Move On...

Nothing is permanent in Life except for Change. 

Things that you love are not always the things that stay with you forever. But they are those that remind you of good times, a hope for living, and the cheer of life. 

They let you know that you've been lucky to have them, experience them and make them a part of your life.

It makes you wise and peaceful to take those memories in all its positivities and move on. After all, the Joy of Life is in looking forward to happier days, lovelier moments...

Enlightened by the Blind

The last day of the month of March was celebrated as the Women’s Volunteering Day Out at my office. A delayed Women’s day celebration clubbed as a community activity at the National Association for the Blind (NAB) turned out to be a big success even with the low participation. The day started with the group getting introduced to the Organization, its activities and a talk on how to approach and behave with the visually challenged people. This was followed by a walk to the different parts of the Organization. It was amazing to see the courses these students beyond the age of twelve were offered. A workshop classroom where they were taught to use the various machines, how to recycle paper; a computer lab where some students smartly dressed in formals operating the MS Office and learning how to program with C and C++ with the help of a software that gives voice commands - all of these were a pleasant surprise. Very notable was the statement made by a student who showed us a demo of him operating on the computer. He said, ‘Whatever you do with the mouse, we do it with the keyboard with the help of this software. Infact we can do it faster than you.’ This astounding confidence from the student made us applaud whole heartedly. The sadness we felt at the start of the day whenever we passed by a blind student vanished with that confidence he portrayed. We began to enjoy with them and not just feel sad.                         

We were also shown how they read and write in Braille. The speed at which a blind boy wrote and read what his teacher dictated was stunning! We visited the Braille library and met a girl who is deaf and blind and saw how she was being taught to communicate with the sign language. We then had the lunch break where we served them and also ate with them. We conducted games like Passing the Parcel, Anthakshari. It was astonishing to see the numerous singers, dancers and actors present within themselves. 

It was a lovely feeling to see the smiles and happiness on those students. They loved having us with them. We knew this was not the end. This was a visit that promised more such visits. One of the staff from NAB recited a very sweet poem addressing the people at our company. I would also like to quote what Mr. Sreenivas, CEO of NAB said- “Thank You Ladies for all the fun and the frolic we had today. It was a ‘REAL BREAK ‘for every one of us here at NAB from the routine chore. We appreciate your interest in our activities and would love to see some of you visiting us regularly over the weekends for volunteering your individual time and expertise for the benefit of the visually challenged students here”. The day ended with a group photo, the vote of thanks and most importantly, with content hearts. 

                      “No impairment is an impairment.

                    Some of us are just made differently.”

A Promise ...

I am sitting in the bus, off for another weekend to Madras. As I sit listening to music and gazing outside the window, my thoughts wander as usual. But today it is not about the shop with the banner advertising ‘Great Sale’, or the ambulance passing by, or the poor lady begging on the street. It is neither about meeting my friends over the weekend. It is about me. About how my life has become what it is now. About how things might be hereafter ... I will be 22 years old in less than a month. Have I done what I need to by this age? Am I working towards building the foundation that will decide most of the rest of my life? - I have realized the significance of the number 21 with regards to one’s age. This is the year when some of the most significant changes of one’s life take place.

Thinking of how my life is now as compared to what I expected it to be, I am left with feeling few regrets that seem trivial in the midst of my joys. Life has not shaped up to exactly how I expected it to be but I could not have asked for more. I have been blessed with a job that pays me well and gives me an excellent environment to be myself. Some of my friends and their parents awe me for this. When I listen to them praising me, a prick of guilt; a feeling of dissatisfaction hits my mind. What is it? Is it the fact that I got this amazing job without me slogging too hard, or is it that I am still not working up to it and making the best use of the wonderful opportunities that fly around me?  Today I realized that it is the latter. I least dreamt that I’d be working in an IT job doing techie stuff. I always told everyone that I did not want to be a techie.  Is it because it truly is not my field of interest? Do I know what my real interest   is? Do I know what my field of expertise may be which could build me a career? Or is it this reason that now rings deep in my heart – that I probably always found being a techie way too cool and intelligent that I never had the courage to reach up  and work for it? I know now.

Being in a company that is a technology leader, I have all access to widen my technical knowledge. What I have forgotten is to work hard. I have forgotten to work towards my dreams. I have forgotten that nothing is impossible. I have been overwhelmed and not been able to jump out of this ocean of thoughts that has unknowingly made me weaker. Today I have decided to not be encumbered by the past or the supposedly overwhelming present. I promise to go off and do something wonderful.

Terrorism Terrorism Everywhere!!

I hardly watch the news channels. Neither am I politically well knowledged. Its only when something significant happens and I come to hear of it because everywhere everyone is talking about it, I google for the latest news on that and get myself updated. But somehow over the past few months I have become well aware of almost all news and this is because everything has been so hugely significant. What is making me write this blog is the headlines of this morning: TERRORISTS ATTACK MUMBAI. Few months back we had a series of blasts in some cities in India. Now it is another attack in Mumbai.  What is going on??? I am not a big time social worker or a writer who is fighting for justice. I am an ordinary citizen of the country or you could say, the world, who only feels disgusted with such things that are happening endlessly. Just when we think we are recovering from one bad time, there is another that is worse. I do not understand why we can't be more cautious and more ready for such sudden attacks. It is a well known fact that our country is way behind other countries in terms of providing security to a common man. I cannot understand why people who have the immediate power to make a change do not take effective and drastic actions! According to me drastic actions are the only way we can show the depth of our hurt and make way for a ray of hope for a better world. 

            I do not understand what really is the point of all this !!! You kill other people, kill yourselves, wreck others' peace ... what does a terrorist even gain with all this?? I cannot even imagine that there is actually a Leader who is sitting and educating his fellowmen that we need to attack these people and kill them! Why!!!!!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?! Frustrating to even think of this. It must be even worse for the people in Mumbai right now. My deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed, hurt and for those who are right now being killed ... 

My hopes of seeing a fairy land have increased against my hopes of seeing a peaceful world ...

A lasting Nostalgia

Four months have passed since I shifted for work to Bangalore. I remember the day I came. I was only missing my friends other than noticing the lovely change of climate around me. The shift was a big thing – a huge change from those young college days to the corporate world. In spite of the more happening crowd and the ever noisy roads of Bangalore, my life had somehow turned relatively quieter. At Madras I was hardly ever alone. Some friend was always with me. Here in B’lore I had to make the internet and my phone my best friends in order to communicate with my more living friends. I absolutely miss Chennai- my family, my home, my bike, and my lovely friends. How I wish I could relive those moments!

An amazing workplace, great people to work with, a great deal of satisfaction on how my life has headed; but the friends I once used to discuss about such future days - the friends who were part and parcel of the reason what I am right now, are no longer next to me. Time has done its work of changing peoples’ lives. And I think again “How true!! Nothing is permanent but for Change.”

In some ways, I like the shift to Bangalore. It has given me the time I could’ve never probably have had/realized that I have if in Chennai. I seem to be spending the same time in more constructive ways. The shift has added value to my life in many different aspects. Still, the nostalgic feeling does not fade away. The irreplaceable times spent with people who matter most to me, the endless talks even in times of nothings, the roads we roamed, the desserts we binged on, the laughs we rolled with - these memories keep flashing my mind and my thoughts. Then, there are nights like now where I stall my sleep and continue to think – ‘Friend, I miss You’ …

Breathe Free ...

I got a calendar invite few days back in my office mail to a ‘Lifestyle Seminar –Breathe Free’ that would be hosted by experts with practical discussions. I accepted the invite assuming the discussion would be about fitness, yoga or more specifically pranayama. Maybe it would motivate me to go kill the fat that has been adding on me past few years. The afternoon of the discussion came and I pulled along my team mate-cum-good friend to the café where the seminar was going to take place. The screen for the presentation slides was there. Also present were two ladies from the organization that conducted the seminar. The audience though was merely a handful. Six in total: the girls being just my friend and I. The lady began to speak, and we heard her say- We will be talking about the bad effects of smoking and how to overcome it … Okay! That second, embarrassment flushed my face! Maybe the other men were smokers and they were coming to get self motivated and quit smoking. Seeing the number of people present certainly didn’t make me feel any better. It made me think to myself- Breathe FREE. They were not talking about having a cold and your nose being blocked for which Yoga could help. They meant FREE- no smoke!! What was I thinking??? I reacted quickly, and genuinely said “Sorry, I do not think this would be relevant to me. I’ll probably leave.” The organizer answered that it would be relevant as we will learn some facts about smoking and its effects. And we could probably help people we know to quit smoking. Ok, that made sense, but … My friend signaled we could stay and then the others too mentioned that they all thought it was related to fitness. Phew! I felt better!! They were all non smokers. So the lady began to speak the slides and very clearly mentioned many details about smoking that most of us do not know. It was great to know those facts and in fact, I enjoyed the session. It made me feel proud of my dad who quit smoking two years ago.

I would like to share some of the facts that I got to know from this seminar and I really hope everyone who smokes realizes that it is just not a clichéd statement. Smoking really is injurious to health, and consequently to your happiness.

Some facts about smoking:

*Every cigarette that you smoke reduces 6 minutes of your lifespan.

*When we are asked about the bad effects of smoking, we only think of heart attacks or cancers that are long term effects. These hardly convince smokers who are too stubborn to quit a minute’s pleasure of smoking for something like a heart attack which is too far ahead in their lives. What most of us do not know is the short term and immediate effect of smoking like Hair loss, Decreased libido and Tiredness. Smokers hate it when being nagged about quitting smoking. They give excuses like mental stress, frustration and other actually trivial matters as their top reason to smoking. A smoker needs to understand that problems and stress can be and should be dealt differently and that Smoking is never the right thing to do for anything that it may seem as giving comfort to.

Smoking nicotine has short and long-term adverse effects on health, finance and family. Quitting smoking is a powerful way to increase lifespan, improve one’s lifestyle and have a healthy and happy life. Once one quits smoking:

8 hours later:

-Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to normal

-Oxygen level in the blood goes up to normal

24 hours later:

-Chances of heart attack starts going down

48 hours later:

-Nerve endings start growing again

-Ability to taste and smell begins to improve

2 weeks to 3 months later:

-Blood circulation improves

-Lung function improves up to 30%

1 month to 9 months later:

-Decrease in coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath

-Cilia (small hairs) grow back in lungs to better handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce infection

1 year later:

-Risk of heart attack is half that of smoker

5-10 years later:

-Lung cancer death rate goes down by half

-Risk of stroke becomes the same as non-smoker

-Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas go down

15 years later:

-Risk of heart attack comes becomes same as a non-smoker

Quick Tips to help quit smoking:

Four R’s:

Review your reasons for change and think of all the benefits to your health, finance and family.

Remind yourself that there is no such thing as one cigarette or one puff.

Ride out the desire. It will pass.

Reward yourself for not smoking.

Four A’s:

Avoid people and places where you are tempted to smoke.

Alter your habits (Switch to juices, take a brisk walk)

Alternatives – Use alternatives to tobacco (clove, cinnamon, gum, carrot)

Activities – Keep your self busy.

Four D’s:

Deep Breathing.

Delay when you feel tempted to smoke.

Drink water.

Discuss with a friend.

Websites that help you to quit Smoking:

www.smokefree.gov

www.whyquit.com

www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/

A Wedding I wont forget ...

Mom n I drove into a massive gate which looked warmly welcoming with maroon decors and plantain leaves and the board that read the couples' names. We were wondering where to park when we realized there was valet parking provided! Happy that we dint have to go through the pains of parking we walked into the wedding hall. A pretty girl amongst six of the hostesses came forward and directed us to the seats. In the next few steps we were served Ice tea by a young boy. As we walked in I was amazed by the lovely decorations. Simply Grand! The hall was huge. At a long distance I could see t he wedding taking place. But I dint have to walk till there to find a seat which gave me a complete view of the rituals that took place. There were about eight flat screen televisions placed on either side of the hall, spaced at regular intervals that screened the wedding. I could see the Bride smiling her beautiful smile. She always looked good. She looked even more stunning in her sober golden wedding sari. Her flawless face was gleaming. The groom was equally enjoying the wedding rituals. The girl from Australia and the groom from Srilanka who are Srilankan Tamilians by origin were having the time of their life at their studded wedding. There were Srilankan ladies in their unique srilankan style saris and there were the bride’s friends from Australia who wore saris and designer blouses, the Australian guys wore kurtas. It was a cute sight:) A square décor made of wood and green, off white satin cloth was suspended on top of the place where the bride, groom and priest sat. The décor gave the classy look of the traditional plantain leaf and stem. The background had green satin curtains standing tall. Horizontal wooden planks were placed with tiny bells hanging on them. I loved this the most. The wedding hall (a set up that was constructed) was covered with white curtains, subtle flower decorations and maroon and gold decors. As I was admiring the entire scene my mum told me that the design was by Thota Tharani - the well known Art Director of Tamil Cinema. I was amazed by his work. The rituals ended with the blessings of many pandits and prasadham from all the famous temples of Tamilnadu. We then went onto congratulate the couple, click a snap with them and moved onto have lunch. The lunch hall looked equally classy. It had two huge screens screening what was taking place in the wedding hall. Food was served on especially big Vaazhelais (Plantain leaves) and there were white napkins on the side with a simple menu card that read what was served (both in English and tamil). The lunch was served in a very courteous manner. Dessert was hot Jelabi with Ice cream from movenpick;) After lunching we spoke to people we knew and then decided to leave. We were handed an ethnic jute cream and gold colored bag unlike the traditional vethala paaku as they call it . I handed over the parking card to the person in charge and then sat in de car. I opened the bag to see what was in it. A box of cinnamon from srilanka, a pretty box with a special piece of cake packed neatly, another box that had colored tea leaves, kumkum and manjal dabbas, a tabla showpiece and a gift box which had 3 pieces of chocolate that said Thank You! This is the best gift that I have ever received at a wedding. Undoubtedly unique and … Sweet!!! I have posted with this article the pictures of the cinnamon and wedding tea gifts’ description. It’s a must read! We finally drove out of the gate with our hearts filled with content and astonishment. An expensive wedding it seemed. But it was still simple. Not gaudy. That was the special charm of this wedding. I’m sure every person who attended the wedding felt the same and is still thinking about the wedding even after they’ve returned from it. A wedding that will always stay in my memories! I wish for the couple, a married life as beautiful as the wedding itself .