Wednesday 31 December 2014

Welcome 2015 !!!!!

So I begin writing and updating my blog once again as my New Year resolution for 2015! Here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year 2015! May all your wishes, hopes and dreams come true this year and may the year bring countless moments of joy and happiness, prosperity, success, good health and well being to all!


My blog today is for all the beautiful people in my life, my family, friends, cousins and every person on the earth who came into my life and gave me something to learn! I am not going to thank each and every person who did good to me, helped and supported me...I simply wish a great year ahead and a long life for all these special people. I also wish these amazing gems of my life remain with me forever and help me achieve milestones with their support, love and care.

Today is indeed a good day to start something new or restart things that have been put back to the list of less preference activities due to whatsoever reasons. And blogging is one such thing, my love and my passion, that helps me express my emotions to the world and say things that perhaps I can't say elsewhere! Keeping it simple and short, I simply want to convey to my few but loyal readers that it is a part of my new year resolution to write as frequently as I can and live my love for writing. I would again come up with my views, simple and short articles that comment on what's latest and trending in the world or something that I experienced and would like to share with the world. After all, journalism is all about real-time, and a journalist would surely love writing articles on what's trending and making news!!

Till then, have a great day ahead all of you...celebrate New Year with excitement and fun and with all the special people of your life!

ONCE AGAIN, WISHING ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!



Saturday 28 June 2014

Media: The worst place to work?

Every child, every teenager and simply every person in the world has big dreams in life and each one of us craves for fame! And that is exactly what a career in the media industry offers you! Or rather, pretends to offer! Just like many other people in this world and the students of my batch when I was pursuing the Bachelors of Mass Media course, I had dreams in mind to become a journalist and contribute to the well being of society. Till then, the impression in my mind was that media is a pillar of the society that helps strengthen it and stands up in support of common people and against crimes and injustice in the world. Or rather, that is what we were taught throughout our course! But, the picture was entirely different in reality, I realized that when I first interned with a local news channel in Navi Mumbai. Although I have given up the dream of working for a news channel or even in the print media, and have already embarked on a career in the digital world, I can feel the cruelty of the field from articles published on the web, from blogs of some prominent journalists, innumerable cases of injustice, social and sexual abuse of journalists, murders and a lot more.

As far as I have read, heard and experienced about life in the field of media so far, I am truly disgusted with the kind of life media people are required to live. Media people here not only involves journalists but a number of people, editors, technicians, stringers, bureau people, newsroom in-charge, supervisors, artists and many others who had, once in their life, dreamt of having an accomplished career by entering the industry. Media, on date, is one of the worst fields to work in and I recently came to realize this when a friend sent me a link of a note written by a journalist that was published to the web. The letter was written by a female journalist to all the editors in the world, requesting humanity in assigning work and setting goals, targets and deadlines and also dealing with cases of abuse and assaults on women journalists these days!

It is a matter of fact that journalists these days are a victim of cut throat competition in the field of media; each news channel and newspaper wants to get a news first, conduct and present research, take follow ups and what not! In all the mess, does anyone ever consider that a journalist has a personal life too, he or she has a family too and that someone somewhere waits for this person to get back home, take rest and live a normal life? It is okay to be professional, it is okay be career oriented and it is also fine to be dedicated to one's job! But to what extent! Journalists and all the media guys in the country, barely get a holiday! You would find these guys working even on weekends, and most of the times, at a truly less salary than what they actually deserve! These guys also have to work on the New Year's Eve, on Diwali and all the other festivals when the world enjoys with their family and friends! Isn't that unfair?

And when you ask your employees to work so hard for long hours, in odd shifts and even on public holidays, isn't it the moral duty of any media organisation to ensure complete security and create an environment where a female employee feels secure and comfortable to work in? A large number of female journalists have committed and attempted suicides till date, many others are fighting cases in the court, many of them have been suppressed by their own bosses and colleagues and many have simply locked away terrible memories and moved on in life! A career is an aspiration and a dream of people, an office is where today's generation spends most of their time! And how secure it is for a media person who spends more time at office than normal employees do? We have countless cases of sexual assault and harassment of female journalist and employees (who can forget the sophisticated and high profile Tarun Tejpal case recently)! Media is, in fact, one of the cheapest and most disrespected fields to work in, where employees not only lack security and well-being but are also often deprived of respect and a good compensation for their hard work.

It is my request to all those reading this, since many of my friends are journalists or work in media organisations, please strive to claim your rights and help make media a better workplace!

Thursday 19 June 2014

Where has humanity lost away?

I was at office when I casually opened my Facebook account as I had taken a small break from work to get refreshed. And I was scrolling down the news feed, I came across a video that left me shaken, something that I could really not digest and for hours together the video ran into my mind, making me weaker and leaving me scared. Guys, we live in a city where life is unpredictable! Thousands die here out of accidents, some fall off running trains, some are attacked, some fall prey to calamities and terrorism and some are raped, beaten and a lot more. Yes, the Delhi rape case has proven how worse death can be and how brutal crimes can be in today's world. The case was a historical one; the one that shook the nation and forced people to become conscious about their rights. This was the case that prompted people to protest widely at all levels and the one that forced the government to amend the law and make them stricter than ever! But what has changed despite the national awakening and despite the shaking incident took place?

After the Delhi Rape Case, a few days ahead of the incident, the male friend of the Delhi braveheart, who was accompanying her when the brutal crime took place, had narrated the entire incident on TV. In his long interview, the guy had explained how they were brutally and mercilessly thrown away on the road, without clothes, on the cold December night, bleeding profusely. When the guy had tried to stop the passersby and the vehicles on the road to seek help for himself and his badly injured friend, not a single car waited, nor a single bike stopped! Although every vehicle on the road slowed down to watch the pathetic condition of the duo, no one offered help or showed mercy when asked for it. It sounds really shocking and the interview was indeed a hair-raising experience to hear! What if you could have witnessed the situation live? This is what I experienced in the video that I happened to see last evening!

The video was shared on Facebook by one of my friends. The video is a dramatic recreation of the brutal Delhi scene of December 16 where an actor, disguised as a badly injured guy, is asking for help from passing vehicles. The video shows how much the mentality of people has changed after such a big incident and how many people seek to offer help! The fact is, we Indians, are so busy in our own life and are so afraid to help people who really need it that we often tend to kill our inner voice and simply pass by and move ahead. the video is a must watch for every Indian and I am sure each one of you would be ashamed on how people react to such situations. Although many people would like and comment on your post if you share the video publicly on Facebook, how many of them would actually not behave in a manner that the video depicts?

After watching the video, I recalled an incident of my own life. I was out at my grand mother's place once and had gone to the market to buy some essentials. This is when I was passing through a hospital and an accident had happened. An old man had been knocked off by some vehicle and was bleeding profusely. A huge crowd had gathered, people stood and watched but no one dared touch him or take him to the hospital although the man lay just at the entrance of the hospital. People waited for quite a few minutes and I was shocked to see how rude people can be sometimes. After sometime, a passing auto driver stopped and offered help, he helped the man get up and took him inside the hospital after which the crowd dispersed off. After watching this, there's only one question I can ask, is there humanity anywhere in the world? This can happen to anyone, even to us or our loved ones and how would we feel if people refuse to offer help? No matter how risky it is to help someone, never refuse or ignore to help anyone who is truly in need, tomorrow you might be in the same situation!

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Are pilgrimage places still that divine as we treat them?

Before starting this blog, I would like to apologize to all of my regular and sincere readers (although there are a few) to not have been able to write since a very long time. The tiring work schedule, after all, often limits us from doing something that we surely want to do from our heart! But I am writing this blog today to discuss with all of my readers, a travel experience to one of the most holy places of Maharashtra and also in India, Shirdi.

Shirdi is a very renowned place of pilgrimage in Maharashtra that has the presence of the God Sai Baba. Every day and round the year, lakhs and crores of pilgrims visit this holy place to seek blessings from Sai Baba for their future, new business and jobs, and a lot more. Some also come to thank God for obtaining something that they truly desired for. So, I have been to this much beloved place of people and pilgrims recently this weekend. Although watching Sai Baba and seeking his blessings was an incredible experience, there are a few disgusting things about such pilgrimage and holy places that have often come into light over the rece
nt years but were ignored somewhere and somehow.

What is the idea of people behind visiting these holy places? Of course, it is to seek the blessings of God and obtain peace in a holy and sacred temple as beloved as that off Shirdi. But are these places still the same what we consider to be? I know it was weekend when I visited the temple and also that summer vacations are still going on so the place is bound to be crowded. And I do not have any problem with the large crowd. Of course, my entire family was prepared to stand in a long queue and wait for our turn to come! But what followed next, in the line, was truly an annoying experience! It is often observed that these large places of pilgrimage such as Shirdi and even the popular Lalbaughcha Raja in Mumbai during Ganesh festival are visited by a number of celebrities and VIPs. And whenever these so called VIP people come for darshan at these sacred places, politics happens! Yes! The management would put the line of common men on hold and make them strand for hours together without even explaining or announcing the reason for the delay caused. And the same thing happened with us that day! As we walked in the line, suddenly the line was stopped for a long duration of 45 minutes. For this entire 45 minutes period, the line did not move forward an inch and no one knew what was the reason for the delay. Also, when the management knows that there are about lakhs of people stranded in the queue, the arrangement of water was far from where we were and we could not leave our line because of the barrier gates.

Within 45 minutes, the line began moving but only for a good 10 minutes duration. Later it was stopped again since it was time for aarti and the aarti continued for nearly half an hour. After having done with this, when people were already frustrated and sweating like hell, panting and looking for water, the line was once again halted, this time too for no reason! And this again lasted for a good duration of 45-50 minutes. Some devotees also tried to ask the policemen present around to know the reason for the halting of the line but to no use. No one cared to announce the reason. And why would they? They very well know the love of people for God and that no matter how long you make them strand, they would still sta
nd with patience to visit and seek blessings of the beloved God! But is this what would give you peace and happiness? The real idea behind visiting these places is to get blessings from God, not to stand in a line for hours and that too for no reason! So helpless and idiotic we all felt about ourselves!

After some time, when the line continued and we finally reached the temple and saw God, everyone prayed from their heart right when they had just reached the entrance of the temple. As we were let go near the beautiful idol, it was not even a couple of seconds when we were literally pushed away and asked to leave by two women who were controlling the crowd in the temple. I mean, is this the way you ask someone to simply leave even without letting him stand in front of the idol for a single minute after having waited for the moment for hours together? I absolutely understand their concern too, if everyone is let to stand, there would be a large crowd in the temple and people wouldn't move! But then, there are some ethics on how you treat people! This has also been the case at Lalbaugcha Raha last year during Ganeshotsav when some of the volunteers of the mandal were arrested and detained for having misbehaved with devotees.

The problem with people is that they feel proud in standing in long queues to see their beloved God and the management takes advantage of this. It is my humble request to all the management teams of such holy and scared places: Please let people pray to God atleast for a couple of minutes and treat them like humans! After all, they wait for long hours for that moment! And do not let celebrities take blessings for more than 10 minutes; there are people waiting eagerly to sought blessings too and they might have already waited for long enough than you could imagine!

Wednesday 30 April 2014

Corporate Culture: A Workplace or a Dirty Place?

Most of us today work in the corporate world. Finding jobs today is one of the most difficult tasks ever; forget about jobs in the Government. thus, most of us end up taking corporate jobs, those so-called highly paying jobs and become a part of the ever growing corporate culture! Where once corporate life was considered as the best one, has it remained the same today? Not everywhere!

I have been observing a lot lately the the corporate world is becoming a dirty place, especially for female employees, although not everywhere! A few days before, I was alone at home and the best timepass I could do to keep myself from boredom is to watch TV. And then I switched on to Sony Entertainment Television, the one that airs the classic and one of the best ever crime show Crime Patrol. And there was this episode going on of sexual abuse in the corporate world where a CEO of a company who was named Harish Puri sexually and mentally harasses his newly joined female employee on the pretext of giving her promotion and a good salary with a responsible position in the organisation. Crime Patrol is one show that airs all the real stories and yes, this has been the case with many such young female employees in the country.

And when I recollect the days when I was interning (not mentioning the name of the organisation), I made some handful of male friends just to make contacts in the media world. And each one of them offered to help me and my friend in finding a worthy job followed by that simply irritating common question :Aur milne kab aa rahi hai? (When are you coming to meet me?) I can recollect how frustrated I use to feel every time I heard this question being put up! I mean, today, no damn corporate person is ready to serve you or do good for you without asking for favors. And I do not need to mention what favors are women employees asked for by male counterparts or managers and bosses.

Even today, when I walk past my office, roam around in my corporate business park, I can feel eyes rolling up and down and people watching and checking out female employees. Guys, get a life! The corporate world is meant for working, earning a good amount of salary and developing your personality in the process. You do not come to office everyday merely to stare at girls and women, pass comments and follow them, ask for their information from others and stuff! For all the cheap and desperate guys who do this: A girl mostly ignores what you do because she is focused on her career and doesn't want to indulge into unwanted matters. But when she doesn't speak out, it does not mean that she can't! She can handle such perverts very well, so next time before
you stare and pass comments on female employees, think twice!  

Tuesday 1 April 2014

That's how our system works!

It was Sunday, a day that is loved by every working professional! Since I do not always get time to watch TV these days, I was watching TV yesterday. And what I prefer watching every weekend is the one and only comedy daily soap, Taarak Mehta ka Oolta Chashmah. There was that episode going on when Jethalal and all the men from the society go out partying, enter a No Entry zone and then attempt to pay bribe to a police official when caught. I simply love this series of episodes since they are truly comedy and fun to watch. But this serial is something that teaches us a lot and depicts the cruel truth of life.

Yes, just like Jethalal, we all have paid bribes to officials and public servants at some point of time
in life, whether knowingly or unknowingly. A few days back, I had been to the police station for the documents check process for getting a passport. And we all know this process well! The agent whom I had contacted for getting my passport appointment done had already given me the idea that I would have to pay a sum of money there so as to get my work done soon. And as my name was called out by the police after a long wait, I finally went in with my sister where all my documents were rechecked by an official. Soon after this, his voice lowered noticeably and he asked “Kahi payment anli ahe ka?” (Have you brought any payment?) When I questioned him regarding what the payment was, he insisted that it was the fee for the software that was used in the process and he demanded Rs. 200 each from me and my sister. Disgusted with this, I told him that this fees is not included in the passport process, and if it is, I need a valid receipt for it. Instantly, he started bargaining (literally) and finally settled down on Rs. 100 per head.

Trust me guys, I was not at all ready to pay the sum to him! I mean why should I? I earn for myself dude, after working whole day at office. And they are so called public servants! Well, I really doubt whether they are serving us or we are serving them! They get paid from the government for doing the work that they do, then why pay them extra? And, if, as he said, it was the fees for the software, why did he refuse a receipt? And c’mon, these people think people are fools! We understand very well the difference between fees and bribe! And then those who refuse to pay are asked to come back again later some other day (as if that’s the only work we have in life!) That’s the reason I wasn’t ready to pay him the sum but my sister insisted on it since no one has time for this shit every day! And then, it somewhere made sense, didn’t it?


At the face of elections, when parties are making huge claims, is there anyone who can free us from the evil of corruption? Frankly speaking, I don’t think so! When I paid the suggested sum of money to him, a higher official signed on my file. Later, when I questioned an official regarding when my passport would arrive, he said, “It would arrive within 30-45 working days. Leave now.” And trust me, I was so disgusted with this reply. I mean c’mon dude we are not here to stay at this pathetic place but at least have the courtesy to speak with hospitality to people! Why don’t politicians simply concentrate on improving the system rather than making false and irrational claims to people? Sad! L

Monday 3 March 2014

Being mentally unfit…Is it their fault?

Lately, I have been coming across a number of instances of pathetic and immature behavior of people and that too with someone who is mentally unfit. I would, of course, not like to reveal the name but one of my colleagues at work was lately asked to resign since her work was not found satisfactory! And the girl, an innocent girl, was not well. I mean not mentally as fit and sound as we are. I perfectly understand the science behind it..yes, of course, a company looks for its profit so this was justified in a number of ways. But what about the agony that she went through while at work?

Truly guys, it used to disgust me like hell to see people literally make fun of her and her work, people yelling at her unnecessarily and also discussing among themselves. I mean how can someone be so childish to behave in such an immature manner? God hasn’t made everyone perfect; we are lucky to be born so! But if someone isn’t that fit, is it their fault? Don’t they deserve being loved too?

I have literally seen some of my colleagues shouting at this girl and she used to sob, say sorry and what not! And then people also said that she pretends to do not understand things. Why can’t people understand that there can be someone who is not so lucky as we are. Guys, God has been partial; everyone does not get the same store of happiness that others get! Who is to blame in this? Is it the girl’s fault that she isn’t well? Can’t people understand simple things and respect others?

We do not know the future friends, perhaps there can be something of the same sort written in our fortune too! How would you feel if people do this to you? A request for all those who have this gruesome mentality- if tomorrow your children are born so, would you make fun of them? If you cannot be friends with such people, atleast do not disrespect them. Leave them to themselves. Everyone has the capacity to find their way out alone. It just that some take more time!

Saturday 1 March 2014

Friends are the spice of life….literally!

Every Sunday when I log on to Facebook and scroll down my news feed, I see posts about Monday and the long week that occupies. Yes, sure, a week at office with burden of work is boring! But I am among the very few who might proudly say I love going to office. Do you know why? Coz I have some of the sweetest friends in my life who make my day happy and fun at work. And I am sure not all are blessed with such wonderful friends, especially at work!
I have been lucky in this case since I always had some of the best friends to enjoy with at work even at my previous job. Thank you so much +Archana Patil, +Harshada Kadam, +Jitu Mane and +Neetee Mhatre. Being lucky for the second time, I have with me a very small group of friends (actually I barely talk to people at office since most of them are just too much showoff kind). So, here come in my life my sweetest college friend +Aarti Ranpura and the sugary sweet +Aditi Junnarkar. Yes, these two girls make my day everyday; we have laughed together, cried together and enjoyed some of the best funny moments of our life that add spice to the everyday boring work schedule at office.
And then I realize, it is not money that makes life easy and comfortable! Yes, money is important indeed, but, beyond that there are some unexplained relations and people that make life worth living. Whenever I hear people of ending their life, I truly feel blessed to have these worthy people in my life- my parents, my sis and of, course, not to forget, my wonderful friends! All my days spent with you are truly memorable.

Guys, it is a sincere request, never ditch anyone in life simply for money..it will get you nothing! Be polite,,be friendly and your true friends would never let you down. Thank you all..love you!

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Movies becoming a cheap game? What are today's movies up to?

I don't know how people would take this comment of mine. Or whether they would even read this post! Movies are the love and passion of many today and I perfectly understand and respect the choices of every one. I would never say watching movies is a wrong thing but have a look at the movies today. Actually can we even call them a movie? Sorry to say this, because I know how much time, efforts and energy is invested into making a movie, barring its huge expenses. But after such a big investment of time and effort of a big and talented team, is this the outcome expected? I do not mean to criticize each and every movie that has been released lately; I agree some of them are really good and worth watching but what about the others? Are they worth all the pain and effort?

One of the most common things that can be observed in all the movies is obscenity. I mean I don't understand who has told our directors that a movie cannot go hit without infusing intimate and truly vulgar scenes in them. Forget movies guys, the songs itself boast obscenity even in their lyrics. And apart from obscenity, there is absolutely unpleasant language, violence and what not in the movies of today? What impression is this making on people, children and teenagers?

Most parents today are working and are thus not at home the whole day. And what do the children of such parents do at home the whole day? Obviously, watch TV! In fact, that is the best timepass people choose to do whenever they are along. And when they see such vulgarity on TV, imitation is inevitable. For parents trying to figure out the reason of their children's smartness, it is movies that makes them too smart and perhaps too old for their age. Perhaps, due to this, children have been behaving like young adults and teenagers, losing their innocence at an early age in school.

And then the artists who act in such movies become superstars; they are regarded as God, they are admired and followed! What should we make out from this? When a call girl sleeps with two people, she is cursed and called characterless. What about our actresses who shoot intimate scenes with multiple actors and strip openly in front of the camera that the whole world watches? Who is characterless in the true sense guys? A girl who is forced into prostitution to fill her stomach and support her family, or those who simply expose in front of the world to earn crores? I am not against Bollywood, I am not against any film industry. I am against indecency, obscenity and violence that is depicted in movies these days for God knows what reason! In fact, there have been classic films that do not have a single intimate scene but are superhits. Try to be decent and moral people, how can we depict something that is against our culture and which corrupts the innocent minds of children? Worth thinking!

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Art can be a matter of fight..sounds strange, doesn't it ?????

Art is a broad subject that encompasses a number of streams and strata. From childhood, I have been taught that art is something that we should admire, complement and worship. Even today, I see artists worshiping their gurus and seeking their blessings. For me, so far, art was a subject of purity that made one feel refreshed and accomplished. But today, media released the news that a political party in Mumbai (I do not have to name the party) caused havoc in a press conference that had an Indo-Pak band present. The party workers barged into the dressing room at the venue and caused a lot of destruction of property, perhaps also injuring the present artists. And the issue basically was that artists from Pakistan were supposed to perform which was not digestible to the party. I do not understand how it makes sense in causing havoc in a well organised function where performers do not even know or have to do anything in connection with politics.

The enmity between India and Pakistan need not be explained! This has been continuing since ages and I in no way intend to take the side of Pakistan since we all know well that it has been the cause of the dreadful terror attacks in India a number of times. But, thinking rationally (I can think rationally since I am not into politics..dirty politics, actually), does it make sense to disrupt an organised and pre-planned press conference just because our neighboring nation hasn't been on good terms with us since long? Even though artists from the country were present for the conference and media briefing, where does it make sense to injure them or cause havoc in their dressing room just because they belong to our enemy country? Yes, I do know people are agitated due to the numerous terror attacks Pak has been causing in our country, and the agitation is perfectly justified, but then the question arises, where these artists involved in the attacks?

Just because someone does wrong to us, doesn't mean we do the same wrong to someone else who had nothing in connection to what happened with us. Just because we were subjected to an unpleasant experience, doesn't mean we make others go through the same pain and agony. Art is a matter of talent guys, these guys were in no way related to any unpleasant events that occured in India due to their mother country. And then they say that they live in democracy which gives them a right to protest. Agreed! Democracy gives you a right to protest, no to hurt someone, break public and private property and injure innocent people. For those whose fundamentals of democracy are not clear, they need to learn the meaning of democracy first and then act!

My intention of writing this blog is not to support or criticize anyone for their deeds. In fact, I am least interested in politics and the illogical strategies of politicians and parties. My intention of writing this was just that I am a common man who commutes to work every day, takes salary and leads a simple life. Any such violent act disrupts the life of common man in a number of ways; many a times politicians directly or indirectly cause disruption and destruction of public property that does not affect them in any way but causes great hardships to common people. And after all, the property that has been damaged is repaired with our money itself that is collected in the form of taxes. So why take violent steps when problems can be solved by mere peaceful discussions? Think over it!

Saturday 1 February 2014

Coming to terms with the reality of LIFE !!!!

Hi friends and all my loyal readers!

I have been blogging after quite a long time now since I was too busy achieving targets at work that my passion and interest for blogging had to be sidetracked. I really felt bad to be away from writing but I did not have the patience to be blogging after a tiring day. (And I was too saturated to think and also too tired to type after writing blogs the whole day for my company). But here I am, with the beginning of the month and weekend coming together, what could be better than starting blogging again on this day?

Today when I live the pleasure of  pursuing my passion and writing for my friends, readers and myself again, I realize that we compromise on so many things just to be able to give our best at job and earn money. We many a times give up our passion or compromise with our likes and hobbies just so that we can earn and save the money for future. Yes, we have become more or less like puppets; we do things that we are, many a times, not really interested in, and give up the ones that really make us happy. But guys, there are many simple things around us, that many of us fail to notice, but yes, they exist and they have the potential to add a smile on our face!

As I have given up travelling by bus in the evening, I commute by train now and every time catch the train from Central Railway's Thane station, I prefer standing at the door since I love the cool breezes that flow in the evening. Yes guys, there are so many things we can do to feel relieved and away from stress and this is what I prefer doing. The cool climate and soft songs in full volume is perhaps the best thing that I experience after a long and boring day! And as I stand on the door, passing through a number of slums (something that Mumbai is well known for), I realize how lucky I am to be working and independent! I now know there are so many people in Mumbai alone who perhaps do not get a good two-times meal. There are so many children who are forced to beg the whole day and so many old men who are forced to work to earn a living just because their children are least bothered for them! It is a pleasure, I feel, to be able to observe all this and live this life that is not a dream but a sour reality. It, after all, depends on our lookout towards life over how turns out. You feel life's great, then it indeed is! You feel its pathetic, then it really becomes so!

I haven't written this to be advising anyone or requesting anyone to look around and observe and then feel happy about self. I have written this blog after so long because it fills me with immense joy and happiness to be back to my passion and hobby. And I simply thought I would share with you all what I was up to these many days!

Have a great weekend guys!

Thursday 16 January 2014

They are kids too....Why not pray for them?

Facebook has become an integral part of our life today. No matter what, people are addicted to Facebook and although we do not have any notifications, messages and friend requests to check, we simply scroll down the home page and check the posts from our friends, groups and pages. As I happened to be seated idle for some time today (after a long time, I got that much time to be seated free), I opened by laptop and logged on to Facebook. After checking the notifications, I was simply scrolling down the home page when I noticed two different posts. This is when I observed something touchy and I felt I should write on it.

The first post that I saw was that of actor Emraan Hashmi's son Ayan who has been diagnosed with Cancer in the first stage. The image was posted for giving best wishes to the innocent kid and also urged people to pray for him. Since I love kids, it was obviously disturbing to see the picture. Ayan is a cute and cheerful kid and encountering a deadly disease like Cancer at such a tender age is the saddest thing that could happen to anyone. My hearty wishes for the child. I hope he gets well soon.

As I scrolled down further, I came across this picture! I don't know who posted it, or whether it is real. But, there are many such underprivileged children in the world who are physically handicapped, do no have parents or are the prey of child labour. As I saw both the posts, I noticed the difference! Both are kids, both are unwell and have severe health issues! But what makes Ayan luckier is that he has his loving star father, who can get him the best possible treatment even from abroad. But this child is left at his own mercy, just because he does not have star parents or parents at all!

 Although both the posts depict the pitiful condition of the two children, the entire country is praying for Ayan and this innocent child has no one to pray for or offer help. Today, we have updates on everything that happens to celebrities, but we don't know what happens to the children who are left to beg at the roadside. We Indians are more interested in fame and money; when a celebrity gets stomachache, it becomes a breaking news but so many people die out of hunger in Mumbai alone, forget India. Is that even a matter of concern for people? Children are stolen from hospitals and traded, tortured and forced to beg but no one cares. Neither the government, nor the media!

I do not mean to say Ayan should not be prayed for, my only question is if the entire world is praying for him, why the poor kids, who almost die of hunger, are neglected? Just because their parents aren't stars? Why not pray for them who really need prayers? It is a humble request guys, do whatever you can for these unlucky kids! We had parents to get us new clothes, games and food when we were their age. But they do not have anyone who can share this love and happiness with them. Since winters are on and many people, including children, sleep on footpaths every night, kindly donate a blanket that might not be much useful for you. It doesn't mean anything for us but it means a lot for them!

Friday 10 January 2014

A journey back home...when I was alone...!!!!

All of us travel from home to college and office everyday and get to see and meet many types of people! I have experienced this several times and I am sure there are a hundred girls who experience this daily while commuting from trains and buses. When I used to travel by train for my previous job, I had noticed, whenever the train took a halt at any station (this particularly happened on the Kurla-Vashi harbour line), the guys and men in next train used to stare continuosly, sometimes pass comments and laugh, and sometimes even sing! Of course, it was irritating, but most of us are helpless! After all the life of Mumbaikars revolves around the clock and we are bound to reach our office on time, so no one has the time to question these disgusting acts. And then the train just used to move on, and, with it, we moved on too!

 Today, however, I encountered an experience that left me wondering whether girls and women are really safe in Mumbai? I was as usual on my way back home, waiting at the bus stop. Today, I was alone! I walked to the stop and then waited there for a few minutes. Then I saw my bus approaching and for whatever reason (I don't know what was wrong with the buses), it was hell packed so I decided to leave it. And I have done this many times for I know the next bus comes within about 10-15 minutes. Today, the buses were late and the next bus did not turn up until 7.55 pm (the first bus that I left went around 7.25 pm). So the next bus finally arrived at 7.55 pm and there was no scope to board it since people were already hanging out from it. With no option left, I waited for the next bus to come. And this almost 1 hour at the bus stop was truly boring, I had already got headache and was really bored to wait anymore. So I thought I would board the next bus no matter how packed it was! And luckily, the third bus arrived about 5 minutes later, was fully crowded as expected, but I simply boarded it (I did not have another option).

And then began the worst part! The bus was too packed unlike always..and the crowd wasn't sophisticated as it always was! Yes, there were office going people but they were very less in number; the major crowd was substandard, it looked as if some men were drunk (I am not sure whether they really were drunk, but their look seemed so)! And when I boarded the bus, I went a little away from the door and caught hold of the rod so as to not lose my balance. The second thing I did was find money for the ticket and after I was done with all this stuff, I finally looked up at people, only to find that all the men and guys surrounding me were staring at me! For a minute I was confused, I thought whether I have been looking awful, I checked whether my clothes were alright and found everything was fine! The next time I looked up, the same faces, staring intently, without moving their eyes! And a girl certainly understands a man's look well, all the girls reading this would agree! No this time, I got a bit worried and more than worried, I began feeling extremely awkward! I just took the ticket and put on my headphones to avoid the crowd and forget them! Even then, my attention went to them and still, the same faces, the same look and the same intensity! This is when I began feeling very cheap!

One thing I hate is that continuous, cheap glare of men and the way with which they look! And unless a man does not misbehave or say anything to you, you cannot complain of mere staring, right? So bad I felt about myself, in every sense I regretted coming by bus alone! Yes, I know it was a government bus, so nothing could have happened, people do not dare to misbehave at public places. But the intent looks and those seemingly drunken eyes were killing me! Somehow I felt I could get down but I was meant to get down at the last stop. Luckily later, I got a seat and I got a bit relieved. Within a few minutes, the bus had entered Dombivli and I was relieved! What a disgusting journey it was! Imagine girls, if people can give you that look so intently, they might probably have misbehaved had the bus been private! Immediately I decided I would never travel by bus again alone. And it is a humble request from my side to all girls, avoid taking buses when alone, especially in a not-so-safe area
!

Monday 6 January 2014

Look at the world closely and its beautiful !!!!!

This is what I have been experiencing since a few days! We Mumbaikars are busy with our lives; running for the train, rushing to work, waiting for the lift and then staring at the PC the whole day. And in this busy routine, who gets the time to look around and observe people, observe things and nature? I might sound stupid to many if I say that we should find time to look at the nature and enjoy its beauty and so on. And it sounded the same to me too! However, Mumbai teaches you a lot! It certainly does! A casual walk down the road, a casual visit to the railway station is something that can make you feel happy and cheerful the whole day, trust me!

I am referring to some of the great people I have seen and met during my every day commuting and the boring routine life! Few days back, when I was travelling home from office, I was waiting at Kurla station for the fast train. Since there was a long time for the train to arrive, I have been casually looking around here and there just to find some timepass or something interesting (knowing that there is nothing interesting on a railway station though :P)! (This is a habit I developed after opting for Journalism studies since our professors always told us "Look around, you would definitely find something to explore and this might turn out to be a big news story".) And just as I was glancing here and there, I happened to see a boot polish guy who was sitting just behind me, winding up for the day and packing his things. He had nothing as such, just a small box in which he kept the polish boxes and the brush, his handkerchief and other stuff. He then counted the money, which seemed to be a meagre amount, and then worshipped the box by keeping his head over it. Now this was something that caught my attention. Although he can't make much from the boot polish business, (and he knows it), he worshipped the box of contents so dedicatedly. And we guys, despite sitting in an air-conditioned office every day, are bored with our lives, feel depressed and frustrated. Forget about worship, many of us would also want to break the PC so that we escape work, or just because we are too bored to do anything!

There's so much difference in people. Although we have everything, we are dissatisfied, and although the guy had little, he considered his work as worship and respected it! That really made me realize- it all depends on the way we look at things and value them! It is human tendency- we never value what we have, unless we do not have it! Why not be happy with what we have instead! Today, we are financially much sound than what that boot polish guy was and that is actually a reason for us to be happy. And I was moved when I saw him walk away with tiffin in hand later; I did not know whether to feel sad for him or feel happy for myself!

Still so happy...!
Guys, most of us are too busy creating an issue out of our problems and posing them as severe ones that disrupt life and peace of mind. However, one look around the world can make you realize that you have a million reasons to celebrate, a hundred reasons to be happy today, for there are many in this world who dream of living a life that you do! God has been partial; everyone does not have the same love, the same financial stability and the same secure life! In this vast world, don't you think your problems are too small to be mentioned?