It touched my heart ....

Disclaimer - The below poem is not my original, just loved it on internet and posted it here

I brought you the sun you said it was too bright
so I brought you the moon and you said it only shone in parts!
I gave you my strength you said I was too strong
so I toned it down and you said you didn’t feel protected!

I said I loved everything about you, you said I like to flatter
so I with-held my compliments and you said I don’t appreciate you enough!
I gave you my world you said all you needed was my attention
So I gave you all my attention and you said you are worth much more than just attention…
I bought you diamonds and pearls you said money can’t buy your love,
So I opted not to and you say money sustains relationships!

I said I wanted to rest and you said I was ignoring you
so I call on you every chance I get and you said I crowd your space!
I try being sensitive to your emotions you say I’m too soft
so I just show up when you call on me and you say I neglect you!
I tell you I love you, you say I need to show it
So I show you love and you say I have to say that I love you!

What I do never seems to be good enough
what I do not do is definitely bad enough:
Please take me as I am,
And I’ll certainly be what you want me to be!

Any publicity is good publicity!!

There were times when people used to proove their mettle by showing skills.. and results.. and they were rewarded.. but it seems that the world today looks for only one skill - Communication skill.. if you dont have that.. you dont have the key reach at the top..
Visibility.. Networking.. Elevator Pitch.. Clear communication..Diplomatic behaviour...all these terms have been repeatedly used in organisations now a days.. We never heard these words from our parent's as at their time.. what mattered most was technical knowledge and degree and not what you call as the skill to communicate...
There is a race to increase your visibility... nobody wants to be at the backend and perform.. all want the stage limelight..When i was a junior in my organisation I used to think, when i get promoted.. i will attend meetings/client calls/webnairs and seminars.. and people will know me.. they will recognize my work. It has been 4.5 years since then.. and I have seen a remarkable shift in the employee mentality.. Now i became a senior to some freshers.. but they all want to share the stage.. right from the begenning.. they do not want their manager to take their share of limelight.. they start cribbing the day they join.. they do not want to do any ground work.. they just want to jump to the top.. without learning the basics.. I dont know this mentality is because all my juniors are MBAs or because of the overall paradigm shift in the thought process of employees...
It seems everything they do.. the focus is on 'Visibility'
Whereever they go... the focus is on 'Networking'
Whatever they speak.. the focus in on 'Being Diplomatic or Politically Correct'
When they behave.. the focus is on 'Self Branding.. USP'

A complete new generation of smart employees has evolved, who are competing against each other for the top position.. but in actual dont add any value to the organisation except being visible ..

I guess...its high time that i also learn the tricks of the trade.. and become a part of this never ending marathon for life.. a marathon of networking...   :)

Childrens Day- Celebration or Pity !!!

We as kids.. looked forward to childrens day, as we would have function in school, we would get sweets.. and it would be a special day dedicated only to us..
But as i grew up and learnt to see the realities, childrens day no longer became a day of celebration, rather.. it reminded me of all those kids who are not so fortunate. Their day is no different on childrens day. you will find them on chai stall early in the morning, serving chai , cleaning utensils, eating left over food.. or you can find them on construction sites picking bricks heavier than their weight, or taking care of the younger one in the sun when their mother is working at construction...Does childrens day make any difference to their life?? i dont think so.. 1 in 3 of the world's malnourished children lives in India.. more than 12 million children are exploited for child labor.. the most exploitative form being child prostitution.. they are overworked.. underfed.. and underpaid..
On the other side of the coin, we see next gen kids who are smarter than adults.. who know laptop operations at age of 5, who live in a virtual world..they good at studies.. good at sports..attend communication skill classes starting class 5th...they have doting parents who focus all their attention on the kid..
On one side we say the coming generation in India would be lucky as it would be born and bought up in a strong developing & domination nation.. But when i see the actual India.. i feel pity.. Are we any better than Africa or other underdeveloped nations in this respect ???

Every kid deserves a good life..
I believe.. if we have been born fortunate.. it is our duty to help atleast one kid with a better future..

People who live on the surface Vs deeper people

We meet different kinds of people in life.. some are serious while some bubbly.. some are introverts while others extroverts...some are grave while some are just happy go lucky..
I always thought that people who are serious, introvert and grave kinds are difficult to handle.. coz their emotions run way deeper than others.. they dont take things lightly and such people dont share their heart with everyone.. While I being the exact opposite of the above description I always ran away from such people.. even though i have had quite a few friends in the serious category.. but they have been quite difficult to handle becoz they dont take things in the light spirit and they dont forget your misdeeds so easily..

I always wanted to be friends with the happy go lucky kinds.. wanted to be around people who make the atmosphere so chill... the people who live on the surface.. take life as it comes and are not serious enough.. But soon I realised that such people may not be good for your health.. they will forget you the moment you stop talking them.. and will find new friends quickly..
People who live on the surface will make you smile, chill, laugh.. they will be good at making promises.. they will make castles in thin air.. their talks will take you to an entirely different world and will indirectly force you to see things from their eyes.. but such extroverts forget promises.. those castles in the air.. the moment they are away.. they are quick in making friends.. and equally quick in quitting ...
I realised that serious people are sometimes good to be friends with.. they dont entertain.. they dont make me laugh.. they are not really fun to be with... but they are there when i need them.. when i am sad, they will go the extra mile to make me smile..even though they dont know how to crack PJs...they never forget me when i stop talking to them..
I used to be a bubbly, surface living person. but still I have been lucky to have some good friends in life... :)

I like it on the couch...

If you were following Facebook for past 1 week.. you would have got the meaning of the title..
So where do you like it?
It was so strange to see women posting their FB Status as "I like it on the sofa".. "I like it on the couch".. "I like it on the bean bag"...and and and... " i like it on the dressing table?"..
This kept me wondering the meaning of "it" in these statuses.. Actually women would still give u decent guesses for the meaning of "it".. but MEN just thought it.. probably imagined it.. and.. you would see many men replying "Men like it anywhere".. HA HA HA..
But noooo... the meaning of IT is not what you just thought...
So many of my friends. collegues and classmates had a variety of answers to "where would they like it?" It was kind of strange to see such bold and blunt attitude of people.. But finally the mystery evolved and i got the meaning of "it".. I felt so stupid..how come i realise it so late...
Actually "where would you like it?" was a facebook campaign to spread the awareness for Breast Cancer.. this meant women to answer - "where would they like to keep their handbag/purse"...You just have to keep it as your status message and spread word among your women friends to do the same..
Because of the cryptic nature and mystery of such messages.. many had their heads scratching as to what is this going on...
Nice and fun way to spread awareness.. waao....

Give a second chance to good and bad.. equally!!!

Our 5 senses.. sense of smell, touch, see, hear and taste..enable humans to recognise things and form perceptions of everything that we come across.. But what happens when there is a conflict between the two senses. Then how do you resolve these conflicts.. how do you draw conclusions and which sense do you believe..
It happens many a times that a sweet voice on the phone which pleases your ear might turn out to be of a monstor.. or a dish which looks delicious to the eye might be pathetic in taste..Next time if you see the same dish on your dining table you might not feel like eating it irrespective that it is made by a different cook..because we have formed pre-conceived notions about things.. people.. food everything..
All these notions are based on our experience and hence we trust our feelings more than we trust the cook who made that dish...May be the second time also the dish turns out to be pathetic.. but the question is will you give that delicious looking thing.. a third chance to please your taste buds.. or will you just say "yakkk" and leave it on the table.. very likely that we will react in the "Yakk" way...
But I think it deserves another chance.. you never know u might end up liking it.. or your gesture might bring a smile on the cook's face for the effort that he made for you..and if not that.. it will atleast reaffirm your bad experience with that dish..
For the sake of goodness left in this world....give chances to everything.. good and bad.. to challenge your perception.. you never know what might turn up.... but TRUST only your instinct.. only your pre-conceived notions.. unless there is a very compelling reason to change them..

" I wanna do Franship wid you "

I am sure everybody might have got the content of this blogpost just by looking at the title..

Friendship cannot happen over the phone or internet.. but "Fraanship" can. Welcome to the world of social networking.. where everyday you will get 5-6 friend requests from people you dont know.. and if you have uploaded a photo in which you supposedly look good.. then the number might increase to 15-18 on an average.. it seems everyone wants to do Fraanship with you... and if you dont accept those unknown requests, some people might even just crack your number and call you.. I dont know what will they get out of Fraanship with me.. All such things used to look very exciting when i was in my engineering but now it seems disgusting..
I see the younger generation and i feel pity for them.. the social networking sites have turned this world into a virtual market.. where people look for prospective Fraands/girlfrnds/boyfrnds. Students as young as 8th standard want to upload their best pics in orkut/facebook so that they can be noticed.. they chat with unknown people late in the night without knowing the danger of what lies ahead.. even people who are not very educated, who dont have a job and who dont have a proper social circle also have 200-300 friends list.. they look for females who have a phone number updated and call them.. instead of concentrating on the basics of education and life.
I realised this when i recieved a call from an unknown person..and i realised my mistake of updating my phone number on orkut. "I wanna do fraanship wid u" he said. and i said "Excuse me.. i dont even know you".. and kept the phone down.. and now the guy has got another activity to do-- "he is sending me messages.. ur voice is sweet.. can we talk.. can we b fraens etc etc.. " Thanks to the mobile companies who have come up with schemes for consumers -- "Rs 31 k recharge pe 5000 local/national msgs free".. and this is how those free messages are being used... Social networkin was build with a purpose to bring old friends together.. rather than being a menace of Franships which can turn into a nighmare.. nobody knows..

Corporate Life burning your fat or turning you fat...

Fat people are happy people.....in fact thats what is the first impression we get when we see a fat person... "खाते पीते घर का लगता है"... but thats not true..
As we joined the corporate world after MBA almost 3 months back.. we all have started looking like "खाते पीते घर का" but are we really the happy-go-lucky jolly people... i dont think so..
It seems the job has made us more frustated and boring of all people...we get up in the morning as usual.. no excitement.. no hopes.. no assignments like college.. attend office .. come back.. again sit over the laptop and watch some movies.. waiting for the weekend to arrive.. we are more lethargic than ever and it seems all the ambitions have died... infact after MBA i have seen that even in office we are not able to find good guys coz half of them are married and rest are in their 30s which makes them less attractive to flirt with.. leave flirt.. we dont even find good friend circle..
In childhood.. when we used to meet old friends after long time.. we used to say kitna lamba ho gaya.. 6 foot ka ho gaya etc etc..
Now.. when we meet our old friends.. we measure the changes by width.. 32 inch se 42 inch ka ho gaya.. and the changes can be seen in just 3-4 months...
Science has proved that depression leads to obesity.. so are we turining obese because we are happy or becoz we are sad... no body knows the answer.. but guys.. lets take a pledge that we will not be wanted to measured by our width or dullness.. we need to be youthful.. lets start being youthful once again.. lets start a new day as a fresh day like we used to do in college.. lets talk and laugh loud instead of just working.. lets walk instead of being a couch potato.. lets take stairs instead of the lift and lets again get in touch with old frinds and let them say... "Khate peete ghar ka lagta hai/lagti hai " :)

Delhi Mania

Do i look like i belong to Delhi?? this reminds me of an incident that happened when I was doing my internship with Strides -- a Pharma company fairly large but still you get to know everyone from the liftman to the security guard to the chai vala....
That day I was wearing a Blue shirt and trouser.. I land up in office and the liftman asks me.. "Madam aap Delhi se hai kya?".. i just said "Nahi" and did not bother to ask the reason.. but i kept thinking why he could have asked me such a question.. i dont look like a girl from Delhi.. m not snobbish.. i dont throw attitude.. and m not that hot too..never mind.. i thought that probably the lift guy wanted to just blabber something and thats y he asked..
The day passed and I was leaving office.. we needed to sign the register marking our attendence for the day.. the security guard was a lady.. she asks me "Madam aap Delhi se hai kya?".. I was surprised.. I dint know why did the same question came up again.. so I asked her "Mai aapko Delhi ki lagki hu kya? Ese kyo puch rahe ho?" to which she replied - "Delhi ka log bahut beautiful hota hai.. smart hota hai.. aap beautiful ho na.. " .. I was flattered.. I smiled and said "Thanks"..
I was walking my way home and a lady who used to handle the marketing division for APAC region just stopped by and said she could drop me home.. I accepted and sat in her car.. and guess what... She asks me the same question ??'''?? " Sneh.. so you belong to Delhi".. I was shocked and gave her a surprising look.. and said .. " No.. m not.. but why do u think i belong to Delhi".. to which she said .. "Delhi k logo ka hindi accha hota hai na.. to I just guessed from your accent".. 3 people asking me the same question in the same day and giving different answers was strange..
And i still remember the incident whenever i look at that blue shirt.. :P

Hyderabad Special !!!

Also called as the cyber city with huge office, lots of software companies, a metro culture, lots of malls but what makes Hyderabad special and different from bangalore/delhi/chennai per say.
There is nothing like a metro/local train or Volvo busses to go to office, but a concept of shared auto. I could not have imagined 7 people sitting in one auto-rickshaw, but now it has become a part of my conveyance to office. Hats off to the engine of these autos which can carry so many people and that too so comfortably. There is no language problem here as compared to other metros like Bangalore or Chennai.. Infact the language is quite nawabi and slightly funny.. they say “nako” for no, “kya Hona” for kya chahiye.. just add “a” at the end for plurals like “Roda” for roads, “Fruita” for “fruits” etc. interesting!!!!
If you bargain here with an Auto walla, he would say “ Madam aap to IT vale ho.. aap to bargain mat karo” as if IT people make millions.. The city is growing costlier day by day.. thanks to the IT cult but not at the same rate as other metros have grown.. it is still cheaper for IT vale people to settle down..
It’s very common here for someone in the bus to slap the other man coz he was trying to misbehave with a woman on the bus..or trying to take advantage in the crowd .. people seem to be quite helpful..Climate is not too bad either..
The city with a million people, innovative shared auto concept.. spicy food and a strangely sweet language..m loving it :)

Money can’t buy Happiness...

Each one of us might have heard this phrase multiple times in their lives, some believe it, some don’t.. But for me this phrase reminds of one of the sweetest moments of my life. I went to Pune for a job and my cell was on roaming. So I could not talk to my friends for long hours as I usually do. One day my friend calls me, I talk to him for 10 mins and said “yaar m on roaming, and balance is low so lets just keep the phone down, we will talk when I get a local number”, and we keep the phone down. Immediately in the next 5 mins I get a message from Vodafone “Your account has been recharged by INR 100. Your Vodfone prepaid account balance is Rs X. “ I was taken by surprise. And in the next 5 mins I got message from my friend –“Money can’t buy happiness, but talking to you can. Can we talk now”. This brought a smile on my face and I cannot explain my feelings at that instant. I finally understood that money can’t buy happiness and still remember that particular feeling.

Cheti Chand jiyu lakh lakh wadhaiyu.. Jai Jhulelal...

Today i want to write this blog in Sindhi.. which is my mother tongue... but unfortunately most of my readers wont understand, so let me write in english..
Wondering what the title means.. It means Celebration and Happiness in order of Lakhs on the festival of Cheti Chand..
Cheti Chand marks the New Year in the Sindhi Calender. Going by the Hindu Calender, Cheti Chand is the second day of the Chaitra month known as Chet in Sindhi. Hence it is known as CHET-I-CHAND. Since it is the 2nd day of month chaitra, it comes 1 day after Ugadi and Gudi Parwa.
We celebrate this festival in honor of the birth of our Saint, Jhulelal. This day is considered to be very auspicious and is celebrated with joy. On this day, we worship Sant Jhulelal- the lord of water and the elixir of life.
On this day, many Sindhis take Baharana Sahib to a nearby river or lake. Baharana Sahib consists of Jyot (Oil Lamp), Misiri (Crystal Sugar), Phota (Cardamom), Fal (Fruits), and Akha. Behind is Kalsh (Water jar) and a Nariyal (Coconut) in it, covered with cloth, phool (flowers) and patta (leaves). There is also a Murti (Idol) of Pujya Jhulelal Devta.
In Bhopal, we have a Sindhi committee and we celebrate this festival together with family and friends. We sing prayers, and dance to the tunes. This type of dance is called Chejj in Sindhi and is similar to Dandiya dance. We also appreciate and encourage all the students and youngsters who have achieved heights in their career and made the Sindhi Community proud.

When you meet any Sindhi and want to wish him for Sindhi New Year, you say "Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav". In response "Twah khe bhi Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav".

Lakh Lakh Wadhaiyu... Jai Jhulelal !!!!!!!!!
Proud to be a Sindhi :)

Dedicated to the best mom in the world... women's day special...

People say I resemble her totally.. but even at 50 she is prettier than me..
Her voice still sounds like a 16 yr old on the phone...
She still carries that innocence in her attitude..
She taught me to live.. to fight for a cause.. to stand firm.. and to lead.. Yes.. i exist because of her..
She is my mother..
she will do mimicry of people.. and laugh out loud..
she will ask you to repeat a joke 100 times until she remembers it.. and laugh even if u tell it the 101th time.. she will still plan for picnics.. and she will never say no to coffee .. :)
i still remember her expressive face when she used to teach how bactaria grows in curd.. how she used to pretend solving Erodov problems which were impossible..

but at times she will have wet eyes, just at the thought of her kids going away.. and she will still be silent when my grandmother will scream for no reasons..

My thoughts will never end... She was always there as a shield protecting me from the society.. from negetivity.. she acted as a guiding force in my life.. she stood for me when no-one was on my side..

And today.. on Womans day.. i want to dedicate this blog to my mother.. because of whom I am what I am..

I dont believe she is old now.. but she is still my best friend and will always be... I love u mom.. and no matter what happens in life.. i will never leave you alone..

A tribute to our Lady Killer on his B'day :)

u wanna know his secret.. ask his nick name.... :)
u wanna know why he is a lady killer.. just spend some time with him..
u wanna know how he invents new bplans everyday.. just ask him how much time he spends dreaming..
u wanna know why he has so many female frnds.. ask him all the daily soaps he watches...
u know why he is afraid of dogs.. this question can be answered by only by our group.. :P
yes.. he is the wave of our Pond club... the Mama in our family.. Tarang Maheshwari..

Although he lives in his dreamy land.. the moment he starts working towards practical aims, you can be sure that he will win the next 'Achievers Award'. The only problem comes in making him look beyond those unrealistic dreams.
He never holds a bias against any person. You will never find him passing a judgment in context of anyone, unless and until he has experienced the same situation in which that person is now. Even then, he will try to understand that person's reasons, rather than criticize him. Accusations don't go down well with him either. He is never ever mean. However, at times, he may say something, which turns out to be quite different from what he intended. He is totally dependable and you can trust him with your darkest secrets.
He is a very good listener and people always come to him to discuss all their major and minor problems.
Very sensitive and can get hurt very easily. He appears to be confident of himself, but on the inside, he is painfully shy. He has a very quick temper, but the anger subsides as quickly as it comes. He will never remain angry for a very long time and will seldom hold a grudge. Although he has some secret fear of revealing all about himself.
He will appreciate beauty, but he will never be disloyal.(this point was for his girlfrnd )

GO on Mama,, believe in your dreams and one day, you may be walking on the red carpet.
Hum 1 din apna Bplan jarur implement karenge... :)
Happy B'day to you and Wish you all the very best ...

Does a glass ceiling really exist??

We have always read a lot of articles on a transperant glass ceiling for women in the corporate world. But is it still a reality? or this concept has taken a backseat today? or will we talk about a glass ceiling for men a few years down the line??
Baiscally a glass ceiling in corporate world is a metaphor for a barrier for movement to the top which is transparent and cannot be viewed by everyone. A few years back it was said that women cannot climb up the ladder after a limit, unless they compromise on their morals, values, and if not all this, compromise on the family front. True, our society is not yet mature to accept the fact that women are capable enough to be at the top. However, this mentality seems far fetched in todays world for all those women who are carrier oriented, who believe in themselves and those who dare to challenge the capabilities of men.
The Indian society is maturing to this concept gradually and the day is not far when we will have more Chanda Kochers and more Sonia Gandhis in every part of the country. What is needed is a change in the mentality of the male chauvinists (MCPs), who still think that women on top have compromised their dignitiy at some point in their careers. And change is also needed in the mentality of the Bare-It-All women, who think that career growth is directly proportional to xxxxx.
The key to success lies in the right attitude and the right skill set. If you have both, nothing can stop you from breaking the glass ceiling. You are what you think you are. Change your perception and a time will come, when we will read articles on "Glass Ceiling for Men" in TimesLife.