Who are you?

I often see people alluding during social gatherings- 'What do you do?' Is it what we do for our living that defines and explains us. For some reason, we categorize and rank people by what they do, rather than what they are!

Your entire life journey including your upbringing, challenges, your hard learned lessons, your experiences, achievements and gifts, are all a series of footprints that have brought you to this very moment in time as you read these words.

Every single person we come across daily has a life story- a story which is unique but true. Your best friend has a story, your boss has his story, your maid has her own story, the hawker on the street has his story, the old lady in the garden has a story, the girl wiping her tears in the bus has her story, the young boy playing on the street has a story of his own. In that way there are 7 Billion Stories in the World.

People come in your life for a reason, some for short time and some for ever. Their stories and yours get inter woven when we come across. When you gleam into their lives, you will find a story like none another. Connecting to these can help us build amazing bonds called human relations!

I'd love to genuinely ask you these questions when we stumble upon-

1. Who are you?
2. What is your story?
3. What is it that makes you smile?
4. What do you dream of?
5. And if you do not mind answering this one: who are you when no one's watching?

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18 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Was 18

1. Read books voraciously, dive into them. We lose ourselves in good books, we find ourselves there too.
2. Don’t be worried of what others think about you. Shoo away the fears and influence of peers. Run your own race.
3. Dare to speak up. It’s either now or never. It’s not how much you speak, but how thoughtful you are.
4. Opt for a career that not only suits you but also satisfies you. Visualize the future you. Set a goal for yourself now, or you shall have to accept whatever comes your way.
5. Sit alone in silence for at least 10 minutes every day. You may be surprised to find what miracles loneliness brings.
6. Start practicing yoga. It will aid to your spiritual, mental and physical well being.
7. Ask the experienced rather than the experts. The latter keep guiding you to nowhere.
8. Do not live to impress others, but for the sake of your own contentment. 
9. Respect everyone, maintain your temper. Use your anger wisely; it can do miracles if guided in the right direction.
10. Be a good listener. Understand people, and learn from each one who comes across. Be a keen observer. Every day comes with myriad experiences.
11. You are born in the age of internet. Use it constructively; it is an ocean of knowledge. "Likes and Comments" will end you up in a shitty gutter.
12. Commit yourself to make mistakes. If you never do it, you'll never be sure how it turns up. Moreover, whatever has to happen will happen regardless. Don't be scared of taking chances.
13. Ask a lot of questions. It doesn't harm anyway. Apart from other obvious reasons, it is a good exercise for your brain!
14. Being innocent is good, but only until they don’t mistake you for a fool. Begin to grow up; everyone else has.
15. Never be upset with what others have and that you don’t. Make peace with what you have been bestowed with. Be patient, plenty of greener pastures await you.
16. First learn what everyone else does, and then learn what no one else knows. There are 2 rules to success- 1) Never reveal to them everything you know. 2) Remember rule #1.
17. The news reader is your friend; rest of the idiot box is your enemy.
18. Accept and embrace change.

And above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.

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Its The International Yoga Day

(This post is just a perspective over the current affairs of the country. It does not intend to harm or defame any person, religion, government or political party. I welcome and thank our government for the initiative to celebrate the International Yoga Day) 

Yoga, as they say is a part of the Indian heritage and culture, aids in spiritual, mental and physical well being. Before I write further, let me tell you that I myself practice yoga and attribute a lot of my good health to it. And, I am not a cornered critic of the government.

This Sunday morning, at Rajpath, New Delhi, as they say nearly 40k people piled up to perform yoga (by choice or otherwise), with our honorable PM ji. Does it sound like a coincidence when, on Doordarshan you hear the anchor's ending note - "21 exercises on 21st June for 40 minutes by 40 thousand people" ? Of course, it doesn't take a Vedic-era rocket scientist to understand that this day never had that much to do with yoga, but more of an attempt to get recorded into the Guinness Book. And I do not interpret how much amount they would have stolen from the tax payee's pocket to bear expenses of the Tee's and amenities for each of the participant at Rajpath.

Another disappointment comes from the thought- "Do only people of Delhi need to nurture their health?" To balance this, the news channels reported that the party's various leaders were canvassing, oops..... performing yoga with the crowds at several places across the country! Does it also dilute the Surya Namaskar controversy anyway?

But it makes me wonder why the government chose this one single day to celebrate the treasure of our ancestral art. After all, its not a festival to be celebrated, but a legacy to be carried along by practicing regularly with full devotion.

Its hard to imagine one dedicated day for launching a regular yoga drive. Just like no Valentine's day makes couples ignore each other's nose hair and fall deeper in love. Remember, they also rechristened 25th of December as Good Governance Day.

Why not propose to celebrate a few more such "days" in India and across the world, namely- International "no rape" day, International "don't poke your nose" day, International "dharna" day! I am sure I need not provide description to how each of these must be celebrated!

My verdict- A optimistic welcome this initiative. Hope it reaches one and all, across the world and brings applaud to our culture by providing good health to all.

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उड़ान

हर शख़्स अपना आशियां छोड़ आसमां में उड़ने की ख़्वाहिश रखता है, और परिंदे हैं जो आसमां में घरौंदे तलाश करते हैं |

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If you use it wisely and in the right direction, ANGER is the best weapon given to mankind by god

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