The other day when we planned a vacation to mumbai for the winter break, we were in great spirits.As my semester had ended I was in a cheerful frame of mind, when we alighted from the train the first problem that encountered us was to decide in which hotel to stay. Being a "democratic" family each of us had a different opinion, my mom was all for checking into a luxury hotel, my sis wanted one with a swimming pool, I wanted one with a well equipped gym and my dad wanted one with a massage parlour. Amidst all the clamour, we were ambling along towards the taxi stand where a sardarji accosted us and enquired as to where we wanted to go.
My dad had a wry smile on his face and told us let`s do one thing let`s come to an amicable solution let`s put forward all our requirements in front of sardarji and his decision will be binding.
We all concurred and told the man our assorted requirements to which he listened with a knowing smile and then with a flurry of his arms he held the taxi door open and told us to get in and leave the matter to him.
We followed suit and were chattering among ourselves as he weaved his way through the mumbai traffic expertly, all of a sudden my mom drew in her breath sharply , when all of us followed her gaze we saw the dilapidated remains of the Taj Mahal hotel on our left side which had fallen victim to a gruesome terrorist attack a couple of weeks before. Suddenly all our desires left us and we prayed for the peace of the souls who had succumbed to the heinous attack.
I was the first to give vent to my opinion and said that now my wish of staying in a star hotel had vanished and my parents and sister also fell in line. And we immediately motioned the taxi driver to turn back the car and take us to a moderate guest house.
My dad even joked, "Let`s go to a dharamshala!!"
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Remove stress and discover life
How often do you feel stressed out? Is it once in a blue moon or more frequently? Well, it varies from person to person.
But in the modern times, the stress levels are on the upswing. The question is why is this occurring? There are several factors which contribute to this phenomenon.Let`s look at a few of these:
One of the primary reason is insecurity. Every person has a certain sense of security, upon breaching which they start to become stressed. For working people, this depends on the work environment of the company. If the employees fail to meet the gruelling demands of the work, a sense of insecurity generates within them.
Students of high school have a different story to tell, with the increasing competition, they need to provide an inhuman amount of effort to secure a seat in a reputed institution.
But for that they need to attend umpteen number of coachings which ironically, conduct their tests on a Sunday!!
So there is absolutely no breathing space.As long as the going is good people tend to live in the moment, but a man`s true character is tested intimes of adversity.
In this present scenario, in order to retain one`s mental equilibrium it is best to stop worrying about future events or to dwell upon past debacles, but, rather, think of every day as a new day with new opportunities and try to make the most of these.
And lastly, as the saying goes, "Failure is the pillar of success", but keep in mind not to construct too many pillars!!
But in the modern times, the stress levels are on the upswing. The question is why is this occurring? There are several factors which contribute to this phenomenon.Let`s look at a few of these:
One of the primary reason is insecurity. Every person has a certain sense of security, upon breaching which they start to become stressed. For working people, this depends on the work environment of the company. If the employees fail to meet the gruelling demands of the work, a sense of insecurity generates within them.
Students of high school have a different story to tell, with the increasing competition, they need to provide an inhuman amount of effort to secure a seat in a reputed institution.
But for that they need to attend umpteen number of coachings which ironically, conduct their tests on a Sunday!!
So there is absolutely no breathing space.As long as the going is good people tend to live in the moment, but a man`s true character is tested intimes of adversity.
In this present scenario, in order to retain one`s mental equilibrium it is best to stop worrying about future events or to dwell upon past debacles, but, rather, think of every day as a new day with new opportunities and try to make the most of these.
And lastly, as the saying goes, "Failure is the pillar of success", but keep in mind not to construct too many pillars!!
Power off mode
Of late, to see the fan blades rotating has become a rarity, and the tube light seems too lazy to flicker to life, all the electronic appliances seem to be enjoying an eternal slumber.
The irony is that my Dad has purchased a new electric toaster ( the primary reason being to make up for his lack of culinary skills, and to provide for himself during my mom`s absence), but the toaster is crippled by the rampant power cuts, so much so that one has to make do with half toasted bread!!
The reason for the frequent power cuts can be attributed to the growing consumption of electricity due to rapid industrialization , but, sadly not many new power plants are being constructed, so the available ones are wilting under pressure.
Moreover, the quality of coal available in India has more ash content thereby rendering them incapable of generating more power, thus the government of India has resorted to import of coal.
As far as hydel power plants are concerned, owing to the climate change and increasing temperature and uneven rainfall, rivers have started to run dry thereby reducing the power generated.
Under these dire circumstances, it is the need of the hour to look for alternate sources of power generation, like wind power , solar power etc.
But, for the moment, things don`t look too good and i think it`ll be a while before our family can taste fully toasted bread again!!
The irony is that my Dad has purchased a new electric toaster ( the primary reason being to make up for his lack of culinary skills, and to provide for himself during my mom`s absence), but the toaster is crippled by the rampant power cuts, so much so that one has to make do with half toasted bread!!
The reason for the frequent power cuts can be attributed to the growing consumption of electricity due to rapid industrialization , but, sadly not many new power plants are being constructed, so the available ones are wilting under pressure.
Moreover, the quality of coal available in India has more ash content thereby rendering them incapable of generating more power, thus the government of India has resorted to import of coal.
As far as hydel power plants are concerned, owing to the climate change and increasing temperature and uneven rainfall, rivers have started to run dry thereby reducing the power generated.
Under these dire circumstances, it is the need of the hour to look for alternate sources of power generation, like wind power , solar power etc.
But, for the moment, things don`t look too good and i think it`ll be a while before our family can taste fully toasted bread again!!
Unsung heroes of the olympics
Well, the olympics have just concluded and India can hold it`s head high owing to it`s creditable performance over the last fortnight.Believe it or not, India happens to be the only country to have tripled it`s medal tally.And for the first time since the inception of the games,an Indian has stood on top of the podium,that is , an Indian has won an individual gold medal.
Ironically, all the three victorious athletes aren`t a quarter as famous as say "Sachin Tendulkar" or "Sourav Ganguly", but they have become household names overnight.Newspapers have been devoting pages towards them,State Governments have been busy announcing cash awards, and even some private franchises have been presenting them with lavish gifts.
But the glory they cornered haven`t come overnight, it is the culmination of years of hard work, hours of practice,which more often than not have ended in abject failure.But now their moment has come, to win an olympic gold medal is one of the most cherished dreams of a sportsman.No matter how many trophies they win, their trophy cabinet appears incomplete without an olympic medal!!
The point of concern is that, the sports which have the potential to produce olympic medallists like boxing and wrestling are in dire need of good infrastructure and funding.
It was heart rending to read that Sushil Kumar who won the bronze medal in wrestling didn`t even have a masseur to attend to him in between bouts.
This tells the story,so if India wants to climb up the medals tally they must turn the spotlight away from cricket and focus it on sports like wrestling and boxing thereby becoming serious contenders at the next olympics.
One can only hope that these medals usher in a revolution in Indian sports!!
Ironically, all the three victorious athletes aren`t a quarter as famous as say "Sachin Tendulkar" or "Sourav Ganguly", but they have become household names overnight.Newspapers have been devoting pages towards them,State Governments have been busy announcing cash awards, and even some private franchises have been presenting them with lavish gifts.
But the glory they cornered haven`t come overnight, it is the culmination of years of hard work, hours of practice,which more often than not have ended in abject failure.But now their moment has come, to win an olympic gold medal is one of the most cherished dreams of a sportsman.No matter how many trophies they win, their trophy cabinet appears incomplete without an olympic medal!!
The point of concern is that, the sports which have the potential to produce olympic medallists like boxing and wrestling are in dire need of good infrastructure and funding.
It was heart rending to read that Sushil Kumar who won the bronze medal in wrestling didn`t even have a masseur to attend to him in between bouts.
This tells the story,so if India wants to climb up the medals tally they must turn the spotlight away from cricket and focus it on sports like wrestling and boxing thereby becoming serious contenders at the next olympics.
One can only hope that these medals usher in a revolution in Indian sports!!
Friday, July 18, 2008
The reason why people watch movies!!!!
To tell you the truth,few people go to the cinema actually wanting to watch the movie!! well, every one has their own special reason for entering the hallowed premises of the cinema hall.
The last time I went to see a movie (mind you I was one of the few who solely went for watching the movie and nothing else!!) I was surprised to find that the theatre was full to the brim as the movie had been released quite some time ago and it being a movie for the adolescents I was a bit surprised to find the number of adult people thronging the cinema hall!!
How was I to know that the lion`s share of them had other fish to fry!!
As I had been eagerly waiting to watch this movie for a long time I was on the edge of my seat almost begging for it to start.But there were an extraordinary amount of advertisements being played on the big screen and I was baffled to hear the cheer emanating from the audience they really seemed to be savouring it!!
Anyways,I settled down in my chair once the lights were dimmed and began to concentrate on the movie when much to my chagrin I felt a voice whispering in my ear,"Sir! would you like to order something?"Before I could say anything,he went on to recite the entire menu on my already oppressed ear I quickly cut him short and informed him that I`m not interested in having anything.He sounded a trifle disappointed and moved on to my neighbour(a fat man who hitherto had been constantly speaking on the phone!!) who seemed to take a keen interest in the menu and proceeded to order an entire set of dishes apparently only for himself!!
I by this time had lost the thread of the movie and upon the departure of the waiter began to concentrate on the movie once again when I was disturbed the by the low moaning noises emerging from the left hand side corner seats, upon directing by gaze there I discovered that on those seats another movie was being enacted by two passionate lovers.
I shunned the distractions and was successful in getting my teeth into the plot of the movie when along came the waiter laden with the assorted number of dishes that my neighbor had ordered!!
After he had deposited the food and departed I was being tortured to death by the noise that my fat neighbor was making in partaking his food.And as if this was not enough the people sitting in the row behind me consisted of a group of foreigners who apparently could not fathom a word of hindi and therefore they had brought a translator along with them who was translating the entire movie for them at the top of his voice!!
When the lights came on I realized it was intermission time and I had already become half mad I had two options left before me to sit through the entire movie withstanding all the trials and tribulations or to beat a hasty retreat to save my skin.
In spite of my love for the movie I chose the latter and breathed a sigh of relief upon coming out of the theatre.
The next day I rented a dvd and watched the movie in peace at my house.
The last time I went to see a movie (mind you I was one of the few who solely went for watching the movie and nothing else!!) I was surprised to find that the theatre was full to the brim as the movie had been released quite some time ago and it being a movie for the adolescents I was a bit surprised to find the number of adult people thronging the cinema hall!!
How was I to know that the lion`s share of them had other fish to fry!!
As I had been eagerly waiting to watch this movie for a long time I was on the edge of my seat almost begging for it to start.But there were an extraordinary amount of advertisements being played on the big screen and I was baffled to hear the cheer emanating from the audience they really seemed to be savouring it!!
Anyways,I settled down in my chair once the lights were dimmed and began to concentrate on the movie when much to my chagrin I felt a voice whispering in my ear,"Sir! would you like to order something?"Before I could say anything,he went on to recite the entire menu on my already oppressed ear I quickly cut him short and informed him that I`m not interested in having anything.He sounded a trifle disappointed and moved on to my neighbour(a fat man who hitherto had been constantly speaking on the phone!!) who seemed to take a keen interest in the menu and proceeded to order an entire set of dishes apparently only for himself!!
I by this time had lost the thread of the movie and upon the departure of the waiter began to concentrate on the movie once again when I was disturbed the by the low moaning noises emerging from the left hand side corner seats, upon directing by gaze there I discovered that on those seats another movie was being enacted by two passionate lovers.
I shunned the distractions and was successful in getting my teeth into the plot of the movie when along came the waiter laden with the assorted number of dishes that my neighbor had ordered!!
After he had deposited the food and departed I was being tortured to death by the noise that my fat neighbor was making in partaking his food.And as if this was not enough the people sitting in the row behind me consisted of a group of foreigners who apparently could not fathom a word of hindi and therefore they had brought a translator along with them who was translating the entire movie for them at the top of his voice!!
When the lights came on I realized it was intermission time and I had already become half mad I had two options left before me to sit through the entire movie withstanding all the trials and tribulations or to beat a hasty retreat to save my skin.
In spite of my love for the movie I chose the latter and breathed a sigh of relief upon coming out of the theatre.
The next day I rented a dvd and watched the movie in peace at my house.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fitness regime
In the world of today it has become a big ask to live free from diseases.Every person tends to suffer from some kind of ailment or other (even children are not spared!!) This is a consequence of many factors: the foremost of all is the lack of exercise.People have become so busy that they cannot seem to find even twenty minutes for exercise and this coupled with the fact that they tend to eat out almost every other day leads to escalating obesity which is the root cause for most of the diseases.
It is a point of concern to find that the children of today prefer to watch football on television rather than going out and kicking the ball themselves!! That is probably the reason why India being the largest democracy in the world finds itself ranked a lowly 154 in the FIFA rankings.
And as far as the adults are concerned most of them have sedentary jobs and therefore there is no scope for exercise, thus it is imperative that all of us make a conscious effort and devote some time regularly for exercise which will surely stand us in good stead.
There is a saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" but owing to leapfrogging inflation apples have become expensive so our best bet is to take to the roads and sweat it out which doesn`t cost a penny.
So chalk out a fitness regime for yourself and get started as it`s never too late to start anything!!
It is a point of concern to find that the children of today prefer to watch football on television rather than going out and kicking the ball themselves!! That is probably the reason why India being the largest democracy in the world finds itself ranked a lowly 154 in the FIFA rankings.
And as far as the adults are concerned most of them have sedentary jobs and therefore there is no scope for exercise, thus it is imperative that all of us make a conscious effort and devote some time regularly for exercise which will surely stand us in good stead.
There is a saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" but owing to leapfrogging inflation apples have become expensive so our best bet is to take to the roads and sweat it out which doesn`t cost a penny.
So chalk out a fitness regime for yourself and get started as it`s never too late to start anything!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
When I have the remote in my hand..
Well,to begin with let me tell you frankly that it`s not everyday that I get to have the remote in my hand.The principal reason for this being that I have been staying in hostel since the last three years.When I do get to come home on holidays,there is still mom and sister to contend with to get my hands onto the coveted "REMOTE"(fortunately,my DAD is not much into watching T.V.) My mom and sister are all smiles and hospitality personified when I come home during the holidays,but when it comes to custody of the REMOTE they change course and turn bitter contenders(as if we`re fighting for the olympic gold medal!!)
So enough of beating about the bush, now let me tell you what do I actually do once I get my hands on the elusive "REMOTE": Well, first of all I just browse through the hundred odd channels aimlessly and then when I find something interesting happening in any one of the channels I just pause for a wee bit before moving on.
But my principal passion happens to be sports, so I almost always end up watching some kind of sport on the idiot box.Before I have satisfied myself, mom often barges in as it is time for her to watch one of the umpteen soaps that pollute the television of today.She then sets about coaxing and cajoling me into giving up the remote and after a lot of trouble when I finally manage to ward off mom and settle down comfortably for another session with the remote, in walks my sister and demands the remote stating that her favorite movie (which she has already seen umpteen number of times!!) is going to come on air, my sisters modus operandi is quite different from my mom`s she is not one to coax and cajole, she gallantly fights for the remote giving it all she has and I after putting up a decent show finally relent and trudge back to drawing room gracious in defeat!!
But later when I sit on the sofa with a book in hand and try to recall what i actually saw on the T.V. , I realize that all that while I was simply flipping through channels rather than zeroing in on some program!!
So I have realized my folly and have thrown in the towel and from now on whenever I watch T.V. I first decide beforehand what program I am going to watch and watch it without the remote in hand thereby enjoying it thoroughly..
So enough of beating about the bush, now let me tell you what do I actually do once I get my hands on the elusive "REMOTE": Well, first of all I just browse through the hundred odd channels aimlessly and then when I find something interesting happening in any one of the channels I just pause for a wee bit before moving on.
But my principal passion happens to be sports, so I almost always end up watching some kind of sport on the idiot box.Before I have satisfied myself, mom often barges in as it is time for her to watch one of the umpteen soaps that pollute the television of today.She then sets about coaxing and cajoling me into giving up the remote and after a lot of trouble when I finally manage to ward off mom and settle down comfortably for another session with the remote, in walks my sister and demands the remote stating that her favorite movie (which she has already seen umpteen number of times!!) is going to come on air, my sisters modus operandi is quite different from my mom`s she is not one to coax and cajole, she gallantly fights for the remote giving it all she has and I after putting up a decent show finally relent and trudge back to drawing room gracious in defeat!!
But later when I sit on the sofa with a book in hand and try to recall what i actually saw on the T.V. , I realize that all that while I was simply flipping through channels rather than zeroing in on some program!!
So I have realized my folly and have thrown in the towel and from now on whenever I watch T.V. I first decide beforehand what program I am going to watch and watch it without the remote in hand thereby enjoying it thoroughly..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
