Shock and Awe

Ever got weathered down by too many emotions clogging your mind and overwhelming your senses that you get numb? I am going through such an ironical state of mind, benumbed by a very shocking incident and then its after math and then, points, counterpoints, arguments, counter arguments, allegations and counter allegations…buck has not stopped yet.

Recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the magnitude and form of devastation was too much to bear…but barely the traumatic hours got over that the dark side of democracy raised its ugly hood. Politicians barking unnecessarily, media over-sensationalizing the sensitive matter, attention seeking Page 3 celebrities pouring all over TV screens to grab 2-minute fame on national TV mouthing well-measured and well-rehearsed words to make the lasting impression, activists in khadi kurta/pyjama/saris raising never-ending list of points, intelligence agencies of the nation looking for corners to hide and then, turning their ire towards other agencies for lapse…

Darker still is the side of Secularism, the underdog of Communalism and now Regionalism. It’s refusing to end with Hindu-Muslim differences and the problems. Tons of chain mails are churning on the Internet to spread that Mumbai is suffering the most…Mumbaikars paying the price for giving shelter to Muslims, north Indians citing such examples and explanations that it could cause riots there and then; North Indians (read Biharis and UPiites) retaliating saying none talked about CST killings but talked about 5 star hotel killings only because CST killings were mainly of north Indians. And yes, there’s another angle also, that why so much of coverage to this terrorist attack and why so much if hue and cry over this attack compared to previous attacks…because this time rich and famous got hurt..that’s the only reason, who cares for common masses.

shut up….. Shut Up…..SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

I have yet to grieve over sorry state of affairs, I have yet to mourn the deaths of innocent lives…I have yet to sympathize with the families who lost their loved ones…but where’s the time…We are trapped in the quagmire of so many other things that it belittles everything including standing united against terrorism. We forgot that terror has no religion, that bombs don’t distinguish, that lives are not cheap or expensive. This time not only they took away priceless lives and our spirit but also shook us more from the roots widening the cracking gaps between us. True, sometimes you pay lofty price for lofty ideologies…what democracy, what secularism?

the WORLD is watching...

It was for no reason that all the eyes were on the Presidential elections of the US; the (self-appointed) superpower (even though going through troubled times on economic front) strong enough to send chilling shock waves of its downturn throughout the world. Then, how come the leadership change happening in the midst of turmoil would not create the buzz like never before. The verdict was more or less clear once Hillary (whom I personally wanted to see leading with the hope that it would bring some very embarrassing moments for Bill who ditched his wife…I guess you got the point…it’s the woman in me speaking plaintruth)…paved the way for Obama to take over reins…come on we all knew it, didn’t we? Why is it that anyone remotely related to/affected by his appointment rejoicing his win?

Change, a BIG CHANGE is what everyone wanted this time…from US to Timbuktu, everyone wanted to get rid off the negativity, pessimism, hopelessness that jinxed Bush administration had brought. Right from the war against Afghanistan, to Osama chase, to global economic mess up, to US struggling with dying soldiers, increasing unemployment (and please! For god’ sake let’s not find outsourcing as the scapegoat…we all know that 5 get hired in the salary of 1; so, it’s never 5 going unemployed against 5 who got job in less-privileged countries) and even these less-privileged countries are outsourcing to newly-discovered least-privileged countries). Anyways, let’s not deviate from the topic that what it means to the world to have Obama as the president…my guess is it’s hope, energy, optimism…

I am sure he must still be unpacking his stuff in Whitehouse (not literally, he’s the President of the superpower, remember) but the world’s eyes are already upon him as a savior who will undo all wrongdoings of Bush administration. Even US-obsessed India struggling with all time high inflation, worst-ever performance of stock market and fear of layoffs looming large over the private industry has caught up with Obama fever big time with PM elections around the corner…hoping that someone like Obama to be its savior. Would someone ask the hopefuls that what Obama has done till now to make them feel he’s a superhero? Don’t get me wrong, I am among millions, nay, billions, nay trillions of hopefuls who are waiting some miracle to happen but I still can’t help but notice that fact most of us are still (secretly) celebrating the win of previously-oppressed class…India feels it has some blood relation with Obama (I mean the feeling of this bonding coming so naturally to us as if Obama is our bandhu and would change Indo-US relations forever) and this is the BASIC reason of rejoice. This is the turning point. CHANGE…we all want to breakaway from what all wrong has happened during Bush regime…(it has affected the whole world directly/indirectly). I really wonder how this guy (Bush) will survive with so much hatred against him…Anyways…hopes are hopes and then there is reality. Hope this change proves to be the REAL change…hope are, as I said, hopes and then there is reality…Keeping my fingers crossed.

Social Animals: That's Us

Others might be having several reasons, some obvious and some not so obvious, to glue to TV sets for watching Bigg Boss. I developed interest in this show for 2 reasons. To begin with, there was nothing worth watching other than the same old dance reality shows or soap operas, which I avoid like a plague. But once I started watching it, I never failed to miss even a single episode (except our vacation where our policy is not watch to TV at all..don’t we, after all, go on vacation to clear up clutters in our lives, minds…). Second reason is difficult to admit because I never ever liked Shilpa Shetty but her stint with UK Big Boss gave this show a new lease of life and popularity.

So what it is that keeps me hooked? Is it celebrities? Oh! Please, give me a break…they are “NO” celebrities…they are neither nobodies nor celebrities…they are just “somebodies”, about whom we don’t bother to think. And if, frankly speaking, they were not kept in such unique conditions of being away from everyone in a camera-infested house with no life-supporting system such as TV, music, books, mobile, watch, we would not have given them a second glance.

So, is it watching personal lives of people…like what duo doing or not doing under the cover? Or is it squats or cuss words? Nah! Has anyone thought of it as a good case study of behavioral/social science? Perhaps yes or no. In fact, this is the very FOUNDATION of this show. Imagine yourself living among complete strangers where you can’t do anything (reading, watching, sleeping during the day…) but are forced to socialize with others. Forced because all life supporting systems have been snatched away and you are left with nothing to do…what will you do whole day??? What???

So, here begins the game. Keep a prize money and the tag of a winner…and empower insiders to throw out the person of their disliking and also, add the fact that they need to be TRP grabber. Voila! It’s a catch 22 situation now.

Socialize they must and manipulate behavior, situations and what not? So, you have an assortment of different behaviors, some loud, some shrewd, some confused, some quiet. To me, there’s nothing called "neutral"..it’s more of a choice that you want to exhibit yourself as neutral though you know very well which groups exist and choose not show your approval/denial for any of them. Groups are also bound to happen even if one does not chose to. So, if a group is formed comprising few members, it naturally forces the remaining members to stand against it. So counteracting force is formed, which may comprise all the remaining memebers or only some of them. There are bound to have people who would not like to get associated with any of groups…but this strategy also fails in longer run. Once the initial euphoria of settling scores with each other dies down and the groups start looking for strategizing little more, these people come under scanner…and they pay for that..being “neutral’. And then, they train their guns against those whom they consider potential threat whether internal or external because after all only one has to win, so the group that served their purpose also has to go away…So, this happens with realiginig of people in groups or dismantling of groups or division of groups in more smaller chunks…hmm, interesting and intriguing…and if twists and turns are given such as letting a person be out of the game for a while in a way so that he can see what all others are doing, thinking and saying without letting others know about it; and then sending him back to that house now…this makes the game all the more interesting…so you see, there’s more to this program than what usually meets the eye. This is my reason..what’s yours’?

Strawberries never tasted so good…

Standing beneath an enormous chandelier around a huge round table surrounded by near and dear ones joining in the chorus of “Happy Birthday To You” while a little princess in a beautiful Victorian-style, maroon gown and a crystal-studded crown cuts the cake with help from mamma and papa around…this is how I envisaged celebrating my baby’s very first birthday…

There are plans and then there’s destiny...my husband’s involvement in a crucial project did not allow us getting a long vacation and we had to cancel our plans to celebrate the occasion with everyone back in Delhi. Sudden change in plans in the eleventh hour left little scope for everyone to arrange travel plans to Mumbai. Disappointed I was to the core and my face could not lie signaling to my spouse the pangs of my anger and frustration. A quick damage control exercise was carried out with his announcement, “Pack your bags, we will go somewhere”.

Gloom withered away to an extent but traces of skepticism loomed large. After all, neighbor hill stations of Mumbai are notorious for being as overcrowded as the city itself. We settled for Panchgani and Mahabaleswar, thinking we never explored it before and journey through the most scenic Pune express highway would be a bonus.

Brows little relaxed as the car hit the highway and the weather turned cloudy, the mood turned little upbeat as we passed through several tunnels and the clouds engulfed the windscreen. All worries, complaints melted away when we touched the boundaries of Panchgani. oh! What a wonderful sight of Sahyadri range of hills kissed by clouds, oozing numerous waterfalls running down the zig zag fields (it rained incessantly throughout our stay). Only thing missing was our woolens, though arrangements were in place for our little princess; we never thought we would need to wrap ourselves in sweaters and scarves just 5 hours journey away.

Surprise package from the resort we checked in in terms of discounts for at least 2 week days (barring weekend) and the complimentary spa treatments they showered on us healed our travel woes (if any). A walk in the nearby strawberry farms (it was claimed that it’s done only in that place in India at such a large scale because of suitable climate conditions) took my breath away. Do I need to count then how many scoops and scoops of strawberries with cream we all gulped? Strawberries were here, there, everywhere…syrups, squash, ice creams, desserts…the list was endless. The place is full of “points” to stop by, enjoy scenery, snacks and tea and unwind yourself and we did precisely that…explored unheard and unseen of destinations there.

The big day came and the princess was showered with gifts – our prayers, toys, dresses, jewelry and of course, of our lots and lots of love J. The day began with a must visit to temple of lord Ganesha – we consider her to be his blessing followed by a sumptuous breakfast…a little rest, playing games by the pool side, video shoot followed by a late hearty meal. Now was the time to look after some arrangements and preparations…talks with hotel staff. Few discussions later a small nap and a massage therapy rejuvenated us for evening celebrations. I supervised all decorations and decked the area myself. Balloons, color strips, teddy bears, birthday caps, roses, and birthday cake in centre…princess made a grand entry in her maroon, Victorian dress and a crystal studded crown. She was beaming with joy and spreading the fragrance of her innocence all around. People around and the hotel staff joined in the chorus “Happy Birthday To You”, claps and whistles…Navya could make out it’s her very very special day…we headed towards discotheque where DJ welcomed us to the disc floor with “Birthday song” and then belting out popular chartbusters beginning with Pappy can’t dance… (Navya’s fav song). It was time to have a cosy candle light dinner now– just mummy, papa and their princess, so quiet and serene, so heavenly. As usual Navya was spoilt for choices (chef cooked everything possible for a just a year old special guest) and we dug into other delicacies.

Princess tuned one…she was now sleeping beautifully wrapped in a quilt as the clock struck 12 at night.

Sitting next to window wrapped in my shawl, holding a steaming cup of freshly-brewed coffee I looked tenderly at father and the little princess sleeping blissfully…I turned my head and looked out of the window and watched heavy rains drenching every corner of manicured and pedicured lawn below surrounded by the hills all the side…rarely visible due to dark clouds…

I was thanking God for making his own arrangements and not letting us stick to our original plan…so unique, far from madding crowd, a walk in the clouds through strawberry farms…true, strawberries never tasted so good...

Yeh hai Mumbai Meri Jaan

Even before I could blink, two years have gone. Two years of my being in this city, which I always liked but never dreamt of living in; which I knew but never imagined it would engulf me one day; which I explored but never believed I would map its local markets for groceries; where trains are the lifeline of the city but never thought I would travel in them one day.

Lots of resistance to leave a comfortable, cushy life in Delhi in a newly-bought home, little skepticism about a new life, a thought of bit adventure to live in a new city, a dash of hope to get a better life with better career prospects…an amalgamation of all this and more was what with I met the announcement of our shifting base to Mumbai.

So, what’s the progress report of these two years' stay here? I would borrow few words of my colleague, “This city sucks you in its system, its madness…even before you know, and you are part of it.” I am enlisting 10 sure symptoms, which tells me that there’s a Mumbaikar in me now:

1. The sight of “yet another construction” round the year, on every inch of the space-starved city does not ring the phrase “concrete jungle” in my mind.
2. Barricaded houses with grills here, there, everywhere and no balconies, no parks don’t yield more complaints from me.
3. I look forward to rains even if it means dealing with tension of drying up clothes, keeping floors clean, living with a damp smell, getting drenched even when on a small outing, and not seeing sun for days altogether.
4. Vada pav becoming staple food and missing it if few days pass without having it. Idli, Dosa, Sambhar, Shira, Poha, Ghakhda, Chakli, Chikkis are now part of our routine diet and we cook/store them.
5. Becoming more patient and respecting queues and waiting for my turn, be it in a doctor’s clinic, grocery store or bhaji market.
6. Outing, stroll, time pass…all this means hitting nearby malls turnwise.
7. I can’t imagine travel long distances without trains (no matter how much I dislike traveling in it)
8. I sit in the auto first and then tell my destination, and pay strictly by meter reading.
9. Usual masala now means green chilies, coriander, ginger, lemon AND Curry Leaves. Curry Leaves dominate most of the dishes now.
10. It does not surprise me to find a working couple earning more than lakhs per month stay in 1BHK with family (including parents, kids) without a car and rent out it’s 2 BHK house for extra income (our landlord is one of them).
11. I wait for Ganapati Mahotsav (but this is old one, even before settling in this city).
    
    The list will swell with time…depends how long we stay here…

Mumbai to Shanghai/Oops! We did it again…

My article got published in Hindustan Times - Mumbai Edition (page 4) on July 24 with a different heading.
Now I know why Olympics fail to infuse that excitement in me and many alike because we know that India is not participating in most of the games and if it does, at the risk of sounding pessimistic, it would struggle to attain top slot. And even if it does, I am afraid, it might be followed by some dope controversy to malign the charm and pride. And even if it does come out clean, the victory will be rejoiced for a moment with media undergoing over frenzy to cover every detail of the person and then send him/her to oblivion forever once the euphoria dies down.
While the countdown had long begun for other countries where they had been sweating it out day and night to sway away most of the top medals, India is, unfortunately sleeping away to glory. And some bit talent worthy of grooming would find itself trapped in the quagmire of politicians, lack of interest and funds. And let’ forget cricket for a moment please (it’s not part of Olympics).

India knows how not to promote sports and players and how to nip the talent in the bud. Now we can’t even use our age-old excuses such as money on sports is spent by some big nations with deep pockets. We are one of the fastest growing economies in the world and leaving our mark on the world map. Think of China, our closest competitor in Asia. Comparison never ceases to end between us -- be it our economies or our population. Come to think of it, China is also an Asian nation, the most populous country in the world and emerging powerful economies; yet when it comes to sports, we turn a blind eye to everything. Ever since it has been selected the venue for Olympics 2008, every Chinese took proud in the fact that it would be the host and has made all possible efforts, applied all possible sport techniques to be the main winning country as well.

Everyone right from a taxi driver to the staff from hospitality industry is doing its bit to be the best host known ever. A country, where the most spoken language of the world – English gets step motherly treatment has made it a mission not to let language be a barrier in communication and not let down its guest., It’s passion, Passion and PASSION…to make it happen, to do it, to show to the world is what an average Chinese is engulfed with. Braving the natural calamity, criticism, skepticism, China has emerged as a winner and now, is on the verge of taking over the world.

And the media is also not far away from having its share of flake. To the presspersons, Olympics means torch relay and who all participating in the event. More the people from Indian Film industry, better chances of its getting wider coverage. It’s more important to know if Aamir Khan is participating in the torch relay (due to Tibet-China issue) than to know who from the sports fraternity joining in. A leading lady as a torch bearer picture makes a better picture (read sells more) than a sportsperson doing the same.

But an optimist as I am, waiting for the day when Mumbai will become Shanghai and India will not only host Olympics but also dominate it as a winner.

(Civic) Sense and Sensibility

Was it that your national pride got wounded or was it that you hid you faces in shame when few weeks back a UK politician had questioned our civic sense? Poor lady! Her comments were immediately painted “racist” and she had to apologize for showing such disrespect and reprimanded for making unmindful comment. If you ask for my answer first, I felt both but it was the main issue that I could not afford to overlook (sadly unlike others). Frank confession...she was not entirely wrong in her allegations.

This is one habit that binds us all. To us, the whole world is a dumping ground. Yes, anything outside the periphery of our house becomes garbage bin. And before you point fingers, think of the earbud or a small wrapper or any tiny bit you threw outside of your window without blinking twice. There you go…it comes too natural to us.

Let’s step outside. No matter which rank of restaurant I visit, I tend to avoid a visit to loo (and I mean actually using loo and not just reflecting on the mirror). Don’t you get the same creepy feeling? After all we all know that right from local Mc Donald’s to a good restaurant in suburbs, loos’ condition is same everywhere. It’s used as if no one else is going to use it ever after. Don’t be aghast to find footprints on toilet seat, watery floor and unclean wash basin. And why only restaurants, we have not spared flights’ loos as well. Using loos in trains, malls, even office space…for that matter any public place is a daunting task.

When you drive in your car the road turns into a dustbin. And be it anyone, from a Maruti 800 to a Merc owner, we take “throw-out-of-window” too literally. And then those “painting-the-town-red” babus, albeit with pan stains…they don’t differentiate…anything from commercial building stairs to residential building space will do. In fact, right outside in the corridor area, I can see pan stains contributed to the beautification of our apartment by our milk supplier (who sheepishly confessed to his “habit” when I confronted). And of course, how I can forget all those dog(pet) lovers out there, this whole world outside their house is a toilet seat of their pets. As long as their pet is not relieving within the four walls of their territory, that’s fine.

List can go on and we don’t have to look around for the proof. It’s not about you or me…it’s about us. I have no right to point fingers as I lack the civic sense myself. But, it has to start somewhere, sometime, somehow…nay! right now, right away…

Retail therapy-Bizarre affair

Today I will take you down the memory lane, away from the current mall mania and visit the streets of local bazaar frequented by your parents and you holding there hands looking around to catch a glimpse of goodies, meant for you or not meant for you. The very aura of different stuff hanging out of the shops along with the prospects of getting to savor the taste buds tantalizing chatpati chat karari and mouthful of golgappas/paani puri would lure you to accompany your mom/aunt. You would not be so materialistic to pay heed to the thought whether the shopping bags would eventually contain anything for you not. You would just be too exhilarated to experience the “experience” called “shopping” (sometimes, you too would get some little knick knacks by crying hoarse or throwing tantrums in the middle of the road…or may be not...)Once inside the shop, under the luxury of fans, you would be lost in the charm of eclectic mix of color, patterns and styles. Now, you must be sensing something bizarre about the whole bazaar affair I am penning. Ironically, if there was some thing that I disliked in the whole affair then it was the shopping experience itself of those days. Believe it or not the whole game of purchasing was driven not by the shopper but the shopkeeper – former being merely a puppet in the hands of the latter.After customary namaste and your telling what you want comes a question which any customer would take want to avoid but have to face nevertheless, what’s your budget. While old timers would defend it as a harmless request to process your need, I would term it as a forced ‘economic’ ranking of the customer. Next would follow the process of shopkeeper staking the range in front of you, out of which you would get to see one piece and the packets of the same in different colors would be displayed along side (meant to be opened only if you show some interest in the related piece or if the shopkeeper does not have too many customers to entertain). Meanwhile, you would endure his remarks / comments giving highlights of the range. And god forbid, if the stuff fails to impress you, you would be in dilemma how to confess nothing appealed to you and you want to run away. The shopkeepers would play with the customer’s guilt with great élan and emphasize how many pieces have already been shown to you for how long. Someone would have easily picked and liked something from best-of-the-class products he’s offering. Many a times money and products changed hands with lots of persuasion, pestering from the shopkeeper, which eventually did not go very well us…(and who the hell had room to spare for trials rooms).I loathed that kind of shopping and when I outgrew the childish rage, I stopped accompanying others. I have yet to meet someone who did not shop from Sarojini Nagar Exports market or Fashion street during high school/college days. Easy on pocket, with plenty of trails rooms, chic and happening. You outgrow them to simply because your literally become un”fit” for them ;). It became my safe haven at that time.Thank God for some mega mercies, mall culture has really caught up. And I have found refuge in retail therapy to outdo little trace of boredom that seeps in due to day-to-day routine. It’s such a comfort zone…I can enter and start sifting through material on my own, spend as many hours as I want under the comfort of AC, get assistance from customer care executives to fetch me outfits of my choice of color and size, go in and out of the trial room hundred times and if, by any chance, I don’t like what’s on their platter, I can come out of the showroom without carrying any guilt baggage… it means FREEDOM to me. So, what if it comes with little cost (within reasonable range…). I don’t mind. Do you?

do YOU have IT in YOU?

Let’s play a game. I will ask you few questions and you need to answer them. No, not to me. But to yourself, your very own self. And be honest; else, the whole fun would be lost.Alright, here it comes your way:
What were your marks in seventh standard?
How much did you score in Mathematics in ninth standard during unit tests?
What grade you had got from your kindergarten teachers?
What did your class teacher say about you during your parents-teacher association meeting in class VIII?
Do you dream sometimes that you are about to appear for an examination and your are anxious because you are not prepared for it OR you find yourself in examination hall and it dawns upon you that you don’t know most of the questions OR you find that you have prepared for some other subject whereas you see in your datesheet some other subject OR something similar on these lines. AND THEN, whenever you wake up (immediately or after) you thank your stars that the ordeal has long been over and you have passed all those examinations, all those years, all those semesters, all those PTAs…
Do you mutter to yourself that how smarter are kids of today while watching “Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?” because you don’t seem to have a clue of all that’s being asked to the parents and wonder when did you study this in school? Certainly not in fifth standard.
Are you still searching for a reply for the first four questions? Are the last two questions applicable to you? VOILA! It confirms your worst fears what I am coming to…
Imagine how much the kids of today are crumbling under the pressure from parents, teachers, society in general. What a human right violation it is to constantly nag kids to mug up everything and turn them into virtually a moving wikipedia so that the moment we ask something, they process all the possible information and present it to us with all possible related links.Add to that the torture of constantly subjecting them to “motivating” comparison “Look at our neighbor’s Chimpu, I always see the light of his study room on till late at night. Don’t be a fool. Learn something from him”. OR “Do you know Pinky got three A ratings in this unit test. Genius always go an extra mile.” OR “Not only Rahul gets full marks but wins interschool tennis championship too. Why don’t you do something?"Then top it up with the expectations to do multitasking: go for swimming early morning, go to school, do homework, attend tuitions, join evening classes for dance and singing, there’s a painting class 3-days a week too, and weekends are just for fun – yeah right! weekend means additional multimedia lessons plus foreign language classes. And yes, please squeeze in some time for play outside and TV viewing too. (Did anyone complain how much they watch Television?)
“Phew!!! Thank goodness. I am not born in these days.” Did I hear you saying that???

Socially yours!!!

When the whole world is buzzing with the phenomenon of social networking, it seems irrelevant to look into its pros and cons. Nevertheless, some cynics like me would still like to analyze why it’s such a big hit. Why would someone like you and me go to the social networking sites at all when we keep crying foul about no time in life. If you still find out time to do something in spite of not having time then it only means that you are consumed with the passion of doing it…whether you like it or not. So, coming back to the point. Why do people like to tread unknown territory of unknown identities (okay some of them are known too) acquiring unknown identities? Why would not you connect with your people at home and around in real time rather than spending time in front of the screen, networking away to glory with friends/acquaintances? Why would you want to find out who shares your passion, hobbies, name, and anniversaries out there?Other than the usual reasons of catching up with the people we have lost touch with or finding our contacts all over again, the other obvious reason could be to unleash our different self and drive its personality the way we want. When you network within in your social circle, people have your perception based on your looks, clothes, mannerism, presentability, thoughts, walk, talk…here’s this medium so liberating. You drive the perceptions of people the way you want. You can even assume an unknown identity and give vent to your innermost feelings/thoughts without letting anyone know who you are. Here’s your chance to become black and white and unburden yourself.Some others do it as they are bored of their lives or the people in their lives. They want to spice it up interacting with people they don’t know without carrying the emotional and formal social baggage. People who might interest them as they match their criteria of personalities they would want to be surrounded with. Such people which they don’t find in their natural social circuit. It gives you the freedom to create your own network of people you chose and not someone whom you have got by default just because they are neighbors, friends, colleagues, relatives.Take it this way or that way, “liberation” is the key to the popularity of such sites. What’s your reason?

Macho Ado About Nothing

Just a few days back I saw a man on a promenade with a little baby on a pram. What was unusual about the sight that he was the only man in the jogger’s park devoting time to his little baby while rest of the babies in their respective prams had their dear mummies accompanying them. An average Indian mind would have dismissed it as a one off case pitying that either that baby’s mom is lost or he’s a divorcee. Since I belong to the majority of average Indians, I would have done the same had I not know the person in the case. Interestingly, the baby’s mama is very much alive and dots on her daughter and very much stays together with her husband and was very much home to take the baby out. Fortunately for her, the husband does not think that he’s shedding his macho image by talking baby out for a stroll when the rest of the fathers are home having a chilled beer with some snacks and glued to TV sets to watch how Daredevils beat Royal Challengers on their home turf. (If you are still interested why the mom did not make it to the stroll, then it was time for mommy to hit the gym to knock off some puppy fat; the husband volunteered cheerfully as he would get some difficult-to-get great moments with the baby…I know some cynics would still say, see given a chance he would still not go…no problem, there are people who miss the real point and go on a complete tangent). Anyways…How does it matter if the city life boasts of women having thriving careers with equal opportunities coming their way, when it comes to running the home show, men do shy away from most of the responsibilities. Ain’t it? How many men think that this is sooooooooo womanish to stroll with a baby in a pram in the park…Alright, for those of you who think that life changes after babies, then let’s keep babies out of the picture. Now tell me how many men think that cutting vegetables in the kitchen and cooking a meal is like taking over women’s work?...How many men out there would wake up early morning to prepare breakfast for both of them, pack it for themselves as well as their wives? See I have not even gone in depth to prepare a whole list and just very very few basic questions would provide answers. These are also the men who would criticize and poke fun at men who would babysit and indulge in nappychanging. To them I would say, it takes brave hearts to set a wind of change, it takes strong will power to defy social norms…to the trendsetters I would say, go on be a maverick and exhibit what is right and what is wrong…

Is Family Your Hobby?

That the corporate life has dented working couple’s married life is not a new fact. True that couples are increasingly turning into weekend couples, thanks to grilling schedules, timelines, work pressures but if there’s one discovery I have made off late then, then it seems quite interesting that when people at any level of corporate ladder are asked, what are their hobbies, “Family” /”spending time with family” is one of the most common and widely used hobby, and mind you it comes under “hobby” funnily enough. May be not so funny. Hobby as we all understand is something we do in our spare time and in generally reflects our liking for that activity and “family” falls under that category.Those of you out there, who have a corporate networking site in your organizations, do a search through people’s profiles and more often you will find my speaking plain truth. Look around for example and you will find that weekends and holidays are meant for families alone. Hit any mall nearby, go to food joints or next door hill station for a quick getaway during holidays, you will find that the places that bear deserted look during week days have are abuzz with families. In fact, sometimes I wonder that all these places are making business only on weekends; else, what’s the footfall during the week? Why anyone else, just take a look at yourself. What do you tend to do during your off day? On an average off day, you would find your self spending with your family. So what’s the whole hullabaloo all about?May be what has got affected is not “family” but “socializing”. Gone are the days when your relatives would drop by over lunch or dinner or may be you would pay them a visit. When time is luxury, whos’ got the time for others. If there’s some time, then it’s time for pursuing your “hobby”. Interestingly, our hobby is our family. Some food for thought?

No pain, No gain

No pain no gain. If there’s one thing in this world which is easy to gain without pain, it’s WEIGHT. Weight has become a very weighty issue now. So much has the “Size zero” renaissance engulfed anyone and everyone that their whole life has centered on this key obsession. Forget usual pleasantries, nowadays when two people meet (and not only restricted to ladies), the first thing they say to each other (with occasional glance towards tummies) is, “You have put on weight” (happily)/ “You have lost weight” (with glum). Someone loses sleep with jealousy when someone else loses few kilos and someone rejoices when someone else adds few pounds. And though our inspiration comes from someone on the celluloid (yes, we all have our silver screen idols dangling the carrot of achieving their hour-glass figure), in real life we have our yardsticks to measure our success/failure. No! it’s not humble weighing machine but someone you believe is your competitor (don’t lie, you do). For Verma auntyji, it’s next-door Sharma auntyji, for officewale Aiyer sir it's his colleague Nair sir, for shopwale Mukherjee babu it's bandhu Banerjee babu, for teenager Sania it's college heartthrob Tanya, for manager Sameer it's peer Veer and the list goes on…We feel fat or slim depending up on our yardstick..if she/he appears slim, we spend our days in gloom as if we are losing the battle of life. If we appear underweight, we feel like celebrating the day as if there’s no tomorrow (and somewhere get pseudo feeling that we are somewhat near attaining our idol’s to-die-for figure). And none is leaving any stone unturned lest something does miracle some day. From nimbu pani with a dash of honey early morning to daily rounds of joggers’ park, from weight trainings to yoga asanas, from using staircase and avoiding lifts to drinking sugar -free chai to avoid extra meetha, we all have some efforts on from our side. So, is it working for anyone of you???

Hello everyone,

Here's my new attempt in the world of blogging. Why Olive Branch? Because it symbolizes peace or goodwill. Legend has it that olive trees take a very long time to bear fruit making it impossible to cultivate them in time of war. Another interesting peace of information is, a white dove carrying an olive branch is a sign of peace. And finally, it has universal appeal, something which I was craving for in my ID. Hmmm....now I feel satisfied with the Internet identity I created for myself. More to it later; till then, enjoy blogging.