I have a white Ferrari, the Ferrari with a capital F.

Today was a nice day and tomorrow will be better. Which day wasn’t and wouldn’t? I read a book titled, ‘I bought the monk’s Ferrari’’ written by a corporate honcho called Ravi Subramanian. This writer is an IIM-B alumnus and has done well for himself in his banking career. In his attempt to give back voluminously to the world that he cherishes, he has written this book that is parallel yet in some junctures questioning the other famous book on similar lines, ‘The monk who sold his Ferrari’ by Robin Sharma.
To me a Ferrari is a short, wide, powerful car. A red car. I like the sound the most followed by its sleek tiger like rear design. But for the rest of the educated world it means more. It means, panache incarnate, global status symbol, a rich man’s toy, an answer to a mid-life crisis, a proof of piles of stock money and the finest cars in the world. A Ferrari is not a spec sheet of an automobile. It is a dream.
The author eloquently equates Ferrari with an image of the reason of human existence. He describes it as the pinnacle of one’s worldly sojourn which everyone should aspire. It means ultimate happiness, success, contended and uncomplicated life. But the author deftly also manages to remind the readers that his definition of the pinnacle is not necessarily accepted by all and that different people like to take different stances. The corporate player that he is, he equates success with quick pay rises, promotions, perks, international holidays, mansions, private jets and islands, although he claims his teachings can be applied in all fields. He is also quick to dismiss the escapists who say that the Ferrari comes with a price, a heavy one that would not let you pursue alternate interests, high mental an emotional stress, and little or no time for the family. “You have to realise one thing that the Ferrari is not owned by millions. It is only for the crème de la crème. As it is they are fewer in number…even fewer among them own the Ferrari’’. This book professes that only people with Ferraris are happy. He enlists Ten Commandments for attaining the Ferrari which is explained in good detail in the book.
1. To acquire the Ferrari you need to aspire. And when you aspire, do not compromise for anything but the best.
2. Be optimistic, chase the negative thoughts away. A positive frame of mind will surely get you closer to your Ferrari.
3. Do not whine and whimper about ‘work-life’ balance. Be the winner, not the wimp, and the Ferrari will be yours.
4. Set and follow the highest standard of integrity in your personal and professional lives. If you are high on integrity, people will respect and value you. The Ferrari when it comes will stay with you.
5. Value your time and of the others, and be rest assured that the Ferrari will come to you.
6. No one is perfect. The moment you think you are, it is the countdown to doomsday. Earning the Ferrari is all about upgrading yourself, improving your skill sets and equipping yourself for the future. And for this, the initiative has to be yours.
7. Identify the owners of the Ferrari and align yourself with them. If you are in the company of successful people, their success will rub off on you. You need to back it up with stellar performances. If you live in Ferrari town, chances are, you will get to drive one sooner.
8. Share your success with others. If you commit to uplift the downtrodden you will become the true owner of the Ferrari.
9. Remain in perfect shape and fighting fit. No one will entrust you with a Ferrari if you cannot drive it.
10. If you have followed all the commandments with dedication and determination, it is the time to build up a profile for yourself. Target your audience and announce your achievements. You will own the Ferrari in no time.
After the Ten Commandments, the author escalates our imaginations further when he reveals the FERRARI.
Fortune for Every Right Rigorous And Resourceful person.
I beg to differ with this concept. I do not agree with the fact that only winners are happy. I do not believe fortune brings happiness. I do not also believe that all right, rigorous and resourceful people will have fortune.
If there is a competition, there can be one winner-The whole world is competing for fortune- Does that mean only the richest person in the world is happy?
I think it is at this point where I think Robin Sharma’s book did slightly better. I think the yogi in the book gave a place for non-winners a place to dwell in this biosphere. The yogi teaches the protagonist how worldly achievements should not come on the way to a happy, peaceful and content life.
From a spiritual point of view, I believe that it is the sinful human self that is necessitating the need for such senile books. I think only unconditional love can negate FERRARI. If love is what every organism seeks, then the need for fortune is annihilated.

I wrote a poem a few years ago when I was competing in the Premedical examinations and misfortune didn’t let me achieve what I desired and deserved. I was right, rigorous and resourceful. After that episode, I learnt to live with what I get and be happy and content with it. I wrote a poem during those wonderful days.

Life- the expressway

Life, the expressway
Has something posh near something rickety
Drivers come on, some happy and some sad,
Sad because of their possessions and happy for the same,
Sad because of their consistent breakdowns
And others because of their low speeds in the top gear,
Happy is the man who takes the breakdowns in his stride
And is happy of his steady speed.
Sad is the man who changes shades looking at attractive fellow drivers,
But happy is the man who sticks to a single shade, loyal to his conscience
Life the expressway is with too many so called unwanted round-a-bouts and red lights
Happy is the man, who follows traffic lights and sad is the one to whom fine follows for breaking rules,
Happy is the man who learns from the past and is smart
Sad is the man who is full of confidence and is over smart
Above all,
Life is an endless expressway where anybody and everybody are everybody and anybody.

I have a Ferrari with a capital F because I realised Microsoft word processes Ferrari with a capital F. My Ferrari is uncharacteristically white, because I prefer zero entropy.