Changing Mindsets

This small story, is something which I would like to keep reminding myself time and again. Hence I decided to blog this, lest I would forget the same.

In the given context, I had an conversation with a colleague of mine, who is known to be different, more so from a negative sense. That quick conversation irritated me so much, that for the rest of the day, I could hardly work properly.

After going for numerous rounds of tea, I casually walked over to another colleague of mine and shared about the recent conversation that I had. He didn't sound surprised. He knew my other colleague more than me. He simply gave a tip, which I would probably remember for the rest of my life. He simply told me to accept that person the way he is. Some people are born like that and that cannot be changed. The traits and attributes, which one learns later in life can be changed, but not the ones, which one is born with. So accept him the way he is. And the only reason I should be really surprised, should be , if the person I mentioned, acts good. And it would definitely be a pleasant surprise.

So the moral of the story was that, dont get upset with the behaviour of other persons. They will not change. Accept them the way they are, and if the attitude is beyond correction, remember that, they are sick with that disease and can only pray that, they get well soon. Nothing beyond that.

That indeed gives a lot of peace.. In just accepting others the way they are...and not thinking of them as wrong. Difficult , but possible.

Read More

600th Post

Was really looking forward to a good post to make up the 600th Post. But really couldn't find anything good to make this post worthwhile. Today, I came across a nice Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon with a lot of message in that. That should do justice to my 600th post. Hope you enjoy this wonderful cartoon from Bill Watterson

Read More

In flight Snacks

One of the famous quiz question is with regards to this fact -

American Airlines saved $40,000 a year by taking out ONE olive from each salad they served.

On my flight, last week, I had asked for a Vegetarian Sandwich. There was a small indicator on top of the package to indicate that it was veg, a green dot. However 'Veg Jain' was written next to it.
which means that, there would not be any Onion or Garlic in the same. Was wondering, whether they only server Jain, all the time for Vegetarians or only due to the recent spike in the cost of Onion, all veggies has suddenly become Jain. Just curious :)

Read More

67th Independence Day

15th August 2013
67th Independence day and google doodle too celebrates it with a beautiful doodle.
Woke up early, for personal work which turned out to be more easy than ever. Getting an appointment with Dr Prince, that too being first in the list, is as good as a miracle.
Flat, out from there by 830 am, reached home just in time for a nicely organised Flag Hoisting ceremony. The hoisting was done by the seniors in the apartment complex followed by games for different age groups, starting from kids. It was a treat to see all the kids participating so well in the games and more importantly, having fun. The lunch was organised in a nice manner, and quite a huge spread I must say.
Thought of enjoying the after siesta, with the pouring rains by the side to give company. Couldn't have been a better afternoon.

Tomorrow is Varamahalakshmi Puja. An important festival in this part of the country. While traversing through the Madivala market, even at 2:30 in the afternoon, it was full of people. The lovely sight of heaps of flowers only made the slow movement of traffic, all the more pleasurable. Perks of life, if I may add.
A simple but a interesting day and went the way it should have.

The independence day, is celebrated every year to remind us of the fact that, we were once under the control of a foreign rule and we have fought against them to come out of it to have our say. We had managed to get the independence, but there are many areas in life , where we still need to come out of the dependence. I am not talking from external factors, but factors within us. Get rid of all the small issues that we keep fighting for mostly within us and get over it. Find your true independence over your self. Live a simple life but a happy one. Make lives around you a little more happier, even if that means the life of one person. Change for the better.

Read More

Scientific Reason behind Indian Punishment

Found in one email - Thought of sharing 

Remember the ‘good’ old Indian school punishments? Holding the earlobes with arms crossed over your chests, bending the knees and then sit and then stand and so on till the time Masterji is saying?

Ever thought why the traditional Indian school teachers would give this particular punishment? I believe even majority of the teachers who grant this punishment to their students do not know the reason behind it. This form of punishment has been in practice in our country since the Gurukul time and was given to the students who were weak in studies. That is a different question if now a days teachers grant this punishment for any mistake and not only for studies but originally it was meant for weak students only.
Talking about the logic behind this punishment, it is very interesting to know that this particular posture increases the blood flow in the memory cells in brain and synchronizes the right and left side of the brain to improve function and promote calmness, stimulates neural pathways via acupressure points in the earlobe, sharpens intelligence and also helps those with autism, asperger’s syndrome, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

Probably we have forgotten this ancient method of increasing memory power but the West is now using is very diligently and they are recommending this posture or exercise to treat many a diseases.

Read More

Put a limit..

Not every day is same in ones life. There are high's and then there are lows and between these we need to manage ourselves. This applies for the mood , energy level among other things and then the most important, money.
We keep growing with time and with it, our social levels. They keep changing, mostly for the better, We get used to better life and better things, so much so, that, sometimes, we simply refuse to adjust to the same level, we had once comfortably lived. Not that I want anyone to do that, or should do that. Its always good to grow with time and never have a chance to see the lows again. But then the main question in my mind, is whether the rate at which the living standards are changing, are we able to match that rate.

We have in a short time, graduated from going walking to bike and then to car. Can we manage going back to using buses ? What if the rules and the laws of the land make sure that you do. Will you be comfortable ? The excessive use of personal vehicles, has become such an issue, that, we may soon find rules that prohibit us from using them further. Not to mention the environment impact.

We are used to eating out regularly. The days of eating at home , own cooked food, are diminishing with every passing day. Cooks come home to cook food. Still the frequency of eating out has not come down. Again, whats the cost of eating outside each time ? Has it been limited to a level its acceptable, or has it crossed your limit. There are limits for everyone. But then, if you spend say 1000/- per person in India for lunch or dinner, its still on the higher side. But then most of us can easily afford it. But then, does it justify it. Not for me. I would be at peace for a 400/- or a 500/- dinner bill, which would give me a value for money and decent ambiance. Definitely not a extravagant food bill, in the name of exclusivity. Off course there are occasions where you need to spend this and should be done, but justify the occasion.

The latest fad in town are nothing but Mobile phones and tablets. I somehow just cannot believe that we need to spend such an amount for a phone. Till the time, we were talking within 5000-6000/- it was acceptable for me. But 40k to 50k for a phone. Just not something that I can think of within my normal frame of mind. Yes, I can afford it, but does it need to be ? I really dont think so. As long as a phone costing 10k or less than that, makes sure that all my necessities are taken care of, I am fine. I dont need to show the world that I have the latest gadgets. I know, what I need and I need to be content with what I want and what I have. Thats the limit one should throw on one self. Not for others.

Live a good life. You never know, what happens tomorrow. Good or bad , but live happily and be at peace. And peace is not found in material possessions. Dont grow too fast in your standard of living. Live in a good atmosphere. But know your limits... Thats the key to happiness. Live for your self and for your people, not competing with others.

Read More

Identity...

I would often snatch the Identity cards of my colleagues in office and pretend to throw them away and laugh out "There goes your identity" without really understanding what it really meant. I always took it as a joke and so did the others. After going through this TED talk by Mittal Patel, I realized the very value of an Identity Card.
My first Identity card was during my school days. It was not mandatory to have one. But then it was a necessity for those students who would take the bus, to avail the 50% discount, which was applicable for students. Looking back, I wonder, couldnt they see the uniforms which we were wearing. But then no, even for a simple bus ticket concession, a document called an Identity card was required. Mandatory.

This TED talk, essentially highlights the basic needs of a human being, to live with a authority, that one is indeed a citizen of the country and not just a person who lives here. And that something, somewhere draws the line between a Citizen and a tourist. This simple card gives you the authority and the privilege today to use even the basic of the services, all thanks to the terrorists for the stricter laws. In the bargain, who loses? The same simple people, who didnt need all these to prove to others that they do exist and have an identity.

As simple as it may sound, but the depth of the impact, is still not something, that I am able to fathom.

With the advent of Aadhar card, which has promised to give an Identity to the countless folks who dont have a mechanism to get a Voters ID or anything comparable, this should give them a new leash of life.

Its after listening to such talks and such selfless sacrifice of personal life, only to instill a sense of living for the otherwise under privileged, raises the question mark, as to what am I doing ? Is there something which I can do? Yes, definitely. Just need to get out of your comfort zone and do you little bit. And I promise, I will do my little bit sooner than I had planned.

Dont forget to listen to the talk at the following location
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w8cZ2iJARPM

Read More

Monsoon Magic..

Inspired by the title in the newspaper today, I thought that it was a good to have a small post on the weather I love the most. Monsoons.
Looking out of my window, the sounds of winds and the flutter that they cause, just bring out the adrenaline in me. The thought that, just take the bike with the camera on the long drive. The feel of the gushing rains, hitting you directly in your eyes, such that, you are unable to see whats ahead, is only experienced by a few.

Initial part of my life being spend in the coastal regions of Goa and Manipal, and where the luxuries which prevent us from enjoying the raw nature, had eluded us, only helping to reach a realm, which can only be experienced and cant be told. The sheer speed with which we would ride on the end-point road in Manipal, especially when it would rain incessantly, can only be remembered and not really experience them again.

The numerous pictures that I took in the monsoon, using my Nikon FM10 film camera, to risk the film as well as the camera, was very small, compared to the pictures that were captured and makes me relive those days. Do we get those days again... Sitting in the hostel blocks with the bakwas mandali ever present in the room, making plans to do something, which we haven't done.. and then zeroing down to one and going for it. That had made our lives in Manipal so eventful and the days... which we had felt like, sand slipping from your hands, the more we held it together..

A few pictures in the picturesque coorg.

Read More

Masoom - One of my favourite song..

One of my all time favourite song from the Movie Masoom -

Read More

Patterns...

Just a thought came in - We all have patterns in which we think and the way we do and implement things. Not sure I can and am capable to get into the details.. but just thought to have my random thoughts documented. Its more linked with my experiences especially with my writing and photography.

When we were kids, I still remember that we were given books to practice the alphabets, with dotted cursive handwriting, if I can say so. So the entire class or for that matter whoever used those set of books always would draw the alphabets in the same cursive manner, and consequently we all should theoretically  have the same handwriting. But then studies show that, no two handwriting's are same. The inference here is that, we are all taught to 'copy' when we are all young, still, each of us, has his/her own individuality.

There was a time when I used to copy the pictures from the famous photographers and try and click the same whenever I see a similar composition. But then , when my friend, Deepak Dwivedi, (who is currently working in the film industry), saw my pics, he could see a pattern in them and also the fact that, there is something in those pictures, which says that, those are clicked by me.
Recently when he read my blog and read what I do write, he again could find a similarity , rather a relation of pattern in my photography and my writing. But to be frank, I havent been able to find the similarity between these two fields for my work. But studying the underlying facts of handwriting analysis, there should always be something unique of a person in whatever he does. The patterns should match.... and that reflects one's self..

When one listens to music composed by RD Burman, one can easily make out that the composition is done by him and also that of many musicians. Today as I was writing this blog, was listening to a concert which was organised after the demise of the great Jagjit singh, and many renowned singers tried to sing his ghazals. But no, no one could even come close to what the master has sung.....

Read More