Well, at least you got the message, good for you!...the "glitter of gold" can blind a person if stared at for too long.

Free time? there's something you can't buy, how precious...and that you choose to use it other"wise"

Rahul, have a great week!

Angela

:-) That is cute, Rahul,
probably one of the most delightful experiences in life, is when we can have a good deep belly-laugh at ourselves. It is so refreshing.

In a troubled world of tension, dramas and vain egoism, it is always healthy to segway into to lighter moments to relax and enjoy a hearty, unreserved laugh. It is unquestionably medicine and nourishment for the human soul.

You are indeed a very funny man, Rahul! I love the pristine unbridled pride of son by your dad!

Peace.

welcome back Rahul. Ah now don't ignore your hard drive too much again in preference for good weather..you know the consequences eh!

What a cute story. It's been awhile since I read something that actually made me laugh out loud. :) Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing, Rahul. Your story made me smile too.

And, it reminds me of something someone said on the blog once about "the world's greatest musicians" getting together to raise money for something. I remember being struck by that statement and I later figured out why. Those were the worlds most FAMOUS musicians - and although many of them may be great - they are not necessarily the greatest. The most well known, yes. The highest paid, yes. But the greatest? I wouldn't bet on it. The worlds greatest musician may be playing to an audience of zero in his/her garage or wandering homeless somewhere... or singing to his beloved wife/husband who is bedridden and unable to walk...
You just never know.
And it really doesn't matter.

Anyway, thanks. Keeping the ego in check is something I can often use more of too. Thank god I'm not famous. I have enough trouble with self-importance as it is. :)

Love, Kristin

To laugh at one self is one of the greatest traits to have. Good you possess it.
To look at oneself objectively is a very important aspect in life and few do it. Those who do it dont brag about it yet know the benifits. I'll try to stick up something like u did on my bedroom for me to grin for the next 20 years....
Utsav

life can be really funny and cruel at the same time. with every passing phase we evolve and emerge as an individual. but one thing that we all forget that we need to be grounded for thats where all of us start.

rahul you just put your experience in words that surely deserves a read.

keep writing for world over people learn through others experiences too.

applepie!
Love,
Peter Pan, Neverland

Rahul,

Well done... my respect for you has gone up several notches. It just proves how close you are in penetrating the false ego that envelops so many who are in a privileged position. You have reached your present status by dint of your hard work so it is well deserved. Our grandmothers often said a tree laden with fruit is bent ,with humility.A true test which acts as a barometer of an individuals growth in the realm of wisdom is to gage his ability to look at himself outside of himself.

This reminds me of an incident which happened when I was newly married. As is the custom in most North Indian families, the bride has to go around greeting all the relatives, touch their feet and take their blessings. I had to leave for Australia, but had to complete these formalities, to please my mother-in-law. Since I could not meet all of them the first day, I had to go over to their house. It was a happy experience more because my husband enjoyed the way I was being appraised from head to toe and being evaluated. It amused him, and I gleefully went along. Finally we went to meet an old aunt. My husband had warned me that she was really severe and I was petrified. She couldnt see very well, so came up to me, made me turn around, commented on the length of my hair(they still reach my knees)then commented on my looks(I had been on the cover of Femina). I was waiting for the final verdict. With my saree covering my head I bent down to touch her feet and she proclaimed loudly"shakal ko kya karna hai, akkal honi chahiye" Which meant what can one do with the face if there is no intelligence. I was tongue tied and my husband burst out in a loud guffaw. He went and hugged her and told her "dont worry aunty.. I have checked her well. she has topped the university".But the aunt wasnt convinced that "such an educated girl, why would she do "choola chakki"(kitchen work). He literally had to convince her of all my skills etc so that she finally gave me her aashirwad(blessings) .

This experience readied me for any evaluation. It still amuses me, especially since that aunty became my favorite over the years . I miss her now since she is no more.

lol... funny.

The press can be kind of mean and personally, I can spill vitriol with the best of them so it's good to see that some people don't take these things to heart.

Besides, a reality check is good every once in a while because some of these celebrities...

Anyway, the weather is changing so I hope that means there will be more posts in the near future.

For you, Rahul:

Drunk on Myself

I walked alone the streets of Brussels this weekend
Had a lot of time to spend with myself.

Took a break at the Place du Petit Sablon with a view to a cathedral, the most magnificent of all!
Its beauty was stunning, remote from any humbleness i can recall.

I coudn't help thinking about the men whose ambition was responsible for it
How full of themselves they must have been...

Sitting on a bench, i turned my ipod off
"Learning Hindi", lesson 7 had to be put off for later on.

I took a dive in my (uni)verse
(the faces of people around me started to disappear, their words slowly dispersed)
Overwelmed by dreams and thoughts.
All brains, no brawns.

Milinda

Haha -- thanks for the story, Kaveetaa. And the poem, Milinda.

NaijaChiqa, I'll take the good weather over blogging anyday. I hope the turn is just temporary...

By the way, my ipod drowned that day. Honest.

Ego is quite a tricky thing. Sometimes it acknowledges itself by denying itself.

I've been reading your blog for a while now, but I thought I'd finally comment. That's a funny story, Rahul. It made me smile.

By the way - is the weather still good in NY? I'm from Toronto, and it's been nothing but rain/cloudy weather - gifts from Rita :D

Simika, Im not Rahul, but a fellow New Yorker. As I mentioned to my friend, Francesse today -- if the weather in New York would always be like it's been in the past few days, it would be heaven. (I would allow for an occasional snow storm, however. Nothing beats virgin snow.)

lol... so I was reading some magazine today and basically when Ozzy Osbourne was told that Colin Farrell might be playing him in a movie he angrily exclaimed, "Who the **** is Colin Farrell!?!" Talk about humble pie... hehehehe

Rahul,
This is quite funny but utterly profound. Reminds me of an incident a few years back. My uncle who works for the WOrld bank travels frequently. One time he was seated next to a couple that seemed very familiar. He politely said,"Hi. I think I might have seen you somewhere." The lady quite embarrased replied," maybe in films." Guess who they were? Amitabh and Jaya. I wonder what they thought about this ;-)

Hmm made me wonder about my few run ins wth various celebrity type people. Fairly unpleasant and so illustrative of the big bloated ego thingy that you talk about. For example, times I have innocently been wandering around/waiting for friends/waiting with friends for other friends when some random celebrity with a pineapple puff hairstyle has assumed that gaggles of girls waiting around looking suspiciously aimless are actually groupies...and then proceeding to wave, smile and make complete jackass of self...guilty of such behavior are:
1) Sanjay Kapur
2)Shakti Kapur
Also had random celebrity suffering from terrible misconception that public roads in Bandra are owned by his grandaddy...shoving and pushing poor auto rickshaw driver for not moving out of the way and showing him badi badi aankhen. Guilty of such behaviour:
1)DJ Aqueel
Pleasant experiences..hmmm trying really hard..well I guess a Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar...but they dont count since one would only expect good polite tehzeeb from them.
Anyway will end here.

hi
always like to read watever you post
its always something that imparts wisdom..
keep blogging

hey, just blogged on this site for the first time. Your pieces are coolio. Especialy the one piece with the Tom Selleck anecdote. Yea showbiz can become a maelstrom of insuferrable egoes. As a journalits, reporting on the entertainment industry, its been a real soppy opera with ego monsters.
The piece on your grandmum was touching too. The hard drive spin was nice too. Can i offer you a column in my newspaper? lol
J

Hi Rahul,
Happened to chance upon ur interesting piece.Am a journo with TOI. From Protima Bedi's Timepass,one realises to what extent the starry feeling can soar;Lot of celebs actly feel they r reincarnations of Gods themselves.And now thr is actly a book in the market 'Born Again' tracing the concept of rebirth through the lives of some celebs.

You have a good sense of self. Never lose that!!! Incidentally, I did wonder why the absence (I only discovered this site today) had been so long. Now that summer is setting in, I wonder if you are in North America or Asia (or just vacationing somewhere)....I used to travel a bit and now that I am stuck to a desk all day, I miss it!!! I took a wonderful walk today at lunchtime; I know why you don't want to be stuck in front of the laptop/computer (it's like knitting and listening to books on tape (at the same time)... really appreciated during winter months...for me, not you)!!!!