Aloha on the Ganges

2021 has been occupying to start with. It felt as if January had 365 days and not just 31 days. Have met some lost souls, some damaged souls and a while back, a human!

During my recent sojourn to Rishikesh, I ran into a person who was a solo traveler and was, in her own words, trying to run away from herself. It took a while for me also to understand what exactly she meant. We met over the breakfast, as I was late, we two were the only last late comers of the lot. 

I have this thing, for a lack of a better word, to observe people. Looking at her I could sense she smokes and drinks a lot and her facial veins were kind of prominent, leading me to think she may, think a lot.

And yes, once we started to chat, and the good listener that I am, she did mention all of the above. She was actually on this no-smoking promise on the current Rishikesh trip.

While we took a walk around the resort and got talking, she mentioned about her recent break-up and the trigger to her current situation. 

While I, in these situations, just like to listen, I could feel it had impacted her a lot. We'll not go into the details here, but being a pampered child at a young age for a long time, may not always work in your favor. This over-protection, where all your demands are met with may lead you to think that in life, in general, people will be submissive or life itself will be easy. We also start to believe that people whom we meet, will be like our own house members. This is not true. The world out there is tough and the people even tougher and hard to predict. 

She was trying, first, to be strong and break this shell she was into for a long time and also, at the same time, be a person who can put her life in her own hands. 

I feel strongly, that whatever learning's you have from your journey, if at all, they can help anyone in anyway, so please do share. You never know who all can get motivated from you, who all can get inspired from your life and most importantly, at that very moment, just being an ear to someone's thoughts can help them feel a lot better and safer. 

#SafeTravels

Cheers!

Join me, follow me, partner with me @karansayz

Marketing Manager Interview Experiences

Having received so many queries across my social media platforms,thought to post the video of my interview that I did around Marketing Manager roles and my experiences.

Hope you find it worthy and if you, do like.comment.share.follow.

Walking in Kasol with nature

 #HappyIndependenceDay #India

It's been a while since we last connected and I got so many emails and social posts asking me why am I not writing or sharing these days.  Apologies in advance. I guess its a mixture of being lazy and at times caught up in the worldly works. 

Many of my posts ( that I tyically write at coffee shops, cha-bars or during my travels ) are these days limited, all thanks to COVID. And when at home, I focus on my treadmill :) and that too is a different ballgame at times.

So primarily work from home these days is actually and genuinely work from home 24*7. I at times miss my meals and many a times the social messages as the limits between office hours and me hours have blurred. 

However, I did wanted to share a small trip that I took during this year. Kasol, situated in my home state of Himachal Pradesh used to be a quaint tiny village also now known as the Amsterdam of India. It used to be one of my go-to places to sit back and take a pause and soak in the views of nature and meet with locals who have a glitter in their eyes. 

Now, this place is for backpackers and trekkers and hence at times crowded. If you are visiting this place try dropping in to a tiny village called Malana, wherein people live in self-imposed isolation and hence avoid interactions with outsiders. It's at times also called Little Greece. Not sure who gives these names though. 

For me as you know, walks are key. I love the walks by the Parvati river or if you appreciate trekking, then Kheer Ganga.  

You may not find much Himachali cuisines here, however Israeli food is all around. Dark green forests and street-side cafes have an intriguing tag team combination that I like. And yes, I love rains as and when they shower on me !! 

And for those of you who love visiting a gurudwara, Manikaran Sahib is the place to bow your head and ego. Divine peace and 'sewa' that you do or see around may lead you to a higher calling. You never know. 

Becoming by Michelle Obama

As many of you know I do book reviews for Blogadda and IndiBlogger primarily, and at times for close friends who are now authors. I usually get books as gifts and believe me it’s a blessing.

A while back, someone gifted by a copy of the book- Becoming. It was fairly new in India at that point. 

Becoming is the memoir of former United States first lady Michelle Obama talks about her time in the White House, her public health campaign, and her role as a mother. After having read the book and also watching the #Netflix series by the same name, I must share that it felt inspirational reading and seeing the world through her eyes, inside out.

Many of you might be wondering about this ‘someone’ who gifted me this book. 

Let me share.

This ‘someone’ is also a hero that I am very proud of. I hardly say this enough to her but I am super proud of her sheer energy and positivity. She leads an important HR vertical for a global firm and calls herself a passionate HR.  Having met her, known her it’s a power booster everyday to look at her work, helping colleagues and the community at large. She is full of love and enthusiasm which is infectious. I hope we have many more of her in this world, as we all need a good soul. 

PS: Many of you try searching me online and at times stumble upon my blogs. Then, the few "smart thinkers" try to match me as a person with my blog and get into the vicious cycle of assuming and judging. Please don't do this. It will make you confused to say the least. And I will always be beyond your imagination :) 


Note: Many of you reached out to me via twitter, instagram and email to collaborate on my blog with me via blog posts and other content. Happy to partner. Just a share - I like to be creative, write and then share. It's not about the financial bit :) 

Irrationally Passionate

Getting a first hand copy of book, that is yet to be launched is priceless ! 

Thanks, Jason and team.

Learning from people who have experienced the journey themselves is the ideal form of learning.

Jason, the entrepreneur-CEO that we know, has had an impressive and yet powerful life changing journey right from being a young boy in Hong Kong all the way back to India.

The book gives important life lessons and not just corporate gyaan around a host of topics given Jason's strong will and the art of his never give up spirit. The book actually feels and takes you along side with a strong feeling that you have known Jason all through.

The Valiant story in particular and the many learning’s that come out of it are true in present day scenarios as well. An eye for detailing is as important as an eye for learning. Having to hold the pressure of trust that your family and friends put on you is a burden that is not easy to hold onto, let apart deliver.

Being a part of an IVY league college and landing a ‘safe’ job is something that should make all of feel at ease. Yet for Jason that was the very trigger to start or re-start something of his own making a long call on his future and also on the many things that went into him getting to Wharton.

Special call out to the nuances that he has shared of his life across living in different countries, the challenges that he faced and his mental strength to be the best or as I say, to refine continuously.

The focus on team work and partnership is also highlighted in a way that whatever you do in life, doing with people and teams, makes the outcome far stronger and better.

Particularly, the entire start to end of living a dream and believing a dream and double hatting to make the dream a reality, is a long drawn process that not only requires fund raising, it also requires the one person to wear many hats and faces, if I can say.

As a young visionary and not just an entrepreneur, Jason, took a big risk of risking everything he had very early into his life. This can give Goosebumps to anyone yet Jason managed to steer clear and faces all the challenges head-on.

I can keep on writing since the blogger and the speaker in me has picked up so many tiny seeds of wisdom that are for me to sow, being passionate really never goes out of fashion.

And as the rebel, Jason shares, pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered.

Happy reading!! #IrrationalyPassionate

Cheers!

Join me, follow me, partner with me @karansayz

Truly Special - Stories from Vietnam and Cambodia

During my recent travel to Vietnam and Cambodia, I happen to meet some really amazing souls. 

I call them as special people.  

Special, since some of them were suffering from ailments, special, as some were going through bad marriages, special, as they had so much energy that all through the day they were more excited than all of us combined. Special, since they were proud of the heritage and the culture that these two developing nations withstood.

We react very first, as Indians, as people. Our Vietnamese tour manager, during his introduction shared that he had 4 daughters and 2 wives. Just by this one statement, many of us adjudicated thinking and bench-marking that this may be so wrong. Back in India, we only marry once, ideally. Many of us started speaking, mocking on the very character of this tour manager. 

However, he was used to. 

And as he had predicted, we also went the same way like others. His second statement is what made all of us thinking hard.

He shared, his first wife died due to carcinoma and his family pushed him to marry the sister of his late wife, which he was against. He already had 2 daughters from this first wife. Due to the culture in Vietnam, as per him, he had no options but to marry the sister, now his second wife. What's more !? If a lady, after 2 years of marriage doesn't bear a child, she is considered as evil or satanic. Hence, 2 twin daughters.

While, he works really hard in making ends meet, it got all of us thinking that why do we judge so fast. Why is it that we use our thinking the wrong way and don't even try to consider someone else state of mind or being. Character assassination, seems to be the new normal.  Yet, we all consider ourselves to be highly educated, evolved human beings.

Every year, since last so many years, I have been trying to follow this very fabric of our culture. Not to react. Not to immediately jump to conclusions. Avoiding making assumptions. Leaving people, the way they are, and unless, not asked, not to give your two cents.

Believe me, its been a hard journey and while I am much more refined as a person now, still a lot of the ground needs to be covered. 

I hope, we all, try to be empathetic people to start with. This small step, will make you re-look at the world and its' people, a lot differently. 

Attractions, of a different kind

Well, it's fun to be at premium airport lounges. As part of my continuous business excellence evaluation, and my eye for detail, I pick up cues all year around during my travels. 

Many of my fellow writers/bloggers/artists messaged me across my social media handles that where in the world was I! Why isn't #Karansayz writing or sharing. Apologies! 

I was on my travels since I don't just like to travel, I love to travel. Let me fly you as well.

It was on my mind to drop in to London for a while and I did just that. It's good to give in to cravings at times, however, not non-stop, but one stop at a time. Hence, due to me 'flying off' I was unable to keep up in terms of sharing or updating regularly, on this blog or my social media handles. 

London, is beautiful and when you land and you get mild rains, it's wow! 

As a city, it has its own British charm. So many places to see, eat and shop that even 4 days are not enough. That's all I had though :) 

Moving to Paris, I could relate better why do people want to fall in love here or as I say, be picked up in someone's arm, for life. Its' just so magical. In the evenings, sitting at the Michelin star restaurant , Le Jules Verne, will make you realize why so many proposals happen here. Not to forget, the illumination of the tower at night is mesmerizing. 

Netherlands, is possibly the place, I wish, if I could, travel every quarter.  While Amsterdam has many museums, for me the canal cruise was the highlight. Evenings, can be way more romantic, so be careful ;P

Purchasing Swarovski crystals at the Kristallwelten, in Wattens, Austria can make you burst your credit card limit.

The highlight of the trip was meeting Ileana at the Vatican City. She is a certified guide for both Italy and the Vatican and I happen to meet her via our interactions on Instagram. It's fun when two people speak the same language- the language of travel, and being passionate about learning. 

There were other places like, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Switzerland and the beautiful Belgium that I will cover some other day since the lounge wi-fi, though free is very slow. 

Many of my fellow bloggers, asked me to assist them to plan a European tour to the above countries and I will be happy to share my learning's. Just a connect away. 

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I have disabled comments on certain of my blog posts since getting marriage proposals or a #CoffeeWithKaran session is strictly by invitation :)