Discovered Feelings!

Chained Freedom

2012-01-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

From Rushdie to Recent lawsuit on FB/Google - Censorship reigns failing the nation in its freedom of expression!

The Play...

2011-12-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

I chanced to watch a play - The Heart of Robinhood by David Farr, as seen at the Royal Shakespeare Theater in StratfordUponAvon. Agreed that, this is not a play by William himself, but this was less to none. The story is about the princess who stole the heart of Robinhood and how she manages to win his love. I saw the play in a more comical light, with brilliant performances by every actor.

The story line premises in a forest (for our very Robin) and a castle where the princess lived. So, the set designers crafted the stage in a super-smart way that it serves dual purpose. For the first time, I have seen the set to play such a major role often offering surprises and swallowing a few unneeded characters. It supported the swings, the ropes, a small water pool, burrows, confession boxes, royal pedestals and everything else required for story. This was complemented by the light and sound effects too.

An impressive ingredient of the play was the human made-up animals, where artists with music instrumental skills played amazingly well, disguising themselves as a dog, a swan and a wild bear. In order to justify the sounds of the animals, they played musical instruments that barked, roared and quaked convincing the audience in a musical way.

The humorous lines were right in proportion and made me wait for the comedians to reappear, for their witty silly lines certainly made the audiences cheer together. Also, other emotions of Anger, frustration, Smugness, Love, Desire, Concern were expressed very diligently and I was intrigued on how the ENTIRE cast marveled at all of them.

The 2.5 hour long play was weaved neatly, allowing a good coherence between the scenes. I hardly found any loose hanging threads and more than anything, the play's brilliance has drawn me into its power of drama.

A great show to look for and worth its pricey ticket for a student :P

Befriending Librarians

2011-11-18T13:01:00.001-08:00

I know that I am restarting to blog with such a strange topic after a long hiatus. Nevertheless, that’s what has been lingering in my mind for the last few days and hence decided to break the ice with my interesting Oxford experiences so far.

As a graduate student of Oxford, I am expected to research in a highly demanding learning environment. This simply translates to unlimited reading and referring of literature from books, journals, articles in print and electronic copies. So, librarians play a vital role for us to do this reading seamlessly. Let me share that their job is not just to stack and sort the books, but to actually bear the torch for us in our darkest reading alleys. Libraries are the second homes for us here and librarians ease the stay with such invaluable assistance.

Libraries at Oxford offer vast collections of print copies that are diligently catalogued, such that we search for the copies through the centralized library portal. By this search, we primarily learn their location, code, and availability. This search can start from a basic query moving to inter- disciplinary, inter-library, open source databases, and many more repositories. Surprisingly, all the librarians are knowledgeable enough to guide us instantly on the type of search query to be used in order to find a particular book. This is especially handy during our essay crisis time, when we relentlessly read through the entire academia in a time-crunching scene.

Furthermore, librarians conduct several workshops to aid the students find the needed learning resource easily. For example, I've attended a session on Search skills that taught us on strategies (science) of searching and setting a direction for building our future bibliographies.

Talking about their subject expertise, as the entire university operates on various departments; the concerned librarians specialize in the related subjects and guide students instantly. For instance, I have met a Life Sciences library, who was affluent about the medical science books and could rant the sources amazingly.
Another interesting dimension is their latest technology inclination, where they strongly endorse about e-books and even introduced a scheme to loan e-book readers in order to promote e-reading.

Each of them is so impressive that you cannot for a second, mistake them to be trivial, since they talk straight sense. In the initial days, I was puzzled when the past students were appreciative of librarians….now I experience what they did!

Euphoria!

2011-08-04T03:22:00.000-07:00

He has been ill for the last 2 months and was diagnosed with a rotten gall bladder. Not withstanding the pain and delay of slow-medication, he went on to a premier hospital in the city for a check up, which later turned out to be an emergency situation.

Being a person of crowds, he couldn't adjust to the hospital environment, where he was confined to a small cozy room. He is familiar with living in groups, in a palace like house with numerous relatives scurrying in and out every week and now he is in a secluded room, with visitors limited to one at a time on any given day and time. More than the physical sickness, he was unable to take the Hospital psychosis that kicked in, as he is deprived of people around him.

After less than 2 full days of hospitalization, his mind started wandering relentlessly; tiring him and making him vulnerable to neurological disorders. He succumb to the fear of pain, death and orphaning his people. After consciously battling with Amnesia, Dementia ..he finally gave in for Parkinsons.

Yes, he was well aware of what he is getting into and hence made deliberate attempts not to loose his memory and social behavior. I could see both the shades creeping into him one after the other. If he failed to recognize his people at a stage, he strained his memory to recall the names the very next moment and strangely could spell out their surnames. He recalled bits of his life details and finally gave up.

He lost his words, his thoughts, his actions, and finally his senses. To control his aggravated behavior, physicians have sedated him heavily and they could succeed only after the 3rd injection. He lay still on the bed and his mind was (in a way) force-stopped to think and act. His vitals started depleting and so did our hopes. He was taken into ICU and the life was on the digital boards. We were more than anxious and the entire family came together to face the situation. The beauty of family had then surfaced, to stand for each other and support in every possible way. Every minute mattered and every night was a nightmare as the doctors had called it a Danger-zone with bare minimal chances of survival. He neither responded to medicines nor to the pricks of needle for blood test. He lay still on the bed for 2 days now and then a miracle had to happen.

His youngest son who lives in a distant foreign land arrived and barged into the ICU. He saw his dad lying dormant, living on artificial limbs. He couldn't take it..and shook him in vain, in a hope to respond to his teary eyed plea. After repeated trials, a slight trace of eye ball movement was noticed by his son, which was deep-suspected by everyone. The night passed on and never seemed to end for us, who were simply awake imagining the forthcoming times.

Few youngsters tried to lighten the grim face of the entire family, but nothing could help until the next day morning.

It seems, the patient had shown some stimulus that night and the life boards started beaming the readings with pride. A group of attendants were waiting outside the ICU, in a hope to catch a glimpse of this suddenly recovering phenomenon.

One of this is me, a granddaughter of the Him I've been ranting about. My taatha (Grandfather) is an 83 year old walking encyclopedia, who replaced my Dad a decade ago. Since then, I grew special bonding with this noble man and this write-up is a narrative of the very recent tragic incident that had blown the family.

Flying back to the ICU, we bribed the security guard to let us inside one after the other and my turn too came by. I walked in to see an extremely tired human figure lying on the bed with hands arrested to the bed. He had his eyes partially opened and an oxygen mask against his mouth. When he saw me, his eyes gleamed and the face tried a faint smile. He was trying to convey something vague, but I could connect my dots with "UK, Oxford, Visa". Bang! he recovered his memory and has definitely come back to us. I saw him nearly dying the previous day and now he started being a (little less than) normal, and each one of us were found in a pool of relieved tears that the person is gonna live. At that aha-moment, I did not want anything but my grandfather to breathe normally. Each one of us came out only to find out that tears were certainly rolling down our cheeks and all of us sighed a deep relief!

Raymond moments - awww so sweet!

2011-06-11T00:17:00.000-07:00

Picture the below situations..

Grandpa, at the age of 84 still remains the same loving husband with his amnesiac wife, who often forgets to live the life. On a certain day, she forgot where she last placed the kit of her daily medicines. He searched nook and corner of the place and finally succeeded to trace it right under her pillow. He gave her the medicines and comforted her to sleep. Later, he told me that it’s an everyday affair to search for the kit!

A royal owner of a brand new Fiat car, who drives away in his new possession with great pride, is found in different perspective. People always framed him to flaunt his super-ego attitude, but this incident changed my opinion. I chanced to meet him at a movie theater, where he was found helping a physically challenged person. This person had to walk 1/2 kilometer to cross the road, as he could neither step up the foot-over bridge nor jump off the mini-divider in the middle of the road. So, this Fiat owner offered lift in his car and drove him to the other side only to drop him. I later learnt that the challenged person was a complete stranger!

An uncle organized a great get-together for his daughter’s homecoming. She came home after a long trail of marital issues. Let me tell you that the uncle simply recreated her childhood, so that she can turn a new leaf. He co-ordinated with few close friends of hers and got the entire bunch together. He arranged a reunion meet of her classmates, teachers and childhood friends. What a warm welcome!

On the account of some birthday party, one of my friends who is known for his sleazy attitude had suddenly seemed appealing for once. This is purely because of the way he was handling a tiny tot. He seemed such a charmer with children and I was definitely flattered by the way he pampered and played with the kid. I could surely find the mellowed version of this rugged person who he usually is.

Many more wonderful beings exist in and around us and if noticed make us smile :-)

The smile!

2011-05-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

! -- an amateur short story--!

It was 7 am on a Saturday morning, when I rushed to the nearest Raitu bazaar (local vegetable market) to pick up fresh vegetables. In the hustle-bustle of the busy market, I was helping my Aunt select the best brinjals, when I chanced to see someone noticeably outstanding in the crowd.

He was clad in a simple cotton blue striped shirt and a jeans. He seemed to be quite acquainted with the farmers who smiled and served him with admiration. At the corner of his eye, he certainly smiled at me just like how he did at many others. I was certainly bowled by that brilliant and chivalrous upward curve of his lips. It was no ordinary, since he spelt some magic and consequently my eyes just followed his footsteps. He looked pretty average with light brownish complexion, but carried a mysterious charm that intrigued me for the rest of my time at the market. I was only physically standing next to my Aunt, but my heart was busy longing to catch a glimpse of him.

I tried to maneuver my way through the crowd, so that we are always standing at a visible proximity to him. I knew that he is aware of my stare and could sense that he looked away, as if oblivious to my vibrations.

I was slightly dejected at this negligence, but was not disappointed and further my heart demanded a smile from him. I was not ready to give up and hence convinced my Aunt to buy vegetables at those specific stores where he passed by, so that I will be graced of a quick glimpse, for that smile simply haunted me.

In a hurry not to miss him, I lost my track and my eyes displaced him in the sea of consumers. No sooner that my Aunt declared that we were heading home, I started to wish for a last gaze in an attempt to embark the smile for some time. My eyes sifted the crazy crowd in all directions, but luck was not in my favor. He seemed to have left the place, but he infected me with his smile, which I continued to show up on who ever crossed my way.

When I was about to leave the premises of the market, I suddenly sensed a strange familiarity behind me that made me turn back and you know what usually happens :-). Needless to say that, it was him standing near the entrance, smiling at me and only me!!

Shahrukh, I love you!

2011-05-16T02:13:00.000-07:00

My heart missed a beat when I first saw you in the much acclaimed DDLJ. I kept on re-watching the movie in a hope to find the lost beat, but could never succeed till date. With your every new movie, my love grew by leaps and bounds and yearned for more of you.

Did you know that I actually wrote about you in my intermediate English essay, claiming you to be the most talented and lovable actor ever? Back then, people named my adoration as infatuation, which I totally agree with, but apparently the attraction lasted so long and will continue to continue.

Hrithik's entry raised few apprehensions about your existence, but I was so confident of your undisputed charm and prevalence that none could replace. Your KKHH, Dil tho pagal hain and Pardes have left all the old and new bunch of actors behind, raising you to the King Khan status.

Your flirting stares and magical sensuous interactions with Kajol in many movies made me dream about my dream man with many similarities. People then called it cliched to like you anymore, but your Dilse once again smashed all the remarks and you took the high pedestal of bollywood.

With time passed by, you faced your share of failures but that did not inhibit your spirit. Your Swades and Chak de reminded audiences of your natural talent as an actor who comes without a Godfather in the Bollywood.

You may not dance as good as your contenders , but does grooving alone makes a movie hit? You simply dispelled the idea of a ideal hero who is muscular and can dance around the trees. You proved that average looks combined with strong roles and performances can spell bind the viewer. Many of my age dislike you, as you seem to cast roles that are younger to your age, how does that matter anyway? I am blind to your flaws and still adore all your roles in nearly all the movies.

This space may not be sufficient to talk about you, but to end it..I've been to your Mannat recently and spent an hour on the beach road waiting to catch your glimpse. I could actually feel a strong invisible connection like million others who pass by your place.
Thanks to my cousin vineetha (who incidentally dreamt that you asked her for a date), who made this possible to wait for you in front of your home while having a tasty elaichi tea.

Memories

2011-05-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

Who says life distanced us?
Blessed am I for reliving through your memories

I see you whereever I go and think of you whenever I pause
....am I the effect and You the cause?

Your favorite music still rings in my mind
...how come your favorites turned mine?

Missing you is only making me think of you even more
....without you, why is life such a bore?

Silence we shared than the words says ..we resonate
such lovely times...is it possible for us to recreate?

How I wish time rolls back?
...can we freeze the times not to de-track?

Hardly is there a moment without your thought
..unable to untangle or am i simply love-caught?

Color Blind!

2011-04-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

A never ending battle, a legalized crime, a civil movement for a right to live - racism as they call it, is the discrimination between white and black. Few countries advanced in including a couple of favorable laws for those with darker skin tone. But what about the mind set change? Can they ever achieve it?

In the Indian context, I want to change all those color blinded hearts and minds that usually demean and undermine the dark colored. Generations passed by and I still notice concerned mothers pleading their dark skinned daughters to apply a fairness cream. I would have better understood skin nourishment, but not this fairness mania.

A stigma engulfs when a dark baby enters this world and it worsens if it is a dark female child. What on earth is stopping the child to grow normally as others?
Have they ever considered our geographical-tropical locale of the country that lies next to equator? The ever darkening skies induced by UVB-radiation resulting in the production of melanin. Now, this pigmentation is sent down to generations without the knowledge of the future borns. Whom do I blame?

Fuelling the fire are the super-creative commercials that go on to label the dark as losers. They must be banned ruthlessly in the lieu of Complexion insult or discrimination.

Next, comes the clan of dreaming-big grooms who want nothing less than a super-fair lady. I agree looks matter to a few, but what is it to do with super-fairness shade?

It is unfortunate that many still look at the dark melanin in the foreground, neglecting the bright intellect in the background. I seriously wish to see a change in frame of mind that embraces black as white.

Secret of a Mother

2011-03-22T01:36:00.000-07:00

A good friend shared her son's picture and he seemed a bundle of joy, a magician who erases his mom's stress with just one trick - SMILE!

I am in awe of all Working mothers who juggle and make things possible. Multitasking is their second name and they go out of their way to make ends meet. Ends here mean emotional bonding, caretaking, networking and many more different facets of today's emotional needs. What is the secret of such super women?

After a harrowing day, what energizes her - An innocent and unconditional smiling face of her child! That’s the fragrance of motherhood, which never fades and keeps her going seamlessly. A Marriage needs a partner, but Motherhood is totally an independent possession and asset sometimes.

I know of women who care and bring up their children and the family without the support of the Official Bread maker - Man in the family. Demise, Divorce, no matter what the reason is for the absence of the partner, a woman never resigns from her duties for her child. Here are few living inspirations...

A mother of two, separated from a brutally abusive partner after a long battle and is working full-time to feed the family and raise her teenage sons. She suffers from acute spondylitis with ruthless menopause symptoms kicking in, but never have I found her being gloomy. She is an ocean of peace and humor and has made a firm choice to stay put with the circumstances that never seem to favor her. I am talking about the recent convulsion attacks of her eldest son, who apparently won over it and stood at 25th rank in the International English Olympiad. He is a novelist in making and a computer geek at heart. Notwithstanding the raising stress, she reached her next career milestone and now is a budding entrepreneur.

A mother of 1 and a step-mother of 3, with the loving husband passing away in a painful accident. She shouldered the responsibility of four little ones of 4, 8, 10, 12 ages in order. In spite of being a second mother to 3 kids, she never drew a line and has protected the nest with small income. The kids grew up and flew away, abandoning the mother and her child to destiny. She restarted her journey to pull up the last child with same vigor as before and you never find her complaining about life.

A mother of a mentally challenged son, whose husband went into bout of depression for 20 years and could not earn any money for the family. She never gave up fighting for her child and husband. She works restlessly and loves them unconditionally. She spent her entire income in treating these two men in her life and never thought of saving a penny for her future. You talk to her and you will acknowledge a wealth of humility and humanity, as she trains many such mothers who struggle to make a life for their challenged children.

I have quoted 3 different cases of great single mothers, who have been continuously demonstrating the epitome of Motherhood without any expectation from life, while carving a niche for themselves and finding super-bliss in their children. I was speechless after meeting these extraordinary individuals who never let any fear, flaw or foe dampen their spirit. Wake up! they are among us and may be within us :-)

Lessons from UK

2011-03-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Many asked me about my UK trip and I usually replied “it was good and a new experience”. Well, there is lot of more than that crisp reply.

This happens to be my 1st foreign land experience, which goes on to indicate a lot of perspective revelations. I am sure, this could have been same else where...since, it is my 1st out-of-home experience after growing up in a protected and well-facilitated setup, I can see a different frame of mind.

My 4 month UK trip was worth its idleness, for it gave me abundant time to introspect myself and my relationships! I must admit, life made me stronger. Perhaps, the fearless independence smeared by the foreign land rubbed on the right side of my soul and I am able to realize this change even more, after coming back to India. I am able to communicate in a clearer and patient tone…may be I learned the value of few close kin and kith, whom I otherwise neglected!

My practical revelations in brief…

You....

Survive without a 2 or 4 wheeler in a larger-than-life city

Live out of Suitcases - literally

Eat and party out of 2 (2 containers, 2 plates and 2 coffee mugs)

Cook less, Cook wise!

Excel at cuisines (that you never dared to touch back home)

Befriend your laptop or computer, for it becomes your greatest asset

Update your movie database with the possible new Indian movies (even before their official release)

Plan and then explore (Taking some time to plan your journey is always worth the money)

Research for good deals (Check the offers at numerous stores and sites, and then buy a product at a significant less)

Manage your times and daily chores without a maid (Grown self-reliant, you see!!)

Keep in touch (Friends are precious and everything, be sincere to keep in touch)

Miss your people (You start missing and loving your people back home more than ever)

Thank God and be happy for a 1 week job contract!

Believe in the power of discounts :) - They are worth it

Lot more hidden facts prevail at the top of mind, which are better experienced than said!

Tsunami @ Hussain Sagar, Hyderabad!

2011-03-14T03:40:00.000-07:00

Tsunami has swallowed thousands of people and swept away many many villages in Japan. The aftermath will be irrecoverable due to loss of life, severe injuries, homelessness, lack of water, food and proper medical care, the physical destruction of towns and cities and so on. Even if the sea-quake victims struggle to pave their way through the tidal leftovers, the nuclear impact is deadly due to its radioactive contamination.

At first, the earth shook the land, then the water, which blew up with enormous velocity washing away the northern Japan and now affecting the Nuclear plants. I am more concerned about the radioactive discharge that can disable the people around for their lifetime, without giving them a second chance to recoup the tragedy. Japanese are awe-inspiring due to their tireless efforts to rebuild the country after Hiroshima tragedy. Now, it will take few generations again for them to recreate their magic.

At Japan, such a deadly disaster was natural and inevitable by the victims, but how come we can see man-made tsunamis. We live in a place(city: hyderabad), where we usually do not face natural calamities other than water shortage and excess temperature and we still create a ruckus for land separation and mess up our lives.

Yes, I am referring to Telangana issues that are shaking Hyderabad with more rigour than an earthquake. Pragmatically, we do not need an earthquake to tremble our lives as we are quite capable of creating one. When life can be turned beautiful with the availability of resources and amenities, our politicians are busy digging the land in the name of state separation. Do they even realize the impact of such activities?

At one end of spectrum, I find Japan fighting with nature to alleviate anymore damage and at the other end; the pro-telangana activists are forcefully damaging the existing heritage to the core. The Million March was a big disappointment for its unfortunate violence on Tankbund. I am questioning only the common sense and not patriotism of these people. Here, Mother Nature has blessed us with a protective landscape or a safe geographical position and we are hell bent on stirring ripples in still waters. How ironical!

BBC - My UK Doordarshan!

2011-01-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: This blog does not intend to promote BBC and is aimed at Doordarshan(DD) fans of India!

Once upon a time, DD was the only retreat in our lives, before any of the much raved DTH entered our homes. I so vividly remember the glorious DD programs that were few in number, but were quite good and the choice of programs aired was also very healthy and informative. In contrast to the contemporary emotionally draining soaps or faking reality shows, the then programs were worth a re-watch.

Coming back to my metaphoric title, I am actually watching the Doordarshan of UK i.e. BBC. Thanks to my landlady who blessed us with a licensed Toshiba color TV and by licensed, I meant it is antennae-ted and can pick up few free BBC channels. I am sure you are aware that BBC is not confined to news and telecasts few wonderfully informative and gripping programs. Since these are redeemed free, we can watch up to 5 or 6 channels.

I usually turn on the TV in the evenings for a couple of hours and it is a learning time every day. Few programs that intrigued me are Mary Portas-secret shopper, Documentaries (Big fat gypsy weddings, Bear Family and me, Beauty and Beast), Star gazing live, Will crash diet kill me, Rome was not built in a day. Sheffield diaries and so on. All these programs are well crafted and we can clearly identify the research and hard work gone behind to present a piece of information in an innovative way.

For a matter of fact, they cover a variety of subjects, not limiting to beauty or sports or health letting the viewers transcend the horizons of traditional needs and interests. Moreover, most of them are real reality-shows and truly entertain the dormant souls, sometimes leaving you mesmerized with beautiful facts and life stories. Every channel airs a quick (10-minute) news update once in every 2-3 hours keeping us updated and not over killing us with god forsaken reports.

Talking about the kids programs (CBBC), they are authentically kids oriented and one will be amazed at how information can be instilled depending upon the IQ levels. For example, a history related show known as Horrible Histories, which aims to teach children about the atrocities and mayhem of Kings across the globe, is presented in a humorous fashion ensuring only to teach and not send any hard emotions. I appreciate the learning and content teams behind such programs that carefully mold the masterpieces without breaking hearts.

Regardless of the program, the script used to narrate is very simple to decipher without confusing the viewer. Another vital aspect is the prelude of a show before its start, letting us decide if we would want to watch the forthcoming program or not. Also, considers the parental control so as to prevent kids from watching strong content if any.

In the weekends, one or two channels dedicate at airing famous Hollywood movies and I truly look forward to them. This was so similar to my childhood, when I used wait for the regional movie on DD on Sundays.

Now, this was only a vague overview of the daily dose of TV from BBC and can comprise many more valuable programs.

Please bear in mind that the programs mentioned above are viewed for free just like our DD and continue to be seen the way they are. Routing this TV interest to India, where is our national broadcaster gone these days? Unsure of the reasons behind DD's lost charm, I wonder if we have neglected our own channel and are burning pockets for dish TV!

This is not a platform to debate on why DD has gone down, but I am only asking is there a way that DD can shine and hail again? After all, most of the rural India still relies on this long forgotten channel for its quota of entertainment. So, I question the readers of this post to present their views on how we can bring back our national infotainment beacon?

I am certain, under creative and enthusiastic management DD can bounce back with more of Nukkad, Surabhi, Lifeline, Junglebook, Shriman shrimati, Malgudi days, Tippu Sultan, Chitrahaar, Spirit of Unity , Shanthi etc., that were classic and versatile and once made a positive difference in our lives!

Let it sun, Let it sun (satirical)

2011-01-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

Before we delve into why I need Sun, let me introduce the only country with an adjective before its name. Yes, am talking about the Great Britain and I am based out of London. Life here can be described as cold, colder and coldest, where cold is considered as warm with a partial sunny day. During cold days, Mr.Sun unveils himself for brief intervals gracing few cold sun rays on us. Because the rays are cold by nature, its just a disguise in the name of proclaimed "Sunny day"!

If I have to step out of the house, I am to be covered (read: buried) under 4 to 5 layers of fleece clothing, only to feel cold again. I sometimes dare the chills by not wearing my gloves only to find later that my palms have numbed for the next few minutes.

The temperature varies between 0 to 2 degrees, with occasional blessing in disguise of 4 and often plummeting to sub-zero!

As the saying goes, "Sun never sets in Britain"..man, its never even seen to decide if it is dawn or dusk. Around 9 am, one gets to experience the mildly bright sun light to certify it as Morning and even before we take the course of life for the rest of the day, it sets to dark at a gross afternoon of 3 to 4 -ish!

An optimistic activity that is widely acclaimed in cold countries is “Making a snow-man”! Now, what else can you do on a snowy day where flakes are showering profusely not letting you walk out on the icy - slippery roads? This Government has apparently gone poor at salt supplies to clear the sleets. Initially, it excited me to watch the snow fall with a cup of masala chai, but bored me to death to watch the white painted city, as it forbids us going anywhere and further disables the public transport too. Yes, it leaves us with a fantastic opportunity to click some amazing picturesque photographs of the snow-capped streets and trees.

Blame it on London's geographic position or the early arctic winds from i-don-remember ocean, the climate is just sick and is known to cause SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder) with the winter blues kicking in rapidly. Being an Indian, I adore the balance of climate and temperature back home, excluding the water hazards of floods.

Yet, another complication we are blessed with is the absence of the sunshine vitamin. Yes, the skin is deprived of Vitamin D and loses its supple life. Many medical and cosmetic substitutes are piled up in the superstores to draw as many customers, making it a big business thing.

So, what do I do when its cold? I usually spend my time near the heaters installed in every room. You can imagine the amount of electricity consumption, given more than 7,556,900 people.

The locals just do not care of the winds and we can often notice them in shrimpy outfits. I am mostly amazed at how do they withstand such cold situations, when am freezing in spite of layered clothing? Another clan that usually dares cold is kids. Children below 5 years are dressed minimal and often commuted in perambulators. These kids bask in the glory of winters and don’t feel a tad cold. Can you beat that?

Probably, the Sun himself must be shivering by the dropped temperatures and hence is unable to wake up from bed?

To conclude, in spite of my winter woes, I would still say London is brilliant in lot more ways and climate is just a speck. People are fighting against the blues to make it a great place to live!

the decade that was in my world

2010-12-30T08:03:00.000-08:00

On the account of ending this year (2010), I would like to recall all those people who touched, moved and inspired me in the last 10 years and stood by me in all my happy and sad times. Thanks guys!

Missing Names.....not mentioning your name does mean that I have forgotten you here but not at Heart :)

My friend, Bharadwaj!

2010-07-29T08:27:00.001-07:00

Before I set out introducing this friend, I want you to walk along with me in the memory lane of my childhood days.

Until the age of 6, I grew up in a small town called Dowaleswaram near Rajahmundry, in Government Quarters that housed the Irrigation department staff. The quarters offered single bedroomed houses with a spacious frontyard. My Mom and granny grew a nice kitchen and floral garden in the frontyard and amidst this, Dad had created a tree-swing with long ropes and wooden seat. I used to water and clean the garden regularly with few friends. When we got bored, we would start swinging on our tree-swing in doubles and talk out of bounds about everything under sun.

The friends I referred to just now included Harsha, Bulli, and Jyoti. We are of same age and used to hang out together. Another kid in the block of our age, but never ventured out of his house was Bharadwaj. He was a very different child who never went to school, never spoke to anyone, always parents-stricken and seemed so aloof to the rest of the world. Once or twice a week, we made regular trips to his place to pull him out for our silly hide n seek or catch-catch games. He was the 1st one to get caught or get out of the game for unknown reasons then. He seemed abnormal and we were very tender to sense this.

In the course of life, all of us were separated and headed to different places in the state. After few years, we found that Bharadwaj was blessed with a sibling and they have migrated to Hyderabad. So, my family paid a visit and I had the revelation of my life.

I was told that Bharadwaj is a mentally challenged child with moderate mental retardation. At that age of 10 something, I was not deeply disturbed to see him, but was surely moved to see my friend being disabled in every aspect and had to bank on his Mom for basic chores. He was to be instructed and assisted at every move; such was the level of retardation in him.

Years passed by and I forgot about him until recently, when their family visited us. I met him after ages and was so happy I did. Although, he still leads life as a mentally challenged person, he has been trained to take care of himself and socialize mildly. He remembers very few people and very fundamental information about his life. To my surprise, he remembers our gang. Not by each name, but by the memory of someone called a friend. The moment I met him, I couldn’t resist hugging him and he hasn’t once left my hand in the entire meeting. Though he spoke only 2 phrases (how are you visali, when are you coming to my house), I knew by heart that he just loves being with me. He was smiling constantly as if everything was so rosy in his life and was willing to gel with us.

His Mom has undergone this training of a counselor to deal with kids of special needs and has carved a niche for her own child by coaching him in vocational jobs. Going a little further, she has established an NGO for such kids coming from lower income families. She happens to be a telugu medium graduate, who went leaps beyond her capability to untangle the knots of not just her own life, but others too. I was only more than proud to see her spread the fragrance of humanity.

Today, Bharadwaj speaks whatever is required, knows how to eat, how to dress and behave in a group. He apparently handles book binding and paper-cover making with elan. Now, isn’t that something from a retarded person?

Meeting them left me brooding on the knots that we create and get trapped in, instead of feeling privileged with a life of fully functional brain and heart. On this note, I would like to share the details of this school for mentally challenged children, which is run by donations.

Pragati School for Reformation of Mentally Challenged, 1-6-39/100/1, Sri Venkata Sai Nagar Colony, West Venkatapuram, Secunderabad. Ph # 64635664, 9246278109.

Do pay a visit to meet the gifted children and I guarantee infinite satisfaction about life!

Forget and Forgive!

2010-06-06T00:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, one of my good old friends bashed me badly about my ideas on life on her personal blog. Her criticism was so strong that the words shook me, as this same lady apparently was once well-appreciative of the same ideas. I was upset for a moment and approached another friend for a shoulder to cry. This sensible friend has just said one thing, “Forget that you have actually read something like that”. Well, though it sounded silly at that minute, it surely did work after few hours. I tuned myself to have forgotten about the blog I read that morning. I only treated it as an accident which is to be neglected as a speck. But, this fix was only temporary and I needed something stronger to be oblivious to this whole incident of criticism. I’ve introspected my feelings and wanted to ease them. I thought of several ways to clear this clutter in my mind. My options were –

Call that blogger and give it back

Comment harshly as anonymous

Blog in response and lash back

Get this sorted through a common friend

Bitch about this lady

I was happy with none, as I always believe Tit for Tat was not for friends and it was meant only to rotten the bond further. So what was I supposed to do with this unpleasantness that is draining and demoralizing me, without hurting the critic? Read on to know what I tried…

I have avoided her completely (even the passive friendship I ever thought of got scrapped). This option disconnected us physically or virtually. This has not only freed me from her updates or blogs, but has made it easy for me to forget her. But what about the unhealed hurt which I just masked? I tried this old-school medicine called Forgiveness. It pained when I applied, but over the days the wound got healed.

If you are reading this blog, you may think of it as another pep-blog boasting some self-help tips. But take it from me, there is nothing like forget and forgive. Its tried and tested!!!

Post your thoughts on what you would have done if you wore my shoes!!

You are my addiction!!

2010-05-06T02:31:00.000-07:00

Your smile lightens my heart and soul

I find excuses only to ping you and strike a dialogue for nothing

Wish we shared some more sweet nothings

As I notice your name flashing on my mobile, my eyes sparkle and my voice sweetens more than anything

All I want is talk and listen to you about everything under sun

Wish we shared a real roof instead of a virtual space

The daily calls only to check if am doing okay, The never ending funny chat sessions, The long drives

These tiny things will remain ever embarked on my heart

Wish we had some more memories

Your words melt my heart and made me oblivious to rest of my world, for you have become my world.

Your patient persona is what draws me closer to you every day

Wish we met much earlier than before

Life seems so beautiful when you shower this selfless affection on me

Life seems worth living just for you

Wish this togetherness never ends

Govinda…Govinda!

2010-04-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

This blog intends to explain the mystic spiritual experience on the Tirumala Hills.

Tirumala is one of my favorite tourist destinations, not for its religious fervor, but the spiritual bliss one gets to experience on the hills. Me, being a meditator look forward to feel the richness in the radiations and felt heavenly in my trips. We have opted to walk up the 7 hills in one of the recent trips, which is around 10km. Although, Satya (Hubby) was apprehensive about my physical abilities, looking at my enthusiasm and experience (I had already walked up twice in the last 10 years), he agreed for the 10k walk! I have treated the journey as a spiritual retreat where you pass through lush forests on either side. Enjoying the fresh forest air, which I claim as medicinal, we managed to trek in 4 hours. Tirumala Tirupati Devastaanam(TTD) offers free luggage transport for walkers and all we need to carry was some handy money. You have food joints, water points, bathrooms all the way and the path is maintained nearly clean given the huge inflow of pilgrims. Another good aspect about this whole walking thing was, TTD offers free and special Darshan (Watching the Deity) for walkers.

On Tirumala, which is over-loaded with lakhs of pilgrims flocking from all parts of India, you may find the commercial elements at every hook and corner. But, mind you ..thousands are making their living in the name of God. TTD builds its own cottages and has not entertained privatization of lodging. Perhaps, this is the reason why the hills have managed to survive. It is actually very difficult to get a room, but recommendations work real good and that’s how we got one.

Now, lets hit the darshan part. After walking for hours, the natural tendency to get tired vanishes and you are recharged for the next adventure .i.e the long, never-ending queue for darshan. Trust me; there is something magical in that place. As you enter the Vaikuntam Queue complex, you can see the eagerness in thousands around you and the place vibrates the names of Lord Venkateswara. You might be the staunchest atheist, but I can guarantee that you will chant the name at least once along with the crowd. It is so infectiously religious. You will be pushed and pulled ruthlessly if you do not resist. The trick is to hold on the wall or the railing. No matter what, you can experience the vibrations and the freshness in your mind constantly. Remember that you gotto be AWARE of yourself to experience it. So watch out! Your mind is un-deviated when you enter the Mahadwaram(Main Entrance) and the fervor in the crowd mounts up, the pace fastens and you can feel increased freshness and goodness at heart. After passing through the maze of queue complexes, you will enter the Garbha Gudi (The inner most part of a temple, where the deity is installed). The wildly excited crowd calms down and chants the name in a rhythmic fashion. This is the place, where you will be totally mesmerized, which you do not want to leave so soon and you will want to come back for another experience. The sight of this great God makes you forget every desire and despair that would have been bubbling up in you. All you want is to see the deity and enjoy the bliss or thrill you are facing. I have to admit, I have never enjoyed any temple as much as this one. Being a Semi-God fearing (as Satya calls me), I was surprised by the way my mind was traversing to this place time and again. I felt as if my spiritual quest got quenched and a positive vibe just wrapped around me.

I wanted to unravel this mystery of what is so good about this place that it is attracting infinite numbers every single day of year. As I was catching up with few knowledgeable oldies, I was told that the possible cause could be the powerful Sree chakram beneath the deity, which radiates positive energy and vibrations constantly. To add further, this tiny instrument was spelt with the powers of attracting people and money. So no wonder, if you observe the amount of funds the God receives. Also, it is believed that the God can heal almost any issue on this planet and has been proved umpteen times. I am not sure of these powers, but visiting the place makes you spell bound and an unknown bliss bubbles up revitalizing you to face the life.

All I can say is pray for a re-visit of this place and experience an unexplainable relaxation.

Old is Platinum

2010-03-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief account of someone really special to me...

He loves us more than his own children.

He walks by a stick but he stands very firm when it means moral support!

Share a problem and you can see him think, analyse real deep and he gets to the bottom of it in no time! Experience speaks there!

Can you match up to his courtesy, manners and etiquette? We may be a different generation, but good manners with patience and not pretentious is surely possible with oldies.

He reads news paper, cover by cover and shares only the news that is relevant to each family member.

He makes friends instantly and laughs constantly forgetting numerous miseries fighting within him.

He wakes up much before all of us and welcomes everyday with increased enthusiasm.

He lived yesterday, experiencing today and started imagining tomorrow.

I am talking about my cool grandpa who is 81 years old and is absolutely 18 @ heart!!

Rann! – A Run from the theaters!!

2010-02-07T01:24:00.000-08:00

Rann unveils the scandal of a news channel which is well-regarded for its values and integrity.

AB plays the owner of this overly honest newschannel which raves only the truth and is about to run into losses because of its poor TRP rates. His son(played by Sudeep) remedies the situation by introducing few spicy political tabloids by disguising them as true-to-their-origin types to his Dad. Despite being a seasoned journalist, who is known for his investigative skills and values to project only the truth, AB bows down to his son’s cajoling words! While we are lost analyzing this baseless logic of believing some godforsaken video…AB and son continue the story, rather weave interest around it and present it in the benefit of the curtained politician(Paresh Rawal). AB continues to be oblivious to the sudden increase in TRPs and basks away in the glory of his news channel’s success. A budding journalist (played by ritesh) probes into this, discovers the truth and discloses it to AB himself after realizing the bitterness in the news media. AB gets the shock of his life and then confronts the then-truth as lies! This ends the story in brief! Now don’t ask me what Rajatkapoor, Neetuchandra, Gulpanag, Suchitra Krishnamurthy are doing in this film.

Now talking about the technical aspects

Background – Harsh! The subtle contemporaries are still missing at many places

Music – forget it!

Direction – Characterization was senseless, I didn’t see any jaw-dropping performances or narration

Story – Worth it….but should have been presented in a thought-provoking way. It is a gripping subject which can bring in a lot of difference! Somehow, the vigor of the film got faded away by intermission and was lost in many characters

Performances –

AB – The character in the story reflected a lot of strength, but not his role! He remained serious mostly with very little to express. Perhaps, Varma could have elicited a better performance from him

Ritesh – Not convincing enough to be a journalist!

Sudeep – He acted well, but the looks sported were not catchy. The half-shaven, shabby-haired look didn’t go well with the role of New channel Head! His language carried a heavy tamil accent, the diction should have been taken care!

Others – other than drooling their eyes, I didn’t find any great expressions :P

Cinematography – Audience had high expectations, as this flick is from the prestigious Varma group which is known for its take of camera! Although, I personally found few interesting odd angles in few scenes, many didn’t appreciate this! The take is considered as amateurish!

On the whole, an average movie to watch for!

Childhood blessings!

2009-12-02T03:01:00.000-08:00

Blissfully ignorant period when we found immense joys in petty things! Recalling a few..

Finish off the homework before 6 pm, only to play the OUTDOOR games with friends

Every Saturday was so special, as it was the only non-school uniform day and the students were at their civilian best

We waited long to wear that new dress on the religious festivals

All the national festivals were celebrated in their true letter and spirit

Heavy power-cuts never really mattered as we were totally occupied with innumerable board and oral games

The regional movie telecasted on Sunday evenings was something I never wanted to miss

Recalling TV shows like Surabhi, Jungle-book, Bharat ek khoj, Chitrahaar, Rangoli, Fauji, Dekh bhai Dekh, Malgudi Days generates fresh positive vibes till date

Reader’s Digest and Youngworld were must-reads

Religious festivals had sweetness in the air and the day was meant for meeting elders to seek their blessings

The 10rupee notes that were given by the guests as a token of affection

The Earthen Piggy banks used to store coins is of special mention

The pride in our eyes when we stood first in school

Feel free to add to the list..

2012: when will the movie end?

2009-11-28T00:59:00.000-08:00

2012 is a futile effort from director Roland Emmerich, famous for his globe-dooming stories. Another attempt after Independence Day and Day After Tomorrow to slash this planet with a lot of pain in the name of nature. Apocalypse has been notion of this movie and although Mayans have predicted about the doomsday ages ago, this movie showcased the idea with stupendous CGI effects. The only enjoyable ray throughout the movie was the graphics that depict Earth’s crest falling apart in various facets. Famous historical places and monuments were on target to be ended is ashes.

Now talking about the story line, there is a geologist who researches and confirms about the collapse; then there is this family man who is only worried about saving his kin and kith and gets plain lucky to escape from any of the tremors, lava or floods!!

The geologist discloses to the top brass of the US political system that the world is coming to an end on 21-12-21. Following which, they make the necessary protective arrangement in the form of massive space ships, which can safeguard humans against any catastrophe. These ships were built in China as it is geographically located at a higher altitude. This was kept as a secret and any little space on these ships was meant for the rich and their connected.

In the meantime, the family man is hinted that everything is going to end soon and by the time he realizes it, the reality starts slapping on face. With fissures just few meters behind his fast-speeding limousine, he manages to fly off along with his family amidst the collapsing skyscrapers. All of a sudden, they land at an airport where he happens to meet his stinking-rich boss who is heading to China. After a fire-fighting feat to take off the plane by an experienced pilot and a surgeon-turned-pilot, they crash at some place in China.

All these people mentioned so far some way or other get into the ships and are saved from the surrounding disasters. That ends our story.

Now if we contemplate the theme of this movie, I think we are currently fighting much bigger problems like economic slash, swineflu, terrorism and the God-made problems are way beyond us. On top of it, the solution offered is totally impractical as it can save only few atoms of human race. In other words, when the ordinary citizens go about their daily lives, salvation awaits only the politicians, tycoons and scientists. What about the rest??

Also, the film's repetitive disasters that got boring after the initial stints never seemed to end and the audiences cannot get any kick out of the more-exhausting-than-terrifying experience!

Arya2: Baby he loves you...

2009-11-14T05:42:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine has introduced me to this song titled Baby he loves you... from Arya2 and ever since then, I heard this song for an infinite times. I just love the lyrics. It is music-directed and sung by DSP. The tune is typical devi sripasad's and not very new to my ears. It sounded familiar and had some similar beats as Aarya1. I felt, the voice got nasal and would have been better if was sung by Sagar (Listen to Karige Loga from Aarya2 for his voice).

The song proves to be a real fresh one in the bandwagon only because of its lyrics. The words are outstandingly simple and are penned by CHANDRABOSE.

The song describes how much a guy loves a gal. The guy quantifies his feelings with sweet little
things happening all around us. Simply said, he compares his love with the satisfaction one gains
from these little things that he mentions. Few significant ones that I can quote are...

- Thele thelavare paleturilona allukunna veluganta - The early morning fog-filled light spread across a village

- Jallu pada vela pongi pose matti pula viluvantha - The nice earthen fragrance that arouses
during rain

- Lakshamandhinaina saval chese atagadi pogarantha - The confidence of an invincible sports
person

- Pandagavachina pabbamochina vantasala loni vasananta - The yummy smells coming from a kitchen on a festive day

- Yeti neeti lona jabilantha - The moon and its light seen in a pond

You can enjoy the entire song here!!

Hope you have noticed that the aforesaid incidents, sights, tastes, smells, experiences are part
and parcel of every Indian's life and in today's rolle-coaster life, we often tend to forget to
notice. This song serves as a good reminder as well as a refresher!

Diwali

2009-10-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

I have enjoyed fire crackers only till the age of 12 or so and later my Dad’s influential words about environment and pollution were deep rooted in me. This change in thought process didn’t let me buy any more poisoning explosive stuff.

Few things I religiously follow on Diwali are
- Pray for the elimination of darkness (corruption, hypocrisy and terrorism) from our lives
- Meet all the family members
- Lit Diyas
- Watch the heavy fireworks that turn the night to day with their grandeur composure

This year has been totally different, as I was travelling in a train on the night of Diwali! The distant glitters in the night sky brought some cheerfulness on the dark background. Let me narrate what I was seeing from the train.

Initially, I have observed only the silhouettes of houses, trees, and people. As the journey progressed, I started noticing the sets of million stars glowing on and off behind the shadows. I am talking about the shiny fireworks that break out as a flower in the middle of a dark background. Although the real stars in the sky can be hardly seen with our bare eyes, it was a feast to watch the glitters from a moving train.

After a while, I noticed fog from the corner of my eye only to realize later that it is the smoke resulting from the crackers. Simply put, the city was wrapped in the claws of pollution badly.

If we look at the scientific reason behind crackers and fireworks, these were burnt to guard against the mosquitoes and infectious diseases. In today’s mosquito-repellant days, the need is bare minimum; hence I feel we must get judicious before buying and burning the crackers.

Power of Quotes

2009-09-18T03:21:00.001-07:00

Friendship Breakup!!

2009-09-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

A friend in need is a friend indeed. The needs can take different shapes, be it a physical help or a lending ear or a shoulder to cry or a mail to pass info or a simple chat. All these convey just one thing, “I am always there for you”.

My definition of a friend is “God sent Angels to take care of one’s feelings and stand by in need”. Friendship bars age, gender, professional, cultural and financial barriers. All you need is someone who can accept and understand the person who you are! Did you know that you need not be vocal at all to be a good friend and yet be there for that person wishing all the wellness in life? This reminds me of a quote “True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable” by David Tyson. How true!

Recently, when I was going through a friendship breakup crisis, a friend of mine has introduced me about the philosophy of “allotment”. In your sphere, you allot a space to someone you really value and if that someone walks out of your life without a reason, what would happen to you?

You will be heartbroken for a while
You will start distrusting everyone
You will be disinterested in every activity

This sounds familiar, just like a lover’s break-up. Isn’t it? After all, any relationship is grass rooted from Love and the symptoms would naturally be same!

You will wait for that person to come back for some time, but definitely not a life time. Let us understand that a life time is too much for a single friend. When there are so many wonderful human beings open for friendship, why hook to this old friend who doesn’t hold any value for you! It is not as easy as said. You definitely have to make attempts to rebuild the relationship, to clear the air between and try to patch up. In spite of your genuine, heartfelt efforts, if that someone persists, then something is wrong with that person and NOT YOU!!

So you will revoke the allotment in your heart and re-allot someone else much deserving. And am sure, this time your choice is wiser!

As the saying goes “don't put all of your eggs in one basket”, i..e. you never invest all your money in a single stock. On the same lines, you should never invest all your emotional and creative energy in one person or thing. Instead, diversify, meet new people and make new acquaintances.
Do remember that you haven’t erased that someone from your heart, he/she has only taken a back seat and am sure you will be waiting with your arms wide open when that person bounces back in your life! I conclude saying, friendship / Love, it is up to you to make or break it! It is in your hands how you want a relationship to be. No circumstances or poisoning minds can ever influence a true and matured bonding!

Kaminey…main “fa” ko “fa” bolta hoon!!

2009-08-24T09:08:00.001-07:00

Yet another master piece from the maestro, vishal bharadwaj. A drama beautifully interlaced with action, can be churned out only with outstanding script and screenplay. He roped in just the right cast and am not able to think of anyone who can replace Shahid and Priyanka. They simply lived the characters.

Shahid plays these identical twins (Charlie and Guddu) who are extremely contrasting in their identities with similarities being looks and a minor speech impairment…which too is discerned very well to mark a difference. If Charlie is the rough-n-tough guy, who lisps and aspires to succeed in life through shortcuts, Guddu stammers and is the other side of the coin. Shahid has thoroughly justified both the roles and nobody else could have done any better. For a change, Shahid can be acclaimed for his performance and not Dance.

Priyanka plays Sweety, a Maharastrian gal and is very convincing with her Marathi accent and the body language. Did you know that she even hired a diction coach to ensure accurate pronunciation? Now that’s called as Homework!

Gist of the movie: Sweety is in love with Guddu and happens to be the sister of a to-be-MP kinda goon. Charlie forcefully involves himself in a drug scam and tries to exploit the situation. When the goon trades off with Guddu about his sister and demands the drugs (that Charlie manages to own) in return, both the brothers meet. What happens next is the rest of the story.

More than the story, the narration made an impact and is captivating. I can say it’s the same old drama but is presented in a new package that aptly fits the bill of today’s Janta.

If few scenes touch our heart, few tickle us and few put our brains at work. Just to recall few gems,
- When the brothers converse after the fight for the box of drugs
- When Sweet convinces Guddu for wedding
- When Guddu is interrogated and made to sing to convey the information
- When Charlie’s best friend mocks a gun fight with the goon
- The confluence of all the gangs and their division of share.
- When Charlie dumps the drug packets into flames when he sees the dead body of his best friend.

Few scenes just speak for themselves and is left to our discretion to draw a conclusion.

Talking about music, Dhan te Nan is the new-hummer on every lips and the rest are well picturized situational songs. Just a tid-bit about Dhan te nan – this song is the remixed version and the original found its roots 10 years ago in some documentary starring Sharman Joshi. Though Vishal had given birth to this track long ago, it took the right beat to top the charts!

All in all, this is an entertainer and a definite paisa vasool!

Konaseema – God’s new own country!

2009-08-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

Konaseema belongs to the Eastern Andhra Pradesh region where Godavari gets surplus and flows freely throughout. Of late, this land is getting into the lime light because of “Papi Kondalu”, a popular tourist attraction. A boat ride through the waters of Godavari, in between the chain of mountains is definitely worth going. As a Nature-enthusiast, I can guarantee the pleasure of scenic beauty. You can find abundant information about this ride and the hills in many WebPages. Hence, I don’t want to get redundant. I want to talk about other natural pleasures that I have enjoyed other than papikondalu.

Konaseema is filled with coconut trees and is extremely rich in flora and fauna. Hire a cab and take a ride through the villages of East and West Godavari districts and you will be convinced about the evolving Kerala.

All through the journey, no matter which place you visit, a stream of River Godavari escorts you on either side of the road. On the edges of these little streams, you can find the coconut trees and other forms of greenery lined up giving you a true visual treat. The residents are found living and surviving on the water. At many places I have found connecting foot over bridges to the road.

I was told that few tributaries originate from the back-waters of the sea, as the river dives into Bay of Bengal in this region. Also, few tributaries are the canals that are created for irrigation purpose. Regardless of the origin, these look very natural and give you a Kerala-Greenery kind of look.

Enough of description and here are some pics that can speak better.…

Power of Imagination

2009-08-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

This universe has an abundant collection of soothing aromas and scenes which can calm down your frenzied moods.

Let us observe a few :-)

Jasmine

Early morning dew drops

New born leaves

Odor in an old book

Earthy smells just before the rain

Petals of a dried flower

Lushy green meadows

Rain

Blooming flowers

Growing paddy field

Okay, now here’s a small activity for you. This will hardly take any time but trust me, the results are amazing. Here we go..

1. Pick your favorite from the above list or anything of your choice
2. Set your stop-watch to 2 min
3. Close your eyes
4. Take 5 deep breaths
5. Turn on your imagination which should be able to see and smell
6. Start visualizing the associated good things
7. Enjoy the fragrance and the visuals!

You make sure to concentrate completely and come out of your imaginary world only when it is time up! So how did it feel?? I felt refreshing!!

Hindu-Muslim Bhai Bhai!

2009-07-08T03:55:00.001-07:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Muslim-priests-at-900-yr-old-Shiva-temple-in-Kashmir/articleshow/4751800.cms

A very touching tale of Muslim priests who are safeguarding an ancient Hindu temple! Such realities remind us that love-thy-neighbor and love-thy-neighbor’s-religion are still alive in India! Despite Kashmir being the hub of communal clashes and violence, these Islam practitioners kept the spirit of National integrity.

7 annoyers …Things / People that annoy you the most!

2009-07-02T01:38:00.000-07:00

The srrrruup sounds while sipping the coffee or anything cold.
The nosey-ones who can only interfere and intrude into the private zones.
The Anjaan-Maars who know you well enough to smile but simply can’t do it for unknown reasons.
The Attention-Grabbers who make deliberate attempts to steal the focus of the discussion even in a group of 3.
The Nail-Bitters who are famous for their short and ugly looking nails. The Only excuse they can make is an overused word called “Tension”. (Ahem…I am trying to get rid of this habit).
Dirty bathrooms – I will start fuming if the person before me leaves it unclean.
Oversmart Kids – This is the Gen-Z++ generation who fall in the age group of 3-7 and always talk with an overdose of everything. All I can call it is “Overaction” for their age! Innocence is becoming extinct! Please preserve it in your kids!

This is a tagging season and I target the following people :P

Kalpana
Suneetha
Deepa
Bruno
Swati

Love vs..

2009-07-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

On a random bloggling (Googling blogs), I found a brilliant, soul-stirring and instigating quotation about Love. This is from the book, “Shantaram” by David Gregory Roberts. The quotation goes like this..

“Loves are like that. You heart starts to feel like an overcrowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and independence. After a while, you started throwing people out – your friends and everyone you used to know. And it’s still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking, and you know it’s going to take down with it. I’ve seen that happen to a lot of girls. That’s why I’m sick of Love.”

A toxicating relationship might not be worthy at all, especially if it constitutes

Hiding your conscience from yourself

Burying your soul in front of your eyes

Stealing your own identity

Shattering your dreams

Making you fearful of everybody and everything…including yourself

I feel, the root cause of any disparity in a relationship revolves around a 3 lettered curse called “EGO”. If only, we can extort it out from our hearts and unveil the unconditioned love! One should experience the power of love to appreciate its greatness! Love is such a powerful healer which can ..

Melt the frozen hearts

Oxygenate the dying souls

Make you look at only the lighter side of a situation

Bring a nice smile for unknown reasons

Indulge you in the world of HOPE!

****This can go infinite and I only mentioned few drop-lets!

We can either enjoy these positive aspects or get flushed away with those real tid bits! It is the choice that BOTH the partners in a relationship must consciously make. It need not be a happily-ever-after living… but how about an “egoless-ever-after” bond!

IMHO: Sapno se bhare Naina..

2009-06-08T02:19:00.000-07:00

Track title: Sapno se bhare Naina..
Movie: Luck by Chance
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Music Director: Shanker, Ehsaan and Loy
Singer: Shanker Mahadevan

Disclaimer: This is my first attempt to review a song and it may sound amateurish. So let the feedback coming in!

The title of the song is very catchy and is very promising as a meaningful song. The verses of the song are built in line with the theme and the song gives a wholesome feeling of dreams, desire, and desperation.

This song starts on the note of a base beat slowly blooming from the darkness, which then manifests into louder version. The tone of the singer is very apt for the theme of this song and the expression is well taken care of. Inclusion of Hindustani notes in between is so smooth, that it hasn’t diluted the western feel of the song. The tiny electronic beats enhance the beauty of the song, while keeping up the pace. Thought it gets a little slow during the verses, it is only to gives us enough time to absorb the meaning of the song, in the backdrop of a subtle beat.

This is a reflective song which talks about somebody’s unrealistic aspirations and may sound higher on sadness. But the music uplifts the mood and makes it interesting. The best way to enjoy the song is to hear it in pin drop silence. Of course..so is any song …:P

Stop being plastic!

2009-06-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

World Environment Day was remembered yesterday, being celebrated today and will be forgotten by tomorrow. Why should we huddle and discuss about this issue only today and not do our bit every day? Can we start acting (not reacting) about this perishing planet?

Mother Earth is the most beautiful of all planets and is gifted with livable conditions as compared to others. The increasing need to simplify our daily lives would be actually affecting our entire life and there wouldn’t be anything left for the generations to come.

The so called and claimed Green Earth will be extinct soon, if we do not act responsible.

The tree felling only to lay roads, the poison emitting industries, the plastic bandwagons, the deforestation, the infinite pollution unchecked vehicles are only a few which are endangering our homes. I agree that few aspects are beyond our abilities, but there are few more which are very much achievable at our level.

My pick is to ban plastic. I do not recommend using paper bags as a replacement, as they consume equal or more time as plastic to decompose.

Let us use cloth bags and encourage others as well. This will help the diminishing society of handlooms.
Let us spread the awareness of the devastating effects of plastic pollution. I am talking about the malls and the grocery stores!
If someone is comfortable using the plastic bags, ask them to reuse those carry bags and not include any more to their stock of plastic items.
Let us initiate a ‘Ban Plastic week’!
Let us be responsible!

Do we want a lively green planet in safe hands or a synthetic earth in the claws of plastic!

A million small droplets can surely make an ocean! Can we make a difference? Shoot your ideas to save our planet..our home!

Lepakshi

2009-05-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to this marvelous place called Lepakshi, located in the district of Anantapur. The place is famous for its exquisite temple structure and sculptures. This temple was built around 400 years ago during the reign of Achyuta Devaraya.

You cannot avoid dropping your jaw at the impeccable art and that too with hand held devices. It was awe-inspiring to watch the intricacies of each monument and heavy pillars that were once uplifted by humans and not the lifting machines.

The entire structure was carved out of the rocky hills. So, it was imperative for the builders to straighten and soften the surface for the visitors. It is truly mysterious to see the evened flooring.

The temple followed the science of Vaastu to provide adequate ventilation. Not that I am an expert at this, but could surely figure out from the spacious, well-lit rooms. It took around 3 hours to go for a complete coverage and I still feel we should have gone for an inch-by-inch footage. Never the less, I tried clicking as much space as possible.

Most of the characters in Hindu Mythology have been depicted in those sculptures and the guides helped us decipher each monument. Every hook and corner had a slice of art. Who trained the sculptors to be so flawless and creative?

You will be amazed to learn that the ceiling was not left vacant! It was either painted or carved. Now, how did they manage to paint a static ceiling that was totally uneven, as it originally is a hill?

I feel so proud of our ancient and magnificent heritage, where every store was carved into a piece of wonder, in those non-electric & electronic days!

Few glimpses...

Saints in a row!

Pillars

Ceiling1

Ceiling2

3 faced cow - look at one face at a time while covering the other two!

Lepakshi designs

Hanging Pillar

Current system..

2009-05-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

Bribery and corruption grease the wheels of the great economic miracle of India, wheels that are still being turned by slave labor.

Pragmatic liners @ work

2009-05-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

Few famous one-liners I kept hearing ....

First 2 years at a company are for OJT(on the-job-training), and then starts the actual job!
Never-Say-No for any extra tasks in the 1st few years of your job! Accept all the tasks that come your way
Networking is the key to introspect yourself!
Smile at everyone!
No matter what, deadlines can wait…your life cant!
Be an early bird (one who comes and also LEAVES early..lolz)!
Love your job and not the company (quite a famous one)!
Being humble is the best policy!
You can be a part of gossip, but never the Subject of it!

How many are actually valid!

Cool Summers!

2009-05-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

Summer season is very special to many of us. Discounting the heat, we have many other good things to brood over. As my memory reels back, the summer season would actually begin with the Morning School sessions. These sessions lasted only for 3 hours a day. You are home by 11:00 am and there you go attacking the games and hobbies. On the note of our annual exams, the tension and heat would have increased significantly, bogging us down. However, the afternoon on the last day of our exams is treated really special and I can claim it to be coolest in the hottest season. No prizes for guess work! The summer vacation has started!!

I used to visit my native place in coastal Andhra with a beach nearby and lots and lots of coconut trees surrounding my place. Around 40 days of my vacation is definitely spent with my grandparents. I will not burden you with the details of my vacation; here are some memorable crumbs:

Story Time – I adore my grandparent’s creativity to cook up the bedtime stories. The stories touch based the Indian morals and ethics in a very interactive fashion. The victory of good over evil was deciphered in all the characters of their imagination.

Mango – The only season to offer the juicy and sweet mangoes. A rich source of Vitamins A & C. It is inevitable to resist mangoes unless you are diabetic.

Grammar and Mathematics Lessons – My Grandpa is a retd. Headmaster and he ensured to brush up our basics during the vacation. As an incentive to our efforts, he would either take us for a boat ride or a movie.

Movie Marathon – I remember watching at least one newly released movie every day. It is easier to commute and get tickets in towns, when compared to our Multiplexed system.

Mango Pickle – Any Andhrite’s ever-favorite pickle prepared from raw mangoes. Did you know that it is a good medicine for cold and cough?

Board Games – Snakes & Ladders, Carroms, Chinese Chekkars, Ashta-Chamma to quote a few. We were restricted to the bedroom between 12:00 to 3:00 because of the boiling heat. The only way to beat the boredom was indoor gaming!

Jasmines – The smell is simply heavenly and soothes your mind! I am always thankful to God for this wonderful aromatic gift!

Mango Jelly – The native tongue calls it “Taandra”, made out of mango pulp and jaggery. The mixture is spread out on plain surfaced bamboo mats in multiple layers, dried well to the Sun and cut in to rectangular pieces. The taste is incredible and you are certain to have more than 2 pieces at once!

Hobby Hugging - Yes, it was the best time to paint, sing, dance, and read! I miss all this fantastic and productive leisure now!

Toddy Palm Seeds – The seeds taste similar to tender coconut and can be had from the fruit.

Starry nights – I can claim the nights to be the most beautiful in spite of the constant power cuts! We slept on the terrace watching the stars. The surrounding coconut trees were an irreplaceable source of nice wind and the star-studded sky was something I cannot describe. The experience doubled if it was a full-moon day!

Vadiyaalu – Prepared out of rice and sabudaana! I love flicking the raw and semi-dried cakes from the terrace :)

Nostalgic???I must say..they were the best days of my life!

Musings..

2009-05-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Your soul embraces positivity by birth! Why not you!

Lock the positive aura around you and set stringent access controls to others!

Your character must be shaped by your thoughts and not other’s words!

Cast away the negative forces around you!

Insults, jealousies, pain and despair prevail everywhere and even a small pore in your soul can house a world of adversities!

Your moods define your happiness and not others!

You don’t depreciate your worth because of other’s stance!

Safeguard the precious YOU!

** After a conversation with my friend***

currently....

2009-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

My ..Dental Fight

To ..Set the teeth right

Is ...a painful plight

Nanna….10 things I remember most about you!

2009-04-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday being my Dad's birthday, here's a small tribute. I am trying to associate 10 adjectives that describe him the most!

Humility

Punctuality

Sincerity

Self-Discipline
Service to Humanity

Unconditional Love

Resilience

Adventurous

Logical

Dedication

Dad! No wonder, why God wanted you in His neighborhood! I hope you are taking enough rest!

Miss you!

Love is in the Air!!

2009-04-10T04:11:00.000-07:00

Every word of his fills me with glee
Every stare of his energizes me
He has oxygenized my dying soul
And stole my heart on whole!

Every unspoken word of his conveys a song
Every smile of his showers affection
The magic of this relation has been so strong
My Heart echoes with his and I can sense the heavenly connection!

I can’t believe that am cherishing the sweetness of his presence
I pray God for him at every instance
and wish life gives me a chance
If not, my heart will be worn out in his absence!

Rise & Shine

2009-04-03T01:30:00.000-07:00

Oh wary heart of mine
It’s time to Rise and Shine!

Let go off the past and do not take a U-Turn
Live the moment of your choice
Rewind the past only to learn
and deafen the hurting noise!

Oh wary heart of mine..Rise and Shine!

Pray God for the strength to face
Open up and stay awake…
He’d shower blessings with lot of grace!
Give your heart & soul and do not repeat the mistake!

Oh wary heart of mine..Rise and Shine!

Be a world to someone and help them smile
Life is all about helping others
Make their stay beautiful and worthwhile!
After all they are your sisters and brothers!

Oh wary heart of mine..Rise and Shine!

Definition..

2009-03-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Someone said….

Journalism is literature in a Hurry!

Who can say...

2009-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Who can say…
Where your Love goes
As your Day flows
Only Time

Who can say…
Why your Heart sighs
As your Love flies
Only Time

Who can say…
Why your Heart cries
As your Love dies
Only Time

Who can say…
When your Heart glows
As your Love grows
Only Time

Who can say…
What your Heart needs
As your own deeds
Only Time

Another Revolution Around Sun!

2009-02-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, it was my birthday on Sunday! My gang of gals @ work organized a surprise party on Friday in my office premises. I was so excited and felt so glad to be a part of such warm gang. The moment I entered the place, all of them attacked me with snow-sprays and chamki shooters. My hair and glasses were filled with snowy and jazzy crumbs. They ordered a yummy Badam-Pista cake and the amount of consumption was lesser than the facial application. Simply put 3/4th cake was smeared on my face :).

After helping me clean my face and hair, they un-wrapped the birthday gift. It was a collection of water color pencils, sketches and paints. My friends reminded and boosted me to act upon my long lost and lasting wish to sketch and paint my dreamy imaginations. Thanks Gals..you make the best of the friends!!

Hyderabadi Numaish!

2009-02-03T00:04:00.000-08:00

The All India Industrial Exhibition at Hyderabad is something that every Hyderabadi looks forward to and am no exception. This huge gathering attracts lakhs of people every year and is a platform for different vendors across country. This spectrum of different vendors can range from magic tricks to food to handicrafts to gadgets to what not! Simply put, exhibition is

· Lucknowi kurtas
· Rajastani chappals
· Yummy rasgullas
· Big Mirchi Bajjis
· The Rides ( giant wheel, rollercoaster)
· Sweet Sugar Candies
· Never ending popcorn stalls
· Kalamkari clothing
· Train ride
· Cross-cultural Crowd

Keep adding to this list…

Rendezvous with Amala Akkineni

2009-01-09T06:05:00.000-08:00

Amala has been my favorite actress from my childhood. I grew up watching her movies and my love for her just blossomed with her every stint.

She happens to visit our campus to attend an Eco-Fest and this turned out to be my best chance to see her. Luckily, there was no much crowd and I could manage to introduce myself and shake hands with her. I felt so jubilant for having met my most adorable actress and person.

Clad in a simple cotton kurthi and jeans, she looks terrific. In my opinion, her simplicity is her beauty asset, which is unbeatable by any Miss India. Her handshake has been very warm with a heartfelt smile in her eyes! Below is her picture

Why am I crazy about her?

These parameters alone cannot define my liking for her! However, a small attempt to word my thoughts..

Attitude – How many people from Film fraternity would think of serving the society after retiring from movies? Other than reforming as politicians or small screen actresses or being lost, there are hardly any visible stars. Amala is a trend setter and her seamless passion to save this globe in the possible ways has been outstanding.

Loyalty – A very loyal wife. No more comments about this aspect

Movie Experience – I noticed that she always chose offbeat roles with vital importance. Be it Pushpak or Nirnayam or Gharshana, she was the most sought after actress for the top-notch film directors in this country.

Pretty Woman – She is very pretty indeed! I can still claim that she looks her best till date.

Dressing Sense - How many of you have noticed Amala in any filmy celebration? She is always dressed in a cotton saree or chudidar and wearing that lovely smile which is very much Indian!

Few of her pics

Serving Humanity is Divine!

2009-01-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

In principle, physically challenged is defined as "Having a physical disability or impairment, especially one that limits mobility". However, this is limited to their mobility and not their creativity and the fantastic craftsmanship.

Have you ever met a physically challenged person? What was your heart's reaction? Am sure you must have felt blessed for the completeness of your body and the nagging about the hair fall, darkening complexion, pimples would seem worthless.

Being completely able individuals, I believe that we should be more philanthropic and supportive to the challenged. There are many ways to uplift them. Be it be helping them with daily chores or spending your weekends with them or donating money to the related NGOs. None of the above is feasible to me; hence I've decided to help them in my way. Read through and you'll realize how you can make difference to their lives.

Can you differentiate between the below images (A& B)?

You'll be amazed to learn that toy in A is created by a disabled artisan and B by some Archies or e-bay guy.

We spend more-than required money on the glassy-doored shops to buy these extremely attractive gifts. Can we take another path sometimes and visit some other laid back store that earns the bread for many disabled?. I'm talking about a small outlet called "MESH".

This shop is located at the heart of the city, near the city's famous hangouts - NTR gardens, Prasads, Eatstreet.

MESH stands for Maximizing Employment to Serve the Handicapped. This Delhi based NGO aims to empower disabled people to trade for rehabilitation. Through this organization, disabled people raise funds by making beautiful handicrafts that MESH sells. Isn't it wonderful to see that challenged are striving hard to earn their living despite of their God given pitfall?

It was heartening to see them mke their lives by coming up with brilliant handcrafts, that too at very reasonable prices.

MESH outlets are located at Delhi and Hyderabad. You can visit the Hyd store @
MESH , Shop 8, NTR Gardens. Hyderabad

More about these outlets @ http://www1.clikpic.com/MESH/

This shop is run by a youngster, who is facing his crippled destiny. But he seemed so confident and contended in life. When questioned, he says, "I m not begging, borrowing or stealing money, I'm living a financially independent life by creating such stuff. At the same time, I am helping my community (of disabled) to climb the economy ladder".

These words of wisdom are eye-openers for this self-centered crowd of the physically-able group, and that's us!

The difference that I'm making is, to create the awareness about such an organization and try to mediate with the CSR groups of corporates to enlarge the customer base.

Think about it guys and you too can elate some needy souls!

Mashup Mania

2009-01-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of creating a collage of my family, as we are geographically dispersed..hence a virtual pic would have to substitute the family pic.

In this quest, http://www.scrapblog.com/ is my latest find. This website is damn cool and provides awesome backgrounds, stickers and frames.

Below is my collage

Secret Santa

2008-12-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to boost the team spirit, I initiated this simple rapport building game called, “Secret Santa”.

You take a raffle of the names of the team members and pick up a name. Whosever name, you pick up will be your buddy and you become the Santa for that person.

Santa is iconic for someone who makes us feel special. Hence, as a Santa you are supposed to make your buddy really happy. This can go on for days and we’ve put a cap for a week.

My Santa prepared a creative Message Frame and inspired me with words! Take a look at it.

Below are the words:

A Sparkling note of Mirth
Cascades from Heaven to Earth
O weary heart be Gay
This is your day…..Today!

The game unwinds you very much. All you need to take out is 10 minutes of your time and send a message expressing something good about your buddy. Such exercises instill positivity in us towards the other person.

How many more 26th Novembers?

2008-12-01T04:16:00.000-08:00

A bunch of young militants strode into the financial hub of our nation and scarred it deep. Okay! It was not as easy as you read the 1st statement. It costed a 3 day nerve-wracking and lives swallowing ordeal for the Army to kill them and take control of the situation. And, it is going to take much longer for the Mumbaikers to heal the wound and set back to normalcy.

I am so proud of the Army men for staking their lives to save ours! One of the commandants when questioned if the operation was tough, his response was, “Desh seva mein, Humey kuch mushkil nahin”(Nothing is tough for us while serving our country).

On the same land with such an Indian with true patriotic spirit to rescue us, we have a flip side too. Let us take a look at this dimension.

This devastating incident has been claimed as the Indian 9-11 destruction and the top politicians condemned it thoroughly. Would that help? An absolute “NO-NO”.

Had our politicians spent half of their 4 M’s (Man, Machine, Material and Money) in reinforcing stringent and advanced security measures and equipping our Police personnel with superior ammunition instead of “Lathis”, we would not have witnessed the disaster.

Corruption has become a part and parcel of our lives without any Choice! What about the ROI for these extra payments besides our tax? A full sized Zero! Leave alone our amenities in our society; we are fighting to get a decent life security. When countries inferior to us are able to protect their citizens through their world class security measures, why not we!

I don’t back any political party, all I am concerned is the Government System which is diluted time and again in exercising its duties. How many more lives does this System claim to bring a change in its operations?

Don’t we deserve a safer Indian life!

OCD!

2008-11-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

I tried to observe my colleagues’ socializing activities and Orkut topped their list. However, I also realized that extreme orkutting is a renowned pass-time for most of the youngsters!

Below are few observations.

If………

You start your day with the thought of sending a scrap to co-Orkutter (or Orkutian? Or Orkutist..i leave it to you)

You read through all your old-older-oldest scraps

You walk into the workplace and the 1st thing to do is to check your scraps in Orkut

You login to Orkut once an hour to re-check your scraps

Your default website on your browser is Orkut

You visit profiles of people you know and don’t know

You look at your friends’ albums in Orkut in your free time

You wait for updates from other profiles

You create strange communities on anything under sun and invite your friends to be a part of it

You join communities very frequently

You poke your friends through ipoke and wait for their response

You will search for your old pals and try to reconnect

You play with the Orkut applications in your free time

You often change the template

You comment on all the pictures of your friends

You tag yourself and your friends in the pictures

You take pictures only to upload on orkut

You try to update your photo album as much as possible

If you are able to relate yourself with more than half of these symptoms, then join the OCD club!

Orkutting Compulsive Disorder!

Credits: Thanks to Kalpana for helping me with this experiment! :)

Note: You are welcome to enhance this list, if you are experiencing different symptoms.

My take on Barack Obama!

2008-11-18T01:57:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama needs no introduction. He is the star of this year and you can find loads of info about him on Google. Simple way to trace him is to switch on the TV and watch any news channel. At least one of them would be airing some special focus show on him.

I am not an ardent worshipper of world politics, but this guy has been intriguing. The possible reasons could be his ethics or principles. I am posting an anecdote about him which impressed me to the core. Source: Times of India

When the whole media was roaring about the Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter’s untimely pregnancy, Obama demonstrated his wisdom in a very pragmatic way. All he said was, “My Mom was 18 when she was carrying me”. He could have criticized to any extent, but he kept mum and slapped their indignity to publicize a sensitive issue.

This is the change we definitely need in our thought process not to demean someone’s life! Such a change will inculcate true human values and build a philanthropic universe.

How does that feel? At least, I was totally impressed with his reply. Please comment your views.

God unplugged!!

2008-11-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

I am neither a religious person nor an atheist. But am truly spiritual and would like to express my gratitude to the creator of this beautiful universe.

Who is God? I can define God as an invisible, omnipotent and omnipresent spirit filled with compassion and humanity. Being oneself can bring out God from all of us. I can relate the following attributes to God:

--Love
--Patience
--Goodwill

I don’t believe in idol worship, since I can actually see, realize and feel in people around me. Let us see how?

My Mom – God’s own Angel…or is she the God, as she created me and brought me up with immense patience and boundless love?

My Siblings – Are they..as they share and care with compassion?

My friends – Are they…they are ready to do anything to keep me happy…for selfless goodwill?

My circumstances have been the eye openers and I regard these set of people in my life as the ambassadors of God. We are born to be optimists and if we follow our heart & conscience, all the senses like common and civic will surely fall in place, as the instructions given by our heart are always POSITIVE!

It is our attitude which governs these instructions. Listen to your heart carefully and the 1st advice that you hear is always the right one! Believe your conscience; it leads you in the right direction! Coming back to our basics, conscience is the spirit within you…So trust yourself!

Now, let us look at a simple example from Hinduism. Namaskar, which is the traditional form of greeting others, is symbolized by clasped hands. In this way, we bow to the soul or spirit in the co-human being. By doing so, we wish wellness and seek forgiveness from the other person.

Our ancestors have identified and realized it long ago to love thyself and love thy neighbor…
God is in and around us....realize the spirit and be happy!

A glance @ Indian Herritage!

2008-10-06T02:42:00.000-07:00

We’ve been to Shiridi last weekend and extended our trip to Nasik & Triambak aswell. I am a travel freak and love to visit ancient places with age old temples or palaces. Triambak is a small-town place with a marvelous temple guarded by western ghats. There is a famous temple built for Lord Shiva. More than the diety, I’ve enjoyed the sculpture. It’s truly splendid to watch the huge campus with vast range of carvings and statues. One can easily figure out the amount of thought that has gone in while planning. The temple reflected the Orissa style of architecture where the shrine is not pointed and has a curvy tip.

Triambak is 35 km away from Nasik and route is quite scenic and breathtaking with the chain of hills driving along with us. You can surely enjoy the unpolluted, country ride! Triambak is the birthplace of the holy river Godavari. The actual spot is located on a hill top and all we could notice is a thin stream of water. I was amazed to realize that this almost invisible flow transforms itself into an enormous flood.Godavari couples with the underground water bodies and becomes larger than life at “Rajahmundry” . This is one reason, she is addressed as “Akhanda Godavari”.

After Triambak, we started our return journey to Nasik which is famous for the following:

· Triveni Sangam – Union of three rivers – Godavari, Aruna and Varuna
· Currency Printing press – Do you know that Indian currency is printed at Nasik?

Triveni sangam is surrounded by many ancient temples such as kalaram, goraram, sita guha. Once again, it was a feast to my eyes and I was almost lost in our rich heritage.

India is still a rich country with its world’s richest & ancient heritage of temples and palaces.

Guilty

2008-09-15T02:02:00.000-07:00

Consciously and constantly guilty about…………..

How will I heal this wound?

God! Give me the strength to face….

God! Give me the patience to endure this pain

God! Give me the power to abstract it

Tears are rolling down like an ocean

My heart is roaring like its waves

Hope this remains as droplet in my life and not turn as a tsunami!

Greenery tale - Good and bad!

2008-06-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

Bangalore - The city of gardens…truly a pleasure being to the place. It is indeed very green and lushy inspite of the Bangalorians complaint about the fading greens!

I could notice that domestic plants…trees may be the right word are nurtured and there is a huge green, flowery tree in front of most of the houses. What else can you expect after returning home, a place devoid of pollution?

Bangalorians seem to be convicted about saving themselves from the raw claws of pollution…in other words, saving Mother Earth! They are keen are making the city green, green and green!

Every ride on the road with huge shading trees on either side of the road was a feast to my eyes. I can seldom find such a sight in Hyd. (Mind you! nothing to degrade, but lets accept the bitter facts about our home). I wish such green awareness spreads to Hyd and we turnout not only as city of pearls but as trees and gardens!

The other day, in one of the Jubilee Hills lanes, I could see some tree felling activity going on in the wake of “Road Widening”. Why on earth, can’t these guys ever lay roads on either side of a tree, than lay it off!

It takes decades for a plant to mature as a giant and these folks are killing it in few moments. Its seriously Heartbreaking and worse part is I couldn’t do anything about it!

My 1st Birthday @ Cordys!

2008-05-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

On 14th May 2008, I have celebrated my 1st service anniversary at my place of worship…Cordys!!

It feels so good to achieve it for the 1st time strange isn’t it! I have joined Cordys after the much awaited break in technical writing. Am glad all my wait was worth it. My perseverance helped me glue to the job and today I love it more than anything.
(Satya...Dont curse me for this statement...its only because of your support that i could complete an year)

One year had all its tremendous ups and lows….Most of them roped in along with the FUN element. This could be the reason why I wasn’t bogged down under pressure.

Awesome C3 party, Stressful AT season, Creative wiki pages, PROMOTION (getting one with in an year is no small thing @ Cordys  -- I had to spend a great deal of time, energy and my brain matter @ job to bag it). Handsome Salary hike, throw ball matches, Interesting UI tips to name a few. My component team tops this list encouraging me constantly in what ever I pursue.

I realize that I am getting inclined towards the User Interface part of the job. Though I don’t have a strong say upon it…I created my WORD. Fortunately, my suggestions are considered and these are a hit…what else do you need to push up the “Happiness” hormone that triggers the “Aspire More” Hormone.

Enough of these intangible factors, I surely need to talk about my colleagues turned friends. We now form a group and often are noticed together.

Kalpana – the 1st person to talk about. We resemble in our thoughts, ideas and interests. But yeah am not as wise as her…I envy her assertiveness..Need some KT on this!! She is the booster behind all my pursuits!

Radhika – Another down-to-earth, simple and positive gal…more than matured for her age. She is creative and I admire her clarity of thought.

Oh BTW, as a ritual my HR folks send out a “Congratulations mail” on service anniversaries and hand over a beautiful bouquet. My mail reads as…

Videhi is the bubbliest member of the team. She is a very good team player and it is a pleasure to work with her. Videhi contributes towards the documentation of ESB & CI-UI and has won accolades from the team members for the good work she has been putting through, in the last one year. She is thoroughly committed towards her work, is dependable, and delivers results as expected. She maintains excellent rapport with the team and has contributed towards the product by pointing out missing features and sharing her ideas. She is always “ready-to-help”, and wears a smile no matter what the situation is.

We congratulate Videhi and wish her a successful career in Cordys.

These so called facts are gathered from the team leads I report to!!
Feel-good Hormone rose up to a great level and I was truly on cloud 9!!

Does this blog sound like a thank you Speech…if it does…BEAR IT 

Bloggomania!

2008-05-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

I define this mania to be an addiction to read blogs extensively and keep waiting for the posts. oflate, this bug has bit me badly and I keep visiting and revisiting few of my favorite blogs...say...

I tried taking a screen shot of my bookmarked blogs..they were too many of them and couldnt accomodate in a single frame.

I adore all these bloggers...most of them whom i dont even know!!

This is a great way to pass time and a new age Hobby to collect and keep reading them in your free time.

Let me analyse what i like the most in them

Presentation
Ease of usage - Navigation
Crisp and concise articles
Topics of my interest
Simple Usage

Last but not the least...there is a STYLE in each of them which fascinates me to the core!! I can imagine the blogger's persona through their blog!

Woman - A silent victim of time!

2008-04-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

I live amidst lot of women and they can be my colleagues, friends, sisters, mothers, cousins…sometimes an anonymous relationship is established. I grew up observing few of them, while I met a couple of others in the recent times during my employment. I would like to mention about some of these females who are victorious in their own ways and live life to the fullest in spite of roaring odds surrounding them.

A Mother – She got married at a very tender age of 12 and widowed at 34. Though scandalized by the mishap of her Hubby’s death, she agreed to continue the life as normally as she can. Being a single parent of 5 lovely kids, she afforded a small living and they shared the shelter of lower middle class living! She is an optimist by nature and nurtured her kids with out complaining about the deficits including money, clothing and nutritious food sometimes. She never cared for eternal pleasures. Her family was her life and she is abnormally dedicated to them. The kids grew up as individuals and started leading their own lives. The bonding strengthened and she transited to a new role of grand parent. She was happy to see the growing families and was contended at the fact that her efforts paid off. But God planned her life in a different fashion as He wanted her kids to stay by Him. One after the other in a span of 4 years, she has seen the demise of 3 children. She was devastated by 1st death in her family. She managed to withhold the pain behind her eyes. She prayed God not to give any more hard times, but He being the master of this universe demanded for another life, followed by another. The family seemed to be cursed. This time she bared not only anguish but anger towards God.

She is a horror struck individual, but never gave up accepting the way, life has treated her. She is 79 years old right now and is still looking after the left-out families. They are sharing the shelter once again!!!

Doesn’t she sound a real-life brave heroine!! Anybody can lead a life, but she is a winner as she led it by swimming the lane in the opposite direction!!

I will post about another symbol of Womanhood soon!

Random Thoughts, Feelings, Opinions…..

2007-10-18T23:45:00.000-07:00

I tried observing my thought process on my way home in an auto. 1…2…3..here we go into my world of thoughts….

Location:My office premises
· Should I take a share auto or hire one directly to home…guess I’d take a dedicated one so that I can reach home soon.
· God! I am feeling hungry…shall have a nice cup of coffee (Filter Coffee….hmmmm)

Location: Infront of the office building, waiting for an auto
· Why cant these auto walas come for a metered charge instead of demanding such huge price…..sky is the limit for their demands.
· How long should I wait…wish Satya recovered soon…
· What kinda dependency is this..when am I going to buy my bike…I better get one fast.

Location: In the auto
· Good! This guy has taken the right route instead of the round about.
· Hey! That’s a nice kurta the gal (some stranger) looks v cute..
· Shopping…hope I make it this weekend..Must take mom in law along.
· Oh God!the traffic is jammed even in this route…man its 5:30 p.m. after all and still it had to be packed tight.
· Hey ..i can see the stream of vehicles moving synchronously
· Wish I could capture this scene of disciplined vehicles…heheh

Location: Madhapur Main Road
· When will Police relieve us from these pestering Hijdaas
· They started being very abusive…must write to Deccan about this..Hope some action is taken.
· Good! The signal cleared …no more stoppages ahead…
· Yummy…want to have those pieces of guava(with Salt&chilli powder)…am doubtful on my throat..anywys..let me not stop anywhere

Location: Jubilee Hills
· Aaah! Nice set of curtains for sale..should soon buy a few…will take Mom in law and get this done on Sunday
· Arrey! This is a new store…when have they opened..Looks like it has good collection of t-shirts..must bring satya sometime
· Anna! Mundu left teesukondi(Brother, please take the left direction)…mean fellow..he is growling…common now, I have every right to instruct the route.
· Road widening is good initiative but what about the residents, they are gonna get wild with the amount of traffic that’s going to flow from now onwards.
· Man! This person is driving very rash…he over taking every vehicle.
· That’s a cute scene.a Mom carrying her young one’s school bag and lunch pack..and he is reluctant to back home…may be he wants to play more…
· Golden School days…no sense of responsibilities at all!!
· Must call praneetha and neelima (My schoolmates) sometime.

Location: Indranagar - Yousufguda
· Want a cup of coffee..my head is aching badly..why cant they run mobile coffee shops.
· Running a mobile coffee shop may not be great business idea since it doesn’t serve the purpose of privacy for young couples.
· Should I offer a lift ride to those school goers looking for some lift…not sure if they are reliable..but they look v innocent..let me try
· Good going till now…these kids are quite entertaining.

Location: Sriram nagar
· Must visit an ENT..my cold seems to a continuous affair.
· God! These shared auto guys..they jes dump people madly and play such loud and heavy music.
· Thank God! Am home by 6:00

And I rush to kitchen, switch on my radio and make the coffee.

Shankar Dada's True Worshippers!

2007-08-01T02:59:00.000-07:00

On my way home in an auto, I happen to offer a lift ride to two kids. Here’s a hilarious & innocent conversation I had with them. These guys are obsessive about Chiranjeevi.

Disclaimer: I haven’t written this to promote the movie…am surprised at their sincere madness right at their school age.

Kid1:Akka! Mee office ekkada?

Me: Madhapurlo

Me: aa school meeru?

Kid1: government school. Nenu 4th, veedu 3rd (With an active tone)

Me: mee perlu enti?

Kid1: Rambabu

Kid2: Shanker

Kid1: kaadakka, veedi peru shiva kaani shanker dada cinema vacchaka, peru maarchu kunnadu (giggles)

Kid2: Akka, Shankar Dada cinema chusava? (innocently)

Me: inka ledu…bagunda?

Kid2: Chala bagundi akka. Chiru bhale dancelu fightlu chesaadu. Gandhi tata kuda act chesaadu (was highly enthusiastic)

Me: Gandhi tata…aayana chanipoyaaru kada

Kid1: Veedikem telidu…adi Gandhi tata deyyam. Akka cheppinda Gandhi tata chanipoyaarani..anduke deyyamme ee cinemalo act cheyinchaaranta (Misguided)

Kid2: neeke telidu… deyyam ani cinemalo chupinchaaru.kaani nijam Gandhi tata ra (Wiser)

Kid1:Avunaa….Mari Gandhi tataku telugu ela vachintundira…

Kid2: aayanaki aanni bashalu vacchanta, naa friend cheppadu… hindi lo kuda act chesaadanta J Lagerahoo….(Quite knowledgeable)

Kid2: Chusava, mana chiru cinema ante Gandhi tata kuda act chesaadu..chala great ra mana chiru (Gandhiji must be grateful…in other words)

Kid1: Avunu ra..mari Srikanth kuda greate kada..(Supporter of supporting role)

Kid2: avunu ra…mana chiru tho evaru act chesina greateee

Kid2: Akka, nuvvu aa cinema chudali…(demands!!)

Me: chustaale..meeru ee cinemaki eppudu vellaru?

Kid2: monne akka..maa daddy tickets techaadu night show ki vellamu
Me: anta sepu melkonnava?

Kid2: Chiru cinema ante aa show ayina ok…nidra pomu…chiru naaku fan ( ???)
Me: avuna..

Kid2: Inka maa anna ayite roju potunnadu aa cinemaki..nenu itu schoolki vacchestunna…pchhhh..(Poor thing..he misses out)

Kid2: Akka, nuvvu shanker dada 1st cinema chusava?
Me: 1st cinema enti?

Kid2: ade akka, Shankar Dada MBBS ..1st aa cinema vacchindi.

Me: avuna..nenu chudale

Kid2: adentakka..nuvvu cinemale chudava (What a pity)…enta super cinema telusa..chiru dhummu dulipesaadu..kashtapadi doctor ayipoyaadu telusa..anduke nenu kuda peddayyaka doctor avuta (Inspired by Movies)

Me: oh good!

Kid2: nenu Chiru, veedu Circuit akka..alaage pilustaaru mammlni (With a smile of pride)

Kid1: kaadakka, nene chiru, veede circuit

Kid2: rey ninna nuvve chiru, eeroju nenu kada ra..abadham enduku cheptav

Kid1: avunu akka…eerojuki veedu…malli repu nenu chiru, veedu circuit

Kid1: Akka, memu ikkada digutaamu

Me: Sare…bhaiyya, zara auto side me rokhona

Kid2: akka, cinema chudu, marchipoku, bye akka

Kid2: Akka! Roju ide time ki vastava? (With a hopeful face)

Me: Ledu, eppudaina

Kid1: Thanks akka, bye!

Me: sare, bye

Don't you see the future Chiru Fan's association leaders ....lolz!!

I want to...

2007-07-30T02:41:00.000-07:00

I want to...

Blog extensively
Read numerous books (Life history of Vivekananda, Windmills of God, Harrypotter and dealthy hollows, Any Jeffrey Archer’s, Malgudi days…..)
Join back my music class
Learn guitar
Practice and teach yoga
Join a salsa class
Cook something nice for Mom and Satya
Talk to Gopal endlessly
Meet my schoolmates
Become a lecturer in my college
Buy some nice kurtas
Go for a long ride on the country side
Enjoy Ilayaraja’s tunes on the terrace at my native place.
Sleep while watching stars
Visit Manas-sarovar, Kanyakumari, Gangtok, Rameswaram
Visit the Zoo

TAKE A BREAK!!!

Hmmmmm…the list has just started!!!

Sandwich with Sri...

2007-07-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

I know the title simulates Koffee with Karan,..indeed we’ve actually been to a Coffee shop but dint want to have one. On the flipside, we’ve enjoyed the delicious Sandwiches, Muffins and Tarts.

Okay…Now this is getting a little out of context..here’s the intro about this small outing by our GOG(Gang of Gals). We are five of us for now including Vidya, Sangeetha, Meenakshi, Srilakshmi and myself. We work together in the same team while Sri happens to leave for another firm. So made it a reason for all of us to meet, gossip about everything under sun and treat ourselves.

After several chat sessions and mails we’ve decided the date, time and venue to be a Thursday, 5:00 pm either at Shilparamam or Barista. But predicting the unpredictable….the Hyd weather we opted to stay sheltered and headed for Barista. We, four of us got out of office at 5:20pm or so and tried looking for an auto. An auto-wala demanded 35 bucks and we resisted to pay so much. Vidya tried a hand on her bargaining skills and finally convinced him for meter charge with an extra 5 rupee on the amount. Ironically, the meter turned out to 29.80 and we had to pay him 35 with out any choice….We all squeezed ourselves in it and never felt the pain since all of us were so engrossed in numerous topics starting from Hi-tech city surroundings to Vidya’s bird watching trip to Bull’s attack to 2 wheeler driving to Vaideeswaran Kovel and so on…Thankfully, there wasn’t much traffic so in no time we reached the place. The coffee shop looked cozy enough to comfort us. We went straight to the “Seats of Demand” where the cushioned sofas were put up. After a 10 min wait, Sri arrived in her bindaas look. She looked smart in her new hairstyle.

We’ve started updating her one by one on all the happenings, Whoz the next Manager? Whoz next in row for resignation? Whoz flirting with whom? Whoz getting married and whose heart is broken? Whoz looking for a change?

There is one funny lady in our team who is looking out in the same company where Sri is currently employed. Apparently, our gang tries to stay a little away from her. Hence had good time pulling Sri’s leg about “Where ever Sri goes, network follows”.

Once we were done with the major current affairs…we’ve placed an order…unfortunately, it is self-service outlet which was quite boring for us. We chose, a Texas-potato sandwich, a paneer-veg sandwich, a blueberry muffin, a walnut muffin and 2 chocolate tarts. The locale was not as pleasant as expected. We had an additional activity to keep away the flies around and a couple of dead ones were lying on the floor….we wondered on the maintenance. We started to feast ourselves beginning with the sandwiches and Vidya initiated slicing them into 2 halves. So recognizing her competency to cut, we’ve rewarded her with a new title” Cutter”. Lolzzz….

I was the only odd man….oops..woman out not to touch anything except the texas potato. That’s because of my health reasons, but yeah I did taste a bit of everything since I dint want to disappoint my taste buds as well my buddies.

Soon we were able to finish all of them and ordered 2 more Paneer Veg sandwiches. I was first one to leave the place since I had some house hold work and Satya was on his way to pick me up. It was 6:20 pm by the time I left the premises. The other four dispersed at 7:00 pm with heavy tummies…hehehe.

It’s a feel good factor to meet up once in a while and energize ourselves. In other words, a change in routine always keeps the mind& heart fit!

You sang to me!

2007-07-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

You Sang to me – Marc Anthony

I happen to hear this one of the well written songs and felt so high.
This has been wonderfully sung my Marc Anthony in his husky and romantic voice. He sounded so soothing to ears that I kept on listening to this song again and again. The lyrics, "All the while.." resembles most of our real life instances..that we never realize and dont see that tinge in the other person's eyes at that moment. But thankfully...after a long while, i had a chance to see it in my hubby's jet black eyes...oh what a feeling :)

You can aswell watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUgx5Q2NNpY

i just wanted you to comfort me
when I called you late last night you see
i was fallin' into love
oh yes, i was crashin' into love
oh of all the words you sang to me
about life, the truth and bein' free yea
you sang to me, oh how you sang to me

girl i live off how you make me feel
so i question all this bein' real
cuz i'm not afraid to love
for the first time i'm not afraid of love

oh, this day seems made for you and me
and you showed me what life needs to be
yea you sang to me, oh you sang to me

all the while you were in front of me i never realized
i jus' can't believe i didn't see it in your eyes
i didn't see it, i can't believe it
oh but i feel it
when you sing to me
how i long to hear you sing beneath the clear blue skies
and i promise you this time i'll see it in your eyes
i didn't see it, i can't believe it
oh but i feel it
when u sing to me

just to think you live inside of me
i had no idea how this could be
now i'm crazy for your love
can't believe i'm crazy for your love
the words you said you sang to me
and you showed me where i wanna be
yea you sang to me, oh you sang to me

Career Transition

2007-06-29T03:03:00.000-07:00

Blogging…a fantasy come true…a long lasting wish which I could accommodate in one of my leisure hours at my workplace ….oopss..this is better known as a self improvement time..!!

I love my job..profession..career…lifeline…I like writing..never knew when this instinct to write has germinated…my education may possibly be one of the reasons behind…the weekly exams, the never ending reading and learning saga, the brain storming sessions for the projects…must have laid the foundation.

Many commented, many discouraged, many degraded…the only entity that were in my complete support of all my decisions is my family(Amma& Gopal-My Brother)

Well…Bi.p.c to BCA to HR never stopped me pursue my interest…my Dad gave me the liberty to study what ever I wanted…I not only enjoyed the education, while also experienced their flavors in my varied jobs…starting the first one at the age of 18…finally chose my destination to be writing that suits my persona.

I can co-relate how my 3 tier edu came handy in my ever chosen job…Writing.
My role involves reading, interviewing, analyzing and documenting. Now lets see the co-relation I was talking about….Bi.p.c taught me to read extensively, BCA introduced me to technology while HR triggered my levels of interaction.

I have been in this field since 2 years for now. Starting with SEO Writing, Website content writing, marketing materials, brochures, editing…you name it and I learn it.
The only idea I always had…research…learn… Google is my God Father ..lolz..Nothing in this world is impossible on Google.. Life is made so easy with these search engines.

More about my jobs…Switching from an e-learning firm to a financial client to a s/w product development firm…it has been a strange and versatile journey…planning to enjoy this technological aura for a while…may be 2 years from now…! There has been a cultural transition…but my Aquarian instinct to adopt and welcome change helped me survive and fit in any kind of setup.

My current organization is a medium sized firm with a head count of 250…with high attrition rate and equal intake balancing the ratio..:D. Soon after I’ve joined the firm, my senior has left the firm and I began owning a component. it has been tough to get acquainted with terminology and technology…but thanks to my PM…he is v supportive and understanding of my learning needs. He would patiently answer any of my silly or serious questions with an unfading smile…a must learn factor!

The team is other wise known as a gang of serious (Workaholic) guys…with just 2 females(including me). Both of us are mostly lost in our world of thoughts…husband, boy friend, marriage, home, Mom, shopping, movies, humor, forwards, bitching…heheh!
We have drawn a line to all the guys since they are always engrossed in work…defects, PY, enhancement, revision, DT, meetings, scrum, sprint….this makes the dictionary of my team…..to be contd…