~ A Tribute to Chitta ~

This is a poem which my friend's dad wrote after his brother(my friend's uncle) passed away. It is a poignant tribute to a brother and more importantly, closest friend!!!

~ A Tribute to Chitta ~

This is the story of a Simple Boy…
who gave many people so much Joy,
He did not aspire for Riches or Power…
but he won hearts with his Gentle Demeanour,
He did not wish to be in the Limelight…
but to serve silently like the Quiet Night,
Words cannot express this Humble Soul…
who gave so much from his Heart’s Core.
Born to loving parents who doted Him,
He returned their love doubly with his trademark Grin;
With his childhood friends he had a very close Bonding,
which had camaraderie and belonging that was so Astounding;
His employees saw him as very Upright and Diligent,
and his colleagues found a gem who was never Negligent.
He played the game of hockey…
Like he played the game of life…
Not knowing whether he would win or lose…
But simply enjoying the moments he passed through.
God made him but with one purpose,
To spread joy through his Innocence…

To his family he was a loving Father and a doting Husband,
and they never had to care when he was around.
To his daughter he gave all his Love,
And his son got as much and more.
What else could he give his loving wife..?!!!
But his presence forever by her side.
Alas, Fate had something else planned,
And took away from us this Darling Lad
Why it happened will remain Unknown,
But his void will be forever Known.
His soul will be surely at Peace
Knowing that we love him with so much Grace.

Adieu My Friend, for you have lived a wonderful Life…
…and left only sweet memories which will eternally remain with us.
-From Friends…

Art at Work!!

At these times of recession, it is's great to see people who genuinely take interest in their work, be it morning, noon or night. There is this watchman at a nearby restaurant,"Pune Gate" who ushers in cars into the hotel's parking lot. He treats his job as an art, full of enthusiasm and passion. While his one arm shoots out in like a classical dancer, with a rhythmic wave and fall directing the driver, his body moves slowly with the car as it slowly moves into its alloted space, making sure the car does not bump into anything. His eyes are alert and full of concentration even at 11 in the night,after ushering dozens of cars that day!! His earning may not be even Rs.1oo a day, but his dedication and devotion are praiseworthy!! A smart salute is the finale to this whole performance!!

A man who treats his Work as Art!!!

Indian PMs Vision!!

This was how the Indian Prime Minister concluded his speech during the No trust confidence motion debate which was held to decide about the Indian Government's plan to sign the nuclear deal with the US. Wish all politicians had this vision. Neither am I a big fan of the PM nor his critic but I was impressed with what he had to say.....

"I have often said that I am a politician by accident. I have held many diverse responsibilities. I have been a teacher, I have been an official of the Government of India, I have been a member of this greatest of Parliaments, but I have never forgotten my life as a young boy in a distant village.

Every day that I have been Prime Minister of India I have tried to remember that the first ten years of my life were spent in a village with no drinking water supply, no electricity, no hospital, no roads and nothing that we today associate with modern living. I had to walk miles to school, I had to study in the dim light of a kerosene oil lamp. This nation gave me the opportunity to ensure that such would not be the life of our children in the foreseeable future.
Sir, my conscience is clear that on every day that I have occupied this high office, I have tried to fulfill the dream of that young boy from that distant village.

The greatness of democracy is that we are all birds of passage! We are here today, gone tomorrow! But in the brief time that the people of India entrust us with this responsibility, it is our duty to be honest and sincere in the discharge of these responsibilities. As it is said in our sacred texts, we are responsible for our actions and we must act without coveting the rewards of such action. Whatever I have done in this high office I have done so with a clear conscience and the best interests of my country and our people at heart. I have no other claims to make."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

July 22nd, 2008

The Coin Always has Two Sides!!

I wrote this article when I was in college, 4 years before. I was doing a spring cleaning of my system , when I came across this article and thought would share it with you all... Incidentally, this post, if you have not noticed comes after nearly a sabbatical year from blogging !!

When you get up on Monday morning and despair that you’ve got to college, think about all those kids who want to go to school and can’t!

When you look into the mirror and despair about that new gray hair , lend a thought for that cancer patient who has undergone chemotherapy and wishes he had some hair to examine!

When your car has broken down, miles from home, and you despair about that long walk back, think about that paraplegic who would happily walk that same distance and can’t!

When you look in your wardrobe and despair that you don’t have the latest trend, think about the guy on the street who can only dream about a wardrobe!

When you are criticized and mocked by certain corrupt, malicious and unscrupulous people, think how lucky you are ..….. you are not one of them!

P.S: Let me know about the sides of a coin you have come across!!

Mercury Rising!!!

The heat had made my life really miserable...window seats in buses which were hot commodities just a month before is best left alone cause air which can only be termed as hot as that from a furnace blows onto your face making you turn your face away in agony.Move to the aisle seat and beads of perspiration slowly turn into rivulets.. call it a Catch 22 situation!!And then there is the shiver which tingles down your spine whenever that rivulet flows down that arch of a back...At last you have no say and slump into your seat waiting for the dreaded journey to end so that you can enjoy the cool comfort of home!! Along the way a cold watermelon juice from a roadside vendor, who along with the sunscreen lotion people are having a field day...and so are the ones selling caps, scarves, air coolers and so on!!! You step into the house and realize its a power cut and things don't look better when you pick up the newspaper and read that daily two and half hours of power cut will proceed from the next week. At last you lie on the granite floor, to that coolness which makes you reject the warm mattress...and slip into a semi-trance of a sleep!!!

Its a Sunday afternoon and I've just stepped out of the cool Screen 5 from E-Square when a queer, sweet smell hits me!!!Ain't that the smell which comes which farmers wait for during a draught.. the one which beckons that the rains are here....the sweet smell of a wet ground. We rush to the balcony of the multiplex and Ahoy there!!! The summer's first rain had arrived. Hey!! I had written last year about the first rain ("Along Came the Rain")......but this one was a shocker..it had arrived when least expected!!!While my friends who were playing cricket got pelted with hailstones, the wind too was a fierce, howl!!! All and all, even if it was for 2 days, the cool joy it brought was heaven itself!!!!

Love a tree....

The following pic is of a gift which my friend gave when she visited Pune...yeah!!It's only a dried leaf with some scribbles on it....... She wrote these while she was sitting in front of a supermarket ..... The words which were penned on it are posted below the pic....

IF LEAVES WERE A TREE’S THOUGHTS, HAVE YOU WONDERED WHAT A MIGHTY THINKER A TREE MUST BE?
I WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREETS OF PUNE WHEN THROUGH THE DUST AND GRIME OF THE CITY CAME A FLASH OF RED-A LIITLE SPOT OF VERMILLION FLUTTERING AND SETTLING DOWN ON A DUSTY EARTH.
DOES A TREE WEEP? WOULD LEAVES BE THE TEARS OF A TREE? DOES A TREE EVER MOURN THE LOSS OF A TEAR, THE LOSS OF A TREE?
DOES A TREE FEEL TICKLED EACH TIME A WORM CRAWLS ALL OVER IT? OR JUST TICKLED BY A STRAY THOUGHT?
CAN YOU SEE A TREE GIGGLING IN ITS LEAVES?
HAVE YOU RUFFLED A TREE’S MANE?
HUG A TREE….

My friend is neither an environmentalist nor a social activist..she is neither a Medha Patkar nor a Maneka Gandhi...she is just one among us.... one who cares!!! Do you care????

Once Again...

I had to blog....for 6 months cause I was really busy....and slowly life had become a mundane existence...I mean...Morning office, back home by 11, next day the same thing..and on weekends, 14-17 hrs of sleep!!! Freak....I was becoming a pukka S/W engineer.....the tummy had already started expanding with the continuous "Bottom stuck to the chair" cycle.......... and yeah our net connections had been removed:(
So what's been going on with me for the past 6 months..Considering the fact that I started this post in October....well to say the least, some really good things happened....here they are:-

1)I got mine own digi cam after waiting for 5 years....i mean buying something with your own cash after saving up really counts...its a Canon S2 IS and I really love it like hell....so you got it right!!!Been clicking away in GBs......

2)Had a tremendous get together with my training batch mates in Hyderabad...roamed around Char Minar(attached pic taken with my new cam;) and Golconda.... I have been to Golconda fort thrice and every time it's like a new experience...........

3) Went home during Durga Puja (celebrating it in Kolkata after a long time)...there was a variety of pandals.... if one was of glass the other had sand sculptures....one was of stamps and another of cane.....The City of Joy amazes me each and every time and I enjoyed capturing it in my camera!!!

4)Went to US of the A in November for a month on office work.... it was a Monday when I got my visa and the same sunday i was flying.... tentative, nervy and of course with a sense of expectation.... I was based in Detroit (The Motor Town)

..and though I was there for only 1 month , was able to visit Indiana, have my first Thanksgiving lunch with a nice American family, saw and fooled around in the first snow of my life with Ravi and Niki (my closest friends there) and bought my first pair of Nike sneakers:)

The first thing I bought with my dollars was a hotdog and black coffee which was around 6 dollars( ma god...45*6= 270rs for a sandwich and coffee was the first thing which passed thru my head.... however within a day stopped those mental conversions!!!)
All and all the trip was nice but coming back was nicer:)

5)Spent New Year day at Kashid Beach..a beautiful white sand beach around 1 hour from Alibagh....there were 8 of us...and with bonfires, fried fish and sleeping on the sand till 4 in the morning, 2007 New Year day is one which I would not forget in a hurry!!! Morning went to a fort called Murud Janjira, which was surrounded by sea on all sides.....with its canons and 19 buruj, its a must see place in Maharashtra!!!

P.S: Got net connection at my place so more posts to follow soon!!!!!!!