My blog - Manas Rawat

Read this sher recently. It feels very timely for all of us who have been waiting for a BJP government in West Bengal for so many years.

We’ve waited a long time for this moment — from the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of my childhood, through the long cycles of violence, fear and corruption under CPIM and TMC rule.

But now, as the possibility of a new government begins to take shape, I find myself wondering…

Dear Yuvaan,

Always remember this feeling.

The smile you had when you held up your drawing.

The happiness of creating something just because it came from you.

Never let the world tell you that joy needs a reason, or that pride must be earned only through big achievements.

Be proud of your small efforts.

Be happy with your imperfect sketches, your silly ideas, your honest tries.

Create without fear.

Laugh without thinking how it sounds.

Dream without worrying how it looks.

If someday the world feels heavy, come back to this moment.

Come back to the boy who was happy just being himself.

That boy is enough.

2025 was kind in many ways.

But it took Chote Tauji away from us.

I hope Tauji is in a happy place.

But perhaps the mistake was where the story chose to begin.

Why would anyone willingly roam a virtual world to experience diluted versions of real life—walking through virtual shopping malls or attending virtual concerts that are categorically inferior to their physical counterparts? As a starting point, it was almost destined to fail. The value proposition was weak from day one.

The Meta story should have begun elsewhere.

It should have started with trust. With relationships. With humans forming genuine emotional bonds with AI.

As humans begin to see AI not as tools, but as companions—friends, collaborators, even confidants—the universe of machines becomes more acceptable, more familiar. Coexistence stops feeling forced and starts feeling natural.

The bridge could be AI musicians that bots admire. AI communities with their own tastes, cultures, and shared experiences. Humans might attend concerts with their bot friends inside a meta world—not because the experience is better than reality at first, but because bots cannot yet enter the real world.

So humans go to where their friends are.

Don’t order Italian food at a roadside punjabi dhaba. They will add ghee and masala in your pasta!

So called Swami Paras thought typical Darkness Retreat was BORING so he decided to jazz it up by adding the Osho meditations tadka to it.

Some loud music led event every hour and half, dance on loud drums and singing , wake up and yell abuses and beat the pillow - and believe it or not - stare into a strobe light every evening DURING THE DARKNESS RETREAT

Sensory deprivation was boring to Swamiji so he went for sensory overload.

Nah - I became a ghost - A man without his shadow.

Rolex was my shadow.

We had to put fences outside our bedroom , kitchen and Puja room. Everywhere else - Rolex would follow me like a shadow. He was waiting outside my bedroom door when I woke up - ready to pounce at me the moment he saw me.

When I came back from office I’d find him near the main gate. And oh boy - wasn’t he happy to see me. He couldn’t contain that much excitement in his little body and had to run here and there to expend some of it. Mummy used to say I know Manas is home when Rolex runs up all excited.

He would lie down and sleep near me while I watched tv, ate or worked. If I slept anywhere else, I’d often find him running over me on the bed.

So yeah, now that Rolex is gone and I’m still here - I’m the man without his shadow.

It will take some getting used to but I know - life goes on.

gatāsūn-agatāsūnśh-cha nānuśhochanti paṇḍitāḥ

The Supreme Lord said: While you speak words of wisdom, you are mourning for that which is not worthy of grief. The wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead

Bhagwat Geeta Chapter 2

I think about this quite often.

Today as Rolex left us for his next journey - to heaven or another life, I don’t know, I think Bhagwan Krishna missed a point. We don’t mourn for the dead.

We grieve for our personal loss. We grieve because we will dearly miss what was so dear to us. We are sad because someone who added so much joy to our life will not be part of our life anymore.

Yes, maybe his soul has embarked on another adventure - but our journey was more exciting with him in it.

Grieving may not wise perhaps, but it’s very human.

My dear Rolex - I’ll always love you. I’ll always miss you. I so hope you have a better life with more fun, more love.

Take care, my love. Bon Voyage!

I wrote “Try your best, don’t worry about rest” as thought of the day.

Bittu erased a bunch of words and just left “try, don’t worry”

It’s so amazing seeing the little guy grow each day.

Holi 2025

Lottery Ticket

Harish, a devoted follower of Lord Krishna, had a peculiar habit. Every morning, without fail, he'd pray with great devotion, "Bhagwan, please let me win the lottery." This went on for 20 years, day in and day out.

Finally, one day, Lord Krishna appeared before him, looking slightly amused but also a tad annoyed. With a mischievous smile, Krishna said, "Harish, my dear, I've been hearing your prayers for years. But tell me—how do you expect to win the lottery if you never even buy a ticket?"