Monday Musing 193: Of an equation, a book launch, and a marathon

Monday Musing 193: Of an equation, a book launch, and a marathon

The New Year had a languid start for the occasional writing that I do - the intent of which is primarily catharsis and a distant second is the need to have a voice and make it heard. We cublclists tend to have a bloated image of the cubicle's galactic significance. I guess the writing serves as a gentle reminder of the many parallel universes apart and beyond the cubicle that exist with no less significance, if only we chose to notice.  

The New Year started by a mail from an oracle that many like me adore and are in awe, which ended with an equation which said - 

“Bad experience + poor response = shaky foundation

  Bad experience + good response = Learning and growth."

I quickly went over all the bad responses I had dished out to the bad experiences that I have had - from health to work, from unrequited love to office intrigue, from hobbies which never became a profession and professions which never became a hobby - and I winced. The things that were responded better to, did not come to my rescue. Hopefully I will have a better strike rate in the future. I was also thinking of how we respond to good experience and I arrived at a cheeky version of the equation - 

"Good experience + poor response = wasted opportunity

Good experience + good response = Epiphany"

Pankaj Dubey and his book theme "What a loser/Loser kahin ka" has featured so many times on my blog that a friend suspected I was paid for it - and my response was, "how I wish!” On the 15th of Jan finally the book got launched in both the languages amidst an ensemble of film personalities - from actors Sarika and Divya Dutta, movie director Rajkumar Gupta (Amir, No One Killed Jessica and Ghanchakkar), Story writers Himanshu Sharma (Rhanjhana, Tanu weds Manu), Sanjay Chowhan (Sahib Biwi and Gangster and Paan SIngh Tomar) and Actress Swara Bhaskar - and he offered that I should moderate the panel discussion on the occasion, an offer that was too good to let go.

I have always featured Pankaj Dubey as a case study, an alternative to the mainstream model of success - where you chase your imagination rather than pursuing the predictable and hackneyed. The guy who was at the top of his class was moderating a discussion on the book written by the guy who was at the bottom - very cinematic!! I pray that the tribe of Mr. Dubey grow and rub off some courage to the traditionalists - and please do read the book. 

The marathon season kicked off for me at the Mumbai marathon today - where I did my best in the circuit but not my best ever. Importantly, I did not feel like I was dying nor had any kind of stress or stretch during the run and at the finishing line I had enough in me to go on for some more time. I think the full marathon- a scorching 42kms has entered the realm of possibility in  my imagination. Could 2014 be the year where I will muster enough courage to 'graduate' to the proverbial next level? 

Let’s see - 2014 is still young!

Guru