Lightening the Diya within

India… a unique place in the world for numerous reasons.. One surely is because of the special festivals we have, the way we celebrate, the way we share joy, happiness and warmth.

The festival of lights – Deepawali is around the corner. So is the buzz of celebrating Diwali. With getting new clothes to cleaning every corner; From candles and diyas spread all across to sumptuous delicacies to taste, this festival has a flavor of its own. And more importantly a message of its own.

The glow of a burning diya tells us to be the light for others, even if you get burnt in the process.. This may sound too dramatic or philosophical in this era but each one of us should know the celebration of Diwali has a purpose. The message is of spreading happiness, giving support, lending a hand to the needy, driving away sorrow by all means one can.

While the diyas are getting replaced by electric lights and candles.. the trademark ‘kheel- khilaune’ are being replaced by lavish gift hampers.. I really wish the message of celebrating Diwali is to not get eroded with the changes happening with each passing year. Rather, to every young kid before fulfilling their demand of ‘phooljhari’, one need to teach the lesson behind it, the purpose of festival of lights.

Diwali’s Diya is not simply a lightening tool that glows to give a pleasure to the eye.. it’s much more. We all need to carry this lamp of light across generations, the onus lies on us.

So while you guys jump into the festivities mode, while going to bed just for a moment, give a thought on how can you be the glowing light for others, to anyone near you.

Let’s celebrate this Diwali with a purpose- lightening the Diya within us.

Friendship: The essence of all Relations

Friendship day….A relation that has its essence and presence in all the relation of this world. Right now Indian families are going through a transitional phase and we youngsters are the bridge between classical old days to modern hip hop ways. This change is not so easy.. and here comes the vitality of friendship as a relation.. as a savior.

The moms and the moms and dads to be need to nurture their kid or understand their child being a friend to them. Believe me, its a totally different child when they have this feeling that my mom/dad are like friends to me. Its time to shun our ego and lend them the ear hearing their feelings out.

The relationship between siblings is always a unique one… And that’s because they are always at ease to each other.. just like being a close dear friend to each other… They may not have that comfort with parents but being sis bro is like being best friends forever.

Utmost vital is the role of friendship in a relationship of a married couple. In India with all these traditions and different set of mindsets, somewhere or the other the couple gets lost and forget that they need to keep that friendship between them alive and ticking. It is so very important to count your soulmate as a true friend of yours and vice versa. Stop behaving like I am a man have some distinct role to play and i am a women have set roles to obey. C’mon guys and girls its the youth generation.. its time to be friends with each other.. be it any relationship.

What to say about friendship between two friends.. Two years being not met, one fine day they meet and it feels like they were always together.. such is the magic of friendship.. Whats there between a dog and you… Nothing else but selfless friendship.

A relationship with no name.. something that has no rules.. that purely and purely is understanding each other.. no boundations, no limitations.. its like a free fall from the sky.. just a miraculous thing that exists i would say.

Happy Friendship day to all moms dads, grandparents, sisters, brothers and off course to my lovely friends.This lovely little thing called Friendship is here to stay forever.

Mirage

Its been said that after numerous other forms of birth, we get the chance to be born as human being… Don’t know the logic behind it, but the point it underlines is the value attached to being human.. the worth associated with it. Every birth is celebrated, even every birthdays are celebrated, but what about each single day that we live!!

A child is made to focus on the report card performance, the youth targets fame and accolades, the men and women are busy meeting deadlines and minting money.. the race is on at its full swing…. But is their an end to this race?? 
You guys had studied about Mirage during school days.. but are we aware that all of us do have Potentially Harmful Mirage in our daily lives.!!

The report card for the child is a mirage, the fame of the youth,the money for the men are all a mirage…after one so called accomplishment, another target is visible at a distance luring you to get it… You reach to it and and it goes farther.. the road being endless.

What’s important is to identify the Mirages of life… And mind you, let me be clear it’s difficult to identify. The task you complete, the targets you achieve may give you a sense of happiness and rewards at that moment but how long will that happiness remain alive within you is the question to ponder… Mirages are often materialistic happiness, limited validity rewards.

A child may get great score everytime but in the process of this achievement, is the child sacrificing the time to be spent with friends, with people around and with nature. Is the child loosing out in following the hobby.. if thats the case, the parents should realise that scorecard is a Mirage that should not be aimed for blindly.

Likewise, we as working adults should realize that aiming just for higher increments, making money is a Mirage of life..In other words, its a trap to keep you busy all your life in this professional life. The early you identify the better it is.

Hangout with your ownself, wilder in the lap of nature, follow your hobbies, take a break, make your life of being human worth to someone.. that’s the essence of getting birth as a human being.

Make way for a life that gives satisfaction, Mirages will enter, be active to recognise them or you may end up wasting your life. Introspect today!!

Blink of an eye

One usually feel that we have 365 days in an year, 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute for us. But is that really so??? Do we really have all the time in life left with us? Maybe yes or Maybe no. What’s in store the very next moment is a mystery and will remain a mystery. 

Like the silent sea erupts into a cyclone in a matter of minutes, our life too is tailored the same. The bus we missed by a whisker of a second meets to an accident, the ill fated flight gets lost mid way, swimming during a picnic becomes a nightmare or even taking selfies can risk life of the destined one. A sudden fraction of fluctuation in heart rhythm can prove fatal or even a freak incident can be risky. One don’t know the destinies plan for us. One never know what next.

Accept the truth that anything can happen in the next seconds of your life, it can be tragic, it can be memorable. But task for us is to be pragmatic and strong.

The message is loud and clear- Live each day, the way as it’s your last day.

 Yes! You heard it right. As your Last Day of Life.. As that realization every morning be as a fuel to the body mind and soul. It might sound too strong as a statement but it’s the reality of life. One need to cherish all that one has in life, value the relationship circle and most importantly respect the life that has been luckily given to you.There are thousands of people who get deprived of the days, the hours, the minutes, the seconds that we have. Our aim should be to value the moment, to enjoy the time, to be happy in the days we live. 

The fights, the envy, the jealousy, the hatred, the sourness, the vengeance.. all these attributes are a mark of loosing the precious time one has received to be cheerful in this lifetime. Its the end of the year..lookback and assess the loss of vital time in your life. Realise the meaning attached to it and you’ll automatically cut short the time next year. 

The bottom line is “A lot can happen in the blink of an eye”.

Stop Complaining

When was the last time you did not complain or crib about something?? When was it that you just cared about the good things happening in your life, simply ignoring the negativity around??
…… I doubt if we have specific replies to them… One definite answer is surely to be; our childhood days… But what happened after that!! Let me figure it out… We were grown ups, matured and started making sense of everything, or i should say started piling up all sorts of thought into the super receptive brain. Every event in our life was registered as sticky notes in the system. Did we had any control over it, probably no.. Also its human tendency to highlight the negative or ugly event in the brain, super seeding the thousands positive things happening almost daily.. Do we have any control in the filtration of thoughts flashing as breaking news in our brain..Probably Yes..  You heard it right.. Yes you Can!
We all have heard a from our grandparents saying us to always speak good things as out of the thousands statement we speak everyday, one becomes true due to the blessing of the Almighty.. I see this belief in a different way. Speaking about the good things happening in our life, reinforces the positivity within and creates a lot of difference in our state of mind. To say it in other words.. we should stop complaining about the bad things or things not going our way. A little introspect can show us that we have 100 good things happening in our life, and 10 bad things.. and surprisingly we are always cribbing about those 10 rather than rejoicing the 100.
Also a crude fact is that we don’t realize the blessed life we all have got… Searching for materialistic happiness, we neglect the silver stars we possess.. Even a small incident has a lot of positive strength in it…To state an example.. I was travelling everyday for 4 hours to and fro in the bus for work and started complaining about it… days passed and i realised I am still lucky to get a seat everyday, and there are many who stand everyday for the same journey… It might sound very ordinary as an example but mind you friends these are the small things that makes huge impact in our thought process. Every other day I get to hear from people ” Aisa hamesha mere saath hi kyu hota hai??” The fact is that the statement is logically invalid, its just our agony that makes us say so, we need to realise this. I totally respect the sentiments that sometimes pain and grief is so intense that we naturally complain and its absolutely okay. My intent is just to make people realise that the time we waste in complaining for petty issues can drastically be reduced if we focus our energy on what the Almighty has silently given us..and for what the supreme power has not given us and if we deserve that… will surely follow. The bottom line – Contentment comes from within you.

Being a GIRL…

Being a Girl..
The post mortem of my life begins before my birth,
Once identified, my existence is at stake on this mother earth….
Even if somehow i survive the first deadly attempt,
the family i am born denounces my birth with utmost resent…
Still, if my mother bears the pain of my upbringing and nurtures me,
Anyone can direct, command or even torture me….
From my dressing style to my dozing hours, they decide it all,
I am considered a soul without spirits, left alone in this four wall…
When i reach my teens, my natural pain diminishes in front of the society’s agonizing norm,
My restrictions scales manifolds, with no access to places considered as ‘pure’ in form…
Finally, a time comes when the burden of delivering me is relieved…
I am passed on to an unknown guy with tonnes of disguised dowry,and yes..my identity is forever ceased..
My feelings, my desire gets buried on that very day,
No matter how barbaric his acts are, objecting to it; is cruel they say…

One last attempt, its time for them to target my womb,
To give birth to a Boy, that too within a time bomb…
The whole cycle of post mortem before the birth gets repeated,
And me being a girl feels humiliated, tormented and cheated…

For what’s my sin, i wanna know,
Being a Girl…??.. No.. that cannot be true for a place created by the God i know..
My life is not a sorry tale,but one that has made me rock solid somehow,
My baby girl has got this strength,the attitude to live in this world, right from now..

Being a Girl, is the best Gift of God to me,
For it made me independent in my thoughts, bold to face this world of men, freedom of my own to see…
With tears of joy in my eyes, I today salute every other girl of the nation,
Being a Girl, I can actually feel the warmth of the International Women’s Day and proudly accept Girls as a magical creation 🙂

Take a Pause….

Life is racing across the tunnels and subways of tasks and duties more quickly than an Audi car. It appears as if we humans have actually implanted the mask of high-tech machinery into their own selves. What are we running for ???..  What is our aim, our main motive?? Are we really aware of what do we need from our life or what is the purpose of our life???

It appears as if we just bother of our targets set by the boss, the marks to be achieved in the examination, the revenue to be generated for the company.. the focus of our life today has touched its all time low and its just the materialistic achievements that matter. The relationships have been to put to a comatose that breathes superficially across Whatsapp and Facebook. No, doubt we are minting money but is that really what we only wanted!!!! Take a Pause……………………. and think…

Just think of the daily routine you follow in your life….are you satisfied with what you are doing…?? Is it worth the life;the opportunity that God has given you?? Or are you wasting your precious time..??  We really need to take a pause and reflect on our doings.. Until and unless we wont spare some time to think about our life process, we will miss out on evaluating it perfectly. Money is just one of the measure and not the only measure. Hence, one need to take in other attributes too and know how satisfied we are in true sense.

Its a bitter fact that we all assume our life to be too busy to get busy with our own selves, the reality is that we still have countless moments to take that pause… travelling back from work, a midnight walk, minutes before the precious sleep, a walk on the terrace, morning visit to a nearby park … the time for yourself need not be bought but owned. Don’t get apprehensive of what will be the consequences of taking that all important pause of your life, be bold enough to accept that.. its the real want and ambition of your life. Work towards fulfilling it rather than running away from it or working as a machine with no objectives.

Life is really really short, my friends… we keep on thinking and thinking… and time flows like the sand from the fist.. so its important to take a pause now.. and introspect our lives as regularly as possible. The hours that we waste can add phenomenal value to our lives and we can altogether be a cheerful and a happy soul . Remember, the wand of our life is always with us.. it’s just we don’t realize it; till we take a pause…..

… The Republic of India…

Today, we are free to express ourselves, open to criticize and show our dissent… Today, we are cared by the state for our social security, for our financial protection, for our overall development…Today, we are free to preach any religion; practice any profession.. Today we have the right to protect ourselves, to defend our dignity… In a nutshell, in a country of 1.2 billion, the power lies in our hands.. its the people who form the power center, the makers of the nation. And all this freedom, rights, conduct, safeguards won’t have been a reality if we would not had the unique Constitution of India. Republic Day marks the formal adoption of the Constitution of India as the governing document of India. Today, on this gracious occasion of India’s 67th Republic Day, i want us all; every Indian to know and realize the significance of this day.

In the clamour of being branded as the Next Gen., we have somehow diluted the patriotism in us. The interest to know about our own motherland, the struggle of independence, the extreme challenge of framing our constitution has reduced considerably. Being the lantern holders for our next generation, it becomes our duty to know the past, to know the adversities that were associated and to know the laudable achievements. But the task will still be left incomplete if we do not try and imbibe the values enshrined in the constitution.Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Justice should reflect in the work we do, in the personality we possess.

We are unaware of the fact but each and every individual’s social, economic and political development is directed by the vision statements of the Constitution. What if we have a system where our voice’s were regulated, our privacy was encroached and we have no one to approach to?? How will living be in that atmosphere?? Scary.. even thinking of such a system. But, for us it is not the case.. we can directly approach the highest authority i.e the Supreme Court in case of any of our fundamental rights get violated. The quote of democracy being of the people, by the people, for the people stands true for India.

So, our salute to the nation today should comprise of a commitment to one’s own self that I will make an effort to know about my Constitution, get an idea of my rights and duties and will obey them unconditionally. To make it easy, you can just scroll through some videos on the same; if going through books is a herculean task for you. Friends, as a citizen of the nation, we just need to be slightly more aware, more informed especially about our mother-country and it will always give you a sense of pride to do it. If not more..just spare a moment today to celebrate the Republic Of India:-)

Devil vs Angel

Is he a bad guy? Is she not a good girl? Are you doing good or bad? You must have come across such dilemma while expanding your social network and also while taking your own decisions. So how do you decide? Moreover, as “Being bad is the new Good” becomes a new trend, making it more complicated for deciding what can be called as good and bad. Well, it isn’t as tricky as it appears. The answer lies with us.. in fact within us.

We all have two state of thoughts within us, two avatars- a devil and an angel. All are choices and decisions firmly rest on the fact that which avatar we get to become friends with. Acting on devil’s advice will make us a bad person and following the angel’s direction land us to being good . However, the road to choose an avatar is gloomy and definitely not a clear path; and that makes the game of Devil vs Angel, a challenging one. The devil friend ostensibly dominates over the angel friend  due to the lure and incentive given by the devil to go by the devil’s way. How strong are you as a person to resist those temptations… how determined are you to do the right things more importantly, right things in a right way… are some indicators that will make you decide between the two.

Also, it is not that this devil – angel play occurs only when we have to make big decisions of our life. In our everyday life, for all the decisions that we take big or small, intentionally or unintentionally, we choose either the devil or the angel in us. Many of us believe that “circumstances” rule above all, and our willingness to act in our way is crushed due to the situations around. But, for every circumstance that we may get in, there is a right and wrong, the angel friend is still there with us, its just that we need to dig deep within us.

For a moment, give a pause.. think about the decisions you made today.. whom do you choose more- Angel or Devil? Start measuring your actions, your decisions this way.. listen to both your inner friends and try to put in more insight to angel’s advice. This world is rapidly getting skewed with people who believe, profess and practice doing good. So the angel friend within you needs your help… Hope you won’t disappoint your Friend.

“In a Relationship”…losing its meaning

From “Marriages are made in heaven”.. to  “A lot can happen over a Coffee” the transition of laying the foundation of a relationship has been quick and a dynamic one.  Call it the necessity of the Next Gen working pattern or their courage to demand the right to choose,we are rapidly adapting to this modern aspect of choosing the right person on our own.

In fact, i find it a very positive change that can uplift the lives of many; empowering them in different ways.. but the caution bell rings loud and clear to my ears when i try to observe the relationships going around in my radius. The element of a long term togetherness seems to be missing! Break-ups and Patch-up seems to be a new game with no place for emotions and feelings. The word Commitment has lost its glory and has been regarded  as an ‘old tradition’ thought.

Though our society has been flexible enough to provide us that space of our own but we are definitely not on the right path to prove the society right. Getting bored with the person you love.. Need a change… Clash of ego’s.. all these are reasons that we normally give to end a relationship, bluntly ignoring the fact that love, compassion, care, understanding and sharing dreams together, being a support at the need of the hour, have much more weight in a relationship to sustain. Why are we getting so restless, so intolerant and so impatient?? This needs serious self reflection and introspection..

My point is that we should try and maintain the dignity of being in a relationship as it’s always a good feeling to be committed but that should bring with it responsibilities and stability. This will also help in pushing the society to break it’s rigid stereotypes of successful marriages. After all, ‘In a relationship’ should not be confined to just a status update.