Chol jabo guru r bari

Literally translated means ‘let’s go to the master’s house’, this Bengali term is used to describe a desire to travel back to the ‘Guru’s’ abode. Guru, the one who guides through the meandering darkness of ignorance, explains away the maze of complexities that confront us, opens up the mind to infinite possibilities, shows the brilliance of a thousand suns emanating primordial knowledge and teaches us how to tap into the universal rhythm that has been playing since the beginning of time. How can one, therefore stay away from such nectar for long. Again and again one is drawn back to the guru’s abode to deep dive into this sea of nectar. This journey back is as much spiritual and emotional as is physical. In fact more of the former than the later. It’s the wandering mind’s return to the nest.

Through my life I have been lucky to have met people who have shown me the ‘path’. I won’t get into the debate of whether the path shown was ‘right’ or wrong…’left’. Early on I studied under a brilliant man who we lovingly referred to as ‘Rantuda’. A physicist, mathematician, poet and a former ultra leftist. Rantuda in one word was my first hero. He introduced me to the world of Pete Seeger, Suman Chattopadhay, Socialism, Idealism and of course my lifelong love for rationality and reason over emotion. It was much later that I actually realized what a strong influence he has had on the way I have shaped up today. In my strong opinions, extreme views and refusal to compromise Rantuda’s shadow looms heavy.

But my association with him was short lived and my education under him ended after a few years as our lives took us on different paths. He landed up in Singapore and I in Gurgaon. It is here I met the man who I consider to be the closest to what I would call a guru.

I met Virat on my first day at office in Gurgaon and smiled to myself as to how appropriate his name was. He was physically ‘Virat’ and looked more like a westerner than an Indian and certainly nothing like any Gujarati I had known from Kolkata. He was diametrically opposite of what Rantuda was. While Rantuda was a socialist, Virat was a staunch Capitalist. To cut a long story short there was nothing common in between the two individuals. Yet, today I can safely conclude that the two could have been the one and the same individual. Their love for rationality, logic, reason, music, zest for life, rock solid  knowledge base and a never ending thirst for new information in any disciple, anything to enrich the intellectual capital was mind numbingly similar. In Virat I found someone who would qualify as my guru. When I look back and wonder why, what was that one thing that made us gel, I guess it was our love for things creative. Creativity in any form art, music, commercial, non commercial, literature anything and everything. Avant garde or classical it mattered not, as long as it tickled our sensibilities and intellectual faculties. I have always admired his ability to be amazed at something new. I don’t think there is anyone younger at heart and full of enthusiasm as him. A more well read man I am yet to come across. His ability to recollect names of books and authors is amazing. And read he has, and continues to do so regularly. In fact he was singularly responsible for getting me back into the habit of reading. Well traveled too if I may add and hence his experiences are for real, not picked up from Wikipedia or Google.

Being a kind of a misfit myself I found his company more and more enjoyable. He didn’t judge me as far as I know. Every day we talked and talked about everything under the sun. But invariably our discussions would roll towards creativity and music and literature and movies and new stuff we had picked up on the net. My second education phase had started. I believe I have learned more about marketing, philosophy, global outlook through these conversation sessions that what my colleagues would have learned at elite business schools. It was an amazing phase. And when I realized that my time was done at said organization, it was these conversation sessions which helped me maintain composure….

‘Chol jabo guru r bari’ was as much physical as it was Meta physical. A trip to Virat’s house in New Friend’s colony was as pleasurable as the conversations we had. A beautiful, warmly done up apartment where we have spent many an enjoyable hour. Contemporary art adorn the walls, books arranged on a massive book shelf, seasonal flowers adorn the balcony, well stocked bar, fabulous mutton curry, Jim Morrison singing in the back ground or us strumming the guitar, Rafa – the largest and cutest Labrador that I have seen, lazing around the room… guru r bari – guru’s abode ! Every invitation to visit his home was always met with great enthusiasm and anticipation. Yes I have drunk his wine, ate his food, read his books, picked his brains but more than anything trusted him and considered him as a friend, philosopher and guide.

So today when we do not get to meet every day, the emotional, Meta physical desire to get back to guru is ever stronger. There is much left to be learned, be discovered, be amazed at and discussed. Sure I miss those conversations but more than anything miss the comfort of knowing that there is someone who understands my point of view, someone I can just walk across and have a conversation with. Till we meet again and indulge in a new conversation…