Wednesday, September 06, 2006

"Grass looks greener across the road" phenomena

A very interesting article forwarded by my friend. This is written by Dr. Gopalakrishnan, executive director of Tata Sons Ltd.,the holding company for many of the Tata blue chips like Tata Steel, TataMotors, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Voltas etc.

"DESERVE BEFORE YOU DESIRE"The grass isn't always greener on the other side!! Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons. It's yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates,as usual, I found the headlines dominated by "who's" moving from one company to another after a short stint, and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job for another? Is it passé now to work with just one company for a sufficiently long period? Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers I get are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well I am jumping three levels in my designation"; "Well they are going to send me abroad in six months".Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful today and who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who stuck to the company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top. And, as I look around for people who change their jobs constantly, I find they have stagnated at some level, in obscurity. In this absolute ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there are still no - short cuts to success or to making money. The only thing that continues to pay, as earlier is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays! Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay. Does this mean that one should stick to anorganization and wait for the golden moment? Of course not. After, a long stint, there always comes a time for moving in most organisations, but it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than the superficial ones, like money, designation or oversees trip. Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation that is disproportionate to what the company offers it current employees, there is always an unseemly bait attached. The result? You will, in the long term have reached the same level or may be lower levels than what you would have in your current company.A lot of people leave their organisations because they are "unhappy". What is this so called unhappiness? I have been working for donkey years and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in my work environment - boss, rude colleagues, fussy clients etc. Unhappiness in a work place, to a large extent, is transient. If you look hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, more importantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense? If I think hard, the answer is "No". Happiness is something you find with family, friends, may be a close circle of colleagues who have become friends.What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges and get the job done. So, the next time you are tempered to move on, ask yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into?Some questions are:
Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, what could be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me the same responsibility?
Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the current and new company? Am I good as the best among them?
As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the current company the option to offer me this profile?
Why is the new company offering the new job? Do they want me for my skills, or is that ulterior motive? An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your career to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short - term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with the time in wilderness?

- Dr. Gopalakrishnan

Saturday, July 22, 2006

9 easy ways to a smarter you!

Such a cliched subject...but what to do, I am still a sucker for such topics.

I am always drawn towards DIY's and quick fix solutions, norman vincent philosophy, how to do this and that and 10 easy steps to being a better personality... kind of writings. It may be becos I always feel that there is so much to each one of us and how much we can constantly learn new things and absorb from our surroundings.
I know the day u stop updating yourself, reading and imbibing aspects around you one can become a relic, redundant and hence useless.
So when I stumbled on my friends blog with the heading "9 easy ways to a smarter you".....
i jumped at it, read thru it slowly, soaking each word and decided to put it up on my blog for my dear friends to know.
Ironically its a no brainer.... we all know it, its not so difficult and its exactly what most of us keep doing one way or another in our normal routine...but just to show how it helps us to be smart anyway. So here goes an interesting piece for you to know....

Your brain is like a muscle that needs exercise. You can make yourself smarter by increasing neural connections through novelty and stimulation.
They are :

1) Read a daily newspaper, literary classics and the Web.You grow smarter by reflecting on issues, events and people and forming strong opinions.

2) Associate with smart people .Engaging in conversation with a smart person is like playing tennis with a superior opponent.

3) Keep a journal.Your insights—the connections you make about your past, present and future—help to make neural connections.

4) Travel.On the road, you're forced to solve ordinary problems (food, lodging, language), all of which have become automatic at home.

5) Memorize things. Lawrence Katz, author of Keep Your Brain Alive, says memorizing people's names or other important bits of information is a great way to keep your brain fit.

6) Take up a musical instrument. Learning to play the violin, for example, involves physical coordination (working the strings and bow), intellectual challenge (reading music), sensory experience (hearing pitch and harmony), and intuitive work (mastering tempo and rhythm).

7) Play games and pursue hobbies.The philosopher Alan Watts used to praise the kind of learning that is effortless, such as the play we experienced as kids.

8) Create new routines constantly.Katz notes that unchanging routines make us intellectually flabby.

9) Change jobs and positions periodically.Remember when you were in school, learning something new every semester? Some jobs are like a 15-unit class that never ends.

Well, the last one I must do something about it...being with the same company for almost 9 years. Not a smart choice, is it ;-)

Hope you liked it and keep in mind that to be smarter, just keep learning new, interesting and stimulating things. It wont go waste!

Monday, July 17, 2006

Tribute To Mumbai!!!

A Tribute to Mumbai...here are some interesting views and anecdotes written by various writers and very aptly sums up what Mumbai stands for.

We've had our GOODS BADS in BOMBAY!!! BUT WE STILL LOVE HER!!!

Rude city? You bet, says Mumbaikar Jerry Pinto in defence of a metropolis too busy to mind its manners but always ready to help when trouble comes.
Reader's Digest, which interests itself in these things, tells us that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world. This is also themagazine that carried a story saying that global warming might be good for us. I swear, they did this in May, when my cousins in Nagpur were reporting that the city was burning up at 52 degrees centigrade. I come not to praise Mumbai, however. I come to ask whether the Reader's Digest editors really mean it when they say that New York is the politest city in the world? What is it to be polite? In London, a terribly polite city by my experience, a young woman refused to lend her scarf to be used as a tourniquet when a man was stabbed on the bus. He bled to death. I am sure, the young woman said, "I'm sorry but it's an expensive scarf." The person who asked for the scarf probably said, "Right. Cheers." Meanwhile, the blood pulsed on from the dying man's neck. In Mumbai, my mother once was forced to go to a public hospital with a torn-up leg. In front of her, the poor waited in the way that the poor wait, endlessly, patiently, quietly. When she joined the line, they all assessed their need, assessed hers and stepped out of the way wordlessly. She went to the top of the line, protesting quietly all the way. She did not bleed to death. Perhaps, she even forgot to thank all those people. Perhaps, they did not expect to be thanked. But since no one seems to have bothered about definitions, let's dump them too. Perhaps it is polite to be a city like New York where all the shop assistants say thank you and please and the doormen are ready to open the door for you but there are 55,000 violent crimes a year. And that represents a 10-year low. Perhaps Mumbai with its 122 murders in six months must be significantly ruder but less lethal. But are we rude?

Sudhir Mishra -Filmmaker
" My dominant image for Mumbai. I'm standing outside Mahalaxmi railway station, it starts to rain. A man comes out with an umbrella and starts to walk away. He notices another man getting wet, he pauses, and in an unspoken way invites him under the umbrella. Then they see me, and I get under as well. That's Bombay. Three men sharing an umbrella, all getting wet. There's less space under the umbrella now - too many people, too little infrastructure, but people are still sharing it. " Yes, we are rude. We are almost always rude. Cities are always rude. We are the only city in the country. Delhi is a bunch of villages held together by the politics of power and some nice roads. Chennai is a self-satisfied town which wants to be known for its culture. Bangalore looked like it might well grow up to be a city but now that it's got the opportunity to do it, it's choking itself to death. Calcutta had its moment of glory in the 19th century when they built lots of mansions and factories and set up the kind of intellectual atmosphere of a Cambridge debating society. Then they lost it, the Bangla babus and settled into making funny kurtas for their men to wear and selling Bankuda horses to the rest of the country. Yes, we are rude. We don't have time for that. We're too busy dragging the rest of you into some semblance of wealth. We're too busy earning the money that runs the country. We're too busy paying for the Delhi and Kolkata Metros. We're too busy earning the money to pay the 75 percent of the income tax paid by the country. In Kolkata, they don't earn money. In Bangalore, they know how to hide it cyberwise. In Delhi, everyone's a farmer with agricultural income that's tax free.

Sarayu Srivastava - Writer
" I think of Mumbai as a very cold but sensuous woman - it all depends >>on how you warm her up. In this city every kindness begets more kindness. Delhi's eyes literally undress you. Mumbai sees you first as a person then a woman. People do tend to keep their distance here, but if you try and do something nice, a sudden sensitive humanness peeps out.It's hardship city - it gets by on humour. " Land-starved Mumbai? The 14 million of us, we dream of the kind of space that young couples have in Delhi. We'd like a barsati too. We won't get it. But we'll work hard at it. The shop assistant who doesn't thank you probably goes home to his 'side business' and puts in another two or three hours. This could be anything from making papads to selling insurance to giving private tuition. It leaves him with very little time or inclination to say thank you. But when trouble comes, he will do what he can. In the cataclysmic floods of last year, the average person did what the government could not. They threw open their homes. They left the security of dry land and waded into the water to rescue children. They formed human chains to take people off the buses. They made tea and snacks and gave it to people. Contrast that to the way Americans behaved when Hurricane Katrina struck. People went on the rampage. They shot at each other, even at their rescuers. They assaulted each other. They looted abandoned homes. In Mumbai, no violence was reported. No violence happened. Ask me, I walked home. Ask my sister, she walked home too.Together, we covered a distance of 30 kilometers that day and we only saw people helping each other, people offering support and solidarity.

Milind Deora-Politician
" My idea of Bombay? A waiter serving in the Taj - during the day he might be serving Bill Gates and he'll carry himself with aplomb, be as cosmopolitan as anyone. At night he'll be taking the train to Dharavi,return to his slum, put on his lungi and baniyan, help his old parents,help wash dishes, and watch TV. You can be everything at the same time in Bombay. It's like that old Sinatra song - if you can make it here,you can make it anywhere. " One of the most compelling images in Suketu Mehta's essay which Naresh Fernandes and I included in our anthology, Bombay Meri Jaan:Writings on Mumbai (Penguin India, 2003) ... but read on: If you are late for work in Bombay, and reach the station just as the train is leaving the platform, you can run up to the packed compartments and you will find many hands stretching out to grab you on board, unfolding outward from the train like petals. As you run alongside you will be picked up, and some tiny space will be made for your feet on the edge of the open doorway. The rest is up to you; you will probably have to hang on the door frame with your fingertips, being careful not to lean out too far lest you get decapitated by a pole placed too close to the tracks. But consider what has happened. Your fellow passengers, already packed tighter than cattle are legally allowed to be, their shirts already drenched in sweat in the badly ventilated compartment, having stood like this for hours, retain an empathy for you, know that you boss might yell at you or cut your pay if you miss this train, and will make space where none exists, to take one more person with them. And at the moment of contact, they do not know if the hand that is reaching theirs belongs to a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Brahmin or untouchable or whether you were born in the city or arrived only this morning or whether you live in Malabar Hill or Jogeshwari; whether you are from Bombay or Mumbai or New York. All they know is that you're trying to get to the city of gold, and that's enough. Come on board,they say. We'll adjust.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Stitch in time, saves a lifetime!

"Stitch in time, saves nine"....."Look before you leap"......well! as kids we grow up learning so many meaningful phrases which are meant to be internalised and used in our daily life but we give it a shallow treatment and as life goes on we unlearn them very conveniently. One such commonly used and often mentioned lightly(undeservedly) is "Health is Wealth". And to truly understand the depth of the statement is a) to personally experience ill health or b) to see a near and dear one expereince ill health.
Its a sad situation, but don't we all take our our health for granted all the times...and carry with the notion fearlessly that "I am insurmountable.Nothing will happen to me". And this very belief crushes when one not so fine morning you get up and bruise yourself over some silly mishap or slip trying to catch the 9.05 local or worse still catch the flu. Suddenly your life comes to a grinding halt, you get grounded and become dependant for your smallest needs on your dear ones. Besides the feeling of dependancy what hurts more is to see your mom or sis or hubby or dad running around, pampering you and nursing you. Its only thanks to their TLC you get back to your feet in a jiffy in what seems like a life time. And then ofcourse one forgets about such small incidents and life moves on again at breakneck speed. These are just but typical periods which keep happening thru out our lives.
But then there are times when one is faced with life altering and life threatning situations which God forbid may not happen to any one of us.
So just as a reminder to all of us what life may hopefully not hold for us...but like a Life Insurance policy a mandatory fixture in our life's many plans. I am writing this narration albiet boring and serious and at the cost of losing eyeballs.

Health checks a must for all who are in 30's and beyond!It had been many a days that my hubby and me had been thinking about getting a health check up done. It was a priority issue and something we knew had to be done but always got relegated by another issue....becos we either wanted to see a just released really good movie that day or becos we had long time friends meeting us or some other work priorities.. So you see how extremely important we thought our health check up was in our life's scheme of things.
Never theless after the plan was pushed to its limit of endurance, we decided enough is enough.

"When we gotta go, we gotta go! And so we went. It went like this....The day finally arrived, called up the hospital and requested to book the 2 of us for a complete health check up. What I didnt expect that there were plethora of schemes to choose from depending on the budget and each individual's health requirements. Platinum, Gold, Executive, Senior Citizens but ofcourse the last was ruled out...though our body felt like we were in our 60's.
Also, checked the mullah attached to each of the checks and my eyes rolled in disbelief. Its too expensive.
Thats when another thought crossed my mind when it came to health checks..."Oh my god! its such an expensive affair...do we really want to spend so much on something when we know we are hale and hearty."

Why is it that we cringe and find it difficult to spend on our precious health when we don't think twice before readily spending or rather splurging on clothes, eating out on junk food, electronic items, DVD's and other luxuries. This exact sentiment and also many other feelings are commonly shared by all of us when it comes to our dear health.
Life nowadays has become too fast...thats when George Carlin's theory crossed my mind yet again..(excerpts)
______________________________________________
The paradox of our time in history is that,
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a lif e.
We've added years tolife not life to years.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion
More medicine, but less wellness.
______________________________________________

So coming back to our health check, we fixed the date for health checks and very soon the day arrived. Getting up very early and leaving home armed with our "proof of health" in lil bottles for a hospital visit wasnt exactly our idea of spending the week end. And not to forget we had our last meal more than 12 hours back.
When we reached the hospital at 7.30 we thought we would be the first but then we were told we were 5th in line... well, we werent the only fools around looked like. Fools or otherwise was to be proved sooner.
We both went thru the entire battery of tests from morning till afternoon ofcourse interspersed with breakfast and lunch. From one room to another, one doc to another, one floor to another and then finally we were told its done. All we needed to do was to wait for our results.
Apocalypse Now!!! This term wouldnt have been more apt than now. And what a trying wait it was. "Ignorance is bliss" state was soon to come to a bitter end.

We were handed with this huge bag which carried reams and reams of papers neatly filed together what were to be our reports. We were asked to see the physician for what was supposed to be the final stop for the day at the hospital. We were happy that soon it will be out of the way and for good!
We marched with a spring in our step into the doc's room and confidently sat across the lady doc. She greeted us with a warm smile and after the usual round of PC she came down to brass tacks.

She told us she was surprised and happy to see younger people getting health checks done...and we patted our back for that. Then moving to my dear hubby's file she briskly opened it and started perusing the results...she looked like anything but the mouse who belled the cat.

And what followed that remains a blur.....

Of course with the lifestyles we lead and eating habits we follow what the results said was not something surprising but we didnt really expect us to be tagged as "Potential victim of lifestyle diseases".
Its been 2 weeks since then and life has done a complete U turn in terms of what we eat, how much we eat and how much we exercise.
This routine health check which we thought a pain in the neck has in fact proved to be a blessing in disguise. Having got the checks done we now know where we stand, what we need to do and where we need to go from here. And thats definitely not going to be the hospital as a patient for a long time, we promise ourselves.

Fitness is a journey not a destination, it should be continued throughout your life!

Monday, July 03, 2006

Gimme a Break!!! (Travelogue)









How many times, have you heard this voice in your head, "God, I need a break!". And, how many times have you ignored it for lack of time and attention. Well, this familiar thought resurfaced and reverberated my overly preoccupied mind like a thousand gongs in a Buddhist Monastery. And this is notwithstanding the fact that my mind was already whirring with a myriad of thoughts about meeting deadlines, reaching targets and some unfinished presentations. And can you imagine, just the thought of a ‘break’ felt like a whiff of fresh air invigorating my tired soul completely.
When a page out of your daily life starts looking a tad boring with the routine of work, it’s time to sweep aside the files from your office desk. It’s time to look beyond the Calvin & Hobbes screen saver on the workstation and time to pick up the phone and dial in Odati Adventures (www.odati.com)
After my dear hubby also willingly gave in, a break was unanimously decided (with both of us voting it could not get more easy).
With a long leave ruled out, the only break possible was a weekend. Away from the maddening crowd, 9 to 9 routines, traffic snarls, asphyxiating pollution and everything the Mumbai city has become synonymous with nowadays, we decided to reach out to the greens.

Jayesh Morvankar, a friend, is the founder of Odati Adventures, a terrestrial based adventure outfit. He gave up a plum career in the field of advertising and media and started this in the year 2000. He organizes treks, hikes, water rappelling, cycling and heritage walk over weekends for "people who need a break" and adventure enthusiasts. Also, he arranges half a dozen long treks spanning 15-20 days in the Himalayas, Arunachal, Uttaranchal, etc. annually.

I had been with his group for a hiking trip quite some time back, introduced through an office colleague. It was a fantastic experience and I had been waiting to get into my trekking sneakers once again. Well, I knew the time had come.

The weekend was scheduled for a hiking trip to Patta Fort near Igatpuri a perfect solution for our frayed nerves and jagged mind. Both of us were delighted with the destination and got all excited like kids in anticipation of their forthcoming picnic.
Finally, the day arrived.
Pattafort is three to four hours’ drive from Mumbai depending on the traffic situation. So, after leaving Mumbai at 7.30 in the morning on a Saturday from Bandra Station and picking up co-hikers along the way, we managed to reach the base camp of Patta village at around 12.30 noon. The route is via Thane then Kalyan and then on to the road that goes to Nasik up to Igatpuri. The road journey was pretty uneventful altogether. The range of Sahyadri, starting from Igatpuri is also recognized as the range of Kalsubai. Towards the western side of this range we can find forts like Alang, Madan and the Kalsubai Peak. Towards the eastern side of this range the forts like Patta are situated. There are two different routes to climb the fort. The one which we intended to take was the moderately easy route which starts from Patta wadi, which is the base village of this fort. Apparently, Patta fort is this flat plateau on top of the mountain where the wind blows wildly almost knocking you off your feet.
After freshening up from the 5-hour car ride, we collected our camping gear and started lugging it on our backs. The gear included the tents, packed food, clothing, water bottles, sleeping bags, etc. to be carried all the way up the mountain where we were to pitch our tents for the night.
The upward climb was to be not more than three hours and just perfect for both of us (husband /wife team) who were just getting into the hiking mould, unlike co-hikers who seemed seasoned. So, with brimful of enthusiasm we began our journey that was interspersed with singing, joking, interesting anecdotes, etc. It was an eclectic group of 13 odd people from various professional streams such as IT, Stock trading, Journalism, Filmmaking, Finance, Media, etc. all meeting for the first time.
On the way to the top, we came across huge windmills being set up by an energy business behemoth to make the most of the windy place. It took the wind out of us as the tall structures almost overpowered our tiny frames. I must also add that all the way up our hike, we had a few strange escorts. The orange colored crabs provided us constant company all through our upward climb. And we ensured we didn't step on any of those tiny creatures.
We reached the top of the hill, huffing and panting, fighting for breath, thinking hey man, what have we got ourselves into. But one look down the mountain, and we realised how wrong we were. What a breathtaking sight we had all around! A vista view wherever our eyes could see. Lush green meadows with tiny streams enveloped by a pack of mountains and laced with green trees all across. The overcast sky provided an ideal setting for us hikers to make the most of the breezy environs. Being in the throes of monsoon, we were all geared up for the thrashing of rain but alas, it was not to be. Though it was fairly windy, it didn't rain that. Sigh!

After reaching the top, we found a nice green flat patch to settle for our much delayed lunch. While the meal was being cooked on the makeshift gas stoves we played Dumb Charade, and what a hilarious time we had. My tummy still aches remembering the hilarious time we had that day. The noodles and chai was our lunch not forgetting the biscuits. With a voracious appetite built after the climb, we resembled hungry demons out to devour anything in sight. We washed the utensils/spoons under a small stream and collected the waste in a garbage bag that we kept with us through the hike ( an eco-friendly advice).

We resumed the walk to the end of the plateau where we came across a temple built many years before the Great Warrier Shivaji ruled this part of the country. Also, found a granary where the fort used to store all its food grains to protect the inhabitants in dire situations. We were enthralled by the many discoveries especially since it was an old structure dated many centuries. We also came across various ponds and water bodies on the fort that are still being used for drinking, bathing and washing.
The walk to the end of the plateau culminated towards late evening and by then it was time for us to start pitching the tents. Once the tents were pitched, we all ganged up and sat around in a circle on the flat meadow.
Then as it was turning to dusk, one after the other each one started coming with ghost stories experienced by self or imagination. It was frightening and at the same time funny. As stories were being regaled, someone from the group suddenly saw a dark figure lurking in the background. All hearts relaxed once we realised that it was just a shrub dancing in the wind. Once again, one of us thought, she heard a roar of a panther far away, and everybody just froze that moment. But then we comforted each other saying it can't be one since there are no panthers these sides of Maharashtra. And guess what! It turned out to be the airplanes making a roar while flying through the grey clouds above our heads. It appeared funny to all of us only when our doubts were finally laid to rest.
And then after dinner which meant dal khichdi and rosgullas we decided to call it a day. Finally, we hit our sleeping bags in the pitched tents.

Getting up amongst the greens is just some experience and answering nature's call is something else altogether. Let me not specify the details but one important tip to hikers is to drink lot of water.
We woke up to a windy morning with a beautiful mist all around and a light drizzle caressing our face. It was a heavenly sight indeed! After soaking in the atmosphere lasciviously for an hour or so it was time for us to hike down to the Patta vadi. Our hike down was through slippery red soil, green moss and treacherous narrow paths thanks to the light drizzle but all the same it was exhilarating.
Another tip to rookie hikers while trekking down is to completely trust your feet. Also, one must not sit when one can stand while walking down the steep inclines. That worked for me and my hubby, and we felt like pros once we reached the base that is the village at the bottom of the mountain.
Oh, what an experience it was, this hike to Pattafort!
Exhilarating because of the soothing sights, enjoyable because of the warm and friendly company and fulfilling and rejuvenating because we felt alive again! Being with nature over weekend can really do wonders to your soul. A last tip to Mumbaikars, don’t feel bad when someone tells you to “Go take a hike”. They probably mean well.



Monday, June 12, 2006

Synchronicity

syn·chro·nic·i·ty ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sngkr-ns-t, sn-)n. pl. syn·chro·nic·i·ties
The state or fact of being synchronous or simultaneous; synchronism.
Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related, conceived in Jungian theory as an explanatory principle on the same order as causality.

Has it happened to you anytime...this thing called synchronicity...well, i tumbled on this word quite accidently (serendipity...more on that later) some days back. Was in a contemplative mood that night, could not catch a wink even at 1 o'clock at night. I saw my dear hubby sleeping like a baby and could not get myself to wake him up (like a normally do...i know, very mean of me). So i decided to get a good read instead of counting sheep. Walked into the living room, and there was this book lying on the center table waiting to be picked up. Frankly, I had bought this book from Crosswords many moons back but never had a better opportunity crossed my way like this. So grabbed it with both hands and started turning the pages. The books name 'Even Eagles need a push" by David Mcnally was quite a pick up line even when the book was lying tucked away in a corner in the book store. So was wondering why had i even waited for so long to go beyond the cover page. I have always believed that in life, there is a time and place for everything....and a reason too. So, I guess this was the time, place and a reason all coinciding together as in falling in place or should I say....Synchronising.

So coming back to the book, I saw this lovely sounding word "Synchronicity" typeset somewhere in the first few pages of the book and I fell in love with it at first sight. And what a beautiful meaning, it almost took my breath away.
The extremely busy lives we lead nowadays, we fail to even realise the wonderful coincidences happening around us. They could have been small, big, trivial or important events that take place connected with our lives and we dont even know it happens

Its like some one said "Life is what happens when you are busy planning other things".Well, SOMEONE was indeed a wise person.

Next time, keep your eyes wide open, ears to the ground and senses tuned in to the right frequency. And then like a rare sight of a shooting star you might just witness a miracle at work.
Life is Magic...you can never know what to expect.
Experience it!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Postcards from Maldives by Mumbaikar











QUICK FACTS ABOUT MALDIVES
  1. If your idea of a holiday is fun in the sun, strolling on silver beaches, snorkelling in the corals, soaking in the tropical sun, fishing and adventure sports then Maldives is THE place to be.
  2. Maldives is an cluster of around 1200 islands and archipelago of 26 atolls. It lies to the south west of Sri Lanka and it takes an hour by flight from Colombo to reach there. From Mumbai to Colombo is around 5 hours.
  3. It has fairly warm temperatures through out the year ranging from 25 to 29 degrees celcius and dipping in winters to 20 to 25 degrees.
  4. Maldives has been rated as the top most honey mooners destination consistently and an exclusive tourist destination for many years till date by top tours and travels such as conde naste
  5. Dhivehi is the local language but English is widely spoken and understood because of tourists from Europe and US who flock this exotic destination
  6. Rufiyaa is the local currency but US$ are accepted at any commercial establishments including hotels other than travellers cheques and credit cards
  7. Male is the capital of Maldives
  8. Stay - There are innumerable hotels from 3 star to 5 star which have all the amenities to boot. Unfortunately, budget hotels are very rare to find unlike in Thailand. Each island is a resort in Maldives hence each resort has its own uniqueness which can be attributed to the natural surroundings of that island. One can google or yahoo search and get enough information on tariffs, room availability, activities available and pictorial view of the hotel. Most hotels have their own web site and from personal experience can vouch for the authenticity of the info on the net.
  9. Points to remember when deciding resort - a)Proximity to Male/Airport, b)Stay should include Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner because any other option is island away, c)Activities available on Island such as snorkelling, Trawler fishing, Whale/Dolphin Watching, Island hopping is a must. For us Indians surfing and scuba diving may not be a must have, I assume. d)Facilities like swimming pool, tennis courts, TT rooms, badminton courts are anyway part of mostly all resorts but one can check just in case. e)Also, there are standard and superior rooms, find which one is suitable to your wallet. Ofcourse there are house reefs but they are trifle expensive.f)Airport drop is a must have, g)If a vegetarian need not worry since you would not go hungry like me, but Non vegetarians can have a gala time bingeing on seafood and local delicasies. If the resort has many restaurants all the better since one gets myriad options and not get bored with the same kind of food. h) Booking the rooms before landing is a must unlike other destinations like Thailand since most resorts are over booked esp. in peak periods and its cheaper that way as well.i) Visa is on arrival and carry enough dollars with you.j) Check for the comments/ratings of travellers who have stayed at the resorts for feedback. Its unbiased and mostly true.
  10. One need not spend on shopping except for the souvenirs and ofcourse pack bagful of wonderful memories of this beautiful island
  11. A digital camera or a handycam is a must have on this trip. If one has a disposable camera for underwater shooting its awesome. One can buy it from the local tourist shops as well.
  12. Maldives is for honeymooners, adventure sports lovers, family and travellers who love solitude and action alike.Mostly for travellers who love the beaches, sands and water sports.
  13. One week is good enough for a holiday here and any more you might never want to come back home.Its an addiction!
  14. Cottons, sun screen lotion, swimming costume and a great holiday spirit is a must have to carry on this vacation
  15. Maldives is a eco friendly destination so should be treated that way
  16. The most fascinating part of Maldives is the psychedelic colours found under water and the myriad and abundance of undersea life. Its truly breathtaking!!!

For more details http://www.visitmaldives.com and check more details of Lohifushi Resort on www.vermillionmaldives.com/resorts/Lohifushi.htm. There are many such links to various resorts.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Generation Y (or Generation Z)

Generation Y (or Generation Z)in our city

These urban kids nowadays I tell you. Oh so much attitude briiming over like a froth on a choclate milkshake.
Less said the better but cant help writing this one. It does display my incapacity in dealing with Dennis The Menaces of the world, but so be it!

That succulent, impudent and spoilt rotten devil incarnate is by God's disgrace none other than your truly's neighbour. And God only knows how many times have I questioned the Almighty and oh so many times has he left me to my wits end. Never have I been able to extricate myself from this long winding tunnel of exasperation and self defeat. This diminutive frame always seems to hover around the periphery of my discomfort. The immense pleasure that surfaces his cherubic and dimpled face at the sight of my state of disarray, I am sure then that hedonism must be working over time in that tiny cranium.I have invariably been left drop jaw astounded and helpless in the company of this pint sized gremlin. The barrage of questions that effortlessly leave the comforts of his blooming gob and dart towards my fragile sensibilities and shatters to smithereens my superego. The seasoned alacrity with which this life in its nascent stage retaliates and overpowers my frame reminds me of David and Goliath story foretold a million times and more.Though I evade this knee high jerk like a plague and loathe his sight, he seems to just the same, sparkle with excitement and froth with sadistic pleasure in my presence.How I always wish that I can with an effortless coup-de-grace terminate his very existence. But that jolly good conscience fairy resurges and scolds me for this decadent thought process. Such is the story of my life off late with this new kid on the block. My otherwise peaceful existence and well endowed social circle seem to have run aground with his ominous ubiquity.This precocious entity could be the evil lurking figure in just about anybody' backyard. The honey sweet, angelic face and saccharine sweet innocent eyes that strike you at first sould be paid scant disregard.The volte face that happens in course of time seems to attack your vulnerable guise.This exposition of my life in no way does interpret the poverty of my intellectual or rational faculties but does pin point the overt opulence of "Attitude" brimming in the Generation Next.In the end a forewarning, to stay away from 2 feet nothings even remotely displaying characteristics of the above described and if in its inevitable presence, wear the protective coat of non chalance and a cap of indifference.Because if you cant beat them, ignore them!
All the same, I do admire their know it all attitude and worldy wise behaviour. Thanks to the satellite invasion in every home and exposure to the world news at the click of a button on their IBM's, the word "naive" will definitely get wiped out from Oxford Dictionary soon. And true more will get added, "pester power" being one for sure. Reams and reams of information is available on how kids influence buying decisions and how marketers are now looking at targetting kids for communciating their brand benefits more than the "Lalitaji's" of the world, your proverbial savvy housewife.
Well, welcome the new Gen X..no Gen Y...or is it Gen Z now. What with Generations leaping as frequently as NOKIA's mobile technology, soon Gen Z will get overtaken by Gen Z sequels.

Disclaimer : The above is just a narration of fictional nature. Any of my neighbours reading the above article should treat it as one and not take it personally. Becos their kids are sweet and adorable.(How more politically correct can i get!)

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Amchi Mumbai (humour)


Aamchi Mumbai

Escorting your dad’s best friend’s daughter around the city of Mumbai gives a whole new meaning to the word “Mumbai DARSHAN” especially if the visitor in question is ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) and landing in Mumbai after eons. And eons would mean "her" lifetime, since she was here technically when she was in her mother’s womb...which would be 2 decades back. Now that does not count for much does it…because Mumbai is about sight, smell, sound and all other senses that cannot be experienced thru a belly button hole.So here I was being an escort to a namesake desi and who was more the quintessential American “Born in the USA” types, than a die-hard “Mera Bharat Mahaan” patriot. Jingoism apart…she didn’t have the same trappings as Indians her age…Bollywood and cricket were not religions for her, just something what crazy people watch… Ash and Sushmita were just “roll” models…Kalpana Chawla being the true role model…Music was not hindi, bhangra or indi pop remix, it was bhajans, ghazals interspersed with country music….and career was not plain MBA in a fancy University but chasing a dream which was “out of this world”…AI or AE or in common parlance Artificial Intelligence or Aeronautical Engineering.But at the same time she knew a few shlokas like Atharva shirsha by rote than any of my counterparts including me. She knew Mahabharat and Ramayan more in depth than yours truly, so in that sense she was more Indian than you and me.But what goes into making this essay a worth reading experience is seeing Mumbai thru the eyes of a complete stranger to the city (or country for that matter) and picking up nuances which as a true Mumbaiite we all may have missed. Picking up smells, "art"in buildings, energy flowing through multitudes of people, spirit of secularism, rich and poor co-existing in close environs and many other quirks of the city.Observations of a “phirang” desi on city called Mumbai.

  • Where are the footpaths? If hawkers sit on footpaths meant for pedestrians and pedestrians walk on roads where do cars ply or do they fly. That explains the traffic sense, which means every one co-exists at the same place but not same time, that would mean ‘car’diac arrest.
  • Motchi (cobbler) at every corner, where he mends broken shoes, chappals and sandals. A unique profession for those who believe in, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it and if broken and can be fixed don’t throw it away.”
  • A temple in every area where there is a woman with a cow at temple entrance. People walking in, touch the cow, and give some money to the woman owning the cow and who in turn feeds the cow with grass. Does it mean any thing?
  • A barber giving a nice shave to his client not in his saloon but right there at a street corner with just an umbrella to protect his client from scorching sun and a radio blaring in the back ground. Now that’s cool isn’t it!
  • A woman selling her wares walking from one housing colony to another and screaming out her lungs with words, which communicate what she is selling. But everyone seems so nonchalant despite her high decibel (selling) “pitch”.
  • Reaching the railway station provides a wide array of experiences unique in its own way.The boot polish guy who is sitting right there observing foot wear of all those walking around him. His shop is this small box on which he polishes shoes, sits and keeps his money earned. Now that’s a truly an “out of the box” profession.
  • This colourful looking upright object which turns out to be a weighing machine with lights, designs and fancy objects coming alive once you stand on it to weigh your self. It costs only 1 rupee and tells you your weight, a weight that you may never have in your entire lifetime.
  • Trains that hurtle down into the station after every 3 minutes adding more mass to its velocity until it reaches its final destination where everyone alights.During the train journey, witnessing umpteen hawkers selling everything from pin to pajamas (literally). And the same hawkers who sell their wares so well, it would give any sales-head, job insecurity.
  • Did I mention about the beggars at every signal, at every corner, outside every restaurant? Its like they have chosen these vantage points with well thought out precision. These strategic points give these mendicants there 2 minutes to display their sad faces (justified) with their captive audience. Some melt while others turn a blind eye. Now that’s Mumbai’s rags to riches.
  • Traffic rules are but just in textbooks. But there is one rule that is in full display and which is rule of the Jungle…Might is Right! Hence, we have the BEST (misnomer) buses over powering the ‘Tax’is and the Taxis teasing the Rick(ety)shaws, who in turn boss over the cyclists and hand carts. And, the “cycle” continues and turns over to a new wheel…
  • What can I say about the cleanliness habits of Mumbai denizens or rather the lack of it? It can shame any body to see well-read and well-educated civilians spraying pan remnants at corners, footpaths or sometimes even showing sartorial inclinations.
  • Roads are infested with potholes as if it’s an infectious disease. They seem to spread from one road to another and some of them are large enough to engulf an entire car in its confines. One needs to be warned if there is any road without any potholes since each one has them. Not having a pothole on a road would mean a shock to the driver causing serious mental anguish.
  • Everyone is in a state of hurry. From one place to another, from one window to another, from one meeting to another and not to forget from one pillar to another “post”. Its as if, living in Bombay is running on a treadmill, If u stop you fall down and get hurt and if you keep running u still get no where.
  • Last but not the least in the list of Bombay (still like the ring to the ol’ name) lows, one cant not mention the slums, which have usurped the lives of citizens. From Bombay or Mumbai to Slumbay or slumbai ..its not too far when the city will finally burst at its seams and the very infrastructure that’s its proud of today will eventually relent to its ever increasing immigrating population. Also, whether its cream of Bollywood, Fashion or Corporate circle, it will finally say good bye to the very land which has provided hope and realized dreams of millions of Indians who found it only in the heart of this city.
Salaam Mumbai!

Mumbai Voices - Logo and Background


Dear Netizens,
Just a little back ground on the logo of Mumbai Voices which has been specially designed by my creative sister, the logo has been aptly named as Kaliedoscope, true to the nature of Mumbai spirit...dynamic, evolving and a melting pot that it is.

If you look at it closely the logo represents a human chain in a circle which reflects the unity in diversity that our city can proudly speak of. Also, the logo symbolises a design seen thru a kaliedoscope.

Mumbai's undying energy is what keeps it alive. Its the people that make the city is very true in Mumbai's case.
Hence, to make a better Mumbai we have to use the resources of Mumbaiites who if given an opportunity will definitely contribute to the society.
Such efforts normally start with collective voices which then snow ball into a bigger and more louder groups and then movements.
Hence Mumbai Voices.

The idea of Mumbai voices is to get people who care for the city to come forward and contribute in their own lil way towards the city who has given us means of livelihood and a better future.

We have always wanted to do something for the society. But for lack of time, energy, initiative, money etc we have always found some excuse or other. We as individuals if given a platform can do wonderful contributions to the city but wondered how?, where?, when? and what?

Hence Mumbai Voices.

This is just a small beginning
Welcome to Mumbai voices with your suggestions, opinions, facts about the city, ideas, stories and anecdotes.
Lets make it happen!

Watch this space for the first essay. Coming soon...

Friday, May 26, 2006

Mission Mumbai


Welcome Netizens to the world of Mumbai Voices...
A hang out where citizens (or not) of Mumbai voice their opinions on anything related to spirit of Mumbai....
People, Land grabbing, Pollution, Night life, BEST, Bollywood, Mithi river, Lonavla, Crowded trains, Zhopadpattis, Fort walks, Siddhi Vinayak temple, Chowpatty, CRZ, Dalal Street, Multiplexes, Amitabh Bacchan, Traffic snarls, Pot holes, BMC, 26/7, Private Airlines, First Day First Show, Ganpati Bappa, Open spaces, Page 3, Corruption, Politicians, Sachin Tendulkar, Reservations, Gateway of India, Chor Bazaar, Under world, Nariman Point, Pubs, The Times of India, Vada Pav, Real Estate, NGO's and much much more.

Its going to be a mixed bag I assure you, true to the melting pot nature of Mumbai. Mumbai Voices will be anecdotes, heroic stories, opinions, strong opinions, statistics, current affairs, scoops, suggestions, humour, anger, sadness and sheer attitude.

Mumbai voices invites you to do just that...be a part of this world and make a difference to the place where you live.
Salaam Mumbai. Salaam Mumbaiite!