Miser! Who me?

My sons call me a miser because I ask them to open the gift packets carefully so that the gift wrappers can be reused. They call me a magpie when I keep the envelopes received in the post neatly so that they can be used again for some purpose at home. They hate it when I ask them not to throw old note books which still have a few pages blank so that they can be made into a rough note books to be used at home. They laugh at me when they see me collecting flyers from newspapers with one side blank and cutting them into four as these come in handy for making grocery list and can be used as post its. My kids find it very amusing when I stuff one polythene bag in my hand bag when going to work as I might stop to buy some mangoes on the way. They feel embarrassed when I refuse a sleek polythene bag from the vendor and quickly offer him my own cloth ‘thella’. They also make a long face when I discourage them from buying expensive gifts for me.

Master Key

Last week I was invited to a play enacted by children in the age group of 9 - 13 years. The children did a fantastic job in accentuating the importance of preserving our environment. The story was about a young boy of 10 who cares a damn about his surroundings. Ipods , cell phones are his closest pals. He survives on junk food like the new breed of generation. He hates to walk and wants chauffeur driven car to take him even to the house next door. The play was about his transformation into a caring individual and how he pledges to save environment.
After the glittering performance during an interaction with the audience, the anchor asked if there are any experts in their chosen fields amongst the audience. I still don’t know why she asked that but in spite of her repeated announcements forget about raising a pretty hand none would even flutter an eyelid. Though there were doctors, lawyers, educationists amongst the group but no one would get up for the fear of being labeled conceited. Most of us are brought up on the modest diet of ‘let others call you expert’ instead of you blowing your own trumpet. Suddenly, all heads turned when a small girl barely 8 or 9 yrs from amongst the audience chirped ‘I am an expert in every thing I do, what ever I do is perfect’. The anchor’s comments could not be heard due to thunderous applause by the audience.
Isn’t it true that confidence is the master key to be called an expert in everything and anything? You can have the world literally at your feet if you are confident or at least divulge that you are confident. Don’t know whether success follows confidence or the other way round!

Happy Women's Day

8th March was International Women’s Day. This day is identified as the day for the celebration of womanhood. It celebrates the life of those women who face hardships in life with their inner strength. Ayn Rand, Mother Teresa, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others led an exemplary life. They had to struggle and make difficult choices. In today’s context, from rags to riches life story of well known author J.K.Rowling is the most inspiring. For a progressive thinking woman, this day starts with family and close friends wishing her ‘Happy Women’s Day’. During the day her thumb goes numb replying to Women’s Day SMSs laden with choicest of quotes on ‘inherent strength of women’. Her colleagues both men and women walk in to her desk to wish her. Her mail box is full with emails from well wishers conveying ‘you mean a lot to me’. Feminists roll out their tired speeches on women’s rights. Perhaps a seminar or a lecture thrown in to motivate her to reach great heights completes the picture. After all, this is the appointed day for all humanity to shower their appreciation towards women around them. Men around her silently observe this hullabaloo and wonder ‘why no Men’s Day’. The day culminates with romantic dinner with boyfriend/ husband or a night out with girl friends where she is dressed in her best and giggles non stop over silly things. All through the day she is on cloud nine and her self esteem is sky high. She feels proud to be a woman. Not a single negative thought crosses her mind; suddenly she becomes aware of her capability to overcome any hurdle and emerge victorious.
…The day gone. This day is forgotten until the next Women’s Day.
Now it is back to the usual state of low self esteem and helplessness. The feelings of bitterness and envy again emerge out from undercover. Where have all her strengths, sacrifices and accomplishments gone? Don’t know where. The issues of gender bias, discrimination at home and work again make a home in her mind. Her multi tasking ability which was her strength till yesterday now becomes her lack of focus.
There are hundreds and thousands of women everywhere who continue to face and fight the small battles at work and home without knowing anything about Women’s Day. It’s a Women’s Day when there is equal pay for equal work and it’s not the gender but merit decides her growth path. It’s a Women’s Day when opportunities and avenues for growth are thrown open for all irrespective of gender; it is day of celebration when the birth of a girl is as big an occasion for rejoice as that of a boy. Isn’t it a women’s Day when she becomes aware of her strengths, when she is not forced to put up with domestic violence and has the courage to walk out of a bad marriage? When she comes out from the feeling of inadequacy and when the emotion of envy flies out from the window sill only to be replaced by a feeling of support and cooperation towards other women, is it not the day to celebrate? There is a new dawn for her when she thrashes her image of woman’s worst enemy to take the role of woman’s best friend.
Did anyone say men vs women? Success cannot be achieved by suppression but is a result of man woman synergy.
Happy Women’s Day to all you women out there! Let the feeling of Women’s Day linger on the entire year and not just for one single day.

To Smoke or Not to Smoke

The proposal to ban smoking in offices, public places and even homes (take your maid’s permission before smoking) has mixed reactions. Women and non smokers are rejoicing but smokers are grumbling and chain smokers are grumbling even more. Will it really help in reducing the smokers’ population in the country is anyone’s guess? Do you know anyone who has quit smoking? Shah Rukh khan and Saif Ali khan have quit smoking- that’s what they report in publications.
SPI took a trend setting initiative to commemorate Environment Day (5th June) this year by prohibiting smoking within the company premises. Now SPIzens have two choices – either they don’t smoke or go outside the campus to smoke. Generally smokers get the urge to smoke at fixed interval like the tea/coffee addicts. If that hour passes, the urge too passes out.
Last week in the afternoon I was enjoying the rain drops falling with a thunder on the window sill of my cubicle. Who wants to sit in front of the monitor in such a cool weather? No living thing could dare venture out for a smoke in this thunder storm. And there I saw one guy running outside the gate ; he perched himself nicely under a tree for a smoke. Completely drenched but he was unable to let go of the cigarette butt until it burnt his fingers tips. (Paisa Vasool!)
This story has two morals - First- unless the realization comes from within, no amount of restrictions or rain can stop you from smoking. Come rain or shine the smokers will smoke.
The bigger moral- those who are honest will always be honest no matter whether anyone is watching them or no.

Clean Up Your Act

There is this person in our company, a well respected senior guy who often goes on business trips abroad or putting it rather undiplomatically …keeps having foreign jaunts at company’s expense. The general impression about the people who travel frequently … these guys having sufficient exposure, have good civic sense and are generally well mannered, cultured and courteous. The other day I got the ‘taste of India’ when I went to see him at his desk ….I was welcomed by wrappers of imported chocolates, biscuits and half eaten biscuits littered around his desk in his cubicle. The techie was so absorbed in fiddling with his swanky palm top that he barely noticed my presence… it was a perfect demo of technology amongst filth.
Did I say filth…which is there in abundance every where in India. Well, this post is not about India versus Abroad. It is just about attitude anywhere. This comment should not be mistaken as anti- India campaign; I love my India in spite of filth.
“There are not sufficient dust bins around” is the most common excuse for over flowing dustbins at every street corner. We behave like good boys and girls when we go abroad but the same people on landing at Indian soil behave differently. Will we still throw garbage and litter the roads if we are in US or Europe, or even our neighbor Singapore. No! we won’t rather we dare not because we will be heavily fined if we do so.
Let’s put it like this; we all need a stick on our heads all the time, that’s how human beings work irrespective of education and intelligence quotient!!. Self motivation to clean up is hard to find and does not last. Ask us to pay a fine of even Rs 100/ for every bit of paper or every spit of pan thrown on the Indian roads and execute this sincerely, then see the sheen on Indian roads.
Well, that’s not in my hand. Now, I want to do what is in my hand … request the Facilities Dept to send one waste paper basket to this guy’s desk


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