Good Audio file compression software

I am an educator - and often take classes online on various topics.  I provide high quality audio recordings of my class to those who missed attending my sessions - and these audio files for a 1 hour session typically run into 800 MB to 1 GB, which is fairly large and bulky to send over email.  And if I upload into the cloud it gobbles up precious cloud space.

Hence I was on the lookout for a good app for my Windows PC that can compress the size of these audio files.  There are some online tools available - but I found them unreliable and of poor compression quality.

I was pleased when last week I discovered a software called Audio Compressor on this website which is quite efficient and quick.  It helps compress files to less than 10 % of the original file size.  So an audio file of 800 MB is shrunk to about 60 MB, making it very convenient to store and share without taking up too much bandwidth and cloud space.

Audio Compressor is a free to use software for home users, and can be downloaded easily to your Windows PC from here.  There is also a paid version for professionals and business purposes which has some extra features built in.  However, for amateurs, the free to use version is adequate and serves the purpose.  This software has helped me clear up a lot of my cloud drive space, and I would definitely recommend it.

Ravi and Guru Purnima

Every year on Guru Purnima day, the students of the noted violinist Pandita Supriya Pathak gather at her home to perform in her honour on this momentous day.

The Pandita is very particular that all of her students should perform on that day. But then she also expects everyone to practise and rehearse so thoroughly that they give as close to a flawless performance as possible. When her students perform she sits close to them and listens to them very minutely. Mediocrity is frowned upon, and she would rather a student completely drops out from performing than render a shoddy performance on this great day. 

Ravi, who has been studying with her for the last 4 years dreads this particular day. Ravi is a self taught violinist who wanted to become a better violinist after his early retirement from his corporate career. So when he heard that the Pandita has finally started offering online classes he joined her online classes with great enthusiasm. He was already playing confidently in a small local band, and he imagined that learning under the Pandita will make him a more refined player which will enable him to join a bigger band. 

However, soon after he joined the online class, Ravi realised he has bitten off more than he can chew. Firstly the Pandita told him that he had to unlearn a lot because he was using wrong bowing techniques. Secondly he had never learnt music in a formal manner so he did not understand anything about notating and scales. He belonged to a group who had all studied some music formally so he became the odd student in his online group who could not comprehend what was being discussed in the class. Finally, he realised that learning to play violin online was very difficult as some of the wrist movements and bowing techniques require a lot of sensitivity, and this was difficult to teach/learn using an online format. 

Consequently he started dreading the weekly violin classes as every class was sheer struggle. Earlier he used to play the violin for the sheer joy of playing it, but now he stopped playing it for enjoyment - nowadays he plays it only to finish the homework assignment that the Pandita gave every week. 

The Pandita is a very encouraging and dedicated Guru, but how can he keep telling the Pandita that much of what she says in the group class just flies over his head? And the Pandita had the habit of mentioning names of her brilliant students in her class and narrate how well they were progressing, and how quick they were in comprehending. For Ravi, this subtly meant that he had to compare himself with the bright students in the class - all of whom were less than half his age and who were all talented and aspiring professional musicians.  The comparison element made the fun element disappear in music, and even though Ravi was competitive in his corporate career he disliked comparisons because he had left his career to discover his own path. 

So with Guri Purnima approaching Ravi started feeling a deep dread even when he is sleeping. He took the help of a musician friend to figure out what to play and organised the script, and practised like crazy for the next 1 month.

On Guru Purnima a procession of the Pandita's students performed, each better than the previous. Ravi's turn was next and the cold dread again started, and he cursed himself for being in a situation where he felt that some 60 experts (all the Pundita's disciples) were evaluating him and passing judgement over him. 

His fingers were clammy, and the accompanying tabla player got into a faster rhythm than Ravi could manage comfortably. Yet he played as best as he could, and was glad when he played out the last line of his piece without too many errors.

He knew he could have done a better job - but somehow the stress got into him - and he fails when there is no joy.  His peers from the online batch told him he played well, but he felt they were saying it merely to make him feel better about himself. 

"There is pain in learning anything new - but is this level of pain not crossing my threshold? Is all this stress worth it - and for what purpose if I have stopped enjoying playing the violin?" he asked himself as he went to bed that night. 

The Disciple Who Won Despite Losing

The King had organised a competition among all the potters in his land to identify who is the best potter amongst all. All the master potters and their disciples were eligible to participate and submit their best entry in the form of a drinking cistern.

In a small dilapidated hut, the master potter and his favourite disciple were both at work, each crafting their respective Cisterns. The master potter belonged to a particular school of pottery which embellished their work with a technique called Shimmering which gave a glazed feel to the final product. The master potter was proud of his unique technique and had asked his best disciple to also participate in this competition so that at least one of them would win the competition, and do the technique proud.  

The disciple casually looked at the Master giving the finishing touches to his masterpiece. His Master's piece was really superb - crafted in the traditional design, and - with the finishing touches the master was giving, it was acquiring a shimmer that none others can create. It was his master's trade mark style that he taught only his most favourite disciples.

The Disciple then looked at his own unfinished creation - it also looked good - after all his master had trained him really well. Then he wondered how should he give the finishing touches. Should he give it the shimmer that his master prefers, or should he do something very different from what his master has trained him to do?

His love for his master made him hesitate.

Ultimately the disciple decided to do something different and finished his cistern using a new technique that came to his mind at that moment. 

The master's entry won the competition easily. The master felt happy that he is still the best Potter in the land. Then the master looked at his disciple's entry and started to chide him for forgetting the lessons he had been taught. The disciple looked distraught but kept silent. Then the master stopped scolding as it suddenly dawned on him as to why his favourite disciple had disobeyed him for the 1st ever time.

The master looked at his disciple and thought "Only a true Guru and a true disciple will figure out why my favourite disciple behaved the way he did. My disciple is a better person than I am - he has more faith in me than I myself. He is my worthy successor and from now on whatever knowledge I have is his".

The benefits of a fat wallet

When UPI was introduced, the size of my wallet visibly shrunk. I stopped carrying much currency notes, and the wallet was basically for only carrying my various ID cards and ATM cards.

When I travel I make an exception as most of my travel happens by train and it is necessary to have notes of small denomination (RS 10, 20, 50 etc) always available. This however results in a rather bulky sized wallet which I dislike as it ruins my dapper good looks by its ungainly bulge from my back pocket.

However, I realized the benefit of a bulging wallet yesterday when walking on a rain drenched passage I took a major tumble and landed on my back with a big thud. 

Serious damage would have certainly resulted to my hind-side but for the cushion that the bulky wallet provided as it absorbed the bulk of the impact.

I won't curse fat wallets any more - even if it is seriously ruining my good looks.

Karma - and why the world is round

It is close to bed time and I am lying on the bed after a hectic day. I am feeling a bit peckish and am munching some cashew nuts from a big box of dry fruits that my daughter gifted me.

I am feeling it is Karma. I used to regularly gift my mother packets of dry fruits. For me it seemed like a small gesture, and I never used to understand why her face used to light up with happiness whenever I gave her the dry fruits. Now while munching the dry fruits my daughter gave me, I know the reason. It is not as if I cannot buy it myself - I can buy stuff anytime (though I rarely do - my parsimonious nature does not allow me to buy anything "indulging" for myself). 

The happiness is because it is the thought that counts - the love that gets shown through simple gestures from your loved ones. And anything prepared or given with love always tastes so wonderful. 

Bless all those who give only from love.

Scintillating Notes of a Harmonist

My name is Virat Sharma, and I am a harmonium artiste in the town of Malpuri.  Until recently this town had only 2 reputed harmonium artistes.  Both of them were getting old and over-worked, so it must have been a relief to them when I, a young artiste with modern ideas, decided to offer my newly honed harmonium skills to this town.  So now there are 3 reputed harmonium artistes in this town.

As you know I share my first name with a legendary cricketer - so it is not surprisingly my fans call me Virat Kohli of Music. Right from childhood I wanted to be a famous cricketer with crowds applauding my batting, but destiny made me a musician. 

But so be it, I have shaped my harmonium playing style after my namesake legendry cricketer - and try to bring the same entertaining spirit into raag music.  When I am accompanying someone on the harmonium, I visualise how Virat Kohli would have faced a ball and hit it for a 4 - and I then hit a particular musical phrase out of the auditorium for a 6.  The audience obviously love it when I bring some excitement - so I keenly wait for such opportunities.

Today, for instance, I was accompanying 2 lady vocalists at a concert.  In the audience I can see some VIPs and I acknowledged their presence.

The lady in blue saree (blue lady) started her Nat-Bhairav alaap.  Ah, this is a raag that is very familiar to me - so it is a great start for me.  The blue lady's voice was a bit soft, but I more than made up for it by playing my harmonium loudly so that the audience can clearly make out what raag she is singing.  For some strange reason, the lady started gesturing to the sound engineer that the harmonium sound should be reduced - but fortunately the sound engineer was too busy looking at his mobile phone so he did nothing.  In any case, I am always prepared for such eventuality - and ensure that my harmonium has a loud and clear sound so that the last row audience can hear and appreciate the harmonium clearly even without a mike.

Then the lady in pink saree (pink lady) joined in the jugalbandi.  This pink lady does not seem to have practised because her voice was feeble, seemed to lack self-confidence and she was leaving a lot of space between phrases.  I don't believe in leaving a lot of empty space, so I made it a point of filling up all the spaces with a lot of new phrases that I had recently learnt.  The audience should get value for their money, and we should give them as much music as possible - all these leaving lots of empty space while singing is just a waste of audience time.

I was getting a bit irritated with this unenergetic pink lady.  We might bore the audience this way.  When it was time for her to get into the anthra I thought she had forgotten the anthra so I helped her by starting the anthra for her (I know 2500 bandishes).  

The next item was a raagmalika, which is a complex piece with a different raag for each line.  I have not heard this particular raagmalika but that is not a problem as I can play any raag.  In the 1st para they sang Jayjayvanthi and Rageshri.  I quickly found a gap and played a stirring piece on the harmonium.  And I innovated by introducing Bageshri into the mix so that the audience can enjoy. The audience really appreciated and said "Wah wah".

The next piece was a Miya Malhar.  The blue lady started on her taans (fast melodic phrases).  Now here is where I am different from other harmonium artistes.  Other harmonium artistes will be quiet and only echo the ending part of each taan. But my style is new and different.  When the lady sings a taan I simultaneously play another taan (of course of the same raag) on my harmonium. So the audience gets to simultaneously enjoy 2 different taans at the same time.  I think I hit a big 6 on this, and so I looked at the 1st row VIP audience meaningfully - and they applauded.  I really love this very appreciative and knowledgeable audience.

Now they started singing a song which reflects the different seasons.  They started off with the summer season piece which was good because it was very energetic.  But by the time the piece reached the winter season, they seemed to have again lost their energy and there was too much of weakness and melancholy in their voice and I could barely hear them.  But I again made up for their lack of energy by playing some fast bright energetic notes and filling the concert hall with a scintillating display of my dexterity on the keys.

Of course the strain of me single-handedly holding up the concert did get to me at times - and on a couple of occasions I did fumble.  I wondered whether I should touch my ear to acknowledge the error like some of those oldies do - but then I decided not to.  Why draw audience attention to a mistake which they do not seem to have noticed?  

Finally we reached the end of the concert.  Both the ladies seemed tired and confused.  The tabla player too looked defeated - initially he tried to compete with me by unnecessarily trying some fast thekas and playing the tabla loudly; but towards the end he realised he did not have my experience - and humbly gave me full control.  I am glad he did that - all artistes should learn to be humble - that is what my Guru always says.

Overall, it was another good day for me, and I am so happy and proud that the audience can now go home content and happy.  For me, the audience is God, and knowing that I had made a difference today to the audience was the most fulfilling aspect of my day.

Shalom, My Friend

This is my reminiscences delivered at my class-mate and close friend's 1 year remembrance function held at Kochi on 27th January, 2024

Today we are here to celebrate the life of an extra-ordinary person – and not to mourn his absence – however greatly we miss him.  What I have to say today may sound a bit longish – but pardon me – this is the bare minimum one can say about a person who has had such a major influence on whoever came to know him.  Also one caveat – while I say this in the 1^st person, the sentiments I mention are shared by many of my class-mates and friends from Britto School and Cochin College.

It was way back in 1976 that Ketan suddenly burst into my life at the annual prize distribution ceremony in Britto school.  I was in the 5^th standard and was feeling thrilled that I was going to get the first ever prize ever for me in “General Proficiency”.  Imagine how humbled I felt that day when a portly and energetic boy going by the name “Ketan.D.Mehta” trotted up the stage several times to collect at least half a dozen prizes – for subjects ranging from academics to extra-curricular activities.  My father who was attending the function prophetically remarked that “this boy Ketan is going very far”.

My relationship with Ketan was initially a bit complicated and competitive.  We were both competing for the attention – and love – of our teachers – so this keen competition did initially lead to a bit of friendly jostling.  Ketan would pull my leg for my “serious” focus on academics; and I will retort with a pun on his name and call him “K.Thendi.Mehta” (Thendi = Vagabond).  To Ketan’s credit he thought that was a very clever pun and he said that he felt good with that pun as it signified to him that his parents had foreseen that he will travel a lot. (Which he did!).  Ketan’s quick sense of humour and his ability to poke fun at himself (his non-existent goal-keeper skills – and later on in life – about his favourite rackish cap to hide his thinning crown) endeared him to a lot of us, and he led by example on how we should approach life – with humour, love and forgiveness.

Ketan really came into his own when we reached high school.  This was when Ketan’s multi-faceted personality became manifest.  He was literally everywhere – from inventing the most creative “Eratta peru” (nick name) for his friends to playing cricket, from participating in Elocution competitions to easily topping in Academics (topped school & University), from fooling around with his friends to being the darling of his teachers, Ketan was a maverick – and a loveable one at that.  His network of friends was very strong, and his friends loved and respected him for his wit and helpful nature.  Indeed, he was a born leader and a very inspiring friend.

Ketan and I got even closer when we joined Cochin College for Pre-Degree.  He joined the Commerce stream and I joined the Science stream - so he in his self-deprecatory style mentioned that he is glad that we are in different streams as we will not have to now compete academically.  I replied that I had long given up trying to compete with him academically.  Because of our mutual interest in Quizzing and Debating we both came under the influence of some inspiring teachers such as Ajit sir, Nithyanand Bhat sir, and Kilikar sir who provided us a lot of guidance and mentoring that stood us in good stead later.  We both used to participate as a team representing Cochin College in various inter-collegiate and Inter-university competitions, and after such competitions we would go over to Ketan’s home where his mother would treat us to delicious dinner.  After dinner, Ketan, his father (Sri. Dilip Mehta) and I would then get into a very stimulating discussion on subjects ranging from current events to Science to Poetry – and I understood the strong influence of both his parents in shaping Ketan’s persona, and how grateful Ketan always was for this immense blessing.

Ketan went through a major health scare in his early 40’s.  On one of his visits to Dubai we met and he opened his heart to me about how that health scare had further broadened his perspective – and of the importance and significance of little Dev in his life.  I was really struck by how deeply he had thought through about life issues – and how cleverly he hid it behind his witty remarks and jokes.  In fact if at all I have a complaint against genius, it is that it is so difficult to penetrate their core thoughts because they always conceal it behind a wall of irreverence and self-deprecatory humour.  But one thing stood out the more I understood Ketan – he was a man now who believed in doing maximum good in this transient passage called Life.  Many are the instances where he has silently helped friends and unknown people – either monetarily or by deed – because of his large heart and generous nature.

Whenever Ketan came to know that any of his class-mates or friends based outside Kochi are in town, he would quickly organize a get-together.  A couple of years ago he surprised me at such a get-together by suddenly producing a small piano and asking me to play an impromptu piece on it.  Last year when I told him I am visiting Kochi around end January he said “Ram – please extend your stay in Kochi by a few days as I am in Maldives.  We have to definitely meet up”.  I agreed immediately to his request – I looked forward to any meetings with Ketan, and his family – Heena, Dev and Ketan’s parents.  Little did I realise then that that meeting will not happen – at least not on planet Earth -and that may be fate had something bigger and better planned.   

Ketan, wherever you are now - I am sure you are beaming down at us right now – wearing your trade-mark cap at a rakish angle – and getting ready to unleash your “Mazal Tov” and your next witty remark on us.  Shalom, Ketan.

Musical Thoughts - learning in a group situation

The group photo of my Guru and his shishyas made the point starkly clear.  I was the only grey haired disciple in the group of 30, sitting next to my Guru whose hair was still a youthful black.  All his other shishyas were in their teens and twenties.  My wife tartly observed : "People will wonder who is the Guru in the photo".

I decided to formally learn music under a guru only when I crossed 50.  For me it was a journey of passion - to improve my harmoium playing skills - something I should have done decades ago - but which a peripatetic career prevented me from doing.

My Guru conducts his classes in the form of groups.  As I am based in Bangalore (and he in Mumbai) the classes are conducted over zoom calls with 5-7 other shishyas joining in.  Most of the other shishyas are probably younger than my own children.

Studying in a group has thrown up some unique challenges to me.   The competitive nature of the schooling and college systems (and then later in my career) developed in me a high sense of "survival of the fittest" where I had to remain at the top of my cohort to feel relevant. And this was an attitude that had developed over almost 50 years - from my childhood and then on to my corporate career.

It was but natural that I carried with me this ingrained nature into my learning of music - put into a group situation it was natural that I will bench-mark myself against my peer group, and would like to at least keep pace with the group - if not be the quickest learner.

Here I ran into one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced.  Being part of a group that had very young and talented peers I simply could not keep pace with the group. My grasping powers for new learning in music was poor relative to the others, and I was over-awed by the fact that what seemed so easy to the others was so tough to me.  I started being tense whenever I was in the group - and that further affected my ability to understand and grasp what was happening in the class. Very often I missed out on the nuances - and hence could not connect the threads.  I started experiencing pre-class jitters and panic feelings.

It is easy for someone to say that I should accept the fact that my learning ability is different from that of the others and relax in class by coming to terms with it.  But 50 years of approaching life in a particular way cannot be changed easily.  

And for me - learning music was a passion project - something I was doing purely for fun.  It was something I was doing to get away from the hyper-competitive world I had lived in so far - but the format of a group situation made me feel inhibited and self-conscious.  I started feeling that I was back into a situation where I had to show that I was intelligent and able to keep pace with the group.  But the fact was it was evident to everyone in the group I was struggling - and that for me meant that I was not only not enjoying the process - but also my ability to absorb learning was getting adversely impacted.

So what held me back?  Age is definitely a factor - as we age the speed with which we are able to grasp technical aspects in NEW fields slows down.  The other aspect is that my basic grounding in the technical aspects such as rhythm was poor - unlike many others in the group I had not had any formal training or learnings in those areas - and the absence of a strong foundation was certainly a problem in learning new aspects.

I also realised that certain technical aspects - such as finger movements on the keys - I understood only when I was sitting face-to-face with my Guru rather than over Zoom.  Many of these subtle things I was practising the wrong way - and hence the efforts I was putting in was not paying off in terms of results - leading to frustration.

As of now I don't see any solution.  I would have loved to have one-to-one sessions with my Guru - and if not - at least face-to-face sessions (rather than zoom calls).  Both these options are not possible currently.  So the only option as of now is to pursue hybrid solutions -such as a combination of zoom classes with a few face-to-face sessions.

And being less inhibited in a group situation? May be in class where I was with peers at similar levels of expertise and age I would have been able to adapt and get comfortable.  But this is a situation where the group comprises people not just younger but at different (higher) talent levels.  I will try but it is likely to remain a story where I continue to struggle to keep pace.

Preparing For The Golden Years

I wanted to call it "Retirement" or "Old Age" - but then decided to stick to "Golden Years" as that is indeed how it should be - the best period of one's life.

Unfortunately, recently I came across a few people who were thoroughly disillusioned with their Golden period. I did not know what went wrong - so I donned my Market Researcher's hat and spoke to a sample of "happy" and "not-so-happy" people currently in their Golden Age.

I am summarising below some of the common aspects that came up during the discussions.  It broadly fell into 5 broad buckets - listed below in descending order of importance.

1.    Health : Most said that this is the most important aspect to being happy.  Lack of good health is a killer of happiness. Sometimes life throws us unpleasant surprises - and a perfectly healthy person might find that he/she has a disease soon after he enters his "golden age".  This is not just a reflection of the life one has led (highly stressful/unhealthy diet/lack of exercise) - but also a function of God's Will - some are blessed with it, and some are not.  We just need to be grateful and thankful if we are blessed with good health - and take care to preserve this good health as long as possible.

2.    Independence :  By this they don't just mean being physically healthy enough to "literally"  move around on their own feet - but also being able to stand on their own feet financially.    Also having enough funds to manage their expenses - and being able to afford some indulgences such as travel without having to depend on anyone.  This, they admitted, requires careful planning from a young age.

3.    Staying in one's own house : Surprisingly this came up frequently - that ideally one (along with his/her partner) should stay in their own house where they are absolute Lord and Master.   A small home - compact and easily manageable.  Staying in your own home also encourages you to be useful around the home and undertake daily chores such as shopping for vegetables, cooking or cleaning.  If the home is in a housing complex or colony it is an added advantage - as one can get companionship by making friends with people of similar wave-length.

4.    Managing one's own expectations : One needs to prepare oneself to how society will treat you once you stop being "productive".  Have realistic expectations from one's near-and-dear ones such as children.  If your children look after you in your golden period then consider yourself blessed.  Otherwise cheerfully bless them and let them lead their own lives without imposing yourself on them. 

5.    Being Mentally & Socially Engaged : It is a fact that Loneliness, Idleness and the feeling of being "useless" are major deal-breakers of one's golden period.  Having your life partner with you - and some good friends - during your golden period is a blessing.  It is also important to have activities and pursuits that keep you mentally and socially engaged - and active hobbies such as travel, arts (music etc), Social Service, Writing, teaching, Investing in the stock markets etc will ensure that one is mentally and socially engaged. 

Finally I also realised as I talked to these people that the greatest differentiator between the "happy" and the "sad" ones is their own mental disposition.  There are some who despite enjoying all the aspects mentioned above are always sad - these are the people who despite being blessed with everything still only look at life through the rear-view mirror with bitterness and regret.    

And then there are the people I really admire - these are the ones who have decided that they will continue to be happy regardless of any eventuality. These people I noticed are always happy - and they bounce back quickly into happiness despite going through some major set-backs or health problems. 

So now I am left with a lot of unanswered questions - if  a person is born with an ingrained negative disposition is there any hope for him to have an enjoyable and happy golden period?  Does life's experiences shape such dispositions?  Can a negative disposition be cured through counselling?  Is it the fear of being unhappy that is forcing many to post-pone entering their golden period early enough?  Does anyone have answers?

Ultimately as one Wise person told me "We need to accept that - despite all the preparations we do - we have very little control over what surprises life will throw at us - especially during our golden period.  We just need to be more accepting and flexible to take these googlies & curve-balls in our stride - and continue to delight in life's small pleasures. And yes, preparations do certainly help".

Why I am destined to be a great singer

My music guru is not happy with the amount of time I spend doing riyaaz (music practice).  "You should put in extra effort and time into doing your riyaaz" he told me.

"Manifestation.  Let me imagine myself as a great singer - then may be I will actually become one" I said to myself and started my riyaaz session today.

I thought I had an especially resonant timbre to my voice today - so opening my mouth wide (like I see the great singers do) I launched into an extended sustaining on the base "Sa" note.

As I was admiring my own resonant voice a mosquito suddenly manifested. This was just about the time I had reached the end of the long sustain on the note and had to draw a deep breath again.  

I don't know how it happened - but the mosquito got drawn into my mouth when I was drawing my deep inward breath. I could feel it enter my throat.

I coughed violently wanting to expel it.  But nothing came out.  I could still feel it stuck in my throat.

I drank a lot of water and ate some biscuits hoping it would descend into my stomach.

I think it is still stuck in my throat as there definitely is a buzz in my voice now when I sing.  

Unwitting Underground Conversations

At the Los Angles subway station I was a bit confused on how to use the app on my phone to access the subway station.  Unfortunately none of the commuters I approached were willing to talk to me and they would rush away from me assuming I was one of the thousands of "homeless" people who throng the subway asking passerbys for a "donation".  Fortunately a Chinese looking gentleman finally helped me figure out how to use the mobile app to access the station.

While waiting for the train we got talking.  His name was Chang and he told me that before he became a US citizen he used to work in an investment bank in Singapore.  He is now retired and lives on his investment portfolio.  He seemed a bit too scruffy to be a retired investment banker - but I thought that was an eccentricity that comes with age.  He told me he spends most of his time doing social work in the church.  

Surprisingly he seemed knowledgeable about Indian companies, and he sought my investment advice about Indian companies as apparently he had some surplus funds to invest.

Meanwhile the subway train arrived, and I suggested that we both board it and continue our conversation on the train.  But he said it is quite noisy in the train, and requested me whether we could skip this train and take the next train so that we can finish the conversation.  Having found a kindred soul I agreed and we got into a rigorous discussion on what sectors will give good investment returns - from hydrogen energy to speciality bio-chemicals to genetic engineering.  

The next train came and I started moving towards it.  But Chang said that as we have not yet finished the conversation can we wait for the next train? 

But by now we had spoken so much I had reached an end to my knowledge of potential investment sectors.  So I told him I was in a bit of a hurry and had to rush.   

I boarded the train expecting him to also board the train.  But when I looked back Chang was busy rummaging through a garbage bin on the platform.  As the train pulled away from the station I noticed he had found a half filled beer can from the garbage bin and was drinking from it with great relish. 

I realised with a start that it was a homeless person that I was having a very intellectual conversation with for the last 30 minutes! 

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.  I was initially upset that I was fooled into wasting half an hour. And then I started laughing at myself - he had fooled me totally with his intellectual disposition.  

And then I started introspecting as to what misfortune or adverse circumstances could have pushed such a person into a "homeless" state.

May be for him the 30 minutes he spent talking with me was a "short return to normalcy" - where someone treated him like an equal and with respect.  May be that is the reason why he never asked me for a "donation".  And his need for self respect and being treated with dignity was probably what made him so keen to hold on to me and continue the conversation.

I see it as pure divine intervention. God made me unwittingly repay a debt to humanity by spending time with someone who needed that conversation, and with whom (pardon my arrogance) I would not have normally interacted with in this manner. May be it is God's way of warning me to be humble - forcing me to acknowledge the fickleness of fame and fortune - and making me so thankful and grateful for His continued blessings. 

On the Sill

A wasp from the nearby forest entered my room through the balcony door and started making a nest in one of the holes in the window sill.  It kept repeatedly going in and out of the room through the balcony door collecting material for the nest. The window sill was next to where I sat so I kept looking admiringly at its beautiful sleek blue body and the effort it was putting in to build its nest.  

After some time I got a bit worried that the nest will endanger my safety.

The next time the wasp exited the room I quickly shut the balcony door to prevent it from re-entering.  From the window I could see the wasp trying to repeatedly enter my room - initially through the balcony door, and then through the windows - but to no avail as they were all shut. 

I then started wondering whether I had the right to shut it off from its home - just because of the fear it might sting me.  After all I am just a temporary visitor to this resort; the wasp being
the more permanent resident.

All Is Fair in Love and .....

President Frump heard a cough and looked up to see his Secretary for Missile Sales standing nervously on one leg.

Important man, this Secretary - he contributed to 20% of the country's revenue.  So when he coughs there must be a problem.

"Sir" said the secretary "you know our country makes bulk of our money by selling our "Fat Boy" missiles to various countries?"

"Yes, I know" said President Frump "... and pretty profitable business too - so much demand for Fat Boy missiles from countries like Moldovia and Krakistan".

"But we have a problem now, Sir.  You know there are some fringe elements agitating against selling weapons of mass destruction.  So we might need to discontinue Fat Boy to show that we are ethical minded."

"What - discontinue our most profitable line?"  President Frump fumed.  "Are you out of your mind?"

The Secretary nervously shifted to his other leg.  "But I think I have a very good solution, sir.  The problem is with the term "Fat" in "Fat Boy" because there is a strong lobby of over-weight individuals who feel insulted with the word "Fat".

President Frump's eyes lit up.  "Superb idea.  So we just drop "Fat" from "Fat Boy" and we are back in Business? You deserve a promotion, my man"

The Secretary felt confident enough to now stand on both legs.  He said:  "In fact we should replace "Fat"  with something else - something that says this is the same product but with some extra deadly punch".

President Frump was impressed.  "Yes that is a great idea.  Any suggestions on the name?"

It was bonus time, and the Secretary was well prepared.  I suggest we rename  "Fat Boy" as "Bat Boy" sir.  It rhymes well and would also signify that we have upgraded our product".

"Super" said President Frump.  "And just to be doubly sure that all our customers know about this name change, send out a circular to all the media saying that in the greater interests of man-kind we have decided to stop using discriminatory terms such as "Fat" for our top selling product.

The Secretary put on a look of awe and said "You really come up with such glowing ideas, sir". 

Women Combatants

After much pushing and shoving I somehow managed to squeeze into the Purple line metro at peak hour.  Next to me in the crowd at the crowded Majestic station was a portly gentleman with a laptop bag in one hand and a tiffin box in the other and who somehow managed to squeeze into the compartment just before the doors shut.

Hardly was he heaving a sigh of relief when a stern looking lady at the top of her voice started shouting at this gentleman.

"How dare you - you pushed me when we were entering the train" she screamed at him.

The portly gentleman did not know what hit him as she was virtually squeezed next to him, and was screaming in his ear.

"I did not push you - somebody was pushing us from behind..." he started to weakly respond.

"You useless man - don't you know how to behave with women? Very uncivilized fellow!"  she screamed.

A gentleman next to me came to his rescue and said : "He is not at all fault.  All of us get pushed, madam - unfortunately this is the plight of all of us traveling on Purple Line at peak time".

At this the stern looking lady screamed :"This is the problem - all you dirty men support each other".

Nobody dared speak up now.  No man wanted to be called "dirty".  The portly gentleman was trying to melt into the floor when sudden help came from behind him.

A thin woman who was squeezed behind the portly gentleman shouted : "Who dares call my husband dirty? You foolish woman - why don't you take an Uber if you don't know how to travel by crowded trains"?

The stern looking school teacher visibly coloured and retorted : "You teach your husband how to board trains in civilized manner instead of lecturing me".

The wife got wild and replied : "What makes you think you are some beautiful woman who any man would even want to look at - let alone touch?"

It was apparent that the formidable stern looking lady had met her match.  There was a sudden parting of the crowd in the compartment - a massive duel was imminent and the crowd made space for the combatants.

But the shouting subsided as quickly as it started.  The metro reached the next station and the stern looking lady suddenly decided she had to get off.

Everybody in the compartment heaved a sigh of relief.  The husband meekly nodded thanks to his wife. His wife triumphantly beamed all around.  The husband retreated to a corner and tried to make himself invisible.  There was no doubt in anybody's mind as to who will be calling the shots in his home that evening.

And me?  Henceforth I take a Purple metro from Majestic station only if I am traveling with my wife. 

Conversations with Generation Z

So there I was having my lunch when a bunch of Generation Z guys and girls joined me at the table of the canteen in the co-working space.

“Hadley D’Souza” said a long haired chap introducing himself to me.

“…..Hadley as in James Hadley Chase?”  I asked him.

“Yes” he said.

“Wow – I have read most of his books. And you are surely a fan of James Hadley Chase too?”  I asked.

“No - my mom was a fan of his and she named me after him.  I have never read him".  And then as a sort of explanation he turned to the others at the table and said "That writer was from the last century." 

I had to quickly regain my leadership around the table so I said : “Names can be such interesting conversation starters” And turning to the girl sitting next to him I asked her .."and what is yours?"

“Ishika - spelt as Eishika” she said.

“Wow – that is a wonderful conversation starter – I am sure everyone asks you why you spell it that way?”  I said.

She made a wry face and said : “No – they only say my name has a spelling mistake in it”. 

Refusing to give up I turned to the girl sitting next to me and said “I am sure your name must be very interesting as a conversation starter?”

“Actually no - my name is boring - it is Nikita” she said.

“I am sure lots of people tell you that your name reminds them of Niki-Tasha TV…” I said with a laugh.

“No – actually most people don’t even know that such a TV existed” she said.

“It was a very popular TV once” I said.

“My grand-mother remembers that TV” she said.

Then she looks at Hadley and pointedly says “Only my grand-mother – not even my mother”

Me? I was missing from the table.