(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.