A Pinch of Humour

Meanwhile,  amidst everything serious, and the earth rotating on the axis of Corona, I thought of adding a pinch of humor and wit to our world !

On planet Facebook, some ladies are nonchalantly sharing their "saree clad" pictures. They call it a "challenge".  Really! If that's a challenge, I wonder then how our mothers and grandmothers had been living such challenging lives. They also say, that these pictures are posted to bring smile on their friends' faces in these gloomy times. I awe at how people are doing data entry jobs for free! On a sarcastic note, how do such moronic ideas click to only certain humans. 

Nevertheless, sarcasm is like electricity, half of the country doesn't get it.

Meanwhile, as one of the popular jokes states, people are busy vanishing maida and sooji from the earth, by demonstrating their culinary talent. Opened Whatsapp status this morning to see one of my friends just burped of Biryani, the other posted 5 photos of some ugly looking deep fried snacks and someone just prepared fresh out of oven half baked chocolate cake garnished with Gems.

Looking at the messages on my Whatsapp and Telegram groups, I got a mischievous idea. I clubbed multiple messages together, copied and shuffled them. This created a humorous chain. Read below to gain a smile -

Any good tailor nearby? Hi, we shifted here yesterday, waiting to catch up...

This is ridiculous, some dog pooped in front of the club house?  Please assemble in front of the Club House for flag hoisting.

My son's crocs are missing from the playground. Please suggest some good temples nearby. 

Can someone suggest the nearest gas agency. The flush of my toilet is not working... ?

Someone has parked their car in my parking. Please contact me if someone wants to buy my 2BHK.

The maid Jaymala has not yet arrived. If someone has a spare granite slab, please DM me. 

Please don't feed pigeons in the balcony. The builder has reserved that area for STP.

What are the charges for vegetable chopping every day? It is clearly mentioned in our sale agreement.

I wonder if we are going to emerge alive out of this pandemic. Ever wondered that we never remain satisfied with whatever life gives us. What has come, shall go someday. These times, may be good or bad, your perspective, but shall end someday. And that day, we may miss how staying home was a bliss and not a punishment. Though, a balance is a must, but remember there have been days when we longed for staying back, away from the life's race. 

I read this somewhere, sometime -

वक़्त अच्छा जरुर आता है....

बस कमबख्त वक़्त पर नहीं आता...!!

पल-पल तरसते थे जिस पल के लिए...

वो पल भी आया कुछ पल के लिए...!!

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Your Story...

Each one of us is a walking story. All the stories are entwined with each other. You come across other people's stories for a few chapters. Some rendezvous are brief, some last for chapters. Some chapters are wonderful, some are painful. You will have moments when you just want to turn the pages of certain chapters too fast, and want to read a few of steadily and happily. Some chapters make us cry for weeks, the others fill us with a lifetime of joy. A bad chapter may not be the end of your story. Keep reading!

The beginning of your story is always soothing, carefree! You learn so much about yours and others' stories in the beginning. The words keep pouring in at the beginning of the story. Gradually, you get accustomed to your story. This is how it works. You can't change the end, for it's already engraved in the chapters. You have to soak yourself truly into what you see and feel. Some stories end too soon, whereas some last longer. To make your story famous, you have to read it loud, louder, loudest. Nobody can open a certain page of your life and say they know you. Similarly, you may find someone else's story more interesting and blissful from a distance, you never know what their journey was about!

Moments come and go in the lines of those chapters. Nevertheless, you cannot skip chapters. This is how the circle of life works. You have to read each and every line. You have to meet all the characters. We are villain in someone's story, and angels for the others. Stories keep the earth rotating. Some days there is sunshine, and sometimes just frost spread all over. We have to live it all, for there is no means to jump over to the other chapter. Time goes on at its pace. 

It is you who is living your story. You are the hero in your story, and it is unique in all the ways, just like you. The genre of your story may be humor, adventure, mystery or a history. But it can never be a fiction! Your story can definitely be a legacy for generations to come, if you live it so. You have to leave the traces of your moments to make it an inspiration.

Why not multiply the intensity of happier moments in the pages of your story, and read and re-read it! Heal your bruises and replenish yourself while turning each page of your story.

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कागज़-ए-ख़ाली

मुद्दतों में उठायी कलम हाथों में, 

देख कागज़-ए-ख़ाली हम खो गए,

लफ़्ज़ों के आईने में देख ख़ुदा को,

ख़ुद ही की मौसिकी में मशगूल हो गए,

मन को तराशा बेबाक़ अल्फाज़ो में, 

कांटे भी फूल हो गए,

एक बूंद गिरी स्याही यूँ दवात से,

फिर छिपे सारे राज़ गुफ़्तगू हो गए,

क्यूं ना करें इन पन्नों से बातें,

ये ही है जो रूठा नहीं करते,

स्याही की छाप से जब पन्ना रंग जाता है,

मन से निकला हर लफ़्ज़ कागज़ पर रम जाता है,

बोल उठते हैं शब्द, जब ये कागज़ हवा में फड़फड़ाता है,

इत्मिनान देता है कागज़ का टुकड़ा जब मन भर आता है,

एक कहानी और कहानियों में कई कहानी,

मन की उड़ान की रफ्तार लिख कर है दर्शानी,

दौड़ भाग में रहते व्यस्त करते हर दम काम काज,

छोड़ के ये सब मद मस्त हो जाते हैं आज।

बुनते है आज ग़ज़ल सुहानी या कोई कहानी,

बातें जानी या अनजानी जो है हमें दुनिया को सुनानी।

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फ़ुर्सत

चलिए कागज़ पर कुछ अल्फ़ाज़ लिखते हैं

धरती जो कर रही आराम उस पर साज़ लिखते हैं,

आश्चर्य में पड़ गया विज्ञान,

प्रकृति ने किया वो संग्राम,

आदमी आदमी की मौत का हो रहा कारक है,

घोर कलियुग का ये आग़ाज़ दिखता है,

प्रकृति के प्रक्षालन का ये संयोग सच्चा है,

दूरियां बढ़ने का योग अच्छा है,

देख लो मोबाइल टीवी या अखबार,

प्रवचन का लगा है अम्बार,

हाथ धोएं, किसी को न छुएं, बुखार ना होये,

ख़ुद की बनाई जेल में गुम होये,

जीवन मे नहीं बस सिनेमा, मॉल और पार्टी हॉल,

फुर्सत भरे दिन रात मिलते कहाँ है हाल फिलहाल ,

बच्चों को घर के काम का आनंद सिखलाये,

Playstation और iPad को दूर हटाएं,

क्यूं ना आज अपने शौक फरमाएं,

परिवार में किस्से कहानियों की चौपाल बैठाएं,

अब मौका मिला है तो फायदा उठायें,

कुछ लम्हें अपनों के साथ बिताएं |

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Book Review: The New Rules of Business

Book Name - The New Rules of Business

Author - Rajesh Srivastava

Publication year - 2019

Pages - 326

This book is penned by Rajesh Srivastava who is an IIT and IIM alumnus. The bio of the author is indeed impressive, he has a lot of feathers on his cap. All the knowledge and experience that he has put into the book is amazing. He is an accomplished manager and brand creator.

The book has a very rich content, with each chapter being a different and a new rule of being successful in your business. Each chapter has a guideline presented interestingly, along with real examples and stories. It's not just one story but multiple stories together. Though I am not from a business background, and have received no formal education in business, this book caught my interest. I could think from a consumer perspective and relate to the stories of the businesses. I stand at the other end of the business-consumer flow, but found it all to be captivating. As a customer I never knew how much research and efforts were put in the background to sell a product to me. Moreover, the newer ways of winning customers written in this book are worth knowing and relatable to me now.

The sixteen rules of business are apt and interesting. It helped me dive deeply into what the businesses we admire did to reach where they are. The world is evolving, the customers are changing and hence, to grow a business stale rules may not work. This book gives us a wonderful insight into those rules and ideas.

I am not sure what they teach in MBA programmes worldwide, but definitely can bet that this book sums up such courses practically. This was the first book of its kind that I ever read, but definitely looking forward read more from the author.

I rate this book 4 on 5 and recommend for those who are serious about building and growing their business, and are willing to adapt fresher ways to build it well.

Thanks to Shweta from Glad U Came for sending this book for review. 

(PS: the reviews expressed here are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or 

degrade the sale or vice-versa for the book.)

If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com

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