FRND R ONE WHO MAKE U'R PROBLEM VANISH & IF NOT EASIER..and this frnd of my, was the same who helped me wid many of my functions and probability Q.He even provided me life, by the thrill of night out in shivering cold of delhi or by sharing my cigarettes(which in a way was providing me a lease of life) yesterday, i got a call from my frnd & he surprisd me by saying that i he had a gud news and a bad 1 and asked me choose the 1st one ...being an optimistic fellow i went for the gud one which was"he got placed at calcutta ..oops KOLKATA " i heaved a sigh of relief (bcz this job meant alot 2 him) and preparing my heart for the blow yet 2 face "i asked chal ab sad part kya hai bata"..and it was ki "yaar main milne delhi nahi aa sakta , kyunki joining is on 6th march and passport office jana hain nd all" ...and the entire year flashed in front of me (since we have been frnd ..from the day he sat beside me and asked to share my notes"..Ahhh! the pain was deep ..again breaking my heart..bcz this was the same pain i felt when i left my school, college, frnds from job..again i was going through the same....and i realize that winter was over and the season of tree shedding the leaves is approaching ..snatching away my happiness...TIME TO MOVE ON FELLAS...."DEDICATED TO MY MATHEMATICIAN FRND"
It was the year 2010.CWG games were to held later in that year so the interviews for selecting the volunteers had started .Officials came to our college for selection .I filled the form for it the very first day they came to campus and got myself clicked the same day itself. Got interviewed for the second time in life .After a few days got the message that I had been selected. After a long time Mann mai laddo foota as it was once in a lifetime opportunity to get associated with something which whole of the country was looking forward to .The joy doubled when got appreciation from parents and acquaintances. Volunteers were then supposed to collect the dress and ID cards for which I was the first person who had reached the collection center. Brand new Reebok dress and shoes specially made for volunteers….was the news flashed the previous day and holding it all in the hand felt really good. Special training had been imparted to all the volunteers regarding the various nuances of dealing with public. Of course we had it in our mind to present our country in the best possible manner and regarding this classes were also held. The training itself was a very enriching experience for the volunteers .We learned about the historical places of India and specifically Delhi .We were trained about how our demeanour should be, what to do during emergency situations and much more . We were provided with the free passes of Metro and DTC buses. Then came the day, 3rd October, the first day of CWG-2010. Opening ceremony, held in Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, was a spectacular show full of colours, music and dance, specially orchestrated by the bests in their fields, which mesmerized the audience to the core. The whole world was spectator to what was termed as the best opening ceremony in India ever. No doubt whole of India felt proud on being the recipient of accolades from all over the world. The images collected from the first day of ceremony flashed for many days in the media of all over the world. I had been assigned the duty at Thyagaraj stadium. Since it was declared holidays for all the offices, it used to be a very comfortable and unusual ride to and from the stadium. Unusual in many ways, the road became visible, calm (no honking),no pot holes, traffic lights worked, signboards were visible & correct, separate lanes for slow moving vehicles, vehicles followed lanes, traffic flow smooth & no incidents of road rage. First day of our duty and I reached there in time.”Hey good to see you. I had been looking forward to meet you” said this person who, I got to know, was to be the manager of the department for the duration of CWG. After introduction he explained the nitty-gritty of the duties we had to perform there. Having met other volunteers at stadium, they became friends with each other in no time. The days we relish most seem to pass by faster, though in actual, it is our inner desire due to which we yearn for happy days to get prolonged. Though CWG have been in controversy for some reasons but the memories etched in my and many others' memory is very much in good light. Even today, after about three and a half years later, all the memories are fresh and it feels nostalgic every time I get reminded of those days.
“Oh yaaro…… yeh India…. bulaa liya”
It was on the eve of my IIFT exam that i got a chance to explore the darker side of my life. Standing 5 feet 10 inches tall, i had a premonition that the exam would be a hell of a ride. With a view of moonlight and started smoking milds.
''Influenced by the music, these voices speak to me through my headphones"
This was the thought that was going through my mind after i started listening to Gothic Bands and was heavily under their influence. View resembled a violent evening, Haven't seen sun all day and the day is about to end. Looks like the sun was kicked out of sky by some violent clouds and the view was a blurred one with visions of darkness filling up my mind. Yet as damaging as my mistakes were, i never bothered about the consequences i had to face for my actions. I foolishly created my own path of darkness with a view that not even God would not dare to put an end to my misery. That brief premonition made me realize that my future does not lie with IIFT but it rests in some other place where i would be happy with the environment. may be the decision i took that day has an outstanding impact over the course of time and made me realize i was cold blooded after all. As the time passed on, the tobacco rolled in the paper literally burnt to ashes and i took my last puff.
Source :
http://70taknev.blogspot.in/2010/12/imperfect-life_21.html (That's my BLOG :D)
Hello you yes you who is reading this, I would like to share a day of my life with you. You may feel it is “something” not complete but yes damn sure something alike yours day.
So here I start,
When I was driving to my office today in the morning somewhat at 8 a.m., a young woman shouted from behind, “hey, your dupatta!! Take care lady”. I took my dupatta away from the back wheel of my vehicle and till then the lady was far away from me. I couldn't say thanks to her. I was thinking about the lady who helped me and I missed the signal from where I had to take right turn so it happened to necessary for me to take U turn from next signal. When I was standing on the signal a traffic police came to me and said ma'am “aap yaha se nikal jayiye kyu ki aapka signal khulne me abhi 10 minute aur lagenge”. He helped me along with some more citizens for getting the way for U turn. After taking the turn I looked back to say thank you but he had already walked to another side of road to assist others and I failed to say thank you. When I reached to office I got an urgent call from my boss who was in Banglore because of some work. I was talking to the boss and I was about to slip because of waterlogged floor but the new maid hoarded me from falling and said “Dhayan rakhiye ma'am, farshh gila he.” I was busy on my call so without saying anything I reached to my cabin. After finishing the call I went out to express my gratitude towards maid for saving my life but the lady was already left. While going back to home at around 8:30 p.m. my vehicle broke down. I was trying to start it for 15 minutes but it didn't start. Suddenly one boy stopped his bike and helped me in starting my vehicle. As soon as it got start I was about to convey my thankfulness but he got the call and he left. Again I couldn't say thanks to the helper. After reaching at home I went to eat Pani Puri with my friends. It was so spicy that my eyes filled with tears and I was yelling on my friends for making this much spicy Pani Puri. An old lady was waiting for the bus beside me. After looking at me yelling she came closer to me, gave me water bottle saying, “ Ye lo beta, paani pilo” and rubbed my back. I took bottle and drank water. My friends started teasing me for not eating a bit spicy food. I told them to keep mum and moved away from there to give water bottle to that old lady but she had climbed up the bus. The bottle remained with me and another time I missed the chance of saying thank you.
Having reached to my bed I noticed that all of them who helped somehow were strangers for me and I thought if these strangers were not on this planet how much difficult it would be for me to survive in a single day. I said thank you in my heart and closed my eyes for another beautiful morning where I also can help some strangers.
Simply it was unspoken and unheard thanks.
These are just few incidents I could share. But there is pipeline of these kind of happenings where the helper helps and never seen in life time. In fact we don't remember the faces.
So whenever we get chance to say thank you to anyone do the honor. Wear a huge smile and express your gratitude. :)
Thank you for reading this.
Keep sharing and giving your feedback. :) It means a lot to me :)
Byline : By Ruchita Jain, Student for life time
A long time ago, I was a FarmVille addict. I confess that because I played that game as if my life depended on whether I could harvest my crops on time and I could sell my goods on time. That addiction woke me up at odd hours of the night just so I could advance to the next level. My body clock had changed, I was obsessed and FarmVille had taken the front seat in the journey of my life !!!
Once when I had one of my writing urges, I composed a very long post about my addiction and tried to see myself from an unbiased perspective. That is when I realised what I truly was then – a FarmVille-holic. So, here is the post (edited and modified to suit the current times) I had penned down to justify my addiction and look at it from my eyes.
The advent of online games and Flash mini-games brought about a new wave of addicts who spent hours, if not days or weeks, on these games and derive satisfaction from even the most trivial of visual and graphic actions. These actions include, but are not limited to, the growth and harvest of crops, the assassination of a drug lord and the takeover of his drug empire, the preparation and sale of visually-delicious recipes, and the construction of town halls and businesses to expand one's virtual metropolis. Not many of these games are very active now but a couple of years ago, these games and their creators were the talk of the town. Zynga, one of the major players in the online gaming community, established itself, despite a lot of organisational turmoil, in the lives of people. Though most of the games were hosted on Facebook, not many knew Zynga closely and deeply. Of course, both companies benefited from the exponential rise of users on their platforms. But exactly how many of Facebook's users logged in just for Zynga games is unclear. I, for one, was incessantly active on Facebook. But before Mark Zuckerberg could feel happy about it, I want to clarify that I was a victim of the Zynga addiction. I barely looked at my News Feed or the “Wall”, as it was known then (mind you, the Timeline came much later), and spent almost all my time attending to my “farms”.
So think about this – at its zenith, how significant was Zynga to the success of Facebook? Was Facebook more beneficial to Zynga or was it vice versa or was it just a well balanced synergistic move that benefited both equally? Food for thought for this post.
Have a look at the next post to read more about the addiction of a FarmVille-holic.
There is even a word for it, petrichor. The scent emanating from the sun-beaten earth after it makes its first contact with the season's rains. The western disturbances of wintry days may not be potent enough to fill the air with this scent, but they did succeed in evoking the memories of the special monsoon days of June that I used to spend at my maternal village. From 1997 to 2001 I used to spend at least 15 days of my summer vacation at my Naani's place.
As soon as I discovered my folks enjoying their after-lunch siestas, I would step outside to hang out with the neighborhood kids. They were always fascinated with my urban accent. I also seemed to amuse them with my conversational skills in Khari-boli. It was during one of such daily outings in the vast, open, lush and idyllic rural surroundings that the clouds would suddenly dim the sunlight. It was as if they were preparing for a routine theatrical performance. It would start slowly. Gentle raindrops fell on the loose sand. And within minutes, after letting the petrichor fill up the air, the rain god would summon up more clouds for the eventual crescendo.
We would pick up wooden sticks and run around splashing rainwater in small pools that formed everywhere. We would pretend that there were fish in some of these ponds. We would watch with amazement as toads came out and sang their songs welcoming the monsoon. Though we always wondered if these songs were happy or sad. The seemingly depressing countenances of the toads would eventually convince some of us of the sad nature of these songs. We would saunter from one corner of the village to the other, sometimes increasing our speeds to whiz past the houses of some group members whose mothers weren't too much in favor of letting their kids ruin the efforts that they had put in washing them and their clothes.
As years have passed by I seem to have cultivated that very fear of dirt whenever I step outside during rains. Getting drenched seems a nuisance now. All the focus shifts on keeping the wallet and the phone from getting wet. Umbrellas, which seemed so burdensome that I was happy to forget them at home on my way to school, are no longer uncool now. Hurrying automobiles on the streets seem to have robbed the after-shower street walks of their romanticism. Things have indeed changed now, though I can't pinpoint what has changed more, that which is on the outside or that what is inside.
International Management Institute, Bhubaneswar organized an Entrepreneurship event - 'e Mantra' sponsored by AICTE at its campus on Wednesday.
Shri. Sanjib Hota (IAS-Rtd- Former State Election Commissioner) inspiring the budding entrepreneurs with his motivating speech
The programme was inaugurated by the Director of the Institute, Prof. Ramesh Behl and was coordinated by Prof. D.D. Swain (Chairperson of E-Cell, IMI-B).
The occasion was graced by eminent dignitaries like Mr. Kharabela Swain (Hon. MP), Mr. Panchanan Dash (ISS, Secretary, MSME) and Mr. Sanjib Hota (IAS- Former State Election Commissioner) on the emerging issues on entrepreneurship specifically for young budding entrepreneurs and their endeavors.
The event was commemorated by a intriguing panel discussion chaired by Mr. B.S Pani(Director, SPAN Resources) along with other honoraries like Mr. Om Kar(MD APICOL), Mr. S.S.Acharya (DGM, SIDBI), Mr. A.P.Das(DGM, NABARD) and Mr. Jay Narayan Pujapanda(Founder, Paris Bakeries) who infused new sparks into the minds of the budding entrepreneurs through a rich interactive session.
Entrepreneurship is 'an individual's ability to turn Ideas into Action', which can only be possible if it becomes your first preference. Within a rapidly developing economy like India, where service sector is mushrooming, the entrepreneurial activities are a definite way to look beyond.
The event was hugely appreciated by all the participants from various institutes, corporates, and entrepreneurs.
On typical Tuesday night, as I was cooking Maggi ramen noodles for meself and me mates, I found meself in a problem. As it so happened, my defenceless “Maggi Noodle Cake” was attacked by a swarm of ants. For procuring another pack of “Maggi Noodle Cake”, I would have had to travel halfway around globe where the grocery stores would still have been open (those who still think this was worth a try, are welcome to try it for themselves).
With nothing else in the house to cook I was faced with challenging task of getting rid of the ants from the noodle cake without preferably hurting any ant in the process, so to speak (altruism isn't my forte and I didn't want to sleep with an empty belly).
While mulling over my problem, I unintentionally summoned the ancient philosopher Chanakya to my aid. After appearing, he was disoriented in the beginning but soon adjusted to present conditions. He was sympathetic of my situation and devised a four-step plan for me to follow,
1. SAAM: To make the noodle cake lukewarm and make the ants understand that they were not welcome here.
2. DAAM: Lure the ants with sugar cubes to relinquish their stronghold of cake.
3. DAND: To submerge the cake in water and force out the remaining ants that didn't want to leave.
4. BHED: “If they don't care, so shouldn't you, if you know what I mean. At the end of the day they are just a source of protein. If you don't believe me ask Bear Grylls.”
With this he left me while urging me to carry out his plan ASAP and satiate my hunger.
Being inspired as well as terrified at the same time (I don't know if there is a word for that), I started executing “the plan”. To my surprise it started working. 70% of ants left the cake after the “SAAM” phase. The “DAAM” phase wasn't as effective as the first phase but still managed to seduce an ant or two. The “DAND” phase was a huge success; in an already terrified ant colony all it took was a little push to get them all out. At the end of the “DAND” phase, all but one or two had been dislodged from their stronghold, and my belly was now aching for food. As Chanakya had predicted/suggested, in the "BHED" phase, I didn't care about those unfortunate ants still inside cake and set out to prepare the noodles.
After "2 minutes" (actually it took more than 10), Maggi was served. I was feeling content while devouring my share, noticing the absence of any ants in noodles. I felt that I had achieved what I had set out to do in the first place (with help of Chanakya of course).
It was only after I was full that my thoughts were drawn back and I realised the full implication of what I had done. My situation had been similar to those faced by contemporary industrialists who want unhindered access to raw material (maggi cake) without hurting the citizens/tribals (ants) who stand in their way. They apply these same methods: “SAAM” by hyping up the upside of industrialisation/progress, “DAAM” using the lure of the money in their Swiss bank accounts, “DAND” indirectly through the political route and “BHED” as in the Shanmugam Manjunath type cases.
I still haven't figured out whether my actions were justified or at least debatable. So I ask for your opinion, What would you have done if you were in my position?
When I saw the 500 word limit lifted from Pagalguy I felt happy and sad simultaneously. Happy because I wanted to write and didn't want the 500 word limit to spoil my flow. Latter because im still unsure of what topic to write about. After lot of thought zeroed in on my latest adventure in Delhi after being brought up in Tamilnadu for my entire life (that means "I don't have the slightest idea about Hindi – which as per my view is an essential requirement to survive in Delhi.)
I was slightly above average guy in school and college, which obviously was not because I was gifted, rather because I put in hours and hours of hardwork in areas which I was not comfortable. I had a small stint with Hindi. When I was studying in third standard my mom took me to a Hindi coaching institute – which was a rarity at that time, thinking that I would master that language in due course of time and it would certainly be helpful to my future. I struggled a lot as I was barely 8 years old and learning a language completely new was little difficult, and the pedagogy was not ok as we were asked to memorize things rather being taught. So finally I took the first exam – Prathmik and barely passed. Then I was forced again to continue with Madhyama (second exam) where I miserably failed. That was the end to my exposure to Hindi. I can read and write well, but the real issue came with understanding Tamilnadu didn't have good exposure to Hindi because of selfish politicians and their opposing to Hindi being taught in schools,Which reduced my chance of getting used to the language almost next to zero.
I had safely forgot Hindi for such a long time until last may when I got a job in NCR. When I did have a telephonic interview everything was in English and I felt comfortable there too. I hadn't seen the real face of Delhi. The moment I boarded train I felt the shock. Everyone around was comfortably talking with each other in Hindi. For the next two to three months my shock kept on increasing day by day as even during official meetings everyone was conversing only in Hindi where it became increasingly difficult for me to understand the proceedings of the meetings. Luckily I had a friend who had good command over the language (as he had took Hindi as second language during his schooling), which helped me a lot during the initial few months of my stay. Slowly I started gathering words, interpreting meanings of words that could have possibly been the case in that specific situation, (well I was assuming a lot of things). I also got few people who really didn't mock me for not knowing Hindi, while they gradually helped me get a basic hold over the language.
Initial two three months I was absorbing every single word I could hear. Find meaning possibly, or atleast try to infer the meaning from the context. And the D day arrived. The day when I actually started conversing in Hindi with my colleagues, before which I hadn't uttered a single word in Hindi. Initially everyone made fun of me. Still I didn't care a bit. I know how we make fun of north Indians in Chennai when they speak Tamil with a lot of difficulty. But as the number of months crossed five I was able to convey my thoughts without the help of any other language other than Hindi. By then my colleagues had stopped laughing seeing my perseverance. Now I'm contended with the fact that I will be able to survive with my broken hindi. In hindsight I really feel good about learning one more language.!
I was just spending my time wondering what i want to do in life. Some of the things happened really questioned my ability and i felt my at the bottom when compared to my friends and classmates. Certain mistakes and overconfident adamant nature proved to have spoiled my life. Being different made me to lose my path.This article is my first one in my life and i thank Pagalguy(Don know whether it ll be published or not but still..) for giving me this platform to establish myself. My language is bit weird and so readers please bear with me. So after the CAT result was out and it did shake me up from the core. I was in blues. I was fully torn into pieces and my confidence was going at negative rate. I just saw myself and asked me "So one more year gone -NO JOB NO MBA NO CAREER.... what are u gonna do ?" . Just thinking about various options i found myself obsolete. Later one day i met a friend an unknown person on FB (Boss of a successful coaching institute) and said my status he was kind enough and finding such a good hearten person was really obscure these days. He straight away offered me a job with a moderate package. Having no option i joined his office . His presence and his approach towards work was the thing i admired. The way he approached his work was outstanding. And i was working under him i felt good. As the day passes i felt that this was not the place for me. I was doing a good job but i was not loving what i doing. I felt something was missing. I felt the pressure. Staying approx 1250 km away from home didn't make me feel bad. But what i was doing there didnt excite me. So after 18 days went straight to the boss and with my eyes in direct contact, I said "I am sorry sir , I QUIT". He was shocked and taken back. I said "Sir i liked your company , enjoyed the presence of my colleagues, but i didnt love what i did sir, am sorry". He told me to consider it but i politely refused. He was so kind that he offered me some other role in his company but i found nothing was exciting me. I came back home (my friends apartment) and said this. They were annoyed because right from my college days i was the same , i don adjust thats what they said. I was wondering what i am up to now. I was travelling, travelling, spent my time alone at home. Booked my ticket to return back home (Mumbai- chennai). I was just looking the outside the train. Every station every people i met made me feel inferior about myself. Felt am nothing right now. Suddenly i got an idea. At the middle of night i got up and started to feel high . Got goose bumps. Yes i found what i wanted to do in life. I had a plan to do a start-up earlier but parents denied. This time i added some flavor to it and made it super cool and totally unconventional.Was too excited that even after a tiring journey of 25 hrs i couldnt sleep whole night thinking what should i do next. It was exciting because i felt i would be contributing something valuable back to the society. Told my friends and they all suggested to take a giant leap. And i sent my inexperienced business plan to all my close friends and all applauded me for my work.
With fear and excitement i sent to an investor who helps with new idea. He was stunned by my idea and said i got work like its my last day of my life to get such a plan to get going. I had a great talk with him and he said to me everything that an entrepreneur face in today's world and in the place of 5 lacs he was ready to give more. I was stunned i felt that at last am gonna work in my own firm. It was a special feeling. I never had alcohol in my life but i felt high. It was a special feeling. All my friends said," buddy if this works u can make wonder". But from my heart i had one thing "Be different". Am doing something others didnt do i want to take the risk .
Everything was set . Now i went to my parents and said them this. they got so terrified and my dad (a businessman) too said, "this is crap and useless". Just do a PG degree u can settle. My mom(Professor) said,"beta finish ur PG, do Ph.d land in some reputed college 9-5 work then u ll find a gud time to spend with ur family". No girls love an "Entrepreneur" so drops this u are too young so study right now. I explained my dad and within 30 secs he said its crap , while an unknown investor said it ll be mind blowing.
Since there were some family problem which got settled right now i thought no need to create any problem by opposing my parents. Because that ll lead to prob(traditional family probs). So with tears in my eyes i had to pour a bucket of water on the fire that was burning to do something big and thats it ..My very own child (my idea) was killed by me. With no option with me am applying for a PG course today.
My request to all future parents let ur child learn from their mistakes (or of others). Guide them Don manipulate them. We all got one life to live lets live our life our way (clean).
With tears,
udhai.
(thanks pagalguy)
Strength to stay Alive
So friends, one more happening to share…
I have a bubbly friend Kirthika. Last evening while dining together she shared her wonderful story with me which I am going to share with you.
So here she goes,
In everyone's life there are always some people after meeting whom we cannot believe that this guy/girl would be an amazing part of our lives.I also have that kind of silly friend Kahan. It was conference of our Basketball team in first semester of Post-Graduation when we met first. He was over obsessed with own self. He was very rude to others, never helped others and extremely arrogant guy. We never liked each other and I never believed that Kahan would be one of the people who can touch my soul ever. But everything got change at our farewell function.
Hua kuchh yu ki,
Our college plans farewell party every year. When we were about to leave the college they certainly arranged a farewell party for us too. In our college farewell party was never been limited to music, dance, experience sharing and food. It was all the time exciting by arranging interesting games for the students. One of the games was “Chit utha ke Bol”. In which a professor picks up the chit from students' names bowl, the student whose name announced by the professor comes to stage, picks up the chit from the bowl in which topics are written and student speaks on the topic for at least 5 minutes. Something like that happened on that evening. Prof. Baxi picked up the chit. And do you know what??Prof. Baxi announced Kahan! Come my son!! And he walked towards the stage as if any rock star is coming and all the spotlights were on him.
I was murmuring that “Ohh!! Man unbelievable, now whatever chit he chooses, Aadha ghanta to pakayega”.
And there he picked up the chit and Peter Kaka handed over the mike to him.
And there he went,Heya friends! This is your Kahan. The words in this chit are “A day without women”.
(I was dead sure that now he will start pulling legs of women and will show that he is cool dude and independent.)
Without women I am a pen without ink.
(Everybody started laughing and I was as usual annoyed on him. But I got surprised when few more words by him dropped into my ears…)
Seriously buddies… I cannot imagine a single day without women though it is written here.
Without a woman I would have kept staring at my picnic going friends rather than enjoying along with them. My shoes would be resting into wardrobe instead of the ironed clothes lying there. Without her I might have the skills of reading and writing but I would not be literate. I may be polite to people because of their power instead of respecting them for their affectionate heart. My room surely rewarded with “completely ugly and tidy room” instead of being neat and clean. My plates at the time of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner would be filled with Bread Butter and raw materials only instead of Gobhi ke Parathe and Aam ka aachar and many more varieties. Only pricey watches were there on my wrist instead of priceless Rakhi. My interviewers would have found me in T-shirts and shorts instead of formal. Do you know,! My emotions surely would have transformed into Emojis for all rather than understood with feelings. I might have credit in college and corporate because of only degrees and certificates instead of the faith which a loving heart has in me without any evidence or proof.And in this particular era I would have owned a feeling of arrogance on my ability that my basketball team can sustain and win because of me instead of the feeling of pride on “a lady feels safe and secure when she is with me.” That is me. Yours Kahan. Totally dependent and one more guy of this planet who cannot survive a single day without women.Today I am from the bottom of my heart thankful towards all the ladies for being an exceptionally vital part of my life and for giving me the strength to stay alive. Thank you
Now we are good friends... :)
Everyone started clapping and gave a standing ovation towards these heart touching words by a rough guy. At the last day while leaving the college, he made a huge impression on everybody's heart.
And from that day the seeds of friendship were ploughed between us and though he is the same worst guy today as he was before we are good friends now.
Now we are good friends :)
Byline : By Ruchita Jain, Student for life time
It has been a long time since I am striving to write my first post. Well, I am glad to finally muster the courage to write this experience of my life.
This incident happened a long time ago, during the life of my graduation, the life which will never come again. It was my first year in college, and the best part about being in first year is that everything is new: the events, the people, the places and of course the freedom we sense. It took a couple of months for me to make good friends to hang out with. This story is about me and my best buddies of that time - Mayank and Sumit. We were a popular trio of our college. I lived the most amazing time with them. We used to visit Sanchi (a place famous for the 'great stupa' near Vidisha in the state of Madhya Pradesh) almost every week.
It was a Saturday and we were fed up with the same routine classes and therefor, planned to visit Sanchi. The one thing we were consistent at was bunking classes and getting late for the college. However, 80% of the final exam used to be based on the lectures we missed. Anyway, let me get back to the story.
We started our journey towards Sanchi. It was very busy highway. And the heavy traffic on that road was mainly comprised of heavy duty vehicles like buses, tractors and transport trucks. Mayank was riding the bike. We had barely covered a mile when I saw a guy riding a bike right in the middle of the road just in front of us. Asking for side, Mayank blew the horn and tried to overtake him. As soon as he overtook him, a transport truck came right in front of us and he had no choice than to slowdown the speed. He turned the handle of the bike here and there like a flickering tube light and lost control over it. We fell on ground skidding away from the road.
As we were sliding across the surface, our bike hit a person walking at roadside. As soon as we hit that man, he started crying. We thought he must have hurt badly. As we got our consciousness back, we asked the person whether he was alright. He was not looking injured at all yet he was crying. We apologized him for hitting and hurting but he started crying even louder. We asked surprisingly about what went wrong with him.
The guy remained quiet for a while and after sometime he said - “ Bhai sahab meri maa hospital main bharti hai, unhen khoon ki jarurat hai aur main uske liye din bhar se bhatak raha hun” (my mother is in the hospital, needs blood and I have been searching for a donor for the whole day). We were silent for a moment and looked at each other. I asked the person “which blood group do you need?” We understood the whole situation and went to the hospital along with him.
As I saw the lady on the bed, I became speechless. She was badly hurt and injured. I told the person not to worry. I took doctor's permission for the donation and after a regular check up I was all set to give blood. My blood group is B (+) and luckily she needed the same. We forgot our own accident looking at the innocent face of that person. Blood donation to a needy was seeming very peaceful to me. But to my surprise, Mayank and Sumit also became enthusiastic to donate their blood. We almost had a fight for donating blood to that person. We were feeling sorry and disappointed for whatever happened. Perhaps we thought that by donating blood, we would be able to subdue our feelings of guilt. Even the doctor was surprised to see our desperation for blood donation. Finally, we reached a consensus that we all will donate our blood.
That was the first time I and my friends donated blood and since then trio of us practice blood donation often. We did not ask our parents for doing this but we were very contented, and it was very satisfactory for us. I never felt such sense of humanity and sacrifice in my entire life.
That's how in this world things go right at the worst possible moments and leave you with some wonderful memories. We bunked our classes for fun and experienced an unexpected incident but it incorporated a great sense of kindness in us.
It was 7:30 in the morning as i left for my office to board a local at khar station. Walking into the station, i just happened to see an old lady lying by the stair-side in a pathetic condition. Though it is unfortunately a regular sight here in this country of ours, that fact somehow didn't convince me and i really don't know what happened but i stopped in my tracks looking at her face and glanced at my watch. Hmmm still 35 mins to go. It would generally take me around 20-25 mins to reach my workplace that meant i would still be left with good 10 mins. While doing all this calculation, i went towards her and asked her as to what really brought her to that condition and whether i can be of any help to her.She could barely speak as she appeared too weak and pale with black spots on her skin. My eyes welled up with tears as i could just sense a deep pain in her eyes. I asked her again but to no avail. Suddenly, it struck me that i should buy her some milk and glucose biscuits. I went to a nearby shop from where i would regularly buy packed milk to get these items. Amid all this, i rang my boss to tell him scaringly that i would be late today. After purchasing the items, i went back to my house, hardly 300 m away, boiled milk and returned to the station. I then asked her to sit up and have some milk along with biscuits. Flummoxed by all this, she looked at me drearily. I said, "amma, it's nothing just milk and some biscuits. It will give you some strength". As she found herself unable to sit, i extended my hand to hold her back as a support from one hand and glass in the other tilting it at an appropriate angle to help her drink it steadily. As the glass reached its half-mark, i offered her biscuits which she initially was reluctant to take as she somewhat seemed to be getting back to her senses but on my insistence took them. "Amma, where do you live, where is your family, how did you land up here etc. etc.?", i asked. She replied that she came along with her son for some medical help from some rural part of Maharashtra far away from Bombay as she recalled her journey. She then told me that his son had gone to buy return tickets for them but never came back after asking her to wait for him.She suddenly started crying which made me lachrymose too. However, i tried to keep a stiff upper lip. I asked her if she could recollect anything further but she couldn't. I then asked her if she would mind coming to my house and staying there until i find some solution to her problem. "Amma, you are just like my mother, so would you?" To this, she stroked my head gently and affectionately as her eyes glistened and her heart poured out blessings for me. This time, i couldn't hold back my emotions as it reminded me of my own mother and tears started trickling down my eyes too and i felt so blessed at that moment which is difficult to put in words and beyond all imagination as certain feelings are. Today, i am happy that she is living a peaceful life back home as i seek such heart-warming and genuine blessings yet again in my life.
So the International Women's Day has come to an end, but does it boil down to one single day dedicated for all that the women have done for us? To start with, they are the prime reason for our existence. Not a single day goes by, where we don't really take a woman's help - be it directly or indirectly. Somehow, life doesn't seem complete if they aren't around. I mean, who would cook you your favourite curry repeatedly? Who would bake you a cake, the moment you secretly wished for it? Who would prepare a coffee when you're struggling with your math problems at 2:00 AM? Finding it hard to imagine right? Well, you know the answer. But, guess what? We still don't treat them the right way, the way they should be treated. Admit it. By 'we', I don't intend at any particular group. It is every single one of us. There's this biased feeling that circles around everytime we are surrounded by women.
It gets ironical as the UN-selected theme for 2014 is "Equality for women is progress for all." Does equality really come into picture? No it doesn't. It never did. Even if it was tried, it was dampened. Forget equality, is there even that nominal respect that a woman is getting, which she deserves? Even in cities like Delhi, there's absolute zero safety.
"A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things."
I come from a South Indian city where there are ample restrictions already imposed on the girl child, enough to suffocate her dreams, her aspirations. And those who take a step forward, trying to set examples, crossing those barriers, to achieve something significant in life for themselves (if not for the society) come into the zone where there are men fighting the competition. Assuming she fights the competition as well, what about those animals who are around sniffing, waiting to prey on. Yes, there are men who are considerate enough. And then, there are sick perverts.
Life has always been difficult for women, right from physical changes to labour pain. As if this wasn't enough, the humiliation if anything unpleasant happens, adds to the pain multifold. This calls for a simple question that one needs to ask oneself. "Am I literate enough?" If yes, then probably you would know how to respect her. having said that, you need not go out of the way to express your respect. There's a minimum amount of security and safety a woman expects while walking down the street to her home at 11 PM after finishing her office. If you can give that to her, then I guess, we would not need revolutions, UN themes etc to set things right. A woman is like a teabag - you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water. But, the real question is, do we really have to wait until she gets into hot water, face the adversities?
This is to all the women who have silently battled against all odds, against all prejudices in this male dominated society, against all unreasonable criticism and yet managed to put up a brave smile and face each day with determination and a stronger resolve.
Happy Women's Day to all the women in my life and to all the women who make this world a better place.
Saturday nights are often the lengthiest, maybe it's the anxiety of Sunday movie date or just that you slept the whole day and now sleep is nowhere to be found
If that's so then its review your week time guys. Hope you bring pop corns. You see, there is this girl…of course there is ...Cute and sweet. Not the like the heroines of transformers franchise. The ones who welds, rides super bikes and fights aliens.
There is this place where I usually get my daily dose of addictive caffeine aka coffee. If you are guessing Starbucks, that's not it. Here you will get coffee for ten and endless view studious bunnies rushing for lectures.
So this girl, she use to pass by me every day, if I am there sipping my coffee, looking my way and then away. You know the whole “you are an eye candy” approach. Someday I miss her because my timing sucks and if I am lucky, she will show up from out of the blue
The thing is we both know she definitely looks my way but does that mean I can ask her out? Maybe I am just easy on eyes and maybe she is committed. If I ask her, does she appreciate it? What will she think about me,” a creep who asks out every one who looks at him”?
But wait a minute. How the hell do I ask her out? It is not the question of the right pick up phrase nor it's about what to wear on the D day to effectively hide my lack of 6 or any other denomination of packs? It is just that, I am half way through my twenties and I haven't asked anyone out yet.
Stopping a girl on her tracks and forcing your desire on to the unassuming lad definitely feels like “you have let your mother down” completely. Unless of course, you can honestly and with last full measure of devotion believes that, you may narrative the same to your kids, after decades, as the story of “how I met your mother”
So the bottom line is, I want to ask out the girl I saw while drinking a coffee to a more overpriced coffee date where they promise you a lot will happen but I can't ...I simply cannot.
Fear is such an emasculating word yet I confess, I am fearful of you, dear girl.
Happy women's day
By now I am pretty sure Pagalguy is conspiring to ban me from writing any more craps (pun intended) of course you can't blame them. If they don't and If I ever see her again and If I am ever again struck with the obvious penchant for writing when I feels like it, this may have a sequel…but please don't wait up.
On a not so warm summers day I got on a train to Lisse. I was going to meet a few friends at the stunning flower drenched gardens of Keukenhof, located in a small town in the Netherlands. I've never been a big fan of the flowers but this Dutch garden, the largest in the world, impressed even me. Which is why I was going back for a second time with my daughter. She was excited too, probably more at the promise of a purchase of a tulip shaped sucking lolly, but I digress.
As we passed the ticket counter and headed towards the cafe, I spotted some friends and we all got a table together -thinking that a nice hot cup of something might be just the thing, to start the day's journey of flower adoration.
Close to our table sat an Indian couple. They were unmistakably Indian. They were both dressed in jeans and a T.shirt with a thick jumper worn over, but in addition to this she was wearing a pair of bright pink earrings and a necklace, which contrasted nicely with the black of her wooly jumper.
One of my friends, lets call her girl # 1 sniggered. “Oh – God, will you look at those two” she said. “Actually, don't its a sight for sore eyes” So of course we all turned to look and everyone burst out laughing. “Looks like they just got here from Sowcarpet” said girl number two. ''Sowcarpet' being a not so trendy area in the metropolis of Chennai, in Southern India. Perhaps they heard us or perhaps this was just coincidence but very soon after, the couple stood up and left the cafe. This resulted in even louder squeals of laughter and ill concealed grunts from the girls. Girl # 3 was wiping away tears of laughter at this point while she said “I just love it, get all this way from India but you can't get away from the goddamn Madrasi accent” and the rest of our coffee time was spent poking fun of this couple, and how badly dressed they were and how they couldn't even speak english and why couldn't Indian people learn how to groom themselves properly and a host of other things in this vein.
What was my reaction to all of this one might wonder. Did I challenge their point of view or stand up for this quite and unassuming couple from India ? Perhaps from Chennai or who knows where from, India as you know is a very large country. This couple who were just going about their day, minding their own business yet somehow managed to provoked such a hostile and critical reaction in their fellow countrymen.
I am ashamed to say I didn't really, or if I did it wasn't expressed as forcefully as my reaction to it was. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach but I couldn't find the words to express how disgusted and distasteful I found this form of classism. For that is what it is. But I didn't have the right words or thoughts to articulate myself at the time. This is a little game we middle class Indians love participating in. The tearing down and ridiculing of those less fortunate than us. The mocking of Indians who don't speak with as good a diction or as polished as accent as ourselves. The countless number of Indians who didn't have the privilege to go to a fancy private school, their every whim and fancy taken care of. A distancing of the self from such utterly stupendous ill bred, ill mannered people. An embarrassment that they could be related to us in any way. An unconscious thought that's sometimes not so unconscious – What will these cool, trendy white European people think? That I am like them? The same as them ? I am not. I am most certainly not.
My daughter has a book. It's a series actually. It's called – That's not my frog, That's not my Princess, That's not my teddy-bear, so on and so forth. The book which is beautifully illustrated begins with a descriptions of all the things the princess, frog or teddy bear is not – Too soft, too squishy, too shinny until you turn the last page and there it is. The perfect frog, princess and teddy-bear which the child can identify with and claim is his. Just the right, perfect one.
Our conversation reminded me of that book. That's not my Indian, she doesn't look cool, he can't articulate and enunciate words in a neutral English accent , She wears a dot on their forehead – even after traveling all these thousands of miles, still smells mildly of coconut oil and something else – an unmistakable Indian smell. They laugh and heave and sigh until they can finally spot the people they can call their Indians. You know, the trendy ones, who wear branded clothes and have nicely shaped eyebrows and spangled nails, the ones who fit in anywhere and everywhere and can sound and think and feel more European than any European ever can.
I am older now and hopefully a little wiser. I've grown better at standing up for myself and saying no to the things I find distasteful and disturbing, particularly discrimination. I would like to think if a similar situation arose I would say what I felt without holding anything back.
There are people who have the ability to recognize and be thankful for their many privileges and then in turn want to do something to help make things better, make the playing field more equal. So we can all have a chance, to reach our potential, shine and find our spot in the world. People who don't fixate on the external qualities that are easily discernible, but can dig a little deeper to find something more meaningful and of value. That person – is exactly my kind of Indian.
I was en route to Delhi by Delhi-Jaipur National Highway, which was, as always, under construction. The occasional gush of air on my face through the window of that typical Rajasthan Roadways bus was the only sign of respite on an otherwise full-of-hiccups journey.
I cannot suppress my hunger when either I am travelling or taking an exam. Former was the case that time and I was silently requesting the driver to stop at some decent dhaba. Finally, he heard me, perhaps telepathically, and bus came to a halt.
When I came down from the bus, the Dhaba was there in front of me. Passengers were rushing in to get hold of few chairs, which were fortunate enough to get a constant supply of air from a loosely-held fan. Those who cared to wash their hands, such as I, lost these few chairs to those who didn't. I finally settled down in a chair, which was kept outside the dhaba and the sun was directly on me.
"Dahi aur do gobhi-parantha," I ordered. A boy, barely 10 or 12 years old, took my order and repeated it to the kitchen, his soft voice barely getting across.
After a wait of hardly 3 minutes, my order was at my table. The parantha turned out to be a plain one and the curd bowl had dried curd alongside its rim as if somebody had eaten curd in it and the bowl was unwashed since then.
I lost my cool at that moment and called that boy who had taken my order and had served me.
"Kya hai ye bhai," I said in a harsh tone, "why haven't you washed this bowl? Am I supposed to eat this?"
He silently took my plate off the table and walked away. I felt bad that I raised my voice. "I keep advocating that child labor is an atrocity and here I scold a boy," I thought.
He came to the table with another plate. It was literally hard for me to look into his eyes and I feigned as if I have lost my interest in the food that he had just served.
My sympathy for that child manifested in the form of questions that started crossing across my mind.
I asked the dhaba-owner why he had employed such a small boy?
"Where else will he go? Here at least he has a place to stay and work," Dhaba-owner replied indifferently.
"Does he go to school?"
"No."
"Is there one nearby?"
"There is one school at a distance of around 2 kilometers but no transportation. Actually he is enrolled in that school. My daughter takes him there sometimes whenever she doesn't go to her college. But there are only 2 teachers in the school and even they remain absent for most of the days."
"But why are you making him work. It is not the right age," I argued.
"Aap phle padhe likhe babu nhi ho jo yahan aake mujhe gyan de rha ho (You are not the first one who have come to give me a lesson here)", he said continuing, "Life is not as easy as it seems. I don't earn enough. I have two daughters to marry. Both of them are studying. I cannot afford to put him in a relatively better school. I earn around Rs 1000 per day in which i have to give Rs 500 per day to the workers and Rs 200 as a commission to drivers to make them stop at my Dhaba."
"Are you his father?" I asked after a pause.
"No. Actually whenever anyone need a child-help, he goes to bhatha factory (Brick-kiln). Working conditions are pathetic yet you could find many children there. I took Chhotu from one such kiln. I have never asked him about his parents," said the owner.
"But he is not illiterate," Dhaba-owner continued, "My daughters teach him daily. He knows how to calculate, how to write, and read," he said.
People started moving towards the bus. I joined them leaving behind a 12 year old to do his job at the expense of his childhood, at the expense of his dreams.
Chhotu was cleaning the tables of those who had just taken their lunch.
Tourism in Bihar
Bihar was the seat of education in the ancient era .Bihar was the cradle of religions like Buddhism Jainism and Hinduism .They all flourished in Bihar .Years have rolled by and now we are in the 21st century .In modern times the economy of a state is boosted by its tourism industry .Though the tourism industry in Bihar was not very much developed in past decade with the onset of the new governance in Bihar tourism has developed rapidly and there a quite a few places of tourist attraction in Bihar .
Figures say that around 500000 Indian and 70000 foreign tourists visit Bihar every year. Important places of tourist attraction include Nalanda ,Bodh Gaya ,Patna ,Rajgir and Vikramshila .
Starting with Nalanda it was one of the first residential universities in the world. Students from all over the world came to seek knowledge in Nalanda .Its ruins are spread over 14 hectare in Nalanda .It had students from Tibet China Japan ,Persia and Egypt .Around 10000 students lived here and Kulapati (vice chancellor) got grants from kings .At its prime in 600AD it is assumed to have 400 villages under it .Nalanda had a massive strength of 1500 teachers .It had a very accomplished library with various books on many subjects .Its count is said to be around a hundred thousand .It was ransacked by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 A.D ..It is said that Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt the library and it kept on burning for 3 months .Some historians also say that destruction of Nalanda was the reason that Indians lagged behind in field of astronomy ,anatomy ,medicine etc .It can be reached by train from Patna .
Bodh Gaya is the most sacred place in the world for Buddhists .It was here that Buddha gained enlightenment under the Mahabodhi tree .Bodhgaya is visited by thousands of tourists every year as Dalai Lama the Buddhist spiritual head spends some time here every year.
Next come Rajgir old name Rajgriha or the kings abode .Rajgir has the peace Pagoda or the Shanti Stupa built by on a high mountain .It is one the 80 Peace Pagodas in the world .Rajgir also has hot water springs which are said to cure skin ailments .Rajgir is 100 km away from Patna .Trains runs direct from New Delhi to Rajgir .Other places of intrest in Rajgir is the Jarasandha's Akhara were he fought with Bheema and Bheema tore him in two pieces in Mallayudha .
Patna as many would know was the capital of Ashoka .It is the capital of Bihar now and can be reached very easily by train or by air .Agamkuan (the great well ) is a well 120 feet deep and 20feet wide .It is believed that Ashoka threw his 99 brothers in this well for ascension to the throne .Golghar is a large granary and was built by the British in order to store grain for its troops .Built by captain Jhon Garstein it is completely round and has no pillars .There are 145 stairs in it and has a capacity to store 140000 tonnes of grain.
The Sonepur mela is the largest cattle trading market in Asia.People from all over the nation come to buy and sell animals such as elephants ,horses,cows ,rabbits etc .Many people visit it to study how such a huge event is oraganised .
If the resources are channelized in the correct direction I have no doubt that Bihar can prove to be a good tourist destination.
All of you who have grown up to the 90s will connect to this video. An era where we valued the little things in life. This video will take you back to your childhood!
Original video here
After having a terrible stint at IFMR's PI , waiting for 3 odd hours for getting back home and then reaching 4 hours after the scheduled time and getting rejected by MICA though politely, the frustration and disappointment levels are at its peak. The only ray of hope I was clinging too, suddenly has made me enter in a room full of darkness, nervousness where I am completely clueless and hopeless.
Today when I was having my super strong coffee (wanted myself to stuff things with because of the tension growing around), I just walked by the whole day events that took place. Even though after having a bad interview, me and my bestie ate chocolates to our heart's content. We laughed and mocked about being at home for our entire lives and then ordered food to satisfy our taste buds. In between that we watched Veer Zaara , letting our tears rolling down when Veer and Zaara come back to their country and then we enjoyed “The Accidental Husband” wishing them to get back together when we thought movie is going to end and praying for their love. While watching this, a movie scene made me think about what happens in our lives. In the movie, when the girl meets her would be husband for dinner (having the liking for someone else) , the wedding bands have I DO I DO I DO carved on it but she reads as DO I DO I DO I because she has started liking someone else and he is on her mind all the time. This made me think that in the end we see what we really want to see and want to happen in the end, not what someone else wants us to see.
Its all about what we aspire for, we relate everything happening around us to it. What we want to see purely depends upon our positive outlook, what are we longing for etc. Taking my example only, I am disheartened with my results and I don't see any future for myself because I have lost the courage to score or work for it but when I speak to mum, dodo or friends, they try to show me a different side as what can be done apart from sulking. Though I am just seeing that I have no future, I have people around to motivate me or help me with my dilemma. I know the end decision is mine which I'll be making by analyzing all the possible outcomes. Yes, I'll be adamant about my view because that is what I can count for as mine but we need to take our chances too.
Another example of what you see is something your soul wants you to see is, having standing at the station for 3 long hours for the train and then rushing up to acquire a seat, all this made me terribly tired and low. Their was this Muslim family sitting in front of me. They had a daughter of around 14-15 years wearing a burqa. If she had to eat something or drink, she used to slide it under her veil and then relish it. Being 23 something, I never had to experience it and probably never will. I felt bad for her as being so young and not able to enjoy like me, she was living with it. She seemed happy with all this as she has accepted this as part of her life and the way she was addressing her dad ( Abbu aap humme yahan baithne de) the “tehjeeb” and the sweet tone with which she uttered those words made me smile and think If I talk the same way with my dad, probably he will laugh it out loud or go to mum and say (aaj iske khaane mai kia dia tha). This outlook of me not liking the way she is living and she being happy with her life was something that makes me wonder at times. What we don't like around us , people are living with it. If I see a glass as half empty, it might be half full for someone .
Life is all about our perception about it. Though we do get disheartened about our results because we literally start dreaming about it , we literally imagine us living those hostel lives, having a sutta with buddies, or late night chai during presentation or in all just the feel to study MBA, but we have to realize not everyday is our day, not every try is out try. Yes we have lots on stake, our jobs, wedding, family expectations, girlfriends/boyfriends etc and also we expect a lot from ourselves too but we need to sit back at times and let the life take it own course. Give time some time, I know patience levels are super low at this hour, all it takes is one last chance, because while working for this last chance, you are surely going to discover something you are worthy of or will achieve success in what you trying for with all your heart. I am trying to be strong and face all this again, hoping that it will surely end me up between stars or I'll prefer hitting the ground like an asteroid and enjoy that amazing walk of life too.
Waiting for the light at the tunnel's end,
With no crosses and zero bends;
Wishing for everything to be alright,
Keeping myself warm, close and uptight!!