In Love with War

They said, "If you want peace, prepare for War". And we all did! As a matter of fact the whole world went into War, sometimes together and most of the times in smaller groups. Our Mythology, Ancient History, Civil History and current affairs, we all read about War! Peace is just a word in the book which has an alternate meaning given to it "Cold War".

Last weekend I managed to watch the movie "Madras Cafe". The story is fictional but supposedly based on some true events that happened a few decades back. Well I would be the wrong person to write a review, but I wish to share the thoughts that it left me with! The moment lights were switched on in the Cinema hall, I could see hundreds rising from their seats, and getting into a WAR to approach the Exit Door first and leave!

On a serious note, I was left with a thought - what is the true reason behind any war? All the Battles that I have read about in History, enlighten me with just one thing! Its Personal! A war is fought to accomplish Personal desire! or I should say it's created out of a personal desire! We may later Name it a Civil war, Religious War, Defensive War, Cold war, Economic war, World war or even a simple Emotional War! it starts with one Person's personal desires of achievement! Hitler had his own Desires and so did Saddam Hussain! But we cannot leave behind the desires of Roosvelt, George Bush, Netaji or even Mahatma Gandhi. So, the process is like

 One Person has a desire

 He/she takes action to achieve it

 If it doesn't affect any other person's personal desires, then Peace (Which has never happened)

 Someone opposes, then War

This rule might just apply to all conflicts and war, big or small! And it's always personal.

But I am more concerned about those people who get involved in this war and lose their own peace, without even knowing the basic reasons behind the event or how big or small this is going to be! The Movie too presented the same fact to me!

Well, I am at Peace now! Content! But as my first line read, this is just a preparation for War! And, the war can be can be as silly and simple as : Should I meet her tomorrow? - a war of 2 emotions; the war of Mind and Heart!

In Love with Dates - on the Calendar

If I ask you to tell me a few dates on this year's calendar so that you can narrate a story behind the reason you remember them, what date would be it? By the end of this post if you remember any one particular date, please leave it as a comment!

365 Days and then once in 4 years 366 Days! Each day several incidents happen around the world, so many important moments occur in people's life. Yet there are just a few dates on the calendar that we remember every year! We wait for them. We celebrate! And then we feel nostalgic looking back at them!

What dates am I talking about?

Let's consider International Public Dates, like the 1st of January (New Year); 31st of December (New Year Eve), April Fool's day! May Day! You hardly have to remember them! These are the dates that Plan our Life - we don't plan them! the stories behind these dates are available on Google and Wikipedia! there are also a few dates for relationships - Father's, Mother's, Valentine's, etc., and list continues! But yes, every time we celebrate these, we create memories!

Then there are National Public Dates, like the Independence day, Republic day, birthday of the Father of the Nation and other important person's, with national Significance, Birth and death anniversaries! Most People are way too busy to celebrate these days. It has just become a day that beckons massive discounts on products across all stores and a day off from work!

There are religious days like The Easter and Christmas! In our country, India, most religions follow a different calendar, so the dates with respect to the Christ calendar varies. it might fall in the same season  but the exact dates changes each year - Festivals; that describes it!

And then there are those Personal Dates! They are surely not important for the world or the nation, but surely, they are the world to us! Birthday of my Parents, Children, Siblings & Family members, Wedding anniversaries! on all such days, we surely go back in time to discuss "how & what" happened on the original date! atleast once for sure!

Is that it??

There are still a few left! These dates are remembered mostly by just 2 people!  The Date we met them for the first time! Our First Kiss! The First Lunch! Our kid's first Walk! These stories will remain with us, will make us smile, might bring tears too! But then, these are the Dates that come out the Calendar to Narrate Stories, and Celebrate Anniversaries! And sometimes all of these pass by very quietly!

In Love with Dreams

Love and Relations Blog

"I have a dream. a small dream. some big dreams. some verrry big dreams. little little dreams. grand dreams. lovely dreams. laughing dreams. beautiful dreams. desire dreams. power dreams. THE dreams. many many dreams. I have a dream." - Khushboo Upadhyay

While there are still debates on the concept of Dreams & Nightmares across the globe, no one is cent-percent sure about why they occur! Some believe they are the outcome of a random analysis of the data that is pushed in our subconscious mind with the help of our 5 sense organs every microsecond; right from the day we are born, while others say that they are a glimpse of our future that the Almighty shows us. We often see them at night during deep sleep, but our Teachers/Lectures & Managers/Supervisors are sure that Students & Employees can have Dreams with eyes wide open.

So?? what are Dreams? what are they like? what did you dreamt of last night? are your dreams consistent? Do you remember your dreams - last week, last month, last year...? Well! Dreams are Dreams! we can't have so many Questions attached to them. It can be anything like "running on the Watery chocolate cake with a 13 legged elephant like mouse" or "tying a knot on your grandfather's moustache".

But dreams are not illogical always. Leonardo da Vinci dreamt of something and sketched; Centuries later we have a similar device known as Helicopters. Someone, sometime must have dreamt that wireless communication was possible which might have lead to the invention of Photophone by Alexander Graham Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter. Mangal Pandey dreamt of a Free India which became a truth decades after his death!

What have YOU dreamt of? What have I Dreamt of? A BMW...? iphone5/6/7? A Bungalow .villa? south facing beside the Sea? A x132 Hellcat Combat to ride? Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt as a Life partner? Fashion footwear customer designed from the costliest designers showcasing at Paris? Exotic Cuisines from across the globe?

I have dreamt of a Smile on every face. Love for one another. And a tear -tears of happiness in a mother's eye when she looks at her new born! 

In Love with Tomorrow

Love and Relations Blog

Out of everything that we have in our life's, it's the Love for TOMORROW that's most special for us! Look at each and every activity that we do. If not all, our majority of the daily tasks revolves around the purpose of making tomorrow Beautiful/Happy/Secure - for us or for others! May be we aren't thinking directly of the next day but all our actions are somehow based on what we want from our future. Right from the starting of the day, when we wake up with a dream to fulfill  to the last minute of the night when we check that the alarm is set and the clock is ticking!

But the Irony is that we don't know if we would wake up tomorrow to switch off that alarm! Something similar happened a day before yesterday! She didn't wake up! She came back from her college, slept and never woke up. A matter of 30 minutes! She was gone! With her dreams, with her goals, with her ambition, with Love in her heart... she left us! I still wish that I would receive a Text from her like everyday saying "Hey Brother! Wassup? You like my new Pic on the profile?"... will call me up to know how to reach a particular destination in the city... would send me forwarded texts now and then! But nothing's going to happen anymore!

I called her an Angle! But she never believed me! I am not sure if she knew how special she was to me- for reasons known to me and just one more person! She did touch my life and made it so beautiful! I don't know about how she was with others, but with me she was a person who lived Today! Happiness, Sorrow, Laughter, Tears, Anger, Kindness, Frustration, Calmness - she could feel it all in one single day. While on one hand if she could day-dream, yet she was one of the most practical and logical lady I have met! She had turned 21 last year but still had not shed that baby fat on her face! Have a great journey ahead Kiddo. I will miss you!

Life is short! More importantly - Life is UNPREDICTABLE! But yes! we all survive on Hope! We want to see tomorrows Sunrise! We wish to see the seasons change! We wish to see the February calendar of the leap year! We wish to see our next generation! We wish to see the wrinkles of maturity, knowledge and love on our face! We all wish to make a Bigger and Better future!

But in all this, just don't forget to Smile today and make someone else too! Feel Love! Express it! Because someday when I'll be gone too, I would want you to remember me for Spreading Smiles & Love!

In Love with Choices!

Love and Relations Blog

What would you like to have?    Tea or Coffee!

Which shirt should I wear today?              Blue or Grey

Let's go for a movie this weekend!          The new Hollywood flick or the SRK movie?

let's dine out tonight!    Chinese, Italian or Indian Cuisine?

let's plan a holiday:          Beach or Hills?

Life is full of choices! Right from the choice of the Doctor and Hospital where a kid is born, to the Cremation - would s/he be burnt in an open flame or an electric furnace; ooh! we can also burry them! We love to make choices, and if given a chance we would choose to do things where we have choices - Like shopping at a mall rather than a store! The best part of being able to choose is we already know that the product/service/action/person etc is better than the other choices we had. So, it's like an instant satisfaction of what we choose!

Let's look at our day! We already had chosen our time to wake up (that's how we had set our alarms). If we aren't on a strict workout regime, we can choose as to how long we should run today. For some of us, we can choose to bath or avoid doing so, depending on the weather conditions! What to wear to work? Which Perfume? Which wrist watch? What would we prefer having, as our breakfast? Which work should I complete first today? Tea or Coffee during breaks? Veg or Non-Veg for lunch? News channel, sports, or Daily soap? And even which side of the bed to sleep tonight?

Let's look at our lives. I understand that as kids we weren't able to make most choices, but hey! someone else did make a choice for us! Like which school/college to get admitted to? Which sport do we play? which phone to buy? Sit beside this guy or that girl? Our Profession. Which Car do we buy? Location we choose for our vacations! Even our Life Partners! Whom to date & whom to marry? It's good to have choices! Choice on the number kids, etc. etc.

I suppose it's the very reason that shows like KBC ("Kaun banega crorepati" or "Who wants to be a millionaire") scores well on TRP. The person on the Hot seat has 4 choices for the correct answer and then he has additional set of  4 choices of getting help. Sometimes the choice is just a YES or NO. Some choices are easy and others are difficult to make. But it has enough power to define our destiny! (consider replying for a marriage proposal)

Every choice we make, big or small, sets the path for our future set of choices, and hence defines our life. Some turn out to be good and some helps us learn from the undesired experiences. For example, If I choose to study literature, as a major during our graduation, the next set of choices that arise for my profession would be...??? I bet it can't be a assistant engineer at a steel plant!

If that's how powerful choices are, and if we really love making one for ourselves, then let's make them wisely. Let us help our Kids to choose a Pen over a Hammer! Let us give our women a choice to take a step out of home at any hour of the day or Night! Let us give our Elders the choice on how they wish to spend their final years of their lives! Let us give each other a choice to be Human and not just a representative of a particular caste or creed!

In Love with 2012

Love and Relations Blog
I am sure this year has been a special one for all of you, atleast with the context that we are alive and the Apocalypse, as per the Mayan Calendar failed to occur! Each one us would probably share this story with our grandchildren, while telling them about your first love or some other major incidents of your life!

This year has seen so much in this world. While the Master Blaster completed his 100th century in international cricket and decided to retire from the ODI's by the end of this year, Barack Obama retained his Presidency in the USA. Some pending issues related to terrorism got closed with the assignation of Osama Bin Laden and Kasab, while the world was left lonely when people like Steve Jobs, Yash Chopra, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey,  Neil Armstrong and many more (the list is too big) left the world!

2012 also saw more natural disasters in the history, with the hurricane Sandy disrupting the East coast of USA and Earthquakes & floods in other parts of the world. But the people of Japan also taught us this year, that sitting back and crying is not what Humans were created for! life is back on track a Year after  the biggest tsunami that ever happened.

This year, while one part of the world was busy with the Olympics in London, India experienced the worst power outage in world history. While the Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover, successfully lands on Mars, researchers successfully perform the first implantation of an early prototype bionic eye with 24 electrodes.

Talking about a few facts within India it was astonishing to know that monsoon rains brought flood in Rajasthan. World Health Organization finally removed India from the list of polio endemic countries. Pranab Mukherjee was elected The President of India while Sebastian Vettel won even the second Formula One Grand Prix that happened in our Nation. More scandals came to surface while the Nation rose to JanLokpal bill and demanded fast track courts to make sure that the accused of severe crimes like Gang Rapes are put behind bars.

On a lighter note, I am still confused as to why this year the Gangnam Style was the most viewed Youtube video with more than 808 million views :D                                

Personally, I am in Love with 2012 because of what this year has given me! As a Entrepreneur I had the Best Quarter EVER in terms of Revenue this year. I got to travel & stay in new cities but very different from each other, like Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam, Ranchi and Haldia. An unmatched experience of travelling more than 4000kms in India without a Railway ticket. To my astonishment, most of my friends form school & college, whom I have grown up with and are from my age group, chose to marry this year ;) The rest, who didn't, atleast announced it! When I refer to Friends, I cannot miss to mention how this year redefined friendship! I was made to believe by destiny, that we make friends out of nowhere. We find superb people out of the least possible meeting places and circumstances - like a quick meeting, while on your way back home on a tired weekday, along the footpaths of Park Street for a couple of minutes.

On a more personal front, this year would be memorable all my life. After many years, the Cupid was finally able to hit me with his Arrow! Let's see if there is more to unfold in the coming year, but 2012 would always remain a Lovely Year for me!

Love and Relations Blog