Ephemeral Feelings

Bumper Quotes to keep You Happy on a Bumpy Road

2011-12-17T16:32:00.000+05:30

Have you seen the quotes that appear on trucks on Indian highways? Some of them are really funny, some are quite sweet and carry a social message on not to drink and drive, or to drive carefully etc. Here, are some I find quite nice:-

Dhenda hai rabsabko, log jalte hai phir bhi pata nahi kyuBuri nazar wale tera bhi bhala ho

Ram janam meindhoodh mila, Krishna janam mein gheeKalyug meinsharaab mili, beta soch samajh kar pee

Bheyu nakush mee tujhya pathishi aahe

Sau mein nabbebeimaan fir bhi Mera Bharat Mahaan

Chalti hai gaadi, udti hai dhool, jaltey hain dushman,khiltey hain phool

The ones below are the most common and I guess everyone's favourite or rather almost synonymous with trucks in India:-

Horn Ok Please

Buri nazar wale tera muh kala

Use Dipper at Night – however, some spelling mistakes canmake this really funny:–

Use Dippie at Night

Use Diaper at Night

Use Deeper at Night

Revealing the Surpise - Free Holiday Card Giveaway!

2011-12-07T10:21:00.006+05:30

Hi! Well, the wait is finally over, I am revealing the surprise I had planned for you :)
I am organizing a giveaway on my blog for the first time.

I have made these 4 cards, and will be giving 1 card each to 4 winners. If you want, I would address the card to you, or you can gift them to your loved ones this holiday season.

All you need to do is leave a comment. Bonus points if you also like the facebook page for this blog.

I am extending this contest, you can take part in this till 16th of Dec 2011.

So hurry up! :)

_____________________________________________________________

Addendum

Hi, thanks to all the readers who participated in the giveaway. Since, there were only 4 cards for grabs, I can't declare all of you a winner but really happy to see your interest in the blog, and hope that would continue to receive your valuable comments.

The winners were chosen using a random number generator. The winners are Bikram, AT, Santosh and Rahul. Congratulations! :)

Please mail me your postal address at gunjan1345@gmail.com, so that I can post you the cards. Wish you and all the readers a very Happy Holidays! :)

La la la la la - Tunes on my mind

2011-12-04T02:56:00.001+05:30

These days, everyday I have one tune in my head, be it the la la la from this ad, or the the song Tu Mera Hero:-

or the song that has become a favourite across the country - Why this Kolaveri di:-

What's on your playlist today? :)

Surprise - Coming Soon!

2011-11-22T09:48:00.000+05:30

Source: eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com via Johana on Pinterest

I am planning a surprise for you dear reader :)

Watch this space for more....................

Massage Etiquette

2011-11-19T16:00:00.000+05:30

The company I work in is running a marketing campaign, in relation to that they had organized a special event for employees yesterday. A popular spa and some electronic massage equipment company were called in. They had both set up a stall in our office pantry. We could try the massage equipment for free and then buy it at discounted rates. The spa offered a free foot massage, and a special offer on their annual membership. I tried everything and it was a good feel. I have tried massage before and its quite a relaxing experience.

My friend bought the membership to the spa. We later had a discussion on full body massage. What is the real etiquette for it – do they really massage the entire body and concerns associated with it. So after a bit of research on it, here’s what you should know about massage etiquette:-

First and foremost, whether you go to a spa or call a masseur to your house, book your appointment only when you are totally free so that you can totally be involved in the experience and gain from it.

A massage therapist would massage you everywhere apart from your genitalia and chest for a full body massage. Also if any point you are not comfortable with your masseur, massaging a particular area, then you need to communicate this to him/her.

If you feel the pressure is too intense or too low, then you should inform your massage therapist.

Incase you have a preference for a particular type of oil or a special condition. Lets say, you are too stressed and find it difficult to sleep. Then you should inform your masseur before hand so they can suggest the most appropriate massage therapy for you, and change/select massage oil accordingly.

During a massage, make sure you switch off your cellphone and are free from all distractions.

A lot of times, its too embarrassing or actually weird when you go for a massage. Be it of any kind - foot, head or body. You feel strange that there is a stranger who is massaging you. But, try to think of it as if the masseur is your doctor. And try and be comfortable about it. Sometimes you might feel too stiff or maybe your pains etc might actually increase the first time. This maybe because its your first time or maybe because there is something wrong with your masseur. So you need to experiment a bit before you find out what actually works for you. Mostly a massage well done would make you feel relaxed, and you will feel like sleeping during and after it.

Children's Day & Violence Against Women

2011-11-14T12:03:00.001+05:30

Just a day before children’s day, I read one of the most morbid news article ever.

The rate of rape in India has risen by 800% in the last decade. Not only rape, overall the incidence of violence against women is high – female infanticide and domestic violence to name some. As per the article, Indian men think they should not help their wives in the house, because its only the ‘women’s work’. They think their wives, daughters, sisters should dress the way they like, because otherwise they are just inviting trouble. They think they can beat up their wives because they don’t listen to them. They think they should kill their daughters because they are daughters.

Mostly they just want to teach women a lesson. Lesson for not listening to them.

The acts that comprise violence against women in India - female infanticide, domestic violence and rape, all seem to be an outcome of frustration that the men are facing in their own lives. Somehow there is a prevailing mentality that a woman deserves to be shown a place, a place below man.

A majority of the male population do not think much of the women in their lives. Its perfectly fine if they check out other girls, commit adultery, wear whatever they want, and meet whoever they want and hang out wherever they want. If they don’t listen to their wife, its absolutely fine, that wife anyhow has no right over them because who is she, she is just a wife!

The crime rates indicate that:-

If a girl breaks up with a guy, the guy has every right to throw acid on her face and make her ugly for life or publicize the MMS he shot with her.
If a girl rejects a guy’s proposal he has every right to rape her.
If a girl wears short skirts or not, and returns home from work late at night, even her pick up and drop driver has every right to rape her and kill her after that.
If a girl appears in a MMS, is divorced or raped, every man has a right to laugh at her and call her a slut.

Is this what men should be? I think that somewhere, these men have learnt some really wrong lessons about the way they view women. Perhaps their parents were not able to instill the correct values in them, or perhaps their peers taught them that to be a man, you need to keep the women in your life under your heel. The most disturbing trend is that any no from a woman, is seen to be the spark that leads to the fire (crime against the woman in this case). Maybe its an issue of the so-called male ego as stated in the article, or maybe its that as a society, we are encouraging the growth of individuals who take sadistic pleasure in feeding on the helpless - women being the easier target, fulfill this need quite well.

I think its high time, families take responsibility for the way they are imparting values to their younger generations. One can imagine that for a son, a father will always be his first and maybe only role model. So if the father cannot respect his wife and resorts to domestic violence, we cannot expect the son to imbibe respect and love for womenkind.

This children's day, I hope that both parents - fathers and mothers alike, take a stand to teach better values to their children. To become good role models. To have a marriage devoid of distrust and violence and instead have an environment for mutual respect for each other. So that their kids see and understand that a man and woman compliment each other and each deserve love and respect.

I' m Not Twenty Four by Sachin Garg - A Book Review

2011-11-10T20:42:00.004+05:30

The prologue to I’ m not Twenty Four… states – There are two types of stories. One, where you sit up and say ‘this is so me.’ Second, when a story takes you to a world you would hardly believe actually exists. This story is the latter. I'm Not Twenty-Four.. really is the latter type of story!

I'm Not Twenty-Four… is a story of Saumya, a Delhi girl who loves shopping, coffee shops and everything chic. She is beautiful and has an impeccable fashion sense. She is an MDI graduate who gets placed in a leading steel manufacturing company and who then dreams of taking her glitzy corporate office by storm. Only she doesn’t land up in a glitzy corporate office in Delhi or Mumbai but in a small village of Karnataka called Toranagallu. This is where the story starts. How Saumya copes up with life in Toranagallu, be it the food, the letching locals, the hazards of working in a steel plant, the lack of company and the search for love is what the book is all about.

The story starts with Saumya and the day of placement in MDI, Gurgaon - her MBA school. She gets placed in a leading steel company and Saumya feels that now her life would be a smooth sail. However, Saumya being a gender neutral name, is taken to be a male candidate by the HR team and lands up getting posted at Toranagallu – a village in Karnataka. Author – Sachin Garg, has completed his management from MDI Gurgaon and has lived in Toranagallu hence he has described both places quite vividly. Saumya being from the north, and that too from a metro feels completely out of place in a village in Karnataka. For company, she has a nerdy classmate who got placed in the same company – Amit and a hep but heavily accented Kannada guy – Malappa who also joins the company with herself and Amit. Later on a trip to Hampi, they run into Shubhro, who adds to the love equation of the story. The prologue reminds one of ‘One Night at the Call Centre’ somewhat, where the author is narrated the story by a girl during a journey. However, it is quite a different tale altogether with its own twists and turns.

You would enjoy the book a lot if you like the kind of books written by Chetan Bhagat. I did not find it exceptionally great and it got a bit over the top for me at times but it’s definitely intriguing and has a lot of twists that keep you hooked from beginning to the end. I did feel that the author was not successful at writing the book from a completely girl point of view. I mean you could make out its written by a male, maybe it was the way he depicted sex, or showcased her fixation with shopping and heels.. I am not completely sure but I did not get that written by a female feeling. I also found around 5 typos in the book but they are not that annoying and one doesn’t really lose the flow of the story due to them.

The book explores several angles – the north-south food angle, the metro vs. small town angle and bad bosses at the workplace angle. However, what makes the book come shining through are:-

The growth of Saumya – how she transforms from a city girl with materialistic zeal into a character with great strength who overcomes several obstacles and moves forward.

Shubhro and the Impact he has on the People of Toranagallu and Saumya – One discovers that Shubhro is not a nomad without a purpose. He brings positive change by unconventional means and inspires Saumya to take the untrodden path too.

On the whole, I’ m not Twenty Four… is a light read and a coming of age story where we see how Saumya transforms and also finds love. At 100 rupees with an attractive book cover, I’ m not Twenty Four.. is quite a good deal. I recommend reading it when you are down with the hassles of life and feel that nothing is going to work out for you.

You never know you might feel inspired!

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Make Your Own Paper Lantern this Diwali!

2011-10-25T21:30:00.002+05:30

Diwali is here, and one of the simplest things that people use for decoration on diwali is a paper lantern or Aakashkandil. While you can buy one, making it yourself is also very simple and a lot of fun. Here’s how you can make one yourself:-

Take a rectangular sheet of paper – handmade paper, coloured paper or a coloured chart paper of your choice

Fold it in half and make sure you make a sharp crease. Take scissors and cut along the folded crease, make sure you leave a distance of atleast an inch from the edges. Make as many cuts as you want but keep them at equal distance.

Unfold the paper. If you want to add more decoration to it, you can do so now. You can add stickers, or draw small patterns on it with sketch pen. You can also stick ribbons to the edges or small strips of same paper. I have added little glitter to mine.

Add a small string or ribbon to top edge of the cut paper for hanging the lantern incase you want to hang it.

Once all your added decorations, and string has dried, roll the paper and glue the edges together and Voila, your lantern is ready!

You can put it as it is or put a bulb or candle inside it and see it spread a soft glow of colour around :)

Indian Puppetry

2011-10-19T16:15:00.004+05:30

Puppet Show from KBC 5

Last night’s episode of Panchkoti Mahamani Kaun BanegaCrorepati had a mini puppet show in the beginning. It was short and sweet and got me thinking that puppetry is such a fun art. Unfortunately it has become quite rare today. I think I actually saw a puppet show live for the first and only time atleast 15 years ago. It was a Kathputli show, typically seen in Rajasthan. I was a child that time and it was truly a very fascinating experience for me to see colourful dolls telling a story.

Puppetry is ofcourse an ancient art or means of entertainment that was there in place when there was no TV or internet. In olden days puppets were used to depict stories of kings, heroes or even satire on current political or social issues. There are various kinds of puppets – glove, rod, string and shadow:-

Glove Puppet from Kerala

Glove Puppet

Glove puppets are quite small in size and comprise of a head, arms and long skirt. These are attached to a glove which is worn by the puppeteer. The puppeteer controls puppet by moving his fingers. This form of puppetry is seen in the states of Kerala (Pava-kathakali), Orissa (Sakhi Kundhei- nacha) and West Bengal (Bener Putul nach).

Puppet from West Bengal

Rod Puppet

Rod puppets come in various shapes in sizes. The puppeteer controls the puppet through attached rods. The rods to control actions are attached to hands, and the main rod of the puppet is concealed in its costume. This type of puppet show is popular in Assam (Putula nach), Orissa (Kathi- Kundhei-nach) and West Bengal (Danger Putul nach).

Shadow Puppet

Shadow Puppet

Shadow puppets are cut-out figures which were traditionally made of animal skin. These are held between a source of light and a translucent screen. Light is directed on the screen from behind, in a way that the shadow of the puppet falls on it. The puppet cutouts have cane sticks attached vertically to them, for handling and manipulation. Shadow puppets are popular in Andhra Pradesh (Tholu Bommalata), Karnataka (Togalu Gombeyata), Kerala (Tolpavakoothu), Maharashtra (chamadyache Bahulya), Orissa, and Tamil Nadu (Tolpavaikoothu).

Kathputli

String Puppet

String puppets are also known as marionettes. They have a body and limbs that allow movement. String puppets are made of wood, or wire, or cloth stuffed with cotton, rags or saw dust. Strings are attached to various parts of the puppet’s body, and the puppeteer controls the puppet by loosening or pulling the strings. String puppets are popular in the states of Andhra Pradesh (Koyya Bommalata), Assam (Putala Nach), Karnataka (Sutrada Gombeyata), Maharashtra (Kalasutri Bahulya), Rajasthan (Kathputli), Orissa (Gopalila), Tamil Nadu (Bommalatam) and West Bengal (Tarer or Sutor Putul).

The ones shown on KBC were glove puppets, made of wood and they were actually 150 years old.

There are different puppet traditions in India. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Kerala, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal are some states where puppetry is still alive and all these places follow a different tradition altogether. You can read more about this at this site - Pavai

Puppetry can be used in the development of speech, reading, hearing and motor-control in spastic children. It can also be used to encourage artistic and creative abilities in kids - like drawing, painting, needlework, carpentry, composing music, writing songs and stories.

Barbie

2011-10-14T15:32:00.000+05:30

We got this Barbie for our maid’s daughter.

As a kid, I really enjoyed playing with Barbie, especially making her hair. Somehow, I just wanted to touch her hair to feel the texture once after so many years. So took her out of the package and did that. Loll, brought back happy memories! Mom will be giving this to the girl soon, hope she has fun :)

A woman's plight

2011-10-11T14:03:00.000+05:30

Rose by Mark Ryden

Its just another incident. A crime against a woman that will create sensation and fade away. What will remain is the victim’s plight and helplessness. A life of shame and tears. The incident is something I read about today, a dalit woman was paraded naked in UP, by an affluent dalit family. If I get into the politics of it, it shows that dalits themselves feel nothing for each other and a dalit CM did not do anything to improve the plight of dalits. If I go into the real facts of it, its not a question of being a dalit woman, it’s a question of being a woman. If you are a woman, you are everybody’s property, anyone and everyone can treat you the way they want. You have no status, no self respect, nothing, you are just a piece of shit!

Rape, naked parades, sexual harassment, mms videos, defaming identity on social networking sites – women in India have no escape from any of these. All they can do is pray that they are never subjected to this crap cos if they are nothing can help them. 7 or a few years of imprisonment for the culprit cannot restore the loss they experience. The loss of trust, dignity, spirit, self respect and the so called izzat and character. No one thinks once also of questioning the izzat or character of the culprit. Only the woman is blamed.

Its sick!

I am sick of reading about these incidents!

When will this end?

Have a Nice Day!

2011-10-08T12:55:00.002+05:30

Every Rainbow In The Sky

Every Pretty Butterfly

Tells The Fascinating News

To Those Who Dare To Hope

And The Message Is:

God Still Loves The World

God Still – Still Loves The World

So, Throw Your Life Into His Hands

Day By Day Discern His Plan

God Is Passionately Busy

Loving You And Me

~ A hymn

Butterfly

The butterfly is a flying flower,

The flower a tethered butterfly.

~Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

Butterfly Butterfly

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I flutter and turn

Flowers In The Garden

All Praise The Lord

Stars Twinkling In The Sky

All Praise The Lord

~ A hymn

Sadabahaar

Remembering Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T14:52:00.002+05:30

(Image Credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigalakos/847499434/in/photostream/)

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday. Being the man who came up with Apple and Pixar, he has left an iNspiring legacy behind.

Remembering him through some of his famous quotes:-

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

I want to put a ding in the universe.

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me… Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.

Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

Almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.

In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions.

Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. Its ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.

In the end, to sign of with the one that tells us to never lose our thirst to learn and experiment:-

Stay hungry, stay foolish!

Need for Nurturing Creativity

2011-10-07T13:24:00.001+05:30

Nurturing Creativity

(Image taken from the Internet)

I am currently really amused by the whole Narayan Murthy vs. Chetan Bhagat drama regarding the IITs. Narayan Murthy commented on the deteriorating quality of students churned out by the IIT and Mr. Bhagat took an offense to it as he is an alumnus whose sentiments are widely hurt by something that raises the finger on students of the premier institutes.

While both agree that the standard of IIT has gone down, both seem to have been caught in an unnecessary debate. Most importantly, media and news channels focused on the debate that Narayan Murthy said this and Chetan Bhagat felt hurt and said this. So, a stupid sort of sensationalism was created for lack of any relevant story. Everyone seems to have missed the main point that IITs are not able to cultivate talent in a manner expected of the best technology institute in the country. I am not going to question or debate on how talented IIT students or even IIM students are. I don’t think quality of students can deteriorate because in reality average IQ has grown higher over the years. People today learn and manage multiple stresses that were not there in earlier days due to simplicity of life. Technology and awareness has only grown more and more over the years. Everyone today has access to cellphones, computers, internet, emails and social networks and the stresses and benefits associated with these things. People can only be said to have become smarter in terms of handling all this and their time. So, no, I don’t think anyone can deteriorate as such.

What has deteriorated or rather not evolved is the teaching system in places like IIT, IIM or for that reason any place of higher education in India. Thankfully, there are some schools that do provide some change or innovative ways of teaching and learning. These are largely private schools. But, when it comes to colleges or universities, even private institutes leave a lot to be desired. The limited availability of seats in all institutes of higher learning - govt or private, is a major reason due to which all these institutes focus on everything apart from innovation and creativity.

I have written about the lack of creativity and innovation in our education system before as well. Even now, I say the same. We need to wake up! It is important that talent is nurtured and not wasted. Indians have proved to have exceptional ideas and talent when in a foreign setting due to the nurturing environment offered there. But the same Indians are not able to do make a true breakthrough in their own country.

I have done my higher studies from an esteemed college and university. Both are considered amongst the best in India. I did my masters in Clinical Psychology. The university is considered one of the best in India and has a great Psychology Department. Psychology is a very wide science as it pertains to human life and behaviour. A lot of times, we found the teaching practices extremely dull. Creativity is a subject matter of study in Psychology, and I can say that I was taught about it in the most non-creative manner ever! Infact, so rigid and dull was the teaching system and professors, that not only me but my entire class felt, that how can someone teaching Psychology be so dull and apathetic. Overall, most of the times we felt that our professors were like zombies who had forgotten the essence of psychology. A lot of times, we even felt as if they were sucking out every bit of enthusiasm and happiness that we felt for Psychology out of our lives.

In final year, the University offers us an option of taking up a topic for dissertation. I had studied the dissertations done in past by my university and they all largely focused on either anger or emotional intelligence. I didn’t see any point in carrying forth on the same because more or less every dissertation stated and proved the same hypothesis. I wanted a new dissertation on a topic that was more applicable to the society at that time. I approached my guide with the same. But he was reluctant to allow it, because the topic was new and creative, unlike the others which were same and monotonous. I did try again and again but he wanted me to work on emotional intelligence only. I discussed with some seniors and students who were doing PhD. I found out that when it comes to research, guides and professors did not allow anything out of their comfort zone. Their comfort zone unfortunately mostly included proving the same theories that exist in western societies again and again. No one wanted to research on indigenous topics or experiment on something out of the way due to fear, laziness or just apathy. This is what they had become, just followers and not leaders. Creativity and innovation had drained out of their lives totally and they nurtured the same culture. Those who really wanted to meaningful research, often had to wait years, earn a PhD with same monotonous sort of topics, and then finally work hard for many years and somehow privately fund their research or become a professor and then research because that allowed you a certain freedom with respect to what you want. There was no option but to go with the guide and follow the monotonous route or drop the dissertation altogether. I finally chose to not do it, as I couldn’t see myself putting extra effort in researching something I didn’t care about.

I really felt hurt and sad that I was faced with a wall that curbed my enthusiasm and creativity and I had to give in. This is what needs to change. With a population of 1 billion, we can bring about big changes in our country itself if this population is given a platform to express and implement its ideas freely. To allow that, the first step has to be the reformation of teaching practices in India – in schools, in colleges and in universities. Some ideas on how we can do this are:-

Cut the processing time – In India, we have a huge huge planning or processing time. Every proposal has like a huge circle of steps that must be crossed for it to become reality. I think these steps need to be reduced everywhere, in every part of governmental machinery.
Train, Implement and Check – Whenever a process is rolled out. Like let’s say, steps are reduced for clearance of educational courses. Then proper training should be given to clerical staff involved in various steps. They should be shown the proper way to do things, to clear them fast and enough solutions with way of illustrative examples in cases where exceptions can be found. Once training is complete, implementation should occur and regular checks must be carried out to see that the processes are being followed the way they are supposed to be.
Motivate – Regular exercises of motivating staffs involved in decision making processes must be done to ensure they continue to keep their enthusiasm alive and work more efficiently and faster. Infact this is something that must be done for teachers and every member of educational institutions too.
Carry Regular Surveys – Regular surveys must be carried out to understand what people think about an educational policy or process. The findings of such surveys must be processed in a fast manner to bring about changes wherever necessary.
Form a Bucket of Ideas – Educational institutes, boards, government offices should have a Bucket of Ideas, or invite people to send ideas for improvement. These suggestions should be implemented and not just stored and forgotten.
Develop a Customer is King Attitude – This is probably the most important point. All concerned institutes, government bodies must cultivate this attitude – Customer is King. So, they should go all out to please customers – that is students in the case of educational institutes. New and innovative packages to suit needs to students should be rolled out and continuous innovation must become the order of the day.

What do you feel about these ideas; do you agree with them or have anything that you would like to add on this?

प्यारी हँसी

2011-10-01T16:24:00.000+05:30

प्यारी हँसी

सिमटी शरमाई झिलमिल सी 'प्यारी'
छाई मेरी आँखों की नेहरो में न्यारी,
आई आसमानी चुनरी को ओढ़े
पर वक़्त ने अपने रास्ते फिर मोड़े |
कंचन मुख पर शिकन एक छाई
भूली बिसरी याद फिर वापिस आई |
'प्यारी' पर छाई एक काली रेखा
ह्रदय के भंवर में खाया उसने फिर एक धोका |
अधरों को अपने पीछे खींच न सकी,
मायूसी के अँधेरे से जीत न सकी,
पलके झुकी पानी भर गया,
आंसू के सैलाब में 'प्यारी ' का दम घुट गया |
सुबह उठी जब मैं नहीं,
'प्यारी' ने दी आवाज़ फिर वही,
अचम्भिता मुझे देख वह बोली
जीवन तो हैं एक पुष्पों की झोली,
'फूल की खुशबू तो कभी शूल की चुभन,
बस रखो खुश अपना मन',
'प्यारी' की बात मुझे समझ आई
तब मेरे मुख पर पर 'प्यारी' हँसी छाई |

A Painting of Hibiscus

2011-09-30T09:40:00.000+05:30

Hibiscus

Yesterday I tried my hand at painting after a really long time. It turned out fine but was hoping for something better than this. Think I need to practice more.

P.S. - What do you think about my new blog template, have tried Dynamic Views by Blogger. Do let me know if you find it nice or to distracting.

New TRAI Regulations & Freedom from the Terror of Telemarketing

2011-09-27T11:33:00.001+05:30

Do Not Call (Image taken from the Internet)

I really appreciate the new move by TRAI that comes into effect today for barring unwanted calls and messages. The move is to make existing rules more stringent.

More than calls, the messages are a real menace; they come at any time of the day and are normally a repetition of previous message. While ICICI Lombard is always trying to sell me insurance, Naaptol is always trying to entice me with supposedly free gifts and Just Dial is always telling me how easy it is locate anything I want on Just Dial. At times I feel like pulling my hair out. At times I just feel like telling these companies the following things:-

ICICI Lombard – Thank you, I am aware you have very nice Motor and Health Insurance plans but I don’t need one. If I do, I will surely Click Clik on your website

Naaptol – Nice offers, but not interested in the Diamond Studded Frank Bellucci Watch worth 3950 that you are ready to gift me for only 999. P.S. Gift is generally an item that is not bought!

Just Dial – I know, I know you have a great site. I have used it, I use it, can you stop being so pesky?

Red FM – You are really my favourite Radio Station, you are the one I listen to, I am listening, I don’t want to read also please.

City Pest – Thank you, yes being in a tropical country, we have pests but so far we are able to manage. Is there a way to get rid of your messages which are no less than pests?

The thing that I find most upsetting is, all forms that one fills – bank forms, online website forms ask our permission on whether we agree to receive promotional SMS or not. I have till date never agreed, then why is it that I am getting these stupid messages in the first place? I am going to register for National Do Not Call Registery, hope TRAI really sticks to this plan, and helps us get freedom from pesky messages and calls.

Have You Ever Smelled Winter in Mornings?

2011-09-26T12:47:00.003+05:30

Have you ever smelled winter in mornings?

It smells of pine cones, and steaming cups of tea.

It smells of crunching leaves under my feet

It smells of everything that’s between you and me

It smells of longing to wake up with you under the same sheet

It smells of gloom and despair

It smells of love, hope and dreams

It smells of your freshly cut hair

It smells of the pain that our heart screams

It smells of icy chilly winds and pangs of the hearts

It smells of darkness and sharp twangs on the face

It smells of riding down with you in scary carts

It smells of not losing way with you in the maze

It smells of sleeping in cozy rugs

It smells of warmth of your hands in mine

It smells of coffee mugs

It smells of laughter and our whine

It smells of never ending kisses

It smells of heart warming tight hugs that start the day

It smells of smiles that come when the heart misses

It smells of hope that we will find the way

To find the way before winter comes

To go again hand in hand on that high tide sea

To dwell in laughter and love and groove to the drums

Lets go again and make from U and I to We

Marine Drive

2011-08-29T15:18:00.000+05:30

Marine Drive - Pic I clicked on a Rainy Day

Some things money can buy, for everything else there’s marine drive.

Really! :)

I am new to Mumbai and new to the sea. I have actually never seen another sea apart from the one in Mumbai. I recall the first time I saw it was when I was 12..it was a wonder then. The thing I searched for that time was the horizon or as its called in Hindi – Kshitij – the place where sky and earth meet. What a wonderous experience it was then and it still is now to see the horizon! The vast never ending sea and the endless sky meeting each other and forming this endless blue world.

I can’t take my eyes off the sea when I go to Marine Drive. Every moment seems to have something new to offer. Everytime you go there, there is a new experience waiting for you. Somedays the sea is calm, waves humming a soft music and taking their own time to hit the shore. Somedays the sea is turbulent, white foamy waves rushing rapidly to the shore on a black night. Black and white.. and spray of water on the edge of the wall. Somedays the sea is turbulent and the wind is wild, together they both seem to gush at you. You can stand on the wall and feel as if you are going to fly away. Somedays you can sit on the wall and be sprayed with the rising waves. Sometimes you can see the sea looking blue and fresh with the rising sun. Sometimes, the sea will be black with the night. Sometimes, it will flit from orange to green to blue to purple and red with the setting sun and sometimes it will be black and white like the black monsoon cloud hovering over it.

The sea is so huge and the sky so vast. It makes you feel really small. A tiny piece in the vastness of the universe. Yet, being there will awaken your senses. The sea and the sky will come and take you in their arms and match your mood. The waves will come and talk to you. If you are sad, they will console you and make you feel safe and loved. If you are angry, they will calm you and make you smile. If you are happy, they will make you feel even more elated. You can hear the waves and sing with them. Personally I feel nothing matches the experience of singing with the waves..its way too much fun, especially try singing Indian ragas with the waves..its heavenly! :)

This is just the magic of sea and sky alone. If you happen to sit on the beach then other wonders will greet you. The wonder of sand. Pearls of wisdom that I heard once were that sand is so therapeutic, no matter how much your body aches, sand will cure it and relax you. Sand is like that. It takes your shape and cradles you in its arms, relaxing you and comforting you like a mother comforts her child. You can be dead tired and your body sore with pain, but five minutes of sitting on the sand will soothe your pain away. Its so relaxing to just sit there and relax, look at the waves and do nothing. To play with sand is so much fun to!. To hold it and let it slip by, and to form castles. No, these things aren’t for children alone..even adults need to do this. Get down, and get your hands dirty and play with the sand. You will not stop beaming and I bet you will hate to stop and go home.

I hate going home, I can spend hours just sitting there. I really have to sit there and do nothing for hours.

Mixed Feelings

2011-08-25T16:50:00.002+05:30

I am feeling really nostalgic, happy and sad today. I don't know what is it, less sleep, the weather or something else. The day started well but then I got to office and it seemed that the sky fell on my head. Less sleep and the crisis really bogged me down. Then nostalgia hit me. Out of the blue, I decided to look up this area I used to live in..one thing led to another and I recalled so many things from memory.

A walk down a road lined by chinar trees in a city silenced by terror

Srinagar 1989, I am too young and the city too quite. The guns, the blasts, the burning and the curfews. The leaves of chinar and the apple on trees, snow and the mountains, softy, lotus and Dal Lake.

My first pet

Ya, she used to look like this, my adorable Polly, the companion of my childhood. I miss her!

My struggle with losing weight

I gained a lot of weight in my last year of college and been trying to lose it since then. I lose it and I get it back but I am not the same girl I used to be. The girl who was never fat :(

A thing I knew how to do but haven’t done in ages

I knew how to make this, don't know if I can still do..have to try soon.

Mom’s bangle box

Source: google.com via Vicki on Pinterest

She has this beautiful collection of bangles. Her bangle box is very fascinating for me..I love it!

Dad’s small cute little dictionary that I treasure

Source: printstagr.am via Alie on Pinterest

Its this size only, a pocket dictionary by Webster I think, have to check. I just remember how happy I felt when I found it in the store of my grandma's house. This small little cute dictionary..what a treasure!

This is the only thing that has got me bit happy today, I am still down but reading this is a bit comforting:-

Source: facebook.com via Jen on Pinterest

And this is thought provoking, I wish I could and do practice this more in future:-

Source: cookingwiths.blogspot.com via Savannah on Pinterest

Antardrishti

2011-08-23T17:11:00.003+05:30

Vision (Image taken from the Internet)

Sight like the other five senses is very important. Some things just by sight alone inspire you and make you feel elated:-

Dew drop on a flower petal
A bird flapping its wings in the sky
A butterfly fluttering around from flower to flower
A little kid smiling
A gushing waterfall
A never ending range of hills
The sun rising
The foamy white crashing waves at sea
Sunflowers turning heads to face the sun
A field of mustard

Now imagine you can’t see any of this anymore and its all dark. How will you live, will you be able to carry on with your life the way it is today?

In India, it is a stigma to be disabled, be it physically or mentally. We lack infrastructure and we also lack understanding. I know many who enjoy making fun of those with disabilities. Who will cruelly push them around; engage in name calling or just plain laugh at their plight. It doesn’t help that we don’t have special provisions to cater to the need to the disabled. In US, the mentally and physically disabled are integrated with every part of life. There are classes for them in schools and colleges with normal individuals. All public buildings and shopping centres come with ramps, elevators and parking spots for them, allowing them to travel or move about easily. Forget comparison with US, look at our reluctance to donate our organs..how easy it is to pledge your eyes but how many people do this?

This is where Antardrishti, comes in. Antardrishti, a social development organisation is committed to the cause of blind people in our society. With its humble beginnings in 2006, Antardrishti is registered as a Public Charitable Trust under Indian Trust Act, 1882. Antardrishti aims at creating an inclusive society with equal and full participation of the blind or visually impaired people in conformity with the principles of equity, justice, participation and collective accountability of different stakeholders.

Antardrishti firmly believes that the visually impaired people do not constitute any social or personal liability, on the contrary, they are our valuable assets. They do not need sympathy but an environment that promotes and translates their innate potential into creative and productive energy.

Support Antardrishti and help the visually impaired.

The least you can do is donate your eyes today.

This post is a part of BlogAdda's Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative. I am exercising my BSR. You can too with three simple steps. Visit http://www.blogadda.com/bsr/ and support the NGO's.

Indian Fair Skin Obsession & Advertising

2011-08-23T14:41:00.000+05:30


Hands

Indian obsession with fair skin is so depressing. I think there have been many many talks on the fair and lovely ads, yet earlier when we had just one product – Fair and Lovely, that banked on the 7 day miracle of making you fair; today we have many more. Almost all ads of beauty products for women are aimed at making a woman fair. Vaseline Intensive care, L’Oreal, Ponds, Garnier, Neutrogena, you name it – all of them just want to make you fair. Skin whitening creams are the rage of the day. Today even the fashion industry and bollywood are accused of being obsessed with fair skin. Ofcourse the economics of it also justifies their stand as foreign models and actresses are cheaper but still it is kind of sad to note that in a country of 1 billion, we have a leading actress likr Katrina Kaif, who is a foreigner and not of Indian origin.

If one looks into economics, guess the call is justified. Who wouldn’t like to go for cheaper labour? It is wrong to even justify indigenous talent at such a time. The disturbing trend however is the stress on ‘fairness’. Every face peering at you from a glossy magazine or every face looking at you in TV is a foreign face or a face made so white that it can easily go with the tagline from a popular Rin ad of yesteryear – ‘Safedi ki chamkar’! Teenage is a tender age, not everyone is sensible enough to understand that beauty doesn’t matter always. Although we have moved to a more materialistic society, skin fairness is not justifiable in a tropical country like India where skin tones are less than fair. Growing up, teenagers have the need to feel pretty and gorgeous, and having just fair models or messages that fairness is only thing that matters is definitely not acceptable. An important question is the effect of skin lightening creams on the skin. They are the in-thing today and claim to be safe but do we really know how they work or how they can affect our skin? How can something that lightens your natural skin colour be safe for daily use? Most importantly why are you ashamed of your natural skin colour?

A major obsession with fair skin reflects in the way people choose marriage partners in India. Almost every guy wants a fair girl, no matter how dark or ugly he himself is. A little change has come in the way the males are thinking in India today. They also want to be fair, so we also have products like Fair and Handsome for males but still on all things matrimony the fairness of the girl is always a thing to lookout for. It’s not rare, that between two sisters – one fair and one dark, the fairer one is considered to be everyone’s favourite and finds prospective marriage proposals easily and in greater number than the darker sister. No one should have to feel inferior or unwanted on the basis of their skin colour. The ‘want’ to be fair should not even be there. People should aspire to be happy, good, intelligent, creative or smart but not be different skin toned!

A burning question is, doesn’t media’s social responsibility come here. How long will they go on selling such products on a racist premise? Why isn’t this regulated? Mostly why aren’t we allowed to be proud of our indigenous skin tones and have to become fair and lovely?

It is true that the art of selling involves bluff or rather presenting the positives in a highly exaggerated manner and hiding the negatives. A lot of sales people feel cut-throat competition justifies lying and selling. Still ethics apply to all professions. It was okay when we had just one fair and lovely. We knew its damaging repercussions but we also laughed at it. Now, we have this whole bunch of ads screaming at us that use this product and get fair in 7 days. Can’t advertisers recognize their folly? Instead of recognizing the hazards of such advertising, they are just following the herd and showcasing products under the same premise. It’s true, that companies have recognized India as a destination for all skin whitening related products. Being businesses they feel more for their profit than for the psychological and physical implications of such products. Surely, advertisers can put a stop to this. They can use more ethical means of advertising these products. It maybe a challenge but surely advertisers love coming up with creative ways to fight challenges.

I await that one ad that sells skin whitening cream without sending the message that it’s wrong to be dark-skinned. I also await that one change in advertising that sends a message to this country that – You should be proud of your skin tone, no matter what it is! It’s high time for this change to come in advertising.

What the hell!

2011-08-22T17:02:00.000+05:30

I am on a morbid note today. I just read a post on Santosh's blog about the condition of train travel in India and it got me thinking – We really don’t have anything right, do we?

Yes, corruption is a major evil plaguing our nation today that seems to have hindered a lot of growth and potential. But what about vision? Do our leaders have any vision or creativity?

Look at any level of governance. They pass these ridiculously stupid plans based on God knows what data! It takes them 5 years to pass the plan, another 10 to implement it, by the time the plan become completely futile. How is it that they are not able to envision growth of the country and accelerated means of implementation to match that growth. I mean China built a road to Mt. Everest in 4 months. What a hazardous, terribly mountainous area that is! We, Indians on the other hand take as long as 4 years to build less than 1 Km long flyovers in metros, one can’t even begin to think of the time it takes to build such things in a non-metro.

One of the most ridiculous things I read in recent times was the mandatory parking space required in a mall according to Municipal Corporation of Pune – It was some 25 two-wheelers and 4-5 cars. Really? What the hell is that based on? Pune is a city teeming with two wheelers and cars, and only that much parking is needed in a mall? Its no wonder that on a given weekend you see jams happening around malls in Pune due to lack of parking. What is causing this situation, unwillingness to modify old rules, lethargy, corruption or lack of vision? I don’t know, I can’t say but I find it very disappointing!

Is it education, the ancient established city rules and structure, the collectivistic culture or fear of unknown, fear of change, or something else? Indians abroad have shown mastery at innovation. Indian brains are a brand to reckon with. Yet, what happens to the Indian brain in India? There are entrepreneurs but infrastructure is just not in place. How can it be that in governance we fail so much? Is it reservation, but then do people who come through reservation lack creativity, surely reservation cannot affect creativity of a person in any way!

A lot of times I question education. Its pathetic the way most lessons are taught. I hardly know anyone who had a similar kind of creative experience that I had when I did my 12^th Chemistry in US. What is it that makes life so lack-lustre in India? At every point, be in a school, hospital, a government office, a private office – there are people who are not using any creativity. They don’t even seem happy – they just seem to lack interest and passion in what they do. What is causing this, and is it that compared to other countries we have more of these people and that is why we are unable to set up a better system. A better system of governance, town planning, education, infrastructure and innovation. I don’t have answers but too many questions on this. Do you know what is causing this? I see lot of people who just have this mentality that lets us do our own thing which means that lets just do what’s safe and not question, and ignore everything. What the hell is causing this apathy? Lack of creativity or lack of happiness or just lack of life?

Creativity

2011-08-19T13:32:00.001+05:30

Creativity

Source: crazyaboutmybaybah.com via Put A Little Umbrella on Pinterest

Creativity is the ability to create novel, unique ideas, forms, methods and interpretations. Creativity forms a part of intelligence when we measure it through psychometric tests but education is not necessarily needed for being creative. Infact, come to think of it, sometimes illiterate people can come up with the most innovative and creative ideas. Maybe it’s due to lack of any conditioning, or maybe it’s just that they compensate for a lack of education by harnessing their creative potential to the fullest.

I am not going to talk now about how to become more creative or improve your intelligence but share some nice examples of creativity that I came across recently:-

Freerice.com – Sites like this are blooming these days. I think they are simply the best. Even MTV and Woodland have a page where you can plant trees by just clicking. It’s a fact that people are lethargic. We genuinely have no time or we really have no energy to show support for something we believe in. You also don’t know how to go about it or sustain it at times. I love plants, but I really can’t go and randomly plant a tree anywhere. So when a site like Freerice comes along I feel good. The site has taken those childhood games that we played in between classes or on the commute home on the school bus – Name/Place/Animal/Thing, Countries and Capitals, Books and Authors and turned them to into triggers for charity. The rush you get! To play that sweet childhood game again, and the beauty of it, that by playing this I am actually helping World Hunger. Simple, creative idea, taking simple childhood games and turning them into a medium of charity – absolutely Brilliant!

Short Story Ideas – This is a site that helps you generate characters, scenarios, titles, first liners and even 'twist in the tales' for short stories. Perfect thing to do if you are experiencing ‘writer’s block’. Honestly, haven’t used it before but a useful site, will be using it soon to see what I come up with. I wouldn’t say it’s a very creative idea, and there are more sites like this, but definitely an idea that promotes creativity.

Yarn Bombing – This is a new thing that I learned about today only. A new type of street art in which knitted or crocheted cloth is used to make colourful installations. Yarn bombing is said to have started in Texas in 2005. You can see some pretty examples of it here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2026977/The-astonishing-cobweb-yarnbombing-took-graffiti-knitter-months.html

It is illegal but compared to graffiti less offensive as it can be removed. While I don’t endorse people playing around with public property and trespassing, yarn bombing is splendid. Maybe we should have special places to showcase street arts, or maybe we shouldn’t because the artists might then lose their motivation!

Incredible Things – Incredible Things is a website that sells really cool gadgets and other goods. In India I guess such similar sites/shops would be Chumbak or Tappu Ki Dukaan. Some days when I am really bored or looking for inspiration, I visit these sites. It really invigorates your mind.

JesseDee’s Presentations Channel – JesseDee is a marketing success story. He actually landed up a job on the basis of his slideshare presentations. I have a corporate job but really feel that if you are making a presentation, you should break all the rules. People deserve fun and stimulation and not the usual boredom/timepass/sleeptime experiences that are synonomous with presentations. JesseDee’s presentations are everything that a presentation should be. You will feel inspired and even amazed at how creatively he presents the simplest of ideas and concepts.

How to Care for a Parakeet or Parrot

2011-08-17T16:03:00.003+05:30

Me and My Parrot
A painting I had made of Me and My Pet when I was 11

I am not sure if you can keep parrots and parakeets as pets in India, though you will find that many houses do have them as pets.

They are these absolutely delightful things to have around. However, like all pets they need your undivided time and attention. On another note, somedays you will realize that it’s better to not keep a bird as a pet because a bird is meant to fly and not languish time in a cage.

Still if you do decide to keep a parrot or parakeet then be assured you will be happy and will have these super sweet soft furry companions around you who are so full of life! They will constantly give you something to look forward to. You need to take good care of them though, starting with the home you provide them. Make sure you buy a nice big cage for your bird/birds if you buying a pair. They love swings, and love to move around so get a cage with a swing or a ladder. The pair of parakeets I had, were with me since they were kids so they never actually learned to fly and I used to actually let them out of the cage most of the time. They used to just keep perched on their cage and do their thing – play with feathers, eat, sleep etc. They like to sleep at dusk and wake up at dawn. They don’t like loud noises, so try and keep them away from radio, T.V and such things as much as possible. I used to cover their cage with a shawl or chaddar so that it got dark and quite for them at dusk and they could then sleep comfortably.

Parakeets and parrots really eat and poop a lot. They just keep chewing on things and throwing it out. They love guava and corn. We even had this one parrot that used to love chopping carrots. He used to chop it perfectly fine for a Chinese dish, too bad we could never use them for that purpose! :)
Its kind of like, how you have kids who are teething, and they just need something to chew on all the time, that’s how parakeets and parrots are. I used to feed my pets chana dal or unboiled rice and water mostly in summer, and bajra and water in winters. They like seeds a lot, so you can give them sunflower seeds, musk melon seeds or watermelon seeds also. Any raw and crunchy fruit or vegetable can also be given to a parakeet or parrot. Since they keep eating most of the time, they poop a lot. I had got a round wooden patta made in the same diameter as their cage, which I used to keep below their cage. We used to wash it atleast twice a day. So the poop used to fall on it and we never had to worry about stains on furniture or floor. Parakeets and parrots are nice but they really can chew anything given to them, so you have to be careful. As I used to keep mine out of the cage most of the time, there were times when they just walked around and chewed on our furniture or curtains. So, one has to keep an eye on them because they can resort to mischief when you are not watching.

Parakeets and parrots are both very sensitive to cold, so one needs to protect them from it.

You don’t need to give them a bath daily. Avoid giving them a bath in rains and winter unless the sun is out there. They fall sick very easily due to cold and a wet bird is easily susceptible to falling sick. Once sick, the chance of survival is very low. Its essential to keep them out daily but don’t keep them in a cold place. Also protect them from cats. If a cat even manages to scratch your pet, be certain that the bird will not survive due to fear, no matter how little its hurt. You can teach them to talk, which essentially means they will learn how to imitate your sounds. They are intelligent, they get your tone, your gestures and moods. When you try to teach them, be patient. Keep repeating the phrase or sound, however, there are some birds that will never learn; I am not sure why this happens but that’s how it is.

If you are like me, you will never have a dull moment with your parakeets whether they learn to speak or not. They are just so fascinating. You can just go on watching them doing their thing, scratching, fluffing wings, twisting neck and tucking it in to sleep. One thing to remember while keeping any pet, be it a parakeet or a dog is that a pet is a part of your family. He or she needs your love, care and attention. He or she is dependent on you for his or her well being, so don’t keep a pet as a status symbol or because it’s in. Keep a pet only if you want one and are ready to handle the responsibility. Parakeets and parrots have a long lifespan and with proper care, can be your companion for life and give you a lot of joy and happiness.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-08-15T14:54:00.001+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

It’s India’s Independence Day today, and I am happy and proud :)

A question that comes to mind on Independence Day is what are we going to do today – blame or claim of glory? Honestly, while I agree the day of Independence is an excellent day to review every achievement or lack of achievement of the country but one gets tired. Year after year, you can’t just read these things about India growing and India deteriorating! Patriotism isn’t remembering Gandhi, Bhagat Singh or anyone else for that matter. Patriotism is feeling love for your country.

I just hate these people who only say things like – “I hate Gandhi, or I hate what Nehru did, or I really hate what has become of our country on Indian Independence or Indian Republic Day”. Do you say I just hate the way I look or how much I am earning or my so and so is to blame for my condition on your birthday? No, right? You feel your birthday and you feel happy. So why can’t you feel happy when it’s your country’s Independence Day? So please keep your sweet logic for not feeling patriotic to yourself and let the rest of us feel happy on this day.

Fervor of patriotism lies in the pride you have for your country. National symbols such as the flag, animal, emblem, song are there and connect to this beautiful feeling. The feeling however has to come from within. Achievement or deterioration is hardly a criterion for feeling happy on Independence Day. Maybe people and media are just complicating things. Maybe we are just forgetting that those men, yes those men including the men that you despise had to struggle a lot to get this independence for us, for themselves or for their own political greed..whatever. Point is, remembering those men, hating or loving them is not a definition of patriotism, nor I am sure was it their goal to be remembered more than the nation.

Patriotism is that happy sappy feeling that fills your heart when you even take the name of your country. Don’t complicate it. Realize what you have, when you have this country as your motherland and feel happy. Laugh, live, love, be happy, it’s your Independence Day!

If you feel your country sucks, then don’t just start hating it or blaming the system. You are the system and can make or break it. Stop complaining and start acting if it bothers you that much!

Jai Hind

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My First Published Story :)

2011-08-14T21:51:00.000+05:30

(The Book)

Its out and I seriously can't stop gushing, jumping, smiling and laughing :D

Damn! It was last year around this time when I saw Preeti's gtalk message about Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul inviting entries for stories on friendship. I am not that confident about my writing skills but always wanted to have something written by me published in a book. I wrote a story from my life. A story about me and my best friend, Alka, called - The Ghost Walk. It got accepted and today the book is finally out!!

It just feels so great. To see my name there in the contents. To see my story there, and my name :D
The best part is, this is the long weekend..I am sick with fever and my body is super weak and sore but I have this book. This beautiful beautiful thing with my short story in it and I am going crazy :D

Lessons from a Soft Skills Training

2011-07-25T16:35:00.001+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

The organization I work in recently ran a series of soft skill trainings for us. It was actually fun and a welcome break from the daily hum-drum of things. Initially I was quite skeptical about attending the training, as being from a Psychology background, soft skills as an area does not carry much new learning for me. The training was however compulsory and I also thought, that fine, why not? Maybe I’ll learn something new after all or if nothing then it would be nice to just see how the trainer tries to inculcate soft skills in us.

The training started on Friday, with all of us quite and silent. I guess most people in the office environment are never excited about training. It is just seen as another avenue to get bored in the office or an alternative or excuse to avoid work for a day or two and do time-pass. The trainer’s skills’ are the most important thing here. Its upto him, whether he turns the office zombies into real people full of energy and excitement who learn to enjoy the training or whether he is unable to change anything and what remains is just those office zombies getting more and more bored than before. Fortunately, we had a wonderful trainer, who managed to evoke words and spells of laughter from even the most shy of us :)

The world we live in is largely negative or rather throws only negative feedback at us most of the time. Positivity is something that you rarely see thrown at you. I didn’t learn anything new as such from the training, but it was really good to have positivity thrown at me, to be reminded of happy and nice things which somehow one tends to forget in the humdrum of daily living. Here are some learnings from the training:-

Smile Often – Now, this is really common right but how many times do you actually follow it. A smile not only makes you look good but can actually uplift your mood when you are down. Not to forget, the potential new people we can attract in our life. None of us like to talk to people with sullen faces and smiling makes sure we always have a nice social support with us. From a psychological perspective, a lot of psychological disorders are actually seen in people with a limited social circle. Man is a social animal and we need others around us to be healthy and happy. So, if you are a happy person, you will attract and retain more people around you, thereby always having a good social support.

Meaning of Communication – Communication means conveying something to another person and making sure the other person understands it in the manner we intend it to be. Now, generally when we look at communication, we stop at the first part – the part about conveying only. The second part where another person is supposed to understand our actual intent is something that we take no ownership for. ‘Usko samajh nahi aata toh main kya karu’, ‘Mujhe jo bolna tha maine bol dia, aage uske upar hai use samajh aaya ya nahi’, ‘If you don’t understand what I mean, its your fault and not mine’, ‘I said what I had to, if they can’t understand then its not my fault’ are very common type of situations. We often say what we want to without thinking that the other has understood or not. If he or she hasn’t we consider them to be dumb or feel hurt by their lack of understanding; rather than examining and or improving our communication skills.

Assertiveness – A lot of people forget to be assertive in their communication and interactions. They alternate between either aggression or submission. You need to be assertive in order to be happy yourself and in order to keep others happy too. After all, imposing your own will on another person, will not keep you happy for long, neither will taking anyone’s orders against your will. In a fight or conflict too, it is important to be assertive and show your perspective to the other person. Yes, most times this is very difficult as either you or the other person will be too upset to actually empathize with each other’s perspective but understanding and actually placing oneself in another person’s shoes can really solve many of our problems. It also significantly improves our relationship with the other person.

Take Ownership for Your Own Image or State – A lot of times we blame others for their wrong perception of us or the state we are in. We blame them for misunderstanding us, for even causing us to act in a certain way. The onus of how others’ act with us does not lie with them but with us. We need to take ownership for the way, the world acts towards us. If someone is mean to you, stop blaming him or her and devise ways to make that person like you. Yes, you will come across some people who are plain mean and nothing you do will change them but you will also come across people who are genuinely offended due to some tiny mistake of yours and who will back you like anything once they see you for what you are! In office, if you haven’t received a good appraisal eventhough you worked your ass off, try and examine where you went wrong. Maybe you were not able to project your efforts to your boss in the correct manner. So work towards it, show him or her, the results of your hardwork. If that doesn’t help, and you are really stuck with a superior who is actually taking advantage of you and not paying you your due then there’s always the option of going for greener pastures.

Be the Change You Want to See in the World – If you want change in your life, bring it, become the change you want. You have an impossible situation at work, where you are stuck with a boss who just doesn’t acknowledge your hardwork, then move on, get a new job. You have a personal situation, where no matter what you do, a family member is constantly plotting against you; then ignore them or move away from them to preserve your happiness.

Poll: In Search of the Perfect Phone

2011-07-18T16:21:00.002+05:30

Hi, I am in search of a new phone and need your help. I have narrowed down to some 5 phones. I do want everything in my phone but mostly what I like to use is camera and music. I have a HTC Touch as of now, and looking for an equally good if not superior phone.

Do let me know your views, which of these would you buy and why:-

Which phone would you buy out of these and why?

Hope: For Better from Worse

2011-07-14T12:52:00.005+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

Some days are just bad, no matter what you do; something will end up fucking your mind completely. I am not well today yet I pushed myself and did a few things so I can sit in peace. I did them cos I just don’t feel I might have energy later and want to utilize the time I have when I am feeling fine. Then this horrible horrible fight just happened between some close parties. I was called for help out of despair, not that I wouldn’t have gone on my own but I would have taken some time cos fights of this kind really scare the shit out of me! On a normal day I start feeling sick when such things happen and today I feel even worse. Honestly when I was called, I went with so much dread in my heart that I only know how I took those steps to go there. So, I go to play peacemaker, one person I am closest to is not ready to listen, the other – the son of a mother who despises me immensely was also in tears. So, I take him and his younger brother with me for a talk to calm them.

Finally I make some headway and this sweet kid starts to calm down, and walks in his Mother who was not present at the scene. I offer her a seat; tell her why he is crying and she starts. She starts lamenting shit about her life, picking very carefully only those things where I am involved - where she feels I have wronged her. I offer her water, and tell her to calm down as the focus of the fight is another matter. Her two sons who were calm are becoming sad seeing her. She doesn’t realize how she is affecting them. The older one starts crying again, the younger one who was so quiet and normal also bursts into tears. I take him into my lap and calm him down. I console the older one too. I speak to her, but she is carrying on her own tirade of saying crap against me in an indirect manner.

First the fight was not about us, I was nowhere in the picture, yet she chose it as an apt time to spill the venom in her heart against me. Second I was playing peacemaker, atleast she could have appreciated that but she didn’t see that also. Third, if nothing I was taking care of her kids in her absence but that also she couldn’t understand – would she have ever done that had I had any kids and had our roles been reversed – I am pretty sure no! Fourth, the kids were calm but her demeanor affected them badly, so she could have atleast changed it for their sake but she didn’t. Fifth, she saw they became disturbed after hearing her, cos what she was saying was utter rubbish but scary rubbish and very very scary rubbish for small kids, she saw they are crying but she made not a single attempt to console her own children – what kind of heartless female does that? Last but not the least, she knew I was not well, but that also didn’t arouse any pity in her cold stone heart. I guess one cannot expect that a woman who doesn't care for her own kids’ condition can really see or empathize with the condition of other human beings. I can’t change her, but I atleast expect her to be civil, to realize that I am also a human being. Maybe that’s an impossible task.

I just wish I was not here today, but maybe if I was somewhere else I would have faced a rotten day anyways. Here’s hoping the rest of the day goes better somehow. I hope it will.

A Story of My Own

2011-06-29T12:20:00.001+05:30

As I look at my bloodshot eyes in the mirror and deal with the throbbing pain around them, the question that knocks at my being is – was it worth it? The answer is a definite Yes!

Year after year, when I visited the city, I passed this monument of cinematic glory. Whenever I left VT, one of the first buildings I saw was this. Those broad roads from the Bombay of my childhood (I don’t feel they are that broad now, somehow seemed bigger back then), with this building that seemed to own that particular square. It was always pointed out by Grandpa or Mom or Dad – “see, that’s the famous theatre” and it always made you go Wow! I remember its walls were sea-green then, and how beautiful the poster of Barsaat looked on it, the shade of Bobby Deol’s sunglasses and the poster background being the perfect compliment to the walls of the theatre. My dad hardly took us to the theatres for movies, as he felt most theatres were so dilapidated that they did not offer a good cinematic experience, these were ofcourse the days before the advent of the multiplex. Infact, the first movie I saw in a theatre was a children’s movie organized by my school in New Delhi when I was 7. The first movie I saw with family was organized by my uncle who lived in Chandigarh that time. So, everytime I was pointed out this theatre associated with bollywood glory, I wondered if and when will I get to see a movie in it. During my teens I used to even get angry when I was shown this theatre as it wasn’t like I was going to see a movie in there so why point it out?

So, yesterday when I stepped into Metro for a movie, the lack of sleep was replaced by awe and wonder. It was not just any theatre, it was Metro! A theatre built by MGM, with murals from the students of JJ School of Art, the venue of the first Filmfare awards and site of star-studded premiers of bollywood movies in the 70s.

Its Metro Big Cinemas today. I don’t know what it was like before but its said that the chandeliers, art and marble flooring is from the original Metro. I really liked the chandeliers. I also enjoyed the 3D experience there. I like 3D movies but often feel a bit disappointed with them because in all the theatres I visited I did not feel that the 3D was that great, be in Inox, or another subsidiary of Big Cinemas or PVR. The 3D experience at Metro really added to my happiness quotient as it’s the best I have encountered so far! Ya, so I have only been able to sleep some 5 hours in the past 2 days and could have slept yesterday and been hale and hearty but I chose to go for the movie even though I had no idea which theatre we were headed to. The joy of visiting Metro ups it all and makes the pain totally worth it. Best part is I now have a story of my own to tell my kins – A story of experiencing the Metro.

The Incredible Power of God!

2011-06-02T16:20:00.004+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

Its not everyday that you hear an incredible story of survival. Channing Moss - a US soldier stuck with a live bomb in his stomach, survived and lives today. His story also shows that even in such times, there are people with humanity and kindness left in them. His colleagues and friends who rescued him and the doctors who operated on him stood by him even though the unexploded grenade in his guts posed a life threatening danger to them. The crew of 5 hospital staff that operated on him had been given the option to leave the surgery but yet they stayed on, going beyond their allegiance to the Hippocratic oath.

Its not less than a miracle that a man survived something like a bomb in his stomach. Its like when its not your time to go, when God wants you to be here, you will be here, no matter what happens to you. Trials and tribulations come your way and if he is with you, you can make it through them.

I mean look at this story, this man - a soldier, yes they are trained to not over-react to life threatening situations but still, he himself must have experienced that moment where he must have thought that "this is it, I am not going to make it!"

His friends, those doctors, must have that moment that "Hell why am I doing this, will he make it, is it even worth trying?"

All of them are heroes, they stood the test and they triumphed. God was with them, he showed them the way.

He also showed us the way. There are nice people around, helpfulness, caring, togetherness, friendship, trust and much more facets of humanity are still alive and thriving.

He also showed us that Life is truly beautiful, and he is there with us even in our hardest times.

He showed us that there is no one truly with as much glory and power as himself - one minute he could make you near death and the other give you life.

An important lesson is to not give up when you are down and out cos God will help you sail through!

Blood Group & Diet

2011-02-18T10:39:00.004+05:30

Came across some information in the newspaper regarding the kind of food, people with various blood groups should eat. Its pretty interesting:-

Group O

Group of early man, the hunter-gatherers. This type leans towards a caveman diet, high in proteins, since the body is known to secrete high amounts of hydrochloric acid, which helps digest proteins. Simultaneously, this group is prone to certain allergic and auto-immune reactions triggered by seeds, grains and legumes. Prone to ulcers.

Group A

This type evolved as man shifted towards agrarian lifestyle so a farmer diet is recommended, a diet rich in complex carbs, fruits, vegetables and grains. Fish and soy foods as proteins are also well suited to Type As. Type As have high amount of clotting factors in their blood and low amounts of cholesterol-splitting enzyme. A heavy meat diet can lead to cardiovascular disease in Type A. A diet that leans towards the vegetarian can balance the risk. Prone to cancers.

Group B

This group is said to have emerged amongst the nomadic herders. The herder diet should be heavy in dairy products, which sustained the nomadic populations. Prone to viral infections and fatigue.

Group AB

The ideal diet should be a balance between those for Types A and B. Prone to cardiovascular disease, high BP and cholesterol problems.

What to eat?

A+: Cereals (roti/bread/rice), moong dal. Stay away from dairy products

B+: Proteins (non-veg/paneer/soya), potatoes (among starches). A wheat-free diet is a good idea.

O+: Proteins (non-veg/paneer/soya), moong dal, missi roti. Stay away from dairy products and cereals.

AB+: Bran roti, moong dal, besan, rice and potato.

Negative groups can follow the same chart but all sub-groups should avoid dairy products.

Some Recipes

2011-02-18T10:07:00.007+05:30

Here are some of my favourite recipes. Have collected them from here and there. Simple and easy to make, they yield delicious results:-

(Image taken from the Internet)

Strawberry Granita

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cooling Time: 15 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

400g ripe strawberries, stemmed

3 tbsp lemon juice

150g caster sugar

2 sprigs mint

Method

Rinse the strawberries in a colander under cold water. Drain well and dry. Blend to a smooth puree in a food processor. Add the lemon juice and blend. Prepare sugar syrup of 2 thread consistency, it should form threads when pressed between the fingers by boiling 200 ml water and 15 g caster sugar, then cooling to a freezing point. Mix the strawberry puree and sugar syrup. Pour the mixture into a fine nylon sieve set over a bowl. Rub the puree on the sieve, pour into a freezer box. Cover with lid and place in a freezer for 2 hours. By that time, the mixture should have started to freeze around the sides and base of the container, so take a large fork and mix the frozen mixture into the unfrozen, then re-cover and return it to the freezer for another hour. Repeat, cover again and re-freeze for a further hour. The mixture should be completely frozen snow of ice crystals, when ready to serve.

Garnish with mint sprig. The mix can be served for another 4 hours if kept in the freezer. You can then put it in the fridge for 40 mins or until it is soft enough to break.

(Image taken from the Internet)

Chaas

Ingredients

One glass buttermilk

Jeera powder

Chaat Masala

Black salt

Finely chopped green chillies

Finely chopped coriander

For the smoke

One burning hot charcoal

One spoon ginger paste

One spoon garlic paste

One spoon whole jeera

Method

In a glass mix the buttermilk with jeera powder, chaat masala and black salt as per your taste. In a katori place a hot coal along with ginger and garlic paste, whole jeera and a dash of desi ghee. Immediately cover the katori with an earthenware pot, thus not allowing the smoke to escape. Leave the earthenware pot for around 2 minutes in order to absorb the fragrance of the smoke. Remove the glazed earthenware pot and immediately fill the masala chaas into it. Garnish with green chillies and coriander.

(Image taken from the Internet)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup dark chocolate

65 gm dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup milk powder

¾ cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cup self raising flour

2 tbsp castor sugar

¼ cup condensed milk

Method

Sieve the flour, add the milk powder to it and keep aside. Cream the butter and castor sugar till light and fluffy. Melt the cup of chocolate over gentle heat. Add the condensed milk and the melted chocolate to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. With a big spoon, fold in the flour mixture and the remaining ½ cup chopped chocolate. Mix this till a dough is formed. Refrigerate the dough for about 18-20 minutes. Shape it into about 20-25 round cookies. Place the cookies on a greased baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 160˚C or 320˚F for about 20 minutes. Remove from the baking tray and cool on a rack. Serve warm or keep in an airtight jar.

(Image taken from the Internet)

Honey Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp soya sauce

½ tsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilly powder

2 onions, chopped

½ tbsp olive oil

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces with the honey, ketchup, vinegar, soya sauce, ginger garlic paste, salt and chilly powder for 30 minutes in a glass bowl. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan with a lid and fry the onions over medium heat till golden brown. Add the marinated chicken and fry for a few more minutes. Cover and cook on a slow flame for about 20 minutes. The chicken will give off water. Remove cover and continue to cook on a high flame, stirring continuously, till the chicken is almost dry.

The Magic of Flowers

2011-02-10T12:24:00.005+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

I like flowers. A wildflower or a princely rose, each of its kind can bring a smile to my face by its sight alone. The touch of soft delicate petals, the unique taste of petals of a flower like rose, or the beautiful fragrance of a flower in the air, the sight of a blooming flower in the morning, or drops of dew resting on flower petals and the sound of bumblebees hovering over the flowers – flowers have something to enthrall all the senses.

The unspoken language of flowers is beautiful. Its really not a surprise that Wordsworth wrote a poem on Daffodils:-

"I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils."

In ancient times flowers were used to send messages, and this was known as the Language of Flowers. A lot of flowers still mean the same to us.

No matter how small or common the flower, nothing beats the feeling of receiving one. Isn't it wonderful when its not Valentine’s Day and you still receive a rose. Or you are a teacher, and those little kids bring you a flower from their garden because you are their favourite teacher. Or you have a fight and you are down in the pits and your friend sends you a single flower.

One flower – a warm gooey feeling fills your heart and you smile once more!

Cruel Twist of Fate

2011-02-02T14:05:00.002+05:30

On 8^th January, there were way too many leaves in one of the potted plants in my balcony. Trees are shedding leaves and there is overall a lot of dust nowadays but it was unusual to see the leaves. Still, I didn’t think much of it, removed the leaves and watered the plant. The next day there was an egg there. The pigeon flew away on seeing me. It was unexpected but exciting. I did lament that the plant would die as I wouldn’t be able to water it now but watching a pigeon baby come to life was really something to look forward to.

We put a small dia in the pot with jwar for her to feed on. Five days passed and there was another egg. It was getting more exciting now. The pigeon flew away whenever we came close so we started keeping our door closed; we just disturbed her to refill the dia. A tragic thing though was that it flew away only at the sight of me and my Mom, two people who cared for her the most. My dad got away with even kneeling on the balcony railing just above the same pot. Even our bai’s sweeping and cleaning the balcony floor did not scare her in any which way.

I wondered, when would they hatch and little pigeon babies would inherit the nest. 26^th January, my birthday, a squab was finally out. There was also a small hole in the other egg. My happiness knew no boundaries. I took some pictures. The squab was small, with very features, a tiny wing, and closed eyes. The other egg hatched the very next day; another sweet little baby filled the nest. They both had closed eyes and the pigeon sat on them the whole day to keep them warm. When she left, they huddled close to each other for warmth. Sometimes they played with each other with their beaks or stretched their little wings a bit. The first one, who hatched on 26^th particularly loves the dia, he just tries to sit in it whenever their parent flies away.

It’s hardly been a week since they hatched and are yet to see this world as their eyes are still closed. Yesterday the most terrible and sad thing happened! The pigeon fed them and flew away for a while. The pigeon babies were in a playful mood, and out of the blue a hawk came and snatched one of them away. We were all taken by surprise, it happened in front of us and yet we could do nothing. It sat on the tree opposite our house and ended that tiny life. The pigeon did not to return for the longest time while the tiny squab now alone, continued to shiver in cold and fear. The pigeon finally returned at nightfall. We all are heartbroken at this cruel twist of fate.

Alphabet Meme

2011-02-01T15:28:00.008+05:30

Here's an alphabet meme, saw this on Preeti's blog, and is originally from the Sunday Stealing blog:-

A is for Age: Its rude to ask a girl her age

B is for Beer of choice: I don’t drink Beer

C is for Career: Online Media Professional

D is for favourite Drink: Apple Juice

E is for Essential item you use everyday: Vaseline for lips

F is for Favourite song at the moment: Laungda Lashkara from Patiala House

G is for favourite Game: Business

H is for Home town: Don’t really have one or you can say many, as I lived in many places

I is for Instruments you play: Xylophone and Casio

J is for favourite Juice: Apple

K is for Kids: Kids are cute

L is for Last kiss: This morning to my Mom

M is for marriage: Sacred

N is for full Name: My first and last name makes my full name

O is for Overnight hospital stays: Was hospitalized when I was 12, due to a life threatening reaction to a drug

P is for phobias: Height, crowds, driving

Q is for quote: I am. I think. I will. My hands . . . My spirit . . . My sky . . . My forest . . . This earth of mine. . . . What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer. – Ayn Rand

R is for biggest Regret: Speaking without thinking in anger

S is for sports: Swimming

T is for Time you wake up: 7 AM/8 AM, 9 on sunday :P

U is for colour of underwear: Its nice to be colourful

V is for Vegetable you love: Okra

W is for Worst Habit: Impatience

X is for X-rays you've had: Have had on ankles, legs, neck and chest

Y is for Yummy food you make: Veg Pulav, Chicken curry and Strawberries and cream

Z is for zodiac sign: Aquarius. I am sticking with my old one, I don’t care about Ophiuchus, too much confusion really!

In a Foreign Country

2011-01-31T12:18:00.001+05:30

It is very hard to feel at ease in a foreign land. One feels totally alienated, everything from the sky, earth, plants, places, people seem to cry out that “You! You don’t belong here!” There is also that feeling of being torn between cultures. One even feels guilty when one starts appreciating the foreign land; there is probably a fear of ‘what if I forget my roots?’

Amidst all this and more one year passed by. I still didn’t feel as a part of that country, but towards the end of the school year the typical symptoms started to emerge. I got Senioritis – what could be worse? Still I hoped in vain that I’ll forget all this when I return. Then came the day of days. I took one step at a time, there were so many of them. I wasn’t scared now because I could feel the music from the piano. I felt the music carried me as I descended each step. Lost to sensations around me and mesmerized by the music, I felt I was walking on air. I felt an utmost sense of bliss and my face seemed to beam from ear to ear. I finally reached the bottom of the stage, the walk down the steps had felt like the passage of an era but this – this was it!

Another set of steps, and reached the top of the stage, they called my name and I got my high school diploma with which my misery vanished into thin air. I felt whole, I had become a part of that nation and I knew I was now a citizen of both the east and the west.

I would probably love both countries equally for the rest of my life. This realization gave me a sense of peace and made me feel immense happiness for being a part of that country, if only for a short period of time.

From Darkness to Light

2011-01-25T10:18:00.005+05:30

(Image taken from Google Search)

I could only see the world when I lay on the bed. The continuous coughing though made it impossible to even lie still. It shook me and depleted me of whatever little energy that I could muster. Thus, I just laid with my eyes closed, as it is my efforts to get up resulted in blackouts. Eyes shut, eyes open, darkness had become a constant companion. It was comforting but more often than not it induced fear in me. The possibility that tomorrow might never come was definitely scary. I didn’t want to go like this, not at the age of 12, with my 13^th birthday being just a week and a half away. There was so much I wanted to do, to learn. Yet life seemed to be running out. I wanted it to stay and made a desperate attempt to hold it but it was slipping from my hand like grains of sand. I was resigned to accept what lay ahead. I had become essentially lifeless, with no sense of time. There was so much pain that a point had come where it didn’t hurt me anymore.

That night, my coughing was extremely bad and jerky movements due to it made my drip come loose. Blood spilled like a waterfall on the floor. A river of red gushed from my bed, threatening to cover the entire expanse of the room. I was scared, my Mom was even more. She was very unhappy, she ran to get the nurse. For the first time in my life, I, a non-believer, said a prayer. I asked God to make my mother and my family happy.

I was discharged on my 13^th birthday. A special day, I truly consider it the beginning of a second life for me. The doctors said to my Mom – “It’s a miracle, you should thank God, as we had only 1% hope of her surviving.”

I was weak for the longest time after that and the rashes took forever to disappear. Taking a step to walk felt like a Herculean task. It was an episode I’ll never forget because I was so helpless, so much in pain and so perplexed by the fact that a well known drug heralded as one of the first significant discoveries in the field of medicine, had nearly snatched my life away. I had gone from absolutely fine one day to almost dead the next and back again from death to experiencing signs of vitality in 10 days time.

This episode taught me some of the most important lessons in life, it taught me to be a believer – God existed and so did miracles! It taught me to appreciate my family – my parents and my younger brother. More than anything else, it taught me to appreciate every single moment that life has to offer, whether a happy or a sad one.

Get your story published in The Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul – A book of Miracles at BlogAdda

Television in the Times of Swine Flu :P

2011-01-20T16:11:00.005+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

I am of the opinion that something thrown at you again and again influences you in some manner or another. It’s a fact the first stage of learning is always observation that is why during developmental stages of life, infants and young children observe and imitate any behaviour around them. For some reason, we are wired in a way that we always find it easier to ape the negative things than the positive ones.

The villain/bad boys are often shown to be more attractive and glamorous in advertising and entertainment. Remember, Spider Man III – Peter apparently has more fun when he is bad! Entertainment propagates things that sell no matter how good or bad they are. Inspite of this, I feel that the trend being followed by reality television today and television as a whole is disturbing. Watching fighting, screaming, abusive Indians all the time does not make us happy. People are more tense today than ever before, cut-throat competition, the pressure of multi-tasking, increasing commute period, inflation, lure of brands that were never available before, lifestyle diseases, all make us more irritable than before. You deal with an enormous amount of stress during your day, you slog hard, ward off competition and then head home. On the way you probably get stuck in a traffic jam or come across road rage. You reach home, get fresh, heat your food or cook and then you finally switch on the TV to relax and there it is in front of you – Prime-time reality show! Be it celebrity housemates or swapped mothers – a group of scheming, shouting, unhappy and fighting people greet you. If you switch to a news channel, there will be a debate which is more like a fight. The debate will not have a conclusive end and often at times it will instigate hatred or anger in you.

Maybe you identify with the characters on TV, maybe they express feelings that you feel but cannot express for a co-worker, friend, boss or a family member. Maybe you feel happy that you are not the only one, even celebrities feel emotions the way you do but in the end what is hurled at you is a cannon of negative emotions. Jealousy, lies, deceit, contempt, gluttony, lust, anger, envy, malice and sorrow. You dealt with all this your entire day and then you get this on your television and you sleep with this on your mind. The entire time you are awake, negativity surrounds you. Look at Big Boss, I couldn’t find a single male contestant with any sort of values or respect for women. Dolly spent a lot of time shouting and fighting but the men, was it nice the way they came and stood in front of her, is that how a woman is treated? Roadies – the auditions itself make me sick – a bunch of weird characters and a judge who is supposedly so great because he is rude and abusive. Now, Maa exchange, just with 2 exchanges done so far, these ladies have the capability of spoiling the respect or veneration one feels when one thinks of a mother.

It doesn’t help to be surrounded by negative emotions all the time. Television and entertainment can bring about changes in society; a different movie that comes to mind is Lage Raho Munnabhai – who could have thought the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi can be used in these times? A reality show that talks of good values would be a sensation in these times and maybe it will help us learn the good values again. If nothing, why can’t we have comedy again on TV? Before the never ending Saas-Bahu sagas, Ekta Kapoor doled out sitcoms and we watched them on primetime. We laughed our blues away everytime Sweety went to open a door with a song. We need to feel good at the end of the day and more than anything we need role models who do good even if they are acting so that in the real world we can try to be good and uphold the values that humanity stands for.

Creative or Cruel

2011-01-18T15:45:00.004+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

Yesterday I came across this interesting presentation called Brain Rules for Presenters by Garr Reynolds. Creativity is curbed in a classroom and in a cubicle. The presentation is based on cognitive science and states how you should make use of simple facts such as low attention span of humans while making presentations. Its not a new concept, it’s a fact that our attention span never lasts more than 40 minutes at a go, and that is why most school periods are of the same duration. A double period of course is a big pain in the a%#! Surprisingly most people just carry on with lectures eventhough this fact is well known, isn't that cruel?

I have sat through some immensely boring lectures and some immensely interesting ones in my school and college days. I cannot really recall the boring ones, or any principles I learnt out of them but the inspiring lectures still tug at my heart and bring with them fond memories now and then. One such class I attended was quite awe inspiring, I never thought, schools and teachers could let students have so much fun in class! I was doing my 12^th from a school in Texas. The place I lived in was famous for Hot Air Ballooning. On any given day, when I woke up and looked out my home, I could spot at least one hot air balloon soaring in the sky. Little did I think that time that one day I would create my own hot air balloon and set it to fly in the sky.

When second term of the Chemistry class started, our teacher – Mrs. Moon told us that she has a fun activity planned out for us. She asked us to get together in groups of three. I got together with my desk partner Ashley, and another girl Jennifer. We were given long sheets of thick colorful rubber like substance, tape, scissors and sketch pens. Mrs. Moon told us to cut the rubber thing out into big hot air balloons and tape it together and decorate it as we like. We were also asked to name it. Ashley, Jennifer and me started working on this. It wasn’t easy as we had to cut out a really big shape but we were really excited. The entire class was buzzing with activity and excitement. I think it took the whole class 2 days to get the thing together. The entire class created balloons and decorated them as they liked. We were having a tough time naming our balloon though. We wanted a unique name for our balloon. Ashley came up with ‘Nubbin’, the name of Chandler Bing’s third nipple. I thought it was ridiculous but that’s what made it special. Our entire class thought it was a funny name and since we couldn’t come up with anything else for our hot air balloon we christened it Nubbin.

The third day, we were to fly our hot air balloons in the school grounds. That was really a huge surprise because we didn’t think that we would actually get to see them flying. We all rushed to the school grounds with our hot air balloons. There were some people there, who fired up our balloons and one by one, we saw our balloons soaring in the sky. It was the most beautiful sight! To create something so different and then see it soar in the sky – it was truly exhilarating!

Chemistry was one of my favourite subjects in school but I never ever thought that I would actually get to apply chemistry in such a fun manner. Even kids who didn’t like Chemistry enjoyed this particular activity a lot. It’s really hard to forget the ‘Nature of Gases’ if you get to see it live in action.

Teachers or presenters don’t always have enough resources to turn every class or office meeting into a spectacular learning experience but even small creative twists make a difference. I have always enjoyed an interesting even if organized at a small level ‘creative twist’ more and have regarded it as of value to me than a well financed but boring event. How about you, don’t you feel creative experiences are of more value and have a higher recall than the boring ones?

My Oldest Book and its Memories

2010-11-30T15:17:00.005+05:30

(Image of my Oldest Book)

The oldest book I have is truly special. It is an art book – How to Draw and Paint Watercolors by Walter Foster.

I love books and art almost equally. As a child, I loved reading and enjoyed making craft projects, drawings and paintings a lot. My father encouraged reading; he bought many beautiful books for me for nursery rhymes, later he bought comics, such as Disney. Champak was a children’s book I read on a regular basis, and Chacha Choudhary and Tinkle were picked up on every visit to the railway station which happened quite often as my dad had a transferable job.

The first serious book I owned was however – How to Draw and Paint Watercolors. This book was gifted to me by my dad on my 7th birthday. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, I right away wanted to try all the paintings in the book though I did doubt very much if I’ll do a very good job at it as it all looked so good and real! The first painting I tried from the book was a landscape and I remember it was a so-so version.

As I grew older, I wanted to be an artist, and I always opted for art classes. Several times, I used the techniques given in the book. For a long time I remember painting this particular landscape given in the book which was also the first painting that I ever tried from the book at age 7. I grew better at it every time. I tried my hand at all the paintings. Some paintings were more beautiful and challenging for me, and I tried my hand at them several times so that I could master them and make them as is in the book. For my fine arts class in 11th, I remember doing a still life given in the book. I take pride in the fact that it was one of my better ‘still life’ works and came out very close to the painting in the book.

Due to my dad’s transferable job, it was not always possible to move along with all the books I had, I lost some on the way or some were given away. We even went to US for a considerable time, and due to luggage constraints, a lot of things had to be given away to make the journey between US and India and vice versa.

As I am a voracious reader, I always joined a library so I do not even own a lot of books. It’s been 19 years since I have owned this book, other favourites have also joined this book later – Pride and Prejudice, Lord of the Flies and The Search to name some. Many of these were bought by me, infact I had to hunt for The Search a lot, as the book was out of stock in bookstores for a really long time!

Still, 'How to Draw and Paint Watercolors' remains closest to me, I really doubt that I’ll ever be able to give it away in the real sense. Maybe I’ll let my children or grandchildren use it if any of them have an aptitude for art but I will always keep it me. It will only part from me on my death. :)

Even now, if there are days when I am sad, or I want to draw or paint something but are in a dilemma as to how to do it, I go back and sift through the pages of this book. It brings a smile to my face - some days I just paint something from this book and on others; the book inspires me and gets my creative juices flowing.

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Trust

2010-11-19T16:14:00.005+05:30

Came across this funny spoof on the Cadbury Dairy Milk Shubh Aarambh ads. It made me laugh and then it made me realize a golden rule right out of my childhood - Never accept any food especially toffees and chocolates from strangers. Two thoughts also popped in my head right then - one being of strangers and crime association and another of trust.

I remember when I was a small kid in 1st standard we used to live in Srinagar. This was the time when militancy was at its peak over there. Apart from other evils plaguing the city, drug trafficking was also common. I had heard from other kids in school that sometimes people offered toffees or chocolates to kids and these were laced with drugs. So, at a very young age the kid got addicted to kids. For getting a continuous supply of the same, he/she did anything willingly. Being kids, the lure of toffees and chocolates are the hardest to ignore. Add to that a friendly stranger who is offering you a handful of toffees and chocolates and bang! How can you say no?

When I was in 3rd we moved to Delhi, I studied in a nice big school in New Delhi and even this school was rampant with news of how people distribute drugs in the form of toffees and chocolates. I don't know if that still happens in schools today or was it the biggest fad during those days, but it definitely instilled in me a rule for life - Never trust strangers!

Its funny, but mostly it is easier to talk to strangers. Maybe because they don't know us or we expect that they wouldn't judge us and in the end only trusting or talking to a stranger can lead to you having a meaningful acquaintance with them or a friendship. Still strangers are known to have a destructive effect on our lives. All lore of harm coming to you is associated with the word stranger. However, crime is often done by someone close to you, a stranger who came close and became much more, established trust and then stabbed you! Very rarely do strangers do anything to us - I guess we can only say that petty crimes like pickpocketing and very huge crimes such as terrorist attacks are in a way done by total strangers. The others such as burglary and murder and rape are mostly by people known to us, people we trust, yet mostly we are taught to distrust strangers as they may harm us.

The other thing that stuck me when I saw this video today was of trust. Trust is such a rare thing today. Cadbury came out with an ad which is highly improbable in this world, most people would think along lines of this spoof only in the real world. The original ad stuck a chord with us because it was so idealistic and talked of human emotions and trust the way it should be. However, we are not trustworthy and if we are, we end up getting hurt so bad that all our trust goes out the window. It would nice to have trust though, believe in the goodness of other people and be more open. There are people who dive nose-deep into things sometimes which are against the notion of trust today, such people are often called fools. Sometimes they really get a bad blow but sometimes they get a very deep reward for trusting another person through thick and thin. Love has the power to change things and trust is a very important component of love. Can you love others even strangers and believe that your trust will not be broken?

A Special Day from Childhood

2010-11-14T17:06:00.007+05:30

I looked forward to Children' s Day as a kid only because it was a day when there were no classes in school. Functions were held, civil dress was allowed, and toffees or some snacks were distributed in all the schools I attended during this day.

One school was different, it was a girl's school - VDJS - a school I never thought I'd attend or even like. Yet, this was the school where I ended up spending the largest amount of time - 4 years. Typically, due to my dad's job, I only spent a year or two in a given school. So, 4 years was a really long time! I also made a very good friend in this school and she continues to be my best friend till date. I have beautiful memories of the time I spent in this school and I even read Enid Blyton's Malory Towers series in this school and could totally relate to it.

The school celebrates Children's Day in a special way. Food items are sourced from the city, and teachers-students set up game stalls and food stalls in the school ground. My favourite was the Art Dept stall, where, material made by the Fine Arts teacher and students was sold. I still feel proud of the fact that 20 greeting cards made by me and 1 or 2 paintings made by me were sold in this art stall and I even handled the store once.

The celebration is called Bal Mela, and students spent a lot of money on various stalls. We really looked forward to the day and really hated going home that day. Parents/siblings or friends of the school students were also allowed to attend this unique fair. The objective of Bal Mela was to gather as much profit as possible and this profit used to be spent on the Grade IV school employees such as sweepers, office boys and maids. Everyone used to love spending as much as possible for this good cause.

Another special part of this day was the Alumni Meet, it was held in the later part of the day. Ex-students of the school had a function where they just met or shared their experiences. Another highlight of this meet was the availability of our famous school mess 'kadi' on the dinner menu. The school mess 'Kadi' deserves a special blog post and I am not kidding, it was lip-smacking delicious! :)

My best friend and I loved this day a lot, we used to spend it together checking out various stalls in the Bal Mela. We also made a pact one day, that if ever we don't get to meet again in life, we will surely meet once in our school on Bal Mela. We will attend the Bal Mela and we will attend the alumni meet and have that awesome kadi, the mere mention of which makes our mouths water like anything. According to our pact, we will do this when we are 99, I hope we do it before that but I know one thing, the promise of this pact itself will keep us alive and rocking till we are 99!

Its been 11 years since I left this school, I went to 2 more schools after this one but till date - Nov 14th, my heart goes back to Bal Mela at VDJS. I imagine being with my best friend roaming around our school corridors and being a part of the fun and frolic that was Bal Mela. My heart feels a sweet warmth and a smile finds its way to my face and I relive my childhood once again :)

5 Things I am Grateful For Today

2010-07-26T22:13:00.003+05:30

(Image taken from the internet)

1. Late arrival of direct bus from office to home – I commute by the municipal transport services and contrary to popular belief, buses do come mostly on time. There is just one direct bus from my office to home but it leaves the office bus stop at 5.45 PM, and the next one is not before 8 PM. Thus, normally I do not get a chance to catch this bus and have to change 2 buses on my way home and this increases the commute time considerably. Rains are a really bad time to be at a bus stop – the overflowing water, muck and the wait, its horrible! It was pouring cats and dogs today and I was actually worried about my return journey home. Luckily, the direct bus got delayed and reached the bus stop at 6.10 today thus not only did I get saved from the rains and the wait at the second bus stop but I reached home in a very short span of time.

2. My Neighbours and their Interest in Gardening – I happen to live in a very green neighbourhood. Due to the rains its beautiful and green right now. The most beautiful thing is the walk home, beautiful rose bushes, green trees greet me on my way home. The whole experience is just spectacular and enough to drive the daily stress away!

3. Danone’s Foray into India – Ok, I don’t know why, I mean we are the country of doodh and dahi but we don’t really experiment much with it. I was really amazed with the kind of yogurt flavours available in US during my stay there. One of my favourites was this watermelon yogurt flavor – it was truly something! I am glad Danone has come to India and I love the strawberry flavor, hope they introduce other interesting flavours soon. There are other Indian dairy companies that have introduced similar products but somehow they never get the consistency and flavour right. Imagine having your dinner after a hard day’s work and digging into smoooooth yummy strawberry yogurt, that’s what I did today and this ups my list of grateful things for today :)

4. Stupid People at Work – Yeah, unbelievable right? Sometimes it’s a boon to have stupid people at work. The kind that to go ahead just keep putting the blame on another person. How are they a blessing? Well mostly they make you angry but they also teach you patience. Also, you never run out of moments to laugh about cos in their desperation to succeed or always be right, they commit a lot of and I mean a lot of truly senseless and hilarious actions!

5. Music – Need I say more? One of the answers that I got right during my Masters was this – Which is the universal language – Music. No matter where you are, what you feel, you can connect to another person through music. No matter, how hard your day, or what your current mood…Music works like magic. I am listening to music after a long time today and its just nice to relax this way :)

Me Time!

2010-07-01T22:29:00.003+05:30

We lead such stressful lives these days that we often forget to spend some time just with ourselves and for ourselves. As a result the 'me' that should be loved most is neglected most. Often the lack of time is an excuse for this, but really sometimes one just needs a bit of time or a simple activity that gives you that special time. Here are some ways of pampering yourself:-

1. Do Nothing - Lol! This one's actually my favourite. I mean I work and have a long commute from work to home and by the time I reach home, each part of my body just screams out with fatigue. At such times, after I freshen up and have my dinner, I just like to sit in my room and just do nothing. No thinking, no, nothing, just throw your mind blank and do absolutely nothing. Try this even for 5 minutes and you will feel different.

2. Listen to Music - They say music is a universal language, no matter what your nationality or culture or even native tongue; a soothing tune will stir your heart the same way the way it stirs the heart of another person from the other side of world from you. At times when I am too stressed or just down and out, a soothing melody calms me down and helps me relax. Its a beautiful feeling to get lost in the beauty of sweet melodies.

3. Go Visit Your Sanctuary - Sometimes it helps when you have special place that helps you relax. It could be a park, a crowded mall or a corner in your room. As far as I can remember I always had a sanctuary. I traveled a lot and had sanctuaries in all the places I lived in. One place I lived in, I discovered a beautiful stream. I was only 9, I used to go play there, sometimes with friends, sometimes just alone. Just gazing at the flowing water brought me a lot of peace and happiness. It was actually a magical place for me. I used to visit it atleast once a week. I saw a crab up close for the first time near that stream. Saw tadpoles, infact we friends, used to take them home and watch them swim in glass bowls..so they were like our pet fishes, and then after few days we used to release them back in the stream. Then, I saw water snakes in the stream. There was even a small wooden bridge across the stream and a quicksand near it. It was a place full of wonders! Another place I lived in, a tree was my sanctuary, I used spend time near it. Have you ever hugged a tree? Its a very comforting. Today there is a ground. I just sit there and watch the open sky, the trees overhead, the clouds, the earth below. I feel the wind touch me and I feel loved. This ground is across the city but I love it and feel compelled to visit it. Everywhere I lived, I always had 2 sanctuaries like even today. My room is also my sanctuary. I just like to spend some time alone in it. Do my own thing. It really helps me unwind.

4. Write or Read - Read a book you like or write something. Sometimes even when you have nothing to write about, you can just play a small game. Go blank and set a timer, for 1 minute or so just write anything and everything that comes to your mind. It just releases you. At the end of it, you will feel as if a burden has lifted off you even though you might have just scribbled absolutely illegible thoughts or words.

5. Doodle, Draw, Crafts and Exercise - Remember PT and Art/Craft period in school. Mostly we just did simple exercises or drew/made simple drawings or projects. Some of us were good, some great and some really bad at it but all of us got a good break from the stresses of school life. We found a release and had a bit of fun. So just like then, do this. Make a painting even if you can't paint. Just playing with colours and the satisfaction of having created something will make you happy and at peace with yourself.

I do engage in all the above activities to have some 'me' time. Although I am not always regular but once in a while when I do these things, it makes me happy and relaxed. How about you, how do you spend your 'me' time?

16

2010-06-24T20:37:00.004+05:30

I follow this blogging community - NaBloPoMo and its really a motivator for lazy people like me who think of blogging daily but then just don't get going. Recently they have introduced a feature called writing prompts.

Really liked this one and so here I am:-

If you could go back in time and meet your 16-year-old self, what three things would you tell yourself?

Wow, 16!
When I was 16 I lived in a beautiful place. A hill station. Pristine hills, lush greenery and scenic lakes. It rains daily there and the sun comes out daily as well. White, moving clouds in the sky, playing hide and seek with the sun, rainbows, pink cherry blossom flowers and fresh air. Music and lots of it, Western and Indian.

In such a place who wouldn't love to sing, to draw and to write!

There were problems too, two subjects I loved a lot were not offered for study, a new school, a new environment, a very different sort of Indian society, a tribal culture, adjustments and expectations. Yet, life was beautiful.

I always pride myself with living a life of no regrets and I did spend my 16th year in a splendid manner but maybe if I could go back in time and meet myself I would say these 3 things:-

1. I don't know how but go see Bada Paani!

This is the biggest lake in Shillong, the place I lived in when I was 16. When I went to Shillong, first there was a board - 'Welcome to the Scotland of the East' and then there was this bridge and a beautiful lake below it, surrounded by the majestic hills, welcoming you with open arms. Then there was the rain, big, huge drops of rain, it really pours there! I fell in love with Bada Paani the first time I saw it, and I always coaxed my dad to take us there but somehow that never happened. Its really one of my biggest regrets that I could not visit Bada Paani.

2. When you go trekking, take your own and your dad's camera and take lots of pictures with both.

I once had a chance to go trekking with some friends in an unknown, private section of Shillong. It was a long trek and there were many beautiful spots on the way. A small stream, a grove of tall, splendid Himalayan forest trees, peacock blue river water amidst beautiful brown rocks and the most spectacular views of all - the view from the other side of Shillong peak - the view of the valley below..beautiful spots of colour added by several fields and a lone khasi man standing in tribal clothes amidst them with a smile on his face! I took pictures but there was something wrong with my camera and none of the pictures came. Another floop I made was that I did not take even a single picture of a waterfall that I had visited on a separate occasion.

3. Relationships are delicate and small things have the capacity to ruin strong bonds.

In a way, I still do not always realize how I hurt others. I have not really lived a lot in the way a traditional Indian family does. My parents brought me up differently, I did not really interact a lot with relatives as such. This somewhat hampers my ability to always pick up subtle things. I do not always realize the complexity that forms other people and the subtle currents that underlie all relationships. Sometimes we don't realize that even a small thing, a thought, a saying or an action can hurt others in a big way. Others may not always be very forgiving either and as a result a small mistake can have large consequences.

Inspite of all these things to say, actually even if I could go back, most probably I wouldn't say anything at all.

Why, change anything? Our past shapes our future and we learn from it and become what we are in our present.

I have beautiful memories of my 16th year. How about you, is there anything you would say to yourself if you get a chance to go back and meet your past 16 year old self?

Fit & Fine in Rains

2010-06-14T22:14:00.003+05:30

The rains are here and with them come a splurge of health concerns. I don't know about you but rains is really a difficult time for me health-wise. I have found these natural remedies to be really helpful in the rains. Some if followed regularly might even prevent colds and coughs but then most of us are lazy enough to do that :)

Anyways, here's a list of natural remedies that might help you in case of cough and cold:-

1. Ginger and boiled water - Take a glass of water and boil some bits of ginger in it. Once the water is cools down a bit and is warm enough to drink, add a little sugar in it. You are good to go, having this drink first thing in the morning prevents cold, throat infections and even prevent asthmatic attacks. Over a period of time it even helps you lose weight as the warm water facilitates bowel movement.

2. Honey and Lemon Water - Well most of us know about this one as the way to lose weight. You need 2 teaspoons of honey, juice of half a lemon and warm water. This again needs to be taken first thing in the morning. Lemon is rich in vitamin C and honey soothes the throat thus apart from loss of weight, this also prevents throat infections and colds at bay.

3. Ginger Powder and Hot Milk - This one's a miracle drink, really! You need 1/2 a teaspoon of dried ginger powder in a glass of hot milk. I usually don't need sugar with this but you can add as per your taste. It tastes yum and guess guess, it can actually even help vanish fever! If you have a blocked nose, cough and or fever, take this at bedtime and chances are you will wake up the next morning fit as a fiddle!

4. Tulsi and Cloves - Take a clove and some tulsi leaves. Put the clove inside the tulsi leaves and just eat it. This helps sooth sore throat. You can also add honey to these if preferred.

5. Tulsi-Ginger-Honey Syrup - This one's my favourite. I get sore throat and fever due to that very easily and really now its kind of become that even antiseptics cannot completely cure my throat infection. So my Mom makes this for me and this really helps make my throat healthy again. You need a bunch of tulsi leaves - 50. Little bit of ginger and 2 spoons of honey. Run the tulsi and ginger through a blender so that it becomes liquidy but not totally like juice. Take this paste sort of mixture and add the honey to this and mix it all up. Store it in the fridge and have atleast 2 spoons of this mixture after every meal. Before having it, heat it and then have it. You can store this upto 2 days in the fridge.

6. Tumeric Powder and Hot Milk - Hot milk with tumeric powder just before bedtime keeps a lot of infections at bay.

7. Almond Oil Drops - 2-3 drops of almond oil in nose and ear helps prevent colds and ear infections. A head massage, massage on the soles of the feet or rubbing a bit of oil on the temple soothes the body and ensures a good night's sleep.

Another simple thing that you can do daily is start your day by munching a few tulsi leaves - 2-3 before or after your breakfast. Also, remember to dry up as soon as possible after rains - key areas to take care here are your head and feet as cold enters from these extremities at first and its easier to catch a infection through them. One mistake that most of us also make during the monsoons is that we drink less water. Remember to always have atleast 8-10 glasses of water daily.

Death of Humanity

2010-06-12T11:47:00.005+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

Sometimes an incident happens around you and you are left wondering at what the world is coming to and more importantly what can you do to stop such a thing from happening.

I was returning home yesterday by Public transport. The city has a rule that the seats on the left side of the bus are to be reserved for women passengers, however nobody really follows this rule. One cannot blame people for this also as the Public transportation is really deficient when compared to the volume of people who use it. Yesterday evening, there were 2 ladies sitting and 2 standing near the last 4 seats in the left row. They were in the age group 25-30 years and dressed traditionally in simple salwar suits. A few men were also standing around them and the bus was crowded.

One of them started some hanky panky touching and sick activities and tried to molest the 2 ladies who were standing. They both asked him to behave. Out of the other men who were standing there, one really supported the ladies and gave the man quite a sound-off. It was something to the effect that "people travelling in buses are all good and simple people who are tired and returning home from a hard day's work. Its bad enough that the bus is crowded but molestation is something that they should not be subjected to and you should understand this".

Some time passed, the sick molester got down at his stop and after a bit got on the bus again. This time he had something similar to a baseball bat in his hand and he started hitting the man who had spoken in support of the ladies. He started abusing the man and hitting him blows like anything. In the process, other people around the man including several ladies also suffered some blows. People were shouting but no one came to the aid of the nice man, finally that man managed to push the abuser out of the bus. There was a lot of talk after that, everybody had something to say but none could really act when their effort really mattered.

This guy got away with molestation and with beating so many people especially the nice man who had raised a voice against him. What he instead deserved was a beating more than anyone else and a visit to the police station. All this because no one could act. People knew he was wrong but most did not have the inclination to leave their seat and come to the aid of the nice man, even the conductor and driver were absolutely quite.

People don't realize that women need to be respected. I have seen many times, when a female asks for the seat in the name of the left seat reservation rule - every single man in the bus protests but when a female complains of misbehaviour or molestation, there is pin-drop silence as if its her fault that she got subjected to such behaviour. Yesterday for a change, a man spoke in support but he got beaten up. Out of the total 25 men in the bus, not even one came to his aid. Why, even if one man had the courage, the two of them together could have taught the single miscreant the lesson of a lifetime. Instead, we all learnt that apathy is the order of the day. Every good thing that forms humanity is withering away.

Television

2010-05-04T19:31:00.002+05:30

I usually get annoyed with forwards, and actually took a pledge never to forward a forward some years ago. But sometimes there are exceptions, one gets some really touching stories or interesting things as forwards. Just yesterday got a story related to childhood and parenting as a forward, really liked it a lot.

An important aspect of the story is that we often spend so much time or give so much importance to the things that are actually insignificant. We forget or neglect the things that matter, sometimes hurting those who love us the most in the process:-

A teacher from Primary School asks her students to write a essay about what they would like God to do for them...
At the end of the day while marking the essays, she read one that made her very emotional. Her husband, that had just walked in saw her crying and asked her:

- What happened?

She answered

- Read this. It's one of my student's essay :

Oh God, tonight I ask you something very special: Make me into a television. I want to take its place.

Live like the TV in my house. Have my own special place, And have my family around ME. To be taken seriously when I talk.... I want to be the centre of attention and be heard without interruptions or questions. I want to receive the same special care that the TV receives when it is not working. Have the company of my dad when he arrives home from work, even when he is tired. And I want my mom to want me when she is sad and upset, instead of ignoring me... And... I want my brothers to fight to be with me...

I want to feel that family just leaves everything aside, every now and then, just to spend some time with me. And last but not least make it that I can make them all happy and entertain them...

Lord I don't ask you for much... I just want to live like every TV

At that moment the husband said: - 'My God, poor kid. What horrible parents!

She looked up at him and said: - 'That essay is our son's !

The Colours of Summer

2010-05-02T12:31:00.006+05:30

Gulmohar Tree

Green Mangoes (Amiya)

Amaltas Tree

Summer is here with all its fierceness, the scorching sun burning bright .. making everything appear pale in its mighty brightness.

Dry landscape, shining roads, and flowering trees like Gulmohar and Jacaranda stand out in vivid colours..they seem to scream to the sun, that look at our beauty, we are bright and beautiful! They spread their arms as long as possible to absorb the sun's rays. The arms filter the sun's rays and creates a shady dreamy area, you stand under it and the world is orange and red..soothing, calm and beautiful.

Then there's the Amaltas, it stands with overflowing strands of yellow flowers hanging down its body. Beautiful, yellow and so bright, but it seems to be shy of its beauty and looks as if it is just bowing down to the onlookers.

There is also the majestic Peepal, which has regained its leaves after the winter, it stands tall and proud. The Neem that spreads its branches and shelters all from the harsh weather like a mother, and the Mango, with bor and amiya laden arms fascinating one and all.

Summer is harsh but the trees make it beautiful. Each with its own personality stands out protecting and nurturing life around it.

Empty Cup

2009-11-21T17:13:00.003+05:30

(Image from Internet)

Saw the movie 2012 recently, an old saying or word of wisdom was depicted in a beautiful manner in the movie - "Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup".

Its not the first time I came across these words and yet practice of this principle is so hard to achieve. On any given day, the race of thoughts never seems to stop. One after the another, they run, they chase each other, each vying for my attention. At times, it seems the cup is not enough to hold them. New information comes, new thought crowd my head, and the cup runneth over.

Peace is hard to achieve, to strike that balance I need to be calm, cannot afford carrying one matter's tension into another. I don't know how many have you ever tried meditation but sometimes I have quite a hard time with it. Concentrating on one thing and throwing all thoughts out of my mind, has quite the contrary effect. It is said actually that incase you cannot throw those thoughts out, its better not to meditate, or else you might experience more stress than before. Some suggest learning the same from a master.

Mostly when I see people of my age, some know a lot, and some are yet to discover many things, but a major issue of our generation is the lack of time. We learn so much more today thanks to the internet, and advances in communication systems worldwide. We also have so many tools at our hand, but with everything else there is so much to do and so little time. Knowledge seems to go wasted cos I don't have time to apply. At times not the patience :)

The year is coming to an end, I don't know if I will succeed in applying wisdom and acting on it but here's hoping that I do.

Languages

2009-11-01T19:24:00.004+05:30

(Harappan Script -Image from the Internet)

Languages, Art, Architecture,Culture, History has always excited me. Call me boring or what you will I might be among the only few people of my generation who love visiting a museum and finding co-relation between similar sounding words across different languages.

My brother and I love watching this animated manga series on TV. Earlier they used to show the dubbed version, but this season being the last, they are showing it in Japanese with English sub-titles. Apart from enjoying the show, I also try to guess the Japanese words, one word I picked up is Jeev - it seems to mean free. In Hindi, a Jeev would be a living thing. Last night was really hillarious for my brother and me, as the show was aired in Japanese without the sub-titles. Neither of us know Japanese and love this show so had to depend entirely on the scenes to guess the story. The situation was comic as well as we made our own dialogues on the basis of the speech and tone.

I had a discussion with a friend today who is trying to learn Hindi and it got me thinking about the origin of languages. We have such a vast type of languages, from those based on pictorial symbols like Chinese and Japanese to those written from Right to Left like Arabic and Urdu to those written from Left to Right like English and Hindi.

A big mystery regarding languages that I have seen is the Indus Valley Script. I remember in school, while teaching the subject, our history teacher gave us the script and asked us to decipher the script. The script had not been decoded that time and she told us - "You never know, maybe you'll discover the answer."
It was fun and exciting, and recently when the script was decoded, it was really an amazing feeling watching the news.

I believe they are in the process of decoding every text and scripture that they have found from that era now. Hope to read what was it that was engraved on the things from that time in a short period of time.

Love, Life, Attention, Sorrow and Suicide

2009-10-19T21:37:00.003+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

Love, Life, Attention, Sorrow and Suicide.

Its said you can't love another if you don't love yourself, and yet its said that in love must forget oneself totally and give oneself to another person. A lot of times, love leads some people to forget the love for oneself.

A broken heart leads to pain, sorrow, despair and hopelessness.

Life suddenly becomes unbearable and one is drawn to more and more to the dungeon of sorrow and grief. It grows big.

Attention plays a big part, you need attention, you want others to care for you, you can't feel anything after your broken heart, and you take the way to escape.

You forget you, you forget your friends, you forget your family, escapism is the only way.

Suicide, a moment.. what if you live through it? Do you live life more then?

Or suicide - the last moment - do you realize that before the last breath left you - that you made the wrong choice. That you loved life and yourself, and that it isn't right to go this way?

Small words with large meanings - they seem petty when you compare to the human life gone before its time - Love, life, attention, sorrow - all in ways related to suicide.

Blogger 10 and the Internet

2009-09-09T20:50:00.003+05:30

Well I haven't been around but this has surely an eventful time in Internet history. Blogger has turned 10, and the internet 40.

There was a lot of buzz about the internet turning 40, and really who would have thought so much would have been possible through the internet.

I first used the computer when I was 4. Used to play games on it in school. My favourite was Bricks. I created my first email account when I was 16. That too sitting in a cyber cafe, with the slowest internet connection possible. Oh, and the rate was 50 rupees an hour for the internet use. That was really steep!

The following month I moved to US, where even school projects were based on internet usage. I used to love the computer as a kid, but during my teens I was stuck by the restraints of a school program that allowed me to choose either computers or fine arts. I chose fine arts and that's how the disconnect happened.

Finally when I created my first email id, from then till now I haven't looked back. My world is the internet. My profession is also related to the internet. From emailing to searching to even pouring out my feelings and thoughts unto this blog, who would have thought, that I would grow to love the internet so much.

The internet ofcourse has its share of ills but when I look at the boons, the potential is so much higher and it really seems like an endless world.

Ok, before this starts sounding like an essay on the internet, I just want to say kudos to the internet and blogger. Thanks for making our world a much better place in so many ways :)

Hello World!

2009-09-09T20:26:00.004+05:30

Hello World!

Its been long, haven't had time to blog in like ages.
Well I have been through a series of interesting events, not all that great, but not all that bad either. Had some marvelous experiences, something I was actually wishing for very very long finally took place, but had some not so good experiences too. The point however is that I learnt.

Life brings with it many opportunities but mostly life brings with it always a chance to learn. Good or bad, whatever you encounter, you end up learning something. You grow as a person.

Happy Independence Day!

2009-08-15T18:21:00.003+05:30

(Image taken from the Internet)

Happy Independence Day to Each and Every Indian out there! :)

I am not going to complain about what India has or lacks, its the day to rejoice, the independence that we have was hard-earned, and we deserve to be happy for where we are today. One also acknowledges the efforts of our countrymen who fought hard against adverse situations to make sure India got independence from the British rule.

Adversity often brings out two opposing qualities in people - strength and weakness.

Every man recognizes what his real strengths and weaknesses are at the face of an adverse situation. Some men make the most of their strengths and fight an adverse situation. Other recognize their weakness and run from the situation. No one is wrong, both if wise, do learn some lesson or the other from the situation.

The lesson that every Indian needs today is just - recognize what you are, and take the steps to do what can be done by you for your country.

Swine Flu - The Chaos & Call for Change

2009-08-13T15:37:00.005+05:30

(Image from the Internet - TimeMagazine)

Swine Flu - If you read my other posts you will find all the information regarding symptoms and treatment that I could find on the disease. This post is what I think about Swine flu. Like I said before, I live in Pune, the epicentre of Swine flu. Pune saw the first casualty of Swine flu - Reeda Sheikh, a schoolgirl. Pune has the most number of people affected by Swine flu. Pune has seen the maximum deaths due to Swine flu. Pune also has the survivors, one teenage schoolboy even got cured and celebrated his 13th birthday post recovery.

In all the past days, the only thought that ran over and over again in my head is - how did we get here?

Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, droughts, terror attacks, as with these; Swine flu has reinforced the need for India to have a disaster management system. The Black Swan theory tells us that the unexpected always throws us out of gear. So, ya, we can't control these circumstances and some chaos will result from such events but a disaster management system can definitely help in minimizing the effects of such events.

We have the population of a billion, the country is poor, there are many social ills and blah blah blah but really why is life not valued in this country? 17 people have died so far due to the disease. Is this what one expects from an influenza strain in this century? Spanish Influenza killed people in hordes back in 1918, its 2009 - why are people still dying?

Yes, its not right to blame, its a new disease, there is no vaccine to prevent it but we do have medicines that can cure it. So why is it that the death toll is rising daily? Lack of awareness, or callousness on part of the health care providers.

All the prevails is chaos. Some homeopathic stores are claiming that homeopathy has the ideal medicine that can prevent you from contracting swine flu. Have they tested it out? The disease is new, how can they know for sure? Ayurveda and Homeopathy are strong disciplines in their own right, one can definitely expect to boost one's immunity by using a prescribed Ayurvedic or Homeopathic regimen. But is this claim valid, don't the Homeopathic store owners have some moral responsibility? Or they just feel that minting money is the best policy to adopt even in such times of distress.
Masks are a preventive means for the disease, so the supply of masks is less. The ones that are available are being sold at higher prices. Is this right?

This time will pass, we will have stories to remember, some good, some bad but when will India learn a lesson? Our dear politicians concentrate their energies on every damn thing out there except the important ones. I am digressing from Swine flu but the bigger question is, India Shining, India Growing - really? Let me see - day after tomorrow is our Independence day. What is India's progress - Caste System - blooming thanks to political parties including the Congress that for their own good believe in expanding the reservations at the time of every election, Poverty - blooming as always, Development - environment unfriendly buildings, deforestation, global warming, potholed roads, water problems, power cuts..u get the drift, National Security - terrorists keep attacking us whenever they feel like, public money is wasted on feeding and satisfying every whim and fancy of terrorists like Kasab - maybe they are waiting for another IC -814, Health - after swine flu well what can I say?

Swine flu is disturbing but I hope every Indian will learn a lesson from this and take some steps. You know the politicians are not doing anything, its time we did something ourselves.

It is TIME to make a change.

Screening Centres for Swine Flu in Pune

2009-08-13T15:04:00.003+05:30

I don't have the complete information about all the screening centres but here are 15 screening centres for H1N1 virus screening at Pune:-

1. PMC Hospital, Erandwane Nal Stop, Padale Palace
Dr Sarita Gandhe - 9764000939.

2. Anandibai Gadgil Hospital, Mhatre Pul, Dattwadi
Dr Jyotsana Khole - 9422987953.

3. Gaikwad Hospital, Ganj Peth
Dr Sandhya Bahute

4. Kalawati Mevale Hospital, 283, Modi Ganpati, Narayanpeth.
Dr. Nila Limaye - 9881385015.

5. Bhade Hospital, 558, Nanapeth, behind mutton market, Laxmi Road, Nana Peth.
Dr. Swati Joshi.

6. Hutatma Babu Genu Hospital,
529, Raviwar Peth, Sonya Maruti Chowk, Laxmi Rd
Dr. Dinesh Bare - 9421018878.

7. Siddharth Hospital, in front of Vishrantwadi Police Chowkey, Alandi Rd.
Dr. Bhagwan Bhagal - 9423004811.

8. Pote Hospital, Padmavati Pumping Station, Satara Road, Sahakar Nagar.
Dr. Vidya Rajawade - 9422520930.

9. PMC Hospital, 565 Shivajinagar, Ayatkar Bhavan.
Dr. Aparna Gokhale - 9823214103.

10. PMC Hospital, 47 Aundh Rd, Khadki.
Dr. Madhur Gare - 9823224789.

11. PMC Hospital, Galande Patil, Kalyani Nagar, near Don Bosco High School, Shastrinagar, Yerwada.
Dr. Ujjwala Khisty - 9730571404.

12. Dr. Potnis Arogya Kendra, Gadikhana, Mandai, Shukrawar Peth.
Dr. Asmita Bhui - 9850992960.

13. Kawale Patil Hospital, Koregaon Park.
Dr. Jaya Bhondwe - 9922504428.

14. Rohidas Karad Hospital, Ganesh Peth.
Dr. Chandrashekar Gujar.

15. Sutar Hospital, Gujarat Colony.
Dr. Shyam Satpute - 9823217047.

The list is of Municipal hospitals. As far as I know, Sahayadri Hospital, KEM Hospital and Noble Hospital are also treating patients for Swine flu but testing is not being carried out there. Infact testing I believe is not being carried anywhere as of now. Patients suspected of having Swine flu are straightaway being prescribed drugs to avoid any complications.

Swine Flu: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

2009-08-13T12:47:00.002+05:30

I live in Pune, the epicentre of Swine Flu. These are depressing times because really who would have thought that people would die of flu in this century. The good part, however is that people are getting cured, developing immunity and moving on. This post is just to list the info I came across in newspapers and news sources about swine flu.

What is it?
A respiratory disease of pigs and causes regular outbreaks in pigs.
It has been known to spread from person to person but in the past, this transmission was limited and never sustained beyond 3 people.

The present Swine Flu virus is contagious and is spreading rapidly from one human to another by means of air.

Diagnosis of Swine Flu
A respiratory specimen needs to be collected within the first 4-5 days of illness. Throat swabs were being collected in Maharashtra for the same, however since the past 2 days, testing has been stopped in Pune, and now across Maharashtra. Suspected cases are straightaway being given medicines.

How does Swine Flu Spread?
Just the same as seasonal flu - through air. It spreads from one person to another through coughing and sneezing(thus it is important to wear masks/ use hankies if u have swine flu to cough or sneeze into). Some people may touch infected objects or people and get the virus. (The virus stays alive on non-living objects for upto 8 hours.)

How can someone with Swine Flu infect Others?
Infected persons may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and upto 7 or more days after becoming sick.

Vaccine for Swine Flu
At present there is no vaccine for swine flu and it may take about 6 months to a year to develop one.

Medicines for Treating Swine Flu
There are medicines for treating Swine Flu - Oseltamivir (TamiFlu) and Zanamivir (Relenza).
Antiviral drugs are prescription medications that fight against the flu by preventing the flu virus from reproducing in the patient's body. The medicines work best if started within 2 days of getting the symptoms.

Surfaces that are likely Sources of Swine Flu Contamination
The virus can spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with the virus and then touches his/her eyes, nose or mouth.

Droplets from cough of sneeze in the air may fall on surfaces like desks, doorknobs, children's toys, phone handsets etc. While it is almost impossible to avoid such things, its a good idea to wash hands frequently to avoid getting infected.

Preventive Precautions

Frequent hand washing.
Covering your nose and mouth with tissue while coughing and sneezing - throw the tissues in trash after use. If you don't have a tissue, use your hand and then wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol based cleaner.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
If you are sick with the flu then stay home from work/school and limit contact with others to prevent infecting them.

What to do if you get the flu?
If you develop symptoms like a running nose, cough, sore throat, fever, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, then its best to contact a doctor. Stay at home as much as possible so that you don't spread the disease to others.

Can people get Swine Flu from Eating Pork?
No, Swine Flu doesn't spread through pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160F/72C kills the swine flu virus as it does other viruses and bacteria.

Household Cleaning, Waste Disposal and Laundry

Throw away tissues, used masks in the trash and wash your hands after touching such waste.
Keep surfaces like bedside tables, bathroom slabs, children toys, phone handsets, and doorknobs clean by wiping them with a household disinfectant (like Colin).
Linens, eating utensils and dishes belonging to the patient should be thoroughly cleaned.
Clean the laundry in hot water, avoid hugging it prior to washing to prevent contaminating yourself. Clean your hands with soap or alcohol based hand rub right after handling dirty laundry.
Eating utensils should be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water.

Swine flu is curable and there really is no need to panic. One just needs to spruce up one's hygiene to avoid contracting the flu.

Swine Flu Notice by Govt of Maharashtra

2009-08-13T12:23:00.003+05:30

The Govt of Maharashtra released a notice regarding Swine Flu in the papers today, here it goes:-

Symptoms

Fever.
Cough.
Running Nose.
Sore Throat.
Difficulty in Breathing.
Diarrhoea and Vomiting (in exceptional cases).

Steps

Get yourself medically examined in case of these symptoms.
Avoid crowded public places like theatres and malls; stay at home.
Wash hands regularly with soap and clean water.
Take nutritious diet with Vitamin C* for immunity.
As the spread of swine flu is by air, use handkerchief while coughing or sneezing.

Things to Avoid

Public spitting.
Close contact with those who show these symptoms.
Crowded public places.
Taking medicines without doctor's advice.

Things to Remember

N95 masks are meant for doctors, nurses, infected patients and persons in close contact.
For daily protection a hanky is advisable.
Proper disposal of masks is necessary.
Masks used by one person shouldn't be used by others.

Phone Numbers

Mantralaya - 22871385/22871395
BMC, Mumbai Tollfree No. - 108
Thane - 25471541
Pune - 26124299
Mobile No. - 9404225846

* Vitamin C rich foods include mainly citrus fruits like oranges and melons - mausambi is in season now. Apart from these, strawberries, tomatoes and lemons are also rich in Vitamin C.

My next post would carry other information that I have collected through newspapers and news sources regarding swine flu. Till then, please maintain the basic rule of hygiene - washing hands as often as possible. Take care and stay healthy.

Light at the End of a Tunnel

2009-08-01T15:53:00.005+05:30

(Photo taken by the Thinker)

"Life on a lifeboat isn't much of a life. It is like a game in chess, a game with few pieces. The elements couldn't be more simple, nor the stakes higher. Physically its extraordinarily arduous, and morally it is killing. You must make your adjustments if you want to survive. Much becomes expendable. You get your happiness where you can. You reach a point where you' re at the bottom of hell, yet you have your arms crossed and a smile on your face, and you feel you're the luckiest person on earth. Why? Because at your feet you have a tiny dead fish."

- Excerpt from The Life of Pi.

I finished reading The Life of Pi recently, its not a really great book but a good one nevertheless. I am actually confused about how I feel about it but I really like this para from the book. It talks of hope and life. When you are down and out, there will be something, it maybe something small and insignificant but it will give you hope, bring cheer to your heart and light you up.

There are times when we go through a bad phase, for some reason nothing seems to be going right. You fall, you shake, you loose and then one day you wake up, you realize, you move on. Every cloud has a silver lining, there is light faint in the beginning or not visible but its there at the end of every tunnel. There is day after the end of every long night, you wake up and it filters in your room, shimmering, soft sunshine till it engulfs every dark corner out there.

Some years ago I had a personal quote, something I came up with and more importantly something I truly believed in -

"Everything in life has a purpose and the purpose is happiness."

It all boils down to this, even when you are facing a hard time, something good will come out of it. Maybe you will grow more as a person, or maybe you will acquire a skill that will see you through in your future but every sorrow does bring with it its own rewards.

In these times, with recession, there are many people out there who are jobless. Some got laid-off, others are stuck in a job they hate, and there are some who gave up the lousy job they had because they couldn't deal with the unfairness that some organizations are carrying-on in the name of recession. There are other people who have a job they love, but every once in a while they come across a situation where someone else is praised for the work that they do or have done. In short, the work-life has its ups and downs. Work, is where most people spend a huge amount of their day, it affects your mood in a tremendous way.

So if you are down and out or stressed at work today, remember this time will pass. Or rather enjoy even this hard time because it is here to bring you some reward.

Rainy Mornings and Rainy Days

2009-07-16T13:06:00.002+05:30

I am just very lazy these days. The laziness is growing more due to the weather. Ya I know there is always an excuse and weather is always the easier one ;)

Its been raining non-stop since the past 2 days. It does hold up for sometime in between but mostly it just pours. Right now, it has held up. Past two days its just been going spitter-splatter. Rain is so noisy. I am not really a rain fan apart from the first rain, the greens and everything after a while I get annoyed with rains.

I don't know if its just me, but for some reason everything gets intensified during the rains. I mean the smells become sharper, and seriously I have a tough time then cos my rhinitis starts acting up, and the colours ofcourse become sharper cos everything is so clean and green. The noises also become sharper I feel, I mean the same autorichshaw that used to pass earlier somehow becomes more louder. Its like there is more silence and any sound that sounds seems to sound louder.

I really get annoyed with the sounds, I prefer when its raining and the rain sound more to the vehicle and traffic sounds.

Past two nights I haven't been able to sleep that well either, I never have been actually able to sleep on rainy nights, the sound of rain is a bit disturbing. But more than that these two days I have been obsessed with ideas, one night I wanted to blog and yesterday I wanted to paint. I actually saw this beautiful waterfall the other day and the whole night I just wanted to paint it. Yet, I can't picture it that well, I just saw it momentarily, could not even take a photo of it :(
Plus I was sleepy at night yet the thought wasn't just leaving my mind. Maybe I'll attempt to paint it from memory but not sure if I'll do a good job.

Just Random Thoughts

2009-07-14T13:18:00.002+05:30

I want to write so much today, its like last night I was overcome with an irresistable urge to blog yet I could not cos that would have meant waking up every sleeping soul in my house. Yet the funny thing is today when I have the time and right environment to write..I just can't recall what I had wanted so badly to blog about.

So this is all gibberish, it will just release me somewhat. I think it was about addiction that I had wanted to write. The addiction to live, the addiction to die, the addiction to have sex, the addiction to eat, the addiction to worship, the addiction to drink, the addiction to gain, the addiction to compete, the addiction to power.

Its just a thought I had yesterday, that at every stage in life we have an addiction. The need, the desire..the addiction. As infants its food, as adults its food, power, love and money, in oldage its respect and recognition and later the addiction for being with God. The needs as Maslow proposed in his hierarchy, the need is just a softer name, in the end its an addiction.

Yet a word like addiction has such a negative connotation, addiction, desire.. why? We humans made the language and yet why some words became more negative than others?

Witchcraft and Adultery

2009-07-11T22:04:00.004+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

I had seen a movie a long while ago - An American Haunting. Its a horror flick, not gruesome just slightly disturbing, its only in the climax that the truth is revealed which was well really disturbing! The movie deals with ghosts and incest. The way I see it, a family learns to deal with the pain of a father raping his daughter by naming it as a consequence of wicked spirits and witchcraft.

Witchcraft and magic of the bad kind has often been used to cover up Man's mistakes. If a woman commits adultery, she is given names, her persona is then out on the table for anyone and everyone to comment upon. And not only adultery, many independent thinking women have been said to burnt to death in the name of Salem Witchtrials, only and only because they were more independent in their thoughts and beliefs.

If a man commits adultery, he is let scott-free in many ways. One of the oldest excuses is that the other woman was a witch, she lured him and trapped him and he couldn't escape her seductive ways. The entire family then rejoices the return of the man, they celebrate that he could get out of the trap, break the magic etc., and everything is fine again.

Is everything really fine? I have often wondered the plight of the man's wife. She knows it wasn't witchcraft, and yet to embrace the relation again she goes with this pretense but how much pain she must be enduring. To believe this make belief, to forgive in the name of witchcraft, it must be hard and the pain must be excruciating.

A Flower

2009-07-11T21:34:00.006+05:30

(Photos by the Thinker)

I saw this flower yesterday. A very unique flower. I have never seen it before. Took some shots of it with my cell phone unfortunately they haven't come out so well. The flower is really delicate and the design is so different. It has two layers of petals and a very strong yet pleasant smell.

Our maid had got it from a vine. She told us that this flower only blooms during the rains. Maybe that is what makes it so special. I found it very attractive and it was just a very new experience for me to have discovered a new flower..something I hadn't seen before.

The Fountainhead and More

2009-07-08T11:44:00.003+05:30

I am reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand these days. The novel is the story of an architect, an architect who designs buildings keeping all factors in mind and does not follow the faulty yet conventional way of design. He meets with a lot of resistance, everybody hates him, stands in his way and admonishes his work just because it is not conventional. The novel thus also tells us how success never comes easy, the path of a hero is always filled with obstacles.

One of the most interesting things is when I was reading the novel I realized, it is an old novel, and yet it is so relevant today. Forget the theme - originality versus conventionalism, heroism versus struggle, even the subject matter about architecture is so relevant. I haven't studied architecture but I like buildings, I like art and design, and enjoy the way they are incorporated in buildings.

An interesting thing that I have noticed in architecture that is coming up in India today is IT parks. The IT parks seem to be modelled on the way buildings are made in the West. They employ a lot of glass, and the way this is beneficial is that, it allows sun rays to permeate the building and thus a lot of heat gets trapped. This is really ideal for places with cold weather but India? Its more of an expense. Sure, we save money on the building costs, glass is cheaper but we end up spending more on airconditioning. This also harms the environment more because more AC usage leads to more CFC in the environment.

Architecture of this type actually reflects the Indian mentality of aping everything from the West. We don't really need that, its conventional because the common Indian mentality is that anything from the West is loved more whether it has a good value or not. The city I live in, well they can't even come up with original names for the buildings, we have the Balmoral, the White House, Pentagon and the Times Square to name a few buildings. Thankfully they haven't named something as the Taj Mahal or Qutub Minar till now. But really, is it so hard to come up with original names?

The architecture too, is it hard to come up with more environment friendly designs? Isn't it an architect/builder/construction company's responsibility to bring about a change. Should they not be focusing on incorporating more eco friendly features in their buildings? Its not that people would object, or wouldn't pay, why the price of property is really high, so what keeps an architect from trying, why follow the conventional path especially in times where the need for change is an absolute necessity?

Virtuous Circle or a Vicious Circle

2009-07-06T21:43:00.003+05:30

(Image from the internet)

I read a friend's blog post yesterday, it was about circles. Just reminded me of a book I had read once. The book of nothing - I never read it full but somethings in the beginning were really interesting and I had thought of a few things back then.

A circle, a dot, a shunya(zero), a point, a fullstop, a small black dot on a white background - nothing or the earth, a start of something, the basis for the whole number system and one of the most important discoveries in mathematics, a beginning of a line, an end of a sentence and the beginning of another, a sign of difference or individualism amongst the common white.

Circle is infinite..its nothing and yet its a magical shape..its everything. Planets, our earth, the sun, the zodiac, the eyes that show us so much - our vision, our way to perceive the world and the way others are, the way a Mother cradles a child is like a semi-circle, in stories and sayings.. the circle represents a never ending path..like life, like after life, like deeds - what u sow shall you reap..the circle of life.. childhood to oldage..they say old age is second childhood..in appearance and dependence and in wisdom - a child is smarter than an adult in many ways..they can see the malice of another heart very soon..something that adults miss a lot of times..Sans hair, sans teeth..said the verse of famous poem about oldage.

Vicious circle of demand and supply, of poverty and illiteracy and overpopulation of crime and greed, of obsession and compulsion.

A circle may be good, it maybe bad. It may never seem to end, it may be easy to break, it may overlap another. The circle that we may choose to follow change our life or make us feel trapped in its spin. But nothing ..not even a circle can bound you when you need to make a change..because every circle contains an end and a new beginning. Its upto you, the way you see it - a fullstop or the beginning of a new sentence :)

What do the Masks Hide?

2009-07-05T15:28:00.008+05:30

(Photo by The Thinker - SOMETIMES HAPPY FACES ARE MISLEADING)

So I am back, its been sometime since I blogged. Was a bit caught up..my fingers were itching with the urge to blog daily but my mind was too numb or one reason or another I just couldn't make it.

I am a bit stressed out these days. Its not a happy feeling but it happens. Sometimes things just don't go your way. Sometimes people you trust turn out to be something you never thought that they were. Sometimes the very same people twist your words to mean something else. It hurts and it hurts more if this happens where you spend the most amount of your day. You realize that no one is your friend. Why some people come to misunderstand you and misinterpret your words just for their own gratification is a thing hard to understand. It is especially hard because the said person in question is not someone you could ever pose a threat to. You only respect them but ofcourse it seems they seem to have a certain insecurity and they do what they can to sabotage your path to glorify their own road ahead.

Jealousy is such a pathetic emotion. Sometimes you get surprised by how petty things are noticed by others and how those things convey their true feelings. A small thing that brings out the entire malice of their hearts. So jealous! Jealous especially when you have your own rewards. Jealous because I am happy? I think apart from the old saying that implies, a true friend is one who also stays your friend when you are facing sorrow, a glaring example of who your actual friend is can be understood from the way your so called friends react to a sign of success in your life. Sure overtly they all seem happy but then subtle things happen. Subtle remarks, jokes..and you know what is going on. Some people are atleast honest and withdraw from you, others stick around and beat you with their snidy remarks. They might still give honest smiles to your face but turn your back and the brickbats start falling.

Really nothing shows you who your true friends are like HAPPINESS and SORROW.

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T09:29:00.004+05:30

I just read the news this morning, still a bit shocked. Michael Jackson or Mikhael as he came to be called after his comparatively recent conversion to Islam died due to unknown reasons yesterday.

Michael Jackson, well I wasn't really such a big fan and his recent scandals really made me think very negatively about him. However Michael Jackson was Michael Jackson, he was always in the news. Thriller his greatest album was released before I was born yet I like the title song very much. Dangerous was an album I absolutely loved, who can forget Michael singing black or white and dancing like that. I think atleast in India, the word break dance is synonymous with Michael Jackson. The star faded but dancing never did, even today on Indian television you will catch kids or mimicary artists aping Michael Jackson's dance moves.

I always was a part of school choir, and the song that I sung most, a most beautiful song, was We are the World. It is a song sung by Michael Jackson. I think that's what Michael stood for me for a long time. A singer who took the effort to do something even for meaningful causes.

When I grew up however, the paradoxes hit hard. He sang "it doesn't really matter whether you are black or white" and yet got that white skin. Sometimes it was said, that was due to the skin disease that he had but still it was strange. He didn't need to change. He had multiple surgeries on his nose. Such a strong need for change, the star was obviously disturbed, maybe he didn't love himself. A child music sensation, that grew up to be such a legend, why did he need to change? The star was always involved in controversies, from letting his own son dangle from the balcony to the much more serious Neverland scandal. The singer just lost his charm. Its said he was all set to make a comeback soon, but what has come is his untimely death.

I don't have much respect for him anymore, as a celebrity he had many responsibilities and his scandals just let down everyone, most of all his diehard fans. His contribution to music and dance will however live on.

90:10 Reservation by Board - the unadulterated truth from a Marathi politician

2009-06-23T14:42:00.010+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

We, the people of Maharashtra are special. An honourable minister just introduced the 90:10 reservation. The reservation makes it compulsary for colleges to grant 90% seats to students studying under Maharashtra Board and 10% to the rest (ICSE, CBSE and others).

What does this imply? It takes the cause of Marathi Manoos ahead.. yeah the Marathi Manoos, he is not an Indian first, he is a Marathi, he hates all Indians - the Biharis, the UP bhaiyas, the north Indians, the outsiders.. and these people they have no right to visit Maharashtra because Maharashtra belongs to the Marathi Manoos not to Indians ok?

Ofcourse its another matter that when terrorists attack Mumbai, the NSG, a national entity is supposed to fight them. The super talkative leader who keeps babbling about northerners and getting them beaten up by his so-called party workers, doesn't even have the guts to open his mouth to address why Mumbai faced such a security lapse. Actually the leader and his men love destroying public property, yes, they destroy upto 50 buses in a day when the city municipal transportation already faces a shortage of buses. New buses? Well they take too long to be purchased, atleast by burning the buses, the leader and his party are giving a chance for the reduction of pollution and allevating poverty.

Yes yes it reduces pollution, you see more people resort to walking and, others use rickshaws thereby helping those poor rickshawallas earn. The reason the said leader and his party were quiet during Mumbai attacks were that property was already being destroyed plus the terrorists were killing outsiders..and you all know how we the Marathi Manoos feel about the outsiders. They just come to spread filth in our beautiful state.

The second implication, school boards other than Maharashtra board have no right to run in Maharashtra, ICSE and CBSE..hell we don't care..you paid the money to attend them now get lost. Or better still pay us donations..yes, pay the politicians big fat lumps of money. Now, you are wondering why you need to pay the politicians, well because we own most of the colleges, and when there is 90:10 rule in government colleges, its obvious that the kids who passed out Xth from other boards will have to apply to these colleges and pay heavy donations to study beyond Xth standard.

Yeah, the Maharashtrian politicians are way too smart, you see we weren't happy making money off the "outside Maharashtra" students alone, now we got the other Maharashtrian students also who show the audacity to study in ICSE and CBSE schools. You all have to pay the price for not adhering to the Marathi Manoos cause. Its a different story ofcourse that I and other Marathi politicians send our kids to private schools and colleges abroad, just for security reasons ofcourse. If it were the good ole' days I would have loved to let my kids study in those depilated, overcrowded buildings that house the state board schools. Yeah, I know they don't have the capacity to carry more students but that is never a problem for us Indians, we can adjust. We adjust everywhere, you must have seen that underwear ad, we are like that, we adjust everywhere to everything.

Trust me, you all will thank us politicians for this new move and adjust to it like always :D
Jai Maharashtra!

The Weekend & More

2009-06-14T18:56:00.006+05:30

This has been a rotten weekend in some aspects. I had too much to do. Got a guest at home, couldn't really spend more time with her. Went to a mall yesterday which was damn crowded and noisy due to some promotions and some food service issue there. As in I ordered at a stall and they made me wait for 30 minutes to tell me that the dish I want isn't available, so much for customer service!
I just wrapped up my office work and its already 7PM sunday evening. The rest of the time will be spent entertaining the guest and her family for a dinner. So no leisure time for myself today :(

Apart from that, came across a blogpost today, its one of the selected posts on Blogadda for Spicy Saturday, June 13th, 2009. The blogger went Indian Bashing. He feels the attacks on Indians aren't racist, and racist attacks on Indians are more of a fictional type and media created hype. I mean sure we all are not really sure about the current attacks on Indians in Australia being racist or not but to say that racism towards Indians is non-existent is being way too optimistic.

Some of the readers who commented on the mentioned post even went ahead to blame Indians as being dirty and eating smelly food which you shouldn't in a foreign country. Oh, and last but not the least, we are racists (yes I agree we are), we don't treat foreigners well (yes a lot of Indians don't), so we have no right to complain against racism meted out to us (BULLSHIT!).

Racism is very true, it happens even today, in India and abroad. To say that it doesn't or its justified is total crap. And the food part, smelly food, I mean whatever makes you think that food of other countries doesn't stink? Dirty - really, and foreigners are never dirty?

There are people of all kinds, good and bad, dirty and cleaniness freaks, smelly food eaters and whatever is not so smelly food eaters.

What kind of a person says all this and thinks this way about racism and Indians at large? Actually you know what, such a type of post could only have been written by an Indian and such comments also could only have been made by an Indian, because only an Indian can show such disrespect for everything Indian.

'P' factor, Politicians and Criminals

2009-06-11T21:00:00.003+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

There is a theory in Psychology. A famous test that talks of Psychotic or 'P' factor. The findings of the test are that 'P' factor is higher in politicians and criminals. Infact they fall in the same range. The only difference being in the way they project themselves to society, one shows he's all goody-good and for the people and the other openly manifests his malign feelings towards others by causing them harm. Ultimately both cause harm.

The worst part is we know the criminals, we fear them, we fight against them, we protect ourselves from them. The politician, we ourselves grant him that position, we ourselves lower our defenses, we only make ourselves vulnerable.

Every year passes, we wait for the party in power to take action. We wait for them to deliver those promises made at the time of elections. Nothing happens, or maybe the scenario turns around in such a manner that the deliveries fall below the need of the hour. We then wait for the next elections. We trust, we believe, we go out to vote. We fall for the promise again and we get disappointed again.

The most ironic part is the lure of the dynasties in India. We live in a democracy, the largest in the world. Yet, what do we do? We, the majority of us vote and trust on the basis of lineage. He or she is so and so's son. Has to be good, will deliver. They come along everytime, but do they actually perform? And what is the purpose of democracy? Are we really in a democracy or a public in awe of dictatorship..what's with the Love for the Dynasties?

The debate between the young and the old, how does that matter? When have the old delivered, and when have the young? Its not age, its not time, its just 'P'.

Its just politicians, thick-skinned politicians.

Yet hope remains, I guess hope is one of the most important and strongest forces of life.

Social Networking - Boring Times?

2009-06-10T20:56:00.004+05:30

(Image from the Internet)

I recently read a blogpost by a friend on dating in current times. It talked of the role that social networking sites such as orkut, facebook and twitter play in courtship today. It got me thinking, not only dating but friendship is not the same with these sites.

We are so well connected. Every other day there is a new social networking site. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin(ya professional network..but you add your friends too, don't you?), Hi5, and Twitter are just some..but there are so many more that we see get invited for - Zorpia, iTimes, ApnaCircle and so many more. Who invites you, well the same friend who is connected to you on your Orkut profile, your facebook profile and so on.

Now if you are like me, you probably have the same circle of friends on each of your social networks. Every new invite that you get, you are probably wondering, so more social networking with the same people.. should I just pop up and say Hi! Hello..here and there and everywhere?? Not to forget these are your same dear friends whom to chat with on gtalk and yahoo messenger as well. I don't know if its only me but don't you feel, social networking is a bit boring after a while?

The Autobiography of Ephemeral Feelings

2009-06-08T19:33:00.003+05:30

(A picture of me, waiting for your comments, made by The Thinker)

I came into being roughly two years back. The blogger liked the name ephemeral and by ephemeral feelings she meant to document her feelings. When we started she was really keen, she used to pour her heart out to me but she and I were both disappointed because not many people came to visit me. The blogger was shy, she still is, she hesitates in introducing me to other people and yet she doesn’t want me to be alone. She wants people to come visit me and talk to me. We were both growing sad, she wanted to write and let me grow but the absence of response disappointed her. Some of her friends came to meet me but never talked to me, and commented on my growth.

The blogger grew more disappointed, she left me alone. She is also lazy so she visited me but didn’t write to make me grow. A year passed, one day she returned, she really wanted to write. She was happy. She wrote but she deleted all her past writings. Her resolve was to be more regular now but she failed. Laziness had really set in, she didn’t come back. She visited me often because she liked her creation but hesitated sometimes due to shyness, sometimes due to laziness and didn’t help me grow further.

The blogger returned again this May, this time more resolved and inspired. She even stumbled upon a blog community through a friend’s blog. The blog community had a simple rule, which is to blog daily. The blogger thought she must do this, join the community and help me grow daily. So far she has been doing it. She has also fought her shyness somewhat and introduced me to some people. Not all, because again something stops her, self doubt, low confidence..she doesn’t know. Some people come to meet me now daily, I feel happy, some even comment on my growth. I feel happier. One day I even got a follower, felt really good to know that someone likes me and will be my friend and visit me daily.

But most people leave without commenting. I feel sad and so does the blogger. I want people to talk to me and not leave without saying ‘Hi’, silence isn’t always the best policy, you see. It really gets lonely like this, plus it leaves the blogger perplexed. It’s not like she wants good comments, she wants honest comments. Even I want conversation. I want to hear what people feel about the ephemeral feelings that form my being.

I want to hear your voice, talk to me, good or bad..I want to learn what you feel. Your comments are the much awaited dessert. I hope you understand my pain and talk to me, and not leave without a hello next time.

Environment

2009-06-07T19:13:00.003+05:30

(Image from the internet)

I think one can't say enough on the state of environment today. June 5th was World Environment Day and as always it brought along a reminder to care for the environment. I am not going to blog about what everyone says but what I have seen myself. I live in the city of Pune. The city has a pleasant sort of climate, neither too hot nor too cold. This kind of climate is a rare thing to find in India and so the climate factor did a lot to make many individuals into patronizing citizens of the city.

The population of the city saw a major rise after the 93' Mumbai blasts, a lot of families moved to Pune thanks to its comparatively secure neighbourhoods as well as proximity to Mumbai. The city's colleges were always amongst the top in the nation and the city's reputation as an educational hub also grew manifold times leading to a rise in student population over time. This lead to a lot of development, particularly in the construction sector. Due to a larger population, electricity and water and various other resources have also seen quite a setback. The city's civic bodies are largely to blame for the state. They have allowed haphazard construction to take place in absolutely unoccupied areas. They have allowed buildings to crop up so close to the hills that one hears of incidents of people's flat's walls' being knocked down due to landslides in the area. The cropping up of such buildings has also lead to deforestation on a large scale. Hills have been denuded and leveled down so as to allow construction.

Coming to the traffic scene, the civic body sanctioned construction in such a manner that there is no scope for wide roads in most areas. At a time when we have more and more cars, this causes a lot of congestion. Congestion in turn leads to burning of more fossil fuels. The areas where there was scope for road widening was often also the home of large and beautiful banyan trees. The city had many beautiful roads surrounded on both sides by banyan or tamarind trees. These trees were ruthlessly chopped down and broad concrete roads were built. It was a good move, yes, we do need wider, better roads but we also needed the civic body to plant some trees to replace those that were chopped.

Today when we have more cars and everyone knows that, its something that cannot be reversed as such, still the civic administration has built cycle tracks on the wide roads. The cycle tracks that no one uses, not even cyclists and that leads again to congestion. Not to forget its a wastage of land. At some place the cycle tracks are built in such a faulty manner that to access a shop laying behind the cycle track you need to jump a divider like structure, in short the cycle track is not at the same level as the area reserved for parking cars. The only problem is accessing that area also becomes too difficult due to such faulty construction of cycle tracks. Then there are road dividers, the civic body keeps building really broad and weirdly shaped road dividers which are a wastage of land. They are also not painted well so visibility becomes an issue for night-time driving. These factors are not helping the environment but creating congestion. Congestion in turn causes one to move slowly in a car or vehicle thereby the consumption of petrol, diesel etc is higher. Not to forget the increase in auto fumes and resulting air pollution.

I think one of the major changes that Pune has seen due to environmental pollution is a change in climate. The city now sees soaring temperatures during the summer, as high as 43 C, and colder winters as well. Sometimes inadequate rainfall is also a problem. This leads to more power cuts and water supply issues. The city that used to see a power cut only on thursdays at a time, thursday being maintenance day, now sees power cuts for almost 6 to 8 hours daily. Upto last year it was a 3-4 hour power cut schedule with thursdays being reserved for longer power cuts, but this year we have seen power cuts for upto 10 hours even with no fixed timings. With respect to rainfall and water conservation, the problem is more of the lack of a rainfall harvesting system. Yes, deforestation and global warming have affected rainfall but even now a lot can be done with the help of a rainwater harvesting system in place. And this is not Pune's problem alone, why even Mawsynram(near Cherrapunji, Meghalaya), the place with the maximum rainfall in the world faces a water scarcity issue. It pours like anything there but we don't have a rainwater harvesting system and all that water is just lost.

Construction in India has had one effect that has compounded the water problem. Indian towns and villages had man-made lakes, 'bawris', wells and ponds. They held enough water for the people living in a given area but the way cities developed, no one paid attention to these structures. Infact you will still find some of these structures in villages but most of them are facing neglect today. Fountains, lakes and ponds do not serve only a 'beauty to the eye' function, they also serve us well with water needs. Construction in cities like Pune has neglected water sources totally. It has also been allowed to flourish in such a manner that open spaces and parks are a rare sight. They do exist but not in every area. No one remembered that families have children and they need to play. Parks and open also allow some space for trees.

Pune like other Indian cities also deals with the problem of garbage disposal. Compost pits in every area should be a must but their value hasn't been realized till date. People also litter on the road. The attitude is that "well, everyone throws on the road, if I don't, it will hardly make any difference". Unfortunately, its the wrong attitude to have.. we all need to take steps, however small they may seem, to help the environment. Do not litter, even one of us by not littering is making a difference. Please take whatever small steps that you can. You can and have to work towards preserving the environment. I never litter, I carry things around with me, whether in a bag or pocket till I find a dustbin. I would love if you share what is it that you do to preserve the environment. If you have any green ideas, however small and simple they maybe, please do share.

Tetris and Memories

2009-06-06T13:15:00.005+05:30

Given above is today's Google image. Yes, its dedicated to Tetris, the game that completes 25 years of existence today. I recently saw on TV, that Tetris is a game that has sold around 125 million copies since 1984 when it was released on June 6th. You can read more about Tetris in detail at Wikipedia, just click on the word Tetris in Italics and it will take you there.

I am not much of a gamer and to be honest I really fell in love with Tetris in 1998 I guess. I was in 9th grade that time and we used to live in a small town called Hissar in Haryana. I was really quite a recluse, I had two pet parakeets plus the pressure of studies and I was recovering from a life threatening illness so I didn't really engage much in physical activities those days. Nothing much has changed on that end anyhow, I still am quite lazy to participate much in activities.

My parents had bought us a small handheld videogame device. It had about 99 games, all variations of Tetris. We also had a video game set, for the TV but the handheld device held its own charm. I really used to enjoy playing the various games on it, and me and my brother actually used to take turns at the device.

Things were quite simple those days come to think of it, no cellphones, we had an outdated PC which we didn't even touch. I didn't even have an email account. I knew MS Office and had had an introduction to Windows but really they all seemed quite an alien thing that time. I had first seen a PC when I was in 1st standard and my dad had bought one which I mainly used for playing Bricks (I loved that game like anything) and or a Space game, I think it was called Space Commander. In 1998 however, I was totally not into computers. Mainly because the school I studied in offered a choice between Fine Arts or Computers and I had chosen Fine Arts. It was a hard choice because I did like Computers but then I had to make a choice as I wanted to study Fine Arts.

I formed my first email account in the year 2000 after the world survived Y2K :P .. what a hype that was! Anyways even in my dreams I hadn't thought I would be so involved with the Internet as I am today. Why today I even own a windows mobile.

I guess inspite of everything that we have today, cellphones, really magnificent games like Need For Speed, so many things on the internet.. what makes things like Tetris special is that, it is simple, it is easy and it became a part of good memories. I still love the game and this post's dedicated to its 25th anniversary.

How about you, do you have any Tetris memories? Or even any other memories of a game that you loved much?

First Rain

2009-06-05T16:03:00.005+05:30

It just started raining a few minutes back. It still is. The first rains of the season. There is thunder and lightening and rain.

I am not a big rain fan, I am more of a sunshine person but hey who doesn't love the first rain of the season. The first rain that ushers in the monsoons. Rain, the singular thing that almost miraculously turns everything beautiful. Greenery all around, the earth's parched throat is finally not dry anymore. Dirt gets washed away and everything appears to be sparkling clean and oh so green! The smell, ah! Does anything even compare to the smell of earth after a rainshower? The sky opens up and with rain come even thunder and lightening, is the heaven finally speaking to us?
Poets and singers sing tales of the rain's glory and, lovers, they long for each other like never before. Such is the magic of rain.

Lets do a small quiz.

1. What is your favourite rain song?
2. Best time to rain?
3. Favourite poem on rain?
4. Favourite snack during rains?
5. An activity that you absolutely enjoy when it rains?

Here are my answers:-
1. I love a rainy night by Eddie Rabbit.
2. Afternoon.
3. Rain rain go away ..loll the nursery rhyme..can't really recall of any poems as of now.
4. Onion pakodas. Yummm!!! :D
5. Watching the raindrops fall by :)

Waiting for your answers, do reply soon.

The Lord's Name and the Language

2009-06-04T22:28:00.007+05:30

I read a piece of news somewhere. Its about a catholic church in Malaysia. The church in question prays to Allah. This has lead to a court case. The Muslim leaders don't want the Lord's name to be used outside Islam as this could lead to confusion and conversions.

Allah, the pious name, linguistically speaking means "Lord" in Arabic. So it seems a bit harmless to let it be used in a church. Otherwise the implications are more. The clergy aren't wrong as such, ya it can lead to confusion but only in the ignorant mind.
The fact that everyone is overlooking here is that both the religions have a common thread, Jerusalem and the premise that God is one. The Christians worship his son Jesus, and the Muslims worship him alone.

Another thing that everyone seems to overlook is that by worshipping Allah, maybe the glory of Islam is growing, the name of Allah is becoming more widespread.

Last but not the least, its also a cultural problem. The Malays are largely Muslims, words commonly used and reverred get ingrained in a language. Its hard to seperate that mix of language on the basis of religion later. At times it only shows the prestige of that religion yet even then conflicts occur.

Sleep

2009-06-03T15:58:00.009+05:30

(Picture taken from the Internet)

I am really sleepy today. I guess I am still not over the fatigue set in by the trip. You know they say we have a tendency to feel that the sleep we lost keeps bothering us and we need to make up for it by sleeping for long hours. The truth however is that, its more of a psychological issue, we believe we have lost sleep and don't recover our active state till we acknowledge that we have had enough sleep.

I am feeling that I really haven't had proper sleep and hence the present state. :)

Sleep plays a really important role in our lives. I never faced any sleep problems as such but these days my sleep routine is a bit disturbed so I have realised the value of sleep like never before. Improper sleep makes you feel sleepy all day long. It makes hair more coarse and causes them to fall more, even leads to greying. Skin also tends to get dry, at times acne breakouts happen. Puffy eyes, dark circles, muscle aches and pains, constipation, stomach upset, indigestion and overall tiredness are caused by lack of proper sleep. These are just some of the problems caused by lack of sleep.

Many people including myself get colds or fever when we sleep less. I know a lot of people who have made their lifestyle such that they cannot but sleep for more than 4 hours on a weekday; weekends, they sleep for 14 hours straight. Some people just don't want to miss out the events that occur while they rest. I feel its a bit too much. Maybe they gain today by being so aware but what of the years they are cutting off their lives?

A really lateral generalization of the lack of sleep but this is what I feel sometimes - the society is turning meaner by the day because of lack of sleep. I mean a lot of people don't get enough sleep these days due to work pressures, environmental causes (noisy neighbourhoods) or diet related (consumption of caffeine rich products) and even exercise. Exercise - ya those night gyms, agreed they give you the much needed work-outs but they also make your body more alert causing you to sleep later than you would like to. Now, whether they admit it or not or even feel it or not, they have got to have some amount of irritation due to lack of sleep which translates into increasing meanness.

In short, a higher number of people are irritated today due to lack of sleep, these irritated people carry an edginess in their social interactions due to this, leading to a more mean environment for everyone.

Do tell me your views on this. Also do you face any sleep issues?

A Treat for the Senses

2009-06-02T19:05:00.011+05:30

These are some photos I clicked recently with my cell. As you can see they are photos of flowers. The purple flowers are called Hollyhocks. The white ones are very common in India but I just can’t seem to recall their name. If you know the name, do write me a comment and let me know. These white flowers grow on trees and you will most definitely see them in full bloom during the summers. They have a really strong but sweet smell. I absolutely love it.

(The road to my special place)

There’s a special place for me, it makes me happy and gives me a lot of peace. I can’t visit the place daily as it’s on the other end of the city, really far from where I stay but whenever I am down, I try to go there. This special place has a beautiful short road that leads to it. The road is surrounded by these white flower trees on both sides. The trees are quite old and beautiful. The road is always carpeted by these flowers and you can always sense the sweet scent.

The route that I take from my office to home has a bungalow with 8-10 of these trees in the garden. The trees are old and the most beautiful part about them is that their trunks divide into branches at a very low height. Often I have thought how it must feel if one could sit on the trees and read a book. I wonder if the people living the house ever do that. It will be such a delightful experience. This particular road from my office to home is actually pretty nice. It’s surrounded by trees on both sides. One even crosses a very green jogger’s park towards the end. It’s about 5 kms but when the weather is pleasant I try to walk this road because it’s a wonderful experience. I mean you can see beautiful flowering trees, birds, greenery, flowers and be engulfed by sweet scents that satiate your senses. It’s really a sensory delight, the eyes see beauty, the nose smells sweetness and the ears hear chirps of birds.

The downside to the experience is that I get quite a few stares from motorists. I find it really amusing actually. Walking is a rare thing these days. People prefer sweating it out in gyms to walking around in natural surroundings. Can’t blame them also, who wants to walk in footpath-less roads, and polluted environs?

Its only places like the mentioned road that is worth walking on. The secret of the road’s wonder lies in nature, the road is surrounded by trees. It would simply lose its charm without them. We really need more and more trees wherever possible. Life without trees and nature is just unimaginable.

The Trip and the Trek

2009-06-01T13:53:00.008+05:30

(Some of my favourite Photos from the Trek, you can see other of the road journey to the camp on my other blog)

Well the trip was great fun. We were on our toes 24/7 as a lot of activities had been planned out for us. The most fun activity though was a trek that we took on the second day. The camp that we stayed in was situated at the base of some mountains, so we got up at around 5.30 and set out for the trek at 6.30.

I have been trekking before but this was definitely different as I trekked after a really long time. The climb up was definitely arduous but comparatively I feel the climb down was harder as the path was full of rubble that made the area easier to skid on.

The most beautiful part about trekking though is the view from the summit. By the time one reaches the peak, one is really breathless and exhausted. At that time, the beautiful view of the valley down below greets you and all your exhaustion and breathlessness vanishes. There is a stillness in the air, no sound except that of your own breathing. No disturbance, just you, the view and the sense of accomplishment. Even when you are climbing the mountain, at one point atleast you feel like running away and you question as to why you are continuing this arduous task. The summit and the view that greets you however makes it all worthwhile.

Its like life, you cross many difficult situations in your path. At times you face such hard obstacles that you start doubting your abilities, and even question the worth of carrying forward with the path you have chosen. If however you choose to stay on the path, the final destination makes all the pain and hardship you went through worthwhile. Sweet success shines your way.

Sleepy

2009-05-31T19:32:00.005+05:30

Phew! I am back from the trip. I just caught 2 hours of sleep and my eyes and face are so swollen that I look like a zombie. I guess that's what happens when you sleep only for 1.5 hours and exert your body by trekking after that. :)

All said and done, it was good fun but right now I am just a bit disoriented. So bear with me, I 'll post all the details asap.

Short Excursion

2009-05-30T07:37:00.003+05:30

Leaving for short trip sponsored by office today. Will be a welcome change, away from the hum-drum of the city and work. Hope to relax and make the most of it. Heard there will be some fun and games too. The place has no internet connectivity and most probably no mobile network coverage either. God knows how I'll survive! :)

Well actually it will be interesting, sometimes I feel I have become way too dependent on my cell phone and PC.

Anyways, gotta run. Will return tomorrow evening to post my daily post :)

Violence, Religion & Politics

2009-05-29T14:46:00.009+05:30

The week is coming to an end. The event that shook the nation this time was the attack on a leader from Punjab. The leader in question is a self proclaimed Guru of the Dera Sachkhand. Punjab is a state of India where the predominant religion is Sikhism. Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are three religions that grew from Hinduism in opposition to the caste system. The three religions are based on a caste free premise, where all are equal in front of the Lord.

A unique development that has been happening in Punjab for some time is the formation of Deras. Deras are something like sects formed of Dalit Sikhs. They generally have a leader who claims to be a Living Guru, something again, against the tenants of Sikhism. So basically you have a set of people who kind of consider their Dera leader akin to God. His words are followed blindly. Political parties in Punjab have thus started appeasing Dera Gurus because that way they get assured amount of votes.

These are facts so far and there is more to go. Read on...

The British had a policy of divide and rule. Have you ever wondered why the enmity between Hindus and Muslims is higher than between Muslims/Hindus vs. any other religion? Its mainly because the last Mughals laid some foundation for a Hindu-Muslim discord. The British, they took those seeds of discord and made them bloom into a full grown tree. Not to forget the role of some of our dear freedom fighters who were so power hungry that they thought it was best to let the partition of India happen.

Not much has changed in Indian politics since then except that the hunger for power has only magnified with the growing population and changing societal norms. The constitution intended to abolish the caste system. Its said, Ambedkar wanted reservations to end after 10 years of the Constitution's birth. Our politicians felt otherwise. They continued reservations and used it as a tool time and again to attract votes. The situation has reached such a point today that now we have demands for reservations for Dalit Sikhs, Dalit Muslims; Buddhism by itself is totally under reservation, and Jains also enjoy some minority status. The point to be noted here is that these are religions that a majority of Indians adopted in revolt to the caste system. Caste system is only a part of Hinduism so how can anyone from these religions be called a Dalit?

The most interesting part is how the leaders of India campaign for elections by violating every single tenant of the constitution. We have a leader shouting I am "Dalit ki Beti", whereas another will shout that "We are Yadavs", not to forget the shouts for "Hindu ka Bharat" and "Mussalman ka Hindustan". Even the ones who say we are for a secular India do not finish without promises for upliftment of some religion, some caste or community, not to forget the promise for increased reservations.

These are our leaders, who are so hollow that they cannot talk, campaign or formulate a policy without using caste, religion, language, state or region as a base. The word secular is also so loosely used that its loosing its relevance, its not used to unify but divide. We the people, we the leaders, we don't know who are Indians and who works for Indians, what we know are divisions. I am so and so, I work for this religion; I am so and so, I work for this caste; I am so and so, I work for this state!

Who is working for India and the Indian?

Moving to the current event, the violence that broke out in Punjab, this isn't the first time we have seen an incident of such a nature. A new trend is to destroy public property. Common people or party workers when enraged take no time in destroying public property which costs a lot of money. They all go scot-free and one hardly hears of any punishments for the same. Now, the said Dera leader was injured in Vienna and trains were harmed in Punjab..a question that comes to mind at such a time is, how is it helping the public by destroying things that are for them and their welfare? And shouldn't they be punished for this? I mean if the public is largely full of fools then we can't let fools go scot-free especially when they cause damage to such a large magnitude.

The people feel very happy that so and so leader is from their caste but they fail to notice that that leader has hardly made any difference to their welfare or the country's welfare on the whole.

A big excuse for all this is illiteracy and poverty but there has to be something done to avoid the current slaughtering of unity that the Indian politicians are carrying out in the name of caste, language, religion, secularism and more. I think its important to give the judiciary more power and make everyone who even mentions these words, punishable by law.

What do you feel about all this?

Trees

2009-05-28T22:11:00.014+05:30

Just some pics of trees I took the other day with my cell phone. I don't know but nature is always so awe inspiring and serene. You maybe having a stressful day or you may just be tired, and you take out some time, even 10 minutes to look at trees and it all goes away. What remains is a calm feeling that fills your heart and restores peace to your soul.

Happiness

2009-05-27T13:52:00.005+05:30

I have been running behind happiness for quite some time now. Somehow since the end of last year, things haven't been that great. There have been times when I have really given up, tired of fighting, wishing, waiting and most of all hoping for things to get okay.

I even tried not to dwell on things but couldn't stop myself from thinking too much. As a result I became really stressed out. I can't sleep properly at night, don't enjoy the things I liked doing as much.

Two weeks ago I kind of gave up. Then I realized maybe I am just trying too hard. I need to make a conscious effort to stop myself from thinking and wishing and waiting.
I hate waiting and its really tough for me to wait. Patience is not one of my highest virtues either. I wasn't happy, just restless and sad all the time. Yet it wasn't until last sunday that I decided I was loosing myself and need to do something fast. I was just falling in a hole of despair and sorrow, and it was having a huge effect on even my interactions with my loved ones.

I decided I need to stop thinking and wishing and waiting. I need to accept what I have now and be content with it. Stop running after what I had and what's slipping away. If I can't enjoy my old interests as much then I need to develop new ones and get started.

I started blogging again. I was never really big on it and really started to distract myself from my problems this time around.
The sunday that just passed brought me some hope and happiness. Today I got another teeny weeny bit of hopefully good news. My battles are still on, I haven't won but I am not loosing either anymore.

Happiness is returning, and not because I stopped running after it but because I discovered that it always was there, only I wasn't able to see it.

Movie Series

2009-05-26T14:23:00.005+05:30

(Image from a website)

I am a sucker for Movie Series'. Even if the sequel of a movie isn't that great, I have to watch it to know what its about, what failed and what was appealing about the movie.

Yesterday I heard that The Matrix trilogy is being extended and we would be seeing a new fourth sequel this year. I am a big fan of The Matrix trilogy and well was quite sure that nothing of the sort is happening. Still to double check I did some search online and found some videos on YouTube on the same.

They seem to be created by fans, most of the videos are named Matrix 4: The Matrix Reentered, though there are a few that go by the name of The Matrix Rediscovered. Apart from these I also stumbled upon a really funny video on Spiderman 4. A spoof of sorts. It was hillarious and starred Drake Bell from Drake and Josh (Nickelodeon) fame.

Well I am interested in Spiderman 4 as that Spiderman happens to be my favourite Superhero. Actually I like all superhero movies. So I searched a bit to find the villain in Spiderman 4. A highly popular chance is that it may be The Lizard. It kind of had me in splits since yesterday I was complaining about the lizard problem at my place and today I was reading about Spiderman's new enemy who is also a lizard.

Well there is still time for Spiderman and Superman but what's round the corner is Harry Potter VI. The movie is expected on July 18, I believe and I am really looking forward to it. I am also waiting for X-Men Origins: Wolverine but it seems the producers and multiplex owner tussle will cost us to miss out on the movie for sometime.

The Wrath of Lizards

2009-05-25T10:34:00.007+05:30

(Image is from a website, with edited text)

The house I live in has a serious lizard problem. I mean we get rid of one and the very next day, another pops-in. I mean I don't have anything against lizards or something but well I prefer not to have to rest my eyes on them everyday.

The lizards that show up in my house are well just too much. If you try to chase them away they will make every attempt to run in opposite direction, that is away from the window and door and into the house. They will mock you and try to jump on you.

Sit quitely one day in silence and the lizard will start talking. I have lived in many houses and seen lizards before but really hearing the chuckle kind of sound - well witnessed it for the first time in this place.

Think that the lizard will visit your house at night and mind his/her own business and leave you alone in the morning. Surprise surprise! It will land up in a switchboard and get fried or even better enter your PC's CPU and get fried there. Now, all you can think of what did I do to deserve this!

I mean we are all cleaniness freaks in my house, we don't allow pests to thrive in the house, so what are lizards coming to the house for? There are two streetlights outside the house, don't they get enough food there, so why do they even need to enter the house?

Last but not the least, the PC, I forget to cover it one damn day and the lizard think the CPU is the best place to rest! I mean is every hole, crack or crevice meant to be a resting place for a lizard?

Can't they see they are unwelcome then why don't they stay out.

Lizards are pests, one lizard in a house is still fine but they just want to take over every room in my house. I have already put last year's highlights of lizard love - fried stinky switchboards and damaged PC. This year its like a baby boomer. The lizard babies just don't stop coming!

Okay so I find the chameleon amazing, such adaptability and I loved the famous line of the iguana in Doctor Doolittle 2 - "So young, so angry, Damn that rap music!"

Yet that is all the love that I can conjure for the pesky pests.