Things to Do, Before I Die....

There are things that I want to do, to complete in this lifetime, so when I kick the bucket, I have no regrets. This list has a bit of everything, from all aspects of life. Some of these, I feel, are worth dying for....

Here goes....

1. 
   
   Drive from Bombay to Goa, along the Ghats, and spend a week in Goa - a guided tour conducted by my in-house 'Goan' guide, Neeti


2. 
   
   Meet Mr. Ratan Tata in person. Thank him for all that his Group has given us


3. Join Anthony Bourdain for a culinary tour across India


4. 
   
   Open a French - Mediterranean cuisine restaurant by the waterfront - the USP would be that guests would get an opportunity to play Chef for their meals...


5. 
   
   Visit the Golden Temple, be there from dawn to dusk, engaging in sewa


6. 
   
   Drive from Delhi to Ladakh, and have my music CD collection playing in the car


7. 
   
   Buy a Volkswagen Beetle


8. 
   
   Meet Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman in person


9. 
   
   Take parents back to Kampala and Mwinilunga for a visit. Also show Neeti where I came from


10. 
    
    Spend a week in an Israeli kibbutz, a fun filled week of work....


11. 
    
    Laze in a hammock on the slopes besides the Nakuchiataal lake in Nainital, with my favourite book


12. 
    
    Publish a compilation of my poems


13. 
    
    Hike along the Black River Gorge in Mauritius


14. 
    
    Learn French, bon jour


15. 
    
    Have a greasy porky breakfast of bacon, ham, sausages, without having the guilt of cholesterol


16. 
    
    Visit Christ the Redeemer in Rio and Machu Pichu in Peru


17. 
    
    Do a Serengeti safari


18. 
    
    Do island hopping by boat through the emerald atolls of Palau


19. 
    
    Dance and sing in the rain - perhaps somewhat like Shahid in Jab We Met, I wonder?


20. 
    
    Go on a Victoria trail - Lake Victoria followed by Victoria Falls


21. 
    
    Do a road trip across the cradle of Aryan civilisation from Turkey into Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - rolling green hills, blue streams and an unspoilt environment


22. 
    
    See Tibet free again - visit Lhasa's Potala Palace


23. 
    
    Meet Dr. Manmohan Singh, Nelson Mandela and Dalai Lama in person


24. 
    
    Open a small farm growing organic herbs and vegetables and raising animals for milk and meat


25. 
    
    Fly in the cockpit of a Boeing 747


26. 
    
    Travel in an Ilyushin IL76 - I am in awe of this amazing beast after I saw this aircraft at Jamnagar airport


27. 
    
    Visit the Sunderbans for tiger spotting, before they vanish


28. 
    
    Feed the elegant beast, the elephant


29. 
    
    Visit the Sun Temple


30. 
    
    Meet all the people, family, friends and colleagues, who have helped shape me, all at one place for a big bash


31. 
    
    Donate my organs


32. 
    
    Learn wine making


33. 
    
    Trek in the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand


34. 
    
    Gorge on the Nawabi delights of Lucknow, chaats of Delhi, Vada-Pavs of Bombay (in the rain)!


35. 
    
    Observe life as it goes on in the backwaters of Kerala...

But for now, I am enjoying the rain, with nice music playing.....

I'll Find My Way....

First I was dying to finish high school and start college....
And then I was dying to finish college and start working....
Then I was dying to marry and have have children....
And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could go back
to work.....
But then I was dying to retire
And now...
I am dying.........
And suddenly I realized I forgot to live!
Please don't let this happen in life.
Appreciate your current situation and enjoy each day against all the odds.
To make money we lose health and then to restore our health we lose our
money....
We live as if we are never going to die.

My Mom sent me this mail today. And as I read it, the more I realised the futility of the daily grind. Life seems to be like treadmill - you think you are running fast, fast enough to achieve your goals and ambitions, but when you look down, you realise, you are where you started. That's how I felt.

As I was assimilating these thoughts, I looked out of my office window, into the vast expanse of open space, the Mithi flowing, the dark Monsoon clouds and the heavy downpour. What all have I missed in all these years.... I could have danced in the heavy downpour, carefree.

I could have enjoyed each moment of each passing day. I could have been with my folks, Neeti and close family members to share their joys and sorrows, to give, to be a support....

It is obvious that one's career cannot be sacrificed. But at the same time I am an individual who lives for himself and his loved ones. I cannot sacrifice one priority at the alter of the other. I have to find an equilibrium, of living - doing what I love, doing well professionally and being there for my loved ones.

How do I do it is the biggest question that bothers me now.

I know my destination and I am sure I will find a way to it, someday.

Till then, I remind myself that I don't want to die with with regrets of not being able to do what I wanted to.