Witty Write

A mouse in my house!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 11:43:00 +0000

A shriek pierced my eardrums! With a jolt of adrenaline, I scrambled from my chair and sprinted into the kitchen; why my elder sister had screamed? A robber? A thief? Was she hurt? Or had she seen a ghost? (She’s a horror-movie freak!).
“It was there!” she shouted, trembling from top to toe, biting her fingers, her eyes popping out in terror. It couldn’t have been plainer that she had really met a ghost…
“A mouse! A big, fatty-black mouse!” she cried.
Ah…I rolled my eyes. Yes, why not? A meagre mouse or rat is no less scary than the meanest ghost! People, especially girls, would agree, eh?!!
Well, I’ve had the chance to meet these lightning-speed fast beings. But nowhere have I found them scary or sinister. Funny and cute would be the apt words, don’t you think? (Urgh! They are not funny but filthy! My sister claims.). They come in all shapes, strength and smartness: big and small; black and brown; hairy and furry with pointed, witty faces, and round, innocent eyes, scurrying and scuttling about, nibbling away the food-bits, troubling our moms in the kitchens!
Once, I took out a long-forgotten, dusty book from my bookshelf to read only to find the entire first chapter torn and eaten, probably by a bookish rat who might have found the chapter thoroughly enjoyable to tuck it away!
Of late, we’ve started keeping Rat-Mouse traps to trap these funny thieves. These traps are steel cages with a lever at the top. The lever is pulled to open the cage and is struck at the loop of the steel mesh. You stick the food-bait in the steel-mesh attached to the lever. Now the rat, seeing the food in the cage, thanks the heavens for its good-luck, and sneaks inside. The moment it touches the lever…Bang shuts the cage! The rat is trapped and, next morning, we see it off from our house. (Sometimes, emotionally, they come back…again and again!)
But some rats, believe me, turn out to be smarty ones. Instead of stepping into the cage, they hop over it and steal the food away. They are tough to catch. They are, I’m very sure, young ones – the gen-next rats. They probably learn the smart-techniques from Youtube videos!
And guess what? Even as I am writing this piece in my diary, I suddenly see a nicely-eaten page where I had recently composed a lovely poem! Alas! My Poem is no more! But wait…
Oddly, I don’t feel sad. I am happy, in fact. The mousy rat must have fallen in love with my poem and considered it irresistibly delicious to have it away! Literary mouse, perhaps! Thank you, Mouse, for being in my house!
***

Thinking “not-too-much” about Happiness…

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 11:41:00 +0000

Sitting on a chair, a pen in my hand, I kept staring at the blank page of my diary, thinking to write on Happiness. I always feel happy to write, and writing on happiness couldn’t have been a happier feeling.

So, I took the plunge and swam in the ocean of thoughts, thinking about ‘happiness’; definitions and descriptions brewing up in my mind. I had my pen ready, its tip hovering just above the paper; when I’ll feel right, then pen would caress the page lovingly; the ink would flow and form beautiful shapes – words resembling my thoughts.

But even in my happiness to write, I couldn’t think for sure what to write on happiness…Of course, potpourri of phrases and proverbs perched at the tip of my tongue and pen; I had the whole treasure of words to myself (thanks to my darling dictionaries!), I could craft sentences adorned with ornamental imagery, magnificent metaphor, awe-inspiring allegories and what not! Still ‘Happiness’ seemed to elude me…

The more I thought, the more ‘happy-less’ I got…

I stood up, at last, leaving both my pen and my attempts to pen, and decided to spend the day come what may, forgetting all about happiness…

The morning was fine, the clouds feathery and I took a leisured walk nearby. I bought milk, shared an old joke with the hawker, laughed aloud with a pal, greeted the passersby and saw the children hopping about happily. Yet, I didn’t ponder about happiness…

At work, I found myself skimming through a pile of papers on my table, talking a lot about figures and financials, calling clients, shouting summons, arguing about, sealing deals, wishing my buddies on their birthdays and hearing their happy ‘thank you-s’. Still, I didn’t wonder about happiness…

Coming home at night, I found my mom cooking a delectable ‘vegetable Kofta’ to our delight. Oh, I love my mummy and like to fill my tummy with such yummy stuff! Having devoured, I felt full, fed and happy. And, yet again, I didn’t mull over happiness…

I plonked down on my bed with a sleepy head, flipping through my favourite chapters of ‘Harry Potter’ and his magical moments that still felt gripping, grand and great. And, so far, all the day and night, I didn’t worry about happiness…

The first rays of dawn woke me up with a happy yawn. And, thus, I thought about happiness…

May be, I thought, happiness was all about thinking ‘not too much’ about happiness! Perhaps, as the saying goes so well, happiness is like a butterfly that alights on you if you lay quiet but flutters away when chased. Well, so I took my pen, opened my dairy, and thinking not too much, wrote all what you are reading now. And believe me, I couldn’t have been happier enough…

This 2017 – Awake the “Modi” in you!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 05:19:00 +0000

The New Year resolution to “Modi-fy” your life marvellously!

“What’s your 2017-New-year Resolution?” I asked my friend, Kushal, as I sipped a cup of tea. I had posed the question to many and got the usual, cliché and even funny answers like: Weight loss, Fitness goals, to be happier, to get a good job, to marry and what not!

Well, with a thoughtful smile, Kushal sipped his tea and then offered with an air of sincerity, “It’s quite simple. I will try my best to awake the “Modi” in me!”

I choked over my tea and stared, perplexed at his weird resolution, then asked curiously “Modi? Do you mean our beloved Prime Minister Sir Narendra Modi ji?”

Kushal nodded. Was he kidding? I thought. But he didn’t look he was kidding. He was sort of the guy who walked his talk and not just talked his talk.

“Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?” I queried and, with a touch of sarcasm, added - “Are you planning to become a political leader like Modi ji who moves the nation with his charisma and action?”

Kushal laughed, and seeing my eagerness, asked, “Do you want me to explain?”

“I am all ears!” I said, leaning closer.

Kushal started, “Observe this: You wake up at 5.00 am sharp in the morning, hone your health by working out and meditating, get ready till 8.00, breakfast and read the important news, talk to your friends or family, reach your office at 9.30 am, complete your files, with no pending backlogs, take important decisions; in between you wish your friends or siblings on their anniversaries or birthdays, then come home, spend quality time with your family, and still feel refreshed and energetic by the time you go to bed, all set to greet the next day with equal enthusiasm and energy! And, what’s best, you follow this every day!” Kushal finished looking as enthusiastic as the one who had known a thought-provoking secret.

“Well…” I said, knowing fairly where the topic was heading to, “That’s very ideal. But not practical and -

“What’s your age?” Kushal interrupted.

“Mine? I am 26.”

“Then how come a person aged 66 by the name of Mr Narendra Damodardas Modi clings to this ideal routine every single day?”

That hit me hard. I was intrigued. I simply stared. Before I could counter, Kushal spoke, “He does all what I just said with unerring discipline and impeccable dedication! You would perhaps argue he is a Prime-Minister, with no family issues. Believe me, he has a family of 125 Crore members known popularly as India! He takes care of himself and everyone, his ears are open to anyone, and he listens with patience and compassion; with a good sense of humour, he smiles through all the difficulties and bears the mountainous pressures with ease and elegance! How does he do that?”

“I haven’t thought of him this way!” said I, impressed though not fully assured and voiced my doubt, “Still it’s easier said than done. It’s hard, even complicated. ”

“On the contrary, it’s simple, my friend!” Kushal emphasized staunchly, “If you think consciously, you’ve to follow just one mantra - Modi ji’s marvellous mantra – beautifully known as Balance! Striking balance in every sphere of life will get your life on a roll! It’s all about waking the “Modi” in you!”

“Well, okay. It sounds really good. But we cannot imitate him. Every human is different” I countered.

“Yes, every human is different, but what makes all the difference in our life is not Imitation!” Kushal corrected serenely, “But inspiration! Inspiration is not an imitation of a particular person but it is the qualities you draw from that person and instil in yourself.

Let me make it clearer. You aspire to be a singer and still you can be inspired by Modiji. How? His quintessential qualities of patience, humanity, humbleness and humility can motivate us all. And we can adopt these qualities in every wake of our life. That’s inspiration. But, if you imitate his style of walking, talking, etc, that’s imitation!

“That’s an amazing angle to look at!” I appreciated, getting keener to know more.

“Believe me if we espouse even 50% of what Modi ji does, we are bound to embrace excellence in whatever we do! Let me zero in on some of the essential qualities of Modi ji:

· Rise with Sun: Like Modiji, our Morning mantra should the “5.00 am finest mantra”. It is needless to stress how crucial it is to win the battle of the bed! Morning gives us enough time to hone your health and sharpen your skills.

· Organise: Modi ji is an extremely well organised person. His home and office is the archetypal example of perfect organisation. Start with your home, with your table and room. Being organized in your home is being organized in your life!

· Innovate and Ideate: Modiji’s actions reflect innovative ideas. And to innovate, one has to move out of the comfort arena. Modi ji’s powerfully staggering schemes like Income Declaration, Demonetisation, All India Digitisation and many more of such reflect impactful innovation borne out of impeccable ideas. Equally important is to move out of the comfort zone to actualise these ideas. We can devote our each day doing something that needs stepping off our comfort cowl!

· Lead and Learn: It needs no saying how charismatic a leader Modiji is. Leadership is not just about walking ahead of others but walking together and learning from everyone. Leadership is the ladder to keep on learning and keeping up with others. So, lead on!

· Love and compassion: We all know how Modi ji has a strict yet compassionate persona. He cares for his family called India. He spares considerable time attending and listening to the people, empathising with their problems and sculpting out workable solutions. Likewise, caring for family and loved ones should be the topmost priority in our daily schedule.

Kushal paused, looking thoughtful, then said: “Sustain and Serve is the most crucial of all.”

“Sustain and Serve?” I enquired. “What‘s that?”

Kushal said, “If you ask me to define success, I would say: Success is the summation of Sustain and Serve. That’s pivotal, underlying element of any work we do; the emphatic philosophy one should embrace. Success is not measured by the quantity of wealth or fame but by the quality of service to our fellow people.”

“But how does it relate to Modiji?”

“It relates entirely to Modij’s way of working. Sustain and serve is the reason of his unparalleled success and unmatched recognition. Sustain, in wider terms, is the skills you possess that help you survive – monetarily and non-monetarily. The point is: every human makes effort to sustain but few are selfless to serve out to others. Now serving doesn’t mean just handing out few coins or currency to the beggars sitting outside a temple! Serving is when you make others able. Modi ji is working ardently and assiduously for making India able! Providing education is the one of the various ways of making anyone able. Think for instance - What if every educated person in the country vows to bear the expense of educating at least two illiterate children up to school or even college? The implications are huge and inspiring. There are numerous other ways of making the deprived ones able and independent. If we do it with loyal dedication and selfless authenticity, India will soar up to the status of Super-India in no time!”

“You nailed me, buddy!” I exclaimed out, amazed and bowled over by the concept. “You are right. Balance is the mantra, along with Sustain and Serve. The year has 12 months. Every month, if we work assiduously towards absorbing Modi ji’s qualities and vow to serve others within our capacity, then by the end of 2017, these qualities will eventually become our habits. Our life will have soared up to the next level of greatness and opened up avenue of possibilities! And, we will surely have awakened the “Modi” within us! Modi ji is simply a Super Man!”

Kushal laughed appreciatively, “Well, he’s both Simple Man and Super Man! So that’s my new year Resolution. What’s yours?”

“Mine is a simple one,” I offered with a wry smile, “Follow Modiji’s marvellous mantra and awake the “Modi” in me!”

***

Note: The article is originally written by Saurav Somani and has the copyright on the same. According to the Copyright laws if the article is copied by anyone and posted in any forum, manually or electronically, due mention or reference shall be given to the original artist or author.

Journey of Excellence

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 07:27:00 +0000

“What differentiates Excellence from Perfection?” was the inquisitive question posed by our senior one day. As we floundered for words, she remarked jovially, “In excellence, you are perfect! In perfection, you aren’t excellent!”

We chuckled at the witty paradox but as I pondered over later, the remark seemed to carry much worth than meets the eye.

English Oxford’s Dictionary defines Excellence as “the state of being extremely good” and Perfection as “extremely good, exact and accurate with no faults”. In daily usage, both these words are used interchangeably and mean similar. One can say, “You are excellent!” or “You are perfect” to mean the same. But do they really? Well, delving deeper behind the words would dig out the difference and careful contemplation would clearly cut the two in different connotations.

Renowned author Thomas Greenspoon put it so excellently when he quipped: Excellence is openness to being wrong; Perfection is to be right. Excellence is a journey; Perfection is a destination. Metaphorically, perfection is like climbing the mountain’s peak. Excellence is climbing the same peak and looking forward to more peaks!

Let’s exemplify the traits: Mr. P has been recently promoted to an elite position in a company. He adopts perfectionism in his ways and wouldn’t allow even a fleck of fault in any work. Even one innocent error is intolerant and could seriously jeopardize the committer’s position. He perceives his methods as perfect and his arrogance wouldn’t allow anyone to alter them. As days go by, his passion for perfection turns into obsession, and gradually many workers resign on account of such rigidity and red-tapism. Eventually, Mr. P, the perfectionist, too gets relegated to lower ranks.

Replace Mr. P with Mr. E, who, embraces the mantra of excellence and espouses the need for continuous flexibility and improvement. For him, an error enlightens the path of progress and pushes one to excel even more. People around him are at ease and are quite open to discuss novel ideas and new methods. Thus, the company’s principle of excellence paves the way for efficiency and effectiveness.

The above example elucidates how Excellence, if truly and earnestly espoused, can triumph over Perfection! In excellence, there is room for improvement and progress unlike in perfection. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Perfection is arriving at a place and thinking the journey is over; Excellence is arriving at the same place but thinking the journey has just begun!

The above concepts hold very well in every wake of life. To overcome a challenge successfully, the concept of excellence and not perfection should be adopted.

For professionals like layers the oceanic restructuring of laws and regulations are new challenges. For medical fraternity, the mighty challenges might be to triumph over new diseases and viruses to make a fitter world to live in. Such challenges in the ever-changing economy and society need to be confronted bravely and wisely. Likewise, everyone has their own personal challenges to overcome.

Striving for excellence should be the emphatic philosophy if we intend to excel in our respective arena. As a conclusion, mark the famous saying by author Salvador Dali: Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it. Strive for excellence. Because, as aptly aforesaid, Excellence is a journey...

***

Junk Food Invasion!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 07:26:00 +0000

As I strode into a small hotel near my office, the delicious aroma around me increased my appetite. I inhaled deeply and breathed in the sweet, sour and spicy ambience of the hotel. Without flipping through the menu, I ordered a simple poori-bhaji with some salad. As I sat on my table, waiting for the dish, a sudden raucous laughter fell in my ears and I turned around to see a group of teenagers sitting beside me, chatting loudly. I felt weird, not because of their talking but because of the bizarre combination of food they were having: Noodles, colorful packets of chips and cans of soft drinks!

I couldn’t help but wonder as to how, over the past few decades the junk foods have successfully infiltrated every nook and corner of the world. There has been a drastic food evolution since the advent of the junky eatables! Believe me it’s quite similar to an alien invasion over earth!

Junk food or fast food has almost zero-nutritional value and is known as “eatable enemy” for our health. Talking about junk foods instantly paints appetizing images in our mind: The gol-gappas, kachoris, samosas, vada-paos, paw-bhajis, aloo-tikis, hamburgers, rolls, chips, pakoras, momos and so many frizzed soft drinks. And yes, one cannot forget the three “P”s boasting itself in the top of every food list. Of course, I am talking about: Pizzas, Pastas, and Patties! They definitely sound like deadly missiles ready to explode out their toxics into our belly! Whether it be any occasion – birthdays, anniversaries, get-togethers or festivals – these junky dishes always stay in the limelight and are the favorites for junksters (oh sorry, youngsters!)

Gone are the days, when the above foods were considered only as starters or snacks, but now they have gradually managed to promote themselves into the main course! Have you ever considered the reason for them being so influentially famous in the food arena? Well, given the simplicity and ease of preparing them, given their saucy and spicy taste, and given today’s trend of glamour and glitz, they have certainly ruled over the other so called nutritious food stuffs.

Let me give you an example of a diet of today’s youngster:

Breakfast: Bread-butter-jam/Milk/eggs/pickle/sweet/bhujia (in home)

Kachori/Samosa/Sandwitch/one glass of juice/omelet (outside)

Lunch/Dinner: Roti/Rice/Potato dish/paneer dish/Dal/papad/salad (in home with less gravy)

Noodles/Pizza/Pasta (red sauce, white sauce)/Dosa/a much spicy potato dish/a much gravy paneer dish/Fried rice/Dosa (outside)

Now you are probably frowning. The diet which I have just written sounds a little healthy if not entirely junky. And obviously enjoying our meals once or twice in a week in hotels or restaurants is not a crime. Alright, I agree with you. But that’s not where I want to throw light. I just want to impress upon the fact that there is a crucially important ingredient which is missing and I have deliberately excluded it from the above diet! It’s the vegetables. (The veggies may have noticed).

Again, one may argue that vegetables are not entirely avoided by the youngsters and they form a necessary part of daily diet. And again I will agree. Coriander leaves (dhania patta), Mint leaves (pudina), cabbage (patta Gobi), and peas (matar), cauliflower (phul-gobi), spinach (palak) are some of the common vegetables liked by everyone of every age. They obviously make some of the delicious dishes like dhania chutney, pudina chutney, and the evergreen matar paneer! But what if I roll out the names of bitter gourd (karela), jack-fruit (katahal), Fenugreek leaves (methi patta), ridged gourd (torai), pointed gourd (parval), chulai patta (china spinach), Tlyme-leaved Graliola (brahmi) and so many others? Believe me most of today’s teens haven’t even heard the names! And speaking of karela and methi, the teens will undoubtedly wrinkle their noses in disgust if you ask them to eat these as if they have been given some sort of bitter punishment!

I am not entirely against the junk foods. We all love junk foods one way or other but we should definitely set a limit on its intake and focus more on the nutritious vegetables and fruits.

Youngsters are full to brim with energy, enthusiasm and have passionate desire to secure a respected position in today’s competitive world. But let me tell you that most of today’s youths, though well-informed in diverse areas, are woefully ignorant in a particular field. Oh yes, it may sound weird: a youth may be a genius minded fellow, having secured All-India-ranks in so many sophisticated degrees but if you ask this youth that what is the current market price of tenga-palak, pudina patta, brahmi saag or even the famous potatoes and onions in the local area, I’ll bet you will definitely expect a completely confused look on his face!

The increasing urbanization of society and the hustle-bustle of fast-moving city life have somehow made the youths uncaring and indifferent towards their diet. The easy availability of junk foods and the attractive advertisements done by the food vendors are the common influential factors. Obesity, High cholesterol, lung diseases, Gastric problems, increased levels of blood pressure and sugar, weak liver, poor concentration and even depression are the ill-effects. Of course, one may debate that today’s youths are gradually inclining towards the fitness centers, gyms and are getting health-conscious. Definitely a healthy trend among the youths, I agree. Still, the junk-food problem remains a pervasively serious issue.

Having said about the irresistible eatable enemies, I am planning to stomach a spicy-creamy, tasty (yet junky) red sauce pasta dish, tonight! Cannot resist! Can You?

Superstitions – Good luck versus Bad luck?

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 07:23:00 +0000

As I walked past a shopping mall, my eyes fell on the heavy discounts it offered on various essential products. I immediately called my shopaholic aunt. (Well, who wouldn’t take such benefits, if not her?) And, obviously, she rushed to the shopping mall only to return home midway as if an emergency had prevented her!

Well, her emergency turned out to be a cause of astonishment for me. “I forgot that it’s ‘Shanivaar’ (Saturday).” She said, “So no new items!” Her illogical belief amuses me and provokes me to think: How, in the present era of illuminating scientific developments, the shadow of superstitions still hovers over the minds of modern people?

Superstition – The oxford dictionary describes it as “the belief that particular events bring good luck or bad luck and that cannot be explained by reason or science”. Now, if you think it as a “cause & event” analysis, then a new, practical definition would come up: a particular, seemingly ordinary event that has the immense potential to cause an exaggerated, illogical and comical behavior in a person!

Throwing light on above, consider a group of superstitious interviewees who are anxiously hurrying for an interview, praying that the entire day fares well. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a black cat crosses their path-Alas! Bad luck! The obvious reaction of interviewees: startling body language changes signaling an inauspicious start like abruptly skidding to a stop, lots of gasps, groans and gesticulations, a sudden increase of anxiety attacks and no matter how late they might be they wouldn’t cross the path until someone other crosses it! By the time they resume, their already tensed mind is peppered with negative thoughts! (Well, as for that ominous black cat, it may feel itself as a feared creature!)

Keeping intact the above situation let me replace the cat with an elephant! Wow! Good luck! The obvious reaction – Body language changes signaling auspicious start like the sudden friendliness and respect towards this creature (the symbol of Lord Ganesh), anxiety evaporates instantly replaced by a sudden upsurge of faith! And, by the time the elephant moves on, one could see the interviewees in a much better mood than they had been minutes before (probably thinking that now no force could stop them to pass an interview!)

Like above there are numerous occurrences of superstitious force playing around us in our everyday life ranging from comical to ridiculous to even unhygienic, all being the products of old traditions, customs and long followed religions. Seeing a peacock (good journey), eating curd with jaggery before a journey, breaking mirrors (bad omen), sneezing before you leave your house (bad day, do watch out!), opening umbrella inside the house (probably you won’t get married!), lizard falling on head (death is looming overhead!), dogs howling in the night (death is stalking nearby!), standing under a peepal or banyan tree (evil spirits may possess you!), hanging lemon and chili in the entrance of your shop to ward off evil spirits (or even hanging them around your neck in some parts of India!), hiccupping (someone is thinking about you!) not bathing or not changing clothes for days or even months (seriously unhygienic!), deeper the color of bride’s mehandi, deeper the love of the groom (no doubt, today’s brides are using cosmetic products to darken the color of their mehandi!). Foregoing were the few instances of human idiosyncrasies!

From a demographic perspective, one may confidently argue that today’s modern societies or young generations are impervious to the sway of superstitions, owing to growing awareness, education, literacy hike rates, information explosion and rationalized thinking, unlike the socially and economically backward strata of societies. But that remains a debatable issue. On meticulous scrutiny, you may elicit that even the ultra modern section of the society, sometimes, do become the servitudes of superstitious forces.

Oh yes, in simple terms, compare it with a low tide and high tide catalysts – During normal, low tide- uneventful-days, these people do not care so much about good or bad signs greeting them now and then. But during high tide-eventful-days – like a wedding event, inauguration ceremony, exam day or result day, social event, going for an interview or first day at job – the same category of people are, all of a sudden, more prone and receptive to good or bad omens, overacting, overreacting and overdoing things, often resulting in human folly!

You may have found the above instances of superstitions as generally innocuous, harmless and inoffensive. However, on a serious note, one cannot deny the heinous and evil forms of superstitions prevalent in our country. The ancient India witnessed wicked practices of Sati-pratha, witch-hunting, black magic, girl child-abortion-murder, castration, widow-ignominy, animal and human sacrifices to Gods, and many more that have been majorly curbed, thanks to the crusaders and social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Ray and Swami Vivekananda.

But shamefully, headlines of these malevolent practices still crop up in various parts of India resulting in unnecessary killing of innocents and adding to social stigmas and human despondency. The obvious reasons: sheer lack of education, woeful ignorance, false beliefs which are deeply rooted in minds and human bigotry. Serious contemplation by the government, pragmatic methods of disseminating education and awareness is needed to suppress such practices.

Scientifically speaking, superstition is not the causative factor to bring any good luck or bad luck. So what does? Well, it is our thoughts, our disposition and our interpretation of events that really counts. Interestingly, if we think any event to be a good omen then we are right and if we think it as a bad omen, then also we are right! The simple logic, though hard to follow, is – Our way of thinking is the very seed that blossoms into good luck or bad luck! As goes the famous adage – “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

Turn your life in 10 minutes!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 13:17:00 +0000

My dad once told me: “You can apply the 10 minutes mantra to turn around your life in a tremendous way.”

I didn’t understand at first. “What’s the big deal in 10 minutes?” I asked.

“There’s indeed a big deal about it. 10 minutes, believe me son, can create a marvellous difference in our life,” my dad offered wisely.

“Elaborate please, dad,”

“I’ll tell you. But first, you’ve to get up tomorrow at 6.00 am.” My dad conditioned. I agreed.

Next day, as I woke up at the agreed time, my dad came to my room.

“What’s the time?”

“6.00 am” I replied.

“Okay, so before you can follow the 10 minutes mantra, you have to follow the art of being aware about the clock,”

I was confused. My dad continued, “Look at the clock. It’s 6.00 am. Now within 10 minutes I ask you to do the following: Arrange your bed and your table; drink two glasses of water, wash your face and brush your teeth. But keep looking at your clock while doing these. That’s it”

“Well…Okay,” I said, thinking what could be the catch my dad wanted me to capture.

I began and started doing all he asked. All the time, I kept glancing at the wall clock. Finally after 10 minutes (or 30 seconds earlier to be exact) I had finished it all.

“Well done, boy. You have turned around your life!” My dad praised, patting on my back.

“What?” I was astonished and puzzled, unable to grasp, and asked earnestly “I didn’t get you, dad.”

“Think, son, think!” My dad urged, “Recall your earlier days. How did your day started off?”

I racked my brains and pondered over. Usually, I wake up at 6.00 am. Then, I wander off, yawning lazily and even sleep for some more minutes or sit idly on my chair, my thoughts in thousand directions. And, by the time I finished the above activities, it was already past 7.00 am.

“And today, it’s just 6.10 am” my dad said as if he read my mind.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, starting to understand.

“So what made you do it?” my dad asked.

I thought. What made me do it? Because my dad told me to do? No, no; there was more to it. And then it hit me:

“The art of being aware about the clock!” I almost shouted.

“Yes and also ten minutes.” My dad said, smiling at my wonderstruck face.

My dad explained: “By setting your eyes on the clock and thinking about 10 minutes, your mind got focused in that span of 10 minutes. It was just like a deadline or a due date. The “10 minutes” deadline kept your mind in the present; in the “now” and prevented you from wandering off.”

I was impressed. Just a matter of meagre 10 minutes had such a mighty effect! I had completed all those routine activities on time. Now, I felt I have so much time ahead (as compared to 7.00am, it was just 6.10 am!). With so much time saved, I could work on creative and productive activities, instead of loitering around aimlessly. Time was, indeed, the most precious thing on earth.

A question piqued my curiosity, “Dad, why only 10 minutes. Why can’t we divide our activities into 1 hour slots?”

“Good question,” my dad said, “we can. But shorter the time, more productive you will get; Imagine, if I told you to do those routine activities in 1 hour? Your mind will make your actions slower because you’ll think you have enough time to do it. Even if an activity takes 1 hour, you can segment it into 10 minutes slots.”

“Give an example,” I was eager to know more.

“You can, for instance, segment your workout time,” my dad resumed. “10 minutes- warm-up; 10 minutes- stretching and 10 minutes-yoga,”

“Really amazing, dad; this 10 minutes stuff can make your life on a roll! Instead of long bouts of inactivity, once can benefit from the short bursts of creativity!”

“Yes. The 10 minutes stuff is just an idea. You can also make it 15 minutes or 20 minutes but not longer than that.” My dad paused and continued:

“The 10 minutes mantra can be applied in every aspect of life. A student, a professional, a businessman or anyone can apply this simple but successful technique. Take an example of student. The student can allot 10 minutes time for a topic. After that, he/she can take 2 minutes rest and resume for another ten minutes. He or she can also take time off and read a good book for 10 minutes or allot just 10 minutes for walking. All a student has to do is to be aware of the clock.

Elaborating it further, we humans have a tendency to keep on delaying small things. We know we have to pay bills on time, and still we delay it beyond the due dates. We are aware that our bike’s tyres need to get pumped, yet we don’t care to stop by the car-shop we pass every day. We promise ourselves to go to a temple on a particular day, yet we never seem to keep our own promise on time. Why? Because our mind wanders off and deems such things as unimportant. If we vow to take just 10 minutes or 20 minutes of our entire 24 hours, we would never procrastinate and our life will be million times better.”

My dad concluded: “The 10 minutes, if followed consistently, can have a tremendous effect in anyone’s lifestyle. Procrastination and Idleness will vanish away replaced by focus and intensity. People will tell you they are short of time. No time for the loved ones, no time for pursuing their dreams, no time to eat, no time for their health as if they are the most busiest people on earth! It’s the lamest excuse one can give.

The 10 minutes mantra can keep us organized, keep our otherwise disoriented thoughts in check, balance our life fruitfully and help us to have enough time in our hands. So follow this 10 minutes mantra and see your life turn around at a miraculous pace!”

The initiative factor!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 13:14:00 +0000

An amusing incident took place in a road side as I walked to home one day. A stack of banana peels lay in the middle of the road causing trouble to the passing vehicles and commuters. Naturally, it attracted hordes of swearing on municipality, infuriating glares and the famous, pan-India “Kya hoga is desh ka?” snide comments from the passers-by. Just as I resumed walking, an elderly lady with a walking stick strode in the middle of the road, crouched low, picked up the banana peels with her bare hands, dumped it into a nearby roadside dustbin and simply walked away! Her so enlighteningly simple act put the onlookers, including me, instantly to shame. No doubt, I, like others, wondered guiltily why I hadn’t thought to act in the first place!

The above scene, to my conscience, can be considered as the finest example of what I would call – Initiative. The Oxford dictionary aptly describes it as –the ability to decide and act on your own without waiting for somebody to tell you what to do. You will agree if I succinctly coin it as the “action-taking syndrome of a human being!” Oh yes, whatever other qualities we may possess, the initiative factor is an inevitable prerequisite to any desired outcome.

Each of us has a deeply rooted desire to achieve success in our life. It wouldn’t be wrong if I say that each of us think out a brilliant plan in our mind, a plan to succeed, a plan to rise to the top. But…analyze carefully – how many of us actually achieve success? Few, isn’t it? And those few are the ones who really put their thoughts into action! They are willing to take first step into the unknown ignoring what would others say and that’s what singles them out from others. The first step is nothing but initiative.

Let us think of initiative as a ubiquitous factor. It is everywhere, omnipresent in every wake of our life. Believe me, if you ponder meticulously and analyze your day-today routine, you would be surprised that life really offers abundant opportunities where you could have taken your own initiative and thus, could have improved as a person. The catch point is that these opportunities are really small ones - like a small act of kindness or a small act of courage, and so on. Proactive thinking is the bait that catches this fish of opportunity. The impact is definitely impactful on others. The act done by the elderly lady in the above example was really small and simple. But the impact that it put on others was certainly resounding.

Starting a new business or venture, helping a blind crossing a road, being a helping hand to your spouse or parents or colleagues at home or office, deciding to change a bad habit or adopt a new habit, or anything – requires you take the first step on your own.

Initiative – the first step – is a tree from which branches out qualities like discipline, courage, and so on and help us succeed in every aspect of or life.

Let me illustrate some examples as to how initiatives can be taken to build discipline in your work or at home.

Mr Z, a late-comer, races to his office. His boss immediately demands a file which he ought to have completed the previous evening. In desperate rush, he enters his office room only to find an added trouble: everything disorganized, unclean and jumbled up. The file in demand is somewhere lost in the mountain of mess. Mr Z’s habits are not uncommon in us.

Instead of depending on others, you can always clean up your table, computer, desks. Before leaving from the office, make sure to arrange the files in their proper place. You can even finish your backlogs of a day by working a little extra. Believe me; your “next day” mood will be on high efficiency. Interestingly, everybody will start taking a leaf from your initiative quality and the overall workplace culture will improve. Other ingenious initiatives include: seeking new ways of doing things, being a helping hand to colleagues and other people around you, being the first to volunteer for new projects, and so on.

Coming back to Mr Z, he is a late riser in the morning. He wakes up along with his best buddy called “Hurry”! All his things and stuffs are scattered around his room. He couldn’t find his socks, his watch, his wallet, and in maddening rush, he gets angry and starts yelling at anyone who would come across. By the time he leaves his home, his blood pressure is already on high. Yet again, his habits are not uncommon in us.

You can start to organize yourselves by maintain a daily planner, start the habit of “no-sleeping until my room is arranged” at night, being a helping hand to your spouse or parents, start being an early-riser, and so on.

One may consider the initiatives given above as easy-sounding but doing is the hard part. Taking first step is the hardest of all. Metaphorically, it’s like a space satellite exerting tremendous effort and energy to launch itself off the earth. As the first step of launching gets complete, it glides on smoothly around the earth. Literally speaking, no one’s going to tell you how to take the first step. Victor Hugo puts it rightly: Initiative is doing the right thing without being told!

The Communication Challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 10:07:00 +0000

How can I ever forget that particular school function day when, as a boy, I walked on to the raised platform, positioned myself behind the podium and faced the audience. And then it happened: All the hitherto excitement of my first public speech squeezed out of me leaving behind an uneasy emptiness borne of nervousness. Legs shaking and sweating gallons, I felt my voice vanishing from my parched throat even as my mind blanked out. I stammered and managed to utter one incoherent line and finally squeaked a “thank you” and left the stage obviously accompanied by none other than extreme humiliation.

We all have, no doubt, faced the above scenario at some point of time in our lives. I bet, the fear of speaking frighten us beyond anything on this earth causing us to shy away from the world and be locked in our room alone even when we know that it’s not the key!

Among the multifaceted forms of communication, let me zero in on a particular skill that prevails over other forms and is an inevitable yardstick of our success. Though we term it as soft skills, yet, ironically, it is quite hard to master! Of course I agree that there are few born with the inborn gift of gab ever ready to mesmerize the listeners with the power of their eloquence and confidence. However, for many of us – it’s not an open sesame!

Soft skills can be defined as the cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, interpersonal skills, managing people, leadership, etc, that characterize relationships with other people.

Well if you ask a person about the definition of soft skills, you may probably hear the person terming it as “talking skills”. Recently, at a party, I came across a guy and struck a casual conversation. The guy kept talking, talking and talking with lots of gestures and gesticulations. Okay that was fine. The problem was: he just kept talking about himself: his ideas, his achievements, his problems, his business, his life – He didn’t even bother to ask my name! Wow! Talking skills! No wonder, people were always so willing to run away from him!

Speaking about soft skills, it’s not about just talking, not about memorizing a bunch of bombastic words and throwing them to the listener. It is broad term with wide meaning and huge sphere of elements – body language, tone, pitch, pause, pace the content, the delivery, the fluctuation of facial expressions, and so on.

Well, don’t you confine the soft skills only to public speaking; it is an ubiquitous skill – Whether you are convincing your client, talking to your seniors or juniors, cracking a good joke, interacting with a stranger, striking a business deal, speaking over phone, talking to your family or even bargaining with a vegetable seller!

Mathematically, while having a conversation, the level of interest shown to you is directly proportional to level of interest you show to others. Oh yes – it’s what we could say, the formula of: Give interest, Get interest! Especially, while striking a conversation with a stranger, one must consciously and tactfully ask about their hobbies, interests, career, business, etc, while, at the same time, expressing yourself in a legible manner so as to give the stranger a chance to know more about you. The idea is to get genuinely interested and not just pretending or faking. Well, it takes practice and patience, but over time, one is able to master it.

Many a times, you happen to attend a social event where everyone is a stranger to you. And what’s more worrying is that the people in the party belong to some other field of work completely different from yours. Well, believe me, in such a case, we always feel like we are in a hot crucible where our communication skills are severely tested. We have quite a hard time meeting the people and introducing ourselves. Recently a friend of mine faced this situation. She was a chartered financial analyst and attended a party full of artists and designers. While talking to an artist, she introduced herself and stated her degree. Well, the artist merely nodded, the technical sounding degree bouncing off his mind, and merely managed to say: oh..umm..okay!. Well, she understood the communication gap and tactfully explained that she was a financial planner, arranges finances, advises productive investments for a better return and was also a tax planner, helping people to save their taxes. No doubt, they had a creative discussion, and at the end of the day, the artist became her client.

So, the basic idea, particularly while talking to a stranger, is to introduce ourselves not just by degree or qualities but by also stating the worth of our degree or qualities and the benefits the stranger may get.

I was enrolled in a personality development course and we played a game called: The eye effect. We were divided into two groups: Talkers and Listeners. We were to have one-to-one conversation. Now, half of the talkers were secretly instructed to not to have an eye contact while talking to their respective listeners and other half were instructed to maintain a good eye contact. The listeners, of course, had no idea about this. The conversation began and continued for ten minutes. Then, the listeners were told to share their experience with everyone. What they shared was indeed exciting. Half of the listeners complained about the talkers not looking at them, having a bad eye contact. These listeners were actually enraged and felt insulted! The other half listeners were content and reasonably praised the talkers!

So, you must have got the idea from the above game. But you must be frowning with the thought that it’s not a big deal! Even a child knows this etiquette. But then, you cannot deny, that in many instances of our real life, we consciously or unconsciously, do not maintain a good eye contact. Isn’t it?

Kinesics-the body language like: facial expressions, body posture, fidgeting, fumbling, crossing your legs, even the tiniest movements of your eye lashes or lips communicate lot about a person. Communication experts almost always know whether or not are lying by merely observing his/her body language. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that body language speaks more than the tongue itself! The way of speaking must correlate to the body language. You cannot get angry with a smile on your face!

The internet-information-boom has benefitted the world at large; the advent of social media sites: Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, etc., have definitely strengthened the connectivity, no doubt. However, since today’s teenagers spend most of their time in typing and texting messages rather than speaking or doing face to face interaction, it unfortunately hampers their soft skills and hence, their overall personal progress. A research has also shown that excessive indulgence in internet media can lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and even depression because the child or teenager is unable to blend in with the society or friends due to lack of soft skills. Another research has astonishingly yielded that people fear public speaking even more than death!

Well, it would really take a series of books to conclude the complexity and intricacy of soft skills, but I would like to conclude that no matter how many piles of books you devour through, no matter how much you by-heart the techniques, the art of soft skills can be honed and hardened only through three “P”s: Practice, Practice and just Practice. Trust me; it’s just like learning to swim. You have to take the plunge! Good luck!

Great Health, Greatest Wealth!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 10:03:00 +0000

Refreshed and energized by the yoga class held on Sunday on the eve of International Yoga Day, I was heading back to my home, thinking about the noble cause that our nation, along with others countries, has taken up to propagate this concept of spiritual fitness across the globe, when my cell phone suddenly beeped. As hundreds of messages of “Happy Yoga Day!” flashed on the screen from all social media like Whatsapp and Facebook, an ironic thought dawned on my mind: Publicity is fine. But then: how many of us who are actively typing the message of “Happy Yoga Day!” actually implement it in our life?

Zeroing in on broader issues, we all read articles on health issues, talk a lot about it and even hear some inspiring sermons on fitness stuff. We are so enthusiastic about it! Isn’t it? But do we show the same enthusiasm by actually doing the “health work”? – A question to wonder.

Okay, I agree to the fact that most of us are making a beeline for fitness: hitting the gyms, yoga centers, doing aerobics and so on. (Keep it up!) But still, you cannot deny that the “Health Hazard” line have been on a steep rise on the Health Graph for a decade or so. Of course, the advancement and breakthroughs in medical science have helped keeping many diseases at bay like polio and malaria, and even wiped off monsters like Small Pox and Rinderpest. Nevertheless, the rise of health problems seems endless.

In fact, it has become an everyday topic as we hear from our friends, colleagues or relatives contracting some kind of disease or ailment. Oh yes, for instance, let’s talk about the ‘commoners’: diabetes, obesity, high or low-blood pressure, chronic cough, depression, hypertension, ulcers, Alzheimer and so many countless names have become our common foes. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I say that at least one member in every family is the owner of one of these common diseases! And speaking about the ‘fatal foes’, the heart attacks, cancers, asthma attacks, AIDS obviously boast themselves on the top list of “Health Terrorists” ready to strike not only the aged ones but the youngsters too! Recently, the newcomers have also joined the team of the fatal foes: Ebola, Swine flu and other deadly viruses have proved more dangerous than any human terrorist group.

Now, what does being healthy mean? Before answering, please pose this question to a modern, sophisticated, western-influenced youth and, believe me, he or she would probably (and even confidently) coin the definition of being healthy by inserting terms like: rippling muscles, throbbing biceps, toned skin, picture perfect looks, ‘Greek-God’ like bodies, not to mention the uber-famous cult status of the sexy six packs and the sensual zero figure! Wow! What a healthy body!

Oh, you may be frowning at me with the question that what’s wrong in it? Well, there’s nothing wrong in building a Hollywood hero type physic. What I am trying to tell is: “What you see may not be so”. Merely being strong and muscled from outside does not make you fit. Physical fitness must befriend mental and spiritual fitness as well. A person may be physically strong but mentally weak and vice versa. Yoga – a gift to the world – is a medium for all round fitness. Also, a recent study said that reading positive thinking and motivational books boosts mental fitness! (A food for thought).

Fitness is a broad term with a wide concept. There are numerous ways to maintain fitness and can be categorized as follows -

Natural Fitness – As the term explains, natural methods can be resorted to: Morning Walk, jogging, exercising, yoga and so on. The bottom line is that those resorting to these methods must take their own initiatives to wake up early in morning, and will themselves to act.

Equipment Fitness: This has become a popular trend among the youths. Hitting the gyms is on high demand. Fitness equipments like treadmills, swing-machines, exercise bikes, weights, dumbbells, twisters, et al are in vogue. They give the body a controlled environment. It’s certainly okay to resort to his method. However, care should be taken to avoid taking chemicals like steroids, tablets, artificial muscle boosters.

Creative Fitness: This is also an innovative method. It involves aerobics, dance, swimming, sports, et al. It not keeps you fit but is also a good source of creative refreshment and entertainment.

Tablet Fitness: Oh, I know you are scratching your head. Well, this is what I call a negative fitness and unfortunately this method is on a high rise. Most of the people are depending on medicines, tablets, artificial products as if these are the life savers! Believe me, this method is the best buddy of diseases! People adopting these always think of getting early in morning – Just keep on thinking. Amusingly, the action part never comes!

In fact the last category of tablet fitness occurs due to the following reasons:

The Machine Effect: All work and no play make jack a dull boy! Sitting long-hours in front of computers, watching TV after coming from office (couch potatoes) or playing video games instead of outdoor ones are the reasons. The machines have made our work easy and also made us lazy!

The Junky Effect: Today’s junksters (oh sorry, youngsters!), are attracted to the irresistible aroma of pizzas, pastas, patties and so on. No doubt, they become the magnet for health ailments!

The Ad’s Effect: Who doesn’t get magnetized by the glitz and glamour of the advertisements? The picture perfect models boast of their bodies by taking high sounding creams, potions, and chemicals. And what is more – we seriously believe them. What a sheer folly!

Seriously speaking, doctors, physicians, and others comprise of the most important part of our society given their social and humane obligations. If blood is the lifeline, they are the life saviors. Many charitable hospitals and institutes have opened to cater to the care of poor and needy. However, unfortunately, some of these elite life saviors have become life takers! The cases of misdiagnosis, wrong dosage of medicines, careless and impersonal attitude, money demanding occur every other day or so. Pragmatic steps must be taken by the government to check such malpractices and spread awareness. Human life is of course the first priority and should not be treated with casualness. The Swacch Bharat Abhiyan initiative taken by our Prime Minister is a praiseworthy step of the government for a hygienic India and consequent reduction in health related problems.

Before I say you goodbye, let us all vow to make health our topmost and foremost priority. And not only vow but act too! Because we all very well know: Great Health is indeed the Greatest Wealth!

Your Funny Side Up! (Hooked up with humour!)

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 05:50:00 +0000

We were relishing a comedy show in TV: A royal, arrogant looking young man walks into a high-class function not realizing there was spilled water in front. Alas! He puts his foot upon the wet floor, loses his balance, his posture at a laughably awkward angle and just before he’s about to fall, he somehow manages to pull himself back to normalcy and pretends with a big, fake, pretentious grin that nothing has happened!

Needless to say, we all burst out laughing to the point of tears and stomach aches! Well, it’s just not in TV. It does happen; to all of us. Awkward incidents and occurrences full of folly and farce keep popping around us. Humour, indeed, is life’s hilarious offer!

We are all born with humour within us; attached to our DNA. Just mull over it: The amazing ability to smile, to laugh, to feel amused and funny is nothing short of life’s miracle. Science cannot explain or quantify them in logical terms.

I’m not kidding when I say that “Happiness and Humour” are like happily married couple! Directly proportional - When in humour, you are happy. And, when you are happy, you are a natural humorist! And of course, it’s a skill one can hone up to achieve success in life. Oh yes, it’s the truth. People with good sense of humour really have the knack of getting along well with others, have the flair of getting things done seemingly easily and effortlessly. One can even say - The chuckles, chortles and cackles, if used carefully, act as catalysts to a charismatic persona!

Look around and you’ll stumble upon variety of humour everywhere. Variety? Yeah, you read it right. Let’s talk about everyday humour. It’s the hidden hilarity or humour that greets you almost every day. One just has to have the keen sense to observe it. It might be a funny face you see or funny voice of your friend that tickles your funny bones. It might be a funny argument with your better half (Alas! Those humorously henpecked husbands!). Or it might be a comical incident – Recently in morning, I saw a hungry cat chasing a horrified rat around the house. I couldn’t help but laugh: Cats really have to be fast enough to have their breakfast! Likewise, I saw a naughty boy splashing a bucketful of water on a sleeping puppy. The poor creature yelped and scuttled off with its tail between its legs! While that could make you giggle, you better should not. Playing pranks can be branded as “ill sense of humour” by PETA. So think before you laugh! So, all in all, everyday humour has its own benefits! The LOL moments of the day can make your life on a roll!

Created humour is of another kind. Reading jokes or comics, watching a slapstick drama, comedy shows or videos or movies full of wits and puns are the best recreational activities in today’s world. In fact, joke clubs or laughing clubs come to the rescue of stressed out people. If you are in stress, head off to such a club and laugh your head off with others without any reason! It really uplifts the mood and keeps you upbeat all the day.

Self humour is of a special kind. It’s the ability to laugh at your own mistakes or silliness. It’s the skill to smile through your difficulties and emerge out as a winner. Hurting-humour or Ill-humour is another kind that should be avoided at any cost. Laugh with others and not at others must be kept in mind.

Now, seriously speaking, one should stop being so serious about things! In today’s world of cut-throat competition, life has become monotonously mundane. You can’t deny. Forget about laughing, people have sacrificed their smiles for silly things like money and materialism. People meet and greet with no smiles or artificial ones on their faces. Their smiles do not extend fully to their eyes. The saying Smile costs nothing has literally become passé!

Sometimes I fantasize about our future. I won’t gasp with surprise if a child, in near future, is born without any humour. Humourless Humans is the next evolution, I daresay. Believe me, if that’s the case, Laughter-Profession will be the emerging scope. People with Special Comic Skills will be in high demand, will be highly paid, and will be equivalent to engineers and doctors. In fact, Laughing Gas Booths will be installed across the cities. You just have to enter the booth, put on the mask, breath the gas, laugh out heartily and come out refreshed! Ha-Ha!

Well, well, well, I might’ve sacred you out your wits, wittily enough! So let’s all pray to the heavens for not cursing us with such a funny-less future! Let us take three vows. (I am not speaking of woes, mind you! But humorous vows that would make your life full of wows!).

Vow no.1: Look out for humour every day, everywhere!

Vow no.2: Laugh out loud with others, even for no reason at all, because that’s the very reason for you to be happy!

Vow no.3: Vow to follow these two vows all your life to keep your funny side up! Wow!

Funny English!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 11:11:00 +0000

As I casually flipped through the pages of an old magazine, I stumbled across a one-page-advertisement of the world’s largest chain of hamburger restaurants -Mc Donald’s. Wondering when this “hamburger giant” would open a new door for foodies in Guwahati, my eyes fell on its famous tagline –

I am loving it! Well, I couldn’t help but smile as a different train of thought crossed my mind – The notorious blunders of the English language spreading like a pan-India pandemic!

“I love it” is the correct form that should have been used, but then “I am loving it” sounds more active and attractive to the youngistans even if it is grammatically incorrect! In fact, this commercial tagline is so popular, so influential that it has managed to weave its way into our daily conversations. I am loving this dress, I am loving this movie, we are loving that speech, are quite common. You won’t be surprised if you witness a young couple sharing a delicious hamburger in Mc Donald’s and suddenly the boy gives a mischievous smile to his sweetheart, saying, “I am loving you!”

It seems that Indians do have the annoying talent of using ing at the end of almost everything. It is called gerund : a noun in the form of the present participle of a verb. Let’s take a quick look at the various examples having the wrong use of ing –

1. This meat is smelling very good. (Correct: This meat smells very good.)

2. I am hoping that she passes her exams. (Correct: I hope that she passes her exams)

3. I am knowing him. (Correct: I know him)

4. I am hating this soup. (Correct: I hate this soup)

I am definitely not loving the above sentences! Are you? Unnecessary gerund-ing!

The Indians’ grasp of English language is somewhat lose. Oh, Sorry! Did I say Lose? It should be loose. Yes, it’s one of the common blunders. Lose means to suffer a loss and loose means not fitting. Likewise, while writing, one should be careful with the homonyms like ideal or idle, hair or hare, etc.

Most of these blunders go unnoticed like a thief even by the professional writers. And these blunders have the amazing ability to create a double effect: Annoying as well as comic! So, it is adviced to pay little heed to the nuisances of this language as it may lead you into trouble if you are writing a job resume or an article or anything. Some of these mistakes are so common that people almost always make mistake despite knowing its correct usage. I say this because if you have paid a tidbit of attention to what I have just written then you may have frowned (or even smiled) at the word adviced. Oh yes! I used this word as a verb. So it should have been advise and not advice. Speaking clearly, advice is used as a noun and advise is used as a verb. Another example is prophecy (noun) and prophesy (verb).

There are countless instances of these flaws infecting the English like a virus does to its host. And excitingly many of them have become an integral part of the language. The use of the word “naa” at the end of many conversations is one of them:

You know naa?

Please tell me naa!

The weather is beautiful naa?

You love me naa?

“Naa” always remains at the tip of our tongue all set to launch itself out at the end of every line! Believe me it gives us an uncanny sense of completeness and satisfaction!

Other instances which should be avoided at any cost are:

I didn’t knew (Correct: Know)

He don’t realize it! (Correct: Doesn’t)

One of my friend is coming (Correct: Friends)

Having said all these let me return back to the gerund part. Oh! Again I will apologize. It should only be return and not return back. Likewise, it should not be merge together but only together.

Now, actually returning to the gerund (ing) let me throw light on one of the most annoyingly comic mistakes that we come across while glancing at the names of hotels, motels and restaurants. You already may have made a shrewd guess. Oh yes, it’s Fooding & Lodging. Really, this has become most used caption of almost every food hub! Mother of all mistakes! No one dares correct it. Whenever my eyes fall on it, I start shaking my head irritably.

Mark my words! This trade name could test your patience. It tested mine. One day, unable to contain myself any more, I intentionally strode into to a small, newly opened, local hotel (bearing Fooding & lodging). Of course, blatant asking would have sounded rude. So, out of courtesy I ordered a cup of tea and planned how I would say to the manager about the common blunder of fooding & lodging. Having finished, I went over to the counter to pay the bill.

Smiling broadly, I put the money on his table and said, “The tea was nice, dada”

The manager simply smiled.

I grabbed the chance, “Your hotel will surely flourish given the good quality and good location.”

He smiled even broadly, nodding his head.

Then screwing my face slightly to reflect a look of doubt, I ventured in to the criticizing part and said slowly, “But the name of your hotel has a little flaw, dada”

The smile upon the manager instantly vanished replaced by a questioning look, “How?” he barked.

Speaking tentatively, I said, “The caption fooding and lodging should be changed to food and lodging. It’s grammatically incorrect, you know.”

The manager rolled his eyes upwards and stared hard at me, as though I had gone mad! However, he rearranged his expression into an expressionless face (maybe he thought that talking rudely to a customer would hamper his newly opened business) and said, “Everyone does so! Fooding and lodging sounds more rhythmic than food and lodging!”

I immediately gave up and walked out of the hotel. It could not have been funnier. Once out of earshot, I burst out laughing heartily at the logic given by the hotel manager. I thanked the manger from the bottom of my heart as he taught me new concept of English that could not be found in any book, dictionary or anywhere: Rhythmic English! Wow! I am loving it!

Happy Within!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 11:05:00 +0000

What would you think of your friend if he or she suddenly resigns from high-profile-handsome-seven-digit salary-job and start an unsteady high-risk-low-return-venture, instead? Of course – A sheer folly, madness or even reckless bravado! Isn’t it? Well, as one of my friends did so: quitting a reputed company and starting a small restaurant. I decided to talk some sense into him; to ask about this drastic changeover. But I was totally bowled over by his answer – “Oh, it’s not about company, job or even money! It’s not the problem! ” my friend replied, “I was the problem! I wasn’t happy…I was not happy within! Now, I am doing the stuff that really interests me!” His thought provoking answer flashed several questions in my mind…

You might be thinking about a famous debatable topic: Job versus Business or Employment versus Self-employment. Speaking categorically, I am not foisting on a debate as to which one is better –job/service/ business/profession or anything else. These are clearly subjective issues. No, but I am just trying to zero in on the broader and objective questions-

Are we all really happy with the work we do? Do we actually love sweating blood day and night in the work we do or are we just kidding ourselves with work-is-worship belief? Does a nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach pokes you to think – Something is missing from life? Or put it differently- Are we all happy within?

You may probably disregard these questions as largely impracticable or merely rhetorical; many would staunchly condemn the idea of “Happy within” as childlike and utopian; others would, undoubtedly, cling to the worldwide famous notions – Destiny is decided or Success seldom smiles! There wouldn’t be any surprise if youngsters retaliate by giving cool logic – if job/business is fine, income’s fine, family’s happy, so why the heck would something be missing?!?

Of course, I admit, that these questions doesn’t have clear-cut answers. But still, I would like to throw some light on these issues by categorizing the people into different kinds. Oh! Don’t you get offended! I am not creating any atmosphere of bias and prejudice!

It would be befitting to talk first about Dream Fulfillers- those highly inspiring, successful people belonging to the elite section of society. They need no introduction. Celebs, eminent personalities and so many more names are at the tip of our tongues. Despite hailing from different countries, religions and backgrounds, they share one thing in common- they do what they always dreamt of. They follow and fulfill their dreams. Have you noticed that apart from their fairest share of money, fame and name, they also had the largest share of failures and setbacks? Interesting, isn’t it?

Now, speaking about the second category, a question strikes as to why most of us don’t find ourselves in the above category. Yes we can! But just like medical ailments or syndromes don’t allow the human body to work at its best, similarly there are certain social or behavioral syndromes that hinder the second category to realize their true potentials. They are as follows-

· Marching after Mob syndrome – Oh yes, doing what the family or society wants you to do rather than doing what really interests you! Beware! This syndrome can make anyone an amoeba that adjusts itself quite nicely to the surroundings rather than sculpting its own shape or identity!

· Money is Mighty syndrome – Well, you have understood. I admit that money is an important factor for financial security but it’s not the primary yardstick of success and happiness. Selecting your work or career only according to the magnitude of money can surely divert you from what you really love.

· LKK syndrome (the most famous) – You may be scratching your heads in apparent confusion as to the full-form of this abbreviated syndrome! Breaking the confusion, it’s the most reputed syndrome affecting our minds with a powerfully devastating delusion – Log Kya Kahenge! Oh yes, it’s a delusional fear that looms over our minds. Many of us have unconventional and unorthodox dreams that starkly contrast with what the society/family/friends are doing at large. However, as soon as we decide to turn those dreams into reality, this syndrome grabs us from taking the plunge! We fear the supposed reactions from other people. All the hypothetical visions get vividly painted in our minds: – what the others would think of me? Friends and acquaintances will look disdainfully down at me, society sneering and scorning at my dreams, and of course what-about-my-image belief and so much more! But, believe me, the most amusing reality is that no one really cares what you do or which path you take! We should remember that successful people are those who walk on the road not taken! So, be a warrior instead of worrier!

The above syndromes will result into nothing but regrets! If you are suffering from the above ailments, you are bound to get frequently attacked by waves of profound regrets and wistful longing when you see other people achieving success in the sphere you had wanted to succeed.

Carefully note that the above said category comprises of people who know their dreams but are not following their instincts. They are aware of what they love most but the above syndromes inject fear in their minds. And this fear doesn’t allow them to convert the lemon into lemonade!

Undeniably, there are also people who are unaware or vaguely aware of their true potentials. They don’t have a clear idea of their passions and skills, and their interests keep constantly swinging from one to other like a pendulum! Also, there are others who think that unfulfilled dreams cannot be pursued after a certain age limit! If you are among them, then I must tell you that pursuing your dreams has no correlation with time. In fact, I wouldn’t be wrong if I say that many successful personalities achieved success much later in their lives. South-Superstar – Sir Rajinikanth; Comic-Creator – Stan Lee; famous actors – Boman Irani and Alan Rickman; renowned author – J.K. Rowling and so many more are the archetypes of achieving glory late in life!

As a metaphor, you are like is a dormant volcano and, if made active, you can explode the lava of your true potential! So, be always curious about things you love! Curiosity is the doorway to unravel the hidden talents. Albert Einstein rightly said –“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”

The above discussion boils down to the conclusion that the fact of “happy within” has a direct nexus to the passion you are pursuing. However, the adage – excess of anything is evil – has to be kept in mind, too. Whatever work you do should not lead you to the point of obsession. Your passion should not become an obsession. Other areas like health, personal and social life are equally important along with hobbies. Hobbies are the spices adding to the flavor of life. Instead of sinking in front television for hours after work (which makes you doubly exhausted than you were already!), pursuing interesting hobbies can reenergize you.

Having said all these, I would like to finish with a quote of world famous inventor- Steve Jobs- “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do!”

Our Antagonists within…

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 07:57:00 +0000

On Sunday morning, we all were savoring the all-time favorite movie ‘Cinderella & the Seven Dwarfs’, when a friend asked: “You know, what makes Cinderella so beautiful and lovable?” We had no reply. He answered wittily, “The presence of the Ugly Witch!” We laughed. But his statement had a thought-provoking impact.

Question yourself: Why we say that something or someone is “good”? Think. It’s because of the comparison our mind makes with something or someone we had found it “bad”; it’s because of our awareness that each coin has two sides: head & tail. The reason we know about “day” is because we also know about “night”, right?

Just imagine, could “Harry Potter” have achieved stardom if there wouldn’t have been the antagonist “Voldemort”? I bet, you wouldn’t have loved Hollywood or Bollywood heroes if there wouldn’t have been bad guys! Well, you have to admit that these antagonists, the opposites are equally important!

As I said, the presence of an antagonist makes a book or film worth exciting. Likewise, each of us has some antagonists in our life against whom we have to stand. Well, I am not talking about any human enemy or adversary (In case you decide to wrestle and pin them onto the ground!). The real antagonist is within us. What makes us best from the rest is our ability to tackle the antagonist character inside us.

Imagine a person without antagonists. Imagine he or she is has no fears, no bad habits, no weaknesses, no flaws. Can this all-good-no-bad person be interesting and full of life? Indeed no! An antagonist is like a chill-pepper over raw salad making it savory! Our fears, bad habits, weaknesses are the antagonists brewing up challenges for us and making our life savory!-(A food for thought!) These antagonists within us provoke us to fight, to take risks, to step outside the comfort zone. Finally, when we overcome our antagonists, we smile and we shine.

Speaking elaborately, it is basically a mind’s game. The mystique organ called brain tosses the coin of head & tail. Ever wondered why some of us love a particular food, a scent or a taste or an experience but some doesn’t. The impressions imprinted on our mind whisper to us – “Hey! That’s good!” or “Hey! That ‘s bad!” – based on our past encounters. Mind you, these mind impressions may not reflect the truth and may distort your judgment and acumen.

Our antagonists (and protagonist too!) rise from these impressions. For instance, a child is brought up in a friendly, social ambience, where he or she is given ample opportunity to express and improve the soft skills. The child, when grows up, has a good grasp at communication skills. In this case, the child’s mind has formed positive impressions about soft skills and thus is able to use the skill effortlessly and effectively. This positive impression is sort of a protagonist. Now take the opposite case where a child is brought up in an isolated ambience with no growth opportunities, no human contacts and thus, lacks communication skills. The child, whose mind has formed negative impressions about it, finds it hard to communicate or express. This negative impression is, of course, an antagonist.

But do we have to fear our antagonists? Do we have to submit to them? Well, you know the answer. Like heroes have magical swords to defeat the villains, we all have such magical swords within us. Optimistic attitude, auto-suggestion, motivation, inspiration, instinct and courage are no less than magic that can create marvels. Persistency is the mantra. The more you do a thing, the more doable it becomes! Also, there is a scenario called “Accepting your Antagonists”. There are certain weaknesses –physical or mental- or a flaw that remains with us throughout our life, outside our control. Accepting the antagonists gracefully is the only way to deal with them. Remember Helen Keller, the renowned author, political activist and lecturer who was blind and deaf. She accepted these two strong, uncontrollable antagonists and rose to become one of the greatest protagonists the world has ever seen!

As a conclusion, life will be so much better if we start finding our antagonists, not in other people, but within us and then gear up with our inherent swords to tackle them. So, are you ready to don the cap and wield the sword of a protagonist?!?

Success Achieved! Ok…But what next?

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 05:01:00 +0000

Richa, an IIT graduate, was all smiles. Recently, she had realized her dearest ambition of getting recruited in a multinational company with a seven-figure salary, luxurious amenities and what not. It was a perfect, dream-come-true moment, her happiness further accentuated by glowing praises of friends and siblings, blessings of parents and teachers and the consequential celebration and festivity. Success simply smiled on her!

As days turned into months, Richa got adjusted in her new ambience: New friends, encouraging seniors and new lifestyle. A lucky girl – Everyone would say. However, as life flowed by lucidly and despite everything well settled and secured, Richa started to get a nagging feeling that something’s not right.

She had no problem with anyone or anything. The job was great, so were the people. Still the nagging continued. It was as if someone was whispering to her in her mind that something’s definitely not right. At first, she ignored but the more she ignored, the more overwhelming it became.

Finally, as few years rolled by, she couldn’t take it anymore. She introspected herself. Oddly and with sad realization, her instinct observed that the spark, the burst of energy she had in her few years back, had dimmed considerably. The sense of purpose that had incited her into action seemed distant and diffused. Bouts of sadness frequented her. The high-happy-mood she was used to had eluded. Why? She questioned herself and consulted her friends, seniors and well-wishers.

One day, her friend, also a senior, Ms. Bose said to her: “I think I know your problem.”

“What?” Richa asked, amused.

“I can guess the root of your sadness. May be, I can help.”

“Then guess away, Ms. Boss.” Richa leaned closer.

“What made you such an energy-driven girl a few years back?” Ms. Bose asked.

Richa grinned sheepishly, “Well…you know what? I’ve been trying to find that out myself?”

“C’mon, Richa, just think about the happiest moments of your life; Recall back. I think you’ll get the answer simply from your past!”

Richa thought before answering, “Well…starting from childhood, when I topped in my H.S. exams. Then, university topper, the celebration time –wow! I was having the time of life with family and friends! – Then there were many sweet moments, occasions. And then, when I cleared IIT with flying colours. To top it all, when I got selected in this company! - You should have seen my smile. I think that was the biggest smile I ever smiled!”

“Good,” her senior nodded, smiling at her. “But what were you happy about?”

“What was I happy about?” Richa repeated, eyeing Ms. Bose curiously, “Of course, I achieved a lot, made others proud; got what I dreamt –”

“Yeah, so you had an aim. And that aim got bigger, better and broader, isn’t it?”

“Hmm...Yeah...when I topped H.S exams, my next bigger aim was to top university; and then IIT,” Richa said.

Ms. Bose tilted her head, eyeing Richa curiously, with an air of a teacher about to ask a tougher question, which she did: “So, Richa, what’s your aim now?”

Richa replied, rather uncertainly, “To sustain myself, my family, to get married and settled and, well, so on the list goes...”

“Well that’s good. Family balance is important. Okay; But what about your passion? You must have some sort of passion or hobby or dream that really turns you on. Am I right?”

Richa had no reply. It was such a curious question that never occurred to her. Few years, her dearest ambition of joining an MNC got fulfilled; But what now? Of course she was enjoying the company’s work, enjoying the place, the people. But, now she realised, she didn’t have a specific aim that could turn her on.

“Ms. Bose, please explain.”

“Well, Ms. Richa, that’s what we call a POD?”

“POD? Huh? Some disease?” Richa sounded fearful.

“No, no!” Ms. Bose chuckled, “That’s called Post Olympic Depression. During the Olympics, the athletes are full of adrenaline, energy and vigour - the dream-come-true moments for athletes. Now as the Olympics end, the sudden glamour and glitz come to an abrupt halt. The energy and enthusiasm that they had been subjected to for months stop suddenly. As they come home, and as days pass, they are bereft of any purpose. And even if they have a purpose, that purpose is not higher than to compete in Olympics.”

Richa nodded, trying to digest. Ms. Bose resumed: “POD can happen to anyone. If you Google it, you can know that even the astronauts suffered from POD after returning from Moon. Going to Moon resembled achievement of highest kind anyone can hope for. But as they came to Earth, many of them didn’t find any purpose in life which could be at par with going to Moon. Those who found contentment in other purposes lived a happy life.”

Richa said, “That means if you succeed in a purpose, then you should commit yourself in another purpose wholeheartedly and keep moving on?”

“Exactly, Richa! It’s like – climb a mountain’s top. Enjoy the view. Then, start aiming for the next mountain! You must have heard of a saying “Happiness is not found at the end of the journey but during the journey.” So keep on moving with a precise, definite purpose. See in your case. You cleared your H.S. exams. You revelled in joy. Next, you had set yourself a next aim: University topper. You crossed that too. Next, you cleared your IIT and got recruited. Wow! Brilliant! Now, ask yourself, what next?”

What Next? Richa thought. That was really an intriguing question piquing her interest. She asked “What should I do now?”

“Find a purpose to which you can commit yourself whole-heartedly while also doing your company works and maintaining you family. It can be anything and not necessarily high-sounding. You can join music classes; learn to dance or do anything you were expert at from childhood. The point is to find something to look forward to; something creative, interesting and enjoyable.”

“I got you, Ms. Bose!” Richa exclaimed in delight. For the first time that she had an answer to her nagging feeling, Richa said: “You are right. Now it comes to me. Your words are an eye-opener. I’ve always been interested in doing community welfare programmes, you know, helping the people financially. I’ve also got a flair for teaching English. I can be of great help to students or underprivileged children. Or, I can even focus on writing a book. It’ll be a great purpose, I think.”

“Very good, indeed!” Ms. Bose patted Richa, “Remember, POD can happen to anyone. I’ve seen many students getting high ranks in School and Colleges. It’s good; it boosts their morale. But many times, they get obsessed with the Scent of Success and suffer from POD. The result: they fare badly in their future exams and in life.”

“Yeah...that happens.” Richa nodded.

Ms. Bose resumed: “Heed my words: Success is not an object to preserve it in your showcase like a trophy! It’s an emotion experienced from within and is, in reality, short-lived. The only way to preserve that Success-emotion is to have a defining sense of purpose throughout your life.”

Ms. Bose concluded: “If a purpose is achieved, go for the next challenge and keep progressing as a human being. That’s Success in its true essence. So, next time if you achieved a success, pat yourself proudly, enjoy the emotion and ask yourself: What Next!?!”

Turn your Life in 10 minutes!

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 14:24:00 +0000

My dad once told me: “You can apply the 10 minutes mantra to turn around your life in a tremendous way.”

I didn’t understand at first. “What’s the big deal in 10 minutes?” I asked.

“There’s indeed a big deal about it. 10 minutes, believe me son, can create a marvellous difference in our life,” my dad offered wisely.

“Elaborate please, dad,”

“I’ll tell you. But first, you’ve to get up tomorrow at 6.00 am.” My dad conditioned. I agreed.

Next day, as I woke up at the agreed time, my dad came to my room.

“What’s the time?”

“6.00 am” I replied.

“Okay, so before you can follow the 10 minutes mantra, you have to follow the art of being aware about the clock,”

“Well…Okay,” I said, thinking what could be the catch my dad wanted me to capture.

I began and started doing all he asked. All the time, I kept glancing at the wall clock. Finally after 10 minutes (or 30 seconds earlier to be exact) I had finished it all.

“Well done, boy. You have turned around your life!” My dad praised, patting on my back.

“What?” I was astonished and puzzled, unable to grasp, and asked earnestly “I didn’t get you, dad.”

“Think, son, think!” My dad urged, “Recall your earlier days. How did your day started off?”

“And today, it’s just 6.10 am” my dad said as if he read my mind.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, starting to understand.

“So what made you do it?” my dad asked.

I thought. What made me do it? Because my dad told me to do? No, no; there was more to it. And then it hit me:

“The art of being aware about the clock!” I almost shouted.

“Yes and also ten minutes.” My dad said, smiling at my wonder-struck face.

A question piqued my curiosity, “Dad, why only 10 minutes. Why can’t we divide our activities into 1 hour slots?”

“Give an example,” I was eager to know more.

“You can, for instance, segment your workout time,” my dad resumed. “10 minutes- warm-up; 10 minutes- stretching and 10 minutes-yoga,”

“Really amazing, dad; this 10 minutes stuff can make your life on a roll! Instead of long bouts of inactivity, once can benefit from the short bursts of creativity!”

“Yes. The 10 minutes stuff is just an idea. You can also make it 15 minutes or 20 minutes but not longer than that.” My dad paused and continued:

"Elaborating it further, we humans have a tendency to keep on delaying small things. We know we have to pay bills on time, and still we delay it beyond the due dates. We are aware that our bike’s tyres need to get pumped, yet we don’t care to stop by the car-shop we pass every day. We promise ourselves to go to a temple on a particular day, yet we never seem to keep our own promise on time. Why? Because our mind wanders off and deems such things as unimportant. If we vow to take just 10 minutes or 20 minutes of our entire 24 hours, we would never procrastinate and our life will be million times better.”

Superstitions: Serious or Silly?

noreply@blogger.com (saurav) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 08:00:00 +0000