COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS !!!

I am going to start writing about this topic by referring to a very glamorous person Ms.Pooja Chopra, the pantaloons femina miss India-world 2009.Today when I was reading the “Times Life” a supplement of Sunday Times of India I came to know that she had a very challenging past.

Want to share few things that I read. Her mother was abandoned by her father for giving birth to two girl children. (Preposterous)Her mother chose her daughters over her husband and started working to support her children. Her mother says, and I quote “Their tiny hands would do homework on their own, feed themselves on days that I worked late. My elder daughter Shubhra would make Pooja do her corrections. This is how they grew up. At a birthday party, Pooja would not eat her piece of cake, but pack it and bring it home to share with her sister. When Shubhra started working show would skip her lunch and pack a chicken sandwich that she would slip in her sister’s lunchbox next day”(Unquote).Here is a lady that rose above her conditions and challenges and triumphed over them and provided her children the best life she could(in her capacity).
Every family goes through their share of hardships and challenges. What is important is how we handle them. Look how Pooja made her mother proud. This is what true spirit towards life is, never say die!!!! I felt really happy for that family.

Now, I want to share a personal experience of mine. The other day I was at Symbiosis College, Range Hills, Pune.I noticed an old gentleman on wheelchair all alone moving along the road very confidently with all his effort. I wondered as to how this gentleman can manage all alone in a wheelchair on a busy road. Later, I happened to mention about this guy to a friend who studies in Symbiosis College. So, he informed me that the old gentleman does that everyday quite often as he has two shops on that road at some distance. He told me that the guy started off a tea stall longtime back and it is a huge success with college crowd. After saving enough money he started a stationery shop on the same road. After hearing all this I wondered what could be that one reason that is driving him. Here is a guy whom I consider as a very successful entrepreneur.

What do I intend to say?? It is simple, many of us have a good decent life but still we keep complaining about the things we don’t have. (It is good to move ahead in life, but remember not at the cost of our peace of mind and happiness.)We often compare ourselves with others and crib about what we don’t have.

I don’t wish & mean that someone should go through adverse hardships in life to understand the importance of what we have.

I am of the opinion that it would be great if we for once can compare ourselves with the people who haven’t been fortunate enough to attend school.

Every now & then, if we could Thank GOD for his graciousness to give us loving & caring family, friends and for blessing us with a decent life, I think we would look at life with a different perspective and for sure be more happy !!!

For my friends who don’t believe in GOD, be grateful and happy for having lovely family & friends and a decent life.

So, guys after reading this post, I request you to halt for a moment and think what GOD has gifted you & please COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

After Thoughts after reading "The White Tiger"

This is the latest book I finished reading, indeed a good read. The book highlights the grim & very grave reality of INDIA. Poverty & Corruption being in the forefront.

Reading this book got me thinking about our culture & we (Indians) as a society. I am not being judgmental about everybody but talking about a certain section of society.

We really boast about our culture saying "we have the oldest culture full of traditions & values”. What values are we talking about??? I am evaluating our culture based on couple of practices that we were or are still following and they are as follows

1) India is a land where "certain sections of society were considered un-touchable" (how in-humane?? and I am pretty sure this is still being followed by many of our developing or developed Indians).Who the hell gave People the right to decide who belongs to lower status or higher status??? It sickens me to think about this.

2) Child Marriages!!!!(We were the front-runners in this and never ever had competition in this regard) Shocking isn't it??? But everybody in INDIA knows that, this is a fact.

3)"DOWRY" wins hands down, .I will put dowry in the simplest form. Way of begging or stealing money from a brides father in the name of marriage (btw we INDIANS, I guess, think marriage is sacred!!! Imagine this in a country where marriage is considered so sacred .I feel like laughing out loud).This is a huge price that the bride & her family have to pay to get married. Better the amount better the prospective bridegroom. This is something nobody in INDIA and INDIANS abroad can deny.
What is shocking is, even the well educated people (who have graduated from famous missionary schools, IIT's and IIM's) indulge in this horrible practice. (I don’t mean to say the guys who graduate from missionary schools, IIT’s and IIM's are saints).

Shouldn’t we be ashamed of this?

Moving on, the country is still divided based on religion, caste, region & language. There are not one but many instances to prove this point. For your reference, switch on any Hindi news channel post 11pm and you will understand what am I trying to convey.

There is a very clichéd statement that I keep hearing time & again. It is as follows “We respect elders “.Again, I am going to prove this wrong. How many times haven’t we disrespected someone elder to us on the road in a fit of rage???

The culture was never wrong. All our great scriptures never taught or preached us to indulge in all these shameful practices. We Indians (rather our ancestors) fooled around with it and voila we are unique in our own way. We were and are too rationale and worked around things to our convenience.

I am not cynical!!! However the book got me thinking about all this and I must say I am confused now as to whether we really have such great culture!!!!!

Finally !!!!

Finally I have decided to blog.This has been long overdue since one year.What made me finally decide to blog?? Well,many ideas brewing up in my head.Thought I should serve the many cooked up ideas in my head to all of you.I sincerely hope I keep returning to my blog page and keep posting random and collective thoughts.Sitting down to write ,I must tell you demands lot of patience and passion.I hope you guys like reading what I post and keep coming back to my blog, be active members and give me sufficient support & feedback to keep BLOGGING !!!!!