Saurav Arya

There was a survey once. A 1000 people when asked, if they could know in advance would they want to know the exact day of their death. 96% of them, said no.  I always kind of leaned toward the other 4%. I think it would be liberating.Knowing how much time, we have left to work with.

Well, here is my list. May be  you would be having something interesting to share with me as well. So, don’t hesitate,  feel free to post link to your ‘bucket list’ in comment to this post.

Here I  go :

1. Vacation @ French Polynesia

2. Inspire someone

3. Lead a mysterious life

4. Direct a Movie

5. Be on TV

6. Spend a week without making any ‘to do’ list.

7. Sky Dive

8. Get married and have kids.

9. Amazon Rainforest Safari tour with Mummy,Papa,Bhaiya and Didi

10. Upload a list of my unfinished works and things that i wanted to, but could never start.

11. To be at worlds best rooftop bar –

12. Get featured in a magazine/newspaper

13. Live somedays like a prehistoric man

14. To win my love, get her back and love her more than ever.

15. Make some toys for my kids.

16. Set foot on each of the seven continents

17. Learn another language

18. Spend 24 hrs alone in a jungle

19. Meet Gulzar sahab

20. Take Mom and Dad to Mauritius

21. Make 1 million in a day

22. Convert to Buddhism

23. Start a business of my own

24. Run through the jungle with winds in my hair and sands at my feet

25. Gift Dad a new car

26. Get made a wax sculpture of my mom

27. Write a song for a bollywood movie

28. Meet Prasoon Joshi & Vishal Bhardwaj

29. Make love on a private boat in moonlight

30. Get caught while having sex and not feel embarassed

31. Learn Salsa

32. Witness Aurora Borealis

33. Dedicate a book of poetry to my Mom

34. Dedicate a book of poetry to my love

35. Learn to sing

36. Start a band of my own

37. Ride a horse in Russian jungle

38. Make comics for my kids

39. Get behind the bars

40. Witness something majestic

41. Share my Gmail/Twitter/Facebook password with my love

42. Gift my nephew Krrish a mini bike

43. Learn to swim

44. participate in an International Film Festival

45. Write an autobiography

46. One night stand

47. Get a green home for myself

48. Buy a zero emission car for myself

49. Visit Moonland (Ladakh)

50. Get six packs

51. Be a certified Scuba Diver

52. Be a social entrepreneur

53. Be a web entrepreneur

54. Float in Dead Sea

55. Listen to pope live at vatican

56. Watch IMDB Top 250 Movies

57. Do bungee jumping

58. Race against the rain and get drenched badly

59. Find a location independent job.

60. Learn to play Saxophone

61. Get a tattoo

62. Wrestle with my grandson

63. Donate my eyes

64. Make a worldtrip

65. File a patent

66. Redesign supply chain for a Fortune 500 company

67. Get recognised as a tough negotiator

68.  Get my hairs braided

69. Get recognised as a Photographer

70. Get my travelogue published

71. Visit Mayanagri (Lucknow)

72. Do something to promote Bihar tourism

73. Become Vegetarian

74. Learn Chinese

75. Get an international award for documentary filmmaking

76. Make my own ‘Motorcycle Diaries’

77.Work for an Ad Agency

78. Get into fashion fotography

79. www.sauravarya.com

80. Become a digital nomad.

81. Adopt a child

82. Translate Daddy’s autobiography to a foreign language

83.  Get retirement at the age of 50

84.  Meet Sir Richard Branson

85.  Buy a house in a  Himalayan village

86.  Trigger a social revolution

87.  Remind myself,  “You are as good as your imaginations and dreams”

88.  Learn Guitar

89.  Read “The complete works of Oscar Wilde”

90.  Keep walking continuously for 4 hours

91.  Parasailing

92.  River rafting.

93. Visit Pakistan

94.  Sell off all my possessions

95.  Live in a countryside for 1 year

96. Learn to cook

97. Space Travel

98.  Work for an NGO

99. Visit Cuba

100.

101. Cheer up a stranger at the other side of the world

Hello so-and-so@gmail.com,

Today I’d like to talk about a significant change I underwent in last 9 months.

Last year at about this time I was feeling choked sitting in a cubicle in  Technopolis,salt lake, Kolkata. Now, as I am writing this post, I am enjoying the cool breeze of Bangalore at my terrace. But the truth is I could be anywhere. I could be at Palolem beach, Goa enjoying sun, sand and waves or at any Himalayan village making plans for river rafting and trekking. This is what freedom means to me. Freedom to choose  my location. Freedom to be location independent.

Have you ever wondered that you can continue to work and travel at the same time? To be true, till last year it was beyond my imagination and had so many ‘what if’ and ‘how can’ in my mind. Now, that I’ve figured out answers myself mostly by taking the plunge,accepting the challenge and trying it out myself; I’m totally afraid of cubicles. Cubicles to me is now synonymous with ww2 concentration camps.

For me, its been a giant step and I’m still searching for true mobility.Still learning what’s possible.

On a lazy day, I IM’ed my dear ones and gave them less than 2 mins to tell me  the song which they think describes me the best. 16 out of 21 took less than 10 seconds.

1. O sanam, Lucky Ali

2. Chala jaata hoon kisi ki dhun me , Kishore Kumar

3. Yuhi chala chal rahi , Swades

4. Aawara Hoon, Aawara

5.  Free Bird, Lynyrd Skynyrd

6.  Phir Dekhiye, Rock On

7.  Sapno se bhare naina, Rock on

8. Nahi rakhta dil me kuch, Lucky Ali

9. Sindbad the Sailor, Rock on

10.  Papa kehte hai, Qayamat se Qayamat tak

11.  I am the best , Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani

12.  Mai zindagi ka saath, Hum Do

13. Wo to hai albela, KHKN

14.  Mai hoon jhum jhum jhumroo, Jhumroo

15.  Aankh maare O ladka, Tere mere saapne

16. Paranoid Android, Radiohead

17. Kis kis kis kisko, Shammi Kapoor

18. One moment in time, Whitney Houston

19. Yeh jo desh hai tera, Swades

20.  Jab bhi koi haseena, Hera Pheri

21. Behti hawa sa , 3 Idiots

1. Caves

2. Lizards

3. December 21, 2012

4. Losing my wallet

5.  Knowing the date I’ll die

6. Getting Married

7.  Blood donation

8. Getting Kidnapped

9. A 9 to 5 cubicle job

10. Loss of imagination

11. Routine

12. Loneliness

13. Losing my Passport

14. Losing memory

15.Life, if its really an illusion

16. Forgetting all my passwords

17. Losing any 3 out of 5 senses

18.

19. Batting without wearing an abdomen guard

20. Doctors who takes an appointment to discuss test results.

Back from Dubai Trip and striking off #39 and #90 from the list.

One day I got up with a plan to push my boundaries, thus expanding my comfort zone in a variety of unforeseen ways. I asked my friends to Dare me to do something funny , embarassing, strange or adventurous along with a suggested donation amount/reward. If I accept, I’ll write about it, post pictures or videos on the blog and show my thanks by adding him/her on Dare Me! page.

Your dares are always welcomed no matter I’m dead or alive. Submit your dares any time you feel like throwing down a challenge by adding it as a comment to this post.

DARE#1 – Get Married!

From: Naveen.

Reward : Naveen’s presence at my wedding would be no less than a reward

DARE#2 – Dance Salsa for 5 mins non stop with a hot Arabic girl in a disc in Dubai.

From : Debasree.

Reward : Something she can’t say on public forum

DARE#3 – watch ‘RGV ki aag’ daily for a week

From : Utkrisht.

Reward : RGV ki agli movie ka DVD

DARE#4 – Walk the ramp

From : Debasree.

Reward : She will take me out for partying the same night

DARE#5 – Recognise Gunjan before she recognise me at Dubai Airport

From : Gunjan

Reward : Autographed Tshirt

Status : Lost the bet! Got totally stumped by Gunjan’s new avatar in hijab and specs. (31/03/10) - http://www.twitpic.com/1cc8jo