Spice to my Life...

I had spent most of my childhood days in the sea shore. Simply because of two reasons, one it was close to my place and the second was you don’t need money to visit the sea shore..

Building sand castle, shooting balloons and lapping against the waves have always fascinated me. I was even more enchanted to see the flights flying high in the sky above the sea and land. My bro and I use to gape at the flight like a shooter whose eyes are fixed to the target. We jumped, shouted and waved our hands at the flight thinking that someone would respond… In short, the world came to a standstill when I see a flight..

Though the flight journey was making travel easier, exciting and enjoying I couldn’t yearn for it since they were expensive.

Needless to say Flying was a far reaching dream then..

But today, thanks to toastmasters that gave an opportunity to accomplish my age old dream..

I was very proud to take those small little steps to step into the aircraft. Like any other first time flyer I glued to the window seat and seeked the help of my co-passenger to fix the seat belt.

First thing I felt doing then…Guess What? To update my facebook status.. Searched for the internet enabled computer.. Damn!! Air hostess said they don’t have one and smiled. Oh boy! That smile was more than enough to kill the male community in large…

The flight aligned to its trajectory and pierced into the sky.. I was experiencing a feeling that could not be explained in words.. I fixed my eyes to the window and was gazing at the land beneath. Wow! It was a fascinating view of mother earth. Just when I thought there cannot be a better sight, I saw the sun rise from the skies.. For the lack of better word, all I would like to say is it was a zenith of natural beauty.

I was distracted from enjoying the nature’s beauty by this snoring “sound” sleep of my fellow passenger.. I contemplated if not for this spectacular nature’s beauty what else could interest him…

We landed in Mumbai and as I looked back at the flight I traveled with a lot of pride, my friend put his hands on my shoulder and asked “How was your maiden flight journey”…

I said “SPICEJET ADDED SPICE TO MY LIFE” :)

Confession

Diwali is a festival of lights that symbolizes the victory of Good over Evil. It is on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating King Ravan…

Today we are surrounded by so many many evils in the name of corrupt Politicians, Beaurocrats and ills from other section of society who are bringing shame to this country and worst is, I fear if India will ever change..

1,39,652,00,00,000 – This is the official number quoted by the Auditor General of India to the Supreme Court with regard to the amount relating to the irregularities in the 2G Spectrum Allocation. It’s been almost a year since CBI took over the case and no progress has been made to punish the guilty inspite of many evidences that CBI claims to have. The corruption charged minister still enjoys all privileges of his position and is taking all of us for a ride.

In organizations, when someone is accused of wrong doings they are “suspended pending enquiry” meaning they are relieved from their duties until they come clean. Why isn’t the same applicable to Politicians? A Minister charged with corruption in all possibilities may misuse his position to get rid of the case. Instead it will be wise if they get out of the thrown and prove themselves.. If they do so, people will surely bring them back.

Telecom Minister says he hasn’t done anything wrong but practiced what is predecessors did?.Bull Shit… Mr. Raja, Would you sell your property for the price that was fixed in 2001? Your answers are testimony to your incompetence and inefficient way of running your department.

Moving on, a country with billion people was literally brought to its knees by OC of CWG. Indeed CWG has turned out to be wealthy game for few people. Asusual the probe is on which isn’t time bound and I’m sure the culprits have the option of free run.

Lastly, there has been lot of kidnap cases. Offlate a 10 year old girl was molested and murdered. Day before that, 2 siblings were kidnapped and murdered. I wish these culprits are hanged to death in public without any mercy after the time bound proceeding. No humanitarian consideration should be shown to such inhuman acts.

Instead we are admitting such culprits in hospital, saving his life, conducting the proceeding for year’s together inturn wasting our resources including public money.

I believe Harsh, Immediate and Major Punishments like what it is in the Middle East should be given to these sorts of criminals because the fear of punishment is the only thing that will drive our system clean.

I confess that I am penning down these thoughts with a sense of disgrace, guilt and shame that I am not able to do anything about this singularly but sincerely hope that somewhere someone will rise up to win these evils and I will be glad to join hands with them..

Why few people wish to stay Single :)

Until now I have come across atleast half a dozen ppl who wish to stay single throughout their life.. and this blog is as a result of the conversations(Oops! Sorry. Read it as confrontations) I had with them..

Disclaimer: Utmost care has been taken to avoid male chauvinistic remarks, however any comments that may seem to be biased towards a gender or section of society are not intentional.

While there may be various reasons for one to take this extreme step(Staying Single), my focus is on few reasons that seem to be very absurd to me..

Broken Relationship: While it’s normal for people to get into a relationship, many times this relationship fails to meet the long term commitment i.e. Marriage. I have come across ppl who fall in love deeply, madly that he/she goes to any extreme to make their loved ones happy. Sadly this happiness is short-lived and many times these relationships are treated only as passing clouds by few who do not value the love that’s showered upon him/her.

When they hit reality it looks as though the world has come to a standstill and he/she starts detesting people/world simply because they aren’t able to accept the fact about their failed relationship. While this is normal to many, only few accept the reality while the rest feel that it’s no longer normal life for them and thinkfeel it’s not possible for them to love or accept any other man/woman in their life.

My Comment:

1. If you are the reason for the broken relationship, it’s good that you understand the mistake. That’s the first step toward building bridges in a relationship. Better late than never, speak to your partner and apologize if required without any ego.. Afterall its your life.. Especially for guys, you don’t have to feel ashamed for falling at her feet, since that’s going to be the way of life after marriage ;)

2. Now what if the fault is on your partner and he/she doesn’t want you in their life anymore? I feel there is no point in shedding tears for someone who doesn’t deserve it. Though easier said than done, move on with life.. Take a break, Go for an holiday, Meet your friends, Speak out with your akin, Rejoin those dance classes which you always wanted to attend, colour your wall like an Michael Angelo’s art.. Main idea is to keep yourself busy in something or the other so as to divert your attention. Who knows? You might find your better half in the dance class, music festival or in your holiday.. I can vouch for this..:)

Personal Experience: Many times we come across bad marriages within our family and friends circle. Barring love, inspite of matching horoscopes, background checks and hefty sum as dowry, many arranged marriages fail. Over a period of time we hear 2,3,4 marriages that fail due to various reasons. These external experiences also have a profound impact on our decision to stay single…

My Comment:

Never let other’s experience decide your future. You may not exactly know what happened in their lives. You might have a great opinion on your friend and you thought he is the best husband material and the girl should be lucky enough to get him… But you may not exactly know how your friend handles his personal life. Friendship & Marriage are two different entity that cannot be compared.. Never form an halo effect seeing the few characteristics of your friend.. and last thing you could do is, draw his personal life as an inspiration and decide to stay single. You should be insane. Please friends do not do this..

All said and done what’s important to keep a happy, blissful marriage life going? To answer in one word “COMPROMISE”. I believe nobody is perfect and we have to understand & accept those imperfections to lead a healthy marriage life.

Finally, no amount of reading romance books is equal to the act of falling in love. Similarly you need to get married and enjoy life. It’s always special to live life for that one special person who will not only share your joy, sorrows, happiness but also your credit card.. Lolz.. Kidding ;)

Best Kiss I ever received..

After playing cricket in the scorching heat, I returned home sweating profusely. I felt disgusted by the heat and told myself “Oh God! I’m stinking”. But at my doorstep my mother embraces me, wipes the sweat in my face with her pallu and kisses on my cheek.

Wow! Those Childhood days were amazing..

While this scene is common to everyone in the childhood days seldom (Not common) it happens now. And that’s exactly I am baffled about.

Why don’t they see us as child even after we grow up….I think the reason in my case is that my parents thought I was too old to get such a reception today. Rather they were conditioned to think so by "ME"…

Yes! Once I entered my adolescent age, kiss from my Girl friend was for more interesting than from my parents. Whenever they tried to hug me, I tell them “Ma.. I’m 17 years, don’t treat me like a child..”, “No Appa, I’m going out with my friends, cannot come with you”..

By those words I slowly kept moving away from them thinking I should behave like an adult and shouldn’t entertain those acts…

All went well until I went to work.. 6 days work, even before you get ready to relax on Sunday your holiday is over…. No longer meeting friends, no night outs, no birthday parties, No time to meet your relatives.. Life became mechanical.. I was entangled with daily routine work and felt a vaccum in my life.. I wanted to go back to those lovely days where my parents showered the unconditional love on me..

Today all I had to do was to ask my mom.. and there it comes.. Kiss on my cheek after almost 10 years… Wow!! This will remain as the best kiss I have ever received in my life :)

Special Person in your life

Rajesh, who is the most special person in your life?

I was flummoxed with this question. So many people’s name ran through my mind. My Parents who even today stand as a rock of our family, My teachers who moulded a rough charcoal into a polished diamond (Tht’s me ;) ), My Professors who helped me to sharpen my management skills, my mentor who coaches me on life skills, my friends who are an integral part of my life, My love who made me realize that it is still possible to forgive a person who hurt you..
So many names cris -crossed my mind…

{Mobile Ringing}….

As soon as I saw the name on the mobile phone I realized who that special person in my life was.

Yes. Many people walk into our lives, serve their purpose and walk away but only very few remain with us through out our life. They are the one’s on whom we drench our happiness, Joy, Love, affection, Sorrow, Anger and all other emotions.. They will stand by us during our bright sunny day’s while offering their shoulder for us to lean during our downhill.. Whatever we say, they won’t react but respond. They might be far away from us yet they will have an eagle’s eye on us & monitor the progress we make in our life…both professionally and personally.

I am sure you all will also have a special person in your life but the biggest question is how to identify them.

Well, Very Simple… If their name flashing on your mobile phone brings a smile on your face then they are the special person in your life. :)

Cherish the lovely moments with them.. Its Priceless!!!

The Gas Tragedy

I never wanted to voice my opinions on this issue but recent developments made me to rethink my decision. I’m writing this not as a Politician or Indian or American but only on the humanitarian grounds and on compassion I have towards my fellow human beings.

Everything takes time in India and 25 years of waiting for justice is no exception to it.

Leak of Methyl Iso-cynate gas from the Union Carbide plant has not just succumbed 25,000 people to death but has caused generations of ill effects on the health of people living in Bhopal. Off Springs are born with birth ailment, Permanent damage has been caused to the flora & fauna, people around the factory inhale air that’s poisonous even today.

I would like to voice over my opinions on different sections of this society.

Politicians

We are hearing a no. of stories on the way the issue has been handled. People who never opened their mouth all these days are letting out sensational news that causes a great concern. Pilot, Taxi driver, Home secretary and District Collector are coming out and saying on record that they were ordered to pave way for Anderson’s escape.

Infact I was dumbstuck to see a footage showing policemen opening the gate and saluting Warren Anderson, 3 days after he was released on bail. For sure many Government departments have tirelessly worked & lobbied to ensure Warren Anderson’s exit from India.

All I would like to ask these politicians is how on earth you can protect the interest of a billion people if you cannot account responsibility for the death of masses? You guys have pledged 25,000 lives who died and 50,000 people who still live with permanent ailments and many generations to come to protect your own interests. These Sufferers are the Aam Aadmi’s who feature in your election manifestation. How is the pain caused to them justified?

Media

All news channels carry some message on this tragedy ever since the verdict came. While it is good for media to bring out issues to catch audience attention, the same media are also responsible for infinite pain. “GROUND ZERO – BHOPAL”, “24 HOURS in BHOPAL” and other stories which cover the victims of the gas tragedy will only make things worse. Questions like How did you feel after the gas leak? How much compensation you received? How many people in your family died in the gas leak?, will only rekindle the trouble, tragedy & trauma they have gone through and cause endless pain to them. Asking such questions is like asking a father who lost his son “How do you feel now?” Oh Please for all the Bakra’s, Rajdeep’s, have some mercy on the people of Bhopal.

When will you guys stop making sensation out of other’s sufferings?

People of Bhopal

While I salute your perseverance and patience for justice, I believe it’s high time we give new dimension to our way of fighting for justice. I may be a fool who is influenced by some radical thinking but I think extreme measures like boycotting the elections and letting the governance know that our fundamental rights/needs are not taken care off will send strong signals to people who govern us. Time has come where these Pandits of Politics cannot take us for granted. Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see” and I believe if things have to change we need to take drastic steps.

Justice Department

25,000 Lives = 2 Years of Jail (or) Rs 1 Lakh Fine.

How is this justified?

All said and done, it’s just a matter of time before the attention shifts from this tragedy to some other news. It may be FIFA World Cup, Elections, Oil Price, Food Inflation or Aishwarya Rai. Who Knows?. We people have to blame ourselves for this short term memory loss that we suffer from.

Parenting

I have always wondered if the Art of Parenting can be preached, practice or performed by any parents. After due diligence I have come to the conclusion that Yes! It is possible. But most of our parents are so much engaged in meeting the daily needs of the family that they forget the importance of parenting. This subject is close to my heart and so did I decide to pen down my thoughts.

Viktor Lozhkin and Yana Mikhailova were detained by the local police authorities for investigation purposes. Reason being not for charges of Murder, not for assaulting a women, not for peddling drugs, not for burglary, no no not even for theft. Then Why?
Viktor and Yana were detained on suspicion of neglecting their 5 year old child Natasha who was locked in a room with dogs and cats for several years causing her to behave like an animal. She laps her food, drinks with the tongue and walks on all four. So what big deal? It’s just one off incident which cannot be generalized Rajesh. If you think so, then we need to go back and check if it is really a one off incident.

• In December 2008, Lyokha was found in the forests of central Russia. He had been living with a dozen of wolves and has inculcated wolf-like behaviors and reactions.
• In 2007-08, Danielle Crockett was rescued from Florida. She was found locked in a room and deprived of human interaction for the first seven years of her life. She is currently undergoing human conditioning.
• In 2007, Amy was found in the mountains of Bulgaria where she had been raised by dogs. She doesn’t understand the native language and is not able to exhibit human emotions.
• And way back in 1920, eight year old kamala and 18 month old Amala were reportedly rescued from a wolf’s den in West Bengal.

Officially documented feral children’s numbers is almost 130 around the world out of which 27 cases have been reported in India since 1900’s. But the most alarming news is that the act of neglected parenting is unofficially at record high in urban India. It’s happening in our city, our street, our neighbourhood and our home. This is not an exaggeration.

Thanks to the rising standards of cost of living, double income families are at record high today, result being parents have little time to spend with their children. Children are sent to school at the age of 3. What do they teach the children in Pre.K.G? Nothing but children spend time playing with one another. Do you really have to go to school to play? Didn’t you and I play with our friends in our childhood days? Isn’t that possible at home sweet home? It is possible but parent’s feel that they cannot afford the time due to financial pressures at home.

Look at the Ideal child’s schedule. It goes like 9 AM to 4 PM at school, 4-6 Tuition classes, 6-8 will probably be a dance class or music class or some other classes. Parents encourage their children to take up extracurricular activities like never before. Wonderful, kudos to all the parents. But there is selfishness in this generosity shown towards children. Main objective is to engage their children with some task or the other until they get back home. This is a bitter truth.

Even before the school bus arrives parent’s company bus is at their doorstep. What an irony? Everyone in the family holds a duplicate key which facilitates them to come and go whenever they feel. To me greatest invention is Refrigerator & Microwave oven because it serves me left over dinner for breakfast and left over breakfast for lunch. I’m tired of eating re-heated food over and over again. I can’t imagine a life without Refrigerator and microwave oven.

I’m not accusing parents for what they do. I understand they do it to help their children live a better life than what you and I have today. But the ripple effect of discarded love will not serve the intended purpose. We all slog everyday as though we are not going to live tomorrow. We believe that money would bring in happiness at home. I think it is a greatest myth. Money would create an environment conducive for Happiness. But real happiness comes from spending quality time with your loved ones.

If these situations continue there will be a time in future when father, mother and children will be on a conference call to discuss the time to meet over for dinner. There will be a time when your children would respond with a bizarre look as you introduce your blood relations to them. Because the concept of nuclear family has broken the bridge of family interaction & closeness. This is not a hypothetical statement. This has already happened in western world and the day is not far away before it happens here.

I hope my thoughts would trigger your minds. I would be happy if even one among you realizes spending time with family is very important. Remember friends, you are a reason for your child’s existence in this world. Give them life by spending time with them because those few hours you spend playing with them, appreciating them for what they are, listening to whatever they have to say, can have a great impact in both you and your children’s life.

Points to note before you Quit your Job

Signs of economic revival are being welcomed by the Government & Corporate Community around the world. Employees who settled for ZERO HIKES, No Promotions and in certain cases taking voluntary pay cuts to avoid layoff are updating their resumes and getting ready to move ahead. For all you guys floating around your resumes in Job Portals & with Ex-Bosses, Previous Employers and Friends consider the following factors before you quit your present Job.

1. Learning Opportunities – Adding experience to years is better than adding years to your experience. Read the previous line carefully. Does the organization provide enough learning opportunities to you? Do you have access to Journals / Internet to keep you updated on the latest developments in your Domain space? Does your organization giving importance to training? It is very important to learn, unlearn & relearn and keep ourselves abreast on the knowledge front.

2. Empowerment – As we move up the Ladder we are driven by the Power of Authority. You would want to take decisions of varied nature even though they are not related to the Organizations financial performance. For example bring out a change in the way of working, Developing/Modifying the Policies and Procedures, Granting leave to your sub-ordinates etc. Are you empowered to take such decisions? Magnitude of decision making doesn’t matter until Empowerment exists in some form or the other.

3. Voice out your Opinion – You may be working in a company which boasts of best of policies & procedures. You understand that the Policies and Procedures should have flexibility. You feel that you have not been treated fairly in the organization. Are you able to voice out your opinion to your Boss? Are you free to highlight your concerns to your Boss? You may not see any outcome but at least you would feel better that you let out your emotions freely. Believe me withholding your views creates a frustration which will do no good to you.

4. Flexibility – Most of your personal work would take a maximum of 1 - 2 hours. However you would not want to talk a full day leave from office. Are you allowed those two hours permission to complete your bank work, attend a family function, reach your loved ones who suddenly fall ill or to complete your household work.

5. Work Life Balance – Extended work hours for completing a Project, Preparing a Proposal, Meeting the deadline is unavoidable. See to that it doesn’t become a way of life. After all there is a life beyond your cubicle and the conference room. Maintaining a work life balance is imperative to taste success in both Personal & Professional life.

The above list is not exhaustive but it includes few factors which I feel are important. Before you quit an organization list down the Pro’s and Con’s of your Present Employer and Future Employer, see if it makes sense to move to a new employer and then take a decision. Do not see compensation has the only driver to quit. Remember it’s always wise to forego short term benefits for long term gains.

Wishing you a great year ahead! :)

Life's Mantra

60 year old man resting his arm on his wife (Hopefully:) ) and sharing light moments, Newlywed couple enjoying their private moments in public place, lovers playing in the sea water and two guys expressing their affection for each other.

I noticed Shravan noticing all those acts with a lost look. I sat beside him and could sense that something was wrong. He wasn’t the same person he used to be. Those rib tickling jokes, his sense of humour, pulling friends leg was all missing. He thought how good it would be to have a company like those lucky one’s he was looking at. Be it in any form-friend, lover or wife. He said “Machi, I experience lot of emotions like Happiness, Joy, Love, Sadness and Anger in my life yet I don’t know to whom I can express it. It feels really bad when you don’t have anyone to lean and cry out your emotions machan…..”. Soon I came to know his problem. He was feeling aloof.

Often while chasing our own paths in life, we forget to catch up with our old friends or likeminded persons-no more birthday parties, no more night stays, no more discussions on so called forbidden acts and no more chatting over the phone till midnight for nothing. In doing so, we detach ourselves from those selfless creatures who brought smile to our face, who stood by us during all the odds we faced and now complain of not having a company to spend time with.

I told Shravan “Before you desire, spare your shoulder for others to lean, who knows your purpose of life may be complete with them. There are certain things in life that happens for a reason. Don’t question its logic. Just move on with life and be like water that embraces everything that comes by. Good, Bad, Cheat, Hate, Disasters, Tragedy or Betrayal. These all are a sojourn. Tell yourself “This too shall passby… Eventually you will experience serenity in life. This is a time tested technique that works perfectly well. That’s the secret of my life too.”

Love deeply & passionately, you might get hurt but that’s how you live life completely!

AO – Next Frontier of Growth in Tamil Cinema

I don’t remember the last time I woke up before the sunrise. But today I got up at around 5 in the morning, took bath and got ready. Reason, not being Pongal. I was leaving home to watch the first day first show of the most awaited movie “Aayirathil Oruvan”.

Being an ardent fan of Selvaraghavan, there is always something in his movie that attracts me to the theatre. Be it unfolding a love, describing the delicate relationship between a boy and a girl or scanning through a life of a gangster, Selva is exemplary in showcasing it to the audience.

A lot of hype has been created by the film fraternity & media about this movie especially because it is a Selvaragavan’s movie and the numerous delay's in releasing the movie. Now I have all the more reason to get excited about watching this film.

I would like to move away from the storyline and talk about the few aspects of the movie. First and foremost is CINEMATOGRAPHY. The camera angles and the lightings are brilliant. The mountains, Thick Forests, Streams and Deserts of Jaisalmer are all a visual treat.

Second is the ART DIRECTION. Most of the film depicting the lives of the Chola Dynasty has been shot using the sets. These sets look so real that it takes us to their world.

Third is the SHADES used. Early mornings, late evenings, Mountains, Desert, Chola Hideouts have all been shown with great colour.

Stunts have been pictured wonderfully. I guess few sequences have been emulated from Hollywood flicks yet they are appealing.

If you shoot out a question like who is the hero of AO? In split seconds I will come up with two names. Selvaragavan & Reema Sen.

Even though the film seems to test one’s patience for 3 ¼ hours, I think selva had little control over it.

As I was dumbstuck with Selva’s daring efforts to present such film, I overheard few people leaving with disappointment. I understand perceptions are different yet I feel we need to encourage these films which takes us beyond the mundane tamil films and keeps us flummoxed every minute.. After all we all love a Titanic, 2012, Avatar for its extravaganza but simply do not appreciate Tamil Films of same magnitude(Not literally) and sensation.

Needless to say AO is one movie that belongs to the elite group of films that takes Tamil Cinema to the Next frontier of Growth.

Kudos to the entire team of AO.