Tilak Amitava Chowdhury

I am no spiritual guru and I have definitely not attained nirvana. I am very much the average middle class guy trying to work towards a happy life. Like the tortoise. But I feel there is a process, formula or theory whatever you wish to call it. A way to beat the ladders in Maslow's need theory. A way to beat the basic motivators of life - greed and fear. And work towards the greater good. Something that feeds more than your body. Something that feeds your soul. When I look at great people and their lives, their lives can be divided into three basic parts - chaos, Karma and nirvana. Chaos is the initial self-doubts, the urge to prove themselves, establishing their supremacy in their chosen world. Then they slowly discover their karma. The work that makes them legendary. The work that makes them more than just mortals. Then somewhere nirvana happens. They grow beyond pleasing the outer world. They begin their journey inwards. Their journey towards feeding the soul. Their soul.

She is no soldier but she fights like one She lost her eye to acid attack But held on to her dreams. The acid burnt her body But wasnt strong enough to penetrate her spirit She is the one who the world salutes and hates those bloody brutes Her suffering and cries bring tears to my eyes Her glory makes me feel proud of her She is someone I look upto for courage She makes me feel tiny infront of her valour I salute all the women suffering her fate I seek forgiveness on behalf of a system that fails to protect their rights I pray the animals who did this to her may rot in hell forever May no one go through this pain again ever She walked the ramp as a fashion diva She faced the paparazzi with elan She unfurled the wings of her dreams To live the life she deserves I wish you all the very best young lady May all your dreams come true May all the nightmares you have suffered so far be far far behind you Live life like a queen Rule your kingdom of dreams Be strong and s

When it comes to sports, India loves only cricket and hence corporates love it too. The advertising, sponsorships and endorsements are all cornered by the Cricketers and Cricket. It's time to think differently. I was recently reading that Britain feels cost of medals are too expensive at the Olympics. So how can India ever hope to get into the big league when it comes to sports medals? The simple answer is : corporatise sports The corporates have the money to invest but they currently don' t see the ROI in games other than cricket. So they shy away from investing. However, since government has made it compulsory to invest 2% of PAT in CSR, this money could be invested in developing sports infrastructure that can help in identifying and supporting talent that can win internationally in sports. The government could sell rights of sports and let highest bidders get exclusive rights to develop and market these sports.... The corporates should take interest in these auctions an

Zero sized models and zero tolerance Zero calories and zero patience There is a zero wherever i go Zero virus infecting so many i know Zero losses and zero pollution Dreams every company and nation Zero stability and zero nutrition Zero is the growth causing stagflation Zero food and zero clean water Zero safety and zero shelter Zero education zero forgiveness Zero hope and zero solace Zero peace as guns roar Zero equality as racism soar Zero protection against ignorant fanatics Zero escape from their stupid antics Zero future if humanity continues this way Zero possibility of surviving another judgement day Let zero injustice guide our path Lets create zero chances of another blood bath Let zero be the hero in a positive manner Only then can we overcome the zero barrier Only then can we have zero problems And live lives of zero worries and pains

It was a fool who invented fire Burnt our innocense to ash By commencing an era of pseudo everything A world revolving around greed, lies and cash It was a fool who invented the wheel Cos he made us weak and lazy Our glamourous lives and fast cars Making us ignorant and crazy It was a fool who invented science Cos he built some cheap silly gizmos Made an artifical world that engulfed our souls Poisoned our minds with stupid thoughts And killed the entire cosmos Look at us today you silly fool Thousands of years wasted invain Living live recklessly and foolishly so far Has left us vulnerable and in pain We are late but there is still hope We can try to undo our misdeeds on this planet of ours Lets stop mindless consumption Lets live with minimum and within our powers Its a beautiful world Rich and full of gifts for all Lets listen to the earth's warnings To save us all from the deathly fall

I never believed in reincarnation Till I saw you There seems to be so much between us That seems impossible for life to conspire in one lifetime You remind me of centuries I dont remember to have existed in Our story goes beyond the cycle of life and death There are pauses but no full stops As we moved from life to life in search of each other Even this is not the end It is a chapter in the book that stretches to eternity The colour of your eyes keep changing but not the way you look at me in every life We may have met near a palace or a disco in different births But we are attracted in the same manner The passion is the same the colour varies without change in the intensity We may speak diffrent languages but our hearts connect freely without barriers created by man You are special and I relish you in my life We two souls who may meet someday to be apart the next But we are witness of eachother in every moment of bliss and agony Thank you I say for the lovely memori

It's 2AM the world's asleep And its stunningly quiet around Air conditioning and my heart beat Are the only audible sound My mind wakes up and stretches My imagination begins a feast The words and thoughts just keep flowing Like some angry wild beast I feel one with the universe With infinite energy flowing through my mind Creating fascinating fantasies and images I find otherwise difficult to find It's the best time of my existence Life's best moments for self realisation To do the things you crave for In your wild wild imagination It's your life so enjoy every bit It's melting away each moment Death is slowly coming your way To snatch you away and torment It's time to be the Buddha It's time to wake up your soul It's time to ask the universe To heal you and make you whole It's time to think, feel and introspect The meaning of our seemingly useless existence The agony and ecstacy that we undergo For this meaningless hu

I feel like the Bedouins of yore Exploring the hot sands of my heart Hungry and tired Looking for water to quench my eternal thirst Then I see you from far far away Like a beautiful rainbow on the colourful sky And coming my way Like a messiah, you fill me with so much joy it makes me cry I feel my prayers are answered You are all that I dreamed of and more I run to you ignoring my fatigue and The wounds of soul turned sore But you turn away Like a mirage playing tricks on my mind The sun of loneliness scorches on... Driving my eyes blind I still look for you always My long awaited soul mate I have waited for many years Fighting battles of fate I look up to the sky from time to time Waiting for a glimpse of you The smile the eyes the innocence Showering on me making my dreams come true I miss your whispers in my ears I miss the laughter in your eyes You are a true gift from God Sent straight from up in the skies Come back and speak to me Ease the rising pai

Life has made her frail and weak But she hasn’t lost her hope Her troubles never seem to end But she has learnt how to cope She’s a widow blessed with just a child And her tenacity is her shield Life can keep trying her all the time Bur she’s chosen not to yield She smiles away her pain every day Her confidence is her only make up She thanks the God with a prayer daily The same one who messed her life up She is the epitome of confidence She motivates me to live on Every time I lay my eyes on her I feel my emptiness gone She is a role model for all of us As she clings to happiness with her fragile grip She might be burning with anger inside But it never shows on her lip I salute you oh iron lady Give life all you have got May life in return give you All the peace and happiness you always sought! ©tilaktilak

There are many who know you, The way I can only hope to know you some day But they will never see you with my eyes and the shades of you I see I love the way you eat and sip your beer I love the way you dress for business and still have pleasure. I love the way you paint your dreams And the way you colour your desires on canvas. I love the way you smile at life even when it dishes you pain and suffering. I love the knowledge that someday you will be big and important Someday you will rule the world Someday i might wait in a Que to catch a glimpse of you or may be we grow famous together I want to know you fully I want to hear your voice for life I want to see you smile every day As long as I'm alive I wish I could be with you forever Love you and feel loved in return Want to grow old holding hands together, The way we hold hands now I want to share a bed with you And make love to you all night Laugh and smile and love together With eyes full of pleasure and sm

Prosperity is in the air. The numbers of luxury cars and foreign vacations are really impressive. Indians are finally living it up. The glittering mobiles and jewels are adding a lot of glamour to the cosmopolitan Indians. Is it? We are, in my view, moving up the ladder as defined by Maslow's need theory but in the process losing out on the basics. So in short we are building skyscrapers on swampy lands. Ready to collapse anytime Sorry for being so pessimistic. Most readers of this article are beyond the basic needs of food , clothing and shelter and have started their journeys on the bigger things. But, look at the mass urbanisation leading to shrinking farmlands. Look at the falling water tables. Look at the quality of air we are breathing. We need to understand that money is good for nothing if in exchange for it we can't get what we desire. So while we might be increasing our net worth on paper but later we may have to consume only those papers to survive. It's an a

Mobiles, cars, laptops etc are all toys for the grown ups. What's interesting to observe is whether we treat these as slaves or as mistresses.. why? Cos it can help marketeers the kind of products they need to develop and the kind of volumes they can expect... The ones who treat their toys as slaves usually want value for money. They want maximum features at minimum cost. They push the levels of performance of their toys and extract utility. The users who on the other hand treat their toys as mistresses tend to focus on beauty and flaunt their toys. They are more likely to be lavishing on looks and physical attributes or the show off quotient of their toys. So, which category do you fall in? Would love to know....

In my view, there are four kinds of behaviour and all of us are capable of displaying any of them depending on our inherent skills, talent and interest.   The first type is the 'peep' behaviour. This behaviour shows that the person gets excited seeing others perform like watching a cricket match or attending a concert. Here the individual is happy to see someone else do what he or she can't do so well The second type is weep behaviour. Here one is just regretting and crying for something lost or seemingly unachievable. Like crying over lost love or money. The third type is sleep behaviour. We know certain things are needed now but we are happy to be oblivious wishing that they go away on their own. Like not exercising , not saving enough or not preapring well enough etc The last is the leap behaviour. In this one feels that he or she has super powers jumping on problems and getting into action mode to solve problems and make this world a better place.  Would love to h

Every weekend I eat breakfast at a small road side joint. The owner makes amazing food. I don't know where he learnt to cook such delicacies. I doubt if he ever went to school. Forget a business school. Yet he runs a profitable business, a family and raising future citizens of the country, his children and dreaming for a better future. We read so much about big success stories. But what about these small unsung heroes who have survived all odds and are living an independent life. There are millions of such amazing stories which are untold. I'm amazed by the tenacity of these people. As the government of India rolls out big plans like make in India, skilling India, incredible India etc, I feel that if we are able to harness these tiny enterprises and weave them in a formalised channel, India can achieve great heights both socially and economically. The future of India will be shaped by the harnessing of these tiny enterprises is what I feel. And you? ___________________ The

Automobiles have evolved and not evolved at the same time. I remember a leading automobile company's ad that proudly showcased the changing keys of the brand in the last 25 years or so...However, in my opinion,  all the evolution has been more or less cosmetic and short term But has the automobile industry really innovated to survive in the long term? Ever since time immortal, everyone knew that the fossil fuels have a limited life. It has taken the earth millions of years to produce what we consume in less than a year. So it was never really sustainable. But do we have any alternatives yet? The industry focuses on self-driven cars and big, comfortable cars but do we have the fuel source to drive then economically without affecting the environment in the long run? The automobiles are still trying to give you a better on road experience, but have they thought of making automobiles that fly? or float? or do a combination of two or three different modes? Why can't autom

Recently I read one of the reports in a leading magazine that Delhi has taken the place as the most polluted city in the world. How did things go so bad? I somehow feel that it is more a social problem than anything else. Here are my reasons: Dishonest public transport: If Mumbai autos can run on Meter, why can't autos in Delhi? Every time I try to take an auto I am worried that I might be looted in Delhi but never feel the same in Mumbai...why? Big cars add to cool quotient Why is it that buying big cars is a fad? Why do we connect success to the size of ones car and house. Why not connect the success with the amount of good the person is doing and his contributions to the welfare of the society? The Delhi government is trying so hard to reduce the number of vehicles on road. But what about last mile connectivity? Why can't a system like Goa be developed where every biker doubles up as a taxi who in turn offers a lift to fellow passengers for a nominal char

Social media has amazing potential. And so far we have really not started tapping it...I feel in the future there could be more and more products and services driven by the social media...some possibilities are: Emergency services: imagine if we could just tweet to a designated Twitter handle for emergency services like ambulance, police, fire etc Voting: imagine if voting could be done over Twitter or Facebook! Customer feedback: driven by the poll option on Twitter Breaking news: social media could be the key medium for breaking news in the future. The other media could offer more exhaustive information E commerce: what if we could use social media to shop These are just some random ideas . I'm sure the possibilities are infinite...