Calvin :)

I love Calvin & Hobbes.

This is one of the really funny ones.

India V/S India

There are two Indias in this country.

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me a chance and I’ll prove myself. The other India says, prove yourself first and maybe then you’ll have a chance.

One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in skepticism of our minds.

One India wants. The other India hopes.
One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side.

And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic, new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater then its fear of failure.

An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.

History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it is taking a turn.

This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time’s great precipice.

And one India – a tiny little voice at the back of the head – is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying, it’s time to fly.


This was published on front page of "The Times of India" on 1st January, 2007. Gave me goosebumps when I read it.
Very touching, very inspiring!

Cheers!

To kill a mocking-bird - Harper Lee.

Pulitzer-prize winner for fiction.
Harper Lee’s only work.
Story is told from the point of view of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch (age- 6), the young daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in Maycomb, Alabama, a fictional small town in the Deep South of the United States. She is accompanied by her brother Jem and their mutual friend Dill.

“I never expected any sort of success with Mockingbird. I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers but, at the same time, I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected.”

—Harper Lee, quoted in Newquist—1964

Its rare to find a book that you just cant put down, but even rarer that a book touches your heart so deeply by its simplicity and greatness that you almost feel your heart pounding the same way it did every time you saw that someone special in high school. Please excuse the irrelevant reference to high school, as the book has absolutely nothing to do with that. That is something that all of us remember significantly, hence the comparison. The book according to my take is not one story; it’s about many incidents that life consists of! It is so very clear from the book that what we are is because of what we go through. Never did I construe so clearly that children become whatever they do because of how their parents are! To summarize what it is about – it is about a family – father (Atticus Finch), son (Jem, age-10), daughter (Scout, age-6). Atticus is a lawyer; the children are what children are like. Atticus is defending a black, which is almost a crime at that time in the society which consists of racist white community. Scout is the one who is narrating and I think that is the best part of it all. You see everything from her eyes and wonder how an innocent six year old can be so sensible sometimes. And that is all that I’m going to say about the book because you have to read it to feel what I did. It’s the sheer simplicity of the characters which ultimately is so intriguing.

Some excerpts -

"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit them, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

“You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”

“When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, and evasion simply muddles them.”

And lastly a confession – I fell in love with Atticus by the time I finished the book. Other characters are lovable too, but the father…oh boy! A must read for all book-lovers!! Please please read it as early as possible!

A lovely thought!

Jab tak rishtey mein ehsaas barkarar hai, tab tak jhagde mayne nahi rakhte - Quoted by one of my very good friends!!

What a delightful thought....Jus wanted to share it with everyone :)

The Rickshaw Driver who stunned me!

“Yes?” Said the rickshaw driver whom I had just stopped flashing a hand on a small-time street in Malad (Bombay)! Stunned I looked into a face sporting a clean shaven look with a neat moustache, soft brown eyes and a kind look of a man in his late 30’s, yes he did look like someone who would seem like a decent guy had I seen him in normal circumstances. But English coming from the mouth of a rickshaw driver??!! It was really hard to digest. I ignored it as I sat into the rickshaw thinking anybody can say yes and no! I was just settling down and digging into my bag for my wallet when I suddenly jerked forward and heard him yell “SHIT!! These traffic jams!” I was more shaken by his statement than the sudden jerk!

Still I consoled my confused and shocked mind by thinking maybe he just picked the line from somebody! After some more distance we saw a woman with 2 kids waving a hand in a hope to stop the rickshaw. She immediately left the effort once she saw I was in it. What happened next was something which I had never expected to see in my life! He slowed the rickshaw and offered the lady “Come on, we’ll drop you till the main road”. I was speechless for a long time after that. Upon asking him about this he said he’s just learning English because sometimes he gets only-english-speaking customers. Its hard to believe but all my conversation with him was in English thereafter! He told me where he lived, showed me a college and a school on the way. He was not only a rickshaw driver but also a delightful guide during the journey (however short it was!)

That ride is till date the most remarkable of my life!

Not only his grasping power and the determination of mastering the language greatly impressed me, but also his politeness and chivalry. I wondered if he had got education in a good school and more opportunities in life what heights would he have reached! It made me realize too that maybe I should more appreciate the opportunities that I have got in my life and make something worthwhile out of it. We always complain about the things that we don’t get; the facilities that we don’t have; keep saying “I would have done it if I had this and that”! What did he have? Not even any guidance from anybody. But he still managed to speak the language as good as anybody out of a Convent school! That is something!!

This posting is for you- “Rickshaw-Driver-Who-Speaks-Very-Good-English”; my way of appreciating your efforts. A standing ovation!

Cheers!

Straight From The Heart!

As a child I always used to wonder what its like to be grown up…to know and understand everything…to earn and even know where to spend…I always thought it was so glamorous! Obviously this is not how it turned out. Being a grown-up is not all that fun after all. Come to think of it, we were probably more sensible as kids because we understood less. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Think a little and it’s crystal clear. We had a lot of innocence but more importantly we had fewer egos. And that’s what made all the difference. Why are there more tensions, more stress and more hassles when in fact our understanding of emotions has increased? Reason being at the same time our emotions have increased manifold!!

I often wonder what it will be like if we didn’t have so many emotions. Probably we’ll have lesser fights with our spouses, parents, friends; lesser grudges against those whom we cannot fight with. And more peace of mind….

My best friend did not tell me that she got a job. I was hurt; still am. But after a while I also started wondering why I am angry that she did not tell me. Instead won’t things be much better if I was happy about the fact that she got a job. My friends keep getting angry with me that I did not tell them this or that. Keep fighting with me about it. I know it hurts. That’s only natural. But I wonder how things would be if we forgot all these things and only react to things that actually happened. I wonder what it is that makes us react this way. Our ego? Or the fact that we care too much about that person? I don’t really know. And I don’t really think there’s an answer to this question…Each one has to answer his own question….

I read an excellent book recently-“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. Morrie is dying. He knows it and he’s trying to make the best out of what is left of his life-by living every moment, by trying to help others know what it is to know that one is dying, and what it is to live!!

He says-
Once you know how to die, you know how to live….
After reading this book I realized that all that matters in the end is not which one of your friends shared with you first and which ones didn’t, but that you have friends and family with you.

PS:Above things seem really obscure but they were thought provoking for me. I don’t know how much I could put them into words, but ya I did try!!

Cheers!!

“Tough times have scientific value; good learners should never miss them”

Do I agree? I don’t know…But I have surely believed strongly that if something goes wrong with my life I will face it without shedding even one tear. As you can all guess this is not what happened. My life changed in one day, in a simple visit to doctor. I like being independent. I couldn’t be after that one visit. I valued then on what I had taken for granted all along-being normal. It was a tough time. Since then it has been a rough ride. I miss being me, I hate being pampered because of that, I missed a big opportunity because of that. Did it hurt? You bet! It was devastating! But it passed away. At least the feeling that all is lost. But the pain is still there somewhere at the back of my mind. I try not to think of it very often, but it comes back every time I have another setback. You know what the worst thing about humans is- we remember a lot! And mostly the bad part. And we have a habit of adding everything up and then assessing our life. Obviously after that it seems that our life is a living hell. You forget the good things that happened in between. Even I do, after all I’m human too. Those are the worst times. Many nights I go to sleep with tears rushing down my cheeks. But then again every morning brings a new hope.

At the beginning of all this, I was thinking very negatively. Wondering why am I the one who has to face all this? Why can’t I have a normal life like others? Slowly I got tired of thinking like that, yes tired! I’m no great person who can think positively even at the time of crisis. But then I thought to myself, I have to live with this, no matter how much I crib to myself, no matter how long I mourn! I was tired of pitying myself! I started looking at this as an opportunity that life has given me. To get some new experience, to take a break from a fast life, to stand and watch life pass by, enjoy it as it goes, not regret later that I didn’t get time. I started feeling better immediately! I changed my outlook. I started feeling happier. I started feeling alive again.
But sometimes I feel the depression coming back. This morning I got this in mail-

God will not give you a burden you cannot handle…
If you ever find yourself in a mess that you cant resolve…Take it as a compliment.
God thinks you can do it.

I’m taking it as a compliment….
Cheers!

Some things hurt beyond words….

Isn’t it strange how sometimes life can be so complicated while being so simple?? We never think we can do something to hurt our loved ones and a day comes when you have to choose between wrong and right, no matter what it results into, no matter what impression it leaves of you on people close to you, you choose what is right, knowing there is no other way that can be.

These words sound too big….but I know what it feels to hurt the person who loves you the most. And no words can describe the pain that I feel….to have hurt the only one who cared so much for me. I wish I could go back in time and change the way things happened, to avoid having met that person so that now I didn’t have to hurt him, so that he can be eluded of the pain that he’s suffering now. The only thing that hurts more is that he still loves me so, still cares for me so…..how can this be??? I can’t believe my luck to have found him and then having to hurt him so much…..

But I know in my heart that everything will be fine one day. When the sun is shining brightly in the sky and birds are chirping!! And you’ll be happy!! I promise!

Till then take care….

Appreciating the small things in Life-What Chennai has taught me!!

Living in Chennai has been a great experience for me n my family…why you ask?? Well never have we got a better chance to appreciate simple things in life…despite of having made our abode in lot many places in India. The simple act of chatting with your neighbor every morning is a rare thing for us. Not because they are too arrogant but because the poor souls have no clue what we are saying. My stay here though short has made me realize that people here have believed their entire life that Tamil is the only language in world, everyone around them knows it (proved by the simple fact that even though you let them know that u don know Tamil, they continue their chatter in the same language), and if they don’t they should!! My heart really goes out to the people who actually try to acknowledge that there can be another language in world other than Tamil and make any attempt though futile of understanding what we trying to say.

I have started dreading going out of my home for the simple fact that a plain act of hiring a rickshaw is made the most irritating, sometimes entertaining and all the time a brave task!! It’s really hard not to loose patience when trying to hire a rickshaw here. First of all rickshaw vala will always tell a price double of what it is supposed to be. So all those people who think bargaining is LS or don’t know how to do it, get your own vehicle and a Chennai map when coming here. Secondly until you haggle and leave at least 3 rickshaws you won’t get the best deal. Let me also declare here and now that the best deal is still rickshaw vala’s profit and your loss!! Thirdly and most importantly if you don’t know Tamil…..God bless you!! It’s a fact that these rickshaw vala’s do understand what you are trying to say but still pretend not to and continue to babble on in Tamil until you get frustrated and give up! So don’t give up! And that’s why I said that it is indeed a brave task to hire a rickshaw here. Why it can be irritating is very obvious and entertaining because after a while you start enjoying the challenge. J

Hence a key to survival here is you should have a positive outlook and appreciate the way your communication skills are improving here. Another thing to be warned about Chennai is that if you are a traveler and hope to shop here….well I hope you like everything to be on the bigger side! No I don’t mean they don’t keep small size in garments or anything. What I do mean is every design is BIG…yes and in weirdest of color combinations (I suspect sometimes Govinda got his inspiration of clothes right here in Chennai or was it the other way round??!!). So with all due respect to all the malls in Chennai which are really impressive on virtue of their size but not on the stuff they keep, I have never found a decent T-shirt here until I have searched the entire section twice. But you know what they are doing just well as they are after all for the people here!

Hey that does not mean Chennai is worthless or life is no good here. If you have a taste for good South Indian food, congratulations you are in the right place! And if you like an adventurous life I must say you are missing out a lot if you are not here….cos every day here is a new adventure!!