"Do it first or do it different."
-Internet

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Kyunki Har Desk Kuch Kehti Hai

Our workplace is where we spend more than one-third of our day, and so is our very own desk. Every desk in the office premise depicts the traits of personality of the one who sits there. Taking into account an IT guy's work desk, here's a humorous classification of the variety that you can spot around you-

1. The Family Guy 

"Where's the Daddy!? Here he is..." At this person's desk rests a photo frame from last holiday with his son, daughter and wife. The other side has a coffee mug, which would rather have adorned his kitchen sink. It has his daughter's fancy dress competition wining photo imprinted on it. The wallpaper of his desktop is a collage of his kids' cake smeared and first-day-at-school collages. One corner contains a heart shaped photo frame featuring him and his sweetheart wife from their honeymoon days.

This man is most likely in his mid thirties, dressed in office formals, treasures his pot belly. He comes to office in time and leaves on time. He sets his phone on flight mode right after he leaves the workplace, and over the weekends.

2. The Hyperactive Guy

This one has a desk with a home-like feeling. Unlike the family guy, he doesn't  display an array of family assets, but has his desk's interiors setup to make you feel you are in his living room. His cubical only lacks an attached washroom! 

He houses various show pieces including at the least- a soft toy, a clock, a bonsai and a calendar with 365 thoughts- one for each day of the year. He has umpteen office-activity-participation-certificates, printed inspirational thoughts and a couple of awards to flaunt at his desk. You never get bored when dropping by his ornate cubical. This is generally one of most active lads in the organization, the one who has a lot more to do than he's paid for, keeps fluttering here and there and has a cheerful attitude. 

He is normally aged 25-30. The backside of his chair has an inspirational thought printed on a paper, and the front side has a comfy pillow to soothe his supposedly aching back. The dustbin below his desk is fuller than full, so much so that the office boy demands hike in his salary to collect the empty bags of chips and the daily filth.

3. The Lazy Guy

This one is an icy man. He is looking forward to renovate his desk some time in future, but either he doesn't feel like doing so, or hasn't got the guts to do so, or is laden with tonnes of work, or is too simple to plan a happy-go-lucky cubical. 

To him his desk is no more than a piece of furniture to rest his arms at. No age group classifications for such folks. The coffee mug with their routine espresso occupies it's regular place on that empty piece of furniture. The neatly arranged desktop and mouse make you feel overwhelmed (neat means nothing at all, the office boy is glad to work for him, since he does not have any cleaning work to do for this desk). The less active guy, staring from morning to evening at his desktop screen from his spectacles, who leaves for lunch at sharp 1:00 PM no matter what- famine or earthquake. Lunch time chatter includes poor condition of roads, criticism of the government and his effective ways of saving taxes.

4. The Gadget Geek 

This guy's desk features latest model of headphones standing aptly on a stand. His is the latest smartphone, probably an iphone adorned with a superhero wallpaper. The bottom of his desk has a pile of boxes or left over packaging from his recent online-shopping-adventure deliveries. You may spot this person spending most of his time shopping or window-shopping online. He generally happens to be a recent campus hire who earns more than he can spend with both hands.

5. The Religious Guy

When did you visit the temple lately? Never mind, you can easily spot one such desk around you at office where you feel like the only item absent for it to be called as a temple is the temple-vala-shoe-stand. This guy has idols of various gods at his desk, sits in the direction recommended by Vaastu teller, wears ring of almost every planet in his fingers and fasts frequently. He is the bhagwaan-bharose guy, who invests much time flattering god than his manager!

From the aforementioned breeds, which one do you belong to? :)

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Book Review: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Firstly, you must be wondering how am I able to post another book review one day later since my last review! The reason is, I am accumulating my thoughts on few recent reads from my shelf and posting them consecutively on my blog.

This is one of the best books that I've read so far, and one of those which I would want to read twice.

This is a 378-page long book, which is more than enough for a new reader like me. It is penned by the international bestselling author of How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie. My life wouldn't have been worth if I had missed this wonderful brain washer (in positive way).  I rate it 5 stars (10 stars if I could).

Goodreads yields that this book has 100 editions, 36,716 ratings and 919 reviews as of date, whoa! My copy of book says that it was first published in 1953, quite early though, it is still very much applicable to our lives. The author himself is a self-help coach. He sums up his experiences and experiences from other people to justify the teachings that he gives throughout the book. This book has increased my fascination for self-help genre and has made me believe that a good book can bring positive change to one’s life. I didn't want to finish this book.

Without pouring in my heart anymore, yielding my submission to list down a few quotes / take aways from this book-

1) A magic formula to conquer worry-

• Ask yourself 'what is the worst that can possibly happen?'
• Prepare to accept it if you have to.
• Then calmly proceed to improve on the worst.

2) Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.

3) Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of health. "Those who do not know how to fight worry die young."

4) When you, or any of your associates, are tempted to worry about a problem, write out and answer the following questions:

• What is the problem?
• What is the cause of the problem?
• What are all possible solutions?
• What is the best solution?

5) Keep busy. The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he wither in despair.

6) Let’s not allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. Remember "life is too short to be little."

7) Cooperate with the inevitable.

8) Let the past bury its dead. Don't saw sawdust.

9) Eight words that can determine your destiny: "Our life is what our thoughts make it."

10) Let's never try to get even with our enemies, because if we do we will hurt ourselves more than we hurt them. Let's never waste a minute thinking about people we don't like.

11) It is natural for people to forget to be grateful; so, if we go around expecting gratitude, we are headed straight for a lot of heartaches.

12) "I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet." Count your blessings, not your troubles!

13) Let's not imitate others. Let's find ourselves and be ourselves.

14) "Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw the mud, the other saw the stars."

15) Forget yourself by becoming interested in others. Every day do a good deed that will put a smile of joy on someone’s face.

16) Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. Remember that no one ever kicks a dead dog.

17) Rest before you get tired. Learn to relax at your work. Learn to relax at home. If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. Learn to organize, deputize and supervise.

18) Time solves a lot of things.

19) Believe in god. Leave things up to god. It is he who will take care of everything.

20) "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
       The courage to change the things I can,
       And the wisdom to know the difference."

As a formal conclusion, I would recommend this book to all those who are motivated to bring a change in the way they lead their lives. Each line would soak deep into your soul, relishing your thought process and conquering your problems.

(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. I am not paid for writing the reviews.)
If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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Book Review: It Doesn't Hurt to Be Nice

BY A DEBUT AUTHOR, FOR DEBUT READERS!

This is a book by Amisha Sethi, published this September. With large fonts and merely 130 pages (of which, some are occupied by quirky illustrations in the form of callouts as preface for the upcoming chapter), its a chick-lit. It is a combination of fiction with self-help. I rate this book with 3 stars, and for a debut author let me make it 3.5.

The author has used a simple language, with mention of chants from upanishads and vedas at various places. The content is shallow, and picturesque of a Delhi girl's life transition from school to college to moving her way up the corporate ladder to love marriage to being a mother and then a mix of all. It sounds very obvious and a li'l filmy at times, covers the events of life that most of us go through at various stages of life. What is good about it is that the author has related these with some philosophy and learning. It's about finding your purpose in life and striving to be better each day than you were yesterday, which basically sums up my own belief as well, so that's a plus point.

Overall, the book was a speedy read for me and had vibes of optimism in it and hence I loved my experience with the book. If you are willing to take a break from reading huge books that take weeks to finish, and feeling overwhelmed with the contents from foreign authors, you can give it a try. Lastly, a learning for debut authors- Never write a book in hurry!

(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. I am not paid for writing the reviews.)
If you are an author and want your book to be reviewed, drop an email at bookreviews@mansiladha.com.

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A little less ME

In our personal or professional lives, almost all of us have this excessive need to be 'me'. We are self obsessed and cling to satisfying the "me" in ourselves. The consequences are not positive oftentimes.

We keep repeating such clauses either verbally, or in a constant internal monologue- "I do this", " I dislike this", "...this is not my cup of tea", "...how dare thy say that about me", "...because I ain't ever mistaken, I won't apologize." , "Hey, that's me. Deal with it." and so on. We surround ourselves with a wall of our rules, our superiority, our appreciation, our opinion, our definition of good or bad around us. Setting a definition for ourselves and devoting our senses to keep up to that by resisting anything that comes in the way, is indeed harmful.

Once in a while, give it a thought that if you keep aside the pointless notion of ME, you'd certainly open new gates for yourself and lead to a long term change in your behavior. Moreover, you'll make people feel better about you.

As Marshall Goldsmith quotes in his book What Got You Here Won't Get You There, "It's an interesting equation: Less me. More them. Equals success." And "It's not about you. It's about what other people think of you."

The mantra is- "laugh at your yourself; apologize frequently; show gratitude whenever possible and learn from each person you meet."

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Bookworm

I've recently introduced this section on book reviews. I am not an avid reader, but have started cultivating the habit of reading lately. My book reviews may be naive taking the benefit of doubt that I am at the infant stage of it! I have started reading a little late than I should have done, because till now I could have finished a few dozen more books. Nevertheless, it's better late than never. 

Now that I have read a few books and continuing to read more, new insights for life have emerged in my senses. I feel satisfied to pen down my evolving opinions here.

 I hope you would appraise this new section, and also suggest me some books which I can dive into. After all, books wash away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.

And as they say- 
"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light."

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

(PS: the reviews expressed on my website are based on my personal reading experience, and do not intend to defame, derate or degrade the sale or the contrary for any book. I am not paid for writing the reviews, unless otherwise stated in the post.)

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"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination "

-Web

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You can’t lose what you never had. You can’t keep what’s not yours. And you can’t hold onto something that doesn’t want to stay.

-Internet

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Hathon Me Aa Gaya Rumaal Aapka-to-Saree ke Fall Saa

Interesting though, I have titled this post to make a note of the apparent transition that music has seen with time, and how it occurs to me. The lyrical journey of Hindi songs - from Hindi to Hinglish and Funjabi; the experimental musical journey varying from generating sound using glasses of water to the use of electronic musical instruments or sometimes, none.

Hands down, I love them all, I am a music freak. Every genre is my taste... The heart-touching melodies, the night mood gazals, the energetic raps, the powerful and inspiring sankrit chants, the mesmerizing sufi kawwalis, acoustic revisit of the old songs, the pop filmy numbers or the peppy rap tracks...... While I am typing this, I am actually listening to one such absolutely cool number from this rainbow of genres! In thirst of unconventional music I recently ended up in finding some wonderful videos (precisely, audios as movies) like meditation music, healing om chanting, lively religious hymns, assorted playlists from the 90s, and also acoustic versions of various songs, some of which compete the original ones well!

Let me define a song in my words- a poetic placement of words woven beautifully, with the perfect harmony of  musical instruments and melodious human voice or a hybrid of such voices. A therapy to touch the listener's heart and soul, it gives wings to the mind, and flight to the imagination.

I wonder how beautifully they do the task of composing the lyrics.. what risk must be involved in composing and trying unconventional lyrics or the kind of beats no other song has ever had? How would they judge, this is it- the right sound, the distinct lyrics and a perfect voice? How tedious it must be to choose a singer appropriate to give life to a song? Are the singers nervous before each recording?

I am blessed to be born in the era when such exhilarating music is being hatched and available without a hitch, over the web. There is a song for every situation. We can connect so flawlessly to the lyrical tunes in every mood! Some or the other song is the tell-tale of one of our life incidences.

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I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.

Lily Tomlin

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Whoever said, 'It's not whether you win or lose that counts,' probably lost.

- Martina Navratilova

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Blue Silk Scarf

Note: I wrote this story for TOI- WriteIndia (author- CB)

She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf.  Yes a blood stained knife!

I was sitting diagonally to her approximately 10 feet far. Her face was visible to me from that distance. It was a Saturday afternoon on that hot summer day. The aroma of coffee and chit chats of people engaged me while I was alone waiting for someone.

I got call from my mother to which I responded- "What, she is not coming?.... but you said she would be there by 4 PM. Maa, I am waiting since last 30 minutes" My mother had chosen a girl for me, who was coming to meet me that day. But she couldn't turn up for certain reason. Now I was alone in the cafe watching people come and go. It was just then I observed this lady who seemed to be of around 25 years of age, a good looking, and well-dressed confident girl. She had applied kajal in her big eyes which made them even more attractive. It seemed like she had been waiting for someone. But why would a girl recklessly place a blood stained knife beside her and sit at such a public place. For a second I thought to approach her and ask whether she had just committed a murder lately! You never know, this is Delhi.

Then while she was helping herself to bring back a flick of hair falling over her forehead, I noticed a bandage tied on the wrist of her right hand, looks like she met an accident recently.

Since no one joined for long time the cafe manager would not want me to enjoy the music and the air conditioner for free. So I ordered a Cafe Frappe for me.

A pair of girls aged about 5-6 years emerged from the cafe entry walking notoriously. A woman, I guess, their mother followed them loaded with shopping bags and trying to meet their pace. They sat opposite to their mother after one-sided talk with the fishes in the fish tank at the entrance, and their mother asking them the umpteenth time to sit. Amidst all this, I again focused on that young lady. In my mind I named her Anamika, since I didn't know her name!

She glared at the kids with a half full smile and her eyes almost met mine while I just managed to look at the kids before she could notice that I am observing her. I hope she didn't notice me.

Her eyes moved to a man pulling the door of the cafe, dressed in formal shirt and blue jeans, well-built personality and dusky complexion. Let's attribute the complexion to Delhi's tanning summer.

He was searching for someone and within seconds he caught the sight of the one he was looking for. He came near Anamika and pulled the chair rudely to sit. She looked scared. He seemed angry. Leaning forward he started talking to her. I could not hear anything from the distance, but thanks to expressions I could sense what was going on. There was something serious. A tear dropping down Anamika's cheeks while the cold hearted guy was fuming with anger. She pointed towards the knife and was saying something as if requesting him for a favor. And a few seconds later, she slipped the knife into her handbag. They spoke, rather, argued for a few minutes and the guy left in anger.

Watching from a distance, unable to judge what is happening, but somewhere in my heart I felt sympathy towards the girl.

Her eyes welled with tears, Anamika went to the washroom. In the meantime I paid my bill. I was curious to know her story. My questions made me restless- why did the guy go away? Why did the girl who looked so strong at the beginning, was weeping so much? Why is she carrying a knife in that public place?

When she left from the washroom and exited the gate of the cafe, no signs of tears were seen on her face, except for the kajal was now wiped off completely. I stood at the billing counter waiting for my bill to be processed. She arrived at the counter, totally lost.  To avoid eye contact, I started looking at my cell phone. She asked at the counter in a low tone, "How much?" She paid the said amount without even collecting the bill.

I followed her quickly. She was walking on the footpath, grief stricken, she walked slowly and I followed her carefully and curiously for over 10 Minutes. She stopped at a deserted place, pulled the knife out of her handbag, tears flowing through her eyes, threw the knife in a garbage bin and turned around to check if anyone has seen her. I was hiding safely behind a wall so she could not see me. She left the place after that. I stood their puzzled, thinking about what just happened at the café and at this place.

----------1 Week Later-----------

That fine Saturday morning, while I was still on bed leveraging the start of weekend and my bachelorhood, I got a call from Mom.

"Hello Maa..Good morning." I said half asleep.

"You are still sleeping. Its 9:30!” like yet another Indian mother, her volume turned up.

"Ummm...no my dear mom... tell me what happened", I replied politely. She has all rights to scold me at any age.

"Remember the girl who was to meet you last Saturday…She is going to come today at Starbucks Cafe today at 4 PM. Be there."

It was 3:55 PM when I entered the Starbucks cafe. I dislike reaching late! Soft English music played in the background. I could sense the aroma of coffee up to my nostrils. At the counter I left my card to help them find me if that girl comes asking for me. I sat near the window where Anamika sat that day. Strangely, there was not even a day during last 7 days when I haven't thought about her. There was something in her that kept pulling me, but I had not seen her after that day.

It was almost 4:00 PM. I was looking out of the window and listening to the music, when a girl came to me and said, "Hello, are you Rishi?" I nodded in a yes. She replied, "Hi this is Ashwini. Our parents wanted us to see each other." I replied in awe, " oh yes, please sit", in my head there were multiple voices which argued to me," Can't you see, this is Anamika? Yes this is Anamika..." World is round, very round. The same girl who I was observing last week, and was thinking about the whole week was seated in front of me for a marriage compatibility meet! The voices in my head didn't stop" Oh god, what do I do? Should I tell her that I know her? No no let me first ask how it feels carry a knife like a toy? She looks normal to me, she must be her twin sister- Anamika& Ashwini, or may be a look alike as in Hindi movies..."

"Rishi, Rishi... everything fine?,"Anamika kept saying while I was busy in discussion with my head.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine." I pretended to be normal with a grin on my face.

We ordered our coffee and began talking, started with an introduction. She worked with an MNC at Delhi since 4 years and hailed from Meerut. I briefed about myself, " I am from Allahabad and working with an MNC here since past 5 years."

She became quiet for the next few seconds sipping her coffee. Using couple of her fingers she managed to move the flick of her hair falling on her forehead, behind the ears. The bandage was still on her arm, but condition seemed to be better. She noticed me looking at it, and hid her hand in her lap. She said in a subtle but sad tone. "Well, before we discuss anymore I would like to tell you something about my past. I had an affair, but it didn't work. I tried committing suicide but even that didn't work. Now I have decided to move on in life and get married. But trust me, my past will never ruin my present and future. I am a lively girl, and function on logic. Life has to go on then why not live it cheerfully. I heard somewhere, pain is inevitable, and suffering is optional. No one is in-charge of your happiness as much as you are. And about love, it can happen as many times as we are open to it." She smiled confidently at the end of it.

"Would you say yes?", she enquired after a minute of silence.

I already had a soft corner for her since the first time I saw her, and all my questions were answered by her even before I could ask her. "I like your honesty Ashwini" I replied. Her smile made her look even more beautiful now.  We spoke for almost an hour about all sorts of topics varying from family, friends, studies, weather, food, hobbies, pets, Delhi's traffic, books and what not. Surprisingly we shared a lot of similarities. Then on we dated for about a month and now we are happily married for two years.

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Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

-Confucius

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If You Could Choose Your Name

They say, "naam mein kya rakha hai? (What's in one's name?)" Well, why not? You have to survive with the same name for the rest of your life since your naamkaran sanskaar!

Here's a mischievous-me exploring the humor behind Indian names (with no intentions against anyone or any community).

I listed out some interesting categories of names which I feel Indian nomenclature is divided into. This also includes examples of names of real people I know (again, no offenses intended). What's your brand?

1) The Common Name

These are the most common Indian names like Neha, Rahul, Pooja, Aditi, Ankit etc. I believe everyone has atleast one friend, colleague or cousin with this name. Every class in school has 3-4 students with these names and they are amusingly baptized as Aditi1, Aditi2, Aditi3..... Aditi infinity! 'Does this not make you feel like triplets or quadraplets? Look one more Aditi joined us this year.'

2) The Lengthy Name

Some people are unhappy with why their guardians had the urge to name them like its the whole town's name: all-in-one. But these brave people request to be called by abbreviations like JP for Jyoti Prakash, PK's Jaggu AKA Jagat Janani, or KK as in Krishna Kumar. 'Code word is the key, dude.'

3) The Gender Independent Name

If you are named as Ruby, Palak, Divya, Manpreet, Jaspreet etc, you are often mistaken by the class teacher as being of the opposite gender until they have your sight, following which, both of you have the awkward eye contact and rest of the planet secretly giggling. 'Forgive me dear, may god bless you!'

4) The Forgettable Name

So, some parents enter the warfield when it comes to deciding their young one's name. They scratch every dictionary and visit every available website to end up sorting for you a wonderful Sanskrit-ised or Shuddh Hindi name. That's nice and unique of course. But what if people tend to forget your name in the first few meetings. 'Ummmm... what did you tell your name is? (naam kya bataaya tha apna)'

5) The Real Nick Name

You got it right, this is height of laziness. They used to call you Pinky or Sonu or Sweety or Rocky as a child and then forgot that there has to be a REAL real name for their offspring. But its to late till then, and now you are known to the planet with your pet name. 'Really, is that your NAME?'

6) The Tongue Twister Name

People down the south of India have their names which requires more than normal number of blocks in the bank application form like the respectable Indian athelete Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha , guess who?

Forgive me, but as a north Indian I can't even pronounce these names in one go, forget about spelling it. The components of your name comprise of various subsections. 'Lets fetch a cup of coffee till I finish learning your name.'

7) The Middle Name

You suffer from the middle-name-puzzle. You have a middle name which people either tend to forget mentioning, or confuse that as your last name (surname). Whole life you are perplexed whether or not to include the section #2. 'Added advantage, you have 3 components in your name to facilitate people with multiple ways to address you.'

8) The Misspelled Name

You have a short and simple name. But thanks to the unscientific and phonetically poor agrezi bhasha, every one spells your name their way. Is your name ambiguous like Akash or Aakash, Sourabh or Saurabh, Rajeev or Rajiv, Pooja or Puja, Aakriti or Aakrati or Aakruti? 'Hey, that's my name, not a spelling tutorial.'

9) The Motion Picture Inspired Name

 Do I need to detail out the pursuit of unique name which leads guardians to name their kids based on their favorite TV serial character or a trending movie star? Some examples are- Khushi, Pari, Hrithik, Aryan, Siya. 'Angelic, ugh!.'

10) The Simple Name

Wrapped up in 5-6 English letters, not too common, nor difficult to read and write- that's what I call as a simple name. But each has a story of its own and may fall into any of the above categories conditionally! 'I have such a name.'

Sigh! Here comes an end to my list. What do you think your name would have been if you were given a chance to settle upon one for yourself?

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Be you. The world will adjust.
-Anonymous

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Sachchi Advice

“I am participating in the #SachchiAdvice Contest by MaxLife in Association with BlogAdda.”

My father often advised this while I was growing up- "kaabiliyat dusro ko neecha dikhaane me nahin, balki khud itna uncha mukaam haasil karne mein hai ki pratidwandhi swayam neeche ho jaaye."  (काबिलियत दूसरों को नीचा दिखाने में नहीं, बल्कि ख़ुद इतना ऊँचा मुकाम हासिल करने में है के प्रतिद्वंदी स्वयं नीचे हो जाएँ| )

The way I perceived and implemented this was-

Never measure your achievements by someone else's success or failures.

Never resist people's nasty opinions, and their intents to let you down. Simply work towards your goal. At various milestones in life, people criticize or misguide you for their own good. Pan India, people have the yearning to pave your path even though it may be impracticable for themselves. It is rightly said- "where there is a will there are a hundred relatives". 

Some people will always try to let you down, others may however, inspire you for good. Whatever may be the case, grasp the positive out of every viewpoint and you shall touch the zenith. Never turn back in life, never get pulled down by those who discourage you. Never try to get even with people who bar your growth. Also, never be envious or scared of someone else's growth or success, it won't be a hurdle on your path to success. Neither must we belittle others. Strive to improve yourself and always compare you with yourself, and no one else. This will lead to self growth.

I followed the same advice so far, and whether it is education, profession or my passion, I groom myself and elevate my competencies to the extent that I tend to achieve what I desire, or at the least walk a mile further towards my goal. 

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मतभेद हो, मनभेद नहीं

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'I had the blues because I had no shoes,
Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.'
-Dale  Carnegie

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Fate and Wit

Note: I wrote this story for TOI- WriteIndia (author Amish)


Close to the city of Paithan, in a small village called Sauviragram, which lay along the banks of the great river Godavari, lived a woman named Ilaa. Being cotton farmers, her family was well to do, but not among the richest in their area. It was the harvest season, and cotton had to be picked from the plants. The wholesalers and traders from Paithan would be arriving in just a few weeks, carrying gold and goods for barter. They would exchange what they carried for the cotton that the farmers grew. The bales of cotton had to be ready in time! Work was at its peak!

But Ilaa was not to be found in the fields. She wasn't working. Instead, she was sitting by the banks of the great river Godavari.

She sobbed while recalling the event that happened at her house a prahar back and Yogiraj’s verdict on her life, "It is Ilaa’s turn to get married as per the Prathama Pratha this year."

She was a woman in her early 20s. Born as the second girl child to her parents in the year 1643, Ilaa was an intelligent lass, adept in vivid fields of knowledge and good at household chores too. She justified her name well. Ilaa means earth- like the Earth which supports life and hence, is unique amongst all planets in the solar system; she was unique amongst others in her village with exemplary knowledge and wit.

The villagers had been making preparations to welcome the traders who were anticipated to buy their crops. It was no lesser than a festival to them, in the form of repayment of the toil they had done throughout the year.
--------------

In the courtyard of her house, as a regular chore, Ilaa had cleaned the floor and laid down a beautiful rangoli at the porch, which was thought to bring good luck. While she was spreading the mat awaiting the young girls of Sauviragram to attend her class on preaching of summary of Bhagwad Geeta, which was the subject for today, her mother Sakvarbai, called her and said cheerfully- "Ilaa, my daughter, you keep running from here and there in the house. Why don't you spare some time for your old mother?"  With a tear drop glittering at the corner her right eye, the lady continued, "God knows when luck strikes my daughter and we tie the nuptial knot for her. Then you'll fly away like a bird, my child!"

Hesitatingly Ilaa replied, "Oh mother, I'm going nowhere. I won't leave my parents so early. I want to bag more affection from both of you." With great confidence, and a sigh, she continued, "Moreover, you know how desperate and fond of I'm of teaching the young girls of the village! I had been doing this since years. What will happen to them if I discontinue the classes?"

Caressing Ilaa's hair, Sakvarbai said, "Ilaa, I understand this, but it is the harvest season, and you must assist your father in picking up the cotton from our fields. Traders from Paithan shall be here soon." Her eyes widening, she elucidated, "And yes, someday you have to marry, otherwise the villagers will keep names that we could not get our daughter married. As per our tradition, daughters cannot be married in the same village."

Responding sadly over this, Ilaa said, "But mother, I don't want to leave Sauviragram. You know what happened to Hridisha Tai, and I don't…." Before Ilaa could end the sentence, she got a glimpse of her father entering the house, and she became quiet as if nothing just happened.

Ilaa's sister Hridisha was married 10 years back to a trader's son Sopandev in nearby city of Shivgaon, as per the Prathama Pratha. She was just 16 then. His was a well-to-do family. They traded in grains and were the first to arrive Sauviragram that year. Sopandev, a well-educated man and a trader's son, was not interested in business. He was in a job with the East India Company at Calcutta. The wedding was a grand ceremony that happened with a lot of gaiety. They left for Shivgaon a day after the wedding. The family hadn’t seen their daughter since then. Sopandev had already married a year ago to the girl of his choice in Calcutta - the daughter of a senior official. He married Hridisha under family pressure. Knowing the fact that their son was married to another girl, his family did so to keep their societal fame alive. They also conceived that there was some black magic hovering over their son, which shall go away only after he got married. After a series of fights with Hridisha for the next few months, Sopandev dropped her to his parents’ home and vowed never to return back. A few days later, Hridisha, unable to bear the agony, committed suicide.

Ilaa’s father, Shyamrao, an old aged, skinny man, wearing the paithani topi and a white kurta payjama entered the courtyard where the mother-daughter duo halted their conversation. He was an introvert, quiet man much affected by what had happened to his beloved daughter Hridisha, he had cut himself off from any indulgence. Ilaa went to fetch a glass of water for him. Shyamrao, in a subtle voice, instructed his wife, "Make preparations to welcome our village priest Yogiraj Eknath. By the grace of Maa Godavari, he himself wants to visit our house and to meet our daughter. He would be coming here by the third prahar of the day. I have to return to the fields now." While exiting from their dwelling, he turned to say, "Tell Ilaa to be ready to join me at the fields after Yogiraj leaves from our house."

Sakvarbai, a homemaker was herself a reticent woman. She followed her husband's instructions to make preparations for the evening.

"Therefore, fight for your right as your duty, O Arjuna", Ilaa narrated from Krishna's speech to Arjun, as a part of the preaching of the Bhagwat Geeta to her young students.

"Ilaa Tai, who gives us our rights? ", one of the girls, Kashi enquired innocently.

Ilaa took a deep breath and replied with a grin, “Right is not something that someone gives to us; it is something which no one can take away from us.”

She finished the lecture before the end of the second prahar to assist her mother with the preparations.

It was the end of third prahar when Yogiraj arrived at Shyamrao’s house with three of his disciples. He was an old man with large white beard and long tresses. He wore a white dhoti-kurta. With rudraksha beads in one hand and eyes closed, he had been reciting something while being seated on the coir mattress. The family of Shyamrao sat on the floor, with courteously folded hands in namaskaar mudra, and Yogiraj’s disciples standing beside him. He asked Ilaa to come near him. The girl shyly glanced at her father to seek permission, who nodded with a yes. She stood up carefully grabbing her green Paithani saree’s pallu and went in front of Yogiraj. Ilaa, respected Yogiraj but in her heart, she was against the way whole village blindly followed him. Apparently, being a girl, she had no say on this. What happened now couldn’t stop her tears from flowing and she ran away to the river bank.

During the fourth prahar, Ilaa was sitting quiet at the banks of river Godavari, silently observing the redness of the sky as the sun was setting down. This was her favorite place, where she often sheltered herself in the search of calmness in the lap of the Mother Nature. The redness of the sky matched the color of her tearful eyes.

Farming was the only way to earn livelihood in Sauviragram. It was a faith of the villagers that every year, one girl from our village is to get married to the first trader who comes to barter their cotton. It was a notion that Maa Godavari would bless the village with prosperity if this ritual was followed. This was called the Prathama Pratha. The decision of choosing a girl was taken every year by Yogiraj Eknath- the demigod for the villagers, using his said spiritual powers. No one objected to what he instructed.

Hridisha was also a victim of this tradition years back. Her husband being married already was considered her ill-fate and her death was termed as her destiny. Call it a superstition or blind faith, none of the villagers, including the deceased’s parents had questioned the Prathama Pratha even after this incidence. Only on Yogiraj's orders, they had stopped trading with Shivgaon to reciprocate what had happened to the girl.

It was Ilaa's turn now. There were two reasons why she did not intend to make this happen- one, her desire to keep teaching the girls of the village; second, the fear of the unknown- the one that led to her sister’s death. She decided something and wiped her tears off.

That night Ilaa was sitting quietly on the mat of their living room, when Sakvarbai returned coughing after cooking the chapattis on their stove. Shyamrao and Sakvarbai were dismayed since the evening. They were afraid to send their only alive child in the hands of an unknown person only on the basis of who arrives first in the village to trade. A deathly silence prevailed in the house, only until Ilaa broke the ice by saying in a powerful voice to her parents for the first time- "Aai, baba, what have you decided? Do you also believe that your daughter is a good that must be bartered to bring blessings to the village, which are to be the fruit of their hard work, instead? Do you want to sacrifice me just like you did with Hridisha Tai? Till when do you want this custom to prevail? How many more Hridishas do we gamble against superstition? Not only her, but the fate of other girls is no different so far. I had been teaching the girls of this village for free to make them self dependent. And look, what is about to happen to me now!"

Shyamrao felt ashamed and said, "I understand, my daughter. I don’t want to sacrifice you at the hands of fate like your sister. But this is the custom, and I cannot go against the villagers and Yogiraj. If we refused and the trade doesn’t go well, they would shame us and expel us out of the village. What do I do?"

Yogiraj ashram's grand entry gates were made of wood and sculpted in fine design. It was funded with donation by 15% of yearly earnings from each of the farmer of the village. Cattles were sheltered on a side of the veranda. The atmosphere was serene. The building that housed Yogiraj and his disciples was a large villa colored pale yellow. Opposite to the building was a garden. A few disciples of the saint were sitting in meditation posture on the grass floor and Yogiraj was seated on a raised platform facing them. Shyamrao arrived to the Yogiraj’s ashram with Sakvarbai and a few of their neighbors. They looked puzzled. They sought permission from the saint to elaborate a dream that Shyamrao said he had last night. Yogiraj nodded.

"Last night Maa Godavari appeared in my dream. She said 'Vatsa! it is my order that from now on, no girl of the village will get married by Prathama Pratha. Those who go against my will, shall be punished. All the girls, with consent from their families will have the right to make choices for their spouses.' I asked, ‘Will it not bring bad luck to the trade of the village?' She replied, 'You must do your karma and not expect the results. You will get the fruit of your karma. The boundary of one’s jurisdiction ends with the completion of one's duty. Do your duty to the best of your ability.'- Shyamrao narrated.

Yogiraj was surprised and wasn’t ready to believe this. He debated out of fear of loss of faith in him, “This has been our ritual since generations. We cannot change it abruptly because of a dream.” The stooping elder, Vasantdev came ahead and said politely, "Yogiraj ji, with due respect I request that although it was a dream, but it is the time that we must consider changing ourselves. We respect Maa Godavari and already perform havan every year at the temple to please her. I appeal to you on behalf of the villagers to ban the Prathama Pratha." The villagers gathered in the ashram shook their heads in agreement. For the first time, the women of the village also stood in favor of bringing a revolution to the age old customs. It was as if the hidden regard in their mind was spoken by Vasantdev. Consequently, Yogiraj announced a ban on the Prathama Pratha. (A few days later, when the traders arrived, all the farmers got fair payment of the cotton they sold to the traders.)

With a stream of tears of joy, Sakvarbai who was standing in a corner of the crowd, in her heart admired her daughter’s wit and what she advocated the last night at their home- Let us explain them in a way that they understand. Bhagwad Geeta indicates that it is ethical to tell a lie if it can bring immense good.

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अपना तेरा ख़याल ही क़ातिल ना हो कहीं, बेहतर है अपनी सोच के तेवर बदल के देख, थोड़ी सी दूर ऐ वक़्त के हमराह चल के देख |
-anonymous

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If you think you can, you can;  If you think you can't, you are right.
-Quora
                    

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हिन्दी की कलम से

नमस्कार | मैं हिन्दी हूँ | क्या आपको स्मरण है मैं आपकी राज भाषा हूँ ? कदाचित यह स्मरण ना हो तो विचार कीजिये, आप विद्यालय में एक विषय के रुप में मेरा अध्ययन किया करते थे|  हाँ! मैं वही हिन्दी हूँ |

आज मेरा जन्मदिन मनाया जाता है| हालाँकि मेरा जन्म सदियों पहले आप ही के देश में हुआ था, आज तो औपचारिक जन्मदिन है | देश से याद आया, आपको मेरी याद तब जरूर आती होगी जब आप विदेश जाते हैं| वहाँ अनेक विदेशी भाषी लोगो के बीच जब एक भी हिन्दी भाषी मिले तो बड़ा सुकून मिलता होगा ना  |  वहां मेरी सहेली अंग्रेज़ी रहती है, जिसे आजकल सभी बहुत पसंद करते हैं | मैं तो केवल शासकीय पृष्ठों तक ही सीमित रह गयी हूँ | मेरी सहेली अंग्रेज़ी सभी के मन को भाने लगी है | चाहे टूटी फूटी ही सही, किन्तु हर कोई उसे बोलने में गर्व का अनुभव करने लगा है, और मुझ पर शर्म या हँसी आती है | 

आजकल मुझ पर राजनीति भी की जा रही है | कहते हैं मुझे विश्व भाषा बनाएँगे | यह ज्ञात हुआ तो मैं अत्यन्त हर्षित हो उठी |

कभी कभी तो आप मुझे अन्य बोलियों एवं भाषाओं के साथ मिश्रित कर के बोलते है और स्वयं को भी ज्ञात नहीं होता | काव्य और मधुर गीत कि रचना आजकल कम ही होती है | मेरे संग उर्दू, फ़ारसी, अंग्रेज़ी, यहाँ तक कि प्रांतिय भाषाओं को भी मिला कर नए गीत अवश्य बनाये जाते हैं | किन्तु मैं उफ् तक नहीं करती | 

वैसे तो आप भी कहां ग़लत है | आजकल कौन ट्रेन को लौहपथगामिनी कहता है, कौन बाथरूम को शौचालय कह कर हँसी का पात्र बनता है | क्यूँ ना विचारों के आदान प्रदान के स्थान पर हम "बस चैटिंग" ही कर ले | इसके लिए तो "अच्छा", "ठीक है", "चलेगा" जैसे शब्द ही ठीक है| वैसे भी बंदर क्या जाने अदरक का स्वाद |

मेरा एक तुच्छ निवेदन है, प्राथमिकता आप प्राय: अभिव्यक्ति के उचित माध्यम को ही दें, किन्तु यथा संभव मुझसे मित्रता बनाये रखें तो मेरा भी सम्मान बना रहेगा | हो सके तो अगले वर्ष भेंट होगी, अब मैं चलती हूँ |
Click here to read a similar post- What !? You Don't Know Hindi 

(Disclaimer: This post does not intend to harm, defame, or hurt the sentiments of any person, gender, religion, political party, news channel, religious belief, god or to whomsoever it may concern. I sincerely apologize in advance if it is so.)

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दुश्मनी उतनी ही की जाए के दोस्ती करते वक़्त नज़रें नीची ना हों|

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If you really want to do something, you'll find a way.  If you don't, you'll find an excuse.
-marcandangel

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Amity

 “I’m blogging for the India Today Woman Summit 2015 #WomenPower activity at BlogAdda.” The topic is-  "Do women want to be treated specially or equally? – Do men know the difference?"

When a male colleague pulls / vacates his chair for me; when they choose to hold the door open for me, it is indeed tough to perceive that in an era where women are at par to the men, do we really need such favors? Well, its no more about stereotypes, neither an entire denial to the chauvinist bits. It doesn't imply even that the fairer sex is less mightier. Its simply because the former feels like doing it. 

For woman, of whatever century they are, it feels good to be respected and pampered whereas men will always require to be adored and cared for, even for little things. This has to happen naturally and beautifully. 

That is it, women do not need equality, because the universal fact is -men are men, and women are women! Stating and stressing repeatedly on the fact that women want equality, itself means that women are inferior. Moreover, allocating reservations on the grounds of gender is a vice, which again implies and makes both genders feel that women are deficient. Does the term "woman empowerment" itself not mean women are powerless!?

A proud parent in India says, "tum meri beti nahin beta ho" . Well, why not they say, "tum mera beta nahin beti ho"? It is not about equality, but perspectives that make the difference. Both the genders have got their duties and rights in the society.

Per me, it is equity that has to prevail, rather than equality.

Patriarchal system has been dominating the Indian society since ages, but women are now breaking the shackles by joining the male brigade in varied areas. This gives them additional power as well as responsibilities of carrying with them the womanhood as well as meeting the benchmarks of the newly defined roles. Posing them as equal, renders a pressure on them. They are playing tougher roles than men do today, implying the need of special treatment to an extent.

For a moment, let us consider not to treat women as equal to men, but vice-a-versa. Let us treat men as equal to women. If men are treated as equal to their counterparts, it would be an ardent task for them to suffice all the expectations that are from a woman, including the default homely duties, giving birth, bringing up children, household chores and what not. Adding to this the professional roles they play, turns it more difficult for men.

The answer to whether men understand the difference between equality and special treatment is abstract. Although, this measure entirely differs with the strata of society that is taken into consideration, plus other factors like education, financial status, social status, profession, understanding, and most importantly, the journey from being an infant to a man. Growing up as a good human plays a vital role here. 

Understanding this, is not as important as implementing it is! Neither the almighty, nor the society has made the two genders equal; the gist is to gracefully accept the differences.


And I won it :) 
http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/09/18/winner-announcement-womanpower

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The secret to happiness and peace is letting every situation be what it is, instead of what you think it should be, and making the best of it.
-marcandangel

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स्वतंत्रता-इस वर्ष

आज स्वतंत्रता दिवस के इस शुभ अवसर पर हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ | मेरे पास कहने को कोई आदर्शवादी सन्दर्भ नहीँ है| इस लेख में मैं उत्कृष्ट कर्तव्यों कि शृंखला नहीँ लगाऊँगी | वो सब तो आप सब कहीं ना कहीं पढ़ या सुन ही लेते होंगे, जैसे कि मेरा भारत महान है, हमें गर्व होना चाहिए कि हम इस देश के नागरिक है, शहीदों कि कुर्बानी को सलाम, और ना जाने क्या क्या | मेरे अनुसार ये स्वतंत्रता कि परिभाषा नही है| 

आज के दिन सहसा ही हमारे भीतर देश भक्ति से पूर्ण विचारों का प्रवाह होने लगता हैं| किंतु क्या कभी हमने स्व्यं के भीतर टटोला है कि  हम इस दिन के पश्चात् आने वाले 364 दिवस क्यूँ अपने देश कि आलोचना में व्यतीत करते हैं ? हम सब अवगत हैं के अपने व्यस्त जीवन शैली से समय निकाल कर देश के प्रति समर्पित करना असाधारण ही होगा, और वास्तविकता में संभव नहीँ है | 

तो फिर क्या किया जाए ! कदाचित हम अपने देश कि दुसरे विकसित राष्ट्रों से तुलना करने के स्थान पर ये जानने का प्रयास करें के वहां ऐसा क्या हैं जो यहां नही, और इसे बेहतर बनाने के लिए हम क्या योगदान दे सकते हैं | हमारे पास तो अतिरिक्त रूप से हमारे संस्कारों का उत्तम भंडार हैं, जो कि केवल हमारे देश में ही है | उनकी संस्कृति में कितनी व्यधिया हैं जिसकी तुलना में हम एक बेहतर राष्ट्र हैं |

मुझे यह ज्ञात हैं कि आपको ज्ञात है कि आपको क्या करना चाहिए | ये सब बहुत ही छोटी सी बातें हैं जिनसे आप अवगत होंगे|

आदतन हम रास्ते पर कूड़ा बड़ी आसानी से फेंक देते हैं, और फिर गंदी सड़क के लिए प्रशासन को उत्तरदायी ठहराते है| हम धर्म के अन्धे प्रभाव में पड़ कर ना जाने अपने धार्मिक स्थलों पर कितना दान करते हैं, जब कि जरूरतमंद कोई अनाथ या भूखा व्यक्ति होता हैं | राह पर चल रहे स्वस्थ भिखारी को प्राय: स्व्यं कमाने के प्रोत्साहन कि बजाय पुण्य कमाने के प्रयोजन से सहायता दे देते हैं | सार्वजनिक स्थल पर किसी स्त्री के साथ हो रहे अपराध को मूक दर्शक बन कर निहारते है|  सड़क पर कोई हादसा या रंजिश हो रही हो तो मदद करने के स्थान पर अपने मोबाइल में तसवीरें कैद करने लगते हैं | रिश्वत स्वयं देते है और सरकार को भ्रष्ट होने का दोष देते हैं | यदि आप स्त्री हैं, चाहे बालिका, युवा या एक विवाहित नारी, हमारे साथ हो रहे अत्याचार या किसी अनुचित घटना को हम अपनी नियती मान कर सहन कर लेती हैं| हर समय आवाज़ उठाना ही आवश्यक नहीँ हैं, किन्तु स्मरण रहे- अत्याचार करने वाला तो अपराधी होता ही हैं, उसको सहन करने वाला उससे भी बड़ा अपराधी होता है | 

इस सब के बाद हम कहते हैं इस देश का कुछ नही हो सकता | निश्चित ही कुछ नही हो सकता यदि हम इन जैसे तथ्यों पर विचार ना करे, तो सच में नहीं हो सकता | जिन देशों से हम बराबरी कर के इस देश कि आलोचना करते हैं उन्हें स्वतंत्र हुए हमसे अधिक समय हो चुका हैं, इसलिए सब्र रखें और अपना कर्तव्य पूरा करें | और ये सब ना हो पाये तो सरकार या देश को नहीँ, स्वयं को दोष दें |

|| जय हिंद ||

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Happy Ending?

All my life I craved for an Happy Ending,

As I grew old I would always wait for what is never ending,

Golden moments passed by which were very rare,

It was me who gave them hardly any care,

Now I wonder if I could get those moments all over again,

I've decided never to mourn in any pain,

The true wisdom dawned upon me sooner or later,

It's not the end, but the whole story that is dear.

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"A library is a hospital for the mind."
-Anonymous

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दोस्ती की नन्ही सी परिभाषा- मैं शब्द तुम अर्थ, तुम बिन मैं व्यर्थ ।
-Anonymous

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Its the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

-Paulo Coelho (Alchemist)

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प्रवृत्ति

एक बार एक साधु नदी किनारे जल ग्रहण कर रहा था| तभी उसने देखा के एक बिच्छु पानी में बह रहा है| साधु ने उसको बचाने कि अभिलाषा से अपने हाथों से उसे उठाने का प्रयत्न किया| ऐसा करने पर उस बिच्छु ने उसे काँट लिया| साधु ने उसे फिर से बचाने का प्रयत्न किया, किंतु पुन: बिच्छु ने उसे काँट लिया| यह क्रम सात बार चला| अंत में साधु उसे पानी से निकालने में सफल हुआ|

इस घटना को एक राहगीर देख रहा था| उसने साधु से उत्सुक्तावश प्रश्न किया- "जब बिच्छु आपको बार-बार काँट रहा था तो आपने उसे क्यूँ बचाया| " साधु ने मुस्कुराते हुए उत्तर दिया - "काँटना बिच्छु की प्रवृत्ति है और बचाना मेरी| यदि वह अपनी प्रवृत्ति नहीं त्याग सकता तो मैं अपनी प्रवृत्ति कैसे त्याग सकता हूँ|"

इस कथा से यह शिक्षण मिलता है की चाहे हमारे साथ कोई कैसा भी व्यवहार करे, हमे अपनी अच्छाई और सहजता नहीं छोड़ना चाहिए|

(This is the recollection of a story that I heard sometime back)

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Movie Combo - Jurassic World, Baahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan

3 weekends.... 3 movies to die for....

Jurrasic World

For this chapter of the Jurassic series they wondered what to do, what to do. How about creating a whole new, super-scary species of dinosaur, containing DNA strands of dozens of creatures? When they hand you the 3-D glasses, check your brain at the door and pick it back on your way out.

Every moment takes your breath away and compels you to hold the seat tighter, as if you are the next munching for those grand artificially born dinosaurs (I'm unable to spell the clumsy names of the species), who they shall help themselves with! There's a lot of chasing and numerous last minute escapes from the treacherous dinosaurs by the lead actors on the screen. Amusingly, just one set of attires was worn by the cast throughout the plot!

Run faster...

Baahubali

The next in queue was the Telugu blockbuster, dubbed in Hindi for the rest of us. Keep aside the laws of physics, and soak yourself into the exemplary scenic creations of the magnificent Maahishmati kingdom, which existed supposedly ages back. 

With average dialogues and predictable historical fiction story- a clan struggling to crown their subsequent heir, and a lost son brought up by another mother who gives a powerful but ignorant come-back to rescue the kingdom and his mother of the prevailing evil, every glimpse of this costliest motion picture of the Indian history forces you to plunge not into "What next?", but "How next?". They have executed it so well, with the excellent actors of the century and the majestic shooting setups.

Jai Maahishmati

Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Fans of Salman Khan had been awaiting this one since long. This is one of the best movies of Salman. I wonder, as and as he's getting older, he's been working hard and acting better than ever. It's always harmless to watch Salman Khan's movie- even if it is not good, you'll gain some of the hundreds of bucks out of the huge investment made to the ticket. Moreover, his are always clean and family-kinda movies! 

The story is one liner- "A noble devotee of Lord Hanuman is set to put his life at stake to help a mute Pakistani child get back to her home." For sure, none of the viewers was left with a dry eye and at the same time chuckles from time to time, by the end of film. And of course, the little girl succeeded in stealing hearts.

Jai Shree Ram

Well, indeed the three are poles apart in every aspect. But each of them deserve their share of Taaliyan aur Seetiyaan!

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If you expect the worst, the worst will happen. If you let things bother you, they will. But if you smile, you’ll feel better.  
-Internet

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कैमरा में खूबसूरत तस्वीरें कैद करने की ख़्वाहिश में हम उस पल की असल ख़ूबसूरती को आँखों और ज़हन में कैद करना भूल जाते हैं |

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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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