tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60549704082847056632024-03-05T17:33:44.554-08:00IN THE NOOKS OF LIFEYou are a warrior.
The most stable elements, Clarice, appear in the middle of the periodic table, roughly between iron and silver.
Between iron and silver........Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-15252179746449550472013-08-29T05:02:00.000-07:002013-08-29T05:02:01.329-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dear Sir/Ma’am</div>
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I write to you in all earnestness
to express my gratitude for passing the Food security bill. My heart is soaring
with pleasure at the thought of a belly full of food, and I am now in a
position to have the long vacation (a year or two) I have been contemplating
for the past few months. You see the last long vacation I took was after NREGA
was passed a few years back. Thanks to your benevolence I am getting paid even
when the babus can’t find work for me. Infact Ramdhari is getting paid even
after his death along with my great grandmother who passed away when I was 15.
You made this happen!</div>
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I am sure nowhere in the world
has a government mastered the art of putting the cart before the horse. Surprisingly
you also flogged the cart so hard that it started pulling the horse. So what if
it is downhill, we should be proud that we are making history. Wow! We can
teach the Chinese a trick or two. What is the godforsaken need to create work
and job opportunities for people when we can give them free food? After all,
what use does education, healthcare, equality, prosperity and democratic right have
if my belly is full. The critics of the Food security bill are fellas from
fancypants schools, who are crazy about some guy called Maslow. This fellow
Maslow knows precious little about the supreme value of enough food in the
plate, almost seven decades after independence.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thanks to you I don’t need to
wade in water during the rice planting season or work in the fields of the
landowning farmers. Actually I don’t need to work even in my own small farm, as
you will now provide me with free food. I am indebted to you for this
benevolence. It’s rubbish to assume that the Food security bill will create a dearth
of labour and in turn cause inflation. If so many of us have no need to buy
food, inflation will automatically come down na sahib. </div>
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Sir/Ma’am my humble request is
that you should not worry about the naysayers. You are a very busy person with
many activities to do from Singapore to Goa. After all you carry the burden of
not only your immediate, but even your extended family and are responsible for
ensuring that they have enough cars /jets while you put the cart before the
horse for Mother India. I understand your pain.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Aapka Dulara</div>
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FSB beneficiary</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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PS: Would be great if you could
share the address of my long dead great grandmother since you have been regularly
sending her NREGA cheques. I long for her loving embrace and murabbas. </div>
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Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-14563969593339866072009-12-06T21:54:00.001-08:002009-12-06T21:58:24.127-08:00Perception something to think about... really worth spending a minuteWashington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. <br /><br />4 minutes later: <br />The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. <br /><br />6 minutes: <br />A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. <br /><br />10 minutes: <br />A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. <br /><br />45 minutes:<br />The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. <br /><br />1 hour: <br />He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. <br /><br />No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. <br /><br />This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? <br /><br />One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made..... How many other things are we missing?Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-49546814737229975882009-12-02T00:04:00.000-08:002009-12-02T00:42:35.615-08:00Life's Bid-Ask spreadFor most people life is all about what they want versus what life has to offer, and narrower the difference, the happier they feel they will get.I make my first million and then bid for 10 and then 100.I loose 5 kilos and then want to be size zero. I become an AVP but will crave to be the CEO.We have made happiness a moving target.Unfortunately by the time we realise the futility of this, we are too tired and jaded to enjoy life's small but profound joys.<br /><br />Stop chasing the Bid-Ask spread. Aiming for perfect liquidity in life may cause it to crash.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-4848238763873586622009-04-20T04:58:00.000-07:002009-04-20T05:00:27.049-07:00ChappalGate of Indian PoliticsWACK!....Chappalgate has hit Indian politicians. Call it the angst of the Indian public, the frustration of the voting masses or the’saazish’ of the opposition, chappalgate is here to stay.<br /><br />The sudden spurt in footwear of various sizes being hurled at politicians of various ideologies (if there is any such thing in Indian politics) is not something that should be taken lightly. In all the cases the perpetrators are nothing but manifestations of each one of us. Don’t we all in the deepest corners of our heart’s wish to do the same? <br /><br />We talk of living in the nano age, but our politicians are still promising ‘bijli’,’sadak’ and ‘paani’.I only wish that instead of BATA and Lakhani some Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks are flung as well.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-17712241203308225172009-02-23T21:25:00.000-08:002009-02-23T21:30:50.614-08:00Recession Hits One and All<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8u-Cid2R1bVQmV4v3mCTzNshZ3QdWyu0LsahR8fzDbRkVug3ncwQxnMvP45njhQwEtLuWPLLg2WRxEvTAHp1TwiaIvM6yg3If6mOnXzCdNoI7zifwM3Heqi5ppNkh9nTv7gYjWkHmQZYU/s1600-h/Recession+Hits+One+and+All.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8u-Cid2R1bVQmV4v3mCTzNshZ3QdWyu0LsahR8fzDbRkVug3ncwQxnMvP45njhQwEtLuWPLLg2WRxEvTAHp1TwiaIvM6yg3If6mOnXzCdNoI7zifwM3Heqi5ppNkh9nTv7gYjWkHmQZYU/s320/Recession+Hits+One+and+All.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306231984280683282" /></a>Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-31350459471140918512008-09-04T00:28:00.000-07:002008-09-04T02:18:10.130-07:00Washed away Dreams-We are Indians First<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHKiPcsFoTwr3ZI5LAdNYTaFkR4bBXNJvMej4eqML4WgmfYvyfxGdpQxHGGlY-eoWM9A0AVJCALH0nyUFOM4yrfv1kjQwVvLU1E8Wka8MxfkNYT-S2JpQFaBREeW9mNEDXTeLwDvtimSx/s1600-h/Bihar+Floods_2.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHKiPcsFoTwr3ZI5LAdNYTaFkR4bBXNJvMej4eqML4WgmfYvyfxGdpQxHGGlY-eoWM9A0AVJCALH0nyUFOM4yrfv1kjQwVvLU1E8Wka8MxfkNYT-S2JpQFaBREeW9mNEDXTeLwDvtimSx/s320/Bihar+Floods_2.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242092944983759234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkKWgs0BrZYCSnZ64ydkz2NRVlnQljSJX19TAweQkeRJ7VzYpnmauod1ujGhUcrGCiq8uXBXf1yYK_0OoKnOHGlCWl5PmcujlbgeKYhVUn4VERoFykX8VE9yHghpF6dIuYIeHMeatiuRx/s1600-h/Bihar+Floods_1.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkKWgs0BrZYCSnZ64ydkz2NRVlnQljSJX19TAweQkeRJ7VzYpnmauod1ujGhUcrGCiq8uXBXf1yYK_0OoKnOHGlCWl5PmcujlbgeKYhVUn4VERoFykX8VE9yHghpF6dIuYIeHMeatiuRx/s320/Bihar+Floods_1.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242092541701077458" /></a><br />Visuals of the Bihar floods are haunting me day and night. Not that we have not seen destruction of this kind ever, but definitely there has never been such national apathy towards a calamity. I very clearly remember working at mobilizing funds for the Gujarat earthquake, the Tsunami and also remember not even once thinking that I don’t belong to these states. I think that a tragedy of this kind should be above regional and linguistic biases. Unfortunately this time around Bihar is fighting a very lonely battle.<br /><br />During a discussion a few days back, one of my colleagues (a financial analyst) questioned the economic importance of Bihar,” It’s a burden” he opined. I am totally shocked at the lack of economic understanding shown by this person. No developing country (actually even developed) can afford to have a few of it’s states in a condition of total despair. It gives rise to anarchy, crime, terrorism and social recklessness. Such places become easy targets for the recruitment drive of anti social elements. While economic weakness is no justification for crime and anarchy in a perfect world, but in a world driven by capitalism this truism falls apart. So Mr. Analyst get your calculator and start calculating the economic cost of an underdeveloped Bihar.<br /><br />I am not begging for the state I love. I have no doubt on the potential of Bihari’s. Pick up the qualifying lists of IIT’s, IIM’s and the toughest competitive exams in the country and you will get proof of the potential of Bihari’s. This was the state which gave us Jainism and Buddism. It’s in a state of disrepair due to faulty Politics and Policy. But friends don’t forget we are Indians too and therefore look forward to fellow Indians reaching out to us in one of our darkest hours. <br /><br />The debate can wait…..Please save our lives first.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-90065193229978655372008-08-08T05:17:00.000-07:002008-08-08T05:37:30.454-07:00My Brothers!!!I think the Raksha Bandhan fever has got to me! I am actually writing about them.Gosh..<br /><br />Being the eldest and the only sister,life has been quite colourful.I still remember the youngest one (he was four and as scrawny as a twig then) escorting me on my walk and ,shouting at some eveteasers,"Oi tere ghar me Maa Bahen Nahin hain kya." I can't forget the look on their faces,it was sheer embarassment.<br /><br />The middle one, who seemed like the most careless guy around has today evolved into one of the brightest minds I know.He was always my secret-keeper,my confidante.I used to blackmail him with mindless things,and make the poor fellow do all sorts of odd jobs(get my book,get some food,pick up my stuff.......you get the drift) Mean me:)<br /><br />The eldest one,the rock.As a child he was the rowdiest one around.Would beat up all the kids ,break all sorts of household stuff.Today he is one of the strongest and most responsible guys I know.As calm as the sea on a sunny day.<br /><br />I remember pestering them for their studies.Checking their pronunciation and their diction.I remember forgetting my arithmetic ,while trying to teach them some.But today I look at them and think ,every second of that time was worth it.<br /><br />Love you Guys!!!!Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-19646197893191624472008-08-08T04:04:00.000-07:002008-08-08T05:08:46.770-07:00Married Happily or Happily Married?Is there a formula for a happy successful marriage?<br /><br />Everytime this question crops up,so do innumerable answers.Words like love,commitment,understanding,maturity,adjustment,stability,friendship,togetherness....(actually the list is quite long)are often used.I frequently hear people say ,discuss,discard and then come back to their opinion about the X factor, that makes a relationship out of a marriage.<br /><br />I have been married for sometime, and at times ponder and wonder about the very same question.As I see succesful marriages around me(my parents have been together for 30 years ),I also see an equal number of unhappy ones.I firmly believe that every individual has a right to being blissful and so if a relationship is not positive and happy ,being in it is unfair to all the individuals involved.<br /><br />However, the problem lies with our definiton of happiness.Most of us don't know what actually makes us truly blissfully happy.Is it the diamonds,money,cars,beach side house or reading a great book.Our preferences change, every human goes through transformation and therefore so does every marriage.Finding happiness is crucial,but really knowing what makes us happy is the most important thing.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-7156616334683258102008-07-31T03:51:00.000-07:002008-07-31T04:20:01.144-07:00Old Friends ...............What's it about school friends ,that makes talking to them therapeutic?<br /><br />While speaking with them(or these days e-chatting with them),the most complex things about life seem like a bolt of lightning, scary yet so simple that it can be easily understood through an absolute inane e-chat.Just yesterday I was chatting with an old friend(who was not such a good friend back then),and we found we were sharing with each other some really ponderous thoughts about our lives.There was a sense of camaraderie in knowing that someone I had known quite well back then(we shared the same dormitory at Boarding School),shared the same apprehensions about some important things in life.<br /><br />I think it has something to do with the sheer innocence of our motives,which were the hidden force behind all our actions at that age.The spontaneity,innocence,zest to discover and uncomplicated feelings about people around you,make them connect with you at a fundamental level.When you meet the same friends or chat with them at later points in life,picking up the threads or talking to them about life,becomes very easy.<br /><br />It's like sharing notes and gaining wisdom from somewhat similar yet remarkably different experiences of life....................Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-60717785068944725492008-07-29T05:26:00.000-07:002008-07-29T05:48:09.675-07:00Cameras and MEI am one of those people who look pathetic in photographs.I mean it,seriously!<br /><br />Pathetic is not the word.As one of my acquantainces put it-I look like something the cat dragged home-:)<br /><br />I mean what's with cameras, they bring out the worst in me.When I was healthy(well some say grossly obese)they made me look healthier than actual(can you imagine!!!!).When I am thin,they make me look skinnier than normal.<br /><br />Everytime someone says 'Cheese' to me,I look like I am going to have a fainting spell.The expression usually is ,get over with it you bozo.<br /><br />Were I an Indian Politician,I would say-Opposition Ki Saazish Hain:)Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-22043997641030500802008-07-28T00:38:00.000-07:002008-07-28T02:38:24.263-07:00Mustering CourageCourage-When I was a child ,the word signified a quality that you needed to face the larger problems of life.It had a very grown up feeling to it.It was something that you needed when a major adversity stared you in the face or when life threw up nasty surprises.<br /><br />But over the years I have noticed people needing courage to perform the smallest and most natural acts of life.People today need courage to be kind or even to smile at strangers.They need immense courage to reach an accident victim to the nearest hospital.They need great strength to speak even the smallest truth,or stand up for their smallest conviction.<br /><br />People need courage to reach out to a lonely neighbour,an old lady or even throw a few scraps at some poor stray.They need courage to speak up ,to speak out,to look hard,to raise their head,to ask a question........At this rate we will very soon need courage to look at our own shadows.<br /><br />We need to seriously reach out ,look around and ask questions.If we don't muster the courage,be assured that some day it will be one of us lying on the street in a pool of blood and people will just walk around us without a second thought.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-10739015002767746272008-07-16T00:29:00.000-07:002008-07-16T00:30:47.641-07:00Somnath Chatterjee-The Speaker who spoke against Opportunism in Indian PoliticsI am no expert in Indian Polity, nor am I an expert in constitutional nuances; I am just an ordinary Indian who believes that a majority of our politicians are opportunists of the worst kind.<br /><br />The story of Indian governance is a mixture of corruption, nepotism, anarchy and deceit. I tried to draw a genealogical chart of political and ideological affiliations in Indian Politics and got utterly lost due to the various convolutions. The picture looked like a sand castle washed away by greed and corruption.<br /><br />No one cares about the 123 or 345 or whatever rubbish they are wanting the world to believe .All that matters are the current or prospective zero’s in their bank accounts.<br /><br />Kudos to Mr.Somnath Chatterjee, for taking a stand and kicking petty politics. Wish God could give us more of his kind!!!!!!!Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-12587038477422483142008-06-09T00:07:00.000-07:002008-06-09T00:38:15.666-07:00THE CLUBIts a man's world..truly!!!And they stand all for one and one for all:)<br /><br />I know i will get pelted by all the men in my life i.e.family,freinds,colleagues, seniors,enemies-alike for saying something like this.Trust me it is an opinion that i have not formed overnight.It has brewed in my mind over innumerable portions of coffee and years of rumination.<br /><br />Sexism is stronger than racism,it is stronger than than any -ism that one can think off.The male club is like an elite club which has resentfully provided entry to the so called weaker sex.Our entry to this elite club,is looked upon as an ode to the superiority,confidence and charitable spirit of the male population.<br /><br />Well i can say for myself...I am walking into this club with my head held high,will order some coffee(definitely pay for it myself) and stare back at all the smirkers,ooglers,etc.Stop looking at us as outsiders....after all you spend most of your time thinking about us...If we can be in your mind and heart and hearth ,the club can't remain ALL MALE.Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054970408284705663.post-52369043641859406452008-05-23T00:17:00.000-07:002008-05-23T01:06:20.991-07:00Greatness overdoseIf every one became great in every facet of existence,think what would the world come to......Human fascination for super bodies,super kids,super moms,super professionals,super boss(everything super and perfect) did not start with a certain Mr.Adolf Hitler(in whose case it reached maniacal proportion),it is there is every human being.To think of it we have been obsessed with the notion of perfectness(if there is a word like that).<br /><br />Well for the record I think mediocrity is the wheel of superdom.Because an obsession with making everything perfect ,or even the search for it has been the cause for many a wars,strife,breakdowns,suicides...(God knows what else)<br /><br />I for one, will not want a perfect friend or a perfect life partner or perfect parents or a perfect world, as it will make every day like the other.The world will become a more comprehensive version of 'Stepford Wives'......Shvetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11496578251750006297noreply@blogger.com0