common ugh traits ..like they are kickers … most likely to throw u off their backs… suddenly tug at the reins so hard that u think ur arms are going to come out of their sockets ..as if they hate u for riding them a( horse – hey human ..whts ur breed??/ … u dare ride me ..do u even have the faintest idea who I am .. ???? pata nahi kahan kahan se aa jate hain subah subah needh kharab karne !!) .and also shake themselves from head to tail as if they are having a sudden seizure as u are hailed from side to side like a pendulum as an entirely calm and unperturbed stable hand tells u that the horse is merely flicking away the flies that are irritating him ..not seeming to see anything out of place or acknowledging ur shook up and disheveled appearance

Okay So I am supposed to love them ..I do .. I do .. that’s why I still dare to ride one ..and also seem to be most happy to have got the opportunity to ride a thoroughbred ( meant only for advanced classes .. and I was just in the beginners .. there was still the medium to go)..could it get any better ?..the instructor actually thot me worthy enough to ride one ( Horse – really ??The reason I am there in the first place is shortage of horses u dummy and the other people here are obviously more important people than u , u nondescript creature hence its ur neck that’s being stuck out )

Well oblivious to what I was getting into … and delighted at the opportunity to ride such a fine horse ( for thoroughbreds are beautiful to look at with shining skin and a magnificent almost royal appearance and aura around them ) I walked towards the horse .. Head held high.. And an almost regal stride (trying to match the horse) .. and suddenly came to a standstill . The horse loomed large in front of me.. more than 6 feet tall.. there was no way I could climb that .. I looked hopelessly and helplessly at the trainer … “sir I don’t think I can climb atop”( okay ! okay ! I wont say I whined - that would be insulting myself a wee much ) … however with a little help and a rushed recap of last class instructions ( on apparently how to mount any horse) and after making a complete fool of myself … I rose …and with a huge ( and almost graceful swing of my leg or so I believed) which thankfully reached the other side of the horse ( somehow ) ..I was finally there where I belonged (but wasn’t I a natural horse rider ! – Horse - In your dreams u Dimwit !) …

Hmm … The walk … and then the trot …. Today’s class was all about the TROT .. trot is when you kick the horse in the tummy ( not too hard or up might end u regretting it as the horse gallops away leaving ur little frame behind somewhere in the dust trying to find your bearings if any left at all) make your horse trot … barked the instructor… but apparently it isn’t as easy as that ,, as the horse trots away to glory ..ur supposed to rise up and down in your seats along with the rhythm of the horse …up down ..up down ,.,, ofcourse nobody taught u to balance your heavy body atop a horse back in high school ???/ .. standing like a frail little piece of whatever …almost knocking your self out of the saddle trying to go up and down at the speed of lighting .. or at least it seems so …
of course it helps a lot , especially if you have to keep the following in mind simultaneously while struggling with the effort of keeping your balance as well as rising up and down like ur bottom was on fire …!!!

1) keep your back ramrod straight
2) align your Hip ??/ and Heel with your back .. hence everything should be ramrod straight
3) However while keeping yourself ramrod straight .. only your lower part of the body should be rigid … the upper part should be totally relaxed with utter fluidity in every motion that u make above the waist ( ofcourse it helps a lot to relax if u keep ur spine ..yes u guessed it right ..RAMROD straight !!)
4) Heels down … toes turned out slightly tucked it ..
5) The widest part of your feet should be in the stirrup to give u maximum leverage as u do monkey dance on the horse ( up n down ..Up n down )
6) Reins to be held between thumb ..index…and mmm little finger and the middle sorry forget what to do with the middle .finger ( let it just hang in there somewhere ) .. now what is the fifth finger called …hmm forget it .. hold the reins..
7) Keep sure the reins are always tight enough to keep you in contact with the horses mouth .. that is the only contact and means of communicating with the horse ( my heart takes a small lurch in its cage ..ugh ribs and I tighten my grip …now I cant even relax my hands ..I would have been less frightened by a horror story involving … 100 demons … and another 100 ghosts .. atleast I wouldn’t end up with broken bones !!)

Okay these are some of the many instructions ( and believe me there are many more small details which I obviously forget …) one has to keep in mind and simultaneously follow ..while riding on the horse .. and at no time during the entire session should your mind waver even for a second …or your posture compromised .. (oh hell !!! its 6 in the morning .. and I am not an early riser at all . MERCY !!!) ..

Suddenly after a lot of failed attempts at standing up and sitting down @ speed of light ..I suddenly realize that the motion is coming naturally to me ..juts as naturally as a kid tries to walk and keeps falling down and then suddenly takes its very first step ..at least that is the surge of happiness I got form this sudden new found way that I seemed to have acquired of going up and down ( it certainly seemed to require lesser effort than the previous version hence I was absolutely convinced this was the way it was meant to be and wasn’t I much better than the other riders who apparently seemed to be still going up and down in a funny way …or was it that I was the odd one out and was probably the laughing stock .. mentally the rest of them were laughing there minds off at me .. and my weird antics .. alas there was no way to find out … hence I continued with my head held high and with a superior air about me just like a cat who had finally managed to lick the cream ..(at least it was better than looking unsure about exactly what I was trying to do – either way I was making a fool of myself clowning around !!) …

Hmm .. well in the midst of all this .. my dreamer self took over ( did I Tell ya that I am prone to bouts of daydreams and had been nicknamed “ Dream girl” as a kid by the seniors girls since I used to suddenly get lost in thoughts ..still do ) and hence very naturally I got lost in my thoughts – this time I was thinking about how good I was at riding .. what a little find I am .. a treasure trove …a delight to watch …and how I would Brag sorry blog about this on my blog ! .. and I completely forgot I was supposed to be AT ATTENTION… the trainer’s voice seemed to come from far off into my dream world shattering it as he barked angrily … where are u Girl ? And why the hell are u slouching.. sit straight .. where are ur feet.. heels down .. tuck in ur toes ..what are u doin ? cant u even remember the basics.. hold the reins tight … they control the horse !!

Shruti - meekly( giving an impish grin or so she believed !) …sorry Sir .

Trainer - Well okay .. sit straight ..like a lioness.. “shairni ki Mafik”….

Vow that sounds easy … however owing to the dreamer nature I couldn’t help analyzing this new simile angle and started imagining my own parallels… Instantly transporting myself to 19 th century India … with head held high she ( rani laxmi bai ) surveryed her lands .. with a regal air I looked around me ,.,and the familiar rhymes of that famous poem floated in the periphery of my mind – “ Bundale Har bolo ke muh hamne suni Kahani thi , khub ladi mardani voh to Jhansi wali rani thi”.. by now the instructor had given up on me .. and moved his attention elsewhere .. however I continued to believe I was doin everything right ( cos wasn’t I a natural with the horses ??? ) … Soon the sessions came to an end ..and we had to dismount … ofcourse as I came back to earth I realized that today’s lessons had left behind more marks than I had bargained for …atleast my battered lower half seems to scream that out … and that night saw my entire body feeling as if it had been twisted and rinsed out thoroughly …when every part seemed to protest as I took myself off to bed for an early and longer than usual sleep ….

Signing off .
A battered Shruti
( to be continued – feeling very sleepy now )


P.S.- If you haven’t already got bored .. more will follow later .. this was just the 2 nd class and I have apparently become the lifetime member of EFI (Equestrian Federation of India ) .. which entitles me to avail of the rising/ riding facilities of any society / club affiliated to it all over India …However on a more serious and parting note.. I enjoyed every moment of it!!! It was as if I was born for riding a horse (Horse – Dream away u NUT! The worse is still to come ..)

All Content including Pictures are Copyrighted 2006- 2008 © Shruti Bansal.
Copying or Using the content without permission is punishable and offenders will be liable for prosecution.

Worth a Read

I wanted to share this nice piece with you all.........especially the bankers This is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by a 96 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times. (it's worth a minute to read.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Sir, I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it.

I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded,
faceless entitywhich your bank has become.

Starting from now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.

Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/herfinancial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, I will issue your employee a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the numberof button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press the buttons as follows:

1.To make an appointment to see me.
2.. To query a missing payment.
3.. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4.. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5.. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6.. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7.. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.
8.. To return to the main menu to listen to options 1 through 7.
9.. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year. Your Humble Client

All Content including Pictures are Copyrighted 2006- 2008 © Shruti Bansal.
Copying or Using the content without permission is punishable and offenders will be liable for prosecution.

Triangle is it ?

Well... I have just started my new profile ... and was glad to learn today that my boss ...GGM flashlights was a thinker as well.... he made a comment which set me thinking ..infact we discussed quite a lot on many issues .. and hence there has been a lot of thinking ..and everything is getting quite jumbled up ( me being a simple person with simple abilities)..hence lets take this one at a time .

One issue which seemed to really interest me was about this triangle ... love , hate or indifference ...boss said that the opposite of love is not hate .. but indifference .. and that love and hate run parallel to each other ... well i would like to blog on this .. but it seemed a good topic for discussion and hence would like to make it an open forum .. hence anybody who visits is welcome to air his/ her views for some stirring discussion ...

All Content including Pictures are Copyrighted 2006- 2008 © Shruti Bansal.
Copying or Using the content without permission is punishable and offenders will be liable for prosecution.