C'est La Vie;That's life

The following content is purely a figment of my observation, and hopefully an unbiased, sort of warfront reporting of what's happening in the homeland. So, if someone is offended, well....don't take it personal, relax, take a chill pill... On a heavier note..... - If you love diversity, variety or sugar and spice in your life, this is the place to be. More so, if you choose to stop and savor every minute of it, you start noticing the subtle yet rapid changes that are happening in a dynamically changing society, of today's India. - The role of media has undergone huge transformation, atleast from what it was a decade back. Open debates and political discussions, exposing scandals and trying to get the truth out of "shady" matters are welcoming changes, but in this process a lot of focus is given on sensationalism and the media getting into a "witch-hunt" mode. My take is, we're in the process of refining the 'fourth estate' and taking

"That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." These are the words of Juliet, in Shakespeare's drama "Romeo and Juliet". I'm no huge fan of the Bard (the "thees" and the "thous" are huge put offs for "mees"), but relish the depth in some of his messages which strike a chord and makes you think about life on an elevated level. Anyways, this quote means we should not be bothered about how people address or call us because no one can change who we are internally. Names are mere ornaments to our existence (if you have the time to think metaphors) or plainly, like name tags in an office meeting (if you would rather sky-dive off a steep cliff than think about such wordy stuff) To interpret this more in present day terms - Juliet says (be very clear, it's not me) that you shouldn't take things seriously, when someone verbally assaults you. Be a Rock of Gibraltar or a stand like a statue of Buddha, til

Pssst... If you have travelled around in the US or have an elementary school kid, go ahead. Else, stop....brush up on US states and its geography a little bit, then proceed - at your own risk. There's a reason why slogans exist in the first place - To promote the United States tourism and attract gullible visitors whose sole aim, is to do the foll: A. Blow up their hard-earned, life savings on expensive entrance tickets to garangatous amusement parks, to watch grown adults dressed in ridiculous costumes; B. Buy trinkets which always look so classy in the shop, but seem dull and ugly when you plant them in your curio shelf, and eventually lands its way in the trash; C. Indulge in fragile, but good and expensive memorablia that somehow manages to break down into small, tiny, unglueable pieces of glass particles the minute you come out of the souvenir shop. Yawn...whatever....ok, we agree on the need, on some pathetic level. But, why come up with inane slogans that sound as

These are a few of my favorite things that I do when I'm feeling sad. No, it doesn't involve the rain or the roses. Why? Because those kind of happy endings happen only in movies. In real life, if you decide to mess with Mother Nature, what are the odds of singing while getting drenched in a downpour - without sneezing even once or smelling the roses - without getting stung on the nose by an angry bee who was just minding his own pollinating business? Trust me, pretty high. So, without much further ado, here are ten tips that could help spruce up your dull days.  Sorting through old photographs and trying to remember the events that took place at that moment and place, recalling the tender moments or hilarious ones. I love to dig out treasures from my mothers' pile of photos, every time I visit my home. Walking down the "nostalgic" lane, if you're lucky enough that your neighborhood stays the same and not been knocked down by newer construction. It's nic

Thanks to the friend who recently pointed out how we think "Recycling" is an alien, Western concept to India, wherein it's been a part of our "gene psyche" for centuries already. Of course, solar panels, rainwater harvesting etc. are all newer conservation ventures in India, due to dwindling resources throughout the world, more so in populous country like ours. But, what about re-using and recycling within homes? It's definitely not trendy. Been here, people are doing it already. Ok, i'll go with food first. I'm extremely nitpicky about wasting food, which traces back to my middle-income upbringing. My parents' used to literally lament about the food left-overs "going down the drain" through the garbage disposers whenever they come to America. Never struck odd to me there, but now that i'm living in India and having to see poverty directly, every single day....it pains me too to think about gallons of food that we've blissfull