Respite from Respite! And a Surprise!

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Guria

I AM BACK !
For those who could not decipher my ‘brilliantly’ written poem, I went out of station to a place very much in India with no cell-phone signal and Internet (Broadband? What’s that??). But the reactions that I did get to that piece warmed my heart, maybe if people can stomach it, I might be doling out more of my poetic abilities. I haven’t had time or the energy to reply but I will get around to it soon… I think!
I returned late in the afternoon on the 5th of September and straight collapsed on the bed! It was such a great, idle getaway from the hectic city-life that I was completely exhausted. And after i woke up, had to muster a lot of energy to prise my eyelids open, I remembered it was the day to submit for the Blog-a-Ton 2 competition.

I had nothing on me, and was sure I had no time to write before the stipulated 0000 hours on 6th September. But then I thought, why wait for the 3rd edition and at least, I can participate with whatever I can come up with. Well, I effectively landed up with a mess! Disarrayed thoughts and overflowing sentiments, all crammed into a post, looking god-knows-how, except I knew I had no time for research and only could write from my heart. It was not about winning but about being read, and what needs to be put across. Again I am blabbing!

Check out my post for the Blog-a-Ton 2! (For those who don’t know what is Blog-a-Ton, you can find it here)
I read several of the other heart-warming and beautiful posts and think it’s a privilege to be at least participating in the same platform as theirs (no mentioning names yet, but will do!)!
You can find all the other participants (and their respective links) at the end of my contest-post and anyone can vote for anyone! Just go here, read and post a comment. All before the 9th of September.
——————————
On a lighter note and a higher tenor (getting as high as you can get on Vodka!!) I have got something to show off!!! Since this is my first time, I’ll be going through all the proceedings (which I agree is a tad bit too complex, but who’s complaining, not me!).
There is this awesome blogger I came across, whose book reviews I swear by, and who has the most inane conversations and crazy escapades in her life, who has a ‘thirsty’ heart (vodka, anyone?!) found at *uncorked known to everyone as V. Her blog is a complete addiction and she gave ME an award!!! Damn!!!!

As V quaintly pointed out there are a ‘sh*tload of rules’ with the award and she’s too lazy, however I’ll be going through them all (happy to oblige this time)!
  • Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
  • Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
  • Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
  • Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List.
  • Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

It took me time to post this because I really wanted to do this award a justice and really choose the best bloggers I know. The really Superior Scribblers I have the honour of reading have to be the following.
and I’ll break the rule to add one more that I cannot leave out at all…
Enjoy the awards! Of course, few of you are already used to receiving them and all of you will be getting more of them in future! You deserve it, absolutely! Congrats!

N.B. Me winning the award by the way was not a surprise exactly, V did tell me earlier (before that it was a shock!) And I did make sure she won’t be changing her mind! 😀
Oh, still it may be aptly called ‘a surprise’… a surprise to you! “She got an award?!! :O”
Keep laughing and keep blogging!!!
Posted in Bloggers, Friends | 18 Comments

Teachers: Now and Then

Posted on September 5, 2009 by Guria

This post has been published by me on the occasion of the Teachers’ Day as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 2; the second edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.


What can a girl-just-turning-into-a-woman of “now” wanting to be a teacher herself talk about the teachers of “then”?

I was a student even a couple of months back and in a couple of months ahead the role’s going to be reversed when I’ll be taking up teaching. I was petrified about doing a terrible job, scared that the students wouldn’t even listen to me. When my mother came to my rescue. She only had a simple advice. Be all that, that you wanted and never got in a teacher, all that which had made a teacher your favourite and stay away from all that you thought harms the student. Don’t teach, inspire.

Then I realised the world of difference in the teachers who are and who were.

Talking of India alone, and definitely not as an expert, being in a field of science where guidance is everything, I long for the days when teachers were gurus and they were considered as the the embodiment of divinity along with one’s parents. Can most of us say the same of our own “gurus“? I doubt it.

There were the times of studying with the guru while staying with him and his wife, doing chores and learning simultaneously, when learning was not limited to facts but values. When teaching culminated in the exaltation of mind, building of character. When man was guided and moulded to be the rational, compassionate being he is purported to be.

As a student, I used to get angered how less of morality and more facts from books are taught today. How can one take on the great responsibility of the most crucial period of any child’s life and mistreat it? Encumbered by politics, blinded by petty, self-absorbing greed and thoughtlessness, the so-called teachers have misused and abused the true meaning of ‘teachers’. I have never understood how a teacher forgets, how it was to be a student once. It is not a revenge cycle. Being a teacher is not the freedom to terrorise the younger minds who cannot revolt. Being a teacher is not the way to be all that you had hated in your teacher, just to get even with his memory. Being a teacher is not wielding your power to destroy a future with favouritism or negligence.

But great teachers are not only limited to an almost-ancient history, with advent of better life and modernization, great teachers have become few and far between, but they are not extinct yet. Today, few men try cross the boundary to ascend into the realms of being “the Creator”. But there have been the ones holding the light as men travelled down the paths of life. Buddha, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Swami Vivekananda, Shri Aurobindo Ghosh even today there have been teachers like APJ Abdul Kalam who have shown the way, the ones who have made a difference.

As I forge ahead, my usual optimistic idealism rears its head. All hope is not lost. Even in this bleakness, there still shines that ray of faith. I recall those rare but omniscient beings to whom teaching was the continuation of knowledge from a generation to next and not a way for easy money. The ones who remembered being a man of principles is equally, if not more important as being a master in a trade. The ones who have refuted the saying ‘those who can, do; those who can’t, teach’ and have both done and passed on the knowledge. The teachers who have known the value of teaching, not leaving it to the lesser beings who really couldn’t do it, and really have delved deep into the souls of their pupils.

Remembering the teachers of today who let you play to your strengths, find and overcome your own weaknesses and help discover your own self and the great teachers of yesterday who have given us great words, thoughts and insights to be a human being first do I move ahead in this realm. Great teachers are a rare species who make lives, nurture minds, create great men, an undertaking of the highest order. As we have learned from the great philosophers, a fortunate few have also known it first hand, an experience that also confirmed how dismal, depressing the reality, the present has slowly become. Shaping minds once was the sculpturing the future of the country and now has slowly converted by the so-called teachers in so many instances as a personal positions of frivolous power. This stark difference is probably what has been the biggest revealer as to what what truly being a teacher entails, and as to the legacy left behind for being the ideal teacher, of the grave responsibility it carries.

I have been more than afraid to be teacher but I have been more enthused by the thought that it is still I, a teacher who can make the difference to a mind. Emboldened by the examples of the great philosophers and teachers of the past and learning from those who made me see the greatness in being teacher, that I want to step onto being a worthy teacher of the future; to become a teacher of “now” worthy of my students, worthy of being as much an inspirer as a teachers of “then”.

~
Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwaraha
Guru Saakshat Para Brahma
Tasmai Sree Gurave Namaha
~

Its way past the time to bring back the true spirit and glory of the teachers, of the guru back. The future rests on it, India rests on it.


The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton are Vipul, Rajalakshmi, Dhiman, Ranee[1], [2], [3] , Avada, Indian Pundit, Sojo, Aneet, Pramathesh, Aativas, Sid, Pra, Ajinkya, Lakshmi, Govind, Shilpa, Bharathi, Shankar, Mytuppence, Azad, Pawan, Pankaja, Saimanohar, Shruti, Vishnu and Nasrajan. Click on their respective names to read their posts on Teachers : Aaj Kal. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.
Posted in BAT, Contests, India, Reviews | 20 Comments

In a Blink of an Eye

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Guria

the day seems short
the night even more so
is it ’cause I’m leaving
that the time won’t slow
i have to leave
in just another day
away from you
a way I cannot stay
hold on to me
i want to be
back in no time
and everything will be
again dandy and fine
give me your words
and your thoughts
I’ll remember and I’ll hold
always more precious than gold.
~~~~~~~

Image Courtesy: Google Images
Posted in Creations, Friends, Me, Verses | 15 Comments

Another Tail Trail : Eight of Me

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Guria

This is not my first tag. This is the second and the easier one, so this is being posted first. (Kaka, I’ll be getting back to yours

Thanks a lot Sid aka Rav (sorry I shortened it!) for tagging me. Do check out his blog, he’s a jewel of a blogger-writer!


Here goes the tag.




8 TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH

1. little lulu show
2. ghostbusters
3. dexter’s laboratory
4. x-men
5. cooking shows (yummm!)
6. travel and discovery
7. johnny quest
8. football
_

8 FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT

1. home (dispense with all table manners)
2. road-side dhabas (the ones without ‘khatiya’-s don’t count)
3. travelling in car
4. road-side phuckka (forbidden fruit)
5. college canteen (terrible ambience and terrible food, favourite hangout)
6. mamma mia (when can afford it)
7. kookie jar (another ill-affordable addiction)
8. anywhere for free (any friend’s treat, good, bad or cheap!)
_

8 THINGS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY

1. i became sick
2. still i splurged on clothes
3. coochie-cooed on phone (i always do that)
4. behaved like a brat (so what’s new)
5. dressed like a dream (!)
6. slept for 4 hours only
7. procrastinated (a character trait)
8. packed my bags
_

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

1. umm… getting married?? (after errr… five years, at least!)
2. winning a blog award (or several)
3. winning the Nobel prize (i can do that)
4. being completely adored by my readers (err… this is more difficult)
5. being accepted in a damned good university
6. going to Assam in a couple of days
7. joining research
8. starting teaching in a month (who’ll listen to ME!)
_

8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT WINTER

1. everything, it is my favourite season
2. no allergy
3. warm covers and snuggling
4. the foggy mornings
5. fruits and flowers
6. snowfall (none in Calcutta though)
7. warming in the sun
8. jackets
_



8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST

1. porche carrera
2. cadillac escalada
3. jaccuzi
4. walk-in-closet
5. glass duplex/penthouse (I have very simple tastes and am not choosy)
6. a huge, close-knit family (doesn’t imply I want 20 kids!)
7. blog awards
8. peace of mind
_

8 THINGS I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT

1. books
2. writing
3. sketching/painting (the only thing I’m good at)
4. science and teaching
5. football
6. chocolates (the darker it is, more passionate i am)
7. family
8. him
_

8 WORDS OR PHRASES I USE OFTEN

1. errr.. right that’s it, “Err”
2. awesome
3. pathetic
4. go to hell
5. way to go
6. damn
7. take care
8. bye-bye
_

8 THINGS I LEARNED FROM PAST

1. enjoy today, enjoy now
2. cynicism is not as great as it’s hyped to be
3. nothing’s wrong with idealism, it exists
4. leave on a good note in case you have to return
5. believe
6. have faith
7. hold out for the best
8. and i was a really cute baby (honest)
_

8 PLACES I WOULD LOVE TO GO OR VISIT OR SEE

1. antartica
2. himalayas (especially manas sarovar)
3. amazon and rain forests
4. yellowstone
5. pyramids
6. pacific atlantic and indian oceans (cruises, of course)
7. a rustic village on the Alps
8. all the old cities of the world
_

8 THINGS I CURRENTLY NEED OR WANT

1. encouragement
2. awards
3. a new blog template
4. admission to PhD
5. someone to clean my wardrobe
6. food (i lawyas need this)
7. limitless fun
8. him 😛
_

8 PEOPLE TO TAG

1. rohini
2. shibarjun
3. kaka
4. saad
5. samadrita
6. scarlet pimpernel
7. simba tago
8. and everybody else, just pick it up

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted in Friends, Tags | 19 Comments

That Man She Met

Posted on August 28, 2009 by Guria
He was with another woman when she saw him for the first time.
She was tentative and nervous from the very beginning. On entering the room, she knew she was right to be so. The room was full of beautiful ladies of various ages, sophisticated and completely at ease to be there and comparatively very few men. Compared to the women, she felt dowdy, unkempt and untried, even though she had as much right as them to be there.
She had known his name before she’d met him. She was asked to wait, “He’ll with you in a moment”, sing-songed the ever courteous staff. Well, business is business after all and public relations everything, she thought wryly.
She didn’t feel like talking much, trepidation of what was about to come had robbed her of polite conversation with the lady sitting next to her. Instead, she looked over the few men who were circulating, some laughing and talking with the women. She wondered which one of them was designated to her, with whom she had made the appointment without even the requisite introductions.
Suddenly, a tall, well-built and dark man dressed completely in black emerged from a room with a woman on his arm, laughing brilliantly. He was undoubtedly the best-looking man in the room. Every woman stopped to say hello to him. And, boy, was he a gentleman, greeting everyone.
She averted her eyes and looked around impatiently, wondering which one of the poor fellows had been allotted to her, and why didn’t he show up. Not in her wildest thoughts had she thought that he would be the one.
She was completely astounded to say the least, when he stopped in front of her, alone this time. She suddenly found herself the recipient of that dazzling smile she had been admiring moments ago. Her tongue got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t believe her fate that had brought that man in front of her.
Still smiling slightly, he motioned her to precede him as she stood up on shaky legs and went with him to his corner.
What followed was the singular most amazing experience of her life.
At first she had felt nothing but contempt about her friends’ advice to consult his services. She knew she was on rebound and still hurting from her boyfriend’s betrayal, that had made her feel so ugly and inferior inside and out. But that wasn’t reason enough to spend money on this, for god’s sake. But she finally had given in to her friends’ badgering and unwanted, continuous encouragement that he was the best, and booked herself for an evening with him.
He was expensive no doubt. But by the time he finished, she knew she was hooked.
He had the gentlest of hands, yet they were so strong, so sure and so able. He didn’t speak much, but his hands did their job. He was so protective, taking that extra care not to hurt her, going that extra measure to prolong her pleasure. He knew where she was ticklish and smiled at her uncontrolled reactions when he touched those sensitive spots. He instinctively knew just what she liked.
She had done it before, numerous number of times but she learned what it really felt like for the first time in her whole life. She had never felt so pampered in her life. When it was over, it was too soon for her. Her feet were still tingling and she was feeling all fuzzy inside. She had wanted it go on forever.
She didn’t hate to admit that her friends’ had been right. He was worth all the money he charged. She knew she would back again, no matter what it cost her. And any doubts and embarrassment she had before coming here was gone.

She felt beautiful after a long time, that single hour had got her lost radiance back. It was an extravagance she knew she could ill-afford but she had to come back. She knew she was addicted.

After she had paid to the woman-in-charge, she clasped his hand and whispered a hoarse ‘thank you’. He smiled as he looked deeply into her eyes.

As she walked down the road towards her home, her head in the clouds thinking about the wonderful time she had had, she wondered, how come all the pedicurists and foot-masseurs in all the salons of the world were not men.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
N.B. Inspired from a recent trip to the parlour for a long-needed and pretty expensive pedicure and a brilliant brainwave! And with the lesson to all the women, the best way to get over depressions of any kind is to pamper yourself, girls! Go on a shopping spree or to a beauty salon… it works every time! 😛


Posted in Creations, Happy, Laughs, Novelette | 13 Comments

I, too, have a Heart that beats

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Guria


I have heart, too! I guard it well but it is there. Why do people forget that, I wonder. Maybe because I didn’t remember it myself?

I always used to think tears are a weakness till he told me different. I had never cried, really cried in front of anybody. Oh, I start oozing rivers when I’m incensed and uncontrollably angry and I hate that because people will think I’m crying, period. But that’s not the sort I’m talking about.

I have been eloquent more number of times than I can count, berating depressions, self-doubt and self-pity over and over again. “Happiness is a state of mind. If you want to be happy, nothing and no one can take it away from you. And if you want to be not happy, nothing and no one can make you happy” I believe in it so much that is all I would keep telling my friends- “Keep looking at the brighter side of things”- because that is what I truly believe, and that is what is true. But I lie. I wasn’t always like this.

I’m so outgoing and so talkative, jumping from topics to topics, making others laugh continuously, having perfected my sense of humor, that people rarely realise, i never talk about myself, that I’m actually an Introvert (?)! I am also human, I also err. People forget that. That a happy face can also lie.

It’s funny when I people tell me I’m hilarious, that I have a sense of humor that needs to be commended, a mind so fast that I leave people astounded and lagging behind. It is funny because I still remember the day when I realized I had a lousy sense of humor, which was also rooted in the fact I was too sentimental for my own good. My cousins could have me in tears teasing me mercilessly, ribbing me endlessly till I ran away and hid. That day I had my epiphany. No one gives a damn about how you feel, you distract people and make them laugh and that’s the only way they’ll never look closely and see what is there in your heart.

I was nine years old then.

And I always have been a fast learner. Since then, slowly, I transformed into an epitome of confidence, alleged fast brain, with an impeccable sense of humor and a very assured, even arrogant, personality.

And I was disappointed that I was so right.

Most of the time I’m still a case of jitters, still looking for that firm footing in the world. I’m a girl who still is emotional at the smallest things. Of course, the one who has learned to hide it completely but still let’s them affect her heart. I liked to believe the years of practise have strengthened me but there are still times when I wish I don’t have to be so strong. I have a perfected sense of humor, I can laugh at myself but I still cannot ever make myself believe that it is me they are talking about when they say I’m too good. And I wonder how the so-called sense of humor has gone so far in hiding a girl and her dreams.

It is so strange I’ve always remembered my failures than my successes, which is not good. When will I stop pushing myself over the limit and accept I’m perfect the way I am. Not my words but his. At first I pretended not to understand but was seen through. I’m an introvert who is very sociable but analyses, thinks and over-thinks. I knew what he was talking about. I had strived so hard to be perfect to everyone, but it never was enough. How can it be? But i tried and tried, gave away my dreams, thinking of myself last all the time. It isn’t something bad but some times I realised you need to think about yourself, no one will do it for you.

I found the world selfish, obsessed over the wrong things, foolish and sadly discontent. And I was becoming a master at duping them, never realising that I was slowly turning into one of them, cynical, bitter, unhappy. I forgot to believe. I forgot their goodness and mine too. I forgot and let them that I’m a girl, a woman with feelings and emotions that can flood the world. I was turning into stone.

I was drowning. Killing who I was, who I am.

And then amidst that darkness, the despair overlapping me, embracing me and pulling me down, two strong arms clutched me to a beating heart and simply held me there.

Long after that he had enumerated my failings, actually pointed fingers and said, ‘so what?’!! He helped me combat my every demon, standing silently behind, that unspoken wealth of faith in me, as I put things to right, quietly listing with me the pros and cons, the one who believed in who I really was, rather than what I showed people! The one who was proud of me and supporting me whenever I needed it, and letting me come apart when I need to. He loved me, the imperfect, the tearful. the unsophisticated, the boring, the real me.

If I hadn’t already loved him so much, I would have then.

I rarely write about him here. But he’s there in every word I write.

Once upon a time I used to write the saddest pieces which I never showed to anyone. I still have them. But they are meaningless to me now. For the saddest things move us because we do not know what truly happiness is and the only thing that we can relate to is the not-so-happy. But I believe the best creation can ever be of that one thing which will stay with you, bring a smile whenever you think of it and restore that dwindling faith in yourself. Hence, this mad blog.

He was the one who told me to come out of my shy cocoon and write.

I, too have a heart, I also feel, I also become sad, but I’m no more of ashamed of it. I still rarely talk about my feelings because the introvert part hasn’t changed. What I am doing here today is unprecedented, people who know me will be shocked. But I’m not scared to be who I am. I am imperfect and I take pride in being different, knowing no two person can be the same. And I rarely hide.

Being loved does that to you.


N.B. I couldn’t write half of what I wanted to. This probably is very disarrayed but I wanted to write. There’s nothing like believing, nothing like faith. You are the best whatever and whoever you are.
(And he doesn’t let me be sad for any length of time, and he showed me there are worse things in life but you can be happy inspite of it. It all ever depends on you.)

Photo Courtesy: vi.sualize.us
Posted in Happy, Life, Love, Me, You | 36 Comments

Sheer Poetry!

Posted on August 22, 2009 by Guria
This post is to share something I had found in some one’s blog (couldn’t find it the second time), who had found it from some American newspaper (don’t remember, all names sound the same to me!) that was hosting some kind of a contest, something that is useful (much to my happiness) in getting rid of that “poetic” writers’ block! (WHEW! Did the sum of all the “some-s” make any sense? You get the gist, right?!)

So. here goes.



THE RULE: You have to write a couplet with a very romantic first line and an equally un-romantic second line! The starker the difference, the better it is!

Here are some that I made up and will keep updating as I make more and more! 🙂

^_^

Oh, you are the only one in my life,
Always making trouble and causing strife.

^_^

Such gentleness, such beauty, owned by so few,
I’d rather jump off the bridge than marry you!

^_^


You, my love. are a beauty,
We got married, that’s the pity.

^_^

At your first command, I’ll jump,
And run away like there’s fire on my rump!

^_^

You can ignite me with one single touch.
A damn pity that you smell so much!

^_^

Love is like new spring, colored by a painter!
Only my marriage has never come out of winter!

^_^

The world seems brand new with you around,
Every time I see you, I bang my head on the ground.

^_^

I proposed to you ’cause you’re so lovely, Miss
Sheesh, I made a mistake, could you reject me please?

^_^

I’ll be coming up with more! Just wait!

P.S. I am rhyming! I am RHYMING!!! 😀
DISCLAIMER: These couplets have no relevance to my life, yours maybe, but never mine! 😛

August 26, 2009

I did say I’ll be coming up with more… and now I’m debating the intelligence of that statement… 😛
Guess, I’ll be trying and trying till I fail!
[Or maybe get kicked (verbally, of course) by the readers]

This was a contest in the Washington Post, I finally got it. You can see the winning entries here, which are almost as good as mine! 😀

Enjoy!!!
G.
Posted in Friends, Happy, Laughs | 19 Comments

Catharsis Part-II : I Think After I Speak!

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Guria





Have you ever tried writing with a runny nose, reaching for the kerchief every five words? I personally end up cussing, something a lady wouldn’t ever do, and I so want to be a lady! My literary talents are on hold, it seems artistic flair and sneezes do not mix. Usually, I have had several ideas, good and bad (disproportionately) in my head, all artistic of course, but the more I’m sneezing, the more blank I’m getting! As if, all that is going out into my handkerchief also contains my pretty good (if I may say so) writing abilities! So to sneeze or not to sneeze, that is the question; can one swallow them?
Okay, I think my brain is affected! My cold has extended into my head!
Wait a moment! (Cobwebs of my head clearing) This is India, August 2009! Oh, no, no, no! I have allergy, you thinkers! Any scientists or doctors out there? Allergic Rhinitis? Hypersensitivity Type I Reaction? Immunoglobulin E? That’s what I have… please slow down… nothing as sinister as that stupid pig’s thing!
Anyways, when I’m not well, (especially with blowing my nose every few seconds) I’m cranky, irritated, pissed off, difficult, bitchy, rude, quarrelsome (No, normally I am not these… not at all… well, almost not) So given my very vibrant and spontaneous personality, I’ve already acted on these. And… I’m feeling sorry! Why do we end up hurting the people we love the most? And, then there are our respective prides (which is more often than not ‘ego’, in my case).
I wonder, how to begin, where to start, how to say, whatever I shout, however I misbehave, I always love you more… Pride is nothing where you are!



P.S. I am completely a lunatic! Took me long enough to realize that! Immature, I already know! Sigh!
Posted in Catharsis, Life, Love, Sarcasm | 13 Comments

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Guria

I’m grateful for…

It is strange how you think and wish that you could have the life of that person in front of you, and that exact person looks at you and thinks, if only he could be like you! Doesn’t it seem strange how often we dwell on the ‘what could have been’-s and ‘wish i had’ and ‘if only’ and ‘what if’, forgetting to remember and sometimes, even to value all that we already have, let alone be grateful for them. That is the mystery behind why it’s always too late… we take so many things in our life for granted that only the loss of it brings home the importance of it… and so the understanding comes, always too late.

Today, I am going to be another person. That person in the mirror will be looking at me and thinking how beautiful my life is. I am going to admire who I am and what I am today and be grateful for it. I will not think of all those things that I don’t have but will give thanks for all that I have been blessed with.

my life is beautiful

Posted in Friends, Happy, Life, Love | 5 Comments

Are You a "typical" INDIAN???

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Guria
CAUTION: Before you proceed, please understand that this a simple humorous piece which bears no definite relation to anything, and is only written as and for a source of fun and enjoyment, and not at all to offend or hurt anyone’s ego! If you believe you cannot read and think objectively (and humorously), please do not go beyond this sentence! See, you still did! Okay, on your head be it then! If you are offended in any way, the fault lies with you and you alone.
I’m an Indian, by heart, soul, mind, culture, birth, origins, you name it, I’m it. Yes, I am trying to go abroad for “higher studies”, I love my country but I’m not blind. Yes, India needs work on a lot of fronts, opportunities are difficult to come by etc etc, but I’m still an Indian and proud to be so and there are several in the crowd (at least in my crowd and I believe, outside of it too) who will agree to the same.

Of course, the number of “proud” Indians are dwindling day by day. There are converts who are oh-so-ashamed and who find their pride in the fact they loathe not being born in the West, and there starts their litany, ‘India is so tacky!’ ‘It is so backward!’ Blah! Blah! Blah! (I hope you understand the nasal falsetto required to read the quoted sentences) Well, you can very easily relate them to the “dhobi ka kutta” (For my non-Hindi readers, it is a washer man’s dog) for they can neither belong to the West and I assure you, they don’t belong here either! (It is a Hindi proverb, “dhobi ka kutta, naa ghar ka naa ghat ka” roughly translated, it means ‘neither here nor there’)
This article is for the other Indians who are, simply put, happy to be who they are.

So, to revert to my original question, “Are you a typical Indian???”
Well, you see, very recently I learned that there are Indians (already fallen from grace) and then there are the “typical” Indians (not only fallen from grace, you are on your way to Hell) This is a distinction that, i warn you, not everyone can grasp. However hard I may try to help you to understand ‘the concept’, you must know that the distinction is understood by a few. I guess, now you understand why I digressed and introduced the classic I-hate-India-and-why-the-hell-am-i-not-an-American, elite individuals (Americans, I apologize for bringing you into the fray, but it’s kind of a notion they have that West equates to America, completely bypassing Europe… I’m sure you can do without this burden).
I have been condemned to the lowest rung a long time back, since i could not portray the requisite enthusiasm to the elitists’ ideas. (I quarrel well, and it can be downright difficult to win against me, especially when I’m right so, my place in their books was decided pretty quickly) Nowadays, I totally am adapted to these kind of people after meeting several of their kind, just like many of you must be. It is a topic which we (who are not among the few) have exhausted, are not interested in any more and don’t really think about too much. But this idea of being a “typical” Indian really got my attention!

So, what does make you a “typical” Indian?

Here are some pointers to help you.

First:
Your ex-friend is going abroad, you want to end things on a good note, and want to wish him/her luck for old times’ sake, knowing that your paths may never cross again… you thought to let by-gones be by-gones and make a nice ending of it all, with nothing but good wishes? Well, that makes you a Typical Indian… You are actually doing this since your friend is going to America and you are not, you just want to get into your friend’s good books (after all you need your friend’s help to follow him/her abroad because you won’t be able to do it alone! And moreover your friend will be earning in dollars, huh!) It does not matter that your ex-friend was the one who initiated the meeting in the first place.
Next:
It is pathetic being friends with you because your friendship is synonymous with “politics”. You couldn’t understand the veritable honor of his/her friendship bestowed on you! That’s why you never talked to your friend, avoided your friend like plague. Never mind the fact that your friend is your ex-friend because of multi-standards, double-triple-quadruple crossings, and was the one responsible for the falling out among most friends (Did anyone say “back-biting and manipulative”?!). But it is always you involved in politics. And of course, you are jealous.
Next:
How pitiful can you get that you intend to come back to bloody India of all places? Oh, you are typical Indians! (Or mebbe, you are not as lucky, no, no, not as accomplished as a certain someone to be accepted with wide arms in the States)
Next:
If you do not agree Indians are cowards/spineless because the students cannot barge into their university campus with an AK-47 (and the sort) and kill people, you are pathetically typical.
A few other small points:
If you do not have many cousins spread through out North America (only Canada allowed besides, the US of A) or UK. It is a show of status, other European countries don’t count. You do not speak English all the time and resort to your mother tongue. You can read and write well in your mother-tongue.
Lastly, of all that I have known till now:
You don’t feel condemned to be born in India, and you think of going abroad for studying as a step in your career and not a means to escape. You want to stay back with your parents???


Oh, you Indians! No wonder, you are hopeless! *sigh*

As an expansive writer with the means of broadcasting via my blog, I could not resist the chance to share this experience/observations with you. Many of you know about these first hand. This may offend several, but more numbers will agree, as nothing is exaggerated, instead I’ve actually toned it down!

Though I am forced to amend some do suck up for their own means to an end, not everybody are so undignified or have the urge. It may come as a surprise but most of us are self-sufficient enough not to be a hypocrite or a sycophant!
So, all you unlucky, born-in-India but-won’t-be-Indians-at-the-first-chance-you-get, all the best in your lives. Keep your mouth shut while getting your visas. Enjoy being a non-Indian. And God save America!


And again, yes, I’ll be going abroad to study (and only study), yes, because of the awesome infrastructure, ease of working, opportunities etc etc but in exchange they’ll be getting me, my talent and my brains. The way I look at it, I am doing them a favour as much as they are doing me. We go abroad ’cause we choose to, and not because we have our own identities to create.

By the way, the other Indian readers, so…

Aren’t you a typical Indian??? :~))
Posted in Friends, India, Laughs, Observer, Sarcasm | 13 Comments