The bright yellow saree with flowery pattern clings to her tall slender body, almost exposing her to the imaginative eyes. She wears it, the saree, with grace – her walk measured, her stance determined. Her lips are wide; her smile big – like a Bollywood movie actress, only less assuming. She speaks with politeness, yet determination of a teacher. Her animated hand gestures and a fair complexion can mislead you to think that she could be Italian. Her attire, the controlled manners, and the lowered eyes give away the secret however, that she is Indian. As she walks from guests to guests, she leaves behind a trace of French perfume; she leave behind many turned heads.. Saying just that she is pretty does not do a complete justice.
On her right shoulder she has a flower tattoo – not a real tattoo, no! Her mother would not allow that. It is a kind of tattoo that some kids and teenagers make out of sticky and shiny glitters. She is no teenager, not by any measures except some traces of childish youth left in her heart. She has her own kids aged 3 and 6, a boy and a girl, left for the evening at her mother’s house.
It is a January, a winter weekend. They are gathered for a social evening at her friend house, a mansion actually. The big house stands on the outskirts of Surrey, British Columbia. The sunlight from the west filters through the huge windows accenting the silky curtains that seem to never end, not even when they touch the marble tiles of matching color. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for category Consciousness & Awareness
The fading hue
Feb 1
The Madman
Jan 22
‘The Madman’ by Kahlil Gibran (Khalil Gibran):
You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen,—the seven masks I have fashioned and worn in seven lives,—I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, “Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves.”
Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear of me.
And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top cried, “He is a madman.” I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, “Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks.” Read the rest of this entry »
2012 – Welcome!
Dec 31
Happy 2012 to you and your loved ones!
There is no doubt that time is the ultimate story teller; the time is the father of truth. As time goes by, the reality of everything around us strips down to their true colors.
We talk about passing time or sitting around idle, or killing time; in reality it is the time that kills us in the end. This is nothing new, we all know the importance of time; how precious it is!
Yes, we are overly preoccupied with the time and its passage. We have divided our time into calendars, into a busy schedule to prove that we are not wasting time. We are even double-booked some times! Yes, we have understood the importance of time, we have figured out a way to make the best out of it, so we believe!!
The new years, the new wishes, or the old wishes tweaked a little…this is the beauty of time, the new time. The passing time makes us feel so important, as if we control it.
Of course, we don’t control the time, or the life passing by. In fact, there is no need; there is no need to drag the time, or hold on to the past. So let’s bid a farewell to 2011, already a part of our fading memories.
2012 – a brand new year! We are all wishing for 2012 to be the best year yet! Yes, we always wish for the best out there, otherwise it is not really a wish; nobody wish for a glass half full, or something average.
The old time, the new time, the passing time – all divided into small milestones. 2012 marks yet another milestone!
Let the time fly, let the new year come with its true color as time always does! Let the 2012 come with its own stories about you and me! Oh, and let’s hope that we are wiser than last year – just a bit at least! After all, we learn from our past – the wisdom of time!
Welcome 2012! Hope you bring me the best future out there. Hope you understand my wishes – my wishes to control you and ravage every second of you! 2012, I welcome you into my new calendar that I just purchased; it was on sale!! Read the rest of this entry »
Just a job
Nov 23
He checked his Gmail account again. There were a few more responses to his online resume submissions, basically acknowledging the receipt of the job applications and a promise that ‘your resume is on file for future openings’. He has been getting these meaningless replies for the last one year, since he arrived in USA.
Back home in India, everyone had told him that it was very easy to get an engineering job in America. “You can make lots of money in a few years”, His future father-in-law told him at the time of his engagement 3 years ago. A year after that, he was married to Anu.
He had big dream; after all, nobody dreams small. Once in US, he was greeted by his wife and her family and they welcome him into their home. His old classmates, now living within driving distance, came to visit him.
He was treated like a guest for many months. However, he soon realized, you cannot be a guest for too long. He had to figure out the next step – the job. With all the expenses and cost of living, he needed a job soon. His parents and siblings back home were already calling to check on him; to see when he might send them some money like every other NRI does.
He was very optimistic about his career in USA, so was the rest of his American family – his in-laws. Just like any typical Indian family, everybody was full of advice:
“You can easily find an Engineering job in your field.. no problem for a smart guy like you…”
“There is no shortage of work for Indian Engineers…this is just the fact…”
“You will find something – something good, very soon….”
After a few months, the tone of the advice changed:
“You just need to try a bit harder, maybe try something in lower pay scale to gain some experience…”
“Find a way to get your foot in the door…”
“My cousin started as a technician; now he is the director of engineering…but they are not hiring…”
“You cannot give up…We never give up…”
“You will find something – may be not that good but something… something good….”
The time went by; ‘something good’ was still illusive after a full year of job hunt. Anu was very understanding all along. She had told him that it would not be easy, but he never thought it would be a slow torture like that.
Then the pessimism kicked in… the justification from every side, from everyone:
“Economy is bad…it is not your fault”
“There are no good jobs in this economy…”
“May be you can try something part time…”
“Have you thought about trying something different?…”
“You can work at McDonald’s for now….”
“just start with something, it is ‘just a job’ after all!….”
Yes, there was no shortage of advice and guidance……. Read the rest of this entry »
911 – The Emergency Call
Nov 16
The firm knock on the door made her jump. Even though she was expecting this knock, the police arrived much faster than she had imagined.
She looked at her husband; he was pacing nervously in the far corner of the living room. They exchanged a brief glance – both of them nervous, beyond nervous.
The officer knocked again, this time much harder. Unwillingly, she walked to the door and turned the knob without making a noise.
A tall RCMP officer in full uniform was standing at the door, with his hand cautiously placed on the gun holster.
“Mrs. Sharma?” The officer inquired.
“Yes… Yes!” She said twice; her voice just barely louder than a whisper.
The officer peeked inside the house before actually stepping in. He spotted her husband standing motionless in the far end of the living room.
“Ma’am, I am Officer Wilson; we are responding to the 911 call….the emergency call” He said; he turned his head and looked around the house, inspecting the premises while still standing at the door.
She did not say anything in response.
“Is that your husband? Mr. Sharma?” He looked at her husband with a piercing gaze.
She just nodded, without saying anything again.
“Anybody else in the house? Any kids?”
“No,… my son…. is at school right now.” She responded quickly this time .
“Mr. Sharma, have a seat if you want, I will be with you shortly. “ He said to the husband as he walked towards the door.
“Ma’am, can I talk to you outside?” It was more of an order and she obliged, stepping outside the door. She noticed another officer standing just outside the door – a female office that walked over to her as soon as she stepped out.
“Mrs. Sharma!” Officer Wilson paused, “We are responded to your emergency call.”
She did not say anything in return.
“Ma’am, what happened?” He asked, this time very affirmatively, almost demanding.
“We just had an argument…”
“And..?”
“We just had a fight!”
“Did he hit you?”
“…umm… No”
“Ma’am, I am Officer Lee. We have a reason to believe that your husband hit you. That is what you reported on the phone!” This time, the female officer asked as the male officer stepped back.
She did not say anything in response.
“You don’t need to be scared Mrs. Sharma! The law is on your side. Just tell us, so we can help you!” The female officer said in a consoling tone. Read the rest of this entry »
A tribute to Steve Jobs and his quotes- an entrepreneur, an inventor, a thinker in his own words…
“There may be no greater tribute to Steve Jobs’ success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.” ~ Barack Obama
Steve Jobs, in very simple words, changed the way we go about our work, or the way we think. With innovations like iPod, iPhone and iPad, the man has revolutionized our daily lives.
In real life, Steve Jobs was more than an entrepreneur or an inventor or a business leader. He is the true example of living – the way a life should be.
Steve grew up as an adopted child, raised by a lower middle class family in California. He dropped out of of college after first semester….
Steve Jobs was not an isolated computer nerd or a geek. He looked at the world with a keen eye. He was deeply philosophical during his youth and wanted to study and experience spiritualism. His quest for spiritual enlightenment brought him to India in 1974 summer….
Jobs started Apple with a fellow college dropout Steve Wozniak in the his family garage in Los Altos, California in 1976….
All these tidbits do not justify or summarize the real life of this revolutionary leader and thinker. The spectacular journey of this marvelous inventor is impossible to summarize in a single post. The quotes below give a genuine glimpse into the mind of this great man:
Objective: I’m looking for a fixer-upper with a solid foundation. Am willing to tear down walls, build bridges, and light fires. I have great experience, lots of energy, a bit of that “vision thing” and I’m not afraid to start from the beginning. Skills: That “vision thing,” public speaking, motivating teams, and helping to create really amazing products. ~ From Steve Jobs’s Curriculum Vitae (résumé)
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” ~ Steve Jobs (Stanford commencement speech 2005)
“Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.” ~ Steve Jobs (Stanford commencement speech, June 2005)
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” ~ Steve Jobs
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Steve Jobs, (Stanford commencement speech, June 2005)
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” ~ Steve Jobs. Read the rest of this entry »
An Exclusive interview of ANNAJI – ‘Father of the Modern India’
This post is a guest contribution from Shweta Nagpurkar Saxena, based on her recent interview with Anna Hazare.
The video is an excellent glimpse into the mind of Anna Hazare. This is an unbiased interview with no strings; straight forward questions with straight forward answers including a vital message for every Indian – home or abroad. As always, Annaji’s message carry a sincere appeal for everybody – to love and support your Motherland no matter where you live.
Here is the Youtube link to Shweta’s interview with Anna Hazare!
His message is simple yet powerful. The key takeaway points from the interview, in his own words, are:
1] “The one who lives for himself and dies one day…..dies forever. whereas, the one who lives for others and dies……Lives forever”.
2] “Even animals, birds take birth/ live/ eat-drink and die……then what is the difference between them and us? We Humans should use our brains for the constant development of self and the Nation”. Read the rest of this entry »
Anna Hazare has become a very popular Indian figure – home and abroad. Media is already comparing him to Gandhi. Until recently, very few people had heard of him.
How well do you know this man! Well, know it for yourself. Here is the quiz on this mysterious man:
Quiz 10:
There are many more quiz on this site including the ones on Bollywood; here are some of the links:
Other Quizzes:
- Bollywood Quiz 7: Evergreen playback singers of Bollywood!The quiz is on the all-time popular playback singers of Bollywood!
- Quiz 6 – Kishore Kumar: Bollywood Quiz – Kishore Kumar, the legend : A quiz on the legendary singer – Kishore Kumar
- Bollywood Quiz I:Know your Bollywood?:A Bollywood quiz about old movies of yesteryears!
- Bollywood Quiz 5: The Idiots and a Dog is a recent quiz from January 2010.
Greed or Fear … or Love!
Jul 9
Greed, fear…. or love – Wandering thoughts on our day-to-day behavior
It is very easy to understand this world; well, most of the time. Most of the time, people are selfish and shallow, restricted by the ‘acceptable behavior’ or social norms. Every person tries to be accepted first rather than worrying about accepting others. Everyone tries to blend in, rather than standing out. Very few have the courage to be different.
We are always so eager to point out differences and how to deal with them. We are preoccupied with ‘differences’ and how to treat them, how to react to them. In reality, if you look deep and far enough, no one is really that different unless you treat them differently; that is, unless you discriminate. Knowingly or unknowingly, we often discriminate in everyday life, and then we talk about equality and diversity – perhaps, just to make us feel better, for our own ego. By end of the day, we are all looking for ways to reduce these differences, forcing ourselves and those who are different to blend in! We can blame this all on our own fears or our own ego.
We are not as complicated as we claim to be. Most of our actions are controlled by one of the two motives – greed or fear; and quite often greed and fear. Most of our day-to-day existence is merely limited to our routine stuff, routines that revolve around our greed and fear.
The biggest shackle to our personal progress and freedom of thought is the fear of rejection or the greed of acceptance. That is a reality, freedom of thought is often suppressed by the social norms. Perhaps, that is why we talk about fantasies, dreams and the perfect world… Read the rest of this entry »
Fakebook life or the fake life on Facebook!
Yes, we live online!
Going to the mall to hang out with your friends – that’s so 90s, and so boring! Why bother getting all dressed up and putting up with the traffic, the weather and the real people! Plus, you can only meet a few friends at the most at a given time; not everybody is outdoorsy anymore!
Instead, you can chat with score of your buddies simultaneously, from the comfort of your bed. You can scan their latest status, snoop into others stuff, find out what they are up to lately, what music they are listening to and see if they have added any cool stuff or new pictures to their profiles…. Yep, everybody is only a few clicks away, and you can poke your nose into others’ business at your own schedule – whenever you want, whenever you feel like.
It is true Facebook is a great social networking tool to keep in close contact with your friends and family ,and to mingle with your friends online. It is a convenience of modern days that overrides the necessities to go meet anyone at the coffeehouse or in the mall. You don’t have to leave your bed if you are feeling lazy; nobody needs to know what you are doing in real life’. After all, it is your life and you can portray it online whichever way you wish. You can even pretend; you can be something that you always wanted to be but could not in real life! That is what many do on Facebook.
It is human nature; you share only the good stuff on your facebook wall. You can have your status say something elite, something funny, something wise. You can share something cool or something that will make your friends jealous. You can make something up – something that you wish! Even if you are being yelled at by your mother, you can type in your fake status about enjoying the day at home! Nobody needs to know, you can pretend, nobody needs to know real you!!
It is our nature, we like to show off, if we can! And there is no better tool than Facebook to pretend and to be someone else, to be fake!
Nobody admits it and perhaps many don’t even realize that the online portrayal is far from who we really are. We often display and show off as who we want to be, not who we are! In the process, we end up creating an online persona that is far from reality. Read the rest of this entry »
This one is juts plain weird!
“Do you know what schools I’ve been to? How well-educated I am?” A picture is worth a thousand words; how about a video!!
Here is an incident involving a brown woman traveling on New York’s Metro North train, recorded by a fellow passenger. Obviously, she is telling the train employee that she is too “well-educated” to be told to quiet down and not use profanity on her cell-phone. The video shows the employee explaining to another employee that she asked the passenger to stop using the “F-bomb” in her cell-phone conversation. The train employee happens to be black.
The whole thing is sad and the attitude of this ‘self-claimed well educated’ woman is somewhat strange, to say the least. You can watch the video on the YouTube here:
We don’t know if she went to Harvard or Yale, or even if she is really Indian, but the internet is buzzing with all kinds of comments and interpretations. Noting that she has looks of a south Asian or Indian American woman, the observations range from ‘a plain idiotic’ to ‘a class issue’ to ‘a racial discrimination’.
Here are some of the comments (warning: some comments include adult language):
“…a case of interactions between blacks/browns based on perceived differences in socioeconomic status. Some sociologists do attribute that to “white-washing” and differentiating oneself from “them”…..”
“What we have here is a brown woman who thinks being rude to a black woman is going to make her less brown….”
“THIS LAND IS THE WHITE MAN’S LAND…”
“These INDIANS are coming over, taking American jobs, getting a chance to leave their wretched country for a better life…..and on top of that they have ATTITUDE!”
“it’s really sad that you got thumbs up for your bigoted comment when a) you don’t know if she is indeed of Indian descent and b) she obviously is American yet you’re the kind of mouth-breading cocksuckers who tell people to go back to a country with which the only thing they have in common is ethnicity. She’s a bitch, sure, but she doesn’t speak for women, ivy leaguers, Indians, or wherever the f* you think she’s from. Crack a f*ing book sometime.” Read the rest of this entry »
Human relations are complicated by nature; there is always something deeper, something more than meet the eye. Inter-racial relation are even more complex, even though they have been around for ages.
A previous article discussed Why white women find desi or Indian guys less attractive?. Now, ask the guys from India about White woman. No matter what these white women think about the Indian guys, the desi dudes hold no grudge against them. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
So, why is it that Indian guys find white women more attractive? There is no simple answer; at least nobody admits that it is so black and white – or should be say ‘brown and white’!
1. Fair skin attraction – First thing first, it is a culture thing that Indians prefer fair skin, especially on a woman. Many attribute this to Bollywood where almost all the leading actresses have milky complexion, but fair skin preference goes way back, even before black-and-white flicks took over India cinema. Many of the matrimonial advertisements often include ‘fair skin’ mention or requirement. The white women win hands down, if you just go by the skin color. So, this is good first impression, to start with! The fair skin criteria goes beyond the Bollywood actresses, and is common among all India cultures – home or abroad.
2. Stronger sense of independence – Compared to an Indian woman raised in an Indian society, a white woman from West is much more independent and self-reliant. In western culture (Western, as in Europe and America, not as in cowboys), the women have much more say in their personal decision-making compared to India society where families dominate and control women’s upbringings.
3. Less family control - This is more of a continuation of previous point. The indian women are often controlled by the family in many important aspects of their life, including selecting a life-partner. So, the family interference is much more in the case of Indian women, and this is a turn-off for many guys – even by desi standard! Read the rest of this entry »
My new home…
May 30
Home is the earliest memory of my childhood;
Where I learned to walk and run.
Home is where I was taught everything;
To stand by myself, to stand for others.
Home is where I took shelter;
After picking up a fight with kids bigger than me.
Home is where I always ended up;
When I was tired, hungry or thirsty.
Home is where I learned the meaning of pride;
Home is where I understood humility.
Home is where I needed no welcome mat;
Home is where I took things for granted. Read the rest of this entry »
Ten tip on how to improve your body language
The body language plays a key role in day-to-day communication. Body language includes non-verbal communication such as body posture, gestures, facial expressions and eye movements.
Depending on the circumstances and who you talk to, the body language will differ. However, here are some important tips on how to improve your body language for effective communication:
1. Make eye contact, but don’t stare: Make eye contact while speaking or listening but not too much. Too much eye contact may look like staring and may distract the other person. You can find a happy medium with practice.
2. Relax your body, don’t fidget: Relax, don’t be nervous. Maintain a relaxed pose instead of all stiffened up. Avoid or minimize fidgety movement and nervous ticks. Do not shake your leg or tap your fingers against some surface.
3. Maintain some distance: In many cultures, people get too close or even all touchy feely. If other person starts to step back, you will know that you are invading his/her space. You can lean forward to make a point or listen, but don’t be in other person’s face.
4. Smile: Smile when you meet someone or when you start a new conversation. Don’t be overly serious all the time. Smile frequently to show a likable attitude. However, don’t maintain a constant smile on your face, it may look fake. You can laugh if it makes sense but too much laughing may look odd.
5. Hand gesture: Use your hand gestures to stress your points or opinion but don’t overdo it to the point that your gestures become distraction.
6. Don’t cross your arms or legs: Crossing your arms all the time makes you look too defensive. This is habit in some cultures and you can improve upon it by practicing.
7. Mirror: If you mirror other person’s body language during a conversation subconsciously, it means that you are connecting. You can use reverse thinking and consciously try to mirror the other person to show that you are connecting. You have to be sincere, however; otherwise it will look fake and odd. Read the rest of this entry »
