Another change!

I moved over from this blog to Opinions, Thoughts, Ideas and more! in January, 2011. That was a nice little garden for my flowering thoughts all these years!

But if you're visiting this blog anytime after today, i.e. 27 April 2020, you'll find I've moved over yet again to a new space which will likely be permanent! So head over to Random thoughts! for all my future blog posts!

You probably won't be able to comment on my previous posts anymore. But worry not - 'coz I've migrated all of the posts from this blog as well as the other one (Opinions, Thoughts, Ideas and more!) to the new one so that they're all in one place.

So head over to Random thoughts! for all my future blog posts!

Take care y'all!

Change!

When I started this blog over 4 years ago, I made it a point to update it every single day. Then my enthusiasm dipped and I attempted to put in a piece a week. Then I deteriorated to once a month and then my posts became more and more sporadic until a couple of friends had to remind me I have a blog! I now realise I haven't written in almost a year and the last time I wrote before that was a year earlier!

2011 is here and I've decided to get back to blogging and to make life easier, I don't promise myself or anybody else a blog a day or even a blog a week but just that I hope to write often enough to keep my creative juices flowing and not ending up in writer's block!

Change has always been a dear topic but the title today does not reflect what I'm going to write about but very simply a change of blog. So friends, you can now follow me on:

http://slokasays.blogspot.com/

For the last time on Sugar, spice and everything nice - from slo, it's Tally-ho!

"SERIAL" KILLERS

There was a time when there were two or three channels on TV and the same programmes were followed religiously in most households…...they were common grounds for discussion at family and social gatherings……..everyone knew the characters as if they’d grown up together…..the actors were often lost in the shadows of the characters they played……….

Years passed…………

You’d think things changed……….

They did………

The number of programmes increased!

You’d think people got bored…….

But they didn’t…….and they stuck by their favourite shows and directors and characters.

They’d lap up all the twists and turns that were flung at them……Housewives were prime targets……they’d watch their “soaps” throughout the day……..and discuss them at length with the neighbourhood aunties in the evenings……….For some time watching the “serials” were a family pastime…..until it became fashionable for youngsters to say “I wouldn’t be caught dead watching that crap”……and then the household viewership of the serials started dwindling as reality shows and game shows became more “IN”.

But some loyalists always remain. As time passed….plots became more and more…..errr intriguing (to put it lightly), absurd (to say it as it is). But even today, satellite channels dish out programmes by the dozen and some things still haven’t changed………..actors are still remembered by the characters they play, the “believability quotient” has bottomed new depths, missing an episode still means missing out on a million-dollar segment of a masterpiece script and rantings and complaints still don’t dislocate the loyalty of devoted viewers!

So here’s to our soap operas that till date are the mainstay on television sets of scores and scores of Indian households……here are a few things that you’ll only get to see on these mega “serial” killers………..

1) Homes larger in size and greater in grandeur than Buckingham Palace

2) Families larger in size and richer in wealth than a medieval princely state

3) Festivals and marriages at the drop of a hat

4) No concept of home-wear………..make-up (popularly referred to as “pancake”) that would put a Miss Universe aspirant to shame seconds before she sets foot on stage…..characters all dolled up in designer-wear when all they have to do is cry…..

5) Plastic surgeries for fun

6) Father today at 40, grandfather tomorrow at 60, great-grandfather day after tomorrow at 80……looking exactly the same

7) Same for mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers

8) Generation gaps that don’t show (how would they if you were playing your similar-in-age-co-star’s mother-in-law?!)

9) Domestic rivalries that would make a world war seem like a triviality

10) Glycerin bottles spent in gallons

11) Plots and sub-plots and sub-sub-plots and………

12) Background music that would make the following scene seem like impending crisis (here, I simply HAVE to mention a scene from a serial that used to be aired about 12 years ago…….the lady protagonist making her bed lets out an deafening shriek and the episode ends……to reveal a cockroach on the bed in the following episode……by far one of the most hilarious scenes I’ve ever witnessed)

13) Unabashed exchange of romantic relationships between the battalion of protagonists……with one today and another tomorrow – making permutations and combinations easier to explain!

14) Advertisements – food products, cosmetics, movies – name it and they are all right there……no no not in the commercial breaks…in the very heart of the serial…marketing made easy!

15) Leaps and bounds (in years and decades) – presumably to give a push to an otherwise stagnant story line – often only serving to complicate matters by bringing more characters and an increasingly digressing script

16) Villains remain villains……vamps remain vamps…………social crimes and corporate hanky-pankies make for a chatpata plot…….good people continue to be exploited (because most of them are also dumb!) and the extras prance around like part of the wallpaper.

17) Separations and reunions………..amidst much fanfare

18) At least one poor little creature who’s always the butt of jokes………..usually rotund….it helps if he has a lisp…..helps even more if he can do a stupid jig on impulse. Helps also if he is attached to the household pet which could be anything from a puppy, a kitten, a hamster, a pigeon, a parrot, a squirrel, a horse, an elephant…………

19) One central character without focusing on whom no episode can end (usually the one who becomes synonymous to the serial itself – and seldom ever remembers herself by her own name by the time the serial comes to a close…….if ever!)

20) And last but not the least – the over-glorified, almost worshipped creators of such serials without whom the telly industry would crash in a single day………its not innovation or wealth or talent or knowledge…..just plain old business sense……..

The USP of Indian serials lies in their ability to exaggerate the colourful Indian culture, lace it with a bit of spice and masala and present it to the viewers each time with simply a different packaging………..The USP of its makers lies in their ability to do just that.

No opinions here as “I wouldn’t be caught dead watching any of that crap anyway” (!!!) but the stronghold that these soap operas have on the Indian television industry has always been a pet topic of mine to take potshots at……………

The above list as always is not exhaustive……..additional interesting observations are always welcome…….after all on this blog, it’s all about sugar AND spice!

So till next time……from slo – it’s Tally-ho!

A Daily Mantra - from Slo!

There’s no day like today,

No time like now;

To say and do all you want,

To make every moment count;

So go all out and fulfill your dreams,

Give the world your hues;

For, the world is but your oyster,

And the pearl within is YOU!

Back........after a hiatus.....in line with the rains!

It was just yesterday that I was sitting and wondering how long it’s been since I’ve blogged…..and I realized it’s been close to a year. Too long a silence….even by my standards! And then I promised myself to update my blog before 30th July, by when a whole year will have passed………….

But before I knew it, the rains came pouring down……..and it dawned on me that nothing inspires me more than a chill shower…….. It may be argued that a chill shower could have been availed of much much earlier within the confines of the bathroom at home………but that’s hardly a valid comparison to the natural, blissful, serene pitter-patter of raindrops on the window panes. Nothing makes me want to pen my thoughts down like the fragrance of the first rain of the season. Ever more so when the monsoons have been awaited in eager anticipation for quite a while now………….the extended scorching summer has finally accepted defeat and made way for the king of all seasons – the Monsoons!

Everyone has their own ideas as to what is the ideal way to spend “A Rainy Day”. Even in school examinations, I vividly recall this topic as a perennial favourite and no essay book worth its while would be complete without a descriptive piece on the good, the bad and the ugly side of rains. But all of that is too predictable, too theoretical and too “proper” to serve any purpose besides preparing for exams.

The true beauty of the rains is its unpredictability. The true bliss of the rains is the freshness it ushers in. So there really can’t be an ideal way to spend a rainy day……only several things to do….some silly and some simply refreshing!

1) Curl up under the blanket (fleece blankets work best!) with all the windows open and all the fans switched off……..inhale…..exhale…..inhale……exhale……….keep repeating!

2) Wear light clothing, floaters and go splishing-sploshing-splashing…… (err….caution: leave the floaters outside if you want home to still look like home and not resemble a mudstream)

3) Walk out with an umbrella and twirl it first clockwise and then counter-clockwise………for better results, invert the umbrella and repeat!

4) Go swimming in an open pool………revel in the blissful way the raindrops kiss the surface of the water.

5) Laugh heartily when someone’s umbrella flies away or overturns (admit you’ve done it before…..everyone has!)……..and when it happens to you, pretend you meant it to be exactly that way!

6) Gather the neighbourhood kids, float paper boats in puddles, sing ‘rain-rain-go-away” (if they are really really small!)……..go back to your childhood!

7) Read Mills-and-Boons or a spine-chilling thriller, watch the video of “pyaar hua ikraar hua hai” and smile discreetly, listen to some soft melodies, look out of the window and dream ……..romance your soul!

8) Have hot, masala chai, with the age-old monsoon snack - hot hot pakoras.

9) If you don’t like tea…..have coffee…..or hot chocolate….

10) Or hot water…(!!!)

11) Play Antakshari……..or Dumb Charades……Sing loudly with all the air in your lungs….or Whistle likewise!

12) Sneeze……steam……..sneeze…..steam……sneeze…….steam……….take care!

13) Give everyone at home a tight warm hug!

14) Get everyone together and watch a movie………….then poke fun at all the characters!

15) Recline on the couch, shut your eyes, go for a stroll down memory lane…….

16) Look out of the window at night before you go to sleep…….chuckle to yourself and inwardly decide whether you want to step out the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

17) Let yourself GO……………………………………..ENJOY!

Use these pointers at your own discretion……the list is not comprehensive………..Add to it at will……….But no matter what you do, don’t forget to soak in the spirit of the monsoons…….it comes only once every year!

Hopefully, lots more posts coming up soon…….hopefully no more long silences to breach………..but till next time, from slo it’s Tally-ho!

The bliss of silence!

Hello folks! Ever wondered how much people talk!!! No point.....ALL of us DO! Consequently, there are very few moments when we can really experience a complete silence, the sort that is spoken of as "pin drop silence"! It is in those moments that we can actually sense the oneness between the heart and the mind, the unity between the person we are and the one that we are trying to be! More often than not, the best of ideas and plans emerge in the midst of silence. Relaization dawns in what Wordsworth aptly described as the "bliss of solitude"! Silence, in the physical sense would be absence of noise or sound. But I can say from experience that it is possible to feel it even in a crowd.....a silence so profound, its almost deafening! And we are not even talking about the silence in a "bhoot bangla" which can be petrifying!

Silence triggers the thinking mind and brings about a whole new meaning to things that appeared different all along! It's a simple means of meditation where you have a conversation with your self, your truest confidante and perennial companion! Silence is, contrary to belief, not a sign of weakness, but one of strength; an indicator of knowledge, not the lack of it. As someone said, "True knowledge lies in knowing when to speak and when to remain silent"!

I always try to sneak a few silent moments for myself each day - a therapy I whole-heartedly recommend as a discovery of a whole new world within, a "path less travelled by" (Robert Frost) to seek happiness which incidentally is what we are all after!

SILENT BLISS...

Sometimes calm, sometimes sinister;

In solitude, all around;

The slightest sound amplified,

In silence that's so loud.

Even in the midst of a crowd,

Voices may seem to fade in;

Making way for a numbing silence,

That rises above the din.

The silence echoes the voices,

Speaking from within;

Ever soothing, ever strengthening;

Showing light where darkness had been.

Silence, a mirror to the soul;

Silence can always best console;

Silence, a time to delve into oneself;

Silence, BLISS UNEXPLORED!

***********************

More later. Till next time, from slo, it's Tally-ho!

The Rains' Law...

The monsoons have finally made their entry and HOW!!!! And no monsoon is complete without a poem toasted to it! So here goes!!!!

THE RAINS' LAW

A gray morning, chill breeze,

Chirping birds and quivering trees;

Pregnant clouds, a warning thunder,

An explosion in the sky, a torrential shower!

A splash here, a puddle there;

On the mud here, on a flower there;

The rain lashes on without a care;

Before you know, it's everywhere!

Man or woman, dark or fair;

Bird or beast, of the ground or the air;

The scurrying mouse or the prancing hare;

The docile pet or the wild bear!

The young or old, cowardly or bold;

Are all encompassed in its fold;

The rains make no distinction, told or untold;

On the backs of all, their pleasures unfold!

On lush fields and parched land;

Mercies are extolled, by the skies benign!

A multi-hued rainbow after the rain;

A treat, a reward, for pulling through the pain!

A little more here or a little less there;

A reversal next time, so the balance is always there!

A boon for one, a curse for the other;

AS ONE SEES IT -

A Blessing from Above, or a Banal Shower!

*******************

Till next time, from slo, it's Tally-ho!!

"Souring" away.......

Hi friends!! I've been reading a lot of debatable stuff of late (Dr.Preeti, are you reading?!) and one very basic question that keeps knocking on the gates of my domain of thought is - why do some friendships wither away?? Of course, it's much the same in the case of romantic relationships too but at least that's something people warn you umpteen times about! So what really happens to a friendship that starts off so promisingly, a sure winner; but somewhere down the line, the road forks and things are never the same again? Haven't we all experienced this at SOME point in life??

Over the years, I have got to hear several insights on this. People change. Life changes. Circumstances change. "Things" change! You JUST drift apart. And by far, the worst - it was never there.

So effectively, change is the only constant! Or is it?? I can actually prepare a list of friendships having "changed" for myriad reasons.

Asha and Mihir were inseparable.....and then they separated. Priya and Ritu were childhood pals......the pally-ness (for want of a better word!) disappeared with the childhood! Arun and Pravin claimed to be buddies since donkey's years......until the burden of responsibility on their backs did them apart. Navin and Ajay met accidentally, became friends, hung around for a year - one in which both swore that they'd had fun to last a lifetime, that they'd ultimately found lifelong friendship.....it was not long and it soon became...well...lifeless!

Asha says she doesn't know what went wrong. They'd been a pair for 12 years, ever since high school, studying together, playing together, talking for hours on end, fighting and making up......something like Raj and Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. But then once she started working, she could never devote as much time to the relationship as she used to or as she would have liked to. The fights were no longer candid. Meanwhile, Mihir was working too and he was making new friends also. The distances grew and the feelings rusted. They still meet, both married, with their own separate lives........the friendship, a formality; the memories, a treasure; the feelings, just different. "Circumstances changed"

Priya and Ritu were childhood buddies who stayed across the road and practically grew up together. As kids, they were a sight to behold - arms around each other, animated talks, their own little girlie secrets hushed into each other's ears - they were "stuck" to each other and a stranger would actually be amazed, when he saw them at the end of the day going back to their own houses, to find that they are not Siamese twins! But they chose different subjects after high school. Priya took up arts while Ritu moved to science. Their schedules never matched, their colleges were different, and they had no common topics to discuss (except the usual girlie stuff which they'd rather keep secret now). Priya also shifted home and that was the end of their friendship. They lost touch inspite of still being in the same city and one doesn't get to know about the other now! "People changed"

Arun and Pravin faced much the same scene as Asha and Mihir. Busy professionals, no time to meet up and out-of-sight-out-of-mind! They now meet at a common friend's place whenever he throws a bash and grope for topics to get them talking - that, for a twosome who could jabber non-stop on any topic (or lack of it!), whether it made sense or not. "Life changed"

Navin and Ajay met at the birthday party of a common friend, struck a conversation on cricket and simultaneously struck a friendship. But, before long they realized that they were from as different backgrounds as two people who called themselves friends could possibly be! Navin was stinking rich; Ajay was middle-class at best. Navin was the partying kinds; Ajay was into more sober stuff like reading! Navin was loud and flamboyant, Ajay was gentle and cautious. Navin was an atheist and Ajay was extremely God-fearing. In every way, they were a mismatch. But just to make it work, Ajay would accompany Navin to discos and Navin would go with Ajay to the temple. They couldn't keep doing it forever. They realized it wasn't worth it. And when they had clashes subsequently on moral issues, they called it off. Ajay says "There was nothing left in it anyway. And I wonder, if there ever was."

And then there's the case of Madhu and Diya - one was always trying to change the other. It was always "You shouldn't be doing this" or "How can you wear something like that?? It's hideous!" or "You should really change your attitude, man!" This went on until they realized that if they can't accept each other as they are and are trying to engineer each other into someone totally different, they were really doing each other a grave injustice. So they stopped trying so hard to make it work, and just moved on. "Things changed"

And then there's Aditi and Maya who both fell for the same guy.....their friendship soured for obvious reasons!

Vinod and Deepa fell for each other, and realized the friend is not the same as the partner. Misunderstanding, efforts at salvage, hope and finally, defeat!

Ranjit fell for his buddy Manju's sister and became her "jija" - the relationship changed :)!

As for me, I have myself seen a whole lot of friends drifting apart and friendships disintegrating. Though the ground reason is change, I believe it's got a lot to do with the importance you give the relationship - as in, it's significance and value in your life. The more it means to you, the more you can make it work. The more casual the approach, the more the chances of a soured relation. Plus, the chance of a misunderstanding occuring always looms large. (That is by far the worst way for a friendship to end) And you can't always make it work.

At the basest level, friendship is about accepting each other as they are, not about changing the person to become like us or the way we want him/her to be. Friendship is about being close enough to understand, but not close enough to interfere. It's about giving your opinion and advice but not imposing it upon the other. It's about giving each other space. Friendship is about expecting and anticipating that circumstances will come up that will alter your life in unpredictable ways.......but having the resolve to see it through and make it work.

Having said that, in most cases, the disintegration of a friendship is a natural process which happens with time. But friendship is about realizing this fact, understanding when things don't work and letting go if it means the best for both (like Asha and Mihir); best to part amicably if you can't remain so. Accord your friendship a priority and it becomes one.

A closing note: Friendship is like the story of a fist of sand, that we have heard so many times before. You hold it too loose and it flows, you try to close your fingers around it and it pours out through the gaps. But you hold it just loose enough to stand and just tight enough to seal the gaps and see how it settles into your cupped hands.

Disclaimer: Names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of friends who'd reach for my throat if they see their "real" names on this blog...and so to prevent my friendship from "souring away"!!!!

Waiting for your take! Till next time, from slo, it's Tally-ho!

A World Without Colours!!!!

Hi Friends! As an annexure to my post of yesterday, here's a poem on what would become of our dear Earth were it not for the exotic pallette of colours that nature has presented to us!!!!! Here goes.................

A WORLD WITHOUT COLOURS!!!

The sun is yellow,

Blue are the seas;

The multi-hued flowers,

Attract the bees.

The meadows are green,

So are the trees;

What, without colours,

Would our dear Earth be??!!

Imagine a world that's

Just black and white;

No other colour

In distant sight.

The skies would be black,

And so would the seas;

Black and white would be

Everything in between.

We would never know

When it's going to rain;

Because the black sky

Would always look the same!

Roses, tulips, jasmines and poppies

Would all appear alike

If they'd all be just

Plain old black or white.

The rainbow would be void

And quite meaningless;

As it would merge

With the sky so colourless!

Life would be so boring

If colours didn't exist,

Without the reds and blues

That we find so hard to resist!

No one would turn red with rage,

Or go blue in shame;

No one would speak of seeing green,

The colours would be nothing but names.

Pink wouldn't be associated with blushing,

Nor purple with royalty;

Orange and yellow wouldn't be bright;

All we'd have would be black and white!

So let's learn to appreciate

The value of colours in our life,

For without them, the Earth

Would be quite drab and dry!

We now know how invaluable

Colours are to us,

For, try as we may, we could never live

in a A WORLD WITHOUT COLOURS!!!!

*************

Hope that I've covered all you can think of too!!!!!!!! And just to add that extra meaning to the poem, I've actually made it colourful!!!!

That's all for now.......

Till next time, from slo, it's Tally-Ho!

The Day the Paint Box fell from Heaven!

Hi friends!! I received a mail with the same title as this piece, from dear friend Shruti........a collection of pictures that actually give the feel of a gigantic paint-box full of the rarest hues having fallen from heaven, torn through the clouds and rained on earth, bathing everything it touched in a way that only Nature can! The pic above is just a sample of the collection! John Keats had said, "A thing of Beauty is a joy forever!" How true!

Beauty, that thing which is so pure, yet so subjective, for as has been oft iterated, "Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder!" Yet, while the beauty of a person or of a painting may be argued upon, the beauty of nature has always been appealing to everyone. Ever heard of a person who cannot appreciate a serene waterfall; or an ice-capped mountain towering above the clouds (!!!); or a field of colourful flowers (remember Wordsworth's Daffodils????!!!!); the view from the mountaintop.........the deep, almost bottomless valley as seen from the top of a cliff, with the calming sound of water flowing somewhere under sounding like music to the ears; the oranges, reds, yellows and violets of a mesmerizing sunset; or better still, the warmth filling yourself as you see a bright light, sent by the glorious morning sun as you stand in the middle of thick fog; the tiny drops of dew sparkling on leaves and creating the prism effect as the sun shines on them; the gradual opening of a bud and turning into a beautiful flower.....oh I could go on forever!

Nature has, by far, been the favorite topic of poets over time, its beauty having been immortalized in the works of uncrowned king of nature poetry, Sir William Wordsworth, Henry Vaughan, Coleridge and several others. Nature has been no less an inspiration to artists as it has been to poets. Many have tried to recreate nature's magic on canvas with varying degrees of success! Why, then, does nature so inspire the men (and women!!) of art and literature like nothing else???? Or How??!

The answer lies in four small words.........NATURE HAS IT ALL!!!

A poem or a painting is, at the very fundamental level, an expression. An expression of delight, an expression of joy, an expression of disgust, an expression of sorrow, an expression of compromise, an expression of opinion or thought.......an expression! You want to depict beauty, you turn to nature (for obvious reasons!). You want to portray human nature or emotions, you could turn to nature - benevolence and the shade of the tree; sharing and the birds in a nest; love and swans or the doves or the flowers; tolerance and the animals of the jungle (or the fish of the sea); peace and the waterfall; anger and the cyclone (tsunami???!!!); permanence and the mountains (They're always there!); hopelessness and the volcano (Enough is Enough!); ambition and the river (it always meets the sea....NO MATTER WHAT!), so on and so forth. These are associations that have stood the test of time....always been there for the observant eye to see and the thinking mind to connect. You want to portray anything and you can turn to nature.........if you look hard, you'll find what you want!

Of course, I don't mean to say ONLY nature inspires. All I can say with conviction is that it is what inspires most! It's something that always turns ME on, and I'd like to see some people who disagree with me :-P!

And one concluding point - To see HIS (GOD)/HER (Mother Nature!) greatest creation yet, simply turn to the mirror!!!!!!! You may not see the most colourful creation, but you'll see the one HE/SHE's most proud of!!!!!

More later!!!! Till next time....from slo, it's Tally-ho!

Child's play...these days!!!!!

Aman was hunched over the newspaper with his morning cuppa at one side on the coffee table in front of him. He gave a yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwnnnn and mumbled to no one in particular, “there positively must be a better way to start the day than to wake up!!” “Oh sure there is”, said Mira as she splashed a handful of cold water into his eyes. “To be woken up” ,she cried!!!!!! “What did you do that for????”, asked Aman incredulously, when a cry from the neighbouring room truncated their conversation. It was Sia, the apple of their eye. She had just woken up and both husband and wife half ran into the room, vying to be the first to greet her, hold her in their arms, give her a morning kiss and take full advantage of her playful morning mood. She was smiling at them from her crib; barely two years of age and talkative as a parakeet, with pink cheeks and black hair that curled at the edges, she might have been a doll!

“Gumoning, momma”, she said cheerily, “ And papa”. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart???” asked Mira as she lifted the little bundle into her arms, holding her by her side with her two legs sitting on her waist. “Ma, doggy biting shia”, she said describing her dream, “but shia run away, faaaaaaaaaaaaaast to pa.” “Pa beat doggy”, she continued “and then you know, doggy become kitty and look to me and say meeeeeeeeeooooow”, she cried contorting her baby face and making the sound of a cat! Mira and Aman smiled. This was the case everyday; Sia at her talkative best early in the morning, bluffing away to gloryland and giving her parents their daily dose of the pure bliss of childish innocence.

It was a Sunday and Mira quickly took to tending to her baby, giving her a bath and clothing her up. Very soon there pervaded a smell of Johnson and Johnson’s baby products all over the house and Sia was ready to play. Aman had just begun playing with Sia when he received a call on his mobile. There was some matter that made him very angry and he spoke quite animatedly. Sia very much enjoyed looking at her dad turning red with rage and then suddenly, without warning, he yelled, “How dare you talk to me like that?? I am not your servant alright??” Saying so he hung up and switched off his cell phone to ward off further disturbance that would ruin his weekend. One look at the bubbly countenance of his little ball of sunshine, and he found all his anger melting away. “Let’s play, baby”, he said. And they played with her dolls, her bricks and her ball.

Soon, it was time for lunch. Mira carried Sia away and seated her on her high chair with a plate of mashed vegetables and a bowl of soup in front of her. Now eating had always been a problem with Sia. She was extremely choosy about her food and vegetables figured nowhere in her list of likes. “Shia not like thish. Shia wanting chock-let”!!! Mira sighed and tried to wash some soup down the girl’s stomach but try as she might, she could not get her to touch the vegetables. Finally, “You must eat your veggies NOW”, said Mira sternly, out of pure exasperation to which Sia replied with pride brimming on her cheeks and filling her round, bulging eyes, “How dare you talk to me like that? I am not your servant alright!!” It was all Mira could do to stay rooted to the spot without fainting! She gave Aman a threatening look that said “watch your words, man”!!!! After that, with the slightest coaxing, she was able to make Sia finish off the veggies on her plate. It was almost as if she had purposely avoided eating the stuff to be able to put to use, her new found knowledge of some words that made her sound like big girl!!!!

That afternoon when Sia was taking her nap and Aman and Mira were lounging on the sofa, they had a quick discussion as to how the girl was picking up words that she must absolutely not, that she will be starting school in a few weeks and if they’re not careful, she might give the impression of being a spoilt brat which she was really not. They resolved to be more careful while talking within her earshot.

But the same evening, Mira got into a fierce argument with the vegetable vendor at the end of which, she slammed the door in his face and said loudly, “Useless fellow”!!!! And then suddenly realizing what she had done, she scoured the room for any sight of Sia only to find her lost in the midst of her dolls and teddies. She heaved a sigh of relief to think that her daughter had not overheard her, but oh…how wrong she was, as she was soon to find out! She gave her husband a reassuring smile and got back on the couch with him to watch a movie.

Now you may be in a position to control your tongue but how can you control what comes on TV or what other people say. The shrewd guy in the film that they were watching suddenly abused very loudly which made the couple frantically reach for the remote and change the channel. At dinnertime, Sia casually asked her parents amidst mouthfuls of mashed rice, “what is a b******??” Mira dropped her fork and brought her hand to her mouth and Aman coughed in his plate. Mira gained composure faster than Aman and told Sia, “You will NEVER use that word again, okay darling??” “NEVER”, she said again with an emphasis she didn’t know her voice could lay. And Aman gave her such a glare down that the poor creature got frightened and started sobbing. They comforted the little one and her meal that night went into the bin!

That was one day. But day after day, Sia was proving to be extremely quick at picking up words and phrases that made Aman and Mira strongly suspect their upbringing and they had many discussions on where, possibly, had they gone wrong?? She was learning from the watchman, the TV, the people on the road and once she went so far as to call the neighbouring lady a “donkey”, and a beggar whom she saw from the rickshaw “useless fellow” to Mira’s great annoyance!!!!!!

Mira was at her wit’s end and yet she could not bring herself to ask anyone what she should do because she felt that if she told anyone that her daughter was picking up these words, they would think her to be a very bad mother. No, that would never do. So she kept the matter all hushed up. After all, children were angels of God and as she grew up, she would surely learn! So saying, she consoled herself and managed to convince Aman too.

Soon Sia was going to school, trotting with her index finger clasped in her mother’s hand, a tiny little saddle-like bag over her shoulder, two little pigtails swinging as she walked and a broad smile for every passer-by.

At school, she used to have jolly time and come home and recount her experience to her mom, most animatedly and with the same enthusiasm to her dad when he returned home in the evening. But to their utmost horror, they found that their daughter was not alone in her grasp and use of abusive language. Kids of today learnt too much too soon!!!! On talking about it to the teachers at an access session, this was a point of heated debate between parents of various kids and the teachers, each playing the blame game. Parents accused teachers of lack of guard at school while teachers retorted that if parents couldn’t look after one kid at home, how did they expect the teachers to keep an eye on 30 at a time!

And so the story ends!!!!!!!! What were you expecting??? A solution??? A happy ending saying how Sia transformed???? No I won’t give any of it because what we see around us today is precisely what I have said using Sia as a pawn. Where it all begins, how it gets engraved on the tender and gullible minds of little ones and how they pass it on!!!!!

True, as age and maturity comes, they learn to exercise some discretion in using the words, but that is hardly congratulatory!!!!! Nip it in the bud and we’ll have a more civil, genteel and decent youth in our time who have a strong sense of what should and should not be said, when, where and to whom! Think about it!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s all for now…….till next time, from slo it’s Tally-ho!!!

Money GROWS on TREES!!!

Yes, you read the title right…..and I promise I haven’t missed any word there!!! Whoever said that money doesn’t grow on trees, surely hadn’t heard about the IPL!!!

Cricket, an age-old game gathering its roots from the British who took their favourite game to all their colonies along with the iron hand that they used to rule them, our beloved India included!

Cricket, which has ever since been the pet sport of the nation, commanding precedence over and more importance than even our national sport of hockey; a matter which has long been a subject of heated debate and criticism.

Cricket which has evolved over time to increasingly convenient formats; from the original test-match which lasted 5 whole days to the more feasible and time-saving one-day format and more recently, it has given way to a format that almost eliminates all the drawbacks that were associated with it – that even at 50 overs a side, it was still far too long a sport demanding investment of a large chunk of the viewer’s precious time, that it was a slow game, that it lacked glamour, so on and so forth. Well, twenty-twenty, as the nomenclature suggests, has twenty overs per side packed with such an enormous punch that tables turn before you can say “whoa”!! It is the flavour of the season, that has the nation strongly in its grip and promises to retain its hold over wonderstruck viewers for some time to come. The investment of time in it has reduced from a day to a few hours, wrought with excitement and action. And whoever said cricket has no glamour can forego his lunch and dinner for a while for he has his words to chew!

If the heat of the summer was not enough, you have some -hot-bods adding all the oomph to the game and raising the glamour-quotient to giddying heights! The brightly coloured uniforms of the eight “premier” teams scream style! The almost war-like countenance upon the faces of the players who, until yesterday played with each other but suddenly find themselves on opposite sides, the responsibility on their sturdy shoulders weighed down by the money riding on them…..oh, the game has come of age!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And HOW???!!!!

But the point is not how fast the game has suddenly become so HUGE. Going by the far-reaching changes in every conceivable field, you don’t exactly need Einstein’s brains to deduce that a modernisation of the game was inevitable; it was always only a matter of time. The point in question is how the unimaginable, the unbelievable and the almost miraculous is now unfolding in front of our very eyes.

The money…..yes…..that’s the most unbelievable part of this whole new drama. The sums that the rich and famous (read film stars and businessmen) are willing to stake in this venture borders on a mania that words will only serve to dilute. What we consequently witness is a marriage of business and entertainment; or cricket and bollywood, two staunchly followed religions of our country! Cricket is now serious business. “Buying” the players for astronomical sums was just the beginning of it, the amounts expended on the marketing and promotional aspects are figures having so many zeroes that if we counted them, we’d employ fingers of both our hands! And as far as the prize money goes, the less said about the proposed sum, the better (mainly coz we need to get on with our lives without fainting!)

But contrary to what you may be thinking, my article, at least when I started it, was not intended as a weapon to spit fire on the evolving nature of the game. By all means, I welcome the change, even appreciate it. I have only, for want of a better word, “used” the game as an example to my title.

Until recently, we were counting millionaires in the world and then we grew at a pace that would put Michael Schumacher to the gravest disgrace….before we knew it, we had quite a few billionaires pacing the planet and taking giant strides ahead. And then there was never time to look back. The fortunes of people grew and grew….and then grew some more! There was just one glitch in this picture which at first glance looks so merry and rosy that we’re scared to believe it for fear of bursting the bubble! And for good reason…..the glitch - the rich kept getting richer and richer and the poor continued to survive amidst the same squalid conditions, if not worse! And that is still the case. And the beauty of it is that the rich never need to spend!! They almost always travel free of cost in the charter flight of a fellow millionaire, receive expensive automobiles as gifts on trivial occasions and enjoy fully sponsored accommodation wherever they go (unless of course, they are on a private holiday). So essentially, they basically part with their earnings only to acquire personal stuff, like designer apparel, jewellery, gadgets and the like – basically their wants and never their needs (as an economics student must word it!).

I may seem to be a minimalist, an anti-progress sort of person. I’ll clarify that I’m far from it. My best wishes to those who can afford that sort of a lifestyle and my congratulations to those who can ENJOY the fruits of their labour; for, more often than not, that is the most difficult aspect of high income groups. Nevertheless, I really can’t help thinking on behalf of those who seek but a meagre fraction of the amount that the people-with-stuffed-coffers expend. In all probability, the daily spendings of the latter group would satisfy the former for a month. It is the sheer irony between the two extreme groups that so blatantly exposes itself in our country (and possibly in others too, but I’ll feign ignorance on that).

My article is not a backlash against the rich-and-famous. I am sure they are only spending their hard-earned money in way that catches their fancy. They are probably just giving vent to their latent entrepreneurial skills. And to give them the benefit of the doubt, I’ll assume that they pay their taxes in good time. But this is a blog and it’s just my way of commenting on the stark contrast between those who can splurge (and big time!!) and those who can’t. The scene would be a lot rosier if a small part of money spent on modernisation (of the country, of sports, of cinema or whatsoever) went to those who needed them rather than to those who simply employed them. Just so that…even if the poor still say that money doesn’t grow on trees, they get to see, for those whom it does, how the seeds are sown!!!! It would be a beginning, if nothing else and a few people would go to bed with fuller stomachs!

A little serious….the subject today, though it didn’t begin so……But I promise the next will be as much as in contrast as the two groups discussed herein above! Take care all of you.

Till next time, this is slo signing off! Tally-ho!!!!!

A Piece of my Puzzle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello again! Having apologised for my absence and kickstarted the second season of my tryst with blogging, I couldn't rest my fingers with just an "I am back". So here's a more fitting way of saying I'm back!

So what have I been doing this past one year????? Been in my final year at college and like all good things, that too has met its end. Its been a whirlwind year with so many things happening so soon, all one after the other…...youth festivals, college activities, CA exams in between and when time permits, a little bit of studies, and finally the TY exams, the grand finale that ended it all in a single blow!!!!

I have good reason to believe that more people have entered my life in the last year of college than the first two years put together, each in a unique way and for a unique purpose! And being the incurable thinker that I am, I can dig up philosophies where there are none! So "PEOPLE" it is…..my subject of choice to mark my return to the infinite world of blogging!

They say that there is a reason for everything and I believe it too. More so when it comes to people. Each time a person enters your life, it is always for a reason, a definite purpose........The only difference being that some people stay on long after their purpose has been served, to share a lifetime's worth of joys, trials and tribulations! Call them friends, call them angels, brothers/sisters, or whatever else you may fancy, but at the end of the day, it’s a relationship you forge with each person who enters your life, for, even in calling a stranger so, you have only served to give a name, a definition to the relationship you share with someone you don’t know! Like you say “he’s my brother” or “she’s my friend”, so you say “he’s, to me, a stranger”! Where there are people, there is always an interconnected network of relationships whereby each is related to every other!

Going back to people who “enter” your life……….People have been "sent" to you at a time when you may have, unknown to yourself, asked for a companion. They come to fill that void you feel in times of solitude. Sometimes you throw up your hands in despair when in the thick of trouble and pray for divine intervention.....it comes, almost always, in the most humane form, unrecognisable but in response to that silent prayer, to bail you out or to make you see the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel".

Sometimes, people are in your life "JUST BECAUSE"!!!! You can never find out why they came, how they came and when they came for it doesn’t really matter……you feel as if they’ve always been around like the sun and the stars, like you've known them even before you were born. But truth is, there is a reason. They came because of either of two reasons – either you needed them or they needed you! More often than not, it is a combination of the two. A sort of ‘amalgamation’ (Yeah…..I’m proving that I’m on my way to becoming a BCOM graduate once the results are declared)……..between people who come together because they need each other. It’s not the kind of need that says “I can’t live without you”….rather the sort that believes “life is so much more pleasant with you being a part of it”!!!!!!

So why is it that you click with some people and not with others???? Why do you find it so easy to pour yourself out to some people but are completely walled up when it comes to some others??? How is it that it takes but a few moments to “know” some people and a lifetime in the case of certain others???? Surely these are all questions that arise when you talk of people and more importantly, relationships.

Time, as commonly believed, is really not a factor that determines closeness or attachment or any sort of understanding in a relationship in my opinion. It’s the “connection”, as I call it. That man is a social animal is a fact that has been hammered into our head since kindergarten, and that we need people around us who can partake our pie of life is obviously undisputable! Why then, do we have this connection with only SOME people???

Bless the Lord that the mechanism is so, I say! Imagine having a unique connection with every other soul on the planet or, on a more practical ground, with every other person you interact, you’d find your head swirling with entangled cobwebs of the umpteen number of connections…..leading in end to cross-connections and misconnections and network breakdowns!!

Jokes apart, the connection is not related to any scientific theory like “opposites attract”, nor is it by any logical deduction that you “decide” to connect with someone. It’s a more unconscious process. Something that happens by itself when you first meet/get to know someone.

Picture this, you have this sack of puzzle pieces in front of you with no picture to guide you as to its final look. All you have is a single piece to start your puzzle with. How would you go about putting it together (assuming you have ample time and no better job to do of course ;-)!!!!!!!!!) The way is only one….you take out puzzle pieces from the sack, one at a time and see if it fits. If it does, it stays and you can now look for pieces that fit compositely. If it doesn’t, you fling it back into the sack for you know it is one of the pieces that completes the puzzle, only where it fits is the question!

No, I’m not meandering. This is very much part of what I was earlier describing. Our life is the puzzle and each of us is the single piece in our own puzzle, with which we begin putting the whole picture together. All the other people who are, at some point of time or the other, destined to be a part of our life, are the puzzle pieces in the sack. As each one comes into view, the connection is either established instantly as the puzzle piece fits, or cast aside for a time when it will eventually fit in somewhere. I guess you will agree that in a puzzle, some pieces are almost always more important than others initially as they serve to give a clearer picture and help in identifying more connected pieces. For example, if the starting piece has three protruding nodes, then three puzzle pieces are required to fit directly with the original piece making the whole connection appear as a single piece. So also with people…….some connect faster and become one with the original piece, and then the interconnections become easier and quicker. Ultimately the picture is completed and each piece is in its rightful place , as close to the first piece as its position allows.

So our life is a puzzle that keeps nearing completion with every additional piece that fits in! Which brings us back to the very first point of each person coming into our life for a reason……the reason is, in totality, just ONE – people enter our life to complete our puzzle for us! A BIG thanks to ALLLLLLLLLLLL the people who’ve till date entered my life and become an inseparable piece of my very own puzzle…..my life!

That’s all for now but rest assured that the articles will come in think and fast now that the starting problem is solved and the oiling and greasing done with!!!!!!!!

Take care folks……till next time, from slo it’s Tally-ho!

Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everybody.................if ever there'd be an award for the greatest understatement, my saying that "I haven't blogged in a while" would surely take the cake!!!!!!!!!!!! I must admit it's something I've missed sorely but owing to a lot of diverse reasons, laziness being primary, blogging had taken a backseat. But now that I'm back, I'm back for good and hopefully the literary exploits will offer as much, if not more, sugar and spice as they supposedly did in the past!!!!!!

Lots coming up......watch this space!

Tally-ho!

A Question Answered!

Hi Friends,

Hope you'll are all doing well. I am having a blast and just can't seem to get enough of my vacation........its hard to believe that the days have zoomed past and this is my last week of the break, for the time being at least!

It's always gratifying to read comments from friends and to know that they appreciate your work! SO, this is an acknowledgement t0 all those people who bother to regularly look up my blog and go over my writings and let me know what they think of them!

Now, my dear friend Dhiraj, went through the piece "When it's hard to hold on, it's best to let go!" He found a couple of loose ends in the article and wrote to me seeking a clarification! This is what he wrote:

"Well I just wanted to know what do u do once you let go and memories keep coming or sometimes haunting back ??? "

Hmm......thought-provoking! Now this is what I really like....when people dig up loopholes in an article and give me an opportunity to explore the more subtle nuances therein. What follows now is my reply to him!

Now, to begin with, the article that this question relates to is not entirely about memories. It’s more about situations. What was actually intended in the article was to elaborate on a simple age-old blatant truth, which is that - SOME THINGS ARE JUST BEYOND OUR CONTROL. It is more a manifestation of another age-old adage, "What will be, will be!" "When it is hard to hold on, it is best to let go" applies to these circumstances which are supposedly destined and nothing in an average human's power can stop them from occurring. In such cases, you need to relinquish your position, your stand and let nature take its own course, destiny have the upper hand because that IS the best you can do.

Coming to memories, they are an important part of one's existence. They are, more often than not, the driving force behind a person's choices, decisions and prerogatives. It is surely not easy, rather impossible, to let go of them, particularly the bad ones. However, in this case, let go means to refrain from allowing those memories to become a permanent obstacle in one's daily life. To let go means to push them far back into one's sub-conscious mind so that one is not clinging on to them for dear life! Yes, they do sometimes keep coming back, haunting. Even then, you need to let yourself be in control and not get overwhelmed by them. You need to keep letting go each time they come back. Over a period of time, you will find that they don't haunt anymore - even if they DO keep coming back!

And as Dhiraj rightly pointed out, "in course of time, you start looking at the brighter side of all those memories and just move on. And then one day you just look back and say or croon like Bryan Adams "Those were the best days of my life". I couldn't have summed it up better!

Well, that's all for now and I hope this answers any questions any of you may have had regarding the article in question and that I have done due justice to those!

Till next time, from Slo, this is Tally-Ho!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Massacre...

Dear Friends,

Its been ages since I blogged and a lot has happened in the interim period.......my exams, for instance (and that IS a lot!!!!). But now all that is behind me and I am back to what I love most....writing!

If there's anything in the recent past that has affected me more than anything else, it has to be the disaster wreaked by the suicide bomber at Virginia Tech last month. I know its a bit late for me to be writing on that now. Nevertheless, I will add my humble two-pence to the story. 32 people dead (including the killer himself) and so many more injured, it was something that took almost the whole world by shock.

Just imagine.

A student who spoke to her parents the previous night saying everything was fine and she was very happy with the way her studies were going and same with life in general at Virginia Tech. And next day, those parents get to know that she's gone. They'll never see her again, hear her voice again........

Just imagine.

A group of friends who met, planned a get-together on the pretext of combined study. And before they know it, their plan is blown up just as their bodies, into innumerable shrivels, the bits never to be out together and the plan, never to materialize..........

Just imagine.

Professors in the staff room, huddled over a desk making course plans, setting timetables, preparing test papers or simply chatting over some tea/snacks and the next thing they know, they're gone......just like that........in a fraction of a second......like clicking your fingers.......

Just imagine.

The pally twosome walking around the campus cheerfully talking, gossiping, laughing and fighting.......and then bidding goodbye across the ground not realizing that its the last time they'll be doing so or worse still, one of them suddenly seeing the other going up in flames and smoke........

Just close your eyes and imagine all of these................................

The physical damage that has been caused is definitely very costly. Loss in terms of infrastructure, damage to the lawns, the building, etc can be seen and felt. But infinitely more serious damage has been inflicted on the survivors and their mental and emotional stability. The ones who went up in flames suffered for a nanosecond and before they could realize what was happening, they were gone...forever. But the people they left behind were, and indubitably still are filled with a deep sense of loss and a shock that'll continue to haunt them for life.

The parents of the deceased, their close relatives, friends and acquaintances are bound to be consumed by grief but even those they may have never known, the common man like us, is terrified by the event. The prospect of sending a loved one away from us (more so for parents sending their children abroad) suddenly seems frightful.

In the midst of all this comes a second angle to the tale. The killer - Seung-Hui Cho. A person who was subjected to neglect and at the same time made an object of ridicule, who eventually succumbed to his own insecurities and decided to take away a few dozen other lives along with his own. However much we sympathize with this lad (though I must admit I don't in the least), the premise can't be a legitimate one for an act such as this. Whatever it was that egged him on to perform this disgusting act was surely not laudable.

If anything, he was a psychopath who shrouded his instability of the mind by a veil in the nature of a complex insecurity cast upon him by his colleagues at the university in one of the two ways - neglect or ridicule. And he played this trump card making it the supposed motive of his cowardly act.

Whatever the reason, friends, a massacre is a massacre and nothing can justify it. What's done is done and all that remains is a charred legacy of the height of a sadistic psyche. The tragic sight of the bombing will remain with the witnesses and always remind them of how narrowly they escaped, how ruthlessly their colleague had behaved (misbehaved rather!!) and how tragically they had lost their friends.

This post is a prayer for those poor shattered souls that are up in heaven now and for their families who grieve for them and feel a deep sense of bereavement. Amen.

A tear-jerker this one, hope for a happier post next time. Till then, from Slo, this is Tally-Ho!

Testing times......

Hey friends, back again to eat your brains!!!! Well, this time I'm all set to write on a rather heavy topic.......

Now, picture this....

There was this lady who was battling cancer, last stage. And eventually when she lay on her deathbed, she was surrounded by all her near and dear ones - her husband, her 3 daughters, grandchildren, siblings and some close friends. And once the doctor announced that she was critical and battling for her last few breaths, everyone was allowed near her and all of them were in tears. Everyone was saying things like "mom, please don't leave us and go...", "what would we do without you?" and her husband said "how can you do this to me.....you had promised you'd always be there with and for me and all our children..." and stuff like that. None of them were quite empathetic to the fact that she was already miserable and wasn't exactly enjoying what she was undergoing, that she had no control over what was to happen to her in the next few moments; in fact she was in immense pain and struggling for each breath.

Away from this entire scene, her youngest daughter stood at one corner of the room.....not weeping, not saying anything. And then, suddenly but with firm steps, she walked up to her mother. She lovingly took her mother's hand in hers and with her eyes full but the tears not flowing, she said strongly, "Mom, ever since we were born and to this very day, you have always done for us all that was in your capacity and more to make us happy. You have not given us all that we wanted but all that we needed....and that's what has made us the charming and sensible young women we are. You built in us those values and habits that people around us love and respect us for. You have been our best friend who gave us a high five when we were delighted about something, a pat on the back to motivate us and give us strength when things weren't quite going the way we wanted them to, a shoulder to cry on when we were really distraught. Mom, we love you loads. And it pains us greatly to see you suffer like this. We can feel the suffering you are going through. Much as we love you and want you with us forever, it'd never do for us to see you like this everyday of your life." And then she paused to clear her throat, lest she start crying.

Then she said, "Mom, I speak not just for myself but for all of us." Everyone glared at each other wondering what this girl was going to say. She continued, "Mom, each one will tell you a different thing. Each one of us is extremely sad about having to let you go but mom, we realize that its best for you." "Noooooooooooooooooo. What are you saying?" screamed her elder sister. But the girl softly went on without clarifying, "Sometimes, we must realize that when its hard to hold on, its best to let go." And with that she moved behind the crowd of people because she couldn't contain her tears any more. Her mother breathed her last within two seconds, but not before saying, "Thank you, my love, for making it easier for me."

Well, well, if that was sad and brought tears to your eyes, I must congratulate my story-telling abilities! But my intention was not that. Its just the line, "When its hard to hold on, its best to let go".........I'd read this line in Reader's Digest a couple of years ago and it just stuck. I thought.....and still think...that it is a line which gives a lot of strength. At first, it seems like a line that glorifies the act of giving up before achieving anything. But on deeper thought, you realize that it is not so much about giving up as it is about giving in.

What I mean is that sometimes things are simply beyond our control. Like the definition of life goes, "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." Yes, its just that and that's what we commonly call destiny. Call it destiny, fate, God's will or for the atheist and the non-spiritual people among you, simply an occurrence but at grassroots level, and for all practical purposes, its something we have no control over. And after all, that's life......and sometimes, you've just got to give in because some things are just meant to be!

This article is not so much about the sob story that I narrated just now as it is about that one line. I believe it is a line that fits everywhere and that signifies prudence in the stickiest of situations. Let's see how.....shall we??!!

When someone fails an examination, what do we tell him or her in consolation?? We say that its best to put the failure behind and start anew with renewed enthusiasm and effort. Let go of the failure, so to say, and not hold on to it.

When someone has just had a horrible break-up or is fresh from going through a trying patch in their relationship, again, instead of holding on to the gross memories of it, its best to let go and look ahead and better times.

When our favorite sports team loses an incredibly easy match (read India losing against Bangladesh...........LOL!!), what do we do??? Curse them. And then when they come back with a bang (our darling men in blue again!!!), what do we do again?? Hail them!! Why?? Because we don't hold on to their failures!!! We let them go and look at each new game with new hope (so much for our hopes in the ICC World Cup!!!!)

When a 26/7 or 9/11 or 7/11 strike, do we shut ourselves up inside our homes and steer clear of danger or venture out, albeit with a little fear in our hearts but with courage in our head and the determination to not let anything deter our spirit??? Obviously the latter......and that is but a result of not holding on to the memories or the fear or the incident at large but letting go and being strong.

So I said, the maxim applies universally. Why.....may I ask.....why do we need to burden ourselves with excess baggage of past memories, failures, worries when those that life keeps pelting at us are more than sufficient??!!!! I happened to read somewhere......."A man doesn't even live for a hundred years, yet he worries enough for thousand!!" How True!

Just as the age-old principle goes, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", trying times make you stronger. Challenges brace you for the worst but even in those times, we must derive strength from our inner selves and that can happen by not dwelling on the past but by looking ahead, at the bright future in anticipation of nothing less than the BEST!!!!

So let us be like birds, carefree and calm. Let us relieve our self of the excess baggage of sorrow, failure, grudge, worry, guilt and panic that slow us on our journey through life......Lighten our load and be happier people. Let us all learn and practice the principle, "When its hard to hold on, its best to let go!!"

This is it for now pals.....till next time, from Slo, its Tally-Ho!!!

PROUD TO BE A WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone....I'm back for a brief repartee amidst my schedule of exams.....after all, we all need a break don't we?!!

It's International Women's Day on March 8th and before I move on, Happy Women's Day to all the women I know and to the ones I don't know........Let's celebrate our existence and command our worth on a day that's dedicated to us!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we're back to that time of the year again when publications ramble on and on about how eons have passed and women have not evolved. We still continue to be the weaker sex and how we are so easily exploited.........Some small movements and changes are highlighted but unfortunately, the emphasis is always on how we are still inferior to men......

How unfair......how grossly unfair.....We all know that over the years, we surely have uplifted our status and have been steadily climbing up the social ladder. Things have changed for the better and a lot of ancient, almost savage practices have now been rendered redundant. Women have always been hailed as the better half of men. They have shared space on this earth ever since man has been here. Yet, they have always had a raw deal. People talk of equality and elimination of gender bias but let's face it....in our predominantly orthodox social set up, somewhere at the corner of our mind, the bias still exists. Women have never had it easy. In all forms of social extremism, the targets have always been women....be it the purdah system, sati or infanticide. Women can do almost everything that men can and yet, time and again, they need to prove themselves because people just need an excuse to bring about comparisons and underplay the role and achievements of women.

Maybe its time then, that we stopped trying to prove anything to anybody. Maybe we should just live life on our own terms, mind our own business.......maybe we should stop screaming ourselves hoarse that we are equal to men and let them see and sense it for themselves! Having said that, I must add that over the past few years, women have been in the forefront in all fields....from Politics (our very own queen bee Smt. Sonia Gandhi) to social work (Maneka Gandhi), from Science (Kalpana Chawla) to Commerce (Indra Nooyi), from Art (Dr.Sarayu Doshi) to Literature (the recent Pulitzer prize-winner Kiran Desai) to Films (Deepa Mehta....director of the Oscar-nominated Water) to every other field.......and these are just great exponents that I have chosen from a list of women that if completely laid, would never end!!!! These women, by being the very best in their respective departments, have given inimitable respect to our clan and shown that women have what it takes to be 'UP THERE'! (Disclaimer: I have intentionally named ONLY Indian women, not because I am prejudiced but because I reside in India and my literary works are largely in the Indian context, so it only makes sense to name Indians as instances)

In concurrence with the age-old saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", women have always shown that they can very well maintain their calm in trying times and emerge victorious in the gravest of circumstances. It has been often cited how immaculately ambitious women balance home and work.

No mistakes here.......I am not trying to hail 'womankind' as superior to the men folk (though nothing would please me more!!). I am not saying that men are poor old good-for-nothings who simply trudge to work, briefcase in hand, only to return home for dinner. Definitely not! Much as I stand for feminism, I totally respect men for continuing to be the 'breadwinners' since time immemorial. But the fact remains that it takes women a lot more effort to get their due in what is largely a 'Man's world'!!!!!

As a matter of fact, I would say that women are partly responsible for the vulnerable position they'd put themselves in. In olden times, they'd be content with staying shut within the four walls of their home, cooking for the family, being a good wife, a dutiful daughter-in-law and a loving mother. She neither got the opportunities to venture out and build a career, nor did she create them. Over time, it became the norm for women to be sub-servient to their husbands and spend the rest of their life in the shadow of their glory. But no more! Today, we have grown immensely and can proudly claim to be capable of holding our own wherever we go. Women today, are independent and self-sufficent, capable of taking their own decisions, making their own choices and basically, living their own life!!!!

No more are we second to men..........the world can have its own opinion and people can say all they want. But then, no one can make you feel inferior without your permission. If we believe in ourself and strive to reach the top, then nothing anybody says makes any difference......Because after all, when you're at the top, that's all that matters....once you get there, nobody cares whether you're a man or a woman....its the journey that's the true test...........And when we have done it in the past, there's no reason why we can't do it again!!!!

So, this woman's day let's vow to celebrate our existence ......Besides, like I mentioned earlier in this post........its time to stop trying to prove anything to others.........When they can't challenge, they'll tolerate and once they tolerate, eventually they'll have to accept!!!!! So let's save ourselves the trouble of establishing our identity because we've already done that.......more than we were required to!!!!!

Once again.....Happy Women's Day to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers from Slo....till next time, Tally-ho!!!!!!!!

Life is full of challenges.........

Hi Friends......How's life??? All's well at my end.......Have my exams coming up.....first Bcom and then CA.......had a little time on my hands so thought I'll blog in before I get too busy with studies (ahem ahem....I actually got the spelling right!!)

Hmm....so what should I blog about, what should I blog about.......think......think.......think.....and yes.....some more thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, with exams coming up, what could be a better topic!!!

Examinations.............according to the traditional explanation, are meant to test our knowledge on topics and subjects that has been imparted over a period of time, usually a year or a term........But today, its more a measure of who has the emptiest brains........I mean whose brains are empty enough to cram and rote learn the subject matter!!!!!! Atleast at school level, I find this trend to be quite overpowering.................Competition is good.....infact I believe in competition....I believe its what inspires one to work harder and perform better but not to the point of making it the basis on which a child's intellect is judged........not to the extent that the focus is on securing a rank and not on gaining the knowledge.........

It may be argued that if a child does get the marks, it means that he has gained the knowledge.....but I beg to differ on that view and I'll shamelessly admit to the fact that I am testimony to the fact that getting a rank doesn't always mean having the knowledge..........I have seen for myself the difference when I study with all my heart and when I study to secure a rank......When I study with all my heart, sincerity and focus undeterred, I find that I can have a sensible discussion on any topic even remotely related to the subject but then, when the focus is on getting a rank, on being the best, that thought clouds my mind.....in a way, it overwhelms and I find myself cramming up my brain (ahem.....incidentally, I'd like to believe its not empty!!!) and then just studying for examination sake. And then, the very next week, its evaporated........where's the knowledge......gone with the answer sheet!

I am not challenging the institution of examination.....just saying that the system should provide for a fruitful, knowledge-building exercise and not merely picking the one with the highest marks!!!!!!! I understand that designing a perfect curriculum is a challenge and preparing question papers and conducting examinations, an even bigger challenge but here, the onus is on the students to ensure they make best use and take maximum advantage of the examination system.....take it upon themselves to learn, to know and not JUST to achieve a rank.....

Talking of challenges, life is full of them isn't it???? Examinations are one of them....but then, isn't every single day, in some way, an examination?????? The uncertainty of each day, the choices we are always faced with, our dealings with different people, the ever-existent dilemma of to-do-or-not-to-do and to-say-or-not-to-say; aren't all of these decisions that can change the course of our life???? So, by that definition, aren't they all challenges???? Its all about facing these challenges, being strong, coming out victorious, eager to face the next one!!!!! After all, if we had everything so easy, then what would be their value??? Just as without darkness, we'd never know the value of light, without sorrow, we'd never know how priceless happiness is, without disease, we'd never know the importance of good health and without effort, we'd never know what our success is worth!!!!!

Here's a poem on that note!!!!

LIFE'S CHALLENGES

Life's all about challenges, some little, some large;

Some a little easy, some a little hard!!

It's all about being smart and playing well your cards;

All about not giving up, all about being a star!

It's surely not impossible, that is known by far;

Just a little patience with a little will-power!

If everything was so simple, without a hint of harm;

What value would it have, wouldn't it lose its charm?!

Nobody would so much as stretch their arm;

They'd just be satisfied with the lines in their palm!

Everything would be a perfect picture of calm;

There'd be no surprises, no shocks and no alarms!

If we never had to work, strive or serve;

What exactly would we deserve?

If we never displayed a little bit of nerve;

How would we ever know, what lies beyond the curve?

Try as we may, we can ever swerve

Away from the challenges that we're destined to endure!

So we might as well, put on a brave face;

Take on the challenges and put them to disgrace!

Life's all about taking the plunge into the tumultous waves;

Ripping them apart with vigour as well as grace!

Let us, then, with open arms, learn to embrace

Life's mighty challenges, wash them away to leave no trace!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, that's it for now..............Till next time, from slo...this is Tally-ho!!!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!

Hi Friends...............been ages since I blogged.....Gosh! this is becoming one of my standard lines!!!!!

So, before I forget, Compliments of the Season to all my dear friends..........Wish all of you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!! Hmmmmmmmm............New year, new ideas, new thoughts and new blogs!!!!! There's so much more to look forward to, isn't it????

Come to think of it, New Year is the one and only occasion that is celebrated worldwide unanimously (never mind the statewise new years that we have in India during various harvest seasons!!!). But seriously, its a day binding on all the people of the world, when all the world parties and joins hands to bid farewell to the passing year and welcome the coming one with open arms! ( Now please don't ask me how people can join hands and open arms all at once!!!!!!!!)

Why is the New Year so significant??? For most people its not just the beginning of a new calendar year but a day to make various other new beginnings. People always keep cribbing about all the things they would like to change about themselves, all the things that they want to achieve and this is just an excuse, an opportunity, a reason to go all out and do just that. Its also a reminder that one more year has passed. As I was talking to my uncle the other day, he told me this and it just stuck.........that the New year is like a railway station. When I gave it some thought, I realized how much meaning the comparison had. Yes, New Year is like a railway station, where the train of our life halts for a moment and we get to assess whether we are heading in the right direction, how much longer we have to go, whether we are supplied with sufficient fuel and whether we are proceeding as per target!

The birth of a New Year is the rising of a new dawn when we put the past behind us and look eagerly and enthusiastically at the glorious tomorrow that's waiting for us - just around the bend! Practically speaking, all that we talk of as characteristics of the New year - all this fuss about making a new start, looking ahead and all that - could be any other day of the year but then, the unanimity of celebration, the spirit of the occasion would be lost. For many people, the new beginning that they make on New Year's is because they know everyone does so. The making of resolutions, the starting of new habits, the giving up of old ones.....all of these on New year's is simply because, as I said earlier, this day is an excuse to do so! Also, people, in their everyday hurry, do not realize the value of time that's slipping from between their fingers every moment....but when it collects and becomes a year lost, they are jolted to reality and realization dawns that another year has past...........The New year is an AWAKENING of sorts!

New Year would never be the same if people all did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted - in that case, new year would only be the purchase of a new calendar! The whole spirit of New Year is making new beginnings, setting new targets and getting to work towards them - not just partying hard and then, again, waiting for 31st December!!!!!!!!

So, Happy New Year people! Hope this year sees all your most treasured dreams come true (actually, hope you make them come true coz then, the joy is always double of what it would be if it happened automatically!!!). Hope this year keeps you healthy, wealthy and prosperous in all respects and brings you loads of happiness and success...........................

Till next time, this is Slo signing off! Tally ho!!!!!!!

I've Learned...........

I’ve stopped thinking about what to blog and now, just blog in whenever inspiration strikes…….and this time, its struck in a big way…….when I was done with writing this piece, I thought I’ve reached my philosophical zenith!!!!!!!! Read on my friends, and feel free to add your own learnings……My learnings will keep trickling into the blog in very many ways and in sizeable instalments!!!!!!!!!!! So…..fasten your seatbelts and……….whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh!

I’ve learned that you don’t realize the joy of success unless you’ve failed, the power of light till you’ve seen darkness and the value of the best till you’ve seen the worst!

I’ve learned that time always passes at snail’s pace when you want it to whizz past and always hurries ahead when you’re in the mood to relish every moment.

I’ve learned that the best things in life DO last forever – joy and love – and the things that don’t last forever – wealth for instance – are those that we can easily do without!

I’ve learned that if you can’t change something, accept it because there are some things in life that you don’t want to change and some that you can’t change. The former are usually the best memories and the latter, always the worst! But they are all an integral part of our life and there’s something for us to remember from every experience that life gives us.

I’ve learned that if you aim for the moon, you atleast reach the stars; if you aim for the sky, you fall on the treetop! So always set your sights higher than the impossible and then, make it possible.

I’ve learned that everything happens for a cause – the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes the reason is evident, sometimes implied and sometimes hidden. Sometimes it shows itself much later. All it takes is patience and faith. Eventually, out of the darkest clouds come the heaviest rains and after the heaviest showers emerges the most brilliant rainbow!

I’ve learned that the most radiant diamonds undergo the most painful cuttings and sharpenings, the hottest fires demand the maximum coal and the softest teddy bear has the most stuffing – in other words, what comes out is directly proportional to what goes in!

I’ve learned that regret of the past and worry of the future are two great thieves that rob us of our precious today. They bind us in shackles of uncertainty and doubt and prevent us from taking even those risks that might actually be of benefit to us!
I’ve learned that you can disagree without being disagreeable. Politeness always wins hearts and the most hurtful things can be softened by prudent choice of words. So, if you can’t oblige, at least speak obligingly!

I’ve learned that sometimes you can do all the right things and do all things the right way, but still go terribly wrong. Sometimes situations land you in the biggest mess but with the right attitude and by continuing to do the right things and doing things right ( and mind you, the two are quite different from one another!), you can still get the better of situations!

I’ve learned that somethings in life take extremely long and others happen too soon for you to believe, But the former are worth the wait and the latter are to be lapped up and enjoyed!

I’ve learned that even if you go unpardonably wrong, you can still take a detour and start afresh. If you have truly realized your mistake, then its highly improbable that you’ll repeat it even in the face of the mightiest temptations and the stickiest situations!

I’ve learned that people may understand all that you’re saying and still fail to understand you. It could take a lifetime to truly understand a person, his thoughts and his values. Sometimes, its because people get so caught up in their own life that they forget others exist and when realization dawns, the are so tuned to themselves that the other person’s point of view seems downright outlandish!!!

I’ve learned that somethings can be forgiven, some forgotten and some both…but some things can neither be forgiven nor forgotten……. But they can be accepted for the simple reason that “if you can’t change it, accept it”!!!!!! It’s best to realize that with time the wound will heal. Yes, when the wound heals, it leaves behind the scars but the best part is that most of the time, you don’t think of the wound till you SEE the scars…….so I’ll repeat, if you can’t change it, accept it!

I’ve learned that there are some people who will always try to hamper your progress and plant obstacles in your path, people who will be jealous of you for reasons best known to themselves. But the real heroes overcome and overpower the intruders and display their true spirit!

I’ve learned that our elders didn’t become 40 without becoming 20!!!!!! So the experience they have, though slightly behind time, is a classic example for us – we might as well learn from their mistakes rather than our own…..it saves us the remorse if nothing else! Besides, if we must make mistakes, we’d do better to make new mistakes rather than repeat the ones that our elders have made…..so in every way, it does us good to hear our elders out!!!

I’ve learned that there’s something to be learnt from every living creature and everything in nature, irrespective of how big or small it may be. From the tortoise, we learn patience; from the rainbow, we learn unity (remember the song yeh taara from Swades!!!); from the ant, we learn perseverance, from the stars, we learn that we can brighten someone up with just a twinkle; from the elephant, we learn gentleness, that size is not always a determinant of behaviour; from the trees, we learn to stand strong in the fiercest of storms; from the seas, we learn that what we see on top is often quite different from what’s at the base; from the flowers, we learn to give fragrance to the very hand that crushes us; from the rains, we learn that somethings in life are for all to share irrespective of distinctions….just like the rains fall alike on the mountains and the plains, on the flowers and the frogs, on the elephants and the lions and the rabbits and the dogs! It is just as well that there’s something for us to imbibe from every person we come across in life!

And finally, (and this is my favourite learning!!!) I’ve learned that CHOCOLATE can make you feel much better in any situation you find yourself in!!! So my pals…..TUCK IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The deadly fangs of Terrorism!

Terrorism......the art of spreading terror......yes, I call it an art because an art is anything that is possessed only by a few people and I wonder how many people would be daring enough to nonchalantly fool around with the lives of scores of innocent people.

Terrorism......the menace of modern times.....something which makes people unconsciously wonder just as they are leaving their homes to get to work or college or school or wherever as to whether they would be fortunate enough to get back home in a single piece....whether they would ever be able to stare into the face of their loved ones again.

Terrorism......the violent and unreasonable chase of few people to achieve something even they have no clear idea about....something out of which their gain is marginal and yet, what is at stake is their life and the lives of their near and dear ones and the lives of million others.

Terrorism......a wild goose chase for an abstract goal, a gruesome establishment of one's power, a cowardly display of disgraceful nerve/guts/courage (no...not courage....I can't insult that term!), a mark of shame to a nation, a warning for darker tomorrows to the world...........

Terrorism is nothing but spreading unabated terror indiscriminately...........Terrorism is not just about waging wars and fighting fierce battles.....it is an everyday battle that is to be fought by every human being. It is the battle of the mind......against fear....which is why people think twice before stepping out of the safety of their homes....it is a battle that people win everyday and yet, a battle that they are scared of losing eventually.........

Earlier, it used to be a pleasurable experience to pick up the newspaper in one hand, flip through its pages soaking in the previous days events while sipping a steaming hot cup of tea with the other. But nowadays, each day, the newspaper is the same.....some bomb blast somewhere, thousands dead and millions injured......I doubt if people can still take in their tea while reading through reports of such gory episodes....I, for one, can't....and that has nothing to do with the fact that I don't drink tea in the morning!!!!!!!!

Jokes apart, what is our world coming to???? Why are there people out there who get immeasurable joy out of creating discord and disharmony among people and nations???? Hasn't the world learnt from its violent past???? Have the lives of people become so insignificant that they are mortgaged against the minuscule wants of an irrational section of our society???? Isn't there anyone who is answerable to the victims and their families???? Or is it that the ones who are answerable are themselves searching for answers?? Are there no answers to these questions???????

Too many questions?????? I know, but all of them have deserved answers for long enough.......and each time they've been carelessly pushed behind other "more important" issues and left to be tackled as and when the "time comes"! And when will the time come???? I guess everyone knows deep down, whether they accept it or not, that the time has come......not only to answer the questions but to act.........

Its time we realized that we've had two super-destructive World Wars already and the last thing we need right now is a third one. Because this time around, people seem to be more intolerant and hot-headed, the weapons are much much more destructive than what was used in the past and all in all, what is at stake is a lot more than what was at stake in the 1030s-40s. We've survived two World Wars but there are many signs pointing to the fact that should there be a third one, an amicable pact is a far cry.....a near impossibility.....

Let's all sit back, shut our eyes and think for a while......Is this what our forefathers envisaged for us when they fought wars?? Is this is the legacy we want to leave for the generations that are to follow ours???? Then let me tell you, if things go on the way they are now.....there won't be a generation to follow us. The situation is grim, the future....dark all the way.

But again, there's light at the end of the tunnel.....and our aim should be get there as soon as possible. Somehow, I feel that the trouble is in our mind. In my opinion...and mind you, this is only my opinion.......our ancestors, when they fought, fought for peace. And they fought principally for moral purposes.....of course, exceptions have always been there....where we had a Mahatma Gandhi, we also had a Hitler. Where we had a Roosevelt, we also had a Napoleon. But essentially, the ultimate goal was always peace. But today, even the goal seems to be blurred. Half the people fighting their lives at the battlefront do not know what they are fighting for. They have no clue what's going to come out of the war. They fight because they get paid for it...it feeds their family and so they fight.......What is the use of such a war????? People are fighting singularly for their own selfish wants. And if these wants are not satisfied after the war, they will not hesitate to wage another war....and another...and another and the cycle continues.

Its a pity really that we are all witnesses and victims to this modern day war....an everyday war.....each night, we can only thank our stars that we are alive and pray for a similar tomorrow. Unpredictability and uncertainty looms large over our heads at all times. At this time, a poem by Thomas Hardy comes to my mind......it was part of our syllabus in grade 11 I guess....a poem that I always liked but one that holds special meaning to me now that I’m speaking of wars and terrorism........

The Man He Killed
by Thomas Hardy

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,
We should have set us down to wet
Right many a nipperkin!

But ranged as infantry,
And staring face to face,
I shot at him as he at me,
And killed him in his place.

I shot him dead because--
Because he was my foe,
Just so my foe of course he was;
That's clear enough although.


He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
Off-hand like--just as I-
Was out of work--
had sold his traps--
No other reason why.

Yes quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
Or help to half a crown.

*************

How True!!!!! And how unfortunate!!!!! I guess the poem says it all.......War....a meaningless exercise which does a lot of damage and causes a lot of loss.....damage that's irreparable and loss that's irreplaceable.

So, it's time the warring agents put on their thinking caps - and sensible ones albeit!!!! - and decided to give the world a chance to recover its lost glory....leave behind a legacy of good sense, consideration for all and eternal peace instead of miscalculated haste, unreasonable decisions, hatred and discord. In Michael Jackson's words......."Heal the World.....make it a better place...for you and for me and the entire human race. There are people dying, if you care enough for the living...MAKE A BETTER PLACE FOR YOU AND FOR ME!!!!!"

Enough has been said on this for today..probably instigated by the blasts in Mumbai yesterday.......So, signing off now.....

More Later....Till next time, from slo, this is Tally-ho!!!!