Libras are amazing lovers.

• Because we never forget your birthdays.

• Because we listen.

• Because we become your dad when you travel alone.

• Because we become your mom when you are sick.

• Because we skip a beat when you get hurt. Sometimes beats.

• Because we never skip a chance to flirt with you.

• Because we can’t see you dancing with someone else.

• Because we want to be your knight in shining armor.

• Because we and no one else can handle you when you are mad.

• Because we understand even if it’s not our fault.

• Because we forgive even when it’s tough to forget.

• Because we love holding hands.

• Because we look in your eyes when you talk, and sometimes, at your lips.

• Because we listen to the heart, even when the head makes more sense.

• Because we surrender and sacrifice.

• Because we keep you on top.

• Because we put this unnecessary pressure on ourselves to please you.

• Because we crack jokes, incessantly,  some really lame ones too.

• Because we get tickled inside when we make you giggle.

• Because we find you in our songs.

• Because we don’t mind getting distracted when you call at work.

• Because we find our happiness in you.

• Because we love you, more than we love ourselves, and we are born self obsessed. 

How do i know so much, simple i am a Libran myself :)

This post is dedicated to you.

My chilhood experience with a dreadful smell

I don’t think any house in India was completely isolated from the mouse menace in the 90’s. The time where mice were part our households, a member of the family kinds. With the problem came the solution i.e. Mouse traps and there was a rush to purchase the same. These traps were pretty effective in catching their prey but the big question was what to do after catching them. People use to travel miles and miles to throw them at the far off garbage disposal grounds, but unfortunately that didn’t help mainly because it was a viscous cycle where you will dispose them somewhere and other person too does the same, therefore the mice never lost their numbers they were just getting new homes.

After the debacle, Mortein came up with a fresh idea of poison cakes which can be kept at places where there is a possibility of the mouse. The mouse will eat them, that will choke their lungs and they will run outside for air and eventually die. Great idea, we just have to put the green cake and it will do the rest, but unfortunately it is not full proof, most of the times the rat dies at the hardest to reach corners of the house making life miserable.

This is my story of such incident where a rat died after the poison cake at the most unwanted location – The 'store', where we usually dump everything which is unwanted for now.

And then came the bomb; from where this horrible smell is coming? Mom said and eyes start rolling. Horrible smells are associated with a fart, smelly socks, to the extreme of who didn’t took bath today. After the blame game, teasing, literally checking and after counting out all these possibilities we start checking the room. Searching for these bad odors can be a frustrating task, but with mom’s perseverance everything is achievable.  It was making us crazy, thinking what the heck is stinking so bad and finally we found the dead body (mystery solved) and I was chosen for the rituals of cremating it off to the farthest location possible. 

My association with exotic smell is when mother bakes and cooks. The smell just drives you nuts, the temptation is irresistible and you just try your best to grab and stuffed it into your mouth.

How can I forget my other nostalgic associations with smell like the smell of wet mud after the enchanting rains when I would sit for hrs (inhaling as much as possible), gazing outside and penning down random stuff, the smell of a fresh new book, where I keep reading and flipping pages to get the fresh smell experience time and again and last but not the least the smell of a fresh paint which reminds me of my awesome childhood involvements. :)

This post is written for IndiBlogger, Ambipure www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia Smiley Air to Smelly Air contest. 

Happy Breathing!!

The growing pursuit of wealth

There was a young guy, who like any other inspiring blood had an intention to change the world, to help as many people as he could and to make people happy around him but unfortunately that has changed radically and now he is filled with a never ending desire of accumulating as much wealth as possible to fulfill his and his family growing needs. This in fact is an interesting anecdote valid for most of us and we can easily relate to it because we are now part of this culture of aggregating where everyone wants to rough shod over everybody to have more and more (refer story of 99 gold coins). This culture of “Ye dil maange more” is the reason behind this transition from “the pursuit of happiness” to “the pursuit of wealth”. Some may argue that wealth = happiness and they have their preset notion pretty much set so I won’t argue with that and them. 

Earlier, when a man used to come home, he would humbly tell everybody what act of random kindness (ARK) he has done today and inspire other too but now he just brags about his new luxury possession, how much more money he will make in next few months, his new role in office, his foreign trip in pipeline etc. Yes, we aspire to have more but at what cost, we see an accident in front of us and we don’t even bother to stop because we are worried about getting late to office which might result in our pay cut. Preposterous!! 

 It is quite clear that ‘Money is king’ today, no doubt money is important but the important question is how much? Yes, we are entitled to ensure well-being of our family but I don’t think it is just confined to earning money. That being said i am no guru in telling you what is right or wrong and you are better equipped to decide on that, I am just asking or would rather request to take a sabbatical, spend some time alone and search your own meaning of well-being, for you and for your family. 

Mantra: Just ask yourself everyday “what act of kindness you have done today? ” and you will enjoy a restful sleep and that means a lot! 

“There is no wealth but life”. ~ John Ruskin

Enough of Platitudes India

If you are looking for any inspiration from this post, i must tell you there isn't any here. So if you seriously looking for one, then just go and see your mom, sister, wife or daughter right now.

What i really wanted to do with this space was to share ideas on how to tackle the menace of sexual crimes against women. Like most of us i can also go on and on when it comes to criticizing and complaining the Government actions (sec 144, shutting down metro, faking sympathy) and in-actions (police reforms, law & order, governance paralysis). But that would be the easiest thing to do, having said that do you really think government is only to blame here, actually we all are partners in crime and it's high time we introspect. 

These following 5 points are essential is what i feel to completely eradicate this menace.

1. Don't just start weeping, don't behave like a stubborn child, zip it and ACT consistently and not just when you get a wake up slap. Enough of Platitudes people, seriously enough.
2. Name and shame the sex offenders, including the MP and MLA's by publishing their names on the national website and ridiculing them. FYI, around 650 MPs and MLAs have been charged for sexual crimes against women which is still pending with courts. This will also force the political parties to remove them.
3. Stay United, so if you see a guy fighting with a eve -teaser alone consider him as your best friend/brother and join hands against crime and injustice.
4. Police System really needs an overhaul and it is not limited to just by transferring/suspending, it also includes our Judiciary system, so if a girl gets justice in 15 yrs it isn't a justice actually, henceforth we need a sex offense bill, police reforms and fast track courts across India for such kind of cases.
5. Social equality; if a girl is raped, she should not be treated as some second class citizen. Rather than blaming and disgracing her, the guy should be humiliated for his action. It would be a slow process in this male dominated society and we need to start from scratch, creating awareness. We really need to ask some hard questions this time.

Last and the least,  "Don't Betray her, Don't Forget". I sincerely hope her death will not go in vain and i am worried it will.

~ The Angry Indian.

What's in the Name? A lot Actually.

Tropical cyclone 'Sandy' threatening US, Sandy! yes you heard it right, ironically sounds more like an angry girlfriend than a natural disaster to me. But as Shakespeare had said "Whats' in a name".

But i disagree, what if we name a natural disaster like tsunami after our PM, Manmohan Singh  probably it won't do anything, Not that natural forces know the difference and will be effected, it's the perception that will change among the masses.

So, the Hurricance will make their share of necessary damage but naming it Sandy will help us in preparing it mentally and to eventually sustain it.

Open Letter:

Dear Sis,

Hope you are safe in US. If required i will send my personal hand made 'Ark' to you. BTW, what is the price of Kindle Fire HD in US (Height of Shamelessness).

Your loving, caring and 'selfless' brother. :)


For real time updates on hurricanes across the Globe check out this website- http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/ (There is a storm Cyclone Nilam presently hovering around Indian east coast too.)


Stay Safe !!

I Apologize for my Existence !!

A soldier has a gun, A artist has a skill, A painter has a brush, A writer has a pen, I have a Keyboard. Obviously, that doesn't mean i can vent and spit out anything. I am a responsible citizen of this country, who is grief-stricken and heart-broken.

India facing Government Paralysis!!

Where our leaders say, what should be said (sometimes needless and weird), but without any need to deliver. Where media, the pillar of our democracy, rather than making sense, is more interested in making sensation. Where People (some of them),are keen and proactive in burning buses and creating chaos. Where People (rest of them) just don't care. Where the Intellectual types (including me) are busy tweeting, blogging and ranting stuff without the need to participate.

I know criticizing is the easiest thing to do and i have criticized almost everybody in my country. I know i don't have to a right to do so and like to apologize on that note.

I apologize if i have offended any of our politicians (Their Pets Included), as i want to avoid my mysterious disappearance to the extend that even my family won't be able to see my dead body.

I apologize if i have hurt the feelings of our Media (including India TV), as i am not a sensation of any kind, i am not Digvijay Singh.

I apologize to the people of this country for my existence.

"I just broke my personal record of no of days without dying today." Thank You !!

The Great Indian Weekened!

The Great Indian Weekened! Really, NO. I am a Dreamer !! 

Saturday:: 

Mumbaikars: There is nothing interesting on Television today, let's go and burn some buses.

Me: Why are you burning the buses? 

Mumbaikars: Some chinese have entered Mumbai. 

Me: Great, you have put the Bengalis to shame. 

"Mumbaikars Don't fret, atleast i am writing about you, there are few geographically isolated places i don't talk about (Assam)".

 I am an Escapist

Sunday:: Of Aug 12, should be renamed as Sushil kumar Shinday (oops Sunday). Great Punch, Give him one too. 

Me: We had a highest ever tally of medals, Yay!. 

Cynics: Yea, we have won 6 medals out of 1.2 billion people.

 Me: We won not because of our system but despite our system. 

Cynics: Whatever, we have 0 Gold, China has 38. 

Me: Yes, we had 2 Silver, 4 Bronze and 1 Bappi da so we still Win ...Boo Ya! 

I am an Optimist

Bottomline: I am a DORK!

Life in Delhi Metro

I like to start by stating that this post has nothing to do with a popular Bollywood movie with a similar title. It is all about my experiences of  a Metro ride, which i felt is few interesting hours of my life that's why i termed it as Life in Delhi Metro.

Few Emotions:-

•    Revenge:-A guy after having an argument with another person pressed the emergency button which stalled the train by half an hour, pretty frustrating.
•    Unity:- A stronger guy slapped a teenage guy as he thought he is not giving him space to enter the train(there wasn’t any space left ) the guy after being slapped stood still & didn’t respond ; later everybody in the coach united & asked the stronger guy to apologize or he would be pushed out of the train.

•    Ignorance:-  Ladies, old men, first timers struggling to understand the system, Ladies generally straddling on the elevators(still) as they feel their sari would come in the elevator. Old man struggling to understand how to enter into the platform, what to do with the token basically, First time boarders struggling to understand the route and where & when to board & deboard.

•    Desperation: Young majnus trying to enter the women’s compartment or least stand near the rear end of the coach seeing their act of desperation was actually funny but no doubt should be dealt seriously.

Life in Delhi Metro is interesting, where people of varying background, class, strata & age fight for a place to sit, not everyone though but most of them.  Where people want to show their macho-ness by standing anywhere they want to & create their own line (I think they have taken the dialogue “Robert hum jaha khade ho jaate hain line wahi se shuru hoti hai” very seriously). 

Where people give their seats to person who needs it more than they do, where people are always ready to guide & help any non-delhite who approach them, the metro ride is fascinating & full of surprises for sure. Any Person coming to Delhi must take a ride, my personal recommendation free of charge.

 

Metro’s Ride! Delhi’s Pride!