Story of the most charming couple on the Earth…

Around fifteen years ago, Kunders were doing very well in Bangalore. They had their own flat, they had a job to support the household but there was something that would tell them every day that this is not what they are made for. The materialistic life and the rat race of the city would drive them crazy. They just wanted to get away from this and do what they loved. And one fine day they finally quit everything in the city and headed to a beautiful place called ‘Yercaud’ in Tamil Nadu. With only hope and love at their disposal, they were trying to figure out the way to survive in a place completely new to them. They struggled and struggled for years together but they always had peace and satisfaction in their mind as they had followed what their heart said and they had faith in the God. And today, as everyone can see, Suhas and Patsy Kunder are the proud owners of a lovely bungalow on the hill, acres of mango and coffee plantation and are very successful at what they do and more than that very much happy and satisfied.

Such is the story of the most amazing couple we met on our trip to Yercaud this weekend. We were planning one camping trip for the long weekend when we got to read about Go2yercaud and we immediately decided to go for the package they had to offer. Initially, we were a bit skeptical about it as Yercaud is not a very fancy place to visit as such. But we were indeed surprised by the impeccable arrangements at the camp site which Suhas personally gets done. Go2yercaud is the website managed by Suhas and Patsy Kunder who organize outdoor camping, trekking and home stay at Yercaud. We went there for the one day camping organized by them. It was not a very big trek and the overall schedule was not very fancy looking types, but there was something about this place which made this trip a memorable one..be it the most awesome food cooked by Patsy or be it the exciting stories of Suhas or be it the awesome group we had. The trek to the Shevroyan Hills, delicious home-made food with the lip-smacking tasty pudding for lunch, an attractive chocolate cake after dinner, bonfire and tents among the tall silver oak trees with a roof of dark sky covered with bright tinkering stars.. what more do you expect !!

But in the end this trip was not about the camping or the trek at least for me. I have experienced that a lot of times. But it was special because of the amazing people –the Kunders we met. If anyone wants to see the real passion and love towards what you do, you must meet Suhas and Patsy. At the age of 50, Suhas leads the group of people all of them half of his age through the jungle and Patsy so passionate about  her cooking says “What?? Only seven people to feed for this weekend? Thirty could have been much more fun!!“  So enthusiastic and loving are these guys, you just be a part of the trip organized by them and they will make you a part of their family. We all had only one take-away from this trip, ‘Love what you do and do what you love!’ and of course the delicious pickles from kitchen-on-call run by Patsy !! Kudos to the most amazing couple in the world. Thank you Kunders for the unforgettable experience.

PS :  If you wish to visit go2yercaud the weblink is http://www.go2yercaud.com/

                           

Khush hai wahi jo thoda betaab hai...

Our bollywood songs know very well how to reach our hearts and each and every aspect of our lives. Any kind of emotion,any kind of event you name and we have plentiful of songs for each of them.Sometimes just a simple song which you hum everyday tells you the biggest secret of life. They teach you how to love,how to live,dream,aspire. I always tune to my favorite number whenever I feel low and it almost always works. Sometimes it is just the music or sometimes I really find the answer in the lyrics. The song "Phir dekhiye" from bollywood movie Rock On is one of such favorites of mine. I really love the tune and the melodious voice of the singer but I never appreciated its lyrics. It says "Khush hai wahi jo thoda betaab hai..."

The line when translated to English will be read as "Happy is the one who is restless". I never ever understood this. How can one be happy when he is restless! Restless for something which he really wants. I have always been of the opinion that only he who is complacent and content in life is happy. Others are just running after nothing. They think that they will be happy after achieving something but that never happens. If they achieve they keep on aspiring for something else.This all pursuit of happiness looks so irrelevant in the bigger picture. People will always want this or that in life and they will be unhappy if they don't get it. That's the reason for all the unhappiness in the world. But not all the people who are striving for something are unhappy if you look at it closely. There are some people who enjoy the means more than the end and the joy and the satisfaction they get for putting the efforts towards what they desire. Also what if everyone became complacent and happy in whatever they have and stopped aspiring and dreaming for anything more. The world will come to a standstill. Without a dream, without a passion, without a desire to find something new everything will become stagnant. Be it your career, a relationship, a hobby, anything in your life for that matter.

So if you want to be really happy in life do not think of being content. You have to be betaab like the song tells you. Be restless. Set new goals for yourself in your career and work hard for them. Enjoy the enormous efforts put in. Don't get satisfied or you will be finished. And that doesn't only restrict to your career aspirations. This betaabi has to be there in everything. Don't just be happy reminiscing about your last vacation and keep planning for new ones don't even bother whether they materialize or not. Plan for new adventures, play new games,read new,write new. Explore new restaurants and joints. Eat new, drink new. If your relationship with people is good, don't just stop there. Talk to them and express your love to them, surprise them. One of the latest bollywood songs went even further and quoted, "Dilo mein apni betaabiyan leke chal rahe ho to jinda ho tum" otherwise you are dead or rather there is no difference between you and the dead. Indeed our bollywood has all the answers to life. Bollywood rocks!!

It's all going downhill..

Well I read this thought recently by some budding author and it immediately got on my nerves. I began to think, is it just a random thought of the protagonist of the novel who is portrayed as a frustrated soul on his way of finding some meaning to his life or is it the ultimate truth of our lives. I looked at my life. I used to be so happy and above all the worries of life in my childhood and in my school days and after that the most exciting period of my life was my college life. The friends, the ultimate fun I had with them,the liberated atmosphere of the college campus are the things I will cherish all my life. These are the things that I will remember all through my life and smile when I look back. But the question is, why will I have to remember all these things explicitly to make myself smile.. Will all this be over? Is the road really going downhill..I thought. Now while I watch my friends being busy one by one in their own lives I think..is it getting over and will I be forced to enter an entirely new world.. A new world where there wont be anything called fun or maybe my definition of fun will be something different. I was scared at the thought of the downhill going road. I was unable to comprehend to which abyss it is going to lead me to.
But then I sat for a while and thought again. I thought why am I whining over the thought of what is going to happen with my life and where the road of life is leading me to. If the road is really going downhill then I will compel myself to enjoy each and every moment of the journey and make the most of every second. If I am so sure that these moments are not going to come again then I will cherish them and enjoy them to the fullest. And now with the re-doubled enthusiasm. I am not going to get depressed by your thought you budding writer. In fact you have made my day by just mentioning it. Now here I am, cherishing each and every moment with my little life and the small world I have and now I value what I have today more than ever before. I am loving this ever transitioning world more and more because I don't know what will it look like tomorrow. With just the random depressing thought by the writer, I found a reason to value all the good moments of life. Well sounds little ironical, but who cares.