Week long Hug

Dear Readers, This is a post in connection to my Hug therapy for one week. Guess what, it really worked so well that each day brought a lot of surprises and reasons to smile and recall. Each day had its own melody that embraced me.

I: “Hey you know what.  I have thought about doing a therapy”, said with enthusiasm in my voice.

He: “Oh, What is it? “, asked with eagerness while he was tying his shoe lace.

I: “This is called Hug therapy. I am going to give virtual hugs to my friends and loved ones. The moment they see my hug, it will give a chance to smile in midst of their busy lives. It will bring a smile to their face”, replied with twinkle in my eyes.

He:  “Wow, so why not start with me?” said carrying his office bag. He was about to leave for work. Hearing that, I hugged him at that very instant and wished him goodbye. He smiled and waved his hand. I thought how a hug does wonders and brings happiness to one’s lives. I smiled and lifted my cell to start my first day of hug therapy.

A Hug: To embrace or cling together closely. This is a definition of Hug as per thefreedictionary.com

But it has more to it than we know. Hugs are supreme way to express affection towards someone. It shows that you are affectionate about a person and that you are ready to support them in a special way. Hugging has various types. Not every Hug would indicate that you are close to someone. A Hug when done casually without any physical intimacy could mean that the person is not close to you. It may be the first time you guys met or it’s a business Hug wherein employees are superiors give to each other. 

A Hug when done tightly, squeezing the other person could indicate that the person performing the action is very domineering and exhibits the autocratic nature. When the arms touch the other person’s neck or waist or back with a soft embrace would mean a love Hug or affectionate Hug. It would indicate that both the parties are extremely comfortable and are emotional towards each other. It could also symbolise the reunion of two parties after certain period of absence. Both of them could clap each other on their backs if they ought to or else if one wants to prolong the hug could do without claps. Leaning would augment the intimacy that Hug carries.

A Hug when done perfectly could reach longer heights and determine one’s love towards another. It is a way to communicate without words and extending a care to the other person.

I would like to discuss how  my therapy proceeded.

1.      Giving Hug: This was my first hug to my dear ones.  “Giving” is as you know a noble activity. Our conventional wisdom says that “More you give, Less you have” but truth is More you give, More you will have. – from the book, The ultimate gift. When you give someone with all your heart, you will get the blessings from that very person. The sense of satisfaction which you get speaks volumes. The smile which you have brought in their faces will give you happiness making the moment worthwhile.

2.      Fun Hug: What is your meaning for Fun? What all attributes you add to the word Fun? What comes to your mind when you hear this word? One would want to have Fun by doing lot of fun giving activities. Dancing, listening to music, chitchatting, writing, reading, singing and much livelier activities. So this Hug asks one to have fun and give fun or entertain some one that day.

3.      I am there for you Hug:  “I will be there for you, when the rain starts to pour, I will be there for you, like I have been there before, I will be there for you, cause you are there for me too”. I hope these beautiful lines from the title track of Friends show would come to one’s mind when I talk about this Hug. T would term this Hug as my special Hug in all my Hugs. The reason is because it shows that no matter what I am there for my friends. If they are facing tough times or having a low phase, I am right next to them to help them and support them. Not only in happy times you can call me but also if any harder times you have to confront.

4.      Let’s Dance Hug: Dance is meditation. Dance is just not moving your hips and body to the rhythmic tune of music but giving a sense of stability and control to your heart and soul. Dance is when your heart connect to the soul and reach to the path of divine. So Let’s let our hair down and start shaking our body.

5.      Secured Hug: This Hug shows how secured I feel when am with you. I am comfortable to your warmth that you pour on me. Same way, I want to Hug you to make you believe in me and be secured with me.

6.      Smile Hug: Smile is the prettiest curve on one’s body. I hope everybody would agree to this point. When you smile, you give signal to your loved one that you are agreeing to their point. You are happy with them and with their work, So smile and make the world happy as it increased your face value.

7.      Let’s celebrate Hug: Chocolates, Disney land, Movies, Games. These are means to celebrate out world and life. More than this, you need to have a internal stimulates to enjoy and celebrate your life. These are just external factors which gives you satisfaction for temporary period. What is important is having known the fact that no matter if you have materialistic aspects or not, you still have to celebrate your life and keep on moving like a bird. So enjoy our little achievements. When you have attempted some new recipe, so hug yourself and smile for your new progress. Look back what you were and Look now what you are. Calculate the difference. I am sure you hade lot of moments to smile and celebrate.

This was my Hug therapy for a week which gave me lot of wonderful memories, the memories which will hold me tightly and the memories which will linger forever.

Thank you to all my pretty friends who helped me in this journey and sending replies to my Hugs. Treat this as my personal gratitude to your message. 

Gardening - A Magical Experience

“Show me the garden, I shall tell you what you are” – Alfred Austin

At the very instant, you may think the statement to be eccentric but if you notice deeply you will know the intricate meaning.  You may pass a comment saying how one can know about one’s nature by looking at one’s garden. It may sound way too remote from reality. I would like to give you some insights of your nature in relation to mother- nature.

The above statement of Alfred Austin shows how Austin deeply regarded the garden. It shows his immense love for the plants and the fragrance spreading colourful flowers. He has studied the nature of plants and depicted us the theory behind it through his words.

 Gardening is not only harvesting a crop, reaping a field, sowing seeds, tending plants, watering those which will turn out to be beautiful flowers but also putting our hands in dirt while the mercury boils, scattering the seeds with our hands in the soil, putting essential fertilizers for the crops, pouring fresh water and leave it to face the sun for photosynthesis. To nurture a garden entails involvement of heart and soul. Only physical effort will not turn our garden into beautiful place. What is more mandatory for the plants to grow is the mental investment.  

Austin has stated that kind of thoughtful meaning towards the garden. The ‘what’ in his statement would mean a larger spectrum. When you walk inside someone’s garden, you could see how the garden seems to you. Whether it signifies messy, dishevelled, unorganized or a work of art? This would help you understand their habits and personality or style pattern.

When I come to my garden, it gives me tremendous peace. The way my plants shake their head softly dancing to the rhythmic tunes of wind is remarkable. As soon as I get up in the morning, it has become a morning ritual to water them. I feel any mother would attend her child after waking up keeping aside her own chores. They are special to me in each and every way. I want to be there in their growing journey. I and my spouse would see to it that it gets pure nourishment. We would even stand there and see if news buds have sprouted and if there is rise of new leaves. It gives us great ethereal pleasure. Lot goes in the creation of lovable and adorable garden which in return will provide you with glory and magical essence.

Going a distance ............. From you or from life.

Is it necessary to follow detachment? Can one maintain a safe distance with one you love?

That day, my neighbour came to my place. Twice in a week, we follow a ritual to drink tea over a nice conversation. We were discussing lot of social issues, festival scenarios, and family issues. 

Hailing from Kerala and brought up with seven siblings, one could not be totally isolated from each other’s life. This is what everyone could gather but she asked me to maintain a safe distance from everyone including my spouse. She told me that we should not be totally dependent on anyone. Our love should be limited and should not exceed a particular line. After talking with her for an hour, we both went back to our work.

Next day

The time came when my plants invited to their heaven or was it my heaven. I love being with them. Let me save this for my next blogpost. When I was watering them, I gave a thought on my neighbour’s words. Though I listened to her with great pleasure, I sincerely don’t agree to what she said the previous day. Does love should be conditional? Do I have to restrict myself in pouring love to my loved ones? I don’t think so. We human beings can talk about detachment but can we really follow? I can say that a person could make a bread for her/his spouse or make a coffee for her/his spouse but should not drink coffee from same cup or have the same loaf of bread.

 Though I say this, I am not a person who draws a line in each and everything. If I am in love with someone, I give entire myself to that person come what may. I invest my emotions, feelings and time for that person. Life should be happening. This could happen only when someone is ready to fall in love, ready to enjoy each and every moment with that person. Obviously, I cannot be the same person when someone rubs my shoulder in wrong manner. Can one measure the safe distance? How much? Can the distance vary from person to person? It would really take time to take in those words of my neighbour. Forget about understanding those. May be I would when I reach her age. Till then Let me be myself giving my soul and heart to one I love and to the passion I follow.

As Going a distance from YOU means I am distancing myself from LIFE.

Diwali celebrations - A revolution

I have always attached Diwali festival with lots of crackers, Diyas and auspicious pooja and mouth watering sweets. It is a perfect atmosphere for the loved ones, family and   friends to catch up and light the crackers or immerse themselves in lively chatter or sumptuous sweets.

But today all of a sudden I wonder what has happened to the charm that Diwali came up with. Gone are the days that I used to wake up by the noise of laxmi bombs or heavy crackers. I waited for the clock to tick 12 so that I will hear some noise. But my wait was futile. It was pitch dark in my society. The lights that they put up on the main assembly hall for the festival was also switched off. I went to sleep after wishing my parents and husband.

 Next comes the Phones. Long back, I used to count number of calls that brightened our morning on the Diwali day. It used to be a marathon as if people were standing in the line to wish us for the auspicious day. Now people have migrated to virtual wishes. Now I have to sit and count the number of messages that I received in Whatapp and other such social networking / chat applications. Phew!! Is it so interesting? I wonder.

 There were definitely people ushering into my house to wish but their eyes were glued to the phones. They were typing the ‘thank you’ or ‘wish you the same’ messages to their friends and loved ones rather talking to the person opposite them. What happened to those days? Wish I could just rewind or go to no technology mode.

Definitely we are addicted to the virtual world and are unaware of its consequences. Days would come when we would see the pictures of sweets and families on the networking apps on the Diwali day and feel satisfied. Neither I would be surprised nor would I complain.         

Voice of my Coffee Mug...............In her own words.

I gave you comfort

When you were lonely

I quenched your thirst

When you were thirsty

Be it books, be it friends

Or be it conversations

To you, I was the central attraction

Dreamy days passed, sleepless nights faced

I was there with you in each and every low phase

You used to hold me like your own baby

At times, I came first in comparison to your hubby

Conspiracy you planned, secrets you whispered

I listened to it and never did I share

You wrote poems and prose

I stood by your side, the evening when the sun had set and the morning when the sun rose

Always have kept you on your feet

My taste matched yours and you have always danced with me for every single beat

The scent of me you inhaled

That gave you enough spirit whenever you tried and fail

Sometimes black, sometimes bitter, sometimes sugary or sometimes with more milk

Every time you poured, I kept silent and never did I sulk

Jokes that you cracked with your pals,

I often gave a smirk and a hearty laugh

When the rain gods showed mercy,

You took me in your arms and wrote endlessly

Your verses got better and better with every sip and lick

 Today suddenly where your emotions towards me hid?

 Now that she arrived, you have abandoned me

 May be my colour has faded or maybe I have grown old

 But I am still ‘Me’ and will give you great company

 Because of me, your ideas get sold

 I solemnly listen to my equal jump in joy

I did not come to your life as a toy

Listen to my emotions, wipe my tears

Embrace me and Treat me like your peer

Love and warmth, from you I procured

I always have felt secured

Today I wait patiently enough

For you to lift me and say to me that I will always love you that our relation is solid and tough

Today I wait patiently enough

Today I wait patiently enough.........

White Beauty

That white beauty shines on us

But we couldn’t stop smiling and we give a sigh thus

Seeing it wrapped in white satin with a snowy muslin

Delightful pleasure we are in

Bigger and bigger each night its spark grows

Within it are our little finery and big hopes

Things we possess and things we aspire

Grows small when we take a look at it and admire

Bliss you were, bliss you will be, you look like a white silk

We bow to you, our prayers we offer to you and never would we sulk

I neither know the night nor does the day complete without you

You offer rest to the scorching sun, the lovers seek ecstasy by walking with you

Thy comfort thou give, your name Bonnie and I give that to you

My world, my life, my pretty view, let all surround you.

  

Guest Post by Ms. Bhuvaneshwari Ramesh

She hid and saw him Wherever he went But never could she say of what she felt

All her dreams were on him He was her future that she was searching

His smile made her smile His sadness made her shed tears

But it was a pain that she had to bear..... Her heart loved him to the core..

But she couldn't ask for more.. For never could she say What he was to her

After all,she was his SURROGATE MOTHER!!!!!!

Seven beautiful Petals of flower called Marriage

“Marriage is not a noun. Its a verb. Its not something you get. Its something you do. Its the    way you love each other every day.” – Anonymous.

1.       Togetherness is the heart and soul. : Whatever chores you carry out, do it with your spouse. This makes your relationship grow stronger and stronger. When you clean the house, do it together. When you lay the bed, join hands. When you clean the kitchen table, share it with your spouse. Go out together for grocery and household shopping. This may not be possible for them whose partner is staying abroad. I would like emphasize on the point that sharing the work with each other reduces the load on one person and at the same time gives pleasure to work in a team. The work gets over quickly and both of you will feel rejuvenated. It also gives an opportunity to learn how the other person is handling the job effectively.

2.       Communication: Speak out. Whatever happens at home, communicate effectively. When you argue with each other, don’t raise your voice unnecessarily. Communication doesn’t mean that one should go on talking and talking without providing the other person to put forth their point. Listening is the active form of communication. Listen first what other person is trying to say and then speak. Blessed are those whose partner has good listening skills. By doing this you will find the common solutions or common ground to the problem and problem would cease to remain as a problem. After a daylong work, spend some one hour talking to each other. Hear out what other person is going through. Whether anything is bothering him or her? How was the day for him or her?

3.       Laugh a lot, cry a little: Each day will speak its own story. Some days will be rosy, some will be without any charm but what makes your relationship important is you laugh it out when you face the tough times. Laughter cleanses the soul. You should understand your partner better and show little empathy. The best way is to keep the positive energy in bulk and throw away the negative energy in trash. Laugh till your stomach pains. Share the jokes together. Share all the lovely things that happened during the day. Also speak out the not so pleasant things that happened during the day. This way you will leave out the negative energy from your body and will be done with once and for all.

4.       Get yourself a ME time: Like Sharing is beautiful; giving each other their own time is remarkable. One should have a freedom or equal space to enjoy the fruits of marriage. Let he or she go out with their own set of friends, let them spend some quality time with their own parents and siblings. In this way, you are telling him or her that the relationship with the loved ones is important. This will strengthen your mutual understanding. So next time, you share the space, also provide them a sweet ME time to enhance their hobbies, passion and life.

5.       Spend  time watching your favourite serials or songs with your spouse: You have finished your meals. You are ready to hit the bed. Thats okay but make sure that you spend atleast couple of hours with your spouse. You could watch your favourite movies or serials or listen to melodious songs. When you listen to songs, sit close to each other and talk about the lovely lyrics and lovely music that song is offering. It would be double delight to your ears. Even in bed, read the book aloud. Share comics book and read and laugh at the same time. Weekend is the best time to show your spouse how much you love him/her. So get your culinary skills together and cook some mouth watering dish that will soothe their mind and soul. For effective results, both of you could work on some new recipe and enjoy the sumptuous meal and pleasure of sharing your time.

6.       Hang out

Visit places together. You could go to the places that you had visited before marriage. This will rekindle your sweet memories and bring back those old times. Hanging out provides you a different perspective to life. You will meet many people on the way. Also you could sign up for some rejuvenating and relaxation oriented classes like dance, foreign language or yoga. This will give both of you a great time to spend time with each other and make new friends. Once in a year, visit some place that you have never been before. It will improve your outlook by interacting with people who follow different cultures.

7.       Resolve and not Rebel.

The last but not least of all is here. You could fight with your partner. You could just argue about any topic. But please remember; never go to bed without resolving. Try to mend the torn shoe at the very instant or else you will not be able to walk properly and you may fall. A torn shoe is not civilized too. Likewise, your relationship will attract friction. At the same time, try not to rebel. If you have made the point, give the other person few minutes to understand your point and then talk. May be few minutes of your silence will give some insight to read your mind and perspective. One who makes it work will not have any baggage of hatred in their mind.

These petals are tightly stuck with each other. If one of these seven petals is plucked, the flower is damaged forever. So bind your relationship together like these petals to enjoy the fragrance of love. As the saying goes, “ Getting Married is not important but being married is”.

Word Fiction - Tears

                Tears have its own story. Scientifically, it is the liquid which lubricates the eyes as well as clean the eyes. But does it stop there? No, every tear has a reason behind it. Some are sad, some are happy and some are those that we cannot draw any inference to it. Some are baseless.

                It’s good to shed few tears at periodic intervals. Our heart becomes light and we feel rejuvenated. That sounds perfect but what happens when tears stop at the corner of the eyes but doesn’t fall. It becomes heavier than what your heart would be without shedding tears.

               That was what happened to Shanaya. Shanaya neither cried nor she could stop her tear from coming and standing in the tip of her eyes. The love of her life was travelling abroad. Despite being good friends and awesome buddies, she did not share her feeling towards him. He was in the dark with respect to her feelings.

Cell phone rang. It was her best friend Archana.

Hey Shan, What time are you leaving from office?, said Archana from other end.

Yeah I will be leaving at 6.30 and I would be there sharp at 7 at the airport, replied Shanaya recollecting her thoughts.

Shanaya hung up. She felt strange. She thought tonight, she will cry and let go the pain. After gathering all her strength, she started working on her unfinished tasks so that she may leave at the said time to see off Rajat as he was leaving for abroad to pursue higher education.

Word Fiction - Mystery

That  shine in her eyes, that magnetic charm on his face spoke volumes. But all was mystery to Naina. She wanted to know more about them. What was the story behind their romance? What made them apart? What made them die? She wanted to know more and more.

“Naina, Please get up beta. Why are you sleeping till 10.a.m. Don’t you have school?”, called out Naina’s mother from kitchen room.

Naina was alarmed hearing her voice. Why this mysterious dream keeps on coming and bugging her. Why does it make her curious to know what her dream was all about? She liked to sleep more and more just to know the details of her dream. But it was a futile exercise. The dream started and ended with the same scenes and did not divulge more details. Naina washed her face and brushed her teeth and started her day with confused look.

She was late for her school. She couldn’t concentrate on the subject but wonder about her dream. The bell rang. When she came outside the classroom, she heard two teachers speaking about the murder of a couple down the street. Listening to the story of their love, marriage and separation and their murder, Naina’s head became heavy. Why was she getting the dream of that couple? How was she involved in this situation? She was just a girl of fourteen and this sudden mysterious dream had hit her like a tsunami wave. It was 5.30 p.m. School bell rang again and school was done for the day.

“Hey Naina, Are you coming with me”, asked Sheema with an innocent smile.

“No Sheema, I am taking Abdul Alli road today. I have to go somewhere”, said Naina with a confused look.

Sheema was puzzled by her friend’s behaviour. She said okay and left by bus. 

Soon after that, Naina quickly walked by the Abdul Ali road and stood by the huge bungalow. She asked the security whether the person is available. He asked her the details and let her in. The name in the door read” Ms. Ankita Joshi – Psychologist and Counsellor. 

GUEST POST - Fiction By my Sweet Husband - The Innovator Who Succeeded

“Fix these minor glitches, and we are ready to roll !”, said Mr. Khurana with an emphatic smile and patted Ravi on his back, upon reviewing the new and the most unconventional prototype for the exhaust heat conservator.

“Thank you Sir. I’ll be back with the corrections by the end of the day”, said Ravi and went back to the workshop to his team and his tools.

This was a significant step, and yet another feather in the cap of achievements, for Ravi Malhotra, mechanical engineer by qualification, and intern and a prospective full time employee, at Khurana Furnace Works. Ravi was not so much the top ranked in his class, but he was the best innovator in his batch at BITS, Pilani. That’s what caught Mr. Khurana’s eye when he went there to recruit interns for his factory. Khurana had put down one of the actual problems from his furnace as a case study for the candidates. Ravi had barely made the cut-off and was among the last few to have submitted his case study for review. The solutions presented by some of the other candidates were in line with what Khurana had in mind. He had almost made up his mind to call a couple of them for further interview.  That’s when the moderator presented him with Ravi’s case study. To say that he was completely surprised would have been an understatement. The solution was absolutely in contrast to what most of the other candidates had proposed. Khurana was almost agitated when he started reading the solution initially. How could something as preposterous as this can even work. But something in his mind told him to continue reading the solution further. And as he read further, he started liking the solution better and better. In fact, it seemed so simple and straightforward. This had to be the only way to approach the problem. This was so intuitive. How could he not have thought about this? How could he, Mr. Anand Khurana, the great engineer the whole Furnace industry looks up to, have missed such an obvious solution. He decided then and there to hire Ravi. The interview was more of a process formality, which saw Ravi bag the offer formally. 

Ravi was delighted to get this opportunity to work for Khurana Furnace. This had been his dream company even before the company confirmed its participation in the placement process. He had always been awed by the genius of Mr. Khurana. He had read about Mr. Khurana’s accomplishments in the field of Furnace Engineering. He had come to be widely regarded as the Father of modern Furnace Engineering in industrial circles in the country. Some of his ideas on Furnace design had been instrumental in improving the Furnace Efficiency as well as in delivering significant energy savings to a lot of companies. Ravi had also read about Khurana’s upcoming research in Exhaust technology to minimize the heat loss and further improve the Furnace efficiency, and was very much interested to participate in and contribute to this research. Thus, his surprise knew no bounds when he was told by Mr. Khurana that he would be working on the Exhaust project as part of his internship. This was a huge responsibility for an intern, but then that was the level of trust and confidence Mr. Khurana had in Ravi.

The loud knocks on his cabin brought Ravi back to the present. The memories from 23 years past, still fresh as yesterday, slowly faded as he looked at the door. There was some pause and then some more knocking. And then some more pause.

“Sir, we need your help. We seem to have a problem, sir.”, came a voice from across the door.

Ravi’s eyes lit up. He loved problems and providing solutions to problems. 

“Come in.”, said Ravi.

Two junior engineers entered inside. They were not carrying anything with them. For a moment, Ravi was baffled. How could they approach him with a problem and not carry any plans and designs where he can provide his input. He didn’t speak yet. He just raised his eyebrows.

“Sir, the Kundanwadi plant union is demanding better facilities and a higher pay. They threaten to strike work if their demands are not met. “, said Prasad, one of the Junior Engineers.

“Do you have a list of their demands ?”, asked Ravi.

“No. We don’t have it with us right now. I’ll ask the Kundanwadi Plant Manager to mail it over.”, said Rajesh, the other Junior Engineer.

“Okay. What about the pay?”

“The union demands pay revision for the class C and D workers.”

“When was the last pay revision done? Is it in lines with the HR guidelines?”

“Uhm... I need to check this with HR, sir.”

“What is the backup if these employees were to strike. How much buffer capacity do we have to sustain operations. How much can we cross-ship from our other factories?”

“I’ll need to gather these details from the other plant managers, sir”, said Prasad.

Ravi was silent for a full minute. Gathering all the calm he had, he said,

“Please gather all the relevant information from the required sources and then let’s talk this. I cannot suggest anything without any data”.

“Okay Sir”, said both Prasad and Rajesh and went away.

The door closed behind them and Ravi put his head in his hands. He was frustrated with the current crop of employees in the company. Nobody seemed to be willing to take any firm stance and a decision. Nobody seemed to have any data to do so either. Production was slowly but consistently going down. Costs were increasing. The orders were there, but still lesser than what used to be during Khurana’s time. It almost seemed to him as if the fortunes turned downhill the day Khurana named him his successor 7 years ago. From being an intern to an Engineer to Senior Engineer to a Specialist, his progress in the company was rapid. All throughout, his sole focus was to improve the Furnace Efficiency and Productivity. He wasn’t aware of his surroundings. He didn’t bother much to socialize and make friends out of his colleagues. He was an absolute favourite of Mr. Khurana and that saw him receive many favours as well. Now that Mr. Khurana was stepping down and a successor was needed, everybody knew that Ravi was in the front. It came as little surprise then that Khurana named Ravi as the next MD and CEO of the company. Obviously this caused some discontent among the senior VPs who were more skilled and equally loyal, to see someone so junior surpass them for the top job. As a result, the company lost out some good leadership.

All through his career, being in a role which demanded him to focus on his love – Furnace, it now became difficult for him to shift his focus to the broader issues demanded out of a CEO. Over the last 7 years, he lost touch with the R&D to track the new developments. As also, the loss of leadership meant fostering new ties with a new set of people. This had seemingly proven more difficult to Ravi than he had originally estimated. Today, after 7 years of holding fort, he was on the verge of a breakdown. How had it come down to this state. He, a mechanical engineer, a lover of Factories and furnaces, with a passion for innovating, had ended up as an MD of the company. Anybody else in his place would have been proud of this accomplishment. But Ravi didn’t seem to feel proud. He didn’t seem to feel happy about it. Rather, if anything, he felt discontented. Any time he had had a problem, he would reach out to Mr. Khurana and get a patient ear from him. Besides any solution, Khurana had always provided him with good advice. But that was so long as Khurana was the CEO. Ravi hadn’t kept up touch in the last 7 years. But today was going to be different. He fidgeted with the telephone receiver for about 10 mins, but couldn’t get the courage to call Mr. Khurana. He poured himself a glass of water and gulped it in one go. He took his hand towards the receiver and the phone rang just then.

“Hello !”

“Hey Ravi. Long time no see, my friend. How are you doing?”

It was Mr. Khurana’s voice on the other side of the phone. Ravi, as though lost his voice upon hearing Mr. Khurana speak. 

“Hello. Ravi, you still there ? Can’t hear you boy !”

“Ahh. Yes sir. I’m here.”, said Ravi almost choking on his own words. 

Khurana was quick to understand that something was wrong. He didn’t drag along and invited Ravi over for coffee right away. Ravi came over to the Khurana residence. He was dressed in smart formals, but his drooped shoulders and slow gait gave away the struggle that he was going through. Khurana had him seated in the frontyard which had a small garden. Presently Khurana arrived and asked the house help to get them coffee.

“So, my son. How are things lately. Seems you’ve been keeping quite busy. Haven’t had much time to talk with your old man, eh?”

Ravi was silent for a long while. But Khurana was a seasoned man. He knew how to get people talking. And soon he realized that being CEO was not driving Ravi as much as it had driven him. Khurana gave him a good talk to raise his spirits. As he left for home that evening, he appeared a changed man. He was beginning to internalize the knowledge from the evening.

The next day he came in and straightaway asked for the HR Manager. 

“Mr. Raghuram. Kundanwadi plant seems to be having some issues. Could you please take leadership on checking the case. I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with a couple of good proposals to resolve the demands. Let’s talk about this in the evening today. Also, I want to discuss some policies regarding employee welfare. Let’s talk now.”

Next he called the engineering department and asked to send over the Senior Engineer, Mr. Prakash in. 

“Prakash, I don’t think I have seen any “Contingency Plan” anywhere so far. I’d like you to assess the material impact that we would have if we face a shutdown in our plants. Please have a plan ready for me to evaluate by the end of tomorrow. Use all resources you need. Involve me as necessary.”

Quality Control was next. Followed by R&D. And thus, one after the other, he picked up all the loose threads and started knotting them up together. He then went on the workshop floor. He asked all the employees to join him and then addressed them. He gave a 10 minute speech motivating them to give their best, and expect the best from the company. He announced a slew of measures he had drafted and validated with HR. 

Lastly, he went into the innovation center. He saw a young boy of twenty two working out a complex equation on the blackboard all by himself. He seemed to be working on some design model. Ravi couldn’t make out from the distance as to what it could have been. He waited patiently for the next 30 minutes for the boy to notice him and come to talk to him. But it wasn’t to be. The boy was totally engrossed in his work. Ravi could see the same passion in the boy as he had when he was an intern here. Just when he was about to leave, the boy exclaimed loudly and gave a fist pump in the air. Smiling, but not surprised, Ravi cleared his throat.

“Oh. Sorry sir. I didn’t realize you were here”, said the boy.

“Tell me about this thing you are working on. You seem to be pretty passionate about it”, said Ravi.

“Oh Yes sir. I am working on this next generation exhaust technology, which would improve the exhaust heat conservator efficiency by upto 85%. It has not been implemented by anyone in the industry as a key link in the chain was missing so far. I think I have just got that element implemented in my prototype design. Would you like to see it sir?”

Ravi was now surprised, pleasantly, to hear these words after so long.

“Absolutely. Let me see it”, said Ravi.

He eagerly got the model to Ravi and the next half hour was spent in reviewing, discussing and analyzing the prototype. A totally unconventional design, but yet simple and intuitive. Ravi was impressed to say the least. Here was a boy who reminded him of himself.

“I have not seen much of you here. Are you new here?”

“I am an intern sir. I joined two weeks back. I specialized in Exhaust Furnaces and this is my area of core interest.”

“What’s your name, son?”

“Anand sir. Anand Malhotra”.

“Fix these minor glitches, and we are ready to roll !”, said Ravi with an emphatic smile and patted Anand on his back.

Cell Beeps – A call of Hope in Lathika’s mind.

It was Ten A.M. Standing in the bus line, she was reading a set of financial papers. “Madam, Could you please go inside the bus?”,  Shouted a fellow who stood behind her.

Hurriedly, dumping her papers inside the Gucci Handpurse, She ventured inside and stood quietly. It was a bright sunny day of October in Mumbai. People were facing a tough time with the heat that transition period offered. And Lathika had to face another Interview. 

Today was just like any other day for her. Since last eight months, she was just prepping herself for the group discussion, personal interviews, series of interview rounds which followed, telephonic rounds, aptitude tests etc. Every odd interview she went, she thought she will make it anyhow. She pulled all the stops to succeed the interview but the truth is she did not. She had to make two hours of travelling to and fro to attend the interview sometimes. All she wanted to try and try to get in somehow.

Hello, please take me through your CV.

Lathika smiled and gave her entire background, worklife experiences, challenges that she faced and overcame. It was not a tough attempt for her. The flow was as easy as if she has recited her CV. It spoke of her experience. The experience of giving multiple interviews. Before the interviewer could ask, she was aware what would be the next question. Strengths, weaknesses, reason for leaving the job, the company profile, current CTC, expected CTC, notice period and blah blah blah.

Would you be able to handle the pressure the job will offer? What she would answer? She did not know if she could handle that pressure or not but the pressure which every company provided in the form of not giving her feedbacks was what she was handling it efficiently.  

After 30-40 minutes of discussion, the manager asked her to wait in the lobby for feedback. If you talk about ‘wait’, Lathika is very good in handling that. As she waited after each round patiently to know what exactly the feedback is, what went wrong, when would be the next HR call. After following up with them, ultimately she had to wait.  Lathika gave a nod and waited in the lobby.

As she was reading the outlook magazine, she saw a healthy girl carrying heavy back bag. She smiled at Lathika and asked her how the interview went. In an instant, you could make out that the girl was fresher. Lathika quickly told her the series of questions that the interviewer asked her and came back to her magazine. It was close to one hour that she waited outside the interview room. She asked twice to the receptionist about the feedback but did not get any answer. Lathika distracted herself thinking about the pending work that she had to do for her wedding. It was just 2 months remaining for her wedding and she had to finish several tasks. And then when she closed the outlook,a tall HR lady walked in. She was wearing high heels, tight formals with a dark brown lipstick. HR and its flamboyancy, Lathika thought. She told Lathika to carry on and they will call with the feedback after evalutating few people. Lathika was frustrated, angry but at the same time she did not wanted her day to go bad. She smiled again to that HR lady and walked out. Now elevator teased her by making her wait for another 10 minutes. It was eighth floor and she was helpless. She gave a sigh and waited.

The Bus came to an halt.The driver shouted ‘ Kalina ‘ twice. Lathika ‘s stop came. So was her interview venue. She jumped from the bus and thought this time she will make it somehow. It was a new day with lot of hopes,aspirations and dreams. She entered the plush office with a smile on her face. Entering her name on the register, She sat on the first floor meeting room. Yes, she was asked to wait.

Its Sha-nel......

A couple from South India migrated to US as the boy was undergoing an Offshore assignment. Recently shifted , they were very happy with the country and were marvelled with everything that the country was offering.

She was Swati and He was Sharad.

Swati: Hey baby, Whats up?

Sharad: Hi, What you doing honey? I have  a meeting at 6 so finishing up the tasks on hand.

Swati: When you will be done with it? I want to go somewhere.

Sharad: It will take 40 mins. Will come home and then we can head to that place.

Swati: Okay cool.

7.00 p.m.

Swati: I want to go and check out channel. They are offering new bags and accessories.

Sharad: What? Which channel is that?

Swati: I have the address and details. Lets go. It will not take much time from here. Its very near.

Sharad unwillingly accepted his wife’s request and started to drive.

Swati: Yes, Yes, Please stop. Here it is.

Sharad: Watching that, he was awestruck.

And there it was CHANEL. A French fashion brand famous for its fabrics, boutiques and wide range of female accessories. Often Chanel is mispronounced as Channel by the Indians.

So watch out: CHANEL pronounced as Sha-nel and not as Channel.

Leaves and Rains

We were waiting for the morning shower,

We were feeling the warm touch of yours,

Leaving the dead ones wither

Embraced with your sweet whisper

We were drenched,

So were our thirst quenched

By your side, we reached the peak of freshness,

And so was brimmed with happiness

Like a heaven’s light, you were shining on us,

Our hearts sang and danced and thus

Lively and chirpily,

You enhanced our beauty.

Do Nadiyon Ka Sangam

दिल के मेहफील में आकर तुमने अपनी दसतक दी ।
हमारी आंगन में तुम अाने कि आहट सुनि ।
वकत ने लिया हमारा ईमतिहान ।
गुजरे हुए पल ने लिखी नई दासतान ।
बादल के अंदेर में छुपी हुई जिंदगी ने बढाया हमारा तापमान ।
वरशा आई आैर साथ लाई तूफान ।
धडकन हुई तेज और दूर पाया तुम को ।
रोक न पाई अ1सुन, लाख संभाला दिल को ।
यही हे मोहभत ।
आ न पाया ईसके बिच कोई भी ताकत ।
जीता हमने तुमे, तुम ही हो मेरा कल ।
शायद सच ही कहा किसी ने,
परतिकषा करो मीठा होगा फल़

Forgive me for some words as my font does not support some hindi matras. Its pratiksha and vaqt for your kind attention.

Thanks for being polite.

The Garden of Hope

Standing near the garden, she heard someone call out her name twice

She came to her senses and saw her child sigh

Little layers of dust surrounded the porch

She thought it was none other than her man’s shoes

Searching, looking for him she ran and stood near the window

Seeing empty porch, she hid her face under the pillow

Streams of tears danced on her cheeks, slowly wiped her child with her tiny fingers

Rains lashed the city with her muddy stench,

But she cannot forget those 5 years and what happened that day at her garden’s bench

He  was holding a diamond ring with bouquet of roses

Ready to propose her, and they took snaps with many poses

All was a dream which gave her an ache and rosy memories

But her child was the only purpose which would erase her agonies

Slowly she pulled her face up to see her life

Hugging her with full of joy she smiled and was determined to live her life

Peaceful Sunday: Patience

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open. 

Arnold Glasgow, American humorist.

Patience. Taking it slow. In today’s life, one has totally forgotten these things.  Many of us struggle with impatience. At times, even I do. But this leads to many lifestyle diseases which is taking rounds in the city.  One should know that getting impatient would not solve any problem; instead it deteriorates one’s health. It raises our stress level, causes physical harm to our bodies and further damage relationships. It’s very difficult to concentrate on one thing at a time or focus vanishes when we become impatient. A disturbed mind leads to impatient actions. More importantly stress leads to impatience which further leads to stress. Like a circle, it never stops and there is no end point. At the length, it takes us to the dangerous zone. What we don’t know is impatience slows down the process and leads to constant worry. In that process, none of the work gets finished as well as the time taken to finish the task would accelerate.

There is a Spanish Saying:

No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano
Getting up very early won´t make the sun rise any sooner

You have to understand that things would take their time to happen no what what. As they say, “ the early bird does not always catches the worm.

Signs of Impatience:

Doing too many things at a same time.

Talking to people and fidgeting with their phones/ mobiles.

Not maintaining eye contact and rolling one’s eyes while talking.

Getting irritated or shouting while working on something and etc....

4 Ms or Measures to take it slow:

1.    Prioritize your tasks. Allot time for the given tasks. Write down the tasks and how you want to execute it. After each accomplished tasks, tick out the task done.

2.    Learn to say no if someone asks you to finish some of the tasks when you already in midst of something. A firm NO is better than unfinished tasks which you have committed to someone.

3.       Take up few tasks and execute it well. “Too many cooks spoil the broth”. And moreover, you require time to finish the work in an organised or structured way. Too many tasks in hand would lead to chaos .

4.       Practice deep meditation or yoga to help you feel calm and make you patient at work. In a long run it will help you manage things  at a good pace and one will not feel stressed up after doing set of task.

A Happy and peaceful mind can attain many things. Cheers, Have a great Sunday.