Rishta - Unka Hamaari Peedha Se - Part 2

Following the mail exchanges, here's another contribution to the Peedha, by - well, let's just call him - The Sun...

Sab ko hai apne apne trackeron se pyaar!!

Kartey rahtey hain hum pur nirantar atyaachaar!!

Attrition, Goal setting, PMS yeh to ab hain hamaare sah parivaar

But iss chakkar mein kaise bhool gaye voh hiring trackers ka avtaar..

Jo hasaatey rulaatey bhagaatey tadpaatey..

Kabhi business to kabhi region se dilvaayey queries or formats ki bauchaar!!

Mere pyaare HR ke mitron..

Kar rahey hain hum log apnee strategic competencies build..

Employee engagement in this day and age is

Very much like a band aid while Taliban and NATO are getting killed..

Hai hamaara apna nirantar sapnaa..

Hiring ka mantra to hai raat din japnaa.

Stambhit aur bhramit ho gaye;

Krodhagni mein jala ke..

Hamarey human engagement ke basics ko hila ke..

In trackeron ne kiya hamey ek baar phir dharashayee..

Humaree saasein hain ghabrayee..

Himmat hai sharmaayee..

Data compiling ability hai hadbadai..

Ab aap hi bole.. hum karein ki na karien compile!!

Yeh sab kartey, jeetey martey na kiya kuch bhi itnaa enjoy..

Jitna Ms. B & Ms. Dewdrop ke poems ka dhamaaka.

Thakengey, rukengey ladengey marenge chahey jo tracker maango voh bharengey..

Bus in return kabhi kabhi yeh poems denaa bhej..

Taaki hum bhi ruk ruk kar dukh dukh kar hotey rahein encourage!!

Kyon bhai... theek hain na for our vintage??

Rishta - Unka Hamaari Peedha Se

Warning : This post is going to be in Hindi (and I'll translate it for the benefit of all).

The Background : In my company, there are multiple trackers that we use extensively, to track progress on deadlines, update of recruitment numbers etcetera. Off late, my colleague and self have been creating a number of trackers for certain projects that we have rolled-out, much to the peedha (pain) of my counterparts in HR. The West Team decided (in all humour) to put their peedha in words today...

Reproduced below is the poem they sent to us (South Team) :

Jab se Dewdrop ka Induction (in HR) hua hai,

Pre-inductees ka FORCED business interaction shuru hua hai.

(From the time DewDrop has joined HR, new recruits have been forced to have interactions with Businesses)

Pehle jab kabhi hote the Open house;

Aur Business se HR milta tha jaise someone meeting an ex-spouse,

(Previously, during Open Houses, HR used to meet Business akin to meeting an ex-spouse)

Par ab aalam aisa hai –

Ki HR aur Business ka milna – arranged match se peedith, maa-baap se forced;

Kisi ladki/ladke kii potential se lagaatar meeting jaisa hai.

(But now, the situation is such that HR meets business akin to those girls / guys who are pained by arranged marriages and are forced by parents to meet their potential life-partners)

Jaise shaadiyon ka season saal bhar aata jaata hai,

Thanks to apni Dewdrop, – waise hi panchang jaise ab interaction calendar with THICK PPTs aata hai.

(Marriage season comes throughout the year; similarly, Dewdrop sends us interaction calendars and thick PPTs)

Har baar hum wonder karte hain,

Par naa chaahate hue bhi interaction tracker dekar surrender karte hain.

Par ek khayaal phir bhi dil mein har baar aata hai,

Itni globe maarne ki kshamata aur ppt banaane ka patience bhagwaan Dewdrop ko kahan se deta hai.

(We wonder each time but even though we don't want it, we fill trackers and send them across; however we wonder where does Dewdrop get the potential to give such global gnyaan and patience to make PPTs)

PAR BHAIYON AUR BEHENON-

Yahiin nahin hota khatam yeh kissa,

Aaisi aadatein acquired aur communicable hoti hain-apni South HR Team proof hai iska.

Dewdrop agar performance management ki hai Devi,

toh not far lagging behind is D – our V ‘MAHA’sveta devi.

Kyunki Dewdrop ka atyaachaar toh spurts mein – saal mein ruk ruk kar aata hai,

D ka V toh poora saal hi hamein marwaata hai ( yeh dekho aayi ek aur mail).

(It doesn't end here. If Dewdrop is the Goddess of Performance Management then D is the MahaDevi of V - an HR engagement initiative; Dewdrop's torture comes in spurts but D's V is there to haunt us throughout the year (Look, here comes another mail from D!!!)

Abhi kahan chal diye’ – rukiye rukiye’

Who kaise bhool sakte hain hum,

Who wahi atyaachar joh hum par karte’ hai (now not available) SHBniam.

(Wait guys, where are you'll off to... How can we forget the person who used to torture us so much - SHB)

De dana dan mails aur database cleanup aur ab joining process/ exit process/ confirmation process…wagerah wagerah cleanup mein pehle phansaata hai,

Aur us paar who hans hans kar zor zor se ….aisa lagta hai hamara mazaak hii udaata hai ( karo karo abhi aur bhi hai…types)

Bhai soch soch kar ghabraate hain hum,

Kahaan se laate hain yeh sitam karna ka itna dum.

Hum peediton ka toh kya hai – jaise kaise karte hain,

Par yeh South team ke praani ek cheez toh definitely deserve kartehain…….

(We wonder where do they get such powers to torture us so... we poor souls have no way out except to give in and do the job but the South Team definitely deserve one thing - The Oscars!)

JAI HO!!

To this, I responded thus (On the music of Rock On's Meri Laundry Ka Ek Bill...) :

Humare Trackers Ke Lists,

Badle mein humein milte hain Fists

Bosses Ke Data Numbers,

Jo ban jaate hain Trackers

Pichhle mahinon mein humne aaplogon ko sataye

Kabhi Khud Pe Hanse Aap

Aur Kabhi Khud Pe Roye…

(Our list of trackers only invite the angst from other teams... Our bosses' quantitative targets get converted into trackers... In the last few months, we have pained you'll a lot...At times you'll must have laughed on yourselves, and at times cried)

Kaise Bhulein Aaj ka Din Jo Aaya

Kisi Ne West Team ka dimaag Khulwayaa

Kaisa Pal Tha Jis Pal Unhonein taareefon bhara mail humein paadvaya…

(How can we forget today when the West team sent across their mail full of praise for us)

Humari itni si intejaa hai aapse…

Humari bhi pareshaniyan samaja kijiye…

Hum bhi trackers ke bhoj se dooooooob rahen hain…

(Our only request to all is to understand that we too fill the trackers we create and are drowning in them as well)

Ye toh trailer hain doston…

Aap logon ke Hosh Bhi Kho jayenge…

Dil Bhi Kho jayenge

Kabhi Khud Pe Hansenge Aap,

Aur Kabhi Khud Pe Royenge

(This is just the trailer, my friends... )

Trackers ki bauchaar abhi baaki hain mere yaaron… (On the lines of SRK's dialogue in OSO - Picture abhi baaki hain mere doston)!!!

(It will rain trackers soon, my friends!!! )

Honest Scrap Award

I've just been awarded the Honest Scrap Award by Amal. And just like him, I'm very excited about my first e-award online! Thanks Amal!

I need to fulfill some requirements before I can pass this along to another fellow blogger. To quote from Amal’s blog, here are the requirements:

'This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog’s content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant.

When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have seven friends. Show the seven random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with Honest Weblog. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!'...

I have, in Tag Two, jotted down 25 things about myself... and believe you me, they are all honest!!! :)

But to honour this award, let me write down 10 more honest things about me (and since the rule involves bragging, I'll quote some of the things my friends have written about me at various occasions) :

1. She is one of a kind who makes you wonder if anything at all can be wrong with the world! Nothing can ever stop this ever-so-optimistic and order-freak once she sets her mind on something!

2. Always smiling and always on the go, she is an epitome of sincerity and being on time.

3. She is one hell of a conversationalist who also loves dishing out sound advice.

4. What I like most about her is, the unique ability to view things in an unbiased way,being blatantly frank and yet her very own caring self...

5. Lots of laughs n a naughty smile that keeps u guessing what’s on her mind, n possibly the only one I have ever known to live life by her very own terms!!! If life could be called a roller coaster ride, having her along sure makes the ride worthwhile!!!.

6. The first thing that you'll notice about her is her smile! She comes into the room and flashes that close-up smile of hers and everyone's got to notice her at once (you attention seeker you!!!!). Shez so chirpy she lights up the room with her smile that reaches her eyes...

7. When she's excited, I really start to wonder where she gets all that energy from. She'll simply go on and on and on...really luv her for that!!! She's tough on the outside but inside she's a real softy...

8. She's someone everyone can relate to...and even if you've just met her, you feel like you know her for ages. A person with whom you can share absolutely everything, she's one of the bestest fundooest most TP person I know... a true blue bong who cant sing rabindra sangeet as good as sidey govinda nos....

9. She appeared in Page 3 of Telegraph once!!!

10. Frank, straightforward, matter of fact, simple, having a zest for life, perennially happy... GOOD PERSON!!

There, I've done it... completely, whole-heartedly (and shamelessly!!! ;) ) bragged about myself...

Now, to keep the award going, I would like to pass it on to the following :

Sayesha : I love the way she articulates her thoughts - very simply and genuinely... love her blog!

Neha : She's a wonderful person and I love her free spirit...

Greatbong : Love his blogposts - the sarcasm, the wit, the humour... downright honest!

Mehreen : I find her blogposts straight from the heart...

Meera : Cute Blog

Akanksha : Completely floored by some of her 55-fictions!

Pri : I like the way she thinks!

Life - In 4 Photographs!

Read this recently - HAD to share it...

First Pic :

Break of Dawn - New lease of life, embarking upon a New Voyage...
A Child Flying Kite - Young Blood, Aspiring to Fly High with Enormous Zest and Zeal... The sky is the limit...
A Small Tree - Need to Nurture...
Two Birds Hovering Above - There are the people around you to take care of you, nurture, nourish and protect you.

Second Pic

Daylight - You are almost half-way through the journey of Life
Couple - You have a better half with you to lean on and speak your heart out to.
Grown-up Tree - You have been nurtured to be able to stand tall and rigidly to face the storms which otherwise would have let you down.
Small Tree - You have brought a new life into the world
One bird hovering above - There are comparatively less people around you to take care of you, unlike the wonder years of your childhood.

Third Pic :

Fall of Dusk - Twilight is setting upon... Life has come a full circle.
An Old Man & Aging Tree - It is a race against time now... the beginning of the end of the journey...
Grown Tree - Your kids have grown up... it is time to set them free and support them with love and care rather than clashes.
One Bird - Self explanatory, I guess...
Grave - In the course of the journey, you have lost loved ones and you too start anticipating your ultimate fate and destiny...

Fourth Pic :

Nightfall - Journey has come to an end... Darkness is looming and it is time to bid aideu...
Starry Sky - There is still happiness around... thanks to the good work put in by you and your memories...
Grown-up Tree - Your children are walking in your shoes now; living their lives and drawing inspiration from your life...
Grave With Two Crosses - You are united with your soulmate... you now Rest In Peace...

Immortality

...
Immortality
I make my journey through eternity
I keep the memory of you and me inside

Fulfill your destiny,
Is there within the child,
My storm will never end,
My fate is on the wind,
The king of hearts, the joker's wild,
We don't say goodbye,
We don't say goodbye,
I'll make them all remember me

This is one of my favourite Celine Dion songs - Immortality.

Some things are immortal… Blogs, for example, keep you alive, long after you have gone... so do books you have authored, music you have written, movies you have made... lives you have touched.

It is such a beautiful way to stay connected with people, isn't it? After all, there is nothing so binding as shared experiences. Whether it is through our work or our craft, we touch so many lives and the moments just live on, long after you are gone. Today, when I read the books of authors long gone, I can still imagine the era they tried to capture in their writings, the magic they tried to weave in their words... when I listen to music, I picture in what moment of inspiration would such beautiful lyrics and tunes have got composed... when I read blogs, I can relive my life moments through the eyes and words of others - people who I've never met and yet share so much similarity with.

I think that is what we all are primarily here to do - spread smiles and cheer and become evergreen in the lives and hearts of as many people as we possibly can.

Ye Naam Mein Kya Rakha Hai...

Let's be clear about one thing from the very beginning - I love my name. It's unique - I work in a company which employees over 3 lakh employees and there are no employees with whom I share my complete name.

And then I got married - but happily, I didn't go through a name change. Although I think it is a matter of personal choice whether one should change one's name or not, here are my two bits and four pennies worth reasons why I think one should not be compelled to :

1. I love my name and I guess so do most women. It is a part of our identity and who we are. Does the identity of the bride remain in only her hubby's surname?

2. Why should the bride adopt her hubby's last name? or middle name? or any name other than what she has lived with for the last few years? Understand that she is married to you, but so are you to her. So why should only she make the transition?

3. There are so many times when I have gone through my facebook / orkut friend list and found that all of a sudden, the first name sounds familiar but the last name doesn't and if there are no snaps in the profile, I have to start making educated guesses about whether she is THE ONE I used to know in school / college!

4. I believe changing bank signatures, passports, driving licenses and other paraparnalia is a big pain, just because your in-laws / hubby want to address you by their name!

5. We get married today, more often than not, once we have already laid the foundation of our lives, have a career and earned financial independance and self-esteem. Is this the only way we need to prove our love / respect to our in-laws / hubbies?

... and finally, my name is my business. I am the only one who has the right to decide what it should be. It is simply a matter of personal choice. I may be someone who loves my maiden name or someone who would happily take up my hubby's surname because I love it / think it is MY way of showing love and respect for the family / I like to follow traditions... But, in a civilized society, I should not have to justify my choices to anyone. I should not have to explain why I retained my maiden name or changed it. That’s my business.

Wordle!!!

Just read up on a really cool application here - one of my favourite creative writing blogs.





This is what I created from my blog post - 31 Reasons Why I Love You

You can make yours too! Check this link out - WORDLE!

The Cutting Edge

There must be something in traditional women's chores that lures men to take them up professionally. Or else, how can you explain the exemplary success that Pandit Birju Maharaj, Shiamak Davar and Sanjeev Kapoor have achieved in professions like dance and cookery, which, as any match-maker will tell you, are a 'traditional woman's' claim to fame. Is it the thrill, fascination or a fat pay packet that is the calling card, I wonder! Seems like the battle of the sexes may finally be coming to an end with both men and women, willing to take on each other's roles. About time too, especially in the lives and times of the career-oriented Indian youth.

It could be because of interest. Men make better chefs because it's a man's job - maybe preparing bulk meals, handling the tandoor, are all very formidable tasks. It is not easy for women to put in such hard manual labour and late working hours. But I think since men are not under pressure to learn cooking as a daily task, it becomes almost a creative option for them. But in this age of DINK (Double Income No Kids) couples, men are increasingly making their presence felt in the kitchens too. In addition, the hi-tech kitchen appliances available at every nook and corner are only popularising the phenomenon. With ready-to-eat food items and easy-to-use appliances, cooking is hardly a difficult job anymore.

Men love kitchen gadgets which do half the work, like a good food processor. Fair enough. So do I. Most women don't. For some strange reason, women of a certain age love to toil and slave with blunt knives and old vessels to prove how hard they have been working. In some cases I agree. By the time you get the tomato slicer out, wash and clean it, you might as well have cut the thing with a knife. But today's cool men need their basic tools, in working order. Cool men also love a nice looking kitchen, not one that looks straight out of a Victorian novel (what the English used to call a `scullery') of a Siberian labour camp. They love quick recipes, easy shopping and like to see a smart table with smart accessories.

Enter a five-star kitchen and you find it bustling with men. Surf the channels for cookery shows and you find more of them, either hosting it, or handling the ladle themselves or simply adding a dash of their very male appeal. While cooking might be considered a woman's domain when it comes to cooking on the tele, all one finds is men. Celebrated chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor and Rakesh Sethi have wooed viewers with their stylish cooking skills. A potful of good-looking models and actors have hosted or co-hosted cookery shows. Hunks like Upen Patel, Sudhanshu Pandey and actor Aly Khan have all tried their hand at it. As it is women who watch these cookery shows it is obvious they would like to watch a good-looking guy. Besides, what's new about a woman working in the kitchen? It's kind of sweet to see a man chopping vegetables and handling the pans. And as far as professionalism is concerned men cook for money and women cook for love!

Bhalentine Day - Bengali Way

With Valentine Day just round the corner, could not resist putting this up... Had read it a few years ago...

In Bengali,

Tumi (pronounced too-mi ) means You and Ami (pronounced aami means I)

Tumi samudra ami aranya, tumi Amit ami Labonya;
(You are the sea and I am the forest; You are infinite and I am beauty)

Tumi bhugal ami itihaash, tumi Paro ami Debdash;
(You are Geography and I am History; You are Paro and I am Devdas)

Tumi Closeup ami Colgate, tumi Romeo ami Juliette;

Tumi Makaibari ami Wah Taj, tumi Shajahan ami Mumtaz;

Tumi Thuja ami Arnica, tumi Clinton ami Monica;

Tumi chiruni ami ayna, tumi Dodi ami Diana;
(You are the comb and I am the mirror)

Tumi bulbul ami tota, tumi Jyoti ami Mamata;

Tumi dherosh ami alu, tumi Rabri ami Lallu;
(You are the lady's finger and I am the potato)

Tumi ucche ami potol, tumi Soniya ami Atal;
(You are a type of bitter gourd and I am parwal (a type of veggie)

Tumi chips ami popcorn, tumi Phulan (Devi) ami Birappan (Veerappan);

Tumi jilipi ami chumchum, tumi Suchitra ami Uttam;
(You are jalebi and I am chamcham)

Tumi hajmi ami toffee, tumi Boris ami Steffi;

Tumi khyal ami gazal, tumi Shahrukh ami Kajol;

Tumi CBI ami greftaar, tumi Sangeeta ami Azar;

Tumi Santro ami Ciello, tumi Desdemona ami Othello;

Tumi mach ami mangsho, tumi srishti ami dhangsho;
(You are fish and I am mutton; You are creation and I am destruction)

Tumi Ajit ami Mona, tumi Sourav ami Donna;

Tumi elish ami parshe, tumi Pheluda ami Topse;
(elish and parshe are types of fish)

Tumi dhakna ami shishi, tumi Katthak ami Orissi;
(You are the cork and I am the bottle)

Tumi Sholay ami Bazigar, tumi Minar ami Chabighar;

Tumi boma ami grenade, tumi Mahakaran ami Brigade;
(You are the bomb and I am the grenade)

Tumi Only Vimal ami DCM, tumi Congress ami CPM;

Tumi Raju ami Gopal, tumi Bharat ami Nepal;

Tumi galpa ami kobita, tumi Aishwariya ami Susmita;
(You are story and I am poetry)

Tumi OK ami fine, tumi aniyam ami ayeen;
(You are OK and I am fine; You are illegal and I am law)

Tumi bangla ami hindi, tumi tip ami bindi;
(Tip and Bindi mean the same thing)

Tumi uttejona ami kolahol, tumi cricket ami football;
(You are excitement and I am chaos)

Tumi jhamela ami gandagol, tumi Pk ami Amol;
(You are nuisance and I am disturbance)

Tumi gur ami chini, tumi hulo ami mini;
(You are jaggery and I am sugar)

Tumi gaja ami khaja, tumi Rani ami Raja;

Tumi botua ami pouch, tumi oof ami ouch;

Tumi babbah ami mago, tumi hyago ami ogo;

Tumi superb ami glory, tumi lekho ami pori.
(You are superb and I am glory; You keep writing and I will keep reading)

Kabhi Khud Pe Hansa Main... Aur Kabhi Khud Pe Roya

Notice the number of times your parents / grand-parents have told you that the Television is an 'idiot box'. I've always wondered whether it is correct to brand something so universally when it can be a source of entertainment and knowledge. But I realized how much wisdom our ancestors held when they uttered these two words, when I switched on IndiaTV and saw the following report :

Oh why not? Aliens have travelled billions of light years to drink delicious cow's milk on their long journey back!

And who can forget 'The Great Khali' - his loss became the breaking news in this (in)famous news channel. Incidently, a train got derailed that day, taking its toll of human lives and public property, and (not) surprisingly, IndiaTV chose the loss of great Khali to be their "breaking news"!

There are Bush Bloopers and then there is IndiaTV. One is harmless and humorous; the other spreads panic and fear psychosis. It thrives on the darker sides of people - fear, superstition, magic and supernatural. Being a Hindi news channel, the reach is wider as compared to other news channels. And when a "TV Channel" provides such information, people tend to believe. With a number of channels vying for TRP, there is cut-throat competition and a lot of them have gone the tabloid way. Their coverage and reportage of various news events tends to be often sensational and irresponsible.

In fact, a glance at their career section gives the following : INDIA TV, fastest growing news channel is looking for people who believe in justice and the power of truth. Who believe that every single evil existing in our society must be exposed and every single truth revealed. People who believe that there are many more battles to be fought, within our own society. Join India TV in its mission.

Bah!!! And they believe that they are 'exposing' aliens and revealing truths about ghosts on trees, tormented souls in wells and possessed witches in villages.

And if IndiaTV takes the cake for toxic reporting, Star News (Hindi) takes the cake for frivolous reporting. Dig this...



This type of journalism is called Yellow Journalism - journalism that exploits, distorts, or exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers.

In fact if these (and other) Hindi news channels are to be crucified, the English ones need not be crowned either.

Remember AbhiAsh wedding... every single news channel made this a HUGE affair - the BIG FAT INDIAN WEDDING, if I may call it... I'm sure it is imperitive that every citizen knows what breed of horse did Abhi ride, what was the colour of Ash's mehendi, what kind of clothes they were wearing...

And of course, the Mumbai - Taj terror attacks. Every angle, every nook and cranny was covered by media persons - perching precariously on the roof-tops of adjacent buildings, reporting 'Live' the entry of our armed forces, the exact position of the army helicopters, the number of commandoes, the number of trapped victims rescued, which exits were unmanned, which vehicles were being used to take people to safety - the horror of it all was magnified manifold. Is it too far-fetched to think that the terrorists will use the media - television, internet - to glean information on the activities of the armed forces? Insensitive questioning by the likes of Barkha Dutt to the relatives and friends of trapped victims has come under intense criticism from all sections of society.

Our news media has become derelict in its obligation to the society to serve as a platform to voice citizen concerns and shape public opinion, and has lost its moral authority as a watchdog of the administration and establishment.

So what is the way out? The ideal solution would be regulation and censorship by the government / responsible body but this puts a serious curb on freedom of expression and could lead to interferences which are undesirable. The best way out then is self-regulation and self-censorship - a need for a complete restraint in the mindless chase of sensationalism and importance and focus on good journalism. It is, after all, one of the last and most influential and far-raching bastions of our democracy.

Yaaron dosti badi hi haseen hai...

With the extended weekend and hubby down with cold (yeah, he can catch a cold in the hottest of weathers), I took up the daunting task of cleaning the bookshelves. We both are ardent readers and consume atleast two books a week each, in addition to the magazines, newspapers, e-papers and blogs. But I digress... So, as I was cleaning, I came across a bunch of albums - my school days' photographs. All thoughts of cleaning flew from my mind as I opened them to relive and cherish the priceless childhood memories...

I loved to play 'House-House' with my elaborate kitchen-set. Even while my bro was very young, I used to make him the Man of the house, give him an empty brief-case and send him to office while I took the skins of peeled veggies from my mom and would cook meals, hang clothes to dry on ropes tied between windows.

I had (and still have) this childhood friend of mine (let's call him H). Now, H was in my school and while returning home, we would hand our school-bags to our mothers and run off ahead, climb the staircases of other buildings and hide till we would see our mothers pass from below. Then we would race ahead and surprise our mums by hugging them.

We played in mud but didn’t catch any germs; played in the pool but didn't catch a cold... It used to be a regular feature for both H and me to try and beat each other in swimming.

H used to have these birthday parties with the most awesome 'Aam-Raas' (Mango pulp / juice) I'd ever eaten. His birthday would also have the most craziest of punishments for 'Passing - the - Parcel' - climb a tree, drink 10 glasses of water, jump over the gate etc.

In school, the last period of the day used to feel like the longest. We used to eagerly wait for bell to ring & to run off to the play-ground / auditorium to play. PT (Physical Training) periods used to become TP (Time-Pass) for all of us.

We used to write in the best of our hand writing only to get a star in the class work copy.

I used to play a lot of DOS games. PC-MAN, BRICKS were my favourites.

I have played dozens of pranks. We were a group called Chunky-Monkey' group - a gang of sorts and we used to have immense fun.

It was a matter of pride to become the monitor of the class. And I was the undisputed monitor from Standards three to ten since I was one of the most talkative student around.

We used to be the happiest when teacher wrote those four words in our diaries -Tomorrow is a holiday. It was the best purpose of the school diary.

There are lots of memories where these came from... Vibrant, energetic, innocent and pure fun - school days were some of the best days of my life.

24 Carat Necklace...

Do you remember Slam Books - the ones which have these standard questions (What is your favourite colour / movie / food...) which we used to pass to friends in school / college to capture details and memories of our life - n - times. I was going through the book and came to the place where, in the last page, I had filled it out for myself. And the answer to the question - What is the craziest thing you have ever done? - brought a broad smile to my face, as I remembered the incident...

It was my friend's birthday and we were this big gang of guys - n - gals who decided to gift her something she would remember for a long time... in short we decided to play a prank on her and I was the master-mind!

She was very fond of jewelry and had a large collection of chunk as well as junk pieces which she would team up with her outfits. So, being the faithful, sensitive and observant friends that we were, we decided to gift her - yes, you guessed it right - jewelry and that too a 24-carat necklace! Her excitement knew no bounds.

The D-Day dawned bright and clear. Armed with a gift-wrapped box, we entered her Birthday Party. Balloons, streamers, a large number of common and uncommon friends and relatives greeted our gang. In fact, she had been so excited by our proposition of gifting her a 24 carat necklace, she had told it to all her guests. So when we entered, all eyes automatically drifted to the gift-wrapped box in my hand.

After the cake-cutting ceremony (and a large piece in my mouth), we decided the momentous time had come when we'd gift her, her birthday present. With guests gathering around, all of us together, chorused a BIGGG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her and handed it over to her. The box was bigger than a normal jewelry box but our innocent friend herself gave an explanation for it - 'Box ke andar box, uske andar box, usmein mera necklace hai na?' (The gift is within a box which is inside another box, isn't it?). We suppressed a giggle.

She removed the wrapping and pulled out a string of... 24 bright orange, garden-fresh CARROTS!!! We howled and doubled up with laughter, seeing the incredulous look on her face. She too took it in a sporty spirit and actually wore the Carrot Necklace with us in a group photograph. Of course, we were not heartless and after all the shrieks, giggles and snorts of laughter had died down, we gave her her real gift - a necklace with a stone-studded carrot as pendant - to remind her of her 24-carrot necklace!

Buzurgon ne kahan hai ki...

I got a chance to spend a considerable amount of time with my grand-uncle (my grand-father's brother) in the last week - his illness being the reason that I was off blogging for the past 7 odd days. In-depth discussions and debates, logical arguments and counter-arguments on a variety of topics have been the characteristic of this relationship. One such topic of discussion was the generation gap and what are the differences that prevail between his generation and mine and hence, are we truly better off than our fore-fathers... We discussed this topic thoroughly, touching on science & technology, religion, politics, economic and social changes and a host of other subjects but what stayed with me was the New-Indian-Middle-Class-Nuclear-Family that has emerged in our generation. So what am I talking about? Let me elaborate...

A lot of my friends are getting married in 2009 and hence, marriage is a common and favourite topic among us. And today, all the Dulhes want their Dulhaniyas to be qualified and employed. The couple would want a dual-income set-up to be financially strong and independent. After marriage, they want to spend atleast a few years away from their immediate families, giving time to each other to understand and adjust to each others' comforts and concerns, valuing their freedom and independence. The joint-family system has given way to the nuclear system where the definition of a family is limited to Hubby, wifey and kiddi(es). They are in control of their lives, demanding that parents relinquish their 'interferences' and give them space. They lead a fast-paced life-style, battling traffic, board-meetings, presentations and managing responsibilities at home. In my home, I may do my laundry after midnight, may give marathon amount of clothes for ironing every two weeks, sleep late, buy groceries and provisions every weekend, do epic amounts of cooking for the week etc. To my parents and grand-parents, it looks to be an undisciplined, chaotic life. But, to me and loads of other married, working women and men, it is a convenient way of life since it is the only time we have. Men no longer can say that they will not contribute to the house-work. I think the relationship is much more equitably balanced, with both the partners sharing the load. Couples no longer want kids within a year of marriage. The Dual-Income-No-Kids is increasingly becoming accepted. Time is very precious and so weekends are strictly reserved for family and couples dislike intrusions by neighbours, bosses and even relatives and friends.

The hand-phone, SMSes, e-mails have increasingly become a part of the couple's daily life. I have my hand-phone in the power-on mode 24*7. It is a compulsive need to be connected all the time. Same goes for e-mails. I have friends who refresh their inboxes every 3-4 minutes to check for new mails. Scraps, twitters, commenting on blogs are the norm today for keeping in touch. Orkut, Facebook, chat rooms and other social networking sites have seen record memberships due to this new surge of online netizens. We no longer read news-papers. E-paper, news sites, RSS feeds, Google Reader keep us more updated than never before. We buy flight / train / bus / movie tickets online, send flowers and e-cards on special occasions through the Internet, read digitized books and do video-conferencing as if we were born with these skills. We are way more comfortable with living with loans and credit than our previous generations.

English has become the universal language. What with a rise in inter-state marriages and it being a common work-place language, couples transcend linguistic barriers to speak the Queen's language at home as well. Popularity of yoga, power-yoga, meditation, Art of Living are on an all-time rise, being directly proportional to increase in stress in our lives. We love to immerse ourselves in reality shows - Bigg Boss, Indian Idol, Nach Baliye - where we feel a sense of God-like power and control by voting, deciding the fate of the contestants.

The vegetable markets have given way to retail stores and super / hyper marts where all provisions are available under one roof. Branding matters a lot to us - we are more quality conscious. Instant foods, Ready-made Masalas, 'Just-add-water-and-serve', 'Heat-and-serve' are our savers when we have sudden guests / reach home too late to cook / traveling and there is no-one to cook / don't know how to cook :) All the secret tips and yummy recipes which my mother had inherited from her mom / mom-in-law will be lost to my next generation. There is no Handing-Over-Taking-Over (HOTO) as we call it, in HR terminologies, when an employee resigns. I may be able to teach my daughter how to multi-task between her career and her home, how to pick up the veggies which can make quick dishes, which appliances are mandatory to run a home (vacuum-cleaner, dish-washer, washing machine, refrigerator etc) but I will not be able to pass on to her how to make elaborate meals which take hours of preparation; how to sew, mend, knit, embroider; how to keep a house spick and span; how to give effective child-care without the aid of a maid / play-school / crèche / day-care center... These were a given in the generation of my parents but today, cooking elaborate dishes is a relaxation and embroidery is a hobby.

There are so many subtle changes that differentiate us from our forefathers… are we really better off than they were - well, in some ways we are. Our life has become convenient, more comfortable and more connected, we are more aware, educated and have access to vast information at the click of a button but unfortunately, we do not have as much time to enjoy it, given the stress and strain of modern city life.Technology has given us ease but we have become more demanding and less satisfied. We today, not only want a television but it has to be a 39” plasma HDD TV with 450 stations, a DVD Drive with Blue-tooth connectivity and split screen technology. I think we have got used to a fast life where we may have physical comforts but deteriorating mental peace and perennially short of time.

Welcome 2009!!!

Just in time... before Jan'09 got over...

If the year 2008 was one which you started reasonably optimistic....

And you finished it somehow worn out....

You felt alone in the world

With a couple of extra wrinkles

And some kilos too much...

If you forgot more than one important obligation during the year...

Not to speak about the disagreements with your boss....

And more than one objective remained beyond reach

If that year your morale was sometimes low....

Here comes a new year !

To celebrate as it must be....

With tenderness

With love

And with a lot of humour

May 2009 be the year of the big jump !