Words of Banaras X - The Finale

The vibes of Varanasi interspersed with the millions of stories found in every corner; of it’s powerful essence; I leave this place in it’s paradox of chaos and calm...

 - written with phone -

Words of Banaras IX

Traveling, in true essence, is like reading the love stories of cities, villages and sometimes of their ruins, it’s about feeling euphoric for their fortune and mourning for their tragedy. Whilst traveling, you strive to find out about their past, present or perhaps attempt to picture how they might look like in few decades. Similarly every love stories start somewhere and leads to present, sometimes to a promising land, sometimes to ruins, consisting obstacles, uneven surface, just like, cities had affairs with its creators, protecters, attackers, traitors; it might have seen many best decades and suffered many centuries. What if it hadn’t any affairs, no historical events, nothing at all, just simple plain existence, would it still be considered travel worthy? Perhaps not, without memories, it means nothing. With memories, even a piece of paper becomes so precious that its value can’t be determined; whilst without memories, the whole world seems inconsequential. Each city, each village is a love story.

Bodhi tree in Korean temple, Sarnath

- written with phone -

Words of Banaras VIII

At this moment, I am wandering around in local Tuk-Tuk in the outskirts of banaras and this song is being played in Tuk-Tuk and the lady, sitting beside me, is also humming along with this. I know this is little thing but I cannot express how relaxing it feels. How small things matters. I should continue keeping poker face, looking outside, so that  she remains comfortable and keep humming. I love it.

 - On NH 31-

- written with phone-

Words of Banaras VII

Everyone speaks a language not everyone can understand but there is a language called “language of love” - everyone can decipher. The cows of Banaras are so chilled out and soft-spoken that if you greet them with good morning, they respond with “Dhur Mardwe, Mahadev!”, perhaps they are high on Mahadev’s blessings too. Har Har Mahadev!

- written with phone -

Words of Banaras VI

A joke just came to my thought just right now, and I am laughing hysterically, it’s so funny, so here it is:

A husband used to often drink and his wife didn’t like that.

One day, the husband instead got high in the evening - not alcohol but something natural :)

He was really high as fuck as sky.

Suddenly his wife called on phone.

He picked and said - “baby I love you, I want to hug you.”

Wife asked, did you drink again?

Husband: No darling, I am not.

Wife: Kaoo meri kasam! (Swear on me!)

Husband sweared on her.

Then conversation diverted to other stuffs.

Not too late, husband said, “baby I love you, I want to hug you.”

Wife: Are you drunk? Swear on your mother.

Husband said, “No darling, I am not. I swear on my mother”

Then conversation resumed between them.

Then. Same circles and husband sweared on everyone saying, “No darling, I am not”

He was not lying, right... hahahahaaghhg.

...........…..…............…..…............…..…............…..….

Here I am laughing hysterically. I should not laugh, I might be making other uncomfortable. Huh 😏. Okay inside laughing start. Now everyone happy including me :D

Coming back, hey, I created this joke:D

Coming back, do you remember that smile when you are just smiling and also sometimes laughing little bit too without making a bit of noise because of no reason at all, that blush, that’s called “bliss”. That’s what I am having on my face. I am blissed with a bless blessfully.

- written from phone -

Words of Banaras V

What does chaos signify - Lack of order, isn’t it? But isn’t it lack of order too if we don’t understand the underlying meaning of what’s beneath the surface? What could an mathematical equation mean to an illiterate - nothing, but a mathematician could instantly recognize its underlying meaning. What might be chaos for one, could be order for another. It’s all about perception. But then again, mathematicians are not born mathematicians, are they? They learn, they learn from their failures and thus they become what they are. The real question is, are you prepared to embrace your failure as you would embrace success, if yes then you are on the way, just hold on - something amazing is coming your way!

- written with phone -

Words of Banaras IV

There are times, especially when things turn sour, many blame destiny or fate instead of gracefully accepting their imperfection. It’s singularly infelicitous, how only a handful of people I have met so far have had the grit to blame self for their choices, words and actions. Is it really that difficult to blame self? Perhaps, the instinctive desire to see self as a good person make them shift the blame to something which won’t even care to argue with such utter nonsense. In essence, these are manipulative, unscrupulous, and devious people. Certainly, some face unescapable unpredictable horrors that might be beyond their imagination, such as, accidents, diseases. However, I have seen innumerable who take refuge of destiny to mask their fault, their laziness, indiscipline, and lack of morality, this is the place where they find their oasis, their querencia; they conveniently forget the existence of “just” (or karma) which is omnipresent, which is neither kind nor cruel, neither in favour nor against, neither early not late, neither victim nor perpetrator; it can never be outrun. The universe never makes an effort to demean you, it lets you control everything, yet instead of being grateful we try to find excuses to blame it and that’s what destiny is for them - an excuse of weakling, slave and moral-less souls to shift blame. On the contrary, destiny is what you work for, what you pursue, what you seek for the higher purpose, you have a choice in the matter. What you believe, you act out, you account for it. What you truly seek is vigorously seeking you. You control everything!

A random note from my beloved professor (2017)

- written with phone -

Words of Banaras III

Last night, a person (he/she), sitting little bit far but in front of me, started clicking self-ie(s) and I thought, how this universe is so exquisite as well as so perilous beyond imagination, yet we humans tend to put ourselves in front of its sublimeness and consider the (re-re)clicked image alluring if only we find ourselves pretty in that frame. Would you have considered the same image of yours enticing if that image gets clicked in front of a horrible accident site with dead bodies lying around? Would that person, who was clicking, have considered same picture radiant if the ambience had been of a slum? If not, how could you take so much pleasure in your appearance when you know you can’t compete with the beauty of universe. Infinite is the ultimate truth, it can’t lie, yet we confine ourselves with unreal finite, not due to ignorance but for the comforting lie. Instead of realizing that the universe is the center and we are merely a manifestation of universe, we think of ourselves as center and this universe as manifestation.

Perhaps this can only be realized, neither understood nor explained.

- written with phone -

Words of Roads

I’ve come to realize that I absolutely love late-night driving, especially on a heavyweight motorbike. If you’ve ever driven in the Indian traffic, you might be knowing the complete chaos that rules, the lack of basic civil courtesy, disregard for traffic rules, people become mindless zombies. Some say, animals, especially cows, possess safety hazards on Indian roads, I rather find careless people here as the most dangerous safety hazard, all of a sudden they appear out of nowhere (perhaps from the future), sometimes they pull the most bizarre moves even on the highways (known as NH), and you either have to be cautious or crash into them. In both cases, you can’t help but curse them with the most absurd curses of yours, it’s not funny, neither pleasant. It often feels utmost chaos, yet, there is something called traffic flow, which you might learn gradually, it’s similar to a wild river stream during monsoon, where every drop of water flow together in a rhythm, and all the non-water have to settle at the shore. You have to be in the flow rather than out of. However, when you drive for pleasure, you wanna drive for self, and thus the pleasure of driving get lost in the daytime when you have to be highly alarmed all the time for defensive driving. Then comes night, when it’s mostly peace and quiet and finally an unsettling order arrives. Certainly, heavy vehicles rule the roads at this time and they drive insanely fast but at the same time, they mostly follow the traffic rules and it becomes rather comforting, you can go as fast and as far you want to go. Recently I was singing at the top of my lungs while driving on NH-44 at over 100 Mph, the whole horizon of the lane was completely empty, dark, covered by forest on both sides, yet welcoming at the same time, the absolute pleasure I have thus far on this trip. Coming back to late-night driving, obviously, you still need to be alert, however, alertness doesn’t cause you exhaustion in a short while, continuous alarm-ness does. You feel more alone in the most comforting way, the moonlight illuminates the surroundings, the darkness envelopes everything around you except the road ahead, others can’t see you, you feel all alone in your own capsule. The distant village lights look like a shiny star, and when you cross their empty and dark streets, lit only be either moon or the odd street lights, it acquires a bit of hyperrealism. You know, next morning, these streets will again be full of possibilities, yet empty now, you cruise through the darkness in your own way, quietly and calmly, as if you don’t want to awake a sleeping friend. From time to time, I spy on the flickering lights coming out of their windows, sometimes the sound of raised voices, a song turned up loud, a woman‘s laughter, a baby crying, a man’s careful eyes starring at an unknown smoking his cigarette at the roadside. And then you move on. The cold breeze again greets your face, the engine heavy sound, the grip over the accelerator, the glide between gears, the vibration of the bike, everything feels calm, tranquil, and laidback. And as the night goes darker and darker, I feel an exhilarating wildness in my veins - like a swallow thrush, like a bird buffeted by the cold night air, like anything and everything.

P.S.: Be extremely cautious while driving on mountainous roads during night time, or if you are tired or not confident, hire a driver or take rest.
- written with phone - 

Words of Banaras II

It’s drizzling, and I’m looking at Ganga from one of the Ghats of Banaras. I love the silence of this hour, the midnight when the Ghats are almost deserted and you can listen to the sound of Ganga with very little effort. The other day, I had crossed to the other side of the river at midnight where there was nothing except absolute darkness, from there you can see cremations going on at Manikarnika Ghat, one of the holiest cremation grounds as per Hindu mythology. It is believed that the soul attains moksha if its body is cremated here. The cremation never stops, every hour, scores of dead persons keep arriving. Among the funeral pyres, you sit, meditate and feel that the death is not painful and it is entirely insignificant to be pondered upon, just like life. Once you are gone, does anything matter except your karma? The life, it’s gone, when you could have made use of it, for self and others. Nothing lives for forever then why mourn for anything that’s not going to last in the first place. We know that already, don’t we? Part of me, again, wants to go to other side but then do I really need to go - I am already here, both sides are same, opposites are merely illusions because, in the end, one is everything and everything is one. Mahadev.

Advice: It’s strictly prohibited to film or capture images at Manikarnika Ghat. People come here to be forgotten and to find meaning for life and afterlife.

- written with phone -

Words of Banaras

In spirituality, non-dualism, also called non-duality, means "not two" or "one undivided without a second", which primarily refers to a mature state of consciousness, in which the dichotomy of “I and other” is "transcended", and awareness is described as "centerless" and "without dichotomies". This might look uncomfortable idea for many, as in this age, people usually see everything keeping themselves in the center. In Hinduism, the ideal goal of a life is to seek moksha from the cycle of reincarnation - the final freedom, that you can hope to achieve once you realize your self’s identity with the absolute. I know it might be sounding too vague, it was/(still) is for me. I asked an Aghoris monk here in Varanasi, is it possible for a worldly person like me to get this final freedom - to never return once I leave everything behind. After all, most of my life, I have only done things for myself, keeping myself in the center - my happiness, my sorrows, my life, mine success, mine failures - full of “I”, “my” and “mine” - I can’t possibly get to that stage - at current stage, I am absolute opposite of what should have been. He listen and said, all the opposites, the two sides, all of them are ultimately illusory, because in essence all are same, you think you are on the opposite side of the river, but there is no opposite side in the first place, you are simply at the river, you don’t need to follow anyone or anything, but just perceive the illusory nature of the world around you, live consciously instead of blindly following expectations and customs, be kind to self and others, embrace degradation and pollution the same way as you would embrace purity and growth. To develop such equanimity in itself is called yoga in this life and moksha in afterlife. Everything that has had happened, it was perfect and to deny its perfection would be to deny the sacredness of all life in its full manifestation, as well as to deny the supreme being. You need to go into total darkness, then only you can appreciate the real beauty of light - that’s when self-realization happens. Every soul is Shiva but he let us choose our own path and we cover our soul with nooses and bonds, with fear, love, hatred, greed, obsession, sensual pleasure, anger and worldly possessions. On release from these bonds, there will not be any more “I” and then the soul obtains moksha. Strive for sangfroid - स्थितप्रज्ञ.

Har Har Mahadev!

- written with phone - 

End of an Era

Today is my last day in Germany. I’m having such a bizarre surreal feeling while waiting in the airport lounge - a part of me is looking forward to next phase of life, another part of me can’t resist but keeps looking back. In few hours, my flight will depart and this will be that - the final departure from Munich era - the end. Nonetheless I feel a sense of gratitude to Germany for everything, this is the place I got my first grey hair,  I’m not what I was, never will be for the best.

Goodbye Germany- Goodbye Europe!

- written with phone -

Every Something Ever

“Let us rise up and be thankful,

for if we didn’t learn a lot today,

at least we learned a little,

and if we didn’t learn a little,

at least we didn’t get sick,

and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die;

so, let us all be thankful.”
.........

Born for Love: Reflections on Loving

by Leo Buscaglia

[ Buy the hardcover - You'll love it! ]

Spider's Web

This is going to be one of the most erratic articles I have ever written, nearly closer to Lord, I have a hotline with him. The year was 2016. I had taken a course related to automative safety during my master study, in which only 7 or maybe 8 students had registered. This was also the only course which I never bunked, mostly because of the professor. Obviously, the nature of the course was technical but somehow the professor had progressed it into ethics and I used to be so mesmerized with his lecture. Moreover, since there were only a few students, we were able to forge a personal relationship with the professor. Once after the lecture, I was smoking outside and the professor also came outside to smoke and after casual discussion regarding the progress of my paper that I was writing (which never got published btw), he asked me what I want to do with my life. I remember, I said, marry the love of my life, raise children with her, keep her smiling till my last breath, grow old with her and then peacefully die, that's all I cared. He replied, definitely it's your right to be happy, but everyone lives for themselves, how are you going to repay the debt to the universe which brings you. He said, if you ever want to repay this debt, you have to positively change the life of at least 5 persons for forever in your life, and if you ever knowingly hurt even one soul in between or after, this count will reduce to 0 and you will have to restart again, a person can't be shouldn't be your universe, how many have you until now? I knew my count. I was only taking from this universe, and returning absolutely nothing. All of my mentors/friends in this life of mine, Omkar, Bismark, Tamer, Ibrahiem, Kundan, Sonal, my sister and the professor too, they so wanted the best of me, so invested in me. At that moment, it didn't matter to me anyway, she was the universe. I then graduated, went for 3 months solo euro trip and then joined a job. A lot of things happened since that day. I didn't understand the essence of his words that day, but now I do. Now, in a few months, I am going to leave Germany for forever, I will meet my professor before leaving and will tell him, how his that one conservation gave me the purpose of my life, my personal agenda. I feel you don't really need to be a millionaire to do some good, being just human and 10% of your income could do wonder. The easiest way would be just giving away money, but it is not enough, being part of someone's journey might do though. There always exists a middle way between two extremes, that's where the riddle of oneness can be found because ultimately one is everything and everything is one. All that doesn't mean, I amn't people's person, can't be, will never be, I fiercely protect my personal space. But that also doesn't mean, I hate people, I just love the company of mine more.

Year 2018, The time to leave my dorm finally arrived, I bloody loved that place so much, mostly the people, Carsten, Salma, Armin. During our hangouts, we used to take a turn playing our songs. This was the last night and I was given the honor to play the last song of the night, and I played one of my most favorite songs, Hallelujah by Kaylee. Everyone prayed loud and proud with her, with our wide-open arms. In the mid of night, for a few minutes, the whole dorm was filled with sounds of prayers. There are numerous interpretations of this song, though for me it speaks of the journey of pain, joy, suffering, and finally celebration. The most indelible lyrics of this song comes when Kaylee sings, "And every breath, we drew was Hallelujah", so filled with lamentation. That was my final goodbye to Haus 5A. Thanks Lord for letting me live that life.

Materialistic things mostly do not matter to me now, especially money and prestige. I don't think, I will remember how much money did I make but the memories I made, lives I changed, or how much I have been loved and I loved. It's been 13 years, I have not been with my sister on Rakhi (a festival of brother and sister), I will visit her this year. All these years, she kept sending Rakhi by post, but this year I will be at her place in the morning of Rakhi itself. I know, she will be surprised, happy and disappointed at the same time that I came only for one day, but am I really going to think on my death bed, that I saved few hundred euros by not visiting her. Moreover, the end of this year is going to signify the beginning of my upcoming legal separation with my country, I do need to visit her, she is my mother after mother, I do need to take her blessing.

This Nov is going to cement the end of the relation to my home away from home, Munich and most importantly to my own home Patna. I feel, in this way, the universe wants me to live my dream that I had always wanted since my childhood - to live India's spiritual life. Everything that happened so far has finally led me to fulfill my lifelong desire to live with monks, live as a monk, live with nothing. A few days back, I had a dream, someone had left a religious scripture with advice to read a specific chapter. I think this is my omen to do my thing. Before I leave for Canada in March, this is what I need so chronically. Definitely, I can't be a typical monk, I'm not, however, I will try not to use what I can. I just want to be with nothingness in those 5 months, live the most minimalistic life, see the sunsets, and wander around just anywhere. Because I feel, no matter how much I try to control my life, the rug can be pulled under me in an instant. I need to know my purpose, I need to know about the act of living alive, it can't be getting up in the morning, go to work, be tired, happy sometimes, unhappy a lot, raise kids, only for them to grow up and repeat the same cycle. I need to pay attention to what this world is really about. I know I am not the person I was years ago and I am glad I am not what I was once and my hear is filled with gratitude for that because now I know, no matter what happens it's going to be fine anyway. I am alive and not for very long, and I will not waste any minute feeling otherwise, there is no fear.

The universe is listening. It has always listened.

[b]*N Syntax in Python

[b] * N creates a list of size N which contains only b's, where

• 'b' is a reference to an object, and
• [b] * N does not make copies of 'b' inside the generated list but simply copies the reference of 'b' to produce the list.

For example, X =[0] * N, produces a list of size N, with all N elements being the value zero.
Thus, X = [0] * 8, produces a list of size 8 and results in X = [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0]

The pictorial representation of X = [0] * 8 will be like below:

Be warned that all eight cells of the list reference the same object. This is okay for immutables like integers or strings but may produce unintended results for mutable objects like lists, because of the fact that lists are referential structures in python. If you try to assign a new value to list, say X[2] = 10, this does not technically change the value of the existing integer instance of 0. This computes a new integer, with value 10, and sets cell 2 to reference the newly computed value. Now, hypothetically let's assume an integer is a mutable object, then integer value would have instead changed and all the cells would be pointing to the old reference (holding new value) only. Pictorial representation change due to X[2] = 10 is below:

Thus, for creating a list of lists, the above approach might produce an unintended result as mentioned above because list is a mutable object. For example:
>>> t = [[]] * 5
>>> t [[], [], [], [], []]
>>> t[0].append(5)
>>> t
[[5], [5], [5], [5], [5]]  # Observe value at all indices got changed

So, if you want to create a list of lists properly, one of the approaches could be:
>>> t = []
>>> for i in range(5):
>>>     t.append([])
>>> t[0].append(5)
>>> t
[[5], [], [], [], []]

Solve this question [valid-tic-tac-toe-state] to understand the importance of initializing a list of lists in a proper way with Python.

Reference: StackOverflow

To Me, I Known?

Bullah asked, "Pir, my name is Bullah and I wish to know how I can realize God." Inayat Shah said "Bullah, what problem is there in finding God? It only needs to be uprooted from here and planted there." This was enough for Bulleh Shah, he got what he had wished for. His master had poured the essence of spirituality in these few words. He conveyed to Bulleh Shah that the secret of spiritual progress lay in detaching one's mind from the world outside and attaching it to God within. We live for moments such as this to die for. [The Spirit of Oriental Poetry]

 Kafi of Mir Bulleh Shah Qadiri Shatari (1680-1758)

Bulla! to me, I am not known

Neither am I the believer in mosque

Bulla! to me, I am not known

Neither am I Arabic, nor from Lahore

Bulla! to me, I am not known

Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh

Bulla! to me, I am not known

Nor am I a pagan disciple of false rites

Not the pure amongst the impure

Nor do I exist in the Vedas

Neither am I in opium, nor in liquor

Not in the drunkard's wasted intoxication

Neither am I in happiness, not in sorrow

Neither clean, nor a filthy mire

Neither am I of the water, nor of the land

Neither fire, nor from air

Neither am I from the Indian city of Nagaur

Neither a Hindu nor a Turk (Muslim) from Peshawar

Neither I found the secret of religion

Nor was I born of Adam and Eve

I am not the name I assume

From beginning to end, I tried to understand myself

None other, have I ever known

I am not just another wise one

Bulleh Shah, who is this man standing here

Neither awake, nor in a sleeping daze

Neither fire, nor from air

Nor do I live in Nadaun (City of innocents)

Neither am I in stillness, nor in movement

Bulleh Shah, who is this man standing here

"Bulla Ki Jaana Main Kaun", this soundscape for the soul reflects the anguish in discovering this mystery of self, the longest journey of any kind. A man wants to know his own real identity, his everlasting quest to discover his own place in the world agonies him. He keeps comparing himself to something that transcends humanity but denies them one by one for what he is not. He knows materialistic things are of no use if we don't have a proper introduction with ourselves and can only find his answer inward. In the end, he realizes, he knows None other than the God who was the First and will be the Last, which holds the truth of his own identity that he was, has been and will be, who lives within.

The Journey (One draft from 2016)

Many a time rejections are considered as failures. Indeed it is as per definition but if you learn your life experiences from these, they could be proved a milestone in your journey. When you will be lost in distant future then you can see those stones in your proceeding path and can say to yourself that if you have crossed those hurdles then you must have that ability to get over of the next hurdle too. Of course, it hurts, these bitches hurt like hell. I can't claim that my journey throughout my life was quite smooth, but at the same time I had an awesome life and a height of 6'2"... ok now I am bragging... So, what if faced some rejections in schools, college, personal, or professional life. Each one looked like they would take the life out of me. I survived and when I look back I see myself as a different person. Worst or Best they are my own earned experiences. I can take pride in claiming them even though I failed miserably several times but I have no regret so ever of not taking the chances. I at least don't have this question in my conscious of what if? I lost people, sometimes people lost me. But this is what I am. I learned there is only one thing in life, and that is the journey. Sometimes you lose your hope, sometimes you can't even see the end of the tunnel and it would feel like this journey would never end or would suck you out of it. But I survived. I will survive and I want my state to be a sovereign country, okay now kidding :D

Right now, I am completely writing this impulsively, so language structure doesn't fucking matter right now to me, fix it later baby.  Perhaps, another rejection is waiting for me around the corner... perhaps an unexpected miracle might be waiting too, who knows but I am sure whatever it will be, I will kick its ass, or it will kick my ass... One thing is for sure, someone's ass is going to be kicked...lol.. Cool, so as of now, my examination results are out and I performed exceptionally well even according to my standard, ya failed one subject also, but the degree is almost won, nonetheless my master is nw killing me. Anyway let's chill I should give myself a treat, It's celebration time and I am going to buy myself an awesome gift - a mac :) bravo manu!

Draft date: 28 Aug 2016

IELTS Listening Time Strategy For 8-9

In my previous post, I had mentioned that if you find yourself consistently scoring 7 with Official Cambridge IELTS listening practice materials, then the only technique that you might need is reading ahead. You really do not need to be an advanced English speaker to excel in this examination.

Let me first explain, why/how did I make my own timing strategy. While doing the practise tests in the strict examination conditions, I used to scan questions in the same order as recording, which used to make me lose a few marks in Section 3 and 4. In my opinion, it was due to a lot of information to read but having comparatively little time to soak all of them. Afterwards, I tried a different approach and first allowed myself to read all the texts without any recording and then also noted down my own scanning time for each section. I then tried the same questions with recording. This made me feel at more ease and I felt almost no hurry when the recording was playing. I was astonished to see that I was able to score 9. Moreover, I let a whole recording play and just noted down the time gap between sections and subsections. Thereupon, based on my scanning speed and time gaps, I made my own timing strategy [See below figure].

My Timing Strategy for IELTS Listening

In summary, you should try to use the time gaps wisely. Below was my timing strategy:

• At the beginning of Section 1:
• Scan questions 1-7 (Section 1) in 30 seconds
• Scan questions 31-37 (or 31- 35 questions, Section 4) in 1 minute
• Scan questions 21-23 (Section 3) in 30 seconds
• At the mid of Section 1: Scan questions 7-10 in 30 seconds
• At the beginning of Section 2:
• Scan questions 11-17 (Section 2) in 50 seconds
• Scan questions 24-28 (Section 3) in 1 minute
• At the mid of Section 2: Scan questions 18-20 in 50 seconds
• In Section 3:
• At the beginning itself, scan the rest of the questions (Q 29-30)
• Again scan questions 21-26 (in the first half of recording)
• Again scan questions 27-30 (in the second half of recording)
• In Section 4:
• At the beginning itself, scan the rest of the questions (Q 36/38 - 40)
• Again scan questions 31- 36/38

Remember, reading ahead is one of the imperative techniques to get the highest band. Use the breaks to read the next section of questions before the recording starts. Based on your scanning speed, make a timing strategy for yourself. If Cambridge does not change the examination pattern, I hope to use this strategy again when I will be taking my next IELTS in 2022. But as of now, I must wait patiently for Tomorrow's sunrise where the Canadian ITA along with a new life would be awaiting at dawn.

तेरी कोशिश, चुप हो जाना,

मेरी ज़िद है, शंख बजाना ...

IELTS Listening Preparation Tips For 8-9

This post is suitable for those candidates who could consistently score at least 7 with Official Cambridge IELTS practice materials and would like to make their score in listening module 8 or perhaps 9. Moreover, this post identifies the areas where a 7 scorer might need to improve and provides some tips and strategies. However, I strongly advise you to not be fooled by the simplicity of the exam pattern. Although the examination may appear straightforward, you should practice and start scoring continuously the desired marks in your practice tests before you can apply for the exam. In my opinion, if you cannot continuously score 8 or 9 in official Cambridge IELTS practice tests, then it is highly unlikely that you could score the same on the examination day.

Let's get started. First thing first, get thoroughly familiar with the format of the listening test and then take 2 or 3 listening test from the official Cambridge IELTS practice materials to gauge your skill level. Be brutally honest while checking your answers. If it does not exactly match with provided answer keys, consider your answer wrong.

Description of Band 7 Scorer As Per Cambridge:

"You have an operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally you handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning."

Possible Strengths of a Candidate With Score 7:

1. A wide range of daily use vocabulary,
2. Knowledge of synonyms and paraphrasing, 
3. Can understand connected, fast, and natural speech, and 
4. Lastly, can understand different accents, namely, British, Scottish, Irish, American, Canadian, and Australian (For me, I was comfortable with all these accents except Australian and Scottish. I listened to few talks in those two accents during my commute time over mobile app Stitcher).

Probable Weak Points of a Candidate With Score 7:

1. Lose of attention,
2. Not following word/number count instructions thoroughly, 
3. Unaware of IELTS traps, such as usage of distractors (e.g; but, however), unexpected turns, and generalization, and 
4. Most importantly, the candidate might not have a strategy to manage time. Remember, for the listening test, timing is the key!

Be mindful of the fact that only doing practice test would not be enough, as it will not really improve your examination skill that much and besides this is a very boring way to prepare. You first need to figure out the reason behind your missing answers and fix those areas. So, let's move forward to identify the traps that IELTS employs to check your attention to details and address the tips and strategies for different sections.

जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में एक सितारा था
माना वह बेहद प्यारा था
वह डूब गया तो डूब गया
अम्बर के आनन को देखो
कितने इसके तारे टूटे
कितने इसके प्यारे छूटे
जो छूट गए फिर कहाँ मिले
पर बोलो टूटे तारों पर
कब अम्बर शोक मनाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में वह था एक कुसुम
थे उसपर नित्य निछावर तुम
वह सूख गया तो सूख गया
मधुवन की छाती को देखो
सूखी कितनी इसकी कलियाँ
मुरझायी कितनी वल्लरियाँ
जो मुरझायी फिर कहाँ खिली
पर बोलो सूखे फूलों पर
कब मधुवन शोर मचाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

जीवन में मधु का प्याला था
तुमने तन मन दे डाला था
वह टूट गया तो टूट गया
मदिरालय का आँगन देखो
कितने प्याले हिल जाते हैं
गिर मिट्टी में मिल जाते हैं
जो गिरते हैं कब उठतें हैं
पर बोलो टूटे प्यालों पर
कब मदिरालय पछताता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

मृदु मिटटी के हैं बने हुए
मधु घट फूटा ही करते हैं
लघु जीवन लेकर आए हैं
प्याले टूटा ही करते हैं
फिर भी मदिरालय के अन्दर
मधु के घट हैं मधु प्याले हैं
जो मादकता के मारे हैं
वे मधु लूटा ही करते हैं
वह कच्चा पीने वाला है
जिसकी ममता घट प्यालों पर
जो सच्चे मधु से जला हुआ
कब रोता है चिल्लाता है
जो बीत गई सो बात गई

- हरिवंश राय बच्चन

Clever Insults

I found this list of sick burns in my old Gmail draft (dated Sep 08, 2012), now I don't really remember why did I keep this collection in the first place (perhaps I know, I was stupid, that explains), nonetheless, some of them could be truly witty if used in an appropriate context, but perhaps you might be better off without them. Though I do remember, I was once blocked by Facebook (had one during that time period) for some time due to some comment I had made on some post - it must have been one of these. So enjoy and don't (mis)use them :-)

• Do you still love nature, despite what it did to you?
• If opposites attract, then I hope you meet someone who is attractive, honest, intelligent, and cultured.
• I see that you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
• If laughter is the best medicine, your face must be curing the world.
• I don’t think you are stupid. You just have a bad luck when thinking.
• I’m glad to see you’re not letting your education get in the way of your ignorance.
• Aww, it’s so cute when you try to talk about things you don’t understand.
• You’re so ugly, that Hello Kitty said goodbye to you. (Who the hell is Hello Kitty, is it Big Bang's Sheldon's soft kitty warm kitty :-/)
• If you were twice as smart, you’d still be stupid.
• Here is 5 rupees, call all your friends and give me back the change. (What was the context here, only Rab remembers!)
• Is your job devoted to spreading ignorance?
• I don’t think you are a fool. But then what’s MY opinion against thousands of others?
• What you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic thing I have ever heard and at no point in your rambling incoherent response where you are close to anything that could be called a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and god have mercy on your soul.
• When you don't get a lot of porn on internet, do u log in to your own fb profile?
• Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street.
• You are as useless as "UEUE" IN A "QUEUE".
• You must have been born on a highway because that's where most accidents happen.
• You must be the arithmetic man; You add Trouble, subtract Pleasure, divide Attention, and multiply Ignorance.
• I would slap you, but then PETA will be all over me. (I don't anymore consider this as an insult. Animalism emphasizes the universal value of all sentient beings; while humanism only relates to human's philosophy which can be deeply conditional, and possibly skewed).
• So what part of your personality did you have to give up to become so stupid, was it intelligence? <---That wins the MeanEst award, doesn't it :P
• Does your IQ match your shoe size? Truddddd, even that might be overrating your intelligence!

Disclaimer: It must have been copy-pasted from various sources. If you get in trouble because of using one of them, well apologize and good luck :D