Being India

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For months I’ve been raking my brain as to what I can write about a country so diverse,
so different, so unique, so mismatched and yet so imperfectly perfect. I didn’t know
where to begin or where to end….well I still don’t! But as clichéd as it may sound I cant
help but begin by saying “I Love India” and “I Love being Indian”.
  When I say that I obviously do not choose to ignore/forget the rather apparent
weaknesses or what I’d like to call the delta’s of our beloved country. Here is minuscule
sketch of what we Indians are like, focusing on the few apparent key drivers that defines
our being and mostly what we could be and where we can get with just a little bit of
effort.
  India is a state of contradictions .We’ve seen it, experienced it and most importantly have
started living with it. When I think about India today
• I think of poverty where citizens are deprived of the very naked necessities of
Food, Clothing and Shelter and at the same time not forgetting the increasing day-
to-day spends by middle class India which is presently lubricating our consumer
driven economy.
• I think about Indian MNC’s scouting for foreign counterparts for mergers,
acquisitions, JV’s etc etc & at the same time I also see small corporations/
enterprises struggling to survive due to inefficient policies, lack of funds,
politicization of bureaucracy and lacking govt. support.
• I think about rising sports stars (minus cricket) attaining super stardom and finally
getting the appreciation/recognition they truly deserve. At the same time my heart
yearns for doing something about the thousands others who have given up passion
to look for something more “lucrative” and the ones who are struggling to truly
get by.
• I am depressed with the kind of media coverage which I see or read in the papers
where objectivism is invisible, news is synonymous to entertainment and every
trivial mole hill is blow out to a mountain .But at the same time I cannot thank
them enough for the responsibility they have taken while handling few of the past
important events .(Jessica Lal, quota system for e.g.)
• I think of corrupt, selfish politicians who have made it a habit to misguide/mislead
common folks into their talk, into their motives and into their lives. At the same

Pic from Google Images

time I think about ordinary citizens, people like you and me doing extraordinary
deeds, giving all they’ve got and doing what ever little they can to make this a
better place for you and me to live in.
• I think of men, women who place religion above everything, surrendering public
security just for the common good of a particular clan, clique or mob. But I can’t
forget our mighty soldiers, our civil servants who have put their own lives on hold
just so that you and I can sleep in peace every night.
• I feel delighted to belong to the country which produces so many doctors, so
many engineers etc.But I cant help but question why a country like ours lack
inventions, innovations ,discoveries and most importantly great leaders.

  I bet every Indian has placed themselves in atleast few of the above contradictions.
But what actually have we done about it? We take pride in boasting that we have the
largest democracy in the world. How many times have we actually exercised it? How
many times have we realized that we are immensely lucky to be born in a state where
you have the right to voice your opinion and know that it’ll be heard? How many
times have you acknowledged the abundance resources around us and actually tried to
protect it? How many times have you sit down and thought about making a difference
to the country which has given so much to us? How many times have we utilized our
freedom/independence we get every single day in the way we should have?
  I don’t know! I really don’t…Because we are so busy trying to think/talk/walk better
then the others, comparing ourselves to the Chinese, the Americans and everyone
one we can think of, finding faults in the policies, bureaucrats, politicians etc. when
we ourselves cant think of the last time we’ve voted let alone joining any of these
services, leaving no stone unturned in cursing the increasing population not realizing
that this could turn around to be our greatest strength, getting terribly comfortable
in our air conditioned offices and fat pay checks where we don’t remotely make an
attempt to try to do something on our own or dare to dream beyond our regular 9-
6 jobs ,bragging about secularism when you cant even think of marrying someone
outside your own caste/creed/religion ,nagging about dirty roads especially when it
takes tones of effort for us to stop the car/bike and drop the ice cream cup in a bin
and most regularly and constantly fighting with each other like banana republicans,
trying to manipulate the system to suite our selfish need.
  So if you think of it, we are almost entirely responsible for the fate of our country.
Well our grandparents and parents are responsible for things happening today and we
most undoubtedly will be for India’s tomorrow. So fellow citizens we better realize
that we are at this exciting juncture of “India Rising” where every step you take,
every move you make and every dream that breaks count.

After all you are not stuck in the traffic jam, you ARE the traffic jam!!

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It happened in India

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Knowing/reading more about Sam Walton I couldn’t help but compare him with our desi big daddy
of retail in India, Kishore Biyani. For one they are a lot similar: apart from the fact that the Walton’s
started off with the little towns where as Biyani with the metros. From both of them building an
enterprise right from scratch to entering spaces which didn’t make sense, to their incredible timing
at execution and most importantly understanding the grassroots of their respective countries right.
To me which made the most sense.
  Ever thought what if Sam Walton would have replicated exactly what a Carrefour was doing or what
if Kishore Biyani did exactly what Wal-Mart was doing? Not questioning the model, would they stand
where they are today if they hadn’t asked specific questions like Why, Where, When and How in that
particular country?
  It’s hard to tell because every country is different. The Americans travel miles to shop which
happens mostly on weekends while for us, shopping is kind of an outing where the entire family is
accompanied. India is covered with numerous kirana (mom & pop)stores where which pretty much
form about more then 95% of the sales whereas as the relatively bigger departmental stores exist in
the U.S. Biyani’s timing if you ask me was just about perfect where supermarkets and the Shoppers
Stops and Lifestyles pretty much dominated organised retail in India. What’s most fascinating about
him is his India way of doing things, right from the name (Big Bazaar) to the tagline to the store’s
location, choice of merchandises and day to day operations. The Big Bazaars “sabse sata din” to date
I think is one of the most innovative/successful promotions ever. It is 4 day bonanza through the
Indian republic day weekend where there are mega offers and discounts. The entire weeks news
dailies are filled with the product images along their discounted prices. And trust me, if you want to
get a taste of what an Indian customer is you got to visit the Big Bazaar store on this particular day.
Women are moving helter-skelter looking for best deals, bored men standing in one corner with kids
on his side trying best to keep their cool, ground staff trying hard to organise merchandises strewn
all over the place, managers making sure the bill counter is cleared ,guards trying to manage the
batch of frenzied crowd outdoors..wow,all under one single roof! A sight which cannot be missed for
the world..I mean yeh hai India.
  I don’t deny that the Emporio malls and the UB City’s are not ,and believe me I won’t even begin
to the other retails in Big Bazaar space but Pantaloon’s happened at the time when India’s initial
exposure to US was minimal ,the KFC’s ,the Gap’s, the TV shows and the IT boom were just there.
Even though I believe the idea was a little ahead of its time what made it what it is today is the
way he’s got a gradual change in the behavioural patterns of the consumers. He never waited
for consumers to be ready , instead he made sure he was ready for them. Creating value even
before they asked for it for which Kishore Biyani ‘s name is forever inked in the books of retail
revolution in a country where even today is dominated by thousands of street sellers ,hawkers, chat
bandi’s . paan/beedi shops, convenience stores, hand cart and pavement vendors. Yet  Isse Sasta
Aur Accha Kahi Nahi!!

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After effects of Ayn Rand

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  “The Fountainhead” was an immensely satisfying read for me. It helped me re-discover such dimensions of human actions that I was trying to get in peace with from quite sometime. The entire book revolves around numerous complex characters- Ellsworth Toohey, Peter Keating, Dominique Francon, Gail Wynand and Howard Roark and yet communicates an extremely simple thought. The plot revolves around objectivity, but here’s a small brief as to what the book has left in me.

  Ayn Rand talks about 2 kinds of people. The Creators who are defined by what they do, which further defines their motives. They stand in the center of the universe, with no selfish need but their owns. Their belief system is defined not by past learning’s, religious codes or personal prejudices but their very impersonal self. They are the egoists with the highest independence in thought. The second group of people is the ones who survive on the mercy of the others. For them, the truth is not within self but

what people profess them to be. They are the self sacrificing souls whose every move is determined by someone else’s motives, someone else’s opinions and someone else’s mime. They are the Second hander’s.

  In today’s world everything we do is nailed down by what the others want it to be. Beginning with the house we live in, the job we do, the social group which we stick with everything, EVERYTHING is outlined by the third members will. All the things around is sort of automated to us like a computer chip installed in our mind even before we were born and programmed to follow a set of instructions and operations. A good school, an even better college, a fat pay cheque, a fancy house with an ornamental wife/husband tagged with children, a car, retirement/pension plan and death!!Phew! Is there the time to think what you were born to do, what we are meant to be and what we should be as opposed to what we have become?

  Remember the time as kids where you wanted to fly up in the air just like superman, where you’d catch

the flying butterflies to examine its segments , where you wished to paint the city hall , cycling around

the street , taught invisible children in your room ,molded clay from flower pots? Remember the time

where we wanted to grow up to be astronauts, teachers, cyclists, wrestlers, painters etc .Then why did

we end up following the herd pursuing engineering ,medicine or what everyone approved of, of what

everyone was doing anyway? Most stupidly why did we end up being the in-betweenists?

  Ayn Rand in the early 1940’s spoke of the Second-handers and they darn well exist even today. We just

keep giving in, compromising, bargaining our belief system and values on the name of something as

trivial as religion, peer code or unabashed collectivism. We’ve always done that and are continuing to do

so when at the end of the day its just yourself and what I’d like to call the “truth bracket” inside of you

that determines what’s right and wrong. And when you let yourself do that you’re not just demanding

happiness but euphoria.

  So, the choice is entirely yours - to live a second-hander or emerge to be a creator.

PS: Amongst much great learning from the book this one hit me the hardest.

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Mumbai Mania

Fires are rising one after another and one is already feeling the heat.Intolerence is growing and mutinies multiplying .Ahmedabad, Delhi,Bangalore,Assam,Hyderabad,Jaipur,Mumbai…..and NOW WHAT???

Yes , I am writing to you about the recent Mumbai attacks which have stunned not only the country but also the world. The attacks which have shaken the faith of millions of lives.

 I recently visited the commercial capital of India. It was my first visit. As I stepped down the train , dialogues from famous bollywood movies started ringing in my ears. My first impression of this city was that it has its own charm. The old architecture is not replaced by the modern buildings like how it has in other metropolitan cities. The people you see  are in a hurry, hurry to go to work, hurry to get back home , hurry to prove a point. Crowds moving in different directions. People selling pirated DVD’s to Camera ‘s to PSP’s to fake Nike caps. Right from the Queens Necklace to Haji Ali to Breach Candy to Chowpati ,this city can charm anyone with its winsome setup. As the night progresses me too like any college going student headed to this pub called Leopold on Colaba street .Amongst the helter-skelter there , my friend pointed his finger towards the bullet holes on the ceiling. For a second everything paused ,then it occurred to me………Nothing, Absolutely Nothing could deter the faith of its people here. Even after  a series of natural as well as manmade attacks on this magnetic city there seems to be something which can just keep them going no matter what. They seem to forget the hurt too soon.

First the floods, then the blasts at railways stations and then the most recent ones. It was unbelievable hoe people were just shot. The cruelty seemed to have no bounds.Everytime something like this happens we stick to the television sets for hours and then there is a discussion which follows with families, friends,  peers etc.The mourning is just for a day or two and then there are these “light the candles for the brave ‘’shows on popular TV news channels which organize them to increase TRP ratings. Then follows the Ashok Chakra for martyr’s who were killed in the terrorist attacks.6 awards, all posthumous recipients !Looks like you need to die to receive the highest civilian bravery award of the country. What I ‘d like to question is weren’t the staff of Taj brave who kept serving the guests until the chefs in the kitchen were dead?Was’nt the announcer at the V.T . Station brave who kept shouting Danger  over  the  speaker even after he was shot? These are the people who did their duty until their last breath and the government refuses to acknowledge any of them.

  

People were angry, I was .Weren’t you? But what could I have been done. Absolutely nothing!!Which tore me apart. I am sure this is the same feeling of millions of other people in our country  . Frustration ,     Disgust,Repugnance,a sense of helplessness. Whom do we blame??The horrendous terrorists, our fat bellied politicians, our ineffective system, Ourselves?

I say its ourselves ,because we chose to forget the tragedy comfortingly saying to ourselves ‘’ We are Indians, our spirit is a never say die one ,no matter what happens we still wake up each morning ,go to work, come back and pretend as though nothing has happened’’.We continue to blame the government, political parties even without exercising our right to caste a vote. We are taught to love our neighbors as we love ourselves but we easily forget this principle in the entanglement of everyday activites.We are stripped of basic decencies and broad ideals and are getting fractured around narrow groups,vested interests  and petty loyalties.

 But in the end  a Mother lost her son, a daughter her Father ,a wife her husband ,a girl a brother and our country its citizen…….

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F.R.I.E.N.D.S @ 21

So what is it about people who end up making a world of difference to you’re life even though they are not remotely blood related to you? What is it in these people that let you puke all you’re happiness’s and sorrows out without a hitch, whom you dare to be yourselves with?

Well this is my love for all these people who made me what I am and also what I am not. So it’s just a thank you / sorry note in random for all those amazing and rough times we had together

Thank you

·        Asha Tampa: For teaching me something which books could never have

·        Ashish Emanuel  : For being my worst critic when I needed it the most and also when I didn’t :P and most importantly preparing me to “face the world”

·        Ashwini Sen : For introducing me to the world of competition and making me realize that distance or time doesn’t matter for friends to connect/reconnect

·        Bhavana GS : For just being there always  no matter what

·        Chitra & Purnima Maudgil : For teaching me that all that is necessary for survival is a brave heart and a ray of hope

·        Harshita Singhania: For being a perfect living example to “Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well”.

·        Isha Sharma      : For spreading joy all around & increasing the overall standard of  craziness  and stupidity in all our lives

·        Johan Thomas: For helping me discover the things about myself ,I didn’t know even existed

·        Karthik P : For being the person I could always rely on in times of need

·        Karuna Jainapalli :For being one of the coolest people I know since 7 std

·        Kriti Khosla:  For bestowing such unconditional love and being strong pillars of support for not just mine but all our lives.

·        Lakshmi Monika : For being the sweetest ,nicest and the most innocent soul I’ve know since Bachpan

·        Manmeet Dogra: For continuing to intrigue not just me but all of us with your thoughts and actions and bringing warmth (also Heat –if you’ll know what I mean) into all our lives.

·        Mohnish Reddy: For being my punching/tantrum throwing bag and of course an amazing amazing brother

·        Nehal Sanghvi: For helping me appreciate relationships better and getting me fall in love with the Ad world.

·        Priyanka Mittal : For  loving me for what I am and encouraging me to do better at the times I needed it the most

·        Sangeeta Doti : For making early mornings lively just with her vibrant smile

·        Siddharth Banerjee: for being so so good, helping me be the best I could possibly be (& the worst too: D)

·        Siri Avalur : For teaching me that “ No matter what you are you’ll always have something to give” –learning which I ‘d take to my grave

·        Suma :For teaching me that silence is enough to kill

·        Surbhi Sardana: For helping me enjoy the little pleasures in life along with the expensive ones too ;)) and also being the perfect “Partner In Crime”

·        Sushma :For telling me that I am the best even when I was not and also saving me from gobbling up all the medicines each time, right from when I was 3 and most importantly being a sister I never had  

·        Urvash Khanna: For truly being a blessing in disguise and proving that “A man and women cannot be friends” all wrong.

·        Vinayak Vishwanath : For being an absolute sweetheart at all times I could possibly remember

And finally my grandmum and mum, without whom I’d fail to recognize such amazgtivity in people around me. All you guys have become part of me and my personality if you ll want is or no. Well if you guys think I am a good person you’ll know why.

And also this note would be incomplete without me apologizing for hurting you’ll, sometimes consciously and some time not. I am really sorry for being a cranky, moody n an absolute Bitch (Bangalore sweethearts will know better) sometimes, but as you’ll know I don’t mean most of the things I say.

Therefore, Cheers for all our times of Chitter-chatters, late nights masti, Phone conversations, Terrace talks, ego clashes, Class rooms hoopla, royal screw up’s etc etc….well, without them they wouldn’t be us. 

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Reality Check!!

(Pic from Google images)

While growing up movies like Dilwale dulhani Lejayenge and Dil to Pagal hai left a huge impact on me, I too like any other innocent girl used to think and wait for my “Raj” or say prince charming to come and sweep me of my feet ,who would do anything for me like jump from the buildings, get the stars, cross the seven seas just to come and meet me and most importantly love me “forever”!!Fast-forward. 10 years and even today I am here standing waiting for him to come and take me away.

  I am sure that every girl sometime in her life irrespective of being an Indian or not dreamt of herself as Cindrella who will find her perfect prince at the end, who will kiss all her troubles away and hence they will live happily ever after .However as you keep growing from adolescence to a teenager and to a lady ,this perfect picturesque sketch you’ve drawn keeps moving farther away and finally vanishes. It all starts when your 1^st crush whom you dream about day and night doesn’t even throw a single glance at you and then your 1^st love(1^st relationship)where you loose track of your life and do anything and everything to make that one relationship the only one you ever had and will ever do and Bang!!!breakup….and those sleepless nights which make you wonder if he is going to call you and tell you that “we are meant to be together forever’’.Realitycheck!!!He never does…..you see your perfect picture of the perfect one moving away and convince yourself that still there is someone who is there waiting for you and all these relationships are jusssst the wrong ones.

  We see so many cases where the girls are burnt to death either by notorious roadside Romeos or by their grooms itself .Every 12 hours a bride is burnt in Delhi.These brides were also like me or for that matter any girl who was expecting her partner to be the perfect one she pictured as a little girl….Tall ,Dark ,Handsome with a heart of gold least expecting that he would burn her alive for gold.This same girl also thought that her Raj would sing melodious songs for her and dance with her in the rain.

  But now she stands there in the mandap with her head down thinking deeply if all this would ever come true.Inspite of her own experiences,her friends breakups, stories of harassments, live telecasts of rape cases on T.V she stands there having her hopes itched somewhere in the corner of the heart where none can see……..

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