Innocence!

I had almost come to the conclusion that there arent any more kids who enjoy playing with balloons.. building castles on the sand.. playing gilli danda.. or finding enjoyment in tasting cotton candy...

There was a fear growing in me that the kids nowadays have become addicted to computer games and the million video games featuring guns and fighters and have forgotten playing with real people.. But the 10 year old Prithvi (We call him Pipi) proved me completely wrong..

"Bubbles aata naanu aadthini" (I'll also play with bubbles!).. he said..







He's such a darling isnt it? :-)

Dilemma!

Hum: “Look at that Beautiful purple sari! It will look so good on me. Isn’t it?”

Tum: “Do you really need another sari? You hardly use the ones you already have.”

Hum: “Come on, my friends have seen all the saris I have. I really need a wardrobe update, honey.”

Tum: “If you buy the sari, you’ll be tempted to buy that “Beautiful” Jewellery set that matches it. And the next occasion to wear a sari is Sankranthi, that’s a long way away.”

Hum: “Cha, occasion is what we create! I can throw a party and invite all our girl friends and tell them to dress up. Everybody will be so happy!”

Tum: “Aren’t u getting late? We were supposed to go to your parent’s house as well...”

Hum: “Ya ya..! But just look at the sari... I can get a matching blouse done for it... Something which has bead work and a deep neck at the back...”

Tum: “He he..! Deep neck?? I can see your parent’s reaction right in front of my eyes now.. They have a problem with even slightly short shirts.. Talk about a deep neck!!”

Hum: “Why do you bother about what my parents will think?!! I won’t wear it when I meet them... ;-)”

Tum: “Be practical. Do you really want to spend your hard-earned money for a sari and jewellery that will sleep in your cupboard until the next wedding in the family?”

Hum: “Oh, how can we walk out empty-handed now that we’re here? That would be quite embarrassing.”

Tum: “You should never have come. Think about it, there are so many people who can’t afford even a meal...”

Hum: “Now, there’s no need to get so philosophical about clothes and jewellery. What’s wrong with wanting pretty things?”

Tum: “OK, I’ve told what I have to... You decide, but before you make a final decision, tell me … do you think you’ll make a greater impression on me when you’re dressed in an awesome sari and heavy jewellery or when you’re wearing absolutely nothing but a simple and cute smile?” :-)

**Hum just melts...!**

Hum: Aren’t we getting late? We have to go meet mom n dad as well...

Tum: What about your Sari and Jewellery?

Hum: What sari?? :-))

Lets make a difference!

Came accross this wonderful page and thought i must share it..

http://www.morganstanley.com/about/community/littlegreenebook/

Lets do our bit to make this world a better place to live in.. :-)

Age Does matter! ;-)

Hum: Hey, Its my birthday tomorrow.. what gift have you planned to give me?

Tum: Aha.. Thats nice.. but i give gifts only to young girls.. not to the ones who are as old as twenty five!

Hum: Huh! Twenty five??? Thats not true.. Its Twenty four..!

Tum: No.. I can Prove it..

Hum: how? go ahead..

Tum: ok.. Take the case of a baby, Twelve months after it is born, it is one year old on its first birthday, right?

Hum: **Thinks Cautiously** Yeah, correct!

Tum: So, On your ninth birthday you are nine years old, and so on and so forth..

Hum: **Counts on fingers of both hands** ok.. thats right!

Tum: So on your Twenty-Fifth birthday, you will be Twenty-Five!

Hum: Wait..! Surely the baby is born on its first birthday? so, twelve months after birth it would be her second birthday and she would be one year old.. **Feeling quite pleased with the answer**

Tum: Doesnt make sense.. It cant be your Twenty-fifth birthday and you still remaining twenty-four! That Proves, your actual age is Twenty-five and you are OLD!!! So, you are not eligible for a gift from me!! ;-)

Hum: ???!!!

Opposites Attract!

Hum : I Just loved the film.. It was so cute.. what say?

Tum : You know what? There are certain things i don't think I'll ever understand..There was absolutely no logic in the film.. a guy, a girl falling in love with each other, running around trees wearing the wierdest clothes possible,everything going topsy turvy and finally they lived happily ever after.. How can u tolerate such films?

Hum : Dairy milk?

Tum : I'll take 'Fruit and Nut'

Hum : OK, Shall i prepare coffee for us?

Tum : No. Tea

Hum : Can we go for a long walk?

Tum : Can we watch Cricket on TV?

Hum : We are so different.. Such opposites.. Completely.. How do u think things would work out for us?

Tum : Have you heard of the phrase 'Opposites attract'? We are like that.. Whoever said that people who think differently don't gel well should see us.. Its the feeling that we have for each other that counts..
Whats the fun if i agree to everything you say.. Life would become so boring.. Where would the variety and spice come into our life then?
If we agreed on everything then how will we argue or fight? How will you feel jealous?
How will i patafy you and how will i get to see that shining smile?

Hum : True.. Its the differences that we have that makes our life so exciting.. That's what we are made of and that's what i totally cherish and love you for.. If it weren't for that then may be i would've never fallen so crazily in love with you.. :-)

**They smile at each other**

Hum : Hey, i completely forgot.. You know, Shahrukh's movie would've just begun!

Tum : Oh no.....!!

Kurangilirundhu...

How i wish someone gave me a treat like this one.. he he.. It sure is some BIG monkey business!! :-)

A Doubt!

Starting off a new series..

As i couldn't think of suitable names.. I'm naming the characters 'Hum' and 'Tum'.. Just that 'Hum' would be the girl and 'Tum' the guy! :-)

So here goes..

Hum and Tum meet on world environment day..

Tum : Hey hi!
Hum : Hi.. How are you?
Tum : Fine. Thanks.. By the way, whats with all the Khadi and wooden stuff all over you?
Hum : I'm wearing a Jute salwar and Eco friendly slippers made of wood.. Isn't that great! All my friends admired it and said its lovely!
Tum : hmm.. but i just have a small doubt.. You are wearing wooden slippers na..
Hum : yeah
Tum : So if theres a damage, where would you go? To the cobbler or the carpenter?!! ;-)
Hum : Grrrr!!!

The Bengalooru Slanguage!

If you are dying to learn the latesht Bangalore street slang but do not know how, look no further I say! For here is a compilation of latest slang words in Kanglish for you! :-)

Adjushtu: adjust. Most important word that originates from the nature of all Bangaloreans.
"Solpa adjusht maadi saar."
"Sir one more banana buying means it will adjusht within 10 rupees."

Bombaat : Fantastic, excellent. "Aye hows your car doing?" "Oh bombattagide."

Chindi Chitranna : Lit: Fantastic flavoured rice. Fantastic job.
"En haadidaane.. Chindi chitranna bidu".

Da : Term of address for friends or younger people (borrowed from Tamil). Rude when used in a non affectionate sense or with strangers. Fem: di.
"What da, where all u went yesterday?"

Escapu : General departure. "Naan oota maadbittu escape aagtheeni, don't mind."

Free kotre phenoylu kudithaane : Lit: If its free, he'll even drink phenoyl.
A very economical person.

Goobe : Lit: Owl. Stupid person. "ei goobe, yaar ninge license kottiddu?"

Hengythe myge? : Lit: How does your body feel now? i.e, I'm going to beat you black and blue. "Yenu? Dhuddilvaa? Hengythe myge?"

Will sure add a few more slangs in my coming posts..
Till then, Camaan I say.. Jai kannada! ;-)

Transferal law!

Some of my friends were teasing me today on how HE is a Prince and i'm a Pauper - hindi film ishtyle..

Friends: R ke paas gaadi hai, kaam hai, paise hai.. Tumhaare paas kya hai...

**Deep Thought for a moment**

Me: Mere paas..... Mere paas R hai!!! :-)

Aakhir jo bhi uska hei woh mera hi to hei.. kyun? ;-)

Natural beauty..

Found this lovely worm today in my backyard.. Never seen such a beautiful creation before.. Am impressed by my own photography skills.. he he.. :-)

My Blog.. My Space..

Just came across this interesting page and this one recently.. People out on a mission for sure.. one of them struck by Cupid and the other asking their readers to vote and decide where they should be staying.. Believe it or not, 4963893 people actually voted!! he he...

Way to go i say! ;-)

Sweet Nothings..

So true isnt it??
Sweet nothings that girls long to hear but can never hope to hear in this lifetime.. ;-)

• I’m so lucky I married you!


• Of course, I would love to spend my entire vacation with your family.


• Don’t ever lose weight, You look beautiful just the way you are.


• Come here, sit next to me. Let’s just talk.


• You look tired. Let me rub your shoulders, your back and massage your feet.


• Yes, dear, you’re right.


• Chuck work, I just want to spend time with you.


• No special reason; I called just to hear your sweet voice.


• Spend all you want. You don't even have to ask. After all, I’m earning only for you.

Life is cruel i tell you.. ;-)

Cartoon of the day!

The Brick!

A young and very successful executive Jack, was traveling down a street. He was going a bit too fast in his sleek,black, Mercedes, which was only two months old.

He was watching for kids coming from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed by, he could see a brick coming towards him and suddenly - WHUMP! - it smashed into the Merc's shiny black side door! SCREECH..!!!! He quickly applied the brakes and madly went back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. Jack jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed him up against his car. He shouted at the kid, "who are you? and what the heck are you doing?!"
Getting really furious he went on. "That's my new Merc, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it?"

"Please, sir, please. . . I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" Pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car.
"It's my brother," he said. "He rolled and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat. With much difficulty he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the road towards their home.

It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, Mercedes - a long and slow walk. Jack never did fix the side door of his Merc. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. . .

Alter ego..

Check this quiz out! I loved the results.. Sleeping beauty and Goofy.. so typical of me.. ;-)

Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Sleeping Beauty Your alter ego is Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever. Sleeping Beauty 81% Goofy 75% Pinocchio 56% The Beast 56% Cinderella 56% Donald Duck 56% Cruella De Ville 50% Snow White 44% Peter Pan 38% Ariel 31%

Take the quiz.. Good fun! :-)

Diwali!

Diwali is just around the corner. In a few more days we will be pulling down our boxes of diyas, sorting out our decorations and planning the sweets that needs to be prepared. There are firecrackers to be bought, plus the new clothes.. You can feel the festive atmosphere all around already..

For Tamilians, Diwali is a morning affair. On the main day called 'Narakachaturdasi' - everyone in the family take an oil bath before sunrise. Hence they usually wake up really early (Something like 4.30 AM) in the morning for an oil bath (or a shampoo in the recent times).. The elders usually place few drops of oil on the family member's head before a shower.

A platter is then decorated with the family's new clothes, some boxes of fireworks, sweets, warm oil (usually gingilly oil or til oil), coconuts, bananas, betel leaves, betel nuts, flowers and milk.

For those hailing from Tanjore, the custom is to first take a small quantity of 'deepavali lehiyam' (medicinal, ayurvedic paste) after the oil bath and then have breakfast. Drawing a huge rangoli and lighting diyas is an important part of the tradition as well, just like it is elsewhere in India.

After the family is ready and dressed up in their new clothes, the puja begins. After the naivedhyam (offering to the Gods), youngsters touch the elders' feet for blessings. Family members head out to burst firecrackers, enjoy the sweets and start their day on a happy note. As the day progresses, temple visits are made, gifts are exchanged and sweets are distributed to family and friends.

That's Diwali - The tamilian way! :-)

Global Indian?

"Bobby Jindal wins the Governor's election in Louisiana becoming the first Indian American to lead an American state.."The moment the news broke on television channels, Jindal’s ancestral village in Kanpur erupted in celebrations, with relatives and friends distributing sweets and dancing bhangra..

India, on the road to being a global super power, seems to be suffering from this disease.. Any achiever whom we come across with the least connection to the motherland makes us feel better, bigger and truly global.. India may not have done anything much in harnessing their talents and helping them grow but we feel so good to associate ourselves with Indians who have achieved elsewhere..In the last couple of years, at regular intervals, the papers have been filled with reports about "Indians” such as Bobby Jindal, Norah Jones, Sunita Williams, etc who have all done the country proud in the USA or in space.

Indian school children light diyas, villages and towns in remote corners of India distribute sweets, dance in joy, and the cameras chase the drivers, aunties, uncles and village postmen for their views — all because the son or a daughter of a former resident who quit the country fifty years ago has achieved an iota of success thousands of kilometers away.

But at some point reality bites.. I get to read about people like Bobby Jindal who has never visited his ancestral home and doesn't have plans too.. Norah Jones Shankar, dropped her last name long back.. Yet we have this new found confidence in us.. For us, the grass is always greener outside India.. We have never acknowledged the achievements of people with greater abilities within our country.. We are a land of hypocrites.. Media has a big part to play in this.. giving hyper and excessive coverage for the smaller achievements and giving more importance to the lifestyle in the west..

Just hoping for a day when this state of our nation would change..

The Compact Disc!

Me: Pa, I bought a music CD today.. Lets listen to it..

Pa: Music CD??

Me: ok ok, before you could ask.. A music CD or a 'compact disc' is something like yourcassette tape which plays music.. Its a storage device and you can listen to a lot of songs - close to a 100 songs with just one CD!

Pa: Wow! What nice things they invent nowadays.. ok ok, play some old songs, we'll listen to it

Me: ok.. Here goes.. "Paatu paadava.. paarthu pesava....."

Old Songs were being played for a while and Pa was completely impressed. After a while he called out to me..

Pa: Hey, come fast, come fast...

Me: What happened?

Pa: I think the songs on this side are over.. Turn the CD and play it from the other side..!!

Me: ??!!!!! :-)

Crush!

Me: Pa, You know what happened today? One of my colleague has a crush on her team mate and..

Pa: What?? Your colleague crushed someone??

Me: No no!! I said she has a 'crush on someone'..

Pa: Crush? What does that mean?

Me: 'Crush' means to begin to like someone, to have an attachment to a person...

Pa: Oh like that.. hmm.. let me frame a sentence with the word 'crush' so that i understand better.. (Filled with inquisitiveness and excitement!)

"I have a crush on my Pet dog".. Correcta??

Me: Duh!!!!!!!

Paati..

Miss her a lot these days.. :-(

Five things.. :-)

**Got the idea for this post from another blog.. Anyways.. Here goes..**

Five things i plan to do before i die:
* Take my parents on a tour abroad to a country of their choice
* Start an orphanage and a school for the needy
* Learn to play a Casio keyboard
* Own a house facing a beach
* Go on a vacation every year with HIM

Five things i can do:
* Remain silent for however long..
* Paint on glass, fabric and pots
* Be patient and caring
* Laze around for hours
* Dream and achieve

Five things i cant do:
* Be assertive
* Live without friends
* Tolerate stupidity
* Swim/ Drive
* Be very traditional and orthodox

Five things that attract me to the opposite sex:
* Sense of Humour
* Intelligence
* Sensitivity
* Humility
* Deep eyes

Five Turn offs:
* Smokers
* Alchoholics
* Show offs
* People with 'I know it all' attitude
* People who back stab

Five things i say the most:
* Shit
* I'll kill you!
* Saddddddd..
* Shut up!
* I would love to.. But then...

Unconditional love...

Read this wonderful article worth sharing.. Trying to learn and implement it.. Written by Swami Vivekananda..

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this: "You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to possess it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds. This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet LOVE...

They try to possess it, They demand, they expect... And just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings. Give and don't expect. Advise, but don't order. Ask, but never demand. It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."
Passing thought...

My Golu.. My pride.. :-)

Fair weather friends!

Yesterday i happened to call up a friend to remind her of another close friend's bday.. I'm this kind of a 'reminder service' for my group of friends cuz they are the typical "oops! i forgot!!" types.. :-)

She was really thrilled n happy listening to my voice when i was actually scolding her for forgetting bdays as always.. i asked her "whats the matter with you? Hows your health now? not been eating a lot of ice creams again isn't it?"and she goes on to say.. I haven't.. But know what? Am really happy to get a call from you.. from the time i've come here, I've only been getting calls from so called friends or relatives who suddenly want to know how i am, whether everything is fine or i need something... These people were never around when i actually needed them.. When i was a nobody there in India.. Just because i've come here to do my higher studies and have found a decent job, all of them want to revive their relationship with me.. I'm so glad u called up amidst such Fake people just to re-assure me that there are true friends as well.. "

I was quite happy speaking to her, but what she said somehow made good sense to me.. Just when a person tastes success, there are a huge bunch of people who crop up from nowhere.. people whom you wouldn't have heard of for years together but suddenly they want to know about you, make some reason to get into your good books..

I feel disgusted about such Fake people who keep in touch just because they would be getting some benefit out of you rather than wishing good for the person..

I would rather remain with a few good for nothing but true friends, than have friends who are with you just because you are successful in life..

Pookalam

We had a 'Pookalam' competition at office today.. For those who dont know what a 'Pookalam' is, It is an arrangement of flowers and leaves. Poo - means flower. Kalam means 'special shape'.. Generally during onam, people prepare intricate designs with flowers and decorate their homes with it..

I wanted to break out of the monotony of work and decided to just participate in the competition. This is the first time that i had done something like this.. Though i'm good at drawing, i have never tried out flower arrangement.. What better opportunity, so i decided to go for it..

Then came the BIG question of what would the design be.. and one of my friends came up with an idea of depicting the face of a 'kathakali' dancer. (Kathakali is the most famous dance form that originated in Kerala).. All of us were thrilled with the idea.. Just pulled up a bunch of friends and off we went to the market to buy flowers..
We went to the Tippasandra market, which was filled with flowers of different colours.. bought a lot of them.. roses, jasmines, lillies, marigold...... We were suddenly stuck.. we didnt know what to do for the black colour which would be needed for the eyes...There is no flower which is black in colour..

My criminal brain came up with an idea.. I said, "lets buy a brinjal and peel the skin, carve it out for the eyes of the dancer.." ;-) All of us burst out laughing.. but we had no other choice because the competition would end in an hour and we had no time to argue..Just went ahead with the plan of buying the brinjal..

Reached office in 10 mins and started off.. I was the bakra who had to do the drawing.. :-) Did a free hand drawing of a kathakali dancer's face and must tell, it came out quite well.. much better than i had expected.. Then all of us started arranging the flowers and leaves that we had got.. I peeled out the brinjal and carved the eyes.. silently put the remains of the brinjal back into the bag so that we dont get caught.. ;-) Finally we were done.. We were all more than happy at the way it turned out..

Then came the judge.. I explained to him what a pookalam meant and why we chose the face of the kathakali dancer.. How it takes around 6-8 hours to paint a kathakali dancers face.. how much dedication and effort is needed to do it.. in the same way, we have put in a lot of hardwork and sincerity to this..

He said "you definitely deserve an award for your dedication and hardwork.." I just said, "True. But more than the award and the applause, it was the satisfaction and the thrill of participation in the competition that gave us more happiness.."

Now, that was some modesty isnt it? ;-)

Get out of the 'Work' mode!

Looking out of the window, feeling the cool breeze hitting my face, there i was, sitting in a cab, wondering how the streets of Bangalore are still lit up and live at 12 in the night.. People still fresh with energy, listening to some roaring music on their ipods and working on their laptops, trying to finish some project or paperwork..

I was going back home - Tired after a hard days work.. Suddenly felt a drop of water hit my face and when i turned to look at who it was, i found a colleague of mine, silently brushing off her tears.. I just pulled out a hanky and gave it to her.. "The kajal looks beautiful in your eyes.. Dont let them go away with ur tears" i said.. She just tried to smile and took the kerchief from me and wiped off her tears.. Before i could ask, she replied.. "Thanks! I was just missing someone terribly..". Saying that she started off her story..

Her name was Neha. She was newly married and has come down to Bangalore from a small town in Delhi..Just started chatting with her and she was telling me about how she fell in love and got married to this guy who worked with her in her previous organisation.. Both of them were madly in love with each other and he would take care of her as if she were his precious baby.. Getting her gifts every now and then, taking her out to scenic places every weekend, loving her so much that she would be down to tears.. but tears of Joy..

And today here she is, with tears in her eyes again, but because she is craving for his love and time.. He is busy trying to get his career right and slogging day and night to meet his deadlines.. He works so much that she hardly gets to even see him when shes at home. She has taken up a job now.. so that she could keep herself away from her pain.. All i could tell her was "Dont worry! Things would be fine soon.. Just speak it out to your hubby"

Left me thinking.. Whats it like to be working 24/5? To be answering customer calls and handling irate client e-mails??To get into a world of mails and processes and applications and not have time for family or friends?

A lot of us get into the 'work' mode and refuse to come out of it.. We find so much pleasure in trying hard to meet/achieve a deadline or a target that some one has committed to some one else for his/her benefit.. Little do we realise that theres a bigger and a better world beyond work too.. There are people who need us and our time and presence.. May be an ailing mother, a newly wed wife, a friend, a brother, a neighbour or even a pet... We may be struggling hard at work to keep them happy, but most of the times what they need is our care and support and not money..

A Gentle reminder: Please make time for your loved ones.. No matter how busy you are.. Show them you care.. "Kya pata, Kal ho na ho.."... :-)

Indian 'Idol'??!!...

"Prashant Tamang crowned Indian idol..." The headlines today in every single newspaper in town.. Prashant is the winner of the popular reality TV show 'Indian Idol'..

Music is one such blessing that can soothe, energize and make one express things that words can hardly do.. It can heal the most bitter of human rifts and create a strong bond forever..
Prashant is not the sole example of this.. there have been a lot of others like 'Abhijeet Sawant' - the 1st Indian Idol, 'Shreya Goshal' - a SaReGaMa finalist,'Sunidhi Chauhan' - part of the 'Meri Awaaz suno'... and lots more.. These talent shows provide a platform to the young and the talented to do well and excel in their respective fields.

Makes me think.. whats it that has brought such a big change?? From where does a shy, unheard of, simple person from a small town in Darjeeling get the confidence to face billions of people, to cheer them up, to bring them all together in unity irrespective of their caste and creed? The only answer i get is "MUSIC"

A lot of reality shows prove just the same.. The show "Indian Idol" has become such a rage everywhere.. I could never even imagine a Sepoy, from some corner of Nepal would become one of the most sought after singers in the country..
A person who was hardly recognised in his own neighbourhood a few months back, is now a person who's recognised and cheered worldwide..
It is not just the hills and valleys that are live with his music.. Its a craze in most of the other parts of India as well.. The programme has got young and old alike - glued to the TV sets and getting them vote and send SMSes in huge numbers to exercise their freedom of expression..

However, I just wonder, If Television and Music have so much of an influential power, why don't people make use of this for the social good? How would it be if people took a similar interest in our elections... If they 'voted' in lakhs and crores to choose an able leader!! If only our idols were more than singing or dancing sensations..!!! :-)

DD and Nostalgia....

I was just surfing a few channels today and suddenly got reminded of the good old doordarshan days.. the late 80's and early 90's when we had just two channels DD 1 and DD 2.. we used to be so thrilled to watch our favourite serials/programmes..

I remember waiting for friday nights just to watch 'Chitrahaar' - a programme that showcased hindi film songs.. or wake up early on Sundays just to watch Mahabharat.. There were a lot of children's programmes as well like 'Jungle Book', 'Malgudi Days' and informative programmes like 'Surabhi' or 'Turning Point'...

A lot of TV characters like 'Vaagle' of 'Vaagle ki Duniya or 'Byomkesh' from the serial 'Byomkesh Bakshi' or Karamchand became household names... It would be so difficult to imagine life without these people entertaining us then..

What surprises me is the fact that TV sets werent too popular then and could be found only in a few urban households.. may be because of the cost and the lifestyle that existed.. But there definitely was a strong family bond and a bond of friendship that Doordarshan had created amidst people from the same colony or neighbourhood .. I remember watching serials at my neighbours place with both our families happily laughing together or arguingabout what a particular character in the serial should have done.. Cant even imagine things like that happening today..

There was a time when one could hear kids say, "Ma, even i want to fight Sher Khan like Mowgli...", Such was the impact of DD on peoples minds.. It was an era when people used to watch TV with rapt attention.. A time when the entire nation would come to a standstill for a few moments.. We can hardly find that in the programmes that are telecast today inspite of the innumerable number of channels broadcasting a lot of serials..Whats predominant now is 'saas bahu ka jhagda', jealosy, failing marriages, violence... Thanks to the likes of Ekta kapoor..

Wish time could just stop at that Golden era where spending time with family watchin DD was considered much more enjoyable than any other activity.. The innocence and beauty that DD brought remains something that i would always cherish.. :-)

Creativity as a 'Career'..

"You want to become a fashion designer???? In this age of computers???"
"Nobody in our family has ever done that!"
"Joining the Navy?? U must be kidding!"

How many times have we heard of statements like these? At least it wouldn't be something new for most of us here.. People here in India, have a preset notion that anything that deviates even a little bit from the normal is a Taboo..

When i was still in College (That's not too long ago.. ;-)) and used to visit my relatives, whose sons and daughters were software engineers or doctors, i was always faced with the most inevitable question.. "Enna Panre?" and when i said B.Com.. the expression on their faces would automatically change to a frown.. It would seem like i was not doing something up to the mark and they are filled with sympathy for my parents for my 'poor intellect'.. The next question or statement would be "Why?? Didn't score well in your 10th i suppose!"...

The Older generation have this stereotypical image of individuals completing their engineering and earning in lakhs and working and slogging hard to lead a happy life.. They fail to see what passion that individual carries with him/her..There are a very few of them who think out of the box and decide on taking up a creative 'career'... May be something in the stream of fine arts or law.. and still do very well in life..

Its not just about engineering or the other sciences scoring over an arts or a commerce stream that bothers them, but more about what would happen to the individuals future.. How would he/she get a job that takes them abroad.. a job that pays well and may be after a few years help you return to India for a few days to show off your new lifestyle and find a suitable partner..

I'm very proud of my cousin who is an artist, My sis who's preparing for her civil services exam, My friend who is an interior designer.. But there is still a great need for people who are creative and people who are ready to think beyond and achieve.. The current stigma or the mindset of people needs to change..

I wish and hope for a revolution that would cause more people to think and act differently and say, "Go ahead Son! Take up your passion.. U'll surely succeed.." rather than saying, "Joining the Army? Which movie inspired you to do that??" :-)

Sneha Nilaya..

It was HIS birthday and i wanted to make it a memorable one for HIM.. Some friends said organise a birthday party at a restaurant.. Some said get him an expensive gift.. Some others suggested a one day trip - away from the bustling crowd.. 'Go to a place where just the two of you would be there or arrange for a candle light dinner.."..

Confusion confusion!! I thought... Whats that one gift which would make HIM happy?? New clothes? An expensive watch? a trip - so that we get to spend some time together?or something that would make both of us happy??? Something that could bring happiness to a lot more people, people who actually didnt have someone who could celebrate their birthday or someone who would care for them and do something for them??

I found my answer... I knew the HE would definitely enjoy such a birthday.. So, there i began, called up my best friend and asked her details of "Sneha Nilaya" - A home for children who are taken care of by the society and not by their parents.. She was thrilled that i came up with something like this.. she promptly gave me the details.. I called up the Sneha Nilaya office (Phn: 080-22210432) and asked sister what were the things that the kids needed.. stationery for school, food.. Took down all details of when the kids would be available and what their regular activities would be as it was a sunday..
The next day, i went and purchased some notebooks and stationery for the kids, called up HIS friends and asked them to reach the place by 10 in the morning with a cake.. and there we were.. ready to organise a surprise party!

It was the day of his birthday.. Called HIM up and wished HIM.. Told HIM i have a BIG surprise.. asked him to pick me up by 9.30.. Met him.. He was neatly dressed and looked cute and smart as ever..He was very curious to know where we were going.. We finally reached the venue..

Surprise!!

His friends were there with a cake in hand and he was completely surprised and excited.. asked me, 'What have you people been upto? " We smiled and took him into the premises of Snehanilaya.. Spoke to the nun there and told her that we were here to celebrate HIS birthday with the kids.. Sister called all the kids to the hall and once they came, we gave the books and balloons and chocolates that we got.. brought the cake and asked HIM to cut it.. HE lifted one of the kids there and cut the cake.. The kids sang a beautiful Happy Birthday song for HIM.. HE was speechless.. so were we..

The kids there, they are so much like us.. But they dont have a life that they should actually have.. Most of them are orphans and some of them have a distant relative or two who rarely visit them or can afford to take care of them.. We were very moved when we got to know about the kind of life that they lead..

I made friends with a lot of them very quickly.. There was one girl who had the same birthday as mine.. and not to forget, there was this boy who loved photos.. He kept posing in different ways and wanted to see himself in the digicam.. :-) We played with the kids there and some of them even sang a few kannada and tamil film songs so beautifully.. We then served food to them and fed some of the smaller kids ourselves.. It gave us immense happiness..

I felt very blessed and a little more fortunate and grateful.. Said a small prayer and thanked GOD for what he has given me and also prayed fora better life for so many children who are without any support or care.. and took a decision to try and do anything thats possible from my side to help kidsand people who are not as priviledged.. The experience that i've had in Sneha Nilaya was really something beyond words..

We then left the place though none of us felt like leaving.. It was time for the kids to sleep and we had to go..

HE was almost in tears.. Just smiled and said 'Thank you.. Its the best birthday i've had so far..." :-)