Happy Birthday, Fitness!

We finished one year of aerobics classes yesterday.

Here are some benefits of aerobics that I discovered while googling:

1. The heart increases its blood stroke volume

2. Oxygen is used more efficiently resulting in increased fat burning during exercise

3. More available energy due to greater amounts of ATP and PC for immediate power needs

4. Increased endurance

5. Lower blood pressure

6. Reduced risks in developing diabetes and other diseases

7. Increase in good cholesterol, decrease in bad cholesterol

8. Faster recovery after exercise

9. More efficient cardiovascular system

10. A positive body composition change, more muscle less fat

11. Better chance of maintaining healthy weight later in life

12. Helps in coping with all emotional and psychological stress

13. Enhanced good moods and self-esteem

14. Decreased shortness of breath

15. Decreased fatigue

And there are visible ‘positive’ changes in the regulars of the batch (including your truly) to speak for the benefits they have gotten out of the programme.

The 3 day sessions weekly are something to really look forward to especially since our instructor, Mukund, is a bundle of energy and positivity, that he transmits to the entire batch.

Here’s looking forward to celebrating the second birthday of my fitness programme next November end, with a year full of high-energy aerobics lessons with Mukund, in between!

A Blogger's life?

Toon courtesy:http://xkcd.com/

My Virtual Remains?

I watched a play called ‘Creeper’ this Sunday at Ranga Shankara. I loved everything about the play – from its humour to thepoignant bits, to the very interesting narrative style adopted to tell the story that ‘will have a happy ending’.

The one take home for me from the play was a thought provoking statement by the sutradhaar ‘What happens to my orkut profile after I am gone? What happens to my mail id? What happens to my blog? My mail id will get inactivated sooner or later but what about my orkut profile and my blog?’

Still trying to find an answer to this question….

From 'O-SO?' to 'Oh Wow!' in 2.5 hours!

I finally watched Om Shanti Om yesterday! I had promised myself that I would watch the movie and evaluate it myself, unswayed by ‘oh-its-such-aboring-movie’, ‘no-storyline’,’a-waste-of-my-money’ kind of comments।

And O Boy! Did I love it or what! I was completely entertained for every minute of the 21/2 hours I spent in the theatre!

I loved the spoofs, the songs, the special effects, the costumes and yes the storyline too as corny as it might have seemed to some!

But what I loved the most was the red carpet sequence at the end of the movie where every contributor to the movie (right from the Producer to the spot boys) was acknowledged, not just with a you-shut-your-eyes-and-its-gone list of names but their 15 secs of fame in front of the camera! Its not very often that film makers acknowledge the role and contribution of those who toil behind the cameras for months together to create the end product! Way to go,Farah!

And now for something completely different….

I had watched a play called ‘Always look at the bright side of life’ by EVAM in July। What kept my usually rather short attention span riveted to the stage was the hour and ten minutes of rib tickling humour and the impressive way in which the dancers moved the props around between sketches, while moving gracefully, without the curtains ever being lowered.

And now EVAM is back in Bangalore tomorrow, the 23rd of September with the sequel that’s titled ‘And now for something completely different’। The title itself seems to promise to me some wacky, rib tickling fun.

I’ll have to get updates on how the play was from some friends of mine, coz I am not in town till Monday. Sigh! I hope EVAM comes back to Bangalore soon with a repeat of this play.

The Real Indian Idol?

Amit Paul is a great singer, no doubt. But he also looks cuter than Prashant Tamang does, according to a lot of women. And this might work against Prashant Tamang, in his race to win the Indian Idol.

Harshit, a fabulous singer and a consistent performer has an old grandmother appealing to the audience to vote for him. It is a heartrending sight to see the toothless old lady bless him on the stage of ‘Voice of India’. Junta (including me) might therefore vote for him, regardless of whether he is the best performer ओर not.

The judges of ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ ensure that they bring in Poonam’s impoverished background, almost every time she sings. It seems like the proverbial rags to almost riches story and the audience cant help feel sad for the girl who fought all odds to make it to the ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ stage.

It felt really sad last night to see a great singer like Abhaas leave the contest because he has the least votes from the audience, despite judges declaring him to be one of the best singers in the contest.

And this seems to be the story across almost all singing talent hunts. When the panel of judges contains esteemed names from the music industry, why does the audience need to decide on who is the better among the best? Aren’t the judges capable enough to do so? Can’t the audience just sit back and relax, and enjoy a beautiful musical journey, while leaving the tough task of judging to the experts, to figure out who does greater justice to the finer nuances of singing?

And who is really benefiting from the audience votes – Not the best contestants, I am sure.

Would the winner declared based on the audience votes, be the real winner? Would (s)he be the real ‘Indian Idol’ that people could use as an example of a fine singer for their kith and kin to emulate, or just someone who won a contest, recorded an album and then faded off into oblivion like many others before him/her?

Seems to me that the latter is likely to happen unless the experts are allowed to make their choice.

Ganapati Bappa Morya!

Ganesh Chaturthi is a time in Bombay when people of different ages, castes, even religions get together amidst all fanfare to welcome the adorable elephant headed God, pamper Him to no end at his temporary home, the pandal, till its time for Him to go back to His Mother.
I was lucky enough to take my planned vacation during Ganesh Chaturthi time and visit my folks in Bombay. And I have been in a ‘drum-sound’ induced high :) since Friday when the Ganeshjis were brought to different pandals. It’s a heady feeling to see so much of positivity around – people dancing on the streets, full of smiles, putting their entire mind, body and soul into the celebration.

It was विसर्जन (immersion) time for the Ganeshji in our colony yesterday

So I landed up at the colony club to see Ganeshji embark on his final journey to join his Mother। Amidst the revelry, I spotted quite a few people I had not been in touch for a long time. It felt really nice to catch up with people I had not met for years together! And when the truck carrying Ganeshji moved out of the colony gate, I experienced mixed emotions – happiness and peace of mind that I have Vighnaharta’s (the destroyer of obstacles) blessings and nothing can stop me from achieving whatever I want this year, and sadness that the cute elephant headed God who makes me break into a smile every time I see Him, was going away to be back only next year! I hope He dissolves completely in the water, unlike some of the rather disturbing pictures I have seen recently, of undissolved Ganeshjis with one arm, or head and half a torso.

Ganapati Bappa Morya
Pudhchya varshi laukarya!

(Translated roughly it means O Lord Ganesh, do come back next year!)

Customer Delight!

There is a family of flower sellers who usually supplies us flowers for our daily पूजा. For the past few days, the kids of the family have been coming home to deliver the flowers. Mom asked them for some ‘extra’ flower packets twice because it was पूजा time. Yesterday, even without us asking for it, the smallest kid of the lot, around 5 years old, extended 3 packets of flowers towards me, saying ‘दीदी , auntyji extra फूल माँग रही थी ना ? मैं आज खुद extra फूल का packet लेके आ गया ! अभी पूजा में फूल की कोई कमी नहीं !’

This is what’s called Customer Delight! A 5 year old completely understood what my Mom wanted and his gesture delighted her beyond words! Wish adults were as perceptive as the little ones and knew how to read the pulse of the customer!

A weekend amidst the clouds!

No, I didn't go bungee jumping or parasailing :), if that's what you thought after reading the title of the post. This is about a weekend to a place 1525m above sea level, that put me on cloud 9,10,11.... and that destressed me completely!

A bunch of friends and I decided to head to Coorg last weekend to unwind amidst the pristine glory of a hill station.

A few wrong turns and a 3.5 hour delay (all thanks to the driver taking us through a longer route and almost taking the detour to Kerala) later, we reached our hostess Shamala’s place ‘Chirpy Haven’, at 3.15 am in the morning.

Once we entered Madikeri, our hosts were waiting for us in their car (at 3.00 am in the morning!) to show us the way to our accommodation for the next 2 days. Shivering in the cold night air, we stepped out of the van to be greeted by the warm smile of our hostess. I couldn’t wait to hit the sack as soon as I stepped into my room because I wanted to wake up early morning to take in the sights and sounds of Coorg.
It’s a different thing that I didn’t manage to wake up early enough (though earlier than the others in the group J) and when I finally did, saw greenery all around, leaves laden with dewdrops and reached out for my camera to capture my first sights of Coorg, my cam conked out!

‘Mr. Murphy’s blessings!’ I thought and waited for things to go from bad to worse but Mr Murphy had all things good in store for us! A sumptuous breakfast and about half a flask of hot coffee later, we headed out to see the sights. Armed with lemons and salt as an antidote for leech bites (since it had been raining intermittently), we landed at Abbey falls. My friend's son Varun, was excited about the possibility of being bitten by leeches (which would possibly increase his 'adventure quotient' among friends :)) but was disappointed that he didn't spot any!

A few photos (special mention: some pics of a friend where he looked like he was posing for mooh dikhayi pics) amidst the scenic locales and we were off for a short trek through Cauvery Nisargadhama.

The sound of water at both Abbey falls and Nisargadhama was like music to my stressed mind and body and I could feel my tensions melt away.

It had started raining on our way back to our homestay and I was glad to be indoors when I heard the rain beating a rhythm on the roof! Our hostess had a Coorgi style dinner ready for us. While most other members of the group indulged in some revelry that went late into the night, I reveled in blissful slumber soon after dinner :).
Fortunately for us, though it rained incessantly through the night, the skies cleared up on both the mornings we spent at Coorg. After bidding good bye to our hostess (she had the same wide smile on her face while seeing us off that she did while welcoming us!), and armed with coffee, pepper, cardamom and wine, we started off our journey towards Bangalore, with stops at various places enroute.

A quick visit to Raja seat and some more ‘concept’ pictures later, we headed out to visit the Namdroling monastry and the Golden temple.

We reached there right during the Lamas’ prayer time, and it was quite an experience to see hundreds of Lamas pouring into the temple and offering different forms of prayer (some reading silently at one temple, some chanting aloud to the beat of drums at another). What was possibly the cutest sight for me was the little Lamas indulging in continuous chatter and playing pranks on each other.

After spending some time boating in the waters of the Ranganthittu bird sanctuary and watching avian visitors like the White Ibis, Egret etc., and a languid crocodile here and there, we were all set to head to Namma Bengalooru, and call it a weekend well spent!

Its been a week since I got back to Bangalore after the trip but there are two things that remain firmly etched in my mind - 1.) the hospitality of Shamala who stayed awake late into the night to make sure we reached her place, safe and sound, arranged steaming hot food for us during breakfast and dinner, and treated a bunch of absolute strangers like members of her immediate family throughout our stay at her place, and 2.) the bonds that I saw developing between my friends. We were friends before the trip. We have become close friends after the trip.

An angelic stressbuster!

Since Tuesday was Raksha Bandhan, I landed up at my bro’s place late evening to tie him a rakhi. After a stressful 2 weeks at work, I was looking forward to a relaxing time with family. And relaxed I was from the moment I entered my bro’s place till the moment I got home, all thanks to my 1 year 3 month old nephew, who had taken it upon himself to entertain me from the moment I stepped into their house till the moment I stepped into mine! A cherubic baby, he kept me totally enthralled with his perceptiveness and super fast learning skills, and made me laugh with his antics.
The little angel conveys all that he wants through the 1st syllable of every word – ‘Ba’ could stand for a bus, a ball, a balloon, a banana or a bicycle depending on the context and it is upto the adults to figure out what he meant! I wish I had carried a camera with me that day to document all his adorable antics! Never mind, there’s always a next time!
I guess God couldn’t be everywhere to bust everyone’s stress. So he created babies!

'Manufactured' news?

Dear Mr. Aamir Khan is in trouble again according to the following newsreport:


Khan has been accused of not paying due respect to the national flagThe Youth Congress wing of Indore is likely to file a case against actor Aamir Khan for insulting the national flag. The actor, who was in Indore on the night of August 16 to inaugurate a car showroom at Fortune Landmark mall, did not pay attention to the fact that the national flag was flying high, and not at half mast, as it should be after sunset.“He did not pay attention to the national flag,” said Abhay Dubey, spokesperson for the Indore Congress. Youth Congress members objected to the actor’s negligence and even protested against him.Said an eyewitness, “The actor showed up at around 10 pm at the Fortune Landmark showroom. He seemed to be in a hurry to finish with the ribbon-cutting of the showroom. All of us standing there could see the national flag flying high. According to the Constitution, the national flag should be at half-mast after sundown. Aamir Khan is an intelligent man. He should have taken note of it.”“The Youth Congress wing of Indore booed the actor and even showed him black flags as a sign of protest,” added Dubey. “The police even hauled up the Congressmen who were holding black flags and shouting slogans against the actor. They also lodged a case against the protesters.”

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=200708222007082202305017111e3ff4e&pageno=1

If the protestors saw the flag flying high and not at half mast, why did they not do anything about it? Is it not their duty too? Did they also not disrespect the national flag? Or is intelligence only the forte of Mr. Aamir Khan and not the protestors?

Ah well...I guess people will do anything to 'manufacture' news and feature in it , leaving the 'not-so-common' common sense conveniently behind:):):).

Working oops Fighting Hard!

I wonder if this is what happens to every Business Analyst, Tester or Manager :):):):)



Courtesy http://xkcd.com/

Capitalize on your weaknesses!

A nice story that I came across today....


A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei,"(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue." Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.

He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame God, the circumstances or ourselves for it but we never know that our weaknesses can become our strengths one day.

Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the best out of it!

Proud to be an Indian?

Come Independence Day eve or Republic Day eve and mailboxes get flooded with forwards on how people are proud to be Indians, about being proud of our country. Lyrics of Patriotic Songs are forwarded to all and sundry, flags are distributed and songs are sung.
People are so eager to demostrate their love for their country that they go out of their way to dress up in the colours of the Indian flag, gush about how fortunate they are to be a part of the next superpower and even make desserts in the tricolours of the Indian flag! Great! On August 14th - 15th and January 25th - 26th, the patriotic fever is at its highest.
But what on days before or after these days? Why don't we ever receive mails on how proud people are of their motherland on the other days? Why do the same people who are proud of the nation on 2 days of the year criticize the country, the infrastructure and the people the other days?
Been wondering about this for the past 3 days now...

Happy Lefthanders Day!

My grandmom wished me a belated 'Happy Left Handers Day' today. Ignorant ol' me did not know that there was a special day ear marked for the southpaws before this!

Here's some trivia that I discovered on left handers on the web:

• Sinistrophobia is the fear of left-handedness.


• While many people are left handed, very few are 100% left handed. For example, many Left handers golf and bat right handed. On the other hand, there is a high percentage of righties who are 100% right-handed.


• Lefties are also called "southpaws". The term was coined in baseball to describe a left handed pitcher.


• Tuesdays are Lefties luck day.


• Only about 10% of the population is left handed.


• During the 1600's, people thought left handers were witches and warlocks.


• International Left Hander's Day was first celebrated on August 13, 1976. It was started by Lefthander's International.


• It is believed that all polar bears are left handed.


• There is a rumor that octopuses have but one right hand. Scientists are diligently studying this.


• Everyone is a Left Hander in Left Hand, West Virginia.

I also discovered this image that depicts the quintessential left hander, courtesy the lefthanders club (http://www.lefthandersday.com/posters.html

So all of you who:

• found using scissors a nightmare (they are all designed for right handers)


• had to struggle to get used to the mouse (the left handed mouse is not that easy to use)


• were told it was bad dining etiquette to hold the knife and the spoon in hands opposite to what is the accepted norm


• found it difficult to synchronize with the aerobics class where every exercise starts off with the right hand/leg


• found it extremely tedious to use desks in school (they never have special ones for left handers!)


• were the object of ridicule in the formative years at school and later the object of admiration coz you were different from the rest


• are creative thanks to having a more active right brain that the left

Here's wishing you a Happy Left Handers Day!

A moving story and some random ramblings

I read about a story from the Mahabharata today. Ashwathama, as a child, wanted to taste milk, seeing other children of his age enjoying it. His family was too poor to afford milk. His mother, therefore, mixed rice flour in water, sweetened it and gave it to him,calling it milk. Ashwathama was delighted to have tasted milk and jumped about, overjoyed. His mother cried silently about having deceived her son.

Its not quite often that I ponder about what I have read even after hours have passed but this story seems to have got me thinking much more than I thought it would!

A mother, however poor she is, can never disappoint her child. Another case in point - my best friend and me were drinking coffee at St. Martha's Hospital canteen. We saw a couple with their little child. The couple clearly could not afford to buy a coffee or a snack for themselves from the canteen but they still bought a tetrapack of Njoi for their little one because she was thirsty.

After having read Ashwathama's story, I was thinking to myself - True happiness is indeed inherent within oneself. The child believed that he was drinking milk and was therefore elated.

Then there is also the angle of trust - a child trusts his parents implicitly. Even if they called an orange an apple, he would believe them and try to prove those who called the orange, an orange, wrong.

Just my thoughts...

Times - they have surely changed!

This came to me as a forward! Couldn't resist posting it here :)

25 years ago...

• A program was ... a television show
• An application was ... for employment
• Windows were..... something u hated to clean
• A cursor ... used profanity
• A keyboard was ...a piano
• Memory was..... something u lost with age
• A CD was... a bank account
• If u unzipped in public u went to jail
• Compress was something u did to garbage
• A hard drive was a long trip on the road
• Log on was adding wood to fire
• A backup happened to your toilet
• A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
• Cut.. u did with scissors
• Paste.. u did with glue
• A web was a spiders home
• A Monitor was some one who used to keep watch on classmates in absence of teacher orA Monitor was class (School's)representative
• A Desktop was desk's top surface.
• And a virus was the flu!!

...... Times have surely changed!

The simplest pleasures in life are free!

Had a satisfying week'end' (considering it was Sunday evening), with a bunch of my new found pals.
We met up at Cubbon Park, meandered towards a friend's place, for hot chai and then headed home after a quick dinner at a dosa place.
While most weekends would mean atleast a couple of 500s lighter on my pocket, this one was really special because it left a lingering warmth that helped me beat my Monday morning blues!

Butta at Cubbon Park - Rs 10
Cotton Candy at Cubbon Park - Rs 5
The auto fare back home - Rs 25
A great time with people I am getting closer to - Priceless!

TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) then and now

Then - CTM meant a beauty routine that I was supposed to follow every morning and night for beautiful skin.
Now - CTM is a recognition that TMI (Toastmasters International) will bestow upon me, on successful completion of 10 projects!

Then - ATM meant a machine that spewed out cash
Now - ATM is the next level that I need to aim towards, after attaining my CTM!

Here's wishing myself the best on my journey towards attaining the CTM and then the ATM 'chaapas' !

Roads or Rivers?

The skies opened up and it rained mercilessly (or so it seemed) for a little over an hour and a half.
And this is how one road in particular looked, after 45 minutes of rain, even after it had stopped raining heavily.

Paucity of funds, I guess, to create a proper drainage system or even cover manholes! Wonder where all the taxpayers’ money goes.

The Week that was….

An exciting week after a long time! The excitement started off with watching a performance of ‘Always look at the brighter side of life’ by EVAM. An hour and 10 minutes of incessant laughter J. Am eagerly waiting for the second part of the play, to be staged in September.
The excitement continued through a Townhall meeting at office. We had to put up a few cultural events at real short notice but guess what? The audience luuuuvvvvvvved the show! What was overwhelming for me was an office boy and a telephone operator telling me that I did a fantastic job MCing! It is quite common to hear feedback from the usual sources but when someone unexpected comes up and tells you he enjoyed himself thoroughly, it is a heady feeling!
Soon it was time to play a game as a part of the TGIF activities in office. We played 1 to 60, which is a test of collaboration, team work, understanding, strategizing skills etc. Our team won the event J - a lovely way to end a working week!
Come Saturday and it was time for a bloggers meet – this was the first bloggers meet I ever attended and needless to say, I look forward to more such meetings and the bar camp scheduled next weekend. It feels really nice to see people from different backgrounds, of varied interests come together and create synergy.
The skies opened up in the evening and it poured cats and dogs. But I still made it to Chowdiah Memorial Hall, albeit wet and hungry, to watch the theatre version of ‘Five Point Someone’. A brilliant rendition of Chetan Bhagat’s book, it was an evening well spent.
I hope this week continues to be exciting as well…Got to deliver my project 6, as a part of Toastmasters. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping it goes well!

The Healing Touch

Location: Forum Mall, Bangalore, India.

Main Characters: One baby around 8 months old and another close to a year

The Scene: The 8 month old baby bawling, his face red, being carried by his mother.

Enter Baby 2 – very happy about something, literally jumping in her dad’s arms, smiling away to glory.

The two babies face each other. Baby 2 reaches out to Baby 1, touches his cheek and smiles at Baby 1.

Baby 1 stops instantly crying, and a beautiful smile emerges from that tear stained face.

Baby 2 then touches Baby 1’s cheek once more, waves and exits still jumping in her dad’s arms.

Baby 1’s mom looks happy but quizzical as to what has caused a sudden change in her mood. She smiles, shrugs her shoulder and moves on.

Seems to me that Homo sapiens possess the healing touch from very early in life.

Mother, Sweet Mother of Mine

I remember learning a song for a singing competition, when I was a child. A song titled ‘Mother of Mine’. To me, the 8 year old kid back then, it was just a song, with a nice tune, and it won me the first prize. That was all to it.

Today when I sing the same song, I realize how well I can associate every line of that song with my relationship with Mom.

Today is Mother’s Day and how can my day end without a tribute to the most beautiful soul in my life?

• The angel who held me in her arms while my body burnt with fever, soothing me with her touch, till I recovered completely
• My best friend who accompanied me to movies, the beach, restaurants or even for a long drive, during my teens
• The guiding star who gave me all the freedom to do whatever I wanted to, but was there, watching me, to catch me if I faltered
• The epitome of sacrifice, who always put me before her, sacrificing her wants, her desires, even ignoring her ailments, just to see the smile on my face

Here’s to lots more ‘Mother’s Days’ in your life as a mother, Mom!
Love you. You mean the world to me!

The ‘Rich’ own the World?

Picturize this - a well dressed, ‘educated’, well-off individual, sitting in the pantry, enjoying his tea and his conversation on the phone.
A group of bell boys sit in the same pantry, sipping their tea before an arduous night shift, talking amongst themselves.
The well dressed man demands silence from them, and gets it, laced with an apology.
Would he have done the same thing if a group of people he knew, from the well-off section of the society, created a pandemonium?
Or is it just that being economically stronger gives someone the right to bully the economically weaker one, because the former thinks (s)he owns the world?

Of Humour and Subtle Messages

I watched 3 movies in the last fortnight – 'Hattrick', 'Mozhi' and 'Just Married'.
3 different story lines, different styles of packaging the stories.
The differences ended there. The 3 films, intended to entertain the audience (which I think, they did very successfully!). All the 3 films used humour as the main ingredient to keep the audience riveted to their seats during the 2 and half hours. But what struck me as most impressive was the way the 3 directors had woven a subtle but powerful message through each of their stories, through the use of humour, laced with poignant revelations about life.
This leads me to think that Indian cinema is indeed reaching maturity levels unheard of till recently. This also got me wondering – So, you do not need melodrama to convey a message! To get a message across to people, all that needs to be done is create something they identify with, keep the treatment of the story light, subtly slip in the message in between. People will see a ‘take –home’ value in the message you intend to convey.

Well done, Mr. Policeman!

I was at a junction, waiting for the red signal to turn green. Right in front of me was an ambulance, its siren wailing to indicate the sense of urgency to get to a hospital. I could see the family inside the ambulance staring straight at the signal post, as if willing for the signal to turn green. But the signal continued to be red for the side the ambulance was in and the traffic from another wing of the junction, flowed, taking advantage of the green signal in their direction. I watched as the signal did not seem to change colours for a very long time. There was a policeman standing in the corner, watching this scene.
In a few seconds, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He stopped the side that had the green signal to move, motioned to the traffic on my side of the road, to start moving, signaling to cars and two wheelers to move on the left of the road so that the ambulance could pass through; all this while the signal still gleamed a bright red for this wing of the junction. Once the ambulance had passed the junction, he indicated to the riders from my side of the road to stop, and let the traffic signal control the flow of traffic again.
I have seen ambulances wailing away at signals till date, waiting for the signal to turn green so that the traffic in front of it would move and it could then move too. But never have I seen a policeman intervene to override the control of traffic by an automated signal, just to allow an ambulance to pass through, and then return the control back to the signal.
Well done, Mr. Policeman! God bless you!

Those Little Pleasures in Life!

I managed to get off from work early today – around 6.30 pm. As I stepped outside the office, I was mesmerized by the sunset. Not because it was more beautiful than sunsets usually are but because it was the first sunset I was watching on a working day, after 1.5 long years!
I was fascinated to watch the birds returning to their nests, the office-goers hurrying down the pavement to get back home soon and spend time with their loved ones, the elderly people taking a leisurely evening stroll on a park pathway, before darkness descended upon the city, young couple sharing a ear of corn or an ice cream, blissfully lost in each other's words. I watched little children swinging on the swings, falling with a thump from the slide, laughing and picking themselves up, their young excited voices being carried over by the wind, voices that seemed to tell me that life is not only spent in cubicles.
As I was heading back home I thought to myself – are most of today’s working professionals missing out on the simple pleasures of life or do they strike that fine balance somehow?
I wonder!

A Tribute to the Most Beautiful Women I Know…

Today is International Women’s Day and the whole world is celebrating Womankind.

Here’s my contribution in celebrating 3 of the most beautiful women I know.

Grandmom – The quintessential woman of steel. She brought up my Mom single handedly after the premature demise of her husband very early in life. I hope some of that strength gets rubbed off onto me through the genetic linkage

Mom – The ace juggler. She provided me with undivided attention and ensured that everything was done ‘in’ time, right from getting me ready for school , dishing up delicious meals for the family. She could multitask beautifully and could stretch herself effortlessly to touch my life every time - I remember her staying up late in the night during my board exams, just so that she could make me that cup of coffee, whenever I felt sleepy. I remember her helping me articulate my thoughts better, driving me every summer afternoon to the beach, being my closest friend and confidante, being the devoted wife to Dad and taking care of his every need. She runs the household like a piece of well oiled machinery. In the midst of all the chaos, she managed to pursue a very satisfying albeit short lived career in journalism too! Hats off to you Mom! You are the best manager in the world!

My best friend’s Mom – The ace Time Manager. I see her as the cementing force of the family, the tower of strength for everyone else. She showers love and affection on every member of her family and on friends of her children too. She manages to carve some time for herself after having taken care of everything that needs attention and after having spent quality time with everyone who matters to her. Wish I could time slice my activities as perfectly as her so that I could create that much needed personal time.

Once upon a time...

• I could remember people's phone numbers, even the ones dialled less frequently. Today, I have to look up my cell phone for Dad's number.
• I could remember friend's Birthdays and would go shopping in advance, for their gifts. Today, I forget my parents' wedding anniversary or a family member's birthday because they do not have Orkut profiles and I, therefore, am not alerted about the big days in their lives.
• I was good at writing different types of letters on paper. Today, I wonder how I should address a colleague, a stranger or a good friend and how to sign off, on email. The letters that ran to 2 pages those days are typed as emails in 5 lines today.

Technology was always intended to be an enabler; an aid to speed up processes. Is it also becoming an aid to lose one's memory gradually? Do we depend much more on technology than technology intends us to?

Why?

Why is it that:

• we litter freely on our streets, our houses, our offices etc. but take extra care to ensure that pick up every piece of our litter in a foreign country?
• we stand patiently in long queues, in a Wal-Mart or a Target, but push our way through to the billing counter that looks most empty, disregarding the people who have been waiting in a queue or even laughing at them for not having had the gall to push through, at Food World or Big Bazaar?
• we apologise profusely every time we brush across someone accidentally in New York or Paris but glare at the other individual and part with a few choicest words, even if we are at fault, in Bangalore or Bombay?
• we smile pleasantly at absolute strangers and wish them a 'Good Morning' , 'Good Night' in Chicago or LA but think twice before smiling at an acquaintance in India?
• we hold doors open for strangers walking behind us or even in front of us abroad but push doors and walk on, not bothering about holding it open for a friend walking right behind us?
• we smile and make polite conversation with strangers in the lift overseas but forget to smile at a colleague or an acquaintance on entering a lift, promptly turn our backs at the people in the lift and stared focussedly at the lift panel, till our destinations in India?

Are we being hypocrites elsewhere and revealing our true selves in our country or do we take our country and fellow countrymen for granted and therefore display our worst behaviour here, reserving the best for our trips abroad?

Empathy - a rare trait?

Today evening, while on my way back home, I saw an all too familiar sight these days - an ambulance in the midst of peak hour traffic, its siren wailing, pleading for people to give way.
I peeped into the ambulance to see an old, distraught lady sitting at the back - presumably someone close to her was being rushed to the hospital.
I watched the traffic inch its way through; I watched some vehicle riders/drivers trying their best to give way by moving in whichever direction they could, to create some space for the ambulance to go through. I smiled to myself and said - 'We have come a long way from those days when the vehicles would not bother moving to the sounds of a wailing ambulance'.
And then as I watched, there were 2 arrogant car drivers, who, on seeing some empty space created, shot forward, squeezed into the gap and blocked the ambulance's path again. It did not appear to me that they had a greater emergency than the ambulance to reach some place.
Just wondering even as I type - 'Why is it that some people have lost the sense of empathy? Could they not see what I did - the old lady, close to tears? What can be more important than a matter of life and death? Or is it that some people react only when tragedy comes knocking at their doorstep? Are we slowly heading towards a 'feelingless' world, where deadlines are more important than lives, where getting to some place is more important than a life or death moment in another individual's life?'
Still thinking...

The Gori Story!

So, we rose up as a nation, in protest of Shilpa Shetty being racially discriminated upon.
Each one of us felt it was us that Jade Goody was targeting, by virtue of each one of us being Indians. Great sense of unity!
But…how hypocritical are we? Do we not, even today, discriminate based on caste or religion? Do we not have schools ‘preferring’ children of one religion or caste over the other? The discrimination may not be in black and white print. But there is a hidden undercurrent of discrimination everywhere.
Oh and did I forget discrimination based on skin colour? White is beautiful, we are taught. There are young girls who aspire to become the next beauty queen by slathering layers of ‘Fair & Lovely’ on their faces, because the ads show a dusky (read ‘ugly duckling’, based on her skin colour) girl transform into a gorgeous swan after 6 weeks of using the cream. A digression from the topic of discrimination but I couldn’t resist putting this wild thought down anyway. Is the ‘Fairness Creams’ market trying to educate us that applying these creams on our face will suffice to turn the skin colour of the entire body to fair and therefore beautiful? Has anyone ever thought how funny someone would look with a white face (assuming that the creams really give the user ‘chamakti safedi’) and a dark neck, torso, arms and legs?
Ok getting back to discrimination, do we still not see matrimonial ads proudly proclaiming that the girl is fair and therefore beautiful? Do we not see wannabe grooms advertising for a fair and beautiful girl?
Bollywood too seems to go by the notion, ‘White is beautiful’. How many dusky women (with the exception of Bipasha and a few others, because they had some other saleable attributes) have you ever seen grace the silver screen?
The same bunch of people who show a ‘preference’ to fair skin will preach on talk shows and every opportunity available in print media, that beauty is skin deep and that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
If fair was beautiful, why is tanning so popular in the West? Why do people pay hundreds of dollars to go to tanning salons to get a nice, tanned complexion that we Indians have been blessed with from birth?
Agreed that discrimination of any kind is a social crime and should be protested against. But should we not clean up our home turf first by not discriminating against anyone on the basis of caste, religion or skin colour, before accusing others of discrimination?
Just my thoughts…

Janam Din Mubarak!

Here's a toast

• To the one who recorded all the gibberish I spoke when I was 2 because he was proud of me
• To the one who religiously took me on those daily scooter rides, come what may, when I was 5
• To the one who painstakingly labeled all the awards I ever won, so that he could look at them proudly every time and relive the moments when I won those awards
• To the one who has carefully filed away all the sketches I ever drew, all the letters I ever wrote to family and all my report cards, so that he can look at them and go back in time
• To the one who patiently taught me complex math that I refused to comprehend till a very long time
• To the one who pampered me to the core but ensured that I was never spoilt
• To the one who broke down while dropping me off at a hostel and missed me every day of his life, during my college days
• To the one who believes that the picture of my convocation makes a living room wall piece, rather than being tucked away in an obscure album somewhere
• To the one who insists on coming to the airport/station to pick me up every single time I visit home, even though I am grown up now, just to make me feel real special
• To the one who has always been proud of my achievements, however miniscule they might appear to others
• To the best man I have ever known from the day I was born, till date
  
  Happy Birthday, Dad! Here’s wishing that life gives you the best always because you surely deserve all the happiness in the world!

Where buildings are made of chocolate and the mountains of ice cream!

My roommate and I watched Parzania today. A gripping tale that had me walking out of the cinema hall in tears. As I walked out of PVR, I saw that almost every girl who watched the movie had moist eyes.
It seemed to me that the cast was carefully chosen, to enact beautifully, the story of the Modi family during the post-Godhra riots in Ahmedabad.
I could put myself in Cyrus and Shernaz’s shoes – I could feel their pain on losing their son, Parzan to a fanatical mob.
But the supposed keeper of peace in Gujarat, the Bajrang Dal, has banned this movie in Gujarat, the place where the chances of finding Azhar (called Parzan in the movie) are the greatest. And why? It was supposedly “anti-Gujarat” and would create communal disturbance! Is the story of a 10 year old boy missing since the time of the riots, ‘anti-Gujarat’? Are they referring to communal disturbance that could be promoted by themselves?
Thank you the keepers of the law, for promoting piracy – so what if you ban the movies in Gujarat theatres. Do you know that people have been buying the pirated version of Parzania and watching it?
There is something called ‘Freedom of Expression’ according to our fundamental rights, Dear members of the Dal - The Director of the movie can therefore express what he feels about an issue and the people of the country have the freedom to watch the movie if it interests them. There is also a body called the Censor board that decides whether a movie is appropriate for being screened in the country or not. Why do we need the Censor board or even the I & B Ministry any longer, when we have the Dal filled with people capable enough to decide what should be watched and what should not?

A Film filled Weekend

This weekend was when I planned to make up for not watching movies in a long time. I decided to begin my movie watching spree with Guru yesterday (finally!). A good story line with some riveting performances. I was impressed by the acting prowess of Abhishek, Mithun, Vidya and Madhavan.
What saddened me was the portrayal of how an apparent lack of ethics can still build and sustain a seemingly unshakeable empire, come what may.
I wondered about the disclaimer in the beginning of the movie though - ‘All characters are fictitious. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental’. Agreed the name ‘Gurukant Desai’ may have been the script writer’s creation. But I am sure that everyone who has watched the movie found a striking similarity to Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani’s life. Why the disclaimer then? Could the movie not have been an open tribute to him? Or did the creators of the movie not want to associate some of the ‘unethical’ practices that Gurubhai followed to get to where he was with Dhirubhai?
Still thinking….

Au Revoir Mr. O.P.N!

One of my favourite Music Composers left for his heavenly abode on Sunday.

I opened various news sites to read more about how he had passed away. But hey! Most news sites did not even consider Mr. O.P.Nayyar consequential enough to devote a tiny sq. cm of newsprint to him! Ofcourse and why would they? Shilpa Shetty winning Big Brother deserves to make the headlines; Amitabh Bachchan quoting that Ash is a domesticated girl provides food for our news hungry souls. But not an old ‘loony’ music composer who has been a recluse for the last few decades. It does not matter that he gave Bollywood some of the biggest hits, some of the most melodious numbers that one can identify with even today. It does not matter that most of his songs have been converted into raunchy remixes by adding a few beats here and there – so if those songs were not created in the first place, our Indian remix Industry would be at a loss of what to mutilate next.

Not a ‘famous’ soul cried (or may be they did but the media did not consider that important too – if AB hurts his toe, you will have the entire film industry shedding copious tears and the media reporting it as headlines!). Not even the ‘Rajas of Remix’ most of whose ‘masterpieces’ are created by mixing various sounds and beats with O.P.N’s melodies. Am just thinking aloud – should they not at least shed tears wondering what they would do once their stock of O.P.N melodies is exhausted? What will they remix next?

I guess this is what happens when you shut yourself away from the limelight. If you are out of sight once, you are out of mind for the media forever.

‘Yellow Journalists’ of the Indian media – the next time you hum a ‘Mera naam chin chin choo’ or ‘Zara holle holle chalo more sajna’ or ‘Babuji dheere chalna’, remember that these melodies were created by the magician you did not even think deserved a tribute when he died!
Mr. Nayyar, some of us who loved your music and who can identify with it even today, mourn for you. May your soul rest in peace!

A Dad's love?

Agreed Guru was a powerful movie with some stellar performances by AB's Baby. But does that warrant a half page ad in the TOI, signed by AB?
Mr Bachchan, are you really so overwhelmed by your son's performance in the movie? Do you really believe that he has outdone your best performance so far ?
The letters from the other viewers (see the small print in black) are a nice touch BTW, to entice those who haven't watched Guru so far, to rush to the theatres and see what they have missed!

Ajit: Today's your Day!

My best friend launched his music site today (read Jan 10th, coz posting this got delayed by a bit). Launching a site containing his own musical compositions was his dream and he realized his dream today! http://www.worldvoidweb.com/ is where his compositions are housed.
I sometimes wonder if this guy is for real – in these days of extreme competition, lack of originality, plagiarism among musicians, here is this guy who has made his music freely available to anyone who has an ear for it! And what more, his music can be freely distributed so that anyone who appreciates good music has an earful of the magic of the ‘seven surs’!
In today's world where 'I am so busy! I have no time for my hobbies!' seems to be the mantra and the in thing to say, here's a man who has achieved a perfect balance between a gruelling work schedule and pursuing his passion!
You rock my friend! You are a star and today’s your day!

Santa Claus Exists!

We played ‘Secret Santa’ in the office about 2 weeks back. I got carried away by the spirit of Christmas and picked up not one, not two but six names from the box!
And guess what? For the first time in life, I discovered that there was so much more joy in giving than receiving things! It gave me immense pleasure just to see the excitement through ‘my children’s’ words after receiving their gifts each day!
And the cherry on the cake was the fact that I ended up knowing 8 of my colleagues much more than I ever did before! Now was that ‘Santa’s ‘ gift to me this Christmas?
I wonder!