The Road Ahead ...

“And so this mortal went ahead in his journey. A quest to find himself in the hidden parts of his very soul. And when he travelled across the seven oceans and the highest peaks, he realised that he wasn’t destined to be normal but to be The One. Not only because he had the will and might of the gods but because he had the power of belief.”

-The Book Of Prophecies.

In a few hours I will be on my way to the airport. I am going for two and half months to the land of the free and the home of the brave. After 13 years I will finally be going back to Los Angeles. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am. But beyond the excitement and the rush of going back there I feel this deep sense of responsibility. Like I have gotten a chance by the mighty universe to get even more better. In these past few months I have done courses in Comedy Improv, Salsa, Hip Hop and gotten the taste of Crossfit. I promised myself that I will emerge myself in my preparation for the great opportunity that very soon is going to come my way. But since it was decided a couple months ago that I was going to the United States I decided that all the training should be put on hold and all the energy and focus should be directed towards Los Angeles. And you know me, I find the true, spiritual meaning in everything that happens to me and lately I have started seeing the positive in every situation and trust me, even though the situation may not change, you surely feel a whole lot better when you see what you can be grateful for even in the midst of normality. Trust me readers, all that happens, happens only for the good and when you have the power of belief, anything is possible.

"Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination."

-Drake

Do you remember The Dark Knight Rises? Do you remember Bane’s character in it? We all know that he was a Merc for hire but do you remember when Alfred is giving Bane’s introduction to Bruce Wayne? Do you remember what does he say? He says, “Master Wayne, what I see isn’t just a man on a mission, what I see is the Power Of Belief.” Many people have asked me, “What is it that you want to do with your life?” And I simply tell them, I want to be a part of the movies now and forever. And then they ask, “Then why aren’t you doing what others are?” And I reply, I can and without your knowledge I actually do all those things but what I also do, is prepare and keep my focus and make sure that I learn and train and use all my energy on making myself better because I know that one day my time will come and when it does come I will be ready. And this answer isn’t a sense of arrogance but it is my Power Of Belief. A belief so strong that it will one day change the world. A belief with such will and might that one day I will shine as bright as the sun. A belief with such purity and focus that one day I will no longer be in the sidelines but in the spotlight.

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

-Greg Anderson

You all know that I went to Phuket last year, twice. And both those times and in fact, also at every new year’s eve I have this custom I follow. I play a few stages on either Medal Of Honour or Ghost Recon Future Soldier and I hear the song Stupify from the rock band Disturbed. Even tonight, I have followed the very same custom. It is like I am reminding myself who I truly am and what responsibilities lay in front of me and what all I need to do in the 2 1/2 months that are now in front of me. It is me showing myself that behind the iron clad skin, my soul will always be on a quest to learn and explore more. That deep down, I will always be grateful to the universe and to my parents and to my family and to my life itself for making me the man that I am today. That every thing that has happened in my life has brought me to this new exciting juncture of my life where I will only evolve. So before I leave, I will put my headphones on and Stupify will be heard by the nerves of my brain for the trillionth time and everything in the universe will look beautiful and the siren of the gods will be heard.

"We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we've established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile."

-Earl Nightingale

So what is in stored for me in the city of angels? Well, first it is the UFC 200 expo happening in las vegas which I really really wanna go for ‘cause I will get the opportunity to see and meet the amazing ufc fighters and also take pictures with them! it will truly be a dream come true for me! And it is on the 8th so I can tell the jet lag to take a hike ‘cause I will be going to vegas! And then it is the grand UFC Gyms which are located all over LA for me to choose from and be a part of. I have waited nearly 6 years to train in a UFC Gym and very soon that dream of mine will come true! Then it is the endless places and spots where comedy improv and stand-up comedy workshops are taking place for me to choose from. Since I have done till Level 2 here it would be great to see what level 3 has in stored for me over there. I also goggled Parkour and Crossfit gyms which I can join and I will also be enrolling myself at the IDA Hollywood Centre.  The International Dance Academy in Hollywood. It is one of the most renowned and popular and recognised dance centres in Los Angeles and when you see their students perform their hip-hop moves on youtube you will agree with me that it will truly be an honour to be a part of their centre. And of course when I will be done with kicking a 1,000 kicks at the UFC gym and sweating it at and learning new dance moves at IDA and trying to come up with spontaneous jokes at the comedy stand-up studio, I will be touring the Universal City Walk, watching all the latest films, and taking a gazillion pics and keep snap chatting as much as I can. So it looks like I have a very busy 2.1/2 months in front of me. And even though it took 13 years for me to go back, I can tell you right now, every moment of that wait was worth it. 

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."

-Matsuo Basho

So once again I embark on a new chapter of my life. I embark on a task to make myself better and make my parents proud and prove to myself without a shadow of a doubt that I have the will and determination to go beyond the call of duty. To be the best version of myself and to push harder when I can’t anymore. I thank you all for being my readers. I thank my family for this opportunity and I thank the universe for giving this feeling of bliss. I can’t promise if I will blog from there but if I do I will share all my bliss and joy with you as well. You see, the universe is a friendly place and I am a firm believer in the power of it. I know I am connected to it. And I know it is with me every step of the way. You can harness it’s power also. You can also find your joy and bliss. Never doubt it. Never give in to the negativity that you feel may cloud over you sometimes. Find the greater good. Seek the happiness and it will cone to you. Rumi said a very wonderful thing once. He said, “What You Seek Is Also Seeking You.” Ask yourself the question. Go on that quest and your joy will come to you. So before I go all I can say is that I have beautiful road ahead of me, which is filled with excitement and joy and learning and bliss. And everyday I will the grateful for the blessings the universe showers over me. I hope you do that also.

This is Me, Mahaakshay Chakraborty and this is My Story.

With All My Might,

Your No.1 Fan,

Mahaakshay Chakraborty.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

I Am The Fight ...

"And this mortal of ours, He will finally know his calling. And then, he will vanish into the wilderness. He will go on a quest to find the true meaning of his existence. And he will go through hell and back and he will touch his own darkness. And then one day, when the world will need him the most he shall return. But until that time comes, this mortal will fight the monsters and the mayhem. He will rise his sword and vanquish the evil from the face of the earth and in the end, when he will finally hear the siren, he will return and he will bring the fight with him."

-The Book Of Prophecies.

Yes, it has been a while. I remember, the last blog I wrote was before I was leaving for Fight Camp. And now, it has been more than 45-50 days that I am returning here to write my newest entry. I guess like all writers, I only open the laptop and start typing when the words in my head can't be contained anymore. Like all writers, sometimes the words just come out at the right time and I guess this is that right time. This is that time when the world needs to read something more about me yet again.

Yes, I do know you all wanna know about Fight Camp and trust me, I am ecstatic to tell you all about it as well. But before I begin, I just want you to know that going to fight camp was by far the most amazing and evolved experience of my life!

I left for fight camp on the 1st of September and I returned back to Mumbai a month later. Everyone who met me after I returned were in awe of the transformation that occurred. I thank everyone for their lovely words and I also thank all the people out there who were very kind to leave wonderful comments on my pics and trust me, it is because of all of you that I do that little extra. It is because of your belief that I go the extra mile. So thank you from the bottom of my heart to be there for me. :-)

To be honest I was petrified to go to camp! It was the 1st time in my life that I was going to a different country all by myself and living in a new environment outside of my family's and that scared me yet excited me! Along with the fact that I was going away for a month was the promise that I gave to my family that when they see me again, they would meet a new me. And I am happy to say that, that is what exactly happened. I did change a lot. But more than the physical appearance I think I changed more mentally. I evolved more when I was alone for 30 days. Of course, I made wonderful friends over there and I know that my friendship with those amazing people will last forever but being there, day in and day out, attending 3 classes everyday, in the scorching heat, dripping sweat like water, I realised that I was always meant to be this man. This man, who was always part of the wilderness. And the man who always meant to Fight.

"I do what I do because it is the right thing to do. I am a warrior, and it is the way of the warrior to fight superior odds."

-Paul Watson

I still remember the 1st day of camp. I arrived in the afternoon and I met the manager of Tiger muay Thai and Mma. His name was Jolan and he was very kind and sweet and showed me the entire camp and also gave me a brief introduction of all the facilities that the camp had to offer. I was thrilled and I wasn't going to wait until the next day to start training so I went for the 4pm Muay Thai Beginner's Class. The class lasted 2 hours and by the time the class was over, I was tired and dizzy in the dry Phuket heat! I also got my ass handed to me 'cause I was sparring against many Muay Thai fighters who were kind enough to show us a few moves. All in all it was the toughest 2 hours of my life and I knew that this was only the beginning!

Before I went to Phuket, I had only googled TMT {Tiger Muay Thai} and so I had no clue as to how amazing it would be and how many various classes it had to offer. And if you thought that TMT was the only camp there you were so wrong! TMT had located me at the 2home Resort which was a 10mins walk from the camp and so while coming and going to camp, I also saw that there were 3 gyms, 2 more muay thai camps, 1 truly amazing cross fit centre and another Mma camp on the same street! And not to mention the countless Healthy Restaurants and the shops with multiple Mma brands to choose from! I was in Fitness paradise! Yes, that is the only way to describe it!

Everyone was always on scooters or motor bikes but I decided that I would rent a cycle. Well, a cycle with gears and that way I would cycle my way to camp everyday. Now, of course I realise that renting a bike would had been a much better choice but back then I really liked my Bike Rides, even when it was pouring and thunder storms would come and go. I had an amazing connection with that bike and when I do return to camp, maybe I would rent it again. :-)

And so my one month at phuket started. I was thrilled and excited and nervous and yet full of energy and as the days went by and I got the feel of the place and I knew it in my heart that this won't be the 1st and last time that I would visit this place. Only 4-5 hours away from Mumbai, I knew that this place would eventually be my 2nd home. :-)

"Each Warrior wants to leave the mark of his will, his signature, on important acts hetouches. This is not the voice of ego but of the human spirit, rising up and declaring that it has something to contribute to the solution of the hardest problems, no matter how vexing!"-Pat Riley

And so as the days went on I got engrossed into my training. Day in and day out I went deeper and deeper into this amazing world of training. Whether it was Brazilian Jui-Jitsu in the morning or Combat Conditioning with the russian fighters by 9:30am, I tested my abilities everywhere. And during these sessions I came across the Strength and Conditioning class which was by far the most packed and famous class in camp. And the reason it was so was because of the instructor John Priest. He was truly amazing in what he did and also the exercises he made us perform. The classed were tough and challenging but they were rewarding as well. 

John Priest was also one of the trainers who was coaching Roger Huerta, a veteran in the Mma world for his fight which was coming up in a few weeks. Mr. Priest was truly an inspiration for us all but what was more rewarding was that one day he came up to me and shook my hand and told me something that I would never forget. He told me, "I need more people like you in my class. You can motivate others and make them push more and you inspire me!" I was speechless after what I had heard and I knew that I had earned the respect of one of the best Trainers I had the honour of training with!

And if that wasn't enough, Sir came up to me a few days before I left camp and told me that he wants to train me one on one! Of course I did train with him and every moment of that class was like a dream come true for me! After that class sir shook my hand and told me that I want to see you back here again someday very soon and I told him, "I promise I would be back sir." Who knew that I would fulfil that promise sooner than I had ever expected. :-)

"Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men."

-Miyamoto Musashi

Everyday for me in phuket was an adventure. Whether it was the moody weather, or the amazing local food, I had the privilege to experience it all! The people were very friendly and thai sports massages after training were very relaxing and soothing as well. But there is one incident I really wanna share with you. I met this Russian Fighter in camp. His name was Alexi and he was preparing for his fight in Indonesia at the upcoming One Fc Mma event. I observed him for a few days and the more I did, this Navy Seal looking guy became my inspiration and hero! He never spoke to anyone and trained like an animal throughout the day. Even during dinner, he would sit alone and eat his meal with his head phones on. I knew I had to befriend him. Luckily for me, he was in the same classes as I was and we always gave each other a nod of recognition before starting class. There were also times when I tried talking to him but since he was the quit types our conversations weren't more than a word of Hi and Hello. But on that one fruitful day, everything changed. :-)

We were having our Wrestling class by 5pm and I was already 2 classes down with only one meal inside of me. Wrestling like Jui-Jitsu and Mma Sparring is very tough and it requires an enormous amount of cardio and agility. I of course as the over enthusiastic person that I am volunteered for the wrestling class 'cause I wanted to know how it is. Of course Alexi was there and after the 15mins warm-up and the 30mins Technical Drills, our instructor told us all to wrestle with one another in a 'friendly non-competitive' way. After the 1st round Alexi looked at me and told me to wrestle with him in the 2nd round. I of course was in candy land and said Yes and what followed was an experience I would never forget.

As soon as the bell rang we were grappling and 40 seconds into the round Alexi just applied a little pressure on my right shoulder and before I knew it, my shoulder popped! Oh yeah, you heard me, the Right Shoulder just popped out of the socket! The pain was excruciating and when he asked me what was wrong, I told him I was fine and then it took me one whole minute to bring the shoulder ball back in! After that was done I managed to wrestle with him for the remaining of the round and somehow survive the gruelling agony which I was feeling. Of course I went head on with him for the next 2-3 rounds and I think Alexi put me on the mat for more than 20-30 times! But by the end of the most toughest ass-kicking session of my life Alexi came up to me and shook my hand and smiled! Yes, he smiled! For me, that smile meant a lot and I knew that after all the wait and ass-whopping I had finally made friends with my hero on camp. :-)

"Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior."

-Carl von Clausewitz

By the end of camp I was nicknamed as the 'Machine'! I shit you not but that is what everyone started calling me there. Whether it was me doing my Private Muay Thai sessions with Master Danai with my elevation mask on or whether it was me training 3 classes a day, 5 days a week at the most Advanced Levels of training at TMT and Unit-27, I was not Mahaakshay or Mimoh anymore. I was the Machine. For a guy like me who was always the fat kid in school, hearing the word Machine was like the best compliment ever! 

I knew that opting to come to this Camp was one of the best decisions of my life and when I think of it, I only smile. And that smile comes from a deep sense of joy and contentment that I kept the promise I gave to my family and to myself. But when I came back, I knew that My training here won't ever be the same again. When I got back I went to the same gyms I did before but something was different. The people were the same but the feeling felt a little different. It was like I knew I can do better and train harder and push more. Of course the Bodyholics Gym which just opened in Andheri is the only Gym which comes close to the level of training I had there and luckily for me, my Coach, Abbas Ali owns the gym!

But at times like these, I know I have to wait for that right film to come. I know I can do more than just wait for the opportunity to present itself. I can be prepared for it! And that is why I have opted to go back to camp for another 30 days in the month of November. I know how the camp is now and I also know that I can push myself more than I did last time and I can also enrol myself into Phuket Top Team, the Technical Fight Factory and the Muscle Bar Meal Plan. This is me, upgrading myself and pushing myself more harder than I ever have 'cause I know that only when I give, I will be given in return.

"To achieve the mood of a warrior is not a simple matter. It is a revolution. To regard the lion and the water rats and our fellow men as equals is a magnificent act of a warrior's spirit. It takes power to do that."

-Carlos Castaneda

You can ask me, "Why do you wanna go back to camp? You just came home!" Well, let me explain that to you then.

All my life I have fought. And now, after all these years, I have become very good at it. Whether the fight for me has been physical or mental, I know that I am at my best when I am in the battlefield. Going to Phuket gave me a taste of that Battle a little more and now I am hungry for more! I want to go back 'cause I feel alive when I am pushed and tested and when my Body is screaming for Rest from the heat of the sun or when my limbs tell me that they can't move an inch further. I am Myself when I am fighting. And that is why I choose to go back. At times like these I relate myself to Frank Castle aka The Punisher. In one of the most important stories of him ever told, there is a chapter when he is at Central Park with his family just before they get gunned down. While his children are playing he comes up to his wife Maria and tells her, "I am leaving you." She is in tears and asks him why? He says, "I feel dead inside. This life isn't for me. I am sorry." And before she could say anything the bullets start piercing them from all over and they die right in front of his eyes.

The reason this story is so close to me is because now I can say 'That I am Frank Castle' in more ways than one. For me, normality ins't exciting anymore. I spoil for a Fight and I lust for War. I truly am a War Junkie and I know that my end will truly be in the Battlefield. I have to go back and be alone. With myself, with my thoughts and with my true purpose. I have to look myself in the mirror and remind myself everyday that this is who I truly am. I am a man who has fallen in love with his War and I am a man who will never have enough of it. 

I can't wait to go back. I can't wait for my name to be heard when the Frankie gives the call-out for the people present in class. I can't wait to Wrestle in my Hayabusa Rash Guard and I can't wait to be the man who is turning into the Lone Wolf. The remnant of Ares himself.

I know I may sound weird. And I know that all of you are finding and fighting for something also. So I hope you maybe be able to connect with the way I feel. None of us have it easy. We all want something and that is why we fight. The only difference is we fight in different battlefields. As I said before I know my time will come and until that day comes, I will train and I will learn and I will make myself better in every possible way that I can. This is who I am and this is what I will always be.

This is Me, Mahaakshay Chakraborty and I Am The Fight.

"You are part of that horrid expression, the best and the brightest. It can be a terrible burden if you let it be, but it is the great challenge of your time. And being a warrior in that challenge should be wondrous."

-Paul Tsongas

With all my might,

Your No.1 Fan,

Mahaakshay Chakraborty.

*********************************************************************************