RESPECT..!!!

Probably the most valued word of all time which can't be bought even today..This seven letter word has defined and re-defined the way we live our lives.And when it comes to India the weightage of this word grows on increasing inch by inch minute by minute and second by second.

Even before we learn to understand the true meaning of Respect,we are taught to respect our elders.Then in school we are taught to respect our teachers,fellow classmates,the peon etc etc..The list is endless to say the least.So growing up we get into the habit of respecting our elders,teachers,colleagues and so on.But then hell we have not yet fully understood the meaning of respect,because the way things are taught to us are partially correct and according to that partial education received we do not understand the real meaning of this immensely important word.

Unfortunately over the years there have been numerous instances which highlight the fact that due to way in which this word is portrayed people have succumbed to injustice and have kept themselves under the shackles.Instances of elder people taking advantage of just their age and exploiting small innocent children is something that comes first to the mind.The child doesn't say a word,why?because he/she has been taught that we need to respect our elders.The weight of pointing a finger at an elder person in the family is more than the suffering one has to go through because of that same person.

But its not just the small ones who suffer.In the corporate world a lot of young budding people have to shut up just so that they can act in a way that pleases their bosses.That is not respect,that's fear,fear of getting kicked out of the organization,fear of losing a job and with that a lot of other things.

And we as people play a major role in other men/women misusing this word because we are still trying to conquer our fears,we still respect people because of their age and position and not because of what they are in person.No one has the right to be respected just because of the fact that their parents could not control their desires which resulted into they being born early.Time for us to understand the true meaning of respect and giving it to those who truly deserve it.

Respect cannot be bought,it can only be Earned!!!

H.O.S.T.E.L

This one is on a special request...But it probably captures one of the most interesting and important part of my life..Its about the life spent in a Hostel.

Its a strange feeling walking up the hostel stairs for the first time,your heart is in mixed state,it is looking forward to a new life but its also being held back by the burden of leaving the secured walls of your own home.Its emotionally challenging as well because you are moving away from the ones whom you probably love the most.But then after some initial days of struggle you actually manage to get to know people around you,people who are in a similar position as you are,sometimes worse but still there's a strange kind of bonding that emanates from the fact that you are not the only one who is going through the same dilemma.

As time rolls on you get to know a bit more about your companions,you get to know some good parts ,some bad parts and some ugly ones as well.And when those initial few days of missing home and bonding gets over ,you come to know the actual people around you.You realize that the ones who seemed good are not so good and the ones whom you thought were bad are not so bad.Life teaches you a lesson,a lesson about people,best described by the quote "Never judge a book by its cover".It teaches you not to judge people by how they look or dress but by what they think.

By the end of a year you almost know whom you wanna be for the rest of your time,you form a group,small or large,but you know the people who at some point or the other share the same interests as you do.It's like finding a home away from home.You have a new family,a bunch of guys who go bonkers over a nice girl passing by,who love their cricket,who are passionate about bikes and who hate exams !! Its with these people that you spend the best and the worst stages of your life.And with time you grow along with them,not just in age but in thoughts as well.

I have always believed that anyone who is about to enter college should spend those years in a hostel,with a bunch of crazy , ugly boys who one day or the other are going to mature into fine human beings.It teaches you a lot ,but the most important one is that it teaches you to evolve as a human being.

Living Unbound: FrIeNdShIp !!!

Living Unbound: FrIeNdShIp !!!: Friendship!!! One word that has more hidden meanings than any other word in the English dictionary.Its a relation that a human being chos...

FrIeNdShIp !!!

Friendship!!! One word that has more hidden meanings than any other word in the English dictionary.Its a relation that a human being choses for his/her ownself,one that is not bound by blood,caste,religion or race.Sometimes it doesn't even require two human beings,pets play the part of the other half.Its a bond which also goes through a lot of stages,specially if the friendship starts from an early stage in life.

I have always been one of the few lucky one's who has got some of the best friends one could ever get.School and college would not have been as much fun as they were if not for those crazy and unique characters that I became friends with.From those crazy cricket matches to bike rides to birthday parties to just chatting on the phone,these people have given life a new meaning.But over the years some friendships have gone the wrong way as well.Misunderstandings,mistakes,hasty decisions have all added up to probably see the end of many a friendships .Its also about thinking and thoughts and circumstances.Times change,thoughts change and in most cases people think that the other person has changed.Yes people do change but then it is unfair to compare them to what they were earlier because things around them are not the same anymore.Years of friendship can end in days.But then that is where life is unpredictable.Losing a friend is painfull.Its not a good feeling to digest either and when you are probably the reason why people moved away from you then its even more painfull.

Having said that its important to realize the fact that some people come to your life only for a specific period of time,they give you memories for a lifetime,but they may not always be there till the end.Its important to remember the good things they tought you rather than thinking about how it ended.Everyone in life teaches us something,its all about what and how we take it.Not everyone is going to walk by you till the end,people do come and go ,one day or the other,one way or the other,its always about those days when you had a laugh with them,the days when you hugged them,spoke your heart out to them and thanked them for being the best.Each and everyone is special at one point of time in life,its important to recognize that and respect them for what they were and what they are even if they are no longer a part of your life.

Money Matters....

MONEY!!!!!....Probably one of the biggest inventions of man.Actually the biggest!! Everything in this world revolves around this 5 letter word.Its all about making money.We as human beings have made money such an important entity that our entire life revolves around it.Its all about how much bank balance one has as opposed to how much knowledge one possesses.If we look at the life cycle of an average human being we would  realize that from childhood itself money starts playing a major role.Even before birth ,our future is decided by money.The hospital that we are about to get delivered in is decided on the basis of how much income our family has.Once born ,the clothes that we wear ,the school that we go to ,the sports that we play..all are dependent by and large on that dreaded five letter word ,MONEY!!

As we grow older the only mission we have is to get a got enough Job,the one which may be of the least interest to us but it should be the highest paying one.Its important to earn money or else we would not be able to buy things which we have dreamt of. We spend hours at our work place just to earn that piece of paper at the end of the month. It also is the biggest status symbol. The more money you have the more your stature grows.And add to the fact that if you are an Indian then it completely becomes the bone of contention.The feeling of "what will other's think of us " never leaves us in peace.We want to keep on earning not for ourselves but to show others how much we possess.

But this has been going on for ages and willingly or unwillingly we have accepted that money is supreme and existence without it is next to impossible.Then you would wonder why I am being so cynical of the fact that we have made money as our priority.The reason being, we in our quest for wealth have actually forgotten basic human values.Let me cite an example..

Yuvraj Singh hits 6 sixes in an over and the government showers him with crores of rupees.That's fine,he did what not a lot of people can do.But a girl in Delhi gets raped and eventually after a hard fought battle dies.It somewhat wakes up a sleeping nation.But a day after the cremation of the brave girl ,two state governments announce that they will pay the parents of the girl 10 or 15 odd Lakh rupees.Now that to me is shameful and it epitomizes how sick and tired we are and how badly we are tangled up with money.We don't know how when or where to use this powerful tool.Whatever be the occasion we just throw in money.

There's no point in covering our backs when our souls have been ripped apart.Lets stop following the age old tactics,lets stop falling for a piece of paper whose value is increasing so much that we are on the brink of forgetting our own values.Time for us to show respect to other things in life.Time to set our morals straight.

Finally a salute to the spirit of the girl who passed away fighting.Respect!!!!

A letter to MOM

Sometimes in life we become so busy that we dont express ourselves to the fullest.And when we do its either grief or anger that comes out because that is really easy to lash out.But in this busy world we forget to express the love and affection we have for our loved ones.The ones with whom we may not talk everyday but then their love care and good wishes always accompany us.This letter is to the one who has had the biggest hand in shaping me into the 23 year old that I am today.This one is for you MOM.

When I look back at the life I have lived so far I feel a sense of pride in the human being I am and the freedom of thought that I enjoy and share.But this would not have been possible if I would have been suppressed into the narrow minded attitude that a lot of kids are forced into.Through the years gone by I have had the luxury of expressing myself and my feelings without the fear of getting beaten up or scolded. Of course there have been times when I and you have not shared the same opinion and many a times I have disagreed to your general outlook towards life and the world.But having said that never have you stopped me from following my heart and have always kept faith in me in whatever decisions I have taken so far.I have been one of those lucky kids who have got respect from people around me just because they know that I am your son.Your aura speaks more than a thousand words,the way you have grown in life has garnered respect from everyone who knows you.Hence I without doing anything got the respect that may be I would not have got if it would not have been for you.

Today when I sit back and go into flashback mode I remember how I used to cuddle next to you as a kid in the night because I felt so secure by your presence that I could close my eyes,forget all the worries and fears and sleep tight.I knew I was near my biggest guardian.Obviously with time I grew older and things changed.And the best part was that you as a mother changed with time.I never felt bound.I was allowed to do stuff that a lot of people growing up in my era were not allowed to.I completed my schooling and then went on to live away from you,I always looked at my side of things till the time Vivaan was born.For the first time there was someone who was younger than me in our family.And then through the last year or so I have seen what it takes to handle a kid.It has been the biggest gift life has given me so far because the way you handle him gives me a clear picture of how you would have handled me.

I know you love me a lot because every now and then you end up calling Vivaan by my name and that shows how much you are still attached to the little me who has now grown up so tall that you need to raise your neck and speak.

Its not mother's day,but I don't need a special day to remind myself how important you are in my life.I could go on and on but then I guess I have epitomised what I feel about you.Thank You MOM :)

The blurred life!!!

Life in the 20's is nothing short of a blur.You are full of energy yet you are not sure where to channelize that energy,goals are not clear.There's so much to choose from.All things come together.Love ,money,studies ,future and what not.You are out there fighting with the experienced guys who have been in this game since ages.You want to shed your wings and fly high but then there's a sense of insecurity wherein you do not know whether your wings are strong enough to stand the storm that might be on its way.Its not like school or college where your goals were defined.All you needed to do was to go to the next class and if you were a bit intelligent all you needed to do was to get good grades.People did not expect anything else from you.You were not expected to stand up for yourselves and you always had the backing of your family.You still have .But things are not so similar.All eyes are now on you.You are the center of attraction.People are looking up to you.The elders are expecting you to follow their footsteps and achieve things that they somehow could not achieve.People younger than you look up to you for inspiration.They want to be like you one day.And the funny part is here you are going through the motions,trying to figure out the right picture that life wants to present to you.But your vision isn't so clear.There's a blur.