Connecting with thoughts - My thoughts and Me

Just one question to Team Anna....do you believe in the Constitution of India? If yes then let it decide on the bill. You can't dictate terms and conditions to the Parliament that is supreme institution. If you don't then what's the point in getting your version of the bill passed the Parliament? And Yes...I too want the a corruption free India but not with the gun held to my head or through compulsion but out of my own free will which the Constitution gives me the right. By putting a deadline for the Lokpal Bill to be passed by 30th August are we not denying ourselves the right to debate and evaluate all the pros and cons, consider all the possibilities, identify a common ground? Are we being just to ourselves, our Constitution and our Nation? When we plan a simple family picnic we take care of all things. Then why compromise with our Nation? Gandhiji, if I am not wrong, never set deadlines and he never showed any disregard for any country or any Constitution. He pur...

Congratulations!! There's no harm in congratulating yourself, especially when you have been there, done that. The feeling's great. Today as I am writing this I realize the true meaning of " A journey of thousand mile begins with a single step." With the successful completion of The Next Thirty Day......I have already decided on what I am going to do for the next thirty day and they start from tomorrow.

Wow!!. Day 29. That is something great. It has been a great journey so far. Not quite in terms of writing though. For it was good and it was bad. It came out good at time and not so good at other times. But then that's life, right? You don't always get it right. Neither should you. Somewhere, somehow (I don't mean it intentionally) you have to be wrong too. For otherwise you will never realize the importance or experience the joy of being right. Though I always knew I would come this far..for I wanted too....it has not been an easy journey. It's difficult to come up with thoughts that help you write day after day. At times the thoughts are very much there, full of life but the words just don't justify them or find it challenging to make sense. Though it has been 29 days so far....on quite a few occasions I literally struggled to write. Started to write and then stopped, deleted everything and started afresh. Only to realize that what I started with and what ca...

Well literally...I just dozed off to sleep yesterday and before I could realize I had missed writing the blog the next day was already up and smiling. And I too just smiled to myself. For I remembered those childhood days when me and my brother would put up our bed in front of the TV to catch the 9:30 p.m. movie playing on cable (yeah those days there were hardly any movie channels) only to doze off to sleep with the TV on.  The best part would dad coming home from night shift and innocently thinking that we are awake and knocking on the door only to realize that we had dozed off to sleep and he had no option but to open the door himself with the key that he used to carry. Of course this did not happen always though ...but it was fun. Fun falling asleep without even you realizing. Such sleep is really welcome. It really freshens you up. The sleep (dozing off) usually catches up with us when we have had long day, did something we really enjoyed, did something in which were very mu...

I feel its plain stupidity...why can't we just stop giving bribes, stop cheating in exams, vote during elections and ensure clean candidates win and support them post win in cleaning things...There parts of India where the experiment has worked...It's time to do something practical then getting stuck on just one Lokpal Bill What's wrong with the government, what's wrong with Anna? Hate it or like it but I feel both are being childish and stubborn....why can't we just believe in the power of democracy and combine forces for implementing it in its true spirit. Anna says the bill will reduce corruption by 60-65%...does Anna know about 100% of corruption that occurs / happens in India. If he does then it is my humble request to kindly bring it to the fore with evidence. I have not seen a stupid government....it does not really what it wants to do. No concrete action plan. Just plain blabbering. How does the PM who says nothing at all ever goes to sleep at night? ...

It took almost 150 years (hope the number is correct...kindly confirm) for India to win her freedom from a handful of Britishers (it's too small a country vis-a-vis the size and population of India).....Now honestly consider the Lokpal Bill...how long will it take to eradicate or for that matter to minimize corruption from the mammoth of population that practices it and equally vehement number that unfortunately has no option but to support it. Now consider the following questions - Have we become so naive to believe that the Lokpal Bill eradicate and is the only solution for a corruption free India? What are the chances that the Lokpal Bill will be implemented in its truest spirit? More importantly what happens when the Lokpal Bill fails to deliver? Given the population, geographic spread and diversity of India do we have a mechanism that can facilitate implementation to grass root level? Do we have so many spotless and incorruptible people who will implement it with focus and ...

To my country, my nation which I am proud of.... India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization) The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu. The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus. Chess was invented in India. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India. The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magni...

I missed writing my blog for the fourth time. Three out of those four times was due to poor net connectivity from my service provider MTS where the webpage just refused to load as usual.  After two complaints number and four calls later....I have getting calls my MTS saying that for the past three days saying our "concerned" department will be solved at the earliest. They cannot tell when earliest is. They cannot tell how they are going to resolve the complaint but what they can definitely tell is that their "concerned" and at times technical department is working at it. If it the complaint is not solved by 15th August, 2011 (earlier it was 13th August, 2011) they will forward to their seniors.  Welcome to the 64th Independence Day of India where the customer is still has bear the burnt and be at the mercy of service provider and yet pay the service provider for not being able to use the service. Why? Because the concerned team is buys working on my complaint. Gre...

One of the very few poems which has stayed on with from my school years is the poem "Shabdh" (Words) by Marathi poet  Waman Nimbalkar. I am yet to come across any other poem that captures the strength of words in handful lines. Since the day I read the poem to this day it has never ceased to amaze how he managed to say so much with so little. I remember Vapu Kale (another eminent Marathi writer) mentioning in one of his books that, "Words have more power than all the steam generated by Watt to get the first steam engine running." That is precisely what the poem does. And each time I have gone back to this poem...I have learnt new meanings of communication. Here I am reproducing the English version as I was unable to find original Marathi work. Also unfortunately I happened to misplace the notebook in which I had written the original. Nevertheless....read, reflect and realize the power of words. WORDS by Waman Nimbalkar Words is that set aflame houses, hom...

Work as if you have no need of the money, Love as if nobody ever made you suffer, Dance as if nobody is watching you, Sing as if nobody is hearing you, Live as if the Paradise were on this earth Copied this from a friends post...but could not resist sharing it.  Such simple yet wonderful words....may be at some point in life we all nourish this thoughts. Unfortunately for most of us they remain just thoughts and fade away. Never too late to live this thought for the day. As they say better late than never.  So when are you going to do at least one of these. Today I just did that and enjoyed it thoroughly. Try it and you will experience the beauty of gift called life.

The Next Thirty Days...Day 22 (Thoughts on Communication) Communication is effective when it has a context, meaning and ability to influence (or change) for something better. The modern technological inventions (mobile, email, etc.) which were suppose to facilitate and enhance quality of communication are unfortunately reducing the human touch / element which lies at the core of communication. Communication is all about understanding the meaning and the essence of the message. Communication is spreading little moments of joy and showing you care. As a result of technology communication today is like wildfire...by the time you realise there is a fire the damage has already been done. When was the last time you really listened to song with it true meaning? When was the last time you listened? When was the last time you really understood the meaning of communication?

Well ..these days my fraternity is the talk of the town. And for all the wrong reasons. Two deaths within span of few days...because of me. And I am not the one to be blamed but end up being so. So much so that the leading news daily are giving me and my fraternity extensive coverage and have become talk of the town. Who am I? I am the pot with the hole...I really enjoyed those Polo advertisements....it used to make me wonder if they were inspired by us or...maybe we (here we means our creators) have been inspired by them.....we are still busy finding the answer. So is the Municipal Corporation albeit about different questions .i.e. how to get rid of us...how do we know....well my fraternity heard it. You don't believe it ...didn't anyone tell you about "Even The Walls Have Ears"...well with our significance presence everywhere people feel they are up against the wall (that in reality is the corporation not us).so the wall have ears....so we know what people are talki...

DROP YOUR NOTHING Disciple :  I have come to you with nothing in my hands. Master :  Then drop it at once! Disciple :  But how can I drop it? It is nothing. Master :  Then carry it around with you!  Your nothing can be your most valued possession. - Anthony De Mello SJ Do I carry nothing with me too? What does nothing mean to me? What's the underlying or the inner meaning of this anecdote? What does nothing really mean other than its dictionary meaning? If it's nothing then why do I have to drop it or for that matter carry it around with me? Is nothing the most valued possession for me too? And more importantly ....I just happened to mentioned to one of my friends..."The essence of life is nothing"....why did I say that and what did mean to me? What did it mean to him? Nothing. Or is it no thing?

At one point or the other we all yearn for it. Especially when ...life is seemingly beginning to look monotonous ...at times things don't seem to be heading anywhere ...we are stuck in rut ...our thoughts keep on running into a dead wall ...we want to break free ...nothing seems to clicking or fall in place ...we seem to miss the obvious Well there may be a hundred other such instances when really long for what we all call is a welcome break, not consciously though at times. And I am not wrong in saying that 9 times of out 10 it is totally unplanned or unscheduled or better still it just pops up out of nowhere. What's more amazing is that it could be in the most simplest of the form. It is for most of the times. For it can come through ...a phone call ...a cup of coffee ...a friend dropping by ...a unplanned, unscheduled outing ...listening to music ...humming your favourite tune ...taking a power nap ...reflecting ...sitting silently for sometime You ca...

A day full of joy A day full of bliss A day full of solitude A day full of meanings A day full of moments to be cherished A day full of dreams A day full of challenges A day full of achievements A day like never before A day like never again A day full of life A day called Today

For today ....I think I will take a break and Lakshmi Pratury do all the talking. I found this video on TED when I was preparing for a Communication Skills Class to cover various aspects of "Writing". Since then I have watched quite a few times. There used to be time when I was in school I used to write letters to my Aunts and couple of friends who were priests. The letter exchanges continued till I reached my degree college and then they abruptly stopped. I still have few of those letters stuffed in some corner of one of the drawers which I pull out and read sometimes, not often though. The feeling is something different. Really different. I totally agree with the point which Lakshmi makes.  Coincidentally I did write diary each day for a month my wife starting a month before my marriage. That was a marriage gift which I gave my wife. Two and half years into the marriage she still cherishes it. And then was sudden urge to write again for each day for the next nine months wh...

Well at least this time round I had no option to miss for the only reason my connection was dead slow. Imagine it took almost 15 minutes to load the half the webpage and another 10 to open the link. I was lucky to reach that far during late night. Earlier in the day it blatantly refused to load the webpage at all. So I missed ...second time but however I am happy that unlike the last time there was conscious effort to ensure that I don't miss another day.  That brings to me interesting premise regarding those companies that sell broadband services or mobile services. Irrespective of whether you use the services or not you have to pay because you have subscribed for the services. If you don't use its your problem and the company has every right to charge you for the services which you have not used for some reasons. Fair enough. I can understand the operational and infrastructure costs that are involved.  However what happens about days like yesterday....where it was ...

When was the last time you said thank you to some one? Who was it? Well unfortunately I am in no way going to know your answers until and unless you leave a comment. But it's an interesting question to ask. There are times and instances when we want to say thank you, but don't and later feel we should have. The problem with such instances is that we feel awkward, embarrassed, shy or we are so overwhelmed by incident that we just cant. Boom!! that moment has gone. The impact those two simple words which would have made could have been magical is lost. Lost forever. That's just one part of the story though. The other is that of a big fat ego which we all have. This ego tell us he / she had to do it. So what's the big deal. And that's a really big problem. Why? Because there are far too many people who never really do what they are supposed to do and even if they do it more as favour or there is no other choice that is available. There's no heart that i...

Just today morning I realized about a peculiar habit of mine. Let me tell you that it's not to blow my own trumpet.   But over the years I picked up this habit of saying, "God Bless You and Bless Us All Too". I say this every time I see or pass a person in distress, physically  and mentally challenged, special person, beggars, poor. I just happen to say these words to myself. It's not out of pity that I say these words but realizing that what a beautiful gift of life God has given me and to remind myself that how challenging life can be. And more importantly to tell myself that there are people living their lives with these challenges. Many of these walk shoulder to shoulder with people in the normal walks of life fighting the odds with much more courage and intensity.  Despite this there are times when I wonder if I really mean those words that I say? Do I say those words just out of habit? Or is it an escape route that I seek for not being able to help these peop...

Minimum five line that's what I had promised to write everyday ever since I started writing The Next Thirty Days. So far it has been going good. But over the last couple of days I have been struggling to write. And its but natural. I am happy that it happened. For it had to happened. Why? Just because when you are not a regular writer and more of an impulsive writer, it was bound to happen. Today I am writing more out of compulsion rather than out of choice. Today it's also more about determination and commitment. Rather than just giving up and saying I am not going to write because I don't have anything to write about. It would be good to write something which you can write without too much of an effort. The point is keep going in the pursuit of your goal and objective which you set to achieve. Therein lies an important lesson. Never ever give up on your goals or loose sight of them. At times you may slow down a bit, but your eyes always have to be set on your dream and yo...