Neeru's Corner

Valentine's Special - From the extracts of "The Alchemist"

2012-02-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked, when they had made camp that day.

“Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.”

“But my heart is agitated,” the boy said. “It has its dreams, it gets emotional, and it’s become passionate over a woman of the desert. It asks things of me, and it keeps me from sleeping many nights, when I’m thinking about her.”

“Well, that’s good. Your heart is alive. Keep listening to what it has to say.”

“My heart is a traitor,” the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. “It doesn’t want me to go on."

“That makes sense. Naturally it’s afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you’ve won.”

“Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?”

“Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. ”

“You mean I should listen, even if it’s treasonous?”

“Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you’ll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them.

“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”

Women Power - Breaking invisible barriers to realize dormant potential

2012-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Amongst the numerous things that fascinated me a month back in Udaipur, the historic capital of the Mewar Dynasty (I had made a quick visit to the astounding City Palace - built by Maharana Udai Singh - sitting in all its majesty on a hilltop overlooking the marvelous Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace), the ones that caught my attention the most were the Zanana Chambers (segregated chambers built for women) and the various paintings showing women behind screens and inside chambers. They stood in stark contrast to the celebration of the strength, might and power that the 'men' stood for. I came into the airport a few hours later and came across an article in Forbes India that listed the 100 most powerful women this year. Couldn't help my mind drifting into thoughts around how the role played by women in society has evolved over the centuries and more significantly, what it would take to tap into this huge reservoir of unrealised potential.

Over a period of time, my perception of women and their role in society has changed quite dramatically. There were times at school when boys and girls used to engage in the 'battle of the sexes' trying to prove the futility of the existence of the other sex to eachother (now, how cruel could that be!). There were times a decade later when the 'feminist' movement became stronger in cities like Delhi demanding 'equal rights' and equality in treatment. In the years to come, I have seen them play that 'complementary' as well as 'independent' role in every walk of life (family, society, corporate, politics, academics) - providing leadership where necessary and providing that critical balance in family for men to operate at other times.
I am writing this note as I realize with every interaction that this immense potential in a large percentage of women today still remains dormant and slowly fades away without being realized. Let me start with what I have learnt from the various kinds of women I have seen, interacted and heard about.

1) Working closely the last few years with the players in the Microfinance industry, I understood partially the basis of this enormous strength in the Microfinance model - women. While the industry itself may be in doldrums today, there are a lot of learnings that can be taken away. There are 30 million borrowers today in the country availing Microfinance loans and more than 95% of these borrowers are women. All Microfinance Institutions in India and most of them globally (with the exception of a few who also have men) as a rule work almost solely with women. The model is so well understood and appreciated today that none of the new institutions even spend time questioning this rationale. Having spent time in various villages interacting with numerous rural women (old and young) who are part of Self Help Groups and Joint Liability Groups, and looking at their male counterparts, I realize why.

2) My own experience with women labour at home - be it the maid, the cook or the nanny. To me, they characterize what people with single-minded dedication can achieve. Most of these women are those who are willing to work all kinds of extended hours and stretch themselves to the hilt to make sure that their children can go to school and do not suffer ignominiously like their parents. Mind you, it is not making the two ends meet that they are most concerned about. The ability to fight against all kinds of odds with unparalleled grit and determination comes from this single-minded focus on the goal of educating their children and making them successful. Whenever I find youngsters today immersed excessively in various kinds of distractions with easy access to money, I remind myself the virtue of setting goals and working towards them. While your maid or cook could be examples, there are scores of women out there who exemplify what men and women are capable of achieving when one is working towards a goal, how priorities automatically get assigned in one's life, how you start looking for those distractions that help you achieve your goals.

3) My wife, and mothers - seeing within close quarters what it is like to be a mother and take up the full-time responsibility of raising a child. I have seen other women who have otherwise been perceived as nonproductive and wasteful become more efficient and productive naturally and purely by virtue of this transformation in role. Not only does one begin to manage one's time better, but one tends to become more assertive and oriented towards results and outcomes rather than the process. It is a fabulous management lesson on how a person transforms as soon as they take up a larger role with ownership, responsibility and accountability coming naturally to them. In short, they end up imbibing all the qualities that would be considered fantastic to have in the typical corporate world.

4) My experience with women in the Corporate world.

Entire Corporate World is full of examples of women who have made it big notwithstanding the numerous challenges of motherhood, gender bias

etc.https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Organization/Talent/A_business_case_for_women_2192

5) Women in politics and activism: While there are numerous examples of women who have held positions of power, the three women musketeers today of Indian State politics (the leaders of UP, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) are fantastic examples of the immense power and influence that women can wield.

Senseless Scribbling

2012-01-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

We may be apart but we still bind with an unseen force,
Like moon and sun we are, like water and sky, like waves and ocean
We may be poles apart, we may be like parallel lines with no defined destination
Yet I am sure we will meet some where........
Somewhere where there are no norms and where free birds soar to the heights in the sky
We will meet somewhere where being lone does not hurt
Where feeling and emotions are valued much more than rules and regulations of society
Where there is no religion, no caste, no creed, where there is serenity, where divine is soul and where there is - JUST YOU and JUST ME! :)

An Aimless Wanderer

2011-11-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

So many dark allies
So many dead ends
Ways around and above
All roads leading nowhere
But the same place
Returning where I started
Crossing roads
Going backwards
Going forwards
Doubting the end of it all
Finding no redemption for my soul
Stomping on my footsteps again
Repeating the same lame scene
Shouldering countless years of repression
Following that stupid trace of humanity
There is still in me

I am - an Aimless Wanderer - Gustavo Lucas Luna

My Best Shots - Banaras

2011-11-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Looking Within

2011-11-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

There are times when I want solace - solace from life, from relationships, from mundane affairs of life. There are times when I want to go back to my mother's lap and curl like a new born who just needs her care and warmth....when I want to be like a baby and forget the world, but I cannot as I am no more an infant. The best way to find solace is to - "Look Within".

Now what do I mean by 'looking within' ? Looking within could mean looking for the answers which one constantly seeks from oneself. It could be a reflection of various events which have happened in the past or which happen in life. It might mean 'looking for some state of consciousness'. It could also mean an attainment of spiritual bliss or harmony between ones mind and heart. Your inner self is a vast ocean and there are treasures which a person seeks.

As far as I am concerned, it is creating an awareness about oneself. I believe that there is a world out there...deep inside, within oneself (as much as there is a world outside) that comes alive with thoughts and experiences whenever you care to spend time and listen to it. When one seeks this inner world, one gains the joy of knowing things that are inexplicable and one tends to attain clarity from within.

Don't give somebody your mind, give them your heart - Christopher Lowman

2011-10-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

A great article written by Christopher Lowman. Read it to understand what it takes to interact :)

In every interaction you have with another human being - doesn’t matter who - you always have two main choices. (The keyword is choice.)

One choice usually leads to logical interaction, politeness, formalities. And, more importantly, a lack of connectivity.The other usually leads to interesting discussion, love, aliveness, friendship, gift giving. And connectivity.

In every interaction you are either giving somebody else your mind - your intellect, your intelligent points, the who/what/where/when/why of your existence.This is the easy thing to do. The safe thing to do. It doesn’t require much, if any, emotional strength or really expose who you are. In this way, you can hide from other (or from your self, depending on how you look at it) and not risk rejection by not even giving somebody the chance to reject you.

Or, you are giving somebody your heart - the real you, your presence, your true attention.This is the hard thing to do. The risky thing to do. It involves an enormous amount of emotional strength.It entails entering the present moment. And it entails pushing through the challenging and stifling fear of doing so.Instead of thinking about what to say or do, you let your inwardly felt experience inform your words and actions toward other.

Think about how often you self censor and hit the mute button. Why? Why not just assume that what you have to say is valuable, even if it comes out not so smooth? Then maybe you say next, “oh, that was lame” and then laugh.

It’s this kind of moment-to-moment truthfulness that is required.It’s so easy to practice because you always know what to say or do in any interaction with somebody else. The problem is having the courage to act on it.

Isn’t it time to feel less anxious and less alone and less unfulfilled? It might not be.If it is, it takes practice. Practice being comfortable with being uncomfortable and constantly choosing to flow freely instead of think. Choose wisely.!

Cerebrations

2011-09-28T10:13:00.000-07:00

Take chances in life
Tell the truth
Learn to say NO gently and sometimes firmly
Spend your money on the things you love
Get to know someone random
Say I love you to someone in life
Feel the true love
Tell the idiot how he/she hurts you
Scold someone who deserves it
Laugh till your stomach pains
Dance even if you are bad at it
Pose stupidly for photos
Get drunk for a while
Be naughty like a child
Gaze at stars in the night
Sit alone, watch the rain and cry
See the tides in the ocean all alone on the shore
Listen to the silence - it has much to say
Go on a long vacation
Tell your family and friends you need them
Help a blind man/woman cross the road
Do things which you are scared of
Watch a child grow
Help someone to study
Forgive someone today
Keep conversations going even if they are futile
Listen to someone in need
Be bold enough to accept the defeat
Stand for what you think is right
Don't allow people to underestimate you
Stop blaming people
Learn from your mistakes
Give a smile to someone today
Clean you locality
Go to an orphanage
Give someone hug when they need it and make sure you get many too
Question the existence of life

Live, Love and Laugh for all the pleasure and pain in life!

Forever Friends - From Alka's Kitty

2011-09-26T03:39:00.000-07:00

I'll listen to your past in the dead of night

I'll stay with you until it gets light
I'll hold your hands while you face your nightmares
I'll be the one who will always care
Forever I'll be your friend.

I'll stay with you until the end
I'm always here, I'll help you fly
I'd fight for you until I die
For my death is better than seeing you cry
Forever will I stay your friend.

For every heartbreak, I'll be there to mend
I'm your helping hand and forever I'll be at your side
With me you would never wonder if I cheated or lied
But forever I shall remain your friend
Forever and ever until the end.

When I was not Blogging!! (Canon 1000 D)

2011-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted

2011-08-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,

The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before

Now become labor some events of will.

Weariness invades your spirit.

Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.

The ride you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.

At first your thinking will darken
And sadness takes over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.

You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.
Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart

And the joy that dwells far within slows time.

Die Slowly - Pablo Neruda

2011-06-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

He who becomes the slave of habit,
who follows the same routes every day,
who never changes pace,
who does not risk and change the color of his clothes,
who does not speak and does not experience, dies slowly.

He or she who shuns passion,
who prefers black on white,
dotting ones “i’s” rather than a bundle of emotions,
the kind that make your eyes glimmer,
that turn a yawn into a smile,
that make the heart pound
in the face of mistakes and feelings, dies slowly.

He or she who does not turn things topsy-turvy,
who is unhappy at work,
who does not risk certainty for uncertainty,
to thus follow a dream,
those who do not forego sound advice
at least once in their lives, die slowly

He who does not travel,
who does not read,
who does not listen to music,
who does not find grace in himself, dies slowly.

He who slowly destroys his own self-esteem,
who does not allow himself to be helped,
who spends days on end complaining about his own bad luck,
about the rain that never stops, dies slowly.

He or she who abandon a project before starting it,
who fail to ask questions on subjects he doesn’t know,
he who don’t reply when they are asked something they do know, die slowly.

Let’s try and avoid death in small doses,
always reminding oneself that being alive
requires an effort by far
greater than the simple fact of breathing.

Only a burning patience will lead to the attainment
of a splendid happiness.

Read more on Pablo Neruda

Ten Requirements Gathering Techniques

2011-06-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

The BABoK (Business Analyst Body of Knowledge) lists 10 techniques for gathering requirements. Here’s an overview of each one.
1. Brainstorming
2. Document Analysis
3. Focus Group
4. Interface Analysis
5. Interview
6. Observation
7. Prototyping
8. Requirements Workshop
9. Reverse Engineering
10. Survey

1. Brainstorming : Brainstorming is used in requirements elicitation to get as many ideas as possible from a group of people. Generally used to identify possible solutions to problems, and clarify details of opportunities. Brainstorming casts a wide net, identifying many different possibilities. Prioritization of those possibilities is important to finding the needles in the haystack.

2. Document Analysis : Reviewing the documentation of an existing system can help when creating AS-IS process documents, as well as driving gap analysis for scoping of migration projects. In an ideal world, we would even be reviewing the requirements that drove creation of the existing system – a starting point for documenting current requirements. Nuggets of information are often buried in existing documents that help us ask questions as part of validating requirement completeness.

3. Focus Group : A focus group is a gathering of people who are representative of the users or customers of a product to get feedback. The feedback can be gathered about needs / opportunities / problems to identify requirements, or can be gathered to validate and refine already elicited requirements. This form of market research is distinct from brainstorming in that it is a managed process with specific participants. There is danger in “following the crowd”, and some people believe focus groups are at best ineffective. One risk is that we end up with the lowest common denominator features.

4. Interface Analysis : Interfaces for a software product can be human or machine. Integration with external systems and devices is just another interface. User centric design approaches are very effective at making sure that we create usable software. Interface analysis – reviewing the touch points with other external systems – is important to make sure we don’t overlook requirements that aren’t immediately visible to users.

5. Interview : Interviews of stakeholders and users are critical to creating the great software. Without understanding the goals and expectations of the users and stakeholders, we are very unlikely to satisfy them. We also have to recognize the perspective of each interviewee, so that we can properly weigh and address their inputs. Like a great reporter, listening is the skill that helps a great analyst to get more value from an interview than an average analyst.

6. Observation : The study of users in their natural habitats is what observation is about. By observing users, an analyst can identify a process flow, awkward steps, pain points and opportunities for improvement. Observation can be passive or active (asking questions while observing). Passive observation is better for getting feedback on a prototype (to refine requirements), where active observation is more effective at getting an understanding of an existing business process. Either approach can be used to uncover implicit requirements that otherwise might go overlooked.

7. Prototyping : Prototypes can be very effective at gathering feedback. Low fidelity prototypes can be used as an active listening tool. Often, when people can not articulate a particular need in the abstract, they can quickly assess if a design approach would address the need. Prototypes are most efficiently done with quick sketches of interfaces and storyboards. Prototypes are even being used as the “official requirements” in some situations.

8. Requirements Workshop: More commonly known as a joint application design (JAD) session, workshops can be very effective for gathering requirements. More structured than a brainstorming session, involved parties collaborate to document requirements. One way to capture the collaboration is with creation of domain-model artifacts (like static diagrams, activity diagrams). A workshop will be more effective with two analysts than with one, where a facilitator and a scribe work together.

9. Reverse Engineering : Is this a starting point or a last resort? When a migration project does not have access to sufficient documentation of the existing system, reverse engineering will identify what the system does. It will not identify what the system should do, and will not identify when the system does the wrong thing.

10. Survey : When collecting information from many people – too many to interview with budget and time constraints – a survey or questionnaire can be used. The survey can force users to select from choices, rate something (“Agree Strongly, Agree…”), or have open ended questions allowing free-form responses. Survey design is hard – questions can bias the respondents. Don’t assume that you can create a survey on your own, and get meaningful insight from the results. I would expect that a well designed survey would provide qualitative guidance for characterizing the market. It should not be used for prioritization of features or requirements.

Source : By Scott Sehlhorst

Drippiness

2011-05-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

The road doesn’t seem to end at all. It seems to be full of obstacles. I am moving ahead and further more. Sometimes the road seems to be like LIFE. One keeps moving and is totally caught unaware of accidents likewise life.

As one keeps moving one meets people- spend moments and bundles of joy, grief with them and later call it a day off. I somehow don’t want to trust this fallacy but that is the reality somehow - you meet, you greet and later call it a day off. How brutal and how unfortunate can be this be!

The Best Ever Bday Gift :)

2011-05-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

23rd May, 2011

Keeping friends - From Paulo Coelho's Blog

2011-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

When she was eleven years old, Anita went to her mother to complain.

“I can’t manage to have friends. They all stay away from me.”

Her mother was taking care of newly-born chickens and Anita held up one of them, which immediately tried to escape.The more the girl squeezed it in her hands, the more the chicken struggled.

Her mother said: “try holding it gently.”Anita obeyed her. She opened her hands and the chicken stopped struggling.She began to stroke it and the chicken cuddled up between her fingers.

“Human beings are like that too,” said her mother. “If you want to hold onto them by any means, they escape. But if you are kind to them, they will remain for ever by your side.”

Ordinary People

2011-01-28T00:56:00.000-08:00

Walking on the road, you pass so many people.Some look confident, purposeful, well-dressed, and well-maintained. But the majority appear so ordinary, wear ill-fitting clothes, unfashionable footwear, have too much fat or too little, nothing remarkable about them, nothing attractive.

But yet someone somewhere eagerly waits for this unimpressive man to come home every evening.
Some one's entire world turns around the strength of this frail-looking woman.
Some one's very purpose in life hinges on this brash youngster cutting through traffic.
Someone knows only the shelter of these old arms each time their world begins to crumble.
Someone will count hours, minutes, and weep like a child when this pock-marked face alights from a long-distance train.
Someone will cave in, crack up, and never be the same again if this one person disappears from the face of the world.

There are no ordinary people...

Are Investors Ready to Ride the Third Wave of Indian Microfinance?

2010-12-13T04:35:00.000-08:00

If the sector tides over the current crisis, in the next few months we could see a Third Wave of Microfinance.

How things change. Less than two months ago the Indian Microfinance industry was riding the crest of a wave, and excitement was palpable among industry stakeholders. Today, the sector is under attack, the almost miraculously reliable flows of repayment down to a trickle, and that of institutional credit virtually dry. And yet, we believe – maybe we are counter-intuitive investment advisers, maybe we are simply incorrigible optimists – that the sector could be on the point of return to a better balance between its commercial and social bottom-lines: a Third Wave. For more details - Read

Yes, it is worth it - Paulo Coelho's blog

2010-12-07T00:15:00.000-08:00

Life is like a big bike race where the goal is to fulfill you personal legend.

At the start, we are riding together, sharing the camaraderie and enthusiasm. But as the race progresses, the initial joy gives way to the real challenges: tiredness, monotony and doubts about our own abilities.

We notice that some have withdrawn. They are still running, but only because they cannot stop in the middle of a road. They are numerous, pedaling alongside the support car, talking to each other and performing only their obligations.

Eventually we distance ourselves from them and we are forced to face the loneliness and the surprises of the unknown curves with the bikes. And after a while, we begin to wonder if it’s worth the effort.

Yes, it is worth it. Just don’t quit.

Learnings

2010-11-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have learned that complaining does not solve any problem.
I have learned that acceptance to the things you can't change actually makes your life comfortable.
I have learned that at times its OK to just be with yourself.
I have learned that it is OK to cry at times.
I have learned that nobody in this world is perfect.
I have learned that doing small things for people make a difference.
I have learned that however serious mistake one commits there's always a scope for improvement.
I have learned that when you hurt others you yourself are hurt much more in return.
I have learned that in a bad day it's difficult to smile but still one can try.
I have learned that however hard you try you cannot do everything alone - you will need help.
I have learned at times it’s OK to say Sorry for the things which you never did.
I have learned that your parents are "your parents"; nothing can replace them.
I have learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow!

Love for Animals

2010-10-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

I think I could turn and live with animals,
they are so placid and self contained, quite and equal.

I stand and look at them long and long.
they don't sweat and whine about their condition,

They don't awake at the in dark and weep for their sins,
They don't make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented,
with the mania of owing things.

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind
that lived thousands of years ago.

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. ---- Walt Whitman

Meet God ;)

2010-10-08T05:16:00.000-07:00

I want my son to become Sachin Tendulkar." -Brian Lara(WI)
''V did nt lose 2 a team calld India, v lost 2 a man calld Sachin'' -Mark Taylor(aus)
'Nothin bad cn happn 2 us if v were on a plane in India wit Sachin Tendulkar on it.'' -Hashim Amla(SA)
''He cn play tht leg glance wit a walkin stick also.'' -Waqar Younis(Pak)
''Thr r 2 kind f batsmn in wrld. 1 Sachin Tendulkar nd 1 al the othrs.''-Andy Flowr(ZIM)
"I have seen god. He bats at no.4 for india in tests."-Matthew Hayden(AUS.)
"I c myself whn i c Sachin battin."-Don Bradman(AUS)
"Do ur crime whn Sachin is battin, bcos evn God is busy watchin his battin."-Australian Fan

Pass it to all livin legnd's fans.
"Sachin Tendulkar", awarded the ICC cricketer of the year :D

Courtesy: Fwd mail

Childlike Behaviour

2010-10-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

I was wondering if I can post few a lines on this topic. Marveling if I can make people realize that there is nothing wrong behaving like a child unless one knows where to draw the boundary and realize when and where to act in a matured manner.

Many a times I have been told that I behave like a child. Yes I do. But my retort to them is -I might have behaved in such a manner at times- that does not conclude anything about me. To know a person in and out one needs to spend an adequate amount of time. Even if I behave child like at some situations I know where to draw a line and show maturity. I have realized that our childhood stays with us forever irrespective of our age.

Childlike behavior helps one to be pure at heart and think simple in life and simplicity is always a wonderful thing. I know, I am growing fast or may be forced to grow up faster but I can't complain. Life takes you where you need to be and I don't mind taking on responsibilities. I know my child-like tendencies aren't on the extreme level. I still love to make people laugh with my stupid jokes or make them feel comfortable in my company. I can’t just pretend to be a snob.

Most people think that people who behave child like can’t take responsibilities in life. And I do feel bad for such kind of people because there is nothing wrong with relaxing a bit and acting like you did when you were a child. Acting like that is not maturity though but I can assure that acting like a child at occasions might keep one younger for long, more refreshed and energized. More like life is easier to deal with... Just like childhood.

So what is wrong in being child like???

Seeking closure for promises unkept - BY DOMINIQUE JAMES

2010-09-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

I read an article from some where and found interesting. May have meaning and depth attached. Here it goes.

A promise, a simple promise at that, is far different from a legally binding contractual obligation. A promise is a word exchanged between two or more parties, and even if only to one’s self, idealized or spoken with the truthful and good intent of fulfilling it at a certain date. A promise is one that is usually made on a deeply personal level.
A contract, on the other hand, is a signed and attested document that states an agreement between two or more parties who may be involved, in the fulfillment of a deal, usually and typically in a business scenario. A contract is often made between persons representing business or legal entities, largely detached from a personal standpoint.

Both a promise and a contract involves a certain degree of commitment to fulfill the terms of what has been understood and agreed upon. However, I differentiate between a promise and a contract because, no matter the scale, a promise virtually entails no consequence other than one’s bothersome conscience and the breakdown of relationships between those involved, while a contract will certainly cover a set of harsh negative punishments among individuals within the legal parties.

I would like to talk about a promise, not a contract. While both promises and contracts have been dealt with extensively, I’d like to add my take on the word “promise.”

About three months ago, somebody made me a bright promise. It was the kind of promise that was, well, promising. That promise made me happy. It is the kind that propped me up in a major way. The one who made me the promise sounded so very sincere, and I believed it—wholeheartedly, in fact. There was no reason why I should ever doubt. Every single word said made perfect sense, and therefore, I was convinced. Was I blinded? Did the glitter of the promise make me not see the impossibility of the promise?

Well, in my judgement, I trusted the person who delivered that promise, and I held on to it. As a matter of fact, I worked very hard and delivered my end of the bargain, not only to show my sincerity, but to make clear to the other person that I take the promise seriously and was looking forward to its fulfillment. In other words, I fostered all the right conditions and I’ve delivered everything needed to deliver so that when the right time comes, when it is ripe, I can collect on that promise.

The promise made to me was categorically unfulfilled. And I was devastated. In fact, I’m trying to recover from it. I don’t quite know how, but I’m sure I will. There is always a way out of it, that much at least I know.

This is not the first time that I have been on the receiving end of an unfulfilled promise. There have been countless times before when promises made to me have gone unfulfilled. Most of them I have forgotten, consigned to the dustbin of memory, but there are quite a few that still lingers to this day, no matter how much I try to forget them.

Because I believe that all promises are sacred, at least, that’s how I have come to view it, I do my best to always fulfill whatever promise I make. As a matter of fact, I have a running list in my mind of all the promises I’ve made, and I will deliver upon that promise. Right now, there are about less than a dozen promises I have yet to keep. And each day, I inch towards the fulfillment of each one of those promises. Perhaps it is not hyperbole to state that I will move heaven, earth and even hell, to make sure that when the right time comes, I will fulfill the promises I’ve made. For one thing, it will not do me any good not to keep them.

I will be the first to admit that promises can be very hard to keep. And I’ve left unfilled a few promises myself. In fact, I must categorically say that there have been quite a few that I have regretted not fulfilling, which I’ve long ago apologized for and paid for dearly. But most often, because of certain circumstances, it takes me a little longer than usual to fulfill it. Since I value the trust of those whom I’ve given my promise to, there is nothing for me to do but to do it. In the same way, I value the trust I invest on those who made promises to me as well. If nothing else, I operate, and we all operate, on a complex set of promises based on varying trust and respect for each other.

If you come to think of it, there are promises, many, many promises in fact, that can actually be left unfulfilled, and I don’t mind it at all. These are the kind of small promises that doesn’t impact our lives, yours and mine, in any way. But then, there are promises that may look small, and yet, we are captive to its powerful sway.

As a rational person, I see that promises can be neatly categorized—one that can be done or not done without any grave consequence, and one that, if not done, can result to devastating consequences not only on a personal level but on so many other levels where things can literally tumble down quickly like in a domino.

Perhaps, people are generally unaware that when they make a promise, they don’t quite understand its consequence. They could, in fact, be totally unaware of the gravity of their promise, and so, are unable to distinguish between the promises that should be kept as opposed to promises can be let alone and forgotten.

We all have our own little ways of dealing with, and surviving, promises—both stated and expected. But no matter how we do it, it’s really the big ones that get to us. Yes, in both terms stated, and expected.

In the end, a promise that is given, and a promise that is unfulfilled, is open-ended. It is a state that doesn’t have a closure. And for all intents and purposes, that’s all we really need: closure.

I want to go back to the time

2010-08-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

When innocence was natural, not fake
When getting high meant on a swing , not promotions
When drinking meant rasna orange, not beer or whiskey
When dad was the only hero, not Tom or Brad
When love was Mom's hug, not the girl/boy friends
When Dad's shoulder was the highest place on earth and not your destination
When your worst enemies were your siblings and not your best friend
When the only thing that could hurt were bleeding knees, not the tears falling down your cheeks
When the only things broken were toys, not the dying hearts
And When good byes meant TILL TOMORROW, not for YEAR and YEARS...

Courtesy - Alka :)

Understanding terminologies related to Business - Part 2

2010-07-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Workflow Vs. Plug-in - MSCRM

Workflow Defined:
A workflow can be defined as sets of logical rules that define the steps necessary to automate specific business processes, tasks or sets of actions to be performed on Microsoft Dynamics CRM records.

Main characteristics of workflows are:

Workflows can be created via CRM user interface without using any code
Workflows can be run manually or automatically. The automatic running of workflows is based on several data modification events.
They always run asynchronously.
Workflow rules are entity specific.
The state and stage of a workflow instance can be viewed within the CRM user interface by any CRM user with appropriate permissions.
Workflows are meant to orchestrate a "long" running process that consists of several steps.
Workflows can be imported and exported from one system to another.

Plug-in Defined
A plug-in is .Net code that is registered on the CRM server. A plug-in assembly can be registered for one or more steps – these steps correspond to the combination of the message (event), entity and stage.An example of a step would be creating message for the account entity on the pre-event stage. Registration of the assembly and steps is part of the plug-in deployment process and there is no direct user interaction with plug-in.

Main characteristics of plug-ins are:

Plug-ins have to be written as .Net code.
They have to be registered in CRM via tools in the SDK.(Software Develpment Kit)
They cannot run manually.
Plug-in can run on more events than can workflow rules. An example is that a plug-in can run on data retrieval and not just modification events.
They can run either synchronously or asynchronously.
Plug-ins are meant for more granular operations.
Plug-ins can neither be imported nor exported.

The Awesome Duo :)

2010-07-21T01:13:00.000-07:00

Expressions/Thoughts

2010-07-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

In the abyss of darkness, I see streaks of light flickering at a distance from my window. Right now, sleep seems to have taken a back seat from my eyes. I have somehow noticed – rain and particularly silence around me gives me a motivation to analyze and think about the intricacy of life. They are some how stimulants for my writing. Air in the room is fresh and there is a relief from the scorching heat of the sun. I can hear a melancholy of silence being fused with the rattling of wheels of the train passing through tracks at a far of place. I see absolute blackness in the sky and when I look at it from my window I get mesmerized with the stars and moon. Far in the sky, I can see a solitary star twinkling by itself in the limitless sky - secluded, speechless and I some how know that star belongs to me and is talking to me.

It’s trying to prove its essence in the world. But it cannot articulate or express its thoughts like us. Its sheer presence in itself is its expression. Whereas we can express but we don't use our faculties when we really should. Many a times it so happens that what we think we fail to articulate the thought to other person(s). I can understand how important expressions/thoughts are for human beings only if they are/were understood well by people. - Life would have been much easier. :)

This one is for you daddy.....Happy Father's Day :)

2010-06-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

He's rough and lacks in etiquette,

Society would say.

He has no classy attributes,
To help him on his way.

He's not a fancy dresser,
And he's not so trimmed and neat.
With simple clothes and simple shoes,
He wears upon his feet.

He doesn't belong to a club,
Or drive a shiny car.
And when he takes vacations,
He does not go very far.

He doesn't dine on fine cuisine,
To him home made food is a big treat.
And he may use his small hands,
When it is time to eat.

He has a modest little house,
But has all that he needs.
He keeps his garden cut nice and short,
He even trims his weeds.

He's well versed in poetry,
Theater and the arts.
And speech is something,
That he constantly imparts.

He loves the simple things in life,
For riches doesn't thirst.
He knows what is important,
And his family is put first.

The wealth that God has given him,
To treasure in his life.
Loving daughters,
And a very special wife.

He never has much money,
And his life is not a show.
But he is still the richest man,
That I will ever know.

To others he's a complex, ruthless and straight forward man,
And fame he's never had.
But he's the greatest man I know,
He also is my Dad

Author - Unknown

Understanding terminologies related to Business Part -1

2010-06-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

TECH TALK : Difference between Functional Consultant and Business Analyst

It appears that one uses the term 'Functional Consultant' when one needs to customize existing applications/products that are large such as an ERP or a CRM. And a Business Analyst would be required when one designs and develops a module/system/application from scratch by understanding the business and its systems.

A Business Analyst is typically a 'sector expert' - someone who has spent time in the industry vertical before getting into the IT domain to do Business Analysis. For example, if some one moves from Financial Services/Banking into IT, he/she could be a Business Analyst focused on the Banking and Financial Services (BFS) domain. Similarly, if someone has spent a lot of time in the Automobile industry or in general the Manufacturing Industry, he could fit into the role of a Business Analyst for that domain quite easily. While one may not always find Business Analysts who are specialists from that industry/domain, one would expect to.

However, a Functional Consultant is expected to have a very good understanding of the product - an ERP system such as SAP or a Customer Relationship Management system such as MS CRM. Their understanding of the product and its modules help them in customizing it to companies in various domains.

Role of a Functional Consultant in an End To End Implementation:

1. A functional consultant is expected to generate knowledge about the current business process, design current business flows, study current business processes and its complication - in all we can say that this is getting through with the current business setup. Flow diagrams are prepared- all this forms the part of the AS IS document.

2. Everything configured has to be documented according to their categories in the form of predefined templates; these then have to be approved by the team leads or who ever the consultant is reporting to.

3. Mapping and GAP analysis is done for each module.

4. Before starting configuring future business processes in SAP, the DFDs/ERDs are prepared, this documentation is called TO BE, which can be also said as the result of mapping and gap analysis.

5. Sometimes Functional consultants are also expected to prepare test scripts for testing the configured scenarios. Testing may also include Unit testing, System Integration Testing, Performance Testing, User Acceptance Testing, Regression Testing or any client specific software testing.

6. A configuration document showing all the setting done by the consultant is also comes under the area of role & responsibilities of consultant.

7. End user manual and user training is also expected from Functional Consultants.

8. Updation of project status to Project Manager & other concerned persons.

9. Interaction with core team members, end users & other team members.

10. A Functional consultant has to be a good communicator he has to communicate with Customer ERP core team, implementing team, Technical consultant and his project leader.

The Fallacy of Togetherness - Osh

2010-06-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

Make friends with them who is on the path at least as much as you are. If they do not take you forward, at least they do not become a reason to move you backward on your quest. If this is not possible, just walk alone. The companionship of fools is not good. Remember one thing, you have come alone in this world and will leave this world alone. The togetherness ideal is just a way to make you feel better. That is why it is important to learn the art of solitude. In the company of a person who has gone deeper into themselves, you will feel their company as well as solitude.

Crowds are formed by people who are focused on the external. It’s a miracle to see that there are no crowds to be seen when you are with people who are focused in and within themselves. If ten internally focused individuals are sitting in a room, it is not that there are ten internally focused individuals sitting. It is each individual sitting by themselves, thereby not forming a crowd.

Internally focused people don’t make bridges to the outside. If there are ten externally focused people sitting, there not a crowd of ten people – it is a crowd of ten thousand. This is because each individual is connecting with the other ten and so on. Thousands of relationships are been forged. Even if internally focused people are together, they leave each other alone. The best company is offered from people who allow you to be alone even while you are with them. The people worth developing company with are people who let your solitude retain its purity.

The naturalness and nakedness of your solitude maintains its pristine state. Your aloneness, your silence remains untouched and pure. They respect your boundaries and do not become a reason for disturbing your solitude. They provide company, one which does not invade your space. When you call them, they come near to you. Only as near, as you call them and no more.

They leave you alone when you want to go inside of yourself.

OM !

2010-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are One Peace Love!

I understood........

2010-03-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Your feelings may deceive you. So, be careful of getting too wrapped up in them. Perhaps you feel yourself getting pushed and pulled in directions that you don't feel comfortable with. You may tolerate this tension for a while without expressing your feelings to any one. This policy is extremely dangerous, for it may give others the impression that it is OK to continue treating you the way they do...

The woman in your life - very well expressed...

2010-03-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful article: The woman in your life - very well expressed..

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements.

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name.

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day one, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen,

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you.

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities; Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this..

Appreciate "HER"...
I hope you will...

An Ode to Michael Jackson

2010-03-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

I was going through my mail box last night when I opened a mail from Jija. Thought to post it.

Jija in his mail writes ,"I still remember how some of my friends (from school) used to be so very kicked about the albums 'Thriller' (Just beat it) and 'Bad' (I'm bad, who's bad!) trying to imitate him, dance like him and of course, moonwalk like him. More lately, his 'History' album (this was when I was in my first year at IIT) was also followed quite a bit although it was a flop. I remember the 'We are the world' song for its lyrics and the music.

Reading about all the criminal investigations and the molestation cases is so very disturbing somehow. Wish I could understand better how a mind like his runs..... I remember thinking about how I had loved Mackaulay Culkin after his 'Home Alone' and how it was disturbing to see the growth of a child being killed owing to the 'star status' and how he was eventually drawn into the Jackson molestation and alchohol controversy in 2005....

A reminder :
Time just flies. Make the most of whatever you have.

Being Judicious, not Judgmental - Thanissaro Bhikku

2010-03-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

One of the most difficult but necessary skills we need to develop is learning how to be judicious without being judgmental. And as a preliminary step to developing that skill, it's good to reflect on the difference between the two.

Being judgmental is basically an effort to get rid of something we don't understand and probably don't want to understand. We see something we don't like and we try to dismiss it, to stamp it out without taking the time to understand it. We’re impatient. Whatever we're being judgmental about, we just want to get rid of it quickly.
Being judicious, however, requires patience together with understanding. A judicious choice is one you've made after understanding all the options, all the sides of a question. That way your choice is based on knowledge, not on greed, aversion, or delusion.

The problem with being judgmental is that it's not effective. We try to stamp out things here and they go springing up someplace else. Being judicious, though, is more effective. It's more precise. We see what's really skillful, what's really unskillful in the mind, and we learn how to disentangle the two. Often our skillful and unskillful habits get entangled. The things we don't like within ourselves actually do have some good in them, but we don't notice it. We focus instead on what we don't like, or what we're afraid of, and we end up trying to stamp it all out, the good along with the bad.

And the winner is...............

2010-02-26T23:39:00.001-08:00

Courtesy : Bhavin

Of the World I had forgotten in the last 7 months

2010-02-15T00:34:00.000-08:00

Resign Patterns

Ailments of Unsuitable Project-Disoriented Software

Michael Duell mitework@yercompany.comAbstract

Anyone familiar with the book of patterns by the Gang of Four knows that the patterns presented in the book represent elegant solutions that have evolved over time. Unfortunately, extracting these patterns from legacy code is impossible, because nobody knew that they were supposed to be using these patterns when they wrote the legacy code. Hence, this work is a catalog of patterns for the masses. The patterns presented here represent abundant solutions that have endured over time. Enjoy reading the patterns, but please don't use them!

1) Cremational Patterns

Below is a list of five cremational patterns:

1.1 Abject Poverty
The Abject Poverty Pattern is evident in software that is so difficult to test and maintain
that doing so results in massive budget overruns.

1.2 Blinder
The Blinder Pattern is an expedient solution to a problem without regard for future changes in requirements. It is unclear as to whether the Blinder is named for the blinders worn by the software designer during the coding phase, or the desire to gouge his eyes out during the maintenance phase.

1.3 Fallacy Method
The Fallacy method is evident in handling corner cases. The logic looks correct, but if anyone actually bothers to test it, or if acorner case occurs, the Fallacy of the logic will become known.

1.4 ProtoTry
The ProtoTry Pattern is a quick and dirty attempt to develop a working model of software. The original intent is to rewrite the ProtoTry,using lessons learned, but schedules never permit. The ProtoTry is also known as legacy code.

1.5 Simpleton
The Simpleton Pattern is an extremely complex pattern used for the most trivial of tasks. The Simpleton is an accurate indicator of the skill level of its creator.

2) De-structural Patterns

Below is a list of seven de-structural patterns.
2.1 Adopter
The Adopter Pattern provides a home for orphaned functions. The result is a large family of functions that don't look anything alike, whose only relation to one another is through the Adopter.

2.2 Brig
The Brig Pattern is a container class for bad software. Also known as module.

2.3 Compromise
The Compromise Pattern is used to balance the forces of schedule vs.quality. The result is software of inferior quality that is still late.

2.4 Detonator
The Detonator is extremely common, but often undetected. A common example is the calculations based on a 2 digit year field. This bomb is out there, and waiting to explode!

2.5 Fromage
The Fromage Pattern is often full of holes. Fromage consists of cheesy little software tricks that make portability impossible. The older this pattern gets, the riper it smells.

2.6 Flypaper
The Flypaper Pattern is written by one designer and maintained by another. The designer maintaining the Flypaper Pattern finds herself stuck, and will likely perish before getting loose.

2.7 ePoxy
The ePoxy Pattern is evident in tightly coupled software modules. As coupling between modules increases, there appears to be an epoxy bond between them.

3) Misbehavioral Patterns

Below is a list of eleven misbehavioral patterns.

3.1 Chain of Possibilities

The Chain of Possibilities Pattern is evident in big, poorly documented modules. Nobody is sure of the full extent of its functionality, but the possibilities seem endless. Also known as Non-Deterministic.

3.2 Commando
The Commando Pattern is used to get in and out quick, and get the job done. This pattern can break any encapsulation to accomplish its mission. It takes no prisoners.

3.3 Intersperser

The Intersperser Pattern scatters pieces of functionality throughout as system, making a function impossible to test, modify, or understand.

3.4 Instigator
The Instigator Pattern is seemingly benign, but wreaks havoc on other parts of the software system.

3.5 Momentum
The Momentum Pattern grows exponentially, increasing size, memory requirements, complexity, and processing time.

3.6 Medicator

The Medicator Pattern is a real time hog that makes the rest of the system appear to be medicated with strong sedatives.

3.7 Absolver
The Absolver Pattern is evident in problem ridden code developed by former employees. So many historical problems have been traced to this software that current employees can absolve their software of blame by claiming that the absolver is responsible for any problem reported. Also known as It's-not-in-my-code.

3.8 Stake
The Stake Pattern is evident in problem ridden software written by designers who have since chosen the management ladder. Although raught with problems, the manager's stake in this software is too high to allow anyone to rewrite it, as it represents the pinnacle of the manager's technical achievement.

3.9 Eulogy
The Eulogy Pattern is eventually used on all projects employing the other 22 Resign Patterns. Also known as Post Mortem.

3.10 Tempest Method
The Tempest Method is used in the last few days before software delivery. The Tempest Method is characterized by lack of comments, and introduction of several Detonator Patterns.

3.11 Visitor From Hell
The Visitor From Hell Pattern is coincident with the absence of run time bounds checking on arrays. Inevitably, at least one control loopper system will have a Visitor From Hell Pattern that will overwrite critical data.

References: Gamma, E., Helm, R., Johnson, R., Vlissides, J., Design Patterns -Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software. Addison-Wesley, 1995. ----Michael Duell is an Engineer at AG Communication Systems, where hisResign Patterns have been rejected in favor of the Gangof Four Design Patterns."Resign Patterns: Ailments of Unsuitable Project-Disoriented Software,"The Software Practitioner, Vol. 7, No. 3, May-June 1997, p. 14

Beauty of Nature

2010-02-05T12:01:00.001-08:00

Of late I have been quite irregular with my writings. There are so many thoughts to write about, so many incidents to capture, so many people to talk about but the lame excuse which any human being can give and I am no more exception to it is - "I don’t have time, I am lazy….blah blah."

Anyways, I was wondering for quite some days if I could write a few lines on - nature. The thought process started when I went on a trip to Vizag a few weeks ago along with my family. We went to a lot of places - sea shores, beaches, mountains, jungles and all of them had one common thing to share - the beauty of nature.

The most astonishing part about nature is its flexibility. It has no consistency to follow, no ideas, no rules, nothing. It has no expectations like us humans have instead it is always giving something or the other. It has everything to give and nothing to take. It does not complain of anything, it’s frugal. It behaves without any selfish intentions.

The beauty of nature is so mystic; the silence it offers is awesome. It has everything to appeal. In the morning it was raining, in the evening it is not raining. In the afternoon it was cloudy and now it is cloudier. It simply goes on moving. When the day becomes night, there is not even a slight hesitation. It simply slips into the night. Then the night slips into the day. The starry nights are always special and inspirational with the moon overlooking at a distance. The sky is so infinite and the sea - it can take the burdens of everyone and still flow effortlessly. The waves on the sea produce mystic sounds and the chilly winds which blow are breath taking.

Everything about nature is so pious.In our small existence ,we have two maybe three moments that define the way we live and for me each time I spend time with mother nature would definitely be my best moments in life.

Here is wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - 2010 ;)

2009-12-29T08:12:00.001-08:00

Doers and Dreamers

2009-12-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

I was having this short chat a few days back with a small group of people - one of whom was an HR Consultant, another with the background of Organizational Behaviour (OB) and yet another who was running psychometric tests for students. They were busy slotting people into different categories based on innumerable parameters that included everything between emotion and intellect, and how this profiling could help understand the behavioural dynamics of people. I am not so sure I understand the accuracy of psychometric profiling and the mapping of skillsets to job descriptions yet, but for an unthoughtful person like me, the world is divided very simply into the doers and the dreamers.

For the doers, the status of mind on a given day in one's life is derived directly from the status of the to-do list for the day. For them, all that matters at the end of the day is the number of ticks in the check-boxes of their to-do lists. The focus on getting a tick in the box is so sharp that all their conversations with others around them revolve around each item in the to-do list. Even all moments in a day that have no relation to this to-do list get completely intertwined with the completion status of the tasks in the list. Life is a straight line and any deviation from the straight line leads to frustration and anger.

On the other hand, there are the dreamers! The dreamers focus on everything that is in between the check-boxes. Most of their thoughts and energies are focussed on what is not the task, what is not the present and what is not practical. They enjoy the lack of focus on the task at hand and like to soak in every moment in its fullest. They do not like straight lines and look for distractions and deviations. They struggle badly in being up to speed with the doers.

I do not get along with either the doers or the dreamers. I guess I am somewhere in between. The doer and the dreamer. Wish someone taught me the right balance.

Clinging Causes the Pain - Tenzin Palmo

2009-12-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

Genuine love and kindness is desperately needed in this world. It comes from appreciating the object, and rejoicing in the object, wanting the object to be happy and well, but holding it lightly, not tightly. And this goes for possessions too. You are in an extremely materialistic society in which the possession of more and bigger and better is held up as the total criteria for being happy.

What we own is not the problem, it's our attitude towards our possessions. If we have something and we enjoy it, that's fine. If we lose it, then that's OK. But if we lose it and we are very attached to it in our heart, then that's not fine. It doesn't matter what the object is, because it's not the object which is the problem. The problem is our own inner grasping mind that keeps us bound to the wheel, and keeps us suffering. If our mind was open and could just let things flow naturally, there would be no pain. Do you understand? We need our everyday life to work on this, to really begin to see the greed of attachment in the mind and gradually begin to lessen and lessen it.

There's a famous story of a coconut, which is said to be used in India to catch monkeys. People take a coconut and make a little hole just big enough for a monkey to put its paw through. And inside the coconut, which is nailed to a tree, they have put something sweet. So the monkey comes along, sees the coconut, smells something nice inside, and he puts his hand in. He catches hold of the sweet inside, so now he has a fist. But the hole is too small for the fist to get out. When the hunters come back, the monkey's caught. But of course, all the monkey has to do is let go. Nobody's holding the monkey except the monkey's grasping greedy mind. Nobody is holding us on the wheel, we are clinging to it ourselves. There are no chains on this wheel. We can jump off any time. But we cling. And clinging causes the pain.

Captions invited for pic below :)

2009-12-02T05:07:00.000-08:00

I am ALIVE !!

2009-12-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

ZINDAGI KHATAM BHI HO JAYE AGAR,
KHATAM HOTA NAHI YEH DUNIYA KA SAFAR!!!

Mind, execution and random thoughts!

2009-10-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

From past few weeks I have been running around - at home and at work. My mind has never stopped thinking, it has been continuous in thought process - in making castles, in making plans but execution has always failed and that is what torments me. I was reading an article which said,” Execution is everything. Plan all you want, dream all you can, then turn that key or you've accomplished nothing. Execution is what separates those with lofty ideas from those who end up winning the game. It's about taking strategies and making sure they are implemented with power.” Ahh! When will I learn to execute things!! That is a big mystery which I am sure will get resolved sooner or later.

Its 12.30 AM which means 4th October, 2009 has passed and new day has already started. I see all my family members deep in slumber. Few more hours and it will be bright and sunny but right now the drawing room is dark, empty and silent. It is windy outside and I can hear the buzzing of the mosquitoes. The collage on my cupboard reminds me of good old days, of the moments spent with family and friends. Some books lie on my bed side reminding me that I need to go through them as soon as possible. I can see the curtain of my room moving to and fro. I lie in discomfort thinking of the day - how it started and how it came to an end. My eyes are tired. How I wish – there should be better understanding between people and better way of executing plans. I need to work on it - soon.

Void

2009-08-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I wonder why one finds a void, some uncertainty creeping up when life goes on and on. It’s a sudden rush when one is busy with the mundane of life, with daily chores - one feels as if there has much to be achieved, so much to learn, so much to ask for, so much to live but time seems to be a big constraint. The question sometimes is where to start and what to do?

Some questions which often call for an immediate attention and which keep on disturbing are – “I don’t know who I am anymore? What is that I have achieved till date? and many more.” Perhaps each day I spend with family and friends is taking me closer to end of my life and questioning not only who I am, but who I have been - I feel disturbed, petrified, I feel some void, something missing. No matter where I am in life’s journey, such questions usually evoke confusion and when there is no ready response, the ensuing silence is more frightening, the silence is more devastating.

While I was flicking through the pages of a book I came across some interesting lines - mind creates defense mechanisms to deal with any number of pressures put upon the psyche- trauma, information overload, frustration, indecision, despair. It works the subconscious mind while you work the conscious. But sometimes it so happens that we are totally unaware, with no resolution or answer ever to be given. There are some immediate concerns which cannot be answered by mind too and that is where you find a VOID!

My Experiences with CRM Sessions

2009-08-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

As a child I grew up being very naughty. I used to be a naughty child although very good at studies but naughtiness used to be one of my ingrained characteristics.

Lately, I have been taking CRM sessions (for those who do not understand the jargon – CRM means Customer Relationship Management) in office. Actually, one of my passions would be teaching. Conducting CRM sessions was fun and in addition to imparting sessions to my colleagues it gave me a chance where I could brush my own skills.

After conducting CRM sessions for a month here is what I can summarize from my personal experience:

1) Teaching is a two way process where the teacher is the giver and the student is the receiver. It involves a relation between the mind of one person (teacher) and the mind of another (student).
2) It is important for a teacher to be patient while teaching. There are times when one can be tested for his/her patience levels and am sure people who have higher levels of patience can turn out to be marvelous teachers.
3) Expect unexpected things from students.
4) Never ask from the students the unreasonable, ask what they are unable to give.
5) Before imparting any lecture it’s a good practice to read and understand the topic before hand. Learn before you preach should be the motto of a good teacher.
6) It’s important to use real life examples while imparting lectures. In this way the receiver gets a clear understanding of the topic as well as the situation.
7) One of the important challenges which a teacher can face is to keep the interest of the students alive for the whole session. This requires lot of skill. Asking questions and encouraging student to interact helps in reducing the monotony.

Teacher is not merely a talking book or a broadcast to an unknown audience he/she should be held in utmost reverence. It is important to give respect to teachers because teaching is devoted to the good of others. It is an act of supreme generosity which few can impart.

When nostalgia hits!!

2009-08-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

The heart that gives, gathers.
Change your thoughts and change the world.
Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction.
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.
Keep your face to sunshine and you will not see the shadows.

When nostalgia hits, it hits hard!

Ah! The hangover of the ready morning smile...

2009-07-24T00:03:00.000-07:00

I had intended to use the subject of my earlier post for a longer discussion, but ended up posting just the poem as I always thought that it was good enough to demand exclusivity and I did not have the rest of the content ready. I use this one to continue once again on the same thread (sorry for sticking to it, but the last one DID remain incomplete!)

Last week, most mornings at home began with discussions on our absolute disgust at the lack of commitment, honesty and sincerity in the support staff (can't find a better term for the maids, cooks, nannies and the drivers of the world!) and how to prevent their sudden and sometimes even extended leaves of absence. I am just out of a session with one such staff delivering the last and final warning of giving out a 'pink slip!' (of course given for the nth time). I have always tended to dislike the propensity in people to score high and win battles based on decibel levels (most of them are always ignorant of the severe after-effects on other people), and am pleased to say that in this case again, I did not have to test the extremes of either my decibel level or my temper.

On my way to office however, I began to think about how a few signficant moments, especially those in the early mornings, tend to change the complexion of my entire day. A hearty laugh at the beginning of a day has always enthused me no end and brought a spring in my step. Conversely, a bad argument early on in the day has more often than not tended to drag the rest of my day down in a negative spiral. I am not sure if I could apply the principles of 'momentum' or 'inertia' out here, but I will find it hard to deny the strong influence of the mental makeup of one moment over the next. And......more importantly, the mood of one person over the other. Simply put, I am referring to the 'hang-over' of situations and moods of people in one's lives!!! That brings me to the subject of this post which is essentially a continuation of the previous one - the hangover of a morning smile.

Before we go to the morning smile though, I should speak about an article that I was recently going through about a fascinating study on 'happiness' published in the British Medical Journal. While the results of the study - "Happiness is contagious" - did not reveal anything that we already do not know, I found some elements fascinating because of the effort made to go a step further and understand the rationale for contagion (misery may not love company but happiness does! - why?) as well as quantify the spread/impact in the social networks. They found that when someone gets happy, that person’s friend experiences a 25% increased chance of becoming happy. A friend of that friend experiences a nearly 10% chance of increased happiness, and a friend of that friend has a 5.6% increased chance of happiness.In addition, a spouse experiences an 8% increased chance while the next-door neighbour experiences 34% !!! (Now, do not ask me why the next door neighbour experiences a 400% greater chance of being happy than your spouse!) Expectedly, sadness is far less contagious as it makes you pull away from others thus giving them lesser exposure to your bad mood. Coming back to the smile more specifically, scientists in Sweden at the Uppsala University have seprately figured out why it's so difficult to keep a straight face when others are grinning away. Apparently, there is a shortcut to the part of the brain that recognizes faces and expressions that bypasses the area responsible for conscious processing.

Without getting carried away by the research studies themselves (sometimes, I tend to read them - especially in the Science section of the TOI - because I find them more amusing and funny than informative!), I like to come back to the subject that I am more fascinated with - the 'morning smile'. Now, how is a morning smile different from an afternoon or an evening smile ? I am definitely not going to talk about all of them out here, but you would appreciate the fact that there are innumerable variants of a smile each quite different from the other (depending on the angle of the twitch in the face and its honesty, the time or the person giving that smile !). Essentially what I am referring to is the first greeting that you give a person you are seeing or meeting for the first time during the day starting from the one that you wake up with lying on the bed.

The positive energy flowing from the warmth of this morning smile is like booster shots given to fallen football players. Can be addictive as coffee and give you the high of a marijuana, and the longest hang-over that you would never regret having !! The picture in your mind of a lazy beautiful smile from the bed with the first rays of the sun streaming very gently through the curtains is like a slow invigorating drug making you feel calm and blissful to begin with, and filling you up with energy in time. Beginning the day on a positive note more often than not has led me to have a more productive and fruitful day, and this is one hangover that I really look forward to. It makes you think about all the nice things in the world, about how you are likely to go out there today and conquer the world. It makes you dream, and how I love dreaming...... there is so much in your hands to make yourself feel good !! Conversely of course, it goes without saying that I hate to start my day with an argument or a complaint or in a bad mood.

I tend to be most comfortable, energetic and happy when I am with people who have this 'ready smile' with them. Sometimes, a ready grin is even more delightful, and the one that is a touch naughty with a twinkle in the eye just floods my head up completely!! I feel like the the parched earth dancing to the first monsoon rain, and celebrating the joy in the air. I am posting this to thank everyone around me who care to give me that million dollar smile the first thing every morning. With small babies and big babies around me at home, I have been lucky to enjoy the ready grin (many a times with the twinkle!), and I simply devour these moments and the kids!!

Kids do not always continue to remain kids, and life always offers these fascinating twists that tend to sober down people and suck certain things away. My message - A beautiful smile (and even a ready naughty grin) is god's gift to you and it gives you enormous power that you may not realize, with potential to change other people's lives. Come what may, do not lose it...... as this hangover is one that everyone will love looking forward to!

Increase your face value.........with a smile

2009-07-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

A smile costs nothing, but gives much.
It enriches those who receive,
without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment,
but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None is so rich or
mighty that he can get along without it,
and none is so poor but that
he can be made rich by it.

A smile creates happiness in the home,
fosters good will in business,
and is the countersign of friendship.
It brings rest to the weary,
cheer to the discouraged,
sunshine to the sad,
and is nature's best antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be
bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen.
For it is something that is of no
value to anyone until it is given away.
Some people are too tired to give you a smile.

Give them one of yours,
as none needs a smile so much as
he who has no more to give."

On Request from C and H :)

2009-07-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and my dad are not what they seem.
Their dull appearance is part of their scheme.
I know of their plans. I know their techniques.
My parents are outer space alien freaks!

They landed on earth in spaceships humongous.
Posing as grownups, they now walk among us.
My parents deny this, but I know the truth.
They're here to enslave me and spoil my youth.

Early each morning, as the sun rises,
Mom and dad put on their earthling disguises.
I knew right away their masks weren't legit.
Their faces are lined - they sag and don't fit.

The earth's gravity makes them sluggish and slow.
They say not to run, wherever I go.
They live by the clock.
They're slaves to routines.
They work the year 'round.
They're almost machines.

They deny that TV and fried food have much worth.
They cannot be human. They're not of this earth.
I cannot escape their alien gaze,
And they're warping my mind with their alien ways.
For sinister plots, this one is a gem.
They're bringing me up to turn me into them.

C & H , an all time favorite

2009-07-14T03:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Adu was "repairing" the coffee table with his wooden hammer.Think I read way too many Calvin’s while pregnant ;o).

Barsaat ka asar

2009-07-07T02:20:00.001-07:00

Just back from home and the weather is perfect for a long drive. The wind and the light drizzle,ahhhhhhhhh..Why do we morons have to sit in office writing and evaluating lines and lines of code ;o(.

Since someone (there is ONLY one person who can do that) banned me from listening to JS at home, I decided to PASTE (post) my favorite JS ghazals minimum one in a month, right here at her doorstep ;o).

Here is one such soulful, soothing one.My fav -- the first and the last two lines.If only we remember and keep them in our mind all the time!!

Duniya jise kehte hain jadoo ka khilona hai
Mil jaye to mitti hai kho jaye to sona hai

Achchha sa koi mausam tanha sa koi aalam
Har waqt ka rona to bekaar ka rona hai

Barsaat ka badal to deewana hai kya jane
Kis raah se bachna hai kis chhat ko bhigona hai

Gum ho ki khushi dono kuchh der ke saathi hain
Phir rastaa hi rastaa hai hansna hai na rona hai!!

Mood: Shant

Discipline - The means of spiritual evolution

2009-07-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

The post has nothing to do with the picture above ;o).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today everything happening around me reminded me of Scott Peck's "The Road Less Traveled". Considering how memory is failing me these days I guess I have to read the book once again page one to page last. The book in short is a description of the attributes that make for a fulfilled human being.

Below I (will TRY to) am posting the review of my favorite chapter in the book-Discipline.According to Peck, discipline is essential for emotional, spiritual, and psychological growth as a human being.He describes discipline as "the means of spiritual evolution".Peck describes following four key aspects of discipline

Delaying gratification - Sacrificing present comfort for future gains
Acceptance of responsibility - Accepting responsibility for one's own decisions
Dedication to truth - Honesty, both in word and deed
Balancing - Handling conflicting requirements. Scott Peck talks of an important skill to prioritize between different requirements-bracketing

Delaying of gratification is defined as sacrificing present comfort for future gain. This is, in fact is an important skill for both children and adults to learn. Most children have this skill learned at an early age. Unfortunately, a large number of us (grown ups) either do not have this skill, or push it to the side. I admit that I am guilty of not exercising delay of gratification. Doing tasks right before they are due is a commonality in my life.

Acceptance of responsibility for oneself and one's actions is a really big deal in today's times. In my opinion, I think this may be one of the hardest things to accomplish. Most of us children/adults, will never admit that we did anything wrong, even when it's completely our fault.

Dedication to the truth is as important as the acceptance of responsibility. This dedication has to be both in word and action. The dedication to truth is not just about avoiding lying. The idea is that if one is living under false pretensions, life will not be as fulfilling as it would be if truth was a big part of one's life.

The final aspect of the discipline theory is balancing - the technique of flexibility. Each one of us has to handle conflicting requirements of life at some point in our life.Scott Peck talks of an important skill to prioritize between conflicting requirements-bracketing. Most of us are very rigid with our lives, functioning with set patterns of behavior day after day. Part of this technique is also learning to give up something that is dear and familiar to us. In refusing to suffer the pain of sacrifice, we fail to truly grow.

It is in giving that we gain more and truly grow.

Recession and the Happiness Index

2009-06-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

With the Sensex back to the 15000+ levels, and analysts already making a U-turn in their predictions to re-pompom the new India growth story (is there anyone speaking about a less than 9% growth?), I decided that one needed to quickly write about the recession before it became history.

If Analysts can be tickling funny with their predictions, the Economists can be dead serious. Alan Greenspan once worked out a corelation between the sale of men's underwear and recession. He predicted that the sales of men's underwear should go down during a recession. His logic - noone sees a guy's undies (seems like the poor guy is not clued into the latest in fashion) so they are the first thing men stop buying when the economy tightens. I am not sure why men have been singled out here in his prediction, but he probably understands a thing or two about women's fashion that I do not! I enjoyed reading about the hemline indicator though. Burton Malkiel explained in 'A random walk down Wall Street' that bull markets tend to be associated with shorter hemlines and bare knees while the bear markets at the stock market would typically mean a bear market for the girl watchers!

I do not have enough data to prove or disprove Greenspan's prediction (if I were the only data point, his theory would have been disproved already - stocked my cupboard with new undies quite recently!), but I wish someone came out with a research project corelating the recession to the happiness index. I have always known that work-life balance was a good part of the index with a significant weightage, but had never managed to work on this balance hard enough to positively influence the value of my index. My professsion hardly provided for room to influence this value in the index. The market downturn has of course changed everything altogether, especially in the broader industry that people say I belong to. Looking at the disinclination of the Private Equity and the Venture Capital Fund Managers to take decisions, I wonder what is so 'risky' about the 'risk capital' that these Fund Managers invest. But quite importantly, I thank them for their absolute lack of appetite for risk as it has given me the opportunity to work on the most critical lever that influences the Happiness Index - work-life balance.

The slow-down has given me the time to re-discover some of the lost relationships, and possibly even re-create the lost energy and fun in the very few that existed. The joy of a good personal life can be so addictive that it makes me smirk at the most important drivers of the American life - 'speed' and 'money' - and the influence that that culture has had on us. It makes me wonder if each one of us are using the wrong parameters to measure ourselves, but that's a separate discussion bordering on economics and philosophy. For now, I can only claim to have seen the immense positive rub-off that the recession has had on my Happiness Index!!

Never miss a corner

2009-06-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

I have always found a mysterious sense of beauty associated with a corner. What awaits round any corner is always a surprise....a mystery..... a secret gate.... a new road! Unfortunately, when the corner is right next to you....very close, and you have passed by it very so often, you don't tend to realize or appreciate that beauty. Well, this particular corner shop came up so quietly that I never noticed (yeah, I have grown old). Over a period of time, this corner has managed to brew everything from coffee and hot irani chai to some fantastic dum aloos. If a lot can happen over coffee, I can assure you that almost everything in life can happen over dum aloos!! Wait as more unfolds....

Sometimes, you never realize how rewarding losing a game of TT can be (it is always great to have a bet to spice things up!), and for this opportunity, I am as thankful to God for not making me an expert sportsman as I am to the Company that hosted so many fantastic matches (I only hear of course!) amongst its employees and nurtured my most potent rival at this wonderful indoor sport.

More after the next match..... promise you that this one is going to be tough!!

New Members of Neeru's Corner

2009-06-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

I introduce two new authors for my blog :)
1. Atreya
2. Kalpana Bhushan

In addition to my posts, you will see that the two will also be posting at this blog although occasionally. I hope you all will enjoy what they write.

All the best and happy posting.

Aromas of Kashmir - Dam Aloo Recipe

2009-06-06T04:12:00.000-07:00

This if for you Nee..Killing time leads to doing impossible things.

Ingredients
20 small-sized potatoes
mustard Oil to deep fry
3 tspn Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tspn saunf powder
1/2 cup of curd
½ tspn of black cardamom (kali elaichi) powder
1/2 tspn of dry ginger powder
4-5 cloves
A pinch of asafoetida
½ tspn shahi zeera
½ tspn of garam masala powder
2-3 inch cinnamon sticks broken in small pieces
Salt to taste

Procedure
1. Boil potatoes in a vessel till they become a little soft (DON'T pressure cook.It will be a disaster).
2. Peel and prick the potatoes all over with the help of a very thin wire or you can use sharp long tooth picks also.
3. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes on slow flame till golden brown. Use oil generously.This is the most important step of the dum aloo cooking.
4. When the potatoes are getting fried, sprikle a little(only a little) asafoetida water over them.
5. Keep aside the fried potatoes in a vessel.
6. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Add shahi zeera,cloves,cinnamon sticks, and asafoetida.
7. Add Kashmiri chilli powder and keep stirring. Whisk curd and add.Keep stirring.
8. Add water (enough to cover potatoes),saunf powder, salt and bring to boil.
9. Add fried potatoes and cover the vessel with a lid and keep flame on low.
11.Put water over the lid so that potatoes cook by dum.
12. Cook till potatoes absorb the gravy and oil floats on top.
10.Add garam masala.

Tips
1.Choose potatoes with rough skin (pahadi aloo).Ones with smooth light color skin (sweet) are strict no no.
2.Don't pressure cook potatoes.
3.Prick throughly and fry on slow flame properly.
4.Cook by dum.

Thank you for everything

2009-05-26T12:27:00.001-07:00

It has been long since I posted and I would say the reason for not posting is IPL (credit goes to Lalit Modi), 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well as am doing too many things together. I find no time to scribble these days.

Well as many of you might be familiar, I have added one more year to my life. I did celebrate my birthday on - May 23 (this is for all those who forgot to wish me on my birthday! At least remember it now :P) and this post is particularly for all those who made me feel precious on this very important day of mine.

I have received some incredible gifts from my friends as well as family. And this post is particularly for a close pal who says – “Neel tujaye kabhi aapni feelings express nahi karni aati.” :) I might not be good at expressing it but then thanks a ton for letting me know that and I promise to work on it from now.

For the time being, this one is for all of you - family as well as friends – (particularly for Alka) - you all are so sweet to remember my big day! What I do have of course is all of you and that makes every day special. I appreciate all you did very much, including your time and attention for me. With a wonderful bunch of people like you to spend time with, any age is great. My love to you all. God Bless!

Pain - Osho

2009-04-28T06:52:00.001-07:00

This pain is not to make you sad, remember. That's where people go on missing.... This pain is just to make you more alert - because people become alert only when the arrow goes deep into their heart and wounds them. Otherwise they don't become alert. When life is easy, comfortable, convenient, who cares? Who bothers to become alert? When a friend dies, there is a possibility. When your woman leaves you alone - those dark nights, you are lonely. You have loved that woman so much and you have staked all, and then suddenly one day she is gone.

Crying in your loneliness, those are the occasions when,if you use them, you can become aware. The arrow is hurting: it can be used. The pain is not to make you miserable, the pain is to make you more aware!

And when you are aware, misery disappears."

Vote and Care

2009-04-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

I don't care who you vote for (well, I wanted to but...), just VOTE please.Remember, many people in this world don't get a chance to decide their future. You do.

Thursday, April 16, 2009 – Voting day for Hyderabad - I could not do much because I never found my name in the Voter’s list irrespective of filing my papers. I never voted - I was very interested to vote this time but somehow laziness has made me corrupt. I have just one request to make : Please go and VoTe!

An intestering article - from TOI

NEW DELHI – Even in the world’s largest democracy everything is being done to make every vote count. This is apparently clear in the Indian state Gujarat, where a polling booth is set up for one single voter.

In the remote village of Banej, far into the Gir Forest, the guru Bharatdasji Bapu lives alone in a temple and is the sole voter in the area. Especially for him a voting booth is set up in a nearby ashram. Speaking to Indian media, the guru made clear that he intends to cast his vote on April 30, when Gujarat is set to vote in the third phase of India’s parliamentary elections that start today.

Besides the single voter booth in Gujarat a polling booth for only two voters is set up in the state Chhattisgarh and two booths for three voters is set up in Arunachal Pradesh.

Discussions!!

2009-04-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

I was having a discussion sometime back with a family member of mine. The discussion was smooth and with no course of time I could see the arguments flaring out.

Some times, I hate when people talk in strident voice in a discussion. What do they want to prove and why on heaven’s sake do they need to raise their voice? They very much are aware that person who is the victim of their vagaries is nevertheless deaf but still they need to raise the voice thus increasing their so called BP.

I was wondering if in a discussion one person raises his/her voice what is the amiable solution the other should follow….May be shut his/her dirty mouth and never utter any word. That saves hell lot of time, energy and also the emotional trauma one is going through….

I don’t know what to write……????????

2009-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

I long for success, I long for my dreams, my fantasies.......I long for everything.......... I am tired of explaining my mood swings to others and justifying it to myself. I am tired of reading. I am tired of talking, of discussing. I am tired of my phone rings in the night…. I am tired of behaving normally. I am tired of pretending. I am tired of being social. I am tired of remaining awake. I am tired of falling asleep. . I am tired of everything and everyone….

I hate when people speak of religion. When they say I am a Hindu, I am a Muslim, I am Christian and moreover when they say I am a Mallu, a Punjabi, a Kashmiri….Some how this feeling has not sunk deep inside me...I still have some questions….What do religions teach? Still need to know……………………………………………………

Hug - Dean Walley

2009-03-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

It's wondrous what a hug can do.
A hug can cheer you when you're blue
A hug can say, "I love you so,"
Or, "I hate to see you go.

A hug is "Welcome back again."
And "Great to see you! Where 'er you been?"
A hug can soothe a small child's pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.

The hug, there's just no doubt about it --
We scarcely could survive without it!
A hug delights and warms and charms;
It must be why God gave us arms

Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers;
And chances are your favorite aunts
love them more than potted plants.

Kittens crave them, puppies love them,
Heads of states are not above them.
A hug can break the language barrier
And make your travel so much merrier.

No need to fret about your store of 'em;
The more you give, the more there are of 'em.
So stretch those arms without delay
And give someone a hug today!

Avooo at his best.....Love you!!

2009-03-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Money – is it everything in life?

2009-03-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to be without money. To get on without it is like traveling in a foreign country without a passport – you are stopped, suspected and made ridiculous at every turn, besides being subjected to the most serious inconveniences. Money plays a crucial part in our life as well as in relationships and the truth is that, in many situations - it becomes a decisive factor. Life is just impossible without a buck in your pocket. Young or old, rich or poor, this is one thing which is equally essential for everyone, something you can’t survive without. Emotions and sentiments have got their own share in life but in day to day life, our day starts with money and perhaps - ends with MoNeY. You can’t imagine a single day stepping out of your home without your wallet. At crucial times, money lets you realize on whom you can count and depend on.

Money is one thing which doesn’t have any substitute. Even if your heart breaks today, sooner or later you will find someone else to share your grief and to make up your wounds. It may take time but it will surely heal. This is the reality. Life doesn’t stop for anyone. To put this in the crudest most materialistic way, though there’s no substitute of love, there is still substitute for your “beloved ones”, but there is no substitute of money. You can’t give up all your money and lead your life with something else.

Money as well power is like two sides of a coin. Money begets power and power begets money. I find it really heartbreaking to see this trend growing day by day when people do not hesitate to harm each other, even own brothers just for the sake of money. After all at the end of the day, what you are as a person is all that actually matters, not how much you own/earn.

Like anything else - money has its own limitations. It’s just a means to give your material comfort and time. It can save you from miseries which can be fought with factors available to purchase- like house, medicine, book, wealth etc. It can’t provide you the food for your heart and soul, your intellectual needs, the serenity and strength of your character, courage and wisdom. It can’t make you satisfied, content, relaxed and happy. After all, money is not every thing in life.

Sunday – The Fun Day !

2009-03-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

“I wish you were here. Or I was there. Or both of us were somewhere. The high gardens of my imagination lie barren. I need to talk to you. About words, about restlessness, about fear. About pain, about sleepiness.” – Rahul Pandita

Its has been a miserable Sunday this week and without my little one round I feel a vacuum in my life..........I was wondering just a while ago - what Sunday actually meant few years back when Didi and I stayed in Begum pet house along with Sangeetha. It meant getting up late, watching new songs on MTV, [V] Channel, drinking mugfuls of tea and gossips. It meant taking a shower for at least an hour (and later getting scolding from di) and yes it yummy food cooked by Di.

Sunday actually meant waiting for someone’s arrival and yes it meant rasmalli (from Almond House). In addition to this it was inevitable to shop in Shoppers in the evening. Sunday meant watching an old movie in Zee TV and sleeping. It actually meant PEACE.

As Bryan Adams in his song says, “Those were the best days of my life”. They really were!….:)

No Illusions, No Resistances - Lao Tzu

2009-03-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep it to the original Oneness?
Can you let your body become supple as a new born child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from your own mind and thus understand all things?

Giving birth and nourishing, having without possessing, acting with no expectations, leading and not trying to control, this is the supreme virtue.
Act without doing, work without effort. Think of the large as small, and the few as many.
Confront the difficult while it is still easy; accomplish the great task with a series of small acts.

The Master never reaches for the great: thus she achieves greatness.
When she runs into a difficulty, she stops and gives herself to it .She doesn’t cling to her own comfort: thus problems are no problem for her.

The Master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings.
He knows that he is going to die, and he has nothing left to hold on to,
No illusions in his mind, no resistances in his body.
He doesn’t think about his actions; they flow from the core of his being.
He holds nothing back from life; therefore he is ready for death, as a man is ready for sleep after a good day’s work!

Sardi, Khansi, Malaria…………………ya Typhoid

2009-02-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

I am back in action - for all those animate souls who read my blog and don’t know me, I have been suffering from Typhoid since 10 days - out of which I have spent 5 magnificent days of my life on a rusted iron bed in a private hospital – (the name obviously which many of you know). This post is from the hospital bed at 11.00 pm on 5th of Feb, 2009.

I am in room # 21.The whole corridor rests in silence, peace and stillness. There is a strange power in silence and stillness. Sometimes, I hate silence because at times - silence makes me think of many aspects of life which I usually do not bother to think about. I am having an acute pain... Ya I am talking of pain...but what is the pain? Is it the pain of being alone in the hospital? No, it should not be that because some time back I have been visited by Didi, Adhvik and all the more Rajiv and Alka also. So what troubles me is the question? Yes - I know….I fear of death and loneliness. I close my eyes and deep down when I reach my slumber I realize that I am no longer a small kid and I should not expect any kid dish treatment meted out to me by any of the elder member in the family. I need to grow and realize my responsibilities.

I am the youngest in the family. Being the baby of the family has both its pros as well as cons. Less is expected of the youngest children.Babies of the family tend to be under less parental scrutiny than the firstborns. Of course these children, would complain that they often have more than one set of parents. Their siblings serve as extra parent figures.The youngest in the family is often known for being charming,affectionate, more carefree – in short, “a people person”.

Being the youngest in the family you are pampered to the core by the rest of the family especially by your sibling. You will be pardoned for your mistake as you are the youngest and still learning.You can go shopping and don't have to pay the bill because your elder brother or sister feels very generous. All these conditions make you a dependent person. You cannot make up your own mind for what is right and what is wrong because from the time you were born you were told to consult your elders for all your decisions. What you eat, what you study, what type of job suits you, how you need to plan for your future, how do you save your income tax, who all you should meet and who all you should like is all governed…yes governed by the elders - WHY because you are the youngest so that makes you incompetent of decision making.

I write this post not to offend any of the elder sibling but to put a food for thought into them. Younger brothers/sisters should not be treated as young, immature or irresponsible all the time, one should give them a chance to grow and prove. Even they can be wise and sapiential.

Abject Failure – Satyam

2009-01-24T10:28:00.000-08:00

First, my apologies. It has taken me a while to post some of my articles even after receiving responses from my avid blog readers. Actually, I had not been keeping well. Anyway, I have been following the news for at least a fortnight now and some of things which interest me at present are – Omar Abdullah – the present chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Barack Obama – the US president, Rehman and SATYAM now known as India’s Enron.

SATYAM – can one say it’s an abject failure? Once upon a time the dream company for any graduate - has turned it future from riches to rags. The rise and fall of Satyam can be a big concern for India particularly when the whole world is hit by rescission. Satyam which is India's biggest corporate scandal in memory till date has threatened future foreign investment. It has brought into question the levels of corporate governance in the country and has cast an ugly shadow on the once shining image of Indian industry overseas. Satyam fraud can be the greatest threat to India’s corporate reputation unless handled proficiently.

Everyone associated with Satyam has lost something or the other. Some lost money, some lost their reputation. The big question is, will we learn something from this remorseful episode? It is believed that this fraud was going on for a number of years. During all those years, the auditing companies (one among big fours -PricewaterhouseCoopers) and independent directors did their jobs wonderfully but failed to identify anything. As per Dr Madhav Mehra, President World Council for Corporate Governance,” The biggest challenge for the companies is how to combat the culture of cosines in the board. We need independent directors who are trained to ask awkward difficult questions and have the courage to belch at the dinner table.”

As history has shown us repeatedly those who don't operate in a moral and ethical manner will eventually fail as in the case of Satyam.

What is Ego?

2008-12-31T20:57:00.001-08:00

"What is ego? Ego is the deeply felt sense of being separate and superior. Indeed, it is an emotional and psychological compulsion to see and feel the self as being separate from and superior to the other, the world, and the whole universe. It is that locus point where the sense of individuality is also a sense of alienation, where the experience of autonomy is also one of isolation, and where even the experience of freedom is always shadowed, by a deeper sense, at the core of our being, by a sense of bondage, limitation, and hopelessness."

"I believe that for most of us, the only solution to this evolutionary cul-de-sac, the only way to our own higher development, lies in the context of human relationship, relationship based upon a breakthrough to a shared experience and recognition of consciousness beyond ego - a consciousness in which all parties experience simultaneously their own individual and collective transparency while remaining fully and completely themselves. In this higher We consciousness, we recognize, perhaps for the first time, why ego is the only problem, the only obstacle to the fulfillment of our imminent evolutionary potential."

"As long as the fears and desires of the ego remain the fundamental locus of our attention and the impulse to evolve is but a faint murmur in the background of awareness, nothing less than overwhelming force will bring the ego to its knees. The force of what? The force of impersonal absolute love that sees no other and recognizes only itself. In that love, our own higher conscience is awakened and screams relentlessly for our unconditional surrender without compromise. And it will keep on screaming until we all have finally transcended the need to be separate." - Andrew Cohen

It Couldn't be Done - Edger Guest

2008-12-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't" but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face.
If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, as he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one we know has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That cannot be done, and you'll do it.

Merry Christmas - 2008 and Happy New Year - 2009

2008-12-25T10:46:00.000-08:00

First time, we had a Christmas Tree at home. In all these years we never kept one at home...Thanks to Adhvik....here is how we all decorated it our own..So, on this occasion I wish each and everyone a Merry Christmas and hope the new year brings peace, cheer, happiness and prosperity to all of you there. :)

Once again - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - 2009 to all of you :)

Amen!!

What excellence actually means?

2008-12-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

After you read the below stuff, look at this picture…once again!!

A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up. "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage."Where is the damage?" he asked."There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?." The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will know it."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not.

"Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and excellence.

Rock of Gibraltar

2008-12-14T12:59:00.001-08:00

A Complaint

2008-11-25T09:53:00.000-08:00

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division (Pontiac is a division of General Motors Inc, that manufactures vehicle types including the sports car, sports coupe etc.) of General Motors:

'This is the second time I have written to you and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem.....

You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it out anyway.

The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start.

Now the Engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.

Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka - Time was now the problem - not the vanilla ice cream!!!! The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock”. It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking.

World's 10 most women-friendly companies

2008-11-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

US-based Working Mother magazine has recently evaluated the presence and prominence of coloured women in the US corporate world and has drawn up a list of the best companies. The list has been made primarily on the basis of diversity programmes for such employees. The companies were chosen mainly on factors like representation, recruitment and retention of women of colour.

The magazine said it noticed a dramatic increase in the number of women of colour, who are senior managers. The list includes two big American conglomerates -- PepsiCo and Citigroup. According to the magazine, PepsiCo has about 10 per cent employees who are 'women of colour', with seven per cent of them being executives/managers.

Vikram Pandit-led Citigroup has a higher representation of women of colour in its ranks, making up 22 per cent of the total employees. However, when it comes to executives or managers, there are only about four per cent of such people. Other prominent names in the '2008 Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women' list include Colgate-Palmolive (13 per cent), Credit Suisse (14 per cent), Deloitte (16 per cent), Ernst & Young (17 per cent), IBM (8 per cent), MetLife (14 per cent), PricewaterhouseCoopers (16 per cent) and Wal-Mart (20 per cent).

To know more about these companies, read on. . . .

Pepsico (10% employees are women with colour)
PepsiCo is a conglomerate that manufactures markets and sells a wide variety of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages and snacks. The company is headquartered in Purchase, New York while its research and development headquarters are at Valhalla, New York. The Pepsi Cola Company began in 1898, but it only became known as PepsiCo when it merged with Frito Lay in 1965.Indra Nooyi is the conglomerate's chief executive officer since 2006.PepsiCo owns five different billion-dollar brands. These are Pepsi, Tropicana, Frito-Lay, Quaker, and Gatorade. The company owns many other brands as well. The company's net revenue as on March 22, 2008, stood at $8,333 million as against $7,350 million in March 24, 2007.

Citigroup (28% employees are women of 'colour')
Citigroup Inc. operating as Citi, is a major American financial services company based in New York City.Citigroup was formed on October 8, 1998 following the $140 billion merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group. The company employs 358,000 staff around the world, and holds over 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries.
On December 11, 2007, Vikram Pandit was named Citigroup's CEO, while Sir Win Bischoff was named chairman. On April 18, 2008, Citi reported first quarter net loss of $5.1 billion, loss per share of $1.02.

Colgate-Palmolive (13%)
The $9.9-billion FMCG major operates in more than 200 countries and handles production, distribution and provision of household, health care and personal products, such as soaps, detergents, and oral hygiene products (including toothpaste and toothbrushes). In 1806, William Colgate, himself a soap and candle maker, opened up a starch, soap, and candle factory in New York City under the name of William Colgate & Company. In 1857, William Colgate died and the company was reorganized as Colgate & Company under the management of Samuel Colgate, his son. In 1928, Palmolive-Peet bought the Colgate Company to create the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company. In 1953 the company was rechristened Colgate-Palmolive Company. The Indian arm of the company announced a net profit of Rs 55.62 crore (Rs 556.2 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2008, a 10 per cent growth over the corresponding period a year-ago. Its total revenue rose to Rs 412.73 crore (Rs 4.12 billion) for the latest quarter from Rs 360.6 crore (Rs 3.6 billion) in the same period a year-ago.

Credit Suisse (14%)
The Credit Suisse Group is a financial services company, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the second-largest Swiss bank after UBS AG.The Credit Suisse Group is structured in three divisions -- investment banking, private banking and asset management. Credit Suisse was founded by Alfred Escher in 1856 under the name Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA, Swiss Credit Institution). Credit Suisse was recognized as the Global Investment Bank of the Year in The Banker magazine's annual Global Investment Banking Awards published in the October 2007 issue.

Deloitte (16%)
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, often referred to as Deloitte & Touche, is one of the largest professional services firms in the world. Branded as Deloitte, the company is one of the big four auditors, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and KPMG. As of 2007, Deloitte has approximately 150,000 employees in 142 countries, delivering audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. While the full name of the firm is Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu, in 1989 it initially branded itself Deloitte & Touché and then simply Deloitte.The company's revenues for fiscal year 2007 was $23.1 billion, up 15.5 per cent from the previous year

Ernst & Young (17%)
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services firms in the world and one of the big four auditors, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte) and KPMG. According to Forbes magazine, as of year 2007 it emerged as the 7th largest private company in the US. Ernst & Young is based in London, UK and the US firm is headquartered at Times Square, New York. The company (partnership) is the result of a series of mergers of ancestor organizations. The oldest originating partnership was founded in 1849 in England as Harding & Pullein. The company's revenue in 2007 stood at $21.1 billion.

IBM (8%)
International Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and offers infrastructure services, hosting services, and consulting services. With over 388,000 employees worldwide, IBM is the largest information technology employer in the world. The company is nicknamed 'Big Blue’. The company was originally known as Tabulating Machine Company. It was founded by Heman Hollerith in Broome County, New York.
The company's first quarter revenue for 2008 stood at $24.5 billion, up 11 per cent and its diluted earnings stood at $1.65 per share, up 36 per cent.

MetLife (14%)
MetLife is the short name for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The firm was founded on March 24, 1868. The company, which was a mutual organization, went public in 2000.MetLife is the largest life insurer in the US, with more than $2 trillion of life insurance in force. MetLife serves 88 of the largest Fortune 100 companies. It has a market in more than 12 countries. The company reported first quarter 2008 net income of $615 million, or $0.84 per diluted common share, compared with $983 million, or $1.28 per diluted common share, for the first quarter of 2007. Operating earnings for the first quarter of 2008 were $1,111 million, or $1.52 per diluted common share, compared with $1,082 million, or $1.41 per diluted common share, for the prior period.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (16%)
PricewaterhouseCoopers is one of the world's largest professional services firms. It is one of the big four auditors, alongside KPMG, Ernst & Young and Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu.
The company originated in 1998 after merger between Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand, both formed in London. PricewaterhouseCoopers earned aggregated worldwide revenues of $25 billion for fiscal 2007, and employed over 146,000 people in 150 countries.

Wal-Mart (20%)
Wal-Mart Stores, an US public corporation, runs a chain of large, discount department stores. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States. It also owns and operates the North American company of Sam's Club.

It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the British National Health Service, and the Indian Railways. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962.

Wal-Mart operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the UK as ASDA, and in Japan as Seiyu. It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Wal-Mart has been criticized by some community groups, women's rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labour unions, specifically for its extensive foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and alleged sexism. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500. Wal-Mart's net sales for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009 were approximately $94.1 billion, an increase of 10.2 per cent over the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. Net income for the quarter was $3.0 billion, which is 6.9 per cent above the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. - (Source - Rediff)

Nice thought

2008-11-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Power of Realizing - "I"

2008-11-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

We are never alone. Neither in the womb, nor after birth. The true Self is boundary-less, it is all-pervasive. In terms of existence there isn't any boundary, but at mind, body and speech levels we divide the existence into me, you and them.I have a relationship with body, senses, mind, intellect-these are so close, yet so far from the real-self. Entwined with one another and still separate. We cannot draw a line as to where the body ends and where the mind begins or mind ends and the Self begins.

The mind is a subtle form of matter and the body is the gross form of mind. Mind and matter are not different from one another. A quantum physicist would say that matter and energy are not two different entities. The source of matter is energy alone and matter keeps moving between matter and energy.The mind is invisible but the body is visible. Hence our identification and association with the body is so deep that we tend to see ourselves as body alone.

The 'I' we are associated with, is the illusionary 'I'.The 'I' we know has more to do with mind or body but our real 'I' remains obscure. What an irony that the I doesn't know the 'I'! Knowing oneself is the first step towards making good rapport not only with one's own mind and body but also with the other। This other can be husband, wife, mother, father, brother or anyone. Once we have understood how our mind functions and as we witness the rise and fall of emotions in mind, we are better equipped not to get carried away with these waves of mind.

Explore your inner core, your untapped energy source and rejoice in it.Love and respect your Self and everything will become an echo of the same vibes. Thank this body, this breath and life. Give thanks for every little joy which life brings to you and smile. And smile like you have never smiled before and delve deep within.

Soak your Self in goodness of this moment and let every day begin with it and end with it.Soon you will love this new way of living.When you are strong, vibrant and energetic then you will begin to function as a magnet and you will attract all good people towards you. People enjoy the company of those who enjoy their own company.- Anandmurti Gurumaa

मन भावक :)

2008-10-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

जागे है देर तक हमें,
कुछ देर तो सोने दो,
थोडी सी रात और है,
सुबह तो होने दो !

आधे अधूरे ख्वाब जो पुरे ना हो सके,
एक बार फिरसे नींद में,
वोह खवाब पिरोने धो !

क्लिप : जागे ही
ल्य्रिक्स : गुलज़ार
म्यूजिक कोम्पोसेर : अ.र.रहमान
घायक : चित्रा
मूवी : गुरु

Bliss - Osho

2008-10-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

People are cowards, don´t be worried about them. Go on your way, go on your way dancing. Remember only one thing: whatsoever feels good is good, whatsoever feels beautiful is beautiful, and whatsoever makes you joyful, gay, delighted, is truth. Let that be your only criterion. Don´t be bothered by others´ opinions. Let this be your only touchstone - whatsoever makes you happy is bound to be true. Ananda ? bliss - is the only criterion of truth.

OXYMORON of the day - “Mummy’s Career”

2008-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

A sneak preview at my Didi's day :)

From: Kalpana Bhushan (meri bhadi behan)
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:24 PM
To: 'Atreya Rayaprolu' (mere jiju)
Cc: 'Neelam Dhar' - (Mein hun na!)
Subject: Total chaos

My driver is on leave today..( as usual di, he never comes....moral start driving your own car)

10:00: Call Nanny.She has to go to school to pick up Adhvik with Randheer's - (di ka pakka mitr) driver.She is travelling,does not take call.
10:01: Call again.She can't hear me.
10:02: Call again.Message conveyed.
10:35: Randheer reaches office.
10:40: Call his driver.Driver is not in office.Will come back only at 11:30.Some begging and pleading and he agrees to come back at 11:20.
11:08 Uncle (di's ke sasurji) calls.He will go and pick up Adhvik.(Mera Bhanja)
11:09: Call Randheer’s diver.He is not required.
11:10: Call Manju (Adhvik ki nanny).Uncle will go and bring Adhvik.Wait at home.
11:12: Call school.FIL coming he will follow the van.
11:20: Calling and calling and calling uncle …no response.
11:35: Call from school.No one has come to pick up Adhvik. Van is about to leave.
11:36: Uncle still not responding.
11:36: Call school to tell them to come till food world so that Nanny can come there and pick up Adhvik
11:37: Call uncle.He is following the van.
11:38: Call Nanny.Cook for uncle.
11:45: Call home to find out if Adhvik has reached.He has,but is cranky.
11:50: Call uncle to speak to Adhvik…mummmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, mummmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, mummmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…and cranky.
12:00: Uncle calls to tell me to pay tatasky bill
12:02: Call uncle to confirm that bill has been payed.

And all this when I am in middle of making two important docs before I leave for lunch...

OXYMORON of the day “Mummy’s Career”!!

Still long time to go....

2008-10-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Don’t Quit - Author Unknown

2008-10-01T02:40:00.000-07:00

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Realization

2008-09-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Some how I am feeling a little dull today - reason being end of 18 long months of my PGCBM course. One way I am relieved that I don’t have to keep running for classes (Saturday and Sunday), no more assignments, no more online exams, no more night outs but still I feel a big vacuum surrounding me.....some how I do need to realize that - "Every good thing comes to an end sooner or later but with that end comes another start too!”

Relinquish

2008-09-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Often - I see myself getting attached to people (which I say is quite a good feeling) but at the same time loosing a dear one is what I am scared of – for that matter, we all are scared of loosing our close acquaintances who can be any one – be it parents, sibling, a close pal or may be our pet. We generally tend to fall in our own web of emotions hence inadvertently keep ourselves involved with miseries of life. I don’t realize why people keep enduring their feelings. Why can’t we let our feelings and thoughts go...?

To let go our feelings is not to forget or to ignore them. It doesn't leave feelings of anger or regret. Letting go isn't about winning, losing, giving in or giving up. It isn't about loss or defeat. To let go is to cherish the memories and to overcome and move on and have that confidence in future. Letting go is learning and experiencing. To let go is to be thankful for the experience that made us laugh, made us cry and made us grow. It's about all that we have, all that we had, and all that we will have. To let go is to open a door and to clear a path to set us free.

First Principles for Great Relationships

2008-09-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

The quality of your life comes down to the quality of your relationships. With your customers, with your suppliers, with your loved ones, with your self (big idea there). Commit to insanely great relationships (Steve Jobs coined the "insanely great" standard BTW- I adore it) and you'll have an insanely great life. And being a great human connector is pretty easy stuff. Remember, success is all about a precise consistency around fundamentals.The following First Principles are profoundly simple and yet simply profound (and isn't that the case for all great truths?):

Be the first one to say hello (or namaste / Shalom/ Hola etc) when you encounter another human. In other words, be kind first (takes courage because we're all scared of rejection, not being liked etc). Smile a lot. One of the best ways to have someone open up to you. Remember, we make lasting impressions of people within the first few minutes of meeting them. Start with a smile.

Get devoted to using people's names. Really important. Shows that you care. A mark of respect. Look people in the eye when you speak to them. A mark of respect. Become a world-class listener. Get this one right and you'll own the title of "Relationship Superstar". Most people don't listen. Most people are so self-focused they fail to ask good questions when they meet another person. Listening and asking questions shows humility. It shows you are interested. Demonstrates that you are engaged - and not in love with yourself. Most people's idea of listening is waiting until the other person has finished speaking.

Offer sincere compliments. Praise is free. Never miss an opportunity to celebrate and elevate another person, whether at work or at home. You'll connect with the best within them. And then they'll give you their best. Leave people better than you found them.

Treat everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) like royalty. Behave as if you'll never see them again.

Sure the above ideas are simple. Master these First Principles and you'll get to your mountaintop quicker than you can imagine. The best practice mastery around the fundamentals. Keep it simple. You'll win. And have fun.

Demat details and benefits

2008-09-12T12:56:00.001-07:00

In India, a demat account refers to dematerialised account.Just as you have to open an account with a bank if you want to save your money or make cheque payments etc, in the similar manner, you need to open a demat account if you want to buy or sell stocks. So, demat account is just like a bank account where actual money is replaced by shares. The dematerialised account is used to avoid holding physical shares: the shares are bought and sold through a stock broker.

Let's say your portfolio of shares looks like this: 40 of Infosys, 25 of Wipro, 45 of HLL and 100 of ACC. All these will show in your demat account. So you don't have to possess any physical certificates showing that you own these shares. They are all held electronically in your account. As you buy and sell the shares, they are adjusted in your account. It should be noted demat account is a must for trading and investing.

The benefits
A safe and convenient way to hold securities
Immediate transfer of securities
No stamp duty on transfer of securities
Elimination of risks associated with physical certificates such as bad delivery, fake securities, delays, thefts etc
Reduction in paperwork involved in transfer of securities
Reduction in transaction cost
No odd lot problem, even one share can be sold
Nomination facility
Automatic credit into demat account of shares, arising out of bonus/split/consolidation/merger etc.
Holding investments in equity and debt instruments in a single account

Procedure
A depository is a place where the stocks of investors are held in electronic form. The depository has agents who are called depository participants (DPs).

Think of it like a bank. The head office where all the technology rests and details of all accounts held is like the depository. And the DPs are the branches that cater to individuals. There are only two depositories in India - the National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) and the Central Depository Services Ltd (CDSL). There are over a 100 DPs.The extent of documentation required to open a demat account may vary according to your relationship with the institution. If you plan to open a demat account with a bank, a savings, current and, or other account for which the holder have been issued a check book, such holder has an edge over the non-account holder. In fact, banks usually offer additional incentives to customers who open a demat account with them. Along with the application form, your photographs (with co-applicants) and proof of identity/residence/date of birth have to be submitted. The DPs also ask for a DP-client agreement to be executed on non-judicial stamp paper. Here is a broad list:

A canceled check, preferably MICR
Proof of Identification
Proof of Address
Proof of Pan card (mandatory)
Recent photographs, one and, or more

For proof of identification and, or address self-attested facsimile copies of PAN card, Voter’s ID, Passport, Ration card, Driver’s license, Photo credit card, Employee ID card, Bank attestation, latest IT returns and, or latest Electricity/Land line phone bill are sufficient. While they only ask for photocopies of the documents, they will need the originals for verification.

Important Points
A demat account can be opened with no balance of shares. And there is no minimum balance to be maintained either. You can have a zero balance in your account.
The charges for account opening, annual account maintenance fees and transaction charges vary between DPs.
You can nominate whoever you like by filling up the nomination details in the account opening form. This is to enable the nominee to receive the securities after the death of the holder of the demat account.
When you open an account, the DP will allot a unique BO ID (Beneficial Owner Identification) Number- which you need to quote for all future transactions.
If you want to sell your shares, you need to place an order with your broker and give a 'Delivery Instruction' to your DP. The DP will debit your account with the number of shares sold. You will receive the payment from your broker. If you want to buy shares, inform your broker about your 'Depository Account Number', so that the shares bought are credited into your account. (Source – goggle)

Mere ghar ke guests :)

2008-09-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Koyal ke beche....:)

Mum having a look at the guests.

Feelings - Discourse by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

2008-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

"Head-to-head communication is through thoughts and words, while heart-to-heart communication is through feelings. People, throughout the ages, have felt that they cannot communicate their feelings. If we could communicate all our feelings through words, then we would be leading very shallow lives. Life is rich because feelings cannot be captured in words! So we use all these gestures - we hug, so that hearts come closer, we give flowers so that feelings are conveyed....

We put all our efforts into expressing our feelings......and still, feelings remain unexpressed."

Unanswered Question?

2008-08-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

It has been pouring from last two days. As the raindrops fell heavily on the road outside, I kept hearing the raindrops in silence. I closed my eyes and kept wondering......who actually has the answer to one of the biggest questions which is going in my mind right now........

Is life a compromise? May be someone out there has an answer.......but I don't seem to have one...My mind is blank and what I see its already morning. So the question remains unreciprocated again.........................

A Journey to Marvel

2008-08-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have been following news updates lately, the two main reason beings:
1) India’s performance in Olympics 2008– which has been really exuberant this time
2) The latest Amarnath land issue which is in vogue these days.
In my following post I am not going to present my view on what is right or wrong - I mean whether the land should be granted (to Shrine Board) or not but my focus will dwell deep inside the history of how Amarnath came into existence. Before going any further, I would like to recite a few lines from the poem “Path of Peace” by “Paul Mc Cann” which goes like this:

Peace is an easy path to tread,
Peace is where our fears are mislaid,
Peace is beginning to restore,
Peace for each man, woman and child,
Peace for the troubled streets gone wild,
Peace is for the old and the young,
Peace in the end will overcome,
Peace builds trust into a lifestyle,
Peace is a friendly open hand,
Peace is a place to understand,
Peace in the end will overcome,
Peace is for the old and the young,
Peace is a legacy to leave,
Peace is when we don't have to grieve,
Peace is and end to all the hate,
Peace is why we negotiate,
Peace for all the victims of war.

Any way let me not deviate more from my path. Here is a brief history of Amarnath.

About Shiva:
The Sanskrit word Shiva - is an adjective meaning kind, friendly, gracious or auspicious. Shiva is regarded as the supreme God in the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism. Usually worshipped in the form of Shiva linga, Shiva - in images is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation.

Location:
State : Jammu & Kashmir
Situation: In Kashmir valley to the north of Anantnag. The base village is
Bailganv (Pahalgam). One has to trek 32 km from Chandhanvari (16 km from
Bailganv) to reach the cave. It is at an altitude of 13500 feet from the mean sea level.

About Amarnath Temple:
Amarnath shrine is about 5,000 years old and is an important part of Hindu mythology. The shrine is located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and is dedicated to the lord Shiva. Inside the main Amarnath cave lies an ice stalagmite resembling the Shiva Linga, which waxes during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival. According to Hindu mythology, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort Parvati. There are two other ice formations representing Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha.

History:
According to an ancient tale, there was once a Muslim shepherd named Buta Malik who was given a sack of coal by a sadhu. Upon reaching home he discovered that the sack, in fact, contained gold. Overjoyed and overcome, Buta Malik rushed back to look for the sadhu and thank him, but on the spot of their meeting discovered a cave and eventually this became a place of pilgrimage for all believers. To date, a percentage of the donations made by pilgrims are given to the descendants of Malik. and the remaining to the trust which manages the shrine.

Yet another legend has it that when Kashyap Reshi drained the Kashmir valley of water (it was believed to have been a vast lake), the cave and the lingam were discovered by Bregish Reshi who was travelling the Himalayas. When people heard of the lingam, Amarnath for them became Shiva's abode and a center of pilgrimage.

Amarnath is an extremely crucial centre of pilgrimage and though the route is as difficult to trespass as it is exciting, every annum, millions of devotees from the subcontinent come to pay homage before Shiva in one of his Himalayan abode. For those who journey with faith, it is a rewarding experience, this simple visitation to a cave-shrine, the home of the Himalayan mendicant who is both destroyer and healer, the greatest of the Hindu deities.

The Taste of India :).....Yum Yum !!

2008-08-20T03:13:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani trip

2008-08-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

On the way to Lingmala falls
Best shot of the trip - Love you dude
I clicked that :)
Strawberry fields

Scenic View
Scenic View
Mapro - Panchgani - Preparation of Icecream cones

Footprints of Pandavas - Panchgani

Table Top - Panchgani

Elephant’s Head Point

On the way to - Parsi Point

On the way to - Mahabaleshwar

Punch line and its significance

2008-08-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered why products/brands or for that matter companies has a punch line associated with its name. The main reason being that punch line helps the marketers to endorse their products/brands. Punch line can be used as a marketing tool and hence can be used for advertising purposes. Punch line can also be defined as the voice of the brand/product or company, which primarily gives out the minimum momentum, thrust or impetus to push the brand in the mind of the customer.

The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product to reinforce the audience's memory of a product/brand or company. Punch line is also called as One-liners, Ad Slogans or Tag lines.

Examples of some punch lines are:

Air Canada - A Breath of Fresh Air
British airways - The Way to Fly
Malaysian Airlines - Going Beyond Expectations
Cathy Pacific Airlines - The Heart of Asia
The Economic Times - The Power of Knowledge
Business Today - For Managing Tomorrow
Business World - Play the Game
NDTV Profit - News you can Use
CNN - Be the First to Know
Adobe - Simplicity at work. Better by Adobe
Microsoft - Your Potential, Our Passion
Wipro - Applying Thought
Sun Microsystem - The Network is the Computer
Infosys - Driven by Intellect, Powered by Values
IBM ThinkPad - I think, therefore IBM
Compaq - Ban jaaye baat
TCS - Beyond the Obvious
Dell - Easy to Buy, Easy to Own
EBAY - The World's Online Market Place
Motorola - Intelligence Everywhere
Amazon.Com - Earth's Biggest BookStore
Windows XP - Do More with Less
HP-Invent - Everything is Possible
Accenture - High Performance. Delivered
Lenovo - We are Building a New Technology Company
Apple Macintosh - Think Different
TCS - Beyond the Obvious
Timesjob.com - If you have a reason, we have the job
Blogger.com - Push Button Publishing
Macromedia - What the web can be
GM – Only GM
Intel - Intel inside
SOTC - You Look the World, We Look After You
Omega - The Sign of Excellance
Jaguar - Don't Dream it, Drive it
Honda - The Power of Dreams
Chevrolet - For a Special Journey called Life
Toyota - Touch the Perfection
Hyundai Santro - The complete family car
BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine
FORD – Built for the Road Ahead
HYUNDAI - Drive Your Way
HONDA - The Power of Dreams
SKODA – Obsessed with Quality since 1897
VOLKSWAGEN - Drivers wanted
FIAT - Driven by Passion. FIAT
TATA MOTORS – Even More Car per Car
MRF - Tyres with Muscle
CEAT - Born Tough
Speed - High Performance Petrol
Servo - 100 % Performance. Everytime
MTNL - Transparency makes us Different
Nokia - Connecting People
TATA Indicom - Business Without Limits
ITC - Enduring Value
IFFCO TOKIO - The Life You Desire
Epson - Exceed Your Vision
Park Avenue - Play the Lead
DIGJAM - Dressing the World
MICO-BOSCH - The Power of We
Amkette - When Reliability Matters
Adidas - Forever Sport
American Express - Don’t leave home without it
Birla Mutual Fund - The Name Inspires Trust
ICICI Bank - Hum Hai Na
LEE - The Jeans that Built America
Master card - There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there's MASTERCARD
Kotak - Think Investments. Think Kotak.
Ernst and Young - Quality in Everything we Do
Barclays - Fluent in Finance; Its our business to know your business
Standard Chartered Bank - Your Right Partner
CNBC - Profit from it
AT&T - The World's Networking Company
Monster.com - Never Settle
L&T - We Make the Things that Make India Proud
LG - Digitally Yours
Sify - Making the Internet work for you
Alcatel - Architect of an Internet World
Voltas - ACs with IQ
Amway - Better Ideas-Better Life
MS Office 97 - Work Less, Do More
Cell One - The One for Everyone
Canon - Delighting You Always
Philips - Sense & Simplicity
Cantabill - International Clothing
Dolphin - The Affordable Network Service
SBI - With You all the Way
Exxon Mobil - Taking on the World’s Toughest Energy Challenges
Chevron Corporation - Human Energy
Reliance Industries Limited - Growth is Life
British Petroleum - Beyond Petroleum
ONGC - Making Tomorrow Brighter
IOCL - Bringing Energy to Life
BPCL - Pure for Sure
IBP - Pure bhi. Poora bhi
GAIL - Gas and Beyond
Essar corp - A positive a++itude

Fully Alive - Dawna Markova

2008-07-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom goes on as fruit.

The poem is a candle that my soul holds out to me, requesting I find a way to remember what it is to live a life with passion, on purpose. There is only enough light to take the journey step by step, but that is all any of us really needs.

When you have the courage to shape your life from the essence of who you are, you ignite, becoming truly alive. This requires letting go of everything that is inauthentic. But how can you even know your truth unless you slow down, in your own quiet company? When the inner walls to your soul are graffitied with advertisements, commercials, and the opinions of everyone who has every known and labeled you, turning inwards requires nothing less than a major clean-up.

Traveling from the known to the unknown requires crossing an abyss of emptiness. We first experience disorientation and confusion. Then if we are willing to cross the abyss in curious and playful wonder, we enter an expansive and untamed country that has its own rhythm. Time melts and thoughts become stories, music, poems, images, ideas. This is the intelligence of the heart, but by that I don't mean just the seat of our emotions. I mean a vast range of receptive and connective abilities, intuition, innovation, wisdom, creativity, sensitivity, the aesthetic, qualitative and meaning making. It is here that we uncover our purpose and passion.

Jammu and Kashmir - The Special Status

2008-07-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir did not join India or Pakistan in August 1947 at the time of the attainment of independence and partition of the sub continent. It was only after the invasion by the tribes, actively aided and abetted by Pakistan, in October 1947 that the government of Jammu and Kashmir headed by the maharaja and supported by the National conference, a popular political organization, signed an instrument of accession with India on 0ct, 1947.

By this instrument of accession Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on three subjects - defense, foreign affairs and communication retaining other powers that is-there shall be no concurrent subjects and that the residual powers also vest in the state. In view of the peculiar circumstances relating to Jammu and Kashmir, the constitution of India could not treat it on par with other units of the republic and made some special provisions for it and article 370 lays down certain special provisions relating to Jammu and Kashmir. By virtue of these provisions the parliament's power to legislate in regard to the state shall confine to : a) those matters in the union list and the concurrent list which where ceded to the centre by the instrument of accession that is defense, foreign affairs and communication and b) such other subjects as the president may, with the concurrence of the state govt, by order specify as such the division of powers between Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Union is of American type thus allowing the state to enjoy full major of autonomy than any other state.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir was also allowed to constitute a constituent Assembly (as envisaged in the constitution of India) to draft a constitution for itself which was adopted and brought into force on January 26,1957. This Constitution deals with the main organs of the government of the state - the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and provides for certain other related matters such as elections, the official language, the public services and the state flag and the elected head of the state. It thus lead to the appreshion that Jammu and Kashmir is racially free from central control and is a republic within a republic. The Jurisdiction of the supreme court of India (w.r.t the holding of the Assembly election also) was extended to the state w.e.f January 26 1960.The nomenclature of the head of the state and head of the executive was also changed. This lead to the appreshion and fear among the people of Kashmir for the dilution and erosion of the autonomy giving a special status to it.

Life is a…………

2008-06-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

Life brings strange feelings at times. There are days when one is filled with moments of immense pleasure and there are days when one questions the mere existence of it. There are moments where there is so much agony, so much pain that one is frozen in horrible dimensions of the world. My mind just wanders between those moments and I at times find myself in abyss of darkness. My difficulty and for that matter- difficulty of every individual - whoever desired to achieve anything worthwhile comes in the movement. We all tend to desire something important in life and if that desire is not fulfilled we get unhappy, depressed and upset. Most of us fail because we never get started or we never overcome inertia or we don’t want to begin anything new.

Life is a moment to celebrate, to enjoy. Make it fun, a celebration, and then you will enter the bliss. Look at life-do you see sadness anywhere? Have you ever seen a tree depressed? Have you seen a bird anxiety-ridden? Have you seen an animal neurotic? No, life is not like that - not at all. Only man has gone wrong somewhere and he has gone wrong somewhere because he thinks himself to be very wise, very clever. Your cleverness is your disease. Don't be too wise. Always remember to stop - don't go to the extreme. A little foolishness and a little wisdom is good and the right combination makes you a perfect human being. - (Some lines of this post have been taken from Osho's Zen Tarot)

How true :)

2008-06-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

“Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yuhi koi apna lagta hai.
Kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichhar jaaye to ek sapna lagta hai.
Aise mei koi kaise apne aansu o ko behne se roke?
Aur kaise koi sochle everything’s gonna be ok?

Kabhi kabhi to lage zindagi mein rahi naa khushi aur naa mazaa.
Kabhi kabhi to lage har din mushkil aur har pal ek sazaa.
Aise mein koi kaise mushkuraye, kaise hasde khush hoke?
Aur kaise koi soch de everything gonna be ok?

Soch jara jaaneja tujhko hum kitna chahte hai.
Rotein hai hum bhi aggar teri ankhon mein aansu aate hai.
Gaane to aata nahi hai magar phir bhi hum gaate hai.
Ke Aditi maan kabhi, kabhi saare jahan mein andhera hota hai;
Lekin raat ke baad hi to sawera hota hai.

Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mei yuhi koi apna lagta hai.
Kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichhar jaaye to ek sapna lagta hai.
Hey Aditi Hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde, hasde tu zara.
Nahi to bus thora thora thora thora thora, thora mushkura.

Tu khush hai to lage ke jahan mein chhaayi hai khushi.
Suraj nikle baadlon se aur baatein zindagi.
Suun to jara madhosh hawa tujhse kehne lagi.
Ke Aditi wo jo bichhad-te hai ek na ek din phir mil jaate hai;
Aditi jaane tu ya jaane na phool phir khil jaate hai.

Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mei yuhi koi apna lagta hai.
Kabhi kabhi Aditi wo bichhar jaaye to ek sapna lagta hai.
Hey Aditi Hasde hasde hasde hasde hasde, hasde tu zara.
Nahi to bus thora thora thora thora thora, thora mushkura.”

Hindi Song Title: Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi
Hindi Movie/Album Name: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na
Singer(s): Rashid Ali

My favourite pictures :)

2008-06-13T21:58:00.000-07:00