I saw a post today that spoke about how determination and will power can help fight COVID. Prompted me to share my personal experience. Though I’m not much of a sharing person, but I do think that it might help someone get motivated and not give up easily.
Sep 2019, I went to

Russia as part of Indian delegation at BRICS summit in Ufa. Post the summit, we had some meetings for few days in Moscow and then had to come back. On the day of return flight, during immigration I started to feel funny in my face and started to lose balance. I didn’t want to

sit or fall during immigration and security, coz that’s the worst idea for a brown guy, so somehow I crossed it. The moment I exited, I could barely walk coz I kept falling towards one side and right side of my face started drooping. I realised something is majorly wrong so I

told my friend and co traveller that call for medical help. An airport duty doctor came and he diagnosed and declared I cannot travel. So I told my friend to go and inform my family etc and I’ll go to hospital. In my mind, I was thinking like I’ll be taken to emergency services

like in India, and I’ve always had a very solid international insurance due to frequent travel, so I’ll get the treatment ASAP.
What happened next, I’ll never forget till my dying day, which might as well could’ve been that day.
I was taken to a medical room where the doctor

Weekend Musings

Step by step guide on how to prove via SM photographs that you have embraced Class and crawled out of your Indian middle class origins and are ready to look down upon fellow Indians with that high society subtle and pretentious scoff and ‘OMG’!

Let’s go -

1. ‘The book I’m reading’ photograph isn’t about the book. It should have a frappe, cappuccino, anychino..basically any Barista level fancy stuff. Coz honestly neither you nor your friends understand or use French press or Colombian beans. An eatable, casually thrown around, but

make sure the label is visible. And it HAS to be some foreign brand of cookies, cheese, cake you picked up at your last Khan market visit and we’re saving for this photograph. Try Scandinavian brands. No one understands what’s written and everyone will assume it’s really fancy.

And all this should cover not more than 30-40% of space in your photograph. Rest should be of the ‘view’ of the localé which ‘ OMG I wasn’t even aiming at but it just came in picture’ kinda stuff. An opportunity to show your house, garden, hotel etc. Make sure the beverage is

in a big cup. Never China. That’s Middle class. Go for those heavy stone/ Earth shade ones that prove how you always prefer staying connected to ground but everyone know they are pretty costly at those fancy stores. You can also buy them from road side vendors and fool everyone.

A very happy birthday to National Defence Academy #NDA , that made men out of all us boys and taught us some valuable lessons like:

1. Being hungry is state of mind. If you missed your meal and end up mentioning it, you’ll be made to do more exercise to forget about it.

2. Everything is mental. Only academics , academics are physical. If you don’t remember what is the answer to a question in exam, just shout your squadron name, it’ll come galloping to your mind. Like shouting “Limaaaaa” in my case ensured I passed all my exams. Such battle cries

in otherwise Peaceful and quaint exam halls are not considered weird.

3. Sports like hockey, football, basketball etc have a component called ‘ball’ in them just to distract you from main aim of the game. Bring the other players down !!! Focus on that, always!

4. 10 meter jump is not a test of your swimming skill. It’s not even of diving. And definitely not of courage. It’s just to check how much you want to pass out with your batch.

5. Drill instructors are messengers of Gods. You’re allowed to forget Diwali, Id, Holi etc but if

he’s said “ be there at 10” and you’re not, you’ll see a preview of hell and will start believing in God pretty soon.

6. The likelihood of a senior to call you for some extra ‘care’ in mud and slush is directly proportional to cleanliness of your uniform or ‘just your face’ !