Incredible India!!

For all those tourists, who have come to this site looking to make a tour plan in India, this is not your destination. I suggest you try http://www.incredibleIndia.org/

For the rest of us, who is still with me, let's enjoy the rest of the journey.

On those grounds where Indus valley civilisation started in 5000 BC, lie today the mystic land of India. I call it mystic because inspite of being an Indian for 29 years, even today i don't completely understand my own culture. It's not a matter to be ashamed of, rather i find it an avenue for profound introspection and analysis.

Mess up with an African Nation, they may declare a war on you;
Mess up with America, they will force Democracy in your country as they did in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Mess up with Pakistan, they will declare proxy war on you;
Mess up with an Islamic Nation, they will impinge damage on you tantamounting to another September 11;

Mess up with India, there will be silent spectators, and some protestors will burn effigies.
Yes, EFFIGIES. Effigies have been the strongest weapon of Indian protestors starting from the days of British Dominance till Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty in public.

DELHI, India, April 17 (UPI) -- Effigies of Bollywood actress Shipla Shetty and Hollywood star Richard Gere were burned around India to protest their kiss during an AIDS awareness function.
Hindu and Muslim groups protested in Varanasi and Kanpur and elsewhere around India, criticizing public kiss as "indecent behavior" by Shetty and Gere and calling their actions "an attack on our cultural ethos," the Hindustan Times said.
-- picked up from http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/74943

What Richard Gere did was merely hug Shilpa and rubs her cheeks. Well, to satiate the needs of media and protestors, let me put it this way; Gere hugged Shilpa tightly and brushed cheeks violently.

Moments later, Indian Media and protestors slandered Gere for his obscene behavior in public. Obscene?? I thought it is a part of Gere's culture. I think, everyone has missed that one important point. What Indian Culture never taught us was to disrespect any other culture, slander any other human being. And we were excatly doing that.

For many of us Indians, it's difficult to admit that the world has gone far from accepting a public kiss. We Indians, cannot deny that everything that we see in the so called West is practised rampantly in our country too, but under cover.

I have noticed that under certain situations, we tend to behave in a much digressed trend than what Indian culture has actually been emanating on that particular topic.

I work for an Indian Multinational Company which has a big branch in Europe with local recruits. It was really nice of the company to provide a well equipped Gymnasium. Till here, everything was ok. Things went awry when someone requested for a masseur in office, who could give head, neck and shoulder massage to the employees. The local HR gave an impression that such kind of thing would never be allowed in Indian Culture.

Indian Culture?? I don't understand. All this while, i thought Indian culture believed in the therapeutic use of Massages. Kerala Tourism, in India is officially promoting Ayurvedic & Herbal Massages and Spas. Ironic, huh??

Think of a few centuries back. Vatsayana, a 4th Century AD Indian Scholar, put together his knowledge on Aphorisms of love in a compilation, which the modern day world popularly knows as KamaSutra. Goodness, is it one Indian who taught the world the art of having sex?? But look at us Indians, we are so scared of it now. Forget Sex, discussions on sex is also a taboo in India. Mindblowing, huh??

These are only a few instances. If we look deep in to our daily lives, we can find out several such hypocricies which we unknowingly project to the world. Little do we understand that if we covet a fear, if imprints firmly on us. We forget that we should be lukewarm about orthodox rituals and traditions. Ritual is to make way for someone's progress, not hinder it.

The whole world today, comes to india to learn spiritualism and art of living. But, if we continue this way without understanding the necessity of living in the modern world, we are bound to forget our own spirit of living.

Your thoughts??

Confusing "Nature" of Europe

"Because You love the Burning-ground, I have made a Burning-ground of my heart - That You, Dark One, hunter of the Burning-ground, May dance Your eternal dance."
~ Bengali Hymn~

Waiters in Vienna, where the mercury rose to 60 degrees (15.6°C) just edging out Rome's 59 degrees (15°C) put tables and chairs back out on the sidewalks. Bulgarians basked in the sun on balmy 62-degree Black Sea beaches.

Roses bloomed in eastern France. In the Netherlands, crocuses started sprouting and birds began nesting. And in Sweden, bears were finally hibernating two months late after the weather played havoc with their biological clocks.
-- Picked up from New.Yahoo.com

With so much spring in the air, many Europeans wonder: Where's winter?

While there has been reports of snow blizzards in the US during Christmas, affecting flight schedules, this part of the world has remained pretty much untouched. With January closing to an end, the average temperature in Budapest should have been around -15°C. This winter its a far cry with most of the days hitting a maximum of 15°C. The Sun getting more inclined towards its Lover (The Earth) in the Northern hemisphere, Winter in Europe needs more than just luck.


Unseasonable warm weather affects former dancing bears
15 January 2007 - Issue : 712

The recent unseasonably warm weather in Bulgaria’s mountainous area has kept the former "dancing bears" awake, the BTA news agency reported. The bears, saved from the streets and returned to nature by the "Four Paws" group, withdrew to caves several weeks ago anticipating winter sleep - but sunshine and warmth
-- Picked up from http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=69003

The Trees in my locale are budding, shrubs are getting leaves, pots are blossoming with flowers. Bears have come out for Hunting. They are not hibernating. For the first time in 20 years, Birds from colder parts of Europe have decided not to Migrate to warmer climes down south. Austrian weather bureau started daily pollen (grains) warnings after hazel and alder trees blossomed and were close to releasing choking clouds of dust. The Norway Bureau is following suit.

Nature is also confused in many other countries

The Effects??
I am happy!!
More than that, People are taking out to Sunbath in January - a fact, which their grandmothers can only tell stories of. In most european cities, people are out in shorts and t-shirts making the most of the warmth. With Flowers, Colors and Greenery all around, Winter was never so beautiful.
Is everything so rosy??
Surely, Pollen Allergy is not fun, but it's something which people can deal with. The Winter Sports Industry has been hit the most with surmounting amount of lay-offs. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, that's just what's happening in Ontario's ski industry. Scientists say that disease-bearing ticks could multiply out of control if it doesn't get chilly fast. In the Swiss and Austrian Alps, World Cup ski race organizers canceled training runs to avoid chewing up grassy patches lean on snow and already damaged by rain and warm conditions.
And above all these, not to forget that my Skiing trip to Slovakia has been indefinitely delayed. I am sitting back at home with Ski-Jackets bought at hefty costs. Any Buyers for the next season??

All these reminds me of my experiences of Total Solar Eclipses that were visible from my hometown when i was a kid. As the day went from dim to dimmer, the wild birds would return to their nests. The shrill of their chirps kept on increasing till the Sun visibly eclipsed. Then at one moment, it went dark, birds would stop their chatters. Everything would be so nocturnal. In a matter of few seconds, the Sun would come up again announcing a new morning, leaving the poor birds in a state of wonder.

If a chilly winter sets in Europe in the next few weeks, nothing could be more disastrous. Wild animals will suffer. Birds will lose nests. The trees would shed leaves, flowers will dry, crops planted in the last autumn will die. The prices of natural fruits and vegetables will rise because their harvest will take a hit. The tragedy doesn't end here. None of us will get GOOD WINE for cheap in spring and summer.

What's to blame: global warming, as many suspect, or just one of those extreme years that roll around every century or so?

Seconding Herbert Spencer: Survival of the Fittest

The burning galaxy, the cosmic life
Have sheltered me, I wonder that I am alive !
The limitless time - its ups and downs
Flows in my blood, with pulsating sounds
I wonder that I am around !!

-- Rabindra Nath Tagore (Nobel Laureate)

Budapest, 5th Jan 2007
The Valley was a treat to the eyes. I gazed at it for hours from the foothills, the evening before. Snow was such a great fancy till i witnessed it from the peak of the hilly domes of Donovaly. The elevation of 1402 metres looks steeper than it was ever before. The cold weather sent chills down my spine though I was equipped with the warmest of ski-clothings to beat the snow. There i was, at a height of 1402 metres at Park Snow Skiing Resort, Donovally, Slovakia; with my skiing kit on, waiting to slide down the slope in the blink of an eye. My only consolation were Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary who conquered Mt. Everest, 7 times higher than the elevation I was about to slide down. After them, no one has bothered to keep a count of how many climbers rose to that feat. But, nothing beats the excitement of this first time skier who has just set foot to conquer Donovaly after a 2 hr paid training by local recruits. It's a mixed emotion that has been restrained for quite sometime. And now it's time to let it go. It's like a River which cautiously goes through every turn and bend when it sets foot on to the plains after knocking off undulating terrains for miles altogether. It's not just about setting foot cautiously, its also about exhilaration, the unadulterated joy of invading new territories, newer lands and foremost doing something, the feeling of which has been alien so long. The river feels it, same does this rookie skier.

The fear, the thrill, juxtaposed with never-before-experienced fun was seeping in to me. I didn't travel all the way from Budapest to Slovakia to turn my face off this enticing slope, which several skiers are gliding through as though it was a cakework. What do I fear? I have heard no one dying in a Skiing resort. Accidents? It can happen even when i am carelessly breaking stairs at home. In a matter of just a few minutes, i figured out that I have held up this fear within me for nothing. So it was high time that I started living dangerously. For a moment I felt as though I would prefer getting married than to try Skiing. But i remembered one of my good buddies telling me that getting married was not "that bad", and I felt neither was Skiing. So to nurse my hurting Male ego, to charm my fellow friends, to save space in this post of my blog and more importantly on "Public Demand", I let it go. I never really counted down for the New Year to arrive. Though this time, i was no inferior to the NASA countdown for a shuttle launch.
5....4....3....2....1.... and "Say Cheese", oops!! Sorry, should be "Go".

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins
Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
only You know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now
-- Lyrics from 'Sway', by Dean Martin

A few start-up hiccups and I was sailing smooth. Precariously cutting through tracks jotted down by the previous skiers, swinging and swaying. I was using every bit of my Ski kit rented from Budapest. I got a feeling like Skiing must be easier than Wind sailing. At least you don't need to watch out for your 1 ton sails.

In this Freezing cold, I was sweating profusely. Think, i should have done a bit more exercise of the legs before I came here. My legs are already paining, my hamstrings giving up. I am unable to control my speed. I am getting second thoughts on if it was an absolute necessity to call quits to the comfort of my cosy home at Budapest and come 200 Kms into Slovakia to encounter an imminent mishap. Things really seem getting worse than i could have ever imagined. I went on dodging small heaps of snow and reached more populated areas. There is no way i am stopping. Not that i don't feel like. But because at this hour of crisis, I don't recall anything from my Skiing Training. The crowd is nearing with every passing moment. Other Skiers are getting cautious of me approaching them. Some have already started dispersing at my sight. Who is that guy, bit obscure in a little distance? Why is he not running haywire like others? Is he not looking? Or is he a rookie like me? Or may be he wants to help me from the danger by coming in my way. Its getting late to think or discover things. I am within a few feet.......

(Distinct Clutter in the background)

BUMP...SPLASH...PLOD....THUDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

(2 Mins later)
I survived unhurt. Not even a scratch in my body. How is that possible? But i can feel the sweating, my heart pounding. I lied dumbfound, my Ski-Clothings have vanished. Good God, what just happened to me?
I discovered that i was having a Nightmare. I am turning Insomniac in anticipation of my Skiing trip to Slovakia. It's only Friday, the 5th of Jan, still a week to go for the D-day. But every night takes its toll on me.


(3 Weeks Ago)

My DB Administrator, Jozsef Jasfalvi came up to me asking if i was willing to join them for Skiing between 12th-15th Jan 2007. I was ready to take my chances. Especially, i am this adventurous type, who would go to any length to break a limb, so that i can relax at home for a month. :-) (Is this guy, Sick??)
My CIO called me up during Christmas and encouraged me to join the rest of the team for Skiing. There is no looking back now. Anytime i raise this concern with my team, they cheer me up; conceal the dangers of skiing like anything. I had no idea that people utter these many white lies to find scapegoats.

(2 Weeks Ago)

Posted 8:42 p.m. EST, December 24, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recuperated at his home in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Sunday, a day after he broke his right leg while skiing.
-- Picked up from http://www.cnn.com

This was enough to keep me panicked during the whole of Christmas. The whole city was sleeping; i couldn't share my concerns with anyone. I was suffocating with fear and anticipation.

(Yesterday)

The whole bunch of us went out to rent the Ski-Kits. The Boots, Skis, Ski Bindings, Helmets and everything else that make you so heavy that you can barely move. I believe that the "Medieval Age Knights" looked slimmer than us trying our Ski-Kits. I met Peter, my good old buddy. He is joining us too. I found out that a few people in the group were rookie like me. I got a few souls on my side of the game too. I teamed up with these guys and announced proudly saying that "We will keep ourselves restricted to less steeper slopes. That way, we can avoid accidents". Peter emerged out of nowhere, never seen him so spontaneous before. He uttered "It doesn't matter, some rookie like you, may crash in to you".
He enquired if i had insurance. GOD!! I totally missed it. I don't have insurance outside Hungary. He blew the air out of everything. Till now i was feeling SUFFOCATED, now it feels someone has just STRANGLED me.

(Today)

Since yesterday's events, i am mentally preparing for a sure disaster in the week ahead. Since morning, i have allotted 2-3 men enquiring about insurance with the obscurest travel agents of Budapest. I am gobbling wikipedia about how to Ski, importantly how to Stop!!
One of my project leaders have been very helpful. He Googled a list of the most recent accidents that have occurred on Ski resorts. I wish he stopped there. He sent me the address to a website which was providing paid lawyer services to fight lawsuits involving skiing accidents. Here is an excerpt

Montana Skiing Accident Lawyer
Though snow skiing and other winter sports are exciting and fun for the whole family, accidents do happen. In many cases, these accidents are the result of a resort or individual failing to properly post signs and warnings or failing to properly monitor conditions, or the improper design of ski runs or ski lifts and other essential machinery. If you have been injured in a ski accident, we will work hard to help you obtain the compensation you need and deserve.

-- picked up from

http://www.foustbuckley.com/PracticeAreas/PracticeAreaDescriptions8.asp

Foust Buckley P.C is a major law firm in the US. Skiing Accidents is only one area of their practice.
Their motto is "Committed to helping good people during difficult times"

I think i represent good people, and i am going through really difficult times.

Today, i was almost confirming my payment to an insurance company who was willing to insure my trip. At my back someone just reminded me, "Do they insure against AVALANCHES?". I figured out that no one can save me. I will be the first person to lay down my life for the cause of Skiing. Promise, it feels nothing less than "Martyrdom".

Every morning starts with the same jitter and I go to sleep with the same insane fear. Every day i get new recommendations about finding lawyers, filling lawsuits, getting insurances, avoiding avalanches. Someone is yet to tell me about YETI or a SNOWMAN. But i guess, they are only found in the Himalayas. Who knows they might have migrated sometime. I have a strong belief, anything can happen to make my life, a living hell. Till now, every day i hear the same gibberish from my Colleagues.

(Indistinct sounds at the back)
Cheer-Leader1: pras, its gonna be safe
Cheer-Leader2: hehe
Cheer-Leader3: he is our expert rookie
Cheer-Leader1: you will be expert after the training.
Cheer-Leader2: Arnie Schwarzenegger was skiing in.....
.......
.......
.......
.......
.......

The story continues........

Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not i
I will survive
As long as I know how to love
I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
And I'll survive
I will survive
I will survive...!
-- lyrics from "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor

--- The author has a very unbiased view on skiing. He still wishes to go skiing and get a real life taste of what it feels like being a POLAR BEAR or a HARP SEAL.

(Trivia)
Skiing is one of the few words in the English language that contains two "i"s in a row.

Why did you break my Heart?

And then it strikes when you're not thinking
Tears roll down your face before you know
And one day while you are busy dreaming
it snatches away all, you don't know what to do
Food has lost its taste, colors seem dull,
what mattered most doesn't anymore.
---- Penned by a budding poetess


Yes, you got it right. We have not assembled here doing postmortem of a break-up, but to re-iterate that life still exists beyond a dead relationship. This is a concious effort on part of the author to get the HOPE out from within us.


A few questions that I need to know
How you could ever hurt me so
I need to know what i've done wrong
And how long it's been going on
Was it that I never paid enough attention
Or did I not give enough affection
Not only will your answers keep me sane
But i'll know never to make the same mistake again
You can tell me to my face
Or even on the phone
You can write it in a letter
Either way i've have to know
Did I never treat you right
Did I always start the fight
Either way i'm going out of my mind
All the answers to my questions I have to find
---- Lyrics from "Never Ever" by All Saints


For many of us who has been a jilted lover (at some point of time) these questions must have passed our mind several times. Now the Million Dollars question. What went Wrong?

We meet, feelings intensify and we fall in love. Our dreams and plans start fostering around this one person whom we have just started to know. This aura of possession plunges us in to an abysmal dependence. And then someday we find ourselves at loggerheads. We fight, we sulk and we make up. We COMPROMISE. Love Wins??

For something which was meant to be unconditional, we patch it up making negotiations. Several Moons later when we have changed completely to adapt to our partner's convenience, lightning strikes out of nowhere. The castle of our dreams crumbles to dust.

Any separation is hardly mutual. Thanks to the figment of our imagination that even in those difficult times we manage to put a sugary coat on this seeping pain to brand it as an "amicable mutual decision" - because that's socially more acceptable. Remember!! Its always one partner, who drifts far away from the feeling of togetherness and finally breaks the NEWS.

Needless to mention what the counterpart goes through. The more you get swept away by your blossoming love, the tougher it is to put your life back in to track. Who is to BLAME?

There is no excuse my friend
for breaking my heart
breaking my heart again
---- Lyrics from "Breaking my Heart" by Michael Learns to Rock


Apparently ambitions, compromises, selfishness and inquisitiveness to explore someone new take its toll on most relationships. The blame cannot be attributed to a person but grossly to the society and the way it's heading to. What pines me the most, is the fate of the jilted partner. The left-out lover then sets out to get back their precious possession. If they succeed, its only a matter of time before they fail again.

What is ironic in this context is most of us take it as a personal failure. Being sensible is realizing the fact that a relationship is like any other job opening where the resourcing manager always looks for the best available fit. So it's likely that at this moment we don't fit in to our partner's plans anymore. That doesn't make either us or the sly lover any bad. It's a simple case of preference and priority. Usually we go to any length to get the partner back. And in the process we plead, we beg. What eludes my understanding is we successfully manage to do this, when a few fortnights back we were speaking of esteem, respect and equality in the same relationship. I am not saying that we should not try to save our relationship, but there is a thin line between trying and begging and we often end up flirting with that. We start analyzing that probably some set of our traits might have put our partner off. We don't stop there, based on that speculation, we throw promises of never repeating those set of behavior which might have been unwelcomed by our other half. All these without even knowing if it really matters to the other person for a true comeback. We are not a whimsical king Melenaus who would attack Troy to get back his wife Helen, only to learn that eloping was her own choice.

The aftermath? The rosy life of the recent past looks so unbearable and unlivable without the partner. Hey, which partner are you speaking of? The one whom you had dreams with, or the one who traded your sentiments? The former is for sure dead. And the new avatar is shockingly insensitive to your needs. Put your feet down; at least have some dignity for yourself. Uphold your plummeting self-respect. You knew the formula to sustenance even before you met your partner. YOU ARE SINGLE, NOT SICK.

What i am trying to establish is that, Separation need not always be agony. Think of it as an opportunity to revisit your true self. Develop newer tastes and indulge yourself. Least dissipate your energy over split milk, for milk which didn't even belong to you. The last things that your partner deserves are your tears. Don't spend them for an insensitive heart. Your partner put in a lot of effort to get out of this relationship. WHERE WAS THIS ZEAL AND PASSION WHEN IT CAME TO SAVING THIS RELATIONSHIP?? Ask yourself, i am sure you will carve your way out to a healthy living. At the end of the day, the last thing we need is someone who plays with our heart and let's not give them a feeling that they actually succeeded in doing it.

Wake up every morning as if it were on purpose. Life is not about number of times we breathe; it's about the moments that take our breath away. Enjoy every moment with a renewed zeal. Treat yourself with the best. We love, we fail and we love again. Importantly, We live!!

These are words from the pining heart of a friend who had a similar experience in the recent past.

Life's ways are so confusing
Days of happiness come out of the blue
and when you think life's amusing
Days of sadness creep on you

You find an act so fascinating
Smiles and laughter make you glow
And then IT strikes when you're not thinking
Tears roll down your face before you know

You meet your love, so loving and so caring
Who spins a dream, oh so old.. yet so new
And one day while you are busy dreaming
IT snatches away all, you don't know what to do

One day, some day I'm just praying
Life looks pretty with the sun, the moon, the stars, the sea and the rainbow
One day, some day I'm just hoping
I understand the ways of life.. I surely hope so!


Did it break your heart??


---- The author has used "You" frequently to make the voice more active. This was an effort to focus on the brighter side of human life blurred by a dead relationship. In the article above, the author has tried his best to be sensitive towards both parties involved in a break-up.

tag: 10 Simple pleasures of life, mind boggling names

"Here I am, This is me, There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be"
--Bryan Adams

There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be. Being a hedonist, i fancy being immersed in my pleasures.
And for whatever reason i am here tagging my pleasures, i am not liking it. Well, Pleasures are a secret!!
Guess why? Simple!! Cause, this is not any pleasure. And if you are dying to know as to who bullied me in to this, then You better ask Survon.
God forgive her, because i AM NOT going to. She doesn't know what she is doing (Re-iterating same words as Jesus did,during his crucification)

"Name 10 of life's simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick 10 people to do the same. Try to be original and creative; try not to use things that someone else has already used."

So here is the much wanted dossier on this hedonist indulged in true pleasure. Here is what the Royal Bengal tiger likes to be with

1) Talking. I love talking. I can talk (I meant, i can talk "sense") for hours altogether. Any listeners?
2) Eating. Just cannot resist. Call me a gourmet. (I am strictly against eating Monkey Brains)
3) Medidating (aka Sleeping)
4) Outdoor Games. Be it any game, i am in for it. Survon bullies this sportsman saying that "you are too serious on a sportsfield, you always want to win". I asked, "show me one person who wants to lose?". She was MUM. :-) I can lose to my wife/girl friend and kids only, nowhere else :-)
5) Photography. I love being with my two bags full of cameras. Oh sorry, thats misphrasing. I have two bags, the cameras are so big that the bags look full. Thats more like it!!
6) Travelling. be it India or Abroad, you always have me in your gang, when you are travelling or even talking about travel. Oh yes, that reminds me, I love TALKING
7) Getting Bullied. I am getting used to getting bullied. Infact thats my favourite pasttime these days. Ask Survon.
8) Idling. Lying like a dead fish, dreaming, thinking, philosophies, in a trance. Bet, thats a lot of work.
9) Cooking. I can cook everything other than Round Shaped Roti's. That doesn't mean that you are invited to my place for dinner.
10)Socialising. Now this one is a real sitter. I am giving ideas to you folks, but i don't mind. Yeah, i am good and happy with any and every kind of socialising. I am very much a social animal. Wanna Try?

Now that i am done with it, I don't want to victimise anyone passing over the onus of listing their pleasures :-)
Whoa!! I am breaking a Chain Reaction. Got Guts, Baby!!

Dare to send me a forward again??

Once upon a time, Survon sent me a forwarded email. That was the last email that she had ever forwarded to anyone. Don't ask me why, better go through this.

----- Message from Survon on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 09:10:25 -0700 (PDT) -----
To: Close2Reality@ZZZ.com
Subject: Fwd: Agree? hehe......

Lessons in Logic


If your father is a poor man,
it is your fate but,
if your father-in-law is a poor man,
it's your stupidity.

........................................................................

I was born intelligent -
education ruined me.

........................................................................


Practice makes perfect.....
But nobody's perfect......
so why practice?

.......................................................................


If it's true that we are here to help others,
then what exactly are the others here for?

........................................................................


Since light travels faster than sound,
people appear bright until you hear them speak.

........................................................................


How come "abbreviated" is such a long word?

........................................................................


Money is not everything.
There's Mastercard & Visa.

........................................................................


One should love animals.
They are so tasty.

.......................................................................


Behind every successful man, there is a woman
And behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.

........................................................................


Every man should marry.
After all, happiness is not the only thing in
life.

.......................................................................


The wise never marry.
and when they marry they become otherwise.

........................................................................


Success is a relative term.
It brings so many relatives.

........................................................................


Never put off the work till tomorrow
what you can put off today.

........................................................................


"Your future depends on your dreams"
So go to sleep

........................................................................


There should be a better way to start a day
Than waking up every morning

.......................................................................


"Hard work never killed anybody"
But why take the risk

........................................................................


"Work fascinates me"
I can look at it for hours

........................................................................


God made relatives;
Thank God we can choose our friends.

........................................................................


The more you learn, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you forget
The more you forget, the less you know
So.. why learn.


........................................................................

A bus station is where a bus stops.

A train station is where a train stops.

On my desk, I have a work station....
what more can I say.......

---------Close2Reality@ZZZ.com Replied-------------------------

Agreed
Looks like, this content below reflect all charismatic philosophies of your life, in particular

I guess you are at your WORK-STATION now, Where your WORK has stopped, right?
Now i know as to why you get in to sleep every now and then, you are catching up with your dreams for the future, aren't you? This explains why you are such a lazy bu*, you never risk to get in to hard work, who knows it might kill. No doubts that "works fascinates you", you can stare at me working for hours. Quite possible that you were not ruined from your toddler days, I blame it all to education. It all shows your reluctance to do any-work with perfection. "Nobody's Perfect", huh!!
I have seldom come across bright faces like yours. ahem!! only till you had opened your mouth. I didn't know that all your love for animals were because of your cullinary tastes. "Tasty", erghhhhhh.
So this was the secret why you put off work everyday and not wait for "tomorrow"? And lastly, I have this strong feeling, now that you have your mastercard and visa, can you be generous enough to give me all your Money?

I didn't know this day would be such a Milestone when i would come to know so much about "You" and "Yourself". I am not sure, if you had this much of an insight to critically look in to yourself. I am glad that i have assisted. If you happened to know more about yourself only today, then i say, "don't get overwhemled with this mamoth discovery of information". I can be instrumental in digging more staggering facts later.

Try to have a good time for the rest of the day. You need more than good luck for it!!
Ciao

Can anyone help me?

Being in an IT consultancy company for 7 years now, i have got several forwarded emails where "Users" show off their lack of mind to customer care or call centres. I have always dreamt if i could be a real "dumb user" (What an Unusual Fantasy!!). I plan to be so much dumb, that the customer care professional who handles me, goes back to his/her friends and laughs their heart out. And finally, i do it. I think, i made this guy's day. Check it out for yourself!!

This is about a dating portal in India, where from people choose girl/boy friends or their soul-mates. I had been to one of them recently. I landed on to the payment page, and didn't feel like proceeding, after seeing the humoungous amounts for a paid membership, that too in Dollars. I shifted my attention towards other windows in my computer, the payment page remainded unattended. As, i was there in the payment page for more than 5 mins, a Customer Care Professional came by to help. The rest of the Journey is hilarious.


To maintain confidentiality, the names of the people, places and objects involved have been changed. Nonetheless, the author has given every bit of effort to keep intact, the whole charm of the conversation.



Ramy: Welcome to YourFunDate.com. I am a Live Help Operator. How may I help you today?
you: hello
Ramy: Hi
Ramy: Are you interested in Paid Membership?
you: yes, i am
you: but why am i getting the amount in dollars?
Ramy: Where are you residing?
you: india of course
you: i go around travelling a bit
Ramy: Your FunDate ID pls?

(My response is Censored to Maintain Privacy)

you: But i do not have a credit card
you: i wish to use my icici bank account to pay, is it possible?
Ramy: Do you have debit card?
you: no
you: i have an ATM card
you: i didn't change it for a debit card
you: someone told me that its risky to have one. Especially, when people are doing "Phising" and like things.
Ramy: In which city are you residing?
you: Mumbai
you: i belong to Calcutta though
you: kharagpur, to be precise
Ramy: You can make the payment in our Mumbai office
at the following address
Ramy: YourFunDate.com,
Ramy: 505, Centre Point,
Ramy: Andheri-Kurla Rd,
Ramy: Near Kohinoor Continental Hotel,
Ramy: Andheri East,
Ramy: Mumbai - 400 059.
Ramy: mumbai@YourFunDate.com
you: why cannot i pay, using the Internet?
you: say, if i can use my friends' debit card
Ramy: You can make the online payment using your credit card or debit card
you: my friend has one, can i use his?
you: i asked him today
you: he is willing to lend me for this purpose.
Ramy: Then you can make the payment through them
you: how about the dollar thing? Why is the payment showing in Dollars?
Ramy: From where are you accessing the site now?
you: my computer, offcourse!!
you: its a global support machine
Ramy: At present are you in india?
you: no
Ramy: Kindly note that the payment details will be shown in dollars if you access it from outside india
you: ah!!
you: when will it be shown in Indian rupees?
Ramy: If you access the site from india, then it will be
you: how does ur website know that i am outside India?
you: its me who told u, if i didn't tell you, how would you know?
you: first i thought, it was showing me dollars because of my overseas location. I changed it back to mumbai then
you: But, still its showing me in dollars
Ramy: Kindly note that the payment details are shown based on your IP address
you: what is my ip address?
you: God!! how do i change it now?
Ramy: Sorry! it cannot be changed
you: why do you think so?
you: i thought i can change my address anytime. Did you not change address anytime?
you: sorry, i am not quite following you
you: can you be a bit fast, i am feeling sleepy
Ramy: Sorry! the ip location will be displayed according to place from where you access the site
you: Now i am worried. I wonder, how did you get my address? How did you know which place i am accessing the site from
you: i didn't mention it anywhere in your website
you: Hello Ramy, i am having a bit of jet-lag
you: can you be a bit faster, thanks
Ramy: It will be displayed according to the location you access the site
you: did you like hack my computer to know my location information?
Ramy: Can you please be clear
you: I wish i could request you, the same
you: I am a bit confused now.
you: Can you please tell me, how to go about changing my address
you: i am sure there must be a means in the site to change the address
you: my friend did it once. He categorically mentioned it to me before.
you: Huh!! You cannot fool me with your tricks. I am Darn Sure, the address can be changed.
Ramy: Sorry! it is not possible to change it and we dont have any idea in this regard
you: god!! what kind of website is this? in icici.com site, i change my address whenever i changed place
you: and its me who always requests for an address change, they never know where i am using their website from
Ramy: You can change the residence address in the site, but your ip address details cannot be changed
you: so, who can help me change the ip address?
you: do i have to write to customer services?
Ramy: Kindly note that the ip address will be displayed according to your location
you: You have told this thing to me before, several times. Please tell me something new.
you: but there should be a way to change it right?
Ramy: Sorry! The ip address cannot be changed, as it is displayed according to the location
you: I am a bit worried now
you: I have such an address which cannot be changed
you: Thats sounds very weird to me
you: and it depends on the location, uh!!
you: what do i do now?
you: how do i pay for the membership in Indian Rupees?
Ramy: You can make the payment through your friends or relatives residing in India to make the payment in INR
you: Thats bad
you: This whole dating thing is pretty private to me. I don't want to announce it to all my friends and relatives
you: and at the same time, i need to Pay for this membership. I am getting older now
you: I need to find a girl for me
you: do i write to customer services,if they can help?
Ramy: You can also send the payment to our branch office in India
you: Through post, you mean?
Ramy: yes, you can send it through cheque, DD or MO
you: ok, great
you: One last thing
you: Can i ask you a favor?
Ramy: Yes, tell me
you: thanks
Ramy: Welcome
you: May be you are that guy, who breaks the rules just once. Can you not get my work done somehow. I mean, get me membership by paying in Indian Ruppes now?
you: I mean, my cheque will reach india after a long time, if i send through post
Ramy: Sorry!! You can ask your friends or relatives to make the payment on behalf of you
you: Know what? I have to write emails to a girl i like in your website. She is pretty cute. I fear, i might lose her
you: In these disastrous circumstances too, You seem very tough on me.
Ramy: You can upgrade your profile and contact all the interested members
you: thats what, the problem is. its taking time for me to upgrade my membership.
you: you understand, right?
Ramy: Yes, but we can only guide you in making the payment
you: ok, i will write to my relatives. Let me see, if i can get a girl friend. Its so tough to chat with someone from ur website
Ramy: Once you become a paid member you can contact all the interested members
you: Thank you for your time. If i need your help, i will write to u
Ramy: Welcome
Ramy: Thanks for using our service!!!
Ramy: Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
you: But how?
you: how do i reach you?
you: you must have an email address
you: oh, i remember now.
you: so next time, i have to wait for 5 minutes at the payment page, before i get hold of you, right?
you: and i ask for Ramy? What is your full name, again?
Ramy: You can also click on Live help at the top right side of YourFunDate.com page to chat with us
Ramy: I am Ramy
you: but I have a problem. i don't want to explain this whole scenario to anyone from scratch again
you: its cumbersome. Can you prepare something like a case-file?
Ramy: You can contact us at anytime
you: may be i will save this whole chat somewhere, and then next time i speak to any of your customer care officers, i just copy-paste it. what do say? good idea?
Ramy: You can do it
you: what is your email id? where are you chatting from now?
Ramy: Chennai, India
you: it must be quite late there
you: i am feeling very sleepy now. Are you sleepy too?
you: Chennai is a nice place. i have been there. Only Summers and Winters are not good there. And it has two rainy seasons. Rest of the year, its good out there.
you: Its very beautiful. I like ur place
you: have you been to kharagpur, i was born there. I grew up as a kid in that town.
you: its a nice place too
Ramy: Ok fine
you: Doesn't look like, that you are typing really fast. I have to say that You are very slow
you: or are you chatting with many friends at the same time?
Ramy: We are chatting with many members now
you: Oh Good. I learnt typing, 3 years back.
Ramy: Ok
you: you continue chatting with your friends. I have to go to sleep now
Ramy: Thanks for using our service!!!
you: Yeah, it was not that great though. It was of no use to me after all.
you: You have a good night
Ramy: Please do not hesitate to contact us at anytime. We are here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Ramy: Bye
you: yes yes. no problems. I will ask your service, if i am in problems again
you: you are very nice
Ramy: You are always welcome

CPI(M), LIES AND GANASHAKTI

June, 2003: Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata
I kept looking on as the traffic lights toggled from red to green and back to red. Past 50 minutes, i have been stranded on the same co-ordinates, without moving much. I am in a Bus, in the heart of Kolkata. My ride was heading towards Downtown Kolkata, until we got tangled in this mess of urban traffic. Brine slided past my cheeks. These are not tears of joy, invoked by reunion with my motherland, after a year. I was sweating profusely, trying to keep up with the humidity of the "city of Joy", as Kolkata is often refered to. The sweltering heat, sticky sweat, cluttering of vehicles, the cacophony of honks took its toll on me. I cannot believe, this is where i waited for a year to be in.

With time, news started floating in, as to why this whole gamut of populace was stuck here. The revelation didn't sound new to me. The CPI(M) (The ruling Communist Party) was flouting a procession near Maidan (a Huge Parade ground in the downtown), resulting in this mayhem. Little were they considerate to have thrown the whole traffic out of order. This is not the first time, I am used to these pedestrian theatrics from my very childhood. These people have contributed incessantly towards new name of Kolkata, "Michhil Nogori" or "The city of processions".

"What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow", this bit of text in the history books made me so proud. As a teenager, I used to flaunt being a Bengali, but not any more. The ruling CPI(M) party has done nothing, but to eat up the very base of a heritageous Bengal. Unemployment, Poverty, Illiteracy has become rampant over the past decade. The voice of the Mass Media is under question. Print Media has become mouthpieces of political parties, probably that was the only survival strategy left to them.

I leaned on to the window, thinking of the Bengal my dad would have got as a heritage. I feel sorry that i cannot give my kids, a better one. The inception of politics in educational institutions can only be attributed to the CPI(M). I can still remember, how aimlessly the teenager comrades used to roam around in my school premises. I am not sure, if at that age, anyone has the maturity to understand politics and get in to it. But some of my folks were very much in to it, much like misguided missiles. I have seen my seniors leaving Bengal for a clean, hassle free living. The bureaucracy has smothered every entrepreneur causing job cuts and factory close-downs. At times, people were left with no resort, but to be a vassal to CPI(M). The situation was even worse in the countryside. People saw bread only before elections. No-one ever dared to fight a CPI(M) candidate in an election. The defaulters were outcaste and ripped off their decent living. Ah!! I am sure, so many of us have experienced this before. Someway or the Other. I am amazed to see no opposition to this pilferage. Probably we have accepted this way of living; probably, no intellect is willing to take off their blue collars to ward this dirt off.

I was lost in an abyss of Depression. I broke my trance when something soft caressed my hairs. There was this boy wrapped in old rags, selling the daily "Ganashakti" (Meaning, the strength of the common Man), the mouthpiece of CPI(M). My imminent reflex was to buy one. Not to know what the polit-bureau was trying to voice, but much to help out the desolated boy in his living. I was browsing through the pages randomly, like a kid. All that caught my eyes were pictures of a Golden Bengal, the best state-of-art infrastructure, Dreams. I imagined, how long can people keep their eyes shut to an imminent disaster.

Ganashakti is not a newspaper, its the voice of CPI(M). Any News which is biased or seen through colored glasses is not good to cater. It creates misimpression in minds of the public. And thats what the modus operandi of "Ganashakti" is. Its intended to cripple the minds of CPM cadres who would not be left with the power to think anymore and make themselves available at the beck and call of their Big Ducks. In every page, you will come across news from the CPI(M) fortress properly picked, pickled and spiced up to portray the "Messiah" and "Philanthropist" image of CPI(M), which is a far cry. CPI(M), these days is reduced to a ruthless exploiter who can do anything to meet their selfish needs, and that's what the grim reality is. They have made the population so much crippled with their 26 years of rape of democracy, that no-one has the fist to fight and revolt. The philosophy of Communism which started off with Jyoti Basu taking oath as the Chief Minister, died in a few years and all the steps taken by the CPI(M) government to exercise democracy has only curbed industrial growth and fostered local goons within the cadre fraternity. CPI(M), is far from a sweet dream anymore. They are a nightmare, a barrier in the path of modern Bengal.

If i had to rename Ganashakti, i would happily do it as "Ganashatru" (The enemy of the common Man)
The devil has ruled Bengal for over 26 years now. Intellectuals everywhere have been left stunned about the stagnant mind of Bengalis. Have we compromised with such kind of a living. Or are we all Dead?

--CPI(M) is the Communist party of India, Marxist. They are provincial to the states of West Bengal and Kerala. In West Bengal, they came in to power in 1977, and has remained undefeated till now. The author does not have a bias for any political party.