Homosexuality - Unnatural but not Unlawful !

When Supreme Court of India announced that Article 377 which criminalizes all homosexual activities would be reinstated, my first doubt was how Supreme Court or law machinery could get to know who committed the 'crime' unless somebody peeked into bedrooms of gay couples !

Ìndia is torn between two opposite arguments for and against homosexuality. The progressive society believes that being gay is a personal choice which is endorsed by many liberal thinkers. I beg to differ. Homosexuality is not a 'choice'; nobody chooses to be naturally hetero or homosexual. They are just made that way.

I may be judged to be regressive for saying this but I believe homosexuality is against the nature though I'm all for LGBT rights and against discrimination. Man and woman are made with different body structures, genitals, reproductive systems. They are made to get attracted to each other, make love, give birth to children, continue legacy and humanity in the world. That`s nature and nobody can argue or refute it, no matter how vocal supporters of LGBT rights they are.

But not everybody in the world is made alike. Some people are mentally, biologically made in a way that they are attracted to the same sex and they can`t overturn it. It`s not their mistake; it`s not a disease either to be cured. It`s just abnormal. Some people are made to get attracted only to animals. That`s not a disease either. Just not mainstream, that`s it. But just because they are not mainstream, they don't deserve discrimination and social outcast.

During my school and college days, 'hijra', 'kojja', 'point five' were abuses which meant weak, impotent. These words attracted immediate retaliation and repulsion. That`s how the society was (and still is). This is the very reason gays were more closeted until the dawn of new millennium. Open debates, revolution for rights became more visible in the recent past. Literary works, 'Dostana' type bollywood movies, success of gays in fashion industry and open declaration by many celebrities suddenly created ripples and affected the inertia in the society. This attracted a large repulsion from the more conservative circles of the country, which was not necessary.

As mentioned earlier, I personally am against any kind of discrimination against gays because they are minorities in terms of sexual orientation. Society is made of different kinds of people belonging to different religions, castes, creed, physicality. Minorities in every way deserve and should be provided equality as per Indian constitution. But the latest supreme court ruling against homosexuality was a big contradiction or blunder, if I could say so. If you check those prominent people who supported latest Supreme Court ruling , they are Baba Ramdev, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Church groups. What a unity in diversity !

Two countries I represent, India and Canada are poles apart in acceptance of gay and homosexuality but the more intriguing fact is that Britishers passed almost same law in both countries in mid 1800`s. In mid 1900's, Canada legalized same sex marriages and is forerunner in LGBT rights to the extent laws against any kind of discrimination, laws favoring surrogate pregnancy for lesbians etc were passed. When we visited Montreal in first few months after immigrating to Canada, I was a bit surprised to see gay villages, gay stores, gay friendly restaurants where two gays romantically enjoying their candle light dinner, gays kissing for photoshoot after wedding. Initially it was a bit of culture shock for me, but I couldn't resist appreciating the society for providing them the environment to live their lives happily. Afterall they are just being themselves without harming or hurting anybody else. So why should anybody else be worried ? So if Canada could break shackles of regressive British laws, why can't India ?

I saw many internet forums and twitter where homophobic Indians claim that homosexuality is against Indian culture. Whoa ! They should first visit Khajuraho temples where purportedly graphic statues representing gay and animal sex were prominently displayed. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of Art of Living mentioned that Lord Ayyappa was born to Hari and Hara (meaning Vishnu and Shiva). Rigveda also infers homosexuality to certain extent. So its not culture or religion. It`s purely mindset which is bent to repel anybody who are different to them.

If the court believes that homosexuality may create social issues, doesn't rape do so? And we see the number of rape related incidents occurring on a daily basis. Homo or hetero, any non consensual forceful act should be considered a crime and justice should be delivered. Its none of court's or law enforcement's business to peek into private lives (which they can anyway not do). It`s time judges and courts put their personal preferences and penal code laws separately. It`s also time for general public to stop stereotyping or typecasting gays because they are just living their life without imposing themselves or their lifestyle on you. As long as homosexuality is not compulsory, why do you worry ?

Arvind Kejriwal - A Case Study on Leadership & Management

Arvind Kejriwal is dubbed as a giant killer who turned from zero to hero in just 2 years, which is undeniable considering his spectacular entry on to the electoral politics arena. He captured senses of intelligentsia and masses alike because he executed what hordes of armchair philosophers could just preach. Beyond his political maneuvering lies his excellent embodiment of two often confused behavioral traits - Leadership & Management.

Since independence, India has been looted by political parties infested with corruption, vote-bank politics, communalism, nepotism, regionalism. People were aware of this but came to terms that they had no alternative. But there was always a simmering anger under the carpet which was tapped and fanned by the Team Anna movement a couple of years back. Anna Hazare was not a rookie in anti-establishment agitation. He had a long history of crusades but was reduced to Ralegan Siddhi and some pockets here and there. He didn't have a national image. A man called Arvind Kejriwal identified the vacuum and catapulted a nation wide movement through Anna's name and fame.

Kejriwal was not the first person to act against corruption. Loksatta's JP Narayan shared similar principles, but he proved to be elitist and philosopher who could only talk. He didn't involve people or instill combative spirit like Kejriwal did. JP was a dreamer, strategist and a bureaucrat, but there is a catch. He's not a LEADER. Leader is somebody who leads from front, who motivates, directs, guides people who trust him. Leader sets an example, shows path, is accessible, is a sharp communicator, a problem solver, a trouble shooter, a negotiator, a decision maker, a time manager, a team player and is flexible. Leader is Arvind Kejriwal.

Some leaders have charisma; they can trigger mass hysteria with their voice, mannerisms, votebank identity, gestures, dramatics or mere presence. Indira Gandhi, NTR, MGR, Salahuddin Owaisi, Modi and to some extent Laloo and Mulayam fall under that category. Kejriwal lacks that charisma or political glamor. Neither does anybody care about his caste or community. But he balanced that lack of charisma with another trait - managerial skills

While his leadership skills were at display during his struggle for RTI act, anti-corruption crusade, his managerial skills were evident in the way he carried Team Anna campaign and his AAP electoral campaigns.
It's debatable if Anna needed Kejriwal or vice-versa because the Team Anna movement became a household name only through Kejriwal`s brainchilds like viral campaigns, social media awareness, streetside acts which`d put the best of marketing minds to shame.

Kejriwal did right thing at right time under right conditions. He got things done by many external and internal factors. That was management.

When he started Aam Aadmi Party, he clearly knew there was an anti-congress wave and made sure another rival BJP doesn't grab the cake. Hence he deliberately started attacking BJP over corruption and communalism despite the latter not being in power either at center nor at Delhi where he was going to contest. But his ploy was to paint Congress and BJP in the same color so that he could take advantage of the anti-congress wave. And that ploy worked in his favor.

Kejriwal is an astute orator and a shrewd thinker. He has answer for every question or criticism he faces. His speeches and interviews brim of moral supremacy but he knew how to play political cards well. He carefully dubbed BJP as a hardliner communal party but chose not to say a word against MIM, Akali Dal, SP, BSP or many other religion or caste based parties. He even took the support of rabblerouser Muslim cleric who announced bounty on somebody`s head. He clearly knew who his target was. That was management.

He played fairly well with media too. Media chose to highlight AAP`s splendid performance over the majority grabber BJP. Arvind is being eulogized left, right and centre though he failed to recreate the magic of NTR or Prafulla Mahanta who rose to power in few months of setting up a party. But antipathy of certain sections of media against right wing politics or BJP and public anti incumbency wave against congress was aptly utilized by AAP and Arvind Kejriwal.

Leadership is a quality which influences and motivates others to follow ones path whereas management is an act which gets things done by others. Arvind Kejriwal balanced both with clinical precision and the rest is history.

Things fell in place for AAP till now because the party is exempt from any expectations or results. They had nothing to lose or prove till now. The real game begins now. Lok Sabha elections is a different ballgame. Team Anna was at pinnacle in 2011 when Anna was hailed as the most powerful Indian then but the movement lost its relevance the following year. Ramleela Maidan and Jantar Mantar of Delhi swayed to the movement, but Mumbai protest was a grave disappointment. History may repeat with AAP. It is to be seen if Arvind Kejriwal is a consistent and a long run leader and manager or not. Time answers.

Checklist for Groom Hunt !

Marriage is a gamble, be it love or arranged. Teenage and young adults around early twenties are vulnerable to getting carried away by transient factors which may cost their lifetime of happiness. Liking somebody and being happy with them are completely different things which may not necessarily go hand in hand. While nobody can judge or advise whom to like, I made an attempt to suggest single girls what kind of guys can keep them happy and comfortable. Here goes the checklist to watch out for:

1. Possessiveness - Though it sounds fairly harmless, this can be a single major reason for hell on earth for girls. There is a difference between concern and possessiveness. If a guy breaches that line and steps over individual freedom, that can get on your nerve sooner or later. A control freak, misogynist, insecure, male chauvinist guy suffering from inferiority complex can be lethal for a healthy relationship. So even if you like a guy, see if he respects your freedom. If you believe you can deal or adjust with his possessiveness, you are being very naive. It's a huge no-go
2. Decisive - No girl really feels comfortable with a guy who can't take decisions or relies on others for push. In years to come, he should be a head of your family, manage finances, society around, kids and many more. He should be mature enough to understand and analyze situations, assess options and take reasonable decisions on time. Again there is a difference between overconfidence and conviction which he should know.
3. Responsibility & Security - Single reason for getting girls married to older guys is to make sure they are in safe hands. Doesn't always means body guarding or getting into brawls with street goons to save her honor. Nothing so filmy. But a guy who feels, expresses and maintains responsibility and takes care of his girl's physical, mental, emotional, social and biological needs, securities is a right guy.
4. Attraction - Girl should marry a guy who adores her, treats her like a princess, feels lucky to have her around and takes pride in showing off his girl. Every girl is beautiful and will find a guy who goes crazy about her. You just have to wait and find him. Life becomes much more beautiful and romantic.
5. Family connection - Marriage is an alliance of two families. No guy or girl can peacefully co-exist with their spouse who hates their parents; nuclear families are no exception. Get into relationship only if you strongly and positively believe you can get along with his parents and he doesn't build bridges between you and your parents. It takes compromises from both sides to get along with people of different backgrounds but if it clicks, it makes a lifetime of difference.
6. Sense of humor - Though you don't need a standup comedian to tickle your funny bone all the time, check if the guy has some sense of humor. Life is too short to be seriously planning and panicking all the time. A guy who can make you laugh with even his silliest antics is worth it.
7. Charming - When you get married to a guy, he's introduced to your world of friends, cousins, colleagues, relatives. Though it's not important to keep the society happy, it helps if your guy is charming enough to spell magic among your circles with his charm, wit, etiquette, choice of words, gestures and social behavior. Who wouldn't like compliments about her better half ? That would add spice and beauty to the relationship
8. Expressive - Look for a guy who is expressive, who can show how much he loves you. That one quality will sweep you off your feet many times even after marriage. 
9. Monies - Though not absolutely necessary, life is better with luxuries than with paucity. As a saying goes, a successful husband is one who earns more than this wife could spend. A guy with good financial standing, potential to earn big can save you from a lot of gloom, inferiority complex, adjustments, compromises and agony. If you have a choice, opt for a richer guy. As simple as it goes.
10. Looks - Not the most important, hence the last in the list. Just imagine your life where you wake up (and also go to bed) to a suave, athletic, TDH guy. Wouldn't life be beautiful ? Also he's gonna share his looks with your kids-to-be. So don't be in perennial denial that looks are immaterial.

So girls out there, run this checklist through a guy whom you fell in love with or your parents proposed to you. It's never too late until you tied the knot. And if you think this would help your loved ones, feel free to share !

Other relationship based GYAN at:

1. Love Marriage Vs Arranged Marriage
2. Love Affair Lifecycle
3. Whom to choose between Parents and Life Partner ?

How Sachin Became God !!! Something Beyond His Cricketing Skills !

World has seen many celebrities, heroes, icons, legends, masters but it takes a special character and mettle to be addressed as God. It takes Sachin Tendulkar to be a God !

Unlike many others, I don't know nuances and intricacies of cricketing shots, drives, cuts and hooks. So I'd refrain myself from eulogizing the man for his batting technical skills. I'm nobody to judge or comment because his consistency, records and status scream much aloud. But just success and technique doesn't make anybody God. There must be something else too. Otherwise how can over a billion people, many of whom as cricketing illiterates as me, would kill to watch him play ?

Cricket has been a religion and a part of lifestyle of Indians since 1983 world cup. I remember avidly following every match in 1987 Reliance world cup and thereafter like fellow crazy countrymen. Everybody was an armchair commentator and expert analyst suggesting and cursing players for not playing to their sensibilities. Amidst the likes of Gavaskar, Kapil, Shastri and Srikkanth, masses of India wanted somebody who could play like their dreams. And there arrived a man - SACHIN TENDULKAR

He began playing like everybody would have dreamt to play if given a chance. He made everybody's wildest fantasies come true. His shots, running between wickets were more aggressive, playing to galleries unlike stars of that era. Just like a movie hero would provide escapist pleasure to viewers who imagine themselves in the actor's shoes and derive imaginary pleasure, Sachin provided similar inexplicable substitutional pleasure to those millions who earlier aspired or dreamt to play or wish to see somebody play like that. Boom ! Then started a mania, mass hysteria. Guys emulated him, girls swooned over his looks, advertisers hounded him and this curly haired young man became a rage of the country.

He was not the only person to blast the area with his blistz. Many more rose meteorically like Narendra Hirwani who took 16 wickets in a test match. But there was a glaring difference. Others were metaphorically and literally meteors and their fall was as fast. Sachin was an exception there. He entertained an entire generation who swayed along his bat and who passed over the legacy to their next generation.

By the time the next generation took reins, he already proved his mettle as the best and most talented cricketer around and justifiably was not susceptible to rookie judgement by fans anymore, notwithstanding a handful of haters who wanted to hate because they didn't want to subscribe to the majority verdict to prove they were mavericks.

Sachin's transition from the best player to the GOD is inspiring and interesting. The Gen X & Y saw much more than his batting technique. They actually loved his personality and most importantly his fame and respect.

He is one man made of small built, humble background, squeaky voice, soft spoken nature - all qualities exactly opposite to the conventional macho and handsome masculinity. In short, he is a normal, average, boy-next-door kinda Indian. And yet, he came, saw and conquered the world. That clicked bigtime among equally average but bustling mass base of India. They could identify themselves with his success. He plucked them all off from their dormant inferiority complex. so it was not only about his technique as mentioned earlier.

Another quality of Sachin - his personality and temperament. It would not be an exaggeration to say he is only next Indian to Gandhiji to show the kind of resilience, determination, pressure-handling composure and consistency for such a long duration on a national stage. And this analogy should not look ridiculous if one follows the success graph and the grit put on display.

Sachin always spoke with his bat. He never resorted to theatrics, histrionics, media frenzy, public relations, explanations to answer his critics or opponents. He forced his opponents to respect him, yearn for his acknowledgement and approval. He gave Indian cricket an ominous look.

If India was put on pedestal on the international fora in something, we must thank Sachin for that. Sachin became a reason behind self confidence to those crores of fans who saw their compatriot leave behind the who's who of the world behind. They beamed with pride to show-off that Sachin represented India. He brought India more accolades than anybody else could in the history of the nation. He represents the collective glory and pride of the country. We can't thank Sachin enough for that.

So, it was not just about his batting technique or records, but a wholesome package called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Bow to the MASTER !

PS: If you are yet not convinced with any of the above, just come to terms with the fact that his mother's name is "Rajni" and his coach name has "Kanth" in it. Now can we agree that he's God ?

Don't be Perfect !

Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis (actor of Gangs of New York, Lincoln) is notoriously perfect to the tune that he lives his on-screen character even off-screen during filming. While filming for a certain paralyzed character, he reportedly remained on wheelchair even while not shooting and expected his staff to lift the wheelchair around (!!!) - all in the pursuit of perfection. And he is not an odd man out in the world of such lunatics.

Some real live examples of perfectionists I encountered:

1. One of my friends reads entire "terms and conditions" in websites before clicking on "I agree". LOL !
2. My cousin demanded amendments to some very insignificant condition in a job offer letter for a lucrative and challenging dream role he aspired for. The company rather chose the next guy in line.
3. Some of my relatives spend entire festival day cleaning, mopping, brooming their houses because for them festival is all about cleanliness. By the time they lay down, it's already bed-time.
4. My ex-colleague always wanted everything so perfect that he never bothered missing client deadlines in his attempt to make a "nice" document.
5. Some trainees I teach spend months together to research on a simple topic enough to write a PhD thesis, just to understand the outline. Crazy souls !

I have never been perfect in anything I did and that was not out of choice; I just can't be perfect, I'm not made that way. I'm disorganized, a bit clumsy, lazy. I seldom sport clean-shaven look at work, often go on a pair of jeans to meetings, procrastinate things and am everything diagonally opposite to being perfect, but things are fairly working out for me because I aim for efficiency, not perfection - totally different concepts.

My simple doctrine about why perfection is bad:

1. Perfection makes one lose focus - If you have to achieve or reach a target, you should know your priorities and let go few details which aren't integral to the journey. The key point is "letting go".
2. Perfection is unattainable - Perfection has no limits. Even if you are perfectionist and put everything very perfect, there would be somebody somewhere under the sun to show you that something else needed to be done. So perfection is subjective.
3. Perfection means under-achievement - Perfection demands intricate detailing of everything which strategically means underachievement because more emphasis is laid of the process instead of the result.
4. Perfection is against creativity - If you have to create something or establish a business, you have to try many things - most of the initial few attempts would be failures. So one can't work forever on each attempt to reach the final version.
5. Perfection is anti team-spirit - When a team works towards a common goal and one person cribs for perfection in unnecessary details, it obviously leads to tension and conflicts in team
6. Perfection is overrated - The word perfection sounds elite but a lot of times, perfect body of work is grossly over-looked. Nobody actually cares how perfect the product is and what kind of effort went into it. So perfection is overrated. Rather get things done quickly and efficiently and chill !
7. Perfection causes depression - Perfectionists are often lonely and suffer from anxiety and depression because of their zeal and passion they put and for good or bad, most of the times their success is inversely proportional to the passion and expectations.
8. Perfectionists are judgemental - More often than not, perfectionists are the first among equals to judge others' ways of work. That adversely affects human relations
9. Perfectionists can't deal with failure - Perfectionists are usually hyper-sensitive, pessimistic and their nature is propelled by the very fear of failure. In the attempt to avoid failure, they lose valuable time and resources. Same result !
10. Perfectionists are always busy - In an attempt to be perfect, perfectionists more often indulge in slogging over-time whereas clumsier peers when efficient do things much better in a shorter time 

Bottom line - Know the limit, set a deadline, draw a line and let few things go. I repeat LET GO !

Europe Trip - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly !

20 days, 8 countries, 4 alien languages, 7 cuisines, 9 modes of transport and lifetime of memories. Going on vacation to Europe with my family had long been my fantasy. Now that it's been a week we returned from one of the most memorable, anticipated, awaited, dreamt trips, here is a brief account:

The planning:

Coordinating leaves and vacation plans of 4 of us was an herculean task in itself. Once it materialized, the entire processing of visas, flight, hotel, travel bookings and research took at least 2 months. With a toddler around, shopping and packing took a month or so. So it was a cool 3 month pre-trip planning we had to do for a 3 week tour.

We had to dilly-dally between opting for a packaged tour or plan our own trip, but chose the latter for the flexibility we needed with our kiddoo.

The Good:

First things first ! Europe is stunning, awe-inspiring, mind-boggling and fantastic. Every city has it's unique signature, historical pride, grandeur or canvas that newer countries like US or Canada can never replicate.

Brussels, Belgium: We had zero expectations about Brussels but the small city dazzled me. The city had one of the grandest squares called Grand Place which even put the best of squares in even Paris and Rome to shame. The unique Belgian-French culture, cuisine and the pride they subtly demonstrate is worth experiencing.

The huge atomium brought back memories of Venkatesh's Bobbili Raja movie as at that point, I wondered what that huge structure was. Now when I saw that song again in youtube, I realized most of the song was shot in Brussels.

Paris, France: The lesser said, the better because words can't sum up the aura of Paris, known as the city of love, city of architecture, city of history. Even if one misses (must not though) Eiffel Tower, Monalisa at Louvre Museum, Notre Dame etc, just roaming around the streets of Paris gives goosebumps. Every building in the historic part of the city is a treat to eyes. If I ever visit Paris again, I'm gonna spend a week to absorb the richness and flamboyance of the beautiful city. Eiffel Tower is much more magnificent than I thought. The view from top was astounding

Not to mention, every youngster I saw in Pairs was beautiful, fashionable and attractive. No surprise the city is rightly dubbed as a fashion capital.

Versailles, France: The magnificent palace of Louis and later Napoleon should only be seen to believe. Exuberant flair and splendour

Rome, Italy: We spent 3 full days in Rome and that still wasn't enough. Among all the places I visited till date, Rome is very very unique because of it's perfect blend of old world history and modernity. Every place, square, monument screams about the mighty Roman empire. The colosseum must be a world wonder. I was just awestruck with the phenomenal historical baggage, the city associates with itself.

Vatican city, Vatican: A country within a city. One of the most sacred places on the planet. A huge square, a magnificent dome and a splendid cathedral demonstrate the rich roman catholic culture, architecture.

Pisa & Florence, Italy: Pisa is a small town which only boasts the skewed Pisa tower, a marble structure which attracts flocks of tourists day in and day out. Florence is a neighboring town which at first reminds us of a postcard or a painting. There is one huge cathedral and dome which signifies the city and a lot of pedestrian tourist area. A nice experience

Venice, Italy: Venice often appears as the most beautiful city of the planet unanimously in all surveys. Such is the aura behind the city of canals. My parents compared the city with Backwaters of Kerala (which I haven't visited yet) but the city is beautiful and just the thought of system of canals as mode of transportation rather than mostly overlooked roads is a dream of any romantic person.

The city undoubtedly is romantic to the core and everybody must go on a gondola ride on grand canal before they die

Interlaken, Switzerland: If you want to be overwhelmed with natural beauty and go crazy to the point of screaming your lungs out, you should visit Interlaken in Switzerland for sure. A very small town looks much like a film setting in the backdrop of snow capped swiss alp mountains, rivers, lakes. It's like a definition for the word Picturesque.

Daily trips to the adjoining Jungfrau and other alp peaks, cogwheel rail routes along lush green meadows with signaturesque cows, the must see ice palace and views from the top are dreams for any backpacker.

Lucerne, Switzerland: Just when we felt Interlaken has blown us away, Lucerne showed us that in Switzerland, every place is a notch above the other. Relatively bigger city with perfect weather, river, lakes, swans, beautiful people. For a moment, I thought why wasn't I considering immigrating to Switzerland. Lake cruise and then the steepest cogwheel train in the world to the top of Mount Pilatus was a once in a lifetime experience.

Zurich, Switzerland: The biggest city in switzerland was our transit stop where we spent a day. A bustling city is no match for previous 2 cities but still is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Innsbruck, Austria: Austria is generally considered as non-commercialized version of Switzerland. Innsbruck is a small town in a valley surrounded by snow peaked alps that can never slip out of your memory. A perfect retirement destination :)

Cologne, Germany: One of the most bombed city during world war 2 shows the backdrop of German might. Taxis are all Mercedes, Audi, VW and BMW's ;) On the picturesque backdrop of River Rhine, the huge old age cathedral and chocolate museum were worth seeing.

Koblenz, Germany: A small and fascinating town on the river banks, pedestrian tourist streets, cable cars, confluence of rivers. Simply amazing and beautiful.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: This is one city which swept me off my feet. A unique blend of old buildings, system of canals, abundant museums, mode of commute make it a mixture of Venice, Rome and Paris. An amusing tourist attraction is a red light district popular for it's hookers and drugs - everything legal there.

If I have to recommend anybody planning to visit Europe, I'd strongly advise them to include Amsterdam in their itinerary. I just fell in love with the city

The Bad:

Coming from Canada, I expected continental Europe to be as developed with amenities and facilities only to get disappointed.

• Not recommended for wheelchairs or strollers: Most of the places including subway system or railway platforms of alpha world cities like Paris or a tourism paradise like Venice don't boast of elevators or even escalators at most places. That made our life a bit difficult where we had to carry baby-stroller and luggage.
• Roads and infrastructure: Roads are narrow (compared to Toronto or any major city in US) and parking can sometime become a nightmare. In Rome, people also park on pavements
• Driving in Italy: Italy is much like India in terms of road etiquette. To keep it simple, nobody follows lanes or lines
• Manual Gears: Cars are manual and hence those with no driving experience in India should avoid renting a car in Europe, period !
• Language: Mind it, English is an alien language in all of continental Europe. So you must be particularly excellent at dumb charades or throwing key words at people while (trying to) conversing.
• Hotels: Hotel rooms are inconvenient and much smaller than North American counterparts. Nowhere can you see AC's (even in 5 star hotels)
• Water: Every restaurant or hotel or any place you go, you have to buy water. Water might be more precious than oil there.

The Ugly:

Some awful experiences (Disclaimer: These are based on our experiences and not generic judgements and hence everybody may not face same situations)

• Racism: I perceived the level of racism is a bit on a higher side. Brown skinned people are relatively rare and are looked upon with some scorn by some people to the extent of xenophobia. Though racism is universal, not everybody expresses that as much as certain sections of European societies.
• Rudeness: Every culture is different and hence we can't expect the etiquette of North America or hospitality of India. Europe didn't demonstrate either
• Pickpockets: One will see warning against pickpockets and thieves every nook and corner.I felt I was being careful until I lost my wallet too (ironically the very previous day I bought a new one and before I could replace the old one, I lost it - the old one)
• Anti-English: People there publicly denounce English and the speakers are looked upon with contempt. If you speak in English, they tend to avoid you (even customer service or roadside assistance support guys).
• Irresponsible: Airlines lose baggage and look unconvincingly cool after that; car rental guy doesn't replace broken-down car; hotel receptionists don't cooperate during late check-ins; basically they don't care.

Nevertheless, these bad experiences were negligible when compared to lifetime memories we garnered, grandeur and splendor we witnessed, monuments we saw, cuisines we savored and some exceptionally sweet people we met there.

Postface:

Europe trip will always hold a very special place in my heart not just because of beautiful locales or grand monuments, but because I had my family with me. Actually the trip was planned to mark the celebration of my mother's 50th birthday and I wanted to take my parents to some exotic place which we all could cherish for our lifetime and which makes them feel special. I'm more than satisfied and I hope this would just be a beginning.

And the most relieving this of the trip was about my 16 month old son. Initially I was apprehensive about his diet, tiredom and if he could adapt to our continuous journeys. But surprisingly he woke up along, ate whatever we ate and behaved like a grown up. Actually he enjoyed much more than the rest of us. He gave us confidence to plan for more trips now ;)

PS: Coming soon - an article about our long forgotten trip to Mexico last year end.

Telangana and Samaikyandhra - Two sides of the same hypocrisy

At the outset, congratulations to all those who dreamt and fought for Telangana and sorry to those who struggled to keep Samaikyandhra intact. With due respect to all emotions, struggles and hullabaloo, I could neither understand nor subscribe to either movements. Not that my opinion counts but I'm still skeptical if Telangana sentiment was more foolish or Samaikyandhra more hypocritical.

Those clamoring for united Andhra Pradesh are the very people who iconize Potti Sriramulu for breaking Andhra from erstwhile Madras state. If the concept of separate Andhra from Madras made sense, why can't the same logic be applicable for separation of Telangana ? And if all the struggle is about Hyderabad, why fake it as "samaikyandhra" ? isn't it just a hypocritical misnomer ?

Love and attachment towards Hyderabad is one but anybody claiming that one section of people developed Hyderabad must understand that Hyderabad was made capital of AP because it "was already" developed before merger of Andhra and erstwhile Hyderabad state. They claim that exodus or investments in Hyderabad was because it was made a capital city of AP which is refuted by the fact that New York City is never a capital city of US and neither is Mumbai a capital of India despite being investment magnets. Resources and potential in a place attract investors from all regions so that they prosper from those resources and not the other way round. More about this subject in my earlier blogpost Who Developed Hyderabad ?.

And what's the rationale behind demonstrations and protests now ? I see some ridiculously illogical comments on social media that Andhra people should now take visa to enter Hyd (!!!) or Telangana would be taught in schools. God bless their intelligence. Wonder if they always took visas to enter Chennai or Bangalore. Who stopped them from investing or or developing businesses or leading a happy life in other cities / states ? Won't the same logic applicable even now with Hyd / Telangana ?

Just when I'm amused by these samikhya drama, endless celebrations by Telangana supporters beat my brain to death. Silly people, did you ever hear about similar separation saga called India - Pakistan ?? Didn't Pakistan have all the reasons under the sun not to co-exist with India ? The popular sentiment attached with religion was much stronger, demonstrations were much more intense and they got what they wanted and celebrated much more than what you are doing now. But is current day Pakistan the way it was envisioned by it's founding fathers? Bangladesh had many reasons to split from Pakistan. Doesn't history scream at you ???

Forget about other countries, ask Kashmiris or Khalistani separatists; their struggles for separation have been bloodier, more intense and spanned multiple generations. They feel they were betrayed. Take any agitation or prolonged protests, every movement is rooted in strong sentiments, emotions and drama. That doesn't mean agitation is always right. The only difference between those separatist movements and Telangana movement is former are fighting for separation from India while latter from AP.

My heart goes to all those innocent kids who laid their lives for others' aspirations. I also feel bad for all those students and youth who wasted their valuable time, effort, energy in their struggle for Telangana in real and virtual worlds. They seemed to know all statistics and hundreds of reasons to justify their agitation. But I wonder how many of them will see a dramatic change in their lifestyles just because a portion of their house address is changed.

If their struggle was to eliminate disparity in resource allocation or step- brotherly treatment as they clamor along, amendment of some laws was sufficient. They have to revisit before and after situations of Indian independence. Freedom fighters had bigger reasons to fight against British and they suffered for a bigger cause. They had A REAL REASON to fight against. The so called  British looters at least developed infrastructure, railways and unified India under a single rule. But what happened after independence ? 66 years of self rule has only ruined the country. Though the analogy may not be perfectly applicable, the context will definitely fit in.

Also since the issue is about other regions utilizing your resources more than you, how about fighting for independence from India because whole of South India shares your Singareni Collieries or Ramagundam power ? A separate Telangana country with even more autonomy and sovereignty ? Sounds good ? No, because we are culturally bound with India and so we are with AP.

It's high time that all those who ran along streets with Jai Telangana protests should realize that they catered to aspirations of some politicians who wanted more avenues to loot. If you have balls, fight against those looters, not against those with whom, your fathers and grandfathers co-existed for decades. All the horseshit justification about disparities, unfair shares and bunkum will be here to stay. This time between different districts, cities within Telangana. There are caste divisions, economic disparities, communal conflicts, corruption and scams which are bigger culprits to victimize you. If you forgot all those and invested all your time and energy only to fight for regionalism, you are just a bloody naive pawn in a game played by powerful to satisfy their ego and political aspirations. You didn't serve your family or society. period !

Before concluding, I must pat politicians for their shrewd execution of plan by inculcating regionalism, senseless emotion into thousands of silly protesters.

1. Marri Chenna Reddy fuelled large scale Telangana agitation and took it easy when he was given Chief Ministership. Wah !
2. KCR re-ignited the same movement after two decades when his boss CBN didn't confer him a ministry. Wah !
3. YSR promised Telangana before 2004 elections but kicked it's butt after getting elected. Wah !
4. CBN promised Telangana as a part of Maha-kootami before 2009 elections but made a flagrant U-turn. Wah !
5. BJP supported Telangana clearly knowing they have nothing to lose in Seemandhra. Wah !
6. But the master-stroke is from Sonia Gandhi under current context. She:

• Realized that congress will be rooted from AP
• Declared Telangana with caveat for KCR that he should merge TRS with them while enjoying CMship. Thus Telangana belongs to Congress and all Cong / TRS MP's support UPA in 2014 polls
• Will negotiate with Jagan (post poll alliance) to either merge or unconditionally support UPA in 2014 polls in return for CMship and clean chit from CBI. Andhra state too in pocket
• Checkmated BJP who promised to declare Telangana if they come to power
• Checkmated TDP in Andhra for not acting against split-up and in Telangana for not doing anything for separation.
• Wareh, wah !

And if Telangana people are as foolish, they will still vote for TRS-Congress alliance or merger and live their lives exactly as they lived in united AP. If Seemandhra people are equally foolish, they will still vote for Jagan thus indirectly helping UPA government against whom they are currently agitating. And I'll wait to write another blog-post then.

My tales about Aashiqui & Aashiqui 2

I know a lot of people who claim Aashiqui to be their favorite music album. For me, it goes much beyond that. I was 10 when the movie released and till then I had no particular favorites among movies, songs, actors etc.

One fine day in a song program chitrahar, I saw this song "Nazar ke saamne" which stuck my ears and I got unusually addicted to that. Next few days, I got my parents buy me a music system and I purchased my first ever audio cassette "Aashiqui" with my pocket money for Rs.16.

The kind of words used in those lyrics were part urdu and part poetic hindi which I hadn't come across earlier in my bookish hindi references, I didn't know who the actors were, forget about the music director or singers. But those songs stirred my tender soul in a very big way. Such a big way that from that day till date I've been listening to those songs continually at least once a month...yes, for the last 23 years.

Aashiqui's album has a song for every emotion. If you ever fell in love, ever heartbroken, ever in awe, ever in anticipation, ever in romance - you would know what I meant. It was a collection of anthems. It was sheer poetic, romantic, soul-stirring and EPIC.

Thus Aashiqui's music opened floodgates to my music sense, but also more notably transitioned me from childhood to adolescence and further to adulthood. I enjoyed melody, music through those haunting renditions and understood the essence of the word "favorite". Nadeem Shravan became my default favorite musician duo and Kumar Sanu, the GOD.

The hangover spilled over to similar instrument and rhythm driven melodies of Saajan, Sadak, Deewana, Phool Aur Kaante, Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin, Sapne Saajan Ke, Dil ka Kya Kasoor, Dilwale, Jaan Tere Naam and many more till 1995. My wife often says that I got stuck in early 90's which in a way is true. No music genre did that magic to me later on. Close on the heels come Ilayaraja and RD Burman-Kishoreda immortal classics.

Even today, Aashiqui's album is formidably placed as the most number of music units sold in the history of Bollywood at 1,50,000. Only 3 other movie albums could cross 1,00,000. This proves I'm not the only crazy fellow around :)

Fast forward to 2013: When Mahesh Bhatt announced the making of Aashiqui 2, I got terribly disappointed and felt somebody was ripping off a part of my heart. Moreover am not a big fan of Bhatt camp's steamy flicks genre which was at its nadir with Sunny Leone's jism sequel or whatever. Aashiqui music was so close to my heart that I deliberately avoided the music album of the sequel. Didn't even heed to the noise created among chartbuster arena. But yesterday I reluctantly bought the DVD and watched the movie today.

Honestly (and surprisingly) I liked the movie, narrative and the interwoven music. Or maybe I liked it because I saw it with rock bottom expectations with a huge grudge and ego. Though there are some technical glitches like immature acting, ametuer taking etc, I felt this is one of the honest and intense love stories of recent times. A true romance, a melodramatic love which takes viewers to peaks of emotion, which melts hearts, which chokes throats and which stirs souls; or maybe it's just I who felt that; or maybe you must watch it with heart !

And something I hate to admit is that I loved the music too. 'Tum hi ho' is hopelessly addictive and so is "sun raha hai na tu" (especially female version sung by Shreya is matchless). Since history can't be repeated, the magic of Aashiqui can never be recreated, but Aashiqui 2 with it's intense love story and haunting music stands firmly.

A Manipulator called Dhoni, a Mafia called BCCI, Brokers called Media, Politicians, Police !

Some interesting facts about BCCI and current cricket controversy post IPL 6.

• BCCI president Srinivasan heads India Cements, a $750 million company and yet brazenly defies entire country's unequivocal demand for his resignation from his post of BCCI president. What's so dear about BCCI ? Fishy, isn't it ?

• MS Dhoni who has a say in selecting Indian cricket's playing eleven is a partner (and indeed a ghost owner) in a sports management company 'Rhiti sports' (a third grade company with a shabby website) which manages endorsements of Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and others who are default members of Indian team and his Chennai Super Kings team. Fishy, isn't it ?

• The very Rhiti Sports company is a marketing sponsor of Chennai Super Kings team which is owned by BCCI chief Srinivasan's India Cements. And Dhoni is a vice president of India Cements. A full circle of conflicts of interest by Srini-Dhoni combo. Fishy, isn't it ?

• Srinivasan is carefully guarded and diplomatically saved by BJP's Arun Jaitley, Anurag Thakur and Congress' Rajeev Shukla (cabinet minister too). BJP and Congress members who can kill each other in Lok Sabha stand together to save tainted BCCI chief. Fishy, isn't it ?

• Bookie Vindoo Dara Singh was introduced to Srini's betting son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan by Dhoni's friend and partner (Rhiti Sports owner) and the same bookie was accompanied by Dhoni's lady at matches..bwahahaha...Fishy, isn't it ?

• Sreesanth and co who were caught red-handed were not banned or reprimanded by BCCI. Fishy, isn't it ?

• Srinivasan didn't resign but just "stepped-aside" to facilitate the probe against his son-in-law. Look at who the investigators are - BCCI secretary Madgale, BCCI paid commentator Ravi Shastri. And the incumbent interim incharge of BCCI is Jagmohan Dalmiya, another notorious lobbyist and pro-Srinivasan cronie. Fishy, isn't it ? 

• BCCI, a multi billion dollar worth association is the richest sporting body but is neither answerable to Government, not accountable to RTI act. Nobody knows what's going on with finances;  Fishy, isn't it ? 

• Indian cricket has continuously been administered by politicians and businessmen who have nothing to do with cricket. Eg: Sharad Pawar, Narendra Modi, Farooq Abdullah etc. Why on earth are they interested in cricket boards ? Fishy, isn't it ? 

• Media has been constantly and strangely discussing BCCI / IPL controversies one after another starting with Sreesanth, then Vindoo, then Gurunath, then Srinivasan, then Dhoni and......on and on. All this especially when central government was under a juggernaut of coal scam, railways scam, dismissal of ministers over corruption etc. Not even Maoist attack could divert over-indulgent media from their orgasmic excitement over the cricket chain of controversies. Fishy, isn't it ?

• Delhi police and Mumbai police have been so extra efficient in finding out the chain behind IPL betting and fixing racket that they have been fighting against each other for control and credit. Where were they when rape cases (on a daily basis), law and order situation, protests are going on unabashedly. Why are they so interested in cricket fixing over multi thousand-crore scams ? Fishy, isn't it ?

Cricket is not just a sport, but a religion in India and saying that is a cliche. Passion and obsession about the sport made it attractive, lucrative and hence justifiably attracted politicians, businessmen, lobbyists, underworld, bookies, fixers, con-men alike thus alienating the religion from it's followers i.e., genuine fans.

Gone are the days when there was a Dada to show what winning spirit was and a Jammy to show what being a gentleman was. Soon would there be a day when there will be no Sachin to show us what brilliance is. Cricket like WWE and beauty pageants would soon become a sham, a scam and a shame.

Naxalism - A Dirty Menace

At an early age of 6 or 7 years, I had a vague idea of what Naxalism was because of my grandfather's political affiliation to CPI(M). Summer vacations were spent predominantly in the village which had some strange affinity towards communism which unanimously elected my grandpa as sarpanch consecutively. Naxalism was treated with respect and evening entertainment was all about song and dance performances by revolutionary balladeers. I was put under a strong impression that naxalites were true patriots and everything related to western world was treated with contempt.

It was late 80's when the naxalite movement was in it's zenith and quite often we could see some news of naxalites blasting railway stations or cops or radio stations etc. I was a bit puzzled because the kind of blasts and violence in news didn't quite add up to match the patriotic image of Naxals I was inculcated earlier.

After few years of confusion came Gaddar's revolutionary song cassettes and R.Narayanamurthy's string of red movies which I thought spearheaded more hatred and anarchy than the good they did. I thought the art was more anti-state and anti-rich than pro-oppressed. Continual violence and destruction of public property only exasperated my disdain towards neo-revolutionaries. The final nail in the coffin was outrageous series of extortion and abductions carried out on their behest which enjoyed unconditional support of so called revolutionary balladeers, poets and writers. The entire RED revolution seemed so farce. That was the beginning of my hatred towards the movement which propelled me to know more about the background, motive and objective of Naxalites.

Basically naxalism is all about staging a coup against India from India on the lines of Mao Zedong of China who successfully did that in his country and then was responsible for millions of deaths in China most notably the Tiananmen Square massacre. China's resurrection towards being the power centre started after his successor Deng Xiaoping initiated the rollback and triggered massive economic reforms. And here in India, insurgents not only want to follow the failed ideology but also changed their outfit's name to CPI (Maoist) and have proved themselves to be anti-globalization, anti-liberalization, anti-reforms, anti-development and anti-people. Period !

Revolution and insurgency can be understood if it is for the benefit of the country, but the knowledge in public domain is that Maoists were and are in direct collaboration with Lashkar-e-Toiba, LTTE, Nepali Maoists and many other terror outfits and anti-nationals like Arundhati Roy who did everything to destabilize India..and all this in the mask of being people's revolutionaries.

It's not a secret anymore that the ammunition and funds Maoists or erstwhile Naxalites collect is through extortion and opium trade comparable to Dawood Ibrahim and Mumbai underworld. They have been doing this crap since almost 5 decades in the best interest of tribals and oppressed. But the fact remains that the very oppressed still remain oppressed while wealth-creators and landlords lost their fortunes. Again things don't add up here.

While these anti-nationals loot, murder, extort, blackmail government and civilians alike, there are affiliated groups like human rights groups, revolutionary writers' association and other bunkum to perpetrate their propaganda and cry victims every time they die. The hilarious charge is about fake-encounters when maoists die as if there are ethics to be followed to purge the society from the rot, menace and shit called maoism.

Yesterday's ambush attack from 200-300 terrorists to kill 27 was heart-wrenching. Though I'm not a big fan of congress party's ideology, this dastardly attack by anti-people terrorists on democratic leadership is heinous. But I always doubt how difficult would it to be decimate the menace from terror infested red corridor of India ? Why can't government of India utilize it's state-of-the-art defence technology and guerilla warfare to rip off the rot of the society ? If they couldn't do that from last few decades, how efficient are they considered to be in wake of any external exigency ?

Union government must realize that it's soft policies against internal terror is taking lives of scores of commandos, soldiers, police in attacks like Dantewada, Bastar and more; and it's just matter of time before the matter slips completely out of control. In that case, the only alternative would be wait for the central committee members of maoist politburo or whatever it is, to just die their natural death and the cadre to lack direction and ideology. Till then we are good to outrage as and when such attacks occur.

English Vinglish - Lost in translation

I agree that Sridevi's comeback smash hit "English Vinglish" is all about spectacular triumph of determination, grit and character over much overrated flamboyance or elitism, but this blog-post is not another movie review.

The flick was not a hit just because of flawless acting or impeccable direction, but majorly because it provided an escapist pleasure to an overwhelming majority of Indians who were made to feel inferior, neglected or humiliated in some way due to their inability to communicate in good english; and all said and done, they form a humongous majority despite India ironically being one of the biggest english speaking workforce.

My own experience: Back in 1997, when I moved to Kurnool to pursue my engineering studies, I had to hesitantly share accommodation with 3 localites who hailed from telugu medium education. That world was completely alien to me because like everybody else in my society and times I was raised with the notion that convent education was the nirvana and everything else was inferior.

I was mildly shocked when I learnt all of them got EAMCET ranks below 1000 whereas I got 4 times that. And a bolt from the blue was when I started feeling like an idiot in any topic of discussion, both in terms of education or otherwise. They were supremely knowledgeable and I felt like a midget. That was an eye-opener for me. But unfortunately none of them could make a career they deserved. Blame it squarely on the corporate world and the anglo-aristocratic mindset of hiring managers.

Also later in my career, I've met quite a few people who were fantastic at their core competence and who could have brought much to the table but had to confine to mediocrity thanks to their achilles heel, the language. Those were the times when I saw the relevance in the famous saying by Albert Einstein that if a fish was judged by its ability to climb a tree, it would spend its entire life believing itself to be stupid.

Later in my career till date, I've been meeting people day in and day out who are better communicators, presenters with better vocab, more flamboyant, dapper than me. I realized and admit that am not a good english speaker or writer but thanks to my reality check of engineering days, I strongly believe that english language or the associated flair is just a channel of communication and the real essence lies in the gist or content; once this was clear, everything else fell in place. I have been trying to mask my weakness by channelizing strengths in core areas and that seemed to work.

If this piece of advice could bring solace to anybody else in my shoes who feel out of place communicating in english, just fix it in your mind that communication is all about injecting your thoughts into other persons' minds (or vice-versa) in a way that they understand every bit of what you say and language is just a medium.

Education System Vs Entrepreneurship

3 Idiots is one movie which I can watch any number of times and it never fails to fascinate me with it's simple undercurrent lampooning the irrational education system prevalent across the Nation (and perhaps beyond).

It's said that a person spends first 10 years playing, next 10 years gaining education, further 10 years settling in career and getting married and reaps dividends thereafter. So it infers that whatever education attained should be implemented in a right direction so as to establish a comfortable career to live happily ever after. But the million dollar question is that if our education system is well structured to make lives ?

Primary and middle school is and will be crucial and helpful for everybody as it teaches us basics of the world, civic sense, ground sciences, languages which we would use throughout our lives. High school and post secondary education onwards the system invariably and gradually drifts more towards competition, entrance exams, grades and ranks and unfortunately lesser emphasis on practicality of knowledge gained.

More focus of bookish definitions (chatur ramalingam style), cut throat competition among students on the verge of cannibalism, peer and societal pressure, failure anxiety clogs the way towards gaining excellence in the subject. Everybody learns pythagoras theorem, electro-magnetism, organic chemistry just to vomit that on answer sheets during exams. Neither educational institutes nor students themselves (majority - exceptions are always there) think out of box to understand or try practicality.

Not to miss, many education institutes have practical classes but the students end up working with colorful chemicals in chemistry lab, vernier callipers or screw gauge in physics lab. Are they kidding me ? Can anybody vouch they have ever used these apparatus or pipette, burette and all that crap ever in their life ? or did they atleast dream about those ? Is that practical experience ?

EAMCET, IIT JEE and other entrance exams lay emphasis on those very subjects to gauge if a student is good enough for engineering course. What is the percentage of EAMCET state rankers who later work on hybridization in chemistry or any hi-funda concepts of physics ? All the jokers who clear these exams in flying colors end up working in software industry or financial services industry eventually and again undergo training and probation from their employers where they will be taught "real-life" working ! So why did they prepare for EAMCET or complete their bachelors course ?

Pursuing post secondary education just to crack entrance exams, technical or higher education either to crack GATE, GRE or grab a well paid job, slogging at work under the disguise of professionalism to get under boss' good books and to get perks and promotions, getting used to mediocrity because at that point of time, they can't afford to take risks after getting married or having kids...and living thereafter happily. THAT'S MEDIOCRITY encouraged, entertained by the education system and mindset of the mental and emotional bourgeois.

Sadly, entrepreneurship is not taught or imbibed in the education system and unfortunately not even in B schools. MBA doesn't teach street-smartness, passion, grit and a way to establish a business. Mgmt education mostly caters to applying best principles and as the name implies "management" of business. And most of blue eyed MBA graduates work for some companies rather than creating opportunities, wealth and jobs for themselves and the society.

Earlier today, I was reading success story of Ronnie Screwvala of UTV who started a cable tv business and with sheer grit expanded into a multi million dollar conglomerate which was acquired by Walt Disney. Dhirubhai Ambani, Sunil Mittal, Lakshmi Mittal or even global wealth creators like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Z, Steve Jobs - classic examples of phenomenal successes who rose beyond education. None of these people ran behind grades or initial pay packages. They gained knowledge or had an interest in which they invested their time, passion, perseverance and the most important thing, they TRIED. They jumped into entrepreneurship with a proper vision. Education system DOESN'T inculcate these qualities in pupils.

Entrepreneurship is not just about making money or social status. It's a gift to oneself. Work life is an important part of the life which we can't afford to spend just working 9-5, letting seniors grab credit of our work, indulging in petty politics for one-upmanship, staying late to impress managers, waiting for month-end for salaries. Even if we work with passion and killer instinct, we have to understand the basic pretext that if we show the same instinct in converting our hobby into career, we would be much more satisfied, richer and above all, after few years when we look back, we will have a legacy created by us for the society. Even if we fail, we wouldn't regret that we haven't tried enough !

Life is all about living on our own terms. If you are good at something, you should not do it for free, if you are great at something, you should turn that into your career and if you are excellent at something, you should not do it for others - simple mantra of entrepreneurship.

My earlier post about entrepreneurship - Be an Entrepreneur !

Society Encouraging Rapists !!!

One day during my engineering days, I tried to discourage my classmate from passing uncharitable comments to a girl who was sitting along with her boyfriend at our college bus-stop. But his answer to me was shocking. He defended himself that he would be guilty if he disturbed them at any private place, but since it was public, he had all rights to say whatever he could as he had a right / freedom of speech !!!! Appalling to the T.

Recent outrage about a 23 year old medico being raped, beaten and assaulted brutally in Delhi is well-known. After raped by 5 bastards, an iron rod was inserted into her rupturing her intestines and other parts. She is struggling for life after multiple surgeries but even if she survives, she can never live a normal or married life, she should be fed through intravenous methods for life. Close on the heels, a 8 year old girl was raped and murdered in Bihar, another 8 year old was raped by minors, earlier this month, a girl was repeatedly raped by father, brother, cousins in Kerala. There are many more cases which don't even come to the media front. Disgusting, blood boiling and rabble rousing to the point beyond belief and control.

And the worst part is that in every rape or sexual assault case, victims are blamed for enticing perverts. The ways of justifying heinous behavior are incredible. Some say girls should avoid wearing jeans, western outfits, others say sarees are too revealing. Skirts, t-shirts, sleeveless tops everything gave reasons to those bastards. Khap panchayats and village elders banned women from using cellphones. Some "wise" men held bollywood movies and also consuming chowmein responsible for rape cases. Worst excuses being voluptuous female mannequins at cloth stores, naked stray cows in the vicinity. I wonder if any man's dick is so sensitive to get insensitive towards women's fundamental respect ?

Even Delhi CM suggested that women should not be adventurous. In the recent much talked about case, there were suggestions that the girl should not have traveled late night, should not have had a boy along with her and crap. Diktats and fatwas were issued to control woman from almost every fundamental right regardless of religion and social strata. Before dealing with criminals, it's more important to take these buggers who advocate and lay code of conduct to women to task. They ask women not to get raped, instead of chastising those who rape. Sick !

Reasons for rape, sexual assault, eve teasing are not just sexual desire or attraction. It's a mental disorder which is triggered by violence, sadism, insensitivity, inferiority complex, animal instinct and mere recklessness that they can get away with anything. And they are expectedly encouraged by inefficient laws, male chauvinism and norms of society.

It's time for quick justice because justice delayed is justice denied. There are hundreds of pending rape cases without any conviction, thousands of unreported cases of rape, assault, eve teasing, mental and physical harassment across all sections of society. In India, every 20 minutes, a girl is assaulted or raped somewhere.

It's time the outrage is channelized and put to work. Everybody in the society MUST understand and realize that women NEED NOT follow any code of conduct to be safe. Dressing, attitude, time of the day, looks of a girl should not provide an excuse to beasts to carry dicks on their sleeves. They MUST understand that manliness and "mardhangi" don't lie in victimizing women but chivalry is something which can make them more macho.

I'm not sure if every convict should be sentenced capital punishment, but perpetrators of the Delhi gangrape case must be hanged in public, and if that's not possible their private parts must be axed in public view. Whatever is done in this case would and should be a catalyst to change the society and all criminals should think of consequences before gazing a woman with perverted looks.

PS: I still don't understand what kind of pleasure does any man get from forcing and raping a woman who cries, fights, struggles and begs for mercy.

Related post: Do women deserve special attention ?

Bucket List - As of Mayan Apocalypse 2012

It's already Dec 19, 2012 and the world is supposed to end in another couple of days as per Mayan calendar; If we keep all logic, reasoning, rationalism beside, it's fun to be prepared for the doomsday and recollect, remember all those unfulfilled wishes without experiencing which, we may pass away.

Here is the list of those unfulfilled wishes, I would've wanted to achieve, experience or see before I die;

My Bucket List:

1. Base jump from the waterfall cliff. I was so excited to see videos of base jump from the cliff of Angel Falls that I always dreamt of doing one, but sadly couldn't even find a right time and opportunity for bungee.
2. Visiting Iguazu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. We almost planned for the trip but had to call off due to other developments.
3. A trip with my parents and entire family. A cruise trip to Bahamas / Alaska or train trip in continental Europe.
4. Participating in an active political campaign on a national level (either in India or Canada). I have nurtured an undying passion for psephology and implementation of marketing in politics.
5. Making a presentation / talk on TED conference. My favorite topic would be international business leadership or strategic management. But first I should work to deserve an invite from TED
6. Presenting a 2 hour guest lecture at IPE (where I've done my MBA). I was in awe of guests speakers who presented their success stories. I dreamt of taking over the podium someday. I just wish I reach the stage wherein I can narrate my story to budding managers.
7. Establishing operational offices of my venture in all continents of the globe (except Antarctica, of course).
8. Owning a reasonably comfortable independent house with front lawn, backyard, all amenities in Hyderabad.
9. Training, nurturing and guiding atleast 5 passionate youngsters into services or knowledge based entrepreneurship. This is my idea of social contribution by creation of wealth, jobs through knowledge as investment.
10. Having my own little angel girl and seeing her play with my bunty boy. 

Gun culture & Gang culture of USA

The shooting incident in Connecticut was spine-chilling and devastating to the core. Innocent kids of ages 5 - 10 who went to school like they do daily had to end their lives just because some insane mofo had access to guns and he could run amok. Just a fleeting thought about victims' parents and families has been heart breaking. Who could've thought that their bundles of joy who go to school return as lifeless corpses for no mistake of theirs. Awful, devastating and disgusting to the core.

Random shootouts like these are not very rare even in the recent past of United States, thanks to the so called gun culture. People who went to places of worship, shopping malls, cinema theaters proved to be vulnerable too and to be brutally honest, a common American resident faces the danger of getting knocked down by any random guy in their own neighborhood or even worse, at their doorstep while American government is busy waging "War on Terror" on foreign lands.

After yesterday's disturbing incident, I browsed through twitter to find some shocking statistics and facts. Every year some 8.5 million guns would be released onto American streets (yes - streets; not any military or law enforcement agencies) and this year, the number rose to 20 fucking million guns. These could be purchased from any retail gun store (can you believe it ?) which are almost as many as gas stations in US. And the worst part, anybody with no criminal record or no proven mental instability can go, pay money and buy any number of guns and start their antics.

Gun culture has been synonymous to American culture for centuries, which in itself it a contradiction considering American inclination towards personal liberty, human rights. But basic human rights which included right to possess guns and firearms has been a perfect recipe for lawlessness which is displaying its fangs.

Unites States is infested with gang culture which is much worse, more dangerous than underbellies of most other countries. The fact that there are some 30,000 organized crime gangs across America with millions of violent members will bolster the seething and restless truth that life in America has always been at the mercy of these millions of gangsters, anti-social elements who have access to those millions of guns available just like other groceries.

Many know New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago for their sprawling infrastructure and magnificent skyscrapers, but underbellies and crime ghettos flourished in these three cities and expanded elsewhere later on. LA is gang capital of America with areas which are even police and administration proof. Gangs like Crips, Bloods literally rule the city. NYC is completely under control of 5 families of Italian mafia, east coast under Irish mobs, southern states are epitomes of crime since forever. And there are Mexican drug cartels to add to woes. Remember, every one of these millions of buggers has gun(s) with them.

Just when we think these mobs and gangs don't meddle in the day to day life of common American, there are racial hate crimes like what happened in Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Racial discrimination which was more on blacks earlier, now is on every non-white person, especially if they are (or look like) Muslims / Arabs / South Asians. A visible minority may feel safe in coastal states but once they venture into central America, mid-west, he/she is more vulnerable to racial hate crimes as there are ubiquitous closet KKK (Ku Kluax Klan or something like that) members who are violent pioneers and advocates of white supremacy. Close on the heels are Aryan brotherhood members.

Urban neighborhoods around NYC, Jersey City and other places are always on the patrol of muggers who don't mind shooting a round or two to rob few bucks. Southern western areas are infested with lawless gun fighters and cowboys who remind you of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood kind of spaghetti western flicks. Again remember, everybody is a possible proud owner of a gun.

As if this is not enough, minorities established their respective gangs to "defend" themselves against atrocities (on paper), but gangs with guns don't stop at defending themselves. Now there are Chinese mobs, Japanese mobs et al. All these mobs, gangs, cartels, mafia are involved in fight for supremacy, turf, power. Everybody is involved in murders, extortion, trafficking, crime.

If none of these seem to be potential dangers, then think about agitated, frustrated youngsters / adolescents, mentally unstable or hyper youth and those who live on glorified gangster based movies which indirectly encourage them to be gangsters themselves to live a king size life. Just think how dangerous the situation would be if those idiots get hold of guns. Just think about that !

American gun culture and gang culture has been, to some extent, glorified by movies, urban legends and even online games like Mafia Wars. Movies woven around guns and gangs always portrayed desperadoes and outlaws as heroic and tough. This could have created wannabes who idolized gangsters, tried to be one while the society provided them ample scope to acquire and brandish guns. The Godfather trilogy needs no introduction but Martin Scorsese has always been a master story teller and glorify-er of gangsters; be it Italian mafia in Goodfellas, old age gangs in The Gangs of New York, Irish Mob in The departed. Quentin Tarantino glorified American street violence like never before. Other hard hitting movies like Training Day, Street Kings, The Untouchables, Scarface etc too presented a larger than life picture of Dons, mobsters and gangsters

With society proliferated by gangsters, glorified by such popular culture, high drop-out rates, lose post-adolescent family ties, scope to get frustrated, dangerously abetted by loose gun laws - American society is on the brink of wide spread terror on streets, unless Obama administration identifies the immediate need to cure, prevent and quarantine all possibilities leading to social anarchy.

So my dear American resident, be wary when you go out !

Why 2012 is special for me !

2012, for me, will be an year to remember, cherish and treasure forever in my life. My personal life, social life, professional life - all went through a 180 degree overhaul and I was too busy experiencing life in it's real terms. The year started with never before anticipation of yet-to-be-born, then the big event - birth of my son, then immersing myself in and being in a trance / ecstasy called fatherhood. No one could ever explain the joy of having a baby and neither can I. It's only to be experienced and felt.

When a little man, who is born with my blood, genes and love looks into my eyes, smiles and stretches his hands asking me to take him in my arms - I feel I have the entire world in my hands. Every moment I spent with my son has been special for me and I just wish he remains in my arms forever..Love has a new definition for me now.

Another important milestone for me and my wife was that we completed our 5 years of journey together. 5 years of marriage, togetherness, sharing, caring and love. I have seen the metamorphosis of the feeling called love and care. Earlier it was sweet nothings, longing to meet, talk, spend time together. But as the marital life progressed, we realized that love is much more than that, it's growing old together, learning from each other, sharing each other's good times, shielding each other from bad times, being an unflinching support to each other, being a shoulder to lean on, taking pride in each other, being happy just because the other person is happy, experiencing minute gestures which needed no words - that's marital life and IT HAS BEEN FAB.

She is one person who has been extremely proud of me and always felt I'm the best in the way I'm. The definition of successful marriage is that both husband and wife should feel they got the best person in the world as their life partner. I believe we both feel so. Touch wood !

Another reason to treasure 2012: Since my wedding in 2007 till 2011, I have spent not more than a couple of months with my parents. But 2012 brought me ample chance to be with my parents for over 6 months and I'm not sure if I spent so much time with them exclusively even before my wedding. 2 months in India, 4 months in Canada  - totally with them around gave a breath of fresh air to my life, they took off so much pressure off me, showered that unconditional love towards us and apple of their eyes, their grandson. 6 months with in-laws has been such a relief as we had time to pick ourselves together to take care of the baby. Feb-Nov has been a life support for us with my parents or in-laws or both strongly holding us together.

India trip this year has been marvelous. Spending 2 months back home is luxury for most and thankfully we could get the most of it. Being with family of-course has been a pampering, spoiling affair, but meeting cousins and loved ones whom we haven't met since a long time or haven't met at all in few instances was memorable. The affection being showered is something which I could not forget or reciprocate enough.

Another big reason why I treasure 2012 is turn of events in my professional life. The day I landed in Canada in 2007, I made a promise to myself that I would make a mark in this new country where nobody knew me. All the life I spent in India, successes and failures were void then as I was going to start a new journey with new society, new set of people, new situations. Nobody in Canada had an inkling of who I was and what I was capable / incapable of.

SCL - these three letters carry utmost significance to my life in general and professional life in particular. That's the company which played a sheet anchor for me to reinvent myself, provided me an opportunity to prove my mettle, create a brand of myself. For the next 5 years I was a part of the enterprise, witnessed ups, downs, experienced the heat and benefits of entrepreneurship. This is a company which made me realize my forte, my dreams. I attribute the respect, image, status, success I experience today to SCL.

SCL for me was not just a profession. I loved my work and it's special because in earlier work-places I worked only because I felt it's my responsibility to deliver just because they were paying me. But with SCL, it's more of an emotional connect and I was motivated enough to put my blood and sweat, if I'm allowed this metaphor. My success was directly proportional to company's success and hence I was obsessive; days or nights didn't matter. Success did !

But every good thing has to come to an end and so did my fruitful association with SCL exactly after 5 years. 5 years is a long enough period in anybody's life and I take the baggage of all good memories with me. Cherish and respect forever !

My first independent entrepreneurship - CurveIT Consulting Inc (Canada) (www.curveitconsulting.com) has taken it's flight.

Golden rule of entrepreneurship: If you are good at something or if you have a dream, do it with passion and do it for yourself because if you do it for yourself, you will put in more than 100% of effort, and if it's your dream, the effort you put in would not look painful. I've believed and implemented this rule to the T.

Management consulting, public relations, advertising, branding - these are my favorite areas and pet ideas since MBA days; business analysis, program management are my areas of expertise; communication, mentoring, writing are my hobbies and forte that I've realized lately. I've mixed my interests, expertise, forte supported by my knowledge, education, soft skills, confidence, conviction, raw courage to see my dream taking shape.

Money is the last thing I started this venture for. The feeling that I'm doing what I like and I've turned my interest into business gives me that adrenalin rush. I could not have afforded to repent at later point of time that I spent a lifetime working in afield I don't like just to make few bucks.

Summing up - 2012 - has been a fabulous year with birth of my son, my entrepreneurial venture; gave me more family time, showered me more love, affection. I could not ask for more. Only aspects I missed were my social life, blogging, social media life and traveling. Now stepping into 2013 in anticipation of more love, more success, more happiness, more fun, more travels, stronger relationships and everything superlatively positive. Wish you all the same too. Love !

Daddy's Diaries - 2

Ever since my son entered our lives exactly 4 months ago, my life ceased to be the same. Now, I wake up in the morning to see his giggles; I defer my plans to see what dress he wears every day after shower, I wait patiently while he's been fed so I could take him in my arms, I aim to return from work early with a hope that he would recognize me and flashes a big smile as he always does; I wait for his playtime to take his videos, capture pictures, play with him with his favorite stuffed toys, look forward to hug him tight when he retires to bed and see his innocence once he slips into slumber. Life has been kind to me !

Before he was born, I used to get mad at all curious "elders" who wondered why weren't we planning for babies. I was clearly not ready as I was scared of losing personal space and "enjoyment". But it took us parents' concern, well-wishers' advices and society's "suspicions" to go for the big change. Looking back, I wonder, what enjoyment was I clinging to when the biggest enjoyment of life is through a little somebody who looks at me, smiles endearingly, holds my finger with his cutesy hands, tries to put it in his mouth :)

I knew a lot of doting mommies and daddies who never got tired of narrating anecdotes of their little ones' acts with unflinching enthusiasm; I thought I would never do that in order to spare my single or uninterested friends; I've been trying to maintain that but its so damn hard. How can anybody contain splurge of emotions, tsunami of happiness without sharing with their loved ones. Damn ! Respect to all those parents and I promise hereafter I would listen to all those stories with matching enthu...take my word !

Whenever I'm low, I just have to hold Bunty's hands and kiss on his cheek, he will scream with joy, always (and so will I); when he cries, I just have to take him into arms and show his favorite "Simba" soft toy, he instantly chuckles (but sometimes cries because simba didn't take him into its arms); he gets ecstatic when anybody hugs him tightly and kisses his cheek; he loves standing on his tiny feet when held and also takes baby steps on his parents and grand parents; he attentively listens to music and believes his mommy or papa were singing the song; makes faces after eating sour baby-food, poses to camera very well, enjoys drives but grunts when the car had to be stopped at traffic lights, enjoys evening strolls so that he could watch trees and squirrels; loves talking, loves company, loves display of affection....I can go on and on..

It's always heard, read that parents' love is supreme over everything else in the world. I'm experiencing that now. We tend to expect, if not demand, our parents, partners, friends, relatives etc to behave or respond to us in a certain way otherwise it affects the equation, which means those relationships are conditional to an extent. The only love which is and can be unconditional is parents' love towards children as parents turn, change, steer their lives and lifestyles so that their children are happy and comfortable. Now when I'm a dad and doing all this, this ain't sacrifice or anything noble, it's just my selfishness to see my son happy because his happiness automatically tunes happiness in me. That's love and that's a miracle. I'm experiencing the MIRACLE.

I beam with pride whenever a fleeting stranger compliments him as a handsome boy, feel so complete when he stops crying when I touch him. His confidence in my touch and care makes me feel like the strongest person on the planet. His mere presence in my life made me more matured, mellowed, responsible, secure and proud. He's 4 months old today.

I love / adore him is an understatement. Words can't always translate emotions. Wish my baby grows fast, interacts more so that his papa can show him his love, as he is left with no more words now. Can't wait, my boy !

Last 6 Months: Bliss with FAMILY

Last six months have made me undergo a complete paradigm shift in more than one ways. End of January saw me experiencing never before anxiety and anticipation because of many reasons. First because we (wifey and I) saw ultrasound pics of our baby, knew the gender, were planning for India visit after more than 3 years.We reached India on Feb 7th for a 2 month break.

India trip was hectic to the core. The first week was spent in recovering from jet-lag, preparations for baby shower ceremony scheduled within a week of arrival. Baby shower ceremony was the first event in our household (in India) after my marriage in 2007 and hence it was (is) extra special. I wanted the event to be memorable and thankfully it remained so for us, thanks to the well planned management by parents and good wishes of loved ones.

Next 45 days was a roller-coaster ride. Though I was prepared to experience culture shock, I was mildly disturbed by deteriorating respect for rules by the general public, increasing insecurity caused due to lot of negative factors. Things were not that bad some 5 years ago. But may be I should not comment when I can't do much about it. Also NRI's visiting India should come to terms that people out there are busy and those who were extremely lovable earlier could turn indifferent due to changes in lifestyles, priorities, complexes...That's life. We have to move on :)

But all these lows are more than compensated by family's love and their constant effort to keep me happy throughout. They are family after all, enough said :) they spoiled me badly with all they could pamper. And there were few friends, relatives who felt really happy to spend some quality time with me. Parties, functions, get togethers were much treasured. I cherish the India visit for one more reason - meeting few loved ones whom I only spoke with on web or voice earlier. Transforming virtual relationship into real one only added to more happiness, bonding which only grew thereafter. Two months passed leaving me asking for more. As said, no vacation is too long. We started back but the biggest solace was that my parents were accompanying us for Canada :)

We arrived to Canada on April 7th and since then we could hardly think or talk anything else not related to newborn-to-be. Next one month flew like a lightening with rendezvous with sister's family, visit to Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls and anticipation, anxiety about the baby-to-be. May 7, 2012 happened to be the eventful day when my baby entered into my life and my life ceased to be the same. Now I don't even remember how my life was before that little one shifted gears of my life :)

Last 3 months went with so much activity with my parents, in-laws around. Saharsh (Bunty - as we call our baby fondly) has been very lucky to have so much undivided attention, love, care from grand parents, parents, aunts who love him more than themselves. Every day we all woke up to see him smile, returned home with a hope to take him in our arms, tuned the way we live to keep him the happiest.

Personally my social life was reduced in priority to an extent while I was so busy basking in the luxury of spending as much time with my baby, parents, wife, in-laws that I felt everything else MUST take backseat. I can unassumingly claim this to be the best phase of my life till date, but in the same breath should confess that I have been away from those who love to connect with me through blogs, FB, chats and other modes. Thanks and love to all those who have understood and been patiently waiting for me. I promise to get back and reconnect with them shortly.

For the last 6 months, I've been in the company of my parents and I subconsciously gained huge confidence and security levels. The longer I stay with them, the lesser I think about myself - and hence they are my de facto support system. Though I'm supposed to be old enough to be independent and stronger, today I feel weak in the knees and my heart already started melting because my parents are returning to India today. I don't think the departure will be easy, but I have to put a brave face.

I'm sure the baby is gonna miss his grandma's cuddles and grandpa's stories which he seems to enjoy endlessly. I so wish he realizes how lucky he's been all this while and what is he gonna miss from tomorrow. The nicer thing about the last 2 months was that the entire family (parents, in laws, us) was under one roof and hence more time to know or get closer to each other. When my in-laws said they would miss my parents hereafter, it shows the bond for sure. For my wife, my parents saw her through her pre-pregnancy diet, household chores, childbirth labour, post partum blues and baby care. So she is gonna miss them as much as I or baby do.

We can't thank my parents for what they did because it would be silly and stupid, we can't stop them from going back because they have to move on in their lives. We can just say we love them as much as we love ourselves. Now we only wish that Bunty baby does some magic and pulls his grand parents to settle with us for good. Fingers crossed !

Daddy's Diaries - 1

Ever since my bachpan I always wondered why people (in movies and real world as well) get ecstatic, excited when a little one is born. It took over 2 days to come to terms, sink in a feeling that I became a dad and that a certain little man arrived into this world taking my blood, genes and life into him. Aahhh !

It took me 32 years to understand what it takes to feel the world in your arms. That cosy embrace from a 2-day-old who looks into your eyes as if he's saying "I trust you, dad" - beats the biggest happiness and richest luxury. That's just worth a lifetime of waiting.

Since the time my wife got pregnant, we and the entire family were curious about how he would look, behave, whose looks and features he would inherit and we were desperate to skip few weeks to see the baby ourselves, if possible. May be the little one heard our inner voices, he didn't wait for too long as if he was prepared to get into our world of joy asap. May 07, 2012 - a day I can never take off my mind hereafter is the eventful day which arrived much in advance than the scheduled day. We rushed to hospital at 4:30 am and had our baby before our eyes at 9:44 pm.

The moment the little one arrived, we both went blank, we could neither think or feel anything. Hema didn't say a word for 15 mins as she was in trance and I didn't know what to say or how to react. It took an entire battery of doctors, nurses, staff congratulating us and few drops of tears to shrug off the statue mode to meet our destiny.

Honestly, that day I was happier and relieved that my wife came out of the process unscathed. Though I know every woman goes through this pain to deliver a baby, I had a tough time seeing my wife go through that hardship. I'm not a hospital person but here I was made to hold my wife and assist in delivering a baby in the birthing suite. Man, that was not easy, but it made me realize what a woman goes through to bring happiness into the family. Internet sources say that a human body can bear only upto 45 Del (unit) of pain but at the time of childbirth, a woman feels upto 57 Del of pain which is similar to 20 bones getting fractured at a time. My wife experienced this pain without any epidural or pain killer.

After her months of pregnancy, controlled diet, weight issues, and many common fetus / baby related precautions, measures, medicines and finally this childbirth trauma, I'm here reaping the benefits :) Now I began to love, respect my wife and mother even more. I don't think they can ask for a better gift on Mother's day which is around the corner :)

My dad was beaming with pride that somebody was here to take his lineage on :) and my mom who was with me in the labor room for a while was uncontrollably ecstatic at the first sight of her grand-son. They both helped me shift gears from labor-room stress to childbirth excitement. My in-laws, sister were sounding overwhelmingly happy and desperate to see the baby. But I didn't dare to take my son into arms as yet.

As of then calls, messages, best wishes started pouring in from all ends but I was unable to come out to normalcy by then. The hospital staff who were cordial, caring and very polite comforted me and my wife with their genuine glee. They had the policy to address newborn's parents as mom and dad and some 10-20 people among the staff addressed me as "dad" which rather helped me stand on my feet and accept the pleasant reality that YAYYYYY, I'M A DAD ! The kind of treatment (both medical and human) by the hospital staff was so congenial that we felt completely at home and we're glad that our boy's born there among positive vibes. Will be thankful to them, forever for whatever they have done to us.

The next day was a bit different as I woke up from a slumber and realized what my priority should be - yes, my baby, my son ! Everytime I saw him move, cry, yawn, sneeze, frown (which he's now popular for) - some unknown spark was passing through me. I simply can't explain that in words.

Last night (a couple of hours ago), a nurse helped me in holding the baby.....Initially I wanted to hold only for few minutes till he cries for milk or something. As soon as he came into my arms, he opened his eyes wide and sported an expression as if he understood everything I spoke. I had been speaking to him when he was in his mommy dearest tummy. May be he recognized the ever familiar voice (or may be that's what I feel to keep myself happy :)). I SPOKE TO HIM FOR 45 MINS FLAT and he listened to me with eyes wide open, looking into my eyes with frowns, expressions and mouth agape. All that I told him was how much I waited for that moment, how much he meant to me, what were the moments I was waiting for in future, what should he call me and ended the conversation with a couple of lullabies after which he promptly slipped into sleep :)

Now the feeling sunk in, the bonding started. In hardly 48 hours, I felt mellowed down and the world started looking much more beautiful, happening and exciting. It was not just a childbirth but also birth of a dad. And the baby better know that his dad can do any damn thing to keep his life happy...and I meant ANYTHING. As of now, I'm waiting to change his diapers, feed him, comfort him when he cries, take him for evening strolls and make myself his addiction and him mine.

Incidentally tomorrow (May 11th) is our 5th marriage anniversary and we were earlier planning for something big, but now something so big happened that everything needs to just wait :D We don't need a bigger gift for our anniversary, my wife can't ask for a better way to celebrate her first ever mother's day on May 13th. My sister's anniversary (May 14th) and parents' anniversary (May 16th) are now more special thanks to Mr. Little Someone.

Last but not the least, I felt overwhelmed with the kind of best wishes and greetings I received from loved ones who visited us in the hospital, wished us on phone, email, text messages, facebook and other media. I believe the positive vibrations and cheerful glee brought by such genuine and affectionate wishes make our happy moments even more special. I promise I'll reply to each one of them and will share pictures of the baby very soon. Since it was an early birth, doctors suggested us to keep the baby under observation for few days. We are waiting for that observation period to end to take good pictures. But let me tell you there are polarized opinions about whom he looks more like :)

Regarding the name, we again have polarized opinions but we're sure, we'll reach to a unanimous choice by this mother's day and his mom will announce the name. Thanks to all those who showed interest in knowing his name but a 2-day wait won't be too long :)

Finally, a request to all my well-wishers, friends, family, cousins and loved ones: please bestow your blessings on our little one that he should lead a very happy, successful, lovable life ahead; he needs those blessings for a peaceful life and to ward off all buri nazar without trace; and also wish me and my wife a very good luck in this new journey. Your good wishes and blessings mean a lot.

With Love