Far From the Maddening Crowd

Once Thomas Hardy wrote the novel Far From the Maddening Crowd. The famous title just popped in my mind as I received yet another forward probably the second forward this month, which very poetically says we are running around like headless chicken (this is soon becoming my favorite phrase!) in the race of life. Well I don’t know the author of this bit but well I know everyone who read this took a minute off to mull over the thought and very saintly agree with it... remember the dear ones make a resolution never to let this happen in my life and then take a deep breath and plunge back into the same mundane work routine! Well that’s what I did or do every time i receive a motivational or denominational wake up mails! 

Well this is the bit I received today: 

Har khushi Hai Logon Ke Daman Mein,

Par Ek Hansi Ke Liye Waqt Nahi.

Din Raat Daudti Duniya Mein,

Zindagi Ke Liye Hi Waqt Nahi.

Maa Ki Loree Ka Ehsaas To Hai,

Par Maa Ko Maa Kehne Ka Waqt Nahi.

Saare Rishton Ko To Hum Maar Chuke,

Ab Unhe Dafnane Ka Bhi Waqt Nahi.

Saare Naam Mobile Mein Hain,

Par Dosti Ke Lye Waqt Nahi.

Gairon Ki Kya Baat Karen,

Jab Apno Ke Liye Hi Waqt Nahi.

Aankhon Me Hai Neend Badee,

Par Sone Ka Waqt Nahi.

Dil Hai Ghamon Se Bhara Hua,

Par Rone Ka Bhi Waqt Nahi.

Paison ki Daud Me Aise Daude,

Ki Thakne ka Bhi Waqt Nahi.

Paraye Ehsason Ki Kya Kadr Karein,

Jab Apane Sapno Ke Liye Hi Waqt Nahi.

Tu Hi Bata E Zindagi,

Iss Zindagi Ka Kya Hoga,

Ki Har Pal Marne Walon Ko,

Jeene Ke Liye Bhi Waqt Nahi.......

Well this is my sagely Himalayan respite in a very materialistic life, those moments when I feel like quitting everything and settling in a hermitage, but well if everyone was living their Zindagi I’m not sure about how many of us would be Zinda... 

Holy Cow!

A friend of mine forwarded this link with such enthusiastic amusement, that I caught myself by surprise when i agreed with the content of the article in parts though the entire concept still sounds ridiculous to me. 

Ok well the article in short is about The RSS next big plan after rampaging the peace in most civilised societies to launch gau mutra or the urine of cow as the next competition for the Colas of the world!!!!

Article excerpts:

The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink – called "gau jal", or "cow water" – in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and would be launched "very soon, maybe by the end of this year".

"Don't worry, it won't smell like urine and will be tasty too," he toldThe Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. "Its USP will be that it's going to be very healthy. It won't be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins."

The drink is the latest attempt by the RSS – which was founded in 1925 and now claims eight million members – to cleanse India of foreign influence and promote its ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness..... read on in the link below 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article5707554.ece

Well now if you are thinking I am either out of my mind or I am a right winger ( not there is much difference between the two :P ) I am bound to deny both.... 

Ok, let me explain its been known for ages that cow dung acts as a anti bacterial shield... think back to your grand parents house in the village, the ground before the house was always quoted with cow dung and mud slush. 

Well, I'm not sure about the entire country but I'm pretty sure that down south every time there is a havan or any sacred ritual a tiny quantity of cow dung and urine is mixed in the prasadam which is distributed. Well the first time I realised I had the force the prasadam down for the fear of offending the Gods... but well when i actually researched about it.. the vedas and ayurvedas actually recommend it and infact I have seen a booklet of medicines based on gau mutra. 

And probably the best uology to the cow dung was written by  a very famous poet in kannada... well I cannot lay my hands on a copy of the original text ( I am ashamed for not remembering it on the tip of my tougue) 

but it has the lines which roughly translate to say 

When I'm burnt I am the Vibuthi....

When I 'm dried I am fuel....

When I 'm felt alone I am manure....

Well cow dung in any form is soo useful, well isn't it holier then we humans ? who just use up the resources on this earth....

Ok, just summing it up... well I still love my Cola's better and I would make no attempt to purify my soul, caste or religion! But yes,  I would give the veda and ayurveda their due and respect the healing powers of cow dung. ...

Stop Grinning Start Thinking !

I always envied my Advertising counterparts for the simple reason that they seemed sooo content with their work. They always seemed to be standing on a high pedestal of morality as we mere mortals seemed to dog through the drudgery work we didn't seem to like.... 

Then today I came across this article in the Indian Express.... I really don't envy Grey Worldwide for this one! 

The Report reads : 

Maya gets ad films made on self, spends Rs 5 cr

 Lucknow: Ostensibly cleared by the UP Chief Minister this time, the long-awaited four-minute ad film on the "overall development of Uttar Pradesh" under the Mayawati Government was telecast on various TV channels on Wednesday.

The film is one of the 13 that the state Government has got made in view of the next elections, by Grey Worldwide, an advertising agency. The films were to be released on January 15, Mayawati'sbirthday. But during a special screening on January 14, she had raised many objections on the content, and the project was shelved.

"Her basic objection was that the film was focusing more on heritage and culture of the state, whereas she wanted the film to revolve around her," said a Governmentofficial.

She had reportedly asked the filmmakers to go through the films the Information Department had made in the past, including documentaries made by professionals. A committee was also formed to screen the content of the films.

So, the haste to make up for the delay was palpable as the four-minute ad film was distributed to prominent television channels on Wednesday, and the airing began immediately.

The visuals – Mayawati in the backdrop of her project blueprints and layout – said it all. Although these are termed the UP Government's advertisement films, the budget of Rs 5 crore, according to sources, and the cast are good enough for a feature film.

There is Kailash Kher who has lent his voice to spread Mayawati's message. "Kyunki mere pas aawazhai, mere pas unka saath hai (I've got the voice and her company)," he says.

Names like Kiran Deohans, director of photography for Hrithik-Aishwarya starrer 'Jodhaa Akbar', and his filmmaker wife Abaan Deohans are associated with the film. The lyrics are composed by SandeshShandilya of the "mauja hi mauja" fame.

Of the films, the longest is of 11 minutes, say government officials, which showcases the overall development of the state. Four films of four minute each show projects in different sectors. Eight others, varying from 45 seconds to one minute, are on topics ranging from education, health and infrastructure.

The film on infrastructure, to be aired on business news channels, is yet to be released.

Later, the films will be released in cinema halls and sent to other states, for which the party will soon formulate a strategy.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/maya-gets-ad-films-made-on-self-spends-rs-5-cr/422593/

 The Postmortem 

Well.... they seem to have laughed their way to the banks, but the entire procedure of writing a script, to getting it shot for a narcissist CM and with the Sarkari Babus breathing down your neck is not exactly my dream job. 

Apart from my sympathy for the Grey guys, I cant help but wonder... We laugh as we read this article, but somehow, the self indulgent act of the CM becomes acceptable after being lampooned, as though we silently say ' Yeh paise nahi udaenge tho kaun udayega? '  Well hope we soon realize that the 5 crore which Grey is happily pocketing is the tax payers money ... SO, stop grinning and start thinking !

How It Changed

Just received A forward from a friend ... and by the end of it all that was left in my mind was a big " TRUE".

Just yesterday I was telling someone, that in class 12 I received a pocket money of Rs. 20 and never really had wanted anything more... now the day I have Rs. 20 in my pocket and a day ahead I will hit the panic button! I always blamed it on the cost of living but deep down I know the costs were half the story the wants were the other half... Well a nice forward...Reading it was like humming the tune of Country Roads Take me Home to the Place where I belong ....

Here i am sitting in my office @ night… 
Thinking hard about life 
How it changed from a maverick collage life to strict professional life…... 

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks  
but then why it gives lesss happiness…. 

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe 
but then why there are less people to use them 

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger 
But then why there is less hunger….. 

Here i am sitting in my office @ night… 
Thinking hard about life 
How it changed….. 

How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on 
but then why there are less places to go on…… 

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day 
but then why its feels like shop is far away….. 

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package 
but then why there are less calls & more messages…… 

Here i am sitting in my office @ night… 
Thinking hard about life 
How it changed….. 

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey 
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment…. 

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop 
but then why there is less time to put it on………. 

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.…. 

Here i am sitting in my office @ night… 
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. How it changed…….. 

Lizard Tales

Lizards...

I feel the creeps even as I write this! I feel a yuck! eeews ! A kind of feeling in my head and my toes already feel something creepy... Well, this is how half the world views the lizards. My moms voice pops up in my head " That small lizard would not be able to kill you! Considering it has never bitten anyone in my knowledge". She chides as I refuse to get into the bathroom, which has a petrified me in one corner and a equally petrified lizard on the opposite corner!

Well yesterday, the same small lizard almost killed my roomie with a partial heart and partial panic attack. This made me wonder what is it about lizards that petrifies us so much?

First, I remembered the good old house lizards which colonize our house and terrorize our souls. Well there are two reasons I can think of why I don't like them : 

• Lore says that these tiny things are poisonous and it they fall into your food well that could well be the ' The end ' of the people who consume it! When i checked the net now no such fact was confirmed... but I still trust the gyan given by my ancestors and chose to believe the lizards are poisonous 
• The lizards pee is acidic! well I have to accept I have never seen a lizard pee in gallons from the top of the ceiling but well I could give my ancestors some credit and chose to believe them 
• The lizards and squishy squashy ( the feeling I get... nothing to do with their constitution... they are vertebrates for those who are susceptible to get misled) and give me goose bumps 
• They run over the ceiling , so they petrify me with the threat of falling on my dear head... OK they are not cows that can kill by dropping dead on you.... but nevertheless not a very nice idea.
• Though I deem them far less dangerous than a rat or a cockroach which stray into the house, I still am biased to hate the lizards the most. Ya, for one you cant kill them....

That reminds me though I have seen some firang friends throw a shoe and squash a lizard or two . I have not seen any such act by Indians.... Back home I'm pretty sure it is a sin! If you even accidentally crush a lizard to death it is a unwritten law to visit the temple of Kanchi and pay penance to the golden  lizard statue there or at least wash the feet of some one who has touched the golden statue. 

spring you the picture of orginal lizards.... this is the holy golden statue in Kanchi 

By the way That reminds me when the lizards make a kick kich kind of odd noise, people read omen into it... I have heard good and bad omens of it... so no clue which one to follow... Or, u might simply be in North India where the lizards are visibly larger in size compared to their south Indian counterparts but are noticeably more silent . A few of my north Indian friends refuse to believe lizards make noise at all. But ya on a personal level I see the north Indian lizards are visibly larger but very slow and silent almost lazy .... in winters they vanish ( hibernate) and in summers they simply dangle it corners like dd coloured paint melting off the walls.... So I perceive them less dangerous then their south Indian counterparts which dart around the house like hyper active children!

Check D India

I was quite surprised when I read that women’s cricket world cup started well 2 years before the men’s event started! But it’s kind of weird to see the stark contrast in the popularity of the men’s and women’s cricket in India.

Now the 9^th ICC Women's Cricket World is starting from 7^th of March in Australia. You are thinking ‘So what?’… Well... the India women’s team reached the finals last year, this year they are marked to be one among the favorites!

Now the remarkable team is captained by a captain equally remarkable: Jhulan Goswami: She was the ICC woman cricketer of the year in 2007and is the fastest woman bowler in the world averaging 120kph! Man oh Man!

Now India being India, and cricket being cricket her appointment as captain got reported on 3^rd Feb while the actual appointment happened on 1^st February . Well Ashley Cole’s girlfriend’s dress or the lack of it finds the print but well women’s cricket can of course wait!  But, of course we are an empowered nation we have a women president who rubber stamps out decision! 

Story idea : courtesy Abhipedia 

Birthday Celebration

For the First 15 years of my life Birthday was such a red letter day in my calender. It meant all friends would be home and I would blow a candle and cut the cake, get a new dress, plus gifts and we would play endlessly. It was the planning and anticipation which was sooo much fun!

But as we grew older Birthday parties started seeing a change... it meant friends would gate crash at 12, there would he those painful birthday bums ! It would be one treat for which you would save money for like months together.... and of course if you are lucky to co incidentally have a friend with birthday around the corner it would mean pool in. But it would mean hours of logistic about where to we go out and eat and have fun.... but parties were more of a friends and family celebration held separately....

The B'day gal in her new dress 

Then I grew up further ( Wow! that's news ) and started working, birthdays became a formal social calender event with some cake cutting, formal cake smashing and nice dinners..... now with family friends and colleagues. With a visit to the temple thrown in! 

But, last Sunday we decided to bring the good old Birthday Party back home on my Roomie's Birthday. Well after months of planing which had her parents come in from Kolkata... we had all the classic bits like a B'day cap, Balloon filled with glitter which were suppose to be burst at the stroke of 12 ( but due to a malfunction kept blowing up as weird timings...) and a huge " Happy Birthday" wall hanging, cake with candles on it, Friends standing all around with gifts in hand (well it was a gifts must bring event).....

After ages it felt great to be blowing balloons and putting up decoration in the house, deciding the menu took more time then the finance minister takes to draw up a budget.....

If you are wondering whats special in all this ? No no it was not a surprise party, but still the joy of celebrating just like when we were kids was fun. After a long time we had something to look forward for with childish enthusiasm , unabashedly looking forward for gifts and goodies.... It was nice to be a child again. 

It doesn't take a lot to be Happy :) And... Happy Birthday Arpita Mukherjee...

Bamboo, Rats and Famine

Long back in a family dinner I remember my parents telling me the when the bamboo flowers emerge it brings along destruction. The red flowers which is said to erupt together all over India at the same time brings looking more like forest set ablaze. 

The flowers are known to attract rodents which feast on these flowers and multiply at startling rates. The increased rodent population means the next to fall is the food stock bring with it wide spread famine. Its not just the famine they are suppose to bring along immense bad luck which is said to have destroyed kingdoms and countries. 

I remembered all this while reading a forwarded mail a friend sent across in which a similar belief was echoed in Mizoram.....

The mautam of Mizoram is a cyclical event that occurs once in 48 years when the Melocanna baccifera, a species of bamboo, blossoms. This attracts a particular species of rats, whose numbers increase rapidly. Last time this happened in 1959, and after having the feast, the rodents turned their attention toward the crops and granaries. This created a famine situation. This was also one of the reasons why India had to look towards west for food grains. One of the US dailies reported that Indian PM comes begging. 

Though this famine actually strengthened India and then came the revolution in food grains, known as the Green Revolution. 

While the situation in Mizoram turned other way round and saw the formation of Mizo National Famine Front which later took up arms as the separatist Mizo National Front. This resulted in separate statehood.

Though last year was the year of mautam, the Mizo National Front suffer defeat in the recent Nov-Dec 2008 elections. This time rats were also defeated thanks to better planning, tribal support and the Indian army.

Proud To Be Indian

There might be a million things wrong with my country but I know there are a two million things right.


Just got this song humming in my head....

Hum logon ko samajh sako to
Hum logon ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani
Jitna bhi tum samjhoge utni hogi hairaani
Hum logon ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani
Jitna bhi tum samjhoge utni hogi hairaani

Apni chhatri tumko dedein kabhi jo barse paani
Kabhi naye packet mein bechein tumko cheez puraani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani

Thode anari hain thode khiladi
Ruk rukke chalti hai apni gaadi
Thode anari hain thode khiladi
Ruk rukke chalti hai apni gaadi
Humein pyaar chahiye
Aur paise bhi
Hum aise bhi hain
Hum hain vaise bhi

Hum logon ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani
Ulti seedhi jaisi bhi hai apni yehi kahaani
Thodi hummein khushiyaan bhi hain
Thodi hai nadaani
Thodi hum mein sachchaai hai
Thodi beimaani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani

Aankhon mein kuchh aansoo hain kuchh sapne hain
Aansoo aur sapne donon hi apne hain
Aankhon mein kuchh aansoo hain kuchh sapne hain
Aansoo aur sapne donon hi apne hain
Dil dukha hai lekin toota to nahin hai
Umeed ka daaman chooka to nahin hai

Hum logon ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani
Thodi majboori hai lekin thodi hai manmaani
Thodi tu tu main main hai aur thodi kheecha taani
Hum mein kaafi baatein hain jo lagti hain deewani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani

Dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani
Phir bhi dil hai hindusatni
Phir bhi dil hai hindustani.....

From the Drain Pipe: Forwarded Message

Of the scores of forwards I receive why did this catch my fancy? Well because when you are in the beginning of your career and a living in a magnified rat hole well... you cant help but identify with this li'l rat loony .

And well if 5 years down the line I still stick to the opinion well we might well be the lab rats in God's glorious scheme of thing [ :P ] 

And of course you don't need to send this across to anyone !

Over a Month

Its been over a month since I have written anything ..... a writers block ( in that case this was aBarrier ).... Hope to be back soon.... very soon...

Under The Skin of a Gold Fish

Suddenly as I was sitting in the office I was overpowered by fatigue, I thought I was overworked but alas! in spite of that moment of fancying myself as stressed .... I realized the air condition was switched off and there was no window...so fatigues meant in short that I was feeling stuffy....

In this weird weather where a chilling breeze from outside whizzed through the ever swinging front door ( opposite to which I sit rather squat on my seat) to mix with the stiffing heat inside I realized to my horror that I could not recall exactly what I was doing ( I know most of us perpetually wonder 'What Am I doin????' in office but this was more on the implementation side..... I was in short blank as my preps exam paper!)

Suddenly I felt like a gold fish ! And at this point of time I spoke to a Sanwli my colleague who so casually remarked she worked on a Mac as a part of her advertising course! So I'm feeling like a antiquated dead gold fish floating upside down with the world staring at me with that unnerving Awww..... look!!!) Why gold fish? Well gold fish I read some where has a memory of 3 seconds ( So you can spend a life time looking within, and wake up to a new day literally .... well well and can officially forget birthdays! )



Well I feel like a gold fish for more then the memory, Living in a city like a fancy fish pot , nice to look but stifling to live in, with the dirt and shit which I exude coming back and falling flat on me and still i doggedly swim around trying to ignore.

Once in a while a mysterious hand from outside comes in and with all ease topples my world and walks away in glee as I sit helpless and cribbing....

I feel like I swim all day because the minute I stop swimming I must be dead!, I swim for the heck of it with no purpose or destination in my little aquarium under the illusion that this is the world, for I have seen no other!

My Mind Goes Numb

Every person I know had just on word on their lips 'Terror' . It was all there... anger, tears, thoughts, contemplation, depression, disgust but all this was over powered by a sense of frustrated helplessness!

My mind feels like the tension in the currents of troubled water , a constant swish swoosh leading to a churning but producing nothing

What happened in Mumbai saw its slice of postmortem and gyan from every brain worth its grey cell ..... but still the road ahead is as hazy as its gets....maybe there is no way ahead ! Maybe we need to make our path instead of looking for the hidden route to the promised land.

For the first time I felt what Picasso's illustrious brush created in ' Scream'

Maybe instead of ripping every politician in our mind we could do something to constructively participate in the electoral process.... I never cribbed in a queue up to the McD counter but the queue up to the electoral both never comes to my mind as a default .... After all India has over a billion population ! And if we are still propping up a few slimy spineless worms as leaders then the fault is not in the governance but the governed (us!!)

My Definition of Superstition :)

Well this write up is completely inspired by a comment on my previous blog by my friend! She said I do follow the superstitions I put under learnt from home slot ... well I DO! Maybe not fanatically but I Do!

• Every time we sneeze a dozen bless you's are thrown at you :) Have you considered it superstition?
  
• Every time we cross our fingers with a wish :) Have you considered it superstition?
• Every time two people say a word together and scream jinx :) Have you considered superstition?
• Every time you though Santa over Christmas or tooth fairy as u buried you teeth under you pillow or rock ( it was rock in our custom and it was an old lady replacing your teeth with teeth seeds and not fairy with goodies back home) :) Have you considered that superstition ?
• Every time we see a falling star or a eye lash on the cheek which we reverently blow of asking for a wish :) Have you considered that superstitious?

Well a lot of things we read in our westernized books, movies, soaps and cinema becomes lifestyle...Then why should my list be superstition?

That was precisely the reason I wrote it the fairies and devils I said waiting to pop in our lives may be a myth but the innocuous faith with which we believe it will happen that if tradition custom... to me

Any custom which is not imposed or which does not hurt or harm another person to me is not superstition but a custom deeply secured to out tradition our folklore :)

The India I know: Treading Between Jinxes

Superstitions! one word and we dismiss a whole lot of things which do not fit into our psyche as a bunch of couch potatoes who've grown up watching repeat telecast of American soaps!

No! No! NO! I don't have to believe let alone follow any of the.... but I know deep down I will never forget them ( Its just ingrained in my psyche like a shy kid dangling around its mothers neck refusing to look up at anyone! ). Neither am I embarrassed of them.... may be a little amused.....

Because there lies a small part of my India in them. A part so far flung that we almost forget it exists, a part where we still run to the village demi God with every petty problem... to jinx or unjinx our lives :) Where Devils and Gods loiter around waiting eagerly to hop into our lives :) That's the India I know


Somethings I learnt back home

• It is believed that one should not clip finger nails inside the house because , if anybody steps on the chunk accidentally a nasty fight will ensue between the two.

• Never step out of the house in the evening after washing your hair and without eating anything, because in this pure state the devil is suppose to be tempted to step into your body.

• When you step out of the house if a lizard clucks best advise step back! ( Weirdly lizards in the north in spite of their humongous size are silent to the level that I believe they are dumb)

• If you cross a path where three roads meet watch out and scan with careful gaze if you see any weird material like eggs, onion, chili, rock salt, coconut ( I truly believe everything put in omelet heeheehee) spit on it ! Its one of those numerous black magic jinxes )
  

• When you set out of a journey ( immaterial of how far or close) immediately realize you have to go back for any god damn reason there are two options

• Wake up on your right side ! ( I still do, in fact I repeat this line like a prayer before opening my eyes everyday) Left can jinx your day! This faith is soooo strong that I know characters who as much as refuse to turn on their left ever instead turn around the longer way ( Like rotate).... that's a scene ( This in no fictitious character)
  

1. Either don't go back
2. Or sit back in the house and leave in some time pretending its a new journey

• Of course the ever evil black cat ! if it crosses your way...

1. Stop! Duh!!! But wait for some body else to cross the way and carry the jinx away so that your coast is clear...
2. Look for a coconut tree, seeing coconuts on the tree immediately will break the jinx!
   

Somethings I learnt in Delhi

• People shouldn't sit on their shit pots with cloths on ( courtesy Bong friends ) ! Definitely not practicable in Delhi winters
  

• Carry pieces on onion with you if you travel out in the night with Mehendi on ... else of course the devil on the perpetual wait with haunt the hell out of you! In this case every other conceivable evil like witches to souls will follow you !

• Well Hanuman Chalisa wholly and solely is capable of protecting you from any evil immaterial of its shape, form, and in some cases religion!

• Don't break curry leaves in the night, or of course the devil blah blah
  

Well if some more things pop up I will note it down on a part two :)

Psycho let loose?

Yesterday after reading about a acid throwing psycho lurking at large in Delhi my first reaction was skepticism. How can I explain it to panicking friends and family back home that when 3 people get attacked its not catastrophe let loose.

Hey wait before you question my sensitivity or rather the lack of it let me explain :

For a single working girl who travels to office day in and day out the biggest threat would be the streets of Delhi.


What chances are of me meeting the acid throwing psycho ? But , I know the everyday I step out I will meet men gaping and passing lewd comments. I have heard of gory stories from friends being bullied and traumatized by the passers by ( mind you not psychos but in the right mind!)




Every time I walk on the roads in the evening I look back in fear for a speeding car of a rich brat to run over me

Mind you as far as I as a common working girl in Delhi is concerned the threat is not from the psychos but the sane minded jerks on the street...they do not have a face they could well be anyone...Now that is scary!

Its not Math! Then why is it so difficult?

Then I realized the problem is I am told what to think, I told what to see. I see a Pakistan and I’m taught to hate it without ever wondering why. For one simple reason: I see with my eyes open but my minds closed.

 John Lennon hummed:

Imagine there's no Heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

 

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

 

You may say that I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

 

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

  

You may say that I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

Everything here sounds so simple; still we call it a dream. But, we so willing believe that a civilian on the other side of the border is an enemy? We believe it when Modi blames Muslims for all social ills. We believe our caste, race, religion is superior then the others!

Maybe be human brain is tuned to complexity :)

A Story to Remember

Once upon a Time

Fairytales – smirk or smile you know they are a dream, a wistful tale of how thing would be if everything went perfect!

 I’m not much of fan of mushy romance and in a library picked a Here is a story Not so long ago but which was certainly a happily ever after…..
 

There was this small girl born into a family of brick makers. No not poor! They were a rich family into construction. The lil girl grew up looking like a stick thin tom boy. 

 

Know this is a fairy tale! The duckling had to turn into a breathtaking swan and she did as she grew up… (yeh tho hona hi tha)

The she moved on to pursue a career in modeling. Then movies followed and soon she was a star in her sphere – The America.

 Far Far Away

On one fateful trip to Europe she was to meet the prince of a small kingdom called Monaco. A kingdom seldom heard of by the rest of the world… a rich kingdom snugly sitting in the stunning locales of the Mediterranean.

On the eve of the meeting the Murphy’s Law was in action… The electricity goes off! Our princess was forced to dress in crumpled clothes looking as miserable as ever. She meets the prince and then! 

The prince soon arrives in America on a official tour meet the starlets family and with in three days… Tish *@*

And what ensued is the a visual that the world would remember for ever a grand fairy tale wedding where the charming prince swept the beautiful bride into the sunset in a kingdom Far Far Away (the entire population of the kingdom was on the streets to welcome the bride as the couple went across the kingdom in an open car) 

The story generally ends here but what is happily ever after …. Ever wondered?

 Happily ever after 

So here is the story of happily ever after:

The princes became a proud mother of three beautiful kids and were among the most gracious royal families.

 

When she turned 53 she died in a fatal car crash. The prince they say never really recovered from the loss. He spent the rest of his days promoting welfare and charity in her name till he passed into the hands of death in 2003 to re unite with his beautiful wife.

 Who said fairytales don’t exist….. This is the memorable love story of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco.

 

How the Wall Street Fell : Bed Time Story

I received a very interesting forward. It was the story of American sub prime crisis simplified like folklore. Maybe if I ever had to tell my grand children how the great Wall Street Fell apart I woud use this:

 A cold winter!

It was autumn, and the Red Indians asked their New Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a Red Indian chief in a
modern society, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his Tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village
should collect wood to be prepared.

But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked
'Is the coming winter going to be cold?' 'It looks like this winter is Going to be quite cold indeed,' the weather man Responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more Wood. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Is it
going to be a very cold winter?' 'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'It's definitely going to be a very cold winter.'

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later, he called the
National Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?' 'Absolutely,' The Man replied. 'It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever.'

'How can you be so sure?' the Chief asked. The weatherman replied, 'The Red Indians are collecting wood like Crazy.'

This is how stock markets work!!!

This reminds me of a old kannada saying which dad often tells " Kellidu Sulaaga bohudu, Nodiddu sullaga bohudu, Nidaanisi yochisidaaga... nijavu tilvudu " It means you : what you have heard can be wrong, what you have heard can be wrong, when you reason out in patience you see the truth.