Just a number

We are so fond of valuing things by their numerical value. Turning a teenager is such a milestone..birthdays such an event. Silver, gold, paper anniversary. 5 years in a company that earns gratuity..

Someone once said- its not the number of years in my life that are important, its the life in those years. Couldn't have said it better myself.

It doesn't matter if you are 20years old or 30 as long as you wake up each morning looking forward to the day. A decade long relationship is worth holding close only if both of you still pine for each other and can't imagine a life without, else its just a habit. Friendships may be 20years old or just a few days, if they warm your heart, they're worth investing in.

Don't live your life by numbers. Take each day as a new one. And try to fill your years with life and your life with love. Not because you're expected to or have to or must. But because you want to.

Restaurant Review - Gung Ho about Korean food!!!

It says quite a lot when I have an article published on Friday and I couldn't find the time till 5 days later to put it here on my blog!

A restaurant review of an interesting Korean place I and a friend discovered in Green Park called Gung - the Palace.

Read the review here.



The server grilling the Pork belly on our table itself!



Raison d’etre

You find strength in the strangest places. Sometimes you find it in a friend, sometimes in a love and often within yourself. But today when I was down and out, I found it in the least unlikely place. In the touch of a little person who can not even speak yet.

I woke up missing the twinkle in my eye. Without the strength to look for it, I would have just let it go. But then you woke up. And looked at me with twinkles in yours. Telling me, that you had spares for when I lost mine! Your smile at my mere presence, an unexpected kiss, a warm cuddle. All gave me renewed meaning.

My Munchkin, my Sonu, thanks for giving me back my reason to be.

Don’t kill the messenger

 It’s funny, the higher you climb the ladder of economic prosperity, the more you are scared of falling flat. We teach our children that you can not clean your room by throwing all the clothes in a closet and sweeping the dust under the carpet. Someone (namely mommy) is going to open the doors to check and when the stuff comes tumbling down, all hell will break loose.

Then how come people as evolved and mature (!?!) as elected leaders in a government forget this basic value? In their race to gain political mileage, they sweep all their dirty work under the carpet and hope that it will never be found.

And then came along Assange, the big mommy!! His little operation called Wiki Leaks went and checked under all carpets, opened all the closets and even checked behind their ears. And governments far and wide shivered where they sat. The big bully Uncle Sam went to the extent of shouting foul and allegedly planting a CIA agent in Sweden to have sex with Assange without a condom. Unfortunately for Assange, the country in question qualifies that with rape, even if it was a mutually agreeable act. Even more unfortunate (and clever on Uncle Sam’s part) is that the country has no system of bail and has no time limit for detention.

Yes, go ahead, extradite him. Harass him in this mindless court case. But you’re missing the point. He is one man. And he made you squirm. He exposed secrets that you were trying to hide. If Rajiv Gandhi has an enormous corpus in the Swiss banks, as a citizen of the country where that money was taken from, I have a right to know. Similarly, if I were American, I would be very interested in knowing the true dealings of my government behind the facade.

But as I said, he is one man. It is not the person Assange you need to worry about but the concept Assange. This was apparent the day he went fleeing and America tried to block Wiki Leak urls. People from all over the world kept shifting the site to keep the spirit alive. And alive it shall remain. Sometimes it takes an Anna Hazare, sometimes a Julian Assange and sometimes just you and me. But someone’s got to keep questioning, else we run the risk of becoming mere puppets.

I don’t know you as a person Assange. But I salute your spirit and motivation.

Are you listening??

To the following commercial institutions, if you were wondering where you are going wrong, here are some tips:

1) Beauty Parlours: If I have come for a hair cut or blow dry, please do NOT tell me what else is wrong with my hair/ skin/ scalp and what (expensive) products I should buy from you to sort it out!

2)  Clubs and Discs: If your DJ must insist on playing only house music that just goes dhik chik dhik chik and your dance floor is empty, take a cue and put songs that may have some LYRICS in them!!! I say, go the whole hog, play chammak challo and see how fast your floor fills up. If your DJ is too cool to play these, I say sack him and play a CD!!

3) Hospitals: If I have come to your doors, it means I am already hassled and worried. Please do NOT make me sign 100 forms, buy your loyalty card, make a file and only then allow me to see a doctor. 

4) Coffee Shops: I know you need to upsell, but I believe your margins are large enough. I really don’t want added flavours/ ice cream/ hazelnut shots in my coffee. I want a plain cup of coffee.

5) Shops: You may be over staffed, but please don’t follow me like a shadow. I will ask for help when I need it and I really won’t shop lift!! 

Phew!!