Whitewash by the Blackcaps!

              It has been a very disappointing performance by the Indian Men's cricket team during the 3 test match series with the New Zealand team with the greats of the Indian test team like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja failing to bring their best during the series. The series has been whitewashed by the Kiwis 3-0 and is even more humiliating as this happened on the home soil of India. Indian cricket team has not lost any test series in India for the last 18 consecutive series that were played in India since 2013. The series loss with 3 matches has largely affected India's chances of being in the World Test Championship final. 

                                What really went wrong was the tactical decisions made by the Captain and the Coach where they opted to bat first in the 1st test when the pitch was more suiting the pacers resulting in the 46 run all out was the lowest score by the Indian side. And in the rest 2 matches the pacers were hardly used, with the spin attack not up to the mark. On the other hand, the Kiwis adapted to the conditions and the turn that the pitch was offering and the Kiwi spinners have used slower paces to get more out of the pitch. It is annoying to see Indian pacers missing this logic and bowling at higher pace only to be punished by the Kiwi batters and that ultimately pressurized all the players. Perhaps, Jadeja was the only one to understand this logic though a bit late and adapted to the conditions and could produce some favorable results. The only good thing that happened to India during this test series is Washington Sundar who could be considered as replacement to Ashwin or Jadeja as an all-rounder. The top order batters have miserably failed and it is not sure if going all guns blazing is a strategy cascaded by the new Indian team coach or the batters being habituated to the hitting since the evolution of T20 format of the cricket. 

With the senior players like Rohit, Virat, Ashwin & Jadeja showing signs of their end of cricketing career in the red ball format, Indian cricket (BCCI) now has to own the responsibility of finding cricketers who are committed to the test cricket format. All such players should be made play more of domestic cricket in the same format to let them practice more and improve their skill pertaining to the test cricket. The ability to hit big boundaries in the T20 format would certainly not help the test cricketers as the test cricket requires a completely different approach and one has to show the patience and resilience. With Yashaswi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant showing the intent and skills, India need more such batters to stabilize the top order. With all that has happened in the series against the Kiwis, there are more lessons learnt and the learnings are to be diligently implemented in the coming test matches. However, the next series being away from home at Australia requires more homework along with these learnings and hopefully Indian cricket team would look at it positively. With the next test match at home soil for India being scheduled in October 2025, chances of seeing Rohit, Virat, Ashwin & Jadeja playing in that appear slim. 

Hope the Indian cricket team would retrospect and come back stronger and make their supporters proud again. 

'Egg'splosion: Don't heat up your inner emotions!

                             Not sure how many of you are aware that an egg subjected to the heat of microwave would explode. I have witnessed the egg explode which I call the eggsplosion as recent as yesterday, unaware of the fact that a semi boiled egg would explode when reheated in a microwave. I was lucky to have escaped with minor injuries but the eggsplosion kept me thinking, and in a state of shock for a while. The experience was horrifying. the egg splattered across the kitchen with great force and it was real hot which could easily injure anyone in the close vicinity. I have then tried to analyse the event by detail and understood how heated the inner contents were because of the heat and pressure from the outside. 

                        We humans are quite similar to the egg, our inner most emotions explode when we are subjected to extreme pressures from an external source. The pressure from the outside could be anything ranging from an work deadline to household budgets to unwanted criticism. All that matters is how we handle the pressure from the outside and not let it disturb our inner peace. The ability to handle the pressure definitely varies from person to person depending upon the amount of resistance to the force and the levels of saturation. When we fail to absorb the external pressure and let it cross the membrane, the inner emotions heat up and the consequences might not be as desired. On the contrary, there could be some external forces such as constructive criticism which can help heat up the inner emotions resulting in higher productivity or significant achievements. Such force helps in stirring up the positive emotions within and motivate the people around us. Irrespective of the kind of external pressure, we can still strive to achieve desired results if we master the art of dealing with such pressures without affecting the inner most emotions. A calm and cool mind is needed to channelize all such emotions and prevent them from exploding in an unpleasant way. It is easier said than done, however it is not impossible. It requires a conscious effort and the right mindset. Many great saints & successful people have mastered this art of handling the external pressures and in turn put such pressures to good use and not let those adverse the situation. It will become easier to achieve this when we start thinking about how much control do we have on these external pressures or situation? We might not be able to control all that is external to us, but we certainly can control all that is building up within. There could be ways to exercise this control (on the inner emotions) : meditation, travel breaks, physical activity, listening to music etc. Explore what helps you to control and channelize your inner most emotions from exploding. 

             With the lesson learnt from the eggsplosion, I would certainly not heat up the eggs again in a microwave. And the incident certainly helped me rethink the way I deal with my inner energy. It is very important to give the inner emotion a right direction, keep cool and don't let the external pressure heat up your inner emotions! 

Raksha Bandhan - A sacred bondage of safety!

                        India is known for its various festivals celebrated across the length and breadth of it throughout the year. And these festivals have a sublime agenda of improving the bonding between family members and also between the families in the communities. Irrespective of the festival, the festivities are enjoyed by all the family members and it's all about spreading the joy and happiness. The festivals or at the least the names of the festivals are all free spirited and one is free to enjoy the way they want to, barring one festival which talks about bondage and not freedom - Raksha Bandhan. 

                    But, the true sense of freedom lies in being bonded with the loved ones I suppose, and the festival of Raksha Bandhan helps enhance such bonding between a brother and sister. There are many theories around how and why the festival evolved, however the significance of the festival is simply to make brothers and sisters accountable for each other's happiness and well being. I remember my mother talking about how I should safeguard my sister and to be with her for eternity. I used to think that the bonding that a brother and sister share since childhood is strong enough and lasts for infinite time, though it might not show the strength from the beginning, it would surface when the need arises. However, with changing times and aspirations of brothers and sisters making them relocate and prioritise their life-goals I think the role of festivals like Raksha Bandhan becomes more significant to rekindle the magical bonding of a brother and sister. 

                                                                    The way Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the country might vary depending upon the historical theory of the festival in that region, but the essence of it remains same and it is to enhance and strengthen the bonding between a brother and sister. Applying of Tilak on the forehead for the brother's safety and tying the sacred Rakhi on the wrist and feeding a sweet and sisters anticipating a return gift (usually monetary) appear to be the common celebration across most of the communities which celebrate Raksha Bandhan. With many references in the Bollywood movies and special Raksha Bandhan songs and the creative colourful Rakhis and the super delicious sweets, Raksha Bandhan is becoming more joyful each year. Near or far, I wish brothers and sisters unite in the best way possible to celebrate this festival of bond which never breaks. Happy Raksha Bandhan!

P.S: I miss my sister (lives in USA) around this year for Raksha Bandhan, but my love and bonding for her resonates louder than ever, across the seas.

Growing by throwing : Neeraj Chopra is a true champion!

                         With winning a gold at the latest world athletes championship at Budapest, Neeraj Chopra has won the hearts all across India. While the ISRO scientists made India proud in the week that has gone by, it is Neeraj this week who made India proud again. While ISRO reached the moon, Neeraj also appeared to have aspired to reach the moon with his javelin, and he certainly has grown beyond the expectations with his spectacular throw. Having won the Olympic gold medal in 2021, Neeraj seems to have become even more consistent with his performances in various events that followed. 

       In a country like India, where medal tally in world championships was always under the expectations, it is untiring athletes like Neeraj who are changing it. Soon after his triumph at the Olympics the story of Neeraj has surfaced and it is very inspiring to know his journey towards success. Learning by watching his idol Jan Zelezny's videos on YouTube and spending hours practicing consistently has put him where he is now. His consistency speaks volumes in terms of the medals and his achievements which have made India proud. Above all, his words at the ceremony at Budapest marking the win as the nation's and not just his, reveals his character of a true sporting champion. I would like to quote a part of his speech - "You know throwers have no finish line". This tells us his undying spirit to aspire for more and more by being consistent. Neeraj says that he would keep trying to hit the 90m mark and even after achieving so much, he is still hungry for more. Such high spirits help draw inspiration and strength to overcome the hurdles that we are facing, there is no finish line and we should keep striving hard to move ahead. 

                                Battling so many hardships, Neeraj with a spear in his hand and no fear in his eyes will continue to inspire the young athletes who are in the making. His hard work and consistent effort has paid and no doubt that these qualities make him a true champion. Glad to see him grow with each throw! 

OMG India - Over the Moon Goes India!

The lunar fascination of humans dates a long way back and ever since humankind has always tried various innovative ways to get closer to the moon. With many countries spending a significant amount of money for the research and development of space engineering, expedition to the moon has always been a key aspect in the research programmes. With nations competing, there will always be an element of pride associated with greater accomplishments in this area. It has always been a dream for the human beings to reach the moon and references can be seen in many areas of creativity like stories, songs, movies etc. The distant dream started to be less distant with the advent of technology and thanks to the victory hungry scientists across the globe.     

                                        23-08-23 will be special in the history of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) as Chandrayaan-3 makes a soft landing on the moon. There has been so much of hard work put in by the scientists and staff at ISRO to make this landing of Chandrayaan-3 a soft one, especially after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. The learnings from the failure of Chandrayaan-2 seems to have been applied in a stupendous way and it is evident in the result of Chandrayaan-3. There has been so much of anticipation around the result of Chandrayaan-3 mission and every Indian now beams with pride for this accomplishment of India in the lunar space. This is new beginning to support to numerous moon missions involving human travel to moon as these kind of landers on the lunar space will help in the study and research required. India being only the fourth member in the club of countries exploring the lunar space, there certainly will be more competition coming up around this. However what makes India stand apart is the innovative minds at work that can pull these kind of missions at about a fraction of cost of what the other countries spend on missions like these. And hence these achievements become even more significant. The planning, dedication and perseverance of the ISRO team is commendable and this sure will inspire the young minds from the generations to come. Will it now make sense to say - "Dream of the moon and you can have it". Maybe it would make sense as time and again human brains have proven that anything is possible. 

    With great sense of gratitude, I thank the entire team behind Chandrayaan-3 and Congratulations India! Over the moon goes India, what next?

Don't breed the greed!

 It is good to be greedy for success and most of the time such greed reaps great benefit. However, the greed that I wish to talk about here is about the greed for booking profits on the stock market trading platforms specifically on the index futures and options with weekly expiries. It is a vicious cycle and god save those who fall into this without any discipline. In the recent times the trend of trading has taken a steep rise in India and most of the individuals suffered losses except for a handful investors who gained. The few investors who gained are either lucky or very disciplined with their trading approach. The lucky ones will most likely end up losing more than what they gained during the initial trades, and the disciplined investors would continue booking profits most of the time barring a few calculated risks and losses. 

                       Trading on futures and options requires a skill with the ability to analysis the bar graphs, charts and other conditions which may impact the direction of the index movement. Many investors may acquire this skill irrespective of the learning curve, however not everyone will excel in closing the trade days in green. Further to my observation of various investors and their behavioural patterns I can say that it is all about the mindset and discipline that you show while you trade on the stock market. No matter how skilful you are, you would never be able to make profits out of these trades if you do not have the discipline to exit the trade at the right time without giving in to the greed of gaining more. One should be content with a certain level of profit and not be greedy for more. The greed for more affects your mental stability and thereby the decisions that you make while trading. It is such behaviour that leads to unwanted trades or waiting on trades to turn tables without exercising caution. It takes hard work to acquire the skill required to understand the charts and analyse the market trends and it all goes in vain if you do not have the focus and discipline required to take the timely decisions. 

                                                                            The investors mental attitude reflects on the trade book at the end of the day more than the skill that he/she has. And the greatest factor affecting this is the greed for more. Many will easily deny this and find it hard to accept that it was their greed that led to the red trade days, but the fact reflects all along. Trade for a better future by choosing the non-greedy options. 

Coping with the covistress.

                         It is very imperative that you keep a tab on your mental health always in order to maintain an overall balance to your well being. There are many factors which cause so much of unwanted stress if not dealt with properly. With this ongoing pandemic, there is another such stress and I would call it covistress. Yes, the stress caused due to covid-19. It might sound silly to some of us, but it has caused a significant amount of stress to a majority of population across the world over the past few months. We have to be very careful and not let the covistress take control and affect us. This could induce nagging thoughts in mind which most of the times are overly negative and unproductive. Many of us can be innovative when it comes to finding ways to deal with stress. Instead of jotting them as some tips to overcome the covistress, I would like to tell what I did to overcome this covistress, anxiety issues and I hope that it might help some of you to find a start point. 

                                                                                                    Because of the impact this pandemic is causing to the world, it is evident that all focus would be to deal with it or to end it and hence this would be the headline of any news irrespective of the medium. I have consciously distanced myself from all such sources of covid news. I might inadvertently come across the covid news at some time through the day, but I make a conscious effort and train my mind to not dig deep into it or indulge into the details. It is good to keep myself informed but at times this seems to be an overdose of covid information causing unwanted stress and anxiety issues affecting the mind. So, I have limited my attention to the news on TV, internet, Whatsapp to as minimum as possible. 

        I have decided upon giving adequate rest to my body. No, I do not mean to sleep for the majority of the day but whenever possible I take smaller naps during the day to limit the traffic of thoughts to my mind. I feel much more relaxed after every such nap and it feels like meditation to me. I felt a huge drop in the anxiety levels after these powerful pleasant naps. 

I was not so inclined towards physical fitness before the pandemic, I guess the amount of physical activity involved in going to work and going out on a regular basis was enough to burn some calories. I am now working from home and a certain laziness seems to have crept in over this period. I have started exercising and I can tell you that I am feeling very good about it.This is helping me ward off the covistress by simulating my mental health every time I get closer to maintaining my physical health. Unimaginable, but I have now set some fitness goals and maybe this is occupying space in my mind leaving none for the covistress. 

I am very used to socializing with friends and I find it hard to not meet any friends and stay at home during the lockdown. We are social animals and restricting our social gatherings due to the covid-19 pandemic also attributes to covistress. Video calls have come to the rescue and I am spending time talking to all my friends over a couple of drinks every weekend, maybe we could call it an online party. Though it is over a video call, it gives me a feeling of being connected and leaves me happier. 

With so much being talked about health and limited options of eating out, I guess we have no choice but to eat the home made food. I have started eating healthy home cooked meals in alignment to the fitness goals that I have set for myself. I have also learnt a few recipes and cooked some meals myself and it appears to bust the covistress by giving me a feeling of accomplishment(I think I am getting ready to participate in the next season of masterchef contest).  

And finally it all boils down to how good you keep yourself entertained during these tough times that matters in dealing with covistress or any kind of stress. I took up to reading again given the extra time that I get due to the work from home setup. I have also started watching movies and endless web series of Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. Undoubtedly, listening to music while working out or cooking a delicious meal can only add to the power to combat the covistress. 

                            All these little tips have put me in a happier space and make me feel content. I do not feel anxious anymore and feel more balanced in my thoughts. It is not so easy for many of us, but a conscious effort can go a long way in dealing with the covistress and thereby stay happy and optimistic of the future. Please feel free to share your ideas if any to effectively overcome the covistress in the comments below and maybe that will help someone in need of it.

Do the homework before you work from home!

                                                 With the onset of the pandemic due to covid-19, many of us started working form home. While we started enjoying the new trend of working from home for a number of reasons, the fun seems to be fading slowly. This emerging trend of working from home is now becoming stressful causing unwanted anxiety and affecting both the mental and physical well being. It is important that we follow a few important steps in order to maintain the work life balance especially in this new setup of working from home. Here are a few tips that would help you balance it out and improve your overall well being and thereby keeping you and your family happy.

1. Dedicated workspace:

Create a dedicated work area in your home, which means you would login to your laptop or work only from this space and not roam carrying your work all around the home. This will create a physical boundary and indirectly helps in focusing on either work or family when in and out of the work area. You can advise your family members about this barrier and restrict them from invading your workspace which makes you more focused and productive while you are in your work area.

2. Furniture and Internet :

It is very important that you feel comfortable spending time at your workspace. Get a comfortable table and chair which do not affect your posture while at work. Do not underestimate the importance of this piece of furniture and do not hesitate to invest a good amount of money to get this furniture. This goes a long way to help you maintain your physical posture and not have any adverse effects. Needless to point out the importance of an uninterrupted power supply and a dedicated internet connection. Get an uninterrupted power supply to the work area and upgrade your internet connection to meet the demanding work load including the seamless zoom meetings. You may want to consider investing in some good quality headphones for the online meetings. This will ensure you do not become anxious of losing connectivity, or not being heard etc., in between an important meeting and lets you work peacefully.

3. Stipulated work time: 

If you have predefined shit timings ensure that you stick to the stipulated time and do not stretch yourself beyond those work hours. If you have the flexibility to decide your work time, please think and set up a work schedule and follow it regularly. If you decide that you work from 9 am to 6 pm, then be consistent and start and stop your work at the agreed times diligently. Make sure that your colleagues or team at work know your availability during the day. You have to discipline yourself which will help you segregate the work and personal time. Do you think you should be working beyond your work hours without any extra pay? It can be demanding at times to meet very critical project deadlines but other than those specific incidents there really is no need to stretch beyond the work hours. If you are ending up doing so, it means that you are not planning your work properly to finish it during the stipulated time. Think again and plan your work accordingly. 

4. Planners & to-do lists:

As I stated above, it is very important to plan your work to ensure you do not work beyond your work hours. To effectively do so, you may use planners to plan things ahead and follow the plan to accomplish the tasks. Prepare a to-do list to track the progress and also be aware of the pending tasks to be addressed before close of business. A well planned work schedule will improve your productivity and boost your confidence with a sense of achievement whenever you tick off the tasks on your to-do list. You may also want to use timers on your mobile or the reminder feature on your outlook or any such application to achieve this. 

5. Break time:

I am sure all of us miss those tea breaks with our colleagues which sometimes become unusually long breaks with endless fun gossips along with lip smacking snacks accompanying our favorite sip of tea. Even though you work from home, it is important that you take a break from your work and move out of your work area. This will help you move your body and also refreshes your mind in the same way as it used to be when you were at your office location. Think and decide upon a specific time for lunch or dinner depending upon your work hours and make sure to include your break times when you plan you work schedule for the day and stick to the specific break times daily. 

6. Avoid distractions:

Strictly stay away from social media and stay focused on you work while you are at your workspace. Avoid family, friends and pets from distracting you when you are working. Make arrangements in such a way that you can address all these needs outside your work hours unless it is absolutely an emergency. Needless to say, the less distracted you are the more productive you would be. Think of the same alternatives that you had for these distractions when you were physically at your office location away from home.  

                             The above tips will help you get a better working experience in the evolving trend of "WFH". However, there are so many other innovative ways to break the monotony of working from home and ways to improve the productivity while working from home. I hope to share some of them very soon, until then happy working from home.

Cordon the Corona!

 Tough people last, tough times don't! This is what we say when someone is going through a hard time, to motivate or encourage them to face the hardship with an optimistic vigor. It is that phase of our lives where we need to constantly remind ourselves about this and move ahead with a lot of courage. The news of how this pandemic due to covid-19 is affecting every life on this planet is causing even more stress to most of us. It is very imperative for each one of us to understand the seriousness of the situation and behave in a manner that aids to the control of this covid-19 pandemic. 

                    We all are constantly being subjected to various pieces of advice from multiple platforms, but to no avail if we look at how we as a nation are dealing with this pandemic. The political rallies, the khumbh melas, the crowded wedding parties, are only to name a few. India has really been panned by the way it handled the pandemic. Given the rise in the number of positive cases of corona virus in the 2nd wave, it is clear that all the advice, guidelines, awareness initiatives are falling short. Is it because the message is not conveyed properly to the mass and illiterate population of India? Or is it because of the ignorance of the majority making them illiterate irrespective of their official literacy status? I really appreciate all the front line workers who are working relentlessly towards controlling this pandemic and at the same time it agonizes me to witness few morons causing the virus to spread because they choose to stay ignorant or think they are immortal.  

The health, disaster management organisations are re-iterating on the simple guidelines one should follow in order to break the chain of this life taking virus. Please be aware and make the people around you aware about the deadly impact this virus has on the human kind. It is high time that we as a nation, have to step up and behave in order to have the number of cases decline over the coming days and eventually end the pandemic. If we do not gear up against it now, then considering the current situation we might end up inviting a horrifying 3rd wave of the corona virus spread with no front line workers and equipment available at rescue. 

Given that we are all social animals, it is very hard to lock ourselves up and stay away from each other. We can also become the most creative during such testing times to come up with solutions which would satiate the need of being social. I would also try and write more about topics surrounding this pandemic like mental health, dealing with stress, effective ways to be productive during lockdown, vaccination FAQs with the help of my friends having expertise in the fields of health and disaster management. At this hour, I think I have no choice but to repeat:

Stay home and do not step out unless it is absolutely necessary. Wear a mask whenever you go out and practice social distancing at all times. Wash your hands with soap more frequently and use sanitizers when soap is unavailable outdoors. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible and when your hands are not washed thoroughly.  These simple behavioral changes is all it takes to fight this pandemic and emerge as winners. I really wish everyone understands the need of the hour and help the country, the world and thereby the human kind to get rid of the corona virus. 

Stay home, stay safe and save lives!

Its now or never!!

                             Many of us aspire to become something big someday and yet most of us end up being average. Its only because of the attitude that drives us from within. I have come across people who keep blaming the circumstances around for not being able to achieve what they wanted to. I now find it a little hard to buy that. I can tell you that its human tendency to look out for reasons for not accomplishing anything that we are supposed to. If you are optimistic about anything that you would like to achieve, I am sure you would certainly find ways to do so. I am not saying that there wouldn't be any obstacles or factors that affect your journey towards your goal, but only true determination and will power to achieve would take you forward. And, they lie within you. So, stop finding reasons and start focusing on the real action. I am no gyan guru but I found certain difference in the way I see things and wanted to share this piece of information. To start with, look at the positive side of everything and stop blaming the circumstances for your inefficiency. Do not see other's success as a negative force and get inspired from it. Manage yourself against the time that you have and you will suddenly feel your productivity shooting up. Keep smiling and inspire others to laugh their lungs out on every occasion possible. Be willing and open to change, thereby start learning new things. A positive attitude is all it takes. Remember, its now or never. Good Luck!

Amitabh Bachchan's 70MM - A Blockbuster!

It's a proud moment and a feeling of joy to the cinema loving Indian population and many across the globe, to celebrate the 70th birthday of the living legend of Bollywood. Amitabh Bachchan, the power pack of energy continues to entertain his fans with no sign exhaustion, even after having done so, for the last five decades.

Born in Allahabad, to the famous Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan, Amitabh was initially named Inquilab. He was later named Amitabh, which means "never ending light" and the super star is now living up to his name. Amitabh, initially had to struggle a lot, but with undeterred determination and great passion for cinema,  has achieved the ultimate success of becoming a super star. Having won so many awards for acting, he always remained grounded and simple. More about Amitabh Bachchan can be read here.
I have been following his blog for quite sometime now and I am amazed at the energy levels of the man at this age. With such a sense of commitment towards his fans on the social media, which he calls to be his extended family, he takes time to share his views and thoughts often informative and inspiring. He makes sure to keep in contact with all of his fans on a regular basis and his presence on the social media is widely felt. It really is commendable that he has adapted himself to the technology so quick and easy, to stay connected with his fans. With over 2 million likes on his fb page and over 3 million followers on twitter, he sure has so much to say and to stay in touch with his extended family for good. His blog also gives us an understanding of how he struggled during his initial days of journey towards realizing his dream and is quite a source of inspiration. After many turbulent times in various stages of his career, Mr. Bachchan has now attained a legendary status making the Bollywood and his country proud of his existence. At 70, Mr.Bachchan carries himself with great energy which is very infectious, inspiring millions of his fans. Many people of his age would not even match half his energy levels and passion towards work. Hope he continues to cast his magical spell for a longer time, inspiring the generations to come. Wishing the legendary actor, Amitabh Bachchan a very happy 70mm birthday!!!

Cos(t)metic surgeries, costing lives?

              Beauty is not in the face and it is a light in the heart said Kahlil Gibran, yet we human beings do what not to beautify our appearance. We cannot deny the growing importance of looks in today's fast paced world. However, what is the price that we are willing to pay for that. Many people are worried about their looks and often push themselves into depression. The modern day technology promises all that you want to come out of this, but at a price. I agree that the beautification of one's external self and the pampering during the process certainly accentuates one's confidence, but one has to be careful too.
         Many of us would be willing to get in for a make-over and want to enhance our looks thereby boost our confidence levels. Shedding those few extra kilos is no exception to this, and as a result of this increasing trend we can see many beauty clinics and cosmetic surgery centers budding up across the city. In a shocking incident, a cosmetic surgery has costed Prof. Narendar Kumar, his life at one such cosmetic surgery center. Narendar died soon after a liposuction surgery was performed on him. It is said that there was a rupture on his large intestine causing  post operative complications and he succumbed to death. Liposuction surgery has become one of the most common cosmetic surgery in India. It has to be performed by a well qualified professional cosmetic surgeon, but given the business acumen of our fellow Indians, no regulation is big. Nothing can stop them from minting money even on the silliest of human emotion. Without any proper approval and with minimal infrastructure there are many such clinics offering these services by surgeons who are not qualified for such jobs. I wonder how blind can the authorities be from checking these before approving the permits for such clinics. And, the number of such clinics is growing at a rapid speed. In an era, where technology is enabling great doctors to perform breakthrough surgeries, the same is being misused by non-qualified people to hit on human emotions costing their lives. A blame game is not the solution here. So, it happens to be our responsibility to check and inquire about the treatment that we intend to get and all the relevant details about the cosmetic surgeon, the clinic before we give in to the treatment. Hope to have more regulations in place to prevent such clinics from seeing the light, with the authorities being more vigilant. Lets be more aware first and beauty would follow.

Acharya Devo Bhava

5th September, reminds me of senior students taking up classes in our school letting our teachers relax for the day as part of the teacher's day celebrations. The birthday of the great philosopher, educator of India, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan is celebrated as teacher's day across India. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan who had great love for the teaching profession, believed that the right kind of education only would solve many problems of the society and country. He wanted to bring in a change in the educational system to improve the relation between the teachers and their pupil. He truly was instrumental in reforming the educational system of India at that time.
I would say, anybody who inspires and encourages us to learn and move forward towards our goal is a teacher. Learning is a continuous process and I say it is never ending. And teacher is the one, who helps us discover the joy of learning. Also, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts(Master Stroke) mother is the first teacher and source of learning to all of us. Let us all take some time on this special day and thank all those who inspired us by being with us in times thick and thin. It feels great when I think of those selfless teachers who have contributed to the society in many ways, my heartfelt gratitude to all of them.
                  Teachers should be the best minds of the country and should not just instruct, but also have to gain the affection of their students and thereby earn respect. Few selfish individuals, have commercialized the education system to an extent, that if not reformed at the earliest would pose a great threat to the nation. The number of students now willing to take up teaching as profession has gradually fallen. Let us try and change this by encouraging the young minds willing to take up teaching as profession and not let any commercial elements take over the art of teaching. Teachers are the greatest source of inspiration to their students and have the power to transform them into responsible individuals, contributing to the growth of the nation. Lets respect our teachers/mentors and thank them all for their never ending selfless support. Let the legacy of the great Indian teachers continue. Happy Teachers' Day!

Childhoods never last, but everyone deserves one.

                 It was a bright morning and the atmosphere was so pleasant and energetic. I come out of the home to get some milk from the store across, and find many children in their school uniforms hurrying out of our apartment premises.It reminded me of my school days, but more importantly something else disturbed me a lot. The sight of 9 yr old Lakshmi, standing with a broom in her hand (paused her cleaning act, making way for the children rushing) at the departmental store across the road with a deprived and envious look at these school going children of the same age group as hers, struck to me. I trudged towards the store, asked for the milk packet and inquired Lakshmi about her not going to school and she replied that she had been put to work and was never sent to school. She further added, that she wanted to go to school and wanted to study like all those children. I couldn't help but ponder over Lakshmi's situation.
Child labor is one of the biggest problems that we face in India today. Many children like Lakshmi are deprived of their childhood, schooling and all the fun included in the package. If we say that the future of the country lies in the hands of the youth, then I seriously doubt the future of our nation. Because, if the children of today(who would be the youth of the nation soon) are not provided with the basic learning of their lives, then how can we be assured of them standing for a cause tomorrow. A twinge of guilt forced me to dig deep into this and helped me find some facts about this prevailing problem. And the facts put us to shame. Over 12 million children in India are forced to work for their survival. These children work as domestic helps, on streets, factories and farmlands and are often abused. Not only are they subjected to extremely strenuous work, but also are abused causing them to loose their identity completely and often are pushed into depression. Lets not forget that childhood is the most important phase of anybody's life and impressions of childhood are life-lasting. It's a phase to make or break the future of a child who would eventually represent our nation, contributing to its growth.
                                    Of the seven fundamental rights mentioned in the constitution of India, two talk about the child labor and basic education for the children. Any child under 14 yrs of age is not supposed to be employed and has the right to education. It is good to have such laws, but who would save all these children from this monstrous problem, the law? Definitely not, it is we who can save them. As said by Lao Tzu , "Even a journey of 10,000 miles, starts with a step", a small initiative taken by all of us can bring in a huge change.To start with, let us all say no to child labor by not employing any child under 14 as domestic help. Further, let us try and counsel those who do so, and if required complain about such people to the authorities concerned. Let us all stand united for the good cause and ensure that no child is deprived of their childhood, which is their right. Let's stop child labor.

P.S: If you see a kid under 14 yrs of age working in your locality, or if you know someone who has employed a child under 14, call 1098 to rescue them.

Reading - The brain tonic.

       Many of us are aware of the super specialty and the amazing ability of human brain within its complex state. Like human body, the brain also needs some exercise from time to time to enhance its ability to perform better. Human brain's main exercise would certainly be its stimulation. In order to achieve that we have to ensure that we are engaging the brain in some or the other exciting activity. There are many ways to get to that. However, a recent study reveals that reading acts as the best tonic for brain. I can certainly vouch for that. I was not willing to read anything during my childhood (used to stay as far as I could from books) and as time passed I got introduced to few amazing books by chance and since then there was never looking back. As an avid reader now, I read from different sources all the time. Many benefits of reading include, improving your vocabulary, gaining factual knowledge and certainly the stimulation to the brain. Reading has always been a favorite pastime to many and helps an individual evolve into a more matured and stable individual.
                                                                       I have read about this (reading being the brain tonic) on some random news blog and on analyzing it further, simultaneously relating to my case of becoming an avid reader from a non reader, I certainly can tell that the grey matter would get the required stimulation by reading, Initially, to start off with, I would say it doesn't really matter what you read as long as it has an optimistic approach. And, reading newspapers is the best to start with as it keeps you informed. When we read(mostly fiction), our brain tries to imagine and relate to the characters, locations, in the story and hence it simulates real life experiences which is hard to achieve by watching TV or playing a video game. Hence, it is imperative to inculcate the habit of reading at early stage of life. And every parent should make a note of this. Reading also helps reduce the stress levels, it is said and it actually does (happened to me, numerous times). So, beat the stress by reading something interesting and stress-free brain would have its ability of accomplishing tasks at its best. Hence, reading proves to be the tonic for brain. What are you waiting for? Keep reading(should I say, my blog) folks!

We The People

        To wage a war against India, it is said that our enemies do not need to send any army, all that they have to do is send the required weapons and ammunition and the rest would be taken care by few co-operative Indians. I cannot remember when and where I read/heard this, but it somehow strikes back to my mind as I go through the verdict on the Naroda Patia case. How selfish and brutally insane can some of us be? And it hurts, when highly educated political leaders whom we trust and support anticipating a better future of the nation turn to be those some. Maya Kodnani, a former minister for women and child development, has been convicted for her conspiracy of the Naroda pogrom in which close to a hundred Muslims were mercilessly killed, most of them being women and children. If this is what we get in return for entrusting our politicians(not everybody is such, noted!) the power to reform our lives then I guess then our faith in democracy eventually has to fade away. And, shall we not have to forget about the secular country that once our leaders like Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of ?
                           I am happy about the fact that justice again prevailed(after the recent verdict on 26/11 case), a much delayed one though. But, if I have to think about the arson by Maya Kodnani, many things come to my mind and the verdict finally satisfies the Indian within me. Communal riots are also a result of the average population of India being illiterate and uneducated who hang around with their 'unwanted' religious pride (only to be picked by the selfish pricks). Any religion would never preach violence and only the educated (in true sense though, cos the kingpin of this massacre is said to be educated, I choose to think she is just literate. Huh!) would be able to comprehend this. So, should we not focus more on getting the younger generations educated with some sense of moral responsibility who would then be equipped to choose the right leaders and not follow any selfish insane people who project themselves to be leaders. India, being a diverse country always had been a great example of unity amongst such diversity. Let's all respect this matter of fact and continue to exercise the brotherhood across the various communities and not give in to such hopeless shit. Remember, United we stand - Divided we fall. Jai Hind! 

Axed by Tax

I was flipping through some information along with a cup of tea in the morning, and came across something that made me read it twice. It says that there are 8 countries where the citizens do not have to pay any income tax at all. A knock on the door disturbed me, from further exploring the details on that. I opened the door and the watchman handed over a slip to me which detailed the property tax due that I am supposed to pay. Argh! Now, how irritating was that?                                                
                                                 It really annoys me when I think about all the kinds of taxes( any thing that we do has some or the other tax component to it) that we pay and few us are even more scared of the word tax itself. Many of us do not even know how many different taxes we end up paying directly or indirectly. And most of us, do not even question or bother about it. We all know that the central and state governments of India are the authorities that levy tax. But, do we know that there are close to 13 different types of taxes levied by the central govt and 19 different types of taxes by the state govt apart from some minor taxes which go through the municipalities? It really was disappointing to know that there are so many types of taxes axing our hard earned money. I am not against paying tax, but then I have to know that the taxes are being put to good use, for the development of the nation. Every citizen should get to know as to where and how the tax paid by him/her is being spent. Therefore, I have decided to inquire and understand about the tax that I pay every time. Let us be more aware of the taxes that we are paying on various spends. That's the least that we can do to start off with. And, eventually we can bring in some change in the way we look at and pay the taxes. I certainly cannot dream of India joining the league of those 8 nations where there is no income tax, but we certainly can work towards having our taxes utilized for the betterment of the nation. Hope to see an India where the tax payers are happy and not axed for every transaction. Jaago Kardata Jaago!

Justice prevails, but how long to execute?

Not everyday would we wake up happy with news that talks about taking someone's life, but yes it is one such day for me and I do not have any inhibitions in expressing this. The news in itself might have given relief to all those who have lost their dear ones to the cause. Many courageous police & army officials along with few innocent people have lost their lives in the 26/11 incident. Finally, the verdict is out and the convict Kasab is awarded the death penalty. Though it is very sad to understand that it took four long years, to get to this verdict on a brutally insane terrorist. The terror act had many visuals and live video footage and yet it took so long to arrive to this conclusion on this case. I wonder, if the case took so long to get the final sentence, then how long would the execution take? How long shall we have to pay our hard earned money to the government of India (in the form of so many taxes) to provide shelter and feed that terrorist? There are so many under-privileged people below the poverty line who are not getting any benefits from the taxes that we pay and it is sad that a terrorist who raped the country's pride is getting all his needs fulfilled. I am not in favor of the death sentence myself and believe that any person has to get a chance to realize his mistake, reform and live the rest of the life in a more meaningful way. However, in this particular case it would be our foolishness to expect any reformation or realization even on the remotest grounds. The magnitude of the terror operation that was carried out was huge and the impact of it on the entire nation is shattering enough to declare it to be an act of waging war on the nation. Yes, it is no less than a war and we have to fight back hard.
                                                      India as a nation and a land to the great leaders like the Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be one of the most peaceful countries across the globe. That doesn't mean that we have enormous levels of patience to endure these kind of terrorist activities and as an answer to the 26/11 incident, the sentence given out has to be executed on a priority. It has been a kind or rather foolish act on our part that we still believed in the human rights and all other such jazz in having this case dragged for such time, I would rather say it is our inability to speed up the system to get the justice. At least, in cases which have affected and impacted the dignity & pride of the entire nation, should we not take things on priority? The whole nation has awaited for this justice so long and hope it doesn't take too long to have it executed. Let it not become so late before the trust on Indian Judicial system perishes.

P.S: So far the cost of keeping Kasab in his cell has proved to be Rs 25 crore. Shame on us.

Invincibly Dangerous Moonwalker.

                                        Its been a little over 3 years now and the very thought of his untimely demise shakes up so many emotions leaving my eyes moist and gets me dumb for a while. There are many people across the globe who would still not be willing to accept this fact as they believe him to be invincible and immortal. Invincible, he really was. He truly had a charm that has influenced the world largely and it can never forget or get over him. Michael Jackson (MJ) was a legend in a true sense. Today, on his birthday many feelings surface in his remembrance. His mesmerizing moves including the great moonwalk can never be forgotten and every act of his, has inspired many souls around the globe. He undoubtedly is a universal phenomenon and in Guinness' terms is the most successful entertainer of all time. The king of popular(pop) music has contributed so much to music, dance and fashion all his life and has become a dominant figure of the world music.

                  Many artists across the world are today a result of the inspiration that they drew from the ever charming legend of all time. MJ has been into many controversies, but I do not really bother to comment on them as the generous work that he did and his contribution to the world in many forms is what should be remembered at this hour. Any person who can influence such a portion of the world population deserves much better. It is really an honor that we were able to share his timeline. His hard work and determination has taken him to a place where people started worshiping him. It really takes so much effort to achieve what we really want to. On this day, and everyday I appreciate the fact that we have few individuals who inspire us time and again, to move forward and achieve all that we want. Thank you Michael for inspiring us.

Great to be back, finally!

It has been a long while that I chose to stay away from my blog, actually for no specific or great reason. Thanks to my laziness and the ever growing responsibilities at hand. No matter whatever be the situation, I would still admit that I was not able to manage myself against the time and hence, all the other reasons would actually not matter. I have previously mentioned in one of my blogs that its the same 24hrs in a day that we all get, however it depends on how well we manage ourselves against that time attributes to the accomplishments. After a lot of struggle and a kind of block, I have recently realized what I have been losing by staying away from my blog (nah! ad-sense is not what I am referring to). I have realized that I am actually loosing out on my favorite pastime - writing, and loosing out on the small research part, which I used to do to present my writings in a better way. As said, its better late than never, I open my eyes right away and decide to plunge on the writing instincts again. Let my affinity towards my passion grow and hope to come up with nice and entertaining posts on a regular basis. And yes, it is an awesome feeling to be back, seeing the words  rolling on the screen as my hands rub the keys on the board. It truly is amazing and why did I shy away from it all this while? Let me not ponder over that anymore and instead resume my work as a blogger to deliver some creative posts thereby get closer to my goal of life.