The Gravest Error: Self-deceit

As was once expressed by the 19^th century British writer and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton, “The easiest person to deceive is oneself.” Self-deceit, a term although commonplace, is often treated too lackadaisically for one's own good, which leads me to question the awareness regarding its implications. It is usually borne from reluctance to accept the naked truth, preferring to pull the wool over one’s own eyes rather than having the industriousness to transform one’s imagined world into reality. It is a false road to fulfillment, which vanishes as one nears its end, and one’s actuality crumbles like a house built on sand.

Think of con artists like Charles Ponzi, after whom the infamous ‘Ponzi Scheme’ is named. He knew his methods would be unsustainable in the long run, but still pursued his ways for an enviable twelve months or so, before being imprisoned for more than twelve long years, eventually dying in poverty at a charity hospital. A classic case of self-deception indeed! But we needn’t look that far, when examples in our day to day lives are a dime a dozen…

What would you call the use of unfair means in a mock test for short-lived glory, instead of using it to assess your present level in all verisimilitude, for the actual exam and improve? Or shying away from medical test results, knowing full well that they are just a reflection of what you already have in your system, preferring ignorance over haleness? Similarly, you must have come across folks who spend a couple of days in the gym, and believe they can effortlessly take on professional fighters and strength athletes. Some expert street bikers too, thinking they can always get away with their hooligan stunts on crowded roads, despite their common recklessness, without ever getting into an accident, is another worrying prospect. On a graver note, secretly wishing for the departure of someone chronically sick on the pretext of concern for the patient's discomfort, when all you want is to get rid of your own burden, is another often overlooked example of self-deceit.

So, how can we counter the sometimes overwhelming urge for self-betrayal, something that I would rate as even more negatively potent than the seven cardinal sins? I’d say every time we tend to fly off the handle, we should perform an immediate reality check and remind ourselves of our current footing. But the more we rehash this process, the more our determination needs to increase, to avoid complacency arising from repetitiveness, so that we never get sucked into the fake realm of self-deceit!

STAY REAL!!!... 

#AsRealAsRealGets! Welcoming our Hon'ble Director (Refineries) to Guwahati on the occasion of Indian Oil Athletics Meet - 2022

75 Years of Independence

Celebrating the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ commemorating 75 years of modern Indian independence, the fervor with which this year’s Independence Day is being observed in our country is unprecedented. With almost every household here adorned with the Indian tricolor, in line with the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative by our Hon’ble PM, it is truly a sight to behold. With flagged bike and electric rickshaw rallies, and even small-time roadside vegetable and fruit vendors proudly displaying our national flag on their hand-pulled trolleys, and school students performing to patriotic songs in the farthest and remotest reaches of our vast and diverse nation, adding to the already zealous festivities, 2022 is turning out to be a year like none other.

Being presently located in North-East India, whose athletes had a fabulous showing in the recently concluded Common Wealth Games at Birmingham, only acted as an embellishment to the jollification, which was unmistakable at the live programme we attended at the Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre on the eve of our 76^th Independence Day. With the mighty river Brahmaputra gushing past our venue on one side, and the fantastically lighted erstwhile DC’s bungalow in the backdrop, as well as Starbucks Coffee and Radisson Blu outlets bordering the stage area, it couldn’t get more scenic than that!

But for me, this is not just about national independence, but about personal freedom too. However, with increasing day to day liabilities, it is easier said than done... Or is it? You might have come across a truism stating that complete control is an illusion and the closest we can get to it, is by being authentic in our decision making, the hows of which I have previously touched upon way back in 2012, on this very blog in “Stop The Waiting Game!.....” While we may have control over putting in the right amounts of elbow grease in the right directions at the right instants, which undeniably have a bearing on the final outcome, it is best earliest understood that the actual outcome itself can never be directly controlled by us.

Hence, with this realization comes plenty of rope for the mind, and as a result peace, which is extraordinarily important especially considering that the next big shovel of coal that I had mentioned in my last article might not be too far after all… ;) The sooner you stop woolgathering over consequences after having done the needful, the sooner will you learn to get the most out of life! Wishing all the do-gooders of our nation bright days ahead…

VANDE MATARAM!

Nature’s Apotheosis

Meghalaya re-discovered!

The title of this scoop really says it all… If there is one state in India where nature is prioritized over any pecuniary objectives, then Meghalaya would surely be one of the strongest contestants for it. While the heavily frequented Rock Capital of India, Shillong and one of the top contenders for the world's rainiest place, Cherrapunji may be the polestars of tourism here, many don’t realize that there is so much more to this state especially for naturalists often left unexplored! So, my wifey and I embarked on a 3-day campaign of re-discovery of this miraculous province.

First among the places of exceptional curiosity, was Asia’s cleanest village Mawlynnong… Enter it and not only can you forget about morsels of street-side refuse, but you can safely bet on the absence of even a single dried leaf on its roads! The level of spruceness maintained here along with lines of baroque chalets, could not only challenge any 5-star resort but probably also come out the winner. And nearby one can find another global uniqueness native to only some parts of Meghalaya, the picture perfect Mawlynnong living root bridge, connecting the opposite banks of a ferocious cascade. Nature is truly the best engineer there is…!

Next up was the border town of Dawki in the West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya… Boating on the crystal-clear waters of the Wah Umngot between sheer cliff faces, offered one of the most immersive natural experiences we’ve ever had! Although it can get a bit murky during times of heavy rains, washing the surrounding hillside soil into the river, row to its central patch and it is likely to more than live up to its reputation. The India – Bangladesh Tamabil border also offered a rare sight where Indian and Bangladeshi tourists crossed their respective national territories to exchange greetings in the no-man’s land, clicking selfies with each other.

The Mawphlang Sacred Grove, a few miles offset from the Shillong – Cherrapunji road, was another spell-binding experience, the local guide giving us an exclusive insight into their clan’s history and centuries’ old tradition practiced to this date, not to mention his skill with the camera, no less than a seasoned photographer, giving us some exquisite shots with the forest. Hope we didn't anger their deity Labasa, who legend has it, does not allow anything that belongs there to leave the grove! At the end of the day, these are the winks of time that get mortared to our minds. Personally, if my head ever needed a factory reset and I had the superpower of teleportation, then this would definitely be the spot I'd arrive at!

All in all, this was surely our most momentous trek since our Chail-Kufri getaway about a year and a half back. Our harmonious surroundings made us realize that we have already been blessed with and achieved so much in a short time, be it professional stability or overall familial well-being or being able to go places unconstrained, without having to worry much about finances or otherwise, and much more... We are grateful to be in a position, if we can say so with utmost humility, where the number of cars or properties in our family is almost equal to the number of members, be it for present convenience or envisaged future necessity. Our level of preparedness is almost as if we are waiting for life to catch up to us, albeit in a very positive way... For the next big shovel of coal in our steam engine, so to say! Sorry, I guess the philosopher in me is at it again… Hahaha… Thank you ‘Megh’-‘alaya’ or should I say ‘Abode of the Clouds’!

Back to work then... *SIGH*

Too advanced for our own good?

As it was once mentioned by one of the foremost minds in theoretical physics of the past century, Richard P. Feynman: ‘Science is just a key for every man to the gates of heaven, but the same key can also open the gates of hell’! Nothing else could be truer…

Just for instance, as we all know harnessing nuclear power in reactors can be a boon as a sustainable energy resource, but use it to create weapons of mass destruction and the horrors become instantly apparent. Think of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War-II, where about a quarter of a million people were wiped out in two fell swoops, the majority of whom were innocent civilians. Genetic malformations are observed to this date in the descendants of the survivors of the cruel attack! Besides, excessive nuclear tests have a massive detrimental impact on the ecosystem and the environment, creating temperatures equivalent to the Sun’s surface for a few seconds here on mother Earth. Are we not concerned about harming the very things that help sustain life on our precious planet? So much for a term as casual as ‘collateral damage’…

But, this is not just about nuclear power… In our day to day lives, would we the common folk, stand even a remote chance if let’s say, a sniper or someone with any decent long range fire-arm, were to target us while climbing into our vehicles or simply strolling down the street? Think about it for a second… Earlier in the age of sticks and stones there was at least a possibility to defend oneself, but now it appears to be more luck than anything else, especially with relaxed gun laws in quite a handful of countries, leading to increasing incidents of shootings in schools, subways and other public places. The sheer fragility of life like a bone china dish, haunts me to the extent that I have developed a rather unique addiction for keeping busy all the time, not knowing the paucity of time the future holds. Have we become too advanced for our own good?

Diplomatic allegiances aside, today as Russia wages war against Ukraine without any clear perpetration of violence or territorial infiltration by the latter, with Soviet tanks running over Ukrainian civilian cars and much more, what power does a regular person have in the face of such adversity? The very reason the United Nations was formed after two consecutive world wars was to prevent an occurrence approaching such magnitude of loss, but we see history repeating itself exposing these organizations as hollow rubber stamps just to appease some of the super powers of the world. Any vote against one of these super powers would simply be vetoed by that nation. Isn’t it obvious?! It seems Nazi captive Anne Frank’s chilling quote that the strong live and the weak die, still stands in the present modern era.

In any case, I think evidence is aplenty that at the end of the day there is no substitute to strength, from the might of a country right down to that of an individual. No wonder so many Indians have tremendous respect for our martyred freedom fighters, like the trio of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Udham Singh and countless others, who were ready to go the distance to achieve their goals, unlike certain others whose methods were akin to emotional blackmail and long term political propaganda. These revolutionaries laid the foundation stone for our country to be as independent and strong as it is today, and the least they deserve is a humble salute from each and every citizen of this prosperous nation.

Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

Personal strength forms the building blocks for national strength! #Home Gym Modest Beginnings

Health & Fitness

Didn't imagine that I'd ever get to say this, but after burning at its brightest globally over the last month, it looks like the Corona-virus is finally on its way out of its pandemic status, although not before infecting my mother, my wife and I, as a final goodbye. Yeah… After all the hearsay, it is bizarre that now we are part of that worldwide case count too! But I’m allayed that we escaped relatively unscathed, especially as far as my diabetic mother is concerned. Anyhow, the COVID tally as on date stands at 42.6 Crore cases with 59.1 Lakh unfortunate demises, a narrative that will forever stick in the minds of all those who have lived through these dicey times.

But, moving past the whole Corona business, I would like this article to cover a lot more than just that. None of us are getting any younger, are we? No matter what age group we presently fall in, the clock’s hands never turn anti-clockwise. Just for instance, even at the healthy age of 30, I feel more comfortable in the 210 lbs weight range, rather than carrying around close to a beefy 225 lbs, which came naturally to me at 25. The power of my lenses which were constant for the better part of two decades, have more than doubled in recent times, probably due to increased time spent on a PC at work. My tonsillitis which lay dormant since my pre-teenage years has become a recurring issue as of late as well. And I would definitely think twice before lifting my wife from a supine position just for fun, which was a piece of cake back in the day, for fear of spraining by back! Hahaha…

But, age is surely not the only factor causing changes in one’s health. Climactic conditions, current lifestyle and other parameters also have a role to play in our day to day fitness. For example, after we moved to Guwahati, the duration of my wife’s allergic coughing bouts has gone up from days to weeks, at least partially due to the heightened humidity of this place. Routine medical checkups or trips to the gyno have also become more frequent. All in all, I have realized that this is a time when we need to put in more of a conscious effort to take care of our health to keep it on a steady track, be it diet regulation or the appropriate amount of cardio and resistance training, to keep our vitality at the required level.

But this is not just about one’s physical health alone. I think we can all agree that the significance of mental health has been showcased all too well by the exiting pandemic. With countless folks having faced protracted quarantines and lockdowns, it is easy to feel isolated not only from each other but from our very purpose to live. However, I think my wife and I have received the sweeter end of the deal in this regard, thanks to Guwahati’s lively environment, with our Refinery’s annual fate and flower show at our township here a few days back, where we won the 3^rd prize for ‘Best Kitchen Garden’ cultivated at our residence! Whatever uplifts your psyche, remember that you are the only one uniquely qualified to deal with your own impalpable issues.

Towards a greener future with our award winning nursery!

Shangri-la

No twaddle and no buzzwords required… What can I say? Modern day Guwahati has simply been our Zion for the past couple of months here! I still remember a time when my wifey and I used to hanker for the tiniest of de vacaciones, but now that my posting has brought us to the Garden of Eden itself, our cravings have been briefly quelled. Other than the marvels of Guwahati, nearby places like Sonapur with a multitude of activity-packed resorts and hillside tea gardens, Chandrapur with scenic riverside hideaway auberges ideal for a day out, as well as wildlife sanctuaries like Pobitora with umpteen species of migratory birds and rhinos, are quite the catch! What more could one ask for in a world consumed by COVID yet again? Yeah… A new year and with it a new variant of the Corona virus… Enough already!

This time it is Omicron, first detected in South Africa and spreading inchmeal to eventually grip the world in the most infectious upsurge of the virus yet. Till date over 4% of the global population has been infected by one or the other form of the notorious Corona virus, leaving more than five and a half million dead in its wake! It has already been more than two years since this horror story began and memories of a COVID-free world have become truly obscure, with daily COVID cases in India climbing from a few thousand to over a quarter million within the first two mere weeks of 2022, ushering in its third wave. Vaccination of children has commenced, with frontline workers and senior citizens having co-morbidities being prescribed booster doses, and many brands which were basing their advertisements on the exit of the virus, having to revert back to their old commercials... How anti-climactic!

On the work front, I’m glad that my efforts at Panipat were finally officially recognized with a top grade in our annual ratings after a two year lull. And although this does not change the hard facts mentioned in some of my recent articles, it does hint that there are at least a handful of individuals even in a public sector like ours, ready to look past short sighted politics for overall betterment, to whom I’m grateful. Nevertheless, there is a long and tedious road ahead… As a fish named Dory once said: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” LOL!

On the personal front, one of my old colleagues who recently got hitched mentioned that the pressure to ‘enjoy’ is a lot… Haha! While family planning may have been the only priority for many amongst the past generations, enhanced prosperity and the resulting open-mindedness has led most of the present generation to reconsider the bucket list of stuff that were previously often ignored prior to parenthood, be it a career launch or simply touring some of the wonders of this world together without too many additional responsibilities. But it is time when it is time… Counting on your blessings o’Lord ;) 

My interaction with Hon'ble Chairman, IOCL during inauguration of our new DIP unit at Guwahati Refinery, as part of the core commissioning team!...