First we build the tools, then they build us :-(

Something that put me to think...The impending Singularity in our future is increasingly transforming every institution & aspect of human life, from sexuality to spirituality

Irritability is immaturity of character. If U R subject 2 being cross & unpleasant with others 4 no apparent reason, U need 2 come face-2-face with the fact that U R thinking too much of Urself. After all, Ur feelings R not the most important things in this world

Something tht I read - I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things...

It was a weekend evening when we got invited by our friends for a Christmas eve get together.
Meeting with friends on weekends is always a bonus as you not only get to meet friends but also get to eat good food!
We reached our friends place and one by one each family started joining the party.
Along with the food, wine and other drinks were also served. I was introduced to one of the friend who was visiting US on a project.
My friend said, meet Shanti she is my schoolmate and she is here on a project. Me and Shanti we had never met before and after we were introduced we just started our conversation and it was a never ending one. From one topic to the other it went on and the best part was that we both got so connected that I was not able to talk to other friends with whom I usually mingle with.
That night when we were parting we exchanged our emails and phone numbers. We were in touch as long she was here and one day she said that she is going back to India as her task is finished here.

She moved to Bangalore and after couple of emails there were no communication. Once in a blue moon she will wake up and send me a mail asking how are things and whenever I am sending greetings to my friends on different occasions she is also included in the emails and so we still connect once in a while.
We are not in touch and we don’t email each other very often however whenever we connect it’s the same feeling and depth of knowing each other so well – now that’s what I call friendship, that’s what is called connection and in real sense that is the true friend who doesn’t interpret my actions as not interested but rather she understands we all are busy in our life in many different ways and hence we care for each other and it remains inside our heart.
Recently I get to hear that she is getting married and I cannot express my happiness as how happy I am to hear this.

May this day you share
be filled with love and laughter
May all the days ahead
be happy ever after!

I dedicate this post for a friend who is getting married to start a new life. I would like to give all my best wishes and prayers to this friend for joining this part of life which includes the path of change yet the path of happiness and togetherness.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~ Elisabeth Foley

Is Love Really Blind?

Today being weekend eve, I would like to share a very touching story of a friend who could never think of anything else besides numbers. Yes, when I say numbers it means the marks at school.
She was a bubbly, fun loving yet good in studies, sports, story writing – you name it. Such a talented and focused girl was pretty boring when it came to boys.
Everything was good about her except that she never gave attention to any boys. She has made her reputation herself.
After finishing school, she joined college and took degree and did her masters and got a good job.
By now she was a beautiful well groomed girl with a nice paying job and status in the society. Her job was of a big responsibility and hence she was sent for training to one city to other.
During her training session she meets lot of people there as colleagues and it so happened that one of them really impressed her. Her nature was good and so was her heart and when cupid worked no one knows. On the valentine’s day she got a rose from this person and there was no end to their love.
When you are in love, you don’t see how one looks or even what place he belongs to. This is so truly depicted here when she discusses this with her parents so that she can proceed with her marriage with everyone’s blessings.
Her dad who always wanted her to live on his principles didn’t accept this decision coming from there.
When she showed the picture of her love, he denied and said think this was a mistake and you will forget him. We will find a nice guy and marry you off.
The girl and the boy both were matured and were individually capable to support themselves decided to go ahead and marry.
The couple married and even before they could seek blessings of their parents the girl’s parents disowned her.
This made her very sad as lifelong she followed her dad’s instruction, when it came to her happiness how come no one even gave a chance to think?
Today she and her husband living in US with the expectation that her parents will change their mind and will accept them.
The husband doesn’t see any hope as he walks with his stick trying to catch the flight for his business trip.
I wondered who say’s love is blind or even beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder – it all resides inside one’s heart.
This couple are the living examples and I feel so proud about them.

“True love stories never have endings” ~ Richard Bach

How corrupt you are to follow corruption?

‘Dandi March’ which our Father of Nation MK Gandhi initiated for ‘Salt Satyagraha’ – an important part of Indian independence movement that was taught to us in History took place around 1930. Recently I read an article where in some NRI’s are initiating this ‘Dandi March II’ on March 12^th from MLK’s memorial park in San Diego through LA and it will end on March 26^th at Gandhi Statue in San Francisco. I also hear that this date coincides with the dates when actually MK Gandhi did this in 1930. This is against the corruption in India.
When I read this article, I remembered my days when I was working with Marico Industries – a food manufacturing company where I alone participated against corruption only to bring hope within my team that if we decide ‘We Can’ then we will definitely be successful in eradicating corruption from our system, it’s up to us .
I had completed my education in Employee Relations and Labor Laws & Labor Welfare where along the way while fulfilling my duties towards the company I used to also help the workers know about their rights.

Every year we have to get the factory records signed by the Labor Welfare Officer who will check if we are maintaining the law and order for the factory requirements as per the State Act – this is a special and empowered rights to the state of Maharashtra workers.
After joining the company this was my first off-site job where I had to take all the files and registers to the government office to get their approval signature which allows us to be a true citizen in the field of Factory law and also proving justice towards our employees/workers. I was asked by my Factory manager to meet the Finance manager before leaving to meet the Labor Welfare Officer.
I had made sure we have all reasons under the law for things to have and not to have. I was very confident that my report and register will be signed and hence we don’t have to bribe anyone, as my Finance manager asked me to get cash from the accountant for my visit. I took an envelope that was handed over to me saying this is Rs. 5000.
I went to the government office in my Company car to meet the official and get the signature approval. I had to wait even though I was in there on time. The peon kept telling me, ‘our sir will go home and I kept telling him he can’t go without meeting me as I have taken an appointment.
He said by using his hand for money, ‘If you would want me to place your file ahead let me know’!
I hated that gesture and keeping my cool, I said, ‘I will give it straight to him so if he wants he will share it with you.’
My turn came and I went to the office and introduced myself to him and handed over the register for him to look through. The government official started looking through the register and he started asking about some Mr. Joshi who used to come with these files. I said he was an acting HR during that time though his role is to be a QA manager and now I am permanently placed at this position so you will have to deal with me and not Mr. Joshi.
He didn’t like that.
He looked through the documents and he said you guys do not have a CRESH for women and I see you have some 450 women employees as laborers. I said if you look through the list of names – we only have 22 permanent women employees for which we do not have to provide CRESH facility inside the factory and the rest of them are contract labors and medically certified that they are not able to produce any kids due to age and/or other medical operations that individuals have adopted with.
He had nothing to point out and hence he signed the documents and I thanked him.
Next day I reported first thing in the morning to my Finance department and made sure accountant adds back the Rs 5000 in the company account.
Our morning coffee conversation was – What happened that the money is submitted back into company accounts? All I gave them was a big smile!!!

This was a proud moment for me as I changed the history in the Marico Industry at Pune, where everyone advised me to give bribe as there is no other way to get away with it. We will be in serious trouble and I kept telling them it’s we who promote such things and hence this will never end from our system. To get this bacteria out of our system we have to take that initiative and that too without fear of any consequences.
I did it! You can too!!!
I support the cause of eradicating corruption from our system do you and how are you doing it?

A Warm Human Hand-Clasp - Mail

I remember how I used to write diary as a kid and then it later got into blogging.
Today I have decided to publish some of the letters that I received and as things go further many letters may come out here as a memory.
This is a tribute to all those who fall in love and write mails to their loved ones to propose or even express love…. The names will not be mentioned here for privacy reasons.

Hi xxxx
Sending you this mail at the early hours of Sunday. Though for me Saturday has passed to Sunday uninformed. I want to tell you how good I felt talking to you today. My story today was piece of what I am and in honest ways how I have visualized myself. I hope you feel comfortable with what you heard.
From what we have spoken I can tell you that I want you to be part of my life.
I can tell you that I want to look at you as my ‘reason for life’. My meaning to what I make of myself. I am not much used to the romantic words of saying I love you, but I know that you could make me complete as a person and I will live to be worthy to show you how much I love you.
That’s the best I can present myself romantically.
Can call me xxxx and send a mail if you feel you could share similar feelings with me.
You are the best that could happen to me.
If you feel I am being too fast in getting into conclusions, please do bear with me.
I have always said what my mind feels. And I feel I need to tell you this now.
May be its best said by mail, But if you agree, I would like to say the same by phone as well.

Sometimes writing does the magic which a person cannot do it in person :-)
The person had no patience after sending this so he sends another mail checking if I received this mail or not…when the person didn’t get a response to both the mails he decides to make a phone call :-)
Patience is what we lose when Love is in the air…

You always put your family first…How true is it?

I was just going through my postal mail when I saw a mail coming from Canada.

I opened it and it had these lines “You always put your family first… and we want to help.”

It was about the government program for the Canadian citizens for the Universal Child Care Benefit, for Children’s Fitness Tax Credit, for Post-Secondary education and much more…!

Such a nice thought isn’t it that a country thinks so much about your kids and family and I am thinking what we do to make this family happy, healthy and flourishing?

The other day at lunch time one of my friend said, ‘we all say hello – hi by sitting in different rooms of one single house to each other – i.e. kids and parents’ and she said remember when we were kids how we used to have our family sitting together whether it’s near the dinner table or near the fire place, it used to have so much meaning and bonding that even when my parents are not there I still miss them and value their teaching and try to induce those in my kids. But what can I do…they are growing up here and it’s all about computers and internet.

It took me to my childhood days. Growing up in NDA always induced certain discipline element in us and hence there was no question as why we have to come to dining table to eat our dinner or snacks. It was understandable if you don’t reach to the breakfast table at 8.30 a.m. then no one has time to wait for you and everyone will finish their breakfast and move on with their daily routine. The person who used to come late will always feel that guilt as he or she has to sit alone on the dining table and eat the breakfast without having anyone to talk to. Those days it used to hurt but the best things that I remember even today is from those moments.

We used to have our evening tea time when my mom and dad used to come from work and I used to make tea for them and some snacks – either I make it by following the recipe from the magazine or the cookies that my mom used to bring from Canteen – either way it was a refreshing moment for my parents who come all the way from work tired driving and having a sip of tea along with those snacks they would look at us and ask what happened today at school? What made us happy and what was not so good according to us.

I was known to be a story teller as I have a way to describe each and every detail of that single day. I will even describe what our teacher was wearing and how my friend and myself were discussing about a topic on dad’s after reading a story from Reader’s digest – all this used to be shared there and in between I will see my brother fighting to get in his point and so forth. When we both kids are satisfied with our stories and we are done with our tea, I will see my mom sharing her office issues and concerns and dad as always giving solutions to it. I have always seen such sessions as family time which I see in today’s time we lack. Our kids are growing without knowing what family value is, they are thrown into stuff where parents think we are keeping them busy with all kinds of programs and extracurricular activities. The child though keeps hearing about family and family values through books or movies…but if we don’t implement them ourselves how are they going to even get to see a glimpse of it?

I have never seen my parents fighting though there will be instances where my mom may not agree with my dad on certain topics but they both had their justification to it and no one’s ego was crushed. That’s called understanding.

Today kids eat in their room or they may end up eating by watching TV or reading books…we are becoming more social on the internet though face book and twitter but in reality we are so far in same house but sitting in different rooms.

There was a time when families in India used to live in one room with 2-3 siblings and yet they all were able to live and have their privacy – today we have rooms for each member in the house and what’s the use we go in those rooms and sit and socialize and make visual friends. You add your friends up to 500 on face book and you feel good about it. In reality physically how many friends do you go to with whom you can chat and discuss things where in your friend can straight tell you on your face what you are doing is right or wrong or even consider thinking about certain things which is for your own goodness? If you ever happen to have such friends also people will break the friendship with such because they don’t like anyone to show them the mirror. But then how are we going to bring this change into our life, when we talk about the continuous change and collaboration and family concept?

MK Gandhi, said to see a change that you would like to bring in implement in you first…(not exactly in those words) but you need to change yourself first to see that change around you.

Sadly, social networks are making money and adding more and more applications to keep everyone busy only to see each individual is kept busy with activities whether it is on the net or on the programs such as swimming, soccer etc.

Companies will grow and mint money but the families won’t be there to live together. The mere concept of it is eradicating from our society and yet when someone tries to bring the change – how well this change is faced? How much are we thinking what’s good for our kids? Again, the note from the Canadian mail reminds me the words ‘You Always Put Your Family First…” Do we?

Can we help ourselves first and then seek help later if needed?

“Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future” ~ Gail Lumet Buckley