A better Humanity- Blog for a cause(Milaap)

   We boast a lot …isn’t it? “Our Country is shining;We are a major IT hub of the world;We have launched innumerable satellites …in space and so on…I don’t mean these are trivial things..These are in fact great achievements .Agreed!! they are worth boasting…But while we are doing this we are ignoring something; rather a major thing..The villagers and the villages..

       

    India is definitely a land of Intellectuals…but a major population of India is ignorant...They are not aware that India is shining..Nor they have heard the word satellite..All they worry is how to fill their stomach for the day..They have no time to give a shit about anything else…

     

    Justifying my opening statement we have no right to boast until we improve the condition of these masses. And raising my voice on these lines I have some ideas listed below that I think will help for their betterment..

        1)   Education in Practical Sense:   It’s commendable that many NGOs are working towards educating the rural masses.The condition has improved a lot now.But there is a shortcoming here.You find many people in the villages educated but they are not knowledgeable..I hope you understand the difference between literacy and knowledge. Let  me give you some examples:

                    

*) The  Government comes up with so many schemes for the poor.Subsidies,BPL card..etc  .But how many of the rural people are aware of it.They don’t have a clue at all that such a scheme exists. The end result is they will never reap benefits out of these.Only the government officials and Politicians gain benefits form this which is manifested in the form of those huge tummies..:P

                  

*)The Political Education: Most of the age old people and those dwelling in remotely places have a false picture of political system.Trust me in some places they still think Congress means Indira Gandhi.They are unaware of how some of the Politicians are looting India by consuming Coal,Fodder etc..If people are going to be so ignorant then the true purpose of democracy is not served .All we end up is in a vicious cycle of Corruption

                 

    So my take on this is along with the normal process of making people literate..they should be given education in these lines.

    There should be some volunteer from some NGO educating them about the schemes that are made for them; help them avail the schemes battling the corrupt challenges posed by the government offices that issue them.

     There should be someone who can rightly and convincingly educate them about current Political conditions.We don’t want someone to vote considering some ancient leader…right!!!!

      2)  Agriculture:  We consider agriculture to be the backbone of our country rite..Then I would hypothesize that the backbone is weak and soon it will break…let me share an experience of mine to you  in this regard…

I was travelling in a bus .I found out that my co-passenger was a farmer.I was just inquiring him about farming.What I found out was that he was a frustrated farmer.He told me that he is never going to bring any of his children into farming..He was frustrated with the middle man intervention,.The crops getting deceased ..not getting the right remuneration for his hard work etc…This is not the right way to nourish our backbone right?

    

Further I found out that he still uses the age old methods of farming.There was no awareness in him about the modern  technologies used in farming.

I urge NGOs to concentrate on this aspect very much.Some how we need to solve this .We cant have frustrated farmers.They need to get the right price for their crops.They need to be educated about simple and effective techniques about modern farming.I had done a few projects related to agriculture.Let me share it with you..so that you can take a cue from this and help them out

·         Mulching Process:  In mulching process the bed of the plants is covered with organic waste like dried leaves,twigs etc..When it is coupled with drip irrigation it brings a lot of benefits to the farmers..The dried leaves serve as organic fertilizers to the plants.Since the plant bed is covered there is no soil drain ..the drip irrigation makes sure that water is supplied in correct amounts not extra nor less…and many other benifits.And moreover its a very economic method.In Fact you need not spend anything at all.

..

·         Flyash use in agriculture: The soot that gets accumulated in chimneys when removed turns into a blackish powder called Flyash .,,This has a lot of agricultural benefits,,Again an economical method

·         Use of robotics in Agriculture: There is   a lot of labor problem in India.You don’t get the labor at right time and they are demanding too..So how about using Robots in Agriculture like the west..The robots do everything from sowing till harvesting..And as far as cost is concerned if u analyze the cumulative costs of current agriculture and robotic agriculture ,the latter turns out to be cheaper..

      3)  Help in Hospitals: This is from a personal experience .I have seen a lot of villagers who look like confused frightened souls in hospital's.They don’t know what to do.They stand in unnecessary queues all the time only to find out that they were in wrong queue.Some hospitals exploit them too..(Not all,Some hospitals are very good in this regard .They treat some Patients for free).And again there is lack of education that shows its presence.There are so many schemes like Yashashwini etc which they are unaware of.

         Some group of volunteers or some NGOs  must be there in these hospitals to help them out and show them the correct way.

     

4)   Corporate Social Responsibility : It’s a great job that all Corporate giants are involved in social welfare programs.With Sachin pilot introducing the mandate that every company must spend 2 percent on social welfare the activites have become even more.But the shortcoming I see here is there is no unified planned effort because of which there is no profound impact.Some company cleans a lake while the other visits a orphanage and so on…

   

      If the NGOs and Corporate can sit together and chalk out a plan then the money and effort will be well directed creating a profound impact.

Lets all wish for a better India,Better world,and above all better humanity.

P.S.:Do check this link www.milaap.org

               

Sachin Tendulkar -Legend Redefined

      5ft five inch height. A smiling face, reflecting calmness and determination at the same time .A personality beaming incessant passion for the game of Cricket. Be it the straight drive or paddle sweep;backfoot punch or cut; leg glance or hook ;he has the rare distinction of coating every shot with flamboyance. Be it the in swinger or out swinger ;off spin or leg spin; Yorker or Bouncer; He can face it all with  ease, perfection and smile. If cricket is a crown he is the diamond in it. That’s –SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR….for you…

      

      Records seem to be his close friend. You name it he has it. Most number of runs in one days and Test. Most centuries and fifties .Most number of matches played in both formats…oh the list is endless…

    

      Even after having almost all records under his name his hunger did not die..Every time he came to the field he depicted that passion. That  endless hunger for runs was always seen in him…right from the age 0f 16 till the age of 40.Oh it was treat to watch him on the field..Not just batting..He excelled as a bowler too and even fielding. The commitment ;the attitude of giving his 100 percent was seen in his every aspect of cricket….The respect he has for the game is immense

   

    Another unparalleled trait of his is Humility. He has all records under his name, a billion people as his fans, yet there has not been a case of arrogance .Never was he involved in a scandal..nor did he question the umpire’s decision .All he did was to play cricket with a smiling face. This trait is seen quite a lot among his contemporaries be it Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly or Kumble.The younger Cricketing Generation should learn from these legends..”Its not enough if you score a ton or take a 5 wicket haul. What makes you great is this trait called Humility.”

   Thanks SRT for entertaining us right from our childhood till today. You have not just entertained but also inspired us. You have taught us that relentless passion,hardwork towards the goal along with humility will take people to heights.

    The people, game of Cricket is going to miss you  a lot Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar.The eyelashes of Billion people doesn’t get wet for no reason.You are a legend infact you have redefined what “legend” means….#ThankYouSachin

Cricket is never going to be the same again……

    

     

Falling in Love again ..........with my wife...

 “I had committed the blunder again”.!!!!My grey matter had ditched me. It was my 6^th marriage anniversary  the day before and I had completely forgotten about that. This was like “blunder repeated” since I had forgotten the anniversary date the previous year  too…Last year somehow I managed to escape from the consequences but this time the aftermath of the blunder  had manifested in a furious way…..

    

    “Furious reserved looks; silent tantrums; generally don’t look good on a pretty face. Especially if they are intended for you. But that was what I was getting from my wife; that too in myriad amounts in response to my blooper..”So here I was a poor chap, feeling guilty of forgetting anniversary date and figuring out ways to convince his angry wife…”.

     

     Next up I was in front of my laptop with Google on screen. It’s an unequivocal belief among all engineers that Google is one stop destination wherein all your queries get answered. Be it a professional question,or a personal question or any damn thing…the first thing we engineers think is Google. And since I am no different I decided to take help of “God” like Google with a hope to tackle my situation. I keyed in the phrase “How to console your enraged wife”…..There were myriad of results for this but none of them was convincing enough .There was no tailor made result considering the fact that my wife is a unique creature….

   

  Dismayed by these series of events I shut my laptop with a thud and sat on the couch . My eyes were staring at the roof ,walls hoping to get an answer. While i was busy staring ,the shelf caught my attention. I saw our marriage album lying there. My mind told me go pick it up. I obliged….And you know what after that something amazing happened……

    

  I was flipping through the different photos. One picture  got my attention. It was a single photo of my wife in her bridal attire. She was looking stunning in it. I felt guilty for having disappointed such a beautiful wife. I kept on looking at the picture. I noticed her alluring dimple…for the first time which I didn’t even have a clue about all these 6 years. I just thought how bad I am in observing and perceiving beauty. The longer I looked at it more the finer and exquisite things I found out which I hadn’t observed all these years….

   

  As I was observing the picture a chord struck in my mind. Yuppie I had found my answer. I recollected someone saying that  “Women folk appreciate when you observe and appreciate those finer things about them”. Taking cue from that I texted my wife who was in other room.

”Hey dear, was looking at the marriage photo. And trust me your dimple is elegant. I am falling for it “…

I was waiting for her reply.5 minutes had passed .There was no sign of reply .I was just on the verge of accepting disappointment  but then I saw that my mobile beeped. I was elated and opened the message with excitement. But when I read the message I was agitated….

“It was from a bank, about house loan”

I threw the mobile and decided that staring at the wall is the best thing I can do.Just a couple of minutes later my phone beeped again. It was an endorphin rush when I checked it …It was from my wife …the message read

“Hmmmmm J J”

I was like girls and their “hmmmmms”.

I replied her back “Can I have the privilege of witnessing that alluring dimple”

 I was waiting for her reply .Just then I heard the sound of door getting unlocked. The plan had worked. She came out and stood in front of me with her hand on her waist and a made up angry face which had a tinge of smile highlighted by the beautiful dimple”. This was followed by some tantrums from her. But I knew that the anger had finally melted

My grey matter was finally helping me now…I recollected that my wife loves nocturnal long drives. So I asked her “How about a long drive tonight”….She was more than happy. She just hugged me and said yes….In the meanwhile I decided to present my wife with an anniversary gift …So I went out to purchase one….

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The Evening

    We were all set to go out for the drive. She came out of her dressing room clad in a beautiful skirt..She asked

“How am I looking”.

.I said “you look stunning but…” ..

She replied “But what??”

I said “With you hairs open you will look more beautiful”..

She smiled and said “give me a minute”..She rushed to her dressing room and came back with her hairs open…Trust me friends “Looking at her I was going weak in my knees”….

   

  We got into the car and got started…..It was a happy and romantic vibe inside the car….She asked me to put on some music…I switched it on…Then something struck in mind. I was like why not dedicate a song to her…I said  “hey dear this song is for you” and  played

“Soniyo Soniyo tumhe dekhtahun to soch ta hoon…..”.

She turned red in her face…and said thank you in her mellow voice….

As the drive continued she asked where are we heading ???? I replied “It’s a surprise for you”.As I had already told that my wife is a unique creature…She had some unique inclinations. She had once told me that she loved to drink tea in small tea shops  that are present on the outskirts of city. She had done lot of this stuff during her college days.And I thought why not do it today….And you see I had understood that “A sure shot way to make a person happy is to understand those small things that make them happy and do it for them”.

So I parked my vehicle in front of a small tea shop on the highway. She was amazed and questioned me “What are we doing here”…I replied  “ hey how can you forget this. Don't you remember you love this?”..She then smiled and hit me on my arms and said “chalo”….Her happiness was radiating…I could feel it and so was mine….

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We got back into the car and continued our journey..I was now waiting for the perfect moment to present her the anniversary gift…And guess what nature came to my help. Rain God Started pouring drizzles to enhance the romantic vibe…I decided to seize the moment and parked the vehicle ...

 I asked her to get out of the car stating “lets enjoy the rain”…She was reluctant but yielded to the persuasion. She was like what is wrong with you…?I replied “You will get to know and grinned”.

I opened the platinum love band and held it in front of her. She depicted a feeling of amazement amalgamated with happiness.  I had a plethora of options to present her but the platinum love band surpassed everything. The way it signified and symbolized love was unmatched and unavailable in other gifts.Hence I chose Platinum Love band to celebrate love.

I went on my knees, took her hand and slid the platinum ring expressing my feelings through this poem which I had written for her

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder"

Is what the world said

It is the unequivocal truth

My thoughts said

But my thoughts transformed,

The truth became a lie,

When i saw you

Because

Beauty lies in your eyes

Because

Beauty lies in your face

Because 

Beauty lies in you...

A tight hug and a warm kiss was what I got in response…. J J  I felt like  I was in love again --Obviously with my wife!!!.But this time the love was much more intense than ever

P.S.:Check this link out Platinum Day of Love

               

An Advice to Mark About our Country

The intent of this write up is to give an overview of India to my friend Mark(stays in UK) who plans to visit India For a trip.

Hi Mark,

                 First of all congratulations. Wonder why? Cos you have chosen a remarkably exotic yet unassumingly mysterious place for your trip. And that’s India. Exotic because it’s a land where in you will find tremendous treasure of culture and beauty and mysterious because of the sweet, yet confusing people.

Lets get on to the “exotic “part of India first..

1)      You are lucky chap because you are visiting India at the right time. This is the festival Season In India. The time when Beautiful Mother India is embellished with Festivals. There is Ganesh chaturthi,Deepavali,Durga Pooja ,Onam Going around this time. Your eyes will have a treat witnessing the beautiful  Idols of Lord Ganesha,Durga Mata, in almost every nook and corners of the country. The fireworks, the chanting of Mantras, Processions of Gods, and above all the positive vibe these festivals create is going to mesmerize you for eternity.

2)      Next up we have The beautiful monuments, temples that you can have a look at. There is tajmahal, Somanatheswara temple, Forts,etc.Every structure boasts of architectural excellence. Every carving on the stone is Intricate yet alluring. And above all every structure has its own story to tell.Dont miss on that

3)      “Yoga”-I don’t think you are unfamiliar with this.People in your country practice it to attain “mental peace”. And  you know what We Indians were the People to present this wonderful “yoga” to the world. Our martial art repertoire is not just limited to Kung-fu or karate. We have a wide variety in it too like the Kalaripayattu, Lathi etc .Do check them all.

4)      Indians are those species who have a lot of Creative Grey Matter in them.Dont be amazed if you discover so many forms of music and dance here. We have Hindustani ,Carnatic ,Folk music and as far as dance forms are considered we have Bharatnatyam,Kathak kuchipudi etc…

5)      Also do you know what we Indians are the One who gave the number “zero” to the world.

Well the exotic list goes on but now let me stop this and acquaint you with the mysterious India

Mysterious India

   I call India to be mysterious because of Its People. I can give you an open challenge that you will go  hay-wire if you try to understand us. I am not trying to intimidate you when I say this. Its not that we are bad or harmful people but we are very confusing.Let me make it clear to you…

1)      If you visit any vegetable market or you interact with an auto or taxi driver you will find People bargaining for hours in loud voices. The bargain is not for huge amount of money it’s just for a rupee or two. On the contrary you will find the same people helping the needy with money generously.

2)      You will see Neighbours fighting over petty things for hours. But the very next day you will find them celebrating birthdays, functions together with lot of fun.

3)      You will see the brainy Indians with tags of Multinational companies earning a six figure salary. But you can find the very same people sipping tea and chatting on the katta of a local tea shop.Btw Mark,Do try drinking tea at a local tea shop. Its one of the best you can ever get.

4)      We Indians are known for our hospitality. If people find you to be a good person they will treat you royally even though you are an outsider for them.

5)      And Lastly about Indian women. They are very sweet. But try misbehaving with them and you will experience the wrath of Goddess Durga.They  look great when they are in western wear but they make you go weak in your knees when they are in their sarees.Such elegant beauty they possess.

This is in short what I had to tell you about India. Do visit this place and you will experience many beautiful things. It will be a trip you will remember for long.

P.S.:This entry is for the Touch Thursday contest conducted by Preeti Shenoy.

Khoya hoon rahoon mein

khoya hoon rahoon mein,

 jana kaha naa pata,

 paana hai manzil ko,

 manzil hai kya na pata,

Soche yeh dil,pal pal, 

Kab jeeyunga wo pal,

 kab dekhunga wo kal, 

jiske aanchal mein samate hai wo pal

Shopping 2030

      I sat on the couch –Tired of giving opinions. More than 3 hours had passed ,but there was no hint of any selection made. I think now you  are wondering  what I was up to .Well let me reveal it to you right away. I was with my gal at this garment/apparel (or whatsoever) shop situated in a big mall. I was literally tired with the no of dresses she was trying and  the opinions I had to give for every dress she wore. It was almost 3 hours that I was going through this trying situation. And after enduring this for 3 hours she said no dress appealed to her .I was like WTF.

      Back home I sat on the couch watching T.V..Just then my phone beeped. It was a mail from Indiblogger regarding their new contest. It  was a contest held in association with eBay and the theme of the contest was “How do you imagine shopping in 2030”.Almost instinctively my mind replied…”I imagine women selecting their dresses pretty quickly and their husbands/boyfriends/bothers/  spared from becoming  victims of feminine shopping”.

     After a while My brain ‘stormed’ and came up with some more thoughts about shopping In 2030 which are  as follows..

Holographic 3D projections

    Just imagine you are shopping some dress for yourself or may be a jewellery  online. You love the dress so much but you are not sure whether the size fits in aptly for you. You see a unique jewellery-meticulosuly designed. But you feel it would be nice if you could witness how gorgeous it would make you before buying. With current  online shopping this ain't possible right now.

    Now just imagine the same shopping scenario in 2030.Adjacent to you is a Holographic 3D Projection of your own self  on which you can drag and Drop every dress or every accessory. And then if that seems right you can buy it without any worries.Sounds great isn’t it?

     If you aren’t aware what holographic 3D projection is  then check this video..

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSICZ_7hpho

Online Customization

     You find an awesome Jacket during your online shopping session. It looks great .Something which will make you more presentable. But then your mind says “Every thing looks great except that embroidery or Print on it”. And it so happens that eventually you drop off buying  the jacket due to that awkward print or embroidery.

      Now just imagine if you could  remove  that awkward embroidery or print with just a click of mouse and then buy that befitting Jacket Happily. Sounds awesome isn’t it?

Holographic 3D Projection coupled with Online Customization can prove to be a great feature in  Online Shopping.

Scan and Buy

      You go to a friend’s house and find a beautiful furniture set. It’s almost like a love at first sight when you see the furniture. You want to possess one such. But then finding something alike in market or online is itself a tedious task.

      But now lets imagine that you have a mobile app that can solve this problem. All you have to do is open your app,and take a photo of it and upload it to the server. The server will scan the photo and will give you the results on your mobile  that consist of  furniture sets alike with the best possible price.

      Scan and Buy feature will look great when its used along with Google glasses. All you have to do is see the stuff you want to buy and give a voice command.If you aren’t aware of  Google Glasses check the video here

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTCoT8ajbI

Gift what they like

      Its always nice when you get a gift;Its nicer when you get a gift which you like.And if you are the person who  is giving the gift you would always want to give a gift which the other person likes.But the question is how would you determine their liking.?

      How about this.

      The online shopping company must maintain a social network within itself. Each profile has its own interests mentioned.When  ever you are giving gifts to your friends or family it will automatically pop up their interests and you can gift accordingly.

      Maintaining a social network within e-commerce would help since everyone in the network will be reminded of special occasions like birthdays ,Marriage etc and they can choose the gifts right away and send.

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P.S.Check this new chrome extension by eBay that gives the best deal for any product.http://bit.ly/eBayCheck_Extention

The Incense Stick and The Fragrance

A nostalgic story associated with a sweet fragrance.

Let me switch on the time machine. Let me travel 6 years backwards. This nostalgic event happened then….

  I was at my study table cramming a chemical equation. I heard a knock at the door. I opened it. It was my Mother .My mother was coming back after attending a “Pooja “in the Neighbour’s house. This Pooja was a kind of  regular phenomenon in that house and all the ladies of the colony used to attend it regularly. The attendance would increase dramatically when a lady, who was called “Amma”, used to visit that house.”

“Amma” –A holy lady who had got the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi. In fact if I remember correctly she had made Goddess Lakshmi to appear in front of her through her sheer devotion. People had great respect and awe for her .They used to share all their problems in front of her and “Amma” used to give solutions for those problems.

“Amma” also used to amaze everyone with the miracles she used to perform. Every time my mom came from Pooja she used to tell me about all those miracles. Some of the miracles which my mom told were as follows..

·         “Amma” used to compose Mantras and songs about Goddess Lakshmi spontaneously.

·         If I remember correctly once when she was chanting a mantra a Saligrama (a holy stone) fell out from her mouth.

·         The Arishina (Turmeric)-Kumkum offered to goddess Lakshmi would grow into a mountain in the due course of Pooja and then “Amma” used to put her hand in these “holy” mountains and she used to get idols of Gods out of these mountains.

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On that day when my Mom came back from Pooja I was eagerly waiting as in what miracle or story she  is going  to tell me .I casually asked her “how  was the Pooja and if any miracle had taken place”. My mom replied that Pooja was good and she further went on to explain a unique thing that had happened during the Pooja.

Mom told that during the Pooja that day all of a sudden a sweet fragrance got emanated. It was an unusual fragrance that emerged all of a sudden.”Amma” explained that the fragrance is an indication that Goddess Has entered the house and she further told that whenever Goddess enters the house this kind of sweet smelling fragrance is emanated inside the house.

It was pretty impractical for me to accept what my Mom said. But I couldn't deny it either. I half-hardheartedly acknowledged what my mom told and continued with my work.

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Days Passed. One fine day while I was juggling with a Physics Problem my nasal receptors suddenly smelt of sweet smelling fragrance. Initially I didn't pay much attention to it but my mind reminded me of what my mom had told. I thought for a moment “Is it the indication of the emergence of Goddess Lakshmi in our home?”. I immediately called my MOM and told her about the smell. She came down and even she could smell the sweet-smelling fragrance. My Mom was very happy; convinced that Goddess Lakshmi has made an appearance in our house. On the other hand I was in a state of semi-denial and semi-belief. After few minutes the smell vanished….

 Time passed .One day while I was talking to my neighbour this sweet scented smell emerged again. I was amazed .I asked my neighbor about the smell. I was expecting that he will tell about the occurrence Of Goddess Lakshmi. But the answer he gave blew my ‘semi-belief’ which I had about the fragrance. He pointed to an incense stick which was freshly lit indicating that it was the source of the smell. I went closer to it and was convinced that indeed that’s where the smell is coming from. This made me think that the smell which came during earlier days was due to the incense stick…and I told the same to Mom and told her to stop believing such things…

Yet another day the smell recurred. It stayed for a while and then vanished. I didn’t give much attention to it this time as I knew that it was the incense stick that was responsible for the smell...But suddenly some thought struck in my mind that left me in a state of awe and limbo…

“I realized that my neighbour was out of town since a week. There was no chance of the incense stick being lit.”

P.S.Check this link: www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia

Screen Slaves

Our lower grade text books taught us “Get up early, brush your  teeth,drink water blah blah….”.The modern day manifestation of this is something like  “Get up at whatever time you wish,Open your mobile ,check for whatzapp ,we chat messages,check Facebook account,check mails…..etc”.I can see you people nodding your heads in agreement while you read this :-p

    This post is meant to celebrate our addiction to “Screens” .Read along to find out how much you fit in this scenario..

Let us examine a typical day in the life of so called modern professional.

1)      Get up ,check your mobile  err Smartphone for whatzapp/we chat/ messages;

2)      Fresh up yourself-now check mails from the “n” number of email  accounts you might have opened.

3)      Go to office-check official mails for a while and then switch to Facebook

4)      Like and comment stuff on Facebook and then switch to twitter.

5)      Then open TOI(Times of India) or any other newspaper and get acquainted with what is going on in the world…

6)      Then do some office work…get bored and reopen Facebook

7)      Harvest some crops on Facebook(Farmville) or Solve some criminal cases

8)      Keep on refreshing Facebook for new feeds to pop-in

9)      Else hook on to Reddit/Quora or start reading blogs

10)   Wrap up work  get into company  cab/bus and start playing Temple run or Fruitninja or Angry birds

11)   Reach home…switch on TV or  watch series…or go to a theater to watch a movie

12)   Check again to see if there is anything on the social networking sites…

13)   Sleep

14)   Repeat 1-14

Right from the time we get up till we sleep we are addicted to screens. Different screen sizes( viz smartphones,laptops,T.V.,Multiplex screens) have enslaved us.Unknowingly we have become the victims of a new kind of slavery called Screen Slavery.

I wonder how obsessed we have become with all these. We just can’t live without these.Be it in the name of socializing,entertainment,or information procurement we are just glued to them. While on the contrary we were the same people who have had a happy life without all these.But now all these have become an utter necessity.One can’t imagine his/her life without these…

While we are enjoying being "Screen Slaves" on the other hand we are missing so many things that screens cant offer.Just think when was the last time you have had a peaceful walk a midst nature having a nice conversation with your friend.When was the last time  you put your heart and soul in stuff that you love to do(Now don’t say I love to watch TV and I have been doing it regularly)..When was the last time you were soaked in the beauty of  a book,or you actually read  a newspaper in its “paper” form.All in all when was the last time you had a life without the involvement of screens..????? Hard to recollect ..isn't it?

 Just cut down on screens for a while everyday, you will have time to do some creative stuff. Life will be calmer and peaceful. You can actually socialize in person than on social networking sites.Your bonds might get strengthened. Instead of reading Inspirational stories and Quotes on Facebook,get out and start doing stuff.You may become more focused on your goals and success might embrace you sooner.

Let us stop being an e-zombie.Let us free ourselves from the “Screen-Slavery”. I end this post with this beautiful video that covers the gist of the post

Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder"

Is what the world said

It is the unequivocal truth

My thoughts said

But my thoughts transformed,

The truth became a lie,

When i saw you

Because

Beauty lies in your eyes

Because

Beauty lies in your face

Because 

Beauty lies in you...

MTV Coke Studio Season 3

Music is celestial by nature. But its ethereal character is embellished by allure when it’s created in a sense of freedom. 

And MTV coke studio Season 3 promises to bring us such charismatic music.

The USP of such shows lies in the fact that they provide adequate  freedom to the musicians to create their own music; the music that they are passionate about. The music need not adhere to any  scripts or fit to certain situations. It can take its own form, travel its own journey in accordance with the imagination of the creator thus providing room for adequate fusion, collaboration and experimentation. The overall result is the emergence of some vivacious music.

MTV Coke studio season 3 is  already emanating promising vibes with its stellar line up of producers. The line up includes the following.

1 )A.R.Rahman:- After MTV unplugged this would be his second T.V. performance. With Shivamani also in his troop we can definitely expect some  magic from “The Mozart Of Madras”

2)Salim-Sulaiman:- The famous “Bollywood” music director duo with a fine sense of eastern and western music look promising .

3)Ram-Sampath:-He is known for his innovative sounds in the Bollywood arena .We can definitely expect some innovative touch here too.  

4)Clinton-Cerejo:- He has proved his mettle in the previous season with tracks like “Madari” and “Saathi-Salam.”.A lot of hope pinned up on him too..

5)Hitesh Sonik:- His tracks “Allah-hooh” and “Husna” left everyone spellbound in the previous season.Lets see what has he got in his repertoire  for us this time

6) Papon:- He is a guy gifted with a golden and melodious voice.This is officially his first project as a music producer .Will he surprise us or put us down? .lets wait and watch..

7)Amit trivedi :- A revolutionary music director as far as Bollywood is concerned mainly known because of his ability to produce innovative sounds.He had his share of fame in the last “Coke studio” Session with tracks like “Bari bari” ,”Banjara” and “Nirmohiya”.We can expect some reverberating tracks from this guy.

Apart from these producers we have some mind blowing singers like “kailash kher”,”Vijay Prakash”,”Sona Mohapatra”,”Benny Dayal”” Aditi singh Sharma” etc and Lyricists like “Amitabh Bhattacharya”,”Prasoon Joshi”,” etc  who will be part of the season.We also have many folk  ,desi  and  international artists who will be part of the musical extravaganza.

The promos are already out.And they look great. One of A.R.Rahmans song “Zariya” has already  been released and it has taken many hearts captive.You can find the promos and the song here

http://www.youtube.com/user/cokestudioatmtv

The first episode will be aired in MTV on Aug 17^th 8.p.m.Do watch it without fail.Let’s Celebrate music.

And do read my blog Reciprocating thoughts and Passion for Reviews ,analysis and trivia of every episode of Coke studio.

Happy Friendship Day :-)

A bond unconditional,
Yet sublime,
A bond void of expectations,
Yet full of joy,
A bond created by people,
But nurtured by angels
A bond called friendship
"Happy Friendship Day"

“All that matters is to Smile and Make others Smile”

His most cherished dream was shattered. He had spent days and nights working on it. He had surpassed all limits of hard work and perseverance to turn his dream into reality. He had toiled relentlessly to make his “design” emerge as a winner .A “design” that would have made him a millionaire overnight….But probably “destiny” wasn’t satisfied with his effort. It expected something more from him. And maybe   that’s the reason why the evaluators chose someone else’s design over his.

The result had torn him apart. His eyes didn’t shed tear, but he cried from within. His mind shouted “I need an explanation” but he didn’t speak a word. At once he rushed out of the office…

He got into the car with his head full of  “whys, how’s, what if’s”. Physically he was driving yet mentally he was grieving and analyzing his failure. And furthermore to add to his mental turbulence he got stuck in a traffic jam. It was like rubbing salt to a wound. No wonder his annoyance got intensified.

His bad mood and frustration worsened when he had a collision with a car. Though the collision wasn’t serious but  it had created a dent in the other car. As expected this guy had to bear the outburst of the car owner. The anger in him wanted to knock down the car owner but he restrained his wrath knowing it was his mistake. He paid some money as compensation and settled the matter.

He came home, threw his bag and lay down on the sofa, watching the ceiling….

”where did I go wrong”?

 ”was his design so much better than mine”?

“Or has he bribed the evaluators”?

 “Will I get another chance to be a millionaire”.

His mind was churning zillions of such questions.  It seemed as though he was throwing the questions at the ceiling and expecting an answer, but alas the ceiling kept mum.

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“Hey when did you come”…? Asked a female voice. But this guy was so engrossed in his thoughts that he hardly heard her. After a couple of times when she finally spoke in a loud voice he acknowledged her question saying “just now”..He didn’t talk anything else.

Seeing her hubby worried she came closer to him and asked “Honey, Whatz the matter”. He didn’t reply. She repeated the same question but he kept mum. When she asked him again he yelled at her saying “Please leave me alone and get out of my sight”. She thought of persuading him to talk but decided that it would be better to leave him alone….

“Papa…………….” a cute little angel called him. His 5 year old daughter came running to him. She held a piece of paper in front of him and said “Papa, Please make a boat for me”. But his dejection of failure had made him deaf, even to his own angel’s voice. His design not getting approved and his missed chance of becoming a millionaire had made deep wounds in his mind.

He told his daughter to go to her mother and get the boat done. But the kid was stubborn and she started pestering him. His anger spiked up and he slapped his daughter.His daughter started sobbing and ran to her mom …

His frustration had grown leaps and bounds. Not able to find solace he left home at once…

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He came to a nearby park and sat on a stone bench. His mind was at the apex of frustration. Along with the thoughts of failure now he was also fighting the guilt of ill-treating his wife and daughter. Especially the action of hitting his cute angel was hurting him a lot.He sat with his hands on his head wondering why the day was so cruel to him…

But wait!!!!!!It wasn’t that bad after all………………..

His thought chain was interrupted by a balloon seller‘s voice. The balloon seller was a boy of around 12 years .He carried colorful balloons with him wooing all the small children. The boy was screaming in a loud voice to get attention of the people. Probably his marketing strategy…. :-)

Hearing this loud voice his attention was diverted towards the balloon seller. As he was watching him, he saw that the balloon seller was approached by a small girl and her father. The girl was almost the same age as that of his daughter. Probably the girl was fascinated by the balloon and had persuaded her father to get one for her.

Since the balloon seller was standing very close to him, he could easily see them and hear their conversation. The small girl demanded for a pink balloon. The balloon seller gave it to her and told her father that it costs Rs 6/-.Her father gave balloon seller a Rs 10/- note. The balloon seller didn’t have the change and he conveyed the same .Her father asked him to keep the change.

The small girl who had just become the owner of a ‘pink’ balloon was extremely elated. She was emanating a beautiful smile .Rather a contagious smile. Seeing her daughter smile even the father was smiling. On the other hand the balloon seller who had just earned extra 4 bugs was also smiling…

Having watched such a beautiful scene closely, even he couldn’t help. He also smiled as if ,it was a  reciprocation to their smiles. ….:-) J.

Further the boy(balloon seller) ran to a nearby bakery and bought a bun. The boy instead of eating the bun packed it in a piece of paper and started to head somewhere. Amused by the boy’s behavior he followed him just to know what he was doing with the bun. What he saw next….was a very cute thing

The boy came to a place where in a small gal (probably 3-4 years old) was playing. He called her and she came running to the boy screaming “dada….”.She was the younger sister of the boy. Brother and sister sat together and ate the bun with the larger piece of bun taken by the younger sister…. :-).Both Brother and Sister were happy ,contented and smiling…..

Seeing their beautiful smiles and happiness his mood had undergone a giant transformation. His eyes were moist shedding tears of happiness. He felt calm and good

He purchased a balloon from the balloon seller and returned home.

Back home, he was completely a transformed person. He called his young angel and presented her the balloon. He asked her to bring the paper and made paper boat for her. She was extremely happy and kissed her father. He then hugged his wife from behind and said “sorry,”.  Even she smiled…J

-----------------------*-----------------------------------------------------------------*----------------------------------------------

Later that night he retrospected  his entire day--right from his failure to the beauty that he had witnessed. He thought ,

”I can do an award winning design anytime, or I can become a millionaire any time. But I can’t afford to lose these beautiful smiles around just because of my tension and frustration. I can’t compromise on the allure these smiles bring”. He had realized a beautiful truth that said

                               

                               “All that matters is to Smile and make others Smile”

He too smiled and spoke these lines in his mind looking at the ceiling….and this time the ceiling replied back saying

                                  “All that matters is to Smile and Make others Smile”


This post is written as a part of ‘All that Matters‘ contest at BlogAdda.com in association with INK Live 2013.

$300 dollar house

Issue 1

“A portion of land mostly on the outskirts of city. Rich in Rags. Most of the sewage water and city waste surrounds the area. Amids’t this you find a considerable portion of the world living, in their so called houses. The houses are in a way architectural wonders. Mostly made with rags tied to poles. Or sometimes using waste aluminum /iron sheets. And the dwellers here emanate zero sanitation and poor health…”

In a word it’s called slum.

Be it a Metro, town or a village they are present everywhere-The slum dwellers. They live in highly unhygienic areas and unstable houses. There is no protection for them, neither from rain nor from sun. And they and their area breed diseases. Not just slums but many poor villages depict the same scenario. It’s not that they chose this lifestyle. They just don’t have enough money to move to a decent lifestyle.

Food, Clothing and Shelter are said to be the basic needs of people. In the above case people are almost deprived of one of their basic needs “shelter” and also “health”.

We always talk about developing the society. We talk about increasing the standard of living, producing a trained and educated human resource. When we say “society” we must consider people dwelling in these areas too. And as far as People in these areas are concerned nothing is possible until and unless they get their basic needs right. If they don’t have their basic needs satisfied they will never ever think of development/education.

Issue 2

“The houses are drowned in water .Buildings have fallen down to the level of land. Everything is either submerged or thrashed down completely. There is devastation, destruction everywhere..People have no homes.”

  

This is a typical scenario whenever we are struck by natural calamities.”Rehabilitation” is usually done .But it’s a time consuming process. And pretty costly too.. Until rehab centers are built people are deprived of their homes and they are left as wanderers…

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As it is evident, the answer  to the above mentioned issues(and many others) is an efficient housing solution .A solution that is not only cheap but something that can be built very quick..Luckily one such solution exists

“The $300 dollar House”

It's a project headed by Christian Sarkar and his team. The sole purpose of this project is to make sure that the poorest of the poor has a stable shelter. A “Shelter” that can ensure protection from Rain, sun and wind. A shelter that can ensure sanitation. A shelter that can be built quickly. A shelter that can ensure good health, education, to the dwellers .Basically a shelter that is a “Health delivery System “as he calls it. And the most remarkable thing is that all this is achieved at a cost of Rs 300 dollar.

They have already completed projects in Haiti and Have built Rehab centers in Bihar( For Flood victims) and Pondicherry(For Tsunami Victims).Great work sir….

Before concluding I just hope that the project gets good exposure and implementation. I wish Christian Sarkar and team all the best for their Endeavor and salute them for not just providing a house to the poor but for giving them a dwelling place which they can proudly  call as “HOME”.

Watch this video to know more:

Franklin Templeton Investmentspartnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

The $300 House

   Mom had expressed her desire to buy a new house and she asked me to find out some good apartments that met our budget.  Obeying her Order I set out to en quire about the apartments.

   

 I  went  to  one of the big names in real-estate industry &  asked if they can give me the details of a 2.bhk flat.I was redirected to a pretty sales executive who explained me about the facilities,  amenities and the benefits which I would derive if I purchased the flat  .After listening to her explanation I then asked her the most important question. Cost????  She smilingly replied “Sir Flats start from 1.5 core only;and go up till 4 crores”. I was dumb founded. My mind quickly calculated the available budget, my salary, future hike possibilities and the EMI I would end up paying. And the only one answer I found was “the inability to purchase such a flat “; at least in the near future.

  I then approached small builders, but the story wasn't interesting there too. I was annoyed completely. At dusk I decided to end my search and started moving towards my car. I got into the car and I headed towards my home. My mind was full of thoughts that amazed me, and filled me with awe. And In the meanwhile I got stuck in traffic. My annoyance was compounded.

  But something caught my eyes during this traffic jam that superseded the thoughts that were currently going on in my mind. …

  

 My eyes fell on a slum area. Since I have driven through that road many a times I had seen that slum. But I never paid any special attention to it. But that day I did. 

   My eyes made a note of the houses in that slum area. They were in  very poor condition. Mostly made of rags and poles, that literally meant no protection from sun and rains, and moreover each house sheltered (if you say so) more than 10 to 12 people. No sanitation, No bathrooms and hence poor health.”Pathetic” is how you could describe the condition of the houses.

It was quiet contrasting for me to have witnessed the two extremities of “housing” the very same day. Food, Clothing and shelter are said to be the basic needs of a person. But in this case it was sad to see people almost deprived of one of their basic needs. We always talk about development, increase in the standard of living, trained and educated manpower. But nothing is possible until and unless people get their basic needs right. If they don’t have basic needs satisfied they will never ever think of development/education.

With my mind pondering over these thoughts, I reached home. I switched on my pc with an  intent to check mails and social-networking sites. I saw a mail from #Indi blogger regarding the “Idea Caravn” Drive. It mainly consisted of the TED Videos. I started watching the TED videos by Franklin Templeton India. There were many inspiring & Motivating videos. But one video caught my attention because it complemented the chain of thoughts I had that entire day.

The video was by Christian Sarkar explaining his Project “The 300 dollar house”. The sole purpose of this project is to make sure that the poorest of the poor has a stable shelter. A “Shelter” that can ensure protection from Rain, sun and wind. A shelter that can ensure sanitation. A shelter that can ensure good health, education, to the dwellers .Basically a shelter that is a “Health delivery System “as he calls it. And the most remarkable thing is that all this is achieved at a cost of Rs 300 dollar.

Christian Sarkar also talked about  the way in which he executed the project, the massive help he got without even asking and he also showed  the prototypes. He further explained about the projects in Haiti and India.

After watching the video my mind inferred the following…

1) One advantage of this 300 dollar house is that it indirectly influences development. To elucidate—imagine a person who has a stable house, and every family member has good health. He has nothing to worry about rain/winter or health of his family members. He will then obviously invest his time in getting a better lifestyle. He will try to send his children to school. He will try to lead a life a notch above compared to what he used to do previously. And this indirectly influences the development of society.

2) Since the cost is very less, Government can easily set up these houses and get it done quickly too as compared to the previous housing schemes for poor people like the Indira Avas Yojana.

3) The 300 dollar house can also be responsible for speedy rehabilitation in places affected by “Natural disasters” like floods, Tsunami, Earthquake. The village constructed at Bihar (for flood victims) and at Pondicherry (for Tsunami victims) using the 300 dollar house is a good illustration for this.

   As I finish watching the video, I wish that the project gets good exposure and implementation. I wish Christian Sarkar and team all the best for their Endeavor and salute them for not just providing a house to the poor but for giving them a dwelling place which they can call as “HOME”.

This is the link to the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haMM-hiG6k4&feature=player_embedded

Franklin Templeton Investmentspartnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

T

Doodhsagar

Doodhsagar-Its one of those places which God Made when he was at his Architectural best.If you Consider Nature as "Feminine" then "Doodhsagar" is an illustration of nature's finest feminine grace and if you consider Nature as "Masculine" then "Doodhsagar" is one of the strongest of nature's masculine manifestations.

Hope

I am music

Amidst austere Cacophony

I am torch

Amidst Scaring Darkness

I am your friend 

When you have none

Remember me 

And I shall be there

I am Called

Hope