JAIPUR BOMB BLASTS

One more tragedy (Jaipur Bomb Blasts).

One more death toll.

Who do we blame?

What do we do?

I am sure every Indian has these questions in their mind right now. I do too. And this helplessness is killing me. I keep asking myself, What is it that I can do to stop all this? What is it that I can do as a citizen of this country?

I have only one solution. Every true Indian has to get vigilant. Not for his entire colony, not for the entire market place, not for 100 people around him but only for himself. Himself and the people around his immediate vicinity.

If there is a suitcase, a bicycle, a bag, a doll, a bike, a car or anything that is unaccountable, he has to raise a question. And the people around him can join in. In this way, slowly but surely, this will become a way of life for everyone. This will then create a vigilant society on the whole. Questioning done by the people of this country on what is not right or unnatural or out of place will create a sense of fear in our enemies.

This might sound far fetched, but in reality it isn't. We need to start today. We need to do it now. We need to be vigilant from right this moment..

Lets do it. Lets tell our enemies that we as Indians do not fear them. We will face them and defuse all their attempts to terrorize us. We will not be killed....

My Countrymen...Lets wake up! Lets fight!!

AN ARTICLE I READ SOMEWHERE

Salt, Pepper and the Spices of Life

You're sitting at a table, having a meal with some friends.
Bowls of soup are served to everyone at the table. Before
tasting the soup, the person next to you reaches for the salt
and pepper, and for the next 20 seconds vigorously shakes into
the soup more salt and pepper than you would use in a month.

You have a pained look on your face. These thoughts
immediately go through your mind: "Why would you put salt and
pepper in soup, or on any dish, BEFORE you taste it? How do
you know how much to add?" You might also think, "How can
someone put so much salt and pepper in their food?"

Of course, the roles could be reversed. You might be the one
who loves to put a lot of salt and pepper on your food and the
person next to you eats the soup without adding salt or
pepper. In that case, you think, "How can she eat this bland
soup without putting any seasoning in it?"

When it comes to salt, pepper, onions, garlic, curry or just
about any type of seasoning, we tend to see things only one
way - OUR way. It's hard for us to understand how someone
could enjoy food when it is not seasoned as we think is
appropriate. We cringe when we see someone "overdoing" or
"under-doing" the spices.

How we season our food is a matter of preference and personal
taste. There is no right or wrong way to use seasonings.
Furthermore, the way in which another applies salt and pepper
does not affect us in any way. They're not putting the salt
and pepper in YOUR soup. They are putting the spices in their
own soup.

Our world is so diverse, and yet it is difficult for us to
accept each other's preferences. Often, when we see people
doing things we wouldn't do, our mind says:

Why aren't they thinking as I think?

Why aren't they acting as I would act?

Your mind would often have you believe that your way is
superior. Your beliefs and habits are shaped by your genetics
and your environment. Each person has different genetics and
has grown up in an environment that is different than yours.
Why expect everyone to come to the same conclusion?

Our spiritual growth comes when we learn to accept that others
have different preferences, and we honor those preferences.
There is no universal religion that everyone will agree to
practice. There is no universal political viewpoint that all
will accept. There is no one way of raising children that all
cultures will agree upon. Marriage customs will vary from
culture to culture.

Getting people to agree on these issues is like trying to get
everyone to use the same amount of salt and pepper on their
food. It's not going to happen.

The diversity in this world is beautiful and we can open our
hearts to it. Within our own country and in our relations and

with people in other countries. We need to continually remind
ourselves that it's perfectly acceptable for people to have
preferences. Why can't we just smile and accept their preferences

and get on with life?

The next time you're tempted to judge or criticise the way
other people think or act, realize that in most cases, they're
just using a different amount of salt or pepper than you would
use. Allow them to have their preferences, and there is no
need to even consider what YOU would do.

Remain Blessed!

ASSUMPTION

Assumption, the most widespread virus that grips humanity. And here are some examples I give to prove my point..

1. Interviewee - He assumes he is not worth it. He feels dejected.

2. Interviewer rejects interviewee - He assumes we are not fit for the job just because we are nervous.

3. A friend does not pay attention - We assume she does not care anymore whereas she just might be deep in thought about something which cannot be talked about.

4. D.I.L about M.I.L or vice-versa - They both assume they will not get along with each other simply because that has become a norm in the society.

5. Husband and wife - Assumptions all through. Lack of communication and non-acceptance of who they are.

6. Father and Son - Ego, adolescence, no expression of love and thus assumptions that distance them from each other, towards no point of return.

7. An unappreciative boss - We assume he lacks compassion. In reality, he might himself be enduring a cruel boss.

I can go on and on but my list is illimitable.

Let us cease to be victims of assumption and realise that we are merely victims of our circumstances.

Let us start considering things from others perspective and understand their beliefs and their fears which make them what they are.

There is a film called 'Freaky Friday', where a mother and teenage daughter exchange bodies. It's a hilarious comedy where they both get to experience what it's like to be the other person and be in their situation.

We really do not need the power to exchange bodies. We as human beings already have been granted with immense potential to understand others viewpoints. All we need to do is put in the effort.

Think about it... its worth it..

An overwhelming feeling - A beautuful film

As I wipe my tears after watching the film 'Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara', I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt sweeping over me. It is true that movies move me to tears, especially movies like MGKNM, Munnabhai MBBS and the likes, but being emotional about issues such as Gandhi Ji's idealism and trying to live like him, are two different things. This is what these movies speak about. To live a true life. To live a life of brotherhood. It is a bitter fact that in the kind of world we live in, we will get killed, if we dare to live on the ideals that Gandhi ji gave us. And this might just simply mean that we cannot afford to live a truthful life.

We just cannot dare to live a truthful life...

In all modesty, I do try to speak the truth and do what I feel should be done, even if it means making the whole world my enemy. Believe me, it is not all that difficult. We are just afraid. Afraid that we might be left alone if we follow truthfulness. Because, like it or not, we all have become compulsive liars. From little things and little issues to bigger things and bigger issues.

I have a friend who lies to his wife about his whereabouts. Why? Even he does not know. He just lies. He could just say the truth if he wants to, but he does not. He has become a habitual liar. He feels there is no harm in it. He says he avoids confrontation from his wife. He says he just wants peace, and he gets it by lying. Peace by lying....

We reach late some place. And when we reach there, we lie. We say there was a traffic jam. In reality, we might just have got delayed due to waking up late. But we lie. And we do that because if we admit that we woke up late, it might not be taken in good sense. And so, to avoid any unpleasantness, and to achieve what we have set out to achieve, we lie. Pleasant achievements by lying....

The other day, my son broke his toy. I heard the noise. I was in the kitchen. I asked him what happened. He said nothing happened. I just ignored it and continued to do my work. Later on, during the day, while I was cleaning up, I found the broken toy. My son had lied to me. In a way, I was responsible. He was scared that I would scold him. I actually forced him to lie, and here begins another human beings journey of lying. Here is where it all starts.

It starts from the receiver. Whether it be a mother, a wife, the boss or just a friend. We lie because we are scared of confrontation from our recievers. We are scared of the consequences of telling the truth. If my son would not have been scared of me and knew that his mother would not confront him, he would perhaps have told me the truth. But I, as his mother, made him believe that he would be scolded for what he did, maybe unintentionally, and so, to avoid that, he lied to me. What wrong did he do? Nothing... Because, in reality, I made him lie. And I did that because I myself did not have the capacity to handle the truth, if my son had told it to me. I would have scolded him for what he did, without thinking twice about how it would have happened and that the broken toy cannot be mended again, by scolding him or confronting him. If I, as a mother had handled the situation with a calm and a patient mind, my son would not have been scared of me. My son would not have learnt how to lie.

Its the same with the wife or the boss or the friend for that matter. Right from childhood, we are dealt with by our parents, in the way, we all one day ourselves become. And the cycle of lying goes on.

Gandhi Ji talked about truthfulness. He talked about Ahinsa. We do remember him on his birthday or his death anniversary. But in our daily lives, we forget the basics of living. Its not practicing these ideals as mere ideals, but living these ideals as our natural way of life. It is just simply living a truthful life.

God does not make us liars. When we are born, we are born pure and undiluted. But as we grow up, we learn. Unfortunately, all the lessons we learn are wrong. We talk about living in a civilized society. But has civilization really done us any good? Were we not better living in the jungles as junglees? At least we were closer to how God had sent us...

...Undiluted. Pure. Truthful..

Ek aur Sher

Samundare zindagee ke thapede bhi ajeebo gareeb hain,
dil doobta jaata hai in uthti girti lehron main ;
Par hausle aur buland hote jaate hain,
aur manzil dikhti kareeb hai..

Hyderabadi Biryani

Just what is it that makes Hyderabadi Biryani so special. The cinnamon and cardamom, the saffron, the aniseed flower or the painstaking manner in which it is cooked, the taste of all these masalas blending with each other and the meat, to emerge into an outstanding dish.

I live in Kerala and was dying to eat authentic biryani. A friend had spoken about this outlet the other day and said ' you get amazing biryani there'. I thought let me try that place and ordered for a biryani from there. After a long wait, the door bell rang. By this time, I was famished. I just wanted to hog it all. I opened the packet in anticipation.

'Hmm'.. I thought to myself. 'This looks good'

I put a spoonful of that delectable biryani into my mouth.

'Uggh'...I blurted.

This was the most horrible biryani I had ever tasted. You cant even call it biryani. It was rice and curry mixed together and keralites simply believed that it is biryani.

Thats when I decided, I shall never ever order for biryani again, at least never ever in Kerala.

I come from Hyderabad and know what exactly a biryani should taste like. The masalas and the way it is made is an experience in itself and then when you taste it, well, you just feel like you have come to heaven. For food lovers, and especially for biryani lovers, Hyderabad is the place to be in.

To put it in short, the taste of an authentic Hyderabadi biryani, is the amalgamation of two souls, body and mind, that they completely blend with each other to form a single being.

Sigh...biryani !!

Sher

Kudrat ko mano, waqt se daro
in dono se bada aur koi khuda nahin;
Imaan ko mano, bekhudi se daro
insaaniat se bada aur koi khuda nahin.

Imbalance...and How?

Just a day before, after a long time, I went to a website named www.naukri.com. Well, I know its not new. Every one of us, one day or the other, visits one of these websites. For obvious reasons.

Of course, there is nothing outstanding about visiting a job website. You must be thinking why this crazy woman is even mentioning it here. What is there to write about it? Everyone visits these websites. Everyone wants a 'job' or a 'better job'. Whats new?

Well, my friends, I just have to write about it because I noticed something funny. I am sure many of you must have too. Well, so what. I am writing about it and I choose to cause it concerns me, hundreds of unemployed people and hundreds of companies who want to hire people.

You may now be wondering what this lady has noticed that its so worth writing about. Alright, alright...please don't come to kill me. What I noticed was a strange irony that there are hundreds of unemployed people in our country, and, on the other hand, there are hundreds of companies who want to recruit people. Well, if there are people waiting to be hired and if there are company's waiting to hire, I wonder why there is such a big gap? I wonder how we can address this situation? In my opinion, we as a nation, have to become more open. The unemployed more open to addressing their inner strengths and then seek employment according to their strengths and the companies being more open to accepting people who want to work, based on their strengths rather than getting hooked on to their bait of high salaries and perks and then dissatisfied a little later and leave, leaving the companies high and dry.

By doing this, I feel, the attrition rates of companies will drastically go down and they will have quality people to work for them. As far as the unemployed are concerned, well, my only advise to them would be to know what they really want to do and be happy doing it rather than look at fat pay packages, and then, ultimately, fat medical bills, if you know what I mean..

Ok, now you can go ahead and kill me if you want to....:-)

Love vs Companionship

It is hard to describe love, because its to each his own
whats important is to find someone
who you can be yourself with, someone who can be your companion..

BEING KICKED AROUND

We Indians have made it our destiny to be spineless. Not only has this been proved time and again with our encounters with Pakistan, but also recently, when one of our leaders was ill-treated by Australian cricket players after they played one of the matches and were being given the trophy.

Why do we tend to do this? Being forgiving is good, but is it good to be spineless?

We treat our guests like God and this cannot be more profoundly stated than in a sanskrit shloka "Atithi devo bhava" and which means Guest is God. It is no secret that us Indians are treated differently by the white skinned people. It happens to us in their country, whether it be England, Australia or America. But should we take insults on our own land by our own guests?

I strongly condemn their actions and demand and apology....We will never let anyone put us down......