Living in a country of The Babus and The Babas

With Baba Ramdev taking over the entire media attention no news seem to be good enough. Every morning I get up to switch on the television to get my daily dose of this Baba news. The entire of the media-verse is running after Baba to get a bite of this Mahabharata created by him. I was so under a misconception that I am living in an era of the Babus (the white collared jobs). Rather now I do not care who is running what. What matters is the cause people are standing up for nowadays. Anna Hazare was just the beginning. I loved the way this entire event took turn. But I did not expect a Yog Guru to enter the scene.
Talking of the Babas, there was a time in India when Babas were considered omniscient. We respected them and gave them the position of Gods. They know what is wrong, what is right. Ramdev announced that he wants to train the youth on the basis of "Shaastras and Shastras" i.e., Knowledge and Weapons. This is the basic principle of "Brahmcharyashram". This will help them protect themselves and people around them. It was a helpful discipline back then. But is it applicable today? Does today's youth understand its importance. Baba is thinking of this in good faith. But for whom? Us people? Believe me or loath me for this. But if this matter cools down somehow, people will forget about this instantly. Worst case is that, if something happens to Baba during this struggle, his few 1000 supporters will mourn for a few days and people will forget about it. I am not shooting in air. People move on too easily and we all know that. The training that Baba was talking about would have been in good faith. But this can turn into a Naxalite like movement. Today's youth doesn't know how to handle power. It can turn into a mess. I say, bad idea Baba, with all due respect.
I mentioned people because, its been quite sometime since Ramdev is ruling all the news channels now, people have started to take this event for-granted already.  The moment they see Ramdev, they change channel.
The question still remains. What is will be the fate of this event now? Constant clashes of these Babas and the Babus is doing us no good. People get overwhelmed with every little new that these news channels hype. They show the same news in 24 different ways in 24 hours. They are very talented, I say.    
Will all the black money be transfered to India. Wow, that makes us the richest nation in the world then. I am happy right now imagining this. But I know it is never going to happen. There is a lot more than the dirty politics happening in front of the screen. The real scene is happening behind the curtains. I won't be surprised if this Fasting is just another way to divert media attention. So, no point in getting excited. Still, the possibilities are endless. I am keeping a close eye on this mess.
Nonetheless, I would confess that this Babus vs Babas is quite entertaining! ;)

Social Networking Sites Ain't the Next Big Thing

Social networking sites are not 'The Next Big Thing'. In fact, they are 'The Big Thing' of this decade. This year has seen many events that makes us realise the power of social media. It was astonishing to see the first authentic pictures of Japan floods that people posted on these sites. Needy could seek help and the lost were found due to the news spread over all the social networking sites. I was a little disappointed by the rumours people were spreading regarding the rain that might just cause due to nuclear leak in the Japan nuclear plants. Well, you never know. What if they were true? People would have already been aware of it and they would have taken precautions.

Being a social media professional, I understand the importance of it for business and marketing. Never did I know that it will become an integral part of people's lives. The unrest in the Gulf countries against the rule was another grand event in the social media history. The original testimonials were covered through live tweets. The pictures, posts, tweets and blogs gave us a clear picture of what exactly was happening miles away.

If I am to highlight the latest event of Osama being killed (which I still do not believe in), the first word was spread through twitter. A techie from Abbottabad tweeted stating that there were helicopters hovering there. Little did he know then, that the operation was to terminate Osama and by that time Abbottabad event was already a trending hot topic. The techie became a celebrity overnight.

Talk about the kind of support Anna Hazaare got from the youngsters of this country. No one had to really convince them to support Anna against corruption. The entire so called active population became more active than ever. I am not sure this same population cast their votes every time. Look at the impact of Social Networking. You just tickle that part that was troubling them but never knew a solution for the same. And there you are. 45% of the strength supporting you from different parts of the country. Most importantly they have a direction. They know what they are doing. What would you call it? A coincidence? I do not really think so. This is the power of social networking sites.

Little do we know the power of social media. The latest events are shaping up the future of the same. The purpose is to spread the word and reach out to the masses. It can be a tragic event like Japan floods or a happy news like Kate and William getting married. It was a huge weekend for social networking site. A prince got married and a bad guy got killed. Controversial matter do spread like wild fire and these sites are becoming a strong medium to reach out to the people.

Whether are they a mere catalyst or a carrier of stories is the question in debate. Does it merely carry a message forward or does it have the power to influence? Time will tell as the world politics and events turn pages.

What do we have to do till then? Either wait and watch or create a history and become a celebrity over night. The choice is yours.

India: Struggling for freedom from corruption

The day Anna Hazare's hunger strike against corruption started, it reminded me of the evening I saw Rang De Basanti. When the movie got over I realised that I was a changed girl. Some principles had developed in me. I was more humble towards the needy and felt even stronger for the nation. Yet, I had a lot of questions in my mind. What do we do with the passion that we develop towards our nation in regular intervals. We get highly inspired but what it is that we do about what is happening wrong around us?

A few days after I watched the movie, I remember my domestic help, my maid came to us stating that some agent/ employee in the post office is refusing to give her the money that she had deposited a couple of years back. It was due and that they were asking for unnecessary documents. She did provide them to them but that woman refused to pay. I listened to her plight and decided to give her some justice. The next day she took me to that agent's house. I talked politely to her but she was adamant and arrogant. I had to raise my voice and threaten her to take to the police. She kept on saying that this is none of my business. I too refused to budge and forcibly took her to the post office threatening to put her behind the bars. Then what happened? Obviously she paid up and my maid and her ego was satisfied. I still remember the smile on her face. Sitting here, now I wonder, whether it was any of my business. Why did I do it? Why is there still craving for justice? This question arose because Anna went on a hunger strike for his fellow citizens. Maybe even he wants to see the smiles on the faces of all Indians when it will become corruption free. Is it his business alone? Don't we have any responsibilities? Are we more excited about the IPL match than the Lokpal Bill?

India is believed to have a huge number of working population and the percentage is expected to grow exponentially in next ten years. Right now we live in a country where getting any work done legally has become impossible. You have to twist it to get it out or put some weight on the hands of these corrupt officials. The point is, how do they become corrupt? Say if someone pays 6-7 lakhs to get the job, he will continue spreading the poison in the system. Either he will squeeze out all the money from the layman or he will not work at all. The inflation rate is all time high. How will a common man feed his family when he has loan obligations? He will do it for the family. They do not even remember that the person they are looting has a family too. Or sometimes its just a habit that has been brought through the entire system. Where are we heading12 with this kind of working population? Is it doing any good to the nation. No. Definitely not.

Anna Hazare is in that matters a hero. People have been and still are victimized on every path they take. I remember I went with my brother to get my passport police verification done. He asked for Rs. 300 each, just to send the documents to the next stage. I did not give it. My brother's passport has been delivered and mine, I do not know what happened to it. Well, this is something that have lowest number of levels in the hierarchy of internal system. People do not go ahead to get work done in a government offices. They know its a maze. If you go in there you are going to be stuck for a long time before you find your way out.

Coming back to me becoming a changed person after the movie, I remember a couple of other friends too got inspired by the same or I think the entire batch did. But their hopes and enthusiasm were shattered when they had to take admission in the college of their choice. We the youth of India are believed to be the most unguided generation of all times. We do not have directions. Let alone directions, we do not know our destinations. And we are heading. God knows where. This man, Anna Hazare reminded us that we have earned our country and took it from the malicious rulers because we wanted to run it our way, a better way. I thank him for reminding us that we are the future of this country and only if we do something about this, the country will take shape according to our deeds. Only if we eradicate corruption from our mind our next generation will carry forward the same principles. I do not know how many of us have realised this but we have huge responsibility on our shoulders. We should not be flashing money every where to get things done faster and in an easy manner. A man from past generation woke us up from the sleep. We have been agitated about the fact that India's progress is hampered because of these scams but we were still living with the fact.

Not all can become like Anna but we can definitely adopt some of his principles in us. If all of us follow this sincerely everyday and teach the kids the same I believe GenNext India will see a corruption free nation. I hope wes soon head to a progress that we are proud of. All said and done, the fact remains the same. The battles are won but the war still continues.

India vs Pakistan- Since 1947

Okay people this is it! India will finally face Pakistan in the semi-finals. I have been waiting for this day since the quarter finals. This is the moment when the entire of the nation, will leave everything they are doing and will be glued to the television. This is not a match this is war!

We have been in war like situations with Pakistan since the time of their independence. So how do you expect them to spare us in Cricket. It is a Tom and Jerry chase but is a lot less pleasant. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Pakistan is the Pakistani guest we are taking care of at our country's cost. Yes, our dear Ajmal Kasab, my blood boils when I hear that name. I am sorry I am changing my topic here from less serious India vs Pakistan to a lot more serious an issue.

What had basically been revealed since the Mumbai terror attacks in terms of international relations and peace-keeping seemed to be following a well-decided and manipulated script. Do I call it match-fixing here too? India had clear evidence and verified of Pakistani involvement. The US recognized this fact and held on Pakistan's neck to do something about the terrorists being trained within its borders and surviving on their land at the cost of others’ lives, all over world. The UN had immediately called for some effective action. The Pakistanis had commenced a figurative response by immediately placing a terrorist leader under house arrest and banning that organisation. Namesake, I say. Meanwhile, the media and other parts of the powerful authority in India deny involvement in the attack or its grounding, blaming the Indians or Americans themselves. Media wants to show a different angle to everything. Only if they could show a something credible. I would have broken into their studio if they would have made a Sansani out of this.

Anyway, India’s external affairs minister kept up playing the war of words. Luckily, there was no sign of a military report or it would have been extremely risky for him to get through such situation. I personally think it achieved little or nothing. The openness of Pakistani involvement this time also had seemed to reduced American tendencies to link such events to the need for tackling the Kashmir issue. Maybe it was never the Kashmir issue. They just want to kill and do harm. In fact, there is nothing the US or UN or anyone else can do anything about the Kashmir issue, so they were off doing nothing - except perhaps encouraging the in-house parties concerned, to work things out directly. And those parties’ best approach was to preserve the territorial status and to try and normalize daily life hence improving the quality and frequency of interactions across the border.

Interestingly, the Babri Masjid destruction and the post-Godhra massacres seem to have marked in the motivation of the terrorists. We have a lot of them surviving in our own country, masked and pretty much active. There is a lesson here for certain extremists and nationalists within our country. Besides abusing human rights, their calculative and even fierce actions have contributed to increase and prolong conflict internally and internationally. Unfortunately, the viciousness can be confused with capacity, potency and strength. Our government’s security failure made it look even weaker than it had appeared so far. But I think they would have been more concerned about the general elections that were coming up at that time. People certainly started to believe ‘No security, No tax.’ policy and government needed to act really fast and smart to avoid such situations because the public was not wrong, isn’t it?

Military conflict might have helped the current government get re-elected, but the price that the nation would have to pay would be enormous. Why is it so difficult to understand that it is not about the reputation of the government under which this happened. It is about the lives of the martyrs that were sacrificed as a price? The most the home minister could do was to launch a plan for internal security and services. How well it is implemented yet remains to be seen. We still live in terror. Some 20 tickets for this Ind vs Pak match and the finals are already assumed to be in hands of these terrorists. Only if they could have paid more attention to this rather than arranging for VIP treatment for our politicians and celebrities. These politicians themselves have sicked out on all the resources that could have been used to assure people's security. This shows that they do not really care about the protection of general citizens.

Another part of blood sucking society is our nature of journalism. The terrorists attacked the upper middle class and elite, the terrorists hence receiving much more media attention, triggering outrage. Analysts state that the terrorists seemed to had the same style of attack as the New York attacks. Bombings that killed the masses did not have quite the same effect. The class stimulated or spurred in this manner may bring about some structural changes, hopefully in the direction of greater government responsibility and standards of act, but without letting go democratic freedoms. Have we really changed after this incident as responsible citizens?

Do we take interest in participating more in government, by creating an agenda for developing civil society, which remains stunted in India, and by expanding their own ranks through promoting inclusive economic growth.

My revenge on these monsters is to live happily, no matter what. Ultimately, for India, living healthy and fine will be the best payback on the criminals who promote, plan and carry out terror attacks. Living well means, striving for a just and prosperous society. India must have no more state sponsored violence against its own citizen from own group. So living well also means improving democracy and human rights in the country not restricting them. It should also mean putting India’s budding growth miracle on the firmer long run footing. India has to show the Pakistani people what is possible in politics and economics, if that nation is to work towards a government that serves its interests better.

The terror attacks came at a particularly bad time for our economy, with the global economic condition worsening day by day. Thus, improving security is now an economic policy and challenge as well. More conservative Indian economic policy reactions have been encouraging lately. It was a time of financial down fall for the country. We faced a different type of economic crisis than in 1991, but we have a similar opportunity to introduce further economic reforms, particularly with respect to financial growth of Indian industries –that require structural reforms that are already on the policy agenda, and desperately needed. How far have we succeeded in doing so? God knows. Kasab still lives on out hard earned money and we want to be fair to everyone. I am secretly proud of the action that we have taken because this is the only difference between us and them.

The strategic prize for India is still its tryst with destiny: prosperity along with democracy. That goal must not be derailed by 26/11.

Right now I just want India to send these buggers back to their country and win the world cup final! I am all set to cheer India and lot of motivational songs are running in my mind. Three cheers to our humbleness, consistently and strength. India! India!!

Enjoy a Happy and Safe Holi!

Happy Holi everyone! Today when everyone is playing with colours outside, I am hiding in the house like a sissy,writing this blog and playing with words here. From past few days what I can hear about is 'Holi kab hai? Kab hai Holi?' Well, finally its today and people will make the most of it!
Children especially enjoy this festival a lot. There are colours and water and sweets to their disposal. They are free to do all kinds of mischief they want to. I can see all the children walking on the streets armed with their favourite Pichkaris (water guns) filled with coloured water. And another thing that I can see is their love for the festival and their love for the people whom they are playing Holi with. Children take this festival in the true spirit.
Now that we are talking about Holi, let us not forget its spiritual importance. Holi is an occasion when we celebrate the victory of truth over evil. Holika, a woman who had a boon, due to which no fire could burn her, tried to kill Bhakt Prahlad following her brother Hiranya Kashyapu's orders. She was burned to ashes but no fire could touch Prahlad. This shows that no amount of evil can defeat the truth.
Now that we are talking about evil, it reminds me that it has been on a constant rise and getting out of hand. Surprisingly, we see such anti-social behaviour by adults during the very festival. Maximum number of rape, assault and misbehaviour cases have been registered on the day of Holi. People have taken the spirit of this festival is a wrong way. They think they are free to do whatever they wish and it will be over-looked. They believe that their behaviour will be masked behind their coloured faces. Gang of hooligans riding on their bikes on the empty roads make me stay at home on this day.
Especially, in a city like Mumbai, cases of foul play, misbehaviour, rash driving is rising year by year. There is no restriction on these people and people tend to over-do everything and take for granted the freedom they have. Just as I write this blog I can hear uncontrolled "brrroooommm brrroommm" on the road.
Some people take this festival as an opportunity to harm people whom they don't like. They throw eggs, water balloons and other rotten vegetables or put them in mud. Really? Is this what Holi is about? If yes, I am glad that I never played Holi.
Yes, I have never played Holi is life. I am afraid of colours and water and the chemicals reacting on my skin. I became little too paranoid after my brother got hurt badly in his eye when someone hit him with the Pichkari. He could have lost his eye if it would have hit the wrong nerve. :( In addition to it, I hate wasting water. But I think I have better ways to celebrate this occassion. We make pooranpolis and special dishes at home. Last year, we visited an orphanage with other friends and distributed chocolates and filled colours and brightness in their hearts! This year Mom broke her hand and I am planning to paint her plaster.. hehe.. Just kidding! But 'Mann ki Holi' is what I believe in. I just want to appeal to all my friends, please re-consider your Holi plans. Do something eco-friendly. Do not waste water. Spread some smile and brightness. Play but play safe. I hope you all know, you might land in jail for throwing water balloons on unknown people. Try and avoid harmful colours and do not have an intention of harming others. Make sure that whatever you do, it doesn't hurt anyone. Teach the same to you children, so that they grow with these values. Make it a 'Happy' Holi in true and right sense.
Have a rocking and safe Holi everyone!

Real Friends And Sycophants

Have you ever noticed that whenever a film is going to be released, the preview is first shown to the friends of the director, actors and producer of the film? And they all come out applauding and praising the film and its making. If the public love it, then it’s well and good. But many a times the public reject it and the producer keeps on wondering what went wrong because everyone who saw the movie at the preview found it ‘mind- blowing’. Many filmmakers (or artists or writers) complain when the public find their creation objectionable or the critics detest it. They also scratch their heads thinking why their friends never warned them about it and that it was not a good piece of work. 
This is one of the hazards of the deal. No one wants to become unpopular, so they don’t express their true opinions to the originator. But don’t you think if they had really been his true friends, they would have gently busted the fact to him and maybe helped to reclaim or alter his creation. Well, it is justified why no one likes to point his or her friend’s mistake in his conception or piece of work. There are obviously some people around who don’t expect and accept the opinions that are not in the favour of their work. Telling them the truth would mean ending up the friendship for once and forever.
After all the effort on the piece is done and ready to display you do get honest response and reaction at times, may it be a film or a painting on the canvas. The sneak-peek has saved so many writers from publishing articles which without an honest opinion would have miserably failed. At times people encourage sycophants and then face the music. This syndrome can be easily related to the childhood short story where the king felt he is wearing the most valuable clothes on the earth which the tailor fooled the king saying it could not be seen by him (invisible to the king alone). And when he asked opinions from the courtiers they said that it was incredible even there were no clothes on the king. They did not point out that he was half naked. Why? They feared the king.
If you think only big time artists or filmmakers or other such personalities love to listen to the praises then you are wrong. Well we find such people in our daily lives too. And there are no fewer sycophants surrounding you. People love to live in a world where nothing can go wrong and one will get only praises even if they wear shabby looking outfits or get the most hideous hair cut ever done or does fashion that doesn’t even suit them.
It takes a real friend to tell someone that he or she has put on some kilos or those expensive accessories that she bought yesterday doesn’t suit her and they are worthless and the new pair of denims are awful or the piece of literature that he/she has written sucks. But then it takes a real friend to accept these opinions too and understand that they are not being criticised out of callousness or resentment but it was done to save him from further distress or torment. Blunt and tactless people are often eschewed or ignored and have no friends, when actually such people in friend’s circle are assets. They really don’t care about being popular with you nor do they expect you to give good but wrong opinions about the next time they’re going to make something. They call a pin a pin. They don’t call it sword. Look around you. Do you remember the friend who last time criticised your way of writing poems? Have you broken up your friendship for this reason? Then you have made the biggest mistake. When one is criticised he should not feel he is worthless. Rather take help of a friend and improve. So what are you waiting for? Keep all such friends close to you and advance.


 

My First Love

I clearly remember the day when Mr. and Mrs. Desai shifted in a flat that was next to us. It was quite sunny that day and shifting was making this couple very tired. I was sitting on the staircase watching my parents and other neighbours help them out. Just when I was about to get up and go I saw someone in their car. He peeped out slightly and went back. It got me really curious because all this while Mr. and Mrs. Desai never mentioned of a third member in their family. I waited to take another glimpse but didn't see anyone. So I went ahead to catch up my favourite cartoon show. The next day mom wanted to send some breakfast for our new neighbours. She requested so i didn't deny. I knocked their door and entered to see him hiding behind Mr. Desai. So now I got to see the third member at least.

He was cute and fair looking but seemed to be very shy. I was a shy kid myself so I didnt go near him. Mrs. Desai introduced me to him. But he was too shy to even shake hands. She said he is new here so he won't be so friendly. But once he gets used to me being around he will play with me. I was completely mezmerized by the way he looked.

Mom continued sending food over to the neighbours and usually I used to be the delivery girl. For a week he didn't come near me. I guess I was too excited to have him around but then he wasn't so excited. One Saturday afternoon, Mom had to visit the doctor. So she left me at Desai's. Bored as I was tried to get his attention so that he plays with me. I tried thrice talking to him. Trying was in vain. Then I passed a ball to him. To my surprise he pushed it back. I looked at him and his expressions showed that he had accept me as a friend. Not much but we did play for sometime and I managed to get him used to my presence. By that time mom was already back and I had to go :(

That night I couldn't help but think of him all the time and I was already eager to meet him again. For a shy kid like me, I found my perfect match! As the days passed we became closer friends. And after few months we became inseparable. Even though he was shy he had immense energy in him as I did. I remember the day when Mr. Desai got him a new bed. He pulled me over to show me his new bed and we played around it whole day because he was so excited to have it. We grew close, so much so that we didn't eat food without each other.

But then every good thing comes to an end. My parents decided to shift to a new place. The very thought traumatized me. I cried for days and was at his place all the time after school and before school. I used to go to sleep, talking to him at Desai's place. Then that fateful day came when we had to pack our luggage and leave. Just when I stepped out of the house, he was standing right there waiting for me. I ran to him, hugged him tight and kissed him on his face all over. My heart still beats faster when I remember that day.

Now it was a new place for me and I felt the way he might have felt when he was new to that place. Till date I say to myself at times "What a sweet puppy it was!" My first love, first attachment, first incidence of immense care. I will never forget you :)








This post is written for BlogAdda's Stages of Love contest. Have a look at Preeti Shenoy's Life is What You Make It.

Cricket -A religion in India

Now that the Cricket World Cup Season has begun I have lost the television to my beloved father and my dear brother. I never liked this game. But thanks to my Pa and Bro.. I know more about Cricket than I know about my favourite game Soccer. They never let me watch it. I don't know why. So here are some facts. I know a lot about cricket from gully to first slip to fine leg. From the newest powerplay to leg bye to dead ball. From wide to LBW to run out. I even know a lot about our Indian cricket team. I know MS Dhoni because he is the captain. I know Yuvraj because of his controversy with different bollywood heroines. I know Sachin Tendulkar because he is the king.. oops sorry God of cricket. Sehwag because he copies Sachin. And I cannot miss Bhajji for his doosra and Sreesanth for his south indian break-dance on stage and monkey dance on field. On the other side, its difficult for me to even remember the names of Soccer players i liked and to which team they belonged to. Lets get this straight I knowing about cricket doesn't mean I like it. I had recited all the Hindi peoms for my exams and mugged up all the formulas for economics so that I score more. Doesn't mean that I liked those subjects. So I don't like cricket or do I?
Lets keep my interest in Cricket a bit aside. If you have noticed all the big brands have been banking upon this World Cup fever to increase their sales and earn their share of profits from this hullabaloo. Even the Bollywood movie releases are being scheduled before or after the season. Not that their profits will plunge if they release it a week after WC gets over because the fever would still be on. It is time for all the brands to play gimmicks. Say for eg: Pepsi.. They are out to "CHANGE THE GAME". God alone knows what they are changing. To me they do not make sense. I would say what they need to change is the clichéd line which has been done to death.
Imagine me in this chaos. Where ever I go I get to hear tales of some so called epic matches.. At home, coffee shops, workplace, streets, in trains.. and out of all.. my twitter stream.. arrrggghhh... What can I say? Even if I don't like the game it keeps me entertained where ever I go. Do I have a choice? No. Its unavoidable.
They say it is a gentleman's  game. I see cricketers pulling, pushing, abusing, sledging, shoving on the field. Would you still say its a gentleman's game? Neither are the players nor are the audience any gentle. I have seen matches were it has ended with showering of bottles and garbage after being defeated in a match. And how far do we respect our players. You love them because you can burn their puppets when they don't perform well? Throw stones at their houses, harming their family members in case we lose. This is the scene with common man. What do our news channels do? They make the cricketers sit on their heads when they are in form otherwise they are embarrassed to the core.
Not that our cricketers take this game seriously. They just want to be capable enough with the game so that they could endorse products. There have been reports where the players were in studios shooting for ads when they should be on field practicing. All these so called famous figures have caused heavy damage to the careers of upcoming models. These ad film makers don't employ them anymore. I think at least I am justified for disliking this game.
Anyway, some body had told me that we should see both aspects of a situation. So I will try and do that. One thing good that happens during such events is that we see tremendous unity amongst people. They do not get into religious issues like some Hindu player scored more or Muslim player scored more. All of us want India to win. Cricket becomes religion. And no matter how sad you are with your life, in an attempt to know what the score is you tend to forget rest of the troubles of life. The entire nation bonds really well, where ever they are spread across the nation. They cheer for the six and regret the loss of a wicket. I would say Cricket, to an extent has maintained India's unity and facilitated bonding through this platform.
As for my the situation in my house right now.. I hate my brother more than ever, because he doesn't even move his bum to get a glass of water for himself and he has solid backing, my Pa. I am in minority in this house right now because even Mom asks for the score in between. So I would rather not speak against cricket and call myself racist here.. Love it. Loathe it. Cricket is here to stay to give people hope and fill marketers pockets... Lets see how much can Cricket entertain me now. I am giving it a chance. Happy (not so happy) World Cup Season!

Who let the dogs out???

The never ending war of sexes took a new toll when I was enjoying my cup of tea with my friend. My friend got really offended when one of my guy friends said that ‘women do not give men a chance. They just throw them out of their lives if they make one mistake.’ Well, that was pretty rude. But you see you cannot stereotype any of the sexes. There are people who are really considerate about their partners.

But there was no stopping for my friend. And this is what she started with. Considering the fact that all men are NOT SAME, she pointed out such men who are actually painful to be around. And I think she actually had a point. What? Of course, not all men are rapists, eve-teasers and male chauvinists and wife beaters. But we cannot say that a disease won't affect us if we avoid it. As a friend, Sheena, truely quoted today "Just because you are a vegetarian, do not expect the lion to not eat you." Yeah I know you want to ask me how many of them can be considered harmful?

If you really ask me this I would say "Let us not talk numbers here buddy." Every woman has some value so does their quality of life. Even in a routine like traveling in public transport she has to be relentlessly aware about the people around her only because of ‘exceptional cases’ like bottom- pinchers and elbow shovers, trouble makers who hang on the train door outside the ladies compartment. You have to be utterly careful because they either physically harm you or do you some monetary harm by snatching purses or jewellery or tease you from the parallel train for fun-sake. Can one understand the kind of irritation that women have to face due to those itching fingers (and there is absolutely no requirement to tell what other parts of male anatomy) reach out to you? (Sorry I can't use profanity here. It's supposed to be a clean blog. But I think all women will understand the kind of abusive words I want to throw up.) Especially in crowded buses, trains, railway platforms, markets and crowded streets. And if you are traveling in general compartment of a train and if you complain even a bit, they say ‘Madam, Itna problem hai to ladies mein jao naa!’ Well we have no problem you see. But we get into the general compartment because we might have either missed the train or might be traveling with some other guy friends. Our poor civilised guy friends get into trouble trying to save us from these monsters. OK OK. You have a problem with that? Then you are justified to an extent. But what do we do when we are traveling in a bus. There are no separate compartments no?

Because of all this, unlike the men, we can't even browse through our newspapers and magazines peacefully. We cannot immerse ourselves in any such pastime, or be oblivious to our surroundings because you don’t know when some sleazy hands catch you off-guard. I know a lady who told me that she got her bottom pinched when she was pregnant and was traveling with her husband in the train. She immediately told her hubby who quickly called out to the cops who were nearby, luckily. The cops bundled him off and he never was to be seen. When will this mentality die?

To be in constant state of red alert because a small percentage of the male population we are there for their pervert pornographic pleasure is a reason enough to evolve us into prickly porcupines. That so many of us still go through the day with a smile is thanks to the resilience we have had to build up, over the years. But eve-teasing is the most minor of offences we have to cope with. Think of those poor women who slog through the day, cooking, cleaning, keeping house, rearing children and contributing to the family only to be battered by some frustrated male called ‘husband’, at the end of the day. Wife beating is prevalent in all the classes: from domestic worker who scrubs the floor and utensils to the glamorous film star- anybody can be a victim of male ego and complexes.

The greatest of the writers have mentioned this social trauma in their work and nothing has changed till date. I don't think I writing a blog is going to make a difference either. I am just taking my frustration out. I will end this post with a hope that I reach home safely everyday without being attacked by these mad dogs. And also this post is a tribute to all those men who are civilised and realise that we women are just as important human beings as they are and treat us like respectable citizens. I would personally like to thank each of my guy friends and I empathise with all my female friends.... WATCH OUT!!! ;)

Acchhhoooo…!!!!! Part 2

The saga of my running nose continues. Its been a week now and my cold doesn't stop. And I know why this has happened. I breached all the DO-NOT-DO-THIS-WHEN-YOU-HAVE-COLD rules. The rules that I dared to breach are as follows:

1. Do not have ice cream
2. Do not drink cold drinks
3. Do not travel without covering your face
4. Do not eat oily food
5. Take medicines on time
6. Gargle thrice a day
7. Talk less and many more of these

I did not follow any of the above rules. So I think cold is here to stay for good and I am going to go through it for some more time. Does that mean I am going to follow the above rules? nahhhh... :P
Mummy, can I have more tissues please.. No no. no Haldi ka doodh :(

My Shortcomings

Well, when you think about Lord of the Rings, you think of Peter Jackson, the ultimate and definitive master of direction. You think of the incredible hi-tech graphic-artists (or whatever they are called) who created Gollum. And of course you think of the hobbit, the SHORT hobbit.

I’m not some loony who’s snatching away all the glory. But I’ve spent almost 16 years with people telling me “but you’re so short!” I cannot deny that I had been missing all the awesome roller coasters rides because I wasn’t tall enough. I remember meeting teachers with polite but unconvinced expressions, enquiring "Are you from this class?" And being bullied by the school elite (read rich, spoilt and ‘unfortunately’ TALL kids). My mom used to pull me to the kids sections at the age of 14 to buy a pair of jeans, although my dad used to take me to adults section for my clothes. But then again it was brutally experimented with scissors, blades and knives. And after all this, gifted to maid servant because the alteration was wrongly done. Arrrrrghhh!!!!! My favourite pair of jeans!!! :(

One thing was for sure. I understood that my highly intimidating Physical Trainer wouldn’t notice that I was sneaking out of the gym class, every single time. Lol :D So I coined an acronym SAS (Short and Sweet). I wasn’t short, I was a spectacularly hare- brained and stubborn, ever- voracious thing (giggles strictly forbidden!), a creation, And this fortunately or unfortunately suits me to perfection.. What can I say?

Friends of course will not really agree to it rather they’ll say I’m something much worse. Point I ‘m trying to make is, short does not mean little. It means short (literally) –that’s it. It doesn’t mean that I’m geeky nerd with enormous glasses and skinny knees (ummm….. I’m talking about my self only. No offense to geeky nerds)
It doesn’t mean I’m an invisible person who doesn’t command an opinion of interest. It doesn’t mean that just because I’m short, the world won’t stand up and notice. Through history, pages are littered with names of short people who made a difference. Let’s wind back to Joan of Arc, the French peasant girl who led France through the Hundred Years War and the one constantly appealed to by politicians and eager-to-grab attention bureaucrats. How tall (or rather short) was she? She was as tiny as 125 cm (4.11 feet). Or how tall did Napoleon stand? But still, all teens suffering the agony of school have to learn a highly comprehensive account of all the great stuff they did. So I may have to always be curtly informed by teachers that, no, I definitely cannot sit with miss-long-and-slender on the back bench.

I may always have to get all my clothes altered because I refuse to wear kiddie tees with ‘POKEMON’ or ‘BAYBLADE’ emblazoned and extolled across. But, I can’t rule out the fact that I always get to say (casting nasty grin at the unfortunate recipient), “Excuse me, I’m short. May I please stand in front?” when I visit shows, parade and concerts. I get away with paying loads less than what my unfortunatelytall friends have to shell out when we visit amusement parks. People do not ask me to carry luggage because I am short. Hmmmm…. And I think a mini skirt won’t look all that short on me because I don’t have those tall legs!!!
So now I am not afraid to stand up to the shorty jokes cracked on my face or behind my back.. Ha ha.. losers.. Oh boy, oh boy! I’m learning to love being short! Because that’s the way I am. :)

Acchhhoooo…!!!!!

It was 6.40 in the morning and damn I was late. When I finally manage to pull myself up out of the bed, I went whao!!! I HAVE COLD NOW! This cold doesn’t seem to leave my back. I was perfectly alright a day before. It has become very difficult to gauge why I keep on getting this cold again and again and again. Anyway, now that I was up I had to take bath. Super hot water felt like heaven for a moment and then again cold creeped in. It was already breakfast time and hot tea and dosa was the thing for me at that moment. Felt nice and warm for 10 minutes and then back to cold. By this time my nose had already started running. I so badly want it to freeze there. But not always does your wish come true. To couple with it, your family doctor goes on a vacation for 3 days and you can‘t even get temporary treatment for this troublesome condition over the phone. Acchhhhoooo!!! (Wiping my running nose).  I know it is going to be a very long day.

I managed to reach office in this condition and just hope I do not infect anyone else. Cold is like love and smile. The more you are together with people you seem to be sharing it all through.  Can you help it? I don’t think so. Anyway, I got to talk to people today who are coming for an interview at my workplace, talk with people on phone and arrange for appointments. Thank god at least I do not have bad throat, my nose is blocked though. But then it is manageable. No matter what the condition, work doesn’t stop. The show must go on and I expect myself to pull myself up and perform my best. Excuse me, I got to wipe my nose and get back to work. See ya later!

BOLLYWOOD DHAMAKA

Once upon a time the great Bollywood blockbuster had caught the imagination of the entire planet. Its popularity has not become any less even now. But we have to make efforts on to fully understand the highly educative world of the crazy capers of those times.


Take those spectacular sound effects for instance. They were, some say, to aid the untrained ear differentiating a comedy scene from, say, and emotional scene. Hence the TWWAAIINNGG!!!!! after the hero has delivered a funny dialogue or cracks some supposedly, joke, or the lamentable shrieking and screeching of violins pleading us to cry at the supposed tears jolter and emotion jerker of a dialogue. Well, do you remember that DHISHKIAOON!!!!! sound with the gun shot, even if the gun has a two- three foot silencer attached to it?? While we are still on sound and music, on which our Bollywood largely depends on, let us reveal the commotion our movies caused abroad. The ease with which our stars slide their hands over the guitar, (twisted face, wide-open mouths, agonising over creating music) has put the likes of Santana into a fizzy. And never the less are those heart-wrenching lyrics. Take this sample of philosophy: “I’m your chicken noodles, you’re my American chopsuey.” or “Main tera tota…..”(I am your parrot...) the list goes on. I could never learn those lyrics, yet I enjoyed singing them. My la… la… la… always came to rescue.


Moving on from the lyrical horror let us go to a twenty-leagues-under-the-ground-horror-flick. A complete guide to life after death, it will convince you use only ketchups and jams for make-up once you become a ghost. No wonder the sales of such commodities increased a great deal. And to hysterically HA! HA! HEE! HEE! HO! HO! every soul that came your way. Oh! Sorry if I scared you off. But there is more to it. How can we forget this? If you are a woman and have become a ghost do follow this. Wear a white sari and carry a candle as an accessory. This is a never fading fashion. It’s always in baby!


The Futuristic Society has put forth a mind-boggling question. What if they make a Bollywood science fiction? Will the hero, heroine dance around planets instead of trees? And will the theme be ‘Lost-in- the-Galaxy’ instead of Kumbh-Mela? God save us…
And let us not forget those famous action sequences lose our notice. Dare-devilled to put a commando to shame, they have inspired armies around the world to study the legendary bullet dodging techniques of the Bollywood heroes. The best way to make bullocks out of bullets, it has been observed, is to sway wildly, let out a Tarzan-like cry and run towards your enemy (preferably in slow motion). When hit, increase the swaying and the decibels of the cry.


There is one little thing to mention. There must be millions of questions in the eager young minds of our country. For instance, when the villain points the gun at the hero, why does he wait till the hero gives him a solid punch? Or, how come the twenty goons wait eagerly for their thrashing. That too, one at a time.


In desperate attempt to understand the effect of movies on children, one psychologist put up some questions to a ten year old. The kid’s reply, even as he punched the scientist out sight, was, “DISHUM!” It will, you must have realized, take ages before one can make any head or tail of these Bollywood blockbusters. But don’t fret over their subtleties. Because there’s great way to beat the logic. Just get yourself an ice-cold drink, sit back and let silverscreen rule your minds. Ignorance is bliss!!!

Yay! I have a blog too!

Hello everyone. Greetings!
I creating a blog today is a very good example of how much time an idea takes to implement itself. I am a Social Media Executive and have been planning to create a blog for myself since the time I have become one. Its past 4 months since then and I have chosen (randomly) this day to create it, finally!
This officially is my first blog and I am clueless what to write. So I look up, down and sideways thinking and thinking and thinking....
So finally decide that each one of you who will be reading my blog henceforth should know what I am made up of.. So here it goes-
By profession I am a Social Media Executive and a super workaholic. So much so that I sometimes work on holidays too or you can say I don't have a life apart from work at times. I am not kidding. I have never wasted my time and have worked part-time during vacations too. My mother has always been upset about it. But then I can't help it. Either I find work or work finds me. Still I manage to socialise. My future employers can start thinking of hiring me now.
If you ask me what is it that a person notices in me when he/she meets me for the first time? I would say my talking ability. I have developed this uncanny ability to talk. My talking powers can entertain you or bore you to death, depends upon the kinda person you are.. I don't do customised talking ok? You like it or you don't like it. Anyway I am glad that at least it did not get me into trouble.. (fingers crossed)
Another thing about me I am always charged, up for more and more activities. By the evening when everybody is half dead, I come back to life and I am up for more. Wowie! I cannot sit in one place. Always on toes.. Can't help
I think I have written a lot but there is a lot left.. I am a trained singer and a not so trained dancer. I love movies and I love them so much so that I can watch it alone. I love my company more that any body. I love ice cream.
I have a lot of hobbies that are at an amateur stage like photography, tarot reading, palmistry and graphology.
I have always been interested in super natural activities,  beings, occult magic and mythology. I believe that if you wish for something passionately the entire universe conspires to get you that thing and I have experienced it time and again!
The last thing I want you all to know that I am super self critic. So if you think my work is good you will have to try real hard to make me believe that it is.
Hmm.. now you know quite a lot about me. Still there is always an element of mystery in me. So keep guessing till you find.
Wow I dont know what I have written so I am going to read it again while you guys keep guessing what I am made up off... and do let me know if you get THE VIBES!!!